Fordham Observer - Issue 8

Observer the

AUGUST 28, 2014 VOLUME XXXIII, ISSUE 8

www.fordhamobserver.com

McKeon Exclusive to Class of 2018

Photo Feature

By NOHA MAHMOUD and ADRIANA GALLINA News Editor and Asst. News Editor

McKeon Hall, the new residence hall at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) with amenities such as a game lounge, movie theater, a dance studio, and a full kitchen, is finally open and to the dismay of the upperclassmen who are only allowed access after being signed in by someone who lives in the building, is exclusively for first year students.

Laura Paone, FCLC ‘16, said, “It’s weird to be a junior and living here for so long and then all of a sudden have to sign in to go somewhere.”

Dean of Students at Lincoln Center Keith Eldredge said, “we are trying to figure out ways to make the new building accessible but the priority is for the students that are living there. It was built for first year students to build a sense of community.”

According to the Fordham website, “McKeon Hall will house approximately 400 students in either double or triple rooms on twelve floors”. The double or triple room rate is $5,772 per semester which is less than the double room rate at McMahon of $7,315 per semester.

All non-McKeon residents must be signed into the residence hall with the exception of freshmen commuter students.

According to Eldredge, visitation policies in McKeon will remain the same as visitation policies during previous years in McMahon where freshmen can sign up to get a sticker put on their ID allowing them access into McKeon between the hours of 10 a.m and 6 p.m. Without a Commuter Affiliate Sticker, commuter freshmen would have to be escorted by a resident in order to gain entry to McKeon during the hours of 10 am to 6 p.m, according to Director of see MCKEON pg. 2

SARAH HOWARD/THE OBSERVER

Observer photographers captured their summer activities and experiences for this issue’s Photo Feature.

Law Professor Challenges Cuomo for Governor

By TYLER MARTINS Editor-in-Chief

Fordham Law (FLS) Associate Professor of Law Zephyr Teachout is in the middle of a campaign to unseat incumbent Governor Andrew Cuomo, FCRH ’79, in the Democratic primary for Governor of the State of New York on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

Teachout, a law professor at Fordham since 2009, entered the Democratic primary after the Working Families Party, a influential party of labor unions and liberal activists, considered endorsing Teachout over Cuomo. When the party eventually endorsed

Cuomo, Teachout decided to pursue the Democratic nomination.

Teachout was able to submit 49,000 signatures to make the ballot (only 15,000 are required).

A graduate of Yale University and Duke Law School, Teachout has written at length about corruption in government, most recently “Corruption in America,” which will be published this September, coinciding with the primary election.

“The system is rigged, and Andrew Cuomo is part of the broken system. We are running to lay out a bold vision and provide a real choice for voters,” Teachout wrote on her campaign website. “New York can have an economy that

works for all of us — not one which works only for the wealthy and well connected. We believe in a New York where wages are rising, small businesses are thriving and our public schools are the best in the nation.”

Teachout’s chances of winning are slim, according to Christina Greer, Assistant Professor of Political Science. Cuomo has a strong fundraising edge over Teachout, having recently raised $23 million from individual donors according to state filings.

Recent polling by NBC 4 New York, The Wall Street Journal and Marist College has shown that most Democratic voters do not know who Teachout is.

However, “as Eric Cantor has shown us, just because you have more money and name recognition, doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a slam dunk, because we know that in a primary, especially in a nonpresidential year, turnout is incredibly low,” Greer said.

Since entering the Democratic primary, Teachout has faced opposition from Cuomo in regards to her candidacy. In the beginning of August, Cuomo’s campaign contested Teachout’s residency, arguing that Teachout had not lived in New York State long enough to run for Governor.

Article 4, section 2 of the New see TEACHOUT pg. 4

Inside

FEATURES

McKeon Hall A sneak peak of FCLC’s new residence hall

Page 18

ARTS & CULTURE

Kings of the Hill

Mainstage Season

OPINIONS

A preview of Fordham football 2014

A season of imagining post-war

Should the US go back to Iraq?

PAGE 19

PAGE 15

PAGE 7

SPORTS

THE STUDENT VOICE OF FORDHAM COLLEGE AT LINCOLN CENTER

Point/Counterpoint: Iraq

2

News

News Editor Noha Mahmoud — nmahmoud2@fordham.edu

August 28, 2014 THE OBSERVER

JESSICA HANLEY/THE OBSERVER

Prices for ram van tickets increase by 50 cents to a total of $3.50.

Ram Van Ticket Prices Increase

By GUNAR OLSEN Staff Writer

Fordham’s Department of University Transportation has raised the price from $3.00 to $3.50 for a one-way ticket to travel between the Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) and Fordham College at Rose Hill (FRCH) campuses.

On Fordham’s transportation webpage, Director of University Transportation Marc Canton wrote that the price hike was due to the “increasing cost of vehicle maintenance and the rising price of fuel.” In an interview, he said, “It hit a point where we could no longer continue to absorb the costs associated with the service that have been steadily increasing.”

“It’s still an overwhelming subsidized service. We don’t make back anywhere near what it costs to run the service,” Canton continued. On average for the last ten years, 51 percent of riders rode for

On average for the last ten years, fifty one percent of Ram Van riders rode for free. free. (Students who take classes at an alternate campus are eligible to receive a pass.) Last academic year, however, 59 percent of riders paid the $3.00 fare.

An alternate option to travel between campuses is via subway.

The price for a single ride is $2.50, one dollar less than the price of a Ram Van ticket. There is, however, about a 10-minute walk between the D train station and the entrance to the Rose Hill campus.

Students can either walk or use a free transfer to take a bus.

For students who have the seven-day or 30-day Unlimited Ride MetroCard and do not want to spend $3.50 for the Ram Van, but

feel unsafe to make the 10-minute walk to or from the D train station, Fordham security stations a free shuttle at the D train station to take students to the Rose Hill campus. When one van fills completely, it waits at the station until another van arrives. This service is available seven days a week from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

According to Canton, the Ram Van price last increased in 2007, from $2.50 to $3.00. Although the subway fare has increased twice since 2007, it has remained lower than the price of a Ram Van. Other schools offer a similar intercampus transportation service – but for free. When asked how Fordham competes with those schools, Canton said that the other schools provide a “different kind of service. It tends to be more of this shuttle-route type service, and it’s not nearly as robust.”

New York University (NYU) shuttles students three miles between its Brooklyn and Washing-

ton Square Park campuses for free, but the shuttle leaves every hour.

(Fordham’s leaves every half hour.)

NYU also offers an overnight oncall van service, which takes students to any NYU building. Austin Snyder, NYU ‘17, said of the service, “It is pretty convenient, especially if you live in some of the further away dorms.”

Northwestern University transports students between its Evanston and Chicago campuses – a distance of about 12 miles, only a mile longer than the distance between Lincoln Center and Rose Hill. Northwestern’s service is about as frequent as Fordham’s, but it ends at 11 p.m. each night – unlike Fordham’s, which makes its last run at 4 a.m. on the weekends.

According to Canton, twothirds of the fleet use biodiesel.

The rest use gasoline. But, according to U.S. Department of Energy shows, biodiesel and gasoline prices have remained steady for the most part since 2011.

By 2016, Fordham plans to convert the entire fleet to biodiesel.

“Over the life of the vehicle, the extra money you spend on buying the [more fuel efficient] vehicle is about what you save in fuel, but we want to do it anyway because it reduces our carbon footprint tremendously,” Canton said.

Depending on what time they drive, Ram Van drivers make $10.40, $11.40 or $12.90 per hour, according to Canton. Andrew Kane, FCRH’ 16, a Ram Van driver, said, “It’s already more expensive than the subway, so I know it’s going to be annoying to some people… Some people are stockpiling tickets early. That’s a good idea.”

Connor Mannion, FCLC’ 16, understands the price increase, but isn’t happy about paying more.

Noting that the subway is one dollar cheaper, he said, “Some people wouldn’t feel safe taking the D train at night. The Ram Van is a bit of a safer option. It can be a faster option sometimes.”

First Year Students to Reside in McKeon MCKEON FROM PAGE 1

Residential Life Jenifer Campbell.

This policy follows those in place at Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) where resident students who are visiting others living in another residence halls have to sign in and out according to the Office of Residential Life Handbook.

According to Campbell, Resident Freshmen Mentors (RFM’s) and Resident Advisors (RA’s) will be allowed to enter McKeon as officials while on duty and in facilitating programs and educational initiatives. “If they are visiting, they will have to sign in like any other student,” Campbell said.

Eldredge anticipates “there will be growing pains--for a lack of a better word. We recognize there are some amenities in the new building that are attractive and that don’t exist in exactly the same ways as anything else on campus,” he explained.

The new building includes the integrated learning community lounges, a reflection room, a movie theater, a dance studio, a game room, a full kitchen and a mini

kitchen which all can only be accessed by non-residents through the sign-in process. The fitness center which is a place of public access in McMahon can be accessed by any current members of the Fordham community.

“We don’t just want to throw open the gates and say okay anyone come in and use it. Then the students that are paying to live there are going to be pushed out,” Eldredge said.

Eldredge continued, “we encourage club leaders who are interested in using the new building to contact Res Life and the Student leadership office.”

“You have to be a registered club and work through the office of student leadership and community development (OSLCD) to book a room and work with our office to see if there is availability to use the room,” Campbell said.

“I’m curious to see when [McKeon residents] move [to McMahon] how they’re going to adjust to not having access to those facilities,” Molly Hellauer, FCLC’ 16, said.

TYLER MARTINS/THE OBSERVER

The new residence hall, McKeon Hall, will house only first year students.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER August 28, 2014

News

3

Meet the Class of 2018

By TYLER MARTINS Editor - in - Chief

More than seventy percent of the incoming class of 2018 (including Gabelli Lincoln Center students) will be a resident at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), according to statistics provided by the Office of Admissions.

“The new residential facility at Lincoln Center has allowed us to expand our offers of on-campus housing,” Patricia Peek, director of undergraduate admissions, said.

“In the past we were not in a position to give all admitted students who requested to live on campus the option to do so.”

The incoming class of freshman is almost a quarter larger than the class of 2017, according to Peek. “This increase is due to a larger FCLC class as well as the new Gabelli at Lincoln Center students,” Peek said.

568 students are enrolled in the class of 2018, including 84 students enrolled in the Gabelli Lin-

coln Center program. “It’s not that FCLC is twenty five percent larger, it’s the two programs together,” Peek said, referring to the inclusion of the Gabelli Lincoln Center program and the opening of the new residence hall for freshman.

Incoming freshman have averaged a high school grade point average of 3.6, and a SAT score of 1258. 22 countries and 38 states are represented, including significant numbers from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Florida, Texas, and California.

129 students are coming from

the five New York boroughs, including 14 in the Gabelli program.

62 students are attending Fordham from California, including 11 Gabelli Lincoln Center students.

“Californians comprise, outside of the tri-state area and our local markets, the largest group, which is very exciting,” Peek said.

Enrollments of Black/African Americans, Native Americans, and Asian students have increased since 2013. “Diversity is an important part of our mission and who we are, and it’s important that we have students that represent all types of diversity in the class,” Peek said.

Join The Observer!

Check out and join one of our four Workshops for credit or audit to get journalism experience and see your work published.

Journalism Workshop / Reporting - CRN 10616 Tuesdays - 1:00 p.m.-2:15 p.m.

Professor Elizabeth Stone Journalism Workshop / Layout - CRN 15659 Saturdays - 12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Professor Kimberly Moy Journalism Workshop / Photography - CRN 15661 Tuesdays - 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Professor Amelia Hennighausen Journalism Workshop / Multimedia - CRN 23031 Wednesdays - 6:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.

Professor Roopa Vasudevan

4

News

News Editor Noha Mahmoud — nmahmoud2@fordham.edu

August 28, 2014 THE OBSERVER

Fordham Law Professor Zephyr Teachout runs against Governor Andrew Cuomo for Governor of the State of New York.

COURTESY OF TEACHOUT/WU CAMPAIGN

Teachout Runs For Governor of New York TEACHOUT FROM PAGE 1

York State constitution states that “no person shall be eligible to the office of governor or lieutenantgovernor, except a citizen of the United States, of the age of not less than thirty years, and who shall have been five years next preceding the election a resident of this state.”

Justice Edgar G. Walker of the State Supreme Court in Brooklyn

ruled that Teachout was a resident of New York State for the necessary five years required by the state constitution on Aug. 11. Justice Walker wrote that “although Zephyr R. Teachout has resided in several different residencies within the City of New York since 2009, while maintaining close connections to her childhood domicile of Vermont, that is nothing more than an ambiguity in the residency

calculus.”

Justice Walker went on to write that the “burden in this proceeding is not on Teachout to establish residency, but rather, upon the petitioners to establish by clear and convincing evidence that she does not meet the residency requirements.” The Cuomo campaign appealed the decision, but on Wednesday, Aug. 20, New York State appeals court upheld the rul-

ing.

“In a non-presidential election year, [Cuomo] knows that turn out is incredibly low, so it would be essentially much easier if he had no one to run against,” Greer said. “He can pretty much assume the people who would turn out would be turning out for him.”

Cuomo has also ignored calls by the Teachout campaign for debate. “It’s very difficult to debate

women. It’s very, very difficult to debate smart women because you can’t come across as condescending or man-splaining,” Greer said.

“By debating her, he would be acknowledging that she is actually an equal.”

The winner of the Democratic primary will face off against GOP candidate Rob Astorino, FCRH ’89 in the general election.

Fordham Remembers Professor Emerita

By ADRIANA GALLINA Asst. News Editor

On Monday, Aug. 11, Fordham lost longtime community member, Eva Maria Stadler, associate professor emerita of English and comparative literature.

“She was a very important part of our school for most of it’s history,” Dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center Robert R. Grimes, S.J., Ph.D. said Stadler joined Fordham College at Lincoln Center in 1968, the year the college was founded, then known as Fordham’s Liberal Arts College.

“Professor Stadler was a woman of tremendous energy and tremendous intelligence and she brought her tremendous gifts to the school,” Grimes. said.

“She shaped the interdisciplinary Humanities Division and helped it develop into a strong and collegial unit,” Professor of English Anne Hoffman told Fordham Public Affairs.

Despite her title being limited to the English department, Stadler’s influence transcends programs.

As one of the founders of the media studies program, “she understood the diversity of media studies and how it embraced so many disciplines and approaches,”

COURTESY OF THORNTON STUDIO

Eva Maria Stadler, associate professor at FCLC, passed away Aug. 11.

Brian Rose, professor of communications and media studies, said.

“But her primary interest was in film, which she taught with enormous passion and intellectual energy,” Rose stated.

In 1983, she collaborated with the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the annual New York Film Festival to establish the first course a course on contemporary filmmakers.

Thanks to Stadler, “students attended most of the Festival’s screenings and had the chance to hear from visiting filmmakers,” Rose explained. “[Stadler] was an inspiration to several generations of Fordham students and faculty,” Rose said.

Donica O’Bradovich, FCLC ’86, a former student of Stadler remembers her as her inspiration. “Once in a lifetime, you encounter a professor who inspires you from the very first day of class. Eva Stadler was that professor. She was my mentor who made me appreciate film as an art form and helped guide my career choice. Bresson, Bergman and Fellini became constants in my life as I took every course she offered and absorbed everything she said.

She was brilliant, insightful and had a wicked sense of humor. She was also extremely generous with her time when I needed it (which

was often). The course she taught in conjunction with the New York Film Festival gave me some of happiest memories of my life. She even pulled a few strings so that I could take it another year. I was profoundly saddened to hear about her passing and wish I could have told her how much she has meant to me all these years,” O’Bradovich said via email.

“Professor Stadler encouraged her students to stray away from basic summarization and dig deep into textual analysis. She provided a very deep and strong foundation to all Fordham English students who were lucky enough to have her,” Abiezer Mendez, FCLC’ 12, remembered.

“She was really a part of this place,” Grimes said.

Professor Lawrence Kramer, distinguished professor of English, remembered her as, “a real community-builder and a personal model of generosity and intellectual adventurousness,” according to Fordham Public Affairs.

She is survived by her husband, Richard Brooks.

A memorial service will be held on the Lincoln Center campus this fall. According to Grimes it can be expected for September or November.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER August 28, 2014

News

5

Fordham Closes on $50 Million Space Near LC

By ADRIANA GALLINA Asst. News Editor

On Tuesday, July 22, Fordham officially purchased the old College Entrance Examination Board building at 45 Columbus Avenue, across the street from Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), for a total of $49.6 million.

According to Dr. Brian J. Byrne, vice president of FCLC, the buy serves two main purpose, convenience and consolidation.

“This will help students by pulling services closer to campus and by consolidating. It will save us money in the long run once we get rid of the three other leases we have,” Byrne said. According to Byrne, most of Fordham’s leases ex-

weight, the university estimates they will save anywhere between $3 million to $5 million a year.

Furthermore, according to Byrne, Fordham has invested roughly $350 million in the development of this campus in the last three years, expanding the campus by about 60 percent.

Fordham is not planning on acquiring any additional space.

“I’m trying to tell my thousands of close friends in the real estate brokerage field that we are out of the buying mode and for the time being we are out of the new building mode,” Byrne said.

We need to take a little bit of a breather and work out the kinks and advantages…Eventually, we will build the master plan out, but

Fordham has invested roughly $350 million in the development of this campus in the last three years, expanding the campus by about 60 percent. pire within two years.

FCLC currently leases three other locations in Manhattan: 1790 Broadway, which houses a division of the School of Business; 33 West 60th Street, now utilized by career services, disability services and the communications and media studies department, formerly the home to sections of Fordham Law; and 888 Seventh Avenue home to the University’s business and development department.

“Commercial real estate in NYC is just going up, so we had to get out of that. We sort of grew into this by necessity,” Byrne said.

By shedding this extra financial

we have the first big chunk of it done,” he explained.

Fordham announced its plans to purchase the property this past January and should be accessible to the University in April of 2015.

Byrne explained, “The building is in very good shape and it comes with the furniture, so I suspect the move would be the summer of 2015, maybe earlier but it all depends on when they move out.”

As for the three other properties Fordham currently occupies, Byrne foresees little to no difficulty selling, as there has been, “a lot of interest in all three properties.”

KIRSTEN BUNKLEY/THE OBSERVER

Have an eye for design?

Join our layout team!

Contact us observerlayout@gmail.com

Opinions

Rachel Shmulevich — Opinions Co-Editor rshmulevich@fordham.edu Marina Recio — Opinions Co-Editor marinarecio@icloud.com

STAFF EDITORIAL

F

True to its Jesuit mission, Fordham has been helping us grow, too.

Through core classes, through service projects, through retreats and plays and forums - Fordham is pushing us out of our comfort zone and past our boundaries of knowledge.

Through the Jesuit tenets of cura personalis,

Everyone is reading the same book but is on a different page. magis and men and women for others, Fordham is challenging you to reach our potential as an individual while still leading a life beyond self, encouraging us to use everything at our disposal to learn more about ourselves, what we believe in, what we stand for.

Everyone is starting their journey at a different point. Everyone is reading the same book but is on a different page.

There are those of us who are the first ones to step foot into the new FCLC, the first ones to break into the new dorms

Observer the

WE ARE WITNESSING THE START OF A NEW CHAPTER or the incoming class of freshman, you’re about to embark on a four-year journey (for some of you, even longer) where you will find yourself (or at least try to). For the returning class of seniors, you’re about to finish that very same journey and find your place in the world, post-Fordham.

It’s scary and exciting and nerve-racking and overwhelming. It’s a part of life.

Ask your parents and loved ones about how quickly time flies. You were just learning to crawl and suddenly, you’re off to college in a blink of an eye, leaving the comforts of your home behind for life in a foreign city.

But we’re not the only ones growing.

Fordham is growing, too. From St. John’s College in 1841 up in the Bronx, to classes being offered at the Woolworth Building downtown in 1913 to the move uptown to Lincoln Center in 1961, to the construction of the new Law School Building and McKeon Residence Hall, Fordham has been growing up right before our eyes.

August 28, 2014 THE OBSERVER

and new departments.

There are those of us who are leaving, some of our last memories bearing witness to the fact that our home for the past four years has the potential to grow bigger and better.

Then there are the ‘inbetweeners:’ those who have been awoken by early morning construction and can now revel in all its glory.

Like every good book, as we read more, we get so immersed into the intricacies of the book that we want to take it in as our reality. But there comes a time when we need to close it for good and pick up another book.

For those just beginning, take it all in. Before you know it, you’ll be entering your last year of college and getting ready to say goodbye to your home for the last four years. It’s bittersweet, and filled with blood, tears and sweat.

For those nearing the final pages of this volume of their lives, enjoy every single moment. You’ve worked hard, and the finish line is in sight. Keep your eye on the horizon, and get ready to set the world on fire.

Fordham College at Lincoln Center 113 West 60th Street Room 408 New York, New York 10023 Tel: (212) 636-6015 Fax: (212) 636-7047

Editor-in-Chief Tyler Martins Managing Editor Kamrun Nesa News Editor Noha Mahmoud Asst. News Editor Adriana Gallina Opinions Co-Editors Rachel Shmulevich Marina Recio Asst. Opinions Editor Dylan Reilly Arts & Culture Editor Ramona Venturanza Asst. Arts & Culture Editor John Guerin Features Co-Editors Ian McKenna Literary Co-Editors Meredith Summers Mark Lee Sports Co-Editors Dylan Penza Conrad Zajkowski Copy Editor Meredith Summers Layout Editor Jennifer McNary Photo Editor Sarah Howard Asst. Photo Editors Kirstin Bunkley Jessica Hanley Multimedia Co-Producers Ian McKenna Paulina Tam Online Editor Ben Moore Business Manager Victoria Leon Faculty Advisor Prof. Elizabeth Stone Faculty Layout Advisor Kim Moy Faculty Photo Advisor Amelia Hennighausen Faculty Multimedia Advisor Roopa Vasudevan

Keep watching here for previews of our upcoming multimedia content.

Check us out online at

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 alternate Thursdays during the academic year.

Printed by Five Star Printing Flushing, N.Y

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

fordhamobserver.com

Have comments on this issue?

Let us know at fordhamobserver@gmail.com POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Want to join our reporting, photography, layout, online or copy staff?

Contact us!

• Letters to the Editor should be typed and sent to The Observer, Fordham University, 113 West 60th Street, Room 408, New York, NY 10023, or e-mailed to fordhamobserver@gmail.com. Length should not exceed 200 words. All letters must be signed and include contact information, official titles, and year of graduation (if applicable) for verification.

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

• The Observer has the right to withhold any submissions from 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 August 28, 2014

Opinions

7

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO COURTESY OF MASTER SGT. ANDY DUNAWAYVIA FLICKR

Should The United States Go Back to Iraq?

POINT

The Answer in Iraq Is Not Military Action Gunar Olsen Staff Writer

“Iraq’s future will be in the hands of its people. America’s war in Iraq will be over,” President Obama announced to troops at the Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina on Dec. 14, 2011, one day before the official end to the eight-year-long Operation Iraqi Freedom. I wish those words still held true. But, not even three years later, on Aug. 7, 2014, President Obama became the fourth consecutive president to authorize military action in Iraq by ordering precision airstrikes on the Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL).

The United States justifies its military action as “humanitarian intervention,” and the mainstream media sells it as such. But bombing for “humanitarian” ends never actually helps anyone or defeats an enemy; we can’t bomb our way to peace. Terrorist organizations use bombing to recruit more terrorists. If “moderate” Muslims (by “moderate,” I mean not jihadist) see U.S. bombs killing innocent civilians and destroying towns, I’m not surprised that they develop a severe anti-American sentiment.

When we order drone strikes on wedding ceremonies in Yemen to “kill terrorists” (Dec. 12, 2013), when we detain Muslims at Guantanamo Bay without charging them with a crime (600 of the 779 were released without charges, many after being held for years according to Human Rights Watch), when we kill U.S. citizens without charging them with a crime (see Anwar al-Awlaki, New Mexican born imam killed by a drone strike in Yemen in Sept. 2011), we’re actually creating more terrorists – the principle of blowback. Terrorists become terrorists because we are terrorists first.

Also, has no one considered that maybe we don’t actually care about solving “humanitarian” crises in the Middle East, considering that the U.S. government doesn’t oppose the violent subjugation of populations there? Example A: Israel. One thing that every elected politician publicly agrees on is continued support for the apartheid state of Israel and its war crimes.

Example B: Egypt. Not only did Hillary Clinton say, “I really consider President and Mrs. Mubarak to be friends of my family,” but also the United States has continued

to militarily and economically support the dictators of Egypt since Mubarak’s ouster.

Example C: Saudi Arabia. According to a secret National Security Agency (NSA) memo published by Glenn Greenwald of The Intercept, the United States “has an interest in regime continuity” in the brutally repressive government of Saudi Arabia.

With our history of supporting tyranny and oppression, why would anyone believe the propaganda about “humanitarian” goals in the region?

Let’s remember another fact: ISIS exists because of us. When Brett McGurk, a top State Department official, said to House and Senate lawmakers in July that ISIS is “worse than al-Qaeda,” did he consider why? It’s because of the nearly nine-year U.S. occupation of Iraq and, more largely, the global war on terrorism. At the time of 9/11, terrorist organizations (including al-Qaeda) were small and unorganized.

Today, they are powerful. During the occupation of Iraq, we destroyed its infrastructure, government and military. Newly unemployed, these Saddam-era soldiers joined insurgent militias – eventually forming a coalition that has become ISIS. The United States also supported and installed Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister in 2006, who ruled along strict Shia sectarian lines, squashed dissent, and thus convinced many Sunnis that their only hope was in the form of a military: ISIS. Moreover, when ISIS members were fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the United States provided them with weapons.

There is a serious crisis in Iraq – no one doubts that. The desire to help is understandable. So what can we do? A lot, actually, according to Phyllis Bennis, fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. Call on our regional allies to impose an arms embargo.

Work with Iran to pressure the Iraqi government to end sectarianism and human rights violations. Engage with the citizens of Iraq and the international community to help bring about a political solution. Lastly, of course, provide non-lethal humanitarian aid to refugees across the region.

The end goal is to stop all wars – not create more of them. The only way to do that is to take all military action off the table. President Obama did indeed speak truth in that same speech at Fort Bragg when he said, “It’s harder to end a war than to begin one.”

COUNTERPOINT

Kurdistan Has a Future, Not a United Iraq Dylan Reilly

Asst. Opinions Editor

The Iraq question is back a third time and worse than ever. It would be difficult for any American president to admit that promoting democracy abroad is the wrong course of action, but it is time to admit the error of our Middle Eastern policies and acknowledge that some parts of the world—especially those with strong sectarian and ethnic divisions—need stability and security more than they want campaign seasons and musical chair government. The age of internationally-sponsored, violent regime change in the Middle East must end. Libya is being torn apart by militias in the absence of Colonel Gaddafi, who was toppled by rebels thanks to our intervention. Another conflict, the Syrian civil war, is in its third year and has become a proxy war between Russia/Iran and NATO. Unfortunately, this has spilled over into Iraq, another country where we’ve promoted our vision of democracy through regime change.

In a campaign of extreme religious self-determination, a small army of Sunni Arab fundamentalists and their anti-government allies have taken up arms against Syria and Iraq. They are led by a group called the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)—they keep changing their name but their goal is to establish an Islamic theocracy between the Eastern Mediterranean and the Tigris—that has seized oil wells, refineries, and military hardware from both countries’ arsenals.

It collects taxes in the cities it rules, has a social media presence, and executes or expels unrepentant infidels. The good news is that everyone hates them: the US, the EU, Iran, Russia, and Syria. The bad news is that the current Iraqi government is rather limp, exacerbates religious tensions between Sunnis and Shiites, and is completely incapable of maintaining its territorial integrity. Its army won’t even fight for it, an army 40 times larger than ISIS that retreated leaving behind all kinds of deadly Americanmade military equipment for the Islamists to pick up.

However, there is one faction in Iraq that ought to be worthy of our support, the Kurdistan Regional Government—even though we are financially obstructing them right now by banning their oil exports because they undermine the unity of Iraq. Kurdistan, or part of it, is an autonomous region of Iraq with a functioning government and military independent of the

Iraqi government, which is nominally representative of Iraq’s ethno-religious groups but only effectively controls the Shia Arab provinces of the country. The Kurdish army is known as the Peshmerga in their language, which means “the ones who face death.” They’ve lived up to their name, as Kurdish troops have largely kept ISIS at bay and are protecting hundreds of thousands of refugees that have fled to Kurdish territory.

But the Kurds need lethal aid if they are going to hold out and push back against ISIS; right now they are mostly using old Soviet equipment.

In early August, ISIS began launching attacks against Kurdistan, bringing them within range of their capital, Erbil, where there are over two hundred American citizens. The Peshmerga retreated in several of these engagements because of ISIS’ superior modern firepower and weapons captured from the Iraqi army. The United States has so far responded with limited airstrikes and humanitarian aid drops. We also provided air support during the operation to retake the Mosul dam.

This is a step in the right direction but we need to reassess our geostrategic goals in the region before we go any further. The United States needs to accept that a unified Iraq is not going to work any longer and cease its obstruction of Kurdish oil exports. No amount of power-sharing, negotiations, or bribery is going to reverse the ethnic and sectarian tensions that are currently ripping Iraq apart. You cannot have a Western-style democracy in a society where people are killing each other because of their identities. Our focus needs to shift from trying to prop up former British Mesopotamia to supporting the nascent Kurdish state against ISIS regardless of the impact on the failed state it is currently tethered to. A nation is forged in blood and iron, and right now there are three in war-torn Iraq—Kurdistan, Shia Iraq, and Sunni Iraq.

It’s time for the United States to end its ideological support for an Iraq that no longer de-facto exists. The Kurds are the only force capable of maintaining order in at least part of that country, and I believe our insistence that the world live in fixed borders that the people within them want changed is its own human rights violation. States come and go; it’s a fact of civilization. The Kurds have already achieved their self-determination from Iraq on the ground. It’s time to clear up the on-paper formalities that have barred them from international support and acknowledge their independence. Only then can a lasting peace be pursued in Iraq.

se

odip is aut niat erat t

8

Opinions

August 28, 2014 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

The Civil Rights Battle In Ferguson Alexa McMenamin Staff Writer

If the death of Michael Brown has taught us anything, it’s that a year after the acquittal of George Zimmerman for Trayvon Martin’s murder, people can no longer sit and watch as institutionally approved racial profiling is committed on a daily basis by those put in place to protect and serve.

On Saturday, Aug. 9, Darren Wilson, a white police officer, asked Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, to stop walking in the street. Brown was then shot six times by Wilson, who has yet to release a statement explaining his reason for shooting.

There has been mass protesting in Ferguson, Missouri by blacks and whites alike, which has been met consistently by an overly militarized police force. On Tuesday, Aug. 19, the St. Louis police department shot Kajieme Powell, a 25-year-old black man, for brandishing a knife, killing him only four miles from the ongoing protests. It’s becoming clear that the police are totally out of their depth in a situation created by their own officers, and reform is severely needed. Though protests cannot single-handedly eradicate racism, they can raise awareness and begin the process of creating legislation to help communities suffering from discrimination.

In the most direct sense, this outcry is a product of police brutality in Ferguson, which has continued throughout the protests and turned Ferguson into a war zone unseen in the United States since the treatment of Civil Rights protesters in the Jim Crow South. To 21st century, “post-racial” American eyes, this treatment is beyond shocking. The constant murder of young black men at the hands of police is nothing new for the U.S., but the way that Ferguson police responded to the totally valid distress of their citizens communicated clearly that they saw no issue with their actions.

The protests, which usually start

PHOTO COURTESY OF ROBERT COHEN/ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH VIA MCT

The funeral procession of Michael Brown on Monday, Aug.25.at the Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in North St. Louis.

out peacefully, have at times turned violent, with small factions of protestors lashing out with looting and (reportedly) Molotov cocktails. As a result, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon instated a curfew, citing the violence of select looters as reasoning for punishing all. This continues a pattern of placing blame on civilians. In fact, the Ferguson police department launched a smear campaign against the victim, suggesting that Brown had been taped on security cameras robbing and threatening a corner shop owner (as if petty theft ever gets the death penalty). Within a week they admitted that Wilson had no prior knowledge that Brown could have been involved in a robbery. The police department has also

insinuated that Brown attacked Wilson, instigating his shooting. However, no eyewitness to the shooting corroborates that story, and Wilson, hidden from the press since day one, has yet to release a statement.

Authorities have not only attacked the protests in a physical sense, but they have also attacked freedom of speech. On Monday, Aug. 18, Chris Hayes, host of MSNBC’s All In, was threatened by a police officer for taping. On Thursday, Aug. 14, journalists Ryan Reilly and Wesley Lowery (from the Huffington Post and Washington Post, respectively) were arrested for “trespassing”— as they worked on their articles in a McDonald’s. They were released 45 minutes later, but

the message sent out by the police force was clear: you do not have the right to document this.

The common theme of these developments has been the abuse of power by the police, and the continued loss of rights for protesters and journalists, peaceful and violent alike. This situation needs to change immediately. Two lives have been lost and we cannot afford to lose any more. The police department should recant their release of the video of the “robbery” and release a statement by Wilson, if they’re convinced of his innocence. The indiscriminate use of rubber bullets and tear gas should be stopped; instead, the police should specifically target those who are behaving violently. Doing

so would protect peaceful protestors instead of criminalizing them.

On a bigger scale, we need a total reform of our police system, a removal of funding for SWAT-level police forces, and to pass the Mike Brown Bill, forcing all policemen to wear cameras. We need to address institutionalized racism, which has contributed to racial profiling, not to mention the clogging of our prison systems created by the very same racist police force oppressing the citizens of Ferguson. The police needs to begin listening to the protests instead of simply crushing them, or else history will continue repeating itself. The protesters in Ferguson are just ready for a change.

Ivy League Rejects: You’re Better Off Here at Fordham Marina Recio

Opinions Co-Editor

When a former Yale professor publishes an article titled “Don’t Send Your Kid to the Ivy League,” quite a bit of discussion is bound to ensue; after all, the Ivy League has produced countless American leaders, and it stands as the ultimate establishment of higher education in the country—arguably the world. I highly recommend reading William Deresiewicz’s indictment of the Ivy League on New Republic, especially to Fordham students—even more so to those that ever dreamed of attending an Ivy League school— because it touches upon a topic that will bring joy to the Jesuit heart: liberal arts education as the most authentic education. Institutions like Fordham have remained committed to delivering a true education that nurtures all aspects of the person, rather than mass-producing perfect, ambitious graduates that have one goal in mind—a narrow notion of success that translates into money, prestige and social status.

I have several reasons to believe that a Jesuit education is more valuable than an Ivy League education.

Deresiewicz points out that intellectual curiosity is often absent among the student populations of the most prestigious universities because

KIRSTIN BUNKLEY/THE OBSERVER

success is foremost, and failure is not an option. That no-failure culture prevents students from stepping outside of their comfort zone, out of fear of of getting anything below an A in a class, even if that means missing out on an opportunity. At Fordham, students are basically forced out of their comfort zones through—you guessed it—the Core. I have been exposed to areas of study ranging from art history to natural science, which have nothing to do with the field of work I want to enter into once I graduate. And yet, I don’t think a single one of those lectures was a waste of my

time, and that is because I didn’t come to college just to learn how to be a professional, but rather to get an education. The students that are attracted to an academic program like Fordham’s are usually intellectually curious, and don’t mind the prospect of delving deeper into intellectual topics outside of their major. The environment at Fordham is no doubt less cut-throat than that of Harvard or Yale, so students can actually enjoy those subjects they expect to get a B or C on.

Another trend in the college admissions process that Deresiewicz takes issue with is the commodifi-

cation of experience, the value of which is often reduced to a couple of lines on a college application.

Two types of experience—service and travel—have been readily prepackaged for students to add onto their college applications in a way that is as laughable as it is concerning. Not only is the experience shallow and rather inauthentic, but it is also a way for parents to buy their kid an advantage in the admissions process if they can afford it.

In addition to being great college essay material, community service has become an unspoken requirement to be a serious Ivy League candidate—however, what exactly is it about doing service that makes someone a better candidate?

Isn’t it the desire to do good for others? That desire is completely taken out of the equation when service is basically required to get into your dream school, and the incentive is entirely selfish. If you’ve ever heard any Jesuit give a speech, you have probably heard the words “men and women for others” at least half a dozen times. That is because service in the spirit of doing good for others is a pillar of the Jesuit tradition.

At Fordham, service is not required or rewarded, but it is certainly encouraged and engrained in the school’s culture. Service is regarded as something that is rewarding on its own.

The principle of cura personalis, or care of the entire person, translates into a community that

encourages individuals to grow not only intellectually, but also emotionally, morally and physically. I experienced this most clearly while I attended the Campus Ministry’s Women’s Retreat. For others, it may be during a Global Outreach (GO!) project or a philosophy class discussion. I realized that the Fordham community goes to great lengths to provide opportunities for the individual student to experience learning beyond intellectually challenging courses.

Deresiewicz proposes two main purposes of a true college education: to learn how to think and to build a self. Discussing the latter, he suggests that “it is only through the act of establishing communication between the mind and the heart, the mind and experience, that you become an individual, a unique being—a soul. The job of college is to assist you to begin to do that.”

Using this definition, there is no better education than a holistic Jesuit one. While Ivy league schools may produce graduates that have a higher earning power thanks to a prestigious diploma, a school with strong Jesuit values like Fordham produces men and women that are well-rounded not only in their academic knowledge, but also as individuals. That’s not to say that an Ivy education isn’t valuable; however, my definition of “return on investment” expands beyond the salary I will make after I graduate.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER August 28, 2014

Opinions

9

10

Photo

August 28, 2014 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

SUMMER VACATIONS This summer, Observer editors travelled around and captured their favourite moments of the summer.

KIRSTIN BUNKLEY/THE OBSERVER

Was inspired by a graffiti artist at Outside Lands Festival.

SARAH HOWARD/THE OBSERVER

Took a beautiful ride along Manahattan Beach in Southern California.

SARAH HOWARD/THE OBSERVER

Walked along the Casablanca shore and captured a few crabs.

JESSICA HANLEY/THE OBSERVER

Listened to Ben Howard perform in San Francisco.

TYLER MARTINS/THE OBSERVER

Went fishing in Seasisde Heights, New Jersey.

KIRSTIN BUNKLEY/THE OBSERVER

Saw Jenny Lewis sing while wearing this.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER August 28, 2014

Photo

11

SUMMER VACATIONS

JESSICA HANLEY/THE OBSERVER

Attended the Arctic Monkeys concert in San Francisco and was right in the front.

KIRSTIN BUNKLEY/THE OBSERVER

Crossed the Nevada-California border and was taken away by the view.

SARAH HOWARD/THE OBSERVER

Relaxed at a pool in Morocco, and drank some Morocccan mint tea.

SARAH HOWARD/THE OBSERVER

Looked up at this Mosque, in Marrakech,and admired the famous Marrakchi tones.

12

August 28, 2014 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

Observer the

Editorial Board 2014-2015

Tyler Martins Editor-in-Chief

Major: Communication & Media Studies Media Addiction: Strong Female Characters (Alicia Florrick, Leslie Knope, Peggy Olsen) Last Text Received: “Harry [Styles] is literally perfect. And I miss him already.”

Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Dunkin Donuts (Tyler Runs on Dunkin) Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: Production Night Camaraderie.

Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: In the shower, where no one can hear me sob Song of the Summer: “Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj (INTO THE ROOM, I KNOW YOU WANT IT!)

Jennifer McNary Layout Editor

Major: Communication & Media Studies Media Addiction: Tumblr, so many TV shows and movies, and all of Netflix Last Text Received: “Social network PDA is the worst.”

Favorite Place to Get Food in the City: Serendipity 3 Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: Production Night (Not really) Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: My room Song of the Summer: “Chandelier” by Sia

Noha Mahmoud News Editor Major: Communication & Media Studies Media Addiction: Pinterest Last Text Received: “Damn that sucks when do they expire?

Six flags stays open into September I think.”

Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Chipotle Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: Working with people who are passionate about what they do Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: In my room Song of the Summer: “Break Free” by Ariana Grande and Zedd

Kamrun Nesa Managing Editor Major: English Media Addiction: Pretty Little Liars Last Text Received: I miss all of you, come back soon!

Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Alice’s Tea Cup Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: Getting that sense of relief and accomplishment after a long production night, knowing I helped an issue come to fruition.

Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: Quinn Library Song of the Summer: “More Than Friends” by Inna

Victoria Leon Business Manger

Major: International Studies Media Addiction: I don’t think I have one Last Text Received: “I do need a dance partner though!!

Hahaha” Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Brooklyn!

Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: The networking!

Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: My bed Song of the Summer: Hmm..I can’t think of one in particular

Adriana Gallina Assistant News Editor Major: Communication & Media Studies Media Addiction: New York Times Last Text Received: “Hey Adri,how many diapers were in that diaper cake you made me?”

Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Solace Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: There’s almost always food.

Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: Any nook I can find in Quinn Song of the Summer: “Riptide” by Vance Joy

Marina Recio Rachel Shmulevich Opinons Co-Editor Major: Applied Mathematics and English Media Addiction: Orphan Black!

Last Text Received: “Puns are what keep me ALIVE.” Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: El Centro Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: The people!

Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: 17th floor lounge Song of the Summer: “Am I Wrong” by Nico and Vinz

Dylan Reilly

Assistant Opinions Editor Major: History Media Addiction: Reuters Last Text Received: “I’m watching anime at work” Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Glendale Diner Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: Observing people Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: Transcarpathian Ruthenia Song of the Summer: “Sabaton” by Night Witches

Opinions Co- Editor Major: Communication & Media Studies and Political Science Media Addiction: Netflix!

Last Text Received: “Are we going to the beach?”

Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Guayoyo Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: Seeing the final product Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: Arte Around the Corner Café Song of the Summer: “Wasted” by Tiësto

Ben Moore Online Editor

Major: New Media and Digital Design Media Addiction: Firefly and Futurama Last Text Received: “Just got here!”

Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Dollar Pizza Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: Reading the articles before uploading them Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: 5th floor study lounge Song of the Summer: “This Is Letting Go” by Rise Against

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER August 28, 2014

Ramona Venturanza

13

John Guerin

Arts & Culture Editor

Assistant Arts & Culture Editor

Major: Communication & Media Studies Media Addiction: Parks & Recreation and BuzzFeed Last Text Received: “Let’s go running on the west side Parkwary sometime! I haven’t been doing much cardio for quite some time.”

Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Los Taco No. 1 at Chelsea Market Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: Meeting hardworking, dedicated people Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: New York Public Library at Bryant Park Song of the Summer: “Black Widow” by Izzy Azalea

Major: English Media Addiction: Film Last Text Received: “Imy.” Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Calexico — Caroll Gardens, Brooklyn Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: Grammar debates Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: Quinn AV Room Song of the Summer: “Partition” by Beyoncé

Ian McKenna

Features Editor/Multimedia Co-Producer

Dylan Penza

Major: Communication & Media Studies Media Addiction: Anything with Emma Roberts.

Last Text Received: “There’s always money in the banana stand.”

Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Mee’s Noodles Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: Telling stories Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: Fetal position; anywhere Song of the Summer: Jimmy Fallon, as Neil Young, singing “Fancy” with Crosby, Stills & Nash

Sports Co-Editor

Major: Philosophy Media Addiction: Nathan For You Last Text Received: “Be outside in 5.”

Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Ram Cafe Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: Working with all of the other talented writers and editors Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: Dorm Room Song of the Summer: “Calm Down” by Busta Rhymes ft. Eminem

Mark Lee

Conrad Zajkowski

Literary Editor

Sports Co-Editor

Major: English Media Addiction: Bob’s Burgers and The New Yorker Last Text Received: “Congratulations on surviving another year in America.”

Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Anything delivered to my door Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: Constantly being challenged to learn the members of One Direction Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: Anywhere I can openly weep Song of the Summer: “Digital Witness” by St Vincent

Major: Economics Media Addiction: ESPN Radio, Bleacher Report, GQ Magazine Last Text Received: “Hey! Busy Thursday Night?”

Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Lombardi’s Pizzeria Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: The diverse personalities you see throughout the newspaper Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: My bedroom Song of the Summer: “Tame Impala” by Mind Mischief

Paulina Tam

Sarah Howard

Multimedia Co-Producer

Photo Editor

Major: Communication & Media Studies Media Addiction: National Geographic Magazine Last Text Received: “I’m hungry.”

Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Any bookstore Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: The people Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: Within reach of a coffee machine Song of the Summer: “The Way It Was” by The Killers

Major: Communication & Media Studies Media Addiction: Stromae, Broad City, Tumblr.

Last Text Received: “Foreigner.”

Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Taka Taka (Mexican sushi and Japanese tacos) Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: Tyler J. Martins Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: In front of the Lowenstein elevators Song of the Summer: “Coffee” by Sylvan Esso

Kirstin Bunkley

Jessica Hanley

Assistant Photo Editor

Assistant Photo Editor

Major: Women’s Studies Media Addiction: Tumblr Last Text Received: “Eep! I’m always prepared. You know me, Tears McGee!” Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Mee’s Noodle Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: Having chances to take photos of things or people I wouldn’t normally take photos of Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: Sheep Meadow Song of the Summer: “Flawless Remix” by Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj

Major: Psychology Media Addiction: Tumblr Last Text Received: “Haha she so sassy.”

Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: Mee’s Noodle Favorite Part About Working with the Observer: Love taking photos Favorite Spot to Cram for Finals: The study lounge Song of the Summer: “Dancing On Quicksand” by Bad Suns

Meredith Summers Copy Editor/Literary Editor Media Addiction: The IT Crowd Last Text Received: “Oh I found my yoyo finally.”

Favorite Place to Get Food in New York: S’mac Favorite Part about working with the observer: Crazy production night conversations Favorite spot to cram for finals: T/*he Observer office Song of the Summer: Anything that wasn’t on repeat in the office last year aka anything but One Direction

Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture Editor Ramona Venturanza — ramonaventuranza@gmail.com

August 28, 2014 THE OBSERVER

PHOTO COURTESY OFTAXI STEVEN VANCE VIA FLICKR

Thomas Hart Benton’s “America Today” Mural opens at The Metropolitan Museum of Art this fall.

Museums Open New Exhibitions this Fall

By RAMONA VENTURANZA Arts & Culture Editor

This fall, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) has its eyes on many of New York’s new art exhibtions, as museums go out-with-theold and in-with-the-new. Displays range from El Greco’s Spanish Renaissance paintings to contemporary fashion staples.

Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe at the Brooklyn Museum This September, the Brooklyn Museum’s “Killer Heels” exhibition explores the long fashion history and cultural significance of the highheeled shoe. Visitors will have the chance to see more than 160 stilettos and six short films, which all highlight this iconic fashion accessory.

IF YOU GO

Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heels Shoe

displays a panorama of American life throughout the 1920s.

WHEN: Sept. 10 through Feb. 15

IF YOU GO

WHERE: 200 Eastern Parkway, Brook-

Thomas Hart Benton’s “America Today” Mural

lyn, NY

PRICE: $8 with Student I.D. MORE INFO: www.brooklynmuseum.org

Thomas Hart Benton’s “America Today” Mural Rediscovered at The Metropolitan Museum of Art According to Nina Rowe, chair and associate professor of art history, there is a show coming up on Thomas Hart Benton at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The exhibit will be commemorating the gift of Thomas Hart Benton’s mural of “America Today” from AXA Equitable Life Insurance to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in December 2012. The ten-panel mural vividly

WHEN: Sept. 30 through April 19 WHERE: 1000 5th Ave,

New York, NY 10028 PRICE: $12 with Student I.D. MORE INFO: www.metmuseum.org

The Frick Collection pairs El Greco’s “Vincenzo Anastagi” with the “Portrait of Jacopo Boncompagni”, a work

by El Greco’s comtemporary, Scipione Pulzone. Together in this private collection, both subjects are depicted IF YOU GO

“Men in Armor: El Greco and Pulzone Face-to-Face” WHEN: Now through Oct. 26 WHERE: 1 East 70th Street

New York, NY 10021

“Men in Armor: El Greco and Pulzone Face to Face” at The Frick Collection “This year marks the 400th anniversary of the death of El Greco, an artist who was born and trained in Greece, traveled to Italy and achieve fame in Spain,” Maria Ruvoldt, associate professor of art history, said.

To mark this 400th anniversary,

PRICE: $10 with Student I.D. MORE INFO: www.frick.org

wearing affluent armor.

“The Crusader Bible: A Gothic Masterpiece” at The Morgan Library & Museum Rowe also noted that there is an important exhibition on a thirteenth-

century illuminated manuscript opening at The Morgan Library and Museum.

The museum will be showcasing the Crusader Bible, which is renowned for its colored illustrations and historic stories from the Old Testament. Such stories, which are all set in thirteenth-century France, are told through bright images of medieval castles, towns and armor.

Visitors will have the opportunity to view over forty of the manuscript’s miniatures, and learn about its long journey to New York.

IF YOU GO

“The Cruader Bible: A Gothic Masterpiece” WHEN: Oct. 17 through Jan. 4 WHERE: 225 Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10016 PRICE: $12 with Student I.D.

The Comma Interrobang Clipped Wings

By MARK LEE Literary Co-Editor When I was a kid I used to have dreams about flying pretty frequently. Once every two weeks, probably. That might not seem like very often, but imagine twice a month closing your eyes and being transported to a world in which you are gifted enough to soar through the sky with birds, planes and, on one inexplicable occasion, Pee-wee Herman. Instead of that recurring nightmare about having my legs eaten by a turkey-crab, on these wondrous nights I would save a group of school kids from falling off a cliff, or really show my brothers the mistake they

made in choosing me last for football by flying thirty feet in the air to catch the game-saving pass. Boy, did they look stupid in front of all the girls they had ever had crushes on, who happened to be present for all of my astonishing displays. No matter the events of the dream, they would always end with me flying away from everyone on the ground, the wind in my hair, leaving behind the cries of admiration, jealousy, and awe as I sped off into the clouds… Those nights were truly the nights I was making Oprah proud. Those nights were truly the nights I was

living my best life.

Maybe a year ago I had a dream in which I was planning out when I could trim my nails. No special powers. No screaming fans. No brothers getting put in their place. I wasn’t even cutting my nails in this dream. I was trying to figure out when I would have time to do it. That was the dream. From flying all over the damn sky to scheduling a nail clipping. Oprah would be so disappointed.

See how fun The Comma is? observercomma@gmail.com

15

Arts & Culture

August 28, 2014 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

FLICK OF THE WEEK

‘Rosemary’s Baby’: A Classic Horror Film

By JOHN GUERIN Asst. Arts & Culture Editor

Flick of The Week, a new weekly series, combs through Netflix Instant and offers a single film worthy of your attention.

“Awful things happen in every apartment building.”

Watching a horror film is sometimes a test of expectations.

Mediocre horror can shock and spook; a scream in the dark, a careless tour through a haunted house, a killer on the loose. These tropes can very well work, but when you buy a ticket for a movie that rests atop such premises, you buy the anticipated shock that patently comes with it.

Fantastic horror (and I think “Rosemary’s Baby” is the very best) subverts your expectations to what horror can be, testing your limitations in confronting unflinching and lingering horror that isn’t found in an abandoned mansion, but perhaps in a Manhattan apartment. And maybe the villains aren’t anonymously on the loose, but instead, the people you trust the most.

Roman Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby,” based on the novel of the same name by Ira Levin, hit theaters in 1968, one of the first horror films of its kind. Mia Farrow, in her most iconic role, stars as Rosemary Woodhouse, a waifish, naive,

PHOTO COURTESY OF INSOMNIA CURED HERE VIA FLICKR

The Netflix Flick of The Week is Rosemary’s Baby.

newlywed who moves into a new Upper West Side apartment with her husband Guy (John Cassavetes) only to have their new life together disturbed by her eccentric neighbors Minnie (Ruth Gordon) and Roman Castavet (Sidney Blackmer).

Rosemary becomes pregnant, but her pregnancy doesn’t feel right; she’s losing weight, her pains

are incalculable, and nothing her doctors prescribe can cure her ailments. Rosemary comes to believe that her husband and neighbors have schemed an elaborate plan to use her body and child as a part of a religious ritual.

Photographed by William A. Fraker, a horror film has never looked so seemingly ordinary.

Fraker is able to locate terror in the most mundane corners of a scene: a piece of liver, a necklace, a scrabble tile. Manhattan itself has never looked so bloodless. Unlike other horror films, it doesn’t rely on cheap frills or sudden crescendos of shrill music, instead Fraker sprinkles his dark magic into every

shot.

We follow Rosemary through her panic, paranoia, and revelations as she lifts up the covers of her own reality to reveal a sinister web of lies. The real horror of “Rosemary’s Baby” is accepting the possibility that our own lives could be predicated upon such deceit and coming to terms with our weakness in the face of more powerful systems and people.

Ruth Gordon won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and Polanski was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, but he lost to James Goldman for “The Lion in Winter.” Its influence on the genre and cinema itself is immeasurable.

Rosemary’s Baby remains a classic horror film today because it realizes that real terror lies not in gory violence or spooky bumps in the night, but in the invisible systems that manifest themselves exactly like ghosts in the dark, creating situations and ideas that linger long after the lights have turned back on. Real horror exists within.

My life could easily be separated into two halves: “Before ‘Rosemary’s Baby’” and “After ‘Rosemary’s Baby.’” I’ve seen the film nearly ten times now, but each viewing yields another brilliant detail, another stunning frame, or another understanding of what cinema could be that it’s hard not to start this series with an essential, if savage, beginning.

Fordham Theatre Presents ‘A Season of Imagining Post-War’

By RAMONA VENTURANZA Arts & Culture Editor

Entitled “A Season of Imagining Post-War”, the 2014-2015 Fordham Theatre Mainstage season will explore what happens when the war is over. “The US has been at war since 1776 – there have been 21 years of peace, and 214 years of war. Apparently, we Americans are a warlike people – can’t live without war,” Matthew Maguire, theatre program director at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), said when asked about the guiding theme for the season. Each of the four plays asks the audience several questions: Can we imagine the war ever being over and the new kinds of problems we will then face?

The four plays focus on the theme of family. “[The plays] are all about family: there are the characters that went to war, but also the characters that stayed behind too,” Jenny Slattery, associate director of theatre, said.

“There is the question of what does it mean to come home, and what does it do to a family. There is both the emotional pain and struggle for the ones who are coming home and for the people who stay.

Each play shows this reaction in different ways, and each has different answers,” she said.

According to Slattery, the timeline of the plays are in reverse order. “[The Mainstage season] starts with

a brand new, contemporary play, and ends with a play written all the way back in Ancient Greece. This comes to show that we have been struggling with the same issues of war forever,” Slattery said.

The first play to depict the aftermath of war is entitled “Ugly Lies the Bone”, which is written by Lindsey Ferrentino and directed by Jedadiah Schultz. Through the main protagonist and her sister, this play explores how the physical scars and burns from war not only affect the mental state of the war veteran, but also the people prevalent in their lives.

The second play in the mainstage season is entitled “Phoebe in Winter,” and is penned by Jen Silverman and directed by Dawn Akemi Satio.

Taking place at the end of the war, the main protagonist’s entire family has been killed. She shows up at the home of the victors, and tells them that she will take over the identity for one of the bodies.

The third play, “The Skin of Our Teeth,” is written by Thornton Wilder and directed by Taibi Magar. A major part of the play focuses on a prevalent issue occurring in the US, when troops are returning home war and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. “[The play] focuses on men returning home with an impulse from war, where it is okay to kill – what do they do with that impulse when they come back home,” Maguire said.

“The men in the play were in an envi-

ronment where they don’t have time to make a choice – their instinct has been honed to making snap judgments to kill.”

The last play of the season will be the classic Aeschylus’ “Agamemnon,” which is translated by Ann Carson and directed by Tea Alagic.

In its modern transition, this classic play explores how issues triggering a war still fester, even when the physical fighting of war is over.

According to Maguire, the goal of the Mainstage season is to raise awareness, for both the audience and the actors. “The theatre is an important place for make meaning.

It is important that everyone that comes to the theater watches and engages in the dialogue of each of these play,” he said. “[The plays] are also a way of showing the artists we are training that they have a significant place in the culture.”

IF YOU GO

All Shows WHEN: 8 p.m.

WHERE: Pope Auditorium, FCLC PRICE: $10 Fordham Faculty, $5 Ford-

ham Students, $15 General Admission MORE INFO: (212)- 636-6340, visiit the box office (Wednesday- Friday, 3-6 p.m.), or email fclcboxoffice@gmail. com

PHOTO COURTESY OF FORDHAM THEATRE

Love film, theater, dance and music? Write for Arts!

Features

Features Editor Ian McKenna —ianmckennawmc@gmail.com

August 28, 2014 THE OBSERVER

Truman, Beinecke, Google Lime—Oh My!

By IAN McKENNA Features Editor & Multimedia Co-Producer

Students at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) have recently found that their academic, social and intellectual interests can also be financially beneficial. What’s better? Most are using this financial gain to expand their knowledge by pursuing further and more engaging degrees, eventually aiming to do a lot of good.

Nora Dwyer Finding out about her Truman Scholarship win was a little jarring for Nora Dwyer, FCLC ’15.

“It was a bit of a delayed reaction, but I got there eventually,” she said. Sitting in her midtown apartment, she received an email from the Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University.

“I read it and I don’t think it really registered the first time, so I read it again. I was kind of in shock, so I told my friend and she got really excited and then that made me really excited. Then I had to call my parents and they got very excited, which made me more excited.”

The Truman Scholarship was created as a program to honor President Harry S. Truman by “encourag[ing] educated citizenship and political responsibility,” according to the Truman Scholarship webpage. To date, the program has supported more than

2,900 students committed to public service.

Dwyer said that it would be difficult to pinpoint a single moment that could adequately mark her interest in public service, but her mother’s dedication to service was very influential.

“I kind of just grew up around that and I admired her philosophy around it; it’s just important to be kind to people,” Dwyer said of her mother.

Then, coming to Fordham, she began to expand on her own public service. In May 2013, she founded the Student Coalition for Street Outreach after taking an interest in New York City’s homeless population.

“Coming from a small town and not really seeing homelessness as much, you kind of come to New York and you have this initial shock of ‘There are these

people living amongst us that are being basically denied their basic rights,’” she said. “I was just disturbed by the general disregard that the homeless population faced and suffered from.” She considered the attitudes of both Fordham and its students and decided that they would make an excellent resource in tackling this issue.

“Seeing how excited students were to be involved, that’s what made it as successful as it is,” Dwyer said.

While not completely sure of what her academic future looks like, she is thankful for the opportunities that the Truman Scholarship offers. In addition to unloading a certain financial burden, Dwyer is looking forward to the network of like-minded, servicedriven young adults.

“The community dedicated to public service is one that I am very

COURTESY OF NORA DWYER

Nikolas Oktaba “An amazing 21st birthday present.” That’s how Nikolas Oktaba, FCLC ’15, describes finding out about his Beinecke Scholarship.

The email announcing his award was sent on his birthday. But ended up in his spam folder.

The next day, he received an email from Dr. John Ryle Kezel, university director of the office of prestigious fellowships, whose birthday was the day immediately after Oktaba’s.

“Nicholas, it is my birthday today, no April Fool joke. And the best present I received was the news that you got the Beinecke,” Oktaba read.

“I actually did fall of my chair, I got on my knees and started praising God,” Oktaba said.

The Beinecke Scholarship Program, founded in 1971, seeks to “encourage and enable highly mo-

tivated students to pursue opportunities available to them and to be courageous in the selection of a graduate course of study in the arts, humanities and social sciences,” the Beinecke webpage says Thanks to this award, Oktaba is able to pursue a graduate degree in the Classics, but with a very specific focus.

“My keenest interest is the LGBT community and my research into the classics is research into questions of gender, questions of identity, questions of sexuality because the classics have informed over 2000 years of discourse on these questions,” Oktaba said.

“Classical tradition has been used and sometimes even misused in order to promote a certain view. “ “By looking at these questions of identity, gender and sexuality and disseminating accessible, ef-

fective scholarship about these sometimes painful questions, I hope to empower students to look at these painful questions in a deeper manner,” Oktaba said. The goal is not pure scholarship, but a scholarship that can help laymen engage with eternal questions using Classics as a guide.

Even more specifically within LGBT studies, Oktaba is most interested in transgender issues and the Classics. As a Diversity Peer Leader with the Office of Multicultural Affairs, trans issues are already a part of his purview.

“To look at the trans community, it really breaks my heart,” Oktaba said. “This is a community that is suppressed and oppressed, both fetishized and feared, and it is a community whose members are often forced into silence. And my goal is to help break that silence.”

IAN MCKENNA/THE OBSERVER

Trevor Haskell One of 13 Google Lime Scholarship recipients, Trevor Haskell, FCLC ’16, has been interested in computer science and informational technology since high school, where he recalls researching the technology behind BitCoins.

“I just like the problem-solving aspect,” Haskell, a computer science major, said of his passion.

“You always have challenging problems you have to solve and it really stimulates the mind.”

According to the Google Lime Scholarship website, the program focuses on encouraging and “helping the innovators of the future [to]

IAN MCKENNA/THE OBSERVER

make the most of their talents.”

“The computer science department here is great,” Haskell said, “and there are a lot of really great instructors here and they have helped me a lot, I would say.”

Haskell hopes to continue studying computer science and has a variety of interests for post-grad work.

“I’m very interested in network and cybersecurity,” Haskell said of his forefront interest. “It is one of the most hotly debated topics and there are a lot of issues, like hacking. There are a lot of cool topics and a lot of cool jobs as well.”

17

Features

August 28, 2014 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

Changes You Need To Know To Start the Year Off Right

By TYLER MARTINS AND IAN McKENNA Editor-in-Chief and Features Editor & Multimedia Co-Producer

For those coming to call Fordham “home” for the first time, the new campus layout will soon become standard. But for those returning to Fordham after a well-deserved summer vacation, some things will seem very different. Besides the openeing of the new freshman residence, McKeon Hall, and the new Fordham Law Building, there have been some changes in Fordham administration and location changes. A message from Rev. Father Grimes, dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center, to The Observer outlined some of these key changes.

Communication and Media Studies not only has added a new program, namely New Media and Digital Design, but also a new set of offices. Instead of finding your favorite CMS professor on the fourth floor of Lowenstein, they can now be found on the second floor of 33 W. 60th Street.

Associate Chair Gwyenth Jackaway wrote to CMS majors, “We are thrilled to be in a wonderfully spacious new set of offices.” Office hours will be announced soon.

Taking advantage of the vacancies left by the communication and media studies department’s move, the history department will now be based out of Lowenstein 422.

KIRSTIN BUNKLEY/THE OBSERVER

The new building at Fordham stands ready and waiting to be used in 2014.

“The academic advising office looks rather different,” Grimes wrote.

Josie Grégoire, J.D. will be replacing Joseph Creamer as assistant dean for seniors.

Milton Bravo will be replacing Joseph Desciak as assistant dean for juniors and transfers.

Arleen Pancza Graham is returning as assistant dean for sophomores.

Joseph Desciak, formerly assistant dean for juniors and transfer students, will be returning as assistant dean for first year students, replacing Father Vin DeCola.

Additionaly, Robert Moniot, a professor of computer science, will be returning to the associate dean’s office. Mark Mattson will be making his return to the psychology faculty.

He held the position of associate dean for five years.

The Features Section, featuring you!

Write for Features. Email fordhamobserver@gmail.com

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER August 28, 2014

Features

18

PHOTO FEATURE

McKeon Hall

TYLER MARTINS/THE OBSERVER

To celebrate the opening of the Fordham Law School and the new freshman residence, McKeon Hall, Observer photographers snapped some shots of what life might look like inside Fordham’s newest building.

TYLER MARTINS/THE OBSERVER

TYLER MARTINS/THE OBSERVER

SARAH HOWARD/THE OBSERVER

SARAH HOWARD/THE OBSERVER

TYLER MARTINS/THE OBSERVER

SARAH HOWARD/THE OBSERVER

SARAH HOWARD/THE OBSERVER

Sports

Sports Co-Editors Dylan Penza - dpenza@fordham.edu Conrad Zajkowski - conradzajkowski@gmail.com

August 28, 2014 THE OBSERVER

Kings of the Hill: A Preview of Fordham Football 2014

By DYLAN PENZA Co-Sports Editor

Although the team lost in the second round of the FCS playoffs to Towson, one would be foolish to call the 2013 season for the Fordham Rams anything less than a success.

The team improved dramatically by six wins and began the season 10-0.

Years like this come with increased admiration and respect for teams and their regimes. Coach Joe Moorhead and his players, as shown by their unanimous number one ranking in the Patriot League preseason poll, have been praised and acclaimed for all of their achievement last season.

Now with all sanctions removed, Fordham is poised to bring a Patriot League championship to Jack Coffey Field.

The relatively short two year transition from the 1-10 basement dwellers to the dominant unit we see today has been staggering, but this season will be the first true test of Coach Moorhead’s regime. When he inherited this team, no one could have expected this exponential improvement, even with the advantage of Fordham having players on athletic scholarship. At any level of sport with any personnel, the degree of difficulty in designing and installing a system that succeeds normally leads to a long arduous process, yet Moorhead and his staff developed a winning culture at Rose Hill almost immediately. His first season created a foundation for which to build on, and the following year established Fordham as not only a team to take notice of, but also as a force to be reckoned with. 2013 was unprecedentedly exceptional, but this team showed it can be more this season than an “at-large” bid for the FCS tournament and a second round exit.

Perhaps more importantly than earning a “team to beat” status, the Rams will be once again eligible to compete for the Patriot League title.

Due to being the first team in the league to allow eligible students to

COURTESY OF FORDHAM SPORTS

Coach Joe Moorhead and his players are poised as the favorites to win the Patriot League title this upcoming season.

receive athletic scholarships in 2010, Fordham has been ineligible to compete for Patriot League championship, and the automatic playoff bid this championship entails, since 2009.

Over previous seasons, the team had been allowed to compete against fellow members of the league such as Bucknell and Georgetown, but their wins and losses were not recorded for the conference standings. However, this year the Rams cannot only once again compete for the championship,

but are positioned as the frontrunner due to the team’s returning players.

On offense, only the running back position has experienced any sort of turnover due to the departure of Carlton Koonce. While the loss of his playmaking might be detrimental to the offense, the team still has Walter Payton Award contending quarterback Mike Nebrich leading.

He along with fellow seniors such as wide receiver Sam Ajala and tight end Dan Light look poised to some-

how improve on their record breaking offense. On the defensive side of the ball, the Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, senior linebacker Stephen Hodge headlines a group featuring All-Patriot players like defensive lineman DeAndre Slate and defensive back Ian Williams.

With an experienced roster full of talented veterans, Fordham is ready to take another huge step forward.

Some doubt that the Rams can be better than last year. After all, they

did set the school record for wins and even defeated an FCS team in Temple.

While these achievements are momentous, there is nothing stopping the team from being even more of a powerhouse this year, except possibly the burden of inflated expectations.

All eyes will be on the Rams this year in the Patriot League, and officially winning it will be a difficult task.

However Moorhead and his seasoned team have been there before, and they will be again.

Beasts of the East: NBA Season Preview

By DAN FERRARA Contributing Writer

For the second time in four years, LeBron James changed the landscape of the Eastern Conference and proved just how powerful he is. In a letter to Sports Illustrated, the four-time NBA MVP and two-time NBA Champion announced to the world that he was “coming home” to Northeast Ohio.

Unsurprisingly, the Cleveland Cavaliers have become the favorites in the East with the addition of James. They have also agreed to send number one overall pick Andrew Wiggins to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Kevin Love, according to multiple sources. Love will help the Cavs form a dynamic “Big Three” – even more potent and dangerous than the one in Miami that James was a part of.

Point guard Kyrie Irving is an upgrade to a declining and injury-prone Dwyane Wade and Love is better than Chris Bosh in every category.

A supporting cast of Tristan Thompson, Anderson Varejao, Dion Waiters and Shawn Marion is far superior to anything that the Heat provided James over the last few seasons.

Losing James was a big blow for Miami, but they recovered by signing free agent Luol Deng. Although Deng isn’t nearly as good as James, the Heat managed to also bring back Wade and Bosh, so they should be able to finish within the top four of the improved Eastern Conference, barring injuries.

The other top-tier free agent this summer was Carmelo Anthony, and after he visited the Houston Rockets,

Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, he ultimately decided to stick around in New York.

The extra money that the Knicks offered him surely helped (five years, $124 million), but he appears to have bought in to the vision that president Phil Jackson and head coach Derek Fisher have for the franchise. His dramatic weight loss is the first step, as Jackson and Fisher have both said that fitness and conditioning are very important aspects of the triangle system, where moving the ball and moving yourself are priorities.

The Knicks also acquired Jose Calderon and Samuel Dalembert in a deal that sent Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to Dallas. They then selected Cleanthony Early and Giannis Antetokoumpo with the two second-round draft picks that they received from the Mavericks. The Knicks are hoping that their roster shakeup and new system can lead to more wins, and hopefully find themselves back in the playoffs after missing them last season.

While the Bulls struck out on signing Anthony, they still upgraded their roster significantly. Getting a healthy Derrick Rose back is akin to signing a high-level free agent, as the former-MVP looks to have returned to his former self on the court.

In addition to having Rose back, the Bulls signed free agent Pau Gasol to a three-year contract. Down low beside Joakim Noah, the two big men should become a formidable duo, as both are highly skilled passers and Gasol gives the Bulls the offense that they were lacking last season. Firstround draft pick Doug McDermott

can also contribute in that category, as he led the nation in scoring last season with Creighton.

One team that regressed this summer is the Indiana Pacers. After Lance Stephenson signed with the Charlotte Hornets as a free agent, the Pacers also lost Paul George to injury. George fractured his leg in a gruesome injury during a scrimmage with Team USA in Las Vegas and is expected to miss the entire season.

The absences of Stephenson and George will ultimately be too much for the Pacers to recover from. An already offensively-challenged team, Indiana will now be without two of their top three scorers from a season ago.

On the other hand, the Hornets should rise up the Eastern Conference rankings with Stephenson, who will form an all-New York backcourt with Bronx native Kemba Walker.

The “Craziest Offseason of the Year” award goes to the Brooklyn Nets.

Rookie head coach Jason Kidd tried to stab Nets General Manager Billy King in the back by demanding control of basketball operations and seeking a position in upper management in addition to his coaching duties. When owner Mikhail Prokhorov told Kidd to beat it, Kidd was ultimately traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, where he will be the head coach and nothing more.

The Nets then lost free agent Paul Pierce to the Washington Wizards a devastating blow considering that Pierce was consistent and productive in his lone season in Brooklyn, and the team gave up so many draft picks

COURTESY OF JAMES HECTOR GAMBINO/EL NUEVO VIA FLICKR

Lebron’s uniform, but not his goal of a championship, has changed.

to acquire him.

With Pierce, the Wizards are now a team to keep an eye on this season.

Their young roster, led by John Wall and Bradley Beal, will greatly benefit

from Pierce’s leadership and basketball knowledge.

The Eastern Conference is much improved from a year ago and should be far more competitive as well.

20

Sports

August 28, 2014 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com