THE Volume 94, Issue 7
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UADRANGLE A Student Publication of Manhattan College Since 1924
October 11, 2016
www.mcquad.org
James Nicole Dennis-Benn Back at Patterson Manhattan for MARS Reading Scholarship Recipients Announced Catherine Goodyear Staff Writer
See page 4
Former professor Nicole Dennis-Benn was the second speaker for the annual Major Author Reading Series. MARS Facebook/Courtesy
Clowns on Campus: No Laughing Matter Haley Burnside Staff Writer
This summer a scary new trend started sweeping the nation, and finally the creepy clowns have come to Riverdale. On Oct. 3, Manhattan College public safety officers were alerted of a “creepy clown” sighting near West 238th Street and Greystone Avenue. David Erosa, the assistant director of public safety, says that a commuter student called to report the unarmed clown. Shortly after, Public Safety sent an email to students. While the email warned students to be vigilant of these thrill-seekers, it emphasized that the threat of danger is no cause for panic. Juan Cerezo, the director of public safety, stated that the college has a protocol to follow in the event that a clown is spotted on campus. Cerezo explained that even without weapons or direct verbal threats, these creepy clowns are breaking the law. “The [New York State] Penal has laws against individuals disguising themselves thereby concealing their faces,” Cerezo said. For the most part the police are not concerned. Officer Lumsden from the 50th Precinct does not feel the clowns are a threat.
“We’ll just treat them like people in costumes,” said Lumsden. “For me it’s like that’s New York. You see weird [stuff] like that every day.” For several months, people throughout the United States have recently dressed up as “creepy clowns” and lurked in areas such as cemeteries, parking lots, and wooded areas. In August, two people dressed as clowns were spotted alongside a stretch of woods in North Carolina. Upon investigation police found that the clowns were attempting to lure children into the woods. The story of “creepy clowns” spread in the news and inspired imitators to dress up and walk around public places. Some of these clowns carry weapons to further the effect of the scare tactic. Others play the role of pranksters, aiming to cause panic without posing any threat of real harm. The creepy clowns have been especially common on college campuses during the past two weeks. Pennsylvania State, Belmont, Kent State, University of Iowa, and York College have all had recent clownrelated incidents. The Penn State clown caused hysteria on its campus. The alert of the sighting was sent out to Penn State students. Despite no reports of students actually seeing the clown, riot of 500 undergraduates stomped around campus shouting obscene counterthreats toward the unseen clown. The riot
made national headlines overnight. Several other colleges across the nation have responded to clown sightings by going on lockdown or staging “clown hunts.” The excitement surrounding these riots and hunts may be motivating others to dress up and walk around public as clowns. In the past month the term “creepy clown” has steadily trended on social media. Clown sighting twitter accounts show several videos, staged and unstaged, of clowns chasing people. The hype is making the clowns seem like a much bigger threat than they are. For the most part the campus clowns are unarmed. Of those that do carry weapons, none have actually used them. While some students enjoy the idea of clown hunts and the excitement of riots, most locals share similar attitudes with Lumsden toward the clown epidemic. “We’re New Yorkers,” says freshman Katharine Scheid. “Creepy clowns aren’t a big deal to us.” New Yorkers may feel immune to creepy clowns, but Public Safety stresses that these pranksters are to be reported and properly addressed. Also students are discouraged from dressing up as clowns for Halloween. Until this trend ends, people should avoid wearing anything that resembles clown attire on a college campus.
For the fifth year applications for the James Patterson Scholarship have opened for select junior and senior students. “The James Patterson Scholarship recognizes and rewards the academic achievement and leadership potential of Manhattan College students,” according to Manhattan College’s website. “Especially those who are interested in a career in education. The scholarship is based on merit, need and involvement in activities related to the College’s mission.” “These students show exceptional potential for their future in educating others and making a difference in their communities,” said Christopher Hoey, one of the scholarship recipients. “I earned the scholarship through the application process. A little over 100 sophomores applied at the same time that I did, but they base everything off of your written application. Once you receive the scholarship, however, you must expand upon your mini essay and refine it so that James Patterson himself could read it,” Hoey said. Students who are eligible for the scholarship received an email from President O’Donnell’s office at the end of their sophomore or junior year with an application attached. $5,000 was awarded to each of the 20 recipients. Seniors are also eligible to apply to receive one of four additional $2,500 awards based on essay submissions. “This scholarship is so much more than money to help me pay for my education, it solidifies to me that I am being rewarded for my hard work academically, and of my potential for great things in my future,” said Lorraine Bishop, another recipient. “As a student that not only persistently works hard academically, I also constantly try to improve my own community’s quality of life by doing volunteer work. A significant part of my character is devoted to caring for other people and contributing to their wellbeing which is part of the prerequisite for this scholarship.” Scholarship recipients come from all different types of backgrounds and their majors do not play a roll in their selection. The scholarship encourages students to use what they have learned from their major and apply it to communities. It is a motivational tool for today’s youth to reward them for giving back to the world. “I believe the qualities and experiences that helped secure my selection was all of the volunteer work I have done since high school,” said Mia Bertoli. According to Patterson’s website, each year, The Patterson Family Foundation awards scholarships to students at 22 different colleges and universities around the country. His foundation also funds James Patterson Teacher Education Scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students that are studying education and are committed to teaching careers. Continued on page 3