The two successive blasts, which occurred Monday afternoon, killed at least three people, among whom was an 8-year-old boy, and wounded over 100 more victims. An investigation into the reasons for the bombings is underway, and the faces of two suspects have been released to the public.

As an act of mourning and solidarity, the flags outside McMahon Hall were flown at half-mast all week, and an American flag with black mourning bunting has been hung from the third floor of the Pryzbyla Center.

National Poetry Month is celebrated throughout April, and next Tuesday, April 23, marks the third annual World Book Night. Occurring each year on Shakespeare’s birthday, World Book Night is an international event to promote the joys of reading. This Tuesday, tens of thousands of volunteers across the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Germany, will hand out paperbacks to complete strangers. The event is intended to reach out to light or non-readers, and focuses on the sense of community and connection created by a good book.

Volunteers select the books that they will distribute from a list of thirty, and are asked to choose books that they have personally read and enjoyed, so that their enthusiasm can be passed on to the recipients of the books. For volunteers, World Book Night is an opportunity to connect with strangers and share their love of literature. Last April, over half a million books were given away in the United States alone. The books, which range from children’s classics like “The Phantom Tollbooth” to modern fantasies and memoirs, are specially printed for the occasion, and are selected each year by an independent panel of booksellers and librarians. In keeping with the sense of community that the event is intended to foster, there will be 28 author talks and book signings at World Book Night kick-off celebrations all across the country.

This year, several students at Catholic University will be going out into the city to distribute books. Christopher Suarez, a senior English major participating in World Book Night, decided to volunteer after visiting the D.C. public school where his stepmother teaches.

“I’ve always noticed that the bookshelves in their library were rather bare, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to give back to the city I love,” he said.

Although the prospect of talking to twenty complete strangers about books may seem daunting to some, Chris says he is looking forward to the opportunity to meet new people, to talk about literature, and to share what he loves about reading. Although the focus of the event is on the community at large, don’t be surprised if some of the books make their way onto campus – if you see a book lying around with a note saying “read me,” feel free to take it, and become a part of this exciting movement to share literature with the world.

I have to confess, I’m not the world’s largest fan of the “let’s adapt a Shakespeare play and transform it for the modern day” genre. I think it’s a bit hackneyed, and will never be better than the source material. This isn’t to say that Shakespeare’s works are sacred and to work with them is to commit some kind of blasphemy; it’s more that the man was really quite good at what he did, and it’s really quite hard to improve on the stories he told.

You can imagine then, my trepidation walking in to see a play I’d never heard of before, one that transplants Oberon, King of the Fairies, along with that merry wanderer of the night, Puck, smack dab in the middle of a 1934 Hollywood production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” (An aside – the play is based off of a real life event, when a production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was brought to Hollywood, and morphed into a motion picture production.)

Suffice it to say I was wrong to ever doubt.

It is a failing of common-use English that the word ‘farce’ can bring up negative connotations. “Shakespeare in Hollywood” is a farce of epic proportions, a masterpiece of timing, wit, puns, general chaos and confusion that all combine to bring a pompous character to his knees. The play combines all of these aspects into a magical performance.

The play marries Shakespeare’s classic themes and characters with modern conceits, and our own set of idioms. The magic of Hollywood is slowly taken down a peg, as the characters reveal that the glamour of Hollywood is only skin deep, and the magic exists only on camera. The writing is excellent, crisp, and true to its Shakespearian roots. CUA’s production more than lives up to the excellence of the script. Under the direction of Jay Brock, the actors make the characters dance across the stage. The show was a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a Thursday evening.

Of special note is that after this week’s performances come to a curtain, there will be a special showing on April 26, where one can meet the playwright, Ken Ludwig. The author of works such as “Lend Me a Tenor,” and “An American in Paris,” Ludwig is a DC-based playwright and a master of innovative and biting farce. He will be present at a pre-showing reception.

“Shakespeare in Hollywood” is being presented at CUA’s Hartke theatre. Showings are April 18, 19, 20 at 7:30 p.m., April 20 and 21 at 2:00 p.m., and a special performance April 26 at 8:00 p.m.

Mandarino has been a resident assistant for three years, a teaching assistant and a tutor, and an office assistant during his undergraduate years. He was also accepted as a member of the President’s Society, which honors “those students who combine academics, integrity, maturity and a well-rounded personality with university-wide awareness, participation, and leadership,” according to the Office of the President.

The university has been a good fit for Mandarino, and he feels his studies have well prepared him for a future in the financial world. He particularly enjoyed a university-sponsored trip to Wall Street for his first finance class.

“Studying finance has exposed me to an environment that values drive, encourages persistence, and welcomes perspective,” he said. “Due to the variety of courses I have taken and the extraordinary professors I’ve has, I feel extremely equipped to pursue a career in the financial industry.”

Mandarino plans to use the skills he has gained from his studies to get a position as an analyst for an asset management firm in either Chicago or New York. He also hopes one day to work as a chief executive officer or a chief financial officer for a company, and to eventually get a PhD and teach finance at the university level.

Despite his many ambitions for the future, Mandarino most values the relationships he has formed at CUA. These are some of his favorite memories of his four years here.

“First and foremost is the day I met my girlfriend,” he said of his best times as an undergraduate.

If his time at CUA has been any indication, great things can be expected from Mandarino for years to come.

“We have one of the largest training programs among college and university counseling centers in the Washington, D.C. area,” said Monroe Rayburn, director of the Counseling Center.

In the internship program, pre-doctoral students work under licensed senior staff members, including six psychologists, one part-time social worker, and one part-time psychiatrist. Internship Training Director Jeffrey Volkmann currently coordinates 19 interns who come from graduate schools of psychology and social work.

“Internships that are accredited by the American Psychological Association have demonstrated that they provide interns with high quality training experiences,” said Volkmann.

There is a reciprocal relationship between the training program and the quality of service offered to the students. A larger staff means that more students can be served in a timely manner.

“Having excellent trainees has helped us to meet the higher student demand in recent years,” said Volkmann. “We are generally able to meet with students within a week of them making an appointment.”

The Counseling Center has also attained certification through the International Association of Counseling Services (IACS), placing it among about one-third of university counseling centers nationwide who have attained this standard of excellence. The IACS recognizes centers that provide outstanding services to university students.

“All staff continually work hard to advance their clinical skills by taking part in numerous continuing education training activities,” said Volkmann, explaining just one way in which the Center maintains this level of excellence.

CUA’s Counseling Center offers a diverse array of counseling options, including one-on-one and group counseling. Some groups offered include a self-esteem building group, a students of color support group, and a group for those with substance use concerns.

Individual services at the Counseling Center provide support for students with many personal difficulties, ranging anywhere from adjustment to college to problems with food and nutrition. The Center also offers support for those who struggle with concentration, those who have experienced trauma, and anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

“CUA, along with university counseling centers across the country, have experienced an increased demand for mental health services in the last decade,” said Rayburn.

In the 2011-2012 school year, about 13 percent of the University’s full-time undergraduate and graduate student population sought support at the Counseling Center, amounting to a total of 639 students. Recently the Center has teamed up with other offices and groups on campus to provide special services, such as stress reduction during finals week.

“Being able to provide students with excellent counseling experiences helps students cope with and overcome both situational difficulties, such as a break up, and more challenging mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety,” said Volkmann.

The Counseling Center provides 45 sessions free of charge to students during their Catholic University career. In order to contact the Center, students can visit O’Boyle Hall 127 or call (202) 319-5765.

Michael Collins spoke on a variety of topics, from the EU to the recent tragedy in Boston to Ireland’s recent economic struggles. He has served as the Ambassador of Ireland to the United States since 2007, prior to which Collins was an Ambassador in Saudi Arabia, the Czech Republic, and the Ukraine.

Ambassador Collins’ expertise in the areas of economics and politics have made him both a relevant and dynamic leader. Collins explained the role of the Irish presidency of the council of the European Union, and the EU’s recovery plan to the global economic crisis as well as identifying strengths and weaknesses in both Ireland’s economy as well as all of Europe.

“Ambassador Collins mentioned undocumented immigration of young immigrants in the United States and seemed particularly interested in the upcoming bill,” said Mat Uruiquo, a senior politics major. This January, Ireland marked its 40^th year of membership to the European Union; Collins described Ireland as “deeply committed to the European Union.”

Collins acknowledged that “indeed there are challenges” to face in regards to the current economic state of Ireland in relation to the EU, but assured the audience that under Irish leadership the EU will rise to the challenges the best way it can, understanding that fixing things will take time.

“Ireland is in the business of recovery and in the business of doing business,” said Collins. As far as a plan moving forward for recovery, Ambassador Collins spoke about re-

engineering debt Ireland has obtained separating banking from sovereign debt when the country’s “economy is growing as the best performing in the EU in 2013,” while simultaneously recognizing that the Irish economy remains fragile.

Ambassador Collins also discussed his interest in current events taking place in the United States. He recognized the tragic Boston Marathon bombings and said Boston was a strong and united community.

“Ambassador Collins did a great job explaining the effects of the EU in Ireland and globally. It was interesting to learn about the large impact the EU has on our global market,” said Poi DeStefano, a junior finance major.

Collins also recognized the relationship Ireland has had with President Obama throughout his presidency, and discussed the upcoming immigration bill, which will affect a number of undocumented immigrants in the United States. Collins put particular emphasis on Ireland’s relationship with the United States, even stating that his role as ambassador for the past six years has been “a particular delight” and “the highlight of his career.”

Talking with The Tower after his speech, Collins explained that leadership has the ability to set a course for people to follow, explaining what a wonderful gift strong leadership is and emphasizing the vitality of great responsibility when bringing others forward with you.