Observer the
NOVEMBER 5, 2015 VOLUME XXXV, ISSUE 12
www.fordhamobserver.com
Akalaitis Talks Theatre Training
Photo Feature
By SAM KALTENTHALER Contributing Writer
JoAnne Akalaitis sat at the front of the White Box Theatre judiciously, equipped with her tools consisting of a pen, a notebook, and a heavily sticky-noted copy of Euripides’ “Iphigenia at Aulis.” Unarguably an expert at her work in the theatre, Akalaitis has directed at renowned theaters all across the continental United States., tackled the classics of Euripides and Shakespeare as well as works by modernists Genet and Pinter, and, in 1970, co-founded the Mabou Mines theatre company, an avant-garde group whose work has been received with both much acclaim and criticism. Regally dressed in dark gray and black, the only color on her person came from the multicolored flowers on her black scarf, red lipstick, and smoldering fire-red hair. The energies of two young women filled the air of the studio as they rehearsed the final scene between the Messenger and Clytemnestra in Euripides’ epic Greek Tragedy, in which the Messenger recounts her observation of the sacrifice of Iphigenia, Clytemnestra’s oldest daughter. Akalaitis watched with a questioning, critical, aiding gaze through the lenses of her blackrimmed glasses. “My mind’s spinning,” Akalaitis said, as the actors finished the scene. As she delivered her notes to the actors on how to modify their performances, she herself gestured–, her arms spread wide to describe the massive Greek armies with thousands of ships. Akalaitis spoke the poetic, highly classical dialogue of Euripides to the actors, using a modern English slang, to help the actors find the natural emotion behind the lines. “I’m a wreck! Gee whiz!” she described one of the characters as saying, even though this vocabulary is nowhere to be found in the original script. The actors then switched roles, with Clytemnestra now delivering the Messenger’s monologue, and vice versa. They see AKALAITIS pg. 9
JESS LUSZCZYK /THE OBSERVER
The Observer photographers captured the New York City marathon all throughout the five boroughs. For more, see centerfold.
Res Life Holds Meetings on ‘Bias Incidents’ By ANA FOTA News Co-Editor
The Office of Residential Life at Lincoln Center (LC) organized a series of four mandatory meetings on the evenings of Oct. 19th to the 22nd, for residents of McMahon Hall, in response to the two bias incidents that reportedly occurred at Rose Hill earlier this year. In the same period of time, floor meetings were organized for all the freshmen in McKeon to attend. At each meeting, the discussions were facilitated by four resident assistants (RA), and one or multiple higher-ranking members of the Residential Life staff. Among them were Jenifer Campbell, director of residential life, and Samantha Tymchyn, resident director (RD) for
McMahon Hall. “We are in the business of education, it’s part of our responsibility to educate individuals and let them talk about the next steps we have to take,” Campbell stated. Tymchyn echoed this sentiment, “We wanted the meetings to be first community oriented, which we don’t get a lot of in McMahon, because it has more of an independent-living structure.” One frustration voiced by students was the accused late nature of the meetings, happening a month after the incidents were reported. According to the Dean of Students at Lincoln Center Keith Eldredge, the meetings were prompted by the email sent out on Sept. 18 by the Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University, in response to the incidents.
“I was on the bus going to President’s Ball, when I saw the email,” Eldredge said. A few days later he and Campbell met to discuss a course of action. “One thing we talked about was what we wanted the goal of these meetings to be,” he stated. Although Residential Life staff is trained in regards to diversity issues on campus, certain talking points needed drafting in preparation for leading the meetings and answering the questions of students. “Just as some faculty members who don’t teach about diversity on a regular basis had to get up to speed with the information they can provide students with, the same thing happened with our RAs,” Campbell said, adding, “I would hate for them to go into any arena where they are
not fully aware of all the intricacies of a situation so that they can present what happened and what the follow-up has been.” The two “incidents of hate,” as referred to in the flyers put up by the office, were discussed, as well as the measures the university administration is taking in regards to them. “One of the things that we offered at the meetings was the opportunity to talk to us on an individual basis, making staff available,” Campbell said. “The RAs tried to express in every meeting that they are available for students as a support, as not everyone understands the full capacity of the RA role,’’ Tymchyn see MEETINGS pg. 3
Inside
FEATURES
SPORTS
ARTS & CULTURE
Mind Your Manners
Happy Hour for the Rams
A View from The Bridge
Be careful what you post on social media
Beer sold at college football games
A theater review on Arthur Miller’s play.
What the term really means
Page 10
PAGE 11
PAGE 9
PAGE 5
THE STUDENT VOICE OF FORDHAM LINCOLN CENTER
OPINIONS
On Black Culture