Volume 92 Issue 20

FULL OPUS PRIZE COVERAGE- PAGE 3

MEN’S BASKETBALL BREAKS 22-GAME LOSING STREAK - PAGE 28

SERVING THE FORDHAM UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY FOR OVER 90 YEARS

1918-2010

NOVEMBER17, 2010

VOLUME 92, ISSUE 20

Rumors Abound Over Fall Concert

By PATRICK DEROCHER NEWS EDITOR

Although an official announcement has yet to be made regarding any potential events, the Fordham University community has been host to a multitude of rumors surrounding potential musical performers coming to campus in the near future.

In spite of the rumor mill, the Campus Activity’s Board concert committee has been unable to make any official comment on the nature of the event, as protracted contract negotiations prevent any official announcement.

These rumors, with slight variations, mention the same date, artist and even ticket price. Numerous Web sites, some of which are still up and accessible and some of which are not, have named Sean Kingston, a Miami-based hip-hop and reggae artist of Jamaican origin, as the performer, and Dec. 3, a Friday, as the day of the performance.

Moreover, many of these Web sites listed similar performance times (sometime around 7 or 8 p.m.) and ticket price (about $15) for the event.

Indeed, sites announcing the event may have included Kingston’s personal homepage, though any reference to the Fordham show was quickly removed. It was also removed from his MySpace page, and the Web site SongKick. com currently lists the show as having been cancelled.

Nevertheless, students continue to discuss the matter.

Although sources both at Fordham and in Kingston’s camp have remained officially silent about the matter, and Web sites have potentially outdated information, other signs point to the strong possibility of such a performance.

Kingston, who is on tour with teen pop sensation Justin Bieber, will be beginning a series of shows in the United States at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H., on Dec. 9.

Additionally, Kingston, who has been on numerous Spring Weekend concert surveys in the past, was not an option included on the form that was sent out to the student body on Nov. 11, while other survey staples, such as Ben Folds, Third Eye Blind and Vampire Weekend remained on the list.

All information presented in this article is, and should be considered, rumor and speculation until–and unless–confirmed by CAB concert committee or other pertinent authorities.

Fordham Hosts Opus Prize “Unsung Heroes “ Lauded with $1 Million Prize for Faith-Based Entrepreneurship and Charitable Work in Malawi and Ecuador

By MARK HERREROS STAFF WRITER

Fordham University celebrated the work of two humanitarians with a night of stories, music and international cuisine last Wednesday.

Fordham was chosen among a pool of Catholic institutions to host this year’s Opus Prize Foundation award ceremony event, attended by over 400 people in Keating 1st Auditorium. The Opus Prize is awarded each year “to recognize unsung heroes of any faith tradition, anywhere in the world, solving today’s most persistent social problems,” according to its official Web site.

The event marked an unprecedented split decision by the Opus Prize selection committee, as it recognized the efforts of Sister Beatrice Chipeta, R.S and Father John Halligan, S.J. in utilizing a faith-based entrepreneurial approaches to problems in their local communities. The selection committee ultimately decided to split the $1.2 million prize between the two honorees.

SEE OPUS ON PAGE 3

PHOTO BY CAROLINE DAHLGREN/THE RAM

Sr. Beatrice Chipeta, R.S., and Rev. John Halligan, S.J., were awarded with the annual Opus Prize for faith-based entrepreneurship in a ceremony in Keating 1st Auditorium on Nov. 11.

Fordham Students Meet with Registration Difficulties

By PATRICK DEROCHER NEWS EDITOR

Registration for the spring 2011 semester began on Nov. 8, as the first cohort of students attempted to sign up for classes, they ran into numerous issues in doing so. This group, mostly seniors in Fordham College at Rose Hill and Gabelli School of Business, was largely unable to complete registration for what will be, for many, their final semester at Fordham.

“The only class I could sign up for was Drawing,” Andrea Cody, FCRH ’11, said. “Everybody e-mailed the dean and registration was normal by 1 p.m., but I woke up at 7 a.m. for nothing.”

That early registration time, which perennially draws complaints from the student body, is, according to administration officials, both a remnant of pre-Internet registration processes and a practical matter.

“The 7 a.m. rule was developed by the deans’ offices and Enrollment when Fordham began automated registration in 1996 (with telephone registration),” Dr. Gene Fein, director of academic services for enrollment, said. “If the start time was later, students could potentially skip class or arrive late to class because they were registering. This is not academically acceptable.”

Fein noted that this is especially a concern for commuting students, who have to take into account travel time between the University and their places of residences. He also went on to say that the 7 a.m. registration time also allows academic staff and faculty to be on hand to field and respond to any student issues or concerns.

Another question that arises

among students is the discrepancy in registration times between the University’s Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses. According to Enrollment Services’ Web site, registration for Fordham College at Lincoln Center began on Oct. 25 for students pursuing bachelor’s of fine arts degrees, while registration for all other students spanned from Nov. 1 to Nov. 7. However, Fordham College at Rose Hill and Gabelli School of Business began on Nov. 8 and continues until Dec. 5.

This difference, according to Fein, stems from the gap in the sizes of the two schools.

“Lincoln Center is a smaller school and fewer courses [are] offered than at Rose Hill,” he said. “Simultaneous registration could result in Lincoln Center courses being filled – and closed – by Rose Hill students. Rose Hill students can be closed out of Lincoln Center courses precisely because those courses may be popular and Lincoln Center students should have first opportunity to take courses in their home school. Rose Hill courses are open to Lincoln Center students at the time Lincoln Center students register, just as Lincoln Center courses are open to Rose Hill students at the time Rose Hill students register.”

He said, however, that core courses

at both campuses are restricted to students at that particular campus. This is because Fordham’s academic regulations require that students complete their Core Curriculum at their home campus.

A common issue among many students, as Cody mentioned, was the inability to register for certain courses.

“There are certain student populations that are allowed to register early (such as students studying abroad); those numbers are not large enough to cause the closure of courses,” Fein said.

This was in contrast with reports from many students that, in semesters past, certain courses were listed as closed during this early registration period.

He admitted, however, that errors in Fordham’s system led to some courses that seniors needed to graduate being temporarily closed.

“In an attempt to manage the new Core Curriculum, Advanced Disciplinary Core Courses […] were reserved for FCRH sophomores and juniors,” he said. “This issue was immediately identified by the FCRH dean’s office on the first day of registration and the reservation was changed to include seniors.”

Fein added that this issue meant that FCLC students looking to regis-

ter for such classes could not do so at all during their registration period.

A specific problem that many students encountered was an inability to register for required Senior Values seminars.

“Senior Values courses have a restriction reserving all seats for seniors in their home school,” Fein said. “At FCRH, Fr. Dzieglewicz [Rev. John Dzieglewicz, S.J., assistant dean for seniors at FRH] monitors registration in these courses and maintains a waiting list. As of today there are still seats available in some Senior Values sections.”

Registration problems were not limited to seniors. Many students in all years reported, as they have in the past, difficulties arranging the requisite meetings with their academic advisors to remove advising holds.

“Due to miscommunication with my advisor, I was unable to register until 8:30 a.m. on Monday,” Catherine Paul, FCRH ’13, said. “I believe we had sufficiently discussed my schedule and thought my hold had been lifted, but this was not the case.”

Paul also said that she was able to register only after frantically e-mailing multiple academic deans and that a course she had been looking forward to taking for her minor was already close an hour and a half into her registration period.

Sports PAGE 21

Opinions PAGE 12

Culture PAGE 15

Volleyball earns No. 5 seed in Atlantic 10 tournament.

Thanksgiving Break lasts just the right amount of time.

Harry Potter 7 midnight premieres sweep the country.

INSIDE

NEWS

PAGE 2 • THE RAM • NOVEMBER 17, 2010

SECURITY

BRIEFS

Nov. 12, McGinley Campus Center, 11:45 a.m.

A student placed her ID on a table in the cafeteria to save a seat.

Returning five minutes later, she found it missing.

Nov. 12, Murphy Field, 6-9 p.m.

A student reported that he placed his gym bag containing his wallet, credit card, miscellaneous identification and $80 in cash on the bleachers while playing rugby.

Returning three hours later, he found the bag missing. A search of the area yielded no results and the student called his credit card company to cancel the card.

Nov. 13, Arthur Avenue, 2 a.m.

A student was standing on line to get into Mugz’s when a white, 20-year old male in a black shirt walked up and struck him in the face. The assailant is assumed to be a Fordham student, and the student who was assaulted suffered a broken nose and a broken bone in his face. Security is investigating.

Facilities Management Discusses Environmental Initiatives

By PATRICK DEROCHER NEWS EDITOR

With the upcoming efforts to improve recycling and environmental awareness on both of Fordham’s campuses, Marc Valera, vice president for Facilities Management, discussed environmental initiatives at the United Student Government meeting on Oct. 28. Moving beyond such goals and programs, Fordham’s Facilities Management, and the University’s administration more broadly, are involved in numerous plans to increase Fordham’s environmental image and behavior.

“One of the major things we want students to do is to unsubscribe from catalogs,” Valera said.

He noted that doing so is not only environmentally friendly, but will also help to increase efficiency, and thus cut back on the notorious waits at the University Post Office.

In order to achieve this goal, Valera recommended signing up on the Web site CatalogChoice.org.

Among Facilities Management’s major goals, Valera said, is the previously discussed RecycleMania event.

“We will be measuring the amount of recyclables in each residence hall for 10 weeks beginning

A student reported to Security that she was the victim of a robbery on Nov. 8. One individual grabbed her around the neck while a second removed her handbag, with a cell phone, $45 and an iPod. There were five or six other males present at the time. NYPD is investigating.

Nov. 13, Alumni Court South, 9:30 p.m.

A student reported that his Verizon Droid cell phone, valued at $200, went missing. He had left it in the stall in the men’s room, returning five hours later to find it missing. A check with Lost and Found was negative in its results.

Nov. 14, Alumni Court South, 4 a.m.

An RA discovered a young woman in a friend’s room without being signed in by Security. The incident was referred to the Office of Residential Life.

Nov. 13, Southern Blvd. and Bedforf Park Blvd., 7:20 a.m.

A Ran Van returning from Lincoln Center was involved in an accident with another vehicle.

The six passengers in the van were uninjured, while the drivers of both vehicles suffered minor injuries and were transported to local hospitals.

—COMPILED BY PATRICK DEROCHER

deal properly with waste removal and recyclables.

This, incidentally, was cited as a major cause for prior recycling initiatives. When the University placed recycling bins around campus in the 1996-1997 school year, Valera said, they ended up being filled mostly with garbage.

A second major goal that Valera put forth was the Green Space Initiative. Exemplified by the Louis Calder Center biological field station in Armonk, N.Y., Valera said that the aim of this initiative was to provide natural, unperturbed spaces in which nature was allowed to flourish. In addition to the Calder Center, examples of the initiative at work include rooftop gardens at the Lincoln Center campus and much of the greenery that defines the Rose Hill campus.

Speaking in particular of Rose Hill’s green spaces, Valera pointed out an American elm tree near the Administration Building and Martyrs’ Court that is being measured as potentially the largest elm tree in the United States.

Finally, Valera spoke about energy use and greenhouse gas reduction efforts in which Fordham has been investing time and effort.

The University is participating in an initiative put forth by Michael

Bloomberg, mayor of New York City, to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by the year 2017. (The initiative began in 2005.) Fordham, according to Valera, is more than on track to meet these goals.

“As of now, we have achieved 73 percent of the goal set forth by Mayor Bloomberg,” he said. “If we continue on this path, we will have achieved 130 percent of the goal by 2017.”

Fordham’s baseline emissions for the year 2005 were 31,611 metric tons of carbon dioxide. They currently stand at 22,128 metric tons and are expected to drop to 19,295 metric tones within the next seven years.

Specific steps being taken in this initiative include replacing windows and air-conditioning units across campus, more efficient motors in University vehicles and automatic temperature and boiler controls. These changes are in addition to seeking LEED certification on all new buildings, beginning with Campbell and Salice-Conley residence halls.

All information about these plans, along with specific charts and tables, as available on Facilities Management’s Web site, accessible from Fordham.edu.

‘Rogue Sociologist’ Talks Drug-Based Economies

By KATE MCCABE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Nov. 13, East 188th St. & Washington Ave., 10:15 p.m.

in February,” he said. “It will be a sort of competition between halls.”

RecycleMania is part of a larger, nationwide event that involves, as of now, some 99 schools in 34 states.

Accompanying this effort will be a pilot program involving recycling bins placed around campus, allowing students to participate in Fordham’s recycling initiatives even when not in their residence halls.

Outside of McGinley Campus Center and O’Hare Hall were cited as likely locations for these bins.

In a response to student suspicions and rumors that recycling at Fordham is not nearly as extensive as the University claims, if it happens at all, Valera affirmed that his department and others are committed to recycling, and that these rumors are untrue.

“If there is a small amount of unrecyclable material in a recycling bin, it will not affect our ability to recycle it properly,” Valera said.

He also noted, however, that there have been instances in which the items being improperly placed in recycling bins were extensive enough that recycling the other materials became impossible.

“Training is an ongoing thing,” he said of efforts to ensure that University employees know how to

Sociologist and Columbia University Professor Sadir Venkatsesh gave a lecture on Nov. 15 as part of Campus Activity Board’s American Age Lecture Series. Author of the critically acclaimed book Gang Leader for a Day, Venkatesh discussed his experience as a budding sociologist who studied the lives of a drug-dealing gang living in the South Side of Chicago during his time as a graduate student at the University of Chicago. He did this by befriending the leader of a gang called the Black Kings to further understand the lives of the urban poor, and ultimately answer one question: “why don’t residents of this community trust the police?”

In Keating Hall’s third-floor auditorium, he challenged the audience to ask themselves, “what would happen in the neighborhoods they grew up in if someone drove by a house or apartment building and started shooting?” He further asked why residents of these particular projects refuse to call the police and instead choose to deal with problems like drive-by shootings themselves.

Venkatesh chronicled the history of how he began to study this particular gang, calling himself a “naïve and stupid” graduate student who walked into this particular housing project, called the Robert Taylor projects, with a survey that asked, “how does it feel to be poor and black?” It continued to provide answers such as “very bad-bad-not sure-good-very good.”

After being frisked, harassed by gang members and kept in a stairwell until early the next morning, according to Venkatesh’s book, the leader said to him, “you shouldn’t go around asking [people like us] silly-ass questions…With people like us, you should hang out, get to

know what they do, how they do it.”

And that’s exactly what he did.

For the next seven years, Venkatesh followed the leader of this gang, JT, revealing what happens behind the scenes for leaders of drug-dealing gangs, in addition to the involvement of religious leaders and law enforcement. He cited one instance where leaders of multiple gangs met in a church basement with a priest and police manager to settle a dispute that had caused several shoot-outs.

“There’s a front stage, what you see, ‘residents don’t want to call the police, residents can’t trust the police,’” he said. “And in the back you got the commander, another police officer, residents working totally off the book. This is like [the television show] “The Wire” come to life.”

He also commented on the transition of the gang from a group of collective brotherhood to a business that works similarly to a hedge fund. After JT realized that the main motivation of gang members was to make money, he created a hierarchical structure of members that creates a hope and desire to advance within the drug economy, make more money and collect more power. Even JT worked underneath a board of directors.

According to Venkatesh, that desire to rise up the ladder and that belief in a future within the drug economy is what keeps gang members dealing drugs, even though according to the books of one Chicago street gang, one in four members of Black Kings who is involved in drug dealing for four years will get killed, and on average make $3.25 per hour.

“He can make more working at a fast food restaurant,” Venkatesh said. “But one thing they say you can’t get at McDonald’s is a future.

You can get a wage, free food, but you can’t get a future, at least according to what they believe.”

PHOTO BY DEVON O’ROURKE/THE RAM

Columbia University sociology professor Sudhir Venkatesh discussed his studies of drug economies in Chicago and New York at Fordham on Nov. 15.

Venkatesh’s book and subsequent speaking tour puts a spotlight on the plight of the urban poor living in neighborhoods saturated by gang activity. He knocks down common misconceptions that all gang members are wealthy and uneducated ( JT was college educated, and returned to his neighborhood from the business world because business did not offer any opportunity to climb the corporate ladder).

However, he said he must tell everyone he studies and talks with that his observations and report will not improve their lives.

“I think it’s critical that social scientists say that in that direct a language,” he said. “That just because you answer my questions you let me observe you I’m going to make your life better in any way.”

He also noted the law does not protect sociologists the way it pro-

tects journalists, and he tells all his sources and studies that he will not share his notes with police, but he cannot guarantee anything.

“If the police want the information, they’ll find a way to get it,” Venkatesh said.

“The most interesting part of the lecture was understanding the ins and outs of being a sociologist and the line between getting involved and observation,” Vincent Stracquadanio, FCRH ’11 said.

Venkatesh is currently writing a book about the underground economy in New York from the point of view of wealthy residents, specifically looking at high-end sex workers among other subcultures.

He said he hopes it will be finished

by Spring 2012. He is still in touch with members of the project and JT, who now manages a few retail stores in Chicago.

NEWS

NOVEMBER 17, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 3

OPUS, FROM PAGE 1

Don Neureuther, who presented the awards on behalf of the Opus Prize Foundation, said that splitting the award was the only real solution to acknowledging the accomplishments of both honorees.

“These were both individuals who met every criteria of the Opus Prize Foundation,” Neureuther said. “They had different approaches to solving what we believe are some of the most devastating social issues of our time.”

Chipeta began Lusubilo Community-Based Orphan Care as a response to the needs of orphans and villages in the impoverished and AIDS-stricken country of Malawi. The Opus Prize event marked her first visit to the United States in addition to her first time speaking in front of a large audience. She said she felt greatly honored to receive the award and celebrate last Wednesday.

“It is an inspiration,” Chipeta said. “Not only for me, but all the children. The day of the announcement, they were excited. They danced and celebrated.”

Halligan is the founding direc-

PHOTO BY STEPHEN MOCCIA/THE RAM

Rev. John Halligan, S.J., originally from the Bronx, was declared an Opus Prize finalist for his work combatting systematic and structural poverty in Quito, Ecuador.

tor of the Working Boys Center in Quito, Ecuador, whose mission is to “create, develop and strengthen moral values in young men to help them break free from the unforgiving cycle of poverty and become productive and active members of their community.” Originally from

PHOTO BY CAROLINE DAHLGREN/THE RAM

Sr. Beatrice Chipeta, R.S, has done extensive charitable work in the impoverished nation of Malawi, earning her an Opus Prize finalist spot.

the Bronx and a graduate of Fordham Preparatory School, Halligan attributed the success of the technical school to the volunteers who keep it running every day.

“Thousands of families and working kids have left poverty forever,” Halligan said. “The young volunteers make all the difference.”

The award ceremony was the culmination of over 18 months of work by members of the Fordham community, including students who travelled abroad to visit the honorees and see their work firsthand, and faculty who supervised and participated in the decisionmaking process. According to Monsignor Joseph G. Quinn, who served as the chair for this year’s prize committee, the Opus Prize celebration on Fordham’s campus was a great day for the Fordham community.

“It was a great honor and great challenge for us,” Quinn said. “I really think our entire community benefitted from all this attention, to point to a path that we can live our lives and improve the lives of others. We wanted it to be a moment where we open our eyes widely to the world, and that we recognize that we can make a difference and we can be a difference.”

The celebration continued in the McGinley Center ballroom, where the honorees, guests, faculty

and students were treated to live music and Malawi and Ecuadorian cuisine. Neureuther said he was pleased by Fordham’s effort this year as host and partner in the decision-making process.

“Their commitment to service came through in every aspect of this,” Neureuther said. “We’re delighted with the event, and we’re delighted so many Fordham students attended. It just shows their own commitment to service, the poor and to people who are working to transform the lives of the poor. This is a great celebration. I can’t begin to tell you what it has meant to Sr. Beatrice and Fr. John.”

Quinn said this year’s ceremony was special for Fordham University, as it also celebrated the Catholic faith shared by the two honorees.

While the Opus Prize Foundation recognizes and considers individuals from a wide range of faiths and traditions, it ultimately decided to honor two Catholic individuals this year.

“It’s kind of surprised us ourselves that we both landed on two Catholic recipients,” Quinn said. “It certainly was not our intention, but we’re delighted to see within the Catholic context, heroes of faith, heroes of hope, heroes of love.”

Emily Rochotte, GSB ’14, and Bridget Fox, FCRH ’14, said they were impressed by this year’s event

and the honorees. Rochotte said that the faith aspect of the Opus Prize is a welcome change from most entrepreneurial awards.

“It’s a different type of award as opposed to regular entrepreneurs that are working in business, as opposed to directly helping people,” Rochotte said. “They are less known and they are unsung heroes.

These people are actually working with the children that their organization helps, and God influences what they’re doing on a daily basis.”

Rochotte and Fox said they agreed that both honorees deserved the award.

“I was really amazed,” Fox said.

“It was really inspiring. They both did incredible work. You really did want both of them to get it.”

“They definitely deserved the money they got,” Rochotte said.

“I was so worried when I got there that one person was going to get more than the other, but I was really happy that they ended up splitting it.”

Quinn said that he hopes the members of the Fordham community will carry on the celebration in their hearts.

“Hopefully we are challenged to think about how we live our lives when we examine the needs of the world,” Quinn said. “I hope that we too, can be heroes for others.”

Globalization, Religion and Culture Panel Precedes Opus Prize Experts Discuss “Globalization and the Ecology of Caring” at Lincoln Center Event in Lead-up to Opus Prize; Finalists Chipeta and Halligan in Attendance.

By CONNIE KIM STAFF WRITER

Preceding the actual presentation of the Opus Prize, a panel took place on Nov. 10 at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus entitled “Globalization and the Ecology of Caring” with the panelists focusing on untold stories and unsung heroes, and exploring the unresolved quandaries of caring in an interconnected world.

Sponsored by Fordham Center on Religion and Culture, this forum was part of a two-day event for celebrating the awarding of the Opus Prize.

The Opus Prize, an annual faith-based humanitarian award, recognizes unsung heroes who, guided by faith and an entrepreneurial spirit, are conquering the world’s most persistent social problems.

The forum featured William F. Baker of Channel 13/WTEN as a

moderator, Fred de Sam Lazaro of St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn. as a speaker and Jacqueline Novogratz, founder and CEO of the Acumen Fund and Lawrence MacDonald, a vice president of the Center for Global Development as the two panelists.

The two 2010 Opus Prize recipients, Sister Beatrice Chipeta, O.P., and Rev. John Halligan, S.J., also attended the event, with the introduction by Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University.

“The occasion for this evening in part is our honoring of these two modern-day saints and [to see how] their lives invite us to reflect upon globalization and the ecology of caring in the 21st century,” McShane said.

The actual event began with a movie clip showing people fighting poverty and illiteracy in a town located in the remote Hi-

malayan foothills of India to that Fred de Sam Lazaro reported on the PBS “Newshour.”

Hosted by Baker, the first half of the forum was made up of de Sam Lazaro’s answering questions by sharing his experience as a journalist who focuses on stories that are under-reported in mainstream media. Since his reports were relevant to the intent of the forum, many of the clips that he reported were used to disclose the under-told but persistent social problems and how there are people who dedicate themselves to help transform the lives of others.

During the speech, de Sam Lazaro conveyed his hardships as a journalist who mainly focuses on the under-told stories. However, he emphasized how important it is to reveal those problems to bring change in the world.

“Typically, a news editor will ask regarding reports of the cur-

rent poverty, ‘What is new about poverty?” he said. “If it is not new, it is not news. And another question one often asks is, ‘so what?’

[Therefore,] we try to bring solution-oriented stories by using strong character driven narratives with people who are doing something about it and having some success with [the problems].”

The next half of the forum consisted of the discussion of the three panelists with views regarding current social issues and solutions that can be drawn from all of us.

Novogratz, one of the panelists, and the founder and CEO of Acumen Fund, a nonprofit global venture firm that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solving global poverty, stressed that bringing a positive change with many different approaches is necessary even when it involves an approach that can be risky and difficult. “[Something that is] fascinat-

ing about our investment is that for every dollar we invest, we are bringing in [an] additional $4,” Novogratz said. “This year alone we will create 30,000 jobs in healthcare, housing, water, alternative energy and cultural inputs. So the model is starting to work. We feel extremely confident that we will get 90 percent of them back. See[ing] the kind of significant change that we are beginning to witness [is even worthier]. Through social media and the new technology every one of us can be an advocate. I tell many young people these days, ‘if you wake up in the morning and decide that you want to change the world, then do it. [The fact that] we are starting to see those actions by young people is exciting.”

The forum, held in Pope Auditorim, was open to the public for free and most attendees were not Fordham students.

PAGE 4 • THE RAM • NOVEMBER 17, 2010

NEWS

Fordham in Brief Fordham Ranked as Veteran-Friendly College A new survey by Military Times EDGE magazine, which emphasizes educational and career opportunities for veterans, ranked Fordham University 55th out of the top 101 colleges that accommodate veterans’ needs and make their success a priority.

The magazine invited more than 4,000 colleges and universities to respond to questions regarding their resources, policies and programs for veterans. The categories on which the responding institutions were evaluated included financial assistance, such as scholarships specifically for veterans, academic flexibility in terms of accepting and collaborating with military education the veteran may have already completed, how veterans fit into the campus culture and the amount of resources the institution puts to-

ward veterans’ services.

“This is a tremendous source of pride and encouragement for the people in many offices who have worked hard to make sure Fordham is as veteran-friendly as possible,” Michael Gillan, Ph.D., co-chair for the FordhamVets Task Group and associate vice president for the Westchester campus, said.

At the discretion of Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University, Fordham participates in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program. The program allows the University to offer government-matched grants covering the entirety of tuition and fees to veterans who are 100 percent eligible.

To fit into this category, veterans must have served on active duty for 36 months since Sept. 11, 2001 or served 30 continuous days after Sept. 11, 2001 with an honorable discharge due to service-related disability.

Diversity Networking Banquet Keynote Speaker Stresses Diversity, Inclusion as Corporate Practices A diverse workforce is a worthwhile investment for companies striving to compete in an increasingly diverse, global marketplace, according to Lillian Rodríguez López, FCRH ’85, head of the Hispanic Federation, who spoke at Fordham’s Diversity Networking Banquet on Nov. 3.

“When you build inclusion into a structure, what you build is trust, cohesion and unity,” Rodríguez López said, addressing the more than 200 students and 20 recruiters from various corporations that are seeking to recruit a diverse workforce.

“It’s whether or not we’re willing to accept that we are a

country founded on the basis of freedom, diversity and multiculturalism,” Rodríguez López said.

“If we don’t accept that, and remember that is what made us great, we’re doomed to fail.”

The annual event, hosted by the Office of Career Services, gives students the chance to meet with recruiters that make diversity a priority. Rodríguez López stressed that diverse recruiting in an inclusive spirit should be the rule rather than the exception.

“Why don’t we decide today that diversity just is?” she said.

“We don’t need to make a case for it. We don’t need to defend it anymore, but we do need to make a case for inclusion.”

Increasing globalization makes inclusion of people from diverse backgrounds, cultures and races necessary for companies to succeed, according to Rodríguez López.

“It means you make everyone welcome to bring their best to your work environment,” she said. “When you build inclusion, it shows you value diversity and success. For the companies here today, thank you for taking the time to invest in our students.

You’re really investing in your own future.”

Rodríguez López, whose nonprofit membership organization serves nearly 100 health and human services agencies in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, also offered encouragement to students.

“All of these students know their communities,” she said.

“These are our next leaders and their trajectory within Fordham and outside of this great institution, will set the stage for how companies and this country succeed or fail.”

—COMPILED BY VICTORIA RAU

USG President Sara Kugel Commissions Budget Task Force

By VICTORIA RAU ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

United Student Government Executive President Sara Kugel, FCRH ’11, commissioned a budget task force to perform an audit of the student activities fund in an executive order dated Nov. 4.

In the wake of USG discussions about raising the student activity fee, to which every student contributes and which the Budget Committee allocates to clubs, and in light of the current administration’s goal of increased transparency, the budget task force will investigate budget allocations back to the year 2004.

Emily Amato, FCRH ’12, vice president of finance on USG, and Michael DiTanna, FCRH ’13, vice president of information technology, will serve as chairpersons for the task force, while DiTanna will also serve as chief auditor. Amato and DiTanna selected Jenny Burns, FCRH ’11, and Jobin Varghese, FCRH ’13, to join them on the task force as primary auditors.

According to Kugel, she decided to order the creation of the task force in order to evaluate the way budget committee uses the money it has before questioning the sufficiency of the student activity fee.

“My job is to make sure that students are protected,” Kugel said. “And one of those things is making sure that the student activities fee, which students pay, is being allocated responsibly.”

Budget Committee has approximately $400,000 to $500,000 to allocate on budget day each semester, according to Amato’s estimate, but the records of these allocations have never been examined. The task force hopes to identify parts of the allocation process that facilitate wasteful spending and propose amendments to the process that will encourage fiscal responsibility.

“If clubs are using this [funding] to go out to dinner, to buy things that students never see, that students are never able to utilize or benefit from, then it’s a

waste of their money, so we just have to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Kugel said, though she emphasized that such findings will not prompt a punitive response.

“This isn’t us policing the clubs,” she said. “It’s really us just reevaluating how we, USG, give out this money to clubs. Are we doing it in the best, most efficient way?”

DiTanna echoed her sentiments.

“We’re not witch hunters,” he said. “We’re not the Inquisition.

I have no doubt that we’re going to find problems, that we’re going to find misappropriations and that we’re going to find unethical things that have been done, but we’re here almost as plumbers, to plumb up the leaks and fix the system.”

The task force will conduct the audit in five phases. Stage One, already completed by the primary auditors as of Nov. 16, involved compiling all the accounting records of financial transactions that took place out of the student activities fund from 2004 to 2010 into one comprehensive report. According to the auditor briefing, these Budget Committee records include but are not limited to “budget day allocations, weekly allocations, re-allocations, date changes, referendum expenditures and self-generated funding.”

Stage Two, currently underway, consists of the primary auditors reviewing the records to identify trends and write a list of the core problems that currently afflict the budget process.

In Stage Three, three to six auxiliary auditors will join the task force to provide a more diverse perspective in analyzing the records and proposing solutions.

These new members will not be affiliated with USG or with Budget Committee.

“By not having [other] USG members, we’re really trying to create the most neutral and unbiased auditing entity to review the whole process,” DiTanna said.

Once the team of primary and

auxiliary auditors produces a final report comprised of all the data they reviewed in addition to their suggestions for reform, they will present this report to the senate at a USG meeting. Club leaders will also be invited to this meeting in order to conduct an open forum. The senate will then vote on the task force’s proposals.

Finally, the task force will present its findings and USG-approved proposals to the Student Life Council, although Kugel said that since this audit is so unprecedented, it is still unclear as to whether or not SLC must also approve the proposed solutions.

Kugel said that the overall goal of the task force is to reform the budget process so that all students and all clubs benefit from its allocations. While the auditors will present solutions to help the Budget Committee function more responsibly and fairly, it will be up to the Budget Committee to change the way they operate.

“Our job is not to implement this plan,” DiTanna said. “Our job is to neutrally propose this, find the problems [. . .] from the books [and] from a monetary perspective. Efficiency, equality and growth are what we’re really going for.”

The audit’s goals focus on the future of the allocation process rather than past indiscretions.

“We’re not trying to call out specific organizations, specific people,” Amato said. “That’s not our job. We’re looking at it as a whole, as a system, the budget system.”

“We’re purely looking at the numbers from the past to see if there’s a trend, to see if we’ve been effective or not,” Burns said. “No club is going to be penalized for the past spending or what they’re doing [. . .] Anything they’ve done has been approved by operations or budget in the past.”

Among the primary auditors’ preliminary findings were problems with referendum club allocations, ratios of cost-to-students for events, the mechanics of the system as a whole and the reallo-

cation process.

Clubs to which the Budget Committee allocates funds by “referendum” have set budgets for each semester and do not have to apply for a specific amount of funding on a semester-by-semester basis.

DiTanna said that there has been a loss of oversight with regard to referendum clubs, creating a sort of “double standard” by which referendum clubs are entitled to much more funding and have to justify it much less than other clubs.

In evaluating cost-to-student ratios of events in the years under review, auditors found that some events cost more than is ideal for the number of students the events reached. Burns said that the priority should be allocating money to events that reach greater numbers of students.

The auditors found many flaws in the mechanics of the budget system, resulting from misinterpreted regulations set by past Budget Committees and poor record keeping.

“As vice president of finance, I feel like the process is something I inherit, not something I create,” Amato said, adding that the system would benefit from more clarity of the rules for the process. “From every end of the process, there are [different] ways to interpret the rules, and that’s not the nature of a regulation.”

One example of this phenomenon is the reallocations process, by which clubs request a certain amount of money for an event and are supposed to return the funding if the event costs less than expected. If they determine a new need for the excess funding, they are supposed to resubmit an appeal to the committee. Currently, though, clubs are abusing the system, according to DiTanna.

“In the current rules, there’s nothing to stop a club from requesting huge amounts of money, and that money is safe so they can reallocate it later,” DiTanna said.

When clubs engage in this type of activity, the funds they requested are “frozen,” so that

even while the money is not being used, the budget committee cannot allocate it to other clubs.

The task force hopes to suggest changes to the system that would combat this problem.

“It’s every student’s money, so we want to be using it in the best way for the students,” Burns said.

Kugel said that she hopes to keep this task force on track by employing an ambitious timeline. Before Thanksgiving break, the auxiliary auditors should be selected, the problems identified and the numbers examined. By the end of the semester, the first round of proposals should be finished and presented to USG.

THIS

week at FORDHAM Thurs., Nov. 18 St. Jude’s Up ’til Dawn Letter Writing, Ramskellar, 4 p.m.

Fri., Nov. 19 Go! India Breakfast Sale, Outside Dealy Hall, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Sat., Nov. 20 Yoga, Keating B23 10- 11:30 a.m.

Sun., Nov. 21 Band & Orchestra Concert, Fordham Prep Theatre, 3 p.m.

Sun., Nov. 21 Expressions Rehearsal, Keating B23, 5-11:30 p.m.

Mon., Nov. 22 Mock Trial Wreath Sale, McGinley Center Lobby, 5-7 p.m.

Tues., Nov. 23 Flava Rehearsal, Rose Hill Commons, 7:30-11 p.m.

Wed., Nov. 24 Peer Educators Executive Board Meeting, McGinley 212, 9:30-10:30 p.m.

—COMPILED BY ABIGAIL FORGET

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PAGE 6 • THE RAM • NOVEMBER17, 2010

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NOVEMBER 17, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 7

The Gabelli School of Business 2009-2010 Dean’s List The Gabelli School of Business is proud to recognize the students who earned Dean’s List honors for the Fall 2009-Spring 2010 academic year.

Alexandra Adamo Waqas Ahmad Boris Alergant Murtaza Ali Rafeena Ally Natalie Amato Megan Amo Michael Andreou Matthew Anuszkiewicz Anthony Apollo Christian Aristy Benjamin Arland Matthew Arth Saisandeep Avuthu Patrick Babis Joseph Bakalian Robert Barelli Deirdre Barr Jonathan Belford David Bellinger Christina Berey Valentina Berisha Marta Bizio Trevor Blass Annelies Bonello Jonathan Bonin Peter Bortolussi Gregory Boutross Emily Bower Jonathan Bowler Craig Boyarsky John Braithwaite Kyle Brengel Michael Britton James Brolly Nicholas Brooks Patrick Brown Steven Burgermeister Jennifer Butt Ryan Byrne Judelkis Cabrera Samantha Carow Anthony Cassiere Jessica Castano Audrey Cawley Allison Cerone Lina Chen Christopher Chi Steven Cirincione Jennifer Clarici Brendan Colby Matthew Collins Robert Connell Matthew Cooper Michael Coppola Ryan Coppola Erica Coston John Critelli Larry Cruz Paul Cunningham Michael Cuomo Lucy Curran Salvatore Cusumano Michael D’Agostino Caroline Dahlgren Leor Dahut Bridget Dalton Margaret Daly Ricardo De Albuquerque Marco De Sousa Jesse DeBiase Nicholas Delligatti Nicoletti DePaul Juliane Desforge

Yari Diaz DeAnna DiNapoli Amanda D’introno Caitlin Dolan Hai Dong Catherine Dunn Julian Edelman Maeve Egan Alexander Erker Anthony Errante Andrew Esposito Kevin Fallon Christopher Farra Salvatore Favuzza Jennifer Fazzolari Joseph Feghali Yu Jing Feng Domenick Ferrera Steven Ferry Jessica Figa Christine Fitzsimmons Kimberly Foley Daniel Fusco Nicholas Galatas Allison Galbally Matthew Galici Julianne Gaudio Matan Gavish Irina Georgescu Peter Ghaly Joseph Gioia Domenico Giovine SiHien Goh Steven Goncalves Jorge Gonzalez Kacper Grabinski Louis Grasso Margaret Graver Daniel Greco Thomas Griffin Christi Griffiths Michael Grippaldi Robert Gu Taryn Guerrera Michael Guiness Jonathan Gunawan Catalina Hallock Christina Hankin Douglas Hanly Susanne Hansen Patrick Harrington Pranvera Hasanaliaj Lauren Hefele Daniel Hegarty Kelly Heimrich Christopher Hendrix Sidney Henne Claudia Hernandez Lauren Herrick Michael Hidalgo Daniel Hodd Max Honerkamp Kenneth Hopkins Kevin Horan Rebecca Horne William Hosinski Junpeng Hou Wenyi Hu Andrew Hughes Tyler Igielski Bohdan Ivantsyk Daniel Jacob Gregory James Lauren Jantsch

Rosa Jiminian Bradley Johnson David Kallman Rahul Kamal Amanda Kawczak John Keaney Steven Keeler Jonas Kelletshofer Eileen Kelly Matthew Kelly Christina Kennedy Matthew Kennedy John Ketcham Daniel Keyes Michael Killeen Joshua Kim Ku Kim Alexander Kipel Robert Kircher Nicholas Kleinbub Alice Kronenberg Tammy Kwok Anthony Landi Elias Laris Daniel Leavey Jason Lee Matthew Lee Delaney Leighton Michael Leithead Noah Leonowich Tsz Leung Stephanie Lezama Hanhua Li Michael Li Hoi Andy Lin Jinshu Lin Ling Lin Zheng Lin Marcus Lindberg Laura Loffredo Hoiyeung Luk Angela Luongo Jennifer Ly Timothy Lynch Gian Maria Magrini John Mahar Brett Mahoney Brian Mallon Stefanie Manna Mary Mantell Alyssa Marino Travis Marmara Nicholas Martucci Michael Martynowicz Bryan Matis Jacqueline Matos Kevin Mcaleer Joseph McBride-Meara Sean McChesney Kelly Mcevoy Lily McGettigan Daniel McGinty James McGlinch Kathryn Mcnabola Deidre McPhillips Diane Mei Gregory Meltzer Erin Meskill Ricky Mewani Matthew Micheli Antonino Milio Stephanie Miller Christopher Minutoli Cristopher Mirbach

Bradford Mitchell Celine Montalla Hanah Moriguchi Michael Morreale Ryan Muirhead Clarke Munson Sean Murphy Owen Murray Katelyn Muscatello Joseph Muzyczyn Justin Nader Vesna Naidoo Ngoc Ngo Khanh Robert Nguyen Thomas Nolan Danielle O’Boyle James O’Brien Sean O’Connor Kara Oliveri Leah Olverd Andreas Pafitis Monica Palaia Nicole Palermo Christina Palumbo Kathryn Pando Carolyn Passaro Sindy Paulino Joseph Penteck Mark Perazella Victor Perretta Hallie Petersen Razvan Petric Nikki Piccirilli Robert Pigue Sean Pinckney Eli Plangger Cynthia Poiesz Athisin Poolsawaddi Emily Porter Katherine Price Keith Pulsifer Raymond Purgert Zhihan Qiu Richard Ragusa Martha Rakowicz Ian Ramos Danielle Rapaccioli Anton Rayetskyy Siobhan Reidy Matthew Reilly Norman Reilly Eric Reinhard John Renda Anton Risteski Clinton Rodriguez Anastasia Romanova Jennifer Roncoroni Christine Ropke Alexander Ross Timothy Rozmus Colleen Rush Alexandra Sadinsky Timothy Salmon Christopher Sanjurjo Rajesh Sansarran Sujoy Sarkar Daniel Sawyer Amanda Sayegh Alexander Schillaci Robert Schmidt Christopher Schneck Jonathan Schneider Jeffrey Schoenfeld Gloria Scrocco

Reena Shah Rushi Shah Stephen Shami Elena Shchedrina Jie Shen James Shields Harpreet Singh Ranjodh Singh Reena Singh Sarah Siracusa Aleksandr Slavin Megan Smith Melissa Stanley Craig Staub Louis Steadman Andrew Stone John Sullivan Matthew Sullivan Michael Sullivan Jieru Sun Jillian Switzer Elliot Talbot Billy Tan SiHua Tan Anna Tang Vladimir Temerte Robert Thompson Erin Tierney Julia Tomei Frank Torrone Laura Traflet Evangelos Tsevdos Maria Tuchinsky Alyssa Turillo Daniel Tzortzatos Zaily Valoy Georgia Vazouras Nicholas Veliky Zachary Venditto Christopher Vingo Christina Vlachos Jack Vrablik Joseph Vuolo Ronika Vyas Matthew Wachtel Garret Wade Amy Wadyka Katherine Wah Tiantian Wan Katherine Wells Peter Wesolowski Ross Wiener Alexandra Wiggins Michael Wolff Emily Wong Fanny Wu Jiayi Xu Li Xu Yujin Ye Corey Yeap Christos Yerolemou Louis Yeung Kevin Yevchak Stephanie Yu Tian Yu Mohamed Zakaria Peter Zar Sulijiang Zhu Peter Zirkle Matthew Zlotkin Loveleen Zoria Caitlin Zwick

PAGE 8 • THE RAM • NOVEMBER 17, 2010

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NOVEMBER 17, 2010

PAGE 9

Point-Counterpoint: Course Selection

CHRIS SEWARD/MCT

Class registration often stresses students out as they search for the perfect schedule with their preferred professors. That can be a problem when Fordham offers conflicting course listings for the semester.

Diverse Classes and Advising Programs Help Fordham with Registration

By BRIAN KRAKER ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR

Lecture halls are not meant for classes but for naps. With a professor droning on and barely audible in the middle of the auditorium, a student’s time is better served catching up on some much-needed sleep than acting like an attentive student.

Other students choose this wasted hour to create Picassos in their notepads or arrange weekend outings via text message.

Regardless of how students pass the time in a lecture hall, few actually benefit from the material presented.

Fordham recognizes the futility of teaching students in a lecture setting.

The University intentionally caps classes and offers limited courses in lecture halls.

Fordham promotes that its average class size is 22 students, an intimate setting that is more conducive to learning.

Fordham is exactly as advertised, a medium-sized Jesuit school with an emphasis on each class. The majority of classes are not hosted in lecture halls, but small classrooms, where class discussion is preferred to droning monologues. Professors are personally invested in each student, while at larger universities, some proctors could hardly pick their students out of a police lineup. If Fordham were to expand its course offerings, it would wear professors thin, hurting the quality of education each student receives. While the course selection at Fordham may be more limited than at state schools, the personalized education students gets from each class far outweighs the benefits of having access to a larger course catalogue.

In more liberal fields of study, Fordham offers a constant variety of course selection. In areas such as English, history and theology, professors are able to choose the specific topics on which to focus their class. Rather than repeating the same course listing each semester, different subjects are offered, giving students a wide selection each semester. In the history department a student can take a class focused on World War II and the following semester find a class studying the Crusades. This revolving door of class topics provides multiple opportunities each semester.

This constant change not only benefits the students with respect to class selection, but allows professors to remain interested in the topics they teach. If a professor repeated the same course each semester, the

course would become boring to lead. As the professor simply goes through the motions, students are ultimately affected, expecting one of Fordham’s best and instead finding a proctor defeated by repetition.

Allowing professors to engage in new topics keeps classes interesting, which ultimately benefits the proctor as well as the student.

The Fordham Web site is not perfect.

Occasionally there are typos on course times that completely alter a student’s scheduling. This past registration cycle, the English department listed a required theory class from 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. yet a My.Fordham class search yielded a time allotment of 10 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. While initial confusion arose, the English department issued an e-mail notifying students the correct time was 10 a.m. With any computerized system there is bound to be a few mistakes simply by human error. Rather than storming the Bastille and demanding answers from the president himself, students should remain patient and the respective department will sort out any minor problems that may exist.

As students attempt to fulfill their core requirements, they are met with confusing language. Each student needs to fulfill classes in categories such as Eloquentia Perfecta, which sounds more like a spell out of Harry Potter than a class. Although Degree Works is designed to aid students in fulfilling the proper classes, it is not always successful in answering all pertinent questions.

Instead, Fordham offers remedies for these inconsistencies: advisors. Although most students view these required meetings as a nuisance rather than helpful, advisors can be useful. If students have questions regarding fulfilling requirements or advise about a course, these professors are meant to instruct students on their decisions.

The process of scheduling classes at Fordham may not be perfect, but there is no need to change it. Fordham has developed a system designed to encourage new classes and small learning environments.

While students may inevitably encounter a little confusion with the Web site, the course selection process ultimately provides students the best way to select their desired classes.

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

Misleading Communications and Listing Discrepancies Create Confusion

By CHRISTINE BARCELLONA OPINIONS EDITOR

When registration season comes around, students scramble to find the perfect combination of classes to take the following semester. This frustrating puzzle is even more complicated for students who seek to block out afternoons for work or internships. However, this scheduling scramble is exacerbated by the frequent difficulty of finding interesting classes that meet major or core requirements, particularly due to misrepresentation of current course offerings on Fordham’s Web site.

Many students may recall when, as prospective applicants, they flipped through Fordham’s hefty course catalog or clicked through the Web site, amazed by the myriad course offerings. Of course, that was probably before they realized that not all of the courses were offered at Rose Hill, so extra commuting time must be scheduled, which might interfere with their ability to actually take these classes.

Also, that was before they realized that some cosmic law of nature seems to exist, which dictates that if there are two classes a college student wants to take, it is fated that they will occur at the same time, on the same day of the week. These realizations are frustrating for students, though they are not necessarily the University’s fault, as long as administrators make sure that popular classes in the same discipline are not scheduled for the same time slot.

The real problem, which adds to the naturally occurring frustration of class scheduling, is the University’s inaccurate course listings online and elsewhere. While the department Web sites are generally well updated, there are still contradictions.

For example, DegreeWorks offers what at first glance seems like an extremely helpful service. It lists courses that students still need to take for their major, then opens a dialog box listing course that work toward that requirement, so students can see at a glance what they still lack.

What makes this option not just unhelpful, but plain frustrating, is that many of these course listings are not actually offered and have not been for some time. For example, English students may notice that if they have not finished their historical distribution requirement, one of the courses listed as a suggestion for them to take is English Lit: Beowulf to 1660.

Though it is lovely to have the course number and a description of the qualifying class appear on DegreeWorks, students should not

get excited about potentially taking the course the following semester. While this class is listed under the Fordham Center for Medieval Studies’ Web site as one of the course offerings for fall 2003, the course is not offered at either campus for the spring 2011 semester.

If a similar-seeming course is listed under the English department’s page, it is by no means the same class. The course advertised on DegreeWorks focuses on how literary traditions from Beowulf through the 16th century “shape social values as well as conceptions of authorship, textuality, reading and gender.” On the other hand, this spring’s Beowulf-related class is actually “Beowulf in Old English,” and focuses on that single text and related criticism and interpretations. It also requires a prerequisite, so it would not work as a single class to take to finish the historical distribution requirement.

DegreeWorks is not the only part of the Web site that misrepresents course offerings. Other sections of Fordham’s Web site list classes that may not be offered, like the “Core Curriculum for the Class of 2013 and Beyond” page, which lists courses that fulfill the physical science requirement, like Food Chemistry, which does not appear on My.Fordham.edu as a class that is offered for spring 2011.

This is not just confusing to current students who seek to fill core requirements; it also misleads prospective students and their parents, who are often told to visit that page for a representation of classes that Fordham offers. If the University plans to list courses on its Web site like this, it should specify whether they will be offered in the upcoming semester, or if they are just an example of the types of classes sometimes offered.

Students would be better served if this kind of misrepresentation did not occur on Fordham’s Web site. No part of Fordham’s Web site or registration-related materials should list courses that are not offered anymore, especially if they are not clearly marked with a label like “course formerly offered.” Also, on DegreeWorks, these no-longer-extant courses are mixed in with courses that will be offered next semester, which only heightens the confusion. Students have enough obstacles to puzzling out their schedule without being misled by the University’s own online resources.

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

Staff Poll: When The Ram was polled, 11 staff members thought the Fordham course selection was confusing or frustrating; 7 staff members did not.

OPINIONS

PAGE 10 • THE RAM • NOVEMBER 17, 2010

The Ram Serving campus and community since 1918.

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

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

www.theramonline.com Editorial: (718) 817-0873 Production: (718) 817-4381 Newsroom: (718) 817-4394 Advertising: (718) 817-4379 Fax: (718) 817-4319 theram@fordham.edu Fordham University - Station 37 Box B Bronx, NY 10458 Editor-in-Chief Mark Becker Managing Editor Abigail Forget Design Editor Stephen Moccia Business Editor Caroline Dahlgren News Editor Patrick Derocher Assistant News Editor Victoria Rau Opinions Editor Christine Barcellona Assistant Opinions Editor Brian Kraker Culture Editor Celeste Kmiotek Assistant Culture Editor Jen Cacchioli Sandy McKenzie Sports Editors Danny Atkinson Nick Carroll Assistant Sports Editor Jonathan Smith Copy Chief Claire Borders Copy Team Mary Alcaro Tara Cannon Tom Haskin Sean McGonigle Olivia Monaco Sarah Ramirez Hussein Safa Veronica Torok Ryan Vale Photo Editor Simon Sulit Operations and Outreach Mike Burkart Web Editor Kelly Caggiano Assistant Web Editors Tracy Fan Ou Cara Stellato Faculty Advisor Beth Knobel Opinions Policy The Ram appreciates submissions that are typed and saved on a disk in a *.rtf, *.txt or *.doc formats, or sent to the staff via e-mail at RamLetters@fordham.edu. Commentaries are printed on a space available basis.

The Ram reserves the right to reject any submission for any reason, without notice.

Submissions become the exclusive property of The Ram and will not be returned.

The Ram reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions in The Ram’s editorials are those of the editorial board; those expressed in articles, letters, commentaries, cartoons or graphics are those of the individual author. No part of The Ram may be reproduced without written consent.

From the Desk of Abigail Forget, Managing Editor When I moved into my room in O’Hare this August, I was greeted with unsightly green and black mold trailing out of all three vents on my ceiling. After taking photos as proof that the filth was actually present before I arrived (ResLife hit my roommate with a fine after accidentally leaving a box of Claritin behind last year; you can’t be too careful) my boyfriend attempted to scrub it off.

The mold came off for the most part, so I never gave it too much thought in the weeks following.

As the semester progressed, my roommate and I found ourselves with perpetual stuffy noses and watery eyes, not to mention we traded off sneezing so often that we stopped saying, “God bless you,” to one another. Allergy season, hay fever season and essentially any other season for my roommate and I to be experiencing these allergy symptoms had long passed and it was becoming quite an annoyance.

In the past few weeks, this really seemed to escalate for me, when I began to wake up wheezing with bloodshot eyes and the inability to breathe easily without convulsing into a coughing fit. After multiple appointments at the Health Center (so many that I’m pretty sure that the student workers think I have several diseases), I was diagnosed not with a virus, the flu or even a common cold, but with a severe allergic reaction

to something in my environment.

It was quickly narrowed down to the possibility of mold still being in my room, inside the vents.

The Health Center urged me to call Facilities immediately; it was an important medical issue that needed to be resolved as soon as possible.

I was given one of those weird, random, “magic tickets” from Facilities who acknowledged that the Health Center’s request was indeed a priority issue and assured me that their HVAC man would be in my room by the afternoon. Nobody came. I called the office the next day to see where the communication had been misconstrued and was told that I needed to speak with a supervisor to get my issue moved up in priority. I was transferred to an extension and my call was sketchily dropped.

The confirmation that my health issue was going to be taken care of ASAP seemed to have been forgotten or pushed to the side. By the third day, I kept calling and calling until I was told that someone was going to come in the next five minutes. They did, finally. In the meantime, during those three days, I was put on prescription eye medication and antibiotics for the possibility that I had been inhaling mold spores.

The Facilities workers who responded to the call told me to go into the study lounge during the

extraction and in those 45 minutes I saw them carrying disgusting heaps of dust, dirt and mold from my vents into the trash room. The fact that they both wore surgical masks to complete the task is what really got me; every single day, my roommate and I were breathing stuff that these men were protecting themselves from. Although they were very understanding and extremely efficient, the fact that the entire process from my initial phone call to an allergen-free room took far too long was very disconcerting.

I pay $10,265 to live in a double room in O’Hare, several hundred dollars more than what a double costs in Walsh or Finlay.

Obviously the fact that O’Hare is a newer building and tends to offer more programs than the other residence halls should be considered. However, I would hope that some of my money is going toward Facilities and Custodial Services, not just ice cream socials and free Tino’s programs put on by Resident Assistants.

Perhaps the fact that my tower room has more vents than a normal O’Hare double, thus more opportunities for mold exposure, is a factor in why the issue got to be so bad. There is no doubt in my mind, however, that most of the other rooms in O’Hare or most other residence halls, for that matter, have unclean vents.

A Fordham Custodial Services

representative told me that their employees cannot technically remove the vent covers, so this is 100 percent a Facilities matter. In that case, as custodians are going through the residence halls cleaning the rooms in the summer and ResLife is going around inventing charges to make money, Facilities should be making an effort to ensure that the ventilation systems are safe. When I moved into O’Hare, I was at most just a little grossed out, but did not realize the ramifications until I could not even take a full breath without practically coughing up a lung. I find this to be a very underrated issue.

Cleaning out every room’s vents would be quite expensive, I’m sure, but maybe this means Fordham should be spending a little more money on student health than other amenities around campus. Say, landscaping (as noted in Christopher Kennedy’s article, “Fordham Spends Excess on Grounds,” Vol. 92, Issue 19.)? Re-lettering the word “Marketplace” in McGinley? A trip to Vegas at Ram Town? The options are endless.

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor: Motivated by a genuine will to improve lives, Amani (powered by students for Fair Trade) recently hosted Battle for Fair Trade at Rodrigue’s Coffee House on Fordham’s Rose Hill campus at which numerous people gathered together in musical harmony. Battle for Fair Trade featured several musical groups, each of which did an exceptional job presenting their expressions of emotion. The event was particularly special as a result of the atmosphere that was created by the people who attended the event. That is to say that energy was created that otherwise would not have been possible.

Garvaundo Hamilton (solo artist) began the show by singing an utterly phenomenal version of “Lean on Me” originally performed by Bill Withers. A spontaneous decision, Hamilton decided

to sing two more songs throughout the night including a soulful version of Wainwright’s “Hallelujah.” Hamilton’s resonance was unwavering.

The night continued with a duo called Jet Pack Atlantic. The pianist/guitarist pair showed innovativeness and originality and did so with emotion. Static on the Radio and Leea and the Botan Girls followed – both groups roused the audience and intensified the evening. People were boogying.

The next group was an eclectic foursome (though they did have a talented female vocalist join them to make five) called The Yams.

Paul Lauber and Sean Kelley demonstrated impressive talent on guitar and bass in an Allman Brothers cover. Drummer Ryan Gotschall provided a whimsical interlude in singing Phish’s “Lengthwise.” The Yams concluded their set with Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be

There” beautifully sung by Grace Loughney. Bronx Honkies, Fred’s Slacks and Cammarata & Company also played great.

Amani would like to thank everyone who contributed to such a wonderful experience. But what is Amani? What measures has Amani taken to benefit the third world? What is Fair Trade and how does it affect the economically disadvantaged?

“Amani” literally translates to “peace” in Swahili. Led by Kate Combellick, Fordham’s Fair Trade class assumed Amani as its business name. Working intimately and directly with poor artisans in Kenya, Amani purchases goods (i.e. jewelry, soapstone, coffee, etc.) at a fair price. Amani then sells the goods and uses all profits to directly benefit the artisans.

An alternative to charity, Amani’s goal is to create opportunities for the marginalized through capac-

ity building. While there is merit in giving charity, it does prolong peoples’ dependence on others.

Fair Trade empowers artisans with a little extra money, ultimately teaching them financial concepts that lead to sustainability.

It is imperative to recognize the direct impact that Fair Trade has on people’s lives. Fair Trade ensures a living wage and contributes to gender equity, improved working conditions, improved environmental conditions and the eradication of child labor. Amani would like to thank everyone who participated in making Battle for Fair Trade such a rewarding experience. Moreover, Amani challenges everyone to educate friends and family about Fair Trade and its direct, positive impact on lives.

Sincerely, Ryan Gotschall FCRH ’12

Due to Thanksgiving break, there will be no issue of The Ram Wednesday, Nov. 24.

The next issue will be available Wednesday, Dec. 1.

OPINIONS

Alternative Semesters Would Enhance Study Abroad Experience

By CHRISTINE KIRBY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Education extends far beyond the structure of a classroom into the streets of “the real world,” where we must learn from our mistakes and missteps without the beloved safety net called college.

Many colleges around the nation, seeking to enhance their students’ education, offer unconventional semesters involving both domestic and international month-long intensive courses or internships during the months of January and May. Fordham University ought to adopt these programs to augment its goal of creating well-rounded students.

As the current disaster in Iraq and the recent documentary exposing American public school systems appropriately taint the image of our country, it is ever so important to encourage international opportunities among youths. The students, the future of our country, need to become more globally aware to restore mangled international relations and a respectable reputation.

The National Association For Study Abroad asserts, “international experiences not only enhance understanding and cross-cultural sensitivity, but also give one a new perspective on one’s own country.”

Although Fordham does offer multiple study abroad options, these options are limiting. It is nearly impossible for students to study abroad multiple times due to the length of the semesters and the struggle to maintain all core and major requirements. For pre-health students, it is impossible to study abroad due to the extensive curriculum and the pressure of medical schools’ course requirements.

Also, the limited scholarship transference to programs abroad makes it even harder to spend a full semester in another country.

A shortened semester abroad would allow students to travel to several destinations, enhancing their international experiences without falling behind in respective majors or core requirements.

American students are so linearly focused on everything involving the United States, neglecting the other powerful entities in the world.

Moreover, a month-long semester offers a unique and effective educational experience. Most colleges use this as an opportunity

to offer intensive learning experiences, as students figuratively live, breathe and eat one particular subject. Studies prove that intense immersion techniques are one of the best methods of teaching languages successfully. Imagine how this could transcend into other subjects and increase the success of Fordham’s language requirement. Often students are unable to devote all efforts to a singular subject as they spread themselves thin between classes, internships and extracurricular activities. Fordham has a responsibility to educate students to the best of its ability and this would be another step in the right direction.

Currently several variations of these alternative semesters exist, but all serve a similar fundamental purpose. The University of Texas at Austin offers the “maymester” which immediately follows the spring semester, lasts approximately four weeks and focuses on an intensive learning experience.

Calvin College uses this unconventional semester to encourage international internships preparing students for the global economy and international business. Vanderbilt University refers to its programs as “adventure learning.” These schools are among many recognizing the educational benefits of alternative semesters and adapting them to fit the needs of their students.

Clearly the above mentioned institutions recognized that these programs do not just benefit the education of their students but increase the reputation of the school and provide an additional means of revenue. Considering that Fordham and other colleges are always looking to increase funds, additional programs would bring in more money and make Fordham more appealing to prospective students. With different rankings published nearly every week, Fordham must maximize all opportunities to increase its standings and sell itself to high school students and their parents.

Either way, it is a win-win situation. Fordham should consider, if not immediately implement, alternative semesters to enhance the overall Fordham University experience. Fordham is our school, but why limit our campus to just New York City, when it could be the world?

Christine Kirby, FCRH ’14, is a Communication and Media Studies major from Saco, Maine.

Issue of the Week:

Bush Memoir A Look at the World Outside of Fordham from the Perspective of Professional News Bloggers

See what commentators from the Left and the Right have to say about George W. Bush’s new memoir.

NOVEMBER 17, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 11

Students Could Be Better Neighbors

RAM ARCHIVES

Students often fail to show respect to local residents; bar-goers’ raised voices can be heard echoing across Arthur Avenue.

About four years ago, I began the long process of looking at colleges.

I considered a variety of schools in the northeast, and was particularly struck by one aspect of Fordham: the fact that our campus is gated and guarded.

This fact, obviously, has its advantages and disadvantages. It keeps our campus safe, and I would be naïve if I said that the surrounding area is absolutely secure. Granted, it is not unsafe per se, but we get enough security alerts to keep me on guard if I am walking around late at night.

However, it seems that people sometimes use the fences and walls to reinforce the absolutely false mentality that Fordham deserves to be somewhat separated and disconnected from our surrounding community. I once heard a tour guide tell parents that ours was a “gated community,” as if to compare us to elite neighborhoods in Florida or Connecticut with an abundance of squash courts and plaid pants.

Those who know me well know that I cannot stand people who, for some reason, think they are entitled or somehow better than their peers. For these people, the fact that our campus is gated gives them an additional excuse to think “I deserve to be protected from

whatever is ‘out there’.”

I am not suggesting that we tear down our security booths or suddenly extend Bathgate Avenue through campus. What I am saying, though, is that this University’s students and administration can make some changes to be more neighborly.

I will start with the student community here. One Saturday night I was out looking for an open bodega and passed the area commonly known as “Tri-Bar.” What “Tri-Bar” refers to, of course, is an intersection in the residential community of Belmont. As students wander up and down Arthur Avenue and 189th Street explaining just how intoxicated they are, residents of that neighborhood are trying to sleep.

While it is unrealistic to expect people to travel in library-like silence from bar to bar, students would be living up to Fordham’s best ideals if they were a little more considerate while traversing the neighborhood late at night.

The same thing goes for house parties. It is unrealistic for people to complain about off-campus noise from car washes or other businesses late at night when a “local” (I don’t like that term either) can hardly walk down Bathgate Avenue without seeing a few parties or nearly tripping on beer cans.

Next, there are a few things the University as a whole can do to be

better neighbors. Overall, we are doing a good job; it was nice to see Bronxites come out for the Martyrs’ Court Halloween party, and certainly our community service program offers a myriad of opportunities to aid the community.

However, the University needs more events like the Martyrs’ Court party, because it brings the opportunity for people not all that inclined to venture beyond our gates the chance to meet the people they live next to. If this happens, the concerns mentioned regarding noise might take care of themselves. It is said that we fear what we do not understand. If everyone had a chance to see that the world beyond our gates is the same world as within our gates, the chance for a terrific relationship between the entire University and the community as a whole will be much better.

So the next time you are out searching for a bodega, dining out or doing whatever else people do in the neighborhood, take a minute to look around. All those buildings with fire escapes are apartments, full of people just like you, who want to be able to live and sleep without excessive disturbance from drunken students who act as if they own Belmont.

Jim Worth, The Huffington Post

Michael McKinney, Leading Blog

George W. Bush, Decision Points

“The worst president in our nation’s history can see no missteps in his leadership, and watching him distort the truth of his eight years in office is offensive to everyone’s intelligence.

His presidency was an American tragedy; so is his hardcover attempt at revisionism.”

“It is fitting that President George W. Bush’s book is about choices. The world changed after Sept. 11 and became increasingly uncertain and lacking precedent. Whether you agreed with him or not, it is enlightening to see the issues from his point of view.”

“In the presidency, there are no do-overs. You have to do what you believe is right and accept the consequences. ”

By CHRISTOPHER KENNEDY STAFF WRITER

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

–COMPILED BY BRIAN KRAKER

Follow The Ram at twitter.com/ thefordhamram.

PAGE 12 • THE RAM • NOVEMBER 17, 2010

OPINIONS

Four Loko Increases Irresponsible Drinking

ABRAMOV ITAR/MCT

Four Loko’s brightly colored label has been criticised as being targeted toward underage drinkers and college students.

By RACHEL RATTENNI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Few beverages have been able to garner the level of media attention given to the increasingly popular caffeinated malt-liquor mixture known as Four Loko.

After the hospitalization of nine Central Washington University undergraduates for alcohol overdoses on Oct. 8 was attributed to Four Loko consumption, there has been an ongoing debate over the safety of this drink. Central Washington University, along with Ramapo College in New Jersey, has already banned Four Loko from its campus. The state of Michigan has also banned the sale of caffeinated alcoholic drinks within its borders.

Similar restrictions on distribution have recently been passed in New York. Most of the legislators who favored banning the drinks argue that the combination of

bright packaging, fruity flavors, high alcohol content and the low cost of Four Loko all cause the drinks to appeal more to underage and college-age drinkers, as they tend to be the demographic searching for an inexpensive way to become quickly intoxicated without becoming tired. The recent banning of Four Loko and similar drinks begs the question: should states and universities ban them?

The facts on Four Loko, and on mixing caffeine and alcohol in general, make for an enticing case in favor of the ban. A 24oz. can contains 135 milligrams of caffeine, 60 grams of sugar, over 600 calories and an alcohol content equivalent to over four standard drinks. To put that in perspective, that is the amount of caffeine found in one-and-a-half Red Bulls, the sugar in one-and-ahalf cans of Coca-Cola, and more calories than a McDonald’s Big

Mac, all combined with more alcohol than is found in four shots of vodka.

It is easy to see why Four Loko has been referred to as “a blackout in a can” by so many news reports recently. Also, alcohol and caffeine are both diuretics that can lead to mild dehydration. The dehydration associated with alcohol consumption generally manifests itself in the form of a hangover the day following an evening of heavy drinking, a condition that will only be worsened by adding caffeine into the mix. Also making matters worse, a study conducted by the University of Florida that involved interviewing 800 college-aged adults as they were leaving bars between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m., found that those who had been mixing alcohol and caffeine were four times more likely to drive home than those who had been drinking alcohol alone.

Drinkers’ misconception of

how intoxicated they really are is highlighted in a paper published by the University of Massachusetts Medical School, in which Dr. Richard J. Church explained Four Loko’s effect on drinkers’ perception.

“You are putting a stimulant into your body that perks you up,” he said. “But at the same time, it contains alcohol that impairs motor coordination and reaction times. People end up feeling more sober than they are. And they consume more alcohol as a result.”

Because consuming alcohol in conjunction with caffeine causes people to feel as if they are sober, they are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors, such as driving home after a night of excessive drinking, than non-mixers. Still want one?

By the uphill trajectory of Four Loko sales, the unfortunate answer of all too many young drinkers is clearly still yes. While supporters of Four Loko bans say that permitting the sale of energy drinks containing alcohol exacerbates the rising and dangerous trend of mixing alcohol with caffeine, these bans would have little positive effect on the safety of college-aged drinkers.

Mixing alcohol and caffeine is not a new concept invented by the creators of Four Loko. Club goers have been mixing vodka with Red Bull since its introduction to the U.S. market in 1997; according to Esquire, rum and coke is the 11th most common drink ordered at bars, and the Irish have been putting whiskey in their coffee since the 1940s. However, the current Four Loko craze is the first time an alcohol-caffeine combination has become prevalent among

college-aged drinkers. By exposing teens and young adults to the effects of combining alcohol and caffeine, the damage of Four Lokos has already been done.

Presenting facts and figures about the dangers of Four Lokoto youth does not present them with new information, but only reaffirms what they already believed to be true of the drink. It is easy to see that the threats of awful hangovers, a higher inclination to drive drunk, weight gain and even alcohol poisoning, are not enough to deter young drinkers from the promise of being able to party all night long for the reasonable price of $2.50.

Young drinkers clearly enjoy the effects of combining alcohol with caffeine; if Four Loko and other similar beverages are taken off the shelves, they will find other ways to combine the two themselves.

As for the supposed increase in underage drinking due to Four Loko, even though the parents of underage drinkers may not recognize that the blue raspberry drink in their fridge contains alcohol, vendors do. If underage drinkers can get their hands on Four Loko, they must have the means to obtain other alcoholic beverages, as well. These are means they would surely utilize if more Four Loko bans do get passed. Maybe instead of worrying about whether or not to ban the sale of Four Loko and similar drinks, state legislatures should focus on the more pertinent issue: why do we have a generation with such a high percentage of teens so actively seeking to get blackout drunk?

Rachel Rattenni, FCRH ’14, is a biology major from East Hampton, N.Y.

Thanksgiving Break Just Right for Relief

By VERONICA TOROK COPY EDITOR

Last fall, I cooked my first meal by myself. It was Thanksgiving dinner. Eating a prepackaged sandwich from the caf, the dinner option for those left in the dorms during Thanksgiving break, was too dismal to consider. Instead I took on the greasy O’Hare kitchen, a social lounge with a stove and a refrigerator wedged in the corner.

I have recently heard many of my fellow Fordham students complain about the short duration of Thanksgiving break. I am preparing for my third Thanksgiving away from home, and initially, I agreed with them. After more consideration, however, I realized that I would not benefit from an extended Thanksgiving break, and neither would many of them.

Even if Thanksgiving break were longer, the time and expense it takes to return home to Tennessee would still not justify my trip. According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the number of long-distance trips increases by 54 percent during the designated sixday Thanksgiving travel period.

Crowded airports and highways cause delays that cut into vacation time. Moreover, holiday travel prices this year are expected to be 17 to

18 percent higher than last year, according to Rick Seaney, the CEO of farecompare.com.

Given these statistics, students like Alyssa Barnard, FCRH ’12, think that Fordham should extend Thanksgiving break to a full week.

Barnard will devote roughly two days of her Thanksgiving break to traveling to and from her home in Indiana. She cited Fordham’s lack of vacation days during the fall semester as a reason to lengthen the break.

“Almost everyone else has fall break and we get Columbus Day,” Barnard said. “At least give us the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving.”

This would make life easier for students like Barnard who already battle the holiday crowds to get home for Thanksgiving. For others, however, particularly international students, an extended Thanksgiving break would pose new problems.

The idea of a longer break appears to allow more students to go home, but in reality it would just make staying on campus less attractive to those who need to do so. Five days alone on a deserted campus can feel like an eternity, particularly for freshmen who are away from home for the first time.

A week would be even worse. Furthermore, if Fordham’s Thanksgiv-

ABRAMOV ITAR/MCT

Thanksgiving break can be a painful time for those who must brave long lines and delays at airports, only to return to campus a few days later.

ing break were longer, it is likely that most of the dorms would be closed for the vacation as they are for spring break.

“It will not make a significant difference,” Sue Zhu, GSB ’12, said of extending Thanksgiving break.

“I am from China, so it takes a long time on the way to go back.”

Fordham should consider offering more options to students who cannot go home. Zhu, who stays with friends over the holidays, suggests a host-family program for international students. “[Breaks are] long enough to

learn a different culture and build the international connection but short enough so people won’t get annoyed,” Zhu said.

She said she would be willing to create a sign-up table at the beginning of the year and e-mail people before breaks if she could garner the support necessary for such a program.

Even students who live nearby recognize that a longer Thanksgiving vacation could be problematic.

“Thanksgiving break isn’t really a time to lose focus because we have finals in the next weeks,” Jacqui

Gutkin, FCRH ’12, said.

A longer break would prematurely lull students into vacation mode.

A few extra days of sloth combined with intense tryptophan exposure could have drastic consequences on final papers and exams.

Thanksgiving break should remain a brief interlude between midterms and final exams, a chance to catch one’s breath and regain some sanity.

Veronica Torok, FCRH ’12, is a communication and media studies and Spanish double major from Johnson City, Tenn.

ADVERTISING

NOVEMBER 17, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 13

Seasonal Influenza Vaccine Available for Students Fordham University’s Student Health Services is offering influenza vaccinations to students only at the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses.

Vaccination now is the best possible way to protect your health.

Student Health Services strongly advise students to receive vaccinations before the Thanksgiving Break.

Rose Hill Student Health Services O’Hare Hall, Lower Level Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Please call to schedule an appointment (718) 817-4160 Lincoln Center Student Health Services McMahon Hall, Room 203 Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Please call to schedule an appointment (212) 636-7160 Cost for vaccine is $20, and can be paid in cash, personal check, or applied to students’ bursar accounts.

For More Ram Stories, Polls and Features ...

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PAGE 14 • THE RAM • NOVEMBER17, 2010

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NOVEMBER 17, 2010

PAGE 15

Latest Harry Potter Movie Sure to Be Box Office Hit

Critics Are Impressed as the Characters Mature and the Series Comes to a Close

By CELESTE KMIOTEK CULTURE EDITOR

We have grown up with them.

We slowly discovered the genius of the first book, only to get sucked into the second, then the third, then the fourth. We eagerly anticipated the fifth book, pre-ordered the sixth and (emotionally) stood in line for the seventh. We saw the movies come out, and judged them accordingly. It was never supposed to end, but now it almost has.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I will open within the first few minutes of Friday, Nov. 19.

It will no doubt bring out both the diehard fans dressed up in homemade costumes of obscure characters and reticent drag-alongs who have yet to even pick up the book.

First, however, there is the necessary choice of what type of theater in which to view the movie.

For those looking for the most intense experience, IMAX is worth the price. Within the city, there are theaters at 1998 Broadway, 234 W. 42nd St., 570 Second Ave. and in New Rochelle (accessible by the Metro-North) that have showings.

For those looking to save a little money, the options are much wider. Given the bedbug scare, those who are germ-conscious may want to stay away from Times Square; however, this still leaves showings pretty much anywhere, though Lincoln Center theaters are always popular. It is best to get the tickets soon, however, as the earliest showings are quickly selling out.

So now that the ticket is secured, what about the actual movie?

The Washington Post reported

that ticket sales are outpacing those of any of the previous films, so it has already certified its status as a box-office hit, but that does not mean it is a great movie.

Luckily, reviews rolling in from the London premiere on Thursday, Nov. 12 (it premiered in New York at Lincoln Square on Monday, Nov. 14) are complimentary of the movie.

According to the London’s The Telegraph, however, the film does feature an excessive amount of blood, though also an excessive amount of emotion.

“There’s lots of blood (Ron’s arm is almost ripped off at one point), more than one chilling sequence of torture and some shocking moments involving Voldemort’s very large snake,” the review, written

by Marc Lee, read. “Having gone through the exquisite agonies of adolescence in the last film, now they are troubled by romantic jealousies, with the result that Ron abandons his two friends after imagining them in a lustful naked embrace. During his absence, a quite touching scene sees Harry and Hermione taking comfort in each other’s arms, slow-dancing to the brooding melancholy of a Nick Cave song.”

The Daily Mail’s Chris Tuckey, meanwhile, praised lead actors Daniel Radcliffe’s (Equus), Rupert Grint’s (Driving Lessons) and Emma Watson’s (Ballet Shoes) performances.

“The big strength of this movie is that it doesn’t rush,” he said. “It allows time for the three leading performers in a way that the previous films haven’t.”

COURTESY OF JAAP BUITENDIJK/WARNER BROS./MCT

Harry, Ron and Hermione return in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I, opening at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 19.

He did, however, recommend reading the books beforehand, as the movie fails to explain several links, which could potentially lead to confusion (apparently the filmmakers fail to properly explain why an elderly woman morphs into a snake).

The movies are not, however, everyone’s cup of tea.

“I’m a big book person and they never seem to do the books justice,” Diana Mackie, FCRH ’12, said. “It only makes me feel frustrated, but if a big group of my friends made a fun thing of it, dressing up and all, I would [go], just not for the pure movie aspect of it.”

After this movie, what is left? According to Entertainment Weekly, Part II (which will be in 3-D),

will pick up around Chapter 24, when Voldermort obtains the elder wand.

For those who stand by the books as the epitome of the franchise, series author J.K. Rowling told Oprah that she has enough ideas – and material – to write more, though she doubts she will.

“I could definitely write an eighth, ninth, 10th,” she said. “I’m not going to say I won’t. I don’t think I will. I feel I am done, but you never know.”

Finally, for the more delusional fans, there is always a gradual immersion into the wizarding world as more and more colleges are picking up Quidditch as a sport.

The New York Daily News reported that the International Quidditch

Association put on the fourth annual Quidditch World Cup on Friday, Nov. 12, in which over 1,000 schools applied to compete. FitPerez.com is speculating that it could become an NCAA sport.

“Quidditch is one of the most fun games out there,” Mackie said.

“It’s certainly the most fun to watch others play.”

There are also such events as the NYC Wizard Rock Festival in Brooklyn on Sunday, Nov. 11, for those who like all their media Potter-themed.

Rereading the books, while always a satisfying pastime, will never bring back the glory of the heyday of Harry Potter; the movies and revived interest, however, keep the franchise alive.

Retailers Make Black Friday Earlier Than Ever

By CLARA ENNIST STAFF WRITER

Every year the Friday after Thanksgiving has seemed to offer bigger and better sales, yet this year, the sales are not just bigger and better, they are earlier.

Stores have begun to offer “Black Friday” deals as early as Halloween with more continuing throughout November until the actual date itself. While some of the early starters are stores with recent underwhelming sales like Wal-Mart and Sears, some of the best sales are being offered by online retailers such as Amazon.com.

Last year, certain stores offered earlier Black Friday sales but typically they occurred only during certain days of the week and during certain hours. This year, stores are expanding the hours and dates of their sales. Sears began its Black Friday deals on Oct. 29 and 30 – a full month before the actual Black Friday.

Stores previously held Black Friday sales in the hopes that customers would purchase full-priced items in addition to the sale items but in the still downturned economy, stores are using Black Friday

sales in order to attract customers.

“I’ve noticed a lot more sales and it seems like they’re not just more frequent, but stores are giving larger discounts,” Margaret Thompson, FCRH ’12, said.

However she said she disagreed with the consumer frugality that stores are trying to combat.

“I still feel like on Black Friday people are more prone to excess because of the deals, and they buy items that they don’t really want or need but because of the deal, they feel like they have to have it,” she said.

The observation that stores are not offering their sales but larger discounts is a trend in certain retailers like Target which is running a sale starting the Sunday before Thanksgiving and will discount over 170 gift items by as much as 50 percent. Even though Target has offered sales in the past, this year the discounts are larger and include more items.

The Black Friday deals are not merely to capture more customers; in some instances, stores want to alleviate the enormous crowds on Black Friday. Ever since the 2008 trampling of a Wal-Mart employee, stores have increased crowd-con-

trol with queues, maximum occupancies and increased security.

Some of these measures turn people away from shopping and, in order to help customers feel more comfortable, stores have instituted Black Friday sales earlier so shoppers can benefit from the same sales in a less-hectic environment.

Another way for shoppers to avoid the crowds is online shopping. In 2005, the retail industry named the Monday following Thanksgiving “Cyber Monday,” because it noticed an increase in online purchases, especially during the hours of the day when shoppers would be on their lunch breaks from work. In recent years, however, sales have slowed. Whereas high-speed Internet was typically relegated to the office, it is now more commonplace, and people can shop whenever and wherever they please.

Cyber Monday’s selling power has somewhat dimmed, but online sales have annually outperformed in-store sales and retailers are offering the same deals online as they are in stores.

Researching deals and sales is extremely easy online and so it makes sense for customers to or-

der the products online where they can have the information regarding sales and coupons at their fingertips.

Traveling to the store can be met with waiting in long lines or the fear that a specific product is sold out of that one store. Online, the selection is larger and easier to navigate. Online shopping sites soffer their promotions early online in addition to in stores. Overall, the best deals are online at large retailers like Wal-Mart, Amazon, BestBuy and Sears. While most of these offers are available in store as well, shopping online is much more convenient.

Also, with Web sites like couponmenot.com and CouponMountain.

com, consumers can find promotional codes for thousands of retailers or specific products.

This year, consumers definitely have the upper hand on retailers.

Retailers are making their best efforts just to get people into their stores let alone purchase anything.

Despite the sales, it is uncertain whether or not retailers will energize their underwhelming profits.

The past two years have seen weaker spending as opposed to the three years before the financial crisis. The former hopes that customers would purchase full-priced items along with sale items have been replaced with hopes that customers will purchase anything at all.

COURTESY OF ELIZABETH ROBERTSON/MCT

Stores are trying to reduce lines by making sales start earlier and move online.

CULTURE

PAGE 16 • THE RAM • NOVEMBER 17, 2010

That’s So Po MARY PORPORA Week 20: Thanksgiving Songs Over the past few years, there has been one question that plagues me every Thanksgiving season – why are there no Thanksgiving songs?

Americans love two things: eating and singing obnoxiously. The Fourth of July, the most American holiday, is able to combine the two, but Thanksgiving, the second-most American holiday, is left songless.

It is baffling.

Christmas has been hogging the holiday musical realm for centuries.

Christmas has the advantage of being a religious holiday and many of the songs are from the Church, but Thanksgiving is more universal throughout the United States because of its lack of religious ties.

In that one feast, people were able to put their differences aside in order to share and more importantly, eat. Is that not what America is all about? These feelings would translate beautifully into lyrics.

Beyond the sentimental forces behind this holiday, there is plenty of other material for catchy songs.

The turkey, the icon of the holiday, could be an inspiration for an entire album at least. All of those feathers, that wattle, their oddly shaped bodies and most importantly that gobble! Think about how good a gobble would sound auto-tuned?

Get on that, T-Pain! Everyone loves turkey on Thanksgiving. Even vegetarians will give in to the culture of the turkey by molding their tofu into the signature turkey shape. I am almost appalled to admit that I live in a society that has yet to honor this beloved creature in song.

The variety of side dishes that serve alongside the turkey is sickening and delicious. The diversity of the endless varieties of potatoes is so immense that it is also deserving of an entire album. Red, white, finger, sweet, mashed, baked, sautéed, fried and the list never ends. There are the other staple vegetables that vary upon region, but no doubt still accent the turkey wonderfully. The battle between canned and homemade cranberry sauce could potentially spark a rap battle rivaling that of the East Coast/West Coast battle of the 1990s.

The only thing that would go better with a pumpkin pie than whipped cream would be a guitar. The consistency of pumpkin pie alone is perplexing and worth a stanza or three. Christmas does have a monopoly on cookies, but my family tries to rise up against this giant by making turkey cookies. They are simply in the shape of turkeys. They do not have turkey in them, thankfully, though that would make a great Weird Al song.

I think it is time for someone to step up and create a real Thanksgiving song. As I wrote that last sentence I remembered that there is in fact a famous Thanksgiving song written by Adam Sandler. This will probably be the only time in my life that I am happy Adam Sandler put out a CD. Other musicians should follow his lead and create a memorable and exciting Thanksgiving song. I’m thinking Cher.

Thanksgiving songs, now that’s so Po!

Dining Out: Meatball Shop The Meatball Shop Offers a Twist on Traditional Dishes

PHOTOS BY KAYLA LE GOFF/THE RAM

The Meatball Shop is located at 84 Stanton St. on the Lower East Side.

The Meatball Shop offers a variety of dishes, despite its eponymal specialty.

lutely no need for a knife.

Spicy pork too dull for you? The Meatball Shop also serves up a special meatball each week. In the past they’ve featured a Reuben-style “What’s old is new” is the latest motto in the NYC food scene, meatball, and a Buffalo chicken meatball served with a bleu cheese prompting chefs to perfect pastimes like the classic cheeseburger and sauce. This week’s was a Greek meatball: lamb meat filled with a feta, all-American apple pie. At the Meatball Shop, chef Daniel Holtzman black olives and lemon. The bright citrus flavor combines with the feta and his partner, Michael Chernow, are bringing New Yorkers tradition and is salty and delicious, though that particular meatball was served a with a twist. bit too dry.

The restaurant, located on the Lower East Side, stands Deciding on a meatball can be difficult, so when in out on the street with a red-and-white-striped awning doubt order the sliders ($3 each). Juicy and well-sized, Overall reminiscent of quintessential Italian décor. Inside, the you can order a bunch for the table to share. Meatball heLocation Food Quality burgundy walls are as inviting as the smells wafting over roes ($7), loaded with sauce and cheese, are the way to go Atmosphere from the kitchen, which is open for diners to peek inside. to satiate a big appetite.

Hospitality Wooden chairs and tables keep the atmosphere rustic and The sides are simple, but certainly not boring. The Price $ casual. There is also a communal table in the center of the polenta ($4) is the real star, with a velvety, smooth tex(Out of 4 ’s) restaurant, ideal for sharing with friends or chatting up ture (the secret is putting it through a mill to get out any one’s neighbor. lumps) and well seasoned with a hefty dollop of butter.

In keeping with its playful theme, the menus are laminated and diners A snow-like layer of Parmigiano-Reggiano finishes the dish. The kale check off what they want with dry-erase markers. It is easy to misjudge ($4), sautéed in sofrito, is pleasant and light. how much to order, but reasonable prices allow for some excess.

If you can make room for dessert, the Meatball Shop offers ice cream The spicy pork meatball smothered in tomato sauce ($7) certainly sandwiches with house-made ice cream on freshly baked cookies, and delivers on heat, but not to the extent that you’ll be flagging down the ice cream floats. water boy. The meat is moist and flavorful, never tough.

So when you want to kick back and hang out with friends, check out You’re only given a fork to eat your meal with because there’s absothe Meatball Shop on 84 Stanton St.

By KAYLA LeGOFF

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Editor’s Pick: Pelham Bay Park

By TOM HASKIN COPY EDITOR

When I came to New York City for the first time, my initial impression was one of skyscrapers and traffic jams, asphalt city streets and exhaust-filled air. I suspect that I was not alone in this assessment of the cityscape. One needs only to step out into Fordham Plaza to see buses swerve around traffic and construction projects while car horns sound across the concrete expanse with the Metro-North rumbling below.

Granted, going to a New York school such as Fordham at Rose Hill has its perks. We have a beautiful campus and plenty of open space within these gated confines, in addition to the New York Botanical Gardens just across Southern Boulevard. Even our Lincoln Center campus, a D train or Ram Van ride away, neighbors the southernmost portion of Central Park, but for students who would like to truly feel as though they are getting away from the bustle of city life, I wholeheartedly recommend the Bronx’s own Pelham Bay Park.

Looking at a map of the city, the green rectangular swab in Manhattan spanning 50 blocks stands out

immediately. While Central Park may get all of the press, Pelham Bay Park, in the far northeast corner of the Bronx, is far and away the city’s largest public park. It also has a totally different character than Central Park.

Though features such as a public golf course and the Bronx’s only public beach may not be as appealing as the weather gets colder, one can explore the park at any time of year. With nature trails that seem much more like true “wilderness” than the manicured lawns of Central Park and the Botanical Gardens, Pelham Bay Park’s landscape does a great job of creating an experience that seems far removed from those honking horns and bus exhaust fumes.

For students seeking to get away from the hallmarks of city life, the park provides a beautiful and easily accessible remedy. Though I do not wish that I went to school anywhere else, I do have sporadic urges to get off campus and go somewhere besides Manhattan (where one could argue life seems even crazier). It is places like Pelham Bay Park that I would like to think keep me sane here in college.

To get to the park, one can board the Bx12 Select bus, either in Ford-

ham Plaza or over by the Bronx Zoo, and take it 15 minutes or so eastbound, where it stops right across the street from the park.

While admittedly not such as easy of a trek as the Botanical Gardens (which is only open at certainly times and is also closed on Mondays), Pelham Bay Park obviously charges no admission and is far closer than Central Park.

What I think is truly unique about the park is that it is genuinely a community space and is not full of camera-wielding tourists or unnecessarily aggressive bikers. On weekend afternoons, hundreds of people barbeque on grills and eat at picnic tables, and the park even has a new football field and quarter-mile track. I think it is essential for Fordham students to see this side of the Bronx community, as stereotypes about the people many students label as “locals” usually have such negative connotations.

There is something about a communal outdoor space in a natural setting that is very calming to me.

This is lost in the tourist destination that is Central Park, where I cannot walk 10 paces without someone trying to sell me a hotdog or even a bike tour.

As if Pelham Bay Park did not

already have enough outdoor and recreational facilities, a 19th-century stone mansion, the BartowPell Mansion, is yet another point of interest.

The mansion gives guests a fantastic and well-preserved example of the homes that characterized the borough in centuries past, when the Bronx was dotted with country homes for New York’s elites.

My favorite spot in the park is an area that actually may be illegal to enter. Either way, I love climbing on the rocks that line the shore of the southern cove of the Bay. The sunsets are unbelievable, and the whole idea of hopping around big rocks that are a few feet from lapping waves is so mind-boggling when I know I am just 15 minutes away from campus.

If one is looking for more ways to explore the city without the hectic pace of Manhattan, I strongly suggest giving Pelham Bay Park a try, and maybe even heading over to nearby City Island for dinner.

Even in the winter, the trails are open and it really does feel as if one is scrambling around in wilderness.

If that is something that appeals to a student at such an urban school, I recommend heading straight for the Bx12 Select stop.

CULTURE

NOVEMBER 17, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 17

Holiday Shopping Guide Save Money and Please Loved Ones

By JEN CACCHIOLI ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

It is not even Thanksgiving yet, but the shopping for Christmas season has already begun. If you have been in a Target, Wallgreens or department store in the last few weeks, you have seen the sudden emergence of aisles filled with holiday decorations and white lights strung with garlands over storefronts. Starbucks is now selling coffee in its lovely red holiday cups and the Christmas-themed commercials are already making the rounds.

While many people choose to save their Christmas shopping for the last minute, it does not always reward them with the best options.

Taking advantage of the early holiday start and hunting for reasonable deals on foolproof gifts for all of your loved ones will always turn out for the better. If you go shopping anywhere over this upcoming break, you need to take advantage of the “Black Friday” sales while keeping your gift list in mind. To make the search easier, here is a guide of what stores to hit for the early Christmas shopper.

Anthropologie I’m not going to lie and say that Anthropologie is an inexpensive store. However, it can be a perfect place to find gifts in the houseware and sales sections.

If you are looking for something for any female family member, the beautifully ornate plates and glassware along with other dining accessories like aprons and tablecloths are worth their original prices.

On sale for around $4 - $8 are unique, old-English style teacups, which are wonderful as little gifts for friends. The best part of this store is its generally large sale section, where you can find a good portion of the high-priced mer-

chandise the store is trying to phase out for half the price.

“During the holiday season, Anthropologie’s sale section is the first place I look for gifts for friends,” Michelle Usala, FCRH ’12, said.

“They always have something special for a reduced price.”

This is a treasure trove of great finds for style-conscious family and friends where you can be sure to pick out tops that anyone would love for around $30 in addition to head bands, belts and hats that were once $35 and are now $10.

Urban Outfitters Urban Outfitters may be primarily a clothing store for young adults, but it has an entire section devoted to gifts, some of which could work for any age.

I recommend going on the Web site where the store has organized its own gift guide, useful at least for inspiration as some of the prices are a little ridiculous. It has a helpful sidebar that divides its merchandise into “His” and “Hers” gifts, price points like “Under $50” and “Cheap Thrills,” and even personal interests like “The Music Lover” or “The Artist.”

Earrings for $14 and pretty $25 tree-shaped jewelry stands ideal for a friend’s dresser are solid possibilities. For guys, there are watches that start at $25 in addition to funny joke items that fall below $10.

The book selection offers some of the best options, including craft books like a DIY how-to called P.S. – I Made This and an amazing photograph collection called A Day in the Life of The Beatles. Urban Outfitters also has a few nostalgic items like instant-film cameras that make nice, quirky gifts.

T.J. Maxx and Target Both of these stores have just about everything you would need to get all of your love ones reason-

ably priced gifts. Whenever I go to a T.J. Maxx, I head straight toward the cashier line where right around it there is always a section of sale items perfect for small gifts, such as $3 recipe books and candles.

You can never go wrong with classic DVDs, and they always have an impressive batch of good names, such as Atonement, which I recently purchased for a mere $5.

Of course, their clothing and accessories include some big names for low values, in addition to decent leather wallets for any guy you are buying for. While Target has similar deals, it is the Mecca of gift shopping due to its wide variety of merchandise. You can find anything for anyone at Target.

“Last year, I was able to find a gift for pretty much my entire family and friends in just one Target outing,” avid shopper Allie Greene, FCRH ’12, said.

I have utilized Target’s jewelry selection, complete with every style, for many a gift. Many expensive looking pieces are $10 and under.

They also sell cheap photo albums and frames with interesting designs that could be used for a friend or family member to whom you want to give a sentimental gift of memories.

It is the The Dollar Spot $1 section stationed at every Target’s entrance that is the highlight of the store. Here, you may not find a complete gift but will most certainly find bits and pieces that could improve your purchases like holiday packaging and other amazing trinkets.

So, in order to avoid the lastminute panic of searching for Christmas gifts for your friends and family, go to Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, T.J. Maxx and Target.

Each store has a wide selection of inexpensive gifts that are sure to be crowd pleasers.

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

Going

18 19

?

On

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

THURSDAY

Complexions Contemporary Ballet Joyce Theater 175 Eighth Ave.

This local dance troupe dances everything from Rachmaninoff to the Rolling Stones, accoring to New York Magazine.

Friday Night Dinner Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health 48 W. 21st St.

FRIDAY

The Natural Gourmet Cookery School becomes a restaurant every Friday night, serivng a three-course vegetarian meal for the public.

20

SATURDAY

Huma Bhabha Peter Blum 526 W. 29th St.

This Pakistani draftswoman and sculptor uses detritus and common materials, which create some unique and interesting works.

21

SUNDAY

The Gazillion Bubble Show New World Stages 340 W. 50th St.

Holding the dubious title of the world’s most successful bubble artist, Fan Yan and his family are sure to put on an amazing show.

22

MONDAY

Salman Rushdie 92nd St. Y 1395 Lexington Ave.

This controversial author’s new book, Luka and the Fire of Life, is out this week, so do not miss the chance to see him.

23

TUESDAY

The Fantasticks The Snapple Theater Center 1627 Broadway

For the romantics out there, his play tells a love story of a boy and girl whose fathers set them up.

24

Abstract Expressionist New York The Museum of Modern Art 11 W. 53rd St.

WEDNESDAY

For those wary of Expressionist art, this will be sure to change your opinion, while fans will revel in the masters’ works.

— COMPILED BY CELESTE KMIOTEK

Ram Reviews MOVIE

ALBUM

THEATER

THEATER

ALBUM

DUE DATE

BLAKE SHELTON

THROUGH THE NIGHT

ELF: THE MUSICAL

CEE LO THE LADY KILLER

When director Todd Philips (Starsky & Hutch) unexpectedly hit us with the laugh-out-loud, immediate hit The Hangover, comedy instantly rose to the next level. It was Vegas, it was flashy and most importantly it was unpredictable.

Phillips’ latest installment Due Date attempts to recreate the surprise.

The only problem is the movie was already made 23 years ago. Due Date is the modernized version of the 1987 comedy Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

There is only so much you can do with a road trip, and Phillips stretches his power to every means possible. The result lands a dynamic duo of laughter and confusion, heartfelt moments coupled with abrasive explosions and chaos. Due Date has an unoriginal story but enough laughs and action to keep the viewer involved.

LOADED: THE BEST OF BLAKE SHELTON While his last studio album was released in 2008, Blake Shelton returns with a treat for country music fans everywhere. Loaded: The Best of Blake Shelton is his compilation release for 2010.

The album maps out his top hits from his storied 10-year career.

Obviously this would satisfy any Shelton fan and should make any country music fan very happy.

However, this album can also serve as a good starter for anyone not familiar with him or even the genre.

Overall, this album is as solid as they can be. While Blake Shelton’s name doesn’t bring the same recall as Keith Urban, one can appreciate his uncompromising effort to keep a traditional country sound in all of his songs. This is a purchase well worth the price for fans or those who are curious

“If no one else will hold you, hold yourself, but make it through the night,” a character speaks. This perhaps best sums up what Through the Night is all about: being in control of your own life and holding on to hope for the future.

Through the Night is the story of a community of people facing their innermost conflicts over the course of a single night, focusing on six black men whose lives are all interconnected and come to a dramatic convergence on this fateful night.

The messages go beyond race, religion and social class. Suffering, education, addiction and health issues are important to everyone, and Through the Night is a compelling reminder of some of the problems most pertinent to today’s society. Through the Night is inspiring, thought provoking, and full of hope for the future.

“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!” The cast of Elf the Musical at the Hirschfield Theater does just that, right in time for the holiday season. This adaptation of the 2003 Will Ferrell movie captures the magical qualities of the film perfectly as it tells the story of Buddy the human “elf ” and his trip of self-discovery to New York City.

Though not an exact retelling, the stage performances include many of the well-known lines of the movie, including the ever-popular “Santa! I know him!”

Each and every performer in the show was wonderful and captured the cinematic essence of their character. If you are looking for a great alternative to the typical holiday shows, this one will certainly get you in the holiday spirit before the first scene even ends.

Everyone has made that regrettable attempt at romance mix tape at least once. Filled with singles trying to tell that (un)lucky person how much you like them and if only he or she would like you back, it is probably something you would rather forget. Cee Lo Green is cool enough that he does not have those worries. His smooth pop delivers a punch of romance that makes sappy love a lot less pathetic.

His latest album is called The Lady Killer, but Cee Lo is not always the one coming out on top.

This is a musician’s album.

Charming, exuberant and soulful, Cee Lo gives a performance that will leave listeners bouncing and a little more in love. If you’re thinking about making a mix in the near future, don’t. Just give that person The Lady Killer instead. Things will work out better if you do.

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

PAGE 18 • THE RAM • NOVEMBER 17, 2010

CULTURE

Winter Fashions Keep You Warm and Stylish Everything from Sweaters to Jeggings to Loafers Should Be in Everyone’s Closets

By ERIN LEIDY STAFF WRITER

PHOTO COURTESY OF LAURIE SKRIVAN/MCT

Jeggings, a new iteration of skinny jeans, have become a major trend.

As the season turns to winter, one of the easiest things to do is sacrifice style for warmth, but bundling up in layers to battle the New York cold can easily be done while looking great. Many of this winter’s most popular fashion trends manage to be both beautiful and something one could wear to class. This season, designers and trendsetters have been inspired by various eras, namely ’50s ladylike silhouettes, ’70s boho and ’90s grunge and minimalism.

Beginning with sweaters, that go-to basic of all winter wardrobes, chunky knits are the best way to stay cozy this winter. Dolce & Gabbana’s fall 2010 show was one of many runways to feature heavy knits in Scandinavian-inspired Fair Isle patterns. This design has shown up everywhere from highend boutiques to your local Urban Outfitters. Also, grandpa sweaters revived from the ’90s grunge look are a comfy layer for any outfit.

To pair with your favorite cozy sweater, denim and skirts are ever-popular options. The current trends for both have gone in a direction different from past seasons.

The skinny jeans trend has dominated the past few years, culminating with the recent introduction of jeggings. While skinny jeans

are not going anywhere anytime soon, for a more fashion-forward look, try a pair of high-waisted, flare-leg jeans instead. The easiest way to wear this trend is to find a pair of jeans that are mid-rise, fitted through the hips and thighs, and have a dark wash. This ’70s style has been seen on runways like Derek Lam and popular blogs like “The Sartorialist” to great acclaim.

As far as skirts go, the combination of ’50s and ’90s inspiration has produced a revival of longer lengths. Short skirts, while never entirely appropriate for winter, have been lost in favor of longer proportions. The ’50s look, featured in the fall 2010 Louis Vuitton show, featured below-the-knee and mid-calf length skirts, while other designers took skirts to a more extreme length. Some drew inspiration from grunge, featuring maxiskirts. While mainstream fashion might be a little hesitant to pick up on the maxi-skirt trend, stores like H&M and Topshop currently have them in stock.

Before the ground becomes covered with snow and practicality takes over, have a little fun with your shoes. Collegiate penny loafers and Oxfords can add a collegiate and androgynous touch to any look. Additionally, the skyhigh, record-breaking heels of past seasons have lost some of their appeal. This is good news for college

students who are trying to shop for shoes that enable an across-campus trek instead of a short runway walk.

Designers seem to have recognized that flats and low heels can still look put-together and hopefully stores will begin to stock more practical (but still beautiful) shoes.

Some trends from past seasons will continue into this winter. A palette of pale neutrals will remain, but interpreted into a more weather-appropriate way. Try a camel-colored coat or a grey cardigan. Moving past neutrals, color is important for this winter. When the weather gets so dreary, a pop of color is a nice way to brighten up the day.

Try a bright accent color, particularly red or electric blue, as an accessory. A neutral outfit enhanced with one colorful addition is a great way to look chic. In addition to neutrals, sequins and feminine lace are going to remain popular. To transfer these looks to winter, try these two trends in black or with long sleeves, particularly to accent a fun holiday party dress.

This mix of eras and styles as inspiration gives a variety of opportunities and directions in which to take a wardrobe. The primary look, however, is one that is traditional and sensible. From head to toe, designers seem to want to see women in clothing that looks feminine and classic.

WHO’S THAT KID? Ryan Adams A MEMBER OF FCRH ‘11, MAJORING IN THEOLOGY AND ENGLISH, CONCENTRATING IN AMERICAN CATHOLIC STUDIES FROM BETHPAGE, N.Y. Where have we seen you?

Running around campus. Not literally. I hate running, but you may have noticed a Jewish kid with the yarmulke, though, rushing to class five minutes late. I split my time between Duane (for theology and American Catholic studies), Collins (for theater) and the residence halls (I have been an RA for three years).

Favorite childhood show and favorite current show?

“Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.” I was captivated by the “Green with Evil” storyline. Now I love the Thursday night line up on NBC: “30 Rock,” “Community” and “Outsourced.”

Who would play you in a movie and why?

According to most celebrity look-alike Web sites, Adam Sandler. He and I share an egg-shaped head and an affinity for the Jewish people. It’s oddly fitting given my love of stand-up, “Saturday Night Live” and what Netflix terms “goofy screwball comedies.”

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

Shakespeare or Moses. I have a tendency to bastardize both of their works on a daily basis, so I

feel that I should make it up to them. Dinner seems like a good place to start.

What would your ideal day in Manhattan consist of?

Having breakfast in my SaliceConley apartment with my friends.

Then a trip to see a Broadway show in Manhattan.

It’s Christmas time in my ideal day, so a walk through Times Square to Lincoln Center while it snows, to enjoy all the decorations and people.

I’d have a No. 6 from Alan’s for a late lunch and then head downtown for a movie at Union Square with friends.

This would be followed by a trip to The Strand and Max Brenner’s for a late dinner afterwards.

Finally, a snowball fight on Martyrs’ Lawn after returning to Rose Hill. Hot chocolate and a warm bed to end the day.

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

Sleeping in my bed. I am really lazy, when it comes down to it.

Favorite class at Fordham and favorite professor?

We are truly blessed with some incredible teachers at Fordham (especially in the theology depart-

ment). I would have to say that Dr. Hornbeck’s Faith and Critical Reason class is at the top, because it completely changed my path in life. I would not be who I am today, if I had taken a different class.

How do you blow off steam?

I love just relaxing and watching movies. Old ones. New ones. Thus, Netflix has been the bane of my academic career. Curse you “Instant View!”

What is the biggest misconception people have about you?

That I am your run-of-the-mill Jewish person. I try to be a Jack-ofall-Gods when it comes to religion.

I like to talk about Jesus (a lot), but still hold Shabbas dinners on campus with the Muslim Student Association. I am always down to talk or listen about people’s religion and spirituality.

Stuck on an island, what would you need?

My MacBook, a solar-powered battery charger, a 3G anywhere network connection. I am addicted to my computer. I won’t even use it to call for help. I promise! I just want to have access to Hulu.

What is your dream job?

I would love to be one of those cool professors with a ridiculous

COURTESY OF RYAN ADAMS

title, that you see on the History Channel all the time. Tonight: “Ryan Adams, John Stewart Chair of Religious Interaction and Silly Voices” speaks about the role of the Book of Enoch in early JudeoChristianity.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Sandwiches. Go to Mike’s Deli in the Arthur Ave. Retail Market or Alan’s Deli, which is across the street from the Fordham Lincoln Center entrance, and get a sandwich. Tell ’em Ryan sent ya! There will be a discount (as there would be for any Fordham student, regardless of dropping my name).

CULTURE

NOVEMBER 17, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 19

Upcoming Holiday Events in NYC Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Tree Lighting at Rockefeller Center Are Worth the Time

By SANDY McKENZIE ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

Each year, New York City is host to numerous holiday events and festivities. Two of the most widely celebrated of these are the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Tree Lighting Ceremony of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

This year marks the 84th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which will include giant heliumfilled balloons, uniquely decorated floats and marching band performances, differing dramatically from the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which occurred in 1924 and featured animals from the Central Park Zoo. The parade will take place on Thursday, Nov. 25, starting at 77th Street and Central Park West and ending at 34th Street and Seventh Avenue and will be broadcast live on NBC. According to the Macy’s Parade Web site, an estimated 3.5 million people will watch the parade from the streets of New York, while an additional 50 million people will view the live television broadcast.

Parades from previous years have showcased balloons depicting characters such as Goofy, Arthur, Barbie, Barney the Dinosaur, Babar the Elephant, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Bugs Bunny and Donald Duck. In addition to some of these balloon characters, this year’s parade will introduce balloon characters from Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Kung Fu Panda.

Moreover, in keeping with tradition, Santa Claus will be featured as the last float of the parade.

Molly Thompson, FCRH ’12, attended the parade as a senior in high school.

“My favorite balloons were Snoopy and Shrek,” Molly said. “I remember how the night before the parade, we were able to see all of the balloons lined up at the Museum of Natural History. I was so excited to see the balloons before anyone else.”

Even though the parade was “extremely crowded,” Molly still had an amazing experience and would recommend that everyone see the parade at least once.

Over the past few decades, however, there have been some concerns regarding safety at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

For example, according to CNN, at the 1997 parade, a strong wind caused the Cat and the Hat balloon to hit a lamppost. Four people were injured when the lamppost fell.

A similar incident occurred eight years later. During the 2005 parade, an 11-year-old girl and her 26-year-old sister were injured when a balloon collided with a lamppost, causing the lamppost to fall into the crowd. The two sisters were taken to Bellevue Hospital where they were treated for their injuries. Thankfully, the injuries were minor and both sisters made a full recovery.

Consequently, in order to prevent such injuries at future parades, John Piper, vice president of Macy’s Parade Studio, told CNN that the training for the balloon handlers is now “more extensive.”

“The training has been upgraded, the training is very successful and the training is monitored by the police department of New York City,” he said.

Although officials do not foresee any incidents, spectators should still take caution when attending the parade.

Another highly anticipated holiday event in New York City is the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. According to Heather Cross of About. com, the 78th Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree will be revealed to the public, fully decorated, on Nov. 30. The Christmas tree will remain on display until Jan. 2.

During this time, the tree’s Christmas lights will be lit between the hours of 5:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. In addition, the Tree Lighting Ceremony on Nov. 30 will include a performance by the Radio City Rockettes, while ice skaters will be showcased on the Rockefeller Ice Rink.

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is typically a Norway spruce and is at least 65 feet tall and 35 feet wide. Furthermore, the tree is usually donated to Rockefeller Center and is decorated with five miles of Christmas lights.

In order to remain environmentally conscious, the tree is recycled into mulch at the end of each holiday season, which is given to the Boy Scouts of America.

Last year, Clara Ennist, FCRH ’12, went with a group of friends to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. “[It was] a really fun experience and a romantic setting for a Christmas picture with a loved one,” she said.

However, she noted that the best time to see the tree is shortly after the Christmas holiday.

“The crowds have subsided and it is easier to take pictures of just you and your friends without being pushed around by strangers,” she said.

Both Ennist and Thompson said they would agree that in or-

NICOLAS KHAYAT/KRT

Rockefeller Center’s tree is a must-see this holiday season for students.

der to fully experience the holiday season in New York City, it is essential to attend the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the

lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

“You will not be disappointed,” Thompson said.

U.S. News & World Report Goes Digital Declining Sales Force the Reputable News Source to Go Online

By McCAMEY LYNN STAFF WRITER

U.S. News & World Report announced to its employees on Nov. 5 that the December issue would be the last printed issue. The memo stated that the magazine plans to make the jump to “digital-only” publishing. The magazine will continue to publish its specialty editions: “the college and grad guides, as well as hospital and personal finance guides.” Additionally, four annual special issues “focusing on history, religion and some of the other subjects that have been a success for us in the past,” as stated in an internal U.S. News memo.

This decision came as a result of the slipping circulation and newsstand sales over the past year. Total circulation dropped by 21 percent since last year, falling from 1.3 million to 1.1 million copies. This was not the first cost-cutting change that U.S. News has employed in the face of sinking subscribership.

In June 2008, citing the decline in overall magazine circulation and

advertising, U.S. News & World Report announced that it would make the move from a weekly to biweekly publication. The magazine’s hopes were that advertisers would be more attracted to a bi-weekly publication that remains on the newsstands longer than weeklies.

This change was accompanied by an expansion of the online magazine in 2008. Five months later, the magazine cut down its publication frequency again, from bi-weekly to monthly. This most recent switch to digital-only editions is a third attempt for the magazine to increase readership and ad revenues through elimination of print editions.

U.S. News executives remain hopeful about the magazine’s online prospects. The magazine maintains that “these latest moves will accelerate our ability to grow our online businesses and position ourselves to take advantage of the emerging platforms for distributing information such as the iPad and Android tablets.” Executives said they hope that technological advances will allow for the substi-

tution of digital copies for physical editions. The online edition of U.S. News & World Report, USnews. com, has a successful following of roughly nine million readers. The Web site offers sections focusing on politics and policy, health, money, education, science, travel and cars in addition to its popular rankings section that ranks the best and worst of everything from hospitals to cars. The online subscriptions will be offered at an introductory price of $19.95 per year. Content will remain an “in-depth perspective and news analysis that are the hallmarks of US News, but since this new magazine is digital, you’ll get it quickly, often within moments of the reporter’s dispatches.”

U.S. News & World Report is one of three leading news magazines.

U.S. News’ competitors TIME magazine and Newsweek are experiencing similarly declining trends. In fact, Newsweek recently sold for $1 to stereo equipment mogul Sydney Harman. This extremely low purchase price comes along with the high risk Harman takes in adopt-

ing Newsweek’s impressive debt.

Similarly, TIME newsstand sales dropped by 35 percent since 2009.

On the national scale, newspaper and magazine circulation has dropped by five percent in the past six months. Popular newspapers like the Boston Globe and the New York Times have run into serious union disputes over wage decreases for company employees. Several national and local newspapers and magazines have decreased circulation from dailies and weeklies to monthlies.

Still more publications are decreasing the physical paper size, quite literally cutting corners to cut costs. These trends are having grave effects on the newspaper industry as a whole. The death of the print edition has become another casualty of the economic downturn, marking a dark note for national news.

This downturn in periodical sales represents both an economic loss and blow to the historical value of these publications. U.S. News and Newsweek were both founded

in 1933 while TIME was founded ten years earlier. These three magazines are the major newsweeklies in the United States and as such have chronicled nearly a century of world events. The downsizing and elimination of print editions are representative of significant historical losses.

These changes in circulation, production and readership represent an immediate gratification trend in news media that accompanies the new “blogosphere” revolution. According to a recent survey 61 percent of Americans get their news from online sources. Fordham students exemplify this trend.

“The Web site is my homepage,” Olivia Salomon, FCRH ’12, said.

“When I want to read the news I get online, I don’t walk to a newsstand and buy a paper.”

The increasing popularity of news blogs and Web sites results in a new immediate transmission of news to the reader. The print newspaper has become the snail mail of the increasingly digital media industry.

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PAGE 21

Volleyball Secures Fifth Seed in A-10 Tournament, Will Face Duquesne

By DANNY ATKINSON SPORTS EDITOR

After a one-year absence, Fordham volleyball is returning to the Atlantic 10 tournament as a fifth seed. In a season with its fair share of adversity, the Lady Rams have reestablished themselves as one of the better programs in the conference.

Fordham ended the season with a 17-17 record and a 7-8 mark in the A-10, earning the fifth seed in the tournament by virtue of the tiebreaker the team held over Charlotte. The Lady Rams will face off against fourth-seeded Duquesne on Friday night at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

While Fordham earned its playoff spot with a strong finish to the season (the team went 5-3 in its final eight games), the Lady Rams only guaranteed their berth with their play this weekend. After falling to Dayton, which has a perfect record in the conference, the team stepped up and swept Temple on Sunday to return to the A-10 tournament for the first time since 2008.

“It’s exciting to be back in the tournament,” Head Coach Peter Volkert said. “We were in control of much of our first match against Duquesne and we have a lot of confidence going into this match.

We’re excited to have a good shot at winning a first round match in the A-10 tournament.”

Before clinching its playoff berth, Fordham experienced a blowout loss to Dayton on Friday, Nov. 12. The Flyers, who have established themselves as the elite team in the A-10, swept the Lady Rams in three sets by scores of 2516, 25-18 and 25-15.

Though Fordham was trailing

PHOTO BY MARK BECKER/THE RAM

Volleyball is celebrating its first Atlantic 10 tournament appearance since 2008 and will face Duquesne in the first round.

by just two at 9-7 early in Set 1, Dayton quickly netted six straight points and the Rams were unable to get closer than eight points the rest of the way. In the second set, the team stayed close throughout and was only behind 18-16, until the Flyers scored the next five points and eventually took the set by seven. In the final set, Dayton dominated, leading by double figures for much of the match and recording a hitting percentage of .480.

For Fordham, senior middle hitter Katie Wells led the way with 10 kills and three blocks. The team was limited to a pitiful .067 percentage against the Flyer’s .341 and committed 24 errors to just 10 for Dayton.

Fordham likely expected to lose to Dayton, as the Flyers have torn through the A-10 while facing lit-

tle challenge from the rest of the conference, but Sunday’s match was a different matter. The Lady Rams knew it was a must-win contest. If the team lost, its chances of reaching the conference tournament would be hurt enormously.

To its credit, Fordham did not let up against one of the worst teams in the A-10. Instead, the team easily swept the Owls, demonstrating that it belongs in the playoffs and that it will be a resilient and challenging opponent for Duquesne and anyone else it faces. Final set scores were 25-22, 25-16 and 2513.

Fordham got off to a solid start during the first set with the help of three early kills from junior outside hitter Brittany Daulton and eventually led by as many as seven points before going on to win by three. In set two, the Rams hit

.419 as a team in route to an easy nine-point victory. Daulton had six kills and three digs in the set despite being injured. In the third set, the team’s defense stepped up big, holding Temple to a .033 percentage on its way to a sweep.

For the Lady Rams, Daulton recorded a match-high 14 kills and six digs, while senior middle hitter Christi Griffiths posted 12 kills and a .500 hitting percentage.

In addition, one of her two blocks tied her with Melissa Langness at 74 for the most career solo blocks in Fordham history.

“We played really well this weekend,” senior outside hitter Kailee May said. “Everyone passed well and hit well. It seems like we’re getting on the right foot for the tournament this weekend.”

So here they are–a group that started the season 4-5 in confer-

ence play and seemed to be on the outside looking in after experiencing a series of injuries a month ago is now heading to the A-10 playoffs and playing its best volleyball of the season. Fordham will be a huge challenge for Duquesne and any other team it faces in the later rounds of the playoffs.

The Lady Rams are playing with tons of confidence and with more efficiency than at any other point in the 2010 season. The team’s lineup has excellent balance, with veteran stars complemented by talented freshmen like setter Mary Diamantidis and libero Maria Rodenberg.

Fordham’s core senior group of Griffiths, May, Wells and outside hitter Jenna Hart has recorded a number of impressive individual accomplishments while at Rose Hill. They are arguably the most accomplished recruiting class in Lady Rams history. For the teams’ seniors, these playoffs are their chance to leave a winning legacy at Fordham.

Although Duquesne is ranked higher, the Lady Rams have enough talent to make it a competitive game.

The Lady Rams’ loss to Duquesne earlier in the season on the road could have gone either way, and on a neutral court in Cincinnati they have a solid shot at the win. A Fordham victory in the first round is dependent on the play of its seniors, and their confidence and focus going into the match is infectious.

“We just really need to focus on what Duquesne does,” May said.

“We’ll get a scouting a report and scout them like no other team we’ve scouted before. We’ll know all their tendencies and everything they do.”

Women’s Basketball Opens Season by Splitting a Pair at Elon

By ALEXANDER VILLARDO STAFF WRITER

If you search the term “bounce back” on urbandictionary.com, you might find the team photo of the 2010-2011 Lady Rams.

After giving up a whopping 91 points and 31 turnovers to the Elon Phoenixes in the season opener on Friday, Nov. 12, the Lady Rams (1-1) came back the next day, on the very same court, to put up 81 points of their own and beat the Stony Brook Seawolves 81-73. Senior forwards Caitlin Shadbolt and Tiffany Stokes led the way for the Lady Rams with 22 and 21 points respectively, in addition to combining for 17 rebounds.

“We had five players in double figures,” Head Coach Cathy Andruzzi said. “But the two who really led us were Shadbolt and Stokes, our post players.”

Shadbolt and Stokes each had only six points against Elon.

This prompted Andruzzi to describe their difference in performance as “day and night.”

Against Elon, Shadbolt and Stokes shot a combined 3-14

from the field and 0-3 from the free-throw line; against Stony Brook, the pair went 14-30 from the field and 14-17 from the freethrow line.

“We had a very strong postgame,” Andruzzi said. “And that’s what we didn’t have the day before. We had a lot of fouls [against Elon].”

Andruzzi was not kidding.

Against Elon, the Lady Rams tallied 31 personal fouls. Against Stony Brook, they came up with six.

However, there is one similarity that the two games had: Fordham’s guards contributed in both. Senior Kristina Bell put in 22 points against Elon and 13 against Stony Brook, and junior Becky Peters was named to the Elon Classic All-Tournament team after posting 18 points against the Lady Phoenixes and 12 against the Lady Seawolves.

Sophomore Charlotte Stoddart chipped in with eight points on the first night and 11 on the second.

This Wednesday evening, the Lady Rams return to the Rose Hill Gym to play the Bucknell Bi-

PHOTO BY MARK BECKER/THE RAM

Junior guard Becky Peters had a strong tournament, earning a spot on the All-Tournament team averaging 15 points per game.

son (1-0) at 7 p.m.

“We’re looking to have another game like the Stony Brook game where we had five players in double figures and turned the ball over only 13 times,” Andru-

zzi said.

According to Andruzzi, Bucknell plays solid basketball on both sides of the court.

“They’re a very good defensive team,” she said. “And they’ll also

stretch you out defensively. We’ll have to defend for the whole 30 seconds [of the shot clock].”

This week, the Lady Rams don’t want to bounce back–back to the loss column, that is.

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SPORTS

NOVEMBER 17, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 23

Hockey Cruises to 14-3 Cross Country Happy with Finishes Win Over Stevens Tech at Northeast Regional Championship

By BRIAN JASINSKI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Following a cancelled game Friday night against Hofstra, the hockey team travelled to the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. to face the Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday. With some added rest under their belts, the Rams displayed their offensive prowess, crushing Stevens Tech 14-3.

After a high-scoring affair in their first bout Oct. 15, which the Rams won 8-5, the team managed to buckle down defensively and bolster its already potent offense.

The win was an entire team effort in a game that had 10 different Rams record goals, including a hat trick from senior right winger Ben Zabatino, while sophomore center Tom Greco and freshman right winger James Bender posted two apiece.

Playing on the big stage was a significant factor in the victory.

“A lot of the guys on the team are from New Jersey,” Head Coach Rich Guberti said. “Going to the Prudential Center and playing in front of family and friends definitely psyched them up.”

Although the Rams scored only one goal in the first 16 minutes of the game, they came out blazing

with confidence after detecting a weakness in their sluggish opponent during warm-ups.

“Not to take away from our effort, but [Stevens Tech] looked slow in warm-ups,” General Manager Andrew Mola said. “The guys played hard and took advantage of that.”

With four minutes to go in the first, Fordham netted three goals to end the period in front 4-0. The unrelenting attack continued as Greco and Zabatino increased the lead to 6-0 just 2:04 into the second.

The Rams led 8-0 before Stevens finally got on the scoreboard more than halfway through the game.

With the game out of reach, Guberti replaced starting senior goalie Craig Hoffman with freshman Alex Ponchak. Ponchak stopped nine of 12 shots he faced in his first college outing while Hoffman continued to be unbeatable, stopping all 18 shots he faced.

Despite being six men short, the Rams are riding a four-game winning streak into their next match against St. Thomas on Nov. 19.

Both Guberti and Mola said they are seeking reinforcement from Fordham students who are willing and able to suit up for the team in an effort to fill roster spots.

Men’s Rugby Finishes Season with Victory

By DAN GARTLAND STAFF WRITER

This past Friday, the men’s club rugby team took on King’s Point at the MetNY playoffs, with the Rams coming away with a 41-12 victory.

Head Coach Andrew Gheraldi set the tone early with a spirited pre-game speech. He reminded his seniors that this was their last home game and encouraged them to “play like there is no tomorrow.”

Gheraldi also stressed the importance of putting up points, imploring his team several times during his pre-game speech to score as much as possible.

Gheraldi hoped his team could advance past the round robin portion of the playoffs by improving its point differential.

“Points, points, points,” he repeated right before kickoff.

When the game was actually underway, the Rams made it clear that their coach’s message had not fallen on deaf ears as they scored the first 27 points of the match.

They did struggle on conversion kicks, however, missing the first four.

Fordham dominated most facets of the game in the first half, especially time of possession, with the ball remaining in Fordham’s offensive half for the vast majority of the half.

When King’s Point did get the ball, the Fordham defense swarmed toward the ball-carrier and brought him down.

Fordham’s offensive dominance and unrelenting defense translated into a 27-0 halftime lead, but

King’s Point came out firing in the second half, looking to turn things around.

Three minutes into the half, King’s Point scored its first points of the game, but five minutes later, Fordham sophomore Chris Moore answered with his second try of the game.

The next 24 minutes of play were scoreless until Moore scored his team-leading third try of the night, effectively ensuring the Fordham victory.

King’s Point did manage another score in stoppage time but it was far too little, far too late, as Fordham came away with the 4112 victory.

“I’m proud of you guys,” coach Gheraldi told his team after the game.

The win was Fordham’s second of the round robin tournament.

The Rams had previously beaten Southern Connecticut and lost to Stony Brook.

In the MetNY playoffs, the winner of the round robin advances to the Sweet 16 of the National Championship tournament.

This year’s winner was Stony Brook, which finished with the same round robin record as both Fordham and Southern Connecticut but advanced based on point differential.

The team looks to carry its momentum into spring practice and said it is looking forward to a strong next few years, as the team started only two seniors this season.

The Rams said they hope that young players like Moore and freshman Mike Durant will be a good foundation for the next few seasons.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FORDHAMSPORTS

Senior Kerri Gallagher finished first for Fordham and 90th overall at the Northeast Regional Championship last weekend.

By CELESTE KMIOTEK CULTURE EDITOR

The men’s and women’s cross country teams both competed in the 2010 NCAA Northeast Regional Championship at Hammonasset State Park in Madison, Conn. on Saturday, Nov. 13.

The men’s team finished 22nd out of 35 teams, while the women placed 29th out of 35 teams.

The teams said they were pleased with the results, given the circumstances.

“The meet went well; we had a number of strong individual races and overall I think the team walked out of the meet feeling pretty good about our performance,” junior Brian Riley said. “We had been preparing for this meet all season long, each of our workouts created with this meet in mind since it is a 10k as opposed to the more common 8k.”

“The race was extremely competitive and the size of the race presented a few challenges,” senior Kerri Gallagher said. “Both the men’s and women’s races were longer distances than we are used to running so [Head] Coach [Tom Dewey] had us train to prepare for that.”

Syracuse won the men’s section with 56 points, with Iona in second with 63 points and Providence in third with 113 points. Fordham earned 617 points. Iona junior Leonard Korir won the race, coming in at 29:36.9.

For the Rams, Riley finished first, coming in 79th with 31:53.4.

Freshman Michael Belgiovine followed in 94th with 32:01.1 while sophomore Julian Saad came in 141st with 32:46.0. Freshman

Ryan Polo (147th with 32:54.4), freshman Brian Walter (161st with 33:11.8) and senior Casey Barrett (221st with 35:20.9) also competed.

“We had some great performances, especially by Brian Riley,” Belgiovine said. “Personally I was happy with the results, given the fact that we have a young team. We return all of our NCAA team, aside from senior Casey Barrett. There was some disappointment though, as [junior] Kevin Fitzgerald was suffering from extreme pain due to asthma and was forced to drop out of the race. I’m sure Kevin will be up and running in no time and will be ready to compete at ECAC/ IC4A.” Syracuse also won the women’s section, earning 78 points, while Stony Brook came in second with 83 points and Providence came in third with 87 points.

Fordham finished with 870 points. Stony Brook senior Lucy van Dalen won the race, finishing the six-kilometer course in 19:38.4.

Gallagher finished first of the Lady Rams, coming in 90th with 22:01.2. Freshman Anisa Arsenault came in 147th with 22:57.7, with freshman Kerry Sorenson in 205th with 24:04.1 and junior Nako Nakatsuka in 213th with 24:25.6.

Sophomore Christina Machado (231st in 25:03.8) and sophomore Ashley Davis (235th in 25:09.4) also ran.

“Going into the meet, we knew the competition was going to extremely tough,” Sorenson said. “I felt that it’d be better to run the race for time rather than run for place. Overall, I felt the team did well time-wise and we all tried our

hardest, even if our team’s place wasn’t too impressive.”

The teams are now preparing to wrap up their seasons at the ECAC/IC4A Championships.

“These past two weeks leading up to the meet had been a taper period, so that the guys could get their legs back under them after a long season,” Riley said. “We are just going to continue this strategy this coming week in order to be well rested and ready to race at the IC4A Championships next weekend. It should be a very competitive meet for the Rams and we are looking forward to it.”

“As for ECAC/IC4A Championships it’s going to be fairly similar to how we prepared for NCAAs,” Belgiovine said. “We’re going to taper our mileage and each runner will run how he feels necessary to prepare himself for the race. I believe we’ll have a strong showing, and will have an excellent finish to good season.”

“This late in the season, the team is already in shape, so lately our workouts have just been to maintain our physical well-being and to not injure ourselves,” Sorenson said. “With our last meet approaching, we will work hard this week but not do any drastic workouts in order to avoid injury.”

“Throughout the season our workouts were longer and our mileage a little higher than past years,” Gallagher said. “With one week to go, we are all focusing on that last race. I am looking forward to both teams seeing some success at the ECAC/IC4A Championship.”

Both teams will next compete in the ECAC/IC4A Championships Saturday, Nov. 20 at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

PAGE 24 • THE RAM • NOVEMBER17, 2010

ADVERTISING

SPORTS

Newton Scandal Nothing New

By RICH HOFMANN STAFF WRITER

Men’s Basketball

Women’s Basketball

Cross Country

Fordham 69 Sacred Heart 51

Fordham 81 Stony Brook 73

NCAA Northeast Regional

SacredHeart FG 3FG FT REB A PTS

StonyBrook

FG 3FG FT REB A PTS

Akinpetide 0-3 0-0 2-2 1 1 2

Davis

1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 2

Greenbacker 1-6 0-1 0-0 3 1 2

Jeter

6-10 0-2 2-2 5 0 14

Thompson

3-12 1-5 0-0 7 3 7

Cochran

4-9 0-0 0-0 8 0 8

Evans

3-6 0-2 1-1 3 1 7

Horsey

3-9 2-7 0-0 1 7 8

Gibson

5-13 1-7 0-2 5 2 11

Plikus

0-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 8

Kelley

2-4 1-3 0-0 3 0 5

Corona

0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Zazuri

0-1 0-0 0-0 2 1 0

Gatling

0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

Sahan

1-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 2

Murray

4-8 1-1 2-2 5 4 11

Montes

2-2 2-2 3-4 2 1 9

Burner

2-2 0-0 0-0 3 0 4

Dulaire

3-8 0-0 0-2 4 1 6

Landers

1-2 0-1 0-0 0 2 2

Bridges

3-5 0-0 2-4 4 0 8

Totals 20-57 5-20 6-11 33 12 51

Jacobs

4-0 0-1 0-0 4 0 8

Fordham

Totals

32-66 3-15 6-8 34 13 73

FG 3FG FT REB A PTS

Gaston

4-14 0-0 4-7 17 3 12

Bristol

5-6 0-0 0-0 5 0 10

Frazier

5-11 1-5 1-2 0 4 12

Estwick

3-6 1-2 0-0 6 1 7

Butler Hage

Men’s Team Scores 1. Syracuse- 56

Fordham

FG 3FG FT REB A PTS

Shadbolt

7-15 1-4 7-9 8 4 22

Stokes

7-15 0-0 7-8 9 2 21

4-9 4-7 5-6 2 2 17

Stoddart

4-8 1-2 1-2 3 0 11

0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0

Bell

5-8 1-3

2-2 6 1 13

Alihodzic 0-0 0-0 0-0 2 0 0

Peters

4-10 1-4

3-5 5 3 12

Moquete

Collins

0-2 0-2

0-0 1 1 0

Dominique 1-2 0-0 3-6 3 0 5

Weekes

0-1 0-0

0-0 0 0 0

Green

1-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 2

Corning

1-1 0-0

0-0 2 2 2

Robinson

0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0

2-5 0-0 0-0 0 1 4

Totals 28-60 4-15 21-26 38 1 81

2. Iona - 63 3. Providence - 113 4. Dartmouth - 138 5. Columbia - 146 22. Fordham - 617

Fordham Results 79. Brian RIley - 31:53.4 93.Michael Belgiovine 32.:01.01 140. Julian Saad - 32:46.0 146. Ryan Polo - 32:54.4 159. Brian Walter - 32:11.8

Women’s Team Scores

Totals 25-55 6-15 13-21 40 11 69 Blocks - Burner, Shadbolt, Stokes.

Blocks - Gaston (4), Bristol (3),

Steals - Murray )4), Bell (2),

Akinpetide. Steals - Butler (3),

Horsey (2), Corona, Peters, Plikus,

Frazier (3), Estwick (2), Evans

Shadbolt, Stokes. Turnovers - Pe-

(2), Bristol, Gaston, Gibson, Kel-

ters (4), Stoddart (3), Stoddart

lery, Thompson. Turnovers - Gaston

(3), Bell (2), Jeter (2), Cochran,

(5), Evans (3), Gibson (3), Zazuri

Collins, Davis, Gatling, Horsey,

(3), Bristol (2), Bulter (2), Es-

Jacobs, Landers, Murray, Plikus.

twick (2), Frazier(2), Alihodzic,

1 Sacred Heart Fordham

2

1 SBU

33 40 73

FOR

46 35 81

89 Kerri Gallagher - 2:0:1.2

Fordham 3-0 Temple 146 Arnista Arsenault -22:57.7

FG 3FG FT REB A PTS

Fordham

Daulton

2 11 0 17

May

Leffelman 3-11 2-8 0-0 7

1 8

McGonagill 3-6 3-5 0-1 5

6 9

Halpern

4-13 1-6 1-1 2

6 10

Taylor

0-0 0-0 0-0 0

0 0

Walker

0-0 0-0 0-0 0

0 0

Ponticelli 2-2 0-0 0-0 3

0 4

Williams

3-4 2-3 0-0 2

2 8

Sullivan

1-5 0-4 0-0 3

0 1

0 Diamantidis 0 Wells 0 Griffiths 1 Friede 3 Ewing 0 Hart 0 Peterson 0 Rodenberg 0 Totals 4

Totals 25-60 10-34 9-13 36 17 69 Fordham

FG 3FG FT REB A PTS

Gaston

9-19 0-0 3-8 17 0 21 0-0 4 0 0

0

4-18 2-6 7-10 1 4 17

Moquete 0-2 0-1 0-0

1 1 0

Dominique 1-5 0-1 1-2

10 0 3

Green

1 0 0

Totals 23-68 7-26 12-21 49 13 65 Blocks - Gaston (2), Halperen (2), Ponticelli, Sullivan. Steals - Gaston (2), McGonagill (2), Butler, Dominique, Estwick, Halpern, McCarthy. Turnovers - Gaston (5), Sullivan (4), Sullivan (3), Estwick (2), Frazier (2), Butler, Halkpern, McCarthy, Taylor, Williams.

1

14 0 5 1 3 1 11 2 12 1 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10

Temple

Frazier 4-10 3-9 0-0 6 5 11 Estwick 5-14 2 -9 1-1 6 3 13

K PCT DIG BA BE PTS

BS

Sullivan 4-11 2-7 7-9 5

0-0 0-0 0-0

BS Radojevic 2 Berkert 0 Trischuk 0 Antosz 1 Carr 0 Spencer 0 Pierre 0 Wallace 1 Prang 0 Tupuola 0 Matautia 0 Totals 4

.385 6 0 14.0 .000 9 0 5.5 .286 6 0 3.5 .286 0 0 12.0 .500 2 1 15.5 .571 2 0 10.5 .000 5 0 1.0 .000 0 0 0.0 .000 0 0 0.0 .000 21 0 2.0 .317 51 1 64.0

K PCT DIG BA BE PTS 6 .429 0 2 0 9.0 3 .000 4 0 0 3.0 0 .000 1 2 0 1.0 5 .364 1 3 0 8.5 8 .161 2 0 1 8.0 3 .111 0 0 0 3.0 0 .000 13 0 0 0.0 1 -.200 1 0 0 2.0 0 .000 4 0 0 0.0 0 -.667 2 0 0 1.0 0 .000 0 1 0 0.5 26 .133 28 8 1 36.0

2 F

Brown

40 29 69

Fordham

27 38 65

29. Fordham - 870

Fordham Results

McCarthy 5-8 0-1 1-2 4

Butler

4. Boston College - 92

Women’s Volleyball

28 41 69

Bristol 0-0 0-0

3. Providence - 87

2 F

F

25 26 51

Fordham 65-69 Brown Brown

2. Stony Brook - 83

5. Columbia - 206

Akinpetide, Dulaire, Greenbacker, Kelley, Monte, Sahan.

1. Syracuse - 78

FOR TEM

1 2 25 25 22 16

3 25 13

202 Kerry Sorenson -24:01.2 208 Nako Nakatsuka -24:25.6 225 Christna Machado -25:03.8

Visit theramonline.com f or game stories, blogs, videos, links to schedules and standings and more!

By now almost all college football fans know the story of Auburn quarterback Cam Newton. The quarterback had grabbed only positive headlines in leading the second-ranked Auburn Tigers toward a shot at the national title. He also should be a lock for the Heisman trophy, regardless of how Auburn closes its season. The reasons that he is not involve the many flaws of the college football system.

Over the past couple of weeks, allegations about Newton’s recruitment have overshadowed all of his play on the field. The star quarterback’s past was already well documented, as this season was characterized as a lesson that everyone deserves a second chance. Before getting into the recent scandal, it’s necessary to tell Newton’s story and why this is big news for college football.

The short version of how he wound up at Auburn goes something like this: Two years ago, Newton was set to take the torch from Tim Tebow at the University of Florida. Instead, he found himself in some legal trouble after purchasing a stolen laptop, for which he was suspended. After Newton returned to the team, Tebow decided to return for his senior season and Newton then decided to transfer.

He spent a year leading small Blinn College in Texas, where he led them to the national junior college championship. The year was described as a time of reflection for Newton, who got a Sports Illustrated cover and story for his efforts at Auburn.

A host of schools heavily recruited Newton and he eventually chose Auburn over Mississippi State and the Tigers have become the biggest story in college football this year.

The Tigers, who weren’t thought of as anything close to a national title contender as the season began, now control their destiny with two games remaining. The Tigers are undefeated and have done it in the brutal SEC West with big wins over Arkansas, LSU and Georgia highlighting their season. Now a date at bitter rival Alabama in the Iron Bowl looms in a couple of weeks as the biggest game of the season.

Still, Auburn faces a big hurdle even before the teams suit up on Nov. 26. The problem for the Tigers is that Newton has a chance to be declared ineligible, which would kill their chances. The physical specimen that Newton presents a defense is difficult enough; as a 6’6”, 250 lbs. quarterback, he is something you don’t normally see.

Defenses have found out all season long that Newton is also an excellent and physical runner, who punishes smaller tacklers once he gets in the secondary.

At the least, the scandal will be a huge distraction until Auburn loses and it involves how he wound up choosing the school after the year at Blinn. Newton’s recruitment was a two-horse race between Auburn and Mississippi State, that had the advantage of having Dan Mullen as head coach. Newton and Mullen knew each other well from the quarterback’s days at Florida, when the coach was the offensive coordinator. Still, the quarterback chose the Tigers, but the question

is: Why? In recent weeks Kenny Rogers, a runner who works with agents, has told the media about the practices employed by Cam’s father, Cecil Newton. After Cam transferred from Florida, Cecil was described

by Rodgers as saying, “It’s not going to be free this time.” Rogers also said that Cecil wanted between $100,000 and $180,000 for his son’s services.

This becomes an even bigger problem as anonymous sources have said that an emotional Cam phoned a recruiter after he committed to Auburn. Newton expressed regret that he wouldn’t be attending Mississippi State, but Cecil chose Auburn for him because “the money was too much.” Cecil has admitted that he solicited money from Mississippi State, but that he received no payment. He also added that he acted alone, saying that Cam had no knowledge of his actions.

Since these allegations came out a few weeks ago, Cam has become the only story in college football, as opposed to just the biggest. The first question is if he will become ineligible for the rest of the season, pretty much ending Auburn’s title hopes.

It looks as if he will get to play the rest of the year. The only place that could suspend him is Auburn itself, because these are all allegations at this point. Since nothing has been proven, the NCAA can’t do anything to the star quarterback. Throughout its history, the NCAA has also been very slow in mounting these types of investigations, which suggests that Newton could lead Auburn to a title.

The problem with that scenario is that Newton will most likely be declared ineligible at some point.

All Auburn really is doing is playing out the string, because Newton’s ineligibility will forfeit any championships that they win on the field. This is a nightmare situation for the NCAA, which does its best to police the image that top recruits receive monetary compensation. They are basically letting a team compete for a national title that can’t officially win it.

Really, Cecil Newton just happened to get caught receiving money. In an amateur sports culture where it is common knowledge that the most powerful man in basketball is advisor/agent William Wesley (a.k.a. “World Wide Wes”), it really is not that uncommon. He just happened to get caught.

The NCAA is out to condemn those who seek money in their sport, when it is the NCAA making money off their players (at least in big time college sports). Cecil would probably be fine by taking a cut of his son’s jersey sales, but that money isn’t owed to him. This isn’t to say what Cecil did was right, but it does show that these players make a lot of money for the NCAA and they don’t see any of it come back to them.

The final question is whether Newton will win the Heisman.

Strictly by judging on-the-field criteria, I think someone would be crazy not to tab Newton. In light of what happened to Reggie Bush, voters are going to have to weigh the risks. Kellen Moore sounds much safer, even if the charges are only allegations at this point.

NOVEMBER 17, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 25

PAGE 26 • THE RAM • NOVEMBER 17, 2010

MATT MANUSZAK

The Smush Parker Project Judging a basketball team on one game is usually unfair. One game is a small sample size, even in college.

Yet, when that one game is a microcosm of all of a team’s problems, and that team not only exhibits the same weaknesses of last year’s squad but also displays a curious lack of awareness on both sides of the ball, that one game can be very telling. For Fordham, that one game was its 69-65 loss to Brown last Friday evening, and while I am by no means declaring this season to be a lost cause, there were some rather glaring issues that need to be addressed.

The Fordham defense for the majority of the game was embarrassing. Don’t let the 69 points that Fordham allowed fool you – our defense got worked. The scheme was both poorly planned and poorly executed: the team started in a man-to-man in the first half, but the defense was man-to-man in name only.

Fordham defenders treated their Brown counterparts like teams treat Rajon Rondo, playing about threeto-five feet off their man at all times and basically daring the Bears to shoot from long range. Over half of Brown’s shots were taken from beyond the arc, and though the team went cold in the second half, allowing 34 three-pointers, the majority of which were wide open, will typically result in a loss.

When Fordham switched to a zone, I felt like I was watching Hoosiers: all Brown had to do was pass the ball four or so times, and it had an open three or layup. Fordham, a team that was clearly bigger and more athletic than Brown, judging simply by pure foot speed and rebounding numbers (Fordham did outrebound Brown 49 to 36), played defense like it was smaller and slower. Its closeouts were so tepid, its double teams so unsure, that the Fordham defenders seemed afraid that their Ivy League competitors were primed to blow by them on a dribble, drive and dunk for the easy bucket. It never happened; rather, Brown merely passed the ball around the perimeter and occasionally into the post, waiting for Fordham to attempt the apparently perilous task known as “defensive switching,” a skill that is fundamental to being an effective team.

The numbers don’t tell the whole story; Brown shot 50 percent in the first half before cooling off to 32 percent in the second half, but its effective field-goal percentage (eFG), which takes into account that three point shots are worth more than two pointers, was actually an average 50 percent for the game, an above-average team eFG but nothing to write home about.

Yet, for those who watched the game, Brown may as well have been shooting alone in a gym for many of those shots. Fordham will have to learn to rotate on defense and learn when to be aggressive in the

man-to-man defense.

On offense, the formula was one we’ve seen before: get the ball to Gaston. I have no problem with this game plan. Gaston is nearly unguardable in the post, especially in delayed transition, when it is more difficult for a team to double-team him. He made nine of 19 shots and three of eight free throws for 21 points, to go along with 17 rebounds, no assists, five turnovers, two blocks and two steals. That’s an impressive line, especially for this team, but I do have bones to pick.

To be an efficient scorer, one has to either get to the free throw line a lot or be an above-average threepoint shooter. Fordham as a team doesn’t get to the line a lot, and neither does Gaston. Eight free throw attempts isn’t a low number, but it is a low ratio when compared to 19 two-point field goal attempts. Gaston has to work on getting to the line more often; a jumper wouldn’t hurt either. Further, he has to work on his dribbling: Gaston dribbles the ball too high up, making him easy prey for pickpockets. Also, I realize that he needs to conserve energy on the defensive end because he expends so much offensively, so Head Coach Tom Pecora has to put Gaston on another team’s less active player, then switch him onto their better scorers in crunch time, like Phil Jackson did with Kobe Bryant before Ron Artest became a Laker.

Beyond Gaston, players really need to know their roles. I applaud senior guard Brenton Butler’s 10 free throw attempts, but didn’t appreciate his four-for-18 shooting.

Butler is probably one of the best jump shooters on the team, but his touch around the rim was nonexistent. That at-rim success percent will even out over time, but if Butler can’t convert layups against Brown, he will have a tough time doing it against other teams. He needs to pick better spots for his forays to the basket, and develop a floater and midrange game to complement his outside shooting (two of six against Brown) and excellent ability to draw fouls.

Other than those two, our offense looked extremely one-dimensional. Junior guard Alberto Estwick is a streaky shooter, and while nine three-point attempts are a lot (he made two), that’s his role on this team. I have no problem with Estwick taking threes if he’s open, but he just can’t hesitate.

Stats show that shooters who hesitate, dribble or even take a step before letting it fly from three shoot a much lower percentage than those who simply catch and shoot. Estwick needs to work harder to get open for three, especially in transition, and then shoot the ball when he’s open. I really liked the play of our two freshmen, Branden Frazier (whose name sounds way too much like Brendan Fraser’s) and Marvin Dominique. Frazier notched 11 points, five assists, two turnovers and six rebounds and looked under control in distributing the ball. Dominique was huge in yanking down 10 rebounds in his 30 minutes.

This is going to be a tough season for the Rams on both sides of the ball. The players are young and they put forth effort, but they need to work on defensive execution and staying within themselves offensively.

SPORTS

Senior Profile: Colin Corbett

By JONATHON SMITH ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Colin Corbett is currently in the No. 1 position on the squash team.

He is from the Westchester, N.Y. area and transferred from LoyolaMaryland to Fordham his sophomore year. He is a graduate of Rye High School where he earned three varsity letters and was a driving force on the tennis team. He is a finance major and a member of Fordham’s Finance Society.

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

Colin Corbett: I went to Loyola-Maryland my first year, and that didn’t really work out so being from Westchester I knew about Fordham and its reputation and tradition and thought that it would be a good fit.

TR: What made you want to join the squash team?

CC: I had never played competitively before I came to school, but I had played lots of tennis, and squash is a popular sport in my town also. I wanted to be on a team and keep playing competitive sports, and this worked out very well.

TR: You played for [former head coach] Bob Hawthorn for a few seasons and now you are playing for a new coach. What has that change been like?

CC: We are very lucky to have Coach [Bryan Patterson] with us.

PHOTO BY SIMON SULIT/THE RAM

Senior Colin Corbett is currently listed as Fordham’s top-seeded squash player.

He knows so much about the game and he cares so much about helping Fordham improve. He is insistent on recruiting and I believe that in time we can be a real powerhouse.

TR: What are your goals for the season, both team and personal?

CC: As a team, improvement is our only goal. If we start getting better this season we will be able to attract the talent we need to be competitive. Personally, I’m hoping just to help with the coaching transition for the guys, and to help the young guys out. Being in my final year, I just want to enjoy the season and have a good time with the team.

TR: What are your plans for after graduation?

CC: I don’t really have any plans yet. I’ve done some interning, but I do not have any concrete plans yet.

TR: What are your best memories from Fordham, both on and off the court?

CC: My best memories have been just watching the guys play their matches. It’s fun to see people getting better and win their matches. It was also pretty special to have the new courts built this past year.

It is a sign that in due time Fordham squash can be one of the best in the nation.

Squash Picks Up First Win of the Season

By BRODY NIEPORTE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The men’s squash team opened its season this past weekend in Annapolis, Md. at the Navy Squash Round Robin.

It was an extremely busy weekend for the Rams, as they competed in five matches versus four different teams. It was an impressive field that came together for Fordham’s opening tournament of the year.

The Midshipmen of Navy were the highest-ranked team in the tournament coming into the season as the No. 13 team in the entire country.

Also, Washington and Drexel came into the season boasting top 40 national rankings as well.

Fordham lost its first three matches, starting by losing to powerhouse Navy 9-0 to kick off the season. However, there were tough-fought matches in the middle of the lineup by sophomore Jack O’Brien, senior Ken Fukumoto and junior Andrew Grosner.

Fordham lost both of its following matches by 7-2 scores, going up against Washington and Johns Hopkins.

The next day, Fordham came out firing and picked up an impressive first win of the season against the Dragons of Drexel.

Drexel came into the match ranked No. 39 in the country according to the College Squash Association’s preseason rankings.

Fordham eked out a 5-4 win in a tight, intense match that brought the Rams their first win of the

PHOTO BY SIMON SULIT/THE RAM

Junior Chris Souther was very encouraged by the team’s contributions in the win over Drexel.

season. This win is a big first step in Fordham’s hope of turning its squash program around, and making it a highly competitive squash team in the Northeast and around the country.

To close out the tournament, the Rams once again took on the host team from Navy.

This time they won two matches, which was an improvement on their first match of the season against Navy in which they got shut out.

Junior Chris Souther said he was very encouraged about the weekend as a whole.

“The win against Drexel was a great team effort where all the guys contributed to pull out a win for the team,” Souther said. “Even the matches we lost were very hard-

fought, and we can already see the improvements our team is making this year.”

Even though the Rams finished the tournament with a 1-4 record, a lot of positives can be taken out of this weekend. They had the chance to gain invaluable experience as they got to play five matches against elite opponents. Furthermore, the team had the chance to play an abundance of games that will get it ready for the rest of the season.

Next up for the Rams is a match on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. against the Vassar Brewers. The Brewers come into the match with a 1-2 record.

This should be an even and competitive match that could go either way.

NOVEMBER 17, 2010 • THE RAM • PAGE 27

SPORTS

Major Changes Made to Intramural Sports Process

By JONATHON SMITH ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

PHOTO COURTESY OF IMLEAGUES

Students can now register as intramural free agents if they do not have a team.

By JONATHON SMITH ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Cliff Lee, Derek Jeter, myself.

These are three people who are currently on the free agent market.

Well, not exactly. While Lee and Jeter are free agents in the MLB, I am currently a free agent in the new Fordham Intramural Sports League.

Fordham intramural sports is changing its ways for winter, spring and all future leagues. The old method of signing a release form and a “team sheet,” then sliding it under Intramural and Club Sports Coordinator Mike Roberts’ door is over. Now everything is moving to the Internet. If you go onto the University’s Web site, click “Athletics” then click “Intramurals” you will see that the site looks the same, but now there is no release form to print out.

Instead you must click a link that takes you to imleagues.com in which you then follow the on-screen instructions.

From here you create a player profile for yourself. Similar to the paper release form people used to sign, you fill out a release form with your name, grade and similar demographics as before.

“One of the reasons for the change was definitely so I could monitor demographics better,” Roberts said.

“Now I will be able to see how many people in each grade play, how many girls or boys play a specific sport and other things like that.”

After the profile is created you are

put into a free agent pool. After you become a free agent you may either request to join a team that has already been created or you can create your own team and request other free agents to join it. It is effectively the same as before, but online. You create a profile instead of printing out a release form, and you join a team rather than signing a team sign-up sheet.

“Having everything online makes things a lot easier for me,” Roberts said. “It spreads out my workload, enables me to monitor the leagues better and there is no cost. It was more of a question of why not do it than why make the switch to the web.”

Reactions from students have been mixed about the switch to the Internet.

Many students were confused about the switch and not exactly sure what to do, while others have been relieved that they do not have to go to everyone on their team to get signatures.

“In the long run, this will make everything easier for the students and me,” Roberts said. “The transition may be a bit of a hassle this first time around, but it will make everything much easier for future leagues.”

The Web site is host to almost 200 different colleges and their intramural sports. Having just signed up for a few teams myself, I can say that it is very easy and pretty cool as well. The Web site should be here to stay. Deadlines to sign up for winter intramurals are Nov. 18.

Swimming and Diving Teams Bitten by Terriers

By JAMES PASSERI STAFF WRITER

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams struggled this weekend against the Boston University Terriers. Both teams were defeated in the competition: the men’s team (186.5-107.5); the women’s team (174-126).

The Rams totaled seven wins in the event: six from the women’s team, and one from the men’s.

These wins included a 200-medley relay on the women’s side: two individual wins by sophomore Brienne Ryan (100 and 200 freestyle), two individual wins by senior Christina Cosentino (100 and 200 backstroke), a relay won by .01 of a second (400 freestyle) and the single men’s victory by freshman Shintaro Noguchi (200 freestyle).

Following their win against Marist in mid-October, the teams now each have a record of 1-1.

Freshman Shintaro Noguchi and sophomore Brienne Ryan were each awarded weekly honors by the

Atlantic 10 Conference this week.

For the second time this season Ryan was awarded Women’s Performer of the Week and Noguchi received his first Men’s Rookie of the Week award. The four wins that Ryan earned for Fordham against BU all set season bests for the women’s team. Along with producing the single men’s win this weekend, Noguchi placed second in his other individual event (100 butterfly), and helped set the season-best time in the 200 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay for the men’s team.

“We knew that the Boston University team was definitely a challenge for us,” Noguchi said. “But we didn’t let that get to our heads too much. Overall, our team still put up great times, ending with an epic women’s relay. This swim meet has only pumped us up for our upcoming invitational this weekend.”

Fordham’s swimming and diving teams will be competing over the weekend in the Rutgers Invitational, commencing on Friday, Nov. 19 in Piscataway, N.J.

I was recently bored and unmotivated to write a paper for one of my classes, so I did what I always do – I watched clips of Miracle on YouTube in order to get myself pumped up and focused.

I don’t know why this always seems to work, but I like to think that Head Coach Herb Brooks is talking to me, but rather than beating the Soviets in hockey, he is telling me to get busy on a term paper. As I watched a few of the more inspiring clips from the film, I began to think about the movie and event of the 1980 USA hockey team, and how it was one of the biggest underdog victories of all time in sports.

This got me thinking about underdogs in sports. Why do we love to root for underdogs? In a world where we are constantly trying to get more power and “become the best,” why are we so drawn to the underdog?

The obvious answer to this is because we grow tired of the same teams winning and the same players doing well. We live in a world of constant change and get bored with the same results season after season.

The Yankees are the best team in the history of baseball, but they are also the most hated because they always seem to do well. If you ask any baseball fan who he or she is rooting for next season, I guarantee that more than one person will respond “anybody but the Yankees.” People grow tired of the same teams winning. We want change. We crave it.

Another reason that everybody loves an underdog is because we all like to see ourselves as underdogs at some point or another.

Nobody wants to be seen as a villain, or always have the odds on his or her side. At some point, whether consciously or not, each person craves the underdog status. It motivates and inspires.

We all dream of having the odds stacked against us and our backs against the wall. We want to see what we are made of – it is a test. If

we fail there are not many ramifications, as it was expected of us to not succeed, but if we do succeed, not only in sports but in anything, then we feel very accomplished. It leads to one of those “great moments” that I discussed in my last column for those of you who are loyal readers.

We love underdogs in sports for this reason. We get to connect them to our lives and feel what they are feeling. We are somewhat jealous of the position that they are in, because we crave this situation.

Underdogs are people we can relate to; they’re unpolished and authentic. In the 1980 Olympics, the U.S. hockey team’s victory over the USSR was called the “Miracle on Ice.” Why? Because the U.S. team was comprised of amateurs and college kids who fought a team of hardened, welltrained professionals and came out on top.

When we see a rag-tag band of misfits like the Mighty Ducks pull out a win against overwhelming odds, we’re reminded of regular people like ourselves.

There’s no pleasure in watching people who have had every advantage do what they’ve been trained to do – win. It’s hard to feel a kinship with a girl whose parents spent millions teaching her to be a tennis champion. We’d rather root for the average kid who picks up a racquet and discovers a preternatural gift for the game. We can’t relate to flashy packaging, expensive image-consultants or artifice.

We like the real thing.

We live vicariously through underdogs, thinking “If the Karate Kid, a guy with barely any training, can beat all those Cobra Kai fighters, then why can’t I?” Underdogs allow us to live out our own dreams of greatness, and imagine ourselves conquering our personal challenges.

Whether we dream of singing on television, playing a professional sport or climbing a mountain, we like to see normal people succeed, because it helps convince us that maybe we could, too.

Rocky Balboa was just a kid

from Philly, and his victory over Apollo Creed is satisfying because he had to overcome more to get there. If Creed had won, he wouldn’t have worked as hard for it. If an average kid from Philly can make it, maybe we can, and underdogs always encourage us to try.

Our country is built on the American dream. We all love the story of people coming from nothing and succeeding – the rags-toriches story.

In sports we do not want to see someone succeed who has had every advantage in life; we want to see teams like Butler in last year’s NCAA Tournament succeed. Or we want to see teams that hardly win, like our very own Fordham Rams, succeed. These are true “America’s teams.” Not teams that win year after year, but underdogs that fight and fight to reach the top – teams that embody the American dream.

Just think about it, why wouldn’t you want to be considered an underdog? People can connect with you and you represent many other people. This is summed up perfectly in the film Hoosiers when before the championships game one of the players for this underdog squad says “Let’s go win this for all the small schools that never had a chance to get here.”

As an underdog you represent much more than just yourself or your team; you are inspirational.

People crave those “Hollywood Moments” in their lives, and sometimes see themselves as if they are in a movie. Well, people can stop searching for those moments, because at some point in each person’s day they are probably an underdog in something, and an underdog story is about as “Hollywood” as it gets.

Whether it is because we see ourselves as underdogs, we prefer the Hollywood rags-to-riches stories or just because we crave change and want to see different teams win, we love the underdog.

We love success stories, and we all want to have people rooting for us. For the underdog, this is all possible.

Upcoming Varsity Schedule CAPS=HOME lowercase=away

Thursday Nov. 18

Friday Nov. 19

Sunday Nov. 21

Monday Nov. 22

Tuesday Nov. 23

COLGATE 1:00 p.m.

Football

Men’s Basketball

Saturday Nov. 20

HAMPTON 7:00 p.m.

LONG ISLAND 7:00 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

HOLY CROSS 4:00 p.m.

Cross Country

ECAC/IC4A Championship 9:30 a.m.

Swimming

Rutgers Invitational Piscataway, N.J.

Water Polo

Eastern Championship Lewisburg, Pa.

Volleyball

Atlantic 10 Championship Cincinnati, Ohio

at Fairleigh Dickinson 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday Nov. 24

NOVEMBER 17, 2010

PAGE 28

Men’s Basketball Ends 22-Game Losing Streak After Struggling in Their Opener Against Brown, Rams Dominate in a Win Over Sacred Heart

By MARK BECKER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Friday night – opening night – fans were expecting anything. No one knew what was coming, and although the Rams lost, at least fans saw the new team play together, and play well once the game really got going in the second half.

Just three days later, Head Coach Tom Pecora’s Rams stepped off the court victorious for the first time in nearly a year, after playing as a team and simply getting the job done for once in a very long time.

The win, although only over Sacred Heart (0-2), against which the Rams (1-1) are now 3-0 in school history, marked a possible turning point for Fordham men’s basketball.

Teams of the past had easy games on the schedule and failed to come away with the win, but this year’s team has already notched that allimportant first win, a boost to both the team’s and fans’ confidence and a threat to opponents who now know Fordham is capable of winning.

“We still didn’t play 40 minutes of basketball, but we played 30 to 32 minutes,” Pecora said.

The game against Brown (1-0) ended exactly as was fitting. The dashed dreams of the past few years simply could not allow for Pecora’s first game to be a win; poetic justice would not have been served. For the most part, the game showcased exactly the weaknesses that have plagued the Rams in recent years – deplorable shooting percentage, lack of leadership on the court and inability to play defense. At other times it gave a glimpse into what the Rams could quickly become – a fast-paced, high-energy team led by sophomore forward Chris Gaston, helping him underneath and relying on promising but unproven players to step up to the challenge.

Gaston was his usual self, playing strong in the post early, improving throughout and taking the load on his shoulders at the end, both on offense and defense.

Redshirt senior guard Brenton Butler scored 17 points on a weak 4-18 shooting. The real story of the night was a trio – freshman forward Marvin Dominique, junior wing Alberto Estwick and freshman guard Branden Frazier – who stepped up throughout the game to show that the Rams can field several reliable players.

Dominique crashed the boards hard, providing the big presence the Rams have lacked for two years, totaling 10 rebounds (although with only three points). Estwick took the first step in his possible breakout campaign in notching 13 points, six rebounds and three assists (although while going 2-9 from behind the arc). Frazier provided the biggest inspiration of the night, however, as he flashed triple-double potential with an 116-5 line, doing most of his damage in the final 10 minutes of the game after Gaston willed the team back

PHOTO BY MARK BECKER/THE RAM

Freshman forward Marvin Dominique had an impressive debut, pulling down 10 rebounds in the opening-night loss to Brown.

into contention, showing remarkable poise for a freshman starter.

The only real black marks on the Rams’ game were shooting and offthe-ball defense. Thanks to Butler’s poor decisions to cut into traffic in the lane late, Dominique’s 1-5 night from directly under the basket and the collective 7-26 on trey attempts, the Rams’ shooting percentage was, as usual, deplorable.

Holding Brown to just 41.7 percent speaks volumes about Fordham’s second-half defense, as the Rams played tight man-to-man on the ball but lost track of men on the weak side in the first half, leading to 50 percent shooting from the field.

The Rams pushed the pace in the second half, hitting 12-37 to Brown’s 9-28 to go with 10 free throws, thanks mainly to Gaston creating something out of nothing on defense for once, as he always does on offense.

“We fell in love with the three for a little while – you don’t shoot 26 threes,” Pecora said. “I felt like we should have driven more in the first half.”

The Rams had taken a four-point lead within two minutes after starting the game, but Brown improved with every minute, trading leads and forcing ties at seven and 14 points each before pulling away to an eventual 15-point margin just before the half. Thanks to a big play by Gaston, however – a steal and dunk to pull within three at 9:58 – Brown could only build so much momentum before a 7-0 explosion in fewer than three minutes brought the margin to 15.

Not much changed to start the second half, with Brown hanging around a double-digit lead for the first five minutes, but then the Rams went on the move behind 10 points from Estwick (his other three came on a trey just 30 seconds into the game) in under four minutes, broken up only by a Dominique free throw that brought the score to 47-43. Gaston hit a layup to narrow the lead to two and Frazier answered a jumper with a three to bring the Rams within one, but Brown’s senior guard Adrian Wil-

liams hit two three-pointers within one minute of being subbed onto the court and recreating an all-toofamiliar scene.

Gaston would have none of it, though, as he turned his hustle up a notch on both ends of the floor causing three steals and even getting himself another dunk to pull back within one. Two made free throws between Gaston and Butler gave the Rams a one-point lead among several admirable plays by the rest of the team, including a couple of painful charges. Brown kept ahead by a hair for the remainder, but gave Fordham a real opportunity with just 48 seconds to go; a missed free throw handed the Rams the ball down two, but they blew the chance to tie it when Butler dribbled into the lane yet again.

He handed it off to Dominique (of all players on the court), who promptly missed an off-balance shot and forced Estwick to commit his fifth foul to stop the clock.

Brown went on to win, but not before Frazier sank another three with five seconds left to end the game at 69-65. The loss hurt the team and fans, but the Rams showed a lot of promise and some poise late in the game, which can only lead to better days.

“I noticed a lot of residue from the past two seasons,” Pecora said.

“The thing that bothered me the most was guys putting their heads down. I tell them, ‘Keep your head up – you’re Fordham.’”

Those heads were kept high during the Sacred Heart game, as the Rams jumped out early and held on for the 69-51 victory.

Again, Gaston led the team in production with 12 points and 17 rebounds while three others hit double-digits in scoring – Butler, Frazier and junior transfer center Kervin Bristol, who showed right from the start how capable he is en route to posting 10 points, five rebounds and three blocks. Bristol managed only nine minutes in the Brown game due to early foul trouble, but pulled down four rebounds that night and in 35 minutes Tuesday asserted himself down low.

Butler shot an impressive 4-9 from the field (4-7 from three), again proving that he is a solid threepoint marksman but inconsistent inside the arc. Frazier handled his second game with aplomb, going 5-11 (but only 1-5 on treys) for 12 points and four assists, while Estwick played effectively in a reduced capacity, scoring only seven points but on 3-6 shooting while grabbing six rebounds. The five starters also combined for an impressive 10 steals, and again played the vast majority of minutes.

Fordham stormed out to a 7-2 start and increased the lead to 10 points before long, led by Frazier and Gaston (who combined for

17 points in the first half, including five by Gaston in under 30 seconds). Sacred Heart hit a threepointer just before the half to narrow the margin to only three and kept it close 10 minutes into the second half, but following a media timeout at 10:28 the Rams got serious. Butler hit a three right at 10:00 and Gaston and Bristol hit the boards hard, registering eight rebounds in four minutes before the Pioneers fouled away, allowing the Rams to extend their lead to as many as 22 points just before the end on seven made free throws, a Dominique layup and a dunk by Frazier, much to the apparent surprise of the delighted fans.

In the end, the Rams cruised through the final five minutes to post the 18-point win, an inconceivable margin of victory the past two years. The win will receive more attention than the loss, as it should, as every game is another chance for an inexperienced squad to work together and build chemistry, and logic dictates that each game should see improvement.

“I’m very excited for the team,” Pecora said.

The Rams will attempt to extend their winning streak for the first time since Dec. 8 last season this Friday, Nov. 19 at home against Hampton (0-1) at 7 p.m. They will stay at Rose Hill for a matchup with Long Island (1-0) on Tuesday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. before ending their season-opening five-game home stand with a faceoff against Hartford (0-1) on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 1 p.m.

PHOTO BY STEPHEN MOCCIA/THE RAM

Sophomore forward Chris Gaston picked up where he left off last season, pulling down 17 rebounds in both games to start the season.