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Peek at the Week: March 28

By Jenna Renaud

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Word of the Week: Offensive efficiency 

Villanova is in the Final Four, so we’re back with more basketball terminology this week. Offensive efficiency is the number of points scored per 100 offensive possessions. Currently, according to the popular KenPom Ratings, Villanova has a top-10 offense, despite relying heavily on defense in this past weekend’s win against Houston.  

Fingers crossed for another big win this Saturday against the Kansas Jayhawks! If we secure the win, I will be back again next week with more basketball vocabulary as we move into the finals. 


This Week at Falvey  

NOW–Wednesday, Jun. 15th  

“That Fairyland of Ice”: Polar Exploration in Mind and Memory Exhibit | Falvey First Floor & Virtual | Free & Open to the Public 

Monday, March 28th   

2021 Outstanding Faculty Research Award Lecture Featuring Christopher Kilby, PhD, and Samantha K. Chapman, PhD | 1–3 p.m. | Room 205 | Free & Open to the Public | Find more info here 

Tuesday, March 29th   

2022 Literary Festival Schedule: Camille Dungy | 7–8:30 p.m. | Speakers’ Corner | Free & Open to the Public | Find more info here 

Wednesday, March 30th   

2022 Falvey Forum Workshop Series: Photo Management with Tropy for Archival Research | 12–1 p.m. | Virtual | Register Here 

Thursday, March 31st   

Spring 2022 Digital Seeds Lecture: David R. Ambaras, PhD, and Kate McDonald, PhD on “Bodies and Structures 2.0: Scalar and the Practice of Digital Spatial History | 4 p.m. | Virtual | Register Here 

Friday, April 1st   

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


This Week in History 

March 31st, 1889 – Eiffel Tower opens  

For this week’s “This Week in History” we’re traveling across the Atlantic Ocean over to Europe, specifically, Paris, France. On March 31st, 1889, the Eiffel Tower is dedicated in Paris. Gustave Eiffel, the tower’s designer, French Prime Minister Pierre Tirard, various other dignitaries, and over 200 construction workers were in attendance.  

The Eiffel Tower is 984 feet tall and boasts an iron framework supported on four masonry piers, from which rise four columns that unite to create a single vertical tower. There are observation decks on each of the three levels.  

Despite now being regarded as an architectural masterpiece, the project was originally met with some resistance, in part due to concerns it would be structurally unsound. At the time, it was the largest man-made structure in the world, a title it held until the New York Crysler building was completed in 1930.  

Read more from History.com. 


Jenna Renaud is a Graduate Assistant in Falvey Memorial Library and a Graduate Student in the Communication Department.

 


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Peek at the Week: March 21

Word of the Week: Vernal Equinox (also known as: Spring Equinox, March Equinox) 

Yesterday marked the official first day of Spring! Each year spring is marked by the vernal equinox, which falls around March 20 or 21 and is when the Sun crosses the celestial equator going north. 

Equinoxes occur when the axis of rotation of the earth is exactly parallel to the direction of motion of the earth around the sun. Day and night are about the same length on this day, hence the name “equinox.” The name is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night). 

Now that we’ve passed the vernal equinox, be prepared for earlier sunrises, later sunsets, softer winds, and sprouting plantsall signs that Spring is here.  


This Week at Falvey  

NOW–Wednesday, June 15

“That Fairyland of Ice”: Polar Exploration in Mind and Memory Exhibit | Falvey First Floor & Virtual | Free & Open to the Public 

Monday, March 21 

Mindfulness Mondays | 1–1:30 p.m. | Virtual | https://villanova.zoom.us/j/98337578849 

Monday, March 21 

The Interfaith Human Library: Where Books Talk and We All Learn About Life in a Multi-Faith World | 4:30–6 p.m. | Speakers’ Corner | Register Here 

Tuesday, March 22 

Scholarship@VillanovaBillie Murray, PhD, on Combating Hate: A Framework for Direct Action | 4–5:15 p.m. | Room 205 | Find more info here 

Wednesday, March 23

2022 Falvey Forum Workshop Series: Introduction to Digital Archives and Research | 12–1 p.m. | Virtual | Register Here 

Thursday, March 24  

Spring 2022 Digital Seeds Lecture: Matthew Bui, PhD, on “Toward Urban Data Justice: Auditing the Racial Politics of Data” | 4 p.m. | Virtual | Register Here 

Friday, March 25

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


This Week in History 

March 23, 1839 – “OK” enters national vernacular  

On March 23, 1839, the initials “O.K.” are first published in The Boston Morning Post, partially as a joke. It was meant as an abbreviation for “oll korrect,” a popular slang misspelling of “all correct.” However, “OK” then steadily made its way into the everyday speech of Americans. 

In the late 1830s, many younger people would misspell words intentionally, then abbreviate them and use them as slang. Some examples include “KY” for “no use” (“know yuse”) and “OW” for all right (“oll wright”).  

OK rose above the rest and made its way into common vernacular even to this day in part thanks to the Boston Morning Post. From there, its popularity continued when it was picked up by politicians at the time. 

Read more from History.com. 


Jenna Renaud is a Graduate Assistant in Falvey Memorial Library and a Graduate Student in the Communication Department.

 


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Last Modified: March 21, 2022

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