Issue 10, Fall 2021- The Quadrangle

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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MANHATTAN COLLEGE | SINCE 1924

Volume CIV, Issue 10

NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 9, 2021

“Empowerment Hour” Comes to the Fitness Center for the First Time Madalyn Johnson & Jocelyn Visnov Web Editor & Asst. Production Editor

Fall is Here!

An aerial shot of main campus showcases the beautiful fall colors of Riverdale BRIAN ASARE / THE QUADRANGLE

Manhattan Caucus: A Rundown of Tuesday’s Elections Kyla Guilfoil

Asst. News Editor Last Tuesday’s elections gave insight to how constituents are feeling across the country. The results of this Election Day give our leaders an indication of what Americans are looking for in the 2022 midterm elections and beyond.

For New York City residents, election day included votes for mayor, comptroller and public advocate. Overall, the city unsurprisingly upheld its majority support of the democratic party.

Eric Adams gained mayorship with 66.5 percent of the vote, comfortably beating his Republican counterpart Curtis Silwa, who received 28.8 percent of the vote. In the Bronx, Adams won 76% of the vote. For Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan, he sustained 71 percent, 59 percent and 81 percent, re-

IN NEWS:

Federal Work Study Payment Complications on p. 2-3

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spectively. Silwa did take Staten Island with 68 percent.

Brad Lander added to the Democrat’s successes, winning New York City Comptroller with 68.8 percent of the votes and a similar margin of victory to Adams. Democrat Jumaane Williams also won in similar terms against the Republican candidate, taking 67.7 percent of the vote.

New York City residents also voted on five ballot measures, with only two successfully passing. Proposal 1, calling to make various changes to the redistricting process, did not pass, with a 56 percent majority voting against it. Proposal 2 called for an established right to clean air, water and healthful environment, and was passed by a majority vote of 69 percent.

Proposal 3 and 4 did not pass, with a majority vote of “no” for allowing legislature to pass same-day voter registration, and allowing legislature to pass

IN FEATURES: HGI Celebrates 25th Anniversary on p. 6-7

no-excuse absentee voting, respectively. Proposal 5 did pass with 62 percent voting “yes” for raising the NYC civil court limit to claims up to $50,000.

Proposal 4 points to the major changes that have affected voters due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With a record amount of Americans voting by absentee ballot last fall for the Presidential Election, there was much debate about the verifiability of mail-in ballots.

However, no major discrepancies were found due to mail-in voting during the 2020 election, with dozens of lawsuits failing to prove false voting in court.

Proposal 5 would enable faster proceedings for New Yorkers undertaking civil lawsuits, since now they won’t be required to be heard by a supreme court when suits exceed the previous claim limit of $25,000, which had stood as the __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

The Lasallian Women and Gender Resource Center hosted Women’s Empowerment Hour for the first time at the Commons Fitness Center last week.

The opening session happened on Nov. 2 from 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m., and represented a big initiative by staff members of the LWGRC. The team has been passionate about creating such a session in order to give women and folx the opportunity to feel comfortable and confident in an environment that is traditionally male dominated.

The Women’s Empowerment Hour was spearheaded by LWGRC intern Amanda Touse.

A senior majoring in business analytics, Touse proposed this idea when applying for the internship with the LWGRC last winter. Touse was eager to get it approved, even if it meant going through a long, tedious process.

“That was part of the application process that I went through, was to give an idea of a program you wanted to see them [LWGRC] help put into fruition,” she said. “I thought that having a women’s only hour would be really great. I’ve seen things all over TikTok about it and stuff and I was like, ‘You know what, that could be something really amazing that Manhattan could have for their women, students.’”

Touse began talking to the director of the fitness center, Jay Ahmed, on Sept. 7, the day of the club fair on campus.

Once the process began, getting the hour approved became complex. This included the college’s faculty having to check what could legally happen to the LWGRC, and the staff having to brainstorm how to advertise the idea to the student body.

“From there, we kind of put things in the works,” said Touse. “He [Ahmed] was talking to his bosses and everything and getting credit, making sure we were actually allowed to do this legally. Then

IN A&E:

we went through the marketing phase where I had to make several different versions of flyers just because we needed to be really careful with the wording of everything. So, we did some versions of that and then it fully got approved last week.”

On top of seeking legal support, the LWGRC needed other students and clubs at Manhattan College to contribute to the promotion of Empower Hour. By networking with various clubs, sending out Google Forms and working with the athletic teams to advertise the hour on social media, LWGRC members were able to receive immense backup in advocating for a time so vital to female students. The efforts made to promote the Women’s Empowerment Hour have even worked in the return of some MC fitness clubs, who are looking into collaborating with participants of the session.

“On social media, a lot of the clubs have reposted everything,” Touse said. “Some of the board of the PEK fitness program was really interested in working with us and maybe creating a tutorial in the beginning where we can advertise their lifting series by having that there for the women. The gender center obviously has been really great and then suddenly, athletic teams have just been sharing content. It’s just word of mouth to support, it’s something really great to see, and we got a lot of positive feedback from the initial interest from Google Forms.”

Rachel Cirelli, a co-director for the LWGRC, has supported Touse and other interns in their efforts to make Empowerment Hour happen.

“It was just a good idea, and it took off because she [Touse] picked up on something that like a lot of people had had made comments about, like you know, ‘I don’t feel comfortable’ or ‘I want to go towards the weights and it doesn’t feel like I can.’” Cirelli said. “So she picked up on something that was definitely a campus issue.”

Cirelli explained that this __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

IN SPORTS:

Meet Scatterbomb Meet New Cheer Coach Victoria Member Aidan Brewer on p. 11 Mackenzie on p. 10

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News

the Quadrangle Volume CIV, Issue 10 November 9, 2021

The Editorial Board Anna Woods Editor-in-Chief

Maria Thomas Managing Editor

Jilleen Barrett Managing Editor Arts & Entertainent Editor

Nicole Fitzsimmons News Editor

Kyla Guilfoil Asst. News Editor

Kelly Cwik Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor

Christine Nappi Features Editor

Megan LaCreta Asst. Features Editor

Brian Asare Photography Editor

Caroline McCarthy Sports Editor

Lauren Raziano Social Media Editor

Kelly Kennedy Asst. Social Media Editor

Nicole Rodriguez Production Editor

Adrianne Hutto Jocelyn Visnov Asst. Production Editors

Madalyn Johnson Katherine Heneghan Web Editors

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

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

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

Corrections from Last Issue: In the sports article entitled, “Major Changes in the Athletic Department after Post-Quarantine Turnover,” written by Jilleen Barrett and Karen Flores, it was mistated that Kathryn Mirance works at West Point University. Mirance works at Army West Point.

In the features article entitled, “Toted by Juliana: Practical and Creative,” written

by Kelly Cwik and Megan LaCreta, Juliana Tronconi’s last name was mispelled for the last half of the article. The proper spelling is Tronconi.

THE QUADRANGLE

Manhattan Caucus: A Rundown of Tuesday’s Elections __________________________ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

limit since 1983.

While the proposals did not find radical support by constituents, democrats did do well in the additional New York races.

Democrats Gibson, Reynoso, Levine and Richards comfortably won their Borough presidencies in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens.

Richards had the smallest window of victory in his election in Queens where he won by a 66 to 34 ratio. Staten Island predictably stayed red with Republican Fosella winning its Borough presidency.

Not all of Tuesday’s elections were as predictable as New York’s. In Virginia and New Jersey, governor elections sparked national interest.

As a swing state, Virginia voted blue in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

However, Democratic support seems to be slipping as republican Glenn Youngkin defeated democrat Terry McAuliffe in the state’s election of governor. Concerns over taxes and schools seemed to be the biggest driving factors behind Youngkin’s win. Youngkin specifically targeted Critical Race Theory and upheld a parent’s right to withdraw their children from materials discussing race, such as Toni Morrison’s acclaimed novel, “Beloved”.

With President Biden’s approval rate currently sinking consistently over the last few months, Youngkin’s win symbolizes a weakening of the Democratic party that may contribute to Republican wins in next year’s

midterm elections.

Criticism of Democratic leaders also pursued in New Jersey, where Democrat Phil Murphy barely won reelection after a tight governor’s race.

While the Democrats sustained power over the governor’s office, the win was not nearly as secure as polls predicted. His opponent, Jack Ciattarelli, prioritized taxes and schools as did Youngkin in Virginia, which strengthened his votes.

This year’s elections give indication to what politicians will focus on during next year’s midterm elections, and likely, the 2024 presidential election.

For New York, democratic power holds strong, but divisions arise over issues such as voter registration protocols and absentee ballot accessibility.

rate,” Scalzo said.

The late start of the college’s 2021 academic year led to a time discrepancy for payroll within Manhattan College’s Federal Work Study (FWS).

While the late start is a main source of the payment delays, other factors, including social responsibility, also contribute to the confusion. In turn, students are reminded to report their work hours so that they properly get compensated.

Jessica Salliard, a FWS student, commented on her compensation issues during the recent months.

“I was not paid until September 30th, when I started working again at the end of August. For that first month my bosses were not communicating the problem to us, so I was extremely confused as to why I had not been paid yet. When they finally sent out paychecks on September 30th, it only covered the first two weeks of my work, it did not fully reimburse me for the past month,” Salliard wrote.

Salliard then continued to discuss the personal issues that followed the pay inconsistency.

“This issue caused a lot of stress for me. I have bills to pay, and I was not able to pay them for a month, and then my first paycheck wasn’t the amount I needed to catch up on all of my bills. This caused a chain effect that I’m still trying to clean up presently,” Salliard wrote.

Salliard believes the issue with payment stems from system complications from COVID-19.

“I think a little domino effect led to this issue. I think

COVID led to a smaller number of students attending college and living on campus, which meant Manhattan College wasn’t receiving the amount of money they are accustomed to, which leads to financial troubles, and finally results in the student workers fighting to get a paycheck,” she wrote.

Despite conflicts, Salliard continues to work on campus and hopes in the future there will be more communication from the college.

“I wouldn’t like to go through this exact process again, where I’m not paid for a month. However, even if I knew this would happen, I’d still start working in August at the same job. I don’t have many other options, and in the end I’m still getting paid the proper amount; but even a little bit more communication from the school could have kept that month from getting as stressful as it did.”

Rabea Ali, assistant director of work-study, commented on other possible issues that could have caused the delays and the other possibilities of how the college’s FWS students had yet to receive their payment.

“Financial aid coordinates the process of FWS, and we deal with a lot of paperwork.

Students should make sure they fill out their respective timesheets,” Ali said. “It is most likely the discrepancy that the students don’t complete the right paperwork and the payroll is every two weeks.”

Ali recommends that FWS students consistently check and submit their timesheets in a timely manner to ensure

Federal Work Study Payment Complications Addressed Zoe DeFazio, Josh Grewal, Victor Franco Staff Writers

Some Manhattan College’s Federal Work Study student employees have experienced delays in payments for their work hours during this semester.

Federal Work Study supplies undergraduate and graduate students with part-time jobs that permit students to earn money for personal or academic expenses. Students can use these positions to gain general work experience, as well as expertise in their desired field of study.

Densie Scalzo, director of the financial aid administration, discussed the role the financial aid office played in the late payment of students.

“Financial aid looks over student employment. The Federal Work Study is on a FAFSA based package. Students can apply online. Once students start working they need to put their hours online and submit their timesheets. Once that is submitted then everything needs to be checked for payroll,” Scalzo said.

Scalzo states that the late payment of students may have correlation with Manhattan College starting later than usual.

“Manhattan College started later than usual. We began in the fourth week of August when we usually begin in the second week. Because of that, the timesheets were not accu-

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NOVEMBER 9, 2021

Federal Work Study Payment Complications Addressed

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proper payment.

Werner Habermann, senior assistant director of financial aid operations, weighed in to address financial aid’s goals for assisting students in their responsibilities with timesheets, and their potential to prevent another payroll issue.

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“There will always be room for improvement,” Habermann said. “Everything is electronic now. Three years ago it was all manual and we are now transferring online. We are happy to listen to recommendations but for the most part, the directions are straightforward.”

The financial aid administration will be holding a FWS

orientation in January to guide students through FAFSA, timesheets and everything in between in hopes to ensure a smoother transition.

Angella Gallegos, a junior communications major at Manhattan College that works under Federal Work Study states that despite complications, working with FWS is a good

experience.

“The pay is really good and it’s convenient to stay on campus and work but sometimes it is really inconvenient because the pay period is biweekly,” Gallegos said.

Gallegos even recommends FWS jobs to other students. “ I always tell my friends to get a job at Federal Work Study

when positions are available because you don’t have to commute anywhere,” she said.

Despite conflicts throughout this semester, the financial aid office and the work study program is looking towards providing help to students and further resolving any issues.

“Reach out. We are here to help clarify,” says Ali.

comfortable and confident in the gym, regardless of their skill level.

“This hour isn’t just for gym novices, but if you are someone whose reason you don’t go to the gym is because you don’t feel comfortable with the equipment, our whole goal is to start having more assistance for those types of things.” Cirelli said.

In the future, the LWGRC would like to expand Empowerment Hour beyond independent workout sessions. Some of their potential ideas include incorporating athletes to teach students how to properly use the equipment, schedule group workout sessions guided by an instructor, or bring in guests

from the community to teach group fitness classes.

Although there hasn’t been any extremely negative feedback that has hurt the initiative of the women’s only hour, Touse said students have still questioned the purpose of it.

To cut down on the criticism and negotiate with those doubtful of the hour’s success, the LWGRC decided to make the Women’s Empowerment Hour during cleaning hours to make the point that time is not being taken away from those who go to the gym during regular hours.

Megan Gillooley, a student worker at the Fitness Center, expressed her enthusiasm for the initiative going forward.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for people to come in who aren’t super comfortable in the gym,” she said. “Girls have the opportunity to do free weights, and we eventually wanna start workshops too.”

Stepping into the experimental stages of this idea, Touse and members of the LWGRC are proud that the hour is now operating, but have the long-lasting goal of making the Women’s Empowerment Hour a permanent part of the MC fitness center.

“I want this to be a lasting program, ‘’ Touse said. “I don’t want this to just be something that kind of happens this semester or kind of finishes when I graduate, I want this to be a

resource for a woman on campus. The message I want to send is that the gym shouldn’t be something to be feared or anything like that, exercise and fitness is really helpful and beneficial to overall well being.

I want to create a really welcoming and inclusive and empowering hour for women to be able to feel like they can go in and do whatever they want without any judgement.”

The Women’s Empowerment Hour will run from 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the fitness center. Stay up to date on hours and programs involving Empowerment Hour by following @mc_lwgrc on Instagram.

“Empowerment Hour” Comes to the Fitness Center for the First Time __________________________ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

hour-long period is an opportunity for not just women, but people of all identities to explore fitness in a judgement free environment.

“A lot of people want to call this a woman’s only hour and like, this event is not about being exclusive.” Cirelli said. “We have a lot of people come in not just identifying as female, saying that they wanted an hour like this. So we want to make sure that we’re creating space for all identities.”

Along with creating an inclusive environment, Empower Hour aims to give students and staff an opportunity to grow

Attendees break a sweat at the first event, taking place on November 2nd at 1:15pm. JOCELYN VISNOV / THE QUADRANGLE

The official flyer for this initiative posted around campus and on social media to publicize this event.

AMANDA TOUSE / COURTESY

Amanda Touse and Jackie Lubarsky spot each other while lifting weights.

JOCELYN VISNOV / THE QUADRANGLE

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News

Fire Blazes Through THE QUADRANGLE

Firefighters battled a four-alarm fire on Bailey Ave on the night of November 1st. The fire raged through at leas

News

h Bronx Businesses NOVEMBER 9, 2021

st four businesses, including a laundromat, bodega, and several restaurants. Pictures taken by Hamilton Espinoza.

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Features

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THE QUADRANGLE

HGI Celebrates 25th Anniversary Kelly Kennedy & Caroline McCarthy

Asst. Social Media Editor & Sports Editor After 25 years, the Holocaust, Genocide and Interfaith Center at Manhattan College is celebrating their anniversary in a special way. The HGI center works to eradicate antisemitism, racism and prejudice through education, and is an essential part of the Manhattan College community.

“Our mission is about creating peace,” said Mehnaz Afridi, Ph.D., director of the HGI center. “We really believe that we want to eradicate the suffering of human beings.”

Afridi notes that the center educates the MC community on major genocides, including the Holocaust and other contrast moments in history.

The center works within the community and internationally to “build bridges” and create peace.

“In Italy, Manhattan College students were the first ones to be there for the 500th anniver-

sary of the oldest Jewish ghetto in the world,” Afridi said. “They met the local community and got to interview local Italian students.”

Through these conversations, the center hopes to spark a realization of similarities between different cultures. The center began operations in 1996 as the Holocaust Resource Center, but in 2011 the mission was expanded to include all marginalized groups and with that, the name was changed as well.

“The most trending topic at the time was all about how Roman Catholicism is supposed to reach out to engage non-Christians, and it’s really focused on Jews and Muslims,” Jeff Horn, Ph.D., who was the past director of HGI, said. “The center was originally the Holocaust Resource Center, [which] was intended to kind of address all of these things … it took quite a while to convince the archdiocese and the president of the college that this was a very important way for the college to engage and grow and develop.”

Located in O’Malley Library in rooms 502, 503 and 504, stu-

After 25 years of hard work, those involved have decided to celebrate the anniversary by doing what they do best: educating. The center has planned numerous virtual and in-person educational seminars in order to facilitate conversations in our community, focused on creating peace.

BRIAN ASARE / THE QUADRANGLE

HGI holds many events, such as informational tours and guest speaker events. These events are held in high regard within the MC community for their educational value.

BRIAN ASARE / THE QUADRANGLE

dents and faculty can come to visit to learn more about the history of the Halocaust along with other genocide events in history and the cultural impact of such horrific events.

HGI holds many events, such as informational tours and guest speaker events. These events are held in high regard within the MC community for their educational value.

Chris Belden is the student assistant to the director who finds that all programs the HGI center provides are important.

“In all honesty, it is impossible to pick just one influential program,” Belden said. “HGI has a wide variety of programs from interfaith dialogues and prayers, to conversations about forgiveness and identity, to our annual Kristallnacht lecture, and so on and so forth. Each event is purposely unique and impactful. All of which contributes to the college’s vision of social justice and the center’s mission of working towards mutual understanding and combating hate.”

After 25 years of hard work, those involved have decided to

celebrate the anniversary by doing what they do best: educating. The center has planned numerous virtual and in-person educational seminars in order to facilitate conversations in our community, focused on creating peace.

The 25th anniversary was also celebrated with a gala honoring the center’s founder, Frederick M. Schweitzer, members of HGI and survivors of the Holocaust. The gala was held on Sunday, Oct. 24, and featured the special guest speaker Elisha Weisel, daughter of Ellie Weisel, the author and Holocaust survivor.

“When I started at Manhattan, there were still thousands of survivors living in the United States, and so back then there were a lot of survivors that used to be able to come to campus,” Horn said. “Those survivors are now very elderly and there are not very many left. And so they may have won, but they’ll be forgotten. And so the gala was to celebrate them, but also to celebrate the founder who is 91. And so we want to celebrate his life while he is

still here, rather than after he has passed.”

With the purchase of a ticket, students and faculty were able to attend the widely successful gala either in-person or virtually. However, the 25th-anniversary celebration is not over just yet, and there are still events students will be able to attend. On Wednesday, Nov. 10, the HGI center will be hosting a virtual Kristallnacht Lecture: “BOYKOTT! April 1, 1933: Spectatorship and the Exclusion of Jews from the German Community.”

Given all the HGI Center has done in its 25 years at Manhattan, it is important to celebrate the victories and honor the individuals who made the Center what it is today.

“It was truly an honor to partake in this event and see the impact and progress that this center has had over the last 25 years,” Belden said. “I look forward to my time with the HGI center and all the forthcoming amazing things the center will do.” __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

Features

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

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7 Photos taken by Brian Asare.

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Exercise is The New Medicine Josh Grewal & Megan LaCreta

Staff Writer & Asst. Features Editor The Exercise is Medicine initiative at Manhattan College has kickstarted many new programs to encourage students to get physically active on campus. The events range from yoga and mixed martial arts to taekwondo and core training.

With an emphasis on mental health, the initiative is focused on creating an environment for students to flourish. Students are able to receive personalized guidance in becoming a better version of themselves both physically and mentally.

Professor of Kinesiology Jeff Cherubini, Ph.D, is a faculty advisor for the program. He explained why it is so important to encourage students to be physically active.

“The scientific evidence is clear and irrefutable, when we,

all human beings, are physically active we are better off for it,” Cherubini said. “The fact is, we are all influenced biologically, subjectively and functionally, for example, how we perform at home, school and work, based on the amount of physical activity, or lack thereof, that we get.”

Through the many programs offered under the umbrella of the Exercise is Medicine initiative, students are able to become confident in their daily physical activity.

One program is the JasperFit Mentor program. Mentors are assigned to mentees in order to help guide students towards their fitness goals.

Programs like this are highly recommended for students who feel overwhelmed and require an outlet for their stress.

By exercising the body, the mind also sharpens, as Cherubini explained.

“The more physically active we are, the better we do in terms of learning, in terms

of memory in terms of social [life],” Cherubini said. “There’s all different benefits of being physically active that we see would benefit academics.

Whether it is your concentration in class, your energy for class, we know from a lot of research that being physically active, even ten, fifteen, twenty minutes will help you retain the information right after.”

Senior Megan Gillooley echoed the belief that physical activity can improve mental health. The exercise science major leads the Tuesday Boot Camp Workout program as part of Exercise is Medicine.

“Once you finish the workout you feel like you just accomplished something and are proud of yourself,” Gillooley wrote in an email to The Quadrangle. “Even on our worst days, just by getting up and going for a walk can turn the day around. It also can be looked at as a good way to relieve stress and get our minds off schoolwork or other stressors in life

because physical activity is something that should be fun and enjoyable.”

Gillooley pointed out that college students in particular face high levels of stress from classes, and spend hours sitting in front of a computer screen, making stress-relieving exercise all the more important.

Senior management and global business studies major Cristina Valladares agreed, and expressed that she was glad the Exercise is Medicine program encourages students to take concrete steps to relieve their stress.

“I think that [college students] feel so stressed all the time that we feel like we don’t really have time [to exercise] when the reality could just be ten, thirty minutes of the day just taking time to stretch out and you feel significantly better,” Valladares said.

Valladares regularly attends the yoga classes run by her roommate Katie Heneghan.

She explained how glad she

was to have a program like this available to her at Manhattan College.

“I’m a person who gets very stressed very easily, and I feel like I’m constantly stressed and anytime I do any exercise, I feel significantly better and more productive afterward,” Valladares said.

The Exercise is Medicine program exists to help students like Valladares find the type of exercise that’s right for them.

Cherubini urged all students to look into the program and start the path to physical and mental wellness.

“I encourage everyone to take a look at the events calendar,” Cherubini said. “Whether it be walking more, yoga, a group fitness class, or signing up for a Fitness Center orientation, we’d love to see everyone find something that interests them and look for ways to add a little more physical activity into their day.”

Note: Katie Heneghan is the web editor for The Quadrangle.

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Arts & Entertainment

THE QUADRANGLE

Halloween Fashion Finds: Student

After last year’s limited Halloween festivities, students were excited to showcase their very intricate an wittiness, others chose to be the standout character in their group costume. Read about how Payton Hay elaborate accessories to enhance their Halloween outfits.

FASHION Payton Hayes ‘24 Mechanical Engineering Featured Costume: Medusa

The Quadrangle: How did you decide what costume to wear this year?

Payton Hayes: A little bit of TikTok and I saw it last year on Instagram a lot. So I was like next year I’m going to do that one.

TQ: Did you craft or make any cool unique items to compliment your costume? Makeup?

PH: I made the headpiece for Medusa. So, I also saw it on TikTok but it magically appeared on there as the first one so it was meant to be. I ordered all the pieces from Amazon, I ordered a basic plastic hairband and zip ties and tied them to the headband and then spray painted that gold. I got a bunch of rubber snakes from Amazon as well and spray painted those gold as well. And then I used hot glue and glued them on and it worked.

TQ: How many costumes did you plan out for Halloween weekend?

PH: I planned three. I planned the Medusa one, then Lava Girl to be Sharkboy and Lava Girl with my boyfriend, and then Catwoman to be Batman and Catwoman with my boyfriend as well.

TQ: What do you think is an important decision when choosing a costume?

PH: If you’re gonna do something extravagant, make sure you have enough time. If you’re choosing your costume at the last minute, because mine was kind of last minute, make sure you have a clothing item that you’re wearing from in your closet because that’s probably one of the hardest things to get.

TQ: What is your favorite costume you ever wore?

PH: Definitely the Medusa one!

TQ: If you could wear only one costume for the rest of your life, What would you wear and why?

PH: Probably the most comfortable one I wore, the Catwoman one. When I wore it, it was pretty comfortable because it was just a black jumpsuit and if I had to wear that for the rest of my life I always wear black anyway.

TQ: Do you remember the first Halloween movie you watched? Horror movie?

PH: “Halloweentown,” and I don’t watch horror movies. I’ve never seen one, I don’t watch them.

Ethan Thompson ‘22 Finance Featured Costume: Yoshi, which he was wearing when he won a costume contest at Fenwicks that came with a cash prize.

The Quadrangle: How did you decide what costume to wear this year?

Ethan Thompson: Honestly, it was like every year, I waited until the last week and did a trip down to Party City. Basically I was with my friends and I saw this Yoshi costume on the clearance rack at Party City and then we just decided to be Mario, Luigi and Yoshi together. The costume ended up paying for themself since the prize money was worth more than what I paid for it.

TQ: Did you craft or make any cool unique items to compliment your costume? Makeup?

ET: For my friends, they made their own Mario and Luigi hats and my friend painted ‘M’ & ‘L’ onto the caps and their overalls. For me, it was mostly just a set. It came with a turtle on the back for like a little backpack but for the most part, mine was store bought, but theirs were mostly homemade since it was pretty last minute.

TQ: What do you think is an important decision when choosing a costume?

ET: For Halloween, especially if you’re just going to be with your friends, one good thing is to honestly not care about what other people think about you because at the end of the day it is your personality coming out for Halloween. When I first bought that Yoshi costume, they all thought it was funny but my roommate’s girlfriend said ‘Yeah, that’s so you.’ So honestly, when I pick out costumes for Halloween, I think about what I’ve done in the past. I was a hibachi chef, I was a chicken — it’s important to not really care what people think about you.

TQ: What is your favorite costume you ever wore?

ET: This year’s costume was definitely up there because it was the most memorable, senior year, won Fen’s Costume contest, having everyone chanting ‘Yoshi.’ One that I personally found funny, was when I was a Hibachi Chef one year and I’m 50% Asian so it’s costumes like that that are pretty memorable. Most use I think I’ve gotten was the chicken costume and I’ve worn it multiple times throughout the years. I was actually a Rubik’s cube as well when I was younger.

TQ: If you could wear only one costume for the rest of your life, What would you wear and why?

ET: That’s a good question. I like to mix it up. I really liked being a chicken. I really did. I don’t know. I think that’s something that I’ve worn multiple times too. So honestly, that one I would wear.

TQ: Do you remember the first horror movie you watched?

ET: I’m not a big horror movie guy … I think the first horror movie I watched was the first “Annabelle” movie when my cousins took me to go see it in eighth grade.

TQ: What is the best Halloween candy?

ET: I would go either Three Musketeers or watermelon Sour Patch.

TQ: What was your COVID-safe halloween plan for this year?

ET: We mostly just kept within the student population since we are all vaccinated. We didn’t really go outside of Manhattan College.

NOVEMBER 9, 2021

Arts & Entertainment

9

ts Showcase their Halloween Attire

nd unique costumes around campus. While some students wore costumes that expressed their humor and yes, Ethan Thompson, Isabel Cameron and Brenna McNamara got crafty with creating logos and donning Interviews compiled by Lauren Raziano, Social Media Editor.

N FINDS Brenna McNamara ‘23 Marketing & Global Studies major Featured Costume: Pitbull

Pictured here with Isabel Cameron as Mr. Clean

The Quadrangle: How did you decide what costume to wear this year?

Brenna McNamara: We had been deciding between a few different group costumes and it was only going to be me, Isabel and then one of our other friends going to an apartment party. And so Isabel was just joking around just like we should all be bald men and I was like, ‘If we do all that I’ll be Pitbull’ and we ended up doing it.

TQ: Did you craft or make any cool unique items to compliment your costume? Makeup?

BN: There was only one bald cap left at Party City and it was a white one. So the discoloration was not very good and so I used a whole bottle of foundation, covering that up.

TQ: How many costumes did you plan out for Halloween weekend?

BN: This year we only really went out [to] two places so I only had two different costumes. Friday night I was Jedediah from “Night at the Museum” and then that Saturday night I was Pitbull so both of them were group costumes.

TQ: If you could wear only one costume for the rest of your life, What would you wear and why?

BN: If I had to pick one, it would probably be a classic cheerleader because I can’t even imagine how many times I was a cheerleader as a kid.

TQ: Do you remember the first horror movie you watched?

BN: Oh, I hate horror movies, but I believe the first one I ever watched was “The Roommate” and I scared myself to death.

TQ: What is the best Halloween candy?

BN: KitKat [bars]. Hands down.

Isabel Cameron ‘23 Psychology Featured Costume: Mr. Clean

The Quadrangle: How did you decide what costume to wear this year?

Isabel Cameron: I was talking with my friends about what would be funny to wear and my friend Brenna mentioned that she saw bald caps at Party City and I was like, ‘oh my god, we should be bald guys.’ So I picked Mr. Clean and my friend Brenna picked Pitbull.

TQ: Did you craft or make any cool unique items to compliment your costume? Makeup?

IC: I made a spray bottle and I printed out the Mr. Clean logo and I put my drink in it so I could spray it out. It was a good gag.

TQ: How many costumes did you plan out for Halloween weekend?

IC: Two. I’m in Scatterbomb, the comedy improv group, and we did a group costume. So I was Peppermint Patty for that. But the Mr. Clean one was my main costume because I didn’t really do much on Friday night other than the show.

TQ: If you could wear only one costume for the rest of your life, What would you wear and why?

IC: Probably a ‘70s hippie because that’s probably as close to my normal style as I could get and it’s funky and fun. I like bright colors and it’s not too out there for every day of my life.

TQ: Do you remember the first horror movie you watched?

IC: I don’t remember the first, but the first movie I remember that gave me terrible nightmares. My family and I do a family movie night on the weekends whenever we’re all home and we watched the 1970s “Pet Cemetery,” the really old one that was super cheesy, and it terrified me. I had to have a nightlight for months after that.

TQ: What is the best Halloween candy?

IC: Probably Reese’s. Nice, classic, peanut butter ones.

TQ: What was your COVID-safe halloween plan for this year?

IC: On Saturday, I went to my friend’s apartment. She was having a party and everyone was required to be vaccinated to be there. Everyone brought a mask but like some people wear them, most people didn’t because everyone was already vaccinated. We were aware of it but it wasn’t like center stage, you know, not like last year.

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Arts & Entertainment

Meet Scatterbomb Member Aidan Mackenzie

THE QUADRANGLE

PERFORMER PROFILE

Isaiah Rosario & Victor Franco Staff Writers

Sophomore Aidan Mackenzie is just beginning his long career of acting and doing improv on the big stage. Mackenzie joined Scatterbomb, the improv group, last year but due to COVID, he only had one show.

Now that restrictions are finally being loosened on campus Aidan has been able to add another performance under his belt.

Mackenzie got the opportunity to demonstrate his talent in a recent performance during Halloweekend. For those not aware of Scatterbomb, it is “the tradition of Upright Citizens Brigade, Scatterbomb members make Jaspers laugh with their quick-witted comedy. This improv comedy troupe performs shows on campus several times a semester and has also performed in professional settings around New York City including the New York Comedy Festival” according to manhattan.edu.

Mackenzie spoke to The Quadrangle about how he joined Scatterbomb.

“My friend, he’s a comedian. His name’s Cooper, he is in Scatterbomb too and he saw the sign on the wall. He was like, ‘You want to be an actor,

so you should try this’ and, I was like, ‘I’ll do that’.”

Due to Mackenzie’s unfamiliarity with the club, he got the opportunity to observe and learn from the upperclassmen.

When first joining the club Mackenzie was surprised by the talent that students had, specifically Aedan Roney, who took Mackenzie under his wing. Roney helped Mackenzie get into the club and both became friends while also working together.

Students often hear stories about how certain clubs or individuals have impacted them in a way that was once never imaginable. Clubs on campus have helped people find their passions over things they love to do and for this case Mackenzie found a new passion for improv.

Mackenzie describes that the club has had a huge impact in and outside of campus.

“Oh, definitely [my life has changed since being in Scatterbomb]. I met a lot of people last year. The members introduced me to a lot of different people. I know some of those people to this day and I see them out,” Mackenzie says.

Mackenzie spoke to the Quadrangle about how Scatterbomb has changed his perspective on what he enjoys. The club has allowed him to grow

and see what other interests he has.

“It’s definitely helped me come out of my shell a little bit because I played lacrosse.

I didn’t do any theatrical stuff and it definitely helped out with that for sure,” Mackenzie said.

Each club offers different things and makes itself unique to other clubs. Mackenzie helped prelude to that by saying “The energy, like the atmosphere, you can’t really have a club where you can show up in any way you want. You know you could do whatever you want. It’s very lenient. It’s not super strict. It [Scatterbomb] is meant for fun ... It’s very loose, and it’s just fun. It’s all about fun.”

Mackenzie tries to motivate as many students as possible to join Scatterbomb, and possibly find a passion they never knew existed. Scatterbomb offered Mackenzie a comfort place on campus. Mackenzie had one final message to give to people who were still on the fence about joining Scatterbomb.

“Definitely give it a shot,” he said. “If you don’t like it you could always stop doing it. Just give it a shot. Why not? You never know if you’re going to be good or not. I had no idea what to expect from it. And you know, I enjoy it a lot. I have a lot of fun!”

Mackenzie tries to motivate as many students as possible to join Scatterbomb, and possibly find a passion they never knew existed.

BACKSTAGE.COM / COURTESY

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Sports

NOVEMBER 9, 2021

11

Double-Edged Sword: Jaspers Struggling to Adapt to COVID-Altered Officiating, Without Sacrificing Emotion and Intensity Josh Sawyer Contributor

Frustration, confusion and head-scratching penalties. Any and all of these can be used to describe the Manhattan College men’s soccer season as the team enters the final stretch of the 2021 campaign. In a season defined by challenges, coach Jorden Scott and his team are dealing with yet another obstacle related to COVID. One no one could have predicted.

“There’s a shadow from COVID,” Scott said. “The level of officiating is really down this year. With the short-handed refs, it has really caused the level of officiating to decline.”

Manhattan has had a season filled with untimely fouls. They are second in the MAAC with 2.47 yellow cards per game and first in the conference with 0.27 red cards per game, more than double the next team. While Scott acknowledged that his team deserved many of the yel-

low cards, he wasn’t shy about the impact COVID has had on the level of officiating, and the short-handed crews that are working the matches.

“We’ve deserved yellow cards,” Scott said. “But the officiating level is so low right now because of COVID. The guys who are working are overworked and start handing out red cards really quick.”

While COVID has certainly had an impact on many areas of collegiate athletics, short-handed officiating crews and a zero tolerance for any type of emotion in matches have proved to be a difficult obstacle to navigate for the Jaspers. Manhattan’s 0.27 red cards per game may be misleading, as they acquired two of those in the match at Temple, but it is indicative of a larger issue surrounding the way games are being officiated.

In a shortened 2020 season, the Jaspers received just one red card in six matches. While there are many new faces on the 2021 roster, most of the

yellow and red cards have been given to juniors or seniors, who were on the field for Scott last year. While Scott acknowledges the increase in fouls, he isn’t going to ask his players to change their style of play.

“I can’t ask them to play any differently,” Scott said. “If I ask them to play differently the intensity and energy goes down, they start to play passive, and we can’t have that as we make a push for the playoffs.”

As the Jaspers have continued to try and find a balance between channeling their emotion and not sacrificing how they play, it’s become very clear that their head coach is the calm side that helps to balance the fiery emotion of his players. Something that senior Simon Busch took note of.

“Jorden obviously wants us to play with emotion and energy,” Busch said. “He knows that’s just our game, but he’s the calm part of our team. It definitely balances the team and it’s definitely important

the team more involved in the Manhattan College community on a regular basis, not just at basketball games.

“I’d like to have a big team and see us get involved in the community and on campus as well,” said Brewer. “I’d like to see us out at a lot more events.

I want to start traditions within the team that will be recognized by the entire campus in the future. I want the cheer team to be recognized more,” mentioned Brewer Brewer hopes to be able to expand the cheer team to increase diversity and encourage more men to try out for cheerleading.

“Once again I would definitely like to see us be more competitive. I would like to see more diversity. I would like to see more guys on the team. As of now we only have one guy, JeanRobert Adrien, he’s great!”

According to Brewer, the team’s diversity is both cultural and professional, as many of the athletes have had different levels of training.

“We are a team about learning, and that’s really what we try to focus on,” Brewer added.

When asked about what the cheer team is most excited about this academic year Coach Brewer didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Basketball! We’re excited

about the basketball season.

Not only are we excited about the season and the MAAC tournament but the possibility of the NCA’s,” said Brewer with a smile.

Manhattan Madness took place on October 28, and the cheer team put on quite a show that took ample time to perfect.

“We started prepping for Manhattan Madness last year but it was canceled because of COVID-19. So we all knew that this year would be different.

Last year we started working on the basics and on the second weekend of September we began our routine, and we’ve been working on that ever since then,” Brewer said.

For anyone hoping to join the cheer team Brewer has some words of advice “Work on the little stuff that you don’t think matters such as motions, jumps, and things like that. Overall, your attitude is more important than your skills,” said Brewer.

Brewer encourages all students to try out for cheerleading in the future. The cheer team is open to any and all stunts regardless of cheer background and would love to have some new faces. Brewer hopes to be able to create a fun environment for the cheerleaders with new traditions and events.

that he is always so calm and collected.”

With the season coming to a close and the team facing a must-win game against Rider, it was quite clear in speaking to both players and their coach that there was no discussion about playing with less passion. The Jaspers will put their intense style of play, led by their passionate, yet calm head coach to the test as they contin-

ue to navigate a season marred by the effects of COVID. “I’d rather have them go out and play their game,” Scott said. “And we will let the officials and consequences come as they may. The officiating has been horrendous, but I’m not going to ask them to turn down the intensity. When we play with that fire, that’s when we’re at our best.”

Great Things Ahead with New Cheer Coach, Victoria Brewer Zoe DeFazio Staff Writer

Manhattan College’s newest cheerleading coach, Victoria Brewer, is excited to make major changes in Manhattan’s program. The cheer team has been enriched in a new way of performing and now has the possibility to be able to compete and even go to nationals.

Brewer has extensive cheer experience that can help MC’s cheer team go above and beyond.

“I have been cheering since middle school. I cheered for eight years. I have been the cheer coach at Manhattan College for two years but prior to that I coached for four years,” Brewer said.

With MC coming back to an in-person status Brewer has been stirring up some ideas on how the cheer team can prosper in the future going so far as to be able to compete.

“We eventually want to compete as dance does. We’d like to compete at NCA [National Cheerleaders Association] nationals. I would like to see our team grow and have the maximum number of members every year,” said Brewer.

Brewer then continued to talk about her goals for the year, which includes getting

Brewer has extensive cheer experience that can help MC’s cheer team go above and beyond.

GO JASPERS / COURTESY

Sports

12

THE QUADRANGLE

Lizzi Brown Returns to Manhattan Volleyball Maddie Mulkigian Contributor

After facing almost two full years of injuries and illness, junior Lizzi Brown is back to making a consistent impact on the volleyball court. Brown’s freshman season was cut short after receiving two serious concussions. But even in this shortened season, she was an immediate impact player for the Manhattan College volleyball team.

Brown was a standout player in the MAAC and among the rest of its rookies, but she faced one obstacle after another until the fall 2021 season.

As a freshman, Brown started ten straight games and was continuing to improve as the season went on. As she con-

tinued to gain experience in games, she set season-high records for herself in kills, blocks and digs up until her season-ending injury.

Brown had already had her fair share of injuries throughout her high school career. Due to her past experiences with concussions in high school, Brown was aware of the gravity and risk of another head injury in her college career. Unfortunately, it was not one, but two more hits to her head that knocked her out of her freshman year.

According to Brown, her first concussion “split her head open,” but it was her second one that did the most damage.

After colliding with a teammate and hitting her head in the same exact spot as her prior concussion, her doctors decided that it would be safest for her to sit

Lizzi Brown poses for her roster photo on the Volley Ball team media day.

GO JASPERS / COURTESY

out the rest of the season.

“At first, I thought it wasn’t that bad and I thought my head was hurting, but my dad said I was dehydrated,” said Brown. “Two days later I was still messed up and I played a game and I completely missed the ball when I swung. It wasn’t even close. Finally, I got tested and I knew I had a concussion.”

Due to the severity of Brown’s concussion, she was not permitted to attend practices or games, which made it difficult for her to find her role on the team and be a supportive teammate. All she could do was send them a “Good luck” text and hope that they could pull out a win. However, no matter where Brown’s injury put her, she was determined to continue to be a part of the team.

Almost a year and a half after her concussion, Brown and the Lady Jaspers faced a new obstacle — the COVID-19 pandemic. The Jaspers had the opportunity to play in a shortened spring season but multiple players on the team, including Brown, tested positive for COVID-19 and were required to quarantine for fourteen days.

Brown was again not allowed to be with the team and had to adapt her role.

Brown would send another teammate a message through her Apple Watch with a tip for the game as she was watching through her computer. Brown’s tactic allowed her to continue to add input and help the team succeed during games from a safe distance.

After completing her quarantine and the return-to-play protocols, Brown stepped back on the court for the first time since September of her freshman year. While it was an adjustment for her to get back into the intense level of play that she was at before her injuries, each challenge she faced

resulted in a newfound appreciation and joy for the game.

This joy and appreciation for volleyball transferred over to Brown’s junior year where she has played in every game since August. Brown’s excitement for her first full season since playing in high school was quickly tested when the Jaspers weren’t allowed to play on its home court due to issues with the volleyball coaching staff.

“It’s not the season I thought it would be. We had to travel for practices, our team chemistry got a little rough because of it, but we’re allowed back in the gym,” said Brown. “It’s hard because I wanted a real season, but we’re in a mindset where we have nothing to lose. We just have to have fun with it and enjoy our time.”

Each year Brown has played for the Jaspers has come with new challenges. Her love for volleyball and her teammates remained relentless and she was able to help her team reach its first win of the season over Niagara, who ranked second in the MAAC. Brown’s growth mindset and excitement to be back on the court exhibit the strength and positivity that is built into her character. No one is proud-

er of Brown’s growth, accomplishments, and commitment to the team than her roommate, teammate and friend Julieanne McKee. “She has been through it.

Over the years, I’ve seen her go through injuries and head trauma. She’s energetic and dedicated,” said McKee. “She’s one of those people who is always encouraging people and being loud. She’s one of those leaders and players who you can look to and create a bunch of energy when we’re in a lull.”

The team’s respect for Brown is a true testament to her character, especially when she wasn’t with the team in person for weeks at a time. Brown has faced so many challenges in her three seasons with the Jaspers, but she has become a well-rounded player and leader through her hardships.

“If you’re not doing well and you’re not contributing, you can still add something,” said Brown. “Energy… helping people out… you can always add something even if it’s not skill.”

Brown’s positive mindset and passion for the game have contributed to the Jaspers’ perception of its challenging 2021 season. It will continue to drive, motivate, and excite the team for what is yet to come.

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