QUOTE OF THE WEEK

In The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, “There is nothing like looking if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”

We’re all here at Villanova to obtain some type of deeper knowledge or experience, in most cases a degree, but sometimes what you find in college is much more than a (still important) framed diploma or a resume-booster. You find friends, you find hobbies, you even find yourself.

This week, give yourself some time to go out and find something, something that makes you happy, something that makes you mindful, even something you hate. You never know what you might find if you look.

THIS WEEK AT FALVEY

Monday, September 19

Mindfulness Monday | 1-1:30 p.m. | Virtual | Free & Open to Villanova Students, Faculty, and Staff

The Learners’ Studio/Center for Speaking and Presentation | 4-9 p.m. | Room 301 | Free

Wednesday, September 21

Fall 2022 Falvey Forum Workshop: Using Zotero Citation Manager | 12-1 p.m. | Virtual | Free & Open to the Villanova Community | Register Here

The Learners’ Studio/Center for Speaking and Presentation | 4-9 p.m. | Room 301 | Free

Thursday, September 22

The Learners’ Studio/Center for Speaking and Presentation | 4-9 p.m. | Room 301 | Free

Friday, September 23

Villanova Gaming Society Meeting | 2:30-4:30 p.m. | Speakers’ Corner | Free & Open to the Public

HOLIDAYS THIS WEEK

Photo by Mike Swigunski on Unsplash

As many of you may already know, tomorrow is 1842 Day, our very own Villanova holiday of gratitude and giving. You can celebrate by showing your support and making a donation to a campus resource that you feel passionate about or has impacted your ‘Nova experience for the better. To return some of the gratitude, five lucky people who give a gift to the library will receive some Falvey swag.

Tomorrow is National Voter Registration Day. Celebrate, if you haven’t already, by registering to vote (and check out this blog if you want some helpful links and information about the Pennsylvania midterm elections).

Thursday, Sept. 22, is Hobbit Day. If you’re a fellow LOTR fan and feeling festive, celebrate by reading any part of the classic series, watching the movie adaptations, or by eating “second breakfast” and “elevensies,” as Tolkien’s Bilbo Baggins would have wanted. I know I’ll be rewatching The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. How could you go wrong with Christopher Lee, Treebeard, and the Battle of Helm’s Deep?

Friday is Celebrate Bisexuality Day. Did you know that according to research from Gates in 2011, bisexuals make up more than half of all LGB individuals? That’s a significant portion of the LGBTQ+ community that identifies with bisexuality. You can celebrate by showing your own bi pride, engaging with a bisexual artist or performer (with options like David Bowie, Alan Cummings, Megan Fox, and Amy Winehouse, the options are endless), or by learning more about the community.

Annie Stockmal is a graduate student in the Communication Department and graduate assistant in Falvey Library.

Happy Friday, Wildcats! Falvey Library is delivering you another semester of Weekend Recs, a blog dedicated to filling you in on what to read, listen to, and watch over the weekend. Annie, a graduate assistant from the Communication department, scours the internet, peruses the news, and digs through book stacks to find new, relevant, and thought-provoking content that will challenge you and prepare you for the upcoming week.

The 2022 Pennsylvania midterm elections are coming up this November, and regardless of your political affiliation, voting in them is important (especially if you have a bone to pick with any of the recent Supreme Court rulings or state legislation). This upcoming election will determine Pennsylvania’s next U.S. Senator and Governor, among other important positions. In celebration of National Voter Registration Day this upcoming Tuesday, this weekend’s recs will help you prep for the PA midterm elections, whether it’s your first time voting or your 40th.

If you have 5 minutes…and don’t know if you’re registered to vote in PA, check your voter registration status.

If you have another 5 minutes…and are not registered to vote in PA (or moved dorms since the last time you voted), submit an online voter registration application. There are a few voting districts that cover Villanova’s campus, so if you moved dorms this year, you may need to update your registration by submitting a new application.

If you have 10 minutes…and want to know all of the important deadlines for the PA midterm elections, read this NBC article. The election isn’t until Nov. 8, but there may be other important deadlines to be aware of before you can cast your ballot.

If you have another 10 minutes…and want to request a PA mail-in or absentee ballot, visit this page to find the right application for you (available in English, Spanish, and Traditional Chinese). You can submit these applications online or print one out and mail it.

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash

Bonus: if you don’t know the difference between a mail-in ballot and an absentee ballot or have questions about the two, check out this website. It explains the differences and answers some other key questions you may have.

If you have 15 minutes…and want to hear about the high profile Senate race in PA, read this New York Times article. Even for those who are not heavily tuned into politics, the race between Dr. Oz (R) and John Fetterman (D) is garnering national attention.

If you have another 15 minutes…and are an out-of-state resident planning to vote in your home state’s election, find out your state’s important dates and information for the midterms through NBC‘s 2022 midterm calendar.

If you have 20 minutes…are not sure who will be on your ballot, visit Vote411. Just put in your home address (or your Villanova dorm address), and it will show you some of the important candidates on your ballot. It also includes responses from candidates answering various questions about their campaigns and positions.

If you have 25 minutes…and want to learn more about voting rights, watch this Netflix docu-series episode. It really shines a light on some of the issues that voters in the U.S. face and offers some hope for change.

If you have 2 hours and 8 minutes…and want to watch a film that highlights the people who helped secure and protect the voting rights of many BIPOC Americans, watch Selma. The film provides a gritty look at a brutal event in the Civil Rights Movement, and, bonus, it was directed by a black woman, Ava DuVernay.

Annie Stockmal is a graduate student in the Communication Department and graduate assistant in Falvey Library.

The 1964 Belle Air was dedicated to the United State’s 35th president, John F. Kennedy, following his assassination in November 1963. Vice president Lyndon B. Johnson then became the 36th President of the United States. He then went on to win the 1964 Presidential Election in a landslide.

In preparing for the 2020 election, join the library for our 2020 U.S. Presidential Election Series. The first virtual event takes place today, Oct. 8, 1-2 p.m. Camille Burge, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Political, will discuss “Race and the Election.” For more information and the Zoom link, click here.

Also, if you haven’t yet – remember to register to vote! For information on getting registered, check out this post.

Make your voice heard, Wildcats! National Voter Registration Day is Sept. 22. Partnering with Let’s Vote, Nova, Falvey Memorial Library has informational packets on Pennsylvania voter registration available for you on the first floor in front of Holy Grounds.

Voter Registration 

As stated on the Let’s Vote, Nova voter registration page, “Villanova is separated into four districts that cover campus, depending on what residence hall you currently reside in.  If you registered to vote in PA previously, you likely need to update your vote registration form with your new residence hall information.” You can update your information online or by mail. You can also register to vote in person at your county voter registration office, PennDOT, and other government agencies. For additional information, visit the Votes PA website. 

Need assistance with the voter registration form? Check out Will D. Cat’s helpful instructions.

Oct. 19, 2020, is the last day to register to vote in Nov. 3, 2020, General Election.

Mail-In Ballot 

You can apply for a mail-in ballot online or via mail.

Online mail-in ballot: https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/OnlineAbsenteeApplication/#/OnlineAbsenteeBegin

Mail-in ballot by mail: https://expressforms.pa.gov/apps/pa/DOS-VotesPA/Paper-Application

As stated on the Votes PA website, “Mail-in application must be received by your county election office by 5 p.m. on Oct. 27. Voted ballots must be received by your county election office [postmarks are not enough] by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. Applications and ballots may be delivered to your county election office by the deadline.”

Absentee Ballot 

Registered to vote outside of Pennsylvania? Visit Rock The Vote for nationwide voting information. Select your state for additional resources and links for absentee voting and deadlines.

Helpful Links 

Curated by Merrill Stein, Political Science Librarian.

• America: History and Life (EBSCO)
• Pew Research Center, U.S. Politics & Policy
• The Almanac of American politics
• CQ Voting & Elections Collection (CQ Press)
• Roper Center for Public Opinion Research (iPOLL)
• 2020 election, state-by-state guide from FiveThirtyEight.com
• Voting and Registration data from the United States Census Bureau
• The Voter’s Self-Defense System
• Nationscape Insights (USA Today)
• Follow the Money

For more election discussion join us for the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election Virtual Event Series. This ACS-approved event series is co-sponsored by Falvey Memorial Library, the Center for Peace and Justice Education, the Department of Political Science, the Department of Communication, the Department of Public Administration, and Let’s Vote, Nova. All events are free and open to the public.

Camille Burge, PhD, on “Examining the Roles of Race and Emotions in the 2020 Election”  

Thursday, Oct. 8, 1 p.m., in Zoom: https://villanova.zoom.us/j/94050688544