Observer issue # 12

Observer the

NOVEMBER 3, 2016 VOLUME XXXVII, ISSUE 12

www.fordhamobserver.com

Cunniffes Donate $20 Million, Now Top Donors

By CECILE NEIDIG News Co-Editor

Maurice and Carolyn Dursi Cunniffe, both Ph.D., graduates of Fordham University have donated $20 million to the university, making the Cunniffes the largest donors in the university’s history.

The Maurice and Carolyn Cunniffe Presidential Scholars Program will allow 20 students to attend Fordham each year on scholarship.

It will also support summer programs that focus on service learning, international programs, and research and internship opportunities according to the Wall Street Journal and Fordham News.

The Cunniffes have previously donated nearly $15 million to Fordham, making the total sum of their monetary gifts close to $35 million.

The administration building on the Rose Hill campus was renamed the Cunniffe House for Mr. Cunniffe’s contributions to the Fordham community. The fountain outside of the Cunniffe House was named for Mrs. Cunniffe.

Maurice Cunniffee, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’54, attended Fordham Preparatory School and graduated from the university with a degree in physics. He then became an engineer and businessman. Mr. Cunniffe received the Fordham Founder’s Award in 2010 for his support of the university and an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters at last year’s commencement ceremony.

Carolyn Cunniffe also graduated from FCRH, receiving a bachelor’s degree in French literature.

She went on to earn a masters and doctoral degree from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).

Since then she has been vice president of Revlon and senior vice president of Cablevision. Mrs. Cunniffe is currently on the university’s Board of Trustees.

This $20 million gift is the second-largest donation that the university has received and totals Fordham’s current campaign for financial aid at $82 million, according to Fordham News. The current goal for the campaign is $175 million.

OPINIONS

North Dakota Pipeline Standing with #StandingRock Page 8 ARTS & CULTURE

Political Posters in Gallery Election-themed movie visuals

Page 9 FEATURES

Club Spotlight: Op. Smile Fundraising surgeries for children

Page 10 SPORTS

Czech Basketball Recruit Slanina shoots for success

Page 11

Many of the robbery-related incidents have occured in the vicinity of East 189th Street near the Rose Hill campus.

JON BJORNSON/THE OBSERVER

Several Students Robbed Near Rose Hill

By STEPHAN KOZUB News Co-Editor Fordham students were involved in four separate robberyrelated incidents on Oct. 22 and 23.

An attempted robbery occurred on Hoffman Street at 7:05 p.m. on Oct. 23. The student was walking westbound on the south side of East 189 Street between Arthur Avenue and Hoffman Street when he noticed a man following him from behind, according to Fordham Public Safety.

When the student reached the corner of East 189 Street and Hoffman Street, the man “reached under his jacket to simulate a gun and said, ‘Why are you fronting my man? Give me all your money,’” according to the Public Safety Alert issued regarding the incident.

The student was not injured, did not give up any property and went back toward Arthur Avenue. The suspect fled southbound on Hoff-

Following the robbery-related incidents, both Fordham Public Safety and the New York Police Department put additional resources and information out in the community, according to the alert. man Street toward East 189 Street with another male, with whom he had been standing in front of the Blue Goose Bar. The student described the assailant as “a Black male, 6’2” tall and 150 pounds, in his twenties, wearing an orange and purple basketball jersey and a black zippered jacket,” according to the Public Safety Alert.

Following the incident, Public Safety and NYPD officers canvassed the area without results.

Another robbery occurred two hours later at 9:24 p.m. on East 188

Street. In this instance, two Fordham students were walking westbound on the north side of East 188 Street between Hoffman Street and Lorillard Place when they were followed by two males, according to the Public Safety Alert.

The two males accosted the students when they reached the northeast corner of East 188 Street and Lorillard Place.

Similar to the attempted robbery, one of the assailants reached into the waist pocket of his hooded sweatshirt to simulate a gun and said “Give us everything you have,”

according to the Public Safety Alert. They took the wallet and cellphone of one of the students and fled back up East 189 Street toward Hoffman Street. Neither of the students was injured.

The students described the main assailant as “a Black male, 6’2” tall and 160 pounds, in his twenties, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with pockets in front, black ski mask and reddish basketball jersey,” according to the Public Safety Alert.

Following the robbery-related incidents, both Fordham Public Safety and the NYPD put additional resources and information out in the community, according to the alert.

Fordham Public Safety encouraged anyone with information regarding these incidents to “contact the 48th Precinct detective squad at (718) 288-4119, or Fordham Unisee THEFT pg. 2

Faculty Senate: Public Letters Not Enough

By STEPHAN KOZUB News Co-Editor The Fordham Faculty Senate has issued a statement on the controversial Halloween decoration temporarily displayed in the window of a McMahon Hall apartment on Oct. 24. The statement also responds to President of Fordham University Rev. Joseph M. McShane’s email statement on the effigy issued on Oct. 25.

The decoration, although intended to be seen as a mummy, was interpreted as representing a lynching by members of the Fordham Community.

President of the Faculty Senate and Professor of English and Women’s Studies Anne Fernald, Ph.D.,

sent an email statement at 2:19 p.m. on Oct. 25 “on behalf of the Senate Task Force on Gender and Race Equity and Faculty Diversity in solidarity with those students who have expressed outrage and dismay at the racially insensitive Halloween display in McMahon Hall.”

“While we share many of the sentiments of outrage and dismay, care and desire for healing expressed therein, we have also received too many open letters in the past year,” Fernald said in response to McShane’s email statement.

“Open letters including the President’s and ours do not do enough to effect meaningful change,” she continued. “Their audience is too broad. After all, we are a community that includes

insensitive people, as well as those oblivious to such incidents, and the many more who are shocked and upset by them. Each of us needs to hear and learn different things from this incident.”

Fernald and the Senate Task Force on Gender and Race Equity and Faculty Diversity ended by urging the administration “to immediately release the Report from the President’s Task Force on Diversity, to take public and meaningful steps toward change, and to provide systematic race training for all members of the Fordham community including students, faculty, and administration.”

“Public letters are no longer enough,” the email concluded.

The statement was cosigned by

THE STUDENT VOICE OF FORDHAM LINCOLN CENTER

Fernald, Chair of the Senate Task Force on Gender and Race Equity and Faculty Diversity Amir Idris and committee members Andrew Clark, Aimee Cox, Arnaldo CruzMalave, Thomas De Luca Jr., John Entelis, Jeanne Flavin, Daniel Alexander Jones, Hector LindoFuentes, Matthew Maguire, Fawzia Mustafa and Sarah Zimmerman.

The statement has also been signed by 31 other members of the faculty and staff and three students.

In an interview following the letter, Fernald said that the letter wasn’t spurred so much by the incident itself as “the recognition that it’s been a year” since “some graver incidents see FACULTY SENATE pg. 3

2

News

November 3, 2016 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

How To Be Safe in NYC Following the multiple robbery-related incidents by the Rose Hill campus, Fordham Public Safety sent tips and information to the Fordham Community on Oct. 24 for offcampus travel and activities.

Members of the campus community are reminded that Public Safety provides Ram Vans driven by security guards with portable radios between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. daily.

Please make use of this resource. The Ram Vans’ locations can be easily found on our Trans Loc App, which can be downloaded from the iTunes store or Google Play free of charge. The app also shows the location of shuttles that operate on the Rose Hill campus between 7:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays.

All members of the Campus community should program 911 and (718) 817-2222 (Public Safety) into their cell phone contacts.

Members of the campus community should download the Fordham Safety Application to their phones from the iTunes store or Google Play.

The app offers three options: you can use a free-form text, a pre-defined text, or push urgent assistance for a response by Public Safety.

This app should be used if conditions make it difficult to call 911 or (718) 817-2222.

When leaving or going to the Rose Hill campus, consider traveling as much as possible on Arthur Avenue, as it is a heavily traveled and well-lit street.

The NYPD has committed additional uniformed and plainclothes officers to patrol within the Belmont Community. NYPD Detectives are actively pursuing each of the recent robbery cases.

Fordham Public Safety has also committed extra personnel to patrol the Belmont Community 24 hours a day, in addition to our normal complement of evening guards, and mobile patrol vehicle.

Do not hesitate to stop any Fordham Public Safety vehicle and ask for assistance.

As always, common Sense precautions apply: avoid displaying jewelry or mobile phones, walk in groups whenever possible, and use busy, well-lit streets as much as possible.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PEYTON BERRY

Many saw the Halloween decoration (shown above) as representing a lynching.

Halloween Display Sparks Backlash

By STEPHAN KOZUB News Co-Editor

A Halloween decoration in the window of a McMahon Hall apartment sparked outrage among members of the Fordham Community on Oct. 24.

The international student who displayed the decoration intended it to be seen as a mummy, featuring a grotesque Halloween mask.

The hanging effigy, combined with the seemingly dark complexion of its mask, however, led some to see the decoration as representing a lynching.

Administration and faculty members have referred to it as “illconceived” and “racially insensitive.” The decoration has since been removed.

Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University, issued a statement on the decoration at 7:29 a.m. on Oct. 25. The university is currently investigating “what appears to be an illconceived Halloween decoration,” according to the email statement.

“The corpse’s face—the only part of its body visible—is a typical gruesome Halloween mask which appeared dark complexioned from three stories below,” McShane explained in the email.

He continued, however, that “if the mask can be said to represent any race, it would be Caucasian,” and included an image of the mask attached to the email.

McShane said that he fully understands “the shock and anger felt by members of the University community at seeing the display and believing that it represented a lynching.”

“Had that been the case, the

display would have been even more repugnant, hurtful and disturbing than it is,” he continued in the email. “Since the offending student has told those investigating the incident [that they] believed that it was only a standard Halloween display, it may only reflect incredibly poor judgment.”

The NYPD also investigated the incident and determined that no hate crime had occurred, ac-

er members of the campus community, and to try to have compassion and understanding of others’ anger,” he added. “Be kind, in other words, to your classmates, and to yourself.”

In the email, McShane encouraged students affected by the incident or who wish to speak with someone about it to reach out to their Resident Assistant, Commuter Assistant, or Resident Director

“ I ask you to be sensitive of other members

of the campus community, and to try to have compassion and understanding of others’ anger.”

–

REV. JOSEPH M. MCSHANE, S.J. , President of Fordham University

cording to the email. Fordham’s Department of Public Safety is still investigating the incident in cooperation with staff from the Office of Student Affairs. When the investigation has concluded, the student who created the effigy may face “disciplinary proceedings,” according to the email.

“I want to emphasize that even if no insult was intended by the student who placed the display in her window, I appreciate that the hurt felt by people of color is genuine and has deep roots in our nation’s history,” McShane continued.

“Fordham will also take whatever measures are deemed necessary to try to prevent further incidents of this sort.”

“I ask you to be sensitive of oth-

at any time, as well as the Counseling Center, the Office of Multicultural Affairs or Campus Ministry during regular hours. Students can also contact the Department of Public Safety at any time.

The United Student Government (USG) also issued a response, saying that they were “troubled” by the decoration.

“Though this incident is still under investigation, it seems determinable that the act was the result of both a lack in judgment, and a lack of awareness on the historically long-standing oppression that the members of our own community from traditionally marginalized groups have been forced to face,” the USG said in their statement.

“Our actions can have negative consequences no matter our intentions, and it is thus our responsibility as members of one community to cultivate understanding of this fact amongst one another,” the statement continued. “Coming together as a community to educate and uplift each other through whatever means necessary, through promoting open forums, and town halls should transcend our next efforts. USG stands in solidarity with all who have been affected by this incident.”

The letter was signed by President of USG Leighton Magoon, Vice President for Operations Kayla Wolf, Vice President for Student Affairs Rebecca Song, Treasurer of USG Daniel Nasta, Secretary of USG Raphael Famatigan, President Pro Tempore Yimt Hmu and The United Student Government at Lincoln Center General Assembly.

Hmu, who helped author the letter, said that USG always issues an official response regarding situations that affect the student population. He explained that USG did not release a statement until Oct. 26 because they were gathering information and wanted to make sure that it was correct.

“The content of the statement was that we wanted to acknowledge the long standing oppression members of our community faced and that we do not take these issues lightly,” he said. “And also the fact that this was an international student who was unaware of the longstanding cultural oppressions of this country. So we hope that this event could be a starter for the impact versus intent conversations that we should be having as a community and move forward.”

Multiple Students Victims of Off-Campus Theft Three robberies and one attempted robbery occurred near the Rose Hill campus last week.

THEFT FROM PAGE 1

versity Public Safety, at (718) 8172222, and ask to speak with a duty supervisor.”

These incidents were preceded by the robbery of a Fordham student at

3:45 a.m. on Oct. 23. This robbery, similar to the attempted robbery, occurred on the northeast corner of Hoffman Street and East 189 Street across from the Blue Goose Bar. The student was approached by a group of males, one of whom struck him on the side of the head, knock-

ing him to the ground, according to the Public Safety Alert issued at the time.

The assailants took the student’s iPhone and his wallet, which contained $60.

Less than 24 hours before that incident, a student and an alumnus

were robbed at 1 p.m. on Oct. 22.

The robbery occurred on Belmont Avenue near East Fordham Road when a man approached the two men and indicated that he had a gun.

The suspect took the alumnus’s iPhone and $40 and proceeded

south on Belmont Avenue.

The two men described the suspect as “5’11” tall, medium build, light skinned, wearing a black ski hat and an olive colored sweat jacket,” according to the Public Safety Alert released regarding the incident.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER November 3, 2016

News

3

Controversial Email Raises Issues of Intent

By ELIZABETH LANDRY Asst. News Editor

“I just remember my very, very first hunch was, she’s mistaking me for another black student in the class,” Tristen Dossett, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’17 said. He received an email on Oct. 23 from adjunct theatre professor Heide Jonassen after asking for an extension on midterm questions. A screenshot of the email and his typed response to Jonassen has since gone viral on Facebook and Twitter because many interpreted the professor’s words as racist.

The last-minute request for time was met with an informally worded response from Jonassen, according to the post, which was circulated from the Facebook account of Peyton Berry, FCLC ’17. Jonassen tells Dossett, a young black man, “Do not do this narrative.”

“It is really disappointing to see you fall into a stereotype narrative the dominant society expects….your lateness, non attendance.. now this,” Jonassen continues. She adds, “you had the questions all semester… I kept suggesting you work on them early,” and inquires why he is so busy, before granting him an extension until the evening of that day.

Berry asked to post the professor’s email and Dossett’s response on their Facebook account after they saw the message. “Tristen’s my best friend and I felt for him immediately,” they said.

“As a student of color, as the vice president of the [FCLC Black Student Alliance], as a social justice leader, this is something I care a lot about,” they added.

“ This remark made me feel invalidated and useless. I be-

lieve that it is extremely inappropriate for a white professor to tell a black student that they are becoming a stereotype.”

–

In a letter on the post, Dossett responds, “This remark made me feel invalidated and useless. I believe that it is extremely inappropriate for a white professor to tell a black student that they are becoming a stereotype.”

He also refutes her argument. “I have missed three classes, emailing about my case each time, one of which was a medical emergency. The latest I have ever been is five minutes (I am a commuter).” According to school policy, each student is typically allowed two unexcused absences and two excused absences per course per semester.

In a later interview, Dossett said that he decided to make the exchange public after rereading the email several times. “The thing about being a black student is, typically you have to start proving yourself as a person, as a student, from day one,” he said. “There’s this trope of the black man being lazy or inattentive which essentially is the stereotype she’s referring to.”

“My first basic impression was like, wow, this teacher has zero place to make this comment about me, and genuinely doesn’t under-

TRISTEN DOSSETT, FCLC ’17

stand who I am as a person or as a student,” Dossett added. He is taking one of Jonassen’s classes for the first time this semester.

On Oct. 24 Jonassen sent Dossett another message in response to the publicity. “I am very sorry that you took offense to what was meant to be a true expression of concern,” she says. “I wish you had also responded to me personally...rather than spreading it in facebook and making a complaint. I realize that I made a mistake in a presumption of a relationship...and also that you do not really know anything about my history or my own identity as well as my core intents.”

Jonassen apologized for presuming and misspeaking, writing, “I felt you were not stepping up to the plate in a way you are capable of doing..and personally feel not holding everyone to the same high standards is disrespectful to someone’s capabilities..lowered expectations for people to me is the worst kind of bigotry.”

Dossett said that the response was “almost worse” than the original email. “The biggest problem was that she believed that what went

wrong was how I apprehended what she said, not that what she did was wrong,” he said.

“I think she was apologizing because she knew she had to,” Berry said. “This was becoming bigger than she had realized.”

In an email, Jonassen said, “As painful and humbling as this has been, I am actually glad for the core issue to be aired as I think that it is always good to double check all assumptions of intent, from all directions. I mostly regret that unintended pain was caused to a student whose potential I was trying to galvanize, though in an utterly inappropriate way.”

After Dossett had emailed administrators to make a formal complaint against Jonassen, he opened a Title IX case and a no-contact order was issued against her.

Senior Director of Communications Bob Howe said in an email statement that “The incident is still under investigation. Given that, we can’t really comment on it.”

To date of print, the Facebook post has garnered 48 shares, 625 reactions and 115 comments both in support of Dossett’s case and in criticism of his decision to make the email public. The Atlanta Black Star and The Washington Times have both reported on it.

Dossett awaits the provost’s decision on his case, but he wants the school and community to see this as a learning experience, and improve diversity education on campus.

“To see someone in a certain light because of their race, you have that perception for the rest of your life,” he said. “It would make me so happy if someone was like, ‘wow, I totally get why this is wrong now, and I can now see people with a whole new light.’”

Faculty Senate Reacts to Open Letter from McShane FACULTY SENATE FROM PAGE 1

of racist displays on campus.”

“We know that the report is done

and that it’s important to move forward in a year,” she said. “And here we are coming on November and we don’t have a report and we don’t have any public announcement of real

change.”

She also said she and the Diversity Task Force authored the letter because “it was out of respect for the students at Lincoln Center who were

upset and respect for faculty colleagues at Lincoln Center who want to support those students.”

“I think when students are upset, we have a responsibility to listen,”

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she said. “The motivation comes from a desire to push for a better Fordham.”

Opinions

Opinions Editor John McCullough - jmcculloughiii@fordham.edu

November 3, 2016 THE OBSERVER

STAFF EDITORIAL

CLINTON IS THE BEST OPTION FOR THE FUTURE WE ENVISION

D

espite our individual political convictions, the editorial board of The Fordham Observer holds the collective vision of a more socially-forward political climate. We want a president that will work with legislators to implement progressive policies and appoint Supreme Court Justices who will make decisions in line with changing times. The staff wishes to see an America where it is possible to obtain an education without crippling debt, find a suitable job and make a decent living with the necessary social protections. We want a nation where every person has a fair chance to succeed, regardless of race, religion, gender identity or sexual orientation.

As college students, it is important for us to realize an America motivated by hope for the future, and not by a paralyzing fear of change.

The Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton, is the only viable choice for those who

share our vision of meaningful progress, given the constraints of the two-party system.

Clinton has her faults. She has a hawkish record on for-

“As college students, it is important for us to realize an America motivated by hope for the future, and not by a paralyzing fear of change. ” eign policy and has supported questionable measures in the past, such as the 1994 crime bill, welfare “reform” and, as a senator, a border fence. As Secretary of State, she pushed for increased drone strikes, regime change in Honduras and a full-scale war in Libya.

If elected, Clinton must be pressured to pursue progres-

sive policies, and be held accountable when she fails to deliver on her promises.

But her faults are still far less concerning than those of Trump, a brutish demagogue who consistently exhibits a lack of respect and in some cases, animosity, toward women, veterans, Muslims, immigrants and people of color. A Trump presidency would unquestionably be a step backwards on matters of social policy.

Here at Fordham Lincoln Center, hundreds of our students are targets of Trump’s nativist and racist rhetoric.

Sixty-eight nationalities are represented in our student body and would all be directly affected by his exclusionary politics. For those mostdisadvantaged in society, a Trump presidency would be a catastrophe.

It is for these reasons that the editorial board of The Observer sees it fit to officially endorse Hillary Clinton for the 2016 presidential election.

the

Observer Editor-in-Chief Ben Moore Managing Editor Matthew McCarthy Business Manager Michael Veverka Layout Co-Editors Sabrina Jen Katie Maurer Asst. Layout Editor Elodie Huston News Co-Editors Stephan Kozub Cecile Neidig Asst. News Editor Elizabeth Landry Opinions Editor John McCullough Arts & Culture Co-Editors Elena Ciotta Ana Fota Morgan Steward Features Co-Editors Ruby Buddemeyer Reese Ravner Sports & Health Editor Mohdshobair Hussaini Asst. Sports & Health Editor Alexander DiMisa Photo Co-Editors Hana Keiningham Jess Luszczyk Andronika Zimmerman Literary Editor Erika Ortiz Multimedia Co-Producers Katie Kirtland Jenny McNary Asst. Multimedia Producer Kaylee Kilkenny Copy Co-Editors Erika Ortiz Morgan Steward Terry Zeng Social Media Co-Managers Reese Ravner Andronika Zimmerman Asst. Social Media Manager Hailey Morey

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THE OBSERVER November 3, 2016

Opinions

5

On the Issues 2016: Final Thoughts JOHN McCULLOUGH & BEN MOORE Opinions Editor & Editor-in-Chief

Throughout this semester, we have analyzed the four main candidates of the 2016 presidential election (Clinton, Trump, Stein and Johnson) on individual issues relevant to the Fordham community. As the election season winds to a close, the time has come to judge each candidate based on their record, temperment, and positions in total. In this column, we deliver our final verdicts.

JOHN McCULLOUGH : For months, Stein has faced an onslaught of criticism from both the centrist and right-wing press.

Most egregious has been the accusation of her being “anti-vaxx,” despite her numerous assertions to the contrary and her status as a practicing physician and a graduate of Harvard Medical School.

One very real issue is that Stein’s plans are rarely spelled out extensively. She promises to protect the social safety net and introduce a real system of public, universal healthcare—both very necessary steps that no other major party candidate can be trusted to take. However, she does not explain her specifics, weakening what would be a strong moral stance against a status quo that does not work for the people or for the planet.

Despite her shortcomings, she remains the strongest candidate in terms of protecting social services, limiting American intervention abroad, and ending the “racist drug war.” Stein would be a risky vote in a swing state, but might be a respectable choice for blue-state and red-state progressives with a distaste for Clinton’s hawkish record.

BEN MOORE : As one of the two medical doctors to take the stage, she has certainly fared better than Republican primary candidate Ben Carson. Much like Johnson though, the twoparty mindset of the nation has not given her a proper seat at the debates. She takes activism to the next level, with an arrest warrant issued against her in North Dakota for spray painting in protest of a pipeline and being escorted from the Hofstra University campus before one of the debates.

As with Johnson, Stein’s policies are overall non-specific and politically doubtful, but some of her ideas indicate good intention. For example, she wants to simplify the Affordable Care Act to a single-payer system and to revise policies to treat immigrants more humanely, though these require a cross-party collaboration that does not currently exist. Her stance on supporting free higher education is commendable, but she does not seem to have a solid plan for how exactly she plans to achieve this goal, other than the “magic” quantitative easing which she did not sufficiently explain in her campaign.

Dr. Jill Stein, Green Party

Despite the touting of Clinton as a “progressive who gets things done” her past record is anything but progressive. As Secretary of State, she exhibited support for intervention in Libya, and for a right-wing coup against the democratically-elected president of Honduras. As Senator, she voted for the War in Iraq, expressed support for a border fence and the deportation of undocumented immigrants. Even after accepting the addition of some left-wing measures to the 2016 platform as a compromise with the Sanders-supporting wing of her party, Forbes recently reported that she might still be considering a privatization of Social Security, which would destroy the most successful social program in American history.

However, either Clinton or Trump will almost definitely become the next President of the United States, and Clinton is the less odious of the two. If Clinton wins, we must hold her feet to the fire so that she might pursue progressive policies that favor women, people of color and the working class—and hold her accountable if/when she swings right.

While I agreed with Bernie Sanders when he stated “I’m sick of hearing about those damn emails,” Clinton’s egregious mishandling of classified documents is inexcusable. Regardless of whether the FBI finds this to be a criminal offense in their latest probe, her image and reputation has certainly taken a hit. Clinton is undoubtedly the most experienced of all of the candidates in government and would most likely run the most stable presidency, which is never something to underestimate.

Clinton’s stated policies are also the most substantial and reasonable of the four. For example, Clinton has a markedly better grasp on immigration policies with tenable solutions, looks to protect entitlement programs more than the other candidates and offers a refreshing take on workers’ rights and benefits. That withstanding, many of her policies will incur very high costs, including a $7.5 billion cost for state-run drug rehab and treatment programs and a $15 million dollar grant for her proposed Office of Immigrant Affairs.

Hillary Clinton, Democratic Party

For the voter with a strong distaste for both candidates, Gary Johnson seems very tempting. He seems to fit the bill of the very fashionable “fiscally conservative, socially liberal” trope.

While his stances on foreign intervention and the decriminalization of drugs are admirable, we cannot ignore the harsh implications of right-libertarianism.

Gary Johnson may want to legalize marijuana, but he also wants to privatize social security, slash important welfare programs, and implement a regressive flat tax that will shift the tax burden from the wealthy to the working class.

His record is similarly troubling; as Governor of New Mexico, Johnson implemented harsh spending cuts and attempted to privatize education through a voucher system.

In addition to these policies, Johnson has continually shown himself to be downright incompetent. His numerous “Aleppo moments” have not demonstrated in any way that he is ready to accept the office of President of the United States.

The Republican candidate for 2016 is both an anomaly in American politics and unsurprising. On one hand, the brashness and openness of his right-populist rhetoric is almost unprecedented in modern American politics. However, the authoritarian nationalist sentiment captured in his speeches and policies is a natural reaction to the right-ward shift of the Democratic Party on the part of a working class that lacks class consciousness and a conception of intersectionality.

When people view themselves as native-born Americans and as white before they view themselves as workers, they will not acknowledge their kinship with the Mexican immigrant or the Syrian refugee. They will instead work to further the interests of rich white men—such as Trump himself.

The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States would be a disastrous occurrence, as it would empower a fascistic, white nationalist fringe that has come to support him. An emboldened American far-right would be bad for everyone, but worst affected would be those most in need of social empowerment.

Gary Johnson, Libertarian Party

COURTESY OF GAGE SKIDMORE/FLICKR

Donald Trump, Republican Party

If ever a third-party candidate was going to have a chance to contend, it would have been this election cycle. And yet, Johnson did not reach the level of support he needed to even have a place on stage at the presidential debates. Unsurprisingly, he is thus nowhere near either candidate in the latest polls. His seeming ignorance on the city of Aleppo certainly didn’t help his image. Johnson’s policies have maintained a characteristic vagueness throughout the election cycle which has greatly hindered his appeal.

For those issues he does have a stance on, his positions are quite radical, which could be a reason why he does not have much appeal in the polls. He does offer some coherent discussion, for example in his hardline condemnation of the war on drugs, but loses credibility when advocating to legalize all drugs, per an interview with the New York Observer, which does not seem well thought out. He also plans to do away with Social Security in favor of a “private voluntary system” with no real detail.

When Donald Trump took the stage it appeared that the Republican party might have a veritable political outsider, but as we all know, Trump’s campaign has deteriorated into nothing more than a populist tantrum. Some of his highlights, or rather lowlights, include calling into question the integrity of the Khans’ son, countless horrible remarks about Muslims and Mexican immigrants, and quite recently, a whole host of sexual assault allegations.

Personal issues aside, some of Trump’s policies, such as his insistence not to cut social security and his personal belief in the legalization of medical marijuana, are substantiated, and he does offer some good financial reasoning against free higher education, even if you don’t agree with the policy.

However, other positions, such as his belief that Mexico will build and pay for a wall and his promise to completely repeal the Affordable Care Act, do not point to a productive future.

Making America great again as an act of restoration to whatever vision Trump maintains is impossible, since history can never exist in isolation.

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Photo Feature

November 3, 2016 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

DESTINATION PHOTOS BY HANA KEININGHAM & JESS LUSZCZYK/THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER November 3, 2016

Photo Feature

DESOLATION P

By HANA KEININGHAM & JESS LUSZCZYK Photo Co-Editors

hotographing abandoned buildings requires both research and luck. All of the locations, except for the abandoned repair warehouse at Fort Tilden which we stumbled upon unintentionally, were found online through research.

Any abandoned building is a go for us if we see that somebody has visited it in the past year. Photographing abandoned buildings also requires luck. One problem that we ran into, which was out of our control, was arriving at a location without being able to get in, either due to boarded up entryways or on-site security personnel.

The history of these locations is fascinating in its own right. Another location in this series is the St. Ag-

nes Catholic Church and Elementary School in Detroit, first opened in 1914 and 1917, respectively, whose packed church pews once hosted Mother Teresa in 1981. Grossinger’s Catskill Resort and The Pines Resort were both part of the “Borscht Belt,” a network of primarily Jewish summer resorts in Upstate New York. Opened in 1914 and the supposed inspiration for Dirty Dancing, Grossinger’s was the location of an Elizabeth Taylor wedding and a vacation resort of the notable Jackie Robinson.

Grossinger’s closed its doors in 1986, and The Pines followed suit in 1998, both due to lack of business.

Other locations in this series include the Rutherford Stuyvesant Estate in New Jersey.

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Opinions

November 3, 2016 THE OBSERVER

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MAJJED2008/FLICKR

The Standing Rock Pipeline protests expose emerging police state and human and civil rights violations.

We Must Stand With Standing Rock LINDSAY POULOS Contributing Writer

A live Facebook video feed from protester Atsa E’sha Hoferer, on Oct. 27 showed a long line of protesters face-to-face with police in riot gear attempting to push the protesters back. Police shouted, “You need to move to the south camp or you will be arrested.” Protesters shouted back, “This is your water too” and began chanting “Water is Life.” When the protesters would not move, the police threw tear gas into the crowd and forcibly pushed them to the ground, marching them to the south camp. Protesters were given little choice but to meet their coercive demands, but remained face-to-face with police, walking backwards to the south camp while chanting in solidarity. The video has garnered over 1.1 million views and counting.

The protests against the North Dakota Access Pipeline have been going on since January of last year, yet was largely ignored in the mainstream media until Oct. 27. That day, militarized local law enforcement used trucks, buses and military Humvees to move protesters,

arresting approximately 141 people for “illegal protesting.” The local police used pepper spray, bean-bag bullets, tear gas and sound cannons on nearby protesters. Officials reported that some protesters responded by starting two tire-fires and lobbed two Molotov cocktails at law enforcement. One woman shot a .38 caliber towards a group of officers. Recently, a no-fly zone and no-drone zone have been issued over the area.

Why is it that the mainstream media is only now covering the protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL)?

Perhaps the recent attention is due to how the government’s handling of the protest vastly contradicts American values. It is just one example in a much longer history of Native American oppression in the U.S. At best, this protest exposes the government’s treatment of Native American people for what it is: a constant system of checks and balances to assure that those who have the highest claim to U.S. land have their voices, and therefore their influence, silenced.

Months of police violence against nonviolent unarmed protesters has been going on at Standing Rock, and it wasn’t until protesters fought back that mainstream news outlets began to cover it.

This protest exposes the government’s treatment of Native American people for what it is: a constant system... to assure that those who have the highest claim to U.S. land have their voices...silenced.

For those unfamiliar with the DAPL, it is a projected 1,172 mile pipeline stretching from North Dakota to Illinois. Along this route, many sacred Native American burial sites would be disrupted, in addition to residents living with the risk of unforeseen environmental damage as in the recent Pennsylvania pipeline burst from Sunoco, the same company trying to build the DAPL. Sioux Tribe members and other members of over 100 different tribes, nearby constituents, high profile journalists, federal officials and celebrities have voiced their opposition to the pipeline, with

many even going to North Dakota to protest on the front lines.

There has been a great deal of legal action on this issue. The Sioux Tribe sued the Army Corps for attempting to fast-track building the DAPL, to which the Corps countersued tribe members for blocking construction. Tribal members and allied-protesters alike do not deny blocking construction, but they argue that they have a right to the land under two federal treaties.

A federal judge denied the Sioux Tribe’s request, but after three federal agencies joined together to call for a halt to construction, the construction on Corps-owned land was temporarily put on hold. Construction was allowed to continue on land that the developer privately owned, which incited the ongoing protests.

The Standing Rock pipeline protest exposes the U.S.’s militarized police force, and ultimately, its emerging police state. Over 200 protesters have been arrested over the course of this ordeal. The thousands who have yet to be have been attacked by dogs from the DAPL company, have had military-grade sound cannons used against them, and have been shot with rubber bullets, had their water supplies cut off, threatened with shotguns at prayer sites, undergone constant

aerial surveillance, and youth and elders have been pepper-sprayed —well before the retaliation seen tonight. Unarmed protesters who have been arrested have dealt with excessive force, intimidation at the point of a gun, strip searches and issues with receiving bail.

Many have posed comparisons to protesters of the Civil Rights Movement. While there are stark similarities between then and now, it seems that struggle between the police and the people has only gotten more contentious since.

Military and police are separate entities with separate purposes. Police are meant to protect and serve within their communities, while the military fights a foreign enemy.

When our country has a militarized police force, home becomes their battlefield, and we become their target.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Riots are the voice of the unheard.” While responding to violence with violence is never the answer, we cannot let the actions of a few people who reached their breaking point take away from the deeper implications behind this protest at Standing Rock. They are fighting to preserve life—our life.

If that’s not a cause worth fighting for, then I’m not sure what is.

The Complexity of the Asian-American Identity SABRINA JEN Layout Co-Editor

When I first saw the New York Times article titled, “An Open Letter to the Woman Who Told My Family to Go Back to China” pop up on my Facebook newsfeed, I was delighted.

I was so excited to finally read a well-written article backed-up with research and studies regarding the extremely minimal conversation present in modern media of AsianAmerican identity. While author Michael Luo, an editor of the New York Times, did address some issues regarding the racism which AsianAmericans face every day, I was disappointed by the way he casually glazed over the topic of the AsianAmerican experience as a whole.

Like Luo, I am a second-generation American whose parents came to the United States from Taiwan for graduate school. Born and raised

The confusing nature of my Asian-American identity consists of something that is so difficult to explain in words, yet is something I am sure every second-generation Asian-American struggles with to some degree. in the Silicon Valley where many of my peers were also children of Asian immigrants working successfully in the high-tech industry, I was exposed to very little racism as an Asian-American since I was among the majority in that community.

Even after coming to Fordham, where a majority of students are not Asian, I never felt uncomfortable with my racial or ethnic background as a person of color. The rare racial remarks made at me or about Asians in general did bother me, but they were not shocking. What I noticed instead, were the differences between the relationship I had with

my parents and the relationships my peers had with their non-immigrant parents.

Seeing the interactions between my peers and their parents made me realize what it truly means to be Asian-American. Although I am extremely close with my parents, there has always been a sense of unarticulated distance between us.

The East-Asian culture of keeping vulnerabilities and affection to a minimum was something that I had grown to respect, appreciate and understand. Contrasted with the casual and affectionate way in which some of my peers interacted with

their non-Asian parents however, I was surprised to realize the influence which my parents’ culture had on my upbringing and life.

As Luo briefly pointed out in his article, “I still often feel like an outsider.” Though I am fluent in Mandarin and know how to use the Taipei metro system when I am on vacation, I am not Taiwanese. And while I was born and raised in the United States, my childhood was strongly influenced by my parents’ culture, and I am not American. The confusing nature of my Asian-American identity consists of something so difficult to be explained with words, yet is something I am sure every second-generation Asian-American struggles with to some degree.

The academic, social and emotional expectations placed upon me by my parents formed by their cultural background often conflict with my own opinions and expectations for myself formed by my unique cultural background in ways that sometimes make articulating

my true feelings almost impossible. It is not surprising to me that studies have shown relatively high rates of emotional disorders among Asian-Americans who are children of immigrants. The great difficulty of raising a child in a culture and environment foreign from that which one was raised in is also a predicament that is constantly undermined in the American society by stereotypes and jokes such as “Asian tiger moms.”

The internal struggle of wanting to fit into the American community, yet simultaneously hoping to respect and maintain the legacy of my parents’ culture, has become an integral part my Asian-American experience and identity. While I am grateful that the New York Times has addressed racism in this context, I hope that one day, respected AsianAmericans like Luo will use their positions of influence to expand the important conversation of the prevalent psychological struggles surrounding Asian-American identity.

Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture Editors Elena Ciotta - eciotta@fordham.edu Ana Fota - afota@fordham.edu Morgan Steward - msteward2@fordham.edu November 3, 2016 THE OBSERVER

Presidential Posters Take Over Butler Gallery

By DEIRDRE REED Staff Writer

The political themes of the Ildiko Butler Gallery’s current exhibition are no coincidence. This year’s presidential election has so permeated every aspect of our lives that even the most secluded of people must be sick of hearing about the candidates.

While the mention of the present election has predominantly had a negative connotation, at Fordham’s Butler Gallery, it provides purpose and inspiration for an enticing exhibit of political movie posters.

Titled “Politics: Movie Images from Posteritati,” the exhibit looks to “reveal the world of politics refracted through the wry, spectacular lens of mass entertainment,” as described by gallery officials. The movies advertised through the posters find common ground in representing extremes of our political history, often through satire, as media consumption is fueled by the sensational. Our current election is a perfect example of a dramatic moment in history, and if this same exhibit were curated 10 or 20 years from now, it is safe to assume that there would be a poster or two dedicated to the ridiculous antics that have characterized the 2016 election.

One of the most fitting choices is the poster for the 1972 film “The Candidate,” which stars Robert Redford as Bill McKay, son of a formerlyprominent politician who is pulled into the election for California

JASON WANG/THE OBSERVER

“Politics: Movie Images from Posteritati” will be on display until Dec. 1, 2016.

senator to run against the Republican candidate. Since it is practically guaranteed that the Republican will win, McKay is given the freedom to do and say whatever he wants on the campaign trail. In order to avoid losing by a disgraceful number of votes, he pushes his left-leaning views more to the center, inspiring the film’s tagline “Nothing matters more than winning. Not even what you believe in.” The poster shows Redford standing in front of the American flag, arms crossed, blowing a giant pink bubble. The image is jarring, the per-

fect representation of the irony that is the carefree candidate. Eventually, McKay is somehow victorious, and in the final scene says to his campaign manager, “Marvin… what do we do now?” This result is daunting to all that saw Donald Trump’s quest for the presidency as a joke in the beginning, only to find him inches away from the White House now.

Equally fitting is the inclusion of “Bulworth,” a film about Jay Bulworth, a politician, who, fed-up with his life and with politics, hires an assassin to kill him while on campaign

for reelection to the U.S. Senate. His looming fate gives him a freedom he’d never experienced before, and he starts living his life honestly by speaking his mind and acting with little regard to the public’s reception.

His outspoken, unapologetic way of living, paired with the passionate group of followers he garners, makes his resemblance to Donald Trump’s behavior in this election uncanny. In the poster, the antithesis of the stereotypical politician is seen crawling out of and controlling the mouth of Bulworth.

“All the President’s Men” examines the Watergate scandal from the point of view of two Washington Post reporters. The poster is simple, black and white except for one ominous sentence in bright red: “The most devastating detective story of the century.” The poster for “Secret Honor,” a film entirely consisting of a monologue delivered by a reflective Richard Nixon, shows a broken man symbolically shining a light on the white house and his past decisions that destroyed his name. Also on display are the French counterparts of the posters for “The Parallax View” (“There is no conspiracy.

Just twelve people dead.”), Stanley Kubrick’s satire “Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” and “The Manchurian Candidate” (like “Zoolander,” but with a prisoner of war as the assassin instead of a model). The poster for “In The Loop” (available to stream on Netflix) perfectly describes the basis of the plot: Americans on one side, Brits on the other and a big mess of miscommunication in the middle. Finally, the minimalistic, primarily white poster for “Four Days in November” is fitting with the subject of the movie: JFK’s assassination.

The posters were selected from Posteritati, an art gallery that deals vintage and modern movie posters and has a collection of over 9,000 individual pieces. Curated by Professor Mark Street, the exhibit will be up until Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016.

Hallberg Sets the “City on Fire” with First Novel

By SHAINA OPPENHEIMER Staff Writer

There is a moment every student experiences at least once or twice: that thrilling, yet somewhat uncomfortable transition from calling their professors “Professor (insert last name)” to calling them by their first names. I experienced that transition on a gray afternoon in a West Village coffee shop.

I recall Hallberg, as a tall, lanky character whose lateness somehow always seemed prompt. Discussions of E.B. White, Joan Didion and Herman Melville would transform the class into a mirage of New York’s allure, the New York where anything is possible, the New York Hallberg drew his inspiration from when writing his debut novel, “City on Fire.” A vague project he never talked about until a fellow student brought in a copy of The New York Times that broke the news of Hallberg’s book deal.

I was a little nervous to meet Garth. When I sat down with him, I immediately realized that he was still the goofy professor who loved punk rock and poetry. The professor who, dare I say, largely influenced my own decision to become a writer.

Hallberg radiates the kind of genuine energy that makes you want to be a better person. Stained with remnants from a punk-rock youth, Hallberg’s 900-page novel recreates New York in the 1970s with characters caught up in the punk-rock scene, an aspiring journalist and newly estranged heirs all tied up in a Central Park shooting on New Year’s Eve. Yielding from a small town in North Carolina, Hallberg grew up in the ’80s, but it might as well have been the ’70s. “People still listened to that music, wore those clothes and

“The work is the pleasure: the work of trying things and failing, the work of revising, the work of throwing things out, the work of starting again from scratch.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARK VESSEY

GARTH HALLBERG, NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR

“City on Fire” is a New York Times and International Bestseller.

drove those cars,” Hallberg remembered of his town, which sparked his own fascination with a world that existed before he did.

Hallberg said, “If you’re into punk rock and avant-garde poetry and the things that I loved when I was a teenager, that time and place, [then] New York in the seventies was really iconic.” From 2003 to 2015, Hallberg recreated this world for himself. “I would ride my bike from Brooklyn to Fordham and see a whole lot of the city, its buildings, people, and that was a huge source of inspiration.” His classes revolved around the readings of New York to further fuel this inspiration. “If I got up and plugged in my headphones and was listening to punk music, then I got to Fordham and was talking about Joan Didion or E.B. White and the Central Park Jogger, or the founding of the U.N., then I was staying in the world of the book,” Hallberg said.

Hallberg cooped himself up in his home for 32 hours a week for six years of his life, writing. “Much of the time I was writing, I was convinced that it was unpublishable,” Hallberg admitted to me. Hallberg didn’t feel discouraged by his long project that seemed to have no light at the end of the tunnel. “I didn’t define having it happen in extrinsic terms…to me, everyday when I sat down to work, it was happening,” Hallberg explained.

I can recall being an anxious freshman, receiving Hallberg’s syllabus. This class not only introduced me to the work of the literary greats, but also introduced me to New York.

Hallberg’s love for New York was and is so pungent. His love for New York isn’t founded upon brunches or the Union Square farmer’s market.

Rather, it is based on an all-consuming anthropological fascination with people, cultural phenomenons, iconic landmarks and, of course, the art

and literary scenes.

“From the first time I stepped off the bus, I was like, ‘this is it, this is where I’ve got to be,’” Hallberg recalled of his first trip to New York, a place he had been drawn to since reading “Stuart Little” as a bookish kid. With eyes wide and hand gestures pumping out waves of excitement, Hallberg went on to reminisce,“the first time I came to New York was for a long weekend when I was 17. No parental supervision. Just completely running around the streets and not sleeping for three days with my friends. It was amazing.”

Upon returning to North Carolina, Hallberg wrote a handful of poems. “I think those were the only real poems I had ever written. It was like all of a sudden I had been exposed to the city and it turned me for one week into a real poet after three years of failed poetry.” Hallberg had been in-

terested in writing from a young age, and in his early years of adolescence decided he wanted to become a poet.

“The instant I became aware that that was something I wanted to do was also the instant I became aware that I didn’t have the skills to do it,” Hallberg said. “I think at 15 or 16, you underrate the value of work. You think you will just sit down and start moving your pen and five minutes later a masterpiece has appeared.”

After realizing that those seven poems were perhaps the best poems Hallberg would ever write, he turned to fiction. Hallberg explained, “I was going to do what all failed poets do and become a prose writer. Then I started writing fiction, but with the same trajectory…it was just bad for four years. I would write things, but I knew they were just not what I wanted to do.” Eventually something clicked, and in 2001 Hallberg began writing what he finally felt were real short fiction stories. And the rest was history, or so it seems.

Since the $2 million book deal in 2013 and the novel’s release in 2015, which was met with rave reviews, Hallberg has also sold the movie rights to Scott Rudin. Unfortunately, Hallberg stopped teaching at Fordham, but continues to work on a new book. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait another six years for its release.

After our meeting, Hallberg left me with this piece of advice: “You read something wonderful and you think it took that person the same amount of time to write it as it took you to read it. But, behind that immaculate surface is endless work.

And the work is the pleasure: the work of trying things and failing, the work of revising, the work of throwing things out, the work of starting again from scratch.”

Features

Features Editors Ruby Buddemeyer - rbuddemeyer@fordham.edu Reese Ravner - rravner@fordham.edu

November 3, 2016 THE OBSERVER

Celebrity Collaborations Encourage the Young Generation Tommy girl looks—a classic American beauty with an unconventional individualism.

“The line is very much on trend.

There’s Tommy’s nautical prints of

By TERRY ZENG Copy Editor

Whether it’s high-to-low fashion collaborations such as Balmain x H&M or celebrity-endorsed collections such as the recent Rihanna x Puma, fashion is finding alternative ways to reach shoppers, especially young shoppers. Celebrity collaborations are surely a sales strategy to promote certain brands, but how do celebrities work with these brands?

How are their targeted shoppers, the millennials, reacting to these collections?

Fashion collaborations date back to 1983 when American designer Roy Halston Frowick launched a line with JC Penny. However, according to a report by E! News, the collection was poorly received and discontinued. Unexpectedly, what everybody thought was a poor decision back then became a popular trend of fashion making in the 21st century.

Aimee Williams, a professor in the Communication and Media Studies department at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), clarified that there are possible ways for fashion icons to collaborate. “Fashion designers are often celebrities in their own right, and when they collaborate with existing brands or companies, like Lemaire with Uniqlo last year, there tends to be lots of hype around those releases,” she said. “There are countless other examples. Alexander Wang with H&M did very well.”

Williams is now teaching fashion journalism, a course being offered at FCLC for the first time. The course fulfills requirements for both the journalism major and the fashion studies minor.

According to Williams, the common direction of these collaborations is from high-to-low, labeling the high fashion brands’ exclusive names on more accessible fast-fashion brands. “If you notice, high fashion designers will do projects with fast-fashion retailers, distilling a coveted aesthetic, like Rodarte for Target or Balmain for H&M, mak-

to buy a product they otherwise wouldn’t have just because of the name that’s attached to it.”

Another example is the Italian fashion house Missoni collaborating with American footwear company Converse.

When the iconic Missoni High fashion deprint clashes with the signature Consigners will do projverse style, the resulting product is ects with fast-fashion an amalgamation of retailers, distilling a the fashion pride between the two councoveted aesthetic, like tries.

“I love the MisRodarte for Target soni print. My mom used to have this or Blamain for H&M, Missoni scarf. It is making it available to the heritage of the brand, and the print many. means so much,” Ella Grace, FCLC AIMEE WILLIAMS, professor of ’19, said. She menfashion journalism at FCLC. tioned that because of her mother, the Missoni print has a personal meaning to her—elegance. “[Missoni print] the time, but there is also boyfriend beautiful. It catches the eye, and jeans and bomber jackets, things you you have it Xon cheaper products,” wouldn’t necessarily see from Tom- Grace said. my Hilfiger in the past. It was more The price point for Missoni can like trendy, model-off-duty look,” be high. Long cardigans are around Kelsey Tetzlaff, FCLC ’17, said. $1,300 to $2,000, coats are around As a college student, Tetzlaff $3,000 to $4,000 and scarves are thinks that the collection hits a de- around $100 to $600. However, in cent price point for designer-made this collaboration, the Converse goods with a celebrity endorse- shoes with Missoni prints range in ment, ranging from sweatshirts price from $65 to $140. for $95 to skinny fit jeans for $185.

Grace noted the price increased However, when there’s the option of compared to the regular Converse. cheaper fast-fashion, Tetzlaff usu- “They went up, but I think it’s to be ally wouldn’t spend her money on expected with the high-end brand.” moderately-priced designer clothes.

“I wear sneakers a lot and I find “You also have to consider if I am that more and more people are weara college girl who loves Gigi Hadid, ing sneakers. They are sneakers elbut I am not really into the Tommy evated in a way that people are like Hilfiger brand, but I see that she’s ‘Wow. That’s so cute,’” she said. collaborating with him, I might be In the coming seasons, we can more inclined to buy that product expect to see collaborations domibecause I just love this influencer,” nate the fashion world. Stay tuned, Tetzlaff said. “These collaborations as hopes of your favorite brands have a tendency to persuade people joining forces may come to fruition.

“

”

PANDALOVEPHOTOGRAPHY/ FLICKR

Supermodel Gigi Hadid collaborated with fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger to create a youthful and exciting collection.

ing it available to many,” Williams said.

Besides these high to low fashion collaborations, an example of a celebrity-endorsed fast fashion would be supermodel Gigi Hadid and Tommy Hilfiger’s line presented during Fall 2016 New York Fashion Week. In hopes of reaching younger

shoppers, Hadid revived the classic American aesthetics of Tommy Hilfiger by incorporating this year’s hot pieces, such as bomber and faux fur jackets and cropped flare jeans.

When we think of Gigi Hadid, we imagine her wearing short tops and pieces that would emphasize long legs, which is exactly how the new

Making a Difference, One Smile at a Time

By REESE RAVNER AND CARSON THORNTON GONZALEZ Features Co-Editor and Contributing Writer

Operation Smile, endearingly dubbed “Op Smile” by its members, aims to raise money and awareness for children in third world countries with cleft lips and other facial deformities. All of the money raised by Op Smile helps fund surgeries for children.

“Our goals are, of course, to raise as much money as possible to be able to help countless amounts of kids receive their surgeries. As important as the money is to our cause, raising awareness is just as important to our mission,” Michaela Browner, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’19 and secretary of Op Smile, said. “There are many ways to help the organization besides just donating, such as volunteer trips, so raising awareness for the kids is extremely impactful.”

The club’s largest event of the semester, “Songs for Smiles,” will take place Thursday, Nov. 17 in G76.

The purpose of this event is to raise awareness and collect donations. Attendees can enter raffles, win prizes, watch student performances and decorate T-shirts. “The shirts you decorate are sent to the kids who have surgeries to wear in the hospital when they are getting their surgery done,” Browner said.

IAN SOKOLOWSKI/THE OBSERVER

Operation Smile raises money and awareness for children in third-world countries with facial deformities.

“We love ‘Songs for Smiles’ because not only is it fun, but it’s a chance for us to raise a lot of money and awareness for a great cause,” Browner said.

“Songs for Smiles” is also what Maria Estelle, FCLC ’17, is most proud of throughout her three years

with the club. “Each surgery is $250,” Estelle said, “so, honestly, every time we have Songs for Smiles, we get at least one or two surgeries.” The majority of the donations that Operation Smile receives are through ticketed events like this one.

Operation Smile has hosted

various events in the past, including movie nights, game nights and Bingo nights.

Operation Smile offers a host of roles to those who would like to join. Since many of Op Smile’s EBoard members are seniors, there will be new opportunities for leader-

ship roles within the club next year.

Members may be involved as much as they choose, from attending weekly meetings to helping plan events. Not only do members of the club do work at Fordham, but they are also able to volunteer off-campus, according to Estelle.

What is the future of Operation Smile at Fordham? Estelle described a number of directions the club could take. “There are college programs,” Estelle explained, “there is one called U-Voice where we are planning on maybe trying to get some people to get [student] funding to be able to go on missions.” Estelle elaborated that volunteers have the opportunity to travel internationally, interact with the patients they are helping and scrub in on surgeries. As Operation Smile is an international organization, the possibilities to volunteer and donate differ from any other club at Fordham College at Lincoln Center.

“People should join Operation Smile because not only is it a fun, event-filled club, but we represent a mission and a cause that is engaging with the world around us,” Browner said. “When you join Operation Smile, you are bringing a child who may not have access to safe, effective surgery one step closer to a new and improved health.”

Operation Smile meets every Friday at 12:30 p.m. in room G73, next to Argo Tea.

Sports & Health

Sports & Health Editor Mohdshobair Hussaini - mhussaini2@fordham.edu November 3, 2016 THE OBSERVER

Rams Look Forward to Playoffs in Fall Sports

By ARTEMIS TSAGARIS Contributing Writer

As part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I and the Atlantic 10 (A-10) Conference in cross country, golf, soccer, tennis and volleyball, the Fordham athletic programs are off to a great start. Hoping to follow up on impressive seasons last year, fordham fall sports have been excelling so far.

FOOTBALL: The Fordham football team finished with a 9–3 record in 2015 and was one of the three Fodham teams that reached the NCAA playoffs. As of Nov. 1 the football team’s record is 5-3. The Rams had a record-setting win over Elizabeth City University in the home opener and an impressive victory over The University of Pennsylvania at homecoming. In a 44–37 win over Yale University on Jack Coffey Field, quarterback Kevin Anderson Fordham College Rose Hill, (FCRH ’17) completed 18 of 27 passes for 270 yards and tied his career high with five touchdowns, earning him the Patriot League Player of the Week honor. Junior running back Chase Edmonds, FCRH ’18, regarding this season, said, “It’s going well so far. I believe that it’s important for Fordham to continue the momentum as we get into the hard stretch of the season.”

Fordham will face Colgate in a rematch on Nov. 5.

VOLLEYBALL: Last year, the Women’s volleyball team finished the year with a final record of 8–23. Currently, they are 10–16. When asked about how the season is progressing so far, Kristin Ostach, FCRH ’17, stated, “I think we started off very strong at the beginning of conference[-play], with wins over George Washington and George Mason. These wins put us in a good standing amongst the other teams in the A-10, but after two losing weekends we fell to middle the of the pack. Although these losses hurt us, we are still in a great position to make playoffs.” She said that while the team is very good at serving, there is still room for improvement. “Our current focus for improvement is getting kills from all attackers more evenly distributed across the board.”

She is very optimistic that her team will make it to postseason. The team’s practice on kills was highlighted by the performance of freshman Olivia Fairchild, FCRH ’20. After recording

ASEAH KHAN/THE OBSERVER

Fordham’s fall sports teams are looking towards the post season as the regular season comes to a close.

57 kills across two matches, including setting a new record for most kills in a three-set match, Fairchild has been named the Atlantic-10 Rookie of the Week. The honor is Fairchild’s third this season.

CROSS-COUNTRY: In men’s cross-country, Brian Cook, FCRH ’18, started off the season on a positive note when he was named the Atlantic-10 Men’s Cross Country Performer of the Week. He won at the Metropolitan Championships at Van Cortlandt Park last week with a time of 26:12.8, subsequently putting the Rams in fourth place. This is Brian Cook’s third Atlantic-10 Performer of the Week award. This helped lead his team to a second place finish in the event, and at the Coast-To-Coast Battle in Beantown that took place in Boston, Massachusetts, he had a career best time of 24:48, finishing in 14th place over the 8K course.

In women’s cross-country, Fordham won the team championship at the Metropolitan Championships at Van Cortlandt Park. Individually, the Rams were led by Angelina Grebe, FCRH ‘18, who finished third overall with a time of 19:00.1. At the Coastto-Coast Battle in Beantown in Boston, Massachusetts, the women were

again led by Grebe and her seasonbest 18:30 time. At the Red Storm Invitational, hosted by St. John’s, the women took second in the 4K. Fordham was once again led by Grebe who finished fifth overall with a time of 14:36.40. Other Rams finishing in the top 10 were Sydney Snow, FCRH ’20, who finished seventh with a time of 14:48.60, Stephanie Leo, FCRH ’18, ninth with a time of 14:49.40 and lastly Cristina Ulto, FCRH ’17, 10th with 14:53.40.

GOLF: To continue. men’s golf recently competed in the Ryan Lee Memorial Tournament hosted by Central Connecticut State University this year, the team came out to a great start. Matthew Schiller, FCRH ‘18, placed in a three-way tie for second.

Joseph Trim, FCRH ‘18. came in fifth, only one stroke behind Schiller. The team completed its second tournament of the fall by placing 15th at the Hartford Hawks Invitational at Bull’s Bridge Club. Fordham then placed 12th at the Quechee Club Collegiate Challenge, and finished 11th out of 15 teams. On the weekend of Oct. 21, the men’s golf team traveled down to Lehigh University for the Lehigh Invitational where they placed fifth out of 12 teams.

SOCCER: The men’s soccer team currently has an overall record of 7–5–3. Last year, the soccer team finished off the season with a record of 7–8–4. The team is two years removed from when Head Coach Jim McElderry led the team to the Atlantic-10 Championship for the second time in team history. Fordham had four players who earned All-Atlantic-10 honors, including Janos Loebe, FCRH ’19, Jannik Loebe, FCRH ’18, Matthew Lewis, FCRH ‘18 and Rashid Nuhu, FCRH ‘19. This year has been an up-and-down season but has been highlighted by a 1–0 win over La Salle, which was also a milestone for Coach McElderry as it was the 100th coaching win of his career at Fordham.

The women’s soccer team finished the 2015 season with an overall record of 13–7–2. This year, their current record is 10–4–5. Entering her third year at Fordham, head coach Jessica Clinton has put the Rams in the title match for the third straight year. Last year, the team was 10th in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Mid-Atlantic Regional Rankings. This year’s team finds itself in the playoff hunt, sitting in sixth place in the Atlan-

tic-10 standings (10-4-5, 5-1-4 A-10) and boasts one of the top-ranked defenses in the Atlantic-10 conference.

Senior Brianna Blunck, FCRH ’17, said, “The season is moving so quickly. I can’t believe that tomorrow is my last home game as a Fordham athlete.

We’ve been working so hard to put ourselves in a good place as we look ahead to the A-10 playoffs. Hopefully we’ll have a few minor details click just in time for the final games of the conference. Our next three games are huge for us and we have big expectations…!”

WATER POLO: In men’s water polo, during the first week of competition, goalkeeper Alex Jahns, FCRH ’18, was named co-Defensive Player of the Week. Jahns and the Rams started off the year with a 2–1 record, beating Johns Hopkins and Navy.

This was Fordham’s first win against Navy. As the season has progressed, the Rams water polo team currently has a 13-11 record after losing to George Washington, but defeating Navy once again in a thrilling rematch. Fordham has thus far, had victories against La Verne, California Institue of Technology, Johns Hopkins, Iona and Mercyhurst.

TENNIS: Last year, the Women’s Tennis team finished off the year with an impressive 12–7 record, under Coach Betty-Ann Speliotis Liguori, and made it to the Atlantic-10 semifinals for the first time in team history.

The women’s tennis team opened this season by participating at the 2016 Quinnipiac Women’s Invitational where Mayu Sato, FCRH ’17, advanced to the championship at BSingles and Gianna Insogna, FCRH ’19, won the C-Singles consolation.

The team continued by participating at the West Point Invitational where Insogna won the C-singles and Destiny Grunin, FCRH ’17, advanced to the championship in the D-singles.

In the next tournament, the team competed in the Lehigh Invitational, where Estelle Wong, FCRH ’18, won the 2nd singles, Insogna won the 2nd singles and Grunin won the 4th singles.

Last year, the men’s tennis team finished with a 14–7 record. This season just started, however they have started 2–0, and earned their second win on Oct. 12, when they beat Rider University with a score of 6–1. The team also earned the doubles point to further solidify their win.

The Popularity of Fantasy Sports Continues to Grow

By ALEXANDER DIMISA Asst. Sports & Health Editor

While nearly 75 million people play fantasy football in the United States and Canada this year, according to Forbes, many people do not know very much about industry behing the game. Fantasy sports gives you the opportunity to draft your own team of players, trade them, adjust your roster and create a team fit for a championship. You can have the option to create your own fantasy team in almost every major sport, including hockey, basketball and baseball. Out of all of these sports, fantasy football is the most widely popular incarnation with celebrities, athletes (even National Football League players) and regular people partaking in this hobby.

Before its 2013–2014 season, Forbes conducted an in-depth analysis into the National Football League’s worth, determining that the company nets between $40 and $70 billion annually.

A large part of this market comes from the rise in popularity of daily fantasy sports. As opposed to regu-

ALEXANDER DIMISA/THE OBSERVER

Sports leagues prepare for the season by drafting players onto teams.

lar fantasy sports where you draft an entire team that will stick with you for the duration of the season, in daily fantasy sports you change players on a week-to-week basis. This pastime has led to some controversy as of late, because you must pay to play daily fantasy sports. Many state lawmakers, such as those in Alabama, and Arizona, view this as a form of

gambling, and have begun to ban the availability of these websites since gambling is illegal in several states.

Even with these restrictions, two of the largest sites, FanDuel and DraftKings, brought in nearly $1 billion in entry fees for the 2014 season.

That being said, the more popular brands of fantasy football and other fantasy sports are season-long free

leagues that are provided by several different websites, including ESPN, Yahoo and the NFL itself. In these leagues, friends and strangers ranging from groups of six to 12 people compete for the championship by selecting players with different positions. In these leagues and in daily fantasy sports, players accumulate points based on how well their chosen professional athletes perform in a given week. The amount of points varies based on position and the type of league. Essentially, when the players on your team succeed on the field, you succeed in fantasy.

This phenomenon of fantasy sports is active and prevalent at both Fordham campuses. Students will often gather together some of their friends and compete against each other for their league’s title. One such student is Alex Seyad, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’18. Seyad generally only plays fantasy basketball. “I am a Knicks fan through and through, but playing fantasy basketball gives me the chance to take an interest in players from around the league on other teams,” he said. This is a common

reason for playing fantasy sports; you develop a vested interest in certain players and the sport as a whole holds your attention when your favorite team isn’t playing.

Moreover, those who do not consider themselves a fan of a specific team or sport have an opportunity to get involved. Since fantasy sports involves quite a bit of luck, anyone can succeed. This gives people who don’t usually watch games a chance to interact more with their friends, and do well. Jon Oak, FCLC ’18, highlighted why fantasy sports is one of his favorite pastimes. He said that he greatly enjoys fantasy sports because “it adds a competitive layer to a sport I’ve always loved to watch, and it adds another dynamic to it because you essentially become an amateur GM with your friends.”

Fantasy sports offers fans, and casual watchers the opportunity to get more involved in their favorite sport, and add a new layer of competition to the game. Furthermore, it gives people a chance to become closer to their friends, and, meet new ones, all while partaking in a multi-billion dollar and vastly entertaining industry.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER November 3, 2016

Sports & Health

Slanina Looks to Succeed as a Ram

12

International basketball recruit finds new home at Rose Hill.

By ANGELIKA MENENDEZ Contributing Writer

Hailing all the way from his hometown in Brno, Czech Republic, forward-center Prokop Slanina is a sophomore basketball player currently attending Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ‘19. This is Prokop’s first year playing for Fordham, since he is a recent transfer from ASA College in Brooklyn, NY. He decided to come to the United States because it was easier to pursue both an education and his love for basketball here. According to Slanina, the mentality in the United States is very different from the Czech Republic.

As for basketball, he believes that in the U.S. there is more of an emphasis on individual skills, while in the Czech Republic it is more about a team’s skills as a whole.

“I like when both are combined, which is something Fordham has because all the players are extremely skilled, and [we] have great team skills together,” Slanina said.

Slanina will certainly not be alone when it comes to joining other international recruits on Fordham’s basketball team. Slanina will join Sinana Saglam, FCRH ’20, and Cavit Havsa, FCRH ’20, both of who are joining Fordham from Turkey.

Slanina grew up playing many different sports, including tennis and soccer, but at the age of 12 he decided to focus on basketball.

It was always between soccer and basketball for him, but given his height of six feet 10 inches, which he said is a big advantage, he decided that basketball was the best

option to give all his time.

Both Slanina’s mother and older sister played basketball as well. After playing in the Czech Republic, Slanina moved to Italy and played basketball for three years, which he said was a great experience for him.

In Italy, he did a long distance program with his high school that allowed him to play in Italy while still studying and staying on track for graduation.

Despite his travels, he said that

he does, but that he does not have any specific goals. For him, a comfortable life would be having fun, traveling the world, doing what he loves, learning new languages and meeting new people. Slanina received offers from other schools, such as Albany, but once he visited the campus and spoke to the coaching staff, the choice to come to Fordham was obvious.

His favorite part about Fordham is the hospitality from the students

“ I like when both are combined, which is

something Fordham has because all the players are extremely skilled, and [we] have great team skills together ” –

the Czech Republic will always be his home and that he misses his family and friends the most.

Slaninar holds many different basketball awards, including being on the second place Under-16 and Under-18 teams at the European Championships to competing in the All-Stars 5 in World Championship of High Schools in China.

To go with this, he was also named Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the national championship of high schools in the Czech Republic, where he graduated from Gymnazium Matyase Lercha.

In the future, Slanina said he hopes to have a happy, and fulfilling life and be successful in what

PROKOP SLANINA, FCRH ’18

and staff alike.

“It makes me feel like I’m at home. There are so many people that I can talk to and have fun with,” Slanina said.

When asked about his favorite part about Fordham basketball, Slanina couldn’t pick just one thing.

He said he loves everything, and that he cannot wait till the season starts and he can start competing.

He believes that there is a great group of people in the locker room that can achieve a lot, and he is most excited to be on a team that is a part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I basketball.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PROKOP SLANINA

A new recruit from Czech Republic joins Fordham basketball.