Quad Commentary: Villanova, "Veritas. Unitas. Caritas."

Quad Commentary: Villanova

Conestoga alumni provide insight into their college experience and compare college to life at ‘Stoga.

By Andrew McKeough, Conestoga Class of 2015

Villanova is such an amazing school; and it’s not just because of our amazing basketball team. Villanova has six full time schools with an undergraduate enrollment of 6,554 and an overall enrollment of 10,735 students. With over 50 different majors to choose from, Villanova is nationally ranked at number one for northern regional universities. Villanova is not just about the sports or the praise, but our character.

Villanova is huge on service and supporting our community. Our motto at ‘Nova is three very simple words. They are Veritas, Unitas, and Caritas. These words are Latin for Truth, Unity and Charity. Three words that also are written on a scroll directly under the main centerpiece on the school’s seal: the burning heart. If you apply to our school your essay question might be like the one I had: “What sets your heat on fire?” Well, what sets our hearts on fire at Villanova is service. At Villanova we have two major service events on and off campus every year. The first is Saint Thomas of Villanova Day of Service. This year we celebrated its 10th year of service by sending Wildcats out into the Greater Philadelphia area to fix up what needs fixing. Either by helping to give a rundown school a face-lift, or by clearing overgrown shrubs, the entire campus works as one to bring our community together. The second major event is the annual Special Olympics Fall Festival. Held each year on main campus, it is the largest and most successful student-run Special Olympics in the world! It brings together some four-thousand people from around Pennsylvania to support an amazing cause.

Okay so on to something else you probably want to hear about: student life! Our campus is split into three campuses. Plus we’re about to undergo a huge expansion on Lancaster Avenue that will include a brand new theatre complex, shops, senior residence dorms, and so much more! Unfortunately, it’s not going to be completed until 2020, so when I graduate in 2019 I will just have missed it. We have twenty-four Greek organizations affiliated with the university, but are not located on campus.

All of this goes to ask a question that rises in the unfortunate times where schools of higher education become targets. This year, unfortunately, we had a threat. But the good news is that this campus is extremely safe. We have a public safety force that keeps a watchful eye over the school and treats its student body like their own children. If you have a medical issue, no problem, we have a full-time medical center that acts more like a hospital. Not to mention a full-time, student-run EMS service.

Of course athletics are a huge deal at Villanova. The Wildcats has just about a team for every single sport that you can think of, plus a countless number of club-sport teams. So don’t worry, no matter what your sport is, or your skill level is, ‘Nova has you covered! So how about those who are into the arts? We also have your back! We are also home to a large number of performing arts groups. I am involved with the theatre program here as the stage manager for the shows.

This year, the world’s eyes were turned to Philadelphia for the 2015 World Meeting of Families and Papal Visit. Villanova played a big part in this year’s events. Our Wildcat community sent a number of volunteers and keynote speakers to the festivities. Villanova was also featured on the TODAY show when Maria Shriver came and interviewed our amazing president, Father Peter, plus a few of us Villanovans, including yours truly, about why Pope Francis is the “Rock Star Pontiff”!

When you think about it, Villanova is basically a much larger and more spread out version of Conestoga. No joke, classes average around sixteen to twenty-five students, and we offer many of the same things that ‘Stoga does. From the hundreds of clubs and activities to get involved in to the sports and academics. I believe that the class of 2015 sent nine graduates to Villanova’s class of 2019. So you can say that from our award winning days of New Student Orientation to the amazing professors – who encourage you to take steps to that pot of gold that sits at the end of the rainbow and who are here for you not just as a professor, but as a mentor and a parent – Villanova is not just a school, but a home for all of us Wildcats! Either if you are looking to study at ‘Nova or just taking a tour, I hope to see you all on campus sometime really soon…Ignite change, GO ‘NOVA!

Statement by Andrew McKeough on the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District Sexting Scandal

AKSM Inc.

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

November 13, 2015

Villanova University – Radnor, Pennsylvania

Statement by Andrew McKeough on the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District Sexting Scandal

I just wanted to take a minute to talk about the pressing issue that is creating a storm cloud over our community. Tredyffrin/Easttown School District is one of the best in the country and now that I am part of the Conestoga alumni now, I am proud to have called T/E my home for thirteen years of my life. But right now Conestoga is in the spotlight, not for their academics or their outstanding achievements, but for something much, much worse. Sexting is no joke whatsoever. I am disappointed and sickened to have to wake up in the morning and see on my kitchen table next to my breakfast multiple newspapers all with the latest updates on the T/E sexting scandal spread across the front page. Each year I am proud to be called and asked to work with the Valley Forge Middle School music department. I get to meet a variety of students, from all different backgrounds, who come to share something special. Music. Every day I get to work with these talented students but every day that I walk into the school and I see something that upsets me. As soon as I walk into the main lobby I see, and hear, the tapping of fingers against glass screens. Sometimes I take a moment to look around at the sea of screens that I have to fight the tidal waves of just to get to the other side of the hallway. Social media and the usage of cellphones are killing the school. When I attended that same exact middle school six years ago, the problem wasn’t cellphones, it was us being too loud talking to each other in the halls. Not many of us had cellphones in middle school, and if you had a cellphone it was for emergencies only and you were probably in eight grade and going to Conestoga next year, let alone being a fifth or sixth grader and knowing how to use the latest “text lingo”. Now, I see my fifth grade students using Snapchat in the halls and my eighth graders posting to YickYak. This is just wrong in general and is repulsive. Going back to my middle school experience. If you had a phone, it wasn’t even a smart phone let alone an iPhone. That being said, there is a serious problem that needs to be addressed. Not only in T/E but in school districts across the country. I would like to take a moment to talk about what exactly happened here. Last year, when this all started, we had five middle school students in different TESD schools. As I am not happy that a middle schooler would even conceive of an idea to take photos like these, I would like to point out that she was only in middle school. Middle school is where you go to make your mistakes, show your flaws and come out stronger. That does not go for those boys though. There is no excuse for what they did. They crossed the line between making a mistake and committing a crime. Now three out of the four, including the victim, attended and are attending Conestoga. One of these four boys decided to get back at his former girlfriend for dumping him by spreading sexually explicit photos of her around to the three others. This one action started a chain reaction of events that lead us to where we are today. I would like to agree with what Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan stated yesterday when he said that these boys did everything in their power to make her life “hell on earth.” I cannot even begin to imagine what that feels like. To be cyberbullied, then bullied in school; the one place where you think you are safe. After my two living grandmothers died six weeks apart from each other in the winter of 2007, I experienced a period of sadness and grief. I would exclude myself from school activities and was sometimes made fun of for that. But that does not compare anyway to this. As a message to these four boys, all the bullies in the world, and to anyone else involved in this case, bullying is not the answer. Isolating a girl because of what she did is not the answer. Cyberbullying is not the answer. In the past year our community has had the hardship of having three teen suicides. The last two happened within the last month. All three had personal connections to me. The first was one of my former campers, the second one I had a more personal connection to and was asked to serve the funeral of, and I was unfortunate to see the scene of the third. Each one of these suicides have lasting emotional impacts on me and it makes me upset to know that three of them happened this ear in my neighborhood. But I am proud of the victim for taking charge of this situation as it pertains to her personal life and be stronger than what others say she is. She not only is making her life better, but campaigning for those other victims that are unspoken. In her statement she wrote, “You are stronger than you think”. These words show a strong girl who is not afraid. As I am not happy that a middle schooler would even conceive of an idea to take photos like these, I would like to point out that she was only in middle school. Middle school is where you go to make your mistakes, show your flaws and come out stronger. To the victim, I am proud of you for your course of action and for your words of wisdom to others who are bullied around the world today. This situation is very serious and should not be taken lightly. It can happen anywhere from middle to high school and even from college to the workplace. I am sadden to have to witness this and I hope that this will be a learning experience for the world around us. Being a Villanovan, we learn about the teachings of Saint Augustine. In his writings, titled “Confessions”, he talks about the distractions and the impact of pressure especially from his peers. Here he tells us that these pressures made him loose his true identity and feel empty. To everyone out there, do not give into the pressures around you. Be a leader, standout from the crowd, it’s okay to be different, and most importantly; be you!

A Visitor From the Vatican

A Visitor From the Vatican

Article and Photos By: Andrew McKeough

From February 23rd through the 25th, Villanova was graced by the presence of His Eminence, Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson. His Eminence is the president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican in Rome. I had the extremely special opportunity to be the personal private photographer to His Eminence Cardinal Peter Turkson while he was on his visit to Villanova. The following is an account of my experiences with His Eminence.

His Eminence arrived on Tuesday and enjoyed a day of rest. On Wednesday his day started with a lecture to the Villanova engineering department on Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’. After his lecture, he departed Villanova’s campus and visited a local prison with Dr. Barbara Wall.

His Eminence’s visit really kicked off on Thursday morning when he held an interfaith dialogue on climate justice in the Connelly Center’s Villanova Room. This program was presented and organized by Dr. Barbara Wall and the Office for Mission & Ministry. Cardinal Turkson helped Pope Francis to write Laudato Si’, which is Pope Francis’ encyclical on ecology. Ecology is another word for climate change or global warming. The dialogue was a panel discussion with members of different faith communities including Rabbi Malkah Binah, the Rev. J. Anyabwile Bankole, Sister Marie Cook, Imam Sohaib Sultan from Princeton University as well as Rabbi Arthur Waskow. Cardinal Turkson said that, “[The encyclical] was basically a secular letter, but a letter necessary for the church [...] the church is called to this social teaching.” His Eminence went on to say that he believed that ecology directly affects social issues including poverty and went on to say that, “This is an international discussion for people of every religion and faith.”

After the lecture on ecology, His Eminence walked over to Saint Thomas of Villanova Church where he celebrated noon mass to a crowd of students, faculty, staff and community members. Getting to spend the time with His Eminence, I was able to see him in moments that were out of the public eye. One of those moments came right before he walked through the wooden doors from the vestibule into the church. After greeting members from campus ministry who would be taking part in the mass, the sacristy was vacated except for His Eminence. He bent over the counter and took a few minutes in solemn prayer before celebrating mass.

This really sparked a lot in my mind. His Eminence is very close to Pope Francis. Literary and figuratively. When you meet him you feel as if he has been a part of your family for years.He is humble and kind, not to mention extremely funny. But I felt as if I was in the presence of a Pope. He gives off that Papal vibe that Pope Francis gives off whenever he is placed in front of a crowd. That being said, Cardinal Turkson was thought of to be the next Pope during the 2013 conclave that would lead to the election of Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis.

After mass, His Eminence walked over to Campus Ministry at Saint Rita’s for a private luncheon. In attendance were religious leaders from the interfaith panel that was held earlier in the morning as well as members of Catholic Relief Services and Villanova’s Campus Ministry. When everyone had finished eating, His Eminence continued the discussion that he had earlier during the panel on Laudato Si’.

Around two in the afternoon we walked from Saint Rita’s to Corr Hall, where His Eminence would sit down for an interview with WHYY’s Dave Heller for a radio interview. The interview can be heard on their website.

His Eminence then had time to relax until he was due back at Saint Thomas around four thirty for a Vespers Prayer Service. Vespers is also called an evening prayer service and is made up of psalms as well as readings from the Bible. As a catholic, attending a vespers service here at Villanova has been one of the highlights of my time as a part of the faith community as is the case with any type of service at Villanova, I strongly recommend attending one.

Cardinal Turkson then retired back to the monastery for dinner before returning for the highlight and most anticipated event of his trip which was his evening lecture and the presentation of an honorary degree in humane letters by Father Peter Donohue. During his lecture - titled “Care of Creation as a Work of Mercy” - His Eminence spoke once again about the Pope’s encyclical Laudato Si’ and focused on how to live your life through mercy in a modern faith community. The lecture focused on the five points of the Lenten reflection and was the foundation for the lecture. Cardinal Turkson said that, “Care of creation could also be our eighth corporal work of mercy, through concrete actions large and small – from the everyday actions of good ecological citizens to pressuring national governments to implement what they have promised. We must keep alert about what is happening to our common home [...]”. After his lecture Father Peter presented His Eminence with a degree in humane letters on behalf of the university.

Overall the experience that I had with His Eminence was an extreme honor and hearing his thoughts on ecology was something that has now become an eye-opener for me as a human. I will leave you with the words that Cardinal Turkson left Villanova with, “It is my burning desire that, during this Jubilee, the Christian people may reflect on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. It will be a way to reawaken our conscience, too often grown dull in the face of poverty.”

Statement by Andrew McKeough on the Conestoga Senior High School Hazing Scandal

AKSM Inc.
Office of the Press Secretary

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For Immediate Release
Saturday, March 5th, 2016
Moon Palace Grand – Cancún, Mexico

Statement by Andrew McKeough on the Conestoga Senior High School Hazing Scandal

12:00 PM EST

Good afternoon! I just wanted to have a moment before we left to address the storm of controversy that is brewing over the Conestoga community and gaining national attention. A few months ago a freshman at my former high school - Conestoga - was hazed to the point of harassment during a weekly ritual in the football locker room known as “No Gay Thursday”. This student was held down by three senior teammates - all seventeen - who decided that it was right to penetrated him with a broom handle and then would go on to place their private parts on other heads of other teammates in the locker room. I just wanted to start with that to allow you all to think about what this child went through. In no society whatsoever is it right to violate a teenager like that. Especially at Conestoga. I am appalled to say the least to hear of this latest scandal coming from the school that I called home for four years of my life. I made some of my best friends at this school, had experiences and opportunities that will trump any other I come upon in the future and left with lasting memories which, I thought, would last a lifetime. Conestoga is not a school where bad things happen. It takes pride in their tradition of excellence which is instilled in every student from the first day of orientation in their freshman year. Things that would be considered bad would be when the day for senior prank would come around and students would place alarm clocks in the ceilings of classrooms. I was horrified to hear the news that created an abrupt halt to my holiday here. Conestoga is nationally ranked year after year in the three schools in Pennsylvania as well as being nationally ranked as one of the top ten high schools in the United States. Bad things don’t happen at this school. But then again bad things did happen. I hate to say it, but bad things are going to happen in every single high school across the country and every school around the world. All it takes is one student to say something. That being said, I have a few messages that I would like to take a moment to address. The first is to students. At no time is it right to bully someone, harass someone, abuse someone or even haze someone. I want to tell students across the world that if they have been a victim or know someone that has, speak out! Don’t just hide away in your own little world. People are here to help you! So what if someone says that you are a snitch? Even if they are your best friend, and they say that, that means they aren’t your real friend. Your real friends will support you no matter what and will never let go of you, let alone take the risk of it. If you see something, say something. At Villanova, where I go to university, we have multiple ways of anonymously submitting a tip. You could be saving a life by just saying one sentence. To the press. Please stop. Stop trying to report just a story. Report the truth. The truth is that this is happening in every school across the nation, and across the world. You have the power to help change this! The press is the number one source of information that people look to every day. If you could just spend a few minutes a day reporting on the seriousness of these crimes, I truly believe that the amount of instances of these crimes happening would decrease. Immensely. Also if you would give some space to the students, faculty and staff at Conestoga that would be very nice. I hated to hear yesterday that some of my friends couldn’t get down streets due to the vast amount of news vans parked down the street. Another one of my friends had to be escorted out of the school and informed me that security was brought in to assist with keeping the press at a distance just so students could get out of the building. Some space at this moment would be appreciated. To the news of Coach Vogan. My family and I were devastated to hear of the suspension of Coach Vogan. Coach is a highly respected and liked man in not just in the football community but by students schoolwide. I do not want to even think that this may turn out like the Penn State Football scandal. I do not want to even go there. Coach Vogan is a good man who doesn’t deserve what has happened and the thoughts and prayers of your Conestoga community and I are with you. To the school. I cannot believe what this year has been. First a pornography scandal, and now this. I am scared to wear my school ring next week to class because people everyday ask me what high school I went to when they see the ring and now they’ll just have bad thoughts about it. I am not ashamed that I went to Conestoga. But I am horrified that this has happened and I am ashamed of the three seniors that have committed this crime. I am ashamed that three Conestoga students in one of the most prominent groups on campus would do such things. Especially to a teammate. To the nation. Unless you live on the Main Line, you do not know Conestoga. Conestoga students are drilled in pursuing only the best. They are taught from elementary school what is right and what is wrong. Do not jump to conclusions before you have all of the facts. People have been talking about the fact that the victim of this hazing incident was also the ringleader about the pornography scandal back in the Fall of 2015. To that rumor, as of now, I have no comment. In conclusion, these events should not be tolerated whatsoever. Research says that about forty-six percent of all first year college students have suffered from at least one incident of hazing during their high school years. Some of these cases do not end well for the victim and that is just wrong in so many different ways. I really do hope that this can be all cleared up peacefully and that the events that happened during the 2015-2016 school year at Conestoga will be a learning lesson for the country. Thank you and have a nice afternoon.

12:16 PM EST

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