Observer Issue 13 Fall 2023

Observer the

November 15, 2023

The Student Voice of Fordham Lincoln Center

VOLUME XLIII, ISSUE 13

A Tale of Two Games: Men’s Basketball Starts the Season

By CHRIS MURRAY Sports & Health Editor

The Fordham men’s basketball team played its first regular season games last week. The two games followed similar scripts but amounted to different results, as the Rams came back to beat the Wagner College (WAG) Seahawks on Nov. 6 in overtime, 68-64, but lost to the Cornell University (COR) Big Red on Nov. 11, 78-73.

The season opener against Wagner featured a raucous crowd, with Fordham fans packing the Rose Hill Gymnasium to fearlessly cheer on the home team. The so-called “Shirtless Herd” and company began filling the seats an hour before the start of the game; those who opted to wear clothing donned the free giveaway of a “Rose Thrill” themed shirt.

As anticipation built, the lights died down and both starting lineups were announced.

This formally introduced transfer students Japhet Medor, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’24, and Joshua Rivera, FCRH ’26, to the Fordham fanbase. The two joined returning players Will Richardson, FCRH ’26, Kyle Rose, FCRH ’24, and Abdou Tsimbila,

FCRH ’24, as the opening lineup to start the season.

Both the Rams and the Seahawks struggled to connect on their first shots until a dunk by Tsimbila put Fordham on the board and ignited the crowd.

Melvin Council Jr., WAG ’25, responded with a bucket of his own to tie the game at two; Council Jr. would go on to finish with 21 points to lead Wagner scorers.

The first half featured backand-forth basketball, with neither team separating itself in the early goings. The Seahawks hit a free throw to take a one-point lead with 12:34 remaining, but the Rams, fueled by the energetic crowd, soon found some momentum. Six straight points from three players, Medor, Angel Montas, FCRH ’27, and Elijah Gray, FCRH ’26, gave Fordham a 17-12 lead as the game neared the midway mark of the first half.

Wagner would not go away, however, as it responded with eight consecutive points to regain the lead, 20-17. Just as it seemed that the teams would continue their wrestling for the rest of the game, though, Wagner opened up a lead heading into the half.

It ended the period on an 11-to-2 run to enter the break with a

Former Professor and University Sued in Sexual Assault Case

By ALEXA VILLATORO News Editor

Content warning: This article contains mentions of sexual harassment and sexual assault.

A former adjunct instructor and university alum has filed a federal lawsuit alleging he was sexually harassed and sexually assaulted in 2022 by a tenured professor in Fordham’s department of sociology and anthropology during their tenures as faculty members.

The civil suit, filed in May in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by Julius Bowditch, Fordham College at Rose Hill ’17 and an adjunct instructor at the time, made the allegations against Oswaldo Hugo Benavides, a professor at the time of the alleged sexual misconduct.

Benavides, who has since resigned from the university, filed a counterclaim on Sept. 29 denying the allegations. In the filing, Benavides accused Bowditch of defamation and sought damages.

The lawsuit also alleged that Fordham and Nancy Hark, associate vice president of human resources, retaliated against Bowditch after he filed Title VII and Title IX complaints with the university by reducing his scheduled course offerings.

Bob Howe, associate vice president of communications and special adviser to the president, NEWS PAGE 2

Budgeting Challenges

Club leaders struggle with funding from SABC

said the university does not comment on current litigation. Hark did not respond to a request for comment on Bowditch’s allegations against her.

Fordham filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit on Sept.

27, arguing in a memorandum of law that Bowditch failed to show Benavides’ alleged conduct occurred within the scope of his employment. In addition, the motion said the university did not retaliate against Bowditch and that Fordham took “swift action” that “ultimately resulted” in Benavides’ resignation.

Bowditch is seeking a jury trial as well as compensatory, consequential, general, punitive and/ or exemplary damages in amounts determined at trial, according to an amended complaint filed by Bowditch’s counsel on Oct. 25.

The initial complaint filed on May 12 alleges that Benavides served as Bowditch’s research grant adviser and wrote him letters of recommendation for his graduate school applications during his time as an undergraduate student at Fordham, which Benavides confirms in a counterclaim he filed on Sept.

29. Benavides denied allegations that he also served as Bowditch’s mentor during their time working together in his counterclaim. see LAWSUIT page 3

SPORTS & HEALTH PAGE 5

Loss to Laffayette

Football team drops in the Patriot League after Saturday’s loss

31-23 advantage. The eight-point margin was the largest of the game thus far.

The Seahawks held their edge to start the second half and led 45-38 with 11 minutes left in the game. Despite trailing for much of the second half, the Rams continued to hang around. A short scoring spurt by Fordham was capped by a Rivera fastbreak dunk, cutting the Wagner lead to three with 6:02 remaining.

Despite the lead narrowing, the Fordham crowd remained restless. The Rams entered the game expected to defeat their opening night opponents, and fans in the gym likely did not anticipate losing for the majority of the game.

Gray took over down the stretch. After a missed 3-pointer

by Rivera, Gray corralled the offensive rebound and laid it up to give the Rams a 54-52 lead with 1:44 on the clock.

Then, after a pair of made free throws by Rahmir Moore, WAG ’24, Gray drained a contested 3-pointer to extend the Fordham lead to three once again. The gym shook as the teams headed to the bench for a timeout to discuss their game plans. see BASKETBALL page 4

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Fordham split its first two regular season games, overcoming a second half deficit in the first to beat Wagner but failing to complete a comeback against Cornell in the second.

University Announces Security Updates

By INSIYA GANDHI News Editor

University President Tania Tetlow announced a series of ongoing initiatives, such as enhanced security on campus amid increased tensions in the New York City area following the attack on Israel by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 and the ensuing and ongoing airstrikes and ground invasion of the Gaza strip by Israel’s military.

Fordham’s efforts — communicated in a university-wide

email on Nov. 7 by Tetlow — following attempts made by colleges and universities across the nation to grapple with tensions on their campuses, the active organization among different student groups in support of Israel and Palestine, backlash from donors and safety concerns.

“Watching the Hamas attacks on video and then the bombs dropping on Gaza, we agonize over the innocent lives lost and so much searing pain,” Tetlow

said. “For both communities, the ability for the rest of us to go about our daily lives without being consumed by that pain can feel like a real betrayal.”

The university is increasing the Department of Public Safety’s hypervigilance on campus, conducted student leader listening sessions, convened discussions with faculty members, and expanded interfaith support for Jewish and Muslim students. see SECURITY page 2

AURELIEN CLAVAUD/THE OBSERVER

The university is enhancing security presence in response to tensions in New York City about the war in Gaza..

CENTERFOLD PAGE 6-7

Board Game

Play your way in Ram Life from the first day of class to break

OPINIONS PAGE 9

Don’t Eat Meat

Meat eaters must be more conscious about their choices

ARTS & CULTURE PAGE 11

GLOBE

A new community for international students is established

2

News

November 15, 2023 THE OBSERVER

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Student Clubs Adjust to SABC Challenges

Lincoln Center club leaders share their experiences with requesting and earning funding from the Student Budget Activities Committee

By ANDREW ARMOUR Staff Writer

The Student Activities Budget Committee (SABC) is struggling to allocate funding due to rising inflation rates and the expansion of on-campus activities, according to Christina Frankovic-Sepsi, director of the Office for the Student Involvement (OSI).

SABC — a student committee operating within the United Student Government at Lincoln Center (USGLC) — works alongside OSI to review requests for funding and budget items submitted from student clubs on campus.

According to Frankovic-Sepsi, the committee allocates funds for clubs on an as-needed basis through the use of the student activity fee, a $105 semesterly charge included in the tuition bill.

Frankovic-Sepsi noted that Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC) has begun exploring an increase to the activity fee, which is the source of funding for OSI and SABC. The process for determining the fee increase would require USGLC to host a referendum vote among the student body.

Student clubs requesting funds must meet SABC guidelines that stipulate allocation criteria, what to do with surplus budgets, and funding restrictions.

According to Bianca Ortega, Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center ’25, chair of SABC and USGLC treasurer, Lincoln Center club leaders have reported mixed experiences with the committee’s efficacy in disbursing funds.

Regarding budget requests made from clubs at FLC, Ortega noted that SABC will only reject items that do not meet the committee’s guidelines for approval, detailed in 15-pages of the official club leader manual but has faced difficulties allocating money for all approved clubs’ requests, leading club leaders to share feelings of frustration.

Emily LeHane, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25 and president of the Campus Activities Board at FLC (CABLC), said that while she appreciates SABC and OSI’s efforts to support student clubs, the difference in funding between the CABLC and the Campus Activities Board (CAB) at Fordham Rose Hill frustrates her.

According to LeHane, her club advisers have asked her not to purchase AirPods as a prize for a bingo event, despite having the budget to do so, because smaller clubs were disapproved.

She pointed out that the CAB at Rose Hill was able to give out larger prizes, including AirPods.

“Clubs don’t get great funding, and it’s frustrating for CAB that we can’t use all of our funding,” she said.

The Fordham Ram reported that the Rose Hill CAB budget is $174,000 while, according to a listing in the 2024 SABC Guidelines, CABLC’s budget stands at $65,000.

LeHane noted that in comparison to other clubs at FLC, she is appreciative of the level of funding CABLC receives. She added that the activities board gets more funding through an annual allocated budget, rather than

OWAMI MASIYANDIMA-MLOTSHWA/THE OBSERVER

As more on-campus activities are approved, the amount of funding available for distribution decreases.

other clubs who request funding as needed per item or activity.

“We work with OSI, so we have more flexibility and a better experience,” Lehane said.

Tiffany Ng, FCLC ’26 and an E-Board member of Women in Finance and Economics (WIFE), shared that the club has had an “average” experience with SABC and added that WIFE appeals for more funds on need-basis.

“I think sometimes they are very picky about what to allocate for our budget, (like) how much money to give us,” she said.

“Before joining a club at Fordham I thought everyone gets the same amount of money.”

Ortega noted that SABC

ensures that the rules for prizes are consistent and applied universally across clubs. According to the 2024 guidelines, SABC allows a maximum of a $75 value for first place prizes offered in club competitions and similar events.

“We don’t encourage or discourage clubs from using certain vendors, picking certain items, or spending their money in any certain way,” she said.

Tessa Erbe, FCLC ’25 and president of Prism, said that while SABC plays an important role in facilitating club operations, the relationship between the board and Prism isn’t perfect.

“SABC is a little bit more

removed because we’re submitting the budgets to them,” they said. “And then we just hear back from them, but there isn’t a lot of communication between (SABC and Prism).”

According to Ortega, because SABC is student-run, there is only so much the organization can do.

“We don’t control whether an event happens, even if the budget did or didn’t get approved,” Ortega said. “We’re working with those club leaders who want them to succeed and want to improve as much as we can as well, it’s club leaders on the committee, so you want to see other club leaders succeed as well.”

Campus Ministry Expedites Hiring Muslim and Jewish Chaplains

The president announced that interfaith support would be expanded alongside the university’s security measures SECURITY from page 1

In a joint statement from Robert Fitzer, assistant vice president for Public Safety, and Bob Howe, associate vice president of communications and special advisor to the president, they noted that no credible threats were made toward the university public safety’s decision to enhance security measures.

“The Hamas attacks and the War in Gaza have obviously elevated tensions in New York City, where we have significant Jewish and Muslim population,” they said in the statement. “There is always the possibility that citywide issues will spill over onto campus, so we are being especially watchful.”

They shared that campus community members won’t notice a discernible difference in security presence on campus and noted that the decision to increase security is not a “show of force” but rather increased vigilance, monitoring and coordination.

In response to whether the university has enacted any specific safety protocol to protect Jewish and Muslim students, the two declined to respond to a request for comment.

The university has also attempted to address student concerns by convening listening sessions on Nov. 3 at the Lincoln Center campus, consisting of student leaders from both Muslim Student Association at Lincoln Center (MSALC) and Muslim Student Association at Rose Hill, Arabic Club at Rose Hill and Arabic Club at Lincoln Center as well as students from Palestinian descent in private conversations with Tetlow and

Chief of Staff to the President Michael Trerotola.

The conversation provided a platform to connect with university administrators, said an anonymous representative of the MSALC who attended one of the sessions. The student requested anonymity due to fear of retribution from Canary Mission, a website that seeks to “(document) people and groups that promote hatred of the USA, Israel, and Jews on North American college campuses.”

“Not everything is going to be perfect, but going forward, if we have that open door for conversation and movement going forward, that’s a sign we’re progressing,” they said.

The anonymous representative also said that to support students, the university’s best course of action is to recognize Students for Justice for Palestine (SJP) as an official club on campus. They explained that when Muslim or Jewish students on campus need to seek solace or comfort, there is no equivalent space for Palestinian students to do so.

The undergraduate SJP remains unofficially recognized

by Fordham’s administration after Keith Eldredge, assistant vice president and dean of student services, decided in 2017 — when he served as dean of students at Lincoln Center — to permanently ban the group.

“When you’re not allowing those students to have a student organization on campus, you’re actively telling them that they also are not welcome on campus,” they said. “The best thing Fordham can do is actually legitimize SJP.”

Aside from support systems currently in place on campus, the university did not notify the attendees of any other resources, the MSALC representative said.

The Jewish Student Organization did not respond to a request for comment regarding their reflections on the listening sessions or the university’s initiatives aimed at providing support for Jewish students.

Tetlow also announced that the university would be expanding interfaith support. Erin Hoffman, director of Campus Ministry for Lincoln Center, stressed that efforts to hire an imam or rabbi have been in progress for years, but that the far reaching toll of the war in Gaza has expedited the need and process.

Hoffman shared that job descriptions for these positions are currently posted on the university’s career opportunities website. She noted that the impact of the attacks and ensuing violence have illustrated some of Campus Ministry’s past shortcomings, providing an opportunity for Campus Ministry to improve their support for Jewish and Muslim students.

Campus Ministry has also helped reserve a space for the Jewish Student Organization at Lincoln Center to come together and speak with one another.

“I’ve been really impressed by student leaders’ genuine desires to see the humanity in each other,” she said.

In the coming weeks, members of different interfaith groups will come together for an interfaith vigil to remember lives lost, according to Hoffman and the MSALC representative, the

tentative date for the vigil is to be determined.

Tetlow’s email also shared that the Provost’s office, in collaboration with Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS), has organized several discussions with faculty members seeking to facilitate conversations about the war in their classroom settings.

Jude Jones, associate professor of philosophy and special advisor to the provost for teaching and learning, said the focus of the discussions has been ensuring that Jewish and Arab or Muslim students feel safe during these conversations. She said the university is aware of risks students face both internally and externally, such as hate-speech or doxxing.

“There have been numerous discussions, in the sessions I

convened and elsewhere, about the unique needs of our Muslim and Jewish students for the kind of care and protection Fordham centers in its identity,” she said.

The university has hosted four sessions since Oct. 7. The most recent session was held on Oct. 23 and, according to Jones, was designed as a more structured conversation focused on student experiences surrounding the war in Gaza.

The university-wide email from Tetlow also included contact information for various departments across Lincoln Center and Rose Hill, such as CPS, Campus Ministry, University Health Services, the Offices of Residential Life, the Offices for Student Involvement and the deans of students at both campuses.

COURTESY OF THE FORDHAM RAM

According to Fitzer, no credible threats were made to the university to prompt these increased security measures.

THE OBSERVER November 15, 2023

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News

3

Marketplace Renovations Spark Divisive Reactions

While Rose Hill students excitingly await the Marketplace’s August 2024 reopening with high expectations, Lincoln Center students remain dissatisfied with current dining options

By DYLAN VILELA Staff Writer

The State of New York awarded Fordham University a $5 million capital grant on Oct. 2 for the complete renovation of the Marketplace dining hall in the recently remodeled Joseph M. McShane, S.J. Campus Center at the Rose Hill campus. Students at Fordham Rose Hill expressed excitement for the project’s completion, which is currently set for August 2024.

The grant, bestowed by the Higher Education Capital Match Program, will cover a fraction of the costs associated with the renovation. The university has not disclosed the total funds being allocated for the space.

“ I’d like to see more

healthy options healthy, fresh food like salad and fruit is something hard to come by at Fordham ”

Sofia Donohue, FCRH '25

The new dining hall will feature nine different stations, including different dietary options like halal food, vegan alternatives and allergen-friendly meals, according to Fordham News. Construction began on Indigenous Peoples Day weekend.

Aryan Chahda, Gabelli School of Business Rose Hill ’27 (GSBRH), said he is excited at the prospect of the new dining hall

COLBY MCCASKILL/THE OBSERVER

The Marketplace is slated to open in 2024 and will include new facilities and dining options.

due to a current dissatisfaction with the food quality on campus.

He noted that the dining options at the Lincoln Center campus are better than those at the Rose Hill campus.

Another student shared similar excitement at the renovations to Chahda. Sofia Donohue, Fordham College at Rose Hill ’25, said that while she is happy about the physical space and food option changes, she also believes the new dining hall can be a place for socializing.

“Something I loved about the dining hall was how easy it was to grab a meal with friends and catch up, whether it was a quick meal between classes or sitting

in the dining hall for hours,” Donohue said.

Bob Howe, associate vice president of communications and special adviser to the president, described the renovation as a “once-in-a-lifetime project that will completely transform the space, and create a state of the art dining environment and experience for the campus community.”

Howe added that the Marketplace renovations have been underway over the span of the past decade and were sparked by several factors, including the dining halls’ inability to meet students’ needs, with the building requiring frequent and

expensive repairs due to it being constructed in 1958.

Deming Yuan, the university’s dining contract liaison, noted that the project is long overdue and has garnered widespread support. He highlighted that the renovated Marketplace will provide patrons with the ability to individually customize their meals as a major feature of the new dining hall, emphasizing customer comfort.

“It is understood by the entire campus community that ‘it’s time,’” he said. “Support for the project is coming from all corners of the University.”

Thomas Pustolka, Gabelli School of Business Lincoln Center

’27, said the Lincoln Center campus is “absolutely deserving” of a new dining hall as well, calling for an equal distribution of resources between the two campuses.

Students at both campuses have also noted that a wider range of cuisine offerings is needed.

“I’d like to see more healthy options — healthy, fresh food like salad and fruit is something hard to come by at Fordham,” Donohue said.

Similarly, Chahda expressed a desire for more culturally diverse food options, particularly requesting Indian cuisine and a burrito station.

Izzie Salzman, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’27, echoed Chahda’s sentiment, noting that the current options are mostly western cuisine.

According to Howe, the university has also made dining improvements at the Lincoln Center campus. Ram Café, the Schmeltzer Dining Room and Rolls and Bowls — which recently replaced SVK Kitchen — have also seen new food options and features over the last year.

Howe noted that the funding structure for the new project at the Rose Hill campus is similar to the structure that was used for improvements at the Lincoln Center.

“The infusion of new academic, living, and dining spaces at Lincoln Center allowed for that campus to exceed its expected growth, elevating the experience of the Lincoln Center campus,” he said.

The new Rose Hill dining hall will retain its current name, the Marketplace, upon its scheduled reopening in August 2024 on the first floor of the Joseph M. McShane, S.J. Campus Center.

Decision Regarding Fordham’s Motion To Dismiss Pends

The federal lawsuit filed by the adjunct instructor alleged that the plaintiff was sexually assaulted by the former department chair of sociology and anthropology LAWSUIT from page 1

After receiving a master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Chicago in 2020, Bowditch became an adjunct faculty member at Fordham in 2021, at which point he began teaching anthropology courses.

During his time at Fordham, Bowditch developed a grant proposal for a project titled “Decolonizing Anthropology Module Program,” for the university’s Teaching Race Across the Curriculum Grant (TRAC). According to both the amended complaint and the memorandum of law in support of the motion to dismiss filed by the university, Benavides signed off on Bowditch’s request for the grant funding and served as the project’s head writer.

The lawsuit alleged that it is within the context of Bowditch’s program that the alleged sexual harassment and assault took place.

According to the amended complaint, Benavides made suggestive comments and gestures during dinners with guest lecturers for the program and attempted to kiss and grope Bowditch after a dinner on Mar. 9.

“We do not want to speculate on the plaintiff’s motivations for filing this frivolous action,” Helen Setton, senior litigation counsel at Nesenoff & Miltenberg LLP and a member of Benavides’ defense counsel, said.

“However, we are confident that we will prove through the course of the litigation that there is no merit to any of Plaintiff’s claims against Professor Benavides.”

Bowditch alleged in his complaint that, following a university-hosted dinner on the night of May 11, 2022, celebrating the renewal of the TRAC grant, Benavides suggested going to Bowditch’s apartment. The complaint recounts that in the early hours of May 12, 2022, Benavides forcibly groped and performed oral sex on Bowditch in Bowditch’s bed.

“He goes through seven or eight years working to build a career as an anthropologist, and the person at the center of it betrays him at every level and violates Julius’ body in his own home” Bowditch’s lawyer, Joshua Lax, counsel at Fasulo, Giordano and Di Maggio LLP and an adjunct instructor at Fordham Law School, said. “When Julius was not willing to accept the limits of what Fordham wanted, it turned its back on him.”

Bowditch filed Title VII and Title IX complaints after the alleged assault on May 12, 2022, the initial complaint noted. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on sex, race, origin, religion and color. Title IX prevents sex-based discrimination in federally assisted education programs and activities.

In August 2022, the university notified Bowditch that the Title VII investigation — conducted by private attorneys hired by Fordham — found that Benavides had violated the university’s Title VII policies, the documents from the civil suit filed by Bowditch’s lawyer state. According to a memorandum of law filed by Fordham’s legal counsel in support of its motion to dismiss Bowditch’s allegations against the university, Benavides resigned following the conclusion of the Title VII complaint.

The Title IX complaint was originally rejected by the university in July 2022, who claimed the reported incident did not happen in connection with Fordham programs, events or activities, according to the amended complaint Bowditch’s lawyer filed in October.

The investigation proceeded in August 2022 after Bowditch filed an appeal, which was stated in the initial complaint. The court documents also alleged that university personnel under Hark’s supervision encouraged him to withdraw his Title IX complaint after the Title VII investigation concluded. The amended complaint noted that in November 2022, the university received a letter from Bowditch raising the possibility of civil action.

Bowditch’s complaint further stated that in February 2023, Bowditch found out that his Title IX complaint would be

dismissed because Benavides’ was no longer a faculty member at Fordham.

The initial complaint from Bowditch alleged that the university failed to prevent Benavides’ misconduct by not enacting training, policies, and procedures to deter the alleged behavior. The lawsuit alleged that the university took no action

to remediate or address the harassment and that it retaliated against Bowditch by removing him from scheduled coursework for the spring 2023 semester, refusing to provide Bowditch’s requested accommodations for virtual instruction.

As of Nov. 14, a judge has yet to rule on the motion filed by Fordham to dismiss the lawsuit.

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY AURELIEN CLAVAUD/THE OBSERVER

Fordham University filed a motion to dismiss Bowditch’s initial complaint, and the motion is currently awaiting a ruling from a judge.

Sports & Health Editor Chris Murray

Sports & Health

November 15, 2023 THE OBSERVER

Men’s Basketball Splits First Two Regular Season Games

Fordham opened its season with two nonconference games, winning the first against Wagner before dropping the second to Cornell BASKETBALL from page 1

With 1:06 remaining, the air in the gym was tense once again.

Moore missed a layup, but Rob Taylor II, WAG ’25, sat in perfect position for a putback dunk to cut the lead to one. Fordham called a timeout to talk things over. Coming out of the break, Medor was all alone with the ball.

He sidestepped away from his defender before launching and nailing a 3-pointer to extend Fordham’s lead with only 30 seconds remaining, 60-56.

Fordham held Wagner to four points in overtime, and Medor put the game out of reach with a 3-pointer to stretch the Fordham lead to 6 with 42 seconds left The Seahawks quickly put Fordham’s cheering to rest, however, as they made a layup to cut the lead to two before fouling Antrell Charlton, FCRH ’24, to extend the game with nine seconds left.

Charlton missed the free throw and, as time expired, Moore drove to the basket and laid a shot off of the backboard. Tsimbila leaped to contest the shot and seemed to have blocked it to secure the victory, but the referees made a goaltending call, tying the game with no time left on the clock.

The crowd remained faithful and kept their energy up in the overtime period. Fordham held Wagner to four points in overtime, and Medor put the game out of reach with a 3-pointer to stretch the Fordham lead to 6 with 42 seconds left. Ultimately, the Rams escaped the regular season opener with a 68-64 win.

“If the crowd wasn’t in there tonight, if it wasn’t as loud and

as rowdy tonight, I don’t know if we necessarily pull that off,” Fordham’s Head Coach Keith Urgo commented after the win. “Good teams, good kids, who work hard and are passionate about each other find a way to get it done.”

The victory showcased some of the skills and shortcomings of the rejuvenated squad. On the one hand, 11 different Rams saw the court and nine of them scored, underlining the depth of the team and the trust that Urgo has in his roster. Medor scored 17 points and 6 assists while Gray scored 16 points and added 6 rebounds. The Rams also demonstrated the same resilience that they utilized last season to shock the college basketball world with 25 wins.

On the other hand, the Rams struggled shooting the ball. Fordham made only 8 of its 19 free throws, a dismal 42.1%, with some of those misses coming at crucial points down the stretch. Furthermore, the team shot 8 for 27 (29.6%) from behind the 3-point line, with three of those coming from Medor and a few of the other makes being banked in.

Those shortcomings were present in the Rams’ second regular season game against Cornell.

Despite missing Tsimbila due to an ankle injury, Fordham got off to a quick start, leading 13-9 after five behind more strong play from Gray.

Cornell Defeats Fordham, 78-73 Cornell made key adjustments, employing a full court press that disoriented the Fordham offense.

On the offensive end, the Big Red connected on its shots. Over the next six minutes, Cornell went on an 18-0 to open up a 14 point lead.

The visitors did not let up, as the Rams scored just 11 points over the last 15 minutes of the first half and entered the break trailing 45-24.

Fordham could not figure out how to combat Cornell on either side of the ball in the first half.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Fordham fell behind early against Cornell but outscored the Big Red by 16 points in the second half to make the game competitive.

Urgo made several lineup adjustments, but none seemed to stop the momentum of the Big Red. Luckily, a new Fordham team came out for the second half, ready to work its way back into the game.

The loss mirrored aspects of the Rams’ first game, with Fordham getting off to a slow start but finishing strong It started just as bleak as the first half had ended, with Cornell

expanding its lead to 27 points in the opening minutes. But just as the crowd began to check out, the Fordham comeback began.

Fordham embarked on an 11-0 run that invigorated the arena, as a comeback felt as tenable as it had all game. Cornell maintained its advantage, but with 11:05 remaining in the game the sturdy lead began to waver. Medor scored 5 consecutive points to cut into Cornell’s lead, 61-49 with 10:35 to go.

Fordham caught a break when Cornell’s starting guard Chris Manon, COR ’24, fouled out of the game with 7:40 remaining. The Rams continued to apply pressure.

Richardson nailed a three with just over five minutes left to make

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Transfer guard Japhet Medor, FCRH ’24, led the Rams in scoring in both games, posting 17 points in each and connecting on five of his 13 attempted three pointers.

the score 67-60. After an offensive foul was called on Cornell, Gray made a jumper to cut into the deficit. Although the Big Red countered with a made basket of their own, Richardson came back down the court with his eye on the bottom of the net.

Richardson took the screen set

by Dean, stepped into a 3-point shot, got fouled and still made the basket. The astounding 4-point play made it a one-possession game for the first time since the 12:11 mark in the first half.

Despite the swing in momentum, Cornell kept its composure.

It responded with a basket of its own before forcing a turnover and making another layup to stretch its lead back to 7. The Rams answered with a strong drive by Rivera, resulting in a foul, but he could only make one of his free throws.

Fordham made a legitimate effort down the stretch to make the once foregone game competitive, but came up just short when the final buzzer sounded, losing 78-73. The loss mirrored aspects of the Rams’ first game, with Fordham getting off to a slow start but finishing strong.

Against a superior opponent in Cornell, though, the mistakes in the early going resulted in too big of a gap to breach. Additionally, Fordham again missed a substantial number of free throws, shooting just 14-25 (56.0%) from the charity stripe. Two of those misses occurred in the final two minutes of the game.

Nevertheless, the effort demonstrated by the Rams highlights that there is no insurmountable lead in the Rose Hill Gymnasium, which will surely help the team down the line. Fordham outscored Cornell 49-33 in the second half and was a couple of baskets away from escaping with a victory. Medor scored 17 points once again, while Richardson and Rivera added 12 points each.

The 1-1 start for the Rams may be bittersweet, but they will look to turn the page as they travel to St. Thomas of the U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam tournament.

Fordham will face Norfolk State University on Nov. 17.

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THE OBSERVER

November 15, 2023

Sports & Health

5

Lafayette Beats Fordham Football, 24-16

The loss dropped the Rams to 2-3 in Patriot League play this year ahead of their season finale at Colgate

By CHRIS MURRAY Sports & Health Editor

The Fordham Rams lost to the Lafayette College (LC) Leopards at this past weekend’s football game on Nov. 11 by a score of 24-16. The Rams now sit at 2-3 in Patriot League play this season, their highest loss total in the conference since the 2019 season when they finished 2-4.

Fordham struggled to gain momentum on both sides of the ball at Fisher Stadium. After the teams traded three punts to start the game, both teams remained scoreless at the end of the first quarter.

A promising drive by the Rams fizzled out on the Lafayette 11-yard line, resulting in a field goal in the opening minutes of the second quarter. With that, Fordham had a short-lived 3-0 lead.

Immediately following the Fordham score, Lafayette responded with a defense of its home field. A 40-yard rush by running back Jamar Curtis, LC ’26, pushed the Leopards into their opponents end of the field.

Back-to-back completions by quarterback Dean DeNobile, LC ’26, quickly moved the home team up to Fordham’s 7-yard line before he delivered a strike to wide receiver Elijah Steward, LC ’26, for a touchdown. In the blink of an eye, Fordham’s lead had evaporated and it now found itself trailing 7-3.

All hope was not lost for the visitors. Fordham began an encouraging scoring effort on its ensuing possession. In an arduous eight and a half minute, 17-play drive, the Rams moved inch-by-inch down the field. Even a penalty for an illegal formation could not slow the offense down as the Rams pushed inside of the Leopards’ 10-yard line.

When Fordham was halted on third down, however, Brandon Peskin, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’24, missed a field goal that would have brought the Rams within a point.

Neither offense could muster a score as the lackluster first half came to a close, and the conference foes entered the break with the scoreboard reading 7-3.

The second half of the game opened with a quick punt by the Rams. Lafayette took advantage of the stop by rapidly moving down the field. The drive mirrored Fordham’s lengthy effort near the end of the second quarter, but amounted to a different result.

Aided by a pass interference call that led to a Lafayette first down, DeNobile marched the Panthers toward the end zone. Eventually, DeNobile found Steward on the left side, who sprinted with his eyes on the goal line before he was brought down at the one-yard line.

The Ram’s defense fought to keep the Leopards from securing a touchdown, but on third down DeNobile willed himself into the end zone with a short rush. With 5:07 remaining in the third quarter, Fordham now found itself trailing 14-3.

Again, Fordham could not jumpstart its offense and was forced to punt back to the Leopards. Lafayette started another promising attempt to score as the third quarter wrapped up. As the pressure mounted and the fourth quarter began, the uphill battle for the Rams became even steeper.

A targeting call on defensive back and captain Stephen Williams II, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ’24, removed a key contributor from Fordham’s defense. Lafayette took advantage and nailed a field goal to extend

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

The Rams struggled to find their rhythm on offense, scoring their lowest point total since the first week of the season and scoring 13 of its 16 points in the fourth quarter.

its lead to 14 with 12:32 remaining in the final quarter.

With their backs against the wall, the slumbering Rams offense finally woke up. Julius Loughridge, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’25, started the drive off with a four-yard rush. It was a quiet day for Loughridge, as he finished with only 56 yards on 18 attempts.

Back-to-back passes completed

by CJ Montes, FCRH ’26, to MJ Wright, Gabelli Graduate School of Business ’24, and Mekai Felton, FCRH ’24, combined for 42 yards and moved Fordham into its opponent’s end of the field.

Loughridge added a 2-yard rush before a defensive pass interference call placed the ball on Lafayette’s 14-yard line. The

running back rushed for a loss and then Montes found Cody Garrett, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ’25, for a 17-yard gain to the one-yard line. Montes finished the drive off with a rushing touchdown and with 9:28 remaining, it was a one-score ballgame.

All hope for Fordham was squandered when, on the first play of Lafayette’s new possession, Curtis bolted down the field for a 72-yard rush. It appeared as though the Rams had caught a lucky break as Nahil Perkins, GSBRH ’24, forced the ball out of Curtis’ hands at the end of the play, but the fumbled ball rolled harmlessly out of bounds and the Leopards maintained possession. Curtis finished the

job with a rushing touchdown to make the score 24-10.

With 6:55 left in the game, Fordham pushed for another touchdown. Its effort was too little, too late. Montes connected with Loughridge for a 15-yard receiving touchdown, but Peskin missed the extra point attempt, a play that symbolically captured the misfortune for the away team.

The Leopards ran out the clock in the final three minutes of the game and escaped with a 24-16 victory. Fordham will close out the 2023 season on Nov. 18 when they take on the Colgate University Raiders. Although there will be no stakes, a win could give the Rams some optimism heading into the offseason.

The Rose Hill Exchange The suspension of the name, image, likeness (NIL) rules by the NCAA in 2021 has opened up previously barred opportunities for student-athletes to earn financial compensation; the newness of NIL has set many programs off balance, not sure of where to begin. On Monday, Fordham University took a big step toward reinforcing this new avenue for its student-athletes, announcing the establishment of the Rose Hill Exchange, which is an online portal that connects “local businesses and Fordham student-athletes in search of NIL opportunities.” Searching to support their student-athletes, athletics departments are trying new and innovative ways of connecting with large and small businesses.

Fordham has opted to build a framework for building relationships within the Bronx and New York communities, drawing their student-athletes closer to the community they live, study and compete in. In addition to the portal, Fordham Athletics is planning an educational series to inform their student-athletes and cultivate the knowledge necessary to succeed in the untapped and largely unexplored NIL market.

DAVID JOYNER VIA FLICKR

A view of the lines and angles of the Rose Hill Gymnasium, the oldest Division 1 gym in the country and host to Fordham’s basketball and volleyball programs..

It continues to be a favorite spot for students at Rose Hill, and a worthwhile visit for students at Lincoln Center.

Water Polo Finale

Battle of the Bronx

Fordham water polo, ranked #15 in the country, claimed a momentous victory against #20 ranked Brown University to close out the regular season on Nov. 11. The Rams ended the regular season on another lengthy win streak, this time beating six consecutive opponents. Fordham also finished its second straight undefeated conference season, going 12-0 in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference.

The women’s basketball team will face Manhattan College at the Rose Hill Gymnasium in the Battle of the Bronx on Thursday, Nov. 16. Fordham will look to shake off a tough loss to the University of Miami against its intra-borough rival.

The Rams sit at 2-1 to start the 2023-24 season, with Emy Hayford, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ’24, and Taylor Donaldson, FCRH ’24, leading in scoring, averaging 15.3 and 13.0 points per game respectively.

The finale featured a dominant performance by the Rams, as they won 16-7 behind four goal efforts from both Jacopo Parrella, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill ’25, and Lucas Nieto Jasny, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’25. Goalkeeper Thomas Lecari, FCRH ’25, had a fantastic day, making 13 saves, two assists and two steals in the win. The Rams now look forward to playing in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Championship against either Wagner College or George Washington University on Nov. 18.

In addition to the intensity of the rivalry game, fans can look forward to multiple promotions during the game. Free Chick-fil-A sandwiches will be offered for Fordham students, and visitors can take advantage of a “7-1-8” deal, which includes a $7 hot dog, $1 drink and $8 ticket. The men’s program will partake in its own Battle of the Bronx against Manhattan later this month on Nov. 27.

The Game of Ram Life

It is another year of school for the Ramily! Like

any semester at Fordham, your time will be filled with both ups and downs. As you travel through the fall semester, you’ll experience setbacks and triumphs, trials and celebrations … but you’ll

By ABBY GRUNZINGER Fun & Games Editor

make it to winter break eventually! So grab a friend (or three), any small objects to use as game pieces and a die (or a random number generator on your phone), and get playing. First one to make it through the semester and all the way to winter break wins!

S R E V I N U M FORDHA

Trip and spill your entire Argo drink all over those nice carpeted floors in a street level classroom. Move back two spaces.

ITY

There’s no line at Ram Café! Move ahead one space.

Start

Dress as Ramses for Halloween.

Everyone at the party loves it.

Move ahead one space.

D I M Slide through midterm season to the next space.

Your favorite seat on the Ram Van is wide open for your trek to your 8:30 a.m. class at Rose Hill. Move ahead two spaces.

F A Fordham Flirt matches your initials, but it’s about someone in a philosophy class, and you’re not taking philosophy this semester :( Move back one space.

Argo Tea

Somebody pushes past you to get on a Lowenstein elevator, and they’re only going up one floor. Move back two spaces.

Get an A on a midterm from a professor with a difficulty rating of 4.3 on RateMyProfessor.

Move ahead three spaces.

M R E T

Get stuck in a McMahon elevator. Lose turn.

The registration portal opens up immediately, and you get to go back to sleep before your first class.

Move ahead two spaces.

D RA finds illegal string lights in your room. Move back three spaces.

At Thanksgiving, a distant relative asks if Fordham has any famous alumni, so you get to talk about Denzel! Move ahead one space.

There’s a fire drill in McKeon, and you live on the 22nd floor. Move back two spaces.

End: Winter Break!!

Layout Design and Graphics by Alyssa Shonk and Giada Evangelista

Opinions Editors Jake Eraca Matthias Lai

Opinions

November 15, 2023 THE OBSERVER

Give Money to Unhoused People

Though larger forces are at work in causing the homelessness crisis, New Yorkers should still do what they can to help those in need AVA MIN Staff Writer

If you live in New York City, you have likely seen people experiencing homelessness on the street begging for spare change or something to eat. The visibility of people living without shelter is an inescapable detail of the New York City landscape. Many New Yorkers simply look away or try to ignore the presence of people experiencing homelessness, but people should exercise their power to give what they can.

The housing crisis in New York City has gradually worsened over the past decade, and there has been a rise in homelessness across the five boroughs.

According to the Bowery Mission, a nonprofit aid group, one in 83 people in New York City are unhoused. As Fordham students, we see unhoused people everywhere, on our commutes to and from campus and in our surrounding neighborhoods — and yet I’ve seen countless gaggles of passersby sweep past unhoused people, failing to spare them a single glance.

The proverb “if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime” claims that giving money to people experiencing homelessness encourages dependency.

Kyle Cassaday’s article titled “Why Should We Not Help The Homeless?” referenced the proverb and argued that there’s no use in giving someone a little bit of money if they’re immediately going to spend it on some trivial item and then return to ask for more. This cold, hard logic may seem to make sense, but it’s missing one of the core sentiments that makes us human: kindness.

“Why should I help?” I’ve heard people ask. You should help because you can.

There’s a grim stereotype that accompanies those who have been displaced and live on the street. Society harbors the assumption that most

people who are unhoused have made poor life decisions to end up where they are, and that any money given will promptly be shunted toward some malicious addiction. Giving money to people experiencing homelessness, therefore, is often perceived as an act that will only perpetuate the problem.

“Why should I help?” I’ve heard people ask. You should help because you can.

The Center of Career and Recovery Resources is a nonprofit that works to help struggling Americans find their footing. The Center argues that “there is a widespread misconception that unhoused people spend money on alcohol and drugs which is only partly true ... some desperately need it for medications or psychiatric help.” Two dollars won’t pay for a dose of crack cocaine, but it could buy a muchneeded bottle of water.

It isn’t up to us to pass judgment, to decide what a person has experienced or to assume what hardships they may have endured.

Lay-offs, poor wages and mental illness are among the top factors that lead to homelessness — not drug addiction, laziness or poor work ethic. It isn’t up to us to pass judgment, to decide what a person has experienced or to assume what hardships they may have endured.

The ultimate solution to widespread homelessness is to address the root of the problem itself, which requires a great deal more than simply giving away your spare change. Major institutional changes are out of any New Yorkers’ control, so we’re led to the conclusion that if anyone’s responsible, it’s the billionaires, or the government.

This sort of reasoning, however, excuses us from looking at, acknowledging, or helping the unhoused — all on the basis that any attempt to help is futile.

I believe that this isn’t how human beings actually think or feel. We want to empathize, and we want to help — but we have to grapple with the fact that there is only so much we can do when we ourselves are struggling in our own, privileged way.

Many college students are struggling financially, desperately trying to limit their excess expenditures. It might feel like you’ll need those two dollars for your own meal — and what’s the point, anyway, in giving your spare change to someone on the street, when you may see countless other people in the same day? Because it’s an act of humanity.

You should give what you can, if you’re able, even if it is not much.

Fordham has two campuses in the Bronx and Manhattan, each with surrounding neighborhoods that are affected by the housing crisis. Students across the campuses should feel compelled to give what they can, especially considering the privilege that students enjoy.

Students at Fordham have the privilege of attending a private university in one of the most carefully groomed sectors of Manhattan. We might not be able to make any monumental change today, but we can do something. By passing off responsibility to those we deem more “fortunate” or more “capable” than ourselves, like politicians or the filthy rich, we perpetuate a vicious cycle of indifference.

In an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal, former IBM CEO Louis Gerstner argued that the best way to combat the housing crisis is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Various philanthropic organizations have poured millions into the legislation of new policies that might alleviate the housing crisis, but as college students, there’s very little we can do to contribute to that.

Unless college students are ready to become avid social justice advocates — willing to dedicate their life’s work to the activist cause — the quickest and easiest remedy is to hand people as much as we can contribute.

Terrible situations can befall anyone, and unhoused people deserve the benefit of the doubt. Instead of turning a blind eye, stay conscious and open minded. It’s not wholly on us to solve the housing crisis, but it is on us to show small acts of compassion wherever possible.

If you can spare a dollar, you should spare it. If you can have empathy, you should show it. No matter what your position is in life, you can always hold kindness in your heart.

Observer the

Editor-in-Chief Maryam Beshara

Managing Editor Ana Kevorkian Deputy Managing Editor Erika Tulfo Online Editor Quincy Reyes Creative Director Aurelien Clavaud Layout Editor Alyssa Shonk Asst. Layout Editor Giada Evangelista Head Copy Editors Smile Butt Grace Ehle Asst. Copy Editor Emily Davis News Editors Insiya Gandhi Alexa Villatoro Asst. News Editors Stevie Fusco Gabriella Gutierrez Sports & Health Editor Chris Murray Opinions Editors Jake Eraca Matthias Lai Asst. Opinions Editors Avery Grafeld Ana Winston Arts & Culture Editor Aditi Praveen Kariyanahalli Asst. Arts & Culture Editors Julia Jaramillo Juliana Sharon Features Editors Lola Cravath Madeleine Signore Asst. Features Editor Caroline Sensenig Fun & Games Editor Abby Grunzinger Social Media Editors Eeshita Wade Shelby Williams Multimedia Editors Lauren Bocalan Maria Terzulli Asst. Multimedia Editor Riley Kraus Podcast Host Morgan Johnson Podcast Producer Nellie Podokshik Editorial Adviser Richard Rosen Visual Adviser Hamidreza Nassir

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES • No part of The Observer may be reprinted or reproduced without the expressed written consent of The Observer board.

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GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY AURELIEN CLAVAUD/THE OBSERVER

New Yorkers should not pass by people experiencing homelessness and should give what they can to help their community.

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Printed by Five Star Printing, Flushing, N.Y.

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Opinions November 15, 2023

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THE OBSERVER

The Cost of Consuming Meat

Meat eaters must resist cognitive dissonance and reevaluate their contribution to the unethical practices of the meat industry HANNAH VENNING Staff Writer

Meat production is a multi-billion dollar industry infamous for its brutal and unethical practices, yet, according to market research company Ipsos, 89% of Americans still consume meat on a regular basis. People who can afford to be vegetarian must be conscious of the heinous process their diet demands and should abandon the immoral practice, instead opting for plant-based protein alternatives.

Cognitive dissonance, a phenomenon characterized by willful ignorance, is a reason many people neglect their own values in order to continue engaging in behavior that suits their interests. In the case of meat consumption, the deliberate indulgence in ignorance allows those who eat meat to disregard the brutality that factory-farmed animals endure and subsequently escape the discomfort they know they should feel.

While some do not have the privilege to eat a vegetarian diet, there are many with secure access to food and plant-based protein options that continue to eat meat regardless. This cognitive dissonance is a large reason for the resistance against vegetarian diets despite the severe ethical concerns raised by factory farming practices.

Factory farming is a mechanized method of breeding and slaughtering animals that regularly employs inhumane practices to maximize meat companies’

GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY AURELIEN CLAVAUD/THE OBSERVER

The majority of Americans are complacent in the harmful practices of the meat production industry.

production and profit. This blatant disregard for animals and their suffering is further reinforced by consumers’ engagement in the industry.

It is easy to hide behind the adage that insists there is “no such thing as ethical consumption under capitalism,” but consumers cannot allow this to strip them of their empathy. People who eat meat should acknowledge the mass suffering their choices perpetuate and make a meaningful effort to consume less meat, supplanting it with more ethically sourced, plantbased options, such as tofu, nuts, pea-protein, tempeh or quinoa.

Despite countless studies from National Geographic articles to National Institutes of Health

guidelines for lab animals that have proven animals’ capacity to experience pain as well as a spectrum of emotions, factory farming facilities employ unethical techniques, such as removing appendages and genetic engineering, to make these animals easier to breed, confine, slaughter and sell.

These procedures are often performed on a mass scale and without anesthesia, causing chronic pain and health issues later on in the animals’ lives, all for the sake of a consumer’s short-lived meal.

While meat is a substantial component of many Americans’ diets, it’s not a necessary one, and in order to shift this paradigm, an apt understanding of nutrition is necessary to meet dietary needs in the absence of meat.

Although people may not think twice about eating meat, an animal has suffered through the majority of its life to end up on their plate. Being conscious of this unjustifiable abuse, those who eat meat should at the very least consider integrating more ethical plant-based options into their diet.

Widespread animal cruelty is further reinforced by the meat industry’s massive economic and political influence, which gives it powerful sway over legislation concerning regulations or transparency requirements. On an individual basis, cognitive dissonance makes it easier to justify eating meat. Companies perpetuate this delusion by taking purposeful action to hide their practices from the public.

This heightens the dissociation between the food on consumer’s plates and the animals that were slaughtered to make it.

Individuals should not have to bear responsibility for the actions of massive corporations.

However, these entities’ egregious lack of consideration for ethics and consumer well-being have forced that duty onto their consumers. Due to the vast influence of buyers in the market, consuming consciously means adopting a vegetarian diet rather than allowing companies to continue to profit from your manufactured ignorance.

Beyond the animal cost required to sustain the diets of those who do eat meat, there are also very real consequences for the humans whose labor powers such enormous corporate entities.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, the factory

farming industry is sustained by a workforce that comprises a disproportionately high number of people of color, immigrants and employees from low-income backgrounds. This pattern reinforces pre-existing systems of generational poverty, positioning these workers into some of the most dangerous workplaces in the nation while failing to provide them with sufficient pay and benefits.

With the human and animal cost made apparent, the only logical reason many still consume meat is because they are deluded by the guileful actions of corporations. The obvious moral choice is to resist this desensitization and denial of man-made human suffering, and the best way to do this is not only to be more aware of the extensive negative impacts of factory farming, but also to stop eating meat.

Moral offenses surrounding eating meat are mainly committed by the massive corporations that breed and slaughter animals, meaning we must recognize how our consumption reinforces and contributes to the unethical treatment of those animals. We cannot continue to ignore the influence that we have as consumers simply for the sake of our culinary pleasure.

In order to practice humanity, it is our duty to consume consciously whenever possible and to be more aware of the culinary decisions we make. Refusing to eat meat is consumers’ greatest form of resistance against the massive corporations committing atrocious acts against animals, laborers and customers alike.

Being Alone Isn’t Lonely

Spending time on your own paves the way for a journey to self-discovery and getting to know your true self OLIVIA DIRADO Contributing Writer

There is a paradox to loneliness; a hesitancy to do anything besides spend time alone comes from a fear of actually getting to know oneself. To know oneself is to discover the good and, more intimidating, the bad in who we are. By coming to terms with both of those, we can be more at peace in the world. Knowing yourself will ultimately make you feel less lonely, but in order to know yourself, you must be completely alone.

Pushing this notion away may seem daunting because it can be terrifying to come to terms with the realization that you don’t know who you are, making it difficult to start the journey of self-discovery. However, loneliness can be beneficial to expediting this process. It can seem terrifying to come to terms with the realization that you don’t know who you are and you don’t know where to start on a journey of self-discovery.

It can be easy to fall into the trap of meaningless activities; taking a 15-minute break on TikTok to mindlessly scroll allows your brain to go on auto-pilot for a moment. By getting caught up in the meaningless, however, you are not spending quality time with yourself.

Taking the time to know yourself, what you like and don’t like, your opinions, habits, grievances and other deeper feelings, is important. You cannot run from yourself, and although that may sound unnerving, it should

not be — what is more hopeful than knowing the one person who will always have your back?

When you begin to spend time with yourself, it is important to remember that you will make mistakes, such as becoming caught up in aesthetics or how you would like to be perceived.

We tend to push ourselves away in fear of discovering all of the negative things about ourselves.

There is an external pressure to present ourselves as perfect and, unfortunately, this ideology can become all-consuming.

Striving for perfection isn’t fruitful because perfection will never happen, instead, you should seek to find the version of yourself that is truly you: this could be as simple as contemplating whether you are into a fashion trend or music because it genuinely speaks to you, or because liking them will be perceived as unique, cosmopolitan or chic.

Another mistake many people make is that they forget their goals and abandon ship when confronted with struggle or conflict. People leave, jobs change, hearts are broken and pain will ensue. Although it is important to grieve, hardships also enable us to grow and change.

Loneliness is an opportunity to be who you have always been, to be a form of yourself that is strong and ready for anything that is thrown in your path.

So, what should be the starting point? Life is about understanding who you are and what makes you happy. It is important to start truly taking care of yourself, by stepping back and giving yourself room to change and grow. One way to do this is

by picking up some sort of physical activity, such as walking, weightlifting or trying a sport.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, the mental health benefits of exercise can even outweigh the physical ones. Consistent physical activity can increase focus, motivation, energy levels, relaxation and more.

Another way to spend quality time alone is by stepping back from social media. Claude Mellins, a professor of medical psychology

at Columbia University, said, “If you feel social media is a negative experience, you might need a break.” It may be difficult to go completely cold turkey on social media, but spending less time on it is still beneficial. It is important to separate yourself from the media that distracts you from your journey of self discovery.

As young adults, we are constantly growing and changing.

Struggle is inevitable, but it does not mean that your life is

over — struggling means that you have an opportunity to grow and understand yourself better.

Spending time alone does not mean you have to be lonely. It is a chance to spend time with yourself, doing what you enjoy and also challenging yourself with what may be uncomfortable.

It is important to take care of yourself. Life is hard, but the burden can be lifted with the knowledge that you will always have yourself to fall back on.

Stepping away from social media is a crucial step in learning more about yourself.

AURELIEN CLAVAUD/THE OBSERVER

Arts & Culture Editor Aditi Praveen Kariyanahalli

Arts & Culture

November 15, 2023 THE OBSERVER

Fordham Senior Debuts New Book

Carrie Berk’s memoir explores the adventures (and misadventures) of her teenage dating experience

By CAROLINE SENSENIG Asst. Features Editor

Navigating the dating world can be intimidating and difficult, especially as a teenager or young adult. Having encountered her own fair share of ups and downs, Carrie Berk, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’24, shares stories in her new book “My Real-Life RomCom: How to Build Confidence and Write Your Own Relationship Rules” released on Sept.

19 about dating experiences she had in her teenage years.

Written with dating advice for teenagers, Berk’s book and perspective offer a unique twist, she is able to cater to an adolescent’s point of view because she was one herself at the time of writing it.

“ I was worried about

losing my memories during the pandemic and I started writing everything down I could remember, all the lessons that I’ve learned and loved”

Carrie Berk FCLC ‘24

“It really captures the teen voice,” Berk said. “Nobody knows teenagers more than other teenagers.”

Berk also noted that she aimed for “My Real-Life Rom-Com” to be a version of “Sex and the City” for Generation Z. She emphasized that it is meant to outline the personal accounts of her dating life and the lessons she has learned.

It was important to Berk that her book was more than just a dating guide telling people how to date and who to date. She wanted to show people who have similar experiences the lessons that she learned along the way.

The Writing Process According to Berk, the memoir informally began when her

Berk takes the reader through her own personal dating experiences and the lessons she learned with each one.

16-year-old self wrote an essay about her first break up, which would later become the first chapter of the book titled “The Bar Mitzvah Boy.” The breakup sparked a series of more personal essays that Berk composed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“ Reflecting on these

experiences brought me closure that sometimes I didn’t get in real life that I found through my own writing, which was really beautiful”

Carrie Berk FCLC ‘24

Berk shared that she wrote whenever she felt her emotions were at a high, such as after a bad dating experience or when

she encountered a heartbreak.

Despite some negative experiences, these relationships prompted her to write everything down and to reflect on them.

“I was worried about losing my memories during the pandemic, and I started writing everything down I could remember, all the lessons that I’ve learned and loved,” she said.

After sending these personal essays to a friend, Berk was given the suggestion that her essays would hold much more meaning if they were all put together to project a greater message. As a result, Berk was inspired to turn the essays into an anthology.

Realizing that there are not many — if any — books out in the world about dating that are specifically written by teenagers for teenagers, Berk was highly determined to change that.

Berk wanted her work to serve as a “tool that teenagers would be able to relate to,” to prevent them from feeling isolated in their dating experiences.

In writing “My Real-Life RomCom,” one of the biggest obstacles Berk noted that she faced was having to revisit painful incidents and feelings from the past. She knew that she was on a mission to bring as much emotional authenticity to her readers as possible, even if the writing process proved to be difficult.

“What kept me going was that people are gonna read my emotions and feel my vulnerability and be able to connect with it,” Berk said.

The recently-published writer hopes that those who read her book will be able to relate to the overall abundance of deep emotions that are involved with dating. For teenagers, she intends to make them feel better and let them know that others have gone through what they have.

What holds the book together is that no matter what Berk is going through, she always finds herself again and stands firm in her truth.

“I hope my stories resonate with them or they read the way I describe my first heartbreak or my first love and these emotions and are able to relate,” Berk said.

Berk explained that writing the book was beneficial for her, as it brought her closure in her past relationships that she has had. It motivated her to turn her stories into something meaningful that could help teenagers feel seen.

“Reflecting on these experiences brought me closure that sometimes I didn’t get in real life that I found through my own writing, which was really beautiful,” Berk said.

A Message of Self-Love

“My Real-Life Rom Com” marks Berk’s first solo venture and was successful in its launch.

COURTESY OF CARRIE BERK

According to Berk, the book’s final chapter titled “The Journey to Self-Love” was her favorite to write, as she described what the

COURTESY OF CARRIE BERK

phrase means to her. Keeping with her willingness to be vulnerable, she recounted what it felt like when she had her first anxiety attack.

“It was super important to me to go into as much detail as possible,” Berk said. “I know that if I had a tool like this when I was going through anxiety, if I had someone my age to relate to and feel less alone, then it would have helped me a lot.”

In the concluding chapter, Berk narrated that finding selflove is a very long journey that can be frustrating at times. Nevertheless, what holds the book together is that no matter what Berk is going through, she always finds herself again and stands firm in her truth.

Berk went on to express that her message about self-love really comes together when she is finally able to realize the truth in regards to love and understanding the key to loving yourself and others.

“I can’t truly love someone else until I can look in the mirror at my lowest points and love myself fully,” she said.

New Beginnings Within the first week of the book’s launch, Berk was very pleased with the responses to “My Real-Life Rom-Com.” She also expressed immense gratitude for how much love and support she has gotten and said that in the future, she would like her story to take “creative license and turn into a fictionalized story” by coming to life on screen in a TV series.

As a journalism major, Berk shared that her next steps as a writer are to get a job working at a magazine or in publication in the spring. In general, she aspires to continue growing and developing her writing skills more than anything else.

“I’ve been writing for 12 years, but I’m in school because I really value continuing to learn and holding on to my passion,” she said.

Currently, Berk aspires to be a feature journalist. She added that if she ever feels inspired and has the time to write another book in the upcoming years, she would gladly begin the writing process once again.

11

Arts & Culture November 15, 2023 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

New Club Offers Community for International Students

GLOBE seeks to support international undergraduate students at Fordham as they acclimate to life in the United States

By SOFIA GELLADA Contributing Writer

GLOBE, one of Fordham Lincoln Center’s newest student clubs established this fall, was created to cater to the needs of over 2,500 international students across both the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses. Vishesh Chawla, Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center ’25, one of the club’s co-presidents, said that the name “GLOBE” is derived from “Fordham’s Global Link to Openness, Belonging, and Engagement.”

The student organization’s leaders have expressed disappointment that such a club was necessary due to the absence of adequate support from the university According to Fordham’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions website, 7.6% of the class of 2027 is made up of international students, hailing from all over the globe. The club’s main mission is to support international students, many of whom are adjusting to living in a new country; GLOBE aims to provide these students with a chance to build a community with other international students.

Chawla shared that the current E-Board members filed

for club recognition in the fall semester of 2022 and it has taken a year to gain approval for the student organization.

The club held its first meeting on Oct. 19 and opened with a short PowerPoint introduction to GLOBE’s goals from co-president Jacobo Fliman, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25, and Chawla. During the welcome meeting, the E-Board highlighted that GLOBE “aims to encourage the growth of the international community at Fordham by giving international students a medium to voice their concerns, receive support, and learn about the American culture.”

GLOBE expressed in their first meeting that they hope to provide a safe space for international students to discuss any issues they face during their time at Fordham. Members will get the chance to meet with international students in their junior and senior years, and possibly some international student alumni, who can offer mentorship and advice throughout their undergraduate journey at Fordham University.

The remainder of GLOBE’s E-Board members include treasurer Pauline Pryzwara, FCLC ’23; secretary Aryan Girdhar, FCLC ’25; and programming coordinator Arina Medvedeva, FCLC ’24.

At the club’s first meeting, the presentation and introductions were followed by a few rounds of “speed friending” and closed with an opportunity for students to mingle and get to know one another as Insomnia Cookies were served. While GLOBE has a noble mission of helping

international students familiarize themselves with life in the U.S., the student organization’s leaders have expressed disappointment that such a club was necessary due to the absence of adequate support from the university.

“The Office for International Services is severely underfunded and ... not easily accessible,” Pryzwara said, referring to the absence of a phone number on the office’s web page. Pryzwara also shared that in her conversations with other international students, concerns regarding the difficulties of finding the Office for International Service’s (OIS) contact information arose.

OIS states on their website that all general questions should be directed to ois@fordham.edu.

Minjoo Kim, FCLC ’26, a member of GLOBE and an international student from South Korea, said that he “felt a general lack of community and support for international students after Global Transition” which led him to join GLOBE in order to reconnect with people he had met at Global Transition as a first-year participant and as an orientation group leader in the summer of 2023.

According to Chawla, the “Ramily Potluck” GLOBE’s biggest event of the semester, will be a collaboration with Lincoln Center’s Resident Hall Association, Campus Activities Board and Commuter Students Association.

GLOBE plans to have residents come together to mingle and enjoy great food, and possibly win free tickets to a Broadway show.

GLOBE also intends to offer informational workshops focused on helping international students

COURTESY OF VISESH CHAWLA

GLOBE’s goal is to provide a community primarily for international students to engage and connect with one another.

navigate topics like applying for social security numbers, obtaining insurance, taxes and more.

There are also exciting events planned for the spring 2024 semester, featuring excursions across NYC and an event aimed at celebrating international students already in the works.

Though GLOBE is targeted toward supporting international students, the E-Board members emphasized that their club is open to everyone. As the name implies, GLOBE is a place where students from diverse backgrounds can come together and find a community where they belong.

‘My Sweetest Baby Angel Princess’ Explores Exploitation

The studio thesis production by playwright Vivienne Blouin spotlights the complicated world of online sex work

By ANA KEVORKIAN Managing Editor

“My Sweetest Baby Angel Princess,” the thesis play written and directed by Vivienne Blouin, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’24, premiered in the White Box Theatre at Fordham Lincoln Center on Nov. 14. Blouin sought to explore “the nuances of sexuality, gendered sexual expectations, friendship, romance, and finances in a post-pandemic world” through her production.

“My ultimate goal with this piece is to spark conversation,” she said. “I obviously have my own opinions, but the most exciting thing for me as a writer and director is hearing the audience debate certain aspects of the story as they leave; that means they truly engaged with it, and hopefully continue to think critically about digital media going forward.”

As audiences filtered into the White Box Theatre, they were greeted by bouncers who checked IDs and wristbanded guests, welcoming them into Calliope, the nightclub that serves as the setting for much of the story. Bottle girls (Amanda Rodriguez, FCLC ’26; Giordana Simurdiak, FCLC ’24; and Gia Sood, FCLC ’27) passed out menus and took shots (of Sprite) with the audience as a playlist of all the past decade’s greatest hits blared throughout the space.

The play follows Dollie (Yasemin Cem, FCLC ’25), a New York City bottle girl who, when the nightlife scene shuts down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, begins a lucrative side career in the online porn industry, posing as a child.

Shortly after her return to bottle

COURTESY OF HELEN HYLTON VIA VIVIENNE BLOUIN

The neon-lit New York City nightclub, Calliope, serves as the main setting for “My Sweet Baby Angel Princess.”

service, she meets and begins dating a middle school algebra teacher named Joe (Elian Rivera, FCLC ’25), convincing herself that his attraction to her stems from unfulfilled fantasies with his students.

Joe, Dollie, her best friend Lex (Simurdiak), fellow bottle girls Sadie and Steph (Sood and Rodriguez), and their bartender/manager Cris (Joshua Screen, FCLC ’24) navigate the neon-light-soaked nightlife scene, where the line between exploitation and agency is blurred beyond recognition.

Outside the walls of the club, though, an enigmatic unnamed character referred to only as “The Little Girl” (Katherine Fosmoen, FCLC ’26) pulls Dollie back into her room and back onto the computer to entertain her “friends,” discouraging her from pursuing relationships with Lex and Joe. Balancing her online life with the “real world” proves to be an ongoing challenge, in both directions — The Little Girl cries whenever Dollie tries to leave, but when Dollie tries to share her content with Joe, her world comes crashing

down. She’s caught in the middle of the two spaces, with neither willing to move toward the other.

“My Sweetest Baby Angel Princess” repeatedly emphasizes the tension between the online world and the real world, and Cem’s performance embodies the sense that Dollie is caught between two worlds — worlds that are respectively personified

by Fosmeon’s freneticism and Rivera’s sweet modesty.

Within the walls of the club, the lighting — designed by Luke Willson, FCLC ’25 — is harsh and unforgiving, but in Dollie’s room,

it’s cooler and more natural. The shifts in lighting throughout the play create distinct worlds within Dollie’s life, clearly differentiating the small White Box space.

To everyone except Dollie, it’s clear that the two sides of her double-life are fundamentally incompatible. She has to choose: either alienate the people around her who cannot accept her online work catering to pedophilic fantasies, or put that part of her life behind her, once and for all.

Blouin’s writing and direction delicately handle the complicated subject matter, portraying each characters’ actions without judgment or condemnation. Rather than distancing the audience from the morally dubious characters, Blouin brings us in, fostering empathy and understanding for the difficult situations in which the characters find themselves.

While the characters’ actions may be debatable, they derive from the exploitative, capitalistic and hypersexualized world in which they are forced to live and work.

The resulting production is not only entertaining, funny and enthralling — it is also a scathing critique of online (and in person) sexual exploitation. The women in the play find themselves backed into a corner, forced to choose between sexualizing themselves in the club for tips, or sexualizing themselves online for subscriptions — and whichever decision they make, they will be judged for it.

“My Sweetest Baby Angel Princess,” a studio thesis production at Fordham Theatre, will run in the White Box Theatre from Nov. 14 to 16.

Fun & Games Editor Abby Grunzinger

un & ames

November 15, 2023 THE OBSERVER

Crossword: The Show Must Go On

BY ABBY GRUNZINGER

Across 1. Sections 6. Umbrella term for music outside the mainstream (Abbr.)

9. “Don’t _____” by No Doubt 14. Top dog?

15. Potential affectionate name for a grandmother

16. Iconic series of Christmas movies starring Macauley Culkin: “Home _____” 17. *Sour illumination?

19. Like Steve Martin, Richard Pryor or Ali Wong 20. 2012 country-pop album, recently rereleased in 2021 21. Gaps in mountains where one can safely travel 22. Ireland is sometimes called the Emerald ____

25. What a magician might make a coin do 29. French street?

30. *Eerie laundry items that must be separated from darks? (2 Wds.) 35. Fordham department where one might go to request accommodations (Abbr.)

36. Law enforcement officers 37. Spiritual vibe 38. Sniffers 40. Month for showers?

41. Fruit-flavored candies Mike & ____ 42. Pause, like one a band might take 47. Snitch 48. *Dial your drapes? (2 Wds.) 50. Number of years around the sun 51. Climb 52. What a snake does periodically to its skin 53. They’re measured in flights 57. Decay 59. Green sauce made from basil, pine nuts and garlic 60. *Add an interval to a limb?

(3 Wds.) 66. Featured character of “Asteroid City” or “Arrival” 67. Propel a canoe, for example 68. Succulent used for natural sweetener 69. Shuts, with a bang 70. The cheapest Netflix plan includes these (Abbr.)

71. Middle Eastern country with Sana’a as its capital

Down 1. Good buddy 2. Aladdin’s princely alias 3. 45 or 78 for a record, for example (Abbr.)

4. It’s neither here nor _____ 5. Popular sign on Black Friday 6. “Brokeback Mountain” director ___ Lee 7. “Well, ___-di-dah!”

8. The explosive energy of an atomic bomb equals 20,000 tons of this (Abbr.)

9. Sightseeing expedition where you might view lions or zebras 10. Addition sign 11. Periods of many, many years 12. Hathaway or Boleyn 13. They might be on a ring on your belt loop 18. Boise state 21. Like a vampire 22. Sarcastic 23. Another puzzle you might find on the Fun & Games page 24. Opposite of greater 26. Senator or Representative, for example (Abbr.)

27. Penultimate Greek letter 28. And so on …

(Abbr.)

30. Apple Maps or Waze, for two (Abbr.)

31. Break or space 32. Celebratory cry of triumph 33. Prioritizing patients 34. Like some pretzels or popcorn 39. Roughly (Abbr.)

40. Four fingers together with your thumb on your palm is a B in this language (Abbr.)

42. Sound of an angry cat 43. Found after co. names 44. Great card, in poker 45. Light brown color 46. Michelob _____ 49. Paul, Taylor-Johnson and Judge, for three 52. Where an actor performs 53. Places for pampering 54. Inform 55. Largest continent in both land area and population 56. One entry on a list 58. “Sounds good!”

60. Undergarment worn on the chest 61. Pole for fishing 62. A chorus of these might come from little kids looking at a gross bug 63. On the run: on the ___ 64. “All About ___”: 1950 film starring Bette Davis and Marilyn Monroe 65. X or Z, for two (Abbr.)

KenKen

Sudoku

Instructions: 1. Each row and column of the KenKen puzzle should be filled in with a number from 1-5 exactly once.

2. The bolded lines break the puzzle into multiple sections of 1-5 cells, with each section containing a target number and mathematical operation in the top left.

The numbers in each section must be combined using the given operation to create the target number. For example, in the top right section made up of 3 cells and given the rule of x36, the three cells should be multiplied together to get the target number 36, but should not be a number that violates the first rule.

Instructions: Each row, column and 3×3 box must contain the numbers 1-9 exactly once.

BY ANA KEVORKIAN

2

1

5

x36

+9

1 x96

2

1 6 7 2 3 5

9

4 6

2 8 4

5 2 7 6

6 9

7 1 3

1

x10

x5

x90

BY DAMIAN GROVE

2 3 4 5

3 4 2

1 5 9 3

x4

GRAPHICS BY GIADA EVANGELISTA