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The Villanovan

The Villanovan
All content by Nick France
Senior running back Justin Covington ran for four touchdowns against Maine.

Football Routs Maine, 44-17

Nick France, Staff Writer
April 7, 2021
Villanova Football Kicks Off Spring Season With 16-13 Win

Villanova Football Kicks Off Spring Season With 16-13 Win

Nick France, Staff Writer
March 8, 2021
Villanova vs. Stony Brook Preview: Wildcats Open Spring Season

Villanova vs. Stony Brook Preview: Wildcats Open Spring Season

Nick France, Staff Writer
March 5, 2021
Quarterback Daniel Smith runs the ball. 

Villanova Football Gears Up For the Spring Season

Nick France, Staff Writer
February 10, 2021
Football Begins Practice Hoping for Spring Season

Football Begins Practice Hoping for Spring Season

Nick France
September 23, 2020
A Fall Without Villanova Football Due to COVID-19

A Fall Without Villanova Football Due to COVID-19

Nick France
August 26, 2020
Football vs. LIU Preview

Football vs. LIU Preview

Nick France
November 14, 2019
Athlete of the Week: Trevor Ciampoli, Multisport Athlete

Athlete of the Week: Trevor Ciampoli, Multisport Athlete

Nick France
November 6, 2019
Football Suffers Heartbreaking First Loss to James Madison

Football Suffers Heartbreaking First Loss to James Madison

Nick France
October 13, 2019
Football Remains Unbeaten

Football Remains Unbeaten

Nick France
October 6, 2019
Led by Stifling Defense, Football Advances to 5-0 vs. Maine

Led by Stifling Defense, Football Advances to 5-0 vs. Maine

Nick France
September 29, 2019
Athlete of the Week: Justin Covington, Football

Athlete of the Week: Justin Covington, Football

Nick France
September 24, 2019
I thought Villanova was different. I don’t know why I did. Maybe it was the bubble of Radnor making me feel disconnected from the “big, bad” city. Maybe it was the emotional security I receive from my friends around me. Maybe it was the work of Villanova University Public Safety protecting our campus. Or maybe it was only ignorance. I, luckily, was off-campus. I was at Snap Pizza, just a mile and a half from Villanova. My friends and I saw police vehicles speed past us as we waited for our food orders. The cars were soon followed by receiving the one text I never thought I’d receive. The following 37 minutes were filled with confirmations of safety from friends, baseless speculation about the true events unfolding, but most of all, fear. The first thing I did was call my mom. “Hey mom, I’m off-campus and I’m safe so don’t be scared, but there is an active shooter on campus by the freshman dorms.” I ensured her I was okay and safe, not telling her about the worry I had for my friends. Not wanting to get her worried, too. I then told her I’d keep her updated, and hung up with an “I love you.” After I hung up, my mind ran wild with worst-case scenario possibilities. I focused on friends I know who live on South campus and the last time I saw them. What was the last thing I said to them? What if that was the last time I’d seen them? I started texting my friends. Simply asking the only question I could think of, “Hey, are you safe?” First, I messaged freshmen friends, and I then messaged everybody I could. As the confirmations flooded in, I felt a little more at ease but still terrified. Eventually, as the truth revealed itself, I calmed down. I realized that it was a false alarm, but one question could not escape my thoughts. I sat there in Snap Pizza, physically disconnected from the events but emotionally linked nonetheless, and I asked myself, “Are we really just as susceptible to the same danger as everyone else?” That’s when the truth sunk in for me: we’ve always been. As of August 31st, 2019, there have been 297 mass shootings in America in the past calendar year. That’s 1.2 shootings per day. Or at least, when you use the definition of a mass shooting as “three or more shot in one incident, excluding the perpetrators, at one location, at roughly the same time,” according to Stanford University’s MSA Data Project. Whether that’s the definition you choose to use or not, the actual number doesn’t matter. The injuries, deaths, and traumatized loved ones pile up regardless. My first personal exposure to mass shootings was last October, following the mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in my hometown of Pittsburgh. I honestly did not know much about the Tree of Life Synagogue before the event; I lived on the complete opposite side of town. I didn’t know anybody there, I didn’t know any relatives, nothing. Still, it felt like this was personal. Somebody senselessly took the lives of 11 people from my home. I didn’t know anybody from the Tree of Life Synagogue, but I mourned them. Longer than I had with events like Stoneman Douglass, Sandy Hook, or Aurora. Yet, like a lot of people without a true connection to the events do, I moved on. Not everybody has the privilege to be able to move on. It’s easy to forget the people that can’t move on. The congregation of the Tree of Life Synagogue. The community of El Paso, Texas. The parents and families of the elementary school students at Sandy Hook. The current students and faculty of Columbine High School, who likely weren’t at the school or even born yet when the culture-changing massacre occurred in 1999. The list goes on for decades, and will likely go on for decades more. Fear has become a part of the American lifestyle. No matter where you go, you’re at risk of being a victim of a mass shooting. Schools of all levels, nightclubs, garlic festivals, country music concerts, bars, churches, synagogues, Walmarts, anywhere. This climate of fear that has emerged in our country is dangerous; according to Chapman University’s 2018 Survey of American Fears, 41.7% of American citizens are “very afraid” or “afraid” of a random mass shooting. Fear and anxiety, at least in college students, can lead to less productivity, loss of sleep, worse diet, worse mental state, and more. That doesn’t even touch on effects on others in life. Imagine the fear of the people in everyday life around you. Shopping in the same aisles as you. Attending the same concerts as you. Sending their children to the same school as you. Sharing the same country as you. Sure, Monday was a false alarm. But for the brief 37 minutes between the active shooter alert and the all-clear, Villanovans had become another statistic. The effects of that fear are real, even if we were one of the few lucky ones who can say it was just a false alarm. No matter where we are, no matter how hard public safety tries, no matter how different we all say our community is, Villanova is the same. I used to think Villanova was safe. Now I know that’s naive. Because nowhere is.

Active Shooter False Alarm Exposes a Sickening American Reality

Nick France
September 10, 2019
Previewing Villanova's Home Opener vs. Lehigh

Previewing Villanova’s Home Opener vs. Lehigh

Nick France
September 6, 2019
Football Opens Season with Victory

Football Opens Season with Victory

Nick France
August 26, 2019
Track & Field Takes Part in 125th Penn Relays

Track & Field Takes Part in 125th Penn Relays

Nick France
April 30, 2019
Jahvon Quinerly Announces Intention to Transfer

Jahvon Quinerly Announces Intention to Transfer

Nick France
April 3, 2019
Men's Lacrosse Knocks off Marquette in Big East Opener

Men’s Lacrosse Knocks off Marquette in Big East Opener

Nick France
April 2, 2019
Upsets to Look for in This Year's Round of 64

Upsets to Look for in This Year’s Round of 64

Nick France
March 20, 2019
Track Dominates at Indoor Big East Championships

Track Dominates at Indoor Big East Championships

Nick France
February 26, 2019
Athlete of the Week: Danielle Burns

Athlete of the Week: Danielle Burns

Nick France
February 12, 2019
Villanova Football Rounds Out Recruiting Class With Six Additions on National Signing Day

Villanova Football Rounds Out Recruiting Class With Six Additions on National Signing Day

Nick France
February 8, 2019
Villanova Beats Creighton for Record Setting Big East Start

Villanova Beats Creighton for Record Setting Big East Start

Nick France
February 7, 2019
Track Finds Success Across the Board in New York

Track Finds Success Across the Board in New York

Nick France
February 5, 2019
Track Finds Success Across the Board in New York

Track Finds Success Across the Board in New York

Nick France
January 30, 2019
'Nova Comes Up Short Against #! Kansas

‘Nova Comes Up Short Against #1 Kansas

Nick France
December 15, 2018
Jahvon Quinerly Leaves Future in Doubt with Instagram Story

Jahvon Quinerly Leaves Future in Doubt with Instagram Story

Nick France
December 12, 2018
'Nova Captures Battle of the Blue

‘Nova Captures Battle of the Blue

Nick France
November 17, 2018
“Battle of the Blue” Villanova Football Preview

“Battle of the Blue” Villanova Football Preview

Nick France
November 13, 2018
Athlete of the Week: Nathan Jacobs, Multi-Sport Athlete

Athlete of the Week: Nathan Jacobs, Multi-Sport Athlete

Nick France
November 7, 2018
Villanova Football Seeks First Conference Win

Villanova Football Seeks First Conference Win

Nick France
October 30, 2018
'Nova in the NBA: A first look at the Ex-Wildcats in the League

‘Nova in the NBA: A first look at the Ex-Wildcats in the League

Nick France
October 16, 2018
Football Plays Host to James Madison

Football Plays Host to James Madison

Nick France
October 9, 2018
Football Looks to Bounce Back vs. Maine

Football Looks to Bounce Back vs. Maine

Nick France
October 2, 2018
Blown Lead Results in Tough Loss for Wildcats

Blown Lead Results in Tough Loss for Wildcats

Nick France
September 29, 2018
The Toughest Kid on Campus: Chucky Smith

The Toughest Kid on Campus: Chucky Smith

Nick France
September 25, 2018
Fast Start Powers 'Cats Past Bison

Fast Start Powers ‘Cats Past Bison

Nick France
September 22, 2018
Flacco Looks "Elite" as Towson Downs 'Nova

Flacco Looks “Elite” as Towson Downs ‘Nova

Nick France
September 15, 2018
Villanova Football Set to Take on Towson Tigers

Villanova Football Set to Take on Towson Tigers

Nick France
September 12, 2018
Wildcats Dominate in Win Over Lehigh

Wildcats Dominate in Win Over Lehigh

Nick France
September 8, 2018
Villanova Hits the Road Against Lehigh

Villanova Hits the Road Against Lehigh

Nick France
September 8, 2018
Bednarczyk, 'Nova Stun Temple

Bednarczyk, ‘Nova Stun Temple

Nick France
September 1, 2018
Villanova Football Kicks Off 2018 Season

Villanova Football Kicks Off 2018 Season

Nick France
August 29, 2018
Ed Shockley is one of two Wildcats who hope to hear their name called during the NFL Draft. 

Former Wildcats Prepare for the NFL Draft

Nick France
April 24, 2018
Quarterback Zach Bednarczyk was named one of the four captains for the Wildcats in 2018.

Football Announces 2018 Team Captains

Nick France
April 10, 2018
DiVincenzo Receives Most Outstanding Player Award

DiVincenzo Receives Most Outstanding Player Award

Nick France
April 4, 2018
Villanova Football Welcomes New Recruiting Class

Villanova Football Welcomes New Recruiting Class

Nick France
February 13, 2018
Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo celebrate the Wildcats victory. 

Men’s Basketball Overcomes Slow Start, Downs Providence

Nick France
January 24, 2018
Villanova Track and Field Legend Awarded Prestigious Honor

Villanova Track and Field Legend Awarded Prestigious Honor

Nick France
January 23, 2018
Alex Louin looks off Marquette defender 

Wildcats Fall to Big East Leader Marquette

Nick France
January 22, 2018
The football team pitched in with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts by donating equipment.

Harvey relief efforts pour in from football equipment staff members

Nick France
September 19, 2017
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