Issue 5, Spring 2016 - The Quadrangle

THE Volume 93, Issue 5

Q

UADRANGLE A Student Publication of Manhattan College Since 1924

Feb. 23, 2016

Mock Border on The Quad:

MC Reacts to Pope’s Mexico Visit

www.mcquad.org

Pipe Bursts in Lee Hall, Floods Lobby Charles Lippolis Staff Writer

Students erected a chain link fence to represent a “mock border” as Pope Francis visited Mexico to discuss immigration reform.

Conor Reidy/Courtesy

Abi Kloosterman Staff Writer

Last week, Pope Francis made an historic visit to Mexico, including stops at the U.S.-Mexican border and a prison in Ciudad Juarez, in order to to bring world-wide attention to immigration issues.

At Manhattan College, students felt that there needed to be a presence addressing immigration reform in honor of the Pope’s visit. Campus Ministry/Social Action (CMSA) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) erected a “mock border,” a chain link fence with signs in several different languages reading “humanity has no borders” and “no human being is illegal.”

“I would say three out of the five points of the Lasallian Star have to do with what we’re doing here, which is inclusive community, respect for all persons and concern for the poor and social justice”, said Brianna DelSanto, a sophomore at Manhattan College and head of the mock border event.

As a Lasallian school, Manhattan College’s presence in the discussion of social reform is very important to those members of CMSA and CRS. DelSanto wanted to make that connection.

“These issues are a pressing matter and we are trying to educate”, she said.

The ability for students to teach each other was an extremely important part of how CMSA chose to approach the issue of immigration reform.

With a student run project and a student run organization, CMSA was able to not only address the issue of immigration, but also a Catholic call to action, which is ever-present at Manhattan College.

“Ever since taking office pope francis has been reminding us that we are one human family, one human people”, said Conor Reidy, campus minister.

Campus Ministry took its own stance on immigration and provided a medium through which students could talk about the issue with the mock border.

“This semester we wanted to have a visual that could catch people’s attention”, said DelSanto.

CMSA wanted to take their work further and make a statement on campus regarding social issues. Inspiration was taken from other schools, like Arizona State University, to put up a mock border to draw attention to the issue of immigration reform.

The large, chain link fence in the oftentimes quiet Quad enlivened some conversation. A video was made in response to the mock border and posted on Facebook

by Liberty Hangout. In less than a week, the video accumulated almost 5,000 views. Justin Moldow, Liberty Hangout’s founder, aimed to provide another argument of the immigration reform conversation.

In the video, Moldow was seen “trolling” the mock border by putting a Donald Trump cutout with a speech bubble saying, “build the wall” next to the fence. Donald Trump’s controversial presence in the race was a perfect way to unveil some debate, according to Moldow.

“I don’t support Donald Trump… But I figure those who put up the mock border don’t agree with Donald Trump either, so let’s see how they can handle dissenting views. It sparked a really much needed discussion”, said Moldow.

With some disliking the video and some agreeing, it allowed real conversation on campus. Reidy stated that CMSA/CRS would like to co-sponsor an event with Liberty Hangout, in order to provide all sides of an issue.

“I think the video was great political satire… We want these kinds of conversations about immigration reform”, said Reidy The conversation about such important issues was lead by proactive students of Manhattan College, regardless of political opinion.

“What’s important to me is that it’s getting people thinking, it’s getting people talking,” said Moldow.

The Lee Hall lobby was under a unique emergency lockdown last Monday afternoon, after a pipe ruptured, flooding the entrance to the building.

Alexandra Wroblewski, junior and Lee Hall resident was walking into the building after her day of classes at 2:30 p.m. Monday when the pipe burst in front of her and two security guards at the front desk.

Wrobleski heard a loud and unusual bang from the ceiling, and soon realized that the water was rising at an incredible rate.

“The water was gushing from the vending machine on the right side” said Wroblewski.

The water was coming from a pipe in the ceiling that connected to a fire alarm sprinkler, and according to Victor Schneider, assistant director of physical plant, the cold temperatures in the days prior were to blame.

“The pipe was cold due to the temperatures, and thawing on lead to pressure in the pipe” said Schneider.

Since these pipes are all interconnected and linked to the alarm system in case of fire, the incident in the lobby tripped the fire alarm in the building, reaching out to both the physical plant and FDNY. For physical plant, this means they immediately take a back seat to the situation, as the threat of a fire or other hazardous incident that would set the alarm off moves the situation into the hands of the FDNY. “The FDNY is in charge, we provide assistance” said Schneider.

So when the six first responders from physical plant arrived on the scene, they assessed the situation with the FDNY, and once they recognized the problem, and that the building was safe, they moved in to fix the issue.

The fix took 30 minutes all together, and there was help from the FDNY was well as other departments through the school such as Residence Life, Public Safety, and Housekeeping.

Residence Life was also very involved in the first response to the pipe split, as Residence Director Toni Baisden was in the building at the time of the incident and was able to help evacuate the building safely and securely.

“Whenever the alarm sounds in the building protocol is for everyone to use the stairwells and vacate the building” said Baisden.

In her first experience with such a situation at Manhattan College, Baisden was able to keep a cool head, help evacuate the building safely, and assist physical plant in the clean-up process.

For all of Manhattan College staff, the student safety was the main priority, and with the situation concealing its harmlessness until the moment it could be tending to, those on hand to solve the issue made sure that no stone went unturned in safely and securely resolving this issue.

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The

Letter from

opinions & editorials

Quadrangle www.mcquad.org

The Editor

Vol. 93 Issue 5 Feb. 23, 2016

Ally Hutzler Editor-in-Chief Sean Sonnemann Managing Editor Anthony Capote News Editor Kyleigh Panetta Jack Melanson Asst. News Editors Kieran Rock Features Editor/Managing Editor Tara Marin Asst. Features Editor Lindsey Burns Arts & Entertainment Editor Victoria Hernรกndez Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor Daniel Ynfante Sports Editor RikkiLynn Shields Asst. Sports Editor Kristie Killen Social Media Editor Taylor Brethauer Asst. Social Media Editor

Feb. 23, 2016

With the presidential caucuses happening nationwide, The Quadrangle was inspired to conduct a survey of its own.

This week, students and employees of Manhattan College will receive an email containing a link to a survey that will help determine the political climate on campus. We will also be sharing this link through social media and on our website.

The Quadrangle worked closely with ITS to create a closed poll. This means that only people with a Jaspernet login, such as students, faculty and administration, can participate. We did this to ensure that the responses we receive truly reflect the nature of the college community.

The survey consists of 5-6 questions regarding political identification, such as party affiliation, voting status and preferred presidential candidate.

We encourage all members of the college community to participate in this opportunity. The more feedback we receive, the better understanding we can gain about our political environment.

In any national event, such as the upcoming presidential election, it is important to recognize the attitudes and positions of the area in which you live and interact.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at thequad@manhattan. edu or through our website: mcquad.org Sincerely,

Ally Hutzler

Vanessa Sanchez Photography Editor Leony Anne McKeown Asst. Photography Editor Kelly Burns Melissa Gallardo Abbi Kirollos Production Editors Daniel Molina Stephen Zubrycky Web Editors Tom Callahan Faculty Adviser

A tradition since 1924, The Quadrangle is a news organization run by the students of Manhattan College. We strive to cover news around campus and the greater community, publishing weekly in print and daily online. Our goal is always accuracy, relevancy and professionalism.

The staff of The Quadrangle meets every Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. in room 412 of the Student Commons.

Contact The Quadrangle at thequad@manhattan.edu The opinions expressed in The Quadrangle are those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board, the College or the student body.

John Abbatangelo/The Quadrangle

News

College Sets its Sights on South Campus Ally Hutzler Editor-in-Chief

Manhattan College is looking to continue the momentum gained by the success of the Kelly Commons by shifting its focus to the development of south campus.

Andrew Ryan, the vice president for facilities, recently presented the campus master plan during a senate meeting in the student commons. Ryan highlighted the projects and proposals that will have a great impact on the future of the college.

“The biggest part of the master plan is the STEM building and the associated renovations of Leo, Hayden and RLC,” Ryan said.

STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) departments have been working closely with a team of consultants to analyze what needs the new 30,000-square-foot building must fulfill.

Classroom utilization, projected program growth and interdisciplinary interaction are major factors being put into consideration.

Along with deciding what should be put into the new facility, the study also has to address what to do with existing spaces on campus.

“Do they stay the way they are? Do they get renovated? Do they relocate? These are all concerns that have to be taken care of,” Ryan said.

At the conclusion of the STEM study, which should be around June, the college will dive right into the design process. Barring any major mishaps, the same architect who is conducting the study will do design.

“We’ll wake up in September of 2020 and the new building will be here,” Ryan said.

Another major change in store for south campus is the addition of a new housing building, which plans to provide approximately 300 beds in apartment-style living.

“We want to provide more housing for our upperclassmen to transition to, like Overlook but brand spanking new,” Richard Satterlee, vice president for student life, said.

The decision for apartment-style living, as opposed to traditional or modified-suite living such as Jasper or Horan Hall, was largely influenced by student preference.

In conjunction with Campus Apartments, Residence Life formed student focus groups to receive commentary and feedback on housing design.

“One of the reasons we did not want to move off and design a new housing unit is that we wanted student input,” Satterlee said. “Student input is critical.”

The current master plan shows the residence hall being built where the physical plant is presently located. This is convenient for the college, since MC already owns the property, but it also means that physical plant would need to relocate.

The project does not have a definitive timeline, but Ryan predicts the building will be underway in 2019.

While these changes are not immediate, anticipation is already building.

“I hope it is carrying a lot of excitement with people,” Satterlee said, “These are spaces that will wow students.”

Thomas Hall Second Floor Gets A Face Lift

Lauren Carr & Luke Hartman Senior Writers

Since the closing of Dante’s Den last year, the space that used to hold many students daily has remained a ghost town. The doors have remained closed and all that can be found is an empty space.

Since the space has remained empty many students have been wondering what will move in and when exactly they will see a change. Vice President for Facilities, Andrew Ryan, discussed the plans for the renovation.

“The plan for the renovated Dante’s area was always to put student services in, primarily due to the central location on the north campus. The plan has remained roughly the same,” Ryan said.

The offices that will be moving into the space are the following: The Center for Academic Success (which also includes the Writing Center, Athletics Academic Support, Specialized Resource Center), The Center for Career Development, The Center for Graduate School and Fellowship Advisement, Study Abroad, Student Financial Aid, and Graduate Admissions.

Students and alumni have mixed feelings about the administrative decision on how to fill the space on the second floor of Thomas Hall.

“I remember Dante’s being one of the best places to go on campus for a quick snack, or just a place to hang out. They had unique food options that weren’t offered anywhere else,” alumni Vincent Harris said. “While the offices are definitely important elements of the college and having them so accessible would be good, I think there is definitely an element missing for another environment for students and community members to go.”

“I would have really liked another café style dining option that accepted meal

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Also On Campus Jack Melanson Asst. Editor

Jack Powers Raised to the Rafters At halftime during this Friday’s Mens basketball showdown between the Manhattan Japsers and the Iona Gaels, former player and coach Jack Powers will have his number retired. He will be the last player to wear the no.34, and the first to have his number retired.

Powers not only played basketball at Manhattan, but also served as the head coach of the Jaspers and as the athletic director on campus.

In three seasons at Manhattan, Powers led the team to the NCAA tournament twice while raking up 1,139 career points.

Powers also coached the team to four NIT appearances in ten years.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Draddy Gymnasium.

Van Cortland Park Parks Without Borders, a program within the NYC Parks Department, is giving New York City residents the chance to vote on behalf of which city parks they feel should be renovated.

Manhattan College’s Student Activities office, Student Government, and the Office of the President are all joining forces with hopes that Van Cortland Park, New York City’s third largest park at 1,146 acres, receives enough votes and gets selected for renovation.

Van Cortland Park is neighbors with Manhattan College, as renovations could contribute to enhancing the campus’ scenery by adding more greenery to the park as well as replacing old fences.

Eight parks around the city will be selected and residents can vote online anytime before Feb. 28.

Blood Drive

Dante’s Den has been left empty since the opening of The Kelly Commons Ally Hutzler/ Courtesy swipes. I still have never really understood how the meal swipes in the Kelly Commons works, and I think the campus is lacking in options in terms of food for students who live in the regular residence halls,” junior Mahina Choy-Ellis said. “I do however think it is good that some of those offices are going to be in a more central location.

People don’t necessarily know where all those different offices are, so to have things like Study Abroad in a place where people are will really bring some good attention to the program,” The reason for the hold of construction

was due to budget issues. There needed to be a strong budget enforced before they could make the go ahead for the demolition. Once the funding was in place, facilities then began the planning process.

“We then went into design and the permitting and bidding process. We then started some of the “make ready” work - relocation of IT services, disposition of the existing furniture, most of which was repurposed around the campus, and asbestos abatement. We are currently in final contract negotiations and expect to begin demolition shortly.”

The NY Blood Center hopes to keep their consistent relationship with Manhattan College, the next blood drive will be Mar. 7 and Mar. 8 in Kelly Commons.

On Feb. 3, the most recent blood drive at Manhattan College was held in the Leo Engineering building.

The NY Blood Center was happy to announce that 89 pints of blood were collected which could go towards helping 267 people in need of blood. 70 pints was the organizations expected goal.

“Students, Faculty, you name it, they donate!” said NY Blood Center Account Manager, Sean Doyley.

Doyley also added that Manhattan College is a “Go to” for them due to the consistent high amounts of blood donated at blood drives held on campus.

“We rely on you [Manhattan College] so much during times of need.” said Doyley.

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news

Feb. 23, 2016

Students Complain of Heating Issues in Overlook Manor Natalie Craig Staff Writer

Sunday, February 14th temperatures in the Bronx dropped to 17 degrees Fahrenheit with a low of one. Students in Overlook Manor reported extreme cold, one citing that there was frost on the inside of their window.

“The apartment is always cold but this is the first time we’ve noticed frost.” said Caitlin Sullivan, a junior who lives on the second floor.

The apartment she lives in is a six person dwelling and has a balcony. She said maintenance told her that they could not fix the heat while it was still running. Sunday was the first time New York City temperatures have dropped below zero since 1994.

The New York City Department of Housing and Development classifies heat and hot water as important safety issues, and must be provided for all tenants. These are also important safety issues for the Manhattan College Physical Plant, the department in charge of the maintenance and heating system “Our job is to serve the students and heating is an issue we take very seriously,“ said Richard Mckeown, the director of the physical plant.

The New York City Department of Housing and Development classifies heat and hot water as important safety issues, and must be provided for all tenants. These are also important safety issues for the Manhattan College Physical Plant, the department in charge of the maintenance and heating system New boilers that operate the heating system were installed five years ago according to Mckeown. The heat works using a single pipe steam heating system, which

connects to each apartments radiator. The heating is based on the outside temperature; when the temperature outside drops below 55 degrees, the heater kicks on, and runs in cycles of 37 minutes. Despite this many students have reported times when they feel the heat is just not adequate.

“It’s so cold I have to wear a hat and gloves to stay warm. At times it’s colder than outside,” said Thomas Dougherty, a senior electrical engineering student.

Legally the requirement in New York City is from 6AM to 10PM the temperature must be at least 68 degrees. From 10PM to 6AM the temperature is required to be a minimum 55 degrees. Mckeown stated that on average the interior thermostat is set to 70 degrees.

In anticipation of the period of cold weather on Feb.14, AJ Goodman, resident director, worked with the physical plant to help raise the temperatures in Overlook.

While resident directors themselves do not control the heat they maintain close communication with maintenance.

Physical plant said there are numerous factors that could contribute to a lack of heat. Including drafts in the apartment or from the windows, especially those with balconies. Blocking the radiator could affect the amount of heat access as well.

McKeown said that typically what prevents the heat from functioning properly is a build up of debris over time, which then causes a blockage. This buildup can be fixed by maintanace replacing the vent.

The maintenance staff encourages residents to reach out and file a work order if they experience any problems with heating or other problems while living in any residence hall.

“We try our best. We do whatever we can and if we get a call we definitely will respond to it.” said Mckeown.

Valentina Leto tries to keep warm in her Overlook apartment as heating issues have left frost on the inside of the windows.

Vanessa Sanchez/The Quadrangle

Public Safety Officer Extinguishes Car Fire Anthony Capote Editor

Public Safety Officer Angel Martinez was honored by his superiors this month for his role in stopping a car fire in the Manhattan College Parking Garage on Jan. 30.

The fire occurred as an unnamed student drove a 1970’s model Chevrolet into the parking garage on Manhattan College Parkway and sputtered to a stop at the entrance of the structure, according to the Public Safety report.

“I was walking towards the garage and up Manhattan College Parkway and I saw this car coming up, well first I heard it, ‘cause it was making a really loud noise,” Martinez said. “His car just starts smoking

and he stops there, or I guess the car died, and he comes out, opens the hood and he opens it, I see the flame.”

Martinez said that he ran to guard booth at the entrance to the garage and grabbed a fire extinguisher, then approached the car and out the fire out.

“The first thing that I’m thinking is ‘get him out of there,’ so I’m yelling ‘get out, get out, get out of the way,’” he said. “I just started spraying the car, now the first flame went down and I noticed there was still a little bit of flame by the engine so I sprayed again and, yeah, that’s pretty much when all the fire was put out and thankfully it didn’t get much farther than that.”

According to the director of Public Safety, Juan Cerezo and David Erosa, assistant director, the car was also leaking gas and “there was a strong smell of fumes.”

The VP of facilities [Andy Ryan] said

‘look if that car had exploded there, not only could there have been injuries, but it could have prevented that entryway from being used,’ it could have created a lot of disruption here at the college, that’s why we were happy with the way he handled it,” Cerezo said.

Martinez received numerous congratulations from the Manhattan College community, including Ryan, and John Bennet of student activities. According to Cerezo, even the firefighters that arrived on scene were pleased with Martinez’ handiwork.

“We get a fireguard certification that we have to renew every few years and they teach us how to react to different fires and what to do, so it’s part of the job,” he said.

“Now I would lie to you if I tell you I’ve ever put out a fire before, this is actually the first fire I’ve ever put out in my personal life of here—I don’t know, I guess it

was just instinct.”

Martinez was hired on September 16, 2008, on the advice of his father who was a porter in Jasper Hall for 13 years.

“He was the one telling me to come work here because he thought this was a great place to work,” he said. “I could also take advantage of the education as well.”

Martinez is also a senior in the school of education, in the physical education department. In this final semester, he is student teaching at the Fieldston School and working 40 hours at MC as soon as he finishes.

“As soon as I was done with the probationary period, I started taking the classes,” Martinez said. “Ideally I would like to find a teaching job right away and maybe stay here in like a part-time based, we’ll see how that works with the teaching schedule and whatnot.”

5 Features Mock Border Sparks Community Conversation on Immigration Michelle DePinho & Daniel Molina Senior Writer & Editor

Manhattan College students in conjunction with the Office of Campus Ministry and Social Action built a mock border on the campus quadrangle last week in hopes of humanizing the issue of immigration reform at the U.S.-Mexican border. The demonstration drew both praise and controversy for its political nature, especially during an election year.

The demonstration comes at the same time that Pope Francis visited Ciudad Juarez, a Mexican border city struggling with high crime and social problems. His visit added gravity to the current national discussion on illegal immigration and border control, which has an even more elevated profile thanks to presidential debates.

“I think it’s a good show of solidarity,” a student involved with the mock border, Mahamoud Diop, said. “Humanity has no border.”

The metal-grate border was dotted with colorful paintings and posters with messages like “No human being is illegal,” and “We are all human.” Student activists also collected signatures to send to local congressmen on immigration reform and answered questions about migration throughout the week. .

Students and administrators say they put up the mock border to tie Catholic social teaching to the struggles of migrants from Mexico. They also emphasized that this demonstration ties into the college’s mission for an inclusive community.

Campus minister Conor Reidy has been on the forefront of this movement, assisting student activists with making the mock border a reality. “…If we can try to combat very negative rhetoric and instead replace it with person-centric rhetoric and person-centric conversations, I think that would be something that would be great to come out of this,” Reidy said. “Focus more on stories than on the rhetoric.”

But the inherent politics of a mock border have incurred responses from both students in strong support of the message and others who don’t agree with the college’s stance on the hotly-contested issue of illegal immigration.

“I think the administration has to be really careful when they do these kinds of things. Not just our campus community is going to see it, but families visiting [also],” senior Vincent Terrone said.

“Not all of the campus shares the same

Abi Kloosterman/The Quadrangle views. [They are] constructing that wall in the midst of an election going on. There’s a pretty big divide on campus as to where people’s political views align.”

A Nov. 3 poll administered by the college’s Government and Politics Club alludes to that ideological division. The most popular Democratic candidate was Bernie Sanders, while the most popular Republican candidate was Donald Trump. While the polling lines between parties were not an even split, with students slightly favoring Democratic candidates over their Republican counterparts, the stark contrast between Sanders and Trump’s views speak to some polarity on this campus.

On the flip side, other students expressed support in the form of signing the petitions CMSA provided and using the college’s social media platforms to respond to negative comments from community members. They have emphasized social justice over politics.

Reidy has also stressed that the border matches up with the Catholic mission.

“Everything that’s being supported

by Campus Ministry and Social Action is completely in line with the Church’s teachings and Catholic social teaching on this

subject,” Reidy said. “So I think that’s the significance of having the border up and being sponsored by CMSA, it’s not only to remind everyone what the Church’s position is, it’s very clear position on these questions, but also to realize that in college it is a very good time for kind of having these conversations….especially in an election year.”

Catholic social teaching has a long and storied history of going against the grain on a variety of political issues. Kevin Ahearn, Ph.D. and assistant professor of religious studies, focuses his research on the intersection of Catholicism and politics.

“The Catholic Church has long been engaged in political questions,” Ahern said.

“I think it’s helpful to distinguish between politics and partisan politics. Everything is a political question. Jesus was a political person…. Christianity, by its very nature, and I would argue all religions, are very political.”

But Ahern pointed out that the Church’s stance on migration and the Pope’s visit to Ciudad Juarez come from a place of concern for the needy.

“Christianity has long held, coming out of the Jewish tradition, a deep concern for

migrants, for refugees, and for the poor. So he’s not doing anything new in this regard in showing that,” Ahern said.

“We have millions of people in this country who are working, who are contributing to the society. Our economy depends upon them, but they live in the shadows, they live in fear, they live in terrible living working conditions. So there’s a lot of suffering happening around this. So the Catholic tradition is very concerned about human beings.”

Amidst these various, dynamic layers of religion and politics that have built a debate around American immigration policy, students working on the mock border project have stressed that starting this campus dialogue is important.

“Even if there are people that do not agree with it, I think that it encourages a conversation among students, faculty, alumni and the general community,” Just Peace president Katelyn-Rose Conroy said. “Communication is the best way to change something.”

terested when he saw a flyer hanging up in Thomas Hall for the community. Environmental science is something he has always been interested in and thought it was worth a try to live in a specific community.

“I figured it would be a good way to meet people who may be heading in a similar direction as me, career-wise. I also thought it would be a good way to bring like-minded people together and maybe accomplish some kind of goal to help make living on campus a little more ecofriendly,” said Battista.

The community did accomplish just that, by placing recycling bins throughout

Horan Hall. By carrying out their plan, they’ve been able to raise awareness about keeping the planet clean. Residents who hadn’t thought about recycling or had no way of recycling are now able to because of the group’s efforts.

“We are currently in the process of putting some other ideas into action in regards to how we encourage recycling and other green habits on campus,” said Battista, of future plans.

Other residents have been enjoying the floor, especially with those who are interested in pursuing a career in the environmental sciences. Battista thinks that the

floor was a success, with many of the students planning on returning next year.

“Get involved if you think you might be interested because they are a great opportunity to network and get involved on campus. The more people that are active in these communities, the more brain power there is to make changes on campus,” said Battista.

Through the friendships made and the comradery in the common-interest communities, it is obvious they have been a success. In environmental sustainability community, this is no different.

Common Interest Community: Environmental Science

Taylor Brethauer Asst. Editor

Residence Life introduced the brand new Common-Interest Living Communities last year, to accompany the popular Arches program. The idea of CommonInterest Communities became reality last semester with the four different communities’ students can choose from: Nuestra Casa, Entrepreneurship, Visual and Performing Arts Culture and the ecofriendly Environmental Sustainability community.

Michael Battista was immediately in-

Features

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Features

Feb. 23 2016

Deirdre O’Leary Cunningham on Combining What She Loves and What She Does Tara Marin Asst. Editor

Dr. Deirdre O’Leary Cunningham is known for many things: her dynamic English classes, her witty sarcasm, her love for theater, and her connections with her students. Manhattan College is fortunate to have her ideas and energy in its classrooms, and the journey she took to get here is fascinating.

After being raised in Long Island, O’Leary attended Mary Washington College in Virginia and then went right into a master’s program at Hunter College on the Upper East Side. Inspired by her love for Irish literature, she then ventured to Ireland, where she lived in Dublin for a year while earning another master’s degree at Trinity College.

When O’Leary arrived back in America to pursue her PhD at CUNY, she found herself in the midst of a confusing and difficult time, which led her to take a leave of absence. “A few of my friends had died in 9/11, and I was questioning my PhD in theater. I just thought, ‘this doesn’t make any sense, this isn’t going to become anything.’” she said.

She then worked for two years as a copy editor for Cushman and Wakefield, a global real estate services company. At heart, she knew it was only temporary, as her ambitions were far beyond the limits of corporate America.

“They were very nice people… but it was horrendously boring. They paid well and they let me teach while I was there, so I taught as an adjunct,” she said.

When she went back to grad school, she taught at Hofstra University as a visiting professor teaching freshman comp, but was still determined to have her instruction fully encompass her passions: “I ultimately wanted to have a tenure track position somewhere and I wanted to teach theater, novel, poetry… all that good stuff,” O’Leary said.

After grad school, she scored a job with Columbia College in Chicago, but ended up deciding not to go because of her desire to stay in New York. She forged on tirelessly in her job search, and the pieces fell into place soon enough.

“All of my friends thought I was insane, because you don’t turn a tenure track position down, but the very next year Manhattan College had an opening. It was meant to be,” she said. “And those winters they have in Chicago? Forget it!”

In her nine years at MC, O’Leary has taught a broad range of classes: English Composition, First Year Seminars, Introduction to Literary Studies, Literature and Gender, The Theater and The City, Irish Literature, Introduction to Drama, Comedy and Tragedy, British Drama, American Drama, Independent Studies and Senior Seminars.

Since her interests are expansive and genuine, she doesn’t single out one class as most important. In her mind, they’re all equally special in their own ways.

“Oh, I can’t… I can’t say which is my favorite. It really depends on the group of students. I mean, senior seminar is always a really fantastic group of students, and anyone who teaches one will say that it’s really special,” she said.

One of her other classes, The Theater and The City, is easily one of the most unique courses at this school. Offered every two years in the fall, students get to expand their understanding and appreciation of drama by seeing a show (both on and off Broadway) every week in the city.

It’s an extraordinary fusion of entertainment and education, and the weekly excursions and discussions quickly establish a close-knit class.

“There’s something about going to the theater once a week with a group of students that becomes really transformative,” she said.

O’Leary also offers intriguing genderbased classes (a first year seminar and a 200 level class called Gender and Literature) which interpret literature through the lens of gender by exploring women’s writing, masculinity, gay and lesbian literature, and the gendered body.

It’s her way of bridging what her students learn in the classroom to the issues of the outside world, all while incorporating the most valuable aspects of education: critical thinking, analytical writing, and thoughtful/creative conversation.

“I think there are a lot of people who are interested in gender, both in the faculty and the student body, and I think that for students going into college, it’s a really wonderful time for them to think about how sex and gender can be seen as performative and formed by social narrative and codes of behavior. A lot of people going into college at 18 are very open to thinking about issues of gender in the workforce and on college campuses. So some people come to the class with this fully articulated political ideology, and some people are the opposite and say, ‘I never really thought about this stuff before.’

They never thought about how certain rights for women are the result of decades of struggle, not a political given. I think that part of college is introducing people to texts, writings and authors who challenge them,” she said.

O’Leary attributes her early understandings of gender and feminism to singer Annie Lennox: “I have been obsessed with her ever since I was a teenager and she was in the Eurythmics. I loved everything about her - the way she challenged gender norms, her voice, everything. I think I know the words to every song she has ever written. When she performed with Hozier at the 2015 Grammys and blew the roof off the place, I had former students contacting me saying ‘is that the singer you kept talking about?’”

So if she could hangout with anyone alive, it would be Annie Lennox. If she could hangout with someone who is deceased, she would pick Oscar Wilde, because of course.

Another major influence on her life that she credits her success to is her family. “I come from a family that really prized education and my parents both encouraged me to get a graduate degree in what I loved,” she said. “They just kind of had this belief that a PhD in humanities was going to completely work out even though statistically, there was very little to support that confidence.”

Since students are asked to determine what they’re passionate about at such a young age, she worries that they tend to choose their majors based on whether they

entail a direct path to employment rather than long term benefits for multiple careers.

“Certain majors that are not seen as viable in terms of leading directly to a job get lower numbers, even though they might lead you to doing better on the LSATs, or might make you a more critically engaged reader or scholar - which is going to help in every career you have. I think that academia is oftentimes too focused on ‘this major will get you this job’, as opposed to ‘this major will give you skills that are going to serve you in any number of jobs’,” she explains.

O’Leary makes an important argument here - humanistic disciplines shouldn’t be overlooked, as their extensive benefits make for better people and better societies.

At her core, the greatest part of teaching here isn’t just what she gets to teach; it’s the people she gets to teach it to.

“I’ve taught at a ton of schools. When I went to grad school, I taught as an adjunct in every borough except Brooklyn. But the students here… they are so intellectually engaged, not just in the classes they’re taking, but they’re very aware of the mission of the school and they believe in social justice. For many of them, college is not just the result of their hard work, but their parents hard work,” she said, noting that she has taught a handful of students who are first in their family to go to college.

On top of this, O’Leary loves that her office is in such close proximity to the offices of other professors in different majors and different schools, which has allowed

for her and her colleagues to become close friends.

The small-school atmosphere is also another one of her favorite things about MC - one that she was originally hoping for when she set out to become a professor.

“Part of the job search is thinking about what your ideal would be, but that isn’t always what’s being advertised. I couldn’t imagine that there would be this job in New York City. I’ve taught at large schools and I’ve done big lecture halls. It was fine, but I prefer the smaller conversations because that’s what made me want to go into education - small classes, a nice student/ faculty ratio and getting to know people in the class,” she said.

Openness and humor are two of O’Leary’s hallmarks. Senior English major Carolyn Egan, who has taken O’Leary twice, points out that her classes are dynamic and engaging because of the way she covers the material.

“She is immensely passionate about everything that she teaches which makes her classes very fun to be in. It’s refreshing to have a professor who cares about the subject matter that they are teaching instead of just having someone go through the motions. She also has a great sense of humor and is generally an excellent person to talk to,” Egan said.

It’s safe to say that O’Leary’s tenacity and enthusiasm have paved the way for her impressive career, and next year she gets to add to her list of accomplishments: she will be going on sabbatical to write a book proposal and publish more writing. However,

7

Deirdre O’Learly Cunningham is an Associate Professor of English who teaches unique classes such as The Theater and The City, and Irish Literature, Deirdre O’Leary Cunningham/ Courtesy she has another passion that she wants to explore further: violence.

“The larger project that I am interested in is violence and performativity. I am obsessed with violence on stage in the theater.

Most scholars will argue that in the 1990s there was this shift toward onstage violence. Violence has always been a part of plays but the act of violence didn’t happen on stage in front of the audience until fairly recently,” O’Leary said.

“All of a sudden, the theater became much more diverse in terms of race, sexuality, and gender. So I’m interested in ways that certain playwrights like Enda Walsh, Mark O’Rowe and Martin McDonagh kind of have this turn towards onstage violence - and it’s brutal violence. I find it fascinating. It’s really hard to do on stage, and if it goes wrong, it’s hilarious. Violence on stage walks this tightrope. It’s fake - you know it’s fake - the guy on stage that is ‘dead’ is still breathing, and yet in order for it to be effective, you have to believe it,” she explained.

However, O’Leary doesn’t equate violence on stage with violence on screen. The

disparity makes them incomparable.

“In film, it’s so realistic that you don’t have the same challenges that you have in the theater. I don’t actually like a lot of violence in films because I find it too realistic, but in theater, because it’s artificial in a way that is in such close proximity to the audience, I find it very interesting. A lot of the violence naturally has a gender component, so I’m interested in that and I’d like to do a lot of writing on violence and how violence in theater tries to make comments on violence in society,” she said.

At this milestone in her career, she looks back on who influenced her most when she was a student herself.

“My professors in graduate school particularly, they were giants in the world of academia but were also just really nice people and very generous with their time.

Really, I think that’s what any student wants more than anything - they want time.

They want time with a professor to go over an assignment and talk about the assignment and grow as a scholar. It wasn’t that long ago that I was a graduate student, but you really never forget the faculty mem-

bers who will make time for you and read your stuff, comment on it and really think about it. So that’s always been something that really helped me,” O’Leary said.

She recalls a small gesture that left a lasting impression on her: “When I took a leave of absence from graduate school, I remember getting a handwritten note from one of my professors - it wasn’t even the one who was my dissertation advisor - but he wrote, ‘when you are ready, we’ll welcome you back into the fold. Take as much time as you need.’ I just remember thinking that was so nice, so I hopefully try and do that to some degree.”

Although she may not be aware of it, O’Leary has undoubtedly become the same source of inspiration for her students as her professors once were for her.

Her popularity doesn’t only pertain to English majors either.

Sophomore international studies major Carly Corbett-Frank was happy to reflect on how much O’Leary’s guidance and compassion meant to her as a freshman.

“Dr. O’Leary is one of those profes-

sors who genuinely cares about her students and wants to make them feel comfortable in her classroom. When I was in her class my freshman year, she made it known that she was there for us. I distinctly remember her saying, ‘the transition to college is hard and I want to let you guys know you aren’t alone.’ She’s a great role model and I was so lucky to have had her my first semester.

She set the standards high for the rest of my professors at MC,” Corbett-Frank said.

Amidst all of this whole-hearted, bigbrained commitment to academia, O’Leary met her husband Neil about ten years ago at a restaurant in Queens, and now her life is also focused around raising their three daughters - Ainsley, Collette, and Emilia.

O’Leary serves not only as a source of knowledge and insight for her students but also as a pillar of support - encouraging them to analyze and appreciate literature and theater, to look below the surface and beyond what is easy, to enjoy life and endure it well.

8

Arts & Entertainment

Feb. 23, 2016

The Internship Series: Utilizing the School’s Tools Abi Kloosterman Staff Writer

While tirelessly searching for an internship, it is always important to use everything that is right in front of you. This is precisely what Sarah Caruso, a junior communication major, has done.

Deginning in her freshman year, Caruso worked in the Manhattan College Office of Marketing and Communications as a student assistant. From there she decided that she wanted to declare a concentration in public relations, something several students have done.

This job gave her the experience she needed to be able to succeed in her area of study. “That job has been like an internship for me since my freshman year because I

was able to see how a PR office operates,” Caruso said. “That has helped me to practice my writing and revealed that I have a love for working events.”

This spring, Caruso will be putting all her experience to the test. She landed an internship with Allied Integrated Marketing and is working on the account for Paramount and Open Road studios.

As a promotions intern she has worked on several jobs in New York City, one being the premiere of “Zoolander 2.” “I help to plan, pitch and execute promotional events on college campuses, as well as community events,” she said. “I am in the process now of planning events for upcoming films, Triple 9 and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.”

Not only has her experience at Manhattan College’s Marketing and Commu-

nications office assisted in her success as an intern, but also her involvement in extracurricular activities, like Manhattan College’s chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America. As a part of PRSSA, Caruso has access to countless internships through the society’s website.

Utilizing the tools right at her fingertips has made all the difference. “My advice for students wanting to get an internship in NYC, especially in communication, PR or marketing, is to start interning young, or get involved on campus as soon as possible,” Caruso said.

Caruso feels most excited about this internship. She is highly involved in planning events and being a part of the team, which undoubtedly is the best kind of learning experience there is. “Now having had experience with three past internships, I was

looking for something highly involved, in an industry that I felt passionate about,” she said. “The fact that it was PR/ Marketing and that it was more hands-on and involved made this feel like a great fit.”

Of course, there are always nerves that come along with starting a huge new job or internship, but the benefits that come from great opportunities are ones Caruso knows very well. A passion for the job is always important and loving your field is of the utmost importance.“The reason that I attended Manhattan College was for the internship opportunities available,” Caruso said. “I cannot speak on behalf of all companies, but I feel like experience is the most important thing when it comes to getting an internship.”

Sarah is currently interning with Allied Integrated Marketing as a promotions intern.

Sarah Caruso/ Courtesy

Arts & Entertainment

The Book Nook

9

Title: Big Little Lies Author: Liane Moriarty Genre: Mystery Madeleine Shwartz Senior Writer

Labeled by The New York Times as one of 2014’s most popular books, “Big Little Lies” has certainly caught readers’ attentions in the past two years. Filled with relatable characters and unexpected plot twists, this book has something for everyone.

Author Liane Moriarty begins the book by describing a murder case. Told by a bystander as the action is committed, her details are extremely vague. Once we, as the reader, understand that this murder frames the novel, Moriarty goes back to six months before it happened and explains.

“Big Little Lies” follows the lives of three families that attend Pirriwee Public School in Sydney, Australia. Each family has a son or daughter attending kindergarten in the fall. We first meet Madeline Mackenzie, an experienced mom of three, on her way to kindergarten orientation. She is loud, not afraid to make enemies, and a gossip.

The second person we encounter is Madeline’s friend Celeste Wright. Married to Perry Wright and mom of twin boys Max and Josh, Celeste looks like she has the perfect, put together life. Living in a beautiful house with a rich husband. To everyone, the Wrights are known as the King and Queen of Sydney. However, the reader quickly learns that looks can be deceiving.

Jane Chapman, mother of Ziggy, is the last one the reader meets. New to town, Jane is a young single mom who is shy and timid. Anxious to make her son’s first year

of school great, she is willing to do almost anything for him, which includes making friends with all the other parents.

Throughout the book, Moriarty works her way back in month long increments before the night of the murder. At six months we learn about Jane being a single mother and her move to Sydney. At five months, we learn that on kindergarten orientation, Jane’s son Ziggy was blamed for bullying another student.

As the book works its way back closer to when the murder happened, the reader learns more and more about its characters.

Three months before the crime, we find out that her husband is abusing Celeste. After years of violence and countless injuries, she is barely holding it together.

One month before the murder, we learn that Ziggy was born after Jane had a onenight stand with a violent man. Although he has never been apart of her son’s life, Jane is worried that Ziggy might have the same violent tendencies now that bullying is in the picture.

“Big Little Lies” ends with a few big surprises. First, we learn who was murdered and how it happened. Throughout the book, the reader has had time to size up the characters and take a guess at who the murderer is. We also meet Ziggy’s father at the end of the book, which is unexpected but ties many loose ends together.

I enjoyed reading this book because it has a murder mystery plot line without being too graphic or cynical. In a way, knowing the ending at the start of the book made the story more fun to read. I also loved how many twists and turns Moriarty used in her book. The ending caught me completely off guard, which doesn’t happen all too often.

Madeleine Shwartz/ Courtesy

Whole Grains: The Top Five Benefits Alex McDonald Contributor

On average, less than 1% of Americans eat the daily recommended amount of whole grains. The 2015 Dietary Guidelines recommends eating at least half of your grains, or about 3 servings, over the course of the day as whole grains. Carbohydrates have been recently getting a bad rap, but whole grains can act as an essential part of a nutritious and fueling diet while improving health in the long run. Here’s how: Improved Diet Quality: Packed with natural sources of fiber, B vitamins, iron, magnesium, selenium, and healthy fats and protein, whole grains are diet power houses and are linked to a bet-

ter diet quality overall. To obtain a more desired texture and longer shelf life, grains are often stripped of their germ and bran during processing to produce refined grains, such as those used to make white breads, pastas, and bakery items. However, these parts contain the bulk of grain’s beneficial nutrients. Although some of these vitamins and minerals are replaced after processing, refined grains still lack a lot of the beneficial fiber, healthy fats, and protein present in whole grains.

Reduced Risk of Heart Disease: Many studies link whole grain intake to lower rates of heart disease. In fact, one study found a 25-30% reduction in risk with regular intake. More specifically, whole grains and their high fiber content have been shown to help lower both total

and bad cholesterol levels and maintain a healthy blood pressure, all contributing to overall heart health.

Weight Management: The lower glycemic index, caloric density, and satiating factor of whole grains are proven to aid with long-term weight management. In study after study, a relationship has been found between whole grain consumption and lower BMI, improved weight regulation, and even less adipose tissue (or belly fat) accumulation.

Type 2 Diabetes Prevention: The link between whole grains and lower rates of type 2 diabetes has also been studied. Whole grain have shown to help with the prevention of type 2 diabetes. Its

benefits are attributed to its effects on fasting and post meal blood sugar control and insulin response, in addition to reductions in inflammation.

Improved Digestion: Daily intake of whole grains has a positive impact on prebiotic composition, which contributes to a healthy gut and more effective immune system. The flavonoids, vitamin, and saccharide content of whole grains can likely be thanked for this.

Everyday, make whole grains a staple at each meal as best you can. Delicious options include 100% whole wheat or whole grain bread, 100% whole wheat wraps (in the deli station), whole-grain cereals, like hot oatmeal, and whole grains, like quinoa, freekeh, farro, bulgur and barley.

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Sports

A Lasallian to the Core Victoria Hernandez Asst. Editor

Casey Silvestri embodies the Lasallian core values on and off the lacrosse field.

More than a student-athlete; she is the president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, vice president for the accounting society and part of the L.O.V.E. board.

“I don’t want student athletes to just do sports, there’s a lot for student athletes to branch out within the Lasallian community” Silvestri says.

Silvestri is currently in her senior year of college, studying accounting while working on her master’s degree at the same time. With not much free time, she manages to not only play for the Manhattan College lacrosse team, but also get involved on campus.

“I choose Manhattan College because of the 5-year academic program and Division 1 athletics, alongside the coach and the girls,” Silvestri says.

Elizabeth Gainer, head women’s lacrosse coach, sees Silvestri as an example to her other teammates.

“She instills being both a student athlete and involved in the community,” Gainer says. “She’s the all-around package.”

Even though SAAC requires a lot of time from Silvestri, she says it is her favorite club. One of the club’s main goals is getting the student-athletes together in order to create a good atmosphere in the Jasper community.

Silvestri became part of SAAC in her

junior year of college. The main idea of SAAC is to break gaps between student athletes and administration.

Another part of SAAC is promoting community service amongst the student athletes. In this area, Silvestri and the committee have raised over $8,000 to give as donation for various charities.

For Gainer, the qualities that Silvestri has are “hard to come by for a student athlete.”

Kara Hodapp, sophomore marketing major, knows Silvestri as a teammate and SAAC member.

“She plays a huge leadership role for underclassmen, including myself, she’s always that go-to person” Hodapp said.

“Seeing Silvestri wearing different hats out of the lacrosse field has been very admirable for me as a coach,” Gainer said.

Silvestri is also part of the L.O.V.E. board, has gone to the New Orleans trip, has led the trip, alongside being vice president of the accounting society.

“I am an organized mess, but everything will get done when it needs to get done” Silvestri said jokingly.

“You can tell she truly cares, she puts a lot of time and effort in everything she does” said Hodapp.

Casey aspires to inspire other student athletes to take advantage of the opportunities that Manhattan College has to offer not only academically but also, extracurricular.

“She will definitely be missed” Hodapp said.

Feb. 23, 2016

Casey Silvestri is the president of SAAC and a member of the women’s lacrosse team.

Go Jaspers/ Courtesy

Women’s Basketball Looks for a Strong Regular Season Finish Jaclyn Marr Senior Writer

After finishing last season with only three wins overall, Manhattan’s women’s basketball team is just two games out of third place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference this season.

With under two weeks remaining until the conference tournament, the Jaspers are currently in fifth place. Head coach John Olenowski said that they want to improve to at least fourth place.

“It feels tremendous,” Olenowski said.

“Last year was a struggle and to be in the upper echelon of the conference is what our goal was all season long. We are so happy that we are close to that goal.”

Last season, the team was in last place with a 3-27 overall record. They are currently 9-7 in the MAAC and 12-13 overall.

They are coming off of a two-point loss to Canisius, just missing their final shot at the buzzer.

“Compared to last season, our team chemistry is much better,” guard Jacqui Thompson said. “We all have the common goal of getting to the championship, getting a bye the first round. I think everyone’s mindset is way different than last year.”

Differences between this season and last season are more depth and chemistry among the team as well as more player experience. Olenowski has emphasized defense for his team and it has shown significantly this season. With that comes more team and individual success.

Amani Tatum averages a team-best 11.6 points per game and leads the conference with 3.2 steals. Center, Kayla Grimme has

61 blocks on the season so far, equaling the second-highest total in program history for a single season. She averages 2.5 per game, which is the second-best in the conference.

Shayna Ericksen and Blake Underhill average 7.5 and 6.5 points per game, respectively.

“I think individual goals are great,” Olenowski said, “because we all kind of share them. Everyone is really happy for every player. So it’s a really positive thing that individual goals are being celebrated by the whole team.”

“Certainly, we feel that we can do very well in the conference tournament,” he continued. “So we are hoping we have a good shot to win it and get into the postseason tournament.”

Manhattan’s shot at winning the tournament might be aided by its place in the standings by the end of the season. One aspect to look at for the Jaspers is the rest of their regular season schedule. They have the easiest schedule remaining in the MAAC. After facing second-place Quinnipiac on Feb. 26, the Jaspers will finish the year with games against ninth-place Rider and 11th-place Saint Peter’s. Despite this, they are not taking anyone lightly.

“We got the hard games over with, sort of,” Thompson said, “but every team in this conference has been really up and down. Any night anybody can win. So yeah we have the lower-placed teams left but we have to take everyone like they are the first-place team.”

For Olenowski, Manhattan’s tough schedule to start the season has made his team battle-tested.

“Every game is a key one but certainly we have played all the top teams so far,” Olenowski agreed. “We are hoping that is

Senior guard Blake Underhill averages a team-high 3.7 assists per game, ranking fifth in the league.

Kevin Fuhrmann/ The Quadrangle going to be an advantage but we do realize that every game is a big game and we have to be prepared for it.”

The Jaspers have a tight finish to the regular season, with their last five games being over a 10-day period. They started the busy stretch in Western New York against Canisius and Niagara. They finish with two home games and a trip to Jersey City.

“We want to try and take it one game at a time,” Grimme said. “We’re in fifth place, only two spots from being in third so it’s a

little easier to look at it in small steps.”

While the team is focused on the regular season and the next game ahead, they have a set goal on really making a run at the conference tournament, which starts March 3 in Albany, N.Y. “We all talk and believe that we can win the tournament,” Thompson said, “so I think that’s our goal. We are going to take every game one step at a time but when we are in the tournament, our goal is to play the best basketball we’ve played all year.”

Sports

11

‘We Have Much More of a Chip on our Shoulder This Year Than We’ve Ever had Before,’ Duffy Says of Upcoming Season Jon Reyes Senior Writer

Last season for Manhattan College, it was the third year in a row it failed to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title. The back-to-back championship teams of ’11 and ’12 are further and further away, especially now that only one player from the latter year remains.

What made ’14 sting more is the fact that it didn’t even qualify for the tournament.

“When you have a season where you don’t make the championship tournament, well, then you’re going to have to do some things differently to make some adjustments,” Jim Duffy, Manhattan head baseball coach, said. “And I’m happy with the adjustments that we’ve made, the progress, it’s just a matter of staying the course and continuing to get stronger and to stay healthy.

“We have much more of a chip on our shoulder this year than we’ve ever had before, and that’s a good thing,” Duffy said.

“We’re not happy with the way things have gone here the last year or two. Not making the tournament last year was unacceptable not only to me but to our coaching staff and to the players that are here. … There’s been a little but less fun and games and it has been a very blue-collar, workman like mentality and effort. Really working towards success in the spring because that’s where this program needs to get back to.”

And adjustments were made. Aside from the yearly recruiting process, which brought in 11 new freshman, Duffy also hired three new coaches: Brian McCullough—pitching coach and recruiting coordinator—Kevin Flynn—catchers and hitting coach, as well

as assistant with recruiting—and Giuseppe Papaccio—volunteer assistant coach.

From Duffy and the coaches to the players, when Manhattan opens up its season on Friday in Norfolk, Va., with three games against Old Dominion University; Delaware; and Virginia Tech. It knows come MAAC tournament time in May that it’ll be hosting again, but Duffy has always said it’s a matter of earning the team’s way in first.

The where side of the equation shouldn’t and doesn’t factor in. What he said is important to him and the team are consistency; health; and, most of all, certain players continuing to develop.

“It didn’t really have anything to do with the facility or the field itself, I think that’s the same for everybody,” Mike McRae, Canisius head baseball coach, said when asked about how much of a difference Dutchess Stadium made in his teams’ winning of the MAAC title. “Last year was just kind of a unique event, it wasn’t the best team we’ve had in the past few years. … It was a lot of similarities to that team in that tournament to [the ‘15] Kansas City Royals. It was a little bit of magic, making some breaks, taking advantage of miscues and a little bit of luck.”

“Guys are just getting older, so it’s only going to improve, which helps in a lot of ways,” Mike Scarinci, Manhattan senior pitcher, said about the now experienced freshman of last season. “It helps with the team overall and the freshman, as well, because they’re not slatted into these huge slots that they think they need to fill guys’ shoes to get to being brought in the game-- they’re not thrown into the fire which is huge for their development. And by the end of the season everyone’s at the same level and ready to go.”

Tom Cosgrove throwing a pitch in his first-inning of work for his high-school team, Monsignor Farrell Hilton Flores/ Courtesy

Sports

12

Feb. 23, 2016

Walter Olsewski Announces Retirement Daniel Ynfante Editor

It was supposed to be an ordinary bus trip for Manhattan College’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, which embarked on their seven-hour journey to Buffalo, N.Y. on Feb. 9 for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships.

As any regular long bus ride would go, some players stayed in their own small bubble, listening to music, while others opted to convene and talk with one another.

But then, the bus trip took an unexpected turn. As the bus crossed the Hudson River, going through New Jersey, head coach Walter Olsweski gathered the team for an announcement. Olsweski let his players know that this would be his final MAAC Championships.

Olsweski, in charge of Manhattan’s women’s swimming and diving team for 19 years, and the men’s program for eight years, has announced his retirement from coaching.

“19 years I thought was sufficient,” Olsewski said in a phone interview. “The traveling from Suffolk County out of Long Island, 52 miles each way was finally getting to me. ... It became kind of tiresome, and I felt that at my age in life, which is 69, this is a good time to give up the day-to-day type of thing.”

Olsweski became the coach of Manhattan’s women’s swimming and diving team in 1997. In 19 years, Olsewski has accumulated a 212-174 record. But most important to him, are the relationships he’s built with players. Relationships that have gone far beyond the pool.

“What I’ll miss is probably the relationship with the kids and with my coaching staff,” Olsweski said.

For Paige Raccioppi, a senior and captain on the team, Olsewski’s guidance for the last four years have been crucial.

“I think that he’s had such a great impact on my life, even outside of swimming more so,” Raccioppi said in a phone interview.

“He just helped me realize that even though swimming can be serious and school can be serious, it’s okay to have a laugh and it’s okay to always keep an open mind.”

Olsewski made a concerted effort of reaching out to his players and connecting with them on a personal level.

“I made an effort after every single practice to have some kind of conversation with every single kid that showed up for practice,” Olsweski said. “That way they think, ‘I’m not just an extra member of the team, I’m an important part of Coach Olsweski’s squad.”

The one-on-one time with each player, was something Rich Llewellyn, a junior and captain on the team also appreciated.

“He’s really a big reason why I came here,” Llewellyn said. “I have had a great three years here so far and I have to thank him for that because I don’t know where I’d be if I wasn’t here.”

Under Olsewski, the men’s program emerged in 2008, replacing men’s tennis.

At first, the squad had only eight players, but having made a promise to then athletic director Bob Byrnes that the team would have 11 players who would compete, Ol-

Walter Olsewski, head coach of Manhattan’s swimming and diving teams for the last 19 years, has announced his retirement Ally Hutzler/ The Quadrangle sewski set out to fill three more spots.

Taking advantage of his position as head coach of the golf squad, Olsewski asked his golfers to try out for the men’s swimming and diving team. With a full roster in place, the team struggled in its first season, going 0-12, but has gone 5038 over the last seven years.

The women’s side took off running under Olsewski, going 122-77 in his first 13 seasons. After a stretch of five years where the team failed to reach .500 in any season, the squad finished 7-6 in 2015-2016.

Despite all the accolades and the wins Olsweski has racked up in his career, what he is most proud of is the commitment to academics his teams have demonstrated.

“We had almost 100 percent graduation rate over the 19 years,” Olsweski said, “which means that kids are putting their four years in at Manhattan and getting an excellent education, as I did back in the 1960’s as a Manhattan graduate.”

Olsewski had been contemplating retirement for the last 16 months, and after speaking with his wife and close friends— including former athletic director Bob Byrnes, made the final decision.

“It’s something we had discussed,” Olsewski said. “We had gone over a couple of different scenarios, and I thought, ultimately it had to be my decision and that’s the decision I made.”

But although he will be officially retired, Olsewski intends on helping the teams often and offering his advice.

“It was sad because Mr. O [Olsewski] has made such an impact on my life personally,” Raccioppi said about Olsewski’s retirement. “He’s been there through it all and I can’t imagine the team without him.

I do know that he needs to do this for himself because it’s just getting to be too much for him.”

Go Jaspers/ Courtesy