It’s no secret that Villanova’s student body is full of diehard basketball fans. But when the teams play the majority of their games in far-away arenas, rather than campus’ beloved Finneran Pavilion, many students don’t have the time or resources to travel during the school week to cheer them on in person. Tuning in from the comfort of one’s dorm room is one alternative, but it doesn’t quite compare to the atmosphere of standing in the middle of an enthusiastic student section. That’s where the University’s Campus Activities Team steps in. 

“The Campus Activities Team (CAT) is an entirely student-run organization that creates events and programs for an inclusive campus community,” its web page reports. “CAT partners with student organizations for various programming initiatives that help promote an active and welcoming Villanova experience.”

Throughout the basketball season, CAT has collaborated with The Nation, the Official Student Fan Group of Villanova Athletics, to host game watches in the Connelly Center for these away games. Complete with giveaways and free food, including local favorite Campco pizza, these game watches attract a large crowd of students who want to watch the ‘Cats in the company of fellow Villanova super fans.

“Sporting events are the perfect opportunity to capitalize on bringing the school together, especially when Villanova is not playing at home,” current president Grace Pawelczyk said. “We want to bring that game-like experience to the students.”

Pawelczyk also emphasized the amount of planning on the club’s part that goes into creating events like the game watches. 

“It takes weeks to plan all our events because there are a lot of individual groups involved: we contact facilities to make sure we have the space reserved, we connect with VUTC to handle the tech/production side of things and we contact custodial services to make sure we have extra garbage and recycling bins, just to name a few,” she said. “While we have a lot of support, our CAT members deserve so much credit because they put in a lot of work every week. I am always so proud of them.”

However, game watches are far from the only events CAT puts on for students. Over the course of the school year, the club offers a wide variety of late-night programs ranging from themed Thursday night Quizzo competitions to movie nights in Conn Cinema. It also holds special holiday events like gingerbread cookie decorating in Cafe Nova. 

“No one celebrates annual Villanova traditions and holidays better than the Special Events Department on CAT,” CAT claims. “From Catchella to Halloween Weekend, we have all of your most cherished Villanova traditions and holidays covered.”

All six departments within CAT work hard each week to organize events that foster community among the student body, enabling students to meet other Wildcats and get more involved on campus. It’s not always easy to make friends in college, but the club strives to make Villanova feel like home for everyone.

“I was lucky enough to have a smoother transition to college where I felt like I found my place at Villanova pretty quickly,” Pawelczyk said. “However, I know that is not the experience for most, so I wanted to get involved with an organization whose main mission is to enhance the campus community with inclusive programming to make sure all students feel like they belong.”

Be sure to check out @villanovacat on Instagram or the Office of Student Involvement’s “This Week on Campus” emails for upcoming events, because there’s something new happening every week. If one is looking to get involved in helping plan these programs or wants to partner with CAT through another student organization, reach out to [email protected].