VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY NEWS

Financial Times
The Rise of the Dupes

August 9, 2025 - Consumers, especially from Gen Z, are embracing products that proudly copy—or duplicate—luxury items ... Peggy Chaudhry, a professor at Villanova School of Business in Pennsylvania, finds Gen Z's normalising of dupe purchases "rather disturbing." Chaudhry, who has written extensively on the phenomenon, says "I don't even think some of the people that are hawking these dupes know the difference" between them and the real thing.

The Philadelphia Inquirer
Pro Sports Teams and Athletes Are Shining a Light on Local Artists. But There's a Flip Side.

August 6, 2025 - Sports teams can be "incredibly protective" over their intellectual property, Villanova law professor Waseem Moorad said, and sports artists often skirt the line of what's allowed by copyright, including depictions and variations of team mascots, wordmarks and logos. Compared to the resources at the disposal of the major sports teams, local artists have minimal recourse to defend themselves if a team were to step in to protect their copyright.

The New York Times
The Rise of Silicon Valley's Techno-Religion

August 4, 2025 - In downtown Berkeley, an old hotel has become a temple to the pursuit of artificial intelligence and the future of humanity. Its name is Lighthaven and it is the de facto headquarters of a group who call themselves the Rationalists. Every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., almost like a Bible study, people gather to read and discuss The Sequences, the ur-text that gave rise to the movement. "Religion is text and story and ritual," said Ilia Delio, a Franciscan sister and professor of theology at Villanova University. "All of that applies here."

Associated Press
Pope to Bestow One of Catholic Church's Highest Honors on Anglican Convert John Henry Newman

August 1, 2025 - The Vatican considers among other things the candidate's holiness in life, the eminence of his or her doctrinal and theological teaching and their enduring influence on the church. That has meant that there have been only 37 doctors, and only one other—St. Therese of Lisieux—who lived in the past 200 years, noted Michael Moreland, professor of law and religion at Pope Leo's alma mater, Villanova University.

CNN
Betelgeuse, One of the Most Familiar Stars in the Sky, May Have a Hidden Companion Star Orbiting It

July 26, 2025 - Given that the star was discovered near the limits of the instrument, its presence is probable but "not yet a slam dunk," said Edward Guinan, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Villanova University in Pennsylvania. However, seeing the companion star track along its proposed six-year orbit would represent a definitive detection of the companion, Guinan said.

USA Today
Newly Released MLK Files: What's in Them and What's Left Out?

July 22, 2025 - David Barrett, a historian at Villanova University, said the files will likely contain new, interesting information. But as was the case with the JFK files released in March, the material likely isn't groundbreaking. "I'm not seeing anything that strikes me as surprising," said Barrett, author of multiple books on presidents and intelligence agencies. "Unless they want to write about the investigation, I don't know that this will have an impact on the scholarship."