Issue 8, Spring 2016 - The Quadrangle

THE Volume 93, Issue 8

Q

UADRANGLE A Student Publication of Manhattan College Since 1924

March 22, 2016

www.mcquad.org

Trek and angel Venture: 4th Annual innovative idea contest winners

Daniel Hey of Angel Venture (left) and Meghan McKee of Trek (right) are the two contest winners.

Kyleigh Panetta/The Quadrangle

Kyleigh Panetta Asst. Editor

This year’s proposed ideas for the Innovative Idea Contest included non-profit organizations, clothing companies, applications for smart phones, a flexible portable speaker, a website to assist in college planning and first aid kits that are customizable depending on country.

This contest was started by Salwa Ammar, Ph.D. and dean of the School of Business, and Aileen Farrelly, assistant dean for the School of Business.

Ammar and Farrelly wanted to give MC students a place to propose business ideas and get professional feedback from a panel of judges.

On Mar. 8, four judges, comprised of alumni and business professionals, chose one winner for the social category and

one winner for the business category. This year’s social winner was the company Trek and the business winner was the smartphone application Angel Venture.

Trek was proposed by Meghan McKee, junior, with the goal of providing travelers with “reimagined first aid kits” that are specialized based on the country that will be visited.

McKee said that she thought of Trek after seeing an increase in solo millennial travelers who lacked medical care abroad.

She presented a sketch of a prototype for the first aid kit, estimates of investments and profits, explained challenges and tied her idea back to her passion for traveling.

Angel Venture was proposed by Daniel Hey, freshman, as an application for a smartphone that would assist companies in funding venture capital.

Hey said that he first had the idea for this app in the early Fall of 2015 but did

not actually put it in writing until about two weeks ago.

Hey said that the contest was a good way to practice a future scenario that he might encounter in the real world.

“I think the experience was good for what you might be doing in the future, especially if you’re pitching ideas or if you’ll be pitching to prospective inventors,” Hey said.

With the $200 prize, Hey hopes to start funding the coding for his application.

Nancy Kelly, owner of a wholesale jewelry business and MC alumnus, was one of the four judges and has judged this contest once before.

Kelly said that she was impressed by proposals the first time that she judged but was even more impressed this year.

“I wish they [MC] did this when I went here because I think it’s a wonderful training ground and great learning experience,” Kelly said.

“I hope that the students and participants

don’t look at it as criticism but really as support and advice because these are the kinds of questions that they’re going to be facing if they’re going to present these ideas out to the public.”

Carolyn Predmore, Ph.D. and marketing professor, was also another one of the judges for this year’s contest.

“This truly was the best year we’ve had so far,” Predmore said.

Predmore hopes that some of the students will present their ideas again next year because the young entrepreneurs will have been able to develop their ideas more fully.

“It was the fourth year and they [students] are much more advanced in their proposals than we have ever seen before. It was refreshing seeing the breadth of interests of the businesses,” Predmore said.

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The

Letter to

opinions & editorials

Quadrangle www.mcquad.org

Vol. 93 Issue 8 March 22, 2016

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

The Editor

March 22, 2016

Dear Seniors, Who’s ready for graduation?! Not us! It seems like there are still many fun times to be had, memories to make, all-nighters to pull in Club O’Malley, and J. Deli sandwiches to eat. It’s hard to believe that we’re less than 100 days away from receiving our diplomas when there is so much going on.

As the Senior Class Gift Committee, we spent a lot of time listening to all of you and what you wanted our legacy to be. Because our class is unique, we thought it was only appropriate to have a gift that’s as cool as we are. Soon enough the idea of updating the O’Malley Library Terrace furniture was born!

Everyone loves hanging out there on warm, sunny days, and it’s certainly one of the most Instagramable parts of our campus. We’ve all noticed that the furniture could use a serious facelift, and we’re now on a mission to restore it for current and future Jaspers. We’re going to be the first senior class to ever do such a project, and a plaque will be installed in honor of the Class of 2016’s gift!

Donate $20.16 (get it?), help the Library Terrace be as beautiful as can be, and receive admission to the 2nd Annual 50 Days Party! Enjoy music by DJ Roodz, specialty desserts, a senior class toast, giveaways, and tons of free raffles on Friday, April 1st from 6-8pm in the Kelly Commons! Prizes include: 2 VIP tickets to The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, an iPad mini 2, a Senior Week package, an mtvU swag bag, and gift certificates to our local faves like Jake’s, Gleeson’s, Bronx Alehouse, Tin Marin, and many more! If you make a gift and aren’t able to attend, don’t worry – you’re still eligible to win these prizes!

April 1st is quickly approaching so what are you waiting for? Support your class legacy with a gift of $20.16 or more by visiting www.manhattan.edu/seniorclassgift. Your name will be added to the 50 Days Party guest list and the Honor Roll of Donors. You don’t want to miss out on our first official senior event!

Cheers to our last semester and see you there!

Senior Class Gift Committee Gino Giglio Paige Hughes Tiffanie McIntosh Jo-Ann Mullooly Nicholas Scanga Gregory Zajac

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

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

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

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

Samuel Martin/The Quadrangle

News

Barcelona Bites Denied Cabaret License by Community Board Anthony Capote Editor

The public safety committee of Bronx Community Board 8 voted to deny an application by Barcelona Bites for a cabaret license on Mar. 3.

The special hearing was convened after a small controversy on Nov. 12, when Urbano Estevez, the bar’s owner, applied for a liquor license for his new restaurant, Yokomo. During that night’s meeting, committee member Bob Press mentioned that there was an existing cabaret license for Ibiza, the club that used to exist in the same location as Barcelona Bites.

Estevez, who also owned Ibiza, said that the cabaret license should carry over but Press insisted that the matter be further investigated. As a result, Estevez returned on Mar. 3 to renew the cabaret license under Barcelona Bites’ name.

Several residents of the buildings around Barcelona Bites, located at 220 W. 242nd St., as well as City Councilman Andrew Cohen and New State Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz were present to voice their concerns.

“It’s the same concern that I’ve had in other, similar, applications in the community,” Dinowitz said at the meeting. “Not because of who owns it, or the business itself, but be cause of the location, my concern is having [a cabaret] on a residential street.”

Dinowitz continued to state that if he wouldn’t want a cabaret, and all of the noise associated with it, on his own block, he wouldn’t want it on one of his constituent’s blocks either.

“I can’t imagine living there, when the potential for problems is so great,” he said.

“I think it’s a bad idea at that location—I don’ know what a good location is, but it’s

not on a block where people live.”

Cohen echoed the assemblyman’s remarks at the podium, saying that he felt it important to be on the record as opposed to the idea of allowing Barcelona Bites to have a cabaret license.

“I’m not going to belabor the point,” he said. “The noise concerns would really undermine the residential character of that block.”

According to the New York State Alcoholic Beverages Control (ABC) Law, a cabaret license specifically refers to businesses “upon whose premises musical entertainment, singing, dancing or other forms of entertainment is permitted.” Estevez said he rarely intends to have live music at Barcelona Bites, but that he wanted to have all the legal paperwork in order in case the situation ever arises.

“I’ve been in business here for 14-years, and in that time I can count the amount of times I’ve had a live band on my hand, it’s not profitable, I don’t do it,” he said. “But if I have a party party, and they rent the bottom floor, and they want to bring live music, I want to be able to offer that legally.”

Residents, however, said that the current noise situation is already too severe for them them to be comfortable adding the additional noise possibilities of a cabaret.

Nelson Torres, who lives in the building adjacent to Barcelona Bites, said that he can feel the vibrations of the music through the night.

“The building literally shakes all night and I have to be up early on the weekends,” Torres said to Estevez during the hearing.

“When [Estevez] opened Barcelona Bites we thought it was going to be a restaurant but now it’s like a club.”

Estevez assured residents that he has an open door policy and wants to both listen to and rectify any lingering noise issues. After the hearing, Torres, as well

as neighbor Alisha Mortise, said that they have tried complaining to to him directly but with little success.

“Manhattan clubs don’t even go through this,” Mortise said. “There’s building codes and regulations, how did this guy start as a bar and the you just turn it into a bar?”

During the hearing, committee member Mary Yamagata said that she cannot understand how the noise problems persist, with the amount of complaints from residents.

“Just turn the volume down, I don’t see how hard that is,” she said. “It perplexes me, we all have a radio and when it’s too loud you just turn the knob down.”

Yamagata’s remarks were echoed by the rest of the committee as six voted to deny the cabaret license. Two members abstained from voting, including Press.

The State Liquor Authority is technically obligated to heed the requests of community boards when making decisions about licensing, but Dart Westphal, an urban planner who lives in Kingsbridge, said that the SLA tends to listen more to boards than they did in the past. “[CB 8] does have more clout than most. It’s likely that this will serve as a warning for the place to behave better,” Westphal said in an emailed statement. “At some point misbehaving bars do get closed down and this is probably a first shot across the bow.”

Estevez said that he understands the issues that were raised by residents and wants to do more to alleviate noise problems caused by Barcelona Bites.

“We’ve heard the concerns of the community, I’m actually more than willing to try to meet their concerns,” he said after the meeting. “I’m going tot continue trying to relentlessly build communication between the community and my premises.”

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Also On Campus Jack Melanson Asst. Editor

FBI Information Session On Thurs. Mar. 24, from 4 to 6 p.m. in room 5B of Kelly Commons, FBI employees will speak of career and internship possibilities with students attending Manhattan College.

The employees plan to discuss what applicants need to be considered for a position with the FBI. STEM skills for Cyber, Analyst, and Agent occupations are among that list, as they are highly important for consideration.

Graduate Information Session On Wed. Mar. 23, a Graduate information session will be held in room 3B of Kelly Commons. This session will start at 11:50 a.m. and go until 1 p.m.

Many graduate degrees are offered at Manhattan College within most schools of study on campus, including Business, Education, Engineering and Science.

The information session will be a chance to ask questions regarding this process, as admissions representatives will be available for students needs.

2016 Graduation Countdown On Fri. Apr. 1, the countdown to graduation will begin at 6 p.m.

2016 graduates are welcome to join the celebration kick-off which will be held in rooms 5B and 5c of Kelly Commons.

Apr. 1 marks just 50 days before graduation.

First L.G.B.T.+ Group Allowed to March in St. Patrick’s Day Parade Anthony Capote Editor

For the first time since 1991, an L.G.B.T.+ group was allowed to march in this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.

The Lavender and Green Alliance, also known as Muintir Aerach na hÉireann in Gaelic, marched in the parade, along with 300 supporters and activists who have worked since 1994 for the right to participate. Among the attendees, former speaker of the New York City Council Christine Quinn, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Edith Windsor, the 88-year old woman who sued the federal government over the Defense of Marriage Act and won in the Supreme Court.

Brendan Fay, the group’s founder, is himself an Irish immigrant and said that his fight for an inclusive St. Patrick’s Day has spanned more than 20-years.

“As a movement we have made great strides, we have struggled for transformation for law, for marriage, for equal employment laws, for immigration law and now we can add this new dimension: cultural life,” he said in an interview before the parade. “When we started out, we didn’t think the road would be so long, or at times the struggle so hard but the companionship and friendships have sustained us and kept us going.”

The last time Fay was allowed to march in the New York City parade was on March 17, 1991, when a small group of gay and lesbians were allowed to march in the parade, but could not carry a banner. As a consolation, then Mayor David N. Dinkins agreed to march with them in a parade that was marked by the abuse that both Dinkins and the marchers faced.

“People remember the screams, the hate from the sidelines. I marched up that avenue for the first time in my life as openly gay Irishman,” Fay said. “As we walked

without our banner, it was, ironically, a liberating moment for me as well.”

Dinkins boycotted the parade for the rest of his term. Mayors Rudolph Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, however, ended the mayoral boycott of parade until de Blasio in 2014 said that he would not attend until he felt there was a greater sense of inclusivity of L.G.B.T.+ communities in the parade.

“The St. Patrick’s Day Parade is a New York City tradition, but for years, Irish L.G.B.T. New Yorkers could not show their pride,” de Blasio told The Associated Press on Mar. 2. “Finally, they can celebrate their heritage by marching in a parade that now represents progress and equality.”

Fay said he spent the next 25-years working with other activist organizations to find a way to celebrate both his Irish heritage and his sexuality. In 1994 he formed the Lavender and Green Alliance, and “This began years of protests and arrests and exclusion of L.G.B.T. groups from St.

Patrick’s Day parades,” he said. “People told me they wanted to learn to speak the language, and to learn more about the history, they wanted to learn Irish dancing as same sex couples and so we began Lavender and Green Alliance. Our work around the parade continued but we did a lot of cultural work as well, as far as reclaiming our own language and recovering our own place in our own Irish story and history.”

Fay said he could not be more pleased with the decision of the parade committee this year to allow Lavender and Green to march openly in this year’s parade.

“The breakthrough come with this year’s parade, [John L.] Lahey and the members of the board extended to us an invitation to march in this year’ St. Patrick’s Day parade,” he said. “Together we cross an historic threshold that we have worked for, sought and longed for, for a quarter of a century. Our moment has come.”

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news

March 22, 2016

Bronx District Attorney Visits Riverdale, Discusses Plans to Revitalize Position Anthony Capote Editor

The Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark attended the 50th Precinct Community Council meeting on Mar. 10, as part of an effort by her office to increase community involvement with the district attorney’s office.

Clark said she has spent the last two months since her inauguration on Jan. 20 visiting various community meetings in order to make her presence known to constituents.

“I’ve been going to every single precinct community council meeting, every community board meeting and everywhere somebody will have me,” she said at the meeting on Mar. 10.

Clark spoke about her time serving as criminal court judge and as assistant district attorney 16-years ago. She even referenced some of her experiences with the 50th Precinct in her time as an A.D.A., and spoke of her relationship with Detective Sean Carrington, a 50th Precinct detective who was shot and killed in 1998 during a drug bust.

“Back in my day Bronx Narcotics came out of this precinct, because I was assigned to the narcotics bureau for sometime,” she said. “I was just looking at a plaque of [Det. Carrington], and when we talk about

people who have lost their lives, he was a very special person.”

Clark, who stepped down as an appellate court judge last year and faced backlash for running unopposed in the election for district attorney, said that he wants to “beef up” her office’s community put reach progra “It’s important that the community knows that district attorney’s office is here for you,” she said. “Not just when you commit a crime, but before that, with the unit that is doing crime prevention.”

Clark also addressed the crippling backlog of cases that plagued the district attorney’s office under her predecessor, Robert T. Johnson. She said that the cause of the backlog is current method that her office uses to deal with cases.“There is a tremendous backlog in the court system,” Clark said. “The system we have now is called a horizontal prosecution system and what that is is if you’re the victim of a crime and the police arrest somebody, you go to the complaint office of file charges with the D.A., then one [A.D.A.] takes that complaint and writes it up and sends it to another department, who does the arraignment, then that case goes to a specific bureau.”

The system, Clark said, is not conducive to a fast-acting prosecution system.

Instead, she proposed to the city council a new plan, called a vertical system of prosecution, to help eliminate the changing of

hands between A.D.A.’s.

“What I decided to do was go to a vertical system where one [A.D.A.] takes the complaint, and will have the case from beginning to end,” Clark said. “Instead of [the case] going to a new [A.D.A.] and they have to adjourn for a couple of months because they need to acquaint themselves with the case.”

This new vertical system will cost more than the horizontal one, said Clark, but she is confident that it will help relieve the government backlog that often keeps cases stalled for years. For example, the 2011 murder of Ryan Ferrer, a 9-month old baby who was murdered in his home in Marble Hill, has yet to begin because the defendant, Martin Quirindongo, has yet to appear in court.

“I testified before the the City Council on Tuesday [Mar. 8], it’s going to cost a lot of money because I’m going to have to hire more assistants,” Clark said. “If they really want me to get through that backlog I’m going to need that money.”

Tom O’Connor, the community council’s sergeant at arms, asked Clark, in the case of Mr. Quirindongo, not to give the now 22-year old defendant a plea bargain but to “throw the book at him.” In response the D.A. nodded and said “OK, alright.”

Clark also spoke about some other programs that she plans to carry out during her term, including her plans for Rikers Island, which falls within the jurisdiction of the

Bronx district attorney.

“I think the problem with Rikers Island is that no one paid much attention to it and now it’s like a power plant that’s ready to blow,” she said. “I think the way to deal with Rikers Island is that I can’t investigate and prosecute Rikers Island from 161st Street.”

At her testimony before City Council on Mar. 8, Clark said that she petitioned for the money to build an office on the jail facility, as well as an on-site prosecution bureau. Clark said she is already in negotiations with the Department of Corrections to build a trailer on Rikers Island.

“We will be able to investigate those incidents in real time,” she said. “It’s for all crimes on Rikers Island, whether it’s an inmate on another inmate or an inmate on a corrections officer; whether it’s a visitor bringing contraband into the prison or it’s a corrections office or a Department of Corrections employee that commits a crime or abuses or assaults an inmate.”

Clark said that she wants to work closely with police and commanding officers to help investigate and prosecute crimes more efficiently. She said that she has even taken the time to acquaint herself with Captain Terence O’Toole of the 50th Precinct.

“We’re becoming fast friends here,” she said. “We’ve seen each other for the last couple of weeks so that’s definitely a good thing.”

Features

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Student Veterans Spend Spring Break Experiencing the Transformative Power of Meditation

This past spring break, veteran students had the opportunity to participate in a trip to the Bahamas that focused on the healing powers of yoga and meditation.

Michele Saracino/Courtesy

Tara Marin Asst. Editor

This past spring break, four student veterans were able to discovered the restorative powers of yoga and meditation on Paradise Island in The Bahamas.

Dr. Michele Saracino, Chair of the Religious Studies Department, was in charge of the trip this semester, as the trip was a part of her course, The Nature and Experience of Religion: Veterans’ Stress Reduction Program.

“The trip was amazing. Transformative. I accompanied four of my students who are veterans down to the Sivananda Ashram in the Bahamas, as part of the Veterans at Ease Program developed by Dr. Stephen Kaplan a few years back,” said Saracino.

Veterans At Ease is a charity committed to helping veterans deal with PostTraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other stress-related issues with the healing powers of yoga and meditation. PTSD affects about one in five veterans, and since traditional treatments are not always effective, these practices, as well as studying the science of stress reduction, are favorable alternatives.

“Students go through a rigorous and uplifting five day retreat program, which includes yoga, meditation, and participation in ashram activities. Our group was guided by an expert in yoga instruction, Robin Carnes, who has worked for over a decade with active and returning service members,” said Saracino.

Yoga and meditation are proven to have significant healing benefits for both the mind and body, as they enable people to find a safe, quiet space within themselves.

Ashram activities are derived from Indian culture and also promote mental and physical healing as well.

Dr. Stephen Kaplan, professor of the Religious Studies Department, has served

as a panelist and coordinator at Sivananda Ashram for several years and began this special section of Religious Studies that accommodates veterans.

After spearheading the program and teaching the course in the Bahamas, Kaplan is going back this time as an invited guest of the Ashram and has organized a symposium on neuroscience and spirituality. He is passionate about these practices, especially because they are valuable for everyone.

“We don’t ever ask whether anyone has PTSD or not. The assumption going into this is that all individuals, veterans or not, deal with stress in their lives. So this program, founded by Warriors at Ease, while it was created with veterans in mind, is really a stress reduction program. They work with people who have lost children, and they actually have just started working on helping women who have been sex slaves. They work with anyone who has faced trauma in their life,” Kaplan said.

Warriors at Ease is another organization that brings the healing power of yoga and meditation to military communities around the world by training and deploying certified professionals to settings where they can enhance the health and well-being of service members, veterans, families, and healthcare staff.

Rafael Gonzalez, a freshman finance and economics major, served in the United States Army and was stationed in Fort Drum, New York.

“When the Bahamas trip was mentioned to me the first thing I thought was, ‘wow Bahamas!’ Regardless, I assumed a religious trip would be filled with enforced religious practices and a continuous persuasion into a different culture. I happily admit my assumption was very wrong, while there we would meet up at eight am and conduct yoga and meditation practices. These practices were something really unique which made each of us think not only about the way we think but also the way we control

our bodies,” said Gonzalez.

“My favorite part was realizing how inflexible I am and how much more there is to breathing and the thought process. I am challenging myself to be able to complete each yoga pose, to a better perfection than what I was currently able to give. Amazingly, being at this retreat gave me a disconnection from technology, which I never imagined would be so effective; take away all technology and human interaction becomes very strong and fundamental.

The people on the island were also very warm and left lasting impressions on him.

“Each individual person you meet had a smile and a good morning to give you, followed by an amazing story as to what brings them there. The current meditation made me realize how much my thoughts had to do with my actions and with judgment. Understanding how the way I breathe either tenses or relaxes the body,” Gonzalez said.

In retrospect, Gonzales believes that he left the Bahamas as a better, more conscious person than when he arrived.

“Once we left the Island, I realized how much I had actually learned not only about myself but also about society. After everything I felt amazing, stress free and in way more control of myself; it has been a couple of days since I returned and sun salutations have become a part of my daily workout,” he said.

Gonzales also appreciates that he was able to not only learn more about himself, but that he was able to connect with other veterans as well.

“I recommend this to anyone else interested in understanding your own body, mind and how the external environment influences us every day. In four days I got to know three veterans from college on such a personal level, I can now call them friends. It’s incredible to think if that trip never happened all I would know about each of these individuals is their names, maybe not even that. One week goes away

so fast, its extraordinary how in such time I got to know so much about me and a group of other people,” he said.

Michael Pryor was one of these other student veterans on the trip, and he reflects on it with appreciation as well.

“The Ashram trip was amazing. We did yoga in the morning and then learned stress-relieving activities and meditated in the afternoon. All of the food was vegan, which at first I was unsure about, but every meal was delicious. The Ashram had three temples for meditation, chanting, and lectures, and then three platforms for yoga,” said Pryor.

Paradise Island is an especially remote area of the Bahamas, and this separation from the outside world was a stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of New York, but the perfect setting for the veterans to meditate, and everyone on the island was welcoming to them.

“There are no roads that lead to the ashram. One side is the beach and the other side is the bay, which has a ferry to the mainland. Everyone was very friendly. The hardest part of my day there was trying to understand how not to judge my judgments.

The trip was not focused on Hinduism but more on stress relief,” he said. “The scenery was beautiful, the people were beautiful, and the lessons were beautiful. I would definitely encourage someone else to attend the retreat.”

The other veterans were not available for comments, but Dr. Saracino also reflected on the trip similarly to how Pryor and Gonzalez did: “I learned so much from the program, and from being part of the Manhattan College Program there. The students were engaged, excited, and I feel truly grateful to have had the chance to accompany them in their journey. As chair of the religion department, it is my hope that we can continue to offer innovative and exciting opportunities to our students for their spiritual and personal growth.”

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Arts & Entertainment

March 22, 2016

The Quadrangle’s Guide to T-Pain

Arts & Entertainment

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MC Student Models for Photographer, is Featured in Harlem Gallery

Sean Sonnemann Editor

When The Quadrangle broke the news that T-Pain will be performing at this year’s spring concert, most students had one of the following reactions: 1. “Oh my God, T-Pain? That’s awesome!”

2. “T-Pain for SpringFest? That’s hilarious.”

3. “T-Pain! Wait, what does he sing again?”

These are all understandable reactions for an artist whose name you have seen around, but may not know much about. Fear not, The Quadrangle is here to provide you everything you need to be adequately prepared for when Mr. Pain AKA Faheem Rashad Najm (thank you Wikipedia) comes to campus on April 23.

First things first, you do know a T-Pain song, even if you cant remember it. At the very least you will recognize the circa-2007 opening synths and finger snaps of “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’)” featuring rapper Yung Joc. If you don’t, you just didn’t listen to music in middle school and probably weren’t going to the spring concert no matter who was selected to perform.

More than likely, you know a few other T-Pain songs as well. But here is where it gets tricky—T-Pain is a man who seemingly doesn’t like to perform alone.

His biggest hits either have one or two featured artists or are songs where he is making a guest appearance.

These include “Blame It” (Jamie Foxx), “Low” (Flo Rida), “Good Life” (Kanye West), “Bartender” (Akon), “Up Down” (B.o.B), “Kiss Kiss” (Chris Brown), “I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper)” (Mike Jones)— the list goes on. Unless Student Activities has the funding for more than quite a few guest artists (unlikely), it will be interesting to see how T-Pain performs these chart-toppers without his usual supporting cast of characters.

When most rappers perform a song without the help of a featured artist, they utilize an abridged version, stick to medleys, or may even have the audience help fill in the gaps. But this is when the featured artist is only supplying a guest verse that can easily be cut out. T-Pain, on the other hand, frequently serves as the chorus or even just the hook on his songs.

It might be more likely that T-Pain utilizes pre-recorded raps from the other artists in his songs or sticks to records where he is prominently featured. A savvy performer would also recognize that a college show crowd might not be full of die-hard fans able to recognize your deep tracks and therefore will throw in some covers of other popular songs to have a broader appeal. Regardless, according to Student Activities, he will be performing backed by a live band rather than canned instrumentals.

In addition to his numerous features, the other musical phenomenon commonly associated with T-Pain is his use of AutoTune, music software that corrects pitch and adjusts the sound of vocals. He used

it extensively in songs to add an almost robotic tone to his voice. Remember the “I Am T-Pain” app?

More important than a faddish app, TPain’s seeming dependence on Auto-Tune in popular music helped spur a more widespread use within recording and live performances.

Kanye West used the software extensively on his brooding album “808s & Heartbreaks” and even cited T-Pain as an inspiration. Many critics argue that this is the album that led to the rise of Drake, the Weeknd and other introspective hiphop/R&B artists populating today’s music scene, but that’s a longer story.

With T-Pain’s use of the software also came debate and discussion within the industry about the appropriateness of such a program. Some argued that the technology was used as a gimmick, helping to advance incompetent artists and produced overly polished songs.

Others claimed the device was used to obviously distort vocals for artistic effect, not to delude listeners. T-Pain himself has said in several interviews that he falls in the latter camp in regards to Auto-Tune, arguing that he used the technology to sound different, not to improve the quality of his singing.

Whether it was because of Auto-Tune or in spite of it, T-Pain frequently made it to the top of the charts in the late 2000s and can boast two Grammys to go with his commercial success.

For the sake of the upcoming Manhattan College concert, however, there is no denying the man can also actually sing.

His bare bones NPR Tiny Desk Concert, a noteworthy performance that demonstrates his real vocal ability, is certainly worth the listen—even if just to smile at stripper anthems sounding so lovely and melodious.

Brown poses with artist Fabiola Jean-Louis (left) and a photograph of Brown (right) that is featured in the exhibit.

Michela Desnai Brown/Courtesy

RikkiLynn Shields Asst. Editor

T-Pain/Courtesy

Manhattan College student Michelah Desnai Brown recently modeled for artist Fabiola Jean-Louis. Jean-Louis photographed portraits of Brown that are being featured in the exhibit “Rewriting History: Paper Gowns and Photographs.”

The Rewriting History series that JeanLouis shot is based on the concept of social change and slavery. Jean-Louis questions how much slavery has actually changed since the beginning of history, and how much worth black lives have in the 21st century. Each photograph not only brings to light these questions, but also creates a vision for the future. A vision, “of hope, strength, resilience, and beauty,” JeanLouis said. By using paper gowns in the photographs, Jean-Louis hoped to show that although the past cannot be changed, it is more than possible to change the present.

“The pieces on display at The Harlem School of the Arts are just a small version of what is going to become a huge collection, that will eventually be displayed in Atlanta,” Brown said. “The collection focuses on putting African American women in their rightful place. A lot of slaves that were brought here were royalty in their country, but when we see them in history, they are presented just as slaves. People with no identity, no history, no culture. Fabiola is taking famous paintings and put-

ting black women in the place of the white characters, hence the name “Rewriting History.”

Jean-Louis is a Haitian born fine artist and photographer based out of Brooklyn.

Jean-Louis has been involved in art since she was a young girl. As a child, she was forced to attend a Catholic middle school. However, as soon as she reached high school, she convinced her parents to allow her to attend the Fashion Industries High School, and subsequently, the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

While majoring in illustration in college, Jean-Louis discovered her passion, love and natural talent for photography.

Jean-Louis’ art is said to be a mixture of fantasy and realism. “I believe she calls her art ’afro-futurism,’” Brown said. “All of her pieces come from her amazing imagination.

She focuses on people of color because we are a group that are poorly represented in society. All of Fabiola’s photography is astounding and groundbreaking.”

Brown, on the other hand, has had some experience modeling before working with Jean-Louis. She didn’t, however, start modeling until later in her career.

“I started acting when I was 12 years old.

My first audition was for a Redskins commercial, and I ended up getting it,” Brown said. “I didn’t start modeling, however, until I was 14 years old. I was asked to model in a Pacsun runway show, and since then, I’ve been splitting my time between acting, modeling, singing and whatever else I can get my hands on.”

“When I moved to New York I wanted to test shoot for some photographers,” Brown

said. “I ended up emailing Fabiola and sending her some of my photos. She liked how I looked and added me to the ‘Rewriting History’ series, and we’ve been working together since.”

When Jean-Louis received the email from Brown, she knew right away that Brown was the perfect fit. “Well, Michelah is beautiful,” Jean-Louis said.

“She had the European features I was looking for to fit that particular role. I’m delighted to see that I was right. She did a great job!”

Brown acknowledged that it was very interesting modeling for Jean-Louis.

“We were talking for two years before we ended up shooting together, and I didn’t really know what to expect,” she said. “At first, we had talked about doing a single conceptual shoot. Then, one day she messaged me and said she had a new project that she wanted to include me in.

So I went to Brooklyn and met with her and the other models, and we carried out the project. The make-up that was done made me look like I was a painting.”

Brown, who is not a rookie to the modeling world, enjoyed her time modeling for Jean-Louis.

“Modeling for Fabiola was very cool.

I love playing a character and getting dressed up, and helping Fabiola have her vision come true was pretty cool,” Brown said. “She created a great atmosphere, which is really important when modeling for someone. There has to be a good atmosphere to create a good product.”

The photos are currently on display

at the Harlem School of the Arts Gallery.

“When I saw the pictures for the first time, it was during the opening night gala, which was a little overwhelming because there was an abundance of people,” Brown said.

“It seemed a little shocking for people to see the photos on the wall, and then to see the models in person. They seemed to get excited. I did an interview with Dynamic Virtual Private Network, and took about 200 different photos, all with different people. I enjoyed seeing people’s reaction to Fabiola’s work, and I really enjoyed seeing Fabiola’s vision come to life.”

“Being an artist in NYC has been great for my career. I meet a lot of people, and some folks who have great collaboration ideas,” Jean-Louis said. “I think the diversity of the city has translated into the diversity of my work. While I have a specific style in my work, I also have a very diverse portfolio. Aside from that though, being an artist is many times - not very glamorous… even if you live in a place like New York City. I work constantly, and live in my overalls or jeans when I’m not socializing.”

Although Fabiola has only been working in her field for two years, she is already beginning to make a mark with her art. Her art has been featured in AfroPunk, Blerds, ArtInsomniac, books, album covers and now in the portfolio of many models. Fabiola is currently working on her first solo photography and sculpture exhibition.

As an artist, Fabiola said that her biggest goal is to have her work hung in museums and galleries all around the world.

8

Arts & Entertainment

March 22, 2016

Local Delis Provide Jaspers with Wide Variety of Food Catherine Goodyear Staff Writer

Manhattan College has been bringing business to Riverdale since the 1920s. The concentrated student population brings a large demand for stores, restaurants and entertainment. Living a late night life style, college students often go to one of three different local delis located right here in the neighborhood.

If you are craving a burger with a side of curly fries at 3:00 a.m. and Burger King isn’t going to cut it, you head over to Jasper Deli, Best Deli or Sandwich King 2.

All three delis offer late night accommodations, takeout and delivery services. Along with that, they all accept the convenient Jasper Dining Dollars.

The delis get relatively even competition from each other because their menus and locations are so different. Jasper’s Deli receives slightly more business from college students over Riverdale residents compared to the rest of the delis.

According to Jay Aowas, a Jasper’s Deli employee, roughly 85 percent of customers are college students and Friday nights between 8:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. are their busiest hours. This is because their location is on the way back to campus from the local bars and fraternities.

“Jasper’s Deli has been around for eight years. I think the Jasper Dining Dollars are good for business because it allows the students to spend more money here,” Aowas said. “Our most popular item on the menu is the Tom Kelly, but I recommend the loaded fries.

Sandwich King 2 is also in a convenient location, right by the 1 train. Because of this, Layla Bian, a Sandwich King 2 employee, estimates about 50 percent of their customers are students and 50 percent are commuters going to and coming from work.

Students order food at Jasper Deli located on W. 238th Street.

Ally Hutzler/ The Quadrangle “Our first location is in Mount Vernon but this location came here about a year ago. We got the machine from Manhattan College and it allowed us to use Jasper Dollars here, which is great for business,” Bian said. “Even though we are open 24 hours, our busiest time is in the mornings or middle of the school day. Our dining area turns into a Hookah lounge between the hours of 8pm and 4am, students can come.”

Like Sandwich King 2, Best Deli is also open 24/7. Joseph Alammari believes

their busiest times are during the afternoon and about 70 percent of its customers are college students.

Sandwich King 2 and Jasper Deli get their food from distributers like Restaurant Depo, but Best Deli gets a good portion of their food from local markets, specifically Jetro Wholesale, along with other distributers.

“We’ve been around for roughly a year and a half. Adapting to Jasper cards was definitely convenient for students and drew more customers in, but the percentage taken

out is a lot larger than if a credit card is used,” Alammari said.

“The weekdays are busier than the weekends. The Stoner’s Delight is our most popular item. My favorite item is the Titanic, but the Halal Chicken over Rice is also doing great. I don’t think there is any competition at all because we all have different items in stock and menu choices.”

Every single student at Manhattan College has their own preferences to which deli they turn to when hungry, but it is nice to have all three great options.

recommended protein intake.) In fact, most Americans actually far surpass their daily protein needs. When done right, a plant-based diet can provide just enough protein for your body to both function and thrive.

Check out my five favorite plantbased protein sources:

salads, prepared as a side, or even ground into flour for baking. One cup, or 200 calories worth, add 8 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber and 3 grams of iron.

Check out wild rice, brown rice, farro, barley, and freekeh for other protein-packed whole grains.

3. Lentils Less than 10 percent of Americans take advantage of this delicious legume.

Considering it’s packed with plenty of nutrients and protein, Americans are missing out.

1 cup of 230 calories serves up: 18 grams of protein, 16 grams of fiber and plenty of potassium, zinc, phosphorus and B-vitamins A cheap alternative to meat-based proteins, mix lentils into soups, chilies or as a side dish.

4. Tofu Tofu is sometimes looked at as bland and undesirable, but this vegetarian favor-

ite can be versatile, tasty, and nutritious. ½ cup serves up 180 calories and is packed with: Over 75 percent of your daily calcium needs, 20 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fiber.

When concentrating on protein intake, think the firmer the better. When prepping yourself, marinade it for 10 minutes with any acidic-based marinade to pack it full of flavor!

5. Beans With 12+ grams of protein per cup cooked, they’re packed with so many benefits.

Both cheap and versatile, 1 cup provides: about 240 calories, about 10 grams of fiber, and plenty of calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, and vitamin A Available in the salad bar, pile onto soups, cooked whole grains, salads and even to top off healthy tacos!

A Dietician’s Guide to Meatless Mondays

Alexa McDonald Contributor

Meatless Mondays seem to be gaining followers and attention wherever I go these days. Most Americans eat at least one meatless meal a week. Now that New Year’s resolutions are in place, why not add the goal to eat more meatless to your list?

With positive impacts on the environment, animals and your health, I’m all about celebrating different sources of plant-based proteins.

Can diets comprised mostly or totally of plant-based protein provide enough protein for your body? The average diet should include anywhere from 1.0-1.5 gm protein/ kg body weight with 1.5-2.0 gm protein/ kg recommended for those looking to gain muscle or active in power sports.

(Hint: Divide your weight by 2.2 and multiply by 1.0 and 1.5 for your average

1. Chia Seeds A sure superfood, are packed with 5 grams of protein and 140 calories per 2 tablespoons or 1 ounce (one serving). One serving also packs 10 grams of fiber, over 20 percent of your needs for calcium, and all nine essential amino acids Mix with four times the amount of liquid (your choice of milk or 100 percent juice) and top with nuts, dried fruit, or coconut shavings for chia pudding.

2. Quinoa an ancient grain, can be mixed into

sports

9

Jaspers Talk: Fabian Peña John Jackson Contributor

Fabian Peña is a freshman, right-handed hitting catcher for the Manhattan College baseball team. He comes from Miami where he attended Calusa Prep.Through his first 16 games with Manhattan College, Peña has 18 hits with five as doubles and two as home runs. Peña is hitting at a clip of .279/.353/.459 and has driven in 11 runs while scoring eight runs.In his limited time playing Division I baseball, Peña has already been named MAAC Rookie of the Week twice, in consecutive weeks—March 1 and March 8.

He earned the first award after going 7-12 at the plate with two doubles, two RBIs, four runs, and two walks in his first three games. His second award came after he went 3-13 at the plate with a double, three RBIs, two runs scored, and his first home run of his college career. He shined defensively as well as he threw out three-of-four base runners.

The Quadrangle: Did you play baseball in high school and if so were you still a catcher?

Fabian Peña: Yea I played baseball all my four years of high school. I played as a catcher and the rest of the days I’d play first base.

TQ: Why did you choose Manhattan College?

FP: I just thought it was a great opportunity to play Division I baseball and I really like the basic programs of the school. The academics are pretty good too and the type of school it was I just thought it was a perfect fit for me.

TQ: How do you feel your season is going so far?

FP: I think it’s pretty good. We’re adjusting, we’re fixing the little mistakes we’re making, but it’s going in the right direction and we’re going to be fine in the long run.

TQ: You’ve won rookie of the week two weeks in a row. What can you attribute to this hot streak?

FP: I just think it’s the effort we put in and the preparation before the games come around and the way we perform and that I have been performing individually, and I think I’ve been doing a good job and I keep looking to get better at every single thing and keep doing what I do.

TQ: What has been the hardest part of adjusting to college baseball?

FP: It’s growing up and getting mature to play at the next level. At this level of course it’s knowing how to compete at the Division I level and how to make the adjustments to succeed.

Go Jaspers/ Courtesy TQ: What are the team goals for this season?

FP: It’s just like any other team. Just win the conference and get the ring and bring home another championship.

TQ: Do you have any personal goals that you have set for yourself this season?

FP: Definitely, just average-wise hit over .300 and be the best accurate catcher there is. Be at the top in every single stat that there is.

TQ: Do you have a favorite MLB player or one who you mold your game after?

FP: My favorite player is Derek Jeter. He’s not a catcher but I like his personality and the way he carries himself on and off the field so I think that’s a good example.

Spring Break Recap

Softball After having previously won five in a row, the Jaspers stumbled a bit on their road trip going 2-4. The team had four games cancelled due to the weather in California, and dropped its two contests at the Saint Mary’s Tournament by one run in each game. The offense woke up in the last game of the trip where the Jaspers scored 11 runs against Farleigh Dickinson. Manhattan is now 9-7.

Women’s Lacrosse The women’s lacrosse team played three thrilling contests, going 2-1 and evening its record at 4-4. The lone loss was an 8-7 defeat in overtime on the road against Mount St. Mary’s. The Jaspers were able to rebound winning their next two 9-8 and then 13-11.

Men’s Lacrosse The men’s lacrosse team picked up its first win of the season on March 12, but proceeded to lose its next two at home. The Jaspers drop to 1-8 on the year, and going back to last season, have dropped 22 of their last 24 games.

Baseball Manhattan’s struggles on the diamond continued, as the baseball team went 1-7 during the break. In the last three games, against Seton Hall, the Jaspers managed just two runs in three games, and were shut out twice. The Jaspers dropped to 3-13 this season.

Track and Field The men’s and women’s busy track and field schedule kicked off on March 11, where Blerim Pocesta competed in the weight throw event at the USATF Indoor Championships. Pocesta finished 14th at the event, but became just the first Manhattan athlete to participate at the U.S. Na-

Daniel Ynfante Editor

tionals since Jake Freeman competed in the same event in 2004.

The track and field teams began their outdoor seasons on March 17, competing at the USF Bulls Invitational and then on March 18 at the Baldy Castillo Invitational. At the USF Invitational, Nick Matson won the 3000 steeplechase with a time of 9:44:01, and Kathy Cadet qualified for the ECAC Championships by finishing fourth in the women’s 400 meter hurdles with a time of 1:02:81.

At the Baldy Castillo Invitational, the Jaspers enjoyed significant success as Pocesta qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary Round in the hammer throw, with a third-place throw of 63.09 meters. Two Jaspers qualified for the IC4A Championships, as Ire Bozovicar finished 13th in the discus, and Anthony Hall qualified in two different events, the 100 meters and 4x100 meter relay, where he was joined by Will Stallings, Hayden Clarke and Fabian Mueller.

Sports

10

Looking the Part:

March 22, 2016

Student-Athletes Weigh in on Body Image Charles Lippolis Staff Writer

In the eyes of young competitors and sports fans abroad, professional and collegiate athletes have become associated with the concept of a perfect body.

The idea of body image has attached itself to highest levels of sports, and has been supported through a stronger grasp of sports medicine. Now more than ever, professional and collegiate athletes are given the tools to shape their bodies for both physical performance and aesthetic appreciation.

Blerim Pocesta is in his fifth year of NCAA eligibility, and his fourth year as a thrower with the Manhattan College track and field team, but still finds himself looking for opportunities to maximize his potential in competition.

“As an athlete, I always want to strive to be better,” Pocesta says.

Pocesta had the honor of being featured on the men’s track and field office wall, and it only strengthened his motivation to get better. This drive to constantly improve is rooted in his own understanding of how far he has come in his years of collegiate training.

Claire Roediger, senior attack for the Manhattan College lacrosse team also understands the effect collegiate athletics has on her body. In her fourth year with the Jaspers, Roediger has become comfortable with her body through the training she has gone through.

At this point in her career, Roediger has learned to embrace the training that prepares her for her sport, rather than that of a non-athlete. Knowing her goal every day, Roediger can confidently shape her body on her own agenda, rather than feeling conflicted by the other, less intensive workouts she could be doing “I’m here for a reason,” Roediger says.

There was no doubt in her voice, as Roediger even alluded to other workouts that she would probably be doing if she wasn’t training a specific way. However, she has

Blerim Pocesta, thrower on Manhattan’s track and field team, is one of many athletes concerned on their body image.

Go Jaspers/ Courtesy also been able to develop confidence with age, and is comfortable being who she is, the way she is.

Nuwan Jayawickreme, Ph.D., in psychology and professor at Manhattan College, described the idea of body image as a relative comparison that never reaches total alignment.

This sentiment is intensified by the fact that Pocesta and Roediger are training ath-

letes. Athletes measure their worth by their performance, which often holds a direct relationship to the shape their body is in for their sport.

“We internalize norms as to how our body should look,” Jayawickreme says.

This is a pattern found in certain eating disorders such as anorexia, where the human brain cannot determine whether or not the body is overweight or too thin. For

training athletes, it is often hard for them to objectively judge their bodies, as their minds are skewed by the preset of what their output should look like.

However, Pocesta and Roediger have learned to centralize the goals instead of their physique, and so far, their production as teammates is more valuable to them than any praise or critique of their own body.

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Sports

11

SAAC Helps Student-Athletes Branch Out

SAAC members load up the truck for the Thanksgiving Food Drive last semester.

Casey Silvestri/ Courtesy

Anthony DePinho Contributor

Casey Silvestri is a senior midfielder on the women’s lacrosse team. The midfielder is an important position in the game of lacrosse, in the center of the action, but there is another position Casey holds that is just as vital to the Manhattan College athletic program: President of Manhattan’s chapter of the SAAC, or the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.

“The idea is that the Student Athletic Advisory Committee is supposed to bridge the gap between the athletes and the administration,” Silvestri says. “I have conversations with the athletic directors, and the coaches. There are concerns that student athletes have that they voice to us during our SAAC meetings, and we try to address those issues and take preventative measures.”

Dennis Eriksson is a junior jumper and hurdler for the men’s track and field team, and is his team’s representative in SAAC. Like Silvestri, he has a similar view of what SAAC does for the athletes on campus.

“It’s an organization that we work with to help us perform at our best,” Eriksson says. “Last month we did a survey about time efficiency, how much time we spent in the gym or on the track versus academically, and how we can combine them together to make the best out of it.”

Allie Yamashiro is a junior on the women’s volleyball team and the SAAC vice president at Manhattan. In addition to discussing the interests and concerns of the athletes, she says an important part of SAAC is how athletes can get involved in making an impact in the local community.

“SAAC is also about community service, making sure the athletes are involved

in the community,” Yamashiro says.

The concern for Yamashiro and the SAAC board is to get as many student athletes involved in serving the community as possible, which is why the SAAC executive board receives help from team representatives from each of Manhattan’s 17 Division I teams.

“As team representative, our task is to inform our teammates with what’s going on at school, with community service and things like that,” Eriksson says.

Manhattan’s chapter of SAAC has involved its athletes in a range of activities to make an impact that goes beyond the athletic field. Among these events include Wounded Warrior games, participation in the breast cancer walk in Central Park, Safe Halloween, Dr. Seuss Day, and a volleyball tournament fundraiser for the local Kingsbridge Heights Community Center.

events and other athletic events to keep the athletes informed.

“An event will come up on the app, you click on it to commit to it, then you validate your hours later on,” Eriksson says. “…Our task as representatives to the SAAC is to make sure our teammates sign up for this app, sign in and say, ‘Okay, I committed to this task.’ ” “The app has been a big help to our organization as a whole,” Silvestri says. “It’s definitely our most helpful asset.”

And in the spirit of collegiate athletics, there is some competition involved.

“We have two internal kinds of competitions, one is for the team that has validated the most service hours,” Eriksson says, conceding that the women’s lacrosse team, led by Silvestri, was superior in this category.

The Jaspers’ collective hard work has

“We enjoy doing service, but as athletes we are very competitive, so this is a great way for us to put both those things together,” Silvestri says.

A personal favorite of Yamashiro’s was the St. Baldrick’s fundraiser.

“That was a big one because basically all the athletes were there,” Yamashiro says of the event. “They did a thing where the athletes got money donated to them to shave their head, and a lot of them got involved in that.”

With all of these service events taking place—not to mention alongside their athletic schedule—the SAAC has relied on a great deal of organization for its success.

And as with many things these days, there’s an app for that.

According to Eriksson, the mobile app Helper Helper is downloaded by all Manhattan College athletes and is used as a forum to post information about service

not gone unnoticed. In the fall of 2015, Manhattan College placed second nationally in the number of validated service hours logged among all participating NCAA schools, second only to the George Washington University. This position also placed them well above any other school in the MAAC Conference.

“We enjoy doing service, but as athletes we are very competitive, so this is a great way for us to put both those things together,” Silvestri says.

The second competition among the teams went by the name of “Go Green,” where each team picked a game all athletes had to go to.

Many of the athletes see plenty of positives in this challenge.

“We think it’s really important for you to get interested in these other sports and realize that they are also student athletes going through the same rigorous training and routine as you, so you might as well get to know them and their sports,” Silvestri says. “We have gotten so much positive feedback about it.”

“It’s fun because you get to see sports that you may not normally go watch,” Yamashiro says.

Eriksson has experienced this support firsthand.

“For example, our MAAC [track and field] championship that was two weeks ago, we had a lot of students from other teams come in to watch us, which was great because we had a really good meet with a lot of strong performances,” Eriksson says.

While many within the organization acknowledge that 2015-2016 has been “a breakthrough year” for Manhattan College’s SAAC chapter, its leaders know that there are still improvements to be made.

“The issue now is not only to reach out to the athletes but to everyone on campus,” Eriksson says. “Our goal is to get more recognition for more teams here on campus.

Between this year and next year, we want to make SAAC bigger.”

With all the growth SAAC has undergone, its leaders plan to let the work they have done this past year provide them with motivation moving forward.

“You need to be able to have confidence in knowing that you can not only better the opportunities for yourself, but also that you can better the situation for people in your community,” Yamashiro says.

Follow SAAC on Twitter: @JasperSAAC Instagram: @MC_SAAC.

Sports

12

March 8, 2016

Softball Concludes Long Road Trip, Record Now 9-7

The Jaspers had an early-season five-game winning streak.

Kevin Furhmann/ The Quadrangle

Jaclyn Marr Senior Writer

As the Manhattan College softball team was practicing ahead of a six-game road trip in California from March 11 through March 13, it had one goal in mind: To win.

The team was in the midst of a fivegame winning streak to get some early-season motivation. The Jaspers won a doubleheader against Hartford at home on March 1 and had three-straight wins at the Hampton Invitational from March 4 through March 6.

The Jaspers wanted to keep the momentum going, with preparations for the Saint Mary’s Tournament in Moraga, Calif.

“It’s awesome,” catcher Elena Bowman said of the win streak before embarking on the road trip, “it’s a great start. We’re making improvements in every game. I think it’s important for us to continue to go out and not be satisfied with that. It matters where we are in the end. Right now we’re playing

some good softball so it’s exciting.”

Four of Manhattan’s six games in California were cancelled after rainstorms caused the field to be unplayable. Manhattan started and ended the tournament with rained-out games, but was able to play two games in between on Saturday. The Jaspers lost both, however, by one-run deficits. They fell to Towson and Saint Mary’s 1-0 and 2-1 respectively.

The Jaspers bounced back later in the week at the St. John’s Invitational in Queens going 2-2. The Jaspers opened the tournament with a 6-0 win over Howard, however, dropped the next two games, 2-1 against St. John’s and 8-6 versus Samford.

The Jaspers concluded the tournament with an 11-2 thrashing of Fairleigh Dickinson.

“We have to take it game by game,” first baseman Jenn Vazquez said of the long road trip. “From these past couple of games on the road we’ve made our mistakes and its different than playing at home. We’re trying to find our groove and I think we are definitely picking up on it. We’ve won five

on the road but it’s important to never be satisfied. Keep moving forward.”

Manhattan will return home and have four games within a span of about a week.

That will follow by the start of the Jaspers’ MAAC play on April 2 against Siena.

Vazquez and Bowman said that the team has been preparing and what they have learned on the road trip will help get them ready for tournament play.

“It dusts the rust off,” Bowman said.

“It shows us what we need to work on. It shows us our areas where we are weak.

When we come back to practice during the week, that’s what we focus on. It overall makes us stronger going into MAAC. A major aspect that the Jaspers are focusing on this season is defense. They want to have strong pitching and defense every game, both Vazquez and Manhattan’s assistant coach Cat Clifford said. The team knows that it can produce offensively but that defense is the most critical.

“It’s important for us to just go out every game and play our best” Vazquez said.

“We want to focus on things that maybe

we aren’t so good at and to become great at those. I think the most important thing for us right now is to go out and play our defense. Keep winning games.”

“We’ve had some issues with giving other teams opportunities,” Clifford said.

“Luckily our bats have been alive so we’ve been able to save ourselves. But we really need to make sure that we have good defense.”

So far this season, the Jaspers stand at 9-7. Freshman Lauren Pitney earned MAAC Rookie of the Week on March 8 after hitting a combined .412 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in five games the week prior, all Manhattan victories.

Stephanie Kristo, also a freshman, was named MAAC Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 23 after recording two wins during the season-opening invitational in Florida. She went 2-1 with 12 strikeouts over 14.1 innings pitched in three tournament appearances.

“We’ve had a good season so far and we want to keep that going,” Clifford said.

“Go in with a good mindset.”