The Villanovan | Volume 121, Issue 2: September 16, 2026

WEDNESDAY September 16, 2026 www.villanovan.com @thevillanovan VOLUME 121 | ISSUE 2

STUDENT-RUN SINCE 1916

Lacrosse 9/11 Stair Climb

Behind The Scenes Of The 21st Annual Day of Service

Casey Healey Co-Sports Editor

In the early hours of Sept. 11, 2026, the only thing that could be heard at Villanova Stadium was the pounding of feet on concrete, over and over again, until 2,071 steps had been climbed in honor of the 343 firefighters, 37 Port Authority police officers, 23 NYPD officers, and all those who lost their lives in the World Trade Center attacks 25 years ago. For the last two years, Villanova’s women’s lacrosse team has participated in the 9/11 Stair Climb Fundraiser, which raises money for the Michael J Cawley Memorial Fund. Senior midfielder Rose Christie, who hails from Long Island, NY, organized the memorial stair climb. It is now the second year that Villanova women’s lacrosse has participated in it. “We started the stair climb my junior year, and the years before that, we didn’t do anything for September 11th,” Christie said. “I noticed my friends started doing the stair climb, and I thought, I’m from New York. I have family that was either affected by it or was a part of it or have friends who were affected by it. And then I thought, I should stop sitting around, I should start doing the stair climb, and what’s a more perfect way to spread it than with my team.” The Firefighter Michael J Cawley Memorial Foundation was created in honor of Michael Cawley, a firefighter with Rescue Company 4 in New York. He sadly lost his life responding to the 9/11 Continued on p. 18

The Day of Service directors and their subcommittees have spent months coordinating with sites and planning the event. Dylan Johnson/Villanovan Photography

Kailey Fahy Co-Editor-in-Chief

More than 5,000 volunteers will gather in Villanova’s stadium early on Saturday, Sept. 19, before traveling to local community sites for the University’s 21st annual St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service. Although the service itself takes place in a single day, the work for the Day of Service directors begins months in advance. Day of Service is the culmination of months of planning led by the Day of Service directors and their subcommittees. Every

detail, from where groups will volunteer to which buses they will take to get there, has been meticulously planned since January, when Maddy Scoblick, this year’s student chair, was selected to lead the event. Scoblick, a senior, joined the Day of Service committee her sophomore year as a part of the community engagement team. She then served as junior director of service sites and partnerships. Now, she is the event’s student leader. “I got my position as student chair in January,” Scoblick said. “And then we chose the directors in February, followed by

committee at the beginning of March. So really, since January we have been building this year’s Day of Service team. We also start the bulk of the planning in March.” Scoblick notes that the Day of Service committee has an interesting position because it is one of the only student organizations with a big event so early in the school year. “It is interesting to see how we have to do a lot of our planning over the summer,” Scoblick said. “It is obviously a very large committee to get engaged via Zoom or Teams, so a goal of mine this year was definitely to present more

content that wasn’t just necessarily numbers or facts in those meetings. So, we had a couple of guest speakers over the summer during our meetings, and that was really great.” Scoblick leads the committee alongside the other Day of Service directors. Seniors Rica Monaghan and Lauren Liberti co-direct logistics. In their roles, they oversee transportation and logistics for the day. One of their main tasks is coordinating the 90 buses that are being used to transport students this year and mapping out the day’s transportation plan. Continued on p. 14

Villanova Reflects One Year After Shooter Hoax Dominic Piscopo

Staff Writer

On Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, an entire generation of new Villanova students, parents, faculty, staff and Orientation Counselors experienced a shocking event. During the New Student Orientation Program’s opening Mass, the community was informed of an “active shooter” on campus. A university-wide lockdown then went into

effect.

However, there was no shooter, and no one was shot. What was called a

“cruel hoax” by University President Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., Ph.D went on to alter how Villanova students and Public Safety of-

Villanova Public Safety has made changes to emergency responsee. Dylan Johnson/Villanovan Photography

ficers respond to emergencies. Swatting incidents are hoax phone calls or messages that falsely report incidents of violent crime. In the case of Villanova in August 2025, and numerous other schools around the country, the perpetrator behind these calls reported an active shooter on campus. Fortunately, the 2026 New Student Orientation Program occurred without any incidents or any need for the improved NOVA Alerts or Continued on p. 2

21st Annual St. Thomas of Villanova Day Of Service p. 3

St. Thomas of Villanova: The Man Behind the Day p. 4

Villanova Holds Dedication For New Cabrini Campus p. 5

A Pops In The Pavilion 2026 Preview p. 6

Freshmen Friend Groups: Are You Truly Missing Out? p. 8

A Villanovan’s Word on Her Father Lost on 9/11 p. 9

25 Years Later: Villanovans Remember 9/11 p. 10

New Exhibit, Familiar Mission: Hearts Of The HarvestGuide p. 15

Lacrosse Takes On 9/11 Memorial Stairclimb p. 18

Freshman Feature: Villanova Women’s Soccer p. 21

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News 1 Opinion 7 Culture 10 Sports 17

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KAILEY FAHY DYLAN JOHNSON SOPHIE LATESSA EMMA COTE MIA GALEGO MARGARET MILLER EDEN ROSINI AVERY CHALK EMMA TAYLOR CALI CARSS MAGGIE FITZGERALD FINN COURTNEY CASEY HEALEY IRA NIDAMARTHY MASON CANTON ERICK QUEZADA CIARA DURSEE KORIN KOHEN ERIKA MASSIANI MICHAEL BRADLEY JJ BROWN CONTACT

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Disorderly Conduct / Harassment / Liquor Underage / Public Drunkenness September 12, SOUTH CAMPUS GROUNDS. An individual was cited for Harassment, Disorderly Conduct, Public Drunk, and Purchase, consumption, possession or transportation of liquor or malt or brewed beverages. Criminal Mischief September 13, SULLIVAN HALL. An RA reported property damage within a residence hall restroom. Liquor Underage / Public Drunkenness September 13, FEDIGAN HALL. A female resident student, under the age of 21, was evaluated for alcohol intoxication and released. Liquor Underage / Public Drunkenness September 13, STANFORD HALL.

A male resident student, under the age of 21, was evaluated for alcohol intoxication and released. Criminal Mischief September 13, SULLIVAN HALL. An Exit sign was damaged inside of a residence hall. Liquor Underage / Public Drunkenness September 13, ST. MARY’S HALL. A female resident student, under the age of 21, was evaluated for alcohol intoxication and transported to BMH. Carrying a False Identification Card / Liquor Underage / Public Drunkenness September 13, MAIN CAMPUS GROUNDS. A female student, under the age of 21, was evaluated for alcohol intoxication and transported by Radnor Ambulance to BMH.

Liquor Underage / Public Drunkenness September 13, MAIN CAMPUS GROUNDS. A female resident student, under the age of 21, was evaluated for alcohol intoxication and released. Liquor Underage / Public Drunkenness September 13, MAIN CAMPUS GROUNDS. A female resident student, under the age of 21, was observed intoxicated in public and evaluated by VEMS for alcohol intoxication and transported to BMH. Liquor Underage September 13, ST. CLARE HALL. A female resident student, under the age of 21, was evaluated for alcohol intoxication and transported by VEMS to BMH.

CORRECTIONS

Factual errors are corrected as soon as they are brought to The Villanovan’s attention. Please send an e-mail to villanovan.eic@gmail.com to report errors.

One Year After Swatting

Continued from p.1

any need for the improved NOVA Alerts or protocols. Villanova’s Public Safety officers recognize how grave the last academic year has been and have acted accordingly. “We enhanced our ability for non-university constituents to sign up for NOVA Alert using a short code,” David Tedjeske, Associate Vice President of Public Safety and Chief of Police, told The Villanovan. Despite the uneasiness students feel when they receive a NOVA Alert, Villanova Public Safety believes the alerts are necessary and will positively affect the university’s well-being in the long run. Parents and families can also sign up to receive NOVA Alerts. “An informed campus is a safer campus,” Tedjeske said. “We trained our officers and our dispatchers on hoax calls. The methods used are unique. We kept track of current trends in conjunction with our federal partners to keep a pulse on evolving issues around this area.” Villanova Public Safety has

also developed protocols to be enforced when another event occurs and work has been done to de-escalate quickly. The main problem during the 2025 Orientation hoax was that Villanova’s Public Safety officers had never experienced something similar. “At the time that we received the call, we weren’t aware of any other incidents of this nature that had occurred, even nationally,” Tedjeske said. The swatting incident, combined with the number of NOVA Alerts sent out in the 202526 school year, made students, especially those in the Class of 2029, uneasy. “In regard to safety on campus, I’ve never not felt safe,” sophomore Emily Zickel said. “But the constant NOVA Alerts that we get every semester doesn’t feel normal. But I’ve never felt super unsafe walking to and from class.” Public safety is continuing to improve its response to safety incidents on campus. The NOVA Alerts system, despite making students anxious at times, keeps the Villanova community informed.

Public safety emphasizes the importance of the NOVA Alert system. Villanovan Photography/Ryan Sarbello

Block Party Preview Caroline Etter Staff Writer Villanova’s Black Student Union (BSU), Latin American Student Organization (LASO) and African-Caribbean Villanovans (ACV) are collaborating to host their annual Block Party on Friday, Sept. 18, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the West Campus Courts. This year, students can expect food, music from DJ Kiel and student performances. BSU will also host a basketball tournament, and LASO will host a soccer tournament. The block party is an amazing way to have fun, meet new people and uplift these identity-based organizations on our campus. More importantly, it means belonging for many Villanova students. “For me, I think it’s also about creating a space where POC students can just feel comfortable, have fun and connect with each other,” BSU President Ataya Jenkins said. “Sometimes it can be easy to feel like you’re in your own little bubble on campus, so having an event where you can see so many different people and cultures represented is really meaningful. We want people to leave the Block Party feeling like they were able to celebrate who they are while also being introduced to communities and people they may not have interacted with before.” The Block Party celebrates the hard work of organizations on campus to foster inclusion. They do so within their respective groups and through collaboration. “We’re especially excited to see all three organizations come together and bring their own energy to the event,” ACV senior Daniella Forson said. “Whether you’re participating in a tournament, supporting a performer or just

coming out to enjoy the food and atmosphere, we hope everyone feels welcome. We’ve been working hard to get everything ready, and we can’t wait to see the Villanova community come out and enjoy the day with us.” Although the groups represent different communities on campus, their missions are similar. Each one seeks to give students a space where they can truly make Villanova feel like home. “BSU, LASO and ACV all represent different communities, but there’s a lot of overlap in our experiences as students of color, and I think this event is a really good way for us to come together,” Jenkins said. By coming together, BSU, LASO and ACV are leaving a positive impact on not only our campus, but the entire Villanova community, More information on the Block Party and how to register for either the basketball or soccer tournaments can be found on @ novabsu, @lasovillanova or @ novaacv on Instagram.

The 2025 LASO Block Party. Courtesy of Christopher Brown

The Villanovan | 3

NEWS

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

21st Annual St. Thomas Of Villanova Day Of Service Margaret Miller Co-News Editor

This Saturday, Sept. 19, the Villanova community will come together to serve the Greater Philadelphia area during the 21st St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service. Open to all faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends and families, the day is intended to give Villanova community members the opportunity to put the University’s Augustinian values into practice. In a Villanova press release from Aug. 25, the University provided an overview of the event, emphasizing its importance. “As part of this year’s effort, members of the University community will volunteer at more than 100 sites across the Greater Philadelphia area, providing vital support to a wide range of charitable causes and organizations,” the press release read. “Collectively, participants will contribute thousands of hours of service work, benefiting food pantries, community farms, local schools, care facilities and more.” Ana Mamola, the senior director of service sites and partnerships, talked about the intention behind the event. “One of the things that I think is most important to know is that Day of Service extends past

just volunteering for a few hours,” Mamola said. “It’s really about reaching out and building relationships with the communities that we partner with, and it’s so important to recognize that we are guests in those spaces.” This year, there are 128 service sites, 237 groups and more than 5,000 volunteers participating in the event. Mamola emphasized that along with it being a large event with an expansive reach, the day is also impactful for the personal connections participants create while serving. “What is so incredibly special about Day of Service is that even though it’s a huge event, people are still able to have incredibly personal and meaningful experiences at each site that we serve at,” Mamola said. Mamola gave some examples of projects Villanova members will be working on this year. There is an extensive range of service opportunities, both on and off campus. “We have groups doing super hands-on projects like painting a mural at James Logan Elementary and chipping wood at Gorgas Park, as well as things like washing windows at the Romero Center and preparing plant beds for winter at Henry’s Got Crops,” Mamola said. “There are also a number of on-campus service activities being performed, like making 3,000 PB&J sandwiches for a homeless shelter in the Villanova

Room or building Adirondack chairs for Habitat for Humanity on Sheehan Beach.” Mamola also said that all participants should be willing to learn and come to serve with an open mind. “Every service site is different, and sometimes the most meaningful moments of the day won’t be things that you are prepared for or expecting,” Mamola said. “Embrace the opportunity to be engaging in service with their friends and peers because this event is so unique to Villanova and, in my opinion, acts as the truest embodiment of our values of Veritas, Unitas and Caritas” Mamola also emphasized the importance of being respectful in the spaces and communities individuals are serving in. She also talked about her personal experience with the event as

a member and now a director of the Day of Service Committee. “My favorite part of the day is probably seeing the relationships that form between our volunteers and the people and organizations we’re partnering with,” Mamola stated. Mamola, along with other members of the committee are excited for the annual 21st St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service. “I love the energy of sendoff in the morning, it’s almost an out of body experience to see the entire Villanova community coming together to serve our community together and to see an event that takes so much time and energy to plan finally come to fruition” Mamola said. Members of the Villanova community can expect a fun-filled and impactful event, gathering together to serve on Sept 19.

Students will serve at numerous service sites in the surrounding community. Courtesey of Villanova University

9/11 Global Impact Panel Discussion

Middle Eastern countries and their civilians in the U.S.-led military conflicts that ensued for the following decades. Brigham’s remarks came On Friday, Sept. 11, the first, and he claimed that not only Center for the Common Good, the people of the United States but in conjunction with the Center also innocent civilians throughout for Peace and Justice Education, the Middle East suffered and lost hosted a panel discussion for the so much, including their lives, as a Villanova community in the Conresult of the terrorist attacks. In adnelly Center’s Villanova Room. dition, Brigham asked the audience The panel gathered not to join in a moment of silence, “not only to commemorate the 25th just for those Americans but for anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, what we, the entire world commuterrorist attacks, but also to speak nity, lost that day.” to questions about how the tragic “America loves a comeback events continue to impact people around the world a quarter-century story,” Brigham said. “Maybe it’s time we wrote our own, and this later. time it starts with us.” The event, titled “The He encouraged Americans Global Legacy and Enduring to engage in civic participation, Impact of 9/11/01 - Twenty-Five Years After,” gathered a large audi- such as voting and active service, to correct the years of divisive politics ence, including a contingent from and overly harmful military action the Naval ROTC program. that followed what Brigham deOn the panel was former Brigadier General David Brigham, clared was a period of great unity after Sept. 11, 2001. a doctoral student in strategic VanDiver highlighted those leadership at James Madison mistakes well. He stated that any University, Nigina Abdul Moqim, criticism in his remarks, as opposed an advocate for humanitarian aid to being directed at the victims and and refugees at the UN Refugee Agency, former Special Forces Cap- heroes of that fateful Tuesday, was meant solely as a “criticism of the tain Asem Shukoori, the CEO of FrontlineWATCH (a global defense decisions that were made in their name by suits in Washington after intelligence advisory service), Dr. 9/11.” VanDiver joined his fellow Muhammad Farooq, an Assistant panelists, Shukoori and Moqim, in Professor of Literature at Seton pointing out how the U.S. invasion Hall University, and Shawn Vanof Taliban-controlled Afghanistan Diver, a Navy veteran and the forced innocent Afghan people out founder and president of AfghanEvac (an organization designed to of their homes and killed tens of thousands of innocent citizens. assist Afghan Refugees). Moqim suggested that, Much of the 90-minute following the fall of the Taliban event consisted of statements regime in December 2001, a long offered by each of the panelists on period of possibility began, estheir views on 9/11’s impact on Sean O’Sullivan Staff Writer

pecially for women. Girls were allowed to attend school beyond the sixth grade, and women were allowed to participate in Afghan society, holding jobs and appearing in public more often. “Our shared responsibility after 25 years is to learn from the war and the tremendous cost of these years and the possibilities that they created,” Moqim said. Despite her reflection on the progress made in recent decades for women in Afghanistan, Moqim, in addition to her fellow panelists, also raised how the Taliban’s return to power in Aug. 2021, following American military withdrawal, has caused more harm to Afghan people and a regression in much of the last quarter-century’s human rights progress. A common thread through much of the discussion was how today’s Villanova undergraduate student body was born after the Sept. 11 attacks occurred. Even

adult members of the audience expressed curiosity about how younger generations are learning about 9/11, calling it, for Generation Z and younger, a “textbook date.” Perhaps the most significant takeaway from this panel discussion, which even The Rev. Bernard C. Scianna, OSA, PhD raised in his introduction, was that the best way in which we can be peacemakers, as the Beatitudes and Pope Leo XIV call us to be, is to listen to one another and to be active participants in our global society. All the panelists wanted the audience to consider that there remain tens of thousands of victims of all the violence that began on Sept. 11, 2001, and continued for years. Those victims were individuals with their own lives, talents, stories and ideas, all of which were stolen away. To create a better world and honor all those we lost, we must listen, participate and make peace.

The panelists reflected on the global impact of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. Sean O’Sullivan/Villanovan Photography

4 | The Villanovan

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

NEWS

2026 Villanova Career Fair Recap

Veronica King Staff Writer On Sept. 9, Villanova University students gathered in the Finneran Pavilion for the annual VU Fall Career Fair, an event designed to connect students and alumni with potential employers and professional opportunities. From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., the Pavilion was filled with students from across the University, from freshmen beginning to explore their career interests to graduate students and alumni seeking full-time positions. Sponsored by Arkema, a French manufacturer specializing in chemicals and advanced materials, this year’s Career Fair featured approximately 150 employers representing a wide range of industries and career fields. Students were encouraged to attend in business-casual attire and bring copies of their resumes to share with potential employers. Although internships and full-time employment were central focuses of the event, the Career Fair offered something beyond job opportunities. For many students, it served as an introduction to professional networking, communication and interviewing. Representatives welcomed students actively searching for posi-

tions, as well as those just beginning to explore their options. Naya Quinones, a freshman in the Villanova School of Business, was one of many students who attended the event. In preparation, Quinones spent the week leading up to the Career Fair meeting with her advisor and reviewing her resume. “I feel like it’s important for freshmen, especially in the business school, to go and work on their networking and communication with potential employers,” Quinones said. For students like Quinones, the Career Fair offered a chance to start building professional connections before entering the workforce. It also encouraged students to consider career paths and organizations they might not have encountered before. Teach For America, a national nonprofit organization that recruits and trains college graduates and professionals to work as full-time, paid teachers, was among the employers represented at the Fair. The organization was seeking students interested in teaching and tutoring opportunities for the spring semester. Kevin Waters, the organization’s representative, spoke with students about the benefits of becoming involved with Teach For America and provided an overview of its initiatives. He noted how the entire event was run smoothly and how impressed he was by the “depth,

breadth and diversity” of the students and their majors, and that everyone he spoke to was open to learning about Teach for America. The Fund for American Studies also attended the Career Fair, offering opportunities for undergraduate students interested in gaining academic credit and internship experience in Washington, D.C. Representative Colin Park spoke with students throughout the event and noted their preparation and willingness to engage. “This fair is the best in the circuit, with the most well-prepared students who always have their resumes and countless questions,” Park said. While the Career Fair centered on employment, its impact extended beyond resumes and job applications. For students still de-

ciding what they want their future to look like, simply speaking with professionals can be an important first step. From Teach For America to The Fund for American Studies, the Fair offered opportunities across industries, interests and levels of experience. With employers representing a wide range of industries, the Fall Career Fair gave Villanova students the opportunity to explore possibilities beyond their classrooms and majors. For some, the afternoon meant pursuing a specific internship or job. For others, it was a chance to ask questions, make connections and discover careers they had never considered. No matter where students were in their professional journeys, the Fair offered a starting point for what comes next.

Students gathered in the Finneran Pavillion to network with alumni and professionals in their field. Brian Luppy/Villanovan Photography

St. Thomas Of Villanova: The Man Behind The Day Jean Rodriguez-Perez Staff Writer On Saturday, Sept. 19, the University will gather for its annual St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service. While many are familiar with St. Thomas of Villanova, few know his story. St. Thomas was from Castile in Spain and would eventually join the Augustinian friars at Salamanca. He was pressured to accept the see of bishop in the city of Valencia. Famously, St. Thomas would give away the money given to him by his cathedral chapter to hospitals and the poor. This quickly earned him the name the “Beggar Bishop,” for his extreme humility and charity. Vice President for Mission and Ministry Fr. Bernie Scianna, O.S.A., Ph.D. believes that St. Thomas’ best characteristic was his generosity.

“He was willing to beg for things from people and shops, as to make sure that the poor in his parish and in his area had the basics that they needed,” Fr. Bernie said. Fr. Bernie humorously added that St. Thomas was “also known for taking stuff from the church, like treasures, if you will,” but that St. Thomas always saw Christ in others and would also allocate an abundance of his time to helping those most in need. The connection from St. Thomas to another great saint, St. Teresa of Calcutta, was also made. Both St. Thomas and St. Teresa both admirably gave the people their everything, and by doing so gave God their everything. That is what Fr. Bernie calls us to do, but more importantly what St. Thomas calls us to do. “[St. Teresa] said that you don’t have to do extraordinary things,” Fr. Bernie said. “You just

Students will gather for the annual St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service on Saturday, Sept. 19. Lauren Armstrong/Villanovan Photography

Fr. Bernie spoke about St. Thomas of Villanova and the inspiration behind the day of service. Jean Rodriguez-Perez/Villanovan Photography

have to do ordinary things extraordinarily well.” The service day happens once a year, but Fr. Bernie implores us to get involved in daily activities. “Even if you don’t go out to those structured things, be kind to the people who are here,” Fr. Bernie said. “That’s the way we can become more like St. Thomas. Make sure that people who are in our community are not feeling isolated or excluded or left out.” As the University approaches the St. Thomas of Villanova Day of Service, Fr. Bernie reminds us that one should celebrate each other’s successes and not feel jealous or a sense of anger when others are doing well. Furthermore, Fr. Bernie also shared a quote by St. Teresa: “God doesn’t expect you to be successful. He expects you to be faithful.” St. Thomas wasn’t the best and brightest mind. During his

time teaching at Salamanca University, he was known for his absentmindedness and poor memory, yet he tried his best. He remained faithful to what God was calling him to do. Fr. Bernie assured that the University wants its students to be successful businessmen and businesswomen, doctors and nurses. “But we want people to say, ‘It’s not just for me,’” Fr. Bernie said. “I’m connected to brothers and sisters in the area and around the world, and so, use what you are given (your gift) for your own good, but for the good of others as well.” The University calls us to walk onward and make progress. Fr. Bernie mentions that St. Thomas would be proud of what this institution has become and of the people who make up the University. St. Thomas of Villanova is the man behind the service day and an inspiration for Villanovans.

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

NEWS

The Villanovan | 5

This Week In Politics: Republican Midterm Convention Addy McDougall Political Columnist As November midterm elections approach and the approval rating of President Trump’s party declines across the country, the Republican Midterm Convention was held in Dallas, Texas, on Sept. 9 and Sept. 10. The event was largely an effort to rally party support. Republicans predicted the event would benefit many candidates currently running in the House of Representatives and Senate. In the 2026 midterms, all 435 House seats across the 50 states are up for election, along with 35 contested seats in the senate. The upcoming elections have not appeared promising for the GOP, as Republican President Trump has been facing a staggeringly low approval rate of below 40%. Republicans are concerned about losing their current majorities in the House and Senate, which could heavily constrain Trump’s agenda and give Democrats greater political leverage. This was the first time Republicans have ever held a midterm convention. Although such conventions are typically not open to the public, this unusualevent was an exception, as thousands of Republican citizens and Trump supporters gathered in Dallas. The convention was meant to promote the Republican candidates running in the upcoming elections. However, it reflected features of a typ-

ical presidential convention, positioning Trump as the center of attention, instead of highlighting candidates battling for House and Senate seats. The walls were adorned with pictures of Trump, and many attendees sported “Make America Great Again” gear. The president even encouraged attendees to vote as if he were on the ballot in November, a rhetoric that some Republicans are concerned will prove ineffective for independent or swing voters. The convention agenda primarily focused on highlighting Trump’s policies, like his immigration crackdown and extensive tax cuts, as well as strongly denouncing Democrats. During his nearly two-hourlong speech on night one of the convention, Trump spoke of his political success, criticized Democrats as “extremists” and justified the war in Iran as a necessity for national security, claiming that oil prices would fall soon after the midterms. Notably, Trump made convention attendees pledge an oath to him that they would vote in November. “You know what happens if you don’t vote?” Trump said. “You go to hell.” The president also promoted his new initiative to send every adult in America a $5,000 “Trump Dividend” if the midterms go in favor of Republicans. Vice President J.D. Vance, widely considered a front-runner for

the 2028 Republican presidential nominee, delivered the keynote speech on Thursday night. Vance alluded to his future presidential campaign, focusing on the importance of family values while encouraging Republicans to unite against “radical Democrats” in the upcoming elections. Republican candidates running in House and Senate elections also spoke at the convention, including Senate candidate Michael Whatley from North Carolina, Senator Jon Husted from Ohio and incumbent Representatives Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania and Mike Lawler of New York. However, many candidates vying for the most competitive House and Senate seats did not speak at the convention, and other Republican nominees did not attend the convention altogether. Other party leaders, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz, made liberal leaders the main topic of their speeches. Republican speakers attacked Democrats, tossing out labels like socialists, communists and anti-American, with Trump even remarking, “you guys are going to trigger the commies,” to the crowd of chanting Republicans. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson also took shots at prominent Democrats, referencing Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Vance’s closing line of his Thursday keynote speech summed up

the Republican rhetoric used against Democrats. Unexpectedly, the convention also featured a video message from Democratic Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman. “Yes, I’m a Democrat,” Fetterman said. “Why am I here talking to you today? Because, well, I’m a common-sense Democrat.” The Republican Midterm Convention may not have been as impactful as party members had hoped. Roughly 2.5 million people tuned into Fox News to listen to Trump’s Wednesday night speech, an unusually low viewership for programs airing at that time. However, the NFL season premiered the same night, with highly anticipated games airing Wednesday and Thursday night as well, likely impacting the convention’s viewership. There were also many open seats in the arena throughout the weekend, despite Trump’s Thursday Truth Social Post. “The place was packed!” Trump’s Truth Social post read. “There were thousands of people outside who couldn’t get in.” Many Democrats also believe that efforts to make Trump the center of these midterm elections will harm Republicans competing to win swing districts and independent voters. It remains unclear if Republican efforts to rally party support and unite against the opposing party will prove effective

Villanova Holds Dedication For New Cabrini Campus

yet again. Sister Diane also provided some background on MothEden Rosini er Cabrini and her legacy. Co-News Editor “Mother Cabrini was a woman of deep faith, courage, perseverance, and especially deOn Thursday, Sept. 10, University President Rev. Peter M. termination. She wanted everyone Donohue, O.S.A., Ph.D, dedicated to know Jesus and his love,” Sister Diane elaborated. “And having Villanova’s newest campus to its namesake, Mother Cabrini, on the been herself an educator, education was one of the initial ways Cabrini Campus’ arbor. that Cabrini used to help young The formal ceremony was people develop their full potential kicked off with a speech by Kathy Byrnes, Villanova’s Vice President as good Christians and good citizens.” of Student Life. Byrnes provided She also shared how Mothinsight into what it was like going er Cabrini prioritized education through the process of making a new campus feel like home for Vil- during her ministry. “Education for her was lanovans, as well as what everyone so much more than the formal who made the Cabrini Campus education of the mind. It was an come to life learned through the education of the whole person, process. mind, heart and soul,” Sister Di“No one had a secret ane shared. “She (Mother Cabrini) formula for how to have another wrote, ‘If we educate the heart campus with success. And yet, of every student entrusted to us, we also learned that no one had and still give them the principles exactly what Cabrini offered us,” Byrnes said. “From living spaces to of faith as well as honesty and integrity, they will grow into good academic classrooms, classes and upstanding citizens.’” labs. To study and social spaces. After receiving a large To athletic and recreational facilamount of applause, Villanova’s ities. To dining, leisure, and all in this spectacular setting, surround- Provost, Patrick Magitti, said a few words about keeping Cabrini ed by nature, trees, and with the College’s legacy alive. spirit of the missionary sisters of “I am just thrilled to have the Sacred Heart of Jesus.” been a part of this,” Magitti Byrnes ended her speech remarked. “We thank the Cabrini with an introduction to the next community for welcoming us and speaker, Sister Diane Olmstead. for allowing us to share in your Sister Diane serves on Villanova’s legacy.” board of trustees and is also one Father Peter began his of the missionary sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She shared speech with humor by commenthow she and the missionary sisters ing on the heat, saying he “felt the warmth of Jesus” up on the stage. of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are He then proceeded to welcome so joyful and grateful to see students inhabiting Cabrini’s campus and thank those who helped make

this expansion possible. “Thank you for your trust, your partnership, your friendship throughout this process,” Father Peter said. “We are especially grateful to Sister Diane and all of the missionary sisters who have entrusted us with the responsibility of carrying forward this remarkable legacy established by Mother Cabrini.” He proceeded to discuss what Villanova now owning the Cabrini Campus means, regarding honoring its legacy and mission. Father Peter added, saying that this campus has provided a number of opportunities for students, new and old, that only come once in a generation. “The addition of Cabrini Campus represents the first major expansion of Villanova University’s physical campus,” Father Peter explained. “That alone makes this a historical event and part of the university story.” After the formal ceremony, audience members helped themselves to refreshments offered by the University to celebrate Cabrini Campus’ dedication. In honor of Mother Cabrini’s Italian heritage,

all of the food offerings were Italian or inspired by Italian cuisine. These options included, but were not limited to, homemade cookies, vanilla, chocolate chip and chocolate gelato, and mini cannolis. Mother Cabrini’s favorite color was violet, which was honored by the purple floral arrangements found all over the Cabrini Campus’ arbor. Additionally, to commemorate Mother Cabrini’s connection to boats in her youth, paper boats were spread around Tagaste Hall, Villanova’s newest study and technology support space. Each boat had an aspiration or a positive message about the University written on it. Guests were welcome to make their own to keep as a souvenir. “We are not simply celebrating a new chapter for Villanova University,” Father Peter said. “We are becoming stewards of the place where a rich history and a vibrant mission and a legacy have transformed lives for decades.” This campus is everyone’s responsibility to nurture and take care of, as it has been by generations upon generations of students in the past.

The Cabrini Campus Arbor was set up with tables and chairs in preparation for the campus’ dedication. Eden Rosini/Villanovan Photography

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

NEWS

6 | The Villanovan

A Pops In The Pavilion 2026 Preview Dominic Piscopo Staff Writer On Friday, Sept. 25, Villanova will be holding its second annual Pops in the Pavilion show featuring performances from Hamilton star and Grammy and Tony award-winning performer Leslie Odom Jr., the Philly Pops Orchestra and the Villanova Singers and Voices. In anticipation of the event, the Finneran Pavilion will undergo a transformation into a banquet-style hall with an elevated dining experience for attendees. The Pops in the Pavilion event at Villanova originated as a way to invigorate Family Weekend with a unique performance while also raising funds for Villanova student scholarship. It drew inspiration from a very similar event at Boston College that has been continuing for over three decades. “We wanted to create this signature event during Family Weekend to provide an experience, an opportunity and something to do, but also have it feel bigger and have it go towards something intentional and meaningful,” Nick Tumulo, director of University Events and Initiatives, said. “We landed on it supporting student scholarship.” Another important aspect of the Pops in the Pavilion event is that both dinner and complimentary

drinks are included in the ticket price. “We wanted to create this full experience. You don’t have to go to dinner and spend money on dinner… One ticket gets you all of that,” Tumolo said. Now that the event is in its second year in operation at Villanova, the goal is to make it feel more established at Villanova as a tradition. As such, minimal changes are being made to the concept of the event in order to build on the success of last year’s inaugural event. “I would say the only thing

that’s changed… is the interest,” Tumolo said. “Last year was so successful that there’s more interest this year, and it’s growing in its momentum. People are now more aware of it. When something is new people don’t know.” The main selling point of this year’s Pops in the Pavilion event is the main star performer, Leslie Odom, Jr. He was chosen as a performer after fulfilling three criteria: a performer who can sing with an orchestra, a performer who will appeal to students, faculty and parents, and a performer that Villanova could

afford.

“We take all those things into consideration, and then we put some offers out there,” Tumolo said. “The good thing is we plan and hope to make this a yearly thing, so if one person isn’t available one year maybe they’ll be available the next year.” The Pops in the Pavilion event is a perfect way to make family weekend even more special while also supporting Villanova student scholarship and promoting the performing arts on campus. One should hope it continues to build on its success in the future years to come.

A panorama of the first annual Pops in the Pavilion event in the Finneran Pavilion Courtesy of Villanova University

Lunch With LePage Hosts Shaun Slifer, Taylor Alee Ryon Staff Writer On Friday, Sept. 11, the LePage Center hosted a virtual call highlighting the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum. The West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, which earned a LePage Center grant in 2025, focuses on sharing the struggles of coal miners and their families for fair workers’ rights, civil rights and justice, something that has largely been kept out of the education system in West Virginia. The talk featured two speakers: creative director Shaun Slifer and communications director Taylor Hankins. Both are dedicated to the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum and its mission of informing others about the struggles endured by thousands upon thousands of people in West Virginia history. The two speakers explained

how many coal miners were simply “locked in a system.” Many workers were immigrants who were promised a job and a home once they landed at Ellis Island. They traveled to West Virginia and learned that the company that ran the mine that they worked in owned their homes. Their pay was in company-issued coinage (“scrip”), redeemable only at the local store, which was run by the same company that employed them. Large-scale private detective agencies also policed the employees, making it almost impossible to escape this intense, extreme cycle of employment. Throughout the meeting, they also explained what black lung disease was. It occurs after prolonged inhalation of coal particles during the mining process, which then causes scarring of lung tissue that later turns black. Many view these diseases as an “old man’s disease” or something that was eradicated in the Industrial era.

Coal Miners Experienced Extreme Difficulty on the Job, Described in the Lecture Courtesy of @lepagevu on Instagram

Woman Studies the Photos in an Exhibit in the Mine Wars Museum Courtsey of @lepagevu on Instagram

Still, rates of black lung among Appalachian coal miners are at the highest level they have been in 50 years. They highlighted different exhibits in the museum and their significance. Many feature pieces by Pulitzer-winning artists and journalists. Additionally, a local man named Kenny has spent more than 30 years searching battlefields for artifacts. “Kenny had literally gone in there and pulled these objects out of the ground in order to preserve this history before it just gets literally erased,” Slifer shares with the Villanovan. His findings have helped historians identify ammunition calibers, improving their understanding of where U.S. troops were positioned, where private security and defensive forces were and where the coal miners were positioned. The talk then transitioned into a Q&A, with numerous participants asking questions, such as the role race played among work-

ers, how the descendants of coal miners feel and how they plan to continue educating others about the struggles endured. The staff at the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum feel inspired by the interest in K-12 education from surrounding states. “The energy is out there within the education system, not necessarily coming from the top” explains Slifer. “But coming from the bottom and from the people, the workers doing the educating every day.” Much of this history has been downplayed. Therefore, educators feel very passionate about passing it down to their students. The speakers encouraged attendees to visit Matewan and, while in town, the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum as well. They suggested visiting the website and the virtual exhibits in addition to the two locations. Those interested can also subscribe to the LePage Center monthly newsletter to receive more information.

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

The Villanovan | 7

OPINION

OPINION

How Brightspace Changed The Classroom Kaitlin Lawrenson Staff Writer The conversation around Brightspace has remained focused on students over the past few weeks. However, I believe a forgotten factor in the transition period is how the shift is affecting professors. In every one of my classes, my professors have expressed the major learning curve they are facing with the new classroom technology on campus. If the experienced practitioners Villanova students learn from are struggling to understand the new platform’s functionality, how are students expected to know any better? A major caveat in this student-teacher relationship is that students tend to know more about technology than faculty and staff on campus. Technology has been part of the fabric of our childhood, and most of us can figure out things like laptops and phones much more easily than people in different age groups. This same situation is coming into play with the new Brightspace system, as our professors’ learning curve is even more pronounced than ours is. Sure, we need to learn how to submit a few things differently, or we get a few more emails than normal, but for our professors this is a much more monumental shift. Even when Blackboard was in place, I had professors who were constantly confused about posting exams, assignments and reminders. If a system in place for decades was

Much of the conversation around Brightspace has surrounded students. But what about professors? Avery Chalk/Vilanovan Photography

still hard to navigate, then we can expect an uphill battle this semester with administrative assignments and outlines. The issue this poses for students is that it’s hard to learn in a disorganized classroom. It is hard when assignments aren’t posted because we don’t know when things are due or how to complete them without directions, and they make up a huge percentage of our grade. Instead of worrying about our grades or our ability to stay on top of our studies, we are anxious to see whether our professors will

post a study guide or if it will be lost in the world of Brightspace. I would appreciate more intentional technological support for teachers when these adjustments are made on campus, so students don’t have to feel the full impact not just of their own learning curve but of their professors’ as well. Another major complaint has been the new Microsoft Authenticator paired with the introduction of Brightspace. With the original authenticator, Duo, one signed in once a week, and the system remembered. However,

now we are being asked to sign in multiple times a day on the same devices, even when we are sitting in our phone-free classrooms. This shift has been even more painful than the Brightspace shift for one of my professors this semester. Dr. Rory Kramer, a sociology professor, shared his dislike for the new technological changes. “The more time we spend on our learning management system, the more we are letting form define function instead of function define form,” Kramer said. “I am a little bit worried that we use it with the pressure to justify the funding and in turn will change the learning.” From his perspective, because professors are so busy changing their lesson plans and how they teach to adhere to university guidelines and make investments in these learning tools worthwhile, our learning is transformed. Whether we see it or not, our professors are watching as certain assignments and formats slowly change, reshaping our learning journey throughout the class. This is a scary reality for students and professors, because technology plays such a pivotal role in our classrooms and shapes so much of what we choose to focus on. After speaking with my professor and looking into how this shift is impacting staff, I am realizing how their shift is even larger and more monumental than the shift from a student perspective. I have come to realize this transition isn’t just about students learning a new platform, but about professors learning how to teach through it.

Are We Experiencing College Or Just Posting It? Veronica King Staff Writer Freshman year of college can be a defining time in a student’s life. Between figuring out classes and making new friends, every college freshman has a unique experience. Still, one common factor in everyone’s freshman year is that they’re all experiencing it for the first time. Yet, with Snapchat stories, Instagram posts and TikToks, it can sometimes feel as though every moment is documented before it is experienced. A night out becomes something to post, a football game becomes something to capture and a new friendship becomes something to share on social media. Even the most ordinary moments of college can begin to feel incomplete when they exist only on our screens. For most students, social media has become inseparable from campus life. Instagram can introduce students to clubs and organizations, and TikTok can expose students to events they might otherwise never hear about. Group chats organize everything from study sessions to weekend plans, while WhatsApp allows students to share their experiences with fam-

ily and friends hundreds of miles away. In many ways, social media can make a large university feel smaller. A student who arrives on campus knowing almost no one can find communities through shared interests. Someone who is homesick can stay connected to friends and family at home. A student looking for an organization can discover dozens of opportunities with a simple search. Still, it seems like every party, concert, football game and dorm hangout becomes a picture in an Instagram carousel. Posting about the college experience is not a bad thing. But it is crucial for freshmen not to miss out on an experience because they were too busy capturing it. The rise of social media often makes new students feel desperate to show that they are having a good time. In a 2012 study published in Computers in Human Behavior, researchers Baiyun Chen and Justin Marcus researched 463 college students’ social media habits and found that students manage their online self-presentation differently from how they present themselves in person, suggesting that social media is not simply a reflection of reality but a carefully selected version of it. That phenomenon, known

as self-presentation, becomes even more complicated when students know an audience is watching. In her 2019 review, Self-disclosure versus self-presentation on social media, Ann E. Schlosser found that characteristics of online communication, including audiences and audience feedback, can encourage people to alter the way they present themselves. Social media lets others decide how someone should live. Social media also creates a constant stream of comparison. Students can open Instagram and see someone at a party, traveling with friends or landing an internship. Their lives seem perfect. What they rarely see is everything happening outside the frame. While both fun events and homesickness are part of the college experience, students are often comparing their reality to someone else’s highlight reel. Now, students can watch the entire night unfold from their phones. Research has reflected some of these concerns. The American Psychological Association has discussed how social comparison on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook can be associated with poorer psychological outcomes. Social media can also contribute to another familiar college feeling of F.O.M.O., or the fear of miss-

ing out. Seeing pictures of friends together at an event can make students question their own choices, even if they were perfectly content staying home. Yet social media is not entirely responsible for making college students feel disconnected. In fact, it can sometimes do the opposite. For students struggling to find their place, online communities can provide a sense of belonging. Social media can help students discover people with similar interests and find opportunities on campus. The problem, then, is not necessarily social media itself. It is what happens when social media begins determining which experiences are valuable. The most meaningful parts of college will never make it onto an Instagram story. They will live in the late-night conversations that were never recorded, the spontaneous laughter that no one thought to photograph and the friendships that grew without an audience watching. Years from now, we may not remember how many likes a moment received or how carefully we edited the picture. We will remember how it felt to be there. College only happens once. And the best way to remember college is to stop documenting it long enough to actually live it.

8 | The Villanovan

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

OPINION

EDITORIAL BOARD KAILEY FAHY Editor-in-Chief DYLAN JOHNSON Editor-in-Chief SOPHIE LATESSA Managing Editor AVERY CHALK Opinion Editor EMMA TAYLOR Opinion Editor

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS The Villanovan encourages all members of the Villanova community to voice their opinions. Letters to the editors may be submitted via e-mail to villanovan.eic@gmail.com. Letters must not exceed 500 words and must be signed. No anonymous letters will be published. All submissions become property of The Villanovan and are subject to editing for clarity and space.

POLICY

The unsigned editorial that appears is the opinion of The Villanovan as determined by the majority of the Editorial Board. Other columns, letters and artwork represent the opinions of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Villanovan.

Freshmen Friend Groups: Are You Truly Missing Out? LondonSaige Smith-Myricks Staff Writer

We’re already three weeks into the semester, and it can sometimes feel like everyone has already found their people. You see the same groups walking to class together. The same people sit together in the dining hall. The same circles form outside lecture halls, at events and around campus. Some friendships seem to form immediately, especially during freshman Orientation. If you haven’t found that group yet, it can be easy to wonder if you have fallen behind. I’ve spoken with many freshmen about their experiences during these first few weeks. A common theme emerged: despite only being a few weeks into the school year, some already feel as though they’re on the outside looking in. It isn’t necessarily that they don’t have anyone to talk to. It’s the uncertainty of approaching someone who already seems to have a group. If I go talk to them, will they think I’m weird? Do they actually like me, or are they just tolerating me? Is it too late to make friends? These questions might seem excessive when we’re only a few weeks into the semester. But when everyone around you appears to have already established their social circle, it’s surprisingly easy to believe that you’ve somehow missed your chance. However, it’s important to consider how much these early

friend groups actually matter. To be clear, friendships absolutely matter. Having people you trust and feel comfortable around can make college feel considerably less intimidating. Finding people who make you feel understood matters, especially when almost everything else is unfamiliar. But does finding your group during Orientation, or even during the first few weeks, mean you’ve found the friendships that will define your entire college experience? Probably not. I asked upperclassmen about their experiences with freshman friendships, and many offered a similar perspective: freshman year is often when people make a lot of friendships, but not necessarily the ones that last. Some even joked that the groups formed during Orientation might not survive until Halloween, let alone Christmas. That doesn’t mean every friendship formed during Orientation is doomed, and it doesn’t mean you should look at your current friends and assume they won’t be around next semester. It simply means people change, and so do friendships. At the beginning of one’s time at college, friendships can form incredibly quickly because people are experiencing the same things at the same time. They’re all new. They’re all trying to figure out where their classes are, where to eat, what events to attend and who to talk to. Those similarities can be enough to bring people together, but eventually

college becomes less of a shared experience and more of an individual journey. You might join different clubs. Someone else might find a new group through their major. Your schedules might stop lining up. You might discover that the person you bonded with during Orientation isn’t someone you actually have much in common with outside of being freshmen at the same university. Sometimes, friendships can also change for less innocent reasons. Competition can enter the picture, especially during our first few years of college when we’re still trying to prove ourselves. Whether we’re studying business, pursuing pre-med or pre-law, or entering any field with a competitive job market, we may eventually find ourselves competing with the same people we once considered our friends for internships, awards, positions and other opportunities. What starts as encouragement can slowly become comparison, and comparison can turn into jealousy. It can be difficult to watch someone close to you achieve something you desperately wanted for yourself. You can be genuinely happy for them while still wishing it had been you. Those feelings don’t necessarily make someone a bad friend. They make them human. But if those feelings aren’t handled carefully, they can create distance. Even then, a friendship ending doesn’t necessarily mean someone did something wrong. Sometimes, people simply grow in different directions. And I think

that’s an important thing for freshmen to understand. College isn’t a race to see who can build a friend group the fastest. The person sitting alone at lunch isn’t necessarily lonely. The person who talks to different people every day isn’t necessarily struggling to find friends. And the person who hasn’t found a permanent group yet isn’t necessarily missing out. In fact, there can be something valuable about not immediately attaching yourself to one group. You get the chance to meet people outside of the first circle you happened to encounter. You can figure out what kinds of people you genuinely enjoy being around rather than simply staying with whoever happened to sit next to you during Orientation. So, if you look around campus and feel like everyone else has already found their people, remember that you’re only seeing a small part of their experience. You don’t know which friendships will last. Maybe the people you met during Orientation will become lifelong friends. Maybe they won’t. Either way, you haven’t missed your chance. There is no deadline for finding your people. Life has a strange way of letting you know when you’ve found the right person or the right people. Sometimes, the people who matter most enter your life when you’re not looking for them at all. So, if you haven’t found your group yet, don’t panic. You’re not behind. You’re just still becoming part of your own college story.

Students Adjust To Microsoft Authenticator Shift Taylor Ulrich Staff Writer Goodbye, Duo Authenticator. Hello, Microsoft Authenticator. The 2026-27 school year has had many significant changes, including a switch from Duo to Microsoft Authenticator for the university’s multi-factor authentication (MFA) system. The university stated that Microsoft Authenticator is more secure, and while this may be true, it can create quite a hassle for students. Instead of simply clicking a button, students must type a two-digit number into their Microsoft Authenticator every time they log into any Villanova account. While punching in a number may not seem like much, doing it several times a day, especially during classes, gets incredibly repetitive. It also means using a phone during class. In some classes where the professor has a strict no-phones policy, this may inhibit students

from logging into OneDrive to take notes or check their emails and Brightspace for materials the professor sent. The issue is not simply that Microsoft Authenticator requires an extra step. It is that the university’s authentication system and classroom expectations are actively at odds with each other, and students are caught in between the two. Students are being asked to follow two different sets of expectations: keep phones away during class, but also have them readily available whenever Villanova requires MFA to log into course material. This becomes even more frustrating when students are already working on their computers. If a student is sitting in class with their laptop open and needs to access a Villanova resource, having to stop what they are doing to take out their phone adds an unnecessary interruption to what should otherwise be a straightforward process and a focused classroom environment.

Additionally, there is no need for multiple authentications a day. Students regularly move between Villanova email, OneDrive, Brightspace and other university platforms multiple times throughout the day. Repeatedly verifying a login attempt can make something as simple as checking an assignment or opening a document feel unnecessarily complicated. Cybersecurity is important, and students’ university accounts should be protected. Villanova should not eliminate MFA in its entirety but instead find other ways to maintain security without creating unnecessary obstacles and redundant measures. One possible solution would be to give students more options for verifying login attempts. Alternatives such as passkeys or physical security keys could allow students to verify their identities without phones, for example. Providing a range of options for keeping a device cleared for longer periods could reduce the number of interruptions students experience.

The University should recognize the conflict between its MFA requirements and the nophone policies that exist in many classrooms. If students must use their phones to access university resources, they should not be placed in a position where doing so can be interpreted as violating classroom rules. One could argue that if a professor gives a student a hard time for this, a simple explanation can easily clear this up, but the fact that there is even a possibility for this confusion and intrusion into the classroom flow seems unnecessary. The transition from Duo to Microsoft Authenticator may ultimately prove worthwhile from a security standpoint. But a successful technology change should be evaluated more than what it is designed to protect. It should also be evaluated by how well it fits into the lives of the people required to use it. For Villanovans, that means ensuring secure accounts without interruptions in the academic experience.

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

The Villanovan | 9

OPINION

Investing Isn’t As Complicated As Wall Street Makes It Seem

research, acquire competitors or expand operations. Stocks attract investors because they offer potential for long-term growth, though that comes with greater uncertainty. Beta. Capital allocation. Vol- Bonds work differently. When invesatility. Equities. Wall Street makes tors buy bonds, they lend money to trading stocks sound like an activity a company or government rather reserved for quarter-zip-wearing than buying ownership. In return, portfolio managers with an uncanny the issuer generally makes interest tendency to spew financial jargon. payments and repays the bond’s In reality, investing is both face value at maturity, the bond’s an accessible and useful skill that expiration date. Bonds typically every adult should possess, and offer lower potential returns than the principles behind a well-built stocks but can provide steadier inportfolio are much simpler than come and greater stability. the phrases used to describe them. Anyone can learn how to buy and Risk Is About More Than Just sell investments, how risk affects Losing Money returns and why spreading money When choosing between across different assets matters. The stocks and bonds, it’s important to harder part is understanding when understand investment risk and reand how to apply these concepts ward. Riskier investments must offer consistently. Investing does not have the possibility of higher returns to to be complicated, but it does have attract investors. For example, if an to be personal. investor buys a $1,000 U.S. government bond with an interest rate The Basics of Trading of 3%, they can be fairly confident The first investing concept they’ll receive their $1,000 principal to understand is what stocks and back, along with the interest they bonds are. Stocks, also called eqearned, at maturity. uities, represent ownership in a An investor would be less company. When investors purchase certain they’ll profit from a stock, shares, they become partial ownsince its return depends heavily on ers and may benefit if the share the company’s performance. If a price rises or the company pays company reports quarterly earnings dividends. Companies issue stock that beat expectations by a large to raise capital without borrowing amount, more investors may buy money, which they can use to fund the stock, causing its price to rise. Michael Barravecchio Staff Writer

Someone who bought the stock before the news came out could then profit by selling at the higher price. But if the company misses expectations, the stock price could fall, and the investor could lose money if they sell. Diversification Is Key Imagine an investor buys 100 shares of NVIDIA, a chipmaking company, and nothing else. If the company performs poorly, the investor’s entire portfolio will likely lose value. But if that investor also owns bonds and stocks from industries such as healthcare, consumer staples or energy, poor performance from NVIDIA may have less effect on the overall portfolio. Skilled investors consider how different investments tend to move in relation to one another. The goal of diversified investing is to combine investments that respond differently to economic changes. While diversification can’t eliminate losses, it can reduce the damage caused by one bad investment or one struggling part of the market. Volatility Changes Portfolios Another important part of risk is volatility, or how much an investment’s price moves over time. One common way to measure this is beta, which compares a stock’s movement to the overall market.

The market has a beta of one, so a stock with a beta above one generally swings more, while a value below one tends to move less. For example, a beta of 1.5 means that when the market moves 1%, the stock has historically moved about 1.5% in the same direction. Investors can also look at alpha, which measures whether an investment earned a higher return than expected given the risk involved. Investors seeking higher returns might accept greater volatility, while investors who want stability may prefer less volatile stocks and bonds. The right amount of volatility depends on the investor’s goals and risk comfort. Investing Is Personal Ultimately, investors don’t need to memorize jargon-filled Wall Street language or feel confident predicting the market’s future to succeed. Instead, understanding how a typical portfolio is built and why its components matter makes a skilled investor. Stocks, bonds, risk and diversification may sound complicated at first, but their basic purposes are straightforward. Learning these concepts gives people greater control over their financial futures and helps them understand what market trends mean and why they happen. Investing well still requires patience and discipline, but building a portfolio is a practical skill almost anyone can develop.

The Senior Year I’m Having Too Early Juliana Burke Staff Writer Freshman fall is a season of Villanova firsts; senior fall, especially for the Class of December 2026, is a season of lasts. While senior year is a barrage of reminders of the end of the collegiate road, it hits especially hard for December graduates. While other seniors count down the year, we count down the weeks. Some days are filled with excitement and pride, while others are colored by nostalgia and a persistent reminder of the “lasts of lasts.” There is something sad, strange and peaceful about experiencing the ending of college while everyone around you is still thinking about the year ahead. I decided I wanted to graduate early during my first semester of sophomore year. While I loved Villanova then, I had only begun the process of falling in love with it as deeply as I adore it now. At the time, graduating early seemed economical, impressive and simply “cool.” While I still stand by my decision to compress my college experience into three and a half years, I do so with a bittersweet awareness of the many things we take for granted every day on campus. These “for granted” moments aren’t necessarily the “FDOCS”, the formals or the major exams that either disappointed or relieved. Instead, they are the nights I stayed up too late having a conversation with someone who, at one point, lived on the other side of the country from me

and my Pennsylvania hometown. They are the nights I said yes to second dinner with dear friends at Late Night, and the mornings I ran across campus while mentally shopping for Radnor houses in the beautiful neighborhoods across from South Campus. They are conversations in the coffee line at Holy Grounds, office hours with professors I originally found intimidating and late nights in the gym with nothing but music and the regulars I have found comfort in seeing despite never formally meeting. Having these lasts come quicker makes you realize the impermanence of college. It also makes you more aware of what never manifests because of the incorrect belief that we have forever, such as the classmate you see every semester and say in quick passing, “Let’s get lunch,” deep down knowing you probably won’t. There are the club meetings you skip because you “will catch the next one.” There is the person you don’t compliment because you are sure another opportunity will present itself, but just not today. It can be hard to watch your friends have a spring semester together while you’re somewhere else. The pride of being ahead can become blurred by the feeling of leaving something so special behind. But becoming a senior earlier than my fellow students has forced me to stop living on a countdown, and that lesson expands far beyond the confines of Lancaster Avenue. I don’t mean for this article to encourage anyone to forever bask in the could-have-beens or to not graduate on an expedited

timeline. Instead, I want to utilize nostalgia as a progressive tool rather than a regressive one. There is a fundamental difference between wanting to remain in the same place forever and becoming a curious visitor whose experience was so fulfilling that you will always wish to go back “for one more Tuesday.” This semester of reflection and lasts has taught me to stop waiting for Friday, for summer or for the end of an exam period. Looking forward to things is not a bad thing, but it’s imporant to not let anticipation blind you to the beauty of the mundane. Such is a medium 16-ounce Irish cream

coffee in the Connelly Center with my best friends, some of whom graduated last year and have already experienced their lasts long before I will. Maybe that is the strange gift of graduating early: being forced to recognize that nothing lasts forever. Villanova is an ephemeral place, but the fact that it ends does not make it any less meaningful. So to the freshmen who are just beginning their Villanova firsts, don’t rush through them in anticipation of your lasts. Say yes to the second dinner. Stay for the conversation. Go to the club meeting. Stop counting down to what comes next.

It’s imporant to not let anticipation blind you to the beauty of the mundane. Emma Taylor/Villanovan Photography

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25 Years Later: Villanovans Remember 9/11 Sophia Thomas Staff Writer Twenty-five years ago, the devastating attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, left an indelible mark on United States history and on the millions who witnessed the events of that tragic day unfold. Today, a younger generation must remember a day it never experienced firsthand. For many current Villanova students, the memory of 9/11 lives on through the stories that are shared by older generations, lessons that are taught in the classroom and memorial services that are held each year. As the nation marks 25 years since the attacks, younger generations have begun to take on a role in preserving the memory of Sept. 11 and honoring those whose lives were forever changed by that day. At Villanova, students made strides to honor those lost on a day that occurred before most of them were born. Sophomore Madi Torchen commented on the deep emotion she felt walking down Lancaster Avenue and watching the Bryn Mawr Fire Department’s memorial. “Seeing this memorial service in the greater Villanova community was truly touching and a reminder of the sacrifice made by first responders on Sept. 11 and always,” Torchen said. Many Villanovans gathered at Villanova Stadium to partici-

Bryn Mawr Fire Department honors the service of those from 25 years ago. Courtesy of Sophia Thomas

pate in a ‘9/11 Memorial Stairs Challenge’ as an act of remembrance, honoring the first responders who courageously sacrificed their lives to save others on 9/11. This year, the stair challenge carried an even greater significance. A quarter-century has passed since the attacks, widening the gap between those who experienced 9/11 firsthand and those who commemorate it today. Students who participated had an opportunity to confront this tragic chapter in our nation’s history in a deeply personal way. “I was motivated to participate by my passion to raise money

for first responders and those who have served our country,” sophomore Brady Stout said. Stout, a member of Villanova’s ROTC program and Sig Ep’s Philanthropy Chair, felt a personal connection to the event’s purpose. “I am part of the ROTC program at ‘Nova, and I am inspired by the actions of those who have served our country,” Stout said. The physical experience of the climb allowed students to reflect on the sacrifice commemorated each September in a way that went beyond retold stories or

classroom lessons. For students like Stout, the experience reinforced the importance of younger generations continually honoring a history despite not physically witnessing it. “From the outside looking in, you do not know what the experience of climbing the stairs actually feels like until you do it yourself,” sophomore Malia Peisach said. Rather than encountering 9/11 from a distance through photographs, videos or stories, participants shared an opportunity to commemorate that day alongside members of their own university community. Over the past 25 years, memorials have been led by generations who can recall the exact moment they first learned of the attacks. For current students, 9/11 carries no distinct firsthand memory. Older generations have passed its significance down through their memories and recollections. “It was incredibly motivating to see everyone come together for such an important day of remembrance,” Peisach said. “Going through just a small fraction of what first responders had to endure is what I think is the best way of memorializing what they sacrificed that day,” Stout said. As Villanovans climbed the stairs, 25 years following that tragic day in American history, each stair served not just as a remembrance of the past, but as an active effort to carry its memory into the future.

Senior Sentiments: Making The Most Of A New Season Kailey Fahy Co-Editor-in-Chief There was a certain crispness in the air as I stepped out of my apartment this morning. It is one of those moments where the seasons kiss and the greenery of summer is confronted by the chill of fall. While Taylor Swift describes August as the time to live “for the hope of it all,” the start of autumn brings its own renewed sense of optimism. Queue up “Gilmore Girls.” Order your pumpkin chai lattes. Don your newest sweaters. Fall is here. Fall always brings a host of new activities. From farmers’ markets to pumpkin patches, there is no shortage of ways to embrace the cooler weather and new season. As a fall lover myself, my “For You” pages are constantly feeding me content about events happening throughout the Fall months, particularly in the Greater Philadelphia area. I always bookmark these posts and send them to my roommates with a non-committal “we should go” or “we should do this.” But then, somehow, we never actually do.

There are many fall activities to participate in throughout the Greater Philadelphia area. Dylan Johnson/Villanovan Photography

The weekends roll around, and days are spent grocery shopping, cleaning, catching up on work or simply rotting on the couch with friends. Every year, fall comes and goes, and these idealistic, tentative plans we made at the beginning of the season never end up coming to fruition. This year, though, being my last fall at Villanova, I am determined to take advantage of everything this season has to offer. The Greater Philadelphia area offers plenty of fall events for people of all ages. With the SEPTA Regional Rail line convenient-

ly located on Villanova’s campus, these events are accessible for all students. A few that are currently sitting in my “saved” folder on Instagram include a visit to Linvilla Orchards in Media, PA, about 20 minutes from Villanova’s campus; taking a ride on the Colebrookdale Railroad during peak fall foliage, about a 40-minute drive from campus; and a trip to the Lincoln Mill Haunted House in Philadelphia, about a 15-minute drive from campus. More locally, my roommates and I, suckers for all things

fall-flavored, are set on exploring all the local cafes and their seasonal offerings. This past weekend we tried Mad Anthony Wayne Cafe, which featured drinks and food items inspired by both the fall season and Gilmore Girls characters. Attending a football game is also a classic part of the fall experience. Even though I am from New Jersey and a Giants fan myself, making the trip to Lincoln Financial Field for an Eagles game seems like an experience worth having before graduation. While some may stay in the area beyond graduation, most Villanovans get just four years to live so close to Philadelphia. With so many accessible transportation options, students should be taking advantage of the city throughout the year, not only when special occasions come up. As a senior, this is something I wish I had done sooner, but I am now determined to make the most of my remaining time here, especially before the weather becomes too cold. There are only so many fall weekends we get to experience here as Villanovans, and even fewer as seniors. Turning these bookmarked ideas into actual plans is a way of making sure this fall does not pass by as many others have.

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Lace Up For Love: One Love 5K Comes To Villanova Taylor Eldridge Staff Writer A college campus is built on relationships. They are formed in dining halls, residence halls, classrooms and the long walks between them. Some last a lifetime, while others exist only for a semester. No matter their length, these relationships shape how students experience college. But what makes a relationship healthy? What does it mean to look out for someone, and how can students recognize when a relationship begins to cross a line? On Sunday, Sept. 20, Villanova’s One Love Club will bring these questions to campus through its inaugural One Love 5K Trot, an event designed to promote awareness of healthy and unhealthy relationships while bringing the community together. The 5K will begin and end at the Riley Ellipse, where participants will register and check in at 9:30 a.m. before the race begins at 10:30 a.m. The course will take runners and walkers around the perimeter of campus, passing the church before returning to the finish. While the event is a run/ walk, its purpose extends far beyond the course. The One Love Foundation, established in honor of Yeardley Love, is a national nonprofit dedicated to educating young peo-

ple about healthy and unhealthy relationships and preventing relationship abuse. Love, a University of Virginia women’s lacrosse player was tragically murdered in 2010 by her ex-boyfriend. Through educational programming and discussion-based workshops, the organization gives young people the tools to recognize warning signs and build healthier relationships. For Hudson Zivic, president of One Love at Villanova, bringing this mission to campus means creating a space where students can learn, connect and support one another. “The 5K gives us a way to bring that mission to life on Villanova’s campus,” Zivic said. “It’s not just about running. It’s about bringing people together, starting conversations, raising awareness and creating a visible reminder that healthy love and relationships are something our entire community should care about.” A race offers a different way to approach a conversation that can sometimes feel uncomfortable. Instead of sitting in a classroom or attending a discussion, students can spend a morning moving through campus with their friends while learning about an issue that affects their everyday lives. Lili Valletta, vice president of One Love at Villanova, has been involved with the organization since her freshman year of high school. Now a junior in college, this event gives her a chance to

keep educating the community and encouraging conversations about healthy relationships. “I think a 5K creates the opportunity to reach more people on campus and start an important and uncomfortable conversation,” Valletta said. That conversation is especially relevant in college. Learning to identify respect, support and unhealthy behaviors is not limited to one kind of relationship. The club hopes the 5K will make that message accessible to everyone, regardless of athletic ability. Students can run, jog with friends or walk the entire course. The focus is not on speed, but on participation and supporting the mission. “You absolutely do not have to be a runner to participate,” Zivic said. “The purpose isn’t about who crosses the finish line first. It’s about showing up.” The morning will also include opportunities to learn more about One Love and the resources available within the Villanova community. The organization works alongside campus partners, including Public Safety and the Title IX Office, to connect awareness with information about where students can turn for help. Participants can also expect One Love 5K shirts, sponsor products, refreshments and giveaways from partners including She’s Birdie, Saint James Organic Green Tea, Goodness Bowls, Grüns, Kind

Patches, Poppi and Vital Proteins. The event is also part of the club’s larger fundraising efforts. One Love at Villanova has already raised $1,300 of its $5,000 goal, with proceeds supporting the organization’s mission. Although the 5K is new to Villanova, the club hopes it will become something students look forward to each year. “There’s something really special about hundreds of people physically moving through the campus together for the same reason,” Zivic said. That image captures what the One Love 5K is ultimately about. It is a race, but it is also a reminder that the way students treat one another matters. A morning spent running or walking with friends can become an opportunity to recognize unhealthy behaviors, support someone who needs help or simply think more carefully about what healthy love looks like. For students interested in participating, One Love encourages people to simply show up at checkin. It is a forum for genuine conversation and authentic participation. Come ready to be present and consider the relationships we build and the kind of community we want to create, one where looking out for one another is not just an idea, but a shared responsibility. If interested in following along with future One Love content, follow @join1love for more content.

Love On Lancaster: For The Love Of The Game Maggie Fitzgerald Co-Culture Editor As I sit down to write another week’s worth of love, I am accompanied by the faint background noise of Sunday night football. While I am by no means a Giants or Cowboys fan, I will gladly watch. In the wake of the US Open, all things NFL and coming off the miraculous high of a summer World Cup, you could say I’m feeling sporty. And no, this isn’t (solely) about my newfound obsession with Ben Shelton. While I’m not, unfortunately, a hot-shot college athlete, I am no stranger to the world of sports. Soccer, dance, swim and basketball: you name it, I probably tried it. Truthfully, I spent the majority of my youth either playing soccer or driving across the country for overpriced tournaments. My poor mother. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. I certainly had my fair share of crazy coaches and unfortunate injuries. Yet, I look back on my years as a player with immense fondness. They were some of the happiest and most formative years of my life. So, in the spirit of the sport, let’s explore some of the biggest highlights. Being A Teammate If I learned anything in my years of soccer, it was how to be a member of a team. While individual performance matters, no pressure is quite like knowing your mistakes will cost your teammates.

It is a unique kind of solidarity, one that is hard to replicate in other young, formative environments. You win together, and you most definitely lose together. The sense of accountability I felt to have my teammates’ backs has shaped my empathy, work ethic and personal responsibility. I am better for growing up alongside them, and my future co-workers will certainly owe their legacy to them. Role Models One of the best things about sports is undoubtedly the built-in heroes. There is nothing like looking up to your favorite player, following their games or even obsessively stalking their Instagram. Not like I would know. Truthfully, the role models sports provide young athletes are invaluable. If they take their platform seriously, they show how far hard work and dedication can take you in life. International Connection If the summer of World Cup festivities was an example of anything, it was sports’ unifying power. We spent three months, soccer fans or not, dropping everything to tune into a 2 p.m. England versus Argentina match with more enthusiasm than we put into our 9-to-5. Again, not like I would know. The world collectively held its breath for the home team, secretly rooted for an inspiring underdog and flocked to their local bar to do all of the above. It is a beautiful display of humanity, the

way in which we rally around our teams with pride. Being a part of a sport has allowed me to be a part of a community, one much larger than just my team. So, sports fan or not, I hope

Scenes from this past week at the US Open. Maggie Fitzgerald/Villanovan Photography

this highlight reel was a convincing display of the power of loving the game, whatever game that may be. With love, Maggie

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Behind The Scenes Of Day of Service Kailey Fahy Co-Editor-In-Chief Continued p. 1 Juniors Anna Guzda and Belicia Jarmon are the co-directors of marketing and outreach. Along with their subcommittee, they are tasked with connecting with and energizing the entire Villanova community about Day of Service and the work they will be doing. “A big part of our goal is to encourage students, faculty, staff, alumni and families to register as volunteers,” Guzda said. “The more people that we can encourage to come together as a community for this tradition, the better.” Jarmon echoed how important it is to get everyone excited about the day because of the impact she has seen it have on site partners. “As service site captain [last year], I had been communicating with the same people from March to September,” Jarmon said. “I had the privilege of starting to know them very well. About a week after Day of Service, I was sent pictures from one of our site partners of Villanova students volunteering with them, and they shared how positive their experience with Villanova had been, which just meant the world to me.” Senior Gavin Mote and junior Hailey Harris are co-directors of service sites this year. With help from their subcommittee, they are in charge of communicating with the over 100 service sites to ensure they are registered, prepared and have all the materials they need for a successful Day of Service. “As a service site captain [last year], I was the main point of contact for about 11 service sites,” Harris said. “I called and emailed sites to help them register for Day of Service and fill out supply forms. Now as co-director, I help guide other service site captains through the same process.” Mote described how, while the directors will not attend the service sites themselves on Saturday, they participated in their own Day of Service back in the spring at a site called Chester Heights. “I loved being able to actually see the impact we made on the site,” Mote said. “And more importantly, seeing the relationships we formed with the people who run it. They were extremely grateful to have us there, and seeing how much our work meant to them was incredibly impactful for me.” Senior Ana Mamola is the senior director of service sites and partnerships and works alongside senior Oliver Lopez, director of partnerships. Lopez said his position is brand new this year and, along with his subcommittee, he focuses on site visits and building strong partnerships with the communities Villanovans serve. “Recently, Day of Service has begun implementing site visits,” Lopez said. “During these visits, we engage in conversations

Day Of Service is a unique opportunity for students to engage with other communities. Courtesy of Maddy Scoblick

to better understand who we are serving.” Mamola and Lopez have also worked since the spring to acquire new site partners for this year’s event. Senior Claire Bucca is the director of community engagement. She described how her and her subcommittee’s work is broken up into four main areas, including volunteer education, alumni connection, return celebration and service site return. Volunteer education includes handling volunteer sign-ups and educating them on what Day of Service is, including putting together information sheets about the specific service site they’ll be attending. Alumni connection links alumni clubs to the day on campus. This year, an alumni club will participate in London, showing the day’s global reach. The return celebration will include intention-setting activities and welcome volunteers back after they complete their service. And then the service site return will be a separate special day where the service site partners are invited back to campus to hear from a panel, have lunch with the committee and receive donated items like non-perishable goods and school supplies that are collected through Donation Nation. Bucca became involved with Day of Service her first year to reconnect with her orientation group, but quickly realized the day’s impact. “Seeing the entire stadium packed with volunteers at the send-off really changed how I thought about it,” Bucca said. “It wasn’t just my small orientation group doing something nice for a morning. It was the whole University coming together at once.” On Saturday, the fruits of their labor will finally come to fruition. When asked about what they want Villanovans to know going

into this year’s Day of Service, the directors all shared the same sentiment. They hope volunteers come with a lot of energy and embrace the meaning of the day by talking to site leaders and learning about

each site’s mission. After months of planning, the directors realize the impact this event can have and hope Villanovans will show up ready to make a difference.

Service sites are incredibly varied, and take a long time to coordinate. Courtesy of Maddy Scoblick

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What Songs Do: Seventeen Again Cassidy Niehuas Staff Writer Most people organize their lives by dates, but I organize mine by songs. Whether it’s self-diagnosed synesthesia or just the way I’m wired, music has never been a sound. It’s color, people, places or even the smell of a room I can’t quite remember. My earliest memories live inside what was playing. I remember my dad at the piano playing, “Great Balls of Fire,” finger-painting outside while Brett Dennan’s early hits drifted through the blue Dutch door and the exact moment “Slipping Through My Fingers” drew a tear down my mom’s cheek during our first watch of “Mamma Mia.” I probably couldn’t tell you the year, but I could tell you the song. As I’ve gotten older, this relationship has only deepened. There’s comfort in having a song for the highest of highs, the lowest lows and the in-between moments that can’t otherwise be described. It’s nice to find a perfect artist, melody or lyric to sit with while feeling something enormous. Music is like perfume from a trip you once took: tucked away without intention, then found months later, lodged in the back of a bathroom drawer. One spray on your wrist and you’re back. This column is my attempt to put this experience on paper. Not what songs mean, but what they have the power to do. What memo-

“One more dance before you go,” she sings. And this year, I feel that I already understand exactly that. Nothing about senior year feels like a clean ending or a clean beginning. Somehow, it’s both at once, which is maybe why everything lately arrives twice, as a first and a last in the same breath. The first and last day of class. The first and last year living on Thomas Ave. The firsts and lasts of five of my best friends living under one roof, someone’s TV show bleeding through the floor below, shoes piled by the door that aren’t mine and a kitchen that’s never empty. The firsts and lasts of hounding our landlord for carbon monoxide detectors that actually work. The firsts and lasts of signing up for graduation photos. My last fall at Villanova. Songs can bring back memories from countless different moments of life. Everything this year comes Cassidy Niehaus/Villanovan Photography stamped with the same quiet asterisk: ries they elicit, what emotions they sank onto the nearest bench, and let one more, before it’s gone. And this is refuse to let you forget and how those myself think. what “Seventeen” means to me now. connections can be carried forward, At six, I couldn’t wait to get Not necessarily missing, but returnstretched to fit whatever is happening my driver’s license (it truly was my ing. A song that comes back around at this very moment. biggest aspiration). At 12, I dreamed in a different country, or an L.A. I found “Seventeen” – LÉON at 17 of studying abroad in France after hillside I drove through as a teenager. years old (ironic), a junior in high my first Intro to French class with It resurfaces, carrying every version school, from running my “Discovery Mrs. Rice. At 17, I was ecstatic to of me who ever loved it and heard it. Station” into the ground. I rememapply to colleges across the counEndings have a strange way ber blasting her songs through the try. And now, at 21, I’m hit with an of being beginnings in disguise. So, vacant hills of Palos Verdes, windows unshakeable nostalgia. I’ve somehow this might be my first last dance here, down, her beautiful voice pouring accomplished everything I once at Villanova, but there’s a new, fresh into streets soaked in sunset hues. dared to hope for, and I’m living one waiting on the other side of Then, last fall, one of her debut out the best version of senior year I graduation, and another after that, songs resurfaced as I wandered aim- could have imagined, equal parts ea- each one changing me a little more lessly through the third arrondisseger and unmoored about everything before I’m handed off to the next. ment in Paris. I stopped mid-step, graduation entails. For now, I want this one to be good.

New Exhibit, Familiar Mission: Hearts Of The Harvest Andalucia Ranney Staff Writer Hearts of the Harvest: Seeds, Stories, and Sovereignty is an art exhibit that opened on campus this week and is an opportunity for Villanova students, staff and campus visitors to explore the ever-evolving beauty of Indigenous art near and far. The exhibit features a diverse combination of work from Shinnecock artists and Indigenous Ma’s House alumni, with an impressive range of art mediums including painting, photography, film, performance, mixed media, leatherwork and larger installations. The gallery opened on Monday, Sept. 14, and will run through Friday, Jan. 15, 2027 at Villanova’s Art Gallery on the second floor of the Connelly Center. The exhibit draws inspiration from the Villanova student film “Seeds We Bury,” directed by Olivia Hansen and Soledad Robins. The documentary explores the challenges Indigenous people face today. By incorporating voices from the Ati tribe in the Philippines and the Shinnecock Nation in the United States, the documentary’s impressive range helped it earn national recognition earlier this year. With Villanova being the origin of this successful documentary, this campus is the perfect place for the Hearts of the Harvest exhibition to make its debut.

All are welcome to visit the exhibit. It is free and open to all. Jeremy Dennis of Ma’s House and BIOPIC Art Studio Inc. is the guest curator and a featured artist for Hearts of Harvest. “This is a really powerful space to reflect [and] hopefully learn something new,” Dennis said. “I always encourage you to bring a friend if you really love it. Bring another friend if you love an individual piece but don’t have time. Come back alone.” The cultural difference in how some Indigenous people view nature is at the core of much of the featured work. “It’s titled Hearts of the Harvest,” Dennis said. “It is a lot of work around plants, about the landscape, and I’m hoping that students will also shift the way that they look at land. Especially here in the Hamptons, we see it as an investment, a property, private property, a party landscape, and I think for Indigenous people, land holds memory, responsibility. It’s a resource that we have to take care of. Sacred sites. It’s also a site of loss, trauma, survival and also a form of repair.” For those interested in meeting some of the Indigenous artists in person, Villanova will host an opening reception for Hearts of Harvest on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The reception will feature a live performance by musical artist Isabel Vazquez and will be free and open to the public. This is an opportunity to connect further

Take in the full exhibit at the Art Gallery on the second floor of the Connelly Center. Cali Carss/Villanovan Photography

with the creative work on display. Whether through a camera lens, the stroke of a paintbrush or the stitching of leather, gallery visitors will leave with a clearer understanding of the prosperous Indigenous cultures of today. “It’s so important at a young age, when your mind is developing as a student, to see Native and Indigenous stories as something in the present tense,” Dennis said. “It’s not history. It’s not something stuck in the past.”

Dennis hopes students will use the exhibit as an educational and inspirational tool. “I think that bringing this show to Villanova is such a great way to amplify Indigenous art and voices, which so often get overshadowed,” Dennis said. Showcasing these stories through art at a university dedicated to truth, unity and love starts a critical conversation among students about what the motto truly means.

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Paris And Other Detours: European Work Culture have a different approach to work. You could probably spend lifetimes studying the historical and cultural complexities behind that difference. Where they’re schooled to do This past weekend, my friends a certain job, we’re trained to get a and I visited Antibes. It’s good if you job. In many ways, the Italians were haven’t heard of it. We were aiming right about me. A lot of times I can’t for somewhere “niche.” sit still. I think I’ve been ready to work It’s a small town in the south since I was 13, and I’m constantly of France between Cannes and Nice. chasing the high of accomplishment. The town was adorable, the beaches Movement has always made sense to were magical, and the rocky coast was me. unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. There’s something very logical It was a beautiful trip. about American society, and in many This charming village was ways that’s what makes it work. And bursting with interesting people, most in place of that there’s a certain fog of notably, a group of Italians who had calculated confusion that clouds this a lot to say about American politics, Paris is quickly teaching Anna the art of slowing down. continent. artificial intelligence, Mormons and Anna Lonski/Villanovan Photography I’ve noticed it in the design of dental care. They had many thoughts the streets. New York City is methodular question has plagued my mind Saturday night look the same. and questions on every front. Before and kept me up at night: when do When I roll out of bed for my ically designed, with a grid of numwe got away, they compared the bers and recognizable cross streets. It 8:45 a.m. class and stop for a quick growing use of AI to some old Italian they work? makes sense. Even though I’m not from coffee to wake me up, I am already folktale, and the next morning we Whereas in Paris, I doubt my New York City itself, being so close all beaten to the shop by people lounging skipped town. with pastries and cappuccinos. If you intelligence as I keep getting lost in a On Monday, I started classes, my life means I’ve spent many days and many nights there. New York walk by any subpar brasserie, you are random swirl of boulevards. and I found myself facing a brand Last night, after getting sandCity is famously called “The City guaranteed to be greeted by a cloud new challenge: balancing my shopwiches and gelato, I went on a long of cigarette smoke and the hum of ping time with my study time and my That Never Sleeps,” but in compariwalk around my neighborhood. And son to Paris, New York is placid. French gossip. cafe time with my bistro time. Even the growing night only brought out Every night the scene just With these late nights, long though I’m half-joking, there seems to more loungers. outside my window could’ve been lunches and slow mornings, I can’t be so much to seize in what feels like In the depths of an increashelp but wonder how they have time a rapidly decreasing amount of time. pulled from a movie, not because of the cobblestone streets or ancient for anything else. Much less any signif- ingly online era, times can feel lonely Besides, it seems like everyone else and isolating. But Paris on a Tuesday architecture, but because of the life icant time for the office. I’ve decided here has got it down. night is proof that human connection that thrives here until the early hours this thought is ultimately born from Since arriving in France, I’ve of the morning. my American brain, since back in An- is alive and well. had many thoughts and questions I don’t know if anyone’s got it This life isn’t limited to young tibes, we heard the same sentiment. about Paris and the Parisienne life“One thing about Americans right, but I do know I can learn a lot style. How do they make all the bread people inebriated and dancing in from the French. Maybe this semester is that they’re always ready to work,” taste so good? How do people smoke bars. It includes people of all ages, I’ll slow down too, and maybe they’ll alone or in groups, craving nothing the opinionated Italian said. so much and not get sick? Why are learn efficiency from me. but the outside world. Monday and I’ve always heard Europeans there so many birds? But one particAnna Lonski Staff Writer

Not So Traditional: “The Moors” Comes To Campus Massimo DiLeo Staff Writer Just under a month ago, thousands of Villanova students returned home to Lancaster Avenue. As they moved their things, located classrooms and picked up their textbooks, students in the Graduate Theatre Department were already preparing for their production of “The Moors.” As the first production in Villanova Theatre’s five show lineup for the upcoming school year, it plays a vital role in introducing the broader Villanova community to how this year’s season will combine innovative ways of performance with long-lasting theater traditions. Typically, when people are asked to describe their experiences as audience members attending an on-stage performance, they will describe the act of sitting amongst a larger crowd with the stage found in front of them. Obviously, this creates a separation between audience members and the performers with the larger crowd acting as one viewing entity and the actors on stage becoming the primary form of entertainment. Although there is nothing wrong with this traditional configuration, “The Moors” has done away with it entirely. Arena style seating will be the primary setup for performances of “The Moors” in the Court Theatre at the Mullen Center for

the Performing Arts. Audience members will be seated on all four sides with the stage located in the center. But where do the actors enter and exit the stage? Every corner of the stage will become a wing, keeping the audience guessing as actors come and go. Another element of staging this production will do away with is the traditional location for a backdrop. It is natural to think that without a backdrop, the play will be harder to follow, but having the production in the center of everything was exactly the intention of the director. With the performance in the center of the room, the set will allow those in the audience to focus more intently on the actors and their words rather than backdrops or props. What makes the cast of “The Moors” stand out is its incorporation of two non-human characters, played by humans. The Mastiff serves as the manor’s resident dog who embodies many human characteristics such as fierce loyalty and a profound sense of loneliness. The Mastiff is a representation of the human longing for purpose and drive towards an uncertain future. The second non-human character is the Moorhen, a wild native bird who crashes into the family’s estate by chance. In contrast to the Mastiff who has such strong loyalty to the manor, the Moorhen serves as a reminder of life outside of

“The Moors” challenges traditional theater staging rules. Courtesy of Villanova Theatre

it and how sometimes we can stumble onto great things in our lives simply by chance. However, the Moorhen also signifies the moments when we might let our guards down that lead to unexpected changes in our lives. This dark, unconventional comedy asks its audience to see theatre in a completely new way, and promises a thrilling performance to all who can become

immersed in its world. To purchase tickets, visit villanova.evenue.net/events/ MOORS. “The Moors” will premiere on Thursday, Sept. 24, and run until Sunday, Oct. 4, with two weekends of performances. Prior to opening day, there will be a special show on Wednesday, Sept. 23, free for all Villanova students who register for a ticket on the Mullen Center website.

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

SPORTS

The Villanovan | 17

SPORTS

Marco Langon Wins New Balance 5th Ave Mile

in 1,500-meter races on the track. his college coach Matt Valeriani. Langon’s main goal this “It’s been a lot of fun, summer was to run under the 3:30 especially with [Marco],’ Villanomark in the 1,500-meter, but he va assistant coach Matt Valeriani Marco Langon returned to was just a second or two shy in all said to The Villanovan when asked the United States for the first time of his fastest races. about his athletes during pro. “He since July to run the final race of “I got wins, which is good,” was really young when he started his first professional season. Langon said to letsrun.com afschool, so he was only 17 when he Langon ran the New ter the 5th Ave Mile. “I got prize started in college. So he’s definitely Balance 5th Ave Mile in NY, New money, which is even better. And matured a lot in totally different York, on Sunday, Sept. 13, for the the only thing I’m missing is getways too, not even just as an athfirst time in his career. After being ting under 3:30 this summer. I’m lete, but like off the track as well.” boxed in for most of the race, in shape to do it. I’m within two Valeriani believes that Langon moved outside with 200 seconds of doing it. And those maturity in college led to Langon meters to go and held the lead for two seconds come from being in winning the 5th Ave Mile. He does the win, running a 3:45.0. The win lane one.” not think a freshman version of earned Langon $5,000 in prize In attendance at the 5th Langon would have had the matumoney. It marked the conclusion Ave Mile were Langon’s high rity to sit and let people pass him of his first professional season. school coach Rob DeFilippis and in the race. His time was the second-fastest in the race’s history. “I’m from Jersey, so I knew the 5th Ave course, and I knew that halfway, so like 70th Street, that I was going to start going downhill,” Langon said to letsrun. com. “I knew 62nd, 63rd was like 200 [meters], 300 [meters] left and I knew I could hold a downhill sprint the entire way, and then I had an extra gear.” It was the second consecutive road race Langon won, running the New Balance Kö Meile road mile in Düsseldorf, Germany, on Sept. 6, with a time of 3:52.83. Langon, who graduated from Villanova in May, signed with professional running brand Diadora and kicked off his professional career with a European tour over July Langon ran the second fastest time in the history of the race. Mason Canton/Villanovan Photography and August. He mainly competed Dylan Johnson Co-Editor-in-Chief

“Like the race was a good example. I think he went, he tried to go to the front with 200 [meters] to go, and young Marco probably would have just put his head down and said, ‘I’m going to stay in the front. I don’t really care if anyone tries to pass me.’ But he did a good job this time of making an adjustment, and someone went to the lead, and he let him have it and saved the gear for the end there.” Langon felt like the 5th Ave Mile was similar to a cross country race, and he notes his senior season of high school cross country was a turning point in his running career. “Yeah, I mean, I think, I think 5th Ave is a 5k race,” Langon told letsrun.com after the 5th Ave Mile. “At the end of the day, like you got that uphill and then you got a straight downhill, it simulates more cross country than any of these other races do. So this really just feels like cross country for us. “You’re waking up at six in the morning to shake out, and I’m like, ‘Damn, and it’s pouring rain, and we’re on 5th Ave, and I slipped on my shakeout this morning. I’m like, damn, like it’s gonna be a race. But it felt like cross country, and I know that’s what I’m good at.” Following the end of his first pro season, Langon plans to take a couple of days off running and spend time on vacation.

Villanova Cross Country 2026 Season Preview Lyla Cody Staff Writer On Sept. 18, Villanova men’s and women’s cross country will begin the 2026 season at the Main Line Invitational, hosted by Haverford College. After a successful 2025 campaign, both teams will be looking to make an appearance at the NCAA Championships. Last season, the men’s team, led by head coach Marcus O’Sullivan, experienced moderate success. At the Big East Cross Country Championships, the Wildcats finished third overall in the team race. Senior Bailey Habler and junior Charlie Moore delivered notable performances. Both runners placed in the top 10, helping the Wildcats secure a top-three finish. It was also the eighth consecutive year that all five of the Villanova scoring runners earned recognition at the awards ceremony. At the 2025 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, the team continued its strong performance, finishing third in the team race. Unfortunately, it ultimately fell short and did not qualify as a full squad for the 2025 NCAA Championships. Seniors C.J. Sullivan and Moore represented Villanova at the NCAA Championships. Moore placed 120th overall, and Sullivan came in at 126th. This year, the men’s team has four freshmen joining the lineup:

Cross country will return on Friday at the Main Line Invitational. Mason Canton/Villanovan Photography

Cameron Collier, Caolan McFadden, Matthew McLachlan and Porter Spiceland. With the implementation of the NCAA’s new age-based “fivefor-five” rule, there will be an increase in freshmen performing this season. The rule grants student-athletes a five-year window to compete in the NCAA. O’Sullivan spoke on expectations for the upcoming season. “In the past, when we brought our freshmen in, we never raced them the first season,” O’Sullivan said. “Then we would use the five-year rule to pick up their extra year in graduate school. For the first time ever, it’s kind of exciting in one way, but I have no idea what they are going to be able to do, because the distance that they have to run is 10k, which is double the distance that they run in high school.” To prepare for the season, the team has been running distance on nearby trails and monitoring how members are improving physically and psychologically.

“We do a lot of heart rate monitoring,” O’Sullivan said. “We do a lot of lactate testing, which is taking little blood samples.” O’Sullivan expressed excitement about the new team, calling them a “lucky bag,” a parcel he received in Ireland as a child. The “lucky bag” would contain a surprise candy and a toy inside. “I’ve just got the lucky bag, and I’m about to open it,” O’Sullivan said. The women’s team also ran an impressive 2025 season, led by head coach Gina Procaccio. They finished second at the Big East Cross Country Championship. Senior Tilly O’Conner will be returning for her final season after a strong race in the Big East Cross Country Championships, placing second out of 96 runners. The ‘Cats followed their Big East performance with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional and a 25th-place finish at

the 2025 NCAA National Championships. The women will welcome four freshmen: Lily Hodneland, Hannah Jicha, Katelyn Kliesch and Ivy Slavinski. After qualifying for the NCAA championship in 2025, the team hopes to keep its spot and has been working hard to return to the championships. Procaccio spoke about the upcoming season. “The team has been working very hard, and it has been a very hot first couple of weeks of school, which makes it tougher.” Procaccio said, “Zoe Mosher and Maeve Smith were two freshmen who ran in the national meet last year, and they look like they put in the work. I’m excited to see what level they are at this year.” According to Procaccio, it isn’t only the upperclassmen putting in the work. “Freshman Hannah Jicah, who has been looking really strong, will be fighting for a top seven spot,” Procaccio said. With the new season quickly approaching, both the men’s and women’s cross country teams are looking to build on their past seasons. Experienced and talented runners will return on both teams, along with new talent in the freshmen class. The women’s race will begin at 4:45 p.m. at Haverford, and the men’s race will kick off shortly afterward at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 18.

SPORTS

18 | The Villanovan

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Lacrosse Takes On 9/11 Memorial Stairclimb WEEKLY SCOREBOARD

Casey Healey Co-Sports-Editor Continued from p. 1 alongside many other firefighters. He had been covering a shift the night before the attacks at Engine Company 292, and had been relieved early morning on the 11th. When he heard about the attacks on the World Trade Center, he bravely jumped aboard a Rescue 4 truck and headed into Manhattan. According to the website, “Michael Joseph Cawley lived and died with a passion for helping people. He lived each day learning and growing and would bring his growth and new knowledge with him into each succeeding day.” Villanova’s lacrosse program was not the only one climbing in memory of the fallen first responders. The Firefighter Michael J. Cawley Memorial Foundations has spread all across the NCAA, beyond just Division I lacrosse. Dozens of teams across the nation, ranging from University of Scranton baseball to Michigan men’s lacrosse, have helped to raise a mindblowing $292,765 for the foundations. Last year, the collective of collegiate teams raised a total of $80,000. “It’s just super awesome to see it grow every year,” said Christie. “I think the original goal for this year was around 200,000, and

Sept. 10 - Sept. 15

Wednesday, September 10 Women’s Soccer vs. Bucknell 0-0 T Volleyball @ American 3-0 W Thursday, September 11 Field Hockey vs. Queens 9-0 W Volleyball vs. Iowa State 0-3 L Football @ Louisville 13-59 L Sunday, September 13 Field Hockey @ Lehigh 2-0 Mens’s Soccer vs. GWU 2-3 L

Villanova lacrosse climbed the bleachers on Sept. 11th in honor of the fallen firefighters. Courtesy of Villanova Athletics

we already hit it before September 11th, so then we had to bump up the goal, which is awesome. Going from 80,000 to 275,000 is a pretty big jump.” Villanova women’s lacrosse raised a total of $5,652 and the men were close by, with a total of $5,085 raised for the cause. The morning of the climb, Rose showed her teammates the

trailer for United We Stand, a documentary that explores the ways in which America recovered following the September 11 attacks. Citizens came together in a positive way, united amongst a deep tragedy that they pledged they would never, ever forget. “I was climbing the steps and I was thinking of that documentary, and how yes, we weren’t

a part of it at that age, but I was thinking more of spreading the news of never forgetting,” said Christie. “I was using that as motivation, and thinking to myself about how grateful I am to even be in this position, and to do this with my team.” She hopes that the team will continue the stair climb past her graduation, come May. “I think that after I leave, I want it to be a player-led event,” said Christie. “I think it’s something that the players should want to do.”

Men’s Basketball Releases 2026-27 Schedule Finn Courtney Co-Sports-Editor Villanova men’s basketball released its entire schedule for the 2026-27 season Monday morning, highlighted by a strong non-conference schedule and a Big East Conference gauntlet in February. The Wildcats, coming off a 24-9 campaign and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2022 last season, come into 2026-27 with expectations and a brand new roster, with just three returners from last season, that could see them receiving votes in the preseason top 25 poll. Villanova will play in the first college basketball game of the season in Rome on Nov. 1, against Notre Dame in the Eternal City Tip-Off event. Tip-off is set for 9:30 a.m. EST, with coverage on FOX in the two schools’ first meeting since 2016. Villanova then comes back stateside for their first official home game from the Finneran Pavilion on Nov. 6 against Holy Cross. From there, other marquee non-conference matchups include two games at Xfinity Mobile Arena against the defending national champions in Michigan (Nov. 21) and against Wisconsin, after defeating the Badgers last year at a neutral arena, on Dec. 12. The Wildcats will also travel to Pittsburgh to take on their formal Big East rival on Nov. 17 after hosting the Panthers last season and then

Villanova will return on Nov. 1 at the Eternal City Tip-off. Graphic Courtesy of Casey Healey

travel to Kansas on Nov. 27 to take on the Jayhawks for the first time since the 2022 Final Four. Also on the non-conference schedule is the 2026 Big 5 Classic where Villanova enters as defending champions from 2025. In Pod

1 along with the Wildcats this year are La Salle (Nov. 10) and travelling to Temple on Dec. 1 before the day of the Classic on Dec. 5 at Xfinity Mobile Arena. wAfter closing non-conference play, Villanova enters Big

East play in Omaha as the Wildcats play away at Creighton on Dec. 19. Time and television for this matchup, along with most of Villanova’s non-conference schedule and the entirety of their Big East schedule has not yet been announced. They’ll then come home to take on Providence in their last home game of 2026 before flipping the calendar to 2027. There, between the span of January and February, the Wildcats will play 15 games including two against the back-to-back conference champions in St. John’s, home at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Feb. 6 and away on Feb. 23 at Madison Square Garden and two against UConn, last year’s national runner-ups on Feb. 3 in Storrs and Feb. 14 at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Super Bowl Sunday. Following an away game at Marquette on Feb. 26, Villanova will play two more regular season games at home against DePaul on March 3 and Georgetown on March 6. From there, the Big East Tournament kicking off on March 10 at Madison Square Garden before the NCAA Tournament begins, a tournament the Wildcats hope to be called in come Selection Sunday. The entire Villanova men’s basketball schedule can be found on Villanova Athletics’ website, with the season kicking off in October with a trio of exhibition games: Oct. 11 at Rutgers, Oct. 17 against George Mason and Oct. 22 against Virginia.

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

SPORTS

Field Hockey Shuts Out Queens And Lehigh

Lexi Sinutko Staff Writer

found the back of the net. Foscarini created an opportunity off a penalty corner just a minute after being substituted into the game by findAnna Petrosino ing Froehich, who assisted Allysen Staff Writer Whitehead with the finish. Finnan and Werley finished Villanova’s women’s field off the quarter with goals to make hockey team won, 9-0, against the score 7-0. Queens on Friday, Sept. 9. The ‘Cats “There’s no selfishness,” Milpicked up their second consecutive hous said. “It’s more of setting each shutout victory to improve to 4-1 other up because they’re looking for while Queens fell to 1-4. team success versus individual sucThe offensive success began cess.” in the first three minutes of the game Three minutes into the third, with graduate Ava Borkowski scoring the Wildcats scored again. Freshman her fourth goal of the season. Adie Minnella found Borkowski for Twelve minutes in, senior her fourth goal, breaking her previColleen Finnan scored, her third of ous career high of three. Freshman the season, to extend the lead, 3-0. Sophia Wenk finished the scoring for Villanova finished the first period the day with her first career goal. with 13 shots on goal and three pen- Borkowski finished with four goals, alty corners. six shots on goal, and Finnan finCoach Joanie Milhous is ished with two goals, two shots on confident about the team’s offensive goal and two assists. improvements this season. They have “Between the two of them already scored 28 goals through five [Borkowski and Finnan], they’ve had games compared to only 25 goals all some nice goal scoring, but I feel like of last season. they are working really well togeth“In the past few years, we er,” Milhous said. “[Borkowski] did a have really struggled to score goals,” really great job of her shot selection. Milhous said. “It has been really nice She took quicker and smarter shots, to have the scoring opportunities which was really nice to see because and having the girls convert on the she has been working really hard.” opportunities.” The Wildcats’s offensive Villanova surged in the momentum tapered off in the fourth second quarter, scoring four goals on quarter with no goals. Queens eight shots. finished with two shots, two penalty Borkowski completed her hat corners and eight saves, while Viltrick, while senior Addie Froehich, lanova finished with 31 shots, eight Finnan and senior Carey Werley also penalty corners and one save.

Villanova’s success this season can be traced back to the work the team put in during the offseason. “We really focused on our offseason training,” Milhous said. “We focused on our offball movement. We focused on our finishing skills. We have a few of the same people here, along with some really nice editions. So I would say the experience of the girls that are in there have gotten it done. They have always worked hard, but they are working smarter.” Villanova’s women’s field hockey team continued its strong start to the season Sunday, shutting out Lehigh, 2-0, to earn its third straight win and improve to 6-1 for the season. The ‘Cats controlled possession throughout the game, with 23 shots on goal and 11 corners, while consistently pressuring Lehigh’s defense. Villanova generated nine shots and six penalty corners in the first quarter alone. Despite the offense, Lehigh goalkeeper Kate Burgess recorded seven saves, leaving the score unchanged. “Lehigh’s defense did a really good job of packing it in their defensive circle,” head coach Joanie Milhous said. “We were also kind of pressing ourselves, because we had a lot of players. Our forwards and our mids were all inside the circle.” Villanova continued to fight on the offensive in the second quarter and finally got a goal with less than five minutes remaining in the

The Villanovan | 19

half. Senior back Gemma Lysaght scored off a penalty corner set up by junior Molly Zimmerman and senior Maeve Boston, giving Villanova a 1-0 lead at halftime.. Villanova carried its one-goal advantage into the third quarter, continuing to apply pressure while its defense prevented Lehigh from generating any significant offensive momentum. The defensive performance was notable because Lehigh did not have a single shot recorded on goal. “That’s like unheard of, having no shots on goal,” Milhous said. “You never see that.” Senior goalkeeper Maddi Sears was never forced to make a save and recorded her fourth shutout of the season. Villanova recorded six shots and two penalty corners in the third quarter, but the score remained 1-0 going into the fourth. Lehigh increased their defensive pressure, limiting Villanova’s shot opportunities. After Lehigh pulled Burgess, Minnella stepped up and earned a penalty stroke. She scored her second goal of the season, with 2:20 to play. The shutout marked Villanova’s fourth of the season and its third consecutive shutout. Additionally, the team has scored more goals so far this season than it did all of last season. Villanova will remain on the road for its Big East opener against Connecticut on Friday, Sept. 18. The match will begin at 3 p.m.

Volleyball Battles To Tournament Split In Washington Veronica King Staff Writer Villanova women’s volleyball team traveled to Washington, D.C. this week for the American Tournament and opened play on Thursday, Sept. 10, against host American before facing Iowa State on Friday afternoon, Sept. 11. The Wildcats earned a statement sweep against the Eagles before falling to the Cyclones in straight sets, to move to 5-3 on the season. The Wildcats opened the weekend with their most decisive win of the season, sweeping American 25-23, 25-23, 28-26. Villanova quickly established an advantage in the first set, but the Eagles repeatedly answered, turning the opening frame into a back-andforth battle. With the score tied at 23, Villanova found the points it needed, as junior Taylor Lewis and senior Abby Harrell each put away a kill to take the first set. Villanova maintained that momentum in the second set. The Wildcats built an early cushion and kept American from mounting another comeback, with Lewis finishing the set to put Villanova one frame away from the sweep. The Eagles made their strongest push in the third, jumping ahead early and holding leads of as many as six points. Villanova refused to let the match slip away, steadily cutting into the deficit before the teams traded points down

the stretch. Lewis and Harrell once again provided the finishing touches, delivering the final two kills to send the Wildcats home with a 3-0 victory. Lewis finished with a teamhigh 13 kills while hitting .458%, while Harrell and junior Campbell McKinnon added 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Nelson and Harris combined for 40 assists, and McKinnon, sophomore Reagan McGivern and junior Cat Young each contributed three blocks. Sophomore Mina Diggs added 13 digs, matching her career best. “Thursday night against the Americans was a really good win,” head coach Josh Steinbach said. “American is a very good team that wins the conference almost every year, and they’ve got a particularly good squad this year. I thought we played pretty well. Taylor Lewis especially had a great match. Late in the third set, she had a big, big swing. Maybe her biggest of the year.” The Wildcats returned Friday to face Iowa State, but the Cyclones controlled the match late in each set to claim a 26-24, 2518, 25-23 victory. Villanova stayed within striking distance throughout the opening frame after Iowa State created an early lead. The Wildcats erased much of the deficit and prolonged the set by saving six opportunities for the Cyclones to close it out. Iowa State eventually escaped with the 26-24 win.

Volleyball is currently 5-4 this season. Courtesy of Villanova Athletics

The Cyclones took control in the second, using a highly efficient offensive attack to create separation. Villanova had difficulty slowing Iowa State’s momentum as the Cyclones extended their lead and moved within one set of victory. The Wildcats showed fight again in the third, pulling even at 18-18 after trailing for much of the set. Iowa State, however, responded during the final points and created enough separation to finish the match in three. “I don’t think we played our best, but I think we hung in

there,” Steinbach said. “I think we had a good chance to win that match and didn’t. But they played pretty well, and then we just didn’t get our best shot out, so we’re looking forward to Tuesday against Penn State and then our home opener on Friday against UMBC.” Despite Friday’s loss, Villanova left Washington with a 1-1 tournament record and valuable experience against two challenging opponents. The Wildcats fell to Penn State 1-3 on Tuesday night and will host UMBC for their home opener.

20 | The Villanovan

SPORTS

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Villanova Football Falls To No. 24 Louisville, 59-13 Genna Cottingham Sports Columnist No. 18 Villanova football fell, 59-13, to No. 24 Louisville (1-1) at L&N Stadium on Friday, Sept. 11. The Wildcats are now 1-2 on the 2026 campaign, after opening 1-1 in the Patriot League against William & Mary and Bucknell respectively. The game was the first ever between the two teams and the first time Villanova has played a current ACC member since the 2016 season. The announced attendance at Louisville’s home opener was 46,385. “[We have] kind of a nameless, faceless opponent mentality,” head coach Mark Ferrante said. “So regardless of who you’re playing, let’s make sure we’re doing what we’re asking ourselves to do well. We knew going in there, you know, everyone knows going in there is gonna be a challenge when you play up a level. You need to play almost a near-perfect game to have a shot.” Graduate quarterback Pat McQuaide threw for 166 yards and a touchdown, and completed 18-of-31 passes. Sophomore wide receivers Braden Reed and Brandon Binkowski combined for 11 receptions. Both receivers set or tied

piece. Sophomore running back Maequise Davis scored on a run in the red zone at the end of the third quarter and again at 7:04 in the fourth quarter. “Again, you play a level up, and they’re gonna run more guys at you,” Ferrante said. “You want to make sure your guys can hold up physically, and we came out of it pretty good physically. So, now our focus has to shift back to us as we’re getting ready for the next opponent, LIU.” Louisville senior quarterback Lincoln Kienholz ran in for two touchdowns in the first and second quarters. With 4:33 left in the first half, he ran for 19 yards to score the first touchdown of the night for the Cardinals. Villanova could not match almost any statistic on the score sheet in the 46-point loss to Louisville. Ja’Briel Mace scored the lone touchdown for Villanova in the 46-point loss to Louisville. The Cardinals outrushed Courtesy of Kellen O’Neill Villanova by 185 yards and comBy halftime, Louisville led piled 635 total yards compared to their career highs, with Reed the Wildcats’ 253. catching six passes and Binkowski by three touchdowns, 31-10. The Wildcats totaled 174 yards of total On third-down convercatching five. Junior running back Ja’bri- offense in the opening 30 minutes. sions, Villanova succeeded on The Cardinals scored four 4-of-15 attempts while Louisville el Mace caught a 63-yard touchmore touchdowns in the second made 5-of-8. down pass in the second quarter, half. Villanova is scheduled to but beyond that it was a quiet Mace scored the only take on Long Island on Saturday, night for the Wildcats’ offense. Sept. 19, as the Wildcats will look Meanwhile, Villanova’s de- ‘Cats touchdown of the day, and sophomore kicker Dominic LeBfor their second win of the season fense could not match up against and get back to a .500 record. the Cardinals’ elite offensive strat- lanc made two field goals (35, 29 yards). Kickoff is set for noon in egy and got down early by multiThe Cardinals had two Brooksville, NY. ple scores against the high-powplayers score two touchdowns a ered Louisville attack.

Preview: Villanova Football Vs. LIU Jack McFadden Staff Writer On Saturday, Sept. 19, Villanova’s football team (1-2) will travel to Brookville, N.Y., to take on Long Island (0-3). The two teams have met three times prior to Saturday’s matchup, with the Wildcats leading the all-time series, 3-0. Their last matchup took place on Sept. 28, 2024, when Villanova won, 24-10. In that game, junior running back Isaiah Ragland ran against the Sharks for 47 yards

and scored two touchdowns in the win. The Wildcats limited the Sharks to 80 yards through the air and 96 yards on the ground. Last weekend, LIU took on Albany and lost 35-13, marking its third straight loss. Graduate quarterback Luca Stanzani went 11-of-19 and threw for only 78 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, Stanzani had 12 attempts for 43 yards, and the team totaled 143 rushing yards, despite emphasizing the running game. Freshman running back

Villanova will look to put the Louisville loss behind them and get back to winning ways. Magdalena Martini/Villanovan Photography

Dominic LeBlanc has been perfect through three games, with three field goals and six PATs. Mason Canton/Villanovan Photography

Nathan Gray was the only Shark to score a rushing touchdown in the loss Saturday, in which he had 15 carries for 51 yards. LIU is led by head coach Ron Cooper, who is entering his fifth season with the team. In 2025, Cooper led the Sharks to a 6-6 overall record, compiling the most wins in a single season during the program’s Division I tenure. Cooper was selected to be LIU’s head coach in January 2022, after working alongside college football great Nick Saban as an analyst at Alabama during the 2021 season. In addition to his time with the Crimson Tide, Cooper has

also coached several Division I programs, including Louisville in the ACC. This Saturday, Cooper will look to lead his team to an upset over the Wildcats and avoid dropping their fourth straight game to open 2026. Villanova will head into the 12 p.m. kickoff from New York. If the Wildcats can pick back up where they left off against Bucknell, offensively and defensively, they can extend to 4-0 over LIU. A win would also get their season record back to the .500 mark ahead of getting back into Patriot League play next weekend against Colgate.

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

SPORTS

Freshman Feature: Villanova Women’s Soccer

Sadie Walker Staff Writer This season, Villanova women’s soccer is off to a tremendous 4-0-2 start, with each game a shutout. While the team is mostly made up of experienced upperclassmen, Villanova welcomed two true freshmen to the roster this season: midifelder Abby Graul and goalkeeper Reese Tremper. The two are long-distance recruits to Villanova, with Graul coming from Dallas, Texas, and Tremper hailing from southern California. Both players began their sports journeys at a young age. Graul started playing soccer around four-years-old and also participated in other sports and dance. Ultimately, soccer stuck and became her focus as she grew older, and her approach to sports became more serious. Her family is no stranger to high-level athletic competition. Her mother was also a Division I soccer player for Virginia Commonwealth. “My whole family was very supportive of my athletics, but my mom was the one who really understood soccer,” Graul said. “She was always there, at every game, every practice, super supportive, but she would call me out too, if I needed it.” Graul said her mom inspired her as an athlete and as a person she looks up to and wants to emulate. Tremper also began playing soccer at a young age. However, in high school, instead of focusing on one sport, she excelled at two. She played basketball for her high school in her freshman

and sophomore years before joining the soccer team in her junior year. In California, high school soccer is played in the winter, meaning she was participating in two varsity sports, basketball and soccer at once. “It was probably the craziest time of my life, going to two games at night and doing everything with college in junior year,” Tremper said. As a goalkeeper, Tremper emphasized the importance of playing against older keepers at a young age. Now, she enjoys learning by watching and playing with older, more tenured college goalies and learning from Wildcat goalkeepers with years of experience above her. Tremper also noted that professional goalkeepers like Jordan Pickford and Hope Solo inspired her own play and inspired her while on her sports journey. “It’s great to be around them in that environment,” Tremper said. “It pushes you to get better and be more competitive.” Neither player had Villanova on their radar as a potential college option when they first began researching schools. Graul was initially committed to the University of Maryland, but changes within the coaching staff made her change her mind and reopen her committment process. She was put in contact with Villanova’s women’s soccer head coach, Samar Azem, and fell in love with the school. “Finding Villanova, it was like the dream school I didn’t know I had,” Graul said. Meanwhile, Tremper’s first contact with Villanova came through an ECNL tournament she was playing in Phoenix, AZ, where Azem was scouting players.

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Midfielder Abby Graul is the other freshman for Villanova, scoring two goals thus far. Courtesy of Villanova Athletics

Ironically, Graul was participating in the same tournament, and their teams competed against one another, precluding their friendship on the Main Line. “We didn’t know each other at the time, but it turned out to be a huge coincidence,” Tremper said. At Villanova, Tremper and Graul usually head to the locker room at eight in the morning and go out on the practice field at nine for two hours. After that, they start classes. Tremper described this as “a pretty quick turnaround” but also noted that it is nice to get the training done in the morning. Both players find the rigorous athletic training and keeping up with academics demanding, but they have a connection that helps them succeed: they’re roommates. Sharing a dorm has allowed the two players to become extremely close, both on and off the field. They have similar schedules and do everything together. Tremper noted that they’re the only two freshmen on the team, making the transition from high school to the collegiate level even more unique and difficult. “It’s unique being in a class of two when 20 of your teammates have played in college before,” Tremper said. “In the beginning, it felt quite challenging to feel a part of the group.” Graul agreed, describing the team as cohesive and welcoming to both veterans and newcomers. “The team was very good at including us in the beginning when we were totally lost,” Graul said. Now, both players are steadily finding their footing and settling into their routine as Division I athletes. With their team off to a Goalkeeper Reese Tremper is one of two freshmen for Villanova. fast start, these two athletes have Courtesy of Villanova Athletics plenty to be excited about. But

for this group, it’s not just about winning and talent. It’s about the process, as both an individual and as a member of the team. One of its mottos for the season is “DIG,” which stands for Dominant in Grittiness. DIG is something that the team focuses on bringing everything they have to practice each day. It means being intentional about participating in every drill, in finding clean passes and shost. “Talent is important, but it can only do so much,” Graul said. “The team is dedicated to the process. It’s about being intentional and upholding the standard. You have to uphold the standard no matter what you are feeling.” The team also has been using the phrase “Care, Commit, Compete, Courage,” with an emphasis on “care” for this entire season. “It’s about caring for our teammates and the process in everything we do,” Tremper said. “We want to win the Big East. We know we can win the Big East and make the NCAA tournament. But we have to bring that work and mentality to practice today.” While this team clearly has the mindset and ability to accomplish big things this season, it won’t be easy. But both Graul and Tremper highlighted the challenge as one of the best parts of the experience. Graul and Tremper see this team as unique in both continual growth of their ability and mental tenacity. “We feel like we came in at a really exciting time in the program because we see all the potential,” Tremper said. The two freshmen may have just begun their careers at Villanova, but they already feel that the Main Line could be the place where excellence grows for each of them.

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Villanova Men’s Soccer Falls To George Washington, 3-2 Mason Canton Photography Editor Villanova men’s soccer fell to George Washington, 3-2, at home on Sunday, Sept. 13, as the Revolutionaries held off a late push from the Wildcats. Villanova (3-1-2) recorded 20 shots but was unable to overcome George Washington. Villanova came into the match looking to bounce back from a 1-0 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson on Sept. 6. Coming off the loss, the Wildcats were looking for their first multiple-goal performance of the 2026 season. George Washington opened the scoring early after earning a direct free kick that found the back of the net. The early goal gave the Revolutionaries a lead, but Villanova kept creating chances as the match progressed. At halftime, head coach Mark Fetrow said the Wildcats believed they had created enough opportunities to take control of the match. “At halftime, the talk was: we’re a better team than GW,” Fetrow said. “We need to do a better job finishing the chances because it could’ve been 3-0. We gifted them the first goal. But we didn’t finish our chances, and goals change games.” Villanova continued to generate opportunities in the second half but struggled to turn its chances into goals. George Washington added

Villanova dropped its second straight match as it couldn’t finish goal chances against GW. Erick Quezada/Villanovan Photography

to its lead before the Wildcats began their late surge. Villanova eventually found the back of the net twice within the final 10 minutes of the match, marking the first time this season the Wildcats had scored multiple goals. Fetrow said the offensive production was one of the few positives the team could take from the loss. “I think really the only positive we’re going to take out of this experience is that we scored two, and it’s the first time we’ve had multiple goals in a game,” Fetrow said. “Our forwards need to see the ball go in the back of the net. They’re seeing it a lot in training. We’re not reaping the benefits in games, so it’s something they’re going to keep working on,

keep chipping away at.” The Wildcats’ late push included a redirected corner kick turned goal by sophomore Brody Crampton and a penalty kick that brought them closer to George Washington. Villanova continued to pressure the Revolutionaries in the final minutes, but George Washington held on to secure the 3-2 victory. Fetrow said Villanova’s inability to finish its chances played a major role in the result. “We were really confident going into the second half,” Fetrow said. “We just had to keep doing what we were doing, being more clinical with our chances in the final third. We didn’t do that, and they did, so credit to them.”

Sunday’s match also featured a familiar face for Villanova. George Washington forward Foday Bangura previously played for the Wildcats before transferring to George Washington. Freshman Dane Johnston started in goal for Villanova in place of junior Alex Yagudayev. Fetrow said Johnston had been training at a high level and earned the opportunity to start. “Alex hasn’t been with us for the past three days,” Fetrow said. “The standard is you’ve got to be at training. There’s things that are bigger than a game, but I wasn’t playing him.” Despite the change in goal, Fetrow said the Wildcats’ defensive structure remained the same alignment. “It doesn’t affect our [defensive] structure at all,” Fetrow said. “It doesn’t change. But obviously Alex has been playing as one of the best players in college soccer right now, so you feel that as a little bit different. But all the guys believe in Dane. They know he’s a really good keeper, and he’s been training really well. He’s been playing at a really high level.” Johnston is expected to return to his role as Villanova’s backup goalkeeper for the team’s next match, with Yagudayev expected to return to the starting lineup. The Wildcats will continue their season in their Big East opener at St. John’s on Friday, Sept. 18, in Queens. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.

Women’s Soccer Earns National Ranking, Ties Bucknell, 0-0 Sophia Cratty Staff Writer On Thursday, Sept. 10, Villanova women’s soccer (4-0-2) tied Bucknell (3-5-1), 0-0, at the Higgins Soccer Complex. On Sept. 7, the Wildcats broke into the national rankings for the first time in head coach Samar Azem’s tenure, placing 23rd in the TopDrawerSoccer rankings. Villanova’s team is currently one of three in the country that has not allowed a goal yet this season, alongside California Baptist and Saint Mary’s. Villanova last played and won, 1-0, against Bucknell on Aug. 31, 2025. The two teams’ overall series stands at 3-1-2. Thursday’s

game was Bucknell’s last before entering conference play. The game marked the sixth clean sheet of the season and kept up the Wildcats’ undefeated streak. Villanova led in total shots, 15-7, and 8-2 in shots on goal. Bucknell got its first shot off in the 43rd minute of the first half. Villanova had nine already. Villanova, however, could not score on one of its many chances in Thursday’s matchup. “Bucknell is a hardworking, physical, tough team,” Azem said. “I felt like they were tougher than us today.” At the end of the first half, the game remained scoreless, with Villanova having put up 10 total shots and six on goal to Bucknell’s single shot on goal.

Junior Morgan Kotch led all players with five shot attempts in the 0-0 tie. Magdalena Martini/Villanovan Photography

Junior Morgan Kotch led with five shots on Thursday. Graduate student Hannah Dickinson has earned 18 clean sheets throughout her Villanova career, giving her the fourth-most in program history. “I felt like we hadn’t seen a team put their heads down and come at us,” Azem said. “And Bucknell did that, and I give them a lot of credit and respect, because it challenged us. It took us out of our element. We didn’t play our game today.” Azem commented on how Villanova remains without a goal against and its impact on the team’s game. “We haven’t given up a goal,” Azem said. “We’re almost Villanova was unable to finish any of their eight shots on goal. playing scared to give up a goal. Magdalena Martini/Villanovan Photography We can’t play that way. You make

erratic decisions when you play scared. That’s something we’ve got to get out of our system.” Villanova will take on Delaware on Thursday at the Higgins Soccer Complex, marking the fourth game of its six-game stretch at home. “We’ve got a lot to work on as far as simplifying our decision-making and dealing with physical, direct games,” Azem said. “I’m excited to get back to the field tomorrow. Delaware is another really good team. They beat this Bucknell team 2-0. So we know it’s going to be a challenge.” The Wildcats will take on Delaware (3-1-3) at the Higgins Soccer Complex on Thursday, Sept. 17. The match is set to begin at 4 p.m.

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This Past Week In Sports

Villanova women’s soccer has still not allowed a goal this season, after tying Bucknell, 0-0. Magdalena Martini/Villanovan Photography

Villanova’s two goals against George Washington weren’t enough for a win in a 3-2 loss. Erick Quezada/Villanovan Photography

Sophomore Avrie Nelson leads all Villanova players with six goals through six matches. Magdalena Martini/Villanovan Photography

Marco Langon won the 5th Ave Mile, winning with the second-fastest time in race history. Mason Canton/Villanovan Photography

Villanova men’s soccer finally broke through for multiple goals in the loss to GW. Mason Canton/Villanovan Photography

Langon becomes the first Villanovan to win the 5th Ave Mile since Sydney Maree. Mason Canton/Villanovan Photography

Jasper Zulman has been part of an improved Villanova defense compared to 2025. Mason Canton/Villanovan Photography

Villanova men’s soccer comes into Friday’s match against St. John’s with a 3-2-1 record. Erick Quezada/Villanovan Photography