Observer issue #4

Observer the

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MARCH 10, 2016 VOLUME XXXVI, ISSUE 4

Faculty Senate Discusses Diversity Task Force

By STEPHAN KOZUB Asst. News Co-Editor

Following the four bias incidents that occurred on and off campus at Fordham last semester, diversity and inclusion are a focus for the Fordham10 community, including the Faculty Senate.

On Feb. 26, at the second official meeting of the Faculty Senate this semester, Peter Vaughan, Ph.D., the Chairperson of the President’s Task Force on Diversity and Campus Climate and former dean of the Graduate School of Social Service, presented information to the Faculty Senate regarding the Task Force and initiatives to address these issues at the University.

During his presentation, he discussed community meetings that will take place the week of March 7.

The purpose of these meetings will be to generate discussion and input on diversity and inclusion. They will take place at the Rose Hill campus on March 8 and 9 and at the Lincoln Center campus on March 7 and 10, according to an email sent by the Office of the President on Feb. 29.

“What we hope to do in a very short period of time is to meet with constituent groups,” Vaughan said.

“We’ll have four community meetings that are being planned by the three undergraduate students who are a part of the Task Force.”

Graduate students will also have their own community meeting during the same week that will be “directly focused on the needs and concerns of graduate students,” according to Vaughan.

Senators raised concerns regarding the Professional and Continuing Studies (PCS) Department and the University’s service employees not being included.

Regarding PCS students, Vaughn said, “One of [the] things we’re having is two meetings in the evening and we’re hoping to attract PCS students to those meetings.”

“We will not be meeting up at the Westchester campus, but we hope to have a hookup so that we can receive questions from those people and their comments,” he explained.

“As it relates to service personnel at Fordham, the Task Force inisee DIVERSITY pg. 4

SPORTS

In Case You Missed It Men’s basketball recap

PAGE 16 ARTS & CULTURE

Night Late Laughs Wednesday is comedy night at UCB

PAGE 12 OPINIONS

Onscreen Representation Onscreen diversity doesn’t create change

PAGE 7

ELIZABETH LANDRY /THE OBSERVER

Keith Eldredge, dean of students at Fordham Lincoln Center, has been working at Fordham for longer than some students have been alive.

Eldredge: 20 Years at Fordham

By CONNOR MANNION News Editor

Keith Eldredge, dean of students at Fordham Lincoln Center, has been a noticeable part of the campus for many students from the class of 2019 to the graduating class of 2016.

However, his work at Fordham goes back longer than most students have been alive, as is shown through his award of the Archbishop John Hughes Medal on March 3, at Fordham Convocation, which honors faculty and administrators that have worked at the University for a long period of time.

Other faculty being honored for their long tenure include Lincoln Center professors Albert Auster, Clara Rodriguez, Doron Ben-Atar, Elisabeth Frost and Abby Goldstein.

Medals are awarded for working at Fordham 20, 40 or 60 years, and Eldredge is receiving his medal for 20 years as an administrator.

Though he was not always the dean

of students at Fordham Lincoln Center, he has a long history with both Fordham and the philosophy of Jesuit education.

Eldredge attended both Regis University in Colorado and Fairfield

made me realize I could make a difference through a different career path.”

This philosophy has also influenced his personal life. “I like the fact that the Jesuit philosophy has

“ We need more people like him. He’s an

amazing role model for the staff as well as the students, and I think he really takes the students’ well-being to heart.”

–

SANDY VARGAS, executive secretary for OSLCD

University in Connecticut, both Jesuit institutions. “My undergraduate education was transformative. Although I graduated as a math major, I got involved in Campus Ministry and student affairs, all the Jesuit tenets that we talk about at Fordham

education as a large part of it, that we can talk about complex issues.

It really stuck with me as a practicing Catholic, and in raising my daughters Catholic as well,” he said.

Eldredge is often quick to mention that he hopes his two daughters will

go on to attend Fordham.

To those who work in the Office of Student Leadership and Community Development (OSLCD), he has made a major difference. Will Meckley, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’16 and OSLCD event manager, said, “I’m so impressed that he has maintained a level of grace and integrity with which he has handled every single case, inquiry, or matter regarding students or that’s brought up to him.”

“It’s amazing he’s been able to maintain that consistency for 20 years and still have a smile on his face every time he walks in the office and greets everyone,” Meckley continued.

According to Dorothy Wenzel, director of OSLCD, “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Dean Eldredge since the summer of 2006.

He is very caring, diligent and thoughtful in his work with stusee ELDREDGE pg. 5X

Public Safety Hires Female Duty Supervisor

By EMILY JONES Contributing Writer

A previous point of contention for students in reporting incidents to the duty supervisors of Public Safety at Fordham Lincoln Center was that the department’s senior staff was entirely male. Recently, Security Supervisor Kathleen Meehan became Fordham Lincoln Center’s first female security supervisor and the Office of Public Safety hired Patricia Scaglione, a former Sergeant in the NYPD, as an investigator who splits her time between both Rose Hill and

Lincoln Center. According to John Carroll, associate vice president of Public Safety, both Meehan and Scaglione will investigate serious incidents including sexual assaults and harassment at both the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

THE OBSERVER: Can you give us your NYPD background?

KATHLEEN MEEHAN: I was there

for 21 years and I worked in many different boroughs. I started off as a patrol officer in Manhattan, I was

promoted to sergeant while I was working in Upper Manhattan. I worked in Internal Affairs, which is where you are really doing work investigation reports of misconduct or corruption among police officers. I was promoted to lieutenant and worked in the detective borough where I supervised basically 250 uniformed cops in the precinct, because I worked under the captain who was the commanding officer. So I had a lot of daily responsibilities as Lt. Meehan.

O: Were you assigned to a specific

THE STUDENT VOICE OF FORDHAM LINCOLN CENTER

department?

KM: When I was a detective, I

worked for the chief of Bronx detectives, so I would compile statistics on his crimes and cases, which could be shootings, homicides - big cases for all of the Bronx.

O: What brought you to Fordham?

KM: I did spend time at Teachers

College in Columbia before I came here. As to why I came to Fordham, I was drawn by its great reputation and I went to Catholic schools as a see Q&A pg. 2

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March 10, 2016 THE OBSERVER

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Meehan First LC Female Supervisor Q&A FROM PAGE 1

child, so there was that as well. I also knew that Fordham had a reputation for having a great public safety department.

O: What has the transition been like,

going from the NYPD to college security?

KM: In the beginning it was a real

adjustment, because in the police department everything happened at such a fast pace, you had to be ready to go at a minute’s notice. Universities are at a slower pace, but, granted, we have our days, too, don’t get me wrong.

O: What has it been like being a fe-

male working in a male-dominated field?

KM: I get along with everyone. My

husband is also a police officer, so I got used to it over the years. I think when I was younger, when you’re just starting out, but as time goes on as you’re working with people and getting to know people, it just becomes a day to day experience.

O: Can you explain investigation re-

sponsibilities?

KM: Depending on the situation, I

would look into further contact with a person who made a complaint, then interview any witnesses involved O: Given your role, what are your

specific duties here?

KM: Our daily responsibilities in-

clude supervising the security officers. We assign them to their posts on campus and then we visit them throughout our tours [of the campus], and we patrol the campus ourselves and deal with daily operations and things that could come up.

O: What types of specific reports do

you deal with?

KM: I’m trained to handle Title IX

investigations. I’m trained to handle any type of investigation, even a burglary or missing property, specifically, though, if something does come in related to sexual assaults or Title IX, the director would assign me to handle that.

O: Biggest issues facing college cam-

YIPING HOLLY WANG /THE OBSERVER

Kathleen Meehan, who has 21 years of experience in the NYPD, is Fordham Lincoln Center’s first female security supervisor.

“ In the beginning, it

was a real adjustment ... you had to be ready to go at a minute’s notice. University’s are at a slower pace, but, granted, we have our days. ” KATHLEEN MEEHAN, on transitioning from the NYPD to Fordham

puses in terms of safety?

KM: Obviously a huge issue is sexual

assault, which is a big focus. I think it’s about keeping people aware and

ous situations. So it’s about that and being available 24/7.

O: Why has so much discourse been

focused on sexual assault in recent years?

KM: Perhaps in the past people were

not trained properly in how to handle these investigations, maybe people were not interviewed correctly. I also think that people did not realize the seriousness of what was involved and it’s come to light in recent years.

O: At Fordham, sexual assault has

been a big point of contention. How do you think Fordham has dealt with these issues, and do you have any ideas on how it could improve?

KM: I think that we’re improving

educated, how to handle situations, not place themselves in any danger-

everyday, we take training to assist us to be better investigators. By the director hiring more and more

people with experience, that has also brought a lot [of improvement].

I think a big focus for me would be to let the students know who we are, maybe during orientation. And again, educating the students to know what resources are available.

O: What are your approaches in deal-

ing with sexual assault cases?

KM: It’s important to remember

what the victim or survivor has been through, give them time because it isn’t something that is quick. It can be difficult to talk about what happened so you have to listen. All of the supervisors here are trained to deal with this, but it depends on the person because some people prefer talking to females. It’s what the individual is comfortable with.

O: Fordham has had a lack of female

security advisers. How does it feel that you’ve been given such a prominent role?

KM: First off, I’m very happy to be

here. I don’t think it’s a lack of trying on Fordham’s part, but when a lot of female police officers retire, they are still young and they may have young children at home. A lot of them prefer to stay home and raise their families because they’ve already had their career. Also, I know quite a few girls who when they retire, they don’t want anything to do with law enforcement anymore, so some people I knew went on to become teachers, some nurses, I had another friend who became a social worker. All of these fields were related to law enforcement, but they wanted to branch out instead.

For a full interview, visit fordhamobserver.com.

About the Bi-Annual Prescribe Fordham Event

By CHRISSY PUSZ Staff Writer

On March 9, three organizations dedicated to reproductive rights, Fordham Law Students for Reproductive Justice (FLSRJ) John Jay College’s Women’s Center for Gender Justice, and the Reproductive Health Access Project, teamed up to host Prescribe Fordham, a popup birth control clinic and sexual health fair located at John Jay. Spearheaded five years ago by FLSRJ, Prescribe Fordham was created to offer Fordham students an opportunity to meet sexual health providers and gain access to affordable contraception. Up until last year, Prescribe Fordham was an annual event, but it now runs once a semester.

“We’re happy to offer two checkin points per year to give students greater access,” current FLSRJ President Hailey Flynn noted. “Cost can be such a huge barrier to obtaining effective contraception, so it’s awesome that two schools can come together to provide these affordable services.”

Because the nature of Prescribe Fordham conflicts with Fordham’s Jesuit identity, FLSRJ is not able to

SOFIA ALVAREZ /THE OBSERVER

Although FLSRJ is allowed to advertise in the law school building, they cannot advertise to undergraduates.

host the event on campus and instead collaborates with John Jay to secure a venue, according to Flynn.

Flynn also said that FLSRJ is not able to advertise Prescribe Fordham to undergraduates but is able to ad-

vertise to law students.

At the event, students can choose to sign in, but also have the option

to enter confidentially. Flynn pointed out there will be music and light refreshments.“We want it to be lowkey, but also fun,” Flynn said.

Different areas of the room will host different services, according to Flynn.

“Last year we had a representative from Babeland do demonstrations of their products as well,” Flynn noted. “It was such a fun, sexpositive environment.”

The main attraction of the event is the opportunity to speak to sexual health providers from around the city. Doctors will be available to consult students about contraception, write prescriptions and schedule follow-up appointments if a student so desires. “The doctors have practices all around the city, a lot of which are in the Bronx and Harlem, so Rose Hill students can gain easy access as well,” Flynn said.

At the event, students will also be able to discuss options based on their insurance plans with doctors in their individual networks.

“I would encourage anyone who is even just curious about these services to come [one year], because having information is so important,” Flynn stated. The event is held biannually at John Jay College.

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THE OBSERVER March 10, 2016

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Health Services, Study Abroad Office Discuss Zika Virus Threat to Fordham Community YUNJIA LI /THE OBSERVER

Joseph Rienti, Ph.D., oversees Fordham’s study abroad programs as director of study abroad

By STEPHAN KOZUB Asst. News Co-Editor

The Zika virus may not yet be a problem in the United States, but for those studying and traveling abroad, it is a factor that must now be seriously considered.

Currently, Fordham University has study abroad programs in seven countries with active Zika transmission: Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador. Global Outreach (GO!) also has programs in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Ecuador and Brazil, countries with the risk of Zika transmission.

Recently, the GO! Brazil program was cancelled due to concerns regarding the Zika virus.

Jennifer Huang, nurse practitioner at the Lincoln Center campus, said, “Personally, I don’t think Fordham should cancel any GO! trips or Study Abroad because of the recent Zika outbreak,” prior to the cancellation of GO! Brazil.

“It is our responsibility to warn our students of the possible complications associated with Zika, and if they are exhibiting any signs and symptoms to speak to their healthcare provider to make the appropriate diagnosis,” she continued.

She advised that “pregnant women or those who plan to become pregnant should postpone their trip because of the associated congenital microcephaly.”

The CDC defines microcephaly as “a birth defect where a baby’s head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age. Babies with microcephaly often have smaller brains that might not have developed properly.”

In order to inform the Fordham community about the risks of traveling abroad in these countries, University Health Services sent an email on Jan. 27 describing the symptoms and risks that the virus presents. According to the email, symptoms are “usually mild and include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis (red eyes).” It continued that “there is currently no vaccine or other preventative medication for Zika virus.”

The email also said that “women

who are pregnant or trying to become pregnant are advised to postpone travel to areas with Zika virus transmission.” Additionally, “travelers should take precautions to prevent mosquito bites.” Individuals were directed to consult the CDC page on Zika virus.

Huang brought attention to the mild symptoms that accompany Zika infection.

“It’s very mild, and the symptoms depend largely upon the individual,” she said. “Some people might not even have the fever, the rash or the joint pain. For some people, the initial presentation may just be pink eye.

We don’t want them to be like, ‘Oh no, I’ve been infected,’ because the only way to really find out is if you go and get tested.”

“Asymptomatic Zika infection is common,” she continued. “Symptoms can develop in 20–25 percent of individuals who become infected with Zika virus, and once a person is infected their bodies develop antibodies and will likely be protected from future infections.”

For those planning to study abroad, Huang advised that “they should really look into the CDC website, because that’s updated pretty much daily about the prevalence of the Zika [virus].”

She continued that students visiting these countries should mainly take precautions “to prevent yourself from getting bitten.” Some measures she suggested were wearing long pants and long sleeve shirts, using insect repellent, staying in air-conditioned environments and possibly sleeping under a mosquito net.

The University has not altered any study abroad programs due to the Zika outbreak according to Director of Study Abroad Joseph Rienti, Ph.D. “Our understanding of what we’ve been told by the CDC and Health Services here and by Public Safety is that Zika is mainly affecting fetuses,” Rienti said. “That we care about, but our population tends to not have as many people in that situation.”

He continued that he is “not necessarily” concerned about sending someone who is not pregnant to a country with Zika “because what the CDC is telling us is that it’s not life

YUNJIA LI /THE OBSERVER

For Rienti, keeping students studying abroad informed is essential to keep them safe.

threatening.”

According to Rienti, keeping students studying abroad informed is essential to keep them safe. These students are informed of risks such as Zika through a mandatory predeparture meeting, where they are emailed a handbook and are given further instructions.

“Every student is told to check in with their particular country,” Rienti said. “The State Department has lists of every country around the world that we have diplomatic relations with, and has a lot of information on particulars for those countries.”

Among these particulars is health information.

“We make sure students have that information,” Rienti continued. He added that students can get travel vaccinations from University Health Services.

Other student resources that Rienti suggested are their physicians,

the CDC and World Health Organization websites and the Safe Traveler Enrollment Program, which is available to any U.S. citizen.

“What that does is once you’ve registered, the State Department will provide you with the updates for that particular country,” he said. “And so that gives you information in writing, right there from on the ground where they have people stationed to get you the information if suddenly something like Ebola or Zika got out of control in a particular place.”

Rienti said that Fordham also monitors the safety of different regions throughout the world with the Overseas Security Advisory Council, of which Fordham is a member, as well as the University’s contracted private risk management firm, Drum Cussac. Through these organizations, Fordham receives daily updates on incidents from around the country and the world.

“Those go to numerous people: everyone in the Study Abroad Office staff gets those updates, people in the Provost Office get those, and then that information is all shared as it needs to be,” Rienti said. “And decisions are made based on that.”

He also recommended that all members of the Fordham community traveling abroad should register with the Fordham University Travel Registry System.

“It’s from that registry that the university is able to contact the people whom might be affected by various incidents, whether they be medical or political unrest,” Rienti said.

“There’s a number of different things that can happen.”

For Rienti, the precautions taken and information distributed in response to the Zika outbreak are essential in “safeguarding [the students], the faculty, administrators and anyone who’s traveling.”

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March 10, 2016 THE OBSERVER

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“The Revolution Will Be Televised” at Fordham

BY ELIZABETH LANDRY Staff Writer

“Fists in the air. Fists in the air. / You give the most rarest of life America’s bare life / One drop of my blood makes you illegitimate / However countless generations of you / and I can be barely called a citizen.”

On Feb. 29, students, faculty and community members gathered in the 12th floor of Lowenstein for The Revolution Will Be Televised, an event created to discuss the evolution of contemporary resistance and protest.

Fordham theater major Wayne Mackins (FCLC ’19) began the event with a poem he had written only a week before, inspired by the controversy online between #BlackLivesMatter and #AllLivesMatter. “I do believe that all lives matter, but right now we need to broadcast and identify the fact that black lives matter,” he said. “We need to understand where we’re going and how we should get there.”

Participating in the panel were Nakisha M. Lewis, Allen Kwabena Frimpong and Fordham alumna Jodi Hines. Lewis is a senior strategist at the Ms. Foundation, a “nonprofit foundation building women’s collective power for social, economic and reproductive justice.” Frimpong is an organizer at BlackLivesMatter NYC who has worked in activism and community service for over a decade.

Hines is a Brooklyn second-grade teacher who is the former president of Lincoln Center’s Black Student Alliance (BSA). The moderator was Associate Chair of African and African American Studies Aimee Meredith Cox. Cox began by explaining, “I really want us to be able to move from a place that’s theoretical and esoteric to thinking about concrete strategies, what it means to talk about what’s happening in our local context.”

She reminded everyone of the event held last year for the 50th anniversary of Malcolm X’s assassination, and referred to the popular question of whether the mass mobilization of black communities is simply a blip in history. She responded saying, “As my late grandfather would say, ‘If we weren’t protesting, we wouldn’t be alive.’”

Hines spoke about her work experience. “All of my second-grade boys are black and Latino,” she said. “How do I explain to a seven-year-old child that it’s not gonna be easy? They’ll

ELIZABETH LANDRY /THE OBSERVER

During the panel presentation, attendees broke up into small groups in order to discuss how to make changes in their communities.

come in asking ‘why am I getting treated differently from that person because I look different?’ For me, [protest and revolution] is educating young black boys.”

Lewis explained that though the terms are used in similar situations, there are key differences between protest, resistance and revolution.

“Protest is a tactic,” she said. “Resistance is a way of being; a way in which we can show up as a people.

When speaking to women of color, I often speak about love as being an act of resistance. Loving each other and loving ourselves… saying we get to hold space and take up space.” She continued, “If protest and resistance get us to change, then revolution is the transformation over time of a social condition.”

Hines gave the audience background information on where this movement, born as a social media hashtag, originated. After Michael Brown was killed, she said, “Our people became real-time journalists on the ground, reporting on social

media.” She recounted the Black Life Matters movement, during which hundreds of supporters traveled to Ferguson to help those in the community rocked by violence and division.

Hines then spoke about her days as President of the BSA. She told the audience her job was very draining.

“Sometimes you never felt like you were doing enough, because they want you to solve every problem,” Hines said. She lamented how she had to “finagle” her events to get funding, while she was trying to create change and a safe space for black students who only made up four percent of the student population.

“Imagine someone’s life, waking up every day and walking into an institution where you’re constantly thinking about how to play chess, when many of your counterparts don’t have to figure out how to strategize their day. When I think about the constant stress that that takes, that’s not a joke, ” Frimpong said.

He added, “You’re always trying

to bring the future into the now, as a black person in America.”

Lewis told the story of the first Movement for Black Lives this past summer in Cleveland. “Wherever two or three black people are gathered, magic is happening,” she said.

“Around that time Sandra Bland was killed. There was loss happening, yet we were able to hold both… We get that we are in a marathon run… and there’s got to be people handing out water along the way.”

The second hour of the night was devoted to audience discussions in groups. Cox asked some questions: “What are the most important spaces that you occupy, where you would like to see change happen?

How would you like to see ways that people can live more full lives, live in the community and be protected by themselves and each other?”

After about twenty minutes of discussion, the groups shared ideas on how to make changes in their spaces, from founding new organizations dedicated to social change to educat-

ing those around them.

Hines closed out the night, saying, “We plan, but did you do? I think that’s how we should be looking at everything.”

Cox encouraged the audience to attend the Fordham Diversity Task Force meetings run by Peter Vaughan, dean emeritus of Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service and chair of the President’s Task Force on Diversity and Campus Climate, taking place at FCLC on March 7 at 5 p.m. in Pope Auditorium and March 10 at 12:30 p.m. in the 12th floor lounge.

“I definitely think that this event was able to accomplish its goal,” Frimpong said. “Everyone can begin to build relationships differently and hopefully leave with a new understanding.”

“This was the perfect number of people because it’s the precursor to the town hall. That will really allow people to speak about their truth … and concrete strategies for change,” Cox added.

Faculty Senate Discusses Diversity Task Forces Task Force received from Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of tially desired to meet with them,” Fordham University.

“The Task Force had its initial Vaughan continued. “Because of contract negotiations that are going meeting with Father McShane, who on now, [however], we may or may gave us a charge, and the charge not be able to meet with some groups consisted of three things: study the climate of of those people.” the UniverThe four commusity, review nity meetings orgaWe’ll have four and report nized by the undergraduate Task Force community meetings on the various promembers, however, that are being planned grams that were originally exare already clusive to underby three undergrad in place graduate students.

“It started out students who are apart and develop recommen[that] we were goof the task force. dations to ing to have a town the presihall meeting for PETER VAUGHAN, chair of the dent and students, and as President’s Task Force on Diver- the cabinet the Task Force desity and Campus Climate that will veloped and as we address the discussed more and obstacles to more, we decided Ford ha m,” that it would be Va u g h a n much more beneficial to have a community meeting said. “Really looking at its Jesuit where everyone could come—stu- mission as an inclusive university.”

He further explained that redents as well as staff and faculty, because we want to hear from those viewing the programs already in place would provide “an inventory people,” Vaughan said.

Vaughan explained that the that will help us all know where to meetings were part of the charge the go if we have specific or even general

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questions about issues affecting the University.”

Vaughan also highlighted the timeliness of the Task Force’s initiatives given that similar issues have arisen at other universities across the country.

Another part of the president’s charge to the Task Force was discussion about a diversity consultant from the University of Pittsburgh. “[McShane] spoke about a meeting that he and his cabinet had with a consultant on diversity from the University of Pittsburgh, who really deals with issues of race and racism,” Vaughan said. “As part of the project, we’re looking at issues of race, racism and its influence on life here at Fordham.”

The Faculty Senate also discussed the minutes from the Senate’s Jan. 22 meeting, which focused on governance issues in the Gabelli School of Business. As part of this discussion, the Senate made a motion to encourage further dialogue amongst its members on issues of academic shared governance. Father McShane also met with the Faculty Senate during the meeting in executive session for approximately 30 minutes.

The Senate met for approximately two hours in executive session.

ANDRONIKA ZIMMERMAN /THE OBSERVER

Peter Vaughan speaks at one of the community meetings on March 7.

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CMS Restructures to Shift Major’s Focus Chairs of communication and media studies (CMS) layout the foundations of the new majors

By REESE RAVNER Asst. News Co-Editor

Pending state approval, Fordham’s Communication and Media Studies department (CMS) is preparing to launch four new majors in the fall of 2016. The new prospective majors—communication and culture, film and television, digital technology, and emerging media and journalism—will replace the sole communication and media studies major currently in place at both Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) and Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH). These proposed majors will also be offered as minors, accompanied by a sports journalism minor.

Jacqueline Reich, chair and graduate director for the department of Communication and Media Studies, said that she hopes that approval, if granted, will be obtained before next fall. She expects that the implementation process for the prospective new majors will be gradual.

“Next year is a transition year,” she said. “We are making accommodations for all of the students to best advise them. In fact, we’re having mandatory advising sessions with the faculty to acquaint them to the [proposed] new curriculum.”

There are concerns regarding the deficiency of specialized FCLC professors for the journalism major. Of the department’s faculty members at FCLC, two out of 11 are listed as having taught at least one journalism course, according to the Fordham website.

The department will utilize its existing faculty “strategically, so that those who are professionals in the field and specialize in more practical applications will be teaching those kinds of courses and those who are not will be teaching more of the history, the theory.”

Upperclassmen interested will be grandfathered in to any of the four new majors. CMS has created a list of former classes that are comparable to the new classes in order for students to substitute their credits.

Reich explained that all of the courses have been given new numbers and new designators (COMC for communication and culture, FITV for film and television). The department is working with administration to provide students with a comprehensive equivalency guideline if the proposal goes through.

“We take advising very seriously, so we’re working diligently to make it as easy as possible for students during this time,” Reich said.

To prepare for the potential expansion, the CMS department sur-

JESSE CARLUCCI /THE OBSERVER

Jacqueline Reich, chair and graduate director for the department of Communications and Media Studies.

“ Our goal is to produce professional commu-

nicators who understand the power & responsibility of working in the media because the media really weave the web of meaning in which we live.”

–

GWYNETH JACKAWAY, associate chair of the department of

veyed 79 communication programs at several institutions of varying ranks-all 28 Jesuit institutions, peer institutions such as Boston University, regional schools such as New York University and aspirational universities such as Stanford-evaluating their structures and requirements to determine the best options for Fordham, according to Reich.

“We looked at their structures… at whether they were schools of communication [or] departments with separate majors and what requirements each of them had,” Reich said.

communications and media studies

The department then analyzed its findings and adapted them to fit the needs and wishes of Fordham students.

“We’ve developed this new program… with the students’ best interests at heart and… with student input,” Reich continued. “We sent out a survey to students a year and a half ago when we first started this, to [find out] what they wanted to see.”

“I think our main [hope for] the program [is] that students have a balance of theory and practice and that students receive a very strong

ethical foundation in the communications curriculum [that is not] just limited to one requirement but that [will] be infused throughout.”

Gwyneth Jackaway, the associate chair of the department, spoke highly of the strong ethical throughline the department plans to implement across all of the proposed majors.

“We have the potential to be one of the stronger programs on the east coast,” Jackaway said. “But in order to really stand out, you have to figure out what you’re going to really excel at. Since the Jesuits have such a long standing tradition of focusing on justice and ethics, it’s a logical connection.”

“Our goal is to produce professional communicators who understand the power and responsibility of working in the media because the media really weave the web of meaning in which we live,” she said.

“That’s what the main theme will be, and that’s what will link all of the proposed majors, and that’s part of why they’ll start with the common intro course, to lay the foundations

and then everyone will go off into their majors.”

With only two labs for communications students at FCLC and no concrete plan to expand, there are concerns that students will not have adequate tools to practice their skills. Reich assured that there are discussions taking place on how to best provide these resources.

Due to limited space on campus, the department is currently looking into creating partnerships with companies in the area that are willing to offer their facilities to students, according to Reich.

Jackaway noted, “There are ways in which we can expand our offerings in more practical, applied aspects of communication that don’t necessarily have to cost a lot of money.” For example, the practical emphasis for prospective film and television major will be placed on screenwriting.

“Hopefully, in the future, we’ll have even more facilities,” she added.

Part of the requirements for the prospective majors will be fulfilled through extra-departmental courses. Students will be able to take up to two classes outside of CMS. Jackaway said that several outside departments have begun to contribute courses, such as ‘Mass Media and American Politics’ from Political Science and ‘Integrated Marketing Communication’ from Marketing.

“Because mediated communication has become such a central part of the human experience, lots of disciplines have started to get interested,” Jackaway said. “Doing something like this helps connect the more traditional disciplines of the liberal arts to contemporary issues.”

Regardless of the proposal’s outcome, the department does not plan to create new chairs for each major and will maintain the structure of one chair and two associate chairs, one at each campus.

Joseph Desciak, assistant dean for freshmen at FCLC, said, “One of the administrative realities to the changes of the communications department is that we have to recode all the courses, change DegreeWorks, change our bulletin [and] reorient people as to what the courses are.”

While the new course designators will be implemented, the COMM designator will continue to be used for courses that apply to all of the degrees, such as introductory courses and internship seminars.

Additionally, according to Jackaway, the School of Professional and Continuing Studies will continue to offer the original communication and media studies degree.

Eldredge Honored for Years of Fordham Service ELDREDGE FROM PAGE 1

dents.” Though he has been in his current role as dean of students since 2006, Eldredge has held other positions at Fordham as well, having even spent a lot of time at Rose Hill.

“I started at Fordham as assistant director of housing operations at Rose Hill for about five years. I first came to Lincoln Center in 2002 as director of Residential Life,” Eldredge said, though according to him this only lasted nine months before he returned to Residential Life at Rose Hill.

“I came back to Lincoln Center as dean of students in 2006. I’ve actually hit the tipping point this summer of being more of a Lincoln Center person than a Rose Hill person timewise, which I’m pretty happy about,” he continued.

As for his long tenure at Fordham, he often does not notice how long he

has been here. “It really doesn’t feel like I’ve been here for 20 years, so I always find it weird when I say to students at introductory programs ‘so I’ve been at Fordham longer than some of you have been alive.’ In some ways I feel like I’m the same, and it’s gone really fast,” he said.

Eldredge has also been an influence on students who have gone on to work in higher education, like Christina Frankovic, FCLC ’07 and the current assistant director for programing in OSLCD. “I know that I see him personally as a role model working in higher ed and going from being a student here when I did my undergrad to now a professional in the department,” she said.

“He does lead in a serious way but also brings in humor and humility and is always approachable even though he holds the high title of dean,” Frankovic continued.

According to Sandy Vargas, executive secretary for OSLCD, “I’ve

known Dean Eldredge for almost eight years, and I’ve had a lot of bosses, but he is truly exceptional.”

“We need more people like him.

He’s an amazing role model for the staff as well as the students, and I think he really takes the students well-being to heart. I hope he’s here another 20 years, because he makes it look easy and I know it isn’t,” Vargas continued. Eldredge seems to have the same idea in staying, mainly due to the students.

“Part of what has made me stay at Fordham is the students, and the challenge that the students bring. We have a talented group of students that challenge me and sometimes make my life more difficult, but that is sort of the fun being here.”

“The students have a passion for social justice and a goal to be men and women who will go out and change the world. They have to practice all of that here. To be a part of that is what brings me to work everyday,” he said.

JESSE CARLUCCI /THE OBSERVER

The OSLCD staff commemorating the award for Dean Eldredge.

Other LC faculty being honored for their tenure include professors Albert Auster, Clara Rodriguez, Doron Ben-

Atar, Elisabeth Frost and Abby Goldstein. Additional reporting by Adriana Gallina and Reese Ravner.

Opinions

Tyler Burdick — Opinions Co-Editor tburdick1@fordham.edu Areeg Abdelhamid — Opinions Co-Editor aabdelhamid1@fordham.edu

STAFF EDITORIAL

M

Similarly, the administration does not recognize the production of “The Vagina Monologues,” a play that addresses topics like women’s empowerment and sexual assault, even though it has been running underground at Fordham at

“Students should continually advocate for open conversations regarding issues of women’s health...”

Lincoln Center for 10 years.

The argument often made by administration is that the play condones statutory rape because of the monologue entitled “The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could.”

Contraception, sexual health and sexual assault are all relevant in the lives of women and warrant ac-

Observer the

STANDING IN SOLIDARITY WITH OUR SISTERS arch is Women’s History Month. Each of us can point to a woman in our lives who has inspired or influenced us in some way. We should strive as students and as an institution to support the women in our lives. That includes making sure that the women of Fordham have recourse for the issues that affect their health and well-being.

On March 9, Fordham Law Students for Reproductive Justice (FLSRJ) partnered with John Jay College’s Women’s Center for Gender Justice and the Reproductive Health Access Project to host Prescribe Fordham at John Jay. This event aims to offer easy access to contraceptives and sexual health resources, including consultations with local health professionals.

The Fordham Law School does allow this event to be advertised on its campus while the undergraduate college does not. Fordham refuses to hold it on our campus.

March 10, 2016 THE OBSERVER

tive discussion in a university setting. Both of these banned events attempt to bring these issues into the University’s discourse. The administration’s current unwillingness to fully support these events makes it harder for students to engage with these topics.

Their reluctance to make them visible is not conducive to a comprehensive discussion of the issues that affect students and members of the community.

Fordham needs to ensure that they are consistent in providing the space for these events to exist, even if they do not agree with all of the discussions.

Students should continually advocate for open conversations regarding issues of women’s health and livelihood as well as for the University to support these initiatives, especially during Women’s History Month.

This month is a time to reflect on the female narratives that affect our community, and that determine where the discussion needs to lead.

Editor-in-Chief Adriana Gallina Managing Editor Ben Moore News Editors Connor Mannion Asst. News Co-Editor Stephan Kozub Reese Ravner Cecile Neidig Opinions Co-Editors Tyler Burdick Areeg Abdelhamid Asst. Opinions Editor John McCullough Arts & Culture Co-Editors Rachel Jarvis Ana Fota Asst. Arts & Culture Co-Editors Elena Ciotta Morgan Steward Features Co-Editors Alanna Kilkeary Hansini Weedagama Alysha Kundamal Literary Co-Editors Jessica Vitovitch Erika Ortiz Asst. Literary Co-Editors Kay D’Angelo Connor Mannion Sports Editor Matthew McCarthy Asst. Sports Editor Mohdshobair Hussaini Copy Editors Brianna Goodman Kaitlyn Lyngaas Tyler Burdick Erika Ortiz Layout Editor Elodie Huston Asst. Layout Co-Editors Sabrina Jen Katie Maurer Multimedia Producer Jesse Carlucci Photo Co-Editors Jessica Hanley Jess Luszczyk Hana Keiningham

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Opinions

7

Why On Screen “Diversity” is a Misguided Attempt at Social Justice

By JALEN GLENN Staff Writer

One of the central tensions of Spike Lee’s 1989 film “Do The Right Thing” is the lack of black individuals on the Wall of Fame in Sal’s Pizzeria. Instead, said wall is largely filled with white individuals, much to the dismay of Buggin’ Out, who is the primary character fueling this tension. Since Sal serves a predominantly black neighborhood, Buggin’ Out believes that the wall should more accurately reflect the racial makeup of 1980s Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, and therefore demands that Sal “puts some brothers on the wall.”

In order to not spoil the film for those who have not yet seen it, I will not discuss how this narrative tension is resolved. Let us assume, however, that Sal accepts Buggin’ Out’s request, and decides to put black individuals on the wall.

In doing so, did Sal help solve the economic plight of the citizens of 1980s Bed-Stuy? Did he help erect an impediment to the tide of gentrification that was to come 20 years later? More significantly, would “putting brothers on the wall” prevent the police from killing Radio Raheem? Although the film suggests this latter argument, this is inaccurate. Yes, if Sal had just some black individuals on the wall, the chaos that ensues in the film’s final third would not have occurred.

However, this does not necessarily mean that Radio Raheem could not have been killed by police officers in the future. This therefore raises

CAROLINE JOHN VIA FLICKR

Racial diversity on the big screen has little to do with combatting racial injustices in our society.

the question as to why Buggin’ Out fought so vehemently to see black individuals on the wall.

What is quite striking about this plot point is how it reflects our current cultural climate. For example, in a review of the film “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” New York Times critic Manohla Dargis writes that director J.J. Abrams’ “most farreaching accomplishment here is casting [Oscar] Isaac, [John] Boye-

ga and [Daisy] Ridley—a Latino, a black man and a white woman.” The weight that Dargis assigns to the film’s so-called “diversity” matches the same weight that Buggin’ Out assigns to seeing “brothers on the wall.” In both instances, these two individuals see representation as a social justice victory. Yet, what further binds these two positions is the pervasive question as to what is achieved as a consequence.

Put another way, did casting Boyega help stop the tide of police killings plaguing this country? Did Ridley’s presence on screen assist in equalizing pay for men and women?

I would argue no to these and other related inquiries. Such analysis thus reveals an important point: cultural politics is one of, if not the most, limited forms of politics.

Some may argue that positive and varied representations of racial

identities can inspire younger individuals who also identify with the same race. This premise could hold weight if we first accept its implicit racism, and second, ignore the fact that, as scholar Adolph Reed writes, “the production and consumption of mass culture is thoroughly embedded in capitalist material and ideological imperatives.”

Consider the ease by which diversity is achieved. In regards to “Do The Right Thing,” the losses Sal would experience as a result of putting black individuals on the wall are inconsequential. In fact, such losses may be non-existent, as the film suggests that Sal could increase his profits should he put “brothers on the wall.” “The Force Awakens” shares this characteristic as well. In fact, one could argue that “diversity” assisted the film in producing enormous box-office returns. These two examples therefore highlight one crucial fact: cultural politics fits comfortably within the capitalist system, and does not solely contradict nor challenge this same system.

This is not to downplay the significance of the lack of blacks, Latinos, Asians and women in Hollywood and/or on television. These groups still do not hold the same footing as their white male counterparts in the media landscape.

However, the issue here is priority.

If getting racial representation on screen takes precedence over creating a broad-based coalition that can work to revise the policies that continually reproduce inequality, then we have already lost the battle and accepted defeat.

Session I: May 31–June 30 Session II: July 5–August 4

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• Finish your language requirement • Work on pre-med pre-reqs • Take the Humanitarian Studies sequence Or choose from 200 available courses!

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Faces of Fordham

March 10, 2015 THE OBSERVER

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MEET NECKHOLAS: FORDHAM’S NEWEST BEAUTY VLOGGER This guru was born with a pair of fake lashes and liquid lipstick.

By CHRISSY PUSZ Staff Writer

From the moment Nick Lawton first discovered YouTube makeup tutorials in 2008, Lawton (Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’16) was destined to become a beauty vlogger. But Lawton was determined to do it on Lawton’s own schedule. “It was just a matter of time, equipment and comfortability,” Lawton said “I would only want to do it if I could make the highest quality content possible.” Nick Lawton, who doesn’t have a gender pronoun preference at the moment, accepts masculine, feminine and gender-neutral pronouns.

And on Jan. 5, 2016, Nick debuted the fruits of these years of deliberation and months of pointed work: a high-quality, professionally-shot video titled “Winter Glam Makeup Tutorial” under the name Neckholas, a nickname given to Nick by friends due to a long, supermodel-esque neck.

Throughout the 15-minute video, Lawton smiles and jokes to the camera while applying makeup, well-versed in the structure of YouTube tutorials and loving every minute of it. The video was an instant success, filling the Facebook timelines

and Instagram newsfeeds of family, friends and Fordham acquaintances, and even earning recognition from a very special someone.

“Gigi liked my video!” Lawton proudly exclaimed, referring to Gigi Gorgeous, a wildly popular beauty vlogger who boasts over two million subscribers and who just happens to be one of Lawton’s favorite YouTubers. Lawton and Gigi share more than just passions for cameras and makeup; with matching blue eyes, blonde hair and willowy physiques, the pair could be twins.

“I think my personality is also similar to hers,” Lawton reflected, referencing their shared devilmay-care attitude and dedication to living life to its most glamorous. Lawton’s charisma shows in stats: in just under two months Lawton has earned hundreds of subscribers and thousands of views.

And Nick has no plans of slowing down. Since the first video’s debut in early January, Lawton has posted a new tutorial weekly, each earning hundreds of views. But Nick hasn’t let popularity overshadow goals. “All I care about is having subscribers that are excited for my videos and want to be with me on my journey,” Lawton noted, hinting that if viewers are on board, a full-time career in vlogging might be possible.

But who is the person behind the camera? And why makeup and beauty vlogging?

“I was born wearing a pair of false lashes and liquid lipstick,” Lawton cooed, noting that this nonbinary-femme expression is nothing new. As a young child, Lawton loved to play with mom’s makeup and has used makeup artistry as a creative outlet ever since. “It was always a spiritual thing to me,” Lawton confirmed. “Makeup calms me down better than anything.”

Furthermore, for Lawton, makeup has served as a means of liberation. “Makeup allows for my passionate side to really reveal itself,” Lawton stated, noting that periods of not wearing makeup was “stifling” and Lawton felt “so much less alive.”

AVERY BART/THE OBSERVER

“Pronouns are just words, if you think about it. They’re important words for many people, though, specifically trans individuals. They can help to validate a person’s experience and can be important for a person’s future. But for me, it’s the perceptions that go along with them that are. At this moment in time, you can use masculine pronouns for me as long as you are truly seeing me for who I am. But it becomes a problem when you are assigning masculine traits to me with no basis. It works the same way for feminity ... I’m not completely feminine. I’m a combination. I’m me.”

- Nick Lawton. (All photos styled by Alanna Martine Kilkeary.)

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THE OBSERVER March 10, 2015

Faces of Fordham

9

But it was through YouTube that Lawton realized that makeup didn’t need to be just a hobby; it could also be a way of life. Nick recalled watching a beauty tutorial (a how-to for Taylor Swift’s hairstyle in “Love Story”) in middle school and remembered a heart racing feeling of self-recognition. “It legitimately changed the entire trajectory of my life,” Lawton continued, “because it introduced me to this whole other world that was so beautiful and extremely important to aid in my self-discovery.” That evening, Lawton created a bedtime ritual: to watch the latest beauty tutorials from Nick’s favorite YouTubers to keep abreast of new techniques, products, and trends.

Now all grown up, Lawton is ready to show off Lawton’s knowledge and take the beauty world by storm. The magic happens in Nick’s childhood bedroom in Boston, with a designated filming area, complete with microphones, cameras and soft box lights. But Lawton doesn’t do it alone.

“Most of my promo photos are taken by my mom,” Nick laughed, illustrating scenarios of posing and art directing on and off the camera to catch that perfectly chiseled contour. The photos for “Winter Glam,” however, were taken by fellow Ram Spencer Kenealey, FCLC ’16. The process of producing content is long and arduous, Lawton noted that it is tough to spend two to two-and-a-half hours on filming alone, but it is a labor of love. Anything to display Nick’s fierce, bubbly, authentic self to the world.

As for the long-term, Lawton is determined to continue building the Neckholas brand as a YouTuber and model while also working hard in the beauty industry. Currently an intern at KORRES skincare, Lawton plans to pursue marketing and PR after earning a BA in Communications this May. For now it’s only a matter of time before Nick Lawton follows in the footsteps of YouTube giants like Michelle Phan, Jaclyn Hill and Zoe Sugg.

Keep up with Neckholas every week for a dose of beauty, humor and major individuality.

AVERY BART/THE OBSERVER

Nick loves to mix androgynous styles with killer makeup.

Catch Up with Nick: Neckholas AVERY BART/THE OBSERVER

Nick feels like a natural in front of the camera.

10

Opinions

March 10. 2016 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

The Importance of the 2016 Presidential Election As the field narrows to the final few, the stakes rise higher than ever before

By TYLER BURDICK Opinions Co-Editor

As I sat watching the Republican debate on March 3, enduring the consistent bickering back and forth that often had little to do with the actual issues plaguing America today, the true importance of this year’s election seemed awfully clear.

Donald Trump has consistently done well in the Republican primaries, coming in first place in Massachusetts, Alabama, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Michigan, just to name a few. In total, Trump has won 384 delegates while Ted Cruz, in second place, has won 300.

But, understandably, the Republican Party does not truly want to nominate Trump; this much is clear, and no one can actually blame them for feeling this way. After all, Trump has a laughable understanding of what constitutes “foreign policy,” and his proposed plans for dealing with ISIS, Syrian refugee influxes and Mexican illegal immigration would inevitably harm American relations with Mexico, Russia and our allies in the Middle East.

There is also the simple fact that Donald Trump is not truly a Republican, but rather a radical populist. He is a candidate that strikes at the nerves of common Americans, which is why he consistently mentions things like the perceived threats of terrorism from Islamic nations and the possibility of illegal immigrants stealing potential jobs away from hard-working Americans. These are things that disgruntled citizens are talking about constantly at the dinner table, and it doesn’t help matters much that the Obama administration has frequently been criticized for being an administration of inaction.

When American, British and even Japanese journalists and aid workers were being decapitated by ISIS, there were many calls on the part of American citizens to the Obama administration for action. With this context in mind, it makes perfect sense that Trump’s repeated argument of “we need to just go wipe them out” is so appealing.

But still, despite Trump’s rampant popularity, it is doubtful he will receive the Republican nomination. His disastrous policies aside, Trump made it clear back in August of 2015 that he was not someone who had the Republican Party’s best interests at heart when he refused to

SALWAN GEORGES-DETROIT FREEPRESS VIA TNS

The race for the Republican nomination has ultimately boiled down to Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich.

The immense amount of support for both Sanders and Trump is indicative of one thing; the American people are thirsty for change. take the oath that would have held him to supporting whomever the eventual Republican nominee would be, as running an independent campaign would almost certainly siphon votes away from that individual and make victory easier for the Democratic candidate. This means that the Republican Party is in a very tough spot right now; either they nominate an individual who is completely unqualified, someone reviled by virtually every other major player in the party he is using and who will cut off ties to major American allies, or they go against the popular vote and nominate someone like Marco Rubio or Ted Cruz. The last time this happened was the 2000 election.

But there’s a very important lesson to take away here, and it’s one that the Republican Party isn’t really hearing. If we look over to the Democratic Party, we see a situation that exists in somewhat of a mirror: the popularity of Bernie Sanders.

While many people had written Sanders off as a nobody when he first entered the race, he has since proven himself a viable competitor for Hillary Clinton, actually winning the Colorado, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire caucuses and virtually tying in Iowa. His relationship to Trump? The fact that he isn’t truly a Democrat either.

Bernie Sanders has made it public knowledge that he identifies

as a “democratic socialist,” and is only using the Democratic Party to get himself into the presidency and enact the changes that he believes the U.S. desperately needs. When you see statistics that show more delegates and superdelegates have pledged their support to Hillary Clinton—even though they are free to change their mind until July—it is because it is very difficult to lend support to a man who is essentially manipulating the two-party system, whatever his motivations may be.

Bernie Sanders is, for all intents and purposes, a radical. His incredibly expensive tax plan, which would supposedly raise $15.3 trillion in only 10 years, and his talks of instituting free education using models like Switzerland and Sweden, known socialist countries, have supported this fact.

However, the immense amount of support for both Sanders and Trump is indicative of one thing: the American people are thirsty

for change. Not the false promises of change that Obama had offered when he first ran for president, but actual change. And this push for change is indicative of a growing fear of both external threats and internal deficiencies, the kinds of fears that Trump is exploiting, and Sanders claims he can fix.

What is clear is that simply being the “establishment candidate” isn’t going to cut it anymore. Ted Cruz, for instance, talks a lot about repealing Obamacare, but Obamacare was meant to be a band-aid placed over a system that was itself broken. Going forward, the Republican candidates running for president need to be able to hit the same nerves that Trump does, and reassure the people that their fears are being heard, or else the Republican Party may very well be forced to nominate a man whose idea of foreign policy boils down to building a wall with a cost forced upon the nation he’s trying to keep out.

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Arts & Culture

Rachel Jarvis–Arts & Culture Co-Editor rjarvis2@fordham.edu Ana Fota–Arts & Culture Co-Editor afota@fordham.edu March 10, 2016 THE OBSERVER

Curtain Up on Broadway’s Spring Season

By ANA FOTA & ELENA CIOTTA Arts&Culture Co-Editor & Asst.

Arts&Culture Editor As spring blossoms, the curtain rises on Broadway’s preview and premiere season. While enjoying the warmer weather, make your way to some of the most anticipated new shows in town. With award-winning casts, complex sets and a healthy dose of old-school magic, these shows are guaranteed to have you dancing along and humming the soundtracks.

“Waitress”: Based on the movie of the same name, this new musical featuring a score by five time Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles, is set to be one for the books.

It features an all-female creative team, made up of Bareilles, Tony awardwinning director Diane Paulus and book-writer Jessie Nelson. “Waitress” tells the story of pregnant waitress Jenna, whose overbearing husband makes happiness impossible. She soon finds solace in baking unique pies and in a newly-blossomed romance. Don’t wait(ress) and see this one before it becomes the hottest ticket in town. “Waitress” begins previews March 25 and opens April 24 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

“Shuffle Along”: Also known as “The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and all That Followed,” this highly anticipated 2016 revival promises to make you smile. Six-time Tony award-winner Audra McDonald returns to Broadway, accompanied by Tony winner Billy Porter of “Kinky Boots” and Tony nominee Brian Stokes Mitchell. Although a revival at its core, the show will shed light on some of the backstage issues the show faced when it first premiered.

Among its fans at the time were Langston Hughes and Fanny Brice.

Witness the magic that first made this musical a hit roughly 100 years ago. “Shuffle Along” begins previews March 15 and opens April 28 at the Music Box Theatre.

YUNJIA LI/THE OBSERVER

“Disaster” opened on March 8 at the Nederlander Theatre, 208 W 41st Street, bewteen 7th and 8th Ave.

“American Psycho”: Fresh off a sold-out run on London’s West End, “American Psycho,” based on the movie of the same name starring Christian Bale, is making its way to the Great White Way for this upcoming spring season. Although Bale himself will not be making an appearance on stage, the New York cast proves to be equally thrilling in this new, high-intensity musical. The cast stars several Broadway vets, including Benjamin Walker as protagonist Patrick Bateman, Tony award nominee Jennifer Damiano as Jean, Patrick’s assistant and Tony winner Alice Ripley as Patrick’s mother/Mrs. Wolfe. The production also brings

about the likes of another Broadway veteran: Tony and Grammy awardwinner Duncan Sheik. Sheik, known for his music and lyrics for the critically acclaimed “Spring Awakening,” serves as the show’s composer.

“American Psycho” begins previews on March 24 and opens on April 20 at the Schoenfeld Theatre.

“Eclipsed”: Making history as the first-ever Broadway show to include an allfemale, all-black cast and creative team and Broadway’s only two black producers, “Eclipsed,” by “The Walking Dead” star Danai Gurira, makes its way to Broadway this season fol-

lowing a sold-out run at the Public Theater. “Eclipsed,” stars Academy Award-Winner Lupita Nyong’o, Saycon Sengbloh, Akosua Busia, Zainab Jah and Pascale Armand and tells the story of four captive wives of a rebel officer who band together to form a fragile community, according to Broadway.com. “Eclipsed” runs until June 19 at the John Golden Theatre.

“Disaster”: Seth Rudetsky’s brainchild comes to life in this jukebox musical, reminiscent of the classic disaster genre of 70s-era films. Having just opened at the Nederlander Theatre, the show marks Adam Pascal’s return to the theatre after having previously

graced its stage twenty years ago as the original Roger in “Rent.” The story takes place in Manhattan in the late 70s. As the first floating casino in New York opens, the quirky characters gather to celebrate. Soon, things take a turn for the unexpected as disasters emerge. See Roger Bart (“Desperate Housewives”), Rudetsky and Pascal, among others, as they try to survive whatever surprises come their way. “Disaster” opened March 8 at the Nederlander Theatre.

Make sure to take advantage of student tickets, by signing up for club outings, such as Theater Thursdays with RHA.

Brazilian Author on the Run in Former Professor’s Debut Novel

By BRIANNA GOODMAN Copy Editor

A round woman bearing a cigar and a suitcase climbs up an almond tree and promptly disappears. This is the premise for Idra Novey’s debut novel, “Ways to Disappear,” about a translator who teams up with her missing author’s children to find the writer and bring her home. The novel, brimming with colorful characters, unusual form and an intriguing plot, has charmed critics with its ability to be both lyrical and fun. This critic is among them.

Emma Neufeld, the translator of the missing Brazilian author Beatriz Yagoda, leaves behind a loyal but stifling boyfriend in Pennsylvania to fly to Rio and find Beatriz.

Emma’s search for her author is also a search for herself and her writerly voice, as she begins to shake off the translator’s position of being “available yet silent,” where there is “no obvious spot for her to put herself.” The novel is organized into brief, chapter-like sections that read almost like prose poems, or a linked series of flash fiction—the longest section is five pages, and the shortest one is only a few sentences. Interspersed throughout the novel are dictionary entries, radio announce-

PHOTO COURTESY OF PRINCETON PUBLIC LIBRARY VIA FLICKR

Idra Novey at her book launch of “Ways to Disappear.”

ments, emails (many from Miles, the aforementioned loyal-but-stifling boyfriend who insists Emma come home), poems and a police interrogation transcript. These experiments with form help to keep the book playful and unpredictable, which also helps to keep the book in reader’s hands. The reader is not the captive audience of one character’s thoughts, but is instead free to jump around from one character to the next—Beatriz’s translator, Beatriz’s controlling daughter, the wealthy editor of Beatriz’s first works—all the while basking in the hot sun of

Rio de Janeiro.

Novey, who taught creative writing at Fordham in the spring of 2015, is a published poet, and poetry does make its way into this novel, both in literal verse and also in rhythmic, image-heavy language.

But even greater than Novey’s ability to be poetic is her ability to make fun of the poetic. In one scene, Beatriz compares an unfaithful husband’s distance from his home as “a distance that is not unlike the distance a pigeon keeps from the meaning of its dreams.” Before we can get lost pondering the obscure,

ethereal illusion of this metaphor, Novey immediately compares these meanings to “droppings a pigeon may release into the air…sometimes on the bald, unsuspecting heads of men.” Nothing in this book is too precious for Novey’s relentless wit.

Even with the book’s quick, fun nature, simple but profound oneliners regularly stopped me in my tracks. On humanity: “Wasn’t the despair of feeling useless central to the modern human condition?” On translation: “[W]asn’t the splendor of translation this very thing—to discover sentences this beautiful and then have the chance to make someone else hear their beauty who had yet to hear it?” On writing: “[T] o disappear for just a moment into the relief of make-believe—into the plea hidden in every fiction for immortality.” These varying observations seem to come not from a character but from Novey herself, reminding us that Novey is, like Emma, more than a vessel transporting the translated words of a writer, or of a character; she is a writer placing her voice among the voices of her characters, and also the voices of her fellow writers.

As a writer, I found “Ways to Disappear” to be incredibly freeing—this book has no rules. Feel like writing a poem? Write the climax of the novel in verse! Feel like writing a paragraph-long chapter?

Write several of them! Feel like

introducing a new character in the last 40 pages of the book? Introduce away! This lack of rules is also what makes “Ways to Disappear” such an engaging read; every sentence hums with the knowledge that its writer wrote exactly what she wanted to write, exactly the way she wanted to write it.

Throughout the novel, we are treated with excerpts of Beatriz’s fiction. These excerpts are often autobiography masked as fiction; one story recounts a traumatizing encounter Beatriz experienced in a dark alleyway. Because of this, we might be tempted to wonder: Is “Ways to Disappear,” in part, autobiographical? While it is probably fair to assume that Clarice Lispector—a novelist Novey translated—did not climb up a mango tree and leave Novey to hunt her down (especially since she died in 1977), perhaps it is safe to say that Emma’s thoughts as a translator and professor discovering her voice as a fiction writer are also, at times, the thoughts of Novey, a translator and professor discovering her voice as a fiction writer. Of course, as Beatriz’s daughter Raquel reminds us, with such comparisons we must tread carefully, as knowing a writer’s work is not the same as knowing a writer. As Raquel points out, “What about knowing what a writer had never written down—wasn’t that the real knowledge of who she was?”

www.fordhamobserver.com

Arts & Culture

THE OBSERVER March 10, 2016

12

“Night Late,” the New Late Night at the UCB

By RACHEL JARVIS Arts & Culture Co-Editor

What could be better than a late night talk show on television?

A parody late night talk show put on by the Upright Citizen’s Brigade (UCB)- for only $5: The old stomping grounds of comedians like Amy Poehler, Tina Fey and Nick Kroll. On the last Wednesday of every month, a team of UCB comedy writers put together a 45 minute spoof of popular late night talk shows titled “Night Late.”

However, no two “Night Late” shows are the same, and depending on everything from the hosts, bits and even the audience, you never really know what the night will bring.

Mike Cronin, one of the producers, shared, “much like SNL, we get a new host each month, so we get a completely different show each time … sometimes similar comedic ideas come through and we think ‘Oh, we did a bit like this a couple of months ago and it worked really well.’ However, each show really is very different.”

Created by Eric Cunningham (the mind behind “White Guy Talk Show” on Fuse) in 2014, “Night Late” is orchestrated by a team of 11 budding comedians/comedy writers and put on at the UCB Theatre in Chelsea. Before the show, audience members are treated to an open bar and the occasional live band in a cozy black box that allows seating on three sides of the stage so everyone can be a part of the show.

Their first soldout show in February was hosted by Willie Geist of “The Today Show,” along with his designated sidekick Megan Colarossi, and guest starred Sarah Palin’s former handler Nicolle Wallace. Throughout the show, Geist (who jokingly referred to himself as Willie “Geissup”) indulged the

SOFIA ALVAREZ/THE OBSERVER

Willie Giest of “The Today Show,” Megan Colarossi and Nicolle Wallace appeared on UCB’s February “Night Late.”

audience in NBC network gossip and the hilarious circumstances of working with his under-appreciated assistant “Toby”. Nicolle Wallace shared her funniest Palin story that involved Sarah Palin genuinely not knowing the names of all the continents; there was a birthday cake for Geist’s belated birthday that fell on the ground (multiple times), a game of Pong Beer (the opposite of Beer Pong), a mini game show segment

and, of course, lots of laughs.

Reflecting on last month’s show, Cronin shared, “Willie’s show was a very traditional, very strong bit late night show,” but that’s only because it was tailored to Geist’s personal hosting preferences.

Cronin couldn’t stress enough that each show’s structure is unique. For example, “Abra [Taback, who will be hosting “Night Late” at the end of the month] loves ‘Ru Paul’s Drag

Race,’ and she said, ‘You know what I really want to do? I want to make like a ‘Talking Dead’-style show, except devoted to ‘Ru Paul’s Drag Race.’ And we said, ‘Ok cool, this month we’re doing a Ru Paul’s Drag Race tribute show.” “Night Late” is often referred to as a late night machine because of this element of spontaneity that the writers generate every month. However, Cronin shared that one thing is for

sure, “If [people] come to “Night Late,” no matter who the host is, it’s going to be a great show.”

The next installment of “Night Late” will be on Wednesday, March 23 at 11 p.m. at the UCB Theatre in Chelsea. To purchase tickets visit ucbtheatre.com. Also, follow the show on Twitter and Instagram @ nightlate and subscribe to their YouTube channel.

Film Focus: Spotlight on Women for Women’s History Month comical baseball sequences. Full of quotable dialogue (“There’s no crying in baseball!”), this film takes a lighthearted approach to tackling a much bigger issue—the hardships women face competing or working in male dominated fields. Overall, “League” is a home-run—a film that will leave you wanting to head out to Central Park to play ball like a girl.

By MORGAN STEWARD Asst. Arts & Culture Co-Editor

March is Women’s History month and what better way to celebrate than kicking back and watching classics with female leads and directors.

“How to be Single” (In Theaters) Set in Manhattan, “How to be Single” (2016) is the story of Alice (Dakota Johnson) who, with the help of her sister Meg (Leslie Mann) and new work friend Robin (Rebel Wilson) learns the importance of independence and freedom. Alice finds her inner happiness, discovering that she has the capability to enjoy life without having to have someone by her side. The entire film is lighthearted, celebrating the single life instead of insinuating that women must have a partner to be happy.

Unlike the conclusion of most Hollywood films of this genre, the single Alice does not end up with a man. Instead, she finds her inner happiness and starts living for herself. Johnson, Mann and Wilson are a winning team, excelling when placed in a scene where they can feed off eachother’s energy.

AMC and Regal Cinemas movie tickets are available for purchase in OSLCD, Mondays 2:30-5:30 p.m. and Fridays 2-4:00 p.m.

“Mona Lisa Smile” (Netflix) Starring Julia Roberts as the un-orthodox art history professor Katherine Watson, “Mona Lisa Smile” (2003) is set at the all-girls Welles-

“The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” (Netflix)

JOJO WHILDEN/WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT VIA TNS

Dakota Johnson as Alice in “How to be Single.”

ley College in the 1950s. Besides educating the brightest young women in the nation, including students Betty (Kirsten Dunst), Joan (Julia Stiles), Giselle (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and Connie (Ginnifer Goodwin), Wellesley is also teaching them how to become proper wives and housekeepers. Brides are excused from classes for a short time in order to get their homes in order. When Roberts does not conform to these standards and begins to profess her

feminist beliefs to her students, she is targeted and scorned for not helping the young ladies “fulfill their societal duties.” Although the girls and the teacher begin the film as enemies, it concludes with a touching display of friendship between not just a student and a teacher, but between equal women.

“A League of Their Own” (Netflix)

Directed by Penny Marshall, “A League of Their Own” (1992) is the story of an all-female baseball league in the mid 1940s that is struggling to stay active after all of the men return to the states following the end of World War II. Led by a cast of female all-stars including Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Rosie O’Donnell and Madonna, “A League of Their Own” wants to make the audience laugh more than anything, offering smart humor and exciting yet

Based on Ann Brashares’ best selling young adult novel, “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” is the story of four best friends (played

by Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, Blake Lively and Amber Tamblyn) and one magical pair of pants.

While thrift shopping as a group, Carmen (Ferrera) buys a pair of pants that, fits every girl despite their vastly different body sizes.

In the face of a difficult summer apart, the girls take this as fate—a sign that they are meant to be best friends. For the first time since they were born, the close friends will be separated for an extended period of time. Lena (Bledel) is headed to Greece to spend the summer with her grandparents, Carmen goes to South Carolina to visit her father, Bridget (Lively) is off to soccer camp in Baja California and Tibby (Tamblyn) is left alone in their hometown of Bethesda, Maryland, to work at Wallman’s superstore. As the girls gather one final time before they split up for three months, they each vow to take turns wearing the pants before sending them on to the next girl to let them work their magic.

Features

Features Editors Alanna Kilkeary—alannamartine@gmail.com Alysha Kundanmal— akundanmal@fordham.edu Hansi Weedagama — hweedagama@fordham.edu March 10, 2016 THE OBSERVER

RUBY BUDDEMEYER /THE OBSERVER

Thrift stores usually have a large slection of denim, from vintage jeans to overalls.

RUBY BUDDEMEYER /THE OBSERVER

Skip the trip to H&M, thrift stores have you covered.

RUBY BUDDEMEYER /THE OBSERVER

Thrifting lets you save money but still look fashion-forward.

Goodwill Thrill

Move over Macklemore: An FCLC Student’s Guide to Thrift Shopping

By RUBY BUDDEMEYER Staff Writer

In the world of fashion, trends come and go in a blink of an eye.

One day pencil skirts are the be-all, end-all and line the racks of every department store, but the next day it’s all about minis. Interestingly enough, one of the most popular fashion trends today contradicts this concept. Thrifted or vintage styles recycle trends and clothes of the past and work them into the present. Thrift shopping has become one of today’s most sought after means of acquiring clothes, and Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) students are not shying away from this rapidly growing fad. A quick scan across your classroom and you are bound to discover that a majority of your classmates are sporting thrifted, vintage attire. But why exactly are students thrift store shopping? Is it because of the convenience and bargains or is thrift shopping a quest for originality?

New York City is a thrift shopper’s paradise, with hundreds of locations scattered across the five boroughs. In the Upper West side alone, there are more than 20 Goodwill and thrift store locations. This major accessibility is leading students to question why they should spend $20 at H&M

for a massively produced, unoriginal shirt when they could venture to a thrift store to find a cheaper, more unique alternative. In a city where fashion is such a prominent means of self-expression, the thrift stores are often rife with great selections.

Gillian Nelson, FCLC ’19, notices that many NYC thrift stores receive so many donations that they have the ability to curate and tailor their selection to fashion-savvy shoppers.

Nelson is an avid thrift store shopper and her wardrobe reflects her ability to find rare, interesting pieces. She explained, “A lot of the stores I go to don’t just take donations, they will only take things that are considered ‘stylish.’ They have their employees sort through the donations… so when you’re sifting through the racks, you’re sifting through things that the employees have already delegated as trendy or not.”

Nelson first started thrifting to find specific pieces that she felt were lacking in her closet—like denim jackets and perfectly distressed Levi’s. “But then, once I realized I can actually get things for every aesthetic or environment I want, I started [thrifting] for everything. Now I can even find pants or slacks that I can wear to work … So even though I started doing it to satisfy my aesthetic and vintage vibe, I can now

In NYC, fashion is a prominent means of self-expression. Thrift stores are often rife with great selections for every personality. really pick up things for any type of look I’m trying to create.”

In addition to the wide variety and diversity in styles, thrifting also offers an environmentally friendly means of shopping. Even if the piece you’re thrifting is originally from a fast-fashion company like Forever 21, Nelson explained, “that piece would have been thrown out [otherwise.] So, [thrifting] is getting a second use out of it. You commit less to waste.” Of Nelson’s favorite thrift spots in the city are Beacon’s Closet (a chain that has higher priced, designer pieces), Cure Thrift Shop (a non-profit destination with both high end and low end prices, as well as frequent sales) and No Relation Vintage, a true gem for bargains.

Two student thrifters who also frequent No Relation Vintage are Carson Thornton Gonzalez, FCLC ’19, and Caroline Shriver, FCLC ’19. I accompanied the two girls on one of

their average trips to the thrift store to get a closer look at their process in the store. No Relation Vintage is located in the East Village, and as soon as you set foot in the store, you are immediately greeted by an overwhelmingly large selection of men’s and women’s clothing. The pair took off their coats and began scanning the store. Thornton Gonzalez said, “I usually go in with something in mind, like a jacket or shorts or something, so I go to that section first.

Usually along the way I find a billion things that aren’t what I was looking for.” Shriver added, “I first walk over to either the jean pant section or the jean jacket section, because that’s stuff I’m mostly interested in right now.”

The girls started grabbing piles of clothing, accumulating a large stack of items to try on. No Relation Vintage was playing classics by The Police and The Beatles as the two girls sorted through denim shorts, pants, outerwear and sweaters. As they started trying on, they passed items back and forth between the two of them, as almost all of the clothes were ill-fitting. After trying on a total of 20 pairs of jean shorts between the two of them, they each found one pair that suited them. I was impressed by their dedication in finding the perfect pair. Caroline

said, “I mean, honestly, just the fact that these shorts are from $8–10 dollars… it’s like, are you willing to spend some extra time looking through tons of sizes and maybe not coming out with anything that fits for a cheaper pair of shorts?” The shorts Shriver purchased were a light-blue pair of Levi’s, which looked strikingly similar to the shorts you would find at Urban Outfitters. The only difference? Caroline’s shorts were $8 and Urban Outfitter’s are upwards of $50. Thornton Gonzalez purchased a pair of shorts, $8 as well, and $10 jeans. She explained that she finds thrift store shopping to be satisfying.

“I find that when you go with your friends or with a group of people it’s like a bonding, community experience. [The] redeeming aspect of finding something that fits you and is $5 is incredible.”

Caroline and Carson deemed their trip to No Relation a success, with each of their purchases, not only unique and varied, but both under $20. FCLC has an abundance of students who are interested in fashion, and with thrift prices being so student-friendly, it is no surprise that many turn to these vintage shops. It seems that thrift shopping is the perfect means of expressing a love and interest in fashion without the risk of maxing out a credit card.

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THE OBSERVER

March 10, 2016

Features

14

A Peek into Career Services

By REESE RAVNER Asst. News Co-Editor

Tucked away on the third floor of Martino Hall at 45 Columbus Avenue, the Office of Career Services’ serves as a place where students can develop their professional identities and prepare for their futures.

I sat down with Christina Jacques, the assistant director of employer relations, Christie Vuoto, an employer relations specialist, and Jorimel Zaldivar, the alumni counselor, to get a sense of Career Services’ offerings and goals. The enthusiasm these three exude is representative of the Office’s atmosphere.

All of the counselors in Career Services have a “desire to help students in their professional development,” Zaldivar said.

The counselors’ experiences vary from mental health counseling to human resources and share the commonality of a liberal arts education. Jacques added, “It’s people that want to help others and work together to help each other grow.”

Jacques, Vuoto and Zaldivar all agreed that the Office celebrates collaboration and growth. “We love working as a team,” Zaldviar said.

This commitment to growth extends to the various programs and career advising offered by the Office.

“We help students develop their narrative, help them explain how their student club relates to a position they’re applying for and how they can use that to their advantage to be a unique candidate,” Vuoto said. As a graduate of Loyola University of Maryland, a Jesuit and liberal arts institution, she added that she feels students often don’t realize that they can “market” their liberal arts education.

Career Services “can help you verbalize the values of your liberal arts education, which are transferrable across all industries. Because the economy is constantly changing, those [liberal arts] mindsets that you have (being collaborate and thinking critically) will go with you across all industries,” Vuoto explained.

Career Services offers various assessments to help students determine potential careers and are willing to discuss careers at any point, but they do not categorize students and lead them toward specific careers based on their major. They understand that students have various interests, and they work to view the individual as a whole—cura perso-

ELIZABETH LANDRY /THE OBSERVER

Career Services has moved to the third floor of Martino Hall at 45 Columbus Avenue.

nalis, to use Jesuit terminology.

“Sometimes, a student will come in to have the conversation about a resumé or a cover letter, and that conversation can transpire into so much more—who they are as a person, what their values are,” Jacques said. “It doesn’t have to be such a rigid reason why you’re coming in to see us. If you just want to come in and chat [about majors or careers], we can talk to you about that.”

Zaldivar added, “It’s nice to talk to somebody and share your dreams and share your interests with another individual, because eventually, you’re going to need to tell your story to employers. So this a good way to give your first draft, and we can help you shape that.”

One way the Office helps students shape their goals and dreams

is through the Fordham Futures program. Fordham Futures is Career Services’ career development and professional planning program that acts as a guideline for students to plan their futures incrementally.

The program is outlined by year, so “freshman year is about being curious, sophomore year is about being passionate, junior year is about being prepared and senior year is about being connected,” Vuoto said.

It is meant to inspire students to ask questions related to the theme of the year they are completing.

Though it highlights each year specifically, Fordham Futures is “a nonlinear approach to career development, meaning we start with you where you’re at,” Vuoto said.

“We’re here to help no matter where you are, and we’re not going

to make you feel guilty for the fact [that you didn’t come in sooner].

We’re going to help you wherever you are in the best way we can, even as alumni,” Jacques assured. She joked, “We won’t shame you.”

Jacques pointed out that Fordham alumni have access to Career Services for life.

Among the many services that Career Services offer are workshops, counseling, the Fordham Mentoring Program, which is available to juniors and seniors, and oncampus recruiting.

Vuoto suggested attending the workshops to students who are new to Career Services. The workshops, held daily at various times, are meant to prepare students to better present themselves and to better interact in the work world. They were

created based on feedback from employers on Fordham students’ weaknesses. Completing both workshops gives students access to the Jobs Board on CareerLink, where they can search for internships and jobs.

Students can also schedule appointments with any of the career counselors via CareerLink. “We will have students come in who are very loyal to specific counselors while others shop around,” Vuoto said. She joked that each counselor tends to develop a “posse” of loyal students.

As far as “getting your foot in the door,” Jaques invited all students to stop by the office to see that “it’s a nice environment, a nice atmosphere.” She wants students to know that “we’re not scary and we’re here to help.”

Targeted on Twitter by a Man Worse Than Trump Stephan Kozub Asst. News Co-Editor

It is not every day that someone you know gets elected to a political party office. It is also not every day that he happens to be an Internet troll who claims to be more politically incorrect than Donald Trump.

While sifting through the posts on my Facebook newsfeed on March 3, flicking past myriad memes of Bernie Sanders, a New York Times article caught my eye: “Texas Republicans Disavow Foul-Mouthed Election Winner.”

The thing that drew my attention more, however, was the picture of the election winner: a man with awkwardly cut bangs, an unusually long nose and blank expression on a face whose complexion verged on jaundiced.

This article was not the first time that I had seen Texas Republican Robert Morrow. A year prior, I had been the target of one his signature Twitter tirades, often laden with conspiracy theories and statements

ANDRONIKA ZIMMERMAN/THE OBSERVER

Robert Morrow’s Twitter game is ruthless.

that make Donald Trump seem docile.

During my senior year of high school, I decided to take a swing at writing a blog post for the Huffington Post’s teen page. What resulted was an article discussing the portrayal of President Lyndon

Johnson in the critically acclaimed movie, “Selma.” As a part of my argument, I asserted the importance of historically accurate portrayals in nonfiction movies, particularly in ones that deal with major moments in our country’s history.

When the article was published, I was overjoyed. Although it did not get much attention, seeing my work on a site such as the Huffington Post was exhilarating.

The day after the story went live, however, unusual comments started to appear on my piece by none other than Robert Morrow.

The first, simply stating “You, my friend, have a lot to learn about LBJ,” seemed like a genuine statement by someone trying to assert a counterargument to my article.

I could have never expected what followed.

After commenting four more times on the article, Morrow proceeded to tweet at me approximately seven times a day for the next three days. His tweets, using some choice colorful words about the government and the Johnson presidency, contained links to conspiracy websites claiming that President

Johnson was behind both the Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy assassinations. One was even named LBJkilledJFK.com, and if that does not have crazy conspiracy theorist written all over it, I do not know what does.

Being the target of an Internet troll is a confusing experience, to say the least. Evoking a mixture of surprise, fear and anger, Morrow and similar sowers of discord take it upon themselves to be as unpleasant to as many of the people on the Internet as possible.

After doing some digging, I found that I was not the only individual targeted by Morrow’s incessant Twitter rants. Other journalists and prominent figures were targeted via Twitter in the same fashion. For a few choice individuals, such as the Clintons and Bushes, Morrow would even resort to insults involving race, murder, sexuality and genitalia.

He was also an ardent supporter of Charles Johnson, an infamous Twitter troll whose banning from Twitter was celebrated by journalists.

Fast forward one year to the present—Morrow was elected on Super Tuesday as chairman for the Travis

County Republicans, which happens to be the county where the notably liberal city of Austin is located.

Unsurprisingly, his Vice chairman, Matt Mackowiak, as well as several other Republicans in Travis County, are trying to get him removed from his new position of authority.

To say that chills went down my spine as I read the New York Times article reporting this incident would be an understatement. A notorious Internet troll who calls himself “more politically incorrect than Donald Trump” being elected to an office is terrifying, to say the least.

When I saw that his Twitter tirades were going as strong as ever, however, I was not surprised. They only brought back memories of the rant I was the target of last year.

While I usually enjoy reminiscing about the interactions I’ve had with people, that is not the case with Morrow. I can only echo the sentiments of the local Republicans as stated by Mackowiak to the New York Times. “Sheer horror. People are stunned. They don’t know how it happened. They can’t believe it happened. They’re disgusted it happened.”

16

Sports & Health

March 10, 2016 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

Fordham Basketball: The New Cinderella in Town

By MOHDSHOBAIR HUSSAINI Asst. Sports Editor

The months of January and February were not the most fruitful for the Fordham men’s basketball team.

They lost 10 out of the 16 games they played, which is not the track any team would want to be on when heading into the Atlantic-10 Championship this month. However, this same team has managed to win its last four games, all of which were conference matchups, and therefore has a realistic chance of performing well at the Atlantic-10 Tournament this week.

The past four games have each highlighted some new hope for Fordham fans. On Feb. 24, the Fordham Rams defeated the La Salle University Explorers 56–53. Defensively, Coach Neubauer’s team limited La Salle to shooting 39.6 percent for the entire game. The Explorers also shot 26.7 percent from three-point territory.

Fordham dominated the glass by outrebounding their opponents 38–25.

Offensively, the Rams were led by Christian Sengfelder, David Pekarek and Joseph Chartouny, scoring 16, 12 and 11 points, respectively. This victory marked Fordham’s first at La Salle since 2007. With this win, they improved their standing to 14–12 overall and 5–10 in the Atlantic-10.

This series sweep was Fordham’s first against La Salle and its second this season.

On Feb. 27, the Fordham Rams hosted the Davidson College Wildcats and easily soared to a 91–82 victory. In fact, all five starters scored in double digits, which is fairly rare in college basketball. Joseph Chartouny led the pack by scoring 24 points, racking up 13 assists and seven re-

ANDREA GARCIA /THE OBSERVER

Fordham currently holds the eighth seed in the Atlantic-10 basketball tournament.

bounds. Ryan Rhoomes recorded his ninth double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Christian Sengfelder, Antwoine Anderson and David Pekarek scored a combined 38 points. Davidson is renown for being an offensively driven team that protects the ball on each of its possessions—but that wasn’t the case in this matchup. After the win, Coach Neubauer commented, “Davidson never turns the ball over.

We had nine steals. It’s very unusual against them. I think our guards did a good job on the ball.” The 91 points scored by Fordham were the

most in an Atlantic-10 contest since 2010, when the Rams notched 100 at Duquesne. With this win, Fordham improved to 15–12 overall and 6–10 in the Atlantic-10.

On Mar. 2, Fordham University travelled down to Steel City to play Duquesne University. The Rams secured the win with a final score of 78-69. Fordham shot 52 percent from downtown, and outrebounded the Dukes 34-21. On the offensive end, Coach Neubauer’s team was led

by Rhoomes, who recorded his second straight double-double and his fifth in the last six games, scoring

15 points and grabbing 17 rebounds.

Sengfelder and Chartouny added 13 points each, while Mandell Thomas and Antwoine Anderson chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively. With this win, Fordham improved its record to 16-12 overall and 7-10 in the Atlantic-10. It is also the first time since 2007 that the Rams have won in three straight games.

On Mar. 5, Senior Day was held at the Rose Hill Gym. It was a “Ram Faceoff,” as the Fordham Rams hosted the University of Rhode Island Rams.

The home team took the win and was led by Rhoomes, who recorded an-

other double-double with a personal career-high of 27 points and 11 rebounds. Chartouny added 13 points and nine assists of his own. Fordham closed out the regular season 17–12 overall and 8–10 in Atlantic-10 play.

However, Fordham’s 64–61 victory was a message to the fans in the soldout crowd that the seniors were not ready to say goodbye yet. It was a statement that Coach Neubauer and his team would take their four-game winning streak to downtown Brooklyn the following week at the Barclays Center.

Currently, the Fordham Rams have the eighth seed in the Atlantic-10 men’s basketball tournament.

There is no way to tell whether Coach Neubauer and his squad will win the tournament and earn an automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

They have proven themselves capable and have won a few marquee matchups throughout the season, such as the games against Davidson and the University of Rhode Island.

For Coach Neubauer, the biggest obstacle may be trying to compete against higher-caliber teams, such as Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Dayton, St. Bonaventure, Saint Joseph’s and George Washington, all of which have won 20-plus games this season. No one knows what the outcome will be until Mar. 10 at noon, when Fordham begins the tournament by facing off against ninth seed Richmond.

Coach Neubauer won the Ohio Valley Conference twice as a coach at Eastern Kentucky University and earned two bids to the NCAA Tournament. One can only hope that he will bring similar results to Fordham at the Atlantic-10 Tournament.