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OCTOBER 22, 2015 VOLUME XXXV, ISSUE 11
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Council Focuses on Bias Incidents
Photo Feature
By CONNOR MANNION News Co-Editor/Asst. Literary Editor
The College Council on Oct.15 took a different schedule than usual, dedicating the entire meeting to discussing ways to have professors and academic departments respond to the ‘bias incidents’ at Rose Hill. According to Robert Grimes, dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), “Many professors had voiced their concerns about being able to respond properly after Father McShane’s’ email asking professors to discuss this in class … students have also noted that they felt that many professors were not responsive.” The usual business of the College Council was quickly moved through so that the rest of the meeting could give way to an open forum on how professors might respond to the bias incidents, and how they felt they should discuss these incidents with students. To help facilitate the conversation, Clara Rodriguez, professor of sociology, was asked to speak in front of the forum held in LL 816. “I do teach on race, and discuss this on a daily basis in class, but I had a lot of faculty ask me about how to discuss this subject.” Also invited to the council were members of the Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice (CSJ); Ijeoma Nwaogu, assistant director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) and Zann BallsunSimms, FCLC ’16 and president of Black Student Alliance (BSA). “There’s a larger concern about the language that students are using, so we’d like help in addressing that from professors,” BallsunSimms added. Faculty, when prompted to talk about race by the email sent by McShane, felt completely unprepared to talk. According to Sarah Zimmerman, professor and associate chair of the English department, “Some of the teachers feel like we need scripts or defined ground rules for conversations, we need practical advice to do this.” Nwaogu answered Zimmersee COUNCIL pg. 3
LYDIA BENNER /THE OBSERVER
The Observer photographers documented the arrival of fall in New York City. See centerfold and fordhamobserver.com for more.
Award Winning Novelist Speaks On Death By STEPHAN KOZUB Staff Writer
On Thursday, Oct. 16, the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture hosted writers Alice McDermott and Thomas Lynch for a literary discussion, or as Director of the Fordham College on Religion and Culture, James P. McCartin, called it in his opening remarks, “a conversation between the two very best people I could think of to discuss our mortal end.” The event, titled “Unto Dust: A Literary Wake,” was a conversation between the two writers on death, dying, and the concept of a “good funeral,” as Lynch referred to it throughout the evening, both in literature and in life. McDermott, the author of seven
books, has been a three time finalist for the Pulitzer Award, and has won both the National Book Award and the American Book Award for fiction for her 1998 book, “Charming Billy.” More recently, her book “Somewhere” was published in 2013, as well as “These Short Dark Days,” which was published in the New Yorker. edition. She is also the Richard A. Macksey Professor at the Johns Hopkins University, where she teaches creative writing. Thomas Lynch is a poet and essayist, his publications include his 1997 collection of essays, “The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade,” which won the Heartland Prize for nonfiction and the American Book Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Award. He has recently published
“The Sin-Eater: A Breviary,” a book of poems. He is also the proprietor of Lynch & Sons Funeral Director, a family business in eastern Michigan. The evening began with opening remarks from McCartin, who set the mood with the statement “Where else except at a good funeral are we expected to have truly complicated and emotional responses. Sadness or even devastation mixing with joy and consolation and reconnecting with old friends, anger at the shortcomings or tragic turns of a life, hinged with a dose of gratitude that may just make way for forgiveness or acceptance.” Before handing the program over to McDermott and Lynch, McCartin said to the audience “You will be moved, if not to cry, then
certainly to laugh, and maybe you’ll even be moved to go to a good funeral tomorrow.” Surprisingly, despite the morbid nature of the discussion’s topic, the audience was frequently moved to laughter, due to the authors’ light hearted jokes about death and their Irish ancestry, such as Lynch’s statement that the Irish “are very good around corpses.” Although the authors’ discussion frequently elicited laughter, a melancholic attitude of longing for the better days of the past clung to the air throughout the event, as they discussed death, funerals, their lives and their literature. “If we speak of the afterlife, it is either with vague piety, or cautious facetiousness, tentatively suggestsee DEATH pg. 4
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October 22, 2015 THE OBSERVER
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Panel Held On Economic Urban Justice By CECILE NEIDIG Staff Writer
On Wednesday, Oct. 7, the Fordham Law School hosted a panel presented by the Women’s City Club of New York (WCC), along with the Safety Net Project of the Urban Justice Center. Entitled “This Bridge Called My Back: Women of Color and the Fight for Economic Security,” the panel focused on issues of economic and social injustices plaguing women of color. Among the panelists were Luna Ranjit, co-founder and executive director of Adhikaar, a non-profit organization centered around social justice for Nepali communities, as well as Margarita Rosa, the executive director of the National Center for Law and Economic Justice, Linda Sarsour, executive director of the Arab American Association of New York and Joanne N. Smith, the founder of Girls for Gender Equity (GGE). The discussion was moderated by Christina Greer, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science and author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream.” The discussion focused on the difficulties that women in general and women of color, in particular, are faced with in achieving economic security. The panelists discussed their roles as leaders in their communities and organizations in combating issues of racism, sexism and social and economic inequalities. Sarsour pointed to societal oppression – the “idea that women are not allowed to be too powerful, we’re not allowed to have too much access, our voices aren’t allowed to be too loud or too proud,” an obstacle, she argued, that men do not have to face. “The strategy is really being role models,” she later stated. In relation to the idea of being a role model for young girls in different communities, Greer commented on the descriptive and substantive leadership that the women on the panel provide in their communities – that is, their race, ethnicity, gender or
CECILE NEIDIG /THE OBSERVER
The discussion was moderated by Christina Greer, assistant professor of political science at Fordham University.
background is reflective of who they represent, and the work that they do is reflective of the needs of who they represent. As the panel concluded, Rosa posed a challenge to the audience: “I’ve had the opportunity to discuss this subject now for about 30 years, maybe longer, and so my challenge to all of us is: let’s come up with a solution where you are not having this conversation about this same subject 30 years from now.” She notes the
forces that have diluted the previous advances made to combat the challenges facing women by forces that “have been persistent and consistent and well-funded and focused on undermining those advances,” and that we must also be persistent and determined to reverse those forces and the many challenges that women face. Jacqueline Ebanks, one of the organizers of the panel and the executive director of WCC, said that she wanted a “multi-generational
and cross-cultural group of women to really engage in self exploration but also to think how to move a collective agenda.” She said, “The fact is that economic security is an issue that is relevant to all but some are significantly more disadvantaged than others and I think as a society we won’t be strong unless all people are strong,” and that this is not achieved in isolation, but collectively. “So, this we hope is a start of a dialogue, start of a conversation and also the con-
tinuation,” Ebanks said. She continued, “I would challenge us to recognize that we’re going to have discussions like this. When we become complacent it erodes and then we’re back to where we were 30 years ago. When we engage in social change and in advocacy one very key step, which I think we’ve fallen asleep on, is maintaining the gains and there is work in maintaining the gains. It’s real simple, you have to be vigilant and you have to be constant at it.”
GO! DR Cancelled Amid Mass Deportation Crisis By CONNOR MANNION News Co-Editor/Asst. Literary Editor
Global Outreach at Fordham Lincoln Center (GO!) has cancelled its annual spring service trip to the Dominican Republic, as the project’s contact, the Joan Rose Foundation (JRF), has relocated to Haiti due to fears for the foundation’s safety. While the project cancellation appears sudden, the circumstances are long-standing. beginning with a Dominican Supreme Court decision to revoke birthright citizenship, and the climate of disenfranchisement in the country toward persons of Haitian descent. The court decision creates a group of “stateless people,” according to Arnaldo Cruz-Malavé, director of the Latin American and Latino Studies Institute (LALSI) at Fordham University . The country began deporting these people over the summer, and according to the Guardian around 500,000 people face deportation due to the new laws. “What makes the Dominican Supreme Court’s decision particularly egregious is the fact that it disenfranchises several generations of Dominicans of Haitian descent who have been born and raised in the Dominican Republic,” Cruz-Malavé said. JRF , GO!’s contact organization in the Dominican Republic, was founded in 2010, according to Hannah Anderson, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ‘16 and copresident of the GO! Board. “Their main goal is trying to help kids out of poverty through education, and they also provide opportunities for women in the community since they
CONNOR MANNION /THE OBSERVER
The bulletin outside of the Global Outreach office still displays the three ongoing spring projects
don’t have a lot of opportunities to work in other parts of the culture.” According to Miriam Ambrosino, FCLC ‘17 and member of the GO! Board, the foundation’s community in the DR showed signs of duress last year when she was on GO! Dominican Republic. “I remember one day that I spoke with David [Palmer], the president of the organization, and asked him how it was going and he flat out told me they were leaving because Joan Rose wasn’t welcome in the country anymore,” she said.
While the foundation’s mission is stated to help all impoverished residents of the Dominican Republic, many of the children and families involved with the foundation tend to be of Haitian ancestry, due to the government’s policies. “When I was there, I noticed that almost all of the children were of Haitian descent … one of the things that happened in this recent year is they’ve cracked down on ‘illegal residents.’” Anderson said. “There were also groups of ex-
tremists that were taking matters into their own hands, and a boy was lynched in Santiago because of that,” she continued. “What’s happening right now is that the foundation is in a really transitory period--they’re creating a democratic farm system. Every family that was brought with them was guaranteed a job, so a lot is up in the air for them right now so it wouldn’t be beneficial for us to come.” In a statement on their official blog, JRF announced they were leav-
ing the Dominican Republic, as they “do not feel Esperanza, DR is a safe or healthy place for our people … our mission is to provide our children with the opportunity to succeed. We no longer feel we can provide them that opportunity in the DR and so are moving our operations and core families to Haiti.” The foundation is now located in Jacmel, a commune in southern Haiti. Ambrosino noted that while JRF was able to take a handful of families they worked with to Jacmel, “a lot had to be left behind. I asked David what was going to happen to them and he said he thought they would starve or be deported.” While GO! DR will not be happening this year, the three other spring projects are moving forward. Waynesburg, New Orleans and Nicaragua will all be travelling to their respective locations come March 2016. Anderson is hopeful that the trip to the region will resume in the future, though it would not be travelling to the same country anymore. “GO! as a whole has kept in contact with the foundation … myself and anyone else on the project can attest this is something we would like to continue.” Additionally, one person also noted that renaming the project may not be in the spirit of the reason Global Outreach sends a team their every spring. “If it comes back, I hope it’s called something like GO! DR in Haiti or something similar. The issues we faced in the project are very real, and I think that even renaming it we might forget what a team goes there to learn.”
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THE OBSERVER October 22, 2015
News
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ANA FOTA /THE OBSERVER
First to speak at the meeting was university President Joseph McShane, S.J. (pictured center).
Faculty Senate Tackles Diversity on Campus By ANA FOTA News Co-Editor
The Fordham Faculty Senate held their second meeting of the school year on Oct. 2nd, to address several matters, including diversity issues on both campuses and plans for the University’s future. The Senate members present at the meeting were predominantly white, with an approximately even representation of both sexes. The issue of diversity was discussed throughout the meeting, with several members expressing their concerns. The senatos asked to remain unindentified. One senator called the lack of black faculty in the Gabelli School of Business (GSB), “which is appalling.” University Provost Stephen Freedman, Ph.D., participated in the discussion, saying “I would prefer that we have funds available to incentivize faculty to hire more people of color, however we would never go against a faculty recommendation.” “I hope we don’t talk about this just because of recent events,” a member of the Senate said and was quickly reassured by the Provost that this is not the case. “It’s something that we need to consider, especially after years of having this conversation,” another member of the Senate argued. A third senator weighed in, “first and foremost in my mind is this question of our disconnect,” referring to the lack of communication between students and faculty. Before the end of the meeting, Anne Fernald, senate president and associate professor of English and di-
rector of writing and composition at Lincoln Center, brought up the “racist” carving at Rose Hill, proposing the presence of student leaders at the Senate’s next meeting, to voice their concerns regarding the response of administration and faculty to the two racially-charged incidents that occurred at Rose Hill in September. Amir Idris, professor and chair of the African and African-American Studies department has been assigned to designate students eligible to represent the student body, by talking in front of the senate. “The racist carving itself is not as important as the climate that led someone to feel comfortable doing this,” Fernald said. The incidents were treated as part of a larger problem, embedded in the culture at Fordham. Freedman held a presentation regarding the broader issue of diversity at Fordham. His hopes for the future include shifting the academic focus more towards the research aspect of the institution. “It’s not that we’re not doing well, but I think we can do better,” he said, calling for interdisciplinarity and collaboration between the different departments and schools under the Fordham umbrella. Freedman cited Gabelli School of Business (GSB) faculty helping in the Arts programs and vice versa as an example. He also expressed his hopes that such actions will not lead to a culture of competitiveness at Fordham. “Should we,” the Provost asked, “have a more proactive approach to departments who are willing to hire a second candidate for diversity reasons? If we did and if I made that decision, would that go
“ The racist carving itself is not as important as the climate that led someone to feel comfortable doing this.” –
ANNE FERNALD, Senate President and
counter to the views of departments who might be losing the position of a very effective person, as a result of this diversity measure?” One senator agreed with this course of action, saying, “potential for research and the ways for us to work together for social good, to address social injustice, are things Fordham is uniquely poised to do.” The second half of the meeting was predominantly led by the members of the Continuous University Strategic Planning (CUSP) committee, particularly Committee President J. Patrick Hornbeck II, associate professor and chair of the theology department. According to Hornbeck, the committee’s main goal is “to generate a series of broad goals regarding what the university should look like,” with a focus on the “distinctly unsexy topic of process and strategy,” designing a direction for reshaping the university over the next decade. According to him, the committee has made strides regarding the issue of cooperation between two campuses with different academic focuses.
Associate Professor of English
Among the issues raised by CUSP was Fordham’s financial vulnerability. This is due to it being overly tuition dependent, meaning most of its financial means come from student payments. This year, both Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) and Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) had a larger number of enrollment than expected, with 50 more students at FCRH and 19 more at FCLC. However, other areas of the institution have registered lower enrollment rates, such as the Fordham Law School. Overall, undergraduate admission was over by 140 students. The meeting was monitored by Fernald. First to speak was Rev. Joseph Michael McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University. He made a few announcements, among which was the expiration of the Federal Perkins Loan Program, which provided financial aid for Fordham students in need. The exact number of students that this will affect has yet to be determined. On a lighter note, McShane briefly described his encounter with Pope Francis at the White House re-
ception held to welcome the current pontiff during his visit to the United States. “His rhetoric is classically Jesuit,” McShane stated, as it was based on the three steps of engaging, praising and challenging. McShane was present both at the White House reception to welcome the current pontiff and at the United Nations meeting held during Pope Francis’s visit to the United States. “You will notice that in his addresses throughout his trip, he followed a three part approach,” which was “classically Jesuit,” according to McShane. The three steps are engaging the audience by building a sense of identity, praising them and, lastly, challenging them. Prior to the visit, McShane had sent out four invitations towards the pontiff. Fordham’s graduate schools are facing an increasingly competitive market and the high tuition costs do not facilitate higher enrollment rates. Presently, the university is financially secure due to the unexpected high number of undergraduate enrollment this year. “It is a testimony to our great program,” McShane stated, as Fordham sells “a great product in a great location. To protect our quality is to protect our future.” As the representative body of university faculty, the Senate holds monthly meetings from September through May, alternating between the two campuses. It is comprised of 25 elected members, representing the two campuses of Fordham College and the graduate schools. Their November meeting will be held at Lincoln Center.
Professors Express Discomfort in Race Dialogue COUNCIL FROM PAGE 1
man’s question: “You have to really start from just a place of care, and it will always be uncomfortable having these conversations. I’ve been doing this and studying these subjects my entire life and I’m still uncomfortable with many of these conversations.” “But that is what it means to be a facilitator--it comes from the Latin ‘to make easy,’ so we can put people at ease so we can learn from each other, not just force a discussion,” she continued.
Rodriguez noted that the main concern she had heard from the faculty was that they were afraid of offending students, but that it wasn’t productive to avoid this if it meant avoiding conversation entirely. “A colleague of mine once said that ‘we are all racists and we live in a racist society, we build everything off what we assume of others.’ So we have to get past this fear of offending,” Rodriguez said. Amir Idris, professor and chair of the African and African American Studies department, made a similar point. “So much of what
people say about race is distorted and unhelpful, because it is not a part of our daily conversation, it is only discussed after some tragedy. In Canada, talking about race is a part of multiculturalism, and it is a daily conversation,” he said. “If you do not create a space for people to speak freely, they will not talk about it.” Gwenyth Jackaway, associate chair of communication and media studies, noted that while race was an issue, “We’re very comfortable speaking about gender and there are multiple classes on the schedule
that concern that. So thinking about scheduling, we can create classes in the curriculum to create space to talk about these issues.” Many of the faculty agreed with this, and Nwaogu also mentioned an upcoming workshop for faculty that would work as training for facilitating dialogue on race relations. According to her, “we’re establishing a focus group to plan what students would like to see in these workshops.” “It’s not as scary as it seems to talk about this … for the most part college students are very mature and do handle these discussions
well,” she continued. Rodriguez also clarified that it is not a binary issue in discussing race, and many issues are also worth constant discussion. “It’s not just white and black and it’s not just race, it’s class, gender, sexual orientation … that reinforces the tendency to look at this as having only two sides.” The meeting ended with Grimes asking the council to remember what was said at the meeting. “It’s extremely important that you bring what was said here back to your respective departments,” he said.
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October 22, 2015 THE OBSERVER
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Student Affairs Pushes New York Times Digital By STEPHAN KOZUB Staff Writer
A decision was made in February to offer commuting students digital access passes to the New York Times in order to replace the print editions they no longer had access to, while maintaining access to the newspaper. However, the Office of Student Leadership and Development (OSLCD) has had to explore more ways of promoting the passes to undergraduates. Hardcopies were removed from outside LL408, in response to noncommuters taking the newspapers. This decision eliminated commuting students’ access to the print edition, leading OSLCD to expand digital so that the commuting students could still access the Times. According to figures provided by Dean of Students Keith Eldredge, however, students are not using the digital access passes frequently. Last year, the passes were used on average by only 20 people a day, peaking at 70. “Our numbers show that we’ve come nowhere close to using up all the passes,” Eldredge said. In order to combat this issue and to promote the digital subscriptions to commuters, Eldredge and the Commuting Students Association (CSA) have teamed up. “CSA has really embraced the idea of helping us push this information to commuting students so that they know about the online passes available and they’ve done a number of different initiatives,” Eldredge said. “We’re trying to push the awareness of the online portion of it to commuters because we don’t have the hardcopies in an area that’s accessible to them anymore,” Eldredge said. “So resident students are certainly allowed and able to take advantage of the online access as well, we’re not restricting that in any way to any particular population, but we figure the folks that are most interested in the New York Times are going to know it’s there and are going to grab it as they come and go in the mornings each day.” Along with these initiatives to promote the digital access to commuters are plans to provide them with access to the print edition to them again. “The executive board of the CSA approached me late in the spring and I had some conversations with them over the summer, and we’ve just about finalized a plan,” Eldredge said. “They’re going to take a small quantity of newspapers, maybe 10 to start with, and have them available in the CSA office during their hours as a way to say
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ZANA NAJJAR /THE OBSERVER
Fordham students can now access the Times online, although residents can still pick up hardcopies.
“ We’re trying to push the awareness of the
online portion of it to commuters, because we don’t have it in an area that’s accessible to them anymore.” –
KEITH ELDREDGE, dean of students at FCLC
‘Hey commuting students, come to our office. We want you to engage with CSA anyway, and here’s a resource if anyone’s looking for a hard-copy paper.’ If they run out of papers in five minutes every day, then we’re going to have to rethink this. On the other hand if nobody shows up and nobody wants the papers, I’ll imagine we’ll discontinue doing it.” The Office of Student Affairs is also exploring options to make the Times available to students once the office moves to the Old Law School building once its renovations are completed, according to Eldredge. “We’ll have to rethink a bunch of
things when we get over there into that new space so that’s certainly on the docket to see if maybe there is an opportunity to do that,” Eldredge said. Similar to OSLCD’s decision to expand the digital New York Times access pass programs is the Gabelli School of Business’ (GSB) day pass system for the Wall Street Journal available to business students. “Business students have access to the Wall Street Journal online, and we recently, through the help of the IT department, made it easily accessible through the Gabelli Connect website,” Rev. Vincent Decola, S.J. and assistant dean of Global
Business at Lincoln Center, said. However, GSB continues to offer the print editions of the Wall Street Journal on the sixth floor of Lowenstein, unlike OSLCD’s offering of the New York Times. “Anyone can stop on the 6th floor, but they’re intended to be for the business students,” DeCola said. The oddity of the New York Times offerings to students, however, is that many continue to read the print edition, despite the expansion of the digital access passes. “The print editions, they go,” Eldredge said. “I get that report back from [the Times] on a monthly basis, and there’s some days where there’s maybe five papers they take back the next morning, but most days it’s zero. At some point throughout the 24 hour period the newspapers are going out of the residence halls.” Students such as Luke Momo, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ‘19, who regularly read the print editions of the Times provided on campus, attest to sticking
with the print medium. “Print paper gives you news in a tactile way that accessing a computer doesn’t,” Momo said. “It’s something you can take with you, hold in your hand, doesn’t run out of battery, and has a build and organized structure to it.” Momo, however, called something else to attention as he flipped through The New York Times he had picked up on campus: “Where’s the arts section?” Students may have noticed the absence of the arts section from the print editions available on campus, as well as the remainder of the third section of the paper indicated in the copies’ tables of contents. The print editions of the New York Times are available on the 2nd floor of McMahon and in McKeon. Although the Fordham website indicates that the print editions are available on “the 1st floor of McKeon Hall outside the elevators inside the turnstile,” they are currently available in McKeon only within the Undergraduate Dining Hall.
Alice McDermott Talks About Death, Dying and Being Irish DEATH FROM PAGE 1
ing reunions with loved ones and somehow no longer annoying relatives,” McDermott said regarding how people deal with death in society today. “I begin to wonder if it’s not death that we are reluctant to acknowledge here in the 21st Century, but the awkward outlandishness of the notion of eternal life.” Similarly, Lynch stated that “as a culture and as a community of faith, we have lost our eschatological nerve,” frequently criticizing current funerary practices and reminiscing on the seemingly bygone time of the “good funeral.” “The stories we tell ourselves about what happens when we die have lost their sinew and certainty and assurances and this is why you may have noticed we have replaced the ‘good funeral,’ which used to be a sort of one-size-fits-all liturgical event during which we would say aloud the things we believe as a culture and thereby embolden the nor-
mally shaken faith of the bereaved,” Lynch said. “We’ve replaced that with a celebration of life, where the life being celebrated is the one that belonged to the corpse, and because the narrative on which we usually use to upend these beliefs has gotten shakier and uncertain. Now we use a narrative that probably fits best into the term ‘funeral karaoke.’” “The funeral has become a steady estrangement between the living and the dead,” Lynch continued. “How long will it take to restore us to a sort of order about our obligations to the dead?” This sentiment was echoed later on by McDermott when she said “In contemporary culture, there is a fear of gravitas and of the grave, both literal and figurative.” Along with these sentiments came parts of the discussion geared towards older generations, which made up a majority of the audience. Lynch frequently stated “our generation,” gesturing to the audi-
“ In contemporary
culture, there is a fear of gravitas and of the grave, both literal and figurative.” ALICE MCDERMOTT, National Book Award–winning novelist discussing why death is rarely spoken about.
ence, while McDermott questioned “I hear a younger generation who are not maybe as accustomed to the customs of death saying’ no, the way we do it is much less morbid and we get over it and here you guys are sitting around talking about death all the time.’ What do we say to that generation of what gets left out? What gets lost in the rush to be
comforted?” Unfortunately, the evening also came with some slightly awkward moments mixed in with the melancholic reminiscence and the discussion about their respective works and lives. When asked about the concept of the resurrection of the body, McDermott called the concept “bullshit,” similar to her calling other beliefs “outrageous,” such as that of the afterlife, throughout the discussion. This remark was met by laughter, but one could not help to notice a feeling of tension arise as religious beliefs were brought up and questioned. This awkwardness caused by the melancholic atmosphere and criticisms of the current beliefs and funerary practices came to a climax at the end of the event, when a small elderly woman raised her hand and spoke quietly but with purpose, and said “there is grace there, and you just need to be patient until it comes to you,” which was followed
by a moment of silence from the two authors and applause from the audience. The next event by the Fordham Center on Religion and Culture will be “Our Planet’s Keeper? The Environment, the Poor, and the Struggle for Justice” on Tues. Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. The panel will feature, Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, SDB, Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and former President of Caritas Internationalis, a global confederation of Catholic humanitarian organizations; Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and Special Advisor on Millennium Development Goals to the United Nations General Assembly; and Joan Rosenhauer, Executive Vice President for U.S. Operations of Catholic Relief Services, and former Associate Director of the Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
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THE OBSERVER October 22, 2015
News
COURTESY OF THE OFFICE FOR INSTITUTIONAL EQUITY AND COMPLIANCE AND TITLE IX
STUDENTS BILL OF RIGHTS REGARDING SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALL STUDENTS HAVE THE RIGHT TO: 1. MAKE A REPORT TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AND/OR STATE POLICE; 2. HAVE DISCLOSURES OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DATING VIOLENCE, STALKING, AND SEXUAL ASSAULT TREATED SERIOUSLY; 3. MAKE A DECISION ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT TO DISCLOSE A CRIME OR VIOLATION AND PARTICIPATE IN THE JUDICIAL OR CONDUCT PROCESS AND/ OR CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROCESS FREE FROM PRESSURE BY THE INSTITUTION; 4. PARTICIPATE IN A PROCESS THAT IS FAIR, IMPARTIAL, AND PROVIDES ADEQUATE NOTICE AND A MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD; 5. BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY AND TO RECEIVE FROM THE INSTITUTION COURTEOUS, FAIR, AND RESPECTFUL HEALTH CARE AND COUNSELING SERVICES, WHERE AVAILABLE; 6. BE FREE FROM ANY SUGGESTION THAT THE REPORTING INDI-VIDUAL IS AT FAULT WHEN THESE CRIMES AND VIOLATIONS ARE COMMITTED, OR SHOULD HAVE ACTED IN A DIFFERENT MANNER TO AVOID SUCH CRIMES OR VIOLATIONS; 7. DESCRIBE THE INCIDENT TO AS FEW INSTITUTION REPRESENTATIVES AS PRACTICABLE AND NOT BE REQUIRED TO UNNECESSARILY REPEAT A DESCRIPTION OF THE INCIDENT; 8. BE PROTECTED FROM RETALIATION BY THE INSTITUTION, ANY STUDENT, THE ACCUSED AND/OR THE RESPONDENT, AND/OR THEIR FRIENDS, FAMILY AND ACQUAINTANCES WITHIN THE JURISDICTION OF THE INSTITUTION; 9. ACCESS TO AT LEAST ONE LEVEL OF APPEAL OF A DETERMINATION; 10. BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADVISOR OF CHOICE WHO MAY ASSIST AND ADVISE A REPORTING INDIVIDUAL, ACCUSED, OR RESPONDENT THROUGHOUT THE JUDICIAL OR CONDUCT PROCESS INCLUDING DURING ALL MEETINGS AND HEARINGS RELATED TO SUCH PROCESS; AND 11. EXERCISE CIVIL RIGHTS AND PRACTICE OF RELIGION WITHOUT INTERFERENCE BY THE INVESTIGATIVE, CRIMINAL JUSTICE, OR JUDICIAL OR CONDUCT PROCESS OF THE INSTITUTION. Reports of prohibited sexual misconduct may be filed the Department of Public Safety 24/7, 365 days a year by calling 718-817-2222. Repots may also be filed with any University official, including but not limited to: Resident Assistants, Resident Directors, and any member of the Division of Student Affairs. Reports filed with the University will be shared only with those members of the Administration who have a “need to know.” In the event of an emergency, you may always dial 911. A report can also be filed confidentially with clinical counselors in Counseling & Psychological Services or with pastoral counselors within Campus Ministry. For more information, please visit fordham.edu/sexualmisconduct or fordham.edu/care
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Opinions
STAFF EDITORIAL
DESTIGMATIZING MENTAL ILLNESS
October 22, 2015 THE OBSERVER
Observer the
Editor-in-Chief Adriana Gallina
I
f an organ in your body stops functioning correctly, you are typically encouraged to seek medical attention to fix the problem. However this is not the case with mental health issues, as physical ailments often take precedent. Anxiety and depression are often misunderstood because the sources and treatments are not as clear. This is problematic because an influx of stress on college campuses leads to an influx of mental health issues – particularly around times of elevated stress like midterms or finals. Because of a lack of resources and just a general lack of discourse about mental health, students who feel anxious, depressed, or experience changes in their mood do not feel comfortable talking about their experiences or seeking help. Anxiety and depression can be managed. Research by the National Alliance on Mental Health shows that one in four students have a diagnosable illness; 40 percent of college students do not seek help; 80 percent feel overwhelmed by their responsibilities; 50 per-
cent have been so anxious that they have struggled in school. Students do not have to suffer in silence.There are resources at our disposal as
who may be suffering from mental health disorders.
“We encourage all to show sympathy and support towards those who may be suffering from mental health disorders.”
New York City Free Clinic 917.544.0735 16 East 16th Street, New York, NY 10003
students of Fordham. There are 10 free sessions offered by Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) per year. If you would prefer to seek outside treatment, New York City offers many free and low-cost clinics. See the list below for some of the options available. We encourage students struggling with mental health to seek. We encourage all to show sympathy and support towards those
Here are a list of free and low cost clinics in Manhattan:
Weill Cornell Community Clinic 646.962.9222 505 East 70th Street, 1st Floor, New York, NY 10021 Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Care Clinic 212.423.3000 312 East 94th Street, New York, NY 10128 East Harlem Health Outreach Program - Mount Sinai 626.942.6519 17 East 102nd Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10029 Columbia Student Medical Outreach 212.342.4719 21 Audubon Avenue, New York, NY 10033 St. Anthony’s Free Clinic 718.401.9705 421 East 155th Street, Bronx, NY 10455
Managing Editor Ben Moore News Co-Editors Ana Fota Connor Mannion Asst. News Co-Editor Jennifer McNary Opinions Co-Editors Tyler Burdick Lexi McMenamin Asst. Opinions Co-Editors Areeg Abdelhamid Annunziata Santelli Arts & Culture Co-Editors Loulou Chryssides Sri Stewart Features Co-Editors Alanna Kilkeary Hansini Weedagama Alysha Kundanmal Literary Co-Editors Jessica Vitovitch Erika Ortiz Asst. Literary Co-Editors Kayla D’Angelo Connor Mannion Sports Co-Editor Matthew McCarthy Kathleen Kirtland Copy Editors Brianna Goodman Kaitlyn Lyngaas Tyler Burdick Assistant Copy Editor Erika Ortiz Layout Co-Editors Jennifer McNary Elodie Huston Multimedia Producer Ninett Rodriguez Asst. Multimedia Producer Jesse Carlucci Photo Co-Editors Jessica Hanley Jess Luszczyk Online Editor Ben Moore Business Manager Victoria Leon Faculty Advisor Prof. Elizabeth Stone
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POLICIES AND PROCEDURES • Letters to the Editor should be typed and sent to The Observer, Fordham University, 113 West 60th Street, Room 408, New York, NY 10023, or e-mailed to fordhamobserver@gmail.com. Length should not exceed 200 words. All letters must be signed and include contact information, official titles, and year of graduation (if applicable) for verification. • If submitters fail to include this information, the editorial board will do so at its own discretion. • The Observer has the right to withhold any submissions from publication and will not consider more than two letters from the same individual on one topic. The Observer reserves the right to edit all letters and submissions for content, clarity and length. • Opinions articles and commentaries represent the view of their authors. These articles are in no way the views held by the editorial board of The Observer or Fordham University. • The Editorial is the opinion held by a majority of The Observer’s editorial board. The Editorial does not reflect the views held by Fordham University.
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Opinions
October 22, 2015 THE OBSERVER
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Adjunct Professors: Good in Moderation TYLER BURDICK Opinions Co-Editor
The essential, universal business model always contains some kind of mechanism for optimizing profits while reducing costs. One of the biggest costs for businesses in 2015 is the employee salary, and as businesses expand and branch out, they want to be able to adequately staff their locations without putting too big a dent into their budgets. This is why mechanization of the workplace has taken a firm hold, and, whenever actual human interaction is needed, those that are willing to work for lower wages are always preferred. This is why there is such a fight to raise the minimum wage; higherpaying jobs are being replaced with lower-paying jobs whenever possible, and if minimum wage is so prevalent, then it only makes sense for it to actually pay enough for a sustainable lifestyle. What isn’t always apparent is that universities are businesses too, and while academic integrity is definitely something many schools are conscious about, the topic of teacher salaries is always something that worms its way into the discussion of faculty structure. To a university, the equivalent of a minimum wage worker seems to be a little position called the “adjunct professor.” Allen Trevithick, adjunct professor of sociology at Fordham College Rose Hill, is one of many voices that are pushing for increased wages for adjunct faculty. The reasoning? Wages for adjunct professors are borderline poverty levels. Not only that, but Trevithick claims that universities do not foster the advancement of professors and do not offer opportunities for anyone to advance beyond the “adjunct” level, since it’s far more profitable to continuously hire adjuncts than it is to have more tenured teacher positions. I
JESSICA HANLEY /THE OBSERVER
Fordham’s classrooms are frequently occupied by adjunct professors, either teaching on the side or attempting to take a step onto the tenure track.
can understand where he’s coming from on some level, but I think it behooves us to keep in mind why adjunct professors are meant to exist in the first place. According to the American Association of University Professors, “Non-tenure-track positions of all types now account for 76 percent of all instructional staff appointments in American higher education.” An article on Salon.com also singles out Fordham specifically for mostly hiring low-wage adjunct professors. If done for purely economic reasons, then this is really a problem that Fordham, and indeed many other universities, need to address. But that is not to say that there is no value in an adjunct professor remaining an adjunct professor, it just needs to
happen in moderation. What do I mean? Well, the Gabelli School of Business has hired nearly 100 adjunct professors onto its faculty, but each one of these faculty members also maintains a position at another company. These positions range from consultants, to partners, to CEOs and even founders of companies like the Royal Bank of Canada, Silver Point Capital, AdSon LLC and Edenbrook Capital LLC. These are people with real-world business experience, and as such can serve as references or bridges for any student that shows interest in a certain field. Teaching in an adjunct capacity allows someone to have one foot in two ponds,, in a manner that can only be beneficial to the students taking said professor’s course. To
add my own personal experience to the mix, I took a course on international criminal law taught by Professor Karen Corrie, an adjunct professor who at the time also worked as a consultant in the Permanent Mission of Estonia to the United Nations. When her course ended and summer began, she forwarded an internship opportunity to work in the Mission of Estonia to the entire class. These examples of adjunct professors are all right; the problem, however, occurs when adjunct professors want to teach full time, but they are forced to do so exclusively in an adjunct capacity because the university doesn’t want to pay out more than it has to. Professor Trevithick currently teaches six courses, and if he were to maintain that workload for a
full year he would on average make, again according to Salon.com, only $34,000 before taxes. As it stands, the only way for adjunct professors to sustain themselves is to maintain a job separate from a university. In many cases, this works just fine, but for those that pull the full-time weight that Trevithick does without appropriate compensation, something needs to change. It is a great disservice if those who want to evolve past the adjunct position are blocked from doing so due to university economics; at some point, especially here in a Jesuit university, we must show some level of concern for the individuals that comprise our community.
In Defense of Trigger Warnings ALYSHA KUNDANMAL Features Co-Editor
Recently there has been a lot of criticism, particularly pointed at college campuses, for being too sensitive and fostering overly politically-correct discourse. Some students have asked professors to label potentially jarring content on their syllabi with trigger warnings; some have stymied potential guests from speaking at their campuses due to possibly offensive material; and some have created designated safe spaces on campuses meant to serve as a refuge from the unpredictable and emotionally triggering environment around them. The BBC defines a trigger warning as “a sentence or a few words to caution readers about the content which will follow. The author adds a warning in recognition of strong writing or images which could unsettle those with mental health difficulties. They exist so readers can choose whether or not to read any further.” Being exposed to triggering content can carry similar effects to that of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and can leave the recipient in an emotionally distressed or psychologically vulnerable state. In September, The Atlantic released an article titled “The Coddling of the American Mind” that focused on calling out these “overly sensitive” students by explaining that they were doing themselves a disservice by choosing not to hear opinions they might disagree with. The article argued that trigger warnings are serving as a deterrent to students
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JESSICA HANLEY /THE OBSERVER
Information in the public sphere can cause debilitating and otherwise harmful consequences for those who are not mentally equipped to hear it.
with differing opinions, effectively stifling freedom of speech as well as quelling healthy debate that is a necessary part of an academic and social education. However, trigger warnings are not the problem – they are only a solution. Trigger warnings are to mental and emotional health as al-
lergen warnings on food labels are to physical health. Would you condemn someone’s stomach for being overly sensitive if she had to read a label before consuming food to make sure it didn’t contain gluten? If you baked brownies for your classmates but failed to mention that they contained nuts, and one of the students in the
class with a severe nut allergy ended up in the hospital, wouldn’t you feel responsible for his hospitalization because you didn’t tell him there were nuts in the brownies? In the same way that we have to prepare ourselves for the worst possible outcome – death – of an allergy attack by mandating labels on food,
acknowledging that dissociation, panic attacks or traumatic flashbacks can occur from being exposed to triggering content should be handled in the same way. We should work to prevent these episodes from occurring before they happen by labelling content that could cause people to suffer psychological effects from it. The issue is not that trigger warnings are too coddling – the issue is that mental health is somehow seen as a less valid concern than physical health. The argument that mental illnesses are invisible and thus are intangible, so they do not warrant the same concern is ridiculous. There are plenty of invisible physical illnesses and disabilities, but those are valid and credible and receive the necessary attention they deserve. You can’t invalidate how someone else is feeling just because you don’t understand it or have not experienced it yourself. When someone says they are allergic to something you don’t question it, and you give her the courtesy of labelling things that could hurt her. Why is the mental and emotional well-being of someone any less valid? Oftentimes, the people who are against trigger warnings are the people that have not experienced emotionally traumatic situations, so they really should not have any authority on the matter. If you are not triggered by content, then the inclusion of trigger warnings will not change your life in any way. However, if you are one of the many people who suffers from emotional trauma or has a mental illness, then trigger warnings could help you a great deal.
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THE OBSERVER October 22, 2015
Opinions
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The Global Rally Has a Right to Speak Too WILL FLOYD
No matter how stupid and shortsighted I find their hatred of Islam to be, it has to be allowed.
Contributing Writer
As I browsed Facebook, the “Global Rally for Humanity,” which boasts nearly 3,200 likes and counting, caught my attention. Printed in bold, red lettering across the top and bottom of the page’s profile and cover photo are the words, “The World is Saying no to Islam, Three percenters and Oath Keepers, United States of America.” The “About” tab on the page reads, “This is a Global Rally For Humanity. Humanity is attacked daily by radical Islam. Protests will be held in every country at every Mosque.” The first visible post on the page leaves clear instructions for those who wish to incite protests in their city. Those interested are to start a city-specific “Global Rally for Humanity” page. From there, one is meant to garner support for the page as they would promote any other: share it, and invite friends to like it. The page is littered with memes condemning Islam and video blogs, wherein supporters of the cause deliver passionate, inflammatory monologues. One such video features Phoenix resident Jon Ritzheimer, the apparent leader of the organization, perched in front of a red pickup truck with an off-brand Confederate flag planted in the back. Ritzheimer stumbles inarticulately through an apparently unrehearsed sermon. In the most striking moment in the video, he proclaims, “This enemy all has one thing in common. They all read from this right here.” He then reaches for a tattered copy of the Qu’ran with one hand, brandishes a silver handgun with the other, and fires a round through the center of the book. Ritzheimer and his organization call for protests at mosques in America and any Muslim institution. Protestors are encouraged to wield
PHOTO COURTESY OF GLOBAL RALLY FOR HUMANITY
The Global Rally for Humanity has called for armed protests at various mosques across the country.
firearms as a staunch declaration of their Second Amendment rights. And yet, sadly, we must allow this to occur. Do not get me wrong: I found this behavior gross, offensive, unnecessarily provocative and dangerously bigoted. If I were a moderate or nominal Muslim living in America, and I saw a mass of gun-toting protesters dressed in military clothing outside my place of worship, I would feel absolutely threatened. These protests are clear acts of provocation. In an article written for The Atlantic, journalist Arsalan Iftikhar rightly describes the group as “nothing more than gun wielding bullies trying to intimidate religious minorities…”.
Yet no matter how vitriolic a reaction this incites in me, no matter how stupid and shortsighted I find their hatred of Islam to be, it has to be allowed. Tempted as I may be to curse the content of Ritzheimer’s character for his aggressive tactics, I can’t let the toxicity of such tactics get the better of my judgement. In a CNN interview, Ritzheimer distinctly clarifies that he has a problem with the religion of Islam, not all Muslims. But regardless of whether or not it is just a qualification for his apparent hatred, critique of Islam remains perfectly permissible, and there are plenty of public intellectuals and Muslim reformers–Maajid Nawaz,
Sam Harris, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, to name a few–engaging in this critique in a much more intelligent and constructive way. Iftikhar calls to mind the murder of nine black Americans in an Episcopal Church in Charleston, as well as other recent instances of violence against religious minorities in America. He said “Again, regardless of whether we are dealing with attacks on black churches, mosques, synagogues or temples, Americans of conscience should send a resounding collective message that an attack on any house of worship is an attack on all houses of worship.” While surely I agree with Iftikhar that we should not tolerate violence towards any
house of worship, I think he rather hastily and shortsightedly conflates these instances of violence. Jewish Americans, black Americans and Muslim Americans face a host of different threats for a host of different reasons, some racially charged, some religiously. Iftikhar goes on to say that, “This tragic string of attacks on the houses of worship of religious minorities across America means the minority communities are still not valued as much around society as the white, Christian population.” Again, this is a dangerous conflation of minority groups and a false dichotomy that ignores the violence these aforementioned groups inflict on each other. Anti-semitic motivated attacks remain the most statistically pervasive in America, and it would be wrong to source the motivation as White Christian Normativity. As far as this concerns the Global Rally for Humanity protests, I hardly think they warrant much worry. It has been reported that a number of the city-specific groups were taken down before a protest even took place, and that the protests that do take place boast far fewer supporters than announced on the respective Facebook page. So maybe if you hear talk of a Global Rally protest in your city, consider assembling a rag-tag gang of liberals to protest the protest, and to send a message to your fellow Americans who are practicing Muslims that the Global Rally for Humanity does not reflect American interests.
Socialism is Not as Evil as We May Think
Socialism is not the opponent of liberty, but rather its dearest ally in our modern world. Despite years of denunciation, the devoted following of Sanders and Corbyn exhibits rays of hope.
JOHN MCCOLLOUGH Contributing Writer
Three months ago, Jeremy Corbyn was almost denied entry into the leadership election of the British Labour Party due to not obtaining enough support from established members of Parliament. But on Saturday, Sept. 12, he took the stage as its chief executive. While the British media constantly reminds the citizenry that this man is a “dangerous socialist,” Corbyn has quickly gone from a little-known “extremist” backbencher to the immensely popular public face of one of the most famous political parties in world history. Similar events are brewing across the pond, as Bernie Sanders inches closer to dethroning long-time Democratic Party frontrunner Hillary Clinton from her place as the conservative leadership’s appointed nominee for President of the United States. Both Sanders and Corbyn selfidentify as “socialists.” Despite the media’s frequent use of the term as a slur for any politician slightly to the left of Dick Cheney, the label seems to have only served to garner support and interest, as opposed to sinking their political hopes by portraying them as out-of-touch radicals. In reality, neither are nearly as radical as portrayed by the media, but the rise of the two men holds great importance; it is a powerful weapon against efforts to de-legitimize socialism and its worthy goals. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of citizens, both American and British, stand to benefit from a transition to social-
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS BECKETT VIA FLICKR
The growing popularity of Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn seems to indicate a shift in opinion away from traditional capitalism.
ism, and that so many people are once again attracted to the term is a shockingly good sign in an era where discussion of alternative economic systems is oft considered verboten. The appeal of socialism is that it seeks to create a society that exists beyond the capitalist system, in which all economic power and influence lies in the hands of the tiny percentage of wealthy individuals that make up the capitalist class. A socialist society does not mean a society in which government owns everything, or—contrary to popular belief—regulated capitalism and strong social safety nets. Social-
ism is instead a radically different society in which the factories, the large-scale corporate farms and the downtown office-buildings are owned by the people: operated locally and democratically. This society would be reminiscent of that of the Paris Commune, a radically democratic administration of the city by the workers of Paris in which universal suffrage was granted. Socialism is not about increasing the power of the state at all; it seeks to increase the power of the majority of the human race, who for too long have been forced to labor for years on end, creating value for their bosses, only ever seeing
a tiny fraction of the wealth they have produced. Despite a century of being portrayed by reactionaries as the antithesis of democracy, it is in fact the necessary extension of democracy to the economy. Socialism also seeks to destroy the systemic obstructions that unfairly keep certain groups downtrodden and oppressed. Socialist movements have a rich history of fighting for the rights of women and people of color not as an act of charity, but because every injustice committed against another human being is intolerable in a free society. Take the Mujeres Libres, a collective of anarchist women who fought for women’s rights and self-determination in the Spanish Civil War. Not to mention the many material gains made for women by the Chavista government in Venezuela, including public pensions for domestic workers and a constitutional right to equal pay for equal work. Or take the Black Panthers, a radical grouping of black Marxists dedicated to eradicating the twin evils of capitalism and white supremacy. The motives behind these actions are simple: Socialism could never survive without being inseparably tied to feminism and racial equality, as it would be nonsensical to destroy the concept of unearned economic privilege without addressing privileges held on the basis of race and gender.
And an attack on privilege seems to be just what young Americans want right now. Sanders, a self-described “socialist,” has been thrust into the limelight as his presidential run gains steam against Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, shortening her lead to the single digits in some polls. He has denounced income inequality to vast crowds of cheering fans, crowds that—much like Corbyn’s— are predominantly filled with young faces. Indeed, he has gathered the largest crowds of any candidate in this election cycle, speaking to a stadium filled with 11,000 people in Phoenix. He followed this with rallies of 15,000 in Seattle and 28,000 each in Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon. Socialism is not the opponent of liberty, but rather its dearest ally in our modern world. Despite years of denunciation, the devoted following of Sanders and Corbyn exhibit rays of hope. Their popularity has much less to do with the men themselves than it does with the simple justice of the movements they represent. Sanders’ widespread support and Corbyn’s political victory point to a rebirth for the left, to a future where human beings can make their own destiny, and where all men and women have the ability to live their lives as they see fit—free of exploitation, intolerance and oppression.
CONNOR MANNION/THE OBSERVER
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The Comma
October 22, 2015 THE OBSERVER
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Dual Sonnets, Inspired by Shakespeare By BENJAMIN STRATE
Bordeux’s Sonnet Home, towering home shadows my aimèd thought, Ignites my eyes with sulfurous water, And breaks my lead heart: shackled and unbought. He thinks I am a lamb led to slaughter, And perhaps I am no Horseman of wars But one of pestilence, infecting souls Of damned men feeding on dead whores. But I walk a long trail of flaming coals To the everlasting peace that is cold hell, Far from the wishes and ideas of dead kings Awaiting their own release from life-like cell, Praying for the executor who brings The final end to thought and reckoning, The disease that plagues all true king’s being
Gaunt’s Sonnet Beloved son, forgive thy old father For what is done. Though I am not your blood Know me as I see thee, for I rather See thee live long and become one with mud, Than living forever among the stars, Seeking the infinity in noble Chase, and only finding deforming scars. Take heed, Richard, for once be immobile, Care for thy finite life, for that is all We are given; one like the One who gave And take-away: Live a life without wall, Leave this place and for my sake don’t be brave; For though I leave thee, remember me son, And for your soul, accept what is not won
SRI STEWART/THE OBSERVER
Cha ser
By M ARG ARE TF
I am chasing the tight feeling in my chest. Rubbing my eyes and kissing the coffee cup like it’s love. There are so many places, so many plaster houses with white decks, where I could be. So many stops on this train, so many spaces by the sea. I must think I’m something profound to sit in the rain and like how it feels. To hear it drop tap the trees and think of porcelain. Porcelain and watercolors, Jemima Puddleduck and cabbage in the garden. The damp churned dirt and the smell of new roots. Leaks and drips and tears and grows, piano keys and a hardwood desk.
ISH ER
Blind Eyes By ASAD JUNG
I speak to you, when I speak to I Blind eyes, look at mine through yours A keyhole, through a closed door is filled solid, a view no more I have seen you once, when my eyes are open I have seen you twice, when the same are closed I speak to you, where no word is spoken Are you there, or has my mind imposed?
I hope it rains on you today. I hope it rains where you are and brings you back to this.
PAYTON VINCELETTE/THE OBSERVER
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THE OBSERVER October 22, 20145
The Comma
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The Zookeeper By SOPHIA NOULAS
The Zookeeper framed fantastic animals so that they could become pieces of art. Inked, vibrant, wild creatures that jumped against the rigid lifelessness of their cold cages. And while the Zookeeper had great pride in his animals, he could not always manage to keep them. Dizzied by iron bars, the animals’ colors would dull, be tinted with beige and they would become tame. Even worse, some would fall, kneeling over the rusting buckets that served their meals for when those who do not have the ability to be domesticated are isolated by walls, they will break. In accordance to his frugal sensibilities the Zookeeper refused to replace his deceased charges, so he tried to commercialize the corpses. He had them stuffed and stuck on wheels. The wheels were set for tracks so that the animals appeared to pace the circuits of their cages as they did in life. From what the people outside the cages could see, the animals were happy.
I’m Leaving By CRAIG APPEL
I unzzzzzzip, slide out of a meat jacket hang it up in the butcher shop in the back freezer. Raw holes of the face, slack without me the form hangs like a ragdoll old seams blown by battering rams I leave quietly Such that no one hears the freezer door shut or the bells on the door dangle or notices one slab of red meat in the freezer is not a cow carcass in the lines of hung cow carcasses the butcher throws the meat jacket into the grinder his fist rolls the rows of teeth like the belly jaws of some nightmare beast digesting he weighs the bloody thing on parchment
Unfortunately, eventually, all the animals in the zoo had died. There was no more thrill in the zoo, every trace of wildness was gone. Terrified the dead cat would leap from his bag, the Zookeeper sawed off the heads of the lion’s and glued together a family of chimeras. He fashioned a chain of snakes, stuffing their throats with the other’s tail to create a patch-work serpent. His creations grew wilder and wilder until assurance of the creature’s welfare could no longer be doubted or even questioned. They were no longer animals but rainbow amalgamations created by some fevered child grasping at crayons. In the end, the Zookeeper realized his early work did not matter. As long as they were stuffed, everyone in the Zoo was happy.
bits of it stud his exposed arms. The first bite, dripping down a chin, tastes like burger. A rock once asked me if I should like to be a rock alone on a hill. I could just observe it all turn to shit and back again A simple life, the rock promised. the memory is way too much. Its why, I’m leaving. I think I’ll be a goldfish next. I envy the way their everything bleeds out before it can become exhausting. they never have to have to remember or feel it all living somewhere just out of reach I’m so tired now
SARAH HOWARD/THE OBSERVER
A View From Above By DAVID MILO
The sun rises over the Manhattan sky line as a man emerges from the world trade center subway stop and the first droplets of rain plummet from the clouds high above. He takes the elevator up to his floor and proceeds into the south east corner office, overlooking the construction of the new World Trade Center construction site, to gaze out the mirrored pane glass window as he prepares himself for the day. Looking down to the ground fifteen stories below, one by one he visualizes people vanishing under the protection of their trusty umbrellas. Most of the fellow working class carries large umbrellas that bravely weather the storm and keep their owner happily situated in the surging number of people funneling out of every door and tunnel who are journeying their way to work, but several wield small umbrellas, barely encapsulating the silhouette of their owner and when the wind gusts, they crumple under the pressure placed upon their flimsy metal supports. In seconds, whole sidewalk vanishes under an undulating canopy of multi colored plastic domes shielding their owners from the elements. Anyone looking down from
their high rise office is instantly taken in by the mesmerizing flow of colorful octagons, varying in size, parading along the sidewalk. The streets rapidly fill with water and small eddies flow along the depressions that have been formed by the millions of heals that pound down in rhythmic succession on the aging concrete slabs. Gashes appear in the once perfect canopy of umbrellas as people rapidly get squeezed together as they try to avoid the ever increasing water reclaiming the streets of the city and try to keep their high priced shoes situated on the dwindling amount of sidewalk real-estate that is becoming increasingly more populated as workers continue to emerge from the subway. The rapid pace of the umbrellas slows to a crawl and their forward motion is no longer what captures the eye. The clam stream of umbrellas that once flowed harmoniously now has the appearance of waves breaking upon a sea wall. Countless umbrellas are hoisted and lowered as their owners are forced to dodge people on the completely congested walkway. Several which are not moved fast enough collide with on coming umbrellas, bounce off them, smash into
their surroundings, and create even larger rifts in the formerly pristine plastic canopy. Many try to seek refuge from the torrent in the less turbulent flow of the river’s edges near building entrances or any remotely protected area to wait out the storm, but only manage to create an ever thickening wall that restricts the flow on the sidewalk even more. Just as the sidewalk appears as it can no longer encompass one more square inch of shoe leather, the cloud cover begins to part and the last parcels of water drizzle down and land on once peaceful, intact canopy that is now appears torn and mangled when it is viewed from above. As it becomes apparent to the people sheltered under the umbrellas that the rain has subsided, one after another, umbrellas are taken down. As they are stored for the next cloud bust, the colorful stream begins to dry up. Finally released from the dazzling show viewed from high above, the worker relinquishes his gaze from the sidewalk below as focus of his eye ascends back to his fifteenth floor office and his mind rekindles thoughts of the day’s work.
SARAH HOWARD/THE OBSERVER
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Photo
October 22, 2015 THE OBSERVER
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FALL IN NEW YORK The Observer photographers documented fall’s arrival throughout New York City.
ZANA NAJJAR / THE OBSERVER
HANA KEININGHAM / THE OBSERVER
A view of Manhattan and the Ed Koch-59th St. Bridge from Roosevelt Island.
Preperation for the Oct. 24th opening of Wollman Rink in Central Park.
ALEXANDRA RICHARDSON / THE OBSERVER
The Sodexo sponsored farmer’s market on Fordham’s Outdoor Plaza.
ZANA NAJJAR / THE OBSERVER
An Upper East Side front door decorated for Halloween festivites.
PAOLA JOAQUIN ROSSO / THE OBSERVER
Fall foliage at Fordham’s Rose Hill campus.
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Photo
THE OBSERVER October 22, 2015
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FALL IN NEW YORK
ZANA NAJJAR / THE OBSERVER
Citi Bikes line a 5th Avenue sidewalk with fallen leaves.
LYDIA BENNER / THE OBSERVER
YUNJIA LI / THE OBSERVER
Folks walk through Lincoln Square on a fall afternoon.
Central Park visitors enjoy canoeing as the season transitions.
HANA KEININGHAM / THE OBSERVER
Daylight Savings is approaching as the Midtown Manhattan skyline is lit up in the early evening.
HANA KEININGHAM / THE OBSERVER
The Brooklyn Navy Yard, a feature of Archtober, an annual New York City architecture event in October.
ALEXANDRA RICHARDSON / THE OBSERVER
The Sodexo sponsored farmer’s market on Fordham’s Outdoor Plaza.
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The Comma
October 22, 2015 THE OBSERVER
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Stuffed Animals By DYLAN KING
Missy has always liked to have a glass of wine while she cooked. But lately, she’s been having two or three glasses while cooking, another two or three during dinner, and one while she reads before going to bed (If she even makes it that far). Since Keith got that wonderful fundraising job up in Pittsburgh, Missy no longer has to work. She takes care of Allie now, getting her dressed, packing lunch, taking her to school and picking her up. Then, the two of them wait for Keith to get home. Keith has been late coming home the past few weeks. He keeps claiming it’s all the work he has to put in to keep his “two favorite girls” happy. Missy can’t be sure, but she just knows he’s lying. She knows it. She can see it on his face every time he walks through the door. But she can’t be sure. Missy graduated with honors. She was beautiful, and still is, even though she doesn’t think so anymore. She’s felt less beautiful recently because of the way the boy who bags her groceries treats her. Missy has grown used to the above-average politeness that all pretty women are accustomed to receiving from men. But she hasn’t been receiving it lately, not even from her husband. Allie walks into the kitchen, dragging a stuffed giraffe behind her by its neck. Missy is standing at the stove preparing dinner. “Mommy, I’m hungry.” “We have to wait for Daddy to get home, Sweetie.” “But I’m hungry now!” “Allie,” Missy turns around to face her daughter. “Where did you get that giraffe?” “Daddy,” said Allie. “Daddy? He got you a giraffe?” “It’s not a real giraffe.” “It’s not? It looks real to me. Can I see it?” Missy asked. “No, it’s for little kids.” Allie hugged the giraffe tight against her chin. “You’re too old, Mommy,” she added. Missy laughed. “Oh, I know. Thanks a lot, kiddo.” Missy turned back to the stove. “One day you’ll be old like me.” “Daddy said there’s real giraffes in Africa and I can go see them when I get old,” Allie said, with a smile. Missy stopped, suddenly. She turned back to Allie and said, “Don’t get old, Sweetie. It’s so sad, growing up. You can’t have stuffed animals anymore. And you won’t ever go to Africa like you wanted to. And you won’t fall in love the way you’ve always dreamed. And it’ll all be so sad.” Allie’s smile disappeared. She stared at her mother, who was pale-faced from the wine. Her paleness made her ghost-like. The white walls of the kitchen only made it worse. This made Allie upset, so she looked down at the floor.
“Now go inside while I finish cooking. Daddy will be home soon.” Allie ran into the living room. Missy turned back to the stove and rubbed her eyes. She sighed heavily. When she opened her eyes, she saw the phone on the countertop. She picked it up and dialed. It only rang once. “Hello?” a woman’s voice came through the phone. “Hi, Mom,” Missy said. “Missy? Is everything O.K.?” “Yes, Mom. I’m fine. How are things? How’s dad?” “We’re good, things are good. Are you sure everything is fine? You sound upset.” Missy leaned forward on the counter. “I’m sure. I’m just a little under the weather, I guess.” “Did you take medicine?” “No, just wine.” “That won’t do. Take medicine. Is Keith there?” “No, he’s not home yet.” “He’s not home yet? Where is he?” “I don’t know, Mom.” “What do you mean ‘you don’t know’? How could you not know?” Missy begins sobbing. She leans her head on her palm and closes her eyes tight. “I told you that man was no good, Missy. I told you, didn’t I?” “Mom—” “Did you try calling his work?” “Mom,” Missy said, hysterical now. “Can I come home?” “What?” “Can I come home? I just want to come home, O.K.?” Missy can hardly breathe. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” “I just miss being home. I want to come home. For a few days, maybe. Is that all right?” “Of course, baby. Bring little Allie too.” “O.K., Mom. I’m sorry,” “Don’t be sorry. I’ll send your father up there to get you in the morning. Are you sure you’re going to be all right till then?” “Yes, I’m sorry. I’ve got to go. I’m sorry.” “O.K., baby. I love you. I can’t wait to see you.” Missy hung up the phone. She suddenly felt very tired. She shut off the stove and, without cleaning up, went upstairs to her room and fell asleep. JESS LUSZCZYK/THE OBSERVER
Escape By VALERIA SHATILOVA
Who Have I Become? By RACHEL JARVIS
I sing but I am not a singer I dance but I am not a dancer I cook but I am not a chef I teach but I am not a teacher And I give but I am not a giver Yet, I take so I am a taker I cheat so I am a cheater I fight so I am a fighter I beg so I am a beggar And I lie so I am a liar.
Through the mountains, through the mist, in the midst of strife and longing, when love had lost its way, I found the road to the other side. I, a runaway forsaken by life, a knight wandering the world’s edge, a king with a shattered crown and no throne from which to see his kingdom burn. Centuries passed without deep and exquisite slumber, no dreams inspired my ravenous mind, the night closed her eyes on me and turned away. I escaped throwing memories to the wind, and ran uncharted forests with no recollection of what has been, what is, and what will be. Today, yes, today the world sings of a new era. Today, for now and forever, the world turns anew.
Still, I hope I am hopeful But I fear I am fearful That though I love, I am not a lover.
TYLER MARTINS/THE OBSERVER
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THE OBSERVER October 22, 2015
ath e D . s v Life AUD GARRE BELLE By ISA
The Comma
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You are walking. The trail is beneath you, the forest surrounds you. You keep walking. Above you the sky is clear, not a cloud in sight. You can’t help but squint your eyes at the blazing sun. Hidden birds are chirping. The wind comes in whispers. You are running. Everything around you becomes a blur. Eventually you come to a stream. Your feet touch the cold water. You can feel the rocky bottom, the sand intruding between your toes. You walk further into the water, you don’t stop. The water is up to your knees now but you don’t care. You are content. The coolness of the stream has replaced your blood. You stop in the middle and close your eyes. You see everything through what you hear. Birds are chirping in trees, the water is crossing over the rocks, the trees are moving with the wind. It is very peaceful. A loud noise brings you back to reality. You open your eyes just in time to see the birds you heard scatter themselves across the sky. Suddenly you are aware of your body standing in the middle of a stream. You look for the cause of the noise but see nothing. You are alone. You leave the stream and walk towards where the sound came from. You are no longer walking contently through a forest. Your legs move as fast as they can without breaking into a run. You can hear your heart pounding through your ears. You try to listen for the noise again but hear nothing besides the voices of the forest. Everything around you is spinning. Where are you? The forest becomes quiet, as if not to be heard. You stop too. The only thing you hear is the sound of your heart. Suddenly a squirrel crosses your path. It stops for a moment to stare at you with its soulless black eyes before running off again. It frightens you. You continue your journey to the unknown going deeper and deeper into the forest. You are now lost. You turn back but nothing looks the same. Where was the stream? You yell, surly someone can hear you. You listen but hear nothing. You are running, breathing the little breath you have left. You think of the stream. How peaceful it was. How perfect it was. You think of what brought you there. You can’t remember. Why are you in the forest? You see a car in the distance. You remember it is your car. You drove to this forest. You were escaping. Escaping what? You are getting closer. You see a person in the car. They don’t seem to be moving. Suddenly you feel sick to your stomach. Thoughts race through your head. Who is in your car? Are they dead? Is it someone you love? You run to the car and look inside. You stumble backwards. You can’t breathe. You now know the answer to your question. You were escaping life. You are dead.
MICHELLE QUINN/THE OBSERVER
ord c e R e h T n O SS M RO By SA
Come; sit and forget him please A shot to free our minds, and another frees our glee The shimmering overcrowded apple outside my window adorns our fragile, temporal shoulders as each drink makes us bolder and the night turns colder, colder, colder. I’ll prove we are a match. A match like two black socks and a match that sparks, flames, drops into the fireplace, gifting cozy combustion, warming our extremities and allowing us to rap on feelings. I indulge to ignore what isn’t, and you drink to have fun You smile with those eyes as your exposed teeth perceive. With you I can’t be numb Why can’t I be numb? I want you, but reciprocation is the key Am I your joy? Or am I deceived by your congeniality? An hour ago I knew we would work Now five shots in, I know we’ll prevail!
So lay your head on my pillow and we’ll moon over the ceiling’s blank slate, blanking the moon overhead. I’ll imagine our future states of being colliding and intertwining on alabaster plaster, and we’ll joke, goof, laugh, cry, idly make fun of the others. Whatever you want. I’ll tell you what’s wrong: That I hate being lonely You’ll empathize and sympathize, poke and prod for candor, for you fear my physiological gears are hitched stalled sick and you might be right… Either way let’s take a walk Pick a street. Let’s cross town and just talk Talk. And Remember: If you tickle me, I will always tickle back We can share a single mingling tingle of vulnerability. Please don’t forget this when we’re sober.
MICHELLE QUINN/THE OBSERVER
CONNOR MANNION/THE OBSERVER
Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture Editor Sri Stewart-sstewart13@fordham.edu
October 22 , 2015 THE OBSERVER
Professor-Alumnus’s Show Opens Off-Broadway By REESE RAVNER Contributing Writer
Michael Kimmel, former student and current professor at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), is the playwright of the new Off-Broadway play with music, “Songbird,” which opened Oct. 20 at 59E59 Theater A. The play is a twist on Anton Chekov’s “The Seagull” and follows the lives and careers of singersongwriters in Nashville, Tennessee. It debuted in the summer of 2014 in a “concert-version” setting, as Kimmel explained, with the goal of getting audience feedback. “People had a really visceral response to some of it,” Kimmel said. “The last two years have been about making sure it stood on its own as its own piece so you didn’t have to rely on the source material to fully engage with [it].” The overall aim of the play is to analyze the lives of artists in all fields. In “Songbird,” the characters can effectively express themselves through music and art, but they are unable to navigate their own lives as eloquently as they appear to do through their work. “It’s really sort of my love letter to creative people,” Kimmel said. He noted that during rehearsal, the outside issues of each person melt away, and for eight hours a day everyone comes together to create. After rehearsal, they each go back to their normal, yet complicated lives. “I think when you start out...you have this idea of somebody who’s successful as sort of a paradigm of put-togetherness…the reality is that’s not true. Nobody has it figured out,” Kimmel said. In 2008, Matthew Maguire, the
LYDIA BENNER / THE OBSERVER
theatre program director at FCLC, reached out to Kimmel and offered him the chance to teach a theatre class. Maguire and Elizabeth Margid, the head of the directing program at FCLC, were two very influential professors to Kimmel. “The idea of coming back and doing for other kids what was done for me was very exciting,” Kimmel said. Kimmel has taught Acting for Non-Majors, Invitation to Theatre and Performance and Art but is presently only teaching Invitation to Theatre. He teaches based on his real-world experiences. “I think that’s what makes this place unique. [Faculty members] are working on [projects] all the time outside and at the university, and I think that makes for setting people up to succeed if a career in the theatre is what they’re looking for,” Kimmel said. Kimmel also feels he was directly influenced by his four years at Fordham and attributes his time here as an important role in the development of his career. This is because of the way he approaches and sees his work through. To theatre majors, Kimmel’s advice is to learn an array of jobs in the theatre and experience the challenges each position brings so that one is able to fully appreciate collaboration. He added, “You have to be your biggest advocate...if you’re allowing other people to tell you what you can and can’t do, then this might not be the career for you.” “Songbird” will continue to run until Nov. 29 at 59E59 Theater A. Tickets are available at www.59e59. org.
“Songbird” is playing at 59E59 Theatre A until Nov. 29.
The Comma Interrobang The Zoo Theory By ERIKA ORTIZ Literary Co-Editor/Copy Editor
My mother has this theory on relationships that I don’t quite understand. Logically, it doesn’t make any sense. And yet, against all rationality, it’s proved itself quite true—at least in my mother’s world. I was first made aware of the theory one evening this past summer. The two of us were lounging on the back patio with my mom’s friend Karen, talking and laughing and enjoying each other’s company as we often did. When there was a lull in the conversation, which was a rare occurrence, my mother asked Karen about her daughter Courtney, who usually joined us on these nights. “Oh, Courtney’s at home. She’s just exhausted after spending the whole day at the zoo with her boyfriend.” My mother made a sound of acknowledgement, before sipping her drink and replying nonchalantly. “She’s looking to get married, then?” At first I laughed, thinking that my mother was just being her usual ridiculous self (the woman is crazy, but in the best possible way). But when Karen nodded with a smile and said, “That’s what she’s hoping for,” I was completely lost. “Okay, pause. How does a day at the zoo end with Courtney and her boyfriend getting married?” I asked, struggling to find a connection between the two events. “I first knew I would marry your dad when we went to the zoo together. And actually, now that I think of it, the same thing happened with my first husband, too,” my mother informed us. My mother isn’t much of an outdoorsy person, and my dad’s never really been one for “spectacles,” so for them to willingly take a trip to the zoo didn’t make much sense to me.
“I knew I would marry Pat after he took me to the zoo,” Karen said of her and her husband, echoing my mother’s claim. “God knows I wouldn’t wanna go now, but back then we had a great time.” I processed this information and tried to reason it out, attempting to give some merit to their theory. “I guess there’s some accuracy to that. I mean, my cousin Michelle was even proposed to AT the zoo. Though I’m pretty sure that had more to do with her favorite animal being polar bears than the ‘romantic atmosphere’ of the zoo itself.” My mother nodded and laughed, and clarified her thought further. “I’m not saying that the zoo is romantic—because it really, really isn’t. But history doesn’t lie. It’s been proven time and time again that going to the zoo with a boyfriend will almost certainly result in a trip down the aisle.” “Especially if he invites you,” Karen added. “That’s how you know it’s love.” “But why?” I insisted, grasping desperately for any sort of sensible reasoning. My question was met with only a shrug from my mother, and a simple “I don’t know. That’s just the way things turn out, I guess.” She then took another sip of her drink, before clearing her throat and turning to Karen. “Oh! Speaking of ‘inviting’…” And thus the discussion came to a close. But while my mother and Karen redirected their conversation towards their summer plans, cookouts and holiday celebrations, my mind was still stuck on what I’ve since dubbed “The Zoo Theory.”
What was the appeal of going to the zoo with someone you’re dating? Simultaneously holding hands and your nose while walking through the unpleasantly potent monkey exhibit? Does getting heatstroke from the unrelenting sun somehow make you hot for each other? And how could any of this result in marriage? The more ideas I posited, the more absurd the theory sounded. And so, unable to find a rational solution, I refocused on the conversation Karen and my mother were having, and let The Zoo Theory fade to the back of my mind. After months of contemplation, I recently had an epiphany. I realized that the flaw in my reasoning came from simply evaluating the theory from the wrong angle. For many people, a trip to the zoo is at best incredibly boring, and at worst downright torturous. The place reeks with the stink of both the animals and the observers, your feet ache after the first few hours of constantly walking, and chances are that at least one area on your body will end up so sunburned that it hurts to even exist. But if at the end of the day, despite everything, you can say that you had a good time… maybe it’s a sign of the possibilities you have as a couple. If you can walk to your car when all is said and done, holding hands with smiles on your faces, maybe that shows that no matter what comes your way, the person you’re with can better any experience. In this theory, the qualities of the zoo don’t matter so much as the qualities of the person you’re with. So, maybe a trip to the zoo really is all the proof you need that it’s meant to be.
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Arts & Culture
OCTOBER 22, 2015 THE OBSERVER
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The Life of a New York City Ballet Dancer at FCLC By SHAINA OPPENHEIMER Staff Writer
You may have walked past a poster of her at Lincoln Center, awed over her bold, long lines and delicate footwork in a Balanchine ballet at the Koch Theater or perhaps seen her in Lowenstein. New York City Ballet (NYCB) soloist Ashley Laracey is one of Fordham’s very own. Laracey is one of about 40 current dancers from NYCB and the School of American Ballet (SAB) working towards a college degree. Among her include Megan Fairchild, Robbie Fairchild, Ashley Bouder, Jonathan Stafford and Tiler Peck who have taken or are currently taking classes at Fordham. Laracey enrolled at Fordham in 2007 and hopes to graduate with a degree in communication and media studies and a minor in psychology in 2019. Not to be confused with the Ailey BFA Program, NYCB and SAB dancers also attend Fordham as part of the Professional and Continuing Studies School (PCS), working to get a BA. Because of the demanding schedule of these professional and semi-professional dancers, they can only take one or two classes per semester, taking an average of 12 years to complete a degree. Glen Redpath, the associate director for admissions for the Fordham School of PCS, works closely with these dancers to get them through school. “It’s a funnel…we try to get the dancers to start at a young age and understand it’s not so scary. Taking one or two classes every semester can be part of their life just as ballet class, rehearsal, physical therapy and their other duties as professionals,” Redpath said. From each graduating class of SAB, only about two get chosen to be an apprentice for NYCB, and the rest go off to other companies “Peter Martins is the artistic director, and he decides on what the company needs. If you don’t get chosen, you’re done and you have to go,” Redpath explained. Traditionally, ballet dancers reject college in order to take advantage of their bodies at their prime. After retiring from the stage, some choose to go back to school while
COURTESY OF PAUL KOLNIK
Ashley Laracey is one of about 40 current dancers at Fordham who are a part of the New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet.
others may stay closely connected to the dance world, going on to choreograph, teach and become ballet masters. One may believe it’s rather daring for someone to simultaneously wear the hats of a professional dancer and a student, especially at a world-class ballet company like NYCB. Laracey explained, “I chose to head back to school when I felt a desire to learn and use my brain in a different light. I was in a place in my career where I felt secure but also needed something else. I wanted balance and a sense of normalcy.”
A typical day for Laracey starts at 7:00 a.m. Company class at NYCB is from 10:30-12:00 p.m., and then she is in rehearsal until 6:00 p.m. After rehearsal, Laracey has about two hours to sew pointe ballet shoes, do her hair and makeup and anything else that needs to prepare her for a performance. Shows run from 8:0011:00 p.m. After a show, Laracey heads home for dinner, rolls out tight muscles, ices and heats before going to bed and doing the same thing over again. On Mondays, her day off, Laracey takes a night class at Fordham.
With such a full schedule, Laracey explained, “I try not to put too much pressure on myself to rush to finish since I have a very demanding career. This semester, I am only taking one course because my husband and I got a puppy! Life is about balance, and I try to insist on maintaining an equal pull between my dancing career, family and school, plus fun!” Although not your typical Fordham student, Laracey is a prime example of Fordham’s diverse student pool. “It is nice to be in an environment with other working professionals all wanting to learn and
better ourselves,” Laracey said. She is also a member of two honors societies: Alpha Sigma Nu and Alpha Sigma Lambda. Although 12 years of undergrad work seems daunting, it provides a great opportunity for dancers who want to receive a college education while getting to be a professional on stage. Laracey said, “I look at my course log and see how far I have come and think how great it will feel once I am finished. I hope to graduate before I retire from NYCB—that very much motivates me!”
Senior’s Short Film Premieres at London Greek Film Fesitval closer to my heart just because I did write it and I was acting in it. The dynamic for me started off rocky in a way just because I needed to divorce myself from caring about it in a sense. For him to direct it, he needed to do his work. It’s not going to come out exactly as you write it because the director also has some artistic room to tell the story in the way that he or she envisions it. Once he had storyboarded and done everything that he does, from then on out it was just very [much] a business mindset. We are both very happy with the final product.
By SRI STEWART Arts & Culture Editor
Theatre major James Marios Ellinas, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC ’16), recently had his short film that he collaborated on with his older brother, Peter Ellinas, premiere at the London Greek Film Festival on Oct. 19 as a nominee for Best Short Film. “Sleep” is directed by Peter and stars James, who also wrote the screenplay. The category that it was nominated in is one of the qualifiers for festivals such as Cannes and Sundance. It was a great achievement to learn this news, according to Ellinas. Before the film premiered, Ellinas and I sat in the Ildiko Butler Gallery at FCLC, where I interviewed him about the film and what’s next. OBSERVER: What is your short film, “Sleep,” about and where did the inspiration come from? JAMES MARIOS ELLINAS:
Basically, the premise of “Sleep” is about a man who has come to the end of his rope. He feels like he’s come to a point of no return. The thing about “Sleep” is that he is all alone. At the same time, he is not. He is now considering all of his options and considering everything that has gotten him to the state he’s in right now. The most plausible option becomes very evident to him. I wrote “Sleep” in the second semester of my sophomore year.
OBSERVER: Are you nervous HANA KEININGHAM / THE OBSERVER
James Marios Ellinas, FCLC ’16, is featured above.
I started off writing it as a monologue just for the sake of wanting to have a really good monologue to do and practice with, as far as acting. It seems that sometimes at this age, it’s hard to find deep monologues to connect with. A lot of the best monologues are written for older roles because maybe more complex things happen to you when you get older. A lot of things were happening in my life at the time that I was concerned about. OBSERVER: Would you say the
movie is kind of abstract?
JME: Yeah, it is not a traditional
narrative. There is no beginning, middle and end. It is one moment
in time. You never get a clear sense of what got him there, and you never really get a clear sense of what’s going to get him out of there, but you do go from A to B. OBSERVER: You wrote the screen-
play, and your brother directed it. How was the dynamic between you two during the whole creation of it? JME: My brother and I had worked
on things a lot together throughout our whole lives because we’ve both always been interested in theatre and film. The dynamic was interesting…this was the first time that he was the director, and I was the writer and actor. Coming into it, it was something that was a lot
about it premiering in London? JME: Actually no, I’m not very
nervous. My brother and I had worked on things before, and we’ve done other film festivals. We sent a bunch of films that we made when we were younger to this one in Echo Park, California, and they screened there. It doesn’t worry me because I don’t really know who’s going to see it there. It’s faceless people for me. If I was going to show it to a room of 25 people that I know, I’m going to be nervous because I can expect what their opinions are going to be. I do have a few friends that are going to go that live in London, but I’m not really nervous about it. I’m excited more than anything else. OBSERVER: When will it be public
for everyone to see, besides in London, and through what medium
“Sleep” was nominated for Best Short Film, which makes it one of the qualifiers for festivals such as Cannes and Sundance. will you make it accessible? JME: [That’s] TBA. It came from a
very personal place for me writing it, so it’s not something that I necessarily want to be published everywhere. Those who want to see it can contact us, and we can send it to them. We will upload it on one of the video streaming websites, whether [it’s] Vimeo, YouTube or what not, at one point. But we definitely won’t upload before the film festival. [It] ends Oct. 24. OBERSERVER: Can we expect any
upcoming projects soon?
JME: You never know. I’m a senior
now, so right now I’m really focusing on finishing school and writing things. There will definitely be more in the future. I’ve written like three or four scripts since then, so I definitely have more work that I want to produce. It’s work that I want to keep working at, and it’s bigger. These are bigger worlds with more actors.
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THE OBSERVER OCTOBER 22, 2015
Arts & Culture
DEAN’S LIST 2015
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The Dean’s List is announced at the beginning of each fall. Students must complete 24 credits or more with a 3.600 or better annual grade point average during the fall and spring semesters. Summer courses are not included. B.F.A. students must complete at least six credits of liberal arts courses each semester during the year to be eligible for the Dean’s List. Students can be named to the Dean’s List a maximum of four times during their academic career. Class of 2015 Anna G. Abowd Siena Z. Allen Emily P. Anderson Aleksandra A. Antolak Jonnathan D. Araujo Alexandra E. Armstrong Christina Awad Brittany D. Ballentine Katherine M. Bell Sarah Bendarkawi Nina T. Bergbauer Nalina G. Bhasin Maria Boci Julianna S. Bulgarelli Cosette N. Carlomusto Samantha C. Carty Huanwei Chen Senjin Chen Betsy K. Cruz Elena D’Amanda Kyle S. Davis Gianella N. Di Lorenzo Andrea M. Dimofte Faith L. Donovan Nora P. Dwyer Blaire T. Eberhart Shannon B. Edly Michaela M. Eduque Sean G. Egan Jared A. Escobar Daniel P. Ferrara Lauren N. Firth Emily A. Flynn Chloe A. Foster-Jones Corinne C. Fox Sierra R. Fox Marguerite M. Frarey Plyce L. Fuchu Jewel F. Galbraith Timothy L. Gavan Amanda M. Gonzalez Quinton S. Guthier Brandon J. Harmer Vasiliki E. Haskopoulos Malijha T. Headley Stephen C. Henderson Raymond L. Hinds Zachary F. Hodges Moses A. Hubbard Julius Y. Im Athavan Indranathan Alexis B. Isasi Alexander R. Jahns Crystal Jen Kiersten H. Johnston Colin J. Joyce Dylan T. Katz Jennifer C. Kessler Sarah M. Kneeshaw Patrick T. Kurth Victoria E. Kyriakides Joseph G. Lagville Mark B. Lee Emma F. Lemar Sean P. Lenahan Hui Yi Liang Sandra Lin Yaron A. Lotan Shuyao Lu Michael A. Macalintal Kenza Mandri Quincey K. Martin-Chapman Khensani Mathebula Sara E. McDonough Meaghan A. McLeod Cara T. McManus Grace E. Mineo-Marinello Robert A. Moore Kaila M. Moses Kieran T. Newton Caitlin E. O’Keefe Yoora Park Zhiyao Peng Kellyann P. Pintauro Mirabella M. Pisani Virginia M. Preston Ariana K. Pugh Sarah O. Qandeel Victoria A. Quiray Lauren A. Ramos Aguayo Richard A. Ramsundar Joseph J. Reilly
Morgan J. Richardson Julian J. Rifai Deanna N. Riggs Katherine E. Rofey Caitlin A. Ronan Miranda L. Scioscia Ismahan N. Sharhan Austin F. Sherman Terrell L. Spence Megan N. Stricker Kristen M. Stuart Meredith K. Summers Paulina Tam Peony K. Tam Marshall T. Thurman Trisha D. Tobias Victoria Tu Dylan P. Ungaretta Jonathan V. Uy Maya M. Van Peebles Genesis Vanderhorst Batista Amalia R. Vavala Aditya Vijay Kayla M. Walker Thomas C. Welch Kristina Y. Yang Wenqing Yang Kenichi Yoneda
Class of 2016 Ehab Abaza Yasmeen M. Abuhashish Stephanie A. Ali Rana A. Alotaibi Michelle Ang Tamiris Askarova Robyn J. Ayers Jacob L. Azrilyant Devon W. Badolato Artur Balanovskiy Maia N. Bedford Carolina Betocchi Natalie A. Boegel Emily Bosworth Bogdan Brajic Michael A. Bruno Cynthia M. Caceres Christopher A. Caputo Cathlene C. Centeno Denise Chen Michele Chen Quennie Chen Aaron I. Clark Priscilla Consolo Alexandra L. Coritsidis Iris Dai Angel A. De La Cruz Katherine A. Dobscha Riley A. Edwards Sharoya H. Evans Layne M. Fable Claire L. Fields Rochelle E. Fleisher Morgan T. Fortier Katherine E. Fredericks Dante A. Frontani Laura Z. Gerkis Michael W. Girgis Katherine H. Givler Anamaria Glavan Jalen L. Glenn Yasmina Gourchane Caroline S. Hanna Trevor D. Haskell Amanda J. Heiser Nuwani A. Irizarry Sharon Izrailov Dipana Jain Drew B. Jones Erlind Kaca Kacey L. Katzenmeyer Juhi Kaushik Arousiak A. Kazarian Saeed Khawaja Garrett D. Kim George L. Kostal Christina M. La Bruno Ross A. Lampert Katherine Lee Molly M. Levy Cassandra A. Lewis Kaitlyn M. Lyngaas Heyun Ma
Margaret S. Maguire Connor A. Mannion Sarah E. Marks Emily A. Mastoloni William L. Meckley Nathan A. Miranda Katie L. Moran Rania M. Muhieddine Hyunna J. Nam Nicole C. Nerup Kamrun Nesa Hannah A. Newman Evelyn Ng Jessica T. Novak Laura C. Paone Michael J. Pesko Galina Plutova Christine Pusz Neilab Rahimzada John M. Rapaccioli Blair A. Reavis-Tyler Maria T. Recinto Rachel E. Rho Ada Rodamis Madeline S. Ruckle Daniel L. Salas Regan E. Samson Eavan C. Schmitt Danielle C. Serigano Elizabeth R. Shew Rachel A. Shmulevich Gege Song Juan C. Soto Melissa Sotomayor Courtney C. Spears Andrea Stanovic Alexis N. Toledo Lauren E. Trahan Jessica G. Uruchima Anjanette G. Valero Linyun Wei Paige G. Werman Lauren A. Whitmore Randy P. Williams Michelle J. Williamson Mohammed A. Yaseen Sarah E. Zaccagni Megan C. Zuckerman
Class of 2017 Djouliet M. Amara Miriam Ambrosino SaVonne D. Anderson Isabella K. Ayeras Aryana Azari Melissa M. Aziz Fiona C. Ball Alexandra R. Bandea Anna C. Barbano Grace M. Bergonzi Katrina T. Bernhardt Iris I. Bessey Emily L. Blumenthal Patricia Bober Ariana Boccanfuso Lea D. Bohnen Jason M. Boit Kamillah N. Brandes Annalise M. Caviasco Joyce Chau Anne Chen Michelle Y. Chen Queena K. Chong Alexandra N. Ciobanu Emma T. Copp Edgardo A. Cruz Dorian L. Cupero Kathleen P. Dahlhoff Maya A. Davis Xiaoxiao Dong Ariana Durollari Caroline M. Eng Julia L. Ennis Adam H. Fales Peter M. Farag Cristina M. Ferretti Sarah M. Figueira Lauren S. Fiorica Margaret A. Fisher Emily E. Freebery Jeffrey T. Friedman Haley M. Friscia DeAn M. Fryn
Matthew E. Geline Casey N. Grittner Kristoff R. Grosfeld Daniel P. Halpin JaneAnne A. Halter Clarissa M. Hernandez Victoria A. Hernandez Juliana M. Johnson Brittany R. Jones Kimberly A. Kaiser Schuyler L. Kennedy Alexander N. Khamechand Narae Kim Maria E. Kouros Talia G. Koylass Dana Kurylyk Hunter R. Lang Tyler A. Laurinaitis Jennifer Lei Ming Yan L. Leung Anthony Leuszkiewicz Gabrielle M. Libretti Benjamin Lin Jessica M. Luszczyk Isabelle M. Mann Samantha R. Mayer Alexander M. McCauley Pauline C. McHugh Alexa McMenamin Therese M. Meily Benjamin J. Moore Nadine J. Moukdad Sophia E. Nolas Wendy M. Nulty Erin E. O’Flynn Maho Oida Kathryn E. Ott Nicholas A. Pellegrino Dylan E. Penza Maria A. Pleshkevich Nita Prelvukaj Maryam H. Rahaman Brilynn H. Rakes Joanna L. Rizzo Emily M. Rubino Kyle D. Sandmann Ian R. Schaefer Molly E. Schroeder Rachel E. Schwarz Yekaterina Shtulberg John Joseph Soboll-Mueller Jessica M. Son Alexa N. Spiegel Tyler J. Tagliaferro Jeannie Tang Grace A. Thompson Sydney I. Thornell Magdalena S. Valenti Juily A. Vasandani James M. Vicari Daniel Villar Quanda Wan Li Wang Daniel M. Wilson Shelley Wu Angela M. Yamarone Gabriella M. York Mike Yuan Claudia Zbrzeski
Class of 2018 Naika C. Accimeus Emily H. Allen Christopher A. Artun Mariam A. Attia Alexandra E. Babin James C. Berrigan Mariya Bychkova Jasmin E. Castillo Sabrina Chandrani Nicole C. Charland Olivia Chen Yi Er Chen Lianne S. Chin Jocelynn Chu Jennifer C. Coppola Jacklyn K. Corsitto Sophie Dawson Chandler J. Dean Leah N. DeGruchy Sara K. El Miniawi Muhammad A. El Shatanofy Bianca Fantacci
Elizabeth Ferretti LuziEmily A. Fletcher Renee E. Garrahan Mackenzie M. Gentry Patricia Giarraffa Samantha J. Grech Vincent S. Gunn Christian G. Gusenburger Nicholas A. Guthammar Mayra A. Gutierrez Erin L. Harding Lienne Y. Harrington Chaudhary Harris Stephanie R. Henriquez Emily A. Howson Elodie M. Huston Jason S. Irukulapati Lia F. Isono Kathryn O. Jones Sandra Jovic Enisa Kahari Kathleen Kanaley Jessica Kar Fatima Z. Karim Aamnah Khan Geena Kim Madeleine L. Kim Tae Y. Kim Maya R. Kitayama Aaron J. Lascano Sheena A. Legall Benjamin C. Lew Emily E. Lewis Lucas A. Lonergan Isabel G. Mallon Grant Mayer Henry M. McCall Shaina J. McGregor Bonnie G. McHeffey Juliet E. Mengaziol Alex X. Merritt Olivia R. Miranda Max P. Moeller Blendi Muriqi Arielle Murray Sandhiya Nadarajah Christina E. Napolitano Julia R. Newton Samantha J. Norman Erika A. Ortiz Alexis D. Parris Amber Parris Rhea Patel Alyssa J. Pearson Marina R. Poudret Maxym Prybyla Casey A. Puglisi Eliza R. Putnam Taina B. Quiles Afsanul Raihan Justin Rebollo Alexandra Rae I. Rebosura Benedetto Regalbuto Ashley M. Rivera Karina Royzen Emily K. Ryan Caitlin E. Sakdalan Arzu Salman Annunziata F. Santelli Alexander M. Scott Sophia M. Scott Olivia Seaburg Mariea M. Sekijima Connor C. Sick Kelly A. Simchowitz Sabrina Sohan Kathleen A. Stanovick Amanda M. Stapp Kara A. Swanson Brett M. Taylor Rebecca M. Troyak Daria Umansky Keely C. Van Buren Elodie R. van Heek Joslin B. Vezeau Sarah R. Vidal Nicole K. Werpachowski Nopell Wong Kefei Wu Siwen Xie Shengzhe Xu Kathy S. Yoo Alaina A. Yuresko Ana Zeneli Runjia Zhang
Features
Features Co-Editors Alanna Kilkeary-alannamartine@gmail.com Alysha Kundanmal-akundanmal@fordham.edu Hansini Weedagama-hweedagama@fordham.edu October 22, 2015 THE OBSERVER
Senior Confession: The Pressure To Succeed By SHAHEEN TOHKIi Staff Writer
What do you do when the pressure to succeed becomes too much? When your classes are too demanding, your work schedule is too hectic, and maintaining a social life is unmanageable? For most of us, these are questions that we all face during our college career, but for seniors this feeling can be especially strenuous, because it always seems to feel like there’s not enough time anymore. As we venture into pseudo adulthood – while taking a full course load – the pressure to do everything and be everything can become all-consuming. What if you still don’t know what you want to do with your expensive Jesuit degree? What if you know exactly what you want to do, but are scared you won’t get a job? Should you take a gap year? Should you apply to grad school? Should you have gone to a cheaper school for undergrad so you could actually afford grad school? Rent in New York City is how much?! And my personal favorite, am I doing enough? Here are three things to remember when it feels like you’re losing your footing. Perfect is not a thing. I know, this is a tough one. But even your friends who works out regularly, interns, takes five classes, volunteers twice a week, is on an e-board, goes out on the weekends and always seems put together is not perfect and neither are you. Everyone manages their time differently and has a different set of priorities that drives them. Often your best doesn’t feel good enough, but it is. Take pride
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JESSICA HANLEY /THE OBSERVER
The stress may be piling on, but don’t worry – there are ways to cope.
in little accomplishments, like completing a big assignment, remembering to eat breakfast or making time for a friend who needs you. If you don’t stop to reward yourself for the little things, of course you’ll never feel good enough when you drop the ball. Take time to acknowledge all you’ve done. Give yourself time to be upset over a failure – yes, failure is a thing. And then, pick yourself back up, crank up your favorite song and handle it. Roll with the punches.
How does one roll with the punches? As a person with some type A tendencies, this is much easier said than done. But the reality is, sometimes things will fall through the cracks. You might forget an assignment, be too tired to get dinner with a friend, forget a birthday or mess up at work. You might not get the dream internship on the first try; you might not get into the grad school of your dreams. Life happens. Don’t let the variables consume you. At the end of the day, remember what matters most to you. Remember that you are so much
more than just the sum of your own productivity – even if society teaches us otherwise. Sometimes misfortune can lead you onto a new path that was even better than your original plan. You’re not the only one. Sometimes we get so consumed with our own worries that we self-sabotage via emotional isolation. There’s a 99.9 percent chance your best friend is going through a senior year crisis too. Vent. Vent like you’ve never vented before, because sharing your truth with someone else – and listening
to theirs – is an incredibly powerful thing. Sometimes it can feel like you don’t have the right to vent because you are so fortunate to have that great job, or those awesome friends, or that parent who is always cheering you on, but that doesn’t mean your feelings aren’t valid. Don’t bottle it up. Do be an active listener, not just an active speaker. Solidarity is a powerful thing – even if you aren’t going through the same exact experiences, the feelings are very real. We all feel the pressure to succeed in our own way, so be real about it.
Tales of a Baby Ram: My First Month at Fordham By KELLY ARMETTA Staff Writer
Standing on the sidewalk waiting to sign in on move-in day was surreal for two reasons: college had always felt so far in the future, and I thought it would maybe make me feel different. It has been over one month since that metamorphic day. In my short time at Fordham, there are a few common college myths I have found to be untrue. The most intimidating aspect of college is without a doubt the workload. There are so many classic horror stories about all-nighters in the library, essays that require an endless amount of pages, not to mention the massive amounts of readings assigned. But like a lot of things, once you actually start doing them, you find out they’re really not all that bad. So far, the workload has been heavy, but manageable. The most striking difference between high school and college work is the length and purpose of each assignment. In my high school, teachers assigned nightly busywork type assignments that were short and due the next day. Now, because classes don’t meet every day, the work is longer because there is more time to do it (even though it still somehow ends up being left to the night before.)While I sometimes do feel personally victimized from the amounts of reading due for a class, it’s manageable. The amount of responsibility has increased both in and out of the classroom. My mom left fairly soon after I moved everything into my
YUERONG LI /THE OBSERVER
Starting college means learning to do your own laundry.
dorm room. After, I realized there were a few things that I had to pick up from the drugstore. It occurred to me at that moment that it was all on me to figure out every part of this seemingly small trip, from finding the nearest store to buying my own necessities to getting back in time for the next orientation activity. I expected the independence to hit me to an almost cliché point; but, like most cliches, it turned out to be so true. On the first day here, I half expected to be told some dorm rules and maybe a time frame you could leave and enter the dorms. Now I realize how absolutely naive that expectation was. Inside the classroom, the independence is clear through the syllabus that is handed
out the first day. The professors aren’t reminding us what is due and when tests are; it is expected that we keep up with that ourselves. Because I have a syllabus for each of my six classes, I found it most difficult in the beginning to keep myself organized. There were so many dates and different packets of paper and assignments, I was feeling overwhelmed with how to remember and sort everything. I had a planner, but did I really want to write down everything? Now, I have a little system figured out and am feeling a whole lot better. Instead of trying to combine all the schedules into one, I take photos of each and save them in a separate albums on my phone, which makes everything
super accessible. One thing I became very accustomed to was a lot of grades and being able to see them all updated regularly on an online portal. That’s why it has been a little bit scary that most of my classes don’t have any grades up yet. It feels like a game of high stakes – all or nothing- I know that the few grades I do get will matter a lot. Also, it feels like I blinked and we are suddenly at midterms. For the past four years, midterms and January have always gone hand and hand. Suddenly, midterms are the second week of October, and I’m not even completely sure I have learned enough to be tested yet. It seems crazy, and as I mentioned before,
this is high stakes testing. This year was the first time I ever had to buy my own textbooks, too. I attended public school my entire life, and textbooks had always been the type of thing that were passed out for free at the beginning of the year, stacked in my closet and left until the end of the year came and they needed to be turned back in. Before moving in, I ordered my books online and died a little bit inside when I saw the total cost deducted from my card. I thought they would go untouched and maybe turn out to be a waste. That changed the first week, when I actually used almost all of the books I bought for the first time in my life. Another crazy thing about work in college is the absolute necessity for a good laptop. Before buying a MacBook for college, I had a fouryear-old Gateway Windows laptop that took 30 minutes just to start up and be useable. Computers are such a crucial tool for classes that I actually don’t know what I would do without this one. It also amazes me how much power Apple has in the college market – especially when I walk into a classroom and see 20 nearly identical Apple laptops out. Overall, even though the work sort of freaks me out, I know it will be all right. High school work seemed intimidating in middle school and college work seemed intimidating in high school. Most of us are sharing the same feelings as we go through the same experiences of a tough class with a lot of reading or one with a massive essay due at the end of the week. There are too many things to look forward to over the next year to be tripped up by an essay.
www.fordhamobserver.com
THE OBSERVER
October 22, 2015
Features
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Where Altruism Meets Academia
A brief history of service learning courses at Fordham College at Lincoln Center. By REESE RAVNER Staff Writer
“Be men and women for others:” As students of a Jesuit institution, we hear this phrase all of the time. We are encouraged to commit part of our time to the community— to give back. Many of us who have a history of volunteering wish to continue this aspect of our lives. Among the various programs Fordham offers students to fulfill these aspirations is integrated service learning. According to Jeannine HillFletcher, the faculty director of the service learning program, the service learning program connects academics to community outreach. It has existed, in a formal setting, at numerous universities around the country since the early 1980s. At Fordham, it began with the interdisciplinary seminar. This type of course allows students to apply community service to a class of their choice. Essentially, it is a partnership between a student, a professor and an outside organization where the student serves at least 30 hours during the semester and reflects upon his or her experience, via both writing and discussion with the professor. While this model of service effectively enhances a student’s learning of a particular subject, its benefits are limited to a single student. In 2007, Sandra Lobo Jost, the director of the Dorothy Day Center, proposed another type of service learning. She had researched the programs offered at other universities across the country and found that courses in which every student is involved in the community had “a different set of benefits,” as HillFletcher explained. They approached the deans of Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) and Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH), received their support and set out to develop these courses. In the spring of 2008, the first service learning integrated course was born. Since then, approximately 35 service learning courses have been developed, with at least one or two new courses added each year. The subjects span several disciplines, including psychology, sociology and history. According to Hill-Fletcher, the program is “really interested in expanding to the sciences and math.” Professor Karina Hogan of the theology department has an extensive history with service. She volun-
LYDIA BENNER /THE OBSERVER
Dr. Karina Hogan, chair of the theology department, has dedicated much of her time to service work.
teered regularly during college and, after graduating, she dedicated a year entirely to service work—which ended up turning into two years. She said, “That really formed me as a person and…made me very committed to have [service] be part of my own life but also…to show [my students] what you can learn from that kind of experience.” She elected to teach service learning courses at
Fordham. “The first service learning course I developed was a course in the Hebrew prophets,” Hogan said. She had always wanted to teach Faith and Critical Reason – a required theology course of Fordham’s core curriculum. When the professor who had been teaching it left in the fall of 2013, she jumped at the opportunity. Hogan believes that the most im-
portant aspect of service learning is “the change that happens in the student as a result of reflecting on the experience. [She thinks] that it’s very important, as you’re going through this experience of service, to step back and think about ‘What am I learning about myself and about my position of privilege in the world from this experience?’” The course includes weekly journal entries in
which the student does exactly that. “What happens as a result of the service learning is that the person becomes more committed to social change, to working…ultimately, becoming a man or woman for others. But that is not necessarily the main goal—it’s more the internal development of the self.” Hogan added, “The joy of teaching freshmen, especially in the first semester, is seeing how much they change and grow in those few months.” The Dorothy Day Center facilitates connections between professors, students and organizations for service learning purposes. As specified by Carey Kasten, the interim faculty director of the service learning program, “One of the tenets of service learning [at Fordham] is that it’s a justice model and not a charity model...We’re not just using these organizations for our students but actually establishing a relationship with them that will go beyond a semester or beyond a certain student’s work.” This semester, Hogan’s Faith and Critical Reason class is partnering with three non-profit organizations: Rauschenbusch Metro Ministries (RMM), Xavier Mission, and Nazareth Housing. The students will each complete at least (and, according to Hogan, most likely more than) 30 hours of service at their respective organizations. Hannah Murphy, FCLC '19, serves with RMM in the Page Turners program. Volunteers work with elementary school children in the afternoons to complete their homework after an hour of fun, which includes a trip to the park, board games and a snack. So far, Murphy enjoys it. “Everyone should have the chance to give back to their community,” she said. Nik Rambob, FCLC ’19, chose to volunteer at Nazareth Housing, a shelter on the Lower East Side. He recommends service learning because several students are interesting in volunteering, and being in a specific course “gives them that extra push.” Service learning prompts students to give back to the community, both for the purpose of serving others as well as applying the classroom material to the real world and vice versa. There are some things one can learn only by doing, and service learning courses provide a multitude of opportunities for an enriched learning experience.
FCLC’s School Survival Guide: Importance of Self Care By ALYSHA KUNDANMAL Features Co-Editor
With the temperature rapidly dropping and midterms season in full swing, getting sick seems inevitable. While physical ailments are easy to spot because they manifest in runny noses, fevers or achy muscles, mental health is in a comparably vulnerable state but often goes unnoticed. Putting mental health on the back burner seems easy to do because the remedies aren’t as obvious as getting more sleep or ingesting oranges for extra Vitamin C. However, Dr. Yael Uness, assistant director of Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS), believes the issue is more complex. Physical and mental health are much more intertwined than we realize,. “I don’t know if I would consider a significant distinction between mental and physical self care because they interact with each other. If you’re run down and you don’t sleep or eat properly or take care of
yourself you’re not going to be doing well emotionally and the other way around. If people aren’t doing well emotionally, that can manifest in a physical way, so I think it’s really important to take care of yourself in general, whether it’s eating properly [or] sleeping properly,” Uness said. While that is easier said than done, especially during midterms, the ability to successfully function is greatly impaired without employing self care tactics. There are many ways of trying to alleviate some of the pervading stress or better manage it, but it varies greatly depending on the individual. “I like to encourage students to have the mentality of ‘doing the best you can.’ I think sometimes there’s a cultural phenomenon of trying to be perfect, and if you’re staying up all night trying to get a hundred on a certain midterm – that’s not realistic. And what’s the cost to yourself or to other midterms? So do the best you can,” Uness encouraged. In terms of tangible or physical ways to cope with stress once it has already arisen, Uness suggested
PAYTON VINCELETTE / THE OBSERVER
CPS offers several options to reduce stress and help students succeed.
getting some physical activity. Take a walk in Central Park, or just do some jumping jacks in your living room if you can’t get outside. The release of endorphins will make you happier, and fresh air is a great natural mood
booster. She also advocated to “Take a nap! Sleep actually does consolidate the things that have been learned in recent memory, so that can really help you study.”
Since many of us are staying up late studying for exams and writing papers, our immune systems are much more vulnerable. Getting in an hour and a half nap during the day will leave you feeling refreshed, help your study session sink in and boost your immune system. Additionally, one of the easiest things to do is to build relaxation and break time into your study schedule. For every two hours of consistent studying or paper writing, give yourself a 20 minute break – scroll through social media newsfeeds, take a walk, eat some chocolate – just make sure your break is timed. You’re much more likely to give yourself the necessary break time without taking advantage of it this way. Listen to your body and your mind. If you’re feeling run down or stressed out, take a second to breathe. Regroup on what you need to accomplish and divide it into tasks of manageable size. Take care of yourself and don’t let midterms be your downfall. There are plenty more tests and papers, but there is only one you. Be well!
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Features
October 22, 2015 THE OBSERVER
www.fordhamobserver.com
Faculty Corner
On Honorary Degrees: A Letter to Father McShane We members of Fordham Faculty against Torture and Fordham against Torture wish to commend President McShane and the Board of Trustees for their decision to rescind William Cosby’s honorary degree: “As a Jesuit university, Fordham could no longer stand behind the degree it had bestowed upon Mr. Cosby, hence this unprecedented action.” The university undertook this extraordinary decision on the basis of newly received information, and it has now established a basis for doing so: “A recipient’s actions would have to be both unambiguously dishonorable and have a deep impact.” Given this criterion, we ask that the university look again at its decision to award an honorary degree to John Brennan, in the light of new knowledge about his participation and encouragement of the CIA’s torture program (condemned by the United States Senate), his continued defense of those practices, and his open scorn for the elected body that investigated them. In the case of John Brennan, President McShane in May informed us that the Board “is opposed to any effort to rescind it.” In its view, “as a public servant, Mr. Brennan does not set the policies that have led us to this place, but rather is responsible to the elected officials, including the President, who have,” and thus he must be excused for his role in the CIA’s torture program.With all due respect to the Board of Trustees, we find this explanation morally and intellectually inadequate. It implies that the activities of the CIA and the counterterrorism program were in fact objectionable, and toward the end of the note states, “No Jesuit institution—no Jesuit—is inclined to overlook the darker side of the Central Intelligence Agency.” The president’s response admonished us, “Do not for a minute believe that honoring John Brennan is the
PHOTO COURTESY OF OLIVIER DOULIER
John Brennan, director of the CIA, will continue to hold his honarary degree from Fordham University.
same as honoring the institution for which he works, nor its checkered history.” Despite this honest admission, the university’s argument suggests to the Fordham community that obeying orders--no matter how detestable--is the highest duty of the public servant. It implies that an individual’s best course of action is simply to ignore a century’s worth of international law concerning the responsibilities of public officials and military officers when confronted with illegal and immoral orders from their leaders. The model the university is following seems less St. Ignatius and more Pontius Pilate. We have to ask the administration, “If Mr. Cosby had engaged in illegal, abusive, and frankly immoral actions at the request of an American President, would Fordham continue to honor him?”
Read in the most generous light, the Trustees’ decision on John Brennan indicates that they misunderstood the purpose of the petition, interpreting it first and foremost as a call for punishment. While we certainly believe that all those complicit with the CIA’s torture program should be brought to justice, our primary intention was not to punish Mr. Brennan’s malfeasance. Our primary intention was to restore Fordham’s integrity. For the excruciating truth is that, by continuing to honor someone who has defended and excused the war crimes detailed by the United States Senate, the university has betrayed its mission, sullied its reputation, and disgraced itself in the eyes of its peers. The university’s email makes several frankly puzzling statements, none more troubling than this: “I
remind you of the 1989 UCA [Central American University] attack in El Salvador, in which six Jesuits, their housekeeper, and her 16-yearold daughter were murdered, and in which the CIA was found to be complicit.” We do not understand the logic of this historical reference, which implies that, because Jesuits have suffered human rights abuses at the hands of the CIA in the past, they are now morally permitted to dispense honors to CIA officers complicit with human rights abuses. We find this line of reasoning deeply problematic. We remind the administration that Ignacio Ellacuria (rector of the UCA), his academic colleagues, and the women who supported their work were murdered precisely because of their commitment to the torture victims of El Salvador. Invoking their names to
justify honoring an advocate of torture dishonors their lives, desecrates their legacies, and insults the cause for which they died. If anything, the CIA’s history of violence against the Society of Jesus should make Fordham more vigilant and conscientious in opposing anyone who is in any way complicit with the violation of human rights. Rather than speaking truth to the mighty, the university is congratulating them. Instead of fulfilling the noblest aspirations of the Society of Jesus, the university is following the lesser tradition of acting as handmaid to power and being “Jesuitical” in a less admirable sense of the word. Finally, as we understand it, Mr. Brennan has spent much of his adult life working for the CIA, and there is no evidence to indicate that he has devoted his career there to righting the institution’s wrongs. On the contrary, his complicity in the agency’s atrocities is clear. If his honorary degree was not awarded on the basis of his involvement with the CIA, then we would like to know what grounds Fordham could possibly have had for bestowing him with its highest honor. In closing, we thank President McShane for encouraging us to continue raising awareness on torture, detention, and other social justice issues, and we congratulate him for his moral strength in the Cosby case. We will follow that example and continue doing our part to call the university back to its rightful mission. Sincerely, Orlando Rodriguez Jeanne Flavin Jeannine Hill Fletcher Glenn Hendler James Kim David Myers Louie Dean Valencia
FFAT Responds to the Rescinding of Cosby’s Degree President McShane and the board of Trustees have acted responsibly and conscientiously in deciding to rescind the honorary degree awarded to Bill Cosby, in the light of what we now know. The members of Fordham Faculty against Torture understand the difficulty involved in publicly acknowledging and moving to correct a mistake, for the sake of the victims and to preserve the good name of the university. The moral
logic applied to the personal crimes of one man, though,applies equally well to a situation of profound international political significance. We must ask, therefore, how Fordham can be so attentive to the actions of Bill Cosby while ignoring the actions and words of John Brennan, especially in the light of what we now know of his support for torture in the aftermath of the Senate Report on Torture?
It is also dismaying to us that the Cosby decision, though certainly appropriate, appears to have been made behind closed doors and entirely without consulting the Fordham community in any way, just as was the decision to grant the degree in the first place. In contrast, the petition to revoke John Brennan’s honorary degree emerged from the Fordham community itself, was vigorously debated by proponents and
opponents alike, and had the support of more than 700 faculty, students, staff, and alumni, only to be rejected on the flimsiest grounds. If the decision to revoke the Cosby degree can be said to represent the university, how much more compelling is the strong evidence of community support in the matter of John Brennan? At this point in time, we want to thank all those hundreds of people who signed the petition, and all
those students and faculty who gave passion, time, and energy to move the university to a morally responsible position. We are sorry that this passion and commitment could not convince the Board of Trustees and the President to act. At the same time, we are determined to continue to fight for human rights and justice, and that the labors of so many will result in a permanent resource for the Fordham community.
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Sports
October 22, 2015 THE OBSERVER
The 411 on Flu Prevention
By RENAISA WAHED Contributing Writer
The flu bug is preparing to rear its head in the Big Apple yet again. Though influenza activity commonly peaks between December and February, it is not too early to get your yearly vaccine. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), flu outbreaks can happen as early as October and as late as May. “Hand washing, hand washing, hand washing,” Kathleen Malara, executive director of Fordham’s health services, said when asked about tips to prevent the flu this season. Frequent hand washing is especially important for those using public transportation. Jason Z. Morris, associate professor of Biology at Fordham College at Lincoln Center elaborated on how the illness is spread, stating, “The virus attaches to the surface of cells in the respiratory tract …[then] they replicate.” The CDC’s “Everyday Preventive Actions That Can Help Fight Germs, Like Flu” flyer said that people with the disease may be able to infect others starting one day before symptoms are physically noticeable, and up to five to seven days after they’ve become ill. “It’s just the simplest things,” Malara reminded us, that could help prevent influenza, such as sneezing into one’s elbow or a tissue, sleeping regularly and using your own utensils and drinking straws. While the bulletin itself is a subtle warning that we are quickly approaching the time to get our health in check before the fury of winter begins, there are many reasons why you should get your vaccine as early as possible. Shedding some light on the importance of getting your vaccine before the flu bug flies through our halls, Morris mentioned,“If you get vaccinated, your body creates antibodies to fight future instances of the virus. In 1919, the flu killed more people than [combat in] World War I” Morris warned immediately after: “Get vaccinated.” Malara said that Health Services will provide vaccinations for the 2015-2016 flu season. “Yes,” Malara said, adding that “the flu shot is $30, [and] they need to call and make an appointment—but there’s always availability.” In addition to the services pro-
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY LYDIA BENNER /THE OBSERVER
Students are advised to get vaccinated for influenza as soon as the vaccines become available.
vided by Fordham, students may also get flu shots at no cost locally with most health insurance cards. By providing your name and health insurance information to a pharmacist at any local CVS near Fordham’s Lowenstein building. In the case that one does contract the flu, Malara said, “if a person is truly diagnosed with influenza, we can prescribe antivirals.” The scientists behind the pamphlet conclude that we should begin getting vaccinated, preferably in October, soon after the flu vaccine becomes available to ensure that as many people
The scientists behind the pamphlet conclude that we should begin getting vaccinated, preferably in October, soon after the flu vaccine becomes available to ensure that as many people as possible are protected before flu season. as possible are protected before flu season. “It doesn’t cure,” Malara said. “[Antivirals only] lessen the symptoms and shorten the time [for recovery], but they won’t necessarily
cure it.” “We will be offering flu clinics,” Malara mentioned. Flu clinic days are available for students to get tested and receive shots for the flu in
advance. Melissa Quiroz from the Health Services office provided the first of several clinic days this semester in the Indoor Plaza on Oct. 15, Fordham’s Health and Wellness Day. “Certainly they can come in here and we can tell them what to use,” Malara said, in the case of a student beginning to feel sensations akin to the flu. For updates on future Fordham flu clinic days “keep an eye out on our [Fordham Health Services] website and outside the office on the bulletin board.”
NBA Preview: Who Are Your Fellow Rams Supporting? By NICK ENGLANDER Contributing Writer
With less than a month to go until the NBA season begins, training camps are underway and each team is looking forward to a new year. Last season, the Golden State Warriors surprised all of us by going 67-15 and winning the NBA title over the Lebron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers. This season, the Warriors should face stiff competition from teams such as the 2014 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs and the 2015 runnerup Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers returned all of their key players that were injured in the finals, and the Spurs added very talented players to a top-notch rotation with LaMarcus Aldridge and David West. As Fordham is such a diverse community, it begs the question: which teams are our fellow Rams supporting? Davis Browne, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’19 is a Chicago Bulls fan after attending a game a couple of years ago: “When I was 14, I went to a Bulls game and became a fan.” The Bulls are set to have a good season, but a coaching change and lack of offensive skill should put them a level below the Eastern Conference’s elite team — the Cleveland
PHOTO COURTESY OF PHIL MASTURZO/ AKRON BEACON JOURNAL VIA TNS
LeBron James is looking to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers back to the NBA Finals this year.
Cavaliers. Ben Stoller, Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center (GSBLC) ’19, supports the Boston Celtics due to the team’s great tradition and recent success after acquiring stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen: “I’m a big Celtics fan; the Celtics for a five-year period had some of the best teams in league, especially in 2008. They always played hard and were competitive the whole game.” The Celtics surprisingly made the playoffs last season, and added players such as David Lee and Amir Johnson to help strengthen their frontcourt, but still aren’t at a level where they can challenge teams like the Bulls or Hawks for a spot on the Eastern Conference’s top ranks. The Celtics’ main rival, the Los Angeles Lakers, are supported by Eric Flores, FCLC ’19: “I’m a Lakers fan because I grew up in a Lakers family and saw the best parts of Kobe’s career, which was exciting. Also, because they signed Robert Upshaw, who’s a good friend of mine.” The Lakers added some good players this offseason, but are still expected to miss the playoffs in the loaded Western Conference. I am also a Celtics fan; I grew up in a town just thirty minutes from Boston, so it was natural for me to
like my hometown team. Having grown up with the team that has won 17 championships, the most in NBA history, is truly a pleasure for me as a fan; also, it doesn’t hurt that they won a championship seven years ago as well. The Miami Heat is another heavily-supported team here at Fordham. Josh Anthony, FCLC ’19, cited his proximity to Miami and his favorite player, Heat legend Dwyane Wade, as the reason for his choice: “I’ve always been a Heat fan since I grew up in Miami and my favorite player had always been Dwyane Wade.” The Heat missed the playoffs last year, but are regaining key players and in line for an improvement. Of course there are the New York Knicks. With Madison Square Garden, the Knicks’ home arena, standing just a 15 minute subway ride away, there are bound to be Knicks fans at Fordham Lincoln Center. The Brooklyn Nets play about a half an hour away, but also manage to keep afloat in the Fordham community. With stars like Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez wearing Nets uniforms this season, the Nets should continue to challenge for a playoff spot. It will be another exciting season for the NBA, and one that could be even more competitive than last year.
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THE OBSERVER October 22, 2015
Sports
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Fordham Introduces Health and Wellness App By MADISON SIDWELL Contributing Writer
Fordham now offers a health and wellness app through the national wellness program Stressbusters. Stressbusters is used by many colleges across the country, including New York University, St. John’s University and Harvard University. The app is customized based on each college and offers a variety of features. Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) sponsors this program as a way to promote self care. Produced by The Stress Coach Inc., this app provides a quick and accessible way to relax and deal with stress. The Stressbusters program was created by Jordan Friedman, otherwise known as the “Stress Coach.” The program offers both the app and an outreach training program known as GROUND. The GROUND program consists of trained students that provide stress management tips and free five-minute backrubs. Fordham’s Rose Hill campus offers the GROUND program, and CPS is hoping to get it running here at Lincoln Center. Both the app and the GROUND program have been proven to reduce stress dramatically. According to the official website, www.thestresscoach. com, in a study of 1,100 participants, the Stressbusters program reduced stress scores by 40 per-
cent. Stressbusters has trained more than 500,000 students and staff members through their programs in the past 20 years. The Stressbusters app has many beneficial features, including a news feed of events happening on campus through CPS and other school programs and clubs, as well as videos ranging from breathing techniques to ways to cope with homesickness. The app also includes guided meditations and a music playlist designed to induce sleep. Stressbusters provides links to on-campus support. What is unique about this resource is that it is accessible 24/7; support is just a click away. One of the features of the app—which is not yet developed, but coming soon—is a health rewards program. It is a point-based rewards program where students can earn points by creating surveys, finding videos relating to health and wellness and even by downloading the app itself. Prizes, which are yet to be determined, will be given after a certain number of points are earned. This is a fun way to get involved with the Stressbusters program. The Stressbusters program also looks to build a connected community. Jill Lederman, Licensed Master Social Worker and the Community Training and Outreach Specialist in CPS, talked about how the app is a great way to inform students about
COURTESY OF STRESSBUSTERS APP
The Stressbusters App will inform students when health and wellness events are happening around campus.
what events are happening that promote mental health awareness and wellness. Lederman said that the app is “a great way for students
to stay connected and know what resources are available to them.” She also referred to this app as an evolving one: “We are open to get-
ting student input and their voices on the app.” Students will have a chance to promote their organizations’ events through the app’s news feed. Jeffrey Ng, Psy.D., the director of CPS, said, “Self care is so important for our overall wellbeing, including how we function academically, and this is a way to make self care fun, cool and hip.” Ng came across the program more than three years ago. After receiving a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Ng and CPS brought the app to Fordham, hoping to provide a resource to help stress management skills and improve overall mental health on campus. Lederman refers to the app as a “cool way to self care.” Stressbusters is just one of the many resources offered at Fordham. Others include a variety of services, including counseling and therapy. CPS encourages students to download the app and check out the Fordham Stressbusters website, www.fordhamstressbusters. com, to learn more about the programs. Students should contact CPS if they are interested in becoming a Stressbuster, or just want to gather more information about the program. Stressbusters is free and can be downloaded from Apple’s App Store, Android’s Play Store and its website.
JUSTINE SIEGAL MAKES MLB HISTORY
The A’s Hire First Female Coach By ALEXANDER DIMISA Contributing Writer
On Sept. 28, 2015, Justine Siegal made history when she accepted a coaching position with the Oakland A’s, making her the first female coach in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. Siegal took the position of guest instructor of the A’s instructional league Oct. 4–17. Siegal holds a PhD in sport and exercise psychology from Springfield College, and an M.A. from Kent State in sports studies. In addition to this, Siegel serves as president for the non-profit organization Baseball For All, the purpose of which is to provide baseball to all children and youth in America, with a focus on assisting young women. With Siegal’s background and training, it made sense for the A’s to hire her to assist in the training of younger members of the team. Moreover, Siegal is no stranger to making history. In 2009, she became the first female to coach for a professional baseball team when she acted as the first base coach for the minor league team Brockton Rox. In addition, two years later, Siegel threw batting practice for several MLB teams, such as the A’s and the New York Mets. More recently, Siegel worked with a myriad of teams, including the A’s, to help educate about and prevent domestic violence in the MLB. With her new position, Siegel will work with players not only on mechanics in batting practice, but will also help develop the players’ knowledge on the mental aspects of the game through various classroom sessions and presentations. Through this position, Siegal is really showing that baseball is for all people. Justine Siegal is the newest in an increasingly large list of first female coaches in major league sports. This past summer, Becky Hammon became the first female coach in the National Basketball League (NBA) when the San Antonio Spurs hired her as an assistant coach. Ham-
Justine Siegal is the newest in an increasingly large list of female coaches in major league sports. mon coached the Spurs’ summer league team to a championship, and many now see her as a legitimate head-coaching candidate. Hammon has stated that the idea which has guided her through achieving this great accomplishment is “Just because something’s never been done, doesn’t mean it can’t be done. Leadership has no gender.” Furthermore, the Arizona Cardinals made history with the hiring of Jennifer Welter as an assistant coaching intern for the summer. In addition to this, the National Football League employs one full-time female referee, and the NBA employs two, making them the only female referees in professional sports today. In the National Hockey League (NHL), the highest position a woman has been offered is a skating coach for a few different NHL teams, which was offered to a woman named Barbara Underhill. Furthermore, there is currently one woman serving as a coach for a Minor League affiliate of a Major League Soccer team: Marguerite Ferrell, who acts as head of coach recruitment for the New York Red Bulls’ affiliate. When asked by ESPN what her advice for women and girls in baseball would be, Siegal responded by saying “Don’t give up on your dream, and be who you want to be. Baseball is a place for all, and there is a place for everyone.” Following this, Siegal received an outpouring of support from many of her fellow female coaches across various sports and leagues. Justine Siegel’s position may not have lasted very long, but it represents an upward, positive change in the hiring of female coaches in major league sports.