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Moving in to Seton Hall freshmen year is a whirlwind of experiences.
Whether it was the pouring rain that accompanied move-in day in 2014 or simply the raw emotions saying goodbye to family each year, it is a hectic day for many. Among all of the craziness, seldom does anyone stop and think of the many Pirates that walked through the same halls or even lived in the same room. Pirate Pride at the Hall runs as deep as 1856 and while we are all reminded of this legacy feeling during SHU basketball games, some current students are reminded of this feeling daily. Seton Hall legacy students have an experience at SHU that is enriched with an amplified feeling of pride and the following are some lessons from Seton Hall legacies.
Pirate Pride is Real.
Anne Bucca, a junior elementary and special education and speech pathology major and a former student athlete, said she walked into Walsh library to study the night before a test and was instantly reminded that she has Pirate Pride running through her veins. Bucca’s name is hanging on the walls of Walsh Library, but not for the student athlete’s contributions.
The plaque, with her family name honors her grandfather who is a Seton Hall grad and had strong ties to the school. Her grandfather graduated in 1942 and served as chairman of the alumni association in the mid-1980s. Bucca said that there is nothing like proudly walking by that plaque while telling her friends that it’s for her grandparents and that school pride is natural for her as a third generation Pirate. Both of Bucca’s parents and her father’s dad graduated from Seton Hall Law School and her mother’s dad from Seton Hall undergrad. “Seton Hall has played a huge role in my life along with my family’s life,” Bucca said. “Choosing Seton Hall was one of the best decisions of my life and has impacted me greatly.” Alex Vitart, a junior criminal justice major, said that his mom graduated from the Hall and he is carrying on the legacy as well. Vitart added that the choice to attend SHU was never forced upon him, but he enjoys being a legacy. “It makes my mom proud…and I really like that,” he said.
Things have changed.
Kevin Scimecca, a senior journalism major, said his mom paints a completely different picture of Seton Hall than the one that we are familiar with. For starters, the Cove was not famous for its long lines, but rather as being a pub. Scimecca’s mom describes it as completely different, with Jubilee and the library not even existing yet.
Alison McCarthy, a junior education and history major, said her parents met at Seton Hall and describe a SHU that included basketball games, a smaller cafeteria, and yes, the most earth shattering fact is that they could step on the seal.
“My mom thought it was so funny when I told her about the seal tradition,” McCarthy said.
But somehow, it will always be the same.
Seal stepping side, all of the legacies relay stories and experiences that do not differ from the spirit of Seton hall that is experienced today.
Boland was still booming with students, basketball games were a must and the underlying culture remains.
“It is really great to be a SHU legacy because it’s a connection I have with my parents, they experienced freshmen year in Boland and I did too, among other experiences,” McCarthy said. “In a way Seton Hall is a piece of them, and getting to go to school here feels like I’m connected to a part of my parent’s past.”
Siobhan McGirl can be reached at siobhan.mcgirl@student.shu.edu.
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