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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MANHATTAN COLLEGE | SINCE 1924
Volume XCVIII, Issue 14
FREE
NEW YORK, DECEMBER 4, 2018
A Look Into Accessibility At Manhattan A QUADRANGLE INVESTIGATION Gabriella DePinho Asst. News Editor
ROSE BRENNAN/ THE QUADRANGLE
Students Protest Commencement Location in Memorial Hall Megan Dreher & Alyssa Velazquez Features Editor & Production Editor
On Wednesday, Nov. 28, students marched from the Kelly Commons to Memorial Hall in protest of the ongoing Commencement issues. While holding signs and chanting, members of the Student Government and other concerned students requested to speak to both Dr. Brennan O’Donnell, President; and Dr. William Clyde, Provost and Executive Vice President about student concerns that were not being addressed in regards to the location of Commencement as well as the ticket number. Prior to the protest, the administration had released a statement that was intended to compromise with student concerns. On Tuesday, November 20, The Office of the Provost sent an email that informed the Class of 2019 and their families that they were pleased the ticket count per student would be increased to three tickets inside of Draddy Gymnasium, the amount students have received in years prior. They also informed students of their hopeful effort to increase the ticket count to four. “We are expediting this effort and intend to inform stu-
dents and their families before our Christmas break with an update as to whether or not we can increase tickets available to each family to four, as requested in the Student Government Resolution passed during the assembly. Please be assured that safety in Draddy is of utmost importance and remains our priority,” said Dr. Clyde in his email. Though this extra ticket was helpful to some, students still felt as though the administration was not willing to work with them in regards to moving Commencement off campus. This protest was organized and was intended to continue the conversation surrounding their concern. These are the events that transpired. 12:15pm Students gathered in the Kelly Commons as they prepared to march to Memorial Hall. About 40 students were in attendance with signs that expressed their Commencement concerns. As they walked to the Quad, the students chanted. Upon arriving to Memorial, Jaycie Cooper, Student Body President, and other members of Student Government knocked on President O’Donnell’s office door, as well as Dr. Clyde’s office door, and requested that they come outside to speak with students directly.
IN FEATURES: Global Business Inside the Manprogram remains hattan College archives at Manhattan on p.9 on p.5
IN NEWS:
12:25pm President O’Donnell came out from his office and spoke with members of Student Government on all of the existing Commencement issues. The dialogue between the two started with Kerry Cavanagh, Vice President of Academic Affairs for Student Government, thanking President O’Donnell for taking the time to come out and speak to Student Government and the participants of the protest. O’Donnell then addressed the students as a whole and expressed his appreciation for them speaking out and ensures them that their voices are being heard. He continues by stating that “[Administration] will continue to look for better and better options for this very important part of the college life” and that the steps for future commencements will be to “go back and take out a fresh sheet of paper and see if we can figure out a better way forward, including a possibility of surveying students like we did a couple years ago.” In regards to the survey, Richard Satterlee, Vice President of Student Life, confirms that there will be a survey sent out in the spring semester to __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
In assessing accessibility on Manhattan College’s Campus campus, mobile accessibility and educational accessibility both need to be considered. Manhattan College adheres to all the mandates set out by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 as well as those set out in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504. ADA and Section 504 prohibit discrimination based on disability. ADA covers employment, state and government and public accommodations, which is the category educational institutions, such as Manhattan College, falls under. Construction on the Riverdale campus started in 1922, long before considerations of accessibility were legally necessary. The design for the campus came from a contest in which architects were asked to design into a rocky hillside, as the school wanted to keep excavation to a minimum. Keeping excavation to a minimum preserved the natural landscape of the area and kept the project more affordable. At the time campus was constructed, the entrances to Miguel Hall and De La Salle Hall did not have the ramps or stairs that students today are accustomed to seeing; rather, those entrances were nearly flushed with the path around the quadrangle. However, keeping campus hilly presented the school with an accessibility challenge that the college was historically well aware of. In 1975, the college was invited to take part in a “Higher Education Accessibility Project for Disabled Students.” Those working on the project were looking to make a directory of schools’ resources for disabled students so disabled students looking at colleges could be aware of resources and accommodations available to them.
IN A&E:
Annual Cabaret goes behind the scenes of Broadway on p.10
Manhattan College responded to this invitation in a letter to the project director, John Doucette, on December 8, 1975. Dr. T. James Perch of Manhattan College wrote, “The Manhattan College campus is not conducive to almost all categories of disabled students described in your survey. This is due to the extremely hilly terrain on which the Manhattan campus is situated.” The letter notes that at the time, there were no physically disabled students but there were four visually disabled students that were accommodated by the school. At the time this request for participation in this survey was sent, Miguel Hall, which was then Manhattan Hall, did not yet have an elevator. Plans for an elevator in Miguel Hall started in 1980 and it was completed in 1981. This information was gathered from the Buildings Collection in the archives, which lacked documentation on the implementation of the elevator in De La Salle Hall. The college was aware of the fact that it was not physically accessible, however, this was not an issue as there was no legislation on the matter. As construction around campus continued and as the Americans with Disabilities Act was introduced, the college became more conscious of making campus accessible. Andrew Ryan, the current VP of facilities, spoke to some of the past changes the college made in a move towards accessibility. “We’re looking at doing something in the RLC lobby and so I was down there with the architect and we’re looking at the blueprints and I guess it was like 1984, 86 is when the college bought the building and we did do projects in there. It was then that we added the handicap ramp in the front and elevators and all that,” said __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
IN SPORTS:
A recap of Fall sports on p.14
Opinions & Editorials
2
THE QUADRANGLE
the Quadrangle
LET T ER from The Editor
Volume XCVIII, Issue 14
In my first “letter from the editor” in my first issue as editor-inchief, I finished it by saying “let’s get this party started.” And what a party it has been! This past year has been a whirlwind and has given me such an incredible background in leadership, organization and maturity. I have seen my staff grow in wonderful ways whether in quality, quantity or most importantly, in friendship. I have loved leading this paper and most importantly leading a group of my peers that I love so much. Each of them brought something incredible to their roles and I don’t think I could ever thank them enough. It’s a bittersweet feeling to wrap up my time as editor-in-chief because this position has not been an easy one. There have been crazy weeks and crazy issues, but for all of the insanity that comes with managing a staff of almost 40 students, along with preparing a weekly paper for publication, it has been one of the greatest blessings of my college career and probably my life. The Quadrangle is one of the most professional publications I’ve ever had the honor of contributing to during my journalism career. This continued to ring true these past two semesters while I’ve led the paper. In the spring, we published our special issue “The Bronx Issue” along with one of our most successful Triangles to date. We also published a “Quadrangle Investigation” about the chemical engineering department that Stephen Zubrycky and Rose Brennan, my fearless managing editors, worked tirelessly on and eventually won them a Quaddie award. Finally, we said goodbye to the graduating class with a Quadrangle-first: the “Quad 10”, which was Time 100 on a Manhattan College scale. In the fall, we’ve continued to follow our high standards in hardhitting news and ethical journalism. Majority of us learned those skills from our former advisor, Tom Callahan. The news of his passing was deeply saddening, but also brought us together in remembrance of one of the greatest journalists any of us will ever know. We continued to write for him and for the good of our college community as we published our fall special issue, “The Tech Issue.” We’ve also spent the majority of this semester covering the upset regarding commencement, which is a perfect example of why The Quadrangle is so dedicated to being a voice of and for the student body. As I pass the torch to Megan Dreher, the next editor-in-chief, I am thrilled to see the continued excellence of this newspaper thrive under her leadership. There is not a doubt in my mind that she will do a great job. It has been a pleasure serving this paper and campus as editorin-chief. I will look back on this year and remember how proud I am to be a Jasper. Thank you again to my staff and to faculty, staff and administrators for the support. That’s the news and I’m sticking to it.
DECEMBER 4, 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
Sincerely,
Taylor Brethauer
Editor-in-Chief
News
DECEMBER 4, 2018
3
An In-Depth Study on Accessibility on Campus __________________________ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Ryan. Ryan also said, “Generally now when we do construction projects or renovation projects where it’s required that we do things to bring it up to ADA requirements, that’s what happens. For instance, Kelly Commons is completely ADA accessible. Thomas Hall where we did the front and the third floor, the bathrooms were changed over. They were sort of ADA compliant before but they are one hundred percent compliant now.” However, Ryan said there are challenges to making sure the things the college implements to make it more physically accessible are ADA compliant. “When you’re doing a ramp, by code, the maximum slope that you can have in it is 1 inch of rise in 12 inches of run so if you need to come up twelve inches, you need to have a ramp that’s 12 feet long and you know in a lot of cases, you can’t fit a ramp that’s 12 feet long so they end up putting a turn in it or something.” said Ryan, “Take the front access - the middle access - to De La Salle and Miguel. What we did with the front of those buildings, is we put a code compliant handicap access ramp on the front… But you can see, it turns. When you’ve got a long run on there, like 25 or 30 feet of run, you have to have a resting platform on there which makes your ramp even longer, so you could be quite long. I think Miguel and De La Salle are a good example that when we’re doing something, we’re compliant.” Ryan did acknowledge that campus can be challenging to get around saying, “There is a path [that’s accessible] but it’s a little long, I think.” Looking to test that, I had students time themselves walking from Lee Hall to Leo Engineering Building, Overlook to Leo Engineering Building, and Overlook to O’Malley Library using inaccessible routes. I then used a shopping cart full of about 50 pounds of items pushed at a slower walking pace to test accessible routes. The average walk from Lee Hall to Leo Engineering took 8 minutes and 15 seconds; the return trip average was 9 minutes. Using the pseudowheelchair the trip from Lee to Leo took 13 minutes and 30 seconds; the return trip to Lee too 14 minutes and 20 seconds. In order to get to Leo from Lee via an accessible route, one would have to exit the 8th floor bridge, enter Thomas Hall through the bridge on the fifth floor and take the elevator down to the third floor. From there, there’s a choice. One can either take the ramps down to the quadrangle and go down to the guard booth via the Jasper
driveway or take the elevator by the library to go down to Hayden and then go uphill to the parking lot until you reach the guard booth. From this point, the two routes are the same. After reaching the guard booth you have to go down the sidewalk not through the main gate but via the driveway, then cross the street to the Kelly Commons path and and arrive at Leo through the one accessible entrance in the back. The route to and from Lee or Horan to any other part of the campus, including the library, becomes inaccessible past midnight when the 8th floor bridge closes and when Thomas is locked by Public Safety for the night. The average walk from Overlook to Leo Engineering Building was 5 minutes; the average return trip was 5 minutes and 38 seconds. Using the pseudo-wheelchair the trip to Leo from Overlook took 14 minutes and 30 seconds; the return trip took 15 minutes. While most students take the Overlook steps to reach Leo, the accessible route requires one to go down Waldo Avenue to the three way intersection, cross the street towards Kelly Commons and then go down the Kelly Commons path. The average walk from Overlook to O’Malley Library was 8 minutes and 38 seconds; the average return trip was 8 minutes and 46 seconds. Using the pseudo-wheelchair Overlook to O’Malley took 12 minutes and 22 seconds; the return trip took 13 minutes. The accessible route from Overlook to O’Malley requires you to go down Waldo Avenue, enter main campus through the driveway by the guard booth and then either go up Jasper driveway and take the ramps on the quadrangle or to go down to the elevator by Hayden and take that to the fifth floor. The times estimated by the makeshift shopping cart wheelchair are most likely inaccurate. The walking pace varied from time to time and did not accurately reflect the pace of someone in a motorized wheelchair or a self-pushing wheelchair. The routes were also not perfectly accessible. The hill up to Overlook is fairly steep and could present a challenge for a physically disabled student; the sidewalk on the side of the street that Overlook was on was uneven with many places that the pseudo-wheelchair could not get over without extra pushing or lifting it over. There are places that have cracks or are fairly uneven outside Smith that could prove an issue for someone if they did not properly avoid these spots. ADA and Section 504 is not just about a college’s physical accessibility but also about the college’s academic accessibility.
Manhattan College has the Specialized Resource Center which exists to make sure Manhattan continues to adhere to the law. “Section 504 is more specific for us as far as colleges are concerned. It says that any college that accepts any kind of federal funding, whether it’s a private college or not, falls under those two legislations. It’s more about what you can’t do. It’s saying you have to even the playing field. The laws for K-12, it’s a different story,” said Anne Vaccaro, the director of the Specialized Resource Center. She continued. “Up until high school, it’s basically the school’s job and obligation to keep you and educate you but that’s not the case with when you get into higher ed. It’s the student’s choice to be educated. It’s the responsibility of the college to make sure that you have every accommodation you need in order to participate.” The SRC provides students with whatever academic resources and accommodations they need, as well as connect students with other resources on campus. Vaccaro said, “We branch out and speak out with almost every department, whether it be the deans’ offices - we work closely with advisors and assistant deans. We work very closely with the counseling center, very closely with the dean of students’ office, residence life, the registrar, and with physical plant even, if need be.” For students with physical disabilities, the SRC works to make their schedule as easily accessible as possible, considering the campus and where certain classes and departments are located. “What we try to do is we try for students who do have physical disabilities where there are mobile barriers, we try to make that student’s schedule accommodating. So a student in a wheelchair, we’ll keep those students’ classes in De La Salle or Miguel so that there’s no having to go to Hayden or any other non-accessible - well not that they’re impossible to get to but not that easy to get to building,” said Vaccaro. She continued. “We did have a student, John Evans, who was blind and we had the same issue with him because he navigated for himself. However, there were certain classes that we just could not accommodate. One was his music class, which had to be in Hayden, because that’s where the equipment was necessary so we just had one of the staff walk him down to the class and pick him up after. We accommodate around what’s here, which is the best we can do.” The SRC offers a variety of resources and accommodations to students, such as sup-
(TOP) The ramp outside of Miguel Hall is the only ramp to the quad. (BOTTOM) Uneven ground outside of Smith Auditorium can cause accessibility problems for students. GABRIELLA DEPINHO/ COURTESY plemental notes taken by note takers, extra time on exams, spell-check tools, and help with filing for housing accomodations, among other things. Housing accommodations are requested, reviewed and then, if deemed reasonable and necessary, met through a combined effort of the SRC and Residence Life. “There are handicap rooms in Lee Hall that they hold for students whether it’s a temporary need or if someone is in need of that full-time. Those are mobility accessible. I would say more common is a student requesting a single room for a myriad of reasons. We have the accommodation request for housing on the website,” said Vaccaro. Associate director of Residence Life, AJ Goodman confirmed the location of those handicap accessible rooms and usage of the rooms via email. “We do have two ADA accessible rooms on campus that have been used for students with particular needs around mobility. Typically these were temporary needs with recovery from an injury. In the event of a temporary relocation, we allow the student to have two room assignments so they can go back to their roommates and suitemates, but also have
the amenities they may need in terms of an accessible shower and bathroom,” said Goodman. Goodman also detailed the accommodations of the room. “The accommodations include wider doors into the room and into the bathroom. The bathroom also has handrails around the toilet, and an accessible shower (no tub). There are also open closets with shelving of various heights.” In addition to all of the common accommodation requests the SRC gets, the SRC has seen an uptick in requests for emotional support pets in dorms, so they are continuing to develop the policy regarding that resource. “We try our best when developing policy to be proactive instead of reactive to situations by staying current on issues and trends in higher education and disability support through listservers, publications, etc. This enables us to benchmark our policies and procedures with other universities while keeping up to date on what’s happening,” said Vaccaro. According to Vaccaro, oftentimes, students don’t know about the center so it takes them a while to reach out or __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
News
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THE QUADRANGLE
Questioning the Accessibility of Campus __________________________ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 they will not take advantage of the center’s resources because they want to leave the “disabled” part of their life behind until they realize that they could still benefit from those resources. Vaccaro said, “Mom and dad always know about us. We’re getting more and more incoming students before in the summer before school starts. We had fifty new students on the first day of classes and normally we would have half of that.” While the SRC is the department that directly deals with students’ needs, other departments can also get involved in the conversation around the issue of accessibility and do something to educate people about the matter. The department of Information Technology Services is a good example of this. At the start of the semester ITS advertised their “Accessibility Challenge” in the daily announcements. The challenge ran over the course of 5 weeks and is still available online for anyone to partake in. Each week as the challenge ran, a new blog post about accessibility was made on the ITS blog and had an accompanying quiz for readers to confirm and show that they had actually learned new skills from the blogpost. The idea was initially director of web applications, Cynthia Duggan’s idea, inspired by various trainings and workshops she’s attended but the project became a group effort. Defining digital accessibility was the first step in creating this challenge. ITS student worker Alberto DeAngelis defined digital accessibility as “optimizing your content so websites, PDFs, documents to the point that
anybody, no matter what your range of abilities are, anybody could easily access it.” In ITS training coordinator Anita McCarthy’s view, digital accessibility is for everyone. McCarthy said, “You might not think that you might ever need things to be accessible but say you break a finger or an arm and then what do you do?” Some examples of digital accessibility include using headers in documents so that way people using screen readers can better understand the structure of the document, using larger, cleaner fonts, captioning images with descriptions of the image, and making sure that colors used are easily legible and distinguishable, among other things. McCarthy recognized the value in making things easily accessible. “We just want to raise awareness because yes, it’s a nice thing to do but it’s also a necessity for people. People everywhere see benefits,” said McCarthy. While the school is providing a significant number of resources to students who need accommodations in the classroom or in their academic endeavors, students still struggle to see the school as accessible due to the physical accessibility of the campus. Junior management and marketing major Paul Fucao worked as a campus tour guide from May 2018 to September 2018 and saw the accessibility challenges the structure of the campus creates due to two tours he gave, one with a mother who had a stroller and the other with a student in a wheelchair. “Everyone who knows campus knows that there is a straight path through one of the arches when you go through the main gate but that has a lot of stairs and is not accessible at all so you have to zig zag the whole way,” said Fucao,
“At least from a tour perspective, the accessible route kind of misses out on the best parts of the campus and it certainly took longer than expected. Usually my tours were an hour flat but that tour was about an hour and thirty or forty minutes.” Those two tours made Fucao realize the extent of MC’s physical accessibility. “At least the two tours I gave, they didn’t want to trouble me much. They felt bad for, in their words, “dragging the tour” but you know, you see the campus as it is. They say it’s accessible but this is it,” said Fucao. Fucao still thinks that even though the tour route is inconvenient, students who need a physically accessible way around campus can still find Manhattan College attractive. “I don’t think it looks negative to prospective students. I don’t know how other colleges deal with this but this is always an issue… I don’t think prospective students will be turned away from the school because of this but I think from a tour perspective, the school could draw an alternate route,” said Fucao. Gerianne Martin, a member of the class of 2018, also came to realize the limitations of campus’ accessibility during her junior year of college after she ruptured her achilles playing intramural volleyball. “I was on crutches for two days and then I was like I can’t do this so I just walked with a boot on but then I was gifted one of those scooters by my boyfriend so I would stay off of my foot because the school wouldn’t give me one because I wasn’t an athlete,” said Martin, “On the crutches, it was a disaster, I got really tired really fast. The scooter was a lot more fun, going downhill, going uphill, not fun at all. I think I already knew from seeing other people being injured [that the campus
The quadrangle of Manhattan College during construction in July 1923. MANHATTAN COLLEGE ARCHIVES / COURTESY
isn’t very accessible] and then I experienced it and I realized how much worse it was.” Martin was able to get around campus through accessible routes fairly easily but once ran into a problem with a campus elevator which made her trip back to her apartment in Overlook a bit more cumbersome. “I was leaving the library and the elevator that goes down to Hayden was stuck down at the bottom so I had to scoot myself all the way down to the Jasper driveway to get home. For a normal person, that’s not that far but when you think about the ramps and other things you have to go around, it’s really far,” said Martin. For Martin, the experience was all-around frustrating but incredibly eye-opening. “Manhattan College is not an all-abilities inclusive school. If you are wheelchair bound, I literally do not think you could go to this school. That blind guy who graduated from here not that long ago, I cannot figure out how he made it here.” said Martin, “There are steps and loose bricks everywhere that I don’t know how he made it. There were really nice people that would help him around but at the same time, he shouldn’t have to be helped around like that. He should be able to function on his own at his school.” For freshman communication major Jovanni Rodriguez, the need for accessibility in education and in public spaces isn’t temporary but permanent. Rodriguez is wheelchair bound and comes to school everyday with an aid who helps him get around. “I found out about their [Manhattan’s] great communications program so I just wanted to come see it. I came for the first time on accepted students day. It was difficult at first, but I’ve found a way around campus,” said Rodriguez. Similar to Martin, Rodri-
guez has also run into a problem because of an elevator not working. Rodriguez said, “[I’ve run into a problem with] the elevator in Miguel. It was about ten minutes before my class and I had to miss it because the elevator was broken, but it was just once.” According to Ryan, there is a set procedure for dealing with elevators when they stop functioning but it can take a lot of time. “We have 21 or 22 elevators on this campus so we have 3 different elevator contracts so depending on where the elevator is, it gets addressed by the right party… If an elevator goes out, during the day, generally it’s four hour response, unless someone is stuck in the elevator. If someone is stuck in the elevator, it’s an hour or less response,” said Ryan. Rodriguez said he would like to see the school have more and bigger elevators, as well as more ramps. Despite the challenges Rodriguez faces getting around campus, he is hopeful that in the future, there will be more students like him on Manhattan College’s campus. “I think [I want] for people to understand that being different is okay. The term disability doesn’t define who I am as a person. I can do anything that you guys can do,” said Rodriguez. He continued. “Before I leave here, I want to see more people who are different come here. I feel like, when they come here, it doesn’t look accessible, so they kind of turn away from it because they get scared. I want to change that. I want people to be able to come here because the school does have a lot of great programs and I feel like some people miss out on it because of the accessibility problem.”
A 1975 letter responding to the request that the college partake in the Higher Education Accessibility Project. MANHATTAN COLLEGE ARCHIVES / COURTESY
News
DECEMBER 4, 2018
5
Global Business Program Here to Stay Rose Brennan A&E Editor
After miscommunication and misinformation regarding its status propagated Manhattan College this semester, the O’Malley School of Business has reaffirmed its intention to maintain its global business program. While the global business program will not be discontinued, as many were led to believe, it will be undergoing reevaluation. For the time being, the program will convert from a dual major to a minor until the reevaluation process is complete. Uncertainty surrounding the status of the global business program was brought to the attention of Kerry Cavanagh, student vice president of academic affairs, earlier this semester when she was shown an Instagram post made by a global business student. The post was made by a student under the assumption that the program was ending altogether, and this concern spread across the student population. “I was basically in charge of finding out, ‘Okay, what happened? Is it a lack of communication, like what was happening?” Cavanagh said. “We got to speaking to a few global business students. It seemed it
was definitely an issue.” She continued. “However, I did bring it up at the … Educational Affairs Committee, and Provost Clyde had followed up with it, and I had met with the chairperson for global business, and it seems as though it was a big miscommunication,” she said. Global business is unique among the majors offered at Manhattan College because of its designation as a “co-major.” If students enrolled in the O’Malley School of Business wanted to major in global business, they also had to choose an additional major offered within the school, such as management or marketing. Senior Diego Miguens is a dual major in the program, and will graduate in 2019 with a degree in global business and finance. “To obtain the degree, you need to complete an international course in marketing, management, finance and economics,” he said. “You also have to complete a travel abroad course where you shadow various businesses in a different country The decision to end the dual major aspect of the global business program was not the college’s to make. According to Donald Gibson, Ph.D., dean of the O’Malley School of Business, New York State made the decision to end co-major
programs, and global business was therefore converted from a dual major to a minor in April 2018. “The program is not discontinued,” Gibson said. “The global business program was a co-major, which New York State did not want to continue that designation.” This conversion meant that students already enrolled in the dual major could continue on with their studies and graduate with the previous dual major designation. The incoming class of 2022, however, would not be able to embark on this same path of study. Should they still wish to take part in the global business program following the change, they would be have to pursue it as a minor rather than as a dual major. “From what I gathered in my conversations with the chairperson and assistant dean, it seemed as though freshmen had one-on-one interviews with the dean in order to figure out … how can they move forward,” Cavanagh said. “I definitely would encourage [the freshmen], and the dean and the chairperson from global business have said, reach out to them and make sure any concerns are heard. And they’re very willing to meet with students, if they are concerned.” Part of the reevaluation process is already taking place.
Steps are being taken by several members of the O’Malley School of Business’ faculty to improve the program at this time. “Professors have been sent to conferences to see what other schools are doing, how are they incorporating study abroad, because study abroad is a big portion of it and to really enhance the program,” Cavanagh said. Though global business is now a minor for the time being, there is a possibility that its status could change for the better. “We’re looking at the possibility of developing it into a [standalone] major,” Gibson said. “And this would be happening quickly. This has been a popular program. So Professor Grishma Shah has been looking at how to develop this program best,” Gibson said. He continued. “I’m a little hesitant, only because we haven’t had these discussions quite yet, but Professor Shah has written a report about what some of the competition is doing, and some of her ideas about what to do. So we’re going to meet and determine what the next steps are. Miguens agrees that the global business dual major should become a standalone major. “This could benefit students who want to have the in-
ternational and global factor to their degree, and will also save them money because the business school can select specific courses to obtain the major,” Miguens said. According to Cavanagh, the O’Malley School of Business hopes to complete the evaluation process in two years. However, there are a number of factors involved in the process to make global business a standalone major. “On campus alone, it has to go through a number of different committees: the collegewide curriculum committee, it has to go through the [Educational Affairs Committee], but then it also does have to get approved by New York State, which takes time,” she said. “And so I think that’s where... it’s not guaranteed in two years. I think that’s their target timeline. But there are external reviews that do need to be done of the curriculum.” While the extent of the global business program will remain as a minor for now, this designation is not necessarily permanent. More importantly, the program will continue to be offered by the O’Malley School of Business. “The global business program will definitely exist going forward. We just have to determine: minor, major, between those two options,” Gibson said.
Students Protest Commencement Location in Memorial Hall __________________________ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 address the issue of selecting the venue that will be used for future classes’ commencements. This dialogue then continues with Cavanagh asking if the same lack of communication will continue toward future classes. President O’Donnell admits that the lack of communication played a role in confusion and distress when organizing the commencement for the class of 2019. He states, “I think we’ve been very candid about that as well, that we made a big mistake in putting out that information. It was not true, the information that was put out, and it’s very regrettable. So I apologize for that. I would’ve done it differently, we would’ve done it differently.” In terms of the lack of communication, Cavanagh then brings up the idea of having a student representative sit in on the committee that handles the planning of commencements. O’Donnell states that this request is reasonable and that this can be discussed further with Student Government and Student Engagement. This
idea is continued later on when members of Student Government have the opportunity to talk to Provost Clyde when the protest is wrapping up. 12:33pm President O’Donnell thanks the students for coming out and voicing their concerns and then is called into his office for an appointment he has scheduled. Richard Satterlee and John Bennett, Director of Student Engagement, then briefly speak explaining the resources that are available to the student who wish to further express their concerns or learn more about what the next steps to take are. Bennett expresses that the Student Engagement office is open to visits for those students who have any questions, comments or concerns. Satterlee continues “As the president indicated, we understand the failure in the communication and, you know, promising to do a better job for this year’s commencement communication and going forward.” 12:42pm While students were wrapping up the protest, Provost Clyde arrived to Memorial Hall. Vice President of the Stu-
dent Body, Jara Giner asked the provost to join students to further discuss Commencement. Clyde initially responded with “Not really,” but later came out to discuss. After Clyde goes into his office, members of Student Government thank the students who have decided to partake in the protest to voice their concerns, and also thank the members of administration who decided to join in on the discussion in Memorial Hall. The members remind the students of how Student Government could be contacted and when the next assembly meeting will be, which is Wednesday Dec. 5 on the fourth floor of Kelly Commons at 12pm. 12:50pm Provost Clyde returns to the lobby of Memorial Hall where members of Student Government are awaiting to voice their concerns. In this, they reiterate what was discussed throughout the protest with President O’Donnell, Satterlee, and Bennett. When asked his thoughts on having more student representation on different committees and a survey being sent out to students, Clyde agrees that both could be done.
Afterwards When most of the student protestors have dispersed, members of the Student Government Executive Board expressed their thoughts in response to the events that had transpired throughout the protest. One notable aspect of the protest was the appearances made by the administration. Isabel Quinones, VP of Residential Affairs, notes that the administration came to the protest voluntarily. She states that “They heard about [the protest] through word of mouth and through our posts and advertisement about it. So we’re really grateful... this shows that they actually do care and they want to be here because they came here voluntarily.” Regardless of what administration has said in the past and during the protest, Cooper is still optimistic and believes that the venue for the Class of 2019 can be changed. “I’ve called around to multiple event service venues… giving them the situation we have and saying ‘is it viable to move locations and to have a place that would fit four tickets in a comfortable space’ and I’ve gotten ‘yes, it’s possible to do,’” explains Cooper.
With this Cooper believes that what is frustrating about this whole situation is the “administrations stubbornness to not move it,” but that this doesn’t mean the protest wasn’t successful. The student’s voices were heard and because of the protest, change will be made for the next graduating class. In terms of the changes that will be made in the foreseeable future, Cavanagh’s main takeaway from the protest is the importance of having student representation on the planning committee for commencement. By having this, the lack of communication between administrators and students will be lessened and students will be able to address their concerns more directly. Cavanagh emphasizes this by stating “As Student Government we will hold them to that and I think the student body can expect that we will absolutely fight to the end so that students are heard and so that we can see change, even for this years graduation, and for sure, for future graduations.”
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THE QUADRANGLE
PEOPLE OF MANHATTAN
Keeping Up with the Krets Stephen J. Zubrycky Managing Editor
When Kelly Kret was looking at colleges in 2015 and 2016, she knew what she wanted. She wanted to do engineering. She didn’t want to stray too far from her home in Chappaqua, N.Y. And she wanted a Catholic college. “Manhattan had everything on that list,” she said. One year later, when her sister Mary Kret was looking at colleges, Manhattan College once again just made sense. Mary was going to graduate from high school early. The Kret family unit was moving from Chappaqua to Tuckahoe, N.Y., and rather than switch high schools, Mary doubled up her senior year and got her diploma in three years. When she arrived on campus last year, she was only 16 years old. Mary is now 17, and will be turning on 18 on Dec. 17, well into her sophomore year of an exercise science major. Kelly, 20, is a junior studying mechanical engineering. The sisters are the brains behind the upcoming event, “Extra Special Prom,” scheduled for the evening of Feb. 8 in Smith Auditorium. The event, sponsored by Campus Ministry & Social Action (CMSA), will bring special needs people to campus for a dance with MC students.
Kelly and Mary have both participated in a similar event in Midtown Manhattan. “We both went as buddies about two years ago… in Times Square at a church,” Kelly said. At that event, the guests were paired with buddies, many of whom who were much older. But Kelly thinks that having college students act as buddies will make the event more fun and more special for its guests. “It’ll be really nice to have college age and special needs [people],” Kelly said. “They’re our age. It’s going to be more fun.” Though the event is still in the early planning phases, it has seen success thus far. More than 200 students have already signed up to volunteer. For the Krets, Extra Special Prom is more than a brainchild. It’s a passion project. “I have a cousin with Down syndrome,” Mary said. “She’s like a twin basically.” The event is not just about showing its guests a good time. The sisters are hoping to help bridge the gap between special needs people and non-special needs people. “You just need to treat them like a normal person. They’re really not that different from you,” Mary said. “[Many people] don’t see it very often and we grew up with it so it’s nothing new for us,” Mary said. The sisters’ passion for service goes hand-in-hand with
their family’s deep Catholic faith. “You don’t have a conversation at home that doesn’t involve God in some way,” Kelly said. “If ever we’re stressed, my mom’s like, ‘Well God has a plan,” Mary said. Kelly and Mary make up one half of the Kret children. John, 26, is their older brother, and they have a younger sister Julia who is 12 years old. After the birth of their son John, Kelly and Mary’s parents thought they would not be able to have more children… until Kelly came around in 1998. They chose middle name Rose for her because of St. Therese of Lisieux, who is commonly known as “The Saint of the Little Flower.” “St. Therese is the saint of the little flower and the little flower is the rose. So if you pray to her… she shows you a rose… Kelly was [my mother’s] rose,” Mary said. For Mary, the homage was more direct. They chose the middle name Therese. The sisters Kret are involved in many places across campus. Kelly is part the Society of Women Engineers, Love Your Melon and CMSA. Mary is soon to be inducted into Phi Epsilon Kappa, the honor society for physical education and health. And you can find both sisters in the pews in the Chapel of De La Salle and His Brothers every Sunday for
Kelly Kret (left) is a senior mechanical engineering student. Mary Kret (right) is a junior exercise science major. KELLY KRET / COURTESY mass. After earning her bachelor’s degree in exercise science, Mary wants to pursue a career working in occupational therapy working with people with special needs. Her plan involves a master’s degree and ultimately a doctorate. “It’s a lot of schooling. But I feel like it’s worth it in the end because it’s a job I want to do,” Mary said. “I know I’m going to like it.” Kelly intends to finish her mechanical engineering degree at MC and pursue a career in prosthetics.
“I want to work in a field that’s like person-to-person a little bit,” Kelly said. “I’d like to be in between the problem solving and the people, and I think the medical industry kind of combines that a bit.” But the Krets are not just looking for jobs. They’re not just looking for careers or professions. They’re answering a call. “I want a job that gives meaning, purpose,” Kelly said. “I think you’re put on this plane to give yourself.” And that’s what the Krets intend to do.
Rory Hannigan: His Life in Music C. Garrett Keidel Asst. Sports Editor
For senior Rory Hannigan, his relationship with music and guitar is one built out of the need for self expression. During his freshman year at Manhattan College he was introduced to and began listening to fusion style(s) of music. This style of music that was outside of the traditional rock and roll and pop genre, caught his attention due to the mixing of influences, chord progressions, and sounds. This made him want to learn how to play these songs himself. The specific band that he wanted to learn to play songs of is Twiddle. The desire to play along to some of his favorite songs lead him to picking up a guitar and learning how to play the instrument. “At the end of my sophomore year of college, I finally had time to have to myself. I don’t even know what pos-
sessed me to do it. My roommate had a guitar in the room all year, and I never had even looked at it twice. And then all of a sudden I got into this band [Twiddle] during sophomore year. And then I asked ‘bro do you mind if I pick this up?’ So I actually learned my first few chords on my roommate’s guitar,” said Hannigan. After that, Hannigan continued playing guitar throughout the summer with friends in his hometown. Coming into Junior year, he took a class at the college in order to learn more. “I took the guitar skills and techniques class here at Manhattan. It’s basically like an intro into guitar class for people who don’t have too much experience playing. There were some kids in the class who like me had some previous knowledge about chords and basic scales. Professor Garcia would mold the class to help those on the various levels by giving works on slightly different levels of difficulty,” said Hannigan.
After taking that class. Hannigan felt solidified in the lessons he had learned. Wanting to learn even more though, he sought the help of a jazz teacher to learn more through specific style of playing. Weekly lessons and exercises in technique, form, and strength fully showed vast improvements in his playing and overall skill. Music to Hannigan is much more than just something to do in passing the time also pointing out the creative struggles that it can bring as well. “It is first and foremost my outlet for self expression,” said Hannigan. “I’ll just sit down sometimes and record a little progression by looping it through my amplifier, then I’ll start to create melodies or freestyle some sort of way over the looped track...It’s something that I found that I am good at and it helps me relax some days and get some stress out. But then on the other hand sometimes it causes stress. Some days, even when something
Senior Rory Hannigan began playing the guitar at the end of his sophomore year at Manhattan College. RORY HANNIGAN / COURTESY was easy to play, you have the hardest time doing it. It can just be really annoying until you try again a couple days later and completely shred it.”
While reflecting on how guitar influences his daily life, Hannigan simply replied, “it sure makes my free time very interesting and enjoyable.”
Features
DECEMBER 4, 2018
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Amy Surak: Behind the Scenes of the Archives Alexa Schmidt A&E Editor
Amy Surak is the director of Manhattan College’s archives and special collections, located in the O’Malley library. She has been an archivist for about 25 years, and started working at MC in 2002. Originally, she contacted Manhattan to conduct research for another institution’s history, and discovered that MC’s archivist had recently stepped down and the college needed someone to fill the position. Surak said if she could find someone, she would let the college know. But then September 11 occurred, she needed to get out of the downtown area, and took the college up on their offer. “I was interested in learning more and so I came up and it was a great place and I knew they needed a lot of help. They showed me around, and at the time the archives was over in Memorial Hall in these old rooms that were just plagued with environmental problems, like everything was leaking. But I was just like, “Oh my God, you have such an amazing collection.” So I kind of surveyed the collection just to see what was going on,” Surak said. She continued. “And then I also learned that there was not only the college materials but the Christian brothers materials, so the different districts of the Christian brothers, one of which was here, and then they had a Lasallian research collection. So it actually was so much bigger and more vast than I imagined, which actually made it more exciting. It was just an amazing Catholic collection, and the collection itself when I surveyed it was really like, you could tell the story of the history of Catholic education in New York. It’s a great topic, so it really had so many different reverberations,” Surak said.
The archives has a mission to collect materials and record the information; it contains materials that range from the east coast to the midwest, that date back to the 17th century in every language. “We have a museum collection now, which I’m still really kind of discovering, which is exciting, but it contains like thousands of relics of saint’s bones. And so you do have like St. Catherine of Siena or St. Clare of Assisi or say Francis and, the institute has them, gets them and puts them typically in, at, you know, at the altar in a church. But when those things move around, inevitably they end up in the archives. So we have a ton of materials just related to the Catholic Church in general, like relics or and I mean we have this beautiful vest vestments that $40,000 because it’s all woven in gold, like crazy, wonderful stuff,” Surak said. She continued. “We have a great diverse collection, that’s for sure. A lot of people also think, it’s an archive, it’s just like all books and paper. But it’s not, it’s recorded information, but that can come in any form. So it could be film, it can be images, it can be a ton of ephemera,” she said. There are eight different archival collections, including the college, the New York district of the brothers of the Christian schools, the Long Island New England district, the Midwest district, the district of eastern North America, the Lasallian research collection, the museum collection and the Christian brothers conference collection. Half of the collection is on the first floor of the library, with the other half located downstairs in a couple of different rooms that have high ceilings for storage. The variety of materials include photographs, lantern slides, daguerreotypes, and essentially, every aspect of the history of photography.
There are manuscripts, items on parchment, on Vellum, you know, paintings, professional art collections, and a myriad of materials. Some of the archives that arrive are delicate, and require more care than usual. The main objective is to mitigate any damage to materials that arrive. The items need to be rehoused to withstand environmental degradation, especially temperature or humidity fluctuations. Surak will do basic conservations if needed, but if necessary, will send materials out. The items then get evaluated, sorted into their proper category and then documented in the database. “What you want to do is you want to preserve certainly the provenance of it because it’s not just the content of the materials, but that tells you, obviously that provides information, but how the materials came to you or were organized in the first place. So for example, you know, I’ll get a collection of say the provost’s office and his materials are alphabetized, you know, according to subject and then according to date or something like that. Well, that tells me obviously how he had his department structure, right? So I’m going to preserve that,” Surak said. She continued. “So, it’s based on right record groups. And they’re pretty, obvious, especially when you’ve been working with materials for so long. We’ll have different series or different sort of hierarchical categories to help researchers gain access, and the most obvious access points for a lot of these are dates. It’s almost like keeping metadata,” she said. The archives are open to student use as well, for classes and research. Surak estimates that she’ll get about five to seven emails a day, but she encourages all students to visit the archives themselves. “So I’ll try to do as much as I can, especially with digital
The Archives Collection located on the second floor of the O’Malley Library. ALEXA SCHMIDT / THE QUADRANGLE technology. It’s easier to disseminate information. However, I love, I encourage people to come in because, you know, I’m going to give you my sort of synthesized view of what I think you want. But if you come in and you take a look, it may lead you in a different direction or different tangent. I’m not, I’m not filtering it. Now at least you’re having the pure, you’re looking at the original source, your original materials and that could take you to a different direction or it could just, you know, change your thought process on whatever it is you were interested in,” Surak said. She continued. “I think there’s something really valuable about that sort of tangible documentary aspect of looking and feeling original source materials. I think it’s stimulating. I mean I do with
my kids all the time, you know what I mean, like if they can touch something and feel it and they truly old, that’s cool. Right. So that sort of please touch aspect about it. I like and which is another reason why I encourage people to come in here, take a look at this, and maybe that will spark something,” she said. Surak is passionate about her work and truly believes the archives are meant to be shared. “I love the materials. I love, I love, I love talking about it. Obviously I love showcasing it. I want to show it off because I want other people to benefit. I think I’m the type of person where knowledge is power, but it shouldn’t be hoarded. Everybody should benefit from it,” Surak said.
Artifacts that could be found in the Archives(left) and an aisle view of the Archives that aid in preserving the history of the college (right). ALEXA SCHMIDT / THE QUADRANGLE
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THE QUADRANGLE
Jaspers Give Back to the Bronx for Thanksgiving Rose Brennan & Haley Burnside
A&E Editor & Senior Writer
The holiday spirit among Manhattan College students has turned into a motivation to give back to the community. In the weeks surrounding the Thanksgiving break, a number of charitable initiatives are happening on and off campus with the help of students. Making its annual return to the campus in the form of neon pink boxes is the Just Peace Period Project. The club is collecting women’s sanitary products which will be given to multiple resource centers in the Bronx. The project is being organized by Carly Brownell, the new president of Just Peace. She is excited to take over the Period Project because she sees it as an important issue that needs more help and attention. “This is an important issue for students to be involved with because [menstrual health] is such a great need that so few people are talking about,” said Brownell. “Pads and tampons are really expensive, and so people in need, especially homeless people, have very limited access to them. This can lead to all sorts of health issues including infections and toxic shock syndrome.” Brownell cites several reasons why this project is a great one for students to easily participate, and it will make a world of difference in the end. “It really is a life or death problem that we are trying to help address. Also, it is an important issue for students to be involved with because it is so easy to donate. So many people have stashes of pads and tampons from which they can take at least a few to donate,” said the club’s president. The Just Peace Club has set
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a goal of 4,000 pads or tampons based on the number of supplies they collected last year, and Brownell is hopeful that they can surpass that number. “We are always blown away each year by the generosity of Manhattan College students when it comes to this drive, and we hope this year will be no different,” said Brownell. The Period Project is just one of many opportunities students have to donate to the less
Kingsbridge Heights Community Center and Saint Frances of Rome food pantry who then distribute to those in need,” said Thomas. Though there is no numerical goal for the cans collected, the organizers are hoping to help as many people as possible during this important time of the year. “Our goal is to make sure that those who are less fortunate have the opportunity to
market settings, where they receive fresh produce and participate in cooking demonstrations to learn how to make healthy meals, and our MC volunteers help distribute this produce.” According to Von Euw, CMSA partners with City Harvest regularly for its “Service on Saturday” program. Thus far, six students have signed up for the upcoming Thanksgiving-themed Mobile Market. CMSA is also involved in
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“The program places emphasis on the practice of faith in our Lasallian identity on a Catholic college campus,” von Runnen said. “The Peer Ministry is open, accepting and welcoming to any student regardless of their religious beliefs and practices. Overall, the program serves as a way to discuss faith, its role in our lives, and build a stronger Jasper community on campus.” -----------------------fortunate this season. A canned food drive organized by Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz is going on until the end of the semester. Victoria Thomas, a recent Manhattan College graduate, is assisting with the organization of the drive, showing that the desire to give back to the community does not stop with graduation for Jaspers. “I graduated Manhattan College this past May with a Bachelor of Arts in History. I am currently working in Assemblyman Dinowitz’s district office as a Community Liaison,” said Thomas. “We’re organizing our annual holiday food drive which we will be collecting canned goods and non-perishables for up until December 12th. All the food collected is then given to
celebrate and enjoy their holiday season,” said Thomas. The canned goods can be dropped off in the Campus Ministry Social Action Suite on the second floor of Kelly Commons from now until the end of the semester. CMSA is also partnering with City Harvest for a Mobile Market in Washington Heights for a special Thanksgivingthemed service project on Tuesday, Nov. 20. “City Harvest delivers fresh fruits and vegetables, free of charge, to thousands of New Yorkers through the Mobile Market program each month at these markets,” said Kathleen Von Euw, MC’s assistant director of community engagement and partnerships. “At the Mobile Markets, community members gather in farmers’
what will be the college’s first Midnight Run. The Midnight Run is a worldwide program that involves drawing together essential provisions and clothing and then distributing them to homeless people within the area. Senior Kaitlyn von Runnen is helping to organize this inaugural Midnight Run, which was held on Friday, Nov. 30. The program will consist of two parts: preparation, which will involve assembling food and snacks, which will then be distributed during the Run itself. “During the preparation period from 4 p.m. [to] 10 p.m. in Cornerstone, participants will be able to bond and build connections with each other prior to embarking on the experience,” von Runnen said. “Students will share a meal to-
gether, and also have a small pre-trip reflection/prayer to address the experience they will have in a few hours.” The group plans to distribute the goods around the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Midtown Manhattan, the home parish of Fr. Tom Franks, MC’s chaplain. The Run itself took place from 10:30 p.m. onward. The Midnight Run is being organized through the college’s newly-created Peer Ministry program. Von Runnen is a part of this program, which began this semester. “The program places emphasis on the practice of faith in our Lasallian identity on a Catholic college campus,” von Runnen said. “The Peer Ministry is open, accepting and welcoming to any student regardless of their religious beliefs and practices. Overall, the program serves as a way to discuss faith, its role in our lives, and build a stronger Jasper community on campus.” Whether in the form of the Period Project, a canned food drive, a Mobile Market or a Midnight Run, MC is remaining committed to its serviceoriented mission, which Von Euw cannot stress enough. “I would actually say that service projects are no more important during the Thanksgiving season than any other season,” she said. “When the season of giving ends, the needs still remain.” She continued. “It is particularly important for people to remember that meaningful, ethical community engagement must be ongoing and must be sustainable. That is why we do our best to consistently work with the same organizations, not just when the holidays roll around,” Von Euw said.
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DECEMBER 4, 2018
Arts & Entertainment
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Annual Lessons and Carols Ushers in the Holiday Season Alexa Schmidt A&E Editor
The annual Lessons and Carols event was held on Sunday, Dec. 2 in the Chapel of De La Salle and His Brothers. It included performances by the Manhattan College Singers, Orchestra, and two acapella groups, the Manhattones and the Performing Hearts. The lead-up to the event requires practice and preparation. Andy Bauer, the director and coordinator of performing arts, oversees the scheduling and timing. “We start working on the music right away because the music that we’re doing really would ideally require at least two to three times a week of rehearsal. We have choir once a week for two hours, which is not as productive. So consequently, if we’re trying to do music at a certain level of difficulty, we have to start earlier in the year,” he said. Erin Plitt, the president of Singers added, “Right away we start looking at the music we will do in December for the concert. Usually at first we start just skimming the music, reading it down so that we are familiar with it and then we start really digging in after open house.” “Rehearsing is an interesting time. It all feels generally very rushed because we’re going from general concert to Lessons and Carols, but I’m honestly really impressed by how fast we can get things together and do things well,” said Naomi Uy, who is in Singers, Orchestra and Performing Hearts. The prelude to the concert
began at 3:30p.m. with Performing Hearts singing their own rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” two arrangements from the Orchestra, and the Manhattones arrangements of “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and “White Winter Hymnal”. At 4:00p.m. the event officially started. The Orchestra and Singers performed a collection of songs and medleys together, including “What Child is This,” “Carol of the Bells,” I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “Greensleeves” among various others. The music choice for Singers stems from Bauer’s own judgement on what he thinks will challenge his ensemble, but he also takes student suggestions into consideration. “I’ve gotten a handle on the personalities of the groups, and I kind of know what they’re going to like. Even if they don’t necessarily like it in the beginning, because it’s hard and it’s difficult, eventually they will appreciate it. I always try to give them well-composed music. The quality of the music is going to be the best it can be,” Bauer said. The “lessons” including readings from Genesis, Isaiah, Luke, Matthew and John, which retold the Christmas story. Margaret Groarke, Ph.D., offered a reflection. “Silent Night” was at the end, with the lights in the chapel turned off, and members of the audience holding lit candles. The night ended with a closing prayer from Reverend Thomas Franks, and a recessional. After Lessons and Carols, the audience members were invited for refreshments and
Manhattan College’s all-female acapella group, the Performing Hearts, opened the program. ALEXA SCHMIDT / THE QUADRANGLE
Manhattan College Singers and Orchestra team up to perform a collection of songs and medleys for the event. STEPHEN ZUBRYCKY / THE QUADRANGLE further entertainment in Kelly Commons. “The after-party, which is my favorite part of the whole concert, is when the jazz band plays. Because then I’m done with everything and I can just enjoy just being around people and getting into the Christmas spirit,” Bauer said. Lessons and Carols is a big event for all performing arts groups, and is a way to start December off on the right foot before the stress of finals, and winter break. “I like the pageantry of it. I think it’s just a beautiful, wellcomposed performance piece where the music and the words really become fused and mutu-
ally supportive,” Bauer said. For some, it’s their last time participating in such a special event. Senior Plitt said, “It’s definitely bitter-sweet to be singing at my last Lessons and Carols. I remember my freshman year all of the seniors and juniors going on about how much it meant to them and how beautiful the whole program is, especially the candle lighting. Looking back, I had no idea how much it would mean to me.”. She continued. “Being Singers president has come to mean preserving what I think is special about the performing arts department and this magical event. I used to
think of it as a great leadership position but now I find myself working a little bit everyday to pass on the special traditions that have been passed down to me. I was elected into an amazing community by becoming the president of Singers, working with the board and Andy has been one of the best things about coming to Manhattan for me. I want so badly for others to have the experience I had and I want this community to grow and flourish after I have graduated.”
The candle lighting contributes to the beauty and pageantry of the evening before the reception in Kelly Commons. STEPHEN ZUBRYCKY / THE QUADRANGLE
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THE QUADRANGLE
MC Players Offer a Look at Life: “Backstage on Broadway” Lauren Schuster Asst. Features Editor
This weekend in the Black Box Theater, the Manhattan College Players brought something a bit unusual to the stage: a glimpse at what goes on behind it. This year’s theme for the club’s annual Cabaret was “Backstage on Broadway,” in which the cast members performed numbers from famous Broadway musicals. The numbers from various shows were all woven together to create a story of what goes on behind the scenes of a Broadway production. The show was directed by senior Michelle Lapreay, who worked with the cast to quickly put the show together in only a few weeks. “We grouped people together based on songs that we thought would fit the theme,” Lapreay said. “After that, we basically blocked all of the numbers that we could, we staged them, and then we had Alice come in, the pianist, twice a week-ish to work on harmonies and group numbers and everyone’s solos, and then we put it all together this week.” Junior Maria Summerville served as the production’s assistant director, which was her first experience with student directing. “This is my first directing experience ever, so it was an awesome experience just because it gave me so much freedom, and gave both of us so much freedom in trying out any idea that we had,” Summerville said. “I think what also made it so enjoyable was the cast and everyone that came out even just for auditions. Ev-
eryone came out and had such energy and was so excited to do it because it was just going to be a fun experience and they could tell, and they really came through for us and made it a great experience for us as well.” With a large group of performers, 27 in total, each hav-
has a relatively short rehearsal period, this year she felt especially proud of how quickly it came together. “Last year, I’m pretty sure we had an extra week, so that definitely made a difference in the nerves of everyone because I think we just all felt more prepared,” Ronan said.
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“I think what also made it so enjoyable was the cast and everyone that came out even just for auditions,” said Summerville. “Everyone came out and had such energy and was so excited to do it because it was just going to be a fun experience and they could tell, and they really came through for us and made it a great experience for us as well.” -----------------------ing their chance to sing, the Cabaret is a unique show for Players. “Basically, this semester, this is your only opportunity to sing in Players, so that’s very different.” Lapreay said. “Since it’s a cabaret where it’s not like everybody has to be together [on stage] all the time, it’s a lot more flexible in timing. That’s why we had 27 people in it, because there was so much flexibility time-wise.” For junior Kathryn Ronan, this was her second time participating in the annual Cabaret. While the Cabaret always
“This one, we kind of still felt a little bit messy in the beginning of the week, but it really came together. On Monday [and] Tuesday, that’s when we were like, ‘we got this, we could only do this in two weeks, and we got this!’” For sophomore Camryn Kidney, this was her first time being a part of Cabaret, which gave her an opportunity to try something she usually doesn’t do in a relatively laid-back setting. “It was really fun,” Kidney said. “I don’t normally do stuff
Chloe Ludlow, Jennifer Bueti and Alex Constantine perform together in “Backstage on Broadway,” this year’s annual Cabaret. TAYLOR BRETHAUER / THE QUADRANGLE
Junior Maria Summerville (above) served as the assitant director of “Backstage on Broadway,” which was her directorial debut. TAYLOR BRETHAUER / THE QUADRANGLE where I sing by myself in front of people because I’m a musician, but I’m not really a singer at all, and so that was different. It’s definitely scary doing that.” While Kidney has participated in other Players productions, she found Cabaret to be an especially good way to perform a fun number without too much pressure. “It’s different than the main-
stage [productions] because those are definitely more high stakes, being done by a real adult director,” Kidney said. “But these are a lot of fun because it’s not as super stressful because it’s student directed. It’s really fun to get to know people because it’s one of those shows that anyone can be a part of, so it’s great to make good friends.”
Senior director Michelle Lapreay joined her cast for the final song of the Cabaret. TAYLOR BRETHAUER / THE QUADRANGLE
DECEMBER 4, 2018
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“Wonderful Town”: New York Stories from “The New Yorker” THE BOOK NOOK Sophia Sakellariou Staff Writer
Finding time to leisure read during the semester can be challenging. With dozens of reading assignments for classes, exams to study for and a social life trying to be balanced, curling up with a good book doesn’t always fit into a busy schedule. That’s why “Wonderful Town” is an ideal book for a busy student. Edited by David Remnick, this book is an anthology of short fiction stories from “The New Yorker” that revolve around New York in some way. New York is the heart of American literary culture. Accomplished writers such as Philip Roth, E.B. White, Renata Adler and J.D. Salinger craft stories of wonder and emotional enlightenment of this magnificent city and they follow the triumphs and tribulations of the people who inhabit it. Philip Roth brings the reader to the East Side in his story, “Smart Money” (1981), that follows writer Nathan Zuckerman, Roth’s alter ego. One of the longer stories in the book, Zuckerman goes about his day
in New York while struggling to avoid the haters of his newest novel who have no issue with confronting him on the street, bus and even in a diner. It goes against the grain in terms of the typical New York view of minding one’s business, but heightens the sense that the city is embedded with celebrities whose day to day experiences vary based on who they meet. In Midtown West along the Park, Freddie and Grey, a newly married couple, fret over the looming birth of their first child in “Another Marvelous Thing” (1985) by Laurie Colwin. Grey stares out the window of her hospital room overlooking Central Park, as the days pass on and the stress builds. However, the little bundle of joy eventually arrives, and in true New York fashion its first car ride is in a bright yellow taxi cab. “The Failure” (1999) by Jonathan Franzen brings the reader out to LaGuardia airport where Chip faces all of our fears— being the failure of the family. After picking his parents up at the airport for the holidays, he is reminded of how he is not where he planned on be-
ing at this point in his life. Chip went to New York an aspiring writer, but life got in the way, as it tends to do, and is viewed as another struggling artist in his parents eyes while his successful sister bears the burden of supporting him. Downtown, the narrator of Maeve Brennan’s “I See You, Bianca” (1966), admires her friend Nicholas’ simplistic approach to life in New York. While others struggle with the demands of rent, chaos of commuting, and the seemingly never ending construction on every corner, Nicholas lives in peace with the city. His “modest brownstone” on E. 12 St. near Fourth Avenue consists of two rooms and lacks a sense of permanence, even though he’s lived there for years. If there’s a problem he fixes it and looks down at the bustling streets below his window with serenity as his cat Bianca stays close by. With stories following people in varying walks of life in practically every part of the city, Wonderful Town functions as the literary guide to New York. The reader sees how this city shapes an individual whether it’s building them up
“Wonderful Town” is an anthology of short fiction from “The New Yorker” that revolve around New York in some way. SOPHIA SAKELLARIOU /THE QUADRANGLE or beating them down, but in the end, the craziness, exhaustion, and overall chaos of this wonderful town makes one that
much more proud to call themselves a New Yorker.
Martin Marchitto, Director of MC Players, to Depart at Semester’s End Rose Brennan & Alyssa Velazquez A&E Editor & Production Editor
After five years and ten productions with the Manhattan College Players, adjunct professor of theater and Players’ director Martin “Marty” Marchitto will depart the college Marchitto will be leaving his position at MC in favor of the position of Artistic/Executive Director at the Center Stage Theatre, a non-profit theatre and theatre education center in Shelton, Conn. “My job will include choosing and overseeing all of the various programs we present, as well as directing several shows and assisting in fundraising and grant writing,” he said. Marchitto’s tenure at MC began in January 2013. The first production he directed was Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s “Little Shop of Hor-
rors.” Though his official title was director, Marchitto viewed his role as something much more than that. He owes this to the vast amount of experience he gained in his freelance career. “I approached the role as more than just a director, but as a production coordinator,” he said. “Over the course of the five years, my goal was to create quality shows in all aspects of production.” Marchitto is especially proud of the great strides MC has made in terms of set production. “For my first production, ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ I not only directed the show, but designed and built the sets, designed the lights, assisted with finding and creating the puppets and props and assisted the costume designer as needed,” he said. “In this last production, ‘Present Laughter,’ I have had an incredible group of technical students who pretty much built the set, worked with the lighting designer on lighting,
and assisted the costume designer. Something [like] that makes me very proud to see.” Junior Paul Fucao is the Marketing Chair of the Players and reflects back on the productions that he was involved in with Marchitto. He first worked with him for the production of “12 Angry Jurors”, and then proceeded to work with him throughout the productions of “Legally Blonde” and “Present Laughter.” Fucao continues reflecting on Marchitto’s impact on the Manhattan College Players and notes that his style of directing was unique and it took some getting used to. Regardless of this Fucao emphasizes, “but at the end of the day he was always our biggest fan.” Junior Kathryn Ronan is the Players’ producer. She began working with the Players in her freshman year. In that time, she has worked with Marchitto on five mainstage productions: “12 Angry Jurors,” “Legally Blonde,” “Rumours,” “Into the Woods” and “Present Laughter.”
“I really liked working with him; I really respect him as a director,” she said. “Like he taught me so much about theatre, because when I was in high school, stage manager was completely different from what I’m doing now, so he really taught me what a stage manager does.” Ronan worked alongside Andrew Bauer, MC’s coordinator of performing arts, to find a suitable replacement for Marchitto. After she and Bauer identified potential replacements, the Players board met with the candidates, and the vacant position ultimately went to James Ryan “J. R.” Caldwell. “He’s super nice, Marty actually recommended him. J. R. is great, and I’m really excited to start working with him,” Ronan said. While Ronan is hopeful for the future of Players after Marchitto’s departure, she will nevertheless miss working with him. “Players is going to be very different without him,” she said.
Even in his new position in Connecticut, Marchitto will always look back at his time at MC fondly. “I have so many wonderful memories, too many to share,”
Martin “Marty” Marchitto MANHATTAN COLLEGE /COURTESY
he said. “What I will never forget [is] the opening nights of each of the productions. That moment when all of the hard work comes together and I can sit back and pass the show over to the dedicated and talented students who worked so hard to bring the vision to life.”
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THE QUADRANGLE
Agape Latte: “The Best Alexa Schmidt Asst. A&E Editor
On Wednesday, Nov. 26, Deirdre O’Leary Cunningham, Ph.D., delivered a lecture at the last Agape Latte of the fall semester. O’Leary is an associate professor of English, with particular interests in Irish literature and theater. Sophomores Meggie Osorio and Jeremy Capuder are part of the Agappe Latte planning committee. They go to a meeting with whoever is doing the talk before, and let them know what students want to hear so they will be engaged in the lecture. On the day of, they arrive early to help set up and write a thank-you card. Conor Reidy usually decides on who will deliver the speech, but he takes all suggestions into consideration. Agape Latte is a chance for students to learn more about their professor outside a classroom setting. “I like listening to people I admire, and hearing people that I look up to, and hearing about how their lives went wrong, and I’m like, ‘I’m going to be okay,’” Osorio said. Capuder agreed. “I like hearing about the development professors went through. And sometimes it’s really crazy. It’s so interesting to hear about how different people’s lives are and and how it affects them,” he said. Before the event started, students filed in to chat, eat some snacks and listen to music by singer and songwriter, Emely Martinez. O’Leary started her hilarious, relatable and honest lecture, titled “The Best Mistakes I Ever Made” at
opened. She recalled how special going home for Christmas could be for a college student, especially because she went to school in Virginia, and the holidays were only her second trip home for the year. However, her story starts in 2011 she was 37, with a three-year old and two one year-old twins. The preparation for the whole ordeal included getting herself, her husband and her kids to the church. This required the “operation and organization of the military,” which gave the audience a laugh. “It’s only when you get to church and you sit down and you see these three little angels sitting there and they look great and you kind of give those nods like, you’re welcome, because you’re showing these beautiful children to church and everyone’s looking at them,” O’Leary said. She continued. “My husband looks remarkably calm and rested and not at all frazzled and you see the 20-somethings home from college and they look so young and they look great and they looked relieved that the semester is over and then somehow maybe it’s through the stained glass window or something. You catch a glimpse of yourself and you look horrible and exhausting. You are the hobo that somehow caught a lift with this family, well dressed, beautiful family, and you just don’t look like you really should be a part of it. And every other mom in church looks the exact same way. But that is not at all reassuring,” she said. Then the priest started the homily about the birth of Jesus, which he pointed out was
get addicted to making things perfect and more often than not, things go wrong. Things are a mess, and of course, it’s a message that we don’t have to bring to just Christmas. Mistakes are made all the time. The night that’s supposed to be the best night ever isn’t. The birthday isn’t as great as you hoped it would be, the date that didn’t live up to expectations. But some of the best things in our lives can come from our mistakes and it’s up to us to choose to see them that way.” Some of her mistakes include haircuts alone, and who she’s dated. But she shared three mistakes that she’s learned to embrace, which most people viewed as mistakes, but she still made those choices, and considers them gifts. O’Leary’s first mistake was dropping out of school. She graduated college in 1995, and enrolled in a master’s degree program at Hunter College in the fall where she got her MBA. In 1997, she was accepted to the Ph.D. program at the CUNY Graduate Center where she took three years of courses and then moved to Ireland to do a program at Trinity College, Dublin. O’Leary worked on research for her dissertation and lived in Dublin from 2000 to late summer 2011. She moved back to the United States, and took a temp job at a commercial real estate firm doing copy editing and being an assistant to one of the executives. She had the opportunity to get a couple hours off each week so she could teach a class as an adjunct. “I was happy that I had this work life balance. I was making some money. I had regular
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“Mistakes are made all the time. The night that’s supposed to be the best night ever isn’t. The birthday isn’t as great as you hoped it would be, the date that didn’t live up to expectations. But some of the best things in our lives can come from our mistakes and it’s up to us to choose to see them that way.” -----------------------8 p.m. “I have spent the last few weeks thinking about what it was I was going to say and I think it’s particularly timely that I’m speaking to you right at the start of the Christmas season because the inspiration behind what it is I’m talking about today happened at a Christmas Eve mass in 2011,” O’Leary
a complete mess. There was no inn, no doctors, no midwives. Mary had to deliver in a barn full of animals, and the reward was three wise men who brought myrrh, frankincense and gold. “I bet she really wanted a shower,” O’Leary said. “The message of the homily was that Christmas is a time when we
health insurance, which was new. I could work on my Ph.D. exams and my dissertation proposal in the evening. Then a few weeks later it was September 11, and I happened to be working for the real estate company that managed the Trade Center and I remember bursting into an executive conference to tell my boss what had happened,”
Deirdre O’Leary’s lecture “The Best Mistakes I Ever Made” was the final Agape Latte of the fall semester. ALEXA SCHMIDT / THE QUADRANGLE O’Leary said. O’Leary worked in midtown, but can still remember “the thousands of people walking up Sixth Avenue covered in ash” and getting calls from her parents. “Everyone knew someone personally affected by that day and in the days and weeks after the 11th. The one thing that didn’t seem to make any sense to me was my going back to a Ph.D. program. For some people, a tragedy like that crystallizes your priorities. You see clearly what it is you should be doing with your life, who you should be spending it with. For me, I got really scared that I wasn’t acting grown up … and that since everything could change in an instant, I needed to start acting like a grown up that very instant. So I dropped out,” she said. Technically, O’Leary took a leave of absence, but just did not return to her grad program. She stayed at the real estate firm, taking minutes at meetings and took solace in the fact that she was just going to work, earning money and paying bills. “I had this feeling like I was adulting in a way that gave me some sense of stability, of significance. The work I was doing was fine, but it’s not like I was doing something that I considered meaningful. I was actually
stalling because I didn’t want to do what I considered meaningful to me because all of a sudden I knew with certainty that I could fail, that the world could fail. So I shouldn’t take the chance at succeeding at something that I had been wanting to do since I was a freshman in high school” O’Leary said. About a year later, she received a letter in the mail from one of her professors from the program who wanted to check in and see if she was okay. He wrote that whenever she was ready to come back, they would welcome her back and he was confident she would get her Ph.D. He wrote, “If you’re waiting for the world to make sense, my dear, it never will. So remember what you love and what your passion is. We’re here.” However, when she returned, he didn’t even remember writing a letter changed her life. “I look back at that time as actually a great choice I made, because I think I really needed time away from school. I had needed to reevaluate if what I was doing was in fact what I should be doing. It’s so important to have joy and passion in your life and that passion doesn’t always come from work, but it’s so much better when it does and I think I really needed that time, that feeling of being, being a bit directionless
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DECEMBER 4, 2018
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t Mistakes I Ever Made” to embrace my grad program again. When I returned I had a focus and a love for it that I really don’t think I had before,” O’Leary said. Her second mistake was turning down a job. When she was initially looking for jobs, she knew her husband would follow her, and she also knew that she wanted to be near a major city. She received the first round of interviews for three institutions. “I pretty much only think
year, she saw a posting for Manhattan College. She applied, got it and thanked her lucky stars. “I don’t know that I’ve ever shared this, but the first day of every semester I always go to the chapel and I say, thank you that I get to be here at this wonderful, wonderful school. I ask for help because at one point in the semester it’s all going to go wrong. It always does. And I sit in the quiet and just appreciate everything that this school has brought me, everything that
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“If you’re waiting for the world to make sense, my dear, it never will. So remember what you love and what your passion is. We’re here.” -----------------------that I had two interviews because my first interview was with UC Berkeley and I happened to be in a ... packed elevator with two of the people who’d be interviewing me. And I heard them say to another person in the elevator on my way up to the interview, they said “These 9 a.m. interviews are so tough, but we aren’t really looking to hire this person anyways. So it’s kind of a warmup for us.” Great. And then someone fell asleep in the room while I was being interviewed, so I really nailed that one,” O’Leary said. She then got a job offer out in Chicago. Logistically, it made sense. But, O’Leary knew it just was not the perfect fit. The next
I have. And I say, thank you,” she said. As for her last mistake, O’Leary said it had to do with ditching a guy on a date. She realized that she did not value kindness in a partner. She valued it in family and friendships, but never in a partner. “I was kind of dating this guy who was not particularly nice and not particularly communicative and not particularly emotionally available, but I was kind of dating him because he was a surgeon. He had this habit of ditching me when the bill would come and he had, I know he had the perfect out because the beeper would go off and he would just look down and be like, “Surgery!” she said.
She continued. “And I know you know what I’m talking about, you know, when you realize a relationship is or whatever it is is going to end and it’s just a matter of time. So you want to be the one to end it because then you kind of win,” she said. “Well ghosting was a lot easier 20 years ago. We were having dinner outside in New York City and I knew that he was going to find a way to leave me with the bill. Not tonight. So I arranged to have my friend call me and my phone rang, I picked it up and I said, ‘Hello, what? I’ll be right back.’ And I got up and I said, ‘Somebody just saw ‘Hamlet’ and they don’t understand it. I’ve got to go.’ And I never saw him again.” And she’s never regretted that decision. “And when I met my husband, I could tell you any number of things about him. He’s intelligent, he’s gorgeous, he’s hilarious. But the first adjective I used to describe him to my roommate was, he’s kind. People, date whomever you want, but if you’re looking to spend your life with someone, find someone kind. So looking back on my great mistakes, which just happened to be the three I came up with, I thought of over a lifetime of making mistakes,” she said. O’Leary ended her lecture with a list of advice. “Number one, call or text your mother. She worries. Do it tonight, Dad worries too, but text your mom. Make room in your life for a guilty pleasure and don’t apologize for it. Grammar matters. Learn to present yourself well and ask for help. If you only speak one
language, don’t ever make fun of anyone who has an accent because they speak more languages than you do. Everyone should live by themselves. At one point, everyone should be comfortable being by themselves. Nothing educates you like travel. Develop a travel addiction and feed it as often as you can,” she said. She continued. “Your twenties are exhausting. Give yourself a break now and then. Your thirties are going to be amazing. I’m halfway through my forties and they’ve been great. You will all need glasses at some point in your life. Collect stories from people in your life and in your family sooner than you think they
will be gone. Understand that heroism takes many, many forms. Single parents raising their kids, the mature student walking into a room full of kids, much younger than they. If it were easy for quiet people to talk in class or talking groups, they would do it. The world needs more quiet people. Don’t take any relationship advice from someone who didn’t at one point say out loud, “I’m going to die alone”. Read every day… Reading makes you a better thinker, a better writer, a better everything, and finally, don’t ever be afraid of making mistakes. They make you who you are.”
Manhattan College student and singer-songwriter Emely Martinez performed before the start of O’Leary’s lecture. ALEXA SCHMIDT / THE QUADRANGLE
Join the Quadrangle WE’RE LOOKING FOR WRIT ERS / GRAPHIC DESIGNERS / PHOTOGRAPHERS / VIDEOGRAPHERS Inquire by email at thequad@manhattan.edu
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THE QUADRANGLE
Fall 2018 Sports Recap John Jackson Sports Editor
Basketball Both teams kicked off their seasons with a Draddy Gymnasium double-header on Nov. 6. The women’s team took down LIU Brooklyn 61-46 while the men fell 62-56 to Elon. Since then, the women have been on a five-game losing streak; three of those game being decided by six or less points. The men picked up two wins in their next six contests with both coming at the Kemi Northern Kentucky Basketball Classic which was held from Nov. 16 to Nov. 18. The women and men play six and five more games in 2018, respectively, before MAAC play begins on Jan. 3. Cross Country Before the semester even began, a big name was added to the mix when former Jasper, two-time Olympian and ninetime Patriot League Coach of the Year Matt Centrowitz was hired as director of the cross country and track and field programs. Both the men’s and women’s teams participated in five team meets over the course of the season: The Fordham University Fiasco, the Army West Point Open, the Paul Short Run, the Metropolitan Championship and the MAAC Championship. The men placed second of 11, fourth of six, 39th of 41, second of 10 and fifth of 11, respectively in the five meets. The women on the other hand placed third of 13, fourth of five, 32nd of 41, second of 11 and seventh of 11, respectively. Two runners who consistently led the Jaspers were freshman Hali Ielfield and senior Lisa Fajardo. At the Fordham Fiasco race, Fajardo and Ielfield earned second and third place finishes, respectively in a field of 124 runners. The tables turned at the Paul Short Run as Ielfield finished 14th while Fajardo finished 16th in a field of 353 runners.
Fajardo won the Metropolitan Championship as Ielfield took fourth place out of 92 runners. At the MAAC Championship, Fajardo secured a fifth-place finish while Ielfield secured a 12th-place finish with 149 runners, en route to MAAC Most Outstanding Rookie honors. The two runners also participated at NCAA regionals where Ielfield took 58th out of 244 runners and Fajardo came in two-tenths of a second later for a 59th place finish. Fajardo also took second in a field of 153 runners at the ECAC Championship and fourth in field of 71 runners at the Army West Point Open. Golf The men’s golf team entered the fall semester with a new look. Phil Wildermuth was hired as the team’s new coach and only junior Preston Shortell returned as the six other members of the 2017-2018 team graduated in May. The team welcomed three freshmen in Sam Taraian, Jimmy Escoto and Joseph Busiello, three sophomores in Laurent Span, Brendan Leslie and Collin Grady and one junior in Georgy Chernov to round out the team at eight student-athletes. The golfers participated in four tournaments: the Doc Gimmler, the Bucknell Invitational, the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate and Metropolitan Intercollegiate. The results were similar in the first three tournaments as Manhattan finished second-to-last in each (13th of 14, 17th of 18 and 17th of 18, respectively). They fared better in their final tournament as they finished 12th of 15. They will have another set of tournaments lined up in the spring before concluding with the MAAC Tournament in late April. The golfers performed well the last three seasons at the MAAC Tournament with third place finishes in 2018 and 2017, and a second place finish in 2016. Jasper Dancers
Women’s Rowing ended their season on a high note and received many wins at the Bill Braxton Regatta. GOJASPERS / COURTESY
This past season Men’s soccer experienced many wins including some of the athletes being recognized on the All-MAAC First Team. JOSEPH HALE/ THE QUADRANGLE The Jasper Dancers held tryouts on Sept. 8 and 9 for prospective dancers. Two new members joined a group of eight returning members. Following the tryouts, the dancers began practicing by spending two days a week to work on conditioning and technique and a third day to learn routines. Starting on Oct. 8, Coach Kaitlyn Marquette and the dancers began choreography for Manhattan Madness which is the biggest event of the semester for the team. The team performed at the pep rally on Nov. 1 and continued their performances at men’s and women’s basketball games for the entire month of November. Looking ahead to the spring, the team will be practicing five-to-six days a week. The extra practice will help them as they continue to perform at basketball home games, but it is also in preparation for their biggest event of the year: The National Dance Alliance Collegiate Championship. This competition will be held in Daytona, FL during the first week of April. Rowing The women had a schedule that included six regattas that took place from Oct. 13 to Nov. 11. The team has continued to grow and improve since becoming a DI program three years ago. They ended their season on a high note at the Bill Braxton regatta as Jasper boats took first in the Women’s Collegiate Freshman Novice 4+, second in both flights of the Women’s Collegiate 4+, first, second in the Women’s Collegiate Varsity 8+ and all four positions in the Women’s Collegiate 2-. The men’s club rowing team participated in the Head of the Schuylkill and Bill Braxton Memorial regattas this fall. The club team continues to grow and take steps in the right direction since Head Coach Karla Ward and her husband Michael Ward returned to Riverdale last fall to revitalize the program. They’re aiming
to row in four indoor and four outdoor regattas in the spring. They also intend to return to Florida on spring break for training like they did last year. Soccer History was made for the men’s team as they had a program-best 12 wins on the season. Despite their 12-6 record, the team’s 5-5 conference record caused them to just miss out on the MAAC Tournament. Their biggest win of the year came on Sept. 18 when junior Adrien Awana scored a goal in the 90th minute to beat no. 25 Fordham in the teams’ Battle of the Bronx matchup. It was the first time that Manhattan soccer had ever beaten a nationally-ranked team. In terms of end-of-season recognition, Awana was named to the All-MAAC First Team while sophomore Berti Fourrier and junior Marcellin Gohier were both named to the All-MAAC Second Team. The women’s team came off a MAAC Championship appearance from the 2017 season, but struggled to find similar success this year, with injuries being a big obstacle. The team finished 3-8-4 overall and 2-5-3 in MAAC play. Their biggest win of the year came on Oct. 6 against Niagara. Neither team scored in regulation nor overtime. The teams moved onto double-overtime where sophomore Bri DeLeo converted a penalty kick to win it for the Jaspers. An impressive 19 out of 23 eligible women on the team were named to the MAAC AllAcademic Team for maintaining a 3.20 or higher GPA after two or more semesters at Manhattan. Swimming and Diving The men’s team started their season out very strong with six straight wins against their competition. That was followed by three losses at the NJIT Invitational and losses against both Holy Cross and Monmouth. They then finished
towards the top of teams that participated in the three-day ECAC Winter Championships. As a team, the women struggled as they only salvaged one win which came against NJIT Invitational on Oct. 21. Some individual Jaspers have shined such as freshman Lexington Passamonte and sophomore Andre van Huyssteen. Passamonte broke both the school record for the threemeter and one-meter dives. Van Huyssteen has won many races including a 50-meter freestyle race, a 100-meter freestyle race, two 100-meter fly races, a 100-meter butterfly race and three 200 freestyle races. The teams have four more meets during their season before taking on the MAAC Championships starting on Feb. 13. Volleyball Overall the volleyball team experienced a tough season which resulted in a 5-27 record and an elimination in the first round of the MAAC Tournament. Despite the record, there were some positives along the way. The five wins were actually an improvement from a year prior when they went 2-29. Also after starting the season 0-18, the team had a stretch from Oct. 7 to Oct. 13 where they won three in a row. Some individuals also stood out for the Jaspers. Senior Alyssa Rehrer finished the season with 354 digs. Her 1,402 career digs places her sixth in Manhattan College history. Freshman Vivian Donovan emerged as a reliable force on the court for the Jaspers and was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team. Eight Jaspers were also recognized for their dedication in the classroom as they were named to the All-MAAC Academic Team.
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Winterfest Awakens Jasper Nation Alyssa Velazquez Production Editor
The Battle of the Bronx is an event that many look forward to watching as the Manhattan College Jaspers face off against their local rivals, the Fordham University Rams. However, this year there was more the fans had to look forward to when it came to gameday. On Saturday, Dec. 1 the first Manhattan College Winterfest was held by Manhattan College Athletics and sponsored by the Student Government Association in Draddy Gymnasium before the start of the men’s basketball game. Students, faculty, and people from the surrounding community all gathered together to take part in the festivities. From having arts and crafts, live music, food trucks and a visit from Santa, everyone was starting the holiday season the way it should be, together as a community. In years prior, there was always a focus on having themes and special events set on gamedays for different collegiate sports to encourage both student and community participation and to show support for the hard-working student-athletes. Winterfest, however, was an event that could potentially become another yearly tradition as evident by the turnout of Jasper Nation. As anticipated, this event
was not something that could be done in a few days. The brainstorming started back in the spring semester of 2018 and really began shaping up early on in this current semester. Haley Nightingale, VP of Club Administration, explained how she would meet with Whitney Swab, the Associate Athletic Director for Marketing at Manhattan College, throughout the semester to create plans for the Manhattan versus Fordham game. “Having Winterfest [during the Battle of the Bronx] attracts people to come... the fact that it is such a big game, there was already going to be a lot of people here, so the entire environment would just be energetic and filled for the afternoon,” stated Nightingale. Ryan Kwiecinski, VP of Finance, added that “with winter break coming up soon we wanted to make sure that we end on a high note and for students to come together and body the Jasper spirit.” From the inflatable snow globe that people could climb in, to characters from the movie Frozen visiting the college campus, Kwiecinski emphasized his thoughts on the event by stating, “I love everything about it. It’s giving the Christmas vibes and getting everybody ready for the holiday season.” Jaclyn Leighton, a marketing intern for Manhattan College Athletics, emphasized
the goal of reaching out to the community and explained how Winterfest is one of the steps that Manhattan College Athletics has taken toward achieving this goal. “One of our main projects is community outreach, so we really wanted to get the community involved in an event that combines both Manhattan College and the holiday season” said Leighton. Kwiecinski highlighted this goal. “One of the big things that [student government] wanted to do was to bring athletics and the rest of campus closer together, but also the community as well,” said Kwiecinski. As the festivities continued, more students and members of the community joined together to celebrate and have a good time before the start of one of the most anticipated games of the basketball season. For the future, the Manhattan College community can expect more themed games and events that help bring everyone together to support the Jasper student-athletes. Leighton added that the marketing team is working hard and looking forward to future events that will be done in collaboration with student government. The marketing team’s main slogan as Leighton described is, “Where are you Jasper Nation?” With the turnout that Winterfest had, it’s clear that Jasper Nation is here and proud to be
Festivities included a giant snow globe (TOP) and free face painting (BOTTOM). @GOJASPERSMARKETING INSTAGRAM / COURTESY wearing the bold and bright green and white to support
their fellow Jaspers.
On Broadway, a Barber to New York’s Athletic Icons Megan Dreher & Stephen Zubrycky Features Editor & Managing Editor
Dozens of Manhattan College students have more in common with current and former New York sports stars Odell Beckham Jr., Eli Manning, Jason Kidd and Brook Lopez than you’d think. Since 2009, native Bronxite Davey Castillo has been the owner of Davey Cuts, a small barber shop located just off campus at 5987 Broadway. Castillo’s barbering career has taken off in the past five years, as he has picked up numerous high profile clients from all walks of New York’s professional sports scene. Castillo was born into a barbering family. His father is a barber and still owns his own shop - Robert’s Barber Shop - at 5824 Broadway, near the corner of West 238th Street and just a five minute walk from Davey Cuts. “My dad was a barber, and he owned a shop and right out of high school I started working with him there,” Castillo said. “I was there 15
years with him…and then I’ve been here nine years, since 2009.” Given its location, Manhattan College students and commuters who use the Van Cortlandt Park 242nd Street Subway Station have been Davey Cuts’ bread and butter since its opening. “The college community has always been a big part of this business here,” Castillo said. Castillo made his way onto the sports scene in 2013, when a friend of his, who was the security director for the Brooklyn Nets, referred Castillo to some of the players. Former Nets Center Brook Lopez was the first professional athlete cut by Castillo and the business only went up from there. Castillo’s clients have included Lopez, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Reggie Bullock of the Detroit Pistons, former Nets player and coach Jason Kidd, as well as several New York Giants, including Odell Beckham Jr., Eli Manning and Rashad Jennings. The Giants are such fans of Castillo’s work that he now
makes the trip to the team’s facility in New Jersey to give haircuts every Friday. “They’re always on camera and they’re always getting interviewed and they’re always on TV, so haircuts are a big thing,” Castillo said of his famous clients. Castillo’s work has earned him the moniker “the lucky charm” among some of his clients, like Phoenix Suns player Devin Booker. “Devin Booker… I cut his hair… the next day after I gave him a haircut, he scored 70 points in the game,” Castillo said. “And people were like, ‘oh, it was the haircut.’” In his youth, Castillo was a devoted fan of the Giants, Knicks and Yankees. But as his career advanced, so did his rooting interests. “Now, I don’t have favorite teams because I have relationships with all these different players,” Castillo said. “So, I become fans of my guys that I work with. I root for players now more than teams.” For Castillo, his career and his relationships with professional athletes are childhood dreams delivered. “Growing up I always
Men’s basketball coach Steve Masiello getting a haircu at Davey Cuts. DAVEY CASTILLO/COURTESY played sports. Basketball is my passion,” Castillo said. “And I always wanted to make it to the NBA… so now that I get to work around these guys it’s actually a dream come true.”
Castillo wants to continue for as long as he can - cutting the hair of the Giants, the Nets and the Knicks, the Yankees, and, yes - the Jaspers.
Sports
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THE QUADRANGLE
Jaspers Drop 57-56 Battle of the Bronx Thriller to Fordham MBB: FU 57, MAN 56
Junior Pauly Paulicap (center) scoring two of his game-high 15 points. GOJASPERS / COURTESY
Pete Janny Staff Writer
The Manhattan College Jaspers (2-5) hosted their crosstown nemesis the Fordham University Rams (6-1) on Saturday night in front of a near capacity crowd of 2,023 at Draddy Gymnasium. In the 111th installment of the “Battle of the Bronx,” both teams were backed by an impressive turnout in what ended up being a historic clash between the two schools. The Manhattan school spirit that emanated from the “Sixth Borough” student section, willed their team to the cusp of victory in what turned into a heartbreaking 57-56 loss. Unable to avenge last season’s 70-57 defeat at Rose Hill, Manhattan’s all-time head-to-head advantage over the Rams now stands at 57-54. Fordham built an early cushion off of a few three pointers, including a four-point play by junior Antwon Portley, to take an 18-8 lead. A short while later, the Jaspers found a groove and rattled off seven straight points to eventually get within one point of the lead. Despite this momentum swing in Manhattan’s favor, Fordham staved off the comeback at-
tempt and continued to hold a lead for much of the first half. This lead was extinguished when the Jaspers ignited a late 6-0 run to enter the locker room with a 27-25 halftime lead. Manhattan freshman forward Warren Williams delivered an impressive first half performance as he notched 10 points on an efficient 5-for-6 shooting from the field. Head coach Steve Masiello lauded the effort of Williams, who he believes is a part of the best front court in the MAAC. “I thought Warren Williams was dominant in the first half,” said Masiello. “There’s just not a lot of guys like Pauly, Warren, and Ebube in the MAAC. So I think that just says something about our front line.” In only his second game back from injury, Pauly Paulicap showed why his presence was so dearly missed. His effervescence on both sides of the floor is infectious which is why his contributions on Saturday night came as a surprise to no one. Coming out of the break, Manhattan looked hungry and ready for the sprint to the finish. Despite Manhattan’s sustained aggression, Fordham regained the lead and at times threatened to run away from the Jaspers. This lead
was extended to eight at 40-32 with 12:37 remaining, but was chipped away at by Manhattan in the ensuing minutes. With just over five minutes remaining, sophomore forward Ebube Ebube buried a threeball to cut Manhattan’s deficit to just two points at 51-49. Masiello touted Ebube’s admirable work ethic which he believes has made him into a key contributor for Manhattan. “He’s by far out of anyone in this program who has put the most time into his game,” said Masiello. “We’ve seen great strides from him since last year, so he’s going to continue to improve.” The inspiring play of Paulicap late in the second half made the thought of a Manhattan victory seem more and more conceivable with the passing of each electric play he made. His final highlight, a driving layup with 25 seconds remaining, handed the Jaspers their first lead of the half at 56-55. Unfortunately for the Jaspers, Fordham freshman guard Nick Honor had the final say in this one when he finished an acrobatic layup with two seconds remaining to sink the Jaspers 57-56. “Give Nick Honor and Coach Neubauer a ton of credit,” said Masiello. “Nick made
a hell of a shot and is a terrific young basketball player. Fordham deserves a lot of credit for coming in here against a tough crowd and tough environment to get a gritty road win.” Manhattan’s free throw woes came back haunt them as they shot an unsightly 16-of-28 (57.1%) from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, the Rams only took 10 free throw attempts while connecting on six of them. The Jaspers entered the night ranked number one out of all NCAA division one teams in highest forced-turnover percentage. They continued to wreak havoc in this facet of the game as they pressured Fordham into making 13 miscues. Despite their defensive prowess, Manhattan’s offensive efforts have yet to yield much success. The team’s average of 52.2 points per game is the third lowest mark in NCAA Division 1. “Our offensive numbers are obviously not where you want them to be, but I have a ton of faith in these young men,” said Masiello. “This is what happens when you have new players. But their attitude is great so we’ll eventually get it.” Paulicap left his imprint on the game as he finished with 15 points and six boards. For the opposing side, junior guard An-
twon Portley was chosen as the game’s most valuable player as he recorded 14 points, seven assists and three rebounds. “I’m taking my time and not trying to rush myself,” said Paulicap. “There’s no script with his minutes,” Masiello said of Paulicap’s return. “He could’ve played forty minutes. He’s just not in shape right now to play the way he wants to play. It’s December 1st only, I just need to make sure he’s ready for February.” Masiello and Paulicap were appreciative of the energy and passion the fans brought to Draddy for what’s always a festive battle with Fordham. “Terrific basketball game. Just one of those games that you wish would just keep going,” said Masiello. “I thought it was a very significant Battle of the Bronx in which both teams represented the colleges very well. Our administration did an unbelievable job of making this an unbelievable environment, so kudos to them.” “It felt great. I love the vibe and I love the energy,” added Paulicap. Manhattan will look to bounce back when they host the Stony Brook Seawolves on Wednesday, Dec. 5 for a 7:00 p.m. start.