Issue 6, Fall 2018 - The Quadrangle

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Volume XCVIII, Issue 6

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NEW YORK, OCTOBER 2, 2018

Newly Named Budget Cuts Hit All ‘O’Malley School of Business’ Clubs on Creates Opportunities and More Manhattan’s Campus Megan Dreher & August Kissel

Features Editor & Web Editor

The O’Malley School of Business renaming ceremony was held on Tuesday, Sept. 25.

TAYLOR BRETHAUER & JOE LIGGIO / THE QUADRANGLE

Gabriella DePinho & Joe Liggio Asst. News Editors

Ninety-one years after being founded, the Manhattan College School of Business has a new name.

The Manhattan College School of Business was officially renamed the O’Malley School of Business as part of a short ceremony hosted in the Chapel of De La Salle and His Brothers this past Tuesday, Sept. 25. A reception where students, alumni and benefactors had the opportunity to celebrate the occasion followed the event in Smith Auditorium.

This all comes after a $25 million donation by Tom O’ Malley ‘63, a long-time benefactor whose name also graces the O’Malley Library, and whose financial contributions as an alum have gone towards Lee Hall and the Raymond Kelly ’63 Student Commons.

The occasion marks the creation of the first “named” school at Manhattan. According to College President Brennan O’Donnell, Ph.D., it speaks to something important about the quality of education the school offers.

“It’s a way private institutions can say in a very suc-

IN NEWS:

Joan Cammarata Receives Costello Award on p. 3

cinct way, ‘we’re worth the investment of those who came through our programs,’” he said.

Donald Gibson, Ph.D., the newly appointed dean of the O’Malley School of Business, also felt that the name would bolster the reputation of the program.

“It’s very competitive among business schools, and having a name kind of indicates that you are worthy of receiving a good gift, and therefore you are in a kind of different level of business school,” said Gibson.

“I think it helps us in terms of putting our name on the map in terms of ranking and that sort of approach, which again reflects back on the students.”

For O’Malley himself, giving back to his alma mater has always been important.

“Look, I had a good education here, and there’s a bunch of people here who actually graduated with me ... they were just ordinary people and they had to hustle … they had to study a rigorous academic program, but they also had to have jobs at the same time to pay for it,” said O’Malley. “I think the success of America and our country depends on our producing people who come from an ordinary background and get the tools to rise up … So

IN FEATURES: Inside the AFROTC on p. 13

Manhattan, typically, over the past hundred years or whatever, has taken ordinary people, and given them the tools to really succeed.”

He continued.

“Manhattan is one of those things that is very good for the country. Why do you support a college? Because they did a good job for me, and they’re doing a good job for you guys,” he said.

The $25 million donation will be going directly towards the business school to decide how and where to best use the funds to bolster the programs and possibly create new ones.

Dean Gibson said, “I think with a gift of this type allows us to set some strategic priorities going forward, and I think a lot of it is enhancing current programs but also it opens up some opportunities for new programs. Real estate is one we’re really looking at and we’ll need to work on our technology so that it is up to snuff in terms of business and really support our faculty projects.”

The school received accreditation through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in 2004. __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

On June 26, 2018, all club leaders were notified of a minimum 11.6 percent cut of all club budgets effective at the beginning of the Fall 2018 semester.

According to Student Government and Student Engagement, this cut was decided upon after careful evaluation and a strategic break down of budgets carried out by Student Government every summer.

“It wasn’t just an arbitrary number,” said John Bennett, director of Student Engagement. “We went through the Student Government numbers, the budget from last year, and essentially we needed to find $80,000. That $80,000 includes the expenses of the new Men’s Crew Club team, as well as two new clubs that we started last year that were approved by Student Government (The Association for Computing Machinery and Women in STEM).”

With the addition of two clubs and a club sport, Student Government made the announcement that they were no longer approving new clubs, as budget cuts were on the horizon.

It is up to the Student Government team to work with Student Engagement and establish budget cuts and expansions for the clubs on campus. The Student Engagement budget is set by the Controller’s Office, and comes entirely from the student activities fee that is charged from a student’s tuition. Student enrollment at Manhattan College inevitably affects the budget that Student Engagement receives.

The budget covers a wide variety of opportunities available for all full-time undergraduate students on campus.

This includes all club budgets, organizations on campus, as well as larger events on campus such as Quadchella, the Jasper Jingle, Springfest and Spring Fling.

“Over the summer we were

IN A&E:

LGBTQ Hosts Drag Race’s Aja on p. 6

dealt numbers that forced us to cut budgets across the board,” said Ryan Kwiecinski, Vice President of Finance. “Typically the clubs do not get their budgets cut. The issue is as more and more clubs want to come on campus and more organizations want to establish themselves on campus, the money gets spread thinner and thinner and as a result we have to make those cuts.”

Manhattan College currently has around 80 clubs and organizations on campus that require funding to keep their members active and engaged.

The budgets given to each club and organization are re-evaluated from semester to semester.

“In January, we will re-look at all budgets to see if we can reallocate some money to certain clubs that have been very active, and we do that again over the summer,” said Bennett. “We want to reward clubs that have been very active because we want them to stay active.”

There are many club leaders that are concerned about the budget cuts, as their existing budgets are already small and in the hopes of expanding, they do not believe they can afford any less of a budget.

“Since the extreme budget cut for our club from my freshman to sophomore year, I noticed that we were unable to take advantage of as many opportunities as before. My freshman year we organized an event about Standing Rock and we were able to have two activists who had been to the protests come and speak about their experiences, which is something we were only able to do because we had the funds to compensate them … It’s unfortunate that it would not be possible for us to organize something similar with our current budget,” said junior Carly Brownell of Just Peace.

She continued.

“We do great work here on __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

IN SPORTS:

Shannon Forty’s Jaspers Talk on p. 15

Opinion & Editorials

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the Quadrangle Volume XCVIII, Issue 6 OCTOBER 2, 2018

The Editorial Board

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

Gabriella DePinho Joseph Liggio Asst. News Editors

Megan Dreher Features Editor

Lauren Schuster Asst. Features Editor

Rose Brennan Arts & Entertainment Editor Managing Editor

Alexa Schmidt Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor

John Jackson Sports Editor

C. Garrett Keidel Asst. Sports Editor

RikkiLynn Shields Catherine Goodyear Social Media Editors

Anja Pollozi Photography Editor

Alyssa Velazquez Production Editor

Samantha Walla Asst. Production Editor

August Kissel Michevi Dufflart Web Editors

Mohsin Ahmed Shannon Gleba Copy Editors

Abby Crowell Distribution Manager Nicholas Gilewicz Faculty Advisor About The Quadrangle A tradition since 1924, The Quadrangle is a news organization run by the students of Manhattan College. We strive to cover news around campus and the greater community, publishing weekly in print and daily online. Our goal is always accuracy, relevancy and professionalism.

The opinions expressed in The Quadrangle are those of the individual writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board, the College or the student body.

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

Connect with The Quadrangle

mcquad.org @mcquad @mcquad mcquad

THE QUADRANGLE

No Longer Just a Family Issue

Shannon Gleba Copy Editor

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

When I was younger, domestic violence was not an issue that occupied much of my thinking. However, the relevance of domestic violence as both an issue for women, as well as general public health, has been made clear.

Over the past year, the Me Too movement has gained traction as more women have bravely revealed their stories of sexual assault. Rape and sexual assault have long been issues that people have been subject to at work, by strangers and at all walks of life. However, what happens when the perpetrator of sexual violence is not a stranger, but rather an intimate partner? These situations rarely get exposed in the media despite the statistics revealing that “more than half (51.1%) of female victims of rape reported being raped by an intimate partner” (National Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Unfortunately, these reports go ignored and brushed off as “family issues”.

Since an experience that occurred three years ago to someone I am close to, I can truthfully say that domestic violence is not a family issue, and should no longer be described as one.

Intimate partner violence can affect an entire community, and must be approached as any other public health problem would be, seriously and without hesitation.

Domestic violence is an epidemic that intersects with

many other controversial issues in the United States, such as gun control. While tackling these issues all at once will be difficult, it is time to make steps towards protecting those in abusive relationships. Whether that means the passage of new legislature that does not classify marital rape any differently than other rape, police taking those who report domestic violence more seriously, or reforming gun and restraining order laws, it must be done.

It is time to stop joking about NFL athletes hitting their girlfriends. It is time to stop reminding Rihanna of the terror she experienced at the hands of Chris Brown. It is time to stop defending those who control and manipulate their significant others in the name of being too afraid to be alone. It is time to believe survivors, and to not worry about the reputation of the abusers.

Abuse does not have to be physical, and a lot of the time, it is not. Abusers can use many types of manipulation to get power over their victims, including emotional abuse and financial abuse. So, talk to your friends and family members who seem to be struggling within their relationship. Do not question why your friend did not leave their abuser earlier, but rather what you can do to help. There are many resources available online, in shelters, and at local police departments.

If your friend’s significant other, or your own, is displaying any of the following warning signs developed by the Mayo Clinic, please reach out to the National Domestic Vio-

lence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE): Calls you names, insults you or puts you down Prevents or discourages you from going to work or school or seeing family members or friends Tries to control how you spend money, where you go, what medicines you take or what you wear Acts jealous or possessive or constantly accuses you of being unfaithful Gets angry when drinking alcohol or using drugs Threatens you with violence or a weapon Hits, kicks, shoves, slaps, chokes or otherwise hurts you, your children or your pets Forces you to have sex or engage in sexual acts against your will Blames you for his or her violent behavior or tells you that you deserve it.

By breaking the cycle of intimate partner violence, we can create a world where significant others feel safe in the arms of the one they love, and one in which those who do not will not hesitate to reach out for help.

Whether or not it seems to be, domestic violence is an issue that affects the health of all people and it’s time we all take a stand in making it no longer just a “family issue.”

Editor’s Note: Shannon Gleba is a Copy Editor of The Quadrangle and a sophomore.

The views expressed in this article are hers, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Manhattan College, The Quadrangle or its Editorial Board.

SUBMIT YOUR OWN LET T ER Letters to the Editor may be submitted to thequad@manhattan.edu by Saturday at noon to be considered for publication.

Profanity, vulgarity and hate will not be published. The Quadrangle reserves the right not to publish a letter.

CORRECT IONS -In “The Few, The Proud: The Spikeballers”, Joseph Campiellia’s last name was spelled incorrectly. The correct spelling is Campiglia.

-“It’s Time to Talk About Suicide” was incorrectly placed under the news header. It was an opinion-editorial article.

-In “Matt Centrowitz Returns Back to Where It All Started to Bolster Running Program”, the bottom picture incorrectly identified Centrowitz in the group photo. He is actually the third from the right.

News

OCTOBER 2, 2018

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Joan Cammarata Receives Excellence in Teaching Award, Followed by the Annual Costello Lecture Madalyn Johnson & Samantha Walla Staff Writer & Asst. Production Editor

On Tuesday, Sept. 25, the sixth annual Costello Excellence in Teaching Award was presented to Joan Cammarata in Kelly Commons. Following the presentation was the seventeenth annual Costello Lecture presented by the History Department and the School of Liberal Arts.

Named in memory of Brother Casimir Gabriel Costello, the Costello Excellence in Teaching Award recognizes a School of Liberal Arts faculty member who “exemplifies the excellence in teaching that characterizes Manhattan College and is central to its mission and to the mission of the Lasallian Christian Brothers,” as described by Keith Brower, Dean of the School of Liberal Arts, when opening the award ceremony.

The award is given due to the generosity of Patricia and Jack Stack, the niece and nephew of Costello.

“I can tell you that when I was looking at Manhattan College as a potential job candidate in the winter of 2014, seriously, and as a jigsaw puzzle reason for me to be attracted to the Manhattan College community, not just the college, but the Manhattan community, that began to form one of the pieces of that puzzle that I distinctly remember, that was the Costello Award,” Brower said.

He continued.

“I was impressed that it existed, that the donors had been generous enough, as well as clearly mindful and supportive enough in the role of teaching and the Lasallian Christian Brothers mission at Manhattan and School of Liberal Arts to establish and underwrite the award,” he said.

After earning her B.A. from Fordham University, Cammarata continued to get her M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D., at Columbia University. She authored “Mythological Themes in the Works of Garcilaso de la Vega,” and still contributes to scholarly research regarding Spanish Golden Age and the literature of early modern Spain.

Brower notes that before working with Cammarata at Manhattan College, her work, particularly on Cervantes, was influential to his studies on Spanish literature.

“Joan has been an influence on me since I ever laid eyes on her,” said Brower. “I knew for years before I ever thought about coming to Manhattan College that she was a world class scholar, and know since I got here I have understood and realized and appreciated that she is a world class colleague and a world class teacher.”

Brower went on to read a handful of the student nominations.

“Dr. Cammarata is a teacher who teaches much more than the basics found in textbooks.

She teaches students how to be confident in everything they do, whether it’s speaking a foreign language, especially in a foreign language literature

class, applying for internships and honor societies,” he said.

The nominations continued, as read by Brower.

“She cares not just about students’ educations, but also about students’ lives and well being. She teaches students how to live and how to follow their dreams, even when times are difficult. Dr. Cammarata is a blessing to Manhattan College, especially to Jasper students, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to take so many fascinating classes with her,” he said.

The award nominations come from students before being reviewed by a faculty committee. The student nominations highlight the difference-making qualities of professors and recognize those that make an impact on students.

Cammarata teaches in the Modern Languages and Literatures department(s), specializing in Spanish as well as the poetry of Garcilaso de la Vega, Cervantes and the writings of Saint Teresa of Avila.

Following the award presentation, Jeff Horn, Ph.D, of the history department introduced Micah Alpaugh, an associate professor of history at the University of Central Missouri.

Alpaugh studies nonviolent protests and social movements during the French Revolution, having authored a book “NonViolence and the French Revolution: Political Demonstrations in Paris, 1787-1795” in 2015.

“It is my very great pleasure to welcome Professor Alpaugh here today, in part because when I go to conferences I have

Business School Renamed __________________________ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 In the following years, it has seen the introduction of a new MBA program as well as a shift towards a module-based curriculum and increased focus on taking advantage of the college’s New York City location.

President O’Donnell sees the gift helping in more than one way: supporting the labor behind the student-centered program and making sure that the program is elevating it’s students.

“That includes faculty support, support for student research so that they’re able to really excel during the time that they’re here, [and] scholarship aid because the kind of education we provide is very labor-intensive. You have small classes, you have one-onone contact with your faculty members, it’s not five hundred people in a lecture hall. That’s expensive. The labor intensity

of a school like that makes us expensive,” said O’Donnell.

He continued.

“You have to always be making sure the environment that you have is one that’s conducive to the level of education that students really need to have. And so things like the first and the second floor renovation of De La Salle ... creating classrooms that allow for collaborative learning, creating a finance lab where you’ve got the access to the Bloomberg Terminals, and things like this, that all takes money and this will allow us to do these sort of things,” he said.

The future of Manhattan’s business program now finds itself in an advantageous position, with the capabilities to test new waters, fund new classes and programs and continue to push students forward towards careers post-graduation.

“I think it’s going in the direction that it has been the past

10 or 15 years, giving an education to the people in the school that allows them to get a job and make a living. A good living,” said O’Malley.

New prospects aside, the retention of and dedication to the college’s fundamental values will continue to play a vital role in the advancement and success of the business school.

“Our business school should be a place where we bring people in and it’s a gateway to getting a foothold in the New York City business world ... In line with our Lasallian and Catholic tradition, it should be a place where our students come out and they become increasingly recognized, not just because they’re competent in business but because they’ve got an ethical core, and they’ll do things the right way. I think they’re the two major things that we’re looking for the business school really to move forward on,” said O’Donnell.

the joy of being a talent scout.

I get to go and listen not only to the things that interest me, but to the things that I think would play well to a Manhattan College audience so that I can propose that person to my colleagues,” Horn said.

Alpaugh’s lecture, titled “French Jacobin Radicalization in International Context from 1789-1794,” described the history of the Jacobin party and followed its work through the French Revolution to modern day politics around the world.

Senior Melissa Revelo attended the lecture for Horn’s class “Age of French Revolution” and found this aspect of the lecture to stand out in particular.

“We actually had [Alpaugh] in class this morning,” said Revelo. “One of the interesting parts that stood out was how the Jacobin party relates to modern day political parties.”

Dr. Alpaugh talked about the importance of the French Revolution and how political movements in that particular era have had a great emphasis on organizations and politics today.

“The French Revolution helped create a new model of social movements that’s provided much of the playbook for how campaigns are organized down to the present day. The national and regional coordination efforts of movements like Me Too and the Women’s March are still trying to bring people together seeking a greater fraternity, democratization and political participation,” Alpaugh said.

ABOVE: Joan Cammarata, recipient of the Costello Award.

MANHATTAN COLLEGE / COURTESY

BELOW: Dr. Alpaugh presented his lecture on the French Revolution.

SAMANTHA WALLA / THE QUADRANGLE

Clubs Face Budget Cuts __________________________ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 campus, and an increased budget could help us continue to do so in more impactful and effective ways,” she said.

For senior Liam Moran, a certain fear was sparked after hearing his club would receive less money.

“Unfortunately, all clubs are in the same boat,” said Moran, leader of the Games Club. “We need to work together, more than ever before. I don’t want to see Manhattan College’s vibrant club life die because clubs don’t have money.”

Student Engagement and Student Government agree that students should not worry about cuts to their respective club budgets.

During the first six weeks of the school year, any and all events held by a club, whether on or off campus, are paid for

by Student Engagement and

hence do not affect the club’s budget. Students are also encouraged to come to Student Engagement if they are fearful of a low budget and how it will affect the club.

John Bennett and the Student Engagement team, as well as Student Government, are willing to work with students as best as they can.

An alternative option for clubs on campus that Student Government is urging students to try is to begin their own fund raising campaigns to support their clubs and activities.

“We are urging groups on campus to fund raise, and through fund raising, hopefully support their activities and events on campus. We just urge groups to get as creative as possible,” said Kwiecinski.

News

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THE QUADRANGLE

Commuter Newsletter: Making Commuters Feel at Home in Riverdale Alexa Schmidt & Maria Thomas Asst. A&E Editor & Staff Writer

For a commuter student, college can be a different experience. Often times, those living off-campus can feel disconnected to resident students.

Luckily, the commuter bimonthly newsletter titled ‘The Commuter Chronicle’ strives to connect the Manhattan College community to the commuters.

The content highlights the key offices on campus, spotlights students and faculty, and publishes writing material that reflects programs offered by the college that the writers have experienced. Ultimately, it provides commuters with the information that they need to fully immerse themselves into life at MC. Meggie Osorio, a sophomore and double major in English and art history, is the editor-in-chief of the publication.

“There are currently six commuter students working on the newsletter which includes writers, editors and photographers. We are always open to

hearing from other commuter students who want to get involved with the newsletter. Our team keeps on growing with every issue. We are also open to submissions, recommendations, or if a student wants to be spotlighted,” she said.

The newsletter takes about a month to get from the brainstorming phase to publication where members conduct interviews with fellow students and write their articles.

There is a theme with every newsletter which serves as a base point for the rest of the issue, including what offices or members of the Manhattan College community can fit in with that theme. The finished product ranges from four to seven pages which allows for all of the articles and photographs from members of the team to be included.

From there, the newsletter gets sent out via e-mail from Commuter Services and Outreach.

“We often leave copies of it in Kelly Commons for students to pick up and read it. We are currently working on possibly getting the newsletter available online and having more physi-

cal copies around for pick-up,” Osorio said.

Junior Samuel Szabo is a commuter who has driven to the Manhattan College campus for three years.

“I’ve been getting the commuter newsletters. I look at the interesting titles and read those sections. They’re usually updates on commuter affairs.

They recap the commuter association meetings that happen every two weeks. They also have important updates, like recently the 238th subway station was closed, and they got the word out about that. It’s pretty relevant stuff that commuters care about more than residents that live here.”

Alessandra Drummond, a sophomore allied health major, also commutes to MC from the Bronx and receives the newsletter e-mail.

“I get the CSA commuter association information in my e-mail inbox. The October and September editions have already come out. I skimmed them for important information like financial aid. I pay attention to the things related to commuter meetings,” she said.

The newsletter aims to in-

A previous issue of the newsletter.

COMMUTER CHRONICLE / COURTESY spire commuters to become ments with us. We often have active members on campus and students and offices reaching take advantage of all the oppor- out to us for a spotlight or intunities and resources open to terview as they want to take a them. It is always looking for moment to get their voices out more participants to join it’s to the commuter population. staff.

Whether people want to write, “Any commuter student that take pictures, or be the center wants to be involved with our of an article, we are open to project is welcome to reach out hearing them out,” Osorio said. and share their ideas or com-

Emergency Blood Drive Held for Get The Quadrangle Natural Disaster Relief Katie Heneghan Staff Writer

On Monday, Sept. 24 and Thursday, Sept. 27, Manhattan College students and faculty participated in a blood drive for the New York Blood Center.

Although the drive is not directly for the benefit of victims of Hurricane Florence, these blood donations will help ease some of the need as a result of the storm.

On Monday, 61 students and faculty donated, and on Thursday, 54 donated, totaling 115 donations.

Donors were given the option to donate red blood cells, whole blood units and double red blood cells. The blood center received 54 units of red cells, 22 double red cell donations and 32 whole units of blood.

MC typically has two blood drives a year and is in partnership with the New York Blood Drive. This year’s blood drive took place in Smith Auditorium and was open for seven hours both days.

Junior Nicholas Pagan was one of many students who chose to donate blood.

“I’m just doing my part to help out,” says Pagan.

Despite her fear of needles, Gabby Montes, a junior, chose to donate anyway. “[I donated] because it

helps save a lot of lives and it’s just a good thing to do. It comes from a place of love and caring for people,” Montes said.

The Blood Drive is organized by Robin Friehling, an account manager for the New York Blood Center, and Campus Ministry.

In response to Hurricane Florence, Friehling said, “In order to be able to help we have to have sufficient blood to meet our local community needs and then were able to be in a position to provide elsewhere.”

There is a particular need for donations at this time due to the flooding and damage in the Carolinas which has prevented them from collecting sufficient donations to maintain their general needs.

One of the challenges faced

by Friehling and the New York Blood Center is getting student donors to give more than once a year. The Blood Drives strategically happen once in the fall semester and again in the spring semester. This is due to the fact that eight weeks after donating blood one is eligible to donate again.

As for the future of Blood Drives at Manhattan College, Friehling hopes to work with some sort of student advocacy group to promote and educate students and faculty for future drives.

Blood donations have historically decreased at MC, but

through education and advocacy Friehling hopes to change that.

In the state of New York, anyone over the age of 16 is eligible to donate blood. If someone is in good health, he or she is generally able to donate.

Some of the only limitations are getting tattoos within the last year, taking any prescription medication or if one has any health conditions that prevent someone from donating.

MC will be holding another blood drive in February in hopes of reaching more engineering students who spend their days on the South Campus.

Later in the spring, they will return to the main campus for a second drive in hopes of increasing the number of overall donors.

“Money can’t buy everything, and one of the things that money can’t buy, is blood.

If a human being needs the medicine called blood it must come from another human being. This is one of the few charitable giving opportunities that you have where 100 percent of what you give goes to the cause,” said Friehling.

“One out of three people will need a blood donation in their lifetime, and one out of seven patients entering the hospital need blood as part of their treatment.”

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First newsletter of the semester will be sent out on Thursday, Oct. 4!

OCTOBER 2, 2018

Arts & Entertainment

5

Celebrating Banned Books Week: An Editor’s Collection of Challenged Books THE BOOK NOOK Rose Brennan A&E Editor

Near the end of September, America celebrates Banned Books Week, which centers around frequently challenged books in society.

Though people cannot be arrested for the controversial material they write and produce, that does not mean their books are free from censorship. Schools, libraries and other institutions may remove said controversial works for any number of reasons.

Though this is a terrible practice, it is actually a testament to the power of the written word. Many of these frequently challenged books are life-changing and can have a lasting impact on someone’s point of view.

So many controversial books have impacted so many people for so many reasons.

That being said, here are some of my favorites.

Fun HomeAlison Bechdel Challenged for violence, graphic images, homosexuality Alison Bechdel is not only an icon in terms of feminist theory (ever heard of the Bechdel Test?); she is also a celebrated graphic novelist. “Fun Home” tells the story of the relationship between herself and her father, especially in regards to her coming to terms with her homosexuality.

Alison’s father Bruce is seen as a tyrannical ruler in their home, largely in part due to his closeted homosexuality. He is extremely resentful of this aspect of himself, especially when Alison realizes she might be homosexual as well.

This is portrayed in a particularly pivotal scene in which Alison sees a female truck driver in a restaurant, and is in awe of her masculine appearance.

This greatly upsets Bruce, who has always wanted her to be more feminine.

In addition to sexuality and gender roles, throughout the novel, Alison is also intrigued by the mysterious circumstances surrounding her father’s death. While they had a difficult relationship when he was alive, she still obsesses over it and wonders if she was partly responsible for it.

“Fun Home” has a unique viewpoint on the matters of family, identity and gender from which nearly anyone would benefit. Banning and challenging it due to perceived “controversial” content is ludicrous.

The Handmaid’s TaleMargaret Atwood Challenged for strong political perspective, portrayals of rape, genocide Note to all readers: I loved this book before it was cool.

And I fell in love with it all over again after it came out on Hulu.

While this book came out in 1985, it has recently experienced a resurgence of popularity following the recent political climate, not to mention its development into a hit TV series.

For some reason, people really like dystopia novels, even ones as horrifying as this one.

In the not-so-distant future of the United States, the three branches of government have been overthrown by a fundamentalist religious group known as the Sons of Jacob. In this new theocracy, now known as Gilead, women have been stripped of their fundamental rights. They are not allowed to read, vote or leave the house without an escort. Furthermore, fertility rates have declined massively, so there is a set class of women, known as “Handmaids,” whose sole purpose is to reproduce for the high-ranking Commanders and their infertile Wives.

Though it is an extreme case, “The Handmaid’s Tale” now serves as a cautionary tale of what can happen when church and state align, and when women are robbed of their bodily autonomy.

The Outsiders- S.E. Hinton Challenged for graphic depictions of violence Yes, it’s a book mostly everyone reads around sixth grade, but it has remained my all-time favorite book for all of the years following.

In Tulsa, Okla., 14-year-old Ponyboy Curtis lives with his two older brothers, Sodapop and Darry, following the death of their parents. In Tulsa, there are two distinct rival gangs.

The greasers, Ponyboy’s gang, are poor, work low-end jobs, and are seen as menaces to society. Meanwhile, the “Socs” are rich, privileged and wear madras shirts.

This ever-present tension between the two comes to a head one night after Ponyboy and his friends go to the drivein movie theater and meet two pretty Soc girls. Later that night, when a Soc ends up dead, Ponyboy must go on the run simply for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The fact that this book is on the list is actually kind of ridiculous to me. Yes, there is a murder and an all-out “rumble” between the two gangs, but the portrayals of violence are

hardly explicit. However, some people thought they were explicit enough for them to earn a place on this list.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky Challenged for underage drinking and drug use, homosexuality, sexually explicit, portrayals of sexual assault This might be considered a quintessential book for angsty teenagers, but it actually has quite a few nuggets of wisdom in it for an adult audience.

High school is hard for everyone, especially for Charlie, who is dealing with the deaths of his beloved Aunt Helen and his best friend MIchael. On his first day of high school, he starts off with no friends and ends the day with exactly one: his English teacher Bill.

As time goes on, Charlie begins to branch and befriends two step-siblings: Sam, a girl with whom Charlie develops a crush on, and Patrick, who is in a secret relationship with the school quarterback. Between the three of them and their group of friends, it is an extremely tumultuous year they will not soon forget … and not for the best of reasons.

The special thing about “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is the way in which Charlie’s story is told. The book is composed of a series of letters written by Charlie, which always begin with “Dear friend,” and end with “Love always, Charlie.” There have been quite a few debates as to whom Charlie is writing, but many believe he is writing to the reader, therefore bringing you into the story as a part of his adventure through his freshman year of high school.

Persepolis: The Stor y of a Childhood- Marjane Satrapi Challenged for offensive language, graphic depictions of violence I love this book so much that I actually wrote an entire Book Nook on it alone. But I thought it was time to bring it back for Banned Books Week.

“Persepolis” is the autobiographical account of Marjane “Marji” Satrapi, whose childhood and adolescence take place during Iran’s Islamic Revolution and the subsequent institution of the Islamic regime. Marji’s parents are by no means fundamentalist, and the entire family has difficulty adapting to the new lifestyle: no alcohol, no gambling and Marji and her mother must cover their hair every time they leave the house.

Because Marji was not raised with these beliefs, it be-

(ABOVE) O’Malley Library has many banned books in their circulation as part of their Banned Books Week.

(BELOW) Some of the books listed in this week’s Book Nook are available for check out at the library now.

ROSE BRENNAN / THE QUADRANGLE comes easy for her to disobey and rebel against the institution, particularly as a teenager.

Several times throughout the novel, she is seen buying Western music, wearing Western clothes and standing up to her teachers when they tell the students false information about the regime.

Satrapi wrote a sequel to “Persepolis” entitled “Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return,” which details Marji’s life in Europe during her high school years, as well as her return home as a young adult. Both novels, however, are essential to an insider’s understanding of the Islamic Revolution and how it impacted a generation.

To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee Challenged for racial slurs, portrayals of violence I read this book for the first time when I was thirteen, and it’s remained a favorite of mine ever since.

Told from the perspective of a young girl by the name of Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, “To Kill a Mockingbird” focuses on the trial of a black man by the name of Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a white woman during the 1930s.

Scout’s father, whom she absolutely adores, is Robinson’s defense attorney, alienating him and his children from other people in their hometown of Maycomb, Ala. As much as some of us would like to believe that racism ended after Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement, it most certainly did not. Unfortunately, this book is therefore still relevant when we speak of our criminal justice system, racial profiling and wrongful convictions of people of color.

Arts & Entertainment

6

THE QUADRANGLE

Aja Stuns Crowd at MC Performance C. Garrett Keidel Asst. Sports Editor

On Wednesday, Sept. 26, the Manhattan College LGBTQ Student Group hosted a Drag performance in Hayden 100.

The featured performer was a New York City based drag queen, Aja. Originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., Aja is known for her club performances here in NYC, along with her appearances on the now Emmy-winning show, RuPaul’s Drag Race, competing on season(s) 9 and All Stars 3.

Those who came to the performance were able to watch Aja’s live performances, participate in Rupaul’s Drag Race Trivia, personally ask Aja questions in a Q&A session and for the lucky few, get to take pictures with her during the meet and greet session.

Overall, the night was planned to be around an hour and a half of performance and celebration in what Roi Mase, the president of the LGBTQ Student Group, described as “our Superbowl.”

During the event, attendees witnessed several numbers, wig/wardrobe changes and even a healthy dose of advice from Aja. Topics ranged from how to carry a positive mind-set through life, how to continue to spread love and even where to get the best

empanadas in Brooklyn.

After her performances and Q&A, she commented further on these topics.

“My advice for anyone who wants to make a big impact in a small community, honestly, is to be yourself and promote the right things,” said Aja. “Always bring things up for discussion. It’s a good thing and it’s healthy to discuss things that aren’t necessarily agreed on.

I think it’s very juvenile how people these days are so quick to jump to the negative solution for everything. It shouldn’t be that if you don’t like something then you ‘cancel it’ and throw it away. I think it’s important to investigate all sides of everything… Then people want to look up to you as a role model.”

Mase, along with the rest of the LGBTQ Student Group executive board worked long and hard in order to get this event to be the success that it was. The process of planning this event took the span of over six months to put together.

“It’s had its ups and downs when it comes down to the planning. But a lot of Administration, especially Student Engagement, have been really important in getting this together,” Mase said.

The concept of LGBTQ acceptance and exposure were brought up by both Mase and Aja after the performance.

They both mentioned the im-

portance of the topic along with how special it was that the MC community were supported throughout the entire process.

“Especially on a small campus like Manhattan College, the fact that it’s Catholic, its very important that they would sponsor these kinds of events,” said Mase. “The fact that faculty were so supportive really shows that there is a shift in campus culture for sure.”

“I think that it is important to be exposed to queer culture from a younger age because it allows someone to develop a sense of acceptance,” said Aja. “I feel like transphobia and homophobia, and even racism are learned while we’re young. A lot of it starts with the enforcement of gender roles at a young age. But if you just let your child be an individual, they’ll grow up and have the most pure outlook on things in life. I think it’s important that people are exposed to everything.”

Students heavily supported the event, almost fully filling the available seating in Hayden 100. The student reaction to the event was nothing short of joyful, excited and extremely happy. The crowd continued the cheer and clap along throughout all of the performances, including those with Aja rapping into a podium microphone.

“Everyone was so positive and supportive of each other,” said freshman Sami Rini. “This

ABOVE: Members of the LGBTQ Student Group with drag queen Aja. LGBTQ

STUDENT GROUP COURTESY

/

BELOW: Aja went through multiple wardrobe changes and performed a number of dances.

EMILY ORTIZ / THE QUADRANGLE was my first time seeing a drag performance but it definitely won’t be my last… It was so much fun and supported such a welcoming environment that I’m happy to see on my campus.”

At the end of the evening, Aja had one final message for the LGBTQ community at MC along with the school community at large.

“My message is honestly

to love everyone in the community. I think that a lot of the LGBTQIA+ get lost in the sub issues. Whether it’s the dating issues or many others, it’s important to remember the gay community along with the rest of the LGBTQIA+ are already marginalized, so its not good to continue to further marginalize people for something they cannot control,” Aja said.

Mamma Mia! Scatterbomb is Back Again with Sequel Marianna Duque Contributor

On Friday, Sept. 28, Scatterbomb returned with their acclaimed improvisation show once again for the second time in the semester.

As usual, the team asked the audience a word in order to start the sketch. One person in the audience yelled “Mamma Mia!”, and they launched into a story with a twist.

When one member started talking about they how went to see Mamma Mia 2, sophomore Aeden Roney tapped their shoulder and took over the story from where the previous person left off. He accidentally ended up in the wrong movie theater, revealing it was-- another tap by new member Brendan Hanney-- Avengers: Infinity War, and said their grandma ended up being severely traumatized by the movie and really scared of Thanos, associating the character and believing in his existence.

This made the team switch to their physical sketches, where the characters were driving to visit their grandma, who now believed that Thanos was real and was dangerous, and was ultimately placed in a

mental hospital.

“Grandma, you’re in here because you kept trying to avenge things,” said Hanney to Meredith Taylor, who was playing the grandma.

The scene switched to the visit, where that same grandma, mistaking a dog for Thanos, demanded his walker (played by Kevin Donald) that he has to pick it up and sign a ludicrous contract for the dog’s physiological needs in a public place.

The team brilliantly morphed this scene into a mother and her teenage children, who were in leashes, trying to shop in Walmart and later, led to a date of one of the teens.

“He can hold my leash,” said new member Sydney Waitt to Donald, her date. Donald turned to the audience, wiggling his eyebrows. The crowd exploded into laughter as the scene changed.

Suddenly, they were in a communal bathroom, where people were showering and singing melodiously. The majority in the theater bursted out laughing during this performance.

“I wonder why they got rid of the stalls in here,” said Jenn Bueti, as she pantomimed showering. Roney showered

next to her and Donald and Hanney used metal folding chairs as toilets.

Then, Donald successfully tried to bring up a concept that was trailed off from the first moment of the show: a remake of the Mamma Mia movie but with dogs, properly entitled “Puppy-Pia”. In this particular scene, he talked to the dogs acting on set, while Roney and Erin McWilliams complained on that poor acting of the dogs.

This resulted on a human remake of “A Bug’s Life,” which the team delivered really well, referencing the film, such as the Disney attraction “It’s Tough to Be A Bug” and tweaking it into “it’s tough to be a human.” The room exploded with laughter. After the shot of the movie, they made an Oscar’s speech.

At the half, the team stopped and asked the audience for a situation from one of the people in the audience.

“Did anything crazy happen to anyone this week?” asked Donald.

The student told them that they got stuck in an elevator and filed a report and got five dollars off of their tuition. They continued from there into a couple getting free from debt and a lot of similar and different situations, until Donald

Brendan Hanney, Aedan Roney and Meredith Taylor sit upon Kevin Donald during a bit about a music performance.

TAYLOR BRETHAUER / THE QUADRANGLE stopped the show: he had noticed an earthworm in front of the stage.

As Donald took it outside of Hayden Hall to the grass, Roney, McWilliams and Waitt started talking as if they were in a scene, but held a conversation about the discovery of the worm. Donald came back in and they exclaimed “Kevin is back!”

“Is this a scene right now?” asked Donald.

As the scene was being executed, his evident confusion were something natural and relatable that bombarded the theater with fresh laughs, meaning that this group is extremely committed to their performances.

A few more scenes were

performed, with the final scene about Roney fathering multiple children after a donation to a sperm bank. He ended up on the television show Maury, famous for paternity tests. The audience was referenced as his possible offspring. In the end, he was the father of everyone in the audience.

To end the show, Roney exclaimed, “Every one of my kids is getting a skateboard for Christmas.”

The group’s next show is next Friday, Oct. 5 in Hayden 100 at 8 p.m. with a special surprise: the team will be joined by Fordham University’s improv team, Stranded in Pittsburgh.

Taylor Brethauer contributed reporting.

Arts & Entertainment

OCTOBER 2, 2018

7

Sophomore Student Sells Tees with Style Lauren Schuster Asst. Features Editor

Like many college students, sophomore Sophie Demurjian likes to make her fashion feel personal.

Cutting and bleaching tshirts for her and her friends to wear started out as nothing more than a fun hobby. After only two weeks of running an Instagram account dedicated to it, however, it has quickly snowballed into her own small online business.

Through her Instagram account @cutandcropped, Demurjian now markets her creations to her fellow college students, all for around $20 each. She is also the creator of @bronxbites, the popular food account featured in last semester’s special issue.

“My roommate was the one who taught me how to cut [the shirts], so last year we would just cut them and we would wear them places,” Demurjian said. “So I thought over time ‘this is so simple, why don’t I make something out of it?’ and [then] I saw ones that were bleached. Then I started bleaching them and I was like ‘you know what, people maybe will buy these,’ and I tried it out, and it’s been more successful than I could have imagined.”

Demurjian’s designs usually start out as nothing more than a simple XL graphic tshirt. By the time they end up on her Instagram account, however, she has transformed them into fashionable crop tops worthy of a night out with friends.

“I cut [the tees], I bleach them, that’s how I get that design and then you wash it.

There’s a whole process behind it. Bleach is no joke,” De-

murjian said.

Demurjian creates unique designs according to her own vision in addition to taking custom orders over direct message on her account. Due to the somewhat unpredictable nature of the processes she does, each tee comes out differently, giving her customers a one of a kind piece to call their own.

“It’s hard, it’s like a gamble, because you don’t know how a shirt is going to come out. Each one is made and it’s its own piece, and some materials don’t always bleach, so you have to guess. Even not all cotton bleaches, I’ve learned the hard way on that,” Demurjian said.

Demurjian’s goal was to create designs made for college students by a college student, keeping in mind both students’ style and their price range.

“I sell [my designs] for under $20, so it’s affordable for everybody,” Demurjian said.

“Cropped t-shirts are a big thing now, a lot of girls wear them, even if it’s not super cropped. It’s just a look right now, it’s all over Instagram.”

While she started out considering her classmates at Manhattan College as her only market, Dermujian’s designs have become popular enough to gain outside attention as well.

“I get people from all over [ordering shirts], even outside of our school. They ask me to ship them to them,” Demurjian said.

While Demurjian admits that working on her designs takes a great deal of both time and dedication, especially while keeping up with her schoolwork, it remains a labor of love for her.

“It’s something I thoroughly enjoy,” Demurjian said, “It takes up the majority of my time, but I don’t mind it at all.

I love it, it’s something I would want to get up in the morning for. Balancing it is not too hard, you know, you make time for the things you love, so I make time for it.”

Sophie Demurjian markets her fashionable creations through her Instagram account, @ cutandcropped

PHOTOS BY SOPHIE DEMURJIAN/ COURTESY

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Arts & Entertainment

8

THE QUADRANGLE

Emely Martinez Rocked The Quad(chella) ROCK THE QUAD Gabriella Depinho Asst. News Editor

Senior Emely Martinez was one of many performers at Quadchella on Friday, Sept. 14, however, to me she stole the show. With her chill demeanor and her equally chill set, she really grabbed the crowd’s attention.

She sang covers, a Spanglish remix of “Be Careful” by Cardi B and even performed some of her original songs. Her support improvised the music and she rolled along with it.

Martinez, who goes by Emelia Vero Martinez on social media, once got 50,000+ views on a video of her singing on Facebook. Other than that, she usually keeps her online videos to shorter Instagram clips. The only way to catch her original music is to see her perform live whether it be at open mics in the local area or on campus.

The Quadrangle was lucky to catch her performance at Quadchella which captured everyone’s attention. The laid back atmosphere of the fall music festivities and her original music was the perfect combination to listen to her live. The Quadrangle was able to catch up with her this week and get to learn more about her relationship with music.

The Quadrangle: How did you first get into music?

Emely Martinez: I didn’t always sing; that’s a fact. I always liked listening to music. I was always the weird one at home who would listen to the most random things I could find like classical music. My brother - he went through all of the phases - had the classical rock phase, the super grungy phase, a country phase even. So I had those influences. I had my parents who are from the DR so I listened to a lot of Spanish music. Then I was just finding things I didn’t hear from them and just listening to it. Then in high school, I started playing guitar. I identified closely with that, stuck to that. A lot of the guys in the other high school were like “Oh you play guitar so you sing,” and I was like “No, I play guitar.” It was a pride thing. Eventually I started singing, I think during my last year of high school. It was cool, I didn’t like it too much. I started writing and then I was like “ah yep, found it;” this is my box. Then I just continued to go from there.

TQ: What first inspired you to start writing?

EM: The first thing I ever wrote was my prom-posal. I asked my date to the prom; it was like a 30 second thing but it was cute, fun, simple. I was just like this is cool. I kinda put it

aside until I was overwhelmed with emotions and I just didn’t know what to do with them. I always kinda sucked with words but it always came out better in song form. It always helped me understand what I was feeling like afterwards I would be like “oh is that how I felt? I got it now.” So I think it was just me trying to understand what I was feeling.

TQ: What’s your favorite lyric that you’ve ever written?

EM: Oh that’s a good question.

TQ: Or you can do favorite song if you can’t pick a lyric.

EM: The song that I’ve been performing and doing in open mics most recently is one of the most recent songs I’ve written called “Nice Smile.”

The reason I like that one so much is because it was a challenge because my friend knows that a lot of my like/love/ feeling-y songs are laced with insecurity. I was like “you know what? I need to add some confidence to that” so I thought of writing a flirty song but I didn’t know how to write it. That’s why before I start singing it I say this is a song about me trying to flirt. It made me feel uncomfortable and I was just like “why do I not like the concept of flirting?” and it just made me think of the times when people would flirt with me. And when you tell people like, “hey, I’m not feeling this” they would kinda insult you or make you feel bad about saying no and that feeling that you have no say in what they’re saying, I didn’t like that. So I wrote this flirty song but the whole bridge is saying that you don’t have to respond to anything I’m saying, I’m just saying it to say it, you can do whatever you want and I respect that. Me writing that in just made me feel better and that’s what I want other people to understand. If you want to let someone know how you’re feeling, do it in a selfless way, don’t do it so you can get the response you want from it, do it because you want to say it. So I feel like that little message, giving that person the choice to say yes or no, I thought that was very important.

TQ: I heard you perform that song at Quadchella and I absolutely loved it. So do you perform a lot or was Quadchella a one-time thing? Do you do stuff on and off campus?

EM: I do a lot of open mics and random things. I usually don’t find out until the day of when my friends are like “hey, there’s an open mic here” and I just go. I honestly just write for myself and randomly find ways and places to put it out there.

TQ: Do you want to do something with music for your career?

EM: My major is psychology and I have a music minor.

I mean, I enjoy psychology, it’s great, but I would definitely try to do something with music if I can.

TQ: If music doesn’t pan out are you looking to do something with music and psychology?

EM: That’s a good question. A lot of people have brought that to my attention but I haven’t done a lot of research on it. I guess my backup plan - or the plan that you tell your parents - is that I’ll work with kids with behavioral disorders or developmental issues which I’m also very passionate about and I really enjoy it. But there’s a hierarchy of things that I want to do. So that’s the plan I tell my parents, which I’m fine with doing and I’m not upset about that option.

TQ: What do you think of the music scene on campus?

Do you think there are enough opportunities for people to share original music?

EM: I think there are plenty of opportunities, we have coffee houses. I know there are a few people on campus that write their own music. I think a lot of people are shy about it. They hear other people’s complete and finished songs and think “oh that looks like it took work.” Listen just get your ideas out there; it’s not bad or good, it’s yours, that’s the only thing it is.

TQ: Do you put your music out online?

EM: It’s mostly just performance based. On Instagram, I put little fifteen second things on my story every now and then. I am in the process of recording my music but we’ll see how that goes.

TQ: So is it true that one of your videos went viral one time?

EM: Yeah, on Facebook. It was the most random thing because I do not use Facebook.

But the Cardi B remix got on there and then it got 50,000 views. I actually haven’t been able to access my Facebook since then but it’s up there, doing its thing. It hasn’t really brought itself to Instagram, some people have reached out from some random places but otherwise not really.

TQ: What’s the dream or ultimate goal for you?

EM: Continue finding different ways to express myself, I guess. Through music, get better at expressing myself in general - hopefully not just through music. Hopefully, people just relate to it. I’m definitely a believer that whatever I’m feeling, I’m not alone in it. Whenever people are like “oh my gosh, I related to that” it’s the biggest compliment you could tell a

Emely Martinez, a senior psychology major with a music minor, hopes to pursue music following graduation.

EMELY MARTINEZ /COURTESY

songwriter. Unless it’s a sad song because then it’s like oh I’m sorry but even then. Maybe for people who don’t have the words to express themselves, maybe my words can be that for them.

Check her out on Instagram @emeliavero.

Watch her performance on our YouTube channel by scanning the QR code on the right.

Features

OCTOBER 2, 2018

9

Senior Juliette Rodriguez on Her Time in Paris PEOPLE OF MANHATTAN August Kissel Web Editor

Juliette Rodriguez is a Manhattan College senior who just spent her year studying abroad in Paris.

You did just spend a year in Paris, how did you originally get immersed into that culture?

Going there was actually pretty easy. I have always loved Europe and the culture over there, it is something that is familiar to me. When going there, you’re always ready beforehand because you are so anxious and you’re so excited to do something like that, something you have always wanted to do for so long. You mentally prepare yourself, you just dive into the cold water. It was actually pretty easy to adjust in the beginning.

What were some oddities that you didn’t expect or were different from living in the United States? What’s something that belongs to American culture that you craved?

You know what, I didn’t find many things where I thought “I wish Paris, I wish France had…” Except for the way that administrations worked. They are very old school. A lot of times, if you wanted to hand in some paperwork or anything it couldn’t be a form online, it had to be documented on actual paper and if you went anywhere to hand it in sometimes they would just tell you to mail to their office. You would say “So I’m going to be mailing this to this address even though I have the paper in my hands, right here?” and they would reply “Yes, that’s just the way we process everything.” The structure of the administrations and the way that they give things, it is very behind and it’s not very technology based.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I loved the food there. I loved the people, they were just so cool. Of course the fashion there is awesome.

What’s something, you mentioned fashion and food, that you felt you identified with more when you were in France?

Food wise, I loved the fact that they used a lot of natural products and a lot of locally grown products within their food. As a person who is very sensitive to a lot of artificial ingredients that was so great because my body was reacting so well. I was living my best life in terms of what I was eating when I was out there.

With fashion I loved how everything was a mix of casual while also always being professional at the same time. People are always so well dressed and

ever if they have their ratty old sneakers on, they will still wear their blazer with their freshly ironed pants. The style of how they match pieces together, you would think you would look so bad or even just different but when it is put together and actually being worn, its inspiring, it drives you to want to experiment.

They make everything look effortless because they always have those finishing touches.

Its an underlying professionalism in everything.

How did it feeling missing the time here at Manhattan?

That was a little bit tough.

Even though I didn’t miss many things back at home, I missed the people. My running thought was always if I could just wrap up and package everyone I love over here and bring them over there that would be the ideal because I would be in a really amazing place but I would also have amazing people. Missing the time here it was rough, because you do grow away from some people unfortunately due to distance and you do miss out on a lot of things. If you have FOMO, it’s going to be hard coming back.

While you’re there you have to realize that you’re doing something so amazing. When I first went I was only supposed to be there for one semester and it was probably my fourth day in and I was thinking I have to find a way to extend it for another semester because when else are you going to be able experience something like that? When else are you going to be able to do something as adventurous? You lose some, but you gain so much in another way. You grow so much and you have to remember you are reaping something from this.

Now that you’re back, how was the culture shock?

It’s worse than going over there. You hear once or twice that “yeah, going back is the hardest.” You don’t realize how hard it is. Especially when you’re really having such a great time. Coming back was the hardest because when you’re living such a different life that you have fallen in love with, it’s hard to realize what once was. What’s most difficult is you grow to become a type of person that you really want to be, and then when you come back your friends and family know you to be one type of person and then you’re suddenly trying incorporate those two people into one body. Aspects of those personalities have to drop, it’s either parts of the person that you grew to become or part of the person that you once were. It’s creating an understanding and working with that upon coming back home.

Juliette Rodriguez, now a Manhattan College senior, in front of the Arc de Triomphe (ABOVE) and the Louvre Museum (BELOW) during her year abroad in Paris.

JULIETTE RODRIGUEZ / COURTESY They understand you to be one thing and it’s not that they want you to change but you have grown so much because of the life experience.

You want to bring everything that you once were over there but adapting to that is so different because your way of life is different, they way you interact with people is different, it’s a transition in everything you do.

You come back and you feel as though nothing has changed, you feel as though you are picking up where you left off, but you’re not, you missed this entire chunk of time. It’s almost as if you were travelling on different time lines.

Absolutely, it is so true. It coincides with what do you miss when you’re not at Man-

hattan College? You miss out on growing with people and you grow in different ways.

This isn’t a bad thing but it’s a shocking thing.

If you were going to put your experience in a little box, as your selling point to study abroad what was your memor y that you cannot wipe the grin off of my face when I tell this stor y?

I think it was the fact that when you wake up every morning to know that this is a completely new life and I have my own little family here and I am so free to be whatever person whenever. You are completely on your own, you can do anything in a new city with really no one else but the people you choose to surround yourself

with. The croissants were great, the late night walks in Paris where amazing, but it’s really just the freedom and the choice to do whatever. To be anything you want to be. That is what I loved so much. It was a different kind of responsibility that I had when I was over there. There was an academic responsibility of course, but there was one where I really had to account only for myself and I had to opportunity to experiment with life in general, which is just so wonderful. As a result of that I tried so many things, I have started so many new hobbies, I have seen so many new things, and I learned so much.

Features

10

THE QUADRANGLE

The Lasallian Women and Gender Resource Center Discusses the #MeToo Movement Madyson Johnson & Samantha Walla Staff Writer & Asst. Production Editor

On Tuesday, Sept. 25, Women and Gender Studies faculty teamed up with the Lasallian Women and Gender Resource Center to host a panel on the discussion of sexual assault since the #MeToo movement started a year ago. Professors Jordan Pascoe, Jolie Terrazas and Nefertiti Takla talked about their views and experiences with sexual assault, and discussed how the movement affected society.

The panel, which operated without a moderator, began with background information on the #MeToo movement, discussing how it became the organization it is today. Pascoe started by mentioning how the movement started 12 years ago and was founded by a woman of color, Tarana Burke, who was thinking of ways that women could share their stories of sexual assault without invoking the law. She pointed how accusations and sexual harassment have only started breaking out in the media in recent years because long ago there was no definite answer for what qualifies as sexual assault or harassment.

“The idea of #MeToo was to create spaces in which women share their stories with one another. Not just to reassure and comfort one another, but actually to engage in a collective practice of identifying, interpreting and naming experiences,” said Pascoe, a philosophy professor at Manhattan College. “A huge part of what we do is the idea that by identifying our experiences together we collectively come to a better understanding of what has happened.”

History professor Nefertiti Takla referenced the movement against campus sexual assault as foreground for #MeToo, specifically the work of Emma Sulkowicz, a Columbia student who carried her mattress with her in the wake

of her sexual assault as part of a performance piece called “Carry That Weight.” At this time, Title IX was being reframed as holding perpetrators of sexual assault accountable, whereas it had usually been used to fight discrimination in sports.

Jolie Terrazas, a management professor, emphasized that the response of women to sexual assault is not a choice that should have to be made.

“I want to make sure that we feel empowered but that we also are cognizant of certain choices that we make in organization and to what extent is it really our choice, and to what extent is it being imposed upon us to present ourselves in a certain way that is more appealing for others and might make us more vulnerable or take away our power,” said Terrazas.

The #MeToo movement as it is known today took of last year in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein accusations. Before this, many survivors of sexual assault felt that they were unable to speak about their own stories. The aim of this panel was to continue the dialogue and create a space for others to discuss their experiences, especially as professional women.

“A huge part of the power of #MeToo is the power of testimony, telling your own story.

I was always taught that I was allowed to speak as analyst of sexual violence as long as I didn’t also speak as a survivor,” said Pascoe. “Part of what we wanted to look at today were our own experiences of sexual harassment, how concrete experiences of sexual harassment can shape your whole professional life. I think that’s a huge part of what we’ve been learning in #MeToo, sexual harassment is not just about being sexualized in the workplace, it’s about having a particular story of yourself forced upon you that then begins to organize your professional life around it.”

The panel spent a considerable amount of time discussing the value in giving name to certain experiences, as well as the healing power that follows.

Takla spoke particularly about the difficulties that stu-

Jordan Pascoe, Nefertiti Takla and Jolie Terrazas discussing the #MeToo movement in the Alumni Room of O’Malley on Tuesday, Sep. 25.

SAMANTHA WALLA / THE QUADRANGLE dents face, particularly in graduate school, when reporting sexual harassment perpetrated by professors. Because the professors in graduate programs work very closely with students, they have the ability to make completing the program very difficult for those who do not comply.

In addition to the trauma of actual assault, the reporting process often furthers the damage.

“The violation is not only the sexual harassment, the violation is being told ‘we’re not calling this sexual harassment’ and then having to put your story out there for the whole world to see in vivid detail [...]

Because of the way universities deny us the ability to even name our experiences, it causes us so much trauma,” said Takla. “Essentially #MeToo is saying we have the right to call this what it is. And that’s really half the battle.”

For many women, work and sexual harassment are so intertwined that they are indistinguishable from each other and not even recognized as problematic. Pascoe spoke about her own experiences in both the professional world and academia as being fraught with sexual harassment.

“For me, reporting didn’t ever feel like a viable option.

And I know that not only me,

but lots of other women tried to finish in that program and didn’t. I don’t know how many women there are who are not philosophers because of the culture of that program, but I would say the number is relatively high,” said Pascoe.

She continued.

“That means not only that those women don’t have those careers, but that philosophy is different. Philosophy is whatever those of us who do philosophy say it is. If women are systematically not finishing graduate programs and not becoming philosophers because of these cultures, then that changes not only their lives but the question of what our discipline would look like.”

In contrast to the Takla and Pascoe’s stories, Terrazas was aware of sexual harassment and agency early in her life. Despite this, she describes difficulty coming forward and reporting.

This person had referent power, meaning power because of charisma and likability. Due to this, she was ostracized by both men and women for speaking out against her harasser.

“What happened is put on display for everyone to judge, for everyone to hear, and some people authentically asked, ‘Well, Jolie, I don’t understand.

Why did that bother you so much?’” said Terrazas.

Being able to recognize

what she was experiencing as harassment still did not make reporting and dealing with the responses of others any easier.

Freshman Sydney Collins attended the lecture because of her involvement in the Lasallian Women and Gender Resource Center.

“Hearing their stories,” answered Collins when asked about the most interesting part of the lecture. “Where I’m from in New Jersey is very small, so it’s interesting to hear a lot of different views. They all went around the same guidelines and you don’t really think about in a school situation where you’re the only person standing out.”

After the panelists finished their stories, listeners asked questions and made comments, bringing the nature of the #MeToo movement that had been discussed prior to the forefront of the discussion.

“We’ve spent the last year learning that it’s not just a question of what happened. It’s also a question of whose account we go to when we want to determine what sexual harassment or assault is,” said Pascoe. “By women sharing these stories with each other we are doing collective work in identifying what sexual harassment and assault are. We are literally in the process of changing the definition and making these things visible.”

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Features

OCTOBER 2, 2018

Debbie Damico Aids Countless International Students in Assimilation

Brian Asare & Gabriella Depinho Staff Writer & Asst. News Editor

Debbi Damico, the Director of International Student and Scholar Services, has worked with countless students from all over the world during her time here at Manhattan. Her work helps international students and scholars to feel at home at Manhattan College.

“It is an amazing experience and I consider myself very lucky to have the opportunity to meet and get to know students from all parts of the world. The opportunity to work with such unique, interesting, intelligent and truly special students is my favorite part of my job,” said Damico.

Her job requires her to make sure these foreign students get all the information they need in order for them to have all of their papers in place but also to feel as comfortable

as possible in a new environment.

“Every August and January I have an orientation program for all of the newly-arrived international students at which time I inform them of the duties of my office, services and programs available to them on campus and some of the important requirements of their visas,” said Damico.

She continued.

“I work very closely with Counseling and CAS since they sponsor programs which are specific to the needs of international students - for example: The Counseling Center sponsors a group which assists students in adjusting to college and they also have a staff psychologist who has had experience as an international student.”

According to Damico, the most common problem most international students face on campus is the language barrier.

Most of these students that come from different countries

may speak little or no English; for issues like that Damico is able to guide international students to the CAS which provides them with tutors that help them improve upon their language skills step by step.

However, while she loves her work and does everything she can to see them grow, there are hard parts to her job.

“Since I am required to enforce the regulations of the Department of Homeland Security, having to inform a student that he/she is in violation of a DHS policy or regulation [is the hardest part of my job]. It is then my responsibility to assist the student in whatever way I can to get back into lawful status,” said Damico.

All these essential task that require experience, major expertise and most importantly patience prove that Debbi Damico is among many of the College’s faculty that help makes Manhattan College’s prestigious institution what it is today.

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Debbi Damico serves as the Director of International Student and Scholar Services.

MANHATTAN COLLEGE / COURTESY

Walking Out to be Believed

Alyssa Velazquez Editor

If you noticed a significant number of students and faculty wearing black on Monday, Sept. 24 and a group of people sitting on the steps of Smith Auditorium around 1 p.m., note that there was a reason. In light of the recent allegations being made toward Judge Brett Kavanaugh people across the country have been responding in a number of ways.

For Manhattan College, a group of students and faculty were interested in the idea of being part of a nationwide walkout. This idea spurred in response to a tweet that was made by President Donald J. Trump that suggested that the survivors of sexual violence shouldn’t be believed unless they reported the incident when it occurred.

As expected, the general response of the President’s tweet was not in favor of his statement. People who participated in the #metoo movement, a movement that brought those who were victims of sexual violence, then aided in the start of the Believe Survivors moment.

This is when the idea of the walkout came into play.

On Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. was when the nationwide walkout occurred. Women’s right organizations urged people to go out in support of the two women who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault and to support all those who share their stories of sexual assault.

One email that was circu-

lating across the campus was from junior August Kissel who helped spread the word about the walkout with the help of one of the professors of the college, Jordan Pascoe.

In the e-mail, Kissel writes, “I am reaching out both ask and let you all know that there is a walkout tomorrow at 1pm across the United States to show solidarity for survivors of sexual assault in the wake of the Kavanaugh case, and specifically show support for Dr. Blasey Ford.”

In addition, Kissel also mentions that is one is not comfortable with walking out of class and joining other on the Quadrangle, they can also wear black in solidarity of the cause.

Pascoe emphasizes the importance of having this walkout because it is not just to show the support of Dr. Blasey Ford but to support members of the community who have been affected by these recent events or by the experiences they may have had in relation to sexual violence. By having this walkout in the public eye of the college community, students are able to recognize the support they have from the community.

One student who attended the walkout and dressed in black in solidarity was sophomore Katie Doyle. Doyle first learned about the walkout through people’s Instagram stories and her first response was to show her support and participate.

“I invited people, like I sent pictures of it to group chats to get them involved because big-

Students on the stairs of Smith Auditorium, sitting in silence in solidarity of those who have been affected by sexual harassment.

LASALLIAN WOMEN AND GENDER RESOURCE CENTER / COURTESY ger groups make bigger changes,” says Doyle.

“As for the walkout, it was a show of support for survivors all across the world. For those that were able to, they gathered on the Quad at 1 with others and spoke for a bit while others wore black in solidarity. It meant a lot in a time when everyone had lost faith to be able to gather in a genuine show of support,” said senior Rabea Ali, who also attended the walkout.

Allowing the walkout, was a panel hosted by the Women and Gender Studies program of the college and the Lasallian Women and Gender Resource Center on Tuesday Sept.

25. This panel was centered around the #metoo movement and was titled “Where do we go from here?”

Pascoe was one of the three faculty panelists that were leading the conversation and sharing her experiences. Her biggest takeaway from the panel

was that “Telling our “metoo” stories, our stories of sexual harassment, is an act of naming and interpretation: part of what we are doing is giving testimony, but part of it, too, is a powerful act of naming our own experiences, of saying, this thing that happened to me is harassment.”

The discussion from the panel engaged both students and faculty to a point where the panel went on longer than the time it was thought to be allotted for, with people being able to grasp how the events occuring in American politics is truly affecting the Manhattan College community.

Ali has her own opinions on the hearings and her reasoning to join the walkout.

“The Kavanaugh hearings are just another example of how sexual assault isn’t taken seriously in America and how the ‘boys will be boys’ mentality still exists so prominently. Dr.

Ford’s testimony was hard to watch, but much like she said it was her ‘civic duty’ to inform America of the horrific night when Kavanaugh attacked her in an attempt to stop his nomination. And yet, the nomination seems like it’ll pass, he’ll serve in the highest court. But it doesn’t surprise me anymore,” said Ali. Doyle appreciates the recognition that fellow students and faculty members are dedicating to the current events and particularly notes the moment of silence that occurred at the beginning of the walkout. “[Pascoe] introduced the moment of silence as us choosing to be silent and not us being silenced and I think that’s really important because that gave us the differentiation of that we don’t need to be silent but we can choose to be, and it’s just as powerful and it’s reclaiming it.”

Features

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THE QUADRANGLE

Rojas and Collins: New VPs for Student Government Alexa Schmidt Asst. A&E Editor

Every fall, Student Government holds an election to fill the vice president positions of the freshmen class. The class of 2022 has elected Kevin Rojas and Sydney Collins. Although the freshmen have just started adjusting to college life, they had the opportunity to try their hand at politics and run for the spots.

For the election this year, three candidates were required to get 50 signatures to get on the ballot and start their campaign. This included advocating for themselves, creating connections on campus, and getting their name out there to as many people as they could to secure votes. The results came in on Tuesday, Sept. 25.

Rojas and Collins are both political science majors who are excited to be working together and serve as the voice of the freshman class. They participated in student council in high school, and thought that would translate well over to Manhattan College.

“Being a political science major, ever since I was a little kid, I always wanted to do something with politics or even just law in general, something in that field,” Rojas said. “I thought that because I did it in my high school and I did well in it, I wanted to just gain more experience basically. Just reap all the benefits I can and also just be able to help other people is something I really want to do.

And so in the little ways I can, I know I’ll be able to help.”

“I saw the flyers for it and was like, ‘Oh, I totally want to do that’ and I just put up campaign flyers. It just kind of happened. I talked to my friends and by the end of it I was seriously into it. It started off as a thing I was interested in, but by the end of it I was like I really want to do this,” Collins said.

Sydney Collins (left) and Kevin Rojas (right), both political science majors, were announced as co-vice presidents of the freshman class on Tuesday, Sept. 25. The two will represent the class of 2022 for this academic school year.

SYDNEY COLLINS & KEVIN ROJAS / COURTESY Although it is a low-key election, not on the level as the executive board elections held in the spring semester, both of them went out of their comfort zone when it came to their campaign.

“I live in Jasper Hall, floor five, and it’s very community orientated because it’s all boys, and the doors are always open.

And so I kind of just had people rally behind me, which is really funny because when you think about it you only know these people for a few weeks.

They got really behind it. I had people go door-to-door, go to each hall and help me out, and then of course I went out,” Rojas said.

“I talked to people that I normally wouldn’t talk to, just branching out. It was a good process. Some stuff didn’t go

too well. I had to order stuff to hand out and it still never arrived. So it was kind of a hassle.

But from start to finish, it was a pretty easy process and it was nice to get everyone votes,” he added.

In addition to flyers, Collins used social media and personal contact to meet as many people as she could. Although the campaign was stressful, Collins said that she enjoyed the process and wants to continue to do student government throughout college.

“I sent out a snap message from before orientation where it’s all the freshmen and I was like, it’s Sydney. I’m running for class VP. And then after that I kind of just started talking to more people in Arches and Horan. I tried to meet a lot more freshmen which helped

me snag way more people than I know. And they also helped by voting for me,” she said.

As the class vice presidents, Rojas and Collins serve as the liaison between their class and the administration.

They are the contact freshmen can go to if they have issues or concerns. They also handle events specifically for the freshmen and are currently brainstorming ideas for future events.

“Basically we’re the voice for the freshmen class. We can kind of think of social events that we’d want to do for the freshmen. Because it is our first year, even though we’ve only been here for a month it feels like way longer, but it’ll help us get to know the school, kind of get integrated with different clubs and different age

groups,” Collins said.

“My view on everything is that I want to hear what people have to say, and see what they have to say is the biggest issue because again, we’ve only been here a few weeks so it’s not like we’ve experienced a lot of the things upperclassmen do. It’s a case-to-case basis, and I just want to make sure everything is functioning well,” Rojas added.

He continued.

“I’m pretty excited for it. It think it’s going to be a big year.

I talked to Sydney already, and we just talked about all the responsibilities and stuff like that. I just met her, and I didn’t know what to expect, but she is great to talk to and I think everything is going to go really well,” Rojas said.

A Year After Hurricane Maria Nicole Rodriguez Staff Writer

Puerto Rico se levanta.

Puerto Rico rises. A phrase coined immediately after the devastation of Hurricane Maria to evoke optimism and hope in the midst of adversity soon became an official motto chanted repeatedly by officials on the island and its population.

It has been exactly a year since Hurricane Maria made landfall creating havoc in the Caribbean, specifically Puerto Rico. The nearly Category 5 hurricane destroyed a countless number of homes - in-

cluding my own father’s home - leaving millions of Americans without essentials such as running water, power and shelter.

Maria earned the title of the strongest storm to strike the island since San Felipe II in 1928, claiming the lives of 2,975 people, according to an independent study from George Washington University.

Puerto Ricans who directly experienced strife and witnessed turmoil have compared their situation after Maria to a war. Living in the 21st century, the lack of access to technology or basic necessities is inconceivable, yet this is the situation all Puerto Ricans had to

endure and one that remains ever-present in certain parts of the island.

I spoke with freshman Juliocesar Viguera Pacheco, a Puerto Rico native, on his thoughts on the recovery efforts and the changes he observed after having experienced Maria firsthand.

“A year later, there are people with blue tarps over their houses. They are not properly covered when it rains. It is not a healthy way to be living. While the majority of places have power, there are still people who lack it. Many people and businesses left the island after the hurricane. It is not known

whether or not they will return,” he said.

Blue tarps, issued as a 30day fix to homeowners without roofs, continue to be visible around the island even after a year. After 11 months in the dark Puerto Rico’s electrical grid was partially restored, but remains vulnerable to another hurricane. Some communities continue to run on generators.

According to Vox, “New data from the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics shows that a net total of 150,000 people left the island in fiscal year 2018.”

Pacheco is extremely grateful that Maria did not affect him as drastically as it did to others

on the island. He mentioned how thankful he was that he and his family did not experience severe damage. The hurricane did however delay his application process for college as his school was closed for a month and a half. His school, one of the two Lasallian schools in Puerto Rico, was visited by volunteers from Manhattan College who provided resources and assistance as needed.

Despite the island’s major humanitarian crisis in the wake of Maria, Puerto Ricans have remarkably demonstrated the quality of resilience and how to remain united.

Features

OCTOBER 2, 2018

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Behind the Uniform: These Are the Bronx Bombers Michevi Dufflart & Alyssa Velazquez Web Editor & Production Editor

Manhattan College is a unique place for a number of reasons. One of these reasons includes the multiple areas of study which students can explore, giving each student the opportunity to find their best match. From students studying in the communications department to become journalists and reporters, to those studying biology and science to move on to the medical field; at MC there is a place for anyone.

There is even a place for those interested in serving in a branch of the United States Armed Forces.

Home to one of over 100 Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps, or AFROTC units in the U.S., Manhattan College offers students from neighboring areas in New York City, Long Island and parts of Westchester the opportunity to serve as officers in the United States Air Force.

For context, about 10 percent of people in the Air Force enter as officers, whereas the other 90 percent enter as enlisted, meaning that they likely joined through a recruiting office and then went to training camp. Therefore AFROTC is unique in that it allows college students in the program, or cadets as they are officially known, to enter the Air Force as an officer. This immediately ranks them higher than any enlisted person.

However, this higher ranking only comes with a great deal of training and responsibility as a cadet.

The first two years of training in the AFROTC is known as the General Military Course, or GMC, then the following two years of training is known

as the Professional Officer Course, or POC. Entering as a freshman, the goal for the first two years is to earn a slot at Field Training or FT. One student who has been apart of the AFROTC program since the beginning of his sophomore year and has recently completed FT is Thomas Glynn.

Thomas Glynn is currently a junior and is studying management in the O’Malley School of Business. While being a resident advisor in Chrysostom Hall and going to his classes throughout the week, Glynn is also a flight commander within the AFROTC program at the college.

Glynn’s role as a flight commander is to ensure that the GMC cadets know the necessary information and practices and are prepared for FT, which typically happens between sophomore and junior year.

The class in which cadets learn these practices and procedures is known as Leadership Laboratory, or LLAB and is led and brought to fruition by POC cadets.

This form of education is unique in the sense that it is entirely managed by the students who have completed their basic level of training in the program.

With this, they now have the responsibility to ensure that the cadets in the GMC receive all the knowledge that is required of them.

Major Joseph Carpentieri, the Operations Officer of the AFROTC at the college emphasizes this point by stating, “What makes this program so incredible and so amazing is that everything is run by the cadets. So we call them the [POC] cadets. These are the juniors and seniors who have been here and attended [FT].

They developed the entire program and they execute it as well.”

Some of the things that

Cadets participating in the Honor Guard, one of the activities offered by the AFROTC program at MC. DETACHMENT 560 BRONX BOMBERS FACEBOOK / COURTESY

Glynn going through drills in Smith Auditorium during the fifth LLAB of the Fall 2018 semester with fellow cadets.

DETACHMENT 560 BRONX BOMBERS FACEBOOK / COURTESY Glynn mentions in particular in regards to his role as flight commander is to “make sure that [the cadets] can do drill, which is marching around, that they know how to say things correctly, they know exactly what words to use, [and that] they’re studying the things they need to be studying.”

Therefore within LLAB, cadets learn leadership skills, basic drill and ceremonies, and foster a sense of teamwork and comradery. In addition to LLAB, cadets must also complete eight semesters of Aerospace Studies classes which cover topics in Air Force history and heritage, management, and leadership.

These classes along with physical training which is typically held in Van Cortlandt Park, are taught by the cadre, a group of commissioned and noncommissioned officers who are responsible for training the rest of the unit. In AFROTC, units at colleges are called detachments, Manhattan is known as Detachment 560.

Carpentieri currently teaches courses in Foundations of the U.S. Air Force. After graduating from Det. 560 himself in 2008, Carpentieri entered the Air Force and worked as a Security Services Officer. However, after serving for about 7 years, he returned to educate the next generation.

“Millenials are extremely hard working individuals, who are very smart, very tech savvy, which is great for streamlining process and making sure our checks and balances are in order. So I am very excited to see how great they’re going to be in the Air Force,” said Carpentieri.

These characteristics that Carpentieri describes are exemplified through Glynn who has learned a substantial amount throughout his semesters in AFROTC and improved

greatly as a leader, “All the time I’m in class and I go okay I’m gonna use that in ROTC and I’ll go and try it, some things work, some things don’t [but] I’m constantly trying new things.”

Other ways cadets can try new things include participating in extra-curricular AFROTC activities, such as the Honor Guard and the Arnold Air Society, which is a community service organization. These activities typically occur at the end of the day when the cadets have completed their classes.

Outside of the classroom, the cadets also spend time with their fellow peers. Cristina Catana, a sophomore civil engineering major and second year cadet in the AFROTC states, “Your friends are your biggest support group. Everyone is there to help everyone else, which is a really beautiful thing to see such bonds grow.”

Glynn emphasizes this point saying that the AFROTC cadets are all his friends. Thus their connection in the program goes beyond being fellow cadets, but also friends who spend time together when the day is over. One thing that Glynn and his friends do after a Friday of class and training, is head over to the local diner and share a meal together.

ROTC truly is a special program because it provides students with the unique opportunity to study one thing in school and at the same time, be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Air Force.

The ceremony that makes this official is the commissioning ceremony which is held every year in June.

“After the seniors graduate we do a commissioning ceremony for them and that’s the one where they actually become a second lieutenant. They become an officer in the United States Air Force and every year that event is a very special

event … it’s a very proud moment for everyone and exciting to see [the former cadets] start off their Air Force career [as officers],” said Carpentieri.

For these two cadets, Catana and Glynn, they’re looking forward to serving their country in the years following their graduation from Manhattan College and the AFROTC. Catana states that her “parents grew up in a communist country and the stories they told me only made me more appreciative of what I have here in America, so the best way to thank this country for that, in my opinion, was to serve it in [America’s] uniform.”

By being a part of the AFROTC program at the college, Catana has the opportunity to find the perfect blend between what she is passionate about and to explore the things that she didn’t know she loved doing.

For Glynn, he is looking forward to becoming a pilot in the Air Force and states that having this opportunity is definitely an experience he is looking forward to. Upon graduation Glynn along with Catana will go directly into the Air Force.

As Glynn states, “I’ve already signed the papers, so I’m in it to win it.”

Yet what’s most important is what these cadets learned and continue to learn in their time in AFROTC. For Catana she says, “The most important [lesson] I’ve learned is from another cadet who told me that there are only three outcomes in life, ‘yes’, ‘not right now’, and ‘there’s something better coming.’ ROTC teaches you that you have to fail in order to grow and that a failure isn’t the end of the line. It teaches you to celebrate your own victories and learn from your mistakes.”

Features

14

THE QUADRANGLE

The Producers: Meet Alyssa Velazquez VOICES FROM THE QUAD Rose Brennan A&E Editor

While The Quadrangle may be a constant presence on campus, so much work goes into it beyond interviews and articles. Much of this work is done behind the scenes by The Quadrangle’s production team, headed by junior secondary education major Alyssa Velazquez.

Velazquez became a member of The Quadrangle when she was selected as one of the five Quadrangle scholarship recipients of the class of 2020. But she did not have to travel far from home to attend Manhattan College. In fact, Velazquez was born and raised in the Bronx, having lived in the neighborhoods of Parkchester and Throggs Neck.

Velazquez noted that people from outside her home borough have many preconceived notions about the Bronx’s safety. But she believes the image of a violent, gang-filled Bronx is not entirely true.

“Everybody has this fixated idea of the Bronx being dangerous. One of the things I like to joke about is, ‘Well, I’ve been living here for 20 years and I haven’t been shot yet,’” she said.

In fact, Velazquez feels that the cultural diversity found in the Bronx is something to be celebrated.

“Every part of the Bronx has some kind of. . .I guess, unique style to it. If you want Italian food, go to Arthur Avenue; if you want Indian food, go to, like, mid-South Bronx.

Everything is around here, and it’s not that hard to get to, because of public transportation, but then again, it is kind of hard to get to because of public transportation. It’s just a great, culturally diverse part of New York,” she said.

Though MC was located in Velazquez’s hometown, it was not really on her radar until it caught the interest of her longtime friend Michevi Dufflart.

Dufflart, now also an editor for The Quadrangle, had her mind set on MC, and so Velazquez applied as well when she learned of the college’s education program.

Once she had been accepted, Velazquez decided to apply for The Quadrangle’s scholarship program. Her portfolio was unique among the others because it was mostly composed of graphic designs she had done in high school.

“I’m good at visuals and looking at things from a visual perspective. I’m not the best at writing, so I was a little hesitant on applying, but, regardless, I submitted my work that I did in

InDesign and Photoshop and Illustrator, and I guess they liked it,” she said.

Velazquez’s big break with The Quadrangle came early on in her first semester. On Sept.

27, 2016, a home being used to grow marijuana exploded on West 234th Street, not far from the college’s south campus.

“I remember I was driving and I saw a bunch of helicopters floating around, and I was like, ‘Hmm. . . something’s off. And all of a sudden, right in front of me, one of the cars turns into a cop car, because it was, like, undercover, and it just speeds off and I just start following the car through the streets. . . not really knowing where I am, because I don’t really know the area yet, and that’s when I parked the car near the scene and started looking around and taking pictures,” she said.

Velazquez then gave the information she gathered to The Quadrangle’s editorial board, who then proceeded to write the article regarding the explosion.

The first article Velazquez wrote for The Quadrangle on her own, however, did not have the pomp and circumstance of a nearby explosion. In fact, it was actually about the college’s fall career fair.

“That article was a fun article to write because I was definitely put out of my comfort zone, where I had to go around the career fair and just ask people different questions. And it was just this big space where everybody looked super professional and I was just in my normal, like, jeans and T-shirt,” Velazquez said.

Her favorite article, however, was one which she co-wrote with Dufflart, in which they covered the summer research scholar presentations in the fall of 2017. The article was later nominated for Best Feature Article at the 2018 Quaddie Awards.

This article was particularly important to Velazquez because it tied into her passion toward her future career as an educator.

“I’m all for learning for the joy of learning, and not learning to be like forced to get a grade. So just seeing that, and the excitement in people’s eyes and getting to talk to them and learn more about what they enjoy was really great,” she said.

Though Velazquez has experience writing for The Quadrangle, readers will rarely see a byline with her name. According to her, she will rarely take an article aside from the ones she is required to write, or unless a topic really interests her. This is largely because of her tireless efforts behind the scenes in producing the paper

Alyssa is a junior secondary education major who serves on The Quadrangle’s masthead as the production editor. She is also a Quadrangle scholarship recipient.

ALYSSA VELAZQUEZ / THE QUADRANGLE

As the leader of The Quadrangle’s production team, Velazquez must sacrifice many precious Sundays throughout the semester in order to compile the week’s stories, photographs and edits into its finished product. She’s seen in the picture above working on last week’s issue.

TAYLOR BRETHAUER / THE QUADRANGLE itself.

As the leader of The Quadrangle’s production team, Velazquez must sacrifice many precious Sundays throughout the semester in order to compile the week’s stories, photographs and edits into its finished product. Her work usually begins around noon, and sometimes doesn’t end until late at night. She recalled one instance when she did not leave production until 10 p.m.

“The main reason why I don’t do articles so much is because of what I have to do behind the scenes where every Sunday, I used to be in that office. . .for maybe eight or more hours a day. And that was back when I was a commuter! I had to travel back and forth, doing that eight hours every Sunday,” Velazquez said.

For much of Velazquez’s first year as production editor, she produced the entire paper by herself. However, the production team has now

expanded, and Velazquez now has an assistant production editor, sophomore communication major Samantha Walla, along with fellow editors who can help speed the process along.

But no matter how many people are on the production team, putting the paper together is nevertheless a daunting task, and it is one which must be done weekly.

“[Being] production editor isn’t just throwing a bunch of articles into a [paper] and calling it a day. It’s about, basically, playing this giant game of jigsaw, where you have to figure out how many words an article is, figure out the sizing of the font that you want the title to be, figuring out where the pictures will go. If there’s no captions, you’re going to have to read the article yourself to make captions. So it’s all these little things that really add on to the time it takes to make the paper, and I think people kind of forget that it takes such a

long time to form the paper into what they receive every Tuesday,” Velazquez said.

But whether as a writer, editor or producer, Velazquez believes that her work with The Quadrangle has given her an appreciation for the art of journalism.

“Before I came to Manhattan College and before I joined The Quad, I wasn’t really too keen on the media and what journalism was, because I never really learned about it,” she said. “When you. . . learn how much goes into the art form of journalism, it’s really just this amazing thing that I think people kind of neglect when they watch the news and the media, especially more recently with ‘fake news’ and our president kind of bashing on journalists.

But I’ve definitely gained a new appreciation for those who choose to study this, and those who choose to have this as a career.”

Sports

OCTOBER 2, 2018

15

Shannon Forty: Member of the 2017-2018 All-MAAC Second Team JASPERS TALK Katie Heneghan & C. Garrett Keidel Staff Writer & Asst. Sports Editor

Shannon Forty is a junior Biology major on the Manhattan College Rowing team, from Westford, Massachusetts. At the end of the spring semester, Forty was named to the AllMAAC Second Team, becoming the first from the Division I rowing program’s three-year history to receive any AllMAAC honors.

The Quadrangle: How did you get into sports? How did you get into rowing in particular?

Shannon Forty: I started rowing my freshman year of high school. I was one of the few people who was recruited for Manhattan.

TQ: Is it a big sport where you’re from?

SF: I’m from the Boston area so it’s definitely bigger up there then it is here, but it’s still not very well known.

TQ: What has your experience been like as a college athlete?

SF: It’s been awesome.

Manhattan College has been great. Also, I feel like rowing is unique especially in this environment right now because the team is growing and getting so much better over the past two years that I’ve been here. We’ve gone from basically being club to being a pretty competitive team.

TQ: What was it about Manhattan College that made you want to come here?

SF: Everything. It was real-

ly a combination of the location and the academics, the Catholic association and the athletics.

I really liked the coach at the time. It was also somewhere I could go because I was 5’4” and I wouldn’t have been that competitive on a big team; it would’ve been hard for me to row D1 anywhere else. I was really accepted here despite that.

TQ: What was your reaction when you found out you were named an All-MAAC athlete?

SF: Well that was great! I was actually shocked because it was such a whirlwind of emotions last year at the MAAC Championship. We definitely went out and put everything we had out there, and we raced some solid races, and obviously we didn’t get the results we were hoping for. I was just shocked. I was not expecting it in that moment.

TQ: What have all the summer offseason workouts been like so far?

SF: Everyone did different things because of where they were and what they had access to. [For] people who have access to rowing on the water over the summer, it’s a solid training period. You can get into sculling boats and stuff like that. So I trained with the UMass Lowell team because that’s where I’m from. I went to the gym and I worked a bunch, and Coach [Alex Canale] sent us workouts over the summer.

We’re definitely getting faster and I PR’d over the summer in the 2K which is a sign of improvement.

TQ: Do you have any favorite memories in rowing?

SF: It’s all pretty good! The

Head of the Charles is always an awesome race to do. I got first in a pair at Spring METS last year and that was super fun. Everytime you hit a PR that’s just the greatest.

TQ: Do you have a nickname on the team?

SF: Well, I’m Shannon Forty and there’s three Shannons so Shannon Forty, then Shannon Colford is Shannon Fifty and then we have a Shannon Sixty. So it’s like my original name but they have nicknames because of me.

TQ: Do you have any goal academically or even in rowing?

SF: We all have goals. We have a lot of goals on rowing this season. We’re going to get way faster and obviously the end goal is the MAAC Championship for the fall and definitely qualifying for top half. Top half is qualifying for next year in the Head of the Charles. It’s a sport that’s all about the numbers so just setting numbers that you want to hit for your 5K and 2K times and just getting faster from there.

TQ: Are there any major lessons that you have learned?

SF: I think the biggest thing that I’ve taken away from the past two years at Manhattan is that you can do whatever.

When I came into college I was 5’4” and I had been rowing for four years in high school already and I’m pretty small and not the usual body type of a rower so people basically said you’re not going to get much faster. Since coming here, every year I’ve gotten faster and I improved.

TQ: What’s your favorite

Shannon Forty became the first Jasper Division I rower to receive All-MAAC honors.

GOJASPERS /COURTESY

part about playing a D1 sport?

SF: The community is so awesome and just having that family of girls on the team and having them there for you.

We’ve gotten so much bigger every year. We started off fairly

small with a majority of freshman, and starting this year, after having our first practice, there were just so many of us and we all know each other so well by now. It’s amazing.

Interested in Sports Photography?

The Quadrangle Needs You! WE’RE LOOKING FOR EXPERIENCED PHOTOGRAPHERS TO AT T END GAMES AND AT HLET IC EVENTS. BUILD YOUR PORT FOLIO WIT H US! Email us at thequad@manhattan.edu to be added to the photography email list.

Sports

16

THE QUADRANGLE

Marcellin Gohier Continues to Take the MAAC by Storm Brian Asare Staff Writer

Manhattan College junior goalie Marcellin Gohier has been playing soccer since he was just five years old in Nantes, France. Like many athletes, the people and the environment he grew up in influenced him to adopt a passion for the sport which soon developed into an unconditional love for it.

“Everyone was playing, my dad was playing soccer, my brother was playing soccer and my friends were playing soccer,” said Gohier. “Soccer back home is more like how the football and basketball culture is in America. It is really a pleasure to play.”

Noticing that he was really good at the sport, Gohier looked for other ways with which he could improve upon his skill set.

“When I was around 13, I started to think that maybe one day playing soccer could be my job,” said Gohier. “Playing soccer could be the thing that makes me live a comfortable life. And when I was 13 I enrolled in the professional academy.

“I practiced almost every day with the professional team, but I was not part of the professional team. But seeing them every day, training and practicing, you want to be like them. You want to be the one

on the main soccer field, you know, where there’s like 40,000 people on the weekend around the field cheering, yelling when there’s a goal. You want to be that guy.”

Gohier transferred from France to the United States and joined Manhattan’s soccer team and put his talent to work.

Gohier performed so well last season that he was named MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year and named to the All-MAAC First Team. That honored carried into this season as well as he was named the goalkeeper for the Preseason All-MAAC Team.

“I think it’s always good, but it doesn’t mean anything,” Gohier said regarding the preseason honors. “Last season, being named Goalkeeper of the Year meant something because the season had ended and we could compare who did well and who did not. The preseason is more like ‘you should be the guy.’ Be the one that outperforms all the other goalkeepers and if I do, I know that my team is going to do well as well.”

Playing any type of sport is is very demanding, both physically and mentally, especially when the position you play in for your team makes you the last line of defense. It becomes even more difficult when you’re the captain of the team and this is the exact situation Goheir finds himself in.

“I think that’s the main

Marcellin Gohier hasn’t disappointed after being named to the preseason All-MAAC team.

GOJASPERS / COURTESY point of a goalkeeper,” Gohier said. “Anyone that does not know the game would say that the goalkeeper is not doing anything. He’s not running, his leg is not touching the ball, all the goalkeeper does is stand in the goal post. But I think being a goalkeeper, you have a huge responsibility because you have to know when to push forward on an attacker and make sure you see the ball and everything. I’m the one seeing everything on the field, I have the whole game in front of me. So the three or four guys in front of me also rely on me.”

Communication is key from

the goalkeeper position as well.

“It’s all about the communication,” said Gohier. “I think our communication is good and we trust each other and we actually need this communication. Without that, we cannot do anything. And one of the things we do well is organization. In the beginning, we had some struggle to find each other because of the amount of diversity that existed within the team and even in the positioning, but now we’re getting better and it reflects in our performance.”

One of Gohier teammates, senior defensemen/midfielder

Jean-Baptiste Tamas-Leloup, mentioned his leadership abilities.

“He really keeps the team focused, he makes sure everyone has the same energy and everyone has the same idea,” said Tamas-Leloup. “This is something he is very good at.

He talks to us in the defense and explains what’s wrong and makes sure everyone is ready to go.”

With all these amazing attributes that he possesses, there is no doubt that Gohier is one of the many soccer players that opposing teams look out for when playing the Jaspers.

Women’s Soccer Falls to Monmouth 1-0 in Overtime WSOC: Manhattan 0, Monmouth 1 Pete Janny Contributor

The Manhattan College Jaspers (1-5-2; 0–2-1 MAAC) played host to the Monmouth University Hawks (7-3-1; 2-1-0 MAAC) on Wednesday, Sept.

26 at Gaelic Park in a rematch of last year’s MAAC Championship.

The Jaspers aimed to avenge last year’s title loss against a Monmouth program that always presents a challenge for Manhattan. On most nights, Manhattan’s ceaseless intensity and defensive cohesion would have produced the desired result. On this night, Monmouth junior forward Dana Scheriff had other plans as her goal in the 99th minute quashed Manhattan’s hopes of eking out a victory.

From the outset, both teams showed a defensive focus that set the tone for a hardfought battle. Manhattan’s disciplined play and brilliant goal keeping continually fought off the incessant threats of Monmouth’s high-octane offense.

Manhattan junior goalkeepers

Camryn Nici and Olivia Printy combined for seven saves as they staved off the Hawks’ pressure to give their team a chance. Nici’s four saves marked a career-high. Manhattan Head Coach Brendan Lawler praised his team’s energy and resiliency.

“I’m ecstatic about the effort. The team’s been through a lot,” said Lawler. “We had to cycle different people through a lot of different positions just because of things that have happened to us.”

The Jaspers have been hit with the injury bug this season with a few players currently sidelined. As a result, Lawler was forced to trot out his seventh different starting lineup of the year against the Hawks.

Despite their focused play, the Jaspers’ attack was unable to create any real scoring chances. Monmouth owned advantages in shots (25-1), shots on goal (8-1) and corner kicks (8-1). Monmouth’s pressure continued to intensify as the game approached the end stages of regulation and into the first overtime. In the 76th minute, with a Manhattan de-

fense jammed back into its own box, a scramble in front of the net unfolded, but the shot went wide left.

Twenty-three minutes later, Monmouth mustered the game-ending goal to break the scoreless tie. With 17 seconds left in the first overtime period, Monmouth sophomore defender Sarina Jones initiated the attack coming down the right sideline and played a ball that eventually found its way to Scheriff, who knocked her onetime shot into the back of the net to propel Monmouth to a 1-0 victory.

The margin of error against good teams is so slim and the Hawks exploited Manhattan’s defensive letdown on the final sequence. Despite the tough loss, Lawler likes the direction his team is heading in.

“This is an excellent team we played,” said Lawler “A team that beat Rutgers and a team that went into double overtime at NC State. They are the class of the conference and we frustrated them all day until the final seconds. Just very proud of the effort.”

The players insist they are

The Women’s soccer team fell to Monmouth 1-0 in their second home game of conference play.

GOJASPERS / COURTESY doing everything they can to change the narrative of what has been a tough season thus far.

“We are working really hard and doing a good job staying in it,” said freshman defender Olivia Maldonado. “Everyone’s trying their best no matter where they are playing. We just need to finish our chances and be confident.”

Freshman mid fielder Eve Montgomery added that the effort is there and the team just has to work on some technical.

“Everyone can always improve, but if we are all giving

one hundred percent effort then it shows we are trying our best,” said Montgomery.

“There are just some technical things we need to work on.”

The Jaspers did show some improvement just a few days later as they shutout the St. Peter’s Peacocks (1-8; 1-2 MAAC) by a score of 2-0 on Saturday, Sept. 29 at the Caven Point Complex in Jersey City, NJ. The Jaspers return home to host the Niagara Purple Eagles at Gaelic Park on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 1:00 p.m.