lasalleuniversity

An invitation to daily Mass

Commentary

Richard Mshomba, professor of economics

“For when two or three gather together in My name, there I am with them.” Matthew, 18:20

As a Catholic University, we are blessed to be able to celebrate Mass every day, Monday through Thursday, in our beautiful Chapel. Daily Mass is at 1 p.m. and it takes only about 20-25 minutes. As your fellow Lasallian, I invite you — students, faculty and staff — to make a habit of going to daily Mass at our Chapel, even if just once a week.

Mass has always been an important part of my life since I was a young boy. I am originally from Tanzania, East Africa. Faith is what held people in my village together. When I was in my last two years of elementary school, my best friend, Alphonce Marandu, and I went to Mass every morning. Our mothers would wake us up at 5 a.m. and we would walk (past our school) for an hour to get to our church which was four miles away. After Mass, we would walk back two miles to our school. Alphonce was praying that he would be a priest and I was praying that I would be admitted into secondary school. Less than five percent of students who finished elementary school at the time were selected to go to secondary school. The national exam I took at the end of my elementary school education is the most important exam I ever took in my life. Our prayers were answered a millionfold!

Every time I walk from Hayman Hall to the Chapel, I marvel at God’s goodness and generosity. Now, a three-minute walk gets me from my office to Mass. I find this quite amazing.

Mass is a wonderful opportunity to worship and pray together. We all need prayers — all the time — both as individuals and also as a community. Surely, Mass is not the only way one can pray, but as a Catholic, I don’t know a more powerful form of prayer.

The semester should end before Thanksgiving

Commentary

Kylie McGovern, Editor 

Usually, if someone asks me about last fall semester, I will just groan about how much I hated Zoom. Although I despised an entirely online format last year, I loved the expedited semester that finished before Thanksgiving. I wish that this year we could have come to school two weeks earlier in August and began the semester two weeks sooner so that we could have finished classes and finals before Thanksgiving break, because my motivation at the end of this semester is at approximately zero.

A longer winter break that includes both Thanksgiving and the normally scheduled winter break would also give students the opportunity to perhaps work an internship, make some money, or just have uninterrupted rest.

In complaining to my friends about my lack of focus after the break, we can conclude that Thanksgiving break is a tease. The nice restful time spent with family to the jump to the end of semester assignments and finals has been brutal.

 If anyone has seen me attempt to do homework, my motivation is certainly sub-par. The other day I was writing a paper and had to listen to Cardi B’s “Money” to hopefully regain some focus to complete my work. If we had an expedited semester, the format would prevent Thanksgiving break from interrupting our motivation. In terms of other breaks, we already have fall break, which is a shorter and necessary break midway through the semester.

In conclusion, I support bringing back the expedited semester from last year. I would be happy to come to school two weeks early if that meant finishing two weeks early as well.

Homecoming and parents’ weekend should not be at the same time

Commentary

Enrique Carrasco, Editor

It happens too often: you’re hanging out in an alleyway with a drink in your hand when you look over and see two parents looking at you… judging you. It happened to several of my roommates, and several of my friends, and if I had drank this weekend, it definitely would have happened to me.  Homecoming is a time full of mistakes, bad decisions, and way too much alcohol for our upperclassmen. Parents’ weekend is all about family, being in communion with them, and enjoying their presence. As you can imagine, these two events do not go hand in hand. Yet for whatever reason, the school thinks it’s a really good idea to host both events at the same exact time. I am a strong advocate for the idea that parents’ weekend should not only be on a different weekend, but it should also be earlier in the semester.

I had been planning for this homecoming ever since I first heard of it, and my drunken plans should not be interrupted by some freshmen parents who have not seen their kid in a month. It happened to my friend, we’ll call him James, on homecoming. James had consumed copious amounts of alcohol before 2 p.m., and James was looking to continue the party before the basketball game started. Yet, while we were hanging out at our friend’s townhouse, their parents arrived. Not only did James have to stop drinking, but he had to sober up enough to talk to these very religious parents. As you can imagine, James did not leave a good impression on the parents, who were constantly giving him dirty looks just for being intoxicated. I believe it is not fair for James, who is a college student, to have to change his plans because some parents are here. Not only that, but James had plans to visit the countryside of Pennsylvania with this friend and their parents in the upcoming week, and the impression that drunk James made is less than ideal.

To fix this problem, I propose the school changes parents’ weekend to earlier in the semester (before Halloweekend would be ideal), to allow parents to visit their kids and see campus when 90 percent of the student body is not intoxicated in one way or another. The earlier the school pushes parents’ weekend, the better, as this change is sure to leave a better impression on the parents, who pay for their kids to be here. This, in turn, is likely to increase the number of students enrolling in the school, as parents’ impression of La Salle would be what La Salle normally is (a beautiful tranquil campus, with students frolicking around the quad) rather than intoxicated college students making a mess in an alleyway.  I know for a fact that I am not the only person on campus who believes that parents’ weekend should not be intertwined with homecoming, and various students (including James) agree with me on this one. 

Homecoming and Family Weekend recap

News

Kylie McGovern, Editor 

The Hideaway Tent in front of the TruMark Financial Center

On Saturday Nov. 13 Homecoming events were in full swing. The day began with a bus trip from La Salle’s campus to historic sights in Philly for visiting families to enjoy the gems the city has to offer. Next the Women’s Basketball team kicked off the double header with a win and more can be found on both the women’s and men’s basketball games in our sports section. The festival on the quad commenced at 12:30 p.m. Fellow alumni, faculty, staff, parents and students gathered on the Hansen Quad to enjoy food, drinks and music. Attendees of age were able to enjoy the beer garden on the quad. In addition, La Salle Ambassadors set up games like ring toss and skee ball with candy prizes. La Salle Ambassador Andrew Plunkett ‘23 said homecoming,“was a super fun time! Seeing the alumni come back to campus and enjoy playing our games was very exciting and I was happy to be a part of the festivities. Even though the weather wasn’t ideal, we made the best of it and I think everyone enjoyed some well-deserved fun.” Despite the rain, those coordinating the event moved the festivities inside and everyone enjoyed the afternoon. 

On Saturday afternoon, The La Salle University Art Museum was also open for tours to present the “Beyond 2D: Surface Play with Paper” exhibit. The Hideaway Tent was also open for business before the Homecoming men’s basketball game. Opening at 2:30 p.m., The Hideaway Tent was open until tip-off as a gathering place for basketball fans just outside of TruMark Financial Center. The Hideaway was once a local bar where La salle students could enjoy a beverage with some friends off campus. This tent commemorates the tradition while creating a new one. Food and beverages including beer and wine were available for purchase. The Explorers Express food truck served sandwiches to those looking for a quick snack before the game. After the game, families headed over to Deke’s BBQ to enjoy a post-game happy hour with family, friends and alumni. Saturday’s festivities concluded with “Live from La Salle” Family Trivia and Improv 101 Performance which you can read more about in the features section. 

On Sunday morning, families, students and those celebrating their 50th reunion gathered for mass at 11 a.m. in the De La Salle Chapel. Mass was celebrated by La Salle’s Father Frank. Following mass, two seniors: Eleanor Mancini and Jude Roche gave reflections about their families and the families they have found at La Salle.  After mass and the reflections,  the Alumni Association held a champagne luncheon to celebrate the Classes of 1970, 1971 and 1972 with a Golden Medallion presentation for their 50th Reunion. All those families at mass enjoyed a brunch at the Blue and Gold Dining Commons. Hundreds of people participated in this year’s La Salle Homecoming and Family Weekend — marking a major return to campus following the previous semesters which were severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

New Collegian Podcast 

News

Header Image: Search Engine Journal 

Kylie McGovern, Editor

On Oct. 29, David O’Brien, ‘24 began spearheading a podcast project by meeting with communication Professor Dr. Mark Lashley about using the WEXP radio room to record podcasts. Throughout the past school year, the Collegian staff has been brainstorming a podcast component of the weekly newspaper. O’Brien’s vision for the podcast is for it to be an extension of the newspaper and discuss topics from the newspaper, ranging from business to features. The podcast will also have a similar function as the features section of the newspaper where the hosts will bring guests and discuss clubs, topics and other aspects of La Salle and the student in general. 

According to the podcast host, “a podcast is a series of spoken word, audio episodes, all focused on a particular topic or theme… You can subscribe to the show with an app on your phone and listen to episodes whenever you like on your headphones, in the car or through speakers.” The Infinite Dial conducted a survey exhibiting that 55 percent of the U.S. population had listened to a podcast ever; 37 percent had listened within the last month and 24 percent had listened within the last week, showing that podcasts are a form of media rapidly rising in popularity. Podcasts growing as a media industry are motivating O’Brien to start the podcast. 

In speaking with O’Brien, he explains, “I am so excited about starting the podcast with one of my best friends. I am doing the podcast because I am interested in pioneering something to make an impact as the managing editor. I want the Collegian to be adaptable to more formats in addition to our website and newsletter. I think the longevity of any student organization or publication is fluidity and adaptability. I know that podcasts are especially popular among college-aged people, and I think that the La Salle student body will not only benefit from getting news and interviews via a podcast, but will also be entertained by this new platform.” 

The podcast team hopes to record, edit and post the podcast in the coming weeks. After the first introduction episode, O’Brien plans to post the following episodes when the newspaper is published. 

Preview: The Masque of La Salle presents “Mavericks”

Arts & Entertainment

Alina Snopkowski, Editor

On Friday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 13 at 2:30 p.m. and Friday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m., in the Dan Rodden theater, the Masque of La Salle will be presenting six Mavericks — student written and directed one-act plays. These plays have been in the works for the past couple of months, and tickets for the show are free for everyone. Actors will be performing an eclectic, entertaining mix of plays, including:

“Couples’ Therapy” — A controlling couples therapist is put to the test as she endures her most volatile couple yet.

Director Nolen Kelly, co-editor of the Arts and Entertainment section, said “I liked watching ‘Mavericks’ so much I wrote my own.”

“Death of a Cereal Lover” — This story can’t really be summarized, besides that it’s a wild ride with a ton of whiplash.

“‘Mavericks’ is such a fun time to be a part of,” says director Kayla Stevens, “we’re all just a bunch of friends that are having a blast putting something together that we can all be proud of.”

“Doomsday Foreplay” — A doomsday cult tries to save the world from evil spirits by sacrificing a virgin. However, the person they picked, Chad, is adamant he is not one and he tries to prove otherwise before he is sacrificed.

“I don’t know how mine got approved,” director Izzy Hill says, “as it involves a virgin, a dominatrix and a cat girl body pillow.”

“P.O.O.P” — A meeting full of political stereotypes tries to decide on what new structure shall be placed in the vacant lot.

Director Eila Nash would rather act than direct, explaining that “I directed Mavericks two years ago and said never again, so I submitted a play I wrote at 13-years-old and decided to act again.”

“Prohibiting Prohibition” — In 1920’s America, a bunch of losers with zero game decided to ban alcohol. But in humanity’s darkest hour, earth’s mightiest warriors rise up to bring back the brew.

Director Jon Colella says that “Mavericks are a really productive way to goof off with your friends. It’s definitely goofing off but somehow something still gets created.”

“Satan went down to Georgia” — A twist on The Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” this play provides insight into the question that has been left unanswered for decades: Why the hell was the devil in Georgia? 

“I went through lengthy legal processes to be allowed to produce my show,” says director Audrey Walker, “please come see it.”

What’s better than funky, funny and free entertainment? Not much that I can think of, so be sure to stop by one of the three Mavericks performances this weekend or next Friday.

University Housing Department announces amended guest policy

News

Kylie McGovern, Editor

On Nov. 2 La Salle University’s department of Housing and Residence Life announced an amended visiting policy via email. The email noted that, in general, students have observed compliance with the public health expectations outlined by the University in La Salle’s health and safety guidelines. 

Beginning Wednesday, Nov. 3, at 5 p.m., La Salle University’s visitation policy will be revised to allow all residential students to accept enrolled non-residential or commuter students as guests at their residences. All guests must continue to be registered online through the established guest registration process. This new policy will be reviewed on an ongoing basis by La Salle’s COVID-19 Response Team, who will be monitoring the number of campus COVID-19 cases, student conduct cases and the impact of contact tracing. 

Each residence hall must abide by different numbers of guests. Including the host or hosts, up to four students can be in a residence hall room, up to six students can be in an apartment and up to 10 students can visit any given townhouse at a time. In addition, face masks are required in residence hall rooms any time guests are visiting. While visiting, the guest must be escorted by their host at all times.

Although the acceptance of commuter guests opens visiting to a new group of people, if students want to host family members or other visitors who are unaffiliated with La Salle University, they may visit campus outside of residential communities and in publicly accessible, open-air spaces.  

Sophomore and commuter Danielle O’Brien says she is ​​“very excited about the new changes concerning the guest policy as a commuter. For a time it felt unfair that commuters — a large percent of La Salle’s student population — were being excluded from visiting dorms. I, like many other computers, have trouble finding things to do in between classes, and visiting friends’ dorms would be a perfect way to accommodate this. 

“Broadening the guest policy to commuter students such as myself is a great opportunity to make connections and friends that you wouldn’t otherwise, and I’m very excited to plan new activities with friends who are dorming and their dorm mates. Not to mention broadening the guest policy to commuters can entice commuters to rethink on-campus housing as it was made clear to me that those dorming at La Salle clearly have a community of their own within their building.”

Lack of communication takes the safety out of public safety

Commentary

Meghan Cain, Staff

My friends and I went downtown for restaurant week recently and decided to make a night of it, walking around the city, browsing stores and taking in the night life rather than just eating dinner and coming straight back to campus. We checked the La Salle app to see when the shuttle would be coming and the app said the shuttle comes to the Septa stop each hour at :15 :55 and :35, and that on Fridays and Saturdays it runs until 3:00 am. We were under the impression that it didn’t matter how late we got back, knowing that we could take a shuttle back to our townhouse, so we took our time and enjoyed the night rather than trying to rush back to make sure we got home safe. 

We got to the stop at 8:50 and waited the five minutes for the shuttle to get there. La Salle took the shuttle tracker service off of the app, which we were disappointed to see, as we couldn’t tell if the shuttle was running on time or late and we didn’t want to be standing around in the dark waiting for it, especially not knowing how long it would take. A shuttle came at around 9:00 and unloaded a van full of students, then we got on. The driver told us we were lucky that that group had asked to be taken to the Septa stop, or else we would have been waiting for a long time before needing to just walk back in the dark. He informed us that La Salle had changed the shuttle hours and the shuttle now only runs until 9:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, but that it actually stops at the 8:15 p.m. cycle so that it can be finished its trip on time to get gas and make it back before 9:00 p.m. We told him that La Salle didn’t have that posted on the shuttle service page, and that we weren’t informed that the schedule changed. If this information was posted anywhere, it wasn’t made known. The driver informed us that communication hasn’t been clear between La Salle and public safety either, and that he wasn’t informed right away when the schedule had changed. He seemed disappointed in La Salle’s lack of communication.

I find this to be irresponsible on La Salle’s behalf, knowing that weekends are when students plan on staying out later, and that it is dangerous for them to be standing around waiting for the shuttle in our neighborhoods, which are  often receiving reports of violence. I am disappointed in La Salle for the lack of communication about important information such as this, and for the lack of care given to its students that are relying on the shuttle system for safety. We pay a lot of money to attend this school, so I think that at the very least we deserve proper communication.

Save La Salle Baseball

Commentary

Commentary Staff

Header image: goexplorers.com

It was one of those “where were you?” moments.

I was in my living room, checking my email, when that message from President Colleen Hanycz popped up into the top of my inbox. It was paragraph upon paragraph of fluff, with the University doing their best to soften the blow that was buried further along in the email. But can you really sugarcoat announcing that seven of the university’s athletics programs would be terminated after this school year?

The most shocking program on that list, at least for myself, was baseball. To my knowledge, as someone who knows quite a bit about La Salle sports, baseball had always done fairly well. They seemed like one of the most popular sports at the University, their athletes some of the most well-known around campus. There were some sports on the list that were understandable…but baseball? Really?

None of the teams were given a chance to fundraise for themselves before the announcement came out, which is an issue in and of itself. This piece is not trying to suggest that baseball is somehow more deserving of being saved than any of the other sports that are being cut, but their performance this season is really leaving La Salle with egg on its face.

Let’s start with their record: 20-11 overall, 6-2 in the A10. It’s close to being the best record at this point in the season, and has included some truly spectacular games, comebacks that left fans on the edges of their seats, absolute dominance over opponents (e.g. the 22-2 victory over Penn earlier this month) and players wearing their hearts on their sleeves. They’ve been vocal about how hard they’re willing to fight to keep their program alive, but it’s not stated more loudly than in how they play.

Freshman pitcher Frank Elissalt could easily throw in the towel and not care about how he pitches. What’s the point, right? But he does the exact opposite. He’s now earned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week four times, along with earning Pitcher of the Week twice.

Junior catcher Tatem Levins has options outside of La Salle. He doesn’t need to show up in the batter’s box and behind the plate the way that he does, but he has not let up in his incredible and consistent performances.

There are plenty more individuals that could be named here (Elijah Dickerson, Ryan Guckin, Nick Di Vietro, Connor Coolahan, etc.) and that should tell you something. These players don’t have a certain future at La Salle. They chose to come here to play the sport they love and represent the University with everything they’ve got, only to be blindsided by a program slashing that was purely driven by financial interest with little to no regard for the welfare of the student-athletes it would be affecting. Shouldn’t it tell you something, President Hanycz, that even though you and the University turned your back on these players, they’ve still fought tooth and nail and put their blood, sweat and tears into ensuring that La Salle is currently sitting at the top of the A10?

Legendary soccer defender Tony Adams once said, “Play for the name on the front of the shirt and they’ll remember the name on the back.” That’s what this current La Salle baseball team is doing. The University’s name will be attached to whatever accolades they collect this season, but as a community, we’ll remember the individual players that didn’t let their team be taken away from them without an admirable fight. Whether or not the team is able to be saved, this particular team won’t be lost in the shuffle of decades of iconic baseball squads.

Forget Hank DeVincent. No matter what, the names of these current players will be the ones permanently etched in the earth between McCarthy Stadium and St. Basil’s.