Observer the
MARCH 28, 2013 VOLUME XXXII, ISSUE 4
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Students Critique Ram Café Changes
Photo Spotlight
By RAMONA VENTURANZA Staff Writer
On Thursday, March 21, the Commuter Students Association (CSA), Resident Hall Association (RHA) and United Students Government (USG) hosted their first Dining Services Open Forum in the Student Lounge at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC). The forum’s goal was to allow students to voice their feedback, preferences and concerns regarding the Ram Café’s dining service. The Melissa Gazal, FCLC ’15 and president of CSA, Aisha Blake, FCLC ’13 and president of RHA, and Alexa Rodriguez, FCLC ’13 and president of USG, are members of the Student Engagement Committee. Their role consists of gathering student opinions and suggestions on how to improve the quality of service at FCLC. According to Rodriguez, the two sessions of the Dining Services Open Forum were meant to receive students’ general take on the dining service. “Overall, we [the Students Engagement Committee] would like to hear what students want to see changed when dining at Fordham,” she said. A mix of commuter and resident FCLC students participated in voicing their concerns at the forum. Many remarks addressed the problems students had with the service and quality of food offered by Red Mango, Energy Kitchen and Sodexo at the Ram Café. Students were generally satisfied with the food offered and sold at Energy Kitchen. Participants at the forum agreed that the selection at Energy Kitchen is an improvement from food offered by the Ram Café before. Likewise, when the committee asked students whether they would like to continue seeing Red Mango, all agreed that the frozen yogurt vendor should stay. see CAFÉ pg. 3
AYER CHAN /THE OBSERVER
While the city skies reveal their spring colors, students at Fordham College at Lincoln Center can finally witness the near completion of the new law school building. The building is set to open in 2014, where incoming undergraduates will live in neighborhood style dorms.
New Departments Support “Vagina Monologues” By GABRIELA MENDEZ-NOVOA News Editor
“The Vagina Monologues,” an Eve Ensler play organized and produced by Fordham students in order to raise awareness of violence against women, has received funding from academic departments this year that have not financially supported the play in previous years. According to Amy Bucknam, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’14 and president of ISIS, FCLC’s feminist club that produces the play, the departments of theology and history have added their support to “The Vagina Monologues” this year. Bucknam said it was an exciting surprise to get additional support from different academic departments for the play, set to take place in April, since it has faced oposition
from Fordham as a Jesuit institution in the past. “ISIS members put on the production every year, and it’s not funded by the Office of Student Leadership and Community Development (OSLCD), Student Affairs or the Student Activities Budget Committee (SABC). They only approve our budgets,” Bucknam said. “The Vagina Monologues” is a production directed and written by Ensler, an activist and playwright. The university’s administration has disapproved of “The Vagina Monologue’s” adult themes and sexual content as clashing with Fordham’s Jesuit mission. Because of this, OSLCD has been banned from having any connection to the show. ISIS organizes the production, but the club is not publically affiliated with the show. Bucknam said that the women’s studies department has always
been one sponsor for the production, and students send letters to departments for more. “This year we got more help from them than I ever experienced before,” she said. Regarding the department contributions, Bucknam said, “It shows a lot. We’re so proud to have all this support, especially from theology, but also from the history and English departments.” Associate Chair of History at FCLC Doron Ben-Atar described the play’s role as an important symbol on campus and said that he was involved in providing funding for the production. “It was a natural fit for me since I teach the history of sexuality and I was the first advisor to the gay students organization at FCLC,” Ben-Atar said. “When the administration refused funding for ‘The Vagina Monologues,’ we moved in the history department to sponsor the event, together with
English.” He added that the history department’s support for the play is unanimous. According to Ben-Atar, the play is important because “it stands for the equality of feminine desire and at the same time raises our voice against the prevalence of gendered violence against women.” He added that productions at Fordham with messages like the ones in “The Vagina Monologues” hold significance because “they have given a room for young students who have been abused to raise their voice about it and give support to abused young women.” According to Anne Hoffman, associate chair of English at FCLC, the English department has supported “The Vagina Monologues” as long as the university has dissee MONOLOGUES pg. 2
Inside
FEATURES
SPORTS
ARTS & CULTURE
OPINIONS
Global Outreach
Women’s Basketball
Nighthawk Cinema
Abortion Laws
Students reflect on their GO! projects.
Rams cruise to WNIT round of 16.
Chewing and viewing in Brooklyn.
Strict abortion laws hinder women’s rights.
PAGE 12
PAGE 15
PAGE 10
PAGE 5
THE STUDENT VOICE OF FORDHAM COLLEGE AT LINCOLN CENTER
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News
News Editor Gabriela Mendez-Novoa — gmendeznovoa@fordham.edu
March 28, 2013 THE OBSERVER
Contingent Faculty Weigh Representation Issues By TIM GAVAN Staff Writer
“The joke,” David Storey, a postdoctorate professor who teaches philosophy at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), said, “is that if you want to make more money go be a barista rather than be an adjunct professor.” At the same time as the Faculty Senate at Fordham is beginning to consider unionization, many, like Storey, are calling attention to a large portion of the professors here who have very different concerns than the Senate that they are ineligible to be a part of. According to Storey, the treatment of contingent faculty—professors who are untenured and not on the tenuretrack—has consequences for the professors themselves and the students they teach. “One issue,” Storey, who has blogged about the struggles that contingent faculty members face, said, “is making ends meet. Typically, the average amount of money that adjunct faculty get paid per class can be anywhere between $2,000 and $3,000 nationwide. If you do the math on that, you know you have to teach a whole lot of classes just to make a livable wage.” Storey also cited a heavier courseload and a lack of benefits, like health insurance, as other problems encountered exclusively by contingent faculty, whom he refers to as “the 67 percent,” to represent the amount of professors nationwide who fall into this category. While these issues may seem to only affect contingent faculty members, Storey explained that they can have a negative impact on those that they are responsible for instructing. “Often students are paying very high amounts in tuition and the quality of instruction suffers because the contingent faculty members are strapped for time,” Storey said. “They’re human beings and it’s only human that when you’re not getting compensated for a service you have less of an incentive to provide that service in a quality way.” According to Storey, the solution to the problems with the treatment of contingent faculty would be to organize in the form of unions or strikes. Because the Senate’s constitution
prohibits contingent faculty members from voting or running for open seats, they are considered to have no part in university governance and therefore do not face the same legal hurdles that tenured and tenure-track professors for when seeking to claim their collective bargaining rights. If contingent faculty members chose to unionize, the university would have no legal recourse. However, Storey added, there could be other ways of improving the conditions for contingent faculty without taking such a drastic step. “Another approach would be building partnerships with faculty members of conscience who understand, recognize and accept that they’re living in a kind of two-tier system and who can then put pressure on the administration to address these problems,” Storey said. While the Faculty Senate, according to several members, has demands of its own—specifically a permanent merit-based increase to the base salaries of half of the tenured and tenuretrack faculty that could conflict with the interests of contingent faculty in increasing their own pay—it has not yet ruled out including contingent faculty in their plans for unionization. Andrew Clark, an associate professor of modern languages and literature at FCLC and one of the two senators to propose the formation of a committee to evaluate the faculty’s potential unionization, noted the complexity of forming a unified body able to effectively exercise its collective bargaining power. Clark said, “A community of interest must be defined and that will be part of the assessment process. The route to collective bargaining is a long one, so there will be no quick answers to any of this.” Thomas DeLuca, a professor of political science at FCLC and the Senator who made the proposal with Clark, even went so far as to say that he would personally be in favor of including untenured and non-tenure track professors in plans for unionization and, “Adjuncts in general and at Fordham get paid very poorly, and so from the point of view of social justice we should take that into consideration as we decide how to go forward with collective bargaining.”
BRIANNA GODSHALK/THE OBSERVER
Philosophy professor David Storey discusses problems of representation for adjunct professors.
Academic Departments Financially Support “Monologues” MONOLOGUES FROM PAGE 1
proved of it. “We think that the women’s group [ISIS] deserves funding,” Hoffman said, “but given that the school has denied them for years now, we think it’s important to allow them to put on this performance.” Hoffman said she sees this as an issue of academic and artistic freedom, and that she has included the play on the syllabus for her spring “Feminist Theories” course since the administration first denied the play funding. “This issue has been going on for years, ISIS has been terrific in terms of setting up opportunities for dialogue and inquiry,” Hoff-
man said. “We feel very strongly that the university, as a place devoted to inquiry, including artistic collaborative work, should support this kind of a project.” The theology department would not comment on the department’s contribution. Bucknam spoke of the importance of raising awareness of violence against women and promoting organizations to help protect victims and survivors, and the motives behind the play. “Girls Education Mentoring Services (GEMS) is the only organization in New York that helps to stop sex trafficking,” she said. “It’s really great and provides resources and shelters for
women who are still experiencing it. It’s great support for a lot of women. It’s doing great, but it’s still the only one in New York.” ISIS advisor and Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies Margaret Schwartz said that her involvement with “The Vagina Monologues” is limited and mostly consists of approving budgets, and that the students, “do an amazing job all by themselves.” According to Schwartz, the play turns to funding from academic departments at Fordham because it cannot get funding from Student Activities. “It’s traditionally been from women’s studies, but
this year there has been more,” she said. “I know that in the past few years they have done more publicizing of the event as something that Fordham doesn’t financially support.” Schwartz said that she does not believe increased support from departments suggests a possible increase in support from Fordham as an institution. She also commented on the production’s standpoint on the matter. “I’ve heard some of the women and I’d say they almost rather do it with the departments and not with Student Activities because they don’t want to be censored,” she said. “They would have to cut some parts out to get sup-
port from Student Activities.” Schwartz suggested that the greatest concern might be the rape scene in the play. “And this isn’t about being sexy,” she said. “It’s about raising awareness of sexual violence. But it’s been 15 years, and it’s like asking them if they’ll change their minds about birth control.” Schwartz recalled a letter from the law school having to do with the Ann Coulter issue, asking why the administration supported College Republicans’ right to free speech and not “The Vagina Monologues.” She added, “The fact that the theology department wants to support it is a big statement.”
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News
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Students Voice Concerns at Dining Services Fora CAFÉ FROM PAGE 1
But although many were satisfied with Red Mango and Energy Kitchen, students preferred to see more of a variety of food not offered on Red Mango or Energy Kitchen’s healthy menu. When Rodriguez asked forum participants whether they wanted to continue being served a healthier, more expensive menu, a majority of students would rather see a greater mix of healthy and unhealthy items sold at the Ram Café. Students, particularly commuters, also argued that the food preparation at Red Mango and Energy Kitchen is slow. According to Tamaris Askarova, FCLC ’16, the time it takes to prepare the food should be much faster. “I am a commuter. Sometimes I need food quickly for class—those preparing my food take a really long time. The service shouldn’t be that slow,” Askarova said. Students were also concerned about the prices of food at the Ram Café. Many agreed that the food portions and items at Energy Kitchen were largely overpriced. According to Georgina Owobali, FCLC ’16, “The prices of food are way too expensive. And for the price that it’s worth, the food isn’t filling at all; the salads are really expensive and aren’t filling.” Agreeing with Owobali, Ceara Hershberger, FCLC ’16, said, “We are paying so much for the tuition at Fordham as it is—the price of food at the Ram Café shouldn’t be another burden on us either.” To improve the service, variety and pricing of food, committee members suggested a number of possible changes that students
might want implemented at the Ram Café. First, the committee representatives introduced the possibility of new food vendors to offer students more variety of food. Many students suggested many popular vendors and new kinds of foods, such as Subway or sushi. According to Anny Bogum, FCLC ’16, “It would be great if there was a Starbucks on campus; I think many students would want to see that.” The committee members also told the forum of combo deals, which would potentially lower the price of food at the Ram Café. According to Rodriguez, “By offering a combo, it will be so much easier for us to save money when buying food,” she said. Additionally, the committee gave the possibility of further advertising the Ram Café’s menu. “Many students aren’t aware of the food options at Fordham; an online platform can inform students of the different specials. Also, it would be a great way for students to offer more suggestions on improving the dining service,” Rodriguez said. According to Rodriguez, the committee will bring these concerns and preferences to a consultant hired by Fordham. “The consultant will look over our suggestions, and try and see how Fordham can best serve its students,” she said. The committee, along with other FCLC students, will attend the Dining Service Vendors presentation at Rose Hill on April 3 and 4. “Students will have a chance to see the potential future food vendors of FCLC,” Rodriguez said.
AYER CHAN/THE OBSERVER
United Student Government recently held fora to gather student opinions on Sodexo’s services at the Ram Café.
Think Summer, Think Fordham Summer Session 2013 Session I: May 28 - June 27
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Opinions
EXPRESSION ENABLES REPRESENTATION
T
university-wide decisions. Students want to be seen and heard in universitywide decisions as well, as evidenced by Ramona Venturanza’s story on page one, “Students Critique Ram Café Changes.” Students recently took to a series hosted by the
It is imperative to find ways to make those in charge hear what we have to say. United Student Government to voice their opinions about the changes made to our cafeteria and offer suggestions for whatever vendor ends up with the university’s food service contract at the end of this year. Unlike in previous instances of fora held to invite student opinion, this time, students took advantage of their opportunity to have their interests represented. Visibility and acceptance for members of the Fordham community are also areas of concern in student organi-
March 28, 2013 THE OBSERVER
Observer the
STAFF EDITORIAL
he biggest national news this week is probably the U.S. Supreme Court hearing arguments over two cases involving gay marriage. Along with the issues of rights and privileges that a legally recognized marriage brings, those arguing on the side of marriage equality are also fighting for recognition that the LGBTQ is worthy of the same treatment the hetrosexual community receives. At least partially, the gay marriage issue is an issue of equal representation. The Fordham community has its own issues of representation we need to address. In our last print edition, The Observer covered the posibility of our faculty unionizing in reaction to allegations that the university does not take their concerns seriously. This week, we returned to look at that subject from the point of view of non-tenured and non-tenure-track faculty members in Tim Gavan’s page two story, “Contingent Faculty Weigh Representation Issues.” Both tenured and tenure-track professors are concerned with meaningful representation in the university, ensuring that their interests are taken into account in
Monique John — Opinions Editor mnqjohn@gmail.com
zations’ projects and social events. The most infamous example of this would be the saga of Fordham administrators’ refusal to recognize “The Vagina Monologues” as a legitimate, artistic representation of important issues of sexual and domestic violence, as reported by Gabriela Mendez-Novoa in the page one article, “New Departments Support ‘Vagina Monologues.’” This year, more academic departments than ever have stepped in where the administration has failed to support the play. One day, Fordham administrators may realize that in failing to recognize “The Vagina Monologues,” they are preventing students from demonstrating their passions for a serious cause. As some of our professors and fellow classmates have shown us, we have to take advantage of any opportunities to express ourselves if we want our college environment to ref lect what we want and need to feel comfortable in our community. Furthermore, whenever we feel that our institutions are not representative of our concerns and values, it is imperative to find ways to make those in charge hear what we have to say.
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Opinions
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Strict Abortion Laws Infringe on Women’s Rights FREDERIC ADOR Contributing Writer
Nowhere has the word “life” been used with more passion than in the United States. Ever since Roe v. Wade, U.S. states have been enacting laws both for and against women’s right to abortion, and now the trend seems to be heading toward more restriction. According to The New York Times, 19 states have adopted 43 new provisions restricting abortion rights in the last year, and the start of this year has shown no promise of change. On March 22, North Dakota put forth a ballot to end abortions by asking the public to decide whether or not life begins at conception. That resolution that was preceded by a law their officials made deeming abortions after six weeks of pregnancy illegal—the most restrictive abortion law in the country. This development came only days after Arkansas representatives voted in favor of a law banning abortion after 12 weeks. Representatives may be creating more restrictive abortion laws with the intention of preserving lives, but they are not the answer because they back women into using illegal and dangerous abortion techniques that can seriously endanger their health—if not kill them. If those opposing abortion really want to fight unwanted pregnancies at the root of the problem, broadening people’s access to contraceptives and other resources for family planning as well as properly educating the youth about sex would be a far better solution. Unfortunately, current New York state law on abortion is rela-
IAN MCKENNA/THE OBSERVER
Where there are stricter abortion laws, the rate of illegal “back-alley” abortions increases considerably.
tively restrictive as well, permitting abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy only if the mother’s life is in danger. Technically, federal law overrules that law but in any case, the in-state restrictions have influenced the way some doctors have presented family planning options to their patients, even pushing women to have the procedure carried out in another state. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has taken a progressive stance on abortion, now pushing to make New York state’s abortion laws less restrictive.
But with a Republican majority in the State Senate and with the rise of stricter abortion laws in other states, there are doubts that this legislation will be passed. Criminalizing abortion with the restrictive policies popping up across the country will not help women and families across the U.S. save lives—in fact, it will do the opposite. As a collaborative study between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Guttmacher Institute showed in 2007, abortion rates are similar in countries ban-
ning abortion and countries where abortion is legal alike. What tends to change are the risks to women’s lives associated with having an abortion. As abortion is criminalized, women tend to undergo “back-alley abortions,” which are often provided under unsafe conditions by poorly trained providers. According to the Guttmacher Institute, these “back-alley abortions” carry higher risks of complication, hemorrhaging and infection when compared to safely-provided abor-
tion. In developed countries such as the U.S., a WHO study also showed that the case–fatality rate for unsafe abortions is 40 times higher than that of legally induced abortion. Anti-abortion activists have upheld abstinence-only education and natural family planning (relying on a meticulous tracking of a woman’s fertility cycle) to avoid unwanted pregnancies. But the Cochrane Collaboration, a medical research non-profit organization, hasn’t found an abstinence-only program that has had an enduring effect on teen’s sexual behavior. In addition, studies have proven that this method is not as effective as contraceptives because it is more stringent for woman with a less regular cycle. The most effective way to lower abortion rates is to allow contraceptives to be more widely available and to educate the youth about not only contraceptives, but the risks, realities and consequences of sex in general. This is not a romantic idea of how to address the issue but a fact, as it has been proven by studies conducted by the WHO-Guttmacher Institute and a Washington University School of Medicine study from 2012. Restrictive abortion laws allow a piece of legislature to forbid women to decide what to do with their bodies. Other than safety and health problems, this decision affects social and economical issues as well; raising a child comes at a cost. There have been too many families that could not survive emotionally and financially with the burden of an unplanned child. I believe that it is only when people will be able to choose what is best for them that the United States of America will truly be the land of the free.
NYC Ads Unfairly Shame Young Mothers GABRIELLE HEFETZ Contributing Writer
Somewhere in the bowels of New York City, the positive ideals surrounding life, birth and motherhood have been lost, only to be replaced by public apathy, ignorance and discrimination. Hopefully you’re asking yourself—if you have a moral compass, that is—“What the hell happened?!” From average New Yorkers to high-profile political pundits to bloggers like Keli Goff, Kirsten West Savali and Gloria Malone, people have been debating the validity of New York City’s new educational ad campaign on teen pregnancy. Superficially this may seem like a liberally progressive endeavor. But unfortunately, this campaign was poignant for all the wrong reasons. Take a look at some of the taglines (all said by the children in the campaign’s photos): “I’m twice as likely not to graduate high school because you had me as a teen.” “Honestly Mom…chances are he won’t stay with you. What happens to me?” “Got a good job? I cost thousands of dollars each year.” “Dad, you’ll be paying to support me for the next 20 years.” Where do I begin? These ads, whose production has been justified on the basis of “preventative education” are in reality wrongfully disparaging for the demographic that they seek to help. Rather than communicating constructive messages to curb incidences of teenage pregnancy, the ads, put in place by the city’s funding, have only punished teen mothers and their children. The Bloomberg administration
JENNIFER KHEDAROO/THE OBSERVER
Offensive, poorly-constructed ads like the one above are posted all over New York City subway trains.
has a right to be concerned about teen pregnancy, as approximately 90 percent of teen pregnancies (especially in poorer areas) are unplanned. It is also undeniable that they have made significant gains in addressing it in the past, as they have reduced teen pregnancy in New York City by 30 percent over the last decade.
However, in this campaign, the government failed to accurately represent the demographic that it was talking about. Although Hispanics have the highest incidence of teen pregnancy, they don’t seem to be portrayed at all, while 75 percent of the babies portrayed are black. These ads portray the idea that teen moms and their children have
unlikely prospects of being successful and happy in life. It shows that young mothers can never be capable of being good mothers. It tells New Yorkers that minorities are perpetrators and uneducated, wasting their time with promiscuous sex only to get knocked up before their time. It shows that children of color are burdensome, expensive
annoyances. What these ads show, all in all, is hopelessness. But if we can collectively take a moment to examine the true origins of teen pregnancy, rather than preoccupying ourselves with the insensitive statements made by the city’s ad campaign, more progress can be made within the fight to prevent these unplanned teen pregnancies. Yes, it can be conceded that minority women have the highest rate of teenage pregnancy, but these rates are caused by institutional issues like a lack of education and high dropout rates, economic disparities and poverty within families of color and undercurrents of racial profiling. Planned Parenthood issued a statement that the poster campaign “ignored the racial, economic and social factors that contribute to teenage pregnancy,” and they were correct in saying so. Why not focus on funding programs that help teen mothers attain higher levels education and career development? I suppose because it’s easier for governments at all levels to say “survival of the fittest” rather than enforce expensive policies that may truly improve the social welfare of demographic bottom. People ought to recognize that any woman from a socioeconomically disadvantaged background is more likely to experience pregnancy at a young age, no matter what the color of her skin. And more importantly, she should not be stigmatized because of it—or be convinced by municipal ad campaigns that life after having a baby will be a perpetual downward spiral. Hopes, dreams and aspirations for having a better life do not disappear, even for teen moms, once babies are born.
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Opinions
March 28, 2013 THE OBSERVER
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Cyprus Shows Dangers of Poor Financial Decisions MONIQUE JOHN Opinions Editor
Can’t place Cyprus on a map? Go and read the headlines; right now it’s one of the most important countries you’ve never heard of. The country of Cyprus is in serious trouble in its fight to fall out of the eurozone, and it is struggling to get itself out. Some are saying that although Cyprus’s economic problems will have a minimal effect on the Euro in the larger continent of Europe, their controversial proposals on using private individuals’ funds to solve national debt issues is a tactic we might see employed in other countries like Spain and Italy in the future. In other words, as small and obscure as the country of Cyprus may seem, the conflicts they’re facing in trying to resolve their economic problems have much larger implications on banks and the relationships they have with the people they serve around the globe—and America is certainly no exception. If you haven’t been paying attention to what’s been happening in Cyprus, this is the time to start. Seeing Cyprus scramble to solve their economic issues is sad to watch, but it should serve as yet another lesson for its people and for people around the world. It is imperative that citizens fight irresponsible decisions made by their government institutions as well as avoid making bad (though seemingly promising) financial decisions themselves that can jeopardize their livelihoods. Cyprus officials are at fault for having made the unwise decision to join other European countries in bailing out
COURTESY OF CIA/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Once known as an off-shore banking paradise, Cyprus is now barely maintaining its status in the eurozone.
Greece in the hopes of profiting from high interest rates, especially given Greece’s poor economic history that showed they obviously would struggle to pay their debt. But just as there was public outcry when Nicos Anastasiades, president of Cyprus, recently proposed to take six to 10 percent of citizens’ personal savings to help bring their country out of an economic meltdown (affectionately nicknamed “the haircut”), there should have been a public outcry when the government initially tied itself financially to Greece, a choice that would lead Cyprus to its economic downfall. For me, Cyprus’s story hits close to home because I’m frequently confronted with stories of college students, at Fordham and abroad, getting screwed over by the educational and financial institu-
tions that they trust, naively letting parents or administrators handle their finances without looking at the fine print and understanding how today’s poor financial decisions can affect them in the future. Yes, Fordham has established itself as a school with an impressive record of doling out financial aid to its students; according to Forbes Magazine, our university gives $15,000 more to students in grants than the national average. But Fordham students still need to be alert. I certainly have benefited from Fordham’s generous financial aid allocations, a factor that ultimately finalized my decision to come here. But I’ve also had conflicts with our financial aid office with their poor communication and sometimes misinformation, having been overcharged for costs I hadn’t actually
incurred. Without having a close watch and directly confronting our financial aid office (thankfully with the reinforcement of my shrewd and frugal mother cheering me on in my head) I would have lost thousands of dollars that Fordham was supposed to have been awarding me on at least two occasions. I was lucky, but I’m chilled by stories of women like Courtney Munna. A graduate of NYU in her mid-twenties, she was left with $100,000 in student loan debt, an increasing interest and a salary of $25,000 as a photographer. Distracted by the glamour of having a big name school on her resume, Munna took ridiculously high loans from Sallie Mae and Citibank as they looked the other way, not taking into account whether or not she would be able to pay that money back.
Just as Munna’s foolish financial risk-taking has landed her and her family in serious financial straits, it was Cyprus’s foolish financial risks with Greece that have landed them where they are today. To their credit, they’ve come up with a solution: on March 25, Cyprus officials decided to take money from wealthier depositors’ accounts while closing its second largest bank, Laiki Bank—wiping out its larger investments and transfering its smaller accounts to the Bank of Cyprus. Many are relieved that Cyprus officials have let go of their original plan to tax all private depositors, but it doesn’t matter. Now Cypriots have lost trust in their banks and the country is suffering from a bank run. Banks have no way of meeting its consumers’ demands for withdrawals and there’ll be a disaster no matter how the country’s officials go forward. Risk (like greed) is good. It pushes forward the economy by creating new business opportunities for everyday people and companies alike. But it only works if there is there is an adequate amount of foresight, common sense and tangible resources to back risky decisions up. It is clear that those operating Cyprus’s banking and government institutions must recognize that these entities are not invincible simply because they are influential. It is unfortunate that the people of Cyprus are now the ones suffering economically, yet another European country to fall victim to debt crisis. If we’ve gained anything from this situation, it is a lesson on the importance of holding our government organizations and ourselves accountable for detrimental financial moves.
Think Summer, Think Fordham
Summer Session 2013
Opinions. You have them. We want them.
Session I: May 28 - June 27 Session II: July 2 – August 6 • Advanced and core classes in every discipline • Air-conditioned housing at Rose Hill or Lincoln Center • Special programs like the new 2-week Humanitarian Action Program and the Musical Theatre Workshop Learn more at
fordham.edu/summer or call 888-411-GRAD
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Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture Co-Editors Clint Holloway — cholloway4@fordham.edu Katie Lockhart —klockhart@fordham.edu
March 28, 2013 THE OBSERVER
COURTESY OF MORGAN RICHARDSON
The promotional poster for “Measure for Measure,” a Shakespeare play and the latest mainstageproduction by the Fordham theater department.
Mainstage Play Explores the Measure Of A Life By KARA JAGDEO Staff Writer
How large of a sacrifice are you willing to make to save the life of someone you love? Fordham College at Lincoln Center’s (FCLC) Theatre Program will be putting on a unique rendition of Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure,” a play that tells the story of Isabella, a chaste young woman preparing for the nunnery who is bribed to give up her virginity in order to save her brother Claudio, whose life was put at risk by Lord Angelo, the ruler of Vienna. “Many students mistakenly think that Shakespeare’s plays are too lengthy, boring and unexciting,” Sarah Spring, FCLC ’13, said.
However, that is not the case for Fordham’s unique interpretation of “Measure for Measure.” “It’s an interesting production,” Gregg Ellson, FCLC ’13, said. Ellson plays the part of the Duke, a man who disguises himself as a friar to observe the city under another’s rule. Ellson explained that some lower class characters in the play, who would normally be pimps and prostitutes, are somewhat similar to “Jersey Shore” characters in this production. “We modernized the play to make it relatable today.” To those who wouldn’t typically go see a Shakespeare play, Ellson said, “It’s a matter of completely understanding what the subtext is. If I was saying it in Shakespearean dialogue, would
those ideas still come across as it would in modern English?” Ellson believes that watching the physical embodiment of the character through the actor will help the audience members understand the words one wouldn’t normally comprehend if he or she was just reading it off the page. Spring plays the part of Isabella. “Preparing for Shakespeare is exhausting,” Spring said. “It requires every ounce of one’s body, soul, intellect and imagination.” Nonetheless, Spring believes she’s a perfect fit for her character. “We share a love of reason and debate and logic. She’s an unapologetic idealist; I am too.” Spring said she is honored to portray Isabella because she is one of Shakespeare’s strongest hero-
ines. “Many people ask themselves why she doesn’t just sleep with Angelo,” Spring said. But Spring says the question they should be asking is, “How could Angelo put her in that position, especially since he is in a place of authority? It’s so hypocritical and cruel.” Dylan Ungaretta, FCLC ’15, who plays the heinous Angelo said, “It was really hard preparing for this role, especially since I haven’t played a villain in a while.” Ungaretta studied the facial expressions, physical appearances and natural tendencies of contemporary politicians who had dealt with corruption in office, like Richard Nixon, Anthony Weiner and Bill Clinton. Ungaretta said, “Through
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the characters, costumes, setting and technology we use, the audience will learn that ‘Measure for Measure’ is a timeless play and much more relevant to today than we think.” He added, “The play is a phenomenally hilarious, dark comedy, and people will enjoy themselves more than they predict.” IF YOU GO
Measure for Measure WHEN: Wednesday- Friday, April 10-12
and Thursday-Saturday, April 18 - 20, Curtain at 8 p.m. WHERE: Pope Auditorium PRICE: $15 for general admission, $10 for Fordham’s faculty, staff, and alumni, $5 for students with a valid student ID
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Arts & Culture
March 28, 2013 THE OBSERVER
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PEDRO FERIA PIN/ COURTESY OF NITEHAWK CINEMA
Nitehawk Cinema in Williamsburg, Brooklyn offers viewers a unique movie-going experience: a film and a paired dinner menu.
Nitehawk Cinema: Movie Theater and Restaurant In One By BRIGITTE AYAZ Staff Writer
Nitehawk Cinema, located in trendy Williamsburg, Brooklyn, is a venue made up of vintage décor and eccentric elements that make other movie theaters seem just ordinary. Nitehawk provides their customers with a cozy cinematic experience that includes a bar to hang out by before the film starts, a funny, quirky preshow that pertains to the film you are seeing and unlimited food and drink service throughout the film. Before heading over to Nitehawk, check their blog and online calendar to see what kinds of events and special screenings they are having. There are always a wide range of movies to choose from,
such as ’80s classics like “Weird Science” and this year’s Academy Award winning film “Silver Linings Playbook.” Apart from big screen hits, Nitehawk also has a retro signature series called “Art Seen” where each month, the theater explores the world of art in the film industry and shows videos and documentaries of artists and artist-directed features. The “Art Seen” program for the upcoming month of April is called “F for Fake” and features Orson Welles’ documentary about fraud and fakery. It launches on April 20. Some of Nitehawk’s special events consist of cutting-edge films, which come with a menu that is organized associated with the specific film’s setting or origin. For instance, coming soon to Nitehawk will be “Godfather Part III” with an Ital-
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ian menu. The midnight showings usually have a smaller menu, but the menu selection varies for each film. When I went to Nitehawk to see “Silver Linings Playbook,” my friend and I arrived early. As we waited for our theater to open, we sat at the bar while I ordered the Hot Cider cocktail and he a Guinness. The bartender asked us what movie we were about to see and when I told her this was our first time at Nitehawk, she said, “Oh you’ll love it. The ‘Silver Linings’ pre-show is pretty hilarious and you’ll have a lot of options with the menu.” Her opinion of our expected experience was spot-on. Before the preshow and film began, I ordered the Philly style “Kandy Kakes” and soft serve ice cream. The vanilla cake was creamy and moist and it was a perfect
combo with the ice cream that fulfilled my sweet-tooth cravings. My friend went for a savory meal and ordered the Texas Style roast beef sandwich. Both of our choices were filling and enjoyable. The service was prompt and cooperative as there was constantly a waiter coming in and out of theater to check if we needed another glass of beer or a bowl of popcorn. Aside from “Silver Linings Playbook” being a great movie, the “Silver Linings Playbook” preshow was my favorite part of Nitehawk. The preshow was a collection of different clips that were relative to the film. There were clips and scenes like a montage of actress Jennifer Lawrence posing seductively in bikinis, a scene of Marilyn Monroe enchantingly singing the phrase “Always look for a silver lining” and
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a clip of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrating their victory. There were many more clips of the actors in the film, additional movie scenes and other famous media clips, which made up the 30 minute preshow. Going to the movies is just one way to escape reality and relax. Nitehawk Cinema is the perfect place to enjoy a meal and perhaps a drink or two while watching a classic or new release. IF YOU GO
Nitehawk Cinema WHERE: 136 Metropolitan Ave. be-
tween Berry Street and Wythe Avenue PRICE: $11 general admission and additional costs depending on concessions MORE INFO: http://www.nitehawkcinema.com/
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Arts & Culture
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LUDOVICA MARTELLA/THE OBSERVER
The Guggenheim’s new exhibit “Gutai: Splendid Playground,” features an array of avant-garde works from a famous group of Japanese post-war artists.
Guggenheim’s Splendid Playground By LUDOVICA MARTELLA Asst. Arts & Culture Co-Editor
If you are looking for a contemporary and dreamy exhibition, the “Gutai: Splendid Playground,” currently showing at the Guggenheim through May 8 offers the viewer a visually dazzling artistic display of Asian art. The Gutai Art Association members cover the spectrum of Japan’s most inf luential avant-garde art of the post-war period. The artists worked to combine performance, painting and interactive environments in order to create an “international common ground,” as the Gutai
Manifesto written by Jiro in 1954 and printed on the museum’s wall explains. But only when entering the museum can one understand the real meaning of the exhibit’s attribution “Splendid Playground.” The rotunda, which is the internal part of the spiral structure of the museum, presents “Water” by Motonaga Sadamasa, a work consisting of polyethylene tubes filled with brightly-colored water attached to different levels of the structure. These plastic tubes look like giant brushstrokes and give a magical effect especially when caught by the sunlight. “Water” was exhibited for
the first time in the outdoor exhibitions of 1955 and 1956 of the avant-garde Japanese group, founded by artist Yoshihara Jiro in 1954. The exhibition presents a broad variation of art works, which are organized in chronological and thematic sections: “Play,” “Network,” “Concept,” “The Concrete,” “Performance Painting” and “Environment Art.” This last section explores the most innovative time frame that the artistic group covered. Gutai’s artists described themselves as the “global pioneers of environmental art;” their works take the form of organic abstract sculptures by incorporating
kinetic, light and sound art and gaining the result of machinelike organisms. Yoshida Minory’s machine-sculpture “Bisexual Flower” mimes the effect of this approach. Other exhibitions take place hroughout the various levels of the museum, such as “Zanira: Paper Like Skin,” running through April 21, which explores Indian artist Zanira Hashmi’s works of printmaking as a commitment to minimalism and abstraction. “No Country: Contemporary Art for South and South East Asia,” another exhibit showing through May 22, explores creative art across three countries. “Dan Vo:
FCLC Only Sponsored by Colleges Against Cancer
The Hugo Boss Prize 2012,” showing through May 27, is a reconstruction of his family’s memories that illustrates the strands of private experience that shape one’s self and the long standing exhibit of Kandinsky, which closes on April 17. IF YOU GO
“Gutai: Splendid Playground” WHEN: Through May 8 WHERE: Guggenheim Museum, 1071
5th Ave. (at 89th Street) PRICE: $12 for students with ID MORE INFO: http://www.guggenheim. org/new-york/visit
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Arts & Culture
March 28, 2013 THE OBSERVER
www.fordhamobserver.com
PHOTO FEATURE From the beaches of the Dominican Republic to the jazz home of Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Observer photographers took their time off for Spring Break to explore the many scenes of freedom.
IAN MCKENNA /THE OBSERVER
A man gazes at the full sight of Long Valley, NJ, from an off-the-path rock outlook at Schooley’s Mountain Park.
IAM MCKENNA/THE OBSERVER
A man climbs a fallen tree in New Jersey.
HANNAH O’DONNELL/THE OBSERVER
Bavaro Beach, Dominican Republic.
AYER CHAN/THE OBSERVER
Sea World in Miami, Florida.
HANNAH O’DONNELL/THE OBSERVER
Palm trees sway on Bavaro Beach, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
AYER CHAN/THE OBSERVER
A wedding on the Miami beach, Florida.
AYER CHAN/THE OBSERVER
Dolphins at Sea World in Miami, Florida.
LUDOVICA MARTELLA/THE OBSERVER
An artist sketches at the The Metropolitan Museum.
HANNAH O’DONNELL/THE OBSERVER
Coconut drinks up for grabs on Bavaro Beach, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
BRIAN BRUEGGE/THE OBSERVER
The Shelby Street Bridge lit up on a rainy evening in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Arts & Culture
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PHOTO FEATURE
TAVY WU/THE OBSERVER
JENNIFER KHEDAROO/THE OBSERVER
The snow was mostly untouched and pure white in Central Park over the break.
Hoboken, New Jersey.
BRIANNA GODSHALK/THE OBSERVER
TAVY WU/THE OBSERVER
Lackawanna Station, an old railroad station turned into a shopping center, in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Myrtle Beach, Florida.
MOLLY BAKER /THE OBSERVER
Beach homes in Bonita Springs, Florida.
Albany, New York after a snowfall.
MARIA FISCHER/THE OBSERVER
An outdoor pool in a home in Bonita Springs, Florida.
MARIA FISCHER/THE OBSERVER
SARA AZOULAY/THE OBSERVER
A band plays jazz on the famous Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
Features
Features Editor Rex Sakamoto —r.sakamoto@comcast.net
March 28, 2013 THE OBSERVER
COURTESY OF GO! TEAM MEMBERS
Spring break GO! project teams shown clockwise from top left: GO! Nicaragua, GO! Waynesburg, GO! New Orleans and GO! Dominican Republic.
Where Did You GO! this Spring Break? By SHERRY YUAN Asst. Features Co-Editor
“How was your break?” It’s the first question we ask our friends, our teachers and our acquaintances when we greet them after a long absence. However, this proved to be a tough question to answer for students who participated in the Global Outreach (GO!) program. Jaime Rodriguez, FCLC ’14, said, “Since being back, [when] people ask me the first thing I would say is frustrating—incredibly frustrating.” Ashlee Aguiar, FCLC ’13, said, “It was really stressful, but it was really rewarding.” These definitely aren’t the answers you’d expect from college students who have just come back from spring break—so what provoked such agitated responses? Each GO! project works with various organizations in accordance to the focus of their trip. This year, the GO! Nicaragua project’s focus was
women’s rights; the team visited both a health clinic and a women’s coffee cooperative, in order to learn about the injustices that women face. Rodriguez said, “[In Nicaragua,] there’s a concept called machista, where everything revolves around the man. That machista culture is embedded in you from birth. It goes into every fabric of Nicaraguan society. Many women are in domestic abusive marriages.” The GO! Dominican Republic team worked with the Joan Rose Foundation which works to educate children, to learn about race-relations. Aguiar, who led the trip this year, said, “[In the Dominican Republic,] Dominicans of Haitian descent or African descent are very discriminated against. The foundation we worked with gives education, food and healthcare to Haitian children who can’t receive those services in the Dominican Republic and to Dominican Republican kids who are too poor to receive those services in their own country.” The GO! New Orleans project fo-
cused on achieving solidarity with the community, working with various organizations in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina, namely, the Ninth Ward. The team worked at a pet shelter, and cleared out overgrown lots neglected by the government. Dylan Katz, FCLC ’15, said, “A woman said the last thing she saw when she evacuated was a barge that had drifted over to the levee and crushed it. People think that Katrina happened because it was a bad hurricane, which is true, but Katrina really happened because of the levee failures.” The GO! Waynesburg team worked with Habitat for Humanity to face the issue of affordable housing in the area (also known as Greene County). Grace Mineo-Marinello, FCLC ’15, said, “It’s one of the poorest counties in Pennsylvania. They’ve had a lot of economic problems because of the coal industry; most people there have worked in the coal industry and lost their jobs. There’s [also] a big housing problem.“
The projects weren’t just about the heavy labor; they were incredibly emotionally demanding as well. Aguiar said, “Something I’m still having trouble processing was the relationship that I formed with a little boy. We learned that his parents had abandoned him and his brothers two weeks prior. When I left, I felt like I was abandoning him as well, [and] I felt that kind of guilt. That’s something I’m still struggling with.” Rodriguez said, “I had conversations with our homestay parents that were groundbreaking. The husband of the woman asked us, ‘Do you ever think that there will be a revolution without violence?’ I didn’t even know where to start. I have so many more questions [now]. I’m coming back with so much more solidarity, not only with the Nicaraguan people, but with the people here.” Mineo-Marinello said, “I didn’t think of myself as a spiritual person, but having to be in the community where I had to share everything with
these people made me think a lot about who I am, and all those deep questions.” As far as life priorities go, embracing the uncomfortable seems to have been the tipping point—the “growing edge”—whatever you want to call it, for these students. Katz said, “It’s important because with that discomfort is when you start assessing things at a deeper level. It’s important to share all the stories you’ve heard. You need to look deep into your communities— especially with Hurricane Sandy, it’s crucial to go back to the areas and help out. ” “Confronting privilege is something you don’t want to do, but I’m happy I had to embrace the uncomfortable. The knowledge and insight I have is irreplaceable,” Rodriguez said. Aguiar agreed. She said, “The questions I had going there are no longer the ones I have anymore.You can’t save the world. You have to find a cause, one that speaks to you, and fight for it.”
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THE OBSERVER March 28, 2013
Features
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Spring Greens for a Healthier You Registered Dietitian, Jeanne Molloy, Suggests Some Veggie Friendly Recipes that are Healthy and Delicious By PAULINA TAM Staff Writer
College can be quite demanding. Sometimes we get so carried away with academic and social callings that we end up emotionally and physically drained by the end of the day. With that in mind, Jeanne Molloy, registered dietitian at Fordham College at Lincoln Center and employee of Fordham Dining Services, provided a few quick and healthy recipes that feature high-energy, healthy and simple-to-create foods.
Buying ingredients that are friendly for our college-sized wallets is always welcomed too. Mixed salads, smoothies and quinoa are great options to turn to for quick and delicious meals that will provide you with a perfect boost of energy. Mangoes are brimming with natural sugar and its distinct sweet taste makes it a crowd-pleasing topping to be paired with a bed of leafy greens. Molloy’s first dish is a great vegetarian-friendly source of protein, carbohydrates and fiber. At 103 calories, it is a plus for those who are looking for something
healthy Molloy also suggested smoothies such as the “Emerald Pineapple Smoothie” for an effortless yet wholesome addition to a student’s diet. “Smoothies can be a delicious quick meal,” Molloy said. “Adding any baby green leafy vegetable will boost the nutritional profile and get you on your way to the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.” Quinoa, a grain that Molloy said is a healthy and thrifty choice for college students, is a great alternative to the commonly accepted dinner base
of rice. That said, she suggested the “Quinoa Crunch” recipe. “Quinoa is a great grain because it has all the essential amino acids making it a complete protein, which is a great staple for vegans, vegetarians or anyone enjoying a plant-based diet,” Molloy said. “Quinoa is inexpensive, easy to prepare and can be used in a variety of ways for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. You can use the vegetables included on the recipe or anything that is already in your fridge [to] make it that more economical.” Regardless of the specific ingredients that one chooses to include in
their cooking, Molloy thinks selecting colorful fruits and vegetables is a good rule to follow because “each color provides different beneficial vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals to boost the health of your body.” There are only 24 hours in a day and some may say that that’s not enough to get everything accomplished, but maintaining a healthy diet should not be something that is forsaken. Molloy said, “When cooking economically you want to make every ingredient you buy be nutrient-dense so your money is spent towards a healthier you.”
LUDOVICA MARTELLATHE OBSERVER
Mango Mousse Recipe
Emerald Pineapple Smoothie Recipe What you’ll need:
What you’ll need: Ingredients: Pulp of 1 ripe mango One 12-oz. package silken tofu 2 tsp. sugar ½ cup fresh raspberries Fresh mint leaves (optional)
Instructions: 1. Puree mango pulp, tofu and sugar until smooth. 2. Top with fresh raspberries and mint leaves. 3. Serve.
Nutrient Analysis per serving: Calories: 103 Total fat: 2.5 g Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 32 mg Total carbohydrate: 14.8 g
Dietary fiber: 2 g Sugars 11.5 g Protein 6.3 g
Ingredients: 2 Bananas 1 cup pineapples (Frozen) 1 cup of Orange Juice 1 cup Spinach (Fresh Leaves)
Instructions: 1. Blend Until Smooth. 2. Pour In Glass. 3. Serve.
Nutrient Analysis per serving: Calories: 150 Total fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 10 mg
Carbohydrates: 14.8g; Fiber: 3 g Protein: 3 g Sugar: 23 g
Potassium: 620 mg
Quinoa Crunch Recipe What you’ll need:
Instructions:
Ingredients: ¼ cup lime juice ¼ tsp. white pepper ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper ¼ cup sliced marinated jalapeno pepper ¼ tsp. coarse salt ¼ cup olive oil 3 cups water 1 ½ cups quinoa ¾ cup peeled, seeded, and diced cucumber ¾ cup seeded and diced tomato ¾ cup sliced red pepper ¼ cup sliced yellow pepper ¼ cup sliced green onions, white part only ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley ¼ cup chopped fresh mint Salt and pepper to taste
1. Make a vinaigrette by whisking together the lime juice, white pepper, black pepper, jalapeno, coarse salt and olive oil. Set aside the mixture. 2. Place the quinoa in a fine sieve and wash it under running water, rubbing it with your hands for a few minutes. Drain the water. 3. In a large pot, combine the water and quinoa. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer it uncovered for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is barely tender. Don’t overcook it. Strain the quinoa, drain it thoroughly and let it cool. Don’t rinse it. 4. Mix the quinoa in with the cucumber, tomato, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, green onion, parsley, mint, and vinaigrette. Add a little salt and pepper to taste (you don’t need much because the dish has plenty of flavor). 5. Serve it at room temperature or cold.
Nutrient Analysis per serving: Calories: 260 Total fat: 12 g Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 240 mg Total carbohydrate: 34 g Dietary fiber: 7 g
Protein: 7 g
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Features
March 28, 2013 THE OBSERVER
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WORD OF MOUTH
Cooling, Fresh and Delicious Goats Milk Ice Cream REX SAKAMOTO Features Editor
Spring is here, which means the days are about to get a little sunnier. While it may still be a bit chilly outside, a foodie knows that it is time to start researching ice cream parlors to frequent in the coming (hopefully) warmer days. Now, when I go out for ice cream, it must be superior to any ice cream I could buy in the store. Ice cream should be rich, fullflavored and creamy (well-duh!). My favorite ice cream parlor that meets all of these qualifications is Victory Garden. The little holein-the-wall is located in the West Village and is easy to get to from Fordham College at Lincoln Center. Just take the A, C, B or D subway lines to West 4th Street and then it’s a short five-minute walk from there. As you might have guessed, Victory Garden is not your average ice cream parlor. Their ice cream is made with goats milk. I know what you’re thinking, “Eww goats milk.” But I have to say it is simply delicious. The goats milk gives the ice cream an even creamier and slightly softer texture than cows milk provides. On my first trip to the parlor, I tried the fan favorite, salted caramel ice cream. As I took my first lick (they provide spoons for boring people, but I’m a licker), I was overwhelmed by the bold punch of caramel, which was followed by floral undertones. The slightly
salty taste of the goats milk helped to enhance the flavor of the ice cream by bringing out the sweetness of the caramel. I was addicted and so happy I had opted for the regular size. The salted caramel ice cream is a staple for the shop, but the other flavors rotate on a weekly to seasonal basis. During another trip, I tried the flavor of the week which was Ethiopian coffee with rose water. This flavor also had rich bold flavors and a nice dark chocolate coffee flavor. It was also during this trip that I learned that I could pick two flavors. If you can’t decide which flavor to get, you can ask for both flavors and they will not charge you extra. While some may balk at the $4.99 (plus tax $5.23) price tag, I can only tell you that it is worth it. If you are still skeptical, however, bring a friend and go during ice cream “happy hour,” on Fridays from 4-7 p.m., and get two regular size ice creams for the price of one. Once you are hooked, like myself, be sure to pick up a frequent visitor stamp card so you can receive a free ice cream after 10 purchases. The fabled warmer days are coming and on a hot day, I cannot recommend a better place to cool down than at this victoriously sweet ‘n’ slightly savory goat-milk ice cream shop. IF YOU GO
Victory Garden $ out of $$$$$ Where:31 Carmine St.
REX SAKAMOTO/THE OBSERVER
A delicous swirl of salted caramel soft serve ice cream can be yours at Victory Garden.
Sports
Sports Editor Mike McMahon —mmcmahon27@fordham.edu
March 28, 2013 THE OBSERVER
Women’s Basketball Reaches Historic Heights By MIKE MCMAHON Sports Editor
Fordham’s women’s basketball team rebounded in a big way from a heartbreaking Atlantic 10 (A10) Conference Championship Game loss, winning big in the first two rounds of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). Victories over Army and Boston University in the first two rounds have earned the team a game versus James Madison University (JMU) in the round of 16. Beating Army in the first round was a feat of its own for a team that had not won a tournament playoff game in over 30 years. Fordham took out West Point with a score of 55-46, never trailing at any point in the latter three quarters of the game. Though moments of heated back-and-forth scoring occurred, it felt like the Rams were in control for much of the contest. The winning effort was spearheaded by guard Abigail Corning, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’14, whose 15 points and 11 rebounds were not only a teamhigh in each category, but were also good for her fifth double-double on the season. Also scoring in the double-digits for the Rams were graduate student Marah Strickland and Arielle Collins, FCRH ’13, who scored 15 and 14 points respectively, with Collins tacking on six rebounds. The WNIT magic continued for the Rams on Saturday as they
Counting out a Rams team that has lost only one game in its last 11 contests certainly seems like a losing bet. topped the Boston University Terriers in the second round by a score of 58-44. Fordham held the lead for more than the majority of the game, with the Rams’ biggest deficit coming by a score of 6-2 very early in the first half. Again, the Rams managed three players in double-digit scoring. Strickland and Collins again led the team, with 14 and 12 points scored respectively, while guard Erin Rooney, FCRH ’13, chipped in 12. Freshman forward Samantha Clark, FCRH ’16, added another nine points to go with her six rebounds. In their next opponent, Fordham finds its biggest challenge. The team will be playing away for the first time in the WNIT, traveling to take on JMU’s Dukes. The Dukes have beaten both NC State and NC Agricultural and Technical State University en route to their round of 16 matchup, winning each game by at least six points. JMU was second-seeded in their conference, and finished the regular season with a record of 2210. The two teams share at least one
striking similarity: both lost their respective conference’s championship game despite being favored to win. Make no mistake about it, however. JMU is not a broken, crestfallen team against whom a win should come easily. They have not only the home-court advantage in this matchup, but are on the same two-game playoff roll that the Rams are. The Dukes are 15-0 in postseason play when playing at home, and boast a talented guard in junior Kirby Burkholder, who has averaged just over nine rebounds per contest this season. The program is no stranger to lateround competition either, having trounced Florida State by a score of 72-45 in last year’s round of 16. A win would be yet another massive achievement in an historic season for the women’s basketball team. The team sits at 28-6 going in to Wednesday’s playoff game, second-most all time. Their two playoff wins are the first two since the early 1980s, which, coincidentally, is the last time Fordham faced JMU, winning by a score of 87-80. At the end of the day, JMU’s dominant playoff history is just that: history. Counting out a Rams team that has lost only one game in its last 11 contests certainly seems like a losing bet. As long as the team can keep up its cohesiveness and dominant defensive play going, Fordham has a great shot at keeping this season’s magic alive.
COURTESY OF FORDHAM SPORTS
Erin Rooney, FCRH ’13, was key in the team’s second- round victory.
Rangers Running Out of Time For a Turnaround By MATT CRITCHLOW Staff Writer
The New York Rangers had stratospheric hopes and expectations pinned on them at the beginning of the 2013 season. The Rangers held the best record in the East last year and made it to the Conference Finals, before adding Rick Nash, an elite forward, to their roster over the summer. Fans and pundits alike saw a team with a tremendous foundation add a marquee talent, and predicted a dominant season and strong playoff performance. Instead, the team finds itself straddling the line that divides playoff teams and those that pack up early. Currently in ninth place, the Rangers have spent their season jumping back and forth over this line. Last year’s campaign— built on grit and a defense-minded system—appears to be more of a fading mirage than a harbinger of things to come with each loss. So what ails this team? There are a myriad of reasons. As any hockey fan can tell you, diagnosing a sickly team doesn’t necessarily mean curing them. But it is worth exploring why this club has struggled so mightily to live up to the expectations set for them. A lack of a team identity, underperforming stars and the letting go of several players who proved intangibles has caused the downfall of this team, and it has been compounded by injuries to key players. The Rangers have struggled to find an identity in this shortened season, making fans particularly restless following a campaign in which the team played with a specific style of snarl and commitment. Players like Brandon Prust, Brandon Dubinsky, Ruslan Fedotenko and Artem Anisimov who provided both scoring depth and a combative ferocity were all let go
over the summer. Anisimov and Dubinsky were traded to Columbus for Nash, while Prust and Fedotenko were offloaded as they demanded a higher salary as free agents. Prust’s fighting spirit and Dubinsky’s heart and soul style have been sorely missed on the current Rangers’ roster. Anisimov and Fedotenko provided timely goals and allowed Coach John Tortorella the freedom and confidence to roll three scoring lines. While Ranger Nation bid a fond farewell to these beloved players, no one foresaw just how much they would be missed. The current Ranger lineup is having immense trouble getting goals from secondary sources other than their top lines, and isn’t playing with the same toughness and spirit. Prust, who signed with the Montreal Canadiens over the summer, has helped reinvigorate what had been a slouching Montreal team, and his is the name most commonly associated with the Rangers’ current lack of zeal and zest. The style of play associated with these players was a defensive mindset and blocking shots was a huge part of the 2012 Rangers’ identity. The Rangers would spend long stretches of time absorbing pressure while still winning hockey games. With the addition of another super star in the form of Nash and the dumping of some of these role players, it appears last year’s holdovers have struggled to adapt to a more offense-oriented team. Calls for Tortorella’s head have grown louder as critics have slammed his unwillingness to adjust the star studded lineup to a more offensively-minded machine. But therein lays another crucial issue for the Rangers. Whether or not Tortorella conforms to the tools at his disposal, two of his most talented— and highly paid— stars have struggled to produce. Brad
Richards, a marquee free agent signing two summers ago, and Marian Gaborik, last year’s leading scorer, have both struggled to hit the heights they are capable of. Richards, a playmaking center whose subtlety and poise on the puck have devolved into slowness and poor decision making, has become a lightning rod for Rangers’ fans. Richard’s tendency to give away the puck is being met with increasingly boisterous howls of frustration and derision from the Garden faithful. The fact that he is signed to a mega-contract through 2020 certainly does not help his case. Gaborik is a pure goal scorer, but his recent form has seen him disappear and stay on the fringes of games. Gaborik led the team with 41 goals last year but faded in the playoffs. His downturn coincided with a shoulder injury that required surgery over the summer. Both Gaborik and Richards are elite players in the NHL. Gaborik has scored over 40 goals three times in his career and is still capable of producing goals at a high rate. Richards is also a highly-skilled playmaker who appears to have lost his way. If both men can rediscover what made them such superstars, then it would absolutely turn around this team. A rash of injuries to key players throughout the year has prevented the Rangers from discovering exactly who they are this year. The team now only misses defenseman Marc Staal and has shown flashes of what an elite team they can be. Gaborik and Richards have shown signs of revival. The Rangers rank fifth in goals conceded and 27th in goals scored. For a team with so much firepower, and such a solid defense on which to build, this is not good enough and certainly not up to the standards of a contender. Because of the struggling stars, the
MITCHELL LAYTON/MCT
The Rangers need to rally if they still hope to make the playoffs.
Rangers power play has been inept, and their five-on-five play has not produced goals. The Rangers can still make noise in these playoffs. There is simply too much firepower on this team, and they have too good of a defense, to suffer so ignominious
from grace. It is in the revivals of these two players, Gaborik and Richards, on which the Rangers’ chance of a Cup rests. While hope fades with each loss, a team this talented is apt to light up at any time. First, they need to make the playoffs.
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Sports
March 28, 2013 THE OBSERVER
www.fordhamobserver.com
Softball Streak Snapped in Close Contest By JENNIFER KHEDAROO Asst. Sports Editor
After winning each of their last 10 games, Fordham’s softball team was twice defeated by the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on March 22. In both games, the Rams led until the late innings, but the 49ers fought hard and overcame Fordham by a pair of runs. The final score for the first match was 108, while Fordham lost the second game 9-7. The Rams were the first to score during the first game on Friday afternoon, getting on the board in the top of the first inning. With two outs recorded, a double from Elise Fortier, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’14, and walks to Gabby Luety, FCRH ’14, and Kayla Lombardo, FCRH ’15, set up a bases-loaded situation for Michele Daubman, FCRH ’15. Daubman ripped a two-run single to give Fordham the 2-0 lead over Charlotte. But in the bottom of the second inning, Charlotte broke out and scored five runs against pitcher Jamie LaBovick, FCRH ’13, to lead the Rams 5-2. It did not take long for Fordham to respond. At the top of the third inning, Fortier hit a solo homerun to cut the 49ers’ lead to 5-3. Fordham would again score at the top of the fourth. Charlotte gave up a pass ball as well as walks to Fortier, Luety, Lombardo, and Daubman. The Rams were able to score three runs in the inning, although no one re-
corded a hit. Fordham regained the lead at 6-5. At the top of the fifth, for the third consecutive inning, Fordham was able to plate a few more runs. Both LaBovick and Luety had RBI singles to give Fordham the 8-5 lead. Although Charlotte managed to score a run in the bottom of the fifth inning, Fordham was still in the lead until the sixth inning. The 49ers managed to come up with four runs on five hits in the bottom of the sixth. The team’s four run rally put them up 10-8 over the Rams, giving them the lead for good. In game two of the double-header, Charlotte immediately jumped on top. The 49ers scored five runs on five hits in the bottom of the first inning, giving the Rams a tough road ahead with a lot of game left to play. It was not until the top of the third inning that the Rams started to chip away at the five-run deficit. With no outs, LaBovick doubled and moved up to third base when Sammi Smith, FCRH’ 15, hit a single. Luety then plated LaBovick with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to four runs. Smith stole second base and was able to score when Lombardo singled. During the bottom of the third inning, the 49ers scored another run, increasing their lead to four. However, the Rams were able to knock in another pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning to put Fordham within two. After Paige Ortiz, FCRH ’15, doubled to left center and Claudia Law, FCRH ’16, singled to left field, LaBovick came up to bat. She ripped a double into left field
and both Ortiz and Law were able to score. The 49ers lead shrunk, and the score sat at 6-4. At the top of the sixth inning, the Rams’ offense came alive once more. Chelsea Palumbo, FCRH ’13, walked to start off the inning. Then, LaBovick singled and Smith reached on a fielder’s choice. Fortier then plated another two RBI’s, when she doubled to left field. A few batters later, Smith drew a hit-by-pitch while the bases were loaded, forcing a run home for the Rams. The Rams now lead 7-6 with just the bottom of the sixth inning to play. Fordham would have done well to capitalize on the remaining three base-runners, because in the bottom of the sixth inning, Charlotte came back swinging. The 49ers scored three runs in the final half inning, including a two-run homerun by Chelsea Ingersoll, giving Charlotte a 9-7 lead. In the top of the seventh inning, Fordham managed to get a single from LaBovick. However, Palumbo and Taylor Pirone, FCRH ‘15, both struck out looking and Smith struck out swinging to end the game. One of the stars of this year’s team has definitely been Elise Fortier. The junior was named an Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for the week of March 19. She also made the NFCA Top Performer Honor Roll. During the Rams’ ten-game winning streak Fortier went 5-for-9 with a .556 average and all five hits being homeruns. She also walked eight times during the winning streak, and had an incredible 2.222
COURTESY OF FORDHAM SPORTS
Despite strong offensive play, the Rams dropped two games to Charlotte.
slugging percentage. Fortier continued playing well in both losses to Charlotte on Friday. You can see Fortier and the rest of the softball
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team on their next home stand, on March 28 and March 30, when they play conference games against La Salle and George Washington.