Issue 5, Fall 2017 - The Quadrangle

the Quadrangle THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MANHATTAN COLLEGE | SINCE 1924

Volume XCVI, Issue 5

www.mcquad.org

SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

Benefit Concert Raises Over $300 For Hurricane Harvey Victims Rose Brennan & Daniel Molina Asst. Editor & Editor

Students performed in the Jasper Backyard Friday afternoon as part of the Hurricane Relief Concert.

STEPHEN ZUBRYCKY/ THE QUADRANGLE

U.S. News Ranks MC 15th in the North Gabriella DePinho Staff Writer

The 2018 edition of America’s Best Colleges rankings were released by U.S. News & World Report, with Manhattan College ranking very highly in three categories.

These categories were Regional Universities North, Undergraduate Engineering Program (in schools with no available doctorate), and Best Colleges for Veterans categories.

U.S. News & World Report identifies regional universities as institutions that offer a full range of undergraduate programs and some master’s level programs. Very few of the regional institutions offer doc-

IN NEWS:

toral programs.

The regional universities are then split up into North, West, East and South categories. Within each of the regional university classes U.S. News & World ranks schools in more specific groups, such as the two categories that Manhattan was ranked highly in.

U.S. News creates its college ranking categories based upon the 2010 Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifications, as this system is accepted as the basis for classifying schools by most higher education researchers.

U.S. News has used this classification system since the first Best Colleges rankings they released in 1983.

Manhattan ranked 15th among the 145 best regional

An 80-degree day at the end of September might seem a little unusual to some. But for Manhattan College Student Government and Student Engagement, the beautiful weather could not have come at a more opportune time.

In Jasper Hall’s backyard, students gathered for free food but, more importantly, to raise money for those in Texas affected by the floodwaters of Hurricane Harvey.

Following the massive success of Quadchella, the music festival on the quadrangle held earlier this month, the Office of Student Engagement decided to hold a similar event to maximize student participation and donation.

“We wanted to bridge together everyone across campus [...]. I think it’s important that everybody on campus

Rose Brennan Asst. Editor

Many students may not be familiar with Sheikh Samer Alraey, the imam and chaplain for Muslim students at Manhattan College. But those who have not gotten to know him are truly missing out.

Becoming a sheikh is a very long and difficult process for anyone, as it involves more than the duties of an imam, which is to lead a community in Friday jummah prayers.

“A sheikh is one that studies the religion and develops the authenticity of understanding the religion.

Anybody could be an imam, as a chaplain in a school or hospital or university or military or any house

of worship like a mosque,” Alraey said. “A sheikh is usually a learned one, one who has higher education, higher authority and higher qualification than an imam.”

Alraey’s personal walk with God began in his youth in Damascus, Syria. At the urging of his mother, he would go to the mosque and learn about Islam to study the religion and improve his character.

Originally, he was reluctant, as his mother mainly sent him to study to keep him out of trouble. But as time went on, his understanding of Islam grew richer and deeper. He began to see Islam as a religion of love and mercy. And with that realization, he fell in love with the religion and its teachings.

“I fell in love with the style __________________________

Continued on Page 4

Continued on Page 8

Res. Life shuts down Lee Hall DJs on p. 4

Sophomore creates video on immigration on p. 7

__________________________ Continued on Page 6

Samer Alraey, Muslim Chaplain, Builds Community at MC

__________________________

IN A&E:

works together for this cause,” said Ryan Quattromani, the senior class vice president said.

“We saw how successful [Quadchella] was, and we said ‘hey, why don’t we just do something where students perform and we get the food trucks again for a good cause.”

Because Student Government wasn’t able to take money straight from its budget and donate it to the cause, they had to be creative to develop a way in which they could directly help the hurricane survivors. It is in this environment where they came up with the idea of buying the food trucks and asking the students to donate voluntarily to the cause.

The students demonstrat-

IN FEATURES: Civil engineering student travels to Peru on p. 9

Sheikh Samer Alraey is Manhattan College’s Muslim chaplain. ROSE BRENNAN / THE QUADRANGLE

IN SPORTS:

Jaspers Baseball takes on Staten Island on p. 12

Opinion & Editorials

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the Quadrangle Volume XCVI, Issue 5 SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

The Editorial Board

Stephen Zubrycky Editor in Chief Jack Melanson News Editor

Haley Burnside Joseph Liggio Asst. News Editors

Ally Hutzler Features Editor Managing Editor

Megan Dreher Asst. Features Editor

Taylor Brethauer Arts & Entertainment Editor Managing Editor

Rose Brennan Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor

RikkiLynn Shields Sports Editor

Charles Lippolis Asst. Sports Editor

Tara Marin Social Media Editor

Catherine Goodyear Asst. Social Media Editor

Aaron Mayorga Photography Editor

Anja Pollozi Asst. Photography Editor

Alyssa Velazquez Production Editor

Abbi Kirollos Asst. Production Editor

Victoria Hernandez Morales Multimedia Editor August Kissel Daniel Molina Web Editor Thomas Callahan Faculty Advisor About The Quadrangle A tradition since 1924, The Quadrangle is a news or ganization 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

THE QUADRANGLE

On Charlottesville Rose Brennan Asst. Editor

In Volume 95, Issue 3 of The Quadrangle, printed on Jan. 31, 2017, I contributed an opinioneditorial article titled “The Punch is Not the Problem”.

Within the piece, I urged Americans to loudly and overwhelmingly reject Nazism, a subject brought about after white supremacist Richard B. Spencer was punched in the face.

I ended the article with a call to action, which stated, “Make your voice heard, and assert to this new administration that America cannot and will not become a place where white supremacy is even the least bit acceptable.”

My own words haunt me as seven months later, on Aug. 12, 2017, I watched Nazis march in the streets of Charlottesville, Va. I was horrified and refused to believe that it was happening - and in America, at that. But I was shaken to my core when I learned that a counter-protester by the name of Heather Heyer was killed in an act of terrorism by a white supremacist at the rally.

I will not deny that the American presidency is a difficult job, but condemning acts of hate should be one of its easier components. And yet, somehow that was a tall order for President Donald J. Trump.

The leader of our country and of the free world struggles to condemn the people that our uncles and grandfathers fought against in World War II. For some of us, our families were survivors and even victims of the genocide that took place at that time.

It is not at all difficult to say, “I condemn any and all acts of white supremacy and don’t want the vote of anyone who believes in such a reprehensible ideology.” And yet, he failed to say it.

But at the end of the day, the safety of American citizens like Heather Heyer does not matter to President Trump. Clearly, all he cares about is getting reelected, because he refused to condemn an ideology to which several of his voters subscribe.

He did eventually use the words “white supremacy” and condemn the actions of the protesters, but only after widespread media and public outcry.

The main issue people had with President Trump’s original statement was how he condemned violence “on both sides” of the protest. There is no “violence on both sides” in this situation. The white supremacists killed an innocent woman that day. The counterprotesters did not.

Belligerence is not the same as murder, and false objectivity is propaganda. There are some things we as journalists cannot afford to be objective about.

And Nazism is one of those things.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a prominent leader of the American Civil Rights Movement, said, “In the end, we remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

President Trump’s failure to condemn white supremacy by name is anything but insignificant.

So how can we as Americans stand up against Nazis, since we can no longer rely on our administration to do so?

Attending a counter-protest or joining the “antifa” movement isn’t for everyone but there is more that everyone can do.

One of the most effective ways anyone can stand against hate is through education. Educate yourself on the history of anti-Semitic and racist persecution, particularly the atrocities committed by the German Nazi Party during the 1930s and 1940s.

One of the best places this can be done is at the American Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park City. The museum is described as “a living memorial to the Holocaust”, and I was fortunate enough to visit recently.

As I travelled through the museum, I came upon a display case filled with eyeglasses, and learned that they were taken from prisoners upon their arrival at the concentration camps.

I was absolutely overwhelmed by the number of them, stacked higher than I thought possible.

Anyone can tell us that 11 million people were killed in the Holocaust. But illustration really works best.

I had to sit down as I was overwhelmed with the realization that every pair of eyeglasses represented a human life taken by Nazi ideology. And that is what the people marching in Charlottesville want.

We as journalists have a

more intense obligation than anyone else. We provide a powerful platform for people to speak and for people to be heard. Nazis should not be among these people.

I already know what many people will say. They will say that I as a journalist should champion free speech. But then I am haunted by the image of those eyeglasses, and to them, I say, “No. Not for Nazis, and never for Nazis.”

Stokely Carmichael, a prominent leader of the both the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Black Panther Party in the 1960s, once said, “If a white man wants to lynch me, that’s his problem. If he’s got the power to lynch me, that’s his problem.”

White supremacy always has been a problem and always will be a problem. The real issue is the fact that Nazis now feel safe enough to march in the streets with torches.

By covering Nazis, we are giving them power. And by refusing to cover them, we can take it away. Yes, they can spew their racist, anti-Semitic bile as much as they want. But we remain under no obligation to cover it.

There is no need for investigative journalism pieces to ask who the “alt-right” are and what they stand for. We already know. Many of us know too well.

Free speech only extends to the point where violence is instigated.

Clearly, enough was said to incite the terrorist in Charlottesville to kill an innocent woman.

The Nazis marching in Charlottesville are smart enough not to yell “kill the Jews” at their rallies. But in my opinion, they don’t need to say anything. The swastika that they raise says it all.

There is no such thing as a “peaceful Nazi protest”, because the ideology itself is founded on principles of violence and eugenics. Those eight straight lines call for racial and ethnic genocide.

I urge anyone who argues that Nazis should enjoy the same rights as anyone else to visit the museum that I did.

Look at the eyeglasses that I did and remind yourself of what they represent. Nazis kill, and by covering them, we are fueling them.

mcquad.org @mcquad @the_quadrangle mcquad

CORRECT IONS In last week’s issue, Peter McHugh was misidentified as the director of marketing and communications in “On-Campus Voter Turnout Jumps In 2016.”

McHugh is the director of communications.

Margaret Lazzeroni was referred to as “Margaret O’Brien,” her unmarried name, in “Alumna Accepted to Ph.D. Program at American University of Natural History.” O’Brien was also misquoted as saying “hosting” instead of “posting.”

News

SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

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Manhattan College to Participate in Annual iGEM Jamboree John Jackson Staff Writer

Professors Bryan Wilkins and Alexander Santulli will be bringing a group of Manhattan College students from across a variety of science and engineering majors to the 14th annual iGEM Jamboree at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston on November 9.

The iGEM foundation began in 2003 and it stands for International Genetically Engineered Machine.

Back in 2003, iGEM was an independent study course at MIT dedicated to developing biological devices which make cells blink. In 2004, it evolved into a competition among five teams from different schools. Since then it has grown tremendously and in 2016 it included 300 teams from 300 schools across 42 countries.

“The iGEM is an international competition that uses techniques in synthetic biology in order to try and create biological machines in the simplest sense,” said Dr. Wilkins.

The foundation is dedicated to the advancement of synthetic biology which is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering and biology.

Synthetic biology includes parts of electrical engineering, computer engineering, control engineering, genetic engineering, molecular engineering, biotechnology, systems biology, molecular biology, biophysics and evo-

lutionary biology.

“It’s not a class,” said Dr. Wilkins. “It’s not personal research, but it’s just a way to try and get students together to try and show how interdisciplinary topics come together into a whole essentially.”

Dr. Wilkins had some experience with iGEM in 2012 while he was working on his postdoctoral in Germany.

However, in 2012 his team did not go to the Jamboree.

Back then schools had to be invited. That has changed now as every team has the opportunity to go.

Wilkins was inspired to start an iGEM team at Manhattan College after seeing the love the students had for it and the fun they had with it during his time in Germany.

“It showed me that it was a creative way to get students to try to learn new topics,” said Wilkins. “And they’re not easy topics, they’re complicated. Trying to bring them together in a way that makes it more creative and fun is a way to do it in my opinion.”

Wilkins sent out an email to science and engineering students to meet up in the middle of the Spring 2016 semester to brainstorm ideas for iGEM. Gregory Sanossian, Amanda Lazkani, Dawud Abdur-Rashid and Farzana Begum are four of the students from the team who

Victoria Hernandez

be four to six months before power is restored on the island. This means half a year relying on generators, and half a year without air conditioning in the tropical climate.

“I couldn’t believe it. It looked like a war zone. I just want to go home, but I can’t because the airport was severely damaged as well,” said Natalia Alvarez, a junior at Manhattan College.

Relief efforts are underway: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo led a flight to the island that brought water bottles, meals and electrical generators to power hospitals and shelters.

This illustrates one reason the recovery will be long and hard for Puerto Rico — it will need supplies and building material shipped from overseas.

“I kinda even felt guilty that all my friends and mom are going through that hor-

plan to attend the jamboree in November. Each one has been dedicating their time for laboratory work in effort to create a biological fuel cell.

“We’re all working collaboratively,” said Sanossian, a __________________________

In 2016, the iGEM Jamboree involved 300 colleges from 42 countries. junior chemical engineering major. “One person may have a specific responsibility, we might contribute in different ways, but the ultimate goal is to create a biological fuel cell.”

Each individual brings their own background and expertise from their separate studies to the team. Abdur-Rashid, a senior biology major, brings his experience of studying biology throughout his years at Manhattan College to the team.

“What we’re using [are] organic molecules and bacteria to make our biological fuel cell,” said Abdur-Rashid.

“I have a decent understanding of proteins, bacteria, and plasmids that the proteins are located in for these bacteria.”

While members like Abdur-Rashid are no strangers

to the lab, other members like Lazkani and Begum were still fairly new to Manhattan as they joined the iGEM team during their second semester at the school.

However, with help from Dr. Wilkins and Dr. Santulli, the two chemical engineering students were able to contribute effectively in the lab.

Lazkani has also brought value to the team through her fundraising efforts.

While all the students have been helping raise money so they can attend the jamboree in November, Lazkani has been the key component in setting up and running the fundraisers.

“We still need money for people to get to the conference,” said Lazkani. “It’s $700 just to walk through the door for each student.”

The iGEM team has already held a few fundraisers which included selling grilled cheese and waffles, t-shirts and Chipotle. A few students have been funded by the offices of Rani Roy and Elly Mons. Not all students’ fees have been covered however, and thus the fundraising continues.

“We want as many people to go to show Manhattan College off, acknowledge it since it’s the first time Manhattan College is going to this,” said Lazkani. “So we want as many students as possible to go and present their research.”

The students still have multiple weeks left to fin-

ish their project and raise enough money. In the meantime, both professors will continue to mentor the students when needed.

“So they’re sort of the driving force behind this,” said Dr. Santulli. “The ones that are doing the work, coming up with the ideas, and all of this stuff. We’re just kind of guiding them along the way.”

While the students are the ones who are putting in the work, both professors have went out of their way to start this team at Manhattan College in the first place.

“A big thanks to Dr. Wilkins and Dr. Santulli for starting this,” said Begum.

“It’s not easy and it was a rough ride with the fundraising, but they still tried to get this up and started.”

Most schools who will be presenting at the iGEM jamboree are larger and more well-known than Manhattan College. They’ve likely worked with more resources and had more advisors than Manhattan. With all things considered, Dr. Wilkins is thrilled with what his team has already accomplished under their circumstances and he looks forward to competing with some of the most well-known universities on the planet.

“These students are going to present their work in front of the most prestigious universities in the entire world,” said Wilkins.

mented on the devastation.

“I always try to call every number I can get in touch with and just pray that one call can be transferred and communicate me with my family,” she said.

In her case, her house confronted minimal damage but everything around it was destroyed and torn apart.

Like Mendez, millions of Puerto Ricans living in the mainland United States have yet to make contact with their loved ones.

“I was all the way here unable to help them or even hear from them. My daily routine changed; I missed my classes the following day and I didn’t even eat because the feeling I had in my gut was one that wasn’t letting me get out of bed,” said Efe. Puerto Rican students at Manhattan College are mobilizing to help their families and friends as fast as they can.

“I would rather have been in danger in PR with my family than safe here without them,” said Rocio Ramallo, a junior at Manhattan College.

“Moving forward, I guess the only thing we can do is stay calm and patient until we can get all our services back and anyone who can donate even the slightest donation will be of huge help.”

Alvarez, who is also a Resident Assistant, says there’s a group of students planning relief efforts.

“A group of students and I are planning fundraisers and recollecting supplies to send to the people in need. I guess that’s all I can do from New York. Be on the lookout for events going on on campus to aid the Caribbean,” she said.

Amidst the crisis, many remain hopeful and positive.

“We Puerto Ricans are very strong people and we will get through this,” Efe said.

MC Reflects on Hurricane Maria

Editor

Days after Hurricane Maria hit the island of Puerto Rico, authorities are starting to see the scope of devastation that left the US territory without water service, power or communication.

“Looking at how ruined all the places where I grew up and lived all my life are, is just something that can’t stop the tears from falling down my cheeks and is something that I never thought I would have to see. It’s a feeling of heartache and sadness,” said Ana Efe, a Puerto Rican student at Manhattan College.

The crisis in Puerto Rico is just beginning, and will likely last months or years.

Puerto Rico’s entire power grid was knocked offline during the storm. The New York Times reports it could

__________________________

Those who wish to donate to relief efforts can visit unitedforpuertorico.com. rible situation and I was here with no way to help to them. I was very distracted all day [during the Hurricane] and was looking at my phone constantly during my classes in case I had any news,” said Maria Paula, a Manhattan student.

The New York Times explains that getting the power back on in Puerto Rico “will be daunting and expensive.”

Power outage in Puerto Rico is a serious issue, as Vox’s Alexia Fernandez Campbell explains, because the government is broke and the infrastructure is aging.

Thaliana Mendez, a senior at MC from Puerto Rico com-

News

4

THE QUADRANGLE

The Day the Music Died:

Manhattan College DJs Axed by Residence Life Joseph Liggio Asst. Editor

Sept. 14 marked the end of a short-lived attempt to bring music to the masses, as the Manhattan College DJs were forced to cancel their tour early.

That Thursday, speakers facing out a 7th floor window in Lee Hall fell silent, much to the dismay of a large number of Manhattan students who had been regularly “tuning in” on their walks past Draddy Gymnasium.

“DJ Spaceman” and “DJ Supreme”, better known as sophomores Kyle Hollenbaugh and Peter Halliday respectively, were the brains behind the operation which garnered an impressive following over the course of its brief lifespan.

“It really started just because Peter has this crazy sound system hooked up,” said Hollenbaugh. “It didn’t start out with us putting the speakers out the window.”

Earlier in the semester the two would play music in their room, but their loudspeaker setup at the time often meant that sound would inadvertently travel outside their suite and into the nearby hallway.

“We got a couple complaints, [Residence Life] handled it pretty well,” said Halliday. “Our RAs are really nice people and they were like ‘just turn it down, be a nice neighbor,’ so we respected that obviously, turned the music down and kept it to a controlled level.”

The two later realized that orienting the speakers to face towards their window would prevent the sound from echoing in the hall. Not long after, people walking down the path

Two Sophomores in Lee Hall sought to bring music to the masses.

STEPHEN ZUBRYCKY / THE QUADRANGLE between Lee Hall and Draddy Gymnasium began to hear music coming from the 7th floor dorm.

Hollenbaugh and Halliday started up their impromptu dorm DJ booth on Sept. 12., and as more students began to slow down to listen, some began to shout out song requests.

“We put up signs [...] and a link to an Instagram page made to [direct message] song requests,” said Hollenbaugh.

The page, @manhattancollegedj, soon amassed over 40 followers, and messages began flooding in. The two would honor requests by playing music through YouTube and Spotify.

“Our last day we literally

had to stay on our phone and sit there,” said Halliday, referring to the high volume of requests they were receiving, as small groups of students began to congregate by the fence outside the 7th floor room. “Some people were just hanging out there, [yelling] ‘play this song next!’”

Later that evening, they were instructed to stop operations by their RA Dan Sammon, who said that he had to respond “due to a noise violation.” Manhattan College DJ had been snuffed out after less than 48 hours of airplay.

Ironically, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird,” the iconic 1974 power ballad about having to

leave one’s love to move onward, was the last request they received before shutting down.

“All good things must end,” read the caption of the team’s final instagram post. “It was good while it lasted but due to creative differences with the Lee residence life we are moving on to a new setting where we will have the creative liberties we require as artists. Farewell my brothers and sisters for this is the end.”

According to the Manhattan College Student Code of Conduct, “courtesy hours” are in effect 24 hours a day, 7 days a week within residence halls.

While the two were not playing music during quiet hours, the

noise levels emanating from their room were not considered to be “respectful of community living,” a violation which is usually handled via reprimand.

Repeat offenses may result in suspension from dorming.

“It was all in good spirits, we didn’t think we were gonna last that long,” said Halliday.

The two continued to receive followers on their Instagram account and additional song requests for days. Many students were disappointed by the loss, not least of which were the DJs themselves.

“It was great, for the two days it was a lot of love, just people we don’t know, random people, everybody was making song requests, a lot of people were just jamming. We were watching people walk by and smile, it was a fun thing, ” said Hollenbaugh. “There’s not a lot of community and life on campus; people you don’t know, you don’t talk to, not much [is] happening. This was one of those things where you just saw people, [...] it was cool, people were hanging out listening to music.”

“I just found it really cool when we were looking out and people were wearing headphones and walking by, [and] they would take their headphones off just to listen to the music,” said Halliday.

As of right now, the future of Manhattan College DJ seems dubious, but the spirit stirred up in short existence, as well as its impressive ability to reach hundreds of students in a matter of two days, is certainly promising.

“We might go mobile,” said Halliday as the two laughed.

U.S. News Ranks MC 15th in the North

__________________________ Continued FROM Page 1

universities in the North, placing in the top 20 for the 11th consecutive year.

For Undergraduate Engineering Programs, Manhattan ranked 38th overall, moving up 55th in last year’s ranking.

Manhattan’s program tied for 4th overall among schools in New York State.

Junior Tom Brady originally came to Manhattan as a finance major but switched to mechanical engineering early his sophomore year.

“I definitely feel like our [engineering] school lives up to its reputation,” said Brady. “We have great faculty that have

been in the industry and are always willing to help students and small class sizes so everyone gets individual attention.”

Laura Keim, a junior civil engineering major, also commented on Manhattan’s reputation for a strong and difficult engineering program, citing it as one of the reasons she chose MC and one of the reason she’s willing to work hard.

“Manhattan College’s respected engineering program helps us to get hired,” Keim said. “Knowing you stand a good chance in getting a good job after graduation makes the time studying and doing homework worth it.”

Manhattan College was also ranked as one of the best col-

leges in the country for veterans. In this category, Manhattan was highlighted as sixth among regional universities in the North.

Veteran David Burgos attended community college before coming to MC but feels the school helped his transition. ”I’ve had other opportunities to visit schools where they also have excellent veterans programs but none that I feel can match individual needs like MC [can],” Burgos said.

As Manhattan College continues to strive towards excellence, the school looks forward to improving their rankings in each category by the next annual report.

Manhattan College, once again, ranks among some of the top regional universities in the North.

JAMES O’CONNOR/ THE QUADRANGLE

SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

Arts & Entertainment

5

Sophomore Finds Freedom on the Stage performer profile

____________ “I practically grew up on this campus.

I love this school and I couldn’t see myself at any other school” says sophomore Ellen Farrelly.

Farrelly has enjoyed the freedom the stage gives her ever since she began Irish step dancing.

Ellen farrelly / courtesy

RikkiLynn Shields Editor

Ellen Farrelly, a sophomore chemical engineering major with a theater minor, has been involved in preforming arts since the second grade.

Originally from Queens but currently residing in Yonkers, Farrelly began singing in her elementary school choirs in the second grade and by the time middle school rolled around, she decided to give musicals a try, and that’s when she fell in love.

From the beginning, Far-

relly was an Irish step dancer.

With her love for performing, she tends to lean more towards dancing-based roles, so she considers dancing to be her specialty– however, singing is a close second.

As a performer, she expressed her love for the freedom she has on stage: “being able to sing and dance around as much as you want and having an excuse to do so.”

Farrelly knew that she would be coming to Manhattan College way before she even began submitting her college applications. However, she knew that she wanted to study

something a bit different than where her passions were steering her. However, she still wanted to incorporate them into her experience here.

“I’m a third generation Jasper and I practically grew up on this campus. I love this school and I couldn’t see myself at any other school. When I was trying to decide what to study, I felt that I needed something other than the math, science, and engineering classes to do so that I could have a balance in my life. Theater is a great escape.”

After Manhattan, Farrelly doesn’t plan on doing anything

professional with her performing arts experience. However, she hopes to keep it as a hobby for the rest of her life, because it is something she truly loves to do. While Farrelly doesn’t plan to do anything performing arts related after her time here, playing Sandy from Grease has been her lifelong goal.

“I haven’t been given the opportunity to do the musical yet, but I would jump through hoops to get the Sandy role.”

While her passion for performing arts defines most of her hobbies and interests, Farrelly is very interested in pharmaceuticals.

“I am very interested in the world of pharmacy. I work as a pharmacy technician at CVS, and I’m thinking about a degree in pharmacy after undergrad. I also like being involved in pharmacy related research with respect to chronic Lyme disease.

My younger sister has chronic Lyme disease, and the challenges she has faced with the disease motivate me to find an easier way to deal with this illness for people in the future.”

As a young performer, Farrelly has always had a love for the leading ladies that she has worked alongside in different productions.

“When I was a freshman in high school there was a senior named Gracie Honohan who played the leading lady roles in all three of the shows I was in with her. As a freshman I looked up to her. I was in the ensemble and she would always come to the rehearsals early and help me learn the soprano parts.

Then, last year, when I was a freshman in college, there was a senior in the leading lady role, Siobhan Connor. She welcomed me into the Manhattan College Players, and made me feel right at home in the Players community. I hope one day I will get a leading lady role and have the same effect on a freshman coming into the performing arts community that these two leading ladies had on me.”

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Arts & Entertainment

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THE QUADRANGLE

Student Performers and Food Trucks Pack Jasper Backyard for Benefit __________________________ Continued FROM Page 1 ed their support for Harvey’s victims in a number of ways.

There was a donation table near the entrance of the event.

MC’s Green Dot program held a Kan Jam tournament. Hayden Greene, director of MC’s multicultural center, offered a station to participate in the center’s ongoing “Halo Project” to offer love and support to Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and a number of other areas recently impacted by natural disasters.

But for most of the students, the support was as simple as just attending the event with their friends and supporting their fellow students in wake of the disasters.

Throughout the event, students poured in and out, mainly for the ice cream truck, Korean barbecue tacos and pulled pork sandwiches.

“Honestly, I really was enticed by the free food,” Olivia Anderle, freshman student, said. “But the hurricanes were so devastating, it’s great that we can come together as a school together to try to help out. I think if there’s one thing that college kids love it’s free anything and food most especially. It’s very smart to use food trucks to get donations.”

The food may have made them come, but the performances provided by several members of the MC performing arts department made them stay.

There were three different food trucks who were all serving free food to all MC students.

STEPHEN ZUBRYCKY / THE QUADRANGLE The first of many performances was by a small group of students who sang “Send it On” by Disney’s Friends for Change. The group included vocalists Isabel Quinones, Thomas Leo, Hannah Lee, Christian D’Agostino and Audrey Sabatino; bassist Paul Neiro; pianists Ryan L’Abbate and percussionist Miguel Diaz.

Most of these students were in-

volved in the college’s concert choir, MC Singers.

Following the performance by the singing ensemble, a student jazz group performed for the crowd. Many of the performers from the previous act were also members of this ensemble, along with saxophonist Taizo Enya, percussionist Greg Zajac and trumpet player Kevin Donald.

Three students performing in Jasper Hall’s backyard on Friday Sept. 22.

StePHen zubrycky / THE QUADRANGLE

The performances then extended beyond the performing arts department into the athletic department as well. Fresh off of their fifth place win at the national level, the MC Dancers performed a preview of one of their new dances for the crowd.

After the Dancers finished, the event was beginning to wind down, but that didn’t stop

the performing arts department. Junior Anna Occhino, as well as Director of Performing Arts Andrew Bauer, Ph.D., took to the stage and closed the event’s performance aspect out, notably with Aretha Franklin’s showstopper “Respect”.

“Because within our mission and our Lasallian values we find service to be such a strong factor, even when there are not devastating factors you can find people at Manhattan College having service weekdays and weekends… it’s kind of just in the mission,” Micaela Bishop, student body president, said. “I think that, when it’s necessary at a time like this, we step together really quickly and organize, and we are successful at doing so.”

John Bennett, director of student engagement, realized after Quadchella that the formula of food trucks and students performing at on campus events was a good way to showcase the college’s talent and help a cause.

For him, the first step for Student Engagement is to donate the $367.69 raised at the event, and then keep in touch with the performers for future events like halftime shows or concerts.

“We’d love to do more of these type of events,” Bennett said. “It shows how the involvement of the student body is really high; they show up to things, and the big events are still coming up, the semester is just starting.”

SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

Arts & Entertainment

Sophomore Creates Video on Immigration

Samantha Walla Staff Writer

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “immigrant?” That’s the question sophomore Shannon Raczynski sought to shed light on during her first weeks back at Manhattan College by creating a short but impactful video of student opinions on immigration.

Directed by Raczynski and filmed by junior Kaiyun Chen, the video features the unfiltered responses of several MC students on the quadrangle describing their initial associations with the word “immigrant.” Raczynski was sure to begin filming before proposing her question to ensure an unfiltered response. Their answers range from simple to personal, showcasing the diverse array of views students have on what it means to be an immigrant.

“I feel like a lot of people have negative connotations against the word ‘immigrant’,” said Raczynski, a peace studies and philosophy double-major.

“I honestly just wanted to see people’s first ideas of what came to their mind because I assumed that the response would be very diverse, and it was.”

This curiosity, along with encouragement from her advisor and chair of the peace studies program, Kevin Ahern, and her role in Manhattan College’s

Raczynski’s video has many students and professors commending her on giving MC students a chance to voice their opinions on immigration.

JUST PEACE / FACEBOOK / COURTESY

social action group, Just Peace, gave her the idea to capture the response in a video, which she filmed with the assistance of friend and Just Peace executive member, Chen.

When asked about the responses that she filmed, Chen responded, “many of our students answered the question with ‘family’, which really warms my heart. I am surprised to see so many students associate their own lives and themselves with the word ‘immigrant’. I think that really shows

love and the Jasper spirit.”

This video comes at a time when immigration is a subject of much contention in politics, as the rescindment of DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, was announced earlier this month.

Raczynski cites this as a factor that shaped the responses she recorded. “I was expecting some negative feedback and there was nothing bad. Even though I had planned to do it for a few weeks, it was the day after the DACA incident, a lot

of people were influenced by that.”

Unsurprisingly, the video is gaining recognition and provoking discussion around campus. Just Peace, Manhattan College’s social action group, typically organizes sociallyconscious events such as movie screenings and speakers, making this video a perfect starting point for conversation within the club.

“Shannon told me about her idea for the immigration video at the very beginning of the se-

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mester,” said Samantha Wilson, president of Just Peace. “I was immediately excited because I knew a project like this video happening so early on in the school year would set the tone for students to have an open dialogue on campus about issues we are facing today.”

The impact of the video continues to reach more and more Manhattan College students.

Many professors have contacted Raczynski and asked that they show the video to their classes. Even participants of the video have expanded their view on immigrants.

“People who were in the video came back up to me later and talked to be about it and said how they didn’t realize how diverse [the] responses would be. Immigration right now has a lot to do with Central and South America in the United States. So many people said Ellis Island, a lot of people said family. And those people who said that came back up to me and said ‘that’s crazy, I didn’t realize so many people had ties,’” said Raczynski.

Raczynski’s video can be viewed on Just Peace’s Facebook page, JustPeaceMC, and will be linked on The Quadrangle’s website, mcquad.org.

Editor’s Note: Kaiyun Chen also serves as a staff writer and photographer for The Quadrangle.

“Mary Jane” Tackles Parenthood THEATER & THE CITY Theater and the City is a column of student-written reviews in the ENGL 400 class taught

by Deirdre O’Leary Cunningham.

This week’s entry is by Chloe Ludlow.

I’m sure we can all remember a point in our childhood when we got hurt, that time we got sick for just a little bit too long, that time we needed to go to the hospital for a surgery our mom promised “wasn’t all that bad”. Mothers are able to make us feel better in the stickiest of situations, but what about when a band-aid isn’t enough?

What about when that surgery doesn’t work? What about when mom can’t make it all better?

The New York Theatre Workshop’s production of Amy Herzog’s “Mary Jane”, directed

by Anne Kauffmann, tells the story of Mary Jane, a charismatically optimistic woman who is the single mother to two-year-old Alex. Alex suffers from cerebral palsy after being born three months premature,

making him unable to eat, hold his head up, or speak. Due to Alex’s physical complications, the doctors are unsure just how much of his surroundings Alex understands. Regardless, Mary Jane is relentless in offering Alex any bit of happiness she can. Since Alex’s birth, Mary Jane is thrown into a whirlwind of hospitals and live-in nurses making her fluent in the jargon of medical tests, prescriptions, and insurance premiums, and of course, she’s trying to smile the entire time.

This life-like play happens at a slow pace that allows the audience to absorb every move the actors make, making a show with few events feel like something we are not watching for entertainment, but living among. The set, designed by Laura Jellinek, offers a painstakingly realistic look into a single mother’s cramped apartment and included beautiful details, including the shadowy night lighting that let the audience see a little bit more into

Mary Jane’s quiet life - A life where she can’t go to work or see friends because her life in consumed by the responsibility of caring for a sick child.

I also thought the director’s choice to show Mary Jane eating in so many of the scenes allowed the play to feel more personal. Eating a meal is a task that is shared with friends and family, and there is nothing more lonely than eating alone. Mindlessly eating cereal is more than a meal, it shows that Mary Jane doesn’t have time to cook, it shows that she doesn’t have anyone to eat with, it shows that she isn’t thinking about what she is consuming.

This shifted the audience’s attention to the small everyday tasks at hand, as opposed to what would happen a week, or a month from now.

Although she is rarely alone, her helplessness makes any room feel somewhat lonely.

The beeping of hospital equipment echoes in the halls of both the hospital set and the

apartment, giving the audience a reminder that even when things are calm, we are always far from being okay.

“You are wanted. You are wanted. You are wanted.” What else can you say to a baby that you know you have no idea how to care for? A baby that you know will have an incredibly hard life? A baby that you know you love? “You are wanted.” Even when things get hard, “you are wanted.” Carrie Coon is able to add an enticing amount of nuance and depth to the character of Mary Jane.

We not only see Mary Jane as a mother, but as a woman who is confused and frustrated. Her ability to bring clarity and comfort to others almost makes you forget the tragedy of her own story, and the love that she has for her son can be felt in the pit of your stomach with every slightly-stressed word that leaves her lips.

Amy Herzog’s “Mary Jane” pulls at the strongest of heartstrings by quietly examining

In “Mary Jane,” the titular character raises a son with cerebral palsy.

PHOTO BY CHLOE LUDLOW

the unwavering strength of a mother’s love. “Mary Jane” is a play for those of us who have been forced to grow up just a little too fast. For those of us who are always looking for light, and for those of us who just want a little bit more time.

Features

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THE QUADRANGLE

Puppies on the Quad for a Cause VOICES ON THE QUAD

Doug Huntington Major: Biochemistry

Katherine Frost Major: English and Art History Do you think they should host this again?

How do you feel about being here at this event and what Tri Beta is doing?

They should do this more often. It’s only a month in but it’s so stressful already and this just lets you get loose and breaks that barrier.

I feel like my stress has been alleviated. They’re doing a very good job - they’re raising money for childhood cancer. They got my support.

Interviews conducted by Gabriella DePinho.

Catherine McDonough Major: Biology How do you feel about being here at this event and what Tri Beta is doing?

This makes me absolutely so happy.

I think it’s absolutely brilliant because it’s not expensive but it’ll still bring so many people together that it’ll raise enough to make a difference and I think that’s really really cool.

Gina Uligic Major: Biology Do you think playing with the puppies is worth the price?

I think it’s totally worth the five dollars. It goes to a good cause and you’re having fun.

Muslim Chaplain Builds Community at MC __________________________ Continued FROM Page 1 of teaching, which opened up my heart, my mind, and my soul to see people who really devoted their lives for the cause of higher ethical and character standards. I did not see that at the public school at that time,” he said.

During his time in Damascus, Alraey also learned about the more intellectual side of the religion. He studied the classical Arabic language, as well as the Quran. He studied from the age of 11 to the age of 25.

According to him, the most serious commitment during this span was from the ages of 13 to 23.

While he was learning about Islam, Alraey found a second passion: technology. At this time, the computer was a fairly new development in Syria and its complexities absolutely fascinated him.

Alraey subsequently attended Damascus University and studied economics, finance and trade. Still, he wanted to pursue something more with computer science and programming.

While Damascus was a city

rich in culture and history, Alraey realized that he would have to travel outside of Syria in order to study more advanced technology concepts.

He looked to Germany and England, as well as the United States, in order to further his education. Ultimately, he decided upon the US, and entered university in California as a computer science major.

Upon his arrival, he discovered the need for religious teaching among the students, more than advice relating to their studies.

“They used to come to me because I was older. They used to come to me for advice and from then I noted that I need to become more focused on helping the community. So I started to teach the college students and the high school students at weekend school and after that I started to deliver sermons at the mosque.”

In addition to Alraey being older than his classmates, they trusted him for other reasons, such as his relatability and understanding of different cultures.

“It seemed a lot of youth related to me because I had the religious and secular education

and I grew up in two different cultures so it was almost a link between both cultures,” he said.

Eventually, Alraey decided to commit to religious life fulltime. This new form of employment sent him across the country, and in 2001, he settled in New York City, shortly before the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. “[Sept. 11] really made me more encouraged to help the youth of understanding their religion. I know I studied and I learned that Islam is a religion of love, a religion of peace, mercy, compassion, help, support and at the same time a religion of knowledge, a religion of intellect, a religion of reaching out, where you respect your fellow humans,” he said.

In the wake of a tragedy such as the Sept. 11 attacks, Alraey was reinvigorated by other religious leaders in New York City, who wanted to develop a deeper understanding of Islam. “[Sept. 11] has called other religious people to open their hearts and to reach out to others. So for the first time, I used to see a house of worship of other faiths knocking on the door of the mosque and saying,

‘We need to know you. Come to know us. Let’s have a meal together. Let’s pray together.

Let’s have activities together,’” he said.

Though this continued encouragement from people of other faiths, Alraey remained committed and devout. He became an imam at the Islamic Cultural Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, as well as the Muslim chaplain at Baruch College.

Alraey was also involved in teaching classes and delivering Friday sermons at Columbia University. This was where he was introduced to Manhattan College.

Some of the college’s Muslim students would attend the Friday prayers at Columbia because it was not provided for them on their campus.

“They approached me by saying, ‘Here at Manhattan College, we have no imam, we have no chaplain, we have no Muslim Student Association and we have no Friday prayer.

How can you help us?” Alraey said.

After Alraey agreed to help the students, they then spoke to Lois Harr, director of campus ministry and social action. She

wanted to accommodate the Muslim students on campus, and so the Muslim Student Association (MSA) was created.

The students also asked if Alraey could come to the school to deliver Friday sermons for them. She agreed to this petition, but his position had to be as a volunteer rather than as an employee.

Through his time at MC, Alraey has desired for his students to remember two things: the big picture of Islam, and the balance between the secular and the spiritual.

“There should be a balance where you nourish your soul, your heart and your intellect,” Alraey said. “So you nourish your intellect by education, you nourish your soul by understanding religion in a truthful way and you nourish your heart by being active and doing something good to society.

When you do that, as a young person, you have the balance between nourishing your mind, soul and your heart.”

“We are responsible here to do the best for ourselves, for our neighbors, and for our fellow humans,” he said. “That’s the big picture of the religion.

How do we do that? With love and compassion and mercy.”

Features

SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

Senior Liliana Calix’s Busy Summer

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Civil Engineering Major Travels to Peru, Does Research Ally Hutzler Editor

On the last day of May, when many college students are revelling in the freedom and unaccountability of summer, Liliana Calix was boarding a plane to Peru.

The senior at Manhattan College travelled to the South American country to volunteer with two environmental nonprofit organizations. She was the only student from Manhattan College to attend the trip, along with about 30 students from different colleges and universities across the US. “I was nervous because it was the first time I really studied abroad alone,” she said.

While she’s travelled quite a bit, it has always been with family or other students from the college.

As a civil engineering student, Calix had extremely limited options in terms of traditional study abroad trips offered by the college, but the study abroad office introduced her to an organization that creates customizable trips for students based on majors and interests.

Calix, who is half-Honduran, knew she wanted to travel to a Spanish-speaking country. At home, her father often speaks to her in Spanish and she replies in English. She is currently minoring in the language at MC, hoping it will lead her to more international environmental engineering opportunities.

“It makes you more wellrounded. My mom always pushed us to learn new cultures, which influenced my decision on why I wanted to study abroad and why I minored in Spanish,” she said. “You stand out more, that’s something you can say to employers. It’s different.”

In Peru, Calix was stationed in the country’s capital city Lima - where she did research for the non-profits Be Green and Life Out of Plastic. The two organizations, according to Cal-

Calix studied in Lima, Peru, where she did research for non-profits Be Green and Life Out of Plastic.

LILIANA CALIX / COURTESY ix, focus on greening local businesses, recycling, and limiting plastic pollution.

Calix’s responsibility was to work with cosmetic products, specifically looking at the amount of microplastics in different items.

“Three days a week I went to different parts of Lima, and

in each district I would hit three of the major supermarket chains looking at what products they were trying to get people to buy,” she said. “It was more of a public education research project, which I really liked because I had never done anything like that before.”

Calix was in Peru for the

entire month of June, returning stateside just before the Fourth of July holiday. The long weekend was her only summer respite, as she returned to campus shortly thereafter to conduct a research study on the Saw Mill River in Yonkers.

Working with Kevin Farley, professor in the civil en-

__________________________

Calix was introduced to the opportunity to customize her study abroad trip by the study abroad office.

LILIANA CALIX / COURTESY

gineering department, Calix continued a research project conducted by another MC professor about a decade ago. Her study noted differences in water quality and possible reasons for such changes.

“It’s always a pleasure to have Liliana in class and to work with her on research,” Farley said. “She has a deep concern for environmental issues, is always willing to work hard on whatever problem is presented to her, and has a never-ending enthusiasm for her work.”

Calix attributes her deep interest in environmental engineering to classes she took in high school. One involved the creation of a rainwater harvesting system. She is currently a member of hte New York Water Environment Association (NYWEA), which falls under the big umbrella of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

During her research project, which focused on a short strip of the Saw Mill River just before it enters the Hudson, Calix discovered a significant decrease in bacteria due to daylighting - an engineering project where parts of the river that were previously underground are brought back to the water surface.

Calix worked with graduate assistant Kyle Quinn, who completed his undergraduate degree at SUNY Oneonta before attending MC and doing research with Farley.

“I typically focus on a different research project … but I was eager to help Liliana with her sampling and her research,” he said. “We would go out to the Saw Mill River about every other week and take water samples.”

Calix presented the data for the first time at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in early September and will present it at the college’s annual research scholars symposium on campus this week.

While Calix recognizes that research might not be the path for every undergraduate student, she highly suggests it.

“If you know exactly what you want to study or you have an area of interest and you see things in the newspaper that spark your interest I highly suggest you do research because I think it’s a great way to explore,” she said. “I learned from this summer that maybe I don’t want to work in a lab but I loved the project I did anyway and that was something important that I learned about myself.”

Calix will graduate this upcoming May, and has decided to pursue a master’s degree in environmental engineering.

Features

10

THE QUADRANGLE

Lecture Series Opens with Ndaba Mandela Haley Burnside Asst. Editor

Last Wednesday, students and faculty alike gathered to hear the smooth, clear, trademark Mandela voice. Grandson of the late South African President Nelson Mandela, Ndaba Mandela spoke to a wide audience in the Kelly Commons. He opened with a simple phrase.

“Today, I am going to share my story with you,” Mandela said.

From that point on he spoke about his early childhood and upbringing in South Africa before, during and after his grandfather became the nation’s president.

“I was born in 1982 in South Africa during the time when apartheid government was at the helm of a segregation system because they believed black people and white people should not be together,” said Mandela.

He then explained that he was fortunate to have been raised sheltered from the violence of apartheid, but learned about it when he became older.

Mandela shared the story of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison through the eyes of a young grandson, providing a personal viewpoint to a global event. “[When] Nelson Mandela came out of jail, the whole country and many countries around the world were celebrating the release of this icon,” said Mandela. “I remember it was really just a joyous time. People in the streets were dancing, cars were stopped, it was incredible.”

Mandela shared some stories and anecdotes about his famous grandfather, laughing as he recounted a time when the President threatened to make him sleep outside for misplacing a school uniform.

He then segued into discussions about his current life and the projects he presently focuses on. One important issue to him is the global perception of Africa. Mandela explained the struggle of changing this perception, which he believes is falsely created by the media.

“People outside the continent of Africa don’t have much information about Africa,” said Mandela. “In the media they say that ‘Africa is a place of war, poverty, disease and dictators.’ We are not here to deny that any of these things exist, however there is much more to Africa than you see in the media.”

Mandela works with the Africa Rising Foundation (ARF), which he cofounded in 2009 to accomplish this goal. The mission of the organization is “committed to promoting Africa through a series of campaigns that address the continent’s socio-economic challenges,” according to the ARF website.

Students and faculty members joined Robert Greens in a table read at the first MARS event of the year. PATRICK FACCAS / COURTESY

Ndaba Mandela, grandson of the late South African President Nelson Mandela, spoke on his South African upbringing and his current activism with the Africa Rising Foundation.

AARON MAYORGA / THE QUADRANGLE In addition to global work, Mandela spends time working for those within the country directly. He believes that “the best way to change the narrative is to empower the youth of Africa.”

“Through education, technology, and entrepreneurship development, we will empower these young African leaders,” Mandela said.

The ARF partnered with the Nelson Mandela Museum to create a program where people could learn basic computer literacy and skills. Through this program, with the help of corporate sponsors, 80 girls participated in a four day coding class.

“It’s vital that our young people have access to information in order for them to be able to fulfill their own dreams,” Mandela said.

Following the lecture was a more informal question-andanswer session, during which Mandela shared several pieces of advice for young people.

“Failure actually is your friend because if you don’t fail in life you will never really

learn how to do things in a better way,” said Mandela.

He also encouraged students to follow him on social media in order to connect with ARF and to see how they can contribute to the cause. For college students specifically, he suggests volunteer work.

When asked why he spends so much of his time doing charity, volunteer, and advocacy work, he answered that his children were a motivator of his.

“In the future when my kids come to me and say ‘Dad, you were faced with these challenges. What did you do about it to contribute to change the world?’

If I don’t have an answer then I will be the fool,” said Mandela.

He also cited his grandfather as an inspiration. Of all of the quotes and sentiments his grandfather said, Mandela thinks of one as the most powerful.

“To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that protects and enhances the freedom of others,” said Mandela, quoting his grandfather.

It was the expectation of

inspirational and motivational sentiments like this that drew such a large audience to the lecture.

The crowd of students, faculty, and community members that gathered in Kelly Commons outnumbered the chairs, and those eager to hear Mandela speak lined the walls of the room.

Director of Student Engagement John Bennett was thrilled to see the turnout, as he had been working to see Mandela speak at the college for almost a year. Bennett said that the discussion to bring Mandela to campus started in December 2016 through a conversation with Vicki M. Cowan in the college’s human resources department.

Bennett was more than satisfied with the lecture event, and his only regret is that not everyone got to hear Mandela’s inspiring message.

“Glass half full - I was really happy with the audience and turn out by students, the room was packed. I can’t imagine there’s one person in the room that left not happy they attended; he was inspiring and

personable, and gave a great speech,” said Bennett. “Glass half empty - He was so good, I feel bad for the rest of the campus that missed out. Maybe we can get him back to give a speech at commencement so more people could hear his message!”

Christina Mohr, a sophomore who attended the event, said that Mandela met all of her expectations of the event.

“I wanted to come because I thought it would be really inspirational, and it was,” said Mohr.

Mohr said she felt a call to action after hearing Mandela’s words, specifically when he spoke about changing the image of Africa.

“As a white person, I think white people have to work on how we see Africa,” said Mohr.

“It’s really easy for us to brush it off because of our privilege, but we can’t do that. We need to educate ourselves and others on Africa.”

The next lecture in the series will feature Chris Hayes, of MSNBC, on Wednesday, Oct. 4, at noon on the fifth floor of Kelly Commons.

Sports

SEPTEMBER 26, 2017

Intramural Soccer Kicks Off at Gaelic Park

Alexa Schmidt Staff Writer

It’s nine o’clock on a Wednesday night, and intramural outdoor soccer is just getting started. It may be late, but Gaelic Park is thriving with students eager to play competitive pick-up games and meet new people.

Intramural soccer takes place on Monday and Wednesday nights, while flag football is on Sunday and Thursday nights. Games start around 9:15 p.m., but most players show up early to get warmed up.

Intramurals are a way to become active and showcase your Jasper pride. Soccer has usually been played indoors, but due to the busy schedule in the Draddy Gymnasium, the sport moved to Gaelic Park. This may seem like an insignificant change, but the whole game transforms out on the field.

Inside of a gymnasium, the ball bounces off walls and is much more contained. It’s a faster game and players can use techniques so that the space is utilized. Outside, the space is more open and there’s more ground to cover.

Recreation Coordinator Ryan Corbett is the person who oversees the entire process.

This is his first year at Manhattan College and he enjoys the excitement that students have about the intramural program.

“Intramurals are a great way to make friends. Everyone is having fun and that’s what it’s all about,” Corbett says.

The program uses IMLeagues as the website that organizes everything.

“Visit the website to sign up. Make a profile, add [your] name, number, MC ID number, address, cell phone number, and email address. After you make that profile, people are called captains and each team

has a captain and that person will send invites. Right then you’re on the roster. There are about eight to ten players on each team. If there aren’t enough players on one team, two smaller teams get merged together. Then the leagues get set up and everyone looks forward to that. Anything you can think of about the intramural program is there.”

Two students involved in the intramural sport are freshman Sophia Creanza and junior Emma Delisio. They are both captains of their respective teams and have the same passion for what is considered “the beautiful game”.

“I knew I wanted to do a sport, so I decided to join intramural soccer with my friend.

We were placed in a pre-existing team. That was pretty cool since we got to meet new people. As a commuter, the soccer team certainly connects me to others. I’m sure I’ve met more

people at soccer games than the first few weeks of class.

It’s definitely a community, especially since we all share a common interest in soccer.”

Creanza said.

“I got involved with the soccer team because I posted something on Instagram asking if anyone wanted to make a team with me. A few hours later one of my friends texted me and told me about the team.

I joined it right away because I don’t know many people. I transferred to Manhattan College last semester.” Delisio said.

Creanza feels that people who want to join should be prepared to get competitive.

“We work together. We’re a bunch of people who want to win. We play aggressively and work hard.”

Both Creanza and Delisio like the other unique aspect of the program.

“I don’t mind co-ed, I’ve

11

been on a co-ed team in middle school and find that it works really well. In fact, I think most people can agree that it’s very motivating and helps us all develop better soccer skills,” Creanza said.

Delisio added, “My views on the co-ed aspect are very positive. I believe that if you are on the right team it is nothing but empowering. I actually played on a boy’s club team from fourth to fifth grade because my area didn’t have a girls team yet. When you’re younger it’s definitely harder to gain the guys trust. You mess up once and usually you won’t get the ball again. It’s all about proving you’re an asset for the team.”

The program is always looking for new members and encourages participation. The program always encourages new members to sign up for teams.

This Week in Sports

Sports

12

THE QUADRANGLE

Jaspers Baseball Takes on Staten Island Gillian Puma Contributor

The Saint George and Bay Street area of Staten Island is starting to grow into quite the tourist attraction. From the construction of the world’s largest ferris wheel to the new shopping center near the ferry terminal, more and more people are starting to take a ferry boat ride down to Staten Island to see the buzz.

Down the street from these soon-to-be attractions is a large minor league baseball field known as the Richmond County Bank Ballpark, more commonly known to locals as Staten Island Yankee stadium.

The ballpark opened on Jun. 24, 2001 and has since attracted many locals to bring their families to a baseball game at an affordable price.

The field takes advantage of

its location with a beautiful view over the outfield of the New York City skyline along the harbor. The field also has a brand new scoreboard and drainage for rain days, showing that rain or shine the field is ready for any baseball game.

On Jul. 26, 2017 the Staten Island Yankees signed a three year agreement with the Jaspers to use their field for the MAAC Tournament. The MAAC Tournament was held at Kanisius last year and Dutchess Stadium the year before.

Brendan Bisset, a senior outfielder, was there representing Manhattan College as they announced this agreement and expressed his excitement about playing on this field.

“Any time we play on a minor league field it’s a cool experience, especially since it’s in New York City now,” Bisset said.

__________________________

Senior outfielder Brendan Bisset said, “Any time we play on a minor league field it’s a cool experience.”

GOJASPERS / COURTESY

Bisset also said this is the first time in his career that the tournaments are now consistent in one area.

“It’s cool that it’s going to be in the city. It will be nice to attract some local kids to come to the games and possibly apply to Manhattan College,” Bisset said as he further addressed the benefits of playing on the field.

Kevin Ross, the Director of Sports Communication and Media Relations, had worked on the baseball field for seven years. He knows the ins and outs to the field.

“It’s tremendous every time you have a league held in the metropolitan area. You end up attracting more people,” Ross said. “It will also be easier for fans of the baseball team who want to see the game and can just take the ferry. The regionality is also very good. It will also

help the league’s branding. It’s a good opportunity to be recognized. Playing at a field like that will possibly attract a team personnel and help recruit young members.”

New baseball coach Michael Cole also shared his excitement on playing at the field as well. Cole has been to the stadium multiple times as well.

“The team is off to a great start. Obviously we are a ways away from the season but we are working hard to represent our school and alums as we work to bring a championship back to Riverdale,” Cole reluctantly said. “We understand a lot of hard work goes into making it to the MAAC Tournament and we look forward to the challenge.”

The tournament will be held Wednesday, May 23 to Saturday, May 26 with a rain date on May 27.

Soccer Player Ryan Shields, Native of England, Talks Sports and Life in the States JASPERS TALK Catherine Goodyear Asst. Editor

A junior business analytics major from Manchester England, Ryan Shields, has been a part of the Manhattan College Men’s Soccer team since his start at MC in 2015. Shields, #7, played Mid Field alongside his teammates for three seasons.

He is intended to graduate in January 2019 and thinks his team has what it takes to make it far in the MAAC championships.

The Quadrangle: How did you get involved with soccer?

Ryan Shields: I’ve been playing soccer since I was 7 or 8 years old so about 12 to 13 years. I am from a family with a sporting background, my dad played an awful lot soccer and from there I started playing for fun and progressed and played through high school so it started becoming more and more serious. I never envisioned coming to the states at all so it was completely new but it was a really good opportunity at the time and I had to take it.

TQ: What made you decide to come to Manhattan College?

RS: It’s funny actually, a guy I used to play with back home knew the coach here and came a semester earlier than I

did and put my name forward and when I spoke to the coach directly he helped me come over and get my visa.

TQ: What was the transition from England to the United States like?

RS: It was pretty difficult actually at first. Obviously, I’ve never been that far away from home so to come that far for such a long period of time it was a big commitment but having said that ever since that it has been better and better every time I have come back, it’s gotten more and more like coming back home which is brilliant.

Soccer helped in terms of being a part of something. Like being a part of a team and a group of people sort of gives you something socially I think to go and meet other people and know people in your classes in the respect certainly helped and I think the fact that people take an interest in you when you are part of a sport certainly helped integrating myself in so it’s been all positive.

TQ: What are the practices like?

RS: Practices are pretty tough depending on the work load and how many games we are having. We train two hours normally in the morning 9-11 and we have gym sessions on top of that and video analysis

sessions and meetings etc so for the most part they are really enjoyable. I enjoy them because they are beneficial and productive for us so I can’t complain too much on them.

TQ: How would you describe your relationship with soccer?

RS: I have a Love-Hate relationship with soccer if I can say anything, I always try to stay positive with it and try to enjoy it as much as I can but having said that, it is a lot of time and effort so trying to get the balance right, that’s the difficult part. I try to do my best and leave it all on the field I never want to be regretting anything so I try to just do my best and whatever happens I forget about it and move onto the next after that.

TQ: How do you balance work, school, and soccer?

RS: I just try to stay as organized as I can and just plan out my day and try to write it all down so it doesn’t get too overwhelming so that way I can just box things up and cross them off one step at a time and to be honest the academics hasn’t been too overwhelming as much as it might have been initially and over the past few years I’ve been able to manage that better and better. I try to work the best I can on campus

Ryan Shields, a native of Manchester, England, is a junior business analytics major who plays mid field.

GOJASPERS / COURTESY and fit it around my academics and soccer. When I had time over the summer I had been going around and just trying to work locally. This summer I interned at an engineering firm just helping out with the finances and the business intelligence side of it so that was really good and something meaningful to put on my resume which always helps. I’ve been working at the fitness center in Kelly commons and last semester I worked in the athletics department helping out with the other sporting teams. Anything fitness or sport related I enjoy doing.

TQ: Who are your role models?

RS: My dad is a big inspiration for everything I do but besides from that I have some

sporting idols but I’d say my day is a role model to myself and helps make a lot of my decisions and gives me a lot of wise words from his experience.

TQ: What are your plans for after college?

RS: I’ve always wanted to set up something on my own, I don’t quite know what I want to specialize in yet but I can definitely see myself creating something and hopefully building something and I think especially straight out of college would probably be the best time to do it when I am young and I don’t have a lot of obligations so that’s definitely the way I want to head. But having said that I think I’d be open to any sort of opportunity I get particularly to working in the city if I ever got the chance.