THE Volume 95, Issue 2
Q
UADRANGLE A Student Publication of Manhattan College Since 1924
January 24, 2017
www.mcquad.org
President Trump COLLEGE REACTS TO HISTORIC INAUGURATION; M.C. STUDENTS AMONG PROTESTORS IN N.Y.C., D.C.
Donald Trump Takes Oath
Megan Dreher & August Kissel Asst. Editor & Editor
Manhattan College students rallied with protestors in Wasshington, D.C. Saturday. Lauren Schuster/The Quadrangle
Manhattan Students Join in Women’s Marches Rose Brennan, Haley Burnside & August Kissel Asst. Editors & Editor
Less than 24 hours following President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration, citizens across America took part in the Women’s March on Washington, a series of demonstrations for women’s rights. The main march was stationed in Washington, D.C., but as many as 673 other “sister” marches took place across the world with an estimated 4.8 million total marchers participating in the event nationally and internationally. According to the March’s mission statement, “The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new government on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights.” A number of Manhattan College students took part in the event, both in New York City’s Dag Hammarskjold Plaza and Washington, D.C.’s Capitol Hill. Both events were organized by Government and Politics Club adviser and Associate Professor of government, Margaret Groarke, Ph.D.
Groarke believes that there is no better time to become politically active than during college. “You have a more flexible schedule, somewhat less responsibilities than you will have at future points, and you’re in a place where you have the resources of the college,” Groarke said. “This is the point where you should become an active citizen and figure out what are the things that are important to you and how are you going to go about making them happen.” Groarke also facilitated the organization of a separate group to attend the March for Life, an annual pro-life march that also takes place in Washington, D.C. each January. Despite the two marches seemingly conflicting each other, she welcomes political activism from any viewpoint. “I’m spending time on this not because of my own views about either thing, but because I see it as part of my role of encouraging students to be active on the things that they believe,” Groarke said. Marches have been among the favorite methods of unconventional government participation for quite some time. Most notably, they are a visual demonstration of how a large group of people feel about an issue at stake. Groarke says that political activism
must be pursued even after the march ended. “If we all go to a march in D.C. this weekend or next weekend, and then we don’t do anything else about that issue, it doesn’t have a whole lot of impact,” Groarke said. “But if people are energized by being with so many other people who share their views, and maybe they pick up a piece of literature about the issue they care most about, and say, ‘Oh, I can do this.’” New York City An estimated 500 thousand people took to the streets of Midtown Manhattan on Saturday for the Women’s March on New York. Among the thousands were groups of Manhattan College students. Samantha Roth organized a large group to attend the event together. As a double major in Peace Studies and Government, she felt it was her duty to help band students together to march for the cause. “This is what I will be doing with the rest of my life. I want to take charge and help guide people, women especially, to find their beautiful voice and speak out Continued on page 4
On Jan. 20 2017, Donald John Trump was inaugurated and became the 45th President of the United States. People from all around attended the inauguration, including supporters and protesters. The attendees saw performances from Jackie Evancho, 3 Doors Down, and Toby Keith over the span of the morning. Here at Manhattan College, there have been mixed opinions about this day and what it means for the nation as well as the school. Associate Professor of Government, Margaret Groarke contributed to this discussion on campus. “I think there are a lot more intense feelings on both sides,” said Groarke. These feelings have been demonstrated through a mixture of protests and festivities after the announcement of President Trump’s win. Freshman at Manhattan College, Brian Opher spoke highly of President Trump. “I am thrilled for Trump’s inauguration. This country needs a real change and a real president to take control,” said freshman Brian Opher. At the inauguration President Trump promised to improve the relationship with Russia, return jobs to United States workers, take down ISIS, build a wall along the southern border of the United States and to vett incoming immigrants. Vetting is the process President Trump plans on using to remove immigrants who have hostile tendencies towards women, Christians, and those of the LGBTQ community. “We don’t know what’s possible for him to do. Some of the things that he wants to do, he just isn’t capable of doing. People who didn’t support him, and his campaign are kind of nervous, what they see as less good ideas are actually going to happen,” said Professor Groarke. “ I think for people who support him, there might be a certain level of disappointment. People often attach to someone who they voted for and start to believe they will do anything that I would like to them to do. And that’s unlikely to be the case.” Congress has already started to deconstruct the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare. This program was one of former President Barack Obama’s most prominent programs. It has provided healthcare to tens of millions and included a provision allowing young people to stay on their parent’s health care program until Continued on page 3