Issue 7 Spring 2020

Observer the

@fordhamobserver

www.fordhamobser erver.com

April 15, 2020

VOLUME XL, ISSUE 7 Online-Only Edition

Pomp and Dire Circumstance:

Graduating into a recession

By NICOLE PERKINS Features Editor

Fordham students are about to graduate into a recession. The economy is precariously balanced on a cliff, seconds away from plunging over — all the while, seniors can do little more than stand by and watch it happen.

In 2009, University President Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., sat down with The Observer to address some of the same concerns. He emphasized Fordham’s commitment to providing scholarships and financial aid, keeping programs like Tuition Assistance Program and Higher Education Opportunity Program running, and increasing the prestige of the Fordham degree.

Some students chose graduate or law school rather than entering the job market, while others — especially those whose JOE KOTTKE/THE OBSERVER

Seniors will enter an unstable and unsettling environment as the coronavirus takes its toll on the economy and job market.

Different Time Zones Disrupt Class Schedules

By KATRINA LAMBERT Asst. News Editor

The switch to online classes for the spring 2020 semester as a part of Fordham’s plan to protect against the spread of coronavirus, has caused disruptions in many Fordham students’ schedules. For students who are quarantining in different time zones, their ability to participate in online classes or campus activities has been hindered.

At the Lincoln Center campus, undergraduate students come from all parts of the globe, with 377 international students and 891 students from outside the tri-state area. Even though some students remain in eastern time

“ There is a 12-and-a-

half-hour time difference, which basically means that by the time I wake up, they are going to sleep and the other way around.

”

Preeshita Shah, FCLC ‘23

(ET), other students are dealing with a 1- to 12-hour range of time difference from the New York City standard time.

From Mumbai, India, Preeshita Shah, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’23, said the 9.5-hour time difference has prevented her from participating in club meetings that were moved online. She said that she feels like she is missing out on the clubs and activities that she was a part of before the switch.

One club that she is a part of, Campus Activities Board (CAB), meets online at 5:30 p.m. ET, which is 3 a.m. India Standard Time (IST). see TIME ZONES page 3

see RECESSION page 5

Special Report: What FCLC Students Know About the Coronavirus For a week in April, The Observer circulated an anonymous survey to 121 Fordham College at Lincoln Center students to gauge the student body’s understanding of the facts and myths surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Out of the respondents, 103 students expressed that they were concerned about the virus.

The first case of the coronavirus in the U.S. was reported on Jan. 21 in Washington state

Local Eateries Face Uncertain Future

By EMMA SEIWELL Asst. Features Editor

March is typically the month when restaurants’ outdoor dining tables return to sidewalks, bodegas begin to leave their doors open all day and the afternoon sun draws crowds out to drink and eat every night of the week.

At a time of year when restaurants in New York City are usually thriving with increased foot traffic, the restaurant industry currently faces an unprecedented threat to business.

In an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), New Yorkers have been ordered to stay at home. As a service that re-

lies almost entirely on mass gatherings, the current circumstances make the restaurant industry a particularly vulnerable sector.

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s March 16 order to ban all dine-in services forced restaurants to quickly transform into exclusively takeout and delivery operations.

The predicted sustainability of this new business model varies for every restaurant. For many, however, the demand for takeout and delivery is not high enough to make any profit, and — even worse — not high enough to remain open. see RESTAURANTS page 18

COURTESY OF DAMIEN KIM

Health care workers receive freshly brewed coffee donated by Birch Coffee customers.

and began spreading rapidly throughout the country. As of April 13, there are currently 547,627 confirmed cases and 21,662 deaths in the U.S. The rampant spread of the virus forced the U.S. government to declare a state of emergency on March 13. Additional measures to try to slow the curve of the virus have been implemented throughout March and April.

On March 26, the U.S. surpassed China and Italy to become the most infected country in the world.

In response to these dramatic changes to daily life, 66% of students stated they read or watched the latest news regarding the COVID-19 outbreak daily and 25.6% of students said they caught up on the news a few times a day.

Symptoms of the coronavirus include fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Generally, exposed individuals present with these symptoms within two to 14 days.

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that invades the lungs in sequential steps. Initially, the virus enters lung cells and injects its genetic material into them.

The original host cells then replicate the viral particles and release them into the body. During this stage, airways in the see COVID-19 page 6

News

Sports & Health

Opinions

Arts & Culture

Fun & Games

NYC Schools React to COVID-19

Educate Yourself on Eyestrain

Self-Improvement at Home

AAPI Online

Chutes and Ladders

Page 4

Page 8

Page 12

Page 16

Page 14

The different ways city colleges are supporting their students

Symptoms to look out for as screen time increases

How to cure the quarantine blues

April programming celebrates Asian students’ heritage

The Student Voice of Fordham Lincoln Center

Leave the competition sliding in your wake

2

News

April 15, 2020 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

We Are a Ramily: Father McShane’s Pastoral Messages Surpass Religious Ties

By SAMANTHA MATTHEWS Features Editor

University President Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., is an elusive figure on campus. He is often seen at university Masses or celebratory occasions, but the Fordham community rarely hears from him directly on a regular basis.

With the outbreak of the novel coronavirus and the indefinite cancellation of university Mass, McShane has been sending pastoral messages to the Fordham community in an effort to provide comfort. The support of the “Ramily” consists of students, faculty, staff, alumni and even parents.

On March 15, McShane addressed the Fordham community directly, bearing the news of a solemn historic event: For the first time in the university’s 179-year history, Mass would not be celebrated on any of the university’s campuses after Cardinal Dolan suspended public Masses in the Archdiocese of New York until further notice.

According to Bob Howe, assistant vice president for communications and special adviser to the president, McShane felt the need to send out these messages due to “The needs of the moment: the University family is unsettled, in many cases scared, and feeling isolated. Father (McShane) is not merely the chief administrator at Fordham, but the community’s Pastor-in-Chief, a responsibility he takes very seriously.”

Finley Peay, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’20, saw McShane’s intention and consideration for his community throughout his rhetoric. “I think just the time he’s taking to address all of us and the fact that his emails all seem to be so honest and emotional is wonderful and comforting.

Sometimes it feels like he’s able to put into words some of the same emotions I’m feeling,” she said.

For alumni, McShane’s messages serve as nostalgic comfort. “I can literally hear Father McShane’s

ANDREA GARCIA/THE OBSERVER

University President Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., has highlighted the communal bonds among all those in the Fordham community in his weekly emails.

voice as I read them and it carries me back to happy memories at my favorite place on earth,” Sophie Scott, FCLC ’18, said.

In his first message, McShane recited a prayer for all impacted by the coronavirus. He concluded that this message is directed towards families of “all faiths, and none.”

While it is obvious that McShane’s message carries a pious directive, he makes it clear that his sentiments are not exclusive to Catholicism.

Stella Pandis, FCLC ’21, expressed how emotional she felt, regardless of her religious affiliation.

“I am not Catholic and his words always move me. Father McShane

has done such an amazing job to make it a spiritual experience/read rather than a religious one,” she said.

As Fordham is a Jesuit institution, religiously driven language isn’t unknown to its students. “I think we have to understand that as a Jesuit this is how he sees the world and expresses himself. He seems to so genuinely care about each of us, and I think that intention transcends faith and religious beliefs,” Peay added.

Rev. George Quickley, S.J., chaplain at FCLC, reflected on his own experience as a pastor in Nigeria. He remembered how his job was to unite his parishioners, no

matter the ethnic or spiritual background they may have come from.

As the pastor of this university, McShane’s job is no different.

The Jesuit values that Fordham preaches to its students are not only applicable on campus. Quickley emphasized that during this time, being “men and women for others” is more important than ever. “We may be powerless, but there are many tools that we have that can move us to do something for those who are already suffering.”

In his third pastoral message on April 5, McShane discussed the upcoming holidays, including Holy Week and Passover. Candidly, he admitted that each year, this week

comes with a sense of dread and excitement due to the emotional rollercoaster it evokes. However, this year, his feelings are different.

“Normally, I would enter the Week in the company of a great throng of other believers and be buoyed up, consoled, and strengthened by their faith ... But this year and this Holy Week are anything but normal ... We will enter it and walk through it in a solitary way,” he wrote.

Michelle Moughan, FCLC ’23, noted that her family’s celebrations were vastly different than years past. “We typically go to some type of service on Palm Sunday, the days of the Triduum and Easter, so it’s been strange to have to watch a Mass online or do our own thing at home,” she said. McShane’s messages have highlighted that she and her family are not alone in navigating this unconventional Holy Week.

McShane’s messages aren’t unique to the current global crisis.

Howe stated that in the past, such messages have been sent during times of great celebration, such as momentous university occasions and significant religious holidays, or in times of great tribulation. But some members of the community have expressed their interest in these messages beyond such polarizing situations.

Yint Hmu, FCLC ’17, said, “If he chooses to keep writing, I’ll keep reading.”

A leader must adapt in order to fulfill the needs of his people, and that is what McShane is trying to do through his pastoral messages.

Keeping a small community spread out all over the world together is no small feat.

“I have spoken to students from other Jesuit universities and public schools and their schools are not taking the same efforts. I am glad Fordham has not forgotten the concept of being a Ramily,” Pandis said.

So we are in this together, Ramily. Apart, and yet united, through our community.

College Students React to Government Stimulus Money

By SOPHIE PARTRIDGE-HICKS News Editor

As the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the U.S., restaurants, industries and small businesses have suffered financially. On March 19, the U.S. government announced an economic relief package known as the CARES Act, or the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. A key part of the package includes stimulus checks that will send $1,200 of stimulus money to eligible taxpayers. Yet the specific details on who qualifies in the categories put forward by the government have left one demographic especially confused: college students.

U.S. taxpayers will receive stimulus money if they have an adjusted gross income below $75,000. Those candidates will also receive an additional $500 for children ages 16 and under.

However, anyone claimed as a dependent on another person’s taxes is not eligible.

The student body at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) is known for juggling paid internships, part-time jobs and other side gigs that make paying for life in New York City a bit easier, and many students file their own taxes. However, when Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency in New York City on

ment overn sG e t Sta D.C.

d n, ite ngto Unashi

r of orde he ot t y Pa

W

C o llege St u d ent s

eral R Fed F or

$

eserve

S timu

?

l u s c h eck U.S. Government

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY ESMÉ BLEECKER-ADAMS/THE OBSERVER

March 12, many students were no longer able to work.

Martina Finley, FCLC ’21, works at Ethlys, a bar on the Upper East Side, and is not claimed as a dependent. She received $600, the first installment of her stimulus check, on April 10.

“I have to be grateful for it, as it’s what is going to pay rent this month for me, especially since unemployment payments are coming out very slowly,” Finley said. Yet, Finley explained that if she were not receiving financial support from her parents, the stimulus money would not

have been enough to support her needs and rent.

For international students who pay taxes in the U.S., stimulus money was additionally confusing. Harry Wu, Gabelli School of Business Lincoln Center ’21, does not hold an American passport and assumed that he was therefore ineligible for economic relief.

“I knew what stimulus money was, but just thought that I wasn’t going to receive anything since I’m not a citizen,” Wu said.

However, since Wu has a social security number and is au-

thorized to work in the U.S, he is still eligible. Wu has worked at UBS, an investment banking firm, since June 2019, receives his health insurance through Fordham and is not claimed as a dependent on anyone else’s taxes.

However, many college students are still claimed as dependents on their parents’ or guardians’ tax returns, making them ineligible. Lila Cook, FCLC ’21, who works at Patent Pending, a bar in midtown, was claimed as a dependent and so did not qualify for the stimulus money.

Cook said that without her parent’s support and her savings, she would not be able to support herself. She has now tried to file for unemployment, but due to the high demands has been unable to get through.

“I also have not been able to receive unemployment because the NY labor website keeps crashing and phone lines are completely full,” Cook said.

Finley noted that while she is appreciative of her check, she is “very aware of how many people are not receiving this kind of aid.”

“It’s really disappointing to see the government failing to help people who are the backbone of the New York working class at a time like this,” she said.

In addition to stimulus checks, the government is also offering financial aid packages to higher education institutions under Part III of the act.

Bob Howe, assistant vice president for communications and special adviser to the president, confirmed that Fordham University will receive just over $8 million from the government. He said that 50% of the money will go directly to students.

“We still don’t know exactly how, and for what, the funds will be distributed but we’re committed to ensuring these funds make it to our students as quickly as possible,” Howe said.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER April 15, 2020

Taking Classes Across the Globe

News

3

Time zones disrupt students’ ability to attend class

TIME ZONES from page 1

Some students are forced to take classes early in the morning that would be at a normal time at Fordham, had in-person instruction not been canceled.

“I can’t really attend that if I don’t want to stay up all night,” Shah said.

With her class schedule, she said she was lucky to take only morning classes this semester.

The time difference has pushed them back to 6 and 7 p.m., causing only a minor disruption to her normal day. Additionally, her professors are recording their classes and posting them online, so they can become accessible to her at any time.

“My primary concern for one of my classes is that the largest percent of my final grade is dependent on a group project,” she said. Shah is struggling to figure out how to work around the schedules of her group members who are located in different parts of the world.

“There is a 12-and-a-half-hour time difference, which basically means that by the time I wake up, they are going to sleep and the other way around,” she said.

Another student in India, Rachana Komatireddy, FCLC ’22, had a similar situation with a class that required a group project. Komatireddy said that she

was worried that her time difference would affect the other members in her group’s ability to work efficiently.

“After expressing my concerns with my professor, we came to the conclusion that it would be better for me to work alone,” she said. A part of working alone means she will be required to do more work due to circumstances out of her control, but Komatireddy said she feels better knowing she won’t be compromising her classmates’ work.

Unlike Shah, Komatireddy’s classes were mainly scheduled for the afternoon before she had to resume classes in India.

Two of her classes now run from 1:30-2:45 a.m. and 3:30-6:15 a.m. IST. “My professors have all been really understanding of my situation and have done everything in their power to make this easier on me, but unfortunately, there just isn’t a good solution to any of this,” she said.

Another issue Komatireddy has with the timing of her classes is that one of them falls into a high-internet-traffic time period

— 9 p.m. IST. For this class, her broadband isn’t able to support an online conference call for the hour-and-15-minute class time.

“I know that the quality of my academic work has taken a hit, and my ability to engage in classes and clubs is hampered by my — admittedly — very annoying circumstances,” she said.

Fordham is aware of these issues and is working to address these individual student concerns, according to Tracyann Williams, assistant dean for student support and success.

“Getting hot spots to students, facilitating equipment rental, and connecting them with additional resources,” were some of the ways Williams mentioned Fordham is assisting with making sure students have access to their courses.

Participating in classes asynchronously is also a struggle to adapt to, Jack Bellamy, FCLC ’23, said. Bellamy is from Seattle in the Pacific time zone, which is three hours behind New York.

To avoid waking up at 5:30 a.m., he is choosing to follow along with the recorded class

COURTESY OF SYDNEY COSTALES

Sydney Costales, FCLC ’21, takes her classes from Hawaii, 6 hours behind New York time.

lectures that his professors post after the normal lecture times.

But this adjustment comes with other challenges, he said.

“Overall, the professors are fairly understanding of restrictions that place certain students’ ability to learn in sync,” he said.

“I’m grateful that they are doing what they can to continue to educate in these times and working so that everyone has continued equal access.”

Beyond coursework, registering for classes in different time zones added another layer of disruption for some students.

To make the registration period fairer to students on the West Coast, the University shifted the opening of registration up by two hours. However, this change couldn’t accommodate all time zone differences.

Sydney Costales, FCLC ’21, had to wake up at 3:45 a.m. Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time to ensure she got the classes necessary to graduate next year.

She said she was aware that other students across the globe may have it worse than she did and figured the administration

MADDIE SANDHOLM/THE OBSERVER

wouldn’t be able to make an exception for her.

“It was super disruptive for my day, but I figured that there was nothing that could’ve been done to help,” Costales said.

Williams made it clear that Fordham faculty are deeply committed to reaching all their students by working with different departments, the Dean’s Office and Information Technology to devise asynchronous means of engagement.

“Despite the change to online instruction, it is imperative that students have full access to their courses, regardless of time zone,” she said.

While the situation isn’t ideal, students seemed to take solace in the fact that the university is doing what they can to facilitate their online learning.

“Overall, this situation is ideal for no one, but that’s to be expected,” Komatireddy said.

“However, I’m grateful to have a circle of kind and understanding people around me — faculty and students alike — who have done their best to make this transition as easy as possible.”

COURTESY OF RACHANA KOMATIREDDY

Rachana Komatireddy, FCLC ’22, must wake up in the middle of the night to take classes from India.

4

News

April 15, 2020 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

Comparing NYC Schools’ Responses to the Coronavirus

By JOE KOTTKE Asst. News Editor

The coronavirus pandemic has brought American college life to a complete standstill as universities were forced to close and students to finish the semester online. NYC schools were some of the first to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak by suspending face-to-face classes and canceling in-person events. When Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the PAUSE executive order, they were forced to close completely.

Now, NYC universities are beginning to address student concerns that accompany the completion of the spring semester online — including financial reimbursement.

On March 31, Fordham University announced that it plans to issue reimbursements for room, board and selected fees by approximately 50% for the spring

Fordham University

2020 semester. The policy is prorated, meaning the refunds for room and board are proportional to how many residential days were left in the academic calendar when students were sent home.

“All things considered, I think Fordham has handled it better than we expected,” Angel Quiah-Londoño, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’20, said. “Their response to COVID-19 has been to be preemptive and not regret inaction.”

According to Vice President of Communications Bob Howe, all campus buildings except the Westchester campus are in operation, requiring heat, electricity and water service — even without students on campus. Howe also said that no university employees have been laid off and that the university is absorbing all technology and support costs associ-

ated with the transition to online.

Other colleges in the NYC area are tasked with the same challenge as Fordham when issuing refunds. Columbia University was one of the first in the country to move to online-only classes.

“The administration not only responded early and decisively but also in a way that was really empathetic with how this would affect students, especially those without safe places to return to and graduating seniors,” AJ Yablonsky, Columbia ’20, said.

According to Yablonsky, they reimbursed housing costs similarly to Fordham with a prorated policy, as well as student life fees for the remainder of the semester.

The university also gave students a $500 stipend to move out and assist with travel.

Yablonsky said that students who could not move out were allowed to stay in dorms through

the end of the academic year. Columbia is also providing dorms as housing for healthcare workers to quarantine in, so they do not spread the coronavirus to families and also to reduce commute time.

Keili Fitzgerald, New York University (NYU) ’23, said she has not had an in-person class since March 10, similarly to Fordham, which suspended face-to-face classes on March 9.

In a letter to parents of NYU students on April 4, President Andrew Hamilton wrote that the university is distributing housing and meal plan refunds proportionately, similar to Fordham and Columbia. He also stated that NYU is “closely examining various fees to determine if they should be refunded as well.”

“One of my friends got $5,500, so I’m assuming they’re giving about 50% back for housing,” Fitzgerald said. “We haven’t received

the amount for course fee refunds but I feel like it’ll also be 50%.”

Fitzgerald said that she thinks it is fair reimbursement, however, she is in art classes that lost substance when going digital and wished they were just canceled and refunded.

Some NYU students have been allowed to remain in housing, but they have been moved into single rooms without visitor privileges, Fitzgerald said. Students whose belongings were left in the dorms are either having their items mailed to them or moved to storage.

Pace University followed a similar trajectory as Fordham, transitioning to a two-week online period on March 16, then making the decision to stay online for the whole spring semester midway through the first week, according to Leila Pollio, Pace University ’22.

In-Person Classes Canceled Since

New Grading Policy

Housing Reimbursements

Additional Actions

Optional pass/fail

Refund for room and board proportional to the number of days remaining in the semester

Donated medical supplies to the Javits Center temporary hospital

March 9 Columbia University

Mandatory pass/fail

March 9 New York University

Refund for room and board proportional to the number of days remaining in the semester $500 stipend for moveout and travel

Provided dorms to house health care workers in quarantine

March 11

Optional pass/fail

Refund for room and board proportional to the number of days remaining in the semester

March 13

Double A Policy: if a student completes the requirements for a course, they will be eligible to earn an A or A-

Refund for room and board proportional to the number of days remaining in the semester

Tuition raise canceled for the 2020-21 academic year

Optional pass/fail

Direct refund of $2000 or the option to apply the credit to fall 2020 tuition

None reported

ing and meal plans; additionally, financial holds are not affecting the ability to register for fall 2020 courses.

Students of the Parsons School of Design within The New School created petitions for partial tuition reimbursement with the slogan “online art school is not art school.” Balashova said that the university denied this request via email, but they did cancel the tuition raise for the 2020-21 academic year.

In comparison with Fordham, which instituted an optional pass/fail policy, Columbia made it mandatory, not giving students the choice to opt out. “They instituted the policy for reasons of academic inequity, which I think is a really interesting choice that has a lot of merit,” Yablonsky said.

Instead of implementing a pass/fail grading scale, The New School is using a Double A Pol-

icy, meaning that if a student completes the requirements for a course, they will be eligible to earn an A or A-.

In response to the rapidly evolving outbreak in NYC, NYU medical students were allowed to graduate early to become practicing doctors and help alleviate overcrowded hospitals. Fordham has also aided the wider city’s battle against the coronavirus by donating medical supplies to the Javits Center temporary hospital.

All five schools plan to hold the fall 2020 semester on campuses in NYC, even with predictions of a fall resurgence of the coronavirus. Fordham confirmed that events such as new student orientation are still planned to be held in-person in August, but there is a contingency plan in place to conduct the programs using technology if the pandemic continues.

The New School

Medical students allowed to graduate early to aid overcrowded hospitals

Pace University

March 16

“No COVID-19 cases were reported on campus until a week after the closure, so I think they did the right thing by closing before it had the chance to spread through the school,” Pollio said.

Pace is adjusting housing fees by directly paying families $2,000 or giving them the option to apply the credit to fall 2020 tuition. “I believe this is helpful, but in the end, students are still paying the majority of their housing tuition without even being on campus,” Pollio said.

Pollio is a commuter, so the housing fee adjustment does not apply to her. Her tuition remains the same for the semester. “I felt super thankful to be a commuter for the first time, not having to (panic) about whether or not I would be $10,000 in the hole for housing I wasn’t using, or travel expenses thrown at me out of nowhere,” said Ryan Garcia, Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center ’23.

“It would have been nice to have received some kind of reimbursement, but it also works out for me now that I don’t have to commute anymore,” Pollio said.

“By not having to pay for metro cards all the time, I am already saving money, even though I’m not receiving any kind of refund from Pace.”

Like Fordham, many Pace students left campus only prepared for two weeks of online classes.

All further move-outs have been delayed indefinitely due to the PAUSE executive order, but Pace did say they will make “limited exceptions for urgent needs.”

The New School announced during spring break that the rest of the spring semester’s in-person classes would be canceled. According to Dasha Balashova, The New School ’23, many students who either live outside of the U.S. or did not have the resources to

travel back to move out were not well-prepared to continue classes from home.

“

I felt super thankful to be a commuter for the first time, not having to (panic) about whether or not I would be $10,000 in the hole for housing I wasn’t using, or travel expenses thrown at me out of nowhere.

”

Ryan Garcia, GSBLC ’23

“When other schools were steadily closing, we kept going to class as if nothing was happening,” Balashova said.

New School students are receiving prorated refunds for hous-

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER April 15, 2020

Seniors to Enter an Unprecedented Job Market

RECESSION from page 1

studies were performance-based — continued to pursue their careers regardless. Even in a recession, they reasoned, people go to Broadway shows, dance performances and movie theaters.

More than 10 years later, things have changed. Restaurants that employ students, gal leries that were once filled with eager art lovers and Broadway shows where theater students shadowed professionals have all closed their doors. The outbreak of the novel coronavirus is affecting the service industry at an alarming rate — and with it, the students who have come to rely on it.

Charles Scheland, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’20, was working for a dance company when Fordham suspended classes on March 9.

“We were completely laid off for the rest of our season, so we had about eight or nine more weeks of work and we got bonuses from our bosses, but we are not working … so I filed for unemployment,” he said. “I’m currently getting an unemployment check from the state of New York every week.”

People aged 16-24 are especially vulnerable during a recession. In 2009, the unemployment rate peaked at 10%, but for those aged 16-24, it was almost double. The job market ignores them, and the stimulus package recently passed is focused on keeping remaining workers, not hiring new ones.

Scheland continued, “A lot of the summer gigs that I had lined up ... are now not happening or at least not happening for the foreseeable future. So that is direct work that I’ve lost ... coro-

ANDREW DRESSNER/THE OBSERVER

As many employers institute hiring fees, seniors are left scrambling for post-grad opportunities.

navirus has basically made it impossible to get work because I can’t be in New York. I can’t sign a lease right now ... a lot of the work that I would be trying to get part time is not going to be hiring currently.”

As a result of the recession, the Class of 2009 took lower-paying jobs at less prestigious companies. They settled into jobs as tutors, bartenders and cashier clerks, working to make ends meet until an opportunity opened up in their intended field. Now, all of these jobs are added to the list of those at risk.

While Fordham is no stranger to operating in a recession, it has never been coupled with a pan-

demic. Avenues that Fordham relies on for income — renting out McKeon Hall to the School of the New York Times over the summer, for example — are no longer an option. They can’t guarantee the same mission of minimizing layoffs.

The New York Times described the situation as “unheard of in advanced economies, more akin to wartime privation than to the downturn that accompanied the financial crisis a decade ago, or even the Great Depression.” Never before has the United States seen such a drastic transformation of the public sphere.

JPMorgan Chase has insti-

tuted a hiring freeze, the travel and hospitality industries have begun to plunge, and bars and restaurants are shutting their doors. Seniors who planned on starting their jobs this summer have found themselves on their parents’ couches, unemployed or working the minimum-wage jobs they held in high school.

Fordham students have already begun to feel the effects, despite only being a month out from the suspension of school.

Matthew Jordan, Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center ’20, said, “I work in a restaurant, and the entire company got laid off. I plan on going into (the) economics/finance field ... there

News

5

are fewer spots available, especially at the entry-level, and a whole slew of econ/finance students graduate in a month.”

Working with the Office of Alumni Relations, the Senior Week Committee at Rose Hill is already setting up events aimed at the difficulties now associated with job hunting. In an Instagram post on April 9, they wrote, “Similar to them (the Classes of ’07, ’08 and ’09), we are about to graduate into a recession with full-time offers being rescinded and freezes being placed on hiring processes ... alumni from all sectors want to share their insight into navigating a changing and ‘hopeless’ job market.”

Before the coronavirus radically transformed daily life in America, seniors were slated to graduate into the strongest job market in 50 years. Now, the employment rate is plummeting — and the jobs that remain are irrevocably changed.

Peter Thermann, FCLC ’20, has a job lined up to teach at an elementary school in Brooklyn.

“As a future educator, I am very lucky. Children always need to be educated and teaching is routinely rated as one of the most secure career paths. I just hope coronavirus does not change the education field forever; there are few better feelings than being in an actual classroom.”

Sixteen million people have filed for unemployment in the United States in the past three weeks. That number is only going to continue to climb as restaurants close, hotels remain empty and movie theaters shutter their doors. In the meantime, seniors have no choice but to march toward graduation — and with it, the world beyond.

6

News

April 15, 2020 THE OBSERVER

COVID-19 from page 1

lungs can be inundated with liquids and debris which can lead to pneumonia and/or shortness of breath.

Out of the responses collected, 44.6% of students believed that they would not get pneumonia if they contracted COVID-19, while 18% cited it as a possible consequence of the illness.

After infecting the lungs, the coronavirus can enter a second stage dubbed “immune hyper-reactivity.” Viral intrusion triggers the immune system to release antibodies to fight off the disease.

Sometimes, however, these immune cells begin to injure healthy tissue as well. Unregulated immune cells could set off the last stage, “pulmonary destruction.”

During this step, lung damage is exacerbated and can potentially lead to respiratory failure.

When asked if losing one’s sense of smell or taste was a symptom of COVID-19, 75.2% of respondents said it was. However, studies have found losing these senses could be a possible symptom of the virus, but not a key symptom. There is not enough evidence to suggest that the presence of these symptoms suggest that someone has the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

www.fordhamobserver.com

Survey Reveals Fordham Student

(CDC) recommends a 14-day quarantine period for individuals exposed to the coronavirus to minimize spreading. The virus has a median incubation period of five days, which means the two-week observation period is sufficient time to track the progress of infected patients.

California became the first state to announce a shelter-inplace order on March 19. Other states — such as New York — issued stay-at-home orders in the following weeks, extending until May to try and slow the spread of the virus.

The most common way COVID-19 spreads is when an infected person coughs or sneezes and exposes another person to their respiratory droplets. The new coronavirus can remain in the air for up to 3 hours. If individuals are within 6 feet

of each other, there is a higher chance the virus will spread.

People can also contract the virus if they touch an infected surface and then touch their faces. 90.1% of students knew that the new coronavirus can live on surfaces for several hours, though 6.6% of respondents said they were not sure how long it stays viable on surfaces. One study found that the virus can remain on plastics for 72 hours, on stainless steel for 48 hours, on cardboard for 24 hours and on copper for 4 hours.

Additionally, preliminary studies have suggested that the virus can spread no matter what temperature it is. The Observer’s survey revealed that 11.6% of students were not sure if they could contract the virus when the weather is warmer, and 2.5% of respondents thought they could not catch the novel coronavirus

1 minute How long should you wash your hands?

6.6% 10 seconds

0.8%

20 seconds

92.6% if the temperature was higher.

The Mayo Clinic has confirmed that the severity of COVID-19 increases with age or in the presence of preexisting health conditions that render individuals immunocompromised.

While anyone can be affected by the virus,

many believe that young people are not at risk.

Of the students who took the survey, 99.2% believed that young people can be affected by the novel coronavirus, but when asked if they felt personally at risk, 41.3% of students said that they do not feel like they are at risk for COVID-19.

One student said, “Just because you as a young person are at a theoretical lower risk than other age groups doesn’t mean you won’t accidentally spread it to people who are higher risk, thus endangering them and potentially causing their death.”

The CDC has

recommended a variety of different preventive measures that people should take to avoid catching and spreading the virus.

One measure is wearing homemade cloth face coverings when going to densely populated areas. The survey data found that 53.3% of students believed they should always wear a mask when they go outdoors.

One knowl cently store) but im on a w Exp ly safe or with recom face w the we late wh Oth includ and u CDC re hands 92.6% of, th though

www.fordhamobserver.com

ts’ Knowledge of the Coronavirus I’m not sure

15.8% False

15.8%

Other answers

15.1%

I should always wear a mask when I go outside.

News

THE OBSERVER April 15, 2020

7

“Humans contracting the virus was a result of deforestation and sick ecosystems forcing humans to live in closer contact with wildlife, making highly infectious viruses such as COVID-19 more susceptible to infecting humans.”

ANONYMOUS RESPONSE

True

53.3% A few times a day

25.6%

Daily

40.5%

How often do you read/ watch the latest news regarding COVID-19?

Never

0.8%

Rarely

8.3%

False 57.9%

I’m not sure COVID-19 cannot be cured once contracted.

17.3%

True

COVID-19 particles can stay in the air and on surfaces for multiple hours at a time.

24.8%

A few times a week

False 2.5% I’m not sure

6.6%

True 90.9%

24.8% True

“This is NOT a “Chinese” virus. It may have originated in China, but this is NOT a “Chinese virus” and anyone that says so is xenophobic and flat-out racist.”

85.8%

ANONYMOUS RESPONSE

I am concerned about the new coronavirus.

False Other Answers

12.5%

1.7%

“In all cases of treating the coronavirus, especially when it comes to ventilators, medical staff are simply giving your own immune system the maximum fighting chance to beat the virus itself. Ventilators, despite how hyped up they are in the news, do not cure the coronavirus themselves.”

e student wrote, “To my edge, if you go to a depopulated place (grocery the CDC said we should, m not sure about just going walk or something.” perts say that it is relativee to exercise outside with hout a mask, but it is still mmended to cover your with a cloth that minimizes etness masks can accumuhen exercising. her preventative measures de washing your hands using hand sanitizer. The ecommends washing your for 20 seconds, which % of students were aware hough 6.6% of students ht you should wash your

ANONYMOUS RESPONSE

hands for one minute.

Additionally, 10% of students believed that all hand sanitizers could effectively combat germs, while 10% of students were unsure of the efficacy of all sanitizing agents. Studies have shown that hand sanitizers with higher alcohol concentrations were more effective in killing germs. It is recommended to use sanitizers with 6095% alcohol content. However, the CDC reported that washing your hands is more effective than using hand sanitizers.

There are some rumors regarding the new coronavirus that suggest certain home remedies can protect against contracting the coronavirus. These

remedies include: herbal teas, garlic, essential oils, vitamin C, burning sage, silver colloid, saline solution, chlorine and hot baths.

When asked whether home remedies will protect against contracting COVID-19, the majority of students believed that they will not protect them from becoming infected.

Of the 121 responses, six students mentioned that isolation, regular doses of vitamins and minerals, and the disinfecting of surfaces were ways to protect against getting COVID-19, but qualified their response by stating none of these are 100% effective.

According to the U.S. De-

partment of Health and Human Services (HHS), there is no scientific evidence that any alternative remedies will prevent or cure the illness caused by the virus. “The best way to prevent infection is to avoid exposure to this virus,” the HHS reported.

Additionally, antibiotics treat bacterial infections, not viral ones. When asked if antibiotics could treat COVID-19, 82.6% of students said they could not.

The World Health Organization asserted that while taking antibodies can bolster one’s immune response, there are currently no treatments that have yet been found to effectively treat or prevent COVID-19.

Special Report by the SPORTS & HEALTH AND NEWS DESKS Photos by ANDREW BEECHER/THE OBSERVER Graphs by ESMÉ BLEECKER-ADAMS/THE OBSERVER

Sports & Health Editors Patrick Moquin - pmoquin@fordham.edu Lena Weidenbruch - lweidenbruch@fordham.edu

Sports & Health

April 15, 2020

THE OBSERVER

How Your Devices Might Be Hurting Your Eyes and How to Fix It drops) from your local drug or grocery store.

By KATRINA MANANSALA Staff Writer

Whether you’ve been checking emails, scrolling through social media or rewatching “Grey’s Anatomy” since social distancing started, chances are you’re spending more time in front of a screen. But is that time affecting your eye health?

Most of today’s focus is on maintaining mental and physical health during this social distancing period, especially for young adults. However, not many people are talking about eye health and what this increased screen use means for our eyes.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a common condition developed from prolonged eye use is eyestrain. This can be caused by activities that utilize intense eye focus, like long-distance driving, extensive digital screen use, sewing and reading.

Though non-life-threatening, it can be annoying and uncomfortable. Since vision is necessary for most people, it’s important to recognize symptoms of eyestrain and know how to relieve them.

Whether or not you’re accustomed to extensive hours in front of a digital screen, you may notice your eyes becoming increasingly sore, tired or itchy as the day progresses. Maybe you find that your eyes are dry, followed by a stinging sensation and watering. Or you may experience blurry or double vision, light sensitivity, and headaches.

These are symptoms of eyestrain, and they usually cease given time and rest. However, if symptoms worsen, you should consult your primary care provider or ophthalmologist.

But while you’re at home, here

Use the correct eyewear.

If you wear glasses and/or contacts, you may want to consider eyewear specifically designed for computer work and reducing strain. These do require a prescription, so if you can’t make an appointment and don’t need to use contacts, stick to glasses to reduce dryness.

Take breaks.

One method is the “20-20-20” rule: Every 20 minutes, focus on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. You can also always stand up, stretch, get some food or do anything to take your focus off the computer.

Limit your screen time.

Set a schedule with regular breaks and turn off all screens an hour before bed. Not only will you reduce eyestrain, but you’ll also establish a regular daily cycle and get a better night’s sleep.

ANDREW DRESSNER/THE OBSERVER

Prolonged screen time due to online classes can cause eye discomfort and even eyestrain.

are some tips on how to prevent, reduce and treat eyestrains from the Mayo Clinic and the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO): Switch up your workspace.

It’s important to have a designated workspace at home, but it’s also important for that space to be properly lit. Whatever your preference for non-computer work, it’s best if your light source is either behind or above you. If the light is in front of you, use a shaded lamp or adjust the

neck so the light doesn’t shine directly in your eyes.

If you are working on a computer, reduce the screen’s brightness and glare as much as possible. Adjusting brightness is pretty easy, but glare can make it difficult to see your screen. For this reason, turn off any lights behind or above you and avoid facing your screen toward an open window.

Additionally, your screen should be about an arm’s distance away and just below eye-level. This puts a safer dis-

tance between you and the computer’s light and allows your eyes to be in a more relaxed and comfortable position.

Make personal adjustments.

Blinking is the body’s way of clearing and lubricating the eyes. According to the AAO, people blink about five to seven times per minute when focused on a digital device instead of the average 15 per minute. If blinking alone doesn’t do much, consider picking up some overthe-counter artificial tears (eye-

Eyestrain affects people of all ages. In this technological era, we have an increased chance of developing eyestrain. At this time, we depend on technology to keep our relationships with friends, family and colleagues, and as Fordham community members, we depend on Zoom to connect us with our professors and peers in face-to-screen classes and club meetings.

Everyone is talking about ways to stay healthy during this global health crisis. Remember, your eyes are also part of your physical health, so next time your eyes hurt, think of the ironic digital article reminding you to take care of your eyes, too.

Now Is the Time to Brush Up on Your Meal Prep

By MAGGIE MCNAMARA Staff Writer

You’re probably tired of people telling you what you should be doing in quarantine. And you probably have a lot less free time than you thought to devote to all the random things you expected you could be doing.

Let me make the case for one thing that’s actually worth your oddly scarce time: meal prep.

Meal prepping is preparing several meals at once and storing them in individual portions to eat throughout the week. Why should you do this? Food in New York City is outrageously expensive. Meal prep, however, allows you to capitalize on the cheapest ingredients you can find and make them last for as long as possible — a skill that you’ll find is applicable to quarantining as well.

It makes the best out of a less-than-ideal kitchen situation — sharing one McMahon kitchen with five other hungry roommates, anyone? How about your parents’ kitchen with the whole family home? Having healthy meals ready-made also means that you’re less likely to grab unhealthy takeout in a rush. If you devote a little time now towards streamlining your meal prep process, staying healthy and saving both time and money on campus next semester will be a breeze.

Don’t stress, use whatever weird ingredients you can scrounge up from the bottom of your pantry or the half-bare gro-

cery shelves, and, most of all, have fun with it.

Meal prepping pros stress the importance of planning. If you sit down and choose what meals you’re going to prep for the week, this cuts down on time deciding

what to eat for lunch and will hopefully mean just a single grocery run each week.

Try breaking down your prep into sections: Plan to cook a healthy carb (rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, etc.), a protein

(chicken, ground turkey, tofu, hard boiled eggs, etc.) and plenty of veggies, whether this be by roasting them or chopping them up into manageable pieces so you can throw together a quick salad.

Double your recipes and freeze

MAGGIE MCNAMARA/THE OBSERVER

The three main components to focus on in prepping a well-rounded meal are healthy carbs, protein and vegetables.

them if you’re able, or portion out all your lunches and leave individual components separate so you can mix and match for dinner.

If eating the same meal every day sounds boring, change it up by making or buying a healthy sauce or dressing to switch your meal around. These are easy to freeze in individual portions and can take your meal to the next level. You can also bring leftovers back to life by turning them into a new type of dish, whether that be a grain bowl, a soup or a salad.

Another great way to get more bang for your metaphorical buck is to multitask while you meal prep. It’s easy to catch up on your favorite Netflix show while stirring a pot of rice. Listen to music, an informative podcast or even an audiobook for one of your classes while you cook. Got an exam coming up? Grab a friend to quiz you over FaceTime while you prep. Making your prep process fun means that you’re more likely to stick to it.

Many staple items are understandably scarce at grocery stores right now. Make do with what you can find. Mix and match. Figure out a few simple meals that work for you, and work them into your rotation.

Don’t stress, either. Quarantine offers a low-stakes time to make mistakes, burn your chicken and cook to your personal needs. If you put in some time now, eating smart once you’re back on campus will be no sweat at all.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER April 15, 2020

Sports & Health

9

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

In 2019, Matthew Tarabek, GSBRH ’20, was a member of the first Fordham baseball team to win the A10 Championship in 21 years.

Matthew Tarabek: Looking Back on a Halted Career

By PATRICK MOQUIN Sports & Health Editor

Matthew Tarabek, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’20, received numerous offers in high school to continue his baseball career at universities around the country. He was a highly touted prospect and could have committed to any number of high-caliber programs. However, after taking some time to review his college career, the senior third baseman confidently said, “If I could go back and do it again, I think I’d pick Fordham.”

Since entering the baseball program in 2017, Tarabek has established himself as a key contributor in all facets of the game for the Rams. The Pennsylvania native started in every single game of his sophomore and junior seasons, batting .257 with 59 RBIs in that time. He also hit three home runs and proved effective on the base paths, stealing 30 total bases. The best was yet to come.

Through the first 16 games of his senior season, Tarabek was having what he described as a “breakout year,” batting .340 with 14 RBIs in the preseason. What he didn’t know when the season started was that his 16th game would be the last of 2020. The day after a Fordham victory against Wagner College, it was announced that all Atlantic 10 (A10) Conference events would be postponed indefinitely, effectively ending the season in March.

In a season that will never be fully realized, Tarabek seemed ready to make a case for his future in baseball, a career beyond Fordham. For him and many other seniors, however, the only remaining certainties now lie in the past.

After nearly four years, Tarabek eagerly praised Fordham as a place for “Division I baseball and a great education on top of it, a win-win for everything.” His first year at the school, however, was one of pain and emotional tumult.

“I came in, had a really good fall and was planning on starting,” Tarabek remembered. “Then, it was like a week before the season on a 35-degree day, and I dove for a ball.”

The hustle play during practice resulted in a torn PCL, or posterior cruciate ligament, a major ligament in the knee connecting the thigh and shin bones. It dashed his hopes of starting from the outset and affected him in more ways than he anticipated.

“I was on top of the world, especially after the fall,” Tarabek said.

“I was feeling good about myself, and then as a young kid, for every-

thing to get taken away, it was a learning experience for me.”

Several months later, the freshman recovered from the injury and could return to the field that season, but his results were hampered by a large leg brace that he claimed affected 70% of his normal athletic abilities. He hit just .170 through 36 games as he struggled to fully heal while also playing.

Following the spring season, Tarabek realized that he would have to take time off. He canceled his plans to play summer ball and instead spent those months in rehabilitation. Eventually, he worked past the injury and returned to Fordham in the fall in good health.

Over the next two years, the young infielder established himself as an integral member of the team. In his sophomore year, he began to play at third base more often as Jake MacKenzie, GSBRH ’21, started to take on more duties at shortstop. He made the transition to third seamlessly, proving to be a dependable glove as well as an excellent base runner with a consistent bat.

When asked about his favorite personal performance, Tarabek struggled to think of an answer.

He eventually referred to a 2019 game against Fairleigh Dickinson University, in which he had five hits and six RBIs as the Rams crushed the Knights 22-10. However, his personal performances were not nearly as clear in his memory as his favorite team performances, which came to him immediately.

“Obviously, without a doubt, last year when we won the championship,” Tarabek said, the response ready before the question had been asked. “There’s really no words to describe how that felt.”

The feeling may be indescribable, but the astounding performance of Fordham in the 2019 A10 Championship will be spoken of for years to come. Entering as a 4-seed, Fordham defeated the heavily favored Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Rams in the second round before defeating Dayton University in two straight games to capture the conference title. For Tarabek, it was an incredible run speaking to the importance of timing in baseball.

“I don’t think we were the most talented team last year at all,” Tarabek said. “We were one of the top teams, but if you asked anybody, most reporters were saying VCU without a question. I just think we bought into the plan we had as a team, and in the long run, we got hot with the bats, the pitching was on, defense was great and we just rolled through everyone.”

For Tarabek, the months following the championship were special, a time for him and his teammates to celebrate their success. He described the strong bonds such an experience creates, and as the 2019 seniors departed, he was proud that he had contributed to giving them a farewell worthy of their four years of effort and dedication.

For his final year, he was simply excited for what was in store.

In addition to his own improved performance early in the 2020 season, he was also encouraged by the team’s progress in all categories.

In early March, the Rams were in an enviable position: They were averaging 6.25 runs per game on offense and hadn’t allowed more than five runs in a game since February. The team was riding a nine-game winning streak and had just defeated Wagner College as they headed into a weekend series against St. John’s University.

“That Wednesday game, we were preparing for St. John’s and then Thursday, we find out the entire season’s canceled,” Tarabek said ruefully. “It was definitely something I’ll remember, but not in a good way.”

When the announcement was made, the senior thought of his own goals for the season that would never come to fruition. He said that he aspires to play professional baseball, and his performance early on was an excellent start in working toward that goal. However, it was the team that first occurred to him, considering how promising the season had once appeared.

“We were playing as good as I’ve seen us play in

my four years here,” Tarabek said.

“There’s always going to be that question of how good we could have been.”

As the season comes to an abrupt end and seniors scatter to restructure their futures, Tarabek could only use one word to describe the experience: uncertainty.

In an attempt to rectify the suspension of spring sports for affected students, the NCAA announced that all spring athletes would receive one additional year of eligibility. Tarabek expressed intense interest in taking the opportunity to return, but questions remain regarding that possibility for him and many others.

“As of now, we’re still waiting to find out from administration if they’re going to fund back seniors’ scholarships,” Tarabek said. “That plays a lot into it, because obviously the school is $70,000, and I’m sure a lot of guys won’t be able to pay all of that to come back and play baseball.”

In addition to potential financial issues, there are many other reasons for an athlete to give

up their sport. Players like Tarabek may return to pursue dreams of playing their sport professionally, but many others would consider other pursuits beyond college more important. Those pursuits would require a diploma and time, giving those student athletes little opportunity to return for an additional season.

“Everyone’s in a different boat,” Tarabek said contemplatively. “Some people, it’s more important for them to go on and do other things in life, and other people want to keep playing.

At least with the Fordham guys, it’s all uncertain until we find out what’s going on.”

Even if scholarships are granted to fifth-year students, Tarabek still doesn’t anticipate every senior returning to the baseball team. However, he remains optimistic that the team will continue to play at a high level next year, and fully intends on sharing in that success in

what he hopes is his final year of play.

For Fordham’s third baseman, baseball is more than a recreational activity.

He showed a world of promise coming out of high school, and when an injury sidelined him, he fought his way back into the lineup. When he was forced to switch positions, he did so without issue, maintaining a consistent role on the team. He was a member of an A10 Championship team and was well on his way to a landmark senior season before it was taken away from him. This isn’t anything new for Tarabek.

What is new is that he can’t rectify this situation by himself.

He could work through an injury and familiarize himself with a new position. He couldn’t, however, give himself an extra year of eligibility; the NCAA had to provide him that opportunity. He can’t give himself a scholarship; Fordham will have to afford him that as well, but hasn't yet done so.

As he always has, Tarabek will do everything in his power to continue playing baseball. For the first time, however, his fate may be determined by forces beyond his control.

Opinions Editors Grace Getman - ggetman@fordham.edu Evan Vollbrecht - evollbrecht@fordham.edu

Opinions

STAFF EDITORIAL

W

MAKE STUDENT GOVERNMENT MATTER

ith the chaos of the coronavirus epidemic, it is easy to forget an annual event which most students typically ignore anyway: United Student Government (USG) elections. From April 14-16, students are able to vote in their student government elections at a time where leadership is desperately sought at all scales — but will they?

It’s condescending to blame the lack of student participation in USG on apathy when USG has struggled over the years to convince the student body of its relevance. This has begun to change, with greater USG visibility seen on Fordham Fridays, at the Christmas Tree Lighting and in their increased social media presence.

Now that in-person instruction has been ruled out for the rest of the semester and at least part of the summer, club events and other means of student engagement have also transitioned to the digital realm. While you are no longer able to grab a slice of pizza from your representative every Friday, USG programming continues virtually, with a series of online jeopardy games and the Undergraduate Appreciation Awards (UNDYs) coming up in late April.

Most immediately, though, are the online elections. Next year’s USG executive board and senate

are elected every spring through OrgSync, which has not changed, but this year the presidential candidate debate and all campaigning efforts have taken place online as well. USG candidates have promoted themselves via the internet and social media in the past, but never in recent history have they been forced to rely exclusively on digital campaigning. This has made for a notably different lead up to the election, given that opportunities for face-to-face word of mouth are never scarce at a campus as physically small as Lincoln Center, when it’s occupied.

Voting in the USG elections only takes a click, but it has the potential to drastically revolutionize Fordham policies.

Aside from their digital nature, another thing that makes these elections special, and important for us as students to participate in, is the competitive nature of the presidential race. While no one entered a bid for vice president, two of USG’s veteran members, Loreen Ruiz, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’21; and Robert Stryczek, Gabelli School of Business ’21, are competing to be elected president. Both have demonstrated track records of Fordham involvement in

the past few years and traction on their social media presidential campaigns in the past few weeks.

It is no secret that Fordham students have strong opinions on policy and student life, but no substantial change will ever be enacted without student activism and involvement. USG is one outlet for advocacy that has been largely overlooked and abandoned in recent years, but it is our duty as students and members of the Fordham community to retain an active role in our representation.

Voting in the USG elections only takes a click, but it has the potential to drastically revolutionize Fordham policies. While online schooling may be demotivating, learning about USG candidates isn’t a burden — and encouraging student involvement on campus is never a waste of time.

By voting, you determine who will hold one of the most powerful torches of student activism. Only you can tell whose grip can withstand the blazing flames of your unique and far-reaching intentions for improving the Fordham student experience, so make sure to vote so student involvement doesn’t run cold.

To vote, you will receive an email on April 14 from the USG Elections Committee prompting you to vote.

Click it, and the power is in your hands.

April 15, 2020 THE OBSERVER

Observer the

Editor-in-Chief Owen Roche Managing Editor Courtney Brogle Business Managers Teymur Guliyev Srushthi Kshirsagar Online Editor Izzi Duprey Layout Editors Esmé Bleecker-Adams Lara Foley Asst. Layout Editors Maddie Sandholm Olivia Stern News Editors Gus Dupree Sophie Partridge-Hicks Asst. News Editors Joe Kottke Katrina Lambert Opinions Editors Grace Getman Evan Vollbrecht Asst. Opinions Editors Emily Ellis Haley Smullen Arts & Culture Editors Ethan Coughlin Gillian Russo Asst. Arts & Culture Editor Kendall Bottjer Features Editors Samantha Matthews Nicole Perkins Asst. Features Editors Jacqueline Pierce Emma Seiwell Sports & Health Editors Patrick Moquin Lena Weidenbruch Asst. Sports & Health Editor Aiza Bhuiyan Photo Editor Andrew Beecher Asst. Photo Editors Isabelle Dalby Andrew Dressner Fun & Games Editor Esmé Bleecker-Adams Copy Editors Libby Lanza Jill Rice Lulu Schmieta Social Media Editors Roxanne Cubero Maca Leon Shamya Zindani Newsletter Editors Gillian Russo Shamya Zindani Multimedia Editor Caitlin Bury Asst. Multimedia Editor Alison Ettinger-DeLong Retrospect Host Kevin Christopher Robles Retrospect Producer Alyssa Morales IT Manager EJ Ciriaco

Photo Features

Visual Advisor Molly Bedford Editorial Advisor Anthony Hazell PUBLIC NOTICE No part of The Observer may be reprinted or reproduced without the expressed written consent of The Observer board.

The Observer is published on Wednesdays during the academic year.

Printed by Five Star Printing Flushing, N.Y.

To reach an editor by e-mail, visit www.fordhamobserver.com

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Here at The Observer, we engage in a dogged pursuit of the truth — and so do our pets.

OWEN ROCHE and MADDIE SANDHOLM/THE OBSERVER

• Letters to the Editor should be typed and sent to The Observer, Fordham University, 140 West 62nd Street, Room G32, New York, NY 10023, or emailed to fordhamobserver@gmail.com. Length should not exceed 200 words. All letters must be signed and include contact information, official titles and year of graduation (if applicable) for verification.

• If submitters fail to include this information, the editorial board will do so at its own discretion.

• The Observer has the right to withhold any submissions from publication and will not consider more than two letters from the same individual on one topic. The Observer reserves the right to edit all letters and submissions for content, clarity and length.

• Opinions articles and commentaries represent the view of their authors. These articles are in no way the views held by the editorial board of The Observer or Fordham University.

• The Editorial is the opinion held by a majority of The Observer’s editorial board. The Editorial does not reflect the views held by Fordham University.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER April 15, 2020

Opinions

USG Presidential Race: From the Candidates

11

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS BY ESMÉ BLEECKER-ADAMS/THE OBSERVER

Robert Anthony Melli Stryczek: RAMS for President

By ROBERT STRYCZEK USG Presidential Candidate

Dear Members of the Fordham community, My name is Robert Anthony Melli Stryczek, or RAMS for those of you who enjoy coincidences. I’m a rising senior in the Gabelli School of Business with a major, minor and concentration with too many words.

I’m highly involved, and I love Fordham more than almost anyone does. I help the community be the best it can be, as evidenced by my experiences as treasurer of United Student Government (USG), vice president of USG, a Lincoln Center Society ambassador, a BeWellLC wellness educator, an orientation leader, etc., I’m the best person for the job. If you don’t believe that’s enough, then please continue reading.

Next year, I will accomplish three things: I will 1. Make USG easier to connect with and show that we are not some looming body; 2. Have more members in the community happy to call Fordham home; 3. Launch intramural sports leagues at Lincoln Center, which I’ve wanted to implement since my freshman year.

The reason why I’m able to say that I will get these done, instead of saying “I’ll look into” or “I hope to” or “I pledge,” or I’ll make a promise that may or may not fall to the wayside, is because these are things that I do every day.

As a USG E-Board member, I have made USG less frightening. As a member of this community, I have

shown my love for Fordham and what students can do to love it as much as I do. If not for the quarantine, I would have had the field for Lincoln Center’s intramural sports leagues open on April 15. As president, I will continue to do each of these with more vigor granted by the vitality that accompanies the role.

I’m not here with 50 unrealistic goals; I’m here to accomplish my goals, and I have already planned how to get them done. I understand every last detail and am ready to move any obstacle that’s in my way. I take things head-on, and I make sure it’s taken care of with efficiency. I have seen the underlying mechanics of Fordham University, and I understand how it operates. I understand the effort that needs to be put into accomplishing goals.

But most importantly, I understand the needs of the Fordham community. I’m not here to embellish the truth and win your vote with flashy ideas.

I’m one of you. I go to every event, I support every club, and I do every job I need to do, no matter how big or how small. I am one of the proud members of this community, and I am honored to call myself a Ram. I understand every person I talk to, and I do whatever I can to help them achieve their goals. I make promises that I know I can keep, and I intend to keep them no matter the election’s result.

I’m here for the Fordham community, and I always will be.

Sincerely, Robert Anthony Melli Stryczek (R.A.M.S.)

Loreen Ruiz: Let’s Make Fordham a Place We’re Proud to Be

By LOREEN RUIZ USG Presidential Candidate

Can you name something United Student Government (USG) has accomplished this semester? Are you proud to be a Fordham Ram? Do you know of any student discounts offered to Fordham students?

I’d wager that your answer to at least one of those questions is “No.” As USG President, I hope to turn every “No” into a “Yes.” It’s clear that students don’t see USG as an effective vehicle for change on campus. What does it say about the reputation of USG if students’ first choice is to advocate their dissatisfaction with Fordham through the school paper, rather than through the officers who were elected to represent them? Students frequently complain about the lack of diversity in the student body, dwindling involvement and poor communication from higher offices. To some people, there is no choice but to transfer. All the while, USG suffers from low turnout at town halls, no attendance at office hours and fewer senators each semester.

What’s the solution to this lack of trust and disenfranchisement? As USG President, I have two main goals: Making Fordham a Place We’re Proud to Be; and Better Administration, Better Communication. To make these goals happen, I’ll bring my four years of administrative experience as your twice-elected USG Chair of Student Affairs to the table. And when these goals are accomplished, we will see a happier, more engaged and more involved student body.

Students can’t be expected to find school spirit just by wearing maroon or eating pizza. That’s why one of my flag-

ship policies is to revive the Fordham Friendly student discount program instituted by previous USG administrations.

Who wouldn’t want discounts to Burrito Box, Holey Cream or even Whole Foods?

And, as a first-generation immigrant and woman, I’m making the needs of people like me a priority: Apart from a new diversity event I want to create to foster dialogue about stereotypes, I also vow to compile resources for women to hand out during USG tabling (including information on Title IX procedures and counseling).

Furthermore, upon feedback from commuters, I’ve expanded my platform to include additional promises for commuter students. I’ll work with the Commuting Students Association to look into a sleeping lounge, and have already begun working on introducing later payment or online textbook options for lower-income commuter students. I’m committed to making sure that every student is included under my administration.

But how will students be aware of the changes happening on campus? My answer: better administration and communication. I’ll institute a standard of two-business-day responses to all initial emails, as well as a Google Calendar for USG meetings and a new website. With these policies, students will know where to go for help and what we’re working on, instead of feeling left behind or in the dark.

When you cast your vote on OrgSync this Thursday, vote for the only person who has put forth meaningful policy that encompasses every student. Everyone is a member of USG — and as your president, I’ll bring back the spirit and community we’ve been searching for.

12

Opinions

April 15, 2020 THE OBSERVER

COURTNEY BROGLE Managing Editor

On Friday, March 13, Fordham University officially suspended face-to-face instruction and activities through the end of the spring semester. Just over a week later, the Commencement ceremony for the graduating Class of 2020 was postponed until further notice.

It was the only viable option that the university had to pursue.

At the time of the announcements, Mayor Bill de Blasio had declared a state of emergency in New York City (although Gov. Cuomo declared the state was in an emergency situation days prior) and the coronavirus had officially been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. State and city universities within New York had also moved to online learning for the rest of the semester, so it was realistically a matter of time before Fordham made the same call.

But as I read and reread that initial email, I only could think of one thing: I won’t ever come back to Fordham as a student.

And that broke my heart.

I came to Fordham very unsure of who I was. I was eager to get out of my parents’ house and into New York City, but had little direction about “the big picture” — I was an undeclared communications major already thinking about post-grad employment and how I was going to have to hustle to make something meaningful of myself. And I was terrified.

But I was lucky; I came to Fordham with a high school acquaintance as my roommate.

We both struggled during the first semester adjusting to a whole new

An Ode to a Senior Year Cut Short

way of living and growing up.

Our high school graduating class was 116 girls. At Fordham, we weren’t the big fish in a little pond anymore.

Much like the autumnal marketing programming claimed we would, we (slowly but surely) fell in love with Fordham. We ate too much mac & cheese while sitting on the floor of our dorm room late at night. We held dance parties with our other roommates to the Spongebob classic “Jellyfish Jam.” We realized our career goals and

cheered each other on unconditionally.

We did the dang thing together. We’re just some of the many members of the Class of 2020 who came to Fordham four years ago and made the most of our time on campus. Perhaps that’s why learning that in-person gatherings and our planned May 16 graduation were suspended hurt so much.

Whether you readily admit it or shrug it off, Fordham fostered a Ramily that is there for each other no matter what.

I’m not entirely drinking the Kool-Aid; I know Fordham is far from perfect. Classes aren’t always easy (now more than ever with the difficulties of distance learning), the administration can be frustrating beyond belief and the cost of attendance is far from thrilling. But had it not been for Fordham, I would never have met my closest friends, been privy to a host of internships at the place I’ve dreamed of working at since I was 10 years old, or been a part of the best student newspaper in the

COURTESY OF JODY BROGLE

Courtney Brogle, FCLC ’20, looks back on her freshman year and examines the countless memories that Fordham has gifted her.

www.fordhamobserver.com

world (in my completely unbiased and professional opinion).

My freshman year roommate, now one of my best friends, is preparing to go to law school in the fall, and I couldn’t be more proud of her. On the other hand, I’m one of hundreds in the senior class looking at potential unemployment as we head into a recession caused by the coronavirus, with some freelance journalism gigs if I’m lucky.

And that’s okay, I think. As much as the thought of living at home post-grad without a job terrifies me, I’m reminded of what my mom taught me from a young age: No matter what happens in life, no one can take away your education.

Fordham gave me more than a bachelor’s degree. It taught me invaluable life skills, like always keep a window open when trying to make dinner in McMahon. It taught me the best ways to motivate myself and others to work hard and the value of a ridiculously long study break. It taught me that, while you can’t choose your family, Rams help you create your second home.

Class of 2020 — the sun will also rise. We’ll graduate and grow up and look back at our days at Fordham, both disappointed that our time as students was cut short, but appreciative of the countless individualized memories we made in the time that we were undergrads.

To quote University President Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., “Long Live the Dodransbicentennial Class. Long Live the Visionary Class. Long Live the Class of 2020.”

I can’t say I know what the future holds, but I know one thing for sure: I am forever grateful to have been a part of this Ramily.

Quarantine, or Change GRACE GETMAN Opinions Editor

The arrival of my mother’s new bread machine is the most interesting thing to happen to me all week. She bought it on a whim of self-improvement, hours upon hours foisted onto her hands as she sits at home unable to work. Now, we’ve been making one loaf a day, a reminder that even during the apocalypse that it’s possible to carbo-load.

My mother isn’t the only one using her free time to learn a new skill. From writing challenges to planting okra, it feels like the entire world has felt the need to say how they would like to grow under quarantine.

Personally, I’ve spent the past week going through my family’s attic, fighting dust bunnies tooth and nail.

Despite the novelty of all of these new pursuits, an uncomfortable tension lingers below the surface. This isn’t just a matter of dispensing with the mountains of free time we’ve been given.

Quarantine self-improvement projects are an attempt to control the uncontrollable situation that we’ve found ourselves in.

The desire for self-improvement is inextricably tied to the need for control. To control ourselves, to control the situations we find ourselves in and to control our futures.

The entire world has gone on a productivity kick due to a simple truth: Quarantine is scary. This is a sentence I never expected to type in an article I never expected to write in an age I never expected to live in.

It’s a game of “hurry up and wait.” I had to pack all of my belongings from my dorm in a single day, when even a week before I was making plans for spring break. I told my closest friends goodbye without knowing when I’ll see them again. I’ve watched the virus slowly take over my city while only being able to sit in my room.

Being quarantined is endlessly frustrating and endlessly mind-numbing. And so, while we can’t change the world, we can certainly try to change ourselves.

The relationship between self-improvement and control isn’t necessarily bad. My mother is delighted that I’ve been cleaning the attic, and there’s been some delicious raisin bread around the house lately. It only becomes toxic if we use our desire for self-improvement to punish ourselves for things we cannot control or because we believe our value comes solely from being productive.

Let me make one thing clear: You are under no obligation to work on self-growth during a plague. And if you choose to attempt to pick up a skill during quarantine and never look at it again after, that’s completely fine too. Whatever keeps you sane.

However, quarantine gives us the chance to consider how to make lasting changes in our own lives, and for those who want to, is something we can capitalize on.

But how do people actually make lasting changes? How do people actually become healthier, more well-rounded, more organized people? As a person who wished to become all of these things when I came to college with no clue where to start, I’ve

come to learn a few lessons.

First, there’s no such thing as “forcing” yourself to do something. There’s just what you are willing to do and what you aren’t, and the science of change is figuring out what actually motivates you versus what you think motivates you. Usually, that isn’t an abstract value, but more basic incentives that provide immediate rewards and consequences.

When I began running, I didn’t run for the sake of my health or for the joy of running. I ran because I wanted to be with my friend. When I began writing for The Observer, I didn’t write for the sake of my education or for the joy of writing. I wrote because I knew there was a section editor who would email me if I ever failed to live up to my word.

On a related note, change demands community. John Green wrote that the best way to become a writer was to make gifts for people. Growth can’t happen in a vacuum. By sharing your pursuits with others, you’ll receive a channel of support and the chance to incorporate outside persepctives into your own views.

You see, growth is often a question of why, not how. The mechanics of using a bread machine aren’t that complicated.

Cleaning the attic just took some Lysol wipes and some elbow grease. Writing this article is simply putting words onto paper. If you can figure out your why, the how will follow.

With a global pandemic and seemingly endless free hours, we’ve been confronted with a large “why” lately. We’ve become strangers in our own lands. We’re

COURTESY OF MAUREEN GETMAN

8.8-point on 9.8 Times Italic cutline goes right herey, with some more information about the photo runnin

My mother’s first loaf of homemade raisin bread.

physically isolated yet mentally exhausted. We have no idea what to do, so we might as well just do something.

So, if you do choose to do something, don’t let your desire for control control you. Use this time to try to improve yourself if you’d like, but don’t punish

COURTESY OF MAUREEN GETMAN

yourself for missing arbitrary guidelines or failing to meet an invisible goal. Focus on what matters to you and the communities you value the most, and go from there.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think there’s still some raisin bread left in the kitchen.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER April 15, 2020

Opinions

Can the Global Economy Recover From COVID-19?

13

PATRICK RIZZI Staff Writer

Within the last month, the entire world has been turned upside down by the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), commonly known as the coronavirus. Extreme volatility has been felt in stock markets as many companies and industries are already fearing that 2020 could be a write-off in terms of business potential.

However, if we play our cards right, the global economy could possibly recover from the coronavirus over the summer.

In order for this to happen, the worst of the pandemic in most of the world needs to be over by late April. A progressive and gradual return to normalcy will have to happen over much of the month of May. It will be a difficult balancing act supporting small businesses while protecting public safety, but governments around the world should focus on small business relief in their primary economic recovery packages to try to alleviate some of the unprecedented disruption from the coronavirus.

This relief should be focused, first and foremost, on employees.

Many small business employees are currently furloughed or laid off. Any financial incentives to small businesses should be focused on urging these local businesses to rehire or retrain their employees so that they can continue working and maintaining a livelihood when business operations resume.

There will also have to be a

ANDREW BEECHER/THE OBSERVER

A chocolate production line remains motionless just days before Easter. The small business was forced to lay off half of its factory employees this past month.

Small business employees like these must be the priority of government relief.

carefully plotted mix of grants and loans in this relief to help small businesses resume a degree of normality. Financial institutions will likely be wary of solely giving grants rather than loans to small businesses, but low-interest loans could still be of tangible benefit to many businesses.

Over the course of the summer, businesses that expect to be able to rebound financially could gradually pay back those loans.

This scenario is much more diffi-

cult, however, for businesses that will find it much harder to recover financially in the aftermath of the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, such as businesses related to the travel and tourism industries. It is unclear the extent to which the coronavirus will affect summer plans, but most people will still be wary of traveling internationally for a considerable amount of time.

There is also a sizeable economic boomerang regard-

ing the revitalization of small businesses in the aftermath of the coronavirus: How much can non-discretionary consumer spending be expected to return to in the late spring and summer, both in the United States and in Europe? At least quasi-normal amounts of consumer spending are necessary for small businesses to thrive.

This is a difficult question, because there are many moving parts. First of all, when will

Americans start feeling comfortable moving on to a more normal life? This could be as early as the end of April or as late as June. When they do, will they even be financially comfortable enough to modestly and occasionally patronize small businesses? These questions will serve as a tangent to the need for economic recovery over the summer in the aftermath of this devastating and unprecedented time.

How Coronavirus Builds the Case for Internationalism GABRIEL GARCIA Contributing Writer

“There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”

This Lenin quote is one of the most fitting for the times we are living in.

It was only a “decade” ago when China warned the World Health Organization of a mysterious case of pneumonia in the country’s Wuhan province. Since then, that virus has gone from a Wuhan problem to a world problem.

All over the world, nationalists have become emboldened by the coronavirus.

While the vast majority of countries have had cases of the coronavirus, some places have handled the virus better than others. The countries that arguably handled the coronavirus spread best were nations like South Korea, which had dealt with the original strand of SARS almost two decades ago. Other countries — like Spain, for example — saw it as a foreign threat that wouldn’t happen to them. As we know now, that belief has cost a countless number of lives.

Although the coronavirus knows no borders, the politicians tasked with preventing the virus’s spread are unable to match that radical view. Politicians across the political spectrum, from Donald Trump to Andrew Cuomo to Ber-

nie Sanders, have compared this pandemic to a war. The rhetorical significance of this is obvious: It is an effective method of galvanizing a population to action.

However, as students of history may notice, this has become a trope that has been used to justify several political projects that are nothing like war other than requiring collective action. The result of this is that “politics” is set aside, so survival instincts and tribalism can arise instead of solidarity and optimism. If those effects were desired, they could be brought about by invoking imagery of the civil rights movement or the moon landing instead.

All over the world, nationalists have become emboldened by the coronavirus. In Hungary, the prime minister has been given emergency powers. President Trump has threatened to withhold funds from the World Health Organization. The travel bans that several nations have logically implemented can be used as evidence for isolation from the globe and tighter borders once this crisis is over — instead of restrictions done out of concern for one’s fellow human beings and reason for greater cooperation between countries.

Ironically, as seen with Spain, this narrow war mentality ends up being more detrimental to the individual nation in the long run, as a lack of preparation leads to needless deaths when crisis comes to our backyard.

However, there is no real incentive for politicians to change.

In almost every government, heads of states like governors and prime ministers have seen significant gains in their approval ratings. That is precisely why internationalism, not government action alone, is needed to take on

ERIC BRIDIERS/WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION VIA FLICKR

The World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The multinational organization is an example of global cooperation in the face of a crisis.

global problems. Policy that prepares for pandemics means little without the ideological framework to make it viable.

I believe the coronavirus situation draws some parallels from the iconic poem “First They Came,” describing the domino effect regarding persecutions done by Nazi Germany; the poet’s indifference to the suppression of communists, socialists and Jews

was ultimately self-destructive when the author himself faced the same fate. Rather than take action as soon as the first person was harmed, those outside the group affected remained bystanders to the very thing they would soon experience.

Indeed, the same occurred on an international scale to neutral nations that appeased their way into feeling the wrath of the

German regime anyway, if we must use war as an example. Now as then, victory over the task at hand will provide the opportunity to reshape the world as we know it. Let us hope that the end of this virus brings not only the reestablishment of social connections, but the creation of stronger global connections so that “once in a lifetime” crises can stay once in a lifetime.

14

Fun & Games

April 15, 2020 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

By ESMÉ BLEECKER-ADAMS Fun & Games Editor

59. fruit bearer

56. persists

60. building block of matter

7

61. sound made to get someone’s attention

54. frogs’ less colorful cousins

Clues

1. videoconferencing service 2. homes of lions and tigers and bears, oh my!

3. cow pasture noises 4. most of our meal-makers, now 5. ornamental, fluffy balls 6. Beesly and cooking spray 7. Fordham’s notables

5 jig 1. e sa lem w e pu nts zz o le f a

6 5 4

Word Ladder

3

By JILL RICE Copy Editor

Instructions: Get from Zoom University back to Fordham and its rams by changing one letter at each level, highlighted in green.

2 49. lens-shaped legume

10. tricks

62. union org. founded in 1886

47. feeling ill on a boat

1

11. more unpleasant

12. alliance between states

46. offshoots of a main building

13. downed

9. detest

45. rock band founded by Kurt Cobain

21. “La Bohème” and “Carmen,” for example

42. not singu

22. Spanish capital

Make your own dice

8. fire residue 7. characters Campbell of “General Hospital” and Mahan of “Full House”

, ry

e o sid ess d e cc . b e a ps 0 5 abl ha t er p

52. pickle juice

53. make more sugary

6. connect

55. “___ Be There for You”

5. mild Dutch cheese

57. protein-making instructions: Abbr.

4. drunkards, colloquially

3. difficulty

58. overly long sentence

59. parts of a roof where you’d have a drink?

Sign up for the weekly newsletter for answers, more puzzles and the late stories from every section

48. small valley, in literature 44. of t Roma sin he hu n god exa ger Ro nt and dess mpl ss, f or e

St

t r a Across

43. by oneself

1. geographic diagrams

40. system for uncovering link layer addresses: Abbr.

5. Lady with a poker face

37. drink as an accessory to a main course?

9. temporary halting of breathing, often during sleep

36. traditional Jewish title for a non-rabbi

14. ___ dance; style that includes gymnastic elements

34. unadulterated

15. singer Redding

Instructions: When you land on a square with a ladder, advance to the top of the ladder. When you land on a square with a slide, return to the bottom of the slide. Find the crossword clues along the way, and the first person to the finish sign wins.

16. ert Litt

www.fordhamobserver.com

Fun & Games

THE OBSERVER April 15, 2020

40. promotional materials

41. penned a second time

39. location of the cochlea

38. enthusiasm

3 w 5. n he o n tp di oi ge so ste no d us ,

-iquids Hint: Take an L

Finish

ular

25. additionally

26. FCLC counterpart

28. promise

1. eyelash makeup

69. face covering

Down

33

68. a smaller amount

s

e ifi

ot

.n

61. Italian door

62. curved lines

63. Uber’s predecessor

64. respectable and serious

65. groups of inches

y” ssar uction e c e “n str 66. lling in e sp

Fun Fact

By JILL RICE, Copy Editor

est n

d

en

k . ta

67

2. one who points out an offense

30. name for a high school dance held on Zoom, perhaps

itly

c illi

The Eastern and Western celebrations of Easter are often on two different days (this year, April 12 and April 19) because the Western churches use the Gregorian calendar while the Eastern churches use the Julian calendar, which is 13 days ahead of the Gregorian calendar. Both churches mandate that Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox, but they have different ways of calculating this. The Eastern Orthodox church also celebrates Easter after Passover, while the Western church does not say that it must be after Passover.

32. types of protective gear

. actor Daughty of “Pretty tle Liars”

31. groupings, in mathematics for example

17. resident of England’s northern neighbor

18. Salt Lake City state

29. cradled

19. speed or urgency

27. Christopher who played Superman in 1978

20. drinks for a Chicago baseball team?

25. ___ lot; space for cars

22. ___ Carlo

24. campaign contribution org.

s f ure r o t t s fo se ge nd br. . b 23 and t sta : A s h ha d t or w

Visit fordhamobserver.com for a PDF of the crossword alone

15

Arts & Culture Editor Ethan Coughlin - ecoughlin7@fordham.edu Gillian Russo - grusso12@fordham.edu

Arts & Culture

April 15, 2020

THE OBSERVER

Breaking Down Stigma

Fordham’s Asian American and Pacific Islander committee hosts cultural events for the month of April

By VICKY CARMENATE Staff Writer

The Fordham community celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) heritage throughout the month of April. AAPI worked together, Zoom call after Zoom call, to create a month’s worth of events. From digital dialogues to Netflix parties to TikTok challenges to cooking shows, April is full of ways to learn about Asian heritage.

Asian stereotyping has only increased with the rise of the coronavirus, with the government publicly backing these stereotypes by calling the disease “the Chinese virus.” The continuation of the events show that the AAPI community still wants to educate those outside of their community about their heritage, despite the hate that comes their way.

Shareen Wong, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’20, and Kathleen Kye, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’22, are spearheading the coordination of this month’s events. Wong is the cultural programming coordinator (CPC) for the Rose Hill campus, and Kye is the CPC at Lincoln Center.

Before, AAPI was two different committees separated by campus.

Going online created a new opportunity for both committees

and for the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) to collaborate through Zoom calls, regardless of location. “This was the first time we had ever combined the two committees to be in one ‘room,’” Wong said.

The CPCs also got help from Nestor Hernandez, the graduate intern at the OMA, and 16 AAPI committee members, who put in multiple five-hour days to make these events happen.

The first episode of “Cooking with AAPI” featured Pauline Sanchez, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill ’20, who taught viewers how to cook a Filipino recipe called ginataang sitaw, kalabasa, at hipon. This translates from Tagalog to English as long beans, squash and shrimp cooked in coconut milk. Sanchez filmed herself and her father making the dish, which is still up on AAPI’s Instagram.

The monthlong TikTok challenges were a new addition to the calendar, since there could no longer be in-person events. Before going online, AAPI had hoped to have a monthlong crane-making event. “Our goal was to have a thousand cranes on each campus,” Kye said. According to both Kye and Wong, cranes represent good fortune and hope.

AAPI held a “Digital Dialogue” on Zoom to open up the conversa-

tion to the Fordham community.

Sixteen people showed up to the Zoom call, including Kendra Dunbar, the assistant director of equity and inclusion at the Diversity Office.

“ A lot of times ... my

culture was misrepresented, and I was also misrepresented because of how I look, and what I eat and what I do.”

Kathleen Kye, Cultural Programming Coordinator at Fordham Lincoln Center

The conversation, facilitated by the CPCs and Hernandez, was kicked off with a one-minute film called “MASK,” produced by Yang Xu, FCLC ’21, and Mengxuan Annie Du, FCLC ’20, which creates a commentary about coronavirus stigma regarding mask-wearing.

The film is a conversation between an Asian mother and daughter who are separated. The mother is extremely worried for her daughter as racial tensions

grow stronger in the U.S. — a common narrative for those in this situation.

Arthur Ze An Liu, FCRH ’23, is an international student from Hong Kong. With his family being so far away while he was in New York, he remembered having similar conversations with his own father.

“To us, a mask is more symbolic than everything else. It shows total solidarity within the community. You are doing this for your city and your country,” Liu said.

Other participants in the conversation reflected on their personal experiences with racism in New York and at Fordham. One participant talked about professors and students assuming that she is an international student just because her appearance shows that she is Asian.

Wong also explained the importance of having cultural events at a predominantly white campus. “When I came to Fordham, I realized that I couldn’t find that and I didn’t have that community,” she said. “So, I joined Asian Cultural Exchange, which is the club that I run on campus.”

The Asian cultural clubs at Fordham have given Wong a platform to spread her message. “As a minority, it’s really important

to let other people on campus understand that there are other people out there that don’t share the same culture, who don’t speak the same language,” she said.

Kye felt as though this month was a way to debunk common Asian stereotypes. “A lot of times ... my culture was misrepresented, and I was also misrepresented because of how I look, and what I eat and what I do.”

For Gabrielle Abrazaldo, FCLC ’23, the AAPI community at Fordham has given her a place to not only meet new people, but also advocate for AAPI voices to be heard. “For me personally, I feel like Asians and Pacific Islanders are often left out of discourse regarding race and ethnicity, even if we do face our own struggles, discrimination and stereotypes as minorities.”

Similarly, as part of the AAPI committee, Abrazaldo and many others wanted to use this month to spread their message as well.

“This month, and these events, give us a platform to say, ‘We’re here. We exist. Here are our stories. These are our voices,’” she said.

AAPI will continue to host events throughout the month of April. A calendar of the committee’s events can be found on its Instagram as well as on OMA’s Instagram.

GILLIAN RUSSO/THE OBSERVER

In lieu of AAPI’s original plan to make origami cranes during Asian Heritage Month, it is hosting online events like conversations and cooking demonstrations, which they see as equally important to educate the predominantly white Fordham community.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER April 15, 2020

Arts & Culture

Professor Michael Peppard Balances Teaching, Homeschooling and Music-Making During COVID-19

By KRISTEN SKINNER Staff Writer

O: How has your family been affected by this pandemic?

Just like the students at Fordham University, professors, too, are trying to adapt to online learning and the unusual schedules of their daily lives. Michael Peppard, a theology professor at Rose Hill who lives 45 minutes outside of the city, makes time for teaching online, taking care of his family and recording music, one of his favorite hobbies.

MP: It’s every emotion all at once.

My wife’s successful fashion business of many years is in critical danger. My mom is alone with dementia in a nursing home 2,000 miles away. My daughter and stepsons are stir crazy. The older one can manage online schooling fine, but the younger two basically need full-time supervision.

It’s utterly unsustainable and the difficulty is exacerbated by small square footage. Quarantine parenting is like regular parenting except each part is amplified: the worst parts are more difficult, and the best parts seem more powerful too.

The Observer (O): How has the transition to online teaching been so far?

Michael Peppard (MP): The transition was very difficult for the first couple weeks. I didn’t know what was going to be best for the students and sustainable for me. So I sent out a survey of options and then rebuilt the course based on the responses.

And at that time, all of the rest of life was thrown into chaos too!

In addition to my regular teaching and research, I was also in the midst of coordinating recruitment visits for 14 admitted Ph.D. students during March, which became extremely challenging. And then of course there came the school cancelations for kids...

But once stabilized, the online teaching has been a mix. Generally I don’t like screens. I got into this because I love people and books and ideas. One positive for me has been that the Zoom classes -- and especially individual advising meetings during registration week -- have given me new perspectives and compassion about the diversity of my students’ lives.

The on-campus classroom context can create a facade of sameness, which is often a good thing, as it encourages professors to treat everyone equally and fairly. But it’s also beneficial to see behind that, to get a fleeting glimpse into the variety of social situations in which my students live. I’ll carry that forward to the life after quarantine.

O: How has your normal work week changed?

MP: Does a work week still exist?

Does time still exist? What day is it now? Seriously, for my undergrads, I moved to 1 synchronous meeting (kept mostly the same) and 1 asynchronous meeting, which has prerecorded material by me, prerecorded student presentations, and about half the reading that was originally assigned with a short writing prompt. I’d say I’m able to work approximately one-fourth of the hours that I normally do, though many of those are in bursts due to family obligations.

O: How do you divide your time between supervising college students’ classes and supervising kids’ classes?

MP: On a day where we’re doing all of it, we have a quick discussion of who has immovable time-sensitive meetings or deadlines for the grown-ups and kids, and then we prioritize those -- usually we don’t get anything done beyond those, when you factor in making and cleaning up after 3 meals and managing the youngest one who can’t sit still.

17

O: What are your hobbies/ what kinds of activities if any have you been doing to help relieve stress during these challenging times?

MP: The other day I made a list of “what I need to get through this,” to have a reference point of how I can stay healthy and sane. It includes some time outside every day, some time alone every day, making music of some kind every day (finally recording those demos, ha ha), being careful to limit alcohol consumption (just being honest here, it’s awfully tempting during this period), and cooking healthy dinner for all each night.

To this, we’ve added a puzzle corner inside and longer, more vigorous bike rides when we can.

“ As psychologist

Viktor Frankl once said, ‘An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behavior.’ ”

Michael Peppard, Theology Professor COURTESY OF MICHAEL PEPPARD

O: What kind of music demonstrations have you been working on?

MP: I bought a digital 8-track recorder and am recording guitar, drums, piano, and vocal parts at home for songs I’ve written over the years, along with some new material for my band (we do a mix of rock and alt-country).

O: Do you have any advice for students right now?

MP: It really depends on the student. I know some are feeling isolated and very alone, while others feel trapped in a place with way

Professor Michael Peppard has found managing his school time, family time and personal time to be a challenge under quarantine, but not one too large to overcome.

too many people. And that’s not even to mention those who are sick themselves or caring for a sick relative. I guess I’d encourage people not to try to “keep things normal” during an unprecedented time in our lives. As psychologist Viktor Frankl once said, “An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behavior.”

But I’d also suggest finding a couple “normal” touchstones each day, some check-in reminders of the life before and beyond quarantine. If you need to care for others, be present with them, do that work of mercy, and don’t

worry about your school work this month. But if you do not need to be a caregiver, maybe use some of this time to step off the conveyor belt of your educational track, step to the side for a bit, and see where your mind takes you. What intellectual or artistic passions had you forgotten? Did you used to write? Draw? Build things?

Tinker? Who are you intellectually when the world slows down, and the curriculum is no longer provided to you?

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Ram Jams: ‘The New Abnormal’ Is New but Not Abnormal

By JILL RICE Copy Editor

After seven years without an album release, The Strokes are back with “The New Abnormal.” It’s filled with guitar riffs that hearken back to their debut “Is This It,” plus references to ’80s rock, using segments from other songs, such as Billy Idol’s “Dancing With Myself.” Though most songs are slower than regular rock, this album is enjoyable for its lyric value and instrumental polish.

The album begins with “The Adults Are Talking,” a throwback track sounding remarkably like older Strokes songs, but with Julian Casablancas’ vocals at the forefront, not hiding behind guitar. The chorus resembles that of other Strokes discography as well as Casablancas’ work with his other band, The Voidz. His falsetto on this song, as well as on “Eternal Summer,” is clear and more refined than on 2013’s “Comedown Machine.”

“Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus,” the third single off the album, is catchy, and I love it for its New York title (as well as that of “Ode

to the Mets”), the lyrics and the keyboard rhythm. Casablancas reflects on his relationships with friends, “I want new friends, but they don’t want me,” as well as with his ex-wife, “Juliet, I adore,” while reminiscing about the greatness of ’80s bands.

The Strokes debuted “Bad Decisions” at a Bernie Sanders rally in February (a bad decision to do that then and there?). It’s not my favorite, listed as a “valley” only because I don’t think it’s as strong as everything else on the album.

Its music video reflects the album’s nostalgia for the past, improving the song with a ’70s-themed story.

I highly recommend the music video for “At the Door”; its graphics are beautiful and the story within is moving.

The penultimate song, “Not the Same Anymore,” could fit right in on Arctic Monkeys’ “Humbug” — listening to this track right after “Fire and the Thud” is disconcerting for their similarity, but it’s also heartwarming. After Alex Turner opened his latest album with the line “I just wanted to be one of The Strokes,” The Strokes may have responded with a song that’s melodi-

cally and lyrically reflective of Arctic Monkeys sounds. “You’d make a better window than a door” is the sort of oddball lyric Turner would write, but it’s sung by Casablancas.

“Ode to the Mets,” the first single which hinted at the album’s release back in December 2019, is a “fab”-ulous track, with Casablancas’ spoken “Drums please, Fab,” directed at his drummer, Fabrizio Moretti. It’s slow yet catchy, and Casablancas’ vocals show his full range, low to high and whisper to belt. It was the best song to release first in terms of content and atmosphere, and it’s a beautiful close to the album.

My biggest disappointment with this album is its length. After seven years without an album, listeners deserve more than nine songs. I wish there were more to obsess over. Some have complained about the album’s production and how it is compressed to be too loud, but it just sounds like a more polished Strokes album — we can finally hear Casablancas’ words instead of mumbling, and most songs don’t lose the Strokes-like quality.

This album is for fans who

COVER ART BY JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT; RENDERED BY NYCKOLE LOPEZ/THE OBSERVER

love The Strokes but might be apathetic to The Voidz — it’s much less experimental than the latter, but it’s still less garage-rock than the former.

It’s been too long since The Strokes were together, but their time apart has brought us a more cohesive album than their previous releases. I’ll be singing along for the foreseeable future, much to the chagrin of my parents.

Genre: Indie rock, post-punk revival On a playlist with: Arctic Monkeys, The Voidz The peaks: “Selfless,” “Eternal Summer,” “Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus” The valleys: The album’s length, “Bad Decisions” The verdict: 9/10

18

Arts & Culture

April 15, 2020 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

Favorite Food Spots Hungry for Business During Lockdown RESTAURANTS from page 1

Restaurants near Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC)’s campus get a great deal of business from students. Although many students live in dorm suites with kitchens, eating out at cheap local eateries is a convenient option.

Emma Federer, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’21, has lived on campus for the past three years. She said, “I tried to cook at home, but it was so easy to be tempted by all the great food around campus. Especially on late nights on the weekend. Who doesn’t stop by The Flame on the way home?”

With residence halls now almost entirely vacant after Fordham ordered all students to return home, local businesses are left without these regular customers to order takeout and delivery.

In an analysis of the economic impact of the coronavirus on NYC, City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer estimated that restaurant sales would decline by 80% during the shutdown. This grim figure could mean permanent closure for some.

Student-favorite eateries including The Flame, Burrito Box, G&G Deli and Fluffy’s Cafe & Pizzeria failed to answer a number

REX SAKAMOTO/THE OBSERVER

The Olympic Flame decided to stay open for their customers but had to make serious staff cuts in order to do so.

AMINA VARGAS/THE OBSERVER

Some local restaurants like Burrito Box failed to respond to phone calls, leaving their status a mystery and students hoping no news isn’t bad news.

of phone calls in the past week.

It is unclear whether these businesses have temporarily closed.

However, a number of other local restaurants near campus are still operating in compliance with de Blasio’s order.

Across the street from McMahon Hall on Amsterdam Avenue is the Olympic Flame Diner. Often confused with The Flame Diner on 58th Street due to its similar name, FLC students have long debated which of the two is a better late-night spot.

According to Olympic Flame Diner manager Jimmy Hernandez, they had to lay off 60% of their staff and cut hours of operation to remain open. They are offering takeout and delivery, both of which they have always offered. A maximum of two customers are allowed in at once, and remaining staff members are disinfecting all surfaces constantly.

“We’re just open so our customers can eat. There’s not really profit for the store to stay open,” Hernandez said. “We are just open for the people.”

He said he’s anxious for everything “to go back to normal” so they can hire back staff members.

The manager of Alan’s Marketplace, the deli across the

street from the front entrance of the Lowenstein Center, said their business is struggling. According to the manager, who did not want his name published, more than half the staff has been laid off, and hours have been reduced significantly.

They don’t offer delivery and consequently rely heavily on physical foot traffic. He said people continue to come in, but “business just keeps getting worse and worse.”

He said, “If it keeps going like this, I don’t know what will happen.” He suggested closure may be the only option if current circumstances don’t change soon.

Alternatively, some businesses are opting to temporarily close for safety or as a courtesy to employees. In some cases, restaurant workers could earn more from federal unemployment benefits than they would if they continued to work reduced hours.

Birch Coffee is a local coffeehouse chain with a small storefront less than two blocks from campus. Chain co-owner Jeremy Lyman said they decided to close all storefronts for the time being. They had to furlough 95% of their staff, all of whom they aim to hire back.

“The reality was we didn’t

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER April 15, 2020

Birch Coffee has set up espresso stations outside hospitals around the city to serve doctors and nurses working overtime to combat the coronavirus.

want to contribute to people leaving their apartments and going out just to get coffee,” Lyman said. “We also wanted to make sure that our staff felt they were not being put in harm’s way.”

Birch is offering free shipping for all online orders and sales have been steady. With their storefronts closed, Lyman and his business partner have been focusing on multiple initiatives to give back to the community.

On March 31, they donated 500 pounds of coffee to the makeshift hospital that was built inside the Javits Center. Subsequently, they began donating 1 pound of coffee to other local hospitals for every 5 pounds ordered by customers online. So far, they’ve donated an additional 142 pounds of coffee.

Last Friday, Birch began setting up coffee brewing stations outside local hospitals to serve hospital staff. Customers can purchase a variety of beverages

for health care workers through an online donation system.

Some restaurants have morphed into mini grocery stores.

In doing so, they simultaneously service the community and create a new revenue stream. Cafe Fiorello, an Italian restaurant across the street from Lincoln Center, turned into a gourmet food market in mid-March. They sold their remaining stock of imported Italian goods, prepared foods and produce.

On March 27, Cafe Fiorello’s owner ultimately decided to close all operations for safety reasons. The restaurant’s marketing manager, Elizabeth Tuminello, Fordham College at Rose Hill ’08, said, “It was very difficult to guarantee social distancing.” She said they will reopen when they believe it’s safe.

The Jin, a newer Korean eatery on Amsterdam Avenue, has managed fairly well compared to others. Although some of their

employees have chosen to no longer come in, restaurant owner Kevin Oh said he hasn’t laid off any staff members.

“ There’s not really

profit for the store to stay open. We are just open for the people.”

Jimmy Hernandez, Olympic Flame Diner manager

Oh said takeout and delivery sales have continued at a steady pace. “The Hell’s Kitchen community has been really supportive. I have a lot of regulars coming in and also people who have never tried my food before coming in,” he said.

Friday will mark one month since dine-in services were

IZZI DUPREY/THE OBSERVER

Just across the street from campus, Alan’s Marketplace has been struggling due to the lack of foot traffic during the pandemic and fears for the future if things don’t change soon.

banned in NYC. In a short time, restaurants have had to transform their operations, while some have been left with the bleak alternative of indefinite closure.

“To try to speculate what the world is going to look like in two months, I honestly think is a waste of time,” Lyman said.

“It’s just a matter of pivoting as things change because things are changing by the minute.”

When the time comes, reopening doors will only serve as the first step in the process of potential recovery. The rest depends on the masses. Factors including a decrease in travel and tourism, germophobia, and a turbulent stock market will determine the sales restaurants see on the other side.

Oh predicts a slow revival once the lockdown is lifted.

“Right off the bat I don’t see people rushing in, but slowly it’s going to trickle down,” he said.

Arts & Culture

19

COURTESY OF DAMIEN KIM

“People are itching to go outside.”

What Fordham’s student body will return to in the fall is uncertain.

Rin Kuemerle, FCLC ’21, worked part time at Maman, a local French café chain, before returning home after Fordham’s closure. All Maman locations are currently closed until further notice. “I have hope that Maman is going to survive the pandemic, but with the intensity of New York’s COVID-19 experience I’m not sure they’ll be open by this fall,” she said.

“There are a lot of people who are not going to come through on the other side of this, business-wise,” Lyman said. “That’s just what it is, and it sucks.”

“On the other side of this everything is different, everything changes, what restaurants look like,” he continued. “What it changes exactly, you know, time will tell.”

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAP BY LARA FOLEY/THE OBSERVER

20

Arts & Culture

April 15, 2020 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

A Guide to the Lesser-Known Streaming Galaxy

By SPENCER AKERS Contributing Writer As quarantine stretches from days into weeks, the question of what to watch becomes increasingly poignant. It seems as if Netflix, with its aggressive content strategy, is perfectly positioned to roll out an endless stream of binge fodder. Shows like “Love Is Blind” and “Tiger King” raced to the top of the daily Netflix Top 10, flooding Twitter with meme-able content. While these shows offer a bust of entertainment, quarantine also provides a unique opportunity to explore the depths of the streaming movie catalogs in search of something new. Quarantine is a time to get out of your comfort zone while staying firmly at home.

(Quality) Children’s Movies These movies, while marketed toward kids, provide a brief reprieve from cookie-cutter Disney movies we have become accustomed to.

“Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius” (2001) Netflix This movie is a relic of the early 2000s children’s-TV-to-movies pipeline that produced mostly unwatchable movies. This movie is an exception. Featuring a relatively straightforward plot that asks two questions: “What if all the parents in the world disappeared?” and “Could we defeat an alien race with the chicken dance?” I won’t spoil the details, but you can fill in the blanks.

Where this movie separates itself is the soundtrack. Featuring songs from The Backstreet Boys, Aaron Carter, Britney Spears, *NSYNC, The Ramones, and Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff, it is a time capsule of late ’90s and early 2000s pop culture. The sound is unmistakable. The longer you

watch, the more it worms its way into your brain until you are belting out “Blitzkreig Bop” at the top of your lungs. For that reason alone, “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius” is a worthwhile sojourn from the land of “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”

“Bee Movie” (2007) Netflix More a meme than a movie, “Bee Movie” is one of the most bizarre projects ever greenlit. A quick refresher for those who haven’t seen it in a while: Jerry Seinfeld plays a bee who falls in love with Renée Zellweger’s human character, who leaves her human husband, played by Patrick Warburton. Seinfeld’s best friend is played by Matthew Broderick (bee) and John Goodman plays the bad guy (human) who is profiting off free bee labor. This leads to a Supreme Court case where the bees sue all humankind. The bees are represented by Chris Rock who plays a mosquito lawyer. Kathy Bates and Barry Levinson play Jerry’s parents (bees), and we also get performances from Oprah, Megan Mullaly and Sting (fitting). This movie is crazy. That’s the recommendation.

B-Movies

They win awards like the Golden Lions and Palme d’Or and frankly, most are boring period pieces that will have you looking at your phone. The three listed below are exceptions, combining high minded art with the gripping popcorn experience of blockbusters.

“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” (2019) Hulu On its face, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” is another stodgy period piece full of women wearing big dresses and conversing in French about paintings. Upon closer examination, it is an intimate exploration of the relationship between an artist and her subject. Writer-director Celine Sciamma tells the story of a young woman in the 18th century who needs a portrait made for her prospective husband.

“Portrait” features two incredible performances at its center from Noémie Merlant and long-time Sciamma collaborator Adèle Haenel, who possess seemingly limitless onscreen chemistry. The movie draws you in slowly at first, and before you even notice it, has completely engulfed you.

“Frances Ha” (2012) Netflix In the spirit of movies written or directed by women, “Frances Ha” is a must-watch, especially for recent graduates of a certain Upper West Side liberal arts university. Greta Gerwig, the writer-director of “Lady Bird” (2017) and “Little Women” (2019), co-wrote and starred in the film about the uncertainty of the time between when we graduate college and when we decide what we’re going to do with the rest of our lives.

It grapples with questions about our dreams and what we want our future to look like.

Like all Gerwig scripts, “Frances Ha” seeks to engage with the frivolity of adolescent fears without delegitimizing them.

She captures the flaws of her characters in a way that makes them feel seen and loved. This movie also serves as a great introduction to the movies of director and co-writer Noah Baumbach, such as ...

A genre of movies that are great without necessarily being good, B-movies are TV movie channel staples that you end up watching with your dad at 2 p.m. on a Saturday. The two defining characteristics of a B-movie are: It must be fun and it can’t take itself too seriously. A perfect complement to Thai food takeout and a glass (or bottle) of Trader Joe’s wine.

“A Knight’s Tale” (2001) Hulu “A Knight’s Tale” may well be the best movie ever made.

That may seem like hyperbole, but don’t be mistaken. This movie stars a young Heath Ledger as William Thatcher, a poor man with dreams of becoming a knight and competing in jousting competitions. Together with a trusty band of sidekicks, including Paul Bettany and Alan Tudyk, he embarks on a quest for greatness. Without spoiling, there is a queen needle drop during a sports montage, and enough bracketology to stifle your March Madness withdrawal. This movie can be watched with family, late at “knight” or whenever you need a pick-me-up.

“Limitless” (2011) Netflix You may know Bradley Cooper as the actor-director of “A Star is Born” (2018) (sadly only available on HBO), as Phil in “The Hangover” (2009), or as Sack Lodge in “Wedding Crashers” (2005), but the first role that comes to mind when I think of him is Eddie Mora. “Limitless” is not one of the five best movies Cooper has ever made, nor is Eddie one of his five best characters, but it is his first true movie star role. When the movie works, it’s because he makes it work.

This is a movie about a drug that makes people smart. Simple premise, high enough stakes to get you invested but not stressed.

Cinema

ANDREW BEECHER/THE OBSERVER

Catching up on movies is proving to be a great way for students to use their newfound free time in quarantine.

“Marriage Story” (2019) Netflix Baumbach’s Netflix original was nominated for six Oscars at the 2019 Academy Awards.

“Marriage Story” is an exploration of the divorce between two artists, a director and an actress, played by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. The semi-autobiographical script centers around the legal battle for custody of their child.

It explores the riff between the New York theater scene and West Coast Hollywood. Come for the complex exploration of the emotional implications of divorce; stay for Laura Dern and Ray Liotta as the most entertaining movie lawyers in recent memory. As an added bonus, the Randy Newman score is incredibly moving and his best work in years.