Volume 92 Issue 11

USG OKAYS FIVE NEW STUDENT CLUBS - PAGE 2

FORDHAM OFFERING LDA HEALTH BENEFITS - PAGE 5

SERVING THE FORDHAM UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY FOR OVER 90 YEARS

1918-2010

MAY 5, 2010

VOLUME 92, ISSUE 11

Fordham Feels Spring Weekend Fever

By JACOB TORPEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

PHOTO BY STEPHEN MOCCIA/THE RAM

Record-sized crowds packed Martyrs’ Lawn for MGMT’s free concert and the Under the Tent Dance as Fordham celebrated its annual Spring Weekend tradition the weekend of April 30 through May 2. Students also had the opportunity to listen to the Ramblers, watch comedian Mike Birbiglia and get free breakfast, among other activities.

The Campus Activities Board’s organization of the 2010 Spring Weekend went off, it would appear, without a hitch. Fordham University’s end-of-the-year celebration managed to attract large crowds.

“We were extremely happy with the way Spring Weekend turned out,” Nick Passantino, CBA ’10, president of CAB, said. “We had gorgeous weather all weekend and our events were well attended.”

The celebration began with Wednesday night’s Campus Movie Fest. The exhibition of student films was held on McGinley Lawn at 8 p.m., showcasing the recent collection of student films made on and around campus. Wednesday night was marked by a large group of students watching “indie” style films on the lawn in a warm night under clear skies, a condition that would remain consistent throughout the rest of the weekend as well.

Friday’s events began with a free lunch at Rodrigue’s Coffee House at 2:30 p.m. This particular event attracted a huge crowd of students, who assembled in a SEE SPRING WEEKEND ON PAGE 3

Security Gaffe Leaves Student Locked in Lombardi Door Locks Reinstalled, Security Policies Shifted After Female Student Inadvertently Spends Night Locked in the Vince Lombardi Center Weight Room

By PATRICK DEROCHER NEWS EDITOR

A female student was locked in the Lombardi Center weight room overnight after entering the building to use the fitness facilities on April 22 and becoming trapped until student workers arrived the next morning.

The student, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that she signed in at the front desk and entered the area at 11:20 p.m., worked out in the cardio room for about 10 minutes, and went on to the weight room. Seeing, from across the pool area, a security guard ushering students out of the cardio room at around 11:40, the student decided that it was prudent that she leave at that time.

However, in attempting to exit the room, she found all doors locked, even though the weight and cardio room were not officially supposed to close until midnight.

“I was banging [on the locked door] for about 40 minutes straight,” she said.

After failing to get anyone’s attention, the student then thought to pull a fire alarm, thus alerting emergency officials to her plight.

However, she discovered that there was, in fact, no fire alarm in that room. After waiting the entire night and into the morning for security to respond, “it was the lifeguard who was starting her shift at 6:10 a.m.,” she said.

When asked about the situation, John Carroll, assistant vice presi-

dent of Safety and Security, was open about the matter, saying first of all that he was “sorry” about what the student involved in the matter had to go through and adding that numerous changes had been made since the mix-up.

There have been, he said, four major changes since April 22. First of all, he noted that, prior to last week, security guards had shifts that ended at 12:30 a.m., under the assumption that 30 minutes would be a sufficient time in which to complete all necessary tasks. However, the shifts now last until 1 a.m. so as to ensure that all students, staff and faculty have left the area.

The doors in the weight room, he said, should have been locked from the outside as well as the inside. As such, Carroll said that the locking and opening mechanisms on that door have been replaced. Additionally, the weight room will be closed at 10:30 p.m., along with the pool, so as to make it impossible to access the pool through the weight room.

Finally, security guards will now be required to escort users out of Lombardi Center facilities at closing time, thus ensuring that no one gets stuck inside the facility.

“Our goal is to make sure this can never happen again,” Carroll said of the incident and ensuing policy changes. He admitted that security officials closed parts of the Lombardi Center before official closing time, adding that he believes that the incident “was not her [the student’s] fault.”

Work being done on the center’s squash courts have led to a restructuring of the weight room, so students now have to pass through the pool area to reach the weights.

One of security’s concerns, Carroll said, was that students not run into trouble in the pool area.

According to student pool employees, the changes that Carroll

alluded to were in place by the week of April 25 with Fordham security guards promptly escorting students out of the weight room after the pool’s closure.

PHOTO BY PATRICK DEROCHER/THE RAM

Lombardi Center policy has changed since the recent locked-in student incident, as reflected in new signage, such that the weight room is no longer open after the pool has closed for the evening at 10:30 p.m. The signs, however, are rather ad hoc, created using discarded printer paper and Lombardi Center sign-in sheets.

INSIDE Sports PAGE 19

Opinions PAGE 12

Culture PAGE 13

Softball team wins 16th game in a row, ranked No. 2.

In support of President Mary McAleese as commencement speaker.

The Ram reviews MGMT’s Spring Weekend performance.

PAGE 2 • THE RAM • MAY 5, 2010

SECURITY

BRIEFS

April 27, Southern Boulevard, 4-7 p.m.

NEWS

USG Approves Five New Clubs, Addresses Foreign Student Issues Administration Agrees to Post Teacher Evaluations Online; New Administration Lays Out Goals for Coming Year

By VICTORIA RAU

A Fordham alumnus said that upon returning to his car, parked on Southern Boulevard between Bedford Park Boulevard and the entrance to the University, his passenger window was broken and his GPS removed.

April 29, President’s Office, 8 p.m. - 7 a.m.

A person threw a rock at the southernmost window of the president’s office, but there was no sign of illegal entry. Facilities was notified to fi x the window.

May 1, Off Campus, 1 a.m.

A security guard observed a male jump over a fence near Larkin Hall. A security official found the male based on the description provided. The 48th Precinct was notified and the male taken into custody and charged with trespassing.

May 1, 861 East 187th Street, 4 a.m.

A student said that two males attacked him, striking him on the side of the head and knocking him to the ground. Fordham EMS responded and took him to St. Barnabas Hospital. Though no property was taken. The 48th Precinct was notified and is investigating the incident.

May 1, Queen’s Court, 3:30 p.m.

A student reported that he returned to his room after playing in a football game to find his Dell laptop damaged to the point of being inoperable. Security is investigating the incident.

May 2, 2505 Lorillard Place, 12 a.m.

Two students and a friend were walking back from an offcampus location. They were followed into the building by a male who demanded money.

In the elevator, the man put his hand in a plastic bag to simulate a weapon. Each victim gave him $10. The 48th Precinct responded and apprehended the male near Washington Avenue. There were no injuries and the case will be presented to the Bronx Grand Jury on May 6.

May 2, Off-Campus, 3 a.m.

A guard at the Bathgate gate reported numerous eggs were thrown from the roof of 2536 Bathgate Avenue onto his post.

Security responded and canvassed the area with negative results.

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

United Student Government voted in support of five new clubs seeking official club status, including Young Americans for Liberty, Right to Play, Operation Dreamcatchers, Model United Nations and the 12th Man Club at its meeting on April 29.

Representatives from all five clubs attended the meeting to present the case for why their groups deserve club status. Most emphasized that they anticipate making limited budgetary requests and that their club fills a unique niche on campus, unsatisfied by alternate, similar organizations.

Young Americans for Liberty is a libertarian club whose representatives argued that neither the College Republicans nor the Right to Life club provides an adequate forum for the libertarianminded students.

Right to Play is an organization that raises funds to start sports development programs in underprivileged countries, the majority of whose founding members are freshman residents of Queen’s Court. Newly confirmed vice president of athletics, Johanne Sterling, FCRH ’11, has already met with and expressed interest in working with Right to Play, club representatives said.

Operations Dreamcatchers is an organization that collects donations in the form of money or medical supplies to provide hospitals in underdeveloped nations with the support they need to operate in difficult conditions.

The club’s founders have already sent two boxes of supplies to Guyana.

Model United Nations, founded by students who participated in high school, is an activity in which students take on the role of a United Nations delegation and hold mock sessions using official parliamentary procedure.

They plan to join the Northeast regional group of college-level Model United Nations clubs, compete at that level and someday host an event at Fordham.

The 12th Man Club is a group formed to support the football team, along the same lines as the Sixth Man Club for the basketball team, by bringing fans together into one cheering section with a unified purpose to elevate the energy at Fordham sporting events.

“Tonight, the student body expressed its resounding support for these five new clubs,” Bryan Matis, CBA ’12, vice president of operations, said. “We are proud to formally welcome them to the community of leaders and proactive students that so significantly contributes to the Fordham experience. I’m really confident we will be seeing some great things from each of these new clubs.”

Additionally, USG confirmed Sidney Henne as the vice president of CBA ’11, a seat previ-

COURTESY OF BRYAN MATIS

At its second to last meeting of this year, USG approved five new clubs after hearing pitches from representatives of each of the groups. USG also discussed many of their new initiatives for the coming year.

ously left unoccupied when no candidate ran for the position in the USG elections held in April.

In her pitch to the senate, Henne offered her visions for USG, including dynamic senior nights, focus on sustainability issues, CBA initiatives and efforts to standardize the grading policies across the University, in addition to her qualifications.

Having served as the USG liaison from the Residence Halls Association, Henne stressed her familiarity with USG operating procedures.

“If elected today, I could really hit the ground running,” Henne said.

In her executive update, Sara Kugel, FCRH ’11, executive president, reported that she is optimistic about the prospects of her commuter guest pass bill.

The bill, which she introduced in February and proposes that Residential Life allow resident students to obtain guest passes for commuter students within 24 hours rather than 48 hours in advance, has received good responses from high-level administrators, according to Kugel.

Int’l Students Initiatives Kugel and SiHien Goh, vice president of CBA ’13, announced that they would work in the coming year to improve conditions for international students at Fordham. The fact that students receive a new post office box every year poses unique problems for international students, who need a permanent address in this country in order to apply for Social Security numbers and receive bank statements, among other things.

Kugel and Goh met with Residential Life, which plans to revamp the mailbox assignments in the coming year due to new residence halls, and received an optimistic response to their request that international students maintain the same P.O. box all

four years at Fordham.

Goh brought to USG’s attention the fact that Fordham has been struggling to comply with regulations that the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration Customs and Enforcement puts in place regarding services that universities that accept international students are required to provide.

In July of 2009, a task force submitted a report to Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University, entitled “International Student Issues” that refers to Fordham’s Office of International Service (OIS) as “grievously understaffed.”

According to Salvatore Longarino, director of the OIS at both the Rose Hill and the Lincoln Center campuses, only one other full-time employee apart from himself is responsible for dealing with all the issues that international students face upon their arrival at Fordham, including language barriers, immigration forms, opening bank accounts and applying for social security numbers.

“I took on this issue because as an international student, I am starting to feel exasperated at the way things work for international students here at Fordham,” Goh said. “It seems like we are always left to fend for ourselves.”

Kugel said that Vice President of Student Affairs Jeffrey Gray voiced his support for measures that are cost-neutral such as the proposal for permanent mailboxes, but could not commit to further measures that might require more funding.

“The school may be embroiled in the worst financial crisis in a long time, but I don’t think that is an adequate excuse for not hiring sufficient employees in the OIS,” Goh, who is advocating for more services for international students such as English language mentors that stay with them for their entire freshman

year, said. “If they cannot afford to hire more manpower, then they shouldn’t be seeking a larger international student population because the OIS is understaffed as it is.”

Caitlin Meyer, FCRH ’12, executive vice president, presented Goh with a Special Senator Commendation for his work in identifying a serious issue and promptly meeting with administrators to try to solve the problem.

Faculty Evaluations Online Sean Radomski, president of FCRH ’11, announced that Dr. Allan Gilbert, chairman of the faculty evaluations committee, has agreed to post the results of teacher evaluations for the past five semesters online so that students can access them when registering for classes, the culmination of Radomski’s efforts for over a year.

“The community will benefit from this because when they go to pick classes, they can tell which professors are high-rated, and which ones fit their taste and preferences,” Radomski said. “I feel with Ratemyprofessor, it’s really skewed because the only people that do it are the people that either really like or really hate the teacher, so there’s no real middle ground, but with teacher evaluations, everyone fills them out, so it’s more representative.”

Meyer’s Update In other business, Meyer announced the formation of a task force to sit in on interviews for the three finalists the University is considering to fill the position of director of Career Services.

After meeting with Financial Services, Meyer reported that they plan to bring more clarity to the students with regard to financial aid. For instance, they plan to reroute students seeking merit aid to the appropriate offices since Financial Services deals only with need-based aid.

NEWS

MAY 5, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 3

SPRING WEEKEND, FROM PAGE 1

line that wrapped around Queen’s Court. Additionally, students used this event to enjoy some quick refreshments and a bite to eat before signing up and participating in the annual Rose Hill Rush.

The race began at 3:45 p.m. with the starting line near McGinley Lawn, and gave students the chance to run three laps around campus. The race was five kilometers (3.1 miles) in length, with each lap being approximately one mile in length.

The Ramblers, Fordham’s only all-male a cappella group, performed in front of 750 students at the Fordham Prep Auditorium at 7 p.m. that evening, warming up students for the night’s main event, a mix-show from DJ Earworm in Parking Lot A near the University’s front gates.

Earworm, a San Francisco-based mash-up artist (who is most widely known for his annual mash-ups of Billboard magazine’s “Top 25 Songs of the Year”), managed to gather a crowd total of about 3,200 students.

Saturday’s festivities did not begin until 11 a.m., giving students a little extra time to get some rest before grabbing some free breakfast provided by the Residence Hall Association at all residence halls on campus, as well as a meal provided by the Commuting Students Association in the Commuter Lounge.

At 12:30 p.m., students began entering Martyrs’ Lawn, for one of the more anticipated events of the weekend: the concert. As students became acclimated to the hot weather, student bands Average Girl and Penrose opened for Brooklynbased synthpop act MGMT. The

PHOTO BY STEPHEN MOCCIA/THE RAM

In spite of record-sized crowds at its various events, the 2010 Spring Weekend was, by all accounts, no rowdier or more problematic than it had been in past years.

event attracted an excess of 5,200 attendees.

The Willy Wonka-themed Under the Tent Dance began later that night at 9 p.m. In addition to the usual pasta, bread and iceberg lettuce dishes, the dance, in keeping with its theme, offered students a wide array of chocolates and other candies to eat. As in years past, cover band Pink Noise provided musical entertainment for students.

Many University faculty and staff members attended, including a number of employees from the Office of Student Leadership & Community Development, CAB officials and several resident Jesuits,

including Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University.

Lines for portable toilets on the concert site were long for most of the day, but for the most part the dance progressed fairly smoothly and enjoyed an attendance of about 2,000 students and guests.

The final event of the weekend was a stand-up comedy performance by acclaimed comedian Mike Birbiglia in the Fordham Prep school Auditorium at 7 on Sunday evening. With an opening act by the young and fast-talking comedian, Max Silvestri, acting as warmup, more than 1,000 students attended. Birbiglia came on stage and

recounted tales of his childhood, many of which involved personal medical fiascos including malignant bladder tumors, the influence of REM sleep behavior disorder on day-to-day life and the effects of carnival ride-induced nausea.

Reflecting the views of many students, Passantino said he was largely pleased with Spring Weekend.

“The Ramblers had a great show in the Prep with over 750 people in attendance. DJ Earworm drew a crowd of over 3,000 people on Friday night and I got very good feedback from people who attended.”

Michael Trerotola, CBA ’10 and president of RHA, said he was also

Last SLC Meeting Welcomes New Members New Student Representatives Take Positions with CAB on Executive Board; McShane and VP Dunne Speak of Haiti Relief

By PATRICK DEROCHER NEWS EDITOR

Student Life Council (SLC) held its first summit with its newly chosen members in O’Keefe Commons on April 28. The council, which is composed of representatives from various groups and departments that fall under the jurisdiction of the Division of Student Affairs, meets on a monthly basis throughout the school year; Christopher Rodgers, dean of students, oversees the council and its activities.

Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University, and Thomas Dunne, vice president for government relations, opened this meeting, the last of the 2009-2010 academic year, with a brief discussion of Fordham University’s relief efforts for Haiti following the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck that country on Jan. 12.

“The student body has never ceased to amaze me,” Dunne said, praising the lengths to which Fordham students went in order to raise funds for Haitian relief and rebuilding efforts in the months since the disaster.

McShane said that students had raised some $47,800 and that the Office of the President had not yet sent that money to relief organizations in hopes of reaching $50,000 by the end of the school year.

“I want to congratulate and

thank you,” he said, noting that the amount raised is similar to donations made following the 2004 Sumatra earthquake and tsunami, in spite of 2010’s substantially worse economic conditions.

Dunne and McShane then went on to suggest ways in which Fordham could raise the additional $2,200 to achieve their goal, including placing donation boxes at the Under the Tent Dance and asking the 1,700 attendees to donate a dollar or two to the cause.

In the section of the meeting dedicated to Public Agenda Issues that are brought forth by members of the Fordham community, Kendall Lewis, FCRH ’11, put forth a plan to increase the participation in SLC by adding new constituent members.

In particular, he suggested that the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice and, possibly, the Office of University Mission and Ministry be brought on as voting members of the councils with permanent representatives present at all meetings.

“I feel that there are many student voices that do not feel represented here,” he said, adding that, in spite of his experiences to the contrary, many staff and students involved in these organizations, the Dorothy Day Center in particular, were wary of the “difference in culture” between their groups and those on the Student Life Coun-

cil.

Many students and faculty members on the Council expressed concern over the fact that the groups that Lewis suggested adding do not, in fact, fall under the authority of the Division of Student Affairs. He subsequently pointed out that these three offices, although not under the same administration as current SLC organizations play a major role in student life on campus.

In particular, Lewis cited the strong participation in New York City’s College Challenge service program. As of April 28, Fordham was ranked in second behind only St. John’s University and immediately ahead of Columbia University; both of those schools have enrollments that are at least 30 percent larger than Fordham’s.

Lewis’s proposal sparked much debate amongst SLC attendees.

One proposal that Greer Jason, assistant dean of students and director of the office of residential life, put forth was that a separate council be created for groups such as the Dorothy Day Center and Campus Ministry with a function similar to SLC. The various members of the council debated and traded ideas back and forth as to whether Lewis’s proposal should be passed.

Although the suggestion was ultimately tabled, Rodgers praised Lewis and the council for their efforts to refine SLC’s definition

and purpose. He indicated that the issue of adding the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Dorothy Day Center and the Office of Mission and Ministry to the council will be discussed at length in the future.

The meeting’s other major development was the approval of club budgets for the fall 2010 semester.

Led by Emily Amato, FCRH ’12, executive vice president of finance, the process involved requests from all active clubs on campus for funds with specific itemizations for specific purposes, events and programs. After a brief debate on the matter, the council voted to approve, nearly unanimously, the proposed budget.

Finally, this was the first SLC meeting in which the Campus Activities Board was considered part of the council’s executive board. As such, Kathleen Biemer, FCRH ’11, president of CAB for the 2010-2011 school year, spoke about the then-upcoming Spring Weekend activities alongside presentations from Sara Kugel, FCRH ’11, president of USG, Jake Braithwaite, CBA ’11, president of the Residence Halls Association and Jonathan Roque, CBA ’11, president of the Commuting Students Association.

The SLC meeting on April 28 was the final meeting for the Spring 2010 semester. Meetings, usually held on the third Wednesday of every month, will resume in September.

pleased with what he viewed as the success of Spring Weekend.

“It [the Under the Tent Dance] was hugely successful; we sold out tickets in eight hours,” he said.

Security officials, namely Dan Kiely, director of Rose Hill security, praised Fordham students for being well-behaved over the weekend.

In spite of having a far larger attendance than in years past, he said that this weekend’s security actions were “about the same” as in other years.

Additional reporting by Patrick Derocher, news editor.

THIS

week at FORDHAM Wed., May 5 Office of Disability Services Transition Year Program, Dealy 102, 1:30-3 p.m.

Wed., May 5 CHOICES Sponsored by AODE, Rose Hill Commons 234, 3-4:30 p.m.

Wed., May 5 Career Services KAPLAN Dealy 101 & 201, 6:30-10:30 p.m.

Wed., April 5 Ampersand Weekly Meeting Alumni House Basement, 8:30-9:30 p.m.

Thurs., May 6 El Grito de Lares Meeting McGinley Music Room, 12:30-2:30 p.m.

Thurs., May 6 USG General Meeting Faculty Lounge, 6-8 p.m.

Thurs., May 6 GO! Mississippi No More Classes Concert Ramskellar, 6:30-11 p.m.

Thurs., May 6 Reading Days Begin Tues., May 11 President’s Midnight Breakfast at Rose Hill Ultimate Dining Marketplace, 10:30 - 12 midnight

NEWS

PAGE 4 • THE RAM • MAY 5, 2010

Gmail and Replacement for Clean Access Coming to Fordham Beginning During Summer Term, FNAC Will be Rolled Out to Replace Clean Access; Gmail-Based Student Accounts to be in Place by Fall 2010 Semester

By VICTORIA RAU ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Fordham University will implement Gmail for student e-mail starting in the fall of 2010, the Information Technology Department revealed in a newly announced partnership with Google in April.

The move to Gmail from the current system, Mirapoint, generally met with approval in the University community, will foster a positive budgetary impact, Patricia Carlucci, executive director of special projects in the department of information technology, said. The basic service offering, provided through Google Apps for Education, has no cost to the University.

“It is going to be a Google account like Gmail, but it’s going to have slightly different storage limits,” Carlucci said.

Though the IT department has yet to determine the exact timeline, it will eventually migrate all student e-mail accounts to the new Gmail system from Mirapoint, allowing students to keep their Fordham e-mail accounts for life.

Students will be responsible for transferring data from their own e-mail accounts and for saving any e-mail messages that they want to keep from the current server.

“Mail is looking more and more like a commodity,” Carlucci said.

“Universities want to spend their resources on things that are more unique to the university and that move the mission of the university along.”

Other institutions that employ Gmail as their e-mail provider

include the University of Notre Dame, Georgetown University, Northwestern University, Cornell University and New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Feedback toward the syste has been positive at these schools.

Carlucci is optimistic about implementing the program at Fordham, both in terms of user-friendliness and in terms of allocation of University resources.

“We started out with a proposal that we should do this in order to make better use of IT resources and to give students a better email experience,” Carlucci said.

Additionally, the IT department announced that they would replace Cisco Clean Access, the University’s current network security certification system with new software called Fordham Network Access Control (NAC), created by a company called Trustwave.

Most students who use Mac computers are unfamiliar with the system because only people who use Windows are required to employ it. According to Fordham IT’s Web Site, Clean Access “checks for the presence of current Windows operating system updates and fi xes as well as installation of University-approved anti-virus soft ware tools.”

The shortcomings of the current system include a limited number of compatible anti-virus software options and the large amount of memory Clean Access requires to run on PCs. Fordham NAC will perform similar functions to Clean Access, such as authorizing users and ensuring that computers meet the requirements for the network. It will not, however, require students to install an

COURTESY OF FORDHAM IT

Rather than a standard announcement, Fordham’s Information Technology division is slowly but progressively rolling out information regarding the switch to Gmail, such as a blog and the Web site www.fordham.edu/gmail.

agent of authorization and will be “less resource-intensive,” according to Cesar Nau, manager of user support for Fordham IT. Students will need to install anti-virus soft ware, which Fordham IT provides at no charge.

Nau said that Fordham NAC will

support Symantec, McAfee and Trend-Micro as Clean Access currently does. The IT department also hopes to support additional anti-virus programs in order to provide students with more options, although no plans have been finalized.

The IT department will introduce Fordham NAC on the Rose Hill campus starting May 26 and continue to test it throughout the summer.

Additional reporting by Patrick Derocher, news editor.

NBC Correspondent Rehema Ellis Speaks at Fordham

PHOTO BY ABIGAIL FORGET/THE RAM

Television reporter Rehema Ellis, who coined the phrase “9-11,” recently spoke to Fordham students in Flom Auditorium.

By ABIGAIL FORGET MANAGING EDITOR

“Be informed,” was NBC correspondent Rehema Ellis’ top piece of advice for aspiring college journalists. “We have the greatest access to news and information than we have ever had before but we are the least informed.”

Ellis spoke to Fordham University students on April 29 in Flom Auditorium regarding how to break into the cutthroat field of journalism. Students took notes energetically as the reporter detailed her 20-year career with NBC News and the steps she took to achieve her current position.

Ellis is most famous for being the first NBC news correspondent to report on Sept. 11, 2001 and coined the

widely used term, “9-11.” Additionally, Ellis has reported on the death of Michael Jackson, the recent earthquake in Haiti and Hurricane Katrina.

The correspondent reported from the steps of the Capitol during the inauguration of Barack Obama and stayed in what was then Zaire for an extended period of time to cover the Rwandan genocide. Ellis disclosed to students that, although others comment to her about, “how [she] is living the American dream, [she’s] still dreaming.” She reminded the audience that one must start small.

“One of the things that I hope all of you will do is intern,” Ellis said. “There will be few times in your life where you can afford to work and not get paid, but the truth of it is, you are getting paid because experience is pay.”

Ellis explained that internships are key in determining whether what you are doing in the particular job is what you really want to pursue as a career later in life.

“I went to Simmons College in Boston and I originally wanted to do sociology,” Ellis said. “I wanted to work with people, but then I got the notion that I wanted to write, but I just was not sure what exactly.”

Following graduation from Simmons, Ellis traveled to Africa to work as a teacher. While overseas, Ellis filled out an application for Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, which brought her back to the United States when she was accepted to the program. Ellis received a scholarship from Westinghouse Broadcasting Company to study at Columbia in ex-

change for her participation in an internship management program with WINS, an all-news radio station.

Ellis expressed her distaste with the management proposal at the time but explained that she still wished to get her foot in the door of the communication business, so she nevertheless took on the internship.

“Opportunities do not always knock in the form that you would like them to knock,” Ellis said. “They may come with a different heading. You have to have the vision to see beyond the heading.”

A recurring theme of the lecture was the tendency of today’s media consumers to assume that the words of bloggers or citizen journalists are true without fact-checking the information.

“Your job is to find out if what someone said makes any sense or even if it is true,” Ellis said. “That means you have to do some reporting. You have got to be a reporter. Imagine. You cannot be a stenographer.”

The lecture was followed by a question-and-answer session, in which students inquired about internships and Ellis’ memorable career moments, specifically her account of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11.

“9-11 really feels personal,” Ellis said of the event. “It hit home for me; I could see the smoke coming from my apartment window. I was more afraid during 9-11 than I ever have

been during any story that I have ever covered.”

Ellis described feelings of disorientation upon arrival at Ground Zero and was not even able to recognize the Brooklyn Bridge due to it being filled with running people rather than vehicles.

“Our nation is in a state of 9-1-1-,” Ellis recalled stating to a police officer standing nearby.

Ellis stood in line at a pay phone and proceeded to call Tom Brokaw and report live from Ground Zero without a camera or audio equipment.

“The most troubling part about going down to Ground Zero was that everyone else was heading up,” Ellis said. “The people looked at me and they said, ‘What are you doing? Turn around that’s the wrong way.’ My job is to go down. Down into harm’s way.”

In order not to conclude the talk in a somber manner, Ellis changed the subject when a student asked her a final question. Ellis wrapped up the talk by advising how not to incorporate one’s own opinion when reporting a news story and how to balance one’s personal and professional lives simultaneously.

Currently, Ellis’ reports appear on MSNBC, “The Today Show” and NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Ellis has also been taking strides with new media by Tweeting, blogging and writing regular articles for NBC Online.

NEWS

MAY 5, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 5

Electricity, Plumbing, Other Utilities Operating in New Buildings

By PATRICK DEROCHER NEWS EDITOR

As the end of the 2009-2010 academic year approaches, construction work has been progressing as planned, if not faster, on Campbell and Salice-Conley residence halls on the western edge of Fordham’s Rose Hill campus. On April 30, officials at the construction site granted The Ram access to the site for the second time.

The tour began with an assurance of construction progress.

“We’re looking at a TCO [temporary certificate of occupancy] for Towers Three and Four on May 15 and One and Two on June 15,” Anthony Cella, project manager for Gotham Construction, said.

Gotham Construction is Fordham University’s contractor for this particular project; it was also used for the construction of the William D. Walsh Family Library, opened in 1997.

When The Ram got its second chance visiting the new buildings, electricity, plumbing and other utilities were functioning, as Cella demonstrated by flushing a toilet and briefly running the sink in a second-floor suite in Tower Four, Conley Hall.

Additionally, the road behind the new buildings has been completed, now connecting to the traffic circle near Martyrs’ Court, Alumni Court South and Alumni House. According to Cella, once the construction project is finished near the end of summer vacation, there will then be vehicular access

to East Fordham Road near the Metro-North station and the intersection with Third Avenue, where there is currently a pedestrian-only gate and temporary guard booth.

Once this road is in place, movein processes will be greatly expedited, as cars dropping off people and items at Alumni Court South will be able to proceed behind Campbell and Salice-Conley Halls and out onto Fordham Road without needing to turn around in front of Martyrs’ Court. In front of the new buildings, where landscapers are currently planting trees, there will be an open green space connecting to Martyrs’ Lawn.

On the inside, many of the rooms on the upper floors of Salice-Conley Hall, in particular Tower Four, were already at least partially furnished with appliances, lighting and other necessities. As previously reported, all kitchens will feature a dishwasher and a microwave in addition to the refrigerator and oven, as found in Walsh Hall. The ovens, manufactured by General Electric, will feature four electric burners, while the dishwashers are Whirlpool products. All appliances are finished in a matching black.

Also previously reported, each apartment will have a digital thermostat to control the entire apartment, though not individual rooms. These features are in addition to circuit breaker access, which had not been previously announced and is accessible in all apartments.

As for the buildings’ other interior design aspects, Cella said that

Healthcare Extended to Legally Domiciled Adults

By PATRICK DEROCHER NEWS EDITOR

Fordham University, in a somewhat unexpected move, announced on April 30 that it would extend the same health benefits it provides to faculty members’ spouses to legally domiciled adults (LDAs). Although numerous other Jesuit colleges and universities, among them Georgetown University, Boston College and Santa Clara University, have already extended benefits, Fordham has been slow to do so, apparently at the behest of Archbishop Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York.

According to a blog post by Ashley WennersHerron, FCLC ’10, editorin-chief of The Observer, the change was announced to the faculty senate after Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University, spoke with Archbishop Dolan on the matter.

“I’m very happy,” Andrew Clark, assistant professor of French and associate chair for modern languages and literature at Lincoln Center said.

“I think we’re finally treating our community as a whole, and it means good things for Fordham.”

Rose Hill faculty also warmly welcomed the change in policy.

“It’s a remarkable sign of what the Fordham community can do when it puts its mind to doing important things for justice,” Patrick Hornbeck, assistant professor of theology, said.

This change comes after four years of active campaigning on the part of faculty, staff and students.

Additionally, obtaining health benefits for LDAs was a focal point of this year’s United Student Government campaigns, with Sara Kugel, FCRH ’11, executive president of USG, and Caitlin Meyer, FCRH ’12 and executive vice president of USG, in particular making the effort a focal piece of their campaign.

“I am thrilled at this development,” Kugel said. “So many students and staff members have worked diligently to have these health benefits come to fruition so this development is truly one to be proud of.”

According to WennersHerron’s entry, Fordham’s plan will be based on that at the University of San Francisco, another Jesuit institution, and have different levels of coverage based upon whether the LDA is a dependent adult or a domestic partner.

This announcement by the University comes in the wake of a study performed by Fordham researchers Drs. Elan Y. Karten and Jay C. Wade regarding the nature of male homosexuality. Their research, published in this past March’s issue of the Journal of Men’s Studies, showed that healthy, non-sexual relationships with other men could lead to a shift in sexual orientation toward heterosexuality.

However, it does not appear that this study had any major impact on the University’s decision to extend LDA benefits.

The University and office of the president did not release any statement at the time of the decision, and no timeline appears to have been given for the introduction of this benefit structure.

PHOTO BY STEPHEN MOCCIA/THE RAM

A tour of Conley Hall revealed a great deal of progress in the past month, including utilities, which are now functioning.

The new buildings will feature kitchens with stoves, microwaves, refrigerators and dishwashers.

each building will have its own accent color for walls and staircases.

Salice-Conley, the building to which The Ram had access, is a medium blue, while Campell will have green accent walls.

On the main floor of each building, there will be 10 washers and 10 dryers, updated versions of those currently installed in Fordham’s residence halls. The laundry

room is presently visible from the building’s exterior, but by the time construction is complete, there will be a frosted glass wall between the laundry area and the building’s front wall.

Although little work has been done on the Campbell Café and multipurpose room area, construction on the halls has been moving apace, and those involved antici-

pate building completion will be punctual with students beimg able to move in as scheduled at the end of the upcoming summer. The basic frame of the area is already in place, and representatives from Fordham and Gotham Construction were able to point out exactly where several items in the space will be located once the buildings are complete and open.

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MAY 5, 2010

PAGE 7

Point-Counterpoint: Spring Weekend 2010

PHOTO BY STEPHEN MOCIA/THE RAM

MGMT performs for an ecstatic crowd on Martyrs’ lawn during the annual Spring Weekend concert, supplementing a carnival-like atmosphere of barbeque, ice cream, sunbathing and other fun festivities.

Spring Weekend is the Perfect Event to Bring Closure to the School Year

By BRIAN KRAKER ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR

Fordham is a university overrun with cliques.

From the moment students arrive on campus, freshmen are ushered into crowds that best suit their interests. Beginning with dormitory rivalries and expanding to the campus’ extracurriculars, students limit themselves to particular factions.

With students constantly seeking sanctuary in familiar friend groups, Fordham is a school divided, with a lone exception: Spring Weekend.

This mental health break before the treacherous week of finals unites students behind a common goal, to stave off this academic gauntlet with the whimsical follies of music and free food.

Spring Weekend razes these social barriers, bringing the entire student body together through its plethora of events.

Spring Weekend 2010 enticed students to emerge from their library cocoons and join in the festivities that were spread out over a threeday weekend. Fordham put aside its drink ups and beer pong to bond over the musical acts and dances. Club members halted activities, Mock Trialers dropped their gavels and tour guides abandoned prospective students, all to join their peers. These Spring Weekend events achieved the goal of merging the factions of Fordham into a singular student body, a feat not often accomplished on campus.

The events commenced with Campus Movie Fest, which provided students a venue to display their work to the public. The films were projected onto a screen on the McGinley Lawn, evoking laughs and cheers from the audience. Spring Weekend allowed Fordham to experience the cinematic talents of their peers once confined to their dorm rooms.

The Ramblers’ concert introduced students to the music talent that is often confined to the club’s McGinley basement office. The all-male a cappella group performed renditions of pop hits such as “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon, bringing students together with Billboard Chart toppers.

Fordham rarely convenes to enjoy the school’s music groups harmonize on stage, but the return of this annual performance successfully allowed students to lend an ear to the Ramblers.

The comedic performance by Mike Birbiglia drew a packed house at Fordham Prep. The opportunity to see free stand-up comedy is rarer than a cheeseburger at the caf, and Fordham students certainly took advantage. By inviting Birbiglia and his quirky brand of humor, CAB successfully evaded the mediocre comic who simply recycles trite college jokes. Poking fun at awkward doctors and sleepwalking, Birbiglia brought the crowd together through a common thread, comedy.

Free food is a staple of any successful college

event, and Spring Weekend had no shortage.

Rodrigue’s Coffee House provided a free lunch, while Martyrs’ became a scene from a summer barbecue during the concert. Nothing brings students together like a free meal, and Spring Weekend certainly brought the catering to campus.

The Willy Wonka-themed Under the Tent Dance produced an enormous turnout and inspired students’ best Gene Wilder impressions.

With walls draped with sugary sweets and a buffet of delectable desserts nestled in the corner of the tent, the dance evoked every student’s inner child. As Pink Noise performed mainstream hits in addition to classical favorites, Fordham transformed from its cliquey persona into a singular chorus.

Spring Weekend was at its best when students crowded onto Martyrs’ Lawn for a picturesque concert event. Opening the main stage to student bands Penrose and Average Girl, the Fordham community was introduced to bands comprised of its own peers.

MGMT was the perfect selection for the headlining band, providing a psychedelic ambiance for a mellow afternoon on the lawn. With the uptempo songs turning the lawn into a frenzy, the acoustic tracks from their new album provided the perfect soundtrack to the Woodstock-esque atmosphere outside Martyrs’.

If the indie genre was not appealing, Spring Weekend provided Fordham with a pop alternative. Students turned out to hear DJ Earworm sew an intricate tapestry of synthetic beats, weaving together the iconic rhythm of Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” with the popular lyrics of Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl.” Regardless of music taste or dancing ability, a large crowd packed itself into the A Lot, creating an underground concert atmosphere.

Spring Weekend 2010 succeeded in achieving its goal of providing students with a temporary vacation from academia. Students packed auditoriums to enjoy comedy and Fordham a cappella groups. Regardless of a student’s musical tastes, Fordham blanketed Martyrs’ lawn with beach towels and plaid shirts. Students swarmed campus, garnishing violet and orange Spring Weekend T-shirts. Fordham came together around Spring Weekend in a truly unique way .

The defining moment of the weekend occurred on Martys’ lawn, as MGMT concluded their set with “Kids.” As the synthesizer hummed the tune’s opening progression, the crowd let out a cheer and began to bounce in unison. There were not cliques or factions, just a singular student body basking in the Spring Weekend experience, one crowd, one school, one Fordham.

Brian Kraker, FCRH ’12, is a computer science and English double major from Pompton Lakes, N.J. He can be reached at kraker@fordham.edu.

Spring Weekend Events are Fun, but Important Improvements Should Be Made

By CHRISTINE BARCELLONA OPINIONS EDITOR

Students anticipate Spring Weekend festivities with a mingled sense of ecstatic expectation and frustration with the University’s inevitable strictness and logistical issues. Despite the brilliant move of booking MGMT and the careful planning involved in trying to perfect the weekend, some improvements could be made.

First, the strict security during the weekend is well intentioned, but it creates its own set of problems. Guards are told to check all bags at the entrances of residence halls, which is theoretically a good idea to discourage alcohol consumption on campus. However, this policy encourages students to seek parties and events off-campus, which increases incidences of intoxicated students wandering around the Bronx during the night.

The strict security at the entrance of the Saturday concert-and-barbeque event encourages binge drinking and recreational drug use. Because students are not allowed to reenter the concert area after leaving, students who do not wish to spend the time sober tend either to binge drink before the show, or find a non-alcoholic way to intoxicate themselves.

Students who seek clean fun suffer from the strict reentry policy, as well. Students who forget to bring a blanket, sunscreen or anything else cannot return to their dorm rooms to retrieve the item. While this seems like a minor inconvenience, it does make a difference to someone who arrives at Martyrs’ Lawn at 12:30 p.m., forgets something but cannot leave until 4 p.m., unless he or she wants to miss the show.

The barbeque could be improved. Because students were not allowed to bring water bottles into the fenced-off area, the University should have made it a priority to have an overabundance of water. While water was accessible at the event, long lines snaked across the lawn as people waited at the few tables set up, only to find that when they reached the front, the water was gone and all that was left was lukewarm iced tea or lemonade. When temperatures rise to the mid-80s, it should be a priority to supply students with more water, and more water dispensers, so people will not have to wait in a long line to get a cup of water.

The disappearance of last year’s Dippin’ Dots and smoothie stands upset some students. While the Mr. Softee truck dispensed delicious soft-serve ice cream, it

was nothing special; an identical ice cream cone could be purchased for $3 on Fordham Road. If Fordham is committed to trying to create a carnival atmosphere, it might be nice to have some unusual treats. Dippin’ Dots, smoothie stands or even cotton candy might have been nice additions.

The enormous line that formed by the Mr. Softee truck suggests that perhaps Fordham should have added an additional soft-serve dispenser. If the University expects people to attend this event, it should make an effort to supply more adequate food and water supplies, and more stands with things to do. Maybe instead of hiring a man to walk around randomly on stilts, Fordham could make sure that its students have ample water.

The closing of Edward’s Parade was also an inconvenience during the weekend. The weather was beautiful, and students who did not want to commit to hours trapped in the concert venue might have wanted to spend time sunbathing on Edward’s Parade, before heading over to Martyrs’ Lawn.

Closing Edward’s Parade was an unnecessary move.

Another seemingly senseless move was limiting advance ticket sales for the Under the Tent Dance. Many students bought and scalped tickets, profiting by charging $23 for tickets they had bought in advance for $20, but which their peers had missed out on and would have to spend $25 on at the door of the dance. The limited number of tickets increase the University’s profits by making it able to charge students an extra $5 because of a limited supply of tickets. It also encouraged students to profit off each other and increased stress as advanced tickets were sold out and students may not be able to buy a ticket. The honest course of action would have been to increase the supply of tickets and sell them to students at a fair price, instead of forcing them to pay extra at the door because they were not quick enough to snag an advanced-sale ticket.

Overall, Spring Weekend brimmed with exciting events, good food and good music.

However, some of the policies the University implemented were disturbing, put students in danger and should be revised.

Christine Barcellona, FCRH ’12, is an English major from Dallas, Texas. She can be reached at cbarcellona@fordham.edu.

Staff Poll: When the staff of The Ram was polled, 12 thought Spring Weekend was flawless, while four thought improvements should be made.

OPINIONS

PAGE 8 • THE RAM • MAY 5, 2010

The Ram

From the Desk of Patrick Derocher, News Editor

Serving campus and community since 1918.

When I was younger, the best part of visiting my grandparents’ house was staying in what I affectionately dubbed “the space-shuttle bedroom.” In this particular room, an entire wall was devoted to a large, color photograph of the Space Shuttle Columbia in orbit over Earth. To five-year-old Patrick, this picture was really cool to stare at as I fell asleep. As I got older, it became a source of inspiration; the more I looked at that photo, the more I realized that I wanted to be a part of that world, where the future is created through innovation, science and discovery.

This desire initially manifested itself as my goal of becoming an astrophysicist, an aspiration that did not fully subside until I took calculus-based physics as a senior in high school. This is not, however, going to be an article about my academic pursuits; if you were looking for that, find a good psychiatrist. No, I plan on taking a different track entirely, going with a more literal interpretation of my initial observation: Why the United States should invest in manned spaceflight.

When President Barack Obama released his version of the 2011 federal government budget, it had no funding for the Constel-

The Ram is the University journal of record. The mission of The Ram is to provide a forum for the free and open exchange of ideas in service to the community and to act as a student advocate.

The Ram is published and distributed free of charge every Wednesday during the academic year to the Rose Hill, Lincoln Center and Westchester campuses with a readership of 12,000. The Ram office is located in the basement of the McGinley Center, room B-52.

www.theramonline.com Editorial: (718) 817-0873 Production: (718) 817-4381 Newsroom: (718) 817-4394 Advertising: (718) 817-4379 Fax: (718) 817-4319 theram@fordham.edu Fordham University - Station 37 Box B Bronx, NY 10458 Editor-in-Chief Mark Becker Managing Editor Abigail Forget Design Editor Stephen Moccia Business Editor Caroline Dahlgren News Editor Patrick Derocher Assistant News Editor Victoria Rau Opinions Editor Christine Barcellona Assistant Opinions Editor Brian Kraker Culture Editor Celeste Kmiotek Assistant Culture Editor Jen Cacchioli Sports Editors Danny Atkinson Nick Carroll Assistant Sports Editor Jon Smith Copy Chief Claire Borders Copy Team Mary Alcaro Melissa Dulebohn Tom Haskin Sean McGonigle Sandy McKenzie Jillian Minahan Hussein Safa Nicki Torok Ryan Vale Photo Editor Simon Sulit Operations and Outreach Mike Burkart Web Editor Kelly Caggiano Web Staff Tracy Fan Ou Cara Stellato Faculty Advisor Beth Knobel

Opinions Policy The Ram appreciates submissions that are typed and saved on a disk in a *.rtf, *.txt or *.doc formats, or sent to the staff via e-mail at RamLetters@ fordham.edu. Commentaries are printed on a space available basis. The Ram reserves the right to reject any submission for any reason, without notice.

Submissions become the exclusive property of The Ram and will not be returned. The Ram reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions in The Ram’s editorials are those of the editorial board; those expressed in articles, letters, commentaries, cartoons or graphics are those of the individual author. No part of The Ram may be reproduced without written consent.

lation Program, NASA’s proposed replacement to the aging Space Shuttle program. Without assurance of federal funding, there is no way that Constellation can continue to exist, and it is essentially dead in the water. This means that once Discovery returns from STS133, which is planned to finish on Sept. 26 of this year, there will be no foreseeable future for American manned spaceflight.

If you’ve read some of my past opinions pieces, you know that I’m not normally a fan of government spending and involvement (ask me about my plan for whittling the cabinet down to five positions), but here, I have to make an exception.

When the United States was in its heyday of spaceflight, NASA and its squadron of brilliant scientists and engineers were an unprecedented force for innovation, creating and/or introducing to the public a huge variety of new products. Without NASA, there would be no LEDs, no freezedried food, no memory foam mattresses and no Dustbuster. The cochlear implant, which allows the deaf and near deaf a chance at hearing again, would have never been invented. The development of solar energy, car tires, industrial lubricants, aircraft anti-icing

and water purification technologies would have been severely limited. Velcro, Teflon and instant drinks like Kool-Aid would never have been as widely used as they are today. Countless discoveries in the realms of medicine, chemistry, biology and physics would never have occurred. Computers would probably still be the size of houses, and houses would not have carbon monoxide detectors.

These are just the direct results of NASA’s research and other activities. A list of “NASA spinoffs,” as they are called, does not do justice to the invention and innovation that spaceflight, and manned spaceflight specifically, has inspired. The inventors of the Internet grew up with images of Neil Armstrong stepping foot on the Moon. Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg and the rest of the second generation of tech moguls were born and came of age during the golden era of the Space Shuttle program. Countless young women have been inspired to pursue careers in science by women like Sally Ride and Mae Jemison.

Without NASA, without manned spaceflight pushing the boundaries of human exploration and knowledge, there would be none of this.

Obama’s solution to not having

American missions to the International Space Station is to hand off the duty to private enterprise.

Again, I am normally a huge fan of private businesses, and I am certainly in favor of them taking part in the exploration of space. However, no corporation, massive and productive though a company may be, is able to bankroll innovation in nearly the same way as NASA. Besides, much of the innovation is done by private enterprise, working for NASA. Thus, the argument for bringing back manned spaceflight. There is simply no better impetus for technological progress, no better inspiration for American youth and no better way to ensure the continued prosperity and success of this country; today’s five-year olds should feel the same awe that I did looking up at that picture of Columbia as I fell asleep. Let us just hope that Obama sees the situation this way and gives NASA the funding it needs.

No Tricks with Fordham Entrances

By GINA CILIBERTO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The security office has the ambiance of a phone-a-thon headquarters. I have dropped by to inquire about the entrance for prospective students and whether it offers a fair view of the Bronx. According to a New York Times article, Union College has a history of directing prospective students and their families to campus through an indirect route so as to ignore the “bad” surrounding area. Some people have wondered if, perhaps similarly, Fordham only allows cars into the main gate on Southern Boulevard, which prevents a drive through the neighborhood.

I want security’s view on this but, with five students already hospitalized, an emergency exit curiously unlocked, and a miscommunication between a student in Finlay and a visitor at the main entrance, the frenzied student worker cannot afford the luxury of an interview. A crowd of ex-NYPD officers huddle outside of the office, their orders streaming through the radios. I am reminded of the many times I have doubted, even mocked, Fordham security. Tonight it is clear that security is a hardworking group of people who know how to do their jobs.

“Cars enter at the main gate for two reasons: traffic and safety,” Stephanie Stringfellow, FCRH ’12, said.

Other than government vehicles or trucks, automobiles are not allowed to drive through campus in order to protect the safety of the students, and also to give them ample walking space.

“This isn’t a very big campus,” Stringfellow said.

The Rose Hill campus is just about a square mile, and with 5,000 enrolled students, there is not much space left for vehicles.

Her second point about safety is fairly predictable. Creating more than one car entrance does not seem practical; yet, transferring the traffic to the Finlay gate seems equally unreasonable.

Where would cars check-in? We would likely need another guard for pedestrians. The entrance at Southern Boulevard allows Security to monitor visitors in a way that they otherwise could not.

Moreover, the main entrance also positions cars conveniently. On days like Friday, April 23, when admissions hosted approximately 330 visitors, the stream of cars filled Fordham’s driveway, but probably did not create immense congestion off-campus. With no driveway and no space to build one, the Finlay gate would push congestion onto Fordham Road.

I need not belabor the fact that Fordham Road already has an abundance of traffic. In terms of practicality, the Southern Boulevard entrance serves another purpose, as it is located next to the parking garage. Finlay gate, or any other gate, does not have space for parking.

Elwood Tuck, the client service manager of Fordham, voiced legal and aesthetic concerns about having an automobile entrance at another gate.

“On Bathgate, there are guys working on cars, which isn’t appealing to prospective students,” he said, noting that these workers also “crowd the street,” creating a spatial concern. “Bathgate is not legally a two-way street.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Though it may seem that the entrance policies conceal the Bronx, there are practical reasons for the Southern Boulevard’s status as designated entrance.

Exiting cars would thus be forced to drive through campus, thereby violating the aforementioned traffic and safety restrictions about vehicles on campus.

Plus, they would end up on Southern Boulevard, anyway.

Perhaps the real reason for the placement of the main entrance has a historical premise: that is, “that’s the way it’s always been.”

A Fordham employee since 1969, Tuck assured me that the main gate has maintained the same location for over 40 years.

While this argument may suggest that Fordham has a long history of concealing the Bronx, such a claim becomes senseless once applied to the context of Fordham’s 1969 commuter community.

Largely a commuter school, Fordham did not become mainly residential until after the 1970s, and after the main gate was established. This, indeed, solves our

query. Fordham likely would not construct a picturesque entrance in order to hide the Bronx from Bronx residents, who composed most of Fordham’s population for most of Fordham’s history.

In fact, Fordham may never hide the Bronx completely. The admissions office often encourages families to explore off-campus, providing them with pamphlets that highlight the best restaurants on Arthur Avenue and even include some history of the area.

Without a doubt, more Bronx exposure would serve students, both prospective and current, well. However, as Fordham supports a large population of offcampus residents and a long camaraderie with Arthur Avenue, students and staff have less to conceal about the Bronx and all the more to talk about.

Gina Ciliberto, FCRH ’12, is an English and music major from Danbury, Conn.

OPINIONS

MAY 5, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 9

Making the Grade, Fordham-Style

CHRIS STRACH/MCT

Some students feel that Fordham deflates its GPAs, reflecting academic rigor.

By ALBERTO PANCRUDO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Grade inflation is a tricky topic to discuss. However, it helps to understand that grade inflation is merely a symptom of a system where the prestige of a college degree is eroding. This is where GPA comes in. With everyone going to college, expecting to go to college or having already earned a college degree, GPA is one metric that is used to differentiate one college student from another.

Fordham College (not necessarily CBA), while not pronounced, does have some form of grade deflation in place. It is not prominent for marketing reasons, but it certainly exists.

The college considers a 2.3 or C+ to be “average level of performance,” according to the bulletin.

It may look good when you are around fellow Fordham alumni, but others may be skeptical that Fordham is a harder school than most other colleges. Much of the incentive to do little about taming grade inflation stems from economic reasons.

Even though colleges consider themselves to be non-profit or tax-exempt institutions, their business model resembles that of private corporations. They under-

stand the cycle of karma which plays into endowments and national rankings, so nurturing student sentiment is essential, so, in some sense, students won’t resent them (i.e. lower alumni donation rates, poor scores on college surveys etc). As the cost of college gets more expensive, more of the bargaining power shifts to the students. Colleges, however, will go through all phases of the business cycle since they have the cultural cushion to back their business models. Even if a person did not go to college and is as well read as a college graduate, he or she will not have as much credibility compared to someone who went to college.

The notion of reducing grades to a curve might appear frightening, since GPA cutoffs are often used by employers and admissions committees when reviewing applicants. It follows that if students are given better GPAs, this will cause them to get better jobs and get into good graduate schools. In turn, alumni donations are expected. This trend will persist so long as “schools believe that granting higher grades gives alumni an advantage,” according to an article in the New York Times.

The article cites a study conducted by Stuart Rojstaczer and

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Christopher Healy, who found that the average GPA had risen from a weighted average of “2.52 in the 1950s” to about a “3.11 by the middle of the last decade.” In some schools, grade inflation is more prominent than in others.

Perception-wise, even if it is true that some schools are harder than others, a 2.2 GPA from a difficult school, on the surface, does not look as good as a 3.2 in an easier school. However, some of the schools that placed very high in the U.S. News rankings are not necessarily difficult schools to achieve a high GPA, as most would think. If you glance at the schools in the rankings, a lot of them have inflated GPAs. The schools which most suspect to be doing little to curb grades and doing much to contain them are spot on with expectations. At Harvard University, the average GPA in 1995 was a 3.36, but in 2005 that figure rose to a 3.45. This is close to a 2.67 percent increase. By contrast, Boston University, which is known for its strict grading, had an average of a 3.1 in 1998 but in 2004 that figure dropped to a 3.04. This is approximate to a 1.93 percentage decrease.

Princeton, which three years ago implemented a grade deflation policy, seeks to limit the number of As to 35 percent across all departments.

Even if colleges went back to their rigid grading practices on a transcript, admission committees at professional schools do not want to take the perceived risk of factoring a 2.2 into their advertised median scale of a 3.47, even if the 2.2 is demonstrated to be on par with the performance of a 3.7 at some other school.

There are large volumes of applicants for a few spots and there is little time to evaluate the gravitas of that 2.2.

Like excessive government regulation, too much grade deflation can actually be a bad thing.

As an artificial control, grade deflation can hinder academic innovation. Grade deflation as a tool starts to blur boundaries when it comes to the liberal arts, or subjects which require heavy essay writing.

In a liberal arts subject, where a majority of the marks assigned are derived from subjective assessments, it can sometimes come to the point where the grade one can get is based on what the instructor feels, especially if there is a need to main-

tain a curve.

The problem with grade deflation is that it can push the instructor to rely on arbitrary reasons by prompting fickle circumstances. Assuming that each individual in a class has his or her own linguistic signature and is equally intelligent, it may compel the student to write a paper that is reflective of the writing style and convictions of the instructor him or herself. Take the example of a political science class. A student may be a traditional conservative and believe in lower taxes, minimal government interference and a non-interventionist foreign policy, while his or her instructor is a neoconservative and believes that democracy can be exported and that a more expansive foreign policy is better.

With a grade curve and tons of kids in the class, it will be tough to press his or her case with a result for a higher grade. This is because it costs too much time to evaluate the soundness of an opposing viewpoint than it is to evaluate those which are in line with his or hers. To an extent, it is instinctive to favor something which already is closer to the student’s set of values or inclinations. Thus, an instructor can be more picky in choosing which students in a distribution curve would get As and which would get Cs. Grade deflation is not without its merits. By forcing kids to work diligently for their grades, colleges can send the signal to students that life does not revolve around the more hedonistic pleasures in life, things which would make even Caligula himself grin in delight. From a marketing perspective, no one wants their college to be a top party school. It just does not look good.

Likewise, capping grades can also make the degree appear more valuable. It does feel good to know that you worked hard for your degree relative to your peers. The problem is that the degree will only appear valuable to your college brethren, but when stacked against other inflated ones, it is a depreciated asset. The question to ask in this case is whether pride in a difficult degree which no one knows the challenge of obtaining is a more important objective than going along with the crowd.

Alberto Pancrudo, CBA ’10, is an finance major from White Plains, N.Y. He can be reached at alberto.pancrudo@gmail.com.

John Rosenthal, The Huffington Post

Ace, Ace of Spades

“All 35,000 offshore wells provide the annual equivalent of 26 days worth of oil, yet they continually threaten wildlife. The growing environmental catastrophe spreading in the Gulf serves as a wakeup call to begin choosing clean energy alternatives versus dirty fuels such as offshore oil.”

“In life, there are choices with consequences, and sometimes it’s necessary to accept some downside to get an upside. People don’t acknowledge the upside of petroleum, like being able to drive places, having heat and electricity. [But], show them a dying otter and they want to stop this all.”

Libertas et Veritas CHADWICK CIOCCI

Fond Farewells When I commented to a friend that I only had one day of classes left and one last column to write, he remarked that it must be “bittersweet.” No, I replied, just bitter.

For the last four years I’ve had the pleasure of being a conservative student activist here at Fordham University and this role has largely come to define me to the student body, and rightfully so.

I’ve written weekly for The Ram for the past four years, the last of which I’ve had the honor of my own column; I started up my own (failed) conservative magazine, The Liberty Forum, which inspired some students to create a liberal counter-part; I’ve battled the paper as well as Progressive Students for Justice on myriad issues, sometimes winning, and sometimes not; and most importantly, of course, I was president of the College Republicans for two years, raising Hell at times and accolades other times, but mostly Hell.

Perhaps the most ironic thing about all of my involvement is that I came to Fordham as a freshman with a promise to myself that I would not get involved in any campus politics because of my political involvement back home and because I genuinely wished to pursue other interests. That changed, however, with some ingenious marketing featuring Che Guevara by the College Republicans my freshman year that roped me in, even until now.

The greatest honor I’ve been given has not been awards or invitations to speak at conferences but the fact that the paper, that nefarious but ultimately harmless publication we all love to hate, has routinely found it necessary to comment and rebut my writing and events. Some weeks they only publish one article against me, other weeks it seems as if the entire publication has been produced for the sole reason of refuting me, but even when they haven’t kept the attacks above the belt, touché la paper, you’ve kept me on my toes.

I can leave Fordham knowing that I have helped directly or indirectly so many of the groups and people who share my fight: College Republicans, Respect for Life, Young Americans for Liberty as well as many others. These groups and their current and future leaders are well equipped to successfully continue the battle for years to come, and I have much confidence that they will do so. Much rests upon their success, whether we realize it now or not.

As I graduate, I urge these future leaders: pick up the torch and run with it, being a light to all of Fordham, the torch of libertas et veritas, the torch of liberties and truths.

The light of liberty is never more than one generation away from extinction, so Fordham, don’t let the light go out.

Chadwick Ciocci, FCRH ’10, is a philosophy major from Trumbull, Conn. He can be reached at cciocci@ aol.com.

PAGE 10 • THE RAM • MAY 5, 2010

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OPINIONS

PAGE 12 • THE RAM • MAY 5, 2010

Former News Editor Bids Fordham Farewell

COURTESY OF ROBERT PERGAMENT

Dean Rodgers bids goodbye to former news editor Rob Pergament at the Under the Tent Dance during Spring Weekend.

By ROBERT PERGAMENT STAFF WRITER

This is the last article I will ever write for The Ram. Most of you probably couldn’t care less. Some of you are greatly relieved that precious trees will no longer be sacrificed to print my insidious prose.

Hopefully hearing this will make a handful of you sad, especially if it encourages you to think of all the “last” things you’ll do or you’ve already done in the last weeks of college.

I’m thinking of my last classes – I won’t be debating Edith Whar-

ton with fellow lit buffs much after this week – and last chances to stretch out on Eddie’s in the afternoon sun. I’m thinking of last dances (shoutout to CAB for realizing how much we Fordham kids love to dance and bringing Girl Talk and DJ Earworm to campus, not to mention RHA’s fantastic Under the Tent) and last Buffalo chicken wraps at the Grille.

I’m thinking of all the teachers I’ve had and how they changed my life, like Professor McLeod, whose development class made me realize that poor people in China and Africa and India are just as impor-

tant as people in the United States, and maybe they shouldn’t die horrible malaria-related deaths. Or Professor Burke, who gave me a chance to compete in the Fed Challenge despite my thinner background, and Professors Sicker and Caldwell and Andindilile, who challenged me and reinforced my love for literature and writing.

This is quickly descending into a grocery list of gratitude, so before I get to the really important people, the part where if you don’t know me you really need to stop reading and do something productive, I want to make a couple

reflections. I spent a lot of time on the pages of this newspaper complaining and criticizing. Almost all of it was because I love this school so damn much and I just wanted to make it a better place.

You see, Fordham is like a beautiful girl with a huge heart, but who is horribly embarrassing at parties and sometimes does really stupid things. In the end, though, it usually does those stupid things out of love. Sure, Father McShane is a bit obsessed with boosting fundraising, but that’s his job, and if he does it well we’re all going to benefit, and sure, Fordham spends a lot of that hard-earned money in ridiculous ways, but it’s all in an attempt to make this school better. The point is, Fordham, like the beautiful girl, isn’t perfect, but I love Fordham and Fordham loves me back all the same.

First things first, then. Mom and Dad, thank you for all your love and support over the past 21 years. I am literally made of you, in body and spirit. Isn’t that a scary concept? We’re all made of our parents. It kind of makes you want to respect them a bit more.

Also, Dad, thanks for getting me a job. I’ll start sending the checks as soon as I can. You may want to prepare for your retirement in a more secure fashion.

To all my fellow Ram staffers: Nick Thibideau, you were the best partner an editor could have; I think I was good for you, and you were good for me. Amanda Fiscina, you balanced the impossible responsibilities of being editor-in-chief with grace; thanks for taking all those bullets for me. Mark Becker, you are doing

tremendously in her footsteps, not to mention being a heck of a B-league softball captain. Copy editors, I’m sorry for not making all the changes. Patrick Derocher, keep fighting the good fight.

Dan Fogarty, you’re one of the best friends I’ve ever had, and you broke my heart when you transferred to George Washington, which is why I’m so happy you’re coming back for law school in New York. I’ll never forget our two-paper all-nighter that probably included more Madden than essay writing.

Mike Valenza, Sunday nights aren’t going to make sense anymore when I’m not playing bass with you in Folk Choir. On top of that, thank you for always faithfully reading my newspaper articles and being a genuine real friend.

You’ve probably read more of my articles than my parents, and you’ve definitely read more than my girlfriend, which brings me to…

Emily Turek, I have been in love with you since the day we met (1,346 days ago), and if all I had to show for four years at Fordham was our relationship, it still would have been the best four years of my life.

That’s pretty much everybody, except for Fordham University.

You know what? I think I’m going to hold out on a final word of gratitude until I’ve got that diploma in my hands. Just to be safe.

So long Ram reader. I hope it was as good for you as it was for me.

Robert Pergament, FCRH ’10, is an English and economics double major from Garden City, N.Y.

Irish President Stellar Pick for Commencement

By CHRISTOPHER KENNEDY STAFF WRITER

Irish President Mary McAleese will deliver the commencement speech at Fordham’s 165th commencement and will receive an honorary doctorate of laws on Saturday, May 22.

McAleese embodies some of the best qualities and characteristics of Fordham making her an excellent choice.

Her breadth of experience as a barrister (what we in the States would call an attorney), journalist and political figure gives her a rare perspective on world affairs today that should inform a terrific speech. Most notably, her career has been focused on “bridge-building” between Ireland and Northern Ireland, having taken office in 1997, just months before the Good Friday Agreement was signed by the British and Irish governments.

As she explained last year in a commencement address to the graduating class of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass., “Our Peace Process in Ireland is a good case in point for it was the combined imagination and determination of an educated generation of men and women that finally broke the stranglehold of history.” I hope that she can impart similar inspiration to Fordham’s gradu-

ates (and us radio listeners).

It is also beneficial to have a world leader speak at commencement, which Fordham has not had in several years. As a school that wishes to mold “men and women for others,” it is probably helpful for Fordham’s graduates to hear from someone like McAleese, who helped transform Ireland from a poor, somewhat unstable country to a benefit of the “Celtic Tiger” that is fast becoming a major player on the world stage. We can, as men and women of Fordham, only hope to be able to help people rise out of unfortunate circumstances as McAleese has done during her tenure.

Additionally, in an increasingly globalized world, it is noteworthy that graduates get to hear from someone whose perspective is not American.

She also embodies Fordham’s social values. She is a faithful Roman Catholic, committed to advancing justice and equality.

Her outreach to Protestants in Northern Ireland (she is from Belfast, in Northern Ireland) also demonstrates her commitment to a better faith.

One must not overlook, however, Fordham’s unique connection to Ireland. If you have not recognized this already, walk around the campus and look at the names of the buildings.

Our founder, Archbishop John Hughes, was born in County Tyrone, in Northern Ireland.

Fordham’s president from 1972 to 1983, Fr. James Finlay was also Irish-born. Many students and faculty are also of Irish heritage.

Fordham’s location in the Bronx and New York City also plays into its Irish heritage.

The Irish have always come in large numbers to New York City, making their mark on local politics, religion and culture.

For most of the latter half of the 20th-century, Irish immigrants fleeing the Troubles immigrated to Bedford Park, Bainbridge and Woodlawn, neighborhoods within walking distance of Fordham.

McAleese has spoken of the benefits of this large Irish diaspora. As she mentioned in her commencement to the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., “where two or more were gathered in the name of Ireland, they brought her music, her dance, her literature, her faith, her values and they brought them as gift to their new culture, to their new community.”

This invitation is a terrific sign of Fordham’s recognition of the great role that Irish culture has played in the development of the University.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Irish President Mary McAleese will deliver the commencement speech at Fordham’s 165th commencement.

I spoke to senior Tim Lynch, CBA ’10, who is of Irish descent and very enthusiastic about Fordham’s decision.

“It was a great choice on Fordham’s behalf to pick President McAleese as this year’s commencement speaker, showing the strong sense of the Irish tradition at Fordham University” he said. Growing up Catholic in Belfast during ‘The Troubles,’ she was able to prosper in her educational career and professional life. She continues to be a

role model for women and men around the world.”

I hope that those (including myself ) whose summers have started by May 22 will be able to hear, either by radio or Internet, McAleese’s address.

Coming from a woman of vast experience and strong conviction, it promises to inspire men and women of every heritage and faith.

Christopher Kennedy, FCRH ’12, is a theology major from Mystic, Conn.

MAY 5, 2010

PAGE 13

MGMT Puts on Good Show at Spring Weekend Appealing to Fordham’s Hipster Crowd, MGMT Was a Hit at the Saturday Show

PHOTO BY STEPHEN MOCCIA/ THE RAM

MGMT’s performance on Saturday was more energized than its “Saturday Night Live Performance,” winning over its audience, especially the hipster crowd, despite its weirdness.

By JONATHAN GILLIS STAFF WRITER

If you saw MGMT on “Saturday Night Live” two weeks ago, you might have been a little alarmed.

The band’s energy seemed barely high enough to keep its heart beating, much less energize a crowd at Fordham the next weekend.

Fortunately, Saturday’s performance was a little more energized, though not by much. The Brooklyn-based band played all the right songs, but its feigned attempts at exciting the crowd were comically uninspiring.

“Spring Weekend!” lead singer Andrew VanWyngarden piped in several times, but the exclamation

fell flat on the crowd.

Even without the same enthusiasm that U2 can bring to a show, however, MGMT managed to win over Fordham students, who cheered and chanted and danced in support of the awkward indie boys who are known as much for their rumored drug use as their music.

“Kids” and “Time to Pretend,” both electro-disco anthems of the indie music scene, were the obvious highlights of the show, and the band knew it. MGMT seemed aware that it had a few shots at glory before the Fordham crowd, and it seized its chances. With excellent performances on its more renowned tracks, the band was able

to win the allegiance of the crowd for some of its lesser-known songs as well.

“Brian Eno,” a newer track off of the just-released Congratulations, was a surprisingly exciting part of the arsenal, a cheeky ode to the legendary experimental artist who almost certainly is part of the band’s favorite playlist.

“Flash Delirium” was another hit, starting off in a quirky techno beat and building into a bouncy chorus of voices.

It is not much of a surprise that the band has been praised by Paul McCartney, as its sound seems to evolve ever closer to the sort of spacey aura that The Beatles found on Magical Mystery Tour.

With the backing vocals dancing behind VanWyngarden’s flittering lead, the band sounded strikingly like the Beatles when they were in their strangest form.

If MGMT had a downfall, it was the band’s utter weirdness. The words to its songs make about as much sense as chaos theory mathematics, and when the band departed from its peppy pop tunes to cater to “weed-smoking kids,” it alienated its audience. The acoustic songs especially delved into a funky netherworld, plodding along at a snail’s pace.

Ultimately, though, the band was a success. Goofy and whimsical when it wanted to be, the band was an excellent act following last

year’s flop with Guster. Though the show might have inspired Fordham’s hipster crowd more than most, MGMT took the opportunity to convert a few fans, myself included. With a wide variety of student tastes, it is hard to find a band that can tread the thin Fordham line between mainstream and indie, and MGMT drove stealthily across it.

Hiding behind their sunglasses, thanking “all the people” after most of their songs, VanWyngarden and company endeared themselves to Fordham University, and received a welcome encore in return.

The band might be weird, but MGMT knows what its audience wants to hear.

‘South Park’ Stirs Controversy with Muhammad Reference Comedy Central Errs in Censoring Episode, Inherently Claiming Religious Inequality

By CLARA ENNIST STAFF WRITER

“South Park” aired the second part of its 200th episode on April 21 and the creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, intended to show a depiction of the prophet Muhammad. Unfortunately, Revolution Muslim, an Islamic Group with relatively little power, decided to “warn” (read: threaten) the creators aying on their Web site: “what [Stone and Parker] are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh [the controversial Dutch filmmaker murdered by a Dutch-Moroccan Muslim] for airing this show.”

“South Park” is a show known for lampooning almost everyone’s beliefs; scenes from episode 201 mockingly depict Buddha snorting cocaine and Jesus watching Internet pornography. Actually,

“South Park” has already shown a depiction of Muhammad in a July 2001 episode titled “The Super Best Friends” but that was before the 2005 Danish cartoon in the newspaper Jyllands-Posten and the murder of van Gogh.

Comedy Central decided to censor the episode, which was not only stupid, but insulting. Muslims are already an increasingly stigmatized and ostracized within American society due to misconceptions regarding Islamic beliefs or exaggerated focuses on the negative practices of certain Islamic sects.

Americans have divided opinions about Islam. In an increasingly politically correct society, it is difficult to discuss radical sects of Islam without facing the accusation of being ignorant and prejudiced. On the other hand, ignoring problems like female genital mutilation and honor killings does a disservice to

the victims. Like every other religion, philosophy and historical movement, Islam has some radical adherents whom society cannot ignore, but cannot use to stereotype Islam as a whole.

By censoring the episode, Comedy Central made Muslims a segregated group within society; it assumed that Muslims would be unable to intelligently protest the episode, but would resort to violent threats.

For your consideration, on the eve of the celebration of the Immaculate Conception in 2005, “South Park” aired its episode “Bloody Mary,” which portrays a statue of the Virgin Mary menstruating. Various Catholic organizations around the world protested the episode and sent letters of complaint, but Comedy Central never censored the episode. Does Comedy Central believe that Islam is a

holier religion than Catholicism or does it believe that Islam is a more dangerous religion? Either way, the censoring of episode 201 only fur-

thered negative Islamic stereotypes and once again put a spotlight on Muslims who do not represent Islam as a whole.

MCT

“South Park” has created controversy with its Muslim-themed episodes.

CULTURE

PAGE 14 • THE RAM • MAY 5, 2010

That’s So Po MARY PORPORA

Dining Out: Whole Foods

By MOLLY McLOONE

Week 11: Crowd Etiquette

STAFF WRITER

In the past few years, I have found myself in more and more tight crowds. In a tight space filled with people, it is almost expected that one minute you could have a socially acceptable amount of personal space and the next be searching for a place to put your hands that will not require massive amounts of apologizing to complete strangers. When placed in these situations of limited space, there is a certain crowd etiquette that should be followed.

On Friday night, DJ Earworm was spinning tracks in the luxurious parking lot outside O’Hare.

I knew that the crowd was going to be massive, so I expected to be pushed around a little, and I was.

Whether it be by an aggressive and/or sloppy dancer or by the infamous get-to-the-front chain of determined fans, this pushing is always present.

In order to survive, you must be able to follow one of the keys of crowd etiquette: proper stance.

I remember the first time I was in general admission, and I practically collapsed. Right before the main band came on stage, the entire crowd just pushed forward as if the back of the room had suddenly become elevated and everyone was falling forward. After a song or three, I found my proper footing and was able to enjoy the concert completely upright.

Armed with this knowledge, I did my best on Friday night. Unfortunately, a few friends of mine got caught in the tide of the crowd, and they ended up on the floor.

Thankfully, another major theme of crowd etiquette prevailed when all those who were still standing lent a hand and helped them back up. For those of us who seem to have an issue with gravity, it is always a relief to know that others around you, even strangers, will help you regain your stance.

For the most part, the crowd was bearable. Then I met up with one of my friends who told me that she was pretty sure she was just peed on. Urinating on another human being is only acceptable when there are jellyfish involved, and I am pretty sure that there were no sea creatures present in that concrete parking lot.

Another major crowd-fail is the use of any sort of fire device. I do not mind if you smoke, it is your health, but I get anxious every time I see someone using a lighter in the middle of a massive mob. The crowd, especially one filled with drunk college students, is always moving, and flammable materials are everywhere. Adding flames to this mix is not a good idea, and my fire paranoia is only heightened every time I witness this.

I am a fan of personal space, so when that space is violated in a crowd atmosphere, it is important to be respectful of those around you. Next time you are in a crowd, help the fallen, and refrain from peeing on or setting anyone on fire.

Crowd etiquette: now that’s so Po!

When thinking of a place to grab a quick but delicious bite for dinner, one does not usually think of a food store, but the Whole Foods located in Columbus Circle is no ordinary grocery store.

The buffet-style dining section of Whole Foods is incredible. Everything is freshly made, and they offer such a diverse selection of food that it makes it difficult to choose what you want.

Soups, salads, ethnic foods, pastries, breads, poultry – the store offers anything you could possibly want. Unlike restaurants, which often offer limited menus, you can satisfy your craving Overall for almost any type of food at Whole Location Foods.

Food Quality My favorite recently has been the Atmosphere Hospitality gourmet pizzas, especially the grilled Price $ vegetable pizza. The best part about the pizza is that you can choose how big you (Out of 4 ’s) want your slice or strip to be, and then it is warmed for you in a brick oven. All of the service people on staff are friendly and helpful, which is great if you are not sure what to get.

Once you have your food, you can head over to the seating area, which features small booths and community-table dining. The seating area provides an excellent place for people-watching, or you can take your meal to go and head outside to Columbus Circle, or even to Central Park to enjoy.

While I have only been to the Whole Foods in Columbus Circle, I am sure that any of the Whole Foods in Manhattan offer a great, well-priced dining experience. Most items are priced at $7.99 per pound, so it is definitely possible to stretch your dollar and enjoy a wonderful meal.

PHOTO BY MOLLY MCLOONE/THE RAM

The Whole Foods in Columbus Circle is a convenient place to get a good meal.

Editor’s Pick: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

By ABIGAIL FORGET MANAGING EDITOR

For some reason, I have found that none of my breaks really seem to match up with those of my friends from high school. Because of this, I tend to just hang out with my family, run errands and catch up on schoolwork.

There is one activity, however, that I find myself partaking in during almost every single break. It is the ultimate boredom buster and one of my all-time favorite activities when my friends are not around. I have a Mary-Kate and Ashley movie marathon.

Do not be fooled by Dualstar’s (MK&A’s production company) straight-to-video trend; these movies are truly some of the best. The flicks are relatively short, too, so you can fit in several during one viewing session. With over 10 fullfeature films and countless series, such as The Adventures of MaryKate and Ashley and You’re Invited to Mary-Kate and Ashley’s…, the possibilities are endless for your marathon. Here are my top picks for the beginning Olsen fan.

5. Our Lips Are Sealed (2000) – Mary-Kate and Ashley star as Maddie and Abby Parker (I swear that was not a deciding factor) in a suspenseful comedy. Due to a wrong place – wrong time situation, the Parkers and their parents find themselves in the Witness Protection Program after witnessing the theft of a diamond. Maddie and Abby are gigantic blabbermouths and reveal their identities in the first location they are sent to by the FBI – and proceed to spill their secret in every possible geographic location. Finally, the Parkers are sent to Sydney, Australia as a last resort; no more blabbing or their lives will be in danger (remember, I said it is suspenseful). I

will not disclose any more information regarding Maddie and Abby’s fate, because you will have to check it out yourself. Be prepared for some epic chase scenes and cute Australian boys, of course.

4. Passport to Paris (1999) – Who doesn’t love this movie? I would definitely call this a favorite among fair-weather fans–it was immensely popular and essentially made every girl want to be one of the Olsens. Who wouldn’t want to be whisked through the streets of Paris on the back of a moped with a gorgeous Parisian boy? Melanie and Allison Porter get to do just that. Following their 13th birthday, the girls’ parents send them to visit their grandfather, who is the U.S. ambassador to France, hoping that they will have an enriching experience. Melanie and Allison have a very different agenda, however.

Mopeds, shopping with a supermodel and fighting with baguettes in front of the Eiffel Tower ensue.

3. Billboard Dad (1998) – A lot of people forget about this movie!

One of Mary-Kate and Ashley’s older movies, this is one of my absolute favorites, partly for the sheer ridiculousness of its plot. After the death of their mother, Tess and

Emily Tyler desperately want their workaholic father to find someone new and end up painting an advertisement on a billboard above Sunset Boulevard telling interested women to call their father. Max Tyler (Tom Amandes, “Everwood”) receives a sea of letters in response and eventually finds a woman whom he falls in love with. However, there is a bad guy thrown into the mix–Max’s evil manager tries to tarnish the budding relationship so Max can focus more on his work. I have a special connection with this film; 1998 marked the beginning of my being a hard core Mary-Kate and Ashley fan.

2. Winning London (2001) – 2001 was the year of my top two Olsen picks (I will get to my No. 1 shortly). In this movie, Chloe and Riley Lawrence are selected to go to London for a model U.N. competition and are forced to learn that winning isn’t everything and that it is okay to enjoy being young. A lot of the film involves sightseeing, as the girls try and learn everything they can about the country they are representing, the United Kingdom, in the competition. There is an epic montage in the middle of the movie in which the Lawrence’s and their team research everything

they possibly can about England; it always motivates me to study.

1. Holiday in the Sun (2001) – This movie is without a doubt, inarguably, the best Mary-Kate and Ashley movie of all time. Set at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas, the film follows Madison and Alex Stewart on a family vacation complete with beaches, boys and Brianna, the mean-spirited girl–played

by Megan Fox (Transformers)– who attempts to steal one of said boys away from Alex. The girls unpredictably end up entangled in an antiquities-smuggling ring and must prove their innocence, along with that of one of their friends.

Of course there are adorable love scenes and shopping sprees intertwined throughout the plot. If you decide to view one Mary-Kate and Ashley movie, this is the must-see.

Call me silly or even childish, but I guarantee that you will fall in love with these unrealistic, yet tremendously enjoyable films. I have come to the realization that I am never going to have the excursions that this $100 million pair has, but taking a break from reality and indulging in these classics is surprisingly rewarding. I’m ridiculous, right? You got it, dude.

LIONEL HAHN/KRT

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s early movies, such as Holiday in the Sun and Winning London, never disappoint.

CULTURE

MAY 5, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 15

Tribeca Helps out Independent Films

By JEN CACCHIOLI ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

The Tribeca Film Festival kicked off on April 21, beginning its run of 92 documentaries and features for the general public to see, while celebrities gathered in New York for the event. Since its creation in 2002, the festival has been a prominent event for film lovers looking forward to a wide variety, ranging from high-profile movies to the newest, most interesting independent films released. The festival, co-founded

by Robert De Niro (Goodfellas), doesn’t just bring about press for the movies of famous actors, but also serves an underlying purpose of exposing little-known films that most people would not ordinarily have heard about.

As it does every year, this year’s festival showed a number of buzzed-about films, which people have been talking about since their screening at the event. The first movie the festival showed was the family blockbuster, Shrek Forever After, whose major stars Cameron Diaz (My Sister’s Keeper), Mike Myers (Austin Powers) and Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls) made an appearance at the opening held at the Ziegfeld Theater. This big Hollywood production may have begun the festival, but it did not match the tone for the rest of the film lineup.

One of the most intriguing films to be shown was the notexactly family-friendly Untitled Eliot Spitzer Film. The documentary directed by Alex Gibney takes a close look at the former New York governor’s rise and fall in politics, caused by the effect of the prostitution scandal that drastically altered everyone’s perception of Spitzer.

In the film, the details of his disgrace in the public sphere are explored, followed by interviews with both friends and enemies, in addition to the ex-governor himself.

While people are criticizing the director for picturing Spitzer in a more sympathetic light, the film, which had people fighting for seats at the festival, is garnering a mas-

sive amount of attention for this inside take on his infamous affairs.

James Franco’s (Milk, SpiderMan) work in multiple films has made him a hot topic as well. The actor who seems to do everything nowadays, including having a stint on “General Hospital,” being a student at NYU and preparing for the Ph.D. program at Yale, also found time to star in one movie and create a documentary. William Vincent is the experimental noir film that Franco stars in, which is actually directed by his NYU professor, Jay Anania.

In the film, Franco plays an unusual criminal who falls in love with a gangster’s call girl played by Julianne Nicholson (“Law & Order: Criminal Intent”). For his documentary, Saturday Night, Franco captured the week of preparation that goes into one episode of “Saturday Night Live.” This rare inside look gives a fascinating glimpse at how the skits are written and how the cast scrambles to pull off its performance.

A couple of other films have generated buzz due to their star power.

In The Killer Inside Me, Kate Hudson (Nine, Bride Wars) and Jessica Alba (Valentine’s Day) star as victims of a Texan sociopath, played

by Casey Affleck (Gone Baby Gone, Ocean’s 11). However, the gratuitous violence inflicted on the women in the movie has gotten it some negative reviews by screeners

recently. Please Give was another big film that premiered, which stars Katherine Keener (Where the Wild Things Are, Capote) and Amanda Peet (2012, Syrianna) in a critically acclaimed comedy about a guiltdriven, wealthy New Yorker who gives money out on the streets.

Many lesser-known, independent films also made a mark on festival attendees. The Woodmans, directed by C. Scott Willis, was one standout documentary that focuses on the short life of talented photographer Francesca Woodman, whose decision to commit suicide at age 22 is a captivating mystery.

Monica & David, a sentimental documentary directed by Alexandra Codina about the romance of two adults with Down Syndrome, also grabbed the hearts of many attendees.

A French film on the life of the singer Serge Gainsbourg, called Gainsbourg, Je t’Aime... Moi Non Plus, directed by Joann Sfar, seems to be another intriguing piece that has received international praise.

Although the Tribeca Film Festival has already concluded over the past weekend, this will not have been the last chance you had to see many of the films that were shown.

With such an incredible array of diverse film subjects ranging from revealing documentaries to dark narratives, it would be a shame not to catch at least one of these films in the future.

Going

06

?

On

Send tips, event listings, or comments to theram@fordham.edu.

THURSDAY

Sia Terminal 5 610 West 56th St.

The Australian indie pop singer, whose music has been prominently featured on shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” is performing at Terminal 5 at 8 p.m.

07

FRIDAY

2010 Whitney Biennial The Whitney Museum 945 Madison Ave at 75th St.

The annual biennial features works by a varied group of 55 artists. This year is also the first to feature more female artists than men.

08 09

SATURDAY Hat Party at The Liz Christy Garden E. Houston St. btwn. Second Ave. & Bowery This New York tradition is returning. Come to the garden wearing a creative hat and enjoy the food and drink during a silent auction of local artists’ work and meals at city restaurants.

SUNDAY

Fences Cort Theater 239 W. 45th St.

This renowned August Wilson play featuring Denzel Washington about a former Negro League baseball player, comes to Broadway.

10

MONDAY

60 Minutes of New Stories 702 Union St.

If you enjoyed Mike Birbiglia’s comedy hour last Sunday, then you might want to catch him again at Union Hall. His string of absurd real-life stories makes for many laughs.

11

TUESDAY

Massive Attack Terminal 5610 West 56th St.

You can see Massive Attack, the British band who helped create the genre known as trip hop, perform at Terminal 5.

They feature their latest album Heligoland.

12

Pictures by Women: A History of Modern Photography MoMA 11 West 53rd St.

WEDNESDAY

This photography exhibition celebrates women, and includes more than 200 works by 120 artists.

LEONARD ORTIZ/MCT

James Franco (Milk) was a main discussion point at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Ram Reviews

MUSIC

MOVIE

TAPING

B.o.B

FALLING FOR GRACE

“THE MARTHA STEWART SHOW”

The 21-year-old North Carolinaborn (now based in Georgia) artist B.o.B, or Bobby Ray, is taking not only mainstream hip-hop, but also the Top 40 by storm. You’ll probably know him best for his incredibly catchy “Nothing On You.” The song gained so much buzz and success that Atlantic Records decided to release his album a month earlier than planned. Good thing they did.

If Bobby Ray wanted to make a statement with his debut record, he certainly did with this effort. It gives light to his talent in addition to boasting an entire platoon of special guests that give listeners an overall enjoyable experience. The man does not compromise his creativity to fit any sort of mold, and we can only hope he remains the same. It is an incredible album and well worth the cost.

what’s Know “what’s going on” on campus or in NYC?

Falling for Grace follows the story of Grace Tang (played by the film’s director and co-writer Fay Ann Lee), a New York Chinatown native who is mistaken at a party for an heiress. Under this mistaken identity, she enters the New York City socialite scene, and falls in love with one of NYC’s most wanted bachelors from one of the city’s most elite families. Things get personal when her love-interest’s family threatens her family’s livelihood, the sweatshops of Chinatown.

The film manages to center the storyline on the experience of being a second-generation ChineseAmerican without making it a political or social statement. Although it does force us to think about social class and racial issues in New York society, it does so with a light-hearted plot while being, essentially, Asian.

At the cruel hour of 8 a.m on Wednesday, April 28, I arrived at a studio building in Chelsea for a taping of the “The Martha Stewart Show.” For about a half hour, I found myself standing outside in a line of mostly middle-aged women while I waited for my mom.

When Martha first stepped out, it was complete madness. After the taping was over, Martha took a microphone and did a little questionand-answer session with members of the audience who were prepicked.

Overall, it was a great experience that I will never forget. It was also rewarding with the bag of freebies we received on our way out, which included a set of the high-ball glasses she used in the drink segments, the Truvia sweetener, a few recipes and an issue of her Everyday Food recipe magazine.

BOOK LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE BRONX IS BURNING

ESPN’s mini-series is based on Mahler’s book, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx is Burning. Having seen promos for the television series, and checking out the DVD’s cover, I anticipated a book heavily weighted in the nuances of the 1977 New York Yankees team. I was left unfulfilled but found merit in the book’s true focus: the political and socioeconomic environment that rocked the Bronx.

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx is Burning is an informative and enjoyable book. It portrays a completely different New York City, one in which none of us live. While I was disappointed at the decreasing prevalence of the ’77 Yankees, I believe that their lessened role makes the book more appealing to readers interested in the history of New York, an affinity for sport not required.

MUSIC MIKE POSNER

“Mike who?” That is the usual question I get from my friends when I mention Duke University student by day, up-and-comingsuperstar by night, Mike Posner.

The Duke frat boy is quickly rising from obscurity and making his music heard in the college scene.

He is a YouTube sensation, but is proving to be much more than a novelty act. The man has some serious skills.

Posner definitely has something going for him and with some solid songs, may turn out to be 2010 or 2011’s big breakout artist. He delivers an interesting sound and a cool attitude that could see him gain a ton of recognition in the near future.

His mix tapes are worth listening to (again, they’re free on his website), and his album is one to watch out for.

TO READ THESE REVIEWS IN THEIR ENTIRETY, VISIT THERAMONLINE.COM AND CLICK ON “CULTURE” ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HOMEPAGE.

CULTURE

PAGE 16 • THE RAM • MAY 5, 2010

How Fordham Students Can Fuel Upward Mobility in the Bronx Volunteers Needed to Help Increase Employment and Decrease Poverty

By MICHELLE HARDY STAFF WRITER

Fordham students receive financial advice and career instruction to which the majority of the Bronx is not privy. Fortunate students may not always realize their skills are desperately needed by organizations guiding Bronx residents toward financial security amid a 9.7 percent unemployment rate.

CBA students and some Fordham College students can take courses on personal finance, public speaking, interviewing and writing professionally – skills that will propel them through today’s competitive workforce. This makes students valuable assets to Bronx organizations which are dedicated to increasing employment rates.

Thus, it is a shame when Fordham students do not share their skills and knowledge with families affected by layoffs and the tumultuous economy.

Any student who has sought a job while beginning to manage his or her finances knows that doing so would be far more painful without university support. Stephen McGowan, Assistant coordinator of Global Outreach, Fordham alum and former leader of the 2009 GO! New York City service project, recognizes the importance of students sharing their career knowledge with their neighbors.

“As a member of the Fordham community, I have benefited from privileges allotted to me by the University - privileges not easily accessible to people living in the surrounding Bronx community,” McGowan said. “I urge any student to not only become aware of the differences between these two communities but to also learn in what ways you can help bridge the gaps that exist. One way to do this is by finding your own path to make the knowledge and skills you have acquired available for others.”

As logical as this exchange seems, personal career preparation is often

a job in itself, and many students cannot volunteer during school because of oppressive time constraints. However, summer brings a wave of free weekends when students can offer their insights to Bronx residents trying to improve their financial situation. The following recommended Bronx organizations need volunteers for career and finance support programs: LIFT LIFT expands opportunities for poverty-stricken communities in New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. At LIFT’s Bronx location, volunteers can work individually with clients to assist job searches, prepare resumés and secure public benefits and tax credits among many other services.

Recently, Fordham’s Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice named LIFT its Outstanding Community Partner of the Year. At a ceremony held at Fordham, Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J. President of the University, honored several Fordham seniors that consistently volunteered with the organization during college. There is certainly a close relationship between Fordham and LIFT, which makes for a very welcoming environment to new student volunteers.

Fordham alum and current LIFT Site Coordinator Danielle Egic was guest speaker at the aforementioned ceremony. She offered poignant advice to students studying poverty cycles through coursework but not through real-world interactions.

“In our classes at Fordham, we learn about theories of poverty, race and class,” Egic said. “Theories are important to learn, but you also need practical experience if you are going to fully understand the impact of these theories. Being exposed to daily life in a county that has one of the highest poverty rates in the country, you break down stereotypes and put a face to the

theories.”

LIFT in the Bronx is located at 2715 Bainbridge Av. To contact the organization about volunteer opportunities, call (718) 733-3897 or visit www.liftcommunities.org.

VIDA Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VIDA) is a government program that assists families with income tax preparation. The program specifically helps families in need to receive government refunds for tuition and various living expenses. Its nearest location to Rose Hill is with the Bronx’s University Neighborhood Housing Program (UNHP). This past tax season, UNHP’s volunteers provided complimentary tax preparation services to over 800 Bronx residents.

The VIDA program especially needs students with basic tax and accounting knowledge, such as Fordham CBA students who took related courses. Still, volunteers receive training and are not liable for mistakes since they are not CPAs. Kathryn Pando, CBA ’11, was a volunteer tax assistant this past spring, and she found her experience especially fulfilling considering Fordham’s Jesuit identity.

“Fordham notably educates the student as a ‘whole’ person, and I am proud to have lived this Jesuit philosophy of education combined with service,” Pando said. “The majority of CBA students head straight for corporations, but for those entering the corporate world, volunteering in the Bronx is their opportunity to explore non-profit organizations and share their talents in that area of work.”

To join the VIDA volunteers, or to learn more about UNHP’s other volunteer programs, visit www. unhp.org.

Bronxworks BronxWorks helps individuals better their economic and social well-being through educational workshops and consulting. This or-

ganization strongly believes people should be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their history or present financial situation. It runs two programs that specifically cater to volunteers with significant job experience and education.

The “Workforce Development” section fuels an ongoing battle against unemployment. Volunteers advise Bronx residents about the job search.

Specifically, volunteers conduct mock interviews and resume writing workshops along with offering classes that build on-the-job skills.

The Bronxworks “ESOL Tutors” each help a small group of students with conversational and written English skills, in addition to fostering listening skills and group dialogues.

Volunteers should enjoy teach-

ing but are not required to have teaching experience, and they must be able to offer at least two hours a week.

Bronxworks has multiple locations throughout the Bronx from which students can choose. Volunteer applications are available at www.bronxworks.org.

Fordham Contacts Aside from contacting these organizations, students should consult the Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice to find programs that specifically cater to their individual talents and schedules.

This office located on the first floor of the McGinley Center, has a tremendous amount of resources and advisors that can lead students toward the program they are meant for.

JLEONARD ORTIZ/MCT

Helping people with job searches is one way to volunteer in the Bronx.

WHO’S THAT KID? Frank Coffey A MEMBER OF FCRH ‘10 FROM AMSTERDAM, N.Y. MAJORING IN ECONOMICS AND HISTORY Where have we seen you?

Driving the Ram Van. Favorite childhood show and favorite current show?

“Hey Arnold” and “The O’Reilly Factor.”

Who would play you in a movie and why?

50 Cent, because he’s as real as it gets.

If you could have a dinner with any historical person, who would it be and why?

Major Richard Winters, to shake his hand and say “thank you.”

What would your ideal day in Manhattan consist of?

Urban kayaking.

If you could be anywhere and doing anything right now, what would it be?

Starting a “USA” chant in a packed stadium.

Favorite class at Fordham and favorite professor?

Medieval History and Professor Liberman-Cuenca.

How do you like to blow off steam?

Baseball.

What is the biggest misconception that people have about you?

That I have a girlfriend, so feel free to call, ladies!

Stuck on an island, what would you need?

Sunflower seeds and a few good books.

What is your dream job?

Swiss guard.

What would you say is your guilty pleasure?

Forever in a battle of the bulge…

I like food because it tastes [good].

COURTESY OF FRANK COFFEY

CULTURE

MAY 5, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 17

Your Guide to the Best Summer Movies Fight Boredom This Summer with These 11 Much-Anticipated Blockbusters a great movie.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse ( June 30) You know right now if you will see this movie. No need for me to talk about it here.

FRANCOIS DUHAMEL/MCT

Robert Downey, Jr. (Sherlock Holmes) stars as Tony Stark in the summer blockbuster Iron Man 2, set to open May 7.

By DENNIS FLYNN STAFF WRITER

It’s May, and while summer may not officially start until school ends, the summer movie season officially kicks off this weekend with the May 7 release of Iron Man 2. Summer is traditionally the season where the serious dramas of the fall and winter and the lackluster releases of the spring give way to the blockbuster movies that people want to see.

This summer is no exception, assuming you get really pumped for remakes and sequels. While there are many more movies coming out this summer, the following 11 are expected to be the high-profile money-makers, and the top movies to keep your eyes open for.

Iron Man 2 (May 7) If even only part of you liked the first one, you will see this movie. Already getting rave reviews, the movie promises to build upon the inspired casting

of the first movie (Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Homes) having the time of his life playing Tony Stark, billionaire by day, armored superhero by night, then the addition of Scarlett Johansson (Match Point), Micky Rourke (The Wrestler), Don Cheadle (technically replacing Terrance Howard, Hustle & Flow) and Sam Rockwell (Choke) should have you excited for more. There will be explosions.

ries, the cast of Liam Neeson (Taken), Bradley Cooper (Valentine’s Day), Sharlto Copley (District 9) and Jessica Biel (Valentine’s Day) should get you interested, and the trailers just look like fun. Even more explosions are promised, with at least one flying tank.

Robin Hood (May 14) Director Ridley Scott (Gladiator) and Russell Crowe (American Gangster) team up yet again to tell the old story of the Robin Hood in what is hopefully an enjoyably gritty way.

If it is anything like their previous collaboration of Gladiator, then we are in for a surprise. Cate Blanchett (I’m Not There) and Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes) also star.

Toy Story 3 ( June 18) Pixar has never made a bad movie, and while the third movies in franchises are traditionally pretty awful, Toy Story 3 will probably just entertain by having all of the great characters we know up on the screen again. Combine new characters such as a Ken doll (voiced by Michael Keaton, Post Grad) and a hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants with the plot of the toys being dropped off at a daycare center when Andy goes to college, and you’ve got the makings of

The A-Team (May 14) Even if you never watched the ’80’s TV se-

Sex and the City 2 (May 27) Yeah, they are making another one.

Inception ( July 16) It is not until July that you can expect anything original, and director Christopher Nolan’s follow up to The Dark Knight promises to be a change from most movies. The plot has been notoriously guarded, but essentially Leonardo Dicaprio (Shutter Island) stars as a dream thief in this psychological thriller. With a supporting cast of Ken Watanabe (Memoirs of a Geisha), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer), Marion Cotillard (Nine) and Ellen Page (Juno), this will surely be one of the most talked about movies of the year.

Dinner for Schmucks ( July 23) There will be at least one knock-out comedy this summer, and so I have included the two most promising contenders. The first one, Dinner for Schmucks, involves Paul Rudd (I Love You, Man) as a businessman forced to bring an idiot (Steve Carrell, Date Night) to a dinner for his bosses so that they can all laugh at the stupidity of their guests. Basically just an excuse for Rudd to be smarmy and Carrell to act stupid, but if both those guys can be at the top of their games, hilarity will ensue.

The Other Guys (August 6) The Will Ferrell (Step Brothers) movie for the summer, The Other Guys teams Ferrell with Mark Wahlberg (The Lovely Bones) as two unassuming cops who try to impress the hot-shot cop team of Samuel L. Jackson (The Spirit) and The Rock (sorry, Dwayne Johnson, Tooth

Fairy). From Adam McKay, the director of Anchorman and Talledega Nights, the movie has no right not to be hilarious. Look out for the shockingly funny Wahlberg to upstage Ferrell here.

The Expendables (Aug. 13) Sylvester Stallone (Rambo) set out to create the ultimate action movie, putting himself, Jason Statham (Crank: High Voltage), Jet Li (The One), Dolph Lundren (Icarus), Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) and Bruce Willis (Surrogates) all in the same movie, plus an appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator). Guns, explosions and way too much testosterone equals a good time at the movies.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (August 13) Michael Cera (Youth in Revolt) stars as an assuming fellow trying to get the girl. Sounds like every other Cera movie, only this time he must battle and defeat her seven ex-boyfriends (played by the likes of Jason Shwarzman (Juno), Chris Evens (Push) and Brandon Routh (Superman). Directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) and adapted from the popular comic series, the movie promises to combine comic-like visuals with fun action and comedy. Don’t sleep on this movie; it should be like nothing else you’ll see for this summer.

So there you have it, 11 movies coming out from all over the spectrum. While they all won’t be good, they will at least make money, promising even more sequels in the summers ahead.

Keep your eyes open for less talked-about fare in the coming months, as the best movies are often the ones no one is talking about.

Solitary Man Will Reach Theaters on May 21 The Movie Has Already Received Positive Reviews After Early Festival Releases

By CELESTE KMIOTEK CULTURE EDITOR

Remember that one time when Michael Douglas (Wall Street) and Jenna Fischer (“The Office”) were on campus, and there were big white trucks blocking off the fastest routes to class? Remember how Solitary Man was supposed to come out of that? Well, I have good news: it exists. Even better, film festivals are slowly releasing it, including the Independent Film Festival in Boston, the 2010 Florida Film Festival and the Dallas International Film Festival.

So far, reviewers have been generally positive with their critiques, and in particular have raved about Douglas’ acting.

“What makes this dramedy a delight is, pure and simple, Douglas’ performance, one of the best of his career and one that should be looked at when [year-end] awards are considered,” a review on the Arizona Reporter’s Web site said.

The reviews also compare the womanizing character Ben Kal-

men’s behaviors to Douglas’s own questionable exploits.

“What clicks perfectly in the film is the underlying reality of Douglas’ performance, which shouldn’t be viewed as biographical, but let’s just say that I’m sure he found sections of the script uncomfortable,” a report on DVD Talk said. “It’s a superb performance in a substantial drama of self-destruction, playing brilliantly off of Douglas’ bumpy life experience.”

Danny DeVito (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) has also been praised, while Fischer and Susan Sarandon (Thelma and Louise) have only been mentioned in passing.

“Even better are Douglas’ scenes with pal DeVito, which drip with a type of actorly ease only these guys could conjure,” the DVD Talk reviews said. “Frankly, I could watch an entire film of these two shootin’ the breeze.”

Starpulse.com gave the movie a B, Inside Pulse Movies gave it 3.5 out of four stars and the Arizona Reporter Web site gave it a B+ (DVD Talk declined to give it a

quantifiable rating), a fairly consistent showing.

“Solitary Man isn’t a Michael Douglas crowd-pleaser and will likely not be a box office success

when it is theatrically released at the end of May,” a review on Inside Pulse Movies said. “But fans of Douglas’s career, and fans of the remarkable supporting cast will not

be disappointed.”

For the rest of us plebeians who were not able to make it to the festivals, it will be released in theaters May 21.

COURTESY OF YOUTUBE

Pick out your favorite Fordham locales in Solitary Man, set to open May 21 and starring Michael Douglas (Wall Street).

PAGE 18 • THE RAM • MAY5, 2010

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PAGE 19

Softball Sweeps Charlotte in A-10 Showdown

By NICK CARROLL SPORTS EDITOR

Every team’s season includes a variety of tests. This past Sunday, the Fordham softball team encountered one of these challenges, and responded positively.

Fordham was able to sweep a doubleheader from the previously 37-13 Charlotte 49ers, a team that the Lady Rams trailed by a game in the Atlantic 10 standings entering the day.

“It was pretty awesome; we came out and beat them,” junior second baseman Beckah Wiggins said.

“They have a high RPI, beating them twice really helps us.”

“This proves that we belong here,” sophomore pitcher Jen Mineau said. “It doesn’t bump us up the rankings but it proves that we should be where we are.”

As has been the theme all season, Mineau provided Fordham with great pitching, throwing 13 scoreless innings between the two games.

“I just went out there and threw my game,” Mineau said.

The first game of the twin bill needed every bit of Mineau’s tremendous performance.

After junior third baseman Jocelyn Dearborn led off the game with her ninth home run of the season, the Lady Rams failed to generate any more offense, and, just as the team expected, a pitchers’ duel between Mineau and senior pitcher Emily Jeffery ensued.

Charlotte’s best threat came in the fourth inning, when junior outfielder Whitney Williams led

PHOTO BY AARON MAYS/THE RAM

Junior third baseman Jocelyn Dearborn came up big for Fordham with two home runs in the doubleheader against Charlotte.

off the inning with a double. However, she was stranded after Mineau struck out the next two hitters and junior catcher Tenaya Tucker flew out.

Charlotte failed to pick up a second hit until the seventh inning, when Tucker singled with two outs, but it proved to be too little too late and the Lady Rams wrapped up a 1-0 win with Mineau’s 16th strikeout of the game.

Following her masterpiece, Mineau took the ball again in the second game, looking to complete what would be a big sweep for Fordham.

She was not quite as dominating in this one after the hitters had already seen her earlier in the after-

noon; however, she proved just as effective.

Mineau ran a variety of deep counts and pitched into some trouble in the first, but survived the inning nonetheless.

After senior outfielder Serena Smith dropped in a single to center field with two outs, Tucker hit a long fly ball to left field that sophomore outfielder Lindsay Kay Bright caught against the wall to end the inning.

Charlotte put some heat on Mineau again in the third.

After getting the first two hitters of the inning out easily, Mineau surrendered hits to Williams and junior outfielder Kendra McCall through the left and right sides of

the infield, respectively. After pitching coach Mike Forsythe came out to the mound, Mineau fell behind Smith 2-0 in the count; however, Mineau battled back and struck her out to end the rally.

Fordham finally got some offense going in the fourth inning.

Freshman first baseman Jamie LaBovick led off the inning with a single through the left side.

Then, after a potential home run fell foul by a matter of feet, junior second baseman Beckah Wiggins slammed a double to the right field gap to score LaBovick.

Wiggins later came around to score on a single from junior catcher Meghan Shager, ending Heckett’s day as Charlotte tried to stay

in the game by bringing in Jeffrey.

Jeffrey was able to get out of the inning, but was not able to keep Charlotte alive.

In the fifth, Dearborn led off the inning by lacing a double to the left field gap.

After LaBovick walked, Wiggins slammed a three-run home run to push the lead to 5-0.

“We were being more patient,” Wiggins said. “We waited for pitches to come in the zone and felt a lot more comfortable and able to get some hits.”

Fordham ended the game in the sixth, when Dearborn hit a gameending three-run home run, just fair down the left field line to cap off the 8-0 win.

Mineau picked up her second shutout of the day, allowing five hits and striking out four, while not walking any batters.

With the win, Fordham is now 42-8 and 14-2 in the A-10.

Dearborn said that the wins should put the team in a good position for an NCAA tournament bid.

“This was do-or-die for us,” Dearborn said. “This should seal the deal for an at-large bid.”

Up next for the Lady Rams is Iona on Wednesday, May 5 and then a doubleheader against St. Bonaventure on Sunday, May 9.

If Fordham can sweep the Bonnies, it will secure a first-round bye in the A-10 Tournament the following week.

“We want to win the A-10 Championship so we don’t have to rely on the at-large,” Head Coach Bridget Orchard said.

Major Changes Coming for Fordham Facilities

By DANNY ATKINSON SPORTS EDITOR

Construction of the football team’s new locker room, slated to open for the 2010 season, began on April 5. The locker room will be located in the basement of the Rose Hill Gym .

The new space will feature a number of amenities, including over 90 lockers, a number of widescreen televisions and a theatertype viewing area where the team can study film. The locker room will have approximately 4,800 square feet of space, which is over four times as large as the current football locker room.

“The new locker room is a tremendous addition to our program,” Head Coach Tom Masella said. “It’s important for our players and everyone here to be able to identify themselves with having an excellent locker room facility of their own. Having our own locker room year-round for the first time will help our competitiveness extensively.”

The football locker room will officially be named the Beryl and John Lyons Football Locker Room after former football player John Lyons, who donated $1 million.

This donation was later matched by a $1 million gift from a former player who wished to remain anonymous.

Masella commented on how the new facility would help the program’s recruiting ability.

“We were probably the only program in the country that didn’t have their own year-round space before this was built,” Masella said.

“Being able to show off Fordham and the facility will be key to our recruiting success.”

“The new locker room will be a real enhancement to our university,” Executive Director of Athletics Frank McLaughlin said. “It’s especially important that they will be a huge benefit while being of no expense to the school.”

Fordham’s squash team will be the recipients of four brand new squash courts, thanks to the generosity of the CitySquash program in the Bronx, which works in conjunction with the Fordham team.

Construction started in early April and the courts should be ready by the end of August.

Though Fordham’s courts used to be non-regulation size and in poor shape, meaning the Ram’s could rarely host home matches, the four new courts will be regulation size

and consist of a second floor with gallery viewing. There will be glass walls on the sides of the first two courts and a hallway between the two that includes a spiral staircase to the upper floor.

While the courts will be an essential part of improving the Fordham squash team and allowing the school to recruit better players, they will also be important for improving the CitySquash program, a non-profit school enrichment program based in the Bronx that assists disadvantaged young people by helping them find their academic and athletic potential.

Ram squash players have tutored and played with program members for a number of years and CitySquash put up the money for the courts as a means of helping both themselves and the school. Over the past five years, 32 CitySquash participants have won scholarships to private day schools in the city and boarding schools outside of New York.

“Before these new courts came along, we weren’t able to get any teams to come play us here or recruit serious squash players,” squash Head Coach Bob Hawthorne said. “New courts will allow us to compete with serious pro-

grams at other schools.”

CitySquash Executive Director Tim Wyant painted the squash courts as a gift to Fordham that was a long time in coming.

“Fordham’s been an incredible partner and allowed us to use their courts without charge for eight years,” Wyant said. “We needed a way to pay them back and this was an attractive opportunity.”

McLaughlin expressed gratitude for the school’s new facilities and the donations that funded the construction.

“We’ve been looking to build new courts and a locker room for a long time, but with the economy these plans were thwarted,” he said.

“Without the actions of our donors or CitySquash, none of this would have been possible.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF FORDHAMSPORTS

A virtual image of what the squash courts will look like when completed.

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Are the Suns Finally Capable of Getting Over the Hump?

By ANTHONY SULLAHEFFINGER STAFF WRITER

The NBA playoffs are one of the most exciting tournaments in all of sports.

With the return of both the Celtics and Lakers to prominence as well as the emergence of LeBron James’ Cavaliers and Dwight Howard’s Magic, the NBA is well on its way to enjoying another “golden era” of basketball.

We are into the conference semifinals, and with only eight teams remaining, the pressure is on to advance and move closer to June.

Here are my thoughts on what has occurred thus far in the playoffs and what I expect to happen in the coming weeks before an NBA champion is crowned.

First and foremost, let me say outright that I believe the Cavaliers will not make the NBA Finals, despite having an improved supporting cast featuring Shaquille O’Neal and Antwan Jamison.

Considering the fact that the Cleveland Indians do not have a pitcher worth speaking about, LeBron James’ elbow is currently the most talked about limb in all of Ohio.

By now, everyone is aware that James suffered an elbow injury at the end of the conference quarterfinals which led to a left-handed free throw attempt.

This elbow injury hasn’t been much of an impediment to James thus far, but I believe that we have not heard the end of the story concerning James’ elbow, and it may haunt the Cavs in their series against the Celtics.

Speaking of the Celtics, they showed this week that they are not finished and should not be dismissed as legitimate contenders in the East.

Not only did they dispatch the Heat in five games, but now they have successfully stolen home court advantage from the Cavaliers by tying the series 1-1.

Let’s not forget that although they have significant mileage on them, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are one of the best triumvirates in the NBA and have eliminated the Cavs in the postseason before.

While it is the Big Three’s play that will be key to winning this series, Rajon Rondo plays just as important of a role against the Cavs.

If Rondo can play at the level he has so far this postseason, the Celtics will continue to have success.

If James is actually injured and it has an effect on his game in the series, Boston still has enough left to steal the series.

Moving on to the other series in the East, I do not think there is any chance the Hawks beat the Magic and advance to the conference finals.

I have said in the past that the Hawks are a very good defensive team and are extremely athletic, but I am currently down on them considering how much trouble they had with the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.

If the Bucks had a healthy Michael Redd and Andrew Bogut, I don’t think Atlanta would still

be alive at this juncture, and now they will have to deal with a superior team that features Dwight Howard, Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson.

Look for the Magic to bounce the Hawks with the same ease they had when dismantling the Bobcats in the last round.

In the West, Melo and the Nuggets had a disappointing postseason, the Lakers showed their age against the up-and-coming Thunder and the Spurs did what they do best, by winning when it counts.

I find it incredible that year after year, Greg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs manage to excel in the postseason.

This type of prolonged success shows just how smart Pops and the Spurs front office really are.

Players like George Hill and DeJuan Blair are playing important roles and taking the heat off of San Antonio’s trio of Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan.

The Spurs will have their hands full however, as they face off against Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudemire and the Phoenix Suns.

Nash may be old, but he can still do two things extremely effectively, pass the ball and drill key threepointers.

Nash has been extremely effective throughout the playoffs and, with an improved supporting cast, look to finally make a run deep into the playoffs.

With that said, Nash isn’t the one I want to focus on when talking about the Suns.

Amar’e Stoudemire has taken his game to the next level over the past several weeks. Stoudemire may be the most dominant power forward in all of basketball, and he is reminding people of that during these playoffs.

I am excited to see the rest of the Suns-Spurs series, and I do not think it is out of the realm of possibility that the Suns could advance as far as the NBA Finals.

For those of you with short memories, the Suns were literally a foot away from possibly advancing to the NBA Finals a few short seasons ago.

Stoudemire got himself suspended for two games when he stepped onto the court and essentially cost the Suns a shot at a title.

Amar’e is older, smarter and more mature at this point in his career, and something like that will not happen again.

As for the Lakers, they entered the season as the favorites to repeat, and until they are officially eliminated, I will not bet against them.

I can’t see them having any trouble with the Jazz, and will match up well against the Spurs if they face them in the Conference Finals.

I do think that the Suns pose a threat to the Lakers as Stoudemire creates huge match-up problems against Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

So what do I think the Finals will look like?

Much to the chagrin of David Stern and the NBA, I believe there will be a classic big-man match-up as the Magic will face the Suns in the NBA Finals, with Orlando winning in six games.

SPORTS

MAY 5, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 21

Track & Field 2010 Outdoor Championships

Baseball

Softball

Fordham 4-5 Columbia

Fordham 1-0 Charlotte

Fordham

Charlotte

AB R H RBI HR

Kownacki ss 5 1 2 Lee lf 11 1 McSherry ph/lf 3 0 0 McCrann cf/1b 4 1 2 Walker dh/c 4 0 1 Ponte c 3 0 1 DeSilva pr 0 0 0 Charest p 0 0 0 David 1b 3 0 0 Maghini 3b 0 0 0 Como rf 4 0 0 Martinez 2b 3 1 1 Russo 3b 2 0 0 Mobbs cf 2 0 0 Flanagan P 0 0 0 Adel p 0 0 0 Totals Columbia

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Williams lf 2 McCall rf 3 Smith cf 3 Tucker c 3 Buchan pr 0 Gwaltney 1b 3 Vela 2b 2 Holloman 3b 2 Blanton dp 1 Prince ph 1 Brinkley ss 2 Jeffrey p 0 Totals

34 4 8 4 1 AB R H RBI HR

Crucet 2b 5 1 Cox cf 1 0 Rumpke cf 3 1 Pizzano lf 3 0 Ferraresi rf 3 0 Williams dh/p 0 1 Eisen 3b 0 0 Black 3b/p 4 1 Potter 1b 3 1 Godshall ss 4 0 Heil c 3 0 Banos ph 0 0 Forthum c 0 0 Lautmann p 0 0 Epstein p 0 0 Whitaker p 0 0 Bartlett p 0 0 Aquino p 0 0 Totals

1 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

29 5 7

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

IP H R ER BB SO 2 0 0 2 0 0 0

2 0 0 2 0 0 0

0 0 0 1 1 1 0

0 1 0 2 2 1 0

AB R H RBI HR 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

36 5 12

Fordham

AB R H RBI HR

Totals

3 1 0 0 1 2 1 0 1 2 1 0 0 0

2 3 1 0 1 2 0 0 3 2 1 0 0 0

5

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Totals

Martinez 2b 5 Kownacki ss 5 McCrann dh 5 Ponte c 2 Walker c 2 Taddei 1b 4 Mobbs cf 3 Lee cf 0 McSherry lf 4 Como rf 5 Maghini 3b 4 Mack p 0 Charest p 0 Anastasi p 0

0

0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

39 12 15 11

IP H R ER BB SO

Weiss 3.1 8 Schulz 2.1 3 Klem 1.1 2 Vincent 1.0 2

Women’s 5000m 16. O’Connor, Fordham, 19:20.06

22 0 2 0 0 AB R H RBI HR

Dearborn 3b LaBovick 1b Wiggins 2b Fisher cf Pellechio dp Shager c Richards rf Palumbo ss Bright lf Mineau p

3 2 2 1 3 3 2 2 2 0

1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Totals

20 1 3

1

1

5 4 6 0 0 0 1 1

1 3 0 2

Charlotte IP H R ER BB SO Jeffrey

6.0 3 1 1 3 9

Fordham IP H R ER BB SO 1

16

RHE Charlotte 000 000 0 0 2 0 Fordham 100 000 X 1 3 0

AB R H RBI HR

Williams lf 2 McCall rf 3 Smith cf 3 Tucker c 3 Buchan pr 0 Gwaltney 1b 3 Vela 2b 2 Holloman 3b 2 Blanton dp 1 Prince ph 1 Brinkley ss 2 Jeffrey p 0

1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Totals

22 0 2

0

0

Fordham

AB R H RBI HR

Dearborn 3b 3 LaBovick 1b 2 Wiggins 2b 2 Fisher cf 1 Pellechio dp 3 Shager c 3 Richards rf 2 Palumbo ss 2 Bright lf 2 Mineau p 0 Totals

0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0

20 1 3

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1

1

0

E - Umstead (1). LOB - Explorers 8; Rams 11. 2B - Gyles (16); Flax (10); Kownacki (12); McCrann (10); Maghini (4). HR - Flax (1); Taddei (4); McSherry (1).

La Salle

Women’s 800m Dash 1. Gallagher, Fordham, 2:09.08. 26. Davis, Fordham, 2:24.56

Fordham

Charlotte

Fordham 12-5 Columbia Negrin lf 4 Canfarotta lf 0 Meagher ss 5 Malloy cf 5 Gyles 1b 5 Norton 3b 4 Umstead rf 3 Flax 2b 4 Schoch c 0 Kamler c 3 Jones dh 3 Weiss p 0 Sculz p 0 Klem p 0 Vincent p 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Fordham 8-0 Charlotte

RHE Fordham 200 020 000 4 8 1 Columbia 101 000 03X 5 7 2

LaSalle

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Mineau 7.0 2 0 0

Flanagan 6.0 5 2 1 5 6 Adel 1.0 1 2 2 1 1 Charest 1.0 1 1 1 1 1

1.0 4 1.0 0 1.0 0 2.0 2 2.0 2 1.0 0 1.0 0

1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

4 0

Fordham IP H R ER BB SO

Lautmann Epstein Whitaker Bartlett Aquino Williams Black

0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0

LOB - CHA 2; Rams 5. 2B - W. Williams. HR - Dearborn.

E - Russo (2); Heil (1); Epstein (2) LOB - Rams 7; Lions 8. 2B - McCrann (9); Crucet (6); Black (4). 3B - Kownacki (4).

HR - McCrann (3).

Columbia

Women’s 200m Dash 15. Groeninger, Fordham, 25.80

AB R H RBI HR

4 2 0 3

LOB - CHA 4; Rams 5. 2B - Dearborn; Wiggins. HR - Dearborn.

Charlotte IP H R ER BB SO Hackett 3.1 6 2 2 0 Jeffrey 1.2 6 6 6 2

2 1

Fordham IP H R ER BB SO

Fordham IP H R ER BB SO Mack 3.2 8 4 4 Charest 2.1 2 1 1 Anastasi 3.0 2 0 0

2 0 0

1 1 1

R H E LaSalle 020 201 000 5 12 1 Fordham 101 306 01X 12 15 0

Mineau 6.0 5 0 0

0

R H E Charlotte 000 000 0 5 0 Fordham 000 233 8 12 0

4

Women’s 10000m 1. Moriarty, Fordham, 35:53.16 Women’s 100m Hurdles 16. Newman, Fordham, 15.75 Women’s 400m Hurdles 13. Groene, Fordham, 1:05.55 Women’s 4x400m Relay 4. Fordham, 3:50.64 Women’s 4x800m Relay 4. Fordham, 9:04.61 Women High Jump 14. Warren, Fordham, 5.32m Women Javelin Throw 6. Hassell, Fordham, 39.41m Men’s 400m Dash 6. Lyons, Fordham, 48.64.

7. Atkinson, Fordham, 48.79.

Men’s 800m 2. Schmidt, Fordham, 1:52.83 Men’s 1500m 7. Fitzgerald, Fordham, 3:53.16. 10. Szczepaniak, Fordham, 4:00.45.

Men’s 5000m 10. Papin, Fordham, 15:29.36 Men’s 400m Hurdles 15. Rossi, Fordham, 57.53 Men’s 3000m Steeplechase 5. Riley, Fordham, 9:29.53 Men’s 4x100 Relay 7. Fordham, 42.78 Men’s 4x400 Relay 4. Fordham, 3:15.32 Men’s 4x800 Relay 3. Fordham, 7:27.16 Men’s Hammer Throw 13. Brown, Fordham, 44.95m Men’s Decathlon 5. Gleason, Fordham, 5775.

SPORTS

PAGE 22 • THE RAM • MAY 5, 2010

MATT MANUSZAK

The Smush Parker Project This past weekend, LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers was named the Most Valuable Player in the NBA for the 2009-10 season.

My personal bias aside, this was not a surprising pick by any means: James received 116 of 122 possible votes from NBA writers, with the 117th vote coming from the fans on NBA.com.

The Cavs’ forward received 94 percent of the total first place votes, and recorded 1205 total points, with 10 points awarded for a first-place vote, seven for second place, five for third, three for fourth and one for fifth.

The next highest point total belonged to Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant.

The 596-point margin between James and Durant was the second highest ever. James’ victory in the MVP race was emphatic and never in doubt.

Having said all of that, the fact that LeBron James did not win the MVP award unanimously is an absolute joke.

From the Cavs notching the top record in the NBA, to LeBron’s filthy stats, to his ability to simply dominate games on both ends of the floor, this was pretty much a no-brainer.

Even if you are one of the few who try to wiggle their way out of making a logical vote by saying that the award should go to the “most valuable” player and not the “best” player, how is LeBron not more valuable to his team than any other player?

As someone who watched every Cavs game this year, including the pathetic contests when LeBron sat and rested, I can say that as the best player in the league, LeBron is also far-and-away the most valuable.

Without LeBron, the Cavs are probably not a playoff team, even in the weak Eastern Conference.

Again, I am admittedly biased, but I’m not alone in voicing this sentiment: Matt Moore and Ira Winderman of NBC’s Pro Basketball Talk blog, Howard Beck of the New York Times’ “Off the Dribble” blog and the ubiquitous Bill Simmons of ESPN.com all have voiced their displeasure in recent days with not only the results of the voting, but also the nature of the voting process.

Though ballots are not officially made public, many NBA bloggers have determined that the four firstplace votes that went to Durant all came from writers who either cover the Thunder or people employed by the Thunder, including various radio or television playby-play men.

Similarly, the three first-place votes for Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard all came from those who either cover the Magic or work for the organization.

In addition, James actually received two third-place votes,

a laughable travesty that many speculate probably came from the Orlando area. Aside from James, someone gave a fifth-place vote to Charlotte Bobcats forward Stephen Jackson, a player who is not even the most valuable player on his own team (that would be Gerald Wallace).

The poor voting extends to the award for Defensive Player of the Year, for which Howard was the runaway winner: someone gave a third-place vote to David Lee, a player who has been criticized for actually being a pretty terrible defender.

Two things must be done to amend this trend.

All ballots for NBA awards should be public, and those who vote for award should not be employed by any team.

Instead, let some of the NBA bloggers, who typically watch more basketball, are more knowledgeable and are more objective than the average NBA beat writer, have some votes.

The United States Congress, whose decisions actually affect the daily lives of American citizens, have a public voting record.

Further, the Baseball Writers Association of America, who run the MLB’s end-of-season awards, make voting records public, as does the Associated Press for the NFL’s awards.

Why, then are the NBA votes hidden? If a writer is going to make a homer pick, he should have to answer to the fans and to other writers.

Now, some writers aren’t necessarily so nefarious with their intent: they simply don’t know any better.

Many NBA beat writers and broadcasters who work for a specific team simply do not watch much basketball outside of the team for which they work.

Some do not have the time, while others simply do not care.

Naturally, then, they will make some outlandish picks from timeto-time, since they do not know any better. This is not right.

While NBA beat writers cannot exactly be forced to watch more NBA games (or know about advanced stats, pace, etc.), it is a bit pathetic that these men and women who are paid to watch the game are so ill-informed.

Why not give some votes to notable NBA bloggers?

Since bloggers tend to be more widely read than the typical NBA writer or broadcaster, their opinions are put under more scrutiny.

If one blogger writes a piece that is poorly supported or phrased, there will be response pieces written instantly.

There is not the same level of accountability for the current voters, many of whom are read or heard mostly by the fans of their specific teams.

Other than Yahoo Sports blogger Kelly Dwyer, who literally watches every NBA game for the entire season (seriously, he’s good), there are not many major NBA bloggers who have votes.

By making votes public, taking votes away from team employees and giving votes to more knowledgeable and objective bloggers, the NBA’s end of season awards will become that much more credible and correct.

Senior Profile: Martina Featherston

By NICK CARROLL SPORTS EDITOR

Senior Martina Featherston recently finished up her tennis career at Fordham at the Atlantic 10 Championship with a win over St. Bonaventure. The Rockaway Park native was the team’s No. 2 singles player for the past two seasons. Despite the disappointing 2-19 season for the Lady Rams, it did not dampen an otherwise impressive career for Featherston.

The Ram: Why did you decide to come to Fordham?

Martina Featherston: I decided to come to Fordham because a lot of my relatives are alumni of Fordham, my older sister was on the team and I loved the campus. I also received a scholarship to come here and I thought I would have a great career here.

TR: What was your proudest moment on the court?

MF: There really weren’t many here, as you can see from our record, but this year has been a growing year, and I guess you can say the main team we wanted to beat this year at A 10s was St. Bonaventure and the team pulled it together and we won.

TR: Any advice to the younger players on the team?

MF: To the younger players on the team, I want to say thank you for allowing me to have a great year, and continue the hard-work and dedi-

PHOTO COURTESY OF FORDHAMSPORTS

Senior Martina Featherston recently wrapped up a very strong tennis career.

cation to the team and success will come from that.

TR: Your team has struggled the past few years. Are there any regrets?

MF: Well, since I have been here I have had three different coaches so that is never easy, especially my freshman year my first week of school I found out the coach that recruited me was leaving and I ended up not having a coach for an entire semester. But after saying that even though I didn’t have my best tennis career at Fordham, I am thankful to Fordham Athletics for giving me the opportunity to receive a great education.

TR: What do you see in this team’s future?

to having a more successful record.

TR: When did you start playing tennis?

MF: I stated playing tennis when I was four years old.

TR: Were there any players you looked up to when you were young?

MF: Yes, Martina Navratilova, who now has breast cancer.

TR: What are your plans after graduation?

MF: I plan on attending Fordham’s business graduate school and receiving my master’s in taxation.

TR: If you could face one pro, who would it be and why?

MF: With the help of the new coach, Bette-Ann [Speliotis Liguori], there are supposedly three new recruits coming in next year, and I think the team will grow from here and will be able to look forward

MF: I would want to face Steffi Graf because I loved the way she was one of the greatest women tennis players of all time and I would love to meet her.

meter dash (25.80), and freshman Courtnay Newman came in 16th in the 100-meter hurdles (15.75). In the 800-meter run, freshmen Ashley Davis placed 26th (2:24.56) and Brittany Bolella placed 32nd (2:29.01), while Christina Machado took 26th in the 1,500-meter run with a 5:14.51 and sophomore Mairin O’Connor took 16th in the 5,000-meter run with a 19:20.06.

For Saturday’s field events, Newman took 11th in the high jump (5 feet 1 inch) and sophomore Elisabeth Warren took 14th in the long jump (17 feet 5.5 inches).

On Sunday, sophomore Blair Hassell placed sixth in the javelin throw with 129 feet 3.5 inches, breaking her own school record, and Groene came in 13th in the 400-meter hurdles with a 1:05.55 and 16th in the triple jump with a 34.75 inches.

The 4x800 relay team of Connolly, Gallagher, junior Kerry Kwalwasser and Groene came in fourth with 9:04.61, while the 4x400 team of Connolly, Gallagher, Kwalwasser and Warren took fourth with a 3:50.64, breaking Fordham’s 2002 school record of 3:52.28. The 4x100 team of Groeninger, Groene, Connolly and Kwalwasser came in 10th (49.22).

The highlight for the men’s team was junior Brian Schmidt’s secondplace finish in the 800-meter dash, coming in at 1:51.83, his best time this season, earning him Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors.

On Sunday, junior Christopher Lyons came in sixth in the 400-me-

ter dash with 48.64, his best time this season, with freshman Sean Atkinson in seventh with a 48.79.

Sophomore Kevin Fitzgerald placed seventh in the 1,500-meter run with 3:53.16, another seasonbest time.

In Saturday’s field events, sophomore Brian Riley came in fifth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with 9:29.43, followed by senior John Korevec in seventh with 9:42.56 and junior Pat McDonough in 13th with 10:15.06.

Gleason and senior Vincent Servello opened the decathlon in fifth and 10th, respectively, on Saturday night, with 3,124 and 3,761 points. Gleason finished fifth overall with 5,775 points, while Servello took 11th with 4,902 points.

In the relays, the 4x800 team of Hutchinson, Schmidt, Cosgrove and Fitzgerald took third with a 7:27.16. The 4x100 team of Bongiorno, Massaro, Atkinson and Lyons finished seventh with 42.78, their best time of the season, and the 4x400 team of Lyons, Shmidt, Atkinson and freshman John Cosgrove finished fourth with 3:15.32, also their best time of the season.

The team is now preparing for ECAC/IC4As, though they have one meet remaining to qualify.

“I expect that we will be able to run some very good times and finish off these next few weeks of the season on a positive note,” Connolly said.

The teams will next compete Saturday, May 8 at the Rutgers Invitational in Piscataway, N.J.

Track Places Eighth at A-10 Championships

By CELESTE KMIOTEK CULTURE EDITOR

Both Fordham’s men’s and women’s outdoor track and field teams came in eighth at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track and Field Championships on May 1 and 2 with 39 and 33 points, respectively. Charlotte came in first of the 11 men’s teams with 234 points, while Temple won out of the 12 women’s teams with 143.5 points.

“Eighth place is nowhere close to a true reflection of what the guys’ team accomplished at A-10s,” junior Augustus Gleason said. “This meet just seems to get more and more competitive every year. A lot of the guys’ performances this past weekend were not only heroic and at the highest level, but they also would have scored many more points in past meets.”

“There are some very large teams in the A-10 and we had a squad of 13 competing,” senior Catherine Groene said. “With such a small group we still placed well and had many top finishers.”

For the women, the highlight was redshirt senior Brigid Moriarty’s win in the 10,000-meter run, coming in at 35:53.16, despite having an illness the previous past week. Junior Kerri Gallagher also won the 800-meter run, coming in at 2:09.08, her best time this season and earning her First Team AllAtlantic 10 honors.

Junior Sherilyn Groeninger came in 14th in the 100-meter dash trials (12.53) and 15th in the 200-

Golf Improves from 2009

By JOHN DEMARZO STAFF WRITER

At the 2009 Atlantic 10 Championships, the Fordham University men’s golf team brought up the rear, finishing in 12th place out of 12 teams. However, a younger Rams team made some noise in fall 2009, performing at a consistently high level before capping its season off with the 2009 ECAC Division I Men’s Championship.

Fordham set its sights high in the spring season, with the hopes of improving even more from the fall campaign.

However, problems with the Rams’ short game plagued them throughout the early spring, as they struggled to find consistent success, which was something they possessed plenty of in the fall.

The first day of the three-day tournament began on Friday, April 30, and Fordham checked in with a score of 317, 29 strokes behind the leader, Charlotte, and just eight strokes behind sixth-place St. Bonaventure. Finishing first for the Rams in the first round was freshman Jason Del Rosso, who carded a 76. Just one stroke behind Del Rosso was freshman Brody Nieporte, who shot a 77.

Sophomores Devon O’Rourke and Brendan Green finished together for Fordham, both carding 82s, while redshirt senior and captain Dave Newman rounded out the Rams’ contingent with a 90.

Overall, it was a big improvement over 2009, when the team started out in 12th and could never escape the basement.

Fordham broke through in a big way on Day 2, shooting a 313, which pushed the team up into eighth place, still eight strokes behind sixth-place St. Bonaventure.

Nieporte posted a three-stroke improvement from Day 1, carding a 74, while O’Rourke doubled

Nieporte’s improvement, shaving six strokes off his Day one performance, carding a 76. Green maintained his play from Day 1, shooting another 82 to finish third for the Rams.

After leading the way on the first day, Del Rosso suffered a setback, shooting 10 strokes higher and carded an 86, finishing in fourthplace for Fordham. Newman posted the biggest improvement of the “Fordham Five,” shaving nine strokes off his Day 1 performance with an 81.

The third day was the final day of the season, and the Rams finished strong, improving by two strokes from Day 2, shooting a 311. Nieporte again led the way for Fordham, carding a 74 to finish with a 225 (77-74-74). Nieporte finished 12 strokes over par and in a tie for 12th place. Del Rosso bounced back in a big way on Day 3, shooting a 77 to finish with a 239 (76-86-77). O’Rourke also finished with a 239 (82-76-81), shooting an 81 on Day 3.

Green finished in fourth place overall for the Rams, shooting a 79 on Sunday and finishing with a score of 243 (82-82-79). In his final round for Fordham, Newman maintained his Day 2 score, carding an 81 on Day 3 to finish with a score of 252 (90-81-81).

Newman said he was very happy with the team’s play over the course of the season and in the Atlantic 10 Championship.

“Our team was much improved this year,” he said. “We had high finishes in many tournaments – highlighted by the ECAC Tournament victory – with a very young team, as we have two freshmen and two sophomores in our top five. I enjoyed going out on a high note with a good finish in the Atlantic 10 Championship, and the future is going to be very bright for the team.”

Rowing Sixth at ECACs

By KIMBERLY ENGEL STAFF WRITER

The Fordham University women’s rowing team competed on the Cooper River in Camden, N.J., on Saturday in the ECAC MidAtlantic/New England Regional Championships. Overall, the Lady Rams placed sixth of 12 teams at the regatta.

“The Varsity 8 had a very strong race in their heat qualifying for the Grand Final,” Head Coach Ted Bonanno said. “We beat Navy quite easily, holding them off, and posted the second fastest time of all the heats.”

The Varsity 8 qualified for the Grand Final by placing second in its heat, coming in at 6:52, seven seconds behind Rhode Island but ahead of Navy, Colgate and George Washington.

Unfortunately for the Lady Rams, they placed fifth in the Grand Final in a time of 6:54, behind Bucknell, Navy, Rhode Island and Rutgers.

“It’s just one of those things,” senior co-captain Francesca Andrea said. “Nothing is ever a guarantee, but we were really proud of everyone in the Varsity 8 for qualifying for the Grand Final.”

“The level of competition at the ECAC was better than the Atlantic

10 Championship,” Bonanno said.

“Though there were mixed results, I was encouraged by the regatta overall. It was a good final race before the Dad Vail.”

“The weather was definitely a factor,” Andrea said. “At one point it reached 90 degrees. All of the crews were constantly hydrating.

We had to make sure we weren’t tired or run down by the heat.”

“There’s been a little bit of inconsistency,” she said. “Sometimes, we’re having good heats, but not performing as well in the finals. It just shows that not everything is in our hands. We just have to always be ready for anything.”

The Lady Rams will wrap up their season on May 7 at the 2010 Dad Vail Championship in Philadelphia.

“It will be tough, but I’d like to see us compete for medals next week,” Bonanno said. “There are crews coming from all over the country, including some we haven’t seen.”

“Next week, we’re just looking to have an overall good performance,” Andrea said. “We’re really excited, but we don’t want to get too overconfident. The only thing we have control over is our own crew, but I can definitely see our shells advancing out of our heats for the Grand Final races.”

MAY 5, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 23

SPORTS

By NICK CARROLL SPORTS EDITOR

As we are in one of the best sports stretches of the year with so much going on – from the NBA/ NHL playoffs, to the NFL draft not long ago and getting into the baseball season – let’s just touch on a handful of issues, rather than having me rant for 1,100 words.

Seven Members of the Basketball Media Should be Fired The fact that LeBron James was not the unanimous MVP is embarrassing. Even as someone who was one of the first on Kevin Durant’s bandwagon, it is clear LeBron was the more productive player this season. He averaged slightly fewer points per game; however he averaged almost six more assists per game and played better defense. I will not even bring Dwight Howard into this argument because an MVP should be capable on both ends of the floor.

Either way, this is all secondary to what really matters – the playoffs. LeBron makes Cleveland easy favorites to get past the aging Boston Celtics and eventually to the NBA Finals.

Can the Lakers Overcome Derek Fisher?

It was clear early in the LakersThunder series that Fisher could not guard Russell Westbrook.

However, because of loyalty (arrogance?), the Lakers refused to make the necessary change of putting Kobe Bryant on Westbrook until game six, giving Oklahoma City life when they should have been overmatched. With Deron Williams, Steve Nash and George Hill (who torched the decrepit Jason Kidd in the first round) still lingering, can the Lakers get away with Fisher playing a prominent role against better competition?

The Washington Capitals Are the New San Jose Sharks I had numerous discussions about how this had to be the Caps’ year. The Eastern Conference could not be much weaker, especially considering Evgeni Malkin and Marc Andre-Fleury’s (overrated?) down years and the Penguins’ lack of replacements for defensemen Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill and the Capitals seemed like a shoe-in to represent the East in the Stanley Cup Finals.

However, after Alexander Semin and Mike Green pulled Houdini acts and Jaroslav Halak stood on his head, the Capitals are headed home. The true losers in this debacle are the fans. A few weeks ago, we ran a blog almost rooting for

the Caps and Blackhawks to meet in the finals, mostly because of the teams’ fast, exciting styles, but with the Caps having their season ended in game seven on their home ice for the third-straight year, and the Hawks struggles against the Predators in the first round and now against the Canucks, it looks like this style may not be conducive to playoff success. Bummer.

The Sharks and Roberto Luongo Are . . . Living Up to Expectations?

So maybe there is some hope for the Capitals heading forward, as the Sharks have been led by Joe Pavelski and have basically dominated the playoffs to this point.

Despite some weird losses (I’m looking at you, Dan Boyle), the Sharks have routinely dominated their opponents in shots and have controlled play, making some believe that this could finally be the year they follow through on their regular season expectations.

Meanwhile, goalie Roberto Luongo is following up his goldmedal-winning performance at the Winter Games by finally shutting up the critics in the playoffs. When push came to shove, the Canucks easily dismissed the Kings in the first round, and dominated the Blackhawks in game one last Saturday.

You Can Take Your UZR and Shove It All I heard about this winter was how the Red Sox and sabermetricians continue to be a step ahead of everyone else with the use of UZR (ultimate zone ratings). Well, so much for that.

Now, don’t get me wrong – stats are very valuable. However, they have to be taken in context. Making mediocre Mike Cameron, softswinging Marco Scutaro and the pedestrian Adrian Beltre the key additions to a lineup that already featured declining hitters in David Ortiz, Jason Varitek and Mike Lowell really makes me question boy-wonder Theo Epstein.

Also, emptying the bank account for 32-year-old John Lackey and 30-year-old Josh Beckett, both of whom probably have their best years behind them. It really does not seem too surprising that the Red Sox have struggled so much early on this year, especially considering the injuries.

Let’s Calm Down with the Mets What’s with the Mets and the ridiculously strong reactions? At the beginning of the year they were called “terrible,” a team that cannot get out of its own ways and either

the third- or fourth-best team in the NL East. Then this past weekend the New York media hypes up some kind of first-place showdown with the two-time defending National League Champion Phillies.

Please, let’s all collectively calm down. First of all, the Mets are not terrible. This team is very similar to the one that was a win away from the 2006 World Series and competed for playoff spots in 2007 and 2008. So, after struggling in 2009, a season where they had an apocalyptic rash of injuries, we’re supposed to write them off ? However, after a fast start, putting them head-to-head against the Phillies is downright insulting as a Phils fan.

The truth lies somewhere in between. The Mets will most likely compete for a playoff spot throughout the season, but the Phillies still remain the class of the NL East, even with suspect pitching.

The Denver Broncos Are Terrible in Every Way, But They Would Make Great Dinner Guests Maybe I am wrong, but I always thought teams were supposed to try to put the best collection of talent together. Apparently, the Broncos disagree. Over the past year, Josh McDaniels has gotten rid of the core group of offensive players that made the Broncos job so enticing when he took over.

Why are they gone? These players had too much of an attitude or ego for McDaniels to put up with.

McDaniels followed the same approach, replacing them by drafting Demaryius Thomas (over the uber-talented head case Dez Bryant) and then Tim Tebow (probably the fourth-best quarterback available, drafted second). The real issue is that McDaniels has to focus on the offense.

McDaniels was supposed to already have the offensive pieces in place when he took over and, if he was able to get the defense to the same level have great success in Denver. Instead, the offense has been broken up and rebuilt around a quarterback who was overmatched by Alabama in the SEC Championship Game and a wide receiver who played a secondary role in Georgia Tech’s triple-option offense.

I am not suggesting putting together a penal league team, but there is nothing wrong with putting up with a head case or two if it means wins. Looking back, the problem may not have even been the attitudes, but the coach who cannot seem to get along with anyone else.

Upcoming Varsity Schedule CAPS=HOME lowercase=away Baseball

Thursday May 6

Friday May 7

Saturday May 8

Sunday May 9

SAINT JOSEPH’S 1:00 p.m.

SAINT JOSEPH’S 11:00 a.m.

SAINT JOSEPH’S 6:00 p.m.

ST. BONAVENTURE 12:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

Softball

Rowing

Track and Field

Dad Vail Championships Philadelphia Rutgers Invitational Piscataway, N.J.

Monday May 10

Tuesday May 11

Atlantic 10 Championship Amherst, Mass.

Wednesday May 12

MAY 5, 2010

PAGE 24

Baseball Now in Fifth after Taking Two of Three from La Salle

By DANNY ATKINSON SPORTS EDITOR

With three weeks left in its season, Fordham’s baseball team has no time for inconsistency or excuses. The Rams came into last week’s schedule of games holding an 8-7 record in the Atlantic 10, good enough to be in the league’s upper half but not good enough to truly be a top contender for a league title.

The variety of issues Fordham has faced, from up-and-down play to a lack of offensive power to an apparent lack of depth on it pitching staff, needed to be addressed and seemed too great to be overcome at times. While the Rams did drop two games at Columbia this week, the team’s final two wins against La Salle featured all the elements Fordham was looking for. From consistency to great offensive performances to clutch pitching, the two wins versus the Explorers showed the Rams the route they need to follow to contend for an A-10 title.

Fordham started the week of play ominously with a sweep at the hands of Columbia in Manhattan by scores of 6-3 and 5-4.

Fordham began the opener by scoring a single run in the top of the first. Sophomore shortstop Brian Kownacki scored on an RBI single from junior catcher Chris Walker.

However, the Lions responded a few innings later with four runs to take the lead, highlighted by a three-run double by first baseman Jason Banos.

The Rams attempted to put together a comeback for the rest of the game but could never quite narrow Columbia’s advantage. Fordham got two runs back in the sixth to make it a 5-3 game, as Walker continued his excellent game with a two-run double. The RBI double was Walker’s team-leading 19 of the season.

The Lions were immediately able to answer the Rams’ effort on a solo home run by left fielder Dario Pizzano to take a 6-3 lead.

Fordham was unable to mount a successful comeback as the first game of the doubleheader lasted only seven innings. Senior pitcher Derek Squires shut down the Rams for the game’s final 1.1 innings without allowing a hit.

On the mound, junior pitcher James Stone took the loss for the Rams, allowing four earned runs on three hits in 5.2 innings. At the plate, Walker was 2-3 with a double and three RBI. The nightcap was an even tougher loss for Fordham, as Columbia’s second baseman Nick Crucet beat out a double play ball in the bottom of the eighth to allow the go-ahead run to score and give his team a 5-4 victory.

The contest started off well when senior first baseman Ryan McCrann hit a two-run line-drive homer to center in the first to give the Rams an early two-run advantage.

Though the Lions knotted the game in the bottom of the third, the Rams regained the lead in the fifth with two runs for a 4-2 lead.

PHOTO BY SIMON SULIT/THE RAM

Sophomore third baseman Ryan Maghini’s flashy defense early in the game keyed a big win over La Salle last Saturday.

Sophomore second baseman Nick Martinez scored on a triple to the right field corner by Kownacki before sophomore left fielder Stephen McSherry plated Kownacki with a groundout.

Columbia made its move in the eighth with three runs to take a 5-4 lead. After an RBI double, the Lions placed runners on second and third with no outs before tying the game on a wild pitch by Fordham’s freshman reliever Joseph Charest.

When Crucet followed by beating the relay throw on an attempted double play, first baseman Anthony Potter scored and gave Columbia a 5-4 lead and the win.

Junior starter John Flanagan received an unfortunate no-decision for Fordham, despite allowing just one earned run with six strikeouts in his six innings of work. At the plate, McCrann went 2-4 with two extra-base hits and two RBI. The Rams began a crucial weekend home series versus La Salle on April 30. Displaying Fordham’s continuing problems with finding a consistent offense and strong starting pitching at the back of their rotation, the Rams could not get going throughout the game and fell, 6-2.

The Explorers quickly got on the board with a run in the first and pushed their lead to 3-0 in the third. Sophomore starter Daniel Munday struggled with his control and issued two walks with one out. Becoming rattled, La Salle was able to execute a hit-and-run single to score its second run and later scored a run on a groundout.

Fordham was able to cut the deficit to 3-1 on an RBI groundout by Lee in the third but the Explorers regained their three-run lead in the sixth on an RBI single.

In the ninth, shortstop Brian Meager smacked a two-run homer to left.

Despite showing patience at the plate, the Rams were able to muster only four hits against La Salle. Eric Van Wyk did an excellent job of locating his fastball and went seven innings, allowing one run on only one hit.

In contrast, Munday (3-4) lacked control on the mound and gave up

four runs on six hits with five walks in six innings.

This Rams team has spent all season figuring out how to put together games where all three elements of the game are working in synchhitting, pitching and defense.

Up to this point in the season, the Rams have been unable to put together games like this, but in the final two games against La Salle, Fordham displayed its talent and really clicked.

The Rams’ impressive display begin with a convincing 6-1 victory over La Salle on May 1. At the plate, Fordham flashed both power and a small-ball mentality.

The Rams opened with a 2-0 lead through two innings using the long ball, as Kownacki hit a solo home run to left in the first and senior first baseman Michael Taddei followed with his third homer of the year in the next inning for the tworun advantage.

Fordham then manufactured a run in the fifth. Lee reached on a bunt single, moved to third on a pair of walks, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Walker.

The small-ball offense continued in the sixth, as Taddei moved to second on a ground ball and scored on an error by the La Salle second baseman.

With the Rams scoring in the eighth on an RBI triple from senior center fielder Mike Mobbs, the offense demonstrated a promising ability to score by any means.

On the mound, junior and staff ace Max Krakowiak (4-3) demonstrated an ability to pitch out off a couple of jams for his fourth win of the season, allowing one run on three hits in 6.2 innings.

At the plate, Taddei matched a career-high with three hits, while scoring a career-high three runs.

Fordham earned a series victory and continued to exhibit its talent with a 12-5 victory in the finale on May 2.

The game played out as a seesaw affair before the Rams blew the game open with a six-run sixth.

Fordham opened the scoring in the first by taking advantage of a La Salle miscue.

Martinez scored on a Kownacki

double when the Explorers’ right fielder threw wide at third.

While La Salle came back to tie the game the next inning, the Rams tied the game at two in the third on an RBI groundout by McCrann.

The Explorers went ahead 4-2 in the fourth on a two-run homer, but the Rams continued their offensive resurgence with three runs in the bottom of the frame.

McSherry started the effort with his first home run of the year before sophomore third baseman Ryan Maghini doubled to right-center to score senior right fielder P.J. Como.

Finally, Kownacki’s sacrifice fly gave Fordham a 5-4 advantage.

Fordham then completely took control of the game in the sixth with six runs to grab an 11-5 lead.

Highlights of the rally included two-run singles by Kownacki and Como.

The Rams showed impressive patience during the inning, drawing three walks off of La Salle’s pitchers.

While senior starter J.P. Mack

struggled, Fordham received encouraging signs from its freshman relief corps. Charest and Rich Anastasi combined for 5.1 innings of relief, giving up only three hits and one run between them.

The Rams played excellent defense, with Maghini in particular making a number of impressive plays at third.

At the plate, McSherry was 3-4 with a home run and two RBI, while Kownacki was 3-5 with a double and three RBI. “These last two games were definitely some of our best efforts of the season,” Head Coach Nick Restaino said. “If the players continue this then I will be very confident for our chances in the A-10 playoffs.”

Anastasi echoed his coach’s pronouncements following the La Salle series.

“This is what we’ve been waiting for for a while,” he said. “Everything clicked for the team in these last two games. This is just my first year here, but I don’t think we’ve played any teams better than us. If we keep playing like this we can beat anyone.”

Fordham now has a 16-28 record, with a 10-8 mark in the A-10. The Rams are in a three-way tie for fifth in the standings with Saint Louis and Xavier. The offense, buoyed by its performance this past weekend, has upped its on-base percentage to .341.

Fordham plays yet another crucial series this weekend at Saint Joseph’s, who are ahead of the Rams in the league at 11-7. Though the Rams’ inconsistency has been a problem, Fordham may have showed against La Salle that it is truly a different team. If the Rams’ offense can continue hitting well and the team is able to get solid efforts from all its starters, winning the series should not be a problem.

This weekend may mark the beginning of an entirely new Fordham season.

PHOTO BY SIMON SULIT/THE RAM

Junior catcher Chris Walker reached base three times in the a 12-5 win Sunday.