THE Volume 92, Issue 10
Q
UADRANGLE A Student Publication of Manhattan College Since 1924
Nov. 10, 2015
racial justice teach-in
www.mcquad.org
Double Meal Swipes at Locke’s Kyleigh Panetta Staff Writer
An unlimited meal plan at college sounds like the dream to many young adults. But lately Locke’s Loft, the buffet style and most attended dining facility on campus, has been struggling to record accurate figures of how much food students actually eat and take to-go. Brian Conway, director of dining services, was asked about the participation rate of students who have a meal plan and eat at Locke’s for their meals. “But when I went back and looked at the numbers, it was not nearly what I had thought it was or had been experiencing because we know the volume of the students that come in,” Conway said. Conway said that the “no food to-go” policy was not being enforced and therefore not all food consumed was being accounted for. There is a calculated average for how much every meal swipe costs Gourmet Dining. But many students eat a whole meal and take other food, more substantial than a coffee or banana, out of Locke’s. “So if only 100 kids eat, well I don’t need to buy so much food for 100 kids. But you know every one of those 100 kids took something to go which means it was kind of like 200 meals,” Conway said. According to Conway, one reason he
see page 5 Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle
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From Battlefield to Classroom Kristie Killen Editor
Most 18-year-old college freshmen only have a few worries in the world: what show to binge watch next on Netflix and how quickly they can write their 10 page paper a night before it is due. For the 67 U.S. military veterans who are enrolled in Manhattan College as undergraduates, their first semester in college is much different than the average student. Someone’s first semester at college can be a stressful time, especially if they are leaving home for the first time. For the former servicemen and women at MC, this acclimation process can be challenging in other ways. Manhattan College is progressively becoming a popular school for veterans to attend because of a unique program that is designed to assist them with their transition to civilian life. The college has developed a relationship with the Warriors at Ease organization that works with veterans to deal with stress, depression and PTSD through meditation and yoga. This past Columbus Day weekend, 14 students from “The Nature and Experiences of Religion: Veterans’ Stress Reduction Program,” taught by Stephen Kaplan, Ph.D., traveled to the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Centres in Paradise Island, Bahamas to take part in a retreat to help
them with the transition. Kirsten Battocchio, a sophomore and Marine Corps veteran, took part in the experience. “We learned about yoga and meditation techniques and breathing exercises all to help us with anxiety and to [help] us focus,” she said. “It was all Hinduism and Buddhism based learning, which is why it was through [a] religion [course], but it was good for us because we are veterans and it is good to learn these anxiety techniques.” Junior Juan Rosario and Air Force veteran who went on the trip the second semester he was here said, “[The trip was] one of the best experiences. We made that bond where it made us closer. Now we know who to look for when you want to talk to somebody or you just want to vent about classes or just life in general.” He also added, “We also learned a lot of techniques to deal with the stresses. The best thing about it, was that nothing was forced. So we can pick and choose what we liked and didn’t like. It gave us the options that we didn’t have for ‘x’ amount of years while we were serving in the military. It eased us back into what civilian life is.” Troy Cogburn, director of transfer admissions, is also the advisor to the veterans club on campus. “The college has really done a lot in one year,” Cogburn said. “This is the second semester that they are doing this and
the college has been completely committed to it after hearing the stories of the first group that went.” He also said that, “this isn’t a fix-all program, but we feel like it helps with them acclimating to college life and to just being back in the city or home. The yoga and meditation gives them a chance to just breathe.” The trip not only allowed for the veterans to help work through stresses, but also to build relationships with one another. Battocchio said that her favorite memory from the trip was, “hanging out with all the veterans, having that bonding time with all the rest of the veterans, because we don’t see each other all that much throughout the day.” Jesse Tossetti, a senior, Navy veteran and Valor Club president said, “because I have PTSD, and some anxiety issues, I was a little bit nervous having been 20 years in the military, and how I would adjust to a campus setting because I am old enough to be these kids’ dad.” He mentioned the reason he chose MC was because, “the school definitely encompasses the Lasallian tradition of missions in the way they handle the efforts with the veterans because the majority of us don’t have the common background of the common student here. They all have different complex stories and have served their country in different ways.” To increase the opportunities to build a
community among veterans, an organization called the Valor Club was created on campus. The Valor Club (Veterans Academic Learning Opportunities Realized) was started by a 2014 veteran graduate. The club’s purpose is to encourage camaraderie among the veterans and it serves a resource for them to gain mentors among each other. In the past, they have hosted various comedy shows to raise money for different organizations. Last year, the club held a fundraiser for a student diagnosed with MS. This year, they are fundraising for the Raider Project, which also helps former servicemen and women transition into civilian life. Because of this program, the school has recently been recognized as a 2016 Military Friendly School by Victory Media, which helps to connect the military and civilian world. According to the Manhattan College website, this award will allow the school to be featured in a special edition of the G.I. Jobs and Military Spouse Magazine. As for the increase of the Veteran students on campus and the continuation of this program, Cogburn said, “They [the veterans] are really doing a lot to get themselves adjusted so they can be successful and take advantage of the opportunities for their education. There is a lot of good that is happening.”
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The
opinions & editorials
Quadrangle www.mcquad.org
Vol. 92 Issue 10 Nov. 10, 2015
Sean Sonnemann Editor-in-Chief Michelle DePinho Managing Editor/News Editor Anthony Capote Asst. News Editor Kieran Rock Managing Editor/Features Editor Ally Hutzler Asst. Features Editor Lauren Carr Arts & Entertainment Editor Lindsey Burns Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor Jon Reyes Sports Editor Jaclyn Marr Asst. Sports Editor Daniel Ynfante Asst. Sports Editor Victoria HernĂĄndez Kristie Killen Social Media Editors Kevin Fuhrmann Photography Editor Vanessa Sanchez Asst. Photography Editor Kelly Burns Luke Hartman Natalie Heinitz Production Editors
Nov. 10, 2015
Government and Politics Club Straw Poll Results 2016 Presidential Election
A total of 392 Manhattan College students participated in the straw poll conducted by the Government and Politics Club on Nov. 3, 2015. Here are the results of all legible ballots:
Democrats Bernie Sanders Hillary Clinton Martin O’Malley
Republicans Donald Trump Ben Carson Jeb Bush Marco Rubio Carly Fiorina Rand Paul Chris Christie Ted Cruz Jim Gilmore Mike Huckabee George Pataki John Kasich Lindsey Graham Rick Santorum Bobby Jindal
39.23% 18.23% 3.04% 11.88% 6.35% 5.52% 5.25% 2.76% 1.66% 1.66% 1.1% 1.1% .83% .55% .28% .28% .28% 0%
Daniel Molina Distribution Manager 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.
Sam Martin/The Quadrangle
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Double Meal Swipes at Locke’s
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Kyleigh Panetta Staff Writer
Continued from page 1 does not want to fully enforce the no food to-go policy is because it causes an inconvenience to many students. “I really just wanted to catch as much food as we can without causing an inconvenience to the students who are either leaving with something that they normally wouldn’t leave with or who are really just trying to get out of there quickly,” Conway said. Conway says that unlike the “no food to-go” policy, there is not a written policy about second meal swiping. In order to properly account for the food taken out of Locke’s, Conway originally asked cashiers to swipe students’ IDs if they left with more than a small piece of fruit, cookie or coffee. “But then it started to snowball into panini pressed sandwiches and cups stacked up with fruit or food, which again I don’t care, but I need some sort of record of it,” Conway said. After students started taking larger food items out of Locke’s, Conway asked cashiers to try and swipe all student IDs so that he could have a more accurate picture of Locke’s financial needs. “Once I was swiped for a second time because of a banana or a cup of coffee,” Chris Lakes, a sophomore computer engineering major, said. “If they have any suspicion that you have something in a cup they will meal swipe you again, which is annoying,” Lakes said. Students who are having a hard time with the second meal swipes are residents with the Overlook Manor meal plan. The meal plan for Overlook Manor residents allots four meal swipes at Locke’s Loft per week. But the new swiping policy for food to-go is taking away a swipe worth an entire meal. “Being limited to four swipes is already ridiculous. It’s not even one for every busi-
Kaiyun Chen/The Quadrangle ness day let alone one for every day of the week. Now they want to take another whole swipe for a cup of coffee, and that is completely ridiculous,” student James Foy said. Conway said that his original plan to swipe for food taken out of Locke’s did not take the OV meal plan into account. “I’m up for any kind of suggestion on how we don’t penalize the OV kids the same way you wouldn’t really be penal-
izing the unlimited kids. The problem is if you don’t do it to the OV kids and then they start taking sandwiches and things to go,” Conway said. Conway is open to suggestions regarding how this issue should be treated and he has been meeting with MC’s student government to try and accommodate OV residents. “I’m sure they could program the register for the cashiers to hit a button and still
count the food if it’s an OV kid,” Ronald Contreras, a junior electrical engineering major, said. Conway said that properly recording the number of meals and food consumed from Locke’s is beneficial to everyone involved. “It will give us more opportunities for programs and events with money because all we need is money and that’s really what the driving force is,” Conway said.
New Asst. Dean of Students: Tiffany French Lauren Carr & Luke Hartman Editors
When Tiffany French came to Manhattan College in July 2014 as area coordinator for Horan, little did she know that in a little over a year she would become one of the most recognizable faces on campus as Assistant Dean of Students. “This job actually came about because a lot of state and federal legislation...mostly Title IX legislation and in New York the Enough is Enough law. There is just a lot of work to be done in this field so it was necessary. This position is really to start addressing all of the aspects of the new legislation,” French said. While she may be fairly new to MC, and new to the office of the Dean of Students, she has ample experience working with students especially in terms of academic administration. While in her undergrad at Adelphi University she worked as an RA and later worked for the office of Residence Life. These positions are really what opened many doors for her, including one at Manhattan College as an area coordinator. Because of her dynamic work she was promoted to her current position. “When I came as an area coordinator it was a really busy time but also a good time.
Both of my bosses, Dr. Kerry and Andrew Weingarten, gave me a lot of latitude and room to grow,” she said. Students and staff who worked with French were excited for her promotion, but also sad to see her move on. “For me personally, Tiffany’s promotion was a truly bitter sweet moment,” Resident Director Stephanie Brooks said. “I was beyond enthralled for her, however I knew that there was still so much I could have learned from having her as a direct supervisor.” “Her optimistic views on several aspects of student life, and what it means to be a student life administrator, have definitely not gone unnoticed. She believes in the students, and she puts our needs above her own,” senior Jo-Ann Mullooly said. “Tiffany is exactly the right person for the job because she knows what matters to the students. She’s all about giving students a voice. She’s incredibly attentive to the concerns of the students, both on and off campus, and she cares more about us than I’ve ever known an administrator to,” Mullooly said. The aspect of her new job that French is most excited for is her responsibility for the new Green Dot, or bystander intervention, program on campus. “It is a really cool program working towards a compre-
hensive culture change,” French said. “It looks to establish two norms that violence is not okay and everyone has to do their part. It is a huge issue that we have to tackle, but it can be done manageably.” The program is meant to be a campuswide initiative and is all about students and faculty wanting to get involved for themselves. “It is all training based, so we are firstly looking to train faculty and staff. We work directly with the national Green Dot training program and we came back to then train staff here at the college. We want everyone to be a part of this,” French said. “We are working with a few student groups specifically, and it is a really fun training program. There are two different trainings, an overview and a six hour bystander training, but it is really fun and is extremely interactive. It is mostly practice and really letting students know how they can be involved,” French said. It is no doubt that due to her more direct contact with students, she will continue to make changes on campus and positively impact the lives of students. Students who have worked with her have nothing but positive things to say. “Tiffany is an extremely level-headed person. She’s always able to see both sides of the coin, a trait that is painstakingly important in a senior
level administrator. Tiffany always checks any bias that she may have in regards to a case--prior knowledge, professional relationship with a student, etc--at the door,” Brooks said. “She’s become one of my greatest role models, because of the way she always knows the next step to take, and is quick to provide an alternative solution,” Mullooly said. Looking to the future French said she is “looking forward to seeing Manhattan grow, especially since we seem to be in such a great spot. We are slowly transitioning into a more residential campus, which is really cool to see. It really just great working with students in general.” “It’s refreshing to know someone like her, and have someone like her looking out for the distinct needs of the student body. She has the experience beyond her years, and is well equipped for our community here at Manhattan College. She will add a fresh, young perspective and she knows how to get students excited about student affairs and activities. I’m so excited to have her representing us, and I’m so excited to see all she will accomplish,” Mullooly said.
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Nov. 10, 2015
College to Add More Online Services, Despite Recent Hiccups Anthony Capote Assistant Editor
Last month, Student Activities became the latest student service to make the move online when the office moved its ticket sales to an online PayPal program. In the Spring 2015 semester, Residence Life also moved the housing selection process online, taking Manhattan College onestep further into the digital age. While the benefits of online services are certainly obvious—no lines, streamlined delivery and convenience to list a few—recent hiccups in online services, both new and old, have raised concerns regarding the capabilities of the college to move the majority of student and faculty services on the internet. Most notably, on Nov. 2, a bandwidth issue on Self Service (the student services portal) disrupted registration for seniors and student-athletes. While the issue resembled a site crash, MC’s registrar Susan
Astarita, said the issue was not that severe. “[The issues] didn’t happen with the site. It was the feed into the site,” she said. “Students were registering, it was just a little slower, once [ITS] realized they needed to increase the bandwidth, it flew.” Astarita said on Nov. 6 that she expected no further issues when the freshman class—which totals 905 students— registered on Nov. 9. “By the time freshmen register, there’s more than 2,000 students that are eligible to register,” she said. “Think about it: seniors, juniors, sophomores and graduate students are all able to register at the same time, so the system is supporting well over 900 students.” Jake Holmquist, the college’s chief information officer, said that Manhattan has made upgrades to its online capacity by moving away from physical servers and towards online cloud technology, that is used to maintain online student servers. “Think of a speaker, and if you want to turn up the volume, you can just move the
slider up,” he said. “The same works on the cloud, we can just increase the bandwidth without a problem.” Holmquist said that server capacity has little to do with the Wi-Fi issues that have persisted throughout the fall semester on campus. “Although you may not see it with some of the Wi-Fi issues going on in Horan Hall right now, we are in a very good place as far as bandwidth and capacity,” he said. While the registration process has been online for almost 10 years, Astarita said many steps are taken to ensure that the process always runs smoothly. “The good news is we have ITS on site by 6:30 a.m. on registration,” she said. “So they get right on top of it the minute that a situation is discovered.” Astarita, who is in her first year as the registrar at Manhattan, said that she is mainly concerned with helping students through the process of registering, regardless of how the technology functions. “If the system crashes, we invite every
student to come and do it manually,” she said. For Holmquist, he stressed the point of constant communication between students and ITS. “If you encounter a problem, especially with a new service, tell us right away so that we can figure it out,” he said. Holmquist cited a Quadrangle article from last week that discussed some of the issues students were having with the new Student Activities ticketing service. “For example, the new Student Activities online ticketing is powered by PayPal, and one of the issues that students were having is that they couldn’t use their credit cards,” he said. “I was having that problem the other day with a PayPal account, where if your credit card is connected to an existing PayPal account, you can’t add it to another, but if you tell us, we can figure it out and let people know.”
meat or not].” The college’s registered dietitian, Rayna Herskowitz, works with Gourmet Dining on campus in planning meals for students with dietary restrictions or goals. “The ‘new’ news on the link between red meat consumption and the risk of cancer is actually not very new,” Herskowitz said. “The evidence has been around for quite some time now. In fact, limiting red meat has always been a suggestion for a healthy diet.” Brian Conway also shared a similar idea. “It’s about variety with any kind of issue,” Conway said. “I think moderation for all things is probably the best way that we can teach students and our own families on what is healthy and what isn’t.” “One piece of candy isn’t going to kill you, but if it’s the staple of your diet it’s going to become a problem,” Conway said. “Just like one piece of red meat isn’t going to kill you, but if it’s the staple of your diet it’s going to become a problem.” A further explanation of the science behind the reports was provided by Herskowitz. “The categories placed on research are based on the amount of evidence provided,” she said. “In terms of meat being carcinogenic to humans, processed meat
was classified as Group 1 and red meat was classified as group 2A. Group 1 is defined as carcinogenic to humans, whereas group 2A is probably carcinogenic to humans.” Herskowitz also explained how one could still ensure that they are living a healthy lifestyle with this knowledge on carcinogenic red meats. As with many things, it’s all about balance. The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends limiting red meat to 18 ounces a week and to avoid processed meats,” she said. This is something that shouldn’t be hard to do with Gourmet Dining’s plans to improve the health of their food and offerings in Locke’s Loft. “We do a ‘Meatless-Monday’ at some stations… but maybe we should enhance this and be meatless most days,” Conway said, but not at every station. “There is going to be red meat every day because that’s just a part of the program…You can’t really take it away, but you have to offer something else with it.” But not everyone is particularly worried about IARC’s reports. “Red meat being a carcinogen won’t change anything because I eat a lot of things that are bad and allegedly carcinogenic,” freshman Annie King said. “But I’m still alive and breathing.”
Conway mentioned that fearless behavior was common among college kids, and that worrying about the food going into their bodies tends to happen later in life. Conway too shared how he has made changes to his diet knowing that too much meat can be unhealthy. Like King, many students enjoy eating red meat on campus, regardless of the health factors. Conway, while expressing the need for moderation, understands this demand. “Red meat is expensive. Would I prefer to go other ways? I would. But it’s the protein factor here, the proven energy you get from protein,” he said. “It’s a lot about the way you prepare the meat too, we get a lot of fresh things here… things aren’t sitting around.” “So what should we do from here?,” said dietitian Herskowitz, “Surprisingly enough, other common items are placed in the Group 1 category as well, including alcohol and outside air pollution… You can consume red meat in moderation.” “Here at MC I look forward to holding meetings with students who are interested to talk about this topic further,” Herskowitz said.
food and much more at this semi-formal event. Ivan Bohorquez is a senior international studies major at Manhattan College and is both the founder and the current president of Fuerza Latina. Ivan spoke about the importance of the event. “This is the only event that breaks away from the Irish and Italian cultures,” Bohorquez said. “It’s one of the fewer cultural events on campus that celebrates minorities.” The night lasted from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., serving food such as fried plantains, rice and beans and other Latino foods, while a hired DJ played Latino music giving people the chance to show off their dance moves. People continued to pour in to absorb
the culture and enjoy the social aspect of the evening. Attendees moved from table to table to engage in multiple conversations, and then to the dance floor, and snapped silly pictures with friends in the provided photo booth. Many international students were also present at Latino Fest. One student, sophomore Daisuke Kurofhima, is from Japan and came to Latinofest to enjoy the Latino culture through his taste buds. Kurofhima attended Latinofest last year as well. “Last year they had so much good food, and this year they had so much good food,” Kurofhima said. Syed Ali, from Pakistan, also shared his reason for attending. “[This is] a great opportunity to social-
ize,” adding that he wanted to come because it was “a gathering and event for our school.” Pride in being a Jasper as well as celebrating the culture were both an emphasis for Latinofest. With Bohorquez being a senior and the founder of the Fuerza Latina at Manhattan College, he hopes Latinofest won’t end upon his graduation. “As I look at the crowd, I hope they expand on the concept I’ve brought,” Bohorquez said.
Hold the Bacon? New Studies Link Red Meat and Cancer Jack Melanson Staff Writer
A meat lover’s diet took a serious hit in the last few weeks after reports were published that eating red meat can cause cancer. On Oct. 26, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, also known as the IARC, provided a report on the relationship between red meat and cancer. In the report, it simply states that red meat does cause cancer. Brian Conway, director of Gourmet Dining Services at Manhattan College, spoke about the issue and said Gourmet Dining did consider changing its campus menu as a result. “What I gather from the things that I’ve read, it seems like more of a precautionary thing,” Conway said. “While they [IARC] might classify it in the same category as cigarettes or even asbestos, it’s hard to determine whether it’s life factors and the meat, or just the meat that’s causing the colorectal cancer.” “We all [Gourmet Dining] sat down and we talked about if we want to remove some of the red meats from our menus,” Conway said. “It comes back to choices, I mean, the individuals [choice to eat red
Latinofest Celebrates Minorities on Campus Jack Melanson Staff Writer
On Friday night, Nov. 6th, Manhattan College students stepped into the elevator of Kelly Commons, pressed five, and waited for the doors to open again. On the fifth floor, they heard loud, Latino music and laughter. The students then entered a dark room with streaming lights, a dance floor, people socializing and a ton of Latino food. This was Latinofest 2015. Student Activities teamed up with the Society of Hispanic Engineers, also known as SHEP, and Fuerza Latina for the second year in a row to provide, music, dancing,
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Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle
Racial Justice Teach-in Organizers Work Towards Dialogue about Race on Campus Michelle DePinho Editor
This year’s racial justice teach-in organizers, David Witzling and Evelyn Scaramella, have a clear message for the college community: it’s time to talk about race. Witzling, Ph.D. and associate professor of English, along with Scaramella, Ph.D. and assistant professor of Spanish, were among the key organizers of the racial justice teach-in held on campus last week. The four hour event was packed with lectures from faculty and activists, panel discussions and community dialogue. While putting together the teach-in was no small feat, for Witzling and Scaramella, this is a passion—and one that began last year prior to the first campus teach-in. News of cases of police violence against blacks, most famously those in Ferguson and New York City, swept the nation last year as many Americans began to take a new look at race relations. “As all of the news coming out of Ferguson ….news about the Eric Garner case here and other cases…I started to feel like, like my hope that teaching people about African-American history and culture and about the history of racism in classrooms hadn’t been doing enough over the many years that I’ve been teaching that stuff,” Witzling said. “We actually had to take
knowledge and ideas about race and racism out of the classroom.” That idea prompted the first of a series of teach-ins and racial justice town halls dedicated to bringing a conversation to campus about race and ethnicity, on a campus that remained relatively quiet during a time when students other universities were organizing “Black Lives Matter” events, die-ins and protests to express both support and concern. “I myself have noticed that this campus is not politically active in comparison to other campuses where I’ve studied or taught….and that bothers me,” Witzling said. “Students sometimes complain themselves to me. I know some students wish it were different.” “One of our ongoing goals in organizing this event this week and future events is to foster an activist spirit amongst students, foster knowledge about how to get involved in political action among students,” he said. The campus climate was a driving force behind why Witzling and Scaramella felt the first teach-in was necessary, and Scaramella said that this semester’s teach-in came as a result of the success of the first. “The teach-in last semester confirmed my sense that not just me but many of our students want and need discussion about racial politics and racial justice,” Witzling said.
That discussion was continued last week when academic lectures blended with panel discussions for a second racial justice teach-in. While awareness of racial and ethnic issues is certainly a goal of the teach-ins, Scaramella puts them in a broader context. “I think, as an end goal [of the teachins is] to change not only...the cultural climate on campus towards students of color or faculty of color, but the ultimate goal being to make this community more diverse, which is strikingly not diverse given the New York City location,” Scaramella said. “I think the complacency goes with, some ways, we are too homogenous. We need to try to represent more accurately what New York City communities look like, what the Bronx looks like.” She also calls on the Lasallian mission of the college as a way to look at racial justice in a new light. “The relationship between what we say our Lasallian values are and what our mission is….and again, strengthening our commitment as a Lasallian catholic community to serve underrepresented populations,” she said. “I think we have a long ways to go in doing that.” While they may have bold visions for the future of the college, Witzling and Scaramella’s work in organizing the teachins have come with support from both faculty and administration.
“There seems to be a pretty widespread belief among faculty in the School of Liberal Arts and among a lot of our administrators….that more needs to happen on campus to create understanding of these issues,” Witzling said. By creating partnerships with staff from the multicultural center, student life administration and other faculty, Scaramella said she was able to craft these teach-ins. But now that the teach-in is over, what’s next for these faculty? For Witzling, he says there is more to be done from an academic perspective and proposes the creation of a center for the study of race and ethnicity at Manhattan College. “Some of the faculty in the School of Arts are hoping that the college will support the creation of a permanent center for the study of race, ethnicity and cultural diversity,” he said. “We’ve thought this would be a good idea academically for a long time, and feedback from the teach-ins has convinced us that this is an absolute must and should happen soon.” “We were pushing to try and awaken the community, not even just politically,” Scaramella said. “We need to be talking about race, ethnicity and racism as a part of that conversation.”
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Our Jasper Nation
Nov. 10, 2015
Marissa Piazza
the Jazz Band
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Sean Sonnemann Editor-In-Chief
Senior Writer
Andrew Gresham, a sophomore political science major, was looking for a change of scenery when he decided to attend school in the big apple. New York City could not be more different than his hometown of Pitt Meadows, British Columbia. Pitt Meadows, located just outside of Vancouver, has a population about 1 percent that of the Bronx. “It’s really different,” Gresham said, “that was one of the main reasons why I wanted to come to Manhattan College, just because it was so different from where I grew up.” Gresham’s decision to attend Manhattan College was largely based on lacrosse as well. “I was recruited by a couple schools, some of them in the northeast and some more out west,” Gresham said. In the end, it turned out that Gresham could not resist the allure of the city. “As soon as I came to New York I was like, this is somewhere that I want to be and work,” Gresham said. “There’s always something to do, there’s always stuff going on, so I found that really interesting, it’s pretty much polar opposite compared to where I grew up, but I like it a lot.” Gresham expected the city to be a lot busier than Pitt Meadows, but was most surprised by the diversity of people. “It was crazy just how many people you see all over the place, and how many different types of people,” Gresham said. “When you go to Times Square, which is one of the first places I went when I came to New York, just all the different people in the streets, like the vendors, it was all crazy, because I’ve never seen anything like that before.” Gresham was not only impressed by the people but “Manhattan itself… the skyline is unbelievable,” Gresham said. While starting college in the US was an entirely new adventure, it was not the first time Gresham ever visited. At age nine, Gresham traveled to the US on a family vacation. “My family did a trip to go see Mt. Rushmore…it was pretty neat… then we went all around the northwest of the US, to Washington, Oregon, [and] Utah” said Gresham. Soon after Gresham turned 12, he began playing lacrosse at a more competitive level, which meant even more travel to the U.S. “I played on a touring team that would come down to the states at least twice a year and we would do tournaments all throughout the northeast, we went to Florida, North Carolina, and then we also did some tournaments in Washington and California too,” Gresham said. Those trips usually meant a few missed days of school, from Wednesday to Monday, and was something that Gresham did from the time he was 12 until he was 17. “In the states, all my roommates played high school lacrosse and that’s pretty competitive. In Canada, club is the really competitive one and then the kids who are trying to get recruited to the states play on touring teams, like what I played on, and then that’s why they go to the states to play tournaments,” said Gresham. In Canada, lacrosse is the national summer sport. “Growing up, lacrosse and hockey are kind of the two main sports, then either one kind of branch off, so you pick a sport when you’re 10 or 11 so,” Gresham said. While Gresham did spend some time traveling throughout the United States, growing up, he spent most of his time in
Arts & Entertainment
Andrew Gresham/The Quadrangle the small town of Pitt Meadows. In a lot of ways, Pitt Meadows is the complete opposite of New York City. “If something happens everyone kind of knows what’s going on,” Gresham said, “how small and tight knit the community is, is pretty different than some of the other places that I’ve been.” That community is something that Gresham identifies with his home. “It has a very ‘homey’ feeling, just because it’s so small, you can literally walk across town in half an hour… it’s unique in that aspect,” said Gresham. On top of that, “the people there are really down to earth and I feel like everyone is just super nice,” said Gresham. Pitt Meadows is an old farm town that once had acres of blueberry farms and corn farms, along with both cattle and horses. The town has similar weather to Seattle, which means a lot of rain, but it does not get as cold as other parts of Canada. The town also borders the Fraser River, “a huge river that goes through pretty much all the lower mainland of BC,” Gresham said, “and then on the other side is all mountains.” While there are many natural beauties surrounding town, one of Gresham’s favorite places near home is Pitt Lake. It’s “a huge lake just at end of town… [the] scenery around the lake is beautiful and the water is see-through blue…we go boating there… and fishing and stuff like that, canoeing, kayaking. Getting out there… it’s kind of nice getting away from the world for a little bit,” Gresham said. Gresham isn’t the only one that enjoys the vast expanses of nature in British Columbia. “There’s grizzlies, cougars, everything… [my] craziest encounter was probably when I was hiking just outside of Whistler, which is about two hours north of me… I was hiking with my family, I was 12, and we saw a grizzly bear and its cubs maybe 200 yards ahead of us… we had to stop and wait for it to move on, and then we
went back,” Gresham said. While Gresham’s family takes full advantage of the area where they now reside, Gresham’s family has not always lived in this little pocket of British Columbia. “My mom was born in Calgary, Alberta and then my dad was born in Whitney, Ontario,” Gresham said, “and then they met in University, at York University, just outside of Toronto and then they moved to BC about twenty years ago.” Being so far from home, the transition to college was not without its challenges. “It was pretty tough,” Gresham said, “at the start of the first semester that I had at college, it was hard being away from my friends and family… but all the friends that I’ve made held me down and made it a lot easier, because everyone is so nice here. And being on the lacrosse team, everyone is always there for each other so that helped a lot,” Gresham said. While the transition was not an easy one, “I was really excited to come to college and play lacrosse, so the excitement kind of helped the anxiety,” he said. Since Gresham only makes the trek home for winter and summer breaks, he really cherishes the time that he does spend there. Upon returning home, the first thing he does is catch up with friends and family. “I make sure everyone is doing well, and then after that I try and relax and catch up on my sleep,” Gresham said, “a perfect day at home, I’d probably sleep in until one in the afternoon, wake up, probably grab a bite to eat with some of my friends, go for a drive out to the lake, [and] play lacrosse or pick up basketball or something like that with my friends.” Attending school nearly 3,000 miles from home, Gresham is learning what “being independent” really means. “I’ve become a little bit more mature, just being away from my family, my friends, my roots, I’ve had to grow up a little bit. Like
doing laundry, managing time, appointments and all that, I have to do all that on my own now and that’s been a learning curve for me,” he said. Aside from learning the responsibilities of being an adult, “I know a little bit more about stepping out of my comfort zone… being from such a small town and then coming to New York I think it’s going to open up a lot of opportunities,” Gresham said. While some of Gresham’s expectations were met, there are some things that were entirely new to Gresham. “One thing that I definitely notice about American culture is they’re a lot more upfront about things. My roommates, for example, if we’re playing video games or like pick up sports always get after each other, which is something that I kind of like now because it gets everyone excited and gets everyone motivated, so it’s interesting… a lot of teasing and stuff like that but it’s all in good fun,” said Gresham. When looking to the future, Gresham already has a plan for what he would like to do in the next couple of years. Gresham’s main goal is to attend law school back in Canada. “I want to go to school back home just so I have a dual education… so educated in Canada as well as the US. And also for law schools in the states, being an international student would cost like a lot more money… so that’s a big factor as well,” said Gresham. Growing up, Gresham often found himself surrounded by policeman and firefighters which he credits, in part, for his interest in being a lobbyist for the government, or at least working in the government in some way. “My dad is in law enforcement, in Canada, and being around stuff like that… I’ve always been interested in working with the government, and a lawyer is just something that I’ve always dreamed of being,” Gresham said. “I like to talk and I like to debate.”
The Thomas Hall Performing Arts room on Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. is sonic chaos. Ragtime dances across the piano while blue notes ease their way out of a nearby saxophone. At the same time a drumroll across the room thunders on, keeping time only for its own sake. Each member of the Manhattan College jazz band is warming up, and each to its preferred style within the genre. Yet loosening up with these seemingly clashing sounds and competing rhythms is fitting for a band that isn’t defined by just one type of jazz. “We are not just a big band as you would see with Glen Miller or Benny Goodman. We don’t exclusively play Latin charts. We try to really have a rounded repertoire,” senior Greg Zajac, math major and drummer in the band, said. “A lot them are really difficult. A lot of them are standards. A lot of them are sort of funk or rock tunes that have been adapted to fit the jazz idiom. But it is good, we do have a variety of charts.” Zajac, also the group’s public relations officer, estimates that the average member of the band will learn between 60 and 70 different songs over the coarse of four years. This is evident in the thick folder full of sheet music each musician has sitting in front of them. As the group keeps warming up, band director Geoff Mattoon passes out a new song for the group to add to their collection. Finally the cacophony stops. Mattoon, who leads the practices by playing along with his own saxophone, stands up with an iPad. Facing each band member one-byone, he has them check themselves with a digital tuner app. Once each member of the ensemble
Sean Sonnemann/The Quadrangle compares notes with the app, it is time for the clashing warm-ups to transform into a harmonious music. The group starts by playing the song “Oleo,” made famous by saxophone legend Sonny Rollins. “It’s a good closer,” Mattoon tells the band. After listening to a recording of the song, the jazz band gets to work. With “a one, a one, two, three, four,” cheeks puff out and fingers skip along keys as music fills the room and spills out into Thomas Hall. Like the performing arts room itself, most of the band members have multiple roles within the music community at Manhattan College. Senior Adrienne Perea, alto saxophonist and president of the jazz band, also juggles playing with the pep band and the jazz quartet. “It teaches you time management,” she said. “It’s all fun, that’s why we are here. We want to make music and we want to have fun.”
Still, the band members are clearly serious musicians. As they practice, Mattoon will frequently stop the group and have them run through a specific section of the song several times in a row until it is perfected. They perform for the public four times a year, next on Dec. 8 for their winter concert. For the large portion of their two hour long weekly practice, the band runs through just “Oleo,” experimenting with different backings, instrumentation and various solos. Eventually, the band moves onto the new song that was passed out at the beginning of practice. “Only So Much Oil in the Ground” is a funky, riff-filled track first performed by 70s jazzy soul group Tower of Power. As Mattoon previews it for them over the speakers, the group is clearly excited to add it their repertoire. Heads nod, toes tap and some already start running their fingers through the notes on saxophones and trumpets.
It is evident that the group shares a love of music, even if some are relatively new to the genre of jazz. Long-time pianist Ryan L’Abbate only started playing the genre when he came to MC. “I always wanted to learn jazz, but didn’t know anything about jazz at the time so I figured it would be a great way to learn,” L’Abbate, a junior chemical engineer and the band’s secretary, said. The other interesting but not as obvious commonality among the band members is their choice of majors. “The majority of students in jazz or pep band are engineering or some other intensive major, be it math or biology--it’s interesting,” Andrew Bauer, director of music and performing arts at the college, said. One wouldn’t think that such analytical, structured minds would excel at a genre known for improvisation and creative thinking. But all you have to do is listen for the proof.
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arts & entertainment
Nov. 10, 2015
“All The Best Things”
“All the Best Things” is a book loosely inspired by student John Evans’s experiences as a folk musician in the Manhattan area. It tells of three young people whose entangled love lives and tragedies culminate in musical success and unforgettable pain. The book will be published by installment in The Quadrangle each week. This is the second installment John Evans Guest Writer
I waited for my drink to come and extracted my phone from my pocket. Joe texted me his usual nonsense, and I couldn’t make up my mind if I should respond to him or not, when I sensed someone standing beside me. “Let me guess,” I patiently replied, shoving my phone back into my coat pocket. “I owe you more money. I don’t got more than ten bucks on me, okay? You can call me back next week.” “No John,” the familiar voice chuckled. “I’m not the antique dealer, you screwed over last week at that auction.” My jaw dropped in a flash of sudden realization. “Mark!” I whooped, rising from my chair. “Man, I thought you were back at the dorm looking for Sally.” “Nah,” He laughed, embracing me like the friend he was. “Went down to visit my parents in Hastings. They’re doing alright. My mother is still editing the village newspaper, and my father keeps on writing those books. He asked about you.” He took a pause, no doubt surveilling the pub. “Have you found a publisher yet for that novella you put together last month?” “Not yet,” I muttered, recalling my lack of success. “Nobody wanted to touch the mess. Apparently deep stories don’t make money these days, only trashy ro-
mances.” “You need to get your heart broken before you can write anything like that,” Mark comically interjected. “Besides, you’re too academic to write anything outside fantasy.” “That’s what they’re all saying,” I sighed. “We’ll see.” “Anyway,” Mark said, finding a seat next to me. “My dad shared your book with his publisher, and they think it’s good enough, granted a few rewrites.” “And do you actually think they’ll go for it?” I skeptically asked. “You know what they said about my other work.” “Who knows,” my friend insisted, shuffling in his seat. “A few rewrites could get you somewhere. Don’t expect a J.K. Rowling kind of success story, but you could have a cult classic on your hands and not even know it.” “I don’t know,” I mumbled, suddenly frustrated by my lack of progress with my writing. I wanted to change the subject. “I have been thinking about recording some of our own music lately.” “What? Like, like rock? Or that folk stuff you keep on listening to?” Mark asked, confused by the sudden change of topic. “Hey there’s nothing wrong with Dylan, man,” I grunted, half serious. “The man’s a f--- genius even if he can’t sing. But I’m thinking of doing some acoustic stuff.” “You can’t possibly think I’m going
to get up and sing,” Mark protested. “I don’t got a voice like yours man. Nowhere close. Why not find a cute girl who knows the ropes? And she could take you to wherever you wanted to play.” “No,” I persisted, finding Cathy had already brought my drink. I took a long swig from my glass and turned to face my friend. “You’re the best guitarist I know, and that’s saying something. You can run with those chords like it’s nothing man. It’s truly spectacular. Down at the Beal, they’re hosting open mic nights. We could enter as a folk duo and run home with some extra cash in our pockets. Plus, you have a damn good voice and you know it.” “But how much cash are we talking about?” he asked, pretending not to be interested. “Twenty bucks? Thirty on a good night?” His voice trailed off. “Come this Friday, they’re saying forty, maybe even fifty,” I cunningly added. “Apparently the pub is celebrating its twentyfirst anniversary since it started hosting open mic nights. We could seriously make some good money while enjoying ourselves.” Hopping from bar to bar and scouring the streets for gigs, Mark was one of my best leads to success. Outside, clouds began to form. I could hear the rain beating down between thoughts, fat raindrop after fat raindrop. My mind wandered briefly to the subject of women. I ran my hands through my hair nervously, as if someone here was staring at the back of my skull. I was slightly startled when Mark opened his mouth to
speak. I was so lost in thought I’d forgotten about the conversation. Rain can do that to a man. “We’ll see,” Mark answered, not yet completely sold on the idea. “We’ll have to practice first, and I mean a lot. They’re probably going for only two songs which means we’ll have to blow them away real fast.” “You sound like a total skeptic man,” I pointed out, feeling a tad cross. “What’s up? You’re afraid of what people will think of your voice?” “Nah,” my friend calmly replied, surprisingly reserved. “You see, I might have plans coming up; important plans that might mess up practicing.” “Like what?” I inquired, furrowing my brow. “What’s suddenly made you all hesitant? Certainly not school.” “It’s kind of hard to explain,” he passively remarked. “You wouldn’t want to hear all the gritty details. Have an old friend coming down to see me. You’ll meet her. She’s nice.” A girl. I knew he was hiding something. It was in the soul of his voice. He was far too nonchalant for small-talk. But I let it go. People tend to tell you their own shit in their own time. Besides, my meal was on the table.
arts & entertainment
The Book Nook
9
Title: “Ella Minnow Pea” Author: Mark Dunn Genre: Fiction
Madeleine Schwartz Senior Writer
Have you ever wondered how words were first created? I’m not trying to be overly philosophical here but think about it. I use words to create sentences which eventually fill the page with meaning, but so much had to happen before I could do so. Someone a really long time ago in Ancient Egypt is credited for starting the alphabet. They created letters and others after them figured out how to make words by stringing them together. Although this sounds like a simple undertaking, it is more complex than meets the eye. Every letter sounds slightly different than the next and when put side by side in a specific order, they can describe anything you put your mind to. That creativity and freedom associated with language is what makes the alphabet special. I have 26 letters at my disposal, 24/7 to do what I please with. Now, back track a little, and imagine that guy in Egypt never created the letter “R”. To put things in perspective, without trying, I used it 12 times in my first paragraph. Mark Dunn plays with this idea in “Ella Minnow Pea” and he takes it even further than I do in this example. Dunn creates Nollop, a fictional island off the coast of South Carolina. It was named after Nevin Nollop who became famous after he penned this pangram: “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” A monument was created at the town’s center and the all-encompassing sentence
was tiled word for word for all to admire. Nevin Nollop didn’t have a lasting impact on those living on the island until these tiles began to fall off the monument. As each letter fell, the island’s council banned it from being used in speech and writing. If a townsperson made a mistake and was caught using a forbidden letter, they would be exiled. In the beginning, as each letter is removed from the town’s vocabulary, the dialogue between people becomes playfully forced. Although the letters Z, J, and Q are important, they weren’t particularly missed. However, when the letters E and T are suddenly made invisible, the town’s language changes. As these important letters disappear, it is harder and harder to communicate. Now people are misspelling words because there isn’t another way to get their messages across except for sounding them out. Some people stop writing and speaking to each other all together because it seems like a trap. “Ella Minnow Pea” does a great job at making readers take a step back from their hectic lives and appreciate the simple things. Something like the alphabet which we usually take for granted, it the primary way we communicate. A single letter, or a lack of one, can change the meaning of a conversation entirely. The title of this book is also cleverly named and spells out a section of the alphabet if sounded out correctly and very, very slowly.
Madeleine Schwartz/The Quadrangle
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sports
Nov. 10, 2015
Women’s Soccer Falls 5-2 to Siena in MAAC Championship Jaclyn Marr Assistant Editor
Manhattan made it to the MAAC Championship for the first time in school history. They had a season of broken records and high-ranked players, both in the league and nationally. In a game to represent the league in the NCAA tournament, however, it was the underdog that came out on top. After earning the second seed and a first-round bye, Manhattan played fourthseeded Rider on Friday night in the MAAC Semifinals. Lizzy Carlson notched two goals for the Jaspers and Modena sealed the win with a goal to make it a 3-1 final. Skonieczny had a career-high 15 saves in the game. Going into the MAAC Championship, Manhattan looked for the win in their first appearance to the finals. Sixth-seeded Siena had previously won the championship in 2010. Manhattan had a lot in their favor, but Siena was on a roll after knocking out the 1st and 3rd seeds Monmouth and Marist to get to the finals. Siena scored in the opening minute of the game on a shot from Allison Clark. Seven minutes later, Siena notched another goal by Kristen Connors and took a surprising 2-0 lead over Manhattan, who has been known for their defense all season. “They took advantage of opportunities that we gave them,” Brendan Lawler, Manhattan head coach, said in a halftime interview with ESPN3. “We have to score goals. We know what we have to do. The objective is simple.” Most of the first half was spent with Siena on offense. They followed in the 20th minute with their third goal of the game by Madison Vazquez, making it a 3-0 lead for Siena. Manhattan’s defense struggled early and throughout, as Manhattan’s back line could not control the game and goalkeeper
Go Jaspers/Courtesy Kristen Skonieczny allowed three goals on three shots. Erica Modena, who led the game with 5 shots, notched Manhattan’s first goal of the game with help from Lauren Barton in the 29th minute. The offense picked up in the last few minutes of the first half, but the score remained 3-1 into halftime. Momentum did not last long on Manhattan’s side as Siena found the back of the net once again on a shot from Kensey Waterman about three minutes into the second half. It remained 4-1 until Connors scored again for Siena in the 73rd minute of the game and Manhattan’s Emily Center soon followed with a goal in the 76th minute. There was back and forth play until the clock winded down and Siena took the 5-2 victory to the tournament.
Despite the loss, Manhattan had a season for the record books. Head coach Brendan Lawler was voted the Lids Team Sports MAAC Coach of the Year. Skonieczny was named Goalkeeper of the Year. Jenny Bitzer earned Defensive Player of the Year. Modena and Nicole Copping earned spots on the All-MAAC First Team and Copping also got All-Rookie honors. Skonieczny notched a program-record 10 wins and nine shutouts this season, which was the best in the MAAC. She holds the school career records for wins and shutouts, 24 and 17. She led the MAAC and ranks fourth nationally with a .920 save percentage. She is fifth in the NCAA with a .43 GAA, with just four goals allowed against MAAC opponents. Modena was another key player for the Jaspers this season. She notched her team-
leading 12th goal of the season in the semifinal matchup against Rider. She ranked second in the MAAC and 41st nationally with her 12 goals, which are the most by a Manhattan player since Laurie Spera scored 14 in her freshman season in 1998. Modena also ranked second in the league and 89th nationally with her 26 assists on the season. Finishing up this year’s awards, it was announced after the game that Skonieczny, Modena and Taylor Salkowsky were named to the MAAC All-Tournament Team.
Intramural Soccer Champions
Blake Pizzola/Courtesy
MC Recreation/Courtesy
sports
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Jade Gray and Claire Van Dyk were two of the five seniors honored on Senior Day. Daniel Ynfante/The Quadrangle
Success Starts With S...eniors Daniel Ynfante Assistant Editor
Two key contributors, a team captain, a 2014 All-MAAC Tournament honoree and a 2012 MAAC Rookie of the Year. That is the 2015 senior class for the Manhattan College volleyball team. It is a class that has helped Manhattan achieve levels of success it has rarely reached in its history. Although each individual of the five-member class has played a different role in that success, they have all contributed in some way that has led Manhattan to the position it is in today -- a top team in the MAAC with a shot to win a championship. On Saturday, Clare Bozzo, Jade Gray, Teodora Peric, Claire Van Dyk, and Sydney Volovoski were honored in front of their friends and families. And of course, it was only fitting that Senior Day culminated with a three-letter word which the seniors have become accustomed to hearing in their careers: with a win. “They’ve all been here for the success of the program,” Mark Jones, Manhattan’s head coach said about the senior class. “They’ve been here for the 20-win seasons. All they know is success. They’ve helped the underclassmen understand what the program is about and understand what we do here. We win.” The 2015 senior class is a unique one. Of the five members, three are transfer students. Gray transferred after her freshman year at Golden West College; Peric after her freshman year at American University; and Van Dyk after her sophomore year at Bryant. Only Bozzo and Volovski are Jones’ recruits.
For Gray, now a team captain, her role on the team is something she never imagined when she first came to Manhattan. “I didn’t,” Gray said about whether she expected to play a key role on the team when she transferred to Manhattan. “Especially being a captain two years in a row, it’s very humbling to do that.” But when she initially arrived at Manhattan, Gray was right. She was not the starting setter and team captain she is today. She was a contributor off the bench who served as Peric’s backup. But an unfortunate injury to Peric at the midpoint of the 2014 season opened up the way for Gray to start. On Oct. 11, 2014, in her first crack in the starting lineup, Gray delivered a career performance, registering nine kills; 43 assists; and 12 digs. Just a day later, Gray proved her performance wasn’t a fluke and that she was here to stay, finishing the match with four kills, 54 assists and 12 digs. Since then, the setter position has belonged to Gray. Although Peric lost her job to Gray, she has remained a key cog in Manhattan’s rotation, often splitting time with Gray at setter. The two have not let the competition between each other affect their relationship. “We have a great friendship,” Gray said about her bond with Peric. “We just do a really great job together. She gets the job done, I get the job done, it’s whatever Mark wants. We’re both very supportive to each other and I honestly couldn’t ask for a better co-setter with me.” While Gray didn’t expect to become one of Manhattan’s leaders when transferring, Van Dyk did. At Bryant, Van Dyk was one of the best
players in her conference, placing ninth in the league in kills during her rookie season and leading her team with 346 kills in her second year. But the individual success wasn’t what Van Dyk craved. She just wanted to win. “The team I mainly chose it because we have a great chance to win a conference tournament and that has always been my goal since I started playing volleyball in college,” Van Dyk said about coming to Manhattan. “I want to go to the NCAA Tournament and out of the teams I had other offers from, I thought this was the team that had the best possibility of going there.” At Manhattan, Van Dyk has been as good as advertised. Last season, she was one of four players on the team to play in all 131 sets. She was seventh in the MAAC with 2.85 kills per set and eighth in the conference with .31 service aces per set. This season, Van Dyk has been at the head of Manhattan’s offense and defense, leading the team with 3.1 kills per set and placing second with 3.7 digs per set. “You never picture your career being this way,” Van Dyk said, “and I’m very happy with how it turned out. I transferred here and am really happy with my decision, so Mark and the program did a lot for me, and I am extremely appreciative about that.” Heading into the season, it was expected that Van Dyk would share the offensive spotlight with Volovski, who for the past three years, has been one of Manhattan’s biggest offensive threats. However, a recurring injury throughout the season has kept Volovski in and out of the lineup and has limited her production. On Senior Day, Volovski was not able
to dress, but her efforts to get Manhattan to this point and to be a part of the group that has changed the culture for the program were not forgotten. In four seasons, Volovski was named the MAAC Rookie of the Year in 2012 and consistently placed in the top three on the team in kills per set. Like her, Bozzo was also not able to dress for the contest. An injury early in the season has limited her to just three matches. But Bozzo has also played a part in Manhattan’s success. Although she didn’t play in any matches her first two seasons, Bozzo became a starter last season and averaged .9 kills per set, along with 41 blocks, good enough for fourth on the team. “It’s unfortunate for their circumstances, but there’s been years where they’ve been such an integral part being on the court and playing well as a team,” Jones said about Bozzo and Volovski. “They were both starters last year and they helped the program get to 21 wins, so we know what they can do.” For all the accolades and individual accomplishments the senior class has achieved, there is still one looming: winning a championship. With two matches left in the season, Manhattan is still in prime position to finish in the top two in the conference, securing a bye all the way to the MAAC Semifinals. But even if the team doesn’t end up with a bye, it knows can make a run in the tournament. “We still have a goal of going to the NCAAs,” Jones said. “I think we’re going to end up doing that, but the leadership is going to have to start with the seniors.”
Sports
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The new class of inductees show off their Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame plaques, presented by Athletic Director Noah LeFevre. Sean Sonnemann/The Quadrangle
New Jaspers Inducted Into MC Athletic Hall of Fame Sean Sonnemann Editor-in-Chief
While every athlete strives for a championship victory or an MVP season, only a few can have the distinction of making it into their sport’s hall of fame. It is the moment when a person is cemented in history as one of the best to ever play the game. Although it may not be Canton or Cooperstown, Saturday evening’s induction ceremony for the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame enshrined eight individual athletes and two teams as the newest group of the greatest ever to don the Jasper green and white. “It is without a doubt a crowning achievement,” Peter Sweeney, Ph.D. said in his opening remarks for the evening as he explained the history of the hall of fame and what it means for those joining its ranks. “We continue to honor the longstanding tradition of athletic excellence at the college while continuing to break new ground.” Sweeney, class of 1964, finished his term as chair of the athletic hall of fame committee with this year’s induction. That “new ground” that he mentioned was a reference to some unique members of the 2015 induction class.
For the first time in the hall of fame’s 37 years, a women’s volleyball player, Goefele Luka Van Cauteren, class of 2004, and a wrestler, Stephen Herishen (‘95), were honored. The other six individual inductees included Karen Chevolleau (‘92 -- women’s track and field), Christer Hagberg (‘98 -men’s track and field), Siobhan Kilkenny (‘03 -- women’s basketball), Joseph Maguire (‘74 -- men’s swimming and diving), Martin Redmond (‘87 -- men’s cross country/track and field) and Russ Williams (‘92 -- men’s basketball). During the evening’s celebrations, Athletic Director Noah LeFevre shared each athlete’s individual accomplishments and statistical achievements with the more than 200 alumni, friends, family members and teammates in attendance. In addition, several existing members of the hall of fame were present. “It truly is a brotherhood and sisterhood of the highest magnitude and exclusivity,” he said. The honorees then had the chance to offer words of gratitude and thanks for being inducted. Most shared personal stories of coaches or teammates that impacted their lives, all recalling fondly their time as Manhattan College athletes. The group represented not only various
sports but also diverse backgrounds. This year’s honorees included athletes originally hailing from Sweden (Hagberg), Belgium (Van Cauteren), Jamaica (Chevolleau) and Ireland (Kilkenny and Redmond). Russ Williams, a surprisingly rare New York native among the bunch, was a star men’s basketball player who helped lead the team to its first regular season MAAC championship before graduating in ‘92. “I’m just a kid from Queens,” he said, “and you made me the happiest man on the planet.” In addition to highlighting the achievements of each individual athlete inductee, the ceremony honored two notable teams in Jasper athletic history for their collective accomplishments. Representatives of the ‘82 club football and ‘02 women’s volleyball teams were on hand to help celebrate their respective achievements and accept a silver cup and individual mugs. The ‘02 women’s volleyball team boasted a historic record of 30-4 and a trip to the NCAA tournament during a season that included a 22-match winning streak. The ‘82 club football team had similar levels of success. They were 8-2 on the season and reached the National Collegiate Football Association championship game, only falling to then top-ranked Bentley
University. While clearly a hall of fame for commemorating player athletic prowess and success, the hall is also open to notable athletic directors, coaches and athletics staff. Even friends and alumni of the college who have made significant contributions to Manhattan athletics are eligible for nomination. Selecting the new members of the hall of fame is one of the several tasks undertaken by the college’s Alumni Society. Any person can submit a nomination for a team or individual to join the hall of fame. This form includes a description of their qualifications, backed up by newspapers articles, letters from former coaches, athletic records and an explanation of achievements. Individual athletes must have graduated over 10 years ago in order to be eligible. A complete listing of the hall of fame members can be found online on the GoJaspers website. As the years go on and athletic seasons continue, there will be sure to be many more notable athletes worthy of joining them. However, with fewer than 300 current total members, it is indeed a select group.