VOLUME XLII, ISSUE

Othe bserver

The STudenT Voice of fordham LincoLn cenTer

February 2, 2022

VOLUME XLII, ISSUE 1

COURTESY OF CHRIS TAGGART VIA FORDHAM NEWS After 19 years at Fordham, McShane will be leaving behind a memorable legacy defined by campus expansion and combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

McShane’s 19 Years

By KATRINA LAMBERT Editor-in-Chief

During his 19 years serving as president at Fordham University, Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., made his curiosity toward the Fordham community known. If one found themselves in an interaction with him, it likely started with him asking this question: “Where are you from?”

Your response is followed by a series of facts about the area, the Fordham connections surrounding your place of upbringing and recommendations for locations to check out.

After one conversation with McShane, it feels as though he must have seen every corner of the U.S. Throughout his life in academia, he moved from the Northeast to the West to the Midwest, until he decided to return home — not just to New York, but to Fordham.

When McShane took over as president, he referred to himself as “the inside outsider,” because despite having been away from Fordham for five years, his ties to the university date back 93 years when his father enrolled at the university.

Upon accepting his position as president, the “inside outsider” outlined his main goals to develop the Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC) campus, improve fundraising and enrollment rates, and listen to the concerns of students and faculty.

see MCSHANE page 3

Students Express Dismay Over Fully In-Person Spring Semester

By ALLIE STOFER News Editor

Amid the spike in COVID-19 cases alongside the omicron variant, Fordham announced on Jan. 10 that the university would continue to operate with fully in-person classes for the spring semester. The decision was met with criticism from both students and faculty due to the rising number of cases.

When students left for winter break, Fordham’s COVID-19 cases were at a record high, with 120 cases at Fordham Lincoln Center and 239 cases at Fordham Rose Hill. As of Feb. 1, there have been 12 positive tests in the past seven days at Lincoln Center and 35 at Rose Hill.

As colleges across the country approached the beginning of their spring semesters, many announced that they would hold the first few weeks of class virtually. Schools such as Harvard, Stanford and Georgetown universities began their semesters online, and other schools have chosen to either delay their start time or allow professors to choose their modality of instruction for the first few weeks.

Bob Howe, assistant vice president for communications, said that many of the universities that opted to begin their classes online did so because they were scheduled to begin their semesters a week or two before Fordham and that these schools made their decisions with less information about the spread of the omicron variant.

Universities like Barnard College and Columbia University in New York, as well as Rutgers University in New Jersey, held their first two weeks of classes remotely and were scheduled to begin the semester on Jan. 18, the same day that Fordham’s spring semester began. Howe also cited the fact that the omicron variant has already peaked in New York City, as it is ahead of New York state and the rest of the United States.

see SPRING page 4

Fordham Deletes Comments Advocating for Hybrid Learning

By MARYAM BESHARA News Editor

Fordham’s announcement to conduct an in-person spring semester sparked a flood of comments on the university’s Instagram posts. Students were concerned about the safety of an in-person education due to the omicron variant spreading more rapidly than previous strains. The university’s account deleted many of the comments criticizing the lack of a hybrid option.

Several people left comments on the university’s social media account, @fordhamuniversity, pushing Fordham to adopt a hybrid modality or to conduct the first two weeks of classes virtually before returning to campus. In addition to deleting these comments, Fordham also blocked the Instagram account @fordhampassfail, which is currently petitioning for a remote learning option for students.

Isabella Frassetti, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’20 and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ’21, commented on an Instagram post made by the university’s account on Jan. 6 with the caption, “We can’t wait for our Rams to bring life back to campus!” When she returned to the post a few hours later, Frassetti noticed that her comment, along with at least 20 to 30 others advocating for a hybrid option, had been deleted.

“Maybe if you just offer hybrid learning or a capable administration, there would be more people happy and willing to come back to campus,” she commented on the Instagram post.

Frassetti saw that the comments left showed support of Fordham and noted that the university limited who can comment on posts. She believes the deletion of comments is also unfair to prospective students, as they only see positive comments and not the real reactions from students who are currently enrolled at Fordham.

see SOCIAL MEDIA page 5

Fordham Women’s Basketball Approaching A10 Tournament in Prodigious Form

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS The addition of Asiah Dingle, FCRH ’22, has strengthened Fordham's roster this season,. She is currently the Rams' second highest scorer.

By GABRIELLA BERMUDEZ and PATRICK MOQUIN

Asst. Sports & Health Editor and Sports & Health Editor

For many college basketball teams, a single great season can represent a pinnacle for the program after years of hard work and sacrifice. A great decade, on the other hand, seems unfathomable by comparison. But after eight winning seasons in the last nine years, the Fordham women’s basketball team has made overachieving a cottage industry in the Rose Hill Gymnasium. With seven games remaining in the 2021-22 regular season, it’s still business as usual for the dynastic Bronx program.

The season has proven to be another booming one for Fordham, as the team currently holds a 15-5 overall record. The Rams are also third in the Atlantic 10 (A10) with a 6-2 conference record.

Going into the season, this success was far from unexpected. When Fordham was projected to finish third in the A10 preseason poll, Head Coach Stephanie Gaitley expressed confidence in the year to come.

“I feel this could be the strongest A10 season yet, and to be picked third speaks a lot to our success and consistency,” Gaitley said.

see WOMEN’S B-BALL page 7

Working group collaborates with BIPOC Theatre Alliance to educate white Fordham theater members about racism

Only three students attended the walkout at the Lincoln Center campus and zero at Rose Hill

By SEAN RYAN Staff Writer

Following advice from the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Theatre Alliance, students within the Fordham theatre department created the White Anti-Racist Working Group (WARWG). In their introductory Instagram post, the group called on white-identifying Fordham theatre students to join their meetings and educate themselves about issues surrounding racism.

According to their community guidelines, the group intends to actively fight against racism and combat it within themselves, their peers and their community.

WARWG was formed when members of the BIPOC Theatre Alliance, along with white theater students, noticed issues concerning racism within the Fordham theatre department. White students were lacking proper resources to educate themselves and tackle issues within the space, and it was decided a group could be formed to assist in this process, according to Raekwon Fuller, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’23 and a chair of the BIPOC Theatre Alliance.

According to WARWG’s Instagram page, the group wants to, “challenge the positions of faculty members and the purpose of program practices that have continually inflicted harm among students.”

The group also wants to create a space in order to learn the best ways to address racism and create the most inclusive environment possible. Currently, the group aims to combine anti-racism resources with discussions they can build off of for future use.

Katie Heaton, FCLC ’23 and a social media chair for WARWG, noted that last semester the group had conversations that needed to be had. Heaton referred to WARWG as a microcosm of the larger community, which is how the group approaches which issues to address at meetings.

Fuller said the anti-racist working group was created to give white-identifying theater students their own space to discuss issues surrounding racism without feeling judged.

At each meeting, WARWG takes notes about what was discussed. They then share the meeting notes with the BIPOC Alliance, who advises them on further group proceedings. Fuller, who also serves as a point person for WARWG, explained that the BIPOC Alliance strives to ensure members of WARWG are doing good work and are on the right track.

Meeting notes are available on the @warwg_ft Instagram account. They also include a variety of important resources regarding anti-racism measures and mutual aid, which involves bringing people together to donate to a variety of causes.

Fuller and other members of the BIPOC Theatre Alliance hope the group can teach white theater students how to answer each other’s questions.

“Sometimes they came to us, but it was more so saying, ‘Hey, don’t keep coming to us for these problems. Make a group for yourself. That way you can answer these questions,’” Fuller said.

WARWG meetings begin with discussions among group members, as the group seeks to incorporate the viewpoints of all the members to foster an effective conversation. Michelina Smith, FCLC ’24 and one of the outreach chairs of WARWG, said that the group has had great discussions from topics brought up by other members.

“One of our best-ever group discussions in meetings was kind of a spontaneous thing that a group member brought to us,” she said. “It was the week before Thanksgiving break, and a member said, ‘Hey, I know that I’m going back to my home in the South, and a lot of my relatives are very close-minded and blatantly racist. How do I deal with that?’”

Both Fuller and the members of WARWG emphasized that all white Fordham theatre members should attend the group meetings. Smith echoed this sentiment and noted that even if individuals attend only five minutes of the meetings, they are still taking “one step toward dismantling some of the inherent racial biases within you.”

“Sometimes they came to us, but it was more so saying, ‘Hey, don’t keep coming to us for these problems. Make a group for yourself. That way you can answer these questions.’ ”

Raekwon Fuller, FCLC ’23

ANDREW DRESSNER/THE OBSERVER Fordham theatre students created WARWG intending to combat racism within their community and among themselves.

Low Turnout at Walkouts

By CHRISTINA IOANNIDES and ALLIE STOFER Staff Writer and News Editor

In response to Fordham’s decision to hold the spring semester fully in person, a petition circulated among the study body asking Fordham to implement a hybrid learning option for all spring classes. The petition, created by John Lonie, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’22, has received 802 signatures as of Feb. 1.

The call for a hybrid option comes alongside the rising number of COVID-19 cases from the omicron variant. Students expressed concerns about the lack of a virtual option for those who test positive for COVID-19 or those that have immunocompromised families.

During the fall 2021 semester, Lonie organized a petition for a pass/fail grading option, citing the stress and anxiety that came along with the transition from online to in-person learning as a reason for more lenient grading. The petition was rejected by the administration. Lonie said that the attention he had garnered from the pass/fail petition led to many students asking him to help advocate for a hybrid option.

“Many students had reached out to me to push for hybrid because I had already established a platform for advocacy through last semester’s pass/fail grading petition,” he said.

Lonie also used the pass/fail Instagram account to encourage students to email the administration regarding implementing a hybrid option for classes. He created an email template for Fordham community members to use when contacting the deans at both Fordham Lincoln Center and Fordham Rose Hill.

Even though the petition for a hybrid learning option received over 800 signatures, the administration has not created such an option. According to Bob Howe, assistant vice president for communications, contact tracing from last semester showed little evidence of COVID-19 transmission in classrooms where students and faculty wore masks.

“The thing that has made Fordham successful in offering in-person instruction has been the diligence and cooperation of our students, faculty, and staff,” Howe said. “That said, a new variant is always possible, and we are continually monitoring, and in dialogue with, federal, state, and local public health agencies.”

Despite receiving little response from the university, Lonie has continued his efforts to have his and other students’ voices heard by organizing walkouts at both Lincoln Center and Rose Hill. Lonie held a walkout at Lincoln Center on Jan. 24.

Only three students, including Lonie, attended the gathering outside of the Leon Lowenstein center. In addition to the three students present, there were also administrators, including Jenifer Campbell, dean of students at Lincoln Center.

Campbell explained that the university was preparing as much as possible to hold classes in person. She also added that she has nothing against students voicing their opinions and had not heard concerns from students beside Lonie.

Lonie claimed that in addition to the few students in attendance outside of Lowenstein, there were an additional 75 to 100 students who directly messaged him stating that they had walked out of class. According to Lonie, the main reason that people did not stay was due to the cold weather.

Lonie did not respond to The Observer’s request for proof of attendance.

The Lincoln Center walkout on Jan. 24 did not have a large turnout, but Lonie said he was hopeful for the one at Rose Hill. The walkout at Rose Hill was originally scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 26, but was postponed until Monday, Jan. 31, to allow for better weather and for Lonie to work with other organizations.

“We believe a full walk-out would help gain outside media publicity, which in turn will hold Fordham accountable to acknowledging our efforts,” he said. “In addition, we have reached out to on-campus organizations to help provide support and have reached out to community leaders for comment including the NYC Council member of the district and the state representatives.”

The Rose Hill walkout scheduled on Jan. 31 has since been postponed until further notice. According to Lonie, he is waiting to receive approval from Fordham for the protest.

The Instagram account did not create a post informing students of the second postponement and did not delete the post about the walkout until over three hours after it was originally scheduled. The walkout was scheduled to take place outside of Keating Hall at 12 p.m., but no students were in attendance.

ALICE MORENO/THE OBSERVER John Lonie, the creator of the hybrid learning petition, during the Lincoln Center walkout on Jan. 24.