The Villanovan

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at Sustainability Conference

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivered the keynote address at the International Sustainability Conference on April 23. In his speech titled "Our Environmental Destiny," Kennedy acknowledged the importance of environmental preservation and the responsibility to commit to sustainability that every American should recognize.

Class of '13 sees record applications

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Students in the admitted class of 2013 were selected from 13,093 applicants, the third largest number of applications in University history. Their average SAT scores ranged from 1300-1420, and 73 percent were ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school class.

NovaFest participation varies by event

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Last weekend's circus-themed NovaFest saw a varied amount of student participation in the different events planned by Campus Activities Team.

Ticket sales for the concert featuring Gym Class Heroes were down from last year at about 650 tickets sold in advance, according to Assistant Director of Student Development for Programming Nikki Hornsberry.

Dining Services evaluates Dougherty ramp

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Dining Services will observe student usage of Dougherty Dining Hall's ramp today to decide whether or not it will be removed for renovations this summer.

The Board of Trustees recently passed down a decision to renovate Dougherty Dining Hall, according to Timothy Dietzler, director of Dining Services.

Walk to commemorate engineering student

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

For the fourth consecutive year, the Brian Anderson Memorial Run, also known as the the BA5K, will take place on May 10 in Washington Township, N.J., the hometown of Brian Anderson, a Villanova student who suddenly passed away a few weeks before his 2005 graduation.

Year in Review: Top 5 Stories of '08-'09

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Men's basketball team reaches Final Four

Most wins in a single-season in school history. First appearance in the Final Four since 1985. National recognition and a new-found sense of pride.

The list of the men's basketball team's accomplishments in March and April of 2009 goes on and on.

Outgoing president reflects on year

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Seniors Bryan Wagner and Rob Dormish will soon turn over their responsibilities as student body president and vice president to recently elected Dan Gelwicks and Spencer Curtis. But not before offering some advice.

"A year is a lot shorter than you think it is," Wagner said.

A Fond Four-well

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

More wins than any other class in school history. A Big East regular season title. A berth in the Final Four. The 2009 senior class has a lot of accomplishments to celebrate.

Now that their Villanova careers have come to a close, the four seniors can finally take the time to reflect on what they have accomplished.

Megan Morese named The Villanovan Athlete of the Year

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Thomas Edison once said, "There is no substitute for hard work." It's a concept that all successful athletes understand, but one by which only a select few seek to live. Although hard work alone does not guarantee a winning record, an athlete's ability to combine it with talent is the driving force when championships are to be won, records are to be broken and game-winning points are to be scored.

DIBIASE: Writing leads to reflection of years now gone

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Your editor gives you 1,000 words - a half page. It's your last column, your last chance to wow them, your swan song, your goodbye to Villanova. In the morning, you sift through the day's newspapers and Web sites looking for the subject of your last footprint on Villanova as an undergraduate.

SANTANNA: Covering athletes gives opportunity to find yourself

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

All I really need to know I learned from Villanova sports.

OK, so that's a bit of an overstatement. What is true, though, is the major role that Villanova, its sports teams and its newspaper have had on my life.

I was never one of those people who knew what they were going to be when they grew up from a young age.

AUGUSTINKY: University builds life long passion for 'Nova athletics

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Four years ago, I didn't have much to be excited about in the sports world. I grew up a diehard Philadelphia baseball and football fan, but throughout my high school years I watched each Eagles' playoff runs end in heartbreaking defeat. The Phillies' playoff runs were nonexistent.

ZIPF: College sports are last chance at innocence for many

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

As I was watching the NFL draft and saw 20- year-old Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford with flash bulbs bouncing of his grinning face and ESPN announcers proclaiming him as the savior of a failing Detroit Lions franchise, I began to reflect on how prominent sports are in a college student's life.

Coach of the year: Talley leads football team back to postseason

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

On his way to earning the American Football Coaches Association Region I Coach of the Year award, Andy Talley put together one of the most successful football seasons in recent memory. The Wildcats finished the regular season with an overall record of 10-3, 7-1 in the CAA.

Elite Eight game will never be forgotten by 'Cats

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

"They got plenty of room, or time I should say, at least four seconds to get up the floor, there's Reynolds." After Verne Lundquist said that, he waited to see what would happen next, because he didn't know.

Nobody could have known that just a second later Reynolds would graciously maneuver himself into the lane and then bulldoze his way into one of the NCAA's biggest bodies in DeJuan Blair and put up a shot that found its way through the basket.

Corey Marine ranks his top stories in '08-'09

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

One of the best things about being a sports fan is that no two years are the same. Some teams step up and surprise everyone. Others take a step back and have people wondering what happened. Players change teams. New champions are crowned, sometimes repeat.

'Nova wins Distance Medley at Penn

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

The men's and women's track and field team traveled to the University of Pennsylvania over the weekend to participate in the first and oldest relay meet in the country, the Penn Relays. The three-day event brings the best high school and collegiate track athletes together for over 33 hours of competition.

Men's lacrosse falls in season finale to Hoftsra

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

It was a tough way to end the regular season for the men's lacrosse team, as they fell 10-3 to Hofstra on Saturday afternoon in Hempstead, N.Y. Out of the last 11 times that the two teams matched up, Villanova has walked away with four wins. The last time the teams met it was a heartbreaking loss for 'Nova, when the game went into double overtime and Villanova fell one goal short.

BARRETT: Bursting the bubble

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

For four years I've heard about the "Villanova bubble," and for four years now I've never failed to recognize how true the label is every time I go home. It's like culture shock. While here, I forget that the so-called "real world" isn't filled with Days of Service, Service Break Trips and Walks for Water.

EDITORIAL: A trashy NovaFest

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Although NovaFest was everything students could hope for, something was notably missing: the trashcans. And, for that matter, the recycling bins.

After the festivities on West dissipated, empty Solo cups, crushed beer cans and remnants of broken bottles littered the field.

EDITORIAL: Thanks a million

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Every graduating class is missed, but for The Villanovan, this is an especially tough year. Aside from dozens of writers, copy editors and photographers who will graduate, three of the most dedicated staff members that Dougherty 201 has ever seen will leave us for the real world.

LACERDA: A son rises in North Korea

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Amidst an all-consuming conflict with the nations of Iran and Syria over alleged nuclear weapons, it remains easy to forget about the dangers associated with North Korea and their ludicrous leader, Mr. Kim Jong-il. On Sunday, the youngest son of the North Korean leader was reportedly named to the National Defense Commission, an indication that he will eventually take power over his father's communist government.

KANE: Elections, South Africa style

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

For the past few months, it hasn't been the debate between Republicans and Democrats bombarding me. Instead, it's been the people and posters plastering Cape Town with slogans and signs for the ANC, the DA, COPE and the ID.

Helen Zille, the mayor of Cape Town and the next premier of the Western Cape, even shouted "Stem en Wen!" (Vote to Win!) at me from atop a bus.

CELONA: Learning to break (most of) the rules

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Sometimes you just have to break the rules, and I think now seems like just the right time.

For the past three years, I was the one who enforced the rules at this very publication. I was the one who wielded the red pen. I vigilantly followed the rules set down in the Associated Press Stylebook, cut every comma that was out of place, upset my share of writers in the process and refused to let anyone use the word "I" or refer to themselves in a column (an infraction I have now made five times already).

BELLOTTI: To be continued ... a journey beginning

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

When I greet my family after I walk off the Villanova Stadium turf on May 17 for Commencement, I already know what my grandfather will ask:

"So, Chris, what did you learn at Villanova?"

My father, a self-described "realist," will pessimistically think about the Murphy's Law of Education that hangs on a poster in his office:

"Universities are full of knowledge: freshmen bring a little in, seniors take none away; therefore, knowledge accumulates.

BLACK: A very fond farewell to Villanova

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

This is it, dear readers. Since I am now merely weeks away from donning a cap and gown and receiving my diploma, it appears that it's time for me to retire. I walk away from my beloved column quite fondly, though reluctantly.

For two years, this column has faithfully served as an outlet for my opinions - some of them more politically charged or personally meaningful than others.

SWARTZ: My motto: when it's right, it's right

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Word is I was not supposed to choose Villanova.

My bohemian AP English teacher, my intro to sociology professor, my academic adviser and an inebriated guy in Campus Corner are among the dissenters. I am not a Bartley frequenter, I have no skills in the engineering realm, and God help any patient I'd have if I were a nurse.

KERNS: Class of '09: live rightly

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

In little more than two weeks, retired Admiral William Fallon (Class of '67) and Sister Teresita Hinnegan will ascend at the dais at the University's 166th Commencement Exercises and honorary degrees will be conferred upon them at the hands of the University President.

RONZONE: The frustrating futility of women's beauty

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

No matter how much women try, they still cannot get it right.

Women have read the publications. They have seen and heard the broadcasts that inform them of the alleged relaxation of society's rigid, impossible standards of female beauty. The media proclaims that a long-overdue and liberating revolution in body image is occurring.

ELIZANDRO: Sustainable Villanova, sustainable U.S.?

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Upon receiving my housing assignment last week, I was, admittedly, a bit dismayed when I learned that I would be living in Fedigan Hall for my sophomore year. As a business major, Fedigan isn't particularly close to any of my classes, the rooms are small and the building is isolated from the majority of my class who will be living in the Quad.

Letters to the editor

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Kelly's Taproom: listen up

To the editor:

Usually avid readers like myself take the opportunity to write to you to express their discontent with a particular aspect of paper. I could care less about a grammatical error or an opinion I happened to disagree with.

Hot Study Spots

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

The weather is warming up and time is running out. Finals are creeping up on unsuspecting students, basking in the gloriousness that is the campus during springtime. Reality is beginning to set in for Villanova students, and each student has his or her own way of coping with finals.

A Place to Call Home

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Every year, a brand new set of residents move into the various residence halls on campus. This means that an original community - made up of different experiences, relationships and memories - is created throughout the duration of the school year. All of the residence halls together add up to create a campus dynamic of multiple characteristics where students live, play, and work.

WiseCat

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Dear Villanova,

I once saw a quote that said, "I've got the same old heart with a brand new beat." I thought about it for a while, and then I let it go. It wasn't until this day that I knew what it meant. Today is the last day as "WiseCat." Over the past four years, I wrote to individuals who had questions.

Buzzkill

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Why is everyone dropping the "G" word? That is my buzzkill. I am happy that I am taking the big walk and entering the "real world." But what I hate is that everyone tells you that college is the best four years of your life. I hope and pray that it gets better from here.

Outside the Oreo

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

My dear Villanovans, my classmates, my friends,

This is the last letter I will write to you. I spent a while - a semester even - thinking about how I would fill this space during a time when so much is ending and so much else has yet to begin. I considered using this space to "reflect," to gush in the way I am sure many of you are expecting, or perhaps as a spot to air my grievances because, 'haha' Villanova, this paper has given me (perhaps foolishly) a significant spot in which to say them.

Horoscopes

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Falvey Library is a small place. Avoid the frustration of not having a place to work during finals week by getting up early and grabbing a table. Or just mooch off your more dedicated friends.

Gemini (May 21-June 21)

The greatest challenge you will face this week is not finals, it is the temptation to go see "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" when you should be studying for your Saturday exams.

'Price of Life' documentary moves crowd

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

department's Documentary and Film Making course's semester project revealed an independent piece documenting the successful life choices made by a black man who grew up in South Philadelphia, while remaining sensitive to the hardships and social problems he experienced during his youth.

From Cali to Turkey to 'Nova: Alan Drew's path

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Go to college. Graduate. Get a job. Work. Get married. Work. Have kids. Work. Retire. Move to Florida. Die.

Why do so many people think this is the normal cycle of life? It seems as though people are afraid to experience the world, scared to take risks. Sometimes we need someone to show us that there are other ways of doing things.

'Beer and Loathing' a cynical gut-buster

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

He's no Holden Caulfield, but Keith Strausbaugh certainly has a coming-of-age tale out of his new autobiography, "Beer and Loathing in Panama City: A Bloodthirsty Spring Break Exodus."

As far as spring break stories go, the stereotypical plethora of booze, babes and bad decisions are as plentiful as the laughter that Strausbaugh provides.

Network 'Big Guns' prepare for season finales

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

It has been a fantastic year to cover television with plenty of great dramas and comedies for audiences to sink their teeth into.

As networks approach May, several interesting finales are on the horizon. Here is a look at some of the big ones.

Grey's Anatomy

To say this season has been rocky would be an understatement.

Weekly 'American Idol' Rankings: Top 5

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

After disco week, Lil and Anoop were shown the door as predicted and the top five has been assembled. At this stage in the competition, contestants will perform twice a week to see who really has what it takes to win the competition.

As this is the final rankings of the year, the order presented here is where I expect each contestant to finish:

5.

'Star Trek' latest in series of franchise reboots

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:00:00 GMT

Between the negative stereotype assigned to its fans, referred to as "Trekkies," and the lackluster quality of the last few movies in the franchise, it is easy to forget that "Star Trek" was one of the most revolutionary and innovative science-fiction shows of the 20th century, spawning almost 40 years worth of movies, spin-off television shows and countless other merchandise.