VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY NEWS

Associated Press
Jury Finds Instagram and YouTube Liable in a Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial

March 25, 2026 - Peter Ormerod, an associate professor of law at Villanova University, called the verdict "a momentous development" but noted it's just "one step in a much longer saga" and that he doesn't expect to see large changes to the platforms immediately.

CNN
How Private Credit Could Quickly Become a Public Problem

March 25, 2026 - Today, private equity firms employ internal models to evaluate privately held debt—but the process is not super transparent, Erasmus Kersting, a professor of economics at the Villanova School of Business, told CNN. The sector's opacity, combined with its illiquidity, he added, can spell trouble "once blind trust is followed by an 'aha moment.'"

The Conversation
New Law to Prohibit Workplace Discrimination for Symptoms of Menstruation, Perimenopause and Menopause in Philly

March 24, 2026 - "Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, the city of Philadelphia will prohibit discrimination on the basis of menstruation, perimenopause and menopause, and it will require employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees for needs related to these conditions." Ann Juliano is a professor of Law at Villanova University who studies employment law and workplace discrimination.

The Philadelphia Inquirer
Spring Has Arrived in Philly, the Sun Says. Spring Weather May Be Another Matter.

March 19, 2026 - While useful, our calendars are imperfectly synchronized with astronomy. Our days actually aren't quite 24 hours long, and our year consists of 365.24 days. We add a whole day to the calendar every four years, but that still leaves 14.5 minutes unaccounted for. It's not the sun, which is always on time; it's us, according to Theodore Kareta, astrophysics professor at Villanova University.

The New York Times
Gas Prices Keep Rising as Seasonal Changes Add to Oil Price Pressure

March 17, 2026 - Gasoline costs usually trail crude increases or drops in crude oil by a few days, but that's not the only factor pushing prices higher, said Erasmus Kersting, an economics professor at Villanova University. "Demand and supply both pull and push the price up," Mr. Kersting wrote in an email. "Spring and traveling season are just around the corner, and supply constraints are being priced in, as well as expectations about how long the war and the blockade of the strait will go on for."

The Philadelphia Inquirer
Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin Visits Villanova to Discuss 250 Years of Irish American History

March 15, 2026 - Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin spoke at an event organized for the University's Center for Irish Studies—the longest running Irish studies program in the U.S. ... Founded in 1842, by Irish friars of the Order of St. Augustine as a school for Irish immigrants, Villanova shares a particularly deep connection, Martin said. America's current ambassador to Ireland, Ed Walsh, attended Villanova.