Issue 11, Fall 2018 - The Quadrangle

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Volume XCVIII, Issue 11

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Seniors Upset Over Fewer Tickets to Commencement Megan Dreher & August Kissel Features Editor & Web Editor

Manhattan Madness Celebrates Upcoming Basketball Season The annual pep rally was held on Thursday, Nov. 1 in Draddy Gymnasium. Relive the night with the recap on page 12. TAYLOR BRETHAUER / THE QUADRANGLE

The Class of 2019 has recently learned that they will only be receiving two tickets for loved ones to join them in celebrating their Undergraduate Commencement on May 17, 2019 in Draddy Gymnasium.

An announcement was posted on Manhattan’s website under the tab “Undergraduate Events” stating that two tickets to Draddy will be available for

pick up as soon as April 16.

In recent years, Manhattan College’s Commencement ceremony has taken place in Draddy Gymnasium. This upcoming class, the Class of 2019, is the largest class that Manhattan College has ever accepted.

Due to the large class size, Manhattan College has limited the number of tickets available to each student for Commencement. Every student will receive two tickets for Draddy Gymnasium and two tickets for a viewing party in Kelly Com__________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Muslim Students Search Riverdale Mourns After Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting for Places to Pray Gabriella DePinho Asst. News Editor

Muslim students have been running into problems trying to access the Horan Hall meditation room, which at the start of the semester was set aside from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily for interfaith prayer.

The room was reserved for daily access Monday through Friday so that Muslim students on campus could have a place to pray.

Islam has five daily prayers; the prayers are not at fixed times but are to take place during intervals, so a prayer space set aside for Muslim students would need to be accessible all day.

Last year, the Muslim Student Association had worked out a prayer space with the school in Leo Engineering Building, but due to construction that had taken place this space was no longer available this semester.

Rabea Ali, current MSA president, found this change understandable, but frustrating for the students who now had to find a new prayer space.

“Come a week before the start of the semester, we were told the space that was used for the prayer room was converted

into a classroom because of the fact that so many spaces are under construction. That’s fully understandable, makes sense,” said Ali, “However, a week before the semester we now have this problem that now there’s no dedicated prayer space on campus except for the meditation room. So now we’re hunting around for a prayer space with no success.”

She continued.

“Campus ministry sort of decided for now let’s stick to the meditation room and they booked it for 7 to 7 each day, which is the right time range…

We don’t necessarily have it booked as a place for Muslim students to pray all day, it’s just a multifaith prayer space - you can do yoga in there, meditate in there, whatever,” said Ali. MSA secretary Fatoumata Saho also explained Campus Ministry’s choice in reserving the meditation room as the daily interfaith prayer space.

“Horan has been our Jummah - Friday - prayer room since before I was a student here,” said Saho.

The change in location for the daily prayer room, which had differed from the Jummah prayer space, didn’t reach all __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

IN FEATURES: Meet Lexy Xuan, Student GovernCreator of Susment Holds Assembly Meeting tainable Handbags on p. 6 on p. 3

IN NEWS:

Rose Brennan & Stephen Zubrycky Managing Editors

Three days after a religiously motivated mass shooting rocked the nation, the Riverdale community gathered by the hundreds at the Riverdale Monument in Bell Tower Park to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

The United for Peace Rally, organized by several of Riverdale’s interfaith leaders, was organized in the wake of an anti-Semitic act of violence at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Oct. 27, which left 11 dead and another seven injured. This event had particular significance to the predominantly Jewish Riverdale neighborhood.

The rally began just after 6 p.m., with an opening statement of unity by Mehnaz Afridi, Ph.D., associate professor of religious studies and director of the Holocaust, Genocide and Interfaith (HGI) Education Center at Manhattan College.

“God created us from a single soul,” Afridi said. “There should not be a difference between you and I, whether I wear something or I don’t. This

Hundreds of Riverdale residents gathered at the Riverdale Monument last Tuesday for a rally in the wake of the shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

ROSE BRENNAN / THE QUADRANGLE is a message of America. This is who we are.”

Afridi is also the faculty of advisor of MC’s Muslim Student Association (MSA). Several of the organization’s members were present at the rally, including club president Rabea Ali. “Personally, I decided to come as a show of support… for the different communities around the Riverdale area, particularly the Jewish community after the attacks,” Ali said. “It’s time for all of us to stand to-

gether and show support.”

Afridi’s opening statement was followed by remarks from Rabbi Barry Dov Katz of the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale (CSAIR).

Katz made a special appeal to the children and young children in attendance at the rally.

“I want to say to the children here: this is not the way it’s sup-

IN A&E:

IN SPORTS:

Empowerment Showcased at Annual Art Show on p. 7

__________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

MC Weighs in on Red Sox World Series Win on p. 10

News

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the Quadrangle Volume XCVIII, Issue 8 OCTOBER 16, 2018

The Editorial Board

Taylor Brethauer Editor-in-Chief Stephen Zubrycky Managing Editor Jack Melanson News Editor

Gabriella DePinho Joseph Liggio Asst. News Editors

Megan Dreher Features Editor

Lauren Schuster Asst. Features Editor

Rose Brennan Arts & Entertainment Editor Managing Editor

Alexa Schmidt Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor

John Jackson Sports Editor

C. Garrett Keidel Asst. Sports Editor

RikkiLynn Shields Catherine Goodyear Social Media Editors

Anja Pollozi Photography Editor

Alyssa Velazquez Production Editor

Samantha Walla Asst. Production Editor

August Kissel Michevi Dufflart Web Editors

Mohsin Ahmed Shannon Gleba Copy Editors

Abby Crowell Distribution Manager Nicholas Gilewicz Faculty Advisor About The Quadrangle 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 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.

Join The Quadrangle The Quadrangle’s staff holds weekly open meetings on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. in Kelly Commons Room 412. All are welcome to come and join the club.

Connect with The Quadrangle

mcquad.org @mcquad @mcquad mcquad

THE QUADRANGLE

MC to Host Public Service Fellowships Panel: New Hire Rob Walsh Helps Bring Event to Campus

Joseph Liggio & Samantha Walla

Asst. News Editor & Asst. Production Editor On Wednesday, Nov. 14, Manhattan College will hold a Public Service Fellowships Panel in Kelly Commons 5B from 12:30 to 2:00. The panel will feature NYC Small Business Services Commissioner, Gregg Bishop, as well as representatives from the NYC Urban Fellows Program, Coro Fellowship, and the Neighborhood 360 Fellows.

The panel, which is open to students of all majors, will give students an opportunity to learn about alternative job opportunities post-graduation. It will be lead by Brother Daniel Gardner, assistant director of graduate & fellowship advisement, along with new hire Rob Walsh, senior advisor for strategic partnerships.

“I hope that people look at this program and say ‘this is a different alternative than what I thought about, that my degree and background can be utilized in a very big way,’” said Walsh.

Rob Walsh was appointed to his position earlier this year, and aims to strengthen the college’s relationship with New York organizations including non-profits, government agencies, corporations and start-up companies.

“Rob Walsh brings a strong track record of bringing together government, academics, business, and local communities,” said President Brennan O’Donnell in a statement from Manhattan College. “He is an innovative thinker with a gift for transforming good ideas into reality. We look to him to build upon Manhattan’s already strong relationships as well as to form new alliances and partnerships.”

Gregg Bishop, the headliner of the panel, is just one example of the connections Walsh has fostered during his time serving New York City.

“Gregg Bishop is someone that I have a great deal of admiration for…” said Walsh. “Over the years he and I have taught together at Baruch, we’ve gone overseas together, we have gone to conferences on efforts to clear the air of cities and we have a good strong friendship.”

Bishop now serves as NYC Small Business Services Commissioner, following Walsh who served as Commissioner for 12 years.

Walsh emphasizes the connections that Manhattan Col-

lege students can use from opportunities like these to elevate themselves after graduation while entering the field of public service.

“Over 1,000 people have participated. There has not been one Manhattan College participant. I’d like to have that changed,” said Walsh. “We enforce, across the board, service here and giving back and lifting others, and what we need to do now is strengthen some of those relationships even more so.”

Walsh hopes to utilize the “learning laboratory” of New York City to its fullest extent, especially in the areas of how a city and community work.

“I went over to Brother Dan Gardner and said that I would like to tag-team with him on this fellowship forum … What I hope to do is open the eyes, not just of the folks who are political science majors, but English majors, communications majors, business majors, engineering majors, to look at it and say ‘Why not take a shot at one of these opportunities, let me put myself out there, let me see if I can compete on that.’”

Walsh’s involvement in the forum is not only due to his position, but his personal connection to the Urban Fellows program. According to the program’s website, the opportunity is designed to “introduce America’s finest college students and graduates to local government and public service.”

“I was an Urban Fellow. I applied for it in 1981, and I was one of those guys who looked at the list and saw Harvard and Columbia and Yale and I had that gut feeling that ‘maybe I’m not gonna get in,’” said Walsh.

“I think that my own experience has been that it opened my eyes and elevated me to a level that I would not have otherwise had. I think there’s something special about the word ‘fellowship.’ Being in a group for a year and being exposed to so much during that leadership year … meeting with leaders in government, in business, in community, being positioned and taking jobs in a higher level than you would after graduation. I think that’s special.”

Prior to arriving at Manhattan, Walsh ran the executive MBA program for public administration while teaching at Baruch College’s School of Public and International Affairs. He also served as executive director of development at Help USA, an organization that provides affordable housing for those in need. Before that, he

served as the commissioner of New York City’s Department of Small Business Services for 12 years, appointed in 2002 by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

“I met [President O’Donnell] when he was the dean of Fordham,” said Walsh.

“We kept in touch and we reconnected about this time last year. We started talking about possibilities here at Manhattan College and when he mentioned creating a position that would be a senior advisor that would report to him, on creating partnerships, it seemed to be a natural fit. What I know and what I know well is the five boroughs, the organizations, the institutions that make up this city, the various communities, and I just thought that this was something that could really end up connecting the dots in a much bigger way here at Manhattan.”

When he’s not on campus, Walsh also teaches a graduate course at Columbia University and hosts a segment, often discussing the topic of small businesses, on AM radio station 1010 WINS. Interestingly, Walsh’s recent entry was not his first at the college.

“I’ve had a long time admiration for this school, my older brother is a graduate, and I probably should mention that I spent a year here, from 1977 to 1978.”

Walsh ended transferring to Fordham University to pursue a more community developmentoriented track but believes that his original experiences at Manhattan stuck with him, and that some of the original qualities of the school still persist today.

“I like connecting with the students, it’s small enough where you get to know people, that you can end up introducing, I believe, initiatives that you can end up running with … it’s an easy place to develop relationships across the board.”

The upcoming fellowship panel will give students the opportunity to do just that, so long as they have the motivation to do so.

“You look down the [applicant] list and you see a number of Ivy league schools and you see some big schools and they say ‘I don’t know if I can compete on that level.’ We gotta get over that. We can compete with anybody. Four years at Manhattan and the experiences that people have through volunteer work, through coursework, we can compete with anybody.”

News

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

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At Halloween Meeting, Assembly Looks at Constitution, Commencement Taylor Brethauer Editor-in-Chief

The recent assembly meeting for Student Government turned into an open forum for topics of discussion such as changes within the organization’s constitution, the elimination of curriculum programs and the issue of commencement tickets.

Constitutional Amendments The first discussion was about amendments being revised and added to the Student Government constitution, as suggested by the Cooper administration, in order to have all assembly members participating and helping out with events.

“We modeled [the amendment] off of what was already in [the constitution] for the class vice presidents,” said Jaycie Cooper, student body president.

The amendment would require all class vice presidents and school representatives to hold membership on one committee, along with participation in at least two events during the semester.

“The biggest thing is having the required participation for events for example putting up the flyers would constitute participation, and the idea of holding a forum to hear your constituents and that should happen once a semester with the help of your co-vice president,” said Cooper.

Liam Moran, commuter representative, asked if the impeachment process would be put into play for failure of meeting the requirements of the positions.

“It wouldn’t be a suspension of power. As of right now no one is in bad standing necessarily. The bigger issue is the attendance,” said Cooper.

After the discussion, the vote to approve the amendment was tabled until the next

Student Body President Jaycie Cooper (fourth from left) encouraged seniors to take action to provide more Commencement tickets, and vowed action on behalf of Student Government.

TAYLOR BRETHAUER / THE QUADRANGLE assembly meeting.

Then, Moran spoke about the idea of holding a “constitutional convention,” proposing to revise and reorganize the constitution.

He pointed out multiple misnumbered and misnamed sections and articles, along with multiple positions and committees from previous administrations that are now defunct.

After questioning and discussion from the executive board members, it was decided that a constitutional convention would take place in the coming weeks, to be comprised of members of the assembly.

Cooper also told Moran that she would want this completed before the spring semester and the discussion was tabled until the next meeting as well.

Educational Affairs Committee Concerns The next topic of discussion was the decision to cut both the global business major and all independent studies.

Vice president of academic affairs, Kerry Cavanagh, ad-

dressed these two problems.

“I know there was talk around global business ... I’m still trying to figure out details about that. If there’s anyone who knows students affected by it, tell them to talk to me or to bring their stories to me and I’ll bring that to the next educational affairs committee meeting,” said Cavanagh. “Also, a student had said that they were in advising and found out that independent studies were a thing of the past. I’ve already emailed [provost William Clyde] and waiting for a response about that.”

She encouraged students to talk to her about any concerns towards either of these two problems and she would bring them up at her next committee meeting. She mentioned that neither of these decisions were addressed previously and students were not notified beforehand.

Commencement Concerns The discussions continued at the end of the meeting

with the growing concern over Commencement tickets for the Class of 2019.

Graduating students had been voicing their upset about the informal announcement that only two tickets would be given to students for Draddy Gymnasium, instead of the usual three tickets in the past.

There was no direct information sent out, only a post on the college’s website. Students would also receive tickets for “screening locations” around campus.

Bailey Shaw, School of Liberal Arts representative, has been meeting with members of the administration including John Bennett, director of student development, and Richard Satterlee, vice president of student life. She also drew up a proposal about other venues.

She also mentioned what nearby colleges use for their graduations: Pace University has used Radio City Music Hall, New York University has used Yankee Stadium and Iona College has used the Hulu Theater

at Madison Square Garden.

“The school has known that the class of 2019 was a larger-sized class by about 200 students. So that is not on the student’s end to push event services to find a bigger venue.

That should have been something that was talked about when we matriculated,” said Cooper.

Cooper also stressed important concerns such as speaking up by calling or emailing those organizing commencement in order for students’ voices to be heard, but presenting themselves as a unified front.

Senior vice president Anthony DePinho, brought up the point that commencement had been moved to a Friday within previous years in order to accomodate an off-campus commencement. This was reported in The Quadrangle on Feb. 20, 2017 in an article titled “Spring Commencement Moved to Weekdays.”

“We’re exploring all kinds of different options, but we are aware that if we do it business as usual, it’s going to be two tickets and that’s not great,” Provost William Clyde had said at the time about moving commencement to a weekday.

“That’s not what we want, that’s not what they [the students] want. We were aware that moving off a weekend would give us more flexibility there.”

At the time, the Class of 2019, which had enrolled a class size of 900 and had an 89 percent retention rate, was the largest Manhattan College had ever admitted.

“We should be accommodated for being a bigger class, not punished,” said Cooper.

After more comments and personal anecdotes were offered forward, the minutes were accepted and the meeting was adjourned.

The next assembly meeting will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at noon in Kelly 5C.

Class of 2019 Upset Over Graduation Tickets __________________________ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 mons.

“In order to accommodate all of the graduating seniors, along with the capacity of Draddy, it translated into two tickets allowed in the gym for students from an occupancy standpoint,” said John Bennett, director of Student Engagement.

Other locations to hold commencement were discussed, but did not come to fruition.

“In previous years, students received at least three tickets

in Draddy, and then they would get two more for Kelly, if not more than that. I know for me personally, I want my family to come, I have more then one set of parents and I would like more tickets so that they can all come to see me graduate. I also have family from out of state coming to see me graduate. Having only two tickets really puts me in a bad position for the family that is already coming,” said senior Melissa Gallardo.

Many students of the senior class share Gallardo’s sentiment.

“They have known that we are a bigger class since freshman year so they have had plenty of time to figure something out. I really hope it will be addressed before graduation because we pay a lot of money for tuition every year and I know parents are not happy about this and the school won’t want to deal with it,” said senior Amanda Alfredson.

There have been few announcements to the senior class regarding the ceremony, and the news regarding the Commencement ceremony is

being spread through the word of mouth amongst the senior class. “[MC hasn’t] announced anything to us. They haven’t said anything about graduation at all. I have just heard from other students that there is only going to be two sets of tickets for each location, and I don’t know where the other family is supposed to go,” said Gallardo.

As a result of the news, students are starting to express their disappointment and stress to the Commencement Com-

mittee. They have started to do so through emails and handwritten messages.

“I believe the senior class is all writing emails explaining our feelings about this as well as student government trying to find alternatives to the current situation,” said Alfredson.

The class is hoping that MC will find an alternative graduation location before the ceremony in May, as well as in the future so that later classes also have enough space for their guests.

News

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THE QUADRANGLE

Muslim Student Association Searches for New on Campus Space for Daily Prayer __________________________ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 students right away.

“Some students found this out right at the beginning of the semester although others where still unaware until after the first month of the semester,” said Saho.

Though the MSA had finally resolved the issue of being without a prayer space, students found themselves running into problems with the new space.

“Public safety did not appear to be abiding by [our] request to just have the door unlocked. The times I’ve been down there, it’s at the point where you walk in and you see the door locked and you’ll go to the guard and ask ‘can I get the meditation room unlocked’ and they’ll hand you a set of fifty keys and be like ‘here, figure it out.’ So you’re spending time you shouldn’t be trying to figure out these keys. It also depends on the guard that’s there because certain guards will say ‘no, I can’t unlock that room’ despite the fact that… we have it booked to ensure it’ll be unlocked. It’s just been time after time where that room has been locked,” said Ali. The Muslim students are not without an advocate. Both Ali and Saho confirmed that Campus Ministry has been supporting the students in trying to resolve these issues.

“Thelma got public safety, after countless of efforts, to leave it open during the day.

However, the issue did not re-

ally get solved, public safety has kept it open most of the days but some days it will still be closed with no access to students,” Saho said.

The office of Public Safety claims that issues have been resolved. Juan Cerezo, the director of Public Safety, has seen their emails and spoken with the staff.

“There were a couple times that the room wasn’t open and they had to go to the officer and that sort of problem. I think the kinks are out of that already.

We had a couple of issues, I will admit that, but our staff wasn’t

---------------------------------------“It is a prayer room and students should have access to it when they need to just be able to pray or meditate and acquire a peace of mind,” Fatoumata Saho said.

used to leaving the room open.

Our staff is used to securing things, you have to realize that.

Once I reinforced it with them that they must unlock it, I think it’s been okay,” said Cerezo who was interviewed on Nov 1.

The times of the room’s designated opening and closing fits in with the different shifts the public safety officers have.

“The overnight shift, they unlock it at 6:30 and then the evening shift locks it down at 7 p.m. Monday to Friday,” said Cerezo.

We do journalism. the Quadrangle

Due to construction in Leo Hall, the Muslim Student Association’s daily prayer space was eliminated, coming as a surprise to the association.

AARON MAYORGA / THE QUADRANGLE The Muslim students, however, are in search of another space, possibly for next semester.

“Ideally, a prayer space will be closer to south campus. Leo isn’t feasible right now, RLC doesn’t seem to have a space and Kelly may or may not have a spot for us,” said Ali, “If not, we’re going to aim for De La Salle or Miguel and just book a classroom to be free all the time. It’s really just about finding a space that is a closer and

actually be accessible.”

For Saho and Ali, the frustration is not just with the room being inaccessible, but about what it means to them to find their prayer space being locked and challenged.

“It is a prayer room and students should have access to it when they need to just be able to pray or meditate and acquire a peace of mind. This room and its concept holds a lot of importance to the heart of many students around campus,

me included,” said Saho.

Ali agreed.

“I think they’re just forgetful, like how important having a space is for people, and I just don’t know what we can do at this point, said Ali, “I will say this, you’ll never find the chapel locked, it’ll always be unlocked every morning. It’s important that we hold up the “inclusive community” part of our five pillars.”

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NOVEMBER 6, 2018

5

“Ani Shalom”

Riverdale Mourns in Wake of Pittsburgh Shooting

Local and religious leaders gathered with Riverdale residents last Tuesday.

ROSE BRENNAN & STEPHEN ZUBRYCKY / THE QUADRANGLE

__________________________ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 posed to be. This is not the way you’re supposed to gather with members of your community.

This isn’t what it’s supposed to look like. Every one of you, adult and child, who acts with peace, who acts kindly every day, you are peace, atem shalom.”

He continued.

“I don’t want to gather at this monument again for this reason. We’ve been here so many times after attacks on churches. I know people from the LGBTQ community and so many other times, it’s never for a good reason. And I want to come back saying it’s peace.

It’s peace that’s arrived, because we’ve made it arrive,” Katz said.

Before the names of the shooting’s victims were read, Rabbi Ezra Seligson of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale spoke. Seligson visited Pittsburgh and the Tree of Life Synagogue in the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s shooting.

“When I arrived in Pittsburgh on Sunday, there was a feeling of heaviness. At the me-

morial outside the synagogue, I could feel the heaviness of the souls hovering, hovering, as they had not yet been buried,” Seligson said. “As I drove home from Pittsburgh yesterday, I continued to feel the heaviness.

But it wasn’t just the crushing heaviness of loss, but it was the heaviness of strength, of fortitude, of the resilience of a community and a nation that stands together.”

The sky began to turn dark as the names of the massacre’s 11 victims were read, each answered with the Hebrew refrain, “Ani shalom (I am peace).”

Then, Rabbi Thomas Gardner of the Riverdale Temple shared a personal reflection on the political and social divisions in America.

“I know I speak for you when I say that my heart is sick: sick of the violence, sick of the hatred. Along with you, I cried, and I asked myself, ‘What can I do? What can we do to stop or slow or reverse the evil that we have seen?” Gardner said.

He continued.

“We cannot shrug our shoulders and say, ‘what a shame’ and go back to the

same way of doing things,” Gardner said. “We must let this be something that galivinizes us to remake the world with radical love, compassion and acceptance. I invoke the eternal one, who called on us to love the stranger as ourselves, and pray that this time, love will win over hatred, acceptance of those who are different over rejection, and, please God, please God, peace over violence and life over death.”

Lois Harr, assistant vice president and director of campus ministry and social action at MC, then read the Prayer of Saint Francis, a Catholic prayer which begins, “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.”

“The forces of love and light… are stronger than the forces of evil and darkness and hate,” Harr said in an interview before the rally began.

The HGI Center of Manhattan College played a key role in putting the rally together.

“The actions that kind of harmed the community are really close to our mission and we feel that in this time it’s just really important to bring everyone together and acknowledge what’s going on in the culture,”

said junior Ireland Twiggs, who works at the center.

In advance of the event, Manhattan College President Brennan P. O’Donnell, Ph.D., sent an email to the entire college.

“As Lasallians, we stand together for peace, for understanding, and for work together with all women and men of good will in upholding human dignity in all of its diversity,” the email read.

“It’s a very important thing for us as a college to recognize that we’re in a neighborhood where a lot of our brothers and sisters in faith have suffered a terrible tragedy,” O’Donnell said. “We need to acknowledge that.”

The gathering was attended by many of the neighborhood’s political and elected leaders, including State Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Democratic Nominee for State Senate Alessandra Biaggi and Congressman Eliot L. Engel.

“I think it’s important that all people of good will get together and speak out against these horrendous murders and to call them out for what they are,” Engel said in an inter-

view after the rally concluded.

“We’re not going to kowtow to people who have hate in their hearts.”

Engel believes the caustic nature of modern political discourse to be a primary contributor to the violence.

“I also think that the rhetoric in our country has to be toned down…. I think the President has got to stop with some of the rhetoric, and we need to instead look for ways to bring us together,” Engel said.

“We need sensible gun control in this country. He went into a synagogue with an automatic rifle. Those are weapons of war.”

But by and large, the tone of the rally was one of unity, not of political division.

“I want all faiths across the board to see that we are human, we are equal, we stand together and we bond together when someone else’s community loses someone, when someone else’s community is in despair, when someone else’s community has fear,” Afridi said. “We stand up for the other, not just for ourselves.”

Features

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THE QUADRANGLE

Student Starts Line of Sustainable Handbags PEOPLE OF MANHATTAN Sophia Sakellariou Staff Writer

Seated at her desk with papers and books littering its surface in an “organized chaos’” a bamboo sprig resting in a vase on the corner, and the afternoon sun shining in through her top floor dorm window with a view of Van Cortlandt and much of the Bronx below, Alexandra “Lexy” Xuan was relaxed and poised, methodically filing her nails as she spoke: The Quad: Where are you from?

Alexandra Xuan: San Francisco, Calif.

TQ: That’s pretty far from N.Y. What made you choose Manhattan College?

AX: I was gonna go to arts school, but I didn’t get into the one I wanted. I still wanted to be on the East Coast and I received a good scholarship from here so it seemed like fate.

TQ: What are you studying?

AX: Management and Global Business Studies with an Arabic minor TQ: Arabic is an interesting minor choice, why did you choose to study it?

AX: The environment I come from is predominantly of Jewish and Asian culture, so Arabic is an untouched and unfamiliar culture to me so I saw it as an opportunity to explore something new and get out of my comfort zone. It’s helped me understand more about Middle Eastern culture and I’ve realized how important it is to focus on something that’s so foreign to me and work toward understanding it. It’s even made me consider switching my career to focusing on a location of Arab descent.

TQ: So you mentioned a career shift, what path are you leaning towards?

AX: I’ve always been kind of more of a creative person I guess and I always wanted to be in the creative field. O-PAQ

is my start-up right now with sustainable handbags and fair trade production. I’ve always wanted to go into a creative field and for me for the past two years I always thought that fashion was going to be my thing and it still is, don’t get me wrong, my co-founder and I are still very connected with it. We still want to work on our start up and that’s always something I want to see happen and become an actual thing, but recently understanding what’s going on in the Middle East and seeing climate change happen and global warming you know, domestically and internationally, I’ve kind of realized how much of an impact I can make besides fashion. And not that fashion isn’t a huge issue, too, we can see tons of clothing being thrown into landfills each year. That’s such a big issue and that something I’ve always wanted to change and we can see the unfair wages in the fashion industry. Fashion is a big deal, but I’ve kind of realized that I want to make an even more direct impact on the world through sustainability.

TQ: I’d like to hear more about this start-up, O-PAQ, you mentioned. What does this company do?

AX: So there’s kind of a stigma behind things being made in China, right? Like you think of products that are made in China and you think automatically that they are just poor quality, but a lot of the bigger brands like, not to bring them down, but Michael Kors, Prada, Gucci, they import their stuff from Europe and then they bring it into China and the artisans in China construct them.

So then you would get a bag that’s like maybe made of poor quality materials and then it’s made in China and then people would automatically associate the poor quality item with “Made in China” products. We want to get rid of that stigma but that’s been a little bit dif-

ficult especially with politics recently with the trade wars and everything and the taxes and tariffs. It makes things really difficult and at the worst possible time because we were just thinking about launching.

We also want the product to be fair trade and we want to prove that the artisans in China are not just producing poor quality.

We also stand against animal cruelty so none of our bags are made of animal products. We wanna eliminate the stigma of poor design with sustainable products, especially with handbags because there’s such a limited market right now. We also wanna bring in smaller artists, so this is kind of including a social entrepreneurship into it as well. That’s what O-PAQ is.

TQ: Why the name, O-PAQ? AX: Long story short, my co-founder and I were trying to describe something and the word “opaque came up as in “it’s a very opaque color” or something like that. And then it just sparked that the word looked cool, this was completely over text by the way so we were able to see the word “opaque” written. We played around with the word and came up with O-PAQ. TQ: So you said you want to make an even more direct impact on the world through sustainability. Do you think you can incorporate O-PAQ into your newfound interest in Middle East involvement?

AX: I’m still kind of questioning where I want to go with sustainability and Arabic. Maybe I’ll work in urban planning in a metropolitan area in the Middle East or an Arabic country, but I also speak Chinese so maybe urban planning in China, but I don’t really know exactly where I want to go with it. I just think that it’s kind of obsolete to educate myself for a career when I can know more and then create my own career.

Does that make any sense?

Like I kind of want to just be a well rounded person and un-

Lexy Xuan founded O-PAQ, handbag startup.

ALEXANDRA XUAN / COURTESY derstand the world more rather than know exactly what I want to do and stick with it when so many jobs are being taken over by technology. It’s scary to me, but I think for me right now that’s the best way to go, especially since I’m young, to just explore and then figure it out when something truly sparks.

TQ: Any advice for people who want to start their own company?

AX: I guess it’s not really my advice, but life goes really quickly and I don’t see why not, just do it. It was scary for me, but if you really want it you’ll

find a way to do it. For my cofounder and I it was simple because we knew that we wanted to do it and that’s why we went through the entire process. We went through so many difficulties, but because we wanted it we kind of just let go of that mindset of “oh we’re too young to do it.” We just went ahead and did it and when we showed that we were really passionate about what we were doing, the people in China we communicated with took us seriously.

All it is is realizing that you really want it, then going out and proving it.

Connect with us. @mcquad

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NOVEMBER 6, 2018

Arts & Entertainment

7

Food, Music, Dancing and Fun: Latinx Fest at MC Megan Dreher & Lauren Schuster

Features Editor & Asst.

Features Editor A night of food, music and dancing brought students of all backgrounds together on Friday night as they celebrated Fuerza Latina’s annual Latinx Fest.

Latinx Fest is done in conjunction with Student Engagement to celebrate the end of Hispanic Heritage Month. Using three major elements of the culture: food, music and dancing, students joined in a festive celebration.

“We want to celebrate Latino heritage, but also make it accessible and open to everybody and highlight our culture,” said Gabby Montes, junior board member of Fuerza Latina.

The students on the board for Fuerza Latina know that time and effort go into preparing for an event such as this. In addition to planning the food

for the event and spreading the word about the event, the music for the night needs careful consideration. Playing a mix of new music as well as music that is true to the Latino culture makes for a blend that is enjoyable for all who attend.

“I hope students learn that our culture is very fun and inviting,” says Anna Rosario, also a junior board member of Fuerza Latina.

Latinx Fest has been occuring at MC for as long as Montes and Rosario have attended the college. Both students can agree on the importance of sharing Latino culture on Manhattan’s campus.

“Being able to bring a little bit of our culture on to campus is so vital, especially being in New York City where we’re a melting pot of all different types of nationalities and cultures,” said Rosario.

“This is my culture, my family, it’s who I am. It’s nice to be able to celebrate that on campus as well as in the world,” said Montes.

Senior student Sofia Tollinche attended Latinx Fest for the first time this year.

“It really feels like home,” Tollinche said. “This is like the music we dance to back home, and it’s sort of a space where I can sing along, dance, and have fun and it’s just a little piece of home.”

Tollinche was glad to have to opportunity to be a part of sharing Latinx culture with her peers on campus.

“I think it’s important to expose people to what other people do for fun,” Tollinche said.

“This is an event, again, where you come to not only dance but to eat too, so you’re exposing other students on campus that might not be familiar with what Latinx culture is. So they get to experience our food, our music, and they also get to express themselves kind of in a new space, and I think it’s just important for them to know.”

Junior student Christopher Santiago was excited to hear that Latinx Fest was returning to campus, giving him another

Latinx Fest features the food, music and dance of Hispanic culture for the student body.

LAUREN SCHUSTER / THE QUADRANGLE

chance to enjoy his culture’s food and music with his friends.

“I attended last year and the year before when I was a freshman and I love this event so much, I always come,” Santiago said.

Santiago expressed the importance of bringing Latinx culture to campus through this event, stressing inclusivity.

“[Latinx Fest] is one of the only nights where they really celebrate Hispanic culture [at MC],” Santiago said. “I’m Afro-Latino so I’m from African descent, but I’m Dominican, so this is something that really makes me feel included in the community at Manhattan, so that definitely drove me to come here.”

Empowerment Shines at Sanctus Artem’s Art Gallery Jack Melanson News Editor

Sanctus Artem hosted their annual art show on Sunday as students, faculty and other artists contributed to the gallery.

This year, the theme was empowerment.

“We chose empowerment because it’s more of an umbrella term. Anything can empower you,” said Ryan Askin, co-president of Sanctus Artem.

“The art pieces reflect that.

Those pieces are things that we found empowering and that the people who submitted found empowering to them.”

According to Sanctus Artem’s official statement, the current political climate warranted the gallery’s stated theme.

“In the age of the #metoo movement, Kavanaugh’s induction into the Supreme Court, and the rampancy of social injustices against women, minorities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, the theme of empowerment seemed all too obvious. Some of the artists selected for the show this year work in photography, painting, poetry, and even fashion, and create a collective expression of what empowerment means to the Manhattan College community…. We ask, foremost, for you to relax, enjoy, and take

your time through the gallery,” the official statement said.

Not all of the artwork related a political message, however.

“Not every piece of art here displays a political message because the self-expression of art is in itself a form of empowerment,” Valentin said.

With a goal to create a new community on campus, Sanctus Artem believes they are taking steps in the right direction.

“We felt that this [artistic community] was missing on campus. Sometimes it felt weird being a writer or an artist and having nobody to talk to about it. Everyone was in their own corner,” said Valentin.

“The club tries to bring those people out and create a community around it.”

The “missing” artistic community is expansive, as well as wide-encompassing.

“We hope that we demonstrate Manhattan College’s artistic personality in art or writing. Art is everything from writing to video, instrumentals, painting …,” Valentin said.

“When Sanctus Artem was founded, all art was meant to be incorporated. Trying to put them all together creates a lasting personality on campus.”

Sanctus Artem was not alone in the creation of this year’s gallery.

“We worked with the visual

performing arts department, we also worked with student engagement,” said Askin. “Shout out to the Muslim Student Association too, they helped us out a lot.”

Additionally, over 60 artists contributed to this year’s show.

Sanctus Artem can be found on Instagram and Snapchat @sanctusartem.

Editor’s Note: Joe Liggio contributed to reporting.

Sanctus Artem chose empowerment as their theme for their annual art show, which featured student artwork of varying mediums.

JOSEPH LIGGIO / THE QUADRANGLE.

Arts & Entertainment

8

THE QUADRANGLE

A Reflection on “Eighth Grade” Taylor Brethauer Editor-in-Chief

I first saw the film “Eighth Grade” with a friend over the summer in an empty movie theater, on a spur-of-the-moment decision to go to see something in order to escape the summer heat.

Originally the only reason I was interested in this film was because Bo Burnham, one of my favorite comedians, was the writer and director. I knew that anything with his name attached would be high quality and very funny. I’m so happy my hunch was right and that my expectations were surpassed; but more on that later.

Flash forward to a few weeks ago when I was on Instagram and saw that Burnham had posted on his Instagram Story that A24, the production company that produced “Eighth Grade” and other popular independent films such as “Lady Bird” and “Moonlight”, was hosting a contest. They

wanted 100 schools-- ranging from middle school to college-to enter in to win a free copy of the film to screen at their school.

I passed this information along to my friend and co-leader of the Manhattan College Film Society, Marisa Washington, who then passed it along to Margaret Toth, associate professor of English, head of the film studies minor and the advisor to the MC Film Society.

A few weeks after this conversation, Manhattan College had been selected as one of the schools to screen the film.

The film, as part of the Film Society’s year-long theme titled “New Beginnings”, was originally slated to be screened in the spring semester. “Hard Candy”, directed by David Slade and starring Ellen Page, was supposed to be shown on Oct. 30 in Miguel 311. The contest win and free screening switched the two around.

Students and faculty and members of the community filed into Miguel 311, which

is the classroom used for film study courses due to its large screen. It was the perfect way to display the film and provided a movie theater-like atmosphere.

Speaking of movie theaters, I thought that seeing this film with such a large crowd of people around my age, all reacting and interacting with the scenes in the same way was the best possible viewing I could have had with a film like this.

In the funny scenes, there was an uproar of laughter. In the ridiculous and cringe-worthy scenes, there were nervous giggles and whispered “oh my gods.” Especially in a particular tense scene, there were sharp intakes of breath, sad outbursts of “this can’t be happening”, and groans of upset. The crowd as viewers experienced and lived this film together and it was a highlight of the evening.

The film itself brings about probably one of the most refreshing takes on nostalgia that I’ve ever felt while watching something on the big screen.

Kayla, the main character played by Elsie Fisher, is a girl trying to find her way in the world during the transitional period of middle school to high school.

Themes addressed include social media usage, bullying, sexual assault, school shootings, coming of age and sexual awakening. Yet what Burnham has given to the world is not cheesy or a public service announcement-- he gives a heart wrenching, wistful and overall familiar film with Fisher, a truly rockstar actress in this role.

The screening ended with a discussion moderated by Washington, as per all Film Society screenings. Not many people left as soon as the movie ended because the large crowd wanted to voice their opinions about what they had just watched.

The discussion took many turns, as Washington shared trivia she had learned while researching and preparing questions. Questions about the film ranged from the themes touched on within the film,

along with the correlation to the viewers’ own experiences in eighth grade.

Washington then spoke about the tense scene mentioned before, which centers around the theme of sexual assault. Many students jumped in, speaking about the Me Too movement and the feeling of being trapped that the viewer felt with Kayla during that scene.

One student mentioned he has a sister around Kayla’s age and that the scene made him angry and understand how people in vulnerable situations could be taken advantage of in ordinary situations.

As the discussion wrapped up, many audience members agreed that the film was wonderful. I can wholeheartedly agree with that statement and would recommend it to anyone looking to return to their eighth grade years and remincise in the purest way, thanks to the mastermind that is Burnham.

Inaugural JasperCon Held at MC Gillian Puma Staff Writer

On Tuesday, Oct. 30, the Multicultural Center turned Smith Auditorium into a comic book convention known as JasperCon. This was the first JasperCon ever held, and was attended by faculty and students alike. The convention included four panels that discussed cultural comics, women in comics, careers in comics and the importance of representation.

There was also several vendors at the event, selling written works, comic books, pins, artwork and t-shirts.

“One of the goals of the multicultural center is to show diversity in a lot of different

fronts,” said Hayden Greene, director of multicultural affairs.

“Comic book culture is such a mainstream thing in the United States between movies and big authors now are writing comic books. JasperCon looks to expose the people who haven’t had the opportunity like women of culture, people of color, and LGBQT culture.”

The vendors were also very diverse, and included independent and well known companies including Sokoya Productions, West Village Comics, Lockett Down Productions, Greg Anderson Elysee, Xmoor Studios, PBS Media, Leigh P. Walls, Sulaweb Inc., Pyroglyphics Studio, Forward Comix, Eric Orr Art, Black Comics Collective, N. Steven Harric, Mean Tees,

Citizen Kow, The Curv, Dill Comics, Allison Conway, Maika Sazo, and Bulletproof Comics.

“We were able to connect with these vendors at Comic Con (in New York) so we would have them at our event,” Greene said.

Allison Conway is an illustrator and comic artist living in Brooklyn, N.Y. She graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. She first became inspired to get into graphic novel writing when she studied abroad in France. She went to a comic book festival in Angouleme and knew she wanted to write graphic novels for a living. One of her popular comic series is known as “A Pillbug’s Life,” in which the stories follow a pillbug’s life with

JasperCon included four panels as well as vendors (pictured) selling written works, comic books, pins, artwork and t-shirts.

TAYLOR BRETHAUER / THE QUADRANGLE

his insect friends.

“I chose bugs as the subject of this series after my traumatizing experience with bed bugs while I was in college,” Conway said.

“A Pillbug’s Life” was also featured on Vice Media’s comic book section of their website. Conway is also a vegetarian, which she passionately explains in her other graphic novel, “The Lab.” “The Lab” tells the story of a creature that was tested on for numerous lab experiments his whole life, and was then expelled from the lab after he was done being used.

The story is supposed to symbolize animal exploitation that is done in today’s society.

The Lab will be Conway’s first graphic novel and will be published next year by Top Shelf.

Leigh Walls is an independent artist as well. He traced the linework for Daniel Cooney’s “The Tommy Gun Dolls” graphic novel series.

“I always liked comic stories and cartoons. I started drawing them because it was the easiest way to translate stories from my head,” Walls said.

Walls takes inspiration from the image comic series “Savage Dragon” by Erik Larsen.

He’s been doing professional artwork since 1998, but is now working on his own series known as The WindSong of Legalia.

“The story explains the chronicling of a culture from its birth to the end of the world,” Walls said. “Essentially, it’s

40,000 years of stories. I haven’t come up with the illustrations for it yet. It is a project that has taken me 20 years in the making.”

Deirdre Hollman is the founder of the Black Comics Collective, a forum for bringing together creators within a community at large.

“I produced a comic book festival at the Schomburg Library in Harlem seven years ago,” Hollman said. “I learned there’s a huge community of folks interested in comics created by people of color and other minorities.”

Hollman continues to produce the festival there and has even reached out to several different boroughs and locations.

She calls Black Comics a “collective” because it is a community of people who care about representation and diversity as well as political views.

Outside of Black Comics, Hollman is a public school educator, where she even teaches comic books to her middle school and high school students.

“I want my students to know there’s a broad variety of narratives as well as creativity,” she said. She has also had great success with teaching her kids through comic books.

At the end of the day, JasperCon was more than just an average convention. It was made to promote diversity in the comic book scene that isn’t normally seen. The event will be held next fall as well.

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

Arts & Entertainment

9

Behind the Scenes with Hayden Greene The Making of JasperCon and Finding Unity in Diversity Liz-Marie Lee Contributor

On Oct. 30, 2018, Manhattan College held the inaugural JasperCon, a place where comic book and pop culture fanatics can gather and meet original artists, cosplayers and more!

Hayden Greene, director of the Manhattan College Multicultural Center, sat down to discuss the importance of diversity in film, comics and a glimpse into the making of JasperCon. The Quadrangle: This is the first year of JasperCon. What is JasperCon exactly, and what should the Manhattan College community look forward to when it arrives?

Hayden Greene: JasperCon is our take on ComicCon, and it’s an effort to showcase comic book culture, nerd culture and sci-fi culture. We are looking at it from a point of view of showcasing all of those different identities, and people that really haven’t had a large role in comic book culture, either being displayed in comic books, or having a love of comic books. You often hear people of color say that it’s a struggle to have their identities represented in on screen or in print.

The same goes for women, the LGBTQ community and people with disabilities. We really want to highlight these people at JasperCon, so we’re bringing in vendors that are the people we’re talking about, putting them on the pages and on screen, as well.

Our goal is to expose the Manhattan College community to the many different aspects of identity and many identities and our hope is that people on campus that come from varying backgrounds are properly represented in JasperCon, for their identity, culture, and ideas.

TQ: Why did you decide to come up with JasperCon? HG: So, 2018 was a sort of a watershed moment for a lot of representation for people of color and [an increase in] black representation in sci-fi, from “Get Out” to “Black Panther,” the Avengers Movies, Miles Morales in the Spider-Man comics, there was a watershed moment of diversity showing itself. Then there was a comic book that got a lot of notoriety, La Boriqueña, which featured a Puerto-Rican female superhero. Then the hurricane hit in Puerto Rico, and then [there

was] Puerto Rico Strong, which was a graphic novel amalgamation of many books, so there was a real ground-swell of, “Hey, we’re here too!”, and I thought it was time for Manhattan College to really embrace that as well. We have a strong gaming and comic book community on campus, and I felt it was something that the community would embrace, and it was poignant for the experiences of our particular time in society. In the day and age where everyone is finding reasons to be at odds with one another, coming together and having what seems to be a farcical conversation about comic books can be a place where can finally come together.

TQ: Walk me through the process of making this entire event happen.

HG: The greatest thing about having a great idea, is that you then must figure out the next step. While I knew this was going to be something amazing and worthwhile for the community, I had absolutely no idea about who to contact, or where to even start. So I turned

---------------------------------------JasperCon is our take on ComicCon, and it’s an effort to showcase comic book culture, nerd culture and sci-fi culture. We are looking at it from a point of view of showcasing all of those different identities, and people that really haven’t had a large role in comic book culture, either being displayed in comic books, or having a love of comic books.

------------------------------------to Facebook! I put up things like, “Hey are there any people who do multicultural comics?” or “Are there any people who are interested in presenting?”, so I was doing research and finding out that there are black comic book conventions in New York City and I reached out to people involved. A friend of my wife, who is connected with a lot of the writers and artists in the industry, and she literally sent me a spreadsheet of all of these artists and writers’ e-mails. We e-mailed everyone on that spreadsheet! One woman who reached out to me, Deidra Coleman, came to me and said that she’d like to help me

Hayden Greene hopes that JasperCon can be another opportunity for Manhattan College students to become exposed to different identities and backgrounds.

MANHATTAN COLLEGE / COURTESY

out. It’s been a cohesive effort with those involved in Black Comics Collective, and the office here, Patricia [Carey], our office assistant, is the logistics mind behind this, and one student, Jamie Urgiles, had really helped out. There were several vendors who agreed with us and ready to go. Then ComicCon happened a few weeks ago, and everyone we contacted had to first handle that affair, and then finished up. A lot of the vendors we then reached out to had come back into contact with us, and the number of vendors we had increased. We then got to planning-- planning out the keynote speaker, the events and activities and the workshops, now we’re all ready to go!

TQ: You mentioned workshops. What will the workshops entail?

HG: We have four workshops. The first one is Cultures in Comics by Design, which looks at being intentional about putting certain cultures in an actual comic book, as opposed to having an ancillary thing happen just because a character happens to be of a specific background or identity. Being intentional about cultures in comics that will include characters of varying backgrounds and the proper representation in comics.

The second workshop will discuss women in comics, on both sides of it, what women have been part in regards to the writing process, the artistic

process, and also, what representation has there been in actual comic books and in film.

At 5 p.m., we will be discussing Careers in Comics. For example, if you wish to become an artist or writer, and you want to break out into the field, then this might be the workshop for you! Later in the evening, the next workshop, Representation Matters, which is looking at why is important to have women in comics, those of varying cultures in comics.

From my point of view, we have these fictional characters being created and it says something about the fact that often comic creators in the past are able to go into the depths of their minds and create a universe in which a character could be an alien, but not consider characters that could be people of color. This is why representation matters. You can imagine everything to be worthwhile to be something that should be discussed in this book, except for something that looks like me, or a woman, or other minorities. These issues are things we’ll be discussing in our workshops.

TQ: Do you hope to make it a tradition at Manhattan College and hopefully foster a greater interest in comic book culture for Manhattan College students?

HG: That’s the goal! The goal is to have this be a part of the Manhattan College fabric, and have people see this as a new place to go when it comes

to the multicultural way of looking at comic book culture. We hope to make it a yearly event!

This year, we planned it to happen during the week because we wanted to receive as much support as we possibly could from the MC community. Hopefully next year, it can be done during a weekend, and have it become even bigger.

TQ: Who are some of the vendors that will be at JasperCon, and what will they bring to the table?

HG: That’s a good question! We have everything from people who are artists like Alison Conway, Lee Walls, and Greg Anderson Elysee to major comic book distributors like Forward Comics, BulletProof Comics, and The Black Artists Collective, Polygraphic Studios, West Village Comics and Eric Orr, who’s been considered the first hip-hop comic book artist, and more! It’s a really rich grouping of vendors, writers, artists and distributors.

Sports

10

THE QUADRANGLE

Lisa Fajardo Wins Metropolitan Championship, Leads Jaspers at MAAC Championship JASPERS TALK Shannon Gleba Copy Editor

Throughout her fourth and final collegiate cross country season, senior Lisa Fajardo has continued to prove herself as an important asset to Manhattan College athletics.

In October, Fajardo participated in both the Metropolitan Championship, as well as the MAAC Championship.

The Met Championship took place on Oct. 12 at Manhattan’s home course of Van Cortlandt Park, and MAAC Championships took place on Oct. 27 at The Crossing of Colonie course in Loudonville, N.Y. Fajardo was the first female finisher at Met Championship, crossing the line of the 5k race in 17:55.2. In the MAAC Championship 6k race, Fajardo led the Jaspers by placing fifth of 149 runners, finishing with a time of 21:52.08.

The Quadrangle: What was it like to beat out 91 other competitors to win the Metropolitan Championship?

Lisa Fajardo: It was a really good feeling because I had never won a Metropolitan Championship before for cross country. So, it was really great.

TQ: How did you stay focused?

LF: Well, [Van Cortlandt Park] is our home course, so that’s where we do our workouts every week. So, I was just visualizing the workouts.

TQ: You were also less than two seconds off from your school record time for the race.

Did the thought of setting a new record come into your mind at any point during the race?

LF: Yes, it always does, especially when you’re getting closer to the finish line. So, all you can do is really try and pick up as much speed as you can, but without any runners next to you, it is hard to pick up your

speed at the end.

TQ: Both the Jasper men and women came in second place overall. What can you say about your teammates’ performances?

LF: A lot of people were battling injuries that whole week leading up, so I think they really went out there and they fought hard given the circumstances. I think you have to give a lot to them for coming out, even when they weren’t in their best shape.

TQ: Shifting over to the MAAC Championship, you came in fifth place out of 149 runners in the 6K. Can you take us through that race?

LF: It was very cold that day and it was raining, so the weather was not the best, but I still went out there and I put myself in position to possibly win. Didn’t work out that way, but I fought my hardest.

TQ: What are your thoughts on Hali Ielfield who finished in

12th and earned the MAAC Most Outstanding Rookie title?

LF: She is doing so great this year and I think she has so many more great things to come even this year as a freshman. I don’t think I would be performing as well as I have been this season if it weren’t for her pushing me so hard.

TQ: You still have NCAA Regionals and ECAC/IC4As before you wrap up for the cross country season. Are there any final goals you have in these next few weeks?

LF: Well, if you place well at Regionals, you get to go to Nationals, so it’s kind of a longshot but there is still a chance.

So, I am going to try as hard as I can there. If you don’t make nationals, then we have ECACs and I would like to finish my last collegiate cross country race as strong as possible.

TQ: How are you feeling about wrapping up your cross country career at Manhattan?

Lisa Fajardo beat out 91 runners to claim first in the Met Championship and finished fifth of 149 runners in the MAAC Championship GOJASPERS / COURTESY LF: Really sad. I thought I would be ready to finish this year, but I feel like I don’t know what I am going to do without it.

Boston Red Sox Win the 2018 World Series, MC Weighs In on the Win Jack Melanson News Editor

The 2018 Major League Baseball season came to a close last week as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers by a score of 5-1 in Game 5 of the best-of-seven World Series.

This was the fourth time in 14 years that the Red Sox ended their season on top and the ninth time in franchise history.

The Boston club also stretched the Dodgers’ World Series drought to 30 seasons (1988), which is good for the eleventhlongest drought among current professional baseball teams.

Representing the National League in the last two World Series, the Dodgers have been unable to hoist the trophy in either appearance. In 2017, Los Angeles lost to the Houston Astros by the same 5-1 score in Game 7.

Boston entered the 2018 postseason with the League’s best regular season record of 108-54. However, their road to the World Series wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.

Boston’s first opponent was none other than the New York Yankees who, like the Red Sox, also had their fair share of victories throughout the course of the regular season (100-62).

After the Yankees found vic-

tory in just one game, the Red Sox punched their tickets to the American League Championship Series.

For some Yankee fans, like Manhattan College junior Mike Toomey, losing was simply a humbling experience.

“You learn more from failure than you do from victory,” said Toomey. “We are a young team that needs our stars like

league had ever won 100 or more games in a single season.

Jackie Bradley Jr. collected nine RBIs throughout the series, a feat that has only been done twice in Red Sox history (11 by David Ortiz in ‘04 and 10

by Manny Ramirez ‘07). Bradley Jr. was named ALCS MVP. “This is what we set out to do when we come to Spring Training,” Bradley Jr. told

“Price pitched Game 2, going six innings while allowing just two runs, picking up his second career postseason W as a starter and his first-ever World Series win to boot. That wasn’t enough for him: he told [Alex] Cora he was ready to go in Game 3 as a reliever if necessary, on one day’s rest — the travel day — and it turned out that yes, Price was necessary:

-----------------------“You learn more from failure than you do from victory,” said Mike Toomey. “The Red Sox series was a very good thing. Losing in the fashion we did will ground our stars and get them ready to win next year as they play with a chip on their shoulder.”

-----------------------[Aaron] Judge and [Luis] Severino to gain experience. The Red Sox series was a very good thing. Losing in the fashion we did will ground our stars and get them ready to win next year as they play with a chip on their shoulder.”

Rounding off the 100-win club, the Astros entered October baseball with a record of 103-59. This was the first time that three teams from the same

MLB.com. “And we battled, we’ve been battle tested, played against a lot of great ball teams.

This is definitely a special moment.”

With Boston heading to the World Series, their next opponent in Los Angeles (92-71) stood to be the worst regular season team they played all postseason.

David Price was brilliant from the hill for the Red Sox.

he faced three batters, retiring two of them, to help the Red Sox bridge to Craig Kimbrel in a tie game,” Marc Normandin wrote after the Red Sox won the World Series on Oct. 28 in an article for SB Nation.

The article continued. “[In Game 5, Price] allowed a leadoff homer to David Freese, but that was it: he allowed just four more baserunners total through seven in-

nings of work, struck out five Dodgers, and walked away from the mound with the Sox leading 5-1,” wrote Normandin.

With that said, it was Steve Pearce, one of Boston’s two starting first baseman, who drove away in the World Series MVP Chevy Silverado.

“Traded from Toronto to the Red Sox in late June, Pearce delivered the key hits in two straight games against the Dodgers. On Saturday he launched a tying home run in the eighth inning, then added a three-run double in the ninth that sent Boston to a 9-6 win in Game 4,” read an ESPN article from Oct. 29. “Pearce, 35, got the Red Sox rolling in the clincher, connecting for a tworun homer off Clayton Kershaw in the first inning. He capped his October spree with a solo drive off Pedro Baez in the eighth.”

Boston’s season ended how they had hoped, but the offseason marks it’s on challenges.

Both Boston and New York have big signing decisions to make, but it appears that the rivalry is once again in stride, making baseball more fun for everyone in the North East.

Sports

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

11

The Jasper Dancers Take on Madness Rikkilynn Shields Social Media Editor

Whether they’ve caught your attention practicing in Draddy, on the sidelines of the basketball games or through their creatively choreographed Instagram videos, the Manhattan College Jasper Dancers are a staple to any event on or off campus involving Manhattan College’s spirit squad.

On Thursday, Nov. 1, Manhattan Madness was hosted in Draddy Gymnasium to kick off the basketball season. The crowd of screaming Jaspers was not only able to cheer on their favorite basketball players and watch performances from Manhattan College’s spirit squads, but they were also able to witness the routine that the Jasper Dancers have been working hard for a month to perfect.

During the fall semester, the team normally practices three days a week, focusing on technique and conditioning in their preparation to perform at Manhattan Madness, as well as the basketball games throughout the season.

Coach Kaitlyn Marquette, who has been coaching the Jasper Dancers since February of 2014, puts her heart and soul into every minute she has practicing and performing with the team.

“Whether it’s ballet or fitness related, we always begin with a team warm up. We will then move on to learning new choreography or cleaning and perfecting choreography we already know. Sometimes we will spend two hours just perfecting 15 seconds. Practices are jampacked and fast-paced,” Marquette said.

Marquette also expressed how hard the girls have been working this past month to perfect their Madness performance.

“We began choreography for Madness on Oct. 8 and continued to perfect the dance the following weeks leading up to the big performance. On top of choreography, the dancers must be prepared physically and mentally to execute the dance to the best of their abilities,” Marquette said.

Taylor Aloisio, a junior childhood/special education major, joined the dance team her freshman year at Manhattan after dancing since she was three years old. “[The Madness] dance is supposed to be a dance that is fun, exciting, and gets the crowd pumped up for the upcoming basketball season,” Aloisio said. “Once we first learned the dance from beginning to end, we go back to the beginning and clean it and focus on the little details to make sure it looks as best it possibly

can.”

Aloisio continued, “Something else we find very beneficial when practicing this dance, or any dance for that matter, is doing it in groups and having half of the girls sit and watch, while the other group of girls perform the dance. Through doing this, we are able to give each other feedback and corrections for what we could do better, while also saying what we did well.”

Sophomore childhood/ special education major Madeline Donohue likewise joined the dance team her freshman year and has been dancing since she was three years old.

Donohue expressed that this year’s Madness performance involved many new tactics and techniques that the team has worked hard to master by breaking down the dance section by section.

“Being able to start the different portions as if it’s the new dance gives us the opportunity to allocate our energy into different pockets of the dance,” Donohue said. “We also have done buddy evaluations. We are assigned to one or two people for the year to workout with, and observe and give corrections.

“Being able to focus on one person opposed to the whole group we can really perfect the dance and focus on such small details to just improve the dance in every way. We have had long practices multiple times a week since school has started to take this Madness to a whole new level.”

Following the performance, Aloisio feels as if the Manhattan Madness performance was exactly what they had hoped for.

“Manhattan Madness went extremely well for us and we are so proud of the performance we gave,” Aloisio said.

“The crowd went crazy and everyone loved the dance. We all had so much fun and it is easily one of our favorite performances we do every year.

My favorite parts of the night were performing in front of the student body and dancing with Pauly Paulicap and the rest of my team when he was introduced. Nobody was expecting it and everyone was so excited to see us dancing with him. It was definitely a memorable moment for all of us.”

Marquette expressed similar feelings toward the performance.

“I think it went awesome!

Draddy was filled with so much energy and the girls thrived off of that. I am so happy with how they performed. They set the bar really high for themselves and then surpassed it. What a great way to start our season,” Marquette said.

This year, the dance team has two new members and

The Dancers have been preparing for the pep rally since the beginning of the semester.

TAYLOR BRETHAUER / THE QUADRANGLE. eight returnees; one of those dancers being a senior.

For Aloisio, trying out for the dance team was something she felt called to do.

“I decided to try out for the dance team because I have been dancing basically my whole life and it is something I have such a love and passion for,” Aloisio said. “When I was graduating high school, I knew I would no longer be able to dance at my studio at home and I didn’t want that to be the reason I had to stop dancing. When I found out Manhattan College had a dance team, I knew I wanted to be a member of the team to continue my passion at the collegiate level.”

Since freshman year, Aloisio has grown not only as an individual dancer, but also as a member of the dance team. In April of her sophomore year, the team took 5th in Nationals in the Division I Hip-Hop category, the highest placement in the team’s history.

“My experience being on the dance team has been like nothing else I’ve ever done before,” Aloisio said. “I am beyond grateful that I am able to be part of this amazing team and I get to do what I love every day with people who are more than just teammates, but family.

It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be on this team but all of the blood, sweat and tears that goes into it– literally– pays off in the end when we are performing on that stage down at Nationals knowing we did everything we could to get there and we are proud of all of the hard work we put into these dances.”

Junior communication major Natalia Revere joined the dance team this past September after dancing her entire life up until high school.

“I went to the open class the team held back in September and it felt so great to let go of everything and just dance,” Revere said. “The coach, Kait, made an announcement at the end of the class encouraging anyone interested in potentially trying out to come see her and talk. I was always too intimi-

dated to try out for the team but the class dynamic was so great I decided to push myself and knew I would regret it if I walked out of the mini gym without taking this chance.”

Revere performed at her first Manhattan Madness, and along with Coach Marquette and Aloisio also felt as if the performance went well.

“It’s our first time presenting ourselves as a team to the school so our energy had to be crazy. I’m pretty sure we have rewatched the video of our performance hundreds of times already. The crowd really pumped us up and made us want to run out there and give it our all. Huge thanks to the 6th borough,” said Revere.

Donohue’s experience with the team, whether it be performing at Madness or practicing for hours on end, has given her nothing but good things to say about the team overall.

“I have nothing but positive things to say about the dance team,” said Donohue. “Being on the team, you develop bonds and friendships that I truthfully have never experienced before.

We are together so often, that being so close with one another really makes it all easier.

It’s easier to get through long practices, through workouts, and through Nationals season because we can all depend on each other to pick each other up. It makes it all the more enjoyable to do what you love with the people you love. Our coach and captains create a comfortable environment, and it shows in our dancing.”

Beginning in the spring semester, the team will begin practicing five-to-six days a week for longer periods of time. During the spring semester, the team begins to prepare for Nationals in Daytona Beach, Fla., where they focus on two specific routines for months on end, working to perfect the routine to move onto the finals.

For Coach Marquette, she hopes for the team to make more accomplishments than they have had in past years.

“On both ends I want us to push ourselves beyond our

mental and physical limits. We want to go above and beyond all accomplishments we have made in the past. These girls are fueled with fire and are striving to make this the best season yet,” Marquette said.

Aloisio is hoping and is confident that the hard work and dedication that her and the entire team puts into their practices and performances this year pay off in the end.

“My hopes/goals for the team for the rest of the year is that we work as hard as we possibly can so that we can go down to Nationals feeling confident and proud of how far we have come,” Aloisio said. “We want to have no regrets walking off of that stage and through a lot of hard work I know we are more than capable of this. Last year, Nationals didn’t go the way we had hoped and we are all ready to redeem ourselves and prove that the Jasper Dancers are a force to be reckoned with.”

For Revere, one of the newest members, she hopes that the family dynamic of the team adds to their successes.

“As a team I hope we continue to vibe off of each others’ positive energy during practice and during performances,” said Revere. “It truly is a family and I think that adds to our success as a team. As far as goals, I think we all can agree that we would love to kill it at Nationals this April. We start training for that this weekend.”

Overall, Aloisio believes that the passion each member of the dance team has, along with the strong bond the members have cultivated, is exactly what will only enhance the team’s overall dynamic and lead to their success.

“My favorite part of being on the dance team is doing what I love every day with a group of girls who have the same love and passion for dance that I do,” Aloisio said. “We are all able to come together and look toward one common goal for not just ourselves, but each other and that is something I think is really special.”

Sports

12

THE QUADRANGLE

MADNESS IN THE 6TH BOROUGH MANHATTAN MADNESS RECAP

Sophomore guard Nehemiah Mack dances for the crowd at the pep rally as his teammates hype him up behind him. Manhattan Madness introduces each member of the men’s and women’s basketball teams to the student body every year.

TAYLOR BRETHAUER / THE QUADRANGLE

Taylor Brethauer Editor-in-Chief

Manhattan College’s annual Manhattan Madness pep rally took place Thursday Oct. 30 in Draddy Gymnasium. It was a night of dancing, basketball contests and free t-shirts as students packed the bleachers and celebrated the start of basketball season.

T-shirts were handed out by members of Student Government, who co-sponsored the event along with the Athletics Department and Student Engagement. Students in line early enough outside of Draddy Gymnasium were guaranteed a shirt.

The Pep Band started up and the Manhattan Cheerleaders and the Jasper Dancers took to center court to dance and welcome fans.

Around 9:30 p.m., the lights shut off. The emcee took to the court to begin hyping the team up, as Student Government representatives threw more shirts into the crowd.

The event started with the National Anthem, played by the Pep Band. Members of the ROTC presented the flag on center court and students sang along to the anthem.

First to perform were the cheerleaders, with a surprise in their music mix of men’s basketball head coach Steve Masiello saying his catchphrase, “Jasper Nation, where are you?” Their performance continued with two-tier pyramids, back-tuck basket tosses, jumping, tumbling and of course, Jasper spirit.

Students were on their feet as the spirit squads lined up to welcome the women’s team.

Last year’s team went 13-18 overall and 9-9 in MAAC play.

Their season came to a close

when they lost in the quarterfinal round of the MAAC Tournament against eventual MAAC Championship runnerup Marist.

As custom, each member of the team and coaching staff entered to their own song. The new freshman team members made their way onto the court: Kania Pollock, D’Yona Davis, Sydney Watkins and Diamond Shavis. Then the sophomores: guard Lynette Taitt, guard Sini Makela, guard Lizahya Morgan, guard/forward Nyala Pendergrass and center Courtney Warley. Then the juniors: guard Gabby Cajou, guard Emma Bedeker, forward Julie Hoier, forward Tuuli Menna and forward Pamela Miceus. Graduate student Candela Abejon was also welcomed. There are currently no seniors on the team.

The coaching staff was introduced one by one, ending with head coach Heather Vulin, who is in her third year of coaching the women’s team.

She pointed out the team’s shirts that said “game day,” telling the crowd she wants everyone to show up for game day and keep the pep rally spirit going in the coming weeks.

Then, as per usual with Manhattan Madness, came the surprise of the night. If a student had “SGA” written on their t-shirt tag, they would be eligible for a basketball contest to win $10,000. The lucky student, Jack Meilleur, played the basketball game “around the world” from the three-point line but came up short, much to the crowd’s dismay.

The spirit squads kept coming as the Jasper Dancers took to the floor. With splits and flips all over the court, the crowd went wild. Notorious for using popular songs and dance moves, the girls began kicking and dancing to the song “Level

Up” by Ciara.

The men’s basketball team started to line up after the Dancer’s performance. Last year’s team went 14-17 overall and 9-9 in the MAAC. Their season ended when they lost in the quarterfinals of the MAAC Tournament to eventual MAAC Champion Iona.

Ak Ojo was the person announced, but he walked out with the entire basketball team in tow. The team made the spirit squads lining the court shift so they were facing the stairs leading into the Sixth Borough fan section.

All of the players did dances in front of the team down the aisle of cheerleaders and dancers, except for senior Matt Maloney and junior Pauly Paulicap.

Maloney led the team up into the stands with the fans, while Paulicap had planned an entire routine with the Jasper Dancers and the rest of the basketball team to the song “Poison” by Bell Biv DeVoe, which made the crowd go wild.

The new freshmen were introduced with their own dances and songs: guard Matthew Glassman, guard Elijah Buchanan, guard Samir Stewart, forward Daniel Schreier, guard Christian Hinckson, guard Tykei Greene and second-year freshman forward Warren Williams.

Then the sophomores: guard Ethan Lasko, guard Nehemiah Mack, forward Ebube Ebube and forward Kevin Salis.

Then the juniors: guard Jesse Boyce (who brought out his younger brother during his song, similar to his entrance last year), forward Tyler Reynolds and forward Paulicap.

Graduate student forward Ibrahima Diallo was also welcomed to the team.

Finally, it was time for the

Men’s head coach Steve Masiello (left) and women’s head coach Heather Vulin (right) speak to the crowd at Manhattan Madness.

TAYLOR BRETHAUER / THE QUADRANGLE. seniors to make their entrances for the last time in their careers: guard Maloney, guard Thomas Capuano and guard Samson Usilo.

After the introduction of the coaching staff and a brief hype voiceover of past pep talks by Masiello, the head coach began shouting “Jasper Nation… where are you?”

He entered the court wearing Athletic Director Marianne Reilly’s jersey and gave her a shout-out, calling her the greatest Jasper basketball player, male or female, of all-time.

Masiello then jokingly told the crowd he was expanding the student section to the entire side bleachers, telling students to show up and cheer for their team.

“We’re your team,” Masiello said to the crowd. “We play for you, we play for this school.”

Unlike past years, there was no special musical guest to finish out the pep rally. Instead, Masiello told everyone he would be buying lunch the next day at 12:30 p.m. at Jasper’s Deli on W. 238th Street.

The emcee took the microphone back and had another student, Chris Hoffman, at-

tempt a half-court shot for the $10,000. After two tries, Hoffman was unable to pull off the feat. The pep rally ended soon after that.

Fans exited the gymnasium into the night with new t-shirts in their hands and an excitement for the basketball season, with upcoming men’s and women’s games on Tuesday, Nov. 6 starting at 6 p.m. for the women against LIU Brooklyn and 8:30 p.m. for the men against Elon University.

The following day, nearly 100 students lined up outside of Jasper’s Deli. Masiello kept his promise, buying every student in line a sandwich, including creating his own called “The Masiello” which is a “meatball parm wedge with pepperoni.”

He stood outside greeting students and taking their orders. The line was cut off around 1 p.m. in order to accomodate for all the students that ventured up to the popular deli.

As students left and thanked the coach, he reminded them to show up on Tuesday for the upcoming game.

Although the fall semester is nearing the end, the basketball season is just beginning.

Students lined the sidewalk outside of Jasper Deli for free sandwiches provided by Coach Masiello. He also created a sandwich of his own and signed the recipe as seen above.

TAYLOR BRETHAUER / THE QUADRANGLE