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MARCH 9, 2017 VOLUME XXXVIII, ISSUE 4
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Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf Reflects on Faith and Basketball By SHOBAIR HUSSAINI Sports & Health Editor
On March 2, 2017, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, a former National Basketball Association (NBA) player visited Fordham Lincoln Center. He was in attendance for an event hosted by the Muslim Students Association (MSA), titled, “How Faith Changed My Life.” Abdul-Rauf’s talk centered around the pivotal role Islam played in his career. He is best known for his controversial decision to not stand for the National Anthem in 1996. He cited the flag’s symbolism and its conflict with his Islamic beliefs as a major driving force behind his decision. Abdul-Rauf began the night detailing the early part of his life. He was born as Christopher Wayne Jackson in 1969, in Gulfport, Mississippi. Growing up in a single-parent household didn’t afford Abdul-Rauf the same opportunities and privileges many others his age may have had. Atop his financial and living struggles as a child was his disanosis with the condition of Tourette Syndrome. Tourette’s is a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive movements, involuntary tics or unwanted sounds. Abdul-Rauf wasn’t diagnosed with this syndrome until he reached his junior year of high school. Having to learn how to cope with the numerous side effects of this condition placed Abdul-Rauf at a disadvantage academically. In fact, he was placed in a special education class for quite some time, which further lowered his self-esteem and confidence. Despite the many difficulties which arose from his condition of Tourette’s, Abdul-Rauf rose to prominence as a basketball prodigy at Gulfport High School. He was named Mississippi’s Mr. Basketball in back to back years, both in 1987 and 1988. His ability to utilize his see ABDUL-RAUF pg. 15
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Fordham students rallied for transgender rights on Feb. 28., discussing topics such as gender inclusive bathroom signage.
Trans Students: Breaking the Binary
By ELIZABETH LANDRY & CLAIRE HOLMES Asst. News Co-Editor & Staff Writer
President Donald Trump’s recent revocation of Obama-era guidelines instructing public schools to allow students to use the restroom of the gender they identify with has left the power of interpretation up to the states. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered city public schools to protect transgender students’ use of their preferred restroom. Fordham University’s policies are unaffected by either of these directives, however, as its policies as a Catholic Jesuit private institution are entirely shaped by the administration. Dean of Students Keith Eldredge confirmed that school policy is not subject to the decisions of politicians except in matters of law, saying that Fordham conforms to the Catholic
“ If you can’t acknowledge that this community exists on your campus then you can’t do anything for that community. ”
– ANTHONY PEREZ, FCLC ’19 stance on transgender individuals which maintains that there are two genders and assumes the sex assigned at birth to be permanent. “One of the things that I appreciate about working at Fordham as a Jesuit institution is clearly we’re not going to do anything that contradicts Catholic teaching when it’s very explicit and clear,” he said. “But there is that room, and I think it’s within the Catholic social teaching as well, to take care of each individual student.” He said that the starting point is a student’s high school records and
application materials, which have two boxes for male and female. “We really try to look at each individual student’s situation and try to accommodate the best way we can,” he said. Anthony Perez, FCLC ’19, is a psychology major and a philosophy minor. He is a transgender man who said he has run into issues since starting at Fordham because his paperwork reflected his assigned sex, but he began physically transitioning while matriculating. Because of this, his student ID and system email account read “Amber,” he has
Remembering the Legacy of Fordham Women By KATHERINE SMITH Asst. News Co-Editor People around the world are celebrating Women’s History Month this March. The Women’s Studies department at Fordham University is no exception, as it celebrates the achievements made by its students while focusing on how to continue to advance their curriculum. The university first opened its doors to women in 1918, where eight women enrolled in courses. In 1944, the College of Business Administration, now known as the Gabelli School of Business, began to admit women as well, who made up almost two-thirds of the student population during the fall semester. In 1964, the university opened Thomas More College, an undergraduate school for women, on its
Rose Hill Campus. Many women who attended Fordham have achieved success across academic, political and social fields. Geraldine Ferraro, Fordham School of Law ’60, was one of only two women in her graduating class and the first woman to run as a vice presidential candidate in the 1984 election. Anne M. Mulcahy is another notable alumna. She graduated from Marymount College, another Fordham school for women, in 1974 and became the CEO of Xerox Corporation in 2001.Taylor Schilling, FCLC ’06, participated in theater productions at Lincoln Center campus before eventually starring in the hit Netflix show, Orange is the New Black, a role in which she was nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Emmy award. Elizabeth Grant, also known as Lana Del
Rey, majored in philosophy before becoming a world-renowned singer and Grammy nominee. She wrote a song referencing the university in “Fordham Road.” The Women’s Studies program was launched in 1995. Faculty from both the the Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) and Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) campuses created the program in order to offer courses on the study of the female experience as well as achievements made by women throughout history. Professor Amy Aronson, a member of the program since 1996, says that since its inception, the program has also updated its introductory course to include both gender and sexuality studies. “It’s a really much more complex, intersectional program than when I first arrived,” Aronson said.
“The curriculum evolves with participating faculty.” The Women and Gender Studies Program will continue to expand to include more content about gender and sexuality, according to Aronson. It is also seeking to add more on issues such as race and class, in order to have a “deeper understanding” on what gender studies really is, and how different factors affect one’s identity. “Intersectional gender studies is a foundation for understanding both our society and culture across disciplines,” Aronson said. “As the program moves to deepen its curriculum and its exploration of all those different intersections, the university’s culture changes, and the student’s perceptions change in very positive directions.”
THE STUDENT VOICE OF FORDHAM LINCOLN CENTER
lived in female residential housing since he was a freshman, and every class roster lists him under his former name. “I was told I would need to get surgery before they would even consider me living with males,” he said. “There are plenty of trans people who don’t want surgeries or realistically can’t afford surgeries because of insurance problems… that just seems unrealistic to expect of people.” He plans to have “top surgery” this summer and subsequently change his paperwork. “Putting people in housing with their assigned sex, that to me doesn’t necessarily make a lot of sense in terms of safety for students,” he said. “Even in my situation people see my nameplate — which says Anthony because my RA is awesome — but I live with females so they see that and see TRANSGENDER pg. 2
OPINIONS
A Global Perspective Studying in Trump’s America Page 6 ARTS & CULTURE
Christina Baker Kline An interview with the author
Page 11 FEATURES
Redlining Theatre dept. talks discrimination
Page 13 SPORTS & HEALTH
Pat Murray Kicking into the NFL
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Fordham Failing at Free Speech, FIRE says By ELIZABETH LANDRY Asst. News Co-Editor
Following controversy at Fordham College at Lincoln Center over the school’s decision to reject a Social Justice for Palestine (SJP) club approval, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has named the school among its “Ten Worst Colleges for Free Speech,” for the first time. According to its website, FIRE is a nonprofit group which works to “defend and sustain individual rights at America’s colleges and universities… which include freedom of speech, legal equality, due process, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience-the essential qualities of individual liberty and dignity.” They have published a “10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech” each year since 2011, and are staffed by professors, policy experts and “public intellectuals.” Listed in no particular order, Fordham University was included along with schools such as Northern Michigan University, for threatening students with disciplinary action for discussing “suicidal or selfdestructive thoughts or actions with other students,” the University of Oregon, for intervention with a student newspaper and punishment brought down on a professor who wore blackface during a private Halloween party; Georgetown University, for informing a group of Bernie Sanders supporters that “campus was no place for talking to fellow students about their chosen candidate,” and Harvard University, for “blacklisting” members of off-campus singlegender organizations. FIRE points to Dean of Students Keith Eldredge’s decision not to allow SJP to become a club as an example of particularly “persistent and
GEORGE HORIHAN / THE OBSERVER
Members of the Fordham Community have been protesting the university’s decision to reject Students for Justice in Palestine.
brazen” “viewpoint-discriminatory” actions by the school. After nonprofit Palestine Legal publicized the decision and Eldredge’s reasoning, FIRE and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) sent a letter to Fordham demanding that the university recognize SJP and accusing the school of straying from its stated commitments to free expression on campus. Fordham has continued to stand by the decision and has sanctioned SJP organizer Sapphira Lurie, FCLC ’17, on charges of violating “University regulations pertaining to the Demonstration Policy” in re-
lation to an unauthorized rally. Her hearing came under fire after Eldredge decreed that it could only be a closed-door meeting, and ultimately her sanction was decided without a hearing. The school is accused of “persistent refusal to live up to the promises it makes to its students.” Eldredge said of the list, “I think [FIRE has] a motive to get the headlines. I would disagree with their assessment but they have the right to their opinion and the right to make that statement. I didn’t think it was proportionate to the incident, per-
sonally.” “At this point I feel like we’ve given a decision and responded to inquiries about the decision,” Eldredge said. “The decision was made that what [SJP] initially presented was not going to be approved and so coming back with the exact same thing is probably going to get a similar answer.” “I’m certainly willing to continue conversation about SJP whether it’s the students who requested the club or other students that are concerned about Palestinian issues or issues going on in Israel,” he continued.
According to Facebook events, SJP will be holding two open meetings in coming weeks entitled “[Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions] (BDS) at Universities” and “United States Imperialism, Palestinian Resistance.” Eldredge explained that they were allowed to hold events as long as they were authorized, saying, “Certainly if a group wants to have a demonstration or a rally or an event on campus, as long as they follow the procedures that are outlined like in the demonstration policy, the focus there is really on time, place and manner, not on content.”
How Trans Students Navigate Fordham’s Policies Under New York law, all single-occupancy restrooms must be designated as gender neutral or unisex.
TRANSGENDER FROM PAGE 1
automatically know that I’m transgender.” Perez says that even though the Office of Residential Life has been “fantastic” in helping accommodate him, Fordham’s policies make it difficult for transgender people to be comfortable. Moreover, the university’s housing policy of requiring a physical transition to change a name and housing situation forces transgender students to come out to the community. “[This] is problematic on so many different levels,” he said. “I have to out myself in front of everyone in all of my classes at the beginning of every semester, a group of 20 to 30 people I’ve never met in my life. I have to constantly out myself to get guest passes. When I go home, people looking at me walk into my own apartment, I’m outing myself…. That’s my choice, to put that identity out there, and I don’t necessarily want the first thing people to know about me is that I’m trans before they even get to know anything else.” The Office of Residential Life did not respond to requests for comment. Perez said that he has never utilized University Health Services but did not expect Fordham to be able to provide treatment in the case of his transition. Executive Director of University Health Services (UHS) Kathleen M. Malara, MSN, FNP, said via email that as transitioning requires specialists, the school’s office would refer transgender students outside. She also said that UHS would refer to a transgender student by their preferred identification, and that a student in the process of transitioning would be aided in finding a practitioner that accepts their insurance and is convenient. Perez said one issue he wishes the school would change is that of gender-neutral bathrooms, which stu-
STEPHAN KOZUB / THE OBSERVER
Peyton Berry, FCLC ’18 led the Feb. 28 rally on transgender rights.
dents have pushed for since 2015 citing New York State law. “[The gender neutral signage] completely ignores the conversation of gender and gender expression,” said Perez. “If you can’t acknowledge that this community exists on your campus then you can’t do anything for that community. And you can’t claim to stand with that community if you can’t even acknowledge it.” The school has answered students by designating single-occupancy lockable bathrooms, which can be found on a list on the university website and shows 35 at FCLC. A “Trans Lives Matter” rally was held on Feb. 28, on the outdoor plaza, to demand university protection of transgender students. “I felt like this would be a great time for Fordham to prove that they are an example of trans inclusivity, and to additionally really push for the fact that we need gender-inclusive bathrooms on campus,” organizer Peyton Berry, FCLC ’18 said. “Right now, the bathrooms are gender-neu-
tral in the sense that anybody of any gender can use the restrooms, but we’re looking for signage that actively includes [trans and nonbinary/gender nonconforming] into the Fordham community.” Under New York law, all singleoccupancy restrooms must be designated as gender neutral or unisex. The current signs in Lowenstein and McMahon are typed on laminated sheets of computer paper, and stuck to the doors. They state that the bathrooms are available to “all members of the Fordham community,” and make no reference to sex, handicap accessibility, or gender identity. Speakers at the rally included current Fordham students and faculty, as well as transgender Fordham alumnus Chris Hennessy, FCLC ’15, who initially started the push for genderneutral trans-inclusive bathrooms on campus. The speakers put forth personal stories, statements of support, and calls for action from both administration and peers. Hennessy urged listeners to think about change
in the short-term. Rally speaker Jason Sheldon, FCLC ’20, said in an interview that they thought this issue was important because, among other reasons, they feel “uncomfortable… sometimes unsafe,” when going to the bathroom, and went on to add that given LINK, “the fact that they keep on pushing back against what trans students are asking for as a right is kind of terrifying.” In addition to the rally, Fordham recently sponsored its first transgender issues-specific panel, titled “Transgender Politics in New York City and Beyond,” focusing in part on challenges in immigration, healthcare access, and the right to access public spaces faced by transgender people under the Trump administration. The panel was organized by Christina Greer, Ph.D., assistant professor of Political Science, and Zein Murib, Ph.D., assistant professor of Political Science, in order to educate students about how transgender people could access healthcare services and how the law directs the instatement and use of gender inclusive spaces. The panel was hosted the day after the Trump administration revoked Obama’s federal guidelines. The withdrawal of protections, said Murib, is “unfortunate,” but also “underscores the broader point.” “It highlighted the necessity of having the conversation about not only visible public figures [such as
Caitlyn Jenner]...but also to talk about the fact that people are dying because they are trans, and what that means in New York City, and for Fordham students,” she said. For Berry, Sheldon, and rally speaker Rosario Ramos-King, FCLC ’20, it means continuing the push for inclusion-specific bathroom signs. Ramos-King and Berry both expressed a feeling of fatigue around the ongoing struggle. “It’s tiring for me, and I’ve only been here for a semester,” said Ramos-King, who identifies as genderqueer. They went on to add, however, that the amount of underclassman participation occurring on campus is “very encouraging.” “I’m not going to get my hopes up, but I think there’s a lot to mobilize off of the first ever trans politics panel, that was really uplifting,” they said. Meanwhile, Sheldon says, “One thing I would really like at Fordham is inclusive housing…I feel that is kind of the next step,” because “we as trans students deserve to be safe and comfortable with where we live.” Berry says they will continue to push for explicit transgender protections. “I’m fighting for the visibility and the acceptance and the acknowledgement of trans students on this campus,” they said. “And it’s just kind of ridiculous that we’ve been fighting so hard for something so small.” Eldredge said he sees the designated single occupancy lockable bathrooms as a compromise for the benefit of transgender community members. “I think obviously we need to make sure we provide an accommodation that people are going to feel comfortable with,” he said. “Is that something that everybody agrees has gone far enough? Clearly not, but I know there’s others in the community that probably think that’s an unnecessary step and it’s nothing we should be doing as a Catholic institution--and I think we can wholeheartedly agree that’s not the case.”
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News
3
USG Talks Leadership, Library and Election By STEPHAN KOZUB News Co-Editor
United Student Government (USG) has not had the smoothest of years. Hit with unexpected changes in leadership and dealing with controversial issues such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), the group of student leaders cannot seem to catch a break. “I think the biggest challenge has been understanding USG’s role in the institution of Fordham,” said USG President Leighton Magoon, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’17. “For all of the faculty committees that we’re a part of and for all of the people that we know in the administration at Fordham, I think we’ve had to grapple with the fact that, while we do have some power, that there’s a lot that’s outside of our control, and I think this year has definitely been a year where we’ve realized it more than other years.” The student government, however, has not let the events of this academic year hinder their action. They recently approved a new constitution, adding the positions of Vice President of USG and Vice President for Facilities in order to further differentiate leadership roles. “My sentiment and those of some of the eboard felt that, with the workload of the president, with the growing class sizes, the greater amount of buildings, the more influence that we want USG to have, the workload needs to be more evenly displaced for the President,” Magoon explained. Not all of the proposed constitutional changes went through, however. Discussion regarding a ticket system for electing a President and a Vice President of USG has been
JESSE CARLUCCI / THE OBSERVER
United Student Government’s new office in the 140 West building has been their base of operations this year.
tabled until the fall semester. Rejected proposals include elevating the Food Service subcommittee to full committee status and increasing the amount of Gabelli senators by one per class year. USG has also negotiated new hours with the Quinn Library administrative staff. Starting March 6, the library will be open from 6 a.m. to 3 a.m., moving the opening hours back from 7 a.m. The library will also get more seating in the first floor commons after Easter Break, according to Yint Hmu, FCLC ’17
and USG President Pro Tempore. The first floor commons will also resume a 24-hour schedule at that time, and a week later, all three floors will be open for 24 hours for finals. “Because with the library budget, it is just unfeasible for them to operate 24 hours, especially when no one is really using it, but we’re really working with them closely to determine the peak hours and determine when the students really need it, the library is open and accessible to all,” Hmu said.
Regarding SJP, Magoon and Hmu both say that USG is standing by its vote for approval of the student group. Hmu explained how the group handles other causes at Fordham. “In USG we walk a very fine line, because we know that there are students who have been working on issues like the transgender bathrooms for a long time and the fine line we walk is that we don’t want to swoop in and be like ‘okay we’re going to pick this issue up and it’s going to be a USG issue,’”
Hmu said. “We don’t like to do that, because it’s stepping on so many people’s toes, and we don’t want to take credit for their hard work. If they approach us and ask us for help, then we’d be more than happy to help out. But if they don’t come to ask, then we just observe and keep track of the updates.” For those looking to join USG, election packets are now available for all senator and executive board positions. General meetings are held on Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. in LL1020.
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Opinions
Opinions Editor John McCullough - jmcculloughiii@fordham.edu
STAFF EDITORIAL
the
FORDHAM’S POLICIES MUST REFLECT ITS STUDENT POPULATION
A
s an institution of higher learning, Fordham must ensure that its students are made to feel comfortable in their gender identity. Fordham must explicitly act in solidarity with students that are members of marginalized groups by allowing them to dorm with students of the gender they identify as and by clearly labeling restroom facilities that are designated as gender neutral spaces. With the rights of transgender students in jeopardy across the United States, it is especially important that Fordham stand on the right side of history and ensure that all of its students feel free to identify in the manner most comfortable to them. The struggle of transgender students at Fordham encompasses many important facets of their tenure at the university. There is
no guarantee that Fordham paperwork or IDs can be easily modified to reflect a name or gender change, which presents problems for students during roll call
“By not having a system that is open to transgender students, their identities are being invalidated. ” in class and in their email identity. Particularly egregious is the apparent policy that students must prove they have physically transitioned to the sex other than what they were assigned at birth in order to make changes to their living situation. The fact that the university isn’t making strides to assure the comfort and safety of
March 9, 2017 THE OBSERVER
its transgender students is disheartening. Trans and nonbinary individuals may not share the same feeling of comfort and safety in such public spaces. Fordham can ensure that its students do not become targets of verbal or physical assault and harassment. By not having a system that is open to transgender students, their identities are being invalidated. A lack of action in this case shows neglect of a segment of the student body. If the university is to be an institution for all, respect must be paid to the gender identities of those who are most important to the institution — the students. If we want a Fordham community that truly reflects the nuances and complexities of the human identity, we must make sure that all are made to feel welcomed by enacting the appropriate policies.
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Opinions
5
Relax, No One Cares About the DNC Chair MICHAÉLA FINNERAN Contributing Writer
This Saturday, members of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) convened in Atlanta to elect their new chair. There was little doubt as to the qualifications of either of the two leading candidates, former Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and Representative Keith Ellison. Both are popular within the party and have dedicated their lives to public service. That said, when Tom Perez was elected as the new DNC chair in a vote of 235-200, the reaction among many on the left was a familiar one: outrage as to why DNC had again neglected the progressive wing of the party. This is a familiar sentiment. Just last year, Bernie Sanders failed to secure the Democratic nomination, and in response, many of his supporters claimed they wouldn’t vote for Hillary Clinton, whose views they deemed too centrist. Unfortunately, the DNC race became somewhat of a proxy war between the Sanders wing of the party and the establishment. Since Perez’s victory, the indignation professed by Ellison supporters has reached a fever pitch, which only serves to distract from the real issues Democrats face in the coming years. Comparing the Perez-Ellison race to the Clinton-Sanders primary is a false equivalence. First of all, Perez and Ellison have far fewer policy differences than Clinton and Sanders. And second, constituents are not being asked to vote for Tom Perez. In fact, the chair of the DNC is not a figure whose name most Americans will ever even know. This is someone who does important work, but isn’t on television every day talking about it and if they are, it’s because they’ve done something wrong (see: Debbie Wasserman Schultz). The role of the chair, though integral to the well-being of the party, is not particularly sexy. It’s not a position that draws much attention, and the only reason it’s
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Many have cast the DNC leadership election in the light of the wider battle between the centrist and progressive wings of the Democratic Party.
being so widely discussed now is because this race played into the persistent narrative that the Democratic Party is out of touch with its base. Of course, this is not to suggest that the role of chair is unimportant. The chairperson is charged with a variety of tasks, but they can be boiled down to three essential responsibilities: raising money, recruiting candidates and managing the internal governance of the party. Fundraising is critical; the party needs money in order to carry out any of its aims. However, recruiting candidates is likely the most important responsibility of the DNC chair under a Trump administration. If the Democrats have any chance at regaining control of the House in 2018, the party needs to target and support strong progressive
candidates. If the 2016 Democratic Primary taught us anything, it’s that Democrats need to deepen their bench. This is an area in which the Republican Party shines. The GOP has devoted significant resources to the recruitment of talented candidates, and as a result, they had sixteen candidates for the Republican nomination, while the Democrats had only four (all of whom were over the age of fifty). Since the election, this discussion of the liberal divide has become the dominant narrative surrounding the Democratic Party. For party members to argue amongst themselves over the new chair is a waste of valuable time and energy that the Democrats are in no position to be wasting. With only sixteen Democratic governors and less than one-third of state
legislatures controlled by Democrats, the party is in a historically weak position. Given the struggle that Democrats face in the coming years, efforts would be better spent doing the actual work of the party, rather than arguing about which of two progressive candidates is better suited for a position that is unimportant to most Americans. Do I think the Democrats would have been better off with Keith Ellison as chair? Sure. That said, I’m a Political Science major at a liberal arts college on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, which illustrates my point regarding the demographic that actually cares about the candidates for DNC chair. To borrow a phrase from the right, it’s the “coastal elites” in their own echo chamber who are driving this argu-
ment. In most communities, people are simply unconcerned with the results of the DNC race. We should take a cue from them. It’s important to keep in mind that the DNC chair in itself is not a mobilizing factor for voters. What will motivate voters to turnout for Democrats, is a pool of strong candidates who show commitment to fighting for progressive issues. The Democratic Party is in a difficult situtation, but we should also keep in mind that in the presidential election, three million more people voted for the Democrat than for the Republican. All hope is not lost. What’s most important now is the recruitment of strong candidates in decisive districts, and arguing over a relatively inconsequential position does nothing to further this goal.
Confront Anti-Intellectualism, Keep Science In Our Politics The United States of America is now a country whose highest elected official...does not base his beliefs and actions on facts.
JORDAN MELTZER Staff Writer
This past Monday, Feb. 27, two powwerful people joined forces to talk about one of the most powerful forces in the world. Engineer and science educator Bill Nye ‘the Science Guy’ and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders conducted a Facebook Live stream and discussed what I believe to be the biggest threat to our nation and our world—climate change—and how it intertwines with politics. The conversation, which lasted about half an hour, began with Bernie Sanders criticizing President Trump and his pick for the Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Scott Pruitt. Trump has claimed that climate change was fabricated by the Chinese, and Pruitt has sued the organization he now runs 14 times. According to Nye, the longterm effects of Trump and Pruitt’s tenures in their respective offices could be catastrophic. The Science Guy is right. He understands a very basic concept that should be (but is not) widely agreed upon: politics should be based on facts and science. It is hard to fathom the fact that this topic is still a debate. Unfortunately, the United States of America is now a country whose highest elected official (and many of his henchmen) does not base his beliefs and actions on facts.
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The right’s streak of climate denial must be confronted with fact.
Evidently, “alternative facts” seem to motivate Trump and his team, as Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President, pointed out. This way of thinking is dangerous, but Republicans who defend unconditional party unity do not care. In Sanders and Nye’s Facebook Live stream, Sanders mentioned that many of his colleagues in the Senate believe that “the science really is not clear.” (It is worth noting that this interview came on the heels of the recent
Senate confirmation hearing of Scott Pruitt.) Anchors on conservative Fox News, Sanders continued, “don’t agree” that global warming is actually happening. But, as Nye points out, “the science is settled.” The only explanation for why many Republicans still deny that human activity has been the driving force of globally increasing temperatures is party loyalty. These Republicans would say anything to defend the Republican in power and attack Democrats. However,
this mentality is just as hazardous as actively denying the effects of climate change. So, what is the best way forward? Well, step one is admitting that global temperatures are changing; they are changing at an overwhelmingly fast rate, and something must be done about it. As Nye said to Sanders, “that’s where you come in.” The American government has the full authority and responsibility to combat climate change. President Obama knew that: he dedicated $500 million to the United Nations’ climate fund, helped ratify the Paris climate deal and authored the Clean Power Plan and the Clean Air Act (for which Pruitt sued the Obama administration). The right way forward is for politicians to use their power to fight climate change. Nye suggested in the interview that America dedicate less of its resources to the fossil fuel industry and more of it to an organization called the “Solutions Project.” This project is dedicated to making America depend on energy 100 percent via renewable
resources, like solar energy and wind energy, and getting started on this path immediately. Nye pointed out that going through with this project would require reconfiguring the electric grid nationwide, erecting wind turbines and making and distributing solar panels. This would create countless jobs, a task President Trump has endlessly promised to complete. Working-class citizens also have a job to do. First, it is important that we use less fossil fuels when possible. Whether it be classic examples like carpooling or larger-scale changes like using solar panels at home, every action has a butterfly-effect reaction. Secondly, calling and writing to our representatives is vital. They love hearing from their constituents – it is their job. From local representatives to Pruitt himself, every letter or phone call makes a difference. Lastly, I will say something I have been saying since Nov. 8: resist. It may not sound like much, but if you get your voice heard, it inspires others to agree and gets them to act. Be vocal: attend (or organize) rallies and protests, write angry tweets or convince a family member at the dinner table. There is strength in numbers, and if we continue to make it known that Pruitt’s and Trump’s denial of real science (and reliance on “alternative facts”) is unacceptable, we can convince them and other lawmakers. Continue to fight – both climate change deniers and climate change itself.
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Opinions
February 9, 2017 THE OBSERVER
www.fordhamobserver.com
President Trump: Think of International Students NOBONITA CHOWDHURY Contributing Writer
Due to its large number of prestigious colleges, the United States sees a high influx of international students every year. The U.S. higher education system has been long reknowned for its quality. Its comprehensive approach towards the college admissions process is also deemed by many to be a second chance, since most other countries settle this through rigidly standardized national exams. Adding on to all other benefits, the nation’s history of cosmopolitan multiculturalism allows international students to have a proper global experience. Unfortunately, President Trump’s original immigration ban tried to reverse this trend. The ban applied to individuals originating from seven predominantly Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Unfortunately, several other incidents combined with Trump’s prior contradictory comments has also left international students in a vulnerable state, particularly those originating from under developed nations. As someone from Bangladesh (an underdeveloped country with a predominantly Muslim population) I am currently in the middle of this very unsettling situation. Most of my Bangladeshi peers in the U.S have discarded the idea of returning home for the summer. And with the way things are looking, I might as well be heading down the same path. If, for some reason, I am not let back into the States, it could mean having to start over at another college somewhere else. Most people back home are now applying to
COURTESY OF GEOFF LIVINGSTON/FLICKR
The Trump Administration’s immigration bans have put many international students in a difficult position.
places like Canada and Australia, as they offer more scholarships, cheaper tuition and most importantly, security. Studying in America was a dream harbored by many of my high school classmates. They toiled
through board exams and took extra lessons to do well on the SATs. Dreams grow and change, as people get over them. But the loss of international students would be a big blow to American universities. International students make
universities places of rich diversity and heightened scholarship, and their presence is an important part of keeping universities globally competitive. While I still think that a more aggressive immigration ban is still far from a reality, complica-
tions in obtaining visas and legal documents will likely lead to a declining international population. For American universities, this could mean losing diversity on campus as well as an important source of revenue.
Reading as a Way of Resistance LEAH JOHNSON Contributing Writer
Since Donald Trump’s election in November, bookstores across the country have seen a skyrocket in sales of dystopian fiction, namely works such as Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and Ray Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451.” These classical books—published decades ago—outline potential future struggles of the United States in the late-20th and early-21st centuries. In each of these novels, the populace struggles to guard its freedom against a totalitarian regime that has torn away its liberties and pitted classes of citizens against each other. While viewing the authoritarians in these novels as direct reflections of the current administration may seem extreme, using them to better understand the present day is not so far-fetched. In Trump’s America, we can extract wisdom from authors whose works have never occupied such a level of relevance. When re-reading such novels today, the climactic plots, peculiar characters, and intricate settings of these books tend to gain deeper social relevance. We are now beginning to see dystopia as an imminent threat rather than a distant possibility. While no novel provides a comprehensive representation of the nation’s current politics, we can reference various works and extract snippets with the power to teach meaningful lessons about government and inspire revolution. In Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the Republic of Gilead enacts discriminatory legislation, oppressing women and minority groups. People of color are reallocated to remote areas and each woman is
KATARINA MARSCHHAUSEN / THE OBSERVER
With the rise of Trump, classic dystopian novels have once again become a part of the conversation.
assigned a specific role with the stratification based on social class. Gilead snuffs women’s mental capabilities and values them solely for their ability to serve men, the accepted ideology being that women are little more than walking wombs. The right- wing government of the United States echoes a similar set of beliefs through its anti-choice legislation like Trump’s global gag rule and Governor John Kasich’s “heartbeat” bill. “The Handmaid’s Tale” illustrates the dangers of extremeright totalitarianism that has crept its way up on Gilead. It warns that, without significant resistance, a government can easily seize control of the populace by enforcing unjust
laws. Aunt Lydia, a character in Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” copes with the recent transition from a democracy to a totalitarian theocracy. “‘Ordinary’, said Aunt Lydia, ‘is what you are used to. This may not seem ordinary to you now, but after a time it will. It will become ordinary.’” Aunt Lydia’s plea applies to the United States’ current political climate. In the age when “resistance” is a household term, we should take Aunt Lydia’s comment as a warning of normalizing fascism. In understanding the relevance that these works occupy, we can use their lessons to our advantage as tools of
resistance. In movements like the post-inauguration Women’s March and Planned Parenthood rallies, Margaret Atwood’s influence is shown by protest signs and chants like, “‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Is Not an Instruction Manual” and “No to The Republic of Gilead!” Feminists today have adopted Atwood’s sociocritical tendencies in their fight for reform and have echoed her prochoice passion through activism. In Bradbury’s “Fahrenheit 451,” the object of contention is not female bodies but literature—books, poetry, etc. Under a different regime of totalitarianism, books, which are considered powerfully dangerous weapons of information, are burned
and banned. The government fears critique by its citizens and believes that books are at the root of all free and analytical thinking. “Fahrenheit 451’s” most flagrant comparison to the current day is Trump’s anti-media rhetoric. Our current administration, like the government in Bradbury’s novel, stifles reading and other forms of informing oneself, as these activities leave room for critical thought. A motif that emerges both in the novel and today is the characterization of media (such as news or books) as “illegitimate.” Similar to Trump’s habit of dismissing anything that exposes his flaws as “fake news,” the governing body in “Fahrenheit 451” outlaws anything that questions society or has the potential to incite revolutionary thought in others. “A book is a loaded gun in the house next door,” the captain of the book-burning “firemen” says, seeking vengeance against books. “Burn it.” As Captain Beatty further expresses his anxieties about the printed word, he asks, “Who knows who might be the target of a wellread man?” Because of his fear of the power of education, Beatty and his firemen sweep the nation in search of books, destroying every last page. “Fahrenheit 451” can be applied to our current political climate both in terms of free press and education but it also exemplifies the true capacity to spark change that is held within literature. Halfway through Trump’s first 100 days in office, as resistors lose steam, I urge everyone to pick up a book. Literature is powerful and energizing, as Captain Beatty notes. Your high school English teachers did not assign those speculative reads accidentally. They hoped, as I do now, that you would learn something.
Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture Editors Elena Ciotta - eciotta@fordham.edu Ana Fota - afota@fordham.edu Morgan Steward - msteward2@fordham.edu March 9, 2017 THE OBSERVER
Martha Graham Returns Dance company performs at the Joyce By MCCALL SHEETZ Contributing Writer
The Martha Graham Dance Company performed at the Joyce Theater from Feb. 14-26, showcasing three different programs corresponding to the theme of “Sacred/ Profane.” The director of the company said “you can decide which works mean what to you,” as to say, you can choose whichever adjective you thought described the pieces best. I attended two out of the three programs, each of which displayed an array of classic pieces choreographed by Martha Graham herself, as well as contemporary works that were recently set on the company. No matter which piece was being performed, the dancers brought the spirit of Graham into their movement. This spirit is hard to describe, yet so apparent when watched. The Graham technique is rooted in the contraction of the body, showcasing the emotional powerhouse and providing a certain vulnerability that still connects with the audience. The pure strength and muscular control of the dancers was evident, for no matter what they did, they seemed to float across the stage. Sitting in the first row, I was able to see, hear and practically feel the way these dancers were breathing even though I was forced to strain my neck to see their whole bodies. They were so controlled yet giving, using inhales and exhales to propel movements as they leaped and turned across the stage. My favorite piece of the program was called “Maple Leaf Rag.” The
dance, set to the jolty piano tune by Scott Joplin, was a light-hearted piece filled with humor. During the piece, the dancers would enter the stage in couples, dressed in brightly colored unitards, and would dance around a joggling board which dominated the whole stage. The main couple, Laurel Dally Smith and Ari Mayzick, performed a bright, comical duet that just made me want to get up and dance along with them. Throughout the piece a few characters would come in and dramatically dance across the stage, Martha’s parody of her own dramatic style, creating a hilarious contrast to the rest of the piece. The company brought back to the joy of modern dance through the ups and downs of the “Maple Leaf Rag.” “Rust,” a piece choreographed by Nacho Duato was another favorite of mine. The piece was performed by five men: Abdiel Jacobsen, Ari Mayzick, Lloyd Mayor, Lorenzo Pagano and Ben Schultz. The emotional struggle of torture and violence in today’s society was so accurately portrayed by the dancers—it was a divine contrast from Martha’s more classical works, yet remained in the same plane of relating to current events and emotions. The dance showcased each man’s strengths, whether it was the catch and release of the partnering between a duet, or a solo in the spotlight telling the story of a man struggling to find his way. This piece left me in tears, yearning to help the men on stage, believing their story so fully that my heart broke for them.
MCCALL SHEETZ/THE OBSERVER
The Martha Graham Company performed at the Joyce Theatre this past February.
The Importance of Actresses Using Their Platforms By ALYANA VERA Contributing Writer
There is a long history of women protesting and advocating for their rights; from Seneca Falls to the Women’s March on Washington, the fight has raged on and inspired generations around the world. However, not every movement that women have spearheaded was inclusive; Elizabeth Cady Stanton, one of the main organizers of the Seneca Falls convention was once quoted as stating, “What will we and our daughters suffer if these degraded black men are allowed to have the rights that would make them even worse than our Saxon fathers?” Thankfully, feminism has become much more inclusive, with the organizers of the Women’s March making an effort to diversify their organizers, according to Vox. Not only are movements becoming more inclusive, but their representatives at the forefront of American media are as well. Actresses, singers, models and more are calling themselves feminists, aligning themselves with reproductive rights, immigrant rights and gender equality. Many of these women have shown their willingness to get on the street and protest, as well as speak out about the inequalities they face without fear of repercussions. This Women’s History Month, pay attention to the following women and diversify your thought leaders. Constance Wu, a TaiwaneseAmerican actress known for her critically acclaimed comedy “Fresh Off The Boat,” routinely makes head-
lines for her views. She attended the Women’s March in January, allied herself with entertainers refusing to perform at President Trump’s Inauguration and continues to advocate for Asian-American representation in media, both behind and in front of the camera. Most recently, she lambasted the Academy of Arts and Sciences for awarding Casey Affleck, an actor with a past of sexual harassment allegations, an Oscar for his performance in “Manchester by the Sea.” In a series of tweets she discussed her frustration with how Affleck’s past sexual harassment allegations did not affect his chances for winning an Oscar. She ultimately revealed, “I’ve been counseled not to talk about this for career’s sake. F my career then, I’m a woman & human first. That’s what my craft is built on.” Wu’s refusal to let her career stop her from speaking her mind continues to be a driving force in her activism. Gina Rodriguez, an American actress known for her work on “Jane the Virgin,” has been an avid advocate of not just women’s rights, but also immigrant’s rights and Latinx representation in media. Known for her #MovementMondays on Instagram, which was originally started to highlight Latinxs but now includes people of all backgrounds, she’s also done considerable charity and nonprofit work. Rodriguez proves that she views her career and activism as mutually inclusive, as she often talks about the importance of using one’s platform in order to promote change. In an interview with TV Guide, Rodriguez
KOMUNEWS/FLICKR.
Laverne Cox is a trailblazer in the transgender community.
states, “We are given the blessing of recognition, obscene financial abundance, free things when lord knows you can afford it, and to not use [my position] to create change, to liberate people, seems like a waste of a gift.” Laverne Cox, a black transgender actress, is not unfamiliar to the feeling of being the “first;” from being the first trans person to be featured on TIME’s cover to the first transperson nominated for an Emmy, Cox has done a lot of trailblazing for the transgender community. Considering that, it is a tes-
tament to her selflessness that Cox spends quite a lot of her time putting others first. She’s written a considerable number of articles for the Huffington Post, has spoken out against Arizona’s “walking while trans” law, and has won awards from Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and The Forum for Equality. Cox pushes intersectional feminism, particularly feminism that includes transfolk, describing it in DAME Magazine as, “…about is moving outside of roles and moving outside of expectations of who and what you’re supposed to be to live a
more authentic life.” Just because they are listed, doesn’t mean that the women above are without fault. It also doesn’t mean that you should be inspired by solely the people listed above; take the time to follow Viola Davis, Lupita Nyong’o, Jazz Jennings, Amandla Stenberg, Destiny Frasqueri and more. Think critically about the type of feminism you subscribed to (and if you don’t subscribe to any type of feminism—Why?). It’s important that this month we continue the conversation about intersectionality, particularly when it come to women-led movements. Thinking about the best ways in which to include, not alienate, everyone who supports or is affected by the cause should be the primary work of any movement that seeks equal rights. Even the Women’s March was not without fault, as its platform and imagery, particularly the pink hat, excluded trans and nonbinary people. Chanting “P---- grabs back” in an effort to fight for women’s rights implies that being a woman is contingent on having a vagina, and vice versa, excluding trans, gender nonconforming and non-binary folk. The upcoming Women’s Strike and A Day Without A Woman on March 8 have attempted to make their platform more inclusive by allowing avenues of participation for women who can’t afford, financially or otherwise, to strike outright. You can participate by wearing red This Women’s History Month, it’s important to not only recognize how far women have come in the last 200 years, but how far we have to go.
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News Feature
COURTESY OF MARK AUSTRIA
Left: Winter Ball Committee and USG members assembled the table decorations before the dance. Right: Dinner included filet mignon, baked halibut, and baked Alaska, among various options. The students also received handmade giveaways of hot chocolate mix with marshmallows.
Main Course & Act II of the Ball After a while the music died down, and the crowd adjourned for the main course. The night has just begun, but one would’ve not been surprised to see those who swung the hardest passed out on top of their entrées. Servers, however, were obviously not worried about such a thing, as ivory plates of filet mignon with potato gratin and asparagus flew onto the tables next to pan-roasted halibut with braised leeks; the vegetarian option: something delicious with quinoa, said Carla de Miranda. Partygoers were allowed just enough time to process their meals before the music roared to life again, calling everyone back onto the floor. A prismatic strobe-light started to pulse over the sea of guests. A ghostly projection of the Winter Ball logo circled around the ceiling. Dancers joined hands to create a tunnel as individuals hurtled underneath their outstretched limbs. Shortly after, a set of concentric conga lines emerged from the mass, and twisted around each other, stretching to the very edges of the dance floor. We were all trying to forget Monday midterms. On the sidelines, servers passed out coffee cups
on delicate dishware to all looking for a quick kick to jump back in the scene. Overheated dancers stretched jackets around the backs of chairs and pitstop lipstick touch-ups were applied with precision. Tyler Tagliaferro and his fiancée spectated from afar. Others chugged ice water like quarterbacks from plastic wine glasses and checked their Instagrams for likes. Rachel Perla, joined by fellow Ailey Dancer Amanda Egan, nursed an injured leg yet still summoned the strength to groove with the best of them. These were the terms of Winter Ball; hard play required hard work, and all were willing to give it. Dessert & Finale The final course was served, but the music beat on, a psychedelic lightshow shone off dishes of baked alaska. A few couples seized the opportunity of a mealtime lull and spun softly around the room. Dan Nasta was one of them, who led onto the stage a somewhat confused Andrew Donchak, in what could only be described as a full-on kidnapping turned interpretive dance. Leighton Magoon followed up with an outstanding running man challenge to a standing ovation, but the
“Cha Cha Slide” was what drew everyone back to the floor for one last hop this time. The night was coming to a close for the weary, who shuffled out of the ballroom to collect their coats, perhaps catching a cab for four blocks to avoid the freezing wind which had picked up while all were inside. Those who remained had more space to work with, and fanned out to make room for the inexhaustible. Soon after, the seniors, too, exited the ballroom to take class pictures, revealing just how few of us left there really were, as more picked up their jackets and purses and wandered home. At midnight, the lights went up. Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” played out the stragglers, but Dan Nasta and Leighton Magoon refused to leave without one final slow dance. The scent of snuffed candles drifted through the room, and goodbyes were said as servers and volunteers packed up decorations and looked for misplaced phones and purses. Winter Ball 2017 had ended, but those of us who stayed to the very end, who wrung the night dry until the music and voices and footsteps sounded no more, found it remarkably hard to leave that hotel.
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News Feature
March 9, 2017 THE OBSERVER
Elegance at the Essex By COLIN SHEELEY Contributing Writer
T
he air was just above freezing temperature last Friday as the first guests of the Fordham Lincoln Center annual Winter Ball rushed briskly under the plywood scaffolding above Central Park South and into the warm, golden lobby of the J.W. Marriott Essex House. Committee members greeted the incoming attendees through the marble-checkered atrium into the main hallway, decorated with framed portraits of Central Park (the hotel’s front lawn), glass cases filled with delicate crystal and jewelry and shining display-sized mirrors. The committee, under the supervision of Dr. Dorothy Wenzel and Sandra Vargas, had been there since a little after 3:30 pm along with several United Student Government (USG) E-Board members, putting together table centerpieces and setting up the room for students to arrive at 7:00. By the time the first few arrived, everything was ready. Mocktail Hour Coats were checked and partygoers picked up dinner table name tags as they moved into the foyer for mocktail hour. Servers flitted tactfully from group to group around the glowing room, passing out watermelon purées served in wine glasses, detoxifying fruit water and berry-filled tumblers alongside shrimp potstickers, vegetable samosas, lobster rolls and sautéed chicken skewers. USG members established a huddle in the center of the room. A freshly shaven Demetrios Stratis stood next to Dan Nasta, who boasted in his coffee-colored suit that tonight he was “dressed like Dean Eldredge.” Across from him, Carla de Miranda chatted with Marien Alejandro–a friendly reminder that everyone is a part of USG as President Leighton Magoon puts it. Nearby, Kayla Wolf warns everyone that she is not the dancing type, a statement to be proved wrong later on in the night. The room was lit yellow by wall-mounted lamps that shone softly on the surface of the bar and the baby-grand piano pushed into the corner where no fingers could reach the keys. A photo backdrop strung with silvery holiday lights failed to interest some, who preferred instead to lean against the frames of massive impressionist landscapes for quick pics. The very structure of the room motivated one to practically turn on their heel, and only realize it after they began to feel a pain in
their neck. And there were those doors, those mirror doors from in and out of which servers dashed that guarded the night’s final destination. They were the focal point of everyone’s curiosities. The hour wore on as more guests arrived: Tyler Tagliaferro and his fiancée strolled in, followed by Dorian Cupero. All the while, a medley of smooth jazz covers restyling late-2000s hits played softly in the background. A notable hit was a masterfully crooned tribute to Bruno Mars’ “Grenade.” Finally, the doors flew open to reveal the ultraviolet interior of the Essex House Grand Salon ballroom, and students began to pour in, eager to dine and dance. Antipasto & Act I of the Ball Guests hurried to find their assigned groups and sat down to tables set with three courses of silver and dishware. The appetizer was peacan salad for all, including one distressed and severely allergic Marien Alejandro, whose plate was swiftly replaced by one that wouldn’t send her to the hospital. The ballroom itself was pristine under the cosmic glow. The tables lined the edges of the painted walls, surrounding a large wooden dance floor clearly installed to prevent dancers from literally cutting a rug. A massive crystal chandelier hung above the center of the room from a vaulted ceiling that had been painted to look like the kind of vibrant blue days New York is never supposed to get in early
March. Then, an announcement for the nervously holy: Reverend John J. Shea, S.J. has granted a dispensation for meat eaters this Friday night. Nothing, not even even the season of Lent would stop Winter Ball this night. Next up, Winter Ball Committee co-chairs, Anjelica Davis and Becky Song took the stage to thank the other members who organized the event. A round of applause burst from those seated, still picking at their meals. As the last few diners finished off their dinner rolls, the speakers suddenly blared out the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive,” and the night was officially on. Stratis was the first to take the floor, launching into the middle of the room, inspiring a collective rush to swarm around him and the entertainers for the night, the Modern Sound Deejays. Much like in the foyer, a USG mosh assembled in the middle of the floor, this time around Yint Hmu. His moves were killer, but Dan Nasta was the real hero of the night with a style that belonged in a discotheque just as much as a speakeasy. Other dancers came and went. Stephan Kozub burst into the mix to finish off a tune with a perfectly executed lip-sync, followed by Fiona Whalen, tuxedo and all, who got about as down as down could get. All at once, Stratis and Hmu were locked in a dance battle, each trying to cap off the first round of festivities with their own signature style. People took things like that very seriously at Winter Ball.
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THE OBSERVER MARCH 9,, 2017
Arts & Culture
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The Women Taking Over Broadway By BESSIE RUBINSTEIN Staff Writer
To celebrate women’s history month, The Observer is taking a look at all of the recent accomplishments of women on Broadway and how they are transcending traditional theater.
Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812
Waitress Living in New York City, it’s difficult not to hear the hype around Broadway’s “Waitress.” At first glance, it might not strike you as particularly groundbreaking—there is a rousing soundtrack, moving themes and lively dance numbers like many shows on Broadway. But there’s something about “Waitress” that sets it apart from all the other shows on the Great White Way: the creative team behind the musical is entirely female. This show is based on the critically celebrated motion picture (of the same name) by Adrienne Shelley that was released in 2007. Jessie Nelson adapted the film for the stage, and multiple-time Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles (behind the hits “Brave” and “Love Song”) wrote the music and lyrics. The rest of “Waitress’” strong female team includes director Diane Paulus, executive producer Alecia Parker, choreographer Lorin Latarro and Tony-winning actress Jessie Mueller starring as Jenna alongside Charity Dawson and Caitlin Houlahan. The New York Times has heralded Mueller as “a high point of the Broadway season,” while TIME claims that the female team is “changing Broadway.” Students can head to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre to see this Tony nominated musical about food and strong female relationships. Those who want to see Jessie Mueller in the title role should hurry—her final performance is March 26. But don’t worry if you miss it. She’s passing the baton to Sara Bareilles, the mastermind behind the score.
Denée Benton is living every recent college graduate’s dream. After matriculating at Carnegie Mellon University, Benton was immediately cast in the West End production of “Book of Mormon” as well as the national tour. She is currently following up these exciting performances with her Broadway debut as Natasha in “Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812.” The musical is inspired by the young lovers in Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” and features Benton and multi platinum recording artist Josh Groban, also in his first Broadway show. Benton’s character is originally a white Russian socialite, so she wasn’t the obvious choice for the role. “I didn’t get to see that very often,” Benton said of black women with natural hair acting in classic love stories. By crossing racial barriers in her work, Benton is inspiring a generation of aspiring actresses of color. There is no doubt she was the right choice for the production; The New York Times is calling the story a “heaven-sent fireball.” If you want to experience “The Great Comet,” head to the Imperial Theater, which the genius set designer Mimi Lien has transformed into a 19th century Russian nightclub.
Sunset Boulevard Very few of us can imagine the stamina it takes to perform in front of a crowd of New Yorkers seven times a week. And yet that is exactly what six time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close is doing—at age 70. Film buffs at Lincoln Center may recognize Close for her lead roles in the 1980s films “Fatal Attraction” and “Dangerous Liaisons,” where she portrays fierce, albeit manipulative, women. On Feb. 9, Close returned to Broadway to star in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard,” as Norma Desmond, the role that she won a Tony Award for 22 years ago. While it is not unusual for actors to play younger roles, Close is pushing that boundary on stage by playing a character who is two decades younger than she is. Rather than a challenge, however, Close views coming back to the same role so many years later as a privilege. “...It shows how much you’ve learned in life and in your craft,” she said of the reprisal. In a way, “Sunset Boulevard” details what the actress is experiencing right now—aging in Hollywood, and how the showbiz machine treats “women of a certain age.” Students can see Close take up her iconic role again at the Palace Theater.
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical Names like The Monkees and Aretha Franklin are instantly recognizable, but the name Carole King does not carry nearly as much weight to the average person. However, King is the songwriter behind not only some of The Monkees’ and Franklin’s biggest hits, but also more than 100 other Billboard Hot 100 tracks between the 1950s and 2000. King was musically gifted from a young age. She started playing piano at age four, and went on to join a band in high school and began writing and recording music. When she met her husband Gerry Goffin at Queens College, they dropped out of school to begin their careers. King went on to become the most successful female songwriter of the 20th century. However, it wasn’t until the 1970s that she began to sing her own songs rather than watch other artists get attention for her words. She released her first album, “Writer,” in 1970, but it was a commercial flop. The next year, though, King hit her stride, releasing “Tapestry.” This album would go on to hold the Billboard number one spot for 15 weeks. King received four Grammy Awards for “Tapestry,” including Song of the Year for “You’ve Got a Friend.” She was the first woman to win this award. Academy Award nominee Douglas King wrote a play, titled “Beautiful,” about King’s journey from behind the curtain into the spotlight. Supplemented by King’s own music, “Beautiful” is now a hit on Broadway. Students will not want to miss this female icon’s story, and can experience it at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.
An Oscars That Was Worth the Wait By MARYANNA ANTOLDI Assistant Arts & Culture Editor
Another great year for cinema has come and gone, and with it came the Oscars—a glamorous night honoring the Academy’s favorite films that excites both actors and cinephiles alike. The polls were in, and many were expecting “La La Land” to sweep the night with their whopping 14 nominations; there was the potential for it to even break the record for the most Oscars ever won by a single picture. The result, however, was anything but. With a shocking Best Picture mishap, political jokes galore and a man named Gary from Chicago, this year’s Oscars were definitely not predictable. The basis of the night was celebrating not only the actors and actresses in films but also what movies are capable of doing—from immortalizing all types of people on the screen to evoking unexplainable emotion in viewers all over the world. The evening included multiple odes to cinema, with clips of different actors and actresses explaining their love of the movies and flashbacks of previous winners of major award categories. However, the greatest glorification of the cinema came from Viola Davis’s excellently conveyed speech for her Best Supporting Actress win. “You know, there’s one place that
OSCARS/GETTY IMAGES Jordan Horowitz holds up the Best Picture ard for “Moonlight.”
all the people with the greatest potential are gathered. One place and that’s the graveyard. People ask me all the time, what kind of stories do you want to tell, Viola? And I say, exhume those bodies. Exhume those stories,” she spoke. “The stories of the people who dreamed big and never saw those dreams to fruition. People who fell in love and lost. I became an artist—and thank God I did—because we are the only profession that celebrates what it
means to live a life.” Davis made history as the first black actress to win a Tony, Oscar and Emmy for acting, but she was not the only woman who shined at the Oscars. Emma Stone also won the coveted Best Actress category for her performance in “La La Land,” while Meryl Streep received a standing ovation for her total of 20 Oscar nominations over the years. Denzel Washington, a Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC)
’77 alumnus, was also present, nominated for Best Actor for his performance in “Fences.” While he did not win the award (Casey Affleck did for “Manchester by the Sea”), it was still refreshing to see a familiar, Fordham face on the screen. But, with nine incredible films nominated for Best Picture, it was hands-down the most anticipated moment of the evening. “La La Land,” predicted to get almost every Oscar it was nominated for, had only won six of the 14 total awards. Everyone thought that it had won Best Picture too...until the real winner was announced as “Moonlight.” The mishap occurred when actor Warren Beatty received a duplicate card from the “Best Actress” category, and he and fellow presenter Faye Dunaway interpreted that “La La Land” had won. The entire cast flooded the stage, but, in the middle of the acceptance speeches, it was announced that “Moonlight” was the real winner—it was all one big mistake. Cue the gasps from the audience and viewers alike. Thankfully, the “La La Land” producers were gracious and professional about the mistake, willing to give “Moonlight” the award it so deserved. And, what is the Oscars without a host? Jimmy Kimmel was on fire. Throughout the evening, he was completely unafraid to deliver some political shots clearly aimed at President Donald Trump, and other
stars were taking part as well. Kimmel took to Twitter several times over the night, attempting to reach out to the President to elicit some type of controversial response from him about the ceremony, Mexican actor Gael García Bernal spoke against the famed border wall, and Asghar Farhadi, the Iranian winner for Best Foreign Film, did not even attend the ceremony as a sign of protest. “My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the U.S.” he wrote in a statement read at the ceremony. But, while the performance was politically charged, Kimmel was professional enough to keep the atmosphere light and humorous. From dropping candy and cake from the ceiling, making a plethora of digs at “rival” Matt Damon, and bringing a group of unsuspecting tourists into the theater to see their reactions on live television, he was definitely a good host for the evening. Overall, the Oscars were a hit from beginning to end. The Academy did a great job selecting a variety of movies for the win, creating a night full of twists, turns and literal shocks. It was an evening that was exciting and emotional—just as the movies should be.
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Arts & Culture
March 9, 2017 THE OBSERVER
www.fordhamobserver.com
Inside the Mind of Christina Baker Kline By MORGAN STEWARD Arts & Culture Co-Editor
When looking at Andrew Wyeth’s most famous painting “Christina’s World,” many questions come to mind. Who is that woman in the pale pink dress and why is she sitting— or perhaps collapsed—in the field? Where is that large grey farmhouse and why is it so isolated? These are the questions that best-selling novelist Christina Baker Kline answers in her newest work “A Piece of the World.” Kline served as Fordham’s Writer-in-Residence from 2007-2011, where she taught both undergraduate and graduate level courses in creative writing.Her latest novel explores the life of Christina Olson, the subject of the aforementioned Wyeth painting. While Kline’s book is fiction, the characters and the circumstances she writes of are not. “A Piece of the World” is a gripping novel that explores Olson’s life as a pitied, debilitated woman in early 20th century America and the effect this constant mistreatment has on Olson’s temperament. I got the chance to speak to Kline about her new novel, the draw of 20th century America and the unique challenges that writing a fiction memoir poses. Here’s what she had to say: MORGAN STEWARD (MS): After
reading “A Piece of the World,” one of the things I was really curious about was why you choose Christina Olson’s story. Out of every painting you could have researched, why did this one appeal to you? CHRISTINA BAKER KLINE (CBK):
Well as you probably noticed, my name is Christina for one thing and I grew up about an hour from where the story takes place in real life… My grandmother and my mother are also named Christina and my grandmother grew up pretty much at the same time period. So...there are a lot of resonances with me. Also I had written this novel “Orphan Train” which takes place in kind of the same time period, the early 20th century. So I had learned a lot about that time period. I wanted to stick with it and stay in that moment, so that is what I did. MS: Before doing your research for
this novel were you already interested in Andrew Wyeth’s artwork? Or did you pick the story and then start looking into his work? CBK: I had grown up seeing that
painting when I was young. It was also sort of widely popular when I was growing up. You know a lot of girls had it on their walls, it was a poster people had. It was just a well known image and I didn’t know much about Andrew Wyeth beyond that until I started going to museums and learning about him, about who he was and what the whole story was. So, I guess I would say I learned about the painting first. MS: In the back of “A Piece of the
World,” you make it very clear that this is by no means a biography of Christina Olson, but instead just a fictionalized account of her life. That being said, how much of the story was true? Or rather, how much creative freedom did you take when presenting the life of Christina in your novel? CBK: I set myself the task that as
much as possible the story would be factually accurate. It’s an internal story, first person narration, so of course I channeled her—I was not really inside of her head in real life. I made that up. But, the facts of the story are pretty true. And as much as possible I worked with them. I wasn’t making up a lot. Well, I mean I was making up a lot but there are certain people in her life that wrote about her, like her niece Jean Olson. [She wrote] kind of a biography
BROOKE PARRETT /THE OBSERVER
about her and it’s very very short. So Jean Olson might have two lines about something and then I turn that into a whole chapter… But, the reason I did it was really that there are a lot of people still alive who were in the book. The story of Christina Olson... a lot of people will only know her personal story because I wrote it. So, I wanted people to feel like they were really getting the facts of what her life was like. MS: You just mentioned that a
lot of people in the story are still alive today. So does that mean that characters like Mrs. Crowley and Gertrude were real people, or were those characters that you invented? CBK: Gertrude is an interesting one
because she is [real]. The story of their relationship is [real]. The fact that Christina stopped speaking to her, that all really happened. But, ...I changed her name, which I normally don’t do. Many of the people in the book have their real names, but I changed her name in that bit because in order to make it believable that Christina would never speak to her best friend again (even though that really happened) I had to kind of give her cause for that. And the cause was that Gertrude was actually not that nice a person. So I didn’t want to slander a real person by making her story negative when I don’t really know the facts of it. Does that make sense? MS: Yes, that makes complete sense.
That was one thing that I was wondering as I was reading the novel— how many of these people were real in Christina’s life versus who you planted there to help tell her story. So that was really interesting.
CBK: It’s a very small cast of charac-
ters as you know. Most of them are real, yeah. Christina lived on this farm and there weren’t many people around. She had these brothers, and parents, and a few townspeople. Then some people kind of came into her life, like Walton, and all of those people are real. So I didn’t really make up very much in terms of characters in the book because there just really aren’t that many characters. MS: One thing that I also noticed
reading through the novel was that the poems of Emily Dickinson played a significant part in Christina’s life as she was finding herself. Is Emily Dickinson a “character” that you planted in Christina’s life or was the real Christina Olson interested in her poetry? CBK: Yeah, that’s a great question.
Emily Dickinson was conjecture on my part. Christina was known as a big reader. She loved to read, and all of this stuff about how she was taken out of school when she was
COURTESY OF KALAMAZOO PUBLIC LIBRARY VIA FLICKR
Christina Baker Kline released her new novel on Feb. 21.
12 years old, that was true. I knew that Emily Dickinson was popular at the time, and so was Willa Cather whom I also read about, so that was conjecture that she would have been reading Emily Dickinson. But I imagine that she may well have been doing that. MS: Did you choose Emily Dickin-
son over Willa Cather just because you have a personal preference for Dickinson or out of all of the popular poets of that day? CBK: Well if you think about it, and Christina makes the analogy herself, Emily Dickinson is really similar to her. She lived in a home with her family, she never really left. She had this kind of secret inner life— she might have had her heart broken at a certain point. She was kind of left to her own devices. She was kind of sickly in the way that Christina was, so I think my identification with Emily Dickinson for Christina was pretty overt. I mean they’re so similar in some ways that it seemed natural to me that Christina might identify with Emily Dickinson. And I really like her poetry which is about solitude and rural ife and gardens and flowers and all these metaphors that come from that kind of simple existence. MS: You grew up very close to
where this story actually took place. Throughout the writing process, did you return home and travel out to any of these historical places to really get a feel for the environment Christina lived in? CBK: Oh for sure! I grew up in
Maine about an hour and a half from where the house is. I went back to the house and I got to know these tour guides who work there, two in particular, that were really helpful. I [went] there and this woman,
this tour guide, took me aside and slipped me her card and said I have all of this information if you want to talk further. And I did. I reached out to her right away and we became really good friends. This other tour guide also reached out and so we became friends. The two of them introduced me to other people, like family members, who could help me and things like that. I interviewed a lot of people and in some ways I treated it like a nonfiction book even though I think when you read it, it is clearly not a nonfiction book. You know, it’s a novel—it’s this woman’s personal story. It would be impossible to write nonfiction unless you were actually her in that way. As time went on, I felt this responsibility to try to be accurate because when you finish this novel you are left with this impression of this women and I wanted it to be kind of accurate. MS: One thing that I noticed about
Christina throughout the book was that, well she obviously did lead a very hard life with her physical ailment, but at times she is portrayed as bitter, although I am not sure if that is the appropriate adjective, and cold. Were you afraid at all that as readers are reading this they might start to dislike Christina for how bitter she becomes? CBK: Yeah, there were some things
that happened in her real life that I would never as a novelist had chosen for my character to do because it made her seem so unsympathetic. But, it was such an interesting task for me. It was such a harder job for me to create the world backwards in that way, to create motivation for her that would help you understand why she acted the way she did. If I had been writing this story myself from scratch without the real historical story, I probably would have told it
differently. To me, that’s one of the things that ultimately makes the book more interesting than I would have even imagined. It is not predictable because life isn’t predictable. Things happen to Christina or she does things that you might not have predicted because she was this individual, feisty, complicated stubborn woman. But you know, my job is to make it believable for the reader... I had to make you believe that she is capable of doing that. MS: Well I definitely think you sold
it, I believed it completely. All of these people in Christina’s world seemed to live outlandish lives as well. Her father immigrated from Sweden, her family played an important role in the Salem Witch Trials and she is even related to Nathaniel Hawthorne. As you were doing this research, was there any one character that you wish you could have spent a little more time on, but in the end you couldn’t because it’s not their story it’s Christina’s? CBK: That is the best question ever
because I wrote specifically this at the beginning [of the novel] about the Salem Witch Trials and about her father stranded on ice. We decided to cut it because it wasn’t quite her story. I wrote it at the very beginning because I was just getting into it. So that section is actually going to be published on...LitHub (an online newsletter that gets sent to your inbox)... [as] a short story. But, that story that whole crazy background about the Salem Witch Trials and her father...I could have written a whole book about her father. [His] coming over and what it was like to be this Swedish sailor who didn’t speak English. He was pretty calculating actually to look up at that house on the hill and decide that’s my ticket. He definitely had a plan.
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Arts & Culture
THE OBSERVER March 9, 2017
12
Songs Written By Women, For Women In honor of Women’s History Month, here is a list of 12 songs to listen to when the patriarchy has you down.
ALL PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY TERRY ZENG
By LINDSEY JORGENSEN Staff Writer
In honor of Women’s History Month, here is a list of 12 songs to listen to when the patriarchy has you down:
1 “Girl on Fire” Alicia Keys Honored with the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Music Video, “Girl on Fire” conveys a powerful message to girls and women everywhere: no matter what we think of ourselves or how hard life becomes, we must amaze the world with our lack of limitations. Alicia Keys recently performed this song at the Women’s March on Washington. Building an image that focuses on redefining society’s view on beauty, Keys has been going makeup-free for almost a year.
2 “Born This Way” Lady Gaga Inspiring the Born This Way Foundation—meant to empower youth and inspire bravery—Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” tells her fans to not apologize for who they are; they need to love and accept the qualities that make them unique.
3 “Run the World” Beyoncé Self-explanatory in the name, “Run the World” has been nominated five times for multiple awards. Other than declaring that girls do in fact run the world, one lyric in Beyoncé’s song has changed the way society views pregnant women in the workplace: pregnancy does not prevent women from getting their work done.
4 “Confident” Demi Lovato Demi Lovato’s “Confident” encourages women to take control of their lives, and to not let anyone— especially men—hold them back or make them feel insecure. An active philanthropist, Lovato is vocal on issues like eating disorders, depression, self-harm and bullying. “Confident” is even more inspiring after learning about Lovato’s personal struggles with overcoming depression and bulimia.
5 “Me Too” Meghan Trainor One of the more lighthearted songs on this list, Meghan Trainor’s “Me Too” shows women that from the second they wake up, they should be thankful for the life they
have been given and to love the skin they’re in. Partnered with FullBeauty Brands, Trainor creates clothing for women of different body types, practicing what she’s preaching to her audience.
6“Stronger” Kelly Clarkson Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” sends women the message that they can have moments of weakness and are allowed to feel pain, but to reassure them that this pain will not last forever—they will come out the other side stronger than ever before. An active philanthropist, Clarkson does a lot of charity work for children in Africa.
7 “Fight Song” Rachel Platten Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song” sends a powerful message to the women listening. No matter what you are fighting—getting through a family loss, a fight with a friend, or simply getting through the semester—this song is guaranteed to give you some strength when you feel like you have none left.
8 “Firework” Katy Perry Whenever you’re feeling “like
a plastic bag, drifting through the wind, wanting to start again,” this is the song to listen to. An LGBT rights activist, Katy Perry’s “Firework” sends the message that no matter how hopeless a situation may seem, you can overcome anything.
9 “Beautiful” Christina Aguilera A bit of a throwback, Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” was definitely on everyone’s playlist in 2002 when they were feeling down. Starting off the song with the singular “I am beautiful” and then ending the song with the plural “we are beautiful,” Aguilera unified us all regardless of our different appearances and experiences, creating one big beautiful community.
10 “A Woman’s Worth” Alicia Keys Alicia Keys had to be on this list twice due to the endless empowering messages behind her songs. Launching her career, “A Woman’s Worth” reminds women that they should not allow men push them around or treat them poorly. Women should know who they deserve and will eventually find men – on
their own terms – that they know will treat them right.
11 “I’m Coming Out” Diana Ross Sung by the Queen of Motown, “I’m Coming Out” has most recently been regarded as an anthem for the LGBT community. Whether this was Ross’ true intention behind the song, it is not limited to inspiring only women to not hold anything back and to show pride in their true selves.
12 “Respect” Aretha Franklin The “Queen of Soul” and an inspiration for most current black American singers, Aretha Franklin won a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “Respect.” In this song, Franklin declares she has everything a man could possibly want in a woman, and is asking for his respect. If Aretha Franklin—a recipient of multiple honorary degrees and an awardee for the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005—can’t get any respect from a man, no one can. Happy Women’s History Month, Fordham College at Lincoln Center!
Apply to be an Observer editor! Applications due March 24. Email fordhamobserver@ gmail.com for more information.
Features
Features Editor Ruby Buddemeyer - rbuddemeyer@fordham.edu
March 9, 2017 THE OBSERVER
Theatre Department Tackles ‘Redlining’ in Forum
By CARSON THORNTON GONZALEZ Asst. Features Co-Editor
Systemic racism takes many forms—in our everyday language, images in the media and in opportunities (or the lack thereof) given to communities of color. While the United States government has made efforts to diminish acts of explicit racism, the culture that grew from segregation and Jim Crow laws has inevitably been built into our society. A prime example of systemic racism exists in housing laws passed in the 1930s and ’40s, turning outright racism into structural racism. One of these forms of structural racism became known as “redlining,” or evaluating the market value and safety of certain neighborhoods based on their racial makeups. Through this process, the government denied the same services to communities of color, explicitly devaluing areas based on race. With the suburbanization of the United States and the increasing popularity of mortgaging houses, cities began to assign levels of risk to neighborhoods, redlining areas that had large concentrations of people of color. On March 3, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC)’s theatre department held a forum on these issues titled “Redlining: Past, Present … Future?” The forum was held in conjunction with Fordham’s play “Luck of the Irish,” which focuses on the lives of two families: one IrishAmerican and one African-American, both dealing with the issues of the housing market in early 1960. Carla Jackson, Theatre Program Administrator at FCLC, led the forum on redlining, acknowledging that the play dealt with issues of structural racism that still exist today. “What we want people to walk
“ Redlining [is] more
than just a denial of services. It is a denial of prosperity, of education, of life itself.”
CARLA JACKSON, FCLC Theatre
Program Administrator
KATARINA MARSCHHAUSEN/THE OBSERVER
On March 3, FCLC’s theatre department held a forum on redlining.
away with when they leave the forum on Friday,” Jackson explained, “is a better understanding as to how this racist behavior has damaged, and continues to damage, generations
of families. Because if you can’t get a loan for a home or a car, you can’t get a good paying job, and live in a thriving neighborhood.” She continued, “This forces your kids to live in
a school and food desert. And that healthcare specialist that you should be seeing on a regular basis, is located hours away.” The panelists, Fordham alumnus
Gregory Jost and professor at Fordham School of Law Robin Lenhardt, examined the different ways that redlining has affected communities and the way that certain laws perpetuate structural racism. This issue hits close to home for Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC), as the campus itself is the result of the 1949 Housing Act, which allowed developers like Robert Moses to clear what the government deemed “slums.” Once areas had been redlined the government was given permission to enact slum clearances, like the one that allowed FLC to be built. Where the Lincoln Center campus now sits became a part of the Lincoln Square “urban renewal project” in 1959, allowing the government to tear down the housing that was already in existence. Acts like these displaced hundreds of families, forcing them to move to areas of lower property value. Jackson and the panelists explained how laws that target specific groups of people become dangerous. “This shameful practice,” she noted, “which started unofficially in the 1940s, became policy, and remained the status quo for many years, until the laws were repealed.” Jackson continued, “But repealing a bad law does not suddenly make for new and open hearts.” The repercussions of redlining highlight the racial wealth gap created from a history of racism in the United States. Both “The Luck of the Irish” and the forum on redlining hoped to exemplify how wealth affects the outcome of one’s life. Racial inequality persists as long as certain groups are denied equal opportunity. Jackson concluded, “Redlining [is] more than just a denial of services. It is a denial of prosperity, of education, of life itself.”
Students Question Fordham’s Role in Education Affordability By OLIVIA BALSAMO Contributing Writer
In his first proposal of the 2017 State of the State, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the groundbreaking Excelsior Scholarship—an initiative which would effectively grant free college tuition at all SUNY and CUNY two-and four-year colleges to New Yorkers making up to $125,000 per year. This first-in-the-nation program has now revitalized fervorous debates over the cost and right to education in the United States across college campuses—including Fordham University. It is a common fear of students and parents alike: are the innumerable college debts one accumulates in the face of a struggling workforce ultimately worth the cost of higher education? This initiative, Governor Cuomo hopes, will alleviate that fear, and affirm college education as “not a luxury - but an absolute necessity for any chance at economic mobility.” While the proposal acts as a remarkable step forward towards education equality, it now leaves university administrators with their own concerns: for example, how might a college incentivize families to invest in a university education, without offering anything beyond the “benefits” (i.e. a college degree) which are already on the table? This is the debate which has arrived at Fordham—and it is a labyrinthine and implacable debate, at that. Though Fordham University will not be affected by Governor Cuomo’s initiative, it has no less caused unrest among some of the student body. Questions have risen over the university’s touting of Jesuit values— those of inclusivity, universality and
JESSE CARLUCCI/THE OBSERVER
At Fordham University, the debate over the affordability of higher education resurfaces.
compassion—while flippantly forcing students into oftentimes crushing debts. In particular, a number of minority students feel that the university attracts low-income students with its history of accepting both immigrants and those from financially struggling households, only to then attach a near $70,000 per year price tag (which includes tuition and room and board, among other expenses) to dreams of an education and upward economic
mobility. Because Fordham is a private institution, its tuition is subject to change. Emily Sitner, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’17, explained, “To compensate, Fordham does offer a lot of financial aid, without which many students definitely would not be able to afford to attend.” She added, “That being said, I do think Fordham could do more with the money it receives both from the tuition of students and from donors.”
At Rose Hill, it is a starker picture: students there, particularly those who are minorities, or are involved in ROTC or athletics, have a perspective that mirrors the surrounding area of the Bronx. On the Rose Hill campus, phrases such as “diversity outreach” and “economic accessibility” add to the sting of the university’s hefty tuition cost, and fuel a resentment predominantly felt by low-income or minority students: that the school only desires a low-income or minority stu-
dent for the appearance of “diversity,” while never taking the appropriate measures to help those students feel financially secure. Others, however, feel differently. Tommy Tsang, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’18, is an aspiring teacher and current site director for Fordham’s “Let’s Get Ready” program, which offers free SAT coaching and college search services to underprivileged students. Tsang believes that his experiences as a student at Fordham and a first-generation college student have been profound. “I am extremely grateful for all the counseling that Fordham’s administrators and staff have provided me in helping make my college experience both accessible and rewarding,” Tsang explained. “Often, I feel that underprivileged students need a support system of mentors or role models they can turn to for advice and questions. I wish all first-generation, underprivileged students could experience this same equal access to education and support at their own universities.” Having programs like “Let’s Get Ready” at Fordham undoubtedly aids in the university’s hope to combat educational inequalities at their own school, as well as throughout New York. While students have had wonderful experiences with Fordham administrators in their quest for higher education, the university still shows a lack of understanding towards underprivileged students. If Fordham wants to better cultivate an environment which benefits all students, despite their economic standing, it might serve administrators well to return to the Jesuit values of inclusivity and compassion which bring so many of us here in the first place.
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Features
March 9, 2017 THE OBSERVER
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FCLC Students’ Adventure in Scientology Testing “If this was what the church was telling us, I couldn’t help but wonder what they were telling their members.”
By MONICA RATNARAJ Contributing Writer
In the middle of Times Square, just one subway stop away from the Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) campus, sits the Church of Scientology in New York. Scientology as an institution is famously controversial, boasting scandals about their “cultish” brainwashing and exploitation of their members, corrupt money practices and harassing of individuals who leave the church or speak out against it. Intrigued, I thought it would be worthwhile to see it myself, and I brought along my friend Claire Holmes, FCLC ’19, for moral support. I had done my research and knew that the church offered daily “personality tests,” no appointment required. Stepping into the building, my immediate reaction was that I was in a nice hotel lobby from the future. The décor was part art deco, part space-age science fiction movie—beautiful, polished, and completely welcoming. The Church of Scientology is known for its vast hordes of money coming from wealthy church-members’ donations (the most notable of which include actors Tom Cruise and John Travolta), and this fact was present in the building’s location and size. My second reaction was that the Church of Scientology was very, well, scientological. There were copies of the infamous book “Dianetics,” the self-help book that started the church, lining the walls of the place, all of them available for purchase. Looking around the lobby, I noticed the quotes on the walls from the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard and copies of different books and DVDs promoting the science of Dianetics. Portraits
CAMERON PARKINS/FLICKR
Two FCLC students explored the controversial Church of Scientology.
of him on the walls confirmed what I knew of how the church famously viewed their founder—a prophet, leader and deity. Unfortunately, John Travolta was not in attendance. We were immediately greeted by a friendly woman at the front desk, while another man in a nice suit got us started on our paperwork for the personality test. I had written down a fake name, address and number on the questionnaire because I didn’t want my mailbox to be overloaded with Scientology pamphlets, (Claire forgot to do this step and I suspect she’s about to be getting a lot of emails). We were handed the test, and I instantly felt like I was about to take the SATs again, as the long booklet of questions was accompanied by a scantron sheet with 200 tiny bubbles to fill out. Most of
the questions were general personality questions you would expect from a “personality test” like ones found on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)—“Are you comfortable in a crowd?” “Do you find it easy to express your opinion?” However, a lot of the questions were less ordinary. Some of them, like “Would you take on a new path in life easily?,” seemed to my suspicious mind like indicators on how susceptible someone might be to join the church. Others were existentially confounding in an unsettling way, like “Does life sometimes seem unreal?” or, even more unsettling, “Do you sometimes feel that no one really loves you?” I’ve read a bit about the church, and, like many people, enjoyed the 2015 HBO Documentary on the subject “Going Clear,” which details
the church’s strategies in essentially preying on vulnerable people in order to exploit their financial resources. After taking the test, we were lead upstairs to another lobbylike floor to wait for our results, and a video ran explaining Dianetics. The video showed a woman dealing with the loss of her husband. It depicted how Dianetics and the Church of Scientology were able to make her feel happy again, and I was again suspicious of the church’s infamous tactics of targeting the most vulnerable individuals. As we waited for our results we were taken into a small viewing room where we were shown an absurdly high quality short film on the virtues of the church. After Claire left to get her results (you are taken into a private room), I was left to make awkward conversation with the church employees. The man running our tests through the computer was exceedingly friendly, making casual small talk as I waited for my results. I didn’t know if I was projecting my own preconceived notions of the church onto the individuals administering the test, but there was a quality about their excessive friendliness that didn’t sit quite right with me. Claire, after we had gotten our test results, described them as
“creepily intense,” which I couldn’t disagree with. Before Claire went into the test, I let her know that they may tell her negative things about herself in order to convince her that she needed Scientology, and that was exactly what I was expecting as I sat down to get my results. A woman handed me a chart which apparently described my personality and interpreted the results for me. My results were: I am cold, withdrawn, overly critical and unstable. The only cure for my glaring personality defects? Scientology, of course. I actually was let off a little easier than Claire; going over my results didn’t last too long and I generally found the whole process slightly amusing. In the reading of Claire’s results, they told her a lot of things that were just categorically untrue. They told her that she had low selfesteem, no ambition and that she is not warm and cannot see the best in people. According to Claire, “When we were going over my results, my person kept trying to tell me [that] I didn’t have worth or there were things wrong with me, and every time I objected, or hesitated, she almost tried to gaslight me, in a sense. So that was creepy and just very disturbing and unsettling.” I had also noticed that when I was receiving my results, the reader attempted to reinforce the idea that I had these faults, even if I disagreed. I went into the church thinking it would be an exciting experience and left feeling unsettled. If this was what the church was telling us, I couldn’t help but wonder what they were telling their members. What faults they convinced people they had, and what answers they promised the church could give. I wondered what they told Travolta.
Summer Session 2017 Take hard-to-find core classes like • Portuguese for Spanish Learners (LALS 1003) • Islam and Italy (MLAL 3210) • Transnational Asian Cinema (COLI 3585) • Rise of the American Suburb (HIST 4031)
Or choose from more than 200 available courses!
Session I: May 30–June 29 Session II: July 5–August 8
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Sports & Health
Sports & Health Editor Shobair Hussaini - mhussaini2@fordham.edu March 9, 2017 THE OBSERVER
NFL Kicker Reflects on Fordham Football Career
By ALEXANDER DIMISA Asst. Sports Editor
As the National Football League (NFL)’s season came to a close a little less than a month ago, most Fordham students moved on to watching basketball, hockey or waiting for the baseball season to begin. However, for one Fordham alumni the NFL season never stops; The season’s close was was his chance to get back onto an NFL field. Patrick Murray, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’12, is currently a free agent kicker in the National Football League. Murray grew up not far from here in Mahwah, New Jersey and attended high school at Don Bosco Preparatory. While at Fordham, Murray was the punter, placekicker and kickoff specialist during his four years. Murray appeared in 44 games, was named a First Team All-America placekicker by the Associated Press during his senior season and set a new Fordham and Patriot League record with 25 field goals. This success on the field as a kicker led Murray to sign a future contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL. Murray recalled receiving that phone call and stated that “getting that call just left me speechless, I felt pure elation.” While appearing in all 16 games for the Bucs during the 2014 season, Murray went 20-24 on field attempts including five for six from beyond 50 yards. After being waived by the Bucs in May of 2016, Murray signed a contract with the Cleveland Browns only a month later. Unfortunately he would he would come down with an injury early in the 2016 season, released by the Browns in December 2016. The NFL is known for having players who enjoy flash and lavish lifestyles. Murray, on the other hand, simply enjoys the opportunity to play the sport that he loves. When asked what his favorite perk of being an NFL player is, Murray simply responded that free cleats are all he needs. This outlook on the NFL lifestyle stems from the fact that Murray tries to stay grounded when it would
Patrick Murray, GSBRH ’12, continues to use the values he learned at Fordham in his NFL career.
COURTESY OF PATRICK MURRAY VIA TWITTER
be so easy to lose himself. This originates from one of the most important ideals that he took with him from Fordham. This ideal is: AMDG, or ad majoreum de glorium, for the greater glory of God. The football team wore these initials on their helmets every game Murray tries to embody this idea, and take it with him wherever he goes. God and his family are two of the most important factors for getting through the daily grind of training, practicing and being a professional athlete. For all of the trials and tribulations that Murray has had to deal with, he did not have to do it alone. His family has been his may source of support since the first day, and has
been a constant reminder for why he works all of the grueling hours, and puts himself through the difficult workouts, and training sessions. In addition, God has been his guide. Growing up in an Irish Catholic household, Murray has consistently been reminded of the power of God, and said that “If God was not with me every step of the way, I would have never made it this far.” Murray feels that God helps motivate him to do better, and set the world on fire. Amongst all of this Murray said that his biggest motivation, and his driving force is: “Playing for a reason other than myself.” In his freshman year of college, one of his close
friends passed away after a car crash, and ever since then he has worn his initials, VC, on his wrist to remember him. This also is what being an athlete means to Murray; using his platform responsibly for good, and honoring and rejoicing the memories of all of those before him is what he strives to do most. Murray prides himself in rejoicing those around him. When asked about his All-American season, he immediately praised his long snapper, Joe Sullivan, and his holder Brian Wentzel. According to Murray, “they are as much All-Americans as I am, and I couldn’t have done anything without them.” In addition, he feels that his coach while at Fordham, Joe
Moorhead, not only helped him grow as a player, but also as a better person. Murray said that Coach Moorhead is a true Ram through and through was an absolute wealth of knowledge. Moreover, when talking about playing for the Cleveland Browns, Murray did not care about their poor record or the negative media attention which is driven towards the team, Murray focused on the history of the team. He talked about playing where one of the all time greats, Jim Brown, played and being able to play after Phil Dawson, who is one the best kickers of this generation. This sense of amazement and glory that Murray feels is especially impressive when you take into account how difficult and tedious it is to stay in shape and prepared for NFL life. Part of staying in shape involves keeping his leg healthy. Since Murray is a kicker, in an average day he can attempt up to 40 kicks in practice, and on days closer to games, he can try up to 60. Not only is Murray extremely talented and living the dream that many have, he is able to do so with the utmost respect for his opportunity and truly exemplifies the many values that are taught at Fordham. His appreciation for Coach Moorhead’s is a prime example of this attitude. He stated, “Words can’t describe how much everything that [Coach Moorhead] did for me meant, and helped me through this journey.” He also extended a note of appreciation to his former roommate at Fordham, Greg Wilson, who is currently in the Canadian Football League, but was with the Broncos when they played the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, and is an extremely hard worker. Murray is currently in discussions with various teams to get back on an NFL roster. Murray has been able to do seamlessly what many struggle with when transitioning to a life in professional sports, and that is staying humble and remembering his core values. Murray may have graduated from Fordham in 2012, but regardless of what team he lands up with, he will always be a Ram.
Former NBA Player Discusses His Controversial Career “ When people looked at me as the black guy
ABDUL -RAUF FROM PAGE 1
and 1988. His ability to utilize his deficiencies to grow and excel on the court is one of his more remarkable achievements. For Abdul-Rauf, being diagnosed with Tourette’s was a blessing in disguise. Being compelled to repeat activities, especially on the court, made him a perfectionist. Abdul-Rauf viewed basketball as his only potential career option. It was only until later in his professional career when he realized, “I had a better chance of becoming a doctor or engineer as opposed to a basketball player.” It was this success on the court which jump-started Abdul-Rauf ’s collegiate career at Louisiana State University (LSU). During his two years of college basketball at LSU, he was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year, and was awarded First Team All-American honors for two years in a row. This success on the court continued with Abdul-Rauf being selected third overall in the 1990 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets. With time, Abdul-Rauf was further exposed to the beliefs of Islam and converted to the faith in 1991. Soon thereafter, he changed his name from Christopher Jackson to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. The concept of faith was an important one for him even later on in his career.
not standing for the flag, they asked me where did this come from. It comes from the experience they’ve had. It doesn’t happen overnight.” –
COURTESY OF MSA/FACEBOOK
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf spoke at an event hosted by MSA.
He stated, “The first book I ever finished was the Qur’an. The first time I left to go outside of the country was for hajj.” His nine-year NBA career was spent with the Denver Nuggets, Sacramento Kings and Vancouver Grizzlies. He received a plethora of accolades during his time with the Nuggets, including being named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team during his first season. During the 1993-94 and 1995-96 seasons, he led the NBA in free-throw percentage. Additionally, he was named the
Most Improved Player in 1993. His success in the NBA gained momentum until he made the decision to not stand up during the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” His subsequent suspension from play resulted in a compromise, whereby Abdul-Rauf would stand and pray during the National Anthem. During this time, faith provided him with the inner spiritual support which he previously lacked. As he stated, Islam offered AbdulRauf with an explanation to the
MAHMOUD ABDUL-RAUF, Former NBA player
questions he couldn’t find answers to anywhere else. Abdul-Rauf explained, “It was the process which led me there. When people looked at me as the black guy not standing for the flag, they asked where did this come from. It comes from the experience they’ve had. It doesn’t happen overnight.” The recurring theme of faith throughout his lecture shed light on another important, yet less emphasized concept today: Abdul-Rauf ’s legacy. His decision to not stand up for the National Anthem, in a time when no social media or few outlets for free thought existed, ultimately led to the downfall of his NBA career. His controversial decision, however, did set the path for athletes speaking out on social and racial justice issues. Prior to Abdul-Rauf ’s stand, few other athletes came forward to reject the status quo and
fight for issue such as race, gender, equality and religion. Abdul-Rauf ’s stance without a doubt jeopardized his NBA career. Nonetheless, his decision to not stand for the National Anthem two decades ago today is regarded as a first. Athletes such as Colin Kaepernick, Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony, among others, have since used their respective platforms to promote dialogue about issues of importance such as Black Lives Matter and equality for all faiths. For Abdul-Rauf, his career is also a coming of age story. As a kid from Gulfport, Miss, many doubted his ability to succeed later on in life. They would say, “You’re too small. You’re not going to make it. Nobody made it out of my town. There’s a tendency to believe, but not want to believe it. That feeling of not being believed in is what keeps driving and fueling you.”
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THE OBSERVER March 9, 2017
Sports & Health
16
Fordham Baseball Hopes to Make a Comeback By ANDREW DONCHAK Contributing Writer
Fordham baseball is off and underway, and the Rams, under head coach Kevin Leighton, are hoping to attend what would be their 4th straight appearance in the Atlantic 10 championship tournament. To get there, they have to qualify among the top seven teams in the 13-team conference.While the baseball season is a long one, the Rams have gotten off to a rough start, losing six out of their first seven games. The struggles the team has faced thus far have been two-fold. The pitching has given up an average of 7.0 runs per game, while the offense has mustered an average of just 3.3 runs themselves during that timespan.Coach Leighton downplayed the team’s early record, stating “the team just has to keep competing. We’re going to get back on track.” As far as the positives to come out of the first handful of games has been the emergence of Luke Stampfl, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’17. As a shortstop, traditionally one of the lightest-hitting positions, Stampfl has been nothing but dominant, already posting three 4-hit contests. That includes a 5-for-5 game on Feb. 25 at Long Beach State University, where he hit for the cycle: collecting a home run, triple and double to go along with his two singles. He’s currently been reaching the base at an amazing rate as well, batting an unimaginable .516 with a .806 slugging percentage, both being the best marks on the squad. Two sophomores on the team have also started off performing well. Catcher Justin Bardwell, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’19, has hit .375 thus far while notching four doubles. Likewise, first baseman Brian Goulard, FCRH ’19, has slugged
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After a rough start, Fordham baseball is hoping to turn things around in the upcoming stretch of the season.
his way to a .357 average and 16 total bases. Meanwhile senior and starting centerfielder Jason Lundy has showed himself to be a patient batter, getting on base at an even .400 average. On the other side of the ball, opening day starter Mike Cowell GSBRH ’19, a sophomore who lost all of his freshman campaign due to injury has showed positive imporvement thus far. He’s led the team with 10 strikeouts in 12⅔ and two very strong starts, but he’s had issues with control, walking eight. If Cowell can turn that around, his electric stuff
can carry this rotation far. One of the nicest surprises thus far for the pitching staff has been sophomore Anthony DiMeglio, who made his first start for Fordham last week against Houston Baptist after pitching only in relief last season, throwing five innings of one-run ball before the Huskies got to the Fordham bullpen.Opponents are hitting just a measly .130 off him, making his 1.42 era look like the result of strong pitching, not just a fluke. Pitcher, Reiss Knehr, FCRH ’19, struck out more than 11 batters per
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nine innings on his way to a 1.15 era in the Hamptons League this past summer. He has the only registered win thus far in the Rams’ young season, beating Houston Baptist with almost four scoreless innings. Look for the strong right hander who can hit the upper 90s to impress in his second season at Fordham. Graduate student and team captain Jimmy Murphy has also had his share of troubles in his first two starts, but his leadership, experience and track record he’ll be more than capable of turning things around before sea-
son’s end. Coach Leighton understands the disappointment in the team’s performance thus far, but insists fans keep their reactions in check. “We have a very talented group, [however we have] been hurt by a couple injuries. But overall, I like what we have.” As far as getting back to the Atlantic 10 tournament, and hopefully getting a stronger finish, Leighton said “We have to stay consistent, it’s not easy. There’s 13 good teams [in the A-10]. Just have to find a way to win [games] each weekend.”