David O’Brien, Editor

On Monday April 11, Dr. Maureen O’Connell, a religion professor at La Salle, presented a lecture based on her new book, “Undoing the Knot: Five Generations of American Catholic Anti-Blackness.” O’Connell opened her lecture by presenting a New York Times article on Georgetown University’s sale of 272 enslaved Africans in 1838 to Henry Johnson and Jesse Batey in exchange for $115,000 (about $2.79 million today). In 2015, Georgetown renamed buildings after descendants of the people sold and the Jesuits pledged to raise $100 million for descendants of slaves possessed by Jesuits. After discussing this article, O’Connell begged the question of what other universities owe to people wronged in their own institution’s past.

O’Connell focused on three primary issues surrounding talks about the past: remembering, gatekeeping and curriculum. The remembering section focused on the failures of communities in acknowledging that these issues occurred. Gatekeeping focused on institutions’ failures to validate and take into account the opinions of victims of these phenomena. The curriculum section focused on the failures of institutions to teach how and why these events occurred, the importance of them in the foundation of modern institutions and how we can properly educate people on these issues going forward. O’Connell reflected on these three primary dilemmas through her own research surrounding Rosemont College and Saint Joseph’s University as well as her own familial history and La Salle.

She followed each of these topics by asking the audience how they themselves have caused or experienced these issues and asked the community how the University can go about resolving them. A wide array of students, faculty members, parents and even some of the LaSallian brothers provided their own thoughts and insights and agreed that the goal of La Salle is to provide a campus where people can address and resolve the major social issues throughout the United States and improve the Catholic Church through doing so.

O’Connell encapsulated her entire lecture in a brief quote, “our belief in our own moral goodness goes unchallenged and in fact is reinforced by our inequality-sustaining charity. We have bought into the fragile myths of how we got here and promote false rationales as to why others haven’t been able to achieve the same things.” The purpose of this lecture and the vigorous research done to prepare the new book is to help guide members of the LaSallian and Philadelphian community towards accepting the sordid truth surrounding their past. O’Connell’s work pushes people in the Catholic Church to challenge the traditional narrative that has been enforced for generations and to attempt to find the truth behind our community as well as remedy numerous injustices from the past that have led to inequality within the current systems.

Kylie McGovern, Editor

Header Image: Explorathon members reveal their total for the event. Image courtesy of Savanna Carestio

On April 2, La Salle’s yearly Exploration event raised over $31,000 for The B+ Foundation which works to provide financial and emotional support to families of children with cancer nationwide while funding critical, cutting-edge childhood cancer research. B+ is constantly raising money on college campuses and at local events like 5K races, Golf Outings, corporate partnerships and dance marathons. Explorathon hosted their event in the Union Ballroom from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. and featured guest speakers, student talents, dancing, a rave and games. Fundraising and efforts for this event began last May and continued until the event concluded on Saturday night. 

Dance marathon fundraisers are especially popular at colleges in the area like Penn State University and Villanova University that benefit different charities. These events typically benefit organizations that fund pediatric cancer research and treatment. The B+ Foundation is the largest provider of financial assistance to families of kids with cancer in the U.S., helping nearly 3,000 families this year. In addition, B+ provided funding to over 150 critical childhood cancer research projects at top institutions globally. The top fundraising teams were the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority, the executive board for Explorathon, the Phi Mu sorority, the Elite Explorers team and La Salle Women’s Soccer. The top fundraising individuals were Kristin Frederick, Tehya Williams, Stasia Nguyen, Ashleigh Sieb and Cade. Various teams participated in this event including Greek life, athletics, academic clubs and more, uniting students throughout campus and various organizations to work together towards this cause. 

Many different students were on board for this event. Junior Melina Rallis worked as the morale coordinator for Explorathon. She explained that she works event planning. Rallis explained that she is the “hype man” for Explorathon. Rallis also expressed that it can take a lot of effort to get students involved with Explorathon because members of Greek life have their own philanthropies and college students are among the busiest of individuals. So, each team selects a team captain to communicate the information to and from the Explorathon executive board and their different teams. 

As for fundraising, Explorathon does fundraising all year like posting bingo boards on social media, sending emails and having fundraising nights at local restaurants. Rallis also spoke fondly  of the actual Explorathon event, saying “was a lot of fun and we had a ton of games. We played human hungry-hungry hippos, we had a lip sync battle, we made cards for some of the Be positive heroes.” Rallis also said that the event was effective for personal growth and accomplishment as feels “very accomplished after this all. Although we didn’t raise our goal we still raised $31,308 and I’m super proud of everyone who is involved who made this possible.”

Mellissa Olimpo, a junior communication student and executive director of Explorathon, said, “ It was a great day of dancing, having fun and raising money for the ‘Andrew McDonough Be Positive Foundation.’ Explorathon was able to raise $31,308.70, which means that 31 families are being helped because of Explorathon.” 

2020’s Explorathon raised over $22,000 for childhood cancer, and 2021’s Explorathon raised $39,000 for B+, helping out roughly 39 families through the participation of over 25 teams and organizations. While Explorathon did not hit their goal, they did succeed in helping the B+ foundation in their efforts to help those suffering from childhood cancer. Preparations have already begun for next year’s event, and more details will be shared on their Instagram page @lasalleexplorathon.

Jakob Eiseman, Editor-in-Chief

Header Image: Participants got to share their thoughts with church leaders in both a large group and individual discussion groups. La Salle University

From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, April 4, La Salle hosted one of the largest Catholic inter-campus gatherings in the city since Pope Francis began the synod campaign in October of 2021. Students and faculty were invited from Chestnut Hill College, Gwynedd Mercy University, Saint Joseph’s University, Villanova University, Rosemont College, Holy Family University, Neumann University and several other Catholic institutions from Pennsylvania.

Synod on Synodality is a two year process established by the Vatican under the guidance of Pope Francis that looks to establish listening sessions like this across the world with the goal of growing the Catholic church globally in terms of its operations and manner of professing its faith. From the Vatican’s official Synod website, the process is described as a way to evaluate the role of churchgoers in communion and vocation, the participation of the faithful in the Catholic experience and how to help the Church better carry out its mission and serve those “who live on the spiritual, social, economic, political, geographical and existential peripheries of our world.”

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has already hosted over 18 listening sessions in the past month, but this was the first that featured a primarily higher education crowd. As young adults and educational leaders are those who will establish the next generation of all major organizations, including the Catholic church, having a meeting specifically for college-aged voices is a way to tap into a specific minority of the Catholic community that will one day have a significant impact on its future. On February 22 of this year, Ash Wednesday for Catholics, was the center of what the university referred to as Synod week, La Salle’s first major step into the process. Additionally in March, over 14 major universities within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia met for smaller listening sessions within their universities. This event is somewhat a culmination of both, bringing together passionate and like minded thinkers from across the city’s schools to discuss the future of the institution that has not always been favored by a young crowd in general.

While the press was not invited to the listening session due to the personal and tender nature of some of the subjects discussed by participants in the event, we were able to catch up with some students after the event to see what they thought about the Synod and this session in particular. “I attended the first Synod session a few weeks ago after Mass with only three other people so attending this session with a much larger group of people was very different. I really enjoyed interacting with other Catholics and Christians from varying schools,” said digital arts junior Grace McKenna, “I thought it was really enlightening to hear what others had to say and comforting to know I wasn’t alone in what I was feeling.” A large group of students and faculty gathered from many of the schools invited, meaning this was the largest event of this type that most students have attended thus far.

“I am hopeful that this event will be helpful to the Synod mission and the Church overall,” said McKenna. Many students who attended were happy to share their opinions on what the church has been doing lately. “It’s a big deal that they are asking for the perspectives of not just the clergy but of the laypeople,” continued McKenna, “It was encouraging to see a lot of young believers gathering in one place discussing their hopes and fears for and of the Church.”

People from multiple faiths were invited to join in on the conversation, and psychology junior Bethany Macwana, a practicing Christian but not Roman Catholic, said  “I feel like the Synod experience is something really unique in our time. The last global Synod that happened was in the 1970s, so this is a very monumental and historical event.” “In my home church,” said Macwana, “there is only a pastor as the head of authority, so seeing someone in the Catholic faith from the ‘higher ups’ in attendance was pretty neat.” On La Salle’s involvement in the Synodal mission, Macwana said “I did gain more insight into the Catholic church and heard from other peers who are the same age as me who shared key moments in their spiritual journey. If it was not for the Synod, I would have not been exposed to something like this, so I do feel that La Salle should continue to participate.”

Finally, we were able to get a few comments from Rayna Alexander, an ISBT junior at La Salle who attended the listening session. “The event allowed for many perspectives to be heard and it felt great to be able to share with others who have had similar experiences,” said Alexander, “I feel the Synod gives me a place to voice my thoughts and frustrations openly while having others simply listen and understand my place. I definitely think the La Salle community should participate because all of our voices matter in making changes and solidifying the true value of the Catholic faith.” Alexander also expressed that she believes the event will make a real difference, commenting “With our voices, we are raising awareness and emphasizing concerns as we form into the leaders of our faith.”

Kylie McGovern, Editor

Header Image: La Salle University

On March 14, La Salle University’s Board of Trustees announced that Ellen E. Reilly, ’83 has been elected as its new Chair. On July 1, Reilly will become the first woman to serve as the Board’s Chair in the University’s 159-year history. Reilly has served as President of La Salle’s Alumni Association and earned ex-officio Board membership in 2021. She explains that when she began at La Salle as a computer science student the institution was newly co-educational and now she is “humbled to have been elected as Chair of the University’s Board of Trustees …it’s a role I never dreamed of holding when I first got involved with our Alumni Association. I am honored and proud to work on behalf of the Board and our University.”

Reilly will replace William W. Matthews, III, Esq., ’90 as Chair of the Board of Trustees. Matthews announced the leadership changes in an email on March 14 to the University community. He has served as the Board’s Chair since July 2020, but he was elected to the Board in 2007 and his term concludes June 30. Matthews explains that Reilly “is prepared for this moment — and it’s an important one for the Board and La Salle University alike.” “Ellen’s pride in La Salle is unmatched,” said La Salle University Interim President Tim O’Shaughnessy, ’85. “She possesses a deep commitment to our University and wants what is best for our students and our community. For her, La Salle isn’t just her alma mater. It’s a family. It’s home. I am confident in the future direction of our Board under Ellen’s leadership.”

Reilly currently works as the head of healthcare and life sciences at a company called WHOOP, which is a company that debuted a novel wrist-worn device that continually tracks key biomarkers. Reilly’s career experience includes partnering with businesses to transform and simplify business processes and delivering bottom-line measurable benefits. Before her work at WHOOP, Reilly was vice president of global technology partnerships at I(IMS Health), Q (Quintiles), and VIA (by way of) IQVIA and vice president of the life sciences and healthcare industry at DocuSign.

At La Salle University, Reilly is a member of an advisory board for the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, in which she has recently worked on an initiative to create a scholarship recognizing Brother Gerald Fitzgerald, FSC. Especially relevant this week, Reilly and over a dozen other La Salle alumni created a dollar-for-dollar match of up to $200,000 as part of La Salle’s 2022 Day of Giving.

In addition to Reilly’s election, John K. Dugan, CPA, ’85, will serve as the board’s newest Vice-Chair. Dugan is an accounting alumnus who worked for 29 years at the PcW Accounting Network. He has served on the Board since 2019 while working on several committees. The Board has also approved three-year term renewals for Vice-Chair AmyLynn Flood, CPA, ’95; Brother Jack Curran, FSC, Ph.D.; and Joann M. Magnatta, ’77. Along with Dugan’s election as Vice Chair, these changes are effective July 1.

Elizabeth McLauglin, Editor

Header Image: Madecha Education Association

The Durning-O’Halloran Library in Arusha, Tanzania, established by Dr. Richard and Elaine Mshomba.

On Feb. 16, Dr. Richard Mshomba, a professor of economics here at La Salle, discussed how he has given back to his hometown in Sinon, Arusha, a city in  Tanzania via a community library that serves more than 15 schools. Mshomba’s devotion to Lasallian values stems back to his undergraduate career, when he received a scholarship to La Salle and moved from Tanzania to Philadelphia to study economics. In the years since, he has demonstrated steadfast commitment to the very values that underpin a Lasallian education. With his wife, Mshomba established the Madecha Education Association, the organization that operates the library.

Mshomba explains that “the education system in Tanzania is different from that in the U.S.,” with one key difference being that students have to pass national exams in order to pass on to the next level of schooling. The library provides students with access to books, laptops, internet and sample exams, to name a few resources. Construction on the library began in 2008 and was completed in 2016; it has since doubled in size, representing an invaluable resource to members of his hometown community.

The Durning-O’Halloran Library is named after Mshomba’s American host family, Joan and Charles Durning, as well as Elaine Mshomba’s parents, Joan and Joseph O’Halloran. All four individuals provided support, both financially and faith-based, for the Mshombas’ project. Moreover, a La Salle College High School student named Matthew Hladczuk undertook a fundraising effort for the library’s expansion.

Through community effort, the Mshombas were able to “provide additional educational opportunities for the young people in the community, [and] a long-term goal is to build a facility for vocational training.” In Mshomba’s words, “it is amazing what can be accomplished when people work together for the common good.”

Editor’s Note: During my freshman year, I was lucky enough to have Mshomba for microeconomics. From the first day of class and throughout the entire semester, it was clear to me that Mshomba values education very highly and works with students, both in and out of the classroom, to ensure that they are provided with the tools and resources they need to succeed. 

Emily Dorr , Staff

Header Image: CNBC

It is truly a historic time in the Church as Pope Francis has called for a Synod on just that: Synodality, and in doing so invited all levels of Catholic institutions to begin a two-year process of listening and dialogue. It is the hope of Pope Francis that through this journey together, the Church will be able to learn from and create action in topics of concern identified by its congregation to best live out its continued mission. Now you may be asking yourself, what does this mean and what does this have to do with me? 

Well, whether you are a practicing Catholic or not, a group of faculty, staff, and students are organizing listening sessions just for you. We will listen, document and report issues of concern that you, the student body, presents to us. In doing so, La Salle will join 14 other Catholic institutions of Higher Education in Philadelphia who have answered Pope Francis’ call to Synod. This gathering, listening and discussion is the basis of Synod, a community which comes together and provides feedback for the Church. It is our hope to present what we have documented in April, along with other colleges and universities to the Archbishop, and in turn the Pope. 

If this is something you are interested in, be on the lookout for flyers and information cards as we will be advertising these sessions throughout the following weeks. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Dr. O’Connell oconnellm@lasalle.edu, or Brother Ernest miller95@lasalle.edu. 

Our listening session will take place during the following dates and times:

Sunday Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 28 at 5 p.m.
Tuesday, March 1 at 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 2 at 5 p.m.
Thursday, March 3 at 12:30 p.m.
Friday, March 4 at 12 p.m.
Sunday, March 6 at 7 p.m.

Listening sessions on Feb.  27^, and March 2 and 3 will be held in the Chapel. All sessions other than those immediately following Mass in the Chapel will be held in the McShain Board Room Lounge on the second floor of the Union The Archdiocesan collegiate listening session will be at La Salle on Monday, April 4 from 6 to 9; location to be determined