The Fordham Ram Volume 100, Issue 1
Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 FordhamRam.com
January 24, 2018
POD Location Opens
South Africa Reopens By HANNAH GONZALEZ
By ERICA SCALISE
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
The South Africa study abroad program has returned for the spring 2018 semester after the university suspended it last spring. This January, the five-month Ubuntu program will take 11 students to the city of Pretoria to study in and engage with the South African community. In Jan. 2017, The Fordham Ram reported the primary concerns behind the program’s suspension were the safety and academic experience of students abroad. Amid protests against the tuition increases of higher education, some universities in South Africa had temporarily closed. Fordham’s partner, the University of Pretoria, had prohibited some students involved in the protests from registering. The Ubuntu program was suspended and placed under review. According to Stephen Freedman, Ph.D., provost of the university, the two primary focuses of the review were community engagement opportunities and the academic and curricular quality of the program. In support of program’s return, he said, “I am very confident that the program we are putting in place has the type of programmatic and curricular opportunities that are the highest of quality.” The dual emphasis on academic experience and community engagement will continue to be a defining feature of the program, according to Maura Mast, dean of Fordham College Rose Hill. “As in the past, the Ubuntu program will offer students a combination of formal, in-class learning, opportunities for personal reflection and learning from the community and opportunities for learning about the culture and the country.” Natalie Ward, FCRH ’19, attributed her decision to take part in the program this semester to this combination of classroom and community-based learning. “I was looking for a study abroad experience where I could both work on SEE AFRICA, PAGE 5
in this issue
Opinion
Page 8 Inclusion, Equality Must Be Central To Women’s March
Sports
Page 24
Women’s Basketball Continues Strong in A-10 Run
Culture Page 16 Dr. Henry Kissinger at 92Y
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
KEVIN STOLTENBORG/THE FORDHAM RAM
Marchers rally in support of equality for women with a focus on encouraging women to vote.
Women’s Rights Marches On By JAKE SHORE STAFF WRITER
People filled the streets of Manhattan on Saturday for the first anniversary of the Women’s March. Fordham students showed support by marching, several with pink hats and colorful signs. Initially a response to President Donald Trump’s inauguration last year, Saturday’s march featured signs and chants relating to the recent #MeToo movement and encouraging more women to vote
and run for office. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office estimates more than 200,000 people attended the march, as measured by NYPD officers patrolling the event. College Democrats headed to the march with 35 club members. President Eleanor Werner, FCRH ’18, said it was important for the club to march and show support for their members who are women.
“Women need to march in general because we need to send a message to this administration and everyone around the world that women deserve just as much as men do. That women are equal and deserve to be treated equally,” said Werner. The event started with a rally by 72nd Street and Central Park before attendees marched down to 59th Street Columbus Circle and then to 6th Avenue. The march
SEE MARCH, PAGE 7
The basement of Queen’s Court opened its doors to a newly renovated convenience store and upgraded deli this past week. The transformation to a Provisions in Demand (POD) location occurred over the course of winter break and has seen success since its opening on the 15th, according to Deming Yaun, university dining contract liaison. “In less than the first 24 hours open on Monday and Tuesday, between three and four p.m., the vast majority of shelves were empty,” said Yaun. Student requests for a convenience store had been vocalized fairly regularly in the past, according to Yaun. “Changes in the Auntie Anne’s establishment had us look at the whole place and made us think about what we could do to improve it,” he said. These changes include the implementation of shelves conSEE POD, PAGE 5
Law School Apps Surge By JOE ESPOSITO FEATURES EDITOR
Applications for the fall semester at law schools across the nation have increased about 14 percent since last year, according to the Wall Street Journal. At Fordham Law, applications have risen a little more than 20 percent over this time last year, according to Kathryn Espiritu, the director of admissions at Fordham Law. Stephen Brown, assistant dean of enrollment at Fordham Law School, said he has seen applicants reacting to the political world around them. “Students are passionate, more so than ever before,” Brown said. After a downward trend in applicants coinciding with the economic crisis of 2008, law schools are beginning to see a trend of increasing applicants, partly attributed to the country’s political atmosphere, according to The Wall Street Journal. One reason for this uptick in applicants is due to an increase in students’ interest in America’s political atmosphere and the legal topics that come with it, the Journal notes. Some believe that Trump’s presiSEE LAW SCHOOL, PAGE 6
ERICA SCALISE/THE FORDHAM RAM
Council Member Ritchie Torres (second from left) and community members announce fire relief plans.
Community Raises $300,000 for Fire
By THERESA SCHLIEP and AISLINN KEELY Council Member Ritchie Torres announced the Belmont community has raised $300,000 to support the families of the victims of the Dec. 28, 2017 apartment fire. Torres’s district includes the Belmont neighborhood adjacent
to the fire. “Belmont has been shaken by the most destructive fire in years,” said Torres at a press conference outside Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. Our Lady of Mount Carmel has been active in the relief efforts. The five-alarm apartment fire killed at least 12 people and critically injured four more, according
to Mayor Bill DeBlasio. According to John Carroll, director of Public Safety, no students or staff were involved. The FDNY responded to the fire around 7 p.m. at 2363 Prospect Avenue, blocks away from the Rose Hill campus. DeBlasio said the fire started on the first floor of the SEE FIRE, PAGE 7