Volume 103 Issue 17

The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 Volume 103, Issue 17

TheFordhamRam.com

November 3, 2021

Mold Issues in O’Hare Hall

More Severe Weather Closures

By MARY SCHEIDEL

By ISABEL DANSIZ

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

On Thursday, Oct. 21, O’Hare Hall residents received an email with the subject line “Change of Season and Mildew and Mold.”

The email discussed the Office of Residential Life’s planned response to the “higher than usual number of work order requests” concerning mold or mildew in O’Hare. It also informed residents that Facilities staff would be working alongside a contracted company to inspect and clean the building that same day.

O’Hare resident Anita Millsom, GSB ’24, said that while some residents were unaware of the growth in O’Hare, “almost all the students had known that the mold was a problem for a while.” She shared residents’ photos of growth on vents and even on the ceiling of a common area. “It wasn’t until everyone started submitting work orders that they finally did something about it,” said Millsom.

Despite the number of work orders that were submitted, the Residential Life email assured students that an increase in mold and mildew is not unusual during “the change of seasons and the kind of warm weather we are having late into this

On Tuesday, Oct. 26, in-person classes were canceled or moved to a virtual format due to severe weather conditions. Public Safety made these announcements to the Fordham community via email.

On Oct. 25, New York City put into effect a travel advisory that extended from the evening until the afternoon of the following day. Additionally, the National Weather Service put in place a flash flood warning for the city.

Overall, the Fordham neighborhood received 4.73 inches of rain.

The storm that hit New York on Oct. 26 was classified as a Nor’easter, a large and aggressive storm that tends to occur on the East Coast of the U.S. and becomes most powerful and dangerous around the New England area or at the Maritime Provinces of Canada.

Despite the intensity of the storm, water damage and flooding on Fordham’s campuses was minimal which differs from the flooding Fordham experienced earlier in the semester that affected many campus buildings.

“Minor water damage occurred in a number of Rose Hill buildings, but all were immediately addressed by our Facilities Operations personnel,” said John Carroll, the associate vice president of Public Safety at Fordham.

“Public Safety does repeated inspections of our facilities and reports their findings for Facilities for follow up.”

The decision to cancel classes was based on considerations regarding students’ and faculty's ability to commute to campus safely and “checking multiple weather information sources,” according to Carroll. “[We were] checking with

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Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams was elected as the second Black mayor in New York City history on Nov. 2.

Adams Claims Victory Over Sliwa in NYC Mayoral Race

By ABBEY DELK NEWS EDITOR

On Tuesday, Nov. 2, New York City residents elected Eric Adams to be their next mayor.

Polls closed yesterday evening at 9 p.m. The Associated Press called the election in Adams’ favor at 9:10 p.m, when polls had Adams with over 50 points above his Republican opponent Curtis Sliwa.

Adams is the current Brooklyn borough president, as well as a former New York City police captain.

He will be the second Black man to be elected as New York City mayor.

The first was David Dinkins, who was elected as mayor in 1989 and served in the office until 1993 when he was succeeded by Rudy Guliani.

Adams tweeted out his thanks to New York voters shortly after polls closed last night. “To our supporters, volunteers & endorsers of all backgrounds, faiths & from every corner of NYC: Thank you, from the very bottom of my heart, for being a part of our team,” wrote Ad-

SEE MOLD, PAGE 3

ams. “Tonight, we celebrate — because tomorrow, the real work begins!”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted his congratulations soon after news outlets began to call the election for Adams. “A graduate of our public schools. A decorated NYPD veteran. A brave voice for justice in our streets. A bold public servant with Brooklyn spirit and style. [Eric Adams] embodies the greatness of our city. He will SEE MAYOR, PAGE 4

Fordham TV Returns This Fall

By RACHEL GOW EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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Columbus Day has sparked controversy in recent years because of the historical figure’s ties to the legacy of colonialism.

Italian Americans at Fordham Discuss Columbus Day’s Meaning

By SOFIA DONOHUE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Christopher Columbus is a source of pride for many Italian Americans. They view Columbus Day as a day of celebration of Columbus’s accomplishments as an

explorer, as well as their Italian history and culture. While the holiday has been widely accepted by many Italian Americans, there has been a push to abolish the holiday amid controversy surrounding of Christopher Columbus’ ties with colonialism and

abuse of Indigenous people.

This debate remains prevalent in American culture. Fordham students who identify as Italian American weighed in with their views on the holiday.

“Columbus Day has never been SEE ITALIAN, PAGE 5

Fordham Student TV, the university’s broadcast organization, returned to the Rose Hill campus following several years of hiatus.

The Communication and Media Studies (CMS) department hired Katie Corrado, FCRH ’12, a decorated broadcast journalist with WPIX-TV, to work as the club’s faculty advisor.

Corrado was a news anchor for Fordham Student TV throughout her college career and worked as the student manager for the station her senior year.

Fordham TV was Corrado’s “second home” and hugely influential in her post-Fordham successes. “You need a demo reel to get on air; the TV station was the only way for me to generate that material,” Corrado said. “Without it, I don’t think I’d have my job.”

Katie Corrado is not the only Fordham Student TV alumni to SEE TV, PAGE 3

SEE FLOODING, PAGE 3

in this issue

Opinion

Page 8

Howard University Protests Expose Failed Leadership

Sports

Page 16

Men’s Basketball Team Ushers in a New Era

Culture

Page 11

Fordham A Capella Hosts Halloween Teaser Event

NEWS

Page 2

PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS October 27 East Fordham Road 10:15 a.m.

A student reported that she was slapped on the back by an unknown person as she walked past White Castle on East Fordham Road. When she turned to face him, he ran west on Fordham Road. The student was not injured and the student did not push to file a police report.

October 29 McGinley Center 11:45 a.m.

Public Safety responded to a fire alarm in McGinley Center.

It indicated that the activation of the alarm came from smoke in the boiler room. It was determined that plumbing contractors set off the alarm while welding pipes. The building was deemed safe and occupants were allowed to reenter.

October 30 Loyola Hall 4:30 a.m.

A Public Safety guard stated that a student gave his ID card to a friend to attempt to gain entry to Loyola Hall, but was stopped by the guard. The student was escorted off campus, and the matter was referred to Student Affairs.

October 31 Terranova House 2:10 a.m.

A student reported an odor of gas at Terranova House, which is located at 2512 Hoffman Street.

Public Safety responded and did not detect any odor of gas.

The university plumber turned off the stove until the landlord could make repairs.

Follow us on Twitter! @TheFordhamRam

November 3, 2021

Fordham Celebrates Halloween In Three-Day Halloweekend

By MICHELA FAHY By SEBASTIANWRITER DIAZ CONTRIBUTING

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Fordham’s Campus Activities Board (CAB) and Commuter Student Services (CSS) hosted a week of spooky events to celebrate Halloweekend.

Halloweekend, a portmanteau of “Halloween” and “weekend,” is an annual celebration of the weekend of Halloween, typically a three-day celebration.

CAB’s “Halloweek” kicked off on Monday, Oct. 25 with a General Board “Trick or Treat Street” on Edwards Parade, followed by at least one Halloween event every day until Saturday, Oct. 30, or Mischief Night.

These events include Tuesday’s “Haunted Trolley Tour Raffle” in the McGinley Student Center, Wednesday’s “Cinevents Halloween Movie Trivia” in the Campbell Hall Multipurpose Room, Thursday’s “Golf Cart Ghost Tours,” Friday’s “Halloween Disco” hosted by Cultural Affairs and ASILI and a haunted house at Rodrigue’s Coffee House.

CAB’s Halloween Instagram post reads, “Happy Halloween from CAB!! Hope everyone is having a fun & safe weekend!”

In addition to CAB’s events, CSS also hosted numerous other events specifically marketed towards Fordham’s commuter and non-resident students.

The first of CSS’s events was a screening of “The Conjuring” on Monday, followed by multiple student-focused events on Halloween weekend.

Friday of Halloween weekend featured both a “Spooky Painting Pop-Up” event in the Commuter Student Lounge and a Commuter Services-hosted excursion to Blood Manor, an interactive show, in Manhattan.

Jeffany Acosta, commuter assistant marketing consultant, said it’s important for CSS to create events that are specifically targeted toward Fordham’s non-resident students. “These events are tailored to commuter students because they’re at commuter-friendly times,” said Acosta.

She explained that holding events either too early or too late in the day would make it incredibly difficult for commuter students to regularly attend campus events. “We do not have early or late events because

it’s inconvenient to traditional commuters who have to travel to school,” said Acosta. “We focus on times during the afternoon, especially block hours when no students are in class (specifically, Mondays and Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.).”

“We do believe that these events are [more] accessible to commuter students compared to other non-CSS events that might not be as time-friendly,” said Acosta.

Creating events for commuter students is a significant part of making them feel more comfortable as part of the larger Fordham community, explained Acosta.

This community unification is an important factor in designing events, especially in marketing them to all students who are interested.

“Our events are for all Fordham students, so it serves as a chance for commuters to meet resident students as well!” said Acosta.

Getting commuter students involved on campus is high on the Commuter Student Services’s list of priorities, and it does the work to make sure that these commuter events are made available to all students.

“We send weekly emails to help students get involved in other on-campus activities,” Acosta explained. “We work with other departments and collaborate on events to expose commuter students to other events and jobs on campus.” Commuter students often feel neglected by non-CSS campus programming.

In addition to Halloween, some clubs on campus chose to host celebrations for the holiday Dia de los Muertos. Translating to “Day of the Dead,” the Mexican holiday represents a day for hispanic people to celebrate dead loved ones.

One club hosting celebrations was El Grito de Lares, whose Oct. 29 celebration offered a series of interactive and engaging events. Aside from crafts, foods and drink available in McGinley Student Center, El Grito de Lares also set up a traditional ofrenda in the University Church.

Ofrendas are traditional hispanic shrines in which Dia de los Muertos celebrators include pictures of deceased loved ones and honor them. Dia de los Muertos occurs after Halloween, starting on Nov 1.

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Fordham students enjoy themselves at CAB’s Halloweekend festivities.

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Jack-O-Lanterns are an iconic and popular symbol of Halloween celebrations.

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A traditional ofrenda that was assembled to celebrate Dia de los Muertos.

This Week at Fordham Wednesday Nov. 3

Thursday Nov. 4

Friday Nov. 5

Friday Nov. 5

Saturday Nov. 6

Fordham Falak Bake Sale

CSA Thanks-Give-Away Tabling

Fordham FUSE Diwali Festival of Lights Keating Steps 5:30 p.m. –9 p.m.

Rod’s Presents: Dog Date

Rodrigue’s Coffee House 8p.m. –11 p.m.

FET: Allergy Friendly Stand-Up Show

In honor of Diwali, Fordham Falak (Fordham’s only Bollywood Fusion Dance Team) is hosting a bake sale of samosas and numerous other sweets at the McGinley table.

Commuting Students Association will be in McGinley’s Main Lobby tabling for their Thanks-Give-Away event, an annual CSA-hosted fundraiser. All funds raised will be donated to charity.

Fordham University’s South Asian Entity will be hosting a festival of lights in celebration of Diwali. The event will have food, games and dance performances from Fordham Falak and Candela Latina.

Rod’s Coffee House is having another concert this Friday featuring bands Dog Date, Patti and Death Drive. There is no cover charge for the event.

Fordham’s stand-up comedy troupe, Allergy Friendly, is holding a standup show in Fordham Experimental Theatre’s Blackbox inside Collins Hall.

McGinley Lobby 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

McGinley Lobby 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Blackbox (Collins Hall) 8p.m. –9 p.m.

NEWS

November 3, 2021

Page 3

Administration Addresses Mold in Residential Halls FROM MOLD, PAGE 1

semester.” Mold and mildew thrive in moist environments, and rain has been in no shortage over the past two months, with severe rainstorms causing campus closures on several occasions this semester. That said, O’Hare residents told the Ram they were still “annoyed” with what they perceived as a delayed response to their concerns.

The Residential Life office encouraged residents to contact Facilities or submit a work order as soon as they discover mold, mildew or any other type of growth in dorm rooms or common areas.

The response will typically entail an inspection and cleaning of room ventilation units and cleaning or disinfecting of affected items. Per the Oct. 21 email, “Other response actions may include installing relative humidity data loggers in the rooms, providing portable dehumidifiers, servicing shower/toilet room exhausts and inspecting all plumbing systems for leaks.”

Concerning her room, Millsom said, “We did have mold in our

vents. It wasn’t as bad as some of the other rooms.” However, Millsom said she and her roommate suspect that whatever was growing in their room has caused them persistent respiratory symptoms “pretty much since [they] got here.” Millsom’s roommate was diagnosed with bronchitis early in the semester, but there was no confirmation that the growth in their room was “black mold” — a term used to describe a number of growths known to cause significant health issues.

The Office of Residential Life said that there were no recorded incidents of black mold, although the office’s email to O’Hare residents stated that “some residents may be more susceptible to common strains of mold and mildew due to personal respiratory issues.”

Fortunately, now that individual rooms have been cleaned, residents do not have to worry about mold spreading throughout the building, as “there is no ductwork that connects the rooms” in O’Hare Hall, according to the email.

The Office of Residential Life ad-

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Multiple residents in O'Hare discovered that their rooms were housing mold following the extended rains this year.

vises that students exercise caution with damp items such as clothes or towels. Additionally, the office recommends that residents turn off air conditioning units in unoccupied rooms and avoid setting the thermostat below 68 degrees “during periods of high relative humidity.”

Millsom said she went beyond these recommendations and purchased an air purifier. Although she is frustrated with how long it took to finally take care of the mold and

mildew in the building, she hopes that the inspections and cleaning will prevent further issues.

“I don’t think there’s much [The Office of Residential Life] can do at this point other than be honest with us,” said Millsom. “[They have] done everything they can for the moment by cleaning the vents, the only thing we can ask for is transparency going forward.”

Charles Clency, assistant dean of students and director of residential

life, stated for the Ram: “Change of season and wet weather can bring additional work orders to the University and requests for cleaning of in-room air conditioning units, surfaces, or other items that have become wet or are simply dirty. While we have seen no growth that turned out to be harmful or dangerous, our partners in campus operations have been very responsive in the residence halls and staff have worked to keep the residents updated.”

Second Round of Campus Fordham TV Returns Flooding Causes Less Damage FROM TV, PAGE 1

HANIF AMANULLAH/THE FORDHAM RAM

The infamous ”O’Hare lake” returned during the second round of flooding last week, only to be drained soon after.

FROM FLOODING, PAGE 1

NYC Emergency Management,” he explained. “Checking traffic sources for highway and roadway conditions regionally.

Checking campus conditions.

Checking MTA and regional railroads for transportation issues.”

The cancellation of in-person classes marks the second time that Fordham had to pause inperson instruction because of extreme weather conditions this semester.

“While not typical in past years, recent serious impacts [have been] observed from major rainfall events, mandating [that] we address it. Whether and how climate change plays a role in weather we experience

here deserves consideration,” said Caroll.

The increase in storm intensity can be attributed to rising global temperatures. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, warmer sea temperatures fuel stronger storms, connecting more aggressive storms to climate change.

Fordham students have also noted the frequent cancellations of in-person classes due to rainfall.

“It feels like the storms we’ve been having are happening more often and are really strong,” said Madeline Ryan, FCRH ’24.

Ryan said that experiencing intense storms from tall buildings on campus can be intimidating.

“I live on the top floor of my

building, and while I don’t feel unsafe, sometimes it is a little nerve-wracking being so high up while it’s storming,” explained Ryan. “Especially in this most recent storm, I was worried about flood damage to the building or to my room since there seemed to be a lot after the last storm.”

Going forward, Public Safety advises students to continue to be aware of possible hazardous weather conditions around the city and plan their commutes and schedules accordingly in order to ensure their safety.

“Students would be well served to consider the messages sent and act accordingly to enhance their individual and collective safety during weather events,” said Carroll.

lead a fruitful journalism career. Ann Pierett, an investigative reporter with ABC12 News, and Keith McGilvery, a weekday morning anchor at WTICTV, both gained valuable experience at the station.

Corrado and others were saddened to hear of the club’s disbandment in 2016, a result of scheduling issues with the Electronic Information Center in Walsh Library where the studio was located.

In its absence, students interested in journalism still had the opportunity to write for campus publications or work at Fordham’s radio station, WFUV. However, there was no opportunity to generate on-air material or learn the specifics of broadcast.

“I wondered how students who wanted to be on air were going to prepare themselves,” Corrado said.

Both Corrado and Jacqueline Shannon, FCRH ’22 — one of the club’s co-presidents, along with Hayley Gunning, FCLC ’23 — hope the return of Fordham Student TV will fill this void.

“We haven’t had an option for students interested in broadcast journalism,” said Shannon. “[With Fordham TV], students will have the opportunity to produce their own news packages, so they can gain experience and build their portfolios.”

Corrado also wants the club to provide a community for Fordham students. “I hope for students that are interested in television, Fordham TV is that second home on campus like I

had at the station,” she said.

Right now, the club leaders’ main priority is gauging student interest, according to Corrado. Because the club is returning after so many years, there is a lot of flexibility in how it takes shape.

“It can really become whatever students want it to be,” Corrado said.

“This is really a blank canvas; someone could do an entertainment show or a sports show.”

Shannon hopes this opportunity for creativity within Fordham TV piques students’ interest. “We are excited for students to join and we want them to be excited about it, too,” she said.

While the club gets on its feet, students will likely produce their shows without a studio, according to Corrado.

Initial hopes were for the club to regain access to the Electronic Information Center in the library. However, after Hurricane Ida in early September, the space sustained significant damage, and its use in the near future seems unlikely.

Corrado remains optimistic about the shows the club will produce and the possibility of moving into a more permanent space. “Our goal is to put something together well enough that we can raise money to rebuild the studio,” she said.

Students interested in joining Fordham Student TV should attend the club’s informational meeting on Friday, Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. in the Faculty Memorial Hall building, Room 232.

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The Fordham TV program returns this semester after disbanding in 2016.

NEWS

Page 4

November 3, 2021

Adams to Be 2nd Black Mayor in New York City History FROM MAYOR, PAGE 1

be an outstanding mayor. Congratulations, my friend!” wrote the current mayor.

Adams ran on a platform to make New York City more “efficient,” more “effective” and more “equal,” according to his official campaign website. His plans for his term include implementing a “modest” income tax on the city’s multi-millionaires and billionaires.

Adams hopes this tax increase will generate $1 billion to $2 billion annually to programs and initiatives intended to help low-income New Yorkers recover financially from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The multi-millionaires and billionaires must pay their fair share to help all of us get through the aftermath of the pandemic, which disproportionately hurt Black and Brown New Yorkers,” Adams’ website states.

Adams has also pledged to empower legal immigrants with voting rights in New York City. “There are more than 3 million immigrants in New York City,” his website states.

“The vast majority of these New Yorkers cannot vote in local elections even though many are legal tax-paying residents. By allowing

lawfully permanent residents and other non-citizens authorized to work in the United States the right to vote, we will enfranchise nearly 1 million New Yorkers who deserve a say in how their city is run – and who runs it.”

When casting his vote yesterday morning at a Brooklyn polling place, Adams became emotional about his political rise as a Black man who grew up in public housing, according to a report from the New York Times. “We won already,” said Adams. “I’m not supposed to be standing here.

But because I’m standing here, everyday New Yorkers are going to realize they deserve the right to stand in this city also. This is for the little guy.”

At his polling place, Adams also declared his intention to defend working-class New Yorkers, according to the New York Times.

“The policies that I ran on, they were clear. It’s about being safe.

It’s about working on behalf of blue-collar people,” said Adams.

“If we abandon blue-collar Americans we’re going to lose our party.

I don’t believe we’re going to do that.”

His Republican opponent also visited the polls yesterday, though

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Eric Adams greeted New York voters outside a polling place yesterday before being elected as the next mayor.

Sliwa was initially denied entry into his polling place when he tried to bring in one of his 17 cats, according to a report from the New York Times. Sliwa was also asked to remove his campaign jacket before voting,

which led to a heated argument with election officials at the polling station.

Sliwa conceded the election to Adams half an hour after the race was called. “I want to concede to Eric Adams,” he told a crowd of

his supporters. “I am pledging my support to the new mayor, Eric Adams, because we are all going to coalesce in harmony.”

Adams will take office on Jan. 1, 2022 and begin his term as mayor of New York City.

Fordham Recognizes Domestic Violence Awareness Month

By LUCY PETERSON

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

October is nationally recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a period dedicated to the acknowledgement of “mourning those who have died because of domestic violence, celebrating those who have survived and connecting those who work to end violence,” according to The National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence.

The United States has officially observed Domestic Violence Awareness Month since 1987.

Each year the government passes new legislation in support of victims with the goal of eventually eliminating domestic violence according to the The National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence.

On Oct. 5, 2021, the United States Department of Justice announced that the Office on Violence Against Women would “invest more than $476 million in grants to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.”

While domestic violence impacts individuals nation-wide, college students, particularly college-aged women, are especially vulnerable to experiencing domestic violence. According to Partnership Against Domestic Violence “college-aged women (between the ages of 16-24) have the highest per capita rate of intimate partner violence.”

The New York State Department of Health lists that “1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men will be sexually assaulted while in college” with “more than 50% of college sexual assaults occurring [from] August to November.”

There are many potential reasons why college campuses experience a spike in the number of domestic violence cases. The Partnership Against Domestic Violence emphasizes the isola-

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October is nationally recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a tradition that first began in 1987.

tion and variety of barriers college students face. “College students often feel trapped by their social networks and the relatively closed environment of many campuses. Being away from home may cause students to feel isolated from their personal support networks and resources for help.”

Cases of domestic violence have been especially prevalent in the recent national news cycle. On Oct. 13, 2021, NBC10 Philadelphia News reported that a student from the University of Delaware was convicted of sexual assault after the university’s initial response caused uproar amongst students.

Additionally, the murder of Gabby Petito has massed the nation's attention after details of the domestic dispute with her late fiancé, Brian Laundrie, emerged earlier this month according to CNN. COVID-19 also played a large role in the increasing number of domestic violence cases over the past year. According to TIME Magazine, “Growing evidence shows

the pandemic has made intimate partner violence more common — and often more severe.” TIME also emphasizes the disproportionate impacts of domestic violence on samesex couples, as well as communities of color “with systemic inequities often meaning lower income and less access to social and private services.”

Farah Elrakhawi, FCRH ’24, chairperson of the USG Committee on Sexual Misconduct (CSM), said that the committee will be honoring the month with a Week of Action taking place the first week of November. The Week of Action will include a variety of projects and demonstrations including “The Clothesline Project, a self-defense class, a speak out, a presentation on bystander intervention in partnership with the Bronx DA’s office, as well as tabling with resources and flyers.”

Elrakhawi said the Committee on Sexual Misconduct is eager to return to in-person

events after transitioning to an entirely virtual Week of Action during COVID-19.

“We’re having in-person meetings again, so engagement and conversation facilitating is so much better.” However, the committee decided to continue the more anonymous submission process that was adapted during the pandemic, said Elrakhawi.

“I feel like there are a lot of questions up in the air about the reporting process in general and how the university handles cases of sexual misconduct,” Elrakhawi said.

Due to new legislation that was passed under the Trump administration, cases of sexual assault that occur off campus are no longer under Fordham’s legal jurisdiction, Elrakhawi said.

The university now relies on two separate processes to address cases of sexual assault including the Campus Assault and Relationship Education Office (CARE) as well as the Gender Equity and Title IX Office.

In response to the new legisla-

tion passed, Fordham “dedicated the CARE program to handle off-campus incidents and the Title IX Office to respond to oncampus cases,” Elrakhawi said.

Elrakhawi expressed disapproval of the new legislation which requires that “on-campus cases handled through the Title IX Office must go through a live interview process with the victim and the assailant in the same room.” The Committee on Sexual Misconduct “vehemently pushed back on these regulations” Elrakhawi said. “We never want to place more barriers on reporting.”

According to Fordham's official website, “the University provides Confidential Resources, who are trained administrators and staff members available to those community members who do not wish to report their experience,” including Counseling and Psychological Services, University Health Services and the Office of Campus Ministry.

The Fordham University Website also lists a variety of services available through the CARE program including Care Connect, “a resource to rapidly deliver information related to sexual misconduct to your phone or other mobile device, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, from anywhere.”

While Care Connect is not a reporting system, students can use this resource to access information available in the CARE brochure, the website states.

Victims of sexual assault, stalking, domestic violence, dating violence or other prohibited sexual misconduct are encouraged to report their incident by calling the Department of Public Safety, whose numbers are listed on The Fordham University Title IX Office website.

In place of a phone call, students may fill out the Public Safety Online Incident Report available on the Title IX Office web page.

NEWS

November 3, 2021

Page 5

Italian Americans Discuss Columbus’s Troubled Legacy FROM COLUMBUS, PAGE 1

particularly important to me,” said Michael Murphy, FCRH ’22. “I’ve never really ‘celebrated it’ so to speak, aside from the customary lesson about Christopher [Columbus] I had in elementary school ... When I was in high school and the idea was first introduced to me that Columbus was a less admirable historical figure, I began to feel much more uneasy about acknowledging the day.”

While Victoria Fox, FCRH ’25, finds pride in her Italian heritage, she also recognizes the controversy of the holiday . “I think Columbus Day is an important day, as it marks the date our country was discovered,” said Fox. “With that, I am aware of the negative and offensive connotations it holds, thus I don’t think it should be a holiday to be celebrated.”

For many Italian-Americans, Columbus Day is not just a celebration of the explorer, but a celebration of ideals. Kathleen LaPenta Long, Ph.D., a senior lecturer of Italian at Fordham, summarized Columbus Day’s historical significance for Italian Americans. “When Italian immigrants arrived in the U.S., they were often mistreated and experienced discrimination based on the notion that they were ‘not quite white.’

Columbus became a symbol of an illustrious Italian heritage that ‘proved’ the dignity of their ‘race.’”

For a group facing discrimination, promoting Columbus’ origins as an Italian bridged the divide between Italian immigrants and the rest of the nation.

On the other hand, Fordham’s United Student Government is currently working on a proposal to have the university change its recognition of the holiday and celebrate the date as Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead., according to Long.

Murphy said he supports the university’s push to rename the holiday.

“I think that Columbus Day was never critical to the culture of America and the Italian American identity to begin with, and I think that it is only right that ... we instead choose to celebrate a day that recognizes the truth of the continents on which we live.”

Similarly, Fox expressed her hope that the holiday’s name change will facilitate important conversations.

“I support the efforts of trying to get the name of the holiday changed as I think it would have many positive effects … With this change, I think more conversations would be sparked about the negative parts of history, thus more people would be properly educated.”

Fordham is not the only educational institution working to rename the holiday from Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Last spring, New York City’s Department of Education announced Columbus Day would not be considered a holiday, starting in the fall of 2021, according to CBS New York.

When the calendar was initially released, Oct. 11 was referred to exclusively as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Councilmen Joe Borelli and Steve Maeto and U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis reprimanded the decision, stating that the decision

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Many Italian Americans still value Columbus Day for the opportunity it provides to celebrate their cultural heritage.

“came as a shock to parents.” Both councilmen and the representative agreed that, while there is nothing wrong with celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day, fault lies in celebration at the expense of a day that celebrates Italian American culture.

However, amid criticism from politicians and parents, New York City public schools renamed the holiday Italian Heritage Day/ Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The holiday’s new name recognizes Italian accomplishments while simultaneously acknowledging that Native

Americans were the first inhabitants of the land. New York City is home to over 2.6 million Italian Americans, the largest ethnic group in the New York metro area.

LaPenta noted the numerous statues around New York City erected to celebrate Italian heritage. “In the 1930s and during the era of fasscism, Carlo Barsotti, an Italian immigrant who was a fascist sympathizer and who founded the Italian language daily, ‘Il progresso italiano,’ commissioned several statues around New York City to celebrate this illustrious

heritage; the Columbus statue at Columbus Circle, as well as statues of figures like Dante, Giuseppe Verdi, Giuseppe Mazzini and several others date back to Barsotti’s campaign to elevate the social status of Italian Americans.”

While it remains uncertain whether the controversy surrounding Columbus Day will ever reach a consensus, the cultural conversation surrounding the public's perception of Columbus and his relations with Indigenous people is changing.

Earn your master’s degree in only one year at Fordham.

Through our accelerated degree programs, Fordham undergraduates can get their master’s in one year after their bachelor’s, or two years for a law degree.

You can continue your studies at Fordham seamlessly through dual-degree programs with our graduate schools of arts and sciences, business, education, law, and social service.

Apply during your junior year for accelerated advanced degree programs. Interested students should meet with your academic advisers.

To learn more and see which program fits your needs, visit

fordham.edu/accelerated.

Page 6

R

Serving the Fordham University campus and community since 1918 The Fordham Ram is the university journal of record. The mission of The Fordham 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 Fordham 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 over 12,000 and a web readership of over 300,000. The Fordham Ram office is located in the basement of the McGinley Center, room B-52.

Website TheFordhamRam.com Email Address theram@fordham.edu Editor-in-Chief Rachel Gow Managing Editor Dylan Balsamo Editorial Director Erica Weidner Multimedia Director Hunter Benegas Business Director Aidan Youngs Digital Director Katie Morris Production Editor Vanessa DeJesus Copy Chief Megan Dowden Assistant Copy Chief Ginny Belt News Editor Abbey Delk Features Editor Hasna Ceran Assistant News Editors Sebastian Diaz Isabel Danzis Opinion Editors Emma Lipkind Taylor Herzlich Assistant Opinion Editor Michela Fahy Culture Editors Ava Erickson Sara Tsugranis Assistant Culture Editor Hanif Amanullah Sports Editor Alexander Wolz Assistant Sports Editors Michael Hernandez Kaley Bell Digital Producer Collette Campbell Visual Director Pia Fischetti Photo Editor Mackenzie Cranna Graphics/Illustrations Cory Bork Editorial Page Policy

The Fordham Ram’s editorial re-

flects the editorial board’s view on a campus issue.

Opinions Policy The Fordham Ram accepts submissions to fordhamramopinions@gmail. com. Commentaries are printed on a space available basis. The Fordham Ram reserves the right to reject any submission for any reason, without notice. Submissions become the exclusive property of The Fordham Ram. The Fordham Ram reserves the right to edit any submissions. Opinions expressed in articles, letters, commentaries, cartoons or graphics are those of the individual author. No part of The Fordham Ram may be reproduced without written consent.

OPINION

November 3, 2021

From the Desk | Erica Weidner

The Best Hours of My Week Hey, fun fact! If you’re reading this in print, both articles on this page are written by me. The editorial doesn’t have my name on it, though, because it represents so much more than me; it’s the voice of our entire staff. When I write those, I say “we” instead of “I.” Up here, I’m about to say “I” a lot.

I realize that as a senior on The Fordham Ram’s staff, this article is meant to be my goodbye after working on this newspaper.

It’s wild realizing that my time with the Ram is coming to an end. Course registration is next week, and I’m planning on taking a 6 p.m. class that meets every Tuesday. It feels blasphemous, because during my entire time at Fordham, my Tuesday nights have been Ram nights.

I joined the Ram at the beginning of my freshman year as a copy editor. Editing took up two hours of my week every Tuesday night. I will admit that, sometimes, they were the best two hours of my week.

During my sophomore year, I started staying later on Tuesdays.

Those two hours stretched into four. Then I became copy chief, and those four hours turned into a whole lot more. I sat and worked in our office on Monday evenings and Tuesday nights, usually into the early hours of Wednesday morning. We never made it out before midnight; our record finishing time for copy editing was 12:02 a.m.

My schedule is a little more lax now. I write the editorial on Tuesday afternoon and swagger

in with pizza in the evening. And I still stay late copy editing, even though I don’t have to, because sometimes these hours are the best hours of my week.

The Ram’s office is a little refuge from the outside world. If you’ve never been down here, I don’t know if words can adequately describe it. There are posters of old issues of the Ram up on our wall. Our bulletin boards are papered with memorabilia from past volumes. Some I was here to witness, like the 8.5 x 11 “baby paper” sports page, and some I was not, like the proclamation “Tom Petty is DEAD!” scrawled in bright orange highlighter before Tom Petty died.

There’s a wide variety of office chairs sprinkled around the copy table. The drawers have fun surprises in them, like a cache of print photos or an ancient bag of Dum Dums.

But the décor isn’t what makes McGinley B-52 a special place.

It’s the people.

When you spend hours in a small office every Tuesday night working on something much bigger than yourself, you bond with one another. The energy in the Ram office is a little magical that way. You also go a little nuts, especially once the clock ticks past 1 a.m. The result is a group of crazy, wonderful, dedicated people. We have inside jokes, fantastic outfits and excellent taste in memes. I’ve grown so much closer to everyone on the Ram this year, and I have a lot of people to thank.

To my fearless leaders: Thank you, Rachel, for pushing through

an absolute mountain of red tape to get us here. I missed our Ram office so much when we published exclusively online. And thank you, Dylan, for crafting playlists of nonstop bops and cracking jokes during budget meetings. I regret that I missed out on the Festival of the Elements.

I want to thank every person who’s sat at the head of the copy table since I started with the Ram years ago: Lindsay, Collette, Vanessa, Maggie, Emma, Megan and Ginny. You are my copy queens. (To my current copy queens, I really hope you caught the Oxford comma I left in that

sentence. It’s a little Easter egg for you.)

Thank you to every section editor who I’ve wandered over to this fall. It’s been lovely getting to know you all, even if our interactions mostly consist of “How the hell can you have two tenths of an inning?” and “I’m sorry I keep ruining your day, but this word can’t be hyphenated” and “Your best three articles of the week, please?” Thank you for putting up with me, helping me be better and providing me with an unexpected little home tucked away in McGinley basement.

Thank you for being the best hours of my week.

Editorial | Exams

In-Person Midterms Catch Students Off Guard Midterms were never fun. Even pre-COVID-19, they were always stressful, big, cumulative tests worth a big chunk of our course grade.

However, there was an added stress this semester: Many of us were taking our midterms in person for the first time since spring 2020. For the past year and a half, many of us have taken our exams online. While online school and exams were far from enjoyable, the sudden plunge back into in-person midterms was a bit of a shock.

Many professors made their online exams open-book last year. Perhaps they wished to lessen the burden on students during difficult times, or maybe they assumed students would use books regardless of whether they allowed it. At the time, this relaxation was something we appreciated; it took away some of the exam-related stress we experienced.

Now, reflecting on how our education has changed in 2020 and 2021, we realize we were unprepared for a wave of in-person, closed-book midterms.

Our unpreparedness was partially due to the switch from open to

closed-book. With open-book exams, we lost our study habits and relied on the information readily available to us.

However, we have to remember that online learning was not easy, and the unique challenges posed to us resulted in a different way of learning.

We may not have retained as much information as we did with in-person instruction. As a result, there are significant gaps in our knowledge that our professors may not be aware of.

These gaps are visible in students learning a foreign language. Online language learning is difficult; the lack of face-to-face instruction and conversation means we struggle to use the language we learn. If you started a 1001 language course last fall and just took your first in-person midterm in 1501, chances are you are less prepared to ace that exam than students who received their language instruction fully in person.

Even if it’s the exact same test, completing a midterm online is different from taking it in person. The small comforts that online school gave us — sitting in a comfortable chair, listening to music, going for a midexam walk — disappear in the class-

room. In parallel, the small anxieties of in-person exams — being the first person to finish, asking the professor a question, bumping into others on the way out of the room — return in full force.

We talk about the new normal a lot, but we rarely talk about returning to the old normal. However, that’s the more apt term to use here. Once upon a time, in-person, closed-book midterms were the norm. We may not have enjoyed them, but we knew how they worked and taught ourselves strategies to get through them.

We made study guides, and we went over the material with our classmates.

Midterms were never fun, but they were doable.

If we want to orient ourselves toward a new normal, maybe we need midterms that are doable and somewhat more enjoyable. We know how much easier online midterms were without cramming and memorizing information.

Further, some of our online midterms took the form of projects and presentations instead of traditional tests. If we talk about a new normal, perhaps it should be a less stressful

normal than the one we knew before.

By now, your midterms have likely wrapped up, but that doesn’t mean the stress has gone away. Your professors have likely started handing back midterm grades. If a professor is hard on you, you must remember not to be too hard on yourself. The past year and a half has been a wild ride, and if your midterm grade is its casualty, that’s okay. If you’re worried about your grade for the course, talk to your professor and see if there’s something you can do to raise it. This is their first in-person midterm in a while, too.

Your professors may have hinted at upcoming finals. We wish they’d give us a moment to breathe in between stressful exams, but we also recognize that our semester is coming to a close.

The good news is that the hardest part — the first in-person exam we’ve taken in ages — lies behind us now. We are no longer unprepared.

We have time to cultivate good study habits, form group chats with our classmates and hype ourselves up for another exam. We believe that all of us Fordham students can crush our exams this winter, even if our recent ones caught us off guard.

November 3, 2021

OPINION

Page 7

The Removal of Thomas Jefferson’s Statue Contradicts America’s Identity

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Thomas Jefferson’s statue in the New York City Council chamber will be dismantled following a unanimous vote.

By NOAH OSBORNE STAFF WRITER

Following the racial reckoning Americans witnessed during the summer of 2020, the country reached yet another crossroads of its identity. Grappling with what it means to confront institutional racism as well as what it means to be truly “anti-racist,” Americans took to cultural sanitization. Texas lawmakers flagged 850 books in schools they deemed “discomforting” on a racial or sexual front.

The Washington Redskins retired their name after years of controversy “in light of recent events,” according to team owner Daniel Snyder. Even popularly consumed American products from companies like Aunt Jemima, Uncle

Ben’s and Mrs. Buttersworth were rebranded following accusations of racist imagery. These changes pale in comparison to the removal of Thomas Jefferson’s statue from the New York City Council Chamber due to Jefferson’s history of enslaving people.

Although well-intentioned, the removal of Thomas Jefferson’s statue does nothing to confront the institutional racism rooted within police departments and school, health and housing systems. It is difficult to envision how removing a statue of Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, can be envisioned as a sign of American progressivism when it is merely America’s way of sugarcoating racism. In removing Jefferson’s statue, our

country not only erases its own history, but also conceals the real issue at hand. This removal allows systematic racism to be forgotten.

The preservation of history is necessary to educate citizens on what it means to be actively anti-racist.

In removing statues like Jefferson’s, it seems less like Americans are truly committed to rectifying institutional racism and more like they want to deny it ever existed. Ignoring our history is counterintuitive to confronting the racial reckoning we have faced.

Not only is it irreverent to erase a founding father of our country’s history, but it directly contradicts the importance of remembering our nation’s admirable progress, which relies upon reflecting on our socio-economic and politi-

cal flaws for self-betterment. For there to truly be progress, there must be an understanding of what hinders progress from being made.

For example, calls were mounting during summer 2020 to defund police following George Floyd’s death. However, these calls have since steadily dropped due to surges in national crime.

Minimizing police presence has led to two problems. First, there is a noticeable increase in crime.

However, there is also a continual problem of racism. Instead of making efforts to remedy the systemic racism seen in the police force, defunding the police simply eradicates the force, which rids us of the opportunity to confront the problem at its source.

This example applies adequately to the removal of statues. It is one thing to identify the immoral context from which a statue was built, but it is another thing entirely to ensure another statue rooted in the same evil is not erected again. This mission becomes complicated if statues like Thomas Jefferson’s are removed.

America is failing to be sincerely anti-racist, and is using the tragic death of George Floyd to avoid seriously confronting systematic racism. It is correct for America to question Jefferson’s role as a slave-owner while claiming that all men are created equal. However, we are at a pivotal moment in our nation’s history which calls for education, and maintaining

Thomas Jefferson’s statue in the New York City Council Chamber could have played an instrumental role in that. By removing it, we not only remove our nation’s history — as well as our goal to live through progress — but we abdicate the opportunity for collective educational discourse. It is never enough to simply run from our country’s demons. In some respect, these demons will manifest again if we continually fail to confront them through sugarcoating and cultural sanitization.

Men like Thomas Jefferson were honored as America’s earliest zeitgeists because of their role in protecting and defending American citizens. For example, a statue of Robert E. Lee was erected because he fought on behalf of the Confederacy. The Confederate general’s statue was removed from Richmond, Virginia, but does not change the fact that there are still people who look upon him favorably. To combat this disconnect and prevent history from repeating itself, it is key that statues like Lee’s be used as a sort of light to hold our current progressive expectations up to.

America’s renewed dedication to confronting its racist past is admirable, but in continuing to remove statues, Americans cannot fight what we won’t allow ourselves to see.

Noah Osborne, FCRH ’23, is a journalism major from Harlem, N.Y.

Inability to Test for Marijuana Use Threatens Small Business Owners

By BRIAN PFAIL

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Department of Labor has released new regulations prohibiting New York employers from testing employees for marijuana use. Employers cannot test employees unless they display signs of intoxication or marijuana use while at work. Employers can test for marijuana if the state or federal law requires it for that particular position.

The Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) amended Section 201-D of the New York Labor Law to reflect the state’s legalization of cannabis. Employers may take action if the employee “manifests specific, articulable symptoms of cannabis impairment” while working that impedes performance or obligations.

The MRTA details “articulable symptoms of cannabis impairment” as “objectively observable indications that the employee’s performance of the duties of their position are decreased or lessened.” This phrase is a clear example of the typical legalese of politics — clear enough to legislate, yet vague enough for people to misunderstand or misconstrue. The problem here is that there is no such

thing as “objective indications.” Viewing someone’s impairment is purely subjective. The individual could have many conditions attributing to an appearance of impairment like lack of sleep, an adverse effect to medications or simply having an “off” day.

The MRTA cautions employers regarding indications that may be part of a disability. Employers are then referred to local, state and federal laws regarding disability discrimination.

The risk of disability discrimination due to the MRTA is a huge threat to business owners. Are our representatives trying to scare private companies out of business?

Oddly enough, employers cannot drug test even if they view the individual to be impaired under the guidelines of the MRTA. The employee is protected even if they have an odor of cannabis. The MRTA should have detailed more examples of when the employer can drug test, rather than listing a plethora of reasons why employers can not. The MRTA did not specify, nor include, examples of possible impairments, leaving many wondering if lawmakers fully thought through this decision.

“This is the start of more progres-

sion for the marijuana movement,” says Carol Johnston, a representative of the prominent cannabis dispensary chain Curaleaf. But when asked about the dangers of such subjective guidelines, she wasn’t so sure. “Our representatives are listening. It may be trial and error before we get it right,” said Johnston.

How much “trial and error” will it take and at what cost? It is time we question what the true priority is here: cannabis freedom or overarching governmental control over private businesses?

The MRTA does refer to state and federal occupational safety and health laws. Nonetheless, this new regulation allows more freedom of interpretation and more liability on the part of employers. The private sector should fight back against the new terms or risk being subject to a sizable increase in their insurance premiums. Lawsuits of discrimination will likely increase due to the subjectivity of these new regulations. Alongside discrimination claims, businesses will have to be extra cautious with workers who operate machinery and heavy equipment.

It would be more justifiable if testing was allowed during work hours since there currently is no objective

metric to determine one’s level of marijuana intoxication. We don’t want any accidents in the workplace, nor do we want lawsuits against private businesses, especially when the economy is at such a low.

This amendment should be reflected only in the federal or state sector. Private companies have a right to know if their employee is under the influence and a right to terminate the individual if the company sees fit. Government overreach encumbers private businesses, especially small private businesses, from success. Small business owners should not have to worry about whether their employees are sober and fit for the task. The same treatment toward alcohol and other controlled substances should be applied to canna-

bis. Those with a medical cannabis license should be the only ones to abide by the new MRTA guidelines.

This is the pragmatic and logical choice.

New York may have been too eager to legalize cannabis only because legislators should have worked out these particulars before legalization. Now we have private businesses trying to figure out how to manage cannabis alongside an unstable economy during a pandemic.

Legislators have yet again failed to protect those they claim to be fighting for.

Brian Pfail, FCLC ’22, is a communications major from Ronkonkoma, N.Y.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

New York employers are prohibited from testing employees for marijuana use.

OPINION

Page 8

November 3, 2021

Culture or Cult? Fraternities Under Fire for Recent Sexual Assault Allegations

By MORGAN SPILLMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Colleges across the country have suspended or removed institutions of Greek life due to a slew of issues pervading certain chapters. Issues include severe hazing, harassment, excessive drinking, drug abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harmful behavior.

More recently, the University of Southern California (USC) suspended their Sigma Nu chapter due to drug-related sexual assault allegations.

The suspension of this fraternity is not the first in the United States, Other schools including University of Massachusetts Amherst, Cornell University, California State Northridge, University of Miami, San Diego State and others have all had their fair share of fraternity incidents requiring the suspension or even disbandment of certain chapters.

The prevalence of sexual assault and extreme hazing tied to Greek life are at the core of the problem.

Many schools are struggling to keep Greek life under control. If fraternities cannot be completely disbanded, there should be a better way to oversee their conduct.

All students, despite their Greek life affiliations, need to be held accountable for their actions.

In 2014, Armando Villa died after a California State Northridge

(CSUN) Pi Kappa Phi retreat which required pledges to do a 14-mile hike in slip-on shoes with very little food or water. Today, much like USC, CSUN fraternities are well-acquainted with scandals including sexual assault allegations. Even I can think of a frat member that I personally knew from high school who repeatedly groomed and raped underage girls.

A Cornell fraternity member who was only 18 years old died from alcohol poisoning and was found in a ravine in April of 2021.

UMass Amherst and SDSU have similar cases of death by alcohol poisoning in some fraternity chapters. Most of the recruitment processes involve drinking ridiculous amounts of alcohol and attempting dangerous challenges.

Many schools without Greek life, including Fordham, still have incidents of sexual assault.

Harrassment, drug and alcohol abuse and rape perseveres despite a lack of Greek life, especially among sports teams. In athletics, there is still overwhelming pressure to belong and follow what peers are doing, even if it is not traditional hazing.

Brock Turner, a rapist and former Stanford University athlete, is a perfect example of poor accountability, having only received a six-month sentence after multiple eyewitnesses saw him rape an unconscious girl behind a dumpster.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

University of Southern California is receiving criticism after multiple sexual assault allegations.

Students at schools like University of Nebraska-Lincoln and University of Southern California are fed up with their institutions’ protection of Greek life, holding protests to express their anger and desire for change.

The protests aim to eliminate toxic masculinity and sexual assault on college campuses. USC is allowing nonviolent protests to occur and is finally taking a stance on the issue.

This is somewhat of an improvement, but it doesn’t take away from the need for accountability and better control. While most of these issues are magnified by fraternity culture, they do not always stem purely from Greek life.

The bigger issue at hand that needs to be addressed is toxic mas-

culinity. Greek life is simply an outlet for these outdated stigmas.

There is often societal pressure for men to be seen as tough, and in fraternity culture this translates into drinking copious amounts of alcohol and sexually harassing or assaulting women.

This toxicity is the real problem and needs to be dealt with at the source by university administration and student bodies.

It is the responsibility of the administration to hold men partaking in these toxic behaviors accountable by not only siding with survivors of sexual assault but conducting thorough police investigations. Additionally, schools should consider severing financial ties with their Greek systems; the well-being of their students should

be more important. Administrators can also work to discourage gender stereotyping among the student body through different programs.

By doing so, students won’t be categorized to a certain masculine or feminine group. Therefore, they should feel less pressured to follow toxic masculine and feminine behaviors.

The student body should also stand up against these stereotypes and toxic behaviors. Our societal practices and standards need to change if Greek life is to continue.

Morgan Spillman, FCRH ’23, is a journalism major and communication and culture minor from Los Angeles, Calif.

Howard University Protests Expose Years of Failed Leadership

By ALLY DUGAN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Recent protests from Howard University students regarding unhealthy living conditions highlight the need for students’ voices to be heard on college campuses. As a prominent HBCU, it is especially important for the Howard administration to acknowledge the voices of the students who they historically work toward uplifting.

For more than two weeks, Howard University students have been protesting unacceptable living conditions on their campus. Students have noted mold, insects, rodents, leaky ceilings, flooding and other issues within on-campus housing.

Students have started a sit-in at the school’s Blackburn University Center, a usual place of congregation for students’ social activities.

The sit-in began on Oct. 12 and quickly gained traction with the creation of the #BlackburnTakeover on social media.

Through social media, students have issued a list of demands for the school’s administration.

These demands include the request for an in-person town hall meeting with President Frederick and administration, permanently reinstating all affiliate board positions, an outlined housing plan for Howard leadership and legal, disciplinary and academic immunity for all protest participants.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Howard University students are protesting unacceptable living conditions.

Kymora Olmo, a freshman at Howard, has been camping out for more than two weeks.

Like many other students, Olmo will continue to do so until the demands of the movement have been met. She spoke to NBC News, saying that camping outside has been miserable, but with the help of the local community tents and heaters have been provided.

“So the nights are getting more comfortable, but they’re not getting warmer. You know we don’t want to be out here until November, but if that’s what it takes, then that’s what it takes,” she explained.

Students are working hard through in-person protests and social media to make sure future generations attending Howard University do not have to face these same issues. Until their demands are met and acknowledged fully by the university’s administration, students are not going to let up.

The Howard administration has faced a lot of criticism concerning their leadership and their relationship with their students — and these are not new issues.

The lack of leadership from Howard University has created unsafe conditions for the students that they claim to be actively working to support and protect.

Many are asking: how did Howard let this happen? How did Howard allow mold in thirty-eight dorms on campus and flooding to be a consistent problem for many students? And why are Howard officials ignoring students’ demands?

As a school that requires students to pay upwards of $12,000 a year for on-campus housing, these unsafe living conditions are unacceptable.

Howard University leadership says that mold and other unhealthy conditions are an isolated issue, claiming they have only been witnessed in a minimal amount of dorms. University President Wayne A. I. Frederick communicated that these housing issues were merely the result of wet and humid conditions in buildings that have not been used in over a year due to the pandemic.

These issues have occurred consistently throughout Frederick’s time as President of the university.

In 2016, 2017 and 2018, three individual protests took place at Howard regarding the same issues being protested today. The 2018 protest consisted of a nine-day sit-in until student demands were met.

Similar protests have been occurring at Howard University even before Frederick’s administration.

In 1968, the historic Howard University protest unfolded: 1,000 students held a rally in front of Douglass Hall on campus.

Protestors were demanding the resignation of James Nabrit, the president at the time, as well as a judiciary system for student discipline, an emphasis on adapting African-American culture and history into the school’s curriculum and the dropping of charges against 39 students who had previously protested these issues.

As an HBCU, Howard administration needs to work harder to help their students instead of continuing to disregard the same issues. These minimal demands should be met and students should be able to enjoy their college experience without fear of respiratory issues from mold or constant flooding in their bathrooms and hallways.

Jasmine Joof, a sophomore at the university, addressed the need for protest. She stated, “It makes me sad that my university would treat me like this. The living conditions, the lack of transparency with the administration sucks. They are actively standing on our backs saying they want to create student leaders … and they are ignoring us.”

A student should not have to sleep outside in a tent to have safe living conditions, especially not at a prominent university like Howard.

These protests have not yet been successful, as there has not been any real change within the administration or at the university.

However, these students are being proactive and making sure that the Howard administration does not ignore an issue at the university yet again. Howard University students are working tirelessly to make sure later generations at the institution do not face these same challenges. It is up to the university’s administration to take heed of their students’ voices.

Ally Dugan, FCRH ’23, is a communications and culture major from West Chester, P.A.

CULTURE

November 3, 2021

Page 9

Who’s That Kid? | It’s Alessandra Carino, FCRH ’23

Junior Follows her Passion for Theology

BY TAYLOR HERZLICH OPINION EDITOR

Alessandra Carino, FCRH ’23, is the president of Fordham. Well, not really, but she is well on her way.

Carino is not your typical commuter student. Not only is she an active participant in on-campus activities, but she is an active leader.

When asked to list all of the extracurricular activities she is involved in, she laughed and decided to list only her major time commitments.

This shortened list involves acting as executive programming coordinator for Commuting Students Association (CSA), a leader for Campus Ministry’s Retreat Team, a sacramental coordinator intern at Campus Ministry, a tour guide and an orientation leader. Yes, this was the condensed version.

When asked if there was anything she did not do on campus, she responded with, “I’m not a part

of the business society,” before dissolving into another fit of laughter.

Carino is a truly clouted figure here at Fordham, whether or not she wants to admit it. It is nearly impossible to walk around campus alongside Carino without being interrupted by countless friends and peers. Carino’s dedicated involvement to campus activities requires a delicate balance as a commuter.

“My favorite thing [about being a commuter] is definitely having a home-school boundary,” says Carino. As a resident, she believes she would overextend herself. Returning to her home at the end of the day is both a relaxing ritual and a way of forcing her to put her social butterfly tendencies aside until the next day.

Her least favorite thing about being a commuter student is the inconvenience. Carino says that the hardest part of being an actively involved commuter student

COURTESY OF ALESSANDRA CARINO FOR THE FORDHAM RAM

Carino is involved in CSA and Campus Ministry and is an orientation leader.

is not having a room to return to in the middle of her packed days.

“Sometimes I wish I could just take a nap, but … oh, well,” she jokes.

“I would say I’m in a special position as a commuter because I don’t live very far, so I have the opportunity to stay late or come on weekends, so it’s not as difficult as it would be for other commuters,” explains Carino. This flexibility is surely what allows Carino to assume a leadership role in almost every organization she belongs to.

For example, Carino always aimed to work with Campus Ministry, leading to her current position as an intern helping to organize weddings in the campus church.

Carino’s way of romanticizing life is not limited to the love she witnesses in the church, though.

We are sitting by the fountain, at Carino’s request, when she launches into a completely unprompted, unscripted lovefest for the Fordham fountain.

“There’s a really great view of the influx of people going to and from class. You get the beautiful water.

You get the mums in the fall. You get the other flowers in the spring.

When the trees are changing, the foliage is out in view. When the leaves fall down, you have a beautiful view of Keating,” gushes Carino, whose zest for life can also be witnessed in her studies.

Her favorite subject throughout high school was theology, and this trend continued throughout her core studies at Fordham. However, Carino tried to push aside her passion for theology, explaining that she initially wanted to major in something more practical.

“I ultimately decided to go with my heart and major in it,” says Carino. Her inclination to follow

COURTESY OF ALESSANDRA CARINO FOR THE FORDHAM RAM

Carino is a communter and comes from a Fordham family.

her heart led her to declaring a second major.

One of Carino’s professors had been encouraging her to declare an Italian minor because of Carino’s clear interest in the field. Carino intended to declare the minor, but later decided on an Italian major because of her close connection to her Italian heritage. Carino attributes this connection to her grandmother, whose house she went to every day after school and who taught her how to cook.

“Hearing [my grandma] talk about her life and her journey to America … that was always really important to me,” Carino says of her connection to her Italian background.

In fact, Carino’s family was one of the supporting factors in her decision to attend Fordham. Carino comes from a Fordham family, explaining that she remembers get-

ting alumni magazines from the school in the mail.

When it comes to Fordham, it is the close-knit community that Carino loves most. She enjoys the fact that everyone seems to know each other, with friendly connections forming among students, professors and administrators.

“I feel like it’s a net because there’s always a connection to another person, but in a good way,” explains Carino. Then she laughs, leans in and whispers, “Sometimes not in a good way.”

Fordham’s community always felt like a part of Carino, so the decision to attend the university seemed like destiny.

“I just love Fordham’s mission, and I love all the people here, and I couldn’t imagine not being such a big part of it,” saysCarino.

“FUTURE PAST” Perfectly Merges the Past and the Present

BY SEBASTIAN DIAZ

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

From the opening chorus of guitars to the closing menagerie of synthesizers, it’s easy to forget that this is a new album and not a prophetic follow-up

to Duran Duran’s 1993 album “Seven and the Ragged Tiger.”

With the exception of guitarist Andy Taylor, every member from Duran Duran’s original album plays with the same exceptional styles that create the iconic

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Duran Duran released its latest album “FUTURE PAST” on Sept. 27.

and instantly recognizable Duran Duran sound. John Taylor’s bass is as bouncy and melodic as ever, while Simon Le Bon joins the few ’80s pop vocalists whose voice has undergone little-to-no aging.

While “FUTURE PAST” is incredibly reminiscent of old Duran Duran, the influences of modern pop music cannot be ignored when listening to the album. To prevent the album from feeling too nostalgic, the instrumental playing style is amended by a distinctly modern production style.

Synthesizers are less tightly operatic and much more grand in their chorus, creating a subtle effect that fills up a whole room before anyone can even notice, while the release on many of the digital instruments is allowed to breathe before getting cut short.

Le Bon’s voice is airy, floating above the electronic strings and reverberant guitars. These are not the same production techniques used by classic Duran Duran, but a sign that the band is finally learning how to properly adapt their sound to the modern

pop world. This is a step forward from the 2015 album “Paper Gods,” which saw the band almost completely drop its unique sound in favor of contemporary dance-pop.

At its core, adapting to the present makes up the thematic idea of “FUTURE PAST.” As bassist John Taylor said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, “‘FUTURE PAST’ is a very emotional album. There’s not a lot of faff on it … Many of the songs are about emotional crises, or long-term intimacy issues, let’s call them.”

These emotional lyrics are present from the very beginning of the album. The chorus on the first track, “INVISIBLE,” reflects reverse-hauntological destruction of the past: “When you can’t even say my name / Has the memory gone? Are you feeling numb? / And have I become invisible?”

The chorus shows an understanding that the future relies on advancement from the past, no matter how the past still apparates. The title track also creates

strong support for this theme: “For what will never last / Each moment created in time / It’s all a future past / That we are living now.”

Even the album art on “FUTURE PAST” reflects the simultaneous separation and unification of future and past. Composed by Art Director Rory McCartney using photos from photographer Daisuke Yokota, the figures were colorized from their original black-and-white. The colorization makes the two figures distinct from each other, making it clear that they each represent two very different ideas. Keeping consistent with the album’s themes, the logical conclusion is that they represent the past and future.

Even though one is running away from the other, showing the natural separation, the two images are overlaid on top of each other to show how intimately the past and future are connected.

In this album, Duran Duran excelled at finding both a theme that remains in the instrumentals, production, lyrics and art direction.

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November 3, 2021

Lady A Shows the Power of Song in New Album

BY NOAH OSBORNE STAFF WRITER

The country genre changed when Hillary Scott, Charles Kelly and Dave Haywood burst onto the scene with their debut selftitled album, “Lady Antebellum,” in 2008. The fruits of this change would come over the course of the next three years, with 2010’s chart-dominating “Need You Now,” which won record of the year, and 2011’s smash hit “Own the Night.” After nearly a decade of heart wrenching songs about love or lack thereof, the five-time Grammy award-winning band’s hit songs like “Just a Kiss,” “Need You Now” and “Love This Pain” continue to captivate audiences, even outside of the confines of the country genre. In 2021, Lady A’s lyrical prowess and emotional depth is not lost in its new album

“What a Song Can Do,” even if the album struggles to keep listeners engaged.

This is not to say the album is without the charm the band infused into its earlier works. There are still plenty of brilliantly sung verses from Scott and Kelly to leave listeners nearly in tears with the vocal chemistry the two share.

The sun has far from set on these modern pioneers of the country genre, but it seems dimmer as the latter half of the album lacks the passion and ambition the band was previously known for. Unfortunately, the album opens with one of these songs in “Talk of This Town.” Although the song has its interesting moments, it feels largely stripped back in comparison to the band’s other songs about heartbreak and drinking.

Between the weightless drums,

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Lady Antebellum changed their name to Lady A in August 2020.

lazy acoustic guitar strumming and uninspired chorus, it seems highly likely this song will never be the talk of the town compared to Lady A’s best songs.

However, things pick up quite well with title track “What a Song Can Do,” in which singer Kelly makes up for his slow start on the opening track. The song sees the band bursting back to life with guitars blazing thanks to Haywood.

The upbeat track serves to reassure fans and casual listeners alike.

The band still knows how to pack a love-filled punch some 13 years later when Kelly sings, “It can make you dance and make you cry / Make you wanna give it one more try / Start a band and kiss that girl, and break some rules / It’ll make you give your heart and get it back / Change your mind just like that / When it’s like every single line was written just for you / Ain’t it crazy what a song can do?”

However, “Like a Lady” is a different kind of track as it sees Scott opting less for an emotionally distraught approach regarding love, and more for one liberating for women. The song is refreshing not only because it is sonically invocant of the uplifting tone of 2008’s “Love’s Lookin’ Good on You,” but it is lyrically reminiscent of their 2014 track “Bartender” from the album “747.” Here, the band recaptures and ultimately maintains what made them a staple attraction in their debut-era, with Scott brightly and boldly announcing, “Boy, I’m not the kind of girl to go and fight for all your attention / I’m not too afraid to call this off and go see what I’ve been missing

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Lady A’s latest album “What a Song Can Do” has a few hits, but is generally forgettable.

/ Leave the dress at home ’cause it makes me too polite / No more waiting by the phone, I’m stepping out tonight.” The track is particularly special because it dares to delve deeper into the heartbreak the band so notably sings about, with Lady A telling women they don’t need to be at the receiving end of a bad relationship that does not work for them. Rather, they can take control of their happiness and sip tequila with their Levi’s on, as Scott puts it.

Tracks like “Fire,” “Chance of Rain” and “Worship What I Hate” mark the highest point of the album, as these are the tracks where the band shows the sheer power of song. “Fire” is a masterfully-craft-

ed ballad that tells the ultimate story of resilience, and “Chance of Rain” is a Tom Petty-esque blast from the past with Kelly urging listeners to take a chance on love. “Worship What I Hate” is Scott’s most personal piece yet as she takes on issues like body dysmorphia with piercingly beautiful lyrics like, “I’m seeing every flaw like a failure / I’m using every cure like a savior / Like trying to build a church out of all my hurt when it really needs grace.”

Half of the latest 14-track outing may feel forgettable, but when the band gets it right, it becomes clear just how much a Lady A song can still do in 2021.

Editor’s Pick | Television

“Drive to Survive” Highlights F1 Racing

BY MICHAEL HERNANDEZ ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

“Formula 1: Drive to Survive” is a documentary that offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at one of the top sports in the world. First, some backstory.

Formula 1 (F1) is the highest class of international auto racing for single-seater formula racing cars all across the world. “Drive to Survive” is a collaboration between Netflix and Formula 1 to give a behind-the-scenes look to its drivers and races of the Formula 1 championship.

So far, there have been three seasons released annually. The first season was released in 2019 and recapped the 2018 Formula 1 world championship. The second season was released in 2020 and recapped the 2019 world championship. The third season was released this year, and you guessed it, recapped the 2020 season. A fourth season has been confirmed to release next year, recapping the current 2021 season.

“Drive to Survive” takes a particular season and breaks it down into several storylines that

occurred throughout the season.

In the first season, one storyline that persisted throughout was the relationship between constructors Red Bull and Renault.

Red Bull ended up announcing that it would no longer have Renault as its engine provider, opting for Honda engines instead. Renault responded by signing then Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo, escalating tensions between the two teams.

The second season showcases the result of Ricciardo switching teams. That one move led to other drivers being shuffled around, especially in Red Bull.

Halfway through the season, they dropped Ricciardo’s replacement Pierre Gasly for Alex Albon.

In the most recent season, the show focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected the 2020 season. “Drive to Survive” gave viewers unprecedented access to teams and drivers that had never been seen before. For example, in the third season, they focused on Romain Grosjean, who was in a massive accident in the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix that nearly cost him his life.

Before “Drive to Survive,” I wasn’t the biggest F1 fan, but after watching it, I was hooked.

Now I’m waking up early to watch the races and writing articles about them in The Fordham Ram. The next race is this weekend in Mexico, and I’m going to be there. “Drive to Survive” has had a massive impact on its following in the U.S., a country where F1 has struggled to get a foothold. F1 broadcasts are now being shown on ESPN and reporting higher viewership ratings in comparison to previous years.

Just this past week, F1 raced in Texas for the U.S. Grand Prix, where F1 had its highest attendance ever, with 400,000 people going across the race weekend.

F1 is even adding a new race in Miami for next year, which means that the U.S. will have two races on the calendar.

If you haven’t seen the show, I highly recommend it. It gives new fans of the sport a great introduction to F1 while also giving diehard fans more content and a peek into how the teams and drivers operate. While you’re at it, watch the final five races of the season. This season’s cham-

pionship is now down to Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton,

and this season looks like it will go down to the wire.

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“Formula 1: Drive to Survive” has been renewed for a fourth season.

November 3, 2021

CULTURE

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Fordham A Capella Hosts Their Halloween Teaser

By SARA TSUGRANIS CULTURE EDITOR

On Thursday, Oct. 28, Fordham a capella hosted a Halloween Teaser performance. The b-Sides, Hot Notes, Ramblers and Satin Dolls dressed in their Halloween best and treated Fordham students to a lively array of songs to kickstart their Halloweekend.

The Ram’s managing editor, Dylan Balsamo, FCRH ’22, was the emcee for the evening and was happy to be a part of the event. “The a cappella groups are at their best when they’re all performing in one show. It makes for a really fun and welcoming environment to gather and enjoy the music. Not to mention that this event was basically a musical costume party!”

The B-Sides started the show

with “Hypotheticals” by Lake Street Drive, soloed by Emily Knight, FCRH ’22, and “Dog Days are Over” by Florence + the Machine, soloed by Sarah Shanahan, FCRH ’24. Shanahan told the Ram, “It was so much fun to be able to perform a solo for the first time with the B-Sides! I was insanely nervous and anxious because I’ve never performed anything like that before, but once the song started and we got into it, it was the most exciting thing ever. The crowd was so fun, and I feel lucky to have been able to perform with such a great group of people!” The b-Sides’ concert will be on Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Keating first.

The Hot Notes performed an equal parts soft and upbeat set. The Hot Notes performed “Stay” by Sam Smith and “Stay”

by Mikky Ekko and Rihanna.

Hot Notes representative Cole Mullins, FCRH ’24, said he was happy the group was to perform at what has become an annual event, “This is always my favorite event that we do because it’s more lowkey and allows us to have fun with our costumes! I also enjoy performing with the other group.”

Fordham’s only all-male group, the Ramblers, performed “Work Song” by Hozier, soloed by Sam Scriven, FCRH ’25, and “Madness”

by Muse, soloed by Matt Tobin, GSB ’22. “We always look forward to and love doing the teaser! It’s so fun getting to hear all the other groups and foster the a capella community more, and seeing everyone go off on their costumes is amazing.” said President of the Ramblers Zach Abu-Orf,

COURTESY OF SARA TSUGRANIS/THE FORDHAM RAM

Sam Scriven FCRH ‘25 sings the solo during “Work Song” at the Halloween Teaser.

COURTESY OF SARA TSUGRANIS/THE FORDHAM RAM

Sarah Shanahan solos during the B-sides performance.

FCRH ’22. He participated in the fun dressed as Damien from “Mean Girls” for the performance.

The Ramblers will have its concert on Friday, Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Keating first.

The Satin Dolls performed “Witchy Woman,” soloed by Yustina Hryciw, FCRH ‘23, and “Beggin’,” with soloists Maddy Ford, FCRH ‘24, Elena Smith, FCRH ‘23 and Aidan Briggs, FCRH ‘25. “Beggin’” was among the liveliest performances of the night. The entire crowd was clapping along and cheering as the Satin Dolls beautifully harmonized. Satin Dolls treasurer Olivia Eguia, FCRH ‘22, told the Ram, “Halloween teaser was

such a fun time! After not being able to put on this event in person last year, it was so great to be all together again to celebrate Halloween and Fordham a cappella!” The Satin Dolls are performing at The Rockettes Christmas Spectacular this Friday Nov. 5. They will also be performing at the Bronx Night Market on Nov. 13.

After the absence of live performances, it was wonderful to have the a cappella groups and Fordham community come together for a night of fun. The performances were accessible on Twitch to those who could not make it in person. Be sure to see the different groups at their upcoming concerts!

SahBabii Pays Tribute to his Friend on “Do it for Demon”

By PETER WHOULEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

After teasing his fanbase for almost six months, popular Atlanta rapper SahBabii finally released his long-awaited album, “Do it for Demon” on Oct. 27.

In a promotional video posted on SahBabii’s Instagram the day before the release, he explained that this album is dedicated to his childhood friend, Demetrius Lanier (Demonchild), who passed away in late 2020 due to gun violence. The two were extremely close. Demonchild lived with SahBabii for a period of time and the two even referred to each other as cousins. SahBabii mentioned in the promotional video that, before he passed, Demonchild told Sahbabii to get back to rapping about his past and the struggle that they experienced together. SahBabii took his late friend’s advice on this album, and it shows, as it has a much more dark and serious feel than SahBabii’s other work.

Gaining popularity in early 2017 with the release of his hit song “Pull Up Wit Ah Stick,” SahBabii was frequently compared to popular Atlanta rapper Young Thug. Since then, SahBabii has done a nice job

carving out his own lane, especially with the expansion of his sound on this album. “Do it for DemoN” is easily the most introspective album of SahBabii’s music career, noticeably elevating his level of descriptiveness when it comes to his story-telling. In the song “Rewind,” Sahbabii goes into his past, describing his desire to do things over with his late friend “Demon,” wishing he could have done more to pull him out of the street life singing: “I know you in the clouds, probably lookin’ down (Lookin’ down) Like / ‘Damn, Sah, why I didn’t listen?’ (I didn’t listen) / I’m just reminiscing ’ bout the times we used to kick it (Yeah, the times we used to kick it).”

SahBabii expands on his grief for his friend, his regret for having not done things differently and, to some degree, improperly, but understandably, placing blame on himself for the death of his friend. Continuing to reminisce, SahBabii describes some of their memories together, “ We was stealin’ out the store / you took a whole box of Snickers (W hole box of Snickers) / That s--still make me laugh / I can’t lie (I can’t lie) / Remember that

high speed chase / I thought we was gon’ die (Yeah, die) / I’m lookin’ up at the sky, askin’ / ‘ W hy?’ (Askin’, ‘ W hy?’).”

SahBabii’s lyrics prove that he took serious measures to step up his songwriting and lyricism on this album. On the track “Bad Thoughts Mixed with Weed,” SahBabii delves into his self-medication with marijuana and its effects on his mental health singing: “Bad thoughts mixed with weed / I’m sittin’ in a dark room (Bad thoughts mixed with weed) / Blowin’ back to back trees (Back to back) / hope the ones I love never leave (Never leave) / I’m up / paranoid / no sleep (No sleep).”Using marijuana coinciding with the death of his friend, there were notable effects on SahBabii’s mental health.

It is clear from this album that while he is definitely in a good place musically, processing the death of his close friend has been a great ordeal for SahBabii. W hile he w ill have something to celebrate after the success of this album, one hopes that SahBabii w ill take the necessar y measures to make sure he processes this death fully and in a healthy way.

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

SahBbabii finally released his long-awaited album, “Do it for DemoN” on Oct. 27.

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CULTURE

November 3, 2021

Baldwin Accident Reveals Industry Problem

By ZOE ALATSAS

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

News broke last week that actor Alec Baldwin discharged a prop gun with a live round that Assistant Director Dave Halls handed to him while filming his latest movie, “Rust”. As a result, he accidentally shot and killed 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The accident occurred during a scene in which Baldwin’s character is in a church reaching for the revolver in his pocket. An investigation into the shooting is still ongoing in Santa Fe. According to the New York Times, court papers state that the producers were told the gun was “cold,” meaning it had no live rounds; however, this was not the case. W hen the gun was fired, a bullet went through Hutchins’s chest and injured 48-year-old director Joel Souza. Souza survived, but Hutchins did not.

Since the accident, Baldwin and his family have been laying low in Vermont. But before moving across the country, he told TMZ that there was no bad blood between him and Hutchins before the shooting.

“She was my friend,” Baldwin said to the paparazzi. “The day we started shooting, I took her out to dinner in Santa Fe.” Baldwin also acknowledged the

fatal shooting as a “one in a trillion event” and claims that the set of “Rust” was a “well-oiled machine,” but court documents prove otherwise.

The day before the fatal shooting, six employees on the set had turned in their resignation, citing late paychecks and a lack of hotel accommodations. This sparked a negotiation between the film crews’ union, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and production studios. Just a few days prior, two more accidental gun discharges had occurred, frightening set members. One former crew member said “Rust” was “the most unorganized set [they had] ever seen.” According to the lawyers of Hannah Guiterrez-Reed, the film armorer, the set of the move had become unsafe due to various factors, including a lack of safety meetings and tensions between film crew members and producers.

If a movie set allows for such hazardous conditions that result in fatalities, this brings us to wonder what producers do to keep their cast and crew safe.

How do they ensure a pleasant work environment while these tensions are bubbling?

Fatal accidents are not unheard of on set. According to an Associated Press article from 2016, 43 people in the United

States have died between 1990 and 2016 due to prop accidents, while 150 have been left with life-altering injuries. However, the last time someone had been shot with a prop gun was in 1993 when Brandon Lee was killed filming “The Crow.”

According to an NPR interview, Kevin Williams, the prop department manager at UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film and Television, claims that producers and crew alike try to do whatever they can to make the stars happy. “ W hen you are on set, dealing with creatives and they are asking for certain cir-

cumstances, sometimes these demands are hard to say no to,” Williams said. He explained that a majority of the film industry is based on the relationships you make with the people you are working with, and failing to please them could have consequences as severe as never being able to work on another set. This has incredibly damaging effects on the safety of sets.

These aforementioned “demands” can include letting safety standards slide, according to Williams. It is unknown whether or not this is what

caused the fatal shooting on the set of “Rust.” Williams claims that several factors played into the event, but whether it was the wind, the type of gun or the way it was handled, one thing is for certain: the ability to dictate whether or not safety standards are followed proves that there are not enough precautions in place to ensure the workers’ safety on a film set.

Hopefully Hutchins’s death will be the last, but if this type of behavior continues, there is no guarantee that it will be.

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Alec Baldwin’s prop gun mishap on the set of “Rust” brought the issue of firearm safety standards to light.

Fordham Alumnus Launches Debut Collection

By NICOLETA PAPAVASILAKIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On the day of his fashion label’s debut, Nicholas Raefski, FCRH ’21, felt extremely ill.

His friends told him that it was probably just nerves leading up to the big event and the feeling would eventually disappear.

Agreeing with this hypothesis, Raefski went to his celebratory dinner that night. But after two bites of food, he began to vomit. He later found out that he had a kidney infection. The cause: months upon months of pent-up stress. Looking back on this seemingly gruesome experience, Raefski joked, “It’s all in the name of fun.”

On Sept. 29, 2021, the Fordham University alumnus launched his debut collection “Go Out West Young Boy and Become a Man” under his selfnamed and produced fashion label. The new clothing line marks a coming of age for the emerging fashion designer.

Having graduated from Fordham University last semester in Spring 2021, Raefski finds himself in a state of limbo. “I’m in this realm where I am no longer a kid, but I’m not quite an adult yet either, so I’m making that transition,” said Raefski.

Raefski says that the fashion world is not as glamorous as people make it out to be.

“There’s a lot that goes on be-

hind the scenes that people do not see,” he said. As an ambitious 24-year-old fashion designer, Raefski dedicates every part of himself to developing his label, even at the cost of his well-being. He lives a life of two extremes: either locking himself in his room for 10 days straight, religiously drafting new designs, or lugging a suitcase packed with his clothing samples around New York City. The work is endless, but Raefski has learned to appreciate each step of the process.

Storytelling was integral in the creation of “Go Out West Young Boy and Become a Man.” While developing the collection’s theme, Raefski drew inspira-

COURTESY OF NICOLETA PAPAVASILAKIS/THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham alumnus Nicholas Raefski, FCRH ‘21, launches debut fashion collection.

tion from his childhood playing cowboys and dressing up like Toy Story’s Woody. According to Raefski, the contemporary figure of the cowboy represents “finding out who you are and who you want to become.” The notions of new frontiers and the desire to discover perfectly reflect the metamorphosis to maturity. The West, in Raefski’s interpretation, is not a physical destination. Instead, it is a metaphor for what already exists within.

Throughout the collection, Raefski has woven in symbols connecting the contemporary with the cowboy. A t-shirt depicts the iconic image of Clint Eastwood from the spaghetti western film, “The Good the Bad and the Ugly.” Additionally, he adapts traditional designs, such as the double-work pants, with a modernized twist.

Despite the nonstop nature of the fashion world, Raefski has adopted the mantra of living in the moment. He wants to savor this exhilarating time in his life to cultivate his craft. So far, this mindset has not failed him, and he has already made tremendous strides in the industry.

Notable shoe retailer Clarks supported his new clothing line by providing footwear for his photoshoots. Additionally, the Nicholas Raefski Label has been recognized by CFDA Run-

way 360, a digital platform that endorses the exceptional work of emerging fashion designers.

Raefski also intends to utilize his label to advocate for mental health. As an undergraduate student, he struggled with mental health complications. After recovering, Raefski wanted to use his fashion platform to bring awareness to the overlooked issue of mental health in youth.

As a young artist, Raefski is excited to animate his visions and tell meaningful stories through fashion. He recognizes that every painstaking detail, from finance to creative, contributes to making his masterpiece. With a new collection focused on the theme of being and becoming, Raefski honors this journey.

Raefski never received a formal education in fashion and design but co-founded the streetwear brand Strictly Original before creating his namesake label. Strictly Original helped Raefski plunge into the fashion industry while he was still a student at Fordham University. Creating Strictly Original, he experimented with textiles and taught himself the fundamentals of clothing production. Raefski was creative director and head designer of the streetwear brand for three years until he transitioned to his contemporary clothing label.

SPORTS

November 3, 2021

Fordham Rowing Closes Out the Fall at the Head of the Schuylkill

By ANDREW FALDUTO

STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Rowing closes its season strong by medaling for the first time.

self near the bottom, placing 34th out of 40. However, the race still served as valuable race experience.

The Novice Eight boat that raced later in the day, unfortunately, fared poorly against the competition. With a time of 18:51.365, the boat finished 16th out of 17.

However, the Novice stands as a somewhat insignificant race that is more about exposing newcomers to the competitive waters.

The Club Championship Eight, which had 41 competing boats, saw four entries from Fordham’s end. The four boats placed third,

12th and 17th with the last boat being disqualified. Fordham’s top boat managed to finish ahead of all entries from A-10 rivals St. Joseph’s and La Salle. This marked the first time this season that Fordham has medaled at an event, showing how much the team has developed in the recent months.

The team’s fall season now comes to a close. Competition will cease until the spring, and the team will focus on strength, conditioning and preparing for May’s A-10 Championship, where the competition begins to count.

Volleyball Falls to Top-Seeded Flyers, Comes Back Against Duquesne

By GIGI SPEER STAFF WRITER

On Friday, the Rams lost to the Atlantic 10’s top-seeded team, University of Dayton Flyers, in straight sets, yet rallied the following evening after dropping the first set to beat the Duquesne University Dukes.

Honoring Breast Cancer Awareness month, Fordham Volleyball donned pink as the Rams took the court against the Dayton Flyers. The hosts had taken one set from the Flyers earlier in the month, the first time they had done that since 2017. The visiting team held an impressive 13game winning streak heading into Friday night’s match, and over the past 13 seasons, has posted a 162–14 conference play record.

The defending champs swept Fordham 16–25, 21–25, 11–25.

Although the score does not reflect it, the Rams started off better than they finished. They had 11 kills in the first set at a .172 clip, racked up seven kills with a .100 hitting percentage in the second and had six kills at .026 efficiency by the third set.

The following night, their efficiency was drastically different: hitting .338 overall compared to the Dukes’ .242 percentage.

Sophomore middle blocker Izzy Fichtel notched a career-high 16 kills and led the way offensively for the Rams, also adding eight blocks.

Entering the game, Fichtel’s plan of attack was open for change. “I try not to really have concrete goals before games because there are a lot of factors that impact my position’s job that can’t be planned for,” they said. “It

Cross Country Takes on A-10 Championship

By KEVIN DINEEN

STAFF WRITER

The fall season for collegiate rowing came to a close this past weekend with the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta. The regatta saw two days of competition, yet is not generally seen as a significant race.

However, the race did serve as a final opportunity for Fordham to compete against some of its fellow Atlantic 10 conference members, notably Duquesne University, La Salle University and Saint Joseph’s University. Fordham raced with multiple boats across three events: the Women’s Championship Four against 39 other teams, the Women’s College Novice Eight against 16 other teams and the Women’s Club Championship Eight against 16 other teams.

In the Four, the varsity quad placed 14th out of 40, turning in its most competitive performance of the season. The boat was narrowly beaten out by Duquesne’s varsity four but finished ahead of the bulk of the competition, including Duquesne’s two other competing boats. Fordham’s other entry in the four event found it-

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Fordham Cross Country traveled out to Dayton, Ohio, for the A-10 Championships this weekend. After missing out on the cross country season last year due to COVID-19 restrictions, the team was excited to be back at the conference championships.

Despite the enthusiasm, both teams walked away from the meet without the finishes they were hoping for. The women placed 10th in the team standings with 229 points. The men’s team took home 11th with 288 points.

The women’s team was once again led by senior Bridget Alex, who secured a 23rd overall finish with a time of 18:24.3, her fastest 5k of the season. Following Alex was junior Taylor Mascetta in 39th (19:11.0) and graduate student Germaine Harbaugh in 41st (19:12.6). Next came junior Nicoleta Papavasilakis finished in 62nd (19:32.3), sophomore Maddy Kopec in 66th (19:36.0) and freshman Madeleine Ryan in 67th (19:36.4) to round out Fordham’s top six.

Harbaugh said it was a great opportunity to compete at the A-10 Championships one more time.

Parella’s Game Winner Keeps Water Polo’s Hot Streak Going

By JACK ROCHE STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Volleyball comes head to head with the Flyers and the Dukes.

is always the intention of middle blockers to help diversify our offense in order to make it easier on our other hitters.”

The Rams dropped the first set yet won the next three for a final line of 18–25, 25–20, 25–17, 25– 18. The squad had its most kills of the season with 64 and third most blocks with 13.5. Junior setter Megan Brzozowski moved up in all-time ranks, achieving 1,669 assists to place her at ninth in program history.

The Rams now have five regular-season games left and are sixth in the A-10 and must maintain that spot in order to make it to the conference tournament, slated to take place the weekend of Nov. 18 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

“It’s definitely a turning point for our chance to qualify for the A-10 championship because this really solidified us in sixth place,” Fichtel noted.

“Winning our match against Duquesne on Saturday meant a lot to our team considering that we lost to them during the first half of conference play. We are really hoping to use it as a turning point to turn our season around

and become even more competitive in the A-10,” they said.

Last season was the first time the Rams had secured a spot in playoffs in a decade and came into this season predicted to finish fourth in the preseason coaches poll. After this weekend, they are 7–15 overall and 4–7 in conference play. Although their current rank does not match the predicted spot, they are ranked fourth in the A-10 in blocks with 82 (2.09 per set), behind Davidson, St. Louis and Dayton. They rank last in aces, with 1.17 per set, while Dayton holds the first place spot with 1.95. Dayton had eight aces in Friday’s game at the Rose Hill Gym, while comparatively the Rams only had two.

Heading into the next games, Moody noted, “This weekend will be an opportunity for us to show how we have grown and adapted throughout conference play to beat some teams who have taken Ws against us in the past. Overall, we’re super excited to continue fighting for that A-10 tournament spot and we’re looking forward to showing the conference that we deserve to be there!”

“This was going to be my last Cross Country A-10s, so it was already kind of a special race,” she said. “After last year not having any competition and races, it’s really nice to be back racing again.”

She made the most of her second chance, breaking out for a new personal record in the 5k.

The men’s race went off the rails when senior captain Brandon Hall fell during a pileup near the one mile marker. Despite that, Hall was still the team’s top finisher, coming in 32nd overall with a time of 25:44.7. Fordham’s usual second man, sophomore Steven Zucca, trailed him in 43rd (25:56.0) and junior Colin Flood battled through a foot injury for 62nd (26:14.0).

Graduate student Christopher Strzelinski took home 74th with a time of 26:24.5 in his final A-10 Championships. Racing in his first championship meet, freshman Rodolfo Sanchez wrapped things up for Fordham’s top five in 88th (26:42.1).

The Rams’ season will continue on Friday, Nov. 12 as they compete at the NCAA Northeast Regional, housed at Franklin Park in Boston, Massachusetts. They will look for greater success than they found at the A-10 Championship, bringing an end to their season.

The 17th-ranked Fordham Water Polo team went 2–0 on the weekend to stay perfect at home and in conference play. They hosted the Johns Hopkins University Blue Jays and the Bucknell University Bison at the Colonel Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center. Fordham improves to 20–4 on the season and 8–0 in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC), winners of 16 of their last 17 matches.

Day one brought new faces in the pool, especially with freshmen Thomas Lercari starting in net instead of senior captain Bailey O’Mara. While O’Mara was simply given a day of rest, Lercari’s strong defensive showing served as a promising glimpse into the future. He led the way with 15 saves and also poured in five assists with a steal.

Fordham bested Johns Hopkins 19–4, as the Blue Jays competed without their best player Emerson Sullivan, the reigning MAWPC Offensive Player of the Week.

For the most part, Fordham’s offense came from freshman George Papanikolaou and sophomore Christos Loupakis, who each had four goals. Additionally, Jacopo Parrella contributed three goals, three assists and five steals while freshman Lucas Nieto Jasny added three goals and an assist. A full team effort steered the Rams to victory on Saturday, but the weekend’s most exciting moment came on Sunday in a thrilling overtime match that resulted in a 14–13 Fordham win over Bucknell that had fans cheering.

Fordham surrendered the game’s first score but struck back with three consecutive goals. This gave the Rams a 5–2 lead heading into the second quarter. This period brought less scoring as Fordham maintained its slim lead heading into the half, 7–5. However, this gap dissipated in the second half, as the Bison’s five-goal third quarter (compared to Fordham’s one) gave Bucknell a 10–8 lead. The Bison clung to this two goal gap with just over a minute left in regulation with the opportunity to widen it to three through a penalty shot. However, a clutch O’Mara save gave Fordham the opportunity to begin a late game comeback.

A man-up goal from freshmanJacopo Parrella cut the lead to just one with 47 seconds remaining, and with just five seconds to go in regulation, Parrella scored again, forcing overtime. Fordham jumped out to a 13–12 lead in OT, but Bucknell quickly responded to force a sudden death period. There, Parrella scored his season-high sixth goal to end his spectacular day and give Fordham its first sudden death overtime win since 2015 at Iona College.

Fordham will go on the road to Emmitsburg, Maryland to compete against Mount St. Mary’s University on Friday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 P.M. This is the second time the two teams have played, as Fordham claimed victory on Sept. 18, 21–8, when they met in the Bison Invitational. Then they play back-to-back matches against Johns Hopkins and Naval Academy on Saturday before battling George Washington University on Sunday to finish conference play.

SPORTS Women’s Basketball Season Preview: Unfinished Business

Page 14

November 3, 2021

By KALEY BELL

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

To bring the community together, Fordham will host an inaugural event called Late Night on the Hill. This event is meant to celebrate both the women’s and men’s basketball teams as they get ready to begin their seasons. As an event open to only Fordham students, the student body will get to participate in different giveaways as they are introduced to the teams.

At the end of the event, a surprise hip-hop artist will give a live performance.

The hype has been ramping up all season long. The women’s basketball team is ready to compete and showcase all of its talent and hardwork. With less than a week to go until the womens’ first game, the team has begun its all-team practices, media days and intrasquad games. With the team anticipated to finish within the top three at the end of the season, there is a lot to expect, and the fans are ready for the excitement.

After a rough end to the season last year, the Rams are ready for a basically normal season with almost 30 games scheduled up ahead. With such a high ranking in the conference, the spotlight will be on the team and coaches as they look for another spot in the March Madness competition, similar to what happened in 2019. This year, they are hoping for a better shot.

Last year, the Rams had a winning season. However, their momentum was halted when Fordham had to shut down in-person

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

With new players, the women’s basketball team is looking to have a strong year after a rough end to last season.

classes and activities due to the rise in COVID-19 cases across both campuses. The two-week shutdown forced an early end to the Rams’ season, and it was a difficult one to deal with.

However, head coach Stephanie Gaitley is ready to face what is up ahead as she returns for her 11th year with the team. Gaitley hopes to continue her winning record at Fordham (202–112) and lead the ladies toward another successful season. Despite an abrupt end to the season, Gaitley led the team to another WNIT appearance. The Rams were still ranked 31st nationally at the end of their year.

“We have a lot of kids returning.

Last year was a year of a lot of adversary for us. Our kids definitely came together,” Gaitley says in reflection on the previous season.

“They weren’t happy with how we finished. Some of it was out of our control. We never really regained how we had been. The kids are using that as motivation. We have unfinished business.”

With four incoming freshmen, the Rams are looking to improve on an impressive performance last year that happened despite many major setbacks. With about 12 games canceled, the Rams had to be ready to perform at any given moment, so practices and games were not lost causes.

With the inclusion of an impressive senior from Stony Brook, guard Asiah Dingle, a new strong freshman guard, Colleen McQuillen, and a new foreign student from Australia, guard Matilda Flood, Gaitley has trust in the strong group of skilled players that

she has put together. “I don’t have to worry about them. It is a very selfless group that has one agenda, and that’s to win,” Gaitley says.

Three women have returned for a graduate season with the team.

These include guards Edona Thaqi, Kendall Heremaia and Chloe Chaffin. As strong additions to the team, these women will continue to be viable assets as the team gets ready to face tougher competition, such as one of the top teams in the nation, Baylor University.

As experienced players on the team, Gaitley looked to such women to help decide which tournament the team would enter. This decision led the Rams to Cancún, Mexico, to compete in the Cancún Challenge that will take place later on this month.

In discussing how she was able

to build the schedule and elect to choose so many tough teams, Gaitley says, “Hey, I’m not making that schedule unless I feel we can beat those teams. We have the personnel to win those games. I’ll put the money on the chemistry of our team.”

During media day, the women had the opportunity to discuss how they believe the season will go and what the fans can expect from them. They sat down with Fordham media interviewers who wanted to know what is up and coming for their season.

“On and off the court, we know that we have trust in each other.

Having trust in our coaching staff that they’ll do the best things for us starts with our leaders,” junior guard Anna DeWolfe said about the team chemistry.

DeWolfe also commented on how the team would come face to face with some of the tougher teams. She said, “I just love going in as an underdog. It gives us so much motivation.”

Without the fans in the audience, the Rams missed the loud cheers and look forward to hearing them in the upcoming games. They expect to have the support of their friends and fellow athletes. “Here at Fordham, we’re really close with other sports. It’s really fun to have [other players] at our games,” DeWolfe said.

As the first exhibition game against Post University looms ahead, the Rams look to find closure on their unfinished business, and if that means ending some seasons for some teams, then so be it.

Men’s Soccer Secures Fourth Seed For A-10 Championship

By MICHAEL HERNANDEZ ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

After a long and grueling twomonth season, Fordham Men’s Soccer finished the regular season Saturday against Saint Joseph’s University. Home field advantage for the A-10 Tournament was on the line with Fordham having the chance to get the third seed and receive a more favorable matchup.

Saint Joseph’s was hoping for a tie while the Rams needed the win.

However, that is only the most straightforward scenario. Instead, various other results in the conference could have changed things tremendously. One of those matches was Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) against the University of Massachusetts.

Both Fordham and VCU were equal on points heading into the final day. However, Fordham had the head-to-head advantage courtesy of its 1–0 win against VCU a week ago. As long as the Rams matched what VCU did, the Rams had a good chance of finishing in the top four and receiving home field advantage in the first round of the A-10 Championship.

Before the match started, Fordham celebrated its senior day, honoring all of its graduating players.

Eighteen minutes into the match, Saint Joseph’s started the scoring. A loose ball fell to junior Alex Hartmann, who hammered the ball into the right side of the net.

This marked his fourth goal of the year and gave Saint Joseph’s the lead.

Fordham pushed for the equalizer but was unable to find it in the first half. At this point, VCU’s match ended in a draw, which meant that all Fordham needed was one point. Fordham kicked things up a notch at the start of the second half: After five minutes Fordham was awarded a penalty for a handball. Redshirt senior forward Sameer Fathazada stepped up to take the penalty but missed it wide of the post.

However, Fordham kept on the pressure and was rewarded. In the 60th minute, graduate student midfielder Jacob Bohm passed the ball to graduate student defender Matt Sloan, who crossed it to Fathazada on the left side of the box. Fathazada then chipped the ball over a Saint Joseph’s defender and goalkeeper into the right side of the net to give him his first goal of the season and even up the game.

After that, Fordham kept pushing for the win and had a prime opportunity in the 76th minute when sophomore defender Florian Deletioglu fired a shot into an open net off the crossbar.

After 90 minutes of play, the score remained deadlocked at 1–1, and the game went into overtime.

Both 10 minute periods passed and the game finished with that same scoreline. Fordham had

more shots, with 17 compared to Saint Joseph’s eight, which was Fordham’s number of shots on target. The Hawks’ lone shot on target found its way into the net.

With the tie, the Rams finished the regular season at a conference record of 4–3–1, which totaled 13 points. VCU also had 13 points, but with Fordham winning the head-to-head, the Rams were awarded the fourth seed for the A-10 championship. The Rams will now play fifth-seeded VCU this Saturday at Jack Coffey Field at 7 p.m. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Fathazada netted Fordham’s game-winner against Saint Joseph’s.

Varsity Scores & Stats Mens Soccer Fordham Saint Josephs S. Fathazada: 5 SH, 1 G

1 1

Men’s Cross Country Atlantic 10 Championship 11th/14 teams B. Hall: 32nd (25:44.7) 8K Women’s Cross Country Atlantic 10 Championship 10th/14 teams B. Alex: 23rd (18:24.3) 5K –Compiled by Michael Hernandez

Water Polo Fordham 19 Johns Hopkins 4 J. Parrella: 3 G, 3 A, 5 STL

Volleyball Fordham Dayton W. Moody: 7 K, 10 DIG

Fordham 14 Bucknell 13 J. Parrella: 6 G, 2 A, 3 STL

Fordham 3 Dayton 1 W. Moody: 15 K,13 DIG

Golf Metropolitan Intercollegiate Championship T2nd/10 teams N. Manning: +4 (109)

Rowing Head of the Schuykill Varsity 8 3rd (13:01.046)

1 3

November 3, 2021

Golf Ends Fall on High Note

By CHRIS HENNESSY STAFF WRITER

This season for Fordham Golf has been full of improvements from its last fall season in 2019. The Rams improved on almost every mutual event, ending with a tie for second place in this week’s Metropolitan Intercollegiate Championship. The event was hosted by Wagner College at the Montclair Golf Club in West Orange, New Jersey. They tied for second place with a 27-hole score of 449, with Robert Morris University, and fell to only Columbia University who won with a score of 439.

Individually, junior captain Nicholas Manning led the way for the Rams.

He was three-under through his first 18 holes, falling back a little bit on the final nine to finish T-4 with a score of 109. The Bedford, Massachusetts native shot a 67 in his first 18 holes, the best round of his career. His previous low came from his freshman fall at the Quechee Invitational where he shot a 70 and placed in a tie for 16th.

Junior Andreas Aivazoglou also performed well, finishing T-11 with a score of 111. He has posted a career year in 2021, both last spring and this fall. All of his career bests in his three years at Fordham have come from this calendar year. He will be the Rams’ top player heading into the spring season as they look to continue their improvement for the A-10s.

Junior John Kryscio finished a rough fall with a nice finish, 114 (T23). Senior Ryan Davis also played well in this event after missing the

Lehigh Invitational. Garret Brown rounded out the squad with a score of 128 in his first collegiate event, good enough for 57th. The freshman from West Hartford, Connecticut was a two-time captain for his high school team and looks to become a key piece in the years going forward.

There was a three-way tie for first place between Pat Healy and Wyatt McGovern from Columbia and Robert Morris’ Josh Nagy, with 107 strokes through the 27 holes.

They played two playoff holes until things were suspended for darkness with Healy being declared the winner. Nagy provided the round of the day as he battled his way to the top with a three-under 32 in the final nine holes.

The Rams head into the winter break with a great taste in their mouth. A T-2 finish in the event was their best since first place in 2017’s Ryan Lee Memorial. They will now have some high expectations for the spring with the A-10 championships waiting on the other side.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Manning tees off for Fordham.

SPORTS

Page 15

To Fire or Not to Fire

By MICHAEL HERNANDEZ ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Soccer managers have one of the most intense jobs in sports. The grueling schedule often requires playing three times a week, but managers are under immense pressure from fans and owners. Three managers from top clubs have faced the threat of firings in the past week, with two getting the boot between Barcelona’s Ronald Koeman, Nuno Espirito Santo from Tottenham and Manchester United’s Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Take Barcelona for example.

Honestly, it is no longer the powerhouse that it was just five years ago. It seems as though Barcelona was entirely dependent on Lionel Messi, who is now gone. Koeman got the job last year after Barcelona fired its previous manager on the spot after losing to Bayern Munich 8–2 in the Champions League quarterfinals, the team’s worst European defeat in their history. Barcelona changed its president after a vote of no confidence during Koeman’s year in charge. The new president, Joan Laporta, actively looked to replace Koeman. Now, the new coach appears to be Xavi, one of the best midfielders to have ever played during his time at Barcelona.

Last year, Tottenham fired Jose Mourinho mid-season and had an

interim coach finish out the season.

When the summer came around, Tottenham was looking for a top manager. The team asked manager after manager, and all 11 said no, which is enough for a starting lineup. This led to Espirito Santo joining this past summer. Four months have passed and he has been fired.

There were several indicators that foreshadowed this, but the biggest was striker Harry Kane. Kane wanted to leave the club and even had a “gentleman’s agreement” with the owner that allowed him to in the summer. However, this dragged on the entire transfer window with uncertainty over what would happen.

He ultimately stayed at the club, but the damage was already done.

Another indicator was that Nuno was not the club’s primary choice.

Tottenham plays an attacking style of soccer, but Nuno is more of a defensive coach. At first it seemed like a perfect pairing, topping the table after one month and claiming all nine points that were possible. However, from then on, it went downhill.

This Sunday’s defeat against United was the tipping point. Tottenham has hired Antonio Conte as its new manager. Ironically, Conte was their top choice back in the summer, but he declined it at first.

Solskjaer has faced calls to be fired for years. Fans have claimed that Solskjaer is not good enough to

manage a club with United’s stature, and this year has not been perfect.

United has some of the world’s best players such as Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Varane and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo. However, the results on the pitch have been disappointing. Prior to United’s victory, the team only got one point out of the previous four Premier League matches. This included a 5–0 defeat at home to one of its biggest rivals, Liverpool, who mocked Solskjaer, with fans singing one of United’s chants amid this thrashing.

United lost to BSC Young Boys in the Champions League. The team beat Villareal and Atalanta, but both were come from behind victories where they conceded early and had to claw back and scrape their way to the win. The fans’ outcries for firing Solskjaer are now as high as they have ever been. After the Liverpool match, the United board was close to firing him, but decided to give him a couple of games to recover.

That first match was a 3–0 victory against Tottenham, meaning that Solskjaer will live another day.

While unfortunate for the managers, it might not be their fault at all. Some simply were at the wrong place at the wrong time. As for others, they have the backing of the board and are safe. For the new managers, I hope that they are given the time for their plans to be put into effect. They need to be given faith from both the board and the fans because if not, then their stints will be relatively short. And, as we have seen before, a manager chance does not always make a difference.

Football Has Covered a Lot of Ground as 2021 Season Nears End

By DYLAN BALSAMO MANAGING EDITOR

The Fordham football team currently finds itself in an interesting position with the Patriot League season nearing its eventual late-autumn conclusion. It’s a place where it has not found itself in a handful of years, which will make the end of the year very interesting. All of this to say, it’s a good position to be in.

The Rams are undefeated in three games in conference play and are winners of their last five consecutive games, which puts them at 5–3 overall. Who would not want to be standing there with three games to play?

The 3–0 mark through this point in conference play is their best start in the Patriot League since 2016, a season where they went 5–1 within the conference. They sit atop the Patriot League, tied with the College of the Holy Cross Crusaders, who also have a 3–0 record. A win of the Patriot League title this year would be Fordham’s first since 2014. That would also grant them the Rams first entry into the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) since their 9–3 season in 2015, when they were ranked 19 overall in the country among FCS schools.

The outlook on the 2021 campaign for the Rams was certainly not as high during the year’s opening few games, after the program concocted a difficult non-conference schedule and fell in road blowouts to the University of Nebraska and Florida Atlantic University.

Fordham began its current winning ways after that three game losing streak.

This season is already one of the most successful under head coach Joe Conlin, currently in his fourth season at the helm. Conlin’s first year saw a time of transition, with the team’s record suffering at a mere 2–9 (2–4 in the Patriot League).

2019 saw sincere improvement, not all of it clear in the final record of 4–8 (2–4). Conlin pointed out at season’s end in 2019 that, while the final tally was not a desirable one, the squad had performed better than that might indicate.

“I think these guys are gonna leave the season with a little bit of frustration,” Conlin said, honest yet ultmately optimistic. “We had an opportunity to win [the game against] Lehig,... [we had a chance against] Lafayette, [for] two and a half quarters of the game against Holy Cross, we were the better team, [the game against] Central Connecticut came down to a field goal on a last second drive. Those are four games right there where had we done some things a little bit better, they could have gone our way.”

2019 was a season that, had everything that went wrong changed its fortune, could have seen the Rams go 8–4. But ultimately that was not the case, and the Rams entered 2020 looking to have a better result over a 12-game season.

2020 had other plans.

FCS football was the last thing on anyone’s mind during the opening eight months or so of the coro-

navirus pandemic’s effect on the United States, but nevertheless, Fordham Football, unable to know when the Rams would play, had to stay on their toes and be prepared for whatever happened next. They did so by doing light training while following COVID-19 safety protocols in the fall during what would have been their 2020 season.

“We’ve been aiming to put our guys in a position where, no matter where or when we start playing, they’ll be ready,” Conlin said in a conversation back that year in early December. “There are a lot of variables and possible scenarios, and we’re preparing for all of them here.”

The scenario that wound up happening was a truncated season in the spring — a very truncated one.

The Rams only played three games in that season, going 2–1 and showing their potential despite such a small sample size. Unfortunately, the record was not enough to win the conference’s North Division and face the South Division champion Bucknell University in the conference championship game.

That spot went to Holy Cross.

It was perhaps a disappointing result considering the potential to win the conference, but nevertheless, it proved that this Fordham Football era is ripe with great potential.

Now back to the present: The Fordham Rams have three games remaining in their 2021 schedule, and while they find themselves in a place of great potential upside, winning the conference will not be

easy. This coming Saturday, Nov. 6, the team travels to Georgetown University before facing Holy Cross at Jack Coffey Field in their home finale the next week, then rounding out the regular season against Colgate University on the road after that.

Meanwhile, the Crusaders will play a home game versus Lafayette College and a road game against Bucknell to sandwich their affair with Fordham at Rose Hill, ensuring an enticing and perhaps exciting finish to the regular season atop the Patriot League standings.

It has been a long time coming for the Fordham football program to get to the place it is in now. And it seems like now, their time just might have come.

Athletes of the Week Izzy Fichtel Sophomore Volleyball

Sophomore Izzy Fichtel recorded massive numbers for the Fordham volleyball team this past week against Duquesne University, snapping Fordham’s four-game losing streak. The middle blocker led the team with a career-high 16 kills, as well as recording career-highs in points (20) and blocks (8). Fichtel currently sports a .312 attacking percentage and has a total of 120 kills for the season.

James Conway Freshman Football

James Conway received yet another accolade in his rookie year, this time being named ​​to the 2021 Stats Perform FCS Jerry Rice Award Watch List. Conway is a four-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week recipient. He recorded a seasonbest 21 tackles and had his sixth straight double digit tackle game in Fordham’s win over Lehigh University. The freshman is second on the team in tackles (97) and leads the Patriot League in solo stops/game (5.8).

–Compiled by Maddie Bimonte

SPORTS

Page 16

November 3, 2021

The Fordham Ram

The Start of a New Era for Fordham Men’s Basketball

By ALEXANDER WOLZ SPORTS EDITOR

Think back to the 2006-2007 NCAA Men’s Basketball season, the last time the Fordham Rams had a winning record. Finishing 10–6 in the Atlantic 10, it took a four-point loss to the University of Rhode Island to shut down the sharpshooting Marcus Stout and rough and tough Bryant Dunston in the conference tournament.

Little did fans know that loss marked the end of not just the seniors’ time at Rose Hill but of an entire era. Fordham has not had a winning season since then, a far cry from the days of the NCAA Tournament. A team with a dense history, playing in the oldest gym in the country, has faded away in recent memory.

The journey to getting back there starts this season. Jeff Neubauer parted ways with Fordham this past offseason after six seasons in the Bronx. A tireless coaching search ensued and in came Kyle Neptune, a two-time champion at Villanova University. Now, he is looking to bring that same pedigree to the Bronx and build a contender out of Fordham.

So the questions begin, the biggest of all being, why Fordham?

What attracted the first year head coach, likely with several potential suitors, to take over a program many believe is doomed to fail?

Some of those answers came through in the recent Atlantic 10 Media Day, with his Brooklyn roots being one of them. “Fordham’s a great place. I knew it coming in and was even more impressed with it as I got to know people,” he said about the transition.

“People” means a multitude of things in this case, whether it is Athletic Director Ed Kull, who he referred to as “one of the best in the business,” the employees around Fordham Athletics, the coaches beside him in the film room or, of course, the players themselves.

Starting with those suits on the sidelines, Fordham presents a diverse coaching roster consisting of familiar faces from Villanova and East Coast names shifting homes in the A-10. Director of Operations Nima Omidvar hails from George Washington University and assistant coach Tray Woodall comes off a stellar stint with Atlantic 10 Champion team St. Bonaventure University. Associate head coach Keith Urgo spent a decade with Penn State following his time in Villanova, with those ties linking to some of the Rams’ recruits.

Rounding out the staff is Ronald Ramon, an 11-year international player and director of basketball operations at Pittsburgh University, former Wildcats player Henry Lowe, Villanova graduate assistant Rob DePersia, player development coordinator Will Braden and recruiting coordinator Tre Morton.

All of those names have come together to build the roster that will take center court next Tuesday. Some players Fordham fans

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Men's Basketball is united approaching its first season.

will remember, including graduate students Chuba Ohams, returning to the court following an injuryriddled season, along with Josh Colon-Navarro, juniors Kyle Rose and Jalen Cobb and sophomore Albe Evans.

Beyond that, the only thing familiar about this Fordham team is the maroon and white on the jerseys. Neptune and his staff yielded a total of nine new players through offseason recruiting, a major focus from the moment he stepped onto campus. What was the message?

Simple: finding those who embraced the culture he was trying to build.

“We wanted guys that were basketball junkies,” Neptune said. “We wanted guys that really believed in Fordham’s mantra and wanted to come in and get a great education and play basketball at a high level.”

So they went out on the recruiting path to go get them, and in many ways, succeeded in a short amount of time.

Sophomore Antrell Charlton arrived after earning All-State honors at Indian River State College, sophomore center Rostyslav Novitsky came from Monroe College and junior guard Kam’ron Cunningham shuffled from Dayton State College to Mississippi Valley College before arriving at Fordham.

Continuing the theme of experience, even the freshmen on the roster, Abdou Tsimbila and Pat Kelly, have collegiate time behind them as former Nittany Lions. There is just a single true freshman, D.J. Gordon from Pittsburgh.

Perhaps the two biggest newcomers are junior Antonio Daye Jr., the leading scorer at Florida International University, and graduate student Darius Quisenberry, a twotime All-Horizon League selection at Youngstown State University.

“He’s an offensive juggernaut …

He’s also very unselfish,” said Neptune. “He’s been huge for us so far, especially being an older guy in a leadership position.”

“An older guy” characterizes much of this Fordham roster, consisting of junior college transfers, graduate students and returners.

That combination of international and local focus, young and old, represents the diversity Neptune strived for in his recruiting. “We’re completely open-minded moving forward to just recruit guys who be-

lieve in what Fordham stands for.”

In addition, much of this roster has the shared experience of coming to Fordham for the first time at the same time. Because of that, Neptune, along with Ohams and Colon-Navarro, emphasized the chemistry the team built before sharing a second on the court.

One would think Neptune would lean on returning players during his first year in the Bronx. In some ways he has, hoping they carry forward the defensive backing the team has shown in the past. But beyond that, this year is all about this team.

When asked about the adjustment process, Neptune described it candidly, saying, “It kinda is what it is.” Instead, he wanted to credit his players for making it that much easier, with the theme of unity again ringing the loudest.

“I think this team has been incredibly together from the time we came on campus in June,” said Neptune. Ohams, who has seen five rosters through his time at Fordham, echoed that. “Everybody instantly clicked like that,” he said.

Maybe, though, it is because it did not take much effort to recruit those players in the first place. “As a staff, we’ve talked about how easy of a sell it’s been so far. We’re all East Coast guys, we love the city and I think that really resonates with guys from out-of-town and guys in-town as well,” Neptune said. “That’s a guy from New York City,” Ohams added. “He’s familiar with Fordham University already, so there’s not much help that he needed.”

Ohams is from the city too. He very well could have packed his bags and moved into the transfer portal

but decided to return to the Bronx instead.

“Some of the conversations we had were just how much he could develop me as a player but more so how he can develop me as a man,” he said. “He didn’t just care about me as a basketball player. He wanted to mature me more in the outside world.”

That mantra has shown through during this offseason. Neptune has taken his team on a boat tour around the Statue of Liberty, a dining experience at Tao, a shopping venture at the Under Armour Brand House and even a show at the Metropolitan Opera.

“Obviously we have a huge New York identity. We really look at ourselves as a New York City school.

We take pride in being a part of this great basketball culture,” Neptune said.

Because of that, Fordham has put multiple marquee New York schools on its regular season schedule, including Manhattan College, St. John’s University and the opener against Columbia University. The Rams will also head to Barclays Center, taking on the University of Miami in the 2021 Hall of Fame Invitational, and down south for the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Florida.

The big question is what that will ultimately translate to on the floor playtime. It is no secret that Fordham’s biggest struggle lies there, presenting a stout defensive program but severely lacking on the offensive end and scoring a conference-low 51.8 points per game in the 2020 season.

Neptune describes his ideal team as the antithesis of that: moving up and down the floor, driving the paint and kicking it into space. Simple tenets of “unselfish basketball,” as he terms it.

Beyond that, though, Neptune is more concerned about building a culture, the theme that became most apparent in his comments this past Wednesday. “We want to defend and rebound, and we want to be a really gritty team. We want to walk on the court every day and leave the court after the game knowing that we were the tougher team.”

That reigns true regardless of the results, as Neptune acknowledges it may take time for those to come.

Whether Fordham sits at first or last in the Atlantic 10, the latter of which represents its ranking in the preseason polls, the attitude the team maintains matters most.

“We want to be playing our best basketball at the end of the year, and we want to come together as a program and be elite at the things we are asking our guys to do,” coach Neptune said. “If we don’t go on and are a tough and gritty team, we’re going to go back to the drawing board and try to hold ourselves accountable to that.”

The Rams will have to meet that challenge in a difficult Atlantic 10.

But that does not matter, nor does Neptune’s past. He recognizes that will follow him throughout this first year, with the blueprint being fairly similar to that on Lancaster Avenue.

Even Ohams acknowledged that, saying, “We already put him on a high [pedestal].”

Neptune said his time at his last school, Villanova was "really over."

“We’ve had some great experiences at Villanova. We always consider it partially home, but that doesn’t really help us now. We’ve got to come together as a staff, come together as a team and do what’s best for this team moving forward. We’re really trying to get to know our guys, set our standards, create our own culture and move on from there.”

Time will tell what exactly that culture looks like, and it will certainly evolve beyond just this year.

For now though, Neptune has placed his stamp all over Fordham's program as he aims to bring some big changes to the team.

“He pushes us every day,” Ohams said. “He never takes a day off, and we love that, so I’m extremely confident in where this program is heading.”

Colon-Navarro shares that same confidence, saying, “Play hard. Be as gritty as you can. We’ll be happy with the results.”

Fordham has been devoid of a basketball culture for some time, and Neptune’s primary goal must be to rebuild that. Early signs indicate that is the case, as the program digs itself out of the past and builds a new identity for itself. It can only happen if the players and the university buy into the process. Regardless of the results, this feels like a team, and a season, bound to take that first step forward.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Men's Basketball is looking forward to a new season with a new coach, a new mindset and a clean slate.