Claire Herquet, Editor

On Friday, February 2, WEXP Radio released its first episode in almost four years. 

WEXP Radio is La Salle’s student-run broadcasting station with episodes now available on YouTube and Spotify. Originally, WEXP opened its studio in 1972 and became dormant in 2020, ending a 15-year run as one of the Philadelphia area’s most prominent student-run radio stations. Last week, I met with Lily Henshaw ‘24 after seeing her LinkedIn post regarding the news of restarting the station following the COVID shutdown.  

Henshaw led the project of getting WEXP back on the air with the help of her two roommates, Josh Schields and Kate Vasey; the three of them hosted the first podcast episode back entitled “Drop-Shipping is Taking Over – The JKL RatPod EP 1.” The episode, in the style of simple conversation between close friends, featured a main talk about Temu, Shein, TikTok and Instagram shops. 

Getting WEXP back on its feet took more than just a few weeks. “Just kind of getting into the studio and getting things operating again has taken the longest. Now that we’re in full operation we can go where we want with it, which is super cool,” said Henshaw. This project, beginning this past fall, would not have been possible without the help of advisor and communication Professor Dr. Mark Lashley. Lashley worked to arrange the technical equipment in the WEXP studio, and even brought in some of his personal tools to aid in the recording and uploading of the episodes.  

As “RatPod” is one series that has begun on WEXP Radio, there are plans in the works for new programming. “We’ll have a sports show soon, and we have plans for new movie reviews,” Henshaw stated, in addition to speaking about her potential plans to collaborate with members of “The Masque,” who are interested in doing acting content on the station.  

The members of WEXP are dedicated and driven to providing a space where students can express themselves freely and creatively. In the next few months of expanding the WEXP platform, their hope is to amplify the voices of our vibrant student community for prospective and current students, along with our beloved alumni. “There are a lot of ties to our alumni in relation to WEXP. I made a post on my LinkedIn profile saying things are back up and running, and I got a lot of people reaching out to me who used to be involved with it.”  

The revival of WEXP Radio marks a noteworthy milestone for La Salle University’s student community. Operated by a dedicated team of around 10 students, the station’s comeback after a four-year hiatus demonstrates their commitment to fostering creativity and passion.

Kylie McGovern, Editor 

On Sept. 14, 2023 at 12:30 p.m. La Salle’s Explorer Cafe series kicked off for the school year. Explorer Cafe events are an opportunity for students to learn about a specific topic in a casual way outside of the classroom. Typically, these events begin with a faculty or student lead presentation followed by discussion questions to get the audience talking and asking questions, sometimes while enjoying cafe inspired snacks and coffee. 

The cafe on Sept. 14 was facilitated by Chip Gallager of the sociology department, Miguel Glatzer of political science and Nick Staffieri also from the political science department. The knowledgeable faculty hosted this event to celebrate the birthday of the US Constitution. At this event, panelists and students discussed the impact of the Supreme Court’s 2023 cases which has affected college admissions’ approaches to affirmative action. 

The next Explorer cafe will be a discussion on how the professors and students can empower others to integrate antiracist practices into their syllabi and across their curriculum. Laura Roy (EDC) and The Scheiter Endowment 2023 Summer Faculty Learning Community will facilitate this event on Oct. 5, 2023 in the Holroyd atrium.

Gerry Ballough in the biology department, David Falcone from the psychology department, Bob Dobie from the philosophy department and Mark Thomas from the political science department will host another explorer cafe on Oct. 10, 2023 titled “Angels or Demons: What is Humankind’s Natural Instinct?” This discussion will feature views from biology, philosophy, and psychology about the nature of humankind by discussing whether humankind is inherently empathetic or brutish. The leaders will explore why humans love, hate, and empathize. 

Looking later into October, there will be an Explorer Cafe about Protected Speech and the First Amendment presented by Nicholas Staffieri and Cooper Smith, `24.

In addition to Explorer Cafe events, La Salle will host the John Henry Newman Lecture Series which La Salle describes as “prominent academics, intellectuals, and civic leaders providing the La Salle community, alumni, our partners as well as high school students and their parents from across the tri-state area with opportunities to learn new perspectives, to think critically about salient issues confronting society, and to engage in civil dialogue with one another.” Topics include: Western Civilization, Lincoln and Frederick Douglass Debate Slavery and Equality in the Constitution, Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy, and The American Experiment. The John Henry Newman Lecture Series will be free to attend and hosted in the La Salle University Art Museum.  

Dr Mark Thomas from the political science department explains that these events “are aimed at promoting civil discourse and providing students topics and a set of speakers whom our students may not encounter in our classrooms.  The goal of education is to broaden the mind. These two series are part of a four part set.  Each offers a different perspective. To paraphrase Frederick Douglass, not attending or discouraging others to attend is a double wrong…it violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker. Equally clear is the right to hear. To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.”

Kylie McGovern, Editor 

Although many La Salle students will be leaving campus for the summer the week of May 7 following their finals, for those who stick around campus there are a lot of activities happening in the Philadelphia area this summer. Before summer begins, there are a few loose ends for students to tie.

Students must pick up all packages and mail before they leave on summer break. All packages and mail will be sent back to sender starting on June 1, 2023. The mailroom thanks everyone for their cooperation and wishes students a great summer. In addition, on-campus students need to begin the move-out process. Students must move out 24 hours after their last final exam, or by 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 11 (whichever comes first). If a student needs to stay beyond 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 11 they must submit a May Housing Extension Application which is available in the student portal. Extension applications are due May 8 and anything applications received after the deadline will be subject to a $50 late fee. In addition, Summer housing applications are available. Students living in on-campus housing will be staying in single rooms in St. Miguel Court townhouses between May 21 and August 3. More information about preparing to move-out will be provided by res-life staff via email, and distributed via flyers throughout the residence halls, townhouses and apartments.  

Once students complete finals and the move-out process they can enjoy a summer in the City of brotherly love. Students can enjoy events like the Wawa Welcome America event which is multicultural programming from June 19 until July 4. The Manayunk Arts Festival on June 24 and June 25 is a crafts, food and music festival in mainstreet in Manayunk’s main street. In addition, The Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival will take place in Franklin Square from June 21 until Aug. 13. 

There will also be a variety of concepts in the area this summer. Dead & Company will perform at Citizens Bank Park for their final ever show in Philadelphia on June 15. Beyonce will be performing at Lincoln Financial Field on July 12. Citizens Bank Park will also host Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band on Wednesday, August 16 and Friday August 18.

The Philadelphia Phillies will be in season throughout the summer as well. The stadium district is accessible from La Salle via SEPTA. Students can take the Broad Street Line from Olney Transportation Center to the NRG station and walk from there to their summer concert or sports game. 

For students looking to explore something educational over the summer, Philadelphia offers several museums  that have student discounts. The Barnes Foundation, the National Constitution Center and Mütter Museum offer discounts, as well as many more listed by Campus Philly. Even though campus life slows down a bit in the summer, there are plenty of activities in the city that will keep life busy and culturally vibrant for students in the area. 

Kyle Storti, Staff

The Explorer’s Chess Club is a brand new student organization that is looking for members. The club conducts its meetings in College Hall 303 every Tuesday from 6:00-7:00 pm. Open to all skill levels, the club looks to create an environment where students can learn, play and watch chess with their peers in a fun, relaxed environment. The club plans on hosting tournaments and fundraisers online and on campus in the near future. If you are interested in joining, contact Kyle Storti (stortik1@lasalle.edu) for more information.