Observer Issue 7 Spring 2022

Observer the

The Student Voice of Fordham Lincoln Center

May 4, 2022 VOLUME XLII, ISSUE 7

ag e

UL IS p

of the Greek army, takes the stage.

For its final mainstage show of the season, Fordham Theatre presents “Aulis,” a modern-day remix written by Christopher Chen based on the ancient Greek play “Iphigenia in Aulis.”

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As the audience settles into their seats, computers, smartphones and tablets scatter the stage in the Pope Auditorium at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC).

The scene is a gray and dreary one, save for the screens as they flash clips of hamsters, cat videos, beaches and

psychedelic images. A soldier wearing camouflage comes from behind and sits on a hill of PC towers. He’s followed by another, then another.

They keep themselves occupied with their phones and gadgets, similar to how the audience entertains themselves while waiting for the show to start. The lights soon go down as Agamemnon (played by Pedro González, FCLC ’22), the king

se

By JULIA JARAMILLO Contributing Wrtier

13

Fordham Theatre Mainstage Presents ‘Aulis’ to Conclude Spring Semester

Joseph M. McShane, S.J. Campus Center Unveiled

By MEGAN YERRABELLI Staff Writer

Following the announcement of University President Rev. Joseph M. McShane’s, S.J., retirement in September 2021, the board of trustees made the decision to rename the newly renovated Fordham Rose Hill Campus Center as the Joseph M. McShane, S.J. Campus Center in honor of his 19 years of service to the Fordham community.

The dedication ceremony took place at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27, with David Ushery, an anchor on NBC 4 New York, emceeing the event. The ceremony also had special guests Michael R. Bloomberg, 108th mayor of New York City and founder of Bloomberg L.P., and the Honorable Nathalia Fernandez of the New York State Assembly, in attendance.

While Eric Adams, 110th mayor of New York City, was not in attendance, he released a statement — which appeared to be a speech

intended to welcome the attendees — concerning the ceremony.

“Father McShane worked tirelessly for the benefit of the university, raising unprecedented amounts of money for the improvement of its infrastructure, and guiding Fordham through momentous change, from increases in enrollment and campus expansions in New York and London to the challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” Adams said.

In early February, the four-story addition to the Joseph M. McShane, S.J. Campus Center was announced to the community as the first of a three-stage remodeling plan to combine the McGinley Campus Center, the Lombardi Center and the Ram Fit Center. It included an expanded fitness center, multiple student lounges, a gallery, meeting rooms, a marketplace dining facility, a multipurpose space and the offices of the Career Center, Campus Ministry and the Center for Community Engaged Learning.

Formerly known as the McGinley Campus Center, the building was originally named after the late Rev. Laurence J. McGinley, S.J., 26th president of Fordham University, and first opened in 1959. After McGinley stepped down in 1960, the building was dedicated to him due to his legacy, which included the initial development of Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus.

see MCSHANE page 5

COURTESY OF FORDHAM THEATRE

Fordham Theatre's final mainstage production of the semester merges Ancient Greece with today's technology.

Fordham’s Relationship With New York Public Libraries

By SABRINA VIDAL Contributing Writer

MEGAN YERRABELL/THE OBSERVER

The Joseph M. McShane, S.J. Campus Center is a valuable space for students to gather, relax, exercise and more.

NEWS PAGE 4

Class of 2026

The incoming class describes what attracted them to Fordham

SPORTS & HEALTH PAGE 6

The Science of Drive

Studies analyze how students deal with burnout

Displayed boldly in front of the Leon Lowenstein Center’s escalators, the university’s motto reads, “New York is my campus. Fordham is my school.”

The slogan reminds members of the Fordham community that the university’s location allows them to utilize New York City as an extension of their academic experience.

One of the resources that New York City has to offer is the New York Public Library (NYPL) system, with over 92 branches across the boroughs. Students can apply for an NYPL library card by using their Fordham ID card to prove that they are a student or providing proof of residency in New York state.

For Isabella Alejandro, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25, the NYPL was a key factor in her decision to study at Fordham. “​​The public library was really one of the things that sold New York City for me,” she said.

Alejandro grew up in Hong Kong, but her famiCENTERFOLD PAGE 8

VeteRams

Recognizing Fordham alumni who served in World War I

ly is originally from the Philippines. She noted that the public library system in the Philippines is less popular than the one in New York, so access to such resources became paramount to Alejandro’s college experience.

Most of her visits are to the Riverside branch of the NYPL on 66th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, which is the branch closest to the Lincoln Center campus. Although she often visits the Riverside branch to borrow books, Alejandro recommends the NYPL’s main branch, the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, as a study space.

“It’s a really good place to study if you like the ambient noise of the library (with) people working around you,” Alejandro said.

Sola Quarterman, FCLC ’25, is a regular at the NYPL’s main branch. Despite the 10-15 minute subway ride from the Lincoln Center campus, she frequents this branch due to the charm and aura of the Rose Reading Room located in the Schwarzman Building.

OPINIONS PAGE 12

Sexplanation

Why people should feel comfortable talking about sex

see NYPL page 4

ARTS & CULTURE PAGE 15

Fordham’s Got Talent Students showcase creative abilities in front of their peers

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News

May 4, 2022

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THE OBSERVER

Bearer of Good News: A Profile on Katrina Lambert

The Observer’s former editor-in-chief reflects on her time in leadership and the legacy she hopes to leave behind

By ERIKA TULFO Features Editor

For The Observer’s editorial board, it is crunch time every other Tuesday, as editors from various sections of the paper pack into the Casey A. Feldman newsroom on what are referred to as “production nights.” The editors work Tuesday night in preparation for the next issue’s release the following morning. It is a tight turnaround, and Tuesday night is a whirlwind of activity, a comforting sort of chaos as people flit past each other conducting last-minute fact checks or looking over shoulders to tweak article layouts on Adobe InDesign.

Katrina Lambert, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’22 and former editor-in-chief of The Observer, sits at the center of these nights, often found working at the desk with the glittery “Editor-in-Chief” sign tacked onto it.

Every freshly printed galley passes through her hands, the pages marked in her signature turquoise-colored pen as she scans each word, determined not to let any errors slip by. She is occasionally interrupted with questions or casual conversation as the evening deepens.

The news cycle is nothing if not hectic, yet the staff keeps coming back at the same time on Tuesday when they could choose to spend their weeknight at Argo Tea, only a stone’s throw from the office. Although the unmistakable sense of urgency needed to put out an entire issue by the very next morning permeates the room, it is never suffocating. Even when production nights stretch on so late that they bleed into early morning, there is rarely a moment not interspersed with happy chatter or laughter.

“I think it is really important that people stay on The Observer because they feel like they have people they love to be around, and it makes them happy to be here,” Lambert said. “If they really wanted to, they could do news elsewhere or do their own journalism, but the people who come and who stay are the ones that find a sense of community on our paper.”

A Non-Linear Path Lambert’s commitments while at The Observer extended beyond her position as editor-in-chief.

Throughout her time at Fordham, she also interned for NBC News and was recently awarded the Journalism Award at the Lincoln Center Senior Leadership Awards.

When taking in all of these experiences, Lambert spoke about how separating herself from journalism seemed nearly impossible now, but her path to pursuing a career in the industry was far from a linear one.

To Lambert, journalism was only a field she was vaguely familiar with, seeing it more as a combination of her passions for writing and world affairs. What really sparked her interest was her recognition of journalism as a mode of storytelling.

The former editor-in-chief traced her affinity for storytelling to her deep-rooted love for theater, a career she initially planned to pursue while still in high school but did not end up choosing as a major.

“When I applied to Fordham, I put journalism down as my major arbitrarily, then let it take off and see where I was going from there,” Lambert said. “I didn’t go into college with the plan of joining my school newspaper nor of being the editor-in-chief. That was Rory Gilmore on ‘Gilmore Girls.’ That was not me.”

“ It is more than just a

newspaper I was writing for; it is something that I invested so much into and care so much about. ”

Katrina Lambert, former editor-in-chief of The Observer

She added that she owed her start at The Observer to David Hawkins, a former professor in the communications department who taught her Introduction to Multimedia Journalism course, which is required for all journalism majors.

“He said, ‘If you’re serious about journalism, then you have to be doing journalism. You should be joining your school newspaper and writing news stories,’” she said. “He told this to the whole class, but I really took it to heart.”

The following fall, in 2019, Lambert joined the paper as a staff writer with the intention of quitting if she found it took too much time away from her academics.

During her first semester at The Observer, her involvement can be characterized as tentative and entirely different from her commitments at the end of her tenure.

PHOTOS BY ANDREW DRESSNER/THE OBSERVER

As editor-in-chief, Lambert streamlined the production process, encouraged collaboration between sections and acted as a pillar of support for her fellow editors and staff.

The Road to Editor-in-Chief Since joining the editorial board as an assistant news editor during the spring of her sophomore year in 2020, Lambert has participated in the production of 39 issues for The Observer. Finding her footing within the frenzy of the news production cycle was something she had to learn and grow into.

Lambert likened the road to becoming editor-in-chief to a “conveyor belt” of promotions beginning with her semesterlong stint as assistant news editor and followed by being a full news editor for a year and, finally, becoming the editor-in-chief in 2021.

Even prior to assuming her position as chief editor, Lambert’s colleagues attest to her approachability — an attribute she is said to have retained since her time in leadership.

Allie Stofer, FCLC ’23 and The Observer’s current editor-in-chief, recalled working under Lambert while she was still heading the news section.

“One thing I really enjoyed about having her as editor-in-chief is that she’s so approachable,” she said. “I knew I could always go to her, and she was easy to talk to when you had problems. That’s something that I’ve noticed that she’s continued.”

Although Lambert has been met with much praise from her fellow editors, she shared how she grappled with imposter syndrome while she was still acclimating to her role. She added that one of the biggest reasons for this feeling was

Lambert in front of the Casey A. Feldman with the Bronx River special issue, the last issue The Observer produced under her direction.

the fact that she ran unopposed for her position.

“Imposter syndrome has definitely been a struggle for me, but I think that I’ve changed to feel that every job that you do on The Observer is a learning experience,” Lambert said. “No one is ‘qualified’ to hold any of these positions because this is a student club and we’re all college students. What’s important for me is realizing that I’m not necessarily qualified to be the editor-in-chief of anything because I’m still learning. We’re all still learning, and it’s important to acknowledge that and grow with it.”

This sentiment was echoed by Roxanne Cubero, FCLC ’22, former creative director and current layout editor for The Observer, who shared that “with Katrina, it felt like there was a real space to explore your own ideas, make mistakes and learn from them.”

More Than Just a Paper Lambert’s election was conducted over Zoom in March 2021, where she first shared her vision of The Observer she hoped to bring about if elected for the editor-in-chief position. Apart from editorial changes implemented to streamline the production process and encourage collaboration between sections, there was one particular promise that Lambert was most resolved to deliver.

“There was one line at the end of my speech that emphasized how at the end of the day, I just wanted to be able to support everyone’s needs and make them feel comfortable having someone to lean on and hear them,” she said. “I was rereading my notes and trying to assess whether I’ve done all those things and made them feel seen on The Observer for the work and effort that they put in.”

Lambert added that she would like to think she accomplished her goal of supporting everyone’s needs but it is up to everyone else to decide because she can not speak for them.

“I’ve had a lot of people come to me reaching out for help, so I feel like that’s a sign that my staff could trust me and saw that I wanted the best for them,” she said.

The Observer during Lambert’s first two years on the editorial board operated with a particular focus on analytics and site performances, so much so that Stofer referred to it as “a workplace, not a club.” The version of The Observer that Lambert proposed, on the other hand, was one that stepped back from the business aspect and embraced a more community-based

environment.

“Katrina was always very good at understanding that this is a club and (that) we are volunteering our time for it,” Stofer said. “I have never felt we were pushed too hard.”

Insiya Gandhi, FCLC ’24 and an assistant news editor for The Observer, said that Lambert’s leadership style has always been very supportive.

“I don’t think she sees them (editorial board members) as working under her. She sees everybody as part of a cohesive team unit,” she said.

The consensus view of Lambert’s greatest accomplishment as editor-in-chief, however, was her work alongside Grace Getman, FCLC ’22 and former managing editor for The Observer, to materialize the idea of an Observer scholarship intended to make the paper more accessible and inclusive.

“Our club lacks an accurate representation of diversity compared to the Lincoln Center campus, and we believe a large part of that is because of the lack of accessibility given the time it takes up that is also unpaid,” Lambert said. “The goal was to make it so that the scholarship can be an entry point for more diverse voices to participate in The Observer.”

Passing the Baton The Katrina Lambert graduating in spring 2022 is different from the sophomore staff writer who wrote for The Observer’s news section. She is more secure in her leadership skills and decision-making abilities and is intent on pursuing a career based in journalism.

Nonetheless, in some ways she is still the same — particularly in her kindness and readiness to help. To Lambert, what once started as a way to gain experience and grow her portfolio is what she now calls “her whole life.”

“It is hard to just leave something that you put so much work into behind,” Lambert said. “It is more than just a newspaper I was writing for; it is something that I invested so much into and care so much about.”

When asked about her legacy and how she hopes to be remembered, Lambert replied: “I don’t know if anyone remembers the articles that you write or the systems you developed, or the big editorial changes you’ve created. I don’t know if any of those things will be remembered, but I hope that they at least remember me as someone that saw them and wanted them here on The Observer and made them stay. That’s how I hope that my legacy stays.”

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May 4, 2022

THE OBSERVER

News

3

Pulatani Elected as New USGLC President

The president-elect ran unopposed and received 96.3% of the vote, calling the election process ‘smooth sailing’

By CHLOE ZELCH News Editor

Djellza Pulatani, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’24, was elected on April 16 as the new United Student Government at Lincoln Center (USGLC) president for the 2022-23 academic year.

The president-elect ran unopposed and prioritized campaigning in-person by having conversations with individual students. She added that her in-person conversations “simply occurred” and she wanted her discussions to flow organically.

“Because I ran unopposed, it was not like I did not care to campaign,” she said. “The campaign process this year for me was a lot more intimate.”

“ We are coming from

CHLOE ZELCH/THE OBSERVER

an interesting two years, so we want to really engage the campus in a way that we have not been able to. ”

USG president-elect Pulatani hopes to improve sustainability, menstrual product access and USGLC social media presence on campus.

Pulatani noted that she wished more people had run for president, as she sees it as a very important role.

“Because this semester I was vice president, I saw firsthand how much it takes to be president and the time commitment that it does take,” she said.

The election results posted on Pulatani’s official Instagram account announced that she won the position with 96.3% of the vote, with the remaining 3.7% going to write-in candidates.

“We (USGLC) did percentages this year because we felt that numbers are not exactly what we want to focus on, but rather the percentage of who is showing up and who

Djellza Pulatani, president-elect of USGLC

Pulatani was first elected to USGLC as a class senator in 2020 and founded the Committee on Sexual Misconduct in 2021, which she is currently the chair of. Following the resignation of Robert Sundstrom, former vice president of USGLC, in October 2021, Pulatani took on the position of vice president after a special election.

wants to vote,” she said. “I think that was more successful because we do not want a role to succumb to just a number. We want it to be more wholehearted.”

Pulatani was excited to see people engaging in the election process that were not a part of USGLC. “USG is open to every person, and it is accessible to anyone,” Pulatani said. She also stressed the importance of the student body being general members of USG even if they are not occupying an elected position.

As president, Pulatani seeks to improve sustainability, menstrual product access and USGLC social media presence on campus. She emphasized a need to work with

other club leaders and on-campus organizations, such as Aramark, to meet these goals.

The president-elect hopes to revitalize USGLC’s relationship with the United Student Government at Rose Hill (USGRH) and promises to meet with USGRH every month, a plan that did not come to fruition during the spring 2022 semester.

“If we are a united front, we will be a united front to the administration, and that way the student body government is the group that holds the administration accountable,” Pulatani said.

Her plans for the upcoming year also involve a prioritization of mental health by maintaining relationships with Counseling and

Psychological Services, the Office of Student Involvement and the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

“I have had multiple conversations with multiple students who have said they feel they are not being catered to in terms of mental health, whether that be with their studies, in their personal lives or in their professional lives,” Pulatani said.

Student engagement at the Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC) campus is also a priority for USGLC. Pulatani compared FLC’s student culture to a graduate student lifestyle, pointing out that many students feel a lack of connection on campus.

“We are coming from an interesting two years, so we want to really engage the campus in a way that we have not been able to,” she said, referring to the two years following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the spring 2022 semester, USGLC filled all of its positions for first time in nine years. Pulatani reported that the only position with no candidates during this election cycle was a senior senator position and that elections were fairly simple and flowed very well.

“All of our positions filled up very quickly, smooth sailing on all fronts,” she said.

The president-elect is excited to work with a nearly full USGLC as she believes that it empowers the organization to better serve the needs of students.

“We were voted into these positions because students really need us to be the catalyst to helping them and aiding them in getting what they need,” she said. “I really hope we can be those people.”

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May 4, 2022

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Jewish Studies Program Partners With NYPL

Fordham community utilizes the NYPL’s resources to further their studies, referring to the university’s motto coming academic year, according to Teter. There will be five fellows who will host talks in the Fordham-NYPL lecture series.

NYPL from page 1

Quarterman added that she prefers to use the NYPL as a study space as opposed to coffee shops because she knows that in the library “everyone is really polite and will stay quiet.”

“ It was a savior for me

as a professor and for the students so it is a really wonderful resource. ”

“ In a library, people

usually know they're there to work, and you get the pressure to keep that facade as well. ”

Magda Teter, organizer of the lecture series

Isabella Alejandro, FCLC ’ 25

Alejandro echoed this sentiment, describing how “being around other people who are working pressures you into working yourself, because in coffee shops people are there to chat; people are there to eat.”

She continued, “In a library, people usually know they’re there to work, and you get the pressure to keep that façade as well.”

Although Alejandro believes that “there’s no comparing an e-book to a real physical book,” she regularly uses the NYPL’s digital collection. She borrows e-books often, especially when she needs to quickly gain access to a text for class, because the queue for e-books is shorter than the wait for physical books.

The NYPL also has a unique relationship with Fordham through its partnership with the Jewish studies program.

The joint research fellowship in Jewish studies was announced in 2017, spurred by the work of

AURELIEN CLAVAUD/THE OBSERVER

The NYPL main branch on 42nd Street and 5th Avenue offers productive study spaces and is partnered with Fordham for the joint research fellowship in Jewish Studies.

Magda Teter, professor of history, Shvidler Chair in the Judaic studies department and organizer of the Fordham-NYPL lecture series.

Teter approached the NYPL regarding a potential partnership with the university, through which a research fellowship program would be established as well as a lecture series.

“One of the wonderful synergies that emerged between the

New York Public Library and us is that they have an incredible Judaica collection,” she said. “The Judaica collection is over 100 years old, has all kinds of treasures from medieval manuscripts to more recent works, so it’s a really incredible resource.”

Teter added that Fordham’s Jewish studies program is very young, which has impacted the amount of Jewish studies library resources the university has been

able to acquire. While the university’s library collection continues to grow, it is incomparable to the resources for Jewish scholarship provided by the Dorot Jewish Division of the NYPL. The fellowship program has proved to be successful, bringing in academics from all around the world. The joint committee of Fordham faculty and NYPL librarians have recently selected the cohort of fellows for the up-

“It’s been wonderful to bring these amazing scholars to Fordham, share their work with our community, while also having this strong partnership with the New York Public Library,” Teter said.

She added that she has used the library to do research in the Jewish division as a fellow at the Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. Teter described how the NYPL’s resources have been useful to her as an educator and noted an incident in which she needed to provide students with a text for class on short notice.

“It was a savior for me as a professor and for the students, so it is a really wonderful resource,” she said.

Teter also mentioned that there have been numerous benefits of the partnership between Fordham and the NYPL, such as raising the profile of the Jewish studies program at Fordham and the university as a whole.

“It is beautiful; it always has amazing exhibits, and it is free.

And it is really something to remember and to use,” she added.

University Acceptance Rate Decreases

Students from the incoming class discuss why they chose Fordham and what they are most excited about

By EESHITA WADE Asst. Social Media Editor

Fordham University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions released its admissions notifications beginning on Dec. 20 for students who applied early action or early decision. Notifications for students who applied by the regular decision deadline on Jan. 1 were released no later than April 1.

According to the enrollment overview for the Class of 2025, the university received 46,160 applications, which is fewer applications than were submitted for this year. In a previous article for The Observer published on April 10 regarding a decrease in class size and resident occupancy, Peek noted that the Office of Admissions was looking to bring in a smaller first-year class across the colleges.

“ I really hope to get the

normal college experience that I did not get during high school. ” Ellie Kroznuski, FCLC ’26

As of April 22, the university received 47,105 applications for the Class of 2026, according to Patricia Peek, dean of undergraduate admissions. Peek added that the university’s acceptance rate is currently 53.6%, compared to last year’s acceptance rate of 58.3%.

Prior to the decision day dead-

line on May 1, students who had already committed to Fordham discussed their expectations for the fall 2022 semester and their first-year experience.

Jane Roche, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’26 and a student from Park Ridge, Illinois, is planning on majoring in political science on the prelaw track. The small-to-medium size and location of the campus were two of the reasons she was drawn to Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus. Roche was also impressed with the core curriculum that the university offers and the benefits of smaller class sizes.

“As a student, I work best when I can have familiar relationships with my teachers,” she said. “I also know that Fordham’s law program is one of the best in the country. The opportunity to attend would be a dream.”

Roche is looking forward to living in New York City, meeting new people and familiarizing herself with her new home in Manhattan. She is also excited to attend classes in person as Fordham relaxes its COVID-19 policies.

“I want to be safe and take all the necessary precautions, but learning in person as opposed to virtually is much more my speed and keeps me motivated to do my best,” she said.

Ellie Kroznuski, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’26 and a student from the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, echoed Roche’s sentiments.

“I really hope to get the normal college experience that I did

not get during high school,” she said, adding that she cannot wait to be back in the classroom.

Kroznuski, who will be majoring in business management, mentioned that she chose Fordham due to its location in New York City. In the future, she wants to enter the entertainment industry, which made Fordham’s proximity to Broadway, films and the arts important to her.

During her time at Fordham, Kroznuski hopes to participate in musicals and music programs on campus.

York City will enable her to learn outside of the classroom and will provide Fordham students with many different opportunities.

“Meeting new people is so much easier in person, and it will make our university experience so much fun,” Hernandez added.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions publishes a snapshot of the incoming class which includes facts about application numbers, diversity and an academic profile. The enrollment overview for the Class of 2026 has yet to be released.

“ Meeting new people is

so much easier in person, and it will make our university experience so much fun. ”

Daniela Cadena Hernandez, FCLC ’26

Daniela Cadena Hernandez, FCLC ’26 and an international student from Monterrey, Mexico who is currently studying in Ontario, Canada, is planning to major in political science. Hernandez noted that she chose to commit to Fordham because she believes the environment will foster her personal, professional and academic growth.

“Fordham has a culturally diverse community which will help me broaden my horizons,” she said.

Hernandez added that she is also excited to live in the city of her dreams and meet new people.

She noted that studying in New

COURTESY OF ELLIE KROZNUSKI

Ellie Kroznuski, GSBRH ’26, chose Fordham for its location in NYC and proximity to many entertainment industry icons like Broadway.

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May 4, 2022

News

5

Notable Figures Share Thoughts on McShane’s Legacy

‘It has been transformed into a beautiful, modern part of the university, a transformation truly representative of McShane’s tenure at Fordham’ MCSHANE from page 1

During his speech at the dedication ceremony for McShane, Robert Daleo, chair of the Fordham University Board of Trustees and Gabelli School of Business (GSB) ’72, clarified that the new dedication of the student center would not outshine McGinley’s legacy.

“It is fitting that Fordham has named this campus center for Father McShane. It has been transformed into a beautiful, modern part of the university, a transformation truly representative of McShane’s tenure at Fordham,” he said. “However, the board of trustees has every intention of preserving the legacy of Lawrence J. McGinley, S.J., another visionary president of the university. We will be undertaking the consideration of alternate sites which are suitable to carry on his legacy.”

“ For nearly 19 years,

(McShane has) led the University with faith, dedication, and love through unprecedented challenges in an ever-changing world. ”

Joe Biden, president of the United States

Daleo’s speech also included a letter from United States President Joe Biden addressed to McShane, in which he commended the impact McShane had on the Fordham community.

“For nearly 19 years, you have led the University with faith, dedication, and love through

MEGAN YERRABELLI/THE OBSERVER

McShane cuts the ribbon, unveiling the new campus center with Bloomberg, Ushery, Daleo and others.

unprecedented challenges in an ever-changing world,” Biden wrote in the letter. “Your strong leadership has prepared the next generation of students to succeed and inspired them to find purpose through hard work and passion. I wish you all the best in your next chapter of life. May God bless you.”

Vice chairs of the Fordham University Board of Trustees Armando Nuñez Jr., GSB ’82, and Mary Anne Sullivan, Thomas More College ’73, joined Daleo in unveiling the renovated campus center’s sign. Daleo stated that the sign would serve as the “official beacon of the building” until the cornerstone’s replacement next year.

Following the building’s unveiling, Ushery introduced Thomas Reuter, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’22 and president of the United Student

Government at Rose Hill, and Patricia Santos, FCRH ’22 and vice president of the Rose Hill Campus Commuting Student Association, to the podium. In their speeches, they spoke about the time they spent at the student center over their time at Fordham and what the newly renovated student center means to the Fordham community.

“As we entered, I noticed areas in need of remodeling, but what I remembered was observing a community at work. I saw a kindness between friends conversing,” Reuter said about the student center being the first building at Fordham that he visited. “I saw a genuine interest from staff members in the lives of students, and I saw engagement of all kinds, ranging from debates about the morning paper to clubs advocating for various causes in the lobby.”

Santos described her experience as a commuter and how the campus center was a place that helped her build relationships and form friendships. She also expressed the unique connection commuters have to the center, as it is their primary place to reside during their time on campus.

“To commuters, it is a place we call home,” she said about the campus center.

Ushery introduced Bloomberg, who was a leading donor for the student center renovation project, as the final guest speaker at the dedication ceremony.

Bloomberg began his speech with the story of how he and McShane first met. The two have been friends since Bloomberg’s first year serving as mayor of New York City in 2002. They met through William Hill Kelly Jr., a victim of the 9/11 attacks who tragically lost his life while

attending a Windows conference in Tower One of the World Trade Center. Kelly was working for Bloomberg at the time and was also a graduate of the University of Scranton, where McShane served as university president from 1998 until 2003.

After working together to set up a scholarship fund in Kelly’s honor, Bloomberg and McShane remained friends for the next 20 years.

“Over the years, we developed a friendship. I came to see what an exceptional leader Joe really is,” Bloomberg said. “His mind is always racing; his drive is always relentless; his compassion is always boundless; and his Irish wit is always on. When I realized he was brilliant and funny, I realized this is my type of priest.”

McShane responded to his friend’s words with his own praise, stating that “Michael R. Bloomberg was not really the 108th mayor of New York. He was the greatest mayor in our history, and we all are in his debt.”

Although each speaker noted that renaming the student center after McShane was the most fitting way to honor his legacy, McShane wanted to shift the attention elsewhere.

“I want to stress something: It is not about me— it is about the university. As the board chair knows, I fought against this.

The naming, the ceremony, everything about it,” he said. “This is about Fordham, and that’s the important thing for us all to remember.”

The audience in attendance was a diverse collection of alumni, current students, Jesuits and friends who came together to commend McShane’s contributions to the Fordham community and celebrate him advancing to the next chapter in his life.

Plant-It-Yourself Event Fosters Community Growth In celebration of Earth Day, the Lincoln Center garden became a spot for students to learn more about planting

By QUINCY REYES Asst. Copy Editor

In honor of Earth Day and the weeklong Earth Day celebrations, Fordham Lincoln Center’s student Environmental Club held a “PlantIt-Yourself” (PIY) event on Friday, April 22. The event invited students to plant different herbs and vegetables, such as oregano and tomatoes, in Lincoln Center’s community garden flower boxes, located on the Plaza behind McMahon Hall’s second-floor entrance. Students were also able to bring home lavender and sage plants.

The Environmental Club wanted to promote a hands-on approach to Earth Day to encourage students to be outdoors despite the concrete surroundings they encounter daily in Manhattan, according to Marie Atendido, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’24 and vice president-elect of the Environmental Club.

“We were able to garner lots of social engagement between students new and old, create more awareness of campus greenery, as well as give students some greenery of their own,” she said.

Kenneth Tang, Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center (GSBLC) ’24 and president-elect of the Environmental Club, added that the event aimed to give students the ownership and ability to take care of plants and be more mindful of their personal impact.

“All the other Earth Day events offered activities and meetings through loving the physical natural space, but PIY was a more personal and intimate event experience,” Tang said.

The event also included other activities aside from gardening.

Students were able to paint and decorate mason jars to bring their plants home in. Additionally, the event provided food and drinks for attendees.

“I liked that they had Trader Joe’s snacks and Izzes instead of cheap snacks like packets of Gold-

fish or granola bars,” Cait Gurley, FCLC ’23 and an attendee at the event, said. “I really liked having and going to an event about plants and gardening, and having it on Earth Day was the perfect occasion.”

Gurley also added that she was able to meet great people at PIY and was excited to take her new plant home to brighten up her room.

The event also allowed students to demonstrate their passion for planting and the environment on a larger scale.

“I attended because I’ve been gardening at home for a while, and was hoping to plant more here with the Environmental Club,” Severin Bokus, FCLC ’24, said.

In addition to helping students develop their green thumbs, the PIY event also promoted greater awareness of the McMahon community garden. Angela Weng, FCLC ’23, noted that she did not know the location of the garden until attending the event because it is tucked away and in a lesser-known spot on campus.

COURTESY OF KENNETH TANG

The Environmental Club at Lincoln Center’s community garden planting herbs and vegetables while enjoying snacks.

Catherine Chung, FCLC ’23 and another attendee, commented on the community garden and said that it has served as an excellent resource to study, relax and unwind for members of the Fordham community she added that she likes to use the garden when the weather is nice.

The Lincoln Center Environmental Club hoped that the event would promote the space and introduce the garden as a go-to spot on campus. Atendido added that the club’s goal over the summer is to grow herbs and vegetables for the Fordham community to use.

Vivian Picciotti, FCLC ’24 and a PIY attendee, said she loved the idea of a student-run community garden.

“I can’t wait to see how (the garden) grows and what grows in it,” Picciotti said.

Tang said that he was satisfied with the event’s turnout and added that the clean-up was a representation of PIY’s success.

“I am so glad students kept trickling in, left no snacks and made a mess because that is the best way to tell how many people had fun or were satisfied with the program,” he said.

Caption: The Environmental Club at Lincoln Center’s community garden planting herbs and vegetables while enjoying snacks and refreshments.

Sports & Health Editors Gabriella Bermudez Chris Murray

Sports & Health

May 4, 2022 THE OBSERVER

The Mechanisms Behind Motivation

A myriad of factors impact students’ motives and mental health, which can result in burnout

By GUS DUPREE Former Asst. Sports & Health Editor

As the end of spring semester approaches, students may tend to put little to no effort into academics. This time of year is popularly characterized as the time when students, particularly seniors, lose motivation.

One might rather spend a sunny afternoon out with friends instead of attending a block class because they don’t see their academic effort as worthwhile. However, lack of motivation can be an indicator of mental health problems.

Skipping classes, lackluster effort in assignments and overall neglect of academic responsibilities are common signs of burnout.

While it is normal to not want to do academic work, failure to complete work may lay the foundation for bad habits.

intake is insufficient, our bodies undergo more physiological stress, which can make us irritable and fatigued. Sleep deprivation can cause or aggravate mental health symptoms such as mood disorders and even psychosis. Being able to obtain and maintain motivation is heavily dependent upon one’s sleep and eating habits.

Motivators in school can include one’s GPA, curiosity and support from professors, while hygiene factors could include the school’s reputation and quality of amenities

The Physiological Loop of Motivation

What Causes Motivation?

Jeffrey Ng, director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Fordham Lincoln Center, said that he commonly hears from students who are unable to become motivated to do work or even perform everyday tasks. Two particular symptoms that he has noticed are avolition, the state of being completely unmotivated to do anything, and anhedonia, the seeming inability to feel pleasure.

These symptoms both indicate underlying concerns, including burnout, sleep deprivation and mental health issues like anxiety and depression.

Our mental state influences and is influenced by our physiological state. When our sleep or calorie

John Hollwitz, professor of industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology at Fordham, defined motivation as “persistence of effort over time.” This, however, doesn’t account for how and why we get motivated in the first place.

Hollwitz turned to research in the business world that has identified “the big three senses” that factor into motivation: well-being, meaning and dignity. When actualized, they are what fuel people’s motivation to perform a task with interest and vigor.

Many have heard of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which argues that humans need to first address basic necessities before going on to achieve other wants

and needs. However, recent studies in the field of I/O psychology have led to many criticisms of the hierarchy.

“We know through empirical studies that Maslow’s hierarchy is wrong; you don’t need a laboratory experiment to show that,” he said.

Hollwitz cited how high-risk jobs like firefighters and military personnel violate the hierarchy by seeming to pursue higher functioning needs, such as duty or altruism, while neglecting more basic ones, like immediate safety. In place of Maslow, psychologists have adopted another model that is more heavily backed by research.

I/O psychologist Frederick Herzberg created a two-factor model, where humans are influenced by “motivating factors” like recognition and by “hygiene factors,” such as the work environment.

Motivators in school can include one’s GPA, curiosity and support from professors, while hygiene factors could include the school’s reputation and quality of its amenities.

Over time, the understanding of how people become motivated has come to include pro-social factors such as “employee altruism, respecting human dignity, well-being and physical health,” Hollwitz said.

He added that he is “very convinced” that the future goals of how organizations function will involve putting emphasis on individual needs and senses of personal fulfillment.

In the Wake of COVID-19 Clinical psychologists face many challenges in helping people regain motivation in their daily lives. The COVID-19 pandemic, specifically, has ushered in a mental health crisis, especially among teenagers and young adults.

More than one in three students have reported feeling symptoms of depression, including a loss of motivation, since 2019. College students, in particular, have faced a sharp increase in depression and anxiety, which has swamped counseling services and therapists nationwide. Faced with a lack of available resources, many

are turning to more accessible methods that offer cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Treatments such as online therapy have been shown to be just as effective in treating anxiety and depression as in-person CBT. The most important factors in achieving results are to regularly attend therapy sessions and set moderate, realistic goals for oneself. According to Ng, we can maintain a healthy mood by “ensuring that we are attending to our basic needs, such as sleep, nutrition, physical activity and social contact.” These activities, when done habitually, lead to greater feelings of well-being and confidence while reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression.

GRAPHIC BY TARA LENTELL/THE OBSERVER

#FitTok’s Ancient Roots

The history of bodybuilding and the danger posed by contemporary fitness ideals

By MARIAH LOPEZ Staff Writer

If you are on the fitness-focused side of TikTok, known as #FitTok, odds are the algorithm shows you video after video of extremely muscular people recommending workout plans designed to help viewers achieve a certain body aesthetic. Most creators label this content as #bodybuilding. The hashtag is the fourth most used fitness hashtag on the app. In fact, it racked up more than 28 billion views as of May 3.

The popularization of bodybuilding among casual gym-goers is the latest evolution of the sport.

When most people think of modern bodybuilding, they picture tanned, towering, muscular men like Arnold Schwarzenegger who compete by flexing in Speedos.

Modern iterations illustrate significant changes from when bodybuilding began.

While competitive bodybuilding originated in the 1930s, the sport can be traced back to ancient Greece and India. Similar to how #FitTok influencers highly value

body aesthetics, ancient Greeks utilized a crude form of resistance training to shape their bodies in a way that resembled their sculptures’ ideal physiques.

India utilized its own form of resistance training dating back to the 11th century. They intentionally lifted stone weights called “nals” — the ancient equivalent of dumbbells.

The amount of weight lifted then became the measure of a bodybuilder’s progress rather than aesthetics.

Emphasis on strength within the community continued into the early 19th century, when traveling

COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS

Eugen Sandow was a world-renowned bodybuilder who spearheaded the modern sport.

strongmen attempted to outlift each other in the earliest informal weightlifting contests during the 1800s. The public watched contestants pull carts and lift animals until one man could not lift more than the other. Physique played no role in determining the winner. Most competitors actually displayed high body fat levels with protruding stomachs due to unhealthy eating habits.

One strongman, Eugen Sandow, led the shift back toward Greek aesthetics in the 1890s. Known for his symmetrical and densely muscular physique, Sandow is considered by many to be the father of modern bodybuilding. His book published in 1904, “Body Building Or Man in the Making,” gave the sport its name.

The period between 1930 and 1970 is known as the golden era in the history of bodybuilding.

The Amateur Athletic Union created the first official bodybuilding competition, Mr. America, in 1939. Mr. Universe in 1950 and Mr. Olympia in 1965 were the first worldwide events.

Due to the increased popularity of these competitions in the 1970s, winners like Arnold Schwarzenegger, who won Mr. Olympia five years in a row, became household names and made muscular bodies more desirable among the general population.

This body type became even more muscular after the 1970s when lifters began increasingly using anabolic steroids, growth hormones and insulin in response to an increased emphasis on size in competitions.

Dorian Yates, who won six consecutive Mr. Olympia titles, became the model for this new bodybuilding era. He dominated during the 1990s by setting new size standards. His size eventually earned him the nickname “The Shadow.” Yates’ stature was not naturally achievable for all competitors, which pushed many to use steroids to try and keep up.

Despite its popularity, bodybuilding is not yet an Olympic event due to the frequent use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Moreover, the extremely low body fat percentage expected of competitive bodybuilders is dangerous for their health.

One famous bodybuilder, Andreas Munzer, died of multiple organ failure as a result of years of alleged anabolic steroid use and nearly zero percent body fat. Despite his untimely death in 1996 at the age of 31, pictures of Munzer, as well as his profile, frequently go viral on bodybuilding forums.

For men, the obsession with size and shredded muscles also translates to high rates of muscle dysmorphia, otherwise known as bigorexia within the bodybuilding community. Bigorexia is when “individuals obsess about being inadequately muscular,” according to a 2008 study by Dr. Philip Mosley. Bigorexia can have a number of negative effects.

Although many today are focused on their appearances, it is important to note the emphasis on strength throughout the history of bodybuilding.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER

May 4, 2022

Sports & Health

7

Baseball Drops Crucial Series to St. Joe’s

As the regular season winds down and playoff hopes wane, struggles for the Rams continue

By PATRICK MOQUIN and MADDIE SANDHOLM Former Sports & Health Editor and Managing Editor

The Fordham baseball team lost two out of three games in its series against the St. Joseph’s University (SJU) Hawks. Following the series loss, the Rams now hold a 5-10 conference record in 2022 and are currently 11th in the Atlantic 10 (A10) standings.

With just three weekends remaining in the regular season, it is becoming more and more likely that Fordham will miss the postseason for the second year in a

row. The Rams’ struggles were apparent in early March, and they haven’t improved significantly since. Though the team’s final two games against the Hawks were more competitive, the first on Friday, April 29, may be more emblematic of Fordham’s season as a whole. The game was effectively over after the second inning.

In his first start since sustaining an injury on April 2, pitcher Gabe Karslo, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’22, resumed his role as the de facto ace in the Rams’ middling rotation. He didn’t impress in his return, walking the first two

batters of the game before giving up a mammoth three-run home run to the Hawks’ third baseman Nate Thomas, SJU ’22. Karslo went on to allow seven runs on five hits and three walks in one inning. He did not come back out for the second inning.

In Fordham’s first turn at the plate, the team managed a rally of its own, and a double by Will Findlay, GSBRH ’23, with the bases loaded drove in all three runners and cut the deficit to four.

But St. Joe’s proved relentless in the top of the second, scoring six more runs against relief pitcher Jake Clark, GSBRH ’24.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Will Findlay, GSBRH ’23, drove in four RBIs over the weekend despite losing the series.

With a comfortable 13-3 lead after two frames, the Hawks cruised through the rest of the game. The Rams managed to earn meaningless runs in the later stages but lost by a devastating 16-9 final score.

The sun was shining throughout the day at Rose Hill, but there were no stars on the field for Fordham.

Before the second game on Saturday, Fordham held a ceremony to honor former Head Coach Dan “Skip” Gallagher, who passed away at the age of 84 in 2020.

From 1984 to 2004, Gallagher revitalized the Fordham program after years of mediocrity, earning 518 wins and seven conference championships in his illustrious career. Remembering the legacy of the legendary coach was the highlight of a day that proved uneventful for the Rams.

The second game started much slower than the previous one, with neither team having any runs on the board after the first two innings. In the top of the third, Thomas struck again with his second three-run homer of the weekend, driving in Brett Callahan and Conlan Wall, both SJU ’24, who were walked. In the fourth, Tim Cavanaugh, SJU ’22, scored on a fly ball hit by Luca Trigiani, SJU ’23, giving the Hawks a 4-0 lead.

The sun was shining throughout the day at Rose Hill, but there were no stars on the field for Fordham. The Rams’ only scoring play of the game was made possible by two hits from Chris Genaro, Fordham College at Rose

Hill (FCRH) ’24, and Jack Harnisch, GSBRH ’22, and two errors from the Hawks in the bottom of the fourth. With the bases loaded and two outs, Ryan Thiesse, FCRH ’24, reached first base on a fielding error by Trigiani, sending Andy Semo, GSBRH ’22, and Genaro home.

The Rams were trailing 4-2 going into the fifth inning, but neither team managed to score again. The Hawks’ relief pitching secured them another victory. Matt McShane, SJU ’25, and Ryan Devine, SJU ’22, were nearly perfect in the final four and two-thirds innings and did not allow any hits.

Though the Rams lost, Cameron Knox, FCRH ’24, and Joseph Quintal, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ’22, were effective on the mound, allowing only five hits throughout the game. In six innings as the starter, Knox also struck out seven batters, a career high for the sophomore.

On Sunday, Fordham finally put the pieces together, pairing solid pitching with timely hitting for their fifth conference victory of the season. Rams batters finally broke through against the Hawks’ bullpen, scoring six runs after the fifth inning. Meanwhile, starting pitcher Brooks Ey, FCRH ’24, threw seven innings while allowing two runs on six hits. Despite losing the series, the team went on to win 7-3 in the third game and avoided the sweep.

The victory was a necessary one for Fordham, but much more was needed this weekend for the Rams as they attempt to sneak into the playoffs with just 11 scheduled games left. The team has still only won a single conference series this season but will look to improve on the road against the University of Rhode Island next weekend.

Men’s Basketball Hires Keith Urgo as Head Coach

The search for Neptune’s replacement ends after nine days as Urgo steps into full-time position

By PATRICK MOQUIN Former Sports & Health Editor

Fordham Athletics announced Friday, April 29, that the university was hiring Keith Urgo to be the next head coach of men’s basketball. Urgo was promoted to interim head coach on April 20 following former Head Coach Kyle Neptune’s departure to Villanova University, but the former associate will now take over as Neptune’s long-term replacement.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be named head men’s basketball coach at Fordham,” Urgo said in a statement. “This is a dream come true for me and my family and I can’t wait to get started building on what we accomplished last year.”

When Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Ed Kull announced that Neptune would be replacing longtime Head Coach Jay Wright at Villanova last week, he also said Fordham was preparing to conduct a “national search” for a permanent replacement. But the university has since changed course, promoting Urgo to the full-time position after only nine days.

“We are thrilled to announce Keith as the next leader of our Fordham men’s basketball program,” Kull said. “After an extensive search process, Keith emerged as the top choice due to the leadership role he has played in the program’s strategic plan, his Fordham roots, and his vision for creating a win-

ning environment for our student-athletes, alumni, fans and community.”

Before joining Fordham for the 2021-22 season, Urgo spent nearly two decades coaching for some of the biggest programs in college basketball.

Following Urgo’s initial promotion last week, the coach received an outpouring of support from current and past players on the Fordham roster. In addition to offering their congratulations, Chuba Ohams, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ’22, former player Antonio Daye Jr. and others took to Twitter to vouch for him as a long-term replacement. It appears that their endorsements were heard.

Before joining Fordham for the 2021-22 season, Urgo spent nearly two decades coaching for some of the biggest programs in college basketball. After three seasons as an assistant at Gonzaga University from 2004 to 2006, Urgo spent five years working at Villanova as a video producer, director of basketball operations and assistant.

He then spent nearly a decade at Penn State, where he worked his way up to become the associate

head coach of the program. He accepted the same position at Rose Hill in May 2021.

When Fordham conducted a national search last year to replace former Head Coach Jeff Neubauer, the university took two months to hire Neptune.

This year’s nine-day search culminating in an inside hire is a sign of confidence in the program’s existing structure. In Fordham Athletics’ statement, University President Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., said that the administration felt secure in the university’s decision.

“Keith Urgo brings to the head coach’s position not only an impressive basketball pedigree, but a solid grounding in Jesuit education from high school onward,” McShane said.

“Keith will be a strong role model for our student-athletes, and a great leader for the team.”

The university is clearly encouraged by the team’s progression, and Urgo has been a part of that success.

In just one season under Neptune, the Rams improved dramatically, earning a 16-16 overall record in the regular season and making a run to the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. It

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Urgo (right) joined Fordham’s program as the associate head coach under Neptune (left) last season.

was the team’s first season without a losing record since 2016, as well as its most successful postseason since 2007. Throughout the year, Fordham relied heavily on the contributions of six transfer players, three of whom had previously played for Urgo at Penn State.

The university is clearly encouraged by the team’s progression, and Urgo has been a part of that success. With three prospects already committed to Fordham for next season, including fourstar recruit Will Richardson, the new head coach seems to have a clear path forward.

‘The Wi How Fordham Threw

Catholic Clergymen in New York pushed young men to fig AURELIEN CLAVAUD Asst. Sports & Health and Asst. Photo Editor

Amid the commotion of the Bronx at midd­­­ay, thousands of students, faculty and staff come and go through the gates of Rose Hill. At the Third Avenue entrance to the campus stands a testament to the Great War and the sacrifice it demanded. The wrought iron gate is flanked by blank stone columns. How many people scan their IDs, walk through and fail to see this memorial? Only a statistical few will take notice of the two patina-bronze plaques, dotted with 36 names.

Embedded in the history of the Catholic Clergy in New York City and intertwined with American politics of the early 20th century, this gate represents far more than the Fordham men who gave their lives in the muddy trenches of the Somme and Verdun in 1918.

Long before Fordham University was a nationally recognized institution, Catholic figures in New York used religious fervor to encourage young students to join the global conflict, claiming it to be God’s will. Recorded in the history of the university are the keen observations and sometimes glowing admiration of Fordham students, attesting to the power of institutions and the impact of World War I on a peaceful collegiate community.

Fordham Enters the War While World War I had been raging in Europe since 1914, America remained neutral for the first three years. Until 1917, life at Fordham University (then known as St. John’s College) was typical. United States President Woodrow Wilson declared war in April of that year in response to unrestricted submarine warfare by the German Empire. The war changed the university almost immediately.

An all-male school at the time, Fordham was strictly administered by Jesuits. The president of Fordham University in 1917, the Rev. Joseph P. Mulry, S.J., was viewed as a leading voice in the Society of Jesus in the United States and was highly respected by his peers.

According to historian Thomas Shelley, who wrote “Fordham: A History of the Jesuit University,” American Catholics were viewed as apathetic. They weren’t thought of as particularly patriotic. Within the Catholic Clergy in the United States, there was also nativist fear of the Pope. These characteristics changed drastically when America entered the war, and at Fordham, Mulry drove the change.

The memorial gateway ceremony at the Third Avenue entrance to Rose Hill. The plaques with 36 names are visible on the column.

The Church’s Call

Ambulances at Rose Hill

When the declaration went out in 1917, the nativist fear among Catholics quickly turned to vehement hatred of the German kaiser and hysterical contempt toward Germans — a major ethnic group in America at the time, according to Shelley. In an attempt to prove their patriotism, American Catholics enlisted in droves. At Rose Hill, the collegiate student body was rallied by war cries delivered by Mulry himself.

“When the call came from Washington for men and arms, it was as though God Himself stood in my presence and said: ‘I, Myself, call you to war,’” Mulry said.

His words echoed those of bishops across the nation who wanted to confront the doubts among Americans about the loyalty of Catholics to the flag. American clergymen made grand speeches claiming divine approval of the conflict. Students at Fordham heard the words of the clergy and the calls to action by Mulry.

“In this dark hour of trial, the sons of Fordham, past and present, are enlisted in your support to the last man,” the editors of the short-lived, student-run magazine the Fordham Monthly, said in an open letter to Wilson.

The months following the declaration set the stage for recruitment efforts of enormous proportions. At Rose Hill, Mulry established the Fordham Ambulance Corps, sometimes called the Fordham Overseas Ambulance Corps, with 127 men.

According to a New York Times article published in June 1917, Fordham alumni donated four ambulances to the university. The ambulance men were sent to train at Camp Crane in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with other units of the newly minted United States Army Ambulance Service (USAAS).

The USAAS was made up of units from colleges across the country. At Allentown, Fordham men were joined by Yale and Harvard recruits. They trained hard for months and found leisure by creating a baseball team. They competed against multiple colleges, including Fordham’s legendary squad led by future Baseball Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch.

When the men of the Ambulance Corps were deployed, they formed multiple units, all led by Captain Joseph E. Donnelly, a professor at the now-defunct Fordham Medical School. Sections 551, 552 and 553 were composed of Fordham men and they supported the French army in the conflict by evacuating wounded troops.

By the end of the war, 46 of its members had received the Croix de Guerre, a medal for valiant service. They had seen combat in Verdun and the Somme, two of the most brutal battlefields of the war. The final major American offensive in the war was at the Somme, known as the Meuse-Argonne; it was also the largest in American history, involving over 1.2 million soldiers.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION

Rose Hill Is Transformed At Rose Hill, the drumbeat of the U.S. Army persisted. Mulry did not stop after forming the Ambulance Corps, claiming that Fordham’s participation in the war was the “Will of God,” and in an address at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, he said, “This war will purify the soul of the nation.”

To uphold his fiery speeches, Mulry established the Student Army Training Corps (SATC) in 1918. The Corps was led by military officers, and its primary purpose was to instruct Fordham students on military practices and tactics. The gymnasium became a mess hall, and multiple residential buildings became barracks. Academic classes were replaced with classes on warfare. Drill was regularly performed on Edwards Parade.

The SATC existed for only two months before the armistice in November of 1918, but it changed the landscape of the university forever.

COURTESY OF FOR

The Archdioceses of New rector of the Church of the a solemn march on Edwar in honor of American lives

ill of God’: w Itself At World War I

ght in 1918, drastically altering the landscape of Rose Hill

COURTESY OF FORDHAM PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION

Ambulance Corps Section 553 was made up of entirely Fordham men.

In 1919, the yearbook, known as The Maroon, said that enough Fordham men signed up to form eight separate companies at Rose Hill, around 500 people total. The halls emptied, and uniforms paraded across the fields.

Fordham was marked by the presence of the Army, but even before the SATC, Fordham students and alumni shipped off en masse. Thousands are estimated to have left for France, including young boys from the Fordham Preparatory School who lied about their age. Some Fordham men rose quickly up the ranks. The Monthly claims that three major-generals and 140 lieutenants represented the university. Many of the troops served in the 27th Division of the New York National Guard.

Although the exact number of Fordham community members that served in the war is not known, the two closest sources providing an accurate approximation of Fordham servicemen are Father Robert Gannon and The Maroon.

Many more Fordham men served and died in the trenches of the Western Front, and their stories may be lost. Some of the remaining stories, particularly in The Maroon, are of the men who returned.

Cornelius Godley was an artilleryman who returned to manage the Fordham tennis team. Cyril Higgins played football and ran track. During the war he was deployed to Naval Station Puget Sound in Seattle.

John MacCarthy was a master sergeant with the SATC. He wrote for The Ram and the Monthly and graduated summa cum laude.

Gilbert Haggerty was of the class of 1918. He was not able to graduate, like many of the class of 1918, due to his service. He joined the class of 1919, and it was said that he would rush at any opportunity to put down his class work and join a game of baseball.

The Memorial at Third Avenue

COURTESY OF FORDHAM PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION

Ambulance Corps 629 was the French designation for the three Fordham sections combined, here they are being decorated by a French officer.

Gannon claimed that 1,529 Fordham alumni were in the service of the U.S. Army when troops arrived in France, including the Fordham members of the USAAS. The Maroon estimates over 1,800 students enrolled at Fordham served during the 20 months of the United States’ engagement. This was likely close to half of Fordham’s enrollment. Of those who served, 36 died.

RDHAM PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION

York, Rev. Joseph F. Mooney, e Sacred Heart, presides over rds Parade by SATC recruits s lost in the war.

These are only some of the men whose records remain.

Many more are lost to history. Ultimately, the war touched the souls of every student at Rose Hill. Father Edward P. Tivnan, S.J., president of Fordham University from 1919 to 1924, later commemorated the sacrifice of the 36 Fordham men who died in service of the United States.

On November 22, 1920, the Memorial Gateway at the Third Avenue entrance of Rose Hill was unveiled with a large religious and military ceremony. Thousands of graduate and undergraduate students, entire Army regiments and General John F. O’Ryan, the commander of the 27th Division, were in attendance.

The 36 names of the Fordham servicemen who died, etched in the memorial, represent far more than an ultimate sacrifice. As they stand today, they contain the shared memory of a bizarre and extraordinary time in the history of Fordham University.

Through institutional pressures, a global war radically changed the lives of thousands of young men. The legacy of the conflict remains in the deep connection between the U.S. Army and Fordham University, and lingers in the modern Reserve Officer Training Corps on campus.

These stories of the early 20th century are poignant reminders of the impact of war and politics on young people. The university is not isolated from the intrigue and events of the modern world. Thirty-six Fordham graves can attest to that.

The Class of 1919 Little is known about the stories of the men who served, as names are the only records that remain. Some fragments scattered across publications can also be found. According to the Monthly, three adolescents of the Fordham Preparatory School died together. The Monthly also contains a list that provides names of honor roll students who fought.

Additional names appear in archived New York Times articles referencing graduate students or alumni who contributed to the war. The Fordham Ram also published profiles of Fordham students serving in various branches of the military.

The best personal stories of these heroes lie in The Maroon, which was the yearbook for the class of 1919. The Maroon features only names from the graduating class, and has short biographies written about each graduate.

James Patrick Pryor was a student whom the Class of 1919 missed sorely.

Pryor was the managing editor of The Fordham Ram and a third-year student.

When the war broke out late in his junior year, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He died of the Spanish flu during his training.

PORTRAITS COURTESY OF FORDHAM ARCHIVES

Clockwise from top left: Cornelius Godley, Gilbert Haggerty, John MacCarthy and Cyril Higgins

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May 4, 2022 THE OBSERVER

Some Things Shouldn’t Be for Sale, Elon Musk

When we start selling entire media platforms to imperial moguls, we jeopardize free speech for all ALYSSA MACALUSO Head Copy Editor

May 8, 2021, was a very exciting day for me. It was my birthday and the first time in many years that it fell on a Saturday — which also meant that it aligned with one of Saturday Night Live (SNL)’s last shows of the season. I scoured SNL’s Instagram weeks in advance, waiting for the announcement of who the host for May 8 would be; if it was someone I liked (or even someone I wasn’t too familiar with but tolerated), then I could incorporate the show into my plans, promising the birthday of a lifetime.

So imagine the horror I felt when SNL announced that Elon Musk would host the show on May 8. With renowned celebrities like Adele, John Mulaney, Jason Bateman, Timothée Chalamet, Dan Levy and Daniel Kaluuya previously appearing that season, I had high expectations that immediately dissipated upon learning that Musk was to be the host.

I don’t hate Elon Musk. I think he does a good job of envisioning an abstract, scientific future, harnessing other people’s innovations and creating a business out of those ideas as exemplified by two of his most notable projects, Tesla and SpaceX. However, he is also the wealthiest person in the world — with a net worth above even that of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — and does virtually nothing to improve the quality of life for those who have fewer resources. He is by no means a hero or someone I look up to. And he is certainly not someone that I want to have more of a visible presence in media spaces than he already does.

On Monday, April 25, Musk reached a deal with Twitter executives to buy the platform for $44 billion, the first step in his plan to privatize the company and “promote more free speech on the platform.” Musk believes that moderators on Twitter have interfered too much by regulating fake news, misinformation and harmful material and has been critical of Twitter executives’ decision to remove former President Donald Trump from the platform after his inflammatory comments. It is unclear what kinds of changes he’d make to the platform, but it’s scary to imagine a platform where hate speech and misinformation can run rampant.

Since the deal was confirmed, Musk has launched attacks against Twitter

executives Vijaya Gadde and Jim Baker, continuing the pattern of being both incredibly critical and admiring of Twitter. Earlier in the month, Musk questioned Twitter’s influence as a platform before affirming Twitter as “the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.” While it’s reassuring to know that Musk recognizes the important role Twitter plays in communication in the 21st century, it is equally frightening that he is about to take control of the platform. Twitter is of a different nature than other popular apps like Instagram or TikTok since it is designed to maximize mass communication and facilitate discussion among users, making it even more important that Twitter remains regulated.

Twitter needs to be regulated by community members, employees and a group of executives, not one person with wild ideas about what free speech means.

Because Twitter is a public company, it’s not formally “owned” by anyone or any group. The largest stakeholders, which are the closest things to “owners,” are large institutional groups, the likes of which include the Vanguard Group, which held a 10.3% share in Twitter in April 2022, and Morgan Stanley Investment, with 8.4%. In terms of individual shareholders, however, Musk easily held the lead with 9.2% shares invested in the company. The last time individuals were the largest shareholders in Twitter was prior to when the company went public in September of 2013 and the individuals were Twitter’s founders and an early investor.

Musk has announced intentions to make Twitter a private company, which means that he will have almost sole control over the platform. Private companies can still have shareholders, but their shares cannot be traded and sold by the public and their finances do not have to be published. The latter point is particularly problematic for the public, as it will allow Musk to shield his already well-endowed financial resources.

There’s no need for a disgustingly rich person to get richer without being open to public scrutiny and accountability.

Aside from concerns about using the platform, I think Musk’s move deserves questioning. What does it mean that moguls with net worths of $273 billion can simply buy entire systems of communication with 329 million estimated monthly users worldwide?

What gives one person the right to make decisions about what kinds of speech should be allowed and how that speech should be regulated on such a popular, influential and, for many, essential platform?

There should be some things, like Twitter, that simply aren’t for sale.

They should remain in the hands of many. Though big institutional groups like the Vanguard Group don’t often represent the interests of everyday people, they are more benign than the machinations of a megalomaniac.

When we start selling online social media platforms like Twitter — our 21st-century “digital town square” — we remove accountability from the hands of the people. Twitter needs to be regulated by community members, employees and a group of executives, not one person with wild ideas about what free speech means.

While companies like Instagram and TikTok may seem to fit this bill, much of the control over platform decisions remains in the hands of a company (ByteDance, for TikTok) or the founders (Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, for Instagram). Though Instagram’s founders left Meta over disputes about lack of autonomy in 2018, Instagram is still in a family of speech-related apps managed by Mark Zuckerberg, who has a much better handle on running social media platforms than many other tech moguls.

If we don’t start putting billionaires in check, then there will be no limits on what they think they can buy. Who knows, Musk may soon try to buy Kazakhstan or Greece, both of which have GDPs valued well below Musk’s net worth. Wealth is already accumulating in the hands of a few; we don’t need power to be more concentrated in those same hands than it already is.

At this point, it is too soon to tell how Twitter will be affected by this acquisition. Maybe it will evolve into a better platform that encourages authentic discussion instead of promoting echo chambers, like Musk envisions. However, like the issues with futuristic Teslas, Twitter could just as well be yet another of Musk’s sci-fi-inspired pet projects that never fully comes to fruition.

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11

Fordham’s Apologetic Approach to Catholicism

Fordham regards its religious identity with embarrassment — ­ here’s how we could better own our faith PATRICK CULLINAN Contributing Writer

Though Fordham advertises that the university is proudly Jesuit, its policies on religion are remarkably lukewarm. With an increasingly secular student body and an even more religiously unengaged faculty, Fordham’s administration has chosen an apologetic stance toward the school’s faith. This policy must change.

Fordham should make a stronger commitment to social justice and inclusivity, allowing it to take pride in its Catholic identity.

Fordham’s student body is comprised mainly of students who are apathetic toward the university’s Catholic identity, with only 39.4% of the class of 2025 identifying as Catholic. On tours, prospective high schoolers are often told, sometimes with an air of embarrassment, that sure, Fordham is a Catholic school, but don’t worry — that won’t affect you if you don’t want it to.

This alone is not particularly surprising. Fordham students’ disconnect from Christianity reflects broader trends in our generation. To a certain extent, Fordham can’t be held responsible for a phenomenon that is represented in all corners of U.S. society.

Everywhere in America, including at Fordham, Catholics are expected to qualify their religious identity with the assurance that they’re “not one of those Catholics,” acceding to an un-

fair stereotype that Catholics are superstitious and bigoted.

None of this is to say that Fordham should demand that all of its students practice Catholicism.

Indeed, a diversity of faith is an enriching and important quality at an institution of higher learning. Pedro Arrupe, a superior general of the Jesuits in the late 20th century, famously joined his faith with other religious traditions to combat religious tribalism and advocate for their shared value of social justice. Thomas Merton is similarly famous for cross-religious dialogue. Fordham should strive to live these ideals.

Many students get the impression from Fordham’s administration that we are only an ostensibly Catholic school. Phrases like “cura personalis” and “men and women for others” float around, defined in such a vague way that some feel they aren’t applied at all. What efforts the administration does make, such as including students in emails from New York’s cardinal, are easy to ignore or avoid.

For years, Fordham has prioritized academic prestige, choosing to climb the rungs of U.S. News & World Report’s college rankings and selective admissions over any tangible effort to make the university truer to Catholic values.

Catholic universities that don’t apologize for their Catholicism — some with prestige equal

GRAPHIC BY ALEXA STEGMULLER/THE OBSERVER

to or greater than that of Fordham, like the University of Notre Dame — prove that scholarly success and commitment to faith are not mutually exclusive.

Although the admissions department never ceases in boasting the Gabelli School of Business, high schoolers and their parents hear next to nothing of the quality of students’ faith or the religious mission of the school.

If Fordham produces thousands of future executives and none of them have a strong commitment to Catholic values such as creating a preferential option for the poor, what does this university have to be proud of?

Then there’s the faculty. At any tolerant and open-minded Catholic institution, one would expect to see plenty of professors who are not Catholic, but the number of Fordham teachers who are hostile to traditional Catholicism is surprising and problematic.

I’ve had teachers who have operated under the assumption that the Church has been an instrument of cruelty and evil in America, completely disregarding the good it has done. I have learned through friends about classes that exclusively taught shameful controversies facing Catholicism while highlighting none of the institution’s many efforts for justice.

Many professors at Fordham are more invested in the religion of modern progressivism than in the faith of this university. They care more about teaching the American political left’s dogmas of race, gender and sexuality than they

do about teaching the Church’s values of charity, forgiveness and care for the poor.

How could Fordham better own its faith? We have reason to hope that President-elect Tania Tetlow, J.D., will bring a culture of more intentional Catholicism.

In his announcement of Tetlow’s election, Robert Daleo, chair of the board of trustees, shared a portion of her letter to the board: “The generation of students we recruit ... want something more than virtue. ... (T)hey want to fix a broken world. They push on assumptions, question authority, and have remarkable courage.

What they don’t know (until we tell them) is that there is nothing more Jesuit than that.”

Certainly this approach has merit. Where some students view the Catholic Church as an instrument of the oppression they hope to overthrow, Fordham could demonstrate to them the many ways that Catholicism is a means of fighting such oppression.

I, however, hope for a little more than social justice. One of the things that has always struck me about Fordham’s Campus Ministry community is how welcoming it is. The Mass-going crowd at Fordham is incredibly generous and kind. Not enough students are aware of this community. Fordham’s Catholics need to make more of an effort to show everyone on campus that they are loved.

Ideally, every Fordham student — religious or not — should know that if they ever need emotional support, a conversation with someone who cares for their well-being or just any interaction rooted in pure kindness, they can come to the Catholics. That, after all, is the message of Christ: Everybody is welcome.

Why Left Leaning News Organizations Can Lead to the Truth

A conversation with the Gravel Institute on increasing media literacy among members of the American public JAKE ERACA Asst. Opinions Editor

A quick glance at the state of American politics and media can leave one feeling a bit fried.

Vehement bigotry is packaged as traditional values, and blatant hatred can easily be disguised as the morning news. Though there seems to be as much information as misinformation being circulated, solace can still be found in American media in the well-cited, properly sourced outlets of the highly scrutinized left.

One such source is the Gravel Institute, a young media organization devoted to combating misinformation. Like many of its peers, the Gravel Institute often draws straight from academics themselves, painstakingly citing every statistic, claim and piece of evidence. This practice is refreshing and much easier to follow than some of the emotionally motivated content of the foremost news centers (like Tucker Carlson and PragerU). American media literacy hinges on our ability to hold information to a higher standard, and that’s exactly what is delivered in many leftist spaces, like the Gravel Institute, more than in right-leaning ones.

Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing one of the co-founders of the Gravel Institute, Henry Williams. A Columbia student and lifetime activist, Williams convinced Mike Gravel, his cofounder, to run for president in the 2020 race and, in turn, was a part of the genesis of the Gravel Institute.

While the institute’s current audience is very young — with a majority in the 18-30 age bracket — it’s founder, Mike Gravel, was an elderly senator from Alaska who lived the institute’s mission until his death last year.

The Gravel Institute is completely crowdfunded. It averages an annual budget of a few hundred thousand dollars, unlike PragerU whose budget clocks in at around $40 million.

While PragerU remains heavily influenced and controlled by its donor network, the Gravel Institute remains relatively in control of its content.

To reformat such ideas, especially to those radically opposed, is no easy task, and the institute has to fight an uphill battle.

For every video they make, all information used is carefully researched and cited and is often presented by the very academics themselves. American media literacy is at an all-time low, with the general populace often having short attention spans and an inability to digest the dense, scholarly information that is associated with politics and the systems of our government.

In our conversation, Williams was very clear that Americans have very good reasons to distrust authority, especially after former President Donald Trump’s presidency and the past 50 years of American history. Mainstream media has become essential to our political life, leading to corporate, for-profit organizations being in charge of the “truth,” which is now a direct reflection of the interests of the highest bidder.

Williams described the Gravel Institute’s approach to fighting this lowered media literacy as addressing the material bread and butter things that drive politics in layman’s terms (ironically), targeting the issues of everyday Americans that don’t require a master’s degree to be able to unpack. The strength of our communities, infrastructure and quality of life are more aligned with the priorities of the average person.

Questioning what drives these things and how we can improve them creates unity, especially across partisan and class lines.

The Gravel Institute’s content speaks to people’s deep material interests and transcend biases and preconceived notions about politics for the sake of bettering their audience, their communities and their families.

In our conversation about misinformation, I asked Williams how an organization as clearly politicized as the Gravel Institute could claim to combat misinformation while taking a side.

He responded with a profound dissection of the truth itself. Can there exist a truth that is disinterested? Or unbiased? Is there truth that doesn’t take a stand or create some sort of argument? The Gravel Institute doesn’t seek to slander or generate publicity; instead, they seek to educate. During the interview, Williams spoke on the Gravel Institute’s commitment to its consumers and the impact of the organization’s work.

Williams explained that he agrees with the organization’s media literacy efforts, and he also believes that the organization

COURTESY OF HENRY WILLIAMS

Founder of the Gravel Institute, Mike Gravel (left), with Henry Williams.

has a responsibility to educate consumers who have no previous knowledge on certain issues. He believes that just exposing people to different ideas can help them have a better understanding of current events and give them the opportunity to navigate issues on their own.

For example, slavery, an integral and horrible part of American history, is something that is universally condemned, so is its existence one for debate on how it reflects morally? No, the truth of its occurrence is morally reprehensible, and it is inherently an inhumane practice. Historically, there is a right side to be on, and that is the truth the Gravel Institute seeks to illuminate.

It would be dishonest, however, to present the truth and

say that it comes without bias because there is no such thing as an unbiased truth. While their competitors like PragerU maintain they have “no political view/affiliation,” Gravel is upfront about its ideas, and it backs up everything it says with scholarly evidence.

The Gravel Institute is a stalwart new institution of the left, created to try and emulate the hyper-organized, highly entrenched right. They exist to keep the fight that Mike Gravel started going.

While his time may have passed, the fight is very much alive in this organization. Looking forward, the institute seeks to regroup and rebrand the left in a new age with a powerful base of young voices steadily waking up to change the broken systems they face.

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Opinions

May 4, 2022 THE OBSERVER

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Talking About Sex Doesn’t Make You Hypersexual

Taboos around discussing sex contribute to the demonization of female sexuality and reduce female pleasure

I love talking about sex. I love hearing my friends talk about sex. I love reading about female sexuality. This, however, does not mean I am hypersexual.

First, let’s define hypersexuality. Also called sex addiction, it is a phenomenon that is not always accepted as a mental disorder but nevertheless is real.

Hypersexuality refers to “an excessive preoccupation” with sex that “causes you distress, or negatively affects your health, job, relationships or other parts of your life.”

Despite any religious or societal views that say otherwise, enjoying sex is more than normal. Hypersexuality, however, is a problem because it makes sex the focal point of your life to the point where it disrupts your ability to function. People who embrace their sexuality by talking about it are most likely not losing their jobs due to an inability to control their fantasies.

I’ve noticed a misconception that people, especially women, who are open about their sex lives are hypersexual. Just because they talk about the sex that they are having, good or bad, does not mean they are more sexual than the average person. It simply makes them sexual — except they are more comfortable talking about it.

The topic of embracing sexuality often suggests the process of queer people coming out. Sexuality, though, does not only refer to sexual orientation.

Sexuality is broad and unique to every person — it includes how someone wants to have sex, how often someone wants to have sex, what values are important in sexual encounters and everything that has to do with

man thing, and that didn’t make me masculine? And what if it’s okay to have a high sex drive, regardless of your gender or sexual orientation, and not feel the need to justify it? I use the phrase high sex drive with caution, though, because it’s hard to define such a thing. In fact, sex researchers have stressed that there is no such thing as a “normal” sex drive; everyone’s sex drive is unique and valid.

Why Talk About Sex?

GRAPHIC BY ALEXA STEGMULLER/THE OBSERVER

a person’s relationship with sex.

Embracing sexuality in a world still full of taboos surrounding sex is a whole different beast for queer and straight people alike.

Why Are Women Often Incorrectly Labeled as Hypersexual?

Why is it that men can walk around talking about sex however much they want, but when people of other genders do it, they are seen as too sexual or even “out of control”? It couldn’t possibly be good old misogyny at work here, right?

To answer this question, we need to look at the myth that men are biologically more sexual than women. It wasn’t until recently that we started questioning whether that’s actually true or if they are encouraged to be more sexual than women.

Many past studies have found that men tend to have higher libidos than women. More recent findings, however, have shown that women are more likely to lie about their sexual habits in these surveys. In other words, women downplay their sex drives.

Cultural norms and societal expectations play a powerful

part in how people view themselves. It’s no different when it comes to the stereotype that women have lower sex drives than men, a misconception that has been used time and time again to justify sexual violence toward women. A study has also found that men have a better understanding about their own sexual desires than women, who are less in touch with what they want or don’t want in bed.

Women may recognize only some of their turn ons, but the study found that their bodies get excited just as easily as men’s, even if it’s unconsciously. This could be because male sexuality has been accepted more to the point where a high sex drive is associated with masculinity. It wouldn’t be so surprising that women’s supposedly lower sex drives are due to centuries of repression and not biology.

I’m guilty of these misconceptions, too. Last year, I caught myself saying “I have the hormones of a teenage boy” when describing my sex life. Looking back, I question why I had to compare my sex drive to that of a teenage boy to justify my desire to seek out sex. What if I just have a sex drive, a very hu-

For starters, it can be fun.

I enjoy telling my two closest friends about my day and hearing about their days. Talking about sex shouldn’t be any different, as it is part of many of our lives. Talking to my friends about our different sexual experiences, ranging from terrible to amazing to hilariously awkward, makes me feel closer to them.

In the process, we can also learn about what we like and dislike, what we want to try, what’s stressing us out about sex, what kind of boundaries we want to set with our respective partners, and so much more. Just like how salary transparency can help people get the wages they deserve, sex transparency can be super informative as well.

The only way to ensure that people are having safe sex is to teach such practices in ways that are accessible to everyone.

My best friend was having sex for several years before she realized she was experiencing orgasms simply because no one had told her what orgasms in women looked or felt like. That whole time, both she and her partner worried that there was something wrong.

Let’s say you were having other struggles in your sex life, like having different libido levels

than your romantic partner or becoming prone to certain infections. How much less alone would you feel if you could share these things openly with those around you? Who knows, maybe someone would have helpful insights.

Open dialogue and accessible resources on the internet could also come in handy. This holds true especially for queer people. While sex education in general is insufficient in this country, it dismisses queer sex entirely, leaving queer people to learn through exploring and researching on their own time.

Thankfully, there are many online publications nowadays with useful information on what queer sex is, how to have it and how to stay safe while having it.

When it comes to kink-sharing on social media, there are pros and cons, but one huge pro is that it can make people feel less ashamed of their sexual fantasies. While there is nothing wrong with vanilla sex and kinks shouldn’t feel like a competition (like so many other things shared on social media do), desires that are considered outside the norm may not be so abnormal after all. Seeing that other people have similar desires may validate someone or even help spice up someone else’s bedroom experiences.

Also, most allosexual people will find ways to have sex whether it’s talked about or not.

The only way to ensure that people are having safe sex is to teach such practices in ways that are accessible to everyone. If not, people will remain confused, putting their and their partners’ bodies at risk.

So, let’s talk about sex — all aspects of it — as much as you are comfortable sharing. And let’s stop labeling sexual women as hypersexual. Doing so only demonizes women who celebrate their sexuality and prevent them from having better sex. Only then will those religious and historical taboos start to fade away, giving us a deeper understanding of our sexual selves.

Once You Get the Ick, Does It Stick?

EMILY ELLIS Head Copy Copy EEditor dittor di

Dear Em, I have a crush on this person in my class, and I’ve been so excited to see them every day. But the other day, something changed.

They answered a question wrong in class, and it started to impact my feelings for them. Is it wrong to be turned off by a stupid answer from my class crush?

Sincerely, Bewildered Bachelor’s Student Dear Bewildered Bachelor’s Student, Having crushes on people in your classes is one of the best aspects of college (beside, you know, the whole “getting a degree” thing). It makes attending classes and working on group projects even more fun, especially

in those rare instances where it blossoms into something real and genuine.

That being said, class crushes are usually far from authentic.

Forced proximity and the shared burden of a difficult class are bonding incentives that let romantic feelings flourish. Often, they are as fleeting as the class itself, forgotten only a few months later.

There is nothing wrong with those feelings going away.

Further, depending on the question, it is completely rational to be turned off by someone answering a question incorrectly.

Whether it was insensitive or simply inaccurate, some people are only attracted to people they perceive as intelligent. The term sapiosexual refers to people who find intelligence specifically arousing. If you find yourself consistently attracted to people who appear to be intelligent, this term might be something worth looking into.

Outside of terminology, it is also acceptable to feel turned off by perceived unintelligence.

However, if this is the case, I would urge you to give them another chance. Everyone has bad days, and one wrong answer in class is definitely not indicative of ignorance. In fact, it takes a lot of bravery to answer

ing to uphold baseline attraction over an extended period of time, especially in a classroom setting.

As always, you are the only one who can make an authentic decision here regarding your romantic feelings. Give yourself time to process this change in feelings, and over the next few weeks, see if this is a permanent or temporary change. Either way, there will be more class crushes to come.

GRAPHIC BY MADDIE SANDHOLM/THE OBSERVER

a question when you are not sure of the correct response. The smartest people are willing to put themselves out there, and this person has hopefully grown from the question. We are all at college to learn, and if anything, this person is commendable for putting themself out there in the first place.

This also depends on the question that they got wrong. If you were in a math class and they got

a number wrong, that’s entirely different from saying something insensitive in a gender studies or anthropology class. If their answer revealed an aspect of their personal beliefs or values that unsettled you, then it is reasonable to feel the earlier sparks sputter and die out.

At the end of the day, attraction is not something that we have much control over. Don’t chastise your mind or your crush for fail-

Have que st ion s about love or relationships in NYC or Fordham? Ask Em! Submit your dilemma with a pseudonym to editor@fordhamobserver.com. All questions will be anonymous, and names will be changed.

Submissions may be edited for grammar and brevity.

Arts & Culture Editors Isabella Gonzalez Olivia Stern

Arts & Culture

May 4, 2022 THE OBSERVER

‘Aulis’: A Greek Spectacle of Comedy, Tragedy and Autonomy

Fordham Theatre’s final mainstage of the season presents a modern spin on an ancient Greek play AULIS from page 1

“Aulis” brings its audience into a version of the Trojan War replete with phones and iPads. The Greek army is hungry for war, and the soldiers keep their bloodlust at bay with video games. They are unable to advance toward the enemy due to a lack of wind for their ships.

In order to facilitate the war, Agamemnon initially plans to sacrifice his young daughter Iphigenia (played by Lili Gutierrez, FCLC ’23) to the gods in exchange for wind. He sends a message to Iphigenia and his wife, Clytemnestra (played by Dylan Foster, FCLC ’24), under the guise that Iphigenia is to be married to Achilles, the famed Greek hero (played by Kamau Nosakhere, FCLC ’25).

They and the rest of the cast — Matt Green, FCLC ’24; Jason Maina, FCLC ’24; Rocky Arabalo, FCLC ’22; Kana Seiki, FCLC ’24; Alexander Shayeb, FCLC ’25; and Yasemin Cem, FCLC ’25 — are brought to this lifeless land, where the life of a young girl determines the outcome of a war.

“ Everyone just worked

so well together with one another. It was so natural. It felt like magic, honestly. ”

Dylan Foster, FCLC ʼ24

If you are unaware of the Trojan War’s story, it began not for glory, but because a woman left her husband, Menelaus (played

by Maina), Agamemnon’s brother. “Aulis” is a sad and tragic tale. Who in their right mind would kill their own daughter, especially for a war like this?

And as the story goes on, it slowly gets more disturbing.

On the surface, “Aulis” is not a serious play. Agamemnon will take a selfie and discuss plans for war, all while a video of Nyan Cat plays in the background. The modern elements allow for those comedic moments but also contribute to the somber tones.

The setting, Aulis, is a place of death, where gadgets and technology distract you from the horrible reality of what’s actually happening — something eerily similar to how many people handle suffering today.

Nosakhere elaborates more on this topic using the character of Polly (played by Cem), Achilles’s young slave and companion who was taken from her homeland.

While most of the cast is in white and gold, Polly wears a dark-colored dress, which gives off the feeling that she does not belong and that something is wrong. This feeling is also increased due to her role in the play.

“It’s a very serious thing supplemented by a lot of comedy,” Nosakhere said. “And the way we went about that was just being very honest with, ‘How does this make us feel?’ And yeah, this makes us feel icky, and it’s not a nice feeling to have when you think about a little girl somewhere she doesn’t know. We tried to make sure that those things hit so that, yes, there’s comedy and we’re laughing, but within that there’s the importance and seriousness of Polly’s character.”

May Adrales, the director of “Aulis” and head of the Fordham Theatre Program, worked closely with the women of this play, according to Foster. Adrales had some rehearsals with only the female cast members, having conversations about autonomy and the reality of how women are treated in this world.

Throughout the show, Clytemnestra frantically tries to stop her husband from trying to kill their daughter. To Agamemnon, it’s no big deal, whereas Clytemnestra goes insane.

“We really worked on actually getting to the truth and the root of all (of) it, and the comedy really (showed) through because of that,” Foster said. “I’m sure everyone else (in) the process — Yasemin, Lily, Pedro and everyone — can relate to the fact that it was heavy, taking those feelings home sometimes.”

She added that she and Cem would sometimes be in tears at the end of rehearsals and emphasized that the great chemistry of the cast made this performance stronger.

“Everyone just worked so well together with one another. It was so natural. It felt like magic, honestly,” Foster said.

Both Foster and Nosakhere mentioned how Adrales gave them a great deal of creative freedom in shaping their characters. She’s an “actor’s director,” as Foster described. It was very much an educational experience, and Adrales really trusted them in making the characters their own.

Nosakhere recounted how Adrales would ask for their ideas first or see their take on a scene.

Then, she’d offer insights or adjustments. He learned how to be more free in his acting, while also channeling the director’s vision.

Compared to the other shows of the season, “Aulis” was less dark, but it still managed to feature a tragic theme applicable to today’s world. It’s what you would expect in an ancient Greek play: big, funny, dramatic and full of action. Yet, the realness of it all will shock you and leave you feeling bitter — in a good way — toward the end.

“Aulis” ran at FCLC from April 6-8 and April 21-23. Mainstage shows from Fordham Theatre will return next semester in fall of 2022.

Kamau Nosakhere, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’25, plays Achilles in the final mainstage show of the year.

Fordham Theatre’s latest mainstage production places Greek mythology in modern times.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FORDHAM THEATRE

Christopher’s Chen “Aulis” is based on the ancient Greek play “Iphigenia in Aulis,” with Chen providing a more modern twist with cellphones and tablets.

14

Arts & Culture

May 4, 2022 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

Fordham CAB’s Spring Weekend “Exceeded All Expectations”

With guests including Kelsey Kreppel and Olivia O’Brien, CAB reported record turnouts for the event-filled week

By MARIAH LOPEZ Staff Writer

Fordham’s Campus Activities Board at Rose Hill (CAB) hosted free programs throughout the week of April 24 through May 1 to continue the 42-year-old school tradition of Spring Weekend.

Every event was free and open to undergraduate students from both the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses. This past Spring Weekend was the first full scale, in-person Spring Weekend since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Only this year’s graduating seniors remembered a time when the tradition existed before the coronavirus.

“We focused on bringing back a really special campus tradition that the majority of the student body had yet to experience. It was so rewarding to see it all come to life,” Katie Milinic, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’22 and CAB president, said.

While the Spring Concert on Saturday is the most highly anticipated event every year, the fun kicked off the Sunday before with Field Day on Edward’s Parade. An inflatable obstacle course and jousting ring filled the lawn, and students played classic games such as tug-of-war and a water balloon toss.

The fun continued on Monday night with a huge Bingo game.

Students filled the theater as they competed for prizes such as a karaoke machine, an Apple Watch, a Nintendo Switch, an iPad and an Oculus VR headset.

On Wednesday, nine students competed in the Last Comic Standing event. Audience members ultimately voted Brigid Lynett, FCRH ’22, to be the winner.

“I competed because I have always wanted a $500 Ticketmaster gift card and I love attention. This was an opportunity to get both,” she joked about her victory. “I was honored to perform alongside so many talented comics and Matt Ruane.

Winning was the thrill of my life.”

The week’s events ramped up on Thursday as Fordham hosted its first guest performer for the weekend, Kelsey Kreppel.

Over 600 people filled the Fordham Prep Theatre to see Milinic interview Kreppel about her career as both a preschool teacher and a comedic influencer/vlogger on Youtube. She gave the audience valuable advice on figuring out post-grad life and being unafraid to pursue one’s passion.

“It was really fun to hear about her experiences in college but also hear about where she is now and what she’s up to these days,” Alessandra Carino, FCRH ’23 and an attendee of the event, said.

The weekend events started off strong with a carnival Friday night.

Students waited an average of 45 minutes in line to slide down the Fun Slide or spin in the Gravitron. In addition to the rides, people played classic carnival games like balloon darts, enjoyed common carnival snacks such as funnel cakes and entered the raffle for the chance to win one of 10 three-day tickets to the Governor’s Ball Music Festival.

Saturday marked Fordham’s annual Spring Weekend concert, the pinnacle of the weekend’s festivities.

Fordham’s own student band, Faculty, opened for the concert and played a mix of covers and their own original songs released at the end of last year on their first EP. Christian French followed, playing fan favorite songs like “av-

Earn your master’s degree with only one year of study beyond your bachelor’s degree.

COURTESY OF SHERIDAN TYSON

Olivia O’Brien, a 22-year-old singer-songwriter, performed at Coachella just a few weeks prior to attending Fordham’s Spring Weekend.

alanche,” “i think too much” and “hungover sunday.” When the altpop singer performed his song “OH WELL,” the crowd sang the chorus’s signature call-and-response with him while waving their arms back and forth.

The crowd steadily grew throughout the day until a sea of students filled the lawn by the time the weekend’s headliner, Olivia O’Brien, walked onstage.

The pop singer’s performance electrified the crowd, suddenly transforming the spring concert into a tamer version of Coachella.

People crowd surfed, started mosh pits and climbed on the shoulders of friends in the hopes of getting a glimpse of O’Brien, especially after she surprised everyone with a cover of Ke$ha’s “Your Love is My Drug.”

Many students questioned how O’Brien would be able to perform her newest song, “Bitches These

Days,” while still following Fordham’s rule that all music performed must adhere to Jesuit values.

As she prepared to sing it, O’Brien apologized for the censorship while showing everyone a sign she had been given that said, “Don’t say bad words.”

Seemingly in response to this, she received a sign at her concert the next day at Western New England University that said, “Say bad words.”

Although she adhered to rules prohibiting swear words, she walked down to the guardrails at one point between songs to take a shot offered from the crowd. In response, dozens of other students raised their contraband alcohol proudly in the air and cheered — despite Fordham’s strict policy against it. O’Brien pleased the crowd one last time at the very end of her set as she put on a Fordham shirt thrown onstage before giving

a thumbs up and exiting the stage.

After such an eventful Saturday, Spring Weekend winded down on Sunday with a campus movie festival on Edward’s Parade. The event featured student-produced films and food from the same food trucks as the previous day.

“It exceeded all of my expectations, and we had record breaking attendance at so many of our events,” Milinic said about Spring Weekend overall. “I’m really grateful that we were able to provide these experiences and allow students to make memories on campus that they can look back on after they leave Fordham.”

Bonnie Carroll, FCRH ’25, summed up most students’ feelings best though in an Instagram caption she paired with her Spring Weekend photo dump: “Spring Weekend was fun, but now it’s time to die during finals.”

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THE OBSERVER

May 4, 2022

Arts & Culture

15

‘How I Learned to Drive’ Is a Jaw-Dropping Trip Down Memory Lane

Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play parks on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

By ISABELLA GONZALEZ Arts & Culture Editor

Content warning: themes of abuse and pedophilia “Sometimes to tell a secret, you first have to teach a lesson.”

When Tony Award-winning actress Mary-Louise Parker walked onstage and delivered this line of dialogue as the character Li’l Bit, the audience instantly learned that this is her story to tell.

On the minimalist stage, she describes in great detail the scenery of the parking lot overlooking the Beltsville Agricultural Farms in suburban Maryland in 1969.

She is a seasoned woman welcom-

ing us into her space — until she isn’t. She begins as Li’l Bit in the present day, after which she folds into the cynical, 17-year-old girl being violated by her uncle.

“How I Learned to Drive,” the Manhattan Theatre Club production currently playing at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre located at 261 W. 47th St., is not for the faint of heart but is a masterclass in theater-making and tackling trauma.

Originally scheduled for the 2020-21 season, the play is no stranger to the stage. It premiered off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre in 1997, with playwright Paula Vogel taking home the Pulitzer Prize for drama the following year.

Twenty-five years later, original director Mark Brokaw returned alongside original cast members Parker, David Morse and Johanna Day to finally see the show have its Broadway debut.

The story takes us through Li’l Bit’s complex relationship with her aunt’s beloved husband, Uncle Peck (Morse), in a non-chronological fashion as she tries to come to terms with the hurt that has been inflicted upon her from the age of 11 up until her first year of college.

The memories unfold through the structure of a driving lesson, with a three-person Greek chorus — made up of Teenage (Alyssa May Gold), Male (Chris

COURTESY OF JEREMY DANIEL

“How I Learned to Drive” stars Tony Award winning-actress Mary-Louise Parker, David Morse and Johanna Day, with Mark Brokaw directing.

Myers) and Female (Day) — adopting the roles of outside influences, like Li’l Bit’s grandparents and classmates.

In this New York Times critic’s pick, Parker and Morse take on the challenge of harnessing these conflicted, deeply human characters in their soul and rise to the occasion.

While it takes a moment or two to get used to, Parker perfectly embodies and distinguishes every age of Li’l Bit with subtle physicality shifts to make the story flow in and out of time fluidly. She seamlessly transforms from a smart-mouthed 17-yearold to a haunted adult teacher to a big-hearted 11-year-old. I still don’t know how she does this despite seeing it right before my eyes in the 1-hour and 40-minute performance (with no intermission).

The audience almost knows what age she is before the text reveals it, yet we don’t want to admit it to ourselves due to how disturbing it is. When it is communicated, like late into a scene where Uncle Peck takes photos of a 13-year-old Li’l Bit in his basement and tries to convince her to become a Playboy model, we’re still just as shocked and uncomfortable in our cushioned seats as we have been for the entire show.

Morse also does sophisticated work here that is evident of the years he has had to dig into Peck’s psyche.

The Southern veteran and former alcoholic is never given a pass for his predatory behavior, but Morse’s depiction of the troubled, hardworking man paints a picture of a charmer

that the audience could easily fall for if they were not aware of the whole story. Peck devolves into a trainwreck the audience can’t turn away from, culminating in a climax that garnered audible gasps from the audience.

Parker and Morse steal the show, but the remaining ensemble shouldn’t be underestimated.

Day delivers a great monologue as Aunt Mary, which sends chills down the audience’s spines.

Gold and Myers serve more as tools for world-building than fully fleshed-out characters, just as the script calls for.

With all that said, what shines here first and foremost is the writing of the play itself. The treatment of its heavy material is careful and considerate. Vogel isn’t here to traumatize the audience or get a dramatic reaction just for the sake of it. She instead gives a voice to all those in similar situations who have been silenced or haven’t been able to find their voice quite yet.

In a note she leaves in the playbill, she admits that she doesn’t know if she will write something that connects to such a wide demographic again, which I believe to be true.

Li’l Bit’s journey with trauma and healing is written with such nuance that only other survivors will notice at times. And as Li’l Bit concludes her story with ghosts in her backseat, a disconnect from her body but a vehicle that offers hope for freedom, I can only wonder where I stand with my own secrets.

“How I Learned to Drive” opened on April 19 and will continue to run as a limited engagement through May 29.

Does Fordham Got Talent?

CAB presents an in-person talent show, allowing Lincoln Center students to showcase their hidden skills

By CHAISE JONES Contributing Writer

Fordham, at its center, is a liberal arts school, blending literature, philosophy and mathematics — subjects many are all too familiar with, thanks to the core curriculum. But if one is not a member of the Ailey School or the theatre program, opportunities to display one’s knack for the performing arts come far and few between.

The Campus Activities Board at Lincoln Center (CAB) is there to save the day with its annual event, Fordham’s Got Talent, putting our peers to the test and asking the fundamental question: Does Fordham got talent?

The event began with an introduction from CAB President Zuzanna Smurzynska, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’22, and Entertainment Chair Bianca Ortega, FCLC ’25. The Rev. Vincent Decola, S.J., dean of the Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center (GSBLC); Resident Director for First-Year Students Savanah Manos; and United Student Government President Joe VanGostein, GSBLC ’22, served as judges, ready to evaluate the 10 contestants.

First up, ViVi Aiello, FCLC ’25, and David Perry, FCLC ’23, covered “Everybody Talks” by Neon Trees. They performed melodic vocals, with Perry complementing the performance by playing his acoustic guitar. Although there were some technical difficulties, the duo pow-

ered through, transporting the audience to a 2012 Neon Trees concert.

Brooks Gillespie, FCLC ’25, followed with an original song titled “Manifest Destiny,” which is about meeting her partner.

Gillespie’s piece highlighted the singer-songwriter’s natural talent as a performer. She wooed the audience with her storytelling of the event that inspired the song and an incredible bridge.

Kamani Abu, FCLC ’25 and a member of the Fordham/Ailey BFA program, performed a contemporary dance. Using the limited space of G76 to his full advantage, Abu’s choreography grabbed the audience’s attention, as he used body percussion to create a vacuum in the room. The piece is an excerpt from Abu’s larger project “Inside Voices.”

Next, duo Cass Do, FCLC ’22, on vocals and Jess Figueroa, FCLC ’22, on guitar played the R&B hit “Session 32” by Summer Walker. The vocal runs Do added to the original melody personalized and honey-fied the cover, along with Figueroa’s immaculate fingerpicking.

Sebastian Martinez-Canedo, GSBLC ’24, followed with a lip-sync medley that included “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, “LoveStoned” and “SexyBack” by Justin Timberlake, and “Faith”

by George Michael. The performance featured costume changes, a white wig, a well-tailored navy suit, an aqua soprano ukulele and Martinez-Canedo’s incredible lip-syncing abilities.

ALICE MORENO/THE OBSERVER

The winners of the competition prove that Fordham does have talent. Isis Poulouse (center), FCLC ’25, placed first.

“Who among us hasn’t wanted to lip-sync and dance to Gloria Gaynor, Justin Timberlake and George Michael in front of a crowd and panel of judges while wearing a suit and tie?” he asked.

“OK, maybe that’s just me.”

Martinez-Canedo’s performance received an honorable mention. Decola rivaled Simon Cowell in his judging abilities as he doted on Martinez-Canedo’s ability to “lose (his) inhibition and become a great performer.”

Isis Poulouse, FCLC ’25, sang Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain,” receiving a standing ovation from half of the audience. Poulouse’s vocal talents allowed the beige walls of G76 to fade

away, creating a metaphorical spotlight on the up-and-coming singer.

Aastha Aggarwal, GSBLC ’22, and former assistant features editor for The Observer, danced to “Kusu Kusu” from the motion picture “Satyameva Jayate 2,” captivating the audience with her fluid movements and rhythm.

The finale featured Ethan Downs, FCLC ’25, under the stage name BLVE, as he performed his original rap “Reckless.”

“Come to my collection of emotion digression,” he repeated. Downs hints at the immersive experience his audience will inevitably encounter: The “obsession is infection.”

The honorable judges took a 10-minute recess, after which they returned with their results to an anxious and eager audience. Abu’s innovative dance and Gillespie’s original song placed second and third, respectively, while Poulouse took first, her rendition of the vocally challenging 2016 hit winning over the judges.

From Martinez-Canedo’s performance — that rightfully belongs in the Lip Sync Battle Hall of Fame — to Aggarwal’s mesmerizing dance and the songwriting of Gillespie and Downs, magic was created in the typically bleak G76, highlighting just how much talent Fordham truly has.

Fun & Games Editor Irene Hao

un & ames

May 4, 2022 THE OBSERVER

Crossword: The Finish Line

BY IRENE HAO

Across 1. Finish 4. Said when you pause a fight 9. Aristotle’s teacher 11. Fatal flaw leading to a character’s end in Greek tragedy

15. Type of alligatoroid 16. *A dancer’s last dance (2 wds) 17. Dragonfly order 19. Six minutes out of an hour is a 20. Hair or bread style 21. Something you would text your partner when disagreeing (2 wds)

FIN

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63. Keys for gaming, minus A

Down 1. Anagram for “mean” 2. Anagram for “Tana” 3. Unhelpful advice for upset people: “ sad” (2 wds) 4. Suffixes for fractions, after thirds 5. Gordon Ramsay: “It’s flippin’ ” 6. Actress Thurman in “Kill Bill” 7. Cheerful to Brits 8. Gaelic language, or anagram of “seer” 9. Quilt city in Kentucky 10. Scar and his words to Simba (2 wds) 12. Drink boost 13. Opposite of 1 Across 14. A month in the Hindu calendar 15. Atomic number 27, or a blue pigment 18. U.S. school in Egypt (Abbr.)

22. Males blessed with height (2 wds) 23. The Communist countries in Eastern Europe, once 24. Blue (Fr.)

27. “ Tuesday, I like to eat gumbo and king cake” (2 wds) 28. Ice skates for snow 29. “A fun game for kids ” (2 wds) 32. Reproduced, as animals 34. Text spelling for evening parting 35. 501-3c3 organization based in D.C. 36. Speechless; for words (3 wds) 37. Intense; significant 38. Taylor Swift’s “You Calm Down” (2 wds) 41. Sacred song or hymn 42. Prince of the Tang dynasty (2 wds) 43. Belonging to the cow from “Barnyard” 45. Animal that defeated Australia in two wars 46. What Simba is to Scar 48. Synonym of 41 Across 51. Low-cal drinks 53. Materials for pelts and expensive coats 54. It’s spelled the same way in present and past tense 56. Payment for overdue library book or past dorm curfew 57. Acronym before Enterprise 58. Proof for congruent triangles, or a sound a snake makes

Start

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25. Retirement savings place 26. *“That was ,” said in a neardeath experience (3 wds) 29. Image 30. Paint founded in the City of Angels (2 wds) 31. Nicknames for a strongman, or a department store 33. *What Frank Sinatra faces in “My Way” 39. “Will you love me ?” said an insecure partner (3 wds) 40. What Alice’s tea cake says (2 wds) 41. Narrative 44. *Final seconds of chess or football 47. Command for a dog 48. “Have you ?” or what might be on a missing poster (2 wds) 49. Christmas light type 50. A slight incline (2 wds) 52. Pay , or in advance 55. *Apocalyptic video game featuring Joel and Ellie (3 wds) 59. “My paint doesn’t have many , I should buy some more” (2 wds) 60. Female master of the house 61. Eliminate 62. Pupils belong to a snake’s

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BY IRENE HAO

Finish

Sudoku Instructions: Each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the numbers 1-9 exactly once.

BY IRENE HAO

PAGE DESIGN AND GRAPHICS BY KYLA MCCALLUM