Image courtesy of the Villanova Digital Library (Bell Air 1964, p. 166)

Villanova’s 2024 Winter Gala has concluded, and students will now wait another year to dress up and take some pictures in Driscoll all while freezing in their suits, dresses, and heels in the chilly Pennsylvania weather.

Today’s TBT features a Junior Week formal from 1964. Would you wear any of these styles? Don’t forget, vintage styles are making a comeback! Maybe keep some inspiration in your back pocket for next year’s Gala.

Now that this Winter Gala is over, students are forced to face a long two weeks before they can bask in the relief of spring break, which is coming up after classes end on March 1. We hope that for those who attended the Winter Gala this past weekend, you enjoyed every minute with your friends dancing on the floor and saw “twinkles in their eyes and glows on their faces,” and that those memories will hold you over these next two weeks (and until the Winter Gala next year!)

Happy Thursday!

AJ Balinski ‘26 CLAS is a Communication major from Gibraltar, Mich. She works as a Communication & Marketing Student Assistant at Falvey Library.

By Abby Stinson

Today, Feb. 21, marks International Mother Language Day, a commemoration established by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to honor the linguistic diversity that enriches our world. Sadly, 40 percent of the world’s population lacks access to education in their “mother language,” or native tongue, leading to the loss of a language every two weeks and erasing valuable aspects of history and culture.  

This initiative, inaugurated in 1999 in Bangladesh, aims to “promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world,” according to the UN. The 2024 theme, “Multilingual education: a necessity to transform education,” underscores the significance of incorporation indigenous languages into education systems. To further this goal, the UN is convening an online panel event featuring experts in multilingual education from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. They also have named 2022-2032 as the “International Decade of Indigenous Languages”, ensuring an opportunity to collaborate and stimulate global change in this department.  

The preservation of languages is paramount for maintaining identity, facilitating communication, fostering social integration, promoting education, and driving development. For more information, read here: International Mother Language Day | United Nations.

Dig deeper and explore the resources below.

• Mother Language Day and its significance:
  • Why mother language-based education is essential | UNESCO
  • Indigenous Languages Decade (2022-2032) | UNESCO
• Mother Language Day applications throughout the world:
  • Young Scholars students continue tradition of celebrating International Mother Language Day (msn.com)
  • Mother Tongue Film Festival Opens at the National Museum of the American Indian On February 21st (yahoo.com)
  • International Mother Language Day: ‘I’ll take a wee bit of the Belfast accent with me when I return home’ | BelfastTelegraph.co.uk
• Tips for continuing to teach mother languages to future generations:
  • How Can I Teach My Child To Speak My Native Language? (msn.com)
• Library resources:
  • The Origin of Language: Tracing the Evolution of the Mother Tongue
    • Holdings: The origin of language : :: Library Catalog Search (villanova.edu)
  • Mother Tongues: Non English-Language Poetry in England
    • Holdings: Mother tongues : :: Library Catalog Search (villanova.edu
• Online Language-Learning Website/App:
  • Mango

Abby Stinson ’26 VSB, is a Marketing and Business Analytics major and a student worker at Falvey Library.

Join us on Wednesday, Feb. 21 from 12-1:30 p.m. in Falvey Library’s Speakers’ Corner for a conversation on the impact of Land Acknowledgements at academic institutions and why they are merely a starting point to supporting indigenous communities. We will be joined by panelists Adam DePaul, Chief of Education and Tribal Storykeeper; Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania; as well as Modonna Kongal, Meg Martin, and Autumn Coard from N.I.S.A, the Native Indigenous Students Association. Elisha Chi, a registered descendent of the Inupiaq of the Bering Straits region and Irish/British Catholics, is moderating this panel.

After the panel, Adam DePaul, Chief of Education and Tribal Storykeeper; Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, will lead  a conversation about approaches to including and teaching Lenape material in the classroom. This event will primarily be driven by questions and thoughts from the audience, so we welcome participation across the university community. Join us from 1:45-3 p.m. in Falvey Library’s Speakers’ Corner.

These ACS-approved events are co-sponsored by Falvey Library/ Falvey’s DEI Committee, the Center for Peace and Justice Education, and the Albert Lepage Center for History in the Public Interest, and N.I.S.A, the Native Indigenous Students Association. A light lunch will be served.

Announcing the 2024 Villanova Literary Festival featured speakers: V. V. Ganeshananthan, Thursday, Feb. 15 in Falvey’s Speakers’ Corner; Tracy K. Smith, Tuesday, March 12 in the Connelly Cinema; Emilie Pine, 2024 Charles A. Heimbold, Jr. Chair of Irish Studies, Thursday, March 14 in the President’s Lounge, Connelly Center; and Carolyn Forché, Wednesday, April 3 in the Driscoll Auditorium.

These ACS-approved events are co-sponsored by the English Department, the Creative Writing Program, Gender and Women’s Studies, the Center for Irish Studies, Center for Peace and Justice Education and Falvey Library, and are free and open to the public. All events begin at 7 p.m.

Dr. Gity Etemad speaks on the Baha’i faith. Image courtesy of Kallie Stahl.

Please join us on Tuesday, Feb. 20, from 4:30-6 p.m. in Falvey Library’s Speakers’ Corner for the Interfaith Human Library.

In this library you can check out human “books”—faculty/staff/community members of diverse backgrounds (Baha’i, Buddhist, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Secular, Sikh, and more) to learn more about how they experience their faith/worldview identity. Small groups of students will meet with a different speaker for three 20-minute sessions. Curiosity is the only pre-requisite for this unique conversation opportunity!

REGISTER HERE.

This event is being held in conjunction with the UN World Interfaith Harmony Week.

This ACS-approved event is co-sponsored by Campus Ministry, the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, and Falvey Library. It is open to Villanova faculty, staff, and students (both undergraduate and graduate). Light refreshments will be served.

Learn how to save a life! Join Savage Sisters, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives and helping others learn how to administer life-saving Narcan, for a training that includes two free doses of Narcan for every participant. Registration is not required.

Spring 2024 Trainings:

• Monday, Feb. 12, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Andy Talley Athletic Center, room 191;
• Thursday, March 14, 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Falvey Library’s Speakers’ Corner;
• Wednesday, April 17, 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m., Driscoll Hall, room 132.

More info: https://www1.villanova.edu/university/health-services/health-promotion/events.html

Africana Studies is hosting Dr. Dionne Irving for a public lecture of her work in Falvey Library’s Speakers’ Corner on Monday, Feb. 19, at 5 p.m. The title of Irving’s talk is “Caribbean Women Will Have Their Revenge on the New World.”

Irving is originally from Toronto, Ontario. She is the author of Quint (7.13 Books) and The Islands (Catapult Books). Her work has appeared in Story, Boulevard, LitHub, Missouri Review, and New Delta Review, among other journals and magazines. The Islands was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, The Scotiabank/Giller Prize, The New American Vices Award, and The Clara Johnson Award. Irving teaches in the Creative Writing Program and the Initiative on Race and Resilience at the University of Notre Dame.

Registration is encouraged. RSVP HERE.

This ACS approved event, co-sponsored by the Department of Global Interdisciplinary Studies, the Department of English, and Falvey Library, is free and open to the public.

View the full calendar of Black History Month events on campus.

By Laurie Ortiz Rivera, PhD 

Image courtesy of Alexander Street.

Mental health is essential to overall health. Did you know that nearly 20% of children and young people ages 3-17 in the United States have a mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral disorder? And suicidal behaviors among high school students increased more than 40% in the decade before 2019? (2022 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report). One thing every one of us can do is to be more informed by learning from resources about mental health available at Falvey Library.

Symptom Media is one of these resources, and it is an online mental health education and training film library with over a thousand streaming videos dedicated to recognizing mental health disorders and providing accurate diagnoses. Films of Volume V include various series of multiple disorders, such as ADHD, Violence, Eating Disorders, PTSD, and Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders. Sample titles include:

• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with Traumatic Brain Injury;
• Separation Anxiety Disorder;
• Bipolar I Disorder with Mood Congruent Psychotic Features;
• Anorexia Nervosa Binge-Eating Purging;
• Suicide Assessment;
• Schizotypal Personality Disorder;
• Adolescent Antisocial Behavior;
• Alcohol Use Disorder;
• Substance Use Disorder;
• Major Depressive Disorder;
• Opioid Use Disorder.

The film collection includes Teletherapy, Assessment Tools, Case Studies, Mental Disorder & Illness Symptoms, Coping Mechanisms & Defenses, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR), International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition (ICD-10) categories, among others. The Training Library tab lists all the videos organized by relevance, new arrivals, title, and release date. The platform tools allow for clip-making, playlist creation, LMS integration, citations, mobile sharing, and more. The text for each video is also included.

For more information, visit https://symptommedia.com/.

Reference:

2022 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2022 Oct. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK587182/

Laurie Ortiz Rivera, PhD, is Social Sciences Librarian at Falvey Library.

We invite the Villanova Community to join us for a taste of mindfulness meditation on Mondays from 1-1:30 p.m. during the spring semester. Mindfulness Mondays will offer a comfortable space, both in person and virtually, where you are guided and encouraged to stop and focus on the “here and now.” Mindfulness is proven to reduce stress and enhance well-being, which can be beneficial to all faculty, staff, and students.

Sessions will take place each week in person at St. Rita Hall, Multifaith Prayer Room and Zoom (join here). Sessions will take place on most Mondays from January 22 through April 29. *Please note: there will not be sessions on March 4 (spring break) and April 1 (Easter break). A full list of dates are available here.

These ACS-approved events are presented by The Office of Mission & Ministry and co-sponsored by Falvey Library. Registration is not required. All are welcome!

Malcolm Kenyatta. Photo by Quinn Brown.

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Representative Malcolm Kenyatta will deliver the 2024 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Keynote Lecture in the Villanova Room, Connelly Center on Wed., Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. His lecture, entitled “Bending the Arc,” is free and open to the Villanova community and the public. 

A North Philadelphia native, Representative Kenyatta is currently serving in the Pennsylvania General Assembly (181st District, Philadelphia County). He earned a B.A. in Public Communications and a minor in Political Science from Temple University, an M.S. in Strategic and Digital Communications from Drexel University, and completed the Harvard Kennedy School’s Executives in State and Local Government program.

President Joe Biden appointed Representative Kenyatta as chair of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans in April 2023. “Representative Kenyatta is a barrier-breaking public figure, becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color and one of the youngest people to become a member of the PA General Assembly in 2018. In 2022, he became the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color to seek a U.S. Senate seat in American history.”

For more on Representative Kenyatta, stream the 2023 documentary Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn for free in Falvey Library’s collection. The film follows Representative Kenyatta’s 2022 campaign trail for his U.S. Senate run. The documentary is also available in DVD format at Falvey.

Dig deeper and explore the links below: 

• Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn (Al Roker Entertainment, 2023)
• Going Forward (Seven Knots Film & Media, 2018)
• President Biden Announces Key Appointments to Boards and Commissions (The White House, 2023)
• Malcolm Kenyatta (Pennsylvania House of Representatives)
• Malcolm Kenyatta (PA House Democrats)
• Malcolm Kenyatta for Auditor General (Malcolm for PA)
• The 2023 Pennsylvania Power 100 (City & State Pennsylvania, 2023)

Kallie Stahl ’17 MA is Communication and Marketing Specialist at Falvey Library.