By: Dr. Jonathan Lawrence, Contributing Writer Hopefully you'll never get hit by an actual cannonball, but the idea goes back to Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. In 1521, a cannonball struck his leg and shattered it during a battle. As he recovered from his injury and a botched surgery to set his leg, he spent his time reading religious books and praying. These reflections led to his ideas for the Spiritual Exercises and the beginning of the Jesuits – a drastic

By: Helena Kottas, Assistant Features Editor As I head into my senior year, one of the biggest lessons I have had to learn is how to balance life as a student. Adjusting to college as a whole can be overwhelming, but actually existing successfully is a separate challenge. Once you add studying, clubs and sleep into the mix, time seems to have slipped away. College is more than just passing your classes, but learning how to be independent and balancing what matters most to you

By: Madison Howard Being a college student comes with plenty of expenses, but Canisius University offers programs and resources that can make everyday life a little easier. From free transportation to flexible dining funds, there are benefits available to students that can be easy to overlook. One of the newest benefits is free, unlimited access to Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) buses and Metro Rail during the academic school year. Launched this fall as a pi

By: Brendan Hammond Dolly Parton once joked that it “costs a lot of money to look this cheap.” She told many interviewers that her look was based on “the town tramp.” Her mother said that woman was trash. Parton said she was beautiful. She joked that had she been born a man, she would be a drag queen. Parton had a unique ability to give love to everybody and, usually, receive it right back. Her magnetic, large, pearly smile framed by bright, red lips is a sight well known and

By: Andrew Nowel, Sports Layout Editor From walking the campus just over 25 years ago as a student to the moment Dr. Jill Dombrowski stepped back onto campus as a full-time professor, the memories immediately came flowing back from the former Griff. As she steps into a pivotal role for the university and the criminal justice department, the motto of Canisius ‘once a Griff always a Griff’ showcases itself as Dr. Dombrowski represents an alumni network that stretches far beyond

By: Hannah Wiley, Managing Editor If you’ve ever walked through the tunnels from Dugan to Frisch, you’ve probably walked by a mural made by class of 2024 and MBA class of 2025 graduate, Meg Campbell. If you’ve walked down the hall since March, however, you would’ve seen that a new mural is being added right next to Campbell’s by freshman Lexi McFadden! McFadden is majoring in animal behavior, ecology and conservation (ABEC) with a minor in creative writing and has had the ide

By: Kaitlyn Belile, Features Editor and Hannah Wiley, Managing Editor With our final (regular) edition of the year, I want to introduce everyone to one of our advisors, Dr. Snyder! If you know anyone on The Griffin staff, you know how much we love our Dr. Snydey! She came to Canisius in August of 2023 and joined The Griffin last year by accompanying us on the California trip after our former advisor left. Dr. Snyder attended St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA for undergrad w

By: Hannah Wiley, Managing Editor and Kaitlin O’Meara, Copy Editor The Griffin’s favorite duo went to the event of the semester (CrescenDONT’s spring concert) this past weekend and similar to last semester we can’t wait to share our thoughts. If you happened to miss it – or left halfway through – we figured we’d provide a recap for you…because you missed out! For those of you who are somehow unaware, CrescenDONT’s is Canisius University’s a cappella group, and they put on a c

By: Madison Howard, Assistant Features Editor Canisius University hosted its final Canisius Conversation of the year on Thursday, April 23, bringing together students, faculty and staff for a discussion centered on dialogue and peacebuilding in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Held in the Library Learning Center, the event featured guest speakers from the PeaceWorks Foundation who shared personal experiences and insight into conflict resolution. Organized by Spencer Liechty,

By: Mikayla Boyd, Editor-in-Chief Each Monday, the doors of Loyola Hall open to receive visitors through Campus Ministry’s Tea Time event series. For the first time, I dropped into a tea time, along with Assistant Opinion Editor Lily McMenemy, to have a small conversation with folks about life, Canisius and community. The tea times are hosted by Campus Ministry, and they have brought a revitalizing energy to the department. Caroline King, who began serving as assistant direct

By: Hannah Wiley, Managing Editor With the last two weeks of the semester looming above us and the milestone of less than a month until commencement, the energy on campus has been a little slow, but here’s how you can finish strong going into summer! Stay up to date with assignments! Procrastination is a habit everyone (even me) is guilty of as the semester comes to a close. Make sure to stay on top of everything so you can go into Griff Fest in a good place! Spend time in th

By: Kaitlyn Belile, Features Editor and Madison Howard, Assistant Features Editor This semester, the news section introduced a new assistant & found themselves a new editor! Madison and I (KB) decided that we should introduce our super close friends who also happen to be the editors of the section that delivers you news every week! The news editor: Katie Dusza is a second-semester staff member who was the assistant news editor last semester and is now the section editor! “I

By: Madison Howard, Assistant Features Editor Ignatian Scholarship Day (ISD) filled Canisius University with energy and creativity during the 2025-26 academic year, showcasing a wide range of student work across campus. From research presentations to live performances, the event highlighted the effort students put into their work all year and gave the campus community a chance to see it all come together in one place. Many of the presenters at ISD are also recipients of the C

By: Andrew Nowel, Sports Layout Editor With the semester winding down, the Blue and Gold Brigade finished its 10th season playing for Canisius Athletics. Not only is the milestone special as it marks 10 years, but it marks the end of an era for the longtime director and founder of the band: Bryan Sibbits. Sibbits began the band in the fall semester of 2015 when he started his masters at Canisius. After attending a couple basketball games and a hockey game, Sibbits found it st

By: Madison Howard and Javohir Aminov Before the recent Easter break, I (Madison) had been talking with friends about what they planned to do; many planned on going home but many of my friends, including Javohir, decided to not go home because the break was short. Canisius only gave students a two day Easter break, which made traveling difficult for those who live farther away. Since I knew I would be going home to Rochester, I decided to invite a couple of my friends to come

By: Madison Howard, Assistant Features Editor A new face has recently joined the library staff, though students may not have had the chance to meet her yet. Courtney Johnt, the new student success librarian, has joined the library staff with a focus on supporting students academically and helping create a more welcoming and accessible environment on campus. In her role, she works to connect students with resources, answer questions and encourage a more supportive experience w

By: Andrew Nowel, Sports Layout Editor Renewed with a “go set the world on fire” mindset, the Canisius Psychology Club is back on campus and ready to give students a chance to build new connections. From psych majors looking for connections inside their major to friends looking for more opportunities to hangout, the Psychology Club aims to create an atmosphere that brings an entire community together. Led by President Taylor Evans, the club’s executive board have goals that t

By: Adam Kozman, Assistant Copy Editor The Just Buffalo Literary Center hosted Tara Westover for their BABEL presentation on March 26, and I was fortunate enough to be able to go. Westover is a New York Times No. 1 bestselling author for her memoir “Educated,” which was ranked as one of the top 10 books of 2018. She was also a finalist for many prestigious awards, such as the National Book Critics Circle Awards and PEN America 's Jean Stein Book Award, was named as one of 10

By: Lexi Kiblin The Canisius community gathered together on the second floor of the library on March 27 for the ribbon cutting ceremony as the new Center for Student Success was finally opened. The Golisano Center for Student Success was created to make it easier for students to access resources like tutoring, academic advising and other support services without having to move across campus. For many students, that means less time searching for help and more time focusing o

By: Andrew Nowel, Sports Layout Editor With the spring semester in full swing, Latinos United Celebrating Hispanic Advocacy (LUCHA) continues to provide opportunities for all students looking to learn more about Hispanic culture. Throughout March, LUCHA has put on many events that encompass the experience of multiple cultures for the Canisius community. On March 16, LUCHA hosted a World Baseball Classic (WBC) watch party as Venezuela took on Italy in the quarterfinal round of