Rita Offutt, Editor 

On March 4, an email from outgoing University President Colleen Hanycz announced La Salle’s administration is “planning for a primarily in-person semester” for Fall 2021. Although Hanycz will move to Xavier University over the summer, her announcement for the upcoming semester charted La Salle’s transition to post-pandemic life. 

Hanycz described the Spring 2021 semester as a success, writing “our collective efforts, including a robust testing strategy, an enhanced and expanded contact tracing program, and the cooperation of our students, faculty and staff, have helped maintain low transmission numbers on our campus — including a positivity rate of less than 0.5%.” As of March 12, La Salle’s community has seen a total of 101 cases of COVID-19, with the most cases identified in the beginning of February. The following chart, copied from La Salle’s COVID-19 dashboard, details the instances of COVID-19 from Spring 2021. 

Classroom constraints and professors’ discretion may impact course modalities for Fall 2021. As the City of Philadelphia adjusts their maximum capacity guidelines, Hanycz said La Salle will “work to transition to even more classes to in-person modality.” As of March 17, Philadelphia’s guidelines for colleges and universities says classrooms must have “at least six feet of distance between students/instructors [and either] 20 persons per 1,000 square feet; or less than 25 percent of maximum capacity of classrooms; or a maximum of 25 students per class.” Starting on April 4, Pennsylvania will begin to lessen restrictions for bars, restaurants and entertainment venues. While Philadelphia has not adjusted their restrictions to align with the state’s, the Philadelphia Inquirer describes the plan to lift the ban on events of more than 50 people. As many Philadelphia schools return to in-person classes, changes in educational regulations are expected. Nonetheless, the Registrar has listed six modalities for course delivery this fall: Face to face instruction (F2F), hybrid, staggered, remote with specific meeting times, online and independent study. The F2F modality will model the traditional classroom setting and the hybrid modality will be divided into traditional and online elements. The staggered modality is similar to the hybrid modality as professors may choose to have online elements, but students will have specific days of the week for in-person attendance. The next modality, remote with specific meeting times, will entail synchronous Zoom classes. The online modality will be asynchronous and fully remote. Students in independent study courses should consult with their professor to find out what the modality will be used for their specific project. 

The plans for Fall 2021 include a meal-plan requirement for residential students, as well as continued social distancing and increased emphasis on health monitoring. Wearing a mask, washing one’s hands, making use of sanitizing stations, physical distancing and reporting any signs of sickness are expected to continue to be the norm, and students are required to continue these practices until further notice from the University. 

offuttr1@lasalle.edu  

Rita Offutt, Editor 

La Salle’s Honors Program launched a scholarship initiative in Aug. 202, and in Feb. 2021 the fundraising effort surpassed the $1 million milestone. The initiative seeks to raise $3 million by 2023, and has currently met 34% of its fundraising goal, with a current total of $1,009,584. According to the fundraiser’s website, providing scholarship opportunities to honors students will “allow us to recruit and retain high-achieving and engaged students who have long been the hallmark of this special learning community. Whatever your connection to the Honors Program – whether alumni, parent/family, faculty, or friend – we ask you to join with us in supporting this new initiative so that we can drive further growth of this program and sustain it for generations of students to come.”

The website not only describes the campaign but showcases donors, dividing them by the amount of their contribution and relationship to the university. The donation brackets, labeled Giving Societies range from donations up to $999 to gifts of more than $50,000. Within the Giving Societies is a special bracket for undergraduate alumni within 10 years of graduation who donate between $500-$999, called the Young Alumni Circle. Alumnus Jacob Garwood ‘20, who served as the Collegian’s Editor-In-Chief during the 2019-2020 academic year, is one of many alumni donors. Garwood, whose donation placed him in the bracket above the Young Alumni Circle, says, “The honors program at La Salle is an empowering and transformational program. I believe it is important to pay it forward so future generations of explorers can share in the enriching experience I had as an undergrad.” 

According to an article written by Christopher Vito, La Salle’s Senior Director of Strategic Communications, “The university annually awards $4.5 million in total scholarship support to La Salle Honors Program students. Gifts to the Honors Program Scholarship Initiative will drive its growth through recruitment and retention of the best students, and sustain a program that has created pathways to a high-impact Lasallian education for more than 50 years.” 

Vito’s article also highlights La Salle’s Alumni Association’s Day of Giving donation challenge. If the Honors Program Initiative reaches 75 donors during Day of Giving on Mar. 23, the Alumni Association will donate $10,000 towards the fundraiser. Questions and donation inquiries should be directed to either John Prendergast, the Associate Director of Development, or Daniel Joyce, the Vice President of University Advancement. 

offuttr1@lasalle.edu 

Rita Offutt, Editor 

On Saturday, Feb. 13, the United States Senate voted against the impeachment of former President Donald Trump for the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol. Trump was on trial for inciting insurrection, or encouraging an act of rebellion. According to the National Public Radio (NPR), “The Democratic House impeachment managers argued that the former president, who addressed a rally outside the White House ahead of the insurrection, was ‘singularly responsible’ for the violence on Jan. 6.”

         One of the representatives who served as a House impeachment manager was Madeleine Dean, a La Salle alumna who has been working in the House of Representatives since 2019. Dean completed her undergraduate degree at La Salle and went on to pursue a law degree at the Delaware Law Firm of Widener University. For 10 years, from 2001-2011, Dean came back to La Salle as an English professor. Based on her teaching career, Dean earned a score of 3.9 out of 5 on Rate My Professor, where users described her as a “great teacher” and someone who will “improve your writing skills.”

         During the impeachment trial, Dean gave an impactful address as she detailed the events of Jan. 6. According to CBS Philly, she said, “At 1:45, the president’s followers surged past Capitol Police shouting, ‘This is a revolution.’ Just after 2:10, an hour after President Trump ended his speech, the insurrectionist mob overwhelmed Capitol security and made it inside the halls of Congress…Because the truth is, this attack never would have happened, but for Donald Trump. And so they came, draped in Trump’s flag and used our flag, the American flag, to batter and to bludgeon.” The Jan. 6 attack killed five people, and two police officers took their own lives following the event.

         Dean was joined in her efforts by the lead manager from Maryland, Jamie Raskin, Joaquin Castro (Texas), David Cicilline (Rhode Island), Diana DeGette (Colorado), Ted Lieu (California), Joe Neguse (Colorado), Stacey Plaskett (Virgin Islands) and Eric Swalwell (California). Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, selected the nine impeachment managers, all of whom have backgrounds in constitutional law, law enforcement and civil rights. According to the New York Times (NYT), Pelosi said, “It is their constitutional and patriotic duty to present the case for the president’s impeachment and removal. They will do so guided by their great love of country, determination to protect our democracy and loyalty to our oath to the Constitution.” A related NYT article about Dean describes her commitment both to the Constitution and her faith, quoting her as saying, “I carry [a pocket constitution and a copy of the Beatitudes] with me because one is a guide to life — a high standard to strive for — and the other is the law of the land. One is how to live as a human being, and how to live as a citizen.”

offuttr1@lasalle.edu

Rita Offutt, Editor 

On Feb. 4, 2021, La Salle announced the decision to revise their visitation policy for students. As part of the “Return-to-Campus” plan, the University banned off-campus visitors and wrote regulations to prohibit students from gathering in residence halls. The revised policy, which went into effect on Monday, Feb. 8, provides slightly more lenient guidelines for gathering. 

The updated policy permits visitors within student residences, but only if those visitors are living on-campus in the same area. In other words, students can gather with people who live in the same building as them or within the same complex, but cannot have visitors from other residence halls. All resident students must abide by these guidelines, but the number of visitors allowed in each area differs depending on the location. A list of the specific guidelines from the official university communication on the matter are below: 

St. Katharine: One residential student from St. Katharine may visit another residential student from this area at one time.

St. Albert, St. Bernard, St. Cassian, St. Denis, St. George, St. Hilary, St. Jerome: All remaining buildings in North Dorms will be treated as one residential area. One residential student from this combined residential area may visit another residential student from this area at any one time.

La Salle Apartments: A one-to-one ratio for each occupant within a unit will be maintained. Only La Salle Apartments residents are permitted as guests within this residential area.

St. Teresa Court: A one-to-one occupant-to-guest ratio for each occupant within a unit will be maintained. Only St. Teresa Court residents are permitted as guests within this residential area.

St. Miguel Townhouses: A maximum of three total guests per townhouse, in addition to occupants, will be permitted. Only St. Miguel Townhouses residents are permitted as guests within this residential area

An email, written by Dawn Soufleris, the Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, highlighted student compliance with COVID-19 guidelines in her email regarding the policy revision. Soufleris wrote, “[the administration] has observed compliance with the public health expectations outlined by the University in La Salle’s plan. The majority of our residential students have maintained adherence to these policies — like mask-wearing, physical distancing, handwashing, and more.” 

Nonetheless, the revised visitation policy will be reviewed on a weekly basis, and the no-guest policy can be reenacted at any time. Students who do not comply with the revised guidelines may have their guest privileges or housing privileges revoked, depending on the frequency and severity of the situation. While visiting or having visitors, face masks and physical distancing are required. 

Students hosting other residents are encouraged to keep detailed records of who is in their space and when they are there in order to assist in La Salle’s contact tracing process.

offuttr1@lasalle.edu  

Rita Offutt, Editor

La Salle’s Resident Student Association (RSA) hosted a community debriefing event on Feb. 2, 2021 to discuss the hate symbol found in St. George on Jan. 18, 2021. The debrief covered details about the incident and focused on how the La Salle community can overcome acts of hate. The meeting was hosted and led by RSA president Elizabeth Hallinan and other executive board members. It was attended by La Salle’s Director of Public Safety Compliance and Investigation Eva Howard, the Assistant Vice President of Student Engagement Anna Allen, the Director of Multicultural Affairs Cherylyn Rush, the Director of Residence Life TiRease Holmes and the Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Dr. Dawn Soufleris. 

Howard opened the meeting by explaining the incident. On Jan. 18, Public Safety received a request for an investigation after several etchings of racist speech were found written in a restroom stall. The incident was investigated, and included interviews of all of St. George’s residents. Ultimately, Public Safety was unable to determine when the etchings appeared and if they were written by a current resident. The bathroom stalls where the writings have been sanded down, painted over and repaired. Residents have been instructed to contact Public Safety immediately if they notice further damage. 

Soufleris explained how Public Safety’s process overlaps with La Salle’s proceedings. Following the report of the incident, La Salle’s Biased Incident Response Team (BIRT) met and determined how to proceed. BIRT comprises a number of administrators from various departments and was formed to handle incidents of intolerance with consistency. Due to the location of the etchings, and the reasonable expectation of privacy associated with bathrooms and residence halls, Soufleris reported the University will not be installing video cameras. Instead, the administration is working with student organizations to develop a space for discussion and opportunities to build tolerance on campus.

Students at the debrief reported feeling shocked and disappointed by the incident, and many attendees noted their difficulty with the situation given the protests that took place this summer. Allen said, “I think La Salle has the capacity to be actively anti-racist…I want to hope the etchings are old. I tend to be an optimist when it comes to our student community.” Soufleris added that she is “confident in the community we have here.” Rush applauded RSA for responding to the incident, saying that similar efforts are normally led by marginalized students. She commended RSA’s demonstration of allyship and ownership of the community. The debrief was the first time RSA has hosted a debriefing event and led a discussion following an instance of hate. 

Everyone in attendance was encouraged to reflect on the ways hate speech in La Salle’s community impacts them. Many administrators, including Allen and Rush, invited students to reach out to them. Soufleris said she “would really like to listen, to hear [students] thoughts.” More information about future initiatives to address hate and intolerance can be found by contacting RSA at rsa@lasalle.edu.

offuttr1@lasalle.edu

Rita Offutt, Editor

On Monday, Jan. 11 the La Salle community received an email notice from the Chairman of La Salle’s Board of Trustees, William Matthews, stating that Colleen Hanycz was named the 35th president of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Hanycz, the first lay woman to lead the university, has been La Salle’s president since 2015. She is set to leave La Salle at the end of the academic year and start at Xavier on July 1, 2021. 

Hanycz is credited with implementing several substantial initiatives at La Salle, including the “Explorers are never lost” brand campaign. Last year, Hanycz and fellow administrators launched Project Compass, the university’s newest strategic plan. Additionally, under her leadership, the university underwent the 2017-2018 tuition reset and established a new core curriculum. More recently, Hancyz led La Salle’s “Return to Campus” plan and guided the university through the COVID-19 pandemic. Matthews’ email highlighted Hanycz’s stewardship and unwavering commitment to La Salle, ensuring the university community that, “the Board of Trustees will form a Presidential Search Committee…[and will engage] the full La Salle University community in this important process.” 

Following Matthews’ notice, Hanycz authored her own letter to the university community. She described her personal relationship with the La Salle community and her decision to move to Xavier, giving special recognition to La Salle’s student body. Hanycz wrote, “The lessons I have learned from the students who we serve in our La Salle family are countless and unforgettable. Lessons about solidarity. Lessons about resilience. Lessons about caring for one another. Lessons about believing in your own capacity for excellence, sometimes against all odds. And, perhaps most importantly of all, lessons about committing to a world that you will leave better than how you found it. I have been profoundly impacted by these women and men and will carry with me forever the memories of our connections.” 

Hanycz attended a series of events at Xavier on Monday, Jan. 25 and addressed the campus, asking for prayers from the community and inviting the entire campus to participate in writing Xavier’s next chapter. According to Cincinnati’s Enquirer, “When [Xavier’s current president] learned Hanycz would succeed him, he said he ‘exhaled, in a way.’” The article said the outgoing president said Xavier’s future is “in extraordinary, capable hands.”

Hanycz told the Philadelphia Inquirer, “[she] wasn’t looking to leave La Salle. Her current contract runs to 2024. But she…was recruited for the Xavier job and allowed herself to be considered.” 

The Collegian staff extends the best wishes to President Hanycz in her future endeavors. 

offuttr1@lasalle.edu