Issue 13, Fall 2020 - The Quadrangle

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Volume CII, Issue 13

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NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 24, 2020

Faculty Prepare to Give Online Finals Maria Thomas & Jilleen Barrett News Editor & Asst. A&E Editor

As the transition to collegewide remote learning quickly approaches, faculty continue preparing to give their finals to students online.

A group of faculty members from all five schools chosen by Provost Steven Schreiner came together during the summer to begin planning for the shift to remote learning for the fall semester. As part of the planning process, the faculty members The students that produce games for ESPN streaming are getting back to work. Read more on pg 16. discussed how professors from different departments could go about giving exams online.

MANHATTAN COLLEGE / COURTESY The way online finals are taken vary by department; for humanities-related subjects which rely heavily on writing as a part of test taking, the transition to online finals is not as drastic.

Rosemary Farley, Ph.D, a professor in the mathematics department, coordinated the group with Schreiner and oversaw a lot of the testing reports coming in from different professors and departments. “[Liberal arts] departments get deficit, is no exception. low up on my update of Octo- reported that there’s no procGabriella DePinho As a result of the deficit, ber 21, in which I informed the toring at all, there’s no need Editor-in-Chief the college has had to make as community that the Board of for a lot of proctoring because many cuts as possible across Trustees would be reviewing most of their assessment is With hybrid classes, concampus, but even in doing so the FY20-21 provisional budget done with writing,” Farley said. cerns of contracting the corocollege leadership still had and considering recommenda“And most of their assessment, navirus and the threat that to move forward with 25 fur- tions for closing a projected even if it’s a term paper, that’s campuses across the country loughs, scaled pay cuts and a gap of $10 million, stemming just feedback individually anymay shut down at any moment, temporary end to retirement from pandemic-related disrupway so that was one whole ismany students at Manhattan fund contributions. While these tions.” According to faculty, the sue.”

College opted to stay home may have been tough choices, Board of Trustees meeting ocOn the contrary, departand learn entirely remotely, some college employees are curred on Oct. 22. ments where test-taking relies or even take a semester off, to dissatisfied with the ways in In the email, O’Donnell more heavily on concrete ansave money and stress. With a which college leadership has wrote that approximately 8.2 swers, such as math and ennumber of other factors, such handled communication and million of the budget deficit gineering, will likely be using as canceled athletics and indecision-making. stemmed from room and board a software purchased by the creased costs for COVID-19 Employees were notified of and that “we expected as many college called Respondus Locksafety measures, institutions the pay cuts and furloughs on as 1,650 students in residence down Browser. of higher education, especially Oct. 27 in an email from Presi- this fall. As of census, that numThe college has purchased those without large endowdent Brennan O’Donnell. In a ber is 1,106.” During the Nov. Respondus Lockdown Browsments, are feeling the financial copy of the email obtained by er to combat the potential of strain of the pandemic. ManThe Quadrangle, O’Donnell __________________________ cheating on finals, a challenge hattan College, now facing an wrote to the employees “to folanticipated by the group.

When approximately $10 million budCONTINUED ON PAGE 4

A Look Inside “The Truck”

Manhattan College Faces $10M Budget Deficit, Results in Furloughs, Pay Cuts

IN NEWS:

A Glimpse at a Biden Presidency’s Impact on Higher Ed on p. 3

IN FEATURES:

The BSU and LWGRC Discuss the BLM movement on p. 7

IN A&E:

The Players virtually perform “The Laramie Project” on p. 11

students take exams online, they have the ability to look up answers; in this way, it is more difficult to proctor students online than it is in the classroom.

Respondus Lockdown Browser acts as an extension of Moodle and prohibits students from leaving their webpage once they have begun taking a test.

Additionally, the software has a camera function where students are videotaped while taking their exam. If the program senses any abnormalities in the student’s movements, such as the opening of a book or talking to someone else in the room, the student will be flagged and the professor will be notified. The professor can then replay the video of the student to see what was occurring.

Farley believes the lockdown browser will be widely used at the college to prevent cheating. Farrukh Fattoyev, Ph.D, the chair of the faculty technology committee, wrote in an email to The Quadrangle that he feels the same way.

“Proctoring students’ final exam is the main issue for many of the faculty members,” Fattoyev wrote. “Ensuring that students follow the Academic Integrity Policy is a difficult task when it comes to online examinations. Some students may try to seek external help on their final exam. To avoid cheating and to minimize outside interaction, we plan to implement a lockdown browser with a camera that proctors students’ work. We find it very efficient.”

Fattoyev anticipates the freshman could have a difficult time adapting to the technology, as this will be their first time experiencing online finals at Manhattan College. He does not want this to interfere with their test-taking ability.

“For Freshmen, they should __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

IN SPORTS:

You know Brother Jasper. There’s another local baseball great on p. 15

Opinions & Editorials

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the Quadrangle

LET T ER from The Editor

Volume CII, Issue 13

Wow, what a long year 2020 has been. As the year comes to a close, this is my last letter to you as Editor-in-Chief. At the moment of writing, I do not know who my successor will be, but I want you to know all of the candidates are fit for the job. I promise, you will be in good hands.

When I stepped into this role, I said I was grateful, honored and excited. I knew a lot of trust had been placed in me and that I had big shoes to fill as I served both my peers on staff and the community at large. Today, I write to you grateful, honored, a little exhausted and full of joy. Each week, I poured my heart into this paper, did the nitty-gritty work it takes to get a paper into your hands, and challenged my staff in an effort to lift us to new heights. When the pandemic hit, my goal became making sure we survived. I am here to report that we did not only survive the pandemic, we soared to new heights because of it.

In my first letter, I promised that we’d bring you all of the stories, big or small, that make us who we are as a Jasper community. I believe we have done that and we have done that well this year. We published two special issues, had year-long campus-focused election coverage, sports reporting when all sports were canceled, filled the arts & entertainment section with meaningful coverage (even when it felt like all experiences of the arts were canceled), wrote unique features on truly wonderful community members, and covered important topics from sexual assaults on campus to every COVID-19 case update to the budget cuts covered in this issue to period products being provided for free on campus and more.

I am grateful for the countless hours of work from each editor, each writer and each contributor to this paper. It is because of you, your collective effort, that we have been able to hold steady in such turbulent times. The entire team’s tenacity has been nothing short of inspiring. Hold each other in your hearts, challenge each other, recognize how special this is. We always have each other.

To Nick, our advisor, I am grateful for your guidance, your advice, the time you spent helping us transition through the pandemic and for the copy-edited PDFs. You make all of us better.

We are also only successful because of the support of the campus community that reaffirms the value of the college newspaper with each issue it picks up. I am grateful for every reader and for every person who has sent us a tip or comment on a story.

Being Editor-in-Chief has been the honor of a lifetime and I will cherish these memories forever. There have been many late nights and many frustrations, but there has also been so much joy and so much laughter. This role has stretched me beyond my limits and has molded me into a new person. It is only in looking back that I realize this. Thank you, all, for what you have done for me, though I’m looking forward to going to bed at a reasonable time on Sunday nights.

Go forth, stay well-informed and be good to each other.

November 24, 2020

The Editorial Board Gabriella DePinho Editor-in-Chief

Maria Thomas News Editor

Nicole Fitzsimmons Anna Woods Asst. News Editors

Alexa Schmidt Arts & Entertainment Editor Managing Editor

Jilleen Barrett Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor

Christine Nappi Features Editor Pete Janny Sports Editor Managing Editor C. Garrett Keidel Social Media Editor Brian Asare Photography Editor

Whit Anderson Asst. Sports Editor Samantha Walla Production Manager Emily Hollar Asst. Photography Editor Asst. Production Editor

Kelly Kennedy Nicole Rodriguez Asst. Production Editor Madalyn Johnson Katherine Heneghan Web Editors Nicholas Gilewicz Faculty Advisor About The Quadrangle A tradition since 1924, The Quadrangle is a news organization run by the students of Manhattan College. We strive to cover news around campus and the greater community, publishing weekly in print and daily online. Our goal is always accuracy, relevancy and professionalism.

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

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

Connect with The Quadrangle

mcquad.org @mcquad @mcquad mcquad

Sincerely,

Gabriella DePinho

Editor-in-Chief

News

NOVEMBER 24, 2020

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Faculty Prepares to Give Online Finals

__________________________ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

get training on the use of the lockdown browser software weeks before the final examination,” he wrote. “For example, right now is a good time. They should ensure that all technology would be available for the smooth conduct of an exam. I trust, if everyone is trained, the exam should go very smoothly.

Perhaps even better when it

was in person. Mainly because the students would not be in a “stressful” environment of the presence of other students and instructors.”

Arno Kolz, a psychology professor, is part of the group put together by Farley and Schreiner and he explained how he has seen remote testing prosper at Manhattan over the course of the semester.

“I know my first round of

tests this semester I was very strict about all that stuff, and as the semester has gone on and work I have backed off of it,” Kolz said. “So making the tests, I’ve been giving it more time and I’m not doing the background scan as much … you know I think you kind of adapt to kind of what works for you.”

Besides the potential for academic dishonesty, another challenge faced with online fi-

nals is the disparity in student’s work environments. Kolz believes that it is necessary for students to report to their professors when they have problems related to their work environment, and professors should be understanding.

“I think students need to communicate exactly when things go wrong and faculty need to be patient and flexible, you know, and not be looking

for cheating under every rock,” he said.

Overall, Kolz suggests the most beneficial tool for students in preparing to take online finals is communication.

“Communicate if there’s an issue or problem, communicate if you can take the exam at a different time, communicate if your internet goes down or your roommate walks in or whatever,” Kolz said.

According to Joe Biden’s campaign website, Biden has big plans for higher education.

Biden’s website reads that he hopes to, “Strengthen college as a reliable pathway to the middle class.”

Biden also hopes to eliminate the cost of tuition at public colleges and universities for those whose household income is below $125,000 yearly. However, Biden believes that much of higher-ed reform begins with the community college level. Biden’s website promises that as president his administration will “Invest in community colleges and training to improve student success and grow a stronger, more prosperous, and more inclusive middle class”.

Biden plans to tackle the student loan debt crisis in America. His plan revolves around simplifying the loanrepayment process, with more income based forgiveness.

“Under the Biden plan, individuals making $25,000 or less per year will not owe any payments on their undergraduate federal student loans and also won’t accrue any interest on

those loans. Everyone else will pay 5% of their discretionary income (income minus taxes and essential spending like housing and food) over $25,000 toward their loans,” Biden’s campaign website reads.

Additionally, Biden has promised more funding for work-studies oriented around public service as well as focusing on jobs that give students real-world experiences and skills. Biden has a strong focus on public service with plans to provide greater loan forgiveness for those working as public servants.

Biden’s website reads, “Biden will create a new, simple program which offers $10,000 of undergraduate or graduate student debt relief for every year of national or community service, up to five years”.

In his campaign, Biden and Harris have also placed a tremendous amount of importance on ensuring that underprivileged students across the country have greater access to job training beyond the K-12 education. Biden plans to invest billions of dollars into historically Black colleges and

universities, Native American colleges and universities, Hispanic serving institutions as well other colleges and universities with a heavy emphasis on minority education.

In terms of the COVID-19 pandemic, the president-elect has released a five-step roadmap to safely and fully reopen schools across the country.

The first step of Biden’s plan includes getting the national case count under control with greater access to testing and contact tracing. Biden also plans to set more national guidelines that provide guidance to schools and districts on how to react to cases on campus and in the classroom. This also includes access to PPE (personal protective equipment), as well as funding to ensure that social distancing and remote options are accessible to all.

Biden plans to initiate more national guidelines to ensure that there is an understanding on how to answer the many difficult questions the pandemic presents. Additionally, Biden plans to focus heavily on the education gap that the pandemic has created.

The president-elect’s website reads that he plans to, ”Direct a White House-led initiative to identify evidencebased policy solutions that address gaps in learning, mental health, social and emotional well-being, and systemic racial and socioeconomic disparities in education that the pandemic has exacerbated,”.

In terms of higher education, we could see a major change in the cost of public colleges and universities in the next four years. If all goes according to Biden’s plan, the pandemic will subside using his plan to stop the spread.

For Manhattan College specifically, students should keep their eyes out for an increase in work-study opportunities, as well as greater loan debt relief after graduating and for working in public service. While Manhattan College is a private institution, Biden’s plan focuses on easing the financial burden of college and increasing opportunities for working class Americans.

Manhattan Caucus: Here’s What a Biden Presidency Means for Higher Education Katie Heneghan Web Editor

As President-elect Joe Biden’s return to the White House is approaching quickly, the question of what changes college students, administrators, and institutions of higher education expect is being raised. Biden is a supporter of free college education, student loan debt relief, as well as the return to a new normal amid the pandemic.

Biden carried overwhelming support from college students with CNBC reporting that 70 percent of college students voted for the former Vice President, who ran as a democrat with California senator Kamala Harris as his pick for Vice President. Harris will be the first female holding the office of Vice President.

Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, is a college professor herself.

Dr. Biden taught English at Northern Virginia Community College through both of her husband’s terms as Vice President, and is planning to continue to do so as First Lady.

the Quadrangle Looking for writers, photographers and graphic designers.

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Manhattan College Face Results in Furlo __________________________ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 17 senate meeting, Matthew McManness, the college’s chief financial officer, made a presentation confirming that 8.2 to 8.4 million of the deficit stemmed from a loss of room and board revenue.

In that same email, O’Donnell laid out the measures that were approved by the Board of Trustees in hopes of helping to alleviate the financial strain the college is under. Those measures are the furloughing of 25 employees, suspension of the college’s contribution to retirement funds starting with the first payroll in December, and scaled pay cuts also set to begin with the first payroll in December.

The Furloughs, The Pay Cuts, and The Pause on Contributions to Retirement Funds The furloughs went into effect on Friday, October 30, just three days after employees were notified.

Bob Coleman, the coordinator of media technology and an adjunct in the communication department, was one of the 25 employees furloughed. The news came as a shock to him as he was in the middle of advising students in the communication department.

“I was in shock and disbelief,” he said. “I was in the middle of advising students …

I was in the middle of working hard.”

Coleman, who has worked at the college for 11 years but been connected to the college’s payroll for about 30 years, is in charge of managing technol-

ogy around campus, supplying equipment for remote learning, coordinating software licenses for Adobe Suite and Avid Media Composer — the latter of which he arranged a unique licensing agreement with over the summer to prepare for remote learning — and rolling over those licenses from students using them in the fall to students for the spring. In addition to these responsibilities, he advised a number of communication majors and minors and taught a course.

“I feel strongly, really strongly that I was often working harder than I would be if I was in my office,” Coleman said.

Coleman feels the college should have done their “due diligence” when deciding who to furlough, stating that “the college knew that they were in a financial crisis.”

The college’s current guidelines regarding furloughs were adopted on Aug. 24, 2020 and went into effect on Aug. 31.

According to those guidelines, “Each Vice President shall prepare a list of employees whose positions are proposed for furlough within their division, specifying for each employee their job duties and justification for the recommended furlough” and a committee that comprises the vice president for finance, the vice president for human resources and the assistant vice president for human resources will review and present the final list to the college’s president and cabinet for final approval.

In addition to being furloughed, Coleman and other

Bob Coleman is one of 25 furloughed employees.

MANHATTAN COLLEGE / COURTESY

furloughed employees lost access to their email accounts the day the furlough went into effect and will be losing their health insurance.

“They cut off my email with no warning, gave me three days’ notice, killed my health insurance, asked me to turn my keys, my laptop, tell me I’m not allowed to do any more work basically like I was fired for some egregious act,” he said.

“In terms of this is for financial reasons, how about being treated a little more humanely, and with some respect and collegiality?”

Another furloughed employee, who requested anonymity due to the hope she will be able to return to her role soon, was also shocked by the news of the furlough.

“We’re here because we care,” she said about why she and the other furloughed employees chose to work at the college in the first place.

Much like Coleman, she was upset about the timeline of communication and the sudden loss of access to her email account.

“Communication could have been a little bit better,” the employee said. “We were communicated with, received the letter and had a meeting.

Overall, communicating everything about the furlough could have been better. If you email me, you won’t know that I’m furloughed. To my knowledge, there’s no away message. They did try, but they could have done better. These are our lives, our livelihoods.”

One department that saw multiple furloughs was the Office of Residence Life, according to Charles Clency, the director of residence life. The department lost four part-time staff members who all had other full-time jobs. However, those employees were still integral to supporting resident students and the day-to-day functioning of the department.

Though there were plans to phase the part-time role out in the near future, the department was not planning to do so until they could bring on new fulltime staff.

“It will hurt us significantly if we don’t get those people back in or not to be able to come back with additional fulltime staff members in some form or fashion,” Clency said.

“But we are rolling with it for as long as it needs to be … and so we want to continue to do our part to continue to be as viable

and functional as possible with the people we do have.”

Clency confirmed that those employees, as part of their furlough, are allowed to remain in their on-campus housing even as they abstain from working in their part-time role.

Under the CARES Act, the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) provided an additional $600 a week on top of any other unemployment benefits a person was entitled to, however, that additional support ended in July and is no longer available to the newly furloughed employees.

Considering the campus was shut down from March until August, with only essential employees reporting to work, the college would have been able to engage in furloughs earlier with limited impact on operations. However, the college held back.

“As a guiding principle from the start of the pandemic, the College has sought to preserve jobs and minimize personal financial loss as we manage through a constantly shifting set of circumstances,” Pete McHugh, the college’s director of media relations and strategic communications, wrote in an email to The Quadrangle.

“Based on early projections for fall 2020 housing, we held back on furloughs and pay adjustments, focusing on radically reducing operational and capital expenses, along with savings from natural employee attrition. After the annual census on October 1, the actual numbers in residence -- along with financial aid costs and COVID-19 related costs -- made it clear that we would need to employ those more personally painful measures.”

Though the furloughs are in isolated departments across campus, everyone should expect to be able to feel their effects.

“I think everybody is affected by the furloughs, especially since the furloughs — even a furlough of a residence director or a furloughed that occurred in student life — is going to affect the students and that’s going to be brought into the class,” Ira Gerhardt, the chair of the council for faculty affairs (CFA) and an associate professor of mathematics, said. “The students are going to have a change in the resources available to them.”

While the number of furloughed employees is fairly low given the large staff it takes to

Ira Gerhardt is the chair of the Council for Faculty Affairs.

MANHATTAN COLLEGE / COURTESY run the college, a large portion of the employee population still took a personal hit from the measures approved by the Board of Trustees. The scale the Board of Trustees approved for pay cuts is such that employees making under $75,000 see no cut, those earning between $75,000 and $99,999 see a 2.5 percent cut, those earning between $100,000 and $174,999 see a 5 percent reduction and those earning $175,000 and above get a 7.5 percent reduction.

At that Nov. 17 senate meeting, O’Donnell admitted there are “contractual sorts of issues with some employees at the college and there are cases in which we have individual conversations going on” which he did not elaborate on any further. This response came after a question Heidi Fuery, an assistant professor of philosophy and faculty senator, asked about whether or not employees in the highest salary bracket would be able or willing to take further pay cuts.

These pay cuts come at the same time faculty are adjusting to life in the pandemic and at the same time they are being asked to engage in the accreditation process conducted by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

“People aren’t being able to go to their departments and see their colleagues and get into the classroom and greet their students,” Gerhardt said.

“Everything’s changed. To then add additional responsibilities like middle states and then have ‘oh and by the way tomorrow you’re getting a pay cut,’ it’s a lot.”

According to Kathy Weld, a professor of mathematics and the co-chair for the faculty welfare committee under the CFA, coming up with a perfect solu-

News

NOVEMBER 24, 2020

5

es $10M Budget Deficit, oughs, Pay Cuts tion would have been impossible.

“The problem with fairness is that mathematically it’s been studied, there’s sort of no good way to define fair, there just isn’t,” she said. “What I think is reasonable to say is that even if people aren’t uniformly happy, I think that the administration’s intent has been to find a system that’s fair and would impact the people that are being paid less as little as possible.”

Exacerbating Existing Issues in Communication and Shared Governance Coleman felt the three days’ notice of the furlough and the lack of notification about the access to his email account was a significant issue.

“The way they went about this … was just unbelievable for a Lasallian Catholic institution, he said. “And I just never thought they would treat us like this.”

Much like Coleman and the other furloughed employee, other college employees feel that the communication and decision making process could have been more transparent and inclusive. Faculty knew for months that pay cuts were a possibility.

“The possibility that there would be serious cuts had been broached as early as the spring,” Jeff Horn, a history professor and co-chair for the faculty welfare committee, said. “The issue is more along the lines of how likely those cuts would be so going from possibility to actuality is always the key moment.”

Despite the warning, the news still caught faculty off guard.

“The way that we understood it, there was a lot that would be required to trigger [pay cuts] and then to get to the point where in the next day or two the Board of Trustees is meeting and the budget is being proposed that will include it, that is what I think caught faculty the hardest,” Gerhardt said. “The reality of the situation is one you can’t deny.”

The faculty welfare committee functions as a liaison between administration and faculty at large and is concerned with issues regarding faculty salaries and benefits and occasionally institutional priorities.

Faculty leadership from the CFA and the faculty welfare committee were not brought into conversations about the pay cut.

“Tough decisions need to

be made but what’s always important is that when those decisions are made about people, they should have the opportunity to be part of the voice, to be sitting at the table in making those decisions,” Gerhardt said. “In this case what was felt by many of the faculty was that a difficult decision about us was handed to us.

“The reality of the finances are the reality of the finances,” Gerhardt said. “The world is kind of in a pandemic but if we had been part of the conversation and the faculty were understanding that it was coming with the budget meeting weeks ahead and we had talked and this is what we had come to the conclusion of then you would see the situation, you see what happened very differently because you feel you were part of it, you feel that you were able to advocate for yourself and you were able to help do what’s the best for those that you represent.”

Returning to the mathematics of fairness, Weld said, “I would say that the mathematics of fair division always involves a conversation, there’s always a conversation.”

Before posing a question at the senate meeting, Meg Toth, an English professor and a faculty senator, acknowledged that O’Donnell had opened the meeting thanking everyone for being there in a “spirit of shared governance” and stated her feelings on the matter.

“I just want to say for the record that what’s happening in this meeting is not shared governance,” Toth said. What’s happening in this meeting is that administration has made decisions and they are presenting those decisions to us, so I just want to be clear and this has become a pattern, even prior to the pandemic hitting, that we are given decisions that have been made in a top-down matter, then maybe a particular body on campus is consulted, like the senate or CFA, or faculty welfare, but we’re not given a real voice.”

She went on to state that what was happening was communication, which is important, but not the same as what O’Donnell claimed was happening.

“The faculty has not been given a true voice in this process and I can only imagine that the students have had even less of a voice in this process so I just want to be clear on the official record that this is not

Provost Steven Schreiner (left), President Brennan O’Donnell (center) and CFO Matthew McManness (right) answered questions about the budgget during a Nov. 17 senate meeting MANHATTAN COLLEGE / COURTESY shared governance that’s hap- erate $2.1 million in savings. managers of the college’s operpening here,” Toth said. “It’s The athletics department’s ating fund continue to work to communication and I’m grate- overall budget was cut by 30 resolve the budget gap. ful for that communication percent.

“We’re bending but we’re and I know my colleagues are McManness stressed trying not to break,” Provost also grateful for it but I think throughout his financial pre- Steven Schriener said. we really need to make better sentation that the numbers, Despite all of the challenges strides in consulting and com- both in terms of loss and sav- the college is facing, those still ing up with solutions together ings, continue to fluctuate daily. working, whether remotely as a community versus ad However, with all of these or in person, have one goal in ministration making decisions measures taken, there are still mind: support the students. and passing them onto us and some more avenues being “We really are protecting maybe giving us a semblance of pursued by college leadership critical functions and studentshared governance.” in terms of financial savings. facing functions because we do Responding to the sen- Leadership is in the process of not want to interrupt that,” Schate questions of communica- adjusting the healthcare plan reiner said. “I have some contion and shared governance, with hopes of seeing 1.265 mil- fidence that we’re doing okay O’Donnell offered the solution lion dollars in savings. with that.” of an ad-hoc structure to make Additionally, according to Coleman and the other fursure people are informed ap- the Oct. 27 email, O’Donnell loughed employees will have propriately but he wants to take wrote that the college is explor- to wait it out for now, and hope the opportunity “to be thinking ing the options of “additional that they can return to their about what we do on the other revenue generation through roles as soon as possible. side of the crisis,” he said. auxiliary services and fund“I will be fine,” Coleman “Let’s use the need to have raising; and Continued efforts said. “It’s not a life or death these kinds of forums in the to take advantage of any and thing. I certainly understand midst of the crisis in order to all COVID relief programs for the financial situation of the colbuild the communication struc- which we may qualify.” lege, I get it.” tures and frankly, the trust that The college has a $120 milAnd while there may have we need in order to be able to lion endowment, but of that been percieved mismanaged have these conversations.” money only $4 million is unre- communication or a lack of Other Measures The Col- stricted in usage and according shared governance, all faculty, lege Has and Plans to Take to McManness, “the unrestrict- staff and administrators are In the Oct. 27 email to the ed endowment is something working towards the same goal employees, O’Donnell wrote, we can consider and something of doing the best they can for “we deeply regret having to that will be part of our bigger their students. implement measures that will discussions that we have in re“The administration’s goal, be personally painful to our lationship to balancing the bud- as I understand it, was to minicommunity.” It was made clear get.” mize to the absolute best of its during the senate meeting by According to Clency, the ability the impact on students both O’Donnell and McMan- office of Residence Life is cur- and I think that although it has ness that these measures were rently anticipating that approxi- hit faculty staff and adminiscertainly not the first savings. mately 150 to 200 students who tration I think that all of those College leadership renego- studied remote in the fall will people are also doing their tiated the college’s oil contract return to live on campus for the best to minimize the impact on to save $70,000, eliminated a spring semester, which would students, to not be focused on quarter of a million in spend- increase room and board rev- that but to be as focused as we ing on a real estate consultant enue. can on instruction and on the contract, modified admissions’ Where Does the Col- needs of the students,” Horn external consultants to see sav- lege Go From Here? said. “Obviously, it’s going to ings, and has saved $130,000 While college leadership bleed in, particularly with all in miscellaneous areas. They works to continue to close the of the things going on, but the anticipate about $200,000 in budget deficit, faculty, staff and one thing you can hear in all of student-athlete insurance sav- administrators remain optimis- the conversations is ‘how can ings and a total of $400,000 in tic but know that further cuts we do our best for all of the stusavings on overtime, seeing and furloughs loom in the dis- dents?’ There’s lots of things $125,000 of that amount saved tance as unfortunate possibili- that not everybody is so good already. The salary cuts should ties. The fact that a first round at but that’s one of things that generate about $1.1 million in has gone into effect does not they are.” savings and the halt in retire- eliminate them in the future.

Editor’s Note: Anna Woods ment contributions should gen- However, there is hope as the contributed reporting.

Features

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Alexa Schmidt: Doing and Loving It All Gabriella DePinho Editor-in-Chief

If there’s anyone on Manhattan College’s campus who has done it all, it’s Alexa Schmidt.

A four-year member of The Quadrangle; a three-year member of the women’s rowing team; a tour guide; a student worker in the archives; a study abroad participant; an editor for Manhattan Magazine and Lotus; a L.O.V.E. trip participant; a W.I.S.E. participant; the president of Lambda Pi Eta, the communication honor society; a two-year Resident Assistant in Horan Hall and Student Government’s Vice President for Club Administration, she has kept herself busy with all that and a double major in communication and art history and a minor in environmental studies.

While Alexa might always be busy, sometimes logging into two Google meets at once, she wouldn’t change a thing about her Manhattan College experience.

“If I had to do it all over again, I totally would,” Alexa said. “College passed by so fast. I thought high school was fast, college is insane.”

Though Alexa has loved her time at Manhattan College, when she was in high school, the college wasn’t initially on her list. Knowing she wanted a small liberal arts college, and at the recommendation of her town’s mayor at the time and school superintendent, who

were both alumni, the Emerson, New Jersey native decided to take a look at the school.

Taking a leap of faith, Alexa decided to come here and in doing so, has found that she really does love the people she’s met at the college.

“Manhattan’s offered me a chance to meet some of the best people I’ve ever known,” Alexa said. “I’ve met great professors, great friends that have all been my biggest supporters and obviously sometimes they have to be my biggest critics too. But I think a lot about if I went to a different college, I wouldn’t have met the same people and I think I would have missed out on a lot.”

One person Alexa has met as a result of her involvement is one of her biggest heroes: soccer-star-turned-equality-activist Abby Wambach. As a member of student government, Alexa was able to co-host the virtual event in which Wambach spoke to Manhattan College students.

“She’s one of my idols since I was a kid and finally getting to meet her even over a laptop screen, I was just freaking out, I was so excited,” she said. “I couldn’t even believe that I was talking to someone so influential and so outspoken and someone who truly believed in what she’s fighting for and that’s something that’s incredibly admirable especially in a world where instant gratification and agreeing with other people for the sake of agreeing with others is so prevalent.”

Spending time as The Quadrangle’s assistant arts and entertainment editor, fea-

tures editor, arts and entertainment editor and managing editor, Alexa has dabbled in different roles that have helped her “strengthen [her] writing skills, strengthen [her] people skills.” She joined the club her freshman year as a Quadrangle Scholarship recipient, after her mom suggested she applied.

“My mom saw The Quadrangle scholarship and thought that would be a really good opportunity for me,” Alexa said. “I liked writing a lot. The scholarship is great. I mean any scholarship is great, but this one in particular would allow me to meet new people, practice my writing skills, build up a portfolio of my own writing and see it get published in print, which is super exciting especially because I’ve never had that opportunity before.”

Alexa came to find that her favorite thing to report on was the things others might not think to cover.

“I don’t do hard news,” she said. “Journalism doesn’t always have to be hard hitting news, but it can be some of the good in the world as well, and for me that’s doing features on people that are overlooked or deserve credit for something that goes unnoticed. A lot of it is highlighting the talent that we have around campus.”

One of her favorite stories she’s ever written has been just that: highlighting talent on campus. This fall she covered Brother Ralph Bucci’s art exhibition in the library that is coming to a close over the Thanksgiving holiday and her interview and writing process

for the story was one of the best experiences she’s had for an article.

“It was almost like a privilege to hear him talk about his art and why he creates it and how he does it and just his stance on the arts in general,” Alexa said. “The brothers I feel like are sometimes are these untouchable people but if you really take the time to sit down with them, you realize that they’re the same as the rest of us and they have stories to tell.”

Another favorite part of her role in The Quadrangle is helping the new writers become leaders.

“I also think part of The Quad isn’t just leading but it’s also handing the reins to the next generation and watching them grow as well, just watching them grow as writers, as editors, seeing them fill the boots that you’re going to leave behind when you graduate,” she said.

Out of all her activities on campus, Alexa has particularly enjoyed her experience with The Quad.

“I think The Quadrangle certainly changed my life,” she said. “I mean to sum up three years worth of interviews and events and editing and late nights, and learning how to use InDesign, it certainly has been a wild ride. I mean, it wasn’t perfect but no one wanted it to be and it holds a very special place in my heart.”

She has also cherished her time with the rowing team, which she joined after walking on sophomore year..

“I found that I missed the

team aspect of my life,” she said. “I mean I’ve always been an athlete and that’s something that’s defined me and it’s really special that I can do that here.

That’s also been one of the best decisions in my life. I cannot imagine my college career without it, just the teammates, just going to practice in the morning seeing the sunrise.”

Though she’s fully enjoyed everything she’s done at Manhattan College, Alexa is preparing herself for life post-graduation, but don’t ask her what she’s doing next just yet; she’s just taking the time to enjoy the moment.

“Honestly, I’m just trying to cherish every moment now, because it’s really getting down to crunch time,” she said. “I just want to reflect a little bit and just be thankful for all the experiences and opportunities that I’ve been given. It would not have been the same anywhere else.”

Alexa Schmidt has done it all: studied abroad in Italy, been a D1 athlete, a resident assistant, a tour guide, a true friend and so much more, while balancing a heavy courseload ALEXA SCHMIDT / COURTESY

Senior Copy Editor Garrett Keidel Reminisces On His Time at The Quadrangle Upon Graduating Jocelyn Visnov Staff Writer

A beloved member of The Quadrangle staff and shining presence on campus, C. Garrett Keidel will be graduating at the conclusion of this semester.

Originally from a small suburb outside Baltimore, Maryland, Keidel has cherished his time as a Manhattan College Jasper.

When beginning his college search, Keidel knew he had to be in New York City. It was while attending accepted students’ day that he fell in love with Manhattan College.

“I was never one of those people that wanted to be in a really big school,” Keidel said.

“I didn’t want to be a number, I wanted to be myself.”

After being chosen to be a recipient of The Quadrangle

Scholarship, Keidel knew he had found his place on campus.

He’s been a devoted member since the start and stepped into leadership roles as early as his second semester. Since then, Keidel has been the head sports editor, a copy editor, and served as the social media editor for the past year.

Keidel is a communication major, with a concentration in public relations and a minor in English. In addition to being a devoted member of The Quad, Garrett has enjoyed being a staff member for the Conference Services here on campus. This has allowed him to work on campus during the summer months, and assist in planning and staffing various events here at the college. His favorite was a language immersion program, where he was able to spend two weeks of

his summer as a team leader, teaching English to students from Italy. Keidel also highly recommends to all students to take advantage of the various travel opportunities available to them.

“I studied abroad for two weeks in London,” he said. “It was probably my favorite two weeks of my life. Beautiful, amazing country, amazing culture, cool people.”

Keidel has written for The Quad during his whole career at Manhattan. His favorite memory with The Quad took place about two years ago when he interviewed a member of Ru Paul’s Drag Race. He caught up with season nine contestant ATIA after she put on a brief performance for students.

“I never thought I would be able at 20-years-old to interview someone like that,” he said. “It

was so fun and engaging.”

Throughout his last semester here, Keidel has enjoyed working as an intern for “The Dr. Oz Show.” Despite being an entirely online experience, he has learned a lot from it.

“It’s really fun,” he said. “I work on their PR and publicity team, it’s following what people are talking about in terms of the Dr. Oz show.”

Keidel has enjoyed his time working with The Quad and loves living in New York City.

He advises all students to venture out into the city as often as possible.

“I can’t say I’ve always been the best student, but I can say that I’ve had the best time while I was in college,” he said.

“Make the experience yours.

And please, please, please, go out and experience the city by yourself. Go figure out what

you enjoy on your own. Just get on the one train.”

Though he’s unsure of what the future holds, Keidel is looking forward to pursuing his career beyond college.

“Ideally, I would want to be working in PR or publicity,” he said. “I’ve been increasingly getting involved in political communication.”

For those who may be feeling weary of the college student lifestyle, listen to Keidel’s sage advice.

“You’re going to be fine.” He said. “Have no anxiety, breathe, enjoy your life.”

Features

NOVEMBER 24, 2020

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BSU and LWGRC Generate Discussion on the BLM Movement Christine Nappi & Kelly Cwik

Features Editor & Contributor The Manhattan College Black Student Union and Lasallian Women and Gender Resource Center co-hosted “A Chat with BSU and LWGRC on the BLM Movement and its Origins,” on Wednesday, Nov. 18.

Mamady Ballo, a junior international studies major and president of the BSU, and Ashley Cross, Ph.D., faculty coDirector of the LWGRC, led the discussion in the hopes of educating the campus community on the BLM movement.

“Our job is to be able to help student groups be able to do the things they want to do, to lend support in both human power, and also in whatever resources that we can get,” Cross said. “We just wanted to really support Black women activists, [who] were the founders of Black Lives Matter.”

The event began with the TedTalk “An Interview with the Founders of Black Lives Matter.” The founders of BLM, Alicia Garez, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi, discussed a plethora of topics from the importance of Black Lives Matter in the U.S. and across the world to what they’ve learned about leadership and what inspires them and gives them hope. At the end, Garez told the audience how to get involved.

“Be a part of something,” Garez said. “There are groups, collectives– it doesn’t have to be a nonprofit. But there are groups that are doing work in our communities right now to make sure that Black lives matter so that all lives matter.”

Ashley Baptiste, vice president of BSU, learned a lot from the video on the BLM movement. She finds that education on the topic is crucial to enacting change in society.

“When I was watching a video, I learned a lot of stuff that

I didn’t know,” Baptiste said. “I feel like, just being knowledgeable and being educated on the specific topic is very important even before you go out there and you advocate, you have to know what you’re fighting for.”

Ballo describes that discussing the topic of BLM and its origins are important during this time to combat racial injustices. She finds holding this event was an essential component in educating the student body.

“This is a crucial time to have a discussion,” Ballo said.

“The Black Lives Matter movement has been something that’s been going on for years. It has affected many people, mentally, physically, and it is time for the discussion to be had.”

After showing the video, Ballo led a conversation amongst event attendees with a series of four questions, asking what the movement means and the goal of it. Event attendee Michael Ramajo describes that the movement is meant to create an inclusive community.

“The Black Lives Matter movement, it’s about acknowledging the existence of Black people and making sure that Black people are free to live however they want and how they choose,” Ramajo said.

“They won’t stop until all of their lives matter and that no matter who they are, no matter their race, sexual orientation, religion, or whatever, they’re still acknowledged and treated equally.”

Adding on to Ramajo’s statement, event attendee Marshall Strawbridge discussed the fact that Black Lives Matter has other goals in different cities. He mentioned the work that BLM Chicago is doing in demanding to close Homan Square where it is said that 7,000 people have vanished.

“It isn’t just those general sort of principles,” Strawbridge said. “There are sort of localized definite sort of goals they have that you can find if you

start on a more local level.”

The discussion moved to Ballo’s next topic of discussion, where she questioned which Black lives matter to BLM, in regards to those who abide by the law and those who don’t.

Event attendee Fatoumata Saho describes that each Black life matters to the BLM movement.

“I don’t feel like we are in a place to say someone’s life doesn’t matter, whether or not they did something wrong,” Saho said.

The event went over an hour as the conversation continued and addressed important topics relating to the movement.

Baptise found the discussion to be successful among the event attendees, and describes its importance considering the climate the country is currently in. She encourages people to learn more about BLM and it’s origins in order to effectively contribute to the cause. “[With] the current climate of racial injustice I feel like the discussion should be had,” Baptiste said. “And I just feel like some people, I think they’re just going along with what ever is happening. I think to just know where that stemmed from and where that came from, the roots of this movement is important. And that’s why I think the video is very essential right now.”

The BSU and LWGRC collaborated to also create a conversation around another crucial topic: the inclusivity of women in society. Ballo and Cross describe that the event also touched on this topic because the founders of the BLM movement are women.

“I feel this topic is important because the world is changing, especially with having the first-ever female elect vice president, It needs to be had,” Ballo said. “Women in general… we’re the dominating face of the world. We are changing, we’re dominating in every field right now, every playing field

The Black Student Union and the Lasallian Women and Gender Resource Center held a discussion about the origins of the Black Lives Matter movement on Nov. 18.. @MC.BSU / COURTESY and people need to know that we stand up with them proud.”

Cross finds that creating conversation on the topics of BLM and the women’s movement is the first step to solving any injustices. As she describes, creating conversation is crucial to the learning process.

“Conversation is the most important thing that we can have about issues that are important, and that can be controversial or that are for people to learn– people learn through conversation,” Cross said.

Baptiste encourages all Jaspers to educate themselves on the topic and become involved in BSU. She describes that the club is open to all people, regardless of race, and hopes to increase club participation.

Ballo, BSU and the LWGRC hope this event impacted the Jasper community in a positive

way, such that students and faculty are inspired to make a change. Ballo hopes this event will not only educate students and faculty, but will also encourage them to act on the topic at hand.

“I hope that this event has an impact on not only students but faculty,” Ballo said. “You can know a lot about the Black Lives Matter movement, but also you need to think about it from the perspective of students. They have their own experience, they already have lived through their lives’ experience, but as this generation [keeps] going and changing, we’re at a different ball game than where [the generation of faculty] were, what they were able to be like okay let’s dust off, we’re not going to be able to do. I think that’s why this talk is so important.”

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8

Features

THE QUADRANGLE

Returning Home for Thanksgiving and Beyond VOICES ON THE QUAD With the holiday season approaching, on-campus students will be traveling home for the rest of the semester amid the on-going pandemic, making Thanksgiving look different for many. The Quadrangle spoke with various students to see how they feel about returning home and celebrating this holiday in a new way.

Interviews compiled by Maria Thomas.

Katie Rachman, Freshman Elementary and Special Education Major Where is home for you?

Los Angeles, California specifically San Pedro.

Anthony Behpour, Freshman Mechanical Engineering Major

Christopher Iannace, Sophomore Civil Engineering Major

Where is home for you?

Westchester, not too far from here — about 20 minutes away.

Where is home for you?

Home is in White Plains, NY.

How do you feel about going home with cases rising How do you feel about going home with cases rising across the country? across the country?

Well, I’m kind of sad to be going home because I’m I’m a little anxious obviously to fly, I do have an N95 which puts me at, you know a little bit more security gonna miss all my friends here and everything, but I think it’s the best decision, considering everything about it, but obviously there’s a lot of risk going to the airport, going on a plane and then seeing my fam- that’s going on. I think we’d all be safer at home. ily again. I’m planning on getting tested and wearing How do you feel about being home for nearly two a mask around family and friends till I make sure months before the start of next semester?

I have a negative test once I’m back in California.

It’s gonna be tough because you’re gonna be switchAnd then also, just the fact that I had to get tested ing routines from, you know, living on campus and here before I go home — it’s a little nerve wracking being around everyone, all my college friends like to be like, ‘hopefully my test is negative, so I don’t have to get stuck here in New York,’ because a lot of every day to going home and not being around anypeople have been testing positive that I know. Maybe one’s going to be a difficult transition. But like I said, I haven’t been in contact with them, but I know them it’s for safety. and so I’m obviously anxious about it. But I’m very How do you plan on spending Thanksgiving, if you excited to go home and see my family and friends celebrate that holiday? again.

Well, usually we do a big celebration with my whole family, but that’s not happening this year so we’re How do you feel about being home for nearly two gonna have a small intimate gathering, maybe just months before the start of next semester? my intimate family and a couple other people, just to Like I said, I’m excited to see my family and friends, keep it small. but I definitely think it will be hard being so disconnected from campus. I’m sure you’re experiencing this too, especially with the time change my 9 a.m. class is now going to be at six in the morning, which makes it very, very difficult. Some of my finals which are scheduled for 8:30 here in New York are going to be at 5:30 in the morning, and some professors have been really great about working on that with me but some not so much. So it’s definitely going to be an adjustment. Also, going back from dorm life to living at home with my family. So there’s a mixup, I’m very excited to go back but also just upset that I’m not going to be able to experience that campus life.

Join

How do you plan on spending Thanksgiving if you celebrate that?

My brother lives a couple hours north of my family, so we are going to drive up and visit him. And obviously taking all the precautions, wearing masks, and I will hopefully have gotten tested before we go see him. But yeah, that’s pretty much it, just super low key — my parents and my brother and I, and that’s it.

How do you feel about going home with cases rising across the country?

I’m a little nervous about the off chance of getting COVID and giving it to my family, it is probably one of my greater concerns, but me and my friends have been following the whole social distancing procedures and stuff like that so hopefully we’ll be okay and safe.

How do you feel about being home for nearly two months before the start of next semester?

Oh, it’s a long time, for sure. But um, I think I like it.

I see why they’re making the winter one longer than and taking away spring break like I understand it kind of sucks but if that’s what they think is necessary for the school then that’s okay.

How do you plan on spending Thanksgiving, if you celebrate that holiday?

I don’t know what the plan is at the moment.

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Features

NOVEMBER 24, 2020

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A History of Campus Ministry and Social Justice on Campus Lauren Raziano Staff Writer

Campus ministry and social action have always been a quintessential part of Manhattan College ever since it was founded in 1853 by the teaching order of St. John Baptist de La Salle, more commonly known as the Brothers of the Christian Schools. The core Lasallian principles the college prides itself on are encompassed in every aspect of the college.

These values include an inclusive community, respect for all people, and concern for the poor and social justice.

Specifically, one organization that commits itself to spreading and upholding these values amongst the Jasper community is the Campus Ministry and Social Action office. However, the college didn’t always combine social action with campus ministry initiatives. It wasn’t until the early 1990s that social action became a way to express these Lasallian values.

Lois Harr, the director of Campus Ministry and Social Action and the assistant vice president of Student Life, has been an essential person in the CMSA department since August 1998.

“In the early 90s, the college received a grant for social action, so students began working in the community,” Harr said. “The students were working with both the campus ministry and the social action departments and there was a decision to combine them … there was a natural fit.”

Up until 2012, there was a club called the Lasallian Collegians, which had the core values of faith, service, and community that would help assist campus ministry and the social justice departments. The Lasallian Collegians would help the CMSA department host food runs, service events, and retreats. Eventually, the administrators budgeted CMSA to become bigger and take over the role of the former group.

In 2013 there was a new wave of individuals that joined the CMSA department, who would go on to increase campus involvement and social justice initiatives. Conor Reidy, the current campus minister, was the first to ever be hired to the role.

By 2014 the Kelly Student Commons opened and the Social Action Suite was established. The Social Action Suite

encourages students to learn about issues of social justice and engage in hands-on service.

To assist with the new facility, Harr then hired Kathleen Von Euw, the assistant director of Campus Ministry and Social Action, who has focused on getting faculty to teach courses that include a community component working with a local organization.

Due to Harr’s influential role, the college has become a Catholic Relief Service Global Campus, which is the official international humanitarian organization of the Catholic community. Under Harr’s guidance, the college has become the first fair trade certified university in New York City and the fifth in the nation.

“Our efforts on campus to implement fair trade practices earned us an official designation as a Fair Trade College, making us the first in New York City and fifth in the nation with this status,” according to Manhattan’s CMSA website.

CMSA is closely connected with the Lasallian history.

Inspired by the birth month of John Baptist De LaSalle, April is considered “Mission Month,” when the CMSA office

a real vision of ensuring that we are speaking about the two feet of social justice, of reflection, spirituality, faith, combined with justice service and advocacy,” Reidy said.

As the student body changes, Reidy acknowledges that campus ministry works to create new service events.

“Campus Ministry continues to adapt and change and evolve as we adapt to new students, respond to the sign of the times, and try to focus on the call of our students,” Reidy said.

According to Harr, the college has tried to encourage students to explore service in the local Bronx neighborhoods in hopes of sparking change in the overall community. By exploring organizations within the Bronx, CMSA is searching to improve the community surrounding Manhattan College.

“We can serve with our hands, we can make sandwiches, work in a soup kitchen, and tutor kids, but we can also work with our heads and try to have a higher engagement of our students in social justice with organizations and issues in the Bronx,” Harr said. “We could try and solve problems, while also meeting people and know

“Campus Ministry continues to adapt and change and evolve as we adapt to new students, respond to the sign of the times, and try to focus on the call of our students,” Reidy said. hosts service events that can bring about 100 plus students together to do community service.

“Every April we celebrate Mission Month so that we might be even more mindful of all the good works happening on campus that exemplify our Lasallian heritage and contribute to the realization of our mission,” the college website states.

CMSA works closely together to create events focused on spirituality and justice.

“Consistently Campus Ministry and Social Action has had

what the issues are before we try and solve them.”

Service events on campus have also shifted as programs try to develop meaningful relationships with local community partners.

“We have moved away from one-time service opportunities that weren’t really beneficial for community partners or ourselves, so we don’t focus on food drives anymore and try to have people focus on long-lasting partnerships with the local community organizations,” Reidy said.

As an example, the Lasallian

Outreach Collaborative, known as LOCo, is a weekly community service program that has been able to cultivate the long-lasting partnerships that Manhattan was searching for.

LOCo has partnered with organizations like God’s Love We Deliver, a meal assistance program for the elderly, sick and homebound in the Bronx community, and the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, a place to tutor students and play recreational sports with them.

Senior Meggie Osorio is involved with CMSA as a peer minister and a Catholic Relief student ambassador. Osorio attended the New Students Retreat during her freshman year and then became a leader for the retreat in her sophomore year.

The Lasallians in Faith Together Program is meant to be an off-campus event where students can take a break and reflect on their life, spirituality, and meet new people from diverse faith backgrounds.

“The retreat was a great introduction into social justice which led me to get more involved in advocacy on campus, joining other groups like Catholic Relief Services, going on L.O.V.E. trips, and other service immersion weekends,” Osorio said.

The Lasallian Outreach Volunteer Experience, known as L.O.V.E trips, is the student service immersion program that partners with religiously affiliated organizations. The L.O.V.E. trips focus on topics such as food access, urban poverty, and human rights.

Next year’s spring and summer L.O.V.E. trips have been canceled due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Despite canceled plans, the CMSA office has transitioned a number of events to be online, hybrid, or enhanced in-person experiences.

“Although we have had to shift from doing so many things in person, like local community service, overnight retreats, and international and domestic service immersion experiences with the L.O.V.E. program, has caused us to pivot to finding ways to safely serve our Manhattan College community,” Reidy said.

Osorio also described how CMSA events have been altered with COVID-19 restrictions.

“Something I am heavily involved in is peer ministry which we have begun to do on-

line since the COVID pandemic began,” Osorio said. “It allows students to come together once a week and have an extended retreat experience with indepth reflections and conversations.”

Retreats for CMSA this semester have had options for all students, regardless of their remote or in-person status, including the Audio Retreat offered completely online; the Local Escape Retreat which is in-person; and the Pause Retreat which has a hybrid model.

The Pause Retreat is an opportunity for students to meet one-on-one with a spiritual advisor to go over a series of questions and reflections over a fiveweek period, either online or in-person.

While retreats will be different for the foreseeable future, the impact of a retreat like Kairos, a weekend-long, intense reflection retreat, is not forgotten.

“Kairos was an experience that I will never forget as it taught me so many things about myself and connecting with others,” Osorio said. “It was probably one of my best experiences so far at Manhattan College.”

The CMSA department has been able to create formalized partnerships with local and global organizations and has created new, modern programming for students in response to what they are looking for.

Reidy says that Manhattan students make his job easy as students are always willing to participate in events hosted by CMSA. “I’m impressed by their interest and ability to execute their own vision,” Reidy said. “I think it is easy for me to do my job because I watch the way the students walk and I help make the sidewalk there.”

Contributing to campus ministry and social action on campus is easy when students and administrators are comfortable interacting with each other through Lasallian values which foster an inclusive community.

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Senior Farewells

THE QUADRANGLE

Sophia Sakellariou Staff Writer’17-’18, Production Editor’19-’20, Senior Writer’20

When I entered the club room for my first Quadrangle meeting, I had never written a news article in my life. Up until then, my writing was confined to essays for school and the oc-

casional journal entry. To say I was lost is an understatement.

I sat off in a corner watching as old friends embraced, story pitches were tossed around and I listened during my first

read through of an issue. I felt excited and nervous, but exactly where I belonged.

After Haley Burnside graciously took me under her wing and helped me with my first story, this extracurricular activity quickly became so much more than just another bullet on my resume. It introduced me to people I never would have met otherwise, stories I had the gift of being able to share with others and friends I will have for a lifetime.

My goal was to simply have a byline in the Quadrangle. I never would have imagined that I’d join the masthead as Production Editor, putting the issue together for hours on end in a closet of an office every Sunday. Sam Walla, Alexa Schmidt, Gabs DePinho, Rose Brennan, Megan Dreher, and the occasional drop-in by Joe Liggio, filled those hours with hard work, good music and so much laughter, I wouldn’t trade even the longest of days for anything.

You may not know some of these names too well, but you will when their bylines grace the covers of The New York Times or The Washington Post someday. The Quadrangle has shown me just what it means to be a hard worker. The people who write for and devote so much time to this paper each and every week are the smartest people I’ve ever met. It is undeniable that journalism has been under attack in recent years, but if these people are the future of the profession, I have no doubt that it will regain the recognition it deserves.

Being a student journalist comes with challenges. Dealing with difficult interviewees, scrambling to meet deadlines and asking the hard questions are all part of the job, but we never thought the ramifications of a global pandemic would be thrown into the mix. However, I leave this paper feeling more proud of my fellow Quaddies than I ever felt before. They fully embraced the challenges

thrown their way and produced some of the best work I think we’ve ever done. The commitment to quality work of our fearless leader Gabs DePinho and the rest of the masthead enabled us to have a print issue on stands every single week for the past few months.

Even though I am sad that it is time for me to leave this paper behind, I am comforted by the fact that I am leaving it in good hands. The Quadrangle not only helped me find my voice as a young journalist, but it taught me that my voice matters. I don’t know where I’m going from here— hopefully another newsroom!— but I know that the skills and lessons the Quadrangle taught me will help me every step of the way on my career journey. This paper changed my life. So no, print is not dying. It is here to stay and I love all of the people who work so hard to keep it that way so that other young people with a dream can find their home at the Quad, too.

C. Garrett Keidel Staff Writer’17, Asst. Sports Editor’18, Sports Editor’19, Social Media Editor & Copy Editor’20

What can I say about my time writing for the Quadrangle besides it was absolutely incredible. I have been given opportunities to do and speak to people that I could have only dreamed of before starting my freshman year.

The Quadrangle has been such a crucial part of my college career, and I am very sure that this club will be the number one thing I miss about college. I have been thinking back

to everything the team has done over the past three and a half years, I am so honored and proud to have been a part of the Quad.

Writing my senior farewell seems unreal to be quite honest. Time truly has flown by, and it is truly hard to comprehend that my time here at Manhattan College is coming to an end. I will fully attest that the Quadrangle has given me some of my best experiences,

and most cherished memories from my three and a half years of college.

Through the Quad, I have been able to meet and speak with people that would have been unimaginable before joining. Sitting in a room with Kris Allen, winner of American Idol with Rose Brennan was incredible. But I do have to say that my favorite interview of all time was getting to speak with Aja, from RuPauls Drag Race season 9 and All Stars 3. Being able to speak with people whom you are a genuine fan of, and watched on TV is one of those great opportunities you get to have when you work on the Quad; and it never gets old.

I have made incredible connections, and lifelong friendships with my peers who work on the Quad. There is a special connection you make with people who join every week to share the news with a college community.

To all of the editors and those on the masthead while during my time on the Quad, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You guys and girls work so incredibly hard every single week, day in and day out, to produce some of the best and highest quality work I have seen on this campus.

To all of my peers, previously graduated or still on staff, you are all so incredible. Your relentless pursuit of truth is

inspiring, and I will be reading continuously online after my graduation.

I want to give a special shout out to Gabriella DePinho.

As the Editor in Chief for the year 2020, she fearlessly led our team through probably the most difficult situation any EIC has ever faced in the past. I can honestly say that without her efforts to maintain focus and achieve our goal as a group, the Quad would not have been able to be the same. Yet she did it. Gabs, I am so proud of you and I am so honored to have worked with you. From the first day at the Quadrangle, you have shown nothing but excellence and the endless possibility to be a terrific leader. Thank you for all the fun times, and thank you for all of the hard work and dedication you have given this group.

Nick, thank you for being the Quad dad we all needed at times. You have allowed this group of young journalists to find their voices, and to write about their own interests. You have been a blessing to us when we did not know where to go with a story, needed information on sourcing, and given advice on how to professionally write about difficult topics. The way you have stuck up for us was truly humbling, and I can not thank you enough for the role you play.

I also want to remember the

late Tom Callahan. He was my first Quadrangle Advisor, and was an endless source of light and knowledge that guided much of my career with the Quad. Thank you Tom, my introduction to the world of journalism would be much different than it was, and I can honestly say it was made better because of you.

And to the readers of the Quad, thank you for picking it up or reading online for the past several years. I hope I made a difference and helped you stay informed during my time here.

We work at the Quadrangle for you, to keep you updated, and to give our audience and the campus community an added voice. We truly appreciate your support.

My time here at Manhattan College is coming to a close, but I can guarantee that the Quadrangle will not be closing any time soon. Keep reading.

We have a saying, “We Do Journalism,” and I think that’s very powerful. In our time of heightened mistrust of the press, this group of students pursues truth on this campus to better inform our community. All I will say is please keep reading, stay involved in what’s going on and please read the Quad.

I’ll be signing off now.

Thank you all again for my time here. I had a lot of fun.

- C. Garrett Keidel

NOVEMBER 24, 2020

Arts & Entertainment

11

Women in The Workplace: Panelists Discuss the Realities of a Working Woman’s World Kyla Guilfoil Staff Writer

“Her Campus,” a digital magazine run by Manhattan College students, teamed up with the Lasallian Women and Gender Resource Center, LWGRC, to host seven women professionals in a virtual discussion titled ‘Women in The Workplace.’

The panelists included women working in engineering, accounting, business and psychology, as well as Rachel Cirelli, the college’s director of Career Development, and Caitlin Duggan, the college’s assistant director of employer relations.

Christina Trichilo, an intern for the LWGRC and a junior psychology major at MC, shared that the LWGRC and “Her Campus” staff tried to incorporate women from multiple fields to create a more inclusive event for students.

The panelists spoke about the importance of women keeping confidence in the workplace, setting boundaries, building relationships, utilizing resources and asking questions. The women were able to

open up about their own experiences and share the realities of being a working woman in today’s world.

“Her Campus” and LWGRC staff felt that this kind of event is essential for female students preparing for the workplace.

“Having a major and having an area of study is definitely preparing you for the workplace in the way that you will know the trade, but there are less programs that actually prepare us for the culture of the workplace,” Katie Doyle, a senior editor for “Her Campus” said. “I think that it’s important for us to graduate with realistic expectations set about how we’ll be treated in the workplace, and realistic solutions for how to solve any problems that are presented to us.”

One topic that was discussed by the panelists was imposter syndrome, a psychological phenomenon that causes one to doubt their own accomplishments or success.

This phenomenon is one often experienced by women, who were not accepted in the workplace–beyond traditional roles– until recent decades. However, the panelists emphasized the

normalcy of experiencing imposter syndrome.

“If you’re a woman and you’re in a very male dominated field and people aren’t being very nice to you, you’re going to feel like an imposter,” Cirelli said.

Duggan suggested a way for women to combat that.

“Building relationships with the people around you that you know they would tell if you were doing something wrong is very helpful,” Duggan said.

“And you do that by asking for feedback, but also by giving feedback.”

Sam Jayanti, the founder of IdeaMix and a panalist, also indicated an importance in the mindset you bring to work, and that your first jobs are important for reasons you may not realize.

“I think it’s super important to go through your work life and not think about it in a transactional way,” Jayanti said. “I think every experience, whether you end up liking the job, or not liking the job, and we’ve all had jobs that we’ve liked less than others, is an opportunity to build relationships with people.”

oftentimes one cast member would be in a different costume the next time they popped up on the screen. A major part of the show was ensuring that each player’s computer would function properly and that the actors would be accommodated with what they would usually have during an in person show.

“On top of that, [Bonaventura] hooked us all up with ethernet cables and dongols to make sure our internet connection was perfect,” Kidney said. “The tech crew also got us all ring lights to make sure our lighting was perfect, too. Overall, the tech crew put in so much work to make our show go over smoothly.”

Freshman Jonathan Abadir feels very strongly that “The Laramie Project” was the best play to perform during a time where the country is divided over issues that the show touches on.

“It’s a tough story that needed to be told,” Abadir said.

“One of the characters I play, Father Roger Schmitt, has the penultimate line of the play in which he says, ‘And I will speak with you, I will trust that if you write a play of this, that you say it right. You need to do your best to say it correct.’ I think that really resonated with all of us.”

Given it was Abadir’s first year at the college, he never experienced what it was like to perform in the box on the fifth floor of Thomas Hall, where the

plays are typically held.

“It’s different being online and it was nerve-wracking at first, but the cast and crew were so on top of everything that I’ve honestly never felt more at ease in rehearsals,” he said. “I’m just glad I was able to do the thing I love with these beautiful people.”

With about 95 viewers for Friday night’s performance, it seems that the virtual format of the show was successful and shows promise for the future as the pandemic drags on. Sophie Ryan, a sophomore who performed from her basement in Maryland, thought it went well.

“I felt pretty good about the number of viewers we had last night,” Ryan said. “It’s definitely harder to feel connected to an audience when you’re not in the same physical space as them, but I hope that the message of the show was still accessible to our viewers.”

Kidney expressed how grateful she is that they had the ability to perform despite many of there being no possible way to have a show in-person, given the number of students who are learning remotely this semester.

“I really love that we chose a format that could include all of the members of Players, not just the ones doing in-person learning,” she said. “Doing the show virtually was Players’ way of demonstrating our love and respect for all members of our community.”

All of the panelists demonstrated an appreciation for building relationships in the workplace. Nicole Palmieri, a chemical engineer who works with product development in clean beauty companies, said to “connect with human beings.”

However, the speakers also recognized the difficulty that comes with women speaking up in the workplace.

“I’ve always found it difficult to find your voice in those situations but you’ve always just got to be confident in what you’re saying,” said Amanda Belluccio, a chemical engineer, who works in packaging engineering for a cosmetics manufacturing company.

Jayanti accentuated a need to stand against the oppression women often face at work.

“I think there are a lot of tools at our disposal as women to overcome that,” Jayanti said.

“I think one of the most important tools is building credibility within the group. I think when you walk into a room and realize that you are not being viewed in the same way as men, or the white men, or whoever else in that room, it’s super important to sort of really asses

the group and understand what your relative ability and power is, because it is unique and distinct.”

On the topic of boundaries, all the panelists expressed that knowing yourself and understanding your worth are essential in having a healthy work environment, and that it’s okay to say no.

“I think that there is this societal ideal that women need to prove that they’re good enough for the workplace, and I think that we feel that pressure,” Doyle said. “We feel that pressure to say ‘yes, I can do this’ and take as many projects as you can, to really prove yourself as if you don’t have a degree in what you’re doing. As if you don’t already know the trade from that, and that kind of pressure makes women feel uncomfortable.”

These women offered many insights to MC students and highlighted the importance of women’s confidence and worth in the workplace.

“Don’t lose yourself in trying to prove them wrong,” Duggan said. “Be the best you can be, not in spite of them, but for yourself.”

MC Players Virtually Performs “The Laramie Project” via Zoom Jilleen Barrett Asst. A&E Editor

In an effort to continue their annual fall play, the Manhattan College Players performed their version of “The Laramie Project,” which is the story of Matthew Shepard, a college student who was beaten to death for identifying as gay.

The performances took place Nov. 20 through Nov. 22 on the live streaming service Twitch.

Camryn Kidney is a senior who played six different roles in the production, each ranging in accents, costumes, and personalities. She explained the behind-the-scenes of the virtually performed show.

“There were so many extraneous digital elements we had to consider for this play, and that number was exacerbated by the length of the play and the size of the cast,” Kidney said. “We used Zoom and an app called Snap Camera which allows you to use Snapchat filters on Zoom. We used Snap Camera to create multiple name plates for every character so the audience always knew who we were. Our tech director, Joe Bonaventura, had to create more than 170 Snap filters for this show.”

Each player was in their own space, whether that was in a dorm on campus or in their homes. Viewers could only see whichever actor was speaking.

Like Kidney, many students played more than one role so

Richard Divirglio ‘23 and Adam Granger ‘21 played Stephen Belber and Greg Pierotti, respectively.

JILLEEN BARRETT / THE QUADRANGLE

Jonathan Abadir ‘24 during a scene in which he played Father Roger Schmit. Abadir said Schmit strongly believed in the need for Shepard’s story to be told accurately.

JILLEEN BARRETT / THE QUADRANGLE

Ryan Danahy ‘21 playing the role of Doug Laws with a name plate created by Joe Bonaventura, the tech director, on Snap Camera.

JILLEEN BARRETT / THE QUADRANGLE

12

Arts & Entertainment

THE QUADRANGLE

Jasper Jams: Semester in Review JASPER JAMS

Gabriella DePinho Editor-in-Chief

Though there’s still a few more weeks of classes after Thanksgiving, I thought I’d do my “semester in review” playlist early. With the uncertainty of COVID-19, I moved into my dorm on campus on August 18 (yeah, super early!) and waited for classes to start.

I had bets with my family that we would be home by Oct. 1, the latest, and yet, here we are finishing out the semester the exact way the school planned.

While online classes have been a struggle, with an increase in my self-teaching, lots of deadlines to juggle, and endless Google meets, it hasn’t been a total waste of a semester. It’s been a joy to go on walks in Van Cortlandt Park with friends, have picnics on the quadrangle and get creative with ways to have fun, such as nerf gun battles, learning new recipes, baking apple pies with apples I picked and finally introducing my roommate to “The Bachelor” franchise. This playlist is a glimpse into the soundtrack of this semester and all of its weirdness.

BOOM - X Ambassadors This song may be featured on the band’s 2019 album “Orion” but I first heard it from watching “Sonic the Hedgehog” at Student Engagement’s movie night on the quadrangle.

My friends and I hit the quad every Friday night that movies were playing as a way to enjoy some safe socialization and see some new and classic movies.

“Sonic the Hedgehog” had an unreasonably good soundtrack for a movie that was both amazing and terrible at the same time. I almost didn’t stay for the whole thing, but if I had left early, I wouldn’t have found this song.

Ticket to Ride - KAWALA If you’ve ever posted a song to your Instagram story, there’s a good chance I’ve actually opened up Spotify and decided to give it a listen. I found this song by doing just that as another Jasper I follow shared the single. The album art seemed really fun so I decided to give it a try, and it was definitely a worthy listen.

Crush on You - Soul Fro, Dum Di Dum Spotify recommended this bottom at the bottom of a playlist that I was adding to. The name sounded like it could either be a really bad song or a good one so I thought it was worth listening to. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it so I just had to add it to my playlist (and now this one too!).

New Best Friend - Neon Trees Spotify Release Radar delivered again! I still haven’t listened to the whole album that this track comes from titled “I Can Feel You Forgetting Me” but it’s the group’s first album since 2014. Much like the tracks that kept them on the radio in the early 2010s, it’s upbeat, but the group has a new, slightly mature sound.

45 - Bleachers This song is the most recent release on this playlist.

Bleachers’ return to music was unexpected but long-awaited, with Jack Antonoff’s most recent release before that being in 2017. Antonoff, the sole identity behind the moniker, has been busy producing other pop favorites in the years, so we can forgive him for the wait. Plus, his other new release “chinatown” features Bruce Springsteen, so clearly he’s been using the time to cook up something worth waiting for.

sucks to see you doing better - VALLEY September 2019, I was dancing in Webster Hall to VALLEY and The Band Camino with strangers, high fiving them and standing inches apart. It’s crazy how much life has changed in the year, but what hasn’t changed is VALLEY’s consistency with delivering fire tunes.

In an EP released this October by the same name as this track, VALLEY delivered five new songs that were all hits to me.

It Would Be You - Ben Rector Though released in May, I only found out about this song in September. Unassuming in title, it’s actually a quarantine love song, which is very fitting for the times and very precious to me. Ben Rector has had a lengthy career writing some really sweet and often underrated love songs so don’t do what I did and not listen to this song for months.

Diamond - Grayscale A good friend introduced me to Grayscale last fall and I missed the chance to go to a concert of theirs with her. We were planning on trying to see them at a music festival over the summer, but with that festival canceled due to COVID-19, a new track from the group was the best we could get.

this fall, I was ecstatic to have someone to talk about it with.

When she finished watching the show she said this COIN track reminded her of some of the characters. I agreed and also had a new song to add to my playlist.

Palace - Hayley Kiyoko Though an oldie, it’s a goodie. I played her 2016 ep Citrine, which this track comes from, on repeat as I went on walks in Riverdale, did homework at my desk and made chocolate chip pancakes for my roommate and I on weekends. I’ve always loved Kiyoko’s music and was glad I took the time to deep-dive on the tracks I wasn’t familiar with.

the Quadrangle

Youuu - COIN I watched “High School Musical The Musical The Series” over quarantine and loved it, so when a friend finally watched it

connect with

@mcquad @mcquad The Quadrangle mcquad mcquad.org

Add Jasper Jams to your playlist by scanning the QR Code:

Sports

NOVEMBER 24, 2020

13

Winter Break: The Calm Before the Storm of Spring Sports Seasons

Thomas Hitchins of men’s soccer, Matt Padre of Manhattan baseball, and Kai Riner of Manhattan volleyball are among many student-athletes hoping to compete in their respective sports if the MAAC decides to hold athletic competition despite the ongoing threat of the coronavirus pandemic. The start of the spring semester is scheduled for Jan. 27, giving Manhattan student-athletes a long stretch of time to both improve their skills and stay in shape for a potential spring season. Hitchins, Padre, and Riner shared with the Quadrangle a glimpse of how they plan on spending the holiday season. Interviews compiled by Colleen E. McNamara.

Matt Padre, Baseball, Senior TQ: How do you plan on staying in shape during the break?

MP: For this long break, I plan on getting back into shape. For me this fall I took a couple of steps backwards due to a couple of injuries. I strained my right lat and sprained my ankle. I am going to get after this winter as it is vital for me to play catch up over the winter. I want to continue to be a key contributor to my team. This semester I felt like I not only let myself down but my teammates as well. The other guys, especially my fellow catchers, Nick Cimillo and Jake Radziewicz really had to carry my load this fall. I want that to change and luckily for me, I have a home gym at my house with a full squat rack, bench press, treadmill, etc. I am excited to get back home, relax a little bit, but most importantly, getting myself better for the season. I really missed playing baseball this semester and it goes to show you that you don't know how good something is until you don't have it anymore.

TQ: Do you have any special trips or activities planned during the break?

MP: I am starting my relaxation off this break by taking a trip to the Dominican Republic with my fellow seniors on the team.

While yes, this may seem irresponsible during a pandemic, we all have been tested before getting on the plane and we are going to get rapid tested the day before the flight to ensure we don't spread it. Then finally, when we return we are going to quarantine ourselves in our off-campus apartments before heading home to our families. We understand the situation at hand, but at the same time, it is our senior year. I want to be able to find that delicate balance between enjoying our time in our last year, but at the same time taking the precautions necessary to keep not only ourselves safe but also those around us.

TQ: What are you looking forward to more, Thanksgiving or Christmas?

MP: I personally am more of a Christmas man. I love everything about Christmas; the music, the food, the atmosphere, the family time. Everything about it is just a different buzz. There is a different kind of energy in the air and who doesn't love the giving and receiving presents. Seriously nothing is better than giving a surprise gift that just makes the other person smile ear to ear, then giving the ol MJ shrug like yeah, I thought of that gift. In all seriousness though, it's just so much fun to spend time with family and really enjoy each other as work and school is on a pause. Plus it's fun to reflect on the year as a whole and get ready to turn the page to the new year and especially turn the page on 2020.

TQ: Do you view this long stretch of time ahead as a chance to get better and be more prepared for a potential season in the spring?

MP: This extended break is nice but also scary at the same time. Our team is talented on paper, but like coach Cole says all the time, paper doesn't win baseball games. This long break really is what you make of it. Like I explained in question 1, I have a lot of work to do. So for me personally, I view this break as a plus. At school, I am involved with more than just athletics, so I am constantly running around campus, and going home gives me time to relax. But it also gives me the freedom to work out at my own pace and schedule. With the in-person classes and hard practice slots while on campus, it was hard for me to get to practice certain days. So this extended break really allows me to really lock in on what matters and that is getting healthy and stronger physically and at the same time, finishing my semester strong.

Thomas Hitchins, Men’s Soccer, Junior TQ: How do you plan on staying in shape during the break?

TH: I plan to stay in shape during this extended break by following a workout plan provided to me by our coaching staff along with doing extra running and gym sessions. With the break being longer than usual, it will be good to mix up what I do to keep it from getting boring.

TQ: Do you have any special trips or activities planned during the break?

TH: I plan to visit my friends in North Carolina, which is where I used to live before my family moved to Tampa, Florida. Otherwise, I will be spending a lot of time with my family and my niece.

TQ: What are you looking forward to more, Thanksgiving or Christmas?

TH: I am looking forward to both for different reasons. Thanksgiving is actually the day of my birthday this year so it’s like a double holiday but Christmas is when my whole family will be together because my twin sister will be home from Arizona. If I had to choose it would be Christmas because I haven’t seen my twin sister since July.

TQ: Do you view this long stretch of time ahead as a chance to get better and be more prepared for a potential season in the spring?

TH: This extended break definitely gives me the chance to be more prepared for a potential spring season. I have a lot of time to really prepare for training and games by really pushing my fitness levels like we have all fall during training. It will be tough to prepare for a season without being in our team environment but I think all the guys will come back ready to compete in the Spring.

TQ: How will your training differ this winter break than in the past?

TH: My training will differ this winter as it will all be more individual as in the past I have been able to train with old teammates and have more realistic soccer based training. This of course is a challenge but I think during a time like this, we have to do the best we can to stay healthy so we can come back ready to win a MAAC Championship.

Kai Riner, Volleyball, Senior TQ: How do you plan on staying in shape during the break?

KR: During this break, I plan on staying in shape by doing some workouts at home, running, and getting some time in playing volleyball when it’s safe. Even though gyms are open, I don’t like to put myself or my family at risk but running and at-home workouts work for me” TQ: Do you have any special trips or activities planned during the break?

KR: I don’t have any special trips planned, but I love doing anything outdoors with my family. We like to hike and go camping and so I’m really excited to spend more time with my family and my 2-year-old niece.

TQ: What are you looking forward to more, Thanksgiving or Christmas?

KR: I am looking forward to Thanksgiving more because I love when my family can come together and just eat all of my favorite foods. I was born on Black Friday and my birthday falls on it again this year, so Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday.

TQ: Do you view this long stretch of time ahead as a chance to get better and be more prepared for a potential season in the spring?

KR: Just like the long break before the fall semester, I think these two months give us all a chance to get better every day. Every team is in the same position so if we take this chance and try to get the most out of it, I think we can be successful in the spring.

TQ: How will your training differ this winter break than in the past?

KR: My training will probably look very similar to the summer, just because COVID-19 is still affecting our communities so greatly. But, instead of past years where I spend as much time playing volleyball as possible, I will instead try to work on my endurance and maintaining strength from this fall.

Sports

14

THE QUADRANGLE

Women in Sports: A Success Story that Will Never Fade Pete Janny & Matthew Sweeney

Sports Editor & Contributor Manhattan College may not evoke a pioneering spirit at first glance, but given a closer look at the athletic scene, an engine of innovation comes into focus. As it’s been told before, women have historically faced rigid barriers in society, such as in the forms of unfair stereotypes and inflated standards. Evidence of these sentiments are still found across society, and sports, in particular, is an industry where women are resilient to show they both belong and have what it takes to excel at various jobs. With Title IX widely regarded as their momentous achievement, women have been on a mission ever since its inauguration in 1972 to continue making significant strides in the sports industry, with many earning their way to becoming head coaches, referees, sideline reporters, and athletic directors.

In light of the social justice protests of 2020, Americans are thinking more than ever about the meaning of human identity and how they can do their part to help foster an egalitarian environment for all.

This ethos lies at the center of an ongoing chorus of exhortations for diversity at all levels of leadership. In particular, the momentum has started to build for greater representation of women leaders in college sports, for whom the future looks bright.

Manhattan College is a beacon of hope for women who aspire to work in sports administration. The ideals of merit and integrity are epitomized by Manhattan’s Athletic Director, Marianne Reilly, who was hired by the school in 2016 to become the first female to hold the role in school history. Her appointment to the position did not merely come on the strength of her laurels -- she was a thousand-point scorer for the Lady Jaspers program-- but instead, marked the culmination of a heavy lift of learning the intricacies of the profession across three decades of working at Fordham University.

“When I went to Fordham, I learned a lot,” Reilly said.

“I went there when I was in my 20’s and I left there three decades later. I moved up in positions. I always felt like I was a sponge and I’m a lifelong learner. I like to watch people and how they react to different positions in different scenarios.”

Reilly now finds herself part of the small—and growing—percentage of female athletic directors in Division I sports. According to the New York Times, of the 65 colleges belonging to the Power Five

Division I conferences, only four departments are led by female athletic directors. When expanding the scope of view to all of Division One schools, the gulf in gender disproportion among athletic directors narrows, with only 39 female athletic directors in the ranks.

“I think any person being an athletic director, at any level, but especially at Division I, you should be really grateful,” Reilly said. “We are moving up, I think women are finally getting a c-suite and it takes certain skills to run a department. Whether you’re male or female, that’s not even a part of this equation. It really is do you have the skills to run a department, do you have the personality, do you have the stamina, the determination and the passion? Whether you’re male or female, that’s what you need to do.”

Before foraying into administrative circles, Reilly left her imprint on Manhattan sports as the first 1,000 point scorer in school history between both programs. Her success on the court has been recognized through channels not merely connected to the current dynamics of the athletic department. She joined the elite company found in the Manhattan College Athletics Hall of Fame after getting inducted into the exclusive club in 1992 as the first woman ever.

“I looked and wondered when the first female would be inducted,” Reilly said in reference to the Manhattan College Athletics Hall of Fame. “I said that because you’re looking for someone like you and so I wondered who would be the first female and for me to be inducted as the first female, I remember that moment. I went right back to that moment and went wow, that was weird, that I questioned that and now I am. So I always felt a sense of responsibility because of that.”

Jumping from New York to New England, Yale University is another school that has proved the value of investing in talented women. In 2018, the school hired Victoria Chun as their next athletic director after she held the same position at her alma mater Colgate University. At the time Colgate hired her in 2012, she became the first Asian American female to work as a Division One Athletic Director.

Upon assuming the mantle of Yale Athletics, Chun decided to add another ambitious and like-minded individual to the community of Yale Athletics.

That individual was Madison Arndt, a graduate of Manhattan in 2018 who competed for four years on the Track and Field Team as a pole vaulter and earned a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. Since May of 2019, Arndt has served as the Assistant Director of Development and Engagement in

the Yale Athletic Department following one year spent with the NCAA Division II Governance team out of college.

Arndt feels beholden to both Chun and Reilly for the mentorship they have provided her throughout her nascent career in college sports administration. Without Reilly, in particular, Arndt may have never ended up choosing the route of college sports administration.

Reilly believed in Arndt and helped her imagine a vision for herself.

“I think as a studentathlete at a small Division One school you’re always looking for people that can help you get to where you’re going,” Arndt said. “And sophomore year, when she came in as the athletic director, I had no idea where I was going. And then when she came in, at that point, I said you know what, I want to get involved more with the student athlete advisory committee.”

In Arndt’s eyes, there are noticeable parallels in the management style of the two women who are each leading the athletic communities at Manhattan and Yale. The potential opportunities for women in the field are illustrated by how Yale’s athletic department looks under the direction of Chun.

“And then also, if you take a look at our [Yale Athletics] staff directory, you’ll see that there are a lot of women in the administration, which is not seen across the board in Division One athletics either,” Arndt said. “So bringing in people with her [Chun] and giving women an opportunity to succeed in these roles is a big deal. I wanted to be part of that and I think Marianne also leads that way too. I think Marianne and Vicky are similar in a way that they’ve come from similar backgrounds where they were both bred in the Title IX era of women’s athletics. They were both at the beginning of their sports at their colleges and so they know how important it is to continue to lead in spaces where women are not necessarily heard or seen as much as they have been in the past.”

According to her Yale bio, during her undergraduate career at Manhattan, Arndt had the chance to participate in the valuable conversations that took place within the MAAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Those three years as a representative of the conference, Arndt says, prepared her to succeed in her current position.

“I was really proud of the fact that she saw women leading and going wow I can do that,” Reilly said in reference to Arndt. “When I was coming through the ranks, I never saw that. You might see a female coach if you were lucky, but

you didn’t see a female administrator, so I never thought about being an athletic director for most of my career.”

Graduating from Manhattan College is not a prerequisite for receiving the lessons in leadership being taught at the school.

Kiambra Griffin, better known as Kiki to many, was hired in the summer of 2019 to be the Director of Operations for the women’s basketball team on the heels of a one-year stay as a graduate assistant with the Columbia Women’s Basketball program. Before her brief tenure at Columbia — where she also completed her master’s degree in sports management — Griffin spent her undergraduate years at Davidson College where she was a manager and administrative assistant for the school’s women’s basketball team before graduating in 2018.

Manhattan College has become much like a second home to Griffin, who also has dreams of charting her own success as an administrator in college basketball. Griffin tries to take in as much information and advice as she can from other influential women in her life. Near the top of the list of her biggest supporters is Reilly, who can relate to the grind of wanting to earn a name for herself in an industry that is disproportionately run by men.

Marianne and I actually got a chance to sit down and talk about my goals,” Griffin said.

“It was just an informal conversation, and she just really wanted to get to know me. She passes on this energy of what it means to be an athletic director of a Division One program and has given me an idea of what it takes to do so.”

Griffin is used to being part of a team and values how important those bonds could be.

She leverages the communication and organizational skills she’s learned over the years to be a source of mentorship and stewardship to the players on the Manhattan women’s basketball team.

“I think in general these bonds just help us to be intentional about building a very inclusive program,” Griffin said. “We’re very honest about our identities, and very honest about how we live and how we want to portray ourselves to society. Anything from what we’re doing to market the team to just team conversations and team building, these are the things that are going to play a major role in how these young ladies are developed throughout their four or five years.”

Having the opportunity to help lead a group of young women during a historic time in the world drives her to be better. She’s confident that if the players can overcome the hardships of a pandemic, then

they can do anything they put their minds to in life.

Women have also broken barriers in regards to the management apparatus of professional sports.

On Nov. 13, the Miami Marlins hired 52-year-old Kim Ng to be their next general manager, and in turn made her the first woman to hold that post for any organization in the history of the Big Four Leagues, which refers to the NBA, NHL, MLB and NFL. Many felt that the selection of a female for the position of general manager was long overdue. A graduate of the University of Chicago who played softball for the school, Ng’s love of baseball from an early age blossomed into a passion for wanting to work in the game, and according to the New York Times she wrote her college thesis on the significance of Title IX. Ng has been connected to Major League Baseball since 1990 starting out as an intern with the Chicago White Sox before assuming assistant general manager responsibilities for the Yankees and Dodgers across 14 years. She spent the last ten seasons as senior vice president of baseball operations for the MLB before agreeing to make history with the Marlins.

Ng’s resume speaks for itself and her upward mobility is a shining example to other women who want to break barriers.

“I was not the kid that was always going to follow the rest of the group,” Ng recently said at her introductory press conference, according to the Times. “That was not me. I was going to do my own thing and I didn’t care what people said. I was just going to do it.”

Nothing is given to those who deserve it most. Hardworking women in sports have proven to be some of the best leaders we have. Their ability to showcase their leadership and professional skills should be celebrated, because after all, they will trailblaze the path for the next generation to come.

“I want people who care about what they’re doing with young adults,” Reilly said.

“What I mean by that is I want someone who is an educator, because when you’re a coach, you’re an educator. When you’re an administrator, you’re an educator and so to have that, I want to be a mentor, to be a teacher, I want to have joy in my job, in my profession.

That’s what I’m looking for.”

Sports

NOVEMBER 24, 2020

15

Riverdale is Home to Another Baseball Great Besides Brother Jasper Pete Janny & Anna Woods

Sports Editor & Asst. News Editor The name Lou Gehrig still reverberates just as strongly today as it did 80 or 90 years ago. Here in New York City, the “Iron Horse” is an icon, not just in a baseball sense, but also in a cultural context.

At the height of his baseball stardom in the late 1920s into the 1930s, Gehrig was a living god of sorts. He was adored at every corner of the baseball universe, making his passing in 1941 from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis feel like a national tragedy. But even among local residents around the Manhattan College campus, it’s easy to forget which place bears claim to his final resting place. That would be 5204 Delafield Ave. in Riverdale.

The house on Delafield Ave. is only a five-minute drive from campus. Gehrig and his beloved wife Eleanor resided at a colonial white house located on a hill just off the Henry Hudson Pkwy. The house on Delafield Ave. became an important symbol of Gehrig’s life, and during his battle with ALS he rarely left the house as his body was slowly weakening.

After living in New Rochelle during his days as a Yankee, the couple relocated to the quaint neighborhood of Riverdale for Gehrig’s final act in life, as the city’s Parole Commissioner for Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia’s administration. This chapter

in his life gave him a new purpose in spite of his harrowing diagnosis. Gehrig chose to keep working as a way to keep himself busy and not dwell too much on his impending death.

As the disease progressed, he relied on Eleanor to take notes and assist him in signing documents.

During his time in Riverdale, he became a central part of the local community. Most notably, Gehrig was a dedicated parishioner of Christ Church Riverdale on Henry Hudson Parkway, which ended up being the site of his funeral in 1941. It has been said that Babe cut the long line of parishioners and sobbed at the casket of his longtime friend and colleague.

According to the church’s website, Babe Ruth dedicated a side altar rail in the church to honor his memory and commitment to the Riverdale community. Gehrig was cremated and is buried in Kensico Cemetery located in Valhalla, NY. His fame only grew after his death and today he is still widely regarded as one of the greatest baseball players to have ever lived. During his darkest times, he still remained faithful and optimistic until the day he died. He will forever be adored for his farewell speech on July 4, 1939, also known as Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at Yankee Stadium, which came after the first game of a double-header against the Washington Senators. He spoke to the crowd with dignity as he addressed his diagnosis and said farewell to the game of baseball.

Yankees legend Lou Gehrig lived at 5204 Delafield Ave. in Riverdale at the end of his life before succumbing to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 1941.

YANKS GO HARD / COURTESY “Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got,” said Gehrig. “Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.”

Gehrig’s run of dominance with the Yankees started in 1925 when he infamously replaced starting first baseman Wally Pipp in the line-up due to a headache. Gehrig went on to play in a then-record 2,130 con-

secutive games for the Yankees which earned him the moniker the “Iron Horse.” The streak was shockingly broken in 1995 by the great Cal Ripken Jr., but is something that will never be taken away from Gehrig.

In 1927, Gehrig hit 47 home runs, drove in 173 runs, and batted .373, according to Baseball Reference, as a key member on the team nicknamed Murderers’ Row that went on to sweep the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series.

“When you look around, wouldn’t you consider it a privi-

Lou Gehrig (far left) poses with other Yankees players—including Babe Ruth (second from left)—who were also part of the legendary 1927 Murders’ Row team.

YAHOO SPORTS / COURTESY

lege to associate yourself with such fine looking men as are standing in uniform in this ballpark today? Sure, I’m lucky,” Gehrig eloquently said during his farewell speech in reference to those who helped architect the Yankees dynasty of the 1920s. “Who wouldn’t consider it an honor to have known Jacob Rupert? Also, the builder of baseball’s greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins?

His consistency was a thing of beauty rarely seen throughout baseball history.

He played in 14 regular seasons, but in 13 consecutive of them he amassed more than 100 runs and at least 100 RBIs, according to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Even as he was aging, Gehrig managed to continue to put together special seasons. In 1931, he set the American League record for RBIs with 185 and he took home the Triple Crown in 1934 by leading the American League in home runs (49), RBIs (166), and batting average (.363).

Of the 27 World Series Championships the Yankees have won, Gehrig helped lead the franchise to six of them, including boasting World Series statistics of a .361 average, 10 home runs, and 35 RBIs in 34 games. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939, two years before his death.

“So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I’ve got an awful lot to live for,” Gehrig said to end his farewell speech.

Sports

16

THE QUADRANGLE

Watching a Basketball Game Takes a Village — and a Truck Gabriella DePinho Editor-in-Chief

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), the Division I athletic conference that Manhattan College’s sports teams are affiliated with, is going full steam ahead with the basketball season — despite the national rise in COVID-19 cases — and is doing so with one new rule: no fans in the stands for the foreseeable future. However, fans who want to catch the games can still do so from the comfort of their home through ESPN3 and ESPN+, thanks to the college’s sports production team, composed of students who work to produce telecasts at every home game.

The MAAC has had a relationship with ESPN since 2010, but the current set-up of having students involved with the operations is newer. In 2016, when Disney, ESPN’s parent company, started planning the streaming platform ESPN+, the renowned sports media company contacted Division I colleges, including teams in the MAAC, to ask them to provide content for the app.

For the 2017-2018 season, the college provided coverage of five games. However, by the start of the 2019-2020 season, the MAAC mandated member schools to produce telecasts for all home games.

Manhattan College leadership jumped at the opportunity to provide content, and even took it a step further by introducing “Sports Media Production” as a concentration available to students in the communication major in the fall of 2018. The concentration entails a series of five classes that teaches students about the sports media business, technical production skills, and culminates in Advanced Sports Media Production, the class in which students are on the ground working all of the games.

In March of 2019, the ESPN-provided mobile production unit, affectionately referred to as “the truck” by those involved, arrived at the college’s campus and was parked behind Draddy Gymnasium, which houses all of the college’s games, making it possible for the college to provide professional-grade game coverage.

“All the equipment we have is industry standard,” Joe Ruggiero, Manhattan College’s producer and director for all ESPN content, said. “Anything you see in our truck, you could find in a production truck that would work for a Monday Night Football Game except it’s souped up to the nines but ours gets the job done for what we have to do.”

Advanced Sports Media Production is taught by Ruggiero, who himself produced game coverage for the MAAC when he was a student at Mon-

mouth University. In the beginning, Ruggiero hired freelancers to work alongside students in the truck until the number of students grew large enough to operate independently. The team needs at least nine students to be there in order to function — four camera positions, a timeout coordinator, a technical director, an audio operator, a graphics operator and a replay operator — and for this fall Ruggiero has 18 students interested.

“It’s a little bit different now and we’re still starting out because I could be teaching everybody and some people who aren’t in the classes, we get outside help from,” Ruggiero said. “But they want to help and we’re not going to say no right now because we don’t have enough students in our classes yet, but once we get those classes built up I might say no to those people because it’s for the students in those classes, but as of now we can get help out from other communication students because we’re a small ship.”

Ruggiero’s job is to direct and produce the games, which includes scheduling students to work in different roles, give instructions as the game goes on and to figure out the possible ‘storylines’ of the game before tipoff so that the commentators and students working have a story they can pull together, in addition to the story of the score on the court.

“A lot of my job entails how to tell a story of a basketball game,” Ruggerio said. “Live production is different because things can change in 10 seconds but we go in with a game plan. We have maybe like four or five things we really want to discuss and we might get to them all, we might not, but I rather over prepare than underprepare but the game really dictates how I direct and produce it.”

Since the concentration is still so new, the team has students from other concentrations, largely the general media production option, helping out with the productions.

“I had been wanting to work in the truck before that game but didn’t make the time to, and I wasn’t sure how much I would actually enjoy it, but after that game I knew that I just had to keep working there any chance I got,” Meaghan Higgins, a senior communication major with a concentration in media production and public relations, who first worked as timeout coordinator at a game when the team was understaffed, said.

“It was so much fun getting to work in the truck the first time, and the experience is like no other that is typically offered to college students, so I have been working in the truck any chance I get since then.”

While the students in Advanced Sports Media Production are technically getting a

grade, their class time is showing up to the games and doing the work — just what Ruggiero enjoys.

“The best feeling is seeing the students happy to come to work, because it is work — it really is — but just seeing them happy and eager to come two hours early to set everything up is great,” Ruggiero said.

But for those who love it, it never feels like work.

“It’s like it’s not even work,” Tommy Courtney, a junior sports media production concentrator, said. “You just go in, you have a good time. It’s people who have the same interest as you and you’re literally just talking about your pastime and it’s like ‘oh work’s done,’ like you don’t even know you did work. It’s a five hour production, you had fun the whole time and it was all stress but being able to produce a basketball game, it’s what you love and care for.”

Preseason games are just a week away, with first tipoff for the Lady Jaspers being on Wednesday, Nov. 25 at home against Fairleigh Dickinson University and the production team is ready to get to work, even as cases of COVID-19 are on the rise across the country.

Ruggiero has scheduled his crews and is preparing the storylines for the first game, but has also kept safety in mind.

The production team will socially distance as much as possible; wear masks; increase the space between the commentators to six feet; limit the sharing of equipment during production; thoroughly clean equipment before handing it off to another user; do temperature checks before the game starts; and keep the air conditioning on in the truck, both to keep everything cool and provide extra ventilation.

They have yet to be required to be tested weekly, but would be willing to do so if the college asked.

“I thought we did a great job last season and it can only go up from there and even with the COVID-19 season, we’re just going to take it one day at a time so if they say we’re playing, we’re playing and if they say we don’t, then we don’t,” Ruggiero said. “That’s just what we’re going to have to deal with, but we have our protocols in place and hopefully we get there.”

In addition to adapting to COVID-19 safety regulations, the production team has also lost a few members to remote learning. Elyse Holmes, a junior in the concentration, decided to stay home this semester, but is hoping to be back on the ground in the spring. Holmes’ first experience with the team was a little intimidating.

“It was a little bit scary at first because I was one of two female students there and everybody else was just guys talking sports and meanwhile, I was just standing there trying

to figure out how do I put this camera on the tripod,” Holmes said. “It was a little intimidating at first but everyone was really nice.”

Holmes, who usually finds herself as timeout coordinator, has still been contributing through some remote work.

“Joe will occasionally send me some photos, roster photos or action shots that the athletes have taken and essentially what I will do is photoshop them out and be able to put them on a clear background so that when Joe goes to make his graphics, he has these images of these athletes that he can throw up there no problem,” she said.

While the production team

is adapting to the changes in procedure thanks to COVID-19, they’re mostly looking forward to getting back to being in the environment they love best.

“I love just being in [the fast-paced environment],” Courtney said. “You just have to trust your instinct and trust your team and trust yourself to know what you got to do and you’re going to make a lot of mistakes but being in that fastpaced environment, there’s no time for thinking. Things get done in such a quick way. It’s kind of a little adrenaline boost that’s really fun to work in and being with people who have that same passion as you, it makes it really fun to do.”

Elyse Holmes ‘22 is remote this semester but will be back in the spring to work the cameras or work as time out coordinator, MANHATTAN COLLEGE / COURTESY

Joe Ruggiero works each game to guide his students through the process of storytelling during a live basketball game.

MANHATTAN COLLEGE / COURTESY

Junior Tommy Courtney loves working the games because he feeds off the energy of the fast-paced environment.

MANHATTAN COLLEGE / COURTESY