Kylie McGovern, Editor 

On Nov. 15, 28 refugees from El Paso, TX arrived at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. La Salle Alum and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney explained that the City of Brotherly Love will accept these migrants with open arms. He explained, “we’ve welcomed tens of thousands of Afghans, and Ukrainians, and if you go back into our city’s history, every ethnic group that is here came as refugees for the most part, and these folks are no different…we have human dignity, decency, and the responsibility to make their transition as smooth as possible, that’s what this country is all about.” When these migrants arrived at 30th Street they were greeted with a SEPTA bus, food, water and healthcare if necessary. 

On Monday, Nov. 20, more migrants arrived in Philadelphia. This time, 46 people seeking asylum arrived after their 40-hour journey. Advocates explain that these migrants who got off the bus are in the asylum process and not breaking any rules regarding immigration/refugee procedures.

Although various organizations and advocacy groups are committed to helping migrants arriving in Philadelphia, this sentiment extends to the classroom here at La Salle University in a Communication and Culture class which focuses on the reciprocal link between communication and culture by examining how communication practices create, reflect, and maintain cultures, as well as how culture influences communication practice. Recently, Katie Dunleavy, Ph.D. ‘s Communication and Culture class completed an assignment that entailed writing a letter to an elected official on behalf of a micro-culture about a certain issue. These micro-cultures ranged from various groups like homelessness, people with disabilities and refugees. Many students decided to write on behalf of refugees in various cities. This assignment entailed both a written letter to an elected official and a presentation. In this presentation, students took various approaches to explain the importance of the issue. Some explained the data regarding how sanctuary cities help the arriving migrants, while others related to the issue on a more personal level by explaining similar situations either they went through or family members experienced. After the assignments were complete, Dunleavy provided feedback to students and encouraged them to send their advocacy letters to the elected officials they wrote to. Overall, both the City of Philadelphia and La Salle University students are in tune with supporting arriving refugees.

Kylie McGovern, Editor

La Salle University’s family and homecoming weekend began on Friday Nov. 11 with events all over campus for different groups at La Salle to enjoy. Treetops Cafe welcomed families for a family dinner on Friday night at 5 p.m. In addition, La Salle University hosted the Alumni Association Awards which are held each year. This year’s award ceremony,  hosted in Founders’ Hall, honored Br. Gerard F. Molyneaux, ’58, M.A. ’59, FSC, Ph.D. with the John J. Finley, ’24 Award for his tireless volunteer work and support of La Salle. In addition, the Alumni association also presented the Signum Fidei Medal, to Liguori Academy.

In addition, La Salle’s Swimming and Diving hosted a Tri-meet on Friday evening. In addition to athletics other talents of La Salle’s students were on display during homecoming as the Masque performed their production of Drop Dead. This production was performed throughout the weekend and following the show on Saturday many joined Late Night La Salle for an after-show party in the lounge. 

The homecoming activities continued into Sat. with a block party on 20th. The block party was a free event with entertainment, food trucks and drink options. Students, alumni, faculty and families sprinkled the street while enjoying food, friendship, music and fun until the 3 p.m. men’s basketball game. 

The La Salle Explorers defeated the Wagner Seahawks with a 77-69 lead. This student section was packed and electric this Saturday afternoon. The pep band, dance team and cheerleading team kept this energy alive throughout the game. Head over to our sports section to read more about the game. Following the basketball win, fans headed to Deke’s BBQ for Post Game Happy Hour. 

Sunday Morning began with mass celebrated in the De La Salle chapel by Father Frank. Students and alumni read and brought up the collection during mass. In addition, two seniors Trevor and Frankie spoke about what family and the La Salle community meant to them. 

Following mass, families and students were welcomed to family brunch at treetops dining hall. Students could use meal plans for brunch and families paid at the door. Students spent time catching up with their own families while also getting to know their friends’ families. 

Homecoming weekend concluded with the Golden Explorers 50th Reunion tour and dinner. The class of 1972 met on the Hansen Quad and attended a special tour of La Salle’s campus. The tour stopped at the Alumni House and included a view of the 1972 Archives display in Connelly Library. Then, members of the Class of 1972 joined their classmates for cocktails, dinner and commemorative medallion presentation in recognition of their golden anniversary.

Overall, homecoming weekend was a chance for all members of the La Salle community to enjoy a beautiful day on campus. 

Kylie McGovern, Editor

President Daniel J. Allen, Ph.D.’s inauguration weekend began on Thursday, Oct. 27 with mass at the Miraculous Medal Shrine just a few minutes away from La Salle. Mass was celebrated by our very own Father Frank, and La Salle students participated in mass by singing in the choir, being altar servers, reading and handing out programs. In addition to students, there were La Sallian brothers, parents, Dr. Allen’s family and alumni in attendance. After mass, there was a reception in Founders Hall where attendees mingled.

The next morning the official inauguration ceremony began at 10:00 a.m. A live stream recording is available on Facebook. Provost Shivanthi Anandan, Ph.D. opened the ceremony with a few words about the importance of a university’s presidential inauguration and introduced Brother Robert Shieler, FSC who is the former superior general of the brothers of the Christian schools. Then, Brother Robert Shieler offered an invocation for the ceremony. Following this prayerful invocation, Anandan offered a thank you to president emeritus Brother Michael McGuiness, FSC, Ph.D. for the leadership he provides to the university. 

Chair of the Board of Trustees of La Salle University Ellen Reilly then offered her thoughts to the university and Dr. Allen. Reilly discusses her time at LA Salle, its 160-year history, and the future  to be explored through the leadership of Dr. Allen. The archbishop of Philadelphia Nelson Perez offered a written greeting and later celebrated mass on Sunday. Sister Mary Persico IHM Ed.D, president of Marywood University, brought greetings on behalf of our commonwealth institutions. Various other notable individuals including State senator Art Haywood, Philadelphia mayor and La Salle graduate Jim Kenney, Victoria Ketz, Ph.D. president of the faculty senate, dean of students TiRease Holmes, MBA, Robert. and Christine Mancini, parents of four la salle students/alumni, and Joseph Markmann Ph.D., MBA, president of the alumni association. 

Then a video of students was shared during the inauguration. Students in this video offered congratulations, personal anecdotes, excitement, and messages of hope to Dr. Allen. Following this video, Student Government Association president Michaela Craner offered a greeting to Dr. Allen as well. 

James Collins, president of Loras College which is Dr. Allen’s alma mater, formally introduced Dr. Allen as La Salle’s 30th president. Collins shared stories of his relationship with Dr. Allen while he was in college from his time playing college basketball to his meeting his wife. 

Finally, Dr. Allen opened his speech with a joke about shooting three-pointers and continued with a light-hearted but genuine speech. Dr. Allen then pivoted to a more emotional and serious thank you to Collins. Dr. Allen continued to encourage the community to embrace the unknown while thanking the people around them. Dr. Allen then thanked some of these special people in attendance. Allen reflected on his catholic education that began when he was in first grade and continued through each of the degrees he received. Allen spoke about his call to come to La Salle as well as St. John Baptist de la Salle’s call to educate. President Allen then discussed a few goals of La Salle University and hope for a successful future for the community and students including discussions of new graduate degree programs and the launch of the $10 million initiative called the Charter Challenge. La Salle students were extremely. Ending his speech in a light-hearted, but kind way like how he began, Dr. Allen put on a Philadelphia Phillies hat. 

The inauguration ceremony ended with a closing prayer by brother James Gaffney and the alma mater. The La Salle Community then enjoyed a celebration on the Hansen Quad with music and lunch. On Sunday evening, Archbishop Perez celebrated mass in the day la salle chapel to end the weekend. 

Editor’s note: I would be remiss to not offer my personal excitement and congratulations to Dr. Allen. I wish Dr. Allen both success and the best of luck in this role. I hope he continues to find this LaSallian community here the way I and so many others have. I have been lucky enough to have spoken with Dr. Allen a few times and I can truly tell he is a Lasallian and will do great things for this community. 

Kylie McGovern, Editor

On Thursday, Sept. 29, Philadelphia Museum of Art workers who are members of AFSCME DC47, Local 397 continued a strike to protest “unfair practices” because executives at the Philadelphia Museum of Art have not addressed the alleged unfair labor practices at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The union formed in 2020 and has been in contract negotiation with the Philadelphia Museum of Art since October 2020. During this strike and another on Friday, Sept. 16, union members did not report to work at the museum. The strikes began because of a vote that passed by 99% on Aug. 30 by union members authorizing the call of strike. 

Additionally, on Oct. 2 @PMA_Union posted on Twitter about a pay-what-you-wish day. The Tweet read “We’re outside picketing in heavy rain. You can donate to our strike fund here: http://tinyurl.com/397strikefund” The tweet also included a flyer encouraging visitors to either visit the Barnes Foundation instead of the Philadelphia Museum of Art or pay one cent for their pay-what-you-wish visit so that they do not support a Museum that does not support its workers. 

Since the vote to strike, Philadelphia Museum of Art management has not tried to remedy unfair practices. DC 47 President Cathy Scott says “Museum management needs to stop union-busting and make serious offers that improve workers’ wages, healthcare, and parental leave. Our membership would not have authorized a strike if they were not united in these demands. We cannot accept a status quo that subjects workers to violations of federal law, wages well below the national average for art museums, and benefits that do not allow workers to support their families.”

As Scott explains, these unfair practices impact the Philadelphia Museum of Art workers’ lives like Adam Rizzo, a Museum Educator who explains “we take this very seriously. If museum management does not remedy the Unfair Labor Practice charge and come to the bargaining table ready to make real progress, we are prepared to take further action. We have made it very clear what PMA Board Chair Leslie Anne Miller and COO Bill Petersen can do to avoid the disruption of museum operations.” These unfair labor practices impact many departments at the Philadelphia Museum of Art including visitor services, retail, education, installations, curatorial, conservation, marketing and development. Additionally, many employees report not receiving raises in years in accordance with peer institutions such as the nearby Barnes Foundation or to keep up with inflation or higher costs of living. Amanda Bock, an assistant curator of photography, explains that she had not received a raise on her $56,000 salary in three years. Philadelphians, tourists and La Salle students alike all enjoy the Philadelphia Museum of Art and this situation can impact these visits. 

Kylie McGovern, Editor 

Hispanic History Month at La Salle began on Sept. 15 and will continue until Oct. 15. This month was created in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover 30 days starting on Sep. 15 and ending on Oct. 15 to celebrate histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The celebration begins on Sept. 15 because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Additionally, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18. 

La Salle is celebrating Hispanic History Month at the Connelly Library with La Salle Special Collections and University Archives that relate to Hispanic students and the Christian Brothers’ presence in South and Central America. In addition, La Salle’s Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS) has been hosting various events to celebrate. On Sept. 22 OLAS hosted Millennial Loteria on the Hansen quad with games and prizes. In addition, on Sept. 29 Treetops Cafe had an assortment of Hispanic foods for dinner. 

Plenty of businesses and organizations in Philadelphia are also celebrating Hispanic History Month. The Puerto Rican Day Parade occurred on Sept. 25 and youth groups, community organizations, schools, corporate sponsors, and popular artists gathered on the Benjamin Franklin parkway. Many of these events are free including the Puerto Rican Day Parade and Bachata dance classes by Controlla Dance Academy to learn a social Dominican dance at Frankford’s Pause Park. In addition to free events in Philadelphia, Club 90s is hosting a Bad Bunny-themed dance party to celebrate the Puerto Rican rapper. 

Dine Latino Restaurant Week ran from Sept. 19-23, 2022, at over twenty establishments. This week is designed to drum up business at Latino-owned restaurants in Philadelphia. Edward Garcia, owner of Queen and Rook Game Cafe, a board game cafe with a full restaurant, a full bar, and a full retail game and puzzle store explained to 6 ABC “a lot of our small businesses don’t have the marketing budgets of chains or even restaurant groups, so getting people to find out how amazing this food is how amazing the experiences are at these Hispanic-owned businesses is really great and really important.” Both La Salle University and the City of Philadelphia will continue to celebrate Hispanic History Month with extraordinary events through Oct. 15.  

Kylie McGovern, Editor

On Aug. 25, La Salle University welcomed back residential students and kicked off Explorientation for freshmen and transfer students. Explorientation is an opportunity for these new students to settle into their new lives as Explorers by attending campus-wide activities, like Club Quad, soccer games, and performances at Dan Rodden Theater. In addition, new students spent the weekend learning important information related to their academic success, safety, wellness, and involvement on campus. This is the first Explorientation conducted 100% in person since 2019, so students truly had an opportunity to connect with and meet classmates and have some fun before the first day of classes.

On Saturday, Aug. 27th sophomores, juniors and seniors began to populate campus and the residence halls. A lively spirit filled 20th and Olney as students reunited with friends and said goodbyes to their families. In addition to the friendships that welcomed students back to school improvements in residence halls did as well including new furniture and necessary maintenance work, within St. Basil Hall, St. Teresa Court, and St. Miguel Townhouses. 

On Sunday, Father Frank welcomed students with the first mass of the year. After mass, President Dan Allen, faculty, and students gathered on the quad for a treat of water ice and pretzels. Classes began on Monday and students were greeted with changes around campus regarding a relocation of dining halls from the beloved Blue and Gold dining commons to Treetops Café which has not been enjoyed since prior to COVID. However, some students air their grievances, saying that the new location is “just B&G, but a further walk.” This location is prime for first-year students who are residing exclusively at south campus in Saint Basil and Neumann residence halls. 

On Thursday, Sept. 1st, La Salle hosted its involvement fair at the Trumark Financial Center which featured student organizations ranging from Greek Life to OLAS and everything in between. In addition to this, and new to the fair, on-campus jobs were also advertised. 

The second week of school continues welcome week activities with yoga, Stuff-a-Bear Kit activity, bingo, and improv 101. 

Editor’s note: We look forward to a happy, healthy,and successful year here at La Salle and we wish our readers the best of luck in their endeavors this semester.