Tuesday February 13, 2018 Vol. LXXIII Issue I

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH, 2018

TOUCHSTONE

VOL. LXXIII

INSIDE NEWS | 2

Flu Season

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MANHATTANVILLE COLLEGE

Emma Fox Sentencing Hearing MIKE BRABAZON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

SPORTS | 4 Tuci Achieves 1,000

FEATURE | 10 Avenue Q

OPINION | 13 Valentine’s Day

ISSUE I

On Wednesday Feb. 7 Emma Fox was sentenced in the Westchester County Court to 6 months in Westchester Country Jail for second degree vehicular manslaughter. Fox killed Robert Schartner with her car in 2016. She was also sentenced to 60 days in jail for the misdemeanor of driving while intoxicated, this sentence will be served concurrently with the 6 months for second degree vehicular manslaughter. Fox has been incarcerated since Dec. 20, 2017 when the plea agreement was reached.

Family and friends of Schartner were in attendance for the sentencing. Fox entered the court room with her head down and her hands cuffed behind her back. Judge Helen Blackwood allowed Scott Hall, the step father of Schartner, to speak. Hall knew him for his entire life and has been his step father since Schartner was 7 years old. He spoke on behalf of his wife, Donna Hall.

“I am not here today because I do not want to see your face, your decision was just plain murder,” said Hall on behalf of his wife.

Hall was choked up and shed tears while delivering his speech.

“I just want to go to sleep to rest my broken heart.”

Judge Blackwood handed down the sentence which was negotiated between the District Attorney and Fox’s attorney, Lewis Stephens, called ‘shock probation’. This sentence consists of the 6 months she will serve in jail, then 4 and a half years of probation.

Amidst many probation conditions, she will go without a license for 6 months. Following the 6 months she can petition her probation officer for relicensing. If granted, every vehicle she drives must have an Ignition Interlock Device. This device requires the operator to pass a hard wired breathalyzer test in order for the vehicle to start.

Fox was initially charged with first degree vehicular manslaughter as well as drunk

driving and speeding. She was indicted in September of 2017 on the lesser charge of second-degree vehicular manslaughter. Fox plead guilty on Nov. 29, 2017 to this charge and initially faced up to 7 years in prison.

“This is a tragedy for the Schartner family and Ms. Fox,” said Judge Blackwood, “I have no doubt the impact this tragedy has had on Ms. Fox, it is obvious to me that she has taken steps in her personal development and I hope that she continues to take those steps.”

Fox was granted to opportunity to speak after sentencing.

“There is not a day that I do not think about the pain I have caused the Schartner family, I am so sorry. I do not expect the family to ever forgive me,” said Fox in her speech prior to exiting the courtroom and returning to Westchester County Jail, where she will finish her 6-month sentence.

Schartner’s presence is still felt on Manhattanville’s campus to this day. Students can be seen wearing shirts that read ‘RS3’ and sporting brace-

PHOTO CREDIT: GOVALIANTS

lets that say ‘RS3’…… Never Leave Your Smile At Home’, his signature phrase.

“It’s imperative to remember what Robby meant to his team, his school, and most importantly his family. While Robby may no longer be with us, his memory and smile will light the community forever,” said former lacrosse teammate and close friend of Schartner, Christian Flores.

The Schartner family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Fox family and the pub Fox was drinking at prior to the incident. This case is still pending.

“Designing Memory” at Manhattanville KATHERINE MATUSZEK

COPY WRITER Manhattanville comes with a rich history. Whether it is the College or the current campus, aspects of that are visible.

But does the whole community recognize these pieces and know what they mean?

Manhattanville’s identity is constantly adapting to the time, but everyone that passes through the Castle has had different experiences. With this knowledge, the College wants to reflect on its history in a way that examines the aspects of the College that create the space and memories in an event, “Designing Memory.”

The “Designing Memory” event will be occurring throughout the afternoon and evening of April 17, 2018.

The goal of this event is for it to be a multimedia and immersive event with different activities and programs. Each is designed to help understand the interaction between space, environment, architecture, and monuments and how all those things work together to construct memory and identity.

The project’s details are tentative, but are getting sorted out as the semester continues. Organized by a group of faculty, staff, students, and alumni, the program wants to be inclusive and representative of the Manhattanville experience for all. Some of the sections will include a more specific

take on the theme of memory, looking through departmental lenses. Clista Towne from the Dance and Theatre Department and her students will be creating site-specific performances within the Castle through the examination of the physical object and its life.

Additionally, Professor Lisa Rafanelli will be creating a project that examines the religious sculptures that came from the Convent Avenue campus and their place in Manhattanville history. They stayed on the quad until 2005 when they were moved to the cemetery in the back of campus.

Continued on page 2

PHOTO CREDIT: KATHERINE MATUSZEK

NEWS

VOL. LXXIII Continued from Page 1

Professor Meghan Cifarelli, Chairperson of the Art History Department and lead faculty member/ academic curator for the project explained Professor Rafanelli’s project.

“She is approaching that from a perspective of what we call in art history, ‘object biographies.’ This idea that objects have lives and their meaning is contextual and when you change the context, you change the meaning and you also change the space,” said Cifarelli.

Manhattanville has a series of locations and objects on campus that are tied to its identity. In today’s political climate, a conversation about monuments and their place in history is ongoing. There is a discussion about what they mean to a community, what happens when they leave, and how they define the space in which they are located.

It is valuable for anyone on campus, students especially to help understand the space as a defining part of their college experience according to organizers. Because of this, there is hopes to involve students in interactive exhibits and CAM projects that will be seen throughout campus in the lead-up to Quad Jam. “It is really important for students to have a sense of their place. What is this place? And [Manhattanville] has changed over times, both in terms of the college and this physical space that we occupy,” said Cifarelli.

is using the most successful parts as a way to engage the community. The variety of programs will be a draw as well as the addition of outside speakers, like Coline Jenkins, great-great granddaughter of suffragette Elizabeth Cady Stanton and President of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Trust. Her focus on women’s history and questions about where statues of women might be in locales coincide with Manhattanville’s history as an all-women’s school until it became coeducational in 1971.

“It is an opportunity to take all the threads from the different things and intentionally pull them together in a way that is coherent,” said Cifarelli.

There is hope for it to become an interactive event and an exhibition that engages the community in a continuous dialogue in the Castle. Loren McDermott special assistant to the President and staff lead on that the committee wants the event to grow from this.

“The hope is for this to happen at least once a year,” said McDermott.

While the event is still in the works, there is value in creating this discussion with the community. As the semester continues the emphasis on remembering our history and creating new memories for students, faculty, staff, and alumni is necessary to the identity of Manhattanville.

The “Designing Memory” event will be taking inspiration from previous events at Manhattanville, like Castle Conversations, and

ANJALI HOPLEY STAFF WRITER Has anyone ever stopped to think about where technology will be twenty years from now? Flying cars? Colonies on Mars? Human-like robots?

From automatic vacuums to Amazon’s new “Alexa” product, the development of artificial intelligence has rapidly crept its way into our everyday lives. The inconspicuous advancement of such technology by Silicon Valley tech firms has been able to expand without any form of oversight.

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ISSUE I

Construction on Turf Dome Freezes ASHLEY HEIS STAFF WRITER All over campus, students enthusiastically await the arrival of Manhattanville’s new multi-sport dome. The complex, recently named The Ophir Field, includes a turf field as well as multi-sport volleyball and basketball court. The field is built to cater to the seasonal needs of the northeast and will be used as an indoor field in the winter. The project received approval from the town of Purchase in October. Work permits were granted only two weeks later, and construction began immediately.

Although the warm November weather set hopes that the dome would be completed for the 2018 spring semester, a major setback arose in mid-December when the northeast was hit by an unexpected cold front.

“Unfortunately, we needed a really warm December and that’s not what happened,” explained Associate Director of Athletics, Julene Caulfield.

The freezing temperatures hit as low as -14 degrees and froze the ground roughly 12 feet deep. The frozen ground made it impossible to proceed with construction. The decision was made to not install the dome in December

2017, however, plans to move forward with the construction of the turf field continue.

The turf field is estimated to be finished in the next 4-6 weeks assuming the weather allows construction to continue. The dome is set to pick up construction in November 2018 and is projected to be up for next winter. Despite the dome’s delay, the athletic department is excited to proceed with their new intramurals program.

“We hope to get everyone involved, athletes, non-athletes, and try to bridge that gap between both of them and really to instill a feeling of Manhattanville community,” Caulfield explained.

Meanwhile, the intramurals program is essentially organized recreational activities created for students. The program is looking for new fun ways to get students at Manhattanville involved and active. Some programs you can expect to see include team sport scrimmages.

Sports include soccer, basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, and kickball. In addition to scrimmages, the department also hopes to host tournaments.

Outside of team sports the intramurals program will include a number of fitness classes and group workouts.

The most popular requests

so far have been for yoga and boot camp classes. All students are encouraged to participate in classes and events.

“We have a really versatile structure... if we realize something isn’t working we’ll stop it and move onto the next thing... It’s very fluid and if it’s working we’re going to stick with it and if it’s not that’s okay too, well adjust and add something different,” said Caulfield.

Beginners classes will be offered as well as more advanced classes depending upon demand. As new programs continue to pop up around campus, the staff seems bright eyed and passionate about the new and exciting events to come.

“We are going to listen to the students and hear what they like,” added Director of Athletics Ed Manetta.

Students are asked to reach out and voice their ideas and contribute to the intramurals program. Feel free to reach out to the Coordinator of Intramurals Sarah Machugh at machugh@govaliants.com.

For upcoming schedules and events follow Mville Intramurals & Rec on Instagram @valiants_recreation.

Should Artificial Intelligence Be Regulated?

Driverless cars and industrial robotic machines are just some of the ways in which the furtherance of technology has completely transformed society. The need for regulations on corporations looking to continue these developments is urgent. Although the growth of artificial intelligence has already begun to occur, its unforeseeable end could have extremely dangerous consequences to mankind.

Artificial intelligence, also known as AI, is the development of computer systems to think and behave like humans.

Such productions already play

a key role in society and have had numerous effects on mankind. Driverless cars, which are becoming an increasingly large part of the general public, have been programmed to function without humans.

From automatic braking to self-parking abilities, the concept of driverless cars is to ease the inconvenience of frustrating car-travel. Despite the brilliant concept, the impacts on employment are utterly devastating. According to a report from Goldman Sachs Economics Research, the peak of driverless car sales will result in a loss of 300,000 jobs per year in the United

States alone. Truck drivers, who make up 3.1 million jobs in the nation, will face the brunt of this calamity, as they will be completely replaced by autonomous vehicles, CNBC says. Additionally, studies from Bloomberg News show that people who rely on transportation services for income, such as Uber, will suddenly encounter a significant loss in business, for more people will prefer to use their own driverless cars. The surge of pilot-less vehicles impacts people of all different occupations. According to CNBC, the current CEO of Ford Motor Company is being

replaced by someone who is well acquainted with unmonitored vehicles. As technology continues to advance, corporations will be more inclined to hire individuals who are familiar with artificial intelligence. Although advancements such as driverless cars aren’t as dangerous to society as are their future counterparts, the detriments of automation are extremely vast.

Cont. on page 3

VOL. LXXIII Cont. from page 2 Regulations on companies looking to implement such modern technology could help ease the inevitable transition from human race to robots.

Factories throughout the nation have been making the switch from humans to computer systems for decades.

According to the Chicago Tribune, some of the benefits of finalizing the transition include cutting costs and increasing productivity. With robots, companies do not have to spend revenue on salaries or healthcare, nor do they have to worry about the slight chance of workplace fatality. However, for the average worker, losing a job means a lot more than just saving the firm money. Unemployment results in a decreased standard of living and an inability to pay certain obligations, like education, rent, electricity, and more. One industrial robot has the ability to do at least three human jobs at once, thus increasing efficiency precipitously. However, in a study conducted by the

NEWS Massachusetts Institute of Technology, it was found that the creation of one robot in a metropolitan area reduced employment by approximately six workers, costing the U.S. economy 670,000 jobs between 1990 and 2007. In an article published in The Atlantic, it was found that at just one company, at least three different types of industrial robots are going to replace human jobs within the next five years. 25-year-old mechanical engineer, Greg Smith, who works at Yaskawa Motoman factory in Miamisburg, Ohio, helps supervise the production of robots. In an interview with The Atlantic, he mentioned that many of his relatives aren’t fond of his position because they believe he’s putting people out of work. However, Smith has a career solely because of the implementation of artificial intelligence in the workforce.

Artificial intelligence has expeditiously tiptoed its way into society. Most individuals are completely unaware of the role robots play in the workforce. However, their responsibilities are only going

to grow with time. As technology progresses, robots will transition from menial factory jobs to positions that require greater thought-processes, such as fast food employees.

CEO of Yum Brands, Greg Creed, whose company owns chains like Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC, told Fox News that artificial intelligence could largely take the place of humans in the food industry by the mid 2020’s. Although Creed has stated that artificial intelligence is a huge milestone for mankind, he also proclaimed that the advancement of technology will inevitably lead to less work overall for human beings.

Such comments have repeatedly come to the surface after co-founder of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, publicized his opinion on the dangers of artificial intelligence. Musk revealed his skepticism to Vanity Fair around three years ago, stating that Silicon Valley tech firms could have perfectly good intentions but still create, “a fleet of artificial intelligence-enhanced robots capable of destroying mankind.”Although these creations are decades away,

they are simply unavoidable.

Most individuals seldom think about the effects of the production and implementation of robots in society. However, according to The Washington Post, Shane Legg, among many other accredited scientists like Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates have all said that we should be extremely wary about the future of artificial intelligence.

The continual advertisement of Amazon’s new ‘Alexa’ product is just one of many examples in which companies are trying to establish artificial intelligence in society. Although most individuals rarely take time to think about the advancement of technology, it is happening all around us.

Facebook, which owns Instagram, has created and publicized an advertisement for AI that appears on every social media newsfeed. The advertisement displays numerous people speaking in their mother tongues, using the translation button on Instagram to transform their language into English. The ad then reads, “artificial intelligence allows for millions of translations ev-

ISSUE I ery year.” Although this small gesture seems pretty insignificant, it is just one of many ways in which Silicon Valley tech firms are trying to normalize artificial intelligence.

By constantly advertising products like Alexa, technological materials and robots in general become increasingly more usual.

Robots play a pivotal role in society. Not only have they have helped engender a myriad of different products, but they have also accomplished physical activities that most humans cannot do.

Although the advancement of technology is inevitable, there must be some oversight to ensure that human workers are still employed and valued.

If technology continues at the current rate, robots could end up being our next-door neighbors.

Flu Season: A Fight to Win CHRISTOPHER SANDERS STAFF WRITER The flu, a little disease that can be cured with good sleep, healthy foods, and warm clothes, or the next deadly plague? According to many news publications, this flu season is becoming the worst in 15 years. Thousands of people have been flocking to hospitals with nearly the same symptoms, and at least 37 children have died. This year’s flu season is shaping up to be the worst in nearly a decade and it’s just starting.

At a time when experts hoped new cases would start decreasing, federal health officials said that the number of patients seeking care for flu-like symptoms continues to rise sharply. How did this

PHOTO CREDIT: MODERN HEALTHCARE 2017

flu start and where is the cure?

Almost 12,000 people have been hospitalized with confirmed cases of the flu, an increase of 3,000 in just one week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In Florida, West Boca Medical Center in Boca Raton has seen a surge of patients.

“We think it may be peaking, but who knows what the next few weeks will bring,” said

Adam Leisy to The News and Advance, head of the emergency room. Leisy said his hospital has been flooded with people dealing with chronic conditions and now wheezing from coughs and struggling with fevers.

In California, some hospitals have pitched tents outside the emergency rooms to cope with the increase of patients; some facilities have flown in nurses from out of state, and

doctors have worked double and triple shifts.

In Chicago, a shortage of patient beds has left ambulances idling outside hospitals. In New York, state leaders this week issued an emergency order allowing pharmacists to give vaccines to children.

The toll on children has been particularly severe. CDC officials said the pediatric death count is likely to approach, if not exceed, the 148 deaths

reported during 2014 and 2015. That season ended with 56,000 flu-related deaths, 710,000 people hospitalized and 16 million who sought care from a clinic or hospital.

This year’s intensity has been driven by a particularly nasty strain of the virus known as H3N2 (Influenza).

Cont. on page 4

THREE

SPORTS

VOL. LXXIII

Cont. from page 3 No one knows how, why, or where this sickness started, but many experts are working on a way to combat the disease, mainly on children.

This is not the first time that Influenza took over the world.

In 1918, the flu would kill more than twice the human population and perhaps five times as many in just 15 months. Though mostly forgotten, it has been called “the greatest medical holocaust in history.” Experts believe between 50 and 100 million people died. More than two-thirds of them died in a single 10 week period in autumn of 1918. Never have so many died so fast from a single disease in the United States.

In the United States alone, this flu killed about 675,000 in about a year. As the country muddles through a particularly nasty flu season, one that the CDC says has killed 24 children in the first three weeks of January, and 37 since the start of the flu season, the 1918 nightmare serves as a reminder.

If a contagious enough strain was to emerge again, a century of modern medicine might not save millions from dying. This disease is so fast that in the past the flu killed 20,000 in New York City and produced 31,000 orphans in just 10 weeks.

This flu brought life to a standstill, emptying city streets, closing churches, bars, theaters, even schools. Coffin makers couldn’t keep up with demands, so mass graves were dug to bury the dead. People cowered behind closed doors for fear

they would be struck down.

In Philadelphia, news stories described priests driving carts through the streets, encouraging people to bring out the dead so that they may be buried. In New York, there were accounts of people feeling perfectly healthy when they boarded the subway in Coney Island and being taken off dead when they reached Columbus Circle.

This disease has ravaged so many parts of the world and something needs to happen, change needs to occur before this becomes a larger epidemic.

In the meantime, it is best to…

1. Stay home and get plenty of rest.

Tuci Achieves 1,000 Points as a Valiant LUIS LOPEZ STAFF WRITER

5. Get a flu shot.

It has been a tough season for the men’s basketball team, overall, they are 8-13 and without a win (0-7) at away games. The team started strong in the season with three consecutive wins but as the season progressed they saw more losses than wins.

6. Breathe in steam- helps with a stuffed-up nose.

“After going 3-0 to start the season and winning

2. Drink plenty of fluids, mostly water.

3. Eat healthy foods- keeps your body strong and elevated.

4. Treat aches and fevers.

ISSUE I

7. Try a lozenge.

scoring 1,000 points for the Valiants is a more impressive feat.

Tuci remained humble when asked about him ranking 25th on the school’s all-time scoring list.

“Honestly, it really hasn’t hit me yet. I know after the season I’ll realize how big of a personal accomplishment it is for me,” he said.

The team may not have achieved what they wanted this season, but they believe they’ll bounce back

is that the squad knows their strengths and limits.

Tuci reflected on what he felt the team can improve upon: “To be consistent and not underestimate other teams. Every team’s a good one in our conference and we can’t have ‘off nights.’

Lots of effort and heart have to be there, even if we’re having a bad game.”

Four years as a student athlete and a business major at Manhattanville, he shared what his plans are after

8. Frequently visit a medical professional.

9. Have 911 ready to call if things get worse.

10. Stay up-to-date on all things flu-wise.

11. Pace yourself and stay calm.

12. Always fight & never give up.

PHOTO CREDIT: GOVALIANTS

our home tournament; we were all on the same page and excited for the season,” said senior Alex Tuci.

With four games left, Forward Alex Tuci can only think of wanting to finish his senior year strong and work as hard as he can to end the season on a positive note.

“It’s my senior year and there’s only four games left of my college basketball career. The closer it gets to my last one I begin to realize to take nothing for granted because not everyone can get to play college sports,” explained Tuci.

While a career high of 31 points, a season-best 15 rebounds, three assists and two blocks versus FDU-Florham last season was quite impressive for the New Rochelle native,

FOUR

and continue to represent the Valiants like they always have. The squad has a total of five seniors and they will want to leave this team knowing they’ve contributed well to this program.

“The goal was to make the playoffs and win a championship. It’s been an up and down season, but I’ve been trying to make sure we give it 100% in everything we do. Also, leading and teaching the underclassmen has been important this year, so they keep improving,” said Tuci.

Hoping to end the season like they started may be achievable. The Valiants finish their season Feb. 17, against Misericordia University in Dallas, PA. Next year will be one to improve themselves, and a positive

graduating: “If I have the opportunity to take my talent overseas then I would look into that, but other than that I plan on going back to school to get my master’s in business.”

Tuci stamps himself into Manhattanville history with 1,000 points scored and leaves with honors in the MAC Freedom as well featuring for most of the games during his time.

VOL. LXXIII

SPORTS

Men’s Hockey Fights for the Playoffs

CHRISTOPHER COLOSI SPORTS EDITOR The men’s hockey team has had a moderate amount of success to this point in the season. With a record of 9-7-5 this year, the Valiants sit in fifth place out of ten in the ECAC West Conference standings. With a conference record of 6-4-2, Manhattanville is looking to make a push into the playoffs. They have outscored their opponents by 19 goals this season (7051), registering 38 shots per game, and have won 57% of their faceoffs.

The team has also killed 85% of its

penalties, which is a stellar number. On Jan. 27, the Valiants took on Stevenson University in Reisterstown, Maryland. A hard-fought game that saw a total of 51 combined penalty minutes from the two teams, the Valiants came up a bit short. Despite goals scored by Matt Lippa, Cory Anderson and Oscar Arfelt, Manhattanville lost the game 4-3. With some time to reflect on the loss and hopefully an opportunity to bounce back strongly, the team was set to take on King’s College (Pennsylvania) the following weekend.

The game against Stevenson was a tough loss, but the school currently shares the first-place spot in the conference with Lebanon Valley College

and Utica College with 18 points.

King’s, on the other hand, was winless going into their game against the Valiants. They have been outscored by a whopping 111 goals to 36 this season, and this was a great opportunity for Manhattanville to grab a win.

After being down 1-0 early on, the Valiants flipped the switch rather quickly. They would go on to win the game 4-1, leaving King’s College winless still, through 21 games this season. Cory Anderson led the way, scoring two more goals for the Valiants, giving him three in their last two games. Matt Lippa also notched another goal for the second game in a row, and Ken McLean cashed in the other. When asked about being able to

ISSUE I

continue scoring the puck, Anderson said, “I would say just making sure I capitalize on my opportunities… I have to keep playing the way I always have: to create scoring chances for myself.”

The Valiants next game is Feb. 16 against Nazareth College, and hopefully the junior from Bakersfield, California, can stay hot. With only one regular season game remaining after that, the team will hopefully make it to the playoffs.

“We’re sitting in a decent spot right now, though we would obviously like to be higher up in the standings. With a few games left, we have to take them one at a time and execute our game plan for each of them, bringing our best every night. It’s difficult to win conference games this time of year, but we trust our ability to get the job done,” said Anderson.

With a fierce, winning, mentality in mind, the Valiants should be able to pull through and land in the post season.

Women’s Basketball JAMES MCTIGHE STAFF WRITER This year, the women’s basketball team has had to overcome more than a few obstacles. Whether it’s facing injuries or underclassman handling, a larger role than usual, the team has been constantly adjusting. Despite these circumstances, the team has put themselves in an excellent position this season as they look to head into the postseason.

Losing players to injury in the beginning of the season has not stopped the Valiants from overcoming adversity.

They currently sit in third place thus far in the MAC Freedom Conference. The foundation of this team has been built through head coach Kate Vlahakis, who continues to construct a young group of girls in her sixth season with Manhattanville.

In the 2017-2018 season, the lady Valiants have come together nicely by creating an environment on the court that disrupts teams defensively. The pressure this young group displays on

the court has led the team to become nationally recognized as one of the few teams in the nation to be this defensively sound.

nation is something Coach Vlahakis prides herself on, and clearly her team is executing at an extremely high and efficient level.

They are currently ranked eighth in the country by holding opponents to 48.0 points per game, third in the country when holding opponents to shoot a frightening 29.5% from the field, number one in the country in holding opponents to shoot 20% from three, as well as forcing their opponents to commit an average of 22.55 turnovers a game. Placing in these top categories defensively across the

“I think I’ve always been a defensive minded coach, that’s where my philosophy starts. It’s been my thing forever, I’ll always be offense second and I think my players know that,” said Vlahakis.

Contrary to previous years Vlahakis has a young group of girls this season.

The team consist of eight freshmen on the team, three of who start. These freshman have definitely set a new expectation for this team now and in the future. Playing at an up-tempo pace on the defensive end has given this team the edge to succeed.

Awaiting the tail end of the season is something our whole school will be anticipating with high hopes.

“Every team I’ve coached is different. In terms of success with this youth group I think that success is within itself, with seven or so freshman is tough. To win in this conference is tough but these girls have set the bar to better standard,” said Vlahakis.

PHOTO: GOVALIANTS

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SPORTS

VOL. LXXIII

ISSUE I

Super Bowl Recap CHRISTOPHER COLOSI SPORTS EDITOr Super Bowl LII was full of excitement, surprise, and was far from disappointing from a neutral perspective. The Philadelphia Eagles took on the reigning-champion New England Patriots in Minneapolis, Minnesota and both teams put on quite the display. The Eagles starting quarterback, Carson Wentz, tore his ACL at the end of the regular season, leaving the eventual playoff run to be led by backup

Letter from the

Editors

quarterback Nick Foles. Foles, who contemplated retirement at age 27 from the NFL, took this opportunity and ran with it. After winning the first two games of the playoffs against the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings, it was time for the Nick Foles-led Eagles to take on Tom Brady and the heavily favored Patriots. It was amazing enough that Philadelphia had even made it this far, and to many it seemed as if this would be the end of a valiant effort. Tom Brady had won five Super Bowls going into Sunday’s game, and was hungry for his

sixth. To arguably the best quarterback to play the game of football, the Eagles just didn’t seem to pose a threat.

After the national anthem was performed and the jets flew over U.S. Bank Stadium, it was time for kickoff.

By the end of the first half, the Eagles led New England by a score of 22 to 12. Patriots fans were not concerned, as it was only last season that their team was trailing the Falcons by a score of 28 to 3 with 2:12 left in the third quarter in the Super Bowl and went on to win the game 34 to 28 in overtime. Philadelphia, a city that

has never seen a Super Bowl win for their team, was determined to make that change.

Nick Foles continued to play just as well as (if not better than) Tom Brady, and the two sides battled it out for another half. Although New England had one last shot at the end zone as time expired, the Eagles tough defense batted the ball down, and defeated the storied franchise. Despite Brady throwing for 505 yards and three touchdown passes, the Eagles found a way to come out on top. Nick Foles, the ‘backup’ quarterback for Philadelphia just a few weeks

ago, threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns. He even had a receiving touchdown to go along with it, granting him the honor of being named Super Bowl MVP. By a final score of 41-33, the Eagles won Super Bowl LII in an unorthodox fashion in every sense of the word. By no means does this loss discredit Tom Brady’s legacy, but it sure does create a poetic end to the season for a man who almost gave up on his career in the NFL. As the city of Philadelphia rejoices and New England mourns, the game played was one for the books.

Welcome back Valiants! It is with great pleasure that we release to you the first 2018 issue of Touchstone for the spring semester! We hope everyone had a fantastic winter break and you’re looking forward to all of the exciting spring events.

This publication would not be possible without the support of our readers, and the work of our Touchstone staff. We look forward to producing exclusive student-created content for you in the months to follow..

If you are interested in joining Touchstone, please come to our meetings held on Mondays in BSC 102 at 9:30 p.m.

Sincerely, Michael Brabazon & Jessica Cowle

Sunday

Monday

12 3v3 Zoey vs The NARPS Barsz Central vs Team Eric 10:00p.m.

5 WBB vs Misericordia L 61-68

VALIANTS FEBUARY 2018 SPORTS SCHEDULE

WGOLF at George Phinney Golf Classic 9:00 a.m.

MGOLF at Farmingdale Fall Invitational TBA

4

11 MTRACK at St. Joseph’s (L.I.) Invitational 10:00 a.m.

WTRACK at St. Joseph’s (L.I.) Invitational 10:00 a.m.

18

25

19 3v3 The NARPS vs Barsz Central 10:00p.m.

3v3 Trashley and the GA Squad vs Team Eric 10:00p.m 26 3v3 Trashley and the GA Squad vs Barsz Central JETS vs DA 3-1/2 10:00p.m.

Wednesday

7 WBB at Delaware Valley W 69-59 MBB at Delaware Valley L 61-78

Tuesday

6

14

21 MHOCKEY at UCHC Quarterfinals TBA WBB at MAC Freedom Semifinals TBA 28 WLAX at Centenary (N.J.) 1:00 p.m.

MLAX at Farmingdale State 6:00 p.m.

13 WBB at FDU-Florham 6:00 p.m.

MBB at FDU-Florham 8:00 p.m.

3v3 Plug Way vs Minchia Trashley and the GA Squad vs JETS 10:00p.m.

20 3v3 Zoey vs The NARPS Plug Way vs DA 3-1/2 10:00p.m.

Team Eric vs JETS 11:05p.m.

27 3v3 Trashley and the GA Squad vs The NARPS Team Eric vs DA 3-1/2 10:00p.m.

Plug Way vs Barsz Central 11:05p.m.

8

1

9 MHOCKEY vs Chatham W 7-1 WHOCKEY at #3/3 Elmira L 2-3

2 WHOCKEY vs Utica T 0-0

Friday

15

16 MHOCKEY at Nazareth 7:00 p.m.

WHOCKEY vs Stevenson 7:00 p.m.

Thursday

22 3v3 Minchia vs Team Eric Zoey vs Plug Way 10:00p.m.

23 MTRACK at MAC Indoor Championships TBA WTRACK at MAC Indoor Championships TBA

Saturday

3 MTRACK at DeShriver Invitational WTRACK at DeShriver Invitational WBB vs Wilkes W 63-45 WHOCKEY vs Utica L 1-3 MBB vs Wilkes W 73-63 MHOCKEY at King’s (Pa.) 10 WBB vs Eastern 1:00 p.m.

MBB vs Eastern 3:00 p.m.

WHOCKEY at #3/3 Elmira 3:00 p.m.

MHOCKEY vs Lebanon Valley 7:00 p.m.

17 WBB at Misericordia 1:00 p.m.

MBB at Misericordia 3:00 p.m.

WHOCKEY vs Stevenson 3:00 p.m.

MHOCKEY at Utica 7:00 p.m.

24 WTRACK at MAC Indoor Championships MTRACK at MAC Indoor Championships TBA MLAX at Purchase 1:00 p.m.

BB at Catholic TBA BB at Catholic TBA WBB at MAC Freedom Championship

SIX

VOL. LXXIII

HUMANS OF MANHATTANVILLE

ISSUE I

Janice Jimenez Interview by Bianca Gray What were your reasons for becoming a Valiant?

“I honestly fell in love with this school the first time I saw it. I loved the environment of the current students here. I also love how peaceful and quiet the campus is at all hours of the day and night.”

How does it benefit you in terms of your major?

“My major is Communications Studies, and I feel as though this school has amazing internships. It’s important to start thinking about internships early in your career. When your last semester of senior year rolls around, you’re not running around campus like a chicken with its head cut off because you didn’t know that you needed internship credit to graduate.”

Has it been difficult keeping up with your studies in this new semester?

“It hasn’t been difficult for me this semester because now that I am dorming, I have way more time to do what I have to do on time. My first semester was very difficult due to my commuter status. Mainly because I would get home really late after classes and work and would be too tired to even look at my homework. This semester has been so much easier due to the fact that I am dorming. ”

Why did you initially chose commuting over dorming?

“Well, I know most people would say that they didn’t want to spend too much time away from their family, but my reasons are a bit more simplistic than that. The main reason was to save money, but I also wanted to learn my way around the area before deciding to permanently live there.”

How’s dorming treating you so far?

“I love the dorm life. It has been amazing thus far. I have made a lot more friends who I can hang out with. I can now do things with more peace because I don’t have to worry about going home late at night to do homework or wake up really early to come to school. Now I am able to join clubs and be more active on campus because I want to get involved in my community.”

What clubs are you currently active in?

“I am currently in the Art Club because I love to draw; I find it really relaxing. My favorite is Creative Expression from Art. I am a Duchesne Scholar, because I enjoy giving back to the community. I also recently joined HerCampus to express my love of pop culture through writing.”

EIGHT

PHOTO CREDIT: MALLORY RODRIGUEZ

VOL. LXXIII

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

ISSUE I

President of Manhattanville College Your College, Manhattanville College, has a long and glorious history. However, we do not have a “History of Manhattanville” in printed form. As I have more and more opportunities to speak with some of our amazing alumnae and alumni, I admire their personal and professional accomplishments, but I am simply awestruck by their engagement for social justice and human rights, both when they were students at Manhattanville and after. Whether they participated in Martin Luther King’s historic March on Washington in 1963 or again, joined as part of the official Manhattanville contingent on the march from Selma to Washington, D.C. in 1965, or went knocking door-to-door in Harlem in the 1960s to find students who could benefit from the then nascent Head Start program, or whether, as successful doctors and researchers at a top university they decided to travel the globe on behalf of UNICEF or USAID to organize the delivery of effective, inexpensive medicines and vaccines that prevented thousands of deaths in developing countries, they have all lived up to the best of our expectations, and their stories should be collected and preserved. So here is a challenge to all Manhattanville students: I want you to consider working together with a faculty member in any one of the relevant disciplines to pick as your summer or senior project an interview with one of our distinguished alumnae and alumni. We will then compile these individual interviews into a collective oral-history narrative of Manhattanville that will be preserved on our website and in our records and will eventually become the foundation of a grand historical narrative about your College!

- Michael E. Geisler, Ph.D.

Student Body President Welcome back, Manhattanville! We at Student Government are so excited for what the Spring 2018 Semester has in store!

Our first Town Hall of the semester is a discussion on hosting a Blood Drive on campus, and we’ll have two more Town Halls following that, so make sure to keep an eye out for these important announcements.

We will continue to host Student Outreach events every month, both our Whine and Dines and Banter in Brownsons, on Tuesdays and Thursdays respectively. There will also be elections for next year’s Student Government representatives, with applications being released in mid-March, so mark your calendars!

Overall, we are thrilled to be back on campus and work to strengthen and build our community.

As always, we are striving to best represent you in everything we do as Student Government representatives, as well as communicate with you about what projects we are working on. For immediate updates, follow us on our Facebook page and Instagram @sga_mville, but also look out for our emails, as we’ll be sure to keep in touch.

- Heather Krannich

Senior Class President Spring of senior year is perhaps one of the busiest times of an undergraduate’s academic career; internships, work, classes, senior projects, are all thoughts and occurrences that are racing around in one’s mind. But one event in particular should be at the forefront of senior’s minds: On Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018, from 8 p.m. – 11 p.m. in the West Room of Reid Hall, the class of 2018 is having their “100 Nights” or Senior Formal celebration.

Flyers went out a little more than a week ago, and seniors can look forward to having a night to remember with friends, and other seniors. The event will also include a DJ, food, drink, and a dance floor.

There is a suggested entry donation of $20.18; when one pays this entry fee, they are not only helping start the campaign for raising funds for our class gift, but they will also be reserve a senior class t-shirt, which will be handed out during senior week.

Please note: the t-shirt is still in the final design stages, and one will not be given at the door of the formal. Also, please remember that this is a suggested donation price. You can give any amount at the door, but we want to start planting the idea in people’s minds about fundraising and donating towards the class gift.

Seniors are also allowed to bring one guest, and must show a VALID Manhattanville ID card; all nonManhattanville attendees will be required to show a VALID guest registration pass. If anyone has any questions about the Senior Formal, please do not hesitate to reach out to either myself, Heather Krannich, Student Body President, or Brianne McKissick, Vice President of the Senior Class.

As a side note to all seniors, please make sure to be on the lookout for any more senior class events and fundraisers that will be happening this semester. All events will be emailed and noted on different social media platforms.

- Dylan Hayes NINE

FEATURES

VOL. LXXIII

ISSUE I

Avenue Q JESS COWLE

EXECUTIVE EDITOR On Feb. 1, 2018, Avenue Q opened its doors to the anxiously awaiting Manhattanville community. The production only performed four shows, but each was sold out within hours the tickets went up. Avenue Q, directed

by Artist-in-Residence for Musical Theatre, Mark Cherry, “addresses the issues of people just out of college and like the TV show that inspired it, it uses a combination of puppets and human characters to teach. The resulting show is very funny and heartwarming at the same time.”

This comedy was a huge hit

introduced to Jennifer Barnhart, who was in the original Broadway cast, and Rick Lyon, who created the original puppets for the show. According to Cherry, “both Barnhart and Lyon were available to do a puppetry intensive for the first three days of our wintersession rehearsal period, and Barnhart returned during our tech week to do some fine tuning.” Lyon and Barnhart teaching the cast puppetry was a very exciting opportunity for the cast.

Senior musical theater major, Thomas Ian Johnson, played the leading role of Princeton in Avenue Q. He was not intimidated by meeting original cast members Lyon and Barnhart, but rather their

PHOTO CREDIT: TARA MURPHY

entire musical with puppets, as if it was second nature.”

Meeting Lyon and Barnhart was nerve wracking for senior dance and theater major, Leandra Romano, who played Lucy the Slut.

“I was super nervous! But be-

PHOTO CREDIT: TARA MURPHY

with the Manhattanville community and had a great turn out all four nights of the show.

In preparation for the incorporation of puppets, the cast was

professional puppeteer status.

Johnson explained, “here we were, a cast of people who had never [puppeteered] before, and four weeks down the road, we had to perform the

MEET THE TOUCHSTONE STAFF @MVTouchstone TEN

ing able to work with them in such an intimate setting, was a huge highlight of my college career,” explained Romano.

While learning the art of puppetry, Romano explained

ADIVISOR Bryce Bauer

the difficulties that she faced when learning how to operate her puppet.

“Lucy is the heaviest of all the puppets, because of all of her hair. Due to the way that she is constructed, her eyes are also farther up her head than any other puppet, so having to focus her eyes on her target, or the other puppet(s) that she’s in the scene with, was very difficult. She is also one of four puppets in the show that have two arm rods, which is difficult in itself.” Romano explained that she spent hours outside of rehearsal practicing and making sure that her puppet came to life.

As seniors, Johnson and Romano both closed out their college careers with memorable roles that will last them a lifetime.

“This past weekend was full of intense emotional swings, often switching between overwhelming love and joy, to the feeling of crippling

FEATURES EDITOR Anjali Hopely

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Brabazon OPINION EDITOR Dylan Hayes EXECUTIVE EDITOR Jessica Cowle

SPORTS EDITOR Christopher Colosi

loss… The memories, that we as a cast and production team made, will forever be implanted in my mind. And it’s those memories that made it so hard to let the show end,” said Johnson.

Romano explained that this production was her 34th stage production, and that “puppetry was something that I’ve been wanting to do for a while, so being able to learn the art form from the masters of puppetry themselves was unbelievable. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience especially since this was my last Manhattanville production.”

Reminiscing about the meaning of the show, Johnson stated; “The reason Avenue Q is so relatable is because so many of us feel like we’re wandering aimlessly through life, trying to find our higher purpose. What I know, however is this: As long as you treat your fellow humans with kindness and respect, you will find success, purpose or no purpose. Maybe our collective purpose in life is to be good to one another? Maybe they’ll address that in the musical Avenue R? I don’t know. But if everything is only temporary, why not cherish the moments you have with other people.”

HEAD PHOTOGRAPHER Tara Murphy EDITORIAL DESIGNER Ally Andryshak

COPY EDITOR Katherine Matuszek

NEWS EDITOR Jasmine Hernandez

COPY EDITOR Giovanni Menacho

HEAD OF ADVERTISING Maria Cuban Marissa Nardi

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATORS

VOL. LXXIII

FEATURES

It’s Pink as ...

TARA MURPHY

HEAD OF PHOTOGRAPHY If you’re from New York City, the tri-state area, or just a huge fan of social media; then you’ve heard of the Pink Restaurant, more formally known as Pietro Notlia. This aesthetic hot spot is located in lower Manhattan on Elizabeth St. and is one that you should have on your list to visit when in New York City. This small restaurant is located in a quaint twenty-five person walk down and has been one of the hottest trends that Italian restaurateurs and fans alike rave about.

This unique spot has a 1950s diner environment that is

warm, welcoming, and the best part: it’s solely pink. Everything from the chairs, to the silverware (and even the cocktails!) are entirely pink. The bathroom is completely covered in wallpaper that states ‘LOVE ME LOVE ME LOVE ME’ over and over again in, of course, different shades of pink. The décor and menu both completely fit their desirable theme.

When you walk in you feel like you’re walking into a doll house because the place is so cozy, and you can only fit so many people in to eat at a given time. Although you’re completely shoulder-to-shoulder with the people next to you, and not by choice, you don’t mind because of the vibrant

aura and conversation it brings along with it. When it’s time to order, a consumer is engrossed in the pink theme and conversation as the napkins have ‘Pink as Fuck’ written in bubbly letters to set the mood of the meal.

The menu varies from breakfast entrees to the most favored Italian pasta dishes.

One of the pasta dishes even has red sauce with pomodoro on top and once its mixed, the sauce turns a nice pink color, joining the discrete theme of the menu. But what is a meal without an accommodating beverage? Included in their menu is an assortment of pink drinks. They have different pink cocktails as well as pink rosé wines for the perfect

touch.

In the corner of the restaurant there is a recognizable plant with a neon light sign. This is the classic corner where all of the celebrities and bloggers sit to post and rave about.

This corner is one of the most recognizable areas in the tightknit restaurant because of the light the media shines on it.

What makes you feel right at home is the owner, Pietro, he who the restaurant is named after. He came from Italy to grow up in New York with his family and later decided that opening a business was his true passion. However, he knew he wanted for it to be different. He looked back at

ISSUE I

Italy and knew of some color themed restaurants, for example one was all red and love themed. He thought pink was fun and bright and thought it’d be perfect to bring to lower Manhattan.

The ‘pink as fuck’ restaurant was, and still is, a total hit.

With authentic, appetizing and enjoyable food, as well as a good Instagram location, it instantly turns into a mustdo experience. Even though when you walk in you may feel like you’re walking into Barbie and Ken’s dream home, but when the owner hands you the ‘pink as fuck’ sticker, you know you’re about to experience something more than a childhood dream.

Jennifer Dardon’s Time Abroad MARICRUZ HERRERA STAFF WRITER Traveling around Europe was not something Jennifer Dardon ever thought she would be able to do. First generation American and daughter of Guatemalan immigrants, Dardon worked extremely hard to turn her dreams into reality. As a Manhattanville senior, majoring in psychology and minoring in sociology, Dardon had the opportunity to study abroad in London during the spring semester of 2017. The proud Valiant made many connections with different offices at Manhattanville College, such as the Center for Student Success and the Duchesne Center. These contacts gave her the opportunity to accept a part-time job as a Juvenile Justice Case Manager for the Future Leaders Program at WestHab. Balancing her academic responsibilities with her parttime job wasn’t easy, but Dardon made it look like a piece of cake. She explained how working with young adults and guiding them towards the correct path has made her appreciate life more now than ever before.

“I love working with people at WestHab. Their adverse experiences have made them doubtful of their future but it

is gratifying to know I can be apart of a foundation and help rebuild their confidence,” said the psychology major.

happen for me and I am forever grateful for them.”

Dardon explained how being apart of someone else’s success story has made her look forward to going to work every day. She loves making a difference in other peoples lives and hopes that one day her participants are economically and socially independent.

Dardon felt not only shocked but also thrilled when she arrived in her new home.

“WestHab is a stepping stone for my career. I am grateful for all the opportunities I have been given and the chance to change lives,” said Dardon.

Dardon has had a very unique adventure abroad. She was inspired to study in London after talking to her high school spanish teacher who recommended she spend some time overseas. While applying to college, Dardon made sure that each school she applied to had a strong study abroad program. Picking the United Kingdom was an easy and exciting decision, for she has a history that traces all the way to England.

“As a first-generation American and college student, I was so afraid that I wouldn’t be able to afford the trip,” said Dardon anxiously, “I had three jobs during the summer just to save up money to study in London. My parents worked hard to make things

“When I got to London and saw the Palace of Westminster, that’s when it hit me. I knew everything was worth the hard work,” said Dardon. However, she struggled to get acclimated with the new city and the homesickness began to overwhelm her.

The University of Roehampton in London, where Dardon took classes, is a large institution with a myriad of programs Once getting acquainted with her new surroundings, Dardon began to love London. Many of her friends from London revealed to her an adage that she continues to remember today.

“Americans live to work,” they said, “but in London we work to live.”

While studying abroad, Dardon had the opportunity to

PHOTO CREDIT: JENNIFER DARDON

travel to Paris, Dublin, Czech Republic, Madrid, Barcelona, and her very favorite fishing town Faro, Portugal.

“I loved traveling and having random conversations with people in the streets. Falling in love with other cultures and educating myself about the world was a wonderful experience. Studying abroad made me the woman I wanted to be.”said Dardon.

though she is graduating this semester, she will leave an indelible mark on the Manhattanville College community, for she is a new person thanks to the opportunities this institution has given her.

“I found love in London, not with someone but with myself and that was the greatest moment one could ever have.

Dardon’s special journey changed her life forever. Al-

ELEVEN

VOL. LXXIII

FEATURES

ISSUE I

New Student Activities Director TABIE GERMAIN STAFF WRITER With each new season comes change. Recently, the Office of Student Activities has seen a major change in their office. The Touchstone was able to sit down with the newly appointed Assistant Director of the Center of Student Involvement and Leadership, formerly known as OSA, Alex Berkley.

“My main focus is to work closely with clubs and organizations here on campus, along with all campus programming,” said Berkley.“Quad Jam, to name a few big things.

Not to mention working with parts of orientation, commuter students and the Game Zone.”

Berkley has been at Manhattanville for over a month, but that has not prevented him from coming up with some great concepts and events for the students. Berkley clearly has the students in mind as he prepares to roll out some fun new things to do at Manhattanville.

Rumor has it that there is not much to do here at Manhattanville on the weekends, so Berkley is determined to debunk that idea with a series of actives which will sometimes include collaborating with other organizations on campus.

series called “First Fridays.” First Fridays would include inflatables, artists, magicians, comedians, etc.

That would then be followed by second Saturdays which would be a continuation of First Fridays, then another programming every third Sunday entitled “Lazy Sundays,” where they would be showing a movie during brunch in the Dining Hall center. If everything falls into place, Berkley also mentioned a fourth Friday event titled Food Truck Friday. Let’s just say that idea made me highly excited and very hungry.

Studying Abroad: Eddie Mota

We finished off our conversation talking about some of the things Berkley likes about Manhattanville so far considering being new to our campus.

“The accessibility of coffee, and the students here; how friendly everyone is, especially at the Involvement Fair,” said Berkley.

If you ever have a question, comment, concern, or even an idea you would like to run by Berkley, he mentioned that he is trying to make himself as accessible as possible. His office is located in Founders building room G-33, located in the Office of Student Activities.

We are excited to see what else Berkley has in store for us. From all of us to you Berkley, Welcome to Manhattanville.

One of the first ideas Berkley mentioned was a

PHOTO CREDIT: EDDIE MOTA

JESSICA COWLE EXECUTIVE EDITOR Almost everyone dreams about traveling across the world, but Senior Digital Media Production major Edwardo ‘Eddie’ Mota made his dreams a reality. Mota studied in Paros on the Cyclades Island in Greece during the Fall semester of 2017.

Mota explained that he studied abroad because he wanted to get away and live in a whole new atmosphere. “I wanted to live in an area for an amount of time where I could grow as a person and develop more of my interests. Having the opportunity to do so, I decided to take the risk and go abroad.” He explained that his journey would further his passion toward traveling and photography while experiencing the gorgeous views of Greece.

PHOTO CREDIT: EDDIE MOTA

TWELVE

“Going to a different place, places outside my own comfort zone, is euphoric. The white and blue buildings we see, the clear blue ocean floor and how incredible people make it be, gave me a reason to study in Greece and

capture moments that I lived and experienced.” said Mota.

During Mota’s study abroad, he saved a man’s life. Using his background in first aid training, he was able to assess that a passed-out man was unresponsive. “Between my friend and I, we grabbed him on our shoulders and brought him into the hospital, located five minutes away from where he was found,” Mota continued, “When we brought him in, the doctors began assessing him. After 45 minutes, an IV and a stomach pump, the man woke up.” Mota explained that he learned a lot about himself that day and his ability to use his skills and experiences in the real world.

Although this was not the first time that Mota left the States, his favorite place to travel was still the Island of Paros. He loved the mountains and the hikes that wound around them.

The island wasn’t crowded, which made it more enjoyable.

When Mota first wanted to study abroad, he explained that the process was confusing at first, but he was able to speak to for-

mer study abroad students from Manhattanville and it turned out to be easier than what he had originally thought. “One of my biggest issues was locating the right professors for each of the classes, given to my busy schedule but besides that, the process was alright, not too rigorous nor lengthy,” Mota explained.

For all underclassmen thinking of studying, Mota said to “take the challenge and go abroad.

Do it. It will be a life-changing experience, one that you would never forget nor regret. I am happy enough to be one of the very few of the Manhattanville population to be able to embark on such journey and represent Manhattanville College abroad. I am excited to have done it and even more excited that I was able to do it when I did it. If you’re worried about doing the programs abroad, just take a moment and ask yourself what would your life be like if you were to take the initiative to go and study abroad.”

VOL. LXXIII

OPINION

ISSUE I

Six Low-Cost Ways to Spend Valentine’s Day KATE IMPERATO STAFF WRITER

This year, Valentine’s Day is right in the middle of the week on a Wednesday, leaving little room for a fancy dinner or a night on the town.

Not only that, but right after starting the spring semester, most college kids don’t have a lot of funds for a night out.

But here are six inexpensive and super romantic ways of ‘wooing’ your loved ones on Valentine’s Day: 1. Paper flowers- Flowers from a florist, while sweet, are both expensive and short lived. Paper flowers, on the other hand, not only last much longer, but also show how

much you care. Plus, you can personalize them! You can make your own with tutorials online or buy a kit from a craft store.

2. Homemade food- Sometimes, the best meals you can have are the ones you make yourself. Instead of heading out somewhere fancy, try your hand at making your own dinner or dessert. There’s a bunch of recipes online for the perfect meal, and if you’re dead set on making dessert, baking from scratch or from a box both taste good if you’re eating it with someone you love. Plus, making something from scratch means you get to decorate it too, if you want!

3. Personal CD- I know that in today’s world of downloading music right onto our phones leaves the use of CDs to be a

little outdated, but the idea of someone I care about going through the effort of finding out my favorite music and making it into something I can hold in my hands is super romantic, at least to me. Not only that, but certain types of CDs have a surface to be printed on; a photo of you and your loved one would be super cute.

4. Movie night in…- Lots of college kids have Netflix or another streaming site to watch movies on. Instead of catching the bus to a movie in the middle of the week, pop some of your own popcorn, turn off the lights, and put on that movie you’ve been waiting to watch for a while.

Or you and your loved one can catch up on your favorite shows while snuggled up together.

5. …Or out- If you just can’t resist the allure of the movie theatre, Friday, Feb. 16 has several new releases, including Marvel’s newest superhero movie “Black Panther” and the goofy animated flick “Early Man”. Or maybe catch something already released, like “Fifty Shades Freed”, “Jumanji” or “Maze Runner: The Death Cure”. Or look for local movie nights such rom coms, or other romantic events. And don’t be afraid to put your arm around your loved one during the movie.

And speaking of theatre…

at 8:00p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 10 and 17 at 3:00p.m. and 8:00p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 11 and 18 at 4:00p.m. on the campus of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Pleasantville.

The tickets are $22.50 for students, which you can get online, and the location is only about fifteen minutes away by car. More info is going to be on their website, www.axialtheatre.org. Go have a nice night on the town and support your local actors!

6. Local Theatre- Axial Theatre of Pleasantville is hosting a series of six original one act plays as part of their Twisted Valentines Festival on the weekends before and after Valentine’s Day. Shows are on Friday, Feb. 9 and 16

So, if you’re planning on seeing the ones you love, or staying in your room and treating yourself (like I am), good luck!

Different Ways to Travel REBECCA BONNEY STAFF WRITER Everybody loves to travel, but it can come at a price. Luckily, there are programs that can help. One program in particular that I used is Rustic Pathways.

I went during my junior year in high school and absolutely loved it. I received 15 community service work hours that I put on my resume and gained valuable life lessons. They provide all kinds of different travel programs— even programs that you can get school credit for.

Typically, the age range is 1318 years old, but they do have special college and after-college offerings, so don’t think that you’re too late to sign up.

You can visit their website at Rusticpathways.com for more information.

Not only is traveling a leisure activity, but it can also benefit you career-wise too. By traveling, you are putting yourself out there in the world and educating yourself in the best way possible, by immersing yourself in a different culture.

You don’t even have wait until school is out to travel; colleges often provide study abroad programs. Here at Manhattanville, Father Wil Tyrell is the one

who is in charge of the study abroad program.

The process to study abroad here at Manhattanville is the following: typically, you should apply when you’re a sophomore because the prime time to study abroad is junior year—although, seniors can still go, but they can only go for a semester, which is during the fall semester of their senior year. The programs offered here are, Direct Exchange Agreement Programs, where students pay what they already pay for the tuition at Manhattanville every semester. The only out of pocket money they need to pay is for the room and board of the host academic institution. The locations that fall underneath the direct exchange program are England, France, Ireland, Japan, and Puerto Rico. If these places don’t interest you, Manhattanville also offers an Independent Study Abroad Program, as well as a Cooperative Study Abroad Program.

Talking with Father Wil about the process of applying and what benefits you gain from studying abroad, he had these words of wisdom to share: “They need to come and see me. They need to come and

look at the website, because it’s all on the website, the direct links to the universities and programs. They can go see their classes, and the costs. But I usually sit with some students and walk them through that process as well.”

a 2.70 or 2.80 here, they’re definitely going to get into the university college that they want abroad. They have to do their application for us, if they are accepted to us. The second phase is that they apply to their specific university or program.”

While you might think studying abroad is a simple process, there are certain requirements that you need in order to qualify.

While the limit of those who can apply to study abroad is near limitless, the number of accepted students is low, depending on what program you wish to do.

“There are requirements.

Normally, we allow sophomore students to apply for one semester abroad, with financial help from the college and that’s one semester during their junior year. Students choose either fall or spring of their junior year. There are occasions where a junior will want to go for their first semester senior year, and that’s a possibility as well, but they really need to be on time with their application, because we look at that a little more strictly because we’re worried about graduation when they get back. They have no room really to mess up any credit or classes. They need a 3.00 (GPA), but we tell students who are a 2.85 to apply as well. Usually, programs and universities ask for students who have a 2.70. So, as long as our students are qualified with

“With the direct exchange, that’s a one-on-one student exchange. So, each semester we’re able to exchange at least two to four students per university partner, so that’s limited.

Then there are the cooperative, and the cooperative we’re able to send, I guess anywhere from 30-35 students with financial aid. So, our students are competing with each other to go study abroad.”

However, if you’re one of the few to go, the benefits of studying abroad are endless.

“The benefits, first and foremost, are very obvious; students learn to be more independent and mature because of the experience. They have an in-depth, cross-cultural experience while abroad. Then the academics are very different,

so that’s a learning experience. They learn about culture, language, and politics, so that global citizen arises within them. They travel, which is a wonderful experience, because you often don’t get to travel once you graduate college and begin real-life work and/or graduate studies. And lastly, I think what’s important with studying abroad, is that you can really focus on your discipline of study while you go abroad. Perhaps a senior thesis is found; there’s an interest you might want to do. Secondly, internships; students can actually do an internship abroad, which is great for resume building.

Studying abroad in general is great for resume building. A lot of corporations want to see someone who has had experience traveling and is intercultural.”

Studying abroad is a big step for most but in the end, it’s a life-changing experience that you won’t regret doing. So, keep in mind that if you wish to study abroad for next semester, the application is due Feb. 23. You can visit Father Wil at his office, Founders G-20, if you have any more questions!

THIRTEEN

VOL. LXXIII

CHRISTOPHER SANDERS

OPINION

This Is America

STAFF WRITER

Nearly 200,000 people from El Salvador, 59,000 Haitians, and thousands more are being told they must leave the country by July 2019 or face deportation.

Why? Why should families, friends, neighbors, coworkers, teachers, and more, leave America? Why is such an issue of deportation relevant in this new time of year even this point in everyone’s lives in which they are deciding and making changes? In 1892 America, Ellis Island opened its arms and hearts to people from different places, and although there was a big influx

re:

and he’s tearing us apart.”

Not only is Trump incompetent, but he is also heartless.

It will not just end with Cindy Garcia and her family, but many more. Until someone seriously gets hurt Trump will not, maybe, get involved.

It seems as if the incompetent man-child we call “president” is making his stay in office that much shorter. A man who promised to make America great and strong again while also bringing back the American Dream is naïve to the very idea, definition, and meaning of his words. The American Dream is the very idea that everyone should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. So why are hardworking, good, honest people being forced to leave the country?

It seems as if Trump is doing nothing but making good people leave a place that they have spent a decade or more living, working, and thriving in. America is not just a place where the ‘right people’ get to live, America is a place, a home, a community for everyone and frankly, I do not see any problem with the growth and prosperity of good, hardworking people everywhere.

ISSUE I

PHOTO CREDIT: KILIC, BULENT. 2016

of people, they helped make America that much more thriving and great.

If it wasn’t for immigrants, then the American Dream would be nothing; the american dream is based on the foundation, the hearts, the knowledge, and the people everywhere. When we close our doors to the people that helped America, then what does that say about our character? Are we the pioneers for the future or are we just hypocrites and liars towards what we say and believe in?

Let’s not forget about the amazing opportunities and people who came from other countries, people like Albert Einstein and Cary Grant, just to name a few. If it wasn’t for people like them then where would America be? Individuals from different countries came to America for the rich

and fulfilling opportunities of education, jobs, to escape and end poverty, to provide their children with everything, religious freedom, escaping war and violence, and most importantly for a fresh start, a better way, the American Dream.

Throughout the years, individuals in America have done their part and now we are a family, an entire community who has persevered through such ordeals as racism, voting, homosexuality, gender roles, and more. What is the big deal in making an entire community of hardworking, intelligent, kind, good people stay in America? What does Trump hope to accomplish with this deportation thing? Nothing.

Nothing will change except everyone becoming united and stronger together, and hopefully, having a new president. A more competent president who will pave the way for everyone

into the future and Trump will be right there in the category of presidents we never needed, presidents we easily forget, and presidents we never really liked.

Families are being torn apart due to Trump and that comes from honest newspapers, videos, and interviews like Cindy Garcia. Garcia’s world is turning upside down to the nature of Trump’s idiotic actions against people. The wife of Jorge Garcia, a man who made national headlines when he was deported on Jan. 15, 2018 after 30 years in the U.S., told Michigan Radio that she wants the president to see what he’s doing to her family.

I stand with the good men, women, and children who are being forced to leave this country. I stand with them because people are actually ‘living in fear’ due to Trump and I believe in a world, a place where everyone is accepted and together. The reason men like Trump are in power is because they play a nice little role in a government office, they play a nice little game where they give all these promises, but instead they just say what another person writes down for them. Where would America, the entire world, be without individuals from other countries? America is a wonderful place, but without the knowledge, people, and different ways of life America wouldn’t really be America.

Also, if Trump is going to deport people he labels as “immigrants” then I guess America will be empty because no one can truly say that they are 100% American. Everyone’s ancestors came here from another place and that is guaranteed fact. All the time that has passed with so many people living in the country only one question comes to mind: who really gets to stay and who really gets to go?

Pack your bags folks.

“I want him to be able to put a face to the tragedy that is going on. And I don’t know if he will feel any compassion at all, but I want him to realize that I am a person, I am an American citizen, and so are my children,

The Manhattanville College student publication, Touchstone, welcomes letters from students, as well as faculty, administrators, alumni, and those not affiliated with the college. Letters must be submitted before 3:00p.m. on Letters Sunday before publication to touchstone@mville.edu. Letters must include the author’s name, email address, and to the phone number for verification. The name of the author may be withheld upon request. Submissions exceeding 300 words will not be reviewed. Please note that submissions may be edited for grammar and/or length. PubliEditor cation will be left to the discretion of the editors.

VOL. LXXIII

OPINION

ISSUE I

“This Is Us” Episode Leads Biggest Super Bowl Lead Out Ratings in Six Years Could Super Bowl Lead out program ratings increase even more in years to come?

ANDREW DZWONCZYK STAFF WRITER The Super Bowl is the highest rated event of the year in the United States, and every year the Super Bowl has a lead out program where popular primetime shows have special episodes air after the game in order to attract bigger audiences. This year the program was “This Is Us”, which attracted 27 million viewers who tuned into to see the heartbreaking death of a beloved character.

The ratings come as a surprise as the Super Bowl’s lead out program has struggled to attract bigger audiences in recent years, with last year’s program “24:

Legacy” only attracting 17.58 million viewers. The show was canceled four months later in June. In 2016 The Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired after the Super Bowl with only 20.55 million viewers. In 2015, The Blacklist aired to only 25.7 million viewers, New Girl the year before with 26.30 million viewers, and Elementary in 2013 with 20.800 million viewers.

Six years ago, The Voice aired after the Super Bowl to 37.611 million viewers. In comparison to “This Is Us”, “This Is Us” does not seem like such a huge success, but with how the numbers have been since 2012, it is certain that viewers of the show will be pleased at how big the episodes ratings are and how

they are the biggest in a half a decade.

Could Super Bowl lead out program ratings increase even more in years to come?

37.611 million viewers is a big number and it has been many years since a lead out program has had ratings larger than this. Seventeen years to be exact when “Survivor: The Australian Outback” aired in 2001 to 45.369 million viewers, and before that was “Friends” back in 1996 with 52.925 million viewers, the highest rated Super Bowl lead out program ever. Though, is it possible that a program can one day surpass the record that “Friends” has? Is the reason why “This Is Us” is being appreciated for its 27 million viewers because it’s

the biggest that ratings for a lead out program might ever amount to now?

What is it going to take for another 52 million viewers to tune in and watch a lead out program after the Super Bowl? In the past 20 years it seems that high ratings have come when a program was not scripted, such as with “Survivor: The Australian Outback” and The Voice. Should networks maybe stop PHOTO CREDIT: NBC airing scripted dramas and comedies after the Super Bowl?

The Art of Things Unspoken A Review of Wes Anderson’s Works MATTHEW BRACCHITTA STAFF WRITER Wes Anderson films are best described as odd. Characters rarely emote, which is at onepoint inhuman while being very human at the same time.

This leads to a lot of his characters being ‘strange’ saying things they ‘want’ but not really saying what they want.

For example, in “Moonrise Kingdom”, the main characters are young kids; one is a boy and the other a girl. Both have anger and trust issues; which is primarily due to the situation with adult figures in their lives. The girl, Suzy Bishop, has her issues because of her mother’s affair and the boy’s issues come from being an orphan. Similar in “The Royal Tenenbaums” the children all have their problems because the mother forced them to be genius’ and the father was nev-

er there for them. “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is more crockery because it has more witty character than the others. This allows it to be more accessible than the others; this brought it more fame.

The cinematography also supports the isolation of the characters. Wide shots of characters that stay on them for just a little too long. This makes the viewer feel their isolation with them. For example, there’s a scene from “The Royal Tenenbaums” where the father was trying to explain to his separated wife that he was dying. When she started crying, he says that he was not dying, she walks out of frame. In a moment of compilation, this shows how alone he is.

This allows things to be unspoken because these characters are broken and cannot confront their problems in a normal fashion. This leads to what, in all my 20-year-old wisdom,

to call the “Art of Unspoken Things”. Most of the characters come from broken homes making the character personality abrasive. For example, a viewer can predict the relationship of the love interest in The Royal Tenenbaums in the opening credits, but it is very subliminal because as the viewer, you’re only given clues. However, in the film they really don’t look as if they care for one another, until their actions speak louder than their words. The woman in the relationship says they are in love after the man tries to commit suicide. This seems like it will not work but strangely, with Wes Anderson directing, it really does, and it is believable. It is a mixture of two types of isolation of the characters and that of directing.

In conclusion Wes Anderson is an awesome filmmaker but a melancholy one at that.

FIFTEEN

VOL. LXXIII

GET OFF CAMPUS

ISSUE I

BY CINDY VIRELLO

ATTENTION! Tired of sitting in your dorm room or only traveling by foot? Make friends with a student who has a car and take a trip to White Plains next time you have a break! If you prefer to take the ride solo, then the Manhattanville Valiant can help you with that!

The Valiant stops at various locations in White Plains including the Metro-North train station. To find out more information regarding bus stops visit Campus Safety in Spellman Hall.

The Birch Collective $$

Looking for new spots around town? Check out The Birch Collective on Mamaroneck Ave. for some comfort food, cozy vibes, and their famous Birch Berry Mojitos!

Location: 91 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, NY 10601

Hours: 11:00a.m. to 2:00a.m.

– Sunday to Wednesday 11:00a.m. to 4:00a.m. – Thursday to Saturday Tel: (914) 437-9065

The Puzzle Parlour $$

Are you looking for something to do that only few people can? The Puzzle Parlour located in White Plains is known for extremely challenging escape rooms.

They facilitate a fantastic experience, so get a group of friends together and test your skills!

Location: 131 Court St, White Plains, NY 10601 Hours: 10:00a.m. to 10:00p.m. – Monday to Thursday

10:00a.m. to 12:00a.m. – Friday and Saturday 10:00a.m. to 8:00p.m. – Sunday Tel: (914) 368-8222

Sundance Kitchen & Cantina $$

There’s only few circumstances where it’s okay to say this, but…the smaller the better! This little kitchen

is located on the corner of Maple & Mamaroneck Ave. If you’re looking for a great spot for a quick bite this is your go-to. Stop in and try their delicious Golden Boy Sandwich crafted with grilled chicken, roasted peppers, melted American cheese, and golden honey mustard that will make your taste buds explode.

Location: 208 Mamaroneck Ave, White Plains, NY 10601

Hours: 6:00a.m. to 9:30p.m. – Monday to Saturday 8:00a.m. to 7:30p.m. –

Sunday

year round!

Skinny Buddha Organic Café $$

Hours: 7:00a.m. to 4:30p.m. – Monday

Tel: (914) 946-2300

Trying to stick with that New Year’s resolution? Well, here’s a place that might be able to help you out! Skinny Buddha is only a brief walk from the Scarsdale Metro North Station. With a wide variety of organic, vegan, and gluten-free food and beverage selections you’ll be sure to stay happy and be healthy all

Location: 6 Depot Pl, Scarsdale, NY 10583

8:00a.m. to 5:30p.m. – Tuesday to Friday 9:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. – Sunday

stroll away from the Scarsdale Metro North Station. This little café is the perfect spot for a first date! The delicious assortment of sweets and treats will keep the conversation going for ages!

Location: 48 East Pkwy, Scarsdale, NY 10583

Tel: (914) 472-9646

Hours: 6:45a.m. to 6:00p.m. – Monday to Saturday

Martine’s Fine Bake Shoppe $$

Tel: (914) 722-4949

Have a sweet tooth? Stop into Martine’s, located just a

7:30a.m. to 4:30p.m. – Sunday