Fordham Observer - Issue 2

Observer the

FEBRUARY 13, 2014 VOLUME XXXIII, ISSUE 2

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Prism, First LGBTQ Retreat

Photo Feature

By GUNAR OLSEN Staff Writer

For the first time in its history, Fordham is offering a spirituality retreat, Prism, specifically for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) students. Prism, free of charge to its participants thanks to an anonymous alumnus donor, is scheduled for Feb. 28 through March 2 at Fordham’s McGrath House of Prayer in Goshen, N.Y. Created in collaboration with Campus Ministry, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Counseling and Psychological Services and the Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice, Prism offers a “safe and welcoming place for LGBT students to explore and to deepen their relationship with God,” according to Campus Ministry’s web page.

On whether or not there is a conflict between the Prism retreat and Catholic teaching, Keith Eldredge, dean of students at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), said, “[Prism] is certainly not trying to go contrary to Catholic teaching, promote things that are contrary to Catholic teaching, but to really meet students where they are and help them to understand and unpack who they are and who they’re becoming.”

“For folks who are raised in the Catholic tradition, why should we tell them—because of gender identity or sexual identity—you’re not welcome to participate in retreats, or have you participate in retreats but it’s going to be about condemning you or telling you that something’s wrong?” Eldredge said. “Our focus is always, as a Jesuit Catholic institution, to respect the dignity of every individual student.”

According to Juan Carlos Matos, assistant director of Multicultural Affairs and a member of the Prism planning committee, participants will hear reflections from student see RETREAT pg. 3

ANGELA LUIS/THE OBSERVER

New York’s subway system is the subject of this issue’s photo feature. .

Reactions to Firing of Gays at Catholic Institutions

By ADRIANA GALLINA Contributing Writer

According to Rev. Robert R. Grimes, S.J., dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), and Associate Chair of Undergraduate Studies in Theology Karina Hogan, the firing of gay married employees would never happen at Fordham, despite it happening at other Roman Catholic schools in Arkansas, California, Massachusetts, New York and elsewhere.

“There’s no stipulation in a Fordham contract with anything related to that,” Grimes said, who nonetheless emphasized the

difference between civil marriage and the Catholic sacrament of matrimony. “In Catholic teaching, the very nature of the sacrament has two functions. One is unitive: two people coming together in a loving relationship. And the other is procreative,” Grimes said.

Hogan said she could not fathom anything of this nature happening at Fordham where she feels there is a “much more elevated and rational discourse that goes into the decision making.”

Fordham’s past supports Hogan’s idea that Fordham has an elevated discourse. In April of 2010, after a four-year battle between the Salary and Benefits Committee of

the Faculty Senate and Fordham administration, Fordham extended faculty health benefits to legally domiciled adults (LDA). An LDA shares a primary residence with the faculty and is either a tax dependent blood relative defined by Section 152 of the Internal Revenue Code or “has a close personal relationship with the employee.” This move predated the passage of same-sex marriage in New York state by over a year.

Also, Fordham’s policy is in accordance with federal, state and local law and does not discriminate against race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, nor marital or parental status, etc. Specifically, Fordham’s

non-discrimination policy states “Fordham University does not knowingly support or patronize any organization that engages in unlawful discrimination.”

But the Catholic Church is an organization. At what point is the line drawn between religious freedom and unlawful discrimination?

Grimes explained that couples incapable of engaging in the marital acts, in the eye of the Catholic Church, are unable to marry “because it is so closely related to procreation. And therefore samesex marriage is an oxymoron in the see FIRINGS pg. 3

Inside

FEATURES

SPORTS

ARTS & CULTURE

OPINIONS

Models Doing More

Fordham Softball

Comma Interrobang

Audit the Federal Reserve

The tart of another winning season.

A Comma editor shares her flood experience.

Fed transparency is key for America.

PAGE 16

PAGE 8

PAGE 6

Lauren Deckert, alumna, and her charity.

PAGE 10

THE STUDENT VOICE OF FORDHAM COLLEGE AT LINCOLN CENTER

2

News

News Editors Noha Mahmoud — nmahmoud2@fordham.edu Ramona Venturanza — rventuranza@fordham.edu

January 30, 2014 THE OBSERVER

Technology and the 21st Century Model of Education

By RAMONA VENTURANZA News Co-Editor

Several forms of technology are set to drastically change college education, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Faculty and staff at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) are utilizing such technology in the classroom.

According to the NMC Horizon Report of the 2014 High Education Preview, online, hybrid and collaborative learning are tools that will change the learning environment at colleges. Such online learning environments can offer different affordances than the physical campus. In addition, this type of learning environment would allow for students to collaborate with each other and the professor in the classroom.

Furthermore, social media, will impact college education in the coming years. According to the report, educators and students are increasingly using social media to share news and other developments in classes. Social media will impact scholarly communication between students and professors.

According to Erick Kelemen, director of Center Teaching for Excellence, the Fordham faculty is indeed applying these two factors in the classroom. “[Online, collaborative and hybrid learning and social media] is definitely happening at Fordham in general,” he said. “I am sure that the faculty is engaged in the new technology.”

Associate Vice President of Instructional Technology Academic Computing Fleur Eshghi agrees with Kelemen. “The growth of educational technology, especially Web technologies, have been on a steady rise during the past decade or so in college; Fordham is no exception,” she said.

“We have made great progress to continue to provide and modernize our access to mainstream technology for teaching,” Eshghi said. According to Eshgi, these online technologies at FCLC include the following: Internet

KARA JAGDEO/THE OBSERVER

Online applications and social media are set to change college education in the next five years.

in 100 percent of the classrooms and residential areas, Learning Management Systems (LMS), networking and social media and more.

“Faculty at Fordham are able to find new ways of using technology in the classroom,” Kelemen said.

“Technology will make education better; it will make teachers better teachers and students better students.”

“All technology, when designed carefully and used appropriately in proper context, can augment the teaching and learning process in and out of the classroom,” Eshghi said.

Eshghi shares a similar view to Kelemen in regards to the faculty’s use of technology. She found that the faculty was enthusiastic about applying online methods to teaching. “The number of [faculty and staff] who take advantage of the power of the latest technologiessocial media among them—is on par with the national trend in this regard,” she said.

However, Eshghi said that it is difficult to judge approximately how many professors are using online and social media resources. “Since the teaching process is the purview of the [faculty and students], it is hard to tell from afar to what extent

each faculty uses technology in his or her classes,” she said.

When asked whether Fordham is shifting from the “traditional” to a more modern, online way of teaching, Eshghi said that technology is, rather, contributing to Fordham’s teaching tradition.

“Any growing trend in the use of technology tools will be to augment Fordham’s teaching tradition,” she said.

Despite faculty’s use of online applications and social media, Kelemen said that Fordham professors are not the kind to leave the traditional way of teaching.

“I do not think Fordham

will leave that traditional way of teaching,” Kelemen said. “In general, those in-person moments between students and professors are important. Even though there are professors that are using Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook, the fundamental practice of traditional teaching will not change.”

Professor of Communications and Media Studies Brian Rose,utilizes Facebook to help organize material for his Intro to Media Industries class. “It was easier for students to locate articles assigned for class than using Blackboard,” he said. “Using Facebook is easy and accessible.”

Fordham Partners with West Side 63rd Street YMCA

By NOHA MAHMOUD News Co-Editor

Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) has partnered with the West Side YMCA on 63rd Street to provide membership for 150 students for the 2014 spring semester for just $25.

The West Side YMCA provides membership for all ages, including students who are taking 12 credits per semester at a monthly rate for $75. However, the first 150 students FCLC that signed up for the membership were able to become members for $50 less.

“It started from recognition of wanting to look at the recreational athletic facilities available on campus and acknowledging they aren’t much,” Keith Eldredge, dean of students at FCLC, said.

The partnership with an outside gym seemed an appropriate and potentially beneficial decision to augment student access to such facilities The choice to begin a partnership with the West Side YMCA in particular was based on the availability of athletics and other opportunities at the gym that were not provided within the facilities in McMahon Hall. “I was attracted to the YMCA because they have courts…and since we used to have basketball and tennis courts, I was looking to try to move in that direction. I wouldn’t say it is replacing it but something to

replace that need,” Eldredge said.

Those who were interested in registering for the YMCA this semester were encouraged by the price of the membership. “When I saw the email, I saw that it was only $25 for the whole semester and I thought that it was a really good price. I talked to my friends and we all agreed to sign up together to have gym buddies and we figured if we only went two or three times, you would pay $25 more per class and if you took two or three classes, it would be worth the price,” Corinne Fitamant, FCLC ’15, said.

Meghan Maltez, FCLC ’14, shared a similar opinion to Fitamant. “I think it is a good idea because our gym here is small and people want to take classes and especially in NY, it is so expensive, so I think it is a good idea to have something especially so close to school that people can go to,” Maltez said.

Maltez also said, “I decided to register because I wanted to have a membership but I could never afford one at NY Sports Club or Equinox or anything fancy like that.”

When asked whether this would continue on to the fall semester, Eldredge said that this was something that would continue past this semester and would improve based on feedback given from the current 150 students registered for the program.

JESSICA HANLEY/THE OBSERVER

Students receive membership discounts at West Side YMCA.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER February 13, 2014

News

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Jesuit, Theologian & Student React to Firings FIRINGS FROM PAGE 1

Catholic thought.”

In contrast, Hogan questions the general procreative arguments used

by Catholics, and other religions, in regards to same-sex marriage.

“Does that mean that marriages that aren’t blessed with children, marriages that are infertile or people marrying when they are too old to have children or any other reason, does that make them any less valid as marriages if they marry in the Catholic Church?” she posited.

Hogan also pointed out that many gay couples marry because they want to have children, whether through adoption, surrogacy or other forms of procreation without the children being biological offspring of both parents.

“So I don’t think procreation works either way for defining marriage,” she said. “In fact, to get biblical for a minute,” Hogan continued, “the story in Genesis 2 that explains why people get married... doesn’t actually say anything about procreation.”

Instead, Hogan clarified that Adam and Eve become one flesh, and while it “seems to be implying sex, it never says ‘and then they will have lots of babies.’”

Grimes said that the possibility of procreation is the only requirement in Catholic teaching.

This can be found in Code of Canon Law, Canon 1061. However, it is not necessary for a child to result. He also said that he is not commenting on personal opinion but rather trying to explain traditional Catholic teaching on marriage.

Despite Pope Francis’ accepting words, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Grimes explained that “Pope Francis, when he was Arch Cardinal, apparently lobbied for same-sex unions over marriage” because of the procreative element in traditional Catholic teaching.

Hogan questions why these institutions wait until the gay or lesbian faculty chooses to get married until they fire them. “I find it puzzling because the Catholic Church is so affirming of marriage and these people are obviously in

TYLER MARTINS/THE OBSERVER

some sort of relationship before they get married…It calls into question on what grounds are they really objecting?” she asked.

Chris Hennessy, FCLC ’15 and member of Rainbow Alliance, wants to see the focus of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) rights movement shift from marriage equality onto other issues like job security and protection from hate crimes. “The LGBTQ community as a whole has focused on making marriage equality the main issue. And it’s important, but problematic, because what happens is people think that once marriage

has been granted, in any state, the fight is over. That’s not the case.

This is a prime example of that.”

These firings “are dangerous, and have consequences not only for the teachers, but the students,” Hennessy said.

He explained that teaching is not a job that only affects the employee but the students as well.

One of his major concerns deals with stripping away safe spaces for LGBTQ students that look up to these teachers, who may intend to follow in these teachers’ foot steps.

“Think about the implications it has on LGBT students, and let’s not

ignore LGBT youth suicide.”

Hogan also explored the issue from a student injustice perspective and said, “Why remove a teacher the students appreciate and are learning from and say because of their personal life, they are not qualified to teach here? It seems contrary to the whole spirit of the equal opportunity laws,” she said.

The Catholic religion opposes same-sex marriage. These other, mainly high school, Catholic institutions, in abiding by their religion, have their faculty sign contracts stating they will abide by the Church’s teaching.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, it is currently legal to fire or refuse to hire someone based on sexual orientation in 29 states. Transgender employees can be fire based on gender identity alone in 33 states. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, under religious freedom, deems LGBTQ discrimination as more viable than discrimination based on other factors, like employees’ race.

Anastasia Coleman, director of Institutional Equity & Compliance Title IX Coordinator, refused to comment on other institutions specific actions.

Spirituality Retreat Offered for LGBTQ Students RETREAT FROM PAGE 1

leaders and engage in large group discussions, individual reflection, meditation, prayer and small group sharing. Students will have the opportunity to express themselves creatively in the form of arts, crafts, music or through whatever other outlet they choose.

Several students and faculty members shared their thoughts about the importance of Prism for the LGBTQ community and their personal experiences as a part of that alliance.

“I definitely hope that students have a better understanding of the conflicts they have between their faith and LBGT identity, and that other people are going through something similar, that it’s not a unique experience, and ultimately that there is community,” Matos said.

Referring to the struggle that some individuals face between faith and identity, Matos said, “We’re trying to create a space for those who feel that there’s a conflict for themselves and to better understand that through the retreat.”

“We want students to know that they are loved and cared for—

by God and by Fordham,” Erin Hoffman, assistant director of

Campus Ministry, said.

Mike Prescia, Fordham College at Rose Hill ’14, said, “We need to make it possible for everybody to explore their own faith. It’s important because being LGBT and being a person of faith is like coming out of a second closet.” As student director of the retreat, he said that one of his main hopes is to foster a strong community.

“We want to live up to the Catholic doctrine that every person deserves respect and love, and everyone is made in the image of God,” Prescia said.

Chris Hennessy, FCLC ’15, a participant on the retreat, echoed his peers’ sentiment. “It’s important for LGBT students to have a retreat specifically for them simply because it allows you to be more included in the general Fordham way of life and community as a whole,” he said.

“I have a lot of healing to be done with the Catholic Church.

But events like this and making more spaces within the Fordham community to feel accepted definitely helps,” Hennessy said.

As to why he needs healing with the Church, Hennessy said, “There are certain people in power in the Catholic Church who have had a problem with my identity. My identity has never had a problem with the Church.”

Hennessy is glad that the retreat is free to students due to the generosity of an anonymous donor. “I wish I could thank them and they didn’t feel the need to be anonymous. I think that really says something,” he said.

Martín also talked about the struggle between LGBTQ identity and religion. “It’s hard to be an LGBT person and not have fear toward religious institutions,” Charlie Martín, FCLC ’14, a student leader for Prism, said. “You can renegotiate your relationship with your faith if you want to hold on to it. That’s an even bigger challenge because you have to confront how important this religious tradition is to you.”

“I’m looking forward to graduating from Fordham having been a part of founding this retreat, that I was a part of this movement on campus toward LGBT solidarity,” Martín said.

Retreat participants said that straight, cisgender students can show their support by liking the Prism Facebook page, spreading the word about Prism, attending Rainbow Alliance meetings and speaking out against homophobic and transphobic language.

“We all have a role to play in this,” Erin Hoffman said.

COURTESY OF MIKE PRESCIA

Fordham offers retreat for LGBTQ students.

Opinions

Rachel Shmulevich — Opinions Editor rshmulevich@fordham.edu

STAFF EDITORIAL

I

core mentioned above, we have probably all heard some story or another about the violence the church can exhibit.

All in all, religion, something that ideally should serve as a uniting and serene force, has shown their hostile

Thankfully, Fordham is more tolerant than other Catholic institutions. attitude towards different opinions on numerous instances.

However, Fordham seems to be different, benefiting from the harmony proposed by Catholicism without the petty disregard for others’ personal beliefs.

As reported in “Prism, First LGBTQ Retreat,”

by Gunar Olsen on page 1, Fordham’s Campus

Observer the

FORDHAM SHOWS TOLERANCE, IN SPITE OF DOGMA t’s hard to hide from the sheer Jesuit-ness of Fordham. Our “brand” is marketed as “The Jesuit University of New York.”

Theology is required not once, but twice. We are men and women for AND with others. While it may not be suffocating, Catholicism is a part of going to Fordham, to a certain extent.

And while many find solace in religion and have learned to practice peacefully, it would not be hard to argue the point that religion has also been the cause of some of the more prominent conflicts throughout history.

Differences in spiritual practices have spurred wars, and conflicts have erupted over different interpretations of the meaning religious texts.

Blood has been shed, countless lives ended over fights for Biblical artifacts and territories. The Catholic Church, specifically, has had a long history of “silencing” dissenters.

Thanks to that Fordham

February 13, 2014 THE OBSERVER

Ministry has recently announced its first spiritual retreat for the LGBTQ community on campus.

In the article, Keith Eldredge, dean of students at Lincoln Center, said, “Our focus is always, as a Jesuit Catholic institution, to respect the dignity of every individual student.”

As discussed by Associate Chair of Undergraduate Theology Karina Hogan and Dean of FCLC Rev. Robert Grimes, S.J. in “Reactions to Firing of Gays at Catholic Institutions,” on page 1 by Adriana Gallina, the firing of instructors who are in same-sex marriages would never happen at Fordham, obviously a great sign for our moral development in the interests of individual rights.

While Fordham is far from perfect, the progressive strides being made for both LGBTQ students and faculty must be respected, especially considering other institutions attitudes. .

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THE OBSERVER February 13, 2014

Opinions

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Obama Can Survive Marijuana Legalization RACHEL SHMULEVICH Opinions Editor

In President Barack Obama’s Jan. 27 interview with the New Yorker, he let slip that he believed marijuana is no worse than alcohol. The interviewer then prodded him, asking if the drug is, in fact, less dangerous. After a pause, he reluctantly answered that he believed it is, but only “in terms of its impact on the individual consumer.” Obama’s aversion to talking about the drug has been noted, and I think that to this day, it is difficult to paint a clear picture of which side he’s truly on. Part of this is because Obama’s interest in this issue doesn’t lie with some deep-seated investment in the drug itself, but rather in the issues that arise with it being illegal.

In fact, Obama’s opinion of the drug has been ambiguous at best.

He has made it clear that he neither supports nor condones marijuana use, telling the New Yorker that, “I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked.” In other instances, he has implied—but not explicitly stated—that he believes marijuana should be placed in a category separate from some of the most dangerous drugs in the world, like cocaine and heroin. However, we haven’t seen a direct statement from the President that could place him in the role of whole-hearted advocate or vehement opponent.

This, I think, is what will protect his image if there are any legal developments concerning the drug in the future. Obama may have the majority of the population on his side when it comes to the legalization of marijuana, but as with all touchy issues, there is a small but vocal minority that opposes him.

While a CBS News poll released in January 2014 showed that a record 51 percent of Americans believed

the use of marijuana should become legal, we cannot forget the opposing group, which, contrary to popular belief, is not only comprised of right-wing politicians and religious organizations but also includes influential medical institutions such as the American Medical Association (AMA).

The key for Obama to pass a bill legalizing marijuana and to escape without a huge hit to his approval ratings is for him to focus

Marijuana legalization is a tricky issue, but Obama is doing a great job of sticking to what matters, while at the same time clearly establishing that marijuana is not the natural panacea that many make it out to be. on hard-hitting issues. Contrived arguments such as the claim that marijuana is no more dangerous than alcohol and tobacco—while true—won’t work here. Comparing marijuana to these substances is a pathetic, and frankly ridiculous, statement. Just because alcohol and tobacco (two extremely dangerous drugs) are legal, it does not mean marijuana should be as well. In his New Yorker interview, Obama tried to steer clear of this trap by conceding that marijuana may well be less dangerous than alcohol but only for the individual consumer.

However, that didn’t stop major news sources like CNN from publishing articles that monopolized on the former half of his statement

without taking the context into consideration.

Obama has already voiced his concern for the disproportionate number of arrests among minority offenders, one of the truly important social problems that marijuana legalization will alleviate. He is supported by evidence from a June 2013 American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) report, which states that African Americans are 3.7 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession, despite the rates of marijuana use being relatively equal among both groups. And in New York, one of the few states with data on Latino arrests, Latinos are arrested at four times the rate of whites. Following this is the issue of our notoriously overcrowded and expensive prisons. When we consider the fact that marijuana is not a gateway drug and that there is little evidence to support the claim that it is connected to criminal activity, it seems ridiculous to lock up men and women whose only crime is using the drug. If anything, a rehabilitation center is a much smarter choice than a jail cell for many of these drug users.

Marijuana legalization is a tricky issue, but Obama is doing a great job of sticking to what matters, while at the same time clearly establishing that marijuana is not the natural panacea that many make it out to be. The harsh penalties and unfair sentences associated with marijuana use are the issues that truly plague people, and while reforming the marijuana law is a step towards fixing them, we have to recognize that it is still a dangerous drug. If Obama is persistent not only in his dedication to the social justice problems arising from the drug but also in his statements that he does not approve of its use—at least recreationally— then he should be able to pass a legalization law while antagonizing as few people as possible in the process.

ANTHONY SOUFFLE/CHICAGO TRIBUNE/MCT

Marijuana is a dangerous drug, but there are reasons to legalize it.

The Catholic Church is Being Hypocritical GABRIELLE SAMBOY Contributing Writer

As I read through a Huffington Post article titled “Catholic School Fires Gay Teacher, Drawing Protest,” about Holy Ghost Preparatory High School teacher Michael Griffin being fired for marrying his same-sex partner, I was reminded of Frank Ocean’s song “We All Try,” in which he sings, “I believe that marriage isn’t between man and woman but between love and love.”

I agree with Frank Ocean—marriage, in my eyes, should be “between love and love.” I don’t believe that the institution of marriage should be restricted to the union between a man and a woman. Marriage between a man and a woman or between two members of the same sex ultimately only concerns the two individuals involved and those whom they invite to witness it.

Sadly, Griffin did not expect to lose his job over marrying his same-sex partner. Although there was a statement in his contract that stated that “[s]ame-sex unions are not sanctioned under Church teachings,” this only means that Griffin could not preach or have open discussions about same-sex marriages, not that faculty members could not, in their personal lives, do whatever it is that they want, with whomever they want— whether that person is of the same

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ANGELA LUIS/THE OBSERVER

Firing teachers for marrying their same-sex partners is contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

sex or not. There is a definite sense of hypocrisy when these school administrators take jobs away from men and women like Griffin. Pope Francis has been quoted as saying, “Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord?” which raises the question that if the Pope, the head of Catholic

Church, is not passing judgment on homosexual men and women, how can these Catholic schools possibly justify firing teachers who have married their same-sex partners?

Furthermore, who are they to put such a stipulation, one condemning same-sex unions, into contracts?

The answer to this is simple:

the Catholic men and women who are taking it upon themselves to fire hard—working and respected teachers for simply being gay are betraying the faith that they claim to adhere to.

The Huffington Post then goes on to say that Griffin attended school events with his partner;

if his nuptials posed such a huge problem, then it seems as if he would have been prevented from attending these events with his partner. These were public events where Griffin’s colleagues, students and most likely the students’ parents were in attendance and would have seen Griffin with his now husband. Griffin does not speak of colleagues, students or parents disapproving of his sexual orientation, however, the fact that he was very public with his partner means that there should have been something said or mentioned to Griffin from the very first time he attended an event with his partner.

Unfortunately, the Church’s hypocrisy is not just limited to Griffin’s case. Al Fischer, a gay music teacher, was fired from St. Ann Catholic School in North St. Louis County after he revealed his plans to marry his partner, Charlie Robin. Like Griffin, Fischer didn’t keep his sexual orientation or his relationship with Robin under wraps.

Incidents like these are what the Catholic Church has constantly come under fire for—and it’s what Pope Francis is trying to fix. If the Church wants to be viewed as tolerant and loving, then it’s time they stop acting like hypocrites and accept that love should not be allowed only between a man and a woman.

Love is love, regardless of skin color, height, weight or sex. No one should have to lose their job over the person they choose to spend the rest of their life with.

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Opinions

February 13, 2014 THE OBSERVER

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Audit the Federal Reserve ROSANNA CORRADO Staff Writer

The Federal Reserve: an official name that conjures up an image of a large, official government bank.

However, what most people don’t know is that this quasi-government agency is just about as federal as Federal Express Shipping. Owned by private banks that hold stock in the Central Bank, the Federal Reserve is independent of the legislative and executive branch. The President and other government authority figures cannot regulate their actions and, thus, there emerges the issue of accountability and transparency. As a banking entity that manipulates the money supply, inflation and the unemployment rate, the Federal Reserve (Fed) holds many securities and assets. The American people have a right to know the nature of these securities and assets—the Federal Reserve should be more transparent and therefore, audited.

In 2012, former Texas Representative Ron Paul reintroduced a bill to audit the Federal Reserve and rallied college students to support the movement. Since his retirement and the death of his bill in the Senate, the movement has lost momentum but is more relevant than ever. While former Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke was resistant to making the Federal Reserve more transparent, his successor has the power to do otherwise. For the first time in history, the Federal Reserve has a chairwoman; on Feb. 3, Janet Yellen began her reign, and while she has alluded to an interest in increased transparency, she has not been forthcoming or enthusiastic about conducting a thorough Fed-

COURTESY PAVEL KO VIA FLICKR

The Federal Reserve must be audited in order for the public to truly know what they’re up to.

eral Reserve audit.

While the Government Accountability Office (GAO) supposedly conducts meticulous reviews and the Federal Reserve Balance Sheet is published weekly, the most important aspects of the Fed are still shrouded in secrecy. As of now, the GAO cannot review transactions that the Fed makes with foreign governments and central banks. We also do not have access to the transactions made by the Fed’s Open Market Committee. This committee makes crucial decisions regarding the growth of America’s money supply and ma-

nipulates the interest rates of U.S. bonds. Thus, because of the weight their actions carry, their actions must be reviewed and regulated.

Lastly, a complete audit would shed light on how much the Fed lends through their “discount window” and to which banks they are lending. The last is extremely important because throughout the 2007-2009 financial crisis, the “discount window” was infamous for providing obscene amounts of short-term liquidity to numerous “too big to fail” banks.

So why should college students like us care if the Federal Reserve

is audited? Simply put, the Federal Reserve makes important economic decisions that affect everyone on a daily basis. For example, through the Fed’s open market operations, in which interest rates and the money supply are manipulated, inflation is created. Over the course of 100 years of manipulation, the Fed has managed to debase the purchasing power of the U.S. dollar by 95 percent. For college students, this means having to deal with a currency that is steadily being debased. Thus, we will be pushed into an increasingly rough economic climate as the value and purchas-

ing power of wages decrease and the prices of goods and services continue to increase.

If the public, Congress and outside financial institutions had access to these numbers and data, then we could better understand the instruments and methods the Federal Reserve is using to manipulate something as important as the money supply. Increased transparency would give citizens increased knowledge of the inner workings of our financial system and allow government agencies to better regulate the Fed’s secretive actions and methods.

Some argue that increased transparency could divert legislatures’ attention from the Fed’s long-term goals and instead focus on the instruments the Fed deploys in an attempt to meet these goals.

However, increased transparency would give regulatory agencies and the legislatures insight into the inner workings and operations of a virtually unaccountable, behemoth private bank. In today’s tumultuous financial world, where the global system is hanging precariously on the brink of disaster, the United States needs to lead by example and put an end to the mysterious dealings of our Central Bank. If we have access to this data, we can better monitor the critical actions of the Fed and better ensure that their actions are justified and best serve the interests of the country as a whole. As college students getting ready to become financially independent adults, the decisions of the Federal Reserve affect the economic climate and job market we are entering into. Let’s hold them accountable and audit them to ensure that the decisions of the nation’s Central Bank are the right ones.

Huckabee’s Birth Control Jab Only Serves to Turn Off Female Constituency KAMRUN NESA Asst. Opinions Co-Editor & Copy Editor

We still have a couple more years until the United States. goes into a frenzy for the 2016 Presidential Election, but we already have potential candidates—well, mostly Republicans—putting their foot in their mouths while trying to appeal to Americans. It seems as if, while trying to promote their own political philosophies, they’re only further alienating themselves from the general public, whether it’s New Jersey Governor Chris Christie misleading the public by feigning ignorance about the George Washington Bridge lane closures or Texas Senator Ted Cruz pledging “no amnesty” on immigration reform.

Unfortunately for the Republicans, these weren’t the last displays of their political ineptitude. On Jan. 23, during a Republic National Committee meeting to discuss the gender gap, presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee tried to appeal to women by calling them strong and independent, but in the same vein, also claimed that they cannot “control their libidos” if they have to receive federally-funded birth control from “Uncle Sugar.”

Upon hearing Huckabee’s speech, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund released a statement saying, “Birth control is basic, preventive health care for women. It helps women plan their pregnancies and manage their lives, and many women use it for a variety of other medical reasons. […] The fact that Mike Huckabee doesn’t understand what birth control does is a perfect illustration of why decisions about birth control should be left to a woman and her doctor, without

interference from politicians.”

To suggest that federally-funded birth control is like permitting promiscuity only belies the fact that Huckabee is completely ignorant when it comes to this issue. In fact, based on a study conducted by Guttmacher Institute in November 2011, 58 percent of women who use birth control use it for other medical reasons besides pregnancy prevention, and about 762,000 women who use it have never even been sexually active, which immediately crosses out Huckabee’s concern for overactive libidos.

Just because the government is willing to dole out assistance to women, and women are willing to accept it, does not insinuate that they are damsels in distress who are in need of some knight in shining armor or an “Uncle Sugar,” as Huckabee put it. In many cases, government assistance isn’t enabling women to be idle and be “a victim of their gender” but rather, providing them with the foundation to rise up and be independent.

Democrats aren’t force-feeding them the pills, but giving them an inch so that they can take a mile.

Essentially, Mike Huckabee implied that any group who needs assistance or is given more rights is too weak to take care of themselves. Huckabee may as well have said that, by pushing for more jobs and an increase in the minimum wage, Democrats are suggesting that Americans are too inept and unqualified to find work themselves or get a job that pays more money.

By making contraception more available, Democrats aren’t taking away women’s independence but giving them more of it. Women who did start families early—perhaps because they couldn’t afford birth control—typically do not have

KIRSTIN BUNKLEY/THE OBSERVER

Birth control serves to give women more independence rather than less.

strong academic backgrounds and, therefore, are at a disadvantage when it comes to securing good and competitive jobs. This is not to say that birth control automatically guarantees a good education and career, but it does give women a sense of control over their reproductive organs, as well as the ability to decide when to start a family.

Considering Republicans have a small female voter base, Huckabee was trying to convince Republicans to do more to change that while simultaneously convincing women that Republicans, unlike Democrats, don’t want to coddle them, but empower them to take care of

themselves. That plan, however, only backfired because not only are Republicans dissatisfied with him, but he may have potentially managed to shirk off the few female proponents that Republicans had. The Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Preibus, who had initially held the meeting to discuss how to appeal to female voters, chastised Huckabee for his choice of words. Not to mention, according to CBS News, many other Republicans expressed discontent because his speech took the spotlight away from other speeches concerning women as well as a “Rising Stars” forum that showcased five up-and-

coming female Republican leaders.

Huckabee may have tried to backtrack and argue that his grudge is against Democrat treatment of women rather than birth control, but the damage has already been done. His comments about Democrats taking advantage of women’s reproductive issues only made Democrats look more caring and understanding towards women.

While Huckabee may have had noble (although misguidedly so) intentions, it seems that he may have just nipped the Republican Party’s chances of increasing their female support in the bud.

Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture Co-Editors Ludovica Martella — ludovica.martella@gmail.com Andrew Milne — amilne@fordham.edu Tyler Martins — t.martins216@gmail.com February 13, 2014 THE OBSERVER

Everyone Is Asking Questions About FCLC’s Next Mainstage

By ADRIANA GALLINA Staff Writer “We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as South West Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 18841915,” Fordham College at Lincoln Center’s (FCLC) newest mainstage production to debut Wednesday, Feb. 19, “will be like nothing you’ve ever seen, I can guarantee you,” Winter Dunn, FCLC’14 and an actress in the play, said.

Try to follow this: “It’s actors, playing actors, doing a play, about doing a play,” Beth Goldenberg, costume designer for “We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia” and assistant costume designer for “Chaplin” on Broadway, said.

The presentation that the characters rehearse and perform throughout the play discusses a genocide that took place in German South West Africa, around the turn of the 20th century. The Herero tribe, who lived in modern-day Namibia, rebelled against German colonizers, resulting in the systematic extermination of their tribe. There is little documentation on this particular genocide.

Don’t let its long name intimidate you. “The title is long and exhausting and we get that. But that’s kind of the point. This play is funny, goofy and quirky,” Dunn said. “But at the same time, it’s deep, intellectual and forces you to acknowledge a history that has been ignored for a very long time and you see these kids trying to bring it back.”

Even more challenging for this production is the fact that “there’s very little, maybe nothing, from the perspective of the Herero [tribe],” Shonni Enelow, assistant professor of

English, said. Enelow offered her assistance as a dramaturg to the mainstage production because of the questions it evokes in the characters and audience alike. In general, a dramaturg is responsible for keeping track of the text.

“A dramaturg is kind of like a resident scholar, who knows a lot about the play, when it was written, its cultural context and works with the director to make it into a meaningful theatrical production,” Enelow said.

“The problem the characters run into in this play is that they start with the story of killers, the victors, the perpetrators of this genocide,” Enelow said. “So, how could these characters even begin to get inside and identify with these people who are so opaque to them?”

The playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury did not name any of these characters. Instead, in the script written less than five years ago, the actors are referred to by only race and gender, two roles in society that the play will explore and question. Dunn plays a character who is identified in the script simply as “black woman.”

There are six characters: three black, three white, two males and one female of each. “Without giving too much away about the play, these characters have to decide how they are going to delineate the roles. There’s a contentious discussion of, ‘Could you play a German?’ ‘Could you play an African?’ and ‘Could the roles be reversed?’,” Enelow said.

Goldenberg explained that this production switches from the characters rehearsing a presentation and performing it. The lines between rehearsal and performance begin to blur until “both times exist at once.”

Ultimately, “it’s about the creation of a piece of theater, while you are also simultaneously watching that piece of

theater,” Goldenberg said.

Interpretation has many layers in this play. The characters in the play interpret the history and those involved, while Fordham students interpret their characters and their characters’ interpretation of the play.

While Enelow pointed out the difficulties the actors in the play experience in relating to the soldiers and the killers, Dunn finds many aspects of the characters themselves to be accessible.

“This play is about a group of twenty-something-year-old people, who consider themselves theater artists, trying to put on a presentation about a genocide,” Dunn said. The characters’ ages especially helped Dunn relate to her role. “I have been this person. I might not say all the things she says, might not end where she ends up, but I get this girl, I know this girl. And many times, I am her.”

However, she takes the relationship to the characters further than this simple age comparison. “It’s kind of creepy how much you relate to what they are saying,” Dunn said.

“That’s why it’s intellectual because then you have to question why what they are saying isn’t too far from what you would say,” Dunn said.

“This play sparks genuine questions to ask yourself.”

IF YOU GO

We Are Proud to Present a Presenation About the Herero of Namibia WHEN: February 19-21 & February

27-March 1

WHERE: Pope Auditorium (113 West

60th Street) PRICE: General Admission: $15 Fordham Alumni and Faculty: $10 Students and Senior Citizens: $5

PROPERTY OF FORDHAM UNIVERSITY THEATER COMPANY

The Comma Interrobang Spending a Night Living in Noah’s Sandals

By MEREDITH SUMMERS Asst. Literary Editor Anyone who has had to take Sacred Texts & Traditions: Old Testament is familiar with the story of Noah. In case you aren’t, Noah was chilling with his family and all the plants and animals and people on Earth. Now, Noah was pretty clever—his Tweets and Facebook statuses always pleased God, but beyond that, God wasn’t too pleased with His newsfeed. He was tired of the whining, tired of the drunken status updates and most of all, tired of Instagram pictures of Starbucks lattes. So God decided to purge His friends list by sending a flood to wipe out everyone on Earth except Noah and his family. This may seem a bit extreme, but how else can a deity be positive that His or Her newsfeed will stay clear?

Noah built an ark and loaded it up with his family and two of every animal (except the dinosaurs, if you’re a Creationist) and they were stuck on this boat for 40 days and 40 nights, and it was like the longest and smelliest family vacation ever. When all was said and done, God put a big rainbow in the sky as a promise that He wouldn’t drown the majority of the population of the Earth ever again.

As I stood in my bedroom in McMahon Hall watching the water flowing out of my closet at 2 a.m., I started to doubt God’s promise. When the water started to come in from under the front door too, I considered beginning to build an ark. However, I found myself at a shortage of building supplies and the knowledge of how to actually build an ark (ugh, lazy millennial). Also, due to dorm regulations, I didn’t have any animals on hand so that put a damper (haha get it?) on the ark-loading festivities that would follow its completion.

As a parade of strange adults came in and out of the bedroom all night long, I couldn’t help but wonder how Noah managed to get anything done while combatting squishy sandals. As it turns out, being a patriarch is way overrated. Because I consider myself an optimist, I am looking at the wind tunnel caused by all the industrial fans swirling all of my papers across the apartment as a sign that this type of flood will not happen again. I am positive that I am not the only one at Fordham who hopes this incident is just water under the bridge.

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Arts & Culture

February 13, 2014 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

TYLER MARTINS/THE OBSERVER

Student musicians perform during the chamber orchestra’s rehearsal on Monday, Feb. 12 in Franny’s Space.

The Halls Are Alive With the Sound of Music

By TYLER MARTINS Arts & Culture Co-Editor

Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) will welcome a new chamber orchestra this semester as part of the expansion of its music program.

Music majors at Fordham are required to partake in four semesters of music performance, either instrumental or choral. Both FCLC and Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) have choral ensembles but all instrumental groups were located at Rose Hill. Any students interested in performing in such an ensemble would have to travel uptown to the Bronx weekly.

“If you’re a cello player, and you’ve got to haul a cello up to Rose Hill on a Ram Van, it’s a little annoying,” Dr. Daniel Ott, associate chair of the department of art history and music, said. “This is a chance to have something down at the Lincoln Center’s campus.”

A chamber orchestra is a scaled down model of a symphony orchestra,

in which there is generally one player per musical part. In comparison, the New York Philharmonic currently has 110 members, while the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra has 34, according to their respective websites.

Currently, there are more music majors enrolled at FCLC than FCRH, according to statistics provided by the department of art history and music.

The creation of this chamber orchestra marks a trend of the University’s commitment to expanding its music major at FCLC. After having an informational session last semester, the chamber orchestra will begin to rehearse on a semi-weekly basis: eight or nine times throughout the semester on Monday evenings in Franny’s Space at FCLC. “We have a fabulous young conductor who is going to be leading the group, a graduate conducting major at Juilliard – Christian Reif,” Ott said.

“We really want to try to have as many of all the different kinds of instruments that are in an orchestra that we could have. We’d love a lot of

violin players, we’d love to have more cello players, we’d love one or two viola players,” Ott said. “It would be great if we have all of our bases covered and the orchestra could perform at some point.”

Approximately 25 students have expressed interest in performing in the ensemble. “We’d love to see that grow closer to 40,” Ott said. “Eventually, we’d like to make this an ensemble to give credit to music majors and minors.”

All students are encouraged to participate as long as they are able to read music. Some sort of orchestral experience is a plus but not necessary.

“We’re not the Bremen Philharmonic, so there’s not an audition requirement at this point, so it’s really open to anyone who is interested.”

What is most unique about this ensemble is that it is not only open to undergraduate students at FCLC but also encourages students enrolled in Fordham Law School and Fordham School of Professional and Continuing Studies (PCS) to participate.

“I would suspect most people who would play in the ensemble will not be music majors, so it’s there for music majors but also for anyone interested and good enough to play in such an ensemble,” Rev. Robert R. Grimes, S.J., dean of FCLC, said.

A chamber orchestra specific to FCLC has been in the works for the past two years and it was this summer that plans were set in motion to get it on its feet according to Ott. Part of the delay has to do with resources.

“It’s a space issue. Everything here is a space issue,” Grimes said. “The theatre department cooperated with the use of Franny’s Space one night a week.”

The creation of a chamber orchestra comes on the heels of collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC). The details of the collaboration allow the opportunity for Fordham students to participate in Jazz Ensembles and the Jazz Orchestra at JALC facilities weekly, with guest artists stopping by rehearsals and sitting in.

“In general, we’ve been looking at how do we develop partnerships with other institutions that benefit both institutions,” Grimes said.

“This fall, we had the official start of a relationship with JALC and so I think it makes sense to have some sort of classical complement to that,” Ott said. But more importantly, “students deserve to have an opportunity to make music on their home campus without having to schlep uptown.”

Ott believes that this renewed focus on expanding music performance opportunity “goes hand-in-hand with the identity of this campus.”

“It’s in the name itself. We’re at Lincoln Center. Lincoln Center is the capital of the performing arts of the country. Some would argue, the world,” Ott said.

The renewed focus and dedication to expanding its music program is “one of the things you expect of a liberal arts college,” Grimes said. “In many ways, what we’re trying is to fill in the gaps of what you would find in a really top notch liberal arts college.”

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER February 13, 2013

Arts & Culture

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The Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. Benefit Concert

By LUDOVICA MARTELLA Arts & Culture Co-Editor

SARAH HOWARD/THE OBSERVER

The Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. Benefit Concert will take place in Pope Auditorium on Thursday, March 6.

The annual Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. in Dance Benefit Concert will take place in Pope Auditorium at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) on Thursday, March 6.

Dancers in all stages of the program will participate in the concert.

“This concert signifies a long tradition for the program, the best one for dance majors in the country with the exceptional liberal arts program that Fordham offers,” Tracy Miller said. Miller is the assistant to Co-Director of the B.F.A. Program Melanie Person.

Not only does the concert serve as a financial support for the program, but it also provides opportunities for alumni and supporters to engage with students. “The event is really a time where we invite guests, friends, alumni and patrons of the program to not only experience our students on stage and see them in performance but also to have an opportunity to engage with them in those pre and post show receptions,” Miller said.

The concert is choreographed by professional choreographers, who are hired by the company every year to work with the students for both semesters. The dances “all reflect the different style of the choreographers,” Miller said. The concert this year will be choreographed by Pedro Ruiz, Taryn Kaschock Russell, Jessica Lang, Jennifer Archibald and Ronal K. Brown.

Brown choreographs the solo that the Denise Jefferson Memorial Dance Scholarship recipient performs during the concert. This annual scholarship is given by the B.F.A. program to a student who, throughout the

time in the program has shown excellence and hard work.

Brittany Ballentine, FCLC ’15, is the recipient of this year’s Denise Jefferson Scholarship. According to Ballentine, the recipient is awarded $8,000 in scholarship money. It’s not the first time that Ballentine has worked with Brown. “I have already worked with him last year. I performed one of his pieces at the Spring Concert in May at Ailey,” Ballentine said. Brown, who owns a dance company based in Brooklyn, taught Ballentine this past summer.

“The solo that I am performing is actually an old solo that was already performed at Ailey years ago,” Ballentine said. “It was amazing,” Ballentine said after the first rehearsal.

Ballentine has performed in the concert every year. Considering the opportunity to perform the solo, this concert is clearly different.

The annual Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. in Dance Benefit Concert is open to the public and will offer an auction “which promotes wellness and the arts,” Miller said. The receptions at the beginning and the end of the concert are also “an opportunity to really get to know the people who support the program and the arts,” Ballentine said.

IF YOU GO

Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. in Dance Benefit Concert WHEN: March 6, 2014 WHERE: Pope Auditorium (113 West 60th Street) TIME: Reception at 5:45 p.m.; Performance at 7:00 p.m.

PRICE: For pricing information, go to: http://www.alumni.fordham.edu/calendar/detail.aspx?ID=3487

Lifting the Curtain on the Future of Opera

By ANDREW MILNE Arts & Culture Co-Editor

For most, the idea of opera conjures up an image of the wrinkled and rich masses bespectacled in stodgy opera glasses. It’s a classic perception, but not necessarily true—now is a particularly innovative time for opera. In the past few months alone, opera star Renée Fleming’s soprano tones soared singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Superbowl XLVIII, the first time in history an opera singer has done so; the revamp of “Die Fledermaus” at the Metropolitan Opera in late December with critics raving about its glitter and exuberance; and the opera adaptation of the Oscar-winning film “Brokeback Mountain” opened on Jan. 28 at the Teatro Real in Madrid.

In the midst of all this innovation and change, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) sits at its heart, positioned next to the Metropolitan Opera and the Juilliard School, meccas of the opera world. Many people feel that Fordham is missing out.

Despite the 2013 closing of the New York City Opera (NYCO), the curtain isn’t drawn yet. In the direction of the classics as well as original productions, there is a lot of upheaval happening in the opera world, according to Lawrence Kramer, distinguished professor of English at FCLC and a renowned music critic and composer. While Kramer does assert that the classic model for big-scale operas is doing well, especially internationally, he believes that “the future of opera looks like a combination of a continuation of the grand old tradition…with this innovative new opera production on a more mobile, more lean-mean scale.”

The future of opera is still being written, but Kramer believes a large portion of it will involve hybrid forms of opera production inspired by other

works. The creation of recent original operas, particularly “Brokeback Mountain” and the 2011 opera “Anna Nicole,” which opened at the NYCO in 2013 and was based on the life of the infamous Anna Nicole Smith.

“Brokeback Mountain” uses a cross between opera and other forms, such as short stories and film and “Anna Nicole” employs tabloid and newspaper headlines for inspirational fodder. “I think that as far as the future of opera is concerned, we can expect more of [operas with mixed forms].

The boundaries that used to separate different levels of culture have obviously weakened; there’s a lot of crossfertilization,” Kramer said.

“There’s no delineation anymore, thank heavens…come back to me in a few years and ask me to comment on the first rap-opera,” the professor said.

Even “Die Fledermaus,” a more traditional operetta, which is like an opera but lighter and usually more comical, has a very musical style to it. Frank DiLella, adjunct professor of communication and media studies and a reporter for NY1, wrote in his piece “‘Die Fledermaus’ Shakes Up the Met” that this production “threw in some musical theater humor in the text,” suggesting strong musical undertones in the operetta. Kramer asserted that “opera is essentially a 19th century form of popular entertainment, and it’s actually one of the forerunners of the Broadway musical.” Kramer went on to explain that “if you go back in the earlier 20th century, you’ll see that singing styles on Broadway were often like the singing styles of operetta and it gradually evolved into something else so that the two worlds represented by this, the European form and this American form, eventually grew apart. So I gather that this staging of ‘Die Fle-

ISABELLE GARREAUD/THE OBSERVER

While innovative forms of opera are increasingly popular, traditional forms are still sought-after at the Metropolitan Opera House.

dermaus’... is a kind of self-conscious production which is aware of this history and capitalizes on it in this performance.”

While the associations between opera and high-class snobbery do reverberate to some people, Kramer insists that class isn’t a problem for either audience members or aspiring singers. “Nobody’s going to scalp opera tickets for thousands of bucks, but you find people doing that for concerts by big name pop singers. It’s really not an economic thing, and in fact if you really want to go to a Metropolitan opera and get a perfectly decent seat, you can do it for $25,” Kramer said. He asserts that the link between snobbishness and opera is mostly a misconception, and there is no true link between class and more classical musical styles. While hopeful opera singers do have to train with vocal coaches and ultimately go to a conservatory, it’s roughly the same commitment as any other graduate

school endeavor, and often higher institutions will support their students financially.

According to Kramer, “we do have one invaluable resource at Fordham, which no other American university can match—the Metropolitan Opera is right across the street. I think there is movement afoot to do more to help encourage people to train for careers in musical performance.”

While FCLC’s proximity to such institutions should be taken advantage of, some members of the music department urge students to go outside of the ivory towers to experience the true arts scene of New York. “For someone who is in the arts in New York City, that’s the great benefit of being in New York City. You can have the museum [meaning the more traditional Metropolitan Opera] right across the street, but to get out and actually engage with the arts in your generation [is invaluable]” Rev. Robert R. Grimes, S.J., dean of FCLC said,

suggesting students explore the arts outside of the name-brand institutions.

Music major and opera enthusiast Taylor Palmer, FCLC ’16, who is interested in exploring opera and other classical forms at Fordham, explained that “opera, because it’s the basis of a lot of jazz, a lot of pop, a lot of Broadway music now, it kind of helps a person when they learn that to sing everything else…it’s the basis of all the other music I want to sing, so that’s how it affects me.” The Fordham music program would be strengthened by a deeper exploration of opera here and would allow for music majors, especially vocalists, to polish their knowledge and expertise of all forms of music even if they’re not interested in becoming the next Anna Netrebko or Luciano Pavarotti.

Changes won’t make themselves, however, and despite Fordham’s proximity to world-renowned opera institutions, “it’s really up to the students to say ‘you know, folks, professors, University: we’d like to do some more with opera. We’ve got this great resource, let’s go ahead with it.’ And I think that would meet with a favorable response,” Kramer said. Palmer agrees with this, and said “I was disappointed that Fordham didn’t have a larger focus on vocal performance here because I think that they’re missing out on a major opportunity, especially because we’re in the city and because we’re so close to Lincoln Center.”

Palmer went on to assert that “I’m not the only one that feels this way. I think there’s a fairly large community at Fordham who would be interested in the same things I am and would be willing to work with both the Fordham community and the community outside Fordham to make that happen.”

the comma,

The Comma

February 13, 2014 THE OBSERVER

Heads

By MARGARET FISHER

www.fordhamobserver.com

I came second, and you taught me how to follow.

Through the jungle gym, the plastic dome walls and clumpy sand. Your brown bob was my lighthouse. I was your duckling. I forced you to be big too soon. I waddled after you with my little white sneakers and Pooh Bear sweater, smiling big because I knew.

I was Tails, and there is nothing even about that. About two sides of a coin and which lands upward more often than not; about which side bears the weather and the flick of the fingernail most.

Heads is hard to be.

-I had sticky fingers and chubby palms. Sometimes you didn’t want me, but you held my hand anyway, and hugged me when you didn’t have to. I looked up from the folds of my hand-me-downs and smiled because you wore them first.

I liked to sit still and watch while you chased everything. While everything chased you.

We played and I always had to be the boy, except when you wanted to be the boy. We painted rocks gold together.

At first you wanted both, then you wanted to trade yours for mine, then you wanted me to have both. And that’s how it went for us.

You got me in trouble and I made you laugh.

I got you in trouble and cried when you didn’t tell on me.

I cried when you got yelled at.

And the day you got too old too soon.

-When I think about what happened to us, I try to remember: Sometimes, it’s no one’s fault.

Our clothes were old.

My backpack was small.

My hair wasn’t pretty.

I wasn’t pretty.

I wasn’t, And, sometimes, kids are cruel.

The corner of the pavement.

The back of the class.

The front seat of the car.

I crumpled.

Please don’t ask me to say a name.

Really, it’s no one’s fault.

But she was pretty.

He said she was pretty.

So did he.

They all said she was pretty, All wanted to have something pretty.

On the chain link fence.

Behind the bathrooms.

The back seat of the car.

‘Pretty’ didn’t feel like they’d promised.

It felt thick.

Like heavy foundation.

Concealer.

A nicely painted mask that doesn’t match your skin tone.

This is the world.

No, really, I’m fine.

Sometimes, it’s no one’s fault But mine.

-She came home sixteen one day with smeared make-up and a ruffled shirt.

Her arms had bruises and she looked down at her hands.

But all that night we didn’t talk about it out loud, we just watched our favorite movies while she put curlers in my hair.

She seemed so strong then, so sure of how life was supposed to work.

But she wasn’t, not anymore than I was.

She had just learned to pretend.

TYLER MARTINS/THE OBSERVER

2

THE OBSERVER February 13, 2014

By DAVID BUCHANAN

Piggy Bank

www.fordhamobserver.com

The Comma

3

Glare with glazed eyes, protuberant snout, corkscrew tail.

Perpetual smile.

Once whole, now shattered; Ruined.

Shards of avarice birth coinage.

What shall she purchase?

Her prize for destruction.

West Lake (西湖)

By YUAN HONG WONG

The rain falls, like steps in a dance, drowning out summer tongues.

The water flows, near the broken bridge, sinking into vacant heart.

The cold air, snaking wisps of ice, into the lotus pond.

Calm surface, your warm summer eyes, mirroring the moon.

MEREDITH SUMMERS/THE OBSERVER

The Mute’s Prayer

By ROSS LAMPERT

Goggles down, hands gripping ax through tattered gloves, I slam the edge of the double-sided bastard of a blade into the bark again and again. The tree was dead and rotting too high above the canopy in front of the Mute’s house, and here I am dragging it down to earth with the rest of us. I had been chopping for a decade of minutes, running on black coffee and adrenaline.

I caught him yesterday, talking to the mountain cur that sleeps under his truck when it rains. Or maybe just mouthing words. Couldn’t tell from the driver’sside window. But nevermind. Sound or silence, he was talking to somebody besides himself for once.

Today, the cur lies still with his chin on the edge of the porch, watching me but I am not distracted. With one last swing I rip a notch out of the trunk and circle over to the other side where I will create the hinge. I yell in motivation and unleash a flurry of incisions. In the forest, no one hears you scream.

But soon I hear the tree ache as it leans and I know. I run in the opposite direction as the great dead tree breaks through the canopy and smashes against the ground, shaking the whole mountainside as it sinks into the dirt. When all is still again I run onto the fallen trunk, sink my ax into it and shriek into the air in victory, panting in exhaustion.

And it is then that I see him behind the window next to his front door, open palm on the glass. And the mountain cur, he has not moved except for his tail is wagging with a loyalty that will never die. I know it well.

If God woke up with the rest of us and took His own ax and split this mountain open without anyone noticing, a few squirrels, chipmunks, deer, foxes and bears along with a couple thousand trees would go with it, and us. We would go and be missed but not for long. Nobody prays for us. And so we pray for each other.

The Mute, he was smiling at me. That tree could have fallen any minute.

VICTORIA VON ANCKEN/THE OBSERVER

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The Comma

February 13, 2014 THE OBSERVER

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Masterpiece

By HANNA TADEVICH

There is nothing original to say about heartbreak. The frigid loneliness of long empty days we fill with replacement bodies and deceptively warm alcohol to burn down the esophagus and make us feel something. The burning hell of long empty nights we strip of one layer of clothing after another, so hot with rage at our own thoughts that refuse us a minute of sleep. Watch sad movies that we may cry for someone else’s tragedy and not feel selfish for consumption by our own. Wish for the stabbing in our hearts and the twisting in our guts to pause just long enough to remember we like living, yet simultaneously wish it continue forever because it’s better to feel pain than a body void of love.

None of it is original. The original is him or her. We drew the very blood from our veins and dipped our fingers in it, painted it on their arms and let it seep into their skin so they became works of art, a synthesis of the two of us, too beautiful to be replicated.

We wrapped the sinews of our hearts so that we each loved making love two times as much; we entwined the organs in our guts so that we only wanted to eat food together, savory and satiating it filled us both. We merged our stories and none of the words can be erased; tattooed behind my eyes they push tears forward with each blink. I wait for a new story to pen itself there but no story ever could; we are timelessly original; it’s why I can’t sew back together the half of me that is missing you, my work of art.

e g a s es M d e k r o C t x e N e For th

By BOBINA VANDER LAAN

If I could have promised to stop smashing newly-bought wine bottles against ice black pavement, as if crowning unintended unmaiden ships with slick rubies, would you have stopped tempting me with gold? I jump between islands of rock salt, continue to find a route to track the tenses. I can’t say I would not have climbed the fire escape up three flights, though all I was clambering away from was another year tacked onto a fresh licensed introduction. Attempting to find something higher— somewhere more numb and less unending, or vice versa, who could tell what is cloudy comedy above or bright tragedy below? Over apartment silhouettes and ceaseless river currents, the George Washington Bridge makes for a pretty constellation. We could have mistaken the floating semi-truck lights for flitting meteorites or communication towers for a guiding point, even with an errant gaze at Venus we’re always looking a few minutes into the past. I look back on the dark wake in fading bitter bold fondness— what I didn’t remember about launching parties is that you should never expect those sails to break the horizon again. Over again, we practice exquisite oaths we don’t intend to keep— offer open hands through fog just to raise a line and touch our own faces. When the view is flush remember to say good, and only then bye.

BRIAN BRUEGGE/THE OBSERVER

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THE OBSERVER February 13, 2014

The Comma

Larry

By MARIETTE DOROBIS

We have all known the power of fleeting love.

Whether it be a winter break romance, a summer camp friendship, that ice cream sandwich that you spent 3 dollars on only to finish in 2 minutes— There is no heartbreak quite like it.

Because all you are left with when it’s over is regret. Sure, there are some memories. But, much more so, there are the questions: What could I have done better? What could have made it last longer?

The answer is probably nothing, but nevertheless the wondering burns you to your core.

I’ve had my share of fleeting love. Boy, have I. None, however, quite as fleeting (nor as passionate) as that with a certain dental hygienist: Larry.

Now, my relationship with Larry began like any other. About four weeks ago, my upper left molar was causing me some irritation. I had just cause to believe that such discomfort was due to the abrupt arrival of those ne’er-do-well wisdom teeth.

Like any sensible adult, I got my pediatric dentist on the phone right away.

My mother had taken her appointment book with all of our important phone numbers in it with her to work, so I turned to the Internet.

I googled “Children’s Dental Group of New Jersey.”

There, as if by fate, was exactly what I longed for: the contact information for “Children’s Dental Group of New Jersey” – located on Highway 34!

I wasted no time. I typed the number into my cell phone, and I called. It rang. And rang. And then it rang some more.

No answer.

I was at a loss, so sure that I would never be able to open my jaw fully ever again. But, just as I was about to google “best open-faced sandwich recipe,” I heard that fateful click.

“Children’s Dental Group of New Jersey” came a voice, “This is Larry speaking. How may I help you?”

I was so overcome with ecstasy that I almost forgot what to do in the heat of the moment. But, by some miracle, I managed to not completely lose my head.

“Hi, my name is Mariette Dorobis. I think I need my wisdom teeth out.”

This man—Larry was his name?—knew exactly what to do. He got my insurance information, and verified that I indeed was a viable client. We chatted some more, me giving him the whole scoop on my upper left molar, and him giving me a whole lot of laughs. Before we bid adieu, he said: “Well, Mariette, I’ll see you tomorrow. Dr. Daniels will be so excited to see you.”

-Cue internal record scratch“I’m sorry…Dr. Daniels? But my dentist is Dr. Miller! Is this Children’s Dental Group of New Jersey, on Highway 34 South?”

But even as the words left my lips, I knew the answer.

“Oh, I see what might have happened, Miss. We are actually located on Highway 34 North.”

I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t know what to do.

Actually, I did. I knew exactly what I needed to do.

“I’m so sorry for the inconvenience, sir,” I said sadly. “I’ll call Dr. Miller’s office.”

And with a heavy heart, I hung up the phone.

But, little did I know, that would not be the last I would be hearing of Larry.

The next day, around 9:00 AM, the phone rang.

“Whom might that be?” I asked myself.

I let the voicemail get it.

“Hello, this is Larry from the Children’s Dental Group of New Jersey, calling to confirm your appointment for today—“ I could hardly believe it! It was all I could do to not pick up the phone right then and there.

I left the message finish, and then went back to sleep, with a warm feeling all over.

Though I knew I should probably call the dental office right away, I just could not bring myself to do it. It was as if every time I thought about picking the phone up, one of Larry’s references to the MTV show Jersey Shore from the day prior would pop into my head, acting as an invisible shield between myself and that northern stretch of highway.

Larry called again, about 5 hours later. Once more, I could not bring myself to answer. Then, about 2 hours later, my mother arrived home, and saw the messages.

She chastised me, telling me to call the office back “before her insurance company kicked her a**.”

So, with my soul drowning in distress, I phoned the Children’s Dental Group of New Jersey once more.

“Larry speaking.”

Oh, happy dagger! Those two words were enough to almost make me abandon the whole thing. But, in the back of my head remained the nagging voices of the workers at my mother’s insurance company.

I explained the situation to Larry. He completely understood. I felt sad for the end of this era, but tried to comfort myself with the vision of a removed tooth.

I should not have been so hasty.

Once again, I did not realize that this would not be the last I would hear from Larry.

The next morning, once again, I got a call at 9:00 AM. “Hello, this is Larry calling from the Children’s Group of New Jersey. We’re calling because you missed your appointment yesterday—“ Oh, Larry! I knew insurance could not keep a duo this dynamic apart for long!

Unfortunately, my happiness did not last long.

For my mother did not have work today.

And she did not hesitate to spring to action in a way I never could.

She picked up the phone. There was stern talking, but I could not bear to listen.

Yet I knew, in my gut, that we would not be hearing from Larry again.

THE END.

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the end.

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February 13, 2014 THE OBSERVER

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SUBWAYS Observer photographers take a critical look at New Yorkers’ commutes underground, and the architecture of the subway stations they visit.

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Features

Features Co-Editors Paulina Tam —paulinatam01@gmail.com Brigitte Ayaz —brigitteayaz@gmail.com

February 13, 2014 THE OBSERVER

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LAUREN DECKERT.

Lauren Deckert ‘Does More’ with Models Doing More International Fashion Model, Philanthropist and Fordham Alum on her Charity, Models Doing More

By BRIGITTE AYAZ Features Co-Editor

She sat in Professor Papanikolaou’s Faith and Critical Reason class and rushed to attend editorial shoots after school. She appeared on the covers of Vogue Italia and billboards in Times Square.

She sponsored and provided for children, volunteered around the world and continues to give back to the modeling community and beyond. Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) alumna and international supermodel Lauren “Lalla” Deckert, FCLC ’02, holds an unshakeable lifeview: “Being a positive light and a model ambassador everywhere that I go is my key message,” she said.

Deckert has balanced traveling and working across five different continents as a health-conscious model, activist and former student, which has allowed her to experience an endless stream of unfamiliar, cultural journeys. She has shaped the term “model” into an entirely new meaning.

After graduation, Deckert was able to create her nonprofit organization called Models Doing More (MDM), which is designed to send model ambassadors into developing countries to volunteer and do service. But, Deckert defines MDM with an even deeper meaning, “Anyone could be a model ambassador; it doesn’t just have

to be a model; it could be a doctor or a student. I wanted to start with models because people pay attention to models, and they’re really beautiful when they’re also beautiful on the inside, and they’re doing good.”

Deckert swiftly remembered her turning point with MDM: “I was sponsoring a little boy [David]in Ecuador and I called Children’s International and said I was filming here for another three weeks and told them I wanted to see David.

They told me I was gonna have to wait and just made it really difficult and I thought ‘I should be able to see this little boy,’ I just felt helpless when I wanted to reach him … it made me question everything,” she said.

When it came to the young boy who Deckert sponsored and had never met before she planned to take action, “I thought ‘this is it’ I’m going to make my own nonprofit. It’s a lot of work, but I don’t care, it was worth it,” she said.

Her Fordham education along with her art history classes played a significant role in everything she has to offer today. “I really feel that so much of the Jesuit message is about service and giving back and that’s what inspired me to go to the school,” she said. “While I was taking my last class at Fordham, which was Art in Islam, I had the opportunity to go to Morocco. My professor was amazing and she

let me take my midterm early and miss 13 days of school.”

Deckert’s memories of her visit to Morocco were groundbreaking.

“When I was in Morocco, I was exposed to so much poverty and heartache and it was in that moment where I said, ‘Wow, no matter where I go as a model or where I go in my career ... no matter what I do, I really want to help.’”

She has left a lasting impression on developing countries like Ecuador and Thailand, but these places have given her emotional experiences and the urge to circulate awareness.

“When I was modeling in Thailand, I had the opportunity to do a shoot with elephants. And that was a dream for me. But, it was hard because these elephants were really mistreated. I was very sad about it, I could see the tears in their eyes, and I was kissing them,” Deckert said, “I wanted to be an advocate for these elephants; I understood that they’re a big part of the tourism industry, but there had to be other ways around it where people can still pet and ride them. They put these carts on top of them where people sit on and it breaks their backs every time.”

Throughout Deckert’s modeling career, she was naturally introduced to the unglamorous end of the industry, but in that case, she expresses her gratitude. She has one simple secret to fluently

handling it all.

“As long as you don’t lose yourself. What most people don’t understand is you can make a lot of money as a model very quickly… but then you have to have weeks or months where you’re not making a lot [of money],” she said. “You could be in palaces and private planes, but then you could also be slumming the dirty floors in a showroom, in the middle of nowhere, it’s all humbling.”

For Deckert, money is hardly the motive. Instead, “It’s the life experience,” she said. And, popular to contrary belief, a modeling career doesn’t have to be cut short due to older age, “I’m in my early thirties now and, interestingly enough, last year was my best year,” she said.

Being a model means you have to be a chameleon and be okay with changing your physical appearance for the realm of the marketplace but to, “not change your soul or your spirit,” Deckert said.

Although, Deckert might not always be seen in her long, blonde locks on editorial covers, she firmly believes that modeling is an art and she’s expressing herself as an artist as soon as the cameras focus in on her.

“I had my first billboard in Times Square. It was funny because they had this big, black afro on me, and my dad was like ‘typical Lauren, there’s this 33-foot ad

of you and we can’t even recognize you,’” Deckert said, “But that’s part of being a model, an artist...you have to be able to put yourself out there and be different.”

Regardless of where Deckert has traveled around the world, she strongly believes no other place is comparable to New York.

“Traveling is the only thing you spend money on, but you become richer,” she said. “But, New York, I really have a love affair with New York. No matter where I go, it has my heart. New York will break your heart a 1000 times, but it will also give you so much love ... it’s hard to explain. When I see the skyline of New York, my eyes fill with tears every time.”

While Deckert has committed her time and hopeful energy to ensure the happiness of strangers and loved ones, she adds even more dynamisms to her life with unique passions, such as her hobby to dig up intriguing facts and stories about champagne bottles and vintages.

Deckert laughs, “There’s a history in each bubble.” And her love for her French bulldog named Cruchón (piglet in French) is unconditional. “She looks like a piglet,” Deckert said, which explains where her pup’s name came from.

There are renaissance men and then there are renaissance models, who, in this case, happens to be a former FCLC student.

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THE OBSERVER February 13, 2014

Features

11

Weathering Out the Winter Cold Whether You Have Dry or Moist Skin, Check Out the Following Skin Regimens as Told by FCLC Students

By JULIET ALTMANN Contributing Writer

Harsh wind, frigid air and less exposure to the sun are only a few reasons why the winter is a rough season for our skin. Chapped lips and dryness are inevitable ailments that the colder months force us to deal with. Despite this, there are certain measures that can be taken to salvage the healthy glow that spring and summer grace us with.

With this in mind, The Observer interviewed a few Fordham College Lincoln Center (FCLC) students to find out their winter facial routines.

These inquiries gave The Observer insight into some quirky tips and tricks for maintaining a good complexion.

Maria DeCasper, FCLC ’17, from Russia, explained how sometimes products specific for certain skin conditions are the most effective.

“My mom bought me a moisturizer for eczema, even though I don’t have it! It keeps my skin from getting too dry in the winter.”

DeCasper is also a strong advocate for do-it-yourself home remedies for skin. Avocados, strawberries, yogurt and cucumbers are only a few ingredients for all-natural skin remedies such as face masks. “I also can’t eat chocolate,” DeCasper continued, “It tends to make my skin break out. That’s how my mom always knows if I’ve eaten chocolate!”

When asked what her top beauty secret was, DeCasper, in classic Russian style, said that she applies vodka to her face to fight acne.

MICHAEL KITADA/ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER/MCT

Our skin could get a beating from the winter so with the right skin products, we can replenish our dry skin.

In many beauty articles, skincare discussions tend to be directed more towards women than men, but male students take care of their skin as well.

Billy Pickett, FCLC ’16, had a different view on the subject. He thinks that having good skin is more important for your own self

esteem than it is for appearing more attractive to others. Pickett has the same skincare regimen for both the warm and cold seasons and always uses a cleansing cream with glycolic acid. Glycolic acid expedites the skin’s exfoliation process, therefore preventing the buildup of bacteria in pores,

which is what causes acne. He has naturally moist skin, and therefore has no need for a moisturizer. He does, however, use a green cream for rosacea, a chronic skin condition that causes redness. The green cream offsets flushing and helps to even out the complexion.

Sam Denholtz, FCLC ’17, also

prides himself in skin that does not require moisturizing. “I’d consider my skin naturally oily and moist,” Denholtz explained. Even when the winter weather is at its harshest, both Pickett and Denholtz are able to get away with basic routines and still maintain good complexions.

Sam’s morning routine consists of washing his face with soap in the shower and using cleansing pads for all skin types.

In conducting these interviews, I was amazed by how different everyone’s regimens are. My personal skincare routine consists of washing my face with Cetaphil cleanser, using Clinique’s “All About Eyes” cream for dark circles, Aveno moisturizer in the winter as needed and Vaseline for extreme dryness. For emergency breakouts, I sleep with Colgate toothpaste on my face as a face mask, which dries out pimples and reduces redness or irritation.

Another routine The Observer discovered at Fordham belonged to Kyle Casey, FCLC ’14. Casey’s morning regimen speaks for itself.

“I start by washing my face with warm water and Trader Joe’s Tea Tree facial cleanser followed by a blackhead solution and a Target brand roller solution for blemishes,” Casey said. “After, I apply Caudalie facial moisturizer and then Bobbi Brown eye cream. Then I take a clean towel and pat my face to remove excess. I finish by putting ice cubes on my skin to tighten it and close my pores.” His secret is that he never touches his face.

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Missed your Megabus to make a PB&J? Yeah, Jewel feels you.

I PITY THE JEWEL

Late to the Party, Classroom, Work Shift, Etcetera JEWEL GALBRAITH Staff Writer

They say that the early bird catches the worm, but is that really true? It’s hard to say either way in the modern human world, where instead of getting up early to hunt and catch our own food, we can buy Tostitos salsa at CVS when we wake up at noon and hoard boxes of cereal in dark corners of our apartments to be eaten months later. Sure, timeliness is a virtue, but whether you’re grabbing lunch or running to class, it’s easy to succumb to laziness and lateness until you’ve gone from “early bird” to “late bird,” to “chronically late bird,” to “bird no one can depend on … I can’t believe that bird can hold down a job … does that bird even know what a watch is? That bird needs to pull it together,” surprisingly easy.

One reason why it’s so easy to be late is that there is just so much to

be late to—classes, work, primetime TV shows, departing airplanes, parties where it’s acceptable to be late and yet still possible to arrive later than acceptable. Anything other than lying in bed is a red hot opportunity for tardiness. And the line between on time and late is, when you think about it, just fractions of a second thick. Just one tick of a second hand, from 3:00:00 to 3:00:01, gets you written down in the great Book of Life as a “Person Who Is Late” (at least, I think that’s how it works). Pretty unforgiving.

Theoretically, though, it should be possible to show up to obligations around the time at which they are scheduled, if not a few minutes early. So why is it so difficult? A little Yahoo Answers research on the topic turns up this reason: people are willing to be late when they lack respect for the person or people they are being late to meet.

First of all, Yahoo Answers, that’s a little cynical. Could it be true that I don’t respect my family,

friends, employers, casual acquaintances or even the part of my brain that tries to get me to make it to Burrito Box before it closes?

Unfortunately, I do have to defer to Yahoo on this one: on a deep, soul level, I know that, for me, the answer is yes. I love the people in my life, but I don’t respect them in the purest sense of the word—no, my real respect is fickle, tough to earn, and 90 percent dedicated to Eleanor Roosevelt, Google Chrome and those really big dogs that look like bears. This leaves little room for my eye doctor or any of the children I babysit.

Respect aside, though, the real silent killer in my personal quest for timeliness is poor planning.

My faulty planning is worse than no planning at all —if I always completely forgot to make plans, I would, at some point, accidentally end up on time. Instead, I use schedules to guarantee that I will never leave home at anything less than a full sprint.

In my mind, my pre-class routine goes like this: -Make and eat breakfast: 5 minutes -Get dressed: 3 minutes -Print homework: 1 minute -Pack bag: 15 seconds -Commute: instantaneous So, I figure, waking up 25 minutes before class should leave more than enough time. It never does. They say that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is insanity, but this is a routine I plan to continue each morning until teleportation is finally invented and my timetables are vindicated.

Anyway, we college students can’t be expected to maintain a schedule after we take our Philosophy of Human Nature requirements and become crippled by existential angst. I’m sure you know the feeling: “Does anything really matter?” you find yourself wondering while you pack a PB&J before running to catch the Megabus. “What if I miss

this bus? What if I don’t go home for Thanksgiving one year? Why does Thanksgiving matter to me?

There are no such things as people.

The timeline of life as we know it is imagined. I’m going to sit down and watch some YouTube videos of goats yelling.” Once you reach that point, it’s all over. There are more yelling goat videos on YouTube than you would expect.

So, it’s not easy to be on time— but does the early bird catch the worm after all? Again, it’s hard to come up with a concrete stance on worms, especially when you have the futility of human existence to think about. The best we can do is keep considering the question, and keep glaring at all the people who get off the elevator in Lowenstein on any floor below the one we are rushing to get to. Anyway, I can’t think any further about the topic of lateness right now—Trader Joe’s closes in three minutes and I know I can find my grocery list around here somewhere.

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“I did secret Valentines with my single friends last year. The girl that had me as her ‘secret’ “My worst Valentine’s Day ever was with this guy whom I expected a lot more from. We had decided it was hilarious to get me a video of my two life long crushes explaining how they been dating for like a year and he got me chocolates. I’m allergic to chocolates. He knew I would never go out with me, as a joke of course. Maybe someone can understand how I left was.” –Rosana Smith, FCLC ’17 the secret Valentines hating my friend, hating my life-long crushes and hating valentines.”

–Marie Cascione, FCLC ’17

What Was Your Worst Valentine’s Day Ever?

By PAOLA AGUAYO Contributing Writer

Valentine’s Day: a day when we shamelessly empty our wallets to buy chocolates, long-stemmed roses, amorous dinner dates and cute Hallmark cards for that special someone in hopes to liven up the romance. Yet, no one thinks about all the awful dates that happen during this very night. Before there’s true love, we open our hearts and go through a couple of horrific dates until we meet “the One.” Some dates can have us so disgusted our speed dial is set to a cab driver’s number for a quick and what we hope seems like a nonchalant, exit. Well, we’re still young, right? So, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) students were kind enough to tell us stories of their worst Valentine’s Day date ever.

PAOLA AGUAYO/THE OBSERVER

PAOLA AGUAYO/THE OBSERVER

“My ex-girlfriend forgot it was Valentine’s day. We had planned to go out to a nice dinner and when I went to pick her up, she was in her pajamas. Yeah, we stayed in and watched movies and I wasn’t very happy.” –Greg Pfeiffer, FCLC ’14

“I waited for my date to come and pick me up, when I waited for like two hours and realized that I had been stood up; or that’s what I thought. He came by my house at 2 a.m. drunk and delirious.” –Brittany Jones, FCLC ’17

PAOLA AGUAYO/THE OBSERVER PAOLA AGUAYO/THE OBSERVER

“I asked a girl out for the first time the day before Valentine’s. Even though I didn’t want our first date to be on Valentine’s Day, it just happened. It was a lovely dinner until the girl farted. Literally cut the cheese in the middle of the table, laughed a little and just thought that I would pretend not to notice.” –Alfredo Gonzalez, FCLC ‘16

“I went on a date once with a guy who really impressed me with the restaurant choice but really turned me off with his table manners. He wasn’t like messy or using his cutlery wrong but let his gases out on the table. He BURPED! He didn’t even try to hold it in. I mean, no need to say that I never went out with him again.”

-Alice Marcondes, FCLC ’17

PALOA AGUAYO/THE OBSERVER

“I once went to a high-end steak restaurant, just to realize that my date was vegan and could only eat three things out of the whole menu. It was very stressful.” –Kyle McKee, FCLC ’17

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February 13, 2014 THE OBSERVER

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The Best and Cheapest Little Eats in Chinatown

By ROSANNA CORRADO Staff Writer

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the zodiac symbol for 2014 is the horse. I decided to celebrate by going down to Chinatown and finding the best and cheapest gems the neighborhood has to offer. In addition to being reasonably priced, I searched for unique and traditional Chinese baked goods and small dishes. While enjoying the sights of dragon dancers and crowds armed with confetti cannons, I sampled delicious eastern favorites, like egg tarts and arguably the best dumplings in Chinatown. Here is my delicious journey:

1. Taipan Bakery 194 Canal St

4. Fay Da Bakery 83 Mott St.

Walking in, one is greeted with a roar of noise. The busy bakery was filled with numerous customers calling and shouting orders for all kinds of delicious pastries to a swarm of salesgirls behind the counters. After researching egg tarts and custard buns, the general consensus was that Taipan makes the best in the city, and I decided to see for myself. As I was waiting by the bakery counter, I spotted a fried puff of dough. Upon inquiry, a sales assistant informed me that it was a fried curry beef fritter. They looked too good to resist, and I decided to be adventurous and ordered one too. First, the egg tarts were delicious. I ordered two different kinds, a traditional egg tart and a Portuguese egg tart. The traditional egg tart had a prominent egg flavor in the filling and had a slightly grainy consistency. However, the tart’s buttery, flaky crust created a pleasing flavor combination, with the salt from the crust mingling with the slightly sweet custard. The Portuguese tart’s custard filling was ethereally light and had a smooth consistency. The egg flavor was less prominent and the filling had hints of vanilla and sugar throughout. The custard bun was also delicious; a shell of crunchy egg and sugar crumb toppings gave way to an egg pastry cream filling. Coming from someone who dislikes eggs, the egg-baked goods at Taipan were amazing! The fritter was also a winner and unlike anything I have every tasted. When broken in half, the crisp exterior released billows of steam and revealed dense innards of mashed rice and beef. Overall, Taipan Bakery’s Portuguese egg tarts, egg custard bun and beef curry fritter will ensure that I return soon!

Fay Da Bakery is like a Chinese bakery for beginners. Using tongs and a cafeteria-style tray, you serve yourself from endless display cases filled with baked and steamed goods. The pork buns are winners and, next to David Chang’s pork buns from Momofuku, are my favorite in the city. The filling is composed of shredded pork and minced vegetables with a sweet soy sauce. Another bun unique to Fay Da is the sweet potato bun. Like a sweet potato pie that has been rolled into a bun, a cinnamon and nutmeg filling mingles with the flaky, egg-washed bun crust. For our vegetarian friends, the vegetable-steamed bun is a healthy option and is very flavorful. The chunks of cabbage and mushroom make it a hearty option. However, no matter what you try at Fay Da, you can be sure that the quality and flavors will be consistently delicious.

2. Mei Li Wah Bakery 64 Bayard St On a mission to find the best “big bun” in the city I headed to Mei Li Wah, which, according to Yelp and Menupages, apparently has one of the best. A “big bun” is a steamed bao bun (think steamed wonder bread) filled with a mix of Chinese sausage, beef and a hard-boiled egg. Mei Li Wah’s big bun includes mushrooms, which I was not a fan of. Overall, the bun was good; the sausage was moist and sweet, while the beef was tender and salty. The hard-boiled egg added extra flavor and gave a more neutral taste to the meats’ heavy filling. I also ordered one of their “famous buns,” which turned out to be a sweet bread roll topped with sesame seeds. It would make for a delicious breakfast pastry and the flavor reminded me of challah bread with an eastern twist.

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“I asked someone in line what they were waiting for and was told that the best dumpling and egg rolls awaited me inside.”

5. Simply Bakery 70 Bayard St

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COURTESY GOOGLE MAPS; ILLUSTRATION BY TAYLER BENNETT

3. Wo Hop 17 Mott St Wandering around Mott Street, I came across a line of people that extended halfway down the block. I asked someone in line what they were waiting for and was told that the best dumplings and egg rolls awaited me inside. Though I waited in line for 20 minutes, my efforts did not go unrewarded. The dumplings were fantastic.

The shell was fried to golden brown perfection, and when bit into unleashed a dripping beef filling. I dipped the dumplings into the salty soy sauce served with them and achieved a true umami flavor. Umami is one of the categories of taste and is used to describe a highly pleasing savory taste. These dumplings did just that, which is why I recommend enduring the long wait to get into Wo Hop.

I decided to end my journey on the same note as I began it and got dessert. Unlike most bakeries in Chinatown, Simply Bakery has a sleek and modern interior. While everything looked delicious I was on a mission to try some of the best cake roll slices in Chinatown. Unlike a Swiss roll, the eastern version is much lighter and fluffier and comes in flavors like green tea and strawberry. I got two slices of cake; the first was strawberry and green tea, with black sesame seeds sprinkled into the strawberry section of the cake and a light vanilla buttercream that was swirled throughout.

I was surprised at how much the strawberry cake tasted like an actual strawberry. The black sesame seeds were the perfect pairing with the super sweet buttercream filling.

The second slice I got was made up of squares of chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and green tea cake that were formed into a rectangle and bound by butter cream. Both cake slices were very light, flavorful and served as a sweet way to end a delicious day in Chinatown.

Sports

Sports Editor Jennifer Khedaroo — jkhedaroo@fordham.edu

February 13, 2014 THE OBSERVER

The Carmelo Conundrum: What the Knicks Should Do

By DYLAN PENZA Contributing Writer

The New York Knicks are arguably in the worst position a team can be in as part of the National Basketball Association (NBA): neutral.

So how can the Knicks escape the purgatory of first round playoff exits and mid-teens draft selections that seem to loom in the team’s future?

The answer may be hard for the long-suffering fan base of the team to accept. But it seems to become more and more apparent as the team loses game after game.

The team must trade Carmelo Anthony.

Anthony is a member of a rare species, a genuine superstar. He can score at will from anywhere on the court and has just come off arguably his greatest season, in which he led the league in points per game and was the focal point of a New York Knicks team that won a playoff series for the first time in almost a decade.

He has embodied the spirit of New York, full of the grit of uptown with the spectacle of Times Square.

He is also 30 years old and set to become a free agent. Even in this season, with the Knicks at 20-30 and trying to steal a playoff spot from the Charlotte Bobcats, no one has blamed Anthony for the team’s struggle.

Instead, poor play from overpriced teammates such as Andrea Bargnani and J.R. Smith, coupled by Mike Woodson’s baffling coaching decisions (especially his refusal to bench Raymond Felton) have sunk the season. So, the most logical scenario for the Knicks is to send Anthony packing while his value is at its peak, especially in a year when they don’t appear to be contending.

Almost every team in the NBA improve instantly with the addition of Anthony, but perhaps, the Knicks don’t need to be better. They need to be worse. Trading away Anthony to an asset-rich, superstar-poor team such as the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls or (gasp) the dreaded Boston Celtics could yield bountiful results for all.

The elimination of Anthony’s 21.5 million dollar salary, along with the

young, inexpensive players or draft picks the Knicks would receive allows for cap flexibility in the future for New York. Without the burden of the high contracts of Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler, which both expire after the next season, the Knicks will hopefully be able to build a young roster in the same vein of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Trading Anthony would essentially be like quickly ripping off a band-aid for the Knicks, accelerating the healing process of an ailing franchise.

A trade to a playoff bound team in need of a star, like Chicago or Phoenix, would allow Anthony to play for a team still competing in the postseason, even after the loss of Luol Deng to trade and Derrick Rose or Eric Bledsoe to injury. Moving him to the Celtics would give him a star point guard, in Rajon Rondo, to play with.

One of these teams would acquire a superstar in the prime of his career.

Carmelo would get to play for a wellbuilt, well-coached team. He would no longer have to deal with the circus he has had to put on his back this season. The Knicks, in turn, would gain the freedom to move forward.

Everyone wins.

As a diehard Knicks fan, I understand how this could be upsetting.

I survived the Isaiah Thomas and D’Antoni eras. Why on Earth would we want the only player to ever give us hope in the last decade to leave?

When you love something, you should let it go, especially if it might eventually cost $30 million a year to keep it around.

Madison Square Garden can once more be the mecca of basketball that is now just a fond memory. The house of Willis and Clyde can be rebuilt with sound drafting and fiscal responsibility as opposed to short-term thinking, such as signing players like Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari. It can also be the end to onerous money-spending on players like Eddy Curry, Stephon Marbury and Stoudemire. Trading Anthony won’t turn the Knicks into the Spurs overnight, but it is the start of a long-term plan and an actual future.

COURTESY J. CONRAD WILLIAMS JR/NEWSDAY VIA MCT

For the sake of both the Knicks’ future, Carmelo Anthony must leave.

You Can’t Win Them All, Just Ask Shaun White

By CONRAD ZAJKOWSKI Asst. Sports Editor

COURTESY MIKE SIEGEL/SEATTLE TIMES VIA MCTR

Looking to become the first American male to win gold in three consecutive Winter Olympics, Shaun White has failed to reach his goal. White finished in a surprising fourth place in the men’s halfpipe event on Feb. 11. Since the sport was first introduced to the Winter Olympic Games in 1998, this is the first time the U.S. has not won a medal in the event.

Iouri Podladtchikov, commonly known as I-Pod, won gold for Switzerland landing his trademark trick called You Only Live Once (Yolo).

The trick was a spectacle consisting of an unprecedented 1440 total degrees of spin. It included two headover-heel flips and two 360-degree turns. Yolo was the best trick done so far in the history of snowboarding. Since the trick was first done in March, it has left judges and other snowboarders in awe. One person who was particularly interested in Yolo was Shaun White.

According to Eddie Pells of Associated Press, Shaun White had been watching the trick on his computer and trying to duplicate it since

March. In the qualifying round of the Olympics, White eventually did get to show that he could do the trick. After successfully completing it, many thought he was a gold favorite.

Alas, they were wrong.

Fighting injuries and failing the Yolo trick several times were not the only sources of pressure for the world’s most famous snowboarder.

Less than 24 hours before the debut of the slopestyle event, Shaun White pulled out of the event. “I have made the decision to focus solely on trying to bring home the third straight gold medal in halfpipe for Team USA,” White said to John Branch of the New York Times.

Pulling out of the slopestyle event gathered criticism. Critics such as Sebastien Toutant, a Canadian snowboarder, mocked White on Twitter. On Feb. 5, Toutant tweeted, “Mr. White... It’s easy to find excuses to pull out of a contest when you think you can’t win.”

But White came in second place in a December halfpipe event competition in Breckenridge, Colo., so he was determined to win first place at the Olympics. So much so that he gave the second place trophy to a

young boy in the crowd.

But White didn’t even come into the top three. On his first attempt of Yolo, he fell on his backside. Later, he failed his double-cork trick, falling again. Instead, I-Pod stole the show with gold. Additionally, the Japanese duo consisting of 15-yearold Ayumu Hirano and 18-year-old Taku Hiraoka won silver and gold, respectively.

At 27 years old, White is already a legend in snowboarding. He will be remembered as an early pioneer of the sport. In fact, what the results show is that now the sport has reached a more global level. It’s not only a famous sport in America but in other parts of the world. America will now have a harder time asserting its dominance of guaranteed medals in future Olympics. As he gets older and his rivals are younger and healthier, White’s future in dominating the sport now looks bleak.

And while White is heading home empty-handed, Swiss snowboarder David Habluetzel revealed part of Podladtchikov’s plans. He told Lindsay Jones of USA Today that Podladtchikov’s plans included “Vodka, caviar, and friends.” One can’t really blame him.

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Sports

February 13, 2014 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

COURTESY OF FORDHAM SPORTS

The softball team started their season off in Orlando, Fla. with a 2-1 record.

Softball Starts Their Road to Another Championship

By JENNIFER KHEDAROO Sports Editor

This past weekend, the Fordham softball team started off their 2014 season in Orlando, Fla. After a round of explosive offensive effort and consistent superb pitching, the team improved to 2-1. And Head Coach Bridget Orchard believes this year’s team can win the Atlantic 10 (A-10) Conference once again.

“I think we’re the front-runners right now. We are definitely the best team in the conference,” Orchard said. According to Operations Assistant at the A-10 Conference, Tom Waterman, a preseason poll of the league’s top 10 head coaches agrees with that statement. In late January, the coaches predicted Fordham to win the 2014 A-10 Championship ahead of competitive schools such as Saint Joseph’s College and George Washington University.

Winning the title this year would

give Fordham back-to-back championships. And although Orchard believes that the Rams can do it, she still worries about some aspects of the game. “I think our biggest challenge every year is to stay healthy. As long as we’re healthy, we’ll be good to go but that’s always a challenge,” she said.

Orchard is also worried about the youngest members of the team.

“Freshmen have been starting this year; seeing how they develop and adapt to the college level will be another issue to see if we repeat as champions.” Two of the four freshmen, Sydney Canessa, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’17, and Lauren Quense, FCRH ’17, have been productive. Canessa has an average of .273, with one run batted in during the 12-3 win against University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on Saturday. In that same game, Quense pitched two innings and did not give up a single run, walk or hit.

But Fordham’s biggest players were Michele Daubman, FCRH ’15, and Gabby Luety, FCRH ’14. “Both of them have absolutely been leaders since they got here their freshman year. They lead by example and also lead on the field,” Orchard said.

Daubman pitched 13 scoreless innings over the weekend and ended with a 1-1 record. Her one loss came from two unearned runs against the University of Central Florida on Feb. 9. Fordham lost that game 2-1.

Luety had driven the offense all weekend. In six at-bats, she had five hits. Of her five hits, she batted in three runs and knocked in one home run. She even managed to stay patient at the plate, with a total of five walks in three games. Heading into this week, her batting average is a redhot .833. Luety was named the A-10’s Softball Player of the Week, while teammate Daubman was named Softball Pitcher of the Week.

Daubman, Luety, Orchard and the

rest of the team use the word “relentless” to describe their commitment towards this season. “It’s a word that we talk about a lot. The girls are very relentless as far as their work ethic being on the field, off the field and academically,” she said. “We have 17 of our girls above a 3.0 GPA so they work hard in the classroom. On the field they are working hard and they have that gut instinct for a desire to win and to not let up.”

In addition to their drive to win, Orchard also believes that the road to another championship will be a lot easier because most players have the experience. “This year’s team has a little bit more poise,” she said.

Whereas last year’s team had a couple of players going to the championship for the first time, this year’s players now know what it takes to get there and win. “They come in here this year and know what to expect. That will help them when we get into the postseason.”

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The team is also glad for their support from Fordham students. Unlike some sports in which there is hardly an audience to follow them, Orchard believes that they have a pretty good turnout for games. “With the field being right at the center of campus ,we get students come up and watch us. Some of the girls’ roommates and friends as well as other students come and support us,” she said.

Playing big games have also helped a lot. “We played Alabama here a year ago and more than a thousand people were at the game,” Orchard added.

This season, Louisiana State University will be visiting Rose Hill, and that game will probably bring in large crowds once more.

As for now, Fordham will be heading to Charleston, S.C. this weekend to compete in the College of Charleston Classic. Their first of five games will be on Feb. 14, against the University of Mississippi at 9 a.m.