Volume 95, Issue 19

The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 Volume 95, Issue 19

De Blasio, Christie Victorious

FordhamRam.com F dh R

November N b 66, 2013

Fordham Survives Scare Against Holy Cross Condé Nast

Internships Short-Lived

By GIRISH SWAMINATH

By KATHERINE BASE

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

STAFF WRITER

Months of campaigning came to an end for candidates running for New York City mayor, New Jersey governor, New York City Council and New York City comptroller. At 9 p.m. on Nov. 5, polls closed and public voting ended, leaving people uncertain about the future of their local and state government until officials finished counting votes.

The Republican contender for New Jersey governor was incumbent Governor Chris Christie, who has served the office since 2009, while the Democratic challenger was state Sen. Barbara Buono.

For the past few months, according to the New York Times, “Christie has led by 20 points or more.” At roughly 8:28 p.m. before the closing of the polls, Christie had 96,241 votes or 61.6 percent of the total votes, compared to Buono who had 57,583 votes or 36.9 percent, with the New Jersey residents voting for other candidates strictly limited to 2,299 votes, or 1.5 percent. According to the New York Times, at 11:11 p.m., Christie had earned 1,179,206 votes or 60.4 percent, relative to Buono who earned 770,277 votes or 38.0 percent, resulting in a landslide victory by Christie.

Political experts on The Week attribute Christie’s win to his successful handling of the catastrophic Superstorm Sandy, during which Christie praised President Obama’s response to the storm. Subsequently, analysts indicate that Christie was able to gain support from New Jersey residents who typically affiliated themselves with the Democratic party or independent parties.

Christie delivered an acceptance speech (aired on New Jersey Channel 12) and promised to live up to the high expectations of his leadership over New Jersey residents.

“My pledge to you tonight: I will govern with the spirit of Sandy,” Christie said. “I will never stop leading the state I love. I will not let anyone, any thing, any political party, any SEE ELECTION, PAGE 2

in this issue

Opinion Page 7 Supreme Court Disservices Americans

Arts

Page 11 Ram Realm Picked Up By New York Mag, Credit to FU_Makeouts

Sports

See Insert Winter Sports Preview

ball out from his grasp about 25 yards from the end zone. It rolled to the Fordham 1-yard line before it was recovered by the Crusaders.

Later in that same quarter, facing a second-and-goal from the Holy Cross 7-yard line, Nebrich threw an interception in the end zone. He said after the game that he was trying to throw the ball away in order to avoid a sack but was hit as he threw, which affected the accuracy of the throw.

Picture this. You are a little girl who has grown up always dreaming of being a princess. Then one day, someone takes the crown you have so desperately wanted to wear and stomps on it until it is shattered into little pieces right before your eyes. All your hopes and dreams of being a princess are forever crushed.

Young aspiring journalists are going to be faced with a similar situation in 2014. On Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, Condé Nast publicly announced that it would be discontinuing its internship program entirely, beginning next year.

One thing we know for sure is that the days of fashionistas roaming the halls of high-fashion glossies like Glamour and Vogue are long gone. Many media outlets have

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DAVID MEYERS/THE RAM

Quarterback Michael Nebrich ran for two touchdowns and broke the school’s record for passing yards after the game.

By DAN GARTLAND EXECUTIVE SPORTS EDITOR

Statistics can be misleading.

Look no further than the box score of Fordham’s 32-30 victory over Holy Cross this Saturday.

The Rams amassed an astonishing 700 yards of total offense, a new school record. Quarterback Michael Nebrich had 524 passing yards, shattering John Skelton’s previous school record of 427.

And yet, Fordham only scored

32 points, 10 points less than it averaged over the first eight games.

The Rams made several uncharacteristic miscues that explain the discrepancy. Fordham turned the ball over three times, including twice inside its opponent’s 10yard line.

Early in the second quarter, Nebrich found junior receiver Tebucky Jones open behind the defense on a long pass. Jones had a clear path to the end zone, but a Holy Cross defender punched the

Restaurant Owners Get Less Sleep, More Business

By KATIE MEYER ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

For many Fordham students, the process of going out at night can become something of a ritual.

Students get ready, congregate in dorm rooms, head out to bars, parties or apartments and finish off the night with pizza.

Not everyone ascribes to this well-worn tradition, but enough students take part in the dormto-bar-to-food circuit that local businesses have, over the years, adopted rather unusual business models, adapting their hours and services to fit the Fordham lifestyle.

Three of the biggest players in Fordham’s late-night dining scene are University Pizza, Bellini’s Pizzeria and Restaurant and Pugsley’s Pizza. While they serve students and locals alike, the vast majority of their business is made up of Fordham students, and their hours reflect this.

During the week, the restaurants’ closing times range from 11:00 p.m. (Bellini’s) to roughly 1:30 a.m. (University) to 3:00 a.m. (Pugsley’s). On weekends and Tuesday nights, it is not uncommon for them to stay open as late as 5 a.m.

Tony Beqiri, whose family owns University, has seen many late nights in his 15 years.

Though he now mainly works day shifts, Beqiri said that these late hours can definitely be taxing for employees.

Still, he conceded, University is lucky to have such loyal clientele

in Fordham students.

“I wish everybody was a Fordham student,” he said with a laugh. “It’d be much easier… there's a great relationship.”

A similar attitude could be found at Bellini’s.

“Sometimes [we are here late] but you know, you gotta do what you gotta do, it’s a job,” said Alton, a Bellini’s employee of five years who preferred not to use his last name.

“We go according to party nights. It’s fast-paced…we keep up with the quality, we don’t give up on [that],” he said. “But it’s less headache because it’s only Fordham. You don’t have to worry about, like with the alcohol, to have to have a bouncer or something, so we keep it simple.”

Like Beqiri at University, Alton enjoys the bond between his restaurant and Fordham’s students, whose pictures decorate the walls of the eating area. “[We] just treat them nice,” he said. “They are Bellini’s angels.”

The most legendary relationship between Fordham students and pizza, however, can unequivocally be found at Pugsley’s.

The owner of Pugsley’s, selfprofessed artist and dreamer Salvatore “Sal” Natale, has run the restaurant with his family for almost 30 years. Natale says that from the beginning, he envisioned the restaurant as the “capital of entertainment at Fordham.”

Since then, he has developed a strong bond with Fordham’s student body. This, coupled with Natale’s loose interpretation of

ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

Pugsley’s is just one of the late-night dining options around Fordham

traditional business hours, has transformed Pugsley’s into an icon.

“Business is based on the activity of the school,” Natale said. “We all come from dysfunctional families…we’re not 9-to-5 people… [we’re] kind of wild entrepreneurs. We sleep when we’re tired and we eat when we’re hungry.”

This philosophy seems to work for students, who almost invariably pack Pugsley’s after midnight, looking for good food and a friendly atmosphere.

Natale takes pride in his restaurant’s food, but notes that pizza is not Pugsley’s only selling point.

“We want to have good food, [but] we’re not even chefs! We’re not even pizza people! We cook it like we cook at home,” he said.

“Pugsley’s Pizza is a mom and pop operation and we have a lot of

fun. The students are great. This is special to me, [and] what makes it special is you guys.”

Students tend to agree about the special relationship, though food preferences vary from person to person.

“University has the best slices,” Dominic Carlucci, FCRH ’16, said. “If you think Pugsley’s tastes good, you're drunk.” However, Carlucci conceded that Pugsley’s is important at Fordham. “Pugsley’s is an icon for Fordham alumni too. I meet alumni who ask me what I order on Friday nights,” he said.

Alicia Montanaro, FCRH ’16, agreed.

“Nobody who goes to Fordham doesn’t know where Pugsley’s is,” Montanaro said. “It’s a staple to Fordham and off-campus eating that we’d be sad to ever lose.”

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SECURITY BRIEFS Oct. 30 2423 Hoffman Ave. Noon A student reported to security that his Toshiba laptop had gone missing 10 days earlier. The laptop has been removed from his apartment while the student was visiting a friend across the hall, a four-hour timespan. NYPD responded, and the incident is under investigation.

Nov. 1 2503 Hughes Ave. 8:35 p.m.

A male student was walking to his apartment on Hughes Avenue between 189 Street and Fordham Road, when two males who had been walking in front of him doubled back and approached the student. One displayed a gun, and told the student to give them all his possessions. The student did not immediately comply, and the man hit him across the face with the gun. Both assailants fled the scene, leaving the student’s possessions intact. He was not seriously injured. NYPD canvassed the area without success.

Nov. 1 Belmont Ave. 3 a.m.

After leaving the Jolly Tinker, a male student called a cab to drive him back to campus. He did not have money for cab fare, but promised that his roommate would provide money when they arrived. When they returned to Fordham Road, the cabbie requested the student’s phone so he could call the roommate. The student complied, and then climbed out of the cab to speak to the driver through the window. When he exited the vehicle, however, the cabbie drove away with the phone. The student declined to notify police.

Nov. 3 189th Street and Arthur Ave. 3:15 p.m.

A large group of about 30 students in the street was observed by an offcampus security guard, who notified the base that they were blocking traffic. The group, all male students, was playing tackle football while wearing pink tutus. NYPD was notified of the situation, and broke up the group.

The students then relocated to 2466 Hughes Ave. to resume their activites.

—Compiled by Katie Meyer, Assistant News Editor

November 6, 2013

Victors Lay Plans for Greater Unity, Equality FROM ELECTION, PAGE 1

government entity or any force get in between me and the completion of my mission.”

Christie sought to further unite the people of New Jersey and work toward achieving socioeconomic prosperity and the objectives he laid out when he began his first term as governor.

“The biggest thing I have learned over the last four years about leadership [is that] leadership is much less about talking than it is about listening,” Christie said. “[It is] about bringing people together and to achieve what we need to achieve to move our state forward. Under this government, our first job is to get the job done and as long as I am governor, that job will always, always be finished.”

There was a lot of interest surrounding Christie’s win considering political analysts’ speculation over whether Christie will become a Republican contender for the 2016 Presidential election. Fueling further speculations, Christie even articulated that his achievements and success as governor of New Jersey can be applied to the federal government.

“I know [that] if we can do this in Trenton, N.J., maybe the folks in Washington, D.C., should tune into their TVs right now,” Christie said.

Residents of New York City actively followed the election of the mayoral office, for which Bill de Blasio represented the Democratic party and Joseph Lhota represented the Republican party. According to the New York Times, as of 11:42 p.m., de Blasio won 73.1 percent of the public vote, or 418,878 votes. Lhota won 24.6 percent of the vote, with only 140,775 votes.

De Blasio delivered an acceptance speech (which can be seen on the official campaign website) thanking the public for its support, and he acknowledged that numerous obstacles exist that may challenge the government in its attempts to achieve social equality.

“All of our work is really just beginning,” de Blasio said. “We have no illusions about the tasks that lie ahead.

Tackling inequality is not easy. The road ahead will be difficult but it will be traveled. The problems we have set out to address will not be addressed overnight. There will be many obstacles that will stand in our way but we will overcome them. And I know this — I will never stop fighting for the city I love and the city we all love, and I will never forget that as mayor I work for you.”

One of de Blasio’s major initiatives is the mandated increase in taxes, paid by the wealthy to reduce

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

In the months leading to election day, de Blasio became the favored candidate.

the “persistant achievement gap” and “low college readiness rates.” His administration plans to use this as a means to curtail social inequality.

“The feeling of inequality is the defining challenge of our times,” de Blasio said. “[This is] because inequality in New York City does not only threaten those that are struggling, but the stakes are so high for every New Yorker. We are not threatening anyone’s success. We are asking those who have done very well to ensure that every child has the same opportunity to do just as well as they have.

That is how we all rise together. Opportunity in New York springs from strong neighborhoods. New York is no stranger to big challenges.”

The race for New York City comptroller finished with an even wider

gap in voting numbers between the Democratic and Republican candidates. Scott Stringer, the Democratic candidate, defeated John Burnett, the Republican candidate, earning 510,694 votes (79.9 percent), as compared to Burnett who received 109,518 votes (17.1 percent). Stringer, who won against former Gov. Eliot Spitzer in a closely contested Democratic primary, resolved to serve “with honesty and integrity.”

Candidates also ran for New York City Council. In the eight districts of the Bronx (11 to 18), all Democratic candidates won a majority of the public vote. Andrew Cohen, Andy King, James Vacca, Fernando Cabrera, Ritchie Torres, Vanessa Gibson, Maria del Carmen Arroyo and Annabel Palma won the elections.

Lawsuits a Factor in Decision to Discontinue Internships FROM NAST, PAGE 1

gone back and forth trying to crack the primary reason why Condé Nast would do such a thing. Condé Nast’s decision was finalized after the company was hit with lawsuits from former unpaid interns.

The two interns claimed they were underpaid and worked 12hour work days at W Magazine and The New Yorker, which violates the parameters of an intern position.

Lauren Ballinger, who interned for W Magazine in 2009, and Matthew Lieb, who interned for The New Yorker in 2009 and 2010, sued Condé Nast. Both claimed they were paid less than a dollar an hour for their tedious work. Brittni Hicks, a current paid fashion intern at In Style and previous intern at Condé Nast, has mixed feelings about the termination of internships.

“It's definitely a game changer,” Hicks said. “Those of us that are trying to get our foot in the door with a freelance or entry-level position will have a slightly easier time.

There will still be the same amount

of work, and with no interns there will be more freelance positions available.”

Hicks, however, feels that many former Condé Nast interns would not be where they are now without their previous intern experience, especially at high-end magazines like Vogue.

Former Lucky intern Jena Johansen, FCRH ’13, is upset to hear about Condé Nast terminating its internship program.

“The experiences I had at Condé Nast taught me so much about the publishing and advertising industry,” Johansen said. “It was truly an honor to be in the presence of such talented individuals.” Johansen denies having ever been taken advantage of at Lucky and said that all her tasks had a greater purpose.

“I learned things there that I would never have learned in school,” Johnasen said. “I feel that college does not prepare students at all for what the real world is actually like.”

Johansen said that being a part of the Condé Nast team for two

years at Condé taught her so much more than sitting in a classroom lecture ever could have. She thinks that the termination of future internships will have a detrimental effect on students interested in getting their foot in the door.

Melina Hopcroft, a former fashion intern at Cosmopolitan, has similar views to Johansen. She is very upset about the news, but understands Condé Nast’s concerns for wanting to eliminate its internship program.

“They are technically saving themselves from future lawsuit problems in their internship program,” Hopcroft said. However, she believes that Condé Nast’s decision can either make or break their company. “This can be a huge wake up call for the corporation that’s going to either help or hinder them.”

Furthermore, Hopcroft thinks that magazine internships are very beneficial to college students. Her experience at Cosmopolitan was amazing. “I think if someone is accepted as an intern, it is a great

hands on experience for a college student. It lets them see how the company works before going into a full-time job. I think interns should know what comes with being involved in the magazine industry — long days, some late nights, and loads of tasks.”

Hopcroft says that while it is unfortunate that interns at Condé Nast were paid below minimum wage, the first time they received their low paycheck they should have spoken to someone about it.

Dreams of interning at topnotch magazines like Vogue, W, GQ, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Lucky, Allure and Teen Vogue, will remain just that, dreams. But, fashionistas should not panic.

There might still be hope of landing a glamorous internship, just not within the walls of Condé Nast. Companies such as Hearst Magazines and Time Inc. will still be continuing to run their semester long internship program for undergraduate students interested in careers in the in the magazine world.

This Week at Fordham Thursday Nov. 7

Thursday - Sunday Nov. 7 to 10

Friday Nov. 8

Poets Out Loud

The Real Inspector Hound

MetroCard Drive

Lowenstein Hall, Lincoln Center 7 p.m.

Collins Auditorium, 8 p.m.

McGinley Center, 11 a.m.

Poets Out Loud is featuring poets Emily Fragos and Phyllis Levin. The event will be held in the 12th floor lounge of the E. Gerald Corrigan Conference Center. There will be a reception, followed by a book signing.

Monday Nov. 11 Real Estate Law and Development Panel Flom Auditorium, 6 p.m.

The Mimes and Mummers will be Sponsored by Respect for Life, old Students interested in pursuing caperforming The Real Inspector Hound, MetroCards will be collected to supreers in law and/or real estate have a murder-mystery parody originally port struggling mothers’ efforts to the opportunity to listen to the exscripted by Tom Stoppard. Opening return to school, maintain their jobs periences of four alumni and current night is free for students. It is $5 for and support their children. Proceeds professionals and ask questions perstudents and $12 for non-students will go to a local maternity home run taining to their respective fields. for subsequent performances.

by Sisters for Life.

For more campus events, visit FordhamRam.com

Wednesday Nov. 13 Global Peace Foundation Young Leaders’ Conference McGinley Ballroom, Noon Sponsored by Commuter Student Services, students especially interested in international relations, political science and marketing are invited to attend a panel and ask questions.

NEWS

November 6, 2013

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FORDHAM IN THE BRONX

Crime and Housing: Fordham Prof. Speaks On City Elections

By JEFFREY COLTIN BRONX CORRESPONDENT

It is election season in New York City.

Flyers litter the ground. Favorite TV shows are broken up by ads for candidates.

Men and women in red T-shirts jostle each other at every street corner on the Upper West Side: “vote de Blasio!” “Vote no on casinos!” “Anybody but Quinn!”

It may be election season in New York, but life at Rose Hill is carrying on as usual.

Fordham is far removed from the Vietnam era when the university was a hub of the counterculture and students took over the administration building in political protest.

But, the elections this year could be bringing some serious changes to the five boroughs.

Bill de Blasio did manage to ride his wave of support from New York’s Democrats into city hall. De Blasio is the first Democratic mayor in this liberal city since 1993, and he plans to bring some changes to the city — even to the borough Rose Hill calls home.

To find out what issues Rose Hill students should look at during and after the elections, Fordham in the Bronx spoke to Dr. Bruce Berg of Fordham’s political science department.

Berg came to New York in 1977 and has been absorbing the city’s politics ever since.

He has taught classes like New York City Politics and Urban

COURTESY OF FLICKR

De Blasio’s election will mean a left-leaning mayor, which could bring a variety of potential changes for the city.

Health and the Environment.

Here’s what he had to say: On what de Blasio could mean for the City and the Bronx: For the first time in 20 years you’re going to have a left-leaning City Council and a left-leaning Mayor. So, a lot of issues that are near and dear to the Bronx you would think are going to be addressed — healthcare issues, housing issues, income issues, hunger issues.

What’s this new configuration in Manhattan in the city government going to do for the Bronx?

On the one hand, ideologically, you’d think it’d be a plus, but the

Bronx hasn’t played a major role in terms of leadership in quite some time. Will de Blasio appoint some Bronx city council members to his cabinet? No idea there.

What the Mayor could do for crime: Either the level of crime reporting and transparency has increased, or the level of crime has increased. And the mayor, through the appointment of the police commissioner, is going to have a significant impact on what the police are up to. Obviously stop-and-frisk is certainly one of those issues. But, [also] who’s patrolling what? What’s the empha-

sis gonna be?

On the Mayor’s potential influence on the university: The city government has little to no impact on private higher education. It’s a state/federal issue, it’s not a city issue.

So in terms of Fordham’s existence, [there will be no impact] unless de Blasio tries to raise taxes on non-profit institutions or raise their fees — and that’s been tried in the past.

On issues affecting the Bronx: Housing’s an issue. If real estate [prices] continue to increase…

There are footholds — teachers,

artists — in the South Bronx.

We’re getting to see gentrification take place.

The Grand Concourse corridor — little bit of activity taking place. Obviously slowed down a lot by the recession, but assuming we get out of the recession…

On other issues affecting Rose Hill students in the city elections: Is the city going to invest in this area of the Bronx? Is outer borough economic development going to be a priority? You would think it would be in a de Blasio administration, but he may have other things in mind.

If and when the Bronx emerges — development will come from the south moving north, but there will also be pockets that will develop before that. This is clearly going to be one of those pockets because you’ve got the Botanical Garden, you’ve got the zoo, you’ve got Fordham, you’ve got Arthur Avenue.

So you’ve already got an anchor for development. Arthur Avenue is not yet a place where people who are moving into the city are saying ‘I want to live there!’ But a few more amenities, and it may very well be one of those places.

One of those gentrification outposts that emerges. That would be something that future Fordham students would want to watch. I think the current crop are probably safe.

(This interview has been rearranged and condensed to fit.)

Biotechnology: Combining Science, Business, Technology and Law

By DYLAN DEMARTINO STAFF WRITER

Students flocked to O’Keefe Commons on Monday, Nov. 5 for Fordham’s Panel “Biotechnology: An Alumni Panel Discussion,” to hear from some of Fordham’s most accomplished graduates working in the field of biotechnology.

The graduates provided insight on their Fordham education and their development from students to leaders in the field.

What is biotechnology? A question many have asked, since this exciting and profitable industry combines science, business, technology and law.

Biotechnology is ultimately the research and harnessing of chemical and biological processes, like genetics, to produce products useful to human civilization.

Everything from certain pharmaceuticals, to genetically modified organisms, to experimental therapies for cancer treatment is produced by biotechnology institutions.

The panel was moderated by Dr. Robert Schaffhauser, former corporate VP and CTO at American Standard, ITW and Engelhard. The panel featured Charles Casamento, MBA, Pharm. D., executive director and principal of The Sage Group, as well as John DelliSanti, MBA, FCRH ’88, GBA, ’97, COO of ArisGlobal and Dr. Paul Freiman, President

and CEO of Neurobiological Technologies Inc. The panelists elaborated on their scientific education at Fordham and how it ultimately prepared them for success in various areas in the biotechnology industry.

The strongest takeaway for students was that there are so many ways to get involved in science, as well as a myriad of ways to use a science-based education to develop a successful career.

Students with a scientific skill set can leverage their knowledge and do more than apply for medical school or work in a lab. The panel featured individuals who had acquired training in the business world to prepare them for the practical needs of a sciencebased company.

Panelists encouraged students to take their Fordham education outside of the classroom and get their feet wet.

The alumni said that honing specific skills in internships will not only serve students well beyond their undergraduate years by helping them to develop professional networks, but will also allow them to dabble in fields they might not have realized that they were interested in.

Michael Latham, dean of Fordham College Rose Hill, reiterated this general point.

“The key takeaway, I think, is that students have to keep an open mind,” Latham said. “They

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Panelists at the event were all employed in various areas of biotechnology, and counseled students on entering the field.

need to work hard to get their foot in the door through interning, informational interviewing, getting involved in research and networking.

Once into the profession, even at an entry level, the key is to explore the full range of options and remain open to considering some that might not have occurred to you before.

Students should expect to change careers, seek out new opportunities and to continue learning as they take on new responsibilities throughout their professional lives. That is what our panelists did, and it made all the difference.”

The panel elaborated on the complicated process of starting a biotech company by outlining all of the steps required to go from start-up science to a successful

company. The panel exhorted science students to consider acquiring training in finance because of the capital intensive nature of the industry.

Panelists estimated that it could cost anywhere from $150 to $1 billion in research, regulatory, legal, marketing and personnel costs to develop a biotech product.

The research and development of the necessary scientific knowledge is only the first step. The process of creating a new drug or treatment and getting on the market is extremely complicated and costly.

After the research and planning of a product, which in itself can cost tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars, appropriate regulatory compliance to acquire FDA approval is another step.

The panel noted that the process of undergoing the FDA trials and of acquiring patents presents a lucrative opportunity to skilled patent and regulatory lawyers.

The huge cost many biotech companies incur when developing products has to be offset by those who can use their scientific knowledge to help ensure that their investment will actually be marketable and protected from imitators.

Students were quite impressed with the breadth and depth of the event. Many were encouraged to take much of the advice given by the panel.

John Turiano, FCRH ’14, said, “It was quite an extensive event.

There was quite a large amount of useful information about the intersection of science, business and law at this event.”

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November 6, 2013

Campus Ministry Faces Challenges Scheduling All Saints’ Day Masses

By EDDIE MIKUS STAFF WRITER

Friday, Nov. 1 was a holy day of obligation for members of the Roman Catholic Church. As such, Catholics throughout the world were required to attend Mass.

Fordham University conducted Masses on the Rose Hill Campus at 8:30 a.m. in Keating Blue Chapel, 12:05 p.m. in the University Church and 5:30 p.m. in the St. Robert Bellarmine Chapel in Spellman Hall. Masses at other campuses occurred at 8:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. in Lincoln Center’s Blessed Rupert Mayer, S.J. Chapel and at 12:45 p.m. in Westchester’s Blessed Miguel Pro, S.J. Chapel.

Father Philip Florio S.J., assistant vice president of Campus Ministry, said that Fordham offers more opportunities to attend Mass on a holy day than other Catholic parishes do.

“We have six Masses to offer to the university,” Florio said. “That’s more than most places offer. Most universities offer one Mass at noon to accommodate faculty, staff and students. We also have two local parishes in the area, Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Our Lady of Mercy, all within walking distance, that offer Masses every hour on the hour on the holy day.”

However, Florio also stated that the number of priests available at Fordham limited the number of Masses that the University could conduct.

“We have to find priests that are

MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM

Fordham celebrated All Saints’ Day with six Masses throughout the day, far more than most universities offer.

available,” Florio said. “We have roughly about 22 priests available at Fordham for three campuses.

Lincoln Center has two Masses that day, one in the morning and one at noon in addition to Westchester. I have to accommodate three campuses with a growing shortage of priests.”

As a result of such limitations, the university takes into account several factors in determining Masses schedules.

Florio’s assistant, Gilda Severiano, explained that the day of the week on which a holy day falls is a significant factor in determining the Mass times for that day. Because All Saints’ Day fell on a Friday this year, the Mass schedule differed from those of other years.

“[The problem] this year is it fell on a Friday, and we have to be realistic that the majority of our student body, on a Friday evening, and the majority of our staff, on a Friday evening, are leaving early, going off for the weekend, and would not be attending,” Severiano said. “And so, this particular year, we looked at it realistically and said, ‘What is the likelihood of students coming, of sizable amount, enough to make it work, and also, can we get student liturgical ministers on a Friday night at 9:15?’ And, honestly, the answer was no.”

Campus Ministry also considers the times at which most students and staff are able and willing to attend Mass.

“The largest number we get is

at noon, because that’s when most people are free,” Florio said.

Florio said that 52 percent of Fordham students identify themselves as Catholic, and of that group, only 12 percent practice. He further stated that the latter statistic was close to a national average of practicing Catholics.

“We do well,” Florio said in describing Mass attendance. “We see a full church, but if everybody who’s Catholic participated in Holy Days and Sundays, we’d have to have 10 Masses to accommodate.”

Florio also spoke about the university promoting the need for Catholics to attend Mass on All Saints’ Day. “I think we’re very bold in that,” Florio said. “We did a full e-blast,

it’s called. Every member of the Fordham community, all faculty, staf, and students, were notified by email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LCD screens all over campus and a banner in the lobby of McGinley.”

Despite Campus Ministry’s best efforts, however, not all people were able to attend Mass at the times offered by the University.

In fact, Severiano said developing a Mass schedule that accommodated the greatest number of students was one of Florio’s main priorities. As an example of this, she cited a survey conducted last year that led to the switching of a regularly-scheduled Sunday Mass from 9 p.m. to 8p.m.

“You have to realize that the person who wants students to go to Mass here the most is Father Florio,” Severiano said. “Every liturgy meeting, every single week, is all about trying to figure out what is the best time, how can we do the Mass better, how can we up participation.”

Severiano herself also spoke about the importance of student accommodation to Campus Ministry.

“Our purpose is to serve our students and community, and this is what we strive to do in every meeting, with every program that we do,” Severiano said. “And we do listen to our students. We put out surveys. When students come in here and say they have a special need or desire, we do review it and we do try to accommodate.”

Panel Validates Liberal Arts Students, Offers Career Advice

By KATIE MEYER ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

For liberal arts students, both at Fordham and elsewhere, one of the most stressful parts of college can be figuring out how to translate skills learned in the classroom to real life. Such is the growing demand for real-world skills in colleges that, according to a New York Times article, many small liberal arts colleges are even considering moving away from their arts curriculums and shifting their focus “from a high-minded, educationfor-its-own-sake approach to a more down-to-earth, job-oriented curriculum.”

Luckily for liberal arts students, however, jobs related to liberal arts majors do exist; it is just a matter of finding them. That is where events like “Internship Smarts for Liberal Arts: The Interview!” come in. Held Oct. 30 in Lincoln Center’s South Lounge, the event was a panel featuring representatives with various degrees of experience in liberal arts.

Kate Fields, associate director for Marketing and Student Engagement at both Rose Hill and Lincoln Center, said that major-oriented panels are among the most common events held by Career Services, because they offer students the specific information and relevant advice that they often need to pursue internships and ultimately, careers. “[Our goal is] connecting students to various companies that have cool internships,” Fields said.

A variety of people, including Rose Hill and Lincoln Center stu-

dents, as well as alumni, attended the event for career advice.

“I was hoping to learn more about the types of questions employers ask liberal arts students during interviews and the best ways to answer them,” said Jacqueline Gill, FCRH ’16.

The panelists were Lauren Bloch, a college recruiter from AOL, Shivani Amin, campus recruiting manager at JetBlue, Jenna LaMagna, FCRH ’15, who had a summer internship at New York 1 News, and Martin Pagels, FCLC ’15, a current intern at Madison Square Garden.

Ashley Polynese, FCLC ’14, moderated.

The panelists all stressed the importance of taking skills from the liberal arts into the workplace. LaMagna noted that her internship experience had taught her that a degree in liberal arts is the foundation for any real world experience. Basic skills like writing, she said, are vital in the workplace and can be honed in majors like English and communications.

The rest of the panelists agreed.

Amin added that one of the most important parts of any internship or job is simply being interested and committed.

“Speaking from a recruiters’ perspective, we are really looking for passionate people,” she said. “If you are passionate…we want you.”

The panelists also agreed that internships are invaluable tools for college students preparing to enter the workforce, and said that the skills learned in an internship setting are an important addition to

COURTESY OF ANGELA LUIS

Panelists all had experience with turning liberal arts majors into careers, and advised students on steps to take for success.

those learned in the classroom. “[It is important to] choose the internship that’s right for you,” Bloch said. “You want a place that both needs and wants you.”

That place does not necessarily have to be within a student’s major to be an important experience. According to Bloch, what you do with your education is ultimately more important than what specific classes you take.

“Having a major that isn’t exactly what you’re jumping into doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t jump into it,” LaMagna said.

Amin pointed out that a large variety of internships can be beneficial in the long run, as they offer students a wider range of experiences.

“It’s okay to explore, that [is] what college is for,” she said.

The panelists also discussed what technical skills liberal arts students need in order to succeed in the workplace. Different jobs often re-

quire different skills, but the panelists named Photoshop, FinalCut Pro, Wordpress, Excel and PowerPoint among the programs liberal arts majors should be familiar with.

The speakers also touched on the topic of handling interviews. Amin and Bloch both conduct interviews with potential interns as part of their jobs, and they provided some insight into what recruiters often look for in interviews.

The panelists agreed that one of the hardest questions recruiters ask is the tricky “what is your biggest flaw” question. Bloch recommended answering by naming a flaw that can be spun in a positive way, such as “I triple check my work.” This “flaw” might be an issue because it means your work might be a little slower, but it also shows dedication and thoroughness, both very positive traits.

Amin suggested naming a flaw that is not relevant to the job, such

as weak public speaking skills in a job that will not require you to give speeches.

They also advised that interviewees thoroughly research the companies to which they are applying so that they will be able to ask educated and insightful questions, and that they should always try to steer clear of any subjects that could be controversial, touchy or too personal.

Finally, both agreed that a little friendliness goes a long way in ultimately getting hired.

Both interviewers, as well as both interns on the panel, said that sending a thank you email, note or even a tweet is a small gesture that can make a very positive impression.

“I like it, it shows your passion,” Amin said.

“I’m not going to lie, I see so many [applicants] that it’s hard to always remember specifics,” Bloch said. “But I always remember a thank you note.”

NEWS

November 6, 2013

Page 5

Too Big To Fail Displays Banks’ Violation of Public Trust Servers Halt Registration

By ANDREW MORSE Process On Monday, Nov. 4, the ColSTAFF WRITER

lege Democrats held their signature event of the semester: a screening of the film Too Big to Fail, in Keating 1st. The film premiered on HBO in 2011 and deals with the financial meltdown of 2008. It follows U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, played by William Hurt, and his team as they rush to save the financial system from a complete and total crash.

The College Democrats chose to show this film because of its educational and entertainment value.

“I thought it was well done, I read Hank Paulson’s article in Bloomberg and he described events and conversations just like they appear in the film, it is very informative and accurate”, said Michael Billotti, GSB ’15, president of the College Democrats.

“There is a need to make sure the public knows that what the banks did was wrong, unethical and irresponsible”.

Too Big to Fail portrays the financial crisis from the perspective of both government officials and Wall Street executives. The initial crisis in the film is the downward spiral of Lehman Brothers, an investment bank that had high exposure to toxic housing assets, which caused its investors to lose confidence quickly.

Paulson refuses to allow another bailout to a financial firm. As Lehman Brothers’ value continues to drop, Paulson struggles to create a deal in the private sector to save the fourth largest investment bank in the world.

While all eyes were focused on the Lehman Brothers’ situation, the rest of the financial system came dangerously close to toppling over

By KELLY KULTYS NEWS EDITOR

COURTESY OF MOVIE DB.COM

Too Big to Fail is a film that chronicles the financial crisis of 2008 and explores how it could have been prevented.

the edge. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two federally chartered mortgage finance companies, had to be taken over by the government to avoid collapse. In the middle of negotiations to save Lehman Brothers, it was revealed that the insurance giant AIG was in jeopardy of not being able to pay its debts. Paulson and his advisors were forced to come up with solutions for all of these firms that can be approved by Congress and do not erode investor’s confidence in the financial system any further.

The cast includes Paul Giamatti, Billy Crudup, Topher Grace, James Woods, Bill Pullman and Tony Shalhoub. The cast members must balance their roles as business leaders and lawmakers with the emotions of their characters and how they exist outside of the public eye.

Paul Giamatti won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Mini-series or Television Movie for his portrayal of the embattled Chair-

man of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke.

Throughout the film, politicians and government officials in the Treasury department are surprised by how the banks have been conducting business. Too Big to Fail highlights many of the faults within the legislative and regulation processes and how they respond to businesses. Multiple times throughout the film characters allude to the fact that the whole system is based on trust. Banks pursued incredibly risky investments without taking into consideration all of the consequences of their actions. In short, they violated the public’s trust. The regulation process was slow moving and incapable of recognizing the problem until it was too late.

“The most important themes of the film are the need for oversight and regulation, things like the DoddFrank Bill,” said Billotti. “There is a level of transparency and regulation that is needed. Also, politicians must understand and be educated about

the financial system.”

The College Democrats are already planning for next semester when they hope to have a speaker on campus. When asked about next semester’s event, Billotti said that they have reached out to a couple of speakers but do not know anything for sure yet. He would like to have someone like Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein, former Director of Speech Writing for President Barack Obama John Favreau or Democratic nominee for the New York City Council in the 15th district Ritchie Torres come to Fordham.

Torres is running for a council seat in the central Bronx. He has garnered a lot of attention for his age as he is only 25 and for being the first openly gay political candidate in the Bronx to win a nomination for the Democratic Party. Many of Fordham’s College Democrats have had the opportunity to intern with candidate Torres. The club has dedicated a lot of effort into his office.

Center for Ethics Education Promotes LGBTQ-Inclusive Classrooms

By SAMANTHA BANELLIS STAFF WRITER

Fordham University’s Center for Ethics Education plays an important role in ensuring that the university maintains a socially just campus environment. In keeping with that vision, it recently held a discussion with Fordham faculty on ensuring that Fordham fosters a LGBTQIA (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Intersex Asexual) inclusive classroom experience. Professors from a variety of Fordham’s academic departments attended this event held on Oct. 2.

During the meeting, participants discussed the university’s mission in regard to how it could be ap-

plied to the dignity of all students.

They worked to create disciplinerelevant course curricula.

“The goal of the meeting was to identify ways in which including LGBTQIA materials and conversations into the classroom can help students understand the characteristics of the Fordham University mission that embrace the principles of social justice,” Celia Fisher, Ph.D, director of the Center for Ethics Education, said.

These faculty members are hoping to make current curricula inclusive, and they are striving to ensure that it adheres to the dignity of every student. They want to make sure every student’s opinion is heard.

ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

The Center for Ethics Education works to make all classrooms more inclusive.

To achieve this end, the center established a list of recommendations that are to be applied in classrooms across all departments. They also compiled a list of LGBTQIA teaching resources in order to aid professors. They are making these resources readily available for all Fordham professors and faculty.

In publishing these recommendations, the center wants the Fordham community to understand that they are putting forth these efforts because the university is a Catholic and Jesuit institution, not in spite of us being one. Social justice is an important part of Fordham’s mission, and the center is looking to help students understand the characteristics of this ideal.

The main goal of this initiative is to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard equally in the classroom.

The center is looking to eliminate any “us versus them” terminology.

The Center for Ethics Education would like to incorporate these ideals in course offerings throughout Fordham’s many academic departments.

They are looking to provide a new outlet of discussion within the classroom, and they want to establish increased faculty support for students. Within each department, the faculty members are trying to develop new course

offerings and content.

To achieve their goal, the center wants to provide mentorship for the professors in each department. The goal of this mentorship program is to make faculty members more mindful of the university’s commitment to social justice practices. They want to make professors aware of the flexibility of incorporating LGBTQIA materials into the classroom. In doing so, the center hopes that department heads and professors will eventually broaden the courses offered in all of Fordham’s academic departments.

It is important for faculty members and professors to be familiar with the characteristics of the center’s mission. Through the new course offerings and classroom environment, they are the most prominent role models in carrying it out.

Many departments are already starting to make moves to incorporate the suggestions of The Center for Ethics Education.

“The reaction to the recommendations has been very positive. Many faculty members are enthusiastic about opportunities to introduce course-relative LGBTQIA materials and discussion into the classroom, and several departments will be discussing additional steps at faculty meetings,” Fisher said.

On the morning of Monday Nov. 4, many seniors logged on to my.fordham.edu to register for their last round of classes at Fordham. For many, however, this soon became a daunting task. Just minutes after the 7 a.m. start time, the banner system crashed, sending many students into a panic.

“I tried logging on to myfordham since 6:55 and did not get through until 7:22,” Avanika Kirpalani, GSB ’14, said.

Instead of seeing a screen where she could type in the class numbers, she received a banner error message stating: “There are too many simultaneous logins — please wait and try again.”

Students who registered on Monday had the highest amount of credits in both schools — over 87 for the Gabelli School of Business and over 104 for Fordham College Rose Hill.

“I tried repeatedly but to no avail,” Kirpalani said. “I have never experienced so much trouble when registering during my years at Fordham.”

This caused many who were trying to get their last few classes in to get locked out. Dr. Beth Knobel, assistant professor of communication and media studies, said that one of her advisees suffered because of the server crash and missed getting into one of the classes she needed.

Fordham IT issued a statement after the issue saying, “From approximately 7:00 a.m. to 7:05 a.m. this morning [Nov. 4], some students may have experienced difficulties attempting to register for classes via the portal due to a high number of simultaneous connections. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused. Fordham IT is aware and researching the situation.”

Students were concerned about registration on Tuesday, when a higher volume of students hit the servers.

However, according to Nolan Silbernagel, FCRH ’14, everything seemed to go smoothly.

“Registration went well for the first time in my Fordham career,” Silbernagel said. “The Internet didn’t go down. I got the classes I wanted and there were no weird or random holds.”

Still, many non-seniors are worried about their upcoming registration dates. Elizabeth Hughes, GSB ‘15, registers on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

She is concerned about losing wireless access since this has happened to her and her roommates in the past.

“I’m nervous that at 7:02 a.m. when I go to register, I’ll get bumped off the system when I go to type in the CRN number and it’ll change my cohort which would alter my whole schedule,” Hughes said.

Many students, like Hughes, advise underclassmen to use an ethernet cable if at all possible or go somewhere outside their dorm room.

“I’m planning to go to Hughes Hall in the morning,” Hughes said.

Otherwise students could end up like Kirpalani.

“It’s unfortunate I had to experience this during my senior year,” she said.

Page 6

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November 6, 2013

November 6, 2013

opinion

Page 7

SCOTUS Disappoints In Voting Rights Case

By CATRINA LIVERMORE ASSISTANT OPINION EDITOR

SAMUEL JOSEPH /THE RAM

YouTube Fees Support Stars and Their Craft

By DYLAN DEMARTINO STAFF WRITER

YouTube announced that it is phasing in a plan to begin charging users a fee to subscribe to certain uploaders’ channels. This plan would involve an agreement between YouTube and the content creators. It would include a minimum number of total subscribers as well as approval standard to which both parties must adhere.

There are over 3 million YouTube channels in existence so only a select portion would be incorporated into this system.

YouTube has also announced that it will be working to construct studios in major metropolitan areas to provide resources to its content and revenue partners.

Some may be concerned that this plan will allow Youtube to begin charging its members, like Hulu recently did. This development represents by YouTube in what made it such a popular service to start with: the platform, the users and most important, the actual content creators.

Allowing content creators access not only to revenue but to brick-and-mortar production facilities incentivizes them to produce better content in order to reach benchmarks required to gain revenue and resources. These facilities also provide them with tangible resources to establish an increasing scale of professionalism in their production.

The bottom line is that the surging popularity of video sharing services such as Netflix, Vimeo and Hulu Plus strongly suggests that fee-based channels will better safe-guard the online distribution of Youtube’s millions of videos, many of them belonging to record labels or media companies. Charging consumers will protect their content against distortion and piracy.

YouTube is a fertile ground for video sharing, especially since Netflix, with its relatively clunky interface, can frustrate those more accustomed to a smooth layout. YouTube is a website that just about everyone knows how to use.

This arrangement can only empower those aspiring actors, writers, comedians, sports stars, skateboarders and musicians who use YouTube as an opportunity to showcase their talents, promote their bands and acquire an otherwise unobtainable audience.

If I was able to access quality studio facilities to record myself playing drums and publish video lessons for money, then I too would not have been interested in going to college. I know that those musicians and teachers who have established themselves on YouTube will definitely take advantage of this opportunity to produce better content while supporting the disciplined pursuit of their craft.

This feature will also please people who regularly view lots of content in a specific category.

Say you really like watching videos of cats doing the “darndest things.” You will be able to more smoothly navigate through the legions of cat videos that maybe are not quite up to your standards or are downright redundant to quality content. This program is an important tool to address the information overload that now permeates seemingly every Internet activity. What if you could only watch five minutes of cat videos each day at work? You would want to invest your time in the best. What if you only want to watch the most righteous interpretation of “Stairway” on keytar or at the very least a “mainstream” coffeehouse acoustic jam?

Paid subscription and the boost in resources that it gives to con-

tent producers make it easier to appropriately manufacture a superior user experience. Above that, it is really time for our generation, which has undoubtedly benefited from increased artistic and creative horizons thanks to YouTube, to start chipping in a few pennies

to the source of so many hours of constructive (and perhaps diversionary) amusement. After all, why not make it better?

Dylan DeMartino, FCRH ’14, is a history and Middle East studies double major from Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Philip DeFranco of “The Philip DeFranco Show “ has three million subscribers.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Jenna Mourey, known on Youtube as “Jenna Marbles,” has 11 million subscribers.

With the mayoral race now over, voters are either validated to see their candidate succeed or bracing themselves for four years under a new administration. Others are glad that the constant ad campaigns and the very public character attacks are over.

This race and the many more to come remind all of us of the cliche: every vote counts. Campaigns fight to the last minute to reach voters, whether it be through press junkets, commercials, kissing babies or random scandals.

This dire need to reach voters is proof that, at least politically, voting is perhaps the ultimate tool that brings together people from different racial, social and economic backgrounds.

This election has also reminded me, however, of the recent Supreme Court ruling impeding the greatest tool the individual is given to enact change.

Unlike the other divisions of the Judicial Branch, and the other

Is favoring states’ rights a disservice to Americans? branches of our government for that matter, the Supreme Court is the ultimate arbitrator. While many of us are frustrated with local government, Congress, the president and recently the NSA, I suggest that the spotlight should not solely focus on those we see on C-SPAN or the nightly news, but the nine men and women who have the power to change the direction of our country’s policies with a brief opinion.

Appointed by the president, the members of the Supreme Court are intended to be the guardians of the Constitution. However, recent rulings have, in my opinion, shown regression in the court’s justice. Perhaps the biggest and most recent misstep by the Supreme Court came in the form of a 5-4 decision that declared sections of the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional.

The sections struck down from the Voting Rights Act contained a provision in which certain states that were found to be discriminatory against their voters had to first receive permission from the federal government before making changes to voting laws. This provision, a key victory in the civil rights movement, protected African Americans against racially-biased state legislatures and eliminated laws and prerequisites to voting, such as grandfather clauses and literacy tests.

In the past decade, the Supreme Court has made it a point to dodge SEE SUPREME COURT, PAGE 10

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R

Serving 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 4,500. The Fordham Ram office is located in the basement of the McGinley Center, room B-52.

TheFordhamRam.com Advertising: (718) 817-4379 Executive: (718) 817-4380 Fax: (718) 817-4319 theram@fordham.edu Fordham University - Station 37 Box B Bronx, NY 10458 Editor-in-Chief Connor Ryan Managing Editor Canton Winer Editorial Director Rory Masterson Copy Chief Katie Nolan News Editor Kelly Kultys Assistant News Editors Katie Meyer Girish Swaminath Opinion Editor Joseph Vitale Assistant Opinion Editor Catrina Livermore Arts & Entertainment Editor Devon Sheridan Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor Jack MacGregor Executive Sports Editor Dan Gartland Sports Editor Matt Rosenfeld Assistant Sports Editor Max Prinz Layout Editor Elaina Weber Photo Editors Elizabeth Zanghi Michael Rezin Web Editor Anne Couture Assistant Web Editor Kelsey Odorczyk Business Directors Nikos Buse Drew Rapp Assistant Business Director Felicia Zhang Circulation Director Shannon Marcoux Executive Copy Editors Shannon Marcoux Faculty Advisor Dr. Beth Knobel For a full staff listing, visit FordhamRam.com

Opinion Policy The Fordham Ram appreciates submissions to fordhamramletters@ 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. The opinions in The Fordham Ram’s editorials are those of the editorial board; those expressed in articles, letters, commentaries, cartoons or graphics are those of the individual author.

No part of The Fordham Ram may be reproduced without written consent.

OPINION

November 6, 2013

From the Desk of Katie Nolan, Copy Chief Sitting in my chair with my red pen in the office of The Fordham Ram on Monday and Tuesday nights, I know I am master of my domain. It is my responsibility to enforce order over all the stories I see. Sentences squiggle in total anarchy across the pages and I, like a gardener pulling weeds, eradicate pesky Oxford commas, carefully tether run-ons with well-placed semicolons and impose logic on misplaced modifiers. Sometimes, the patient gardener gives way to an angrier one, and my profanity over the existence of the passive voice is a familiar sound down in club suite B-52. Like a strict general, I carefully untangle and marshal arguments and separate quotations from paragraph like cavalry from infantry.

To the uninitiated, the intricacies of grammar may seem completely Byzantine. I know very few will care whether or not a podcast’s name should be italicized or have quotation marks, and few understand why a title coming

before a person’s name should be uppercase but a title coming after a person’s name should be lowercase. Fewer still would care that the word “coach” is never capitalized as a title except when it is used as a proper noun.

Being copy chief for The Fordham Ram requires me to obsess over all of the minutia of the English language. I must also contend with the unquestionable wisdom of Associated Press style and often turn to the oracle of the style guide to understand why Massachusetts is abbreviated Mass. when attached to a city but Ohio is never abbreviated. What is the end of all this obsessing and consternation? Why is it important to pay attention to details and be consistent? When I begin to ask myself this question, usually late at night when I am rewording a convoluted compound-complex sentence or trying to decide if a phrase is one word, two words or hyphenated, I remind myself that attention to detail is a form of love. Getting

grammar right shows a commitment to quality and respect toward the ideas we try and communicate.

Grammar matters.

It makes me sad that grammar is rarely taught in schools anymore. The ability to diagram a sentence is, like the ability to send a telegram: completely prehistoric.

Semicolons are regarded as simply too difficult to use effectively in writing; they are treated as some sort of pariah when they should be celebrated as the best kind of punctuation. The beauty and symmetry of a simple sentence with its subject, verb, object construction is rejected for text shorthand.

People treat commas like sprinkles they can just place wherever they please. Writers fail to treasure every word for its uniqueness and instead turn to the thesaurus as a lazy kind of dress up (Writing tip: if you do not know what a word means, you are probably using it incorrectly). We need to understand that writing is sacred and needs to be treated with respect.

Legend has it that when Gustave Flaubert was writing his masterpiece Madame Bovary, he stood on his back step and howled each sentence into the air to weigh how it would sound. He knew every single word of his novel counted and tested each and every one as a result. Writing is a window into how we think, and deserves a level of precision and forethought few other tasks require. So, the next time you sit down to write, whether you are writing a letter, an essay or an article for us here at The Fordham Ram, pay attention.

Letters to the Editor Dear Editor, As a member of the class of 2013, I still struggle to remember that I have graduated Fordham and no longer call Rose Hill my home.

During my four years in the Bronx I was blessed to be surrounded by so many incredible things: friends, shenanigans and pizza. Everyone knows the pizza scene at Fordham is one of the best throughout the country, if not the best. I appreciated the article, “The Definitive Guide to Pizza at Fordham University,” (v. 95, i. 18) which gave a review of some local pizza parlors, rightly giving some much deserved praise to Pugsley’s and Tony and Tina’s. Still, I balk at the idea of calling this article “definitive” in any sense of the word when it leaves out the crown jewel of the Fordham pizza community. I am speaking, of course, about Bellini’s.

I would guess that roughly a quarter of my meals in my senior year came from Bellini’s and that is a statistic I am proud to admit.

Why should I be ashamed of eating the best pizza in the world?

Much of the article, which ran in the Oct 29 issue, focuses on variety and affordability of other local restaurants, and it is my opinion that Bellini’s bests all others in both capacities.

The shop, located at 189th Street between Hughes Ave. and Belmont Ave., always has an incredible array of selections throughout the day. Some of the best slices include penna vodka, Philly cheesesteak, barbeque chicken, white, chicken bacon ranch and chicken vodka. Some may say my roommates and I wasted hours debating which slices were the best, but I would say that we engaged in a conversation on fine cuisine.

There is no clear-cut answer as to why the slices at Bellini’s are so good, but it is clear that they stand out amongst the other options in the area. Whether it is the fluff y, crunchy crust or the creativity in ingredients that makes them so de-

Dear Editor, Thanks to rising journalism star Katie Meyer for the report: “Ram-Napping of 1961: The True Story” (v. 95, i. 18).

It’s well written and memory evoking to those of us who were there. The trouble is the headline. To call it the true story you needed another source, a fact check, a Ram keeper source. To start with: the correct spelling of the Ram dynasty name is: Rameses, not the variation in the article.

Booster Club member (they were Rameses’ caretakers) Bill Turnier, a sophomore in 1961, remembers an upperclassman being irate at the time because, as he vaguely recalls being told, “...the Ram was not treated as well (as the article’s source claims)...I believe his tongue was painted, with what I do not know and I think he had to be seen by the vet.” A leader of the Ram keeper team then, Peter Paolucci ‘61 reports now, “I remember that we were

very concerned about how he was treated and he did see a vet. The painted tongue is less clear but he was sheared like a poodle and dyed green.”

Proper penance after this belated confession by the Manhattan College fugitive from justice, on the lam these fifty years, would be to indeed surrender himself for some maroon food coloring by FCRH ‘61, ‘62, ‘63 and ‘64. That would make a great sequel: “Cold case reopened. Fordham wreaks justice five decades later. Indignity suffered by Rameses XIX avenged. Fordham students never give up in the pursuit of truth, justice, ethics…even animal rights.

Or to put a fine point on it: Hail men of Fordham, hail! On to the fray! Once more our foes assail in strong array.”

We could then continue another tradition and all repair to a local establishment to hoist a few mugs of green dyed beer.

— Elmer Brunsman Editor-in-chief, 1963

licious, I cannot say, but I can say that you will not be able to leave without trying at least two.

In addition to pizza, Bellini’s also boasts a variety of chicken rolls, calzones, garlic knots and other traditional Italian favorites.

As far as pricing is concerned… it’s pizza…what do you expect?

They’re a couple bucks each.

The final aspect that sets this restaurant apart from others is the owner, Alton. While he may not have quite the cult following that Sal from Pugsley’s (whom I also love) has, Alton is endearing and fun in his own unique way. At any time you may see him enjoying an adult beverage and just enjoying the college atmosphere that appears within his shop during a weekend night. Anytime someone walks into his restaurant they are greeted with a smile and a “How are you doin’ buddy” in his distinct Eastern European accent. Overall, he is just a very nice guy and you can tell he cares about his custom-

ers. His love of the Fordham community can be found on the wall of his shop, where he hangs pictures of happy patrons. There is plenty of seating inside so you and your buddies can hang out for a while after a night on the town or a football game.

Although Alton boasts an incredible array of slices, he is always trying out new things. Sometimes he will even give out free samples of new recipes that he is working on. His charity does not end there, as he has also been known to give out slightly burnt or imperfect pizza free of charge as well. This may be a perk reserved only for diehard Bellini’s fans, so that’s just another reason to frequent the spot.

Leaving Alton and Bellini’s out of the “definitive” guide to Fordham pizza is like leaving out Fordham in a “definitive” guide to Fordham. It just can’t exist.

P.S. Pronto Pizza? Really?

— Chester Baker, FCRH ’13, Sports Editor, 2012

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OPINION

November 6, 2013

Page 9

Amanda Pell

Making The Tough Choices At the end of every month, I sit down and sketch out my calendar for the next 30 days. As a freshman, scheduling was about preference, not necessity, but I look at my calendar now and it’s filled with no less than three commitments per time slot, squeezed in wherever I can make it work. Then it’s my task to go through and trade the lowest priorities to make room for the higher ones. I’m like Brad Pitt in Moneyball, cutting players in a desperate effort to draft a winning team.

The thing is, the further we get into our college careers, the less likely we are to have a schedule that fits together seamlessly. Meetings and classes and rehearsals and practices inevitably overlap, and what’s a student to do? We choose the top priority and make apologies for the rest. We quit what’s unnecessary but even what’s left is bound to conflict at least a little. How do we decide what we go to and what we skip?

Until recently, the fact that class should be the first priority was a nobrainer. We’re paying to be here so that we can do just that: go to class.

But is that always such a clear-cut truth? The fact is that there really is no way to fit absolutely everything in while giving it all 100 percent effort and attendance; something’s got to give. Is there ever a case in which the least important priority is academic?

When I came to Fordham, I had a huge argument with my dad — I wanted to study in the liberal arts, not business; I didn’t want to sacrifice my opportunity to learn things I cared about just to secure a job. I won that battle, but it’s starting to feel like I’m facing it again…and this time, I might be on the other side of things. This week, when my internship offered me a great opportunity, I chose to skip class and do that instead. And, even though it might be frowned upon, I’ll stand by my opinion that it was the right decision, because it was what worked for me.

It’s nice to think that maybe students used to go to class, do a sport, maybe join a club and be able to trust that good grades would be enough to get them where they wanted to go in life. But, the model for the transition from post-secondary education to subsequent employment has changed so drastically in the past few decades that it actually has influenced the very motivation behind academia. Even the most die-hard scholar would give up a class or two for an interview for his or her dream job.

Here’s what it comes down to: you have to make your education work for you. If you’re not an art history major headed for Columbia graduate school who absolutely needs a 3.8 to continue living, don’t try to be! I think it’s okay sometimes to take the hit academically in order to make room for something that will benefit you more in the long run.

Of course, you’re not helping anyone if you let your grades fall completely by the wayside, but give yourself some room to move. It might turn out to be the best decision you’ve made in a while.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Students at Georgetown University began to distribute condoms on campus, a polarizing topic in Jesuit universities

With Condom Campaign, Students Take Stand on Jesuit Campus

By MEGAN CATTEL CONTRIBUTING WRITER

At fellow Jesuit institution Georgetown University, a student group called H*yas for Choice recently launched a delivery service for free condoms at campus parties and events. An online form is available for students to fill out the location of the party, the expected size of attendance and if the hosts would prefer pick-up or delivery. The administrative response has been unexpectedly quiet, as university officials have not taken any action to disband or support the new delivery system.

H*yas for Choice has advocated for accessible birth control and contraceptives on Georgetown’s campus for several years and strives to educate the student body on issues of safe sex, sexual choice and women’s reproductive rights.

The student group has maintained yearlong visibility by offering free condoms within Georgetown’s “free-speech zone” daily, but H*yas has taken note of the necessity for further accessibility among students.

Abby Grace, sophomore and vice president of the organization, said that supplies would deplete after lunch and that a more effective method needed to be in place to keep up with the demand.

Georgetown’s student response has been resoundingly positive toward the condom delivery system, as party attendees in a test run of the new service said that it promoted safe sex and responsibility. In fact, the editorial board of Georgetown Voice endorsed the service and applauded H*yas for Choice as “invaluable to the promotion of safe sexual practices.”

H*yas for Choice also does not use university funding to obtain contraceptives, but instead keeps stock through DC’s Health Department,

Could this ever come to Rose Hill?

Planned Parenthood, the Great American Condom Campaign and guest speakers. Entirely student -managed, it perseveres independently from Georgetown administrators and can run as a separate entity without needing school sanctioned approval.

“H*yas for Choice is not an organization with access to university benefits and does not use university resources,” Rachel Pugh, director of media relations at Georgetown, told Huffington Post of the delivery service.

“We respect the rights of our students to join outside groups as individuals and believe this activity falls within

that context.”

Would a similar phenomenon occur at Fordham any time soon? Probably not, since Fordham remains ironclad to its Catholic predominance. As United Student Government has floundered in attempting to bring about “Maroon-Square,” Fordham’s proposed version of a free-speech zone on campus, conservative influence reigns supreme at the Jesuit University of New York.

As with the contemporary prochoice/pro-life debate, Fordham students remain largely at odds regarding the polarizing topic of contraceptives being accessible on campus.

“I understand why a Jesuit school cannot openly endorse birth control and condoms for students,” Lucca Pelliccia, FCRH ’15, said. “Yet to ban such a system is counterproductive and backwards. You are not going to stop college students from having sex.”

Some students do not share Pelliccia’s sentiment on the matter. “I think that as a Catholic university, the administration should not be allowing students to be given contraception.”

William Slattery, GSB ’15 said. “The Catholic Church believes in natural family planning.”

James Florakis, FCRH ’15, echoed Slattery’s views and explained, “Jesuit

universities are expected to adhere to Catholic beliefs. [Students] can easily purchase these contraceptives elsewhere if they so choose. I find it unfortunate to see Georgetown University continuously ignoring Catholic and Christian teachings by inviting strongly pro-abortion Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to speak at their Commencement ceremonies.”

Despite a clash of strong opinions on both sides of the case, Fordham only represents the pro-life argument with the Respect for Life student group on campus and without a prochoice counterpart to offer diversity of opinion on the spectrum of sexual choice.

Monica Cleary, FCRH ’15, said that the student body should explore both sides of the coin. “To create political dialogue, we have a Democrat student group and a Republican one to reflect upon different points of view,” Cleary said. “At Fordham we encourage all to choose what [they] believe in. This should also be demonstrated within the pro-choice/prolife issue.”

Georgetown is highly successful in doing just that by creating open dialogue and balance between its pro-life organization Right to Life and H*yas for Choice. Choice Week, H*yas’ biggest annual event of the year, creates a space for students, administrators and outside organizations including Catholics for Choice to display a broad range of opinion throughout the 7-day occasion.

“We honestly disagree on a lot of issues, but we’re happy to engage in dialogue at all times,” Right to Life Treasurer Kevin Sullivan said during Choice Week this past spring at Georgetown.

Fordham has been aching to emulate the national successes of Jesuit schools like Georgetown over the past few years, but looking inward toward student response would be a good first step to achieve the sense of openness and freedom Georgetown has captured while respecting Catholic tradition. Our football team is looking pretty great, but what about the state of student life given the stranglehold over student voice and opinion? Instead of completely shutting out the other side, Fordham should take a lesson from the nation’s oldest Catholic university to elevate the overall quality of students’ college experiences.

Megan Cattel, FCRH ’15, is an international studies major from Tampa, Fla.

EDITORIAL: Fordham, Fair Trade Unite for Greater Good Would you like sugar in your coffee? How about fairness?

Given the unethical practices some companies engage in, this is a question Fordham students need to ask themselves. What we buy as consumers — from coffee to T-shirts to chocolate — matters.

On Oct. 31, a representative from the organization Students for Fair Trade made a presentation to the United Student Government in preparation for an attempt to encourage Fordham’s Board of Trustees to certify Fordham Fair Trade. This could be a momentous step toward making Fordham a university at the forefront of the fair trade movement.

The United States spent the better part of the last century, and some of this one as well, encour-

aging rampant consumerism and engendering widespread waste as a byproduct of what it thought was economic stimulation. In a culture that has bred massive production with no thought to the cost, monetary or otherwise, the fair trade movement promotes sustainability as opposed to wasteful consumption. Fair Trade implies a desire to assist developing countries by creating better trade conditions and protection for workers and the environment, and Fordham’s Fair Trade initiative is attempting to bring that idea to our campus.

Fair Trade promotes the economic growth of impoverished artisans and skilled craftspeople, who have long suffered from unjust trade practices at the hands of unscrupulous corporations and

worldly greed. Their working environments do not affect the quality of the work they produce, yet these people have, by and large, not received the recognition or compensation they deserve. Fair Trade is a way of changing these conditions for the better.

Fordham Fair Trade is the first step toward becoming a fully-certified Fair Trade University, in a network that includes institutions across the country from the University of San Diego to our Bronx neighbors at Manhattan College.

The development of fair trade on our campus speaks to living in the Jesuit tradition, and we at The Fordham Ram believe that Fordham Fair Trade is an excellent step forward for our university.

Becoming sustainable should be a major goal at the forefront of ev-

ery entity in the 21st century, and Fordham is striving to be among the leaders of that push in this country.

Each semester, countless Fordham students live the Jesuit philosophy of homines pro aliis, men and women for others, by volunteering at local soup kitchens, clothing the homeless, participating in Fordham’s Global Outreach Program, tutoring schoolchildren and more. By making Fordham a fully certified Fair Trade university, students can be men and women for others simply by buying a cup of coffee.

Editorial Policy The Fordham Ram’s editorials are selected on a weekly basis, and are meant to reflect the editorial board’s view on a particular issue.

OPINION

Page 10

November 6, 2013

Supreme Court Ruling Is Disservice To Voters FROM SUPREME COURT, PAGE 7

every opportunity to keep the control of our country in the hands of the individual. The history of the Voting Rights Act and the potentially racially motivated reason for wanting to eliminate section 4 of the act drives the majority of the commentary against the Supreme Court’s ruling.

“The Act required States to obtain federal permission before enacting any law related to voting — a drastic departure from basic principles of federalism.” said Chief Justice John Roberts in the opinion of the court. Roberts also went on to state, “Nearly 50 years later, things have changed dramatically.” While I agree with Roberts on both accounts, African Americans have come a long way since the civil rights movement; I make the claim that discrimination has not. Voting discrimination still exists and, since voting is such a vital part of democracy, it needs extraordinary measures to insure that every vote counts.

While I also agree with Roberts that the provisions within the Voting Rights Act are a drastic departure from the principles of

federalism, I am also in agreement with the dissenting opinion.

“The Voting Rights Act became one of the most consequential, efficacious, and amply justified exercises of federal legislative power in our Nation's history”, said Justice Ginsburg.

To be clear, I am not making the assumption that states that fall under Section 4 are all racist, but I am making the claim that the Supreme Court is naïve to not foresee the repercussions of eradicating the provisions within the act. Currently it seems that the Supreme Court is delegating issues back to the states, avoiding rulings that would eradicate the ambiguities of current legislations and the infringement on individual rights.

However, those opinions fail to see the bigger picture.

In the dissenting opinion, Justice Ginsburg notes that “the Court today terminates the remedy that proved to be best suited to block that discrimination.”

Whether it is an issue of race, economic or sexual orientation, discrimination still exists. For the Supreme Court to leave matters that directly affect individuals up to states that have a history of in-

Obama’s ‘Mistake’ Misleads Public

COURTESY OF FLICKR

The Supreme Court recently continued to rule in favor of states’ rights.

fringing upon the rights of the minority is, in my opinion, a failure to uphold the essence of the judicial branch.

The states under Section 4 are not the only states to discriminate against their voters, but the Supreme Court allowing states with a history of discrimination to change voting laws creates a slippery slope. The ruling sends the message that it is okay for other states to implement discriminatory laws against their residents.

Catrina Livermore is a communication and media studies major and marketing minor from Queens, N.Y.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion.

Mexico’s ‘Fat Tax’ Falls Short of Intended Goal

By ANDREW SANTIS STAFF WRITER

Mexico’s soda and junk food tax is not enough to raise obesity awareness.

If you are driving on the highway or are listening to the radio in Mexico, you have probably seen the billboard or heard the commercial asking, “Would you give your child 12 teaspoons of sugar?”

As of July, Mexico replaced the United States as the most overweight country in the world. According to the World Health Organization, about 70 percent of Mexican adults are overweight and a third are obese, which is leading to a rise in diseases like diabetes throughout the country. A major contributor to Mexico’s obesity epidemic is the excessive amount of soda consumption. Mexicans consume more than 40 gallons of soda a year, the highest in the world, while the United States consumes 31 gallons a year.

In response to these alarming developments, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, proposed an eight percent tax on sugary drinks and a five percent tax on “junk foods.”

Mexico’s Congress approved the tax last Thursday and it will be signed into law by Peña Nieto in January.

This tax is a promising response to Mexico’s health crisis, but it will not solve the obesity problem.

Denmark is a good example of why this is the case. In 2011, Denmark passed the world’s first “fat tax” on all foods with a saturated fat content above 2.3 percent with the goal of reducing consumption of unhealthy foods. As a result, businesses were negatively affected by a decline in sales, and Danes were shopping across the border in Germany where there was no tax on fatty foods. Denmark repealed the law less than a year later.

Mexico is not alone in the fight

against obesity. Hungary has imposed its own taxes on salt and sugar in the past 18 months. Hungary is the unhealthiest country in the European Union: two-thirds of Hungarians are overweight or obese. The country has the lowest life expectancy and the highest salt consumption per capita. Even as sales of salty and sugary foods in Hungary are down, people still eat similarly unhealthy foods. These examples contribute to the concern that Mexico’s “fat tax” will not solve its underlying issues.

To really raise awareness about the health situation in Mexico, the Mexican government has to start educating people about healthier lifestyles and eating. A tax will simply change Mexicans’ buying habits.

It will not discourage the consumption of soda and junk food or inform people why these foods are harmful.

It cannot and will not change people’s habits.

Thanks to a three-year, $10 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies that will help finance an obesity prevention program in Mexico, Mexicans’ current living habits may begin to change. Bloomberg Philanthropies was established

John Castonguay

by Big Gulp opposer Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and everything his foundation plans to do in Mexico is similar to what he did here in New York. There will be more anti-obesity advertising campaigns, nutrition labeling and control of anti-junkfood television advertising aimed at children. But, can a program that was carried out in New York be carried out in Mexico?

According to Dr. Hugo Benavides, professor and director of the Latin American and Latino Studies Institute at Fordham, “you’re assuming a model that works in one place will work in another. This is not true.

But no matter where it comes from, people have a way of making it their own. It will get incorporated in the system one way or the other.”

In order for the program to work, it must focus on the following areas: engaging children to adapt healthier habits from a young age, such as eliminating sodas and other junk foods from schools and replacing them with water, fruits and vegetables, encouraging daily exercise and starting education programs of healthier lifestyles for adults.

When people are educated and

exposed to the facts about unhealthy lifestyles, people’s habits will change.

Fifty years’ worth of anti-tobacco campaigns have decreased smoking by 50 percent. Campaigns against drinking and driving have decreased car accidents. Dr. Benavides noticed how anti-smoking campaigns “made it not so cool to be a smoker… there’s no doubt that people are smoking less than they were 20 years ago.” The success of these past and present campaigns prove Mexico’s anti-obesity campaigns will work.

Only time will tell if Mexico’s soda and junk food tax will be effective. If it is, there is no doubt other countries will seriously consider a similar tax on unhealthy food as an option to fight obesity. But, it is not the ideal plan.

For now, if Mexicans are not willing to pay extra for their sodas and other junk foods, they will need a lot of willpower to resist buying the foods they are unarguably addicted to.

Here is a friendly piece of advice for our neighbors down south: One less soda a day will keep death away.

Andrew Santis, GSB ’16, is an undeclared major from Flushing, N.Y.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Mexico’s government, following in the steps of other health initiatives, is attempting to limit sugary beverage servings.

During the debate over the Affordable Care Act, President Obama repeatedly emphasized that people would have the ability to maintain the coverage that they had prior to the implementation of the program.

In June 2009, in a speech to the American Medical Association, Obama said, “That means that no matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period. If you like your health-care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health-care plan, period.

No one will take it away, no matter what.” This guarantee became a staple of President Obama’s speeches during efforts to pass the health care legislation.

Recently, various media outlets have emphasized the cancellation of plans that do not meet the new federal standard for health insurance coverage. Plans must provide insurance in 10 different categories, including maternity services and substance abuse services, and, as of 2011, 62 percent of plans did not cover maternity services. There is an allowance for “grandfathering” plans, but the requirements are so stringent as to prevent the maintenance of most plans for more than a few years. In Oregon, officials estimate that by the end of this year, 150,000 people in their state alone will have their plans canceled. Hundreds of thousands of people nationwide will be notified of the impending cancellation of their policies.

In a recent New York Times Op-Ed piece, “Insurance Policies Not Worth Keeping,” the paper’s editorial board defends Obama’s statements by saying that the president “clearly misspoke,” but that the controversy over Obama’s apparent lie is “overblown.”

The piece advises readers to consider the purpose of health care reform, rather than reacting strongly to the “mistake.” The plans that the bill is cancelling are vastly inferior to the coverage that insurance companies will be obliged to provide, though often at a higher cost.

The question of whether the new insurance plans better serve the common good than the old insurance system is surely important, but the fact that Obama backed away from his guarantees is also important.

Obama now claims that throughout the passage of the Affordable Care Act, it was understood that you could keep your health care plan if it had not changed since the law passed.

Though it is true that the Affordable Care Act included this stipulation, it is inconsistent with the president’s previous rhetoric. Either the president lied, intentionally misled the American people in order to encourage the adoption of the legislation or he did not fully understand the Affordable Care Act. Clearly, none of these are appealing options. The president of the United States has an obligation to accurately represent his initiatives to the public, and this controversy tarnishes the reputation of this administration, which is already battling accusations of dishonesty in the wake of the NSA scandals.

Arts & Entertainment

November 6, 2013

Page11

Thanks to @FU_Makeouts, New Fordham Blog Gains Traction

By DEVON SHERIDAN ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

A photograph and a kiss have a lot in common. Sometimes, they are completely harmless. Other times, they can cause trouble for all parties involved. Sometimes, they are quite good. Other times, they are disappointingly terrible.

On the popular Twitter page FU_ Makeouts, which regularly posts pictures of Fordham students publicly networking with their lips, most of the pictures are terrible and not much better can be said about the kissing going on within them.

Two weeks ago, Daley Quinn, FCRH ’14, wrote and published on the new Fordham-centric blog, The Ram Realm an article titled “FU_ Makeouts Twitter Account: Cruel or Kind of Hilarious?” That the piece was so well written and contained themes of sex, college culture and compromised Jesuit ideals makes it no surprise that the sails of Quinn’s article caught wind in the blogosphere. No less than a day after Quinn published her article, New York Magazine ran a story about FU_Makeouts and hyperlinked The Ram Realm’s site within it’s article.

In interviews with The Fordham Ram, Professor Jaime Jordan, who teaches the new Online Journalism class responsible for starting and maintaining The Ram Realm, and Daley Quinn shared their perspectives on FU_Makeouts, The Ram Realm blog’s genesis, the controversy surrounding the Twitter page and the surprising popularity of Quinn’s article.

ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

Trashy or harmless? FU_Makeouts’ Twitter page has drastically increased followers since the Ram Realm article.

“I read the NY Mag article after I had read a few other articles that were published about my Ram Realm article and FU_Makeouts,” Quinn said.

“I actually found out about the NY Mag article through FU_Makeouts’ Twitter page. I read two articles from The Gloss and The Frisky about my article before I found the NY Mag one.”

Coincidental to the fact that Quinn’s article was about a Twitter page, Jordan spoke to the budding and often perplexing relationship between journalism and the new social Internet.

“I think it’s really cool because it shows the power of social media to drive traffic,” Jordan said. “I wouldn’t call the Web a democratic medium,

but it is in some ways; Daley was able to promote her article all the way to the NYMag aggregator. It shows that we can do it ourselves.”

Furthermore, the blogosphere buzz Quinn’s article received helped draw readers to The Ram Realm, which was, and still is in many ways, in startup mode.

“We had just started, so our traffic has been jumping humongously,” Jordan said. “We definitely had a lot more students following us after that. We also have random followers, like journalism schools on the West Coast.”

Over the course of the past two weeks, Quinn’s article, which was posted on Oct. 21, has driven up online traffic not only for The Ram

Realm, but also for the FU_Makeouts’ Twitter page itself. In Quinn’s article, she notes that FU_Makeouts “boasts 781 followers.” As of yesterday, that number has almost doubled to 1,403 followers. But what do Jordan and Quinn think about the page?

Like the rest of the student body and intrigued outsiders, their opinions differ.

“To be honest, my reaction to the NY Mag article was not a positive one. I was really upset about it, mainly because I didn’t like that such a high profile magazine had written about a Twitter account I don’t really agree with,” Quinn said. “I was upset that I had brought even more attention to FU_Makeouts, further garnering many more followers after

those articles had been published. It was kind of a weird moment in my journalism ‘career’ because I’ve always been adamant about telling the truth (or so I like to think!) to avoid people getting hurt, and I felt like it backfired.”

Quinn went further, pointing out that many of her interviewees who at first “thought the account was funny and harmless” answered that they did not relish the idea of being pictured locking lips on the page. She also talked to friends at larger schools, a popular place for “makeout” pages.

“I think there is a huge difference between a Twitter account centered around makeouts at a school of 50,000 students versus one around a school of about 6,000 students,” Quinn said. “I know in most of them you cannot see the victims’ faces, but I could clearly point out about five of my friends (both guys and girls) that were pictured on it. Unfortunately, you can’t hide in a school this small.”

Jordan echoed the same sentiment. While she would not necessarily want a picture of herself posted on a FU_Makeouts-type page, she finds the page harmless.

“I kind of think it’s just a goof,” Jordan said. “It’s not like they’re doing anything explicit. I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.”

“I just wish there hadn’t been a spelling error on the FU_Makeouts page,” Jordan said, referring to a typo in the banner of FU_Makeouts’ page which read, “Because PDA is practically a core requirement... Embarass your friends. Send us your pics.”

As seen in the picture above, the typo has been fixed.

Banksy Bids ‘Cheerio’ to the Big Apple

By DEVIN BOOTH CONTRIBUTING WRITER

This past Thursday, Banksy’s month-long “artist’s residency” throughout New York’s five boroughs came to an end.

The famous British graffiti artist, film director and activist known as Banksy, whose real identity is still unknown, created a public art exhibit called “Better Out Than In” throughout New York. Banksy unveiled a new art piece every day in different locations across all five boroughs this past October. The exhibit consisted of various mediums, including 30 spray paintings, moveable pieces, murals, two videos, one sale of his work and one unpublished New York Times opinion piece. The press fervently followed “Better Out Than In,” creating a scavenger hunt for New Yorkers to try to find the next Banksy piece before it was painted over or shut down.

Banksy recorded all his pieces on his website, www.banksyny.com, and his Instagram account, Banksyny, each day with its neighborhood location. Accompanying some of the artwork was a 1(800) number which, when called, prompted a satirical audio guide’s explanation of the piece, likening the viewer’s experience to that of a museum exhibition. For the majority of Banksy fans who were

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

This piece was painted onto a building located on E. 153 St. and Elston in the South Bronx, 38 blocks from Rose Hill.

unable to chase down all of his work on foot, the artist included the audio guide recordings on his website, along with some captions.

Two Fordham alums were lucky enough to see Banksy’s artworks in person in Manhattan this past month.

Two weeks ago, Paul Lougee, GSB ’13, an avid Banksy fan, hunted down one of Banksy’s graffiti pieces located at 24th Street and 6th Avenue. The stencil depicted a black silhouette of a dog peeing on a fire hydrant that has a think bubble sprouting from it, which read, “You complete me…”

Part of the stencil was already painted over by the time Paul saw it in person.

While he was observing Banksy’s work, an older couple approached

the graffiti and started to talk about how disappointing it was that someone had drawn over his work.

“I quickly told them that after watching the artist’s documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop, I don’t think Banksy cares if people paint over it,” Lougee said. “He wants people to interact with his pieces and make them their own. That’s the beauty of street graffiti, that it’s fleeting and might be gone hours after being created.”

Kate Detjen, FCRH ’12, stumbled upon Banksy’s “Shoe Shine”, which was a large fiberglass statue of a Ronald McDonald having his massive red shoes shined by a real-life young man dressed in tattered clothing. The

statue and boy moved to a sidewalk outside of a different McDonalds location each day for a week.

“I was just walking along in Midtown, when I noticed a small crowd on the sidewalk surrounding the sculpture and the homeless-looking boy, who was giving the group of onlookers a mean mug while rubbing the shoes with a rag,” Detjen said.

“There was about 10 people snapping pictures of the sculpture, but a lot of the people passing by looked confused as to what was going on.”

Throughout the anonymous graffiti artist’s stint in the concrete jungle, he created funny, interesting and thought-provoking pieces of art, some more controversial than

others. Most notably, Banksy’s “Siren of Lambs,” a slaughterhouse delivery truck full of squealing stuffed animals, brought children to tears.

Finally, there was the rejected New York Times Op-Ed piece that bashed the new World Trade Center, calling it a “shyscraper” and “something they would build in Canada.”

At least one of Banksy’s pieces during his residency contributed positively to the New York community. Banksy’s reworked landscape oil painting “The Banality of the Banality of Evil” was displayed in a thrift shop and recently auctioned off for $615,000 with the proceeds going to charity.

One of Fordham’s seniors loves Banksy’s endeavors in New York. “I personally love what he’s doing because he’s great at sending subtle social messages regarding the nature of society,” Zac Cohen, FCRH ’14, said.

The last of Banksy’s “Better Out Than In” artwork was a group of floating balloons that spelled “Banksy!” in classic New York graffiti-style bauble lettering, on the side of a building off the Long Island Expressway. The accompanying audio guide gave New Yorkers a final message about art: “Art’s right place is on the cave wall of our communities, to provoke debate and voice concern. Don’t we want to live in a world made of art, not just decorated by it?”

Page 12

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Page 13

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Page 14

November 6, 2013

Editor’s Pick: “Louie”

The 20/20 Experience World Tour: Justin Timberlake, The Weeknd When: Saturday, Nov. 9 What time: 8 p.m.

Where: IZOD Center in East Rutherford, NJ Price: $64 and up One of this generation’s most celebrated entertainers, Justin Timberlake, will kick off The 20/20 Experience World Tour on Oct. 31. Joining him on stage for the U.S. leg of the tour will be up-and-coming alternative R&B artist The Weeknd, making for a show that fans won’t want to miss.

By JOE VITALE OPINION EDITOR

There is something ironic in seeing Louis C.K. listed as writer, director, editor, scorer and star of his own Emmy-winning television show, “Louie.” Given his dream of having control over his show, the credits are an overbearing sort of chest beating

by Louie to show how liberating it is to do whatever he feels like on television. Such freedom is a hallmark of American entertainment, American consumerism and American life. But, “Louie” shows — just as many of his realist contemporaries have shown — freedom can be just as destructive as it can be empowering.

Sure, C.K. remains unafraid to tell his jokes through disarmingly bizarre and darkly humorous situations with his existence as the punchline, and, given Louie’s acute perception of human emotion and his ability to capture such moments through brilliant directing, scoring and casting, he pieces together some of the most inspired and inspiring moments in all of television. C.K.’s writing (sometimes awkward, always jarringly natural), setting (usually New York City) and music (always, always, always jazz) are clearly the constructive outputs of Louis C.K.’s story-writing abilities.

They are, after all, what make Louie’s adventures so curiously artful.

But, when someone mentions how “Louie” is so funny, hilarious, honest, etc., I cannot help but think that this individual does not really get “Louie.”

For “Louie,” there is no joke to get. In “Louie,” there is only Louie’s reality and his struggle to cope with how sad his reality can be. If it is even remotely a joke, it is a cruel joke the show plays on its own protagonist. It is Louie’s struggle with the absurdities of reality; that is the show’s take-away.

Louie’s character (whose experi-

COURTESY OF FLICKR

“Louie” follows the misadventures of a divorced stand-up comedian in NYC.

ences draw from those of the real-life Louis C.K., a successful stand-up comedian) is ultimately trying to find satisfaction in a society he finds repulsive due to its synthetic purposelessness and its manufactured emotion. But, in his disapproval, he finds that this repulsion inversely leads to people disdaining him, repulsed by his indulgent lifestyle and his abhorrent apathy. The results are quietly Holden Caulfield-esque: Louie, when he does love someone, clings to that person so tightly that he or she ends up going away, and all that is left is a cloudy memory. Such is the case with Pamela, a mother at Louie’s daughter’s school. Louie meets Pam in the beginning of season two, confesses his love to her in episode six, and in the final seconds of the season she says her last good-bye to Louie before flying off to Paris. This scene is the most heartbreaking of the series. When Louie finally wants to make something his own, it is hard to see it all crumble before his eyes with just one piece to pick up: himself.

This isolation Louie constantly faces leaves him vulnerable to self-doubt,

self-pity and, most grotesquely, selfstimulation. This solitude is indicative of his alienation from the people in his life, be it from fellow comics, close friends, females in the dating world or the whole of New York City. It is worth nothing that this does not go without overwhelming moments of redemption, which remind Louie of what really matters in his life: raising his two adorable daughters, Lilly, a nine-year-old, and Jane, a six-year-old.

There are a million and a half things on which to elaborate, but doing so would not come close to giving “Louie” its due. Stunning directing, spirited guest stars, 20-minute-long fart jokes and blatant jabs at network television abound in every episode and, given the few elements of continuity in the show, “Louie” shifts and rearranges constantly to appropriate any and every goofy idea it can fit in 22 minutes.

The only constant it needs is Louie, a single father living in alienation from society, making sense of the paradoxical absurdities that consume American life and all of the freedom we believe freedom gives us.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Godspell When: Sunday, Nov. 10 What time: 2 p.m.

Where: State Theater Price: $35 and up Prepare ye for Godspell, the beloved musical from Stephen Schwartz, the Grammy and Academy Award-winning composer of Wicked. Enjoy all the good gifts of one of the most enduring shows of all time in a brand new intimate, one-of-akind production. This timeless tale of friendship, loyalty and love has touched the hearts of countless theater-goers all over the world, and now you can join in the celebration.

— COMPILED BY JACK MACGREGOR ASSISTANT ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Send tips, event listings or comments to fordhamramculture@gmail.com.

Dining Out: Burger Joint

By JOE VITALE OPINION EDITOR

The L-shaped, floor-to-ceiling red curtain tucked away in the back left corner of the lobby of Le Parker Meridien hotel on 119 W 56th St. hides something. From lunchtime until around midnight, when people are queued up to the single entrance into what lies behind the corner, this curtain appears to be the only barrier between a mundane hotel and a secret operation to which few have the password.

As it turns out, behind this curtain lies one of the few “hole-in-the-hotel” places in New York: a restaurant called Burger Joint.

Burger Joint’s name is self-explanatory, if not mockingly redundant. It is a small dive, with the atmosphere of an old New York speakeasy, featuring a menu that offers nothing more complicated than burgers, fries, drinks and shakes.

I must admit that when I visited Burger Joint I was not the average uncultured, uniformed swine that knows nothing of good New York burgers. I had been to the top competitors in the fast-casual burger game: Five Guys, Shake Shack and

New York Burger Co. I was an active participant in the debate over the best burger in the city.

So when I made my way into the swanky Manhattan hotel, I wanted my own reasonably-priced burger to bring to the table whenever my friends debated the subject. “But have you ever been to the Burger Joint?” I would ask them, ready to argue my point. Burger Joint has a slew of devout fans who defend its traditional approach to a delicious burger. I thought I might be able to join these unconventional foodies.

The line, which I waited in for about 20 minutes, concluded with a hasty worker to whom I gave my order: a regular hamburger, medium with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles and ketchup, with a side of fries and a soda. I paid in cash (the place is cash only) which totaled a little under $15.

I then joined a group of about 10 other customers hunting for tables in the already-cramped space. Luckily, by the time my order was ready, a table opened. Its previous occupants felt their post-meal conversation was the reason for the audible disgruntlement of my friend and me.

Inside, the dark wooden walls are decorated with movie posters and

in anything — the burger fit the standards of taste for an objectively good burger: it had good texture, it was a fair portion and it had tasted the way I thought it would. But, it failed to exceed any expectations one might have for such a secretive, successful operation stashed in the lobby of a hotel.

As for the fries, they were nothing special, if a bit floppy and under-salted. The bun, to my delight, suited the patty well in size and breadth.

By the time I finished my burger, I was plenty full with about half of my french fries left. I was set to sit around and just pass the time with my friend, but the woman hovering over our table with a tray of food guilted us into surrendering our table.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Burger Joint, despite its elegant facade, delivers a less-than-elegant product.

have been filled (really, really filled) with etchings from customers over the decade it has been serving New York City. Among my favorites are those of Ashton Kutcher, New Gingrich, SNL Class of ’07, Heidi Klum and, if you look hard enough, my parents’ initials inside a heart. The list goes on, though the room can seat no more than 40 people.

The burger, served on a tray from a worker behind the counter, came

cooked a little juicy for my liking, but snugly packed into its wrapping despite the inch or two of fresh toppings.

The meat itself was top quality, with excellent chars from the small grill behind the counter.

The burger was standard, in all its glorified simplicity. There were no crazy flavors, no exquisite spices. In short, there were no surprises. It was as boring as waiting in a hotel lobby to get a burger. This is not to say it was lacking

Overall Location Food Quality Atmosphere Hospitality Price $$ (Out of 4

’s)

Interested in writing restaurant and food reviews? Email: fordhamramculture@gmail.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Novermber 6, 2013

WHO’S THAT KID? ANDREW “PHIL” BILOTTA A MEMBER OF FCRH ‘15 MAJOR: ECONOMICS HOMETOWN: LAFAYETTE HILL, PA Describe yourself in a couple sentences for the readers.

I am a risk seeker who loves eBay, singing, dancing like Squidward and running around the Bronx screaming about the Eagles and Mike Vick. I also enjoy conspiracy theories of which I am the only subscriber.

What is your favorite aspect of Fordham and why?

I love the diverse backgrounds of a lot of the students here. I feel like I know so many people from so many different places, and it is cool to expand my horizons in this way.

If there was one thing about Fordham you could change what would it be?

Not only should Walsh gate be open 24/7, there should also be a wild card gate. One gate a day with no guard so you can bring whoever you want on campus if you can find it.

What is your favorite thing to do in New York City?

I love to go to Empire Casino with my homies.

What is something about you that not many people know?

I am the lead singer in a band called TayTree.

What is your favorite class at Fordham?

Any Econ class.

What is a personal goal you already have or would like to accomplish over your four years here?

I want to become the kicker for the football team my senior

year.

What show, food, artist or movie would you consider your “guilty pleasure”?

“Lost” What is your favorite movie and why?

The Big Lewbowski, because that’s how I aim to live my life, White Russians and all.

What is your favorite album released in 2013?

Miley Cyrus’s Bangerz or Katy Perry’s Prism. Both bump.

Do you have plans, career or otherwise, for post-college life?

I hope to be the general manag-

Page 15 er of a Philadelphia sports franchise and to lead my city “back” to sports prominence, a feat never achieved before.

What activities, clubs, projects or organizations are you involved with at school?

T.B.D. If you were stranded on a desert island, what would you bring with you?

My iPod with only “Fast Car”

by Tracy Chapman.

If you could go back to your first day at Fordham, what advice would you give yourself?

Cherish those Martyr’s Goupil days.

DEVON SHERIDAN/THE RAM

Bilotta recently embarked on a new musical endeavor with fellow student Matt LaRosa, a cover band called TayTree.

FET Brings Midwest Fargo to Northeast

ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

Chase Stevens and Maddy Hoepf, both FCRH ‘16, comprise part of the talented cast behind the FET adaptation of Fargo.

By DANIEL FINNEGAN STAFF WRITER

“Films like Fargo are why I love the movies,” said Roger Ebert, in his glowing review of the 1996 classic.

A comical and sometimes shockingly violent police procedural, Fargo, written and directed by the Coen brothers, brims with a cast of quirky and unique characters that have provided numerous hilarious quotes and references for its fans.

Adapted and directed by Michael McCarville, FCRH ’14, and Nick Pappas, FCRH ’14, Fargo is Fordham Experimental Theater’s (FET) second show of the semester, following the comedic drama, A Boat on the Shore. In the spirit of fandom,

for the past few months two Fordham seniors have worked on an adaptation of their favorite film. Later this month their hard work will come to fruition.

With the full cast already selected and practices in full swing, the play’s premiere on Nov. 22 is rapidly drawing near. As the directors continue to prepare, The Fordham Ram got the chance to ask them a few questions.

While the film is popular for the characters’ hilarious, quirky accents, and the stark contrast between the peaceful, amiable characters and the intensity and violence of certain scenes, McCarville said the most entertaining part of the adaptation process simply came from studying

the script.

“I’d say it’s hard not to find a Coen Brothers script interesting,” McCarville said. “Even the scene directions you don’t get to experience watching the movie, or play, are fun to read in the script. [The Coen brothers] are two ridiculously smart and funny guys. It was mostly the writing Nick and I wanted to portray onstage, and the challenge was getting it up there in front of an audience.”

When asked what he believed was the most appealing aspect of Fargo’s script, and which aspect of the film stood out as most adaptable for the stage, Pappas hinted at the strength of the original script.

“I think the most appealing thing

is that it has its own very clear voice,” Pappas said. “The Coen Brothers took what could have been a generic story and made it very unique by having all this folksy dialogue and quirky things like the wood chipper scene.”

Fargo’s genius lies within its well-written script and captivatingly endearing female lead, Marge Gunderson, and provides for an exciting upcoming stage adaptation at Fordham’s Blackbox Theater.

“I don’t know what was the best adaptable [aspect of the film],” Pappas continued, “but I think [what] the two of us were [most] excited about was recreating the kind of bleak feel of the movie while also kind of keeping a black comedy tone.”

While Pappas and McCarville were forced to “change some characters from male to female and cut out some minor characters and give their scenes to major characters,” the two worked closely to stick to the spirit of the film.

“Mike and Nick did a great job of keeping some of the darker, bleaker aspects of the script, while managing to maintain the comedic nature of the film as a whole,” actor Tom Perry, FCRH ‘15, said. “I’m definitely amped to premiere the show for everyone, and show all the hard work we have been putting in behind the scenes.”

This commitment to the film’s dark comedic nature has helped spread the buzz around campus about Fargo’s upcoming premiere later this month.

Karen Hill One thing I cannot stand is when someone is looking for a prospective partner and rules that person out because he or she is not the right “type.”

How can you know whether or not someone is your type without talking to that particular someone?

Sure, we can look across a room and say, “Hot damn! He/She is fine!” but just because someone doesn’t initially strike your fancy doesn’t mean he or she never will. Attraction is obviously a very important factor in a relationship, but you would be amazed by how much more attractive a person can become after you get to know that person better.

It’s difficult because we all think the taller, the skinner, the stronger (the bone structure that is), the better a person is. This is not true, however. There is no correlation between beauty and personality. Granted, we subconsciously choose people who we think will be good mates for reproduction purposes, but we’re in college and babies are not a big concern right now. Save that animalistic instinct for later.

The truth is, just because a guy doesn’t have those beautiful blue eyes you love, it doesn’t mean he is any less of a match for you. Just because a girl doesn’t fill out a bra quite like Dolly Parton doesn’t mean she isn’t an amazing girl.

Now I am not saying you should settle; I am saying you should give people a chance. You might surprise yourself. College is not the time to be picky. It is the time to experiment and learn what it is you want out of a relationship. You have to realize that you are a college student and not a casting director. You don’t have to typecast, because you don’t know exactly what you want yet. If you spend your four years waiting for a Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie to be walking around, you’re just a sucker out of luck and will never learn a thing about relationships.

Sometimes what you think you want isn’t exactly what you need.

Maybe the reason you aren’t with someone who fits your “type” is because you had that before and it wasn’t working. It’s either that, or you found someone who you think would be perfect, but got too scared to actually talk to them. This “type” you want is nothing but an idea. I mean, sometimes I wish I dated a hipster because hipsters seem smart and dress well.

Then, I realize my boyfriend is pretty smart as well and simply make him wear some flannel, a V-neck and glasses as a compromise. If you are judging people about the way they dress, keep in mind this is subject to change.

You need to be sensitive to things you are judging people on (His nose is too big; her hair is too short; she has a weird scar; his teeth are crooked).

These are things people cannot necessarily change, things that probably make them feel insecure. Look past those faults because they are meaningless.

Talking is the only real way to weed out whether or not someone is your type. Race, height or anything else physical are not the be all end all. Everyone deserves a chance. So leave the typing to your keyboard and put yourself out there already.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

November 6, 2013

Page 17

Ram Reviews

Arcade Fire - Reflektor Music Review

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

By JACK MACGREGOR ASSISTANT A & E EDITOR

Coming off the huge success of their 2010 album The Suburbs, Grammy darlings Arcade Fire certainly had a lot of hype to live up to with the release of its long-awaited album Reflektor nearly four years

later. As much as it pains me to say it, the band has not lived up to the hype. However, what makes this negative proclamation different from others that surround the risky follow-up album (see The Strokes’ Angles, for example) is that it is not so much a statement of pure disappointment as it is an expression of

disheartened bafflement.

Leading up to Reflektor’s release, Arcade Fire appeared at its most confident. They launched a mysterious and extremely intriguing viral marketing campaign, which provided information about the album such as its title and release date through the use of street art featuring Haitian veve drawings and some obscure number combinations, which eventually proved to indicate the Sept. release of the eponymous first single. None of this mystique was all that surprising given the band’s love of spectacle and its continual attraction to the island nation where female vocalist Régine Chassagne’s parents were born. One thing was for certain: the move was distinctly Arcade Fire and hinted at great things awaiting its hungry fan base. Gradually, more and more enticing tidbits came out, including the fact that pop-punkdance legend James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem fame and rock god David Bowie co-produced the album. The stars seemed to align perfectly, and anticipation for Re-

flektor grew to a fever pitch. Could this be Arcade Fire’s magnum opus, a work so compelling and rich that it would trump the sonically gorgeous The Suburbs?

Unfortunately, this is not the case. Arcade Fire released the album several days early as an hourlong YouTube video, with the music set to various scenes from the 1959 film Black Orpheus, which, according to the band, was a huge inspiration for the lyrical and, a certain moments, the sonic content of the album.

The title track “Reflektor” comes first, a song that will most likely go down as the best of the album; it is a disco-esque ballad about struggles with identity in the modern era, which also features backing vocals by Bowie. From there, the album descends into sonic chaos, a blend of elements of Haitian percussion (heard in “Here Comes the Night Time”) and the buzzing pop of electro-dance (see “Porno”) common to the charts these days.

Audacious and rich, the music nevertheless seems somewhat direc-

tionless. It languishes in the depths of sonority and attempts to lull the viewer into a trance with its bubbling, diverse sound, but fails to capture the imagination with its ultimately cacophonous nature.

While it is by no means a failure, Reflektor is certainly the most mysterious offering Arcade Fire has ever produced. It was built up as a product of its solidified identity in the zeitgeist, but the end result feels more like a hazy journey down a river of wanderlust, a half-remembered dream from a post-trip sleep. Perhaps this is what Arcade Fire intended from the beginning.

Maybe they are confirming their own feelings of loss in an age of overabundant sound. Maybe they have lost it. One thing is for sure: they are far from disinteresting or disinterested, and this album — for whatever it is worth — is a part of the canon that we Arcade Fire fans have grown to love. It is just a stop on the journey, and where and when the next stop will be is as big a mystery as Reflektor itself.

“The Walking Dead” Season Four

By MADELYN MURPHY

Television Review

STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF MOVIEPOSTERDB.COM

The walkers are back, and are on a successful sprint to the top. Season Four of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” promises to amend the disappointment of the season three finale. The series’ previous season finale failed to impress due to the lack of any substantial plot movement. The season left its viewers with the governor gone, but still alive, the prison more populated and still predominant and the characters unchanged for the most part (those who survived season three, that is). The finale was amped up, only to drag itself dully across the screen as slowly as the show’s dozens of “crawlers.”

However, Season Four has been making leaps and bounds to rebuild the storyline that became all too flat throughout Season Three. While the prison is still

the dominant scene of the plot, the producers and directors have brought in plenty of new characters since the season premiere, including a Disney Channel favorite from “Phineas and Ferb,” Vincent Martella, who plays the naive and lovable Patrick. Unfortunately for Martella, Patrick was struck with a mysterious virus that had some unforeseen consequences. While we lost a spectacled, adorable teen, we gained something that “The Walking Dead” had been missing: a new threat.

The threats in seasons one and two were primarily zombierelated, while the primary threats in season three included both zombies and humans, including the notorious governor (David Morissey, “Doctor Who”). Three seasons of humans against humans (of both the living and the living-dead varieties) became more of a dull burden for the

viewer than an interesting motif, especially with the lack of conclusive action taken by the governor. The success of Season Four (so far) is that the threats are no longer walkers and governors, but inhuman and even abstract forces, such as illness, grief, alcoholism and perturbed moral discernment. The lines between good and bad, black and white and right and wrong have officially been obliterated, making for a stirring and disturbing season.

So far, season four is succeeding in introducing change after change and plot movement after plot movement. All that is required to continue this amending season is to keep the plot new, active, intense and, of course, infected.

Watch Season Four of “The Walking Dead” on AMC at 9 p.m. on Sunday.

TO READ THESE REVIEWS ONLINE, VISIT FORDHAMRA M.COM

YouTube Music Awards Feature Big Name Artists, Unscripted Chaos

By KELSEY SCHAPPELL STAFF WRITER

If there were ever any doubts in the past about YouTube’s legitimacy in the music industry, there probably is not any more these days.

Case in point: the site threw its first annual YouTube Music Awards on Sunday night. The YTMA’s took place at New York’s Pier 36, but in true YouTube style, the 90 minute event was also live-streamed on YouTube.

Hosted by actors/comedians Jason Schwartzman and Reggie Watts, the show centered on handing out six coveted awards, with several performances thrown in along the way. Performers included

big names like Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, Eminem and Avicii, as well as lesser-known artists Lindsey Stirling and Earl Sweatshirt.

Theatrics were not in short supply. To reveal the winner of the Response of the Year award (which “recognizes the best fan remixes, covers or parodies, based on your views, likes, shares and comments,” according to YouTube), Watts and Schwartzman had to annihilate five cakes to determine which one contained the winner. “This feels like Nickelodeon,” Watts said of the task.

The cake showdown revealed Lindsey Stirling and Pentatonix’s cover of Imagine Dragon’s “Radioactive” as the winner. Other win-

ners included: • Artist of the Year – Eminem •Video of the Year – K-Pop group Girls’ Generation, “I Got a Boy” • YouTube Phenonmenon (“recognizes the YouTube videos that inspired the biggest number of fan responses”) – Taylor Swift, “I Knew You Were Trouble” •YouTube Breakthrough (“recognizes the biggest breakout acts on YouTube, based on artists with the highest growth in views and subscribers over the past year”) – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis •Innovation of the Year (“recognizes some of the most unique concepts and creators in music videos on YouTube this year”) – DeStorm, “See Me Standing”

YouTube viewers voted for their favorite nominees, unlike traditional awards shows where winners are chosen by higher-ups in the industry. The Los Angeles Times reports that over 60 million people voted during the event.

The audience participated in the show, including a call-andresponse-type performance from Arcade Fire. “If you tried this at the VMA’s you’d be (expletive)!” shouted frontman Win Butler.

Like YouTube itself, the general vibe of the event was one of unscripted chaos, which YouTube thrives off of. An unscripted joke came from Macklemore after winning the breakthrough award. Hosts Schwartzman and Watts were each

holding a baby to help present the award, to which Macklemore exclaimed, “I can’t believe we won these kids! I’ve always wanted a kid, without actually having to have sex.”

The babies cried (as did Lady Gaga during her performance of her track “Dope”) and overall it seemed to be a night to remember. After working out some kinks, next year’s show has the potential to be even bigger. When asked by USA Today if he would be up for hosting next year’s YTMA’s, Schwartzman said, “In my mind, it wouldn’t be doing the second YouTube Awards, it’d be like we were doing it again for the first time.”

Page 16

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Sports Women’s Rowing Takes Gold at Head of the Charles November 6, 2013

By VICTORIA MONACO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Fordham women’s rowing team made history at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston on Oct. 19 and 20, as the Club Four took home Fordham’s first ever gold medal at the race.

“I was absolutely thrilled with the result,” Fordham head coach Ted Bonanno said. “We were so excited. I’ve been going to this regatta since it started 40 or more years ago.”

Beating out Clemson and Boston University, which won second and third place respectively, the Club Four finished the course 3.38 seconds faster than Clemson and well ahead of the 45 other competitors. Not only did the rowers take first place in the race, but they also finished just 4.39 seconds off the course record.

“The interesting thing about the splits, the landmark timing, is we were winning but it was very close,” Bonanno said. “We were winning by a fraction of a second the first split, the second split, the third split...but then in that last portion we stretched it out to a 3 second lead. And that’s what we won by.”

Bonanno attributes this great race not only to the veteran rowers, but to the freshman coxswain, Jackie Ramos.

“Our coxswain, and she’s only a freshmen, she did an absolute

Page 19

superb job,” Bonanno said. “She coxswained all through high school and we recruited her for Fordham and she coxswained a very good West Coast club. She’s from Long Beach, Calif. She coxswained, I believe, their top women’s high school boat at the Head of the Charles last year and I think the year before. So it’s a huge plus to know the course...

That’s one of the reasons why we did win — because we had a very good coxswain.”

Having a good coxswain, Bonanno says, is especially important at the Head of the Charles because of the difficult nature of the course.

“On this particular race course, steering is huge because there are so many turns,” he said. “[You’re] going down the river and all of the sudden it makes a big sweeping turn to the left. Well, if you take that turn a little wide, that can cost you multiple seconds. And when you’re winning by a fraction of one second, if you take that turn a little wide, or there’s a boat in your way, it can cost you several seconds.”

The women’s Lightweight also rowed its way to a very successful weekend, improving upon last year’s eighth-place finish by placing fifth overall this year. Competing against many other collegiate and international club teams, the Lightweight Four boat placed third among United States Collegiate teams.

The Head of the Charles is one of

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

The Head of the Charles Regatta is held every year in late October on the Charles River in Boston, Mass.

Fordham’s biggest races in the fall season, making the success even sweeter. Drawing in over 9,000 athletes and 300,000 spectators, the Head of the Charles is known as the world’s largest regatta. It is open not only to international collegiate rowers, but also to boat club teams all over the world. Each year, Fordham enters some of its boats into events, hoping to perform well enough to earn a guaranteed place in next year’s Head of the Charles.

In both the Club Four and Lightweight Four races, Fordham’s past

performances granted it entrance into its respective races this year.

According to one of the team’s co-captains, Jenn Amoroso, this fall has been quite a turnaround year.

“This team is the best team we’ve had so far, not just physically, but mentally,” she said.

She explained that each team member has taken on a better attitude, creating a positive atmosphere for everyone involved. She continued to say that each team member’s desire to do more and perform at her best has encouraged

everyone else to do the same. This regatta has been especially good for the whole team because it set high goals and provided a positive foundation for the rest of the year.

Amoroso said that the success at the Head of the Charles was extremely important for the team as a whole because they do not race in as many big regattas during the fall as they do in the spring. She hopes that the excitement from their recent success will help carry the team to a successful spring season as well.

Women’s Soccer Wraps Up Season With Win on Senior Day

By JAKE GROGAN STAFF WRITER

Fordham women’s soccer closed out its season and the careers of several accomplished seniors with a win at home last Friday night against Duquesne. The win gave Fordham a 5-9-3 record, with a 3-4-1 record in A-10 play.

The game took place on senior night, during which Mary Solimine, Kaitlyn Carballeira, Kelley Alpaugh and Casey Nowakowski were honored for their careers as Fordham Rams.

The Rams scored the only goal of the game early, after Duquesne committed a foul in the 20th minute.

Senior defender Kaitlyn Carballeira headed the ball into the goal off of a free kick feed from senior midfielder Mary Solimine.

Fordham would attempt a penalty kick near the end of the half but senior midfielder Kelsey Dougherty Howard lifted the ball over the net, preserving the 1-0 lead through the first 45 minutes.

The second half would be more of the same, as the Rams’ offense pressured the Dukes, while their defense continued to blank the Dukes on the score sheet. Freshman forward Nicol Natale, who will be a major component to the future success of the team, showed off some great playmaking skills and would have extended the lead to two goals had it not been for a diving save by Duquesne goalkeeper Ashley Szalwinski. Defenders Nowakowski and Kelsey Dougherty Howard helped keep the ball away from the net, while freshman goalkeeper Megan

DAVID MEYERS/THE RAM

A goal from senior Kaitlyn Carballeira in 20th minute of the match gave the Rams a 1-0 win over the Duquesne Dukes in their final match of the year.

Fitzgerald recorded two saves and her first career shutout.

“We are really focusing on giving a strong defensive performance,” said Carballeira, when asked what the team was doing to prepare for Duquesne last week. “Specifically we’ve been working on our defense on set plays.”

The win was necessary to keep the Rams in contention for the conference’s eighth seed needed to get in to the A-10 tournament. Last weekend saw a number of conference games take place, the results of which would

directly effect Fordham’s postseason chances. As circumstance would have it, three teams qualified over Fordham with 3-3-2 conference records.

“The fact that I was able to help keep Duquesne off of the board on senior night made it even better,” said goalkeeper Megan Fitzgerald, when asked what it meant to record a shutout on senior night. “I’m glad that I was able to do my part in making the senior’s last game as great as possible. Although our season has unfortunately come to an end, I feel

like the team was able to have a great finish, ending the season with a win and a shutout on our home field.”

The Rams should have a high ceiling in the coming years. The team is young and those not graduating have gained valuable experience after playing through a very difficult schedule. There are currently seven juniors and eight freshmen on the team, so a lack of leadership or youth will not be an issue in 2014.

Fordham’s four graduating seniors have combined for 16 points and 183 games played throughout

their careers. They helped the team turn around after a slow start to the season and brought along a group of talented, but inexperienced, freshmen. It is impossible to overstate the seniors contributions, as the future success of this team will likely be built on the foundation that those graduating have helped lay.

Look for the 2014 Rams to use the 1-0 losses, double overtime games and inspired slump-busters to put together a campaign that will have them in contention for the Atlantic 10 title.

Page 20

SPORTS

Nfl Blog

Incognizance: Bullying in the NFL

By ERIC MOLLO STAFF WRITER

The hazing incident between offensive linemen Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin is certainly alarming. It could drastically change how the NFL polices the relationships between players, even teammates. The question football fans need to ask themselves, however, is a somewhat disturbing one: Is anyone really surprised? Sure, Incognito’s racially charged voicemails and text messages were disgusting, and the approximate $10,000 players paid for a team dinner as part of their unofficial “rookie tax” is a huge sum of money for players who are taking their first steps towards building a career in sports. While this may be an incident of extreme hazing, there’s no question that bullying is deeply entrenched in the culture of football. But I think it’s impractical and useless to try to completely eradicate bullying.

At this point, trying to eliminate it may be a lost cause since it is such a huge, albeit abusive, part of NFL culture. If the NFL wants to take steps towards addressing this problem, it shouldn’t start by imposing suspensions or player or team fines for violators of a bullying-type policy. The league needs to open dialogue with its players and ideally get at the core reasons why bullying exists in the first place.

But, unfortunately, the players feel bullying serves a valuable purpose.

The NFL needs to understand what the goals of hazing are and try to replace bullying with more positive methods of communication amongst teammates.

Bullying has been a part of the NFL culture for decades as players look to “toughen up” one another. A teammate earns respect and praise when exhibiting toughness. Sometimes, players prove their strength by playing through injury, such as quarterback Byron Leftwich, who led his team to a comeback victory on a broken tibia while in college. Brett Favre also earned the respect of players by “toughing out” 297 consecutive games played. Alternatively, players could earn the respect of his

teammates by undergoing a certain amount of hazing. The hazing incident involving Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant in 2010 exemplifies this point. Bryant refused to carry the pads of teammate Roy Williams at practice and was told he needed to take his team out to dinner to make up for his refusal.

He did so and the dinner put a nice $54,000 dent in his wallet. Bullying has become a tool for earning the respect of teammates. It calls for rookies to “pay their dues” and honor the privileges of veterans.

It’s become a form of acceptance.

These reasons don’t justify the demoralizing and dehumanizing nature of hazing, but they explain why it’s an integral part of the football culture. Another purpose bullying serves for NFL players is that it humbles younger players. The NFL has seen a growing trend of showboating and unnecessary celebrations, which it has addressed by imposing penalties and fines on players. Veterans deal with this problem in a different way: hazing. They do not let rookies get too cocky or proud. Vets bully players with the hope that they’ll understand they have a ways to go before reaching the status of a respected, proven athlete.

Hazing has been used as a solution to instill toughness and prevent cockiness, but it is not the solution. The NFL needs to open dialogue with its players and work to promote ways in which they can humble rookies and help “toughen them up” without using hazing.

Maybe creating a rookie program in which they are educated on and understand their role and realistic place as a rookie is one solution?

Or, maybe the owners and front offices can address the problems themselves through their own sort of tutorials that players could sit through? Whatever the solution, we know hazing is not the answer.

The Dolphins are lucky Jonathan Martin merely walked out on his team. As we’ve seen from other incidents of bullying in society, the results could be fatal. We have to hope the NFL doesn’t turn a blind eye and takes action before another incident like this takes a much darker turn.

November 6, 2013

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Varsity Scores & Stats

Football Holy Cross 6 17 0 7 30 Fordham 7 7 7 11 32 (FOR) M. Nebrich 524yds TD (HC) P. Pujals 238yds 3TDs

Men’s Basketball Northwood 33 47 80 Fordham 50 48 98 (NU) C. Solomon 21pts 2rebs (NU) C. Lee 13pts 2rebs (FOR) B. Frazier 23pts 7rebs (FOR) M. Thomas 20pts 5rebs

Women’s Soccer Duquesne 0 0 0 Women’s Basketball Fordham 1 0 1 Goals: K. Carballeira (FOR) 20’ Kutztown 25 24 49 Fordham 39 47 86 (KU) N. Lee 10pts 4rebs Men’s Soccer (KU) K. Funk 7pts 3rebs VCU 1 2 3 (FOR) S. Clark 24pts 13rebs Fordham 0 0 0 (FOR) H. Missry 25 pts 4rebs Goals: G. Harvey (VCU) 6’ M. Herrera Meraz (VCU) 52’ Men’s Cross Country K. Belmar (VCU) 72’ Atlantic 10 Championship 8K Water Polo J. Annelli 7th- 24:10.13 Fordham 5 St. Francis 11 Women’s Cross Country Atlantic 10 Championship Fordham 7 5K MIT 9 A. Arsenault 23rd- 17:58.3

Volleyball St. Louis 25 25 25 3 Fordham 18 23 22 0 (SLU) D. Rygelski 15 kills (FOR) B. O’Neil 10 kills Men’s Swimming Fordham 117 Boston U. 178 1000 Free S. Sholdra 1st- 9:32.49 500 Free S. Sholdra 1st- 4:37.61 100 Free S. Noguchi

Women’s Swimming Fordham 121 Boston U. 177 100 Butterfly M. Polaha 1st- 56.87 100 Breastroke K. Carroll 1st- 1:07.46

Athletes of the Week Each week The Fordham Ram’s Sports editors honor one male athlete and one female athlete for their on-field performances as its “Athletes of the Week.”

Michael Nebrich

Kaitlyn Carballeira

RS Sophomore

Senior

Football

Soccer

Nebrich threw for a school record 524 yards in the Rams’ 32-30 win over Columbia. The Patriot League named him Offensive Player of the Week, his fifth such award this year.

Carballeira ended her Fordham career on a high note, scoring the gamewinning goal in the Rams’ 1-0 win over Duquesne this past weekend. It was the second game-winner of her career.

News & Notes

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

The Dolphins released Richie Incognito after learning he bullied a teammate.

1st- 46.51

• Fordham football’s two-point win over Holy Cross has moved it up a pair of spots in both of the rankings this week. The Rams are now No. 6 in the FCS Coaches’ Poll and No. 7 in the Sports Network Poll.

• The Rams’ Senior Day, their final home game of the season, is this weekend against Bucknell. Kickoff is Saturday at 1 p.m.

• Junior linebacker Stephen Hodge was named the Patriot League’s Defensive Player of the Week. Hodge registered a career-high 15 tackles in the Rams’ latest win. It is the third time this season he has been honored as Player of the Week.

• On Monday, the Fordham women’s basketball team partnered with Team IMPACT to adopt five-year-old Imani Simon of Yonkers, N.Y. The team held a press conference to “sign” Imani, who has an incurable blood disorder, to letter of intent.

• Junior Jonathan Annelli posted an 8K time of 24:10.3 at the A-10 Championship and earned a spot on the All-Conference team.

SPORTS

Page 21

Fordham Swimming Falls in Boston

By DREW CASEY STAFF WRITER

After starting the season with a combined record of 3-1, both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams lost at Boston University on Saturday, Nov. 2. The men’s team fell 178-117, while the women’s team was bested 177-121.

“BU [Boston University] will challenge our team more than Fairfield and Marist,” senior co-captain Shannon Jones said prior to the meet.

The Terriers certainly did challenge the Ram. Mario Caballero and Kendra Cheng, both winners of three events on Saturday, led the Terriers to victory.

Fordham managed wins in just eight of the 32 events.

Steve Sholdra and Shintaro Noguchi were the lone winners for the men’s team, each capturing two events. Sholdra touched the wall first in both distance events, taking the 500-yard and 1000-yard freestyle.

Noguchi won the 100-yard freestyle in 46.51 and the 100-yard butterfly in 49.94. The Tiburon, Calif. native was also second in the 200-yard freestyle.

Fresh off her Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honor, freshman Megan Polaha was the only competitor on the women’s team to win multiple events. Polaha was victorious in the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly. She was also second in the 200-yard individual medley.

Junior Kelly Carroll was quickest in the 100-yard breaststroke and sophomore Anna Marshall completed the sweep of the breaststroke

events by taking home the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:26.23.

Although beaten, the Rams believed that they performed very well.

“The entire team brought positive energy, swam faster than the last two meets and was very supportive the entire time,” senior co-captain Kara Field said. “We swam fast and dove well, but they performed better than us.”

Nicholas Belfanti, a senior co-captain, shared Field’s sentiments.

“I would not consider the loss to BU a setback,” Belfanti said. “At this point in the season we’re looking to swim solid races in terms of strategy and pacing without as much focus on time. From speaking with people after their races, I think we accomplished this goal.”

Additionally, the scores would have been much closer had the Rams not been out-touched for first place by less than a second in seven events.

Notably, Steve Sholdra was beaten

by Mun Hon Lee in the 200-yard butterfly by .09 seconds. Sholdra finished in 1:51.55, while Lee touched

in 1:51.46.

Freshman Kalena Laurent and junior Spencer Chappell also took second place in two events. Laurent was second best in both the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle. Chappell was the runner up in the 100-yard and 200yard backstroke.

The team will be off from competition this week and will next be in action at the Princeton Invitational on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15 and 16.

“Having a week off of competition is going to be nice,” Field said.

“Practices are definitely going to be tough, but the hard training will get us in that much better shape for the Princeton Invitational.”

“When we swim against Princeton, which is another strong team, we must stay confident throughout the meet and make sure we are staying focused on our own races,” Noguchi said. “If we start worrying about the opponent’s races, we [will] lose sight on what is important.”

The men’s team is currently 1-2, while the women’s squad sits at 2-1.

MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM

Both Fordham swim teams put in strong showings against Boston University.

November 6, 2013

Rams Run at A-10 Championships

By BRYAN KIEL STAFF WRITER

The Atlantic 10 Championships were held this past Saturday in Mechanicsville, Va., where the Fordham cross country team ran against La Salle, Saint Joseph’s and George Mason. The conference championship featured strong times from all around the A-10 and the men and women of Fordham were no exception. While junior Jonathan Annelli and senior Anisa Arsenault led each side, the teams as a whole gave one of their best performances yet.

The men’s team finished sixth out of 15 teams at the A-10s. Annelli, the Ram’s top runner, came in seventh overall with a time of 24:10, a Personal Record (PR) for Annelli. Placing seventh gave Annelli a spot on the 15-man All Conference Team as well.

La Salle was the winning team and placed no less than five runners in the top 15, easily giving the La Salle men their eighth championship victory in 12 years.

Sophomore Mike Turi recorded his best career time of 24:46, shaving 14 seconds off his time of 25:00 at Princeton. Turi placed 26th overall and second for the Rams and senior Brian Walter came in two seconds later with a time of 24:48, taking in 28th overall. Freshman Adam Schwenzfeier was the sole rookie who ran and came in almost a minute later with a time of 25:47, a personal best as well. Overall, the men’s team was able to shave off 10 minutes from its overall time in 2012. The improvement during the season is noticeable,

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too, and the men look to be in great shape as they head into the NCAA District Regionals on Nov. 15.

For the women, Arsenault had a fantastic run, breaking the 18 minute benchmark with a 17:58, good for 23rd place. And, though the women placed ninth out of the 12 teams who ran, the team as a whole had its best race of the season.

“That was actually our best competition ever. It’s too bad that our place doesn’t reflect that.” Arsenault said. “We had five girls under 19 minutes and I cracked 18; nothing like that has ever happened with the Fordham women’s team before.”

As co-captain with senior Christina Vivinetto, who came in 36th place with an 18:12, Arsenault credited the whole team in stepping up to serve up their best performance yet.

“There were big PR’s all around; it’s so great to see things like that happen at a championship meet,” Arsenault said.

Junior Sarah Clockenmeier, freshman Brianna Roche and senior Kerry Sorensen joined Arsenault and Vivinetto in the top five. Glockenmeier ran the five kilometer course in 18:36, with Roche just four seconds behind at 18:40 and Sorenson at 18:56.

While the conference championship is over, the next major races are looking to be bright for the ladies, who have been running harder than ever. “Focusing and paying attention to what’s going on with other teams in the race allows you to remain competitive.” Arsenault said. “And the ladies really did that.”

Page 22

Kearns’ Kickoff Few football teams earn nine consecutive wins, especially to start the season, but the Fordham Rams and Kansas City Chiefs have accomplished the improbable. These undefeated records are even more remarkable because both teams were awful in recent years. The Rams use their potent offense to overwhelm opponents, while the Chiefs suffocate the opposition with a ruthless defense.

Fordham first raised eyebrows with a 27-24 upset of 10th ranked Villanova. The offense spurred a comeback and the defense forced several fourth quarter turnovers.

After that win, Fordham traveled to Philadelphia to battle the FBS Temple Owls. Everyone knows about Michael Nebrich’s game-winning 30-yard pass to Sam Ajala, but a team effort was necessary for victory. The defense held tough at the end and Michael Marando made three clutch field goals. Fordham then easily dispatched their next five opponents, until Holy Cross benefited from a sloppy Fordham first half to make the Rams sweat out a 32-30 win.

The Rams’ remaining regular season opponents are unranked, but each Patriot League contender can easily end Fordham’s streak of perfection. First, Fordham hosts Bucknell, which has a three-game winning streak and outscored Lehigh and Cornell by a combined 76-17 the last two weeks. Then the Rams travel to Lafayette, where the Leopards are 3-0 in Patriot League play.

This game may determine the league title, so Fordham must expect a stiff challenge. The Rams finish at Colgate, which has a 2-1 league record. If the Rams lose one game, they should still make the FCS playoffs, but an undefeated regular season ensures them at least one home game. For Fordham to stay perfect, their shaky defense must become consistently stout.

Defense is certainly not Kansas City’s weakness, as the Chiefs are allowing only 12.3 points per game.

While Fordham has scored at least 30 points in each win, Kansas City achieved that feat only once. The Chiefs’ offense focuses on Jamaal Charles and not committing turnovers. But when your defense features six elite players, having a leagueaverage offense gets you places. Last week, the defense produced two scores to take the lead. The Chiefs’ defense is uncommonly nasty, but will it be enough for playoff success?

Two teams come to mind when I think about the Chiefs’ future prospects: the 2000 Ravens and the 2011 49ers. The 2000 Ravens won their final 11 games and allowed more than 10 points just once in that stretch.

The 2011 49ers did not allow a rushing touchdown until Week 16 and their conservative offense committed the fewest turnovers in NFL history. If not for two muffed punts, the Niners may have won it all. These examples show that great defense can win playoff games, but luck and a competent offense are necessary to win the Super Bowl.

Fordham and Kansas City have shocked us all in going 9-0, but their perfection must now be maintained against stronger opposition. It will surely be fun to watch.

— Dominic Kearns

SPORTS

Senior Profile: Ian Williams

ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

Williams, a native of West Palm Beach, Fla., is a captain on this year’s team and is also second on the team in tackles.

By DAN GARTLAND EXECUTIVE SPORTS EDITOR

Ian Williams is a three-year starter at cornerback for the Fordham football team. Last season he earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors after leading the Rams in solo tackles. He also had five interceptions. He is putting together another strong season this year, and is currently ranked second on the team in total tackles. Williams also serves as a team captain.

The Fordham Ram: Fordham was the only school to offer you a scholarship, is that right? What would you have done if Fordham didn’t offer you a scholarship?

Ian Williams: I’m not really sure.

God just blessed it to work out in my favor, so that’s awesome.

TFR: And I know Sam Ajala was in the same situation. So I guess a lot of credit goes to the previous coaching staff for finding those sort of diamonds in the rough.

IW: Yeah, definitely. It was actually [former Fordham assistant] Coach [Custavious] who was looking at an all-star game I was picked to be in. He saw me over there and then he came to my school the next day. He had me fly up a couple weeks later to see the school and it just fell into place.

TFR: So I guess it really changed your life to have this opportunity.

IW: Definitely, definitely. It’s awesome and it’s a blessing. Every day I give credit to God for this opening up for me.

TFR: One of the things I like about you — off the field you’re a really nice, friendly guy. But on the field, I always see you jawing a little bit. Is there a switch you flip when you go on the field?

IW: My favorite player is [former NFL safety] Brian Dawkins. They always say that he’s a gentleman off the field, but he’s a man amongst boys on the field. I just ask God to give me courage and bravery on the field. I just try to be a man amongst boys on the field, too. Off the field, I try to be as respectful as I can, because I know that’s how I would want [someone to treat] my mom or my sister.

TFR: What’s it like being a leader on this team?

IW: It’s awesome. I had to work on it a lot, I’ve got to say. I’m mostly, I would say, a quiet person. But I’ve worked at it and we’ve been going to leadership academies and things like that. I feel like I can be a little more vocal at certain points in the game, when I see we need it most.

Right before the game, I like to get riled up, hype the boys up a little bit.

TFR: What’s your favorite memory at Fordham?

IW: I know I like chilling with my boys like [linebacker] Jake [Rodrigues] and [offensive lineman] Steve [Tapia]. I know this summer we all hung out. It was nice to just chill with them. We went to a movie, we went to dinner, ate nicely. That’s always a good time, because those are my brothers. It just made me realize we’re graduating this year — we don’t know where we’re going in life. It was good to see how far we’ve come from freshmen to seniors, just to know those boys made an impact on my life. I’ll be friends with them forever and I’ll always remember those boys. Whenever they need something, they can call me.

TFR: What about your favorite memory on the field?

IW: Today [against Holy Cross], besides the last play where I got caught up for a touchdown.

[Laughs.] It’s awesome — because when I was a sophomore we were 1-10 — just to see how far this program has come. I love these boys that are on the team, I love my brothers, I love the coaching staff.

It’s just awesome to see how many steps we’ve taken to become great.

I’m not saying we’re the best team out there, but that’s the way we’re headed.

Vincent Mencotti in the Main Event title, where Webster fell 3-0, 13-15, 8-11 and 8-11. Webster was dissatisfied with his play in the final, as bad decisions could not help him come from behind to capture the victory.

Despite failing to win the individual title on Saturday, Fordham played well all-around, with each of the eight players winning his first match of the day. From top to bottom, Fordham showcased its skills by sending four players to the quarter finals. Sophomore Paul Monaghan was the fourth Ram to earn a spot in the Quarterfinals.

Alex LaVersa was defeated in the second round by Shinnick during a tough five game battle. LaVersa took the defeat in hand and continued to surge, eventually winning a consolation bracket.

The ninth position player for Fordham, Matt Crowe, competed in a smaller bracket. Crowe defeated three Vassar opponents to earn the B division title.

“It was an amazing team effort,”

Keller said. “We had the best result overall by far and some players really surpassed themselves.”

The young team showed enthusiasm on the courts in Poughkeepsie.

With vision set on development and higher placement in the rankings than last year, the squash team will use its first performance as encouragement for the rest of the season.

The team travels to Annapolis, Md. this weekend to participate in the Navy Round Robin. They will take on Navy, Bard College, Johns Hopkins and Washington.

The competition will be tougher at the Navy tournament than it was this past weekend, but Fordham has proven that they are up for the challenge. After their strong performance, the Rams will focus on ball control in practice this week.

Coach Bryan Patterson knows that the key to the team’s success this season comes from how good the players’ swings are. Led by Webster, the team looks to remain competitive in Annapolis.

Squash Opens Season On a High

By MATTHEW MICHAELS STAFF WRITER

Fordham’s squash team began the 2013-2014 season on the right foot at the Hudson Valley Individual Championship. The tournaments, held at Vassar College, allowed the Rams to showcase their individual skills and team depth.

In the A division, which featured each of the four schools’ top eight players, sophomore Kincade Webster, Fordham’s No. 1, was able to cruise to the finals. In doing so, he had to defeat teammates Jimmy Shinnick and Jeremy Keller in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively. Shinnick and Keller played resiliently and proudly until they were ousted by their fellow Ram. “I think this tournament and the hard-fought matches that would take place between two of our guys showed the depth of our squad and is a good start to the season,” Shinnick said.

Webster faced Vassar freshman

November 6, 2013

Deuce’s Wild For the better part of six months now, it’s baffled me how Major League Baseball has continued to make a case for Alex Rodriguez.

A Monday report had A-Rod testing positive for a banned stimulant in 2006, stemming from something two baseball sources told the New York Times. While it would seem initially that this hurts Rodriguez, it’s actually helping him. MLB is violating the same agreement as Rodriguez.

The confidentiality clause in the MLB’s Joint Drug Agreement states “the Commissioner’s office, the Players Association, the Treatment Board, the IPA, the Medical Testing Officer, Club personnel and all of their members, affiliates, agents, consultants and employees, are prohibited from publicly disclosing information about an individual player’s test results or testing history,” as well as additional information about a player’s involvement with banned substances. Baseball, starting with the Mitchell Report, which was supposed to be confidential, has continually leaked information about its discipline, but nothing matches what we’ve seen in the case of Alex Rodriguez.

From his reported meetings and associations with steroid dealers to alleged purchasing of evidence, it seems a new story comes out every day about the embattled Yankees’ third baseman. The only problem with this is that there’s no way ARod’s camp is leaking this slandering information, nor is the court.

It’s the MLB who has continued to provide the press with these alleged violations of their Joint Drug Agreement, in some sort of effort to bring down the already universally hated Rodriguez. By performing this unnecessary task this week, they’ve prompted A-Rod to file a complaint regarding the leaked information, which could come back to haunt them.

Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz, the man who will decide the duration of Alex Rodriguez’s suspension, now has a new alleged violation on his desk to read, this time from MLB. This actually helps Rodriguez in his quest to reduce his suspension.

It increases the probability of a 50-game suspension for A-Rod, something offered to twelve players, and similarly to Ryan Braun, who received 65. If you’re Bud Selig, why didn’t you offer Rodriguez something similar?

If, in the end, Rodriguez comes away with 75 or less games he must sit out, what was the point of spending millions of dollars to try and bring down the slugger? Sure, they may have uncovered damning information, but by violating the JDA and leaking it, hiring a second pair secret investigators (as the NY Times report indicated) and forking money to a slimy guy like Anthony Bosch, does this make it right? Not even Commissioner Selig will accept the fact he may have taken some ugly steps to take down Rodriguez, saying he was “very comfortable” with what his investigators did.

There’s nothing to be comfortable about here; a league that has prided itself on a commitment to being clean has played this game with A-Rod filthily and in doing so, may have let Rodriguez score a few times.

— Kenny Ducey

November 6, 2013

Volleyball Falls in Senior Night Match to Saint Louis

SPORTS

Page 23

By MAX PRINZ ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

ALLY WHITE/THE RAM

Sara Konkel was one of seven seniors honored during the pregame ceremony.

By TARA SLEDJESKI STAFF WRITER

This past Saturday night, Nov. 2, marked the last home game of the year for the Fordham women’s volleyball team and the last home game for seven Ram players. Those seven seniors were honored before the senior night game against Saint Louis, but unfortunately the night did not end with much celebrating. Ultimately, Saint Louis spoiled the seniors’ party and won the game in three straight sets.

Krissy Buongiorno, Michele Keathley, Sara Konkel, Krista Whitewood, Maria Rodenberg, Carina Thompson and Emily Atwood were the seven Fordham seniors honored prior to the loss.

The girls, accompanied by their families, each received a framed jersey and flowers to acknowledge their time spent on the court in the Rose Hill Gym. The first set started out well for Fordham, thanks in part to a serving ace by sophomore Abigail Konovodoff. Kills by redshirt junior Lisa Hipp and sophomores Brenna Deising and Brianna O’Neill also helped the Rams get a 5-2 lead. Saint Louis, however, quickly fought back and scored on two Fordham errors and a kill to make it a 5-5 tie.

Another kill by Deising put the Rams back ahead, but Saint Louis went on another streak and took a 9-6 lead with three points coming off of Fordham errors. After that, the closest Fordham would get during the set was within three points, when three Saint Louis errors made it 13-10. Saint Louis then took over the rest of the set and won it 25-18 with the winning point coming on a kill.

The second set was competitive showing for the Rams, but it ended with a close 25-23 win for Saint Louis, gaining a 2-0 set advantage.

The set was tied at 16 when kills

by Thompson and O’Neill put the Rams ahead 18-16. Two Fordham errors quickly retied the set at 18 before they took a 19-18 lead on a Saint Louis error.

Saint Louis then took a 20-19

lead on a Ram error and a kill before the set was tied once again at 20 following a Saint Louis error.

Two kills and a Fordham error gave Saint Louis a 23-20 advantage in the set before the Rams fought back once again. A kill by Hipp and a service ace from Konovodoff paired with a Saint Louis error tied things up at 23. At that point it seemed like Fordham might steal a set from one of the top teams in the Atlantic 10. Unfortunately for the Rams, Saint Louis quickly took a 24-23 lead on a kill before an additional Fordham error won Saint Louis the set.

The third set featured another good fight between the two teams with a tie at 20. A St. Louis kill put them up 21-20 before the Rams got a point off of a Hipp kill and a Saint Louis error to give Fordham a 22-21 lead. At this point in the set, the Billikens called a timeout to regroup, and it worked, as they would score four consecutive points to take the final set 25-22 and win the game.

On Senior Night, two sophomores led the way for Fordham.

O’Neill recorded the most kills with 10 and Konovodoff picked up the most assists with 27. Atwood, a senior, did, however, lead the team in digs with 10 as she ended her career in the Rose Hill Gym. The loss moved the Rams’ record to 2-10 in A-10 conference play and 9-18 overall. Meanwhile, Saint Louis improved its conference record to 6-4 and their overall record to 10-15. St. Louis is currently fourth in the A-10 standings while Fordham remains in seventh, one spot out of the conference tournament. Fordham is still chasing Dayton, which is 5-6 in conference, for the final spot in the tournament.

The Rams now have four games left to play, all on the road.

Their next game is Friday Nov. 8 at George Washington. George Washington is currently 8-2 in conference for third in the standings. After that, the Rams travel to George Mason on Saturday Nov. 9 to take on a team that is 2-9 and eighth in the conference.

When I attended Ram Town, the basketball program’s annual event that opens the seasons of both teams, what struck me most were the new video boards that have been installed on either side of Rose Hill Gym. The boards are huge and they look terrific. I loved the way that the athletics department made use of them at Ram Town, putting contestants up on the screen so every student could get a good view of what was happening. I love the Rose Hill Gym, but even I have to admit it often looks antiquated. The boards made for a great modern upgrade.

The new video boards are symbolic of a larger movement in Fordham sports. Fordham is well on its way to becoming a major sports school once again.

These new boards are just the latest in a number of small changes that are making the Fordham athletics program look more and more like those at major sports schools.

In his book, The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell points out the potential of little changes to have big, dramatic effects. There is no single event that changes an equilibrium. It takes a lot of small, incremental changes to shift the balance. These changes cause things to rise or fall in one dramatic moment called a “tipping point.” We are witnessing an athletics rise firsthand here at Fordham.

It is without question that this shift began with the Fordham football team. This year’s Rams, who themselves have a new video board at Jack Coffey Field, have taken the program to heights never seen before. The team has accomplished more than expected for a team with stands on just one side of the field. And, they’ve done it with small, incremental changes.

It began with hiring Joe Moorhead, a coach from the University of Connecticut’s major football program. Moorhead had no prior

head coaching experience, but, being an alumnus, knew just how to ignite a previously small-time program. Moorhead brought with him Michael Nebrich and Tebucky Jones Jr., two players with experience on a big stage. He installed his own little adjustments, like promoting the 212 degrees idea.

The boiling point of water is 212 degrees. Water does nothing at 211 degrees. That little extra effort, that one extra degree, makes a big difference. It is an idea that has caught on across Fordham Athletics.

These little changes have made Fordham a program on the rise. A small sign of this ascension even appeared in Fordham’s 32-30 win over Holy Cross this past weekend when, late in the fourth quarter, a man in a green body suit streaked across the football field. It was a stunning event that doesn’t usually happen at a place like Fordham.

No one seemed sure of how to react. No one chased the streaker, a common practice when such a thing happens at a major sports school.

I loved that a Fordham football game had a streaking fan. It wasn’t just hilarious to watch, it meant

that a Fordham football game had become an event big enough to warrant a streaker.

All across Fordham sports, the tide is beginning to turn. The women’s basketball team had a historic season and almost won an A-10 championship. New York State’s Mr. Basketball, the top prospect in the state, Jon Severe, refused offers from other major programs to play here at Fordham.

I am convinced that all these little things mean that a Fordham tipping point is coming. The new video boards in the Rose Hill Gym are soon going to be displaying some brilliant play, just as their counterpart over at Jack Coffey Field has been doing.

Of course I could be wrong. I could just be overly optimistic.

But, think about the possibilities.

What if the football team’s success begins to rub off on the basketball teams this winter? Isn’t it wonderful to think about?

All of these little changes must be more than mere coincidences.

Coach Moorhead and Coach Gaitley’s terrific work, a streaking fan and the new video boards all point towards a larger shift. Fordham is on the way up.

ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

The video boards are just part of Fordham’s improved athletic programs.

Upcoming Varsity Schedule Home games in CAPS

Thursday Nov. 7

Friday Nov. 8

Sunday Nov. 10

Saturday Nov. 9

Men’s Basketball

ST. FRANCIS (Pa.) 8:30 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

SAN FRANCISCO 6 p.m.

at Penn State 2 p.m.

Men’s Soccer

LA SALLE 3:00 p.m.

ST. JOE’S 1:00 p.m.

at Syracuse 7:30 p.m.

Cross Country CWPA Northern Division Championship All Day

Water Polo Rowing

Squash

Tuesday Nov. 12

BUCKNELL 1 p.m.

Football

Volleyball

Monday Nov. 11

at Geo. Wash 4 p.m.

at Geo. Mason 7 p.m. at Navy Round Robin 7 p.m.

Wednesday Nov. 13

November 5, 2013

Sports

Page 24

Record-Setting Offense Lifts Fordham Over Holy Cross Water Polo Ends Regular clothes and you wouldn’t guess that The Rams have three regular seaa lock for the FCS playoffs, which “We were having trouble punchhe’s a starting linebacker on a 9-0 son games left, starting with a home would begin Nov. 30. It is also posSeason 12-15 ing it in in the red zone, and if we’re team, and I’m not trying to be fungame against Bucknell next week. sible that the Rams could receive a FROM FOOTBALL, PAGE 1

going to win a lot of games going forward, then that’s something we’re going to have to clean up,” Nebrich said. “We can’t be driving 90 yards and get stoned inside the red zone.”

Due to the two costly turnovers and a missed 22-yard field goal, Fordham went to the locker room at halftime trailing 23-14. It was only the second time all season that the Rams trailed at the half.

“You’ve got to be able to handle prosperity and adversity, and that’s one of the things we said at halftime,” Fordham head coach Joe Moorhead said.

Fordham came out in the second half and scored 18 unanswered points. Holy Cross added a late touchdown, but it was unable to recover an onside kick attempt and Fordham ran out the clock.

“The second half by our team showed outstanding character,” Moorhead said. “It was great for us to be able to find a way to battle some adversity and claw back.”

The defense held strong in the second half, limiting the Holy Cross offense to 114 yards, compared to 313 in the first half.

For the third straight game, junior linebacker Stephen Hodge led the team in tackles. He currently leads the FCS in solo tackles per game.

“He’s a playmaker,” Moorhead said of Hodge. “He’s not the biggest guy, he’s not the fastest guy, he’s not the strongest guy, but he’s a football player. You look at him in street

ny, but it’s true. He knows how to play the game of football and there’s something to be said for that.”

With the win, Fordham moved to 9-0 on the season, the program’s first nine-win season since 2003.

After that, the team takes to the road for games at Lafayette and Colgate.

Of those teams, only Bucknell (4-4) has a record of at least .500.

If Fordham wins its remaining three games, the Rams should be

first-round bye, which would push the first playoff game to Dec. 7. The latest playoff projections from The Sports Network have Fordham receiving a first-round bye as the sixth seed.

ALLY WHITE/THE RAM

Junior linebacker Stephen Hodge continues to have a tremendous season. He recorded 15 total tackles in Saturday’ s win.

Men’s Soccer Suffers Tough 3-0 Defeat to VCU

By MAX PRINZ ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The Fordham men’s soccer team suffered what may end up being its toughest defeat of the season this past weekend, losing a road match to Virginia Commonwealth 3-0.

The loss brings Fordham’s conference record to 2-3-1 and knocks the Rams back into a tie for 10th place in the Atlantic 10 standings, and out of contention for a spot in the conference tournament.

The match both started and ended poorly for Fordham. Fordham did manage to earn a corner kick in the first few minutes, but VCU shut down Fordham’s attack and started its own. VCU’s attack bested the Fordham defense, as it scored its first goal on their first shot in just the seventh minute of the match.

The first goal, while it shook Fordham, did not spell disaster.

Fordham continued to work hard on offense, earning three more corner kicks and registering a pair of shots in the first half. Though it was resilient, VCU was able to answer and overcome every Fordham challenge.

VCU asserted its dominance in the second half. Fordham conceded the second goal of the match in the 52nd minute, when a shot from VCU forward Mario Herrera Meraz went into the lower right corner of the net. Yet again, VCU scored in the first 10 minutes of the half.

The second goal brought even

more trouble for Fordham. The team was unable to get any offensive momentum going, tallying just one shot in the second half. None of Fordham’s three shots tested the keeper, and the team was unable to get the ball deep and earn another corner kick.

VCU, on the other hand, had an abundance of offensive momentum. The team drove the ball into Fordham’s attacking third, and in

the 72nd minute scored its third goal of the match. Fordham’s senior goalkeeper Alex Naples managed to save Kharlton Belmar’s first shot, but Belmar got the rebound and put the ball in the back of the net, effectively clinching the game for VCU. With the loss, Fordham drops to a 5-9-1 overall record for the year.

The Rams have had a great deal of struggles on the road, where they

are 1-7-1.

Fordham still has a shot to make the A-10 tournament. The Rams have their final two games of the season in the friendly confines of Jack Coffey Field, against LaSalle (3-2-1 in the A-10) and St. Joseph’s(1-5). The Rams would likely need wins in both of those matches to vault into the top eight and qualify for the tournament.

ALLY WHITE/THE RAM

Fordham has two home games this weekend and must win both in order to have any hope of making the playoffs.

By BETSY BOEHLER STAFF WRITER

The Fordham men’s water polo team had a long weekend, starting with a Halloween match against No. 16 St. Francis. The Rams held on to a minor lead of 3-1 going into the second half until the Terriers came out strong and responded with 10 goals, finishing the game 11-5. Senior captain Nick Allen had two, while freshman R.J. Simmons netted one to kick off the first half. However, Allen and Simmons had only one goal apiece in the second half to complete the scoring.

Game two of the weekend took place at MIT in Cambridge, Mass.

The Rams and Engineers proved to be a better matchup, each team responding to the other’s goals in the first half. The first quarter ended 1-1. However, in the second both the scoring and the intensity picked up, with both teams netting four more goals to end the half at a 5-5 stalemate. The Engineers had a one goal lead after the third quarter, which escalated to two early in the fourth. Fordham was only able to respond with one and MIT netted a last minute security goal to win the game 9-7. Allen led the team again with three goals, followed by Simmons with two and one each for sophomores David DeFontes and Patrick Lenihan. Junior goalie Noah LeBeau had eight saves.

The Rams faced Harvard and Connecticut College on Sunday in their final two games of the regular conference season. The first, against Harvard, resulted in a 9-5 loss. Trailing 6-2 at the half, the Rams pulled within one by the beginning of the fourth quarter, narrowing the score to 6-5. The Crimson, however, answered with three consecutive goals to end the match. Allen finished with two goals, while DeFontes, Lenihan and Gonzalez all had one. LeBeau had a high-performance game with 15 saves and two steals. The second match of the day proved to be much more successful for the Rams, where they topped Connecticut College 12-5. Scoring was spread out across the board, with the exception of Lenihan, who led the offense with three. Seniors Ben Clinkinbeard and Allen both put away two and Gonzalez, DeFontes, Simmons and sophomores Landon Kern and Mike Hays all contributed one goal as well.

“We are still two guys out, but we played well,” said head coach Bill Harris, “There was definitely not a lack of effort.”

Sixth-seeded Fordham will face third-seeded Brown this Saturday in Cambridge, Mass. for the start of the Northern Division Championship.

“The first time we faced them we were missing key players and the second time we just lost by one,” Harris said. “We’re really hoping to get our two benched players healthy for the tournament, but still, there are no easy teams out there.”

WINTER PREVIEW

Page 4

November 6, 2013

Fordham Men Looking to Turn the Corner

MICHAEL HAYES/THE RAM

The Rams will count on guard Branden Frazier to be not only Fordham’s top scorer, but also the team’s senior leader.

By DAN GARTLAND EXECUTIVE SPORTS EDITOR

“I’m tired of losing,” Fordham head coach Tom Pecora said.

In three seasons at Rose Hill, Pecora has a combined record of 24-61 and has never won more than 10 games. Last season, his Rams compiled a 7-21 record.

This year, he is hoping to finally turn the corner. The goal for the season, he said, is “to have a winning record.”

In previous years, Pecora has made qualifying for the Atlantic 10 Tournament his team’s goal, but since the conference has only 13 members this year (down from 16 last season), all teams will play

in the postseason tournament at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

Butler, Xavier, Charlotte and Temple, four of the league’s top programs, all left for other conferences. The addition of George Mason brings the A-10’s membership to 13 teams for this season.

George Mason is traditionally a strong program, but Fordham’s conference schedule, while challenging, should be less daunting, nonetheless. The Rams play each team at least once, and face George Washington, VCU, Richmond and Rhode Island twice.

Fordham was predicted to finish 11th in the conference in the preseason poll.

Pecora believes the retooled

2013-2014 Schedule

Fordham Men’s Basketball Nov. 8 12 15 23 26 Dec. 4 7 10 14 21 23 28 30 Jan. 8 11 15 18 22 26 29 Feb. 1 8 12 15 22 27 Mar. 1 5 8

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St. Francis University, PA Syracuse University Lehigh University Sacred Heart University Manhattan College Furman University St. John’s University Colgate University Howard University MonMouth University Loyola University Chicago Harvard University Sienna College Duquesne University University of Richmond University of Dayton Saint Louis University George Mason University University of Massachusetts Virginia Commonwealth University University of Rhode Island George Washington University St. Bonaventure University University of Richmond Saint Joseph’s University Virginia Commonwealth University La Salle University University of Rhode Island George Washington University

8:30 7:30 7:00 4:00 7:00 1:30 1:30 7:00 2:00 2:00 4:00 4:00 7:00 7:00 7:00 9:00 2:30 7:00 12:00 7:00 7:00 4:00 9:00 6:00 2:00 7:00 5:00 7:00 4:30

conference will be somewhere between the sixth- and eighth-best in the country this season.

“I think that Saint Louis and VCU can be exceptional teams,” he said. “La Salle is a Sweet 16 team coming back. St. Joe’s and UMass are very talented. I think, after that, things kind of get a little muddled, and that’s where a team like ourselves is going to try and make a move.”

Fordham’s non-conference slate is also less difficult than it was a year ago. Fordham played 12 of its 15 non-league games away from the Rose Hill Gym last season.

This year, of the Rams’ 13 out-ofconference games, seven are in the Bronx, where Fordham enjoys a tremendous home court advantage.

“Last year’s schedule was suicide,” Pecora said. “To have 20 of 31 games on the road, with a young team — with any team, even with a veteran team — that’s crazy.”

At its strongest, Fordham’s

backcourt could be as good as any in the A-10. Senior Branden Frazier, junior Bryan Smith and sophomore Mandell Thomas are the Rams’ top returning scorers. Together with highly touted freshman Jon Severe, they will be expected to produce the bulk of the offense.

“I think the talent level is higher than it’s ever been, and obviously it should be, in year four,” Pecora said. “Everyone on this team now are guys we’ve recruited. I think the team chemistry is better than it’s ever been, and that’s a good thing. It’s all about talent.

This is about putting a product on the floor of talented players, so our depth is greater than it’s ever been.”

One glaring hole for Fordham is a dearth of size on the interior.

Freshman forward Manny Suarez’s eligibility issue leaves the Rams with only three true big men on the roster: sophomores Ryan Rhoomes and Travion Leonard and junior Ryan Canty.

To make matters worse, Leonard and Canty are both nursing back injuries, though Leonard did not seem hampered in Friday’s exhibition against Northwood.

The lack of forward depth means 6-foot-6-inch freshman Jake Fay, naturally a 2-guard, will see time in the frontcourt.

But Pecora will also employ a four-guard lineup at times — something Pecora had done while at Hofstra — with Frazier, Thomas, Severe and Smith all on the floor together. More famously, Jay Wright, with whom Pecora coached at Hofstra, has had tremendous success at Villanova with a four-guard lineup.

“If we team rebound, we’re OK [with playing four guards],” Pecora said. “The upside of it is you don’t have to worry about pressure, you don’t turn the ball over as much.”

Pecora went with a four-guard look for most of the game against Northwood, with Rhoomes playing the majority of the time as the lone forward.

With four skilled ball handlers

and passers on the floor, Fordham’s offense was fluid, especially in transition. Pecora called the offense “seamless.”

Frazier and Thomas both looked like better scorers and passers than last year. Smith was solid on defense and rebounded the ball well. Despite having a cold night shooting the ball, Severe showed flashes of what he can be, handling the ball well, rebounding well and playing good on-ball defense.

“I think he’s going to have his ups and downs,” Pecora said of Severe. “Consistency is the last thing that comes to a great player, so he’s going to be inconsistent as a freshman. He’s going to score in spurts.

He’s going to have nights when he’s shooting well and he’s going to have nights when he struggles a little bit. But he’s going to be fun to watch and he’s going to be exciting, there’s no doubt about that.”

Severe’s teammates also look to him to be a key contributor.

“We don’t look at him as a freshman, we look at him as a guy who can do [everything] to help this team win,” Frazier said.

As the only senior likely to see much playing time, Frazier will be counted on to be the team’s main leader, a role Pecora says Frazier can improve on.

“He just has to understand that when you’re a senior, these are the things that are expected of you,” Pecora said. “It’s not just a once in a while thing, it’s an everyday thing. I’m tough on seniors, and especially on senior guards.”

Frazier was named to the preseason All-Atlantic 10 Third Team, the only Fordham player to be named to one of the preseason all-conference teams. Together with Thomas (who was the second-leading scorer among A-10 freshmen last season), Smith and Severe, Frazier has the opportunity to lead Fordham to its best season of the Pecora era, something the coach acknowledges.

“Despite what our record was last year, I went through the summer knowing we were going to have great improvements,” Pecora said.

MICHAEL HAYES/THE RAM

Mandell Thomas showed tremendous promise as a freshman last season and will assume a greater role this year.

WINTER PREVIEW

Page 3

November 6, 2013

Swimming Looking to Replace Graduated Seniors

By DREW CASEY STAFF WRITER

After finishing in fifth place and in third place respectively at the Atlantic 10 Championships a year ago, the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams are poised to make an even bigger splash this year.

However, a lot of newcomers will have to step up if the Rams want to make that happen. Three crucial members of each team must be replaced.

The men’s team will have to find a way to match the accomplishments of Thomas Yi, the team’s top backstroke performer from a year ago.

The Rams will also need to find a way to compete in the diving portion of each meet without last year’s leading diver, Kevin Wong. Finally, they will need to replace Devon Morris, their top freestyle sprinter from last season.

The women have even bigger shoes to fill. Both Alana Biagioli and Kellie Lyver graduated last May as three-time Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honorees. They must also fill the void left by one of the greatest swimmers in Fordham history, Brienne Ryan.

Ryan was by far the top performer on the women’s team last year and was a four-time First Team All-Atlantic 10 swimmer. She qualified for and competed in the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships during her junior and senior seasons, and even swam at the United States Olympic Trials. Additionally, Ryan was a co-recipient of the Hobbs Family Award for Fordham University’s female student athlete of the year.

The Rams recognize these losses, but know that they cannot dwell on last season.

Senior co-captains Nicholas Belfanti and Shintaro Noguchi will lead the men’s team this year. Steve

Sholdra, a standout freshman from a year ago, will also be a large contributor. Sholdra’s achievements this season have already earned him Atlantic 10 Men’s Performer of the Week honors.

“I give full credit for my performance to our coaches,” Sholdra said. “All swimmers must rely on and trust their coaches’ training methods, and Fordham swimming’s training style works wonders.”

The women’s squad is very deep across the pool, and will be led by senior co-captains Kara Field and Shannon Jones.

“There’s an immense amount of talent distributed through each class and I know each girl senses it,” Field said. “If we put it all together, some crazy fast swimming and some beautiful diving can happen this year.”

Jones shared Field’s sentiments.

“Everyone’s place on the team

means something,” Jones said.

“Winning meets comes down to how many points are scored; therefore, everyone’s contribution is important no matter how big or small.”

Sophomores Megan Gehrich and Megan Gray, freshman Megan Polaha and junior Megan Zarriello all won multiple events in the season’s first two dual meets against Marist University and Fairfield University.

Polaha also took home Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors for her performance in her first two collegiate competitions. Judging from her success this season thus far, fellow freshman Kalena Laurent will also be a contributor to this year’s team.

The Rams have collectively set lofty goals, which they are confident that they can achieve.

“By training harder this year, we would like to score in the top three at A-10s [Atlantic 10 Conference Championship],” Noguchi said.

“My expectations for the team are for everyone to really be there for one another this year, and I believe, with the increase in positive chemistry, we will be able to achieve our goals.”

On the women’s side, Laurent had similar comments.

“A big goal for the women’s team is to win A-10’s,” Laurent said. “It’s a challenge, but it’s definitely a goal that can be attained with the great amount of talent we have on this team.”

“It is a goal we work incredibly hard for every year and look forward to seeing all of our hard work pay off at the end of the season,” Gray said.

The team has competed in three dual meets thus far, and has 10 more competitions before the four-day Atlantic 10 Championship at Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio.

“It’s going to be a fun, incredibly fast season for everyone at Fordham Swimming,” Sholdra said.

DREW DIPANE/THE RAM

The Fordham men finished fifth out of seven teams in the A-10 last year, while the women finished third out of 11.

Squash Hopes to Improve on Last Year’s 6-14 Mark

By MATTHEW MICHAELS STAFF WRITER

Fordham’s squash team is gearing up for the start of what is to be another exciting season. Head coach Bryan Patterson, in his fourth season at Fordham, is optimistic, and rightly so, about the progress of this program.

“This year, we are much more of a squash team, as opposed to tennis players playing squash,” Patterson said. “Last season, one-third of the team was converted tennis players, the year before that, one-half. My first year, maybe two-thirds of the team was tennis players. This year, only one guy is a converted tennis player.”

Patterson was excited that the amount of authentic squash players on the team has grown because the tennis players can be good, but do not have a natural squash swing.

A team goal is to reach the top 40 in the rankings, where they currently sit at No. 48. To do so, the players will need to focus on their control.

Patterson stressed the importance of where to place the ball so it lands in a difficult spot for the opponent.

“These guys need to understand the target and be able to hit it there,” said Patterson. “The target area is

red-six, a spot on the court where the red service line intersects with the sixth floorboard from the side wall. The target area is not very big, so the players work on their swings in practice in order to obtain better control.”

Off the courts, the players maintain a relaxed confidence. After a 6-14 season last year, the team is poised to make an improvement and move into the 30s of the rankings, where their coach wants them to be. In practice, their play looks clean with a mix of new and old talent. By all accounts, the team is moving in the right direction, progressing with each practice.

The Rams opened the season on Saturday with a round robin match at Vassar College. Siena College and Bard College also made their way to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. for the all day match. Each of the four schools in competition brought nine players to play in five different pools. The top two spots from each school set up a bracket of eight, with points being doled out depending on the place finished within the bracket. The three-four positions follow the same pattern set by the one-two, and the five-six and seven-eight also play individual matches. The four nine spots are

in a smaller bracket by themselves.

These brackets make up the A, B, C, D and E divisions.

The Rams beat the Vassar squad twice last season, pulling off 8-1 and 8-2 victories in their meetings.

Fordham’s squash team plays on its home courts just three times this

season, with the first home match against NYU on Nov. 17.

If the players manage to control the ball location like Patterson wants them to, the 2013-2014 squash season will be a successful one for Fordham.

ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

Fordham has more true squash players now, rather than converted tennis players.

Rams Runners Move Indoors

By BRYAN KIEL STAFF WRITER

With an improved season in cross country and more depth on both the men’s and women’s sides, the Rams indoor track team looks to improve upon a strong performance last year. Fordham did lose some notable seniors, though.

The men’s team features two strong relay teams that will look to continue their success in the 2013-14 season. The 4x400 relay team, which won gold at the A-10 championships last year, only lost one senior. Seniors Sean Collins and Ian Williams, as well as junior Lester Taylor, return looking to further their success. The 4x800 relay team, led by returning senior Ryan Polo and junior Dan Green, also looks to improve.

In distance, Fordham is led by junior Jonathan Annelli, who placed seventh in the mile run at the Atlantic 10 championships with a time of 4:19. Annelli also placed in the 3000 meter and the medley relay that placed in the IC4A championship last year.

Senior Sam Houston will be one of the most versatile male competitors, placing in events such as the 400 dash, long jump, high jump and heptathlon. His overall point total of 4,829 in the heptathalon gave him a second place finish in the A-10 championships last year.

Junior Austin Ruiz will also return from a strong season as a thrower, placing in the shot put and weight throw.

The Fordham women have top finishers in many different events that can help the team score higher than last season. Senior Titi Fagade is coming off a fantastic indoor season last year and is looking to break even more records going into her final year at Fordham.

During her MVP season last year, Fagade ran on both the 4x400 and 4x800 relays, and finished second at the A-10’s for the 800-meter run.

In mid distance, Fagade has a strong team following her, including junior Melissa Higgins, who scored in two events last year at the A-10 championship. Senior Anisa Arsenault continues her last year as leader of the distance squad.

Placing 11th last year in the 3000 meter run at the A-10s and coming off a stellar cross country season, Arsenault looks to continue her success on the indoor course.

Fordham’s sole pole jumper is sophomore Emma Cleary, whose jump of 10’ 4” at the Manhattan season opener was enough to give her the school record.

Throwers for Fordham include junior dual-athlete Lindsay Ritchie, junior Caitlin Hart and freshman Hailey Serrano.

While Fordham lost some top contenders, one shining note is the number of freshman on both the men’s and women’s teams.

Freshmen Brianne Roche and Adam Schenzfeier are examples of younger team members stepping up in big ways.

Still, the indoor team’s top contenders are its upperclassmen.

Seniors like Fagade, Arsenault and Houston look to cap off great years in their final winters at Fordham.

WINTER PREVIEW

November 6, 2013

Page 2

Women Look to Build on Historic Season

By MATT ROSENFELD SPORTS EDITOR

“It is more difficult to stay on top than to get there.”

Coming off a historic season in which it went 26-9, reached the Atlantic 10 Championship and played in the Women’s NIT Sweet 16, the Fordham women’s basketball team will put Mia Hamm’s famous quote to the test this year, when it tries to continue its success in the 2013-14 season.

This year’s team will be drastically different from last year’s experience-laden squad. When Arielle Collins, Charlotte Stoddart and Marah Strickland graduated, Fordham lost three players who together accounted for around 30 points per game. That is a little more than half of the team’s average.

A host of new faces, some fresh out of high school and others from various Division I programs across the country, will fill the holes left by past Rams.

The incoming freshman class includes four talented players who will produce immediately for the Rams. Alina Gjerkes, comes to the Bronx all the way from Slovenia, joined a line of international recruits that head coach Stephanie Gaitley is becoming known for attracting. Hannah Missry, a sharpshooter from Jackson, N.J., is going to be important in replacing the points that will be missed from Strickland’s exit. If Missry’s seven three-pointers and 25 points in the exhibition game against Kutztown are any indication, she will be a big part of the offense for this year’s Rams.

The freshman class is rounded off by a pair of Danielles. Danielle Burns of Gainesville, Va. is a 5-foot-10-inch matchup nightmare, which she proved by exploding for 13 points and six rebounds against Kutztown.

Danielle Padovano is a six-foot forward from Dayton, N.J. who is going to add depth to a team that sorely lacked it last year.

“I like all of the freshmen,” Gaitley said. “All of the freshmen will contribute this year. They all show the ability to come in and give us something. They all have a very strong work ethic, they all have great attitudes and all bring something to the table.”

Along with four new freshmen, Fordham welcomes two transfer students.

Briana Jordan is a guard who joins the team from Tennessee Tech, where she played in 64 games in just two years, averaging 6.4 points per game.

Jordan is joined by Mary Nwachukwu, who is a graduate student coming to Fordham from St. Johns. A 6-foot-2-inch forward, Nwachukwu will add size as well as a “quiet leadership” that Gaitley will count on to help a young team.

While there is plenty of new blood on this year’s squad, Fordham will be led by three players who were central to last year’s success and will be just as essential this year.

Samantha Clark was the new kid on the block last year, but now plans on being a big contributor in the paint this year. After averaging 8.4 points and 6 rebounds per game last year, Clark showed

a lot of improvement this summer, which will show in the winter.

“Sam Clark did a tremendous job this summer,” Gaitley said.

“She’s better than last year. I think she’s going to be more confident and more of a significant contributer.”

Junior guard Abigail Corning and senior guard Erin Rooney are this year’s captains. Last year, the two both played 35 minutes per game and were stalwarts on both sides of the ball. Not much is going to change, even with the added depth.

“I don’t see Erin and Abigail coming off the court that much because their endurance is so strong,” Gaitley said. “Those two will get very little breaks because they can handle it, and they give it to you on both ends of the court.”

Even though the roster seems to be stacked with talent, it will not be easy to repeat the most successful season in school history.

“We have to do a lot of little things,” Corning said in response to how the team can maintain their success. “Try to outwork our opponents, play defense like Coach [Gaitley] always stresses and to get our young players ready, so when tough games come up, they’re ready for them.”

Bringing together a completely different group from last year can be challenging, but it’s something that the Rams have to do with all of the added talent they have.

“You just try and be a good leader,” Corning said about bringing the team together. “Just be an extension of the coaching staff.

Get across to everybody ‘these are our standards, this is what we’re

going to do.’ Relay that and just be there for them. Everybody’s been a freshman, I’ve been there too, so we just have to be there for them.”

Fordham defeated Division II Kutztown University in an exhibi-

tion game last Sunday 86-49. The team will officially open up its season on Friday, Nov. 8 at 6 p.m. when it hosts the University of San Francisco at the Rose Hill Gym.

ALLY WHITE/THE RAM

Abigail Corning, a captain on this year’s team, is a key to Fordham’s success.

2013-2014 Schedule

Fordham woMen’s Basketball Nov. 8 10 15 17 22 25 30 Dec. 1 7 15 21 29 30 Jan. 2 5 8 11 15 19 25 29 Feb. 1 5 8 11 15 22 26 Mar. 2 ALLY WHITE/THE RAM

Erin Rooney was the first women’s basketball player in Fordham history to receive first team All-Atlantic 10 honors.

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University of San Francisco Penn State University Hofstra University University of the Pacific Yale University American University St. John’s University Cincinnati/Charlotte Holy Cross Illinois State University Manhattan College University of North Carolina at Greensboro Tulsa/Harvard Saint Louis University University of Massachusetts Duquesne University University of Richmond Virginia Commonwealth University University of Dayton University of Massachusetts University of Rhode Island St. Bonaventure University Saint Louis University George Washington University University of Richmond La Salle University Duquesne University George Mason University Saint Joseph’s University

6:00 2:00 7:00 2:00 7:00 7:00 4:00 Lady Rebel Round-Up, TBD Las Vegas 1:00 2:00 7:00 1:00 Fordham Holiday TBD Classic 7:00 2:00 7:00 2:00 7:00 3:30 2:00 12:00 1:00 8:00 2:00 7:00 2:00 7:00 7:00 2:00