Fordham is getting closer to having a new core. College Committee members said a proposed new core would consolidate the core requirements of Fordham College, Gabelli School of Business (GSB), the Ailey/Fordham Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program and the School of Professional and Continuing Studies (PCS) into one.
The proposed core would shrink the number of required classes, notably some of the humanities courses of the current core. The proposal has sparked conflict between some faculty members regarding currently guaranteed funds and jobs in potential jeopardy.
The new core is scheduled to be finalized and set to a vote by the end of the spring 2025 semester. If passed, it will be in effect in the fall 2026 semester.
After four years in development, the core revision process is in its second phase out of three. The Phase Two committee is composed of professors from Arts and Sciences and GSB.
Faculty involved with the development of the new core said they are eager to see its implementation, including Johanna Francis, co-chair of the Phase Two committee for the Core Revision. Francis called the new
core an important and welcome change.
“It really puts forward a vision for what liberal arts education can be at its best,” Francis said.
The Phase Two committee will attempt to create a framework for the core based on the conclusions from phase one.
The main goals are a lessened number of required courses, increased opportunities for students to customize their courses and a more accessible process for transfer students.
These changes have received mixed reviews from some students and faculty. Katarina Strenge, GSB ’28, said that she is worried about the replacement of business-specific classes with other subjects.
“I don’t know, trying to change the core curriculum for Gabelli students, I feel like, would just screw us all over,” Strenge said.
Strenge complained that a new core would create additional stress on top of the demands of her GSB specific courses.
“Trying to figure that all out, trying to get all of your core classes in,” Stenge said. “It’s just unnecessary stress.”
Andrew H. Clark, co-director of the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program and professor of French and comparative literature, was one of the 12 members of Phase One of the Core Revision committee.
Council Member Requests Increased Police Presence in UWS
By STEVIE FUSCO Managing Editor
On November 22 2024, Council Member Gale Brewer of the 6th district in Manhattan sent a letter to the new police commissioner requesting “heightened police presence” on the Upper West Side.
Brewer called for increased
patrols in the NYPD’s 24th, 20th, Central Park and Midtown North precincts. Brewer also emphasized that the city should invest in mental health services and crisis response.
“We need more investment in mental health treatment,” Brewer wrote. “NYPD must treat mental health as key to public safety, and the Administration must allocate funding and implement more psychiatric beds.”
Water Polo Makes Fordham History
By CORA COST
Asst. Sports & Health Editor
This past weekend, the Fordham Men’s water polo team made program history and Fordham athletic history at the NCAA men’s water polo championship.
The team traveled to sunny California to play in the final tournament of their season at Stanford University. Their opening win in the quarterfinals and appearance in the tournament's semifinals marked historic finishes in Fordham's athletic history.
The Rams punched their ticket to the NCAA Championship by securing their fourth consecutive Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championship title on Nov. 24 with their 18-11 win against the United States Naval Academy.
Jacopo Parrella, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’25, was awarded the Most Valuable Player of the MAWPC championship and joined teammates Thomas Lercari, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’25; Barnabas Eppel, GSBRH ’27; and Luca Silvestri, GSBRH ’25; on the All-Championship First Team, with honorable mention James Oriskovich, Gabelli Graduate School of Business ’25.
Fordham arrived at the NCAA tournament on Dec. 6 as one of
the only non-California schools besides Salem University and Princeton University. For Parrella, he said there was something incredibly exciting about being able to represent the East Coast in California.
“It was an honor. The atmosphere and the environment was definitely something that as an East (Coast) team we never experienced,” Parrella said. “But,
at the same time we were super excited and super proud to represent our coast and our school.”
The NCAA tournament began for the Rams with their first game Friday night against California State University-Long Beach. The sharp-shooting talent of the Fordham squad highlighted by Andras Toth’s, GSBRH ’28, game-high four goals; Luca Provenziani, FCRH ’28; George Papanikolaou,
GSBRH ’25; and Silvestri all with hat tricks, and one goal each from Lucas Nieto Jasny, FCRH ’25; Balazs Berenyi, GSBRH ’26; and Parrella, led the team to a program first NCAA victory.
The exciting win against the Sharks sent the Rams into the semi-finals against the University of Southern California (USC).
Brewer’s request would increase police presence in Fordham’s Lincoln Center neighborhood. Fordham community members weighed in on this call.
By VEE VENNING Asst. Opinons Editor
In the Brooklyn Museum’s “Brooklyn Artist’s Exhibition” nestled among the work of over 200 local artists lies a piece of our very own Fordham community. Taken by Fordham Law student and self-taught photographer France François, Fordham Law School ’25, the inkjet print titled “Free Senegal” tells viewers a story of joy, rebellion and youth.
François said that she took the photograph while visiting Senegal in 2023, during which protests erupted following the arrest of Ousmane Sonko, the head of Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics, and Fraternity. Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison for “corrupting the youth,” a conviction that greatly damaged his chances of securing the upcoming presidential election. As a result, protests consisting mainly of Senegalese youth broke out and were met with violence from authorities. However, despite the brutality that marred these protests, François’ photo tells a different story.
Committee Prepares to Write Financial Values
Representatives from across Fordham’s community will propose guidelines and review investments
By SAM BRACY News Editor
A committee of students, faculty, administrators and alumni are to align the university’s investment strategy with its Jesuit values.
Once convened, representatives of the Advisory Committee on Socially Responsible Investing (ACSRI) will create ethical guidelines for Fordham’s financial activity and have the opportunity to review confidential information about the University’s investment portfolio.
The committee will have 12 representatives, per an email from University President Tania Tetlow. This will include two undergraduate students (one each from Rose Hill and Lincoln Center), two graduate students, two tenured or tenure-track faculty members, an adjunct faculty member, two alumni, two administrators and a Jesuit.
Tetlow said Fordham is the 12th Jesuit institution to form a committee to review investments.
Representatives on the ACSRI will articulate the university’s values and propose ways for Fordham to realize those values in how it uses its money. The representative for adjunct faculty appointed by Fordham Faculty United, Adjunct Professor of sustainability and environmental studies Sophia Huda, wrote in an email that it is important that Fordham aligns its financial policies with the ethics taught by its faculty.
“Money is a powerful tool that should be wielded responsibly. Putting your money behind a company through investing in their stocks, for example, is a reflection of the values that you
hold. Are those values one of profit above everything? Or are those values about making positive and impactful change in society? Are those values the same ones that are taught in the classroom?” Huda wrote.
The committee will aim to develop a framework for ethical investing before making recommendations for the university’s portfolio to the University Board of Trustees.
Nicholas Meetze, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’27, was selected by United Student Government for Rose Hill to be his campus’ representative on the ACSRI on Dec. 3. A double major in finance and philosophy, Meetze said that the committee’s aims are “right up my alley.”
“I’m super interested in bridging the interest between private
and public financial interests,” Meetze said. “Historically, it’s seen as a competing interest, what the public wants and then what the private firms want. But what we’re seeing both domestically and internationally is this push to generate sufficient returns while also taking into account various stakeholders and what the public actually benefits from.”
Divestment of university endowments from corporations and industries that are seen as unethical is a central demand of many campus activists. In the last year, environmentalist and pro-Palestinian student protestors called on Fordham to disclose the content of its portfolio and divest from fossil fuel companies and arms manufacturers respectively. Fordham does not disclose where it invests because the
strategies of mutual funds which Fordham invests into are trade secrets, according to Geeta Kapadia, Fordham’s chief investment officer. Kapadia wrote in an email in May that divestment is difficult because Fordham could not direct those funds to sell shares to a given company.
“Investors such as Fordham do not have the ability to direct a mutual fund company to buy or sell individual companies from a fund,” Kapadia wrote.
Fordham would have to wholly withdraw from those funds and reinvest to another, which Kapadia wrote could be disadvantageous.
“To divest from these funds, we would be forced to go out and find another fund that does not have exposure to the companies being targeted, which may be
less competitive with higher fees, which would translate to lower returns for the endowment over time,” Kapadia wrote.
The ACSRI would not only consider divesting from specific industries but also where Fordham should put its money. Huda wrote that Fordham should put its significant financial resources towards social goods.
“Ethics is not just examining what we shouldn’t be investing in but what we could be investing in and what kind of change and impact we can make with the financial power we wield,” Huda wrote.
At time of publication, United Student Government for Lincoln Center (USGLC) had not announced Lincoln Center’s undergraduate student representative for the ACSRI. Vice President of USGLC Daphne Mei, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’26, wrote in an email on Dec. 10 that a nominee had been selected by a handful of representatives on the executive board but had not yet accepted the position. Representatives for the Faculty Senate and the Administrators’ Council have also not been selected.
The ACSRI will not be the first group with access to details of Fordham’s investments to include students. Last summer, the Board, Advisors and Students working group formed to review the university’s portfolio, with a focus on environmental impact and carbon footprint. The group met through the fall semester and will present a proposal to the ACSRI early in the spring 2025 semester, according to Meredith Leahy, FCRH ’25, an environmentalist student who is on the working group.
Fordham SJP Rally Keeps Off Campus
Accompanied by a Fordham Faculty Senate chaperone, the rally marked the first SJP protest of the semester
By STEVIE FUSCO Managing Editor
Fordham Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) held their first rally of the semester on Nov. 21, breaking a period of relative silence after a series of major protests that punctuated the spring 2024 semester.
The protest began on the sidewalk in front of the Leon Lowenstein Center. The group deliberately gathered on the sidewalk to remain off of Fordham University property.
Arnaldo Cruz-Malave, a Fordham Lincoln Center professor of Spanish and comparative literature, accompanied the group on the sidewalk and followed along with them when they migrated to Columbus Circle to join the New York City chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement who were concurrently holding a rally of their own.
According to Cruz-Malave, Fordham Faculty Senate requested that a faculty member be present at the gathering and take notes for the Faculty Senate.
“They were asking to see if someone was available to perform the role of being a witness as to what happens in case something occurs,” Cruz-Malave said. “And to protect the rights of students and faculty.”
A member of Fordham SJP who requested anonymity for fear of retribution from the university said they felt it was really important to have a professor accompany the group at the rally.
“Professors at the university are our number one network of care and protection,” the student said.
On the sidewalk, the group held Palestinian flags, keffiyehs and signs in solidarity with Palestine and Lebanon amidst their respective conflicts with Israel.
A drought breaking rainstorm did not sway protestors as they moved from Columbus Avenue to Bryant Park. The protest was peaceful for its entirety.
One masked member of the group spoke and led chants
including, “Free Palestine, Free Lebanon, Free Sudan,” “Not another penny, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s Crimes,” and “Down, down with occupation, up, up, with liberation.”
Another member of Fordham SJP who requested anonymity claimed that the school administration contacted organizers and requested they hold the event on the sidewalk so it would not be on university property and considered a campus protest.
“University admin contacted
organizers last night when we posted the flyer for the event for the protest outside and they basically wanted to make sure that the event would be on the sidewalk and not on campus so that it could not be titled as a campus protest,” the student said.
The protest gathered around a large sign held up by the different pro Palestinian groups that read “The Student Intifada.” Speakers from other universities, including an educator from the CUNY system, spoke out against the “genocide of Palestinians” and the
“attacks on Lebanon by Israel.” After the groups converged at the center of Columbus Circle, the crowd marched down 59th Street alongside central park south, turning at 5th Ave. until reaching Bryant Park. The participants walked on the sidewalk, observed by New York Police Department officers who walked on the bus lane of the street.
The protestors stopped on the steps of the New York Public Library - Stephen A. Schwarzman Building to raise banners and chant again.
KEI SUGAE/THE OBSERVER
Fordham College at Rose Hill USG selected sophomore Nicholas Meetze to join the ACSRI.
KEI SUGAE/THE OBSERVER
A banner reading “The student intifada” held by protestors at Columbus Circle.
Gale Brewer Requests Increased Police Presence
Election results rippled through Fordham, but one group felt the election in a different way
NYPD REQUEST from page 1
Noah Hemley, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25, said that the responsibility of a council member is to accurately represent their constituents. In response to Brewer’s advocacy for mental health support during emergency situations, Hemley proposed that social workers could accompany police officers.
“I’d be more comfortable with social workers working in conjunction with officers after the officers secure the scene,” Hemley said.
Lauren Payne, FCLC ’25, said that appropriate responses to mental health crises are important for public safety, but putting that responsibility on police officers forces them to wear “too many hats.”
“I think time and money and training could be better spent and better invested if we just hired separate mental health workers to do those jobs instead of expecting police officers to do it all,” Payne said.
Brewer suggested an increase in police presence in response to an increase in reports of violent incidents. Brewer noted that the number of police officers in the 20th precinct fell from 120 to 79, according to a report presented at the Community Council Meeting on Sept. 17.
She also cited three instances of attacks on the Upper West Side between Oct. 31 and Nov. 20 of this year.
Ayman Moustafa, a worker at the halal cart outside of Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus, was a victim of a slashing on Oct. 10. The NYPD successfully found the assailant according to Moustafa.
After the man was caught and Moustafa switched from the night shift to morning, he said he was feeling safe.
“Now, I feel some safety,” he said.
Brewer wrote that “patrols were assigned intermittently” in the district and residents were “told that there aren’t enough officers available to maintain a consistent placement” prior to a shooting at West 68th Street and Columbus Avenue that occurred on Nov. 7. She also wrote that there has been a police presence
“on a regular basis” in the 20th precinct since the shooting.
Payne said that her experience as a Black woman influenced her views on law enforcement. She said police officers can be “an intimidating presence” after negative experiences she and her family members have had.
“My identity and past experiences heavily influenced my views,” Payne continued. “Being a young Black woman and having negative interactions with police have impacted that.”
Georgia Craddock, Fordham
College Rose Hill ’26, said that there were circumstances that required a police presence, but she said that she had reservations about NYPD officers on or surrounding campus. Craddock said because of the protections provided to students by Fordham Public Safety, she doesn’t think NYPD officers need to be on campus for every situation.
“If it’s a real serious situation where they have to show up, then absolutely show up,” Craddock said. “But if it’s a situation that’s near campus or that’s kind of in
the area I feel like they don’t have to focus on campus.”
Extra subway patrols and campus protests in the spring contributed to record overtime costs for the NYPD, exceeding $1 billion in FY2024 according to the annual Mayor’s Management Report.
At the time of publication the NYPD has not publicly responded to Council Member Brewer’s request.
Sam Bracy and Charlie Kuster contributed additional reporting to this story
The People Behind Immigration Policy
Fordham faculty voices challenge the narrative from advocacy to academia
By SHINE ALAGBA Contributing Writer
As migration policy remains a subject of fierce debate in the United States, the crux of the debate is the human lives impacted by these policies.
Fordham professors offered diverse insights into the dehumanization of immigrants in migration policy and political debate, and highlighted what America will look like after President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration.
Sarah Lockhart, assistant professor of political science, has spent years studying how governments manage migration flows and expressed her opinion on what migration policy should look like.
“A good migration policy would be one that provides opportunities for people to migrate and do so safely and that meets both the needs of sending stays and receiving stays that abides by international law and the refugee convention,” Lockhart said.
Lockhart said she is alarmed by Trump’s proposed migration policies.
“How do I think Trump’s proposed policies comply with that? They don’t at all,” Lockhart said. “He wants to reduce pathways for migration. He wants to close the border. He wants to disregard refugee law and just the basic human rights of people.”
Lockhart said that Trump’s proposed immigration policy will tear apart families. She noted that past presidential administrations like the Joe Biden and Barack
Obama administrations were not pro-immigrant either.
“The Biden administration’s policy on migration was very restrictive, and (it) also violated international law,” Lockhart said. “One common characteristic is that neither of them were able to pass any immigration legislation.”
The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) One app was implemented by the Biden Administration. Carey Kasten, associate professor of Spanish, said the One app makes it possible for migrants to apply for an appointment with CBP but also creates needlessly complex procedures and heightens accessibility barriers to immigration.
“Unless you can show that you’ve met the qualifications of the CBP One application and had that meeting, you are unqualified from applying for asylum and will be deported,” Kasten said.
In September's presidential debate, Vice President Kamala Harris said that Trump lobbied to prevent a bipartisan border bill from passing to prolong debates around immigration and benefit his campaign. Lockhart said this decision was indirectly beneficial because the legislation was overly harsh.
“The proposed legislation that Biden had that Republicans torpedoed was way more draconian than what Republicans were proposing back in the 90s,” Lockhart said.
Lockhart’s research highlighted a troubling trend in U.S. immigration policy — an overemphasis on control and restriction rather than creating pathways for
legal migration.
“I think we often focus on this like an immediate crisis and we think there are too many people coming,” Lockhart said. “We overlook the fact that we have labor demands. Immigrants are often the people that are going to bring energy and vitality to our culture and to our economy.”
Kasten focused on migration’s cultural and humanitarian aspects. Her work with the Fordham Initiative on Migrants, Migration and Human Dignity — a program that sends students and faculty to the Arizona-Mexican border — gave her firsthand experience with these individuals’ challenges.
Kasten’s work is a reminder that migration is about more than borders. Humanitarian aid workers, migrants and immigrants alike face an uncertain future.
Kasten said she has been in touch with the Jesuit Refugee Service, a Catholic organization that assists and advocates for refugees and asylum-seekers across 57 countries.
“They’re trying to get a new grant from the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and it looks like maybe that money might disappear,” Kasten said. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen to government money, and so people are grabbing for things right now, and writing grants really quickly.”
Natasha Tiniacos, an adjunct Spanish professor, who came to the U.S. as an asylum seeker from Venezuela in 2016, gave a personal anecdote to Kasten’s point. Tiniacos said immigrants like herself have been feeling vulnerable
since Trump’s reelection.
“It’s so many layers of vulnerability,” Tiniacos said. “I’m scared for the people from my country, members of my family that are still waiting for an asylum interview.”
Some immigrants are attempting to rush their naturalization out of fear for the future, according to Tiniacos.
“I have friends getting married just because they are scared of what will happen,” Tiniacos said.
Tiniacos said she feels privileged because of the swift process for her to be granted asylum and her life in New York.
“It was super fast in 2019. I think, overall, the paperwork took less than six months. I was interviewed in December and they granted me asylum in January. I don’t know a story like mine that is so fast,” Tiniacos said.
However, she still faces
difficulties, and she is trying to become a naturalized citizen.
“I don’t have a passport. I have a green passport that is called a refugee document,” Tiniacos said. “I lost a plane because they didn’t know what it was … You don’t feel validated as a citizen.”
Despite her hardship and Tiniacos’ desire to become a citizen of the U.S. for herself and her family members, she is proud of her background.
“I just wish I could speed up my process of citizenship, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop being from Venezuela,” Tiniacos said.
The broader policy implications discussed by Lockhart, Kasten and Tiniacos present immigration as both a political issue and a human one.
Sam Bracy contributed additional reporting to this story.
MILO POWELL/THE OBSERVER Police stand on the corner of Columbus Ave and 82nd street.
KEI SUGAE/THE OBSERVER
Professors Lockhart and Kasten discussing immigration policies in the U.S.
Students Struggle to Reach their Advisors
Spring 2025 registration raised issue of communication between students and their advisors
By PARIS MATHUKU Asst. News Editor
As the spring semester approaches, Fordham students are struggling to navigate the registration process, including maintaining the balance between class availability, degree requirements, and personal interests.
Advisors assigned by the Office of Academic Records consistently emailed their students with reminders to have their advisor holds lifted and their courses planned by their specific registration date.
Kimberly Malone, director of Academic Advising for first and second year students at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), said that the goal of the advisory model is to let students guide their own paths.
“It’s almost student-led in the sense that our goal is to help you fulfill what it is that you’re trying to do ... how do students feel about being here? Do they have a sense of belonging?” Malone said.
Malone emphasized that the advisory group focuses on holistically reviewing students as opposed to completing a checklist of course requirements without meaningful discussion.
“Especially for first-years, we go out of our way with advising webinars and emails and things of that nature and requiring all first-year students to meet with their advisor so they could build that rapport and then be able to work together going forward,” Malone said.
Malone continued to emphasize building a relationship with your advisor so they can better understand your needs. She
explained how different students have different needs.
“They’re not just coming to talk about registration, they have other things that are going on that sitting with me on a regular basis helps them to feel grounded, right?” Malone said.
“And then I have other students who, you know, maybe they’re having challenges academically.”
Malone said she sets up a recurring biweekly schedule with students in those situations.
“Everything is supposed to be customized to the individual student,” Malone said.
However, some students have voiced concerns over the limited availability of meeting times.
Sophie Cammarano, FCLC ’28, said the entire registration process was difficult, starting from just scheduling a meeting with her advisor.
Cammarano said that she was only able to meet with her advisor after her registration date had passed.
“I was waiting on the zoom for at least an hour and a half before she got to me. So that was a little bit frustrating,” Cammarano said. “But once she actually did get to me, she definitely did help me with my courses.”
Other students voiced how it was difficult for them to register for the classes they wanted.
Molly Ryan, FCLC ’28, explained that, despite preparing for registration by making two different plans for her schedule with the “Plan Ahead” feature suggested by advisors, she was left disappointed.
“I got two classes from each of them, but then my whole plan kind of went all over the place,”
Ryan said.
Ryan said she overcame her “messy” schedule by choosing what classes were left over, but was not able to check Rate My Professor for two classes.
“It’s just going to have to work because it’s the only option,” Ryan said.
Leela Antigua, Gabelli School of Business ’28, said she also struggled to find well reviewed professors through Rate My Professor that accommodated her schedule.
“I honestly kind of gave up like I didn’t really overcome it. These are the only classes that really fit in my schedule so I have to deal with not the best rated professors,” Antigua said.
Malone added a counselor’s point of view to this discussion.
“I always encourage students to be careful with how they interpret reviews,” Malone said. “Sometimes you might have a
professor that seems to be poorly rated, but if you’re a student that likes to do all your work and likes to read all your books, that could be a great professor for you.”
However, Antigua took a different approach in researching potential classes and professors.
“I asked around to hear people’s recommendations for professors, their experiences, what the class is like, how it was structured and just using that as resources,” Antigua said. “Even though I use Rate My Professor, it’s not as accurate as just literally asking someone that took something.”
Antigua encouraged her fellow students to reach out to their advisors if they feel overwhelmed with the registration process.
“I would definitely talk to your advisors because they’re just super easy to get in contact with and also just talk to other students,” Antigua said.
A New Core For All
Advisors, too, are feeling the pressure of the busy registration season. Malone said she believes advisors oversee a manageable number of students, but that it can be “a bit much” at times.
“In the peak season, advising ebbs and flows,” Malone said.
However, as head advisor, Malone said she encourages her advisors to see every meeting with a student as an opportunity to get to know them better. By developing their relationships with students over time, Malone described how advisors can acquire a better understanding of individual students’ needs.
Head advisors encourage the utilization of advisor walk-in advising hours and connecting with professors for insight into class expectations. With the semester just around the corner, students are also encouraged to finalize their schedules before the add/drop period in January.
The first new core curriculum since 2009 is in progress for Fordham undergraduate students
Clark said that teaching courses with an interdisciplinary method was a key feature of the Phase One committee’s proposal. However, Clark said that the Phase Two committee had decentered interdisciplinary studies in their recent proposals.
“I think what we in Phase One had thought was the most significant part of our proposal, they had made it optional,” Clark said.
Francis said that the Phase Two committee worked hard to enact the Phase One Core Curriculum Revision committee’s recommendations.
“We’ve talked to many of the faculty who are on Phase One, and they seem pretty happy with the work that Phase Two is doing,” Francis said.
Francis also said that a reduced core would open opportunities for students to pursue their own academic goals.
“Because the core will be smaller, it will be easier for students to take double majors plus a minor,” Francis said. “The core is going to have other components that can allow you to explore topics in fields outside your major.”
Associate Dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) Robert Moniot said the new core would expand interdisciplinary studies, which are currently relegated only to the Interdisciplinary Capstone Core (ICC) course requirement.
“The first planning committee was tasked with coming up with a core that is smaller and has a
good rational basis,” Moniot said. “I think one of the things with interdisciplinarity, which in the present core is explicitly represented only by the ICC.”
According to the Phase One Deliverables, there is no place in the new curriculum for the ICC or the currently required Eloquentia Perfecta (EP) courses. Instead, Clark said interdisciplinary and EP courses were the “general spirit” of phase one.
The main vision of the Phase One Deliverables was to create
more interdisciplinary experiences for students while furthering Jesuit values, such as appreciation for human dignity.
According to Clark, the Phase One Core Curriculum Revision committee’s hope was that the new core would be entirely interdisciplinary.
“In that hope was therefore to create a much more integrative and interdisciplinary based core where faculty from a variety of different perspectives and disciplines could participate in
it,” Clark said. “It would be more around problem solving and thinking about key strategic and significant problems that are in our world.”
Currently, the Phase Two committee is meeting throughout the remainder of 2024. The proposed core is hoped to be submitted to the Faculty Senate for a vote this spring.
Phase Three will work to implement the new core, if it is approved by a Faculty Senate vote.
Evan Cain, FCLC ’26, said she worried about the logistics of implementation and wondered if the new core would apply to current students, or only the incoming first-years of the 2025-26 academic year.
“That would just screw all of us over,” Cain said. “I think that the new core should only apply to the freshmen.”
More information about the proposed core is to come in the spring semester.
STEVIE FUSCO/THE OBSERVER
From left to right: Directors of Academic Advising Kimberly Malone and Beth Markowitz
IKMA INUSAH/THE OBSERVER
The new core aims to further Jesuit values by expanding interdisciplinary studies
CORE PLANS from page 1
Experts Debate the Crisis of Democracy
Authors and panelists discuss how flaws in the Constitution suppress majority rule
By MICHELLE WILSON Asst. News Editor
Legal scholars and Fordham professors discussed how flaws within the structure of the Constitution obstruct democratic processes at a panel event hosted by the School of Law and the School of Arts and Sciences on Nov. 21.
Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and Madiba Dennie, deputy editor and senior contributor at the Balls and Strikes newspaper, reflected on Chemerinsky’s book, “No Democracy Lasts Forever,” and proposed solutions to challenges facing democracy.
Panelists Julie Suk, Fordham law professor; Robert Hume, interim dean of Arts and Sciences, and chair of the political science department; and John Davenstory, philosophy professor; served as interlocutors.
“The premise of my book and my talk today is that I’m very fearful for the future of American democracy,” Chemerinsky said.
Chemerinsky said flaws within the three branches of the federal government have facilitated what he called a crisis of democracy.
“The crisis of American democracy in large part stems from choices that were made in drafting the Constitution,” Chemerinsky said.
Chemerinsky expressed concern that many Americans appear to have lost faith in their government. Chemerinsky cited a Pew Research Center poll from October 2023 that found 19% of Americans expressed confidence in the government, down from 77% in 1964.
With increasingly polarized elections, Chemerinsky said the electoral college is deleterious to democratic values.
“I think it was a terrible mistake in 1787 and remains one today that the president is chosen not by the people, not by popular vote, but by the electoral college,” Chemerinsky said.
Chemerinsky said the electoral college was less problematic in the 20th century because every president-elect won the popular vote. However, two winning presidential candidates lost the popular vote in this century, in 2000 and 2016.
Chemerinsky said abolishing “winner take all,” the policy of apportioning all of a state’s electors to the candidate who wins a majority of the popular vote in that state (practiced in all states except Maine and Nebraska), would ameliorate the negative effects of the electoral college.
This policy is not grounded in a constitutional provision and could be eradicated via Congress or state legislature.
“No state wants to engage in unilateral disarmament … But I believe that Congress has the authority by statute to eliminate winner take all,” Chemerinsky said.
Chemerinsky and Dennie agreed that partisan gerrymandering is another major issue compromising elections. Gerrymandering occurs when the political party in control of a legislature draws state electoral districts to maximize their party’s advantage.
“It’s become commonplace for partisans to use computer simulations to create breathtakingly precise gerrymanders that dilute the value of a person’s vote,” Dennie said.
Dennie said the unlimited expenditure of billionaires into funding elections further suppresses majoritarian democracy. Elon Musk alone donated a
quarter of a billion dollars to the Trump campaign according to campaign finance reports.
“So it has become typical for billionaires to pour their wealth into campaigns to skew the political process,” Dennie said.
As for the Supreme Court, the panelists, alongside 75% of Americans, support term limits for justices, according to a poll released by the University of Pennsylvania. Dennie said that the Supreme Court had lost its credibility after a series of highly controversial decisions and ethics scandals.
Dennie said that the court should be limited in its power to reinterpret laws to protect civil rights from the court’s conservative supermajority.
“But when it comes to the Supreme Court, I think it's actually the reckless abandonment of the Constitution that has been so dangerous,” Dennie said. “I think about overturning much of the Voting Rights Act without any regard for the 15th amendment's protection, saying that a person's right to vote should not be discriminated against on the basis of race.”
As a solution, Dennie suggested that the court could be expanded to balance power between conservative and liberal factions without requiring a constitutional amendment.
“The size of the court has changed several times in its history, and also I think is just the most urgent step of Supreme Court reform that’s needed to stop the bleeding before we can do anything else,” Dennie said.
Chemerinsky said that equal
representation of states in the Senate is to the detriment of majoritarian democracy. This is one of two constitutional provisions that cannot be amended (due to Article V of the Constitution).
“In the last session of Con-
Democratic senators will represent significantly more people.
The urban/rural divide in partisanship has grown over the last two years, with higher concentrations of Democrats in cities and Republicans in rural areas, according to the Pew Research
“The practical reality of this (filibuster) is it does take 60 votes to adopt anything in the Senate other than budget reconciliation legislation or the confirmation of federal judges, Supreme Court justices and cabinet officials,” Chemerinsky said.
He suggested filibuster reform to decrease its ability to impede government action.
“One of the proposals is simply to go back to the old talking filibuster where a Senator has to hold the floor,” Chemerinsky said. Panelists even discussed the possibility of writing a new constitution.
“I would say for many of the reasons given in the earlier chapters and in the talk this evening, it’s long past time for a new constitution,” Suk said. “But the real question is, is there actually a viable path whether within our lifetimes or even generations past to get one?”
Dennie reflected on the dangers of major constitutional reform, with the potential for detrimental changes or even a secession crisis.
“I think that when you have a constitutional convention, you don't actually have any idea of what is going to happen in there,” Dennie said.
gress, there were 50 Democratic senators and 50 Republican senators, but the 50 Democratic senators represented 42 million more people than the 50 Republican senators,” Chemerinsky said.
As such, even though Republicans will hold a majority of seats in the upcoming Senate,
Center. This imbalance can skew political power because congressional representation gives bias to rural areas.
Chemerinsky also said Senate filibustering (when senators intentionally prolong debate to delay or prevent a decision) obstructs democracy.
Dennie and Chemerinsky said that they do not consider constitutional amendments to be out of the question, despite the challenges in passing them.
“I think that it always comes down to the public’s interpretation of the law, how people mobilize and what they will accept as to what the law means,” Dennie said. “It is not necessarily up to the court and not necessarily up to Congress. It is up to the public. And so the fate of democracy rests in the public’s hands.” Hume seemed to have the most optimistic outlook.
“I just hope that in thinking about the ways in which our constitutional system may have empowered anti-democratic and perhaps authoritarian processes, we don’t lose sight of how power majoritarianism also has the potential to enhance our democracy and how it's a matter of striking the right balance,” Hume said.
Chemerinsky said he concluded his book stating he hopes he is wrong.
“Very famously, Benjamin Franklin at the end of the Constitutional convention said, ‘A republic, if you can keep it,’ and my question to all of us is can we keep it?” Chemerinsky said.
COURTESY OF ROB YASHARIAN
Panelists proposed various solutions to bolstering majority rule without constitutional amendments.
COURTESY OF ROB YASHARIAN
The crowd at the constitutional law event.
COURTESY OF ROB YASHARIAN
Chemerinsky broke down how flaws in each of the three branches of impede democracy.
Sports & Health
Charles Guthrie Appointed as New Athletic Director
He officially joined the Ramily on Dec. 1 after a series of meetings with administrators and student-athletes
By CORA COST
Asst. Sports & Health Editor
Dec. 1 marked the start of a new chapter in Fordham Athletics with Charles Guthrie joining the Ramily as the new director of intercollegiate athletics and recreation. After an extensive search, on Nov. 18 University President Tania Tetlow announced that Guthrie would fill the position previously held by Ed Kull.
“ I had to pinch myself a few times coming back home to New York. ”
teamwork, leadership development, discipline, hard work, so much of what athletics brings to the student experience and that they are both athletes and students at the same time,” Tetlow said.
As a New York native from Albany, who attended both Syracuse University and the University at Albany for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees respectively, Guthrie is thrilled to be back in his home state.
“I had to pinch myself a few times coming back home to New York,” he said at the welcome press conference.
In both the press conference and the student-athlete session Fordham held before Guthrie’s tenure, Guthrie highlighted that his approach to leading a college athletic department ensures that student-athletes are at the heart of his vision.
Guthrie comes to Fordham from Akron University where he had served as athletic director since July of 2021. During his time in Ohio, he oversaw 18 NCAA Division I programs and 500 student-athletes according to Fordham Sports. Guthrie’s ability to connect with student-athletes shined through at Akron where he said he knew all 500 Zips by name.
The Akron Athletic programs saw a lot of success under Guthrie with 11 Mid-American Conference championships across 18 Division I sports. The men’s soccer team won the program’s first ever Big East regular season title and the men’s basketball team won titles in 2022 and 2024 that led them to the NCAA tournament, all according to Fordham Sports.
Before his tenure in Akron, Guthrie served in the athletic departments of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay; San Francisco State University; Clark College; California State University, Los Angeles; and University of California, San Diego.
Tetlow said in the welcome press conference for Guthrie that his hands-on experience and ability to connect with the athletic community at his previous universities were one of the main reasons he was selected by Fordham’s search committee.
“Charles, we hired you because of your welded experience. Because everywhere you have been, you are beloved by student athletes because you know them by name. Because you see them as people who benefit from the
“I know this, as long as we remain student-centered, and as you hear me talk a lot about that, student-focused and student-centered, we’ll succeed here at Fordham University. And we will deliver it in experiences that are meaningful,” he said. “I know that’s a big part of President Tetlow’s mission and vision is to make sure our students are leaving here and can impact the world. Thank you all for this incredible opportunity.”
“ Working in college athletics feels like a moving target. It is like you’re building a plane and trying to fly at the same time. ”
Charles Guthrie, Athletic Director
As the athletic director at Fordham, Guthrie will serve as an intermediary between student-athletes, coaches, faculty, stakeholders and all those who participate in Fordham athletic programs. Tetlow praised Guthrie’s ability to work with coaches to build programs up from recruiting to ensuring the success of current student-athletes.
“You are renowned for your ability to coach the coaches, to identify and retain and hire brilliant talent of those men and
women who get the best out of our teams. Who knows how to help us win and bring that tremendous pride and joy to our community when they succeed,” she said to Guthrie.
Along with the athletic programs at Fordham, the landscape of college athletics is constantly evolving, a fact that has not been lost on Guthrie during his extensive career in programs across the country.
“Working in college athletics feels like a moving target. It is like you’re building a plane and trying to fly at the same time,” he said at the press conference.
As he steps into his role as Fordham’s athletic director, Guthrie said he is ready to
continue to evolve Fordham’s programs alongside the changes in the wider college athletic landscape.
“We are ready to innovate and take full advantage of the new landscape of college athletics and what it can do to the university,” Guthrie said. “Our athletics has reached the tipping point in this new age of the transfer portal, NIL. And preparation for the outcomes of the house settlement and the never-ending changes impacting our industry.”
“ We’re developing a ‘Fordham’ strategy to ensure our program is well-positioned with the pending House settlement. ”
the start of his tenure in December, he has shared his hopes for the Fordham athletics program’s ability to evolve with the financial changes that will occur due to the settlement.
“We’re developing a ‘Fordham’ strategy to ensure our program is well-positioned with the pending House settlement. This includes coordination with campus leadership and external stakeholders,” he said.
Alongside the changes to the greater college athletics scene, Guthrie also has his eye on the environments within the athletic programs at Fordham. It is no lie that Fordham Athletics has struggled with student attendance at their games in the past. Ensuring the growth of school spirit and the support of the student-athletes and their respective programs is also top of mind for Guthrie.
“In order to charge ahead, student participation is required. That means showing up to games, wearing the maroon with pride and excitement, students bring a ton of energy,” he said. “On our end, we’re going to be aggressive in getting the entire student body involved in some capacity with Rams athletics.”
One of those big changes is the updates due to the House v. NCAA settlement that occurred earlier this year. The settlement is several class action lawsuits brought against the NCAA by student-athletes in attempts to reshape revenue sharing in college athletics, including regulations to Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and roster caps. The House settlement will affect every university differently but is at the forefront of everyone’s minds in college athletics, including Guthrie’s. With
Although Guthrie’s time at Fordham has just started, he has shown his willingness to connect with the student-athletes on campus and the Ramily as a whole from the start. From the moment his tenure was announced, he has shared his excitement surrounding his future work here at Fordham.
“I look forward to leading the athletic department and recreation and club sports here at Ford-
“I’m
and
ham,” Guthrie said.
excited to get going
go Rams.”
Charles Guthrie, Athletic Director
COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS
Tetlow welcomed Guthrie to Fordham and introduced him to student-athletes and the community at a press conference on Nov. 21, both pictured alongside Fordham mascot Ramses.
Charles Guthrie, Athletic Director
COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS
At the press conference held to usher in the new athletic director, Guthrie shared his excitement about joining the Ramily.
COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS Fordham University welcomes Guthrie, his wife Michelle, and two daughters Maya and Shiloh to the Bronx.
Undefeated Season Ends in Overtime
The Rams lost for the first time this season in the second round of the NCAA Championship
The appearance was the farthest any Fordham athletic team had ever gone in an NCAA tournament, an achievement the team was proud to bring home to the Fordham athletic history books.
“It was just incredible to achieve something like that and get into the semifinal,” Parrella said.
Unfortunately, the Rams’ incredible season came to a close with their loss in overtime to USC in the semi-finals of the NCAA water polo championship. Their season ended with a 32-1 record; the loss on Saturday was their first of the season. Despite the game’s outcome, the teams’ play this season has been nothing short of impressive. Parrella reflected on all the team has to be proud of and all the historic moments they have worked for this year.
“I was happy no matter what at the end,” Parrella said. “I was happy even before the game, because of everything that we have accomplished.”
The team’s historic season has cemented them as one of the top water polo powerhouses in the nation. Every game, they have put on an impressive display of pure talent and all the hard work the team has put into placing themselves in that status that is so often dominated by California programs.
With the end of the season, the Rams say goodbye to their senior class, Lercari, Nieto Jasny, FCRH ’25, as well as Papanikolaou, Parrella, Silvestri, Gabriel Melilloi, Paul Armingol and Mark Katsev, all GSBRH ’25. This group of seniors provided the team with both welded experience
and incredible talent. The bond the seniors have struck throughout their time together has made them a family.
“It was more than just a group of players, it was a group of friends, a group of brothers. Most of us are internationals. So, since the first day here at Fordham, we helped each other with school, with English and with everything possible,” Parrella said. “I was so proud to be part of that and I know that they are too. And then again, I’m happy because at the end, win or lose, what is going to keep is that friendship.”
The support from the Fordham community helped carry the team through their historic season.
Several watch parties were held at the Rose Hill campus to support the Rams and watch both games of the NCAA tournament.
University President Tania Tetlow took to Instagram, posting a story on her personal account to support the team. After their loss, she sent a university wide email congratulating the Rams on such an outstanding season.
“This weekend, Fordham showed California what The Bronx can do,” Tetlow wrote in an email. “They made us so proud.”
The Rams are grateful to have the support of the greater Fordham community.
“A big thanks to all our supporters. We want them to know that they are part of our family and that they were part of our team since the first day,” Parrella said.
As the Rams place this season in the history books, all those who have followed them this year can only patiently wait to see what the future holds for Fordham water polo.
Rams Topple Farleigh Dickinson Knights at Home
Fordham secured an 84-75 home victory over FDU as sophomore Jahmere Tripp returned to the court
By WINSON ZHENG
Asst. Sports & Health Editor
The Fordham men’s basketball team hosted the Fairleigh Dickinson (FDU) Knights at the Rose Hill Gymnasium last Wednesday night and claimed an 84-75 victory in a high-energy matchup.
The game marked the season debut for sophomore guard Jahmere Tripp, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’26, who missed the first four games due to injury. Tripp made an immediate impact, scoring in double figures and electrifying fans with his efficient scoring abilities and defensive hustle.
Along with Tripp, the Rams’ starting lineup featured Japhet Medor, Gabelli Graduate School of Business (GGSB) ’25; Jackie Johnson III, FCRH ’25; Romad Dean, FCRH ’26; and Abdou Tsimbila, FCRH ’25.
In the final stretch, the Rams maintained their composure to secure the 84-75 victory.
Fordham won the tipoff, and Tripp wasted no time getting on the board. He opened the scoring with a floater in the paint, followed by a driving layup on the left side to give the Rams an early 4-0 lead. FDU responded quickly with back-to-back baskets, setting the tone for a competitive first half.
Head Coach Keith Urgo later praised his team’s energy and
effort while he also said that there is room for continued improvement.
“We played a good 20 minutes — I’ll take 20 — we got to keep striving until we get to 40 minutes of playing harder and more together than our opponent,” Urgo said.
Early on, the Rams relied on their defense, with Tsimbila — ranked fourth in Fordham history in blocks — protecting the rim. Fordham’s game plan centered on attacking the offensive glass and capitalizing on turnovers, but FDU’s offense kept pace.
At the 14-minute mark, a controversial play by Joshua Rivera, FCRH ’26, led to a flagrant one foul after an elbow to the chin of the Knight’s guard Brayden Reynolds, FDU ’26, during a drive into the paint. This sparked a temporary shift in momentum, allowing the Knights to capitalize on free throws and take their first lead of the night, 16-14.
The Rams hit a cold streak from beyond the arc, missing their first 11 attempts. However, Fordham’s persistence paid off when Johnson drained a threepointer with eight minutes left in the half, reclaiming the lead at 21-18.
From there, Johnson began to heat up. He hit another deep 3-pointer to give the Rams their largest lead of the half, 35-26. With one minute remaining, Johnson sank his third 3-pointer of the half, pushing Fordham to a double-digit lead. Tripp added a highlight-reel moment, finishing an alley-oop from Johnson at the buzzer to close the half with a commanding 44-34 advantage.
At halftime, Fordham boasted
a 48.4% field goal percentage and an 88.9% from the free-throw line, while out rebounding FDU 22-13. However, the Knights remained competitive, shooting 54.5% from the field.
The Rams started the second half strong, with Johnson hitting a corner 3-pointer assisted by Medor to extend the lead. FDU countered with full-court pressure, forcing a steal and layup by Brown to trim the deficit. The Knights’ full-court press proved effective as they gradually closed the gap making it a one-possession, 60-57, with nearly nine minutes left in the second half.
Fordham responded with 11 straight points, led by Tripp,
Medor and Dean, to regain a comfortable margin. Tripp continued to dominate, showing his versatility on both ends of the court.
As the game progressed, FDU’s offense faltered, going scoreless for three minutes. Fordham took advantage, building a 14-point lead with less than seven minutes left on the clock. Johnson and Tripp led the charge, keeping the Rams in control.
In the final stretch, the Rams maintained their composure to secure the 84-75 victory.
Tripp finished his season debut with a double-double with 20 points on 70% shooting and 10 rebounds. Johnson led all scorers with 21 points, highlighted by
four 3-pointers, five rebounds and five assists. Tsimbila anchored the defense, with six rebounds, three blocks and six points.
In a post game interview, Urgo said that his team relies on fans’ support.
“We need all of the energy and all of the support that we can get,” Urgo said. “It is so important to have energy in this building. We know when there’s people packed in Rose Hill, it becomes Rose Thrill.”
The Rams faced the University of Maine Black Bears on Sunday night and secured an 87-72
tory. Next up, the team will play the Bryant University Bulldogs on Dec. 14.
vic-
COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS
Parrella playing in the semi-finals of the NCAA tournament.
WATER POLO from page 1
GRACE SANTOLI/THE OBSERVER
Rams player Abdou Tsimbila, FCRH ’25, slam dunks the ball while the Knights regroup after the play.
COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS
The Rams after the programs first ever NCAA win sending them into the semi-finals.
183 Miles for Climate Justice
Fordham student, Kenny Moll, united people to fight climate change by running seven marathons in seven days in Central Park
By JANE ROCHE Sports & Health Editor
Kenny Moll ran seven marathons in seven days to fight climate change. A daunting challenge to underscore a daunting cause. He called this challenge A Week for The World.
The project is for Moll, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’25, — with help along the way from his family members, girlfriend, fellow activists and friends — to run 26.2 miles a day for an entire week to educate and raise awareness and money for the Sunrise Movement, a youth organization to end the climate crisis through political organizing.
“Running is inherently political and tied to the climate,” Moll said.
Moll is an environmental activist who has worked with movements around the world and locally to actively fight universal injustices.
“ For me, fighting for environmental justice is fighting for racial justice, fighting for immigrant justice, fighting for housing justice and Palestinian justice. ”
Kenny
Moll,
Environmental Activist
Most recently, Moll stood alongside members of different social justice groups, including Jews for Racial Economic Justice, Undocumented Women’s Fund, Planet Over Profit and the Sunrise Movement to disrupt City Hall against Mayor Eric Adams’ administration’s 30/60 shelter eviction policy.
“For me, fighting for environmental justice is fighting for racial justice, fighting for immigrant justice, fighting for housing justice and Palestinian justice,” Moll said. “The worse the climate crisis gets, it’s going to exacerbate all those other issues.”
Moll has been a fighter his whole life. He was diagnosed with pediatric cancer as a baby, which took one of his kidneys, but he hasn’t let that stop him from running for causes important to him.
Moll took his drive for advocating for the environment and combined it with his passion for running; the latter an extracurricular he was not always dedicated to.
“I’ve always been kind of a terrible athlete,” he said. “I was on the cross country team in high school and I was always faking injuries to get out of meets.”
After high school, Moll returned to running and realized its effects. He trained with his dad in 2021 to compete in their hometown race, the Chicago Marathon.
“Being able to train with him really sowed the seed in me that this is something you can do with people,” Moll said.
From there, he saw an opportunity to unite people under a common cause. Moll is an avid marathon runner having run several marathons over the years, including the Chicago Marathon three times, the Jersey City Marathon and, most recently, the New York City Marathon.
“While training for marathons over the years, I realized how much time and energy I was spending. I realized I could also be using that time and energy to help fight against climate change, an objective near and dear to my heart,” Moll stated on the A Week for The World website.
The undertaking, however, saw some bumps in the road. Moll’s first attempt took place in Chicago. The very thing motivating the runner was what stopped him in his tracks. Chicago was hit with the same poor air quality and low visibility seen across the country in 2023 due to the wildfire smoke traveling down from Canada.
Even though Moll failed to meet his goal physically the first time around, he met it fiscally, raising over $10,000 for the Sunrise Movement.
“There is a world where I did it once and didn’t do it again,” Moll said.
But then, it came down to the reason why he wasn’t able to
continue A Week for The World in Chicago that led him to try again, this time in Central Park in New York City where Moll said he had access to a larger climate activism community.
“ It sparked a fire in a lot of other people to be like ‘Oh my God, this is the reason why he’s running.’ ”
Kenny Moll, Environmental Activist
“It sparked a fire in a lot of other people to be like ‘Oh my God, this is the reason why he’s running. Here’s a clear example of what will happen if we don’t try to make a change.’ So I think seeing how much it resonated with people and how much money we were able to raise and the difference that I think we were able to make pushed me into wanting to do it again,” Moll said.
For his second time around, the goal shifted. Instead of focusing on whether or not he could run seven marathons in seven days, Moll wanted the mandate to inspire people to take action in the climate movement.
“It was just really cool to see people who I know who are very engaged in the running world and not necessarily engaged with the climate action world to take it upon themselves to learn more because of the event, and to then get organized and mobilized with the climate movement simply because of the project and simply because it was presented to them,” he said.
This year’s A Week for The World took place June 9-15 and featured local activists who spoke to the group about their organizations and the climate crisis each day after the marathon was completed, another key contributor to the turnout the project received.
People showed up to listen to members of organizations like Sustainable Ocean Alliance,
Planet Over Profit and the Sunrise Movement, to name a few, after speakers spread the word through social media advertising A Week for The World and their educational contribution. Donations for the Sunrise Movement were collected onsite with QR codes and online through social media using a fundraising portal.
The marathons themselves acted as a form of outreach, as well. Out of 183 miles he ran, Moll only ran one by himself.
“We picked up a lot of supporters throughout the week,” Moll said. “We really started to build momentum with a lot of people who are in the park all the time. People who don’t normally run, started running more with us. And then we actually ended up getting a fair amount of people running their first marathon on the last day of the project.”
It was clear that Moll’s incentive was working, especially thanks to how accessible running is.
“Anyone can get out and run. It was really fun to see that. But then at the same time, learning that not everyone has the access to actually do that and that even though (running) is, I would say, the most accessible sport, there are still some really big disparities in the cooperation of the sport and who feels excluded from something like that,” he said. “We need clean air, clean water and we need access to outdoor spaces to be able to (run).”
“ We actually ended up getting a fair amount of people running their first marathon on the last day of the project. ”
Kenny Moll, Environmental Activist
Moll used running as an opportunity to mobilize people and symbolize the overall theme of climate change. The project showed parallels between running and engagement within
the climate movement. People joined Moll on his course who initially claimed to never be a runner or that they could not do it, he said. Similarly, he noticed the same thing about people in relation to their ability to make a difference.
“It was surprising seeing people see that people do have political power and seeing that there could be something done. I think there’s a lot of people who are so entrenched in this belief that everything has gone to hell and that there is no solution. But seeing the light in people’s eyes when they realized something could be done, ‘oh, I can target my climate anxiety somewhere to make a difference,’ that was absolutely the most incredible part of the whole project,” Moll said.
“ It was surprising seeing people see that people do have political power and seeing that there could be something done. ”
Kenny Moll, Environmental Activist
With the help of Moll’s family and friends, he is working to expand the project across the United States and internationally next year. The next step for the team at A Week for The World is to create hubs in different cities and have captains at each site to initiate a global challenge and make the project their own, he said.
“We want to get people plugged in so that they can feel like their voices are being heard throughout the project,” Moll said.
Fordham students can make change and can start by participating in A Week for The World.
“What’s going to protect us is us,” Moll said. “Change occurs when we organize effectively and come together to unite, to focus our energy towards where it matters.”
STEVIE FUSCO/THE OBSERVER
Moll’s friend and fellow activist Michael-Luca Natt ran six of the seven marathons with Moll, was a speaker after three and then clocked in to work afterwards.
Moll and his caravan of runners picked up cyclists that encouraged them along their course. On the final day, one cyclist biked the entire final loop around the park with the group.
Brand sponsors provided nutrition for the runners at the aid station including sustainable cans of water, sports energy bars, maple syrup and energy gels.
Opinions
With
To my first-year-self, any other eggs, and everyone else at our Jesuit school:
You don’t know who you are yet. Every day, you wake up, brush your teeth, comb your hair and stick some pomade in it so the quiff stays. Getting dressed is one of the biggest challenges of your day. Baggy T-shirts and short shorts are not doing it anymore, so you moved on to flannels and baggy jeans. You want to hide your body.
You are a student at Fordham University openly questioning your gender identity. People call you “he,” which makes you queasy. You feel stupid for having such a strong reaction to only two letters. You invalidate how you feel, claiming that you are overreacting. Everyone has these shameful feelings, and you should push them down. Pushing down your feelings is a quintessential step to feeling better about yourself, obviously.
You have been telling people to refer to you by any pronouns. Professors scoff and give the occasional “Well, that’s just stupid.” You realize that Fordham College at Lincoln Center is not the progressive Jesuit liberal arts haven it poses as. You finish your day with a breakdown on your McMahon bathroom floor. The floor is downright disgusting because you live with three boys. Bawling, you sulk into bed. The transgender thoughts follow you into your dreams, and then you wake up. Like I said, you don’t know who you are yet.
In that way, you’re like an egg. An egg is a slang term for a trans person who has not transitioned yet, a person who does not know how to name the feeling of gender dysphoria yet — someone who has not yet cracked.
Tennessee recently passed a law keeping doctors from “treating purported discomfort or distress” caused by gender dysphoria in minors. Last April, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit against the state of Tennessee to block the ban on “medical procedures … performed for the purpose of enabling a minor to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the minor’s sex.” The Tennessee government is taking away hormones from transgender youth.
Last Wednesday, Chase Strangio, representing the ACLU, argued that the law is unconstitutional because it contains a sex classification at the Supreme Court. As Solicitor General Elizabeth Prolagar pointed out, the law “is expressly defined in terms of treatments that are inconsistent with sex” assigned at birth. Sex classifications are a violation of the Equal Protection Clause in the constitution.
Gender dysphoria can cause dissociation so strong that you cannot process your emotions. You tend to beat yourself up for thinking you might be transgender. The government siding with transphobic arguments feels like confirmation of your internalized transphobia.
Inscribing transphobia into law does not help these children at risk. As Brett Kavanaugh said, “If the treatment’s barred, some kids will suffer because they can’t access the treatment.”
The period during which you are confident that you are transgender but feel as though you cannot transition is agonizing. Hormone replacement therapy is the single most effective method of alleviating your gender dysphoria during this time. While gender dysphoria leads you to desire spontaneous human combustion, it does go away.
Once, you were lying on your couch thinking about whether or not you were transgender. You were 11 or 12. You remember thinking, “I would love to be
For the Eggs
transgender. I would hate to transition, and I have no idea what it means to be a girl.”
You decide to come out the summer after your first year at Fordham. You are 18 years old. You begin medically transitioning, starting the awkward phase. The year after you came out as transgender feels like the most embarrassing year of your life. For the first time, you do not feel sexy, confident or cool. You feel cringeworthy. Whenever you correct someone on your pronouns, it reminds you of all the “I identify as an attack helicopter” memes you laughed at in middle school.
The awkward phase is awful because people start giving you double-takes as they are not sure whether you are a woman or a man. Your peers love to snicker at you for experimenting with gender expression. That being said, sometimes your outfits are revealing or downright unfashionable. You become the girl that guys will ignore in class but gawk at on the sidewalk.
Professors tense up the second you enter the room. They have no idea what you are but know they might be in trouble if they call you the wrong thing. You just want to learn. Class ends, and you stay behind to talk to your professors after reviewing the syllabus. You tell your professors that you are transitioning. You know what you look like — awkward, messy, in-between — but you want to be referred to by her and she. Your professors do not care.
Another semester goes by; you have given up on correcting professors because, at this point, you do not care. They are not going to get it right anyway. Some professors try their best to make you feel comfortable, which you appreciate. However, they still misgender you and do not understand that you want to be treated like every other student. It is okay. The awkward phase will end. People will still misgender you. It never ends.
Cisgender students love to take their sweet time in gender-neutral bathrooms. Most of your cisgender peers do not understand that gender-neutral bathrooms are the only place on campus where you can pee. You do not feel comfortable in the men’s bathroom now that you have breasts. You tried to use the women’s bathroom before, but one of the cafeteria workers cursed you out of there. Now, you’re scared to pee at Fordham.
Tennessee Solicitor General Matthew Rice, a former Minor League Baseball player, stepped up to bat, building the defense’s argument around the purpose and risk associated with being transgender and receiving these treatments. His argument was that the law does not contain a sex classification because they are banning hormones for both boys and girls. The law only targets those minors pursuing treatment as a means to transition from their sex assigned at birth. As Justice Elena Kagan said, “What’s really going on here is a -- a -- a discrimination against, a disregard for young people who are trans.”
The Court devolved into a “Twitter-like” debate about public bathrooms, trans women in sports, and, most significantly, de-transitioners. Rice claims
that the state has the right to make this classification because some people regret their transition. His argument that de-transition is shameful or unfortunate is rooted in an idea that transition is disgraceful or tragic. As Justice Sonia Sotomayor said in the hearing, “Every medical treatment has a risk, even taking aspirin.”
Associate Justice Alito cited the Cass Review throughout the hearing, claiming that “the risks of puberty blockers and gender-affirming treatment are likely to outweigh the expected benefits of these treatments.” Justice Alito’s alma mater, Yale Law School, published a series of papers and reports critiquing and debunking the Cass Review called the Integrity Project. They claim that “the Review repeatedly misuses data and violates its own evidentiary standards by resting many conclusions on speculation.” The Cass Review was cited ten times throughout the hearing.
General Prelogar quickly retorted to Justice Alito’s assertion, “If you actually look at how those jurisdictions are addressing this issue, they have not outright banned this care.” The Cass Review is a study commissioned by the UK’s socialized healthcare system, the National Health Service (NHS). The NHS currently allows hormone replacement therapy for those above the age of 16. However, puberty blockers are banned in the UK despite having been used to treat cisgender children experiencing precocious puberty for decades.
As they closed out the hearing, Justice Sotomayor asked, “Counselor, given your argument, you’re saying your state can block gender treatment for adults, too?”
Rice claimed “that a law dealing with adults” should be reviewed. Sotomayor countered that he was “licensing states to deprive grown adults” of the right to transition. Wavering, Rice stated if such a law were to be introduced for adults, the Supreme Court would likely overturn it, given that the Court “has not hesitated to hold laws unconstitutional … when they are rooted in unsubstantiated fears and prejudices.”
Justice Sotomayor responded, “That’s quite an interesting way to protect a population.”
While the Supreme Court is arguing over transgender rights, you are happy now. Don’t get me wrong, you are scared of what the future looks like for a person like you, but you have learned how not to let that get in the way of your happiness. There has been a legislative attack on transgender people in the last three years in our country. There have been 669 anti-trans bills introduced across the country this year so far which is quite dramatic for such a small subset of the population.
Transitioning is necessary for you, now more than ever. One day, you will look at yourself in the mirror and love what you see, and it will all be worth it to you. You will see a girl looking back at you. You have always seen that in yourself, but you will become it. You will fall in love with the art of becoming. Each day, you find strength in understanding that you are loved by whatever force of nature brought you to this experience.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
RYANN LYNN MURPHY Columnist
RYANN LYNN MURPHY/THE OBSERVER
Ryann experimenting with gender expression at age eight.
Logging Media: Motivation or Menace?
KATIE BROSKY Staff Writer
I barely skim the last page of a book before I rush to update it from “Currently Reading” to “Read” on Goodreads. It’s the same feeling I get when I’m watching a movie I’m not enjoying — pushing through just so I can log it on Letterboxd.
I browse the aisles of Barnes & Noble and pick up “A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.” 493 pages. I quickly put it down — it would take too long to read and throw me off track for my 2024 Reading Challenge. I want to rewatch “Napoleon Dynamite” for the 10th time, but it would be unproductive considering all the movies sitting in my watchlist.
I take a step back. I stop in the midst of writing a review to think: When did I start to enjoy logging media more than I enjoy consuming it?
Letterboxd and Goodreads are online social platforms designed for cataloging movies and books, where users can publicly rate and review what they have watched or read, facilitating the exchange of recommendations and new finds. Letterboxd was founded in 2011, and Goodreads in 2007, but both platforms rose in popularity in 2020 at the height of the pandemic when people suddenly found themselves with more time to consume media. Letterboxd now houses over 13 million users, and Goodreads has amassed an impressive 150 million.
This FOMO can make the experience feel more like a race to consume as much content as possible rather than a place to savor and explore what genuinely interests you.
These platforms took off by offering interactive reviews, tracking capabilities and a sense of community. I began using Letterboxd and Goodreads consistently in 2023 because I enjoyed how they pushed me to explore various more varied media. I felt motivated to expand my taste across genres and works I would not typically consume.
However, this pressure quickly grew more intense, and I began feeling like I was falling behind. These platforms create a sense of “responsibility” for users to stay up to date on all the latest trending content, and this pressure drives the
Reflecting on the purpose of Letterboxd and Goodreads
urge to watch and read more, all to maintain a certain social standing.
Goodreads and Letterboxd foster environments where you are constantly aware of what everyone else is reading or watching. Like Instagram, you see glimpses of exciting things that others are doing and start to feel the fear of missing out (FOMO) because you are not consuming the movies or books that everyone else is logging and raving about.
This FOMO can make the experience feel more like a race to consume as much content as possible rather than a place to savor and explore what genuinely interests you. It can also lead to the exhausting need to compare yourself to others — who has read more, who has watched the more obscure films, who has the most impressive shelf or profile.
The pressure evolves further, shifting from a general need to consume more media to a need to consume specific kinds of media. Both platforms encourage a kind of “taste performance” where users feel the need to engage with only the “right” books or films, especially those deemed culturally significant or critical darlings.
Such pressure often leads to people avoiding or feeling ashamed of the things they enjoy — like watching cheesy romcoms or reading genres that are outside of the “high-brow” distinction. Instead of engaging authentically with media, users feel compelled to present themselves as lovers of “serious” or “important” works,
even if their tastes are vastly different.
At their core, Goodreads and Letterboxd have transformed what otherwise would be private, personal experiences of books and movies into something that needs to be packaged and presented for an audience. The joy of reading a book or watching a movie is sacrificed for the sake of social validation.
When every piece of media consumed becomes content to be reviewed, rated or compared, the lines blur between personal enjoyment and performative engagement. Instead of feeling free to enjoy media for your own sake, you can start to feel like every moment of consumption needs to be justified or made public.
Given the pressure to consume the “right” amount of media, choose the “right” titles, and review them in the “right” way, how are we actually supposed to use these platforms?
Over time, we are conditioned to evaluate media based on what others say is “valuable,” often forgetting to trust our own preferences. I recently watched a popular movie that I did not enjoy at all,
but when it came time to rate it on Letterboxd, I hesitated. I felt this underlying guilt, almost as if I were betraying some unspoken standard of sophistication or cultural awareness. I had this nagging fear that others would view me as unintelligent, as though I had not fully grasped the film’s deeper meaning. It’s fascinating how easily we doubt our judgments to fit in with others’ ideas of the “right” way to view media.
It’s ironic, too, that in today’s landscape, humor seems to be the key to validation, often overshadowing thoughtful critique. This is especially noticeable on platforms like Letterboxd, where the top liked or rave reviews tend to be clever one-liners or sarcastic observations. It’s as though being able to make a joke about a film or drop a meme-worthy line has become the most valued form of engagement, adding an extra layer of performativity. Reviews become less about genuine reflection and more about how shareable your take can be.
Given the pressure to consume the “right” amount of media, choose the “right” titles, and review them in the “right” way, how are we actually supposed to use these platforms? First and foremost, users need to consider why they engage with certain content and how much they’re influenced by external pressures. However, if reflection alone is not enough for those who might feel they are caught in a cycle of performative consumption, there are other options to consider.
For Letterboxd, some users have abandoned the traditional star-rating system and embraced a more straightforward approach: heart or no heart. Without the need for a detailed rating, there’s less concern about whether a certain rating might be seen as too high or too low. This encourages a more personal, stress-free interaction with media, where the focus shifts from conforming to social expectations to simply expressing whether you liked something or not.
On Goodreads, I believe it is time to move away from the yearly reading challenges, which track your progress with a precise number showing how many books you are “ahead” or “behind” your goal at any given time; it is exhausting. The constant tracking not only adds unnecessary pressure but also creates a competitive atmosphere. It’s important to remember that even reading one book a year is an accomplishment! Even though Goodreads and Letterboxd were founded as social platforms, we can still use them in ways that avoid the usual pressures associated with social media. Rather than focusing on likes and followers or comparing our taste to others, we can approach these platforms as tools for personal explorations and genuine engagement with the media we love. By shifting our mindset, we can make these spaces more about individual discovery and reflection rather than feeling the need to perform and conform.
MILO POWELL/THE OBSERVER
Goodreads and Letterboxd foster environments where you are constantly aware of what everyone else is reading or watching.
AVERY GRAFELD/
New Year … Same Climate?
A few useful tips to reduce your environmental footprint in as you ring in 2025
2024 is the first year global temperature averages surpass the 1.5 degree Celsius increase that the Paris Climate Agreement pledged to prevent 10 years ago. As we enter the new year, it is imperative to reflect on both communal and personal environmental responsibility. As a college student, here are some tips that I have found helpful for the planet — as well as my wallet and health.
As people and corporations work to lessen their environmental footprint, artificial intelligence threatens to reverse any conservation efforts. According to AP News, a single conversation with ChatGPT uses about 16 ounces of fresh water. The sizable quantity is because the servers require cooling for the massive amounts of data they process. Whether you use ChatGPT for convenience or because your professor said it’s alright, scaling back your use can make a huge impact.
A more conceptual but just as important way to fight climate change is to expand your bubble of socialization and content consumption to learn about religions and cultures other than your own. We do not always realize that we live in echo chambers, and interacting with content and people outside your usual horizons boosts knowledge and compassion. It is also much easier to have dialogue around the issues of climate change when you have a better understanding of your intended audience’s perspective.
On the note of learning outside our circles, I learned about the seventh-generation principle in a Native American Philosophy class I took for my pluralism requirement at Fordham. You may have heard about the cleaning brand, but the concept originated as a Haudenosaunee principle. The Haudenosaunee are an Indigenous nation, sometimes referred to as Iroquois, that live along the East Coast of the United States and Canada.
The seventh-generation principle states that “the decisions we make today should result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future.” Though the brand could do more to support the community from which its name originates, they implement sustainable concepts such as zero-waste packaging, use of certified sustainable fibers and full ingredient disclosure, according to their website.
Eating “clean” is another way to stay healthy and help the planet. While eating less meat is great for the environment, it can be hard to do. I’ve found adding plants to my diet is more helpful than trying to cut other things out. I know that I usually do not eat enough fruits and vegetables, and though those are expensive groceries, other plants like legumes sell at a much lower price point and pack a lot of protein. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out The Veggie, a weekly newsletter from the New York Times that sends vegetarian recipes.
With the money you will save buying more beans, prioritize buying locally sourced meat and dairy. Buying local
animal products decreases transportation emissions and gives money back to your community. In addition, local honey can help with seasonal allergies, and raw honey contains more nutrients than its processed counterpart.
Another helpful change to your grocery habits can be to purchase more organic products. According to Columbia Climate School, “The lack of pesticides and wider variety of plants enhances biodiversity and results in better soil quality and reduced pollution from fertilizer or pesticide runoff.” The lack of chemicals is important for the health of both the planet and your body, and I like to think of the additional cost as an investment in that. Scrubbing your produce extra well when you cannot buy organic also makes a difference.
However you buy your food, in the process of consumption you will have food scraps that you are likely — as I was — throwing them away with the rest of your household trash. New York City is rolling out a mandatory composting system, so now is the time to start. Because I live in a small apartment, my roommate and I have found that the best solution is to keep our compost in the freezer before disposing of it in the orange bins that dot the streets. We bought a pack of brown bags (the kind you would pack your lunch in for a field trip) and always double-bag our scraps to avoid leakage.
The NYC Compost app allows you to see all the bins in your area and unlock a bin when you are nearby to drop them off. Composting prevents organic waste from going into landfills and is used to build healthier soil. The compost from New York City is taken to facilities in New Jersey and Staten Island and is aerated and turned over in facilities until it “is then either sold to landscapers or given away to residents and community groups,” according to the New York Times.
In terms of electricity, I thought I had little choice in the matter, as ConEdison was forced upon me when I moved. However, while college students living in apartments cannot reasonably purchase solar panels, there are still cleaner energy options.
If you live in New York City with ConEdison as your provider, you can sign up for Green Mountain Energy, a retailer that sources your energy from wind farms upstate rather than nonrenewable sources. Though it may be different for others, I have noticed no change in my energy bills since switching over six months ago.
To conserve even sustainably sourced energy, unplug anything that’s not in use. According to the National Resource Defense Council, devices that are unused but plugged in can cost hundreds of dollars per year in electricity bills. Unplug devices when not in use, particularly phone and computer chargers, which consume a lot of idle energy.
Public transit is one of the best conservation systems that we are lucky to have in New York. The money-saving tip “no sober Ubers,” popularized on TikTok, is great for the planet and easy to implement as a student in New York. The city has one of the best public transit systems in the United States, with trains and buses that
can get you almost anywhere. Utilize this infrastructure! Any map apps as well as the MTA Transit app provide timing and route information.
Another sustainable TikTok trend is Project Pan, which encourages people to use up the makeup they have rather than constantly buying more. With so many influencers posting about the newest products, this movement is a refreshing take. The name “project pan” refers to the phenomenon of hitting the metal pan at the bottom of a makeup palette. This trend applies to all products from nail polish to perfumes and colognes, and aims to decrease both consumption and clutter.
Something that using products for their full lives brings to light is how bad quality can be. Buying cheap items often leads to them breaking down quickly. While buying nice items can come with a daunting price for college students, thrift stores are a great option.
Living in Manhattan, I have found some of the best quality thrift stores with the affordable prices to be located in other boroughs or out of the city entirely in New Jersey. Classic and generally reliable options include Goodwill and Buffalo Exchange, both of which have many locations. Thrift stores require more effort on the front end, but can result in good quality, unique items for a fraction of the new price.
Along the same lines, my friends and I have gotten furniture, birthday gifts, plants and more from Facebook Marketplace, a social media app feature that allows users to list, sell and buy items near them. This is another way to find good quality items at great prices, or make a little extra cash while decluttering. Most neighborhoods also have a “Buy Nothing” Facebook group that encourages gifting unneeded items to those in your community who might need specific things, and vice versa.
As we enter into the holiday season, intentional gift giving is a must. Unwanted
gifts bring clutter, stress and waste, so try thrifting presents, making presents or gifting experiences for your loved ones. My favorite gifts to make are painted lighters and clay fridge magnets, and my favorite experiences to gift are concert tickets and massage appointments. In my family, I started a tradition of using anything but wrapping paper for Christmas, and our gift cases range from Observer issues to matchless socks.
Though I do use paper towels and other disposable care products, I have gotten on the train of reusable period products. Menstruation and menstruation products carry a lot of false conceptions and stigma that disproportionately harm women, according to UNICEF.
In addition, standard period products produce a lot of waste and have to be continually repurchased. However, there are several options for reusable alternatives that are safe, healthy and better for the environment as well as your pockets. Depending on each person’s preferences, options like cotton pads or silicone menstrual cups come at a slightly higher upfront cost but have years-long warranties.
My final tip might appear difficult at first but is an opportunity to reduce consumption and let yourself be creative: make your coffee at home. Making your morning beverages reduces plastic waste, saves money and can be a way to experiment and indulge. Preparing more of your own food does the same! If you’re feeling unsure, browse the internet for recipe ideas, or browse your pantry to see what you have already.
While not everything that works for me will work for you, I hope these suggestions can inspire small but sustained efforts of change. We all have our own areas to work on, but implementing lifestyle change helps us care for the earth and each other.
Climate reform is impossible unless we all take action.
LAURA OLDFATHER/THE OBSERVER
The compost bag my roommate and I keep in our freezer to avoid a bad smell. We reuse the clips and tips sheet each time we compost the bag.
LAURA OLDFATHER Opinions Editor
LAURA OLDFATHER/THE OBSERVER
A lineup of cleaning products under my kitchen sink.
LAURA OLDFATHER/THE OBSERVER
The makeshift coffee station in my kitchen windowsill.
Arts & Culture
A Day at the Columbus Circle Holiday Market
The annual holiday market near Fordham Lincoln Center’s campus features a wide variety of items
By KEI SUGAE
Photo Editor
Mere steps away from Fordham Lincoln Center’s campus, Columbus Circle’s Annual Holiday Market returned this year on Dec. 3. Hundreds of vendors gather each December to sell hot drinks, food and a large variety of hand crafted items for buyers. Ranging from roasted duck and dumplings, to Turkish baklava, and even the flare of the cheese wheel pasta, the market offers a diverse selection of cultural delicacies that visitors can enjoy.
Although the market draws fewer visitors than its counterparts in Bryant Park and Union Square, many unique vendors have shops only here at Columbus Circle. Dora Neiden, the craftsman behind vendor Ardrahan Metals, said that Columbus Circle is often where firsttime holiday market vendors are placed due to its smaller size.
The last day to visit the iconic holiday market is Dec. 31.
The market is open all day from morning to late evening and draws in a large crowd.
Likhâ sells various hand woven goods that are made in the Philippines and directly supports those in poverty.
Ardrahan Metals sells handcrafted jewelry that is made using wax casts to create odd and beautiful designs out of metal. The craftswoman behind Ardrahan Metals, Dora Neiden, is one of the friendliest people at the market.
Centuries Clayworks where artist Carlos Silva sells his miniature pots, cups and plates inside frames that freeze these tiny moments in space and time. Some framed pots and cups are even used to make up clocks.
Happy L Food sold Asian cuisine, including dumplings and roasted duck on full display right on the counter.
Cheese Wheel Pasta sells pasta made inside a large wheel of parmesan cheese that is melted with a blowtorch. The spectacle drew in many people on their phones filming the large flames erupting from the wheel of cheese.
Just Stars, selling handmade paper pop up stars that come with an LED light that illuminates the whole star.
PHOTOS BY KEI SUGAE/THE OBSERVER
Love Language Collective is Waiting on You
Fordham pop-duo ‘Love Language Collective’ discuss the evolution of their music and partnership
By EMMA DVORKIN Asst. Copy Editor
“We drive and we dance and we feel that love,” reads the caption for a TikTok video uploaded by the Fordham University-founded music duo, The Love Language Collective.
The video featured the two students and musicians, Matt Ellersick, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill ’27, and Kamalani Damaso, Fordham College at Rose Hill ’27, dancing in front of a Ram Van with on-screen text that read “POV: you both drive vans so you can afford a new microphone so your songs don’t sound like ditty.”
The song playing in the background is one of their two newly released singles titled “Feel Your Love,” a nostalgic indie-pop track reminiscent of some of their musical influences, such as Clairo and Rex Orange County.
“ We want to make music that we would put on our playlist. ”
Kamalani Damaso, Fordham College at Rose Hill ’27
Their playful online presence is balanced by their ambition to create music that resonates with their fanbase, which they envision to be much like themselves.
“We want to make music that we would put on our playlist,” Damaso said.
Ellersick and Damaso met through mutual friends during the second semester of their first year on a night out, where they had an
instant connection. Ellersick said they had “the time of (their) lives,” making each other laugh all night, eventually heading back to Damaso’s dorm at 3 a.m. to show each other their demos. They agreed that night to set up a time to make music together, and from there, spent the rest of the semester writing music. That summer, Damaso visited Ellersick in California, where they finalized “Feel Your Love” and began working on other tracks.
“If I heard ‘Feel Your Love’ when I was 13 years old, I would have thought this was a banger,” Ellersick said.
The duo’s chemistry is undeniable. Damaso said, “When Matt has a vision, I fully understand it.” While she had been passionate about music her whole life, she was inactive during the beginning of her first year — until she met Ellersick.
“I was like ‘I feel so creative and I want to sing again,’” Damaso said.
Damaso sings the main vocals on both released singles. Ellersick sat back on the tracks.
“I’ve been so obsessed with Kamalani’s voice ever since I met her. I’m so obsessed with the way that she sounds that I’m like, ‘why would I sing if she can?’” Ellersick said.
Damaso laughed and added, “He spends hours and hours mixing and mastering. I don’t know how he’s not tired of listening to my voice.”
When Ellersick started brainstorming “Feel Your Love,” he felt compelled to make a pop song inspired by soft rock icons Kate Bollinger, Carol King and one of his favorite bands, Drugdealer.
“I just wanted to make something catchy,” he said. After writing the first verse and chorus, he called Damaso and told her, “This is it, this is a hit.”
The song’s opening features Damaso humming against a soft, upbeat drum track. The sound quality of her voice is analog and nostalgic as if you were listening to her on the other end of the phone.
The structure is cohesive, with alternating verses and choruses. In the second verse, Damaso sings, “Can’t hold in my love any longer/ Cant keep waiting on you,” which cleverly hints to their second single, “Waiting on You.” It’s a classic pick for a shower listen.
For “Waiting on You,” Damaso and Ellersick agreed they were both very picky.
“I knew how I wanted it to sound, it just took a long time getting there,” Ellersick said. He later added that his specific vision made it more difficult to produce, “but that’s why we like it more.”
Damaso said she was focused on making the bridge sound lyrical: “I want you to want me the way that I do; wish this wasn’t true; can’t take another day of this pain.” She said she wanted to portray a deep sense of yearning.
“The whole song is literally just pining for someone,” Ellersick said.
Ellersick’s vocals play quietly in the beginning, softly harmonizing with Damaso’s, but can also be heard throughout. Damaso’s voice is sweet and playful, as if she was smiling the whole time she recorded it. The song is flirty (“I’m just waiting on you/To take off this dress”) and encapsulates
COURTESY OF LOVE
the excitement and anxieties of being in love.
The wall above Damaso’s bed boasts posters from the “Charm Tour” they attended together at Webster Hall in October, another of the band Thee Sacred Souls, a Frank Ocean poster and a poster of the album cover for their first single, “Feel Your Love.”
2024 was a big year in music, particularly in the alternative-pop genre. The duo agreed that Clairo’s “Charm” as well as “Apricot Princess” and “Who Cares” by Rex
Orange County, had a major influence on how their final songs came out.
“This year we just reconnected with what made us fall in love with music,” Ellersick said. Damaso and Ellersick plan to release new singles and an EP at the start of next year. Looking forward, they hope to continue making music, compile a band and perform live. They have their fingers on the pulse, they have their target audience and they are certainly one to look out for.
Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Queer’ is a Surrealist Odyssey
By SOFIA LAJE Contributing Writer
Following immense commercial success and virality with “Challengers,” director Luca Guadagnino tackles William S. Burroughs’ 1985 novella “Queer” in his second film of the year. Rather than attempting to remain entirely faithful to the source, Guadagnino pieces together aspects of Burroughs’ life and his novella to create a pseudo-biography, placing the author at the heart of his own story. The result is a deeply immersive, emotionally resonant, and surreal cinematic journey.
The film, after premiering at Venice International Film Festival earlier this year, received a much-anticipated limited theatrical release on Nov. 27. It will premiere nationwide on Dec. 13. Set primarily in Mexico City during the 1950s, “Queer” follows William Lee (Daniel Craig), an American expat and opioid addict, who becomes captivated by the distant and mysterious Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey). The narrative offers a raw and intimate exploration of infatuation, alienation and the obsessive nature of desire.
In a fresh film role since closing his chapter as James Bond, Craig delivers a raw, transformative performance as Lee, shedding his 007 machismo to inhabit a character defined by his vulnerability and longing. Craig’s embodiment of Lee’s unreciprocated longing for Allerton is excruciating in its tenderness and raw honesty, showcasing the aching emptiness of unfulfilled desire. Opposite
The highly-anticipated release is an exploration of unrequited desire
him, Starkey delivers a breakout performance, bringing a quiet, enigmatic intensity to Allerton that captures his elusive nature towards Lee.
During the post-screening Q&A at the 62nd New York Film Festival, screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes mentioned Guadagnino gifting him a copy of the novella while filming “Challengers.” Guadagnino spoke about his desire to take on the novel, saying the adaptation “was really a no-brainer” for him.
Filming for “Challengers” had not yet wrapped before Kuritzkes started writing the “Queer” script. In addition to screenwriter Kuritzkes, Guadagnino carried over many other key talents from his previous works, including
costume designer J.W. Anderson, editor Marco Costa, cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, and composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. This consistent creative team brings a refined sensibility to the film, blending visual, auditory, and emotional elements, enhancing Guadagnino’s bold narrative vision.
The original score by Reznor and Ross haunts the film, adding a layer of hollowness and solemnity to it. However, the use of certain modern music in the soundtrack felt jarring in certain scenes. One of the introductory scenes invokes Nirvana’s “Come As You Are,” which, although likely a nod to the 1993 collaboration between Kurt Cobain and Burroughs, interrupted the 1950s atmosphere
the audience has only just begun to settle into. Sinead O’Connor’s “All Apologies” cover offers a moving counterpoint later in the film, its stripped-down vulnerability mirroring Lee’s raw emotional state. This tension between the score and the soundtrack reflects the film’s broader exploration of disconnection, though not without moments of dissonance that risk pulling the audience out of the story.
Anderson, the film’s costume designer and current creative director at Loewe, relied on muted tones and classic structures, grounding the film in its historical context while retaining a modern edge. Allerton’s clean-cut styling serves as a
stark contrast to Lee’s ill-fitted, wrinkled suits, highlighting the divide between Allerton’s controlled, enigmatic nature and Lee’s vulnerable state.
The most compelling technical aspect of the film, however, is Sayombhu Mukdeeprom’s cinematography. Mukdeeprom and Guadagnino have collaborated on four out of five of Guadagnino’s films since “Call Me By Your Name.” Mukdeeprom demonstrates a masterful ability to evoke emotion through his framing of the human form, capturing both vulnerability and intimacy. Each shot is its own masterpiece — mesmerizing, hypnotic and permeated by a still life-like quality that heightens the film’s emotional resonance.
While not his most widely accessible work, Guadagnino excels in the absurd, leaning into the surrealist landscape he builds with the help of his longtime collaborators. The linear love story is woven together with kaleidoscopic dream sequences that, without the proper context, may alienate casual moviegoers. As with his 2022 film “Bones and All,” “Queer” will likely garner polarizing opinions from audiences and critics alike, as the surrealist second and third acts may shock fans of “Challengers,” “James Bond” and “Outer Banks” who are drawn to the film solely for the main cast and crew.
“Queer” is both a tribute to Burroughs’ literary legacy and a deep exploration of human fragility, solidifying Guadagnino’s position as one of the most poetic and subversive modern filmmakers.
SOFIA LAJE/THE OBSERVER
The 62nd New York Film Festival’s Q&A with Guadagnino, Craig, Starkey and Kuritzkes (left to right).
LANGUAGE COLLECTIVE Kamalani Damaso, FCRH ’27, and Matt Elersick, GSBRH ’27, speak about their music, origin story and musical inspirations.
ART
Fordham Law Student’s Work at the Brooklyn Museum
France François represents the Fordham community at the ‘Brooklyn Artist’s Exhibition’
MUSEUM from Page 1
“Free Senegal” depicts several young boys running into the ocean to rinse off tear gas from the protests, and François said that a spontaneous soccer game began shortly thereafter. Despite the excess of despair and fear brought about by the conflict, François captured a moment of bliss, reminding onlookers that the pain and struggles of these young people do not define them. She insisted that this was more impactful than yet another photo of young people “at their worst” because it captured the subject’s joy in the face of corruption.
Inspired by the work of James Van Der Zee and Peter Mugabane, François’ documentary style photography is also heavily influenced by her time working in humanitarian aid, during which she realized that people in post-conflict countries often “had a very, very tense relationship with journalists and photographers.” She said that this response is often due to the lack of control these subjects have over the use of their images, and being from Haiti, François understands this on a personal level.
“ I picked up photography in a way to rehumanize us, recenter our stories, and make the people the center of it rather than the photographer or the publication itself. ”
France François, Photographer and Fordham Law ‘25
When Googling her home country, François insisted that the most prevalent results are often images depicting death and disaster, which subsequently characterize Haiti as a very “dark, chaotic place,” and fail to capture the reality of Haitian’s “day-to-day lives and experiences.” François said that incomplete portrayals such as this are what inspired her to pursue photography in the first place.
“I picked up photography in a way to rehumanize us, recenter our stories, and make the people the center of it rather than the photographer or the publication itself,” François said. This desire has also led to a specific “focus on photographing people of color who typically don’t have an opportunity to tell their own stories.”
Being born in Haiti has strongly influenced not only François’ photography but also her sense of ethics, and she said that the nation has played a major role in crafting her identity. François referred to her birthplace as “the center of my universe, my identity, my community, my culture,” and said that Haiti’s “rich history inspired (her) love for the arts and justice,” two passions that become increasingly clear when looking at her photography.
While François was born in Haiti, she also spent a considerable amount of time attending school in the U.S., and as a result, she considers Miami to be home as well.
“Miami has also colored the way that I see and interact with the world, the things that I love, things that I aspire to be, and it’s prepared me, I think, for a multi-racial world,” François said.
“ A really good photograph can have a very instant impact in a way that a legal case might not ...”
France François, Photographer and Fordham Law ‘25
After studying political science in undergrad at Florida State University, François pursued a master’s degree in international development while attending American University. This led to a 10-year career in humanitarian aid, where she provided services in post-disaster and post-conflict countries
such as Haiti following the 2010 earthquake, and Cairo, Egypt during The Arab Spring. Shortly after graduating, François got a job at the Inter-American Development Bank and officially began her humanitarian work. While this proved rewarding for a decade, it was also admittedly “both emotionally and physically exhausting,” and François eventually began to look for other opportunities to “make an impact,” a search that led to a profession in tech.
During her career in Big Tech, François attended the University of London for a Bachelor of Laws while working with TikTok as a Director of Global Community Management, where she focused specifically on regulatory challenges and “issues that impacted marginalized communities.”
François said she is interested “in how policies and technology impact people.”
At TikTok, François characterized her work as “a driving force in making sure that we were aware about both the off and online impacts of our work.”
François also expressed interest in the ethics of artificial intelligence (AI), displaying a particular enthusiasm in “making sure that creators can protect their creations.”
As a result of this passion, she said she hopes “to move the needle forward on creation with AI in a way that still allows artists, the people behind the art, to profit and to grow.”
While working with TikTok during the advent of AI software, François also noticed that many social issues affecting
marginalized groups were being “recreated with AI,” and she eventually came to the conclusion that “tech alone wasn’t the solution,” a realization that led her to practice law.
Although she no longer works in humanitarian aid or Big Tech, François gained much from her time in both fields. She said that one of the most valuable things she gained from these experiences was that “there are people who have opportunities and people who don’t,” and “your role as a person in a position of privilege is to foster more opportunities for people.”
“ As a photographer, every image I capture reflects my commitment to ethics.”
François also recognizes that communities and lives do not need to be disrupted to provide aid, a sentiment that is clearly reflected within her photography.
Although François loves the law and the impact she is able to have by working in it, she also acknowledges that it can be a career that requires patience.
“A really good photograph can have a very instant impact in a way that a legal case might not,” François said.
Despite this, François finds both challenge and opportunity in the balancing act that is participating in both of these worlds.
In an email François said, “As a photographer, every image I capture reflects my commitment to ethics,” and this statement perfectly encapsulates the very thing that makes her such a talented artist and lawyer.
Her dedication to do the right thing, to tell the stories of those who are so often misrepresented is aspirational, and through her work she represents not only her values but those of Fordham as well.
François’ photo will be up throughout the remainder of “The Brooklyn Artist’s Exhibition,” which ends on Jan. 25, 2025.
France François’s, FLS ’25, photography and artistic pursuits inform her passion for social justice.
VEE VENNING/THE OBSERVER
François’s photograph “Free Senegal,” is available to view at “The Brooklyn Artist’s Exhibition,” until Jan. 25, 2025.
France François, Photographer and Fordham Law ‘25
un & ames
Crossword: Do You Wanna Build a...?
BY JASMINE WHITE
cocoa lovers
18. Elf employer
19. “Big” name in comics?
20. (Call, as a cab) + (Chip’s partner)*
22. “Infinity War” and “Endgame” villain
24. Unfold, as chaos
25. Shooting sport with clay targets
27. Barely passing grades
30. President Barbie actress (2
Logic Puzzle
BY DAMIAN GROVE
Wds.)
34. (Wintry hazard) + (Picture book cat who loves his white shoes)*
38. Costco competitor: ____ Club
39. ____-Manuel Miranda
40. Took the wheel
43. What calls the kettle black, in an expression
44. Amsterdam, Columbus and Madison, for three (Abbr.)
61. (Decorate, as a cake) + (Utah canyon that’s a national park)*
64. Wander
65. Gives a hoot
67. Spoken
68. Tennis great Arthur
69. Film critic Roger
70. Sushi seaweed
71. Ostracize
72. Ending for farm or home
73. Neither Dems. nor Reps.
Santa’s elves are finally off work and are building snowmen to decorate the North Pole! To keep their snowmen warm and looking fresh, each elf has decided to donate an article of their winter clothing to their frosty creation. After their new friends come to life, each elf plans to go home and make themself a classic holiday treat!
Use the clues to deduce the item on each elf’s snowman and what they are going to eat when they get home. The first clue has been put in for you as an example — use “X” to cross out what’s incorrect and “ ” to denote the correct matches. Remember: no two elves will eat the same thing or similarly decorate their snowmen. After you have completed the puzzle, you can check your answers with the grid in the bottom corner!
1. Milk, in Madrid
2. Actor Hawke or filmmaker Coen, for two
3. Un + deux
4. Hide away
5. “____ Wonderful Life” (2 Wds.)
6. Shrinking Asian sea
7. Lions’ locks
8. Comedy routine
9. What the 50 stars on the American flag represent
10. They’re made to be destroyed
11. Lana Del Rey lyric: “Cause you’re just ____, it’s just what you do” (2 Wds.)
12. Post-WWII alliance (Abbr.)
13. Former flames
21. Specifics, in slang
23. “____ making a list, and checking it twice”
26. Actor Culkin of “Succession” and “A Real Pain”
28. Capable, facetiously
29. Deem appropriate (2 Wds.)
31. Easter island: ____ Nui
32. One way to run
33. Direction from which el sol arises
34. Meat or marble unit
35. Not prerecorded
36. Cabinet dept. since 1977 (Abbr.)
37. Business card abbr.
41. Scrape (out)
42. Star in Cygnus
45. Frosty and Olaf, for two, and a hint to the shaded clues*
47. Loser, in wrestling
49. AOL chats (Abbr.)
50. Nephews’ sisters
53. Yes or no follower
55. Lord of poetry
56. Virtual holiday greeting (Hyph.)
57. Alan’s and Katz’s, for two
58. Support group?
59. ____ Hashanah
60. Honolulu’s island
62. Michael of “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” and “Superbad”
63. Founded (Abbr.)
66. Dance company at the Met (Abbr.)
* Connect dots 1-28 first, and then connect dots 29-56 separately.
1. “Sleigh Ride” lyric: “____ take the road before us and sing a chorus or two”
Jingle wants to drink hot cocoa.
Neither Holly nor Noel’s snowmen are wearing mittens.
Ginger does not want to drink a beverage.
The only elf who knows how to bake put a scarf on their snowman.
