Issue 12, Spring 2015 - The Quadrangle

THE Volume 91, Issue 12

Q

UADRANGLE A Student Publication of Manhattan College Since 1924

April 21, 2015

www.mcquad.org

MC Players Present “Company” See Pages 6-7 Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle

After Outside Media Coverage, A Closer Look at the Impacts of MC Nightlife Michelle DePinho & Sean Sonnemann Editor & Editor-in-Chief

Recent negative media attention about the off-campus behavior of Manhattan College students has been centered on complaints from Riverdale residents.

One report from CBS News portrays the situation as “college students gone wild” with “night after night of out-ofcontrol partying” lowering the surrounding neighborhood’s quality of life.

Conflicts between students and the communities surrounding colleges are common occurrences in college towns acrosss America. However, the situation is more complex in an densely-populated, urban area complete with several bars.

“The large majority of our students are decent and respectful, but I think we have an issue we have to deal with,” Dean of Students Michael Carey said. “We can’t be in denial about it.”

The issue of noise and ensuing complaints to the college has not just been limited to the recent on-campus discussions

brought on by the CBS News piece and additional local media coverage.

Rather, Carey’s office and the college have been working with community members, students and police since the fall to address the situation.

“We’ve actually been doing a lot of work that maybe wasn’t portrayed in that CBS news piece,” Carey said.

This includes facilitating regular meetings with the 50th Precinct and installing additional security cameras near the Overlook Manor residence hall.

These cameras, as well as private foot-

age provided by area residents, have been used recently to handle individual cases of student misconduct, at times resulting in punishment.

In some instances, the office has not been able to identify individuals from the footage specifically as Manhattan College students, leading them to question if it is only Jaspers responsible for the disruptive behavior.

“It’s not all just Manhattan college students. I don’t want to bash our students,”

received somewhat mixed reviews.

“I was disappointed in last year’s SpringFest because no one really went to the concert,” student Danielle Kleinhans said. “I was expecting something like Alesso.”

This year, the spring concert will change again. “It will include the barbecue and the carnival,” John Bennett, director of student activities, said. “We are really happy to have been able to add that, and that is a reflection of student behavior at some larger events this year, such as the Iona game.”

The Quadrangle announced earlier this semester that The All American Rejects would be headlining the main show. The opening act will be indie rock band Circa Waves.

The spring concert schedule will take up most of the day, according to Bennett.

“The spring concert day, the entire

schedule is really going to last from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,” he said.

The carnival and barbecue will be taking place throughout the day, with the doors opening to Draddy at 1:30 p.m. and The All American Rejects taking the stage at 3 p.m.

The day will be filled with other opportunities for students to have some fun on campus.

“We are having a special guest, Dave Santia, a speed painter,” he said.

Santia is an artist who will be painting on the steps of Smith on the quad during the carnival portion of the spring concert day calendar.

“Everything is free for Manhattan College students,” Bennett said. “There’s no signing up for anything, no tickets required, just make sure you have your student IDs.” The student activities office will also

be selling guest tickets this week, for those students interested in bringing a person who does not attend MC. Student expectations for this year are higher after last year’s Jasper Days did not impress. “I hope it’s like other college’s concerts,” Connor Clarke said. “I hope that everyone has a good time, and that no one gets hurt and everyone is safe,” he said.

Bennett and Student Activities are trying to fill the day with exciting events on campus to encourage students to make the most of what is offered on the school.

“One thing we are trying to focus on this year is making sure students are staying on campus and enjoying everything,” Bennett said.

“The feel this year will be ‘you will be missing out if you’re not on campus and you’re out in the neighborhood.’ Where as in years past, students may have felt otherwise,” Bennett said.

Continued on page 3

Spring Concert Revamped

Kelly Burns & Kieran Rock Editors

As the spring semester comes to a close and Manhattan College students look forward to the end of classes, one major events stands between Jaspers and the end of the year: the spring concert on April 25.

Though the annual spring concert may no longer bear the name of SpringFest (and later Jasper Days) now promises to return to its fun-filled atmosphere this year.

After the events of SpringFest 2013, during which multiple students were brought to the hospital and Manhattan College received various complaints from Riverdale residents, the spring concert was toned down for last year’s Jasper Days.

Student Activities and school administration removed the carnival and barbecue portions of the schedule and booked an all -country line up for the concert. The day

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The

Opinions & editorials

Quadrangle

Letters to

www.mcquad.org

Vol. 91 Issue 12 April 21, 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

April 17, 2015

The Editor

April 21, 2015

To the Editor, At the recent event sponsored by the LGBTQ support group at Manhattan College, a prevailing theme emerged. The accepted notion by the students is that this group represents a movement that has never been addressed or hosted on the campus of Manhattan College. This notion is erroneous.

In the early 1990’s a group of faculty sponsored the creation of an LGBTQ support group at the College. The group was named “Standing Together.” The group’s existence was not only supported by then-President Brother Thomas Scanlan, FSC, but encouraged by him. The office of the then-Vice President of Student Life, Dr. Joseph Lee helped to found and publicize the group.

Eventually, the group became a recognized club, with officers and a budget from Lauren Carr Student Government, and a Constitution. Given the growth of interest and accepArts & Entertainment Editor tance of LGBTQ students, and LGBTQ persons in general, the group had its “ups and downs” in regard to student involvement. The new LGBTQ group decided to Lindsey Burns eschew the already-existing club and Constitution.

Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor Jonathan Reyes Sports Editor Jaclyn Marr Asst. Sports Editor Daniel Ynfante Asst. Sports Editor Sean McIntyre Social Media Editor Victoria Hernández Kristie Killen Asst. Social Media Editors Kevin Fuhrmann Photography Editor Vanessa Sanchez Asst. Photography Editor Kelly Burns Luke Hartman Natalie Heinitz Production Editors 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.

While I wish the new club well, it really does an injustice to the history of Manhattan College to take the point of view that the College had never supported the rights of LGBTQ students until now.

Sincerely,

Thomas S. Ferguson

Director of Peace Studies Founding Faculty Advisor of Standing Together April 16, 2015 Letter to the Editor: I write to commend the editorial staff of The Quadrangle for last week’s notes from the editor in chief, Sean Sonnemann. Mr. Sonnemann points to the recent publicity on the CBS News and in the Riverdale Press that brings attention to the poor conduct of students in our local neighborhoods. This behavior not only reflects poorly on the College but, as he points out, is a serious lapse in “common decency and respect.” I applaud your editor in chief for taking such a stance and hope that more students and student leaders will do the same.

As the school year comes to a close, I think it is important that as a community we work together to prevent further incidents. One opportunity to improve in the standards of “common decency and respect” to which Mr. Sonnemann refers will be this weekend as students come together to enjoy the spring concert sponsored by Student Activities and the SGA. Indeed, many in these organizations have worked hard to plan a campus-wide barbeque and carnival, and to bring a performing artist that was of the students’ own choosing to campus. The event can be a great way to culminate the academic year and to come together as a community. Unfortunately, in recent years this event has often been marred by excessive use and abuse of alcohol and precisely the kind of noise and disorderly conduct at off-campus residences that was depicted as “typical” in these recent accounts in the media. While the Dean of Students, the Office of Public Safety and the 50th Precinct of the NYPD will be taking further steps to prevent such behavior, I think it is time that students themselves stand up and say that such conduct is just not the way to celebrate a successful academic year.

Have a safe, fun and enjoyable spring concert.

Sincerely,

Richard T. Satterlee

Vice President for Student Life

news

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After Outside Media Coverage, A Closer Look at the Impacts of MC Nightlife Michelle DePinho & Sean Sonnemann Editor & Editor-in-Chief

Continued from page 1 Carey said.

“But, the reality is that it does die down after commencement. It’s not as loud over the summer so we have to accept some responsibility for it.”

This reduction in noise when class is not in session can be attributed to the decline in students attending local bars both on Broadway and near Overlook Manor.

However, area bar owners claim that during the school year, they do everything they can to keep the behavior of student patrons in check.

This includes enforcing ID policies, not overserving customers and monitoring for rowdy conduct—at least inside their establishments.

“If Manhattan College students are rowdy outside of what happens at River City, I can’t control them,” bartender Timothy Albert said.

“If they’re not rowdy in here, that’s what we can control. We never overserve kids.”

Brona Harmen, owner of An Beal Bocht Café, echoes his sentiments even though her bar usually serves a more diverse clientele than just college students.

“We card everyone. There’s absolutely no shenanigans,” Harmen said. “One inch of shenanigans and I am kicking their asses out the door. It’s as simple as that.”

Still, she recognizes the source of some of the residents’ complaints.

“At the same time, I know that people living above us complain about them [student patrons] making noise, like when we close,” she said.

Despite the owners’ efforts, the fact remains that underage drinking both on and

off-campus is still prevalent.

“We can probably safely say that we know there are students who are not 21 who are getting access to alcohol, whether it’s the through the delis or other local establishments,” Carey said.

“They said they don’t do that, of course, which I guess is the right answer for them.”

For now, it is the college that is primarily handling complaints when raucous behavior and unruliness results from some students binge-drinking. Police are aware of and helping to bring about a solution to the issue, but only plan on intervening with enforcement stricter than their routine patrols if necessary.

“As per our captain, we are trying let kids go to school and do what they have to,” Steven Cordero, community affairs officer for the 50th Precinct, said.

“We have open channels of communication with the college and the community. Our goal now is to figure out the next step.”

The next step in handling the situation on the college’s end may include broader policy changes that deal with the lack of supervision for those students living offcampus.

Immediately, Carey and his office plan on obtaining a list of housing addresses for students living nearby the school. Carey said having this information on hand is important in the case of an emergency and to routinely ensure student safety.

The location and number of students living off-campus fluctuates each year, even though it may seem like a growing trend that brings students in closer contact with Riverdale residents. Still, on-campus housing has recently reached record-levels with residence halls near full capacity.

Carey and other administrators are weighing the possibility of a housing requirement for underclassmen who are not commuters in the strictest sense of the

word—those traveling long distances from their family home.

“We’re looking at the possibility of a housing requirement at Manhattan, which has not existed here in the past, but is a very common practice in higher education,” Carey said.

If approved, any potential requirement would not be implemented until Fall 2016 and would most likely only affect freshmen and sophomore students.

The idea behind such a policy would be to limit younger students from moving offcampus early on in their college careers.

According to Carey, this would both reduce the potential impact on locals, as well as help foster a greater sense of community within the college.

Sean Wheat, a sophomore accounting major who currently lives off-campus, feels Riverdale residents’ complaints are being blown out of proportion by the media.

“I think they are definitely exaggerating

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle a bit. It’s really just one building complaining about one road, it’s not really a campus or area-wide thing,” Wheat said.

“Yeah, we [students] can be a bit ridiculous sometimes, but everyone should just calm down—on both sides.”

This coming weekend’s spring concert and related festivities is routinely an event that has led to conflict between students and area residents as celebrations spill over into the blocks surrounding the college.

School administration will once again be increasing security throughout the day in hopes of stemming any potential problems.

Carey insists that these immediate efforts, like the potential larger policy changes, are all made with student safety in mind.

“We’re not looking to target students, we’re not looking to get students in trouble.

We’re looking for students to be safe and abide by the law and common decency.”

Additional reporting by James O’Connor

Sam Martin/The Quadrangle

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news

April 21, 2015

Saying Goodbye To Golf Pencils Course Evaluations Moving Online

Luke Hartman & Lauren Carr Editors

For decades, deep in the basement of Leo, unlucky student workers fed thousands of course evaluations through a scantron reader twice a year. However, thanks to a new online course evaluations system approved by the Educational Affairs Committee, this process can finally come to an end.

This new initiative was tested last spring on select classes and was met with both positive results but also legitimate concerns from administration and faculty.

According to David Mahan, executive director of institutional research and assessment, some of the points raised were data security, having students learn a new process and the possibilities of a lesser response rate.

The reasons for the switch to an online format were that “in the academic year 2013 to 2014, a faculty member voiced con-

cerns regarding the accuracy and quality of the student feedback collected through the course evaluation process,” Mahan said.

Other than the inefficiency in the old evaluation system, Mahan noted that the information yielded from the paper surveys was limited.

“Because the output is a printed paper report, use of the information was limited to one or two purposes: evaluating the teaching in a specific section and performance of an individual faculty member,” Mahan said. Along with this was is the waste of paper, which doesn’t fall in line with Manhattan College’s urge to be more sustainable. Lastly, the delay in actually getting and implementing the results was becoming too lengthy with the paper reports.

However, the new online system is not met without apprehension.

“The biggest student concern was being asked to do evaluations on their own time shortly before finals weekend,” Mahan said. “Response rates are typically lower when collected electronically, however the quality and quantity of the students’ written

responses is improved. When administering during class time, students often want to finish as quickly as possible, because it is typically administered at the end of the class period. When students receive an electronic request to participate, they complete it when they have enough time to provide thoughtful remarks.”

Manhattan College is not the first institution to use an online course evaluation system, and these results were taken into account when the decision was being made. “Research at other institutions has shown an improved volume and quality of written remarks. Most faculty member consider the written remarks even more important than the Likert style evaluation questions,” Mahan said.

One of the biggest benefits of this new system is flexibility. Not only will it give students more of an opportunity to respond at any time it also gives “better individual flexibility for each faculty member,” Mahan said. He envisions faculty adding formative questions to the evaluation to their own gauge improvement or adding custom

questions that are tailored more specifically to their disciplines.

“I am actually really excited to see how this process goes,” junior Kevin Hill said.

“I have seen this plan come to fruition over the last year as I am on the Educational Affairs Committee myself, and am interested to see what it does for the course evaluation process.”

According to Mahan, faculty can analyze trends and responses and get much more out of the evaluations than ever before. The surveys themselves will be administered just like the trial run from the fall semester.

“An email will be sent to all students from the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, or a link embedded in Moodle, all of which is much easier. Faculty need only to remind the students to participate during class periods,” Mahan said.

Below are results from surveys administered to students who participated in the trial run of the online course evaluations.

Overall, based on your experience in fall 2014, are you in favor of a complete transition to online course evaluation for Manhattan College?

Vanessa Sanchez/The Quadrangle With course evaluations moving online, computer labs in the library may become a popular spot for students filling out evaluations on their own time, as opposed to during class.

News

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College Awarded NSF Engineering Grant Natalie Sullivan Senior Staff Writer

The National Science Foundation recently awarded Manhattan College nearly $600,000 to fund the educations of future engineers.

The grant will award 12, $10,000 per year scholarships to students who meet the rigorous academic requirements as well as demonstrate financial need, according to Anirban De, an assistant professor of civil engineering and the principal investigator for the project.

“The grant will allow students who meet the academic requirements to get an engineering education here, which is something they may not have otherwise been able to do,” De said.

Attaining the grant has been in the works since 2013, when De and some of his other colleagues sought out the grant and did not receive it. However, they were given a good overall review with a list of suggestions for the department, according to Zahra Shahbazi, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and other principal investigator for the project.

“We went back and listened to the comments of the review board and made all the changes and answered all of their questions,” Shahbazi said. “We submitted the grant again last year in August 2014. The reviews came back and they were happy, and we were basically able to convince them that we are offering high quality education, and because of the high price some students can’t afford it, so with

the grant we can send more students to MC.”

Some of the suggestions the board had for the engineering program in 2013 included a living learning program or other program where students could be connected with each other. Additionally, they suggested changing the grant from including all engineers to just mechanical and civil engineers, according to Shahbazi.

“We’re planning for these scholarship students, if they live on campus, to live together either as suitemates or living close by, or if they’re commuters arranging their schedules so that they can travel together,” Shahbazi said. “They wanted to see the broader impact of the grant, that it not only affects 12 students who get the scholarship or will it affect more students.”

The department hopes to use the grant to diversify the program to include more women and underrepresented minorities, but is open to all high school students who meet the academic requirements and have the financial need, according to De.

Shahbazi thinks that this grant and the support groups that stem from it could help the whole school, and not just engineering students.

“We are going to monitor the new students, we want to look at the support programs and see which ones are most successful and then later out of these different support services see which are the best ones,” Shahbazi said. “Then we could offer them to all of our students, and people from any school an also benefit.”

Engineering students are excited for

the opportunity to bridge the gap that is sometimes felt between engineers and students from other schools and are excited to see the talent the grant may bring to the school.

“This is good incentive for any students who would like to pursue engineering but don’t have the means,” Soraya Batista, a senior civil engineering major, said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for a diverse and motivated group of engineering students.”

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle

The scholarship is set apart from others because of the rigorous academic standards needed to qualify, according to Shahbazi.

“You have to be a really good student to get this award,” Shahbazi said. “It comes with a lot of support services, so it’s not like you get $10,000 and you’re on your own. We want to make sure the students are successful in what they are doing, and we will help them.”

Interested in The Quadrangle?

Go to our website: www.mcquad.org

Follow us on Twitter @mcquad Like us on Facebook: The Quadrangle Follow us on Tumblr: ManhattanQuadrangle.tumblr.com Want to join in on the action?

Tuesdays. 4:30 PM. Room 412 in the Commons.

Be there.

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Arts & Entertainment

April 21, 2015

Arts & Entertainment

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MC Players’ “Company” Dazzles Natalie Sullivan Senior Staff Writer

The Players performed the multiple Tony-award winning musical “Company” last Friday and Saturday, in addition to a matinee showing on Sunday afternoon.

The performance, which was well attended by students, family and faculty, has been in the works since January of this year.

The Players not only perform in the show, but they also contribute to setting up the intricate lighting, designing the sets, and handling both marketing and public relations.

Christine Nolan, a junior advertising major played the role of Kathy in the show and also took over marketing and publicity for the performance. Her duties in addition to acting, singing and rehearsing included creating the show’s official poster and using social media to promote the performance.

“It was a lot of work, because for the first time I physically designed our poster instead of having a graphic designer do it,” Nolan said. “I wanted to take it on so that I could enter it into the Kennedy Center College Theater Program into their festival to be judged. The poster took a lot, we had a lot of drafts and I worked a lot with our director to make sure we got the ‘70s concept in there.”

Last weekend’s show was senior John Cor-

raro’s very last performance with the Players, who he has been performing with and has been the producer of since his freshman year.

“I was a little emotional tonight. It’s sad,” Corraro, a senior government major, said. “It was such a great group of people to perform with and we really connected and bonded as a cast. To know that this is the end is just really upsetting and sad but I’m excited to see what they all do in the future and how Players thrives and grows.”

Although Corraro plans to continue doing theater, he will be attending Fairfield University next year to get his MBA and hopes to work in finance.

Due to the heavy workload of being in Players, it can be a challenge for students in-

volved to balance their responsibilities.

Gabriella Herrera, a freshman mechanical engineer, says it’s definitely tough, but it’s worth it.

Herrera was recently elected onto the Players’ executive board in charge of public relations.

“The thing is you have to plan out your day almost hour by hour. You have to know when you need to do your homework and you have to know when you have to commit time to rehearsal,” Herrera said.

Although the Players did not have any insight as to what productions Jaspers can expect next year, the group anticipates great things for the coming semesters.

Photos by Kevin Fuhrmann

news

The Low Down on Dormitory Write-Ups

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Luke Hartman & Lauren Carr Editors

Throughout pop culture, the college experience is not seemingly not complete without wild parties, keg stands and general debauchery. While having fun in college is all part of the experience sometimes certain events can get out of hand. Students take the noise level too high or cross the line for what is appropriate in a dorm room setting.

Jasper, Chrysostom, Horan, Lee Hall and Overlook Manor have all had their share of drug and alcohol violations through the years, but how often do these violations occur?

“Pretty consistently there are violations that happen every weekend,” AJ Goodman, assistant director of residence life, said.

After a long week for the Jaspers, the weekends are times for them to unwind.

However, certain nights they are not relaxing rather but causing a lot of noise on the dorm floor, which is when consequences usually follow.

“It always starts with noise. We hear ten people on the room, we knock on the door and it usually goes from there,” Goodman said.

Once the resident assistants hear noise coming from a room they knock on the door and begin a write up of what happened when they were there. From there, the written reports go to the senior staff of Residence Life where it is determined who will deal with that matter.

Following this written report, all students connected to the event will be called for a hearing where the resident director of the building interviews all students and review the reports. After everyone is interviewed it is then that they decided who gets the appropriate consequences.

The consequences for dorm room violations vary in how significant they are.

“Usually for the first offense it will be a written warning or the students will go to the counseling center to talk to Keith Kaniff who does all the alcohol and drug mandated referrals,” Goodman said. “There are also letters sent home sometimes or a small fine depending on the situation.”

The people who deal with this on a day-to-day basis however, are the resident assistants. If a situation arises in the dorms they are the ones responsible to take note and preemptively handle the situation.

Each building has its unique difficulties due to the different living situations each offers.

“In my opinion, I feel like Chrysostom would have the most violations, but as an RA in Horan I only really write up one or

two people when I am on duty. That is an average though,” junior Michelle Beltran said.

“I think we do a really good job making sure that the dorms are safe and people are following the rules,” Beltran said. “I don’t think it is easy for people to get away with things unless they are extremely sneaky.

Someone is always going to say something or you are going to get caught, and it is never worth the repercussions.”

and some stores already open, these attractions will be made available to Manhattan College students and Bronx residents over the next year.

The 162,000 square foot shopping center is scheduled to open in phases throughout the upcoming months. The property was purchased by Metropolitan Realty Associations representative Joseph Farkas in July of 2014.

“Riverdale Crossing’s location has attracted a strong mix of national, regional and local retailers and services,” Farkas said in an interview with “Real Estate Weekly.”

“It is a premium retail property in a densely populated area accessible by subway, bus, car and by pedestrians. All of those ingredients spell success for this development.”

Farkas had the right idea in terms of location.

Manhattan College uses the draw of being a small campus school with a big city backyard to lure in prospective students. However, the college’s Bronx location leaves a lot of newcomers wary of the surrounding area.

“It will definitely give the school more appeal,” freshman Stephen Collamore said.

“I’m so excited for Chipotle. They better take Jasper dollars.”

By adding familiar stores and eateries, the community may seem more comfortable for incoming freshmen and their families.

Chipotle has quickly become one of the most popular fast food industries in America today. With over 900 locations throughout the country, Riverdale Cross-

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle According to the Manhattan College Fire and Safety annual report, in 2013 there were 192 alcohol violations and 103 drug violations on campus. In 2012 there were 181 alcohol violations but the drug violations were only at 43. In one year there were 60 more drug violations on campus compared to the year before. The reports for the year 2014 are still pending.

Chipotle Among Other Retailers Slated to Open on Broadway Later This Year Tori James Guest Writer

Throughout the past year, students have seen the progress of construction on the new Riverdale Crossing shopping center.

Conveniently located on 237th Street and Broadway, this highly anticipated mall will house a Chipotle Mexican Grill, Smashburger, Buffalo Wild Wings, Bank of America, Subway, Petco, BJ’s Warehouse and other establishments.

“I’m pumped,” sophomore George Schlinck said of the mall. “I plan on losing money and gaining weight and I’m okay with that.”

With occupancy nearly filled to capacity, construction one year ahead schedule,

ing’s Chipotle will be the first to open in the Bronx.

But the mall’s opening has also stirred concerns from local residents for the future of the surrounding neighborhood.

“I really can’t complain, but it will definitely impact the area in a socioeconomic way,” sophomore Leah Cordova said.

“Rents will go up and local businesses will eventually die out.”

These issues reflect growing debates across the city regarding gentrification and the effects of new developments on housing.

For now, students expressed excitement over the new retail and dining options and how it will change their experience at the college.

Arts & Entertainment

Guide to Finding an Internship:

9

The Fashion Industry

Sean McIntyre Editor

This is a part of a special series of articles focusing on offering advice on obtaining internships from a MC senior’s perspective.

As summer approaches, students are hunting for their next internship. With a city filled with eager college students, any piece of advice can be valuable. Three seniors, myself included, have worked at Hearst within its publications. We want to offer some tips on how to land a job at this prestigious company.

When I first entered the Hearst Tower on 8th Avenue, it felt like a scene from “The Devil Wears Prada.” The “clackers” clacked their heels against the marble floor as they glided towards the escalator hovering above a waterfall. Needless to say I was petrified.

I was meeting with the Associate Accessories Editor for an Accessories Intern position. I found the internship through Free Fashion Internships’ Twitter account.

I sent my resume via the link provided, and was contacted in eight hours of my submission. Senior Caitlin Kempinski experienced the same quick turnaround.

“I was looking around online and went on Internships.com. I saw a listing for Hearst Magazines in their PR department and decided to just submit my resume,” Kempinski said. “Within a few days they contacted me and scheduled an interview.”

Kempinski interviewed for Hearst Magazines Public Relations Intern position that worked with all of the company’s publications. During her time she used databases, complied media lists, and drafted pitches for “Marie Claire,” “Food Network Magazine” and “Woman’s Day.” She even helped with interviews held at Hearst Tower.

My interview process was a unique experience because it lasted roughly ten minutes. I had to be on my toes and knowledgeable about the industry as well as why I wanted to work at “Cosmopolitan.” Senior Alexandra Brunetti’s interview was straightforward too.

“I applied online and was contacted for an interview within three days. When I went to the Hearst Tower for my interview, it was so intimidating because it’s not your typical fashion office - it’s an enormous building filled with some of the industry’s top leaders,” Brunetti said. “The person who interviewed me definitely went out of their way to make me feel comfortable in their office. The questions were basically based on my previous experience. It’s very important to study your resume and not read it to them verbatim.”

Brunetti interned at Harper’s “BAZAAR” as an Advertising/Marketing Intern. She was responsible for messengering packages from designer’s offices to the magazine, prepping marketing pitches, organizing magazine archives and recording data into Excel. She also helped prep for European fashion week, media planning for brands and more.

“I would never directly speak to the editor-in-chief in team meetings, but a lot of prep went behind meetings where another intern and I would prep for days before,” Brunetti said. “You’re basically showcasing how well your department is doing in locking down certain brands for the next couple of issues to come.”

Like Brunetti, Kempinski also contributed to her team’s meetings and brainstorm

sessions.

“There were three interns total including myself and we often went to brainstorming meetings for various magazines,” Kempinski said. “For magazines like ‘Cosmopolitan’ or ‘Marie Claire,’ we were very similar to their target demographic so they loved to have our input on ideas for events or promotions. It was really just giving our opinions and not being afraid to speak up.”

Once you have an internship at Hearst and you become more comfortable with your workload, the next step is to network.

“I networked through brands I worked with and bloggers I met. I know it sounds extremely corny, but it all starts with a simple ‘Hello,’” Brunetti said. “I actually did my senior thesis on fashion blogging and advertising and reached out to a bunch of people I met at ‘BAZAAR.’ When I start applying to jobs after I finish my MBA, I will definitely reach out to these certain contacts.”

It really is as easy as saying “Hello.”

While at “Cosmopolitan” I networked with not only my editor, but also with the Senior Accessories Editor, several Senior Fashion Editors and Assistant Fashion Editors, and the Fashion Director. These individuals know the importance of networking, and they are willing to help.

“The biggest thing I did was meet with my supervisor at the end of my internship.

I told her what I thought I wanted to do in my career at that point and she connected me with people who she knew in that field,” Kempinski said. “That led me to new connections and I use LinkedIn to keep in contact with all of them. When I’m applying to new internships I always reach out to them for references.”

At the end of an internship, a student learns important facts that transition into the next one. I learned the importance of being both a leader and a listener, being proactive and executing tasks in a short timeframe.

Brunetti learned the importance of asking questions, refocusing your goals in order to stay on top of your internship and balancing time between college and an internship. Kempinski also learned the importance of asking questions, networking with professionals and not being intimidated by lack of knowledge as an intern.

“You are not expected to know how to do everything or have the APA style manual memorized. Every company does things differently so most internships expect to have to teach you,” Kempinski said.

After interning at “Cosmopolitan,” my biggest piece of advice when applying to internships is to cast your net wide. Try to not limit yourself and apply everywhere.

I am not the only person who shares this thought.

“Apply everywhere and go on as many interviews as possible. I’ve applied to countless internships and gone on at least 25 interviews since sophomore year,” Kempinski said. “The only way to get over being nervous on an interview is to practice. By the time I interviewed for my current internship I was completely calm about it.”

“Apply to every opportunity you get.

Nothing is ‘beneath’ or ‘too good’ for you. Make your cover letter personalized, do NOT use a template offline,” Brunetti said.

“The places I’ve worked, including a law firm, liked the fact that my cover letter was unique and illuminated a glimpse of my personality.”

Luke Hartman/The Quadrangle

features

Jasper Chat: Kayli McTague

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Leah Cordova Staff Writer

Sophomore / Albany, NY / Double Major, English and French, Double Minor, Peace Studies and Religious Studies On one of campus’ first Quadding days this semester - since the sun has been M.I.A for months - I ran into Kayli McTague: tripod in hand, casually shooting a video while sporting Ray Bans and Birkenstocks. My question about her Canon Rebel turned into a quick chat about her current whereabouts and latest projects.

What have you been up to?

“It’s been a crazy day so far, I’ve done a lot of running around and that’s just kind of how my life usually is. I’m normally busy. Right now I am putting together some of the finishing touches on a video that I’m making for the outgoing seniors of the CRS Ambassador Group, an organization I’m involved with on campus.”

You mentioned a few things you’re studying, how is that for you?

“So...I just added my minors in the last few weeks. I think one of the coolest things about it is that while I am a double major, double minor, I feel that am a part of four awesome communities within those things. And I think that statement is true of any major or minor you could be involved with here. Professors are passionate about what they’re doing and in the same way they’re teaching students a lesson in English or French, they’re also reminding us why the things we are studying are so important. I actually didn’t start out with either of my majors, I was just Journalism because I knew I liked writing. But, for someone who is not positive on what they want to do yet, the switch I made was a really good fit for me. And now, I know a lot people who I can go to for great insights on the things I am most passionate about.”

Get to know a little more about Kayli, a sophomore, Albany-native and loyal supporter of all things Cornerstone, through a snippet of my conversation with her in a “Quad-Cast” video on mcquad.org.

Finals Fever Causes Stress for Students Ally Hutzler Assistant Editor

The snow has finally melted, the sun is shining and quadding season has officially begun. But while signs of summer are flowering in Riverdale, students across campus are locked either in their rooms or the library preparing for the long weeks ahead.

“It’s my favorite time of the year and I can’t even enjoy it,” freshman Ali Ward said.

With finals beginning in less than two weeks, students can find stress levels building to an all-time high. The procrastination harmlessly done earlier in the year has students panicking to hand in their work before the semester ends.

“It seems like all my professors as-

signed papers and projects to be due at the end of the class. So naturally I let them sit all semester and now I’m in the library all the time,” Kevin Young said.

O’Malley Library, often renamed “Club O’Malley” during finals week because of all the students pulling all-nighters, seems to be the place to be in the days winding down to exams.

“Even just trying to find a spot to sit down and study in the library is enough to make you start freaking out, it’s like the whole school tries to be in there at once,” Young added.

When studying goes up, time to hang out with friends inevitably goes down.

While students know that schoolwork is a top priority, no one likes to admit that his or her social life probably has to be set aside for a little bit.

“I know that I have to start studying,

but it is so hard when its finally nice outside. I just want to sit on the quad with my friends. But even when I do I’m thinking about studying, so either way I am completely stressed-out,” sophomore Jackie Staino said.

Stress, however, is not always a bad thing for students.

The University of Buffalo conducted a study of the effects of stress on rats. Results showed that the stressed rats made significantly fewer mistakes as they went through the maze compared to the nonstressed rats.

Patrick Estanbouli, a double major in psychology and communications, agrees that being stressed is not always harmful.

“There is an ideal stress level for each of us which pushes us to do our best. While too much stress can be detrimental to our health, without a little bit of it we can

quickly become unmotivated,” Estanbouli said.

School-related stress can even be a unifying force for the student body. Mutual sleep deprivation, increases in coffee intake and too many hours spent in the library can help to create new friendships.

“I met this girl in the library who was just as stressed as I was, we actually ended up becoming friends,” Ward said.

While finals can certainly put a damper on the end of the school year, students should still take the time to have fun and reflect on all the memories created through another year at MC. “It’s survival mode right now, but I can’t believe that my first year of college is already over,” Young said.

sports

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Tennis Team Honors Seniors Bricketto and Rosello Jaclyn Marr Assistant Editor

Before Manhattan’s April 13 matchup against Monmouth, it honored seniors Caitlin Bricketto and Alyssa Rosello.

Both players went on to earn wins in both of their single matches. They notched Manhattan’s two points in their 5-2 loss to Monmouth.

Looking back at the past four years, Rosello and Bricketto recall the obstacles that they have overcome with the team.

They said they have had a consistent theme of a small roster.

In previous years, Manhattan just hit the average roster size of eight players, and it has decreased each year. This season, it only has five active players.

It also went through a coaching change

in 2014, which helped the program change for the better, Rosello said.

“Getting new coaching was a major change,” Rosello said. “It brought our team to a whole different level.”

Although the roster size is problematic, Manhattan has been improved over the last two seasons. In 2014, it placed sixth in the MAAC and qualified for the playoffs -- its first time under new head coach Amanda McEntire.

“We are together 24/7,” Bricketto said.

“We’ve become so strong together as a team. We’ve never really had that before [and] we…support each other so much this season.”

Manhattan also stresses the fact that its always supportive of one another and that it keeps a positive attitude, Rosello said.

Another aspect of Manhattan that has been important to Bricketto and Rosello is

its level of play.

The program has changed over the years along with the two seniors. It has improved to a real Division I program, which means workouts; practice every day; home court advantage and a team trainer, Briketto said.

“We weren’t really a division one program if you look back at our freshman and sophomore years,” Bricketto said. “It is things that normal division one teams do that we were not doing, but now we are.

It is 100 percent a step up in the program.”

An obstacle that Manhattan has overcome in the last few years has been its court access. With no tennis court located on campus, it would have to always travel to a match or even just for practice. It also used to play across the street in Van Cortlandt Park, but were not guaranteed courts.

Now, Manhattan travels to Queens and

plays at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center or Horace Mann. Yet, it has had only three matches at these locations, which means that they have spent most of their season traveling to other teams’ home courts.

Both Rosello and Bricketto said that they hope for more players to join and that the team can get more home matches in the coming future.

Manhattan’s game at Horace Mann was the first time it had ever played there. Only having one home game does not bring a lot of support from the school and they wish that will improve for future members of their team, Briketto said.

“I hope that tennis will become more of a sport on campus,” Bricketto said. “The girls who put all their time and effort into it deserve the support.”

Follow @mcquadsports Your New Home for Manhattan College Sports!

sports

This Week’s

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Sports Highlights

The softball team continues to have a successful season, improving their MAAC record to 10-2 as of Sunday.

Kevin Fuhrmann/The Quadrangle

Basketball

Steve Masiello and the men’s basketball team secured the commitment of Tom Capuano, a 6-foot guard out of Iona Prep, who signed his National Letter of Intent on Friday.

Softball

The Jaspers began their 12-game road trip in style, starting off 3-1.

However, they teetered towards the end, dropped a doubleheader to Iona on Sunday, and fell to 3-3 on the week.

The losses to Iona mark the first two defeats in conference play for Manhattan this season.

Despite the losses, the Jaspers still

remain in first place in the MAAC at 102, and one game ahead of Fairfield and Canisius.

Some more good news for Manhattan, Danielle Gabriel, starting pitcher, returned from an illness that caused her to miss 23 games.

Baseball

It was a rough week for the baseball squad, which went 0-5, to drop its record to 9-26.

The offense did not produce, averaging just 2.8 runs per game, and the defense was not much better, committing eight errors in five contests.

Lacrosse

Both the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams dropped their only matches on the week.

On Wednesday, the women’s team lost 11-9 in a close contest against Iona. They sit at 3-13 and 0-7 in the MAAC. On Saturday, the men’s team lost 15-3 to Marist at Gaelic Park. With the loss, the Jaspers fell to 1-13 and remain winless in conference play through five games.

Tennis

Manhattan went down 7-0 to Fairfield on Wednesday at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

On Saturday, the Jaspers dropped the

season finale, 4-3 to Rider.

The Jaspers concluded the season going just 1-11.

Track and Field

The men’s and women’s track and field teams competed at the Larry Ellis Invitational from Thursday, April 16, to Saturday, April 18.

Among the notable finishes for the Jaspers were Marissa Robbins’ record-breaking win in the pole vault event—cleared 3.75 meters; Lina Bengston’s first place finish in the discus event; Stefan Hoeller’s third place showing in the decathlon; and Love Litzell’s second place finish in the men’s hammer throw.

Compiled by Daniel Ynfante