FEATURES
ARTS & CULTURE
Funny stars popular now in commercials. PAGE 14
Acclaimed poets read their exotic works. PAGE 8
POETS OUT LOUD
COMEDIANS
THE OBSERVER www.fordhamobserver.com
DECEMBER 8, 2011 VOLUME XXX, ISSUE 14
New Building Will Raise Campus Prestige By REX SAKAMOTO Staff Writer
Construction on the new law school and dormitory building continues at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) and, according to Patricia Peek, Fordham hopes that this new building will contribute to the University’s aspiring image as a top college in the United States. “We are indeed looking to build on that momentum by promoting a variety of new initiatives and facilities, including this project,” Peek said. Peek, associate dean of admission and director of Lincoln Center’s enrollment group, said that during the past few years, Fordham has become a more prominent choice for students applying to college. Peek said that applications to the university have steadily increased over the past 21 cycles. Just this past year, Fordham’s early action application pool experienced an increase of about 12 percent compared to last year, she said. In addition, Peek said, “As is evidenced by our advancing position in U.S. News and World Report, our recognized excellence as a Fulbright producing school, and other markers of success, exists a positive image for Fordham in the marketplace.” “We are working on solidifying projections for the impacted entering classes,”Peek said, “We plan to aggressively, yet strategically, fill the residence hall.” In order to achieve this goal of filling the residence hall, Peek said, “We are publicizing the new facility to high school guidance counselors working with prospective stusee FORDHAM pg. 3
LAURA CHANG/THE OBSERVER
Medical volunteers and doctors prescribed free birth control for Fordham students at NYIT after taking their blood pressure and reviewing their medical history.
Fordham Law Student Organizes Birth Control Drive By LAURA CHANG and RICHARD RAMSUNDAR News Editor and Staff Writer
Free birth control prescriptions, condoms and other forms of contraceptives were available for Fordham students to access during “Prescribe Fordham,” a birth control drive and sexual health fair, on Nov. 30. Medical volunteers and doctors from Institute for Family Care prescribed birth control to Fordham students and answered questions about sexual health at New York Institute of Technology, one block away from Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC). The event was sponsored by several student organizations from Fordham Law School (FLS), but spearheaded by third-year law stu-
dent, Bridgette Dunlap, president of Fordham Law Students for Reproductive Justice. Other sponsors included Fordham Law Women and the Fordham Domestic Violence Action Center and the Fordham Health, Education, Advocacy and Law Society (Fordham H.E.A.L.S.). Dunlap said that she was not allowed to post flyers about the event in the Lowenstein building, which is why FCLC students may not have heard about the event, but information circulated through email, social networks and word of mouth. Dunlap said that the collaboration began after she approached several student organizations at the law school and also alerted the Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president
of Fordham. In an email sent to McShane, Dunlap wrote, “No Fordham website or student handbook explicitly states that the health centers will not prescribe birth control.” In addition, she said, “We want a better understanding of what the policies are and also we’re interested in and what the doctorate behind them are.” Alison Falb, FLS ’12 and legal coordinator of Fordham H.E.A.L.S., said that the policies written on the Fordham website had “a vagueness that is difficult for students and health services staff to navigate.” In particular, Falb said that students have difficulty determining what the University’s birth control policy is based on what they see on the website. Falb said that in two scenarios, the unclear language can confuse
students. In the first scenario, the website says that Fordham insurance covers birth control. She explained that hormonal birth control is part of prescription benefits for students who have Fordham health insurance. It is also a mandated law of New York state. According to Falb, in order for students to obtain a prescription for birth control under the Fordham insurance, whether it is for medical or contraceptive purposes, they must bring the prescription to a pharmacy. They will then pay a regular co-payment for medication. However, the dilemma is that students are not able to get this prescription from health services, and must seek it off campus. see BIRTH CONTROL pg. 2
FEATURES
Inside LITERARY
NANOWRIMO
Excerpts from students’ novels. u PAGE 16-17
SPORTS
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL A recap of a challenging season. u PAGE 20
OPINIONS
GRAD SCHOOL
A tough application process? u PAGE 4
Student Starts Cupcake Business in McMahon Hall By IAN MCKENNA Contributing Writer
Need a little help gaining that Freshman 15? Magnolia Bakery prices got you down? Too lazy to walk to Crumbs? Well, look no further than apartment 3D of McMahon Hall, the home of the flourishing KB Cupcakes. KB Cupcakes, a college-budgetfriendly cupcake service founded by Kirstin Bunkley, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’15, a has all the flavor and taste of the expensive New York cupcake joints with a quarter of the price tag. Bunkley said, “What I’m kind of doing is very similar to when Insomnia Cookies got started where you see
a demand and you supply it.” Bunkley says her whole goal is to provide an alternative to the wallet damaging prices of certain NYC cupcake joints while doing what she loves. “Magnolia, I bet, is delicious. Crumbs, I bet, is delicious. It’s also $4 a cupcake.” Bunkley, from Oakland, CA, says that baking and cooking have always been a tradition in her family. “It’s kind of a bonding experience. I would sit in the kitchen as a baby. My mom has told me stories where I would be in my car seat, she would take it out of the car and sit me on the counter while she was cooking. And I would learn and she would talk to me and explain it to me. So in that way, I’ve always been involved with it.”
THE STUDENT VOICE OF FORDHAM COLLEGE AT LINCOLN CENTER
But her skill really seemed to grow out of necessity. “My mom traveled a lot when I was in middle school and high school, so I kind of had to learn to cook for myself. So, like, baking kind of just came out of being in the kitchen.” Bunkley was originally hesitant to open the makeshift bakery in her dorm, but when playful teasing from friends and cupcake fans turned into real encouragement, she knew her cupcakes were special. And what did she decide to name it? “It’s so inventive! It’s my name!” she joked. “The benefit of my initials is it sounds like…cute!” Bunkley is inspired by almost everything around her that she thinks see CUPCAKES pg.15
2
News
December 8, 2011 THE OBSERVER
Briefs METRO
Cuomo Reconstructs Tax for New York Residents According to The New York Times, on Dec. 6, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and legislative leaders agreed to overhaul the New York State’s income tax. The new tax will reduce the rate for middle-class residents and raise the tax for the higher-income residents.
MTA Prepared for Next Winter Storm The New York Daily News reported that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will be better prepared compared to last December’s snow storm attack. A storm stopped entire subway lines and led riders stranded on the train. The MTA said that they cannot guarantee that stranded trains will be prevented, but they will try to provide water or sandwiches.
Q&A: JOSEPH CREAMER
New Senior Dean Introduces Himself
Cain Drops Out of Race According to the Los Angeles Times, Herman Cain dropped out of the presidential race on Dec. 2. Cain said that he was leaving because the sexual allegations casted a “cloud of doubt over me and this campaign.” The most recent allegation was from a woman who claimed to be having an affair with Cain.
Obama Extends Payroll Tax Cut On Dec. 6, President Obama delivered a speech that extended payroll tax cut, according to CNN. The payroll tax cut is set to expire at the end of this year. He explained the issue as a choice between making investments for economic growth or maintaining tax breaks for the wealthy Americans. INTERNATIONAL
Ebola Vaccine Developed On Dec. 6, a vaccine used on mice was found to successfully protect them from Ebola. The BBC reported that the fever was first discovered in 1976 and kills more than 90 percent of the people infected. Researchers said that this is the first Ebola vaccine with long-term results and can be stockpiled.
Belgium Names New Prime Minister On Dec. 5, Voice of America reported that King Albert II of Belgium named socialist Di Rupo the new prime minister. Di Rupo is the first French-speaking prime minister of Belgium. Rupo’s position as prime minister ends Belgium’s one-and-a-half years without a permanent government.
Russian Protests Clash in Two Cities According to MSNBC, protests broke out in two Russian cities on Dec. 6, after a second day of demonstrations against alleged vote fraud in Russia’s parliamentary elections. After Secretary of State Hilary Clinton suggested the election was neither free nor fair, Russia’s Foreign Ministry branded U.S. criticism as “unacceptable,” MSNBC reports. Compiled by Laura Chang and Ariella Mastroianni
you would suggest seniors graduating in May do?
By KATHRENE BINAG Staff Writer
Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) formally welcomed Joseph Creamer as the new assistant dean of seniors, nearly two months after Cecilia Petit-Hall stepped down in August. Creamer is a graduate from Providence College and received a doctorate in history from the University of Washington this year. FCLC’s United Student Government (USG) held a senior dean meetand-greet on Dec. 5 in the Student Lounge at 12:30 p.m. Sophie Stanish, FCLC ’12, attended the meet-and-greet and said, “He was really friendly and pretty chill. I like him.” Stanish said that she had a question about graduation and he was very helpful in answering it. The Observer spoke with the dean about his new position, hobbies, past experiences and senior dean advice. OBSERVER: What was your previous
profession before coming to Fordham? NATIONAL
www.fordhamobserver.com
JOSEPH CREAMER: I recently
earned my PhD in history, so I am an academic. Right after college, I worked for the federal government. OBSERVER: How are you adjusting
to your new role as the dean of seniors at FCLC? J.C.: I feel pretty overwhelmed
J.C.: Check DegreeWorks. If they
have not fulfilled a core requirement (a red mark next to the requirement will appear), meet with me right away. If they have not met the requirements for their major, meet with your advisor right away. They should also file for graduation in My.Fordham; there is certain paperwork that they must fill out. Also, register for your classes! Some seniors haven’t yet and they need to right away. Last but not least, pass all of your classes! OBSERVER: How can students reach
you?
J.C.: You can email me at jcreamer1@ KATHERINE FOTINOS/THE OBSERVER
Dean Joseph Creamer talks to the Observer about his life, his transition into his new job and what seniors should do before graduation.
because I have meetings with seniors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Simultaneously I am still getting used to Fordham and New York since I recently moved here. OBSERVER: When do you expect to
meet all the seniors?
J.C.: Since the beginning of the se-
mester I have already met with 90 out of 400 seniors, which includes seniors who are graduating this February. So hopefully I will meet with the
rest of the seniors by the end of next semester. OBSERVER: What should seniors
graduating after this semester be doing?
J.C.: These seniors are graduating in
February. They should check DegreeWorks for any other requirements they have yet to fulfill and immediately meet with me. OBSERVER: What are some tips that
fordham.edu or call 212-636-7719. Set up an appointment with me in my office, room 804D. OBSERVER: What are some of your
hobbies?
J.C.: Because I’m a history academic I
like reading nonfiction history books. I also like to read novels, like Dickens. I have two little kids, so I hang out with and take care of them for most of the time I’m not working. We like to also go around New York and familiarize ourselves with it, going to fairs, concerts, etc. When I can, I also like to bike along the river side. Interesting fact: I used to be the associate editorin-chief of my school newspaper.
College Council Decides to Improve Advising By ANTHONY GONG Staff Writer
Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) held its third College Council Board meeting of the semester on Dec. 1. FCLC’s dean, the Rev. Father Robert R. Grimes, S.J., led the meeting and said that one of its main areas of focus was to improve student experiences when meeting with their advisors during general advising sessions. According to Grimes, this was a request from FCLC’s United Student Government (USG). Problems occurred when students complained to USG and gave statements on how the faculty provided incorrect information during advising sessions. Grimes said that if this is not fixed, it could pose a serious threat to current and incoming students who are trying to graduate. “I do think academic advising is very important, especially in research,” Grimes said. “I’d like to contact each department when assigning advisers, so that we get a sense of what’s going on.” While it is certain that there is an advising dilemma at FCLC, some pro-
CHARLIE PUENTE/THE OBSERVER
Faculty met in McMahon 109 for the third College Council meeting.
fessors like Andrew Foster, a classics professor and freshmen adviser, said that he believes now is the time for students to do more research on their part when seeking academic guidance. “At some point, students need to take ownership for their own studies,” Foster said. “Part of becoming an adult is taking responsibility for your own education and to stop expecting me to do everything for you.” Foster said that he encourages students to see the bond between them and
their professors as a partnership.” “Students need to come better prepared,” Foster said. “If you come in with a blank slate knowing nothing, then we’ll have to start from there.” Despite some negative feedback, one student agreed. Rebecca Nicoletti, FCLC ’13, and member of USG, said that this is something that needs to be worked on. “I just love the idea of advisers explaining to students that they don’t know everything, because the freshmen coming in won’t expect that,”
Nicoletti said. “I’d like it if it’s more visible that the advisers aren’t the only ones there.” In regards to advising within the major, several professors believe the task has been made even easier with the help of DegreeWorks. DegreeWorks is a scholastic program online founded to aid students in understanding the requirements for their respective major. DegreeWorks comes outfitted with various devices to track a person’s academic progress. Most, if not all advisers at FCLC integrate it when talking with students. “I think DegreeWorks is amazing,” Foster said. “I can just pull up your profile like that and work my way up.” Leonard Nissim, a mathematics professor, also found DegreeWorks to be very helpful, especially its ‘What If’ function. Although professors are impressed with the program’s effectiveness, students on the other hand are frustrated with DegreeWorks and think it is prone to complications. Chris Chromey, FCLC’ 12, said, “DegreeWorks is a fantastic tool, but it has its limits.”
Law School Provides Free Contraceptives BIRTH CONTROL FROM PAGE 1
“If they have Fordham insurance this will include paying $100 for a deductible, as well as paying a $10 copay, and 15 percent coinsurance if the provider is in network,” Falb said. She said that in the second scenario, the website states that it complies with the Catholic doctrine and then links to a PDF file. Falb said that the Catholic doctrine allows hormonal birth control to be prescribed for medical reasons, including ovarian cysts and endometriosis., which WebMD explained as a disease where a type of tissue that lines the uterus is also growing outside the uterus. Although the head of Health Services, Kathleen Malara, confirmed with Falb that she will prescribe birth control to students for medical reasons, other health services staff have not followed this policy. Falb argued that if these policies were clear, students would have access to proper information and the staff that they see at health services would have “a clear policy to follow that
would allow them to prescribe birth control for medical purposes.” The event stressed the importance that birth control is not just a drug or pill needed to prevent pregnancy. It is also a type of medication. According to Dr. Linda Prine, birth control is also used to regulate periods and help ease the pain of cramps. In adition, it is used to treat endometriosis and acne. “Outside of this event, we have a free clinic at our office for people who need contraceptives. We work for the New York City Free Clinic (NYCFC) located at 16 East 16th Street,” Prine said. Nicole Thomas, FLS ’12, was there to receive a prescription and said that she does not like the Fordham insurance policy. “I was prescribed because I had a medical issue that it helps prevent. I received surgery for it as a preventative measure and my gynecologist suggested birth control,” Thomas said. Another program that was present at the drive was NARAL Pro-Choice America. David Benzaquen, political
legislature and action coordinator of NARAL, said, “NARAL is a statewide organization that gives contraceptives to students whose schools won’t distribute them on campus,” among other services. Since the majority of people who attended the event were there to receive prescriptions for birth control, those in attendance were predominantly female. However, Jason Heidenfelder, one of the few males at the event, said, “I’m here to support all women. I think that some schools are unfortunately afraid to address the fact that sex does happen outside of the classroom.” Some FCLC students said that they want more of these birth control drives so that they can have access to the contraceptives as well for medical reasons. Megan Cerezo, FCLC ’12, did not hear about the drive until after it took place, but said that she uses birth control for acne reasons. “Birth control is really expensive and if the school is not going to provide it, the insurance that we pay
should,” Cerezo said. Another student from Turkey said that she does not have health insurance now that she lives in New York. Celine Tolu, FCLC ’15, uses birth control to balance her estrogen levels, and said, “I haven’t been able to have my birth control since I moved here because my international health insurance does not cover it.” Some Fordham students understand why obtaining contraceptives may be difficult under Fordham’s insurance policy. Monica Hanna, FCLC ’12, said, “I understand that this is a Jesuit and Catholic institution, so that is where this policy is coming from, but they do need to be more clear.” Alexa Frank, FCLC ’12, said, “I don’t think Fordham is responsible for providing the actual birth control and there are constraints that students at Fordham recognize.” She said that Fordham needs to make this policy less vague and incredibly known so that “students do not end up confused or possibly end up in situations that they don’t want to be in.”
www.fordhamobserver.com
THE OBSERVER December 8, 2011
FCLC Reacts to New Translation of Catholic Mass
News
3
Calendar THUR., DEC. 8
By RAY WALSH Staff Writer
CSA’s Midday Breakfast
The Roman Catholic Church began a new liturgical year by celebrating Mass with a new English translation of the Roman Missal intended to be truer to the Latin original. On Nov. 27, the first Sunday of Advent, student and faculty alike from Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) saw the introduction of the Roman Missal, Third Edition as both a blessing and a challenge. Advent is the liturgical season in which the Catholic Church prepares for the birth of Christ at Christmas, lasting exactly four weeks and four Sundays before Christmas. Reacting to this change, students remained optimistic, but questioned the reasoning behind the alterations. Kiara Shepherd, FCLC ’12 and a member of St. Pius V Catholic Parish in Jamaica, Queens, shared her experience. “I was drop-kicked into this new spiritual place. I had to ask, can you explain this to me again?” Shepherd said. “ ‘And with your spirit?’ This is new.” She continued and said that she felt the changes to the liturgy were rather sudden. “I felt like it all happened in the course of a summer, and now we have to know all of this new stuff by Nov. 27; they could’ve given people more warning and they could’ve explained it better,” Shepherd said. “It’s easy to remember the new responses and spit it back, but for people who really care about this, the question is, why?” According to Thomas J. Scirghi, S.J., associate professor of theology at Fordham, the idea of revising the English translation of the Roman Missal dates back to its original translation published in 1973. It is the rubric used for the celebration of mass. Scirghi said that ever since the translation, there were some complaints. “[T]hese complaints gathered steam after years,”
Noon - 2:30 p.m. Cafeteria Atrium
CAC and CAB Holiday Party 6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Cafeteria Atrium
The F#s Winter Concert 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. Pope Auditorium FRI., DEC. 9
“Story of Stuff” Movie Screening 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Student Lounge
Molimo’s “Do the Right Thing” Film Screening 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Student Lounge
MasquerAIDS Ball 7 p.m. - 11 p.m. Cafeteria Atrium LAURA CHANG/THE OBSERVER
Catholic Mass changes can be found at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle, across the street from FCLC.
he said. “The opponents of the Missal claimed that the translation was rushed, since, after Vatican II when it was decided that we would pray in the vernacular, there was a call for the new translations as soon as possible.” Pope John Paul II added further momentum behind the argument by suggesting a new translation of the Missal with the Jubilee year in 2000. “And when the pope suggests something,” Scirghi said, “it had better happen.” According to a document released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops (USCCB), this year’s completed new translation includes “prayers for the celebration of recently canonized saints, additional prefaces for the Eucharistic Prayers, additional Masses and prayers for various needs and in-
tentions, and some updated and revised rubrics for the celebration of the Mass.” Reactions to this have been mixed, but many see the new translation as an opportunity for further learning. “I see an analogy in preparing for class,” said Rev. John McDonagh, S.T.L., “the book demands more of us and it does demand preparation to look over the text. But this is perfect for university life as it invites a number of points for reflection that make themselves known.” In addition, Scirghi said that he sees this goal playing out in the Missal as well. “I think the idea is that it should elevate the way we pray.” He said that the language of the Missal differs from the language of the street. “We might talk here on
the street quite informally, but if the pope were to walk in then we would be rather formal with him,” Scirghi said. “So in certain contexts, in certain situations we use a more formal language, in this case a sacred language, and it reminds us that we are in the presence of God.” However, Judith M. Kubicki, C.S.S.F., associate professor of theology at Fordham, cited the importance of keeping possibilities open for the implementation of the new Missal as well for improvement upon it. Kubicki said that there are no guarantees. “The thing we need to hope for is that somehow through these texts we will pray, and hopefully pray better,” she said. “But I think the proof of whether it will be better will be tested by time.”
FRI., DEC. 9 - TUE. DEC. 20
Library Open 24- Hours All Day Quinn Library MON., DEC. 12
Reading Day TUE., DEC. 13
Reading Day WED., DEC. 14 - WED., DEC.21
Finals Week THUR., DEC. 22
Winter Break Begins Compiled by Laura Chang
Crime
Quinn Library Open 24 Hours During Finals By FAITH HEAPHY Editor-in-Chief
From Dec. 9 through Dec. 20, the Quinn library will be open 24 hours each day, giving students more time options to study for finals. Currently, Quinn’s hours are 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday. The change came because of an initiative proposed by Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC)’s United Student Government (USG). “It’s something we tried to do two years ago and [the library] said they didn’t have the funds,” said Ryan O’Toole, FCLC ’12 and president of USG. In response to what USG felt was a student need, representatives from the club set up a meeting with Linda LoSchiavo, director of Quinn Library, asking for longer hours. This year, the request was granted. O’Toole said that students have wanted extended Quinn hours for a while, and fixing this issue is something USG had been looking to improve for the past few years. In 2009, USG worked to get the library open until 2 a.m. during finals week. “We feel, ideally, that it should be open 24/7 all the time,” O’Toole said. “That’s the goal.” During the extended days, a security guard as well as student worker or li-
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MADDY CHAMBERS/THE OBSERVER
FCLC students will be able to have literal all-nighters in Quinn Library during finals week.
brary attendant will be monitoring the library. O’Toole said USG and Quinn Library are mainly looking at student traffic from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. “In terms of success, I’m hoping we get at least 100 or more people during that period of time,” O’Toole said. “My real hope is that it becomes a permanent thing.” During the longer hours, library staff will be tracking student traffic and providing USG with updates. This option is attractive for some commuters who may wish to stay late
or arrive early to campus to study. Daniel Grossbaum, FCLC ’13 and commuter from the upper west side, said that he looks forward to flexible library times and plans on coming to Fordham during the mornings around 7 a.m. “Since it will be open early in the morning, I can come before classes and after,” Grossbaum said. “I find the library easier to study in than my apartment—there is less distraction.” Other commuters, however, are not as enthusiastic about Quinn’s hours.
“It’s not a big deal,” Fannie Wu, FCLC ’12, said. “I just go home after class. The fact that it’s open at 2 a.m. doesn’t really affect me because I’m not going to be here.” Andrew Lew, FCLC ’13 and also a commuter, agreed. “I haven’t been to the library since freshman year,” Lew said. “It gets noisy during finals week and a lot of times people I know will come up to me and say hi and it’s distracting.” For residents, the library is a draw because the study lounges in McMahon don’t have the printers, computers, reserved books, DVDs and a large, quiet areas like those in Quinn. Diana Bertuzzi, FCLC ’12 and McMahon resident, said that this is something that’s “really necessary” during finals times. “I have access to computers and the books in the library, which I need for my finals,” Bertuzzi said. “Also, it’s more structured. I focus more there than if I’m in a study lounge.” Bertuzzi, who’s taking five finals, said she will probably be in the library from 7 p.m. until 4 or 5 in the morning. The success of this USG initiative will lie in the numbers—if a numerous students take advantage of these early morning hours, it could pave the way for future changes in Quinn hours of operation.
SUN., NOV. 20 A student lost her wallet with her credit card, student ID and driver license. The student was in the Lowenstein building and the wallet was not located. WED., NOV. 23 Around 5 a.m., Residential Life reported that the glass of the fire extinguisher cabinet was broken on the fourth floor of McMahon Hall. Security is still investigating. TUE., NOV. 29 A student reported her iPhone 4 was missing. The student left the phone on a table in room 924 at 3:15 p.m. for 20 minutes. She returned and it was gone. There are no witnesses to the event.
SUN., DEC. 4 Around 4:15 a.m., a male guest refused to leave a room on the fifth floor in McMahon Hall. There was a verbal altercation and both security and the police responded. He was escorted from the building by secuirty and is now banned from entering McMahon Hall. Compiled by: Sara Azoulay
FCLC Hopes New Building Will Raise Prestige FORDHAM FROM PAGE 1
dents.” She said that Fordham is also promoting the construction to visitors of the Lincoln Center campus during events and tours. “The project has been included in our admission presentation as a sign of Fordham’s strength and growth, and the LC construction web cam
has a prominent place on our site,” Peek said. Some FCLC students shared their opinions about the new building. Theresa Carthy, FCLC ’15, commented on the image that the building would bring to Fordham and said, “I’ve had other teachers mention that Fordham is much more esteemed today than it was
a few years ago.” She said that it would be nice to continue and build on that positive image. Carthy said, “I like the school for other reasons, the good faculty for one, but the new building would be nice especially if its going to have undergraduate housing. For me though, it would not be a big reason to come to this school.”
Although Fordham is providing additional space for the Lincoln Center campus, one student believed that this new building will not necessarily attract a lot of new students. “I would recommend Fordham no matter what because I like Fordham,” Apollonia Colacicco, FCLC ’13, said. “The new building is just
an added bonus and now there will be more space for all of us.” Peek said that in anticipation of the new building and increased living space on campus for undergraduate students, Fordham has been and will continue to encourage potential students to consider the Lincoln Center campus.
Opinions
December 8, 2011 THE OBSERVER
STAFF EDITORIAL
CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY, SECULAR POLICIES?
R
ecently, Fordham was featured on Jezebel, a popular blog site, in an article titled, “Fordham Students Protest Hidden Anti-BirthControl Policy.” The piece described how Fordham’s stance on contraceptives was not clear to incoming students to the school. As Laura Chang and Richard Ramsundar’s article “Fordham Law Student Organizes Birth Control Drive“ on page one describes, Bridgette Dunlap from the Fordham Law Students for Reproductive Justice fought the ban on contraceptives at Fordham by organizing a clinic where students could obtain prescription for birth control and condoms. As a university that seeks to abide by Catholic teachings, we are faced with the dilemma of moving toward a more secularized standpoint on morality or holding on to the truths that serve as the foundation of our university. Often, the clashes between these ideals are brought to our attention as students. As we seek
Some students feel the religion should become less defined in university policy. to distinguish ourselves as a competitive college amongst our peers, we are faced with controversial concerns—our school may have been founded on the virtues of Catholicism, but some students feel the religion should become less defined in university policy. In September, strides were taken towards opening the conversation about the debated issue of homosexuality and religion through the “More Than a Monologue Dialogue” held at Fordham College at Lincoln Center. Now, controversy centers on reproductive health and the Church. Workers in the Health Center at Fordham follow the “Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services,” which advocate what the
Church teaches regarding “responsible parenthood and methods of natural family planning.” As a result of the university’s mission to abide by Catholic teachings, students are unable to obtain common contraceptives such as prescriptions to the birth control pill and condoms. Should Fordham advocate contraceptives and provide them to a student body who seems to want them? Should we as a university forsake what some consider an outdated religious past and move forward with secularized change that so many universities have already adopted? Or is it important to steadfastly remain connected to the Catholic morals on sexuality and promote the idea of the importance of abstinence before marriage? These are questions we face as a university and questions that will further define how we hope to differentiate ourselves among other institutions. While the outcome of the opposition between religion and secular ideals is still unclear, it will certainly shape how our school is
Applying to Graduate School: Can We Get a Common Application, Please? You’d Think These Academic Geniuses Could Come Up with an Easier Way to Apply DAVID HAGMANN Staff Writer
I can’t believe it has been four years since I applied to Fordham. It was fairly simple applying to all my choice colleges, since I relied on the Common Application. In its beautiful simplicity, it collected all the basic information (our names, contact information, educational backgrounds) that all schools inevitably require. Depending on the schools you then applied to, you could either submit the Common Application or fill out a supplemental form answering essay questions particular to the institutions. If only applying to graduate school were this easy. I expected the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the standardized entrance test required for most graduate schools, to be the most stressful part of the application. Having taken it in summer, I figured it’d be smooth from there on out. I had my letter writers picked well in advance, put together a collection of universities to apply to and requested a transcript to make sure everything was in order. Then, all happy with myself, I officially started with the application process. Turns out, this is the worst part of applying. Instead of having anything resembling the common application, each graduate program requires its own account. Sure, why not. But as I went through the applications, I noticed that most schools rely on two companies to provide their application: Embark or Hobson. So it’s not that I had to fill out multiple forms, but that I was filling out the same form repeatedly. Particularly economics programs, to which I am applying, should find some value in efficiency and reducing repetition.
FATIMA SHABBIR/THE OBSERVER
As if studying for the GRE weren’t enough, students are also required to fill out the same application multiple times for different schools, only adding pressure to an already stressful process.
If it were just a matter of demographic information, it wouldn’t matter so much. Although I noticed that the more often I filled out a form, the more likely I was to make a mistake. Carefully looking over the application before submitting is a must, of course, but it’s a source of errors that could be avoided by relying on a single form. It’s easier to double-check one form than 10. Moreover, grad-
uate schools also require a scanned copy of the applicant’s transcripts. If you’re applying to 10 schools, you have to upload it 10 times. The inconveniences to the applicant might be forgiven just because that’s one way to limit applications. Make it more time consuming for the student, and he or she will apply to fewer schools. However, it’s not just students who waste time. I feel sorry for my let-
ter writers, who have to create an account for each school that they are uploading a letter to. Applicants to law schools have it easier, thanks to the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), the organization behind the LSAT admissions test. They collect an applicant’s information and credentials (transcripts, recommendations, etc.) and send them to law schools along with the LSAT score.
Thus, a student merely sends his or her transcripts to one place and fills out an online form once. Those who write letters of recommendation, too, have it much easier: they only have to deal with one system. A common application system would also reduce costs for students. Instead of sending GRE (or GMAT, for business students) scores to each school, one could simply send the report to the application provider, which then reports it to the schools. With less money to spend on score reports, students could choose to apply to more schools. Not only would that increase the chance of students finding a good match, it would also help universities outside of the top tier increase their revenue from application fees. It’s not all bad though. One of my schools still requires an offline application, giving a glimpse of the nightmare that applications used to be. I gave my letter writers a stamped postcard to include in their mailing, which I hope the school will return to me so I know the letter has been received. Writing a postcard to myself was a rather sad experience, but it’s virtually the only way of knowing whether something has been received or not. Online applications promise to update the applicant when material has been received. Whether or not that actually happens, I won’t figure out for a few more weeks. In the meantime, I will continue to rely on an Excel file to track deadlines and application materials. But frankly, this should all be done in one common application system. The Educational Testing Service, the company behind the SAT and the GRE, should copy the LSAC and offer a common application. Not just for the sake of our own time, but also for that of our professors who have to navigate the numerous accounts for multiple students at a time.
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THE OBSERVER December 8, 2011
Opinions
5
Occupy Slogans Fall on Deaf Ears: The Apathy of the Undergraduate THE OBSERVER Fordham College at Lincoln Center 113 West 60th Street Room 408 New York, New York 10023 Tel: (212) 636-6015 Fax: (212) 636-7047
Editor-in-Chief Faith Heaphy Managing Editor Monique John News Editor Laura Chang Asst. News Editor Sara Azoulay Opinions Editor Colleen Thornhill Arts & Culture Co-Editors Mike Madden Katie Lockhart Asst. Arts & Culture Co-Editor Brian Bruegge Features Co-Editors Mario Weddell Darryl Yu Literary Editor Matt Petronzio Asst. Literary Editor Salma Elmehdawi Literary Staff Zoe Simpson Bianca Leggio Sports Co-Editors Randy Narine Max Wollner Copy Editor Matt Petronzio Asst. Copy Editor Anna Luciano Layout Editor Amanda Fimbers Layout Staff Tayler Bennett Ariella Mastroianni Photo Co-Editors Salma Elmehdawi Sara Azoulay Asst. Photo Editor Mario Weddell Online Co-Editors Beata Cherepakhina Ariella Mastroianni
NICHOLAS MILANES Contributing Writer
A couple of weeks ago I was sitting in the Ram Van on my way back from a class at Rose Hill. I had put on my clunky earmuff headphones, having had enough of the conversation going on around me; the driver and her ride-along passenger continuously babbled about booze, shoes and partying, while the philosophy students sitting behind me complained about their professor. I had begun to doze off when I heard chanting in the distance. I opened my eyes and took off my headphones. “Oh my God,” the driver marveled. “What is this?” All along the sidewalk of Columbus Avenue, construction workers and members of various workers’ unions marched in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, demanding higher rates. “I don’t like this. This scares me,” she said. The driver had something of a frustrated unease in her voice. “This is, like, how riots start—it’s like, I don’t care about this, get out of my face—close the window.” Her passenger obeyed, and the driver turned the radio back up. She continued to describe the shoes she needed to buy that weekend while the passenger sang along to “Moves Like Jagger.” The students sitting behind me critiqued, “I guess this is better than camping in the park and doing nothing.” In front of me, indifference. Behind me, detached skepticism. I thought about the countless stories of civil action and general go-getter activeness of college students back in the civil rights era. Aren’t college students supposed to be more involved than this? I won’t try and paint myself as some hardcore protester; I’m far from it. While I would love to skip out on classes to support Occupy Wall Street, my parents and I are sinking far too deeply into debt for academic sacrifice to be a wise option. But what’s been happening all over the country is relevant to everyone, young and old, whether you’re roaming the insular bubble of college or sticking it out in the real world. As such, I’ve made
MARK BOSTER/LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT
While some students embrace the movement, others fail to get involved or choose to ignore it altogether.
the trek down to Zuccotti Park more than a few times on weekends, just to engage in conversation, learn about the different people taking part in the movement and to witness the U. S. population in a microcosm. History has been happening in our backyard for nearly two and a half months now, and it shocks me, even saddens me, that so few Fordham students are engaging in it. A few weeks ago, the Campus Activities Board held a Wall Street information event on Lowenstein Plaza, where professors and occupiers explaind and examined the movement and the causes it concerns. My heart sank when I saw how few students—20, 25 at most—were in attendance. Even fewer students raised their hands when one of the speakers asked, “Show of hands— who’s been down to Zuccotti?” Students walked back and forth between Lowenstein and McMahon, earbuds firmly in place, barely even glancing towards the small crowd. On one of the occasions I visited Zuccotti, a group of high schoolers stood on the sidewalk, one of them carrying a sign that read, “FIGHT APATHY.” I inquired and they told me that the majority of students in
their magnet school neither knew nor cared about political issues. I wanted to tell them that things would be different once they got to college—but I wasn’t even sure of that myself. I’m still not. After the many halfconversations I’ve had and judgmental Facebook statuses I’ve read from people who had formed opinions of the protest without having been to the park, I’m inclined to think most college students are about as inactive and uninformed as most high schoolers. I commonly hear Fordham students complain about how our school doesn’t treat us as though we were adults. But adults have responsibilities not only to themselves, but to their neighborhoods and their societies. As participants in democracy, we’re supposed to do more than simply cast our vote for whichever team we’re on every four years. We’re supposed to pay attention to everything that goes on in our country: from the hard issues to the minor injustices, from the new developments to the crumbling antiquities. Simply being a typical liberal arts student scoffing at Fox News doesn’t make you a responsible, politically aware adult. Democracy is about participation, discussion and
vigilance. Fordham has plenty of political clubs and organizations encouraging societal action and awareness. What they lack is people who care. All the resources are at the fingertips of idle hands. It can be difficult working with the Fordham administration, yes, but action, however small, should be worth any difficulty, however large. When news of the protesters’ eviction broke, I saw a few different reactions. There were the usual smug Facebook statuses from people who hadn’t even been down to see the protest for themselves, as well as disappointment. A suitemate of mine expressed regret; he had meant to visit the park for weeks, but he had never made the time. The protesters’ eviction in no way condemns them to inaction. It’s not too late to witness what many are calling history in the making; whether or not you agree with that judgment, you owe it to yourself and to society to form judgments on your own merits, rather than aping what journalists, Tweeters and Facebook statuses opine. You’re in college. Be your own person; go and see the world, and form your own opinions.
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Opinions
December 8, 2011 THE OBSERVER
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Waiters, Just Pass the Check, Don’t Indulge on the Conversation GIANMARCO FONGARO Staff Writer
Lately, I’ve noticed many waiters seem to take liberties with their job. They do whatever they please, trampling over the sanctity of a proper meal. I once enjoyed dining out, but now I feel most of the meal is spent deflecting the attacks of these militant waiters rather than enjoying the food. “How is everything?” Those words sound like a death knell over what usually is a pleasurable dining experience. I’ll oblige the waiter and say, “It’s good,” or sometimes I’ll joke, “It’s terrible,” in a manner so exaggerated that the insincerity of my response cannot be mistaken. I accept this insufferable question as part of modern dining, but some waiters don’t stop there. They interrogate to no end. “How’s the drink—the appetizer—the main course—the dessert?” They demand a bite-by-bite commentary, an analysis of every flavor, sensation, etc. Sometimes, as if seized by a fit of madness, waiters will begin to converse with me about matters outside the realm of cuisine. Listen, if I am out dining with family and/or friends, their company is the only one I want to enjoy. Some waiters will drop eaves without scruple and preface their intrusions into conversations with “I couldn’t help but overhear” and then they add their two cents. When this happens, I go limp with terror. The waiter treads along the perimeter of the restaurant and every time he or she approaches I get a feeling in the pit of my stomach that usually accompanies descents from great heights. Once I was dining out and my waiter couldn’t refrain from butting into my conversation. Let me tell you, he had quite a mouth on him. Every time he’d approach, we’d bring our conversation to a murmur, hoping
BOB DORAN/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
It’s okay to be friendly, but it’s not okay for waiters to talk so much that you find you know their life story by the end of the meal.
to avoid his commentary. We were like little critters crawling across an open plain in an attempt to avoid the talons of a hawk. Though they share many characteristics, there is a distinction between the eavesdropping waiter and this class of waiter who is garrulous to a fault. They tell you about their job or reveal future ambitions. The topic of conversation matters not for they talk only for talking’s sake. I had one waiter who became so forcefully intimate with my dining party that I actually scooted over thinking he was going to sit down and join us. At one point in the meal, I was genuinely concerned that he was going to introduce me to his parents. Directly across from my table, there was a group of girls. I saw
that he harassed them, too. He’d encroach upon them with a lascivious smile, like a sultan retiring to his harem after a day of governance. His villainy extended beyond just profuse babbling, for every single action that he performed had to be accompanied by a preamble and an epilogue. My friends and I asked for separate checks. Before doing this, he had to explore every possibility regarding the nature of our request, and then when he finally returned with the separate checks, he had to hold a ceremony marking the triumph of his service before he’d relinquish the checks. “Aren’t I nice?” he cooed. Then, there are the snobbish waiters, straight in posture and dripping with condescension. If you order anything that is cheap, they
glare at you like you’re a common thief. For the duration of the meal, their eyes are fixed on you, their disgust apparent and they eye you like prison wardens as though you were going to dash for the door at any moment. They even scrutinize all your decisions. “Our customers usually do this.” “An unusual choice, monsieur.” “That wine is usually paired with this.” By meal’s end, after so much browbeating, I’ve practically developed an inferiority complex. While this is not a specific genus of waiter, it is a practice that many partake in. They’ll ask if you want the dessert and if you say yes, their eyes widen with glee. Eating a piece of cake is not a momentous occasion requiring fanfare. “Are we going to indulge tonight?” the
waiter asks with a smirk of complicity. I swear they almost adopt that horrible baby talk voice. “I’ll have the crème brûlée.” “Oh yes, yes you will, that’s a goody goody.” It gets to the point where I recoil as the waiter comes near, thinking he or she will pinch my cheeks or pet my head. Do not take friendliness and spontaneity for anything but the machinations of a goon-thug, which have been long in ferment. Forget lobster bisque; be lobster brusque. Maybe I’m being a bit hawkish, but these renegade waiters are a threat and we must rise to meet this menace. However, it may be that those who can profit most from this testimony might be waiters themselves, who may unknowingly be engaging in hostile service.
Keeping It Traditional: Celebrating Christmas Without the Eggnog JOSEPHINE TROTT Staff Writer
The holidays are a time most people prefer to spend with their close family and friends. However, the idea of the commercialized American holiday sometimes gets in the way of the true meaning behind holidays like Christmas. Even at Fordham, a multicultural institution that loves to embrace diversity, I’ve heard people describe beautiful, ethnic gatherings with their families and then admit to a feeling of shame because their experiences don’t live up to the holiday that was advertised to all of us. There is no wrong way to celebrate a holiday, only your way. My own Christmas experiences have taught me that it isn’t the kind of food we eat or the type of music we listen to that is important during this special season. It’s the time we spend with our loved ones. I come from a strong Italian background, and when I tell my friends what I ate at Christmas, I always have to translate the names of the dishes and then explain to them how they’re made. For example, cardunas (garrdoonas) are celery-like stalks that we pressure cook, bread and fry until they are ready to be devoured. Then we eat manicotti (mana-gourt), little sleeves of pasta filled with ground beef and tomato sauce. Arancini is up next and we usually just call them “rice balls.” These are my favorite and it’s usually my job to bread and fry these little balls of rice, meat and peas.
AI ELO/THE OBSERVER
American holidays tend to be materialistic when they should be about embracing our family’s traditions.
When eating, we sometimes listen to cheesy songs in Italian, and we always celebrate on Christmas Eve, never on Christmas Day. But I’ve never thought that my Christmas was missing something just because it wasn’t identical to a friend’s. In response to the reactions of “Isn’t that weird?” I just laugh and say, “Nope, everyone was there! It was awesome!” There’s nothing better than warm food, fun music and lots of family to make you happy around the holidays.
But some people have told me that the “normal” American Christmas is what we should aim for. I have got to know, what is “normal”? We live in a culture that is simply a clashing mess of these different cultures and most families just pick and choose what they want to keep or throw away. What makes a Christmas dinner American? Eggnog? Gravy? Ham? Parades? I’ve never included any of these things in my celebrations, and I’ve never felt any want for them. Besides, if we’re going to pick out
American traditions, it’s probably going to get materialistic really fast and that’s not the point. Even though my perfect Christmas includes great food and presents, it’s not really about that. It’s about the feeling of contentment you get when all of these things mix together and your unique brand of Christmas is created. So when people, especially the people here at Fordham, tell me about their awesome holidays and then confess that they feel like it’s just
not “American” enough, I’m always a little upset. When someone tells me that they have 40 plus members coming to their Christmas dinner, I have to tell them that it sounds absolutely wonderful and so much better than just having the nuclear family dinner party. When another person tells me that their family hires belly dancers as entertainment for their holiday, smokes hookah and eats garlic yogurt, my reaction isn’t “Where’s the eggnog?” My jaw drops and I wish that the next television Christmas special has something like that added to the mix. Those special extras are what make our holiday experiences unique, and even if someone has lingering doubts about how American their family is, it’s still about the time that you and your family are spending together. If I could trade all my weird food, the cardunas, manicotti and arancini for eggnog, ham and gravy, it wouldn’t make anything better. Not to mention that wishing for your family to be different sounds like a plot for the most clichéd holiday movie ever created. The right way to celebrate a holiday isn’t by following what you think everyone else is doing: It’s about doing what you feel will make you happy. I came to the conclusion long ago that there isn’t a wrong way to celebrate. Any worry that builds up around this time should just be dropped on the way to the dinner table. Just be thankful for your family and enjoy the good company and the food. And I hope to never forget that.
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THE OBSERVER December 8, 2011
Opinions
7
Now! That’s What I Call...Extinct: Lay the Compact Disc to Rest in 2012 Let’s face it, half the time we don’t even pay for our music, period, especially with apps such as Pandora Radio and Spotify.
ALISSA FAJEK Staff Writer
COURTESY OF NASA
With all the theories on alternate realities, there may indeed be more to the universe than just stars and galaxies.
Horton Hears a What? Theories on Alternate Realities Explained JESSICA CHEUNG Contributing Writer
After a read-aloud of “Horton Hears a Who!” in the first grade, I left school one day terribly convinced that each flower in my backyard and each blade of grass were homes to microscopic civilizations. I imagined that walking across the lawn was the equivalent of nuclear destruction in their world. I wondered if we live in the Whoville of a larger world. What if we are that microscopic civilization sitting on a dandelion awaiting deforestation? And who is to say we haven’t been already saved by a hippie, green activist or an analogous elephant? Or what about films like “Inception,” which suggest we live in alternate realities? Other films, like “The Truman Show” and “The Matrix” continue to raise questions of our own reality, and as “Inception’s” protagonist Dom Cobb describes, “plant the seed,” making us question our own world. From that first Dr. Seuss read-aloud years ago, to my obsessive viewings of these films, my thoughts on our universe have dominoed into unplugged research on theories of alternate realities, like the “Horton Hears a Who!” hypothesis mentioned above and the simulation hypothesis. The simulation hypothesis, although perhaps not a familiar term to most, is actually a real and widely recognized theory which suggests that our reality is a virtual one created by a more advanced civilization. While mind-boggling at first, I’ve found that this statement doesn’t sound so lunatic once you ponder it a bit. Imagine this: A 12 year-old boy spends his weekend with a bag of chips in one hand and a mouse in the other, clicking at one of the myriad of computer monitors that sit before him. He oversees the aspects of our reality, much like many of us have done in the gaming world of “The Sims.” The boy is the creator of our world and unconventional to the mainstream idea of an omnipotent, omniscient God that we are all used to. What if we are living in that very universe, that unreal reality? What if the simulators of our universe are simulated by another universe, which is simulated by another universe, simulated by another universe? From the telegraph to Skype, phonograph to iTunes, by today’s technological standards, inventions made just two centuries ago appear ridiculously simplistic. Computers
are exponentially multiplying in power and the flying rate of technological evolution suggests that this unabated progress may be infinite. Thus, imagine technology’s capabilities 20 years from now. Those capabilities could include, say, simulating people in a world where they are conscious of their choices. This capability, known as “technological maturity” by the Oxford University philosopher Nick Bostrom, would enable technology, and therefore us, to simulate an entire universe, inhabited by cognizant humans with freewill, though unaware that their “reality” is not real. Let us assume for a second that our universe is indeed a simulation in the computer of some advanced civilization. What will ensue for us is a string of endless questionings like: What is science? What is religion? What, then, is the meaning of life? And how is the nature of relationships within countries, races and politicians going to change? There aren’t many philosophical questions that could make you dumber, but people tend to fixate on these inconclusive questions, which ultimately act as mental termites that chip away at the reality of our life experiences and our love for our family and friends. Perhaps we are indeed the very subjects of the dramatic irony demonstrated in “Inception.” And unless we, like Truman Burbank, who discovers he has been living in a constructed reality television show, flee our reality and meet with our creators, the simulation and the “Horton Hears a Who!” hypotheses (that we’re living on a floating dandelion) will forever remain implausible, because a hypothesis without evidence cannot be reasoned with. Despite the challenges these theories pose to my own mental well-being, I remain agnostic— neither definitive in my belief of them nor incredulous. For now, the simulation hypothesis is food for thought. And even if at some point the simulation hypothesis proves true, we should continue our lives just as if we aren’t in a computer simulation. In “Inception,” after Dom returns from a supposed dream world, he spins his top (which falls when in the real world) to test that he has definitely returned to his reality, but he leaves to hug his kids before seeing the result. The allegorical abandonment of the spinning top shows he doesn’t care anymore, and that his reality lies within his reunion with his children. In a similar vein, our reality should not be formulated by our metaphysical position, but by the people who surround us.
With the end of the year approaching, some people may play along with the “end of the world” myth as we enter 2012. Though it is pretty certain that life will continue after the new year, some things will sadly come to an end. Not everything we know today will survive this milestone. Compact discs, aka CDs for those of us ’90s children, will surely meet their end in 2012. In a digital world, it is all about minimizing. Everything should be smaller in size but bigger in capability. The standard CD simply does not fit these standards anymore. MP3s do not take up space (unless you count the disc space on your computer’s hard drive), usually offer bonus tracks and other virtual bonuses and are generally cheaper on iTunes than the hard copies sold in stores. The news of the death of the CD may be surprising, even though most of our music collections are generally online. For many of us, CDs are just the normal way of thinking of music production. As a kid, I had a CD player in my room with music from the Backstreet Boys, the first Now! That’s What I Call Music compilation (hard to imagine that they’re almost up to 50 editions by now), Britney Spears and TLC. These artists topped the charts throughout the ’90s and 2000s. So how have the times progressed so fast that the CD is now outdated? When asked if the CD would still exist in five years, Matrix Revelations editor Bernard Van Isacker stated, “Yes, but in a different format. Normal CDs will no longer be available because they don’t offer enough value. Limited editions on the other hand
will remain available...the album as we know it now, however, will be dead in five years, if not sooner.” He also predicted that downloadable music will have replaced the material “CD album” within the next two years. When one change is made, many must be made in turn to keep up. When the Internet became such a social norm, and the digitalization of our society began, we lost the need for material things in favor of owning them digitally. Why go buy a book when you can download it online or onto an e-Reader? Why go to the store when you can order anything from shoes to flowers to even groceries online and have them sent straight to your door? Many book stores have gone out of business because of the popularization of e-Readers, and various stores have become online-only vendors or have opened up websites where they were not connected before. It was only a matter of time that music would be affected as well, since iTunes has grown so much in the past few years. Hard-copy albums can’t compete with the convenience of buying your music online and having it downloaded straight to your music library, all with the click of a mouse. Though we may still find comfort in our CDs and find it completely absurd that they are greeting extinction, those in the music business have seen this coming for quite some time. When you stop and think about it, it makes a lot of sense, no matter how bittersweet it may be. We all own some
form of an iPod or MP3 player as opposed to a Walkman and probably don’t buy many hard copies anymore anyway. Let’s face it, half the time we don’t even pay for our music, period, especially with Apps such as Pandora radio and Spotify; never mind laying out the cost of a hard copy CD for it to sit in the box after the 10 minutes it takes for it to be synched to your iTunes library. So, instead, we opt for our other options, and the unpurchased CDs sit on the store shelves collecting dust. In cutting out the production of CDs, the cost of distribution and shipping is cut, and the industry can focus more on production. Saving money is definitely a bonus, but like the book shops closing due to eReaders, many record shops will be forced to close their doors as well, with little merchandise to sell and even smaller demand. It is sad to see our material world diminish right in front of our eyes, even though we all buy into the electronic era of our world’s current society. It is everything that we grew up with coming to an end, although all great things must. All CDs are not planned to stop being produced; it is planned that limited editions will still be available. Like everything else, we mustn’t look to this change as a negative, the CD has just run it’s course. In a culture where Lady Gaga is inspired by ’80s icons David Bowie and Madonna, hippie fashion can actually be hip and vinyl records were the “new black” for a time, the CD will surely make a comeback in the years to come.
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Arts & Culture
December 8, 2011 THE OBSERVER
Art Show or Chandelier? Maurizio Cattelan’s Last Exhibition Hangs From the Ceiling
DAVID HEALD/COURTESY OF GUGGENHEIM
“Maurizio Cattelan: All” features life-size, human wax figures as well as hanging taxidermic animals. By OLIVIA PERDOCH Staff Writer
When walking into the lobby of the Guggenheim this winter, you might think you’ve wandered into the wrong museum. The walls and floor are bare, but look up and you’ll see a gigantic conglomeration of taxidermy horses, dogs, pigeons, lifelike wax-figures of children hanging by their necks and a massive dinosaur skeleton—all dangling from the ceiling. At first glance, the exhibition, “Maurizio Cattelan: All,” appears overwhelming, mesmerizing and even a bit dangerous, while its overall theme seems literally and figuratively, up in the air. “All” is exactly what it sounds like—a display of all of Maurizio Cattelan’s sculptures, paintings and photographs created since the now 51-year-old Italian artist started showing his art in the late 1980s. The show exhibits his most controversial and talked about pieces including “L.O.V.E” (2010), a marble monument of a middle finger pointing upwards, originally displayed in front of the Milan Stock Exchange building and “La Nona Ora” (1999), a life-sized wax sculpture of Pope John Paul II getting struck by a meteorite. For “All,” his final show (he announced his plan to retire from the art world upon its completion), Cattelan couldn’t help but continue on with his tradition of being untraditional and asked the Guggenheim if he could hang his art from
the ceiling. Each one of his 128 pieces is dangled from a rope and attached to a large circular structure suspended from the ceiling of the museum’s rotunda. As evident from the pieces hanging in “All,” Cattelan clearly is not, and never was, a conventional artist. During his very first solo exhibition in 1989, he closed the gallery and hung an engraved sign on the door that said “Torno subito,” or “Be right back” (the sign is included in “All”), simply because he couldn’t decide what to show. His piece, “Working is a Bad Job” (1993), is a result of another of Cattelan’s antics—when asked to contribute a work to the Venice Biennale, he accepted and then leased his spot to an advertising agency. The agency set up a large perfume billboard in the space, which Cattelan now considers one of his artworks. Cattelan is known as what the curators of “All,” Nancy Spector and Katherine Brinson, like to call a “provocateur” and a “prankster.” It is obvious why, once you examine the hint of humor and wit found in many of his works. “Frankie and Jamie” (2002), for example, features wax sculptures of two New York City police officers, turned upside down, hanging from their feet. “Don’t Forget To Call Your Mother” (2000) is a photograph of a neon sign in the interior of a bar that reads the same line serving as a reminder to kids that while they are out drinking, their mothers are probably at home waiting and wor-
rying—and they should probably call them. Despite the humorous anecdotes behind many of the pieces, spectators of “All” can’t help but ignore the fact that all of the artworks, notably the lifelike human and animal replicas, are hung from a rope, bearing resemblance to the gallows. This, as well as the taxidermy, the animal skeletons and the glum faces of the wax humans, adds an element of unease and the implication of death. The site-specific show seems to have found its perfect home—museum visitors are meant to walk around the circular center of the museum, on ramps that reach the very top of the building, allowing the exhibition to be seen from almost every angle. Each time you circle the exhibit you discover a piece you hadn’t noticed before, making it well worth the seemingly costly ticket price. “Maurizio Cattelan: All” runs until Jan. 22. IF YOU GO
“Maurizio Cattelan: All” WHEN: Sun.–Wed. 10 a.m. to 5:45
p.m., Fri. 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., Sat. 10 a. m. to 7:45 p.m., Closed Thurs. WHERE: Solomon R. Guggenheim
Museum, 1071 Fifth Ave. (at 89 St.) PRICE: $15 with a student ID, “Pay
What You Wish” on Saturdays from 5:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.
Poets Out Loud Brings Exotic Locales Closer to Lincoln Center By BRIAN BRUEGGE Asst. Arts & Culture Editor
As Quan Barry read aloud one of her poems, she painted with her words a vivid and somber night scene in the South American city of Arequipa. Her poem was inspired by a trip she had taken to southern Peru’s “white city,” located at the foot of a dormant volcano. The reading was part of the Poets Out Loud (POL) reading series, a monthly live poetryreading event put on by the Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) English department. The most recent POL reading, the event at which Barry presented her work, was held this past Wednesday, Nov. 30, on the 12th floor of the Leon Lowenstein building. The other featured poet of the evening was Keith O’Shaughnessy, whose poems have recently enjoyed a rapid rise in popularity. Much of the work read by both performers described scenes of foreign lands, filled with engaging wordplay and double meanings. Their words brought the audience to locales such as Thailand, Cambodia, Mexico and the Old West. Barry, who was the first reader of
the evening, was born in Saigon to a Vietnamese mother and an AfricanAmerican father. She gained her M.F.A. from the University of Michigan and is a current faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. When introducing Barry, Heather Dubrow, professor of English and one of POL’s organizers, described her as a master of the “art and craft of juxtaposition.” Barry’s poetry selections brimmed with picturesque imagery and jarring expressions. Often equally curious were the topics her poems covered. As an example, one poem, “The Canon,” was written during a period in which she had become fascinated by syphilis. The poem concerned a smattering of historical figures thought to have contracted the infection; figures such as Nietzsche and Gauguin. Another poem titled “Synopsis” was just that: a poetic synopsis of the Clint Eastwood film “High Plains Drifter.” The most interesting of all came with her comparison of teleportation in “Star Trek” to the Olympic long jump. Strange enough, it made a lot of sense. Reading second, Keith O’Shaughnessy, a Rutgers graduate and teacher at Camden County
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Keith O’Shaughnessy was one of two poets to read his work at POL.
College, stepped up to the podium. O’Shaughnessy’s first book of poetry, “Incommunicado,” was released earlier this year and has gained a significant amount of attention, winning the Grolier Discovery Award. His poetry presented scenes of bullfights, festi-
vals and the calm spaces in between. It is what Dubrow, in her introduction, described as a “quasi-Mexican dreamscape.” O’Shaughnessy’s poems, while meaningful on their own, are also intended as part of a larger narra-
tive. The poems of “Incommunicado” draw comparisons to movements in a musical symphony, each having a unique character that also plays a part in the greater structure. Certain poems set the scene, while others introduce characters in the narrative or told stories. The poems also featured a great deal of wit in their wordplay, drawing attention to the double meaning of words or the rhythmic character of certain phrases. One poem about the moon, used words such as “lunacy,” “wax,” “wane” and “tide” among other words, while simultaneously holding a different meaning. In the reception following the event, audience members were given the opportunity to speak with the poets, purchase their books and have them signed. There was also a series of drawings in which several audience members won books prizes. The Poets Out Loud reading series will continue next semester beginning on Monday, Feb. 6. Readings are held at 7 p.m. on the 12th floor of Lowenstein. A full schedule of POL events and more information about POL can be found on the Fordham website (www.fordham.edu).
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THE OBSERVER December 8, 2011
Arts & Culture
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The Gloves Are Off for Oscar “Contenders” at the MoMA By KATHERINE FABIAN Staff Writer
Ever since the emergence of Netflix and On Demand, it seems as though most of today’s generation has been robbed of the good oldfashioned experience of going to see a movie on the big screen. With the prices to see an evening show at an AMC theater skyrocketing to $13, movie theaters have become a thing of the past for college students living in New York City. But now, thanks to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), broke college students can see some of the best films of the year for just $8 (with current ID). Every year MoMA screens a series of films that the film department believes are the most noteworthy releases of the year, from mainstream motion pictures to independent foreign films. “The Contenders” film series runs from Nov. 8 until Jan. 26 and with such a wide repertoire of films, it is sure to give any New York City movie theater a run for its money. “This is our third year of doing this series, and every year a team of curators sits down and decides which films they believe will win an Oscar that they would like to screen for the public,” said Sean Egan, director of film at the MoMa. The exhibit opened with a screening of Clint Eastwood film “J. Edgar,”
COURTESY OF MOMA
“J. Edgar” and “Midnight in Paris” are among the several films being shown at the MoMA.
starring Leonardo DiCaprio and will close with German documentary “Pina,” directed by Wim Wenders, a tribute to the late German choreographer of the same name. Screenings will be held in The Roy and Niuta Titus Theatres. Directors and actors will also make appearances and hold question and answer sessions after some of the
screenings. Some of these events include a session with Gore Verbinksi, director of the animated film “Rango,” after the film’s screening on Dec. 9 and Liza Johnson, director of “The Return,” after the Jan. 30 screening. Kristin Wiig of “Bridesmaids” and Alexander Payne, director of “The Descendents” made appearances in November as well.
Some mainstream movies in this year’s lineup include the summer blockbuster “The Help” and recently released Jim Henson’s “The Muppets.” Kristin Wiig’s comedy “Bridesmaids,” Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris,” “Drive,” starring Ryan Gosling and “The Descendents,” starring George Clooney and Shailene Woodley were screened over the past month, as well.
Other more family-oriented films include animated film “Rango,” directed by Gore Verbinski and featuring the voice of Johnny Depp, and book adaptation “Hugo,” directed by Martin Scoresese and starring Sacha Baron Cohen and the up-and-coming young starlet Chloe Moertz. More edgy independent films included “Women Art Revolution,” directed by and starring Lynn Hershman-Leeson, a 3D documentary about the feminist art revolution and foreign film “A Separation,” directed by Asghar Farhadi, about an Iranian couple’s debate on whether or not they should leave the country in order to provide a better life for their daughter. Other indie films screened this month included impressionistic film “The Tree of Life,” starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, about a boy’s loss of innocence while living in the 1950s and black and white French film “The Artist,” a biopic following the career of 1920s silent actor, George Valentin. Part of the reason why MoMA provides such a wide breadth of films is so that they can have something to offer for everyone. Egan said,“The MoMA is a museum that is outside of the film industry, so for us this is less about profits.” For more information on show times and how to get tickets visit moma.org.
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MONTHLY MUSIC REVIEW
Unheard, But Not Forgotten in 2011 By MIKE MADDEN Arts & Culture Co-Editor
MIDDLE BROTHER/PARTISAN
Middle Brother “Middle Brother” Mar. 4
COURTESY OF CSI EXHIBIT
CSI: The Experience lets visitors play the role of a crime scene detective.
New CSI Exhibit Dazzles and Educates By SHAUN CHAUDHRY Staff Writer
Those interested in shows like “CSI,” “Dexter,” or “Psych” may be interested in the newest exhibit Discovery Times Square (DTS) has to offer. CSI: The Experience takes eager participants into the world of crime solving using virtual crime scenes and touch screen computers. DTS is New York City’s first large-scale exhibition center presenting visitors with limited-run, educational and immersive exhibit experiences while exploring the world’s defining cultures, art, history and events. More than a museum, DTS has featured a renowned line-up of exhibitions including Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, Leonardo Da Vinci’s Workshop and King Tut: Tutankhamen and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. Originally opening on Oct. 1, CSI: The Experience is a 12,000 square-foot experience that was developed in consultation with 175 forensic science experts to combine the entertainment of the hit television show with real-life scientific principles and investigative techniques. The experience itself is something different altogether. At the start of the exhibit, one of the attendees offers you a case, which you can solve with a friend or even a group of people. You are also given the option to wear a CSI vest, although it serves no actual purpose. From there you get the opportunity to observe the scene of the crime. At this point, the exhibit is fascinating. An incredible amount of detail was put into staging these scenes, as they are very intricate and based on real crimes. For my particular case, a car had crashed through the side of a house, killing both the driver and a victim watching TV. An actual car was brought in and dented up to make it look more realistic. Alongside it were pieces of debris, blood and, of course, easyto-miss clues that can help you with your investigation. After you finish observing the scene, you go to the forensic stations that are assigned to your specific case. You are asked to examine blood spatter, match DNA and observe the scenes at which the crimes were committed. These are very simple and seem more for children; it feels like they are holding your hand through the whole process. These are made up of small exercises to determine clues at the scene of the crime and are very simple
for anyone over the age of nine to figure out. Using the data you find and log on your notepad, you will be asked at the end of the exhibit to determine a suspect. Finally, once you have reached a conclusion as to what had happened, you fill out a quiz using your notes. This hands-on experience plunges exhibit goers deep into the science of solving crimes. Among the 15 forensic lab stations are hands-on activities including DNA, blood splatter, fingerprint analyses, toxicology reports and firearms analysis, as well as special effects. Alongside these stations are educational videos featuring CSI: Crime Scene Investigation creator Anthony E. Zuiker, past and present cast members, including Eric Szmanda, Marg Helgenberger, Jorja Fox, George Eads and real-life forensic experts. CSI: The Experience is designed for guests 12 years of age or older. Multimedia portions of the exhibit can be presented in English with Spanish subtitles. It was a little disappointing that such detail and work could be out into an exhibit that takes less than a half hour to complete. It would seem that the targeted audience there was essentially tourists with rudimentary abilities in understanding simple tasks. Adult and young adult-oriented subject matter coupled with the elementary skills needed to figure out each station made the experience a bit frustrating. This aside however, the experience is educational and somewhat fun. There is a lot of information about interesting topics for anyone, from psychology majors interested in the criminal psyche to people who just watch shows like “Dexter” or “CSI.” IF YOU GO
CSI: The Experience WHEN: Now through Jan. 1
Sun.-Thur. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sat.-Sun. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. WHERE: Discovery Times Square
226 W. 44th St. PRICE: General Admission is $25
per person; senior are $21.50 and children are $19.50 MORE INFO: DiscoveryTS.com/
Exhibitions/CSI or www.CSIexhibit.com.
Music group Middle Brother has taken on a special place in the music world recently, with the release of its debut self-titled album, “Middle Brother.” Made up of singer-songwriters John J. McCauley III of Deer Tick, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes and Matt Vasquez of the Delta Spirit, the group first performed together at Austin, Texas’ 2011 South by Southwest, where their set garnered a packed house of fans coming in trying to catch a glimpse any way they could. The product of that night is their album, “Middle Brother,” which may just be one of the most underrated, slip-through-thecracks album of 2011. The album is extraordinary for being put together in such little time and fashion, but each voice carries the other so subtly, tying it to the traditional singer-songwriter folk groups of the late 60s and early 70s. “Portland” is a track that sounds like a late night jam session in someone’s living room in Laurel Canyon while “Someday” takes cues from Phil Spector and ’50s love songs. As musically curious as these guys are, they know the ins, outs, ups and downs of traditional folk music and what direction it should be going while also attracting younger listeners to an American culture that has a rich history. But it’s not just your traditional guitar-inhand troubadour-like songs; each member brings their own personality into each song, whether it’s rough around the edges voice of McCauley, the smooth folk croon of Goldsmith or the angst-filled holler of Vasquez. Despite three different types of vocal styles, the fact that each one can come together and form into a cohesive whole is a talent that should not go unnoticed.
KING CREOSOTE, JON HOPKINS / DOMINO
King Creosote and Jon Hopkins “Diamond Mine” May 24
Scottish singer-songwriter King Creosote and English electronica producer Jon Hopkins have come together to craft an album of eerie but peaceful arrangements that compliment a duality in music that is rarely ever paired together. King Creosote’s element of folk is the basis for their collaborative album, “Diamond Mine,” while Jon Hopkins litters around the Creosote with ambient effects and field recordings of bustling cafes and various sounds of the outdoors. “Diamond Mine,” which was largely inspired by East Neuk of Fife located on Scotland’s east coast, emits the small nautical environment the area is known for. “First Watch” plays out like a lonely sailor’s day off from work with nowhere else to go but the pub assisted by the beautiful churning of an accordion. The album is mysterious; hardly known in the U.S., the pairing of King Creosote and Jon Hopkins has gone largely unheard but could easily win the hearts (and ears) of a large number of music lovers looking for something a bit off the cusp as far as collaborations go. Creosote tells his stories beautifully similar in the vein of traditional Irish or Scottish folk singers whose emotion is heard particularly in their lyrics. Hopkins includes the right amount of effects and field samples that never overpower Creosote’s voice but rather guides it through the arrangement of the song. “Diamond Mine” may seem dark at points, but it is so incredibly haunting that the eeriness actually turns out to be a thing of beauty.
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TELEKINESIS/MERGE
Telekinesis “12 Desperate Straight Lines” Feb. 15
Telekinesis’ second album, “12 Desperate Straight Lines,” has its moments but they’re not all that consistent throughout. Member Michael Lerner knows how to craft the perfect pop song; it’s like a second nature that has shown through better with his work on their 2009 break through self-titled album, “Telekinesis!” “12 Desperate Straight Lines” shoots for angular and wiry guitar work, but the arrangements of the songs as a whole seem generic and too boring to listen to all the way through. Telekinesis, ironically, sticks to a commercial, indie sound. Some of the chugging, distorted riffs sound as if they could for the new, “hip” TV ad for a Volkswagen; a couple driving down a lonely road in the middle of nowhere, they look at each other passionately and intensely as the man suddenly smiles and revs the car engine as a way to express his sexual desire to ravage her when they get home. Similar to these TV commercials, “12 Desperate Straight Lines” feels like it’s yelling that it wants to appeal to a certain demographic so bad but just falls short along with their clichéd riffs and sporadic, over-thought guitar sound. Telekinesis is a talented group of musicians, but it’s the constantly changing line up that affects their sound so much. Lerner, the only member that writes and arranges these songs and recruits others to play with him, knows how to write these catchy pop songs with no problem. A sturdy band behind him that doesn’t change every album may make his albums a little more consistent in the future.
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PHOTO FEATURE From street vendors to the shops on Fifth Avenue, New York City is dressed head-to-toe with holiday decorations to set the festive mood. Observer photographers captured various aspects of these unique decorations around the city.
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MADDY CHAMBERS/THE OBSERVER
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SARA AZOULAY/THE OBSERVER
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PHOTO FEATURE
CHARLIE PUENTE/THE OBSERVER
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KATHERINE FOTINOS/THE OBSERVER
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Features
December 8, 2011 THE OBSERVER
Can I Get That To Go? Take-Home vs. In-Class Exams Students and Professors Share Their Thoughts on Different Kinds of Final Exams SARA AZOULAY Photo Co-Editor & Asst. News Editor
By now you can probably hear the whimpers of fellow classmates as the stress of finals sets in. Whether it be a final paper for an art history class or an exam for a two hour media ethics class, the stakes and tensions are high for this test week. When it comes down to it, there are two common testing methods that Fordham Lincoln Center (FCLC) professors use on students: A takehome project/exam or an in-class exam. So which testing method is preferred among the students and professors at FCLC? Take-home exams are generally regarded as a paper that students can properly prep themselves for. There are no surprises and students can utilize their notes. There is a certain predictability to the whole ordeal. Class exams, on the other hand, are better suited to those students who work best under pressure. Diana Popstefanov, FCLC ’12, said that she prefers in-class exams because they give relief to the student once they’re over. “I do like in-class exams because I think you study and you get it over within two hours and you don’t have to worry about it all weekend. You just do it on the spot.” Professor Lori Knight of communications and media studies believes that in-class exams are good because they present students’ proper voice.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SARA AZOULAY/THE OBSERVER
Studying for an in-class exam or completing a take-home exam can have both negative and positive points.
It is a way to ensure that students don’t cheat on their exams. “There are students who are trying to scam the system and professors can compare the difference between their in-class final and the other work throughout the semester,” Knight said. Kat Kaneb, FCLC ’12, thinks that take-home essays are beneficial for
students, especially since you can use tools such as spell check. “I really like doing take-home essays. I think it’s a great option to have. Otherwise, you’re just sitting there for two hours and you don’t have spell check and you don’t have anything else like that. It’s particularly helpful for my foreign language exams because spell check is bet-
ter than searching through your French-English dictionary.” Students can also research an argument properly for a take-home final. As well as liking in class exams, Knight also believes that take-home exams are useful under certain circumstances. She feels that a student can develop an argument better on a take-home final.
“There are so many advantages to having students take their exams home and really think about what they want to write. It prevents [the student] from spending a lot of time writing about what they think they know. But for a take-home final, you have the opportunity to do the research to find out if your supposition on something is, in fact, truthful. You’re looking at a much more reasoned argument as opposed to something that is coming from the top of your head,” Knight said. Professor Brian Orgen of theology believes that take-home finals are easier to grade. “In terms of grading, a take-home exam is printed out and it makes it much easier to read than just scribbled out script,” Orgen said. Some say that professors enjoy seeing students suffer with finals, but perhaps some of them choose the type of exam for specific reasons. Vincent Pisano, FCLC ’13, thinks that the type of final suits each course individually. “I prefer to take home my finals for intensive writing courses [in] English, but for classes that have more exams throughout the semester, like science, math or psychology, I prefer an actual test. “ Students and professors may be annoyed with the pressures that in-class exams cause such as illegible writing, wrong information and a set timing. A take-home exam seems to have more advantages, but for those few individuals who work well under pressure, an in-class exam is the best way to end the semester.
WORD OF MOUTH
Get into the Christmas Spirit and Check Out These NYC Dessert Shops the original goat milk ice cream. I was amazed by how smooth and creamy the ice cream was, and planned to come back to try other f lavors on the menu. Situated a few blocks away from Washington Square Park, Victory Garden maintains a very clean and organized business with friendly staff members. Although not offering enough seating and being a little bit on the pricy side, Victory Garden is your above-average froyo shop. In a city filled with a ton of frozen yogurt shops, Victory Garden stands out for its unique and complex f lavors.
By DARRYL YU Features Co-Editor
It’s almost here! With the annual lighting of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center to the decked out decorations at Columbus Circle, Christmas 2011 is just around the corner. Many Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) students like me are looking forward to the much needed break at the end of the year. With pressing final papers and stressful finals standing between us and our holiday freedom, I thought it’d be a great idea to share some dessert and chocolate places around New York City to help you relax and get ready for the holiday season.
THE LITTLE BAKESHOP
CHOCOLATE BAR
Location: 19 Eighth Ave, New York, NY 10014 Nestled in the West Village and just a 15 minute subway trip from FCLC, Chocolate Bar gives sweet lovers a quaint and swanky location to indulge in the glory that is chocolate. It offers all sorts of treats such as chocolate-covered Oreos and pretzel sticks. It’s the perfect place to study for a final, as it’s never really that crowded and has a decent amount of comfy chairs and tables. Their richly f lavored hot chocolate and perfectly spiced chocolate brownies are a must-have if you’re thinking about visiting. Despite being on the pricy side, Chocolate Bar offers a variety of chocolate items that are sure to impress any chocolate enthusiast.
MILK AND COOKIES
Location: 19 Commerce St. # 2 New York, NY 10014-5735 Hidden and out of view from
DARRYL YU/THE OBSERVER
Head over to the Chocolate Bar and get refreshed with some spiced chocolate brownies.
the general public, Milk and Cookies (M&C) is the perfect example of a diamond in the rough. Located in the backstreets of the West Village near the famous Cherry Lane Theatre, M&C is the ideal place for people looking to escape the chaos of New York City. Rarely crowded, M&C tends to attract people from around the immediate neighborhood. Regular customers are normally seen having quick friendly chats with staff. Aside from its peaceful environment, M&C bakes fresh cookies
everyday for its customers. Ranging in all favors from chocolate chip to snickerdoodle, these fine cookies should be accompanied by M&C’s refreshing organic milk. Although rarely known outside the surrounding neighborhood M&C should be one of the places you visit if you want some good quality milk and cookies.
VICTORY GARDEN
Location: 31 Carmine St., New York, NY 10014
Looking for a healthy dessert place in the city? Look no further than Victory Garden! Stocked with numerous dessert products using the base product of goat milk, Victory Garden believes in the power of Anatolian dondurma (a rich goat milk ice cream made with the root of a wild orchid). Known for its goat milk ice cream, Victory Garden is the ideal place for frozen yogurt fans. Offering a variety of yogurt f lavors such as Jasmine yogurt and Queen of Persia yogurt, I opted instead to sample
CUPCAKE
Location: 30 Prince Street, New York, NY 10012 If you’re tired of the typical cupcake places like Crumbs and Magnolia, you should venture down to Nolita and try The Little Cupcake. Housed underneath an old fashioned brownstone, Little Cupcake currently offers cupcake addicts a beautiful Christmas decorated interior. Featuring a gigantic Christmas tree surrounded by numerous festive holiday lights, Little Cupcake also has outside seating for enjoying a beautiful NYC day. An ideal place to take a bunch of friends or study group, Little Cupcake has a wide assortment of cupcakes such as southern red velvet and German chocolate. I recommend trying the devil’s food cupcakes; they were moist and hasd just the right amount of sweetness. On top of being in one of the hippest areas in NYC, Little Cupcake is perfect for a college student, at about three dollars a cupcake.
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December 8, 2011 THE OBSERVER
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Theater of the Mind: Comedians Take Over Commericals By KAREN LO Staff Writer
For the past few years, Target’s infectiously enjoyable Christmas ad campaign has been at the top of its game. A wild-eyed blonde in a rotating wardrobe of immaculate holiday garb doles out tips for shoppers. Though you might know her as “Crazy Target Lady,” that vision in a red track suit and pearls is comedian Maria Bamford. Aside from contributing her voice to countless cartoons, she played Mayor May Kadoody on “The Sarah Silverman Program.” Bamford is one of many comedians who have taken over the world of television advertising. In addition to Bamford, you may have also noticed Mindy Kaling of “The Office” celebrating how “cute” Healthy Choice meals are, or Ty Burrell from “Modern Family” consoling an orange because it can’t compete with Minute Maid Pure Squeezed orange juice. So many familiar funny faces have been showing up in advertisements that it’s almost as if the addition of commercial content is giving us a real half-hour out of our sitcoms. For comedians who already have a loyal following, it’s not so much about selling the product as it is about connecting to the consumer by lightening their mood. “The advertisers know what they are doing, particularly in their desire to create approachability,” said Rev. Michael Tueth, S.J., professor of communication and media studies at Fordham
LIONEL HAHN/ABACA PRESS/MCT
Alec Baldwin, star of Capital One commercials, is one of many comedians featured in advertisements.
College at Lincoln Center (FCLC). “We already have invited these comedians into our homes and we feel as if we know them. Their endorsement does humanize the brand. At the same time, it doesn’t connect them too much with the product.” Alec Baldwin, who plays the superconfident Jack Donaghy on “30 Rock” recently used his smooth, command-
CLICK AND TELL
ing persona in a series of Capital One commercials. In the ad titled “Airport,” Baldwin doesn’t offer financial advice about Capital One’s Venture Card or the accompanying frequent flier miles, but exists to carry over that leadingman machismo. “It’s okay,” Baldwin intones, staring into the camera, “I’ve played a pilot before.” Persuasion is an area of social psy-
chology that has obvious appeal to advertisers, who must play their cards correctly in order to sway an audience. A pitch that is too soft won’t resonate with viewers, while a heavy-handed approach will cause people to shut out the information. For instance, a study conducted at the University of Georgia in 2007 found that anti-smoking ads depicting harsh consequences and gory
images of sickly smokers do little to dissuade smokers. Persuasion also depends on the type of source, whether it’s intended to be credible, attractive and identifiable, or powerful. Not to mention, advertisers must also consider how easily persuaded their demographic is, as well as whether an audience prefers a logical or emotional appeal. “It’s a very clever strategy because people are more likely to buy something from someone they think is funny,” says Lin Kennedy, FCLC ’12. “It’s the halo effect—they assume that people who are funny and attractive are also trustworthy so consumers want to buy what they’re endorsing.” Meanwhile, Carolina Pinero, FCLC ’12, does not agree that comedians provide a memorable turn during advertising. “I think it’s ineffective because you don’t really see comedians in commercials in the first place. The only example I can think of is the Call of Duty commercial with Jonah Hill,” Pinero said. Researchers at George Washington University and UCLA have discovered that different methods of advertising stimulate different levels of brain activity, depending on whether the approach is meant to be logical, or non-rational. The study, published in September 2011, warned that non-rational ads had the ability to inhibit responses to certain stimuli, leading to less behavioral control and potentially weakening consumer restraint. In effect, advertising has the ability to “seduce your brain,” the researchers report.
Homeless in Valencia, Studying Abroad By DAVID WALL Staff Writer
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY MADDY CHAMBERS/THE OBSERVER
With no dates this December, Diana examines her past suitors.
Dateless in December By DIANA KOKOSZKA Staff Writer
Since September, I have gone on at least one date every two weeks, and you’ve all had the voyeuristic pleasure of reading about most them. On rare occasions, I actually had enough hits on my online dating profile to choose among guys of varying levels of sanity. Once, probably because Venus was in retrograde, there was even someone attractive in the bunch. These past two weeks, however, have proven impossible to find a decent (I use that term very loosely) suitor. I usually reel in a few good guys with coy but approachable messages, but this week I had thrown dozens of hooks in the water and only came up with a handful of sad little guppies. There was the actor who linked me to his IMDB profile, which had only two credits: “the janitor” in a made for TV movie and an untitled role in CSI Miami. He boasted about his movie career, wrote half of his messages to me in French and suggested we meet up at Dunkin’ Donuts, insisting, “There’s a really good one next to City Hall.” It takes a better excuse than that to get me to travel below Fourth Street. Then, there was the classical bassoonist with zero self-esteem. He messaged me to propose a date, opening with a disclaimer of how painfully awkward he is at meeting new people. That panty-dropping line was made even more enticing with grammar that read like a drunken text. I
couldn’t even feign interest in the guy, so I declined his offer to meet up. I don’t consider myself a picky dater. I believe that anyone who only dates within his or her “type” attempts to justify close-mindedness. I have gone on dates that I looked forward to less than a cold-handed pelvic exam. Even the bad dates have been a healthy exercise of tolerance and an expansion of my comfort zone, but in truth, the whole process is completely exhausting. Even the good dates I’ve been on have proven too good to be true. On any given second date, the novelty and excitement of meeting someone for the first time is gone. You realize that the “chemistry” you thought you had was just a shared vulnerability of putting yourselves out there combined with the nerve-lubrication of a few beers. You’re more comfortable the second time around and all the unsavory facets of your personality slip out, as you slowly start repulsing each other. My chronic pessimism usually surfaces around the seconddate mark and pretty soon, his veiled misogynistic opinions creep into our conversation, ending our date with a awkward hug/cheek kiss hybrid before we break into a sprint in opposite directions. I’ve always been cynical about romance — both on and off the Internet — so I’m not too disappointed that online dating hasn’t quite panned out for me. There may be plenty of fish in the sea, but I’m hanging up my rod for the winter.
Growing up in urban areas (Washington, DC; New York; Lima, Peru) I’ve always had contact with the homeless, but I could never really empathize or truly understand how it felt to be living on the streets. It was winter of last year, when I was studying abroad in Spain, I experienced what it might be like to be homeless. I traveled to Valencia, Spain, for the festival of Las Fallas. Las Fallas is like Valencia’s version of Carnival, which is a festival celebrated all over Europe in the early spring. The Valencians spend all year building massive papier-mâché floats, which they display all over the city and on the eve of Las Fallas. They pick a winner and set the rest on fire. It’s truly an amazing sight and experience, which is probably why the city’s population more than doubles during the event. Not knowing this, my friend Tommy Kang, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’12, and I looked to book a hotel only two days before going. We wound up with negative results. In the end, we knew we’d possibly only see this once in our lifetimes, so we scoured the entire area for any vacancy so we would have a place to stay. We did find one on the beach, miles away from the actual city, where the event took place. The campsite was only open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., so no one could get in or out in the meantime, and unfortunately we arrived in Valencia at around 10 p.m., so we had no place to go that first night. We knew that we would possibly face this scenario, so I packed light, meaning I brought my return bus ticket, my cellphone, my iPod and my wallet. Tommy, on the other hand, had all his stuff with him as he was going to return to the United States right after Las Fallas. The plan was to wander the city until we were exhausted and to crash in Valencia’s amazing Parque de las Sciencias. However, we hadn’t planned on Valencia’s freezing nights. We wandered the city hoping that the trek would tire us to the point where the cold
DAVID WALL/THE OBSERVER
David Wall and Tommy Kang, FCLC ’12, slept in a park in Valencia.
wouldn’t matter, and honestly the walk was really fun. We got to see all the sites in Valencia, all the floats and even the Valencia soccer team. Eventually, though, we saw just about everything there was to see in the city, so we decided to try and get some sleep. The climate in Spain is pleasant during the day, but at night it is freezing cold. We were shivering all night long and I couldn’t get a wink of sleep. Tommy managed to get a few minutes, but in the end neither of us could take it anymore. We were too tired to keep walking through the city, so we decided to go door to door, begging any hotel we could find for a room. We went through three hotels with no vacancies. The fourth hotel was full as well, but unlike the previous hotels, the receptionist at this particular one let us use his bathroom and called hotels all over the city for us looking for a vacancy. He found us one very close to the city center that was very reasonably priced. When we got there, the receptionist was extremely nice, especially considering it was 6 a.m. He even pushed back the checkout time to 1 p.m. because we were arriving so late. We couldn’t be happier to have a warm place to sleep, but that wasn’t the end of the adventure at all.
The next day Tommy left, but I stayed because the Valencia soccer team was playing the next day and I wanted to see the game. That meant staying overnight again, alone this time, and this time there wasn’t anyone to help me find a hotel vacancy. All the hotels were fully booked and I couldn’t afford to retain the room at the hotel where we stayed the night before. I had seen the homeless sleep in ATMs before, so I figured I’d try that, too. I wandered the city looking, and I did finally find one. I spent the night in that ATM where it was mildly warmer than outside. I was able to sleep, but I was so paranoid the police would find and arrest me, that I only got an hour and a half of sleep. Eventually, I was able to see my soccer game and return safely to my host family in Madrid. I wasn’t exactly homeless in that had I been able to, I could have afforded a place to stay, but I did feel what it was like to be alone and without a place to sleep. I felt the paranoia and loneliness that you can only feel when you are truly helpless to fix your situation. While I can’t say what it feels like to be truly homeless, I can say what it feels like to be helpless and alone, and at least on that level I understand the homeless better.
www.fordhamobserver.com
THE OBSERVER December 8, 2011
Features
15
Five New York City Christmas Experiences By MONICA TYSON Staff Writer
Red buckets for donations are out, accompanied by that festive man ringing the bell, department stores are blasting covers of Christmas songs by Lady Gaga and Santa seems to be everywhere. Christmas season has official begun, and while it can sometimes bring on unnecessary stress, step back, take a deep breath and enjoy it! Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) students shared their favorite Christmas experiences, from shopping, caroling, Christmas parties, markets, massive window displays and the like; here are the top five outings for you to experience.
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ORIGAMI HOLIDAY TREE
Location: Ukranian Institute 79th
Location: Central Park West and
79th Street Dates: Nov. 21—Jan. 2 Price: $14.50 student and $19 adult (suggested donation)
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Paper folders get ready as the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) teaches the art of origami in light of Christmas. AMNH erects a Christmas tree full of 500 plus origami ornaments that volunteers began folding as early as this past July, according to amnh.org. The tree highlights the museum’s exhibit of The World’s Largest Dinosaurs, and celebrates the rest of the museum with ornaments in honor of each exhibit. Workshops are also being held during the holidays to teach kids of all ages the art of origami.
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WINDOW DISPLAYS
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Location: 5th Ave. between 49th and
57th
Dates: Late November—Jan. 1 Price: Free
Replicas of snowflakes, Christmas trees so vivid you can smell them and vibrant lights adorn the window displays along Fifth Avenue. During the holiday season, retail stores go above and beyond their usual displays. Julia Hare, FCLC ’13 said, “Saks windows are amazing; it’s not really Christmas until I’ve seen them!” This year’s theme is a continuation of the storybook and whimsical tone with Holly, visiting the Land of the Bubblemakers. Each window illustrates a scene from the story and features some new clothing fashions. The windows have been unveiled and ready for window shoppers, or just some admiration by the passer by. Past themes have included the story of Twinkle and Noelle, featuring fashions from bands such as Valentino.
YALYNKA AND CAROLING
“Every year since I was little, my family and I have gone caroling on Ukrainian Christmas,” said Katya Hoshowsky, FCLC ’13. According to Hoshowsky, The Ukrainian Engineer Society and the Ukrainian Association of North America throw an “enormous” Christmas party called NYC Yalynka at the Ukrainian Institute. The translation of Yalynka means Christmas tree. Hoshowsky takes part in NYC Yalynka along with caroling on Jan. 7 (Ukrainian Christmas) every year at Rockefeller Center. “The kids replicate a nativity scene, but next door there’s an open bar and music!” said Hoshowsky. So for those of you old enough to take a swig of Eggnog head to the Ukrainian Institute on Dec. 10 for NYC Yalynka, and for those of you who aren’t, head to Rockefeller Center on Jan. 7 for some good ol’ Ukrainian Christmas Carols—in Ukrainian of course.
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and 5th Ave./ Rockefeller Center Dates: Dec. 10 (Yalynka)—Jan. 7th (Caroling) Price: $30 students, $40 adults
THE HOLIDAY MARKETS
Location: See below Dates: See below
MERCHANT’S HOUSE MUSEUM Location: 29 E 4th St. and Lafayette Price: $8 Adult, $5 Student
The Merchant’s House Museum gives museum go-er’s a different take on Christmas in the 19th century. The museum has kept the same décor of the merchant family that used to live there – the Tredwells, and lets the public explore what life was like for the Tredwells, says the Museum’s website. On New Year’s Eve from 3-6 p.m. the museum host an event called, New Year’s Day Open House. The exhibit displays the different traditions that Americans had on New Year’s Eve 200 years ago to ring in the New Year. Rob Krakower, FCLC ’13 said, “I know it sounds lame, but it’s interesting to see the differences between then and now, I’ve never been but I’m definitely going to try to go,” about the Merchant’s House Museum.
“I like to get gifts that aren’t found in stores. I do a lot of my shopping at the holiday markets that spring up around this time,” said Nicolette Harrington, FCLC ’13. Bryant Park and Union Square host Christmas markets, open from Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve. Grand Central Station has their holiday fair starting Nov. 15 and ending Christmas Eve, and Columbus Circle has a holiday market opening on Dec. 1 and closing on Christmas Eve. All holiday markets sell a variety of items, including Christmas trees, egg nog, apple cider, hand-made wreaths and Christmas trinkets, all from local merchants. Prices range from nickels and dimes to thousands of dollars; you can easily shop for everyone on your Christmas list here, while supporting the local economy.
Student’s Cupcakes Bring New Meaning to Buying Local STORY NAME FROM PAGE 1
would make a good cupcake. “Some of it comes from Stumble Upon, but most of it comes from things I have had before.” She says that using the random search engine Stumble Upon gives her some great recipes. She simply searches baking, and hundreds of delicious recipes cycle in front of her eyes with every click. The list of specialty flavors she has made is extensive: Rocky Road brownies, white chocolate mocha brownie (inspired by the white chocolate mocha at Starbucks, naturally), Mexican hot chocolate (vegan!), snickerdoodle cupcakes, apple spice cupcakes, chocolate pumpkin cheesecake cupcakes, with new flavors being debuted almost every week. The art of baking is an important part of Bunkley’s life. While she said that it isn’t really something she would like to do professionally, “it is definitely a way to de-stress.” And how do her roommates feel
about such a hobby? “My roommates love and hate it. They love it because they get a lot of good stuff. They love how much I bake but hate what it does to their body.” Bunkley’s roommate, Maegan Davidson, FCLC ’15, provided a testimonial. “It’s awesome living with Kirstin!” Davidson said. “It smells really good in here! And I love to eat her stuff. Except for when she charges me.” And what do the customers have to say? “My biggest customer is definitely Connie Lee,” Bunkley said. Connie Lee, FCLC ’15, provided a testimonial to KB Cupcakes’ product. “I go there because it is so convenient and the flavors are always creative, like candy corn!” Lee said. “My favorite flavor is the snickerdoodle cupcake. When it’s all warm and melty it’s orgasmic. Never had a vegan cupcake before this.” The winning personality of Bunkley, the delicious and cheap treats and joy of biting into a homemade cupcake is more than enough to set Bunkley apart from her major
New York City competition. For a $1, why not give KB Cupcakes a try? Interested in buying a cupcake? The process couldn’t be simpler! Waltz on over to apartment 3D in McMahon Hall and place your order. Every week, Bunkley makes a new batch of cupcakes last through the week. If you wanted a specialty cupcake made to order, KB Cupcakes would be happy to help out. Ranging from $1.25 to $1.75 depending on ingredients and time devoted to your cupcake, ordering a specialty cupcake specifically for you is a surefire way to brighten up your day. If nobody answers when you knock on 3D, you can send KB Cupcakes a message on Bunkley’s Facebook page or even leave a message on her whiteboard with your name, apartment number and type of cupcake and it will be delivered to you fresh out of the oven! KB Cupcakes contact information: kb.dorm.cupcakes@gmail. com, twitter.com/kbdormcupcakes, kbcupcakes.tumblr.com, (510) 9151828.
AI ELO/THE OBSERVER
Kirstin Bunkley, FCLC ’15 began her own cupcake business in her dorm.
Literary
December 8, 2011 THE OBSERVER
November was National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), during which writers generally type 50,000 words of new or expanded material in 30 days. Numerous Fordham students participate in NaNoWriMo every year. Excerpts from two students’ work are featured here.
EXCERPT FROM UNTITLED WORK By CATHARINE KANE Contributing Writer
INKWINA/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Christopher Darcangelo’s life was only saved because his daughter had given him a Father’s Day card covered in silver glitter. The glitter was reflective enough for him to see the flash of movement, and long years of experience had him throwing himself sideways seconds before the creature would have pounced on his back and sunk its teeth into his neck. It landed on his desk in a shower of broken glass, giant paws scattering his papers as its wickedly hooked black claws left deep gouges in the wood. It snarled in his face, lips drawn back to reveal a row of glistening yellow teeth, and Christopher dropped to the floor, scrambling desperately under his desk as the creature swiped a massive paw at his head. He felt the wind as it went by, and he quickly pulled himself out the other side, leaping to his feet and running for the door. Two steps before his fingers would have touched the handle the creature leapt on him, its claws digging deep into his back and making him scream in pain. Knowing injury was better than death, he took a deep breath and rolled, crying out again as its claws tore free. Desperate, he crawled across the floor on hands and knees until he could grasp his bookcase and haul himself upright. Christopher’s hand slid back to grab his desk chair, while his other hand felt in his pants pocket for his cell phone, even as he saw it lying in pieces on the floor amidst the ruins of his desk. Right, so he’d just have to do this alone then. He grabbed the chair with two hands and raised it as the creature leapt. He threw the chair with all his might before lunging sideways so he was pressed against his bookshelves. The creature’s front legs tangled in the chair, and it howled in fury as it thrashed on the floor, trying to rid itself of the chair. Christopher hurried out of its way as it crashed sideway into his bookcase, his books and mementos clattering to the ground. Christopher could feel blood running down his back, thick and hot, and he knew that soon the adrenaline would lessen and the pain would kick in, at which point he’d really be in trouble. He just had to get to his door—but he was dismayed to find that every step sent a spasm down his spine and into his leg muscles, making running impossible. He cursed himself for obeying his boss and wearing a suit and dress shoes instead of his usual jeans and sneakers—if he died because of poor fashion choices, he wasn’t sure he could live with the embarrassment. There was a shriek as the wood strained, and then his chair splintered into several pieces as the creature finally ripped itself free. Enraged, it spun towards him on lightning quick feet and coiled its muscles as it prepared to jump. Christopher tried to run despite the pain, but he tripped and fell, and he lay curled against his desk, helpless, as the monster lunged for him, claws unsheathed and teeth bared. Christopher closed his eyes seconds before the beast crashed into him, but to his shock it simply landed on him, heavy body pinning him to the floor. For a moment he froze, terrified to move, but then he realized that the creature wasn’t moving either, wasn’t even twitching a paw. It was dead. The next thing he knew, someone was attempting to move the heavy body off of him, and as soon as his senses returned he helped, and together they shoved the giant cat aside. Christopher looked up into the eyes of his rescuer, and allowed himself a shaky smile. He should have known. “That was too close,” Elizabeth Darcangelo said, her blue eyes wide and her face white as she stared down at her husband.
This excerpt is from Kane’s young adult fantasy novel, which is the sixth in a series.
www.fordhamobserver.com
THE OBSERVER December 8, 2011
Literary
EXCERPT FROM “TRILEI” By SARA INGLE Contributing Writer
TODD HUFFMAN/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Charlie slides into the kitchen, clutching his bullet wound. He grabs onto the counters, trying to find something to help stop the blood. The healing spells he tries are no good. He vomits into the sink and then falls onto the floor. He realizes that there are tears running down the cheeks. He hears a familiar voice shriek, “Holy shit!” somewhere beyond his blurred vision. “Meaghan?” Charlie tries to shout, but it comes out more as a gurgle. He sees Meaghan run through the door. “Oh, Charlie,” she says, hurrying over to him. “What happened?” “I’m dying,” he says, the panic turning into disbelief. “After all of this, I’m dying.” “No, no, no, Charlie,” she cooes. She helps him up and after throwing everything onto the floor, she helps lie him down on the table. “You’re okay, Charlie. I promise, you’ll be okay.” “I’m not,” he says. She pushes back his hair and kisses his forehead. “I promise with all of my heart that you’ll be okay.” “Just close your eyes,” Meaghan says, peeling Charlie’s shirt off of him. He hears her give a little hiss and she leaves him. His eyes fly open. She’s over at the sink, filling up a bowl with hot water. “What are you doing?” he asks, scared. “I’m just getting water to clean you up, Charlie, don’t worry.” When she comes back she cleans the blood off of his stomach. She mumbles to herself in French as she works and Charlie realizes that the pain is lessening. He barely feels it when she stitches him up. “You’re all set,” she says finally. When Charlie opens his eyes, Meaghan leans over him. He tucks her stringy hair behind her ears and sits up. “Charlie...” she mumbles, turning her lips into his hand. “Don’t tell Josh,” he says and pulls her lips to his. It all falls apart very quickly. Meaghan is clutching onto his arms, squeezing his shoulders. He keeps one hand resting on her cheek and he lets the other wind around her waist to pull her closer. Meaghan’s hands move up to his face, holding it, running her fingers through his hair. Charlie finds himself untucking Meaghan’s shirt and running his hands over her skin. She’s soft and warm and holding on so tight. There’s a noise in the hall and Meaghan jumps away from him. Charlie wipes his forehead and opens his mouth to say something. “Dude,” Jacoby says coming into the kitchen. “There’s a dead guy out—did I interrupt something?” “No,” Meaghan says quickly. She starts cleaning up the table. “Charlie was shot.” “Is this your blood, man?” “Yeah,” Charlie says, getting down off the table. He stumbles and Jacoby catches him, putting Charlie’s arm around his shoulders. “Can you help him into bed, Jacoby?” Meaghan asks. “I have to go see how Josh is.” Jacoby nods, “He’s good. With Faye, I think. Only 20 died on our side.” “Did Latour’s men retreat?” Charlie asks. “Yeah. A few minutes ago. There’s still a little bit of fighting going on, but it’s basically over. I think Alcide’s already started sending people out to gather the dead and clean up.” Meaghan nods and squeezes Charlie’s arm, though she doesn’t look him in the eyes, “I’ll see you guys later.” Jacoby helps Charlie out of the kitchen and up the steps to his room. “So,” Jacoby says. “Sorry about the whole getting shot thing.” Charlie tries to shrug, but it hurts. “I’ve had worse.” Jacoby chuckles, but he stops and turns serious, “Man, I think you’re really cool, you know, and I guess what you do is none of my business, but Faye is my friend, too, and I don’t want you to not be nice to her.” “I’m nice to her.” “You know what I mean. It’s just that she’s my friend, too. And if I was worried about you then I’d tell her.” “I know,” Charlie says. “But you’re right, it isn’t your business.” “Sorry, man,” Jacoby says. “I just want everything to be cool.” “It’s fine. I mean, it’s not fine because everything’s shit, but the shit that you’re worried about is fine.”
This excerpt is from the fifth book of Ingle’s young adult series, “The Travelers.” Charlie and his friends have to travel between worlds and save them from the malevolent Latour, who is bent on taking everything over. Each book takes place in a different world.
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Sports
December 8, 2011 THE OBSERVER
Led By Experience, Squash Team Looks to the Future By MAX WOLLNER Sports Co-Editor
The future looks bright for the Fordham squash team, as they are laying the foundation for a program that has the potential to be a formidable force in the near future. The team is led by Head Coach
“ This year we’re just
working on fitness, getting out there and being competitive with other squads.” CHRIS SOUTHER, FCRH ‘12
Bryan Patterson whose primary job is director of squash at CitySquash, a non-profit organization aimed to help at-risk youth reach their full academic, athletic and personal potential. Patterson is also a fomer world-ranked squash player, ranking second in England and 16th in the world. He took over for the legendary Bob Hawthorn at the start of the 2010 season. During his 54-year tenure at Fordham, Hawthorn coached both tennis and squash, but they were never separate teams. Instead, the squash team was mostly comprised of the tennis players who adapted to a new playing environment. Now with Patterson at the helm, squash is in its second season as an entirely separate entity from the tennis program and things are already improving. “We’re ranked number 41 right now which is great considering our team is so new,” Patterson said. So far, the squash team is 2-9 on the young season after participating in the Navy Round Robin in November and, most recently, in the Wesleyan Round Robin this past weekend. At Wesleyan, Fordham competed against four other schools, three of which were among the top 40 in the country. The Rams
COURTESY OF FORDHAM SPORTS
Chris Souther, FCRH ’12, and the rest of the squash team are ready to build a program that can hang tough with the top 40 teams.
entered the matches shorthanded with only seven of the 13 athletes in attendance but played well despite the disadvantage. In squash matches each player on the team is ranked and they play a match against another player with the same ranking. Last weekend, the Rams were swept in all of their matches except for one set against Colgate where Andriy Kulak, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’12, the Rams’ number one player, managed a 12-10 victory in the third set. “The teams we lose to are ranked higher than we are,” Patterson said. “We’re going to get beaten, but we play the top teams
and it helps us get better.” The team practices five days a week for roughly two hours a day and they are preparing for the College Squash Association’s (CSA) team and individual tournaments held in February and March respectively. “The championships are the crux of the season for us,” Patterson said. “It serves as a gauge for how we are doing and our rank could go up because of it.” “A lot of the teams we face have established great programs,” squash athlete Chris Souther, FCRH ’12 said. “This year we’re just working on fitness, getting out there and being competitive with other squads.
The tournaments help us do that.” Currently, the team is made up of mostly juniors and seniors who serve as mentors to the younger players. According to Souther, Matthew Ieraci, FCRH ’15, the youngest player on the team, is “a quick learner with great potential. We’ve all been helping him out and he takes note of everything.” However, the team will need to eventually think about recruitment. Last year, the team lost two of their top five players to graduation and recruitment is the only way to avoid losing talent. Patterson knows that recruitment needs to happen and he’s excited to start. “We’re only in
our second year so we have to build from the bottom which is exciting,” Patterson said. “If we get at least two recruits, we’re starting to go places. I think in two to three years we could have a great squad that could even be ranked in the top 20.” Even though the squash team has recently become independent from the tennis program, it is clear that they are ready to build a competitive team. With the combination of Patterson’s years of squash experience and the possibility of new recruits on the horizon, the squad is in great shape to manufacture a successful program in the years to come.
Home Improvement: Work Out On Your Own Without the Gym By JASPER CHANG Staff Writer
Ever feel like a gym membership is too expensive? Feel like the Fordham gym is inadequate? Looking for a great alternative? Hit the gym at home! Going to the gym can be a timeconsuming venture that costs you hundreds of dollars. With finals just around the corner, you want to stay fit, even if you don’t have the time or budget to do it. You may also think that you don’t have the resources at your house, but you do! You have the one essential machine you need: your body. Home workouts are just as good as gym workouts. Last issue focused on the back and abdominal muscles in order to strengthen the core. This issue we’ll focus on chest and biceps. And this time you don’t need any weights or dumbbells. You will be fine without any equipment. Just find a clear space and you’re ready to go! Spend approximately ten minutes for the warm-up. For this home workout, five minutes of jumping jacks, straight jumps, and frog jumps will suffice. Spend the remaining minutes stretching your arms, chests, shoulders and abdominals. Arm stretch- Pull your right arm across your chest at a 90 de-
gree angle. Lock it into place with your left arm perpendicular to your right arm. Hold this stretch for 15 seconds and do the same for other arm. Chest stretch- Clasp both hands together behind your back at a 90 degree angle. Pull your arms downwards and your chest will face upwards. When your arms are pointing to the ground at a 90 degree angle hold this in place for 25 seconds. Looking up while you do this will increase the effectiveness. Shoulder stretch- Stretch your arms out parallel to the ground. Wave both arms forward and backward as if you were swimming. This is meant to increase the flexibility and the movement in your shoulders. Do this for about 30 seconds. Abdominal stretch- Lie down on your stomach and push your chest upwards to the sky. It will be as if your body is doing a push up except your legs will be one the floor. This is known as the seal stretch. Hold this stretch for 25 seconds.
THE WORKOUT: Regular Push-Ups 15 reps of 5 sets Reverse Push-Ups 15 reps of 5 sets Brazilian Push-Ups 10 reps of 5
sets
Neutral Push-Ups 15 reps of 3 sets
The workout essentially kills two birds with one stone. There is no time limit for this workout. Take your time, but be sure to finish it. The online video will show how to properly perform each of these exercises. The primary muscle group being worked is the chest and the secondary muscle group worked is the biceps. It’s very helpful because this workout will substitute your need for weights, dumbbells, and the bench press bar. It will essentially “kill two birds with one stone.” There is no time limit for this workout. Take your time, but be sure to finish it. For the cool down just repeat of the stretches you did for your warmup. After everything is done, here’s a challenge to push you to the limit.
THE CHALLENGE:
With a timer, do as many pushups as you can within 60 seconds. Keep track your record and repeat this challenge every week. See how far you can go. Good luck!
COURTESY OF JASPER CHANG
Keep doing these workouts and with time, your arms and chest will eventually look like this.
www.fordhamobserver.com
THE OBSERVER December 8, 2011
Sports
19
Founding Famers: A Closer Look at the Class of 1971 By MAX WOLLNER Sports Co-Editor
Fordham has a very extensive and successful athletic history. Famous names such as Vince Lombardi, Frank Frisch and Jack Coffey paved the way for Fordham’s reputation as a major threat in collegiate athletics. The “big three” are all members of the inaugural Hall of Fame class of 1971. Vince Lombardi, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’37, is one of Fordham’s most recognized Hall of Famers, as well as one of the most iconic sports figures of all time. While attending Fordham, Lombardi was a superstar on the football team as a member of the offensive line known as “The Seven Blocks of Granite.” During his tenure the team compiled a stellar 235-5 record. Although Lombardi was a powerhouse in his Fordham days, he is best remembered for what he did outside of college. After graduation, Lombardi took a coaching job at St. Cecilia High School in New Jersey before returning to Fordham in 1946 as an assistant head coach for football. He spent two years at his alma mater before he was asked to be the assistant coach at the United States Military Academy where he helped build one of the toughest college football teams. His success with the Army football program vaulted him into the ranks of the NFL in 1954, where he was the assistant coach of the New York Giants for a number of years. He finally obtained his first head coaching position with the Green Bay Packers. The rest, as they say,
COURTESY OF FORDHAM SPORTS
Vince Lombardi, Jack Coffey, and Frank Frisch each left their mark on Fordham athletics.
is history. Lombardi coached the Packers from 1959 to 1967, leading them to an outstanding 89-29-4 record. His stellar postseason record was an even better 9-1, that included the first two Superbowl victories in history. Lombardi passed away in 1970 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971. Like Lombardi, Frank Frisch,
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FCRH ’20 excelled in many sports, including football, basketball and track, but he truly excelled in baseball. Nicknamed “The Fordham Flash” because of his speed in track, as well as around the bases, Frisch starred as the team’s second basemen and led them to a 21-6 mark in 1919. Following this historic season,
Frisch was signed by the New York Giants to begin his career as a Major League Baseball player. During his 18 years in the big leagues, the switch-hitting Frisch compiled a .312 batting average, nearly 3,000 hits, three all-star selections, four World Series titles and one league MVP award. He began managing the St. Louis Cardinals in 1933, be-
coming the first player-manager in the team’s history, but he eventually retired from playing in 1937. Frisch also managed the Pirates (1940-1946) and the Chicago Cubs (1949-51), and was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947. Jack Coffey, FCRH ’10, was also famous for his prowess in baseball, but unlike Frisch it was for his managing skills. Coffey was drafted to the major leagues in 1909 by the Boston Doves (now the Atlanta Braves), but he didn’t see much playing time in his short career. Although he is not a Hall of Famer like Frisch, Coffey does have the distinction of being the only person in major league history to play with both Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth in the same season (1918). His career ended that same season, and he took the helm of Fordham’s baseball team in 1922, where he stayed for 40 years. As manager, he had an impressive 817 wins. He retired in 1958 but remained at Fordham as Graduate Manager of Athletics until his death in 1966. Lombardi, Frisch, and Coffey had an incredible impact on the Fordham community as well as in the professional ranks. Coffey’s name is immortalized by the baseball field that bears his namesake, and Lombardi by the field house and not to mention the Superbowl trophy. These three were a few of the first of Fordham’s 358 Hall of Famers. Only time will tell who else will join their ranks and leave their legacy on Fordham and possibly the world of professional sports.
NOMINATIONS FOR TEACHING AWARDS Fordham College at Lincoln Center is seeking nominations for awards for outstanding undergraduate teaching in the areas of the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. These awards will be presented at the annual Arts & Sciences Faculty Day on February 3, 2012. If you wish to nominate a full-time member of the Arts & Sciences Faculty at Fordham for one of these awards, please submit your choice in writing. Deadline for entries is January 18, 2012. Send nominations to:
Robert R. Grimes, S.J. Office of the Dean Fordham College at Lincoln Center Lowenstein 821
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Sports
December 8, 2011 THE OBSERVER
www.fordhamobserver.com
Rams Land in Cellar, Masella Relieved of Duties By JOE SPARACIO Staff Writer
Though hopes were high at the onset of the season, results fell short for Fordham’s varsity football team this year. The Rams were coming off a 5-6 season in 2010 and looking to push towards the top of the division. The team opened their season against the University of Connecticut Huskies for the first time since 1915. Fans were excited and the players were pumped for the game, but that didn’t help the Rams, as they lost the season opener 35-3. Things never got better and the season spiraled out of control. The Rams won only one game the entire 2011 season, ending with a disappointing 1-10 record. The Rams had a potent team, but they severely underachieved. Star running back Darryl Whiting, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’12, believed the Rams were good enough to be, at worst, a “7-4 football team.” However, the team lacked consistency all year. Still, after the loss at Connecticut, there was hope for the Rams when they won their home opener against Columbia. Quarterback Pete Maetzold, FCRH ’15, threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns and Whiting ran for 100 yards to seal Fordham’s only victory of the season. This success would be short-lived as the Rams went on to finish the year on a nine game losing streak. The low point of the season was the crushing defeat the team suffered at the hands of Army 55-0. Fordham played hard, yet fell short in a lot of competitive areas. In 2011, the Rams were outscored 145 to 369, averaging more than 20 points per game less than their opponents per game. The Rams also
COURTESY OF FORDHAM SPORTS
Despite the athleticism of Victor DiFusco (54), FCRH ’15, and Ryan Higgins (3) FCRH ’13, the Rams finished a disappointing 1-10 on the season.
averaged a mere 4.7 yards a play while opponents averaged 6.5. Statistics like these proved too much for the Rams to overcome and led to their demise. The horrendous season also led Fordham to cut ties with six-year Head Coach Tom Masella the day after the season ended. Whiting, who played under Masella’s tutelage all four years of his playing career had a great relationship with the coach. Whiting said “Coach Masella was not always a people person but he was a great person who kept a good relationship with
the team.” Masella leaves Fordham after six years with a 27-40 record. Executive Director of Athletics Frank McLaughlin was appreciative of what Masella did for the school and said, “Tom is a determined coach who was able to help lead Fordham into the football scholarship era. We wish him all the best in the future.” One change that the Rams made going into the season that became controversial was moving 2010’s starting quarterback, Blake Wayne, FCRH ’13, to wide receiver. Though
he was effective as quarterback last year, coach Masella felt that it was time for a change. He knew that Wayne had steady hands and great potential, so he moved him to the wide receiver position in favor of a combination of Ryan Higgins and Pete Maetzold as quarterbacks. The passing game this year, though it was not stellar, was still relatively effective, with 2527 total passing yards, Maetzold averaging a 59.8 percent completion rate and Higgins 57.4 percent completion rate. Wayne had a subpar season receiving, accumulating just 349
receiving yards and averaging a paltry 31.7 a game. Was this the right decision to help the Rams in the long run? Whiting felt it the right move and said, “Pete is smart and Blake [Wayne] has great hands.” The two were both beginning to find their rhythm late, but the switch didn’t help the Rams win games and winning is all that counts. At 1-10 the Rams are in the cellar of the Patriot League. The only positive that can be taken from this season is that Fordham has only one way to go, up.
Volleyball Gains Experience in a Season of Rebuilding By RANDY NARINE Sports Co-Editor
The Fordham women’s volleyball team ended a disappointing 2011 campaign as the Rams failed to qualify for the Atlantic-10 (A-10) playoffs. The Rams tied for eighth in the ten-team conference with a 4-11 record, and the team’s overall record was a just as dismal at 7-23. The main issue facing this Rams squad was a lack of experience. After losing six seniors to graduation, the team had to revamp its core. “Going into this season we knew it was going to be a rebuilding year for us,” Coach Peter Volkert said. “The only returning starter from last year was Brittany Daulton, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’12. “We pretty much put a brand new team on the floor. We had 18 players and 16 of them were in their first or second year of play.” However, the younger players were not the only ones who had to adapt this season. “We put in a new offense this year and we did different things on defense as well,” Volkert said. “So our returning players had to learn as well.” With so many variables, the Rams were hard pressed to perform well in a competitive A-10 conference. Dayton, who won the conference title for a third straight season, is a consistent American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 team. Xavier and Saint Louis, the second and third ranked teams in the A-10, also received Top 25 votes this season. Despite the steep competition and a dreadful record, the Rams did display flashes of brilliance. “We have really good moments that wont always show in a record,”
AYER CHAN/THE OBSERVER
After losing six seniors to graduation last year, the volleyball team struggled due to lack of experience.
Randi Ewing, FCRH ’12, said. “We had a lot of close games and a lot of games that went to five sets.” The Rams had five such games this season in which they lost in the fifth set and even more disheartening, three of these were home conference games. The Rams had match point in their conference matchups against Duquesne and Charlotte and were within two points of beating conference rival George Washington. “Taking care of our home games is the difference between
making the playoffs and not making playoffs,” Volkert said. “Those were four points in three conference games. We also had another conference game where there was a game point we thought we won, but there was a call against us. We stepped back on the court and lost two minutes later. So we’re four points and a controversial call away from winning four conference games and then we’re certainly in the playoffs.” Amidst the many five-set heartbreakers, the Rams did have one
five-set stunner. In their October 28th game with Saint Louis, the Rams beat the Billikens for the first time in ten meetings. “That was huge,” Ewing said. “It was the highlight of the season to be the first to beat them in school history. It was at a point in the season when every game counted if we were to make the A-10 playoffs. It was a huge pick me up and huge deal to us to get that win.” Another bright spot for the Rams this season was the team’s blocking ability as the Rams fin-
ished third in the conference in blocking. “This was the best blocking team in the history of Fordham,” Volkert said. “Previous years we weren’t even close. It was a big emphasis of ours to try and coordinate the blocking.” At the season’s end Daulton and Ewing were named to Cobra Magazine’s All Northeast Region Team. Ewing was one of 15 members of the All Northeast Region Team and Daulton was one of six honorable mentions. The magazine highlights players of African descent in an effort to inspire others to pick up the sports. The two were deserving after having great career years. Ewing posted a career high 125 blocks, the fourth highest total in team history, while Daulton posted career highs in kills (297), digs (270), and blocks (44). Krissy Buongiorno’s, FCRH ’14, performance this year was also recognized as she was named to A-10 Volleyball All-Rookie Team. The sophomore middle blocker had a great season after missing the entire 2010 season due to injury. “Krissy was definitely our comeback player,” Ewing said. “She came back from injury and played her heart out.” Buongiorno was seventh in the conference in blocking, averaging 1.01 blocks per game, before suffering another season ending injury with six games remaining. With all but three players returning to the squad next season, the Rams will have a team that is much more ready to fight for a spot in the A-10 playoffs. “We have a bright and promising future even though we didn’t have a lot of wins this year,” Volkert said. “We certainly gained a lot of experience and its only going to make us better.”