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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
Page 16