Observer the
OCTOBER 4, 2012 VOLUME XXXI, ISSUE 10
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Student Arrested for Politcal Graffiti
Photo Spotlight
By SALMA ELMEHDAWI Literary Editor
Emmanuel Pardilla, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’14, was one of four people arrested last week for allegedly vandalizing a controversial ad that implies Muslims are “savages.” According to the New York Post, Pardilla along with three others—Leena Widdi, Sherry Wolf and Kenneth Cruz—was caught “obscuring an ad” at the 49th Street station on the N/Q/R line and charged with violating local law and unlawful posting of an advertisement. Pardilla received a summons and is to appear in court on Nov. 2. Sherry Wolf described what happened the night of the arrest to Mondoweiss.net, saying “Yesterday evening four of us—Palestinian, Jewish, Black and Brown, a multicultural united front against hate—were arrested immediately after posting a couple of signs correcting the racist subway ad in the 49th St. station… We were all held in jail for about seven hours, released in the middle of the night tired and hungry but proud to have participated with others around the city challenging these poisonous ads.” Pardilla, a Latino student from the South Bronx, is currently pursuing a double major in history and political science with a minor in African and African American studies at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) and credits his activism for helping him choose his majors. He has a long history of civic engagement, involvement in grassroots organizations and local activism. According to Pardilla, he became “politicized” at the age of 16 after being stopped and frisked on his way to school. “As a colored youth living in the South Bronx, being stopped and frisked, being criminalized by the police, you don’t do anything, but they stop you,” Pardilla said. see ACTIVIST pg. 5
Inside
AYER CHAN/THE OBSERVER
Steve DiBenedetto’s painting hangs in the “Rockslide Sky” exhibit which is now being featured in both the Center Gallery and the Lipani Gallery at Fordham College at Lincoln Center. Curated by Carleen Sheehan, the exhibit displays artwork from various artists and is inspired by a Robert Bolaño story entitled “Gomez Palacio.” A reception will be held on Thursday, Oct. 4 to officially open the gallery to the public.
Students Discuss What It Means To Be a Minority By NINA GUIDICE Asst. Blog Editor
According to the Office of Institutional Research at FCLC, 33.9 percent of students identify as a minority, with Hispanic and Latino students making up the largest minority group at 15.4 percent for Fall 2011. Compared to other universities around the country, or even to Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH), Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) is home to students and faculty of nearly every identification of race, religion, ethnicity and sexuality. Ethnically and racially, FCLC is the most diverse campus excluding the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, which is spread out over the three Fordham campuses. FCLC is home to 52.3 percent white, 15.4 percent Hispanic, 13 percent Asian, .2 percent American Indian and/or
Alaskan Native and 5.2 percent black or African Americans. According to the associate vice president of Institutional Research, Donald Gillespie, 6.1 percent of FCLC students identified as international. The Chronicle of Higher Education recently published its yearly Almanac of Higher Education detailing the demographics, which presents 36 percent of the national college population as those who identified themselves as minorities, compared to the 37 percent in New York State. Fordham uses the Common Application for students seeking to enroll. The question regarding race and ethnicity is designed to group students into quantifiable categories, first asking the student whether they consider themselves to be Hispanic or Latino. Regardless of their answer to that question, the applicant is then asked to identify themselves
as being one out of five categories: American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or White (including Middle Eastern). There is no slot for “Other.” By forcing students to choose to identify themselves by predefined categories, the application neglects to take into account those of mixed heritage, as well as those who would choose to identify themselves outside of the five categories if given the chance. Those who identified as a minority had different reasons for doing so. “In this world, people of color are not the minority. However, for the census numbers and institutional research I am black and/or mixed,” Lawrence Sealy, FCLC ’13, said. “I identified as a minority in case there was some sort of extra money or scholarship that is associated with being a minority.”
LITERARY
FEATURES
L.I.E.S
Musicians in Manhattan Women’s Soccer is Even Jarflower
SPORTS
The meaning of love in the eyes of a Various performers make music at poet and rapper. Columbus Circle. PAGE 16 PAGE 15
The women’s soccer team now has six wins for the season. PAGE 18
ARTS & CULTURE
Jeffrey Cipriano, FCLC ’14, said that he identifies as a minority due to his sexuality. “I’m openly gay,” Cipriano said. Paulina Carvajal, FCLC ’16, said, “I am a minority because there are so many diverse groups of people here at Fordham. At Fordham it seems like no one is really judgmental.” Erica Freedman, FCLC ’14, said she identifies as a minority student for religious reasons. “I identify as a minority student both on campus at Fordham as well as off-campus. As a young Jewish woman I am and have always been considered a minority in a predominantly neo-Christian society,” Freedman said. “I guess I do (identify as a minority),” Niam Miah, FCLC ’16, said. “I mean, in Manhattan, I don’t see many other people that look like me or my culture, but see MINORITY pg. 3
OPINIONS
Elitist Education
Fordham student’s band performs at Webster Hall.
A decent education is becoming increasingly expensive.
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THE STUDENT VOICE OF FORDHAM COLLEGE AT LINCOLN CENTER
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Mehgan Abdelmassih abdelmassih.mehgan@gmail.com
October 4, 2012 THE OBSERVER
FCLC Weighs In On Importance of Voting By ERIC PANG Staff Writer
In 2008, during the last U.S. presidential election there was an increase of 5 million in voter turnout from 2004, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The increased voter turnout was due to the two million more black voters, two million more Hispanic voters and about 600,000 more Asian voters, while the number of non-Hispanic white voters remained statistically unchanged. Minorities are voting more, and this includes first generation Americans. “If you want to be heard you have to vote,” Ismahan Sharhan, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’15, said. Sharhan’s parents are from Yemen and she is a first generation Arab-American. Her diverse family background is not the only reason why she feels so passionate to vote. “As a college student, Arab-American, as a Muslim and as a female it’s imperative for my voice to be heard because I am in a country where my vote actually counts,” Sharhan said. Last presidential election, 48.5 percent of American citizens ages 18-24 were reported to vote in Nov. 2008 according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That means 12,515 people voted out of 26,718 in the 18-24 age range. The majority of students interviewed felt that Americans have the freedom to vote for a candidate and the right to choose one is not something to take for granted. A different way to phrase it, “It’s our duty as Americans to vote,” Pat Kelly, FCLC ’14, said. When asked why we should vote, Nadia Pinder, FCLC ’15, said, “It is our right to vote, we as Americans have that privilege to vote in a fair and democratic election, it’s a shame that a good percentage of the population do not vote.” Pinder’s family is from the Caribbean and West Indies. They have told her many times to vote.” “It’s appalling that people don’t care enough to vote or even educate themselves on the election. The candidate who is elected
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY SAWICKI/THE OBSERVER
A student fills out a voter registration form for the upcoming 2013 elections.
will be making decisions about health-care, their jobs, education, taxes, things that ultimately affect everyone on a daily basis.” Pinder said. Some students feel very strongly about people who are not voting. “People who don’t vote are ignorant. They are not taking full advantage of their opportunity and rights. They don’t understand the power of a vote,” Victoria Elizabeth Todd, FCLC ’14, said. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, even though there was an
increase in 2008 in young voter turnout, younger citizens ages 1824 still had the lowest voting rate at 48.5 percent. Older citizen’s age groups 45-64 and 65 plus had the highest voting rates at 69 percent and 70 percent. Even though there was an increase of voters during the 2008 election in the 18-24 age group there is still less than half of young adults not voting. “Voting is your way of choosing who leads your country, what is more important than that?,” Carinna Gano, FCLC ‘14, said.
Gano is a first generation American who’s family is from the Philippines. “Sure you might disagree with some politicians and issues discussed but a vote is important, it’s not something you want to throw away,” Gano said. “We should all be interested in who is representing us not only on the national level, but on the local level as well.” “I feel sad that people don’t vote because they feel like their vote doesn’t count. Of course it counts. I can’t force anyone to vote but I am working to register
people,” Sharhan said. Ismahan has just registered to vote this year and is currently doing an internship with the Arab American Family support center in downtown Brooklyn. She is now registering Fordham students to vote. Interested students can contact her in order to register at Isharham@fordham.edu the deadline is Oct. 12. Juan Escalante FCLC ‘14, said, “Generally, most people I have interacted with in classes lately here at Fordham are pumped about this election.”
Students and Professors Talk Professional Communication By LOUISE LINGAT Staff Writer
Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites have become the basic means of communication in many colleges, especially at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC). Students constantly update their statuses about the new iPhone or tweet the funniest line they heard from a friend. Many clubs and organizations on campus, such as United Student Government (USG), Resident Hall Association (RHA) and the Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC) use Twitter and Facebook to stay connected with the rest of the FCLC community. When it comes to students communicating with professors at FCLC, there is a problem with staying connected. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education’s article on social networking on college campuses, email remains the official method of communication in most universities. At Fordham, all faculty, professors and students receive a school email. Students check their Fordham email throughout the day. Andrew Lew, FCLC ’13, is able to check his Fordham email because it is connected to his phone. “I rarely check my email on a computer, unless I
am sending an email in a particular format or I have to attach some sort of file,” Lew said. Peony Tam, FCLC ’15, said shechecks her Fordham email easily because it is connected to her personal email. “I can check all my Fordham emails because they are linked to my personal Gmail account, and I check my personal Gmail account every day. I also use my Fordham email for club-related emails,” Tam said. Joe Lagville, FCLC ’15, said “Personally, I think the [Fordham] email is a great tool for students and professors to communicate with each other.” Since many professors and students check their Fordham email multiple times a day, and most students prefer to communicate with their professors via email, why is there a problem in staying connected? “Some professors are better at communicating with students than others. I’ve been in some situations where I’ve had a question about an assignment and I didn’t hear back until a few days later,” Melissa Gazal, FCLC ’14, said. Some students also have professors who only check their email at a certain time during the day and during the week because professors prefer not being attached to their
Professors, who may or may not use social media, also believe there has to be a professional relationship between students and professors.
email for long periods of time. For professors, email is the most common way of communication. However, professors also point out that they have office hours. When asked if students take advantage of their office hours, both professors interviewed, Mattias Smängs, assistant professor of sociology and Mary Bly, English professor, said not many students take advantage of their office hours. “Students rarely come see me during my office hours; they mostly come to see me towards the end of the semester,” Smängs said. “Students never take advantage of my office hours; I always end up making appointments,” Bly said. Would the use of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter eliminate the problem of students staying connected with their professors? The idea did not appeal to many students or professors. “For me, email is the most professional method to contact my professors. Facebook is more per-
sonal to me,” Karman Chao, FCLC ’16, said. Gabriella Giunta, FCLC ’14 said, “Communicating with a professor via Twitter or Facebook crosses the line between a professional and personal relationship. It works both ways; while many students don’t want their professors reading their tweets and Facebook statuses, I’m sure most professors wouldn’t want their students sitting around a computer discussing their profile pictures.” “I do not think it is advisable to, let’s say, shoot an instant message to Fr. McShane on a Tuesday night. There’s a certain decorum that has to be maintained,” Michael Macalintal, FCLC ’15, said. Professors, who may or may not use social media, also believe there has to be a professional relationship between students and professors. “I communicate with my students online via email and only email. I do not use social media to any greater extent,” Smängs said.
For Bly, social media is a part of her life as a writer but not as a professor. “I consider myself a social media person because I have a writing name (Eloisa James) and a big Facebook fan page (40K), and I also have a Twitter account. But I see social media as a promotional tool that involves communication rather than a reliable way to talk to students,” Bly said. “It’s important for me to maintain a healthy, supportive mentoring and pedagogical relationship (with students), which for me, does not extend to Facebook or sharing my cell phone number,” Christiana Peppard, associate professor of theology, said. Some teachers feel that immediate communication between students and professors is necessary. “Students should get in touch with professors as soon as possible in case they find themselves having trouble in the class. Also, students should take advantage of office hours more extensively,” Smängs said. For Bly, it is up to the students. “I feel as if those students who want to talk to me will find me. Those who don’t are adults and have the right to organize their work lives as they wish and if that involves noncommunication, so be it,” Bly said.
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Professor Educates About Islam in America By NOHA MAHMOUD Contributing Writer
Adjunct Professor Hussein Rashid is known for his lectures about Islam and the life of a Muslim in America. Rashid received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia University. This fall, Rashid returns to his roots as a new addition to the faculty at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) educating the studentabout Islam and the roles of Muslim–Americans in the United States. The Observer had the opportunity to talk to Rashid about some of his accomplishments as well as some of the goals he is looking forward to achieving during his time at FCLC. THE OBSERVER: What did you
think of Fordham before you began teaching here? HUSSEIN RASHID: I grew up in
New York City so I knew of Fordham. Fordham has a great reputation and I knew it was a Jesuit school so I wasn’t quite sure how teaching Islam at a Jesuit school would work. Fortunately I have had the privilege of working with a few of the faculty members before coming to Fordham such as Katherine Kueny, associate professor of theology at FCLC and Father Patrick Ryan who works at the Rose Hill Campus. I had interactions with the Fordham community before so I was excited to come to Fordham. THE OBSERVER: Did your idea
of Fordham change as you started teaching here? H.R.: I think that my experience at
Fordham so far has reinforced what I thought prior to coming to the school. Fordham is a great welcoming community in terms of the students and the faculty and it has a highly motivated and highly driven student body. They have confirmed what I had thought about the school prior to joining the Fordham community.
COURTESY OF HUSSEIN RASHID; PHOTO BY ALI ANSARY
Hussein Rashid is an adjunct professor teaching a theology course called “Muslims in America” this semester. THE OBSERVER: What is one thing
you want to gain from teaching at Fordham? H.R.: One of the things coming
to Fordham has afforded me is a chance to experiment because students do know so much already that I can experiment with different material and different approaches to the material. I am gratified to know that so many of my students are willing to play along and experiment with me to make the course better. The experience I gain from the experimentation is something that I am hoping to take away at the end of the semester. THE OBSERVER: What is one
message that you want to leave your students with at Fordham? H.R.: I think that there are two
things that I want to leave with the students. One is a skill that I think is a valuable part of the cultural experience and I do not think that they will get it from my class alone and I hope that they will get it over the next four years. That skill is the ability to be critical thinkers, to look at the world around them, to be inquisitive and to question the world around them. However, in terms of my class specifically, I hope they realize that religion appears in our culture in many unexpected and unusual places and that they should always be on the outlook for it. Just because we say we are in a secular society doesn’t mean that we are in an irreligious society. THE OBSERVER: What message do
you want to leave your students at FCLC with about Islam?
H.R.: I think that the one thing
that I want to have them walking away from this course with is that there is a dichotomy between being a Muslim-American. Muslims are part of the American experience since the country’s inception and Muslims are an important part of that American history. THE OBSERVER: What would you
say has been your biggest accomplishment? H.R.: I hope I have not hit it yet
but there have been some highlights throughout my life thus far. I have had the privilege of meeting President Obama on a few occasions. I have had so many opportunities to travel the world for my research and to write for major news organizations. I feel blessed that my credentials have opened up so many
different opportunities for me. THE OBSERVER: How do you like
to spend your leisure time?
H.R.: I consider my teaching leisure.
I do not consider it work. I love teaching and I love being with the students. I consider it part of my leisure time because it is fun for me. I like prepping lessons but I do not like grading lessons. I will be honest. THE OBSERVER: I hear you like
to listen to rap music. What other genres of music do you enjoy listening to? H.R.: I do enjoy listening to rap as
well as other types of music. I also like to listen to hip-hop. I have never really enjoyed listening to Reggaeton though. That is the one genre of music that I do not really like.
Meaning of Minority MINORITY FROM PAGE 1
at Fordham, I see a lot of people of different cultures. The atmosphere is different.” Tess Alexander, FCLC ’14, said she felt differently. “I wouldn’t really identify myself as a minority student at Lincoln Center because I feel like many students are similar to me,” Alexander said. “I’m a white girl from Long Island: pretty average in the Fordham community.” Almost all were quick to remark that it was not so much about demographic percentages as it was about inequality. Cipriano said that being open with his sexuality makes him a second class citizen to a portion of the population. “It’s that I can’t get married in 45 states,” Cipriano said. “It’s that people assume I’ll be a bad parent without knowing how much I love children and want to raise a family.” Freedman cited the differences in the way religious holidays are observed. “The holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, two important Jewish holidays, are not days that
According to the Office of Institutional Research at FCLC, 33.9 percent of students identify as a minority...
WE’LL BE HERE WHEN NEWS BREAKS. WILL
we have off from school,” Freedman said. “I think there is a pretty large pocket of Jewish students on campus, but in comparison to the Catholic or Christian presence, I’m still the minority.” Fordham offers numerous extracurricular activities that aim to embrace and cater the needs of its diverse population. It has over 31 cultural and religious organizations. While the Office of Institutional Research did not offer projections for future minority enrollment, national trends towards increased minority presence in universities point to an increasingly diverse student body in the upcoming years.
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Crime Blotter WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19 On Wednesday, Sept.19, at 11:15 am, a Fordham student reported a stolen bike from the bike rack outside of the law school. The student had chained the bike to the scaffold at 10 am on Thursday, Sept. 18. By 5 pm the bike was missing. The bike’s value is $800.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 21 On Friday, Sept. 21, at 6:40 am, a custodial staff member was stuck in the elevator for 25 minutes in the law school. There was no injury.
MONDAY, SEPT. 24 On Monday, Sept. 24, at 8:40 am, the law school fire alarm went off. Security responded. A contractor on the 4th floor had caused the alarm. There was no fire or smoke.
MONDAY, SEPT. 24 At 2 pm, a student reported a stolen bike at the scaffold outside of the law school. The bike had been chained to the scaffold on Sunday, Sept. 23 at 9 pm. It went missing the following day.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 30 On Sunday, Sept. 30, at 9:28 pm the fire alarm went off in the Lowenstein building in Pope Auditorium. There was a smoke machine malfunction. The fire department responded. There were no reported injuries.
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October 4, 2012 THE OBSERVER
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Fordham Supports Affirmative Action Case By HARRY HUGGINS Editor-in-Chief
Fordham has joined several Jesuit universities in filing a “friend of the court” brief for a U.S. Supreme Court case challenging the University of Texas at Austin’s (UT) affirmative action policies, according to a release from Fordham. The joint universities filed the amicus brief in support of Texas’s policies in August. Arguments before the Court start Oct. 10, but in a Sept. 11 article posted in America, the weekly Jesuit publication, Fordham President, the Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., explained the university’s support for affirmative action. The case, known as Fisher v. University of Texas, revolves around a UT applicant’s challenges of school’s acceptance procedures as discriminatory against white students and in violation of Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause. The schools in the brief argue against that interpretation. “We believe a holistic method that includes race-based criteria is the best path to a diverse student body,” McShane said. He also argued that it is the university’s right to set its own admission criteria, saying, “If the Supreme Court were to rule in Ms. Fisher’s favor and prohibit universities from looking to an applicant’s race as one factor in the admissions process, how long before we are compelled to mute unpopular points of view, or before we begin to use political litmus tests to determine who should and should not be allowed to teach at
a university?” According to a Wall Street Journal article, UT’s current policy is to admit students in the top 10 percent of all Texas high schools, many of which serve a majority Hispanic population. UT also considers race as a “plus” factor in admissions decisions for students not in the top 10 percent of their high schools. Fisher argues that this extra consideration is unnecessary, given the 10 percent policy. Fordham’s affirmative action program works under New York State’s Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), according to the amicus brief. The program admits approximately 125 “economically disadvantaged” students each year. The brief also argued that the policy of affirmative action aids in realizing Fordham’s mission as a university founded “to serve the immigrant Church in New York.” “In order to prepare citizens for an increasingly multicultural and multinational society, Fordham seeks to develop in its students an understanding of and reverence for cultures and ways of life other than their own,” the brief said. “Fordham has concluded that a diverse student body is necessary to develop such understanding and reverence.” Fordham was joined in the brief by Boston College, DePaul, Georgetown, Holy Cross, Marquette, Notre Dame, and San Francisco, all Jesuit institutions. The full brief can be found at the University of Texas website and McShane’s post can be found on the America website.
CHUCK KENNEDY/KRT/MCT
University of Michigan students protest the Supreme Court’s ruling on the use of affirmative action in college admissions, Monday, June 23, 2003.
Fordham Falls Five Spots in Best Colleges Ranking By MEHGAN ABDELMASSIH News Co-Editor
Fordham fell five spots to 58th in the 2013 U.S. News and World Report ranking of Best Colleges. The decline was received with disappointment among many Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) students. “I’m definitely disappointed, especially since everyone at orientation kept saying that Fordham was going to continue rising in the rankings. I guess if they drop five places, that is a bit much,” Lorraine De Silva, FCLC ’16, said. The administration shared the same response to the five-spot drop as students. “The dip in rankings is disappointing news, but not entirely surprising, given the numbers
Fordham reported to U.S. News. The university had minor declines in several reporting categories,” Bob Howe, senior director of Communications, said. Some of the categories that make up the Best Colleges ranking are student-faculty ratio, class size, retention rate, and fall 2011 acceptance rate. U.S. News and World Report uses a two-part system in order to decide their annual college ranking. The first part of the system is categorizing universities based on their mission. The second part involves gathering data based on 16 factors of what the U.S. News and World Report considers “academic excellence.” Not every person recognizes college rankings, such as the one
conducted by the U.S. News and World report, as a valid source of information during a prospective student’s college search. “I do not think those reports are legitimate. There are much more legitimate ways to figure out which school is ‘better,’” Joseph Goldin, FCLC ’16, said. Some students agree. “The U.S News and World Report doesn’t matter much, though it is kind of embarrassing to see Fordham drop in their rankings because a lot of people look at it for college decisions,” Julien Martinez, FCLC ’13, said. “Each person has a different reason for enrolling in a school: some look for financial aid while others look for specific programs.” According to CBS News, there are four reasons to ignore U.S.
News and World Report’s college rankings: U.S. News and World Report favors colleges that spend more money; the rankings do not take education into account; it is unknown how much colleges embellish their annual ranking surveys; reputation dominates the rank. Howe is in agreement with the CBS report regarding money’s role in college ranking. “The U.S. News rankings correlate strongly with endowment,” Howe said. According to Howe, colleges that fall into the 50-65 range are vulnerable to dropping its seat because of the fiscal role involved in the annual ranking. Some colleges that accompany Fordham in the 50-65 range are Northeastern University, Syracuse University, Uni-
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versity of Pittsburgh and University of Georgia. There are some students, however, that follow CBS News’ advice to ignore the Best Colleges ranking. “Personally, I did not use the ranking during my college search. I just wanted to go to the school I was most comfortable with and so Fordham was it for me,” De Silva said. Goldin referred to the Best Colleges ranking for a general overview of potential universities that he wanted to apply to. The ranking did not have a decisive effect on Goldin’s decision to attend Fordham. “I look at them just to get an overview, or to brag to a friend. The rankings did not really play a big role on my choices” Goldin, FCLC ’16, said.
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Putting a Price on College Degrees By RAMONA VENTURANZA Contributing Writer
A full-time student at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) pays an estimated $41,000 for tuition and tacks on a debt of an estimated $38,151 by graduation, according to U.S. News and World Reports. According to the U.S Department of Labor, the August 2012 unemployment rate stands at 8.1 percent. As tuition and debt rates increase and job availability decreases, an ongoing debate ensues amongst college students: What is a college degree worth? Are there “price tags” on specific fields of study? According to Huffington Post’s list of “The 10 Best Jobs In The United States,” science and mathbased positions such as computer programming, software engineering and dental hygiene are ranked the top in the nation. In U.S. News’ Best College Ranking, Fordham students are in this large percentage of science and math-based concentrations: 16 percent of students major in business administration and management, and 7 precent of students major in general psychology. Salaries in the science-math based occupations range from $67,000 to $99,000. In the case of a FCLC graduate, a degree in business administration and management results in a $57,000 starting salary and a degree in psychology varies, but earns up to an estimated $46,000. FCLC students also participate in pre-professional programs, which further lead into engineering, architecture, medicine and law degrees. A pre-law student, Anny Bagum, FCLC ’16, discussed the monetary value of a law degree. “Especially in this economy, it will be a struggle going into law,” Bagum said. “Law schools and private practices are very competitive in their selection process, even the starting salary is not that great, and it all depends on the type of law you want to pursue. But once you find a stable practice, build
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ZEINAB SAYED/THE OBSERVER
Students contemplating the monetary value of college degrees have to take into account a wide range of factors in choosing a major.
clients and work hard, success will be guaranteed.” Sandy Yang, FCLC ’15, explained the worth and value of pursuing the pre-medicine track saying “I would be completely lying if it weren’t all about the money, but it is primarily worth caring for people. With a degree in medicine, we further our understanding of diseases and it reassures the safety of patients and employers in our field.” College graduates with art and social science degrees, including fields such as English and communications, earn lower salaries than graduates with science and math degrees. According to a CNN News poll, the starting salary of an English major can vary, but falls at $31,000; the salary of a graduate in communications and media studies is similar, with earnings starting at
$30,000. Wicksie Tu, FCLC ’16, said she is not worried about that value of her anticipated communications and media studies degree. “I don’t know how much a communications degree is worth in this economy, but I do know that it is definitely worth having,” Tu said. “If you want to build off something, it can be argued that Communications is a necessity in today’s society.” Associate Professor of communication and media studies Gwenyth Jackaway acknowledged that students should account for the monetary value of their degree. Jackaway majored in American history as an undergraduate at Columbia University. “It makes sense to support yourself and your family during economic hardship,” Jackaway said. At the same time, Jacka-
way said she encourages students to pursue their passion. “Do what makes you really happy; something that you love,” Jackaway said. After taking up English literature as an undergraduate at Princeton University, Amy Aronson, assistant professor of communication and media studies, said she was not worried about the monetary value of her degree. She had an interest in English and did not translate her degree into fiscal earnings. “There is more to life than earning a living; appreciation of art, travel, culture, and, most especially, the field you are interested in,” Aronson said. In regards to the young people in this economy, Aronson said she agrees that times are more difficult today. “With salaries and job opportunities in mind, young people readily close out considerations into Eng-
lish and communications fields.” When considering the value of a college degree, Jackaway said she encourages FCLC students to open themselves to new opportunities. Jackaway said, “Students should take advantage of the internships, mass media and alumni network.” According to Aronson, tackling a degree, whether in software engineering or English, requires agility and versatility. “With your degree, you may not get a job you want at first. I tell my students that very often, you may have to try different jobs that reach outside of your major and move out of the city, like from New York to Cleveland. But, overall, utilize your resources at FCLC; build the life that you want. Get your foot out the door, and continue to learn, evolve and grow.”
Activists Arrested for Defacing Anti-Jihad Ad all important, that’s all key because at the end of the day, culture (literature/art) is a weapon.” “I plan to live this way,” Pardilla said about his future. “I plan to always be in the streets, always be with the people, stand by them, fight with them, struggle, until we are liberated…I see myself doing this for the rest of my life, fighting a just cause.”
ACTIVIST FROM PAGE 1
“They think you’re suspicious, and no one believes you, your mom doesn’t think you’re telling her the truth, she believes the authorities. In terms of being politicized, I’d say stop and frisk,” Pardilla said. He has been stopped and frisked four times, a policy he described as “racial criminalization” in a video for SilentMarchNYC. Along with protesting the stop-and-frisk policy, Pardilla was also active in last year’s Occupy Wall Street En Español, where he helped translate the Occupy Wall Street literature into Spanish because he “wanted to represent my people in that movement.” When asked about the effect of his activism on his school work, Padilla noted that it definitely does affect his school work. “When I’m in certain classrooms, I come in with a certain perspective that I can tell that most of my peers don’t have,” Pardilla said. “Their reaction (to my views) is that they don’t get it, they are annoyed by it. Fordham is mostly white, so I’ve been in classes where I’m the only person of color…so I feel like it goes back to what it means to be a student of color here in Fordham who has history, who has parents who lived in places other than the United States…And that’s not their [students’] fault personally, that’s just how they grew up. It
Kenneth Cruz
SALMA ELMEHDAWI/THE OBSERVER
Emmanuel Pardilla, FCLC ’14, and John Jay student Kenneth Cruz are comrades in solidarity.
would be good if they were open to new perspectives.” In terms of balancing activism with schoolwork, Pardilla said, “It’s affecting me in terms of that. It takes a lot of time out of my day... I devote everything to all
this. I’m always active in political stuff and it’s difficult because at the same time I have homework and I have class.” When advising Fordham students of ways in which they can protest without facing the risk of
arrest, Pardilla cited art and writing as two tools for expressing one’s ideas. “I think it’s all art. I do a lot of poetry. It’s important to let your feelings out. Whether its music, painting, poetry or short-story writing, I think that’s
Kenneth Cruz, Padilla’s “comrade” and “brother,” is a student at John Jay College studying culture and deviances. He was one of the three arrested along with Pardilla. Cruz noted, “People generally respect the work we do as activists. They will say, ‘oh I support you.’ Will they come out to protests or become involved? That’s another question.” In regards to Arab-Americans within the United States, Cruz said he believes that “Arab-Americans and Muslims are aware of a lot of things, whether or not they voice them is one thing. For example you find a lot of masjids choose not to get too political because they are afraid of the repercussions of doing so…They don’t want to be accused of anything, understandably so in the current climate.” Cruz embraces international solidarity and believes the ultimate goal is to achieve “community empowerment and a better society that meets the needs of people.”
Opinions
Monique John mnqjohn@gmail.com October 4, 2012 THE OBSERVER
STAFF EDITORIAL
TAKE HEED OF DECREASING RANKINGS
W
e at The Observer can’t help but feel a little cheated; where are our iPads? As explained in “Education is For the Elite” by Monique John on page six, Avenues: The World School, a private school for children only a few subway stations away, shows a new age in education. Avenues seems to stand for limitless possibilities and endless resource—but at a very high price. At $40,000 a year, Avenue’s tuition is dangerously close to our own tuition here at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC). Unfortunately, all that capital doesn’t fully correlate to prestige. As Mehgan Abdelmassih reported in “Fordham Falls Five in Best Colleges Ranking” on page four, Fordham has fallen five spots, from 53rd to 58th, in the 2013 U.S. News and World Report ranking of Best Colleges. With waxing tuition and waning rankings, what can we expect from this falling institu-
Our recently lowered ranking emphasizes what FCLC students know to be true: Fordham has some work to do. tion? Maybe we are suffering from the economy’s slow growth. Maybe we are just having a bad year. Fordham’s ranking has, of course, gained 23 spots since 2003, and the numbers do not mean the end of the world. But the facts point to something else, a potential pattern of depreciation. In addition to the decrease in overall ranking, our recent ranking as the worst campus dining in America by the Princeton Review emphasizes a simple fact that most students at FCLC know to be true: Fordham has some work to do.
Online Round-Up Poets Out Loud VIDEO Blog Editor Nick Milanes brings us a first-hand account of this year’s Poets Out Loud— a captivating and emotional poetry slam from some of the best poets around such as Nick Laird, John Murillo and Roger Sedarat. Allen Ginsberg would be proud.
On the bright side, Fordham seems to be listening. The school released a survey in September asking for reactions to Sodexo’s services in hopes of helping the student body craft their own culinary experience. Fordham also recently showed proof that it will fight for diversity. As Harry Huggins reports in “Fordham Supports Affirmative Action Case” on page four, Fordham President the Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., joined the “friend of the court” briefing for the affirmative action case heading to the Supreme Court. As the construction of the new law building moves closer to completion and new programs come to Lincoln Center, the university expects these rankings to improve. For us students spending a small fortune in tuition each, we are all banking our futures in the job market on the value of our Fordham degrees. So for our sake, we sure hope that this drop does not become a plunge.
Blog Round-Up Best Apps For College Students Now that the fall semester is in full swing, you should probably stop playing Angry Birds....Read more
@www.lcradar.com
Republicans, Stop Being Mashuganas!
NFL Replacement Referees
My friend emailed me a picture yesterday that had me rolling around on my apartment floor in tears....
Read more @www. lcradar.com
PODCAST The Observer’s podcast man, Victor Urquilla, takes on the NFL’s controversey over the replacement refs and the recently announced negotiation reached by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the very missed professional refs. With a fantastic voice for radio, Urquilla mixes commentary and sound clips from controversial games like the Packers vs. Seahawks match up when things really hit the fan (no pun intended). GEORGE BRIDGES/MCT
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES • Letters to the Editor should be typed and sent to The Observer, Fordham University, 113 West 60th Street, Room 408, New York, NY 10023, or e-mailed to fordhamobserver@gmail.com. Length should not exceed 200 words. All letters must be signed and include contact information, official titles, and year of graduation (if applicable) for verification. • If submitters fail to include this information, the editorial board will do so at its own discretion. • The Observer has the right to withhold any submissions from
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Opinions
THE OBSERVER October 4, 2012
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Observer the
Fordham College at Lincoln Center 113 West 60th Street Room 408 New York, New York 10023 Tel: (212) 636-6015 Fax: (212) 636-7047 Editor-in-Chief Harry Huggins Managing Editor Ian McKenna News Co-Editors Richard Ramsunda Mehgan Abdulmassih Asst. News Editor Gabriela Méndes-Novoa Opinions Editor Monique John Asst. Opinions Editor Alissa Fajek Arts & Culture Co-Editors Olivia Perdoch Clinton Holloway Asst. Arts & Culture Editor Brian Bruegge Features Editor Jewel Galbraith
JAMES LAWLWER DUGGAN/MCT
Despite the lack of socio-economic and racial diversity among presidential candidates, you shouldn’t let that discourage you from placing your vote this election.
Asst. Features Editor Rex Sakamoto
Only You Can Silence Yourself
Literary Editor Salma Elmehdawi Sports Editor Michael McMahon Copy Editor Anna Luciano Asst. Copy Editor Zoë Simpson Layout Co-Editors Amanda Fimbers Tayler Bennett Photo Co-Editors Sara Azoulay Ayer Chan Online Editor Ariella Mastroianni Multimedia Producer Mike Madden Business Manager Mujtaba Mahmood Blog Editor Nick Milanes
CHRISTINE SONG Contributing Writer
The United States: A Nation of Choice. The main concept of democracy is to distribute power to everyday people. We all learn this at a young age, when we learn the basic functions of government. As I’ve gotten older and followed politics for myself, I’ve found that America is, indeed, a true, living, breathing example of a functioning democratic society. Funnily enough, I feel like I am in the minority with that “unpopular opinion.” People complain about the way our voting system (the foundation of our democracy) works. It’s as if they see something wrong with the way state delegates get to choose who the official nominees of every presidential election are. Perhaps because they feel that there is not enough diversity between our can-
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didates, or maybe they feel there’s an unfair distribution of wealth. Regardless, I don’t see why people complain so much. We still have the power to choose who becomes the president! People keep complaining about how these state delegates aren’t necessarily tied to the preferences of the states they represent and therefore don’t represent the people’s opinions. But state delegates are American citizens, and the fact that they have the power to elect official nominees for each election is a fact that everyone should celebrate. I can see the true spirit of democracy in this system. In this country, the choice is definitely in the peoples’ hands. I’ll admit, there does seem to be something slightly unfair about how not every state gets a say in which nominee they prefer. Since the state primaries and caucases operate on a first-come first-serve basis, some of the states in the back of line (like California and New Jersey) are swept up in the bandwagon craze over specific candidates. But if you
think about it, no system is perfect, and I am sure that the states with primaries in the beginning of the election season represent the majority American sentiment. And fine, I suppose that there is a lack of socio-economic and racial diversity among the presidential candidates, and how this may possibly effect how citizens of these minorities and their votes. Take for example the $10 million donation from casino mogul Sheldon Adelson to Romney’s campaign, simply because he is in support of Romney and his ideals. Someone of a lower socio-economic status may not be able to donate as much. However, this does not silence their voice. It works on a level of meritocracy, where those who have more may be at an advatage. But the biggest disadvantage the avergae citizen has comes from themselves, when they choose to silence themselves and give up. My fellow American citizens. Vote. Even if you feel as though your vote may not really be counted, or
that any specific candidate really represents your beliefs, you should still vote. Vote for something; anything. Too many Americans complain that their voices are not heard. But how can they be when they refuse to speak up to the ears that they want to listen to? If for no other reason, we as Americans, should vote simply because we are a proud citizens of this “democratic” nation. If we really strive to be the “epitome of democracy,” we need to put our voices to work. A democracy is dependent on the power of the people. If we refuse to vote and take the power that is literally put into our hands, then we are also refusing the notion of a true democracy. Our votes matter in that it upholds this glorious illusion of democracy in the United States. Because if we all sit silent, or opinions will go unheard, we will only regress to a sort of autocracy where we don’t even have the choice in the matter. Use your freedom wisely. Fight the power, stick it to the man, and vote.
Smartphones and Camera Phones Change Photography By ANDREA STANOVIC Contributing Writer
There has recently been a great shift in the world of photography. Most photographs are taken not from a “traditional” camera. Now 60 percent are taken from portable phones equipped with a camera. What is more, everyone is constantly uploading pictures on social networks like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Many fear that this new way of using camera phones will threaten the use of digital cameras and go on to even change the whole business of photography. Due to this rapid change that came with our increasingly digitalizing world, some question whether they should perceive this change as a negative or rather, embrace it as a new kind of art. In my opinion, this shift and acceptance of photographs taken from cell phone cameras is rather positive. Naturally, this way of taking pictures will not replace the traditional way of using a DSLR or other digital camera, as people will always desire to have the high quality and skills of the professional photographers to
immortalize their most valued moments. Some fear that our society seems ready to replace optical quality of the digital cameras with the convenience of the cell phone ones, which now provide much more facility. People berate this replacement of “real” photography with the poor optical quality produced by camera phones, which still seem to be preferred by many, due to their relatively low cost and handiness. The other big problem regarding the use of cell phone cameras is that now everyone can consider themselves as photographers, thus rendering the frontier between professional and amateur photographers narrower. Professionals and experienced photographers would have no other options than to lower the price of their business for the sake of keeping a job that beforehand used to be regarded as exclusive but now has become common. However, in many ways this sudden shift in photography is rather beneficial and appropriate to our society, as it goes along the conventions of our modern world. Our world has come to
increasingly rely on technology to facilitate work and enable simplicity and expediency. More pictures have been taken in this year alone than in the whole 1800s. This change is noted due to the developed power that our technology has gained. Our cell phone cameras no longer contain 1.3 mega pixels and low quality images and light, but instead can take photographs of 8 mega pixels size. For example, the Apple’s iPhone 4s has a new lens, digital focus, LED f lash and can even take HD video. What is more, cell phone cameras have come to include even more features than the traditional digital cameras have, such as the iPhone’s front camera, which makes self-portraits much easier to take. Another benefit is that the cameraphone is simply something that most people have now. People generally will seek to have an electronic device that can perform most of the available functions, such as taking pictures. It becomes instantly cheaper for people to use something they already have rather than to spend hundreds of dollars on a separate digital camera, which now has
anyway a similar picture quality as the one of camera phones. Cameraphones are also valuable because they enable people to share their photos through social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Instagram more rapidly. Facebook is currently one of the largest online photo libraries, storing 140 billion pictures—uploading 300 million photos per month or 3,500 photos every second. Cameraphone pictures posted on social media are simply a new form of photography. Despite the improving quality of cameraphones, photographers most certainly stay in demand as their photographs and skills cannot be bested easily. Special events like marriages and other festivities will always take professional photographers—it gives the event classiness and style. Cameraphone pictures are not replacing the digital photos, they are just enabling people to take pictures that may not have necessarily been taken in the past. This unavoidable change should be viewed as something positive that is revolutionizing the domain of photography as it is adding on to it.
Opinions
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October 4, 2012 THE OBSERVER
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Education is for the Elite MONIQUE JOHN Opinions Editor
Education and media entrepreneur, Chris Whittle, recently opened Avenues: The World School in Chelsea, the latest addition to New York City’s clique of hip, pricey, elitist private schools. With a tuition priced at almost $40,000 and a neighborhood filled with chic condos, galleries and high-end retail shops, the K-12 World School is definitely for big shots only. Not impressed by the sticker price? Maybe the amenities will change your mind: a Hearst-like cafeteria with a view of the High Line, sunny lounges on each floor with two-story ceilings and soft leather couches, year-long study abroad for all middle and high-school aged students, fully-stocked cubicles for each child, integrated arts curriculum specializing in photography, music composition and dance education. Oh yeah, and everybody gets an iPad! Flashy indeed. But that’s what a private-school education gets you. With more private schools like Avenues opening up, along with the ever expanding phenomenon of charter schools, we are seeing how getting a decent education is increasingly becoming a resource reserved for an exclusive, financially privileged crowd. But why does it have to be that way? In a country that is struggling with other world powers to keep up in technological, scientific and mathematic advancements, why is it that young people’s education consistently takes a back seat to things like war efforts, tourism and Wall Street bailouts? If it takes $40,000 a year to provide a child with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in higher education, then what is happening to the child getting a public school education? Note these are the words of a
REX SAKAMOTO/THE OBSERVER
Chelsea’s Avenues: The World School is offering its students the most extravagant education money can buy.
woman that spent her middle and high-school years at an independent preparatory school serving upper-middle class families. I sat in classrooms of 13 students in a lovely Westchester town and was fortunate enough to travel to Belgium, Japan and Brazil by my senior year—experiences I had because of my school’s “we are the world” approach to education—one very similar to that of Avenues. I may not have liked going to school as a token-black among dozens of aloof white kids that wore designer clothes to algebra or parked shiny new Elements next to
my dented and dingy ’97 Toyota, but I was grateful for every minute of it. I watched my exhausted mother drive to work at all hours of the day, sticking in moonlighting shifts at a hospital in the next county on weekends so she could have enough tuition for my sister and I all through our high school years and onto college. I am not knocking private school education. Having a private school education has done me a world of good. But we have to find a way to spread the wealth. I am happy that Suri Cruise can sit in an Avenues classroom this fall supplied with the
latest Smartboards, listening to a lecturer from the Rubin Museum while her iPad is laid out in front of her. But I’m concerned about Sandra Cruz sitting at her bubble-gum laden school desk at P.S. 168 in Mott Haven. Her school has failing progress reports from New York’s Department of Education and her teachers are paid about $40,000 less than Suri’s. Only 79 percent of her classmates actually stay in school throughout the year. And while Tom and Eric from Avenue’s rival schools like Dalton and Trinity on the Upper East Side have a teacher to student ratio of one to six,
Carlos from P.S. 138 in East Harlem has a ratio of one to 13. Avenues can boast of its state of the art architecture, expansive digital library and comprehensive training in athletics and the arts. But some of our New York schools can’t even afford musical instruments. Many of our schools are giving our students outdated textbooks—that is if they have enough to go around. On top of all this, Mayor Bloomberg has routinely laid-off thousands of public school teachers to add millions of dollars to the city budget, eliminating crucial after-school programs. For 2012, our children lost over 6,000 educational professionals in their classrooms and extra-curricular activities. My mother managed to scrape and budget enough of her money to ensure that my sister and I didn’t have to experience firsthand the gang violence, drug culture and poorly staffed and supplied classrooms of our hometown’s public schools. But what about the New York parents that can’t? Does that mean that the future of their children doesn’t matter? Whittle’s education model will probably help many children get into Ivy Leagues by their last year at Avenue’s, but the school can only serve a couple hundred students at its New York campus. That leaves out thousands of other New York City children. When did giving children a good education stop being a valued public service and start becoming a business? Surely, New York City’s government officials have to juggle various issues to serve its community. Unfortunately, that will sometimes mean cutting funds from services we depend on and believe are important. But we have to draw the line somewhere. The notion is trite, yet it is true: educating our children is the key to a successful future. In a country that is grappling with how to maintain (or regain) its prestige and economic strength, we cannot afford to underserve our youth.
Preparing for Climate Change on Campus ALISSA FAJEK Asst. Opinions Editor
The recent climate changes our environment has gone through are undeniable. From the increase in tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts, floods and other natural disasters, many colleges across the country have fallen victim to the mass destruction and unfortunate incidents, such as Tougaloo College and Dillard University that were destroyed by the forces of Katrina. Here at Fordham, we are not exempt from these worries and dangers. Colleges must do something to stand up to these natural disasters. The rising number of natural disasters occurring globally has been linked to global warming. Martha M. Larson, manager of campus energy and sustainability at Carleton College reported to The Chronicle for Higher Education, “The consensus—really is that we are observing more severe and more frequent weather events.” She goes on to say that though no one has outright said that we are experiencing climate changes, “we’re all thinking it.” Like many colleges, Fordham has invested to extend their campus and add more to their properties. Fordham’s current project is the new 22-story building, adding to the dormitories and the law school, expanding our campus from 60th Street to 62nd Street, which is to be finished in 2014. The Fordham community has found ways to go “green,” in order to help the environment. Fordham has promised to abide by a “sus-
CAROLYN COLE/LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT
Without proper preparation for climate change, the island of Manhattan is in danger of severe flooding in future years like the hurricane victims pictured above.
tainability policy” to pursue the least negative environmental impact by recycling as much material as possible. The university is also working towards meeting the City of New York’s program for carbon reduction by at least 30 percent by the year 2017. Furthermore, all new buildings are being designed to meet the requirements for the U.S. Green Building Council’s silver rating, which ensures that all additions to the university will be environmentally friendly. However, even with these environmentally conscious changes, there are still some challenges present. Scientists agree that the
effects of global warming cannot be reversed. The damage is done and we must live the consequences. One of these consequences is the climate changes that we are currently experiencing. Last week, Fordham experienced a tornado warning in the areas surrounding the campus. Calls, emails and texts were blasted to each student reminding them to lock their windows and avoid leaving the dorm buildings. Yes, they tried to prevent any injuries from the natural disaster, but a mere warning will not always suffice. When a real disaster comes our way, we must be
prepared. We cannot up and move our school. So initiatives must be taken to keep students safe and away from the disasters if need be. Some scientists argue that schools should keep their green initiatives in tact to stop global warming from occurring. Yes, we should continue to be environmentally conscious, but at what cost? Simply being green is not enough, since it is too late for preventative measures. Instead, more of a focus should be on dealing with the adverse effects the global warming is having on our environment.
According to a study issued by Second Nature, very few colleges are focusing on how they can continue to operate through these climate changes. Sustainable spaces must be created to be able to adapt to these climate changes despite the costly nature of such projects. In the end, these projects could save schools more money than it will cost them. In other words, they might as well be safe rather than sorry. If a school does not invest in a space that can adapt for the changing climates of today’s world, their current spaces may be damaged or destroyed in future natural disasters and weather changes, and that will be very costly to repair and to recover from. Whether they want to admit it or not, colleges will be shelling out the money at some point, the question is now or later? More money should be invested in building sustainable areas to not only keep students safe, but to have facilities left if a disaster destroys the school. For example, Salt Lake Community College has off-campus housing in place for this reason. Regardless of what the experts say and the scientists suggest, we cannot avoid the truth of our current situation. Our climate is changing and most universities are ill-prepared. Schools should not only be taking preventative measures to stop global warming from occurring, but more importantly they should prepare for the problems resulting from the global warming that is already happening. Changes must be made or dues will be paid later on.
Arts & Culture
Clint Holloway, Olivia Perdoch cholloway4@fordham.edu, oliviaperdoch@gmail.com
October 4, 2012 THE OBSERVER
Bringing Musical Dreams To Fruition, One Gig At A Time By ANDREW MILNE Contributing Writer
On Sept. 19, Matt Mirro, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’14, and his band Jarflower played Webster Hall, a performance venue that has seen the likes of Florence + the Machine, Foster The People and Greenday. In true Jesuit style, Mirro’s interests span far and wide. He’s an economics major (which he jokingly admitted confuses people because he “has a personality”), but is also interested in comedy (he has a “ridiculously cynical” comedy blog, mmirrored.wordpress.com). While he is genuinely enthusiastic about all of his interests, Mirro’s love affair with music started very young. “I [grew up] with music,” Mirro explained. “My dad played music in the car, a lot of ’90s and classic rock. In high school I got more in touch with my musical side; I began developing my abilities and writing my own songs. I always wanted to put a band together.” Last February, Mirro said he realized that “the time is now; we have access to the people.” He solicited friends and acquaintances to join. Soon Jarflower consisted of Mirro on vocals and guitar, Robert Hill, a New York University student, on bass, Steve Kocal, an Adelphi student on drums and Jake Stamoulis, also from Adelphi on lead guitar. “It’s hard when we all go to different schools,” Mirro said. He went on to comment that being a full-time student and band member was “a lot of practice and time management” but that they always made it work, even if they had to practice in pieces or send music to the other members to ensure that
AYER CHAN/THE OBSERVER
Matt Mirro, FCLC ’14, performs along with his band, Jarflower, during their concert at The Studio at Webster Hall.
they were on the same page. Last June, the new group began playing regular gigs, which they scored by emailing or calling venues they knew to be new-band friendly. Mirro describes his sound as alternative/hard rock. “We all bring to the table different influences. I love acoustics and ballads, Rob loves ska and punk, Steve loves hard rock, Jake likes punk but also loves post punk
(the Cure, Goo Goo Dolls).” One thing all members have in common is a dislike for the current music scene, which Mirro derides as being “very cookie cutter.” He said, “I don’t like any of it. I wanted to sound different, so we got together and played on influences creatively.” This negative view of the modern music scene is highlighted in the very name of the band; “Jarflow-
er” is a nod to Goo Goo Dolls’ album “Gutterflower.” Mirro said he considered the Webster Hall show a success and felt that it fostered a sense of community. “I got a feeling that we shook something around here,” he said. When it comes to giving advice to other fledgling musicians, the multitalented junior suggested that one “dive headfirst. We thought it would
be crazy to try for Webster, but we did it. We have good rapport; we’re best friends, not just bandmates.” Jarflower is looking to record a demo soon, and is also looking to branch out to other venues, though repeats of Webster may be in their future. To find out more about and to listen to Jarflower, go to www.facebook.com/Jarflower or reverbnation.com/jarflower or twitter.com/jarflower
A Fifty-Year-Long Walk with Warhol and His Followers By LUDOVICA MARTELLA Staff Writer
It’s Sept. 16, the last day of previews for the long-awaited exhibit on Andy Warhol, “Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years.” There is always some excitement between New Yorkers when the Metropolitan Museum of Art affixes a huge f lag on its main entrance proclaiming a new exhibition. There is a tangible sense of wonder: “What is coming next?” As I climb the stairs of the museum, immersed in the exquisite environment of musicians playing soft songs, art students carrying their drawing books and tourists their maps, I feel that same excitement. This new exhibition is composed of art works from several public and private collectors with the goal of representing Warhol’s conception of art, as well as his massive inf luence on artists who followed him. The exhibit positions his work alongside those of over 60 different artists, expanding a period of 50 years. Declared the most inscrutable figure in American art, Andy Warhol became the icon of a culture obsessed with image. Warhol did not only make art, he remade the concept of what art could be. He is a crucial figure of the cultural transition of the ’50s and ’60s: he represents the economic boom and its consequences in his art. The exhibit that I am going to see is definitely going to be different from the drawings of Greek and Roman statues that I see passing by some art students. I notice the two big faces of Warhol’s self-portrait staring at me and I enter the Tisch Gallery. The first work of art that I encounter walking into the gallery, “Before and
LUDOVICA MARTELLA/THE OBSERVER
“Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years” runs now through Dec. 31.
After,” by Warhol, is definitely modern. One half of it showed the side of the face of a woman with a big nose; the second one is shown from the same profile, but with a perfect pointy nose. This first part of the exhibit, “Daily News: From Banality to Disaster,” has a combination of works that represent everything from new models of beauty to social issues (as Warhol’s Ambulance Disaster). For instance, this structure seem to recall that of a newspaper. The following section stresses
consumerism, typical of the “economic boom.” No one in the room understands what is happening when an old lady reads out loud “Neoletic phase of the Coca-Cola!” and then breaks into a loud laugh that makes everyone smile. The clay vase (2010) by Ai WeiWei (protagonist of the first work of director Alison Klayman in the documentary exploring his art, “Never Sorry”) is a tribute to the famous bottle shapes of the Coca-Cola that Warhol created during his career. This work is
significantly followed by a quote from Warhol about the abundance of consumerism- a “positive equalizer:” “What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest.” A ceramic statue of Michael Jackson holding a monkey stands out between the acrylic silkscreen faces of Marylin Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. One, by Jeff Koons, opens the last section of the exhibition, recalling some
of the most important issues stressed by Warhol through his art— racism, homosexuality and the obsession with perfection. A double neon sign on the wall is next to catch my eye. This piece, by Bruce Nauman, is composed of a base neon sign that forms the word “DEATH” and another on top which highlights the word “EAT.” This work stresses the growing issue of eating disorders that America faces. The pictures, videos and statues of transvestites recall the crucial moment when gay people started to feel free to stand out to society. These are tributes to Warhol’s defense of gay rights by a variety of artists. Warhol, who was gay himself, fought against the prejudices that society had against the perception of sexuality typical of those years: “Drag queens are sexual radicals, not depressing losers,” is the quote that f lanks these last works of art. Warhol’s work may not be fully comprehensible at times— there were many people murmuring “What the hell does this even mean?” during the exhibit— but it sticks to his point. He is not only the father of a complex society that changed radically in such a brief time; he gave permission to do virtually anything in the name of art. IF YOU GO
Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years WHEN: Now through Dec. 31. WHERE: Metropolitan Museum of
Art.
PRICE: $12 MORE INFO: (212) 535-7710
http://www.metmuseum.org/
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50th New York Film Fest Offers Wide Cinematic Range By CLINT HOLLOWAY Arts & Culture Co-Editor
Celebrating its 50th year, the New York Film Festival is inarguably the most prestigious film-related event in New York City. Already underway, here a few of the notable cinematic entries in this year’s edition of the festival, which is as open-minded as it is rigorous in its commitment to showcasing the best in international film.
Life of Pi
Since having its world premiere last week as the festival’s Opening Night Selection, “Life of Pi” has already garnered substantial acclaim and award show buzz. An adaptation of the acclaimed novel of the same name, the film follows a young boy named Pi who escapes a sinking freight ship and finds refuge on a lifeboat with a tiger, an orangutan, a hyena and a zebra. Impressive digital effects and the 3D format have been rigorously employed in immersing the viewer in Pi’s struggle for survival in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Director Ang Lee, whose unique career trajectory has seen him direct such divergently acclaimed films as “Brokeback Mountain” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” is sure to be both surprising and crowd-pleasing enough for audiences when it officially hits theaters Nov. 21.
Frances Ha
Low-key and immaculately observed, “Frances Ha” is a pretty much perfect dramatic comedy with a winning central performance by Greta Gerwig. Frances is a twentysomething Brooklynite whose life is thrown off-balance when her best friend, Sophie, promptly moves out with her fiancé. Rather than adhering too rigidly to any sort of plot mechanics, the film follows Frances as she floats around the city, finding temporary room and board with friends and friends-of-friends. The movie allows
CLOCKWISE: COURTESY OF MOVIECLIPSTRAILERS;JOBLOMOVIENETWORK;FILMFESTIVALVIDEOS;ARTIFICIALEYEFILM/YOUTUBE.COM
Scenes from various films playing at the 50th annual NYFF. Clockwise from top left: “Amour,“ “Life of Pi,” “The Paperboy” and “Holy Motors.”
you to luxuriate in her encounters, and they feel authentic and precise.
Holy Motors
The first feature film in over a decade by French director Leos Carax tracks a mysterious man named Oscar who rides around in a limousine at night assuming various jobs and identities. This leads the film on an assortment of bizarre, surreal tangents. Having already assumed something of a cult-like status since premiering at Cannes last May, “Holy Motors” is
sure to be one of the odder attractions at this year’s festival; it is not very often you come across a movie that includes Eva Mendes being kidnapped by an ogre, a sequence of erotic dancing in motion capture suits and a singing performance by Australian pop star Kylie Minogue.
Amour
Winner of the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Michael Haneke’s “Amour” tells the story of Georges and Anne, a couple in their
eighties dealing with their disintegrating health and coming to terms with their impending death. The film has caught a lot of people by surprise, as Haneke is known for making films that come across as chilly intellectual exercises. For him to tackle such a raw and moving story is a bit unexpected, but it is a gamble that seems to have paid off.
The Paperboy
Director Lee Daniels has followed up his Oscar-winning “Precious” with
a provocative and outrageous Southern tale, which stars Zac Efron as a college kickout who helps his journalist brother (Matthew McConaughey) as he investigates the indictment of a death row inmate, bringing them into contact with his pen pal girlfriend Charlotte (Nicole Kidman). Kidman, who is the subject of this year’s Gala Tribute at the festival, has already turned heads with her bold performance, which includes peeing on Efron in an attempt to assuage his jelly fish sting.
Five Bands To Catch At This Year’s CMJ Music Marathon buzz surrounding this three-piece has been skyrocketing. The group has been making the summer rounds on the international festival circuit and even stopped for an appearance on David Letterman. There they played the single “This Head I Hold,” an uptempo gem that showcases the band in top form.
By BRIAN BRUEGGE Asst. Arts & Culture Editor
As the sweltering summer heat gives way to a pleasant autumn cool, over 100,000 strangers will all pack into sweaty venues across the city to listen to some of the best new music in the world. From Oct. 16-20, CMJ Music Marathon will be returning for its 32nd year of concentrated mania. During the five-day run, the festival will pack over 1,300 artists into 80 venues scattered throughout Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. Some of the big names this year include Ghostface Killah, The Walkmen, Kimbra, and The Mountain Goats, but as always the real excitement of the event comes from the thousands of undiscovered talents. It’s a wonderful thing to be overwhelmed with so many exciting artists; though admittedly, this many options can be daunting. To lift some of the burden off your shoulders and place it on our own, The Observer has sifted through this deluge of talent and picked out the most exciting for your consideration. Here are our top five.
Gold and Youth
This exciting four-piece from Vancouver have a restrained, slick sound to their music, driven by floating synths and steady bass lines. Recently, they released their first single “Time To Kill,” which reveals a keen ability to build powerful and catchy hooks around deceivingly basic songs. The track starts with a simple melody sung over sparse instrumentation. Drums enter the mix for the second verse, followed by a more aggressive bass track, ending in a cre-
Com Truise
While the name is enough to encourage a listen, Com Truise is among the most exciting electronic musicians playing CMJ this year. Seth Haley, the man behind the moniker, has been perfecting his style of trippy electronic songs for some years now, but is just beginning to make a name for himself as a performer. Expect schizophrenic synths, warped melodies and deep bass— the characteristic elements of his sound— when Haley takes the stage. It’s a good bet that this is going to be a mesmerizing set.
Bear Hands
DENEKA PENISTON/ COURTESY OF THE CMJ MUSIC MARATHON
People dance spasmodically and have fun at one of CMJ’s past concert events.
scendo of layered vocals and spacedout guitars. See them now and tell your kids you got to see them before they were huge.
King Tuff
A line from the official artist description of King Tuff reads, “Will somebody please snap a photo of this animal before it escapes back into the wilderness from which it came?!!!” It’s a rather apt characterization of
this bewildering, yet captivating artist with a talent for creating some of the most addicting straight-up rock tunes in recent memory. His latest self-titled batch of songs appeared last May to praise from the likes of Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and a slew of other taste making music sources. Standouts like “Alone & Stoned” and “Bad Thing” show off King Tuff’s quirky, rollicking style in all of its confounding glory.
Electric Guest
2012 has been a good year for this L.A. group thanks to grooving songs and a fortuitous relationship with Danger Mouse, who produced their debut album “Mondo.” The songs are catchy and danceable, and frontman Asa Taccone’s vocals, which switch between a smooth falsetto and jazzy crooning, give the tunes a distinct flavor. Since their album debuted, the
The Brooklyn indie-rock quartet Bear Hands has been around since 2006. It’s quite possible you’ve already caught them live if you’ve been to any indie concert of late— they’ve open for the likes of MGMT, The xx, Vampire Weekend and other big acts. If not, CMJ is your chance to catch them as they strike out on their own. The band mixes syncopated rhythms with high-pitched vocals and staccato guitar lines to create a sound that demands attention. With a new EP out this year, even those already familiar with the band will get the chance to see them tackle the new material in a live venue. And for the uninitiated, prepare for a live show that you won’t forget for quite some time.
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October 4, 2012 THE OBSERVER
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PHOTO FEATURE For this photo feature, The Observer photographers were hungry for some tasty food photography. From cheesy dinner plates to fried ice cream desserts, New York City never fails to disappoint with delicious and unique dishes.
WEIYU LI/THE OBSERVER
At Sake Bar Hagi, fried ice cream is dressed with a chocolate sauce.
WEIYU LI/THE OBSERVER
Tasty fried shrimp at Sake Bar Hagi.
WEIYU LI/THE OBSERVER
Some very chessy pizza at Sake Bar Hagi located in Midtown.
JASPER CHANG/THE OBSERVER
Nelson Blue’s braised beef sliders are so good that one is never enough, so have three!
ZEINAB SAYED/THE OBSERVER
The mouth-watering all organic restaurant, Bare Burger, is located on 153 8th Ave.
SHERRY YUAN/THE OBSERVER
Cashew and Orange Blossom Donut from the Doughnut Plant on Grand Street.
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Arts & Culture
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PHOTO FEATURE
JASPER CHANG/THE OBSERVER
TAVY WU/THE OBSERVER
Tri-Meat Lo Mein: Pork, chicken and beef; for the carnivore.
Fried Octopus Balls Teriyaki in Sake Bar Hagi.
JASPER CHANG/THE OBSERVER
The Venus: A full lobster and a dozen crab legs; dig in! Found in Boston’s Barking Crab.
EMILY SAWICKI /THE OBSERVER
“Rozmus special” (Garlic cheese bread, half&half and a large sauce) from Pugsley’s Pizza in the Bronx.
SAVANNAH SCHECHTER/THE OBSERVER
Chilli from Sona 13 Bar and Grill in Morristown, New Jersey.
REX SAKAMOTO/THE OBSERVER
Delicious homemade chicken and vegetable skewers in the dorms.
Features
Jewel Galbraith jgalbraith1@fordham.edu October 4, 2012 THE OBSERVER
Thrifty in the City: Students Give Old Threads New Life By SHERRY YUAN Contributing Writer
$20 dollars and can rocket up to $2,800.
New York City is arguably one of the best cities in the world for thrift shopping. Thrift stores are scattered across the city, so whether you’re taking a stroll in the Upper West Side or exploring the East Village, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll stumble across one of these adorable stores brimming with unique designs and velvety fabrics. Like chain stores, different thrift stores mean different price ranges. Certain stores may only offer vintage designer duds while others are purely donation based; on a thrifting trip one can find anything from a vintage Chanel bag to the softest worn tee.
Wisdom from Fordham’s thrifting aficionados
Where to go, what to expect Popular thrift stores include Beacon’s Closet, Housing Works and Buffalo Exchange. Beacon’s Closet in Williamsburg and Manhattan is considered to be the best in variety of clothing. Leanna Rosien, store manager at the Williamsburg location, said that when buying from sellers, they tend to keep the “younger, artistic, hip customer” in mind. In general, they look for “funky things” and “the stranger, the better” when it comes to clothing. She also thanks the person who parted with the spectacular out-of-season Gucci bag that recently came into the shop. When it comes to Beacon’s Closet, one can expect to find both vintage and designer pieces. Housing Works features not only clothing, but furniture, accessories and other knick-knacks as
SHERRY YUAN/THE OBSERVER
Left: Kimberly Truong, FCLC ’15, in a top and sweater from Buffalo Exchange. Right: Cassie Spain, FCLC ’15, in a top and belt from Red White & Blue and a bag from the Salvation Army.
well. Everything in their stores is donated, and proceeds go towards helping those affected with HIV and AIDS. My personal favorite, however, would be Atlantis Attic in Brooklyn. This store offers an amazing selection of cheap clothing starting at $5. I’ve found everything from military jackets to old Boy Scout
uniforms. Ladies, if you love menswear, this place is definitely worth checking out. One could easily spend hours looking through the endless racks of vintage T-shirts. Brooklyn Flea on Saturdays is also worth a trip, although don’t expect anything to be “thrift-store cheap.” If not for the clothing, I would still strongly recommend
going solely for the food. A little closer to home, Screaming Mimi’s is also worth a visit when you’re in East Village. Alice Blythe, store manager, said they look for “vintage clothing that still makes sense today.” One can expect to find a variety of “modern-vintage” clothing here. As for prices, the range starts at about
Once you’ve settled on a thrifting destination, how do you approach the shopping process? Is there a method to the madness? Many students agree that the fabric that the item is made from is an important concern. “If you don’t like the material, you’re never going to wear it” Cassie Spain, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’12, said. For AJ Quiray, FCLC ’12, “Material comes first, then the functionality of it and lastly the brand name.” At thrift shops, sizing is another factor that needs to be accounted for. Finding the right size is generally tricky because many of the older brands use different scales. However, it can be refreshing to stop focusing on sizes and instead embrace those pieces that actually flatter your body, be they size two or size eight. The general consensus among students at FCLC is that thrifting is like traveling back in time. The appeal for Min Kim, FCLC ’15, lies in the possibility of “finding something that is out of my time period.” For Jessie Bonaventure, FCLC ’15, thrift shopping allows her to have “more freedom” in the sense that she isn’t restricted to the onedimensionality of our generation’s fashion sensibilities. Yet interestingly enough, the desire to own something that is outdated has become one of the biggest trends of our time.
I PITY THE JEWEL
My Midterm Advice? Try Eating More Burritos Use these Unconventional Study Tips and See Instant Results (Not Guaranteed) tell you about the array of artistic options you have at your fingertips in Microsoft Word. Get your ideas on paper in a way that’s both fun and a little therapeutic. The more clip art the better—you can always edit it out later. Or not. Didn’t your professor tell you that an “A” paper would go above and beyond the prompt?
JEWEL GALBRAITH Features Editor
Whether you’re a cult member or just very impressionable, chances are you’re concerned about the impending apocalypse in December 2012. Personally, I’m more fixated on another upcoming crisis: fall semester midterms. Midterms are the worst time of the year. Unlike finals, they happen right in the thick of the semester with no designated reading days during which students can catch up on sleep and crying. This semester, the madness begins Oct. 9. So forget getting that three-week jump on your sweet Game of Thrones Halloween costume. But there might be hope for you this year. Being a seasoned sophomore, I figured I’d lay down some of my personal tips for making it through the midterms week. Feel free to take any or all of these suggestions, coming to you straight from a person who has pulled significantly fewer than one million all-nighters in her lifetime. 1. Make use of a sensory deprivation chamber. Sometimes, all it takes to get really focused into your art history timeline is some good, old-fashioned cutting off of all mental, physical and emotional ties to the outside world. And what better place to do it than the freezing, windowless tundra that is our very own Quinn Library-Dungeon? Step one: grab your flashcards and a water bottle and sit down at a
3. Remember: when the going gets tough, the tough get Chipotle.
AYER CHAN/THE OBSERVER
The stark landscape of Fordham’s Quinn Library is the perfect place to take in some fluorescent light, enjoy the gentle whirr of printers and pretend you’re a heartless, highly efficient studying machine.
study carrel by yourself. After just an hour or two, you’ll be memorizing Gothic cathedrals like a robot and forgetting what it feels like to love. As an added bonus, you’ll emerge from the dank study cave like a newborn baby, shrinking from the rays of the sun and smiling at strangers on the sidewalk with the wonderment of someone who has never seen a human face. Enjoy your newfound
sense of whimsy for a few minutes, then head back to the underground library lair and repeat. 2. Put the “fun” in “first draft.” Let’s get this clear up front: there was never any “fun” in “first draft.” They only share one letter. But hey, you knew that already. That’s why you’re going to do so well on your midterms. My point is that you
have to put the fun in there yourself. For instance, try getting extra informal in the early stages of your term papers. If you need to drop some f-bombs to fully explain your stance on free will and determinism, go for it. Do the women of the Old Testament remind you of any of your favorite Destiny’s Child lyrics? Throw them in there. If you’re one of those font people, I don’t need to
Have you heard that good studying is 75 percent dependent on nutrition? It’s not—don’t let false information fake you out of your studying game. That’s lesson number one, but lesson number two is that frequent burrito breaks will enhance your midterm performance by 300 percent at minimum. The reason I specify Chipotle is that it is physiologically impossible to experience negative emotions while eating their food. In a pinch, the salsa can even be used as a substitute for several hours of sleep. It has revitalizing qualities that will give you that extra superhuman edge on all your exams. If you’re put off by the $8.50 per burrito or bowl, just remember that this is the only legal way to buy good grades. And don’t order guacamole. There they are: some of my best pieces of advice for the upcoming battle of man-versus-midterm. With that, I’ll leave you to your studying. I hope that you and I both get the grades we’ve always dreamed of on our midterms this year. But if we don’t, let’s not stress—I’m pretty sure the world is going to end in a couple months anyway.
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October 4, 2012 THE OBSERVER
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AYER CHAN/THE OBSERVER
Fordham professor Sarah Lockhart is comfortable with whatever her students prefer to address her as, whether it be “doctor,” “professor” or just “Sarah.”
Doctor Who? Professors’ Titles Pose Age-Old Question By KIMBERLY GALBRAITH Contributing Writer
Not every instructor at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) prefers to be called “professor” by students. Some instructors prefer doctor, while others prefer their first name. For Lori Knight, an adjunct professor in the communication and media studies department, the rule is simple: “Just don’t call me dude,” she said. While title preferences vary from professor to professor, many students are unaware of the reasons behind their choices. “It doesn’t matter what title students call me—as long as it is respectable—because I do come
from a professional background. My career has always been dealing with the world as a journalist,” Knight said. Since Knight has experience as a journalist, she knows how to make her students feel comfortable in class. “One of the things you do as a journalist is you want people to feel confident to be able to talk to you. In order to make them feel comfortable and safe, I want to come across as somebody who is trustworthy. I do not want to put a barrier up so that they feel unequal to me,” Knight said. Arthur Werschulz, professor of computer science, has a slightly different view than Knight. “I prefer to be called Professor Wer-
schulz or Dr. Werschulz. It is the same reason why I would call students Mr. Smith or Ms. Jones. It gives a professional relationship between the teacher and the students,” Werschulz said. “I do not prefer to call students by their first name just as I do not prefer them to call me by my first name. I’m not their friend and I don’t expect them to be my friend.” One of Werschulz’s first college professors inf luenced his decision. “I remember when I was a freshman in college, my professor called us Mr. So-and-so or Ms. Soand-so. It was a change from high school and it struck me quite favorably,” Werschulz said. Leonard Nissim, an assistant professor of mathematics, prefers
to be called professor by his students because “doctor is too generic, it can be a dentist or a veterinarian. Professor is more specific and names the profession I am in rather than one broad range of titles,” Nissim said. Although Nissim prefers to be called professor, he does not mind it if students call him by his first name. “Different people have different ways of relating, which is why I do not insist on a specific address or title. Off campus, I would care even less about being called a title. It’s as if I am off duty,” Nissim said. Sarah Lockhart, a professor of political science who also has a Ph.D., shares a similar view with Nissim. Lockhart does not mind if
students call her by her first name. “Where I did my undergraduate degree, a small school, we often called our professors by their first names. I don’t really have a problem with whatever students want to call me as long as they say it in a respectable way,” Lockhart said. Lockhart does appreciate it if students ask her before they start calling her by her first name. “I did work really long and hard to get the degree that I have so I would like some acknowledgement of that,” Lockhart said. Lockhart joked, “Students usually call me Professor Lockhart, although that can be kind of bad because Professor Lockhart is a character in Harry Potter.”
The Streets Are Alive With the Sound of Music Performers at Columbus Circle Are a Joyful Accompaniment to City Life By MEG O’HARA Contributing Writer
New York is never quiet—this we know, sometimes all too well. Whether it’s rattling trains, honking taxis, drunken tourists or never-ending construction, there’s no shortage of sounds hitting us at any given time. But floating between this jarring noise is something more pleasant, even whimsical: live music. So often we plug in to our music players and hand-select the soundtrack for our days. But, after recently losing my iPod, I’ve let the city be my soundtrack. There is so much passion and talent in the music of street performers—and hardly any location showcases these performers better than Columbus Circle does. Zach is 24 years old. You may have seen him before, strumming his acoustic guitar at the top of the 59th street subway stairs. Shaggy blonde hair with a beard to match, Zach was the first street musician I approached. I wasn’t sure exactly how to go about asking him questions—How do I introduce myself? Will I stop him from making money when he has to talk to me? Do I just go strike up a conversation? And in fact, all I had to do was strike up a conversation. Zach was more than willing to talk to a stranger who had just sat down on the ground next to him. He said he often travels alone, so any type of company is more than welcome. “I don’t live in New York anymore; I’m just crashing with some friends here for a bit,” he said. “A while back I sold a bunch of my stuff and decided to bounce around for a while, you know, see the country. Obviously I’d never sell this thing”— Zach taps his guitar with obvious
tenderness—“especially ‘cause it’s usually how I pay for my bus tickets.” A native of the Midwest, Zach’s first love is traveling; he uses his music to get where he wants to go. “A lot of times it’s just me and my guitar,” he said. In terms of traveling expenses, New York City is especially good to him: he can pay for a lot of bus fares with the money he makes here. “I’ve been a lot of places, and you can’t make the same kind of money anywhere else. Of course, it won’t make you rich—look at me, I can’t even afford a razor!” he said, pointing to his beard. “I joke, but really, [New York] is the place to do this. I used to make a little more, but these days everyone’s holding onto their wallets a little tighter,” Zach said before standing up and pointing around Columbus Circle. “But it’s all good, ‘cause look at my stage!” There are many performers who share this stage with Zach and some are true artists. As I walked down the stairs to the downtown D train one day, I suddenly became enveloped in beautiful classical music. Inside the station, a girl was playing violin. The sounds she made to reverberated off the walls with skillful vibration, like she was controlling each note as it bounced around the room. Her face followed the music, her expression changing with the song—while seemingly unaware of her captivated audience. Never had I seen a crowded subway station so mesmerized; I had to know more about her. Andrea is a 22-year-old student at Julliard. A Brooklyn native, she’s been playing the violin almost since she can remember—it is her canvas. “Everyone has a way to, you know, express themselves. This is mine,” she said. “I was just lucky I found out early on what I’m good at.”
After listening to her play for quite some time, I can say with certainty that the word “good” doesn’t do her talent any justice. The music she created that day made waiting for the subway actually pleasant— a nearly impossible feat. On more than one occasion I noticed passersby hesitate before getting on their train; they wanted to keep listening. Andrea says she loves playing her violin in these train tunnels. “There’s something about playing beautiful music, especially classical music, in an ugly place,” she said. “And it sounds so good when it’s underground. I mean, I already play music all day, why not make some cash while I’m at it?” Not only was she making money, she was making all of our commutes a little brighter. She accepted every donation with a gracious smile and recommended street performing for anyone with some passion and free time. “Some days, I make more doing this than I do at my restaurant job,” she said. “And it’s so much more fun!” The enjoyment that she, Zach, and so many other street performers feel is shared by their audience. It’s a win-win for all: they get to earn a little extra income, we get to appreciate their talent and the city lights up in auditory magic—if even for a brief moment. Next time you’re rushing down the street, blasting your iPod and texting your friends, I strongly suggest unplugging and stopping to hear the musical roses, if you will. The music that constantly surrounds us is, in my eyes, one of the most pleasant—and overlooked—benefits of living in this city. SARA AZOULAY/THE OBSERVER
A performer busking at Union Square fills the station with music.
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WORD OF MOUTH
Hell’s Kitchen BLTs Are a Heavenly Late Night Snack By REX SAKAMOTO Asst. Features Editor
Mustering the energy and focus to work through the night on a paper that should have been done days ago is difficult, but sometimes it’s a must. While in a perfect world, the paper would have started as an outline, then been written and revised two or three times, it is now crunch time and you need to get writing. Fortunately there is one thing that can make this long night a little better. A BLT. Finding some hot, greasy food at two in the morning can help you burn the midnight oil just a little bit longer. And if you feel any guilt about eating bacon strips in the middle of the night, remember that calories do not count after midnight and a BLT has tomatoes and lettuce in the sandwich. In fact a BLT contains almost every food group, making it a seminutritious and economical midnight snack. And as a self-proclaimed pickle connoisseur, I also look forward to eating the crisp pickle that comes as a side. Now that I have convinced you that a BLT is what you need at two in the morning, your next dilemma is determining where to get your late night BLT. Around Fordham there are three diners that are good for a late-night meal; The Olympic Flame Diner, Morning Star Restaurant and the Flame Restaurant. Here are my reviews of all three.
REX SAKAMOTO/THE OBSERVER
Left to right: Morning Star Restaurant, whose BLT earned a 1/5 rating; The Olympic Flame BLT, Rex’s favorite of the three; The Flame Restaurant, just three blocks from Fordham.
Morning Star Restaurant
879 9 th Ave. (between 57th Street & 58th Street) New York , NY 10019 Open 7 a .m.-11p.m. Sun.-Wed. and to 12 a .m. Thurs.-Sat. NUMBER OF BACON SLICES: 5 NUMBER OF TOMATO SLICES: 3
At first I was happy that this BLT was packed with bacon, since I really only eat these sandwiches for the B, not the L or the T. The Olympic Flame Diner
PICKLE: Poor COST: $6.53 OVERALL QUALITY: 1/5
At three blocks south of campus this place was the farthest and my least favorite. The atmosphere inside is an eclectic mix between a diner and a restaurant. On the table they have olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Peligrino, but the booths are made of vinyl and fake wood. Unfortunately, the staff has a pretentious attitude. For instance, the host that seated me would not take my order because I had not had a chance to look through the menu. Secondly, the menu specifies a five-dollar minimum order per person. I wanted to tell the management that they were running a diner, not a Michelin rated restaurant. When the BLT came out, I immediately noticed that the bread was burnt on the bottom side, and the sandwich came with wilted romaine. At first I was happy that this BLT was packed with bacon, since I really only eat these sandwiches for the B, not the L or T. But after biting into the sandwich noticed that the bacon was burnt. Additionally, I was not impressed by their slow service or their charred sandwich. It didn’t even come with coleslaw.
893 9 th Ave . (between 57 th St. & 58 th St.) N ew York , NY 10019 O pen 24/ 7 NUMBER OF BACON SLICES: 3 NUMBER OF TOMATO SLICES: 2
TYPE OF LETTUCE: Romaine COLESLAW: No
The Flame Restaurant
200 W. 60 th St. New York , NY 10023 Open 24/7
NUMBER OF BACON SLICES: 3 NUMBER OF TOMATO SLICES: 4 TYPE OF LETTUCE: Iceberg COLESLAW: Yes PICKLE: Good COST: $5.75 OVERALL QUALITY: 4/5
Located just a block away on Amsterdam Avenue, this diner was my favorite for two reasons: it had the best tasting BLT and was the cleanest. I enjoyed this sandwich the most because the bread was not soggy or burnt and was the best looking out of the three. Also, the lettuce was still crisp and they packed the sandwich with a lot of tomatoes. My one complaint was that I asked for no mayonnaise, but they still put it on the sandwich and even gave me extra on the side.
TYPE OF LETTUCE: Romaine COLESLAW: Yes PICKLE: Good COST: $5.49 OVERALL QUALITY: 3/5
Right down the street from Fordham, The Flame always has a few familiar faces from campus. The BLT from here is decent but nothing special. Compared to the other two sandwiches, this one looks a little bit f lat, but it does come with a bigger pickle. The service here is always friendly and I enjoy the warmer lighting they use, too. While I have not tried staying for long periods of time at either of the two other diners, I know that this place will not kick you out even if you order only a cup of coffee. I always end up coming here even though I know the Olympic Flame has better quality food. Maybe it’s the mood of the place, maybe it’s just out of habit. While at two in the morning you probably will not care too much about where your BLT comes from, hopefully this guide is inspirational if not a little helpful. Good luck with your latenight papers and remember that a BLT can always help.
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Literary
Salma Elmehdawi litsection.observer@gmail.com October 4, 2012 THE OBSERVER
A poet and a rapper both write about love from an outsider’s perspective. While one wants nothing to do with the “nauseating magnetism” he sees, the other sends “last read love letters” to the lover he has lost.
LATE INTROSPECTION ELE VATES THE SOUL (LIES) By JAGPAL KHAHERA Contributing Writer
Verse 1: What’s a man to do, when there’s nothing left, to blame except for circumstance Circumstance is my excuse for this fucking curse we in Called life, but I’m still, trying to make you, my wife That’s the way I am, that’s what you did to me, that’s what you are to me girl Trying to fight the pain, listen to a prayer, by Earl I want only you to be the mother, of our pearl That we give, to the world, cause that shits an oyster Sorry I drove us apart, I can be boister-ous That’s the way I am, that’s what you did to me, that’s what you are to me world Took a few shots, went through some circles, that’s some shit, cause I ain’t have Virgil Self reliant, better make sure, this ain’t for sale so you ain’t gotta buy it This ain’t a story this is me, telling you the truth, history It was always written by the rappers that were vic-torious The ones that got, kicked through the door, by Frank White, Notorious And if this is going to be my last read love letter I just pray that after reading you will find your Mecca Verse 2: Do you really understand how I’m coping with the pain If you’re never going to hear the songs I make for you, what’s the point of fame? You’re the one that gave this song some meaning Unfortunate, that the music, never stops the bleeding I’m writing your name, all over the walls, with the blood coursing from my heart I made you my muse, what higher honor is left All I can do now is to make love to you on an OC set And let the crowd, scream for us NINA VOROBIEVA/THE OBSERVER Cause they stare and say, die for us Give us a story, entertainment Cause y’all ain’t leaving how y’all came in The winters cold, Demeter grain Things changed and you braked the reign All that’s left is clouds and a racetrack If I asked for time, would you face that? Face it, what’s there to do Rome’s ruined, show’s over Now it’s feeling like there ain’t no point By JONATHAN JOHNSON To living alone, sober Contributing Writer You were my high, you you were my drunk I can see the future, feeling like Trunks Is there something wrong with your skin? Buildings gone, Is it magnetically drawn to his or hers Where we used to stay Or something akin to a force like that? Even though you’re gone, if we meet, in dreams just fucking stay I’d like to pry you two apart from that gaze The one that seems to phase you two in and out of time The one that makes you blind to passerby. Verse 3: I’m not hatin’ nor am I tryin’ to deny true love when it crosses my eye, Did you manage to find your faith? But this fascination with public demonstrations I promise you, God will keep you much safer than I ever could Of your vacillating love repels me. Safe from everyone, including yourself Let go of the past and live And them, too. Live for yourself, and find peace Those watching from the outside in Waiting, hoping for your unwarranted implosion You taught me love, I gave you chances The slow and steady of erosion You raised the bar(s), for future romances Of the nauseating magnetism Said this ain’t real? Fake don’t span this... That draws your skin to his or hers amount of time Or something akin to a force like that. Cross the line I ain’t plan this Stuff to last when I got on campus I can’t stand this
PUBLIC DISPLAYS
NINA VOROBIEVA/THE OBSERVER
Sports
Mike McMahon mmcmahon27@fordham.edu October 4, 2012 THE OBSERVER
JOHN LOK/SEATTLE TIMES/MCT
Replacement officials marred the outcome of a week three matchup by incorrectly awarding a touchdown.
NFL Reaches Labor Agreement with Officials, Damage Already Done By MIKE MCMAHON Sports Editor
The National Football League (NFL) finally caved to public pressure this past week, reaching an agreement with the NFL Referees Association. The sudden and dramatic progress comes directly in the wake of an officiating disaster that dropped the Green Bay Packers to a sub-.500 record shortly after finishing 15-1. The new labor agreement makes several concessions to the referees union that were sticking points between the two groups prior to the overwhelming expression of dissatisfaction from fans. For the first three weeks of the 2012-2013 season, the NFL decided
to roll with replacement referees in lieu of the locked-out officials. What was initially unclear to most fans and even some analysts was truly how unqualified these replacements were. Following week one’s matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks, it was discovered that one of the officials working the game had also worked for the Seahawks during training camp, a conflict of interest that would have certainly marred the outcome of the game had the Cardinals not won. In week two, a similarly embarrassing mistake was narrowly avoided, as ESPN’s Chris Mortensen drew attention to the fact that a side judge assigned to the Carolina-New Orleans game was a Saints fan, as per his
Facebook page. As it turned out, week three of the replacement debacle was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. In the San Francisco-Minnesota game, Head Referee Ken Roan mistakenly awarded two extra challenges to 49ers Coach Jim Harbaugh following the use of his final timeout. Again, lasting damage was narrowly avoided, as the Vikings went on to win, but the same could not be said for Seattle’s victory over Green Bay. On Monday Night Football, the Seahawks were awarded a last-play victory by virtue of what was called a simultaneous-catch touchdown by receiver Golden Tate. Upon viewing, it is extremely clear that the play was not only an interception by the de-
fender, but that Tate had pushed off a Green Bay defensive back and that the game should have therefore ended on an offensive pass interference call. The touchdown gave Seattle a 14-12 victory, ensuring that the replacement referees had permanently affected the season in a direct and potentially lasting way. In the week that followed, a labor deal was somewhat miraculously reached, with the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell even acknowledging that the Packers-Seahawks game “may have pushed the parties further along.” The agreement reached is the longest one between the NFL and the Referees Association, lasting for the next eight years. Provisions outlined in the agreement include the reten-
tion of current pension benefits for all referees through the year 2016, with a 401k plan being outlined for years following. Significant pay raises were included as well, scaling from $149,000 last season to $205,000 by 2019. All in all, the commissioner’s and owners’ standoff with the union clearly imploded. The replacements were signed on through week five, and the league paid them for week four in spite of the union referees returning for the full slate of week four games. Thankfully, NFL fans can now resume enjoying the best product possible, without the interruption of extremely under-qualified replacements at pivotal positions on the field.
Fordham Names New Director of Intercollegiate Athletics By MIKE MCMAHON Sports Editor
After conducting what the university has called “an extensive national search,” Fordham has named David T. Roach as the new director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation. Roach comes to Fordham with 22 years of experience as an athletic director at the college level, having worked in that capacity at both Brown University and Colgate University. During his eight-year tenure at Colgate, Roach oversaw an athletics department that had 14 teams in NCAA tournaments. Programs under Roach also won 16 Patriot league championships and an ECACHL championship. Vicky Chun, longtime coworker of Dave Roach and Colgate’s current athletic director,
offered up some words of praise regarding her former boss’s legacy. “I think what he’ll be remembered for at Brown and Colgate, and eventually Fordham, is that he is someone with great experience with Division I athletics and higher level academics,” Chun said. “He has a lot of integrity, competing at the highest level without giving up any part of the academics. When he does things, he wants them to be the best experience for the student athletes. He would always tell us in meetings that, if we do something wrong, we’re going to say it and not try and hide behind anything. Wherever he goes is a real clean program, and teams find ways to succeed.” Fordham President Father Joseph M. McShane, S.J., noted the importance of the aforementioned balance between academics and athletics as
key to the university’s decision in a press release. “Though we had a number of highly qualified candidates from whom to choose, David’s long experience, winning record in Division I and his emphasis on superior academic performance made the decision an easy one for us,” McShane said. As for any challenges he may have faced while at Colgate, Chun identified fundraising to be the great challenge of any Division I program. “I think that’s something that’s a concern across the board nationally,” Chun said. “Division I athletics is always changing. I wouldn’t say that it’s a struggle, but I think that’s something that’s entered our lives, that’s become part of our jobs. But he did that too; he brought money in here at Colgate. What’s great about Dave is that he loves challenges, and
so he takes them head on.” As part of Colgate, Roach was also instrumental in increasing the athletics endowment from $10 million all the way up to $45 million, overseeing $16 million in capital improvements. Student athletes can look forward to a hands-on approach when it comes to their new athletic director. When asked about the interaction between student athlete and Roach during his time at Colgate, Chun said, “that was what brought him the most joy, being around the student athletes. He knew players from every team, and would find opportunities with them, go to lunch with them. He actually revamped our student athlete banquet in which every student athlete was involved, and it was really terrific.” At each of the two schools where
Roach has been athletic director, he implemented a program called Adopt-a-Class, a pattern Chun didn’t see ending with Colgate. “I think a program that he’ll probably bring over to Fordham would be the Adopt-a-Classroom, where student athletes would look after a program from a local school, and he loves that,” Chun said. “He loves doing things with them, especially at a community level.” The success of Roach’s programs is not without its history. In his final year at Brown, Roach’s program was recognized by U.S. World News and Report as one of the top 20 athletic programs in the nation. With success at the fundraising, community, athletic and academic levels, it seems that Roach may be a vital part of a bright future for athletics at Fordham.
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October 4, 2012 THE OBSERVER
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Making Sense of the Yankees this October By VICTOR URQUILLA Staff Writer
At $197 million in total team salary for 2012, the Yankees stand alone atop the financial tyrants in major league baseball. With that in mind, they are expected to compete every year for a world championship. For the bombers, the season legitimately kicks into a different gear once the playoffs roll around. As the season winds down, the Yankees find themselves in a very tight race with the Baltimore Orioles, a team that was considered by many to be behind the pack in the east division when it came to choosing playoff contenders at the beginning of the season. The O’s have looked strong in the latter part of the season and their pitching, hitting and coaching has all been solid throughout the year. Perhaps most notably, as opposed to the Yankees, they are at $81 million, 18th in MLB, a number which is high after giving an extension to talented outfielder Adam Jones just this year. It is relatively certain that the O’s will hold their ground and give themselves a playoff berth, something that has been much anticipated for the franchise, dating back to the Cal Ripken days. Other than their particular playoff seeding, concerns surround the Yankees that may bring Manager Joe Girardi major headaches when the postseason begins. With a mixture of veterans and young pitchers, CC Sabathia is the key component for the Yankees to make it back to the World Series. As the saying goes, “good pitching beats good hitting,” and this is exactly what the playoffs are all about. A stud arm can dominate a line up and put their team in a position to win. It’s gut-check time for Ivan Nova, Hughes and Mr. Dependable for the Yankees in 2012, Hiroki Kuroda. The bullpen is expected to be as dominant as they have been all year. Rafael Soriano has now proven himself after he
JEFF WHEELER/MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE/MCT
Yankees’ outfielder Ichiro Suzuki has helped pace the offense as the Yanks try and hold the NL East.
didn’t back down from the challenge of being a replacement for the best closer in major league baseball history. Does a batting average of .218 with runners in scoring position and only 18 home runs equal $32 million a year? Most would likely say not, but that’s what Alex Rodriguez continues to be paid. As Rodriguez’s play lately has been
disappointing, key hitter Robinson Cano must be the run producer they know he can be. Cano is one of the most talented players on the team and can certainly elevate his status amongst the elite players in the game if he steps up his performance on the field this postseason. Derek Jeter, a .300 plus hitter all year, and Ichiro Suzuki, who has been scorching hot lately, need to
get on base in order to give Cano, Mark Texiera and Rodriguez a chance to drive them in. The success of the offense will come down to fundamental baseball, which Jeter and Ichiro can easily do well. Outfielder Brett Gardner, who was activated on Sept. 25 from the disable list, will be a player to watch. Even though he has been unable to hit, his speed and defen-
sive prowess are a key weapon in any postseason run. Stealing bases can lead to a manufactured run and great defense can save a run from scoring. Another post-season berth is on the horizon for the Yankees, but the question is worth asking: Does this team filled with future Hall of Fame-ers have another run left in the tank?
Women’s Soccer Evens Record at 6-6, Undefeated in Conference Play By MIKE MCMAHON Sports Editor
After opening the season with a 2-6 record and scoring only three goals total in their first seven outings, the women’s soccer team looked like it might be in some serious season-long trouble. In the four games since the .250 start, the team has evened its record to 6-6, winning two in-conference games against Duquense and St. Bonaventure. Both conference wins came in shutout fashion, with the Rams winning 2-0 over Duquense and St. Bonaventure in a span of three days. The Duquense game was the second to last of this home stand, and the conference opponent came in with a slightly better record, then 4-5-1, as compared to Fordham’s then 4-6 mark. A sluggish first half showed in the stats, with the two teams mustering only a combined three shots on goal over 45 minutes, but in the second, the Rams turned it on. At the 58th minute, a blocked header off of a corner kick led to a messy scrum around the goal. Midfielder Kaitlin Abrams, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’13, was able to take advantage, knocking it in for a 1-0 Rams lead. The game remained close all the way until the 89th minute, which saw forward Kate McDonald, FCRH ’15, give Fordham some last-minute victory insurance, providing a perfectly-placed shot in the top-left corner of the goal for a 2-0 lead and for the first goal of her career. Goalkeeper Rachel Suther, FCRH ’15, notched three saves and earned what was then her second shutout of the
season. Against St. Bonaventure, a team that came in at a weary 3-7-1, Fordham managed a quicker start, with forward Kristina Maksuti, FCRH ’15, scoring in the 23rd minute. The goal was knocked in off of her own rebound, giving Maksuti her teamleading fourth goal of the season. Midfielder Cara Rooney, FCRH ’13 added a little comfort, again late in the game, scoring in the 83rd minute. Suther earned her third shutout of the season and her second of the weekend most notably by saving a hard, low shot in the 87th minute by St. Bonaventure’s Abby Maiello. The conference win locked up a 4-1 record for Fordham’s current home stand, which came to an end against St. Bonaventure. The team will travel to another conference opponent, Virgina Commonwealth University (VCU), who come into their matchup with the Rams boasting a 6-3-3 record and a 1-1 conference record, as well. The hostile territory should not be much of a concern for Fordham though, as the VCU Rams have done much better in road games (5-2) than they have at home (1-0-3). The team would benefit greatly from rising above .500 and remaining undefeated in conference play through this road contest, as the team is set for another stretch of home games beginning on Oct. 12. For a team that was plagued by early losses and an anemic offense, the recent string of strong shutouts should be more than welcome news. If the Rams can maintain the momentum, they may well be looking at a playoff run in the near future.
COURTESY OF FORDHAM SPORTS
Kristina Maksuti, FCRH ’15, scored the deciding goal against St. Bonaventure.
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Fordham Football Loses Heartbreaker, Drops to 3-2 By JENNIFER KHEDAROO Staff Writer
On Sept. 29, the Fordham Rams opened the 2012 Patriot League season at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Penn. It was a tough game for the Rams, as they lost 3431 to the Mountain Hawks in the final seconds of the game. The Rams’ first game of the season, against Lock Haven University opened up the Joseph Moorhead era after he was named head coach for the team last December. “It feels great. It’s been great to come to a school where I received an education. To come back and lead this team makes me feel honored and humbled,” Coach Moorhead said. Entering Saturday’s matchup, Fordham’s record was 3-1 after defeating Cornell, Columbia and Lock Haven, but losing out to Villanova. Defeating Columbia made it possible for Fordham to win the Liberty Cup championship for a third consecutive year. But when Moorhead was asked about which game he found most challenging, he found it quite difficult to choose. “That’s a tough question. All had challenges, I would say. Villanova was a challenging game. They won a championship a few years ago, and they are one of the best teams in the country. It was really tough.” In the Villanova game, Fordham led the first half 13-7, but Villanova came back in the second half to a victory of 28-13. It was the only game this season in which Fordham’s offense scored less than 20 points. The game Moorehead was personally looking forward to the most was against Lehigh, who were the Rams’ first opponents of the conference and were undefeated for the season. The Mountain Hawks are ranked #11 in the country. The key to winning against Lehigh, said coach Moorhead, was two things especially. The first thing was to win the turnover battle. Secondly, the offense should create explosive offensive plays, with the defense limiting explosive plays from Lehigh. The first half of the Lehigh game proved very difficult for Fordham. With 7:24 minutes left to play in the first quarter, Fordham was leading 14-0. However, Fordham defensive back Ian Williams, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’14, was charged with pass interference, which helped to set up Lehigh’s first touchdown. After the Rams failed to respond, Lehigh tied up the game at 14-14 with another
COURTESY OF FORDHAM SPORTS
Running back Carlton Koonce, FCRH ’13, was unable to break through against the Mountain Hawks.
touchdown, 12 seconds before the end of the first quarter. The Mountain Hawks had 24 unanswered points before Fordham finally got back on the board with a touchdown late in the second quarter. By the third quarter, Lehigh lead Fordham with a score of 31-24 after the Rams kicked a field goal and the Mountain Hawks scored another touchdown. Fordham tied the game in the fourth quarter, 31-31, after quarterback Ryan Higgins, FCRH ’13, tossed a touchdown pass to Greg Wilson, FCRH ’13, with 11:42 left to play in the game. The game remained tied until the very end,
when Lehigh’s Jake Peary kicked a field goal, ensuring a 34-31 win over Fordham. One player that has generally been explosive this season is senior running back Carlton Koonce, FCRH ’13. Koonce was named the Patriot League’s Offensive Player of the Week for two weeks straight. He had a career high rushing 250yard game and two touchdowns against Columbia on Sept. 22, after rushing 176 yards with two touchdowns against Cornell on Sept. 15. “I’m very excited about Carlton. He is one of the leaders on the team. He’s a good kid both on and off the field. He is very talented but he
still has plenty of time to improve,” Moorhead said. In Lehigh’s game, Koonce never really had a break out play. The Mountain Hawks did a great job stopping the Rams’ running game. He was limited to many small gain plays, though he did have a touchdown in the second quarter. Koonce either had no gain or a loss of yards on multiple plays. Fordham committed many other mistakes and penalties, including Williams’ passer interference in the second quarter and Higgins’ intentional grounding in the fourth quarter, which led to too many yards lost. Although he had a great game, with 28/41 completions
and 373 yards, Higgins was sacked four times by Lehigh’s defensive line. Kicker Patrick Murray, FCRH ’13, was not able to make a 51-yard field goal and the Rams also failed to convert an Austin Hancock, FCRH ’15, interception into points. In the end, the Rams offense had a tough time scoring and the defense could not stop the running game from the Mountain Hawks. The Rams are now 0-1 in the Patriot League for this season, and 3-2 overall. The next game will be on Oct. 6, when the Rams return home to play Georgetown University in another conference event.
Sports Round-Up Football Fordham 31 Lehigh 34
Men’s soccer ensured themselves a winning record heading into their conference slate by winning 1-0 against Manhattan College in the annual Battle of the Bronx at Rose Hill’s Jack Coffey Field. Kyle Bitterman, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’16, scored the difference-maker and his first career goal to lead Fordham to a win. Standing at 4-3-1, the team now
has nine games remaining, all of them against in-conference opponents, with only four of the nine coming at home. For the team to keep playoff hopes alive, they must draw on the full-team efforts that have brought them close wins over big opponents, such as 24 ranked Brown University. Their next game is Oct. 5 at La Salle University.
Men’s Soccer
Women’s Soccer
Fordham Manhattan
1 0
Fordham 2 St. Bonaventure 0
Fordham Charlotte
3 1
Fordham Yale
0 0
Fordham Duquense
Fordham VCU
3 1
2 0
Volleyball
Water Polo Fordham Brown 17
7
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Sports
October 4, 2012 THE OBSERVER
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