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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MANHATTAN COLLEGE | SINCE 1924
Volume CI, Issue 5
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NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 18, 2020
Overlook Manor Break-In NEWS BRIEF Gabriella DePinho Editor-in-Chief
Spring Fest Performer Announced Lead singer of The Fray, Isaac Slade, is set to hadline SpringFest which is set for Apr. 4. SONY/ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING / COURTESY
The Frayed Fray: Lead Singer to Headline Spring Fest Gabriella DePinho Editor-in-Chief
Issac Slade, the lead singer of rock band The Fray, will be headlining Spring Fest on Apr. 4. Slade will be singing the band’s songs, with backing from other musicians. Out of the eight artists posted to the Office of Student Engagement’s Instagram account on Dec. 6, The Fray received the most votes, totaling 284 votes. Former American Idol Winner Jordan Sparks came in second, falling behind The Fray by 60 votes. “Michael [Steele] and student government put out a vote to the student body and then that’s used to form our general consensus where we say, hey these two, three artists
IN NEWS: CVS Health Foundation offers Grant on p. 5
are at the top of our list, what is their viability to come here?” said John Bennett, executive director of the Office of Student Engagement. Before the vote can happen, a list of artists has to come together somehow. “To get to that point, I work with student government to get a list of artists from the agent, which is usually about 20 to 30 artists, and then we condense it to about seven to 10 to put out to the student body,” said Michael Steele, assistant director of the Office of Student Engagement. Bennett confirmed that all artists put out for the vote were feasible in terms of price range and getting them to campus. Though not every student may be an Instagram user or know about the voting process, the votes are still considered a
IN FEATURES: NYBC Winter Blood Drive Return on p.6
good measure of the student body’s interest. “It’s not scientific but it gives a general feel, which is why we start with the top two or three artists,” Bennett said. “We have a couple hundred people vote. You could really extrapolate that and the percentages are going to remain the same.” The Fray may not be a part of everyone’s favorite genre of music, but according to Ryan Kwiecinski, the executive vice president of student government, students can still expect to have a good time. “Personally, it is not a genre of music I usually listen to. I am more of a hip-hop and rock/ grunge fan. However, I think __________________________ CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
On Sunday, Feb. 9, in Overlook Manor, an off-campus junior and senior residence hall, a Manhattan College student reports that she awoke to an unidentified male in her apartment. The Department of Public Safety learned that the male allegedly sexually assaulted her. This information was released to the entire student and employee bodies on Feb. 14 at 7:31 p.m. in an email with the subject line of “Security Advisory/Timely Warning.” In the email, the unidentified male is described as “possibly white or hispanic, approximately 5’7” to 5’10” tall, full lips, with a dark gray or black hoodie.” The email also confirmed that the incident is being investigated by the New York Police Department’s 50th Precinct Detective Squad. This email sent to the entire student body came prepared as part of the “Timely Warning requirement of the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act of 1990.” This federal law requires that colleges and universities send a general communication to campus communities “of crimes reported to campus or local police departments that may pose a threat to the campus community.” This email was not the first email an office of the college sent out regarding the incident. On Tuesday, Feb. 11, the Office of Residence Life sent an email to Overlook residents with the subject line “Tips to keep our community safe!” This initial email makes no mention of the break-in. It does remind residents that “Overlook Manor is our home and we want everyone to to be safe, secure, and able to fulfill their goals as Manhattan College students while living in OV.” The email reminds students
IN A&E:
to lock their doors at all times, to always carry their key with them and to email Residence Life if they have lost their key. Students are reminded to reach out to the public safety officer at the entrance of the building if they have been locked out of their apartment. Additionally, if students have any safety concerns, they can reach out to the Department of Public Safety via telephone. A second email, with the subject line “Overlook Manor Safety Update,” was sent out to Overlook residents on Thursday, Feb. 13, a day prior to the campus-wide email. In it, the Office of Residence Life confirms that the Department of Public Safety and the NYPD received a report of a “trespass incident.” The email states that Public Safety and the NYPD conducted “an extensive onsite investigation, in which no injuries were reported.” This email also reveals that this Feb. 9 incident is not the only incident of concern that has recently occurred in Overlook Manor. “The Office of Public Safety and the NYPD 50th Precinct are also in the process of investigating a report of an incident that occurred in Overlook Manor on Saturday, January 25,” wrote Charles Clency, the director of Residence Life. The email ends with a list of campus resources for students to reach out to should they need support, including Esmilda Abreu-Hornbostel, dean of students, Jennifer McArdle, the director of the counseling center, Sheetal Kale, the campus’ chief Title IX coordinator, and Anne Mavor, the director of Health Services. If anyone has information regarding the Feb. 9 incident, they are encouraged to reach out to Public Safety or the NYPD. The Quadrangle intends to follow up on this story.
IN SPORTS:
Mens’ V-Day Basketball falls Monologues Return on p. 10 to Iona on p. 11
Opinons & Editorials
2
the Quadrangle Volume CI, Issue 5
FEBRUARY 18, 2020
The Editorial Board Gabriella DePinho Editor-in-Chief
Nicole Fitzsimmons Anna Woods Asst. News Editors
Maria Thomas News Editor
LET T ER to The Editor To the editor, We are pleased and honored to have Sr. Norma Pimentel, MJ speaking on campus on Wednesday, February 19 at 7 PM in Kelly Commons. Sr. Norma, a member of the Missionaries of Jesus, is the Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. She has worked at the Border with asylum seekers for over 12 years.
Alexa Schmidt Arts & Entertainment Editor Managing Editor
Jilleen Barrett Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor
Christine Nappi Features Editor
Jessica McKenzie Asst. Features Editor
Pete Janny Sports Editor Managing Editor
Caroline McCarthy Asst. Sports Editor
C. Garrett Keidel Social Media Editor
Samantha Walla Production Manager
Brian Asare Photography Editor
Sophia Sakellariou Production Editor
Sincerely,
Emily Hollar Asst. Photography Editor Asst. Production Editor
Kelly Kennedy Nicole Rodriguez Asst. Production Editors
Lois Harr
Madalyn Johnson Katherine Heneghan Web Editors Nicholas Gilewicz Faculty Advisor
THE QUADRANGLE
Sister has been recognized for her work by Notre Dame, Catholic Charities USA, and Pope Francis among others. Our Sunday Visitor named her one of eight “Catholics of the Year” in 2015. Her talk at Manhattan is entitled Crossing Borders: A Catholic Response to Migration. Come hear Sr. Norma’s compelling story of life and work at the Border. Free and open to the public.
Assistant Vice President for Student Life Director, Campus Ministry & Social Action
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
CORRECT IONS Last week’s story “What’s New with the LWGRC?” was incorrectly attributed to just Anna Woods. It was co-written by Anna Woods and Kelly Kennedy. Last week’s story about Manhattan’s win against Niagra was incorrectly attributed to just Pete Janny. It was co-written by Pete Janny and Whit Anderson. In last week’s story “Black History Month Begins with Opening Dinner,” Gregory Cowart’s name was incorrectly spelled. Cowart was also incorrectly identified as the Head of Physical Plant. Cowart serves as the Campus Project Manager.
SUBMIT YOUR OWN LET T ER OR OP-ED Letters to the Editor or an op-ed may be submitted to thequad@manhattan.edu by Saturday at noon to be considered for publication. Profanity, vulgarity and hate will not be published. The Quadrangle reserves the right not to publish a letter.
News
FEBRUARY 18, 2020
3
Coming to a Close: Filling the Provost Seat Michevi Dufflart Senior Writer
The search for a new provost is coming to an end. This week could mark the last week in the search, as two candidates are set to visit campus, each for a two-day interview period. In September, the Office of the Provost informed the Manhattan College community via email that current provost, Dr. William Clyde, would step down from his position and continue full time teaching and research at the end of June 2020. Since then, the provost search committee, PSC, has worked diligently to find what President Brennan O’Donnell considers the college’s highest priority. “There is no more important task facing us this year than this search…” said O’Donnell via email in October. The provost is the second in command right after the president of a college. They serve as the chief academic officer, and are entrusted to coordinate and ensure the quality of all academic programs at Manhattan. Nadia Itani, undergraduate and vice president for academic affairs on the student government executive board, emphasized the importance of this leadership role, saying, “The Provost ... and the Office of the Provost [do] so much work to serve the students, making their experience here as positive as possible. So many parts of campus have this same goal, but the Provost has responsibilities that have
an extremely direct effect on students, namely figuring out the logistics of Commencement every year.” Applications for the provost position opened in early October and were due in late November. RH Perry & Associates, a higher education search consultant firm working with MC on the provost search, went through the applications, conducted interviews with applicants and then created a ranked list to be reviewed by the PSC. Dr. Tim Ward, Dean of the School of Engineering and chair of the PSC noted the different rankings in the applications. “Typically, when you do an application at university level... you’re going to get applicants that you really want to talk to, you know, they have a lot of a lot of good qualifications, a lot of good experience, then you’re going to get some that maybe don’t rise to the same level, then you got some that are just really not qualified,” said Ward. After the PSC reviewed the ranked list of applicants, a list of semi-finalists was determined mid-December and video interviews were conducted in late January. Ward described the process as very intensive due to the short time frame for all the semi-finalist interviews. “[The interviews take] time and you try to get them all compressed into a short time period. You don’t want to drag it out for weeks because you want to be able to have everybody fresh in your mind,” said Ward. Three finalists were selected from the group of semi-finalists: Dr. Heidi Bostic,
Dr. Daniel May, and Dr. Maria Green Cowles. The on-campus interviews were set to begin last week with Bostic, but she accepted an offer from a different institution before the week began. The remaining two finalists, May and Cowles, are being interviewed this week. May currently serves as the Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of New Haven, Conn. and received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Santa Barbara in Geology. Cowles is currently the Scholar-in-Residence at the American University in Washington, DC. and received her Ph.D from American University in International Relations. Each candidate will go through a two-day interview process where they will meet with different stakeholders at the college this week. Some of the stakeholders include the president, students, faculty, trustees, and deans. Faculty and students were encouraged to attend the open sessions to hear from the finalists. Shanice Lyle, the undergraduate student member of the PSC will lead both the student sessions for May and Cowles. The student sessions will be approximately an hour in length and give students the opportunity to meet the candidates and provide feedback for the PSC. To help facilitate conversation in the student sessions, Itani created a list of discussion topics and questions to give students a better understanding of the provost’s work and how
the candidates will fulfill the requirements of the position. Dean Ward also provided a Google Form for all stakeholders to fill out after each open session. The questions in the form include strengths and weaknesses and opinions about whether they think the candidate will be effective as provost based on the open session. The form also includes a section for further comments. Itani stressed the impact of this feedback. “Getting student feedback is so important because we are the ones affected by any administrative decisions and it’s best to have a positive relationship with those in charge of making those decisions,” said Itani. Given that only two candidates remain, there is a possibility that at the conclusion of the interviews, the President, who has the ultimate decision on who gets chosen as the new provost, chooses neither. The process would then have to begin again. However, if one of the candidates is chosen, Dr. William Merriman, a professor in the Kinesiology Department and member of the PSC believes that the President could have a decision by the end of March. “There are a lot of provost jobs out there...So the longer [the President] waits, the people could take a job somewhere else,” said Merriman. Merriman also previously served as interim provost before Clyde and offered insights about similarities and differences between the provost’s tasks then and now.
One similarity that still remains is promoting enrollment. In recent years, enrollment has been challenging for the college as noted in the decline of undergraduate students. In a Quadrangle article “College Enrolls Smaller Freshman Class Amid Demographic Changes,” published online on September 19, 2017, the number of undergraduate students enrolled was 3,463 and the optimum level was listed as an undergraduate enrollment of 3,400 to 3,600. The total number of undergraduates students currently enrolled is 3,316, a total decrease of 84 students since 2017. Additionally, the college has recently seen a number of administrative jobs become available. The reasons for staff leaving, discussed by Merriman, vary and include things such as wanting to spend more time with families and accepting a higher paying job. Despite all this, one thing is for certain, and that is the need for a provost to facilitate these issues. “With all this turnover, the President really needs a strong number two to come in with experience, who can get in the job right away and know what to do,” said Merriman. The interviews for the provost position will conclude at the end of this week. President O’Donnell will then review the feedback from all the stakeholders and consider his own interactions and knowledge, to decide if either candidate will be the new provost.
Isaac Slade, Lead Singer of The Fray, to Headline Spring Fest
__________________________ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
that a lot of people will like the throwback atmosphere that the concert will have,” Kwiecinski wrote in an email to The Quadrangle. While the headliner is only Slade, rather than the full band, students can still expect him to sing all the hits they know and love, such as “Over My Head (Cable Car),” “How to Save a
Life,” and “You Found Me.” “Issac [Slade] is the biggest name we’ve ever had here because even the contract says The Fray and it just doesn’t say Issac’s name,” Bennett said. “So it’ll be Issac and other musicians, which is, for all intents and purposes, The Fray.” This year’s Spring Fest will differ from last year’s event in a few ways. Last year’s Spring Fest saw three headliners, but
this year’s student government executive board decided to streamline the event. “We don’t plan on having three different performances by artists, and because of that, [it] will be a little earlier than last year’s Spring Fest,” wrote Kaylyn Atkins, the student body president, in an email to The Quadrangle. However, the board does not want the fun to start and end with the 1 p.m. concert.
“We have been working hard to add more to the day so that it isn’t just the concert and then people leave. We want to create a fun atmosphere on campus that extends through the whole day,” wrote Kwiecinski. Confirmed by Kwiecinski and Atkins, one of the shakeups to the day’s lineup includes food trucks instead of a barbeque on the quad. The board has other surprises in store for the
student body that they will not reveal just yet. “This year’s Spring Fest is going to be a Spring Fest weekend, meaning that there will be something to do every day that weekend,” wrote Atkins. “That being said, the executive board and I do have a huge surprise that will be available for all students that weekend of Spring Fest.”
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News
THE QUADRANGLE
Manhattan Caucus:
Sanders Rises to Top of Pack, Four Candidates End Campaigns Rose Brennan & Megan Dreher Senior Writers
In a night that was thankfully shorter and less exciting than last week’s Iowa caucus, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was declared the victor of the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 11. Polling with the highest popular vote at 25.6 percent, Sanders accrued nine pledged delegates from last week’s primaries. Right behind him is former mayor Pete Buttigieg, who also received nine delegates and 24.3 percent of the vote. Surprisingly, Sen. Amy Klobuchar was the only other presidential candidate who left New Hampshire with any pledged delegates. She polled at 19.7 percent of the vote and scooped up six delegates in the process. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former vice president Joe Biden had extremely disappointing performances in New Hampshire, and both left the state without a single delegate to their names on Tuesday night. But they still have at least a fighting chance in the race, with eight and six delegates from Iowa, respectively. The remaining seven candidates in the race have yet to win a single delegate for the Democratic National Convention in July. With this immediate reality in mind, four candidates suspended their campaigns following last Tuesday’s primary. The first to drop out was Maryland Rep. John Delaney, who ended his campaign just before the Iowa caucus. A centrist candidate, he failed to gain traction in his campaign, never polling above single digits. ““It’s clear to me on Monday, on caucus night, I will not have sufficient support to get to the 15 percent viability threshold ... that is needed to get delegates out of Iowa,” Delaney said. The second candidate to end his campaign was businessman
Polling numbers as of feb. 16 (%)
30 25
source: real clear politics
20 15 10 5 19.2 FORMER VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
23.6 SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (VT)
12.4
14.2
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (MA)
FORMER MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG
10.6 FORMER MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG
1.8
4.6 SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (MN)
TOM STEYER
1.6 REP. TULSI GABBARD (HI)
Senator Bernie Sanders is currently polling with the highests popular vote, while four candidates ended campaigns entirely. SAMANTHA WALLA / THE QUADRANGLE Andrew Yang. His push to “Make America think harder” (MATH) and his plan for a universal basic income made him a somewhat well-known name in the field of candidates, though polling numbers failed to inspire confidence. “You know I am the math guy, and it is clear tonight from the numbers that we are not going to win this race,” Yang said in an address to his supporters in New Hampshire. The third candidate to fall was Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, who dropped from the presidential race after a dismal showing in New Hampshire. Despite his grassroots campaigning efforts in which he held over 50 town hall events, Bennet finished with just 963 votes. “I feel nothing but joy tonight as we conclude this campaign and this chapter. Tonight wasn’t our night. But New Hampshire, you may see me once again,” Bennet tweeted as he conceded from the campaign.
Finally, former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick ended his campaign on Wednesday following the New Hampshire primary. After making a late entry to the race back in November 2019, Patrick was only able to secure 0.4% of the vote and therefore felt there was not enough traction to continue. “The vote in New Hampshire last night was not enough for us to create the practical wind at the campaign’s back to go on to the next round of voting. So I have decided to suspend the campaign, effective immediately. I am not suspending my commitment to help, and neither should you. We are facing the most consequential election of our lifetime,” said Patrick. With Yang and Patrick no longer in the race, Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is the only person of color still running for president. Only 8 candidates remain in contention for the Democratic nomination.
Delegate count CANDIDATE
IOWA DELEGATES
(As of Feb. 18)
TOTAL DELEGATES
FORMER MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG
9
22
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (VT)
9
21
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (MA)
0
8
0
6
6
7
FORMER MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG
0
0
REP. TULSI GABBARD (HI)
0
0
TOM STEYER
0
0
FORMER VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (MN)
A candidate needs 1,991 candidates to clinch the nomination SAMANTHA WALLA / THE QUADRANGLE
News
FEBRUARY 18, 2020
5
CVS Health Foundation Grant Opens Up New Opportunities for Students Nicole Fitzsimmons & Nicole Rodriguez Asst. News Editor & Asst. Production Editor
The kinesiology department at Manhattan College has recently received a grant from the CVS Health Foundation to implement their new CATCH My Breath program, targeted at e-cigarette prevention. This grant will help MC further its initiative to promote public health and will train students to take greater action. Manhattan College is collaborating with Springfield College, Plymouth University, the Sage Colleges and Monmouth College to put the program into effect. The goal of these colleges is to collect data regarding the impact of program on student’s learning through the 2019-2020 academic year. Thereafter, the data will be shared with the CVS Health Foundation to see the impact the program actually has on the usage of e-cigarettes. At Manhattan, the primary researchers in the grant are Christie Gonzalez-Toro, Ph.D., assistant professor of kinesiology, Shawn Ladda, Ed.D., professor of kinesiology and Tekeyah Sears, Ed.D., program director of allied health and radiological and health professions. CATCH is an acronym that stands for Coordinated Approach to Child Health, which applies to the manner in which students from the 5th to the 12th grade are being educated through classroom
lessons, peer-led activities, assessments and social and community support about the dangers of vaping and e-cigarette use. The plan for action begins right in the classrooms of MC, with students beginning to receive training on how to effectively teach the younger generation about the dangers of e-cigarette use. Students enrolled in the Physical Education Teacher Preparation Program will receive CATCH My Breath training to teach in local schools. “Prior to participating, 5th to 12th grade students will complete a survey measuring their attitudes and behaviors toward e-cigarettes, then will retake the survey one week after completing the program to measure its impact,” said Christie Gonzalez-Toro, Ph.D., assistant professor of kinesiology. Student-teachers have already started heading to schools to raise awareness about the dangers of e-cigarette use and to help students make healthy decisions. “For example, my son is in a school up in the suburbs, and one of our students, without me knowing it, came in and implemented the grant. He came back and said it was great. He had all these facts about vaping and the reasons not to vape, but it was actually very interesting to hear his perspective. He thought it was a great program,” said Jeff Cherubini, Ph.D., department chair of kinesiology. Students being able to go into schools and talk to children about serious problems in the community is a different
approach to the standard student-teacher process and is also a very unique opportunity for MC students. Cherubini highlights the fact that it allows physical education majors and students in the department to teach health related topics that are outside of what they are normally doing and giving them an opportunity to learn more about health and health education. One of the obvious main goals of this program is to help kids make healthy decisions and to combat the serious problem that has risen, especially in recent years. For students in the 5th to 12th grade, e-cigarette use is growing each day, including the use of Juul products, and the department hopes that this will diminish the amount of students that are using these kinds of vaping products. With the influences of pressure from peers, social media and easy accessibility to products, teaching students about healthy choices can make a difference in being different than what they are usually exposed to. “Children and youth deserve quality education, educating them about making healthy choices emphasis the Lasallian commitment to social justice,” said Gonzalez-Toro. The CATCH My Breath program will also play a role in expanding Manhattan College’s commitment towards raising awareness about public health. With the recent introduction of the new public health major offered in the School of Education and Health beginning in the fall of 2020, the program will benefit the central mission of the department to
protect and promote the health and wellness of all people. “Public health is characterized a lot by learning new knowledge,” said Cherubini. “So, we’re going to be having a lot of students learning new knowledge. But, what is also a big part of public health is translating that knowledge into action. So this is great for our students and for our future students to be able to actually take the stuff that we’re learning in the classroom and then applying it out in the schools.” Cherubini also also mentioned that the program will help implement one of the main pillars are public health, which is health promotion and health education. “The World Health Organization has principles of health promotion, and part of those principles are empowerment, inclusion and collaboration. It’s really to promote positive health and our students are able to really step in and implement empowerment and collaboration and promote positive health,” he said. The data collected will quantify the impact that the program has on e-cigarette use, and hopefully on top of the importance of the collaborative nature of the students and the teachers, it will actually help diminish the growing issue. “The goal of public health is to focus on prevention as opposed to focusing on a response. These new programs and grants will hopefully teach students of all ages the repercussions that come along with e-cigarettes, before they even feel the urge to try it. I think this is especially
important because at the end of the day, we really don’t know how e-cigarettes will affect us 50 years down the road. So while you might not see any negative effects at the moment, you can’t exactly predict what’s to come,” said freshmen public health major, Ali James. James has already formally declared her major as public health, but the program will not be official until next fall. She believes that the CVS Health Foundation Grant and the CATCH My Breath program will help advance the public health sector at Manhattan College. While the public health major is still growing at MC, programs like this are helping to expand the recognition of the importance in youth education about the dangers of certain trends in today’s society. The MC kinesiology department and the principal researchers are hoping to see beneficial results to this method of awareness for both the studentteachers and especially for the students attending school in surrounding areas. “On a department level, the grant applies and connects to our mission, which is to emphasize the positive impact of physical activity and health on society and quality of life. It’s going to help our students disseminate knowledge in terms of health education. It allows our students to engage in community service and it will help prepare them as competent professionals,” said Cherubini.
source: real clear politics
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Features
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THE QUADRANGLE
NYBC Returns to Campus for Winter Blood Drive VOICES ON THE QUAD
Features
FEBRUARY 18, 2020
Let’s Talk About Race: A Faculty-Student Roundtable
Manhattan College’s winter blood drive took place in Kelly Commons on Feb. 12 from 12-6 p.m. Campus Ministry and Social Action invited students and faculty to donate blood through the New York Blood Center. Below are interviews by those most involved in planning the drive and bringing this opportunity to MC: Interviews compiled by Megan Dreher and Shannon Gleba
Shannon Forty, senior biology major The Quad: How were you involved with this blood drive? Shannon Forty: I was involved in this blood drive by helping to promote the blood drive on campus as well as to help set up day-of. I helped out by hanging flyers and posters, passing stickers, and telling everyone by word of mouth to please donate. I also helped by setting up the recovery station with adorable Valentine’s Day decorations. TQ: Why do you think donating blood is important? SF: Donating blood is important, because there are so many people who rely on blood transfusions, and blood
donations from people like us are the only way they can get them. I worked in Pediatric Oncology this summer, which allowed me to see first-hand the recipients of blood transfusions and how necessary they are to those who are most in need, in particular patients with blood cancers. I think a lot of times when people think of blood transfusions, they think of emergency or surgical patients, but in fact a lot of the need for blood is in Oncology or other long-term conditions. On a personal level, my grandfather relied on blood transfusions every few days towards the end of his life, so those donations were very valuable to my family and I. TQ: What would you tell
a student who is hesitant to donate blood? SF: I know it is hard and inconvenient and there are a lot of reasons not to donate blood, but the way that I see it, you are literally saving a life or allowing someone to survive. From my understanding, there is never enough blood to meet the high demand of sick or hurt people who need it. When the blood drive comes to campus, we have the chance to help these people directly and in my opinion and from a Lasallian perspective of Concern for the Poor and Social Justice, I believe we should do what we can.
Conor Reidy, Campus Ministry and Social Action The Quad: How was the turnout for the blood drive earlier this week? Conor Reidy: The drive registered 61 donors: 21 were deferred, 28 donated whole blood units and 12 people donated double red cell units on the ALYX machines - each counts as 2 - for a total of 52 units! TQ: What role did you play in planning the drive? CR: I am the on campus
organizer for all blood drives at Manhattan. I work closest with the NYBC to plan, coordinate and execute our drives. This Includes booking the space, organizing our partners, and advertising the drive! Social media plays a big role in that final bit. TQ: What advice would you give students who are hesitant to participate in a blood drive? CR: I would say, only give if you’re comfortable donating!
We do not want anyone to feel uncomfortable in this process. However, there are still a myriad of ways you can help besides donating. We need students to help advertise, spread the word, and help bring more attention to the vital nature of Blood Donation! If anyone reading this wants to get more involved with the blood drive, please reach out to me at conor.reidy@manhattan. edu.
Robin S. Friehling, Account Manager New York Blood Center The Quad: Why are blood drives important for students to participate in? Robin Friehling: Blood drives are the vehicles through which we get our community blood supply. There is no other source of blood for human beings who need it than other human beings. One out of three of us will need blood in our lifetime, and one out of seven patients entering a hospital for treatment requires blood as part of their treatment. The need for blood will touch everyone personally at some point in their life, if not yourself, then someone very close to you. This is our community blood supply. TQ: What are some
common misconceptions about donating blood? RF: If I ever need blood, my family will donate for me.” No matter whether your blood donor is a total stranger or a beloved family member, the blood will have to be compatible with yours, the donor will have to meet all the blood donor eligibility requirements, and the blood will have to go through testing, separation into components, labeling, packaging and shipping to the hospital – a process that takes approximately 48 hours. If you don’t have at least 48 hours lead time, your lifesaving blood transfusion(s) is(are) going to come from the community blood supply.
“I’ll be careful. I won’t get seriously hurt. I’ll never need blood.” The largest “user” group in terms of numbers of people requiring blood transfusions are cancer patients. The second largest user group is newborns and their moms. It is not the trauma victims that define the statistics. While one trauma patient can require many, many units of blood, that is still only one patient. It is causes that are common to all of us that make up those statistics. Many people are shocked to learn that the NY/NJ area has a daily need for 2000 units of blood. Your blood drive is one part of a huge puzzle that we fit together every day to bring in the blood needed. NYBC is
running 30 to 35 blood drives every day Monday through Friday, and a smaller number on the weekends. And then we hope that the donations that pass testing and enter the blood supply result in sufficient blood of each of the blood types needed by the patients in the hospitals we serve. TQ: What role do you play in the organization of blood drives? RF: I am called an Account Manager. My role is to work with our partner groups in my assigned territory. I am assigned to Rockland County, where I live, the River Towns in Westchester, and Riverdale. I work with the Blood Drive
Chairpersons from each of my donor groups to schedule their blood drives, and to put together a pre-drive donor recruitment program that will hopefully produce the results that we project. My job is to ensure efficient use of the Blood Center’s resources and good service to our donors, all while meeting a numeric goal number of units of blood - that my territory must produce each month. I am responsible for over 200 blood drives each year in my territory, with an annual goal of approximately 10,000 units of blood.
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On Feb. 12, students and professors gathered in the O Malley Alumni Room to discuss racial injustice in the U.S. today. MADALYN JOHNSON / THE QUADRANGLE
Madalyn Johnson Web Editor
On Wednesday, Feb. 12, the Liberal Arts department organized a roundtable where professors confronted racialjustice issues in the U.S., and afterwards opened the floor to students for discussion on the important topic. Sociology professor Roksana Badruddoja, Ph.D., religious studies professor Courtney Bryant Prince, Ph.D, and English professors, Cristina PérezJiménez, Ph.D., and David Witzling, Ph.D. led the talk. Each professor came prepared with their own presentation in regards to the major racial-jusitce problems in the U.S. today. They utilized the roundtable of professors and students to spread awareness about the problems the school faces when trying to fully embrace racial equity. David Witzling, Ph.D., announced that there will be a new minor, critical race and ethnicity studies offered next semester, and explained why a program like this is vital to add to the curriculum. “Studying ideas about race and ethnicity, studying the cultures of people who have been traditionally marginalized and oppressed in the United States, we are only here because of political struggle,” said Witzling. Witzling continued to explain how Manhattan College is also contributing to the struggle by not offering an exact minor study that explicitly focuses on the challenges colored people face in subordination. “Our program we see as a continuation of that struggle,”
said Witzling. “While there are many courses, including many of the electives that count for a minor on the books that deal with ideas and experiences like the ones we are focusing on, until now it hasn’t been possible, for example a student who is latinx in their own background, to group a set of courses on latinx experiences as a minor for credit.” Courtney Bryant Prince, Ph.D, presented first and talked about how intersexuality and racial identity are intertwined in valuing someone’s worth. She exemplified how race and gender greatly marginalize and socially exclude people by discussing how some LGBTQ+ individuals and couples may be treated differently based on their sexuality and the color of their skin. “When racism and sexism rub up against each other, they sort of have a new baby, a gendered racism or a genderedized sexism and it completely changes the way things operate,” said Bryant. Bryant also used social activist’s, Alice Walker’s, famous saying, “womanist is to feminist as purple is to lavender,” to stress how the feminist social movement should not focus soley on sexism, but on race and women of color too. “Purple is darker than lavender. And so, it’s just about the fact women tend to be African American women or women of the African diaspora, but that they go deeper right? It’s not just this lavender sort of moment when we’re just dealing with sexism, but we’re dealing with class.” Cristina Pérez-Jiménez’s, Ph.D., discussion on race dealt with Afro Latino studies and analyzing why society has
implemented the importance of having lighter skin to Latinos. Pérez-Jiménez highlights this problem through a study that showed Latinos with lighter skin had a higher socioeconomic status than darker skinned Latinos, revealing that racism even exists amongst the Latino community. She additionally lectured about the media and how it puts this idea into minorities’ heads that they can either identify as black or Latino. “So if you look at a lot of media reports, it’s like, you know, there’s a sense of competition, either you’re Latino or you’re black, right? And you’re being pitted against each other because you’re all fighting for resources, for presentation, for visibility, etc.,” Pérez-Jiménez said. Pérez-Jiménez proceeded to go into depth about the normalized view of beauty in the Latino community by showing a collection of featured women from Latino Magazine, including Selena Gomez and Sofia Vergara. All the women were displayed as light skinned Latinas. This led Pérez-Jiménez to rhetorically ask the audience whether the magazine truly resembles what it’s trying to preach. “This is Latino Magazine, it’s a celebration of diversity. Is it diversity?” David Witzling, PH.D., who dedicates most of his research to how economic freedom in the 20th century is represented in literacy, connected his teachings with how the white class has become the normative identity of American culture. Witzling used the 2016 Presidential Election as an example to discuss the misconceptions many have as to why Trump won, and to
emphasize how this normative identity of whiteness has shaped politics today. “We need to acknowledge that many Americans are attracted to the President’s deeply prejudiced anti immigration, anti muslim actions, his history of anti black rhetoric, and actions as well. We need to acknowledge that his racism has played a direct role in his success, ” Witzling said. On top of discussing the past Presidential race, Witzling educated the roundtable about the history of other ethnicities who were mistreated and excluded from society. The English professor incorporated history into the lesson to show how the white class represses the discrimination their ancestors experienced, and thus aren’t socially aware of the prejudice that takes place today. “So Jewish Americans, Italian Americans, more Irish Americans, they are imagined as racially alien. When descendants of those groups think of themselves as white, they are repressing their connections to their oppressed ancestors, and claiming an identity with descendants of people who had oppressed them.” Lastly, Roksana Badruddoja, Ph.D., spoke about racial injustice primarily in schools, and was quick to address the incident that took place at Harvard University in which Lorgia Garcia Pena, Ph.D., a literature associate professor who specialized in Latinx studies, was denied tenure. Badruddoja spoke about the professor being rejected for tenure in an effort to emphasize how educational institutions unethically brand themselves as environments that care about racial equality
and inclusion. Further into her presentation, Badruddoja explained how many schools embody a Greek system that mainly represents white privilege and entitlement which defeats the purpose of preaching diversity on campus and in the classroom. Freshman, Gabrielle Bohner, who attended the roundtable shared how she was pleased to hear Badruddoja point out these flaws and misconceptions of racial justice in the education system. “Just her willingness to call out institutions that we’re all apart of and that she’s employed by, you know, really was interesting to hear,” said Bohner. After the event, Bryant expressed how crucial it is that the school organizes more roundtables so professors and students can be given the chance to talk about relevant issues and progressively grow a desire to make a change. “What ends up happening is it allows the community to reflect on issues that are incredibly important, so we don’t get the privilege or the freedom of walking away from those problems once the symposium is over. But now comes the big part, right, now comes the hard part of us collectively working together to build something new.” Witzling additionally discussed how roundtables allow professors to motivate their students to broaden their rational thinking about society today. “I think that as a professor, as a teacher, I have as much power as anyone else to change the whole world, but at the very least trying to push my colleagues, my administrators, my students, towards these things. That’s a professor who has the most leverage.”
Pérez-Jiménez shows attendees past women on the cover of Latino Magazine. MADALYN JOHNSON / THE QUADRANGLE
Arts & Entertainment
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THE QUADRANGLE
Coffee House and Sanctus Artem Hold Beatles Themed Jam Session Jileen Barrett & Mariana Duque Asst. A&E Editor & Staff Writer
Sanctus Artem and the hosts of Coffee House collaborated to hold a Beatles themed jam session on Tuesday, Feb. 12 in Hayden 109. Erin McWilliams and Chantal Flores (as well as absent host Joe Corrao) chose several of the Fab Four’s most well known songs for the event. McWilliams, a senior chemical engineering major, got involved in music as a child when she began singing in her hometown church’s choir and taking piano lessons. She was invited to be a Coffee House host this past year along with Flores and Corrao, and the three of them came up with the idea of holding jam sessions. “This is our first themed jam, and we chose The Beatles theme to give the session some direction, and have songs that everyone is familiar with and can connect to as a basis,”
McWilliams said. The set list for the event included songs such as “Hey Jude,” “She Loves You,” and “Help”. The small group of about seven students traded instruments around throughout the hour, which included ukuleles, guitars, maracas, and a piano. Everyone joined in on singing along to the catchy tunes while reading off of the
inviting to musicians of any level. Everyone was extremely laid back about playing the music, since the purpose of it was simply to have fun. Regardless of whether a verse was skipped or there happened to be a disconnect in the tempo of the song, McWilliams encouraged students to play the music for the sheer pleasure of it. There were laughs and
consecutive conversations at the table after playing. It was clear that the hosts’ intentions was to make this as relaxed of
Senior Writer
Sanctus Artem and Coffee House collaborated for a Beatles themed night. JILEEN BARRETT / COURTESY an environment as possible. “Jam sessions can be seen as practice for Coffee House! But it’s more of an informal meeting of musicians to play songs that everyone is familiar with,” McWilliams said. Lauren Spagnuolo, a junior childhood and special education major as well as a Coffee House regular, found the event to be just as enjoyable as the performances. She was intrigued by the idea of playing music, especially with her classmates, when she heard about the jam session. “I saw a couple of posters around campus right outside Locke’s and I usually attend
Students perform some of the Beatles’ classic hits. JILEEN BARRETT / THE QUADRANGLE
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Coffee Houses but I’ve never been to a jam session before, so I brought my ukulele and went to go check it out,” she said. The group discussed ideas for future themes, and came up with a few that may appeal to the whole student body. Some suggested they play throwback songs by the rock band Queen, while others favored the idea of trying out childhood classics like High School Musical or Hannah Montana. No matter the theme, jam sessions have certainly proven to be the perfect way for musicians and singers to learn new songs and unwind with friends between classes.
Arts & Entertainment
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Kal Penn and Jamaal Bowman Discuss Politics and Entertainment Gillian Puma
-----------------------“Jam sessions can be seen as practice for Coffee House! But it’s more of an informal meeting of musicians to play songs that everyone is familiar with,” McWilliams said. -----------------------dozens of pages of sheet music, which littered the table that the participants gathered around. The atmosphere was very
FEBRUARY 18, 2020
While celebrities have made political statements through award shows and music, there isn’t as much discussion about the celebrities who do work in politics and show their political beliefs through their artwork. The Government and Politics Club held an event on Feb. 12th featuring actor and political figure, Kal Penn. Penn presented an episode of his NBC comedy Sunnyside, which centers around a fictional former New York Councilman (Penn) helping immigrants of various backgrounds. Presenting beside him was local congressman Jamaal Bowman, whom Penn will be endorsing in the upcoming 2020 election season. Penn is recognizable for his work in a variety of films and television shows such as the Harold and Kumar series, “Designated Survivor,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “House” to name a few. However outside of his role as Seth Wright in “Designated Survivor,” Penn is also a political figure in real life as well. Penn has had a variety of positions in the Obama Administration during Obama’s presidency. During this time, the actor balanced his acting career and political duties. Jamaal Bowman is a middle school principal, teacher, and public school advocate for 20 years. He is currently running for the Democratic nomination for congress in New York’s 16th Congressional district. This includes the areas of Riverdale and Westchester County. Bowman’s campaign expresses interest in improving education as well as creating a New Deal for education and housing in underprivileged areas of New York. “We were able to get them to visit the school because of Luke Hayes and Dr. Groarke,” said President of the Government and Politics club, Giullanna Delucca. Hayes is the brother of MSNBC reporter Chris Hayes, who visited Manhattan College’s campus for a lecture series held in Nov. 2017. Groarke was also credited for making that lecture series possible as well. “Thanks everybody. It’s nice to be here,” Penn said as he introduced himself. When Penn introduced his comedy, he said “The undercurrent behind all of it is a group of immigrants who are studying for the citizenship process.” When describing his character in the show, Penn said he was “The dumbest one
of them all, I play an American born disgraced former city council member who is kicked out of office for being drunk and trying to bribe a cop.” The episode presented showed how Penn’s character helps a student overcome his insecurities of being on DACA, and how he should be open about it to his fraternity brothers. A side plot to the same episode showed a Dominican woman in the class struggling to relax for one day because she’s always working. The episode presented a serious issue in a satirical manner, while not relying on racial stereotypes that are commonly seen in comedies. Following the presentation of the episode was a questionand-answer from the audience. Before the questions began, Penn credited the people who helped make the sitcom possible. “Now that you’ve seen it, this is a show I co-created with Matt Murray. Matt worked on The Good Place for a while and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Mike Schur who created The Good Place is one of our executive producers so we have a really funny group of people,” he said. He also said that they had the most diverse writing crew and cast which is something they took pride in. Bowman gave his input on the episode as well, saying “I thought it was hilarious. I noticed the diversity and I think it’s accessible to people who may not think of immigration or immigration issues in this context.” “All of the characters are loosely based on people that Matt and I knew,” Penn said. “The undocumented kid who this story was about is loosely based on a guy I knew living in Detroit. When I worked on the third Harold and Kumar movie that was shot in Detroit, there was a kid who I befriended who didn’t know he was undocumented until he went to go get his driver’s license at 16.” While the episode humorously showed how the young boy was struggling to admit he was on DACA, the person Penn based this character on didn’t have the same acceptance that was shown in the comedy. “He went home and told his parents, where they admitted they overstayed a Visa. He started living in fear and shortly after I met him, he and his mom were taken away by I.C.E custody and they were taken away for a long time,” he said. The character on DACA was also white, to which Penn said
Actor Kal Penn and Congressman Jamaal Bowman discuss the importance of representation in media and modern politics. GILLIAN PUMA / THE QUADRANGLE he portrayed him as a white man from Moldova because the media doesn’t show how white people are affected by I.C.E as well. An audience member then turned the conversation onto Bowman, asking why he wanted to run for congress. Bowman said “I was tired of children being harmed by a system that didn’t center their realities on a consistent basis.” Bowman explained his experience as a principal and teacher, saying the hardships some of the students have struggled with due to their communities being neglected. “The Bronx is the epicenter of urban decay in America in many ways. So for me, I got to the point where I said you know what? We’ve done a lot of good work for education. We’ve done a lot of good work in the community,” he said. He then shared how he opened his own public school in the Bronx with a medical center attachment to it. Bowman also shared his concerns for wealth being the main concern for the goal of politics. “As I look at our politics from afar, we continue to center wealth as the end goal. We continue to center accomplishment in material items as the end goal. We continue to raise the budget of the military. We continue to vote in favor of war,” he said. “For me, it’s all about how do we center humanity, equality, and justice for all and how do we shift that narrative.” A member of the audience
turned the conversation back to Penn, saying “What made you and your co-creator make this idea for the show?” Penn replied, “About 5 years ago, I was on a very short lived comedy and when that ended my producing partner and manager asked what my dream job was in television. I said my dream job would be to create a television show.” Penn also shared his love for comedy. “I love the sentiment of shows that are aspirational. For example, as much as I loved watching Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, it makes you feel bad before you go to bed and turn off the T.V because it makes fun of everything that’s wrong. Of course that’s needed and he was a genius at that, but I gravitate towards bringing people together,” he said. Thus, the idea of creating a sitcom about a serious issue was created. Another audience member asked Penn, “How do you balance both paths for passions in your life?” Penn replied, “I read Obama’s books leading up to 2007. I had the chance to go to an event of his in L.A. I was very impressed by this event there was no press there and the conversation with him seemed very authentic.” Penn signed up to volunteer in Iowa for the Iowa caucuses shortly after attending the event. He agreed to stay for 3 days and stayed for 2 and a half months. During those months, Penn heard other people’s stories and how they were struggling
to make a living. “I was one of thousands of people who volunteered for him. As his campaign continued to build and grow and he won, there was an opportunity to serve,” he continued. “I said alright what’s my answer for ‘No I won’t work at the White House’ what I have another movie to make? That can wait.” He took a break from acting for 2 and a half years during his time in the White House. The discussion concluded with an audience member asking how Penn and and got in contact with the school and Bowman. “I’m a fan of justice Democrats and I wanted to get more involved. There were a number of nonprofits and advocates that reached out to us when Sunnyside was being made. We did 3 screenings with the Council of Foreign Relations,” he said. Someone told Penn about Manhattan College hosting a local politics community event, in which Penn eagerly agreed to get involved. When the lecture concluded, students and faculty were given permission to take pictures with Penn and Bowman. I thought it was very interesting overall,” said Jaime Avilla, a senior studying communications with a minor in political science. “It’s very different to have someone that is famous, has worked on so many different comedies and other projects teaming up with someone small who’s trying to get elected.”
Arts & Entertainment
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THE QUADRANGLE
V-Day Monologues Return with a Personal Twist Emily Hollar
Asst. Production & Photography Editor On Saturday, Feb. 15, the Manhattan College Players performed their annual V-Day production. This year, the production was titled “To Whom It May Concern” directed by students Rose Brennan, Gabby Kasper and Sami Rini. This year, the monologues consisted of testimonials, which are stories, letters and poems written to sexual abusers from their victims. They highlighted the reality of sexual abuse, and how it oftenly gets pushed under the rug and forgotten, as if the victims are able to forget as well. These monologues encouraged audience members to consider the perspective of a sexual abuse survivor and shed light on the way the issue is dealt with in today’s society. The night began with a video, titled “Rape-It’s Your Fault.” The video consisted of two women sarcastically explaining how rape is caused by what women wear, say and how they act. The video’s goal was to shed light on how unbelievable some people sound when talking about rape. When the video was over, each actor and actress walked on stage one by one, and when they reached center stage, each one told the audience, “it’s my fault.” Once they had each taken their seats, the readings began, singling out specific accounts of abuse. The first, about “Jenny,” was read by Sophie Ryan, emphasizing why she could not say no at certain times when she wanted to, but never said yes, and why silence is not consent. Caroline Shea was next, reading a “A Series of Thank You Notes” which she had written herself. Shea recounted how all she wanted was to be loved and respected, and how the recipient of her notes had given it to her, at the beginning, then took it away. The “beautifuls” had turned to “bitch”, the “wonderful” to “whore”, the “spectacular” to “slut.” Shea continued, “I kept saying no, but your cold, glassy blue eyes and clogged ears heard and saw my lips say yes, I guess.” She went on to ask an all too familiar question, “why me?” As she was finishing up, Shea took out a thank you card, and read, “So, thank you to my rapist. Thank you for desiring my body, and to my rapist, for tossing me away, like the late night chinese food that we would get after your swim practice. Thank you to my rapist for giving me endless anxiety
and panic attacks of your eyes, piercing into mine. You can’t escape what happened to you, but hell did I try. I transferred schools to escape you. But you always seem to come flying back in my nightmares of when you said, ‘You’re fine, honey, relax. Just breathe, it’ll be over soon.’” She went on to thank her parents, who had fallen just short of showing her what true love means. She had thanked her friends, who tried their very best to help distract her, and held her hand as she reported him to campus police, which unfortunately, like many before her, did not work. She thanked everyone who still stood by her, when she told them that her rapist would still be in her class, unreprimanded and that she would lose that trial. Finally, she thanked her current boyfriend for loving her completely, comforting her during rape flashbacks and doing all he could to make her feel safe and protected. By the end, she thanked herself, for trying her absolute best to move on. As the performances passed by, viewers received a male perspective. Adam Granger read an interlude from the New York Times, written by a boy named Jacob in California. He read, “I never forced anyone to do anything, but I now know that I probably said things that could have made someone feel pressured.” Granger goes on to read how his writer’s own “almost abuse” made him realize how important sober, clear, uncoerced consent is in situations where the possible outcomes seem almost endless. As the performance neared the end, four players, Sophie Ryan, Julia Morris, Anna Burnett, and Sami Rini, read a monologue that had been performed by Ashley Frangipane, more commonly known as pop singer Halsey, at the 2018 Women’s March. The group emphasized certain sentences and ideals by speaking in unison. During the first portion, Sophie Ryan read Halsey’s perspective of the waiting room of a Planned Parenthood, and the four recite, “I can’t tell anyone at all.” Ryan reads on to explain how Halsey’s “best friend Sam was raped by a man that we knew ‘cause he worked in the after school program.” They hoped she was not pregnant. Next was Julia Morris, who told the story of a boy whom she had just met, and in unison, the four said that the stairwell “will haunt me in my sleep for as long as I am alive.” The next story, read by Anna Burnett, consisted of a tale about a young girl, just old enough to drive, dating an
older man, showing her the difficulties of adulthood. They had been arguing a lot, because in his eyes, the least she owed him was sex. Again, in unison, the audience heard “And he’s only a man, and these things he just needs.” Lastly, after a few more, Sami Rini read the story of one who believed nothing bad could ever happen to such a confident and strength-filled girl, until the unison returned, “And I wake up the next morning like I’m in a trance, and there’s blood.” Rini went on to say how she is so incredibly strong, how she has toured everywhere, even gone on stage whilst in the middle of a miscarriage. The four cried out, “what do you mean this happened to me?!” In the end of their performance of Halsey’s piece, it is said again, “every friend that I know has a story like mine.” By the end, the four took turns reading that this is nowhere near the end, it is only the beginning, that it is not a compliment to be handled like a piece of meat, it is not okay. They show that people like the girls in the stories are here now to stand up, to tell their stories, to put an end to sexual abuse. Freshman Sophie Ryan looked back on her performance, and explained “it was such a raw experience, and with everything going on even recently on campus, we know it is a really important conversation to have, but that doesn’t make it any easier. The importance of what we are doing definitely helped us get through it.” After all was read, the players exited the same way they entered, each one leaving one at a time, each one saying, “It’s my fault.” Once all of them had left, the audience just sat in their seats. They did not move, not making a sound, simply soaking in everything they had just listened to. Junior Cyrus Cafariella mentioned afterward, “One thought that is sticking with me right now, whether or not it was intentional, but when all the actors left and the room was silent, in my mind it kind of mimicked the silence of what happens after someone has survived a situation of sexual abuse. Where no one knew what to do or how to act after it had ended. I thought that even though it may not have been scripted or intentional by the actors, it was an incredibly interesting concept.” Co-director Sami Rini reflected on the performance as “boo stinky content, but something that needs to be talked about.” The players reached their goal in this performance, sparking conversation and shedding light on sexual abuse.
Sports
FEBRUARY 18, 2020
11
Iona Dominates Manhattan in Rematch MBB: IONA 80, MANHATTAN 57
The M.C. Players take a picture on the Cape Cod Community College stage, where their talents were exhibited for the KCACTF. MARIA SUMMERVILLE/COURTESY
Sophomore Christian Hinckson jumps up for the lay-up. GOJASPERS / COURTESY
Whit Anderson Staff Writer
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[TOP] Performers gather for a moment of silence after their dress rehersal. [MIDDLE & BOTTOM] Caroline Shea and Olivia Haveron read monologues they wrote. EMILY HOLLAR / THE QUADRANGLE -----------------------------------------------------
Even on Valentine’s Day, there was no love lost between the Manhattan Jaspers (1111, 7-6 MAAC) and the Iona Gaels (8-12, 6-7 MAAC) when they squared off against each other Friday night at the Hynes Athletic Center. The Jaspers blew out their rival at Draddy Gym earlier this month, but this time the roles were reversed and Manhattan suffered a painful 80-57 loss. It didn’t take too long into the first half before the game started getting away from the Jaspers. They got off to a horrific shooting start, hitting only 18 percent of their shots which allowed Iona to get an 11-5 lead by the 13:54 mark in the first half. The Jaspers were mostly settling for outside looks, but even the close shots they took were popping out as if there was a lid on the rim. The Gaels, on the other hand, were getting anything
they wanted, especially from the free throw line area or below. Manhattan couldn’t deflect any of Iona’s inside passes or stop their dribble penetration, giving the Gaels all the high percentage shots they wanted. With 10 minutes left in the half, Iona owned a 22-9 lead. One of the main reasons for Iona’s dominance was the play of senior E.J. Crawford. The big guard utilized his 6’6 frame to get to his spots around the midrange area where he couldn’t be stopped all night. Although he shot only 5-of-13 from the field, he used his IQ to bait the Jasper defenders into fouling him. He lived at the free throw line, making 11-of-13 to give him a team-high 21 points. With 8:15 to go until halftime, the Iona lead was 2611. Every Gael starter had at least four points, and they were winning the rebound battle 13-7. The Jaspers couldn’t make a mark on the offensive or defensive side of the ball. It seemed as if Iona got to the free throw line on almost every
possession in the final minutes before the half, and they made Manhattan pay by making nearly all of them. Meanwhile, the Jaspers converted 1-of-7 free throw attempts in the first 20 minutes and only 9-of-21 on the night. The game looked to be all but over at the break as the Jaspers trailed the Gaels 4522 heading into the second half. However, Manhattan deserves some credit for the energy they displayed coming out of the locker room. Their defensive intensity and offensive rebounding helped to get the game within 20 points around the 16-minute mark. This run was led by senior Pauly Paulicap, who has been the Jaspers’ energy spark all season. He ended his night with 10 points and a few emphatic blocks. Despite the slight comeback, the Iona lead was too large to overcome. Iona was still able to stick to their game plan of getting the ball inside the free-throw line to either score
or get fouled. This, combined with the Jasper offense still not being able to get anything going, made their rally attempt tough. Manhattan’s main scoring threats in Samir Stewart, Tykei Greene, Elijah Buchanan, Tim Reynolds, and Warren Williams combined for just 31 points on 40 shots. The team overall made 34 percent of their field goals and 22 percent of their threes. Iona’s lead never got smaller than 20, and much of the credit had to be given to guard Isaiah Washington. He finished with 14 points, but also did a great job of controlling the pace of the game and breaking the Jaspers off the dribble. He reminded everyone why he was Mr. New York Basketball back in high school with St. Raymond. The Gaels clearly have the talent to compete in the MAAC, and the way they’ve been playing lately indicates that they’re finally playing up to their potential. Coach Maisiello wasn’t as
upset in the post game interview as one might’ve expected him to be, understanding that while the Jaspers didn’t play well, it also just wasn’t their night from the start of the game. “Iona came out ready… they had been playing really good basketball since we last played them,” Masiello said. Instead of reflecting more on what happened, he wanted to prepare for the Siena game on Sunday noting that the Jaspers “need to have a quick turnaround.’” “I think going into tonight they [Siena] are 10-0 at home, so that’s where all the focus has to be on now.” Manhattan couldn’t get the job done in Albany as they fell to a surging Siena squad by a final score of 65-52. The season series between both schools is now even with Manhattan’s 8169 victory over Siena having come on Jan. 12. After their victory over Manhattan on Sunday, Siena (12-10, 8-5 MAAC) is now 12-0 on their home court.
Sports
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THE QUADRANGLE
Will the Real Lady Jaspers Stand up? MANHATTAN 77, QUINNIPIAC 62 RIDER 55, MANHATTAN 50 Pete Janny Sports Editor
This is the sprint to the finish. The MAAC tournament is three weeks away and fifthplace Manhattan is looking to lock down a top-five seed to get a bye for the first round. The Jaspers returned to Draddy this past week for two games after suffering a 74-53 loss at Marist on February 8th. The homestand started off on a positive note with Manhattan securing a comeback victory over perennial MAAC powerhouse Quinnipiac (12-11, 9-5 MAAC) on Thursday night. Two days later, the Jaspers dropped a 55-50 decision to the nation’s leading scorer, Stella Johnson, and the Rider Broncs (19-4, 12-2 MAAC). While showing just how good they could be against Quinnipiac, Manhattan reminded us on Saturday that consistency remains one of their biggest challenges. All comeback victories feel good, but Thursday night’s effort against Quinnipiac had special meaning. In only the program’s second win ever against Quinnipiac, six Manhattan players scored in double digits to come back from as large as a nine-point deficit in the second quarter. Junior Sini Makela stole the show with a career-high 15 points with the help of three three-pointers. From the way the opening quarter went, it seemed like the Jaspers were in for a defensive battle. Both teams shot under 30 percent over the opening 10 minutes with neither able to create any separation on the scoreboard. The most exciting development early on was the play of junior Courtney Warley, whose six points helped give her team a marginal 14-10 after one quarter. The second quarter was a step back for Manhattan, signaling that the home team was potentially in for a long day. Quinnipiac rattled off nine straight points to open the second quarter to seize a 21-14 lead by the 6:38 mark. With the Manhattan offense misfiring at will, the Jaspers started to abandon their defensive identity. In need of a spark plug,
junior Lizahya Morgan started making her presence felt with her offensive aggressiveness. With her team down 27-18 and signs of a potential blowout creeping in, Morgan poured in eight of Manhattan’s final 11 points of the quarter. Overall, Morgan contributed 10 points as one of six double-digit scorers. Thanks in large part to Morgan’s breakthrough, Quinnipiac was unable to fully capitalize on Manhattan’s firsthalf struggles as the visitors’ entered the break with a slim 32-29 lead. Out of the break, Manhattan had a pep in their step. The Jaspers quickly reclaimed the lead when senior Julie Hoier converted a tough layup at 7:39 that put Manhattan ahead 35-34. That ended up being the last lead change of the night as Manhattan went on to stretch its lead to as high as 11 in the quarter. Whatever adjustments head coach Heather Vulin made at halftime worked wonders for a Manhattan team looking to beat Quinnipiac for the first time under the Vulin regime. Six Manhattan players scored in the third with no one standing out more than Makela. Eight of her 15 points came during the third quarter, including two of her three three-pointers. Vulin beamed with pride when talking about Makela after beating Quinnipiac. “She is the ultimate teammate and she plays hard every possession,” Vulin said of Makela. “When a kid like that has a breakout game, you feel extra happy.” “We had a really good prep for this game and we just felt good coming into this game,” Makela said. “Especially in the second half we came out aggressive and my teammates were able to find me.” Despite being held in check for most of the second half, the Bobcats refused to give up. The visitors’ went on a 6-0 run to cut their deficit to 54-47 at the end of three. However, Manhattan proved Quinnipiac’s mini resurgence was nothing more than a pretense as the Jaspers opened the fourth quarter on an 8-0 run to go up 15. This surge was fueled by a layup from Warley, along with a jumper and a three from Hoier.
Warley finished with 13 points and nine rebounds, while Hoier ended her night with 13 points and seven rebounds. Vulin is well aware of just how tough those two players can be for opposing teams, especially when they are impacting the game offensively like they did against Quinnipiac. “When those two want to score the ball, I put them against anybody in the league at their possession,” Vulin said of her talented frontcourt duo. “When they want the ball and shoot the ball, they are both really talented.” The Bobcats wouldn’t get closer than eight back the rest of the way. With the Manhattan offense playing at a fast pace in the second half, Quinnipiac needed to do damage from three if they wanted any chance at victory. They never were able to get going from three thanks in large part to the Manhattan defense. “I thought we did a really good job of defending the three-point line tonight. Our length disrupted them,” Vulin said. Two days later, Manhattan couldn’t channel the same magic against Rider. Considering the Jaspers lost to the vaunted Broncs 76-53 on the road late last month, a win in this game was never going to be easy. Led by 27 points from the nation’s leading-scorer, Stella Johnson, Rider proved too much for Manhattan to handle inside with the Broncs outscoring Manhattan 32-18 in the paint. Despite the disappointing result, Manhattan did not play with fear against the mighty Broncs. In fact, Manhattan led by as much as nine points in the second quarter following back-to-back baskets from sophomore Kania Pollock. It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Pollock this year, who has only played in eight games this season due to injury. With the talented D’Yona Davis out the whole season as a medical redshirt, Vulin is hoping that other guards like Pollock can step up. Saturday was just the latest example of Manhattan guards not grabbing enough rebounds to make Vulin satisfied. “At times I put four bigs in,” Vulin said of the rebounding
Courtney Warley attempts a layup in traffic. GOJASPERS / COURTESY shortcomings of her guards after the loss to Rider. “It’s something they have to buy into.” Manhattan’s biggest regret was presumably the 11-0 Rider run they allowed at the end of the second quarter to enter the half down by two. Nine points from Stella Johnson in the third quarter gave the Broncs some much-needed breathing room as they took an eight-point cushion into the fourth quarter. Down by 10 with just over three minutes left, Manhattan made one last comeback bid that saw them whittle the deficit to just three following a three from Lizahya Morgan with 18 seconds left. From there, Johnson proceeded to ice the game with a pair from the line to cap off a typical performance from her. In addition to her scoring contributions, Johnson added seven rebounds, five assists, four steals, and three blocks. Watching Johnson do her thing evoked in Vulin the potential of D’Yona Davis. “When she’s [Davis] eligible next year she can be one of the leading scorers in the conference,” Vulin said of the sophomore medical redshirt. The defensive performance on this day was an encouraging sight to Vulin against the top team in the MAAC this season. “If you told me we were going to hold Rider to 55 points today, I thought we would win,” Vulin said after a game in which
her team only shot 29.5 percent from the field. “They are one of the top scoring teams in the league so defensively I was really proud of the effort.” If not for the special game that Warley had, the scoreline would’ve been a lot worse. In addition to her team-high 12 points, the junior center registered a career-high 19 rebounds that allowed Manhattan to outrebound the Broncs by a 4237 count. Warley’s dominant performance on the boards gave her sole possession of 12th place on the program’s alltime rebounding list at 636. She just needs five more rebounds to tie for 11th in the rankings. In addition, Warley’s three blocks against Rider brought her career total in blocks to 102. In only her third season in Riverdale, Warley joins an exclusive company as one of five players in program history to eclipse 100 blocks for their career. Vulin continues to be amazed by what Warley can do on the court. “If she’s not defensive player of the year, I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Vulin pleaded. “She gives you the ultimate effort.” The Jaspers will go play Canisius and Niagara in Western New York before returning for a senior day match-up with Fairfield on Saturday, Feb. 29. Tipoff for that game is slated for 2 p.m.