After a solid 7-6 start to the season, the Drexel Men’s Basketball team has jumped out to an explosive 3-0 start to conference play in the new year. This included wins over Hampton, UNC Wilmington, and William & Mary, where the Dragons outscored their opponents by an average of 23.7 points, with their smallest margin of victory sitting at 15. 

The Dragons were by no means playing poorly prior to the start of conference play in the CAA, as they notched big victories over #18 ranked Villanova, as well as Winthrop and UAlbany, who both sit atop their respective conferences. However, the Dragons’ out of conference play lacked consistent offensive rhythm, which led to key momentum-killing losses to Big 5 opponents La Salle and Temple, as well as WVU and Bryant. Since the start of the new year, however, the Dragons have played at a much higher level, and fixed a large number of their flaws in their game. 

The most obvious improvement has been the 3-point shooting, as Zach Spiker’s team has taken a huge step forward from a 28.9% shooting rate in the old year to an incredible 48.1% rate since. The improvement in shooting has not come from only one player, either, as Justin Moore, Mate Okros and Luke House are all shooting above 50% from beyond the arc in at least a dozen attempts each, all making great improvements over their 2023 shooting. 

Drexel has even made improvements on their greatest strength in the first half, their defense, which held opponents to an average of 63.6 points per contest. Since CAA play began, however, the Dragons have held opponents to an average of 61 points per game, and only allowed a remarkable 34.7% shooting from the field, and 24.7% shooting from deep. 

The Dragons suffered a loss prior to conference play, as senior guard Lamar Oden Jr. went down with a lower body injury, but multiple players have stepped up to lessen the blow of his loss. Former walk-on Luke House, who has emerged as one of the Dragons top talents over the past two seasons, has been fantastic in conference games, shooting 62.5% from the field, 53.8% from 3-point, and scoring 13 points per game. Aside from House, sophomore guards Justin Moore and Kobe Magee have shot the ball much better, and contributed to Drexel’s rise in scoring over their first three conference matches. 

As conference play continues, it will be interesting to see if the Dragons can remain consistent with their improvements, and if it can lead them to a CAA Regular Season or CAA Tournament Title. 

The Drexel Dragons suffered a hard-fought loss in their Home Opener and 1st home Big 5 game last Tuesday, 66-64. 

Temple’s rookie Head Coach, Adam Fisher, said it best: “The Big 5 is a battle.”

The Dragons opened the game strong, with some incredible defense, taking a 10-3 lead through the first five minutes of the game. Their roll was slowed slightly by the efforts of senior forward Sam Hofman, the Houston Christian transfer, and freshman guard Zion Stanford, who helped Temple take the lead, which they never gave back.

Temple led by as many as 14 in the first half, running away on a 11-0 run, but Drexel Grad Student Luke House helped the Dragons fight back with 13 first-half points on 3/3 shooting from behind the arc. House would finish the game with 20, leading the Dragons in scoring, and posting the second highest total of his career at Drexel.

The second half started with more promise as sophomore Justin Moore, who hit a game winner with 2.1 seconds last Saturday against Winthrop, and House led Drexel to a 5-0 run, making it 32-29.

The second half was a back-and-forth battle between the teams, with Hysier Miller leading the scoring for Temple, and Yame Butler providing some clutch buckets for the Dragons. Temple led 59-51 with just over a minute to go, before two Luke House free throws and a Justin Moore three brought the score to 62-56.

With under 20 seconds to go, Justin Moore’s fast break and-one made it a three-point game, followed by a Lamar Oden Jr. layup off an inbound play to make it 64-63 with seven seconds left.

In the final seconds, Kobe Magee intentionally fouled Hysier Miller, who hit 2/2 from the line. Up by three, Temple’s Miller intentionally fouled Justin Moore with 4 seconds to play, bringing him to the line. Moore sunk his first, as the DAC crowd went nuts. Down by two now, the sophomore would have to intentionally miss the second free throw in order to give the Dragons a chance to tie the game. His second attempt was a perfect miss and big man Amari Williams was able to secure the rebound. As he fell amongst the cluster of bodies in front of the basket, Williams missed the put back attempt, ending the game with a score of 66-64 in the Owls favor.

Drexel played a much better second-half than the first, outscoring Temple 39-34, and shooting a much improved 45.2% from the field and 90% from the line. Luke House ended the game with 20 for the Dragons, and Moore finished with 18, 13 of which came in the second half.

Although it was a tough defeat, the crowd did not disappoint in Drexel’s first home Big 5 game in school history. The game was completely sold out for the general public, and featured a student section that was so packed some students were turned away from the door. The crowd’s energy aided the Dragons in some key moments. When asked about the energy at the DAC, Temple coach Adam Fisher was impressed. 

“This was a great atmosphere; any time you go on the road especially in the Big 5 is awesome. We knew going into it the place was going to be rocking,” said Fisher.

The Dragons play their next game tonight, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. at the DAC. They take on the Fairfield Stags (1-2), whose only win so far has come against Division III, Mount St. Mary’s College.

The Dragons were dominant in their 71-46 win over intercity rival La Salle. Laine McGurk scored a game high 20 points, going 9-12 from the field and 2-4 from three in eighteen minutes of action. The freshman guard from West Chester, Pennsylvania played excellently in just her second collegiate game.

Drexel was able to control the game through their stifling defense which prevented many of La Salle’s chances inside the paint from scoring. Drexel’s heavy press also prevented any opportunity for La Salle to score from three as the Explorers struggled to put points on the board. For eight minutes, spanning from three minutes left in the first quarter to five minutes left in the second quarter, Drexel kept La Salle from scoring at all.

Rebounding played a huge role in their defense, where they outer-bounded La Salle 48-26. Drexel’s offensive rebounding also allowed them to extend their possession on the ball and gave them more opportunities to score. Drexel had fourteen offensive rebounds throughout the game led by senior forward Chloe Hodges who had six offensive rebounds for the Dragons. Hodges tacked on 14 points on 6-9 shooting.

When they weren’t playing defense Drexel were always one step ahead of La Salle on offense. The Dragons shot 48% from the field and 39% from three compared to La Salle’s 32% and 10% respectively. 

Whether it be fast breaks, going into the paint or shooting from three, Drexel was able to put points on the board. Guard Brooke Mullin earned most of her five assists from playing the ball forward to one of her teammates.

Other players like Hodges, Grace O’Neill and Momo LaClair were able to connect with their teammates by passing through open lanes or kicking out to an open teammate for an easy three points. Laine McGurk, Erin Sweeney and Amaris Baker combined for five of the Dragons’ seven three-pointers. Transfer student guard from Harcum Amaris Baker had 19 points on 8-14 shooting in 26 minutes on the court.

The Dragons were able to maintain a lead over La Salle and even lead by as much as 28 at one point in the match. La Salle only lead early on in the first quarter 5-4 before Drexel took over and lead throughout the rest of the match.

Triple zeros hit in the fourth as Drexel cruised to victory over the Explorers, 71-46 being the final score. The Dragons improved to 2-1 while La Salle fell to 2-2. Drexel’s next match sees them welcoming another intercity rival in the Saint Joseph’s University Hawks. The Hawks are currently 3-0 on the season and look to be formidable opponents in the coming days. 

It was another tough finish for the 2023 Phillies, as they lost what seemed like a sure NLCS series to the underdog Arizona Diamondbacks. In a National League East division that will not be easy next year, the Phillies’ Front Office, led by President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski, will look to make some big moves to bring the Fightins’ back to Red October in ’24.

Pending Free Agents

This group of players’ contracts expired following the 2023 season, and unless re-signed by the Phillies, could find new homes in 2024.

Aaron Nola, RHP, 30-years-old. 2023 stats: 12-9, 4.46 ERA, 202k, 2.1 bWAR·

Rhys Hoskins, 1B, 30-years-old. 2022 stats: .246 AVG, 30 HR, 79 RBI, 2.9 bWAR·

Craig Kimbrel, RHP, 35-years-old, 2023 stats: 23 saves, 3.26 ERA, 1.8 bWAR·

Michael Lorenzen, RHP, 31-years-old, 2023 stats: 4-2, 5.51 ERA, -0.1 bWAR

Nola, along with veteran right-hander Zack Wheeler, have anchored the Phillies rotation for the past four seasons, but after a poor 2023 regular season, many Phillies fans were skeptical of a Nola extension. His postseason performance calmed these nerves, however, as Nola posted a 2.35 ERA in 23 innings, and won three games for the Phillies. With Nola being one of the best pitchers on the market this offseason the Phillies will likely have to spend big to bring Nola back for 2024.

After being one of the Phillies more consistent bats since his debut in 2017, Hoskins missed the entire 2023 season with a torn ACL during spring training. In his absence, Bryce Harper, took his position at first base and excelled, hitting 10 home runs in only 36 games while manning first, and playing better defensively than Hoskins. In a press conference last Tuesday, Dombrowski said Harper was the best option to play first base, and will continue at the position. This almost fully guarantees that Hoskins will not return to the Phils in 2024, a sad piece of news for many die-hard Phillies fans.

Kimbrel joined the Phillies in 2023 with a track record as one of the greatest closers in baseball history. Kimbrel earned All-Star honors and saved 23 games for the team, but his 0-2 record and 12.00 ERA in the NLCS was one of the largest contributing factors to the Phillies’ early exit to the Diamondbacks. With the Phillies getting great bullpen production from less expensive relievers like Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm, and Dylan Covey, don’t expect Kimbrel to be back in red next season.

Michael Lorenzen was a mid-season acquisition by the Phillies in 2023, who had put up his best numbers as a starter for the Tigers, and earned an all-star nod. Lorenzen immediately cemented himself in Phillies history by throwing a no-hitter in just his second start with the team. After that he posted an 8.02 ERA with the Phillies and was demoted to the bullpen. With the starting pitcher market expecting to be big this offseason, Lorenzen will likely take his talents elsewhere as well.

Free Agent/Trade Targets

With Kimbrel, Hoskins and Lorenzen likely on their way out of Philadelphia, and a few spots still needing addressing this offseason, who are some players the Phillies could target this winter?

Blake Snell, LHP, 30-years-old: Snell is a two-time Cy Young winner, including in 2023, and led all of baseball with a 2.25 ERA this past season. If the Phillies decide not to give Nola a monster contract, Snell could also be worthy of a big contract, and could add another big piece to the Phillies rotation.

Sonny Gray, RHP, 34-years-old: A 3x All-Star, Gray had his best season in 4 years with the Twins, posting a 2.79 ERA, and 183 strikeouts. Gray could be too expensive for the smaller budget Twins, so the Phillies could swoop in and grab an uber-consistent arm like Gray to help their rotation in 2024.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP, 25-years-old: The Nippon Professional Baseball League ace will be posted for MLB teams to sign in the coming weeks, and the Phillies are reportedly going to be heavily interested in signing the Japanese phenom. Yamamoto helped Japan win the World Baseball classic in 2023, and would be a huge addition to the Phillies rotation.

Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH, 29-years-old: Arguably the most talented baseball player of all time will be available this winter, and every team should have varying levels of interest, including the Phillies. It may be hard to find a spot in the lineup for Ohtani given he can only hit as the DH, but if a player of his caliber is willing to come to Philadelphia, arrangements will be made to make it work.

Josh Hader, LHP, 29-years-old: After the bullpen was a huge strength for most of the regular season and postseason, the group struggled towards the end of the NLCS, contributing to the Phillies’ crushing loss. The team may look to make a splash in that department, and Hader is a solid fit. The hard-throwing lefty has long been a target of President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski, and he has a shot to land him this offseason.

Kevin Kiermaier, OF, 33-years-old: With Harper moving to first base full time, and the atrocious defender in Kyle Schwarber likely moving to the designated hitter role, the Phillies could look to add another outfielder. Kiermaier would be a perfect fit, as the four-time gold glove winner would immediately add another bat to the Phillies lineup, and add some much needed defense to a poor-defensive outfield at Citizens Bank.

The Phillies have a lot of questions to answer, but as an attractive free agent destination and having an elite core of players already in place, with a good off-season there is no reason to believe this team won’t be right back in the postseason next year fighting for another World Series title. 

Less than four months after being announced as the head coach for Drexel’s men’s soccer team, Mark Fetrow has resigned.

Fetrow has left to take the head coaching position at Villanova, where he was the former associate head coach before coming to Drexel. 

Under Fetrow, the team went 9-2-5 overall and 3-2-3 in the conference, which earned them the 5th seed in the CAA tournament. In the quarterfinals, they lost to Delaware by penalty kicks. 

In a press release from Villanova, Fetrow said, “I am elated to be named the next Head Men’s Soccer coach at Villanova University.” 

He also said that “I want to extend my gratitude to Maisha Kelly, Nick Gannon, and Drexel University for providing me with my first head coaching position. I am confident that the Dragons will continue to thrive, and I sincerely wish all the players and staff members nothing but the best in their future endeavors.”

It has been a rocky year for the players on the soccer team. This has been the second coaching change of 2023, as former head coach Michael Marchiano stepped down weeks before the fall preseason started to take a head coaching job at Loyola Blakefield High School in Maryland. 

Ben Weller, a sophomore forward on the team expressed disappointment at the sudden departure of Fetrow and the uncertainty this brings the team. 

“With two coaching changes in the last year there is definitely a feeling of uncertainty with what will happen next,” said Weller.

However, he is confident that his team will be able to overcome this challenge, saying “It is hard to have so much change, but also we have proven that we can deal with a change like this and still find success. As a team we will be just as close as always and be able to play at our best . . . We will support each other and become a team that relies on each other even more.”

“We are disappointed that Coach Fetrow’s time with our program has ended so quickly,” stated Director of Athletics Maisha Kelly. “While we appreciate the outcome of the season, after the departure of our previous head coach, our goals and commitments are centered on a group of talented student-athletes who deserve a long-term commitment to them and their success. We have never wavered from that, including in our efforts to retain Coach Fetrow.”

The search for the next head coach will begin immediately. 

Primaries are the elections that take place early in an election year to decide who each party will nominate as their chosen candidate for the general election in November. An open primary voting system is simple and easy to understand. Anyone can vote in the primary election regardless of their registered party if an open primary system is used. This is beneficial because it allows more people to participate in the political process – specifically independents who are an important voting bloc in the general election. Registered independent voters don’t necessarily lack a preferred party. They just prefer to keep an open mind when it comes to who they vote for on election day. Because independent voters are not allowed to vote in Pennsylvania primaries their preferred candidate may lose before the general election. This results in more contempt for the eventual nominees as independent voters become frustrated with the fact they never got to vote for their preferred candidate. With this in mind, we must switch to an open primary voting system that allows all community members to have a say in who the eventual nominees will be.

Pennsylvania is a closed primary state. According to the Committee of Seventy, closed primaries guarantee “that fewer voters participate, elections are less competitive and, ultimately, political polarization is reinforced, contributing to legislative gridlock and hampering good governance.” The nonprofit advocacy group Open Primaries is also fighting to remove barriers to voting in the primary. According to Open Primaries, “Millions of independent voters—the fastest growing segment of the electorate—are excluded from voting in closed partisan primaries.” This statement is especially true on universities where the majority of students do not identify themselves as either Republican or Democrat. A primary system that prohibits independents from voting is a system that chooses to silence the voices of over 50% of students. Historically, parties had much more power over who the eventual nominees were. Now, the general public is much more involved in the nominating process. It is unfair that a large swath of the population is not allowed to vote in the primary simply because they do not want to register with a party. In the mayoral primary that took place on May 16, 2023, only about 27% of Philadelphia’s population participated in the primary election. Voter turnout last week was just under 31% of the city. This low turnout rate would likely increase if more people were allowed to participate in Philadelphia’s primary. Outdated systems must be updated to fit the changing times.

Jared Solomon, a state representative and candidate for attorney general, is trying to update our primary system. A bill proposed by Solomon (H.B. 979) passed through the state government committee last month and has bipartisan support. 

During an interview, Solomon said, “Any bill that increases accessibility to the polls moves us towards a more accessible voting system.” 

Solomon went on to say that he would use his position as attorney general to elevate issues regarding voting rights, though admitted the powers of the office were somewhat limited with regard to open primaries. This means that Solomon is doing his part to increase voter accessibility, but also cannot be the sole advocate for this issue. It is on all of us to do our part and advocate for an open primary system by contacting our elected officials.

Open primaries are the first step towards other reforms including ranked choice voting and same day voter registration. If Jared and his allies are successful, Pennsylvania will join a growing list of states that do not disenfranchise voters with unnecessary barriers to vote in the primary. The benefits are clear, but it will require a strong effort on our part to make this change happen. If you support open primaries in any capacity, please contact your state representative and let them know you support Jared Solomon’s bill (H.B. 979) to create a better primary system that everyone can participate in.
 

Four key Drexel club sports staff members resigned from their positions this past June through Sept. Some club sports staff positions still remain vacant as we near the end of the fall term while other key roles have been filled.

Matthew Moran, former club sports coordinator, was the first staff member to resign on June 3 of this year. In his final email to student club sport leaders, Moran wrote “I want [to] again thank you all for your hard work and dedication to your clubs…It is very bittersweet to be moving on, but I know this program will continue to thrive and accomplish great things.”

A little over a month later, former Club Sports Assistant Director Kristen Sullivan sent an email to student club sports officers stating her resignation that eventually took place July 26. Sullivan was at Drexel for only 14 months, but helped implement an organized tier system to track club sport engagement.

One month later, Bridget Wiseley, former Head Athletic Trainer, and Andrew Flanigan, former Assistant Athletic Trainer, sent an email to the same student club sports leaders announcing their resignation. Wiseley was part of the club sports staff for over a decade, and sent a very heartfelt message expressing her gratitude towards her experience as a Dragon. Flanigan’s last day as the Assistant Athletic Trainer was Aug. 30 and Wiseley’s last day as the Head Athletic Trainer was Sept. 8.

With four key positions left vacant, it was up to James Rogers, newly made Director of University Recreation, to handle the hiring process of a brand new staff with the fall term approaching.

Rogers introduced Orlin Jespersen, new Assistant Director of Intramural and Club Sports on Oct. 2 to student club sports officers in an email. Before becoming a Dragon, Jespersen worked in leadership roles at Cabrini University for almost 20 years – most notably working as the Senior Associate Director of Athletics and Recreation for Operations and External Affairs.

Most recently, Zachary Apt, newly made Club Sports Manager, was introduced to student club sports officers by Jespersen on Oct. 30. 

I think the question many are eager to know is: why were these positions left so abruptly and all almost simultaneously? And how have the vacant positions affected clubs sports teams processes and procedures? There are many questions left unanswered about the former leaders, however, with new leadership in place, I think it is safe to say all club sports athletes are excited to see what, or who, is to come in the future.

If you search for the phrase ‘Drexel Football Team,’ chances are that you will either get results for the improv comedy club, or the team that was disbanded in 1973. This is because, unlike many colleges in America, Drexel does not currently have a football team. Why is that? The short answer is cost. It costs money to hire staff, recruit players, and build facilities.

In order to understand what a football team at Drexel might look like, it is helpful to compare it to a similar school that does have a football team.

A school similar to Drexel for this purpose is the University of Delaware. Delaware is a school in the Coastal Athletic Association, has a similar level of enrollment (18,022 vs 13,977), and is often considered a rival in other athletic programs. One important difference between Drexel and Delaware is that Drexel is a private university while Delaware is public. However, this means that Delaware’s financial records are publicly available, making their football expenditures easily understandable. 

One caveat to this comparison is each university’s endowment. According to the National Association of Colleges and University Business Offices, Drexel’s 2022 endowment was 948 million dollars. Delaware’s was almost double that at 1.781 billion in 2022. 

In 2021, the US Department of Education released an Equity in Athletics Data Analysis report that showed that the University of Delaware spent $8,789,828 on total expenses for its football team. These expenses are likely related to equipment, coaching salaries, scholarships, and other day-to-day operations. 

In the same time period, Delaware’s revenue from football amounted to $8,898,716. This is a net profit of $108,888. 

Costs to run a football team do not include costs to start a football team. Before a team can even take the field, a stadium, practice facilities, locker rooms, weight rooms, offices, and a staff need to be built. 

How much would it cost to build these facilities? It really depends. A 2016 article by CBS said  $75 million dollars. However, a report done by Virginia Commonwealth University earlier this year estimated it costs closer to $200 million. 

These numbers vary greatly because of the existing facilities a school could have. A stadium, which VCU doesn’t have, can easily cost millions of dollars to build from the ground up.

Luckily for Drexel, Vidas was once used as a football stadium, and it could potentially be renovated back into one. However, the area would have to be enlarged for more fans, as the current capacity is only 1,500 people. For reference, the University of Delaware’s football stadium holds 18,500 people. 

It would be impossible to estimate how much it would cost for Drexel to start a football team as these reports were done for specific schools. Assuming the average of these two numbers, forming a football team could cost around 138 million dollars.

In the US Department of Education report, Drexel reported that they spent $25,699,496 in expenses for all 18 varsity teams in one year. In order to fund a football team for its first year, Drexel would need to spend more than five times the amount — all before the team can take its first snap.

A team needs players. Attempting to recruit players to field a brand-new football team would be difficult. There is no known culture or reputation for recruits to look at. In a Bleacher Report about Kennesaw State’s journey to start a football team, they acknowledged recruitment challenges. “Anybody who signed as part of the first recruiting class in school history had to agree to a year-and-a-half of nothing but practice.”

A potential work around to this issue would be to start a club football team. Roanoke College is a college in Virginia set to reintroduce DIII football in 2025. In order to achieve this, they are aiming to start with a club football team in 2024, eventually transitioning this team to the varsity level.

While this approach could be a feasible one at Drexel, it would first have to develop and sustain a club football team, something that has not shown any signs of happening anytime soon.

A considerable challenge to this is that Drexel President John Fry is publicly against a college football team. In an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal, Fry expressed his reasons why, saying “the mounting sports [budget] losses force universities to divert funding from the fundamental task of educating students” and that, “Drexel hasn’t fielded a team since 1973 when administrators realized its budget burden.”

While the University of Delaware made a small profit from football in the 2021 season, most colleges lose money from their football programs. 

It is highly unlikely that Drexel will restart a football team. There is no indication that administrators are looking into the possibility, and the last time a DI school was actually able to successfully start a football program was Kennesaw State in 2015. 

Additionally, Drexel is already growing without a football team. Many schools that look into starting teams cite name recognition as a factor. However, if Drexel is already expanding without needing to pour millions of dollars into a sport, that money can be used to improve the lives of all students on campus. 

It is certainly possible and feasible for the creation of a Drexel football team. The resources and infrastructure exist, but the desire from the administration, students, and community does not. 

Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever,” starring newcomer Meitreyi Ramakrishnan as a high school sophomore looking to reinvent herself after her father’s death. The show, created by Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, is heavily influenced by Kaling’s own life.

Over the course of ten episodes, “Never Have I Ever” follows a cast of mainly high-school characters tackling real-life issues in a refreshing way. The struggles of grief, coming out, applying to college, healing, unrequited love, single parenthood, and familial ties are all delicately and fairly covered in this show.

The cheesy high-school-drama moments are incredibly cheesy, but almost make you nostalgic for the good ole days, when competing with your academic enemy was the sole driver of your motivation.

“Never Have I Ever” dropped at the end of April and provides a simple distraction from the craziness of the world right now. It is an easily bingeable show lacking depth in many ways, from the shallow actions of the main character to the complicated half-lives of the supporting characters.

Many things are unique to this show, the characters are diverse and real, unlike almost any other high-school-based sitcom.

The real star of this show is Poorna Jagannathan as Nalini Vishwakumar, the mother of the main character. Jagannathan plays Nalini with such weight and reality that I felt she deserved to be the star of this show – there’s too many high school dramas out there already anyway.

Jagannathan’s portrayal of a grieving widow doing her best to raise her daughter is incredibly moving; she is funny with a fantastic sense of humor, an intelligent dermatologist running her own practice, and easily the best character from the show.

Overall, If you can get past the overwhelming selfishness of Ramakrishnan’s Devi Vishwakumar episode after episode, it’s worth watching.

At the end of last quarter, I wrote an article about what awaited us in the uncertain future of spring quarter. The entirety of March was quite the rollercoaster ride, as the COVID-19 virus has continued to have more and more of an impact on people’s day to day lives, and with spring quarter now being underway, we’re going to have to see how things play out.

One thing that I would like to commend Drexel on is the amount of effort that is being put into keeping students up to date with what is going on. The university has no doubt had to adjust much of their normal operations in a fairly short frame of time and that is not an easy feat by any means. On top of that, keeping the people that are going to be most impacted by those changes in the loop is arguably more difficult. But they have managed to convey much of the changes in well-written and concise emails that I’ve found very easily digestible.

Congratulations aside, the more pressing matter that I want to focus on in this article is how we can approach this very odd situation that we are now faced with as Drexel students. I think it’s easy to get so caught up in the trials and tribulations of our predicament that we forget to actually come up with ways to make the most out of the situation.

I will admit that I too am fairly weirded out by the fact that I’m currently at home in the comfort of my own room writing this article and not at Stiles Hall. It’s been very strange and sad to not be able to go to the Drexel Writing Center each day and see all of my friends. And it has been hard to swallow the fact that I will very likely never set foot in a Drexel classroom as an undergraduate ever again. I think that freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors all have vastly different perspectives on the current state of things, as we are all obviously at different points in our college careers. However, a universal thing we all share is that we are all students, and now is a time where we can have our education affected in a very unique way, which is the home environment.

You may not notice it initially, but there are probably many things that were made considerably easier by being on Drexel’s campus, and these things can be both small and large. For example, I never set my alarm when I am at home because I rarely have to get up at a time that requires me to set an alarm. But on Monday, I was scheduled to be available for online writing tutoring sessions around noon, so I set my alarm to go off around 11 in the morning and ended up sleeping through it. Thankfully, I did wake up at around 11:30, but the point remains that my body and mind were so unaccustomed to waking up to an alarm while in my home environment that they completely disregarded it. I am so used to waking up naturally that it is extremely difficult for me to wake up to an alarm, and that could be a problem when I start sleeping through my alarms and missing my class.

Obviously not everyone will have this problem, but it is one small example that other people most definitely have similar versions of. During these first few weeks of classes, you should be paying attention to certain areas related to school that you find yourself struggling with.

A more major problem for me is my inability to do homework. Yes, something as simple as doing the work that is assigned by a professor for a class is incredibly difficult for me to do at home. I’m still not entirely certain why this is the case, but it most definitely has to do with the mindset that I have when I’m at home as opposed to at college. Whenever I would make a trip home for a weekend, I would make it a point to get all of my immediate homework completed so that I could enjoy my time at home with my family, as the whole point of going home was to get a break from the college atmosphere. College equals work and home equals relaxation. That has been my mindset ever since freshman year and having to now change it on the spot is a task that I, and no doubt many other people are finding varying degrees of difficulty with.

At the moment, I’m still trying to find different ways to deal with this problem, but I think that when you’re doing homework, the best thing you can do is make yourself feel as though you are still at college. There’s no way to fully replicate the college atmosphere while you’re at home, but there are small things you can still do that can have the same effect. Is there a certain type of food that you like to snack on while you work? Have that snack. Is there a type of genre of music, or even a specific artist, album or song that you always listen to whenever you do your homework? Put it on. You might be surprised by how much of a difference it can make for you. It doesn’t solve the problem, but it certainly lessens the issue in my opinion.

With all the media out there talking about COVID-19, I think it’s still too early to truly predict when this thing will blow over, so the best thing we can do is just live in the present moment and make whatever changes we can to our approach to education as students. I wish that I could offer more concrete advice on how to navigate the effects of this pandemic, but because everyone’s situation is different, I can only really speak in a general sense. The most any of us can do is take each day for what it is and practice social distancing so that this virus will pass us by in what will hopefully be a reasonable amount of time.