Volume 95, Issue 20

The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 Volume 95, Issue 20

FordhamRam.com F dh R FORDHAM IN THE BRONX

November N b 13 13, 2013

Planned Business Incubator

Union Protests, Rat Camps Outside Gate To Aid Student Entrepreneurs

By KELLY KULTYS NEWS EDITOR

JEFFREY COLTIN/THE RAM

Now a common sight on Bathgate, the rat is a part of a protest by carpenters employed by a university-hired contractor.

By JEFFREY COLTIN BRONX CORRESPONDENT

Nobody knows when it will strike next. One day, students are walking peacefully to class past the parked cars on Bathgate Avenue. The next day, there’s a 15-foot-tall rat.

Such is the way life has been for Rose Hill students over the past four weeks. Those traveling to and from campus had to pass through Rose Hill’s gate under the watchful eye of the massive, inflatable rat taking up residence a few mornings a week at

the corner of 191st Street and Bathgate Avenue.

The rat comes courtesy of a protest from the New York City and Vicinity District Council of Carpenters. The Union Local is unhappy with the wages paid to carpenters by a university-hired contractor, but most students seem unaware of this.

“I honestly thought it was a Halloween thing,” said Alex DeSimine, GSB ’15, noting that the robust rodent first appeared in the weeks leading up to the holiday.

“For the first few weeks, I had no

One of the most important things Nevin Kulangara, GSB '15, would like to accomplish at Fordham is to help students bring their business ideas to fruition.

For example, his friend, Ross Garlick, GSB ’15, runs a successful rental company, FURI, on campus where students can rent air mattresses that they normally wouldn not be able to fit in their dorm rooms.

But, Kulangara knows not all students have the skills and finances to get their ideas off the ground.

That is why he and a few other students have created Fordham Student Holdings (FSH).

“The goal is to create a platform for student-run businesses on campus,” Kulangara said.

“Right now, if a student wants to manage a business, he or she doesn’t really have an option.”

Adding on to Kulangara’s view, according to the organization’s proposal, the main purpose of

FSH is to establish a “structured process for creating and maintaining student-run businesses on campus.”

“We have all these great ideas for businesses on campus,” Kulangara said. “You know Gabelli students in their first year have to create business ideas and Professor [Mitchell] Fillet was telling me every year he gets great business ideas that would bring in profits, but there’s nothing they can do about [the ideas].”

Currently, the plan is to run FSH through the Entrepreneurship Department in GSB. Kulangara cited Dr. Christine Janssen, head of the Entrepreneurship Program and Mitchell Fillet, professor in GSB, as instrumental in FSH’s development.

He has also been working closely with Garlick, Muhammad Sarwar, GSB ’14, Steve Frost, GSB ’15, Jackson Lindour, GSB ’15, Charlie Summers, GSB ’16, Caroline Reichart, GSB ’15, Caroline Schneider, GSB ’15, John Tressler, GSB ’14, and a few memSEE FSH, PAGE 2

idea what it was even for,” agreed Michelle Pathe, FCRH ’15. When she finally did hear about the protest over wages, she questioned the rat’s effectiveness.

“It’s not doing too much,” Pathe said. “Inflating the rat and then not actually standing with it is very interesting.”

Confusion over the protest has been prevalent. Fordham’s satirical online news source The Ramtime Times even spoofed the phenomenon in an Oct. 18 article headlined SEE RAT, PAGE 3

College Republicans and ASILI Aim to Break Barriers Between Race and Politics

By GIRISH SWAMINATH ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

ASILI – The Black Student Alliance at Fordham and College Republicans co-sponsored an interactive discourse event on Tuesday, Nov. 12, in Keating Hall.

The two organizations planned in this issue

Opinion Page 7 A Farewell to Bloomberg

Arts

Page 11 Fall in NYC Brings New Activities

Sports

Page 17

Jon Severe Scores 28 in Fordham’s Win Over St. Francis (Pa.)

the discourse, entitled “Dismantling the Barriers Between Race and Politics,” with the intent of bringing together members of the Fordham community from different racial and political backgrounds so that people could share their perspectives on the relationship between race and politics.

The discourse, which Tochi Mgbenwelu, FCRH ’15, president of ASILI, and Luke Zaro, FCRH ’16, president of College Republicans, moderated, actively involved the audience and welcomed attendees’ political and cultural views. The executive board members of both clubs began by having students define conservatism and Republican ideals.

Members of the Fordham community shared their reasoning as to why they felt society wrongfully believes that the Republican Party’s ideologies repel minority individuals, attributing such mis-

conceptions to the media and historical events.

People voiced their opinions on how the stop-and-frisk law is intended to be race-neutral but the actual enforcement of the law tends to involve racial profiling.

Several arguments over divergent beliefs erupted throughout the night, but participants tried to maintain a respectful, accepting environment in order to encourage productive discussion.

Mgbenwelu and Zaro were initially inspired to plan the event after having a discussion on affermative action in Fordham’s Marketplace early in the fall semester.

“On the Tuesdays before classes started, [Mgbenwelu] and I had a conversation in the caf about affirmative action,” Zaro said. “We just kind of presented the reasons why it is not racially charged and discussed that there are lots of misconceptions of conservatism.”

“After I spoke to [Zaro], we reSEE POLITICS, PAGE 6

COURTESY OF RAM ARCHIVES

A new marketing campaign may draw more foreign tourists to the Bronx.

Hotspot for Tourism Just Outside the Gates

By KRIS VENEZIA STAFF WRITER

Many Fordham University students have tasted a cream-stuffed cannoli from DeLillo Café & Pastry Shop or wrapped their hands around a grinder from Tino’s Delicatessen, but now some tourists may find themselves enjoying the culture right outside the Rose Hill campus as well.

NYC & Company, the official marketing, tourism and partnership organization of the Big Ap-

ple, is launching a campaign that aims to bring foreigners to the northern Bronx.

Emily Mayrath, director of communications for NYC & Company, said the initiative showcases areas that tourists may overlook. “[NYC & Company] is marketing neighborhoods that sometimes might be overlooked by visitors,” said Mayrath. “Our goal is to really inspire [tourists] to sample these ‘live like a local’ exSEE ARTHUR, PAGE 3

NEWS

Page 2

SECURITY BRIEFS Nov. 5 Fordham Road and Grand Concourse Midnight A student was the victim of a roberry in the stairwell of the Fordham Road D train station. A male perpetrator approached the student and threatened to kill him if he did not give the requested money.

The student’s phone, change and identification card were taken.

The assailant fled on foot and the NYPD is currently investigating the situation.

Nov. 5 Southern Boulevard 7:40 a.m.

A vehicle parked about 100 yards south of the Fordham Preparatory School entrance was broken into via the passenger window. An iPod Touch, auto-adaptor and charger were taken. The vehicle belonged to a Fordham Prep student. NYPD was notified and the case is under investigation.

Nov. 5 Campbell Hall 11:25 a.m.

A female student was stuck in an elevator for about 15 minutes, until the elevator company responded and the student was not injured. The elevator was taken out of service for repair.

Nov. 6 Arthur Ave. 11:15 a.m.

The fire alarm was activated in a student’s off-campus apartment due to food burning on the stove. FDNY responded promptly. There were no injuries.

Nov. 7 Campbell Hall 12:45 p.m.

A female student left her iPhone in a Vera Bradley case in a lecture room and left for 15 minutes to register for classes. She returned for the phone but discovered it was missing. Upon using the “Find my iPhone” application, the student was unable to received any information as the device had been turned off.

Nov. 9 McGinley Basement 9:30 a.m.

A Sodexo employee reported that two Xbox games were taken from his locker in the male employee locker room. The games were valued at $150. Security is investigating the case.

—Compiled by Katie Meyer, Assistant News Editor

November 13, 2013

Student Holdings Offers Funds, Resources for Businesses FROM FSH, PAGE 1

bers of the GSB Dean’s Council.

Kulangara says that the ultimate goal is to run FSH similarly to the Ram Van office in terms of its structure, but he hopes to have more students involved in upper management levels.

Ram Van is currently run by a board of staff members, but they hire students to handle day-today operations, such as deploying and driving the vans.

The proposed structure for FSH includes an overseeing board of directors comprised of faculty and administrators.

The FSH proposal states that the board’s objectives would include advising the businesses within FSH, making sure that the FSH businesses’ activities are in line with Fordham’s policies and providing longevity to the structure.

Right now, the proposed plan states that the board will include the director of the Entrepreneurship Program, a GSB dean, a FCRH dean, one representative from both Student Affairs and Residential Life and two faculty members, one nominated by the GSB dean and one nominated by the FCRH dean.

The Board of Directors would meet once a semester to review the FSH’s progress and performance as well as to approve new businesses.

FSH will also include an investment arm that will be on the same level as the Board of Directors, but with a different purpose.

According to the FSH proposal, “the investment arm will behave as if they are investors with equity in FSH.” Its main goal is to maximize the profits of the FSH businesses.

“The investment arm is particularly for students interested in venture capital who are really going to be hard-nosed about profitability,” Kulangara said. “They’re doing the financial models.

They’re making sure the managers are meeting the earnings goal.

That’s what their job pretty much is.”

The investment arm will include five members of the junior or senior class selected by the board after an application process. There will also be an advisor from the GSB finance department.

Underneath the board of directors, there will be a CEO, preferably a student appointed by the

QINRUI HUA/THE RAM

Fordham Student Holdings provides aspiring entrepreneurs with a competitive edge in the business world.

board to take a more hands-on approach with the student managers.

The CEO’s main responsibilities would include helping students with their business proposals, composing reports on the business, marketing the variety of businesses and making sure each business has the proper resources to function smoothly.

The CEO would also oversee all the managers of the student-run businesses, the managers being the students who proposed the business idea.

“The way we envision it right now is that a student would come to Student Holdings and say ‘this is something I want to do,’” Kulangara said. “Obviously there needs to be some sort of approval process that is in compliance with the university policies and we need to make sure this [idea] is something that can generate revenue, because this is a business.”

The managers would run all operations of the business, including, according to the proposal, “hiring employees, ordering/managing inventory, setting prices (with the guidance of the investment arm) and reporting financial information to the CEO.” The managers would be able to hire student-employees for their business if needed. According to the proposal, these students would be paid hourly wages. The

plan is similar to the one that is currently in use for Ram Van drivers.

As for the profits that the company would bring in, the proposal states that “after paying wages and other operating costs, profits from the businesses would be split between management, the holding company and the university.”

The breakdown would be worked out in the initial contract when signing the business.

A few longterm ideas for the profits include scholarships and charitable donations.

Cu r re n t l y, however, nothing is set in stone, as the organization is still working out the details, but Kulangara hopes to get this off the ground very soon.

“We would like to get administration on board by winter break so that we can spend spring semester really planning out the businesses,” Kulungara said. “I think a lot of the red tape is kind of tedious and we want to get through it as quickly as possible, so we can get to the meat of it which is putting the board together, putting the students together, doing profitability stuff, thinking of business ideas and how we can fund them.”

Having a student-holdings company would help Fordham in

“We would like to get administration on board by winter break,” — Nevin Kulangara

comparison to peer and aspirant schools, as shown through Kulungara’s research. Some of Fordham’s peer and aspirant universities, like Boston College, Notre Dame, NYU, Villanova and Syracuse, have no program similar to this.

According to the research Kulungara and his group provided, mainly Ivy League schools, Georgetown and Northwestern are the only schools that have holding companies like this proposal.

Kulangara believes that this would fit in perfectly with Fordham’s Entrepreneurship department and the Fordham Foundry that began last fall.

“We want the [small businesses] to be part of the entrepreneurship ecosystem here at Fordham,” Kulangara said. “[ Janssen and Fillet] said that this would be a natural fit for the Entrepreneurship program. We think that students who want to have something on-campus, something they can try out for four years here would be for the Student Holdings. If, however, a student is developing an app or something beyond the gaze of this university then they would probably be better off in Foundry.”

Kulangara believes that FSH will give its students a leg up in the ever-increasingly competitive business field.

“There’s only so much you can learn from a textbook or from case-studies, so I think, as valuable as classes are, managing a business on a day-to-day basis is just invaluable,” Kulangara said.

This Week at Fordham Thursday Nov. 14

Thursday Nov. 14

The Pope at Pugsley’s: Theology on Tap

USG Town Hall Meeting with VP of Security

Pugsley’s Pizza, E. 191st Street 9 p.m.

Rose Hill Commons 237, 6 p.m.

Campus Ministry will be hosting Matt Malone, S.J., editor-in-Chief of America magazine, who will share his experiences interviewing Pope Francis. This event is hosted as part of Ignatian Week.

Friday Nov. 15 Dynasty McGinley Ballroom, 7 p.m.

Saturday - Sunday Nov. 16-17 Oedipus Rex Collins Auditorium, 2 p.m.

The Theatrical Outreach Program Sponsored by Asian Cultural Ex(TOP) will be performing an adaptaThe Fordham United Student Govchange (ACE), Dynasty is an annual tion of the classic play, Oedipus Rex. ernment at Rose Hill (USG) will be culture show, with performances by Admission is free. hosting a town hall meeting in addisingers, dancers and tae-kwon-do arttion to a presentation by John Carroll, ists. Food will be provided. vice president of Security, to address student concerns and questions.

For more campus events, visit FordhamRam.com

Tuesday Nov. 19 GO! Mexico and El Salvador Benefit Show Rodrigue’s Coffee House, 8 p.m.

The GO! Mexico and GO! El Salvador team are teaming up for a night of music and fun, with performances from different members of the Fordham community.

NEWS

November 13, 2013

Page 3

Promoting The Streets Abroad to Bring Tourism Back Home UniversitySponsored Contractor Prompts Rat FROM RAT, PAGE 1

COURTESY OF RAM ARCHIVES

NYC & Company is working toward promoting awareness abroad of New York City and the Bronx, and seeking to draw the attention of international tourists.

FROM ARTHUR, PAGE 1

periences.”

The campaign is part of the group’s “Neighborhood x Neighborhood” program that was launched in March.

The initiative has previously highlighted other areas in the city, including Brooklyn’s Coney Island and Queens’s Long Island City.

Mayrath said Fordham Road and Arthur Avenue were recently selected because of the authentic Italian cuisine and attractions such as the Bronx Zoo, Botanical Gardens and Edgar Allen Poe Cottage.

“We try to pick places that are close and convenient to public transportation, and [we] try to choose areas that can be successful,” said Mayrath.

The organization has promoted the Bronx neighborhood at the World Travel Market in London.

According to NYC & Company, the UK has the most overseas visitors to New York City, with 1,033,000 stopping by the area last year.

Ross Garlick, GSB ’15, calls the United Kingdom home as a native of Manchester, England, and said he had no idea what Arthur Avenue or Fordham Road was when he accepted the invitation to become a Ram. “I knew nothing, actually nothing about Arthur Avenue,” said Garlick. “It was only when I met my roommate and then we explored Arthur Avenue and the cool places in the area.”

The Englishman has spent approximately two years in the Bronx.

Garlick said when friends from home come to town he shows them the major landmarks in Manhattan, but enjoys taking them to nearby places on Arthur

Avenue.

“They do not have the Bronx Beer Hall in England or Italy.

British tourists — we love our karaoke,” Garlick said. “I have taken a few English people to the Beer Hall and they loved it.”

The 22-year-old went to New York City once with his family before coming to Fordham University’s Rose Hill campus.

During the visit, he never left Manhattan.

“We went to Times Square, Fifth Avenue, Rockefeller Center,” said Garlick. “It was honestly a very touristy type of trip.”

Mayrath said the “Neighborhood x Neighborhood” campaign targets those tourists who have already come and seen the traditional New York City destinations.

“This program is for New Yorkers and [other] visitors, but really we launched it with the mindset

for repeat visitors,” said Mayrath.

“The UK is our number one overseas market so we are promoting this initiative because they come so often they want to see something new and different and feel like a local and travel like a local.”

When the “Neighborhood x Neighborhood” campaign was launched in March, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the program could help boost economic development in the outer boroughs.

“Visitors to New York City should know that in every borough of our great city, there are neighborhoods with great restaurants, shops and cultural institutions,” said Mayor Bloomberg.

Some of the places NYC & Company is promoting in the Fordham neighborhood happen to include the Arthur Avenue Retail Market, Zero Otto Nove and Dr. Jay’s.

ResLife Attempts to Alleviate Post-Lottery Concerns

By MARIA PAPPAS STAFF WRITER

The Office of Residential Life is working to create post-lottery focus groups by early December.

These focus groups will allow students to discuss their personal experiences in the post-lottery housing process directly with Residential Life representatives.

Earlier this week, Residential Life sent out emails to all postlottery students, asking them to assess the post-lottery process.

The assessment includes a section on whether or not students would like to participate in focus groups in order to discuss their ideas about how to improve the post-lottery process.

Kimberly Russell, assistant dean of students and director of residential life, hopes that these focus groups will be beneficial in facilitating a dialogue between

students and the Office of Residential Life.

Russell understands that students have had concerns about the post-lottery process for some time.

“We know it’s a difficult process to go through and that students have strong opinions about post-lottery,” Russell said.

She is correct on this front, with post-lottery students voicing both their issues with Residential Life and their doubts about the success of focus groups.

“I don’t think they [will be] able to listen to a focus group,” Patrick Mullen, FCRH ’15 said.

His opinion stems from the fact that he has previously had unsatisfactory conversations with Residential Life officials regarding his placement in post-lottery housing.

Sarah Homer, FCRH ’16, echoes Mullen’s sentiment that

focus groups might not be able to accomplish much.

“I don't know if any of the things that will be brought up will be new to Residential Life,” Homer said.

Despite their similar concerns and doubts, Mullen and Homer both agree that these focus groups would do more good than harm.

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea to give those of us who were stuck in post-lottery a forum in which to air our grievances with the housing process,” said Homer.

Taking students’ opinions into consideration, Russell remains positive about the implementation of post-lottery focus groups.

“I want to make sure students know that we care about their experience and want to improve it given the constraints of a complex, layered system,” Russell said.

“Focus groups would help create a direct connection between

residents and Residential Life, as opposed to individualized conversations that only encapsulate the opinion of a specific student.”

Despite the fact that many students have reached out to Residential Life with complaints, other students have not. Russell hopes that the focus groups will give all students the opportunity to speak openly with Residential Life.

At the very least, these focus groups definitely have the ability to act as an open forum in which both students and Residential Life can share ideas and opinions regarding the post-lottery process.

“We don’t want students to just complain to their friends about this — I want to hear the students’ voice on post-lottery,” Russell said. “If we can make changes that improve the student’s experience, that’s our goal.”

“Activists Protest Murray-Weigel Hall’s Lack of Rat Employment, I Assume? Sorry, I Didn’t Read the Flyer.”

A member of the Local behind the protest said the lack of knowledge springs from his aversion to bothering students. “We don’t begrudge them with paperwork, you know, pushing stuff on them, or anything like that, no,” said Brian Brady, representative for the NYC District Council. “People come up and ask, we just tell them what’s going on.”

But, not many people seemed to be asking. “Fordham in the Bronx” spoke to Brady as he watched the rat from the front seat of his pickup truck parked on Bathgate. It was the fourth week of the rat’s on-again, offagain presence outside the university gates. The biting wind was making the rat dance in the wind. Despite the scene of what looked like a 15foot tall rat trying out for a certain part in the Nutcracker ballet, not a single passer-by seemed to give it a second glance. Maybe a dozen students walked by during the course of the interview, yet not one of them stopped to ask for information or even to take a picture.

“A lot of students asked about the rat earlier,” Brady said, but just “in a very general sense,” rather than about the specifics of the labor dispute.

So what were those specifics? The NYC District Council did not respond to the request for comment, but as Brady put it, Fordham University hired a contractor, Mamais Construction, for the renovation of Faber Hall. That contractor pays carpenters $15 an hour without health benefits — well below the union rate.

“Our campaign is an area-standard issue. It’s not non-union or union,” Brady said. “We would just like to keep the standard wage for carpenters in New York City at an affordable rate.”

A sign has accompanied the rat, reading: “Fordham University, STOP FUNDING CONSTRUCTION SWEATSHOPS.” On the day of the interview, the sign was tucked away behind the rat, out of the view.

In an official university statement dated Nov. 8, Fordham said Mamais Construction won the contract in the University’s competitive bid process.

“The firm selected is a small, woman-owned business, which pays fair wages and benefits, the employees of which are drawn largely from the local community,” it read. It further noted that while Mamais is a nonunion contractor, the “vast majority” of contracts typically go to union firms.

Brady said the university had not spoken to him or anybody in his office, but he expects more from the school.

“Fordham University, as an institution — they’re doing very well for themselves. Tuition is extremely high,” he said. “It’s a tremendous institution — we’re by no means trying to degrade Fordham University in that regard…[but] We think [the money] should be spread around a little better.”

Page 4

NEWS

November 13, 2013

[Your Article Here] Write for News Email fordhamramnews@gmail.com

NEWS

November 13, 2013

Page 5

On-Campus Group Promotes Divestment In Face Of Climate Crisis

By KATIE MEYER ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

“It’s wrong to profit from wrecking the climate.”

That is the statement emblazoned across the homepage of Fossil Free, a project run by an organization called 350.org, which is “building a global grassroots movement to solve the climate crisis,” according to its website.

Fossil Free’s mission is to lessen the impact that massive oil, gas and coal companies have on the environment. Specifically, the organization wants institutions like colleges, universities, churches and counties to divest (withdraw investments) from fossil fuel companies.

Founded in 2008, 350.org’s sphere of influence has spread across the United States, Canada and Europe, with many institutions starting their own Fossil Free campaigns. Fordham University is one of those institutions.

Duncan Magidson, FCRH ’16, is one of the students involved in Fossil Free Fordham. After joining the organization last year, he became one of its most active members, though he notes that it is very much a group movement.

“There are no official positions on Fossil Free Fordham,” Magidson said. “We are a subset of SEAJ, Students for Environmental Awareness and Justice, so we’re not a club or anything. I have been taking the reins on Fossil Free Fordham. You could call me leader or president, but I would reject any kind of title.”

The group has six core members, and Magidson says that its sphere of influence reaches roughly 60 students.

The platform of Fossil Free Fordham, and of the Fossil Free movement at large, is largely built on the 2009 Copenhagen Accord, a document that was drafted at the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference and approved by 167 countries, including the United States.

The Accord indicates that in order to avoid climate catastrophe in the near future, the global temperature cannot increase more than two degrees Celsius. Many leading scientists and climate experts have agreed that in order to meet this temperature cap, carbon dioxide emissions worldwide must be limited to roughly 565 gigatons through 2050.

Currently, Earth’s atmosphere contains 400 PPM (parts per million) carbon dioxide, a number that drastically exceeds the natural carbon dioxide level of 275 PPM. According to climate experts, a level as high as 400 is both unsafe and unsustainable, with 350 being the highest safe amount.

Organizations like 350.org (which is named for highest safe PPM level) hope to lower carbon dioxide levels by limiting the use of fossil fuels around the world, thus avoiding devastating climate change as a result.

However, fossil fuel companies pose a significant obstacle for such organizations. Collectively, they have identified a plan to burn 2795 gigatons of fuel through 2050, which is almost five times

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Students across the nation, such as those at Tufts (pictured above) are on board with the divestment movement and continue to pressure their schools to divest.

the recommended limit.

Magidson cites these statistics as a major motivation behind Fossil Free Fordham.

“This [level of carbon dioxide emissions] would push us way past our climate limit, and could and will lead to climate disaster,” he said. “We feel that with these numbers in mind, we have an ethical and moral obligation to not be investing in these companies that are basically running full steam ahead and trying to destroy the world.”

This is where divestment comes in.

According to the Fossil Free website, the most effective way to “loosen the grip that coal, oil and gas companies have on our government and financial markets,” is to make a stand that appeals directly to the source — the fossil fuel companies themselves. By divesting, institutions cut into fossil fuel companies’ profits, and more importantly, create doubt about the sustainability of the fossil fuel business model.

Magidson conceded that while Fordham’s divestment alone would not necessarily be significant in the global divestment movement, it could potentially have far-reaching positive effects.

“Any individual endowment, even one the size of Fordham’s, is not going to make a dent in the fossil fuel industry,” Magidson said. He added, however, that “I do believe that we can have an economic effect on these companies, especially if we could be among the first schools to divest…that would be incredible, and it would be a real point of pride for Fordham University… it would be a leader to the entire movement.”

Fossil Free Fordham started gaining traction last year. According to Magidson, the initial work involved gathering student support and trying to create a strong

presence on campus. This year, bigger things are in the works.

“We’re really taking a plunge into the deep end this year,” Magidson said. “Last year we were really meticulous and trying to build a movement. We haven’t given up on movement building this year; we’re really throwing ourselves in there and trying to accomplish as much as we can as quickly as possible, which I see as a necessary goal.”

Part of that goal has involved getting other groups on campus interested in Fossil Free Fordham, an effort that has yielded mixed results. Last Thursday, Magidson brought a statement before USG asking for their support for the movement and its goals. However, it overwhelmingly failed.

“I feel like the main issues… were not with the movement as a whole, [and] were not with the idea of divesting but there were issues with the wording of the statement in a couple clauses, especially there was concern with the amount of data that was available,” Magidson said. “The nature of the movement [means that] it’s really hard to come up with speculative data…and that did make USG members a little uncomfortable.”

Still, Magidson remains optimistic about the future of Fossil Free Fordham.

“USG is just one of many organizations across campus, and I am going to take this statement back out…there are faculty members that I would like to go to, and we want to get the most influential people we can to sign onto this movement,” he said.

One faculty member who has been closely involved in the movement is John Van Buren, director of Fordham’s environmental studies program. Van Buren advises environmental studies majors and other students involved in the Fordham fossil divestment initiative.

Van Buren also supports divestment and believes that it could have a significant impact.

“The world currently has to rely equally on the voluntary leadership of governments, businesses, consumers and postsecondary institutions like Fordham University,” Van Buren said. “This approach worked in the 1980s with the South African divestment initiative against apartheid. Fordham participated in this initiative, and can do so again with fossil fuel divestment, even if its initial actions are modest and largely symbolic.”

Now that other institutions have begun to divest, Van Buren sees little excuse for Fordham’s resistance to doing the same.

“Some of its aspirant schools have already joined the national divestment campaign, and its time for Fordham to step up, elevating its national ranking in the process,” he said.

Currently, Fordham’s endowment holdings and investments are not open for public viewing, a fact that Fossil Free Fordham sees as problematic.

“Unfortunately, Fordham does not publicize its endowment and investment breakdown, which is why we received an “F” for endowment transparency on our Green Report Card,” Fossil Free Fordham member Camille Danielich, FCRH ‘16, said. “This is something Fossil Free Fordham is looking to change as we believe this information should be public.”

Magidson understands why Fordham and other universities may be apprehensive about divestment, though he maintains that the benefits of divestment outweigh the inconveniences.

“The biggest obstacle [associated with divestment] is that it is harder for an investment manager to operate his endowment with these restrictions, especially with an endowment the size of Ford-

ham’s,” Magidson said. “That said, there are not specific costs associated with divesting, you reinvest in mutual finds, and…you’re not losing money by doing that. In fact…these funds, that have divested themselves from fossil fuel [often] perform as well and in many cases better than the other mutual finds that are traditionally invested in.”

Despite the difficulties, reception to Fossil Free Fordham has been generally positive on campus.

“Nobody’s been really problematic with us so far,” Magidson said. “I was really impressed with [Chief Investment Officer] Eric Wood; he said he was on board with the idea of divestment. He said he wouldn’t do it himself, but he was very welcoming to us, he gave us that spot on the agenda.

Obviously it’s a tough movement to run and we’re going to run into some opposition, but so far there hasn’t been anyone who has been needlessly oppositional to us.”

Negotiations aside, the students and faculty involved with Fossil Free Fordham remain committed to the cause, and they are hopeful for the future of their movement.

“If anything, divestment has taught me that nothing concerning environmental issues is ever black and white. There are so many considerations, which is why beginning a conversation is really crucial,” said Danielich.

“We have to understand each side’s stance and their prevailing priorities. In terms of the future — yes, the denial by USG is disappointing. However Fossil Free Fordham will continue to move forward in an attempt to begin a conversation with the student body and the administration about the economic and ethical implications of divesting from fossil fuels, and why it is in our best interest as a community leader and as a city fixture.”

NEWS

Page 6

Stereotypes and Prejudices Hinder Political Relationships FROM POLITICS, PAGE 1

alized that we should spend some more time with one another as clubs,” Mgbenwelu said. “We said we had to have an event together.”

Through the event, College Republicans attempted to promote understanding of Republican ideologies and policies with respect to minorities and race.

“While certain individuals are imperfect, conservatism itself is an ideology that does not discriminate on race, gender, orientation or class,” Zaro said. “The ideals of free market economics, strong national defense, limited government and traditional social values are ideals we believe that any group, people or race can find attractive. I stand here today representing a political club that welcomes all and an ideology that in and of itself is truly color-blind.”

ASILI aspired to break down any stereotypes or misconceptions people had about race and politics by hosting the event. “[ASILI] felt that a lot of the times, one’s race defined their political views,” Mgbenwelu said.

“We wanted to dismantle those barriers with this interactive discourse. People have preconceived notions about what AfricanAmericans and Republicans may think. We just wanted to say that it was easy to come together and understand one another’s views.”

Mgbenwelu stated that changes in her personal perspectives on

Republican ideologies inspired her to organize the event.

“I honestly thought that the Republican political party’s views were race-based, but after speaking to [Zaro], I realized that it was not so much,” Mgbenwelu said. “If I thought that, then lots of other people may think that.

ASILI is mature enough to have a meeting with College Republicans to discuss various issues that may be controversial.”

Zaro was satisfied with the outcome of the discourse, especially because people were interested in not only sharing their viewpoints but also hearing what others had to say.

“I thought it went great and I was very happy,” Zaro said. “It takes a lot to ask people to come to an event that is specifically putting two groups together that have not historically associated with each other. The dialogue was respectful the entire time.

Nobody walked away with their feelings hurt or thinking that one side was bigoted or racist.”

Mgbenwelu appreciated the feedback she received about the event, including people who asked her when a future discourse of a similar nature would be held.

“I liked the intimacy of the event and how everyone was willing to speak their views,” Mgbenwelu said. “I was particularly happy with the amount of people that showed up to the event.”

November 13, 2013

Career Services Offers Connections, Internships and Job-Related Resources

By LAURA SANICOLA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

With the metropolitan hub that is Manhattan located 20 minutes from campus by train, Fordham students can truly boast that the world is at their fingertips. However, a tumultuous job market and a struggling economy do not lend themselves well to college students looking to start their careers.

For Sarah Hill, GSB ’14 and an accounting major, an integral resource in her search for internships has never been more than a short walk away.

“I’ve been using Career Services since my sophomore year,” Hill said. “It has honestly been invaluable for me and my friends in preparation to enter the workforce.”

Career Services, located on the second floor of the McGinley Center, is open 9 a.m-5 p.m. every weekday. Students can attend 15-minute walk-in appointments from 1-3 p.m. for preliminary career guidance.

During the day, career counselors are available to offer assistance by directing students in their career search, conducting mock interviews, reviewing resumes and cover letters and connecting students to recruiting companies.

“Career Services helped me obtain interviews at JP Morgan

and Morgan Stanley. Two of my roommates currently have internships through Career Services,” said Hill, who currently interns with special events at Fordham.

Steffany Fattor, the director of Career Services at Fordham since 2010, takes her job connecting students to employers very seriously.

“Career Services has a twofold purpose,” Fattor said. “We are here to encourage employers to recruit Fordham students, and we are also responsible for helping students be as competitive as they possibly can in the job market.

This includes helping students leverage their experiences at Fordham to look competitive on paper and on an interview.”

Fattor says that the Jesuit education offered at Fordham is not only intellectually gratifying, but is highly marketable in the workforce.

“If a company is not interested in recruiting Fordham students, the odds are they are simply not hiring,” Fattor said.

The student body has varying opinions on the accessibility of Career Services. Some feel that Gabelli students receive the most access to information on career preparation and internships.

“As a Rose Hill student, I find that Career Services has a harder time reaching out to us over business students,” said Alex Whiteaker, FCRH ’14. “I only did their

fordhamram.com

workshops this year because I finally knew I had to in order to access CareerLink.”

CareerLink is a website that connects students and alumni to job and internship postings in the metropolitan area. Students must complete two seminars through Career Services in order to access the site.

“It ultimately wasn’t a resource I ever ended up using here at Fordham,” Whiteaker said.

On Monday, Nov. 4, Career Services launched CareerInsights, an online tool that allows Fordham students to view where recent graduates have been employed, what their starting salaries are and what major of study they pursued at Fordham.

In the coming months, the website will include which graduate programs alumni are attending. Access to all of this information is available by logging on to Fordham.12twenty.com and making an account.

“We want students to know that every decision we make is driven by student feedback, so the more information we can get from students the more we can tailor to what they need and want,” Futtor said. “We need you to keep us updated on what jobs you are taking, how much you are making and where you are working. This information will enable us to update the next group of students as they search for employment.”

Have a story idea?

Want to get involved?

Interested in placing an advertisement in The Ram? The first step is visiting www.fordhamram.com.

Published weekly in print, always there for you online.

November 13, 2013

opinion

By ANDREW SANTIS STAFF WRITER

For the first time in 12 years, New Yorkers did not see the name Michael Bloomberg on the ballot for New York City mayor.

To some, this was a relief. For others, like me, it was saddening.

Michael Bloomberg became the 108th mayor of New York City on Jan. 1, 2002. Bloomberg entered City Hall at a very peculiar time; it was only four months after the Sept. 11 attacks, and the city was still shaken by the events. In addition, Bloomberg faced three consecutive years of budget gaps greater than $3 billion and an underperforming school system. And yet, he was still very optimistic about the city’s future. On his inauguration day, he said, “New York is safe, strong, open for business and ready to lead the world in the 21st century.”

He was right.

Under Bloomberg’s watch, New York City became the safest large city in the country. He and Police Commissioner Ray Kelly reduced crime by 35 percent. This is due largely to stop-and-frisk, an effective policy that does not racially profile, but stops people who fit descriptions of suspects or are engaged in suspicious activity. It just so happens that 90 percent of those suspects are black and Hispanic.

Bloomberg also became a public opponent of guns, leading efforts to eliminate the sale and distribution of illegal guns in the city and co-founding Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Eight thousand guns are now off the streets of New York, undoubtedly saving lives. Bloomberg has also devoted his efforts to making New York City’s counterterrorism programs the best in the world.

To stimulate the city’s economy, Bloomberg created the Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan, which focuses on creating jobs for New Yorkers, implementing a long-term vision for growing the city’s economy and building affordable, attractive neighborhoods in every borough. As a result, areas in Coney Island were rezoned for housing and commercial use.

In addition, the Lower East Side will generate more than 1 million square feet of housing, open space and shops, the West Side of Midtown Manhattan will see residential housing, office buildings and the extension of the 7 line (also a Bloomberg initiative) and decrepit Willets Point in Queens will add housing, retail, entertainment, public space and much more that will transform the area around Citi Field.

One of Bloomberg’s major accomplishments was making New York the healthiest city in the world. First he tackled smoking by signing the Smoke Free Air Act in 2003, which made smoking in public places, including restaurants and bars (beaches and parks followed in 2011), illegal; raised taxes on cigarette; started an antismoking campaign and was recently updated to raise the cigarette buying age to 21. Youth smoking has decreased by 51 percent and

A Blue End For the Bloomberg Era

KATHERINE DOHENY/THE RAM

Michael Bloomberg, after 12 years in office, has left an unprecedented mark on New York City politics. adult smoking by one third.

He then fought against obesity.

In 2006, trans fats were banned from restaurants. In 2008, calorie counts began appearing on menus and menu boards. In 2010, he unveiled a plan to reduce salt in packaged and restaurant food.

Unfortunately, last year, he failed to ban soda drinks greater than 16 ounces, which would have helped diabetes and obesity rates fall.

Nevertheless, the city now boasts an 80.6-year life expectancy.

Of course, Bloomberg has had his share of flops. One was appointing Cathie Black as schools’ chancellor, and another was being unprepared for the 2010 Christmas blizzard. By far, his biggest mistake was listening to NYC’s Transportation Commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan. Thanks to her,

the city is plagued by careless cyclists, 300 miles of street-consuming bike lanes and ugly and useless pedestrian plazas.

However, this will not eclipse the good Bloomberg has done for the city.

There are more parks, affordable health insurance for all New Yorkers, environmentally friendly hybrid taxis, a city-wide information and non-emergency service and an improved public school system.

Give the man some credit.

Now that Bloomberg has less than two months left in office and a new mayor has been elected, I fear for my city. After 12 years of Mayor Bloomberg, I cannot entrust my beloved city to anyone but him.

The mayor-elect is a stranger, and he has declared that his New York City will greatly differ from

Bloomberg’s.

What, then, can we expect? Will the crime rate remain low? Will the city’s economy continue to prosper? Will he fight obesity as hard as Bloomberg did? Will he be as influential as Bloomberg? Will he lead with an iron fist? Will he fight for this city like Bloomberg?

Will he speak Spanish like Bloomberg?

Only one thing is for sure: Bloomberg is leaving behind an unparalleled legacy.

On his inauguration day, Bloomberg promised Rudy Giuliani he would not fail the people of New York.

He did not.

Mayor Bloomberg, thanks for all you have done. I will miss you.

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

Page 7

Blockbuster Checks Out, Memories Return

By JOSEPH VITALE OPINION EDITOR

On Nov. 7, Blockbuster tweeted "The last day to rent a movie from a Blockbuster store is this Saturday, Nov 9. What will your last rental be? #BlockbusterMemories.” After reading the tweet, I thought about participating for support and sentimental reasons. Then I realized I have no idea where my nearest Blockbuster is (my neighborhood location closed two summers ago) and, more importantly, I was trying to finish “Sherlock,” an outstanding BBC series on Netflix.

In order to make up for being a user of streaming services and thus a reason for Blockbuster’s collapse, reminiscing about my days as a Blockbuster consumer seems appropriate, if not necessary, given Blockbuster’s days are officially numbered. In an announcement

by DISH, which purchased Blockbuster Inc. in 2011, the company disclosed that the remaining 300 locations will be shut down within the next two years. The end to Blockbuster’s locations is the result of many years of declining sales, largely at the mercy of video streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, as well as delivery services such as RedBox. Blockbuster, for the most part, was sluggish in its response to its competitors and has since reaped the consequences of not keeping up with the demands of the market.

This final nail in Blockbuster's coffin quietly places the store on my list of “one of those places I went as a kid,” which is terrifying given I am yet to turn 20 years old and I have never considered a visit to Blockbuster to be anything but ordinary.

As a kid, I was not interested in the romanticized idea of American film: I still have not seen many of the films connoisseurs consider to be classic and must-sees. Even today, I often fail to pick up on movie references unless it is from The Sandlot, Anger Management or Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. However, I made a trip to Blockbuster nearly every Friday in a sort of end-of-theweek and beginning-of-the-weekend ritual.

Like most pre-teens in the early 2000s, I was not on a quest for the optimal DVD rental experience. I was not visiting Blockbuster as a movie-rental critic or a film buff. I never considered planning my return visits on my store's expected shipments and I was not in the vetting process in hopes of finding a diamond-in-the-rough rental store.

I was an active renter, but not a conscientious one. Needless to say, I was completely oblivious to how awful Blockbuster's consumer experience was.

Blockbuster was on the same level of organization as an H&M store after a 50 percent sale. DVDs, video games and VHS tapes were spewed across shelves with slimmer chance SEE BLOCKBUSTER, PAGE 9

Page 8

R

Serving campus and community since 1918 The Fordham Ram is the University journal of record. The mission of The Fordham Ram is to provide a forum for the free and open exchange of ideas in service to the community and to act as a student advocate. The Fordham Ram is published and distributed free of charge every Wednesday during the academic year to the Rose Hill, Lincoln Center and Westchester campuses with a readership of 4,500. The Fordham Ram office is located in the basement of the McGinley Center, room B-52.

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

Opinion Policy The Fordham Ram appreciates submissions to fordhamramletters@ gmail.com. Commentaries are printed on a space available basis. The Fordham Ram reserves the right to reject any submission for any reason, without notice. Submissions become the exclusive property of The Fordham Ram. The Fordham Ram reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions in The Fordham Ram’s editorials are those of the editorial board; those expressed in articles, letters, commentaries, cartoons or graphics are those of the individual author.

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

OPINION

November 13, 2013

From the Desk of Rory Masterson, Editorial Director As I stare my final undergraduate semester at Fordham in the face, perhaps now is as good a time as any to reflect on my years here.

Fordham originally captivated me with its Jesuit tradition and its supreme location within the greatest city in the world. After graduating from Nation Ford High School in Fort Mill, South Carolina, the only home I had ever known, I arrived on campus in late August 2010 for Ram Van training, a week earlier than most of the other first-year students. It was one of the most depressing weeks of my life, and I called my parents every day until my roommates arrived to soften the blow of moving to a new city in which I knew virtually no one.

I considered transferring for much of my freshman year, unsure how to reconcile my goals with the unfamiliar environment into which I had placed myself.

It got better, of course. Ram Van is like a giant adoptive family to any and all of its student workers. Ram Van is the great equalizer among students at this University, and those of us behind the wheel and desk are working hard to make it among the best identifiers of the Fordham experience. To the people in charge over there, namely Marc, Greg, Fred and Scott, I owe an immeasurable debt of gratitude.

Without them, I would not be the city-beating force of safety and courtesy that I am today. Cruising down the West Side Highway is

not a bad way to earn work-study pay, and it has built immense character through interacting with some of the best (and, on those Friday 3 a.m. runs, some of the worst) people that Fordham has to offer. To all of the drivers and dispatchers with whom I have shared the magic and misery of rush hour in New York, which is seemingly endless some days, I applaud your efforts because I know most of the passengers will not.

Getting involved in many oncampus activities and groups is traditionally a great way to meet people, and my case is no different.

I joined mock trial, campus ministry, intramural sports within the notoriously incestuous Tierney Hall (formerly of Manresa program fame and my freshmen residence hall) and was even briefly a member of the club Frisbee team.

Along the way, I also managed to get a few bylines into the opinion section of the student-run publication then known simply as The Ram, and, for better or for worse, I was hooked on student journalism in the same way I had been in high school.

My relationship with this newspaper has been one of peaks and valleys, an oft-contentious battle against the process of putting something cohesive together on which I would be willing to slap my name. As a staff writer, I encountered trouble with the College Republicans in my second-

ever story. That was almost a rite of passage, in hindsight. I wrote of carriage horses, college radio and LikeALittle; I discussed apps, rankings, the mystique of Mario Balotelli, the last LCD Soundsystem concert and New York City parking meters in an attempt to make those topics relevant and/or interesting in some way to whomever it is that reads this paper every week.

When I became the opinions editor, I spent countless hours in the basement of the McGinley Center waiting for final page edits to return and harassing the sports and news people with my buffoonery. To my assistants from that freewheeling year, Canton Winer and Ricky Bordelon, I express my sincerest appreciation, on behalf of the publication as a whole. Without you, I would still be staring at a blank screen on the computer trying to figure out how to create a half-decent page layout.

I would be remiss if I did not thank the most important people in my journey here, my parents.

It was at my mother’s suggestion, in fact, that I even considered Fordham in the first place. Given my parents’ shared roots in New York, each standby flight I made into LaGuardia almost felt like a homecoming after a while anyway (the culture of standby, by the way, deserves an entirely separate and decidedly larger space, and I am almost sad to not have another year

and another From the Desk to devote exclusively to flying standby and the aggravating marvels of the airline industry).

It has been nothing short of an absolute joy to call Fordham my school and New York my campus for the last four years, and that would not have been the case without the many incredible people I have encountered in my time here. I have no idea where I will be or what I will be doing a year from now, but I am certain that somewhere in my subconscious will forever reside memories of buffalo chicken wraps, ill-fated security alert emails and Edward’s Parade on the days when the weather treated us kindly.

To all present and future Rams, you have made a wise decision, despite the snarky Twitter accounts and critical editorial stances. To all who were with me throughout this particular trip: we are almost there, but let’s enjoy these last few months, shall we?

Editorial: The Heat Is Too Damn High We’re having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave. Even as the temperatures in New York plummet, Faculty Memorial Hall continues to bake in a climate that closer resembles sub-Saharan Africa. Getting dressed in the morning for a trip to FMH requires the utmost strategic planning. Regardless of the snowflakes falling, classrooms in FMH will inevitably be sweltering. Students end up layering and shedding coats, scarves and sweatshirts with abandon. Already cramped, the tiny classrooms of FMH are simply not conducive to scarf storage. Often, navigating between coat-stacked desks ends in bruised hips, tipped Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and stubbed toes.

Although overheated classrooms

seem to be a relatively minor problem, we invite you to consider the larger ramifications of the issue.

Spending one or even two hour class periods in such sweltering temperatures makes students drowsy and groggy. Staying awake becomes a herculean trial. Many times, the most well-intentioned collegiate finds him or herself physically sweating while trying to remember the answers to an exam.

Simply put, FMH is not an acceptable learning environment in its current, hyper-thermal state.

Students are not the only members of Fordham who struggle with FMH’s overheated facilities. Faculty members struggle to teach while their students complain and drift off into heat-induced naps. Many

a fearsomely tweedy professor has been brought to his shirtsleeves by the temperatures in FMH, removing his intimidation factor along with his navy blazer. After hearing endless complaints from students, faculty feel compelled to interrupt their lectures in an attempt to remedy the classroom’s extreme temperature.

Wrestling with the frequently unopenable windows becomes an ordeal unto itself. When the beleaguered faculty member finally wrenches them open, the noise of car horns and hip-hop off the street below bombards the classroom.

Cue an overeager student slamming the windows shut in order to hear the lecture, and the cycle repeats.

A small change in the climate of FMH would make a huge difference in the lives of students. Installing a new, more effective and energy-efficient heating system in FMH would make classes more focused, as well as increasing the effectiveness of professors.

Additionally, turning down the heat for the building would be more environmentally friendly and save on heating costs for the university. There is absolutely no reason to make everyone uncomfortable.

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

Do you have an opinion about one of our stories?

Send us a letter! fordhamramletters@gmail.com

OPINION

November 13, 2013

Ricky Bordelon

Ditching Facebook’s Facade for Reality

By GRACE LILLY CONTRIBUTING WITER

Art Meant For the People Seventy-five years ago, hoards of SA soldiers and Nazi party officials destroyed and terrorized the Jewish communities of Germany.

Kristallnacht (night of broken glass) was one of the major violent pogroms against Jews in Germany, which culminated in what is one of the worst acts in human history: the Holocaust.

In 2012, German officials discovered a treasure trove of “degenerate” art, banned by the Nazis for its content, in the Munich apartment of Cornelius Gurlitt.

This incredible discovery, made public only a few days ago, presents many issues for the art world.

To whom does this art belong?

Why was it hidden for all of this time? Didn’t someone realize it was missing?

The collection, which numbers more than 1,000 paintings, includes works by Dix, Gauguin, Matisse and Picasso. Many of the former owners of the artwork have come forward since the announcement,.

But private ownership should not be the question at the forefront of this issue. Although the various investigators and art historians working on this case are trying to determine how these collection of paintings came to be, there should be more emphasis on how these paintings can benefit larger communities.

Nazi laws forbade this art due to its content, which was perceived to be against National Socialist principles. The art was thus forced into private ownership, removing it completely from public consumption. What better way to turn the Nazi ideals on end than by making these works available to the public?

The audience of any work of art adds depth to the work; people provide the meaning and connection from the work of art into the modern world. People are influenced by art, and art itself creates a broadened perspective and an enhanced world view. A public display of these masterpieces would show the world that the socalled “degenerate” works are no longer “degenerate.”

They are incredible representations of the human experience and are meant to be shared with the world. Germany today values the genius of this art and should proclaim to the world that “degenerate” art is no more. A public display would do this louder than any speech could.

If ownership is still an issue, perhaps a small fee could accompany admission to a public exhibition.

This could be a small way of making restitution while still furthering the growth of culture in Germany and around the world.

Hiding these works was a symbol of oppression, but hopefully, if they are put on display for the entire world to see, they can become symbols of the triumph of the human spirit over immense evil.

Page 9

“Are you okay?” — the first response I got upon telling people I deactivated my Facebook account. Mystery of mysteries: why would someone of our generation make such a choice?

I will admit, my first thought when I heard of someone without a Facebook account was usually, “dirty hipster.” That being said, I would like to state for the record that I am not such a person. Instead, I am an average 21-yearold college student who decided to opt out of the ever-prominent Facebook.

I started seriously thinking of getting rid of it after I watched Annie Hall, one of my favorite movies, two Saturday mornings ago. The movie is set in 1975 and I have always been drawn to the relative simplicity of that time in terms of technology. I wondered what it would be like to exist only in person and not a series of images, words compiled on the Internet.

Today, we spend so much of our lives staring at screens. It is frustrating because in many ways it is unavoidable. Our classes and jobs require us to use the Internet and computers. Social interaction is almost totally mediated. Everyone has a cell phone. Facebook has taken over social relationships.

We are presented with the abso-

lute best and brightest moments of our friends’ lives as captured by a camera and series of carefullycreated posts. We inevitably, albeit subconsciously, examine each other’s lives, comparing ourselves to others. We often fail to realize we are doing it.

I have often thought about the

net. The essential quality of my being can only be found by being in my presence. This is the reason why I had such a problem with my Facebook account boldly labeled with my name. It was as though it was claiming my identity on my behalf. I stared at the Facebook page called Grace Lilly and

SAM JOSEPH/THE RAM

Facebook helps us communicate with others, but some feel it is not authentic.

dichotomy between photographs of myself and who I feel myself to be. Even when looking in the mirror, it is hard to grasp that the image before us is who we are.

We never can truly know how we look. We have only a set of images and videos. But, is that us?

I do not think I am my reflection, or my photograph, or a series of posts and phrases on the Inter-

thought, “That is not me. This is a creation, a synthetic replication of who I am.” I am not my Facebook account.

The power of Facebook is insidious and it creeps up on you.

When you need a break from work, check Facebook. When you are bored, check Facebook. The fascinating thing is that its nature is different from any other form

of media. Facebook is not really a method of communication. Yes, you can use it to communicate, but that is not what it is at its core.

It is a place to watch others.

Many people — myself included for a while — justify having Facebook by using it to stay in others’ lives. Eventually, I came to the personal decision that these people whose lives I was “keeping up on” were not the people who mattered most to me.

I admit I enjoy being able to see what people are up to, but in the end I decided the people who are the most important to me, I know I will stay in touch with. If they matter enough and I value them enough, then I will reach out and communicate with them. But, if I do not even care enough to do that, they clearly are not intrinsic in my life.

It suddenly hit me that I did not want to be a part of it anymore, and that I could choose to leave.

In many ways it seems like one must have a Facebook account to function as a member of our generation.

The moment I realized I still had control, I felt incandescently empowered. I want people to know me for who I am face-toface, so I got rid of my Facebook account.

And, just for the record: yes, I am doing more than okay.

Grace Lilly, FCRH ‘15, is a biology major from Denver.

Why The Minimum Wage Must Be Raised

By CLAIRE CONNACHER STAFF WRITER

Imagine that you are the mother of two young children and you work full time to support them, yet the pay you receive is not adequate to make ends meet. When you call your company's resource line, the representative tells you to look into federal food stamps and Medicaid.

According to a recent Huffington Post article, this is what happened to 27-year-old McDonald’s worker Nancy Salgado.

What is wrong with this picture?

Is it right that someone who works full time should need government assistance for food and health care?

The argument over the minimum

A full-time worker should not need federal assistance. wage is complicated and fraught with conflicting political and social ideologies, but these questions ought to be at the heart of the issue.

Salgado is part of a group of many fast food workers who have protested low pay in the past year and want fast food companies to pay $15 per hour. The federal minimum wage is $7.25. According to The New York Times, fast food companies argue that the request for a minimum pay of $15 is “ludicrous” because it is more than double the current

minimum wage.

The same article notes that industry officials contend that a small portion of those who work in the restaurant industry make the minimum wage and most of those people are under 25. However, it also notes that the median pay for fast food workers across the country is $9.05 per hour. Is this enough to be called a “living wage”?

The basic argument of most corporate officials and politicians who oppose a minimum wage increase, or even the existence of a minimum wage, is that the cost will drive companies out of business, and result in the loss of jobs because they will not be able to pay as many workers.

In addition, some economists argue that increasing the minimum wage actually hurts poverty reduction because it decreases the employment of young, low-skilled people and increases the likelihood that employers will hire teenagers over adults.

On the other hand, minimum wage supporters argue that the outcry for higher wages is a response to the growing income inequality in the United States. In his State of the Union address in February, President Obama said, "Even with the tax relief we’ve put in place, a family with two kids that earns the minimum wage still lives below the poverty line. That’s wrong."

A proposal by the White House would increase the minimum wage to $9 by 2015 and would tie the minimum wage to inflation.

Fordham political science professor Idalia Bastiaens says that "the system we use to measure poverty

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

McDonald’s pays its workers minimum wage, despite constant complaints.

[in the US..] is really outdated.”

In the minds of many Americans, living above the poverty line looks like a roof over your head and food on the table, but getting by in the current economy involves a much more complicated look at food, technology, gas and utilities.

The idea of supporting the working class is unpopular, especially with the strong community of neo-classical school of economic thought in our country, who argue that any government intervention in the market hurts productivity.

Bastiens notes that, compared with other developed countries, the U.S. does poorly in providing benefits to its citizens, but that “there’s a trade off ” because welfare programs can be a strain on the economies of countries that do provide more. She says that “you have to find a balance,” where the economy continues to grow but the

people are also provided for.

It is important to consider the reservations of those economists who argue that an increase in the minimum wage might hurt the economy and even produce more poverty. A blind increase to a minimum of $15 might strain the economy too much. It is also important to realize the real reactions that employers might have to an increase.

It is also important, however, to realize that it is wrong that a fulltime worker should need federal assistance in order to provide for her children.

Minimum wage laws do indeed need to strike a “balance” between blindly mandating a higher wage and creating conditions in which workers are able to work full time and provide for themselves and their families.

Claire Connacher, FCRH ’15, is a history major from Alameda, Calif.

OPINION

Page 10

November 13, 2013

In ‘Post-American’ World, A Bleak Future Awaits

By JOHN BUNDOCK

Stephen Fragano

STAFF WRITER

The prospect of a “post-American world” may bring images of a prosperous China and India and a shift away from viewing the United States as some sort of “world policeman” engaging in so-called “cowboy diplomacy. The term was first popularized in Fareed Zakaria’s 2008 work of the same name, But, what the so-called anti-imperialists and neo-isolationists will not tell you is that the “post-American” world of tomorrow will be far more brutal and anarchic and will disregard human rights norms and international law. Lavish lifestyles for the elite diplomats may well be in the future, but for the people of countries that are in the crosshairs of anti-liberal, theocratic and authoritarian states, a policy of American isolationism will be very grim.

Political scientists like as Ely Ratner and Thomas Wright, argue that the United States is not in an economic decline, particularly compared to the previously rising BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and IBSA states. According to “America’s Not in Decline – It’s on the Rise,” their joint opinion published in The Washington Post, the United States’ recent economic turnaround, energy innovations and enduring military strength support their argument that America is still a force to reckon with. That may well be the case, but their optimism on the present course of international security policy is incredibly naive.

Maintenance of human rights and international norms is fundamentally dependent on the capability of states to enforce clear punishments against those who would violate these universal standards. When states decide to retreat from this responsibility to protect, unchecked atrocities ensue.

Consider Syria, where Russian and Chinese vetoes on the Security Council have repeatedly shot down any hope of UN-backed intervention. To Ratner and Wright,

Talk,

Don’t Text

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

The possibility of a post-American world, proposed by Fareed Zakaria, will lead to new, grim international norms.

the presence of weapons inspectors is to be counted as a sort of “triumph,” and Secretary of State John Kerry continues to claim the conflict can be managed “at the negotiating table.” This idea is a trite fantasy because the rebels who are actually on the ground would never negotiate with a regime that has killed tens of thousands of civilians over the past two and a half years, unless the negotiation was focused on the status of that regime’s capitulation. As for the inspectors, the total decommissioning of chemical weapons, as described recently

by Michael Weiss in Foreign Policy, remains an incredibly elusive and risky prospect, dependent upon a regime that knows only brute force and has no credibility whatsoever.

Without an intervention directly against the regime, Assad’s war — and all of its horrors — continues unabated. Amir Taheri described the administration’s policy best in Asharq al-Wasat: “By refusing to take sides, the Obama Administration gives the powers that support Assad, notably Russia and the Islamic Republic in Tehran, an advantage by reducing the costs of their policy of repression in Syria. The Obama–Kerry decision to accept defeat without even attempting to make a stand

could enter political history as a model of what one might term: preemptive surrender.”

On the subject of negotiations to disarm Iran’s nuclear program, the administration’s diplomacy has not gone far enough. According to The New York Times, France opposed the present deal, as it does little to curb Iran’s uranium enrichment or to stop the development of a reactor capable of producing plutonium.

Foreign Policy Executive News Editor Noah Shachtman accurately observed, “You know the world has officially gone nuts when a French socialist is the new neocon poster boy.”

The specter of a nuclear Iran could lead Saudi Arabia to obtain the same kind of weaponry at will from Pakistan. So much for a nonproliferation policy. This is to say nothing of Iran’s blatant conventional threats; supporting dictators and terrorist groups like Assad and Hezbollah remains an unchanged policy. Qassem Suleimani and his “Quds Force,” are not going anywhere anytime soon because of half-hearted symbolic gestures.

Even though the United States economy may be improving, prosperity does not guarantee the stability of international politics or

the defeat of authoritarian aggressor states. States in economic decline are not somehow precluded from military aggression or becoming more dictatorial: Russian occupation of Chechnya and parts of Georgia, continues even as the U.S. considers overtaking the state in oil and gas production. In Venezuela, the Maduro government just unveiled a “Ministry of Supreme Social Happiness” amidst spiking inflation, high crime rates and rolling blackouts.

The United States may not be entering a “post-American world,” but those pundits and policymakers believing in such an era are incredibly misguided. By pursuing a path of non-intervention in the world, the United States will only see more brutality brought about by opportunistic regimes and nonstate actors.

As journalist Terry Glavin wrote for the Ottawa Citizen, “The other penny that hasn’t dropped is that there is no such thing as an America that is a force for progress in the world any more, either, at least not for the moment. History’s clock has turned backwards.”

John Bundock, FCRH ’14, is a Middle East studies and international political economy double major from Pelham, N.H.

fees have since quietly faded into obsolescence, when streaming on many services is unlimited.

We are no longer asked to pay up front in cash each week, instead we provide our credit card information and avoid the irritation completely.

While the above complaints highlight the disparity between the processes of 10 years ago and today, I have a creeping nostalgia for the trips to Blockbuster that consumed my childhood.

Blockbuster undoubtedly holds a place in my heart as a place where life seemed so immediately rewarding. There is something romantic about being so oblivious to the complexities and nuances of customer experiences as a child. It was all too thrilling to walk into a store with a few dollars and walk out with a movie for a Friday night. The process which precluded watching

these movies was half the excitement. This now-outdated process makes the stale process of scrolling and clicking seem oddly colorless, impassive and unadventurous.

I am not complaining about today’s options. I have the ability to spend under $10.00 a month and I can stream as many movies and television shows as I want.

But, it is unfortunate that my children will never be able to have a renting experience at Blockbuster. They will never have the opportunity to head to Blockbuster, find what they are looking for and triumphantly return home with a real DVD. They will never know what it is like to forage through a pile of casings to find The Goonies waiting at the bottom and carry it to the counter like it was a hard-fought trophy.

And, most importantly, they will never learn that life is not as accommodating, as perfect and as seamless as technology tells us it can be.

Joseph Vitale, FCRH ’16, is an enlish and political science d ouble major from Staten Island, N.Y.

Remembering Blockbuster’s Failed Model FOM BLOCKBUSTER, PAGE 7

of being in alphabetical order than a group of first graders. After an employee promised that there was one more copy in stock, finding Big Fat Liar consequently turned into a frantic scavenger hunt.

I was forced to search the store's alphabetically divided sections, which required sifting through every movie beginning with letters A through D until I could find the last copy of Frankie Muniz's masterpiece among the mess. The simplicity of online searches and clicking options renders this dilemma obsolete, and so the ordeal seems time-consuming and unnecessary in 2013.

I wish I knew how many times a DVD rental would be scratched or nicked on its face, causing it to freeze up in the middle of play. I had no choice but to assume that some twisted individual found enjoyment in ruining these DVDs, returning them to Blockbuster and neglecting to inform an employee fear of being charged for damage fees.

This would result in my return-

ing home only to find I had paid for a copy of Spy Kids that ends when Carmen and Juni learn their parents are spies. Meanwhile, the chances of finding a corrupt file on Netflix or HBO GO today are nearly zero thanks to the careful protection of online servers that prevent users from accessing the companies’ digital product.

It is almost painful to recall Blockbuster's inconvenient late fees. Given that I was a kid with no source of income during my prime renting days, my parents were not willing to shell out money for additional fees each week because I did not get a chance to watch Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones within 48 hours.

The quickness with which late-fees stacked up was all too familiar, and so I was often pressed for time if I wanted to be able to rent Revenge of the Sith the following weekend. Late

Blockbuster will always hold a place in my heart.

I recently noticed that our society nowadays has lost access to an art of sorts. It is hard to say this without sounding like an older, regressive thinker, but the art of conversation has been almost entirely neglected with the advent of technology.

The cell phone and other mobile devices have seriously undermined the ability to create casual conversation with strangers or others we may not know all that well. It seems, from my observations, that younger people — myself included — have a much harder time initiating and carrying on conversations that are not through media or technology.

One day, I was on the train to school when I witnessed two older gentlemen (who clearly did not previously know each other) start and carry on a lengthy conversation about an ordinary, banal subject. Hearing the conversation amazed me. I saw it as very foreign, and that bothers me.

I’ve observed firsthand how people hide behind electronic devices like security blankets, and sadly, I’m guilty of that as well. In a way, technology is almost making us lonelier, since we begin limiting our interactions to those we know and disregarding unfamiliar people.

It seems like people mostly come together and interact with strangers during dangerous or inconvenient times. For example, as I write this, strangers next to me at the train station are conversing and complaining about the delayed train service. It intrigues me that people begin to interact only after something goes wrong.

What can be done to remedy this gradual neglect of public conversation? It’s hard to tell, because everyone has his or her own comfort level for talking with others face to face. Our mobile devices have practically become a part of us, but putting them down for just a little while can make a bigger impact than one may think.

Also, having a little more confidence in oneself or being less shy can go a long way. I feel that many times, people choose to use their mobile devices in crowded areas because they are either shy or afraid another person will look badly upon them for starting a conversation.

However, many times I have initiated a conversation with a stranger or someone initiated a conversation with me, and it was an enjoyable experience in which both members of the conversation benefited in some way from the exchange. In a conversation, you get out what you put in, so showing you care enough to address someone can go a long way.

Once again, excuse my elderly technology-hating tone: I feel that no matter what age or technological awareness one possesses, the ability to start a conversation with a stranger ties us back to our innate sense of human communication.

Arts & Entertainment

November 13, 2013

Page11

Fall in Love With Fall in New York City

By KATHERINE MOBILIA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Autumn is upon us, and as we all rush to class and hurry to the library, we may fail to see the beauty that surrounds us. If or when you find a break in your busy schedule, hop on Metro North or the Ram Van to various parts of New York City and enjoy nature in the middle of the concrete jungle.

While it may seem hard to believe, some of the most beautiful places to enjoy the autumn weather are, in fact, in the city. A favorite spot of both New Yorkers and tourists alike lies within Central Park. The entire park is a nature lover’s dream, complete with countless trees, rolling plains, rock formations and lakes. Within the lush, iconic park, Bow Bridge tends to attract those in search of serence aesthetics.

Given the natural beauty of the bridge’s architecture and its idyllic surroundings, it is not surprising that Bow Bridge is one of the most filmed and photographed sites in Central Park. The water beneath the modest bridge reflects the richly colored leaves of gold, orange and red, creating a natural mosaic. This bridge makes for the perfect Kodak moment, romantic stroll or simple escape from the noisy, fast-paced, urban world outside.

Another cherished spot of mine since childhood, but truly meant for people of all ages, is The Central Park Zoo. The zoo, located close to Fifth Avenue, spans more than five acres of land and is home to more than 130

ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

The foliage surrounding Eddie’s is beautiful in autumn. Across the street from campus, the Botannical Gardens holds an annual Holiday Train show, starting Nov. 16.

different species of animals. This zoo provides a venue for the perfect “walk in the park” experience, complete with entertaining, fascinating wildlife and a children’s zoo.

Central Park has also recently added a new program that provides visitors with a way to see the park’s aweinspiring nature in a new and creative way. The Wild Garden: Discovering Central Park’s Woodlands is a free, hands-on exhibit that allows visitors to explore the hidden, beautiful foliage of the woodlands in Central Park.

After discovering Central Park and all its beauteous offerings, take a break from the November breeze and step into the wonderland of Serendipity 3,

located at 225 East 60th St. Walk into this world renowned, yet surprisingly tiny, restaurant, take a seat among the ornate Tiffany chandeliers or the monumental stained glass windows and treat yourself to the best hot, or not so hot, chocolate you will ever taste. Serendipity’s famous “Frrrozen Hot Chocolate” will delight all taste buds in need of a seasonal pick-meup. This frozen twist on hot chocolate is not only inventive, but also is outstanding and addictive, an ideal dessert beverage for this autumn season.

For a toastier treat, head over to the legendary Russian Tea Room, located at150 West 57th St. This gourmet restaurant may be famous for its

swanky scenery and rich clientele, but the hot chocolate is cost friendly and delicious! At the Russian Tea Room, one can indulge in a warm cup of hot cocoa along with a little taste of lavish luxury.

Want to stay closer to campus? The Botanical Gardens and the Bronx Zoo provide their own fall activities.

Starting Nov. 16, the Botanical Gardens will be holding its annual Holiday Train Show. This treasured train show is meant for any person at any age and is sure to bring out one’s inner child. As you watch countless toy trains zip around miniature towns, cities, sites and landscapes, let yourself feel the childlike, carefree spirit of

your youth.

At the Bronx Zoo this fall, get in touch with your wild animal side at sea lion and penguin feedings. These activities are both cost friendly, carefree and perfect for any fall day.

The Bronx Zoo is the world’s largest metropolitan zoo, spanning approximately 650 acres of land in the heart of the Bronx, so be sure to take a stroll through and experience all that the zoo has to offer.

College can be hectic and stressful, but be sure to give yourself a break.

Grab a friend and enjoy the fall season at the multiple beautiful sites that Manhattan, the Bronx and the rest of New York City have to offer.

Bellini’s Pizza Developing Cult Following

By DEVON SHERIDAN ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Altin Bellini, who goes by “Al,” never planned on running a staple pizza joint near Fordham University.

Instead, like the fresh dough he prepares every morning, Al tosses his success up to good fortune.

“I didn’t know it was going to be a big deal with Fordham University, to be honest,” Al said. “One day, I was just driving by, and I never thought I would open a pizza place in the Bronx, and I saw that this place was for rent. So, I checked it out and it was meant to happen.”

With almost a decade of experience learning and working the pizza business, Al, the owner of Bellini’s Pizza on 189th and Hughes, cannot help but smile while he works. Now in the fifth year since it’s inception, Bellini’s Pizza is one of six or seven pizzerias that reap the benefits of having a close proximity to Rose Hill campus (see: Issue 19, “The Definitive Fordham Pizza Guide,” for information on the others).

Al and his staff of two provide the pizza, and the university provides the students.

“If it wasn’t for Fordham, we would probably not even be in business, you know,” Al said. “It’s probably at 80% of revenue.”

Starting with its location, Bellini’s

SAMUEL JOSEPH/THE RAM

Al understands that the best cures for the homework blues are zany pizza slices.

is unique to its fellow pizzeria competition. Situated at the corner of Hughes and 189th, Bellini’s is the closest pizza place for any student living from Hughes to Cambreleng from 189th St. down to 187th. This location means that it is on the way home for any students living in

that area who may be coming back from TriBar or class. If Pugsley’s Pizza, which is strategically located right outside the gates of campus, is the go-to pizzeria for on-campus students, then Bellini’s is a strong contender for the same title for offcampus students.

But, there is something even more integral to Bellini’s success, which Al has dubbed a “cult” following: the specialty slices.

“I was making pizzas in downtown Manhattan,” Al said. “I knew I could make a good slice after learning, reading a few books, this and that.”

Cooking with two ovens each at 600°F, Al has invented over a dozen specialty slices using an assortment of meats, cheeses, vegetables and other toppings. Grinning at the glowing display of nine or 10 pizzas already on display for the noon lunch rush, Al points to the most popular slices.

“The best sellers: it’s the Philly cheesesteak, the [penne vodka] pasta slice and the barbecue slice,” Al said.

Vegetarians rejoice! Al explained the “Ah-ha!” moment behind the famously filling penne vodka slice.

“Basically, the idea is that you can put anything on a pizza. One day I was eating a penne vodka dish, and I had some leftovers, so I threw it on a plain slice,” Al said. “It’s so good.”

Ranging from $2.50 to $3.75, Bellini’s slices have indeed developed a bit of a niche following over the years, especially among students who spend their weekend nights around the TriBar area at the intersection of Arthur Avenue and 189th

St. “It’s good. Lucky for me I speak English,” Al said.

Furthermore, Al, who is 28, takes pride in connecting with the students.

“We get along,” Al said. “I understand the mentality of the students; They’re younger than me, but still I’m not that far away. I understand the college life is not easy. The homework is hard. I know a lot of their names and it’s a good, close, intimate relationship.”

Running a business that makes its profit mostly late at night is a caveat that Al both accepts and embraces.

On the weekends he works a 15 hour shift, and on “party nights” Bellini’s stays open until after 3:30 a.m.

“We have some diehards in that sense,” Al said, laughing.

For college students, Bellini’s is exactly the kind of place to which they will gladly supply their patronage.

At the tail end of the interview, as if scripted, two self-proclaimed regulars burst through the doors.

“Al is great, he always tends to your needs even at any time of the night,” Alex Venzor, FCRH ’15, said.

“Al never fails.”

“Late night pizza — you can’t beat it,” Lauren Sheffield, FCRH ’15, said.

PHOTO

Page 12

MICHAEL REZIN

November 13, 2013

ANDREW ESOLDI

MICHAEL REZIN

Fordham Football

10-0

ALLY WHITE

MICHAEL REZIN

ANDREW ESOLDI

ALLY WHITE

ALLY WHITE

MICHAEL REZIN

ALLY WHITE

November 13, 2013

ADVERTISEMENT

Page 13

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Page 14

November 13, 2013

Editor’s Pick: “Comedy Bang Bang”

By JACK MACGREGOR

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Talib Kweli, Big K.R.I.T. When: Friday, Nov. 15 What time: 7:30 p.m.

Where: The Theater at Madison Square Garden Price: $64 and up Macklemore and Ryan Lewis will perform at New York City’s Theater at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 13 and 14.

Macklemore holds a singular place in both the Pacific Northwest and across the country emerging as a premier national hip-hop artist with numerous career highlights to his name.

A genuine lyricist and a captivating performer, Macklemore, with his DJ/production partner Ryan Lewis, have garnered critical acclaim, a devoted fan base and steadily growing anticipation for their upcoming work.

ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR

In the ever-growing genre of alternative comedy, few programs manage to deliver the laughs more consistently and effortlessly than “Comedy Bang Bang.” Hosted by the underrated and virtually unknown writer Scott Aukerman, CBB expanded its format from a weekly podcast to include a 30-minute television show on IFC, and it has only become funnier as it gains more traction among comedy fans.

Aukerman is best known for his role as a writer and occasional performer on the classic HBO sketch comedy program “Mr. Show with Bob and David,” the Bob here being Bob Odenkirk of “Breaking Bad” fame and a comedic legend in his own right. After the show was unfortunately cancelled by HBO despite its cult following, Aukerman looked for other ways to continue entertaining with his unique voice and decided to team up with his old college buddy and partner in improv, B.J. Porter. The duo, which originally began performing under the satirical moniker, “The Fun Bunch,” booked its own weekly comedy showcase, known as “Comedy Death-Ray” at the M Bar in Los Angeles. The show gained popularity and consequently required more creative freedom, prompting a move to the famous Upright Citizens’ Brigade Theater just a few minutes away.

Building on the success fostered by the showcase, Aukerman decided to test his luck in the radio industry with a comedy themed broadcast named and based on the live show on Los Angeles radio station Indie 103.1. The successful afternoon spot ended only a year later

COURTESY OF MOVIEPOSTERDB

“Comedy Bang Bang” airs Fridays at 10/9c on the IFC network and is available as a weekly podcast on iTunes and FunnyOrDie.com.

when Aukerman formed the Earwolf podcast network and began distributing Comedy Death Ray as a weekly hour and a half podcast.

Since its inception, the show has followed a consistent format, with Aukerman performing a very loose, often absurd interview with a fellow comedian, actor, writer or musician, usually when they have something to promote, or ‘plug,’ as the brief ending segment is called.

Almost every episode also features another comedian playing a wide variety of interesting characters, whether fictional (Bob Ducca, Scott’s stepfather with a laundry list of bizarre and questionable diseases played by Seth Morris) or a celebrity caricature (the obnoxious, but lovable Cake Boss played

by Paul F. Tompkins).

The show’s hilarity comes as a result of the interactions between these players, whose topics of conversation range from the hilariously inane, such as the merits of Guy Fieri’s character, to appropriately

humorous discussions of current issues, exemplified in a recent episode recorded live at a benefit for MalariaNoMore.org. I strongly encourage you to give it a listen one of these days. It is a fitting alternative to iTunes or Pandora Radio if you are in the mood for a different type of auditory stimulation.

As for the TV show, it is now entering part two of its second season and was recently renewed for a third, an indication of its continued appeal. The show does a great job of adapting the unique chemistry of the podcast format for the screen and has been a success among comedy industry critics and blogs, such as The A.V. Club and Uproxx.

Guests of the show have only improved following the incorporation, regularly featuring stars like Zach Galifianakis, Jon Hamm, Aimee Mann and Nick Kroll. The quick 30 minute dose of deadpan, farcical sketches and interviews makes it a worthy watch whether you have enjoyed the podcast or not.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Kanye West with Kendrick Lamar When: Tuesday, Nov. 19 What time: 7 p.m.

Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn Price: $59 and up For the first time in five years, Kanye West is touring the country. This time, it is to promote his hit album from this past summer, Yeezus. The controversial, polarizing rapper will be joined by fellow West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar, another artist who has been making waves over the past two years with his solo career.

— COMPILED BY JACK MACGREGOR ASSISTANT ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

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

Dining Out: Mario’s Restaurant

By LAUREN MACDONALD STAFF WRITER

When opting for an upscale restaurant, I decided to ask my father, a Fordham Alumnus, where great quality food meets a casual environment. A proud Italian, he directed me to one of the oldest and most famous restaurants in the neighborhood.

One of the most traditional eateries where a group of people can enjoy a fairly-priced, full-course meal is Mario’s Restaurant, located at 2342 Arthur Ave. Our host seated us on the right hand side of the dining room. There were many tables, about 30 to 35 with four people on average per seating arrangement. With that being said, we were treated with extreme promptness and even had the opportunity to have the extensive specials list read to us, twice.

The menu was somewhat lengthy and included dishes such as veal parmesan, lobster tail oreganate and shrimp scampi. I chose to start with the fried calamari and end with the penne vodka, without chicken. My friend chose the special, which included a sauteed chicken breast topped with smoked mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, broccoli rabe and a side of fresh penne pasta with garlic and oil.

For the rest of the evening, our server guided us toward the most delectable Mario’s experience. Each guest begins the evening with one basket of warm, freshly baked Italian bread speckled with sesame seeds and fresh cracked black pepper. The bread is accompanied by incredibly authentic olive oil and standard butter packets.

To drink, our server recommended the Chianti ‘Classico,’ which was a fruit-forward wine to pair with our light dinner entrees. Each entrée also comes with a side salad, which came out rather quickly. Guests choose the house vinaigrette or other more familiar options such as ranch and regular Italian dressing.

The calamari came out within seven minutes and our server informed me that on a busy evening the appetizer would most likely take about 10 to 15 minutes, and the entree 20 to 25. It felt pleasant to receive special treatment.

Our calamari came out flaming hot and temptingly crispy. There was even a slight browning at the top of the squid and to the side was a heaping amount of marinara sauce, carefully flavored with garlic and a touch of hotness. Lemon wedges painted the dish with a spot of color.

The entrees were more on the simple side, yet we received a hefty

CHRISTINA FERNEINI/THE RAM

Mario’s penne vodka entree ranks among the most popular Arthur Avenue dishes.

amount of food that lasted two days.

My penne vodka was slathered with just the right amount of sauce, which had a bright pink and orange color to it. Upon taking my first bite, I discovered some mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic and extremely sweet Vidalia onions in the sauce — quite surprising and extremely delicious. The mushrooms gave the sauce a more earthy taste, while the tomatoes and Vidalia onions added a smooth, sweet and crunchy texture to juxtapose the smoothness of the penne and sauce.

The penne vodka was not only im-

pressing with its size and uniquely familiar taste, the price was also decent: $17.25. For two days worth of food, I could not help but smile a little.

On the other hand, the chicken and mozzarella was a simpler dish. I discovered that the garlic and oil sauce was much lighter in consistency, but a person who wishes to have a more authentic Italian experience should stray away from this straightforward dish. The special was $20 and the calamari fritti was $21. We could not really go wrong with our choices, and in a way we played it safe. However,

the quality of the food was the deciding factor of our approval.

It is safe to say that an average student should be aware that dining at Mario’s Restaurant is a splurge.

When we asked for the check, after wrapping up half of our meal, the bill read $81.00 for dinner for two, wine included. I do not believe that I could afford to come back to Mario’s on a regular basis, but it was an interestingly pleasant experience, and I intend to go back.

If you are a person who wants to experience the heart of Arthur Avenue, without all of the pressure of dining in a more fancy environment, try Mario’s Restaurant. This taste of Italy comes with the environment of Fordham, but with a relaxing feel of the far away wine and pasta country.

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

’s)

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

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Novermber 13, 2013

WHO’S THAT KID? LIAM PARIS A MEMBER OF FCRH ‘17 MAJOR: UNDECLARED HOMETOWN: BERNARDSVILLE, N.J. Describe yourself in a couple sentences for the readers.

Five-foot, 11-inch, blue-eyed male of medium build, last seen fleeing the local TJ-Maxx after he realized he was singing out loud with the Ariana Grande song play-

ing over the speakers.

What is your favorite aspect of Fordham and why?

It has all the city feels of NYU/ Lincoln Center, with only half the piercings and sexuality. Also, I couldn’t get into Columbia.

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

Make meat an option at the sushi bar. But, on a more serious note: rename it Eddie’s Lawn What is your favorite thing to do in New York City?

Travel to one of the rougher streets in the city and just walk down it. Previous expeditions have included Broadway and Park Ave. What is something about you that not many people know?

I’m actually two miniature poodles stacked upon each other.

What is your favorite class at Fordham?

ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

In addition to Ariana Grande and hot fudge, Liam has also been known to enjoy performing stand-up comedy.

Page 15 Upper-middle.

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

Complete the core.

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

All three are Prince: with the movie and food being “Purple Rain.”

What is your favorite movie and why?

The Graduate…no joke there I just think that’s a really great movie.

What is your favorite album released in 2013?

Self-produced album that consists entirely of infomercial recordings Do you have plans, career or otherwise, for post-college life?

No. What activities, clubs, projects or organizations are you involved with at school?

Self-described FET cult-member. I did a show with TOP. And I currently am the news anchor for the Fordham morning’s television show. I also want to start/join a band at school, but I don’t think I own enough flannels/go camping enough for the folk scene to accept me yet.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what would you bring with you?

A spoon and some hot fudge… wait, what was the question?

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

I’d tell myself to “GET IN LINE, FRESHMAN.”

Irony Abounds in Latest Mimes Show

By JOHN BONAZZO STAFF WRITER

The Mimes and Mummers faced a seemingly insurmountable obstacle when the rights to their planned second slot show, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap, were revoked less than two weeks before opening. Christie’s family is planning a Broadway revival.

Their ingenious solution was to stage The Real Inspector Hound, Tom Stoppard’s farcical take on The Mousetrap. The show contains many absurdist elements, and overall was a hilarious night of theater.

The play is framed around two theater critics: Moon, a substitute for the indisposed regular critic, and Birdboot, a ladies man with a keen eye for young actresses.

They are watching a production of a murder mystery, in which a madman is on the loose.

In the production, the residents of Lady Muldoon’s country home, particularly the parlor maid, Mrs. Drudge, are following the news on the radio.

Lady Muldoon and her friend Felicity welcome Simon, a mysterious old friend, to the house.

They, along with Magnus, Lady Muldoon’s wheelchair-bound brother-in-law, are shaken when Inspector Hound comes to their home to look for clues on the madman. Eventually Moon and Birdboot are sucked into the action, leading to a madcap climax.

ALLEGRA HOWARD/THE RAM

Mimes staged The Inspector Hound, a farce on an Agatha Christie murder mystery.

Director Evan Tsitsias kept the action flowing at an appropriately brisk pace. Many complications pile up, but the show never felt rushed (impressive for a play that is only 65 minutes). He also made the choice to have the audience seated on stage, which made for the more intimate atmosphere that a show of this type requires.

The set was quite ornate by Mimes standards, but this fit.

No murder mystery is complete without a drawing room filled with all manner of furniture and paintings and a grand piano. The show also featured sinister, effective sound effects, inventively deployed by onstage foley artist Pam Zazzarino, FCRH ’14.

The show had a top-drawer cast. The ingenues of the playwithin-a-play, Sarah Hill, FCRH ’17 and Laura Hetheringtion, FCRH ’17 (Felicity and Lady Muldoon, respectively) were alternately innocent and sophisticated. Nick Motlenski, FCRH ‘16 was terrific as Magnus, the crippled soldier who is not all he seems to be.

Alexis Jimenez, FCRH ‘16 was hilarious as Mrs. Drudge, who does awful things with her feather duster.

Matthew Conrado, FCRH ’17 was suitably charming as the enigmatic Simon.

Matt Mayer, FCRH ’17 was wonderful as Inspector Hound,

who memorably exhibits some characteristics of the animal after which he is named; he and Conrado also took on interesting roles in the show’s climax.

The critics stole the show, however, getting Stoppard’s best lines.

Their discussions of their craft were quite amusing, whether or not one is familiar with these types of people.

As Birdboot, Jacob Benoit, FCRH ’17 expertly kept his sharp critical eye, even while falling for Felicity.

Jonathan O’Neill, FCRH ’15, illuminated the critical process while lamenting his station as a runner-up; he had the best monologue of the show, which concludes, “Stand-ins of the world, stand up!”

Despite the short rehearsal time and short running time, The Real Inspector Hound was a fully hilarious evening of murder mystery farce.

The cast reflected on having to change its acting style so quickly once the shows were switched out.

“What’s funny about this weird rehearsal process was that we did a total 180 from play to play,” O’Neill said. “We started with a show that was a very dark, psychological mystery and were suddenly thrust into this really silly farce. The entire cast and crew really rose to the challenge and put on a ridiculous show that we should be ridiculously proud of.”

Karen Hill In the dating realm, there is nothing more nauseating than seizureinducing strobe light relationships.

What are strobe light relationships?

They are those on-again, off-again couples that can never quite make up their minds about whether or not they want to be together. Let me make the decision for you: you don’t want to be together.

If you are in one of these relationships, you are fighting for the unattainable. When breaking up is your go-to reaction after a fight, you have to question why. Are you looking for an escape from the relationship, or are you too immature to handle your problems?

Everyone knows that your relationship is only as official as your Facebook status, and when that comes down, it must be over. Deleting that status often feels like the only concrete solution to your problems, and it’s a lot easier than actually resolving things. So when you get back together because you hate sleeping alone only to find you have the same problems, you probably turn to the same ineffective solution.

I was once in one of these strobe light relationships. I told myself I was staying in it because of love, when it was actually because of pride. In this day and age, everyone knows everyone else’s business. Somehow we’ve convinced ourselves it’s embarrassing to publicly end a relationship, so we avoid it at all costs. You break up, and quickly change your mind so that you won’t have to be alone in the public’s eye.

However, the truth is there is nothing shameful in ending a relationship for good. Feeling upset and constantly fighting are not healthy signs of a relationship, but you are not hopeless. Your own happiness is within your power. Break up and stay that way. When it is over for real, it is going to hurt, but not as much as trying to find life in something that is dead.

Every relationship is different, but one thing is always the same: you are supposed to be happy, and happiness comes naturally. You don’t have to be happy all the time, but definitely a large majority of the time. Happiness should be your default emotion. Not frustration.

Not anger. Not even neutrality.

When you wake up in the morning, when you go to sleep at night, when your thoughts wander in class, you should be happy.

Another key issue with those that struggle to keep a strobe light relationship together is that they often fight for their former selves and the memory of a long gone happiness.

Relationships don’t go back in time, only forward. People change, especially in college, and eventually they grow into themselves. Who you were in love with yesterday might not be the person you are fighting with and fighting for today. Don’t stay in a relationship because of the memories. Your relationship was never wasted time. Doing the onagain, off-again thing, however, is wasting your time, because that is not a real relationship.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Page 16

November 13, 2013

Ram Reviews Movie Review

Ender’s Game

COURTESY OF MOVIEPOSTERDB

By ALLEGRA HOWARD STAFF WRITER

In Ender’s Game, the leaders of Earth must train child geniuses to

become soldiers to fight an insect alien species. The story particularly focuses on the life of one such child named Ender (Asa Butterfield, Hugo).

Last Vegas

Unlike many movie adaptations, Ender’s Game actually adheres to much of the book, so those who have already read Orson Scott Card’s science fiction novel will appreciate the movie adaptation as a thrilling reminiscence. Those who have not will probably only enjoy the movie as another cheap Hollywood thrill.

Speaking of cheap Hollywood thrills, Ender’s Game features many big-name actors like Harrison Ford (Blade Runner), Ben Kingsley (Shutter Island) and Viola Davis (Eat Pray Love), but it is the enormous cast of talented child actors, namely Asa Butterfield and Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), that keeps the movie refreshing.

Unfortunately, the actors’ unchanging youthfulness and the lack of battle montages in the movie makes the story seem like it happens in a few days, when the story actually occurs over many months,

if not years. The lack of progression not only diminishes Ender’s accomplishment of simultaneously defeating two different teams and graduating to Command School, but the chronological deficiency also ignores Ender’s intense psychological development as he continues to fight undefeated.

Though Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) wants to isolate Ender to make him a better cadet, Ender still becomes close friends with other cadets like Bean (Aramis Knight, The Dark Knight Rises) and Petra Arkanian (Hailee Steinfeld, Romeo and Juliet). However, the movie exploits Petra as the only female cadet by making her friendship with Ender more intimate. The movie unfortuantely diminishes Petra to a mere love interest. Bonzo and Ender even fight at one point over what they can and cannot do with Petra as if Petra has no say in it.

Though war plays a significant role in Ender’s Game, the story is largely about how Ender uses different aspects like compassion and ruthlessness to defeat each challenge he faces as he trains to conquer the aliens. In other words, Ender’s Game is a story about what humanity is and what it does.

Movie adaptions do not necessarily have to adhere to the book’s original intention, but the heavily thematic and metaphorical Ender’s Game was a poor choice to adapt into a movie, since the directors obviously concerned themselves more with portraying the events of the story rather than with what those events represent.

Despite how the movie diminishes many of the story’s profound themes, Ender’s insistence on how Earth should have used diplomacy instead of war nearly successfully underscores how war cannot beget life but only more death.

Thor: The Dark World

Chris Hemsworth as Thor.

Then of course, there is the exceptional Tom Hiddleston, returning as Loki, that squirmy little brother who never seems to be without a scheme. He is locked away beneath Asgard for most of the film as prisoner but when his pale-faced comedic touch finally breathes, it is a grateful moment. People speak in nice, crisp sentences in these movies and everything echoes with a self-serious importance. Loki is at once slippery and accessible because he refuses to proclaim his course of action with such grandiosity like his brother and father. Without his balance, Thor: The Dark World mostly feels like a picture book being read.

Even when this picture book changes illustrators and authors, nothing changes visually. Continuity within the Marvel Universe is something each addition strives for and also constantly overshoots. Is it a problem that stylistically, Kenneth Branagh’s first movie and Alan Taylor’s sequel feel and act on the same plane? Should it be? The problem with these movies, so wrapped in effects, explosions, armies and death, is that there is little to feel.

When someone dies in The Dark World, there is little sense of pain or suffering to experience. Death can be central, but too often it is meaningless.

There are ounces of fun in here, most notably in the final act’s humorous brushstrokes and fraternal quibbling. Malekith hopes to use the Aether’s power when all nine realms of the universe align together, a particularly creative conflation of worlds stacked on top of each other in the sky. Unfortunately that creativity, used mostly in London, is fleeting. When Hemsworth slams down his hammer, it is a beautiful act of power. You just keep hoping (or wondering if ) those people in the ending credits have not already taken away all of its strength.

Movie Review

Movie Review

COURTESY OF MOVIEPOSTERDB.COM COURTESY OF MOVIEPOSTERDB.COM

By JOHN BONAZZO STAFF WRITER

While it may not be the most sophisticated comedy of the year, and does not rank among the best work for any of its stars, Last Vegas is still a funny night out with four acting legends.

Billy (Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra) is marrying a woman half his age in Las Vegas. His three childhood best friends: Paddy (Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook), Archie (Morgan Freeman, The Dark Knight Rises) and Sam (Kevin Kline, The Conspirator) decide to throw him a bachelor party the weekend before his big day. As they spend the weekend patrolling the bars and wooing the women of Sin City, they relive the glory days of the “Flatbush Four,” which also requires some soul searching. An old disagreement between Billy and Paddy comes to a head and a possible new girlfriend (Mary Steenburgen, The Help) enters the mix, leading to a climax filled with laughs and hugs.

Director Jon Turteltaub (National

Treasure) keeps the rising action going at a brisk pace during this 90minute comedy, letting the engine of the plot chug along while his four veteran actors carry the day. Dan Fogelman’s (The Guilt Trip) script is filled with a lot of one-liners about getting old, but the way the stars deliver the the jokes makes each line far less cliched.

These actors have churned out great work for years, and they are obviously having a lot of fun here.

Douglas gives Billy his characteristic slimy charm. De Niro, as always, starts off as the heavy, but loosens up as the film goes on. Freeman, whose character suffers from medical issues, is the essence of a sick man allowed to let loose. Kline, a Florida resident gone mad with routine, also relishes the chance to loosen up. Steenburgen is a charming love interest, who also proves to be a very capable singer.

These Oscar-winning actors will not be adding any statuettes to their mantles for this film. However, the obvious joy they had while making it hopefully will pass on to the audience.

By JAKE KRING-SCHREIFELS STAFF WRITER

Undoubtedly, the use of computer generated image technology is inundating comic book movies. Nowadays, producers look to outdo each other with flashier uses of technology. Certainly CGI is an important tool when New York City becomes a demolition playground for The Avengers or the venue for a mid-air boxing match in Man of Steel. However, in Thor, located primarily in the title character’s distant space kingdom of Asgard, it becomes paramount. It also becomes a desensitizing and rather homogenous element in a collection of not so much movies but feature length trailers.

The sequel is no different.

Thor: The Dark World begins with a long exposition about dark elves, their leader Malekith, (Christopher Eccleston, “Dr. Who”) and the Aether, a black nebulous virus that searches for a host. It finds one through a London portal and attaches to

Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman, Thor), whose eyes then occasionally turn black like glimpses of Black Swan. Unfortunately the acting from that movie does not transfer over here. Soon, our chiseled, golden-locked Norse God takes her home to Asgard where his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins, Silence of the Lambs), surmises the Aether’s power is what Malekith craves.

Director Alan Taylor, who has primarily worked in television, most recently “Game of Thrones,” brings back all of the familiar faces and set pieces. Asgard is its usual sunny self, its portal guarded by Idris Elba (Pacific Rim), protected bravely by Jaimie Alexander, Zachary Levi and Ray Stevenson and ruled by Rene Russo. Back in dreary London, Stellan Skarsgard returns to the lab clearheaded from his Avengers mind-control mishaps, as does Kat Dennings, providing her usual quirky shtick.

Chris O’Dowd aims to win astrophysicist Jane Foster’s affections, but unfortunately an accented comedian just cannot compete with

TO READ THESE REVIEWS ONLINE, VISIT FORDHAMRA M.COM

Sports Jon Severe Leads Fordham Over St. Francis (Pa.)

November 13, 2013

By DAN GARTLAND EXECUTIVE SPORTS EDITOR

Jon Severe announced his arrival in a big way on Friday night, lighting up the visiting St. Francis Red Flash for 28 points in Fordham’s 87-67 victory. In his collegiate debut, the freshman guard made nine of 15 shots, including an astounding seven of ten three-pointers.

“In the exhibition I had a bad shooting night, so I’ve just been getting more shots up with Coach [ John] Morton, just trying to have a good shooting performance,” Severe said.

Fordham head coach Tom Pecora was optimistic that this will not be Severe’s last offensive outburst.

“Every night is not going to be like this, but I hope that many are,” he said.

Severe was not the only Fordham player to have a strong night offensively. Each of the four guards who started the game for the Rams scored in double figures: Sophomore Mandell Thomas had 15 points, junior Bryan Smith added

Page 17

18 and senior Branden Frazier netted 10.

“The advantage of playing the way we’re playing is that we have four guys on the floor that can make shots,” Pecora said.

Smith struggled at the end of last season, only cracking double figures once in his final 12 games. On Friday night, though, he seemed to have found his shooting stroke.

“Bryan’s an exceptional shooter,” Pecora said. “He’s just got to get shot discipline and keep his mechanics the same. I mean, he scored 67 in a high school game. I’ve recruited guys that couldn’t score 67 if you left them in the gym alone at night.”

Smith credited Pecora’s encouragement with helping him gain confidence.

“Coach always has a lot of faith in me,” Smith said. “Even if I’m not having a good shooting game, Coach always tells me to keep shooting the ball.”

Frazier, the team’s second-leading scorer last year, was more of a facilitator on Friday night. He had four assists and no turnovers.

SAMUEL JOSEPH/THE RAM

Bryan Smith recorded 18 points and eight rebounds in the win over St. Francis.

“I think he did a great job of letting guys run out their streaks,” Pecora said of Frazier. “When guys were hot, he continued to get [them] the ball. When Bryan made a couple shots, he went back to him.

That’s what good point guards do. If a guy’s got it going, let’s let him run the streak out and see how many in a row he can make.”

Pecora also credited Smith and Frazier with providing guidance to the inexperienced Severe. “[Severe is] getting great support and leadership from Bryan, from Branden,” he said. “He’s got a lot of growing up to do, but that’s typical of every freshman.”

The success of Fordham’s guards was due in large part to St. Francis’ lack of size. The Red Flash had only one player taller than 6-foot-7.

Pecora was able to go with a four-guard lineup and not worry too much about being beat on the interior.

The play of Fordham’s three forwards (Ryan Rhoomes, Travion Leonard and Ryan Canty) will be a concern moving forward. The trio combined for only 10 points and committed 12 personal fouls.

“I expect more consistency to be quite honest,” Pecora said of the forward play. “I expect them to be better defenders, I expect them to rebound the ball better and I expect them to stay out of foul trouble; they’re out there just whacking at people.”

Pecora did offer an explanation for the large number of fouls, though.

“A lot of them were because of dribble penetration, and they were forced to step up and make plays,” Pecora said. “So I think if we get better at containing the basketball, some of these foul trouble issues

DREW DIPANE/THE RAM

Jon Severe lit up the Red Flash for 28 points, a Fordham freshman record.

with the bigs will go away.”

But Pecora expects that if his guards continue to play well, it will make things easier for the big men.

“Bryan scores inside and he scores outside,” he said. “It’s a tough matchup for big people to come chase him out on the perimeter. Obviously with Jon’s ability to shoot the ball, with Bryan’s, with Branden’s and with Mandell’s, it’s going to stretch defenses, and as our bigs get better, they’re going to get more scoring opportunities as well.”

Fordham’s second game of the year came against No. 9 Syracuse on Tuesday night. The Orange

dominated the Rams, winning 8974.

Syracuse’s suffocating zone defense smothered Fordham all night long, forcing the Rams to settle for deep threes.

The Orange also held a tremendous size advantage and won the rebound battle 49-27.

There were positives, though.

Frazier and Severe both had strong games.

Frazier had a career-high 33 points on 9-14 shooting and Severe added 19 points.

Fordham returns to action this Friday night at home against Lehigh.

Women’s Basketball Beats San Francisco, Falls to No. 13 Penn State FROM WOMEN, PAGE 24

not only are they great leaders, but they’re great players.”

One concern for the Rams was their habit of turning the ball over.

Fordham had 14 turnovers, many of which led to San Francisco points. The Dons scored 20 of their 66 points off of turnovers.

“I attribute a lot of [the turnovers] to the first game,” Gaitley said. “Kids are trying to find their identity and sometimes trying to do too much, but a lot of it’s because it’s the first game.”

Fordham took its 1-0 record on the road to Penn State on Sunday, Nov. 10, but the reigning Big 10 champs showed why they were ranked number 13 in the nation.

Early on, the Rams hung with Penn State, staying around 10 points behind the Nittany Lions for most of the first half. Led by Rooney and Corning, the Fordham backcourt played every minute in the first half, combining for 11 points and eight rebounds. Missry went just two for six from beyond the arc as the Rams, who had 47 points in the first half of their season opener, trailed Penn State 3828 going into halftime.

“When you have a lot of young kids and you go and play a team that is nationally ranked, you have

to get them past the outside things like the ranking, the name and the arena,” Gaitley said. “The first part is believing you can beat that team.

I think our kids realized after the first half that we could beat this team; it’s just that we have to execute and do things well.”

The Nittany Lions took off in the second half and overpowered Fordham. They jumped out to an 18 point lead just four minutes into the half. The Rams continued to fight back though, as they trimmed the lead to 10 with the help of two Rooney three-pointers and a Samantha Clark layup.

Unfortunately for the Rams, every time they tried to come back Penn State nipped the effort in the bud. When Fordham trimmed the deficit to 10 with about 12 minutes to play, reigning Big 10 Player of the Year senior Maggie Lucas scored five straight points to take the air out of the Fordham comeback.

“The thing is, when you let up, a good team will capitalize,” Gaitley said. “We started Abigail Corning on [Lucas] and she did a great job, but when we got caught in a switch, there were breakdowns. I would say we played 20 to 25 minutes of solid basketball. You can’t win on the road against a nationally ranked team unless you play 40 solid min-

ALLY WHITE/THE RAM

Freshman Hannah Missry had an impressive debut, scoring 14 points on 5-12 shooting in Fordham’s 80-66 win.

utes.”

The Penn State lead climbed to as high as 27 points with about five minutes to play, but in classic Fordham fashion, Gaitley’s Rams finished the game on a 13-3 run to bring the final score to 78-61.

Rooney led Fordham in scoring, tallying 20 points to go along with

six rebounds and three assists.

While the loss may have brought the Fordham record to 1-1, the Ram defense has nothing to be ashamed of. Penn State scored over 100 points in both its exhibition game against Lock Haven and its season opener against St. Francis (Pa.). Fordham held them to

only 78 points.

“After watching the game, we did a decent job defensively with the exception of when freshmen switched onto [Lucas],” Gaitley said.

Fordham will be back in action on Friday, Nov. 15 when it takes on Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y.

Page 18

SPORTS

NHL Blog

November 13, 2013

Colorado Climbing to the Top

By ANTHONY PUCIK STAFF WRITER

When the season started, it seemed as if the Chicago Blackhawks were going to have an easy time not only getting a playoff spot, but winning their division.

With the new format of the NHL, the top three teams in each division make the playoffs and, aside from the St. Louis Blues, there weren’t many other teams in the Central Division that stood out as being able to give the Blackhawks a run for their money, not only as a top three team, but as the top team in their division this year. That has all changed, however, with the surprisingly stellar start of the Colorado Avalanche.

Led by new head coach Patrick Roy, Colorado has one of the best records in the entire NHL. This is extremely surprising to many, though, because just last year the Avalanche found themselves with the worst Western Conference record and second worst record in the league. Now, they are 142-0 and are one of the top teams, not just in their division, or in the Western Conference, but in the entire NHL. There are a number of reasons why the Avalanche are doing so well thus far this season, and it is the mix of this spectacular play in all aspects of the game that has enabled them to do so.

One of the biggest reasons for the Avalanche’s early success has been their dominant offense. The Avalanche, led by great young talent, average 3.38 goals per game, which is fourth best in the NHL. Matt Duchene, the 22-year-old center, leads the team with 11 goals and 19 points on the season, and 18-year-old rookie Nathan MacKinnon is tied for the team lead with eight assists. Other prolific youngsters who score are captain Gabriel Landeskog with six goals and 13 points and assistant captain Paul Stasny with six goals and 13 points, who at age 27 can ironically be considered one of the veterans on this young team. The Avalanche are also finding scoring from each line they put out on the ice. All of their players who play every game have at least one point, showing that their 3.38 goals per game average is spread among the whole team, not just their top line, which gives them the ability to score even when some of their best performers are not playing their

best hockey.

What has been even more impressive for Colorado has been their outstanding goaltending thus far. In the NHL, you can score all you want, but good goaltending is what is going to win the Stanley Cup. The Avalanche currently have two outstanding net minders who are performing excellently. The Avalanche have given up just 1.75 goals per game, which is best in the entire NHL and, while the defense is playing well, it is largely in part to starter Semyon Varlamov and backup Jean Sebastien-Giguere.

Varlamov is 9-2 with a 2.00 goals against average and a .936 save percentage, and Giguere has been even more impressive than him.

To call Giguere a backup, even though he is one, is almost insulting considering his two shutouts, 1.00 goals against average and .970 save percentage are all tops in the NHL along with his perfect 5-0 record. Varlamov and Giguere are proving to be one of the best goalie tandems in the entire NHL, and if they continue this kind of play, it’s going to be hard for any team to score on Colorado.

Finally, what would a dominant team be without some excellent special teams play? The Avalanche have one of the best penalty kills in the game. Their 88.5 percent success rate on the penalty kill is third best in the entire NHL. Led by Erik Johnson and Jan Hejda, even when the Avalanche are prone to give up goals the most, when they are a man or two down, their penalty kill steps up and usually stops the other team’s power play. Combine great scoring, outstanding goaltending and a superb penalty kill and it’s no wonder the Avalanche are one of the best teams in the league.

The big question is whether this young Avalanche team, led by a first-year head coach, will be able to sustain this type of dominance the entire season. Well, looking at how they have plenty of offensive weapons to turn to, two great goaltenders that can step in if one or the other is having an off night and a superb defense that is highlighted by an amazing penalty kill, it’s hard to argue that the Avalanche are going to roll down the Western Conference standings any time soon. I expect the Avalanche to continue their dominance, which will most likely lead them into the Stanley Cup playoffs and, who knows, maybe even the Cup itself.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Gabriel Landeskog, the Avalanche captain, has his team climbing the standings.

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/theram_sports

Varsity Scores & Stats

Football Bucknell 7 0 14 0 21 Fordham 7 3 7 6 23 (FOR) P. Maetzold 318yds TD (BU) B. Wesley 225yds TD Men’s Soccer La Salle 0 2 2 Fordham 0 0 0 Goals: J. Plumhoff (LAS) 86’ J. Plumhoff (LAS) 87’ St. Joseph’s 1 0 1 Fordham 0 0 0 Goals: T. Lazorko (SJU) 23’ Water Polo Fordham Brown

9 5

Fordham Conn. College

13 4

Fordham Iona

11 12

Men’s Basketball St. Francis (Pa.) 27 40 67 Fordham 45 42 87 (SFU) E. Brown 16pts 6rebs (SFU) S. Mosley 14pts 6rebs (FOR) J. Severe 28pts 2asts (FOR) B. Smith 18pts 8rebs

Women’s Basketball San Francisco 38 28 66 Fordham 47 33 80 (USF) T. Winston 19pts 5stls (USF) R. Howard 16pts 1ast (FOR) A. Corning 22pts 6asts (FOR) E. Rooney 19pts 10rebs

Squash Fordham Navy “B”

1 7

Fordham Bard College

7 0

Fordham Johns Hopkins

1 7

Fordham Washington

8 0

Volleyball Fordham 12 22 13 0 Geo. Wash. 25 25 25 3 Fordham 28 33 61 (FOR) L. Hipp 8 kills Penn. St. 38 40 78 (GW) C. Osuchukwu 10 kills (FOR) E. Rooney 20pts 6rebs (FOR) S. Clark 10pts 3rebs Fordham 29 13 13 24 1 (PSU) M. Lucas 23pts 5rebs Geo. Mason 27 25 25 26 3 (PSU) A. Edwards 17pts 4asts (FOR) L. Hipp 18 kills (GMU) L. Zonjic 14 kills

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

Ian Williams

Erin Rooney

Senior

Senior

Football

Basketball

Williams, the Patrtiot League Defensive Player of the Week, blocked Bucknell’s game-winning field goal attempt in the Rams’ 23-21 win. He also had a pair of interceptions.

Rooney, the A-10 Player of the Week, scored 39 points in the Rams’ first two games. She played all but one minute of the team’s first two games.

News & Notes

• Fordham football is a Top-5 team. The Rams are ranked No. 5 in both the FCS Coaches’ Poll and the Sports Network Poll.

• Junior placekicker Michael Marando was named Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week after the Rams’ win over Bucknell. Marando connected on three field goal attempts, two of which came in the fourth quarter and brought the Rams back from a four-point deficit.

• Freshman guard Jon Severe was named Atlantic 10 Co-Rookie of the Week for his performance in the Ram’s 87-67 win over St. Francis (Pa.). Severe made seven three-pointers and totaled 28 points in the first game of his collegiate career.

• Fordham softball released its 2014 schedule on Monday. The schedule is highlighted by a home match against perennial power LSU on April 15. The Atlantic 10 Softball Championship will be held at the Rose Hill campus this year, meaning the team will also get the chance to defend its A-10 title at home on Bahoshy Field.

November 13, 2013

ADVERTISING

Page 19

fordhamram.com Unlike you on some Friday mornings, our website does not skip class.

THE FORDHAM RAM

SPORTS

Page 20

November 13, 2013

Men’s Soccer Loses Final Two Matches, Misses Playoffs

By MAX PRINZ ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The Fordham men’s soccer team ended its season this past weekend with a pair of disappointing losses.

The Rams suffered two tough defeats to La Salle and St. Joseph’s, failing to qualify for the Atlantic 10 tournament.

“I thought they played well,” Fordham head coach Jim McElderry said. “I was very proud of the way they came and competed. I thought they worked hard.”

The final weekend of the Fordham season began Friday afternoon against La Salle. Heading into the match, the Rams held a 2-3-1 record in A-10 conference play. La Salle owned a 3-2-1 record when Friday’s match began, meaning a Fordham victory would be very important for the Rams’ playoff chances.

The match began with the Rams starting an offensive attack. Fordham tallied seven first half shots, five of which challenged John McCarthy, the La Salle keeper, to make a save. Senior Mike Stalker took three of his five shots in the first half, but was unable to put the ball past the keeper. McCarthy’s first half saves kept the Explorers in the game and made sure neither team was able to gain an advantage.

The majority of the second half was played just as evenly as the first. The Rams looked to attack yet again, registering a shot in the half ’s first 30 seconds, and the Explorers waited for their chance to counterattack. Fordham’s offense got a great chance in the 65th minute, but had a potential breakaway turned back by a La Salle foul and a controversial yellow card.

“I thought there was a chance that he was going to go in on a breakaway, so in theory he’s the last man back and it probably should have been a red card,” McElderry said.

“But I knew that he wasn’t going

ALLY WHITE/THE RAM

Mike Stalker was one of seven seniors honored in the Senior Day ceremony before the team’s loss to St. Joe’s. The Rams were eliminated from playoff contention.

to get a red card because I thought it was too far away from the goal.

It was one of those that could have gone either way.”

The yellow card, controversial as it was, did not turn out to be the biggest moment in the game. That moment came in the 78th minute when Glenroy Chapman substituted into the game for the Explorers.

The Chapman substitution gave the Explorers a burst. In the 86th minute, Chapman received a long outlet pass and assisted on Jason Plumhoff ’s goal that gave the Explorers a 1-0 lead with less than five minutes to play.

“Unfortunately when you don’t punish the team when you’re on top you let them off the hook,” McElderry said. “We didn’t put that pressure of being down a goal. To concede a goal in the 86th minute is extremely tough.”

The Explorers’ first goal demoral-

ized the Rams. La Salle scored their second goal a little over a minute later to seal the game. It was a very difficult loss for Fordham.

Following the tough loss to La Salle, the Rams took on St. Joseph’s on Sunday. It was Senior Day and the Rams’ final match of the year. St. Joseph’s had defeated George Washington on Friday, and the Hawks would qualify for the playoffs with a win. Tensions were understandably high.

Those tensions had a notable impact on the start of the match, as the Rams were whistled for a number of fouls in the early minutes of the first half. St. Joseph’s took advantage of the fouls and made several attacking runs. Senior goalkeeper Alex Naples was, however, always in the right spot to stop those runs and end the danger.

The Hawks finally had a successful attack in the 23rd minute. St. Jo-

seph’s started a counterattack with a long pass from its goalkeeper. Alex Critzos picked up the pass and split Fordham’s centerbacks with a touch to Tim Lazorko, who lobbed the ball just over Naples’ outstretched arms for a goal.

“I thought they scored a good goal in the first half and really sat back and defended it, which wasn’t surprising,” McElderry said. “I really thought we were gonna catch a goal — we had a bunch of chances.

But we just didn’t seem to have the breaks this year.”

That goal would be all the Hawks needed to win the match. St. Joseph’s dominated possession of the ball for most of the second half, keeping the Rams off their attack.

Fordham tried everything to find an equalizer. The Rams very nearly did when, late in the second half. Senior Mike Stalker sent a cross into the box. Freshman Blake Bohlen and

the St. Joseph’s goalkeeper both went up for the ball, and senior Taylor Gulbins was able to knock the deflection into the back of the net.

The apparent goal was, however, waved off by the referee who called a foul on the Rams for contact with the St. Joseph’s keeper.

“I thought that was a questionable call,” McElderry said. “I thought that was a good goal that they called back and that was tough to take. Sometimes when things aren’t going your way you just don’t get those calls.”

The two losses marked a disappointing end to the Rams’ season.

That the tough loss came on Senior Day was visibly rough for the Rams, but McElderry expressed pride in his graduates-to-be.

“They’re a really great group of guys, all different, from all different backgrounds,” McElderry said.

“They’ll be a group that’s going to

Squash Splits Four Matches at Navy Round Robin

By MATTHEW MICHAELS STAFF WRITER

The Fordham squash team returned from Annapolis, Md. with a split in four matches at the Navy Round Robin. An annual tradition for Fordham, the tournament provides the team with a sense of how the season will go for them.

The Rams’ first opponent of the weekend was the home team and host of the matches. Navy, a great team, was easily able to defeat Fordham on Friday, 8-1. The sole victor for Fordham was sophomore Kincade Webster. On Saturday morning, the Rams pounded an inexperienced Bard squad by sweeping all nine matches they played.

Later in the day, the boys were back on the courts to face Johns Hopkins University. Webster, playing in the No. 1 position, fell to a tough competitor.

“I didn’t really show up mentally, but he was a very strong player with great technique and movement and I never started strong in the game and was forced to play catch up,” Webster said. This was his only loss of the weekend, as he won his other three matches in three straight games each time.

Fordham’s No. 3, sophomore

Paul Monaghan Jr., played what he called the best squash of his college career so far. His success was built upon the lessons he learned the previous weekend.

“I was able to build off my mistakes from the Vassar tournament, setting up the points with deep shots to the back of the court and then by taking advantage of loose shots and putting them away,” Monaghan said.

He came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat his opponent 3-2 in the five game match. Despite the stellar performance from Monaghan, the team lost to Hopkins, 2-7.

Sunday brought the winning way back to the Fordham team. As they had done against Bard the day before, Fordham defeated the University of Washington 9-0. With such a resounding victory against a higher ranked opponent, it is clear that the Rams are ready to make a statement this season. Throughout the weekend, but especially against Washington, Fordham showed its potential.

A big takeaway for Fordham was putting in as much effort as other schools.

“We learned from being able to see the Navy practices firsthand that a dedication to fitness is major component in becoming successful at squash,” Monaghan said.

The team hopes to incorporate the work ethic and skills that opponents use to develop into a winning crew.

Looking back on its performance, the tournament was a major success. The loss to Navy did not come as a surprise, as Navy is constantly tough competition for Fordham.

This upcoming weekend will be a busy one for the Rams. On Saturday, they are scheduled to play three schools in the Bard Round Robin.

The guys will look to repeat their success against Bard, while also competing against Swarthmore and Siena. They come back to the Bronx on Sunday to play New York Uni-

versity in their first home match of the season. Coming off a successful showcase in Annapolis, the Rams look to complete the first leg of their schedule with a winning record. After that, they do not have another match until late January.

ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

Fordham is back in action this weekend at the Bard Round Robin on Saturday, and plays NYU at home on Sunday.

November 13, 2013

Kearns’ Kickoff Last Saturday, Fordham and Bucknell played an excellent football game. The contest was marred, however, when Bucknell’s defensive line blitzed on a quarterback kneel and forced a fumble with 50 seconds left.

The Bison recovered, and nearly ruined Fordham’s perfect season due to a play that many observers described as classless. In general, the defense allows the opposing quarterback to kneel when the offensive team can run the clock out. This is done to prevent meaningless injuries.

Once in a blue moon, however, the defense rushes the quarterback to cause a turnover, and justifies this strategy by saying teams play until the final whistle. In light of Saturday’s shocking play, should defenses treat the quarterback kneel as a contact play? And in the bigger picture, should winning be emphasized over good sportsmanship?

The Bucknell play brings back memories of a 2011 Giants-Buccaneers game where New York led 4134 in the dying seconds. Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano dialed up a quarterback blitz on the final play, and Eli Manning was tackled to end the game. The move drew the ire of Giants coach Tom Coughlin, who said “You not only jeopardize them (defenders), you jeopardize the offensive line, you jeopardize the quarterback.”

Eli Manning added, “We’re taking a knee, we’re in a friendly way and they’re firing off, and that’s a way to get someone hurt.”

Yet, Schiano had a different view: “What I do with our football team is that we fight until they tell us, ‘game over.’ And there’s nothing dirty about it, there’s nothing illegal about it. We crowd the ball like a sneak defense and try to knock it loose.”

Several old school NFL players, including Mike Ditka and Ron Jaworski, agreed with Schiano’s sentiment. And, Fordham alum Vince Lombardi, FCRH ’37 would likely have been sympathetic with Schiano’s approach because “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.”

While there is no rule against blitzing on a kneeldown, the play is a clear example of poor sportsmanship, and more importantly risks player safety. I understand that teams must always compete, so I tolerate when coaches call timeouts with two minutes left in a 14 point game, or tell basketball players to foul intentionally in the final seconds when down by three scores. At least those strategies do not put players at risk of injury. On the play, Peter Maetzold fell awkwardly and an offensive lineman could have easily fallen on his ankle. Bucknell’s defense failed to stop Fordham when it had its legitimate chances, and should have conceded defeat out of respect. Even if the Bison converted a last second field goal, their win would have been stolen rather than earned.

In the end, both the Buccaneers and Bison lost their games, and the coaches who called for blitzes looked foolish. Despite the testy ending, Fordham players shook hands with their Bucknell counterparts. To quote Giants center David Baas after the 2011 incident, “All I’m saying is you win or you lose with class.” On Saturday, Fordham showed — once again — how to win with class.

— Dominic Kearns

SPORTS

Senior Profile: Casper Gimand

ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

Gimand is one of the most experienced players on the men’s soccer team, having started games in each of his four years.

By MAX PRINZ ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Casper Gimand, a native of Denmark, played the critical role of defensive anchor for the Rams this year. Gimand did not miss a single minute this season and was a vocal leader for the team.

The Fordham Ram: You went to high school in Fairfield, Conn., but you’re originally from Denmark, right?

Casper Gimand: Yeah, I was born in Denmark. I moved over here with my family when I was 10. I went to high school and grew up in Fairfield, but I’m originally from Denmark. The first couple of games they announced me as being from Fairfield, but I asked them to switch it to Denmark just to change it up. I think that first weekend it worked and we went 2-0.

TFR: Can you tell me about your recruiting process and why you chose Fordham?

CG: Well going into the summer of my junior year in high school, I had it narrowed down to a couple of schools and obviously Fordham was one of them, first because it was local. In Denmark we don’t really have the whole “going away to college,” so my parents weren’t really loving the idea of me going further than about five hours, so I think the farthest place I looked was Georgetown. I liked the business school and the soccer program was up and coming.

But, I think what really attracted me to Fordham was the coach.

Jim [McElderry] was really honest during the process and clear about the expectations and where the program was headed and what I could see in the future and things like that. For me, that’s what I found most attractive.

TFR: You led your team in goals your senior year of high school, but here you took on more of a de-

fensive role. What was that process like?

CG: In high school, I kind of played every position. Freshman year I played center back; the next two years I played center midfielder and my senior year I actually played forward. I think coming in I was recruited as a center midfielder, that’s what I played in my club outside of school, but I’ve always been moved around. One of the things I kind of take pride in is that I’m pretty versatile when it comes to playing different positions. I started as a freshman, playing right midfielder for that whole season. Then sophomore year, I started as a right midfielder. But I think the second game I started at centerback and I’ve played centerback ever since.

TFR: Did you ask to play there?

CG: Coach just said, ‘Let’s try you at centerback’ and I wasn’t going to tell him no, so I said, ‘Yeah let’s try it.’ I did alright there and the guys around me obviously helped. But it wasn’t like I hadn’t played there before so it wasn’t that new to me. But I did well and was like, ‘Okay, this is where I’m going to play from now on.’

TFR: What’s your favorite part of going to school at Fordham?

CG: I’d say just being close to the city and the atmosphere of being in New York. The four seasons changing, we have a New York winter and a New York summer.

And I mean, Christmas in New York. There’s no place that beats it.

And being close to home, which is really nice. I think we have a great environment here for both academics and athletics.

TFR: As a senior, do you feel you took on more of a leadership role this year?

CG: I mean, yeah I would say so.

It’s more about helping the younger guys and doing the right things that maybe people on the outside don’t see. Things that go on behind

the scenes like always being there early, doing the right things before games, eating properly. Just setting a good example for the younger guys. These guys that come in and it’s their first season and their first semester. When I was a freshman, I came in and it was a whirlwind and some of the older guys I played with I got to learn from and I tried to set the same example.

TFR: Especially during the last few matches, you were very vocal on the field. What goes into that?

CG: I’m always trying to be the vocal communicator and drive guys on the field. Sometimes if the energy isn’t high people need that extra motivation or extra push.

Sometimes when it dies down on the field I need to step in and let guys know you got to win that tackle, you got to keep pushing. I feel like it’s easier for some guys who aren’t sure or are tired, having someone barking at you lights a little fire.

TFR: Do you have a favorite memory from your four years of soccer at Fordham?

CG: I would say it was my sophomore year when we won the Atlantic 10 regular season down at Temple in overtime. That’s the one that stands out most in my mind.

It’s not a lot of times you have a chance to win something in college. There are so many teams and so many conferences and things are so tight. So to actually win our conference when it hadn’t been done in 20 or 25 years was pretty special.

TFR: Do you have any plans for after graduation?

CG: I’ve been getting that question a lot lately. I would say not yet. I don’t have any set plans; I’m kind of just weighing my options, which probably isn’t the best answer. We’ll see where it takes me. I think I need to keep working hard in the classroom and see what the future holds for me.

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/theram_sports

Page 21

Deuce’s Wild George Steinbrenner would be proud of his sons if he were alive right now. He’d be angry, but proud.

He probably wouldn’t be very proud of them for owning the Yankees; he’d be angry, but he’d be encouraged by their recent desire to spend money again.

Magic Johnson and the Dodgers showed the world that you still can build the best team in the league (yes, they were the best team despite losing in the NLCS) by spending copious amounts of money. The Steinbrenners apparently took notice of this.

They took their plan for cutting the Yankees’ payroll to $189 million and decided to throw it in the trash, proclaiming to the baseball world they were ready to buy a great team again, and will try to sign Robinson Cano, their superstar.

With a report months back that Cano wanted $300 million over 10 years from New York, he may have scared off nearly every team interested and gave the Yankees negotiating power to potentially get the offer down to around $200 million.

This would make things a bit easier for the team to pay upwards of $100 million for foreign import Masahiro Tanaka and fill needs in the outfield and catcher positions with ShinShoo Choo, Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann. With Marlon Byrd getting a blasphemous $18 million from the Phillies, though, who really knows how much that trio will cost?

The Yankees appear as if they’re prepared to get back to their roots that earned them multiple rings and nationwide hatred. They’re going to buy a great team.

Who can blame them at this point? Their farm system, while better than many give them credit for, is still a few years away from making an impact, and they need immediate help almost everywhere. Most importantly, though, they have one of the best managers in the league signed to a new contract.

They shouldn’t have issues building team chemistry with Derek Jeter and Joe Girardi leading the charge.

While you can argue that the Red Sox, after spending like this just two years ago, had the same pieces, Pedroia and Ortiz arent’t Jeter. He’s helped tie together groups of veteran castaways and overpaid sluggers before.

For my money (and no, this doesn’t mean I’m posting $50 million), I think Tanaka could be the most important and telling part of this team next year, if the Yankees do indeed snag him.

Much of the team’s success over the past 15 years has included foreign prospects. From Orlando Hernandez and Jose Contreras to Robinson Cano, whom they signed out of high school in 2001, they’ve all proven valuable. After Kei Igawa, however, the team’s been scared to take big risks.

All fears seem to be a thing of the past, and the Steinbrenners are ready to go all-in this offseason, hoping to reconcile with fans after a poor showing in 2013. With a few instrumental players returning from injury, adding a few nice pieces this winter could turn New York back into a serious title contender.

— Kenny Ducey

ADVERTISING

November 13, 2013

e n eds m a ph R o m t a

Shoot an email to fordhamram photos@ gmail.com.

phers ra og

The Fo rd h

Page 22

November 13, 2013

Volleyball Eliminated from A-10 Tournament Contention

SPORTS

Page 23

By DAN GARTLAND EXECUTIVE SPORTS EDITOR

ALLY WHITE/THE RAM

Fordham has its last two games of the year this week at La Salle and URI.

By TARA SLEDJESKI STAFF WRITER

The Fordham women’s volleyball team’s hopes of making the Atlantic 10 conference tournament were officially squashed this past weekend, as losses on the road against George Washington and George Mason dropped the team three games out of the final spot in the tournament with only two games left to play. The Rams’ two most recent losses were the final nails in the coffin. It was ultimately losses in 10 of their last11 games that kept the Rams out of the A-10 tournament.

At George Washington on Friday, Nov. 8, the Rams struggled to keep up with one of the best teams in the A-10, falling in consecutive sets by scores of 25-12, 25-22 and 25-13. In the first set, George Washington jumped out to an early 3-0 lead before quickly expanding it to 12-3. A 18-9 George Washington lead then quickly turned to 22-10 before they won the set 25-12.

In the second set, the Rams made things more interesting as they hung on almost point for point. Fordham had a 18-14 lead before George Washington got back into a groove that put it ahead 20-19. From there, George Washington closed out the match by a score of 25-22. In the third set, George Washington went up 6-1 early. From there, it expanded its lead to 12-3 before a 17-7 score ensured Fordham had no chance to come back, ultimately losing the third and final set 25-13.

Lisa Hipp led the Rams against George Washington with eight kills. Abigail Konovodoff led the team with 17 assists and Maria Rodenberg led with 11 digs.

On Saturday, Nov. 10, the Rams had a short travel time as they headed to Virginia to take on George Mason. Two sets went to extra

points in a close battle between the two teams before George Mason won the game 3-1.

In the first set, Fordham went down 8-3 early but then went on a run to take a 15-11 lead. George Mason was down 20-15 when it made it a 20-19 game before tying things up at 23. The two teams then traded points back and forth before Fordham scored two at the end to take the 29-27 victory.

In the second set, George Mason dominated early, cruising to a 12-3 lead. The Rams scored a few more points, but George Mason got the 25-13 win. The third set saw Fordham take 11-6 and 1712 leads before George Mason clawed its way back to tie things at 17. Things were still tied up at 23 before George Mason scored two points to win the set 25-23.

The fourth set of the game saw both teams trade points. The set was tied at eight before George Mason went on a run that put them up 11-8. Fordham then answered with a 7-1 run, getting ahead 1512 before things tied back up at 15. The Rams went down 22-18 before coming back to tie the score up at 24. Once again, George Mason managed to get the two points it needed to win the set 26-24 and win the game.

Despite the loss, it was still a big game for Hipp, who, with her team-leading 18 kills, picked up the 1000th of her career. Hipp is the 10th player in Fordham’s history to reach the 1000 kill mark.

Konovodoff led the team with 47 assists, while Rodenberg led with 21 digs.

The Rams have two games left, both on the road. On Friday, Nov. 15, they travel to La Salle to play a team they beat at home a couple of weeks ago. Then, they close out the season on Saturday, Nov. 16, at Rhode Island. The team now has a 9-19 record overall and a 2-10 record in conference play.

Here’s the thing that troubles me about the Richie IncognitoJonathan Martin mess.

It’s not that Incognito bullied Martin and forced him to seek psychiatric help, as awful as that is.

It’s not that this seems to be a common problem in the NFL, because it seems like things will change now.

It’s the way both the incident itself and the reaction to it are indicative of the anti-intellectual culture of the NFL and the American sporting scene at large.

For those who need a refresher, Martin left the Miami Dolphins in late October as a result of repeated abuses he suffered from Incognito, including a voicemail he left for Martin in which he called Martin a racial slur.

One thing that has become clear is that Jonathan Martin’s abuse stems from a perception in the Miami locker room that Martin wasn’t tough. He’s the Stanfordeducated son of two Harvard-educated lawyers. He’s quiet. He’s not a meathead.

His teammates marginalized him for it.

Richie Incognito, by all accounts, is a jerk. In college at Nebraska, he was in a fight at a party and was charged with three counts of misdemeanor assault. He later left the team after getting in a fight in the locker room. In 2009, he was cut by the St. Louis Rams after getting in a shouting match with his head coach on the sidelines. He is also accused of sexually harassing a woman at a golf outing in 2012.

His Dolphins teammates viewed him as leader.

In the NFL, unless their intelligence manifests itself in a masterful understanding of offensive and defensive schemes — really, unless they’re a quarterback — smart players are ostracized. Hotheaded dolts like Richie Incognito are lauded for their “passion” —

the coaching euphemism for unchecked anger.

It’s not just Jonathan Martin. Consider Myron Rolle, the Rhodes Scholar who was an AllAmerican safety at Florida State.

He saw his draft stock drop because teams were concerned he had interests outside of football.

He’s currently enrolled in medical school, pursuing a career as a neurosurgeon.

It’s astonishing that, in a game as complex as football, a thoughtful player like Martin wasn’t valued as much a racist misogynist like Incognito. Numerous Dolphins players, such as Mike Pouncey and Mike Wallace, have come out in support of Incognito, despite the mounting evidence against him.

The majority of the media reaction has been sympathetic toward Martin. There has been plenty of well-written analysis of the complex locker room culture of the NFL — Robert Klemko’s piece on Sports Illustrated’s MMQB comes

to mind.

But, plenty of people have said plenty of stupid things including, of course, ESPN’s Skip Bayless.

I’ve learned by now to ignore Bayless, but he really outdid himself here.

“More I hear, the less I can condemn Incognito,” Bayless said on Twitter. “Still abhor voice mail but sounds like even black Dolphins not that upset by it. Shocking.”

Bayless — as his colleague Rick Reilly has argued with regard to the Redskins’ nickname — would like you to believe that the use of a racial slur is OK if it’s sanctioned by a small group of people.

Bayless even went as far as to rationalize Incognito’s actions, tweeting, “If in fact Philbin encouraged Incognito to light a fire under JMartin, guess it’s possible Incognito reached for deepest hotbutton insults.”

Maybe our athletes would be smarter if the people we pay to talk about them were.

COURTESY OF FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has his hands full with the Incognito scandal.

Upcoming Varsity Schedule Home games in CAPS

Thursday Nov. 14

Friday Nov. 15

Saturday Nov. 16

Sunday Nov. 17

at Lafayette 3:30 p.m.

Football

Men’s Basketball

LEHIGH 7 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

at Hofstra 6 p.m.

PACIFIC 7 p.m.

Men’s Soccer Cross Country Swimming

NCAA District Regional 1 p.m. at Princeton Invitational 6 p.m.

Water Polo Volleyball Squash

at La Salle 6 p.m.

at URI 5 p.m. at Bard Round Robin All Day

Monday Nov. 18

Tuesday Nov. 19

Wednesday Nov. 20

November 13, 2013

Sports

Page 24

With Nebrich Injured, Maetzold Leads Fordham to Wild Win Over Bucknell

By DAN GARTLAND EXECUTIVE SPORTS EDITOR

Over the course of this historic season, Fordham has had more impressive wins than its 23-21 victory over Bucknell on Saturday afternoon, but none more nerve-racking.

The first bit of drama occurred in the first quarter, when star quarterback Michael Nebrich left with an injury. He went back to the locker room and emerged in the second quarter wearing a track suit, making it clear his day was done.

Without Nebrich, the quarterback duties fell to junior Peter Maetzold.

“You really never know when your number’s going to be called, in a backup role like that,” Maetzold said. “You’re just thinking, ‘Fall back on your preparation and what Coach told you on the headset and what he told you throughout the whole week.’ You just got to calm down and remember what your coaching is.”

Maetzold did a fine job in relief of Nebrich, completing 21 of 35 passes for 318 yards with one touchdown and one interception. His numbers were not quite as gaudy as the ones Nebrich had been putting up this season but were still quite good, especially considering he had not seen extensive action since his freshman season, and does not take as many reps in practice as the starters do.

Maetzold’s performance may have surprised some, but not Fordham head coach Joe Moorhead.

“Not many people are privy to what goes on in our preseason camp, but Peter was absolutely lights out in our preseason camp and did an unbelievable job, so we had the utmost confidence in him,” Moorhead said.

Moorhead was also impressed with Maetzold’s ability to stay calm.

“One of Peter’s biggest strengths — aside from his physical tools — is he has a very even-keeled demeanor,”

MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM

Peter Maetzold assumed the quarterback duties after Michael Nebrich was forced from the game with a knee injury.

he said. “You talk about never be too high, never be too low, stay on the same plane, and I think that’s one of the positive things that he was able to do throughout the game. Throughout the good plays, throughout the negative plays, he was able to maintain an even disposition and lead us to a lot of second half points.”

As a freshman in 2011, Maetzold started four games, before losing the starting job to Ryan Higgins, GSB ’13, who was a junior at the time.

“I like to think so, but that was two years ago,” Maetzold said when asked if he relied on that experience to help him on Saturday. “I guess you take everything with you, so I know what it’s like to play in the Patriot League against a big opponent, so I felt pretty ready.... When you get a couple plays under your belt, it’s just playing football again.”

But Nebrich’s departure was not nearly as unnerving as the game’s frantic finish.

With 55 seconds left, Fordham lined up in the so-called “victory formation” to take a knee and let the clock run out. Bucknell had only one timeout, so if Fordham kneeled the ball three times, the Bison would be unable to get it back. Instead, Bucknell overpowered the Fordham offensive line and forced junior quarterback Maetzold to fumble.

Bucknell recovered and all of a sudden the Bison had new life.

“Did we just lose the game because of that?” Maetzold said he was thinking after the play.

It is a play rarely seen in football.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano once infamously attempted the play only to fail and draw criticism for turning a fairly routine play into a potentially dangerous one. It is worth noting that Bucknell head coach Joe Susan served under Schiano as an assistant at Rutgers.

“It was good coaching by those

guys,” Moorhead said. “We had not seen that on film. They played that play harder than we did and they won the play… They played that play hard and my hat’s off to them for getting the ball back.”

Five plays later, Bucknell was at the Fordham 34. Brandon Wesley, the Bucknell quarterback, looked deep left for receiver Josh Brake. The ball was underthrown, but Fordham’s Ian Williams drew a questionable flag for pass interference, setting up Bucknell in field goal range at the Fordham 19.

On the next play, Wesley ran to his right to set the ball up in the middle of the field, hoping to make the field goal attempt easier for kicker Derek Maurer. With eight seconds on the clock and no timeouts, Bucknell needed to spike the ball to stop the clock. Wesley took the snap but never appeared to have full control of the ball before it hit the ground. It could have easily been ruled a fumble. The

play could have also been impacted by a new NCAA rule which states that a spike must occur with at least three seconds on the clock. As pointed out by WFUV’s Mike Watts, the tape shows that the ball had not been snapped by the time the clock hit three seconds. Moorhead ran about 30 yards onto the field to argue with the referees.

“I certainly have my interpretation of the rule, and what occurred, and what I saw, but at the end of the day we found a way to overcome it,” he said.

After the spike, Bucknell lined up for a 37-yard field goal with two seconds on the clock and the Bison down 23-21.

Maurer had missed a 31-yard attempt earlier in the game. His longest career field goal is 38 yards, and he has not attempted one longer than 41 yards, so the 37-yard attempt was on the edge of his range.

His kick was a low, driving one and Williams and Jordan Chapman were able to jump up and block it to preserve Fordham’s perfect season and send the capacity crowd at Jack Coffey Field into a frenzy.

The play was a microcosm of what worked for Fordham all day: The Rams’ defense and special teams repeatedly came up with big plays.

“Our defense and special teams were able to step up big,” Moorhead said. “I said it in the locker room after the game: Our offense is the unit that gets the most accolades and the most praise, but on a day where we weren’t necessarily firing on all cylinders offensively, the defense and special teams played lights out.”

The win gave Fordham its first 10win season since 2002. At 10-0, the Rams have two games remaining: this week at Lafayette, and the following week at Colgate. The Leopards are 3-6, while the Raiders are 4-6.

Fordham Women Split First Two Games to Open Season

By MATT ROSENFELD SPORTS EDITOR

Head coach Stephanie Gaitley and her Rams began their 2013-14 campaign on a high note last Friday as they defeated the University of San Francisco Dons by a score of 80-66. Fordham then went to University Park, Pa. where it fell to 13th ranked Penn State, 78-61.

The season started in the Rose Hill Gym, when the women had a 6 p.m. matchup against San Francisco as part of a basketball double header with the men. The game began with senior captain Erin Rooney driving for a layup just 30 seconds into the contest. Fordham grabbed a five point lead early until the Dons went on a 12-2 run to take a 14-7 lead only five minutes into the game.

Fordham, as has been the case since Gaitley took over the program, fought back. The Rams regained the lead halfway through the first half, when sophomore forward Samantha Clark put an easy layup in.

Then, before San Francisco could blink, it was staring at a seven point deficit in large part because of freshman Hannah Missry’s sharp shooting. The Jackson, N.J. native

hit three consecutive three pointers to stun the Dons and put Fordham in a comfortable position late in the first half. The Rams would continue to excel on offense, heading into halftime leading San Francisco 4738.

The Fordham offense continued to shine in the second half, led by senior guard Abigail Corning.

She scored the first five points of the half, upping the Rams’ lead to 14. Corning had 14 of her 22 total points in the second half.

“I just let the game come to me,” Corning said. “I don’t want to force shots. I took a couple shots in the first half that just didn’t fall, but I’m a shooter, and shooters don’t stop shooting. So I came out in the second half, kept my focus and took the shots I thought I could make and they went in.”

San Francisco would try to cut into the lead, but never came within 10 points of Fordham in the second half. Fordham built its lead to as much as 18, as Rooney, along with Missry and freshman Danielle Burns, helped Fordham get to 80 points, which is 28 more points than the team averaged per game last year. It is also the first time the Rams have reached 80 since 2010.

The explosion on offense was far

from expected from a Rams team that prides itself on defense.

“We do have a good offensive team,” Corning said. “But putting up 80 points, I don’t even think we came close to that last year. The

shots were falling for us and it gives us confidence going forward.”

Corning, who ended the game with 22 points, three rebounds and six assists is just half of the veteran backcourt that will be essential to a

Fordham team looking to continue the success it had last year.

“It’s great to have [Rooney and Corning],” Gaitley said. “When you have senior leadership like that, SEE WOMEN, PAGE 17

ALLY WHITE/THE RAM

Erin Rooney recorded a double-double in Fordham’s season-opening win. She had 19 points and 10 rebounds.