Observer Issue 2 Spring 2023

STudenT Voice of fordham LincoLn

Asylum Seekers Protest Removal From Lincoln Center Area

By MATTHIAS LAI and ALEXA VILLATORO

Features Editor and Asst. News Editor

Following New York City’s decision to relocate asylum seekers from their temporary residence at The Watson Hotel, migrants protested outside the hotel for six days before they were removed by the New York Police Department (NYPD) on Feb. 1.

The hotel — which is located on West 57th Street, just three blocks from Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus — has served as a temporary shelter for migrants since November 2022. The city’s decision forced migrants to relocate to a new shelter at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook, which has been criticized by residents of the building and activists because they believe it is not safe, sanitary or accessible to the rest of the city.

The city started using The Watson as a Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center (HERRC) for single adult male migrants. New York City has a decades-old “Right to Shelter” law mandating that the city provide adequate housing to all people experiencing homelessness, which includes asylum seekers. Many of the asylum seekers staying at the hotel had been bused into New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal from Texas, creat-

Rams Take Down Loyola,

80-64

ing a housing crisis in the city’s shelter system.

Sanctuary cities across the nation are struggling to accommodate the influx of migrants in the past year. According to a Politico article, Adams has asked Biden for support to fill a $2 billion deficit in New York’s migrant housing program.

Migrants were evicted from the hotel on Jan. 27 after the city relocated them to the HERRC in Brooklyn. Following their forced removal, a group of migrants traveled back to The Watson the day they were evicted and began camping outside the hotel in protest of the conditions they had witnessed at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.

Some of the protestors said that they returned to the hotel from the Brooklyn HERCC because the new site failed to provide adequate hygienic facilities and personal security. The shelter at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is a hangarlike structure with hundreds of beds laid out in rows in an open arrangement, and migrants who had been sent there reported insufficient access to bathrooms and showers, fears of an outbreak of disease, and inaccessibility to reliable transportation to the rest of the city.

The Rams had a slow first quarter, but by the end of the game, the Rams scored on nearly 50% of their attempts.

GABRIELLA BERMUDEZ and AURELIEN CLAVAUD Sports & Health Editor and Asst. Sports & Health Editor

The Fordham women’s basketball team played an exhausting game against the Loyola University (LU) Ramblers on Feb. 4. Despite almost tiring out in the second half, the Rams moved to third place in the Atlantic 10 (A10) with their 80-64 victory over the Ramblers. It was a historic night for the Rams as they marked their ninth 80-point game of the year, tying the single season record from the 1978-79 team. The game was also special for other reasons, as Feb. 4 was the first home game since National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Feb. 1.

Rose Hill RAs File for Unionization

By MARYAM BESHARA News Editor

Resident Assistants (RAs) at Fordham’s Rose Hill (FRH) campus announced their plan to unionize in an Instagram post shared on Feb. 1. The union was formed as a result of the RAs reporting complaints of mistreatment from the Office of Residential Life (ResLife) and is calling for recognition, support, fair pay, respect and sufficient resources.

“We are tired of no pay, and a lack of respect and communication,” the FRH RAs commented in their announcement on Instagram.

The RAs made a petition available to the public on the same day as their union announcement. According to the petition, the FRH RAs are a part of a growing movement of RAs from universities — such as Barnard College, Tufts University and Wesleyan University — to unionize.

The letter within the petition noted that 76% of the nearly 100 FRH RAs have come together to create the union. As of Feb. 8, the petition reached its goal of 100 signatures and established a new goal of 200.

The RAs are currently represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) Local 153. OPEIU Local 153 is a trade union that represents a variety of employees across different workplaces, including colleges and universities.

Scott Williams, an organizer for the FRH RA union who works for OPEIU Local 153, said that working alongside the RAs has been “an honor.” He emphasized their determination to improve FRH ResLife, shown by how they assumed responsibility of organizing a union.

“The Fordham RA Union is an incredible, powerful group of workers who join a growing national movement of undergrads who are organizing for more respect, communication and fair compensation,” he said.

Williams added that the RAs have been able to unionize due to the overwhelming support they have received from their coworkers and residents.

What Are the RA Union’s Demands?

According to the university’s website, the Rose Hill RA position is a 10-monthlong position that begins in August and ends in May. It requires a range of leadership roles that include

administrative responsibilities, on-duty rotation expectations, event programming, reporting damage to university property, and ensuring the security of residents. These responsibilities resulted in FRH RAs calling on the Office of Residential Life (ResLife) to provide them with more support.

One RA, a student at Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’24 who wished to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation from ResLife, shared that they knew of the RAs wanting to unionize since the fall 2022 semester and added that related conversations have been in progress for at least a couple of months.

The

COURTESY OF VINCENT DUSOVIC VIA FORDHAM ATHLETICS

ROBINSON GERMAIN/THE OBSERVER FRH RAs held a rally on Feb. 3, calling for support from the Fordham community.

Fordham Students Give Back Through Serving the City Internship Program

By ANDREW ARMOUR

Contributing Writer

Fordham’s Serving the City internship program is an initiative that began in the summer of 2020 to provide liberal arts students at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) and Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) with access to paid internships and connections to nonprofit organizations. According to the program’s website, students receive a stipend, funded by the university’s donors, for internships relating to arts and culture, health, education, and social justice.

Originally called the Cultural Engagement Internships program, Serving the City was renamed in January 2023 to reflect the types of internships available. It was created following the university’s shift to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic when Ford-

ham partnered with the New York Historical Society and the Museum of Arts and Design.

Laura Auricchio, dean of FCLC, said that the program stemmed from a realization that the Lincoln Center campus could better utilize opportunities in the city. She added that the program allows Fordham to live up to its “New York is my campus, Fordham is my school” slogan.

“The timing was important because museums had shifted online, and they needed a lot of hands-on help, and our students saw jobs and internships disappear,” Auricchio said. “It was important for us to develop internships that would be meaningful paid experiences for liberal arts students at FCLC and FCRH.”

After discovering the need for and importance of internships at cultural institutions, Auricchio partnered with Maura Mast, dean of FCRH, to provide paid internship opportunities to students.

Auricchio and Mast shared that Fordham alumni and donors noticed that their contributions allowed students to do important work that has created a cycle of impact between Fordham, partner organizations and the New York City community.

“They’re not making coffee; they’re partnering with groups making a difference,” Mast added.

With increased funding for the program, the number of opportunities available have multiplied. According to Desirae Colvin, director of administration, communication and strategic initiatives at Fordham Lincoln Center, over 60 students have completed internships with more than 35 organizations. Approximately half of the organizations had internships available for the 2022-23 academic year.

The deans said that they believe Serving the City supports goals that align with the Jesuit mission as well as with the university’s 2021-26 Vision and Stra-

tegic Plan. They also hope the program introduces students to resources like the Career Center and Handshake.

Gemma Walker, FCLC ’24 and an intern at PEN America since fall 2022, spoke about her experience working with an organization that focused on defending free expression. As part of her internship, Walker assisted with opening mail from inmates who are part of PEN America’s Prison and Justice Writing program.

“Getting to read handwritten stories and letters from people behind bars is just such an intimate experience, to look into lives that you don’t get to see,” she said. “That has been extremely eye-opening, and I get to spend that much more time on my internship because I don’t have to worry about working a part-time job on top of it.”

Kierstin Oliver, FCLC ’24, is currently taking part in Serving the City, having received an internship pioneering the development of teen programming at Poster House.

“I’m majoring in African and African American studies and visual art, so I like the idea of blending arts with culture,” she said. “I like getting so many young people engaged in the museum. Being able to encourage kids to make their own 1960s counterculture artwork and haikus inspired by the Made in Japan exhibit is just super awesome.”

Organizations have also expressed that they appreciate the value Serving the City interns bring. Walker’s supervisor, Jess Abolafia, program assistant for prison and justice writing at PEN America, joined PEN America a few weeks after Walker and described her as an “integral” team member. Abolafia said that Walker showed her

how to answer letters and has been a soundboard for other projects the team is working on.

Dan Zauderer, founder of Grassroots Grocery, one of the partner organizations, said that “Fordham interns have helped with everything from grant writing to canvassing the community,” adding that he hopes the program will introduce students to the nonprofit world.

Melissa Kiewiet, director of development and community engagement at the Dyckman Farmhouse, echoed this sentiment and shared that the contributions from Serving the City interns have “brought more money and attention” to a “community-focused” and “social justice minded” institution.

Serving the City continues to seek new organizations and funding for future growth. Auricchio and Mast noted that the program has shaped Fordham’s offerings in the field of “experiential learning,” where students gain real-life experiences outside of the classroom.

The deans and Vice Provost Jonathan Crystal are considering creating a Center for Educational Innovation to further the opportunities for experiential learning. The goal is to hire a full-time director to connect students to Fordham opportunities like study abroad, independent research and programs like Social Innovation Collaboratory, the Fordham Center for Community Engaged Learning and Serving the City. Auricchio noted that the center “is still in the discussion stage with no plans for immediate implementation.”

“I hear a lot from liberal arts students about Gabelli’s internships, and now I can say, ‘We have a program for you,’” Mast said.

Fordham Hosts Panel in Honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day

The event discussed the rise of antisemitism and featured Holocaust survivor Eva Paddock and guests from other universities

By CHRISTINE IRLBECK Staff Writer

Fordham University, in collaboration with the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York and the Under-Told Stories Project of the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota, hosted a panel on Jan. 26 titled “Remembering: Talking About the Holocaust.” The discussion, which took place in the McNally Amphitheater, aimed to raise awareness of the increasing importance of Holocaust recognition and address how to fight Holocaust denialism.

The panel featured Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent for PBS NewsHour; Magda Teter, Shvidler chair of Judaic studies at Fordham University; James Loeffler, historian and Jewish studies program director at the University of Virginia; and Linda Kinstler, author of “Come to This Court and Cry: How the Holocaust Ends.”

Fred de Sam Lazaro, director of the Under-Told Stories Project and a professor at the University of St. Thomas, and Peter Osnos, American journalist and founder of PublicAffairs Books, moderated the discussion.

Prior to the start of the panel, the event screened de Sam Lazaro’s PBS NewsHour segment on the book “Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued,” written by Peter Sís. The children’s book sheds light on

the story of Nicolas Winton, a silent hero who helped 669 children escape Czechoslovakia by train before the country’s Nazi occupation.

Eva Paddock, a leader in education and one of Winton’s “children,” was invited as a special guest and spoke about her experiences following her escape from the Nazis. Paddock described a series of events, from bonding with her loving foster family in England to her father’s escape and the unlikely help of strangers throughout Europe.

In addition to sharing her experiences during the Holocaust, she also noted her own thoughts about modern education on the Holocaust. She explained the importance of making the Holocaust relevant to today when teaching people about it in order to “honor those lost and reframed to demonstrate the power of altruism.”

She also noted how her own narrative as a survivor through Winton’s selflessness can serve as an example of the power of one person and their kindness.

The talk began with Loeffler examining how there are different narratives, memories and legacies that were developed as a result of the Holocaust. Loeffler noted that due to these various experiences, a modern understanding of the Holocaust requires a “frame for an ethical response and understanding” of its events.

Regarding contemporary discourse on the Holocaust, Teter stressed how contextualizing the Holocaust by analyzing its “mental framework” and “processes” can “recalibrate its story to include the longer story of how the Holocaust ends and begins.”

Kinstler reflected on her own writings and referenced how current conversations need to find language to describe the Holocaust’s history during the transition from its presence as a moment to its solidification as a historical event.

Reyna Stovall, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25 and an attendee at the event, voiced her thoughts regarding education on Jewish studies and creating an accepting culture at Fordham after the program.

“Speaking out against antisemitism is important, but backing that with action is even more valuable at combating the underlying causes of antisemitism,” she said.

Stovall suggested mandating that the Holocaust be integrated into K-12 schools and their curricula to ensure that younger children are not only aware of the Holocaust but also the events that preceded it.

“By teaching kids from a young age not only what the Holocaust was but also its warning signs and how they can not be

bystanders, I think they become better global citizens and more aware of the atrocities occurring around the world in the past and present,” she said.

Claire Seka, FCLC ’25 and another attendee at the event, was inspired to reconsider how Fordham could reinvent the student experience.

“I think Fordham should host more Jewish voices in the same way they hosted the Holocaust

remembrance panel,” she said. “I think it’s very important to teach the Holocaust, and I know it’s debated whether to show the graphic images of the camps. However, it’s undeniable that we must still teach about the event, and specifically the events which led to the internment camps, in an open and detailed manner.”

The panel was livestreamed and is available online for those who could not attend the event.

COURTESY OF CHRIS TAGGART VIA FORDHAM NEWS The panel discussed the importance of Holocaust recognition and education in schools.

COURTESY OF BRUNO PALOMARES

Start Lighthouse is one of the nonprofits available through Serving the City that works to improve child literacy through a social justice lens.

The program offers students at FCLC and FCRH paid internship opportunities with nonprofit organizations across New York City

Police Relocate Asylum Seekers From Watson Hotel

The migrants were protesting for accessible and sustainable housing after touring a new emergency site, resisting the city’s order to relocate from the hotel on West 57th Street

At The Watson Hotel, The Observer originally conducted interviews with migrants in Spanish which have been translated into English.

A group of migrants sleeping on blankets outside of The Watson Hotel were adamant that conditions were not sufficient at the new location. Carlos Espinosa, a migrant from Ecuador who protested the eviction, returned to The Watson after seeing the conditions at the Brooklyn HERRC.

“They sent us to a cage, like a pig farm,” Espinosa said. “We don’t have privacy; we’re constantly being watched. It’s like we went to a prison.”

After staying the night of Feb. 3 at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that “the facilities at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal are providing the same services to asylum seekers as every other humanitarian relief center in the city.”

Videos of the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal HERRC in Red Hook show rows of cots lined head to head, spurring concerns about privacy and safety for the individuals living there. The Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) urged the migrants to return to the Brooklyn shelter, but the asylum seekers refused, demanding a secure, more sustainable housing option.

Manuel Castro, commissioner of MOIA, visited the migrants outside the hotel on the morning of Jan. 31. He said the city sent the men to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal shelter because the city and its partners who work with asylum seekers are at capacity.

“I understand that the priority is to obtain a work permit, so that people can work, be independent, find their own apartment, etc. That is our intention,” Castro told migrants and reporters at The Watson. “But as you already know, many people have come and the organizations we work with are at capacity, and that space (Brookly Cruise Terminal HERRC) is going to let us do more.”

The city has been facing an influx of migrants since spring 2022, testing its shelter system. Kate Smart, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office, said that, as of Feb. 1, over 28,400 asylum seekers were in the city’s care.

Following the notice to vacate, about 40 migrants lined up outside The Watson’s West 57th Street entrance day and night for six days, sleeping in blankets on the sidewalk. Groups of men who had befriended each other in Texas huddled together for warmth as mutual aid groups and volunteers provided them with food, hand-warmers, warm clothing and other resources.

Gray said she supported the protestors because they reminded her of her own family.

“As a Latina Indigena, when I look at these people, I see my own cousins. I see my father who migrated here in the ‘90s from the Dominican Republic,” Gray said. “This is the same story of Ellis Island. This is the same story of my family, and it will be the story of our children.”

Buses en route to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal were parked outside the hotel awaiting holdouts who decided to return to the new shelter.

According to the asylum-seekers, the city provided a notice before their eviction that ordered them to vacate their rooms and either relocate to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal or another shelter in the city. The city announced its plans to use the hotel to accommodate asylum-seeking families and children instead.

causing some migrants to worry about the isolated location. Many are concerned that it could cause difficulties maintaining the jobs they managed to find close to The Watson, and others are concerned about finding new jobs, which are limited as they wait to obtain work permits.

“I want to be here, have a place where I can sleep in peace so that I am able to go out in peace,” Pereira said. His goal is to “be able to go find a job, and be able to save money so that I can rent a room.”

On Jan. 31, Castro offered a small group of asylum seekers, including Pereira and Espinosa, a tour of the facilities at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in the hopes that it would convince them that it was an adequate place to stay.

“For me, it’s important that they understand that we’re doing this for them to be in a safe environment where they can access resources,” Castro said.

A few hours after a group of migrants departed for Brooklyn with Castro, the bus carrying them returned to The Watson. The asylum seekers who had toured the new Brooklyn HERRC with the commissioner said they were not convinced that the site would provide them with livable conditions.

said. “It lasted a short time, but I say that they gave us support already.”

Jackson Michell, a 48-year-old migrant from Peru who was accommodated in The Watson, said that he enjoyed his stay in the hotel but that was not what he was protesting for.

“ It’s absolutely horrifying, the treatment that migrants receive, especially if it’s on the undocumented side or the asylum side.”

“I’m not saying that we should return to this luxury. I don’t want luxury,” Michell said. “What I am saying, my only way of thinking is that we should be in a place that is residential, where, for example, I can come home, and I can grab a slice of pizza nearby.”

needs to something more fulfilling,” Yousef said.

He noted that while cities in the U.S. continue to expel and displace migrants, the country’s economy still depends on their labor.

“We continue to worsen their lives, and it has not just a bad effect on them, but also has a bad effect on us, in that the United States is heavily reliant on immigrant labor,” Yousef said.

NYPD conducted a sweep outside the hotel the night of Feb. 1, clearing out the protestors six days after the group began the demonstration. Police pushed back reporters and advocates outside The Watson as city sanitation workers discarded leftover blankets, paper- and plasticware, and signs expressing support for the migrants.

Luna Gray, an organizer at South Bronx Mutual Aid, was at the protest Monday night handing out food and supplies.

“No one has told them what to do. They are organizing this on their own,” Gray said. “And what are we organizing? A little bit of food and a little bit of support for whatever they decide to do.”

Ivan Pereira, a Venezuelan migrant who was a leading voice in the group of migrants advocating for better living conditions, said the residents were not asking to be accommodated back in The Watson.

He added that as a single father, he understood the city’s plans to house families and children at the hotel. According to Adams’ Feb. 4 press release, families have already begun to move into The Watson Hotel.

“We are in agreement with the city accommodating kids and families,” Pereira said. “But they should relocate us to a dignified site or housing accommodation.”

The commute from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal to Manhattan can be over an hour long,

At the time of publication, MOIA has not issued an official press statement about the visit Castro made to The Watson on Jan. 31. The office tweeted that they believe that migrants are satisfied with the accommodations at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.

The protestors continued to stay outside the hotel, braving a flurry of snow the morning of Feb. 1. Pereira expressed the group’s desire to continue the protest even though they felt like the city was not willing to work seriously with them to find a sustainable solution.

Yorman Trejo, a Venezuelan migrant who stayed at The Watson for two months, said he believed that although the conditions at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal are bad, it is an inescapable reality that asylum seekers must face.

“I am grateful that they gave us somewhere to stay,” Trejo

Upon hearing about the migrants’ protest just a few blocks away from Fordham Lincoln Center, students expressed shock and concern.

Isabel Piazza, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’23 and an international student from Peru, said she believes discrimination against immigrants is an issue in New York.

“It’s absolutely horrifying, the treatment that migrants receive, especially if it’s on the undocumented side or the asylum side,” Piazza said. “I immigrated as a student on an F-1 visa, and even with that I did not receive the best treatment.”

Abdul Yousef, FCLC ’24, read about the protest in the news. Yousef believes that the forced removal and displacement of migrants is disruptive to their lives.

“When people are forced to migrate and forced to move, they cannot land stable jobs, they cannot accumulate more wealth, so they can fulfill the basic needs and move on from the basic

Further down the street, some of the migrants were loaded onto school buses provided by the city to transport them to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. As they piled suitcases into the backs of the buses, men who still refused to return to the shelter regrouped around the corner of West 57th Street, speaking among themselves and with activists about what to do next.

Many of the migrants, including Pereira and Espinosa, rejected the city’s offer to stay in the shelter system, insisting on finding accommodations with what they deemed “livable conditions,” concerned for their safety and the cold. Some were able to stay with friends or activists they had met through the protest. A small group secured plane tickets to Chicago with the help of activists on the scene.

Espinosa was determined to continue his advocacy despite the tense atmosphere and uncertainty many felt after the police sweep. He will stay with a friend in Westchester, but he does not believe his work in the city is done.

“I want to keep fighting for the rights of immigrants. I want to keep fighting for those of us who had no say in the injustice of being suddenly kicked out of the hotel,” Espinosa said. “And I want to keep fighting for the rights which belong to us.”

MATTHIAS LAI/THE OBSERVER

Asylum seekers and activists outside The Watson Hotel on Jan. 31.

“ I want to be here, have a place where I can sleep in peace so that I am able to go out in peace.”

Ivan Pereira, migrant from Venezuela

“ This is the same story of Ellis Island. This is the same story of my family, and it will be the story of our children.”

Luna

Gray, organizer at South Bronx Mutual Aid

Isabel Piazza, FCLC ’23

Student Workers Demand Better Treatment

The anonymous RA added that they believe this call to unionize is a “long time coming” and noted a collective feeling among RAs regarding how ResLife communicates with their staff.

“I think RAs feel very ignored and disrespected by ResLife administration,” they said. “I think we feel like they don’t care about us at all, that we’re kind of just bodies in the buildings. They know that they’ll be able to find another one, so I don’t really think there’s an incentive to kind of keep people on and give them a reason to do it (the job).”

Peter Wolff, FCRH ’23, a senior RA in Martyr’s Court and an organizer for the FRH RA union, oversees the staff of RAs in the two residence halls that make up Martyr’s Court: LaLande/ Goupil and Jogues. Wolff was also one of the RAs who presented the papers to the Office of the President on Feb. 1 detailing the RAs’ plan to unionize.

J.D., spoke to RAs and ResLife in August and said that the distribution of contraceptives will likely remain unchanged due to Fordham’s Catholic alumni and donors. According to the anonymous RA, following the publication of the article, the complaint was passed down to Clency.

Wolff and the anonymous RA noted that Clency made it explicitly clear that RAs are not supposed to speak on the record about any issues concerning ResLife. On this issue, Wolff noted that a shared feeling among some FRH RAs is fear of retaliation.

Wolff added that Clency framed his notice using the example that RAs would not “critique your boss” and that RAs should not speak, write or publish about any matters pertaining to their position.

“You can publish things and use your voice as a student, but not as an RA,” Wolff said, recalling Clency’s message. “But I am an RA, and I have been an RA for three years, and the way I interact with students is as an RA.

I have a lot of experience as an RA that I think I should have the right to share.”

Clency has not responded to The Observer’s request for comment.

Rose Hill RAs Reflect on Their Jobs

“I think the bigger thing that frustrates me about communication is it’s always one way,” he said. “Anytime you try to go in and talk to them about something, it almost feels like they’re trying to talk to you like a child, almost, and there’s no desire to listen to what you have to say.”

Regarding communication, Tarchithaa Chandra Sekharan, FCRH ’24 and another RA in Martyr’s Court, noted that she was never given a handbook that outlined her responsibilities and the rules that come with accepting her position as an RA.

Chandra Sekharan added that she knows of another RA who was hired later than her and received an outdated handbook.

“We’ve been trying to find a handbook every single time they tell us that something we do is against the handbook,” she said.

Chandra Sekharan added that if ResLife does provide RAs with a handbook, it is a copy of the 2020 edition that has dates from 2016. On a similar note, Wolff also mentioned that the outdated handbooks include errors in the positions of the listed contacts as well as incorrect phone numbers.

Both Wolff and the anonymous RA recalled a notice from Charles Clency, assistant dean of students and director of ResLife at Rose Hill, during the spring training session pertaining to RAs speaking to the press about matters that concern ResLife or their positions as RAs. His speech came after an article written by Sam Minear, a FRH RA and a features editor at The Fordham Ram was published detailing student reactions to the university’s standing on certain political issues.

These issues included commentary on Chris Rogers, dean of students at Rose Hill, and student perspectives on the university’s stances on issues such as abortion and the provision of contraceptives.

According to The Ram, University President Tania Tetlow,

Similar to the anonymous RA, Wolff shared that one of the main reasons the RAs are unionizing is for “respect.” He explained that there have been several instances where it has been obvious that ResLife and members of the administration have placed RAs in challenging and high-stress situations and said that RAs are not receiving adequate support in certain situations.

Wolff noted that he is unable to provide specific details of a situation because of his position as an RA but mentioned a case in which he had to report an instance of discrimination in his building but lacked resources and responses from ResLife.

“They’re putting us in the situation where we are forced to talk to students about this very blatant situation of discrimination, but they’re not giving us the resources,” he said. “They’re not giving us the support to handle the students who have been affected by this.”

In addition to communication, Wolff also noted professionalism as another demand made by the RA union to ResLife.

The anonymous RA expressed that having a local union representing the FRH RAs makes them feel more secure. Wolff echoed this sentiment and shared that the union has been able to clarify to the FRH RAs what some of their rights are, including not being fired for unionizing.

The anonymous RA shared that events that transpired in the preceding months motivated them to consider forming a union. They believe that a representative will improve retention and job satisfaction amongst RAs.

The petition posted by the FRH RA union also mentioned the effects the “RA Award” has on their financial aid. Wolff and Chandra Sekharan both spoke on the perks that they receive as RAs, which include a meal plan if they do not live in an apartment-style dorm or a meal check if they do live in an apartment-style dorm, housing free of charge, and an additional award that is added to their financial aid.

According to Chandra Sekharan, salary compensation has been a topic that arose in her conversations with other RAs. She explained that job benefits that come with being an RA are applied directly toward an RA’s financial aid, which impacts the amount of need-based aid they receive.

In the letter underneath the petition, Chandra Sekharan

shared that she is aware of RAs who have received “little to no compensation for working because they lost most of their aid.”

According to Bob Howe, assistant vice president for communications and special adviser to the president, the university received the RA petition and intends on responding this week. He declined to comment further.

Wolff, Chandra Sekharan and the anonymous RA all said that they love their positions as FRH RAs but believe that they need to be compensated for the amount of work they do.

Wolff emphasized that although the Rose Hill RAs are fighting for their rights, they are not against ResLife or the university. He shared that each organization has the same goals in mind: to improve the experience of being an RA and update the existing practices.

“Through improving the RA experience, we’re improving policies, procedures and situations within residential life that we’ve been dealing with and that we think will get better by everything that can come out of forming this union,” he said.

The anonymous RA described the job as “wonderful” and listed the programming, the staff, their fellow RAs and their residents as examples of aspects that they enjoy. Despite this, they noted that they have had “so many negative encounters with the ResLife administration” that it was necessary to form a union.

Chandra Sekharan echoed this sentiment and noted that although she and her fellow RAs love their positions, they should be appropriately compensated.

“I have some people who want to be an RA and love being an RA, and so they’re willing to do this job for practically free, but they shouldn’t have to,” she said. “And that is the key here, is that no one should be doing a job for no compensation.”

FRH RAs Comment on Including LC RAs

Wolff, Chandra Sekharan and the anonymous RA all noted that

the union is specific to Rose Hill RAs. Wolff shared that RAs from Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC) have reached out to the union following the announcement, because the two campuses operate under different ResLife offices.

“It is the same university, but it’s a very different residential life,” Wolff said. “And I think it’s very, very important that we keep the movement separate.”

Chandra Sekharan shared that she believed it was not plausible for the Rose Hill RAs to work with the FLC RAs because it was difficult to gauge who would be interested in forming a union. She added that having the LC RAs join the union was a factor of consideration that was always on the mind of the union’s student organizers.

“They should feel free to reach out,” she said. “Obviously we’ve got their back. All the other unions clearly have our back too.”

Union Calls on University

Following their announcement establishing the union, the Fordham RAs advertised a “solidarity rally” held on Feb. 3 to “celebrate FRH Resident Assistants and show support.”

The rally took place in Keating First and included speakers from the Fordham Graduate Student Workers union, Fordham Faculty United, and RAs from Barnard College who came to speak about their own union.

Wolff and Chandra Sekharan were among the FRH RAs to speak at the rally and noted the importance of the union to them as well as their hopes of establishing better communication and gaining compensation.

The FRH RA union gave Tetlow until the end of business day on Feb. 7 to recognize their union. The president did not recognize their union and, in response, the FRH RA union posted on their Instagram that they would now file for an election with the National Labor Relations Board to win and gain recognition.

“Once we vote for the union, the school legally has to recognize us,” Wolff said.

COURTESY OF SCOTT WILLIAMS

The FRH RA union held a rally on Feb. 3 and invited speakers from FFU, the Fordham Graduate Student Worker union and RAs from Barnard College.

Among the priorities that the RAs are advocating for are respect, compensation and effective communication from ResLife and the university administration

RA UNION from page 1

ROBINSON GERMAIN/THE OBSERVER Communication, respect, fair pay and compensation are some of the demands the FRH RAs are making to ResLife and the administration.

“ I have some people who want to be an RA and love being an RA, and so they’re willing to do this job for practically free, but they shouldn’t have to. ”

Tarchithaa

Chandra Sekharan, FCRH ’24 and FRH RA

Sports & Health

Fordham Wears Pink for Greater Cause

Women’s basketball marked National Girls and Women in Sports Day and breast cancer awareness with a victory

To recognize National Girls and Women in Sports Day, as well as bring awareness to the Kay Yow Breast Cancer Fund, the Rams wore pink uniforms and sneakers. The coaching staff also took part, donning pink outfits on the sideline.

When the game tipped off, the Ramblers went straight to work. The first possessions resulted in a flurry of misses, but Loyola jumped out to a 7-2 lead within the first three minutes. Fordham Head Coach Candice Green called a timeout, and the momentum swung in the Rams’ favor shortly after.

The Rams dropped 24 points in the paint in the first half — twice as many as their opponent — and did not deviate from this successful strategy.

The Rams dominated the court offensively, leaving the Ramblers struggling to keep up for the remainder of the first quarter. Within four minutes, the Rams had taken a 7-point lead. By the end of the quarter, Fordham held a 20-11 advantage.

The defense shut down Loyola’s two most dangerous scorers: Sam Galanopoulos, LU ’23, and Maya

Chandler, LU ’24. Galanopoulos was 1-for-5 from the field in the first quarter; her willingness to score then slowed down considerably, and she took only three more shots for the entire half — missing them all.

Chandler, who averages 10 points per game, rattled home a single free throw in the second quarter. She missed all eight field goals attempted in the game. The Ramblers’ offensive nightmare was short lived, as others quickly rose to the occasion to buoy Loyola’s scoring plight.

Sitori Tanin, LU ’24, came off the bench firing, scoring 10 in the second quarter to keep Loyola’s hopes alive. The Ramblers shot 50% from the field for 22 points. With shots beginning to fall, the urgency picked up. Down 31-20 with five minutes to go in the half, Loyola unsuccessfully tried to maneuver itself back into contention.

The Rams responded viciously to the tune of five 3-pointers, including back-to-back bombs by Anna DeWolfe, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’23, in the sixth minute of the quarter. The Rams put up 30 points in the period, successfully shooting 75% from the field and 83% from long range. By the halftime buzzer, the Ramblers were trudging back dejectedly, down 50-33.

Alongside DeWolfe, Asiah Dingle and Kaitlyn Downey, both Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ’23, chipped in enormously. By the end of the first half, Dingle and Downey combined for 22 points.

With DeWolfe’s 15, the three start-

ers had scored more than 60% of the Rams’ first-half production. Fordham’s dominant first-half display can be credited to the team’s interior scoring. The Rams dropped 24 points in the paint in the first half — twice as many as their opponent — and did not deviate from this successful strategy. In the final two quarters, the Rams’ pace slowed down tremendously. Despite this, the Ramblers weren’t able to muster enough momentum to close the lead. The Rams never dropped below a 17-point lead, going as high as 21 multiple times throughout the period.

The third quarter saw Sarah Karpell, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill ’23, rise to the occasion. The offense ran through her. She created opportunities for others, tacking on four points of her own.

The Rams were beginning to run away with the score. In the first minute of the second half, DeWolfe hit her fourth 3-pointer of the night to give the Rams their largest lead of the game, 6741. She jogged back down as the Rams bench rose to their feet. It was a cap to the Rams’ complete dismantling of the Ramblers. The game ended 80-64 off a layup from Rose Nelson, FCRH ’26.

Nelson has taken up the primary responsibilities of Megan Jonassen, Gabelli Graduate School of Business ’23, following her season-ending ACL tear on Jan. 18. For the Ramblers, it was an unremarkable night. They are now on a nine-game losing streak, placed second to last in the A10. The Rams, on the other hand, still have a lot to play for. They are third in the A10 with five games left in their conference schedule. They will play against the University of Massachusetts for a second time on Wednesday, Feb. 8. In their last game against them, Fordham lost 66-57.

COURTESY OF VINCENT DUSOVIC VIA FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Asiah Dingle, GSAS ’23, scored 16 points from seven of her 18 shots.

What’s the Deal With Baseball?

Explaining the ins and outs of America’s favorite pastime for cluesless Lincoln Center students

By ALEXANDER FLINT and KRYSTA ESCOBAR

Contributing Writers

From an outsider’s perspective, baseball may seem odd or even boring. It might just look like a guy wearing a button-up shirt throwing a ball at 100 mph to another guy holding a wooden stick and trying to hit it out of the park. While the rules of baseball are intricate, it can still be easily enjoyed by a casual fan. Baseball has been a cornerstone of American culture, has become a global sport and has been featured in multiple Olympic games.

Baseball’s Origin

Baseball doesn’t owe its creation to a single inventor. Batand-ball games have existed for several centuries, but the game of baseball as we know it today has its roots in Civil War America. It was popularized during the war after coming to prominence in New York in 1883. However, people continued to play it after the war, and in 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first professional baseball team.

How the Game Is Played

Baseball is played by two teams of nine players competing against each other over the course of nine innings. Uniquely, baseball does not have a time limit. Instead, both teams cycle between offense and defense to complete innings, or periods, throughout the game. When both teams have had a chance at playing offense, an inning has ended.

In order for teams to switch roles, the defense must record three outs against their opponent. This usually happens when a player at bat strikes out, which means they swing and miss three times. Other types of outs include groundouts, fly outs or tagging out.

A home run is when the ball is hit over the wall or fence at the back of the outfield, causing all players on base, including the one who hit the ball, to score.

tween the infield and the outfield. The infield consists of the diamond-shaped area formed by the bases. Everything outside of this area is considered the outfield.

There are six players who play the infield: pitcher, catcher, first baseman, second baseman, shortstop and third baseman. There are three players who play outfield: left, center and right fielders.

The pitcher throws the ball toward home base, where the batter attempts to hit it. It is the pitcher’s job to get the batter out by making the ball difficult to hit. A pitcher does this by changing how hard they throw or spin the ball.

A strike occurs when the batter swings and misses the ball or if they don’t swing but the

The catcher’s job is particularly difficult: They must make split-second decisions on where to throw the ball. Their decision depends on reading the opposing runners’ movements.

Teamwork on defense is essential to success. A common strategy for batters is to hit toward third base, aiming for the ground. The third baseman must quickly recover the ball and throw it to the first baseman in order to get the batter out. This is called a groundout.

The shortstop covers the ground between second and third bases. They try to recover the ball and throw to second base to prevent any runners from making it back to home base. If a ball is hit toward second base, the second baseman must throw it to the first baseman.

The outfielders’ job is to either catch the ball if it is hit in the air or gather any ball that gets past the infielders and throw it back to the infield, who attempt to get runners out.

On offense, the players’ goal is to score runs. A run is scored when a player makes their way around all three bases and home plate, often with the help of hits from other players. A hit occurs when a player bats the ball into the field of play and then reaches first base without getting out.

More specifically, if the batter only makes it to first base, it is called a single. If the batter makes it to second base safely, that is a double. (The batter becomes a runner once they hit the ball.) Similarly, getting to third base from one hit is known as a triple.

A home run occurs when the ball is hit over the wall or fence at the back of the outfield, causing all players on base, including the one who hit the ball, to score.

The players who are on base have to run if there is a runner

on the base behind them when the ball is put in play. If not, the player can choose to run or stay where they are. If the ball is caught by an outfielder or infielder and it does not result in the third and final out, the runners must keep their foot on their base or, if they have already left, must return to their original base. This is called “tagging up.”

However, after it is caught, the runners may try to advance to the next base. If they advance from third base to home plate in this manner, they score. In this case, the batter performs a sacrifice fly.

If a player runs to the next base while the pitcher winds up and throws a pitch, it is called a “stolen base.” It is the job of the catcher to throw the ball to second or third base to try and get the runner out.

Important Terms

“RBI” stands for runs batted in. A batter is usually credited with an RBI when he causes a run to be scored in any way. There are a few exceptions to this, such as a “double play” or the result of an “error.”

A “double play” is when the defense gets two outs recorded on the same play. If a batter hits the ball on the ground into a double play, he will not be credited with an RBI. Similar to a double play, a “triple play” is when the defense is able to get three outs in the same play.

An “error” refers to when a player on defense makes a mis -

take, and the batter is able to reach base when they would not have been able to otherwise.

When the runner stands a few feet away from the base they are located at in order to reach the next base faster, it is known as a “lead.” If the pitcher notices that the runner is taking a large lead, the latter can be “picked off.” In this case the pitcher can throw the ball to the baseman to try and get the runner out before they return.

If a player runs to the next base while the pitcher winds up and throws a pitch, it is called a “stolen base.” It is the job of the catcher to throw the ball to second or third base to try and get the runner out.

A “fielder’s choice” is when an infielder makes a play on the ball after a hit by throwing it toward any base other than first.

A “plate appearance” is every completed turn batting regardless of the results. When a batter gets out on a nonsacrifice or reaches base on a hit, error or fielder’s choice, it is considered an “at bat.”

Fordham Baseball

Fordham’s baseball team plays at Jim Houlihan Park at Jack Coffey Field every spring. Some notable players from the 2022 season are outfielder Sebastian Mexico, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’25; infielder Zach Selinger, FCRH ’23; and pitcher Ben Kovel, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill ’23.

The Rams are coming off an unsuccessful 2022 season in which they recorded 16 wins and 36 losses. The team was only able to win three out of 26 away games. Fortunately, the Bronx’s baseball program now has a chance to prove themselves again. The Rams’ season begins with a series in Texas against Dallas Baptist University, scheduled for Feb. 17 through Feb. 19.

es that the batter doesn’t hit.

GRAPHIC BY ALEXA STEGMULLER/THE OBSERVER

GRAPHIC BY ALYSSA SHONK/THE OBSERVER

By STEVIE FUSCO Contributing Writer

Several protests were organized in New York and other cities across the United States following the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who was beaten by police officers in Memphis, Tennessee, on Jan. 7. Nichols, who died three days later, was the father of a 4-year-old boy and a recreational skateboarder, painter and overnight shift employee at FedEx. He was pulled over on his way home from work, according to his family’s lawyers.

Nichols was stopped on the suspicion of reckless driving, which then violently escalated. Following the encounter, Nichols was in critical condition, and, on Jan. 10, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced that he had “succumbed to his injuries.”

had to shout Tyre

New Yorkers and Fordham Community

Nichols’ death and the release of his videotaped violent encounter with the police sparked

officer who was suspended on Jan. 30 by the Memphis Police Department, but details of his identity and his involvement have not been made public.

The five former Memphis police officers who were initially fired were charged with second-degree murder and other crimes that include kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. The sixth and seventh former police officers have not been charged with any criminal offenses. In addition, the Memphis Fire Department fired two EMTs and a lieutenant for not providing care for 19 minutes after their arrival to the scene.

According to The New York Times, the Memphis district attorney stated that “The actions of all of them (the five police officers initially charged) resulted in the death of Tyre Nichols, and they are all responsible.”

U.S. President Joe Biden released his statement via Twitter on Jan. 27 in response to Nichols’ encounter with the police. He expressed his support of the Nichols family and called for peaceful protest.

Fordham students and New Yorkers took to the streets to remember Nichols and advocate in his name. Demonstrators gathered in Washington Square Park, Times Square and other New York locations to protest the police brutality used against Nichols.

Twenty days after Nichols’ encounter with the police on Jan. 27, the Memphis Police Department released the video showing the attack. Nine days before that, a federal investigation was opened up by the Department of Justice and the FBI, and the five police officers that were involved in the incident, who are Black, were fired on Jan. 20.

A sixth police officer, who is white and had fired his taser at Nichols, was fired on Feb. 3. On Feb. 8, City of Memphis Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Sink said seven additional Memphis police officers are facing potential administrative discipline. This includes a police

“Like so many, I was outraged and deeply pained to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in Tyre Nichols’ death,” he said. “It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day.”

Biden later invited Nichols’ mother and stepfather, RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, to attend his State of the Union address on Feb. 7. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams also responded to the attack in a press conference on Jan. 27, calling for peaceful protests.

The release of the footage showing the violent encounter sparked conversations across the Fordham community in regard to policing and the power of protesting.

Tristan Grant, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25, attended a protest in Washington

Square Park on Jan. 28 and emphasized the obligation they felt to chant Nichols’ name.

“We had to walk all the way here, we had to get on these steps, and we had to shout Tyre Nichols’ name,” Grant said.

Another attendee from the same protest, Christian Ripke, FCLC ’25, shared a phrase that he recalled from the demonstration: “The poisonous tree of policing has to be uprooted and needs to be replanted.”

Ivelisse Cuevas-Molina, an assistant professor in the political science department at Fordham, compared Nichols’ attack to that of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers. Nichols’ death comes nearly 32 years after King’s beating, where police kicked, tased and attacked King with a baton repeatedly during an arrest.

In King’s case, the acquittal of four officers triggered six days of rioting in Los Angeles and disturbances across the U.S. Cuevas-Molina said that she believes there has been little significant change in a reduction of police force between the beatings of Nichols and King.

“With the case of Rodney King, people were out in the streets protesting against what happened to him in California, and the truth is that this just continues to happen,” she said. “I don’t think that there has been real substantial change since Rodney King, because the rate at which this is happening have not slowed down.”

Cuevas-Molina also noted that protests are “a legitimate form of political participation” and added that they are a right protected by the First Amendment.

“It is clear that throughout our history in the United States, protests have been an effective way to get political and social change,” she said.

Reactions across social media have emphasized that the race of the majority of the police officers involved was unsurprising, since patterns of tracking police violence have revealed that the issue of police brutality is not one of individual bias but a larger systemic issue that encompasses a myriad of legal and social institutions.

Since George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police in 2020, laws implementing police reform have been passed throughout the United States. In spite of this legislation, killings by police reached an all-time high in 2022. According to The Guardian, Black Americans compose 13% of the population but make up 24% of those killed by police violence.

When the mugshots of the police officers involved were released, Grant noted feelings of disheartenment.

“The notion that Black men could so hastily gang up, brutalize, and execute another Black man in this way was frankly sickening,” he said. “For these officers, basic human rights were of no consideration, so any togetherness or kinship (sometimes displayed between people of the same community) would also be voided or severed.”

Since at least five of the seven officers who maltreated Nichols were Black, Grant emphasized that the race of the police officers is ineffective at preventing extreme force because of the legacy of policing and role of police in underserved communities, which are disproportionately Black and Latine.

“The race of the police officers is largely inconsequential because every day cops choose to carry the badge, they carry out and uphold a legacy of stolen lives and deadly force that terrorize minority communities all over the nation,” Grant said. “And it is this dogma that permeates into their work; race, skin color, and, it seems, even human decency are swept aside the moment the badge is donned.”

John Perla, FCLC ’25, stated that there is “no doubt in his mind” that each of the five police officers initially charged had been victims of discrimination at some point.

“To see them have such a lack of empathy toward Tyre Nichols shows to me that it’s a much deeper issue with our policing system than just race,” he said.

As technology has developed, video documentation as evidence has become more significant in police brutality cases. According to the New York Police Department (NYPD) webpage, NYPD officers are equipped with body cameras. Research has shown that the existence of body cams

‘We

Protestors hold up signs advocating for an end to police brutality.

Protestors marched from Washington Square Park to Times Square at a Jan. 28 gathering in response to the death of Tyre Nichols

Police killings per 1 million people broken down by race, 2013-2022

Fordham Community Reflects on Protests Following Nichols’ Death

The Nuanced Racial Politics of Nichols’ Murder Police

BLACK NATIVE AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER WHITE

“ We had to walk all the way here, we had to get on these steps, and we had to shout Tyre Nichols’ name. ”

Tristan Grant, FCLC ’25

Tyre

Nichols’ name’:

React to Latest Case of Police Brutality

conversations among students, professors and members of the administration

graphic photographs of the protests that were made public.

“Without the press having documented what happened at Edmund Pettus Bridge, we might not have a Voting Rights Act,” she said.

Including Bloody Sunday, video evidence has been used in countless cases of police brutality, including the killings of King, Floyd in 2020 and now Nichols.

The widespread distribution of these violent images involving Black people can have negative mental repercussions for viewers.

Cuevas-Molina cited the “terrible psychological effects” Black people can face after seeing these videos repeatedly. She also mentioned the possible desensitization for the public after repeatedly watching these acts of violence. Despite these misgivings, she said that recorded evidence is important for enacting change.

“The truth is that mass media has been central to the advancement of civil rights,” she said.

does not prevent excessive force.

One of the first videotaped instances of police brutality was during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement on Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama. Protestors were attacked by police while they walked, unarmed, across the Edmund Pettus Bridge demanding the right to vote, something that was largely denied to the Black community at the time.

News outlets documented this attack, and the video was widely distributed.

Cuevas-Molina credited the passage of the 1964 Voting Rights Act, which happened nearly six months later, directly to the protest and, more specifically, to the

Rabbi Barat Ellman, professor of theology at Fordham Lincoln Center, and Perla noted that the video of Nichols was incredibly hard to watch and that they had to stop the recording multiple times.

Ellman noted that the videos have been important in highlighting disparities in policing across different communities, especially for individuals who do not live in overpoliced neighborhoods.

“It’s also been important from the standpoint of prosecution of policing, but there’s a lot of work to do in that direction,” she said.

ognizes the difficulty that comes with watching videos of police brutality and shared university resources at the bottom of the email, including Counseling and Psychological Services as well as Campus Ministry.

Gianna McGrath, Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center ’25, praised the university for issuing an official statement and providing resources to students who may need support. She also mentioned how Fordham is consistent with releasing some form of correspondence during moments of political or social unrest.

“It shows that they’re aware of everything happening in the world,” she said. “Fordham is usually good about issuing statements whenever something like this happens, in terms of an attack against certain communities.”

Despite the university’s issuance of a statement, McGrath noted that she wished the school would have done more in recognizing police brutality as an act of aggression and racism and offering support specifically for students of color.

A few days later, FCLC Dean Laura Auricchio included her own reaction in her newsletter on Feb. 1.

“On this first day of Black History Month I write with mixed emotions — jubilation for triumphs, solemnity and gratitude for past and present struggles and sacrifices, and searing grief in the wake of the beating death of Tyre Nichols,” she said.

Auricchio also referenced a statement from University President Tania Tetlow, J.D., that had been posted via Twitter on Jan. 27. The president expressed her reaction to the news and the video.

“Like you, I have seen the video of the Memphis police officers charged with murdering Tyre Nichols, and like you, I am watching the protests in Memphis and elsewhere with anxious prayers — for change, for justice, for basic human dignity,” Tetlow said.

Members of the Memphis community gathered to attend Nichols’ funeral on Feb. 1. Close relatives of other victims of police brutality were also in attendance. Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s brother; Tamika Palmer, the mother of Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot in Louisville; and the mother of Eric Garner, who died in a choke hold on Staten Island, were among those who were present. The arraignment date for the officers charged with second-degree murder is set for Feb. 17.

Alexa Villatoro contributed additional reporting to this story.

Jeffrey Gray, senior vice president for student affairs, sent a statement to members of the university community on Jan. 27 in response to the murder of Nichols. He noted that there is a collective focus on the events unfolding in Memphis and the video documenting the beating.

“As a university, we work hard to find the answers to the world’s terrible problems and to gain the tools we need to go out and make a difference,” Gray said. He also noted that he rec-

Protestors marched for over two hours on Jan. 28 to honor Nichols’ life and others whose lives have been lost to police brutality.

PHOTOS BY ALEXA VILLATORO/THE OBSERVER

Hundreds of people crowded

listening to Black organizers and activists expressing discontent and frustration with policing systems across the U.S.

Members of the Fordham Administration Share

Opinions

How Depop Helped Me Discover My Style

The secondhand clothing retail site has given me the tools to expand my closet and take fashion risks

ELEANA KOSTAKIS

Contributing Writer

Last week, I purchased a beautiful orange Cop Copine dress from Depop, and I began to think about my lengthy relationship with the app. Alongside the rising trend of thrifting in recent years, clothing resale sites such as Poshmark, eBay and Depop have grown in popularity. Depop was founded in 2011 in London, and since then, the platform has attracted over 26 million users who buy and sell clothing and accessories. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I stumbled upon many TikToks about Depop and how useful it is to find vintage clothing. I downloaded it in 2021 and created an account. I wouldn’t purchase anything for another year, but once I did, Depop quickly became my favorite of these sites.

Throughout my life, the male gaze controlled what I wore, and I was always afraid of wearing what I really wanted to. I was afraid of not looking feminine enough, and I forced myself to wear more “ladylike” clothing. I found myself wearing clothes that I didn’t even like. I wasted money on pitiful clothing that screamed “I’m a woman, don’t worry!” I was trapped in a bubble, feeling pressured to perform for others through my style. Depop helped me escape that feeling by introducing me to and submerging me in the world of secondhand clothing.

Depop is a distinct community that opened my eyes up to a world of fashion that only resellers would dare to enter.

Depop is a distinct community that opened my eyes up to a world of fashion that only resellers would dare to enter — and I mean that literally. Some people sell whatever they have left over from their own wardrobes. Others exclusively resell designer clothes. My favorite sellers focus on pieces that fit with the current Y2K revival.

The first time I logged onto the app, I felt very intimidated. The resellers were the most immediately frightening because of all the Depop horror stories I had heard in the past, including misrepresented items and scams. I had never heard of many of the styles which appeared before me, and there were thousands of different pieces to choose from.

Pro tip: Get a real measuring tape from a fabric store! It will make measuring yourself easier and more accurate.

I finally made my first purchase in November 2022 — a very long time after I first downloaded the app. I bought a vintage, dark-wash denim maxi skirt covered with embroidered butterflies that cost me $20. I didn’t use the Depop algorithm; all I had to do was a simple search, and I found the perfect skirt.

When I wore the skirt to dinner one night, my friends were shocked at how beautiful it looked. They asked me where I got it from and began to guess thrift stores. When I told them it was from Depop, they gave me blank stares. They couldn’t believe that I found an amazing piece on Depop for such an affordable price.

My purchases didn’t stop there. I ended up purchasing another item: This time, it was a bubblegum pink top with the word ‘Botox’ written with rhinestones across the chest. It’s not technically a vintage piece, because it was from American Apparel (which might as well be vintage at this point), but now I can live out my 2014 Tumblr dreams. It instantly became a go-to top for me and even inspired me to book a photographer to take pictures of me in it.

The hardest parts about shopping on Depop are finding the perfect piece among the sea of items, then making sure that the garment you’re purchasing will fit. Pro tip: Get a real measuring tape from a fabric store! It will

make measuring yourself easier and more accurate, and it is more likely that your Depop find will fit once it arrives (assuming that the seller labeled it correctly). I also recommend doing this when you go vintage clothes shopping in general, as it saves you a lot of hassle.

Depop tends to have a negative connotation due to the fact that resellers sometimes list items for way more than they’re worth. Building a wardrobe from Depop can be expensive, but you have to dig to find the best items, just like you would at a thrift store. You can find great items on Depop when you do a simple search. You can type “Vintage jean maxi skirt” in the Depop search bar, just like I did, and if it exists, you’ll most likely find the exact thing you’re imagining (although you might have to scroll a bit).

My favorite thing about Depop is the algorithm. The app has a feature where you can like and save pieces that are being sold. Even if they sell out, the items you showed interest in will stay in your liked and saved folders, so they’ll still get factored into what the app shows you on the home page. I love the app’s stellar algorithm because it curates a feed of pieces that I am interested in, and the app makes me feel like I have my own personal shopper. With Depop, I began creating my own virtual closet, and I eventually figured out how I truly wanted to dress. My Depop folders of liked and shared items became my own collage of my ideal style. I felt like Cher from “Clueless.”

My experience with Depop has even led me to the point where almost all of my closet is secondhand. Recently, I have branched out from Depop and begun going to thrift stores, finding even more secondhand items that are perfect for my closet.

If it weren’t for Depop, I’m not sure I would have ever broken out of this bubble where I felt like I couldn’t express myself. Depop opened me up to a world of self-expression through clothing, and I’ve begun to feel good in what I’m wearing. I owe my newfound eccentric style and, ultimately, my entire closet to Depop.

February 8, 2023

Editor-in-Chief Allie Stofer

Managing Editor Maddie Sandholm

Online Editors Emily Ellis Kreena Vora

Creative Director Alexa Stegmuller

Advertising Coordinator Luis Castellanos

Layout Editor Tara Lentell

Asst. Layout Editor Alyssa Shonk

Photo Editors Alyssa Daughdrill Andrew Dressner Asst. Photo Editors

Aurelien Clavaud

Molly Higgins

Head Copy Editors Ana Kevorkian

Alyssa Macaluso Nora

The Editorial is the opinion held by a majority of The Observer’s editorial board. The Editorial does not necessarily reflect the views held by Fordham University. To reach an editor by e-mail, visit www.fordhamobserver.com

The Observer is published on alternate Wednesdays during the academic year. Printed by Five Star Printing, Flushing, N.Y.

We Can All Learn From Polyamory

The nine pillars of relationship anarchy provide lessons for people in any type of relationship

JESSICA YU Asst. Opinions Editor

What comes to mind when you think of the word polyamory?

Is it Mormons in Utah with at least a dozen children living in conjoined houses? Or, is it a devious, unfaithful husband who wants an excuse to cheat on his wife? Whatever it is, do you find it hard to get rid of the stigma around polyamory?

Polyamory, and ethical nonmonogamy (ENM) are practices that are becoming increasingly popular. A study published in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy in 2017 found that more than one-fifth of participants had engaged in some form of consensual nonmonogamy. Most people who practice ENM identify as queer, and more Generation Z people are identifying as LGBTQ+ than any other generation. It’s clear that people are tapping into nonheterosexual and nonmonogamous relationships to fulfill their emotional and physical needs.

age people to form relationships based on their own wants and needs rather than traditional social rules.

Recently, I’ve learned more about polyamory and relationship anarchy from my queer friends, who have encountered these topics in their social circles. From going to the few lesbian bars left in New York, using dating apps and attending Pride events, some of my queer friends have been exposed to or have experienced ENM in some form. In turn, I’ve had to learn a lot about a topic that was totally unfamiliar to me before this year.

Nonmonogamous relationships are not taught in schools (unless you take a very specific sociology course with a professor who challenges the idea that monogamy is the only natural form of relationships). Admittedly, I’ve struggled in the past to understand ENM and relationship anarchy, and sometimes I still do. But after doing my own research, reading about nonmonogamous people’s experiences and discussing these concepts in queer spaces, I’ve made a good amount of progress in my knowledge of the topic.

What Is the Difference Between Polyamory, Ethical Nonmonogamy and Relationship Anarchy?

Polyamory refers to having romantic relationships with more than one person. It falls under the umbrella of ENM, but not all ENM is polyamory. The main distinction most people use is that polyamory has to involve more than one romantic connection, while ENM refers to all nontraditional connections made between more than two people. An example of this is someone who has multiple sexual partners, but just one romantic partner. A key requirement of ENM relationships is that they are ethical: All partners must be made aware of the situation. Otherwise, it would be cheating.

First published on a blog by Andie Nordgren, which quickly gained popularity, relationship anarchy is more of a philosophy. It comprises values that encour-

There is a lot of debate online about whether monogamous people can be relationship anarchists or not. Some people believe that yes, the use of relationship anarchy should not be limited to people who are nonmonogamous. However, others think that monogamous individuals should not be included, as monogamy inherently rejects the politics of relationship anarchy.

Regardless of who is included under the label, relationship anarchy provides nine important pillars that anyone can reflect on in their relationships. Even if you are monogamous, there is a lot to gain from rejecting what society deems as “normal” in relationships.

your romantic partner being very supportive but unable to relate to a specific part of your life, so you call a friend about it instead. This can look like you making as much time for your friends and family as your romantic partner, or living with a friend instead of a person with whom you are romantically involved. It’s just not healthy to have your world revolve around one person.

Love and Respect Instead of Entitlement

Just because you are in a committed relationship with someone does not mean you own them or can control them. The idea of owning another person is inherently racist and misogynistic, especially in a country with a deep history of colonialism and viewing women as property through marriage.

Monogamous people can benefit from viewing their partner not as their property, but as an autonomous person who is willingly committed to loving them. Just because you are monogamous does not mean you are entitled to a person’s body, nor any other part of their existence.

Find Your Core Set of Relationship Values

among the queer community. With binary labels like “femme” and “masc” — or even the cheeky “stem” to describe a combination of both (as if most people don’t mix femininity and masculinity to their own liking) — shaking heteronormativity is easier said than done. I’ve even heard more masculine-presenting queer women complain that they’re often assumed — by other queer women — to be more dominant and require less affection just because of how they dress.

confident that their loved ones do not wish them harm and that other relationships in their partners’ lives do not detract from what they have with their partner(s). Whether they arise in romantic or platonic relationships, a lot of issues can be avoided or, at least, more easily worked through when all parties trust that their partner(s) or friends want the best for them. Once in a while, your friend might say something inconsiderate, but moments of conflict will be much tamer if you’re able to trust that they love you and do not wish to hurt your feelings.

Change Through Communication

Communication really is key! Everything mentioned on this list should be spoken about with your partner(s), even if you are both monogamous. Talk about your boundaries, your values, your expectations and your mistakes. Discuss how you will navigate gender roles in your relationship and what monogamy means to you. Learn about how your partner(s) and your friends communicate and set aside time for that communication to happen.

I’ve noticed a lot of emphasis on communication between romantic partners but less encouragement to prioritize the same level for friendships. Friendships need openness and honesty just as much as romantic relationships. So, even if you are monogamous and doing a great job communicating with your romantic partner, it’s worth considering if there’s healthy communication in your friendships too. If not, your friendships will certainly benefit from it.

Customize Your Commitments

As Nordgren points out, how you combat gender norms and heteronormativity is up to you and your partner(s), but there are lots of possibilities if you’re willing to put in the effort.

If at First You Don’t

Succeed...

It’s easy to characterize nonmonogamy and relationship anarchy as a refusal to commit. We sometimes see polyamory as a second choice to monogamy — a relationship falling apart and a couple resorting to adopting an open relationship. Nordgren, though, made sure to point out that this is not the case. Relationship anarchy isn’t about not committing — it’s about making commitments in whichever way you feel most comfortable.

Love Is Abundant

Nordgren believes that love should not be limited between two people and that “the love felt for that person does not diminish love felt for another.” Every relationship in your life brings something different to the table. Let me clarify that when I say “relationship,” I mean all types — romantic, platonic, familial and so on.

Romantic relationships are often put on a pedestal above friendships, causing unnecessary pressure and heartbreak. Even if you do not have multiple romantic partners, you can apply the idea of abundant love to all the relationships in your life. Your love for your romantic partner should not take away from the love, connection and commitment that is also in your friendships, and vice versa. One person cannot fulfill all of your emotional and physical needs, nor should they have to. This can be something as small as

Similar to love languages, people have different priorities, boundaries and expectations in relationships. Just because liking other girls’ pictures is often seen as cheating doesn’t mean you have to consider it to be cheating too. It could be to you, but take time to reflect on your answer instead of immediately giving what might be considered the socially acceptable answer. Monogamous or polygamous, romantic or platonic, the things you value most in a relationship may vary from your partner(s) and friends, so make sure to communicate that. And keep communicating it, as values can change over time.

Heterosexism Is Rampant and Out There, But Don’t Let Fear Lead You

Leading with possibility rather than fear is something that is helpful in all areas of life, not just relationships. When it comes to romantic relationships, heterosexism is rampant even

Breaking these social norms is hard work. After all, we’ve been fed heteronormative monogamy our entire lives. It takes a lot of effort to unlearn what has been forced down our throats.

It’s okay to mess up in relationships. Nordgren urges people to not beat themselves up about these mistakes when battling heterosexism, but I think this philosophy can extend to all types of faults in relationships. We’ve all let down a friend, not been able to meet all the needs of a romantic partner or misunderstood a family member. It does not mean a relationship is ruined; we can move forward and do better.

Trust Is Better

It’s a no-brainer that we need trust in relationships. ENM relationships, though, challenge people to take trust to a whole new level. Trust for nonmonogamous individuals extends beyond having faith that their partner isn’t cheating on them. They are

For example, what do you count as cheating? Monogamous and polyamorous people alike will have a wide range of answers. How committed would you like to be to your romantic partner(s)? Your friends? Your family? Would you like to move in with your romantic partner at some point, or would you rather live with your platonic partners? Or perhaps both? These are just a few of the commitments that you can decide on.

Build for the Lovely Unexpected

There are about a billion things that societal norms will not teach you about relationships, so you have to open yourself up to uncertainty, no matter what kind of relationships you participate in.

Fairy tales and rom-coms give us an image of what the “picture-perfect” relationship looks like, but by now (I hope) we’ve all figured out that those depictions are not reality. Monogamous, polyamorous or somewhere in between, we all have to let go of the ideal image in our heads. And maybe, we’ll find that reality is actually better, not worse.

GRAPHIC BY CLAIRE SEKA/THE OBSERVER

Even if you are monogamous, there is a lot to gain from rejecting what society deems as “normal” in relationships.

Similar to love languages, people have different priorities, boundaries and expectations.

Trust for nonmonogamous individuals extends beyond having faith that their partner isn’t cheating on them.

Pope Francis’ statement on the decriminalization of homosexuality does not go far enough

LAURA OLDFATHER Asst. Opinions Editor

In an interview published by AP News on Jan. 25, Pope Francis said that homosexuality is not a crime and called for it to be decriminalized in all countries. He then added — though there is an argument about whether he said this as a statement or rhetorical

argument — that homosexuality is still a sin.

There is some discourse over whether the pope explicitly meant “homosexuality is a sin,” due to his later written clarification that this was imagining a hypothetical response, but the semantics are not what matters as much as the people who are defending his words and using them as an excuse to be homophobic. The Catholic Catechism says that being LGBTQ+ is

not a sin in itself, as people cannot change the way that they are born. However, acts of homosexuality are still sins, making it seem that the only way that LGBTQ+ people are accepted as nonsinners in the eyes of the Catholic Church is by being celibate.

It is important to acknowledge that by specifying that homosexuality is not a crime, the pope’s statement has the potential to save lives in the 10 nations where homosexuality is punishable by death and help those in the 67 countries where LGBTQ+ people can be jailed for their sexuality. The pope is an influential person, and his statements hold weight. This interview may also provide relief and affirmation to LGBTQ+ Catholics.

But this is not enough. Is this the best the pope can do? Saying that people shouldn’t be punished by law for who they are is a breadcrumb of equality. That is not the radical love of Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, where is the same (bare minimum) support for other members of the LGBTQ+ community? There wasn’t a mention of transgender or nonbinary people, and the word “lesbian” is

Rubberneck

AVA PEABODY Opinions Editor

The 2023 Grammy Awards were held on Sunday, Feb. 5, bringing the country together to celebrate some of the biggest names in music. Some of the key takeaways from the night were Harry Styles winning album of the year for “Harry’s House” and Beyoncé becoming the most celebrated musician in history after winning her 32nd Grammy Award. Although the Recording Academy strives to recognize the most talented artists year after year across multiple genres, it is almost impossible to include all of the groundbreaking music released. As the opinions editors of The Fordham Observer, we consider ourselves more than qualified to weigh in and let the Recording Academy musicians and industry experts know where they’ve gone wrong in the past. We congratulate all of the immensely talented winners and nominees of the 2023 Grammy Awards, but we also urge the Recording Academy to recognize some of the less decorated names in music.

Best New Artist: MattyBRaps (2014)

The best new artist category honors artists who have made “a breakthrough into the public consciousness and impacted the musical landscape.” As Olivia Rodrigo pointed out at this year’s ceremony, this award has gone to artists like the Beatles and Billie Eilish. It is difficult to imagine any more glaring omission from this category than child star and innovative hip-hop artist Matty-

BRaps. At the height of his career in 2014, Matty lost this award to a comparably controversial white rapper — Macklemore — and what a mistake that has turned out to be. Have you even heard of or from Macklemore recently? MattyBRaps, well-versed in capitalizing on moments of virality, would not have fumbled such an honor. He could be one of the greatest, forcing Ticketmaster to testify before Congress as a result of his popularity, if not for this snub.

Best Rock Performance: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ Glee Cast (2009)

In the 2009 Midwest Regional Show Choir Championship, an unlikely group of outcasts and popular kids came together to sing their hearts out in a touching performance that concluded the first season of Fox’s hit musical series, “Glee.” Viewers eagerly waited to see if their favorite characters would fall in love and whether or not the William McKinley High School New Directions would be able to place at the competition.

Rightfully, the New Directions came in last, and the group that truly deserved to win the championship — Vocal Adrenaline — prevailed. Vocal Adrenaline offered a chilling rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” that demonstrated the group’s talents across a variety of musical styles. Though regarded as “villains” by some show fans, nobody deserved to win regionals more than Vocal Adrenaline, and no one deserves a Grammy more than this gifted group.

Best Pop Solo Performance:

‘Stars are Blind,’ Paris Hilton (2006)

If this award had existed at the time “Stars are Blind” was

treated like a sin itself. There are few actions that we can realistically expect the pope to take, but there could be more inclusive language when discussing centuries of oppression faced by the LGBTQ+ community.

The Catholic Church cannot expect its LGBTQ+ followers to feel accepted if its doctrine requires them to forgo love and continues to debate if their existence should be criminalized. There is a very rigid purpose for sex in Catholic doctrine: the production of children. So, it is probably too far of a reach to hope for a kind of acceptance where LGBTQ+ Catholics could have life path options aside from celibacy. The statement that people should not be killed for whom they love might be as radical as Francis will get, and due to centuries of tradition, that might be all we can expect.

On the subject of LGBTQ+ identities, there are not any actions from the Catholic Church that I can support. As someone who is not (and was not raised) Catholic, I don’t believe that being gay is a sin. And regardless of that, I do not

The ‘Radical’ Pope Strikes Again The Grammys’ Greatest Gaffes

released, Paris Hilton would have had it locked down. The Grammy Award Show-attending socialite and television personality released the song in 2006 as part of her self-titled album “Paris.” Although it’s easy to dismiss Hilton as another reality-star-turned-failed-musician of the early 2000s, “Stars are Blind” was generally well-received by critics, and the song peaked at No. 18 on the U.S. charts and reached No. 1 on several others.

The catchy, reggae-inspired tune did earn Hilton a lawsuit for its striking resemblance to UB40’s “Kingston Town.” Despite that, Hilton’s surprisingly adequate vocals made the song an instant classic to which listeners can’t help but sing along, even 13 years later. In a shocking upset for nepo babies everywhere, Hilton did not receive any nominations for the song. Although she has not released any music since, Hilton recently announced that fans can expect new music in 2023, meaning that she still might be in the running to win a Grammy after all.

Best Americana Performance: ‘Super Freaky Girl,’ Nicki Minaj (2022)

This is a snub which has unfolded before our very eyes. The track layers Rick James’ 1981 classic “Super Freak” under some iconic Nicki Minaj verses that cannot be reprinted here. Some readers may be confused by our categorization of “Super Freaky Girl” as Americana, but rest assured that we have given this much thought. “Super Freaky Girl” has brought a fractured nation together — you can’t go anywhere without hearing it, even in places that seem deeply inappropriate. Its production even incorporated some of that famous American democracy: Minaj held a Twitter poll to determine what

believe that any member of the LGBTQ+ community should feel that acting in accordance with their identity — through safe and consensual romantic acts — is something that should be shamed and condemned.

With this in mind, I have questions about the practice of welcoming LGBTQ+ people into Catholicism, something Francis called on Catholic bishops to do. Welcoming LGBTQ+ people into a religion that does not wholly accept them and will not commit to loving them will invite more shame and guilt into their lives. No matter how accepting of those who are LGBTQ+ you are, if you believe that their actions of love are damning and that they are fundamentally sinners, you are inviting unwanted and unnecessary pain and guilt into their lives. While this statement calling for the decriminalization of homosexuality by Francis is the most radical that a pope has made, it is not enough. LGBTQ+ Catholics, as well as LGBTQ+ people around the world, deserve more support and should not feel shamed for whom they love in a religion that preaches love for everyone.

the song’s title would be before disregarding the result entirely.

Besides, this song was reportedly categorized as pop when considered for the 2023 Grammy Awards despite confusion and pushback from the (rap) artist herself, so what’s one more miscategorization?

The LaGuardia High School alum has been spurned by the Recording Academy in the past, having been nominated 10 times from 2011 to 2016 but never having won. It is high time that this is remedied.

Duo or Group Performance: ‘Imagine,’ various celebrities (2020)

Although the video is quickly approaching its third anniversary (a fact that is hard to believe, given that the time between now and then has felt like one long, unending year), there is always more to say about its influence on our culture. Like a haphazardly constructed Marvel movie riddled with cameos that left the viewer wondering, “How were they convinced to do this?”, the “Imagine” video stunned, bored and mystified a disoriented nation all at once. The vertical-video bastardization of John Lennon’s heartfelt song about communism has never meant more than when a group of wealthy celebrities sang it to a nation struggling with the highest rate of unemployment in decades.

Record of the Year: ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You,’ Mariah Carey (1994)

The iconic Christmas song has charted every single year

since 2012, even kicking Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated album “Midnights” out of the top spot of the Hot 100 in 2022. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is a feat of vocals and arrangement that has proven time and time again to be the backbone of American society, a track that transcends season to inspire hope and wonder in the hearts of many year-round — yet it has never won a Grammy.

Are we too proud to recognize one of America’s greatest cultural exports? The sonically challenging 2014 performance at Rockefeller Center notwithstanding, Mariah Carey’s live renditions of this holiday classic only serve to heighten its influence.

We are confident that you will agree with these verdicts. We know that our taste is impeccable and our takes are undeniable, so there’s no need to contact us. With this guidance, hopefully the Recording Academy will change its ways and correct its mistakes next year.

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF ENGLAND AND WALES VIA FLICKR Pope Francis condemned the criminalization of homosexuality but fell short of welcoming LGBTQ+ people into the Catholic Church.

ISABELLA SCIPIONI Opinions Editor

Arts & Culture

A Window Into Soukaina Alaoui El Hassani’s Silver Screen

Fordham alum Soukaina Alaoui El Hassani brings vital representation to her work as an independent filmmaker

By AVERY LOFTIS Asst. Arts & Culture Editor

Community and creation seep into every aspect of Soukaina Alaoui El Hassani’s life. She wears a black sweatshirt with “shethority” printed above an image of a roaring cat — the merchandise of a collective of actresses who portray DC comic characters and aim to empower women. Alaoui El Hassani, film director, producer and Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’18 alum, transcends what her hoodie represents. She’s not just a Marvel and DC comic fanatic but rather an inspiring force that uplifts traditionally marginalized voices. She wears the sweatshirt as a reminder to bring strong female characters to life and to always do these characters justice.

Alaoui El Hassani grew up in Casablanca, Morocco, until she was 18, when she moved to New York City. She explained that film and television created a world in which none of her turbulent family moments existed. In particular, Alaoui El Hassani recalled how she would recreate films that spotlighted female leads, from “Mulan” to “Xena: Warrior Princess,” with her grandfather when she was young, in which she would gallantly defeat the monster he portrayed. For Alaoui El Hassani, building on these movies with her grandfather allowed stress to fizzle away.

Hassani. She met her friend John Beltre, FCLC ’18 and an English major, in their first year at Fordham. Calling her a “powerhouse,” Beltre said that once Alaoui El Hassani knew she wanted to make films and television, “she just took it by force.”

Alaoui El Hassani would send scripts she had written to Fordham professors who had taught her, even if she was not taking a class with them that semester. One particular FCLC professor, James Jennewein, would return her scripts with helpful notes.

Alaoui El Hassani explained that her professors worked to elevate students’ writing based on what they saw in them rather than forcing them to conform an industry standard. Among her praises of the nurturing energy she experienced at Fordham, Alaoui El Hassani named mentors such as former Fordham instructor Michael High and current Fordham professors James Grimaldi, Amy Aronson and Jennewein.

Jennewein emphasized Alaoui El Hassani’s character, noting her “high energy and imagination” in particular. “She always had that passionate ability to get everybody else excited,” he explained. “That’s a rare quality.” The screenwriter said he admires that “she understands story, but she’s also very strategic in her thinking and can get stuff done in the real world.”

Overcoming Fear

As she got older, Alaoui El Hassani knew she wanted to help people like her by learning to produce media at a California college. However, Alaoui El Hassani’s older sister was living in New York, so her parents decided she should also study in New York. Still, they remained fearful of her going to the United States because of racism, xenophobia and general hostility toward immigrants, especially distrust of Arab and Muslim immigrants.

The difficulty of moving to the United States, paired with cultural expectations at home, made it daunting for Alaoui El Hassani to realize her dreams, she said. Once she arrived at the Fordham Rose Hill campus, she was able to engage with creative mentors and friends who continue to be supportive of her goals to produce films and television shows to this day. She later transferred to the Lincoln Center campus because of its proximity to her shared apartment with her sister, graduating with a degree in communications and media with a concentration in TV and film.

“I’ve always wanted to be a filmmaker, but I think I finally was able to physically and verbally manifest that desire when I got to college,” Alaoui El Hassani said.

Far From Home

The Fordham community guided and grounded Alaoui El

Alaoui El Hassani wanted to see those swirling stories in her head become reality. She said that she hopes that people can gain an “idea of reflecting on the things that you want most out of life and finding that purpose that you want and understanding that your mistakes aren’t an end-all, be-all, that you can always move forward, you can always be better.” Alaoui El Hassani emphasized the importance of individual self-reflection to discover new perspectives and to illuminate how people can show up as poignant forces in their communities.

As an Arab woman in the film industry, Alaoui El Hassani said she often faces microaggressions on set or immediate underestimation over email because of her name. To her, being an Arab and Muslim woman working in a creative industry “means having to work 20 times as hard as the average person, because when you’re an immigrant, you don’t have a network. It’s a lot of patience, a lot of perseverance ... and it’s a lot of hope. You have to delude yourself into believing that you will get there come hell or high water,” she said.

start seeing problems where there aren’t any. She explained that she often feels as though she cannot be as effective due to a lack of resources that would help production budget and overall film creation.

Despite those who underestimate her, as well as her own imposter syndrome, Alaoui El Hassani is curating a representative and communitarian environment on set and on the screen that will resonate with the Arab and Muslim experience. Her goal is to make the film and television landscape include Arab and Muslim voices. She hopes that little girls can one day sit in front of the screen and marvel at the complexities of their experience set out on the screen and that they can locate safety and hope in Alaoui El Hassani’s art.

“I want to be able to change the dialogue around that we’re not either invisible or hyper-victimized or at the mercy of these white saviors,” Alaoui El Hassani said. “No, no, no — we have personality; we’re strong; we’re so wonderfully complex as everyone else in this world.”

On her way to actualizing these goals, Alaoui El Hassani has been successful at numerous film festivals. Recently, she produced the 2022 short film “FIX,” which won seven awards, including an accolade for best producer at the New York International Film Awards.

the messages she wishes to evoke.

“I have a very hard time celebrating myself, and awards to me, honestly, kind of validate a little bit that I’m on the right track,” Alaoui El Hassani said.

Alaoui

According to “FIX” writer Vincent Van Der Velde, although the film follows a toxic, straight, white relationship, it illustrates the subconscious urge to feel like the better person in any conflict. The audience would normally judge the characters based on gender, but in “FIX” both characters are never perceived as fully good or bad.

“I think one of my favorite things about ‘FIX’ is that it plays with audience perspective. You can see the divide, in opinions and in ... what people got from it,”

Alaoui El Hassani said. “I strongly believe that an audience is (a) very important part of film experience.”

“To the other people in the room, it’s not significant, and it’s not impactful, but to everyone else it is,” Alaoui El Hassani said.

This year, one of her favorite award-winning films was “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. She explained that she connected with the film because it mimicked the generational as well as cultural dissonance she experiences with her parents.

Global Community

Alaoui El Hassani explained that she aims to create with people who understand her and to show others that she understands them — to make people feel similar to how she felt after watching “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” She added that she wants to have “a mostly Arab and Muslim crew that is going to understand this experience, ... that is going to understand the culture of coming together and community and creating these impactful films where we change the dialogue around our people.”

Without the support of long-established relationships in the United States, reaching creative success while still standing one’s ground is demanding and can cause Alaoui El Hassani to

To Alaoui El Hassani, the awards circuit was more of a reassurance and pleasant surprise rather than a stressful endeavor. She found that after receiving these awards, more project offers filled her inbox, which imbues a freedom of choice into her creative work and

Alaoui El Hassani also commented on the importance of award ceremonies having diversity on their panels. She explained that when the voters do not look like or resonate with the circumstances of the intended audience, diverse films and shows are less likely to be spotlighted.

For future filmmakers, Alaoui El Hassani believes that you should create what you have been wanting to create without fear, or use the fear to fuel your art. She suggests being “as honest and as raw as you can be” with any story. Finally, she advises finding a filmmaking community with which you can collaborate and that will support you.

Alaoui El Hassani’s next film project is the documentary “Children of Sin,” which will be released in fall 2023.

COURTESY OF ANARLYN NUNEZ

Fordham alum Soukaina Alaoui El Hassani, FCLC ’18, has won several awards for her work in the New York independent film scene.

“ I’ve always wanted to be a filmmaker, but I think I finally was able to physically and verbally manifest that desire when I got to college.”

Soukaina Alaoui

El

Hassani, filmmaker and FCLC ‘18

Alaoui El Hassani is curating a representative and communitarian environment on set and on the screen that will resonate with the Arab and Muslim experience.

El Hassani believes that you should create what you have been wanting to create without fear, or use the fear to fuel your art.

Students Found First Japanese Club

at Fordham

Fordham Lincoln Center’s Japanese community reflects on the club’s presence during the fall 2022 semester

By KIA FATAHI Staff Writer

Since its inception in the fall 2022 semester, members of Tomodachi, the Japanese cultural club at Lincoln Center, have organized a variety of meetings and events with the goal of raising awareness about Japanese culture.

The visionary behind Tomodachi is founder and President Karen Watanabe, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’24. As a Japanese American, Watanabe created the club as an opportunity for Fordham students of Japanese descent to be actively involved in preserving their identities and exchanging their culture with the campus community.

When entering Fordham, Watanabe said she was disappointed that Fordham did not have a Japanese culture club, unlike other New York City schools. Both New York University and Columbia University have Japanese student organizations which have hosted numerous events on and off campus. Additionally, Fordham’s Japanese program consists of limited course offerings covering history, language and literature.

“I realized that there is not a place on campus for people to go beyond taking a language course at Fordham. There is not a lot of educational presence about Japanese culture,” Watanabe said. “But there are definitely a lot of people who are interested in the culture, and I’ve also met several Japanese students who want to get in touch with their cultural roots.”

Born in Japan and raised in the U.S., Treasurer Maria Komiyama, FCLC ’24, said she wishes to “reconnect more with her identity and being surrounded by other Japanese students,” especially in a university that claims the core values of diversity, equity and inclusion in all dimensions.

Working with three other founding members, two of whom are also Japanese, Watanabe and Komiyama channeled their ambitions into biweekly meetings and outings that showcase Japanese traditions, food, art and history. Fordham students, both Japanese and non-Japanese, have since participated in multiple activities, including a trip to the Noguchi Museum, making traditional rice-balls (“onigiri”) and a tie-dye event (“shibori”).

In the one semester that it has been active, Tomodachi has rapidly garnered more than 120 members on its email list, as well as an average of 10-15 members at general meetings and 25-30 attending outings.

Tomodachi has three primary objectives in its contribution to the Fordham community, according to Watanabe. First, education

is necessary to steer away from common misconceptions and stereotypes about Japanese culture. Watanabe and Komiyama made it clear that Japan, like any other nation, possesses far more complex cultural and historical aspects than most people think.

“When one thinks about Japanese culture, they make assumptions like ‘You eat sushi?’ or ‘You watch anime?’” Watanabe explained. “Although there is no denial that such elements do exist in Japan, there is so much more to Japanese culture beyond what we might have thought we knew.”

Supporting Japanese-owned businesses around New York City is another important goal for the Tomodachi Club. Watanabe and Komiyama attributed this ambition to the two years of COVID-related closures of Japanese su-

permarkets and restaurants, specifically those located on the corner of Stuyvesant and East Ninth streets in the East Village, popularly known as Little Tokyo.

“What I like about our club is how we develop strong relationships with small businesses,” Watanabe said in reference to Face Records, a Tokyo-based vinyl records store that the club visited on Dec. 3. The store, which is located in Brooklyn, is renowned for its importation of vinyl records and CDs consisting of different genres from Japan, such as city pop, funk and soul.

“Both offices (Brooklyn and Tokyo) followed us on Instagram,” Watanabe explained. “So it was amazing to see how we started as a small club last semester, and then, all of a sudden, we are establishing connections with Japanese businesses in this city and outside.”

Komiyama concurred, expressing that “getting the word out and making many people aware that these businesses do exist in New York” is of utmost importance to the Japanese community.

The Tomodachi Club’s final goal is to create a welcoming and inclusive environment among students with varying levels of knowledge on Japanese culture. According to Komiyama, hands-on activities are an effective way to teach them in a short period of time.

For example, Tomodachi held a general meeting focused on making “yokai” (Japanese term for supernatural beings and folktale creatures) origami on Oct. 24. Komiyama reiterated that the executive board should never assume that everyone already knows the basics of Japanese culture.

“There’s a lot of non-Japanese members who come to our meetings,” Komiyama said. “So we like to first do introductions, make informative slideshows explaining how activities like this (origami) are important in Japanese culture and how they are integrated in a lot of childrens’ upbringings in Japan, just so that everyone can understand.”

Active club member Cat Magtibay, FCLC ’25, was learning Japanese prior to joining the club. As a non-Japanese member, she found it as an inclusive space for students like herself to interact with Japanese students and educate themselves on unfamiliar aspects of their everyday lives.

Isabella Conley, FCLC ’25, expressed similar sentiments. She described the atmosphere of Tomodachi as “welcoming” and “immersive.”

Tomodachi will resume meetings on Thursdays from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. every week starting on Feb. 9, when a haiku and origami event will be held to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Bill Aguado’s Legacy: A Leader of Supporting and Empowering Artists

Bill Aguado has dedicated his life’s work to showcasing the histories of hidden communities and their cultures

By MARIA AKOSTA GKALINTO Staff Writer

Bill Aguado, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) ’73, is a Bronx legend who has been a champion for the arts in many communities around the city. On Oct. 19, 2022, he was honored with the Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) lifetime achievement award.

After graduating from Hunter College, Aguado received a scholarship to GSAS to complete his master’s degree in teaching and sociology. With the help and leadership of the directors of the program, Aguado and his peers committed their studies to create an alternative school in the South Bronx. The school worked with middle school- to high school-aged students who were or had been involved in the juvenile justice system, in need of supervision or involved in gang violence or drugs. The school aimed to provide a nontraditional classroom environment that fosters the student’s creative interests and talents.

“We wanted the program to be in the community,” Aguado said.

More importantly, the school offered these students an education away from the traditional classroom — one that allowed them to use their hands, get out from behind their desks and be creative. While they dedicated an hour to reading and an hour to

math every day, the students also learned to farm with the help of a Puerto Rican farmer who volunteered at the school, as well as to write poetry under the guidance of another volunteer. Due to the overwhelming success of the school, four more were created with support from Fordham.

“The kids were so involved and engaged,” Aguado said.

Teaching at the alternate school was a catalyst for Aguado’s lifetime dedication to the arts and his community, facilitating the conditions by which he “realized the value and importance of the arts.” After completing his master’s degree, Aguado worked alongside a Fordham professor, the Rev. Joseph Fitzpatrick, S.J., on a field study in the South Bronx.

Aguado searched for art and artists within the community. He confronted rich cultures, histories and stories that transformed his passion for the arts. According to Aguado, sitting on stoops and talking with residents of the South Bronx and Harlem “was an extraordinary experience.” He heard music, admired the graffiti, and swayed to the rhythm and culture of the spoken word of those in these admirable communities.

Aguado touched on the history of the “Bronx is Burning” period, where Black and Puerto Rican residents in the Bronx during the ’70s battled daily to save their neighborhoods from racist pol-

icies and neglect that ravaged homes and uprooted families. He explained the admiration he had for the people there because “when they could have given up, ... they stayed and they fought.”

During these encounters, Aguado’s respect for the people only grew as he learned more about the community. Inspired and impacted by the art, culture and history of these communities, Aguado said, “I was impressed, and so I wanted to continue to empower and affirm the voices and values of the community.”

“The soul of the people is the community,” he said.

Aguado retired in May 2009 after almost 30 years as the director of the BCA, where he promoted and supported local artists and advocated for the culture of the Bronx neighborhoods. Even so, Aguado continues to donate his time to En Foco, a nonprofit that supports U.S.-based photographers of African, Asian, Latino, Native American and Pacific Islander heritage.

Over the past seven years, Aguado has focused on sorting and digitizing an inventory of over 350 artists’ works in hopes of preserving and presenting a parallel cultural history of hidden stories and moments of minority communities in New York City. This project is called Nueva Luz, an ongoing art publication that addresses social and cultural issues at the forefront of pho -

tography with an emphasis on narratives from artists of color. Aguado said he hopes to continue preserving and showcasing important history so that it is not lost. “This is what matters to me,” he said.

Aguado’s lifetime achievement award is a testament to his dedication and passion for the arts and the needs of the community, but when asked about how he felt receiving this honor late last year, he replied. “I don’t particularly like awards.” Instead, he redirected the conversation to the colleagues and artists who attended the awards

ceremony and highlighted their work in “the front lines of the cultural battle.”

In spite of this recognition, Aguado confessed that he is not an artist. Aguado, who is colorblind and deaf, joked that when asked his favorite color, he “will always say black.” Nevertheless, he has dedicated his passion and talents to the preservation of the arts throughout New York City for decades.

Aguado wants to continue looking forward: “Let me go find another group of artists and tell them it’s your vision that matters. There is no right way. There is just your way.”

COURTESY OF KAREN WATANABE

Following a Japanese tradition, Tomodachi provided chicken katsudon (“katsu” meaning “to win”) to club members prior to midterm exams.

COURTESY OF ADI TALWAR

Bill Aguado, GSAS ’73, was honored with the Bronx Council on the Arts lifetime achievement award for his decades of contributions to the Bronx community.

&

Crossword: O, the Places Rams Go

27. Act of stealing

29. “DJ got us falling in love” singer

31. Breathe quickly

34. *Spot for new student orientations, career fairs and legal lectures

37. “View of Toledo” painter

39. Rats, mice and chinchillas

40. *Spot with six elevators and 12 floors of classrooms

42. United Nations missions in order to promote international stability

43. Placed a golf ball on its stand, perhaps?

44. Singer Lisa and art collector Frances Lehman, for two

46. Buffalo to New York direction

47. Celtic people in the Roman period

50. “You’re gonna hear me ___”

53. *Spot with dance studios, treadmills and locker rooms

BY IRENE HAO

65. New York art museum or baseballer

66. Short metric length units (Abbr.)

1. Country whose name becomes another country if you change the last letter

2. ___ New Guinea

3. Small stem, as of holly

4. Traditions Muslims should follow

5. “And others” in Latin (Abbr.)

6. Volume unit

7. Where a groom may be left

8. Encircle

9. Server’s need

10. Ash holder, often

11. “Ideas worth spreading” talks

12. Sheeran and Sullivan, for two

15. Antidepressant abbreviation

56. Condition resulting from a lack of healthy red blood cells in British English

59. Online vehicle auction website (Abbr.)

60. Letter following sigma

61. Aphrodite, Juno or Laxmi, for example

62. Ones, en français

63. They, à Paris

64. Nike logo

20. What an almond or cashew grows on?

21. Hanging upside down mammals

24. Ideate

25. Slowly, in music

26. Church symbol

28. Maternal and child care access systems?

30. Spouse’s child, maybe

31. Hits with, as snowballs

32. Soothing gels

33. Zambian unit equal to one hundredth of a kwacha

35. Horse-gentian, scientifically (var.)

36. Best

38. Last parts of chess matches

41. Norse personification of old age

45. Pink ribbons spread awareness of this cancer

48. Group that eschew technology

49. ADA alternative

51. Top floor, often

52. Kingdom

53. Complete again

54. Walking aid

55. “There’s Really a Wolf” rapper

56. DOJ heads

57. At this moment

58. “Much ___ About Nothing”

If I had known that the favor________ asked me to do would be this ________, I would not have said yes. Here I am, standing in __________ with __ parents and ___ high school students waiting for their tour of the campus. My friend had tossed me some Fordham merchandise to wear and promote school spirit including a maroon ________ and a ram _______. I quickly changed in the bathroom in _________, and then I threw my _______ and my ______ ________ in the trash, so I would make the best first impression on prospective students. And so, I commenced with my tour, improvising most of my speech and awkwardly bumping into ___________ along the way. I showed the group my favorite study spot, ________, and ____________, along with my go-to order _______ and ________. I ended the tour on the plaza, and a student asked: “What is your favorite thing about Fordham?” to which I answered, “________ for sure.” My tour was so insightful and ________ that no one else had any questions. Maybe this should be my new dream job.