Fordham Observer - Issue 6

Observer the

APRIL 16, 2014 VOLUME XXXIII, ISSUE 6

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Work Study Funds Decrease

By ADRIANA GALLINA Staff Writer

Vice President for Finance Frank Simio does not foresee the New York State’s minimum wage increase affecting Fordham in the future.

“All our minimum wage workers are student workers,” Simio said.

According to Rose Marie Raiano, senior assistant director of the Office of Student Employment, Fordham’s Student Employment increased its baseline pay to student workers from $7.40 to $8 an hour at the beginning of the 2013-2014 academic year. This change coincided with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s state minimum wage raise which will increase the minimum wage incrementally to $9 an hour by the end of 2015.

However, while minimum wage is rising, funds for the federal work study program are decreasing.

“I can only speak to our Federal Work-Study funding, which over the years since the 2009-2010 academic year, has been decreased by $1.1 million,” Raiano said.

“We have just fewer than 700 students that are paid the minimum wage, about 600 of them are employed out of the Student Employment office,” Simio said.

“Ideally we want to service as many students as possible… how we are going to manage that has not been decided,” Raiano said. She acknowledged the fact that the office must stay within their budget limitations, yet no decisions have been made on cutting back the number of positions available for student workers.

The Student Employment office will fulfill obligations to students who receive work study as part of their package first. Students that apply for jobs through the Student Emsee WAGES pg. 2

COURTESY BILL MCBAIN

Nahom Kidanemariam, GSB ’09, at his graduation from Fordham University.

Fordham Remembers Nahom Kidanemariam

By TYLER MARTINS & JENNIFER KHEDAROO Arts& Culture Co-Editor and Sports Editor

Friends, former classmates and faculty are remembering Nahom Kidanemariam, Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business (GSB) ’09, as focused, ambitious and loyal.

“Nahom was the most fiercely loyal person I’ve ever met in my life. He is fiercely loyal to his family, his friends, to that school, Fordham,” Rohan Bansie, Kidanemariam’s former football coach in Ottawa, said.

Kidanemariam’s friends are

nonetheless mystified as to why he apparently took his own life in the Lowenstein bathroom on the morning of Monday, April 7, according to the New York Police Department (NYPD). “I saw him very recently,” Daniel Devine, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’07 , close friend and former roommate of Kidanemariam said. “You go through a hundred hypotheticals, but we went out to dinner, had a good time [and] chatted; he seemed perfectly content.”

A native of Ethiopia, Kidanemariam moved to Ottawa, Canada in his childhood. Before coming to Rose Hill, he spent a year at Western Reserve Academy. “He wanted

to go to Fordham because he wanted to be in New York City, wanted to study business, and he loved the campus,” Devine said. “Nahom loved this school. It was his family.”

“You think about the consummate Fordham Man,” Devine said.

“You learn how to deal with everyone. You learn how to make your way through in the Jesuit tradition of men and women for others. He really was the embodiment of that.”

Devine and Kidanemariam first met in Clinical Assistant Professor of Accounting and Taxation Rosa Romeo’s accounting class, when Devine was a senior and Kidanemariam, a sophomore. “He was one of those kids who came into class,

seemingly nonchalant, but would have all his homework done and be able to answer the questions before the teacher asked,” Devine said.

“He was a great student, he worked extremely hard and he was also very energetic in class. He actively participated all the time,” Romeo said. “You know when somebody walks into a room and they light it up? He was like that.”

Kidanemariam sought advice about a career in accounting from Romeo. After graduation, he kept in touch with her. “Every so often, I would hear from him, usually via email, about how things were gosee KIDANEMARIAM pg. 2

Inside

FEATURES

SPORTS

ARTS & CULTURE

OPINIONS

Big Gay Ice Cream Shop

Make Goals, Make Bank

Geraldine Ferraro

CSA: Don’t Whine For Me

College athletes should be paid

Daughter honors trailblazing mother

Commuters don’t need excuses

PAGE 15

PAGE 7

PAGE 5

Go big and go home with Big Gay Ice Cream

Page 11

THE STUDENT VOICE OF FORDHAM COLLEGE AT LINCOLN CENTER

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News

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

April 16, 2014 THE OBSERVER

COURTESY BILL MCBAIN & FORDHAM SPORTS

Left: Daniel Devine, FCRH ’07, with Kidanemariam on his graduation from Fordham University. Right: Kidanemariam as a defensive back for the Fordham Rams.

Friends and Alumni Remember Kidanemariam KIDANEMARIAM FROM PAGE 1

ing,” Romeo said. “I almost can’t wrap my head around it. It’s just really hard to grasp what happened and why. He was a great asset and he will be missed.”

For a brief period at Fordham, Kidanemariam played defensive back for the Rams. Although he didn’t get much playing time on the field, his presence left an impact on some of his teammates. “He wasn’t known for being the best athlete.

He was better known for being the best professional,” Jason Caldwell, FCRH ’10, former Fordham roommate of Kidanemariam and football teammate, said.

Tom Massella, Kidanemariam’s former head coach at Fordham, recognized Kidanemariam’s determination to better himself academically. “I know he was a driven person. He wanted to be successful, and he had a tremendous drive to do that,” Massella said.

As a sophomore in 2006, Kidanemariam made the All Patriot League Football Academic Honor Roll with a 3.22 GPA in Business Administration. According to Devine, during his years at Ford-

ham, he was inducted into Beta Alpha Psi, the honors organization for accounting and finance students and professionals and interned at Ernst & Young. After Fordham, Kidanemariam attended University of Virginia where he completed a Masters Degree in Accounting.

Kidanemariam’s drive continued well after college and graduate school. In fact, Kidanemariam was offered a position as a Senior Consultant at Deutsche Bank on Thursday, March 27. His first day of work at Deutsche Bank was Monday, March 31, according to Caldwell.

Caldwell and others looked up to Kidanemariam’s academic ambition. “He was a shining star and a success story for the football players, academically and professionally,” Caldwell said.

Caldwell especially admired the way in which Kidanemariam was passionate and dedicated to his studies. “I wanted to be like him,” Caldwell said. “He really was a hard worker. He worked hours and hours. He studied hours and hours.

He was losing sleep studying. He learned a lot in regards to his pro-

fession and he really knew what he talked about.”

“Nahom was dedicated to his craft. If he put his mind to something, he would get it done,” Woodley Belony, a childhood friend of Kidanemariam in Ottawa, said.

“He was relentless and never stopped until he got it.”

According to Bansie, Kidanemariam’s former football coach in Ottawa, he helped Kidanemariam make crucial decisions in his life, from which college to attend to the intricacies of starting a new job.

“I’ve known Nahom since he was 13, 14 years old. He was like my second son,” Bansie said. “It started out as a football coach/football player relationship, and I grew into being a surrogate father or big brother. He trusted my advice.”

“We would plan his life. We would talk about how long he was going to work in Manhattan, would he come back to Ottawa, or would he go to Toronto,” Bansie said. “In fact, the last time we spoke, we talked about saving for retirement.”

“Nahom was a very intense young man and that’s part of the loss that I feel,” Bansie said. “He

wasn’t afraid of putting in sweat equity to get a result. That was his thing, he would do whatever it took to get better.”

“He walked away from football several years ago and we thought, well now, he’s on track with his professional career,” Bansie said. “I’m in shock because I thought he had some good plans, with some good things in place. This is all very troubling because I wish I knew what motivated this to occur.”

Belony echoed Bansie’s sentiment. “I don’t know if there is a word beyond shocked. Speechless.

This is someone who was of utmost confidence, dedication. This has thrown everyone for a loop,” he said. “One thing that everyone is still questioning is how and why.

Are we ever going to find out? No.” Although most of Kidanemariam’s life was dedicated to his professional life, he still found time to connect to those around him.

According to Devine, people from all walks of life, from “College Republicans to Progressive Students for Justice, to the late night library crew, to people who were athletes,” were touched by Kidanemariam.

Kidanemariam was the type of person that Devine describes as “Harlem to Hamptons, he could literally fit in anywhere and with anyone.” His ability to connect with people was unmatched. Kidanemariam was even able to get Dominoes to deliver, not just to his apartment, but into his own bedroom. “He was able to convince the delivery guys, who are petrified of entering anybody’s apartment, to deliver into his room,” Devine said. “He just had a way of bringing people in.”

“Even though, to me, he was the epitome of what it is to be masculine, he’d also tell me how much I meant to him, how much I was his family, and that he’d do anything for me,” Devine said. “It’s a rare ability to be that way and to also express yourself in a very tender, poignant way.”

“His heart was always in the right place,” Belony said.

“His passing is incredibly hard,” Devine said. “But I take at least some comfort in knowing that he lived well, he worked so hard and he was able to express how important people were to him.”

Minimum Wage Up, Federal Work Study Funding Down WAGES FROM PAGE 1

ployment office who have not received work study as part of their package are called alternate applicants.

“Despite our funding situation, we have still been able to provide student workers to all our service and academic areas throughout our university and we would hope to continue to do so to service as many students as possible,” Raiano said.

According to the Office of Student Employment, student worker wages range from $8 to $16 an hour during the academic school year and $8.40 to $16 an hour during

the summer session.

“Student worker wages are determined by the job responsibilities, duties and skills required to do the job,” Raiano said.

The Office of Student Employment does not plan to increase their baseline pay higher than the minimum wage.

Simio said, “College students generally are not working to support themselves. College students are working to get an education and any work they do is helping them cover personal expenses, covering books or tuition or entertainment.

“Personally, when I think of a living wage, I think of a person

who is working for a living full time, maybe even working to support a family. I’m not sure that concept is one that usually applies to full time students.”

Associate Professor of Economics Janis Barry said, “It makes sense that students who are so motivated that they are not only going to school, but they are working in order to help pay off their debts and not borrow as much, should be given a reasonable wage for reasonable work.”

A reasonable wage for Barry is $10.10. “If we were to correct minimum wage according to the consumer price index and the cost of living, $10.10 is the lowest mini-

mum wage that should be established,” Barry said.

Vanessa Collado, FCLC ’17, has a work study assignment off campus with a private after school program. “I look after kids grades K-3 and meet with two individual students for tutoring time. I currently get paid $8.90 per hour. I guess that’s ok but I think I should get a bit more because I have to commute to their school, and working with kids is always stressful, no matter how well they behave,” Collado said.

“I don’t mind the pay as much because I enjoy working with the kids, but who wouldn’t prefer more money?” Collado said.

“It makes sense that students who are so motivated that they are not only going to school, but they are working in order to help pay off their debts and not borrow as much, should be given a reasonable wage for reasonable work.”

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Opinions

Rachel Shmulevich — Opinions Editor rshmulevich@fordham.edu

STAFF EDITORIAL

I

actually do the work for our classes and our finals.

Basically - there is no time after classes end to prepare oneself for the experience that is finals. Somehow we have to work getting turnt into this time, or we might just go study crazy.

So, Spring Weekend is coming up, but we have no reading days. How are

Instead of #hotdogs, its #hotmessofapaper we even supposed to even enjoy listening to a lessthan-D-list celebrity tell us about we too can live the life? We are lookin at you, Max from “Catfish.”

You are useless to Nev, you are useless to MTV and you are useless to me. More than half the time we don’t even see the footage that you SUPPOSEDLY film. You may remember Cartel from the classic Jesse Metcalfe film “John Tucker Must Die.” And Cold War Kids for their song featured in John

Observer the

SPRING WEEKEND IS COMING UP, BUT WE’RE IN FINALS MODE?? t’s official. Spring has sprung (not like Sir Mix-A-Lot sprung, but you do you).

No jackets two days in a row means it is spring.

(Actually, apparently it’s snowing right now, so maybe we jinxed this... sorry).And while we are ready to sit out on the plaza and bask in the rays of the sun, we still have to pay the price of the winter we seemingly couldn’t escape just a few weeks ago. While we were thanking the sleep and procrastinated essay gods every time we saw that snow day email, now we’re wondering if they were actually worth it.

If you hadn’t heard yet, or hadn’t put it in your agenda—reading days are canceled. Not just moved around or shortened. Just straight up gone. So in past years, we have been able to kick back and relax all through Spring Weekend, safe in the knowledge that we could start our final papers during all those reading day times, but this year, we will be forced to use that time to

April 16, 2014 THE OBSERVER

C. Reilly’s vehicle “Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant.” (Actually, both of these bands are kind of good, and we’re just bitter about probably having to miss them to write a paper about something dumb.)

Spring Weekend is a time to forget about school for, like, five whole minutes and listen to music and people watch the species that is the opposite campus and maybe eat some cotton candy.

It is that final winding down where everyone can say a collective goodbye to their friends and the campus and whatnot, and seniors can say goodbye to the carefree college life. This year, it’s going to take some rejiggering to be able to have that experience and also not completely fail your finals.

But that work will likely be worth it, because there is no Fordham spectacle quite as exciting as Spring Weekend—especially Spring Weekend with good music and good weather.

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Opinions

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CSA: Don’t Whine for Me JOHN GUERIN Staff Writer

The Commuter Student Association (CSA) recently published a manifesto of challenges that commuters experience in hopes that professors will more fully acknowledge and assuage such hardships.

“10 Things Commuter Students Would Like Professors to Know About Us” includes points like “Please organize group projects in advance of the due date,” “We still have family obligations to attend to,” and “We hate being late for class.”

The final point states “Commuters do not want to be treated any differently than residents.”

After a lengthy list of laments and complaints, requesting to be treated the same seems counterintuitive. Complaining of hardships but then demanding equal treatment highlights the fundamental flaws and weaknesses of the entire CSA and its flimsy purpose.

The CSA, an organization founded to assist commuter students in navigating through Fordham and coping with the academic and social setbacks of being a commuter, is an embarrassingly juvenile bureaucratic branch of student government.

It is run with the presumption that commuters, by default, are unable to form meaningful friendships or succeed as well as residents, two assumptions that are both debilitating and untrue.

Many commuters travel within the boroughs, and, having taken public transportation in high school for four years, are more than familiar with the machinery of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). For Metro North, New Jersey (NJ) Transit, Long Island Railroad (LIRR) and other transportation patrons, similar comfort and understanding of each system is an easily learned virtue.

KARA JAGDEO/THE OBSERVER

Many commuter students do not need the extra assistance that the Commuter Student Association provides.

It is not inherently difficult for commuters to attend Fordham, and the noted challenges of college (time management, balancing academic and social life, having a job) are not exclusive to commuting students.

However, the bedrock of CSA is rooted on such claims of disadvantage.

Distilling these myths allows us to truthfully discern and deconstruct what CSA actually is: A friendship welfare program, a bureaucratic safety-net spun out of

no real need or value, and, above all, a waste of money.

Detractors will argue that CSA is a club, and so it is entitled to its own objectives and activities. It is my understanding that a school club connects students who share similar lifestyles, interests or passions. Is traveling to and from college an actual source of connection? In that sense, should we also have clubs for people who brush their teeth, own a cell phone or eat breakfast?

Commuting is a trivial thread

of connection, especially in New York City. Unlike the Yoga Club, Black Student’s Alliance, or Mock Trial, CSA has no objectives or shared passion between its members besides lamenting their woes and spending money on food.

The Commuter Freshman Mentor (CFM) Program, the missionaries of CSA, makes me question whether I attend college or middle school. My CFM often messages me offering her help and guidance. I am horrified at the questions she might

receive and answer: “How do I check out a library book?”, “Where are the bathrooms?”, “What is a subway?”, just to imagine a few. The whole concept of the mentoring program seems antithetical to the reality of a college experience: a time for independence and higher educational pursuits.

What is more alarming than the rickety foundation of CSA is its breadth of representation. Although I am not a member of CSA, the club speaks for me and all other commuter students as if our experiences are dogmatically similar. Sure, I have been stuck on trains and late for class a few times, but these anomalies don’t require an excuse or a committee. This recent publication is an embarrassment to people like myself, who deal with the side effects of commuting and don’t need Fordham’s commuter apparatus to dry my tears with.

I am not denying the efficacy of the system, nor the organization and fervor of its leadership. I am only suggesting that this association downplay its complaining, clarify who it speaks for and focus on legislating actual policies commuter students may benefit from, like discounted traveling stipends or greater access to work study programs.

Choosing to commute is a conscious decision, a choice inspired predominantly by the financial upsides of a lower tuition bill. I chose to commute to Fordham because I would be $50,000 less in debt by staying at home in Brooklyn. The difficulties of commuting are noted, and are occasionally bothersome, but whining about a self-made choice has absolutely no grounding.

Professors: I have an 11th point I’d like to tack onto the list: Not all commuters experience and share these qualms.

CSA: Please don’t whine for me. I can very well manage on my own.

Stop Belittling Affirmative Action Applicants RACHEL SCHWARZ Staff Writer

Thursday, March 27, 2014—the date that Ivy League college admissions decisions are sent to thousands of high school seniors across the country. For the majority of students, it is a day of disappointment and reevaluation. For some, it is a day of excitement and imagination. For one Long Island senior, it was a day of astonishment. Kwasi Enin, a senior at William Floyd High School, was accepted into all eight Ivy Leagues, an extremely rare accomplishment. Unfortunately, people across the country are brushing it aside because he has two “hooks” in the college process: Many commentators declared that Enin was accepted solely because he is black and a “first-gen” college student whose parents emigrated from Ghana—implying that otherwise, he is an unqualified applicant.

Affirmative action has been an extremely contested topic for nearly 40 years now. Recently, the Supreme Court upheld affirmative action at University of Texas at Austin. Fordham, along with a number of other Jesuit institutions, issued a statement in support of their affirmative action policies.

The Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J. wrote a personal defense of the policy: “[Fordham tries] to develop in our students an understanding of, and reverence for, cultures and ways of life other than their own.

We believe that such an understanding and reverence cannot be

People believe that affirmative action allows unqualified minority students into top universities, ignoring their accomplishments and subjecting them to constant judgment and offensive behavior. achieved absent a truly multiracial, multicultural student body.” But while Fordham is committed to diversifying its student body by considering race in the admissions process, we do little to nothing to educate our students about affirmative action.

“Microaggression” has recently become a popular term in the media. In the past few months, Fordham student Kiyun Kim gained national attention for photographing a series of racist comments students experience daily. A recent project at Harvard, titled “I, Too, Am Harvard” highlighted microaggressions caused specifically by the perception that minority students did not truly earn their spots on campus.

These minority students are joining the conversation on racism at elite institutions and refusing to allow the silence to continue.

Fordham has a responsibility to listen to minority students and, in turn, educate all students on the meaning and purpose of affirmative action. A quick glance at comments on news articles and Facebook shows that many people have a warped perception of affirmative action. This affects their judgment and behavior toward students who are perceived to unfairly benefit

from affirmative action. One Reddit commenter echoed the statements of many others: “I’m gonna get real with you…[Enin] would not have had this absurd success if he was a white kid.” Many Fordham students hold these same opinions on affirmative action.

People believe that affirmative action allows unqualified minority students into top universities, ignoring their accomplishments and subjecting them to constant judgment and offensive behavior. Yet, top universities receive applications from far more qualified students than they can admit. Every student at these top schools deserves to be there. It does not matter whether one believes schools should try to diversify and help systematically disadvantaged students through affirmative action or not. Every student deserves to be given the same quality experiences once they start to attend these schools.

In addition, people tend to ignore the basic premise of affirmative action. In our society, minorities are systematically disadvantaged. Affirmative action aims to level the playing field for all students once their applications are in the admissions office. The goal is not to unfairly advantage minori-

KIRSTIN BUNKLEY/THE OBSERVER

Fordham is committed to increasing diversity in its student body.

ties but to allow them to have a fair chance. However, people insist that racism no longer exists and admission should be based on pure merit, but a quick survey of the education system shows that racism is still very prevalent today.

The assumption that students do not deserve to be at a university because of their race amounts to abuse, according to John McWhorter, a linguistics professor at Columbia University. At the bare minimum, Fordham needs to reach out to students who have felt these real offenses and publicly support them. Ultimately, Fordham should create an education program, with the help of these minority students, which could possibly be administered during New Student Orienta-

tion.

In order to correct the microaggressions that can make deserving, qualified students feel like they do not belong, Fordham needs to change at the administrative level.

Though schools have been brought to court over affirmative action, few schools have responded to the related microagressions. The answer is not to abandon the policy, as some might suggest. The answer is to support these minority students and educate all students on the reasoning behind affirmative action.

Because once students like Kwasi Enin received an offer of admission to their dream school, nobody should belittle their accomplishments or make them feel as if they don’t belong.

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Opinions

April 16, 2014 THE OBSERVER

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We Must Remove Desexualization From Equality RACHEL SHMULEVICH Opinions Editor

Gender equality is a battle which it seems we’ll always be fighting—or at least for many years to come—and with every step forward, there’s almost as many opponents pushing us back. The question here isn’t whether or not equality is possible, but it’s whether the overwhelming mindset of Americans allows for it.

The fact that the place where women enjoyed the greatest equality was Communist Russia is telling.

As compared to their European and American counterparts, women in the USSR enjoyed greater freedom: They were expected to not only be wives and mothers, but also to work just as hard as men in professions that were just as demanding (my grandmother worked as an electrical engineer, for instance). And while it’s been disputed whether women and men were truly equal, there’s no denying that they had it better than women elsewhere in the world at the time—and in some ways, better than a lot of women have it today. But there was a drawback to this equality: it could only be achieved through the systematic desexualization of women.

I won’t pretend to know what North Korea’s motives behind mandating certain approved hairstyles are, but this preoccupation with something as seemingly trivial as appearance brings to mind the USSR, and their tight control of sex and sexuality: Sex education was practically non existent, sex was considered a taboo topic, and

JESSICA HANLEY/THE OBSERVER

Women should not be denied their sexuality in order to be equal.

the actual act was painted as any other responsibility at work—having children was necessary, it was a task, and it was one devoid of any enjoyment.

Sexuality—however a woman chooses to express it—is linked to her identity, and by instituting policies of desexualization, women are

losing that part of themselves. It’s not the only indicator of who we are, but it’s a huge part of how we define ourselves. Desexualization and the hyper-sexualized practice of objectifying a woman’s body are on opposite sides of the spectrum of oppressing women, but they’re still on the same spectrum; Many

would have us believe that removing sexuality from the equation is freeing, but it’s just another form of suppression.

The basic reasoning behind cases like the USSR and North Korea seems to be that women can be equal to men, but only when they cease to be women.

According to Katerina Tsetsura’s 2012 article in Public Relations Journal, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, sex and sexuality once again became part of the discourse and culture in Russia, and as a result, the country saw the rise of instances of sexual harassment and an emerging trend (now a full-blown one) of the commercialization of the female body. This sounds familiar; the United States is a place fraught with rape culture, double standards and the systematic suppression and commoditization of women. Just look at the Steubenville, Ohio rape case from 2012, in which reporters flocked to mourn the lost bright futures of the two football players, Ma’lik Richmond and Trent Mays, who raped and assaulted an underage girl, instead of rushing to defend the victim and think what effect the rapists’ actions would have on her life and future. Many even blamed the girl for her own rape, claiming that the then sixteen-year old, who appeared unconscious in videos that the rapists took of her, brought it on herself.

Look too, at any number of commercials and advertisements that use a woman’s body to sell a product: Carl’s Jr.’s, for example, always feature half-naked women advertising their burgers, a campaign that started with Paris Hilton’s now

famous 2005 ad in which she was shown washing a car in a swimsuit and a pair of heels.

While the causes of this are many and varied, female sexuality is never too far behind. Bill O’Reilly made this all the more obvious when, in March, he stated that Beyoncé was a poor role model for girls because she “glorifies having sex” and dances and dresses provocatively, a statement which drew the support of many. Beyoncé, a woman who has consistently spoken for equality and has become one of the most important spokespeople for the Ban Bossy campaign, is seen by many as a poor role model simply because of her sexuality. It seems ridiculous, but unfortunately, it’s something that happens all too often.

Female sexuality seems to bring with it a feeling of uneasiness—why else would its existence be so problematic and so detrimental to the women, like Beyoncé, who chose to take advantage of it? Yet, at the same time, American culture, like many others, finds ways to commercialize it.

It would seem then, that sexuality is only an issue when it’s being controlled by the woman herself.

But we can’t allow women to lose their sexuality, their identity—no matter how they choose to express it—for the sake of some kind of quasi-equality. In this day and age, it’s impossible for this to happen, but we must acknowledge this dangerous and antagonistic relationship we’ve set up between equality and sexuality, and seek to get rid of it—permanently.

We Must Implement New Housing and Programs For The Homeless GABRIELLE SAMBOY Staff Writer

A few years ago in my neighborhood, a group of residents held a “town” meeting. The basis of the meeting was the construction of a new building about two blocks from my house. The building, up until that time, seemed like it would be an apartment building equipped with new appliances and great upgrades. What the neighborhood did not know was that the new apartment building was going to be used as a halfway house for the homeless, recovering drug addicts and individuals newly-released from jail. The residents thought that would be an issue because there were all kinds of people coming in and out of this apartment building.

Were the children in the neighborhood going to be safe? Would it be safe to walk late at night as it was once before? My initial reaction to all of this was one of discomfort.

My mother had moved my family from the Washington Heights projects many years ago to avoid public housing and avoid interaction with people with dangerous lifestyles. And so I thought that inclusion of such a complex in my neighborhood would draw exactly those kinds of people. But to my surprise, years later, the exterior of the building is still in top shape, and although there are new faces, there have not been many problems with the residents of that building, suggesting that this form of housing has actually helped people stay on track.

In Charlotte, N.C., there is a program called Moore Homes, which has been helping Charlotte’s homeless for nearly 20 years, providing them with a place to go while they get back on their feet. Moore Homes provides their guests with

soup kitchens, showers, counseling and medical services. This program is effective because it is helping many homeless individuals of different ages by implementing activities such as health and fitness, which will help improve the mental health and well-being of the residents, as well as give them hope that they can move forward, never again falling behind. Additionally, all residents contribute 30 percent of their income to the rent, and what’s more, there seems to be no limitation on how long a person can stay in the program.

Now, New York City is toying with the idea that maybe they should try to build more housing for the homeless, and I think they should. New York City has already made strides to help the homeless.

According to a 2009 New York Times article, over the course of two years, the Bloomberg Administration had purchased tickets back to a home state or country for over 550 families. Paying to send non-New York City residents home essentially allows the city government to distinguish between locals and out-of-staters. Although this helps move some of the homeless individuals out of the city, this does not take care of the problem.

Most of the homeless people in New York are often those who cannot afford rents in the city and leave their homes to move in with family—or worse, begin to live out on the streets. The economy in recent years has led many individuals to become homeless, either because they lost their job, because of the lack of available jobs or the lack of affordable housing (or any combination of the three). The least that New York can offer is housing—I see buildings being built all over the city every day, so adding a couple more complexes to serve as a home for the homeless doesn’t seem like too much to ask for.

There are not enough shelters and public housing facilities to accommodate the rising number of homeless people and families.

In the past few weeks, Mayor Bill de Blasio has been fighting to get funding for programs for the homeless in New York City. Funding for these programs should not be cut because there are not enough shelters and public housing facilities to accommodate the rising number of homeless people and families.

A recent Daily News article stated that about “1,084 families [from the Bronx are] in the shelter system, while Brooklyn ranked second, with 935 families.” Although shelters offer a space for people to find temporary comfort, there are time limits on how long someone can stay. Perhaps, the biggest fear to expanding housing is that none of the residents in these shelters would want to move forward in their lives and try to find employment.

In a city as big as New York, however, we can afford to implement the same programs that Moore Homes has in North Carolina. There has to be a way that we can help those in need of assistance in finding a job and those who are not mentally healthy to find and keep a job. There are those few individuals that would take advantage of such programs, but do we really want to deprive the vast majority of homeless of programs that change their lives for the better? The goal should be to help those in our city who, at the moment, cannot help themselves.

ANGELA LUIS/THE OBSERVER

Public housing facilities provide support for the disadvantaged.

Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture Co-Editors Ludovica Martella — ludovica.martella@gmail.com Andrew Milne — amilne@fordham.edu Tyler Martins — t.martins216@gmail.com April 16, 2014 THE OBSERVER

Student Composer Makes Fordham History

By ANDREW MILNE Arts & Culture Co-Editor

Anyone attending the Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) Arts and Sciences showcase on April 10 was a witness to Fordham history; composer Charlie Martin, (FCLC) ’14, played his song “Ascent of Mountain” as part of the function. Martin’s work represents the first time Fordham has commissioned a work by a student composer for a school event.

“I was asked to write a piece of music for a string quartet called ‘Ascent of Mountain.’ Mainly, it was in order to provide musical dimension to the symposium,” Martin said. “Ascent of Mountain” is a 10 minute work, using four movements (a part of a piece performed in succession) and intended for the cello and violin.

“As far as I know, that’s never been done before. Music has happened on campus; people have brought in bands to perform and have written musicals and shows and stuff, but as far as I know, no student performer has been asked to create something new for a specific event and get it recorded,” Martin said.

He explained that “Ascent of Mountain” represents his relationship to Fordham, his views on 16th century Spanish mystic John of the Cross, as well as his own coming out story, as Martin identifies as queer. “I try to make things for other people, I try and make things that tell stories and I try and tell stories that are about me or stories that are close to me,” he said. Ultimately, Martin defines his style as primarily classical, indie and AfroLatin.

His inspirations are from 20th century Spanish composers like Enrique Granados as well as French composers like Maurice Ravel and Frederic Chopin. His influences reflect his desire to work in a myriad of musical styles, not exclusively classical, opera and jazz. “Some people would be appalled if you did Beethoven’s Second Symphony, followed by a Cruz salsa, followed by Coltrane. I would love that,” Martin

SARAH HOWARD/THE OBSERVER

Charlie Martin at the 2014 Composers Concert, which featured his song ‘Amor de Terremotos,” written for the Music Composition Workshop

said. He’s interested in the blending of inharmonious or seemingly incompatible forms and creating something beautiful and new while still respecting the individual components.

Martin explained that he was always a musician at heart, though he spent years in high school balancing academics, music and extracurricular activities. When it came time to choose universities, however, Martin decided on an institution where he could explore several pur-

suits. “I entered Fordham with the explicit plan of attending Julliard as well and I took advantage of night classes at Julliard all four years,” he said. Martin is currently taking the Music Composition Workshop at FCLC, taught by Daniel Ott, assistant professor of art history and music, and has exhausted nearly all the Julliard night school classes in his field. For the Music Composition Workshop, Martin recently wrote “Amor de Terremotos”, which was featured at the 2014 Composers

Concert on Monday, April 14.

His future plans reflect his many interests, though music again proves to be his true love. He is planning to serve as the vice president for creative outreach at Show America, a startup social network that connects artists and creative individuals. This summer, he is also participating in the European American Musical Alliance fellowship in Paris and the Dulwich International Music Academy program in Beijing, as well potentially col-

laborating with a choir in upstate New York. He certainly sees graduate school in his future -he’s looking at Yale School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory and Julliardand hopes graduation doesn’t mean the end of his days at Fordham.

“Maybe one day, I could come back and teach.”

“Ascent of Mountain,” as well as other pieces, can be found online at www.charliemartinmusic.com/ music.

A Daughter’s Tribute to her Trailblazing Mother

By JOHN GUERIN Staff Writer

Geraldine Ferraro was many things: a political trailblazer, attorney, congresswoman, Fordham Law School (FLC) ’60 alumnus, the first female Vice Presidential nominee, and she is now the subject of a biographical documentary.

Donna Zaccaro, Ferraro’s daughter, recently produced the documentary “Geraldine Ferraro: Paving The Way,” which celebrates Ferraro’s life and legacy. Showtime premiered the film on Friday, March 21 for Women’s History Month and will broadcast it until May 15.

“I created this film to clarify and preserve my mother’s legacy but also to introduce her to younger generations of people who may not be aware of her pivotal role in the women’s movement,” Zaccaro said.

The film features a series of interviews with Ferraro’s family, friends, colleagues and opponents.

Among those interviewed are Bill and Hillary Clinton, George H. W. and Barbara Bush, Secretary Madeleine Albright, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and other elite politicians.

“Everyone that I interviewed provided a different perspective

COURTESY DONNA ZACCARO

From left to right: Donna Zaccaro and Geraldine Ferraro, FLC ‘60.

and information about my mother, which was interesting to hear,” Zaccaro said. “The interview I was most nervous about was Ed Rollins, who ran [Ronald] Reagan’s reelection campaign against [Walter] Mondale and my mother in 1984, but he was wonderful!”

Before she passed away after a battle with blood cancer on March

26, 2011, Ferraro herself was also interviewed. “It took a while for me to touch her interview,” Zaccaro added.

Some of Zaccaro’s favorite parts of the film are interviews with her father, John Zaccaro. “As much as the film tells my mother’s story, I wanted to tell my father’s as well.

He never spoke to the press or de-

fended himself, but this was an opportunity for him to share his perspective. I wanted people to understand how important he was to do what my mother did. It is so important to have a relationship with support and love when pursuing your dreams,” Zaccaro said.

Prior to her political prominence, Ferraro worked as an elementary school teacher by day and attended Fordham Law School by night. Zaccaro recalled that during Ferraro’s application process, a dean of admissions said, “I hope you’re serious, Gerry. You’re taking a man’s place, you know.” She went on to earn her juris doctor degree with honors in 1960, the spark that ignited a bright political future.

“Getting her law degree at night while being a teacher wasn’t an easy thing to do, but Fordham gave her a shot. Without her Fordham education, she certainly wouldn’t have been able to become a district attorney or congresswoman and so on. Fordham was critical to her success,” Zaccaro said. Zaccaro honored Ferraro’s connection to Fordham by holding a screening at the Law School’s McNally Amphitheatre in February.

This summer marks the 30th anniversary of Ferraro receiving her nomination to be the Vice Pres-

ident for Democrat Presidential Nominee Walter Mondale in 1984.

She was the first female to be nominated to vice presidency.

“I hope the film will inspire at least one woman to run on a national ticket. When women today discuss current feminist topics like ‘Lean In’ and Sheryl Sandberg, they’re essentially having the same conversations that my mother first dealt with and raised to national attention. We’ve made progress, but younger women often don’t realize there is still much to do” Zaccaro said. She hopes to underscore the idea that while there have been improvements made in the realm of feminism, there still are as many challenges as there were in the 1960s and 1970s.

The film is currently available through Showtime but will have a home DVD release this summer.

Zaccaro said she hopes the film will inspire young women to pursue their goals and follow their ambitions. “Upon viewing, I hope people feel that they have an obligation to give back and help others. I think the most important thing my mother taught me, and her mother taught her, is how important education and working hard is to achieve your dreams.”

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www.fordhamobserver.com

PHOTO SPOTLIGHT

A Combination of Dance & Theology at Senior Showcase

ANGELA LUIS/THE OBSERVER

Students discuss and present their relationship between dance and theology in the senior showcase at the White Box Studio Theater.

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April 16, 2014 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

EARTH DAY Earth Day, celebrated annually every April 22, is a chance to reflect on our planet. With Spring budding over the city, the photojournalists of The Observer took to the concrete jungle to document how New Yorkers celebrate the Earth - or how they don’t.

ANGELA LUIS/THE OBSERVER

JESSICA HANLEY/THE OBSERVER

KARA JAGDEO/THE OBSERVER

SARAH HOWARD/THE OBSERVER

ISABELLE GARREAUD/THE OBSERVER

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THE OBSERVER April 16, 2014

Photo

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EARTH DAY

VICTORIA VON ANCKEN/THE OBSERVER

SARAH HOWARD/THE OBSERVER

VICTORIA VON ANCKEN/THE OBSERVER

ANGELA LUIS/THE OBSERVER

SARAH HOWARD/THE OBSERVER

IAN MCKENNA/THE OBSERVER

Features

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

April 16, 2014 THE OBSERVER

ROSANNA CORRADO/THE OBSERVER

Go big and go home with Big Gay Ice Cream Shop’s super sweet, creative flavors and cones that you can’t find anywhere else in the Big Apple.

Go Big or Go Big Gay Ice Cream Shop ROSANNA CORRADO Staff Writer

Sometimes life gives you lemons and you just have to make lemonade; or in my case, sometimes life takes away ice cream and replaces it with even better ice cream. Originally, this article was going to be on an ice cream store that creates ice cream cups filled with different flavors of soft serve and pairs them with different flavors of cookie dough.

However, when I arrived at the store I formerly decided to try out, a sales assistant informed me that new owners had taken over the store and that from now on, they won’t serve anymore ice cream. A friend, who was accompanying me on my ice cream quest, and I were both desperate for ice cream. That’s when she suggested we try the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop in the East Village.

Started in 2009 as an ice cream truck operated by two friends, Douglas Quint and Byran Petroff, Big Gay Ice Cream Shop’s nontraditional soft serve flavor combinations, like curry and dulce de leche, soon became one of the most sought after sweet treats in New York City. After three successful summer seasons operating the truck, the duo opened up their first permanent store in the East Village. Just a year later, another store opened in the West Village, and the brand has since expanded nationwide, allowing everyone to sample their ice cream.

Needless to say, Big Gay Ice Cream is not your average ice cream shop. When you walk into the cozy East Village store, a wall mural of a sparkly unicorn and a rainbow menu purporting exotic ice cream flavor combinations greets you. The signature of Big Gay Ice Cream is a creation called the “Salty Pimp,” and it is recommended to all first-time

visitors to the store and is usually the first cone they sample. Composed of a wafer cone, vanilla soft serve, dulce de leche, sea salt and a chocolate coating that hardens around the ice cream, the “Salty Pimp” is the perfect warm-weather treat. The sweet milky vanilla ice cream blends perfectly with the rich caramel dulce de leche. The sea salt balances out the flavors and keeps the cone from being cloyingly sweet, thus creating the perfect salty-sweet flavor. The best part is at the end when I neared the last bits of the wafer cone because they put a little bit of dulce de leche and sea salt at the bottom of the wafer cone that permeates the halfmelted ice cream that has already sunk to the bottom. It was simply the most perfect bite you could possibly take from ice cream on the cone.

My friend opted for a creation called the “Gobbler.” Basically a Thanksgiving pie in a cup, the gobbler is a year-round treat that

brings customers holiday nostalgia with a twist. You have a choice of pumpkin butter, pumpkin that has been pureed and mixed with spices that has the spreadable consistency of butter, with maple syrup or apple butter with bourbon butterscotch sauce, vanilla ice cream, pie pieces and whipped cream. All of these delicious ingredients are swirled together in a cup to create one of the best ice cream sundaes ever.

Other creative menu items include the “Cococone,” which is a wafer cone filled with vanilla ice cream that is coated in curried coconut flakes and the “Mermaid,” which is a cup filled with vanilla ice cream, key lime curd, crushed graham crackers and topped with whipped cream. For those who prefer chocolate soft serve, do not despair; one of the menus’ main chocolate items is called the “Monday Sundae” and consists of chocolate and vanilla- swirled soft serve, dulce de leche, sea salt and

whipped cream all held together in a large nutella-lined waffle cone. In addition to cones and cups, Big Gay Ice Cream also offers shakes and ice cream sandwiches. What really makes Big Gay Ice Cream unique is that they take the childhood favorite soft-serve ice cream and elevate it with exotic ingredients and unique flavor combinations to create treats for the elevated palate of an adult.

They don’t take themselves too seriously and their inventions are unlike anything you will find in your average Mister Softee Truck this summer.

IF YOU GO

Big Gay Ice Cream Shop Price: $ Note: Cash and cards Where (E ast V illage L ocation): 125 E 7th Street (Between Avenue A & 1 st Avenue) New York , NY 10009

Features

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April 16, 2014 THE OBSERVER

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See Ya, Senioritis

By NANOR HARTOUNIAN Staff Writer

Some people tend to experience allergies come spring. However, many young adults from all over the world are subject to another severe condition: senioritis. Easy to catch and hard to get rid of, senioritis targets students in their senior year.

Symptoms include procrastination, laziness, tardiness, excessive wearing of leggings or sweatpants and the loss of drive when it comes to, well, mostly everything academic. Unfortunately, the only known cure as of today is graduation.

If you’re a senior and think you may have caught senioritis, don’t worry – you’re definitely not alone.

Melissa Gazal, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC)’14, is one of the many who have come head to head with it. “For me, senioritis is more of a knowing that I have academic work to get done,” she said, “But I also have other obligations as well – work, grad school preparations, USG, dance practice - the list goes on and on.” While Gazal admits that experiencing senioritis in addition to the added stress of the real world can be grueling, she says that she finds motivation all around her. “I’m super excited for Senior Week and being able to celebrate being a senior with my friends and fellow seniors, which is ironic, because it’s also the end of a chapter of my life, but it’s also a celebration of all of our accomplishments and everything that is yet to come.”

Umma Saima, FCLC ’14, explains how college senioritis differs from that which seniors in high school experience. “Professors are not on your case all the time like teachers [in high school] were. They won’t nag you everyday for something you

ANGELA LUIS/THE OBSERVER

Senoritis is a serious condition, but not if you’re motivated to get serious and end the semester with a bang.

haven’t turned in. If you don’t do it, that’s on you.” Saima recognizes that the same goes for attending class, which can be the ultimate struggle for someone battling senioritis. “In high school, you still had to go to school on a regular basis. In college, it’s so easy to miss a class. And before you know it, you missed two or three.”

Jessica Verderosa, FCLC’14, is quite familiar with what it’s like to have to deal with senioritis. As a second-year graduate student, Ver-

derosa will be getting her Master’s degree in English Literature at FCLC this upcoming spring. Unfortunately, it seems as if senioritis doesn’t solely target undergraduates. “I’m afraid that I’m going to burn out a little bit. You write a lot of papers, especially in the graduate program and nearing the end, you do sense yourself getting kind of frustrated.”

In addition to being a student, Verderosa has also been working at FCLC’s Writing Center for the past two years. She has encountered her

fair share of second-semester seniors in need of help and motivation. “We get a lot of people who come in with personal statements that they would use to apply to graduate schools or internships.”

A dismissive attitude is another one of senioritis’ most obvious symptoms. However, Verderosa recommends a remedy to those of you who find this to be one of the most difficult factors to overcome. “It’s most helpful to make a list of things you want to accomplish for that day

instead of thinking about what you need to do to get to the end of the year.” Verderosa added that accomplishing small victories is just as important as major ones because it keeps you motivated.

Interestingly enough, senioritis isn’t just a phenomenon we make up in our heads. According to Rachel Annunziato, assistant professor of FCLC’s psychology department, the psychological reason would be that those nearing graduation have changed their beliefs at that point in their lives. The “I’ve done all I can” kind of mindset results in individuals prioritizing less-productive actions. When asked about whether or not people who are older than college seniors are susceptible to experiencing symptoms of senioritis, Annunziato said, “I think it has a lot more to do with transition than age.

In other age groups, if a momentous transition was coming, you might experience these kinds of reactions as well.”

Even though the school year seems never-ending for some second-semester seniors, not all hope should be lost: There is light at the end of the tunnel. Thankfully, the lack of motivation that burdens someone with senioritis eventually wears off. “I doubt that this [kind of behavior] is predictive of things down the road. I would imagine that it’s more contextual, that lots of people experience those changes. It doesn’t translate to what outcomes later.”

When it comes to tricking the mind into charging onward in the midst of senioritis, Annunziato highly suggests being realistic.

“Considering the ramifications of slacking off towards the end of the year could remedy senioritis,” she said.

Why wait until Fall? Think Summer, Think Fordham.

• Finish the language requirement • Work on pre-med prerequisites • Wrap up your minor Choose from 200 courses available this summer.

Learn more at fordham.edu/summer.

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Revisiting Columbine and Reigniting Talks on School Safety, Psychological Health and Student Responsibility

By PAULINA TAM Features Co Editor

On April 20, 1999, shots rang throughout Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado. At the end of the shooting, 15 students and faculty members were dead and 21 suffered non-lethal injuries.

The perpetrators, two seniors by the names of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, committed suicide at the school’s library.

The media went rampant during and after the shooting. Questions were raised regarding Harris and Klebold’s personalities and lifestyles. Were they bullied? Were they part of a Gothic cult? Did their music choice influenced their actions?

Why did they commit the actions that they did?

School shootings still persist to this day. Some are well known such as the Northern Illinois, Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook shootings.

Then there are those lesser known, scattered in between those that the media scrutinizes more heavily.

The Observer spoke to Fordham College at Lincoln Center’s (FCLC) Associate Vice President of Security John Carroll, Director of Fordham’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS), Jeffrey Ng and FCLC students to see what they had to say to some of the following topics: Fordham’s security policy, what signs to look for in a troubled student, how to react in the event of a school shooting and whether students share a responsibility amongst faculty members and the administration to do something to prevent an event like Columbine from happening.

“The whole goal within an active shooter situation, from our perspective, is the preservation of life,” –John Carroll “Campus Security, whether it is in Lincoln Center, Rosehill or Westchester, is all staffed by people who work for me. They are all former captains, inspectors, lieutenants or sergeants with a minimum of over 25 years of training within the NYPD,” Carroll said.

Tabletop exercises, disasterplanning drills that imitate any lifethreatening situations at any given locale, are done at least annually by the entire University Emergency Management Team (EMT), he said.

The team consists of a variety of individuals and departments ranging from deans of all the schools, representatives from academic affairs, development to Fordham vice presidents.

“One of the issues of an active shooter situation is—the New York Police Department (NYPD) did a worldwide analysis of active shooters and found that most of those incidents are over—completely over— within 10 minutes. So that presents an unique challenge. [Campus Security] have to handle [the shooting] immediately,” Carroll said.

It is within those 10 minutes that crucial actions must be made to contain and control the shooter, he said. Within those 10 minutes, Fordham could contact and reach 22,000 people through text and alerts by a mass-communicator system called Everbridge. Also, Campus Security has the ability to talk to everybody over the PA system in FCLC as oppose to the Bronx and Westchester campuses.

“Also, you need to know that we are going to have the NYPD responding in the building, and they’re not going to speak to anybody. They’re there to take down the shooter. They’re not there to interface with students,” Carroll said.

Carroll also stresses the importance of following instructions

by Campus Security during active shooting situations. Instructions might include finding and staying

at a protective classroom or space until the direction to move is given.

Protective classrooms and spaces are not designated spaces, Carroll explains. They are, instead, places where one could, for example, place furniture against the door to prevent the shooter from coming in, closed places where one could safely hide and shield oneself from harm or taking the north, west or eastbound stairways out of the building.

“Remember, basically the best practice is to get out as safely as you can, hide and shelter in place if you can safely and if God forbid, both of those options are impossible and the shooter somehow came at you, use every method—including throwing books, chairs, whatever at him—to prevent injury. The whole goal within an active shooter situation, from our perspective, is the preservation of life,” he said.

“Lockdown,” a term heavily used during active shooting situations, is a little bit of a misnomer, Carroll said. He proposes a scenario and a previous tabletop exercise performed by the EMT. “There’s an active shooter on the second floor who shot a faculty member, a couple of students and an employee. So we would certainly not evacuate or take the students from the upper floors and put them down anywhere near the shooter, but if we could, we would try to get everybody on the second, first and third floor, out of the building as fast as we could so the shooter could not cause any more harm or damage,” he said.

In terms of vulnerable spots within FCLC where students and faculty members are not advised to seek shelter at, there are none, he said.

“There’s no such thing as a vulnerable spot. What happens in an active shooter situation is that the

JESSICA HANLEY/THE OBSERVER

There are more guards at every entry perimeter point at FCLC than the Bronx, John Carroll said.

is not a burden is a validation that could go a long way, Ng explains. “[Students] perceive themselves as a burden, which oftentimes is the furthest thing from the truth.

I think it’s important for us—as administrators, friends and family members—to explicitly communicate to students, ‘You’re not a burden to me. I care about what you’re going through and I have the time to listen,’” he said.

Ng also preference that mass tragedies like active shooting situations are incredibly rare.

“It might not seem that way because of how much media attention they receive, but statistically, they are very unlikely to occur. That

“I think it’s important for us—as administrators, friends and family members—to explicitly communicate to students, ‘You’re not a burden to me. I care about what you’re going through and I have the time to listen,’. individual who moves around creates the vulnerability,” Carroll said.

“When there are tragedies or losses, we need to give ourselves permission to grieve and to experience the range of emotions that come with grief,” –Jeffrey Ng Some of the signs that students and faculty members should pay attention to in an individual who they think might be lost or troubled could range from changes to a student’s mood, concentration to engagement with peers, Ng said.

Long-lasting indications of the changes aforementioned could indicate more concerning problems and issues.

Going up to an individual, even a complete stranger, and asking him or her “How are you” and “Everything alright?” could be good ways when approaching fellow peers who might emotionally exhibit that something is wrong.

“I think it’s absolutely okay for everyone in our community, whether it’s a friend, a classmate, an RA, a faculty member, an administrator or a teaching assistant, to be curious, caring and inquisitive if they notice that something does not seem right with [the individual],” he said.

Being clinicians and therapists are not expected from anyone.

Rather, it is the simple demonstration of genuine care, the lending of an ear or a shoulder and/or letting the individual know that he or she

said, if they do occur, on campus or anywhere else, our bodies could understandably have an acute anxiety response,” he said.

Practiced techniques and meditations that might help increase feelings of relaxation and decrease levels of anxiety during such situations or any situations that might trigger them could be getting sufficient sleep and yoga.

“At the same time, they may not always be readily accessible or practical for a student to just sit in class and practice yoga, but there are some skills that are more practical. For example, practicing how to breathe into our bellies, diaphragmatic breathing, as oppose to into our chest can counteract the anxiety response,” he said.

Breathing in deeper breaths into the belly helps activate the body to calm down in an acute anxiety event.

He recommends “Breathe2Relax,” a free customizable app that allows busy college students on the go to practice various breathing techniques while changing levels to suit their preferences.

But sometimes tragedy does strike.

“When there are tragedies or losses, we need to give ourselves permission to grieve and to experience the range of emotions that come with grief. It’s okay to take a time-out from our studies or work when we’re coping with tragedies.

It’s also okay to seek social, familial or professional support when we are feeling stuck or overwhelmed by

our grief,” Ng said.

Harris, a Columbine co-perpetrator, said on a recorded tape found after the shooting on what he thought his parents might ask after witnessing their son on television committing such acts: “If only we would have searched their room, if only we would have asked the right questions.”

Are there any right questions? If there are, what are right questions?

“I’m not sure if there are any absolute right questions, but there are probably some wrong ones. The kinds of questions and comments that I would discourage us from asking are those that are invalidating or dismissive of someone’s experience. For example, comments like ‘You’re not really sad,’ or ‘How could you be so upset when you have it so good?’ or ‘That shouldn’t really bother you’ would likely not be helpful,” the Director of PCS said.

After the shooting, reports of Harris and Klebold being bullied surfaced after the shooting.

“Yes, they were incessantly bullied and marginalized, which doesn’t justify or fully explain what they did. There are plenty of individuals who are bullied and marginalized who don’t commit acts of violence, but I think it would be a disservice to not examine and understand that layer,” Ng said.

“I don’t remember much of [Columbine] because I was so young, but I do remember hearing about it from my parents and them being terrified to send me to school,” –Elizabeth Sanchez, FCLC ’14 Zehra Kayi, FCLC’15, Steven Saco, FCLC’16 and Elizabeth Sanchez, FCLC’14 all don’t remember much of the shooting on April 20, 1999.

“I was very young and I went to school in Brooklyn so they started doing this procedure of evacuating the building and going to a nearby safe location,” Saco said.

The question of school safety is a pressing matter. FCLC is located in one of the most populous cities in the entire world and the semi-open Lowenstein plaza might raise questions of concern to students.

“I just walk in here and walk out here and I don’t know any safety awareness tips or where to go if something was to happen,” Kayi said.

During the springtime, Saco sees people who don’t attend Fordham in the Plaza. “There’s parents with kids who are in the yard just running around,” he said.

Sanchez disagrees but raises a question on safety in general.

“I am fortunate to go to school where I do feel safe, but you just never know—anything can pop up and I feel like can we really be safe anywhere?” she said.

Questions on whether students might be either desensitized from seeing too many highlighted shootings in the media or whether the shootings will heighten a students’ awareness to any noticeable changes in their academic environment is also a topic of concern pre and postColumbine.

“I feel personally, I am not desensitized toward the media’s focus on shootings. Everywhere I go, I will ultimately figure out what I am going to do if something was to happen, but maybe that is my way of thinking and personality,” Kayi said.

Saco mentions that he will always take note of every exit sign he comes across in school.

The topic of bullying is oftentimes looked and examined during and after a school shooting. But should students be responsible and held accountable to some extent to look out for fellow peers?

Sanchez says that looking out for one another should be practiced but to how much extent, she is unsure.

“As a college student, you’re more desensitized to [bullying] because in high school, you know who bullies whom. In high school, it’s more apparent but in college everyone is more of an adult and most of us know how to take care of ourselves,” Kayi said.

She also believes that stressors like academic, occupational and relationship problems and works might be common amongst college students and such anxiety-inducing pressures might add to the growing impossibility of finding a single individual amongst many students from various backgrounds and locales to express one’s worries and feelings to.

Saco, on the other hand, came from a small high school where everyone knew everyone, making helping one another a common interaction. However, responsibility concerns at Fordham is different.

He cites the commuter and resident separation as a potential factor that might lead to an adequate amount of student responsibility because of the lack of communication between the two groups.

“I feel like everyone is in his or her own world and if you don’t click in a group, it’s going to be a tough four years,” Saco said.

“It’ll be hard for the [bullied] individual because they have to take up the responsibility themselves to find a group.”

Sports

Sports Editor Jennifer Khedaroo — jkhedaroo@fordham.edu

April 16, 2014 THE OBSERVER

Q&A

Coach Stephanie Gaitley Talks Basketball and Life

By GIANELLA DI LORENZO Contributing Writer

After an impressive 11-5 record this season, which included an Atlantic 10 Conference title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament, The Observer caught up with women’s basketball head coach Stephanie Gaitley to talk about life both on and off the court.

OBSERVER: Coach Gaitley, firstly congratulations on a phenomenal season, the team has achieved great things. It’s really been a great season to watch as a fellow Ram. STEPHANIE GAITLEY: Thank you,

I appreciate it.

OBSERVER: You’ve been at Fordham for almost three years now. What are some of the changes you’ve noticed during your time at Fordham?

SG: Just growing in confidence. I

think in year one we tried to lay the foundation of what our philosophy would be, which was, you know, to be a team: take care of each other, believe in each other, and from a basketball standpoint, defense. The first year is always a ‘feeling out’ process, people willing to trust each other and buying in, and I think we established that. Year two, once you learn to win, then that’s how you start to turn a cycle around. It’s like a catch-22, you can’t learn to win unless you win. Once we were able to do that, we were able to turn a corner and just springboard to year three. During year two, we learned how to win, we felt the agony of defeat in the last game of the championship and I think that pain lead us to finish up this year.

OBSERVER: The team’s “stifling defense” is often accredited to you. Are there any other plays or techniques you personally have implemented or developed for the team?

SG: We have a lot of different kinds

of goal-oriented things that we do.

We have what we call our “Chaney Chart” at practice, which is in honor of coach John Chaney, who was a men’s basketball Hall of Famer who was head coach at Temple. He’s a friend of mine. That kind of charged throughout practice. We have a regular one that does both offensive and defensive things and we also have a defensive one. Depending on what your points are, you do earn that trust, then you go on a chart, and your goal is to get to 100. Once you get to 100, we have a wheel called the “Wheel of Defense.” On that Wheel of Defense, once you get 100, you get team awards like a sprint saver, or you can change a drill practice or you can change a goal in practice.

So if someone doesn’t meet a goal, they can change something. They just love it. Then we also have a Defensive Player of the Week. Every week, we acknowledge somebody by tweeting out a picture of who was the Defensive Player of the Week.

We’ll also have a Defensive Player of the Year. But you don’t have to be a starter or someone who plays a lot of games, it’s based on your practice efforts, so that way it doesn’t eliminate everybody from it. But we do a ton of those types of things.

OBSERVER: What are some of your

personal highlights from this past season?

SG: I just think that whole last week,

being able to go to Saint Joseph’s to secure the 3-seed, playing at their court and knowing what was on the line. I really think the positioning that the 3-seed allowed us put us in a position to set us up for the tournament line. I’d also say coming

VICTORIA VON ANCKEN/THE OBSERVER

The Observer finds out more about women’s basketball head coach, Stephanie Gaitley.

off of two losses at Penn State University and Hofstra University, and then going on a 12-game winning streak. Also, winning Fordham’s first ever in-season tournament, we won two of those in the Las Vegas tournament then we won our own tournament as well at Christmas. I think it’s always a sense of accomplishment, being able to do things that have never been done. And I think this team, as I said to them in the locker room when we finished the other night, will always be a part of history because of what they accomplished this year.

OBSERVER: Do you have any role models you look up to–either in your personal or professional life– and if so who?

SG:: I think it always starts with

your parents. My mom and dad kind of set the tone for me as a person.

The things I remember are what they said: be the best person you can be, treat others as you want to be treated. My dad always taught me to praise in public and reprimand in private. He was president of Little League for 45 years in my hometown of Ocean City, New Jersey. The baseball field is named after him, so I’ve always remembered that.

My mom just always encouraged us to try to find the good in every situation and everyone you meet.

When people ask me what do I think when my teams win, it’s not really the offense or defense, it’s how you treat people. I think if you treat people the right way and get them to believe in you and trust in you and you trust in them, I think there’s a mutual respect. That kind of creates a winning culture. Also, my high school coach, Pat Doherty. We had an unbelievable high school team. I think I had a high school coach who was ahead of her time. And then my college coach who’s still coaching at Villanova now, Harry Perretta, was influential. There was a man called Dick Bernhart who passed away two years ago who’s very dear to my heart and was my mentor through many things. He was someone who was very patient with me, and taught

me a lot about not only Xs and Os but how to deal with issues off the court as well.

that I love to go to movies. I’m a movie freak. And I stay pretty active exercise-wise.

OBSERVER: Do you have any personal goals you would like to achieve or have already achieved?

OBSERVER: You mentioned before you’re married and have a family, three sons. Between having a family and coaching, how do you maintain the balance between personal life and professional life?

SG: As much as I’m driven to win,

and obviously this year was extremely memorable, my favorite part of coaching is really the relationships I build with the players. I think my favorite part is just getting to stay in their life after they graduate.

Just seeing them grow as people, on and off the court, and going through the highs and lows because really you become part of this family.

There’s tough love at times, but the end result is that you go through a lot of highs and lows together. I think, of course, every coach wants to reach the pinnacle of their career.

For us at Fordham it may be the Sweet 16. It might never be the National Championship, but I think it’s realistic to eventually shoot to be in the Sweet 16. You never know what happens after that point. The big goal would be just consistently competitive in the Atlantic 10, which Fordham hasn’t been. I think the last couple of years we’ve proved that we can be a player in the Atlantic 10 and I think we proved last year that it wasn’t a one-year situation. I think we backed it up when we won the conference championship, and we’d like to just continue to be somebody that’s respected, which hasn’t always been there for Fordham.

OBSERVER: What do you do in your spare time?

SG: Well my faith and my family

are the two most important things in my life. Any time I can get with my family is something that I cherish. I’m fortunate to have my one son, D.C., at Fordham. He plays on the men’s team. My other son goes to Fordham Prep. My oldest son works for the San Antonio Spurs and we’re going to visit him during Easter. My mom’s up now, I’ll spend a couple of days with her. So I guess faith and family are just the two driving forces in my spare time. Aside from

SG: It’s kind of the same challenge

between academics and basketball.

You can find the time if you make the time, and you can be the best you want to be at it. You obviously have to have an understanding family. They know the rigors that go with coaching. My youngest son was so cute when we were acknowledged at Barclay’s last week in front of the men’s tournament. He said to me, ‘Mom, that’s the spot last year that I cried my eyes out when we lost.’

They go through the highs and lows with you. He was on cloud nine when we won the Atlantic 10 this year. He was my only son who hadn’t had the chance to enjoy an NCAA experience. All the older brothers said that he was the jinx [laughs] so he’s gotten that jinx off his plate.

When the kids were younger, it was a challenge especially when I was coaching at LIU. Driving back and forth from Brooklyn, it was a challenge trying to be a mom and be a coach. I’m in a situation now which I’m very fortunate to have kids around me. I have a supportive family, I have my sister up here. So it’s like anything else, if you want it to work, you make it work.

OBSERVER: Do you follow any other sports and if so who are some of your favorite teams?

SG: I follow the Spurs now because

my son’s involved, and of course my boys’ teams. I’m a casual football fan and I’m a casual baseball fan.

I’m more of a college basketball than professional basketball person. I love sports, I’m always keeping my eye out on what’s going on in sports.

Once the season’s over, I try to unwind a little bit and try to wrap up recruiting because honestly recruiting is a lifeline. Kids are starting to

make decisions this week, you try to finish out something that is going to help you in the future. So you have a limited amount of spare time, and so when I do I obviously put the TV on.

I think like anybody else who’s in college basketball, you go through a little bit of a down time once college basketball is over. I think college basketball is by far my favorite.

OBSERVER: Speaking of which, what can we expect for next season?

SG: I guess the term I’ve used before

is “cautiously optimistic.” We lose four seniors, two that have been really the backbone of the program the last couple of years, in Abigail Corning and Erin Rooney. I think when you lose your heart and soul of your team, there’s a lot you have to replace. I think they’ve taught the returning kids a lot, we have a good amount returning, we’re really excited about the recruits coming in.

But I think when you’re having new kids at new positions there’s going to be challenges. I don’t think we’ll know who we are probably until 14 or 15 games into the season.

OBSERVER: Any final thoughts or advice you’d like to give?

SG: I think it’s just so important

to cherish everyday, because you’re not guaranteed anything. We talk a lot with our team about life lessons because so much is parallel to the game of basketball. I feel very fortunate to represent Fordham and I’m excited about the excitement that was brought on campus. All the emails and stuff I got just makes me realize how much people really, really do care and how excited we are that Fordham has created a buzz on campus. I want to thank the Fordham community for all the love and support through this run and it just makes you want to do it again.

There’s nothing like coming back on the bus and seeing everybody out on the front of Rose Hill to greet us.

We are so happy for the kids and see all their hard work pay off. Just cherish every day and try to make a difference in someone’s life every single day.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER April 16, 2014

Sports

15

College Athletes Should be Paid If the NCAA and colleges are profiting from their student athletes, why shouldn’t players get a cut?

It is not a tragedy, or the death of college sports, if student athletes start getting paid.

By DYLAN PENZA Staff Writer

Recent events such as the Northwestern football team attempting to unionize show that the NCAA will eventually not be able to treat student-athletes as unpaid labor, so what can it do to evolve?

For months, the Northwestern football team has been met with rebuke and confrontation as the students try to unionize and be seen as employees of the college. While they have been repeatedly turned away, the incident has made the debate about payment and benefits for college athletes, or the lack there of, all the more visible. So how long can a pyramid scheme, like the NCAA, that thrives on the compensationless hard work and effort of young men and women sustain itself?

The NCAA is one of the most popular and profitable organizations on the planet. 18 million viewers tuned in to watch the men’s basketball championship game between University of Connecticut and the University of Kentucky on Monday, April 7. 26 million viewers watched the BCS National Football Championship between Florida State and Auburn last January. Overall, the organization has over $600 million in net assets, and shows no signs of its popularity dying anytime soon.

However, even as the NCAA flourishes and universities profit, student athletes are not being compensated properly for their contributions.

While one may argue the value of sports in terms of cultural impact or necessity, one cannot dispute the monetary gain these events provide. Universities with thriving, nationally known sports programs make ludicrous amounts of money.

However, that money is made on the backs of athletes who sacrifice their time and health with little to no recompense. With so much excess funding, colleges should be able to take a small piece of the pie to reimburse the players, so why won’t they?

The arguments against paying student athletes are becoming more

CARL JUSTE/MIAMI HERALD VIA MCT

Players aren’t notified or paid when used as action figures, video games characters or within commercials.

and more antiquated. Doing something for the sake of tradition, even if that tradition doesn’t really make sense in modern society, is just illogical. Therefore, we shouldn’t continue to not pay student athletes, just because we haven’t ever regardless of history. Amateurism, in an age of YouTube mixtapes and magazines that profile high school prospects like Andrew Wiggins before they even step on a court, is no longer feasible.

Another argument is that athletes are paid in college through

scholarship and an education that is more valuable than mere dollars and dimes. What many pundits fail to mention when saying this is that many, if not all student athletes, are either not allowed to have part time jobs or simply cannot have one due to the time constraints of practice, travelling or actual events. This includes walk-on athletes who are receiving no scholarship to be on the team, and athletes from less affluent neighborhoods whose families are not able to properly cover the costs of college, such as books and

meal plans, that scholarships do not provide. So, in many ways, student athletes are more limited in terms of monetary gain than their peers.

For example, as a student on an academic scholarship, I am able to have a part time job to supplement my financial costs that aren’t covered by my grant. However, my friend who runs track and field for a Division I university, Boston College, does not have that same luxury, because of so much time spent in preparation for and in actual competition. Both of us have scholarships because of our

merit, we earned them, yet one of us is limited and not awarded the same opportunities because of receiving his benefits from a different channel. That is simply unfair, regardless of what the NCAA has to say.

There seems to be a solution to this dilemma that the NCAA has not discovered yet. If we treat sports as a business, with TV deals and sponsorship, why not treat student athletes as student workers? By making sports be seen as a work study program, students would be compensated for their hours in addition to their scholarships. In many ways, sports are work study programs. They are preparing athletes for jobs in their respective markets, whether as professional athletes or in any capacity that would require the teamwork, dedication and leadership need of a collegiate athlete.

Coaches and athletic departments would be able to keep their athletes focused on the game and winning championships, because that would literally be the job of the students.

Players are given more financial flexibility, which could stop incidents like Johnny Manziel allegedly signing autographs for cash, from happening. The only “losers” in this situation are the universities themselves who will have a slightly smaller profit margin. But, colleges should see us as students and not walking ATMs, right?

While this issue might not be resolved in the near future, at some point the NCAA will have no choice but to give in. It is not a tragedy or the death of college sports if student athletes start getting paid. It is simply an evolution and one that needs to be made sooner, rather than later.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Becoming More Prevalent in Soccer

By CONRAD ZAJKOWSKI Asst. Sports Editor

A growing issue in sports has been the increase of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) among retired athletes. CTE is known for giving its victims dementia years or even decades after the trauma has occurred. The NFL has recently highlighted the issue since more players are now suffering from symptoms of CTE and are even dying from the disease, which can only be diagnosed postmortem, according to the Brain Injury Research Institute. However, does this mean football should be the only sport concerned?

Soccer has often been thought of as a much safer sport for the head than football, hockey, and boxing, resulting in the notion that soccer players are practically immune from CTE. This is not a far-fetched idea considering heading a ball is much less lethal than a tackle or a punch to a face. Patrick Grange, who died at age 29, has changed that flawed philosophy becoming the first soccer player to have passed away from CTE, according to John Branch of the New York Times.

Grange played collegiately at

University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of New Mexico.

He eventually joined the Premier Development League in Chicago. Known for heading the ball, Grange played with passion, having been knocked out in a high school game and getting 17 stitches in the head after a collision in college. Dr. Ann McKee, a neuropathologist who examined Grange’s brain, told Branch, “We have seen other athletes in their 20s with this level of pathology, but they’ve usually been football players.”

Dr. Erin Bigler, director of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research Facility at Brigham Young was not surprised that soccer would have victims of CTE. “The brain is a very delicate organ, and it probably can withstand some injury, but the whole issue of repeated injury is a very different circumstance,” Bigler said to Branch.

Bigler does not recommend that younger players in particular routinely head the ball, a typical drill for strikers. This is because the brain is not fully developed until age 25. However, most soccer organizations still do this. Dr. Michael L. Lipton , a neurologist at Yeshiva University’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine, told Branch that,

“the cold, hard reality is that the data [doesn’t] exist to address that question.”

Baseball players might be assumed to be the sports figures least prone to CTE, however, on Dec. 22, 2012, the first baseball player was diagnosed with the disease.

Ryan Freel, former MLB player for several teams including the Reds, Orioles, Cubs, and the Royals, was suffering from the disease when he committed suicide. He had at least nine concussions during his professional career as a result of colliding with other players and outfield walls. The head injury led to his suicide, leaving his three daughters without a father.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the symptoms of CTE include irritability, impulsive behavior, aggression, depression, short-term memory loss, and a high suicide rate. CTE is a disease without a cure. It is a new issue that will affect all sports in the future because it concerns the safety of the athletes. The challenge for the future will be finding a better way to protect the players while protecting the way the sport is played as well.

CHUCK MYERS VIA MCT

Doctors warn that heading the ball can increase the chances of CTE.

16

Sports

April 16, 2014 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

After a Wild Year, the Rangers are in the Playoffs

By MATT CRITCHLOW Staff Writer

After a brutal and potentially debilitating road trip to start the season, the New York Rangers open their campaign at 2-6. The club has rebounded under the tutelage of first year coach Alain Vigneault to secure a first round playoff matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers, finishing second in the Metropolitan Division.

Due to renovations at Madison Square Garden going beyond the NHL’s summer recess, the Rangers played their first nine games of the 2013-14 season on the road. Compounding the difficulty of the road trip, which saw them visit several of the Western Conference’s powerhouses, were the late returns of speedy Swede Carl Hagelin and team Captain Ryan Callahan. Both missed the first month of the season with shoulder surgery. Center Derek Stepan, last season’s top point scorer, also returned in less than ideal shape, having held out for a new contract during training camp.

A 4-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils in Newark marked the nadir of the trip, and another shutout loss in the home opener to the Montreal Canadiens bore further evidence that this year’s Rangers were not playoff caliber.

But flashes of Vigneault’s new defensively oriented puck possession system shown through in November, as the team rebounded to even out at .500 by the end of the month.

A strong showing against former coach John Tortarella’s Vancouver Canucks, featuring a hat-trick from Chris Kreider, long thought to be punished by Tortarella’s grinding system, put the exclamation on the month’s last day.

A record-long nine game home stand in December was considered by many Rangers fans a potential runway for the team to take off.

But four-straight losses, including another to the Devils, this time in overtime, scuttled those hopes. The

second half of the home stand saw improvement, as the team collected seven of a possible ten points and set up the Rangers for a strong January.

Vigneault’s team seemed to finally shake off the remnants of Tortorella’s tenure, departing the former coach’s penchant for toughness and grit for a more stylized approach in January. The month ended on a high note as the Rangers drubbed the Devils and then narrowly beat the Islanders in the Stadium Series, two outdoor games hosted at Yankees Stadium.

The Rangers went into the Olympic break on the heels of a 13-6 record since the beginning of the new year, but the optimistic outlook surrounding their surge was tempered by the impending free agency of Captain Ryan Callahan.

On March 5, Callahan, unable to reach an agreement with the club on a new contract , was traded, along with two draft picks, to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Martin St. Louis, last season’s Art Ross Trophy winner for tallying the most points in the regular season.

St. Louis, himself the captain of the Lightning, has endured a trying spell thus far as a Ranger, recording his lone goal with the club on April 1. After the sluggish start in New York, he managed to settle in, and in April has shown flashes of his former self, with a three-assist effort in the Ranger’s third to last game of the season. He also recorded the winning assist in the Ranger’s penultimate contest setting up star forward Rick Nash for his 29th goal of the season.

After missing a month of the campaign in November with a concussion, Nash has rebounded nicely, and nine of his goals go down as the game winner, one short of the Ranger’s club record. A feisty encounter in late March with his former team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, seemed to spark Nash and the Rangers to a strong finish.

The Rangers will look to both Nash and St. Louis as offensive super

CHRIS SEWARD-RALEIGH NEWS & OBSERVER VIA MCT

A season of slumps and streaks sees the Rangers face rival Flyers in the first round

stars to ignite the club as they begin their postseason with a first round matchup against the rugged Philadelphia Flyers.

So too will the team hope to continue playing their balanced and defensively sound brand as they enter the postseason. The team boasts three potent lines, and the massive contributions of pre-season afterthoughts Mats Zuccarello and Benoit Pouliot have gone a long way to-

wards turning the Rangers into such a hard team to match up with. The third line wingers, centered by Derek Brassard, have both enjoyed career years, and alleviated the streaky nature of the Ranger’s star forwards.

A sound and envied defensive core anchored by the up-and-coming Ryan McDonaugh also has the Ranger’s fourth best Goals Against column in the league and third best Penalty Kill in the league.

As always though, Henrik Lundqvist’s performance will determine how deep the Rangers can dance this spring. After a shaky first half of the season, the all-world netminder has rounded into form not a moment too soon. Against a Flyers team with high-end attacking talent but a suspect defensive corp and inexperienced goaltending, it is Lundqvist above all else who may provide the edge.

Who’s on First for the New York Mets?

A rotation of Ike Davis, Lucas Duda and Josh Satin at first base will only lead to disaster for the team

By JENNIFER KHEDAROO Sports Editor

What can a $3.5 million salary get you on the New York Mets?

Well, it can guarantee you a seat on the bench. But don’t get excited, no one knows when you will actually get to play on the field.

Just ask Ike Davis, the former first baseman who lost his job to another player within the first three days of the season. Now Davis is stuck in a baseball limbo between an everyday starter and a benchwarmer extraordinaire.

Truth be told, Davis certainly hasn’t been playing his best baseball. He is currently hitting a .200 batting average, with one home run and five runs batted in (RBI).

Even though his numbers won’t leave you jumping for joy, there is no reason to take his job away from him. Especially considering at the time of his replacement, he was outperforming his counterpart, Lucas Duda, in defense and offense. Davis was hitting 1-for-3 with one walk, while Duda was 0-for-6 with a walk and a pair of strikeouts. How exactly does one lose his job to someone who was literally unproductive for the team?

Since Duda’s promotion from outfield to everyday first baseman, he has been playing significantly better. But shouldn’t that be happening anyway? Why applaud a player who’s doing exactly what he

HARRY E. WALKER VIA MCT

Ike Davis is one of the first basemen treated unfairly by the Mets

is supposed to do? Especially considering first base is the position that Duda has trained most of his life for. Now, I don’t have a bone to pick with Duda. After all, people

usually accept a job promotion that they’ve worked towards for their entire lives.

My issue is with Terry Collins, the Mets manager, and by

extension, the Mets management.

The Mets knew what they were getting into when they signed two first basemen to the team. And beyond Davis and Duda, the Mets have added Josh Satin, another first baseman, to the roster. With a spot in the roster, Satin has unfairly been given a glimmer of hope thinking he actually has a shot in becoming the Mets’ first baseman. That’s not going to happen, it’s always been a two-player race between Duda and Davis.

There is now a ridiculous, awkward rotation among the three players. Forget about competition with the opposing teams, these guys are in competition with one another. No one wants to be sitting on the bench when they can be hitting home runs out of the ballpark and soaking up the glorified attention of New York media and fans.

Duda being the everyday starter doesn’t mean he will be playing everyday. Since being promoted, Duda’s only had 28 atbats. The average everyday starter gets between 40 to 50 at-bats. At best, Duda might see playing time three out of four days, according to what Collins told Marc Carig of Newsday.

Not playing Duda everyday will hurt him rather than benefit him. Duda was demoted three years ago to the minor leagues because of confidence issues, according to Matthew Cerrone of

MetsBlog. Confidence has caused Duda to reconsider his future.

“Duda himself has questioned his own ability to be a major league player,” Cerrone said. If Collins continues to debate about whether or not Duda can play everyday, it might just make Duda feel more insecure about where he stands on the team. Therefore, his production will probably decrease.

Davis is another player who will deteriorate with less playing time. Historically, Davis needs a consistent amount of at-bats and time on the field in order to become a successful hitter. He cannot be successful with just one at-bat here and there. Without a daily routine, he’ll never get back to his glory days where he hit more than 30 home runs in a season. Collins and the other coaches on staff should know that. Davis will fall by the wayside, and with a lack of playing time or at-bats, other teams would be less likely to be interested in him. With no interest, there’s a lose-lose situation for Davis and the Mets. The Mets won’t get anything in trade value for Davis and Davis’s career could possibly be over.

As of right now, the Mets have created a mess. It’s time to hunker down and make decisions about who is going to play what position.

And Mets, next time you should learn to spend more wisely.