Observer the
January 24, 2019 VOLUME XXXVI, ISSUE 1
www.fordhamobserver.com
Fordham Appoints New Provost Dennis Jacobs
Let’s Get that Yield Rate Up, Fordham
By SOPHIE PARTRIDGE-HICKS Asst. News Editor
By LEO BERNABEI Staff Writer
On Jan. 14, University President Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., announced the appointment of Dennis C. Jacobs as the new provost and senior vice president for academic affairs of the university. Jacobs will assume his role on July 1. Under the president, a university provost is the university’s chief academic officer and is responsible for the creation and implementation of academic priorities. The provost works closely with the university’s academic deans, department heads, faculty and staff in order to ensure that the academic goals of the university are met to the highest degree. Jacobs will take on the position from Interim Provost Jonathan Crystal, who held the post following the death of Provost Stephen Freedman in July 2018. During this time, Virginia Roach, dean of the Graduate School of Education, was selected to direct a Provostial Search Committee. In joining the Fordham community, Jacobs leaves Santa Clara University, where he had been provost since 2011. One of his notable accomplishments at the university was the creation of a new Office for Diversity and Inclusion. Eve Keller, president of the Faculty Senate, stated that “Dr Jacobs brings to Fordham an exceedingly impressive array of interests, talents and accomplishments, as a scholar and artist, and a higher education leader.” On behalf of the Senate, Keller expressed their enthusiasm, saying, “We look forward to welcoming him to our community and working together with him to build Fordham’s future.” Jacobs holds a doctorate in chemistry from Stanford University from 1988 and went on to obtain bachelor of science degrees in chemistry and physics from the University of California-Irvine in 1981 and 1982, respectively. In 2004, Jacobs was appointed as the provost at University of Notre Dame. Upon Jacobs’ appointment, Crystal will be promoted to the newly created position of vice provost and will serve as a senior member on Jacobs’ staff. The Observer reached out to Dr. Crystal and to Dr. Jacobs, but did not yet receive a comment.
In 2005, Fordham saw around 16,000 applicants apply for a spot in the Class of 2009 with an acceptance rate just under 50 percent. This came as Fordham’s Board of Trustees released an ambitious 10-year plan that would return Fordham “to a position of recognized national prominence in the world of American higher education.” Thirteen years later, over 46,000 applicants applied to Fordham’s Class of 2022. Despite a balloon in applications over this period, the acceptance rate just barely sank to 46 percent.
Let’s not allow our stagnant acceptance rate and low yield rate hold us back. MARGARET GALLAGHER/THE OBSERVER
By JORDAN MELTZER News Editor
see YIELD RATE pg. 7
Appli 000 0 Acc ca ,00
ep
2,000 Enrolled
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However, her financial situation and the government shutdown have forced her to take a leave of absence from the university. The summer before Shaw began her first semester at Fordham, her mother was hospitalized as her kidneys began to fail and she went into medical retirement. As a result of the ensuing financial difficulties, the family’s financial aid packet was rendered inaccurate and they were forced to file a reevaluation packet.
“I’d turn in paperwork and they’d say it’s the wrong paperwork,” Shaw said. “It was a lot.” Then, in September, her mother found out that her identity was stolen, which forced her to file her paperwork in person. Since she was hospitalized at the time, it took a week to file all the necessary forms. But this was only the beginning of the Shaws’ financial troubles. Fordham requires a transcript from the IRS certifying Shaw’s mother’s tax payments. This information will help determine how much need-based aid, if any, Fordham should allot for Shaw. Since the federally funded IRS is running in limited scope due to the government shutdown, the bureau will take months to deliver this transcript to Fordham.
nts
The longest government shutdown in American history, effective since Dec. 22, 2018, has done damage to hundreds of thousands of Americans. In addition to the 800,000 federal workers not receiving paychecks during the shutdown, one Fordham student has taken a direct hit due to the limited functionality of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), a bureau of the Treasury Department responsible for handling Americans’ taxes. Etta Shaw was a freshman at Fordham College at Lincoln Center on track to graduate in 2022. The 18-year-old Jersey City native was a freshman senator of United Student Government (USG) and the public relations officer for the Black Student Alliance (BSA).
It took a week to file all the paperwork. But the Shaws’ biggest troubles were only beginning.
46,
Shutdown Forces Student Into Leave of Absence
On top of this, Fordham’s yield rate – the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university – has remained virtually unchanged (if not shrunk) at around 10 percent over recent years. In other words, Fordham’s applicant pool continues to rise while its acceptanc and yield rates stay stagnant.
21
Etta Shaw has been waiting for the shutdown to end so the IRS can send her paperwork to Fordham.
see SHUTDOWN pg. 2
Jesuit Sexual Abuse Scandal Rocks Fordham Community By COURTNEY BROGLE Online Editor
In a statement released on Jan. 15, University President Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., and Chairman of the Board of Trustees Robert Daleo identified nine Jesuit priests credibly accused of sexual assault with connections to the Fordham community. The statement was prompted by the Northeastern Province of the Society of Jesus, who released
a comprehensive list earlier that day of Jesuits with credible allegations of abuse upon minors. Among those listed in the Northeast Province, five Jesuits were assigned by the Province to serve at Fordham University or Fordham Preparatory School. Additionally, McShane and Daleo disclosed four other Jesuits connected to the university or preparatory school with credible accusations against them. These men were named on lists pre-
pared by the four other American provinces. The ties between Fordham and the nine men in question date as far back as 1936. Each offender, while employed at Fordham, interacted with students in some capacity: as professors, campus ministry participants and even residents in University housing. In addition, several men listed by the Northeast Province resided at Murray-Weigel Hall, the
Jesuit nursing home located adjacent to Fordham College at Rose Hill property. The Northeast Province owns and operates this facility; at Fordham’s request, Jesuits with known allegations against them that still reside there were removed. The statement to the Fordham community openly condemned the actions of these Jesuits. “As the sexual abuse scandal that has engulfed the Catholic Church unfolds,” McShane and Daleo’s joint see SCANDAL pg. 2
COURTESY OF SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY
Dennis Jacobs was appointed Provost on Jan. 14.
OPINIONS
CENTERFOLD
ARTS & CULTURE
SPORTS & HEALTH
Ghostly gusts are a gift
Rest, coffee and seniors in Spain
Celebrating the iconic NYC film
Basic habits to avoid burnout
PAGE 13
PAGE 19
Hallway Wind PAGE 7
Abroad in Bilbao PAGE 10
You’ve Got Mail at 20 Getting Better Sleep
THE STUDENT VOICE OF FORDHAM LINCOLN CENTER
2
News
January 24, 2019 THE OBSERVER
www.fordhamobserver.com
Jesuit Sexual Abuse Scandal Shakes University
SCANDALFROM PAGE 1
statement read, “it is incumbent on all of us who are leaders at affected institutions to support the survivors and to acknowledge the inalterable harm that was inflicted on these brave survivors and their families.” “While none of the accused priests are involved in Fordham University’s student life or operations today, we are horrified that some of these alleged crimes were committed when the perpetrators were associated with the University or were otherwise in close proximity to our students.” In addition to resources provided to the victims, the statement said that it is taking some initiative regarding current procedures and policies. The Board of Trustees will form an independent advisory committee of lay trustees, individuals without clerical affiliation to the Jesuit institution, to review allegations further. The advisory committee has also been tasked with “examining any appropriate preventative and remedial measures to address allegations of such abuse.” Assistant Vice President for Communications Bob Howe added, “The University has absolutely no tolerance for sexual misconduct in any form, and has taken and will continue to take all actions necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of our students, faculty, staff and others in our community.” Demetrios Stratis, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’19 and United Student Government (USG) president, was “to put it mildly, greatly disheartened” by
MARGARET GALLAGHER/THE OBSERVER
Several priests in the Northeast Province report resided at Murray-Weigel Hall, the Jesuit nursing home located adjacent to FCRH property.
residence at Rose Hill and for forming a new lay committee to address the problem at hand.” Stratis continued, “at the same time, I feel that it would be beneficial for the sake of the student body that the USG ask further questions and clarify specific details regarding the situation, and reach out to the lay committee on behalf of the student body.” “It is crucial that going forward, there is a plan/system in place to prevent these terrible crimes from happening,” Stratis said. “As of now, the USG does not have a concrete plan on how to proceed, but we are paying close attention to the developing details and discussing possible
“ Our hope in Campus Ministry is to promote
the full flourishing of members of our community. Our primary concern now and moving forward is to support survivors and to facilitate their healing and wholeness, however possible.” – ERIN HOFFMAN , Associate Director of Campus Ministry and Director of Ignatian Initiatives
the Jesuits’ list. “I applaud the University and Father McShane for removing all of the men with credible accusations against them from the
avenues for us to render assistance.” “Most importantly,” he went on, “we need to reiterate the need to help support students
on campus obtain access to more resources for survivors of sexual assault.” Erin Hoffman, associate director of campus ministry and director of Ignatian initiatives, also condemned the abuses the Jesuits in question committed. “The news of Jesuits involved in sexual abuse of those in their care is heartbreaking,” she said. “Our hope in Campus Ministry is to promote the full flourishing of members of our community. Our primary concern now and moving forward is to support survivors and to facilitate their healing and wholeness, however possible.” Administrator of Campus Ministry Operations Gil Severiano added that the University’s Counseling and Psychological Services, Student Affairs and Public Safety can also aid students currently in distress. The Fordham Jesuits in question are as follows: J. Peter Conroy, S.J., at Fordham from 1972–79. In addition to teaching theology, he was the assistant director, then director, of campus ministry. Conroy began his career at Canisius High School in the late 1960s and moved onto Canisius College in 1980. He was removed from Canisius College in 2002 after sexual misconduct allegations beginning during his tenure at Fordham came to
light. According to news network WKBW, he admitted to “inappropriate touching and groping” of two female relatives from 1972 to 1976; both were minors at the time. He is still a Jesuit priest; since 2002, Catholic directories state he lives in Cornwall, New York. Roy Drake, S.J., at Fordham from 1965–68. Drake taught at Fordham Preparatory School and worked in the seismic station. According to Bishop Accountability, a website that aggregates allegations of sexual misconduct by priests, he still was listed in the Fordham directories in 1969–70. In 2005 he was accused of raping and sodomizing a 13-year-old boy in 1968 while on an overnight trip with Fordham Prep. The Ram reported that Drake lived in Murray-Weigel Hall until 2006, when he was transferred to a center for troubled priests. Drake died in 2008. John McCarthy, S.J., at Fordham from 1956–92. A professor in the Graduate School of Social Service, he was accused on abuse of minors in the 1970s. Upon his death in 1997 his Mass of Christian Burial was held at the Fordham University Church, according to an article in The New York Times. In the obituary he was praised for living according to “his Jesuit and social work values in his teaching and in his volun-
teer work with underprivileged youth.” Eugene O’Brien, S.J., at Fordham Prep from 1950–53 and from 1960–80 and at Fordham University from 1986–91. O’Brien was principal and president of Fordham Prep in the early 1970s, during which he sexually abused a student. According to Bishop Accountability he abused the boy several times and in a public forum on the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) website, others confirm that many other male students faced O’Brien’s abuse. In 1997 the Jesuits settled the suit regarding the former accusations and Fordham paid the accuser $25,000. He was relieved of all official duties in 2002. William Scanlon, S.J., at Fordham from 1972–74. The campus minister was accused of abusing minors from 1985–94; in a report by news network WBFO he admitted to the charges upon a 1994 investigation. He was impeded in 2011. John Bellwoar, S.J., at Fordham Prep from 1936–38. Credible accusations of sexual abuse are estimated to have occurred between the 1950s and ’60s in a report prepared by Bishop Accountability. He died in 1993. Maurice Meyers, S.J., at Fordham from 1951–59 and 1973–74. Fox 6 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, found that the faculty member of the Russian Center of the University was also a summer chaplain at a couple camps from the 1950s and ’60s. He died in 1980. Francis X. Nawn, S.J., at Fordham from 1980–81. Nawn visited Fordham from his home province hile on sabbatical. According to Bishop Accountability his name first surfaced in 2004 lawsuits for perpetrating sexual abuse in Alaska; in 2005, three men came forward and alleged that they were abused at the hands of Nawn as minors. His abuse is estimated to have occurred from 1963 until at least 1977. He died in 1992. Philip Sunseri, S.J., at Fordham from 1983–86. The instructor at Fordham Prep, living in University Residence Halls, was found guilty of sexual misconduct with children in 1986 and 1987. He was banned from the ministry in 1988 and is currently living in San Jose, California, according to Bishop Accountability.
Student Departs Fordham Amid Shutdown SHUTDOWN FROM PAGE 1
Further, the university cannot currently give Shaw’s family any need-based aid. “The transcript is the thing that’s holding us back from getting that reevaluation and then being able to get a new packet that fits our budget,” she explained. “And so, at this point, I’m at a standstill.” The initial time frame to deliver the transcript to Fordham that the IRS provided to the Shaws in late October was 180 days. “But with the government shutting down,” she said, “the chances of me getting that transcript are farther and farther away.” Shaw said she attempted to get a private loan — once in October and again in January — but she was denied both times because she has no credit and her family members’ credit is not good enough. For its part, Shaw said Fordham has attempted to alleviate some of her family’s costs by having the financial aid office enter the family into a special payment plan.
“But even then,” Shaw said, “that’s $13,000 that I just can’t pay.” The approximate total cost to attend Shaw’s college at Fordham per semester as a commuting student amounts to nearly $20,000. Shaw is taking a leave of absence from Fordham as she figures out how to pay for her education. She plans to get a job and make enough money to pay for books whenever she starts back up. In the meantime, she is waiting for the shutdown to end so the IRS can finally operate as a fully functioning federal bureau and, in turn, send her paperwork to Fordham. In a statement to The Observer, Campus Director of Student Financial Services James Cirillo said that the financial aid office “continues to work with Etta” but cannot comment on specific details due to federal privacy laws. “It’s been really sucky,” Shaw said. “Because I do love Fordham, probably way too much. I was on USG, I was Freshman Senator. I was really active in BSA. And I had
to give all of that up, along with the idea of graduating on time, because of money. And I work hard. It’s not like I’m slacking … It just sucks that you can do everything right and it still might not work out the way you plan it or the way you expect.” Shaw has launched a GoFundMe page asking visitors to consider donating money to help pay for the costs of her education, including tuition, books and food. On the crowdfunding platform, she states that she wants to “be a catalyst for positive change,” which is why she wanted to attend Fordham in the first place. “[I]t is obvious that Fordham can be the place for me to flourish,” she stated on GoFundMe. Despite these circumstances, Shaw remains optimistic. She fully intends to return to the university once her paperwork is filed and the logistics come together. Though she lamented what she calls a “broken system,” she is committed to making it out on the other side — a graduate of Fordham University.
MARGARET GALLAGHER/THE OBSERVER
Shaw aims to return to Fordham as soon as possible.
www.fordhamobserver.com
THE OBSERVER January 24, 2019
New Website Preserves Fordham’s Past
News
3
Student organization launches Fordham Receipts to keep record of university history and policies By RUBY GARA News Editor A student-run website is set to become the newest archive of Fordham’s history. Through commemorating past students’ initiatives for change on campus, members of the Students for Sex and Gender Equity and Safety Coalition (SAGES) aim to inform the Fordham community about the university’s history and policies, including hate crimes, gender inclusive housing and more. The website, titled Fordham Receipts, serves as an encyclopedia of campus-related debacles, such as student protests, with the purposes of solidifying a sense of community for alumni. After graduating, many lose touch with the occurrences at the university. “It’s a project aimed at dignifying our short time here with the aim that we as students can claim control of the terms of our education and student experience,” Sam Norman, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’18, explained. Norman was a senior member of SAGES before officially graduating in February. The current community at Fordham is “temporary,” Norman said. “The separation that graduation warrants hinders the potential growth of student movements.” Tightening the relationship between the university and its graduates is one of the main objectives of the new website. “The importance of institutional memory for effective student organizing is under-emphasized” Margaret Cohen, FCLC ’20, said. “We saw a need for some sort of student-run and researched documen-
tation of the administration and campus community and thought a website would be a good solution.” Cohen joined SAGES as a freshman because the group is formed by “people who will most often show up in solidarity with other groups working for change in our community and actively hold the administration accountable for the things they say and do.” The mission of SAGES as an unofficial student organization is to spread knowledge about gender and sex issues, as well as topics not often discussed, such as racism on campus. In the 2018 fall semester, they hosted two “Disorientation” events, to foster open conversations about resources not addressed during freshman orientation, including affordable off-campus sexual and mental health facilities. On its new website, SAGES wrote that “we cannot rely on the institution to be transparent with students, faculty or staff, so we as students must take it upon ourselves to make Fordham a safer and more informed place for everyone.” Initially, the members of SAGES considered drafting a pamphlet, but the decision to have an active website, in the form of a blog, was solidified about a year and a half ago. “The project aims to ‘keep receipts,’ or keep administration in check through public documentation of infractions against students, staff, faculty and the Fordham community at large by conservative decision makers,” Norman added. The website will have different sections for readers to browse. The history section will offer a timeline of previous struggles, while
ZOEY LIU/THE OBSERVER
SAGES members Margaret Cohen, FCLC ’20 (left) and Connor Sick, FCLC ’18 (right) discuss the collective nature of the website which ensures transparency in the Fordham community.
the “Op-Eds & News” section will display articles about campus organizing at Fordham. The website will also provide students with resources about healthcare and consent-based sex education. In addition, the “Office of the President”
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section will display emails written by the Fordham administration. “Hopefully the website will be a popular source for information about anything that Fordham admin don’t advertise to students,” Cohen said. “Ultimately I hope that
it can move organizing and student power forward and build on the work of previous students.” Norman stated that the website will also be a tribute to the professors, staff and peers “who make our Fordham experience richer.”
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News
January 24, 2019 THE OBSERVER
www.fordhamobserver.com
Trans Students Oppose Online Name Change Process
Fordham Information Technology Services representative says Blackboard feature will improve soon By JORDAN MELTZER News Editor
The fight for the rights of transgender community members at Fordham persists, and it appears to be at an all-time high in terms of publicity and activity. In July 2018, the university changed single-occupancy bathroom signage to read “All Gender Restroom.” In November, students rallied to support transgender rights on the outdoor plaza. In December, Senior Vice President of Student Affairs Jeffrey Gray broke the university’s silence on transgender, gender non-conforming and intersex (TGNCI) students’ rights on campus. Now, attention is turning to the usage of TGNCI students’ preferred first names on Fordham’s online services. Fordham uses several internet services to keep track of the student population. It uses Google Suites for social and work tools, Blackboard for academic organization and Banner for registration, billing and other administrative services. Each of these services defaults a user’s display name to their legal name. This presents a challenge for transgender students who want to reflect a preferred first name. Google, Blackboard, Banner and other online services at Fordham all have separate requirements for changing a display name, and no one service affects the rest yet. Anthony Perez, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’19 student and transgender man, legally changed his name before approaching Fordham with the request to change it on all documentation, including Fordham’s online services. The first step in the process was contacting the Office of Enrollment Services. “I had to bring them the court order and fill out a paper saying what my old name was, what my new name is and my Fordham ID,” Perez explained. “I handed that in, they photocopied the court order and a couple of days later, it was changed and I had to go get a new student ID.” This change applied to most of Fordham’s online services, including Banner and Blackboard. As for Google, Perez changed the display name by creating a Google+ account and entering a new first name in those account settings.
NIGEL ZWEIBROCK/THE OBSERVER
SCREENSHOT COURTESY OF NAT DIMARIO
Nat DiMario, FCLC ’20, created a profile with their preferred name on Blackboard, but changing it here does not change it everywhere.
The change was applied to Gmail and all other Google services connected to his account. Perez had one qualm with the process: He does not believe that students should have to obtain a legal name change in order to reflect their gender identity on Fordham documentation and online services. “Quite frankly, not everyone has the money and the time for all of that,” he said. “Because it does cost a decent amount of money to get your name legally changed. It’s really inconvenient and it’s unfair.” Perez was unaware of a Blackboard feature that enables students to create a profile that includes the option to enter a preferred name. Nat DiMario, FCLC ’20 and a student who identifies as non-binary, had a similar experience with the Google portion of the process. They explained that changing their display name on Google “was a little complicated, but it’s accessible.” The other parts of the process, however, were either complicated or unknown to DiMario. For this,
they blamed the poor communication between students and administration on the services available to trans students. They conceded that “maybe that comes from me not asking enough questions,” but also pointed out that “Fordham isn’t very open about what their services are for trans students either.” DiMario also acknowledged the
find, is not as accommodating … I feel like they could do a better job of making that information readily available if they know they have trans students here.” Part of the problem for students like Perez and DiMario is that their options are neither easily accessible nor streamlined. DiMario, for example, noted that “I’ve done my fair share of scouring the website
Google, Blackboard, Banner and other online services at Fordham all have separate requirements for changing a display name, and no one service affects the rest yet. complex nature of the situation and the fight for trans rights at Fordham in general. “It’s hard because I think the university itself is very accepting of its trans students, and I’ve never run into an issue with professors using my name or my pronouns,” they said. “But university policy, I
and I have not come across that,” referring to Enrollment Services’ part in the procedure. Additionally, many parts of the online name change process are separate: Google has its own feature for name alterations, Blackboard has its profile builder and a name change on Banner can only be fa-
SCREENSHOT COURTESY OF NAT DIMARIO
After creating a Blackboard profile, DiMario’s dead name still appeared on the site’s home page.
cilitated through Enrollment Services, which requires a legal name change first — an expensive and time-consuming process. The Blackboard profile builder, meanwhile, appears not to affect other features of the site. For example, when DiMario created a profile, the profile displayed their preferred name, but the drop-down menu on the main page of the site still displayed their “dead name”, the name trans people are given at birth. According to Alan Cafferkey, director of faculty technology services, Blackboard as a company is “in the midst of redoing the tool for a future release.” Therefore, the feature’s functionality may improve in some time. Cafferkey also said that Fordham is working to improve some aspects of the process. “Definitely with transgender inclusivity in mind,” he said, “we have endeavoured to make the name change process much easier within Blackboard.” Specifically, the improvement will be an automatic name change in Blackboard once it is done in Banner. Both DiMario and Perez are aware of the impact that the online name change process has on the larger conversation about the trans community at Fordham. For DiMario, not knowing how to change the name on their diploma comes to mind. “I don’t know what I would have to do to not have my dead name on my diploma when I graduate,” they said, “if I don’t change my name legally before then.” For Perez, the ordeal was representative of perceived shortcomings of the administration and how it regards its trans community. “Fordham needs to do better with trans kids and students,” he said. “You need to be there to support the students that are here. And they’re failing, quite honestly.” Perez’s hope lies with student organizations that support Fordham’s trans community, like Students for Sex and Gender Equity and Safety Coalition, The Positive and Rainbow Alliance. “It’s nice to see that there are students groups on campus that are trying to do something about it,” he said. “But I think the administration needs to do something about it. Because they say it with their words but they don’t show it with their actions that they support trans students.”
www.fordhamobserver.com
THE OBSERVER January 24, 2019
Bravo’s Departure Surprises Student Body
News
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Juniors and transfer students to be assigned interim deans until replacement is announced
JOE ROVEGNO/THE OBSERVER
Assistant Dean Milton Bravo leaves administrative responsibilities to pursue Fordham doctorate degree. By GABRIEL SAMANDI Asst. News Editor
Students who were registered for classes with Milton Bravo, a professor in the theology department and assistant dean for juniors and transfer students, were surprised this week to find their professor replaced. Bravo, who had a strong presence in the lives of juniors and transfer students at the Lincoln Center campus, had been speaking with Fordham’s administration about pursuing a doctorate degree.
“After much consultation with my family, I resigned from my position as Assistant Dean,” Bravo expressed to the Observer in an email. “During the spring semester, I will be devoting full-time to the completion of my doctoral studies and my dissertation.” According to Dr. Frederick Wertz, interim dean of Fordham Lincoln Center, Bravo’s departure was a point of much conversation in the administrative office. In support of Bravo’s career decision, it was agreed his responsibilities could be divided among the remaining administrative
staff until a replacement is found. “We at Fordham have very personal relationships,” Wertz said. The matter of Bravo’s departure was seen as “a personal journey among the staff,” causing these discussions to remain under wraps before the spring semester began. The administrative community was concerned about the “wellbeing and privacy” of Bravo as he made his career decision. For his part, Bravo expressed his gratitude for his experiences at Fordham. “I would like to thank my colleagues in the
Dean’s office for their support and encouragement during this transition,” he wrote. “It has been a wonderful experience to serve the university community during the last five years. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every minute of my time at Fordham.” However, some confusion arose among students during the decision-making process. According to reports from spring orientation leaders, new transfer students went through a significant period of no communication with the dean’s offices and faced unanswered questions before the
announcement of Bravo’s departure. While the decision for Bravo to cease working for the university came abruptly for some students, Wertz was careful to express that “unanticipated changes in professional life can be positive.” Both Bravo and Wertz expressed that they look forward to working together and that Bravo is “still very much a part of the Fordham Family.” During this transitional period, Bravo reminds students that “above all, I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to serve FCLC students.”
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Opinions
Opinions Editor Owen Roche - oroche2@fordham.edu
January 24, 2019 THE OBSERVER
THE
STAFF EDITORIAL
THE CYCLE MUST END
T
he shocking and horrifying sexual abuse scandal that has enveloped the Catholic world inevitably breached Fordham’s borders. Nine Jesuits affiliated with Fordham in different ways were revealed to be sexual abusers, per a report by the Society of Jesus released on Jan. 15. This is the latest in the continuing sexual misconduct scandal that has left the global Catholic community reeling. An email disseminated throughout the Fordham network confirmed the five priests mentioned in the report and named an additional four offenders. All were connected to Fordham from the 1930s to the 1990s. Though Fordham’s recent statements to the community and establishment of an Advisory Committee is a good start, ultimately, they are neither effective nor productive. While the creation of the committee is, in fact, a concrete step, it is difficult to place trust in university employees who have an inherent conflict of interest in cases like this. That this report surfaced so late in the Church’s recent process of revelation and healing — and that Fordham’s acknowledgment only followed the writing on the wall — may be reasonable cause for many Fordham students and faculty to doubt whose interests Fordham truly holds dearest. A group of trustees with stakeholders’ interests in mind is not a valid protector of Fordham students.
As students, this report has broken our trust. Fordham has treated past cases of sexual abuse claims against priests as singular incidents: namely, those of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and Roy A. Drake, S.J. The report, however, reveals a pattern of sexual abuse committed by priests at Fordham.
Those in power at the university must ensure that this cycle of abuse and cover-ups is not allowed to continue. The university must not respond as it has before. This report is different. Fordham as an institution needs to rebuild our trust, and the community deserves to know that this scandal will remain firmly in the past in order for healing to occur. Those in power at the university must ensure that this cycle of abuse and cover-ups is not allowed to continue. Fordham must take transparent and measurable steps to both acknowledge this permanent stain on our institution’s history and prevent atrocities like these from occurring again. More importantly, the student body should feel secure in knowing that the university is taking this issue seriously. Because the report reveals a widespread history of assault on campus, an internal investigation of Ford-
ham Jesuits may be a logical next step for the university to take. An outside assessment of the university and a strengthening of faculty put in place exclusively to protect students are actions that must be taken if the university would like to be trusted. Whatever course of action is chosen, full transparency between the administration and the student body will be essential. In light of the recent reports of similar assault still taking place in states like Pennsylvania and Illinois, Fordham will need to be more vigilant and communicative than ever if it hopes to prevent additional instances of misconduct from occurring in the future. The sexual misconduct issue Fordham faces is one of a gravity never before seen at our university. Fordham’s efforts to address it must be of the same caliber. We cannot pretend these Jesuit priests operated in a vacuum. Sexual abuse affects the entire Catholic Church, and those afflicted extend far beyond the reaches of the Fordham community. However, Fordham is obligated to do its part. Students, faculty and alumni deserve to know how our proudly Catholic and Jesuit university will reconcile with its past and atone for the sins of many of their own. Our trust is broken. What Fordham does next will determine if it can ever be fully healed.
Photo Feature
OBSERVER Editor-in-Chief Colin Sheeley Managing Editor Izzi Duprey Business Managers Alexios Avgerinos Teymur Guliyev Online Editor Courtney Brogle Layout Editors Loïc Khodarkovsky Steph Lawlor Asst. Layout Editor Esmé Bleecker-Adams News Editors Ruby Gara Jordan Meltzer Asst. News Editors Sophie Patridge Hicks Gabriel Samandi Opinions Editor Owen Roche Asst. Opinions Editors Grace Getman Evan Vollbrecht Arts & Culture Editor Marielle Sarmiento Asst. Arts & Culture Editors Kevin Christopher Robles Gillian Russo Features Editors Lindsay Jorgensen Jeffrey Umbrell Asst. Features Editor Gianna Smeraglia Sports & Health Editor Luke Osborn Asst. Sports Editors Patrick Moquin Lena Weidenbruch Photo Editor Zoey Liu Asst. Photo Editor Shamya Zindani Fun & Games Editor Dan Nasta Social Media Manager Shamya Zindani IT Manager E.J. Ciriaco Visual Advisor Molly Bedford Editorial Advisor Anthony Hazell
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The Observer’s photographers documented the impact of the government shutdown in and around New York City. For the full photo essay, check it out online: fordhamobserver.com JOE ROVEGNO/THE OBSERVER
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THE OBSERVER January 24, 2019
Opinions
7
Gale Unveiled: Hallway Breeze a Blessing SATIRE NICOLE PERKINS Contributing Writer
With the beginning of the new year comes an inevitable drop in temperatures. As many students seek shelter in the warm halls of Fordham University, one peculiarity continues to torment the students: the small, ever-present breeze in the hallway from McKeon Hall to Quinn Library. It seems to come from nowhere and everywhere all at once — power walk forward and it seems as if the breeze is propelling you further, motivating you to walk faster than ever before. But stop for a moment and note that the breeze doesn’t waver for a second in intensity; it is controlled by nothing and no one. The untrained eye might deem this as a flaw in engineering, a wayward vent pointed in the wrong direction. But there are those special few who can look beyond the facade and understand that this is no ordinary hallway. There are forces far more powerful than physics at play in this humble walkway. At first, the hallway was marked as a curse upon the student body. One student, carrying her handwritten 400page manuscript, swept into the hallway only for her papers to be scattered haphazardly all over the ground. She never wrote again. Another, having meticulously styled her hair for a job interview, walked down what she thought was a normal corridor only to come out the other end with a full blown perm instead
MARGARET GALLAGHER/THE OBSERVER
Easy, breezy, beautiful: a student experiences the blessing of Fr. McShane.
of the gentle waves present only moments before. But upon closer investigation, it appears that this wind isn’t so one-dimensional. In fact, it seems to be quite similar in strength to a certain Jesuit priest beloved by the student population. Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of our school, and hero of many
glorious memes, is known for his power walk about the school. Could this wind perhaps be a sign from the king of Fordham himself, pushing students to strut about with the same intensity he does? The answer seems to be yes. We all know that New Yorkers walk fast. But what is even faster? The president of Fordham
University on his way to throw down at the nearby church for an off-the-(gold Jesus)-chain Mass. By placing this powerful wind in the hallway, Father McShane is telling students that they too can harness the four natural elements of earth as he does and stride with the power of a thousand worlds on fire behind them.
Critics will say that the breeze is nothing more than that, but to the true believers in the power of Jesu-lits, it’s obvious what is at play here. Feel the wind in your hair as you walk that hall and know that the power of this institution is behind you with the strength and speed of broke Fordham students on their way to Midnight Breakfast.
Low Yield Rate Hurts Prestige Fordham’s applicant pool continues to rise while its acceptance and yield rates remain stagnant.
countless hours of sifting through applicants while, at the same time, attracting prospective students who are interested in Fordham because of who we are as a university, not only where we’re located.
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In fact, Fordham’s yield rate is one of the lowest of national universities. Yield rates are inextricably linked to higher selectivity in college admissions, a factor that carries 10 percent of the weight in determining a university’s rank in the “National Universities” category of U.S. News and World Report. In a year when Fordham’s rank on this list tumbled nine places from 61 to 70, it can only help the university to strive for a higher yield. In an email to the entire Fordham community last fall, University President Joseph McShane, S.J. assured the university that this ranking is derived largely through endowment size. However, we cannot turn a blind eye to other factors that are taken into account when determining rankings. There are two major changes that the admissions office must adopt to decrease the number of applications Fordham receives while also obtaining a higher yield rate. For one, Fordham must implement a school-specific essay of some sort. Aside from the obvious benefit of attracting only serious applicants, who know enough about Fordham to write an essay on why they wish to attend, admissions officers can get a second opportunity to learn more about applicants. Perhaps a student has a particular background in their academic field of interest that they didn’t address in his or her Common Application essay. Not to mention, these types of school-specific essays are a good way to separate highly interested
applicants from those who simply write a generic “Why College” essay leaving empty lines where the university’s name belongs. With the most potential to produce a positive change, Fordham should completely eliminate their use of the Common Application. With more than 600 colleges and universities on this platform, students can now apply to one, two or even 21 colleges via the click of a button. While applications received by colleges that use the Common App continue to rise, schools are forced to make even tougher admissions decisions, leading to an overall decrease in their acceptance rates. Prominent universities such as Georgetown that have resisted the rise of a universal college application have seen an increase in their applicant rate and a consequential decrease in their acceptance rate. However, their trend pales in comparison to, for instance, Brown University’s 50 percent jump in applicants and simultaneous six percent drop in admissions rate only five years after they joined the Common App. With Fordham now accepting more than 21,000 applicants per year with only around 2,000 students deciding to enroll, it doesn’t take a statistician to conclude that prospective students are simply not applying to Fordham as a school they primarily wish to attend. To the entire Fordham community, we are a great university — one of the nation’s best. Let’s not allow our stagnant acceptance rate and low yield rate hold us back. These proposed changes are not difficult to implement. They would save our admissions office
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Although New York City is embedded so deeply into Fordham’s DNA that the university and the city are simply inseparable, we as a Jesuit university offer so much more than the benefit of living in New York. This should be illustrated through our admissions process.
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY ESME BLEECKER-ADAMS
It doesn’t take a statistician to conclude that prospective students are simply not applying to Fordham as a school they primarily wish to attend.
8
Opinions
January 24, 2019 THE OBSERVER
WWW.fordhamobserver.com
Millennials are Ruining Award Shows SATIRE sour on trophies? Hollywood stars, the most morally-reliable and ethically-admirable people out there, are rightful and justified role models for a generation that, apparently, would much rather stream a “Twitch” than ogle Lady Gaga in a Valentino dress worth more than their entire student debt.
OWEN ROCHE Opinions Editor
The past months have not been kind to back-slappers. Much like the silver-haired lifetime achievement-accepting stars who unfurl their scroll of thank-you’s on primetime television, American award shows aren’t aging all that well. The most recent Grammys, Emmys, Oscars, Golden Globes, Espys and even the usually rock-solid Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards all suffered notable declines in ratings from previous years. We live in a unique time: At no other point in recorded history have we been less motivated to turn on the TV and watch the Emmys. Scapegoats are myriad. Some point fingers at the social media streaming of events as the explanation for the dismal drop in viewership of the 2018 Grammys. Others bemoan prime-time competitors stealing viewers. The loudest cry from the consuming masses, however, is the most concerning — and most infuriating. It would appear that, for the crucial 18 to 40-year-old viewing bracket, award shows just aren’t doing it for them anymore. Suddenly, lavish galas, expensive dresses and long speeches — broken up by live performances from artists who should really, really consider performing exclusively in the recording studio — are boring a certain demographic of Americans. The Hollywood Elite and Common Man no longer share those special nights of extravagant wealth and gratuitous hugging and kissing the way we used to. Horrifying, surely. When Americans stop crowding around the television to watch Andy Samberg tell Cath-
At no other point in recorded history have we been less motivated to turn on the TV and watch the Emmys.
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY LOÏC KHODARKOVSKY
Lest we forget.
olic-homily-caliber jokes, it’s a good indicator that our society is beginning to rot from the inside. The moment we cannot come together and listen to Hillary Clinton read “Fire and Fury” at the Grammys, our tone-deafness has reached levels even autotune can’t salvage. We’ve changed. No longer do we champion the classy serial killer question, “Who are you wearing?” Less-than-scrupulous elections from “academies” and “colleges” don’t rile us up like they used to, especially when
our favorite creepy fish film won anyway. We know who’s ruining award shows for the rest of us. After discovering the killers of Applebee’s, diamonds, jogging and fabric softener, we know exactly who to blame. Millennials, a blanket term for young people who do things I don’t like, are the single biggest killers of all things good and wholesome. Millennials are “entitled.” They “text” their dastardly emojis at all hours of the day. They “Venmo” their
friends and have no time for Facebook, where the best news comes from. They are a generation raised on tokens of false accomplishment. Tee-ball trophies. Spelling Bee participant medals. Stickers simply for showing up to the grocery store. The “Me Me Me” generation grew up over-validated and lazy, yet they refuse to sit on the couch and endure hours of entertainment industry workers congratulate themselves on a job well done? After all this time, they’ve picked now to go
It’s disgusting. The hallowed tradition of watching celebrities trip their way up to a podium to announce the winner of a category you didn’t know existed, only to comment at your screen “wow, he got really old” is somehow not enough for the youth. It’s hard to imagine what more they could possibly want. I fear a future populated by award shows more tailored to the twisted millennial persuasion. I shudder to think of catching a glimpse of a first annual Meme Awards or, worse yet, a funny opening monologue from a host that wants to be there as I flip between reruns of Modern Family. If millennials have their way, award shows as we know it will cease to exist. When young people start to impose their views on the status quo, we don’t need an Academy, church jokes or gilded envelopes to tell us who wins. Everyone loses. Millennials, young people and anyone who’d rather “floss” a “Fortnite” than floss their own teeth: Do the right thing. Buy into award shows like the rest of us. We had to sit through them; you should, too.
Is The Wall Really the Hill Republicans Want to Die On? PATRICK RIZZI Staff Writer
The government shutdown began at midnight on Dec. 22, 2018. Sadly, there is no end in sight of the partisan trench warfare that got us here. The debacle started when President Trump said he would refuse to sign any spending bill into law that did not give him $5.6 billion (later $5.7 billion) for his proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. In a meeting on Dec. 11 with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Trump made the shocking claim that he would be “proud” to shutdown the government in order to build the wall if need be. Given this statement ensures that the shutdown is directly of Trump’s own making, Democrats feel — and should feel — absolutely no inclination to concede to Trump on the wall. What does this latest batch of swampy insanity say about our political climate? It must first be said that even though virtually all Democrats do not support the wall as defined by Trump, the prospects of a shutdown originally seemed low. Many members of both parties supported increased border security, using tools such as thermal imaging, sensors and night vision to detect activity on the border. However, a spending bill that many Democrats could agree to
would likely appropriate about $1.3 billion for border security of this nature, which is far less than what Trump desires to build his wall. Many Republicans used to have reservations about the wall or Trump’s proposed amount of funding for it; however, many have since solidified their support of the president’s ultimatum. Even many previously “moderate” Republicans like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) are startlingly in lockstep with Trump on this. Graham, of course, was a longtime supporter of the DREAM Act, which would give some eligible minors brought to the United States a path to permanent resident status. Many of these Republicans have changed their positions to avoid angering their voter base, who (with the possible exception of moderates and “Never-Trumpers”) are firmly behind Trump. They also feel that they must cower to the base to avoid the wrath of popular primetime hosts on Fox News, such as Sean Hannity. Hannity posted the phone number to the U.S. Capitol switchboard, which connects callers by phone to the offices of Representatives and Senators, on his show to encourage his voters to call their Republican members of Congress to push them to keep fighting for Trump and the wall. I don’t know how the government shutdown should end. It’s doubtful either of the two
JOE ROVEGNO/THE OBSERVER
One in 10 TSA workers called in sick on Jan. 12.
bills proposed on Jan. 22 by both houses of Congress will come to any fruition; one likely stopped by the Democratic House majority and the other hindered by the Republican wall-or-nothing mentality. This shutdown is unprecedented in scope and intensity, but this shutdown is a sad depiction of the current state of the Republican Party. Most Republicans still in Congress are firmly and uncompromisingly behind Trump. Many of the more
moderate or “Never-Trumper” Congressional Republicans who served during the first two years of Trump’s presidency, such as Sens. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Bob Corker (R-TN), retired. Others, such as Rep. Carlos Curbelo (RFL) were ousted by voters during the 2018 midterms. The most well-known Congressional Republican critical of Trump, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), tragically passed away in August 2018. The so-called “feedback loop”
between the current Republican Party and Fox News is frighteningly real. Primetime Fox hosts seem to support almost anything and everything Trump supports, and vice versa. Even if Trump had any reservations behind the scenes about the nature of this shutdown, he likely would not voice them to avoid enraging his favorite media personalities. Fox News works as a propaganda-like outlet in support of his agenda and clearly helped him get elected, so for most Republicans to vocally oppose the Trump/Fox agenda is seen by many rightwing partisans as near blasphemous. But what is most concerning about this shutdown is the precedent it could set. We must never lose sight of the 800,000 federal workers currently furloughed as a result of this absurd spectacle. Many of them are working without pay. Many Republicans are privately appalled by the length and circumstances of this shutdown. However, that does not mean very much when they stand behind Trump so firmly by claiming, “no wall, no deal.” I fear that if Trump gets his wall, this shutdown may establish that it is acceptable to close the government and hold hundreds of thousands of hardworking Americans hostage in pursuit of a partisan agenda or political goal. We can only hope such a precedent never becomes the new normal.
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THE OBSERVER January 24, 2019
Opinions
9
Party’s Over, Folks Republicans, Democrats be damned
American voting needs revamping
CHASE GALLION Contributing Writer
The American system of voting, whether we care to admit it or not, is lying to us. To say that the way to achieve our political dreams and to create the differences we want to see in this country is as simple as exercising our right to vote is laughable at best. The truth is, we don’t live in a meritocracy. Politicians are not voted for based on whether or not they are well-suited for a given position, but instead whether they have an elephant or a donkey pinned to their name. We are told we are voting to create a government “for the people by the people.” In reality, we are getting half of the representative truth folded into a web of systematically placed lies. Political parties have divided our country and essentially ruined the fairness of the democratic election process. Moreover, the electoral college exists as nothing more than a solidified and legal roadblock to the result of the popular vote: the honest voting results that should, but don’t, count. With a conglomerate of legal systems placed regionally throughout the country through gerrymandering, all the way up to the corrupted loopholes that exist within the power of elected government officials in Washington D.C., the problem is clearly systematic, but it is one that could start with the abolition of political parties. Think about our country at this very moment. Almost no one will argue against one painfully ironic thing: we are a divided country, and this division is ruining us. Our division, at its foundation, comes from the culture of extremism we’ve cultivated around “choosing sides,” its roots taking place way back in the beginning of America’s governmental history with the formation of political parties. We have almost all been taught how George Washington forewarned us of the dangers of political parties and that such practice would ultimately lead to the destruction of our country. So why didn’t we listen to him? Although not all of the concepts initially laid out in our constitution, or the ideals our founding fathers have preached,
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY CARLA DE MIRANDA
Government should be for the people, by the people. Please, no more parties in the USA.
have stood the test of time (or have been necessarily wise from the get-go), it seems that George Washington’s message has been nothing less than true. We are a deeply divided country with a masochistic love for choosing sides. The problem with political parties is that they leave no room for an alternative. It’s either candidate/platform/measure “A” or “B.” If we as a country were to choose policy based on individual choices as opposed to “picking sides” and aligning oneself with a platform that only offers a fraction of what one actually wants, decisions would be made more rationally by getting everyone’s take and opinion, as opposed to choosing between two drastically different choices. There’s no room for a grey area in modern party politics, which is why it will never leave the majority satisfied. Considering the political differences at Fordham University is a perfect example of our division. Lincoln Center is notably liberal, and Rose Hill is notably less so.
Anyone who has visited both campuses can sense the differences in political leanings. These differences are clear not just in individual students, but in professors, alumni and the atmosphere itself. These differences, although possibly not as divided as our country as a whole, are notable because of the way students perceive individuals at the opposite campus. “Rose Hill is full of Republican frat boys” or “Lincoln Center is where the artsy agender snowflakes reside.” Both equally unfair generalizations, but both true representations of the way flippant college students at Fordham University discuss their school and campus counterparts. This choosing of sides is dividing our own university. It affects us all the way up to nationwide presidential elections down to who we choose to associate with at our own school. How then, can we truly have shared school spirit? Love for the fellow man? “Men and women for and with others” is Fordham’s mantra
and it shouldn’t be used in vain. When we care for the other person, the whole person, we must look beyond our differences in political agenda. At the end of the day, what bonds us and brings us closer is our being human. There’s no winning when we pit man against fellow man. Empathy for others should be the way we look at and dictate policy. At a bare minimum, there needs to be respect and tolerance for another person’s political views, both at Fordham and in the United States. What makes those actions harder or near impossible are when we are clouded by the view of a human labeled by either “Republican” or “Democrat.” This egotistical and seemingly American condition of my way vs their way is toxic and will never provide credible solutions to actual problems. In a country that glorifies individualism, strict dualism shouldn’t exist. Individuals should make their own decisions on their own terms. Even if voters are completely un-
informed and vote a specific way, this is still significantly more fair and worthwhile than pitting one team against another team when either side only offers a strict list of policy. The way Americans rally on their side of a given political party is comparable to the way ancient Roman citizens championed blood sports. It’s a juvenile and needlessly competitive way of dealing with highly important matters. Whereas sports are more trivial, and therefore such stringent side-choosing behavior is acceptable, the lives of millions upon millions of people are at stake with each election. It’s time that political parties are abolished to make way for the next American Revolution: one of enlightenment, forethought and empathy. Of course many people will still have headstrong opinions about many different issues, but eliminating parties would at least reinforce individuals’ opinions and hopefully, for future generations, create smarter and more inclusive policy making.
The Right’s New Hero: Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez BRANDON SAPIENZA Staff Writer
The 116th Congress was sworn in amidst the chaos of a government shutdown. The media hyped the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives as the most diverse to ever serve. Amongst these newly elected faces is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a self-proclaimed socialist from the Bronx. In her short run as a candidate and now a representative, she has on numerous occasions made bold and disproven claims and proposed radical socialist ideas such as the “Green New Deal.” This has only been good for Republicans; they seem like the party of sanity. Unfortunately, to see the results of this insane movement happening on the left, we have to suffer through two years of watching Ocasio-Cortez ramble and propose radical agendas with harsh consequences on Americans if passed.
It is truly scary to know the people of District 14 willingly sent a representative to Washington who will create policy with the potential to make life much worse for them. To most people, it’s quite obvious we have a president who ignores facts. Thankfully, President Trump does not possess the legislative power of people like Ocasio-Cortez. She doesn’t even have her facts straight enough to ignore them. In a “60 Minutes” interview she said, on getting her facts wrong, “I think there’s a lot more people concerned with being precisely, factually and semantically correct than about being morally right.” It is truly scary to know the people of District 14 willingly sent a representative to Washington who will create policy with the potential to make life much worse for them. As if it was hard enough to deal with a person in the Oval Office tweeting outrageous statements and insults, it can only get worse
with a member of Congress who prioritizes her feelings on certain issues over facts. Ocasio-Cortez, like many of her Democratic colleagues, employs identity politics to weaponize her womanhood and her race, for example saying to screenwriter and noted liberal Aaron Sorkin that “Men have ‘gravitas,’ [and] women get ‘likeable.’” Ocasio-Cortez put forward her socialist agenda as a candidate using this momentum. Her plan, in addition to abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and strongarming the public into financing an expensive “Green New Deal,” includes a tax scheme that would tax top-tier earners 70 percent after $10 million annual income, according to the “60 Minutes” interview, despite the fact that
the top three percent of earners already pay more than half the taxes for the country as a whole. Most concerning of all is that Ocasio-Cortez’s tax plan, backed by many of her Democratic colleagues in the House, raises tax rates across the board, including on working class Americans. This will be in order to support a socialized government that will supposedly provide free college, housing and Medicare. For the 33 percent of Americans who identify as independents, the idea of socialist policies that will increase their taxes is not one they would welcome, especially considering that 45 percent of Americans believe their taxes are too high. This large portion of independents, along with those who believe their taxes are too high and
registered Republicans, could spell bad news for the Democrats in 2020 and beyond if they allow Ocasio-Cortez to become the new face of the Democratic party. Republicans should take advantage of Ocasio-Cortez driving the Democratic party further towards radical leftism and remake themselves into the party of sanity. The president serves as a figurehead for the party, and if he continues in his Trumpian ways, more Americans would rather turn a blind eye to socialism than let a man with problems of his own continue as president for four more years. The first thing Republicans must do is prioritize making President Trump presidential for the last two years of his term. If they can make him seem presidential, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will drive Americans to feel it is their duty to vote red. If that happens, it will be the best thing to happen to Republicans in a long time.
10
Features
January 24, 2019 THE OBSERVER
WWW.fordhamobserver.com
Snapshots of
During each major transition in my life, I have found a need to document as many moments
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CARSON THORNTON GONZALEZ
WWW.fordhamobserver.com
Bilbao, Spain
THE OBSERVER January 24, 2019
s as possible — after struggling to convey how I felt through words, I turned to photography By CARSON THORNTON GONZALEZ Features Editor Emerita
One year ago, I was stepping onto a red-eye flight leaving for Lisbon, Portugal. My ultimate destination was Bilbao, Spain, where I would be living and studying for the next six months. If my nerves about moving to Spain were not enough, I was now preparing for seven long hours in a seat that did not recline. I had only ever experienced a similar level of anxiety two years before, as I made my first ever major move to start school at Fordham. Moving across the country from New Mexico to New York had been a monumental change, but nothing could prepare me for life in a new country where my second language was others’ first. These photos were taken in Bilbao, a quiet, green city on the northern tip of Spain. Comparable to West Palm Beach in Florida, Bilbao is a retirement destination for Spaniards looking to escape busy city life. For that reason, I found myself focusing primarily on seniors and their caretakers in my photos. At any hour of the day, I could find a group of retired men and women sitting outside their local bar. Being around an older population revealed a great deal about my own lifestyle and the value in slowing down to appreciate the world around me. Bilbao taught me to be more carefree and to add a little more of the stereotypical Spanish lifestyle into my own — focusing more energy on spending time with loved ones, taking well-deserved breaks and, of course, drinking more cafe con leche.
Features
11
Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture Editor Marielle Sarmiento - msarmiento3@fordham.edu
January 24, 2019
THE OBSERVER
COIN and CAB:
Step aside Spring Weekend, Winterfest is coming By MARIELLE SARMIENTO Arts & Culture Editor
A $55 ticket plus tax and fees and a bus commute to Irving Plaza or a $5 ticket and an escalator ride down to Pope Auditorium? These are your options if you want to catch COIN live in New York City this winter. Every year the Campus Activities Board sponsors Winterfest, a concert right at Fordham Lincoln Center that students can attend for the price of an Argo Teapuccino. This year’s Winterfest will take place on Friday Jan. 25 at 5:45 p.m., but the concert’s student-run planning committee has been working on the event since September. Winterfest is truly an event produced by and for Lincoln Center. The main act, COIN was chosen via voting poll from the Fordham community. COIN, an indie pop band from Nashville, Tenn., known for their single, “Talk Too Much,” will begin their North American concert tour after Winterfest. While you could catch COIN when they
come to New York City in February, Committee Chairperson Daniela Silva, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’20, said, “Winterfest is even better because the crowd is full of Fordham students who want to have a fun time.” Winterfest presents appeal even if you’re not interested in the main act. “Most important to me are the opening acts, which are sourced from the Fordham community,” committee member Dan Nasta, FCLC ’19, said. Everyone in the community was invited to submit an audition tape, and the final opening acts were chosen by the committee and announced at their Artist Release Party back in December. This year’s opening acts are Chesca Mac, FCLC ’21, and rock band The Inoculated Canaries with lead singer Michael Rubin, FCLC ’20. “The openers are incredible this year and I wouldn’t want anyone to miss them,” Silva said. A well-known artist group performing on campus and student musicians opening for them is a buzzworthy event, but Winterfest is
much more than just a concert. Fordham University has its token big events to foster school spirit that students from both campuses are invited to like President’s Ball, Homecoming Day and Spring Weekend. However, all take place at Rose Hill. “Winterfest is all about having a big event at Fordham University Lincoln Center,” Nasta said, “It’s our main pillar of culture during the spring semester. That’s why it’s also marketed towards Rose Hill students.” Winterfest was originally designed to be Spring Weekend’s Lincoln Center counterpart and is a chance to show some Lincoln Center pride. “I think it’s just fun to come together and enjoy something as a school. Especially down at Lincoln Center, where we’re not really into sports or things like that, it’s fun to have events like this that are catered specifically to us and showcase some awesome talent at our own school,” committee member Sharika Koul, Gabelli School of Business ’19, said. If you want to attend this cel-
ebration of music, inter-campus school spirit and fun, tickets are being sold in the Indoor Plaza for $5. For the first time, Winterfest is offering a digital ticketing system available via Fordham’s ticketing website (fordham.universitytickets.com) in hopes to reduce paper waste. The online option includes a 50 cent processing fee. Undergraduate students can purchase tickets for themselves and up to two guests. To those who have been before or want to put Winterfest off until next year, Silva said, “The concert experience is different every year so if anyone is hesitant about going, I’d suggest just going and having fun.” To seniors who have yet to attend and don’t know what they’re missing, “Winterfest is an opportunity to bring together the whole Fordham community, both Lincoln Center and Rose Hill, together to have a fun time,” Silva said. If Rose Hill-relations and campus culture mean nothing to you, Janel Fitzgerald, FCLC ’20, said, “It’s a $5 concert, how can you pass that up?”
Tips from the Winterfest Committee 1. Book your Ram Van tickets early 2. Arrive by 6 p.m. to catch the opening acts 3. Hydrate! Concerts are hot and there will be free water 4. Avoid crazy long lines by not bringing a bag and skipping bag check
Meet this year’s opening acts
Chesca Mac
COURTESY OF PATRICIA ANGELES
Franchesca Macalintal, FCLC ’21, is an anthropology major on the pre-health track, and can now add Winterfest 2019 Opening Act to her portfolio. Hailing from a family of musicians, her first memories of being onstage are of holding the microphone for her older brother and sister when they would sing. At the age of nine, she began singing at events around her hometown in New Jersey like benefit concerts, weddings and coffeehouse gigs. Although she grew up around performers, Macalintal said, “It wasn’t until high school that I really got rid of my stage fright.” Now releasing music under “Chesca Mac,” she has gained a following on YouTube and Soundcloud by posting covers and original songs. In November 2018, Macalintal released an entirely self-produced single, “After All.” “It’s a compilation of everything anyone’s ever told me about love,” she said about her romantic single. Last year’s Winterfest piqued her urge to perform, and although juggling finals when auditions rolled around for this year, she said, “You either do it or you don’t, what’s the harm in trying?” During her 30-minute set, concert-goers can expect covers and a
COURTESY OF CHESCA MAC
few originals. With experience performing at Songwriting Club’s open mic nights, Pope Auditorium will be her biggest stage yet, Macalintal said, “I’m a little more nervous than I would be, but I’m definitely excited to try something new and share it with everybody.”
The Inoculated Canaries Known as “Fordham’s rock band,” The Inoculated Canaries are returning to the Winterfest stage after opening for The Mowgli’s in 2017. Mike Rubin, FCLC ’20, the vocalist and guitarist, gained an interest in music by playing Guitar Hero before trading in the video game for the real instrument. Rubin and his band are seasoned musicians, releasing their first EP, “The Blue Laws,” (2013) when Rubin was only 13 years old. Their full-length album, “Trying Times” was released last year. The band performs all over New York City, but Winterfest is one of Rubin’s favorite shows, “It’s awesome because it’s the big stage at Pope and you look out and it’s all Fordham people and everyone’s really stoked about it. The crowd is huge, and you have all your friends out there.” The Inoculated Canaries will perform their new, unreleased song, “Sneakers” in their 45-minute set. Having shot the music video recently, Rubin said the song is about the “bumps in the road” in a relationship. More worried about gear and equipment malfunctions than actually performing, Rubin is excited to take the Pope Auditorium stage again, “Last time we played it was great. Plus we have a couple of new songs this year, I’m really excited about that. It’s a really good show, and it’s a huge crowd, what else do you need?”
COURTESY OF IRISVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY
COURTESY OF IRISVIEW PHOTOGRAPHY
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THE OBSERVER January 24, 2019
Arts
13
‘You’ve Got Mail’ at 20: The ultimate Upper West Side romantic comedy By KEVIN CHRISTOPHER ROBLES Asst. Arts & Culture Editor
“I go online, and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words: ‘you’ve got mail.’ I hear nothing. Not even a sound on the streets of New York, just the beating of my own heart. I have mail. From you.” There is no better movie that encapsulates the Upper West Side than 1998’s “You’ve Got Mail,” which celebrated its 20th anniversary this past December. The tiny particularities of life in the places so close to Fordham Lincoln Center’s campus are rendered in splendid joy and innocent enthusiasm. Written and directed by Nora Ephron, “You’ve Got Mail” is about Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan), the owner and manager of independent children’s bookstore, The Shop Around the Corner, and Joe Fox (Tom Hanks), the heir to commercial bookstore chain Fox Books meeting and eventually clashing as the chain begins to threaten the existence of Kathleen’s store. Hijinks ensue and, all the while, neither one knows that the person they are falling in love with over email is actually the person
they hate in real life. It’s a movie that only could have existed in the time and place that it did: the hustle and bustle of New York City combined with the rise of commercial bookstores and the common-but-not-too-common usage of computers. It captures the spirit of the late ’90s like no other film, but its love for New York City makes it timeless. Watching the film is like going on a tour of the Upper West Side; in fact, except for one scene taking place in Midtown, the entire movie only ranges from 66th Street to 110th Street. For a Fordham student, that means seeing sights and hearing sounds that are both familiar and unfamiliar and thus can lead to nostalgia for a time that you never personally experienced. The New York presented in “You’ve Got Mail” is magical, engaging and personal in a way that only a Nora Ephron movie could possibly be. This is in no small part due to just how accurately she portrays the day-today of living in the Upper West Side and the simple wonder of walking down a street in New York City. This is something that every Fordham student can re-
late to — and, from time to time, it’s not hard to feel like you’re walking through a dream or for your daily life to begin to feel like a movie. Certainly, “You’ve Got Mail” makes you want to go to all the places that its characters visit. Just make sure to put on a song by The Cranberries and to grab a tall decaf cappuccino from Starbucks before you embark on this journey. First things first, the bookstores. There is nothing more central to the film — aside from email — than books. Of course, neither The Shop Around the Corner nor Fox Books are real — but it is not difficult to emulate being in those spaces. In fact, you can find a number of stores to fill this niche. I recommend Books of Wonder (217 W. 84th St.), a children’s bookstore that feels like it popped right out of the movie. Fox Books can easily be replaced by the “big bad chain store” that it was based on to begin with: Barnes & Noble. Specifically, you can check out the Barnes & Noble on the Upper West Side (2289 Broadway) which, much like the film, is “just around the corner” from Books of Wonder.
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Fordham Alum Takes On Broadway in ‘King Kong’ By LAUREN PAGANO Staff Writer Before this past fall, the closest someone could get to any sort of wildlife in Manhattan was Central Park. As of November, one need go no farther than the intersection of 53rd Street and Broadway to find an enormous dose of wildlife and excitement, as a 20-foot ape claims the stage of the Broadway Theatre each night. On Nov. 9, one of the newest shows to grace the streets of Manhattan made its formal debut: “King Kong.” While the story is not new by any means, its reimagining by director Drew McOnie is a wonderfully fresh take on a classic story. Alongside the 20-foot long and 2,000-pound puppet that is King Kong, the cast consists of 36 other performers, one of whom is Gabriel Hyman, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’15.Hyman, while only having graduated four years ago, has already taken the Broadway world by storm, beginning his illustrious career before he even graduated as a dancer with the Ailey II dance company. Upon the completion of his time with Ailey II, Hyman ignited his Broadway career-to-be with his premiere in the California production of “The Prince of Egypt” as an ensemble dancer. From this West Coast jumping off point, Hyman seemingly began to forge his path towards the bright lights of “King Kong” on Broadway where he now dances as a part of the King’s Company and the ensemble. While quite young, it is evi-
dent Hyman has already had an unparalleled experience in the richness and versatility of his career. Only 24 years old and a mere three years out of college, Hyman has had the rare opportunity to have danced with both the best of concert dance and the the best of Broadway. Following the impressively eclectic nature of his career to date, Hyman notes that the biggest divergence between the two dance worlds he has lived and breathed daily lies in the way each story is manifested and presented to audiences. “In concert dance, you are responsible for telling a story strictly through the body and movement,” Hyman said. “In musical theatre, storytelling happens not only through choreography, but through singing, dancing, acting and, in ‘King Kong,’ large-scale puppeteering as well.” Also, while many concert dance companies like Ailey II have the opportunity to tell many stories in their performance of different repertories, Broadway requires one to be dedicated to performing the very same show eight times a week. As such, Hyman and many other artists on Broadway stages are forced to revitalize the same story with new energy, time and time again. While eight shows a week alone proves to be quite the rigorous schedule, Hyman keeps himself even busier in order to maintain his “A-game” on the stage as consistently as possible. Before evening performances, if there aren’t any prior rehearsals, Hyman will try to take a dance class and or get a vocal lesson.
COURTESY OF GABRIEL HYMAN
Gabriel Hyman, FCLC ’15, has been in productions like “The Prince of Egypt” and is currently in the cast of Broadway’s “King Kong.”
While he recognizes the importance of maintaining and fine-tuning his talents, Hyman nevertheless points out that it is equally important to listen to your body, and will try to “relax as much as possible before tackling this ‘beast’ of a show.” And a “beast”
of a show this is, with some of the most extravagant puppeteering seen to date on any Broadway stage. Alongside three voodoo control operators, controlled by 10 cast members, including Hyman, the group known as the King’s Company works the mechanics of
the puppet each night to bring a interactive and charged energy to the stage, shocking each audience with its impressive presence. Receiving a standing ovation for the performance on opening night, the puppet brings a new and unique magic to Broadway that allows the show to find its own niche within the neon lights of the Broadway scene. Hyman, like the many others who perform in it and witness it, said, “This show is filled with so many different elements that go beyond the norms of any Broadway show. It’s a spectacle at its best with grand scale puppetry, athletic choreography, stunning and jaw dropping set design, projections and more.” While all the flashy pomp and circumstance of “King Kong” may make the reality of pursuing a career on Broadway seem quite distant or unapproachable to the average audience member, Hyman argues that it is quite the opposite. According to Hyman, the best advice to prospective performers seeking a path to Broadway is “to trust your individual journey. Everyone’s paths to Broadway, like most professions, are completely different. As long as you are dedicated to putting in the hard work, never limit yourself, and if you are open to growth and new opportunities, your dreams of being on Broadway can most certainly become a reality.” Eager audience members should go see Gabriel Hyman soar and flourish alongside the rest of his cast on the corner of 53rd and Broadway. If you do, you may just meet the future of Broadway on the stage.
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January 24, 2019 THE OBSERVER
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New Year, New Netflix By GILLIAN RUSSO Asst. Arts & Culture Editor
A new year with new resolutions may be upon us, but chances are you’ll still sometimes find yourself scrolling through Netflix instead of exercising or studying. (No shame here.) Or perhaps your resolution is precisely to watch more Netflix. Whatever the case, the new year has brought a fresh batch of releases on the streaming platform. You can now revisit cult classics like “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” or “The Addams Family,” continue binge-watching shows like “A Series of Unfortunate Events” or check out some of Netflix’s newest original specials. There’s plenty more where “Bird Box” came from.
“Lionheart” champions feminism as a quest for the empowerment of all genders. In the drama category, there’s the Nigerian movie “Lionheart,” the first Nollywood flick Netflix has acquired. It follows a young woman named Adaeze (Genevieve Nnaji) as she tries to navigate her father’s company through financial trouble in a business world dominated by men, most notably her uncle. The film champions feminism as a quest for the empowerment of all genders. There are clear male antagonists, sure, but every
character is flawed and almost all of them grow and change — the headstrong female learns that she need not defeat her male counterparts to achieve success
but lead alongside them, and the men learn to respect her voice and abilities in turn. The lead actress is just as commanding in real life as onscreen: in addition to starring in the film, Nnaji is the director, a writer and an executive producer. If you need a push of motivation to ace an interview or tackle a daunting project, “Lionheart” will inspire you. This movie is fairly uplifting for a drama. If you prefer something explicitly in the comedy category, however, you can watch “The Last Laugh.” Chevy Chase stars as Al Hart, a talent manager who reunites with his old client, Buddy Green (Richard Dreyfuss), at the retirement home in which they reluctantly reside. To find something more fulfilling in life than lasagna night, Al organizes a cross-country tour for Buddy to perform as a
stand-up comic for the first time in 50 years, with the end goal of making it to New York and booking “The Tonight Show.” Watching this film is kind of like watching your grandpa try to be “hip,” because that’s exactly what Al and Buddy do: avoid acknowledging for as long as possible that they are old people themselves. Their road trip takes them through their wild phase — you know, the one normally associated with college — 60 years late. There are enough witty jabs and passably-funny stand-up sets to provide your fix
of laughs until the next Stove’s Cabin Crew show, but the real comedy lies in watching these old men flirt, smoke and wear mascara in public. Amidst the countless comedies out there, it’s somewhat forgettable, but it’s a heartwarming and lighthearted romp. You’ll come away extra grateful to still be young. Finally, in the musical category, I recommend “Taylor Swift reputation Stadium Tour.” If you didn’t watch it right on New Year’s Day, it’s not too late
to start the year off with a bang. Flashy and theatrical as ever, Swift’s performance in Texas this past year is simply gorgeous to watch. She intersperses her “reputation” hits with a mashup of older classics like “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me” to satisfy new and old Swifties alike. Her mellow medley of “Long Live” and “New Year’s Day” is a highlight, as is her “I Did Something Bad” rendition that goes to the other extreme of hard-hitting edginess. You’ll definitely enjoy it more if you’re a Swift fan, but it’s a captivating show regardless. Like any movie musical, it has a narrative: a woman seeks inspiration from and connection with her past while still moving forward as an artist and person. The old Taylor may be dead, but as the film triumphantly states, “in the death of her reputation, she felt truly alive.” If the film achieves one noteworthy thing, the announcement of Swift’s “death” in “Look What You Made
What’s Next? “Velvet Buzzsaw” This thriller starring Natalia Dyer and Jake Gyllenhaal is for those impatiently waiting for “Stranger Things” to return. A struggling artist hits the jackpot after discovering (and exploiting) work by another obscure artist. The problem is, the contempt contained in the art is a supernatural force of its own and it’s out for blood.
“High Flying Bird” This drama film follows a sports agent who pitches a controversial business opportunity to a rookie during a basketball lockout. It is director Steven Soderbergh’s second movie to be shot entirely on an iPhone following the Claire Foy-led “Unsane,” making it a choice to intrigue sports fans and student filmmakers alike.
“Wine Country”
Me Do” becomes compelling instead of cringeworthy when Tiffany Haddish delivers it.
This movie is for SNL fans who don’t want to camp out in front of 30 Rock (again) to see their favorite comics. Amy Poehler directs a squad of funny women led by Tina Fey and Maya Rudolph in this film, which is inspired by a girls’ trip they took together and the riotous times they had.
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Start planning to have a great summer now! • • • •
SUMMER SESSION 2019
More than 200 classes Internship placement assistance Study abroad options Housing available
Session I: May 28–June 27 Session II: July 2–August 6 Registration begins in March. Learn more at fordham.edu/summer
Fun & Games
Fun & Games Editor Dan Nasta - dnasta1@fordham.edu
January 24, 2019 THE OBSERVER
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ACROSS 1. Red planet 5. Palindromic singers of “Dancing Queen” 9. Parking lot attendee 14. Check-up 15. Noisy
EDITED BY DAN NASTA
16. Picture 17. Trigonometric function 18. Officers who sniff out crime? 20. Oscar nominee eight times over, including for Best Picture and Song
WORD SCRAMBLE
Question: What will the state of the Oscars be if
22. Titanic cry for help: Abbr. 23. Competed 24. Swim alternative 26. Twitter handles, slangily 29. Feudal servant 32. Infomercial king Billy 34. Season opener 36. (With) aplomb 38. “ Miserables” 40. Oscar snub with big box office and cultural significance 44. “Stop!” 45. Prefix with Christ or matter 46. Heavy rock, perhaps? 47. Chem. straightening 49. “Star Wars” story 51. Catch a glance 52. Pos. for Elon Musk or Tim Cook 53. (Character) journey 55. Commercials 58. Oscar nominee for Best Visual Effects, with a big snap 65. Plot to grow barley and hops 67. “ hither” 68. Wedge served with tea
69. Burn salve 70. Repeat 71. Clarifies and condenses 72. Mind, as with a garden 73. Grand Lodge group
DOWN 1. Table, to Juan 2. WWII villains 3. Rave partner 4. Spread lies or cream cheese 5. Like skiing in the Swiss mountains 6. Yankee Stadium choruses, mostly 7. Replaceable lamp piece 8. Goodbye, to Juan 9. “When will you realize, waits for you” 10. Intel competitor: Abbr. 11. Vietnam-bordering nation 12. “Leggo my ” 13. Activist and plus-size model Holliday 19. Putin-annexed territory 21. Hoarse 25. Lip kit tycoon
26. Roman entranceway 27. Prefix with byte, nowadays 28. Dandruff locale 30. Horse director 31. Absolute truths 33. Senate spots 35. Central Mexican native, historically 37. “Just do it” motivator 39. Disappearing 16 Across 41. Scott Pilgrim’s dream girl 42. Sharp 43. Secretive 48. Rules (over) 50. Put on, as with weight 54. Word following water or menstrual 55. Ready and 56. Ownership certificate 57. Highway hauler 59. Kavanaugh grp., collegialy 60. Out of action 61. Glowing gas 62. Lamb coat 63. Run ; Go wild 64. Members of Congress: Abbr. 66. Decompose
SUDOKU
Ellen’s choice of host does not participate?
MAIR KALME
LILMEW ODAEF
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S A L I S E M TA R C H M YC
SAHMRALHEA AIL
M A DA R E DI RV
AMEM NESOT
EDITED BY DAN NASTA
Answer
YA M S A M D A
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Features
Features Editors Jeffrey Umbrell - jumbrell@fordham.edu Lindsey Jorgensen - ljorgensen@fordham.edu
January 24, 2019 THE OBSERVER
OBSV 3000
Sounds About White Fall 2018 No more than two absences 8:30-11:15 a.m. The Observer, Room G32
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A lack of racial and gender representation on Fordham reading lists By CAT REYNOLDS Staff Writer
Fall 2018 was my final semester at Fordham University, and I had my eye on graduation. At the beginning of the semester, this meant color- coding my schedule, organizing my binder and renting all my required books from the bookstore for my six classes. I was so caught up in the whirlwind of senior year that it wasn’t until classes began and I was a few weeks deep in work that I realized one glaring fact about the authors I was reading for my classes: they were almost all white men. Of the 35 authors that sat on my windowsill for the classes I took last semester, 29 were men and 32 were white. A shocking — or, depending on your expectations of Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), notso-shocking — 75 percent of these authors were white men. For classes on expansive topics such as literature of war, journalism and the digital age of creative writing, the representation on the required text lists was surprisingly narrow. Anne Fernald, English professor and special advisor to the provost for faculty development, said that “the texts we read in common in class are at the heart of higher education: we gather together in classrooms to share our analysis and interpretation of what we have each read separately.” These readings, undoubtedly important, carry the responsibility to be representative of the Fordham community and the world at large. “A diverse reading list — in every sense of that term — is essential to a strong syllabus,” Fernald said. “Every professor will find their way to that diversity.” However, it appears that not every professor has. Motivated by my findings in my own course load, I conducted a survey of 11 syllabi for FCLC courses in the fall of 2018, in which I analyzed the races and genders of required texts’ authors in each class. Among the 11 syllabi, taught by 11 different professors, there are 83 total authors of required books. Similar to my personal survey of my own classes, 75 percent of these 83 authors are white men. Eighty percent are male and 87 percent are white. The least represented voice is that of women of color, six of which dot the various syllabi — a mere 7 percent. These statistics stand in stark contrast to FCLC’s own demographics. According to Fordham’s Spring 2018 De-
mographic Profiles Fact Book, women make up 70 percent of FCLC’s student body, despite only making up 25 percent of reading lists’ authors. (Fordham’s reported demographics conflate the gender assigned at birth and sexual organs with an individual’s gender, and does not account for transgender and gender non-conforming students.)
According to Fordham’s Spring 2018 Demographic Profiles Fact Book, women make up 70 percent of the student body, despite only making up 25 percent of reading lists’ authors.
As for race and ethnicity, Fordham reported that 59 percent of the FCLC population in Spring 2018 was white, 39 percent were students of color and 2 percent were “Race and Ethnicity Unknown.” Theology Professor and Assessment Coordinator for the Theology Department Aristotle Papanikolaou is currently teaching Faith and Critical Reason, an introductory theology course required for all students as a part of Fordham’s Core Curriculum. Papanikolaou’s Faith and Critical Reason syllabus is one of the 11 surveyed above, and features nine required texts. Of these nine texts, there are seven white male authors, one black male author and one white female author. Papanikolaou said he is “painfully aware” that his syllabus is lacking diverse voices, and participated in a department-sponsored seminar on teaching diversity earlier last semester. “It’s been a good experience being in conversation with other colleagues, as well as graduate students, who are helping me, as we help each other, think through this issue,” he said. While adjunct professor of English Marwa Helal’s syllabus for her nonfiction creative writing class, Writing the World, is not included in the above survey (due to the fact that her course requires no full texts), it has been lauded by students as one of the most diverse reading lists they’ve had while at Fordham University.
“The authors included on Marwa Helal’s reading list have introduced me to voices and experiences that I have not been exposed to before in my education,” Anne Marie Ward, Fordham College at Rose Hill ’19, said about the class. Centering conversation around pieces by authors of various racial, ethnic and gender backgrounds, Helal chooses writers for her syllabus “who have made me the writer I am, and those writers were not white men.” When asked if it’s important to consider factors such as ethnicity and gender when choosing what authors will be required reading in a class, she said, “Absolutely. It’s important that we see each other and we can’t see each other if all we’re reading is white men.” “If I sound angry, it’s because I am,” Helal continued. “Look at the world that old canon has made. I am not interested in that world … I am interested in making a new world and that means new ideas, new writings.” Academia and Western culture, in general, have had a long history of erasing the voices of non-male and non-white individuals. In more recent years, academics have attempted to correct this exclusion and erasure with inclusion and intersectionality. Often, this correction can be seen in syllabi, as professors insert more nonwhite and non-male voices to their readings, in what is called the “add-and-stir-approach.” While simply adding nonwhite and non-male voices into a syllabus that is centered around readings by white men seems conducive to progress, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Professor Diane Detournay argued otherwise. “[The add and stir approach] keeps the dominant structure intact — whether that be a syllabus that is male-centered, white normative, citizen-centered, heteronormative, et cetera, and ‘adds’ on difference,” Detournay said. “This means that ‘minority’ authors/texts, which I mark this way in terms of the logic of add and stir, will always occupy the margins,” Detournay continued. “This approach is also tokenizing — it takes the form of having a week on disability, race, gender or native/ indigenous studies, rather than doing the hard work of centering these critiques and overhauling the curriculum.” Through the “add-and-stir approach,” non-white and nonmale individuals are marked as distinctively different, and
professors fail to challenge the very systemic oppression that has marginalized these authors in the first place. While adding these authors may help in the numerical evaluation of diverse representation in the classroom, it does not ultimately question the systems that have not only decentered nonwhite and non-male authors, but non-white and non-male students as well. For Detournay, “going beyond the notion of diversity as a measurable and quantifiable end requires engagement at many different levels,” such as evaluating ethnocentric language in Fordham’s Core Curriculum, encouraging multidisciplinary conversations between faculty and prioritizing accessibility in classrooms. A part of the problem that narrows the scope of syllabi is that they are created primarily in a vacuum by each individual professor. Faculty are trusted to write a syllabus that will best convey the information of their class. While departments may offer guidelines, it is ultimately the responsibility of the professor to determine required readings. The only exception is syllabi of Core Curriculum, which must be approved by subcommittees. Nonetheless, both core
Helal stressed that dialogue among colleagues is necessary in making progress on syllabi, but pointed out that white or male professors cannot rely on their nonwhite or non-male colleagues to educate them. ing this load on, that’s what they’re rewarded for.” Helal suggested that a step in the right direction would be to grant faculty access to each others’ syllabi through Google Drive, where the creation of a syllabus can be a collaboration inspired by accountability. “In my new role as special advisor to the provost for faculty development,” Fernald said, “I’m working closely with Rafael Zapata, the chief diversity officer, to encourage faculty to reflect these matters and to change their syllabi. I would welcome input from students both about the scope of the
Papanikolaou’s Faith and Critical Reason syllabus is one of the 11 syllabi, and features nine required texts. Of these nine texts, there are seven white male authors, one black male author and one white female author. classes and electives suffer from a white heteropatriarchal infrastructure, with white, male voices dominating reading lists regardless of whether or not they are a part of Core Curriculum, signaling that the problem operates at both an individual and systemic level. A simple step in decentering non-white and non-male voices in the classroom, however, is to eradicate the vacuum through conversation and collaboration. Helal stressed that dialogue among colleagues is necessary in making progress on syllabi, but pointed out that white or male professors cannot rely on their non-white and non-male colleagues to educate them. “I don’t suggest asking your colleagues of marginalized communities as this adds to their labor,” Helal said. “Department heads should be tak-
problem and what recommendations you have for addressing it.” While conversations and changes are underway from both Fordham administration and faculty, they should still keep all lines of communication open. It is the duty of these authority figures to support students from varying gender, sexuality, religious, disability and both ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, and to represent the diversity of the world in the classroom. Now at the end of my undergraduate career, it’s clear that my studies at Fordham have been dominated by the white, male voice. Regardless, I hope the administration, professors and students continue this conversation and think critically about the voices we center in both academia and our world.
www.fordhamobserver.com
THE OBSERVER January 24, 2019
McMahon Elevators: What’s Up?
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An investigation into one of the residence hall’s biggest unsolved mysteries By JEFFREY UMBRELL Features Editor
Fordham Lincoln Center is a campus that is known, in a mostly negative way, for its elevators. Students’ feelings regarding elevator usage were perhaps best articulated in the Splinter Group’s Fordham-themed musical satire “Eternal Ramnation,” last performed in November of 2017. Its song “Two? Are You Serious? Two?: The Elevator Song” calls out students who take the Lowenstein elevators to just the second floor: “There’s a special place in Hell reserved for you.” Complaints aside, there is a mysterious phenomenon that seems to occur exclusively with the elevators in McMahon Hall, the primarily upperclassmen dormitory on campus. Occasionally, when one enters the building’s elevator lobby on the street level, the doors of a vacant elevator car will open before the button is pressed to call it, almost as if the elevator knows that a passenger is approaching.
It has long been speculated that the McMahon security guards could open the doors remotely from their desk in the lobby, and that when they weren’t busy they would do so just as students turned the corner into the elevator bank. This theory, for the most part, seemed plausible. Emily Davancens, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’19, said that she noticed the doors opened for her “pretty much only if I’m the only person there,” such as at night or in between classes. “I figured it was a security guard being nice and pressing the button,” she continued, “because I was alone and it was night and they have nothing else to do.” Rachele Perla, FCLC ’19, also believed that the guards opened the doors, but she added that “those elevators do some really weird things. Maybe they’re haunted.” The true cause of the elevator’s automatic opening, however, is somewhat underwhelming. Leslie Timoney, the Lincoln Center cam-
pus’s associate director of campus operations, explained that “the five passenger cars at McMahon park on different floors when they are not answering calls.” When an elevator parks on a floor, its doors will usually open. Different cars are programmed to park at different floors — those assigned to the first floor open their doors upon reaching it. While students like Davancens and Perla observed that the elevators open for them fairly frequently, Timoney noted that “throughout the Lincoln Center campus, the elevators are very busy and rarely idly park.” Any time that they open as if on command is strictly by chance, as the car arrives at its parking destination. Still, Davancens said that she hasn’t had any similar encounters with other elevator doors, on or off campus. Despite Timoney’s assertion of the randomness of the phenomenon, the frequency with which it takes place in McMahon leaves room for speculation that maybe the elevators are haunted after all.
NIGEL ZWEIBROCK/THE OBSERVER
Only the elevators in McMahon hall are known to unexpectedly open on their own.
Working Out My New Year’s Resolutions By MARIA HAYAKAWA Contributing Writer
Another year has gone by and we have entered 2019. No matter how cliche it sounds, a new year means a new me, so it’s time to say goodbye to those old habits and start fresh. Every year I tell myself to follow through with my New Year’s resolutions and have almost always failed. However, this year I am determined to persevere and attempt to complete some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions. One resolution is to exercise more. I have come to love exercising and I get such a rush after a good workout. Studies have also shown that exercise helps you live longer, boosts your metabolism and brings down stress levels and anxiety. It can seem scary at first, so try to find a workout buddy to keep you motivated and to make it more comfortable. You also don’t necessarily need to go to a gym. In a study published by the American Journal of Health Promotion, researchers found that even small bursts of exercise like doing jumping jacks while watching TV or taking the stairs instead of the elevator are the same as long workout sessions at the gym, as long as you’re moving for at least 30 minutes a day. I have already seen and experienced results from exer-
cising. I feel healthier and happier and I want to continue working out throughout the year. Another resolution is to get more sleep. As a college student, it is hard to fit adequate time for sleep in my incredibly busy schedule. The amount of all-nighters and late
Studies have shown that exercise helps you live longer, boosts your metabolism and brings down stress levels and anxiety. nights I spent were countless; however, I still acknowledge that getting sleep is crucial for the health of your mind and body. Keeping this in mind, I tried to sleep at least eight hours every night during winter break and I began to notice how energetic and focused I felt. I know for many people it may be difficult to fall asleep and get a healthy amount every night. The bright and blue light from cell phones can disrupt the natural melatonin production in our brains, convincing our minds that it is daytime. It can help to step away from any electronics 30 minutes prior to
going to bed to properly prepare your body for relaxation. My last, and I believe the most important, resolution is to take better care of my mental health. Last year, I noticed I would focus too much on my school work and my friends, losing myself in the process. Little did I realize at the time that I wouldn’t properly take care of others if I didn’t prioritize myself first. I decided that 2019 would be the year where my own well-being would become my number one responsibility. On the internet, there are many tips and tactics on selfcare like giving yourself lush baths, drinking lemon water or making face masks. But in the end, no spa treatment will heal the mind. I realized that to feel empowered and comfortable with who I am, I first had to focus on my environment. With that came cutting out the toxic aspects of my life, whether that meant people and activities. Even though it is an overused phrase, I am wholeheartedly devoted to surrounding myself with “good vibes only.” The new year is perfect to try new things and to work on yourself. There’s always room for improvement so take this new year as an opportunity to become a better you. Let’s make this year the best year yet.
ZOEY LIU/THE OBSERVER
Maria Hayakawa aims to improve her physical and mental health.
18
Features
January 24, 2019 THE OBSERVER
www.fordhamobserver.com
LC Eats: Burrito Box
Opening the menu on one of Fordham’s most popular off-campus dining locations By KRISTEN SKINNER Staff Writer
Fordham students typically look for these three characteristics when ordering food off-campus: it must be high-quality, reasonable in price and close in proximity. When hunger strikes, some students simply want a hearty taco or burrito with guacamole that is cost effective. Luckily for students at the Lincoln Center campus, Burrito Box is located only three short blocks away. Burrito Box is a go-to stop for many students who are craving Mexican food between or after classes. Though space inside the restaurant is limited, the brightly colored “box” provides a welcoming atmosphere for students to drop in and grab delicious fresh food. Matthew Skibiel, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’22, and Michael Migliaro, FCLC ’22, both delight in meals from Burrito Box. “I like Burrito Box because of its convenience and there is a lot of hype about it,” Migliaro said. Skibiel said he likes going to the Burrito Box because it is close by and one burrito lasts him two meals. Skibiel prefers this restaurant over other Mexican take-out places in the city. “I like it because it is different food and the same people are usually working there and are always nice,” he continued. “And you get free chips and salsa with every meal.”
JOE ROVEGNO/THE OBSERVER
Aside from its limited square footage, Burrito Box is a Lincoln Center student favorite for carnivores, vegetarians and vegans.
Though Freshens at Ram Cafe offers some Mexican options, there is a limited selection and no chips or guacamole to be found. Additionally, there are little to no options available for vegans and vegetarians. Luckily, places like Burrito Box provide both vegans and vegetarians with many tasty choices that will not leave them feeling hungry. The Community Dining Hall very rarely serves Mexican food, and when they do, many students
consider it either overly seasoned or bland. It is hard to find any authentic ethnic foods on campus, whether it’s Asian, Mexican or even Italian. When dishes of any of these kinds are served in the dining hall, students are almost always disappointed. Dumplings are absent, traditional quesadillas and tacos are rarely found and the spaghetti sauce tastes like it comes from a can. In other words, if you are in the mood for something fresh and unique, you
are better off elsewhere. Chains like Chipotle can satisfy a student’s cravings, but they do not have the same welcoming and lively appeal that local restaurants like Burrito Box provide and they are not quite as authentic. The small restaurant is decorated with bright red and blue walls and a variety of Spanish paintings of abstract faces, places and still-lifes. Burrito Box features a wide variety of items on their menu
from tostada salads to burritos, with many vegan-friendly toppings like tofu and even vegan cheese and sour cream. Black bean soup and vegetarian chili are served at the restaurant as well, ensuring that there is something for everyone. If you’re looking for an order to start with, Skibiel’s go-to meal from Burrito Box is the vegan chili burrito. “I’ve never gotten anything else and I’ll never change my order,” he said.
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Sports & Health
Sports & Health Editor Luke Osborn - losborn1@fordham.edu
January 24, 2019
THE OBSERVER
How to Develop Better Sleep Habits This New Year By LUKE OSBORN Sports & Health Editor
It’s the new year, and one of your New Year’s resolutions should be to get better, more consistent sleep. We are at the onset of this new semester, and there is still time to incorporate healthy sleep habits into our daily schedules. Most importantly, it’s better to start these healthy sleep habits early in the semester, so we can prepare ourselves for a healthy midterms and finals season in the coming months. Habit One: Turn off your phone One of the greatest barriers to restorative sleep is electronic device use. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) recommends setting up a “digital curfew” in which individuals eliminate cell phone, television and e-reader use for a period of time before bed. The NSF recommends this “digital curfew” take place anywhere from two to 30 minutes before falling asleep. Incorporating this curfew into your routine may require plugging your phone into an outlet across the room or in another room altogether, and if you use your phone as an alarm clock, you could set your ringtone volume higher. Devices with screens emit blue light, which is the same kind of light produced in the morning daylight hours. This light regulates a system of chemicals that make up the human circadian rhythm, or the wake and sleep cycle. Blue light destroys melatonin production, which is the chemical responsible for initiating sleep. Blue light also increases the number of chemicals in the brain involved in wakefulness. Joan Roberts, Ph.D., professor of chemistry in the Fordham Department of Natural Science, contends that any blue light exposure in the hours before sleep-
CANDIC E O’NEAL/THE OBSERVER
Young adults should get seven to nine hours of sleep in order to maintain optimal health.
ing can offset “the production of melatonin and therefore interfere with deep restorative sleep.” Phone usage before sleep is deeply ingrained in our routine as young adults, so dropping this habit may be especially difficult. However, substituting reading paper books, doing homework or listening to music in place of scouring social media may lead to an easier transition into this healthy habit. Habit Two: Get more sleep Young adults, aged 18 to 25, should get seven to nine hours of sleep every night. To many Fordham students, this number seems impossible, but it is worth a shot, because getting enough sleep has numerous health benefits. Not only does sleeping enough benefit the immune system and
mental health, but it also enhances academic performance. So it might be to your advantage to trade those few extra hours of studying for a couple more hours of sleep. A sleep study published in the journal Stress and Health indicated a “decrease in psychological strain and an increase in self-regulatory performance.” Researchers closely associate these two factors with effective stress management; individuals who test for low psychological strain and high self-regulation while doing tasks can better cope with stress. The researchers in this study found a large incidence of these abilities among college students who consistently received a sufficient amount of sleep. As college students, these abilities are immensely important as we attack each day of our busy academic careers, so sleep-
ing for longer periods on a consistent basis can greatly benefit our daily lives. Dedicating seven to nine hours of your day to sleep requires that you make sleeping a priority. Managing your time in an effective way to maximize sleep will help you accomplish this goal. Planning out times for studying, work and leisure into your calendar will help you accomplish tasks earlier in the day to avoid all-nighters. Moreover, following the age-old advice of starting assignments early will immensely benefit your sleep schedule. Habit Three: Avoid drinking caffeine It has helped college students get through their lectures for hundreds of years, yet caffeine has not been kind to col lege stu-
dents’ sleep schedules. In healthy adults, the half-life of caffeine in the body is between five to six hours after consumption, meaning that after drinking a cup of coffee at 4 p.m., your body has broken down only half of that cup of coffee by 10 p.m.. When you try to fall asleep, your system will be flush with caffeine. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine demonstrates caffeine’s detrimental effects on sleep. Participants who consumed caffeine six hours before bed slept one hour fewer than participants who did not consume caffeine. Participants who consumed caffeine before sleeping experienced a greater number of sleep disturbances such as waking up throughout the night. Caffeinated sleepers also experienced less time in deep sleep, which is a major indicator of poor sleep quality. The study concluded that caffeine should be avoided for at least six hours before sleeping. Caffeine-addicted students, however, may find this habit the harder to tackle, but there are effective alternatives to caffeine that can maintain alertness in the evening. Essential oils like mint are closely linked to increased alertness, so diffusing these oils in a study space may help enhance your concentration. Physical activity as small as going on a walk also increases alertness. Healthy meals and snacks rich in protein, vitamins and low in sugar should also help maintain alertness. These three habits may seem simple, but the vast majority of young adults don’t follow these habits. Taking into account our fast-paced, results-driven culture, it is no surprise that students fail to prioritize sleep. Nevertheless, we have the power to shift this culture through our actions, so close your laptop, make yourself a cup of decaffeinated tea and go to bed.
How to Stay in School and in Shape in 2019 By LENA WEIDENBRUCH Asst. Sports & Health Editor
As the new year and a new semester are now in full swing, it is time to start thinking about what we will do differently this time around. Some students will strive for a higher GPA, others for a dream internship and some will set a goal that many fail at year after year — to finally get in shape. It is easy to pass up going to the gym or cooking a healthy dinner because of busy class and work schedules, but it doesn’t mean it is impossible to make time for these things. Incorporating fitness and working out into a weekly routine does not need to be as complicated as it may seem. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle does not have to mean spending two hours working out at the gym every day or waking up at the crack of dawn for a five-mile run through the park, nor does it mean eating only grilled chicken and broccoli and washing it down with green juice. Students do not have the time or energy for those habits. Everyone needs to take a break from studying and working eventually, so use that time to move your body. Break up the time you spend hunched over a desk studying with a short walk to clear your head. Walking is a great way to get moving that does not require a lot
of energy. You can walk to Central Park or along the Hudson River, but you can just as easily do it on the treadmill. Walking on the treadmill is great because if you really can’t take a break from studying, you can bring your work with you to the gym and study while walking. If you have spent any time in the gym at Fordham Lincoln Center, you have probably seen this in action. Another way to get moving during a busy week is to take an exercise class. Taking a class in pilates or yoga can be very relaxing and it is not so intense that it burns you out for the rest of the day. That said, sometimes a high-intensity workout can be perfect. Working out releases endorphins, which can boost your mood and reduce stress, something that all students need a little help with. If working out isn’t your thing, there are other ways to practice overall fitness and fit it into your calendar. Finding time even to take a breath can be challenging, but sometimes that is all fitness means. Meditation is a proven way to reduce stress and can take as little as one minute of your time. Try this the next time you feel overwhelmed with studying or are struggling to finish a paper. You can meditate before, after or even break up your work with short meditation breaks. Standing up and having a quick
stretch can help to get things moving as well. Staying healthy is just as important as studying hard for exams and putting in extra hours at your internship. If your body isn’t healthy, you can’t complete your assignments effectively. Think about it — if you aren’t fueling your body with the right foods or getting the right amount of sleep, you are not going to be feeling your best. When you feel good mentally and physically you produce the best quality of work, whether that means writing a great paper or having high productivity levels at work. Part of staying healthy includes eating a balanced diet. It can be hard to sacrifice time to whip up a healthy meal in the kitchen, but that does not mean you should completely throw away your diet. It is unrealistic to deprive yourself entirely of pizza and burgers, but save that for when you can afford it — healthwise. Filling up on foods like these does nothing to help your energy levels in the long run. There are plenty of healthy options on and off campus for when you’re in a rush. If you are trying to save money and time, cooking more food than you need and saving it for the next day or days throughout the week can help. No matter how many tests you have to study for or how little time you have outside of work, your
ZOEY LIU/THE OBSERVER
Incorporating fitness into a routine doesn’t have to be complicated.
health should also be a priority. Making time for yourself can, but does not have to, include a workout or a healthy meal. While those things are great and important when you have the time, it is more important to make sure you are checking up on your-
self throughout the semester. Start small and walk to pick up the food you order instead of using a delivery service. Use your time wisely and throw in a walk or a deep breath every once in a while, and you will have no problem maintaining a healthy lifestyle this year.
20
Sports
January 24, 2019 THE OBSERVER
www.fordhamobserver.com
Fordham Men’s Basketball Skids to 0-5 Record
By PATRICK MOQUIN Asst. Sports & Health Editor
The first half mercifully ended. Fans slumped in their seats, remembering the team’s 9–4 start with bitter nostalgia. Children in attendance hardly noticed the buzzer sound as they restlessly played amongst themselves, the game having slipped from their attention almost immediately. As fans of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) made their voices heard in the small Rose Hill gym, Fordham retreated to their locker room with another 20 minutes to play, already down 35–16. Since that day, Jan. 5, matters have only worsened. After suffering that loss to VCU, 76–51, Fordham has gone on to lose all five of their conference games thus far. Their misfortunes continued against Duquesne University. In an arena filled to half capacity, Fordham kept up with the Dukes for the majority of the game before losing steam late, falling for a second time, 66–61. Continuing their road trip, Fordham traveled to St. Bonaventure University to face the 6–10 Bonnies.
Home
In the first half, the Rams could only muster a measly 15 points, and a strong 49 point second half could not save them in what would eventually result in their third consecutive loss, 71–64. In an unfortunate twist of fate, Fordham’s two latest games have been their best performances by far, but have come against two of the best teams in the conference. To contrast Fordham’s winless record, the University of St. Louis has gone undefeated in the Atlantic 10, although that difference was not nearly as apparent in-game. Down by two at the half, Fordham took a 3-point lead with only three minutes to go. With a key victory only minutes away, the undefeated Billikens surged past the Rams on the way to a 63–60 victory. Despite that, Fordham’s defeat at the hands of a superior St. Louis team prepared them for their matchup against a similarly talented George Mason squad. Traveling to Virginia for the game, Fordham found themselves ahead by nine points with only five minutes left. This game could have signified the end of Fordham’s skid, bringing
Matchups
Away
76-51 Fordham VCU Duquesne 66-61 Fordham Fordham 64-71
St. Bonaventure
Saint Louis 63-60 Fordham
Fordham 68-71
George Mason
COURTESY OF JOE DI BARI
Guard Jalen Cobb, FCRH ’22, going for a layup against a stout St. Louis defense.
their overall record to 10–8 and they conference record to 1–4. Instead, a 68–68 tie was broken on a last second three-pointer to give George Mason a 71–68 victory. As of Wednesday, Jan. 23, the Fordham Rams sit at 9–9 with a 0–5 record in conference play, placing them in last place in the Atlantic 10. Their next few games provide them slightly easier competition, but at this point, a complete turnaround is necessary for the season to be salvageable. One major concern for the Fordham team has been the inconsistency of point guard Nick Honor, Fordham College Rose Hill ’22. Despite brilliant performances against St. Bonaventure and George Mason, Honor had severe difficulties against VCU and scored only six points against St. Louis in a game where they lost by only three points.
In the last five games, Honor has taken approximately 15 shots a game, the lion’s share of Fordham’s total shots per game. During this stretch, he has only averaged 13.8 points per game.
As of Jan. 24, the Fordham Rams sit at 9-9 with a 0-5 record in conference play, placing them in last place in the Atlantic 10.
In an offense largely run through their point guard, more consistent performances are necessary for the Rams to come back from their faltering start.
Despite a clearly undesirable start, hope remains in this Fordham basketball team. Three of the five games were played on the road, and the two played at home were against clearly superior opponents. In addition to this, the team’s overall performance has improved with each game, and if the quality of play from their last two transfers to their next four, they could be looking at a conference record approaching .500. It is important to remember that Nick Honor, starting point guard and regular offensive leader, is only a freshman. This team is one invested in its future, and Honor and company will only acquire more experience as the season progresses. The Fordham basketball program can look forward to several potentially successful seasons going forward and could even find some late success as the current winter rolls on.
Fordham Men’s and Women’s Track Fought to the Finish at the NYC Gotham Cup By LENA WEIDENBRUCH Asst. Sports & Health Editor
Fordham men’s and women’s track competed at their second meet of the year on Friday, Jan. 18, at the New York City Gotham Cup. The meet took place at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex, a stateof-the-art professional indoor track and field facility on Staten Island. The team ran against close to 20 schools including Adelphi, Hunter, Loyola and NYU, along with a few sub-elite teams from in and around New York City. The meet was not a team scoring event, but Fordham had more than a few impressive individual and relay finishes. Overall, the team had seven top 10 finishers between the men’s and women’s competitions, including both of their 4x800 relay teams. The men’s team placed third in the event out of 12 teams, coming in after New Jersey’s Garden State Track Club and Ramapo College with a time of 8 minutes and 14 seconds. The women’s team, also placing third, finished in 9 minutes and 50 seconds, ahead of nine other teams. The team’s top finisher, Nicholas Raefski, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’21, took fourth place in the men’s 3,000 meter race, finishing with a time of 8 minutes and 50 seconds. In doing so, he shaved
COURTESY OF JOE DI BARI
Nikolas Reardon, FCRH ’21, sprinting in preparation for the high jump.
almost three seconds off of his previous indoor personal best of 8 minutes and 53 seconds in the event. Christopher Strzelinski, FCRH ’21, finished ninth out of a field of 43 runners in the men’s 1,000 meters with a time of 2 minutes and 33 seconds. He is followed by two more Rams, William Whelan, FCRH ’21, who took 13th place in 2
minutes and 34 seconds and Dylan Serino, FCRH ’21, in 17th with a time of 2 minutes and 37 seconds. The largest event at the meet was the men’s 400 meter race, boasting 109 finishers, including four men from Fordham. Chase Krug, Gabelli School of Business (GSB) ’22, lead the Rams finishing 38th in 52.50 seconds. Andre
Guthrie, GSB ’19, came in just .13 seconds behind Krug to place 45th, followed by Cole Leacock, FCRH ’21, in 48th only .15 seconds behind Guthrie. Joseph Clay, FCRH ’22, ran just over 53 seconds to take 57th place. The women’s team took most of the top 10 finishes on Friday. Helen Connolly, FCRH ’22, finished 10th
in a field of 70 women in the 800 meter race, finishing in 2 minutes and 21 seconds. She was followed by Leah Hickey, GSB ’19, who took 21st in 2 minutes and 25 seconds. Julia Herms, GSB ’21, placed 50th finishing with a time of 2 minutes and 38 seconds. In the women’s 3,000 meters, Germaine Harbaugh, FCRH ’21, finished in 10 minutes and 54 seconds to take 7th place out of 41 women. Bridget White, FCRH ’21, came in 11th place with a time of 11 minutes and 7 seconds followed by Kieran Hanrahan, GSB ’19, in 35th in 12 minutes and 14 seconds. In the women’s long jump Kathryn Kelly, FCRH ’21, took 7th place with a jump of 5.23 meters. Mary Kate Caucci, FCRH ’20, took 32nd with a 4.70 meter jump. Angelica Piccini, FCRH ’22, and Kaia Corthell, GSB ’20, finished back-to-back in the women’s 400 meter race in a field almost as large as the men’s. Out of 101 finishers, Piccini finished 80th in 1 minute and 5 seconds and Corthell, in 81st, less than a second behind her. The Rams will finish out January with two more meets. They will head to the Terrier Classic at Boston University on Jan. 25 and 26 and will end the month back in Staten Island at the Metropolitan Championships on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.