Halal Worker Stabbed Outside Campus
By STEVIE FUSCO AND WILLIAM LEE Managing Editor and Opinions Editor
After Ayman Moustafa, a worker at the halal cart outside of Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus was stabbed by an unidentified man on Oct. 10, members of the Fordham community voiced their support for Moustafa.
Moustafa suffered a minor injury to his left arm, but otherwise remains unharmed. Despite the incident, he continued serving food within an hour after the attack.
Moustafa said that even if he was severely injured by the incident he would have had to return; He said that he cannot afford to miss work.
“I have work because I have rent and bills, and have to pay that. If I stay at home, if I didn’t come to work here, then how could I pay all these bills? I have to come every day to pay that,” Moustafa said.
Students shocked by the incident expressed their sympathy for Moustafa and his recovery.
Elena Dimitriou, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’28, said she was deeply disturbed and went to the halal cart to check on Moustafa upon hearing of the attack.
“I was really crushed. I went and said with my friends that we’re really sorry and we’re glad he’s good,” she said.
Dimitriou said that she and her friends go to the halal cart almost every day and have developed a
familiarity with the cart and the workers, including Moustafa.
“The majority of students go
there and eat. All of the students know his name and chat with him,” Dimitriou said.
October 23, 2024
By NEHIR CETINY Contributing Writer
For their first production of this year’s mainstage season, Fordham Theatre transformed Pope Auditorium to tell the powerful story of a young woman’s fight for representation.
Fordham Theatre’s mainstage production of “The Sins of Sor Juana,” a play written by Karen Zacarías and directed by Jason Aguirre, is set in the late 1600s in Mexico, historically known
as “New Spain.” The play follows Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (Isabelle Diaz, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’27), a Mexican nun and poet who fought for her right to an education and a voice in a deeply patriarchal society. Her resilience has become, and continues to be, an inspiration to many.
Aguirre’s depiction of this heartfelt play deserves applause for showcased talent and the authenticity the cast and crew brought to the production. Their
work emphasized the gender issues at hand, and ultimately tied it together to issues in today’s world. In the play, Juana’s sacrifices — whether through hunger strikes or being punished by the Church — politicized her persistent dedication to poetry and women’s access to knowledge. She’s symbolic of all women that wanted to use their voices but were silenced.
By JANE ROCHE Sports & Health Editor
Fordham
volleyball player
Whitley Moody became the school’s all-time kills leader in a match against the University of Rhode Island on Oct. 9.
Before the match, Moody, Gabelli Graduate School of Business (GGSB) ’25, an outside hitter, only needed five kills to surpass the 1,443 mark, the previous record held by Val Bosticco. She put away six kills in the first set alone.
“I never thought that breaking the record would be possible for me, so I just felt so grateful that my teammates supported me and helped me get to the point where I had the opportunity to do so,” Moody said.
Jack Clark, FCLC ’25, is himself a regular at the halal cart and emphasized the cart’s rapport with students.
“Everyone uses it (the halal cart). The dudes who work there are always super nice,” Clark said.
The halal cart is a critical part of the community at Lincoln Center, according to Sarah Fichter, FCLC ’25. Fichter suggested the school should support Moustafa.
“It would definitely be in good spirit and will for Fordham to do something to support the halal cart because it is so important to a lot of the students and general culture at Fordham,” she said.
Moustafa addressed the concerned community and expressed gratitude for the support from FLC students in the wake of the incident.
“All the students here are so helpful,” he said. “They are so kind. Most students here, they are my friends. I talk to them every day.”
Students and administrators alike enjoy food from the halal cart. University President Tania Tetlow said on separate occasions that her favorite food to order from the halal cart was chicken over rice.
Operating in front of the Leon Lowenstein Center lobby entrance seven days a week, the cart is a hallmark of the Lincoln Center campus.
Teammate Whitney Woodrow, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’27, set Moody the ball that she scored the record-breaking kill on.
“As a setter, I’m deeply invested in my hitters’ success, so seeing her succeed and do something really special makes me proud to play with her every day,” Woodrow said.
The Fordham women have faced a tough first half of the season so far, despite the strong talent present on the court. Their current record stands at 5-11. The match against Rhode Island was the fifth game in a five game losing streak, broken when the team clinched a win against George Mason University on Oct. 12.
Isabelle Diaz, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’27, depicts
atre’s first mainstage production of the semester.
MILO POWELL/THE OBSERVER
Ayman Moustafa, (left), is recovering well after he was stabbed while working at the halal cart on W 60th St.
Tony Berry is Here to Make a Difference
FitzSimons Fellow intends to rebuild trust on campus
By SAM BRACY News Editor
The first time Tony Berry voted he was just four years old. As he cranked the lever to cast his mother’s ballot in the 1998 election, his lifelong passion for civic engagement was seeded — a passion that he carries with him in his role as Fordham’s FitzSimons fellow.
Berry is tasked to foster a culture of constructive discourse on Fordham’s campuses over the 2024-25 academic year. As FitzSimons fellow, Berry will organize events and make connections that offer pathways to civic engagement for members of the Fordham community.
“ Part of what we want to do with the FitzSimons initiative is really empower both students, faculty, administrators, alumni and the broader Fordham community to remember that they have agency. ”
widespread among young adults.
Berry’s work might be cut out for him, however, as he came to Fordham on the heels of a wave of pro-Palestinian protests last spring and as the contentious presidential election looms in November. The overwhelming majority of young Americans expressed pessimism about the future and low confidence in public institutions in a poll released by Harvard University in April 2024.
Perhaps Berry’s early foray into the voting booth sparked a head start in his career.
Berry speculated that cynicism might stem from a sense of powerlessness to influence world events. For Berry, even small actions can be an antidote to such cynicism.
“Even if it’s something small, we can make a difference,” Berry said. “Part of what we want to do with the FitzSimons initiative is really empower both students, faculty, administrators, alumni and the broader Fordham community to kind of remember that they have agency.”
While Berry is 30 years old, he speaks with the attitude of an older man — and has the resume of one as well. Perhaps Berry’s early foray into the voting booth sparked a head start in his career.
One aim of the FitzSimons fellowship is to decenter cynicism and polarization in civil discourse, attitudes that appear to be
As an undergraduate majoring in economics at the University of Alabama, he interned at Goldman Sachs and for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation under
U.S. House Representative Sheila Jackson Lee. After graduating in 2018, he worked for the federal agency AmeriCorps and three private consulting firms before coming to Fordham.
As someone who grew up in a southern Louisiana town of 6,000 people, his sudden proximity to the levers of power in Washington, D.C. made him realize the importance of individual actors.
Berry recalled the awe he felt as he sat in the Capitol Rotunda in January 2018. As someone who grew up in a southern Louisiana town of 6,000 people, his sudden proximity to the levers of power in Washington, D.C. made him realize the importance of individual actors.
“I think about some of the folks throughout history who made a difference,” Berry said. “It could have been easy for any of them to say, you know, ‘I’m just one person. What difference am I going to make?’ But it’s often the people that decide to just do what they can, and then slowly but surely, momentum builds.”
Berry said his proudest moment while interning for Rep. Jackson Lee was when he volunteered to compose a report on a steel tariff. When the congresswoman used his research in a speech he said he felt honored yet sobered about our personal
responsibility to do what we can.
For Berry, this mindset can be fostered in college. Berry said he views colleges and universities as important venues for civic discourse that allow for the interaction of novel perspectives. Higher education promotes learning and discovery at a time that coincides with formative years for many students.
“After a certain point, it becomes a little bit more difficult for folks to change their perspectives or be open to new ideas, whereas here on a college campus, just the nature that it fosters is more conducive to those large and extensive conversations,” Berry said.
Trust and civility, according to Berry, are necessary prerequisites for those conversations to take place. At Fordham, trust between some students and university administration is at a low point after the suspension and arrest of 11 undergraduate students participating in an encampment-style protest on May 1.
The first steps towards civil discourse for Berry is a solid foundation.
“Before you can get to the civil discourse piece there has to be trust, and there has to be community. And I think for Fordham, one of the things that we can work on is kind of doing all those things in tandem,” Berry said.
To move forward, Berry intends to promote dialogue between students, faculty and administrators through semi-regular meetings. Berry said even personal conversations can build momentum towards collective understanding.
“As rudimentary and as simple as it sounds, sometimes it starts with something as simple as getting to know each other,” Berry said.
Ahead of the election on Nov.
5, Berry has been active in Fordham’s voter registration drives such as the all-campus drive on Oct. 15 and 16. But while voter registration has been one of Berry’s priorities, he wants to ensure Fordham students remain active and engaged past election day.
“Civic engagement doesn’t mean just showing up to vote once every four years,” Berry said. “There are a variety of different ways where folks can not only just stay informed but also get involved in the community.”
Berry recommends that students volunteer for nonprofit organizations, such as Catholic Charities of New York, which he himself volunteers with. To that end, he is working with the Center for Community Engaged Learning and other groups to find opportunities for students for impactful and rewarding work with local organizations.
Berry said his email, aberry18@fordham. edu, is open to anyone interested in finding volunteer opportunities or joining conversations with their fellow Fordham community members.
Berry said his email, aberry18@fordham.edu, is open to anyone interested in finding volunteer opportunities or joining conversations with their fellow Fordham community members.
Georgia Bernhard contributed additional reporting to this story
COURTESY OF TONY BERRY
Berry’s goals are to reduce polarization and foster trust and community at Fordham.
As FitzSimons fellow, Berry works out of the Office of the President at Cunniffe House on Rose Hill.
KEI SUGAE/THE OBSERVER Berry aims to empower students and administrators and reduce cynicism in civil discourse.
Tony Berry, Fordham FitzSimons fellow
Tony Berry seeks to foster an inviting and receptive environment at Fordham, by empowering all on campus with the FitzSimmons fellowship.
After Attack, Fordham Sends Support
Ayman Moustafa was attacked while working at the halal cart outside the Lincoln Center campus on Oct. 10
The food served at the halal cart rivals Fordham’s official campus dining options as a staple of student diets. Dailey Ward, FCLC ’25, prefers the food at the halal cart over any of the official dining locations at Lincoln Center.
“It’s because of the halal cart that I don’t go to the Fordham dining halls. It’s much more affordable,” Ward said.
Moustafa said the assailant came around the back of the halal cart and attempted to enter. He told the individual not to enter the cart, and in response, the man revealed a knife. The individual then attempted to forcibly enter the cart, starting a physical altercation between the two where the man stabbed Moustafa in the left tricep just above the elbow.
“ He got a knife in his pocket, and he stabbed me, he tried to stab me in my stomach and when I pushed him out he just got my arm with the knife
”
“He tried to enter the cart, I told him ‘go back please, don’t enter please,’ and he got a knife in his pocket, and he stabbed me, he tried to stab me in my stomach, and when I pushed him out, he just got my arm with the knife,” Moustafa said.
Moustafa said the assailant did not order any food before attempting to enter, and that it is possible the assailant was attempting to steal from the cart.
Moustafa called the police after the incident.
The attacker fled south, according to Fordham Public Safety, before two NYPD officers responded less than five minutes
after the assault. Moustafa then filed a police report and received medical attention in an ambulance.
Bob Dineen, assistant vice president for Public Safety at Lincoln Center, said the attack is beyond Public Safety’s purview, as it happened outside of the Lincoln Center campus.
“Unfortunately, the University
cannot assume responsibility for the safety of vendors who are not operating on our property. We certainly will (and do) respond to the scene if we see or are informed of an incident adjacent to campus, and always respond to calls for assistance from members of the campus community (in person or by phone), regardless of location,.” Dineen wrote.
According to Dineen, NYPD is still investigating the incident. He said he hopes that the assailant will be caught.
“The slashing and attempted robbery of Mr. Moustafa is still under investigation by the 20th Precinct Detective Squad — hopefully the police will catch the person responsible for the crime,” Dineen said.
Committee to Assess Endowment Portfolio
The Socially Responsible Investing Committee aims to align Fordham’s endowment with Jesuit values
By ARIANNA PINNA Contributing Writer
University President Tania Tetlow announced the Socially Responsible Investing Committee (SRIC) on Oct. 4 to address student and faculty concerns about how Fordham invests its $1 billion endowment.
Tetlow’s announcement comes after environmentalist and pro-Palestinian student activists called for Fordham to disclose its investments and divest from major polluters and the defense industry respectively.
Once created, the committee will field suggestions from members of the Fordham community to ensure University investments align with Jesuit values, as stated in Tetlow’s announcement. The committee will then assess the University’s portfolio and present proposals to the Board of Trustees who will vote on whether or not to enact the committee’s recommendations.
The committee will be composed of 12 representatives from the Fordham community: two undergraduate students, two graduate students, two alumni, three faculty members, two administrators and a Jesuit. Geeta Kapeda, Fordham’s chief investment officer, wrote in an email that each member of the committee will be appointed by a relevant representative body — for instance, Rose Hill and Lincoln Center United Student Governments will appoint one student from each campus.
In April 2024, a working group called Board, Faculty Advisors
and Students (BAS) was formed to assess the University endowment’s exposure to potentially unethical industries, in particular fossil fuels.
Meredith Leahy, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’25, and Christian Hidalgo, FCRH ’25, leaders in the Students for Environmental Awareness and Justice club, are two of the three undergraduate students involved in BAS. Assessing Fordham’s investments proved to be harder than he expected due to the complicated structure of the University’s portfolio in different private and public investment funds.
The BAS group has met with representatives from the finance firms that manage the different funds that Fordham is invested in and reviewed selections of the
University’s portfolio. In addition to exploring the possibility of divesting from companies with unethical practices, the BAS considers avenues for environmentally friendly reinvestment.
The BAS was expected to submit a proposal to the Board of Trustees in December 2024. However, Hidalgo and Leahy said the announcement of the SRIC has put that plan into question.
“It’s kind of thrown a bit of a wrench in our process, because now rather than just going directly to the board, we have to go to this group first, and then they will allow us to go to the board,” Hidalgo said.
In the process of reviewing Fordham’s endowment, members of the BAS have access to protected details about the publicly
traded stock funds that Fordham is invested in. As these funds are engineered to perform better than the stock market average and generate a high return, the specific combinations of companies the funds are invested in is often secret. Members of the BAS privy to confidential investment information, including Hidalgo and Leahy, are therefore bound by nondisclosure agreements that bar them from discussing specifics of Fordham’s endowment. Fordham declared $89.5 million in publicly traded securities on its 2022 tax returns, nearly half of what it held in 2021. Leahy claimed that none of Fordham’s endowed money came from student tuition payments, instead coming from other sources such as donations. Despite this,
Leahy said Fordham students still have a stake in where the University invests its money.
“Why wouldn’t you want Fordham University, the school that you proudly wear on your sweatshirt, to use its money for good and for social change,” Leahy said. “Especially because if you are investing in the climate crisis, it’s impacting our future.”
Leahy said that as other colleges and universities have taken steps towards divestment from fossil fuels, Fordham should be held to those same standards.
“Looking at some of the other schools, you look at NYU, you look at Seattle University, Harvard, major schools with both small endowments and huge endowments that were able to pull out of these funds … You think, well, they can do it, so it’s definitely possible, it’ll just take more time,” Leahy said.
Fordham’s Chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which remains unrecognized by administration, listed divestment and disclosure as their second demand on an Instagram post dated April 22.
“We demand Fordham University divest from any entity associated with Israeli apartheid, alongside transparency in its financial operations,” the Fordham SJP Instagram account wrote.
While students on the SRIC will be appointed by student government, University Vice President for Communications Bob Howe said there was no timeline for when those appointments would be considered.
Ayman Moustafa, Halal Cart Worker
WILLIAM LEE/THE OBSERVER
On the northwest corner of Columbus Ave and 60th St., Ayman Moustafa was stabbed while working at the halal cart.
STEVIE FUSCO/THE OBSERVER
A sign calling for Fordham to divest at a pro-Palestinian rally on Thursday, April 25.
By MICHELLE WILSON Assistant News Editor
Nothing by the Book
The Fordham community weighs in on the use of textbooks in the classroom
College students — at Fordham and most everywhere else — have long lamented the cost of textbooks.
These frustrations often arise when teachers require physical copies of textbooks, which can pose a financial burden. Students turn to multiple strategies to cope with these costs: renting, buying used or relying upon open educational resources (OER) in the public domain or under an open license.
Tyler Herzlich, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’26, said that he struggled to find an affordable way to fully participate in his classes. Herzlich said the barriers to accessing course materials contributed to his stress and wasted time and energy that he should have spent studying.
“ Anything that will deter you from getting the information that you need can completely throw off your studying.”
students to borrow.
“Anything that will deter you from getting the information that you need can completely throw off your studying,” Herzlich said.
The financial burden may be acute for some STEM students, as many classes require physical copies of textbooks on top of lab fees, dissection kits, lab coats and other related materials. Herzlich said classes for his natural science major cost more than classes for other subjects.
“There have been courses I’ve had in the liberal arts where if you don’t get the textbook, you can still pass the course. In these (science classes), you need the lab manual. It’s expensive, and you can’t really find any alternatives,” Herzlich said.
Textbook policies often vary with teacher discretion. Jason Morris, professor of biology, never uses textbooks, and even said that they can cause more harm than good.
“I found students were memorizing instead of thinking and were getting caught up with details when I wanted them to focus on the main idea,” Morris said.
Morris uses original research studies published in scientific journals to adapt to rapid developments of the scientific fields he teaches. Textbooks, he said, cannot keep up in the same way.
“ Textbooks are marketed in such a way that they give you a very generic course in a box.”
“Textbooks are marketed in such a way that they give you a very generic course in a box,” Morris said.
Students have proposed alternatives to renting or buying textbooks. Marisa Burke, FCLC ’28, said Fordham should have free physical textbooks on hand for
“I shouldn’t have to spend so much money on a book I either won’t use, or will only use for one semester,” Burke said.
Some departments are listening to students' concerns and taking steps to change the role of textbooks, including some in STEM. The psychology department’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Council aims to break down the expensive barriers posed by textbooks.
“The main benefit is to reduce the financial burden associated with purchasing expensive course materials,” Karen L. Siedlecki, associate professor of psychology, wrote.
The psychology DEI committee encourages professors to use OER when appropriate. The DEI committee has also created a “lending library” for textbooks in the psychology department.
Siedlecki said these approaches create a more robust academic
conversation through the promotion of different perspectives.
“One additional benefit is increased flexibility and customization of course material that promotes exposure to multiple different sources,” Siedlecki said.
Some professors such as Flavin recognize the high cost and low availability of print textbooks, but are reluctant to rewrite their syllabi or switch to digital formats.
Jeanne Flavin, associate professor of sociology, said she looks for alternative solutions. She said that the quality of OER is uneven
and should not be heavily relied on as the primary course text. Additionally, OER work with digital copies where Flavin said she prefers to use physical books when possible.
“There’s a lot of ways (benefits to physical copies) that I think are even intangible in ways both very specific in terms of reading comprehension and reducing distractibility, and not wanting to give up on the joy of being with a book,” Flavin said.
Some professors such as Flavin recognize the high cost and low availability of print textbooks, but are reluctant to rewrite their syllabi or switch to digital formats.
Some students are only notified of mandated texts on the first day of classes, potentially exacerbating issues related to price and availability. Flavin said that students — particularly firstyears — should be able to enjoy their summers without feeling like they are behind before they
even arrive on campus. Additionally, with shifting enrollment as students add and drop courses, it can be hard to find an equilibrium of when it is appropriate to notify them of the supplies needed. Faculty schedules may get shifted around as well.
Flavin said Fordham previously offered standardized course packets of supplementary readings for students to access at the printing center. She also said the bookstore had a collection system for second-hand copies of student books and that this policy has been out of widespread use for several years since Blackboard centralizes documents online easier.
Dawn Lerman, special advisor to the provost, was part of an advisory council involved with the bookstore’s most recent redesign. The council met because Fordham’s contract with Barnes & Noble was due for renewal. The university decided to partner with Follett, a similar vendor, instead.
“There was the expectation that, going forward, consistent with the industry trend, we would be physically inventorying fewer books,” Lerman said.
Lerman said similar changes are taking place across the education sector as the publishing industry moves towards a new model that emphasizes digital commerce.
“The model was more of what we might experience as individuals when we use Amazon — that we place an order and it’s shipped directly to us — rather than going to some intermediary retail location,” Lerman said.
One benefit of the digitized model is that more materials are now available as inventorying has been phased out, according to Lerman.
Some subjects have an advantage over others with accessible texts. Classics, for example, is considered to be an economically accessible academic discipline. J. Andrew Foster, associate professor of classics, contextualized the history of classics being widely accessible to the general public.
“Classics as a discipline was substantially concerned with the acquisition, aggregation, storage and preservation, access, retrieval and subsequent dissemination of Greco-Roman texts, particularly when it was conceived of as a primarily literary enterprise,” Foster said.
Today, the Thesaurus Linguae Graecae, a digitized library, offers almost the entirety of the Greek canon, from Homer to 200 CE, for an annual $140 subscription fee. Websites like Perseus also contain a growing corpus online for free. This means there are little to no textbook costs — not just for students, but for anyone interested in learning.
Many students adamantly believe textbooks costs should be reduced, while views among faculty differ on whether or not digital materials are the solution.
Many students adamantly said that they believe textbooks costs should be reduced, while views among faculty differ on whether or not digital materials are the solution. The general consensus is clear: Surely, we can do better than this.
KEI SUGAE/THE OBSERVER
A student’s assigned books for the Fall 2024 semester stack up.
The publishing industry is increasingly emphasizing e-commerce over physical bookstores.
Tyler Herzlich, FCLC ’26
Jason Morris, Professor of Biology
A Young Voice on Advisory Board
How one Fordham Lincoln Center student strives to make an impact on her neighborhood
By TUCKER FLYNN
Assistant Opinions Editor
Rachel McLaren has found a way to go above and beyond in service of the community surrounding Fordham.
As a McMahon Hall resident assistant, Rachel McLaren, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25, is familiar with community engagement. Her passion for equity and criminal justice left her wanting to engage in civic service surrounding Fordham. McLaren got her chance as she now sits on one of New York City’s community boards.
Across the five boroughs, there are 59 community boards that advise city agencies with the perspective of their local constituents. McLaren is a member of Community Board 7, representing the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and sits on two committees within the board: health and human services, and parks and environment.
“ It’s me and one other person that I would suspect is near my age…a lot of people have been on the community board for twenty-plus years. ”
Rachel McLaren, FCLC '25
McLaren’s interest in community boards was piqued when her professor Jeanne Flavin
introduced her former student Makeda Byfield who served on one such board.
McLaren said she was inspired to apply after Byfield mentioned how young adults were underrepresented. Her first impression of the board was that the majority of the other members were much older than her.
“It’s about me and one other person that I would suspect is near my age … a lot of people have been on the community board for twenty-plus years,” McLaren said.
16.2 percent of the city’s population is over age 65, a figure that starkly contrasts the voices that are present in community boards. McLaren said she was initially apprehensive as to how this would affect her experience given that the viewpoints of her fellow
Dry
board members would potentially differ from her own.
“I thought when I would come in I’d be bombarded with opinions that I didn’t necessarily agree with,” McLaren said.
Instead, McLaren said she was among people who were equally concerned about their communities, and that common interest transcended other potential divisions.
“The morals and ethics of people (are) a through line through (the board),” McLaren said. “They want for the community to be better and for people to live good lives here.”
Encouraged by the like-minded nature of the board, McLaren focused on an one goal: speaking up for college students, an underrepresented demographic.
Dorms
Won’t
“ Even though we may move on to different areas, we still have an investment in this area because so much of our life is centered here. ”
Rachel McLaren, FCLC '25
McLaren said that uplifting her perspective as a student in meetings is important while remembering that she does not speak for a monolith. McClaren prepares for meetings by considering the
Stop Rams
different perspectives of people in her communities.
“When I’m preparing for a meeting, and we get our meeting agenda, and there’s items on the floor, I’m really thinking about how students like us are in a transitory phase of life,” McLaren said. “Even though we may move on to different areas, we still have an investment in this area because so much of our life is centered here.”
Board meetings allow McLaren to focus on issues that could otherwise be overlooked because of their smaller scale, and give a voice to an otherwise underrepresented group.
McLaren said that with her passion for criminal justice, and desire to pursue a career in law and politics she is excited about her duties as a member of the health and human services committee. This part of the community board addresses an area often plagued by barriers to equal access.
McLaren said that affordable housing is a goal of this board, which is an issue that both Fordham students and long-term New York City residents feel the impact of.
“With health and human services, a lot of our goals in this specific community board are to give affordable housing to people and to ensure that we’re bettering our community as far as what people are able to attain,” McLaren said. McLaren consistently comes back to the same objective: improving the lives of others and the status of the community at large. In a city as vibrant and diverse as New York, her lead in community-driven efforts is one that many of her peers could follow.
Students still plan on partying this halloweekend despite Fordham’s strict drug and alcohol policy
By MACKENZIE COOPER Assistant News Editor
As Fordham students prepare for Halloween activities, the university’s on-campus drug and alcohol policy is reflected in their planning. Fordham’s policy prohibits the use, possession and distribution of illegal substances and underage drinking on campus.
Avery Ash, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’28, said that she understands the rules of drinking on campus and emphasized that she chooses to partake in Halloween activities off campus.
“My plans are to watch a movie and eat candy on Halloween night and then go out with my friends and drink on the weekend, off campus,” Ash said.
“ I think that in McKeon Hall, it is reasonable for us to not be allowed to have drugs or alcohol in the dorms, but I do not think that doing random room checks is fair. ”
Avery Ash, FCLC '28
According to the student handbook there is a zero tolerance policy for alcohol at Fordham Lincoln Center’s (FLC) first year residence, McKeon Hall. At McMahon, the other Lincoln
hosts events on campus to prevent people from going out and having ‘dangerous’ experiences.
Center residence hall, the policy is more lenient, allowing students over the age of 21 to possess and consume alcohol in their dorms barring specific requirements. The handbook reads that, “Individuals of legal drinking age may possess and/or consume alcohol in their rooms/suites, provided all roommates/suitemates, present or absent, are of legal drinking age. However, the possession and/or consumption of alcohol in first year halls by any students, regardless of age, is prohibited.”
Sean Roberts, FCLC ’27, believes that the drug and
alcohol policy at Fordham is fair for McKeon residents, but said that it should be more flexible for McMahon residents.
“I think in McKeon, I definitely understand why it’s regulated that way. I think at McMahon, it can be a little different,” Roberts said. “For example, one of my friends is 21 and she lives with sophomores who are like 20 so she can’t bring it in, even though she is 21.”
Resident assistants have conducted room checks at McKeon Hall as a part of standard housing policy to ensure safety, cleanliness and compliance with university regulations, including a strict
ban on decorations featuring drug and alcohol related imagery in the dorm rooms. In many instances, students have been told to take down their posters in order not to receive further punishment, such as fines.
Students expressed concerns about the fairness of random inspections in the room checking policy. Ash said that there is a balance between reasonable restrictions and the fairness of enforcement.
“I think that in McKeon Hall, it is reasonable for us to not be allowed to have drugs or alcohol in the dorms, but I do not think
that doing random room checks is fair, especially when the residents of the room are not present,” Ash said. “I also think that not being allowed to have posters that mention or allude to drugs or alcohol is unfair.”
Taylor Jones, FCLC ’26, plans on dressing up as Steve Harvey this Halloween.
The noise control policy may also affect how students plan their events this weekend. McKeon Hall residents may want to spend their time outside campus to avoid punishments. Room checks may occur more often during this time limiting the social activities in the dorms. This policy emphasizes the importance of maintaining reasonable noise levels in order to not disturb other residents even during the halloweekend.
A crucial resource for all Fordham students is medical amnesty, which ensures that students can call for help without fear of punishment, even if they have violated university policy. This strategy encourages students to seek medical attention without hesitation in the case of an emergency.
For those students who might not know what to do this Halloween, there are some on campus activities that have been planned to ensure that those students can have fun too. In an email sent out to all Lincoln Center residents, Residence Hall Association (RHA) is inviting students to participate in a “spooktacular” Trick or Treat event, where students can make great boo bags and win free hydroflasks. This is a fun alternative for all students hoping to stay home this weekend.
SAM BRACY/THE OBSERVER
Rachel McLaren sits on Community Board 7 in the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
MILO POWELL/THE OBSERVER
Fordham
Sports & Health
Club Wrestling: A Team for All Rams
The co-ed Fordham Club Wrestling team kicks off their season with first practice on Oct. 16
By CORA COST
Assistant Sports & Health Editor
An increased number of female students have joined Fordham Club Wrestling, mirroring the nationwide growth of women’s wrestling. `
Club Wrestling is a co-ed team and welcomes all those who have any interest in learning about and training in wrestling. The current vice president of the club is Teagan Hales, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’25. She said her experience at the club has been “absolutely phenomenal” and names the female presence at the wrestling club as the reason.
“ Women’s wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in New York State, and I’m honored to have so many hardworking girls on the team who are so passionate about the sport.”
they definitely should,” she said.
The current club president, Nicholas Tudisco, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’25, is glad that the club is a part of the trend.
“Women’s wrestling is one of the fastest growing sports in New York State, and I’m honored to have so many hardworking girls on the team who are so passionate about the sport,” he said.
Kirsten Davis, FCRH ’27, joined the team her first year and wants to continue to support the growth of women’s wrestling on campus.
“I think it’s important for there to be a women’s Club Wrestling team on campus because we need to take any opportunity that we can to grow the sport of women’s wrestling,” Davis said.
The female wrestling community within the club is reflective of the bond within the entire team. Tudisco said that the connection between fellow athletes is his favorite thing about being on the Club Wrestling team.
“At the end of the day, it’s a support system,” Tudisco said. “We all help each other out in and out of the wrestling room. When I see someone on the team helping someone they just met learn a move, that’s what really makes me happy.”
“Fordham Club Wrestling has its own subgroup of incredibly hard working female wrestlers that I am immensely grateful to be a part of. If any female students are considering joining,
The Club Wrestling team is one of the few mixed martial arts teams at Fordham. The club aims to teach members how to wrestle and provide a space for students to learn and practice self-defense skills.
Tudisco believes that wrestling is a great foundation for anyone interested in learning self-defense.
“I think that wrestling should be offered at every school. It is so foundational and anyone interested in MMA or self-defense should absolutely learn the discipline of wrestling,” he said.
Tudisco urged students to join the club and emphasized the incredibly welcoming environment, regardless of experience level.
“If wrestling sounds like something you want to try, I implore you to ignore any hesitations you might have and just dive right in,” Tudisco said. “Fordham Club
Wrestling is the perfect place to do so.”
Since its founding in 2018 by Gino Baratta, FCRH ’22, and Frank Spatafora, GSBRH ’22, the club joined the National Collegiate Wrestling Association (NCWA) and trains in both fall and spring semesters of the academic year.
“ My favorite thing about Club Wrestling is that it is flexible. I don’t have an obligation to put wrestling above academic and social commitments, so it is relatively stress-free in that way.”
is conditioning that functions as a warmup and a cooldown.
The Club Wrestling team trains like any other athletic team, although the choice to compete is up to each athlete. Therefore, the club is open to those who just want to come and learn and practice their wrestling. Davis notes that the club is accessible to those on the team.
“My favorite thing about Club Wrestling is that it is flexible. I don’t have an obligation to put wrestling above academic and social commitments, so it is relatively stress-free in that way,” she said.
I joined Club Wrestling last year as a first-year student at Lincoln Center. I have been wrestling since I was 11 years old, so when I moved to college, I wanted to bring wrestling with me. As Hales shared, the female wrestling community at Fordham has been so welcoming and supportive. Getting on the Ram Van and getting to practice is truly one of the best parts of my week.
During the wrestling season, the rostered athletes compete against other Club Wrestling teams both at Fordham and universities across the Northeast. For Hales, the competitions are one of the highlights of being on the team.
“My favorite part of this club has been the opportunity to travel and compete against other schools with my team. Recently, we even held our first home dual, which we look forward to hosting again this year,” Hales said.
Oct. 16 marked the first practice of the 2024-25 Club Wrestling season. This year, the club practices three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights at Fordham Prep.
The bulk of a typical practice is split into two sections, drilling and “live.”
Drilling is practicing and learning wrestling techniques. At the start of the season the drilling consists of learning foundational wrestling technique and progressively gets more advanced as the season goes on.
“Live” is an emulation of an actual wrestling match, where the wrestlers have the freedom to wrestle using their preferred techniques. Before and after the drilling and “live” sections, there
As a Lincoln Center student myself, it can feel like the club athletic programs are inaccessible because the majority practice at Rose Hill. Despite this fact, the Club Wrestling team has been one of the greatest communities I have found during my time here at Fordham.
The season runs through March, concluding with the national tournament that will be hosted in Virginia this year.
Tudisco has a lot planned for this year’s season and hopes to build on the success of the 202324 season.
“One of my goals is to host another home dual meet like we did last season against Stony Brook,” Tusdisco said. “I also want to bring a small group of the most committed wrestlers on the team to Virginia for the NCWA national tournament this year. I have yet to compete in Nationals, and I think it would be a huge step for the club to bring a good group there.”
Hales said that she has the same excitement for this year and the future of the team on campus.
“This season, I am hoping to continue to grow the presence of our club alongside all of the new underclassmen we’ve brought in,” Hales said. “I’m looking forward to our team getting stronger and winning some matches this year! Roll Rams.”
CELINE VU/THE OBSERVER
Alumni Gino Baratta and Juan Rodriguez gifted a captains’ belt to captains Nicholas Tudisco and Teagan Hales.
CELINE VU/THE OBSERVER
Club Wrestling contributes to the growing popularity in New York of women in wrestling, as there are seven women on the team, doubled since last year.
CELINE VU/THE OBSERVER
The Club Wrestling team welcomes anyone interested in participating from either Fordham campus, with or without prior wrestling experience.
Nicholas Tudisco, GSBRH ’25
Kirsten Davis, FCRH ’27
Whitley Moody Kills It
The volleyball player broke Fordham’s all-time kills record in a match against Rhode Island
The team this year is young. Five of the 18 players are firstyear students and first-time Division 1 athletes — both transitions a steep hill to climb. Additionally, the team feels the loss of star libero Mallory Lipski, GGSB ’24, Fordham’s all-time program dig leader.
Despite the current overall deficit, the volleyball team enters the second half of the season with their heads held high and a new strategy.
“ A huge emphasis has been put on putting one foot in front of the other and focusing on point one of the next match.”
group ‘dates’ to find opportunities to spend time with players on the team that we might not gravitate towards naturally,”
Moody said.
Coaching staff, including assistant coach Alyssa Kaufman, get in on the camaraderie:
“Our team starts every practice together in the locker room doing a “team time” session together to check-in and prepare for practice after the rigor of their academic schedules, social lives, and athletic expectations. It keeps them connected, supported, and empathetic towards each individual’s experience within our team,” Kaufman said.
These team bonding tactics are not the only unique thing about the Fordham volleyball team. Moody shared that there are five players with red hair on the team.
“We’ve decided that’s the most in all of the NCAA Division 1 Volleyball teams,” Moody said.
“A huge emphasis has been put on putting one foot in front of the other and focusing on point one of the next match; it is so easy to slip into a ‘big-picture’ mindset, but we’re working on putting our energy towards staying present and focusing on the small things,” Moody said.
The team is making an active effort to bond. Considering over a quarter of the team consists of first-year students, they’ve prioritized getting to know eachother better off the court in order to perform better on the court.
“Throughout our spring, summer, and preseason training, we go on individual ‘dates’ and
It’s clear that there are many things that set this team apart from others, including Moody’s leadership skills, a key part of her contribution.
“I have always been a vocal leader and someone who prioritizes leading by example, and I have tried to embody both of these qualities throughout my time here. I am outspoken, loud, and competitive, and I take pride in being an emotional player and leader,” Moody said.
Her teammates and coach seem to agree with this judgment: “I noticed Whitley’s impact the moment we first started playing together. She leads by example with her competitiveness and desire to always play at her highest level,” Woodrow said.
Kaufman also shared praise for Moody’s dedication and leadership.
“It is “easier” so see how she leads the team earning points as a six-rotation OH. It is “tougher” to see how she challenges herself in our practice gym everyday to maintain and set a competitive atmosphere in the gym, harness her skill, and furthermore, build individual relationships and understanding with each member of the team,” she said.
“ We’re choosing to move forward together and taking every game one at a time. Right now our emphasis is on maintaining the expectations we have for our team culture especially because this is a challenging time.
The team has an opportunity for growth for the rest of the season, according to Woodrow.
“We’re choosing to move forward together and taking every game one at a time. Right now our emphasis is on maintaining the expectations we have for our team culture especially because this is a challenging time,” she said.
The Men’s and Women’s Soccer Teams Advance in Atlantic 10
Fordham men’s and women’s soccer left the weekend victorious and improved in the A10 Conference
By JANE ROCHE Sports & Health Editor
Fordham men’s and women’s soccer made strides this weekend in order to advance themselves within conference play.
The top eight teams in the league earn a place in the Atlantic 10 (A10) Championship playoffs. With just two league games left in the men’s season, both teams will appear in the A10 Championship for the first time since 2019 if they maintain their fourth place standing.
Women’s Soccer
The women’s team secured a spot in the A10 Championship for the first time in five years. They were in third place standing on Sunday afternoon with a clean sheet. The Rams defeated the St. Bonaventure Bonnies 4-0 on the road.
Abby Borchers, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ’26, was named A10 Offensive Player of the Week, thanks to her two goals and assist in the game.
The victory increased the team’s record to 10-4-3 in total season play and 5-2-2 in conference play.
Abby Borchers, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ’26, was named A10 Offensive Player of the Week, thanks to her two goals and assist in the game. Borchers started the scoring streak on Sunday with a header into the net from a free kick by Lena Johnsen, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’27.
Just three minutes later, Borchers found the ball again and connected it with Julia Acosta, FCRH ’28, who upped the score to 2-0.
Borchers’ final show of stardom came in the second half when she stole the ball from the Bonnies’ goalkeeper and scored into an empty net.
The ultimate goal of the game came from Liina Tervo, FCRH ’28, for her 10th of the season, team leader in goals. With the successful shot, Tervo tied the Rams’ first-year goals record set in 2003.
The women’s team will wrap up their regular season play against Dayton at Moglia Stadium on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
Men’s Soccer
The men’s team saw a similar fate on saturday night and extended their unbeaten streak to four games with a 3-1 win against the George Washington (GW) Revolutionaries at Moglia Stadium
The season record improved to 6-3-4, with 3-1-2 in the A10 Conference.
The Rams held the game with strength from the start, but no goals were tallied until the second half. The Revolutionaries’ Dan Dorbin, GW ’27, was sent off the field on a red card, and
Daniel D’Ippolito’s lone goal against the Revolutionaries was his second game-winner of the
momentum in favor of the Rams almost immediately followed.
With just 10 minutes of play to spare, star player
Daniel D’Ippolito, FCRH ’26, knocked one in on a rebound shot after his penalty kick was denied by the Revolutionaries’ goalkeeper.
Lukas Hackaa, Gabelli Graduate School of Business ’25, led the team with two bookend goals, the first of which was a free kick from 21 yards out after Dorbin walked off the field.
Despite the disadvantage of only 10 players on the field, the Revolutionaries connected the ball with the net to even the score.
With just 10 minutes of play to spare, star player Daniel D’Ippolito, FCRH ’26, knocked one in on a rebound shot after his penalty kick was denied by the Revolutionaries’ goalkeeper. The goal was D’Ippolito’s ninth of the season, tied for most goals by a Ram since 2002.
According to Fordham Sports, the last Fordham player to score
this many goals in a season was in 2017 with nine goals in 23 games. The Rams made it to the NCAA quarterfinals that year.
In the final two minutes, Hackaa provided an extra cushion for the team. He took the ball and drove it into the net to secure the match.
Thanks to this win, the men’s team moved into the top four in the A10 standings.
The team took on the Princeton Tigers at Moglia Stadium on Oct. 22 at 7:00 p.m.
Thanks to this win, the men’s team moved into the top four in the A10 standings.
The team took on the Princeton Tigers at
Stadium on Oct. 22 at 7:00 p.m.
Moglia
Whitley Moody, Fordham volleyball player
COURTESY OF VINNY DUSOVIC Moody logged 16 kills total against Rhode Island, the sixth tipping her over the 1,443 previously set program record.
COURTESY OF VINNY DUSOVIC
season.
Whitney Woodrow, Fordham volleyball player
COURTESY OF VINNY DUSOVIC
The Volleyball team improved their record with back-to-back weekend splits against George Mason University and Duquesne University.
Contributing Writers
The Macombs Dam Bridge led right across from West 155th St. in Harlem to the Bronx. The bridge was tricky to get to. But soon, we crossed a congested intersection, found the pedestrian path, and eventually got to the other side. Yankee stadium lay just beyond it, and a few miles further, Rose Hill.
The bridge held us firm as we took yet another step toward our goal: to walk from Lincoln Center to Rose Hill on foot. For us, New York evokes thoughts of skyscrapers, the hustle and bustle of the streets, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. But what this journey highlighted was the full spectrum of Manhattan and the Bronx, and the neighborhoods in between.
Once we began to spend more time in the city together, we both realized that an idiosyncratic challenge lingered inside our minds: crossing the 10 miles between our two campuses. As avid runners and walkers, our excitement for this challenge only grew as we did our research. Google Maps estimated three hours and 25 minutes of travel time; we knew we could do it faster. The physical challenge that it represented, the opportunity of seeing new places, and, of course, the bragging rights: We needed to do it.
Oct. 6 was the big day. After completing our pre-departure checklist, which included water, sunscreen, breakfast and a quick chat with Public Safety, we set out before 1 p.m.
Our route, which began at Lowenstein, consisted of slight deviations from a straight path to see landmarks along the way. The first leg wove its way through
Through the Many Pockets
The journey of two reporters from
The rows of apartments were relatively uniform for forty-four streets, but eventually it came time to cross the Macombs Dam Bridge. This was a point that we were both looking forward to. When we were planning our route a few days earlier, there were two options: the Macombs Dam Bridge or the 145th St. Bridge. The second bridge seemed easier to cross, but Macombs led right up to Yankee Stadium, a bucket list landmark for us.
The first scene after crossing the bridge for any pedestrian, was the area around Yankee Stadium. It was silent compared to a typical Yankee game-day. There was little to see other than the stadium’s tall and extensive exterior. But a few blocks away, the environment became far more lively. People filled the sidewalks as they shopped through the
Central Park. The weather was perfect; there was barely a cloud in the sky, and the constant breeze kept us cool. The inner streets of Central Park were busy as could be, with the typical horse-drawn carriages, runners, walkers and families getting out of each other’s way.
As we went up north, the beauty and personality of Central Park began to quiet down a little. It was no longer accompanied by the familiar background noise common in the hallways of Lincoln Center or in the streets of Manhattan, but infused with a peaceful silence.
A few blocks away, the environment became far more lively. People filled the sidewalks as they shopped through the markets.
Soon, we were leaving Central Park on 110th St. and stepping into Harlem. It felt like arriving at a different city than the one on 60th. St. Frederick Douglass Blvd, which runs along the same pavement as Eighth Avenue, was wide and sparse. The buildings here were far smaller; most were no more than six or seven stories tall, and they had railroad-style facades. The broad palette of colors common in midtown Manhattan was exchanged for shades of browns and reds. Most establishments were closed — it was Sunday — and the streets were relatively quiet and empty.
markets. Families, young and old, blasted Latin music in the parks as they watched the children play soccer.
Once we made it to Webster Avenue, it was a straight shot to Rose Hill. We could now see One Fordham Plaza — for our Lincoln Center readers, that is the mall with all the little shops. It was still a couple of miles away, and its distant appearance made us sigh in exasperation. But
A sense of accomplishment filled our consciousness as we made our way from the gate to the new dining hall at McShane.
we kept moving. At last, Walsh Library came into view, and our exhaustion was replaced with excitement. We picked up our pace, crossed Fordham Road, pulled out our IDs, and, without a hint of hesitation, we took the final steps of our journey through the Webster Avenue gate of the Rose Hill campus.
10.09 miles; 18,512 steps; two hours, 43 minutes, and 52 seconds — 41 minutes and eight seconds ahead of schedule. A sense of accomplishment filled our consciousness as we made our way from the gate to the new dining hall at McShane. We proved ourselves up to the challenge that we set out to accomplish, and upon seeing the familiar sight of the towering American Elm trees, we knew we earned our bragging rights. We immediately started reflecting on our journey,
NICOLAS NUNES & CARLOS ORTIZ DE LA PENA GOMEZ URQUIZA
CARLOS ORTIZ DE LA PENA GOMEZ URQUIZA/THE OBSERVER Railroad and brownstone-style buildings lined the streets of Harlem.
CARLOS ORTIZ DE LA PENA GOMEZ URQUIZA/THE OBSERVER
Carlose Ortiz de la Pena Gomez Urquiza (left) and Nicolas Nunes (right) traveled the 10 miles between Fordham’s Lincoln Center and Rose Hill Campuses, documenting their expereinces along the way.
Pockets of New York
Lincoln Center to Rose Hill on foot
as if we were talking about something that happened years ago, as we arrived at the cafeteria for a well-deserved dinner. After all, we each burned about 1,000 calories.
The dining hall had been recently renovated. Everything seemed big and easy to navigate, as if the hall had adapted to its surroundings. Similarly, we had also evolved.
We were once again in the university we called home, yet we had expanded our previous vision into a more complete New York. Now, we saw past the hundred story buildings and cramped streets, through tranquil Harlem and into the lively Bronx. All these places we encountered along the way were integral for grasping the distinct ways of living in New York City, a city for everyone and any style of living: the capital of the world. TIME 02:45:29
CARLOS ORTIZ DE LA PENA GOMEZ URQUIZA/THE OBSERVER
Upon arriving at Rose Hill, the reporters found themselves talking about the journey as if it was a distant memory.
CARLOS ORTIZ DE LA PENA GOMEZ URQUIZA/THE OBSERVER
Yankee Staduim stood just beyond the Macombs Dam Bridge. It was quiet, compared to the lively streets blocks away.
COLBY MCCASKILL/THE OBSERVER
The 10-mile route began at the Lowenstein Center at Fordham College at Lincoln Center, wove through the park, past Harlem, through the Bronx, and to Rose Hill.
Opinions
Remaking the ‘Tradwife’ From Scratch
Nara Smith is picture-perfect in amost every sense, but the ‘tradwife’ role is more damaging than you think
Contributing Writer
The “tradwife” movement may appear as a trendy celebration of traditional gender roles on social media, but it insidiously reinforces patriarchal ideals that undermine women’s autonomy and perpetuates outdated norms.
Have you ever thought about making toothpaste from scratch? What about Cheetos? For Nara Smith, tackling these questions is her lifestyle brand. Smith is known for her viral cooking videos and lifestyle content on TikTok. Married to fellow model Lucky Blue Smith, she is also a mother of three and often posts her family life and occasionally her professional modeling career.
A “tradwife” is a woman who conforms to traditional gender roles — generally as a submissive homemaker — to serve a man playing the dominant provider. Smith is credited for popularizing the “tradwife” movement on social media and as outlandish as her content may seem, her videos routinely get around 25 million views on TikTok.
I associate the “tradwife” with cleanliness: the picture-perfect American family. I see a woman bending over backward to deep clean her brand-new marble counters, making meals for her husband and constantly shuffling her kids to and from every extracurricular activity imaginable.
Smith reinforces this narrative through her social media posts that depict homemaking, cooking elaborate meals and managing family care in an unrealistic setting. She often shares meticulously styled photos of perfectly organized kitchens and videos of herself preparing multi-course dinners from scratch. Smith’s romanticization of these tasks indirectly promotes the idea that a woman’s primary role is within the domestic sphere. This visual content, often framed as an empowering or personal choice, masks the deeper patriarchal structures that limit a woman’s autonomy.
The glorification of homemaking may seem liberating, but it distracts from the profound societal pressures that confine women to traditional gender roles. While women may feel they are “choosing” to focus on family care, that choice often comes in a context where they lack equal societal value and support to pursue the same careers and leadership roles as men. By romanticizing domesticity, this narrative erases structural barriers — like the wage gap, lack of parental leave and unequal division of unpaid labor — limiting true freedom. Rather than empowering women, this content reinforces outdated gender roles and contributes to a woman’s continued marginalization in the public eye.
TikTok’s algorithm plays a decisive role in shaping what is desirable, and it is clear that traditional gender roles often get an exaggerated share of positive attention. When creators lean into the “tradwife” persona — showcasing homemaking, caregiving and submission within a patriarchal framework — they are often rewarded with likes, shares and supportive comments. Online, conforming to rigid gender norms is socially acceptable and widely celebrated.
The brilliance — and danger — of this “soft patriarchy,” meaning traditional family men who are “active and emotionally engaged” fathers according to the Ethics & Public Policy Center, lies in its relatability. TikTok is designed for short, viral content, making it easy to condense complex gender dynamics into easily consumable messages. The visual appeal, often enhanced by high production values and the influencer’s charm, presents these ideas as wholesome, aspirational and entirely unobjectionable.
How is it natural for someone to balance taking care of three toddlers while making them organic and grassfed fruit roll-ups? The problem is compounded by influencer culture on TikTok, which thrives on relatability and trend-following. When influencers like Smith attract millions of views, a portrayal of traditional gender dynamics is further normalized, embedding hetero-patriarchal values in youth culture without the audience even realizing it.
By intertwining religion, nationalism and the glorification of the nuclear family, this movement promotes a return to restrictive roles.
“Tradwife” content on TikTok also taps into conservative values that extend beyond mere lifestyle choices, subtly promoting a worldview grounded in religion, nationalism and rigid gender norms. These creators frequently invoke religious teachings, especially from Christianity, to justify traditional gender roles, framing them as divinely ordained. Phrases like “God’s design for the family” or “Biblical womanhood” according to Teen Vogue reports on the phenomenon, are commonly used to reinforce the idea that men should lead and women should submit.
For instance, many of these influencers cite Proverbs 31, a Biblical passage praising the “virtuous woman” who takes care of her home and family; she is defined as the gold standard for women. This religious narrative creates a moral high ground, positioning traditional gender roles as not only preferable, but inherently good. Such content aligns with conservative Christian ideals, which have long promoted the patriarchal family as the ideal societal structure.
This content often overlaps with American nationalism, emphasizing the idea of a “strong family” as the cornerstone of a stable nation. The traditional family unit — where men provide and women nurture — is portrayed as the key to societal success, reinforcing nationalistic ideals that prioritize
conformity and uniformity within gender roles.
These influencers may subtly reference the decline of the “traditional family” as a societal problem, feeding into a larger conservative narrative that blames social progress, feminism and LGBTQ+ rights for perceived moral decay. By framing the patriarchal family structure as a solution to these broader societal issues, these creators enforce heteronormativity and entrench the idea that deviation from this model is a threat to the fabric of society.
“Tradwife” content upholds the idea that heterosexual marriage is the natural and ideal state. The emphasis on traditional gender roles inherently marginalizes non-heteronormative family structures. LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as anyone who rejects the binary of male leadership and female submission, are excluded from the vision of family life that “tradwife” influencers promote. By glorifying a nuclear family unit, they perpetuate a social structure that devalues queer relationships and alternative family dynamics, reinforcing patriarchal norms in a way that aligns with broader conservative politics.
By subtly weaving in religious and nationalistic ideals, these influencers are promoting homemaking tips and traditional lifestyles — and reinforcing a more extensive system of hetero-patriarchy. This system views deviation from conventional gender roles as not just abnormal but as a threat.
The rise of “tradwife” content on TikTok stretches beyond trendy — it is a regressive push toward patriarchal values, cleverly disguised as a modern lifestyle choice. “Tradwife” influencers romanticize traditional gender roles, framing women’s domesticity and caregiving as empowering, while men are positioned as natural leaders. This subtle messaging reinforces rigid, heteronormative ideals and undermines gender equality, all while appealing to younger audiences through aesthetically polished content.
By intertwining religion, nationalism and the glorification of the nuclear family, this movement promotes a return to restrictive roles, often vilifying feminism and LGBTQ+ rights. Beneath the surface, the “tradwife” trend is about reshaping society in ways that limit women’s autonomy and reinforce outdated power structures.
We must challenge the glamorization of these ideals as they risk undoing the progress toward true equality.
AVERY GRAFELD/THE OBSERVER Nara Smith often shares romanticized videos of herself preparing multi-course dinners from scratch, far from the reality of the “tradwife” lifestyle.
ARISHA CHOWDHURY
CRISTIAN MEDEIROS Contributing Writer
In 1951, author Ray Bradbury published his short story “The Pedestrian,” which follows an old man walking along sterile sidewalks with no sign of human contact in the year 2053. This story is often taught in schools as the onset of American dystopian fiction. Those who have studied it will recall it ending with the old man’s arrest and institutionalization for displaying “regressive tendencies.”
Are we curating a world not far off from the same dystopias we studied depicting humanity’s downfall?
Many of us have read forewarning stories like “The Pedestrian” as part of our education’s effort to forge us into proactive citizens. We annotated with our pastel highlighter sets, wrote our reflection essays and finally chalked it all up as a fun opportunity to read something “different” for once. But now, is it possible that the warnings of Bradbury were ignored? Are we curating a world not far off from the same dystopias we studied depicting humanity’s downfall?
Despite the world’s constant turn, I encourage you to imagine this downfall already underway. When was the last time you asked a cashier, “How’s it going?” and cared enough to actually expect a response more personal than “Good. Cash or credit?” I imagine most of us would struggle to pinpoint such a generous interaction, and in this there is no shame — but why is such
Small Talk is the People’s Weapon
Divided,
we fall — socially estranged, we don’t stand a chance
impersonality so normalized, and what does it tell us about the state of our society?
The virality of impersonality can be diagnosed as a product of western industrialization in the mid-19th century. As factories spread across Europe, workers of all sexes and ages were crammed into dangerous conditions and assigned work days that erased leisure in the name of magnified productivity. As Karl Marx noted, “mere social contact begets in most industries an emulation … of the animal spirits that heighten the efficiency of each individual workman.”
This relentless quest toward productivity had lasting effects on how workers viewed each other, coercing them to surrender their empathy in the name of getting through their shifts. As Friedrich Engels said, “this conflict between productive forces and modes of production … exists in the facts, objectively, outside of us, independently of the will or purpose even of the men who brought it about.”
These developments have spawned a universal truth that thrives to this day: conducting oneself efficiently is the most reliable method of survival. Like coal miners burdened with black lung, the spirit of industry has sickened us.
When the social organizations surrounding us are getting colder and colder, it is only inevitable that our perceptions of each other become frigid themselves.
This progression is studied throughout the work of German
sociologist Max Weber, who described it as a societal shift toward “rationalization.” A rationalist society, Weber said , is organized based on a means-end paradigm that discards all other procedures that do not maximize output. Western capitalism, eat your heart out.
It is this rationalization that has given us worldwide fast-food corporations, mass-media conglomerates and identical suburban neighborhoods. It has even exchanged human cashiers in favor of self-checkout kiosks that provide the same predictable, impersonal experiences every time.
When the social organizations surrounding us are getting colder and colder, it is only inevitable that our perceptions of each other become frigid themselves. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy says that rationalization, “according to Weber, entails objectification (Versachlichung). Industrial capitalism, for one, reduces workers to sheer numbers in an accounting book, completely free from the fetters of tradition and non-economic considerations.”
When we are so routinely conditioned to view ourselves as corporate statistics, we tend to treat each other as such. We begin to adopt social mindsets that restrict the value we place on others to their potential as tools for us to get what we want; if a person is irrelevant to our individual goals, then why should we even treat them like one?
Technology and social media provide the ideal arena for this disdain. We desperately try to package ourselves into aesthetics and explore page-friendly boxes that make us appear unique — and therefore a bit superior — to others. When we’re all just cogs in a machine, we differentiate ourselves by fighting over who can be the most aesthetically pleasing statistic. As Weber wrote, “One can, in principle, master all things by calculation.” We calculate who we surround
ourselves with, what locations we frequent, and in the process deem all other interactions as unworthy of our consideration.
Without the empathy that comes from talking with our neighbors or local business owners, we have no community, there is no united front against corrupt legislation.
Performative self-actualization results not only in a lack of care for our fellow humans, but a dangerous assumption that this lack of care is always reciprocated. However, this is far from the truth. A study by the American Psychological Association found that when strangers were paired for conversation, they “seemed to imagine that revealing something meaningful or important about themselves in conversation would be met with blank stares and silence, only to find this wasn’t true in the actual conversation.”
Losing optimism in our interactions puts our ability to defend ourselves against dystopias like Bradbury’s in grave danger. When we are so infatuated with ourselves and disillusioned by others, we lose our sense of empathy.
Without the empathy that comes from talking with our neighbors or local business owners, we have no community, and when we have no community, there is no united front against corrupt legislation. It is by design that we are so estranged from one another, because when we fail to acknowledge each other’s humanity, our governing institutions are more
capable of exploiting us without notice. They strip us of our rights while we are too busy positioning our artisan coffees to post on our Instagram stories.
The systemic subterfuge especially comes into play during times of political strife, such as an election year. The political system has effectively rationalized itself, knowing that it can act reprehensibly without fear of the people banding together — we can barely even engage in healthy small talk.
While such realizations can be frightening, we should feel empowered knowing that we have radical defensive power just by getting to know our fellow person; such preventative measures would not have been put in place if this was not true.
Talk to the people in the elevator; ask the bodega owner about their family; learn how our world has impacted your fellow person; in doing so, we will learn how to face it together.
As we move into the future — especially toward Election Day on Nov. 5 — encourage yourself to connect with those around you, whether familiar or unknown. Talk to the people in the elevator; ask the bodega owner about their family; learn how our world has impacted your fellow person; in doing so, we will learn how to face it together. Whether or not you decide to start a conversation with a stranger will not be the death of you, but it could mean forfeiting our strongest defense against turbulent times.
My Favorite Coffee Shops Near Fordham LC
No longer a sit-down chain, Starbucks has long replaced its spacious, plush seating with stiff metal chairs. There are 17,068 locations in the U.S., but any semblance of community and customer interaction is now restricted to a mobile app or drive-thru line.
I have been guilty of purchasing from this global chain. The convenience, especially given my busy schedule, is unmatched; however, Starbucks has long been accused of violating labor laws by firing pro-union employees. Not to mention, I have noticed a decline in their quality
of beverages. Rather than supporting this coffee giant I have stepped towards alternatives, and Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC) students should do the same by considering these local coffee shops instead.
Birch Coffee: My favorite coffee shop in proximity to FLC is undeniably Birch. The aroma of blueberry muffins and ground coffee beans is a refreshing change of pace from New York City’s stifling air quality. It may not be a mom-and-pop cafe, but compared to Starbucks, Birch optimizes better ingredients and authentic customer service for a fraction of the cost. My signature order, a large iced dirty chai, costs $6.25 with a student discount.
Conversely, the same order
costs $9.58 on the Starbucks mobile app. With watered-down oat milk and an unpleasant ratio of chai to espresso, convenience is rarely worth the absence of flavor.
Masseria Caffè & Bakery: Masseria offers rich and refined Italian coffee paired with flakey frittatas that melt in your mouth. Located across from Birch, it is the perfect spot to do homework on a rainy day. The cafe has a long table with high chairs by the expansive window, and you can people-watch while sipping on my personal favorite — a cold brew — for six dollars.
Paris Baguette: One of the larger chains in this list, Paris Baguette has 4,500 locations worldwide. Although this is not a local New York establishment, a 20 oz. iced dirty chai costs $7.27 — still cheaper than Starbucks — and offers a comforting atmosphere with rustic wooden tables and chairs. I say this is the perfect spot to grind out a homework assignment or catch up with friends.
Cafes have long served as a space for study sessions, firstdates, last-dates and friendly gatherings. Going out for coffee is relatively low-stakes; it’s not overly formal, and centers around a beverage most people are familiar with.
I urge you to break your Starbucks reliance. I promise accessibility is not worth the steep costs and internal labor strife. As consumers, we have substantial power to drive the market, and every purchase should be made wisely, even when going out for something as trivial as coffee.
Because Starbucks should be a last resort Respectful
The Value of Open Dialogue in the Classroom
As we near graduation, we have started to reflect on the knowledge and experiences we have gained throughout our time at Fordham. Preparing to step into the next chapter of our lives, we find ourselves wondering what could have been improved upon.
Many of the discussions in the classroom, while valuable and insightful, often seem to echo the same perspectives. The academic discourse takes into account historical and structural nuances, which are crucial for understanding complex societal issues.
However, academia is built on disagreement. Scholars in the social sciences routinely present new theories, critique existing paradigms and challenge one another’s viewpoints. So why, in the classroom, does it often feel like we are all on the same page?
One reason might be that Fordham is a socially homogeneous community. Fordham’s undergraduate tuition for the 2024-25 academic year increased by 4% from the previous year. A $62,990 tuition is not something most Americans can afford, meaning that the university typically attracts students from upper class socioeconomic backgrounds. Yet, the demographic data reveals that there might be a different story.
Though not evident on the surface, there are students at
Fordham who come from a variety of racial, geographical and economic backgrounds. According to Fordham News, domestic students of color represent 50.1% of the class of 2028, and 27.3% are first-generation college students. Additionally, 32.1% of the first year class are Pell Grant recipients, meaning they demonstrate significant financial need and receive federal funding without the obligation of repayment. These figures reflect a broad spectrum of socioeconomic backgrounds, and underscores the need for a supportive academic environment that actively encourages students from underrepresented groups to share their perspectives.
We refuse to believe all Fordham students interpret the world in the same way. Someone who grew up in rural Alabama, for instance, will likely have a different understanding of the world than someone raised in New York City. But classroom discussions sometimes feel as if they are shaped by a single framework. While these discussions are insightful, a broader frame of reference would reflect the complexity of the issues we examine in the classroom.
Universities have historically been centers of open discourse, attracting students from around the world eager to engage with diverse ideas. Being “educated” was once synonymous with being “worldly,” and universities played a key role in exposing students to various perspectives. However, the focus has recently
shifted more towards gaining technical knowledge to prepare for the workforce. While career preparation is important, one of the greatest privileges of higher education is the opportunity to be intellectually challenged and to engage with perspectives different from our own.
When I, Isaak, first arrived at Fordham, I had a philosophy professor who took a distinctive approach to teaching. Instead of beginning the class by sharing their opinion on the material, they would ask the class for the majority view, then purposely argue the opposing side. This approach encouraged us to defend our positions, forced us to engage with perspectives that were different from our own. At the end of the class, they would finally share their perspective, allowing us to reflect on the discussion without having been influenced by their views from the outset.
This class was also unique because of the diversity of readings and authors we explored. We were exposed to a range of viewpoints, some of which were controversial, leading to thoughtful and engaging discussions. This approach helped us think more critically and deepened our understanding of the issues by showing us that even seemingly straightforward topics can be viewed through multiple lenses. This class was one of the most educational experiences I had at Fordham. Even when I agreed with the majority view, defending my positions against
opposing arguments sharpened my analytical reasoning skills. It also inspired me to dive deeper into certain topics and do further research, which helped refine my understanding of complex issues. The value of education lies not just in mastering a subject but in learning how to navigate different points of view. An enriching class motivates students to think critically and respectfully express differing opinions. In this uncomfortable exchange of ideas, the highest quality of learning occurs. Universities should continue to uphold the tradition of intellectual diversity by creating environments where students are comfortable to engage with perspectives that challenge their
own. We encourage students to express opinions that may differ from their peers or professors, as this adds depth to the discussion. This diversity of thought requires civility and openness, with students willing to listen, and professors fostering an environment where conflicting viewpoints can thrive. The strength of a university lies in its ability to expose students to a variety of ideas, helping us grow beyond college into thoughtful individuals equipped to navigate life beyond campus.
As renowned reporter Walter Lippmann wisely said, “Where all think alike, no one thinks very much.”
LIVIA SARNELLI/THE OBSERVER Masseria sells a masala iced chai for only five dollars.
DANIELLA HERRERA/THE OBSERVER One of the greatest privileges of higher education is the opportunity to engage with different perspectives.
AVERY GRAFELD Opinions Editor
MEGAN YERABELLI AND ISAAK ABUD Online Editor and Contributing Writer
LIVIA SARNELLI/THE OBSERVER
Although the scaffolding covers Birch Coffee, the earthy aroma of grounded coffee beans is unmissable.
LIVIA SARNELLI/THE OBSERVER Have an early class? Not to worry, Paris Baguette provides drinks to-go.
Arts & Culture
October 23, 2024 T
Poetry and Swords: ’Sins of Sor Juana’ is a Powerful Feminist Display
Fordham Theatre’s mainstage cast highlights Sor Juana’s endless battle for gender equality
MAINSTAGE from Page 1
Through her striking performance, Diaz beautifully conveys feminist themes with precise dialogue and inspiring acts of perseverance.
“When I first read the script, I felt that this was an important story to tell around this time with Roe v. Wade and these other incidents where women’s power is being brought down,” she said. “Being in Juana’s body made me realize that she thinks all her sacrifices will be worth it if she’s successful.”
Juana is aware that writing her poems may cause conflict, yet she takes that risk because she believes she can make a difference. Although the play ends with her vowing to never write again, Juana’s story matters, like every other woman’s. Her feminist values may have caused her grief, but they are, and always will be remembered.
Diaz took an empowering approach to her role. Her family are immigrants from the Dominican Republic, which she said connected Diaz to Juana’s determination.
“Like Juana, I strive to be successful in whatever I do because I want to make my family proud, and being successful is a way to say thank you for all the sacrifices they’ve made,” she said.
Acting is both playing the character, and being the character.
Diaz’s understanding of Juana’s persistence in publishing her poems and achieving her goals helped Diaz bring the character to life.
In a time where only men were allowed to have an education, Juana used her poems to express her resistance to societal norms.
Diaz gracefully depicts her role’s hardships while also displaying her passion for writing.
“One thing that I found to be difficult about Juana is that I go through life based on how I feel, and then how I think. She’s the opposite; brain and then heart,”
Diaz said.
When Juana is deciphering how she feels about Don Silvio (Elian Rivera, FCLC ’25), she’s
hesitant to confess her love for him because she thinks of all outcomes and tries to be sensible. Nonetheless, Diaz’s performance was genuine. Her portrayal of Juana’s reactions through her body language, and facial expressions made her uncertainty evident.
Besides the talented director and cast, what truly sets this production apart is its phenomenal set design and sound. The set choices enhance the play, creating an image that transports the audience to Mexico in the 17th century. Diaz said she appreciated how Kaitlyn Peterson, a New York City scenic designer, incorporated red curtains in the set, showing the contrast between the different
worlds.
Peterson’s careful choice of the color red is particularly wise, as red traditionally foreshadows intensity and love. The efforts of the sound designers, Adam J. Rineer and Elijah Warrington (FCLC ’26), are extraordinary as well.
“There’s a big degree of freedom in composing your own score rather than trying to source something that fits the mood,” Warrington said. “This is a memory play, and a melodrama. The director used the term “telenovela a lot. Freeing the play up from historical accuracy allows the work to really lean into that melodrama, and that goes for the music too.”
As the scenes get more dramatic, the music raises the stakes even higher. It effectively draws the audience to the stage as the play gets more intense.
The costumes also had artisanal touches. All of the costumes were handmade by Amy Orner (FCLC, ’25) and Katie Bartlett (FCLC ’25). Each outfit took into account the symbolism underlying Juana’s character development. Diaz said that in the first act, the corset, nun costumes and skirt were made by Bartlett. The skirt is longer in the first act. In the second act the skirt ruches to reveal pops of red.
Diaz said that Orner wanted red in Juana’s costume. This color signals the characters’ statuses and foreshadows. The phoenix, a bird that represents renewal, essentially aligns with Juana’s commitment to poetry, even if she fails to recognize its influence. Her “renewal” unveils itself in the second act, hence why Orner included red lining at the bottom left side of Sor Juana’s skirt during this part of the play. Juana symbolizes hope for women’s rights, making the phoenix comparison quite fitting.
From the perspective of an audience member this play is a masterpiece, filled with a gifted group of people, and their hard work reflects a profound adherence to Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz’s story.
“The Sins of Sor Juana” completed its run at Pope Auditorium on Oct. 18.
Pick ‘Saturday Night’ for Your Next Saturday Night
One cannot look away as sage-burning, fires and reality TV-worthy drama flit across their screen
By LAINEY COLLIER
Contributing Writer
The consistent whirlwind of chaos and a stacked cast makes “Saturday Night” like no film I have seen before. I was captivated from the moment I saw Finn Wolfhard as an NBC page, imploring pedestrians to attend a free, live comedy show that night.
Constantly on the edge of my seat, I laughed out loud numerous times and wanted to watch the film again the second the credits rolled.
“Saturday Night” first premiered in August at the Telluride Film Festival and had an early, limited release on Sept. 27 in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto theaters. It was widely released on Oct. 11, directed by Jason Reitman and written by Gil Kenan and Reitman.
A mostly accurate retelling, “Saturday Night” is a portrayal of the insanity during the 90 minutes leading up to the show’s first broadcast at 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 11, 1975.
Following Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle) and his young troupe of comedians and writers, the film showcases the behindthe-scenes tension, drama and high-stakes decisions made in preparation for the show’s debut. Anything you could imagine goes wrong, like a huge stage light falling onto the stage during dress rehearsal, or one of the actors and John Belushi (Matt Wood), refusing to sign his contract until five minutes before showtime.
The film is skillful in its doppelganger casting and the way that it transports the audience to a frenzied day in the 70s, running around Studio 8H.
As is natural for a film about a sketch comedy show, the standout instances of comedic relief give the film a unique energy, as we see a crew member walking around the chaotic set burning sage, or when a writer, Michael O’Donoghue (Tommy Dewey), tells the Evangelical woman who must approve their script for NBC that he is Satan. Many of the cast members sitting around stand up and say, “No, I am Satan.” This immediately took me back to Disney Channel’s iconic “Radio Rebel” scene.
The best part of “Saturday Night,” however, is its cinematography.
The camerawork is lifelike and adds to the chaos. In one scene, Michaels is in the elevator with Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman), the NBC late-night executive who is in charge of Michaels’ show. The two speak intensely about things already going wrong. The camera rapidly flips from man to man, like a tennis match where viewers whip their heads back and forth to watch the action.
The distinctive cinematography led to many interesting conversations between my friends and I upon exiting the theater.
The soundtrack is also a key component of the film’s excitability and varies from erratic background music to a calming, familiar rendition of “Bennie and the Jets” by Elton John, played on the piano by a cast member.
Music plays in the background for most of the film, except during pivotal scenes where the filmmakers likely wanted every word heard.
This is seen when Michaels and his then-wife, Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott), discuss NBC’s
desire not to air the show, and Shuster jokingly calls it a revue. Michaels combats this, saying he spent years collecting these “orphan” comedians so does not want to joke about them.
Here, we first see the tension between Michaels and Shuster, and later learn Shuster is having an affair with Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O’Brien). This affair leads to my favorite conversation in the film.
Aykroyd asks Shuster about her and Michaels, and she tells him they were childhood friends, started dating as teenagers, and eventually got married. Next, Aykroyd asks Shuster what she is to Michaels now. Shuster gives a total girlboss response.
“I’m not the kid’s sister, or the wife. I’m the writer,” Shuster said.
This quote is one example of the few times “Saturday Night” attempts to touch on sexism, which is my only complaint about the film. There is not enough time to get deeply into this issue during the film, with all of the chaos in Studio 8H, but it seems like the filmmakers used sexism as an additional joke.
For example, at the turn of the film when things finally start going right, a female assistant told Michaels that the lighting director was on set to fix the broken stage light. He said he would be there later, but the assistant told him he needed to come right then because it would “take some misogyny” to make the lighting director work efficiently.
Maybe it was meant to be comedic relief — the sort that was typical in the 70s — amid the chaos, but such a self-disparaging comment seems completely unnecessary and did not garner
AVERY LOFTIS/THE OBSERVER “Saturday Night” had its wide release on Oct. 11.
any laughs in the audience. Aside from this controversial factor, I enjoyed the film and found many scenes hilarious. My favorite is a sketch for the show where the women cast members, dressed as construction workers, catcall Aykroyd in his tank top and tight denim shorts. Would it be a proper O’Brien movie without some body action?
As we knew it would, everything eventually ends up working
out, the show goes live, and we hear Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith) say those famous words, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”
My mind will replay this movie for weeks to come and is full of quotes that my friends and I will be adding to our bank of pop-culture references.
“Saturday Night” is a mustsee for anyone who loves SNL, comedy and never-ending drama.
CASON DOYLE/COURTESY OF THE OBSERVER
LEFT TO RIGHT: Isabella Gallegos, FCLC ’25; Catherine Otero, FCLC ’27; Dylan Perez FCLC ’25
“Everybody’s Birthday”: The Underground Performing Arts Scene in New York
A new underground performing arts community, which celebrates originality, innovation and self-expression.
By VANESSA FRANCO Contributing Writer
Monster Truck is an arts and entertainment collective that debuted its show, “Everybody’s Birthday,” on Wednesday, Oct. 16. The event featured musicians and dancers, mainly from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Produced by friends Hannah Franzen and Meenah Nehmeh, the event was held at “Rubulad” in Bushwick, Brooklyn, a secluded but vibrantly decorated venue embracing the show’s theme: celebrating everyone’s birthday. Known only to a tightknit community, the event was promoted on Instagram, adding to its mystique allure. Performers dressed in colorful, eccentric birthday-themed outfits interacted with the audience in an immersive experience. One dancer named Party Princess said the show was “a place for everyone to connect and come together for one big happy celebration.” Musicians played throughout the night, their melodies guiding the dancers and the crowd. The grand finale featured a display of cakes, reminding everyone to celebrate. It’s all of our birthdays, so get your forks ready.
The featured artists took the stage around 9 p.m. From left to right: Joe Kyung Hee Cho, Gideon Hef and Jojomber.
Frances Pine-Rinella, aka “Gank,” one of the featured performers, poses on the tongue slide.
Decorations inside the main venue of “Rubulad.’’
Dancers and musicians are getting the show started.
Dancers lining up before the performance.
The show’s midnight surprise featured an elaborate display of cakes presented by the dancers.
VANESSA FRANCO/THE OBSERVER
The entrance to “Rubalad” for “Everybody’s Birthday.”
‘Sunset
By JOSHUA HIGHWATER
Contributing Writer
As Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic overture floods the St. James Theatre, an industrial chain curtain rises, but behind it lies no Hollywood palazzo.
Instead, Olivier Award winner Jamie Lloyd’s production of “Sunset Boulevard” finds success in abstraction, focussing on text over tangibility. In contrast to the sweeping, orchestral melody, audiences get a glimpse of a vast, dark emptiness. In place of a set, billowing clouds of haze are illuminated by Jack Knowles’ stark, white lighting design. Even the show’s branding has adopted this new aesthetic, stylized as “Sunset Blvd.”
The musical’s plot remains unchanged. Joe Gillis (Tom Francis), a struggling Hollywood writer, has a chance encounter with Norma Desmond (Nicole Scherzinger), a silent film actress who has fallen out of the public eye. She has written a picture for her grand return, which Joe finds to be unreadable. Norma’s butler, Max Von Mayerling (David Thaxton), essentially imprisons Joe in Norma’s mansion to edit the script. In his limited ventures outside, Joe collaborates with a young writer named Betty Schaefer (Grace Hodgett Young). Oblivious to Joe’s living situation, the two begin to fall for each other, placing strain on Joe’s now convoluted relationship with Norma. In a dramatic finale befitting of a Hollywood blockbuster, Joe is caught between two unforgiving worlds.
Recontextualized by Lloyd’s fresh, raw vision, the final scene is a gripping display of desperation
Norma’s Back At Last!
Blvd’ returns to Broadway in a triumphant production helmed by Jamie Lloyd
and delusion, leaving behind a trail of blood and broken dreams. In this modernized yet timeless revival, a mammoth LED screen looms over the characters onstage. With cleverly choreographed camerawork, the screen utilizes live video feeds, displaying the worst of Hollywood in remarkable high definition. As cameras capture the actors from only inches away, the audience gains a uniquely intimate view through the lens of a filmmaker, palpable even inside a 1,700 seat theater. Suddenly, from the orchestra to the distant balcony, everyone is close to the action. A musical about movies, inviting the audience to view the story on screen adds depth to an already rich script.
The ensemble illustrates this bitter version of Hollywood entirely.
Leading the production, Scherzinger soars as Norma Desmond. Her performance fills one of Broadway’s largest theaters as she belts to the rafters, while perfectly fitting into frame on camera. It is complex artistry but Scherzinger manages flawlessly with the expertise of a seasoned performer. She is able to explore Norma’s humanity, while also embodying her animalistic desperation. A particular highlight is her performance of “With One Look,” in which she relishes her glory days and vows to make a comeback, or rather, a return (she hates the term “comeback”).
Throughout the show,
‘Our
Scherzinger dedicates herself to the character completely, regularly throwing herself around the stage with feverish choreography and nailing remarkable high notes in between. Amidst a crowded theater season this performance exemplifies true star power.
At her side, Francis excels as Joe Gillis. Directed with Lloyd’s signature dissociation, Francis believably exhibits Hollywood burnout and disgust. Notably, in the spectacular titular number, “Sunset Boulevard,” he personifies abandoning one’s integrity for survival.
Francis coldly grapples with the harsh realities of Hollywood as he shockingly exits the theater and crosses 44th street, all captured by Lloyd’s live camerawork. As he passes posters and marquees of commercial blockbusters such as “Aladdin” and “Hell’s Kitchen,” lyrics about selling out gain an entirely new meaning.
Upon returning to the theater for his final note, Francis is rightfully greeted with uproarious applause for his transcendent performance. While videos of this moment have circulated quickly online, they do not do it justice. It is an all-time theatrical stunner that must be seen in person.
Stars aside, the supporting cast also bring their best, each delivering career-defining performances. Thaxton is imposing and unnerving as Max Von Mayerling. His booming voice carries with it humanity and care for the once great Norma Desmond. Young breathes new life into Betty Schaefer, bringing a unique sense of optimism and hope into a production defined by darkness.
The ensemble illustrates this
bitter version of Hollywood entirely, both looking and sounding flawless while executing Fabian Aloise’s elaborate modern choreography. It is a remarkable noir spectacle with great attention to detail, evident in all artistic contributions. While gripping, this production is not universally successful. Humorous physical references have no place on Lloyd’s barren
Town’: Creative But Convoluted
stage. One line referencing the outrageous length of Norma’s script completely falls flat without a script to be seen. However, the overwhelming majority of Lloyd’s decisions produce a must-see thriller, refreshing a classic before it ever seemed stale. In the show’s own words, “Sunset Blvd” has once again taught the world new ways to dream.
The latest Broadway adaptation captivates with its many creative risks, but overall falls short
By CARRIE JOHNSON Contributing Writer
If life were a gem, diamonds couldn’t even compare in value.
The story of “Our Town” by Thorton Wilder evokes this and similar witticisms about the gift of life. Through beautiful storytelling and sad moments, Wilder’s writing reminds us of life’s joy. The main character is an unnamed, reliable and descriptive narrator who tells stories of the daily life of families in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire.
Kenny Leon, the current director of the Broadway adaptation, uses the slogan “Our Town for Our Time” to take a modern approach to this iconic story. Leon cut parts of the show, making the run time go from 2 hours and 35 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes. To make the show appear more “modern” it utilizes contemporary, 21st century clothes and language in its characters while utilizing a traditional 20th century set and props during the show. The show, starring Jim Parsons of “The Big Bang Theory,” began previews on Broadway on Sept. 17.
I walked into this show knowing as much as my theater classmates had briefed me in passing. I was excited to see how the “Great American Play” is portrayed on a Broadway stage in a more modern concept. However, my excitement soon fell short. Ultimately, Leon’s attempt at capturing the “American Dream” was muddied by varying modern concepts, frequently leaving me unable to grasp the director’s overall vision.
I needed clarification as to why multiple iPhones appeared once at the top of the show, appearing in the hands of several of the ensemble characters (that, according to narration, started in 1901), but then never again on the stage. The vision behind placing different characters in different periods through costuming choices made me feel like I was watching too many powerful ingredients thrown into a pot of boiling soup, causing my taste buds to burst because of sensory overload. I wish Leon either stuck to keeping the show within 19011913, both scenically and in the plot, or crafted a new, modern take that occurs within the current decade.
But, a highlight of the piece
was Parson’s narration. His unique voice, paired with his animated storytelling, made the show more inviting to the audience. I often found myself laughing or encapsulated by his wit and charm as he navigated this story’s recurring dichotomy of lightness and darkness in both the physical and the metaphysical.
The actors who played Mrs. Gibbs (Michelle Wilson), Mr. Gibbs (Billy Eugene Jones), and George Gibbs (Ephraim Sykes) made the Gibbs family stand out. Their wondrous bond made the show relatable despite the confusing direction. The three were connected on the stage, leaving me enveloped in their family dynamic and shared love for one
another. In the third and final act of the show we witness the grieving and burial of one of the main characters, Emily Webb (Zoey Deutch). As a member of the Webb family and the wife of George Gibbs her death deeply affects the town of Grover’s Corner. Emily could revisit any of the days in her life leading up to the day of her death and she chose one of her childhood birthdays. Instead, what seemed to be an exciting memory stirred an emptying sadness in me. Tears filled my eyes as I watched Emily reminisce on her precious family memory. Pulling myself from the scene, I could see how many people felt touched by this sad moment. Many were brought to
tears by the performance. The ending placed a damper mood on myself and others, Emily’s death moving many, including myself, in the audience.
Despite my confusion and slight dislike, the show’s writing was skillfully crafted and left me in tears. But I wish for a more cohesive story that didn’t feel and look like contributors stuck pieces of theatrical ideas together on that stage. On first viewing, I knew the show should look bareboned, with minimal set and props to leave the audience and actors to power up their imaginations. However, it needed to be stripped even more, losing all of the new and confusing concepts that made no sense to the play’s plot. There were costumes in different time periods, accents and language varying across generations, and sometimes props were used that made no sense to the 20th century time period. The amount of unfinished concepts left me leaving the theater with a giant question mark slapped on my forehead. Leon should have stuck to one thing if he wanted to be remarkable.
While I didn’t enjoy the design of this performance, Wilder’s writing and the perfection in Leon’s casting made a mark on me. I recommend it to those who cannot sit through a three-hour performance, which is the duration of the original piece. Parts of Wilder’s story got cut in Leon’s depiction, but for the most part, they didn’t take away from the plot.
“Our Town” continues its previews at the Barrymore Theatre until Jan. 19, 2025.
KAL LARSEN/THE OBSERVER
“Sunset Blvd.” starring Nicole Scherzinger returned to Broadway at St. James Theater.
ADITI PRAVEEN KARIYANAHALLI/THE OBSERVER
Kenny Leon’s adaptation of ‘Our Town’ opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Oct. 10
un & ames
It's Not Easy Having a Good Time
BY JASMINE WHITE
18. Failure, as of judgment
19. Shed one’s skin, as a snake
20. Brazilian soccer star
22. More or less (Abbr.)
24. Opposite of SSW
25. “Give it ____, will you?” (2 Wds.)
28. President after Grant
30. *With 48-Across, a cult classic musical with a song that features the starred clues as lyrics (2 Wds.)
34. See 21-Down
35. Most uncomfortable
39. Titular role for Will Ferrell
40. Halloween animal
42. “Toodles!”
43. Winning cry in a card game
44. 2017 hit whose title means “slowly”
47. High school dance (yours probably played 44-Across)
48. *See 30-Across (2 Wds.)
51. Pitbull lyric: “We at the hotel, ____, Holiday Inn”
54. Swarming pests
55. “Eureka!”
56. ____-AFTRA (Abbr.)
59. Popular category of Roblox game
63. Necessity for a vampire or superhero costume
65. They all lead to Rome, in a classic saying
68. Food for Fido
69. Greek god of war
70. “Inside Out 2” character with a cellphone
71. Fibbed
72. *Distort
73. *Once more
74. Many millennia
Word Search
BY DAMIAN GROVE
1. Mowing locale
2. Author Wiesel
3. The “T” in EGOT
4. Food processor?
5. 2008 Fordham graduate Lana (2 Wds.)
6. Hello, in Rio
7. Helpful hint
8. Garden or panty, for two
9. Summers, in Sorbonne
10. Actor Curry who starred in 30-Across
11. Don’t take this literally 12. Pooh’s creator
13. “no body, no crime” lyrics: “____ a friend of mine”
21. Biblical boat belonging to 34-Across
23. Esos, en ingles
26. “Be quiet!” (2 Wds.)
27. Two-thousand pounds
29. Shapiro of NPR
30. Play part
31. Bozos
32. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes
33. Sunbeam
34. Former Try Guy Fulmer
36. Continental currency
37. Winter blanket?
38. Jerry’s pursuer
40. Abandons, as plans
41. Duke’s athletic group (Abbr.)
45. Safety gear for healthcare workers (Abbr.)
46. Yank
47. Measure of acidity (2 Wds.)
49. Doesn’t drive-thru? (2 Wds.)
50. Hog’s home
51. Colorful parrot
52. Southern belle Scarlett
53. Become narrower
57. It’s equal to length x width, for a rectangle
58. Instrument played with a mallet
60. Pasta dish: aglio e ____
61. Opposite side of a “Closed” sign
62. Shakes one’s head yes
64. Sixth sense (Abbr.)
66. Santa ____ winds
67. Issue for MADD (Abbr.)
1. *Allows
5. *Words before math or honors (2 Wds.)
10. *“Person of the Year” magazine
14. Oodles (2 Wds).
15. “The Waste Land” poet
16. 1998 Goo Goo Dolls hit 17. Cabernet connoisseur
BY ABBY GRUNZINGER