Issue 12, Fall 2015 - The Quadrangle

THE Volume 92, Issue 12

Q

UADRANGLE A Student Publication of Manhattan College Since 1924

Nov. 24, 2015

www.mcquad.org Taylor Brethauer & RikkiLynn Shields Staff Writers

Quadstock

Mike Posner Performs in Smith Auditorium Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle

Musician Mike Posner performed an acoustic set for students in Smith Auditorium this past Saturday for Quadstock, an annual campus concert. Students began filing into the auditorium around noon, and the intimate crowd grew in size as students trickled in after hearing the music from outside.

Quadstock’s feature act, Posner, was only announced to the student body last week in preparation for the weekend. For this college-aged crowd, students remember his older songs like “Please Don’t Go” and his most famous song “Cooler Than Me” from their high school days.

“I was really excited. I remember a couple of his songs from back in high school,” student Sarah Poons said.

The crowd started getting excited and started chanting ‘Mike’ as they waited for him to come out on stage. Students began crowding the front of the stage in anticipation.

“I’m looking forward to seeing him. I want to hear all the new songs he has out,” student Veronica Roman said before the concert began.

When Posner finally stepped out on stage, the small but energetic crowd erupted in cheers. He started with one of his songs from his first album, “Bow Chicka Wow Wow.” Exchanging his guitar for a piano halfway through his set, he showed his musical versatility and range. He also showcased his talent of freestyling by including Manhattan College references in a many of his verses.

Continued on page 7

College Endowment Increases By Four Percent Tara Marin Staff Writer

In 2014, Manhattan College’s endowment was $73 million and this year it rose to $76 million, increasing by just over four percent. How does this happen and where does the money go?

It all starts with the donors and the college advancement staff, who work closely with alumni relations as well as the different academic departments here at MC. Assistant Vice President for College Advancement Steve White explains where this money comes from and the role his office plays in handling the college’s growing endowment.

“Our alumni are our biggest supporters - most of the money that comes in comes from them. We also develop relations with corporations, foundations, parents and other people who become involved with the college,” White said.

He also explains that the unique programs we have here draw donors in as well, such as the Lasallian Outreach Volunteer (L.O.V.E.) Program and The Holocaust, Genocide and Interfaith Education Center.

College Advancement and Alumni Relations both host events in states that have a large amount of Jasper alumni.

“We try to keep in touch with our alumni throughout the country. When there’s a crossover it works better - something that

draws them to an event - such as a basketball game,” White said.

“If the Jaspers are coming to play out there, it’s not often that that happens, so it’s great. They’re also more inclined to come out when the president travels,” he said.

For many years, MC was a commuter school, so when students graduated they would tend to stay fairly local.

White says that about 70 percent of the school’s alumni live in the tri-state area with New York being the biggest, followed

by New Jersey and Connecticut.

Florida is also a popular state for alumni, as many choose to retire to the state known for its warm weather and frequent sunshine. It is a very active state even when college representatives are not hosting events themselves.

“In Sarasota, the alumni have a quarterly luncheon. Usually once or twice a year someone from our office gets down there, but they still have it without us, which is great because that’s what we want. We want them to connect, exchange stories and keep up on what’s going on here, even if no one here is able to join them. It’s a positive experience because it’s connecting Jaspers with each other,” White said.

Since there are a lot of job opportunities in California, there are many alumni who live there as well. Just two weeks ago, there were a series of alumni events held in California.

Continued on page 3

Michael McManness/Courtesy

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Letter to

opinions & editorials

The

Quadrangle www.mcquad.org

Vol. 92 Issue 12 Nov. 24, 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 Hernández Kristie Killen Social Media Editors Kevin Fuhrmann Photography Editor Vanessa Sanchez Asst. Photography Editor Kelly Burns Luke Hartman Natalie Heinitz Production Editors

To the Editor,

Nov. 24, 2015

The Editor

On Monday, Nov. 16, we organized a demonstration open to the college community to give Manhattan College a chance to stand in solidarity with students suffering from racial justice issues nationwide. We, along with friends and fellow organizers, provided students with the opportunity to sign a banner that read “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” and later to read from literature or share thoughts and personal experiences with racism. Overall we had a great turnout. However we noticed a severe lack of white male students at our event, something that seems to showcase an ambivalent attitude towards racial issues on campus. This lack of presence wasn’t exclusive to our demonstration; if you’d looked around at the Racial Justice Teach-In, the Town Hall on Race, the Read-Aloud, you’d see this is a reoccurring problem. Apparently our school’s largest demographic either all have class at the same time, or they just do not care. There are a few exceptions, namely Student Body President, Nich Weyland, who attended and read aloud passages at the demonstration. But largely, there is a lack of participation among this group at our college.

Whatever the reason for this lack of presence, we can only assume. Is it discomfort? A feeling of alienation? Is it pure apathy? Regardless of the fact that we have no real understanding of what kept these men way, we will not be discouraged. We will continuously invite any and all students to join us as we open an important dialogue on racial issues.

We have some ideas for addressing these issues, such as administrative encouragement or even requirement to attend at least one event on race per year.

As a Lasallian School it is part of our duty to promote racial equality and justice for everyone- let us not forget that!

Sincerely, Meghan Dinegar ‘16 and Celena Gonzalez ‘16.

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

news

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American Society of Civil Engineers Host Professional Networking Event Marissa Piazza Senior Writer

The student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, ASCE, hosted a Professional Networking Event in Smith Auditorium this past Tuesday, providing students with the opportunity to speak with and learn from professionals in the civil engineering industry.

Some of the companies represented at the event included ExxonMobil, STV, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Thornton Tomasetti, Turner Construction, Moretrench, AECOM and Buckland & Taylor. Fortunately for students, the twenty or so professionals in attendance had varied experiences and levels of tenure.

Vincent Terrone, senior civil engineering major and president of the colllege’s ASCE student chapter, kicked off the event by welcoming both professionals and students, and asking each professional to provide a brief introduction that included why they chose civil engineering. These answers ranged from playing with Legos, to a fascination with buildings, to a love for math and physics, to being inspired by a grandfather who was also a civil engineer.

Of the professionals present, many were alumni while others were simply interested in acting as mentors. Dave Pecorini, geotechnical staff engineer at Moretrench and recent Manhattan College alumnus, was always interested in acting as a mentor.

When Terrone reached out to him about the event, “Absolutely,” Pecorini said, “Anytime I can help out I’d be happy to.”

Asheque Rahman, a City College graduate who now works as a program manager in Logistics Technology for NYC Emergency Management, was another professional present at the event. As a student, he benefited from different networking events.

While he did not graduate from Manhattan College, he was approached by Paul Pache, head recruiter for the student chapter, and asked to attend the networking event.

Rahman was happy to share his experiences with students, and what he has learned along the way. Even though Rahman does not directly use information he learned in his core classes as an engineering major,

he credits them with teaching him skills he needed for upper level courses.

“Students get frustrated and fail to realize that … you need core classes,” Rahman said. For Rahman, the data analysis projects he completed during his last two years at college were “crucial to undertaking of my first job,” Rahman said.

The event was organized into four different ten-minute networking sessions, where students changed tables to have the opportunity to speak with different professionals. As students moved between tables, they were exposed to different parts of the industry, something that is critical for students as they navigate the job application and interview process.

For Sam Singer, a geotechnical project engineer at Langan Engineering and Environmental, career fairs were key to his understanding of the industry. As a student, it was a way for him to break into the industry and talk to people with real world experience.

This was just some of the advice shared with students, who were also encouraged to “get an externship or internship to see what you do and don’t like,” Singer said, “Get your foot in the door and understand what each branch does.”

The professionals at the event chatted easily with students and provided practical advice, highlighting the importance of soft skills, like effective communication and technical writing. The response from the students at the event was positive.

“It’s broken up nicely, the amount of students we have to professionals,” senior Chuck Pallas said, who helped organized the event.

For student Dana Coniglio, the event really helped her make connections.

“It was great because I connected with the former president of Engineers Without Borders,” Coniglio said. “I went over and introduced myself, I now have his email for questions about fundraisers.”

To close the event, Frank Lombardi, P.E. and former chief engineer of the Port Authority of NY & NJ, spoke about the importance of networking, and even more so, the value in being a strong communicator.

“What business are we in?” asked Lombardi, to which one audience member responded, “the people business.” But

Lombardi insisted that whether involved in architecture, business, or construction, the industry simply boils down to communication. For engineers, an idea from the brain ends up on paper, and then is passed along to a person. “Refine, redesign, check, build it,” Lombardi said. “What happens if it’s not communicated well?”

Lombardi also spoke about how the last six months of senior year are filled with anxiety, as students try to finish their studies while simultaneously interviewing and trying to find the perfect job.

Lombardi’s advice for students in this position is to seek mentors and ask ques-

tions.

“If you learned anything tonight, what did you learn? Reach out, pick up and learn, try to focus on some of those skills, oral communication and presentation skills,” Lombardi said. “Get up there and make an impression.”

The key to this success lies in not only finding mentors to help develop these skills, but developing and cultivating the relationship with those individuals.

“Don’t be afraid,” Lombardi said.

“They will gladly help you if you approach them.”

see a larger increase,” White said.

Donors can endow a scholarship or a faculty position. The board of trustees determines the spending policy, and the current rate is 4 percent.

When someone donates money it is added to the endowment and it is never touched, but 4 percent of it is used for what the donor requests it to be used for. The rest of that money grows infinitely in the endowment.

“Scholarships can also be named after people and it’s there forever. So donors know that in 100 years from now, some student will be getting some sum of money that will help them through this place,” White said.

As the Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer, Matthew McManness works with a team of faculty who help coordinate decisions so that scholarships receive the most return on investment.

“The college has a very comprehensive investment strategy which is managed through an Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees,” McManness said.

“Each member has specific expertise in areas of investment and their efforts have returned significant successful grown in our endowment investments over the years.”

“Our investment team meets throughout the year and carefully monitors investments and makes adjustments as we see are necessary,” McManness said.

He also explains that this steady growth is normal, given the school’s knowledgeable investment leaders and trustees.

However, there has been one dramatic decline in the past: In 2008, our endowment was a little under $50 million and dropped to around $43 million in 2009. However, this didn’t just happen at MC. “In 2008 and 2009, the global financial crisis affected every endowment within higher education. As a result of the crisis, many large financial institutions were threatened but were eventually bailed out by national governments but the impact was significant on the stock market and all endowments were affected,” McManness said.

Assisting McManness with things like

budget, investment and cash flow/borrowings, is Assistant Vice President for Finance and Controller Dennis Lonergan.

To ensure the steady growth of assets, Lonergan stresses the importance of being mindful of the institution’s cash flow and liquidity requirements, while also protecting the principal value of the endowment.

“Over rolling three to five year periods, it is expected that the growth of endowment assets will exceed the rate of inflation plus the spending rate. Consistent with the Catholic and Lasallian tradition, Manhattan College supports and endorses a policy of socially responsible investing,” Lonergan said.

The network of Jaspers who are still donating even years after graduating is a testament to the strong interconnectedness that shines here at MC.

Marissa Piazza/The Quadrangle

College Endowment Increases By Four Percent Tara Marin Staff Writer

Continued from page 1 Texas is another big state for Jaspers to move to, because many engineering students land jobs in the oil industry which is largely based in southern states.

“We’re drawing from a lot of different places… We engage them through regional events. The president and vice president are always traveling and meeting with alumni,” White said.

As for the endowment, the Finance Department oversees the management of the money and decide where it is invested, but White and his colleagues at College Advancement are in charge of the money coming into the endowment, specifically the money that is given to scholarships.

“They are always a priority for us, and now that the Kelly Commons is built and finished and funded, we’re going to focus more on the endowment and I think we’ll

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News

Study Abroad at MC Turns 35 Marissa Piazza Senior Writer

This year marks the 35th anniversary of study abroad here at Manhattan College. To celebrate the milestone, the study abroad office invited both study abroad alumni and students to a reception in the Student Commons this past Thursday, Nov. 19, to celebrate how these experiences have shaped their lives and careers.

The event began with welcoming remarks from Provost William Clyde, followed by a history of the 35 years of study abroad programs by Nonie Wanger, director of study abroad.

For the past 35 years, Manhattan College has sent students to 59 different countries in every part of the world.

The presentation highlighted Manhattan College’s first program to Reims, France from 1986 to 1989, which has since expanded to current program offerings in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Florence, Italy and Madrid, Spain.

Aside from semester and year-long programs, the presentation also mentioned that Manhattan College offers trips during the winter intercession, spring break and the summer. Currently, Manhattan College also has exchange programs to France, South Korea, Spain and Mexico.

Highlighted during the anniversary presentation were other milestones, as Manhattan College celebrates a 15-year anniversary with the Paris MICEFA Exchange Program, 20 years of programs in both Paris and Florence and 10 years of a Manhattan College program in Lyon, France.

The presentation concluded with testimonials of past study abroad participants, who reflected on their experiences abroad and submitted these reflections to the study abroad office.

As part of the event, study abroad alumni were asked to send in a short essay, brief paragraph, anecdote, photos or short video

about their study abroad experiences. The study abroad office is planning to create a testimonial journal of Manhattan College study abroad experiences.

Antonia Conti, class of 2006, wrote, “studying abroad gave me the opportunity to live and breathe another world. It awakened an interest in me I wasn’t even aware about until that point.I love to learn languages, think through their unique constructs and understand cultural differences.”

Another study abroad alumna Jessica Scarfuto wrote, “my experience will stay with me forever in the form of pictures and memories. I’m so lucky to have been able to embark upon it.”

The event concluded with words from study abroad alumni who served as testimonial speakers.

Eve Walters, Ph.D. and class of 2003, was a chemical engineering major and basketball player during her time at Manhattan College. She decided to study abroad for a year in London while attending MC. Though this meant quitting basketball for a year, this experience led her to spend another 10 years in Europe actually playing basketball, and eventually pursuing a master’s degree and a Ph.D. at the Technical University of Munich.

“The international culture and world we live in today is a wonderful experience,” Walters said.

Dr. Alan Hartman, class of 2003, praised the commitment of Manhattan College to study abroad programs.

“It is interesting to see how different life experience[s] play out. Studying abroad puts [students] into something difficult, and they either sink or swim. Manhattan College students have the caliber to swim pretty well,” Hartman said.

Another speaker at the event, Ariana Prendergast, class of 2009, is now a teacher of French and Italian and the chair of the language department at DePaul Catholic High School in Wayne, New Jersey.

Nov. 24, 2015

Marissa Piazza/The Quadrangle “Studying abroad has changed my life in so many ways,” Prendergast said.

Even after the presentation ended, the attendees lingered and shared stories and memories of times spent abroad.

For many, it is experience that lives on,

even years after returning home.

MC’s First Transgender Awareness Week Luke Hartman & Lauren Carr Editors

Caitlyn Jenner, Leelah Alcorn and Kyler Prescott are a few names that have made headlines recently. Through triumph and tragedy, these names have made an impact on the transgender community and have been the topic of conversation by bringing these issues to light. In order to continue the conversation on campus, LGBT Friends and Allies president Ivan Rios brought Transgender Week to MC. “Most people have a misconception about the transgender community,” Rios said. “I wanted people to be aware that transgender people do exist and are normal like everyone else, as well as educate the campus on the issue of pronoun bullying.”

Rios’ goal is to build a community on campus where people feel as though they have a safe place to turn to or to simply talk about issues regarding the community.

“Especially on our campus where the LGBT presence is rare and quiet, I feel like the work Ivan has done to bring light to this important issue is extremely important and timely,” senior Maggie Kavanaugh said.

Throughout the week there were numerous events on campus. Last year 40 people attended an event as part of mission month where they discussed LGBT Lasallians. The event was attended by members of the LGBT+ community, teachers and faculty. Transgender week brought togeth-

er the same people but in a more intimate setting.

“The transgender awareness event was a more intimate crowd, having about 15 people, which included a faculty member, many allies, and a few from the LGBT+ community,” Rios said.

Next year Rios has plans to partner with NYU to have an event that will help promote medical care for the LGBT+ community amongst other topics. Plans for this event will not be finalized until next semester.

“While I didn’t get to attend the event myself, I heard from friends that attended that it was well organized and also brought up important issues that need to be addressed as a college community,” senior Kevin Hill said.

According to Rios, people simply need to be educated on this topic and what they stand for in order to gain a better understanding.

“I believe the most important way to increase visibility and acceptance of the LGBT community on campus is to educate,” Rios said. “More people need to take an initiative to educate themselves, and I believe it would be a tremendous help if more students were to get involved along with faculty. This would show greater support all around, allowing people to be comfortable in their skin. Many people have the idea that since this is a Lasallian college, that they hold the same views as the church, which is not true.”

Sean Sonnemann/The Quadrangle “There is definitely a large portion of our community that need to be educated not only about trans issues, but LGBT issues as whole. The only way to truly battle ignorance is through education. One’s background, upbringing or beliefs are no excuse to be unintelligent or hateful,” senior Taylor Allen said.

The response for this community, as

well as Transgender Awareness Week, has received positive support across campus from the students to the faculty.

“Everyone seems to be on board with the idea of the club. There has been no discrimination towards us, in fact, everyone I have spoken to has tried to help in one way or another,” Rios said.

features

5

Toy Drive Brings Joy to a Community Daniel Ynfante Assistant Editor

Constant chatter, often turned into screaming, fills the cafeteria.

The kids pace back and forth, engaging in conversations with their friends and families, all while anxiously waiting for their turn. Their number is called. They rejoice.

Waiting for them is Santa Claus, carrying a present in hand.

This is the scene at St. Jerome’s Church in the South Bronx, which hosts Manhattan College’s Lasallian Collegians’ annual Toy Drive.

The Toy Drive brings gifts to the children of St. Jerome’s Church, many of who do not have the luxury of receiving gifts outside of the event.

For Allison Ready, president of Lasallian Collegians, the Toy Drive displays what the group is all about.

“A lot of us come here and don’t even realize what we’re living in, but in actual-

ity there are a lot of problems in the Bronx that a lot of us just close ourselves off to.

We’re so privileged to be going here, so what can we do to make their lives better?

It’s just a nice way to finally be able to give back to this community that we’re living in,” Ready said.

Lasallian Collegians has held the Toy Drive at St. Jerome’s Church at 230 Alexander Ave. for seven years.

Two years ago, the church was dealt a huge blow, as the Archdiocese of New York announced that St. Jerome Catholic School, located beside the church, would close down due to financial difficulties.

The closing left many underprivileged parents without a school for their kids and in scramble mode.

But these parents and their kids could still count on the Toy Drive, which has become a staple in the community.

“It’s just so sad to see how such a great facility in the South Bronx was just shut down because of a lack of funding,” Brianna DelSanto, in charge of the Toy Drive Committee for Lasallian Collegians, said

about St. Jerome’s. “It’s just so sad to see that. But having the Toy Drive there can help that.”

DelSanto, along with the rest of Lasallian Collegians, are responsible for coming up with 300 toys for the event held in the cafeteria of St. Jerome’s Church. Throughout the month of November, they collect gender-neutral toys such as puzzles and board games, as well as receive donations, which they then use to buy gifts.

This year, the Toy Drive at St. Jerome’s Church will be held on Dec. 6, where 300 kids will convene to receive gifts that for many of them might be the only ones they receive for Christmas.

“For the kids it makes them happy,” Sister Julia Suarez, director of programs at St. Jerome’s Church, said. “There are many parents that perhaps probably can’t give them something and it’s an opportunity for them to receive a gift. It’s always beautiful when people keep in mind the community that can’t receive something and that on that day they can get something. … That satisfies me because I say ‘well, despite

how tired the kids get and despite how tired we get, it’s worth it seeing the kids happy.’ ” The Toy Drive will be the first Toy Drive DelSanto and Ready attend, as the two sophomores, who joined Lasallian Collegians last year, have taken on a bigger role in the group this year.

“It’s something that’s like indescribable,” Ready said about what it’s going to feel like to be at the event. “You have to go and be there to see how happy they are. It’s one of those things where it’s something so little. It’s just one day and you can just go and make these kids’ month or year.”

Like Ready, DelSanto can’t wait to bring a smile to the faces of the 300 kids who will be at the event.

“They don’t get to experience that all the time and we did as kids,” DelSanto said. “We don’t know how much it impacts them until you go there and see like why are they so excited over something so little as making a pom-pom snowman, but it makes their whole day.”

It’s Time to Break the Silence, Period.

Ally Hutzler Assistant Editor

There are many things that are a part of the typical college experience, but the objectification and sexual abuse of women should not be one of them.

Enter “Period,” the student-created and student-run political pamphlet whose focus will be to showcase the creativity of feminist voices on campus. The publication, spearheaded by Rachel Stanton, will consist of writing and artwork and is to be released at the end of the semester.

This is not the first time that Stanton has organized an operation to draw attention to the marginalization of women.

The idea for “Period” was first incepted when Stanton was attending St. John’s College High School in Washington D.C., but even a place as progressive as the nation’s capital did not receive the project with open arms.

“It was my sophomore year of high school and I got in trouble for it,” Stanton said. “After the first pamphlet I got called into the principal’s office and was told I wasn’t allowed to do it anymore.”

Two years later Stanton arrived at Manhattan College, another Lasallian institution, to a campus that she found lacking a diverse and expressive voice about many issues, especially feminism.

“There a lot of people that look the same and have the same ideals and not necessarily everyone speaks out about how they feel,” Stanton explained, “but I wanted to be able to speak out about how I feel.”

Then Rachel Stanton met Roskana Badruddoja.

Badruddoja, Ph.D. and an assistant professor of sociology, specializes in ethnicity, sociology of gender and representations of women.

After listening to Badruddoja lecture and working with her on Take Back the Night, an event with the mission to end all forms of sexual violence, Stanton felt a high level of rapport and comfort with the professor.

“I told her about my experience with the pamphlet in high school,” Stanton said, “And I told her I wanted to bring it back.”

Since arriving at the college two years ago, Badruddoja has been a great force in raising community awareness and activ-

ism in a number of racial and social justice matters.

She and the sociology department have written and distributed a document to faculty members containing information with how to support students who have been victims of sexual assault and violence.

They have also created a document titled “An Assessment of Manhattan College’s Title IX and Non-Discrimination Notice and Range of Sanctions.” The report stated that our range of sanctions for any sexual violation is comparable to other schools.

The report also found that the range of sanctions listed for sexual violence is very similar to many other types of violations, such as a fire safety violation.

“While it is unlikely that a student will be expelled for a fire safety violation, comparing sexual assault to fire safety violation is troublesome indeed. Clearly, Manhattan College is not an anomaly,” the assessment read.

It seemed only fitting, then, that Badruddoja be the faculty advisor in this project.

“It’s not something that came from me or the faculty, it’s something that came from a student and that is what makes it beautiful,” she said.

Isabelle Leyva, one of many contributors to the pamphlet, was excited about the chance to voice her own experiences with feminism and violence against women.

Submitting a poem that she wrote years ago called “Asking for It,” Leyva illustrates how our society is constructed to oppress women and how hard it is for men to really understand.

“I hope that it gives a strong image of what it’s like to be a girl,” Leyva said.

When she was thirteen, Leyva was the victim of a yearlong abusive relationship with a nineteen-year-old boy. She felt that because she was a girl and she was younger the blame was largely placed on her.

“I ended up being the one having the consequences and the judgment was on me so I didn’t feel I could speak out,” she added.

Leyva hopes that “Period” will help to create an environment where women feel safe and accepted to talk about these situations.

Stanton explains that one reason why victims may not feel comfortable sharing their experiences is because they believe

Rachel Stanton/Courtesy they will just become another statistic.

The Title IX report the college recently released stated that one sexual assault occurred on campus during the last academic year. “If we say one in five women are going to be sexually assaulted from the ages of 18 to 25 and about 3,000 people go to MC anyone can do the math it’s not going to be just one,” Stanton said.

Women are not the only people submitting to the pamphlet. Sophomore Patrick Estanbouli is one man who is actively advocating for women’s rights and equality.

“What I thought about when I first heard about the newsletter was that it is something this campus needed,” Estanbouli said.

Estanbouli submitted a drawing that he hopes will capture the vulnerability of women. He expresses that men need to understand that women go through more than they might realize.

“You don’t have to be a woman to understand that emotion,” he added.

Estanbouli hopes to serve as an example that feminism is not just a female issue. He believes that men need to break the constructs that society has built for them and that is something that feminists also work toward.

“Feminism already has menism in it,” Estanbouli said.

So what does this all mean for Manhattan College?

Badruddoja recognizes this pamphlet as a sign that the consciousness level of the student population is rising.

Stanton sees it as a way to educate people about what happens to women in this community and to vocalize feminist voices, both men and women, on campus.

For Leyva, and other victims of oppression and violence, she says, “I hope it means progress.”

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features

Our Jasper Nation Marissa Piazza Senior Writer

Maria Nieto Villamandos, a sophomore civil engineering major, has trouble imagining where she’ll be in the future. It’s not that she’s unsure of her career choice.

She is fairly certain that one day she will be working as an engineer, at a desk with a computer beside her, on projects involving many other people. But a future that was once so clear was rattled when her family decided to move to the United States just four years ago. Nieto’s father, an industrial engineer, was offered a position in the United States. Since then, Nieto and her family have lived in Rochester, New York, where the company is located. Nieto attended both 10th and 11th grade at Pittsford Sutherland High School.

The move to the United States was not the only time Nieto left home. In the 9th grade, Nieto attended an all-girls boarding school in the United Kingdom. “My family didn’t know we would be moving to the states, so they wanted me to learn English,” Nieto said, “because in Europe if you don’t know English it’s very hard to get a job.” This prompted Nieto’s family to send her to an all-girls school in Milton Keynes, and hour away from London. “I got back that summer and my dad had talked to my mom, and he said ‘you know, we have this opportunity. I think we should really take it,’” Nieto said.

Nieto’s father made sure it was a family decision. “He talked to all of us and we all agreed that it was a great opportunity for all of us to learn English and to experience something new. We pretty much decided and then that summer they came to Rochester, checked out some houses and schools, and then September 4th… we moved to the United States,” Nieto said.

Nieto was not alone in making the adjustment to living in the United States.

Her youngest brother, Jorge, was only eight at the time, but now knows more English than anyone in the family. Her sister, Marta, is just a year younger, and her other brother, Jaime, is 15. Both the language and culture were difficult for the Nieto siblings to adjust to. “I guess we all had to adjust at some point. I mean, the culture is different. It doesn’t mean that it’s better or worse, whenever people ask me, you know, both being in Spain and being in the states there’s ups and downs, there’s good things and bad things but it was definitely an adjustment,” Nieto said.

“I think for me it was easier.”

Since Nieto attended a year of school in England, learning the language was not as difficult for her as it was for some of her siblings. From an early age, Nieto was also accustomed to travel. “When I was in 5th grade, [my parents] sent me to Washington, D.C. for a month and half with a family that I didn’t know, and then 6th grade I was here in New York City for a month with an American family that I never had met,” Nieto said. “So those experiences, little by little, opened me up to change and to take it in a different way, kind of accepting and moving forward rather than getting stuck.”

Even though Nieto has accepted the change that has come her way, she has not forgotten about the city of her youth. Madrid, the city of Nieto’s childhood, “is a big city, but at the same time when you walk around you get the feeling of a very small town,” Nieto said. “The actual people make it like that… if you walk around

[at] lunchtime, or even dinner, you always see people out. There’s always people that are eating outside, especially during the summer.” While the winters may force patrons indoors, “there’s always people eating inside the restaurants. There is not one restaurant that’s going to be empty, it’s insane, so that’s what makes it very town-like, the fact that there’s always going to be people where you are,” Nieto said. “And then usually, if you go through where all the colleges are, you’ll most likely see someone that you know even in a city like Madrid, which is big.”

During the summer month of August, however, Madrid can be lonely. The summers in Madrid are characteristically dry, and during August residents “leave Madrid and they either go to the north or the east or the south to the beaches and their summer houses,” Nieto said. Compared to New York, the winters in Madrid are nothing to complain about. “During the winter it gets cold but it never gets so cold that it snows… we’ll probably, and maybe not even, get one day of even a little bit of snow,” Nieto said.

Besides the winter weather, it is the food that is the major difference Nieto notices between New York City and Madrid. “The terraces during the summer are what characterize Madrid the most. You get a feeling.

People are not just eating…they’re having fun. It’s like a party everywhere you go,” Nieto said.

The food itself is the one thing that Nieto wishes she could bring to New York. Or at least, she wishes she could bring her favorite restaurant – a place called 100 Montaditos. “This place sells very cheap mini sandwiches and, at the same time, they have a lot of sales for beer and stuff. And the place itself is very chill, the decorations are very Spanish. They have a lot of azulejos,” Nieto said, which are small, painted ceramic squares that line the wall of the restaurant.

“When I was there…it was the place to go, everybody, all young people went there. It’s cheap and fun at the same time. You would see everyone there,” Nieto said.

A perfect day for Nieto, in Madrid, would begin with a long, leisurely walk through the city. Nieto, alongside her friend and sister, always enjoyed walking from her home in the outer part of the city to the very center of Madrid. The walk can take anywhere from one to two hours, “but I absolutely love it because it crosses Madrid from one side to the other” Nieto said. “We would leave my house at ten in the morning and then walk to the center, and then my favorite place in Madrid is a restaurant, El Lateral.” After a delicious meal on the terrace, the three would then find their way to Parque del Retiro. “It’s minutes away, so great to go there for a walk,” Nieto said, “and even sometimes what we’ve done before is rent bikes there, for five euros or something, or skates and it’s a lot of fun to go around the park and bike around.” The next leg of the trip would include stopping to shop at a nearby market. The market stays year-round and is known to sell necklaces and earrings, “literally everyone wears them in Spain,” Nieto said. By that point, the subway seems to be the best way home, “I mean, we’re exhausted,” Nieto said, “and the subway in Madrid is so different than New York City, cleaner and easier.”

Nieto now only returns to Madrid around Christmastime and during the summer, occasionally visiting a third time during the year. The first thing she does is always the same, visiting her grandmother’s house.

“Every time we get there she prepares this meal, this welcome meal, and she puts

Nov. 24, 2015

features

7

Mike Posner Takes Quadstock

Maria Villamandos/Courtesy ham, of course, she makes croquetas, and she makes [a] potato omelet,” Nieto said.

Another thing she does upon returning to Madrid is taking the subway into Sol, the center of Madrid. “When you go during Christmas, right when you walk out of the subway, you get, or at least I do, this happy feeling, warm feeling, because everybody is in Christmas spirit, the lights are on, everyone is singing,” Nieto said. The plaza is always filled with people visiting the many stores in the area. Nieto’s favorite place there is La Mallorquina, and though it is tucked in a corner it is not an escape from the crowds. “You can’t even walk in, how many people there are inside,” Nieto said, “and my favorite pastry to get there is Napolitana, and they warm it up… since there’s a lot of people they usually have warm ones, and it has chocolate in the middle and sugar on top, just talking about it makes me, oh my gosh, it’s the best.”

Although Nieto looks forward to the time she’ll spend in Madrid, for now, her next step is finding an internship in the New York area. The immediate future is clear to Nieto: securing an internship in the field of civil engineering will help her have a better idea of the job she would like to have at graduation. While she is currently considering a structural focus, she is seeking a construction management internship for this coming summer. The more distant future is a lot less clear. “I don’t see myself being in Spain, I don’t see myself in New York, not in Rochester. I kind of stopped seeing myself, in a way, because when I grew up all I thought about was growing up in Madrid, starting a family in Madrid, working in Madrid, and it just took a turn,

completely. My family moved to the United States, and now, you know, who knows what can happen next year?” Nieto said.

“I definitely have changed. Maybe I haven’t noticed it so much, but coming here for college, through all my transitions I think that I’ve become someone that is more open-minded and outgoing,” Nieto said. “First, in England, I wouldn’t talk much. I was shy. My English wasn’t great and I didn’t want to talk to people because I felt self-conscious about my English… but little by little I figured out that I was making an effort… and if people don’t want to give me the time, in a way, then so be it, then I don’t have to talk to these people.”

This experience changed her attitude, “I’ve become someone that, I just go for it, and even if I make a mistake in the English language then hopefully I’ll have someone correct me and next time hopefully I won’t make a mistake,” Nieto said. “It’s making those mistakes that will help me, you know, be more fluent and become better at English.”

Aside from improved English, moving to the Untied States has changed Nieto in other ways. “Moving here, with the difference of the culture and all, has made me more open minded to all different things,” Nieto said. “Spain is a more traditional country in terms of many things, the culture, the religion, the little things. And sometimes what I’ve realized going back to see my friends is that sometimes I feel like they live in this bubble and I think coming to the United States has helped me see the bigger picture and see everything from outside,” Nieto said.

Taylor Brethauer & RikkiLynn Shields Staff Writers

Continued from page 1 “I was surprised how good he was and he really connected with the crowd which made me enjoy the show even more than expected,” student Victoria Cruz said.

Quadstock had an interactive environment that allowed Posner to connect with the crowd. People would cheer his name and in response he would play along, freestyling verses during his songs.

The singer saved his hit single “Cooler Than Me” for last but came back out for an encore as the students chanted for him to perform one last song.

“I remember jamming out to ‘Cooler Than Me’ when I was 13 and hearing it

now brought my friends and me back to those good ole days,” student Alex Constantine said.

Afterwards, Posner shared stories about his career as a musician and performer.

When asked about his musical influences, Posner responded, “It changes week to week just from listening to different music.

From all of my projects, you can tell it varies. It’s gone from Andre from Outkast and J Dilla to, on my new albums, Bob Dylan and Hank Williams Senior and Junior.”

Posner also mentioned that he has a new album in the works.

“I have a new album coming out which includes the ‘Truth EP’ which I just put out, plus a few more songs that are tentatively being released in March,” Posner said.

Posner wasn’t afraid to stray away from the seriousness of the interview, claiming that the most embarrassing song he was on his phone is “A Whole New World” from the “Aladdin” soundtrack.

Even though he’s been changing his style, Posner has noticed that many of his fans have stuck with him throughout the years.

“My new music is much different from what I started out doing. So to see people that like both of those things is very cool to me. Like when I played ‘I Took a Pill in Ibiza,’ I almost cried because everyone reacted so strongly. I feel really blessed that I keep making career 180’s, my music is finding an audience still,” Posner said.

He’s been enjoying touring and performing during his time as a musician, which was always his dream. He gives credit to his passion that has helped him get to where he is today.

“As a musician, I make music because I like making music. I would be doing it even if I was making zero dollars and no one was listening,” Posner said.

“When you finish a show, the crowd

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle tells you ‘thank you’ when you’re the singer but I almost always say thank you back and people think I’m trying to be nice... but I really mean it… I definitely feed off the crowd’s energy.”

Manhattan College proved to live up to his ideal crowd with their chants and singing along to his songs.

Posner thanks the students, saying, “the crowd was absurdly hype and also when we took it down for the serious songs were really respectful, too. I appreciate that.”

As a final statement, Mike Posner leaves this to the Manhattan College student body: “I recently gave a talk at Duke called ‘Music, Money and Meaning’ and I told the kids four things there: one, treat everyone like they could make a million dollars because they could. Two, don’t follow the herd. Three, sleep and eat well and drink once a week. And four, you belong.”

8

Features

Nov. 24, 2015

The Students Behind the Demonstration for Missouri Tara Marin Staff Writer

Recent issues at the University of Missouri have stemmed from the administration’s poor handling of a series of racist incidents at their college. As a result, protests broke out and college leaders resigned.

In the wake of these events, a group of students at Manhattan College were inspired to organize a vigil to increase awareness of racial injustice issues like these.

Senior Aleysha Taveras was not shocked when she heard about the news about University of Missouri, and compares it to Manhattan’s atmosphere.

“We are getting pretty diverse and I love that. There are changes to be made, but we are growing. I wasn’t shocked because out in places like Missouri, racial problems are still very tense. I was happy that athletes were asserting their power,” Taveras said.

Since Taveras and multiple other students were already in an email chain after organizing the racial justice teach-in last year, they discussed the idea of organizing something to promote awareness and inspire action.

“I felt like in light of recent events, no one can really say that they aren’t affected by this or that they don’t know someone affected by this, or that they haven’t witnessed it. It’s about incorporating that relevancy factor,” Taveras said.

The demonstration was an open forum, but the team of students and faculty organizing it had prepared readings in case people didn’t feel comfortable enough to go up and speak.

However, they ended up not even having to use half of what they prepared. The turnout left Taveras speechless.

“I was coming from student teaching and I saw this huge group of people on the quad, and I was like ‘they can’t be here for this, there’s no way,’” Taveras said.

“This was all last minute, it was our first time doing something like this, and I was just so shocked by the amount of people that came out and I was so happy that they participated,” Taveras said.

Taveras was also thrilled to see that the entire Residence Life Office and Richard Satterlee, vice president for student life, came out in support. Some professors even brought their entire classes.

These types of demonstrations have become very common at colleges across United States.

“We’re remembering that we have power. I don’t think we’re asserting our power enough on college campuses or realizing how much our voice matters,” Taveras said.

“It’s all about your attitude. You don’t have to be an activist, you don’t have to put yourself out on the frontlines to make a difference. It’s really about all the microaggressions and smaller things that have to do with attitude and educating ourselves,” Taveras said.

Ivan Bohorquez, senior international studies major, wasn’t necessarily shocked either when he heard about the events in Missouri, but was angered by what those students went through and knew that there needed to be an immediate reaction.

“As soon as you read the stories, you start to pick out some elements that are similar to this college, and you’re just like ‘ok, now I know that I’m just not imagining this.’ Other students feel the same

way,” Bohorquez said.

The week before the demonstration, Bohorquez was one of the student panelists at the racial justice teach-in where he spoke about his experiences on campus.

“We’ve had the racial teach-ins which are great, but I feel like this needs to be a constant, ongoing dialogue. I feel like what happened in Missouri was because of a lack of communication between students and administration,” Bohorquez said.

Over the weekend, Bohorquez was actually in California for a student government conference, but was still on board for spreading the word about the demonstration.

When he returned that Sunday, the team completed the banner, sent the flyers out and everything came together.

Bohorquez was also grateful that a lot of people came out to the vigil, but admits he wished there had been more.

“To me, not enough people are there unless the entire college is there. I’m just that type of person. For what it was, a lot of people came, and it’s all about baby steps,” Bohorquez said.

“At larger colleges you see students mass mobilizing, and since they belong to our generation I think we as a whole are becoming more conscious. On the microlevel at Manhattan College, there is somewhat of a culture of obedience. We need to foster more of a call to direct action,” Bohorquez said.

Meghan Dinegar, a senior English major, also thought it would be important to have MC students to show solidarity with University of Missouri students and other students around the nation suffering from racial injustices.

“We originally were interested in holding it because of the protests at Mizzou, which are right now heightened examples of racial injustice on campuses nationwide,” Dinegar said.

“We also thought it would be an effective way to continue the conversation about racism on our campus. I definitely think the event was successful,” Dinegar said.

In addition to the students, Dinegar, Bohorquez and Taveras also attributed the success of the event to the faculty who were involved: Adam Arenson and Paul Droubie from the history department, David Witzling from the English department, Conor Reidy and Lois Harr from Campus Ministry and Social Action and David Bollert from the Philosophy department.

“They gave advice, advertised to their classes, forwarded relevant reading material and brought students to the vigil,” Dinegar said.

It only took a few students to organize an effective event driven towards changing the way students at Manhattan College think about racial injustice. The hope of the organizers is that more students will be active on these matters.

“Manhattan College is becoming more aware, and with that more active, but we have a long road ahead of us,” Dinegar said.

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle

arts & entertainment

“All The Best Things”

9

“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 third installment.

John Evans Guest Writer

Previously: A girl. I knew he was hiding something. It was in the soul of his voice. He was far too nonchalant for smalltalk. But I let it go. People tend to tell you their own shit in their own time. Besides, my meal was on the table.

“You mind if I order something?”

Mark smugly said, probably gesturing to Cathy.

“Go for it,” I grunted, reaching for the napkins. “I got a little time. What’re you thinking?”

“Probably another f---ing burger,” he snorted, flipping through the menu. I could hear the thick pages hit the wooden counter. “Starving man. Was up studying last night for that Lit. test and and all I had time to eat today was cereal.”

“And I thought you weren’t the studious type,” I comically retorted, biting into another wing. “What’s the sudden push this time?”

“I was hoping you’d ask me that,” he

delightedly declared. “I’ve decided to get myself an apartment off campus.”

“And let me guess,” I groaned, grinding my teeth. “You have to ace this semester to get your parent’s money.”

“I know,” Mark whooped. “Isn’t that great?”

“Only if I can come with you, man,” I pointed out, still a little dubious about his plan.

“Totally,” he affirmed, pretending to be official. You could hear him sit up in his chair. “John, I will pay room and board for the first full year. After that, we split even with whoever else joins the team.”

“You can’t be serious,” I asked, my tone thick in incredulity. But there was hope there also.

“I am,” he laughed, slapping me on the back. “My dad sold a new big book, so we have the cash now.”

“You know what this means,” I said in a conspiratorial tone. This meant independence, breaking away form the cultural norm of living with your parents until you were financially stable. Maybe I could finally bring someone home without my ears

on high alert.

“Beer pong and classic rock all night!”

Mark confirmed grinning from ear to ear.

“Oh, I know.”

A surge of vibrant optimism lit my worn spirit like an electric current. I emptied my plate in mere seconds while my friend ordered a bacon cheeseburger and a coke to go. The ice rattled in his cup as he flew through his meal like it was nothing.

Sure enough, we both ended up with indigestion.

After we had shuffled out of the noisome pub, Mark and I strolled down to the park to wait for the next train. We bought tickets in a small shop where they sold coffee and yammered placidly to ourselves by the dim waters. Things were always fresh and cool down by the river, and I could picture the city light on the dark face of the Hudson. Autumn had come, and winter was fast approaching. The leaves had fallen from the trees, and everything smelt of dead grass and damp bark.

“Do you remember what it looks like?”

Mark asked, walking beneath the shade of the trees.

“All the time, man,” I admitted, recalling the river in my mind’s eye.

I used to come to this park as a child and remembered the way I’d throw rocks into the river. I remembered the way they broke the smooth surface of the crystalline water and made ripples before they sank. I could remember the bright flowers in the grove, and the clovers that clustered about the feet of the tall elm trees. All of that had changed. All of that was now black like a pool of ink. But I still remembered.

A low rumbling came from the tracks, and I felt the earth tremble in anticipation of the iron weal’s. The train thundered along the high places before sliding to a patient pace near the station. I heard the doors open, and the throng of passengers hobbling out into the waiting shadow. I pictured the yellow light against the inky blackness, and knew it was time to go. I turned to Mark, and with a wry smile, crossed the grey pavement to catch the last ride home to a city of dreams.

10

sports

This Week in Sports

Nov. 24, 2015

Jaclyn Marr Assistant Editor

Women’s Basketball Manhattan College opened its season with the annual “Battle of the Bronx” at home against Fordham University.

Manhattan led, 19-13, in the first quarter but were held to just 30 points for the rest of the game as Fordham posted a 60-49 victory.

Blake Underhill and Amani Tatum led the Manhattan with 31 minutes of play each.

Tatum notched a team-high 12 points. Underhill had seven points and three assists, while Shayna Ericksen posted eight points.

Kayla Grimme recorded a team-high eight rebounds and had three blocks.

Battling Bucknell on Saturday afternoon, Manhattan overcame a 12-point deficit in the first quarter to tie the game. The score remained tied until midway through the fourth when Bucknell went on a 6-0 run to take the lead after even play from both teams.

Crystal Ross led Manhattan with 16 points. Nyasha Irizarry notched eight points, while Underhill and Parahus had six points each. In addition, Underhill posted five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Grimme had two steals, two assists and pulled down a team-high seven boards.

The team is 1-2 so far.

Volleyball Fourth-seeded Manhattan posted a 2516, 25-22, 25-20 victory over fifth-seed Rider, moving on to the MAAC semifinals for the third consecutive year.

It was the Manhattan’s 20th victory of the season, which marked the third straight year and fourth time in head coach Mark Jones’ seven seasons that it reached this milestone and the first time in program history that the team recorded 20 wins in three straight seasons.

Manhattan played Fairfield, the MAAC regular season champions, in the semifinals on Saturday. The Stags posted a 25-20, 2510, 20-25, 15-10 victory over the Jaspers to end Manhattan’s hopes of the champi-

Freshman Thomas Capuano made key plays in his first home game at Manhattan.

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle onship.

Van Dyk and Janjusevic led the Jaspers with 18 kills apiece. Van Dyk added 25 digs and two aces in her final collegiate match. Gray ended her career as well with a double-double, posting 42 assists and 10 digs along with four blocks.

Janjusevic completed a double-double with 18 digs. Kostic had six blocks. Yamashiro and Alyssa Rehrer recorded 20 digs each. Manhattan led the Stags in digs 98-96. Manhattan as a team hit .145 in the match.

Men’s and Women’s Cross Country The annual ECAC/IC4A Championships at Van Cortlandt Park marked the end of the 2015 season for Manhattan. Tom Diliberto led the men’s team with a 14thplace showing and the men finished eighth in the team standings. The women’s team earned their first top 10 finish since 2007.

In the five-mile men’s race, Diliberto finished first for Manhattan for the third straight race, with a time of 26:10.4. Amir Khaghani had a 41st place finish with

26:55.3 to end his freshman season. Nick Matson took 48th place with 27:01.3. The team notched 216 points overall, earning eighth place.

In the 5000-meter, Lisa Fajardo led the women’s race with her time of 19:02.1, earning 21st place overall. Lorraine Brancale finished 39th with 19:22.3 and Keeley Hogan took 55th place with 19:39.9. The team notched 244 overall and took 10th place, the first time making the top 10 since their sixth place spot in 2007.

Manhattan begins its indoor campaign on Dec. 5.

Follow @mcquadsports Your New Home for Manhattan College Sports!

sports

11

Somebody Inspiring to Cheer With and For

Matt Healey alongside his fellow cheerleaders.

Tara Marin/The Quadrangle

Tara Marin Staff Writer

One of the newest additions to the Manhattan College cheerleading team is Matt Healey, a sophomore business major.

He said that he used to joke about joining the team because he had no experience at all but someone on the team persuaded him to try out. He was also enticed by the idea of being a part of the energy of cheering on the basketball teams.

“I ended up going to the tryouts,” he said, “and I had no idea how I was going to do it. It seemed like a great group of girls and I really wanted to do it because I had never been on a team before.”

Going into tryouts, he said he was apprehensive because of his aforementioned lack of experience. Tryouts proved to be challenging, but he wasn’t deterred.

“I said, ‘You know what? The way I can make this team is by impressing them with doing a ton of cartwheels in a row,’” he said. “So, I just did ten cartwheels in a row.”

When he found out he made the team he couldn’t believe it, but was excited to take on the season. His positions are base and stunter.

He said the season has gone well so far with learning the skill, techniques and

forming new friendships.

“It’s a lot of work but it’s a good kind of work,” he said. “I feel very productive doing it and everybody is super supportive. That’s one of the best things I have to say about it. I’ve had to be taught from the

managing his time wisely.

“It’s a lot of making sure that I have everything done on time,” he said, “because I don’t have a lot of free time to just push things off. Time management is really essential. If I’m behind on learning

“All it takes is one guy to come out and be really into it and show school spirit, and then other people will be inspired to join too.”

- Coach Eileen Antonison ground up, but the whole team is so helpful.”

He admits he isn’t one to turn on ESPN in his dorm and scream at the TV but when he’s cheering on the basketball team he gets really passionate about it, especially since the team sits right on the sidelines.

On top of all of this, he said he has made a great group of friends, a couple of which he hangs out with all the time.

The team practices twice a week, two hours per practice. Healy said he also takes time to practice on his own because he looks back at videos of himself to see where he can improve. Including schoolwork, this is a busy schedule. He said that being on the team has helped him with

something for cheer, I know I have to get it done, which means that I have to get all my schoolwork done because school comes first.”

Cheerleading has always been dominated by females, and there tends to be a stigma towards male cheerleaders. But Healey said he doesn’t sense that at Manhattan at all.

“When I’m at practice, I don’t feel different,” he said. “I’m held to the same standards, I’m still pushed to the limit, and I still push myself. I want to do different things.

I want to show people that I can do this. I am the only guy on the team and I want to impress people. Don’t get me wrong, every time I walk out onto the court and there’s

people standing there that I know, I’m like ‘Oh God, don’t mess up.’”

The support and praise that he said he receives also helps him with his progress and determination.

“People come up to me and say really positive things,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a big deal because of the reactions I’ve gotten. None of them have been negative.

It’s a natural instinct to assume people are thinking a certain way but even though it’s out of the norm, most people think it’s cool or they really don’t care.”

Brittany Ponti, a freshman cheerleader, said that he is a great asset to the team.

“Matt is one of my best friends,” she said, “and it’s so nice having him on the team because of how dedicated and encouraging he is.”

Healey’s coach, Eileen Antonison, cheered when she attended Manhattan herself. A male cheerleader joined the team one year that she was here, and because of it, more male students came out and joined the following year.

“All it takes is one guy to come out and be really into it and show school spirit, and then other people will be inspired to join too,” she said. “Having Matt on the team opens up a lot of the stunts and he’s so great to have because he’s open to anything I ask him to do. He has great ability and he’s a real pleasure.”

Sports

Injuries Play a Key Role in Manhattan's 0-2 Start

12

Shane Richards has played 78 of 80 minutes this season, as Manhattan’s depth has been thin due to injuries.

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle

Daniel Ynfante Assistant Editor

Last year, heading into the season the biggest question mark facing Manhattan College was how it would replace Michael Alvarado, George Beamon and Rhamel Brown.

It answered that question with team depth. Players like Emmy Andujar, Donovan Kates, Shane Richards and Ashton Pankey stepped up and each took on a bigger role.

This season, Andujar, Kates and Pankey are gone, but there is another wave of significant contributors in players such as Calvin Crawford, Ak Ojo, Samson Usilo and Zane Waterman, just to name a few. Only there’s a minor problem. They haven’t all arrived just yet.

Various injuries to several members of the team have trimmed Manhattan’s depth, which has been a major factor in its 0-2 start.

“It’s a tough time with this team,” Steve Masiello, Manhattan’s head coach, said about how the injuries have hurt the team.

“We could barely even practice because we don’t have bodies. You take away Jermaine Lawrence from the team. You take away Calvin Crawford from the team. You take away Samson Usilo from the team.

Now you’re down three bodies of guys that would probably be in your top seven. …

It makes it very difficult to see where this team is, but we’ll get there.”

For the first game of the season against St. Mary’s, Manhattan was without Crawford, Ojo, RaShawn Stores and Usilo, all key members of the rotation who sat out due to injury. That left it with just nine healthy players on the roster, of which only seven were scholarship athletes.

The lack of personnel was exploited

by St. Mary’s, who annihilated Manhattan, 89-63, in a game where Richards was forced to play 38 minutes, Rich Williams played 35 and Tyler Wilson played 39.

Then on Sunday, it received some good news, as Ojo and Stores were able to make their season debuts. But the injury bug came biting once again. Samson Akilo sat out with an undisclosed injury and perhaps the biggest scare, Stores, the fifth-year senior and team leader, re-aggravated a hamstring injury. Yet again, Manhattan finds itself without four players on the team.

It has taken a heavy toll on Manhattan, as Masiello has been forced to trim his rotation. He has been known for having a nine or 10-man rotation of players who are on the floor for two or three-minute stretches.

He trots out almost a conveyer belt of players who come in, provide a burst of energy on defense, go all out on the floor and then come out.

But the injuries on the squad has not allowed Manhattan’s signature team depth to be on display. Instead, Masiello has had to rely on his top players more than he is accustomed to.

On Saturday, Masiello perhaps leaned on Richards too much, as the senior played all 40 minutes. However, after the game,

Richards would not admit to fatigue playing a part in his poor 8-21 shooting on the night.

“I just missed some shots,” Richards said. “I’m not sure if fatigue played a part.

I really don’t know.”

But Masiello would not let Richards take the blame and interrupted him.

“I think it did,” Masiello said about fatigue affecting Richards. “That’s unfair to him. I didn’t set him up for success tonight.

You can’t play 40 minutes in this league.

He won’t say that. … I didn’t help Shane tonight and he helped me. I have to do a better job. I have to find a way to, even if it’s down to 36 [minutes], that makes a big deal.”

While Manhattan waits to get some players back from injury to help alleviate the load on the likes of Richards, Williams and Wilson, there is a player it knows it will not get back: Jermaine Lawrence.

Not because he has a season-ending injury, but because the junior forward is no longer on the team. Lawrence was supposed to sit out half the season because of a suspension for failing two drug tests, but on Nov. 16 decided to withdraw from the school instead of serving the suspension.

It is a huge blow for Manhattan, which counted on Lawrence to—for at least half the season—not only provide some depth in the frontcourt, but perhaps take his game to another level, just like Andujar, Pankey and Richards did with theirs last year.

Lawrence is no longer in the team picture and Masiello will have to adjust. A beneficiary of Lawrence’s departure might

be Ojo, who is back from injury, although not yet at 100 percent.

But one guy comes back and the other goes down. Now, there’s the injury to Akilo, whose timetable is uncertain, and then there are still question marks that surround Crawford and his hand injury. Added to that is the latest injury to Stores, which leaves Masiello contemplating what he should do with his team.

“Do you play your style and be undermanned or do you adjust to being undermanned?” Masiello said is the question he is facing as a result of the injuries on the team. “It’s two games in so I’m not ready to make that decision yet, but there might be a time where I say, ‘you know what, we can only play eight because of the injuries and health and the lack of personnel that we have.’ We’re not at that place yet. My thing is I’m trying to figure out this team for the big picture.”

In the small picture, Manhattan is 0-2.

But as was the case with last year’s team, which got off to a 2-7 start with some injuries also playing a part, the team just needs to get its players back and then it can start showcasing that depth it has been associated with for the last three years.

“I know how the book ends, just sometimes the first eight chapters are tough to read,” Masiello said. “I know how the book ends, I always have. … I don’t worry about going down this road. I’ll put my seatbelt on, drive my four-wheel vehicle and put a bunch of guys in the back seat with me and we’ll be fine.”