Volume 101 Issue 2

The Fordham Ram Volume 101, Issue 2

Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 FordhamRam.com

January 30, 2019

MWH: All Students Barred

Aramark Ties Examined

By AMELIA ANTZOULATOS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

By ERICA SCALISE PROJECTS EDITOR

In an interview with The Ram on Jan. 29, Bob Howe, Fordham’s senior director of communications, said the university is prohibiting all students from visiting Murray-Weigel Hall, the Jesuit New York Province’s infirmary and retirement home on campus.

Howe said the university could have done more to investigate the Northeast Province’s placement of priests at MurrayWeigel Hall.

“With the opportunity to review these matters in hindsight, with the information now available to us, the University should have sought to handle matters related to the Province’s assignments differently, much like the University’s recent insistence that current tenants of MurrayWeigel against whom credible allegations have been made be immediately removed,” Howe said.

SEE MWH, PAGE 3

WILL JONES /THE FORDHAM RAM

Celia Cruz, the so called "Queen of Salsa," is one of the eight icons of the Bronx included in the exhibit titled "Beacons"

Mosaics Celebrate Bronx Icons: Brings Life to 167th St. Station

By ELIOT SCHIAPARELLI ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Brooklyn based artist Rico Gatson brings eight prolific icons of Bronx culture and history to life in mosaic tiles at the Metropolitan Transit Authority's (MTA) 167th street B/D subway station.

The newly decorated station, which is only five stops from Fordham University, reopened at the beginning of January after undergoing repairs.

“It was an honor working with MTA Arts & Design on ‘Beacons’, to have my artwork now become

a permanent part of the subway system that I have been using for the past 30 years since I first moved to New York,” he said.

He said the art installation is his way of giving back to the Bronx community.

SEE SUBWAY, PAGE 6

Students Move Off Campus

By ELIOT SCHIAPARELLI ASSISSTANT NEWS EDITOR

After classes let out at Fordham University, students flood to Arthur Avenue and the Belmont neighborhood. They grab a bite to eat at Estrellita Poblano III, spend their late nights at establishments on the corner of 189th/Arthur Avenue and shop for groceries at Modern Market.

According to Frank Franz FCRH ’75, the one thing those students fail to do is connect with the local community.

Franz serves as the treasurer for the Business Improvement District’s board of directors, and his family has lived in the same house on East 191st street since 1910.

“A lot of the students don’t get the full neighborhood experience that they could; even in the community I think they’re still largely isolated among themselves,” he said. ”They’re like a sub community within the greater community, and there’s some interaction back and forth, and it’s all peaceful

SEE OFF CAMPUS, PAGE 5

JULIA CORBETT/ THE FORDHAM RAM

One of the new bright blue electronic recycling bins located near Martyrs Court Jogues and Cunniffe House.

Tech Recycling Bins Installed Works Toward Sustainability

By SARAH HUFFMAN

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Two electronics recycling bins have been installed on Fordham’s campus: one by John Mulcahy Hall ( JMH), next to the used clothes bin and one on the east side of Martyrs’ Court, behind Cunniffe House. This project was completed through Fordham IT.

According to Jim Castillo, the Computer Acquisitions Manager within Fordham IT, anything computer related (with circuit boards) can be recycled.

This includes handhelds, tablets, phones, printers, flat screen monitors, speakers and hand held radios. There are also bins being installed at Lincoln Center, but those bins are smaller

and more suited for smaller hand-held devices.

Castillo said that students should be aware that the university is not responsible for the data on the devices. Any data should be removed and deleted before recycling the device. He said that if for any reason, students put something SEE RECYCLE, PAGE 6

Early last semester, New York University’s (NYU) Incarceration to Education Coalition (IEC) staged a 155-hour occupation at the heart of campus in protest against Aramark: a company that works to provide NYU and Fordham University with dining services.

The Incarceration to Education Coalition (IEC), which fights discrimination against formerly incarcerated NYU applicants, cited a racially insensitive Black History Month meal served by Aramark in 2018, as well as the company’s ties to the prison system, as reasons for NYU to divest from Aramark and conduct its own in-house dining without a third party contractor.

The Ram reached out to leaders of IEC and the Aramark protest with no response.

Aramark has faced criticism from others, as well. In 2017, leaders of the Free Alabama Movement joined in protest against the food service provider after allegations of cold or “undernourished” meals and maggots. In addition, the company has received accusations of sexual harassment and drug trafficking.

In a PBS interview, Aramark spokesperson Karen Cutler said that these accusations are not uncommon at correctional facilities.

On Aramark’s website, the company also said that it does not manage or operate correctional facilities; it only creates menus. Often, the correctional facility will determine nutritional specifications, like calories, portions and religious meals.

According to Deming Yaun, the university dining liason, ever since student groups first brought these issues to his attention three years ago, the topic comes up on a fairly regular basis.

Yaun, the Fordham's DinSEE ARAMARK, PAGE 3

in this issue

Opinion

Page 15 There is s Common Ground on Abortion, But It's Not What We Need

Sports

Page 18

Fordham Sports Spring Preview

Culture Page 15

Fyre Festival Docs: Different Perspectives, Same Problems

NEWS

Page 2

PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS

January 30, 2019

USG Petitions for Renewable Energy Usage: Urges for 100 percent Commitment by 2040

By HELEN STEVENSON

Jan. 22 Off-Campus Apartment 8:32 p.m.

A student reported that a neighbor was filming him and his roommates in their private, off-campus apartment. The students reported a male who lives in an adjacent building had been looking at them and taking pictures through his window. The students did not make a police report.

Jan. 23 Off-Campus Apartment 1:52 a.m.

A carbon monoxide alarm was set off in a private off-campus apartment. The student called Public Safety regarding high levels of CO2 in her apartment. FDNY and Public Safety responded.

They determined there was a high level of CO2 in the building. It was ventilated and deemed safe by the FDNY. No one was injured.

Jan. 23 Hoffman Street 2:52 a.m.

Two Fordham students were assaulted inside the Blue Goose Bar. One was punched in the face resulting in a bloody nose and the other was punched in the lip.

The students were treated by the FDNY. NYPD responded and are investigating.

Jan. 28 Campbell Hall 7:45 a.m.

An aggressive raccoon was observed in front of Campbell Hall.

It ran up the side of the building. NYPD emergency services responded and successfully captured the raccoon on the roof.

Jan. 29 O’ Hare Hall 6:55 a.m.

Public Safety responded to a fire alarm activation in O’Hare Hall. It was indicated that a device was activated on the fifth floor. FDNY responded with Public Safety and said there was a faint smell of smoke which dissipated quickly.

-Compiled by Eliot Schiaparelli

NEWS EDITOR

In a petition circulating online, the United Student Government (USG) Sustainability Committee urged the university’s administration to commit to 100 percent renewable energy by no later than 2040. As of Tuesday, Jan. 29, over 430 people have signed the petition.

The committee said the university’s current use of non-renewable energy contributes to a global environmental issue.

“The use of non-renewable energy at Fordham is a major problem that is contributing to the destruction of the environment,” the petition reads.

“Non-renewable energy creates greenhouse gases, which leads to climate change, water and air pollution, habitat loss and damage to public health.”

In the petition, the committee noted that the request is in compliance with Governor Cuomo’s goal to have New York state run on renewable electricity sources by 2030.

It stated that promoting and furthering Cuomo’s goal is a reflection of the university’s Jesuit mission.

“Fordham has the opportunity to reflect our Jesuit values and act as a leader of sustainability for other Jesuit universities,” the petition reads.

According to Sarah Cassidy, FCRH ’21 and member of the Sustainability Committee, there is a lack of information available from the university regarding sustainability efforts.

“Even after doing research and talking to staff, it is unclear how the university is providing energy. Fordham is not explicit when it comes to sustainable matters,” she said. “We do know that solar panels were placed on the parking garage this summer. However, this is not enough to stop climate change from occurring.”

There was, however, a Climate Action Plan published in 2014 detailing the university’s efforts to achieve 30 percent emissions by 2017. Unfortunately, that goal was not met.

Molly Gleason, FCRH ’21 and member of the Sustainability Committee, said that although creating this goal is an impressive effort, the univer-

MATT MASSARO/THE FORDHAM RAM

A student views the renewable energy petition created by the USG Sustainability Committee

sity must work harder to meet it.

“It’s frustrating to hear [the goal was not met] because while it’s definitely a step in the right direction, it hasn’t been completed,” she said.

Currently, the university operates using solar panels installed on the roof of the parking garage and solar installation in Staten Island. However, Gleason said that the university must do more to combat climate change.

To further this effort, Cassidy said the committee partnered with Environment America (EA), an organization focused on assisting student sustainability initiatives, to work towards 100 percent sustainability. She said EA has helped the committee set goals, figure out targets and decide tactics.

“Together, we decided that a petition would allow students to directly target the Fordham administration,” she said. “One of the best methods for creating change is to expose the issue.

Just reading our petition allows not only administration but other students and faculty to be more aware of climate change.”

At the USG Senate meeting this week, several representatives voiced their concerns with the petition’s rhetoric. Connor Sullivan, FCRH ’19, president of USG, said the Senate needed to ensure the document fits precedent with regards to past statements USG has released.

“We strive to be a consistent body and that means making sure we are releasing consistent, accurate and informative documents,” he said.

However, Sullivan said that there was no controversy with the content of the Sustainability Committee’s petition; rather there was input from the Senate to make sure it is released in the best form possible.

“Moving forward, the Sustainability Committee will continue to do its great work on campus to ensure that Fordham

continues to become a sustainable university to better serve the community,” he said.

Cassidy said that the Sustainability Committee’s request is not only attainable, but necessary.

“Plenty of colleges across the country have already switched to renewable energy sources while other schools continue to fight for the dismissal of non-renewable energy,” said Cassidy. “Science says that we must commit to moving away from fossils fuels by 2050 in order to save the environment. At this point, switching to renewable energy is our only option.”

Gleason said that the university must act now in order to prepare for the future.

“This process of switching to renewable energy isn’t simple and cannot be done very quickly, but it’s something that needs to be done,” she said. “It is our responsibility to act against climate change.”

This Week at Fordham Wednesday Jan. 30

Thursday Jan. 31

Friday Feb. 1

Saturday Feb. 2

Monday Feb. 4

Musical Minds Jam Session

FDM Promotional Dinner

Outdoors Club: Indoor Rock Climbing

Commuter Breakfast

New Rochelle, NY 7:00 p.m - 10:00 p.m.

FET Touch Pool Show

Black Box Theater 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

If you make music in any way or even just appreciate music, come down to the Musical Minds Jam Session in Faculty Memorial Hall, room 216.

The club is hosting discussions about music and jam sessions! All students are welcome to attend.

Support Fordham Dance Marathon at their annual promo dinner! Send 10 emails asking people to donate to the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation through FDM and receive a free dinner from Burger Lodge in return.

Before leaving on the 7:04 p.m. train to New Rochelle, students meet up with an E-board member at the Metro North station. Students have the opportunity to climb for about two hours before returning back to campus.

Do you like music and lots of dancing? If so, come out and see Fordham Experimental Theater’s favorite band, Touch Pool, this weekend in the Black Box Theater behind Collins. Admission is free and all students are welcome!

Free weekly breakfast for all students is back! Join CSS Monday to start your day with the most important meal of the day. Note: Breakfast is on a first come, first served basis.

Feel free to show up a little early to ensure you get food.

FMH 216 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

McGinley Ballroom 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

McGinley Student Lounge 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

NEWS

January 30, 2019

Page 3

Students Barred From Murray-Weigel Hall Ban Comes After Clerical Abuse Allegations SEE MWH, PAGE 1

In response to the Northeast Province’s release of a list of names of priests credibly accused of abuse, Howe said the university is no longer allowing students on the premises of Murray-Weigel.

“Unless and until the province can assure us they will not assign restricted Jesuits to Murray-Weigel Hall, even on a temporary basis, we are prohibiting all students from visiting the premises,

nor will any restricted priests who may reside at Murray-Weigel Hall have access to Fordham facilities,” Howe said.

Howe did not indicate when the decision to prohibit students from visiting Murray-Weigel Hall was made and when the decision will take effect.

In an email from the Manresa Scholars Program sent to Loyola residents on Jan. 27, a sign up for a reflection program at MurrayWeigel Hall was offered to resi-

COURTESY OF RAM ARCHIVES

Loyola residents recieved an email on Jan. 27 to attend a program in MWH.

dents.

The event is scheduled for Jan. 30 at 1:15 p.m. As of that morning at 1:30 a.m. a reporter was able to RSVP for the program.

Several student-volunteer programs under Campus Ministry have previously allowed Fordham students to visit the priests at Murray-Weigel Hall.

The Ram reached out to members of Campus Ministry regarding the prohibition of students from Murray-Weigel Hall. They did not answer the questions specifically and referred The Ram to Bob Howe.

The university has not commented on the time period during which priests credibly accused of sexual misconduct lived in Murray-Weigel Hall and has not responded to multiple questions regarding who specifically resides in Murray-Weigel Hall now.

As The Ram previously reported, directors at Murray-Weigel said the hall could not provide a list of priests in residence and that the Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus should provide that information. The Northeast

COURTESY OF RAM ARCHIVES

All students have been prohitbited from entering Murray-Weigel Hall.

Province has not responded to requests for this information.

Howe said Fordham will continue to support victims who have suffered from clergy sexual abuse.

“Any unwanted sexual act—

much less the sexual abuse of a minor by someone in a position of authority—is counter to the mission and ethos of the University, and a violation of basic human decency,” said Howe.

NYU Protest Criticizes Aramark Dining Service: What Aramark Controversy Means to Fordham SEE ARAMARK, PAGE 1

ing Contract Liaison at Fordham, works for the university and primarily makes sure both the external food service provider and the school adheres to the terms of a contract agreement.

He says universities like Fordham have almost no other companies to turn to for dining service operations because they need the worldwide experience and depth of resources providers like Aramark offer. These companies also present market research from Fordham’s campus and from around the world.

Regarding the protests at NYU, Yaun says Aramark was totally transparent as it was happening and made Fordham dining services fully aware of them.

Aramark shared basic information about the event because both schools reside in New York City, and not because it expected a similar reaction from students at Fordham, according to Yaun. The decision was informative, rather than defensive, Yaun said.

He also said that since before he began working as Contract Liaison in 2013 and before Aramark became Fordham’s food provider three years ago, the university has tried to include student input and Multicultural Affairs in the planning of special events.

“We have all kinds of clubs representing all kinds of countries and cultures around the world, and we try to to stick to those as our special events,” he said. “We have it... as part of our culture to not do a cultural special event without involving people who have that experience.”

According to Frank LaGumina Jr., GSB ’20 and vice chair of the

United Student Government (USG) Dining Committee, both Dining Services and Aramark have been receptive to concerns from USG and the general student body.

In an email interview, LaGumina explained that Fordham and Aramark are eager to gather student feedback online, and Aramark executives have accepted invitations to answer questions at weekly USG meetings.

He said that contact information for the managers of each dining location on campus have been posted on campus in order to create an open dialogue between students Dining Services.

“This is designed to encourage students to speak up immediately should there be any problems while dining on campus,” he said.

LaGumina said he does not believe Aramark’s relationship with the prison system is widely known by Fordham students, and he thinks students are primarily focused on the problems with the Fordham dining experience.

According to LaGumina, USG has not discussed the matter, and after speaking with committee members and the general student body, he said the issue is seldom brought to the committee’s attention.

“I believe USG tries to stay focused on what is going on at Fordham, and on being a voice for the student body,” he says.

Yaun also spoke to the relationship between food services providers and correctional facilities, based on his own experiences over the past 40 years working for companies like Sodexo, Compass and Aramark.

However, he clarified that he

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

Aramark serves the university as a dining services operation. The company also has ties to the U.S. prison system.

does not speak on behalf of Aramark.

“Aramark comes to any location with the same standards, particularly as it relates to food safety,” he says. “In every aspect, the intention to serve safe food to the resident population of the prisoners is exactly the same as [that at Fordham].”

He said the accusations brought against Aramark’s prison services are not a reflection of the company as a whole and that he cannot “imagine a company not

having individual shortcomings on certain locations.”

Yaun says it is up to the people on site at that prison that have had negative experiences and the leadership from the company the prison hired to solve those problems.

He said dining services at the university ensures Fordham’s health standards and regulation are up-to-date.

“They look at standards far beyond a health inspection each and everyday,” he said. "They have people from [Aramark] dropping in

unannounced and doing their own inspections.”

Both Fordham and Aramark hire outside consultants to conduct inspections and Yaun said prison facilities could elect to do the same.

“In a healthy contractor-client relationship, these things are monitored so frequently it just becomes part of everyday business,” Yaun said.

To send feedback about your dining experiences, you can visit YourDiningVoice.com.

NEWS

Page 4

January 30, 2019

Research Spotlight

University Graduate Researches Disney Princess: Why “The Princess and The Frog” Flopped

By SARAH HUFFMAN

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Shannon Yawman, FCRH ’18, conducted research last year that explored Disney’s “The Princess and The Frog” and its lack of success compared to other Disney princess movies, specifically ones with princesses of color.

Yawman said she got the idea for the project after being part of the Disney College Program her sophomore year. She said she wanted to buy Tiana merchandise, but the only merchandise they had were Barbie dolls and books. There was no merchandise for adults like most of the other Disney princesses had.

She said she was curious why this was the case. Did Disney not want to spend money on the franchise? Was Tiana not worth it?

There were Tiana attractions in the park such as a castle show and the Liberty Bell boat, but neither of these attractions cost money.

Yawman said Disney wanted to include her, but not in ways that could possibly lead to financial loss.

“The Princess and the Frog” was written and directed by people who had done other Disney movies. Disney spent as much as they normally did on the creators and other production members for this film.

According to Yawman, it is also important to note that although “The Princess and The Frog” was successful internationally, the film struggled in the United States’ box office.

Yawman said that she could isolate the interaction between white and black people in the film, which she concluded must have contributed to the fact that the film did not do as well in the box office as other Disney princess movies.

Photo of the Week:

USG Column

USG Discusses Petition

By KRISTEN MCNERNEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

COURTESY OF SHANNON YAWMAN

Shannon Yawman, FCRH ’18, researched Disney’s “The Princess and The Frog” and why it flopped in the U.S. market.

She said that in other Disney movies with princesses of color, such as “Moana” and “Mulan”, they exist only in the context of their own race. Yawman calls these racially escapist environments.

In the case of Pocahontas, Yawman said, Native Americans and white people interact, but the white people were British and this occurs hundreds of years before the United States was established.

Yawman said that Americans separate themselves from those white people because they are not Americans.

She said Pocahontas had an equal distribution of violence between races because the Native Americans and British fought each

other equally.

“The white British men were the villains who initiated the violence, but John Smith’s redemptive arc as the only white character with an American accent, despite it not yet existing in history, absolves the white guilt,” Yawman said.

Yawman said that “The Princess and The Frog” contained interactions between blacks and whites that were closer to what we recognize today: the movie is set in 1920s New Orleans. She said Disney’s average consumers, middleclass white families, relate more to these interactions.

The intended villain of the movie is Dr. Facilier, but Yawman says that Tiana’s villains are the Fenner

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

The New York Times Building, located on the west side of mid-town Manhattan, is headquarters for the iconic New York City publication. The Times has been in operation since 1851.

brothers. They are real estate agents, and Tiana struggles to buy a sugar mill from them. This shows a negative race relation between white characters and a black character.

Yawman said that she was excited to work on this project because no one had commented on this yet. She said she felt like she was pointing out something original and that it was important to note the differences between this movie and other Disney princess movies.

“It’s not as simple as people going out to see movies with princesses of color, such as “Moana”.

That is not a sign that everything is okay,” she said.

Yawman completed this project as part of her thesis for her American studies major. She said that she worked on the project for a year in a really long, difficult process.

Yawman said that she has updated her thesis multiple times since turning it in and hopes to continue doing so. She said she is interested to see how Disney continues to respond to the demand for diversity.

According to Yawman, her seminar directors were not supportive of her project because she could not concretely prove what she was saying. However, she said her peers were supportive and proved they thought the project was interesting by asking questions and encouraging her. She said Rachel Annunziato , Ph.D., associate dean of strategic initiatives, was especially supportive and reminded her to keep going with it.

Yawman said she would advise other students working on research to be original.

“Bureaucracy of academia can be intimidating, but it’s more important to do something original,” she said.

She said ultimately, it is not important what other people think, but rather that you should keep working on what you think is important.

The United Student Government (USG) Senate meeting on Thursday, Jan. 25, discussed the Sustainability Committee petition urging the university to run on 100 percent renewable energy by 2040.

Representatives said they had concerns about potential costs and criticized the wording of the petition, stating that it seemed like a large demand of the university with too much unknown information.

“It’s too concrete when we don’t have the facts to back it up,” said Ashley Qamar, GSB ’20.

Vice President of Sustainability, Gabrielle Perez, FCRH ’21, said that the petition is a “call to action” and cited other colleges such as Cornell and Boston University who have implemented strong environmental policies through student action.

She said that the nonprofit, Environment America, has worked with university students before to meet their goals.

“This isn’t a completely unreasonable thing,” said Perez.

Other representatives voiced their support for Perez and the petition.

They said it was a goal worthy of their time and attention and that it would be best to start somewhere.

Amanda D’Antone, GSB ’19, said that not all USG representatives put their names on the petition and asked if it could be edited to remove USG from its title. Other representatives suggested taking down the petition and replacing it with USG Senate approved wording.

Executive Vice President Kaylee Wong, GSB, ’20 said that doing so would silence the 300 people who had already signed it. A motion was passed for representatives to add their comments and suggestions to the original document before making formal edits.

Two new student organizations received Senate approval at the meeting. President Emily Sayegh, FCRH ’19, presented for the Middle Eastern Students’ Association. She said the club’s purpose is to build a community for Middle Eastern students and students who stand in solidarity with the Middle East.

Sayegh said the club would interact with other minority organizations to encourage diversity.

The Bronx Oncology Living Daily organization also made their case.

President Natalie Mistikawy, FCRH ’19, said that the club’s focus is to raise cancer awareness in the Bronx and provide psychosocial needs to cancer patients. She said the club will partner with the NGO, BronxWorks at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Mistikawy said that the organization would allow students to participate in clinical research and would create a bridge between Fordham and Einstein College.

Maggie Rothfus, FCRH ’20, chair of the Dining Committee, stated that reusable cups in Urban Kitchen are acceptable if students request to use tthem. She also said that the application, Tapingo, is undergoing a trial for allergen-free food options.

Commuting Students Association delegate Vanessa Reyes, FCRH ’19, said that commuter week will be held March 4-9 with a “Rams Got Talent” talent show.

NEWS

January 30, 2019

Page 5

University Students Spend Money But Not Time: How Students Serve Community as Neighbors FROM OFF CAMPUS,

and cordial, but I think there’s a lot more that could be going on to make this a better experience for the students while they’re here and for the community as well.”

According to statistics from the Arthur Avenue Business Improvement District, roughly 5,300 students live in the neighborhood, whether that is on campus or off campus. Those students spend 16 million annually on rent in the area and 10.3 million on retail and dining.

During the summer months, however, those students leave and some of the stores that serve them close down. Signs appear in store and restaurant windows like Pugsley’s Pizza saying they will be back in August.

Students tend to live in a concentrated cluster somewhere between Bathgate Avenue and Cambreleng Avenue and not usually beyond 186th St. They often live in houses or apartment buildings filled with fellow students. Franz says that he wishes those students would seek more cultural and artistic opportunities in the neighborhood.

“When I went to university, the purpose of going was to explore a lot of things to enhance your thinking to learn how to think for yourself, make your own decisions and to be able to be on your own. I don’t think a

lot of students graduate Fordham ready to live on their own,” he said. “I can see by the way they live here.”

Franz said students did not begin to venture beyond the university’s gates until the late ’80s and early ’90s. He said the transition was rough at first but now students and the community have learned to live with each other.

“As a lifelong resident, it is so much better now than it was 20 years ago. There’s no doubt in my mind, and most people here will agree, that the caliber of students at Fordham now is significantly better than it was 20 years ago,” he said. “And by caliber I don’t necessarily mean their intelligence and how they do in school. By caliber I mean their demeanor, their level politeness, their level of responsibility and how they interact.”

He said the neighborhood has even come to expect things like Spring Weekend and Homecoming.

Olivia Valkenburg FCRH '21 lives in an apartment building on Lorillard that she said is largely comprised of other Fordham students. She said she likes the independence of living off campus but she mainly interacts with other Fordham students “I don’t really know any Bronx [permanent residents], and there aren’t many in the building,” she

ELIOT SCHIAPARELLI /THE FORDHAM RAM

Students frequent Estrellita Poblano III, a popular restaurant for Mexican fare on Arthur Avenue.

said. “But I do have friends in the building and off campus” Frank Taddeo FCRH '21 also lives off campus in Artu Viale, a luxury apartment building on Arthur Avenue that mainly consists of students. He said the cost balances out between living in the apartments and living on campus.

“It’s so nice having your own room, being able to close the door and have it just be you,” he said.

Master of Arts in

Ethics and Society Engage critically and compassionately with society’s most pressing ethical issues From bioethics to business, from the courtroom to Congress, the need for ethical decision-making has never been greater. Fordham’s Master of Arts in Ethics and Society program will prepare you to engage critically and compassionately with the most pressing moral, social, political, and environmental issues of our time.

Our interdisciplinary approach will expose you to diverse perspectives from faculty experts on many relevant topics: • Moral philosophy • Moral theology • Ethics in the health professions • Responsible science • Environmental justice Students will also benefit from activities sponsored by Fordham’s Center for Ethics Education.

This 30-credit master’s degree can be completed in one year on a full-time basis. Part-time study and evening courses are also available. The program is offered at Fordham’s Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses.

Students are admitted to the program on a rolling basis.

Visit fordham.edu/ethicsandsociety to learn more.

Dylan Mazzarella, FCRH ’20, also said he likes the independence of living off campus.

“I’m so happy with my apartment and my roommates and I love being independent,” he said.

“The building I live in is all Fordham students and basically there are no other apartments near us that aren’t, but it is a building known for loud parties so I feel like that’s something you need to know coming in.”

Mazzarella said dealing with problems is easy in a building that is all Fordham students.

“My roommates and I don’t care about loud noises, but there are other people in our building that have definitely texted us and others to be quiet,” he said.

“I feel like if you move off campus though that’s something you have to respect because people can enjoy themselves without the fear of getting doc’d.”

Page 6

NEWS

January 30, 2019

Subway Mosaics Celebrate Bronx Icons The 167th Station Receives Make Over FROM SUBWAY, PAGE 1

“‘Beacons’ is my way of thanking the Bronx for the inspiration it has given to me, to these eight giants of their respective fields, and to the city in general.”

The prolific figures chosen for the work include the poet Maya Angelou, who wrote “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” An-

gelou is also known for her work as a storyteller and activist.

The installation also included Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a famed Bronx native appointed to the Supreme Court by Barack Obama in 2009.

James Baldwin, who went to high school in the Bronx, is also in the exhibit. Baldwin is an iconic

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

Reggie Jackson, iconic New York Yankee, is featured in "Beacons".

American novelist and playwright whose work focuses on civil rights issues and social critiques.

Other notable Bronx icons who were featured include the so called “Queen of Salsa” Celia Cruz, baseball player Reggie Jackson, musician Tito Puente, poet Gil Scott-Heron and writer Audre Lorde.

Gatson derived the colorful murals from photographs of the icons and rendered them in glass mosaic tiles.

Each detailed figure of the permanent installation is shown with bursts of color radiating from a black-and-white picture of them. The colored spokes of red, orange, yellow and green juxtapose the blackand-white photographs.

The murals were installed as part of a station update that included a new turnstile area and a light and camera installation.

When the mosaics were unveiled, Gatson expressed his excitement in an Instagram post.

“It is with excitement and honor that I share this project 'Beacons' eight permanent mosaic tile portraits at the 167th street station on the B/D train line in the Bronx,” he wrote. “It has been a year in the making

ELIOT SCHIAPARELLI/THE FORDHAM RAM

Portrait of Audre Lorde, American poet and activist, depicted above.

and I am very grateful to all involved.”

The MTA chose Gatson for this project in Jan. 2018, after they asked artists to submit proposals to brighten up the station.

The MTA Arts and Design Division website describes “Beacons” as a celebration of the

Bronx community. “‘Beacons’ is a celebration of the energy and spirit of individuals who have been influential within the Bronx community and have received positive acclaim for their cultural, political and artistic contributions,” the division posted online.

New Recycling Bins On Campus for Electronics IT Department Works Toward Sustainability

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

One of the technology recycling bins, pictured above, is located next to John Mulcahy Hall (JMH).

FROM RECYCLING PAGE 1

in the bin and want it back, it will be very difficult because there is no way to make sure the device is theirs.

“We already recycle most of the computer equipment in the employee offices and all the computers that we buy, but we don’t have a program for student or employees' personal equipment,”

said Castillo.

In 2014, the Office of the Vice President for Facilities Management and Sustainability released a document saying that Fordham was joining the New York City Carbon Challenge to reduce its carbon footprint. They wanted to come up with a way to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills and increase the amount being re-

cycled.

“Fordham has a sustainability committee," said Castillo. "Fordham IT wanted to continue to contribute as to how to help that program.”

He said that while Fordham IT worked on this project in support of the sustainability committee and gave them information about how much is be-

ing recycled on a daily basis, this project was organized through IT. He said that after getting the project approved and receiving funds, Fordham IT worked with operations at Rose Hill and Lincoln Center to find the best suited area to locate the bins.

“Right now two locations seem to be too little because we are hoping everyone takes advantage of it. We hope to have at least one or two more bins on campus at least here and maybe more at Lincoln Center. It all depends on the space that would be available,” said Castillo.

Castillo said that it was hard to get large enough bins because most of the ones available were for clothing. They ended up finding one company that sold bins with no logos already on it, he said.

They also had to find a company with all the certifications to recycle these types of products.

Castillo said Fordham already had a relationship with an IT equipment recycling company from recycling university-owned devices. The company agreed to let Fordham add more to their load.

The company Fordham uses recycles and reuses the materials for other computer products; for example, they recycle metals.

“There’s a lot of precious metals in electronics. There’s gold and other rare metals used to create cell phones. There’s an issue involved with just sourcing it and depleting these resources which

in a certain way are finite,” said Elizabeth Cornell, director of IT communications.

Castillo said that last quarter, over 6,000 pounds of computer related equipment were recycled.

Cornell put that number into perspective as about 240 trash cans worth of electronics. Castillo said that the new bins have received one delivery worth of equipment already, including keyboards and printers.

Castillo and Cornell talked about ideas for helping students recycle their old computer equipment at the end of the semester if they do not want it anymore.

Castillo stated that IT talked to custodial operations, who said students get rid of a lot of equipment at the end of the semester.

“We hope it has a good outcome. We hope students will take advantage at the end of the semester when everyone is leaving their old equipment,” said Castillo.

Cornell and Castillo tossed around ideas about bringing a truck onto campus at the end of the semester to recycle computer products students want to get rid of.

“A couple of years ago we worked with custodial, and we put these large boxes with a palette just for the students to recycle their equipment. They got filled quickly,” Castillo said.

“That was a good start. I think the problem was logistics because it’s hard to get the company to come back and pick up on the same day.”

OPINION

January 30, 2019

Page 7

The Fordham Ram

Judge, Jury and Executioner: Outrage in the Age of Trump

By TIMOTHY KYLE

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On Jan. 19, a minute-long video broke the Internet. A confrontation between a Native American man and a group of white males wearing “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hats, during which the boys appeared to harass the Native American, caused an immediate outrage. Pundits rushed to condemn the boys.

The Twitter mob howled for blood and the media spin machine kicked into high gear. The next day, another nearly two-hour-long video emerged and revealed a different viewpoint.

The boys did not confront the Native American man, Nathan Phillips; he approached them. The high schoolers had been subject to incendiary, racist and homophobic taunting by a recognized hate group, the Black Israelites. No video emerged in which the boys chanted “build the wall,” as originally reported. Instead of being another example of hate-filled bigotry that does indeed exist in the age of Trump, the Covington Catholic incident and ensuing political inquisition functions as a reminder of the disgraceful state of the mass media and the power of the self-righteous mob.

To fully understand the incident, one must first understand the full sequence of events as shown by the two-hour-long video, recorded by the Black Hebrew Israelites, which adds important context to the shorter video. The Black Israelites are shown

haranguing passersby for more than an hour, including the Covington Catholic kids and participants in the Native American march, in which Phillips was taking part. The Black Israelites hurled disgusting, vitriolic, racist, sexist and homophobic slurs at both parties. At one point, a Black Israelite preacher told a Native American woman that she was “out of order,” asking “Where is your husband?” The Black Israelites then turned their attention to the Covington Catholic boys, who were standing nearby, attacking them with vicious homophobic slurs, which prompted boos from the teens. The Black Israelites then focused on an African-American boy standing with the Covington Catholic teens, telling him that his white friends would “harvest his organs.”

It is into this hate-filled, highlycharged atmosphere that Nathan Phillips walked, beating his drum and engaging in a Native American chant. The boys did not block his way, which refutes his retelling of the story on national television.

Instead, the two-hour video proves Phillips walked right into the crowd and began drumming in the face of the now-infamous smiling boy. The smiler, now known to be Nick Sandmann, 16, said nothing to Phillips, even stopping a friend from mocking Phillips by turning around and saying “no” when the other teen began to speak. Some of the teens did engage in the Florida State Tomahawk Chop and began dancing to the beat

COURTESY OF FLICKR

The media’s rush to portray Nick Sandmann as the aggressor violated journalistic ethics and excacerbated the situation.

of Phillips’ drum, and that was wrong.

However, the reaction to this insensitivity was disproportionate.

It seems that Phillips has a habit of making false and misleading statements. He notably claimed in the aftermath of this incident that he was a “Marine recon ranger” from “Vietnam times.” Not only do “Marine recon rangers” not exist, it was quickly discovered that Phillips served four years in the Marine Corps Reserve and was never deployed to Vietnam.

All of these “facts” are key context that should have been researched and released by the media in conjunction with the story. Instead, in their rush to spin a narrative, most media outlets revealed that they couldn’t care less about truth.

And what was the reasonable, logic-driven reaction from the Twittersphere and the Internet to the original video? Nothing short of atrocious.

CNN’s Reza Aslan said on her official

Twitter she had never seen “a more punchable face than this kid’s.” National Review’s Nicholas Frankovich said the boys had “spit on the cross.”

Disney Producer Jack Morrissey called for the “MAGA kids” to go “screaming, head first, into a woodchipper.”

The result of this hysteria? Covington Catholic High School was closed for almost a week due to threats of violence, and a mysterious package was found outside the Diocese of Covington’s offices. Sandmann’s face was plastered all over the internet, where he was brutally castigated on both social media and the national news. Let’s be clear about something: this is a kid. He is 16. He said nothing to Nathan Phillips.

He didn’t even move. Sandmann is guilty of smiling awkwardly and wearing a MAGA hat. For this transgression, his name has been dragged through the mud relentlessly as

grown men and women howled for his blood.

Only 32 percent of Americans trust the media, according to a 2018 Gallup poll. With stories like these, it is easy to understand why. It is essential that context and background are understood and fairly reported. If the media followed their own Journalistic ethics guidelines, perhaps a group of children wouldn’t have been needlessly attacked. And shame on those who took part in the online mob, whose credo is “guilty until proven innocent.” If a minutes-long video of a boy in a MAGA hat smiling is enough to provoke you to overzealous rage, you need to do some soul-searching and realize you’re just as complicit in the destruction of American political discourse as President Trump is.

Timothy Kyle, FCRH ’21, is a political science major from West Hartford, Connecticut.

The Need for Change in Catholic Schools

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Catholic schools need to teach their students to be more inclusive in order to prevent controversies like this from occuring.

By JACK McCLATCHY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

It horrified me to see students jeering and mocking a Native American song with hooting, hollering and tomahawk chops. It horrified me to see subsequent videos where a student claimed, “it’s not rape if you like it.” It horrified me to see students harass women as they walked past a group.

It also horrified me to see conservative media turn the whole affair into who approached whom and a matter of whether the students felt threatened by a group of Black Hebrew Israelites. The latter may be true, but this does not excuse the reactions the students had to a differ-

ent group of people. It also horrified me to see others call for the end of Catholic education, as if everyone who attends a same-sex Catholic school is misogynistic, racist or homophobic.

This affair did not tell me whether to side with Covington Catholic or Nathan Phillips; but that something fundamental has to change in Catholic education to prevent something like this from happening again.

I attended a high school similar to Covington Catholic: an all-boys Catholic preparatory school in the suburbs of a major city.

There was always a contingent of students and faculty that went to the annual March for Life in Washington, which is where this confronta-

tion happened.

Now, I want to make it extremely clear that there isn’t anything inherently wrong with being white, upperclass and conservative.

Where problems can emerge is that this demographic grouping can make students unaware of the diversity of our colleges and universities, the workplace and our country in general.

In the worst case scenario, this bubble can result in what we saw this month: a largely white crowd of young men surrounding, mocking and jeering a Native American after being agitated by a hateful group of Black Hebrew Israelites.

This isn’t the first time Catholic schools have been in the crosshairs

in the past year, either. During the Brett Kavanaugh fiasco, his alma mater Georgetown Prep was scrutinized as a breeding ground for extreme privilege, misogyny and overall chauvinism.

Since the videos first emerged, I wondered what would have been said if students from my high school, instead of Covington Catholic, had been in the video. My high school was most probably more upper-class than Covington Catholic, with a tuition of over $30,000 and an average family income of over $300,000.

I’m not ashamed to have attended Catholic schools for most of my life.

In fact, I’m proud to have attended Catholic schools. In light of the past week, I am afraid that Catholic schools and their students have wrongly been smeared because of the highly publicized actions of a few students.

What can be done to prevent something like this from happening in the future?

Catholic schools need to adapt to changing demographics in our country. Among Catholics in the United States, the fastest-growing group is of Hispanic immigrant families according to a 2015 Pew Research study representing 34 percent of Catholics in the US, yet the National Catholic Educational Association reports that only 17.4 percent of Catholic school students

are Hispanic.

In Covington Catholic, the numbers are worse, with only 2.2 percent of students being Hispanic according to Niche, which profiles and reviews schools, colleges and neighborhoods.

Diversity isn’t only a question of race, though. Socioeconomic diversity is at least as important as racial diversity, as classist attitudes can inform racial views. According to Niche, the median income of Park Hills, KY where Covington Catholic is located is $42,227 and the tuition of Covington Catholic is $8,060.

Catholic schools need to allow for greater diversity in their halls to encourage good-faith dialogue and learning across racial, socioeconomic and other barriers.

I am proud of my Catholic education, and wouldn’t have attended any other school in my area. However, something needs to change for Catholic schools before people begin to see every Catholic school student as having racist, classist, misogynist or homophobic views.

And I’m confident that most students don’t hold these views, but collectively we must work to better instill Catholic values of love for self, for God and for others.

Jack McClatchy, FCRH ’21, is a political science major from Wayne, Pennsylvania.

OPINION

Page 8

R

Serving the Fordham University campus and community since 1918 The Fordham Ram the university journal of record. The mission of The Fordham Ram is to provide a forum for the free and open exchange of ideas in service to the community and to act as a student advocate. The Fordham Ram is published and distributed free of charge every Wednesday during the academic year to the Rose Hill, Lincoln Center and Westchester campuses with a readership of over 12,000 and a web readership of over 300,000. The Fordham Ram office is located in the basement of the McGinley Center, room B-52.

Website FordhamRam.com Email Address theram@fordham.edu

Editor-in-Chief Aislinn Keely Managing Editor Hannah Gonzalez Business Director Donald Dugan Operations Director Briana Scalia Editorial Director Lindsay Grippo Executive Director Colette Nolan Copy Chief Vanessa DeJesus Maggie Rothfus News Editor Helen Stevenson Projects Editor Erica Scalise Assistant News Editors Eliot Schiaparelli Sarah Huffman Opinion Editors Briana Scalia Collin Bonnell Culture Editors Rachel Gow Kieran Press-Reynolds Sports Editor Jimmy Sullivan Assistant Sports Editors Andrew Posadas Dylan Balsamo Digital Producers Kristen Egan Katherine Morris Photo Editor Julia Comerford Visual Director Bojeung Leung Faculty Advisor Beth Knobel

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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.

January 30, 2019

From the Desk | Jimmy Sullivan

Anti-Social Media

Like many of my peers, I enjoy using social media because it’s fun and seemingly harmless. If you’re like me, chances are you’ve lost precious minutes, if not hours, on various platforms such as Twitter, SnapChat, YouTube, Instagram, etc. Truth be told, when you’re doing it, it can be very enjoyable.

Memes are funny, interaction with our “friends” can feel rewarding and — you cannot convince me otherwise on this — there is nothing in the world better than a perfectly-used GIF. But as has been documented, there are downsides which necessitate a re-examination of why we use it and how it affects our lives.

There are any number of studies on the negative effects of social media, but you can find that stuff on the internet. I would rather speak about this issue from my personal experience, which has been a rollercoaster.

Today is the last Wednesday in January, so if you go on social media, you will see #BellLetsTalk trending, in what has become something of an annual tradition.

For each social media interaction today, Bell Let’s Talk will donate

five cents to various mental health programs, which is great. However, there’s a subtle irony in this, and that has to do with the anxietyinducing effects of social media.

A 2015 study found that 48 percent of teenagers who spent five or more hours per day on an electronic device had at least one risk factor for suicide. This is a big problem, and it’s one that will get worse before it gets better. Social media lead us to compare ourselves with others, which is one of the least healthy things we can do.

We will never be good enough compared to all of our virtual friends, who always appear to be leading better lives than us.

When we spend too much time on these platforms, our fear of missing out skyrockets (trust me, I’ve been there). There is another juxtaposition there, as well: as our fear of missing out escalates, we miss out on the important things in real life.

Another issue with social media is the constant distraction it causes. While these various media are fun to use, they also take a lot of time out of our days. One minute becomes ten, which becomes

an hour, then two hours. Soon enough, the day is done and we haven’t accomplished anything.

Again, I’ve been there. It still happens more than I would like to admit.

Is this to say that the answer to this conundrum is to disconnect from social media altogether? No. I tried to do this various times in 2017, and twice, I was able to do so for over a week. Both times, however, it felt like how I would imagine a drug or alcohol detox would feel.

I had much more time to myself, but I was on edge and came to the painful realization that I was addicted. I couldn’t quit. Social media was, and still is, an addiction.

In fact, in the process of trying to write this article, I have veered in the direction of Twitter at least a half-dozen times. The tab with the little blue bird is still open in my browser.

However, we should try to rein in our use of these networks. For starters, we will be much more productive with our time. But, more importantly, we will likely be a lot happier, too. We have the power to dictate how we can use

social media, not how social media use us.

This isn’t to say there are not benefits to using social networks.

I often connect with friends on social media, and there is nothing wrong with using it in that way.

However, a person needs to know his or her limitations; too much Instagram, Twitter or SnapChat is not healthy, and almost no one can handle it.

Instead of wasting time on social media, you should allot a specific amount of time in the day to use it. If you can do that, you can take back control of these networks, and maybe even your life, too.

Editorial | Journalism

Care About the Content You Consume The Editorial Board of the Fordham Ram is first and foremost a group of undergraduate students who invest their time and energy into the publication of a weekly newspaper.

In light of the recent media layoffs affecting countless journalists this past week alone, the grim prospects of the industry we dedicate so much of our heart and soul to feel both upsetting and daunting.

The future of journalism is in trouble. The Fordham Ram is worried, and you should be too.

On Jan. 23, Gannett — one of the largest newspaper publishing companies in America — slashed jobs across the country. The cuts affected newsrooms big and small, national and local. The company let go of journalists seasoned and aspiring, accomplished and promising. This incident is not an isolated one.

Last Friday, Buzzfeed News laid off 43 of about 250 journalists following a planned 15 percent reduction in the overall workforce at Buzzfeed.

The reduction included all seven members of the national desk, all six members of the national security team, two journalists covering health, all but two of the entertainment team and all but one of its LGBT desk.

In 2017, the New York news media company DNAinfo purchased Gothamist, a media company that ran local news websites in five cities across the United States. In response, reporters and editors from both companies unionized under the Writers Guild of America East.

Both DNAinfo and Gothamist were shut down a week later.

Workers in the media industry face very unsettling and very severe job instability.

According to the Pew Research Center, newsroom employment dropped 23 percent from 2008 to 2017. Newspaper employment dropped 45 percent during the same time period.

At least 36 percent of the largest newspapers across the United States – as well as at least 23 percent of the highest-traffic digital-native news outlets – experienced layoffs between Jan. 2017 and April 2018.

The job insecurity that plagues journalists is concerning to The Ram, not only because it is a field many of our reporters are looking to enter in the near future but also because it can lead to a dangerous lack of diversity in the newsroom.

As the industry becomes less and less worker-friendly, only those with the means to withstand its downsides can participate.

Journalism opportunities for post-graduate students are difficult to find. Fewer jobs mean more competition among applicants.

More competition means any one applicant needs a more prestigious university degree, a more lofty resume, a more impressive breadth of job experience and a host of other things just to be given the time of day by employers — things that are traditionally less available to those belonging to historically disenfranchised groups.

The barriers do not stop if and when applicants find job opportunities that are within their field and that they have the necessary qualifications for.

Many opportunities for recent graduates are unpaid internships disguised as prestigious fellowships.

Many offer pay that is below livable wage for the cities they are located in, with no healthcare and no benefits.

Young people must either rely on parents or family, work outside their 40 hour work week or abandon the profession entirely in favor of something more secure.

Journalism, then, is not an attractive option for anyone, let alone for those offering the very voices the field and the public desperately need.

Audiences are not homogeneous; newsrooms should not be either.

These spaces should offer diverse perspectives and viewpoints to ensure that the information their journalists present is accurate, fair and thorough.

It is often thought that the role of a newspaper is to afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted. News organizations cannot achieve this goal if the comfortable do all the reporting and the afflicted do not have opportunities to tell their stories or share their voices.

Fordham students are relatively well-off in the job searching process in the sense that attending the university opens many doors that those without college degrees do not have opened for them. Students have direct access to the alumni directory, and the school holds several career fairs per semester.

However, even these resources, which Fordham students are privileged to have, could be stronger. For example, the directory only includes 20 alumni who currently hold jobs in journalism. Similarly, career fairs do not cater to journalism prospects in the same way they provide resources for business, marketing or finance industries, for reasons ranging from a lack of these companies’ own funding to a lack of coordination by the university.

On a larger scale, there must be more security in the field to ensure

comprehensive coverage and a diversity of voices.

Younger newsroom employees are just beginning to show increased racial, ethnic and gender diversity, and many more would join them if there were not such frustrating systemic barriers blocking their path.

As one of the largest cities in the world, New York maintains robust and thorough media coverage. The area is fortunate in that what it loses in stifled local media outlets is somewhat compensated by the rigor and zeal in which the many other dedicated journalists approach their jobs.

Most other places are not so fortunate.

Many young journalists, those at The Ram included, want to make an impact on our communities, both now and in the future and no matter the size or scope.

Journalism is the best way we know to incite change. For that reason, it is also what we need to change first, as both reporters and consumers.

So pay attention to your local newspapers. Be conscious of the media you consume, and pay attention to where you consume it from.

Support writers guilds and collective bargaining. Donate to the National Union of Journalists and the NewsGuild of New York.

Learn to understand why diverse news is so important and why all voices must be heard, and change your consumption habits to reflect this understanding.

Journalism is essential to our society and so is every individual, voice and perspective that make up our society.

Care as much as we do about the fate of journalism because good journalism will care about you, too.

OPINION

January 30, 2019

Page 9

There Is a Common Ground on Abortion, But It’s Not What We Need

By TYLER RACITI

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Last week, the New York Times marked the 46th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade (1973), which legalized abortion in the United States by a 7-2 vote.

One week earlier in The Times, Charles Camosy, Ph.D., professor of ethics in the Fordham University department of theology, wrote the op-ed, “I Am Pro-Life. Don’t Call Me Anti-Abortion,” furthering his long-held argument that we need to understand and uphold a common ground and moderate stance in the abortion debate.

This common ground is best expressed as the ability for a woman to choose life. There is sense in this convuluted and paradoxical idea.

Democratic pro-life supporters like Camosy tend to argue that it is not whether a woman should make the choice but rather who is making that choice. This implies the state must make this vital choice for women.

In his book, “Beyond the Abortion Wars: A Way Forward for a New Generation,” Camosy proposes federal legislation, the Mother and Prenatal Child Protection Act (MPCPA), to ban abortion due to the “mother and prenatal child’s dual entity… [unless the

prenatal child] presents [a] mortal threat… unless the situation is emergent.” While Camosy never directly states that his proposed legislation hands the right to abort to the government, the need to appeal your case suggests otherwise.

I respect Camosy’s attempt to be a conciliatory voice in public policy on abortion. However, walking backwards on women’s rights is not what we need.

The compromise brilliantly deepens the pro-life and prochoice debate: are we destigmatizing the mother while simultaneously humanizing the “fetus” or “child” by giving the right to abort to the state?

This act allows pro-life supporters to claim to be in pursuit of saving both victimized populations.

“Women are already pressured and even coerced to have abortions often because our culture has not given them the protection and support they are due,” states Camosy.

However, it is a very slippery slope to indirectly hand over women’s rights on abortion to the state to ease the societal blame on women for aborting. Erasing these rights follows the tradition of socially downgrading women’s status.

Camosy makes the case that his proposals for “Paid Family Leave,” “Equal Pay for Equal Work” and

“Help with Childcare” will help push women’s rights forward, but these seem more like a careful negotiation of women’s rights than anything meaningful for prochoice supporters.

Realistically considering our political landscape, any legislation giving the state control over the woman’s right to choose will open the floodgates for further suppression and political manipulation.

The proposed legislation uncovers a different, underlying issue: common ground is simply a well disguised pro-life stance. A common ground does indeed exist but only within a convoluted twist of language, a strategic marketing ploy, for the already established pro-life agenda.

Camosy wrote in The Times article that using the term “fetus” is almost dehumanizing and that it “seeks to hide the fact that by the time most surgical abortions take place, a prenatal child has electrical activity in the brain and a beating heart.”

A heartbeat and brain activity does not indicate life. I say this out of experience.

One month ago, my father went into a respiratory arrest from head and neck cancer. Because of modern technological advancements, he sat on life support, a philosophically gray area between life and

death. He had become comparative to Schrödinger’s cat. His brain activity showed little signs of recovery, and he eventually reached brain death. However, my father’s heart was still naturally beating.

My father had no viable, natural potential of recovery; no “Trait X” that determined life.

Just as I had the right to choose to disconnect my father from life support, a mother has the right to choose to abort her child. This is not a decision for the state; this is a decision for the mother. In the case of my father, it was a decision for me.

Shifting the language from “fetus” to “prenatal child” does not do justice to women in the moral predicament of abortion. Are we more focused on converting language to fit current ideological beliefs than on solving the predicament of abortion?

Let me also acknowledge the elephant in the room: Camosy and I are cisgender men discussing what a woman should or should not choose to do with her body.

Our opinions are in no way representative of the actual experiences of a woman – especially one who is not theoretically, but actually, in the predicament of choosing whether to abort her fetus.

Camosy does note in “Beyond the Abortion Wars” that criminal-

izing abortion “actually serve[s] the interests of men and ha[s] disastrous consequences for women.”

We live in a time of polarization, and my argument for debate can be misconstrued as furthering the divide in our country. However, that is because a common ground solution simply disguises a divise argument.

Throughout “Beyond the Abortion Wars,” grey area between the religious and the secular. This defeats the noble goal because it simply shifts this polarizing conversation elsewhere, from pro-life versus pro-choice to religion versus secularism. In the common ground’s roots, there is an appeal to revealed religion. Laws should not rest on individual metaphysical beliefs.

I must admit that Camosy is onto something very vital to our nation’s discourse and that is to end he polarization and disengagement plaguing our democracy.

It is a very noble attempt to end the uncompromising abortion dichotomies. However, pro-choice supporters must see that this common ground solution is an indirect capitulation for them and their beliefs.

Tyler Raciti, FCRH ’21, is an international political economy major from Long Island, New York

Start planning to have a great summer now!

• • • •

SUMMER SESSION 2019

More than 200 classes Internship placement assistance Study abroad options Housing available

Session I: May 28–June 27 Session II: July 2–August 6 Registration begins in March.

Learn more at fordham.edu/summer

OPINION

Page 10

January 30, 2019

The U.S. Has a Moral Duty to Maintain Peace in Somalia

By EDWARD SHEEHAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On Jan. 20, dozens of fighters for al-Shabaab, a Somali-based jihadist group with ties to al-Qaeda, were killed in an American airstrike. This came days after a vicious al-Shabaab attack on a Nairobi, Kenya hotel complex that left 25 dead. Rather than in-

spiring some relief that these vicious groups were killed, the airstrike brought a general sense of unease to the discourse.

After all, many people were only vaguely aware of U.S. involvement in Somalia. A few individuals tweeted vague statements about endless war and drone strikes, then moved on to safer ground.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

The American military has a responsibility to maintain stability in Somalia.

While I am not a supporter of some of our current conflicts, the worst of the lot being our pointless slog in Afghanistan and our grotesque aiding of Saudi war crimes in Yemen, I fully support our war to fight off Islamist militants terrorizing the innocent people of Somalia.

The first thing to understand is that al-Shabaab is not a representative of the Somali people.

Many Somalis are followers of Sufism, a mystical, charismatic version of Islam. Al-Shabaab, on the other hand, follows Wahhabism, a puritanical form of Sunni Islam originating in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has spent the last 40 years sending troublesome young Wahhabis off to every hotspot in the Islamic world to make trouble for someone else.

This influence has impacted places from Chechnya to Thailand, from Nigeria to Syria and from Somalia to Pakistan.

Al-Shabaab is largely the paramilitary wing of the Islamic Courts Union, run by young Somalis who were bitten by the Wahhabi bug while studying

abroad in Saudi Arabia, with additional volunteers in hardened throat-slitters from Chechnya and the occasional dysfunctional problem child from the West.

They have survived only because the beleaguered “government” in Somalia has been paralyzed by the crippling Clan System that governs the country.

Perhaps this is esoteric. After all, Saudi Arabia is, depressingly, an ally of the United States, and all this stuff about Wahhabism and Sufism can be confusing to an American audience. But there is still a real reason that al-Shabaab should be stopped, and it’s what this group does to the region.

Al-Shabaab manages to combine the most evil impulses of both al-Qaeda and ISIS. It has carried out a long and bloody string of terrorist attacks — including a mass shooting in a Nairobi shopping mall with 62 fatalities — and car bombings in Somalia, Kenya and Uganda.

Beyond those horrors, al-Shabaab also controls and governs territory of its own, and their rule is an absolute horror for anyone

unlucky enough to live under it.

Details are sketchy, as al-Shabaab territory is not exactly a safe area for journalists, but al-Shabaab has been kind enough to release some videos of its exploits.

Al-Shabaab lacks the production values and flair of ISIS, but the content of the videos is pretty similar: beheadings and stonings (al-Shabaab seems particularly fond of stoning allegedly adulterous women to death).

This is a cruel and brutal group that is terrorizing a generally kind and gentle people, and I, for one, believe we have a moral duty to stop them.

Like it or not, the United States is a superpower, and we might as well use our powers to do good.

Somalia is a disaster in large part because we cut and ran 25 years ago, after a few of our troops were killed in a minor urban skirmish.

It is our moral duty to help the ordinary people of Somalia against these butchers.

Edward Sheehan, FCRH ’22, is a history major from Needham, Massachusetts.

Gillette’s Controversy: Are Men Being Their Best?

By STEPHANIE GENTLE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The past several years have been a crucial time for women’s issues; from the “#MeToo” movement which went viral in 2017 to Brett Kavanaugh’s exceptionally publicized confirmation hearing, women have been encouraged to come forward and be open about the innumerable problems our gender has endured for millennia.

Likewise, men have been encouraged to hold other men accountable for their actions and to be better allies.

On Jan. 13, Gillette released a “controversial” advertisement that did just that.

The company addressed the negative impact toxic masculinity has on men and women alike, while also urging men to call out other men for their toxic behavior.

While many found the ad refreshing and praised a company that primarily caters to men for addressing an issue like toxic masculinity, others were absolutely enraged by the ad and its message. It was critiqued for being “too political” and the internet had a field day, with people on both sides of the issue sharing their thoughts on the advertisement.

Here’s my take on the “controversy:” the fact that there is such outrage in response to a commercial which essentially says “raise men who respect women” and “don’t let men bully other men” is the reason the commercial is so necessary in the first place.

The company released an ad that — for once — forced men to think about how they can be better. The point of the commercial was not that all men are bad. It simply urged men

to call out other men’s harmful behavior and to be aware of how offhand remarks and the “boys will be boys” mentality contributes to rape culture and negatively impacts both women and men.

The ad also does not imply that doing masculine activities or being traditionally masculine is inherently harmful, as many of its critics claim. Todd Starnes from Fox News stated that the ad is evidence of “a war on masculinity in America,” one “being waged in classrooms where professors are trying to convince a new generation of students that there’s something wrong with men who want to protect and provide for their families.”

This claim is simply outrageous for several reasons, the most absurd of which being the claim that there is a war on masculinity in America.

There is not and has never been a war on masculinity. No one wants men to stop having traditionally masculine traits; toxic masculinity and its byproducts are the issue being addressed in the ad.

Violence against women is a massive problem in the United States (and internationally), and the problem is especially significant for women of color. According to arrest data from the FBI, “Males constituted 98.9 percent of those arrested for forcible rape” and the United States Department of Justice reported that “Females were most likely to be victims of domestic homicides and sexrelated homicides.”

This violence is a byproduct of toxic masculinity; when we teach boys bad habits at a young age, those bad habits can manifest into dangerous actions in adulthood. This is why the commercial is so necessary in today’s

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Gillette’s newest advertisement has garnered criticism, yet others insist that it just a call for men to check each other.

world.

We need to raise our men better for the sakes of both men and women. In a world where toxic masculinity is rampant, women feel unsafe and vulnerable. When we teach boys that fighting and violence are acceptable but crying and expressing emotion are not, we force men to repress their emotions and subsequently downplay the harmful effects of boys bullying other boys.

In the ad, a man gets between two fighting boys and tells them “that’s not how we treat each other.” This is a key message of the ad: to urge parents to teach their sons that violence is never okay, even against other boys.

Boys need to be taught that violence is not the way to solve problems and should be urged to express their emotions just as much as their female counterparts. Young men do not deserve to be shamed for their feelings and doing so only perpetuates the idea that having emotions makes you weak.

Gillette’s ad did a sufficient job of drawing attention to the fact that

seemingly innocuous actions such as catcalling are harmful to women and should be addressed whenever possible. However, the ad displayed relatively tame examples of catcalling and harassment that do not accurately reflect the true nature of what being a woman in America is like.

On a daily basis, women endure much worse than what is shown in the ad. Drawing on personal experiences alone, I have been repeatedly screamed at by groups of men, followed for blocks (by groups and lone men) and sexually harassed.

I know far too many women who have been victims of rape and sexual assault, which makes the outrage to the commercial that much more baffling to me. Those who are offended by a commercial that urges men to be held accountable for their actions are incapable of understanding the feelings of fear and vulnerability that women face every single day.

The epidemic of violence against women is a massively important issue. Gillette put its revenues on the line by taking a stand and trying to

address it.

While I may support the ad and its message, there are many who do not.

Twitter was full of users throwing out their Gillette products in the days after the commercial was released, and Gillette has lost at least 30 percent of its market share since its airing.

I personally cannot understand how a person could be so offended by an advertisement like this, but everyone has the right to their own opinions and feelings. However, if you were rubbed the wrong way by this commercial, I implore you to ask yourself why an ad that pushes men to respect other men and treat women better is so provocative.

I think everyone, no matter where they stand on the issue, can learn something from this advertisement.

Be an ally when you can. Call your friends out for misogynistic comments. Don’t shame men for expressing their feelings. Be your best.

Stephanie Gentle, FCRH ’20, is a communications major from Monroe, Connecticut.

CULTURE

January 30, 2019

Page 11

Editor's Pick | Video Games

The Storytelling Potential of Video Games

By HANNAH GONZALEZ MANAGING EDITOR

Growing up, I always felt that books were my one true love. Television shows and movies were fun, of course, but they always seemed a little passive; the information is put on a visual platter for your brain, while the active element of imagination required by books makes reading feel more intimate.

However, as technology evolves, new mediums continue to develop how we relate to and experience stories — in choose-your-own-adventure-style mobile games (and now "Black Mirror"), for example.

In fact, one of the most overlooked platforms for impactful storytelling is without a doubt the gaming industry. Over the break, I played “What Remains of Edith Finch,” a PC game that confirmed the potential for narrative complexity and emotional impact in this form.

In the game, you play as the titular Edith Finch, a young woman returning to her childhood home to unravel the mystery of why she is the only remaining member of her family.

You wander the labyrinthine Finch house, exploring bedrooms and learning family secrets while appreciating the visual detail and beauty of the game. As someone who always loved both the Nancy Drew video game and book series, the potential for sleuthing immediately piqued my interest.

I soon realized that, in the traditional sense, “What Remains of Edith Finch” is not a game at all. It belongs to a genre called “walking simulators,” which entails walking around and looking at things. The benefit of this format is that it puts you directly in charge of the visual scope of the story as you take on a first-person perspective in the world.

You can explore and meander as much or as little as you desire. In “Edith Finch” specifically, this per-

Is Burnout A Big Deal?

By BRIANA SCALIA OPINION EDITOR

A few weeks ago, Buzzfeed News reporter Anne Petersen wrote the article, How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation. Yes, the article is as accusatory as its title makes it out to be.

Petersen starts out by giving her take on how “errand paralysis,” a diagnosis she describes as procrastinating the simple tasks of daily life, has taken the millennial generation by storm.

As a self-professed non-slacker, Petersen explains how even she was affected by the “virus,” tending to avoid the more low-priority tasks that accrued over time. She details how this procrastination is a form of burnout, caused because millennials are “...unequipped to deal with the particular ways in which [life] has become hard for us.”

Petersen claims that life requires millennials to “optimize” themselves to be the best workers possible in order to keep up with the current American economy. Not only are most people now expected to have a college degree, they are also expected to handle massive student loans (loans so ridiculous that there are now quiz shows centered around eliminating the winner’s student debt).

Overall, Petersen’s piece on burnout left me feeling exactly that: burnt out. At no point in her argument does Petersen present the reader with any hope of ending this cycle of “errand paralysis.” On the contrary, she states, “The problem with holistic, allconsuming burnout is that there’s no solution to it.” Instead, she resolves to simply live with it, and suggests others do the same.

It's also worth mentioning how non-intersectional Petersen's piece is.

Her comments on burnout are nearly exclusive to the experience of white, middle class citizens, rather than the average millennial of ambiguous race and class.

Tiana Clark comments on this, explaining that she could not find herself in Petersen’s article, simply because the label of “lazy” has very different consequences for a woman of color than it does a white man.

I take two major issues with Pe-

tersen’s perspective: that there is no solution to burnout and that burnout is relegated to millennials for specific reasons.

Both issues are also raised by Slate reporter Shannon Palus in her response article Burnout Isn’t Just a Millennial Affliction. Palus counters Petersen’s thoughts on burnout with the concept that burnout can be treated, if not completely remedied, by practicing the simplest kinds of self-care.

Any method works, whether it be an involved facial routine, a weekly spin class or rewatching the last season of “Queer Eye.” I find myself wholeheartedly agreeing with Palus, based on both her arguments and how she presents them. An op-ed, or at least one written correctly, does not exist to solely represent the writer’s opinion on any given issue.

Rather, the piece should convey an issue that the writer has recently noticed, a bit of background and then most importantly some form of a solution. To write an op-ed with no possible fixes is to leave your reader with only a feeling of discontentment, instead of a rallying call to action that opinion pieces should strive to achieve.

Further, I am frankly fed up with this trend of lumping together an entire generation under one label. It seems a tad ridiculous to assume that millennials are the only ones feeling burnout in our incredibly demanding society.

Millennials could be experiencing this particular burnout, but so too could any other person in the world, regardless of their age.

It is almost as ridiculous as the notion that generations should be competing to be the “most well adjusted human beings.” Each generation has its own set of unique challenges, usually based on the actions of the previous generations. Members of the “silent generation,” or those age 66 to 83, were part of the nation’s civil rights movement. The baby boomers were preoccupied with the Vietnam War. And the millennials are staring down the barrel of a future without the guarantee of social security.

So, thank you Anne Petersen, but I would take my sophomoric coping mechanisms and optimistic outlook over your bleak perspective and nonadvice any day.

spective allows for some incredibly unique and engaging gameplay as you switch between family members over the course of the narrative.

This brings us to the next aspect of “Edith Finch” that separates it from traditional gaming. In other titles, you might have the option to play as multiple characters, but “Edith Finch” takes this a step further by altering the playstyle depending on what member of the Finch story you inhabit. As a result, each perspective feels like an entirely distinct experience, which connects you psychologically to each of the family members and heightens the emotional impact at the close of each story.

For example, one of my favorite segments is when you enter the mind of Edith’s older brother. Throughout the section, you steadily lop off fish heads with one hand, while the other guides an av-

COURTESY OF FLICKR

"What Remains of Edith Finch" is a fun PC game that's as detailed as a book.

atar through the world of his imagination. You do not only watch his retreat into fantasy, but you experience the recession of the physical world as the internal, the imaginary world becomes larger, brighter and more complex.

Ultimately, I walked away from “What Remains of Edith Finch” feeling like I had not only watched the story unfold, but lived it. The game stayed with me as I continued to digest what it meant — in much the same way that I might reflect on a good book, days after I’ve turned

the last page. To me, this experience demonstrated that, instead of decrying the moral “dangers” of video games, we should realize potential for powerful storytelling inherent to the platform.

On their official website, the creators of “What Remains of Edith Finch” describe it as “a game about what it feels like to be humbled and astonished by the vast and unknowable world around us.” In other words, it’s a story about the universal human experience. If that’s not literature, I don’t know what is.

Mental Health Column | Kelly Christ

Gender Roles and Mental Health Today’s society holds many expectations for men and women.

Often subconsciously, gender roles affect how we act.

From a young age, we are taught to adhere to these gender roles.

Boys play with trucks, and girls play with dolls. While these social constructs impact almost every aspect of our lives, they are especially relevant when discussing mental health.

Mental illness can affect men and women quite differently. For example, women are more likely to struggle with anxiety or eating disorders, while men are more likely to struggle with addiction or substance abuse.

Although many of these trends are the result of biological differences between the sexes, societal factors can also impact the mental health of both men and women in a variety of ways.

Men feel pressured to adhere to archetypal masculinity which boasts strength, dominance and stoicism. These expectations can produce negative results, like higher rates of violence and aggression as well as the squandering of one’s emotions.

In bottling up their true feelings, their mental health is frequently damaged as they are unable to address the issues caused by their emotions. This behavior is so frequent that psychologists refer to it as “alexithymia,” and they note that it is far more prevalent among men than among women. This habit may also be the reason why substance abuse issues are much higher among men, as they are trying to numb themselves and avoid dealing with emotional issues in order to maintain the image of a “strong” man. Sadly, men are also more likely to commit suicide.

The Center for Disease Control reports that men represent 77 percent of all suicide deaths. However, one interesting fact this study notes is that women are more likely than men to have suicidal thoughts, but because men often chose more violent methods when committing

suicide, they are more likely to die in these attempts than their female counterparts.

The societal expectation that men must not show weakness hinders their willingness to seek help for health concerns, both mental and physical.

This often results in a worsening of their mental health conditions.

These trends are prevalent among all age groups. For example, at Fordham University, only 21 percent of the students who use the resources available at Counseling and Psychological Services are male, as compared to the 79 percent of female students. Men generally suppress any difficulties they have, for fear that their peers will judge them for showing emotional “weakness.” It is imperative that mental health professionals are always aware of this factor and work to the best of their ability to encourage men to seek help if they need it.

While society will certainly not be able to change overnight, the best we can do is to continue to promote awareness of mental illness and spread the message that there is nothing wrong with seeking help if you need it. In fact, admitting a need for help is often an act of incredible strength.

Women are also negatively impacted by how society treats them.

Some of the risk factors for mental illness they face are “gender-based violence, socioeconomic disadvantage, low income and income inequality, low or subordinate social status and rank and unremitting responsibility for the care of others,” according to the World Health Organization.

Domestic violence and sexual abuse, which is more commonly experienced by females than males, contribute to higher risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

In addition, the oppression and discrimination women may face also puts them at risk for anxiety or depressive disorders.

An intriguing trend arises in women’s mental health when researchers learn how women are treated while seeking help for psychological conditions. Women are often not believed

or taken seriously.

This practice dates far back in history. Women who were treated for “hysteria” as early as the 1600s were blamed for having too much sex, or a lack thereof. In many ways, this response to “hysteria” is a sexist explanation for things that men did not understand about women.

Thankfully, the treatment of women in regards to mental health improved significantly in the following centuries. However, gender bias still manifests today in mental health treatment. For example, women are more likely to be prescribed moodaltering drugs and more likely to be treated for depression compared to men, even when they have the same standardized results on depressive symptom scales. These statistics are damaging for both men and women, as women are often seen as overly emotional or dramatic while men may be seen as too “tough” to be suffering from any emotional disorder.

Hopefully, by spreading awareness of the sex and gender differences in mental health, we can overcome the obstacles that inhibit men and women from getting the help that they need for their conditions. We can also attempt to take a closer look into the ways that society can influence the mental well-being of all individuals to prevent disorders caused by societal oppression or discrimination.

Transgender and gender non-conforming people have a unique experience regaring the impact of societal gender expectations that should not be erased. Heteronormative gender roles impact the experience of all. There is an abundance of data that has shown the gender disparity with regards to mental health, which has had an important impact on the treatment men and women receive for mental illness. As efforts to bring more awareness to mental health continue, we hope to correct for gender-based biases and mistreatment.

Fordham University Counseling and Psychological Services (Rose Hill): 718817-3725 Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800273-8255

FORDHAM LOOKS FORWARD

Page 12

January 30, 2019

USG Seeks To Advocate for Students

By HANNAH GONZALEZ MANAGING EDITOR

Every issue this volume, The Fordham Ram will be sitting down with departments and organizations on campus to discuss their plans for the future at Fordham. This week, United Student Government (USG) President Connor Sullivan, FCRH ’19, and Vice President Kaylee Wong, GSB ’20, discussed current initiatives and their hopes for increased student involvement in the program.

Hannah Gonzalez: To start, what’s going on with USG? What are you looking forward to in the next few months?

Connor Sullivan: Of course, we have our elections coming up. Last year, the vast majority of the positions were uncontested, including ours — which is great, knowing you got the job, but in retrospect it probably means that the organization itself is not doing so great. So this year we stepped up our marketing efforts and created a marketing committee.

We’re seeing good results with our special elections — we had 14 candidates for three positions last semester. So we’re looking for that energy moving forward into the general election that will be coming up in April.

HG: Thinking longer term, do you have a vision for how you see USG representing students, in a year, even five years?

Kaylee Wong: I think that one thing that we’re really trying to work on now is trying to focus a lot more on getting reports from students. So as of right now, a lot of the opinions that are heard at USG are those from the senators, which are not necessarily reflective of the entire student body. So we’re really hoping to start bringing in reports from constituents, to find out what’s going on in your life at Fordham and how we can better serve you. We’re also going to do that by publicizing our USG meetings, because they’re all public to all students, but our gallery tends to only be The Ram — which is lovely — but we would love to have more people there.

There’s an item on our agenda for public concerns. So we’re really looking to fill that area and say, “If something happens here on campus, if you have a concern, anything, you can bring that to us as a public concern, and we can work to fix it.”

COURTESY OF USG

The 2018-2019 United Student Government (USG) members are entering into their second semester as representatives, bringing new events and initiatives.

CS: Going off that, we want to make sure that the campus understands that we are an advocate. What’s great about student government is that there’s that vote behind it, and with that vote comes some power, because students have entrusted their peers with representation. That means we need to work with various different administrative departments and try to address the concerns that can make the campus better.

To not just be the ones who originate initiatives, but address student issues, either by connecting them with right people or doing it ourselves. That’s something that I think a student government really needs to prioritize, and I think we are moving in that direction. It’s certainly something that I want do, and I see my role as president very much as making sure that the educational institution is strong.

My term’s only a year, but the institution’s everlasting.

HG: That idea of representation and student involvement definitely seems tied in with the elections coming up.

CS: Yes — thank you for reminding me. One of big things we wanted to do with the national elections, as well. Looking forward, making sure we keep that energy from students alive.

This interview has been edited for space and clarity

COURTESY OF USG

A crowd turns out for the freshman elections last semester, in which five new senators were elected to USG.

COURTESY OF USG

USG House Committee and their advisors collaborated to put on the annual McGinley Art Show last semester. Students such as Mia Beverly, FCRH ’20, were celebrated for their artistic contributions.

January 30, 2019

FORDHAM LOOKS FORWARD

Page 13

COURTESY OF USG

Last fall, USG’s House Committee put on Keating Steps, an annual showcase featuring an array of Fordham’s talents in the performing arts, from comedians to Irish stepdancing. Groups included the BSides, Fordham Flava, the Hot Notes, Slainte, the Ramblers and more.

COURTESY OF USG

Last year, the USG GSB Dean’s Council arranged a TEDxFordham University event, bringing speakers such as Andre Lorenceau, above, to campus to speak on everything from VR to cryptocurrency.

CULTURE

January 30, 2018

Page 14

Aquaman Swims to Heroic Success

By GREG MYSOGLAND STAFF WRITER

Early on in the underwater action sequence of “Aquaman,” Dolph Lundgren rides into battle on a giant sea horse and fires a laser sword at a crab-person warrior.

That brief action illuminates many aspects of the film. “Aquaman” is a breath of fresh air (no pun intended) for the superhero franchise, trading the overwhelming darkness of “Batman v Superman” and the inconsistent tone of “Justice League” for a whole-hearted embrace of outlandish fun, weaving a compelling story around Jason Momoa’s unique take on the titular character.

The film begins with the story of Aquaman/Arthur Curry’s birth.

Thomas Curry (Temuera Morrison) falls in love and has a child with the queen of Atlantis, Atlanna (Nicole Kidman). Atlanna tells the baby, Arthur, of her hope that he will one day unite Atlantis and the surface world. However, Atlantian soldiers force Atlanna to return to her kingdom, leaving Thomas to raise the boy by himself. Despite their brief screen time together, Kidman and Morrison have an intriguing chemistry and imbue the film with a dose of classic heroic tragedy.

The adult Arthur struggles to reconcile the two sides of his heritage. He’s not afraid of his powers, like so many other screen superheroes are early on, but he has no time for Atlantis. It’s only after Mera (Amber Heard), an Atlantian acquaintance, warns him of his half-brother Orm (Patrick

Wilson), the current king’s plan to make war with the surface that Arthur is forced to confront his true destiny. The plot revolves around Arthur’s quest for a legendary trident that will grant him the power to overcome his half-brother’s forces.

Arthur is already an active and famous crime fighter on the surface after the events of “Justice League.” This allows the film to launch into the action and character development quickly. The film’s most successful storyline is Arthur’s journey as he reluctantly moves from being, as he puts it, a “blunt instrument” against evil, to a more fully realized hero, capable of leading Atlantis. The character has internalized a lot of the discrimination he has endured from right-wing Atlantians. His arc of coming to accept his half-blood status, in combination with Momoa’s own mixed heritage, gives a message in support of the multiracial community.

While Morrison and Kidman may get the credit for initially drawing the viewer into the story, it is Momoa who keeps them there. The actor’s obvious enthusiasm for the role sells the film’s 80s action movie cheesiness and some of the silly comedic beats.

He also has a gentle compassion and a brooding intensity that serves him well in the quieter character moments. The scenes in which Arthur learns to better himself and defiantly stands up for who he is against are immensely satisfying because of Momoa’s wholehearted conviction. Amber Heard alternates between being

lovely and fierce in equal measure.

Heard’s character development isn’t especially profound, but still conveys subtle change as she abandons her assumptions of Atlantian superiority in favor of a more compassionate outlook.

The dynamic between the two leads is perfectly balanced. Mera is usually the brains of the operation, while Arthur handles more of the brawling. However, Mera is no pushover in a fight, and there are some fun displays of her ability to control water.

The strength of the supporting cast speaks to how well-rounded the film is as a whole. Orm is not the kind of villain who’s sympathetic nor is he an anti-hero. He is a bad guy through and through out for world domination. Orm actually benefits from this, giving a sneering, grandiose performance you’ll love to hate. Also on the villain front is Black Manta, a pirate with a grudge against Arthur, brought to life by an intense, scene-stealing turn from Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. Dolph Lundgren is imposing and authoritative as Mera’s father Nereus, king of the underwater kingdom, Xebel, who allies with Orm. Dafoe is clearly having a blast, playing essentially an Atlantian version of himself, and his character provides nice warm support to Arthur/Momoa.

Still, if there is a star of “Aquaman” other than Momoa, it is the sheer technical wizardry on display throughout much of the film. In terms of scale and spectacle, Aquaman easily dwarfs all other DCEU films and all but the

biggest Marvel entries. Director James Wan and company have done remarkable work in bringing the fantastical world of Atlantis to life. Moments such as Arthur’s first entry into the capital city are breathtaking, even when the viewer knows they are completely digitally manufactured, thanks to the excellent work done by cinematographer Don Burgess and the visual effects artists. Burgess makes some spectacular compositions throughout the film, both in scenes on the surface and below.

More than any of its predecessors or contemporaries, “Aquaman” fully realizes the colorful vibrancy of superhero comics.

Wan, not content to let the stunning visuals be static, fills the film with a multitude of expertly staged action sequences, captured often in smooth, tracking coverage. Just as the film risks slowing down for too long, it launches into another exhilarating fight or chase. “Aquaman” has almost double the action

scenes than most other blockbusters.

I particularly enjoy a Sicilybased brawl between Arthur and Manta, which happens in tandem with a rooftop chase between Mera and some Atlantian thugs.

Also worth noting is the absolutely massive finale, essentially an underwater equivalent to a battle from “Lord of the Rings.”

“Aquaman” is not without its flaws, but it is the kind of film that is so riotously fun that a lot of them can be overlooked. Little things like clunky dialogue and stylistic quirks just don’t seem to matter that much when you’re spending time with likeable characters and being treated to a wide variety of exciting set pieces. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman is still DCEU’s best cinematic hero, but Momoa’s Aquaman and the world he inhabits are fantastic additions to the franchise’s new foundation.

For the first time in a while, the future of the DCEU looks bright.

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Aquaman, came out at then end of 2018 and boasts stuning visuals.

Maggie Rogers Stuns With Debut Album

By RACHEL GOW CULTURE EDITOR

Pharrell William’s reaction to Maggie Rogers upon hearing her first single, “Alaska,” speaks volumes about the emerging artist. Williams, the producer of masterpieces such as Frank Ocean’s “Blonde,” sat wideeyed in a masterclass at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music while Rogers, enrolled as a student, sampled what was, at the time, nothing more than her homework assignment.

“I have zero, zero, zero notes for that,” he remarked following the song’s conclusion. The video, posted on YouTube, went viral and catapulted Rogers into the spotlight virtually

overnight. She released an EP “Now That the Light is Fading” in 2017 before dropping her first studio album “Heard It In A Past Life” this January.

The most salient aspect of the album, and what struck Pharrell’s notice, is the ease with which Rogers layers her heavenly folk vocals over electronic dance beats.

The listener can choose to float along with Rogers’ voice, getting lost in the gentle falsetto, or instead tune into the background, bopping and jiving to the snappy rhythms.

It is only when the songs are appreciated in their entirety, however, that the pure brilliance of the album takes shape.

Rogers has managed to maintain

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Maggie Rogers just released her first studio album “Heard It In A Past Life.”

the integrity of each disparate musical genre while simultaneously creating something other: a new sound that benefits from its disparities, bordering just enough on dissonance to be beautiful.

The echo-soaked drums maintain their perfectly tight cadence while Rogers’ voice gently and freely weaves through the negative space.

It is a combination of sounds that vibrate through the audience, captivating an array of emotions.

Listening to “Heard It In A Past Life,” I envision someone break dancing and doing ballet at the same time, crying over a break up and simultaneously finding new love; endings and beginnings wrapped perfectly in each soundbite.

While it is Rogers’ unique sound that prompted her initial discovery and subsequent launch into the limelight, it is the story she is able to convey in her album that will likely keep her there.

“Heard It In A Past Life” plays like a novel, accounting the struggles of almost instantaneous fame with a tone that is neither self-pitying nor depressing.

“Give a Little,” the first song on the album, begins the story. Here, Rogers remarks on the excitement and optimism that accompanies the start of a new relationship, stating, “You don’t know me I don’t know you Everything’s fresh, yeah Everything’s new.”

The lyrics are cleverly constructed to relate to a universal audience that has likely experienced the exhilaration of a beginning, while simultaneously reflecting the unique developments in Rogers’ life.

Listening to “Give A Little,” I can picture the young artist sitting in her masterclass next to Pharrell, overcome with humble shock at his reaction, an aura of timid buoyancy evident in her wide-eyed disposition.

However this optimism quickly translates to uncertainty. “Overnight” and “The Knife” convey yearning for a past life with lines like “Don’t say you miss me. I know it’s still me” and “I’ve got this feeling it’s all about to blow.”

These emotions build before exploding in the vibrant climax that is “Light On,” my favorite song on the album. Here, Rogers does some of her best work.

Lines like “Oh, I couldn’t stop it Tried to slow it all down” are accompanied by a quickening of beats that later shatters into Rogers’ passionate belt, “You should be so happy now.”

It is a beautiful tantrum that not only conveys the stress and frenzy of rapid fame but makes the listener feel as though they are experiencing it too.

The narrative finds resolution in “Back In My Body,” the last song on “Heard It In A Past Life.” As evident from the title, the song recounts Rogers’ acceptance of her loss of ano-

nymity and discovery of herself in the whirlwind experience.

While Rogers successfully and poignantly communicates her story, the account suffers slightly from the placement of “Alaska” and “Past Life.”

“Alaska,” the song that prompted Rogers’ fame, would have better served as the album’s opening while “Past Life,” a soft ballad, seems out of place, showcasing Rogers’ vocal capabilities but lacking the upbeat energy of the other songs.

However, these criticisms are small, and don’t take away from the broader successes of “Heard It In A Past Life.

For her first album, Maggie Rogers has accomplished a fantastic feat. Unlike some of her peers who received early recognition for their work, she did not shy away from the expectations placed on her, producing a metacognitive album that not only meets these expectations but uses them as inspiration.

Rogers is neither overly upbeat nor falsely despondent, but instead beautifully honest, dancing through her struggles and producing work that encourages her listeners to do the same.

As she heads out on an international tour that includes high-seeded musical festivals such as Coachella, there is nothing to do but watch the artist shine and wait to see what she creates next.

CULTURE

January 30, 2019

Page 15

Fyre Festival Docs: Different Perspectives, Same Problems

By MATTHEW DILLON STAFF WRITER

The disastrous Fyre Festival of 2017 was perfect documentary material. Helmed by rapper Ja Rule and largely unknown entrepreneur Billy McFarland, the festival was marketed aggressively through social media and famous models.

They promised a legendary event on a secluded Caribbean island previously owned by Pablo Escobar with performances by popular artists such as Blink-182 and Drake.

This resulted in thousands of social media "influencers" stranded in relief tents left over from Hurricane Matthew. They not receive the promised luxuries, or even basic needs.

The ensuing, inevitable litigation revealed the circumstances around the Fyre Festival to be even more bizarre than anyone first thought. Netflix recently released a documentary, titled “Fyre,” the same week as Hulu’s own production, “Fyre Fraud.”

Suspicious timing aside, both films offer different perspectives on the situation. However, both establish that the Fyre Festival affected far more people than just social media personalities.

“Fyre,” the Netflix documentary, has been subject to criticism for being produced by Jerry Media, the company that helped market the festival.

However, Hulu paid and interviewed Billy McFarland, the man primarily responsible for the disastrous festival and the criminal activity surrounding it, for its documentary. Both films shed light on how unsavory the whole operation was.

But while “Fyre Fraud” holds McFarland accountable for his actions, “Fyre” seems a little too lenient towards Jerry Media.

Unfortunately, there is a massive gap in quality between the two.

“Fyre” consists almost entirely of

footage taken at the behest of McFarland and Ja Rule, which is surprisingly self-incriminating, alongside interviews with those involved.

Meanwhile, “Fyre Fraud” has considerably less footage to call upon.

Outside of the interviews with McFarland and a few other relevant figures, it spends most of the time talking to various social media experts.

“Fyre Fraud” has deeper issues, mainly in its production. It relies on clips from sitcoms, cartoons and other media to fill out its runtime.

Even worse, it is prone to tangents that are not always relevant. There is hardly a moment without sound effects or goofy music. “Fyre Fraud” bills itself as a comedy, which is a failing approach for two major reasons.

First, it fails to acknowledge the real cost of the event properly, as comedy overrides its few attempts at doing so.

Second, Fyre Festival and the circumstances surrounding it are so absurd that a documentary about it would be humorous regardless of the approach.

This is best shown by a moment early on in “Fyre,” in which Ja Rule demands a photo shoot with Instagram models and some wild pigs over the phone. Consequently, “Fyre Fraud’s” attempts at comedy are both unnecessary and distracting. It ends up making Hulu’s take on the situation seem shallower.

The consequences of “Fyre Fraud’s” comedic approach become more apparent when watching “Fyre.” The Hulu documentary is too focused on the spectacle of Fyre Festival’s meltdown to pay anything more than lip service to the very real consequences it had on some of its victims.

“Fyre,” for all its faults, does not let the more amusing aspects of the situation distract from the people hurt by it. This leads to some genuinely hard to watch moments, such as the

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Entrepreneur Billy McFarland drew much criticism after the Fyre Festival failed to live up to its lofty promises.

unpaid labor and financial losses shouldered by the islanders. “Fyre Fraud” acknowledges that what happened at the Fyre Festival was very much criminal but seems too concerned with being entertaining to do the story justice.

“Fyre Fraud” also has what could charitably be called a broader focus than “Fyre.” In execution, the former is a lot more incoherent than the latter.

The Hulu documentary fixates so much on the external elements, such as millennials, social media and McFarland’s life that it distances itself from the actual premise. “Fyre” manages to cover much of the same themes and events without being as overt or clumsy as “Fyre Fraud.”

“Fyre” does a much better job at conveying the circumstances and personalities that create a disaster like this festival, in addition to being a more serious and professional production.

Even Jerry Media’s possible interference cannot stop the interviews and footage shown from putting responsibility for the situation on the

shoulders of not only Ja Rule and Billy McFarland but the employees that knowingly enabled him as well.

“Fyre” offers a more complete take on the issue, as opposed to the louder, less nuanced one offered by “Fyre Fraud.”

Both documentaries successfully criticize the toxic personality responsible for the debacle, Billy McFarland.

Each documentary comes to the conclusion that McFarland is so deceitful that he often seems completely detached from reality. “Fyre Fraud’s” major advantage is that it manages to condemn the man by simply letting him speak. The documentary also offers a more complete image of McFarland’s life and how he gathered the capital and connections to set up the festival.

Even if the execution leaves something to be desired in each film, “Fyre” and “Fyre Fraud” do capture the vast influence of social media and how it almost only ever benefits a select few parties.

Fyre Festival was only possible in a world where easily paid off “influ-

encers” are blindly trusted by their followers. The debacle also shows how easy it is to use social media for personal gain, as long as you are comfortable with doing so at the expense of others. Regardless of which documentary you choose to watch, both will remind you that you can never fully believe in sprawling platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

As for which documentary is the better of the two, it is hard to say.

“Fyre” may be more competently crafted, but the involvement of Jerry Media makes its content questionable. Both Hulu and Netflix must be held accountable for collaborating with Billy McFarland and Jerry Media, respectively.

Regardless of how poorly the end products reflect on both parties, for the best understanding of the situation, one should see both “Fyre Fraud” and “Fyre” (ideally in that order). However, if viewers have to pick one, Netflix offers a more exhaustive and mature take on the still infamous and still relevant Fyre Festival.

Shyamalan's "Glass" Has One Twist Too Many

By GREG MYSOGLAND STAFF WRITER

The surprise ending of “Split” was not typical of an M. Night Shyamalan twist. Rather than flip the themes of the movie on its head as he did in “The Sixth Sense” or explain a secretive aspect of the story as in “The Village,” the writerdirector instead expanded the film’s world by establishing narrative connections to a past hit.

Bruce Willis’ cameo as David Dunn, the protagonist of “Unbreakable,” placed both films in the same fictional universe. It set everyman superhero Dunn on a collision course with “Split” lead and villain Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), the patient with Dissociative Identity Disorder who gains his own superhuman abilities when his animalistic alternate identity known as The Beast takes over.

David and Kevin finally face off in “Glass” before both becoming pawns in the elaborate plot of Elijah Price/Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson), David’s old foe from “Unbreakable.”

The final installment in the trilogy is thoroughly entertaining, but Shyamalan’s self-indulgence and some technical hiccups make it di-

visive and not completely satisfying.

The greatest strength of “Glass” is its cast. McAvoy gives another absolutely fantastic performance and the way he makes clear distinctions between Kevin’s many personalities (of which he gets to play even more than in “Split”) is remarkable.

It is truly hard to believe you are watching the same actor bring to life, for example, both the perpetually 9-year-old alter ego Hedwig and the savage, but majestic, Beast.

In what turns out to be one of the film’s best comedic beats, Dr. Ellie Staple uses high powered strobe lights to force different alters into control, one after another, and the speed with which McAvoy changes his demeanor is astounding.

Of the three main characters, David Dunn’s role is the least profound.

Once David, Kevin and the film arrive at the asylum, the story shifts to Elijah's and, to a lesser extent, Kevin’s perspective.

In a way, The Overseer is positioned more as an antagonist, the one major roadblock to Kevin and Elijah’s success, even if the viewer knows it is David who is in the right.

It is an interesting and unusual way to use the character, but it leaves Willis with a more minor role, and

fans of “Unbreakable” may be slightly disappointed.

That said, Willis does everything he needs to do perfectly, showing again why he is an ideal performer for playing relatable, down-to-Earth heroes.

Given the film’s title, it should not be surprising that the most meaningful role goes to the man known as Mr. Glass. Elijah is at a crossroads here, and Jackson’s performance radiates the vibrant excitement and stoic determination of a man on the verge of achieving his dream.

The ease with which the viewer begins to side with the character despite the horrible things he does is a testament to the legendary actor’s inherent charm and charisma.

The key supporting players in each of the lead’s lives also have plenty to do. Joseph’s determination to help and protect his father gives the film a nice dose of extra heart.

Anya Taylor-Joy reprises her role as Casey Cooke, the girl The Beast spared from his rampage in “Split,” giving another quietly compelling performance and bringing some of the best deliveries out of McAvoy.

Despite limited screen time, Charlayne Woodard’s work as Elijah’s mother accomplishes the vital

task of letting the viewer glimpse into the heart of the tragic figure at the center of the film.

However, despite its considerable merits, “Glass” is a heavily flawed film. The one major aesthetic problem is in the lifeless, bland way the action scenes are staged.

Shyamalan’s focus with the film is admittedly not on delivering blockbuster spectacle, and that is fine, but the end of “Split” and the beginning of this film do considerable work in building anticipation for David and Kevin’s confrontation.

Unfortunately, the payoff for all that buildup is minimal. The two fights the characters have consist almost solely of Willis and McAvoy grabbing each other’s throats or torsos and slamming each other into walls or parked cars.

More problematic are the issues with the script and story.

Like “Unbreakable,” “Glass” features a good deal of meta-commentary on the nature of comic book storytelling but unfortunately is much clumsier about it than the earlier film was.

While the analysis of superhero and villain archetypes in “Unbreakable” was firmly rooted in David and Elijah’s arcs, offering an examina-

tion of the kind of psychology that makes someone fight crimes or commit elaborate ones, in “Glass” the meta aspect is largely reduced to Elijah dramatically announcing which part of a comic book story the characters are reenacting.

Shyamalan clearly hopes to subvert the expectations his antagonist brings to mind, and, to be fair, the characteristic plot twists that end the film are genuinely surprising, but that does not prevent the film’s attempts at self-awareness from being cheesy.

Speaking of the twists, that is another issue. Shyamalan ends the film with not one but two of his trademark big reveals. The second has enough of a foundation set-up to work, but the first truly comes out of left field.

It works thematically and emotionally with the story the film is telling, but there are no hints earlier that something unexpected is coming.

"Glass” is, ultimately, characteristic of most of Shyamalan’s work.

The characters, atmosphere and creativity of it all are to be commended.

However, the writer-director’s desire to do the unexpected has mixed results on the film’s quality.

CULTURE

January, 30 2019

Page 16

Who’s That Kid? | It’s Kevin Verga, GSB ’19!

Senior Drums To A New Beat

By ERICA SCALISE PROJECTS EDITOR

Swinging open the door of the O’Hare Residence Hall Office (RHO), Kevin Verga, GSB ‘19, greeted me.

“Hey, you’re the person I think I’m looking for. Are you here to do that thing?” he asked.

Verga and I were complete strangers up until this point, yet within 30 minutes of talking with him, I felt like I had known him my whole life.

Verga made himself comfortable in a desk chair, opened up his Spotify, turned on some jazz music and kicked back. As a third year RA, WFUV employee in the underwriting department, member of the Students Advisory Council, drummer for the university’s jazz ensemble and drummer in his own band, there’s never a dull moment in his day.

“I never plan more than an hour and a half ahead, because I don’t see how you possibly can,” said Verga. “Life just happens really quickly, and I really just try to ebb and flow with it and everything just kind of works out that way for me.”

For Verga, things really have worked out this past year, and unexpectedly, too, when his passion for music was reignited upon taking his first music class junior year to fulfill his fine arts requirement.

“Music History with Professor Bianchi. That class really kind of

started this all,” said Verga.

As a second semester senior, Verga is currently enrolled in four music classes to complete his minor, as well as a poetry course.

“It’s funny because when I came here I was captain of the football team in high school and played rugby here and I don’t think I was a stereotypical jock or anything, but that’s what I cared about and that’s a big reason why I came here,” said Verga. “But now I’m leaving.

I haven’t stepped on a rugby pitch in a long time, but I’m in the jazz practice rooms every day.”

Verga said he has played and valued music from a young age, but it was not until this past year that he really lived out those passions when he started working at WFUV. He later began officially playing drums in May. “Since I grew up in Rockland County, I listened to FUV my whole life. I really love music and that station really shaped how I listened to music,” said Verga.

Verga said the work he does in underwriting at WFUV has aided him in outlining a potential future career.

He outlined his post-grad plans loosely: he sees himself living in Manhattan working somewhere in music streaming and working with music algorithms.

Whether it be live venues or on the technology side, Verga said he’s certain he will be working somewhere in music.

“Everything is so binary nowa-

days. It’s either this is that, or if you’re not with me, you’re against me,” said Verga. “It seems to be that there’s very few things that really bring everyone together and really music overcomes all of these boundaries,” said Verga.

Music has also opened up what Verga referred to as a slew of “euphoric opportunities” for him.

“I saw Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin and Roger Daltrey from The Who at WFUV concerts this summer,” said Verga. “I was on another planet, and I saw these people for free.”

He also described his experience in the university’s jazz ensemble, where he meets one to two times a week with other musicians and occasionally plays with them at Jazz at Lincoln Center.

“There’s at least one or two gigs that you play out there. Jazz at Lincoln Center is the place. How many people slave to get there and I just kinda... I play drums,” said Verga, humbly.

In his free time, Verga plays drums in a band called The Usual that plays around Fordham, at shows and at parties. He said their goal is to win Battle of the Bands and open up for Spring Weekend.

Verga credited the university and its unique body of individuals as his main motivator.

“Everyone has passions and goals and that’s not an everyday thing,” said Verga. Everyone around you being passionate and having a next step in mind.”

When he’s not in the Keating practice rooms, on duty or rocking out to The Strokes, Verga revealed a common pastime of his.

“I spend a lot of time in the caf drinking caf coffee. That’s kind of how I deal with it all,” he said. “So much caf coffee.”

COURTESY OF KEVIN VERGA

Kevin Verga, GSB’19, is a WFUV employee who hopes to pursue a career in music.

Across 1. Like a barn or a Taylor Swift al bum 4. Before & After: Baby Got _ ____ in the USSR 8. Pancakes + a sandwich 14. Vow words 15. Sunburn soothing substance 16. Creepily 17. Not for profit (Abbv.)

18. “And me? I’m the damn fool that shot him” speaker 19. Had over for dinner 20. 1812 Massachusetts governor + amphibian that can regrow its tail 23. Good for absolutely nothing, famously

24. Charged particles 25. “Sick!”

26. Italian name meaning “god is gracious” 27. Sugar substitute 30. Haircut that got its start in the military 31. “Skyrim” and “Oblivion” video game series (Abbv.)

32. Engine + “______ Califor nia” 33. “Team of _____” (New book about Trump administration by Cliff Simms) 35. Alpha Centauri 36. Brought on 37. Transcription and translation actor

41. Sudden muscle contractions 43. Front-line soldier + sound of suffering 44. Harrison’s “Star Wars” charac ter 47. Grp. committed to promoting the cultivation of plants 48. “Toodles!”

49. “Mr. Blue Sky” band, briefly 50. “And me? I’m the damn fool that shot him” writer, familiarly 51. Brand formed in split that also created Adidas 52. Highland Heights school, on s coreboards 53. Reason you go to school + rea son you go to the movies 58. Writing system used in India and Nepal 60. Hoop type 61. Board game necessity 62. Sounds put to sleep in the morning 63. Ages, poetically 64. Water, but solid 65. Sticky spot + funny stuff 66. Gov. agency focused on units and records 67. X Down

ANSWERS TO ISSUE 1

1. Frodo’s baggage 2. Stevie Nicks hit “____ of Sev enteen” 3. Entryway 4. Johnson’s skincare product 5. Lana del Rey or Patricia Clark son, to Fordham 6. Baseball’s Alex and Joey

CREATED BY CLAIRE POLACHECK & JACK MCLOONE & GABBY GILLESPIE

The Fordham Ram Crossword: Portmanclues

7. Adjust the space between letters 8. Like Nearly Headless Nick, nearly 9. Change a lineup 10. Not mine, in textspeak 11. “_____! Oddment! Blubber!

Tweak!” - Dumbledore 12. Split, often with a heavy knife 13. Multi-headed Greek monsters 21. Cuomo or Joan partner 22. Hangs over 27. Android text 28. Recipient of toys from charity 29. Airport information (Abbv.)

30. Groups of lawyers 33. Preserver in the Trimurti of Hinduism 34. Watch sans television

36. Mysticism-based Jewish sect 38. Kardashian, junior or senior 39.A no vote 40. Simple hydrocarbon suffix 42. Sicilian capital 43. Simone Biles or Nastia Liukin 44. Body stain tattoos 45. Basic salt 46. Majority of a Three Muske teers bar 48. Plays with Legos 51. Pope from 757 to 767 54. Now partner 55. Correct a line 56. Third ingredient, along with sugar and spice 57. Rating between Everyone and Mature 59. St. Louis landmark

January 23, 2019

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Page 17

SPORTS

Page 18

Rowing

SPRING

Track

By MARIA TRIVELPIECE

By ANDREW POSADAS

STAFF WRITER

Every team wants to be the one to hoist the Atlantic 10 trophy in the middle of May. This year, the Fordham University women’s rowing team thinks that they can accomplish this feat and bring the grand prize back to the Bronx.

The Rams come off a strong fall training season as well as a fourth place finish in the 2018 Atlantic 10 Championships last spring. The team returns seniors Cynthia Luz, Noelle Chaney, Danielle Kosman, Erin Parker, Caroline Roncinske, Emma Spoldi, Erin Stepka and Sarah White, all of whom contributed in some way to the squad last year. The seniors and the rest of the team are prepared for greatness this season.

After grinding through their winter training trip in Florida from Jan. 5 through 12, the Rams are ready to kick off their competitions. Senior Caroline Roncinske says she expects the “team to place higher than last year at each regatta that we attend.”

This repeated improvement will be key in the Rams’ quest to become the best team in the Atlantic 10.

Their schedule leading up to the championships was purposely made challenging and rigorous so that the team was prepared. The Fordham University women’s rowing team kicks off their spring season in the San Diego Crew Classic in April.

“We want to create the fastest boats possible to represent Fordham on the west coast,” says Roncinske. “The Crew Classic will be the first race of

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

ROBIN COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham’s rowing team finished fourth in the A-10 in the fall season.

the season so we are using it as a huge motivation to get faster.” Roncinske believes that this motivation can correlate to a better start for the Rams and an overall better performance throughout the season. “We expect a highly competitive team atmosphere with lots of personal records on the rowing machine,” says the senior.

In addition to a tough schedule, the Fordham University women’s rowing team is calling for collaborative efforts from every single athlete to have a successful year. “Every team member is vital to our success,” Roncinske says. “Our coxswains are critical and we expect a lot out of them.” The coxswains the senior speaks of are also incredible because of their youth. Lulu Herman, a sophomore, will lead the first varsity eight and freshman

Alex Levy will bring up the second varsity eight. The combination of zealous youth in this critical seat and seasoned athletes in the other positions in the boat is something to watch throughout the season.

After the California trip, the team will compete in two regattas on Cooper River in Pennsauken, New Jersey on Apr. 7 and Apr. 20. They will then head to Philadelphia on May 10 and 11 for the annual Dad Vail competition. Finally, the team will compete in the Atlantic 10 Championships on May 18.

The Fordham University women’s rowing team will be an exciting bunch to watch this year. They are excited, ready and hungry to begin their spring season. And, they hope to bring some hardware back to the Bronx come May.

Golf

By JIMMY SULLIVAN SPORTS EDITOR

The Fordham golf team had a lot of talent to replace after last spring.

The team’s star-studded troika of seniors — James Mongey, Joseph Trim and Matt Schiller — all graduated in May, and they left big shoes to fill. In fact, the three men finished their Fordham careers with the first, second and third-lowest scoring averages in the history of Fordham’s golf program and no, that is not a misprint.

And without Mongey, Schiller and Trim, it was a rough first semester for the Rams in 2018-19.

Fordham never finished in the top half of a tournament last fall, and the Rams came in last in backto-back tournaments in September and October. Senior Josh Madarang finished with an average round of 73.4, the best on the team. He has tried to step into the leadership role left by last year’s seniors, and will continue to do so in the spring.

“I have tried to encourage my teammates to play better no matter how good or bad they are playing,” Madarang says. “I think I have also done a good job of keeping things laid-back and fun at practices and tournaments.”

The other senior on the team, Thomas Hayes, is looking to rebound from an up-and-down fall season, one that saw him fire a low round of 70 at the MacDonald Cup and a high round of 86 at the Metropolitan Intercollegiate

Fordham Indoor Track has about a month and a half of its season remaining. The Atlantic 10 Championship will be held at George Mason University on February 23-24, followed by the ECAC/IC4A Championships at Boston University on March 2nd-3rd. At its conclusion, we will have to wait about three weeks until the outdoor track and field season gets underway.

Fordham Track and Field kicks off its outdoor season in mid-March. Head coach Thomas Dewey strongly believes his team has the potential to be even stronger heading into the spring.

On the men’s side, the team welcomes back two of its star runners in graduate students Brian Cook and Louis Santelli. Coach Dewey described both Cook and Santelli as “two of our better athletes,” surmising that the experience they bring to the table automatically strengthens the outdoor men’s team.

Looking at the women’s team, seniors Mary Kate Kenny, Kate McCormack and Aidan Moroz continue to lead the way for the Rams this outdoor season. McCormack and Moroz are currently qualified for the ECAS/ IC4A Indoor Championships in the 1,000 and 500 meter run, respectively. Coach Dewey praised how much talent the women’s team possesses throughout the roster. Dewey admitted most of the freshmen will have to wait their turn, but in this situation, it is not a bad thing to learn from experienced upperclassmen.

As for exciting freshmen looking to make an impact, the men’s team has two runners that have

January 30, 2019

caught coach Dewey’s eye so far.

Freshmen Zalen Nelson and Jeremiah Laduca are mid-distance runners gaining valuable experience during the current indoor season. Recently, the two underclassmen finished top-30 for IC4A qualifying in the 1,000 meter run. While neither ended up making the cut, Coach Dewey sees potential that should translate once outdoor track and field begins.

The Fordham women’s track and field team boasts a very promising freshman of their own in Dominique Valentine. Valentine finished 12th in the 500 meter run which was not good enough to qualify for indoors, but is an auspicious start moving forward into the spring.

Another freshman on the women’s team that deserves recognition is The Fordham Ram’s own, Kaley Bell. Bell is currently a writer for The Ram’s sports section where she has her own student-athlete column. Detailing how she juggles academic life with her athletic adventure, Bell looks to have a promising future in both track and journalism.

When asked what message he plans on giving the team heading into the outdoor season, Dewey kept it at one word: “Compete.”

Dewey describes the sport of track and field as “hard-core competition” that requires intense focus to cancel out various distractions. Last outdoor season, six women qualified for the ECAC Championship while five men qualified. Coach Dewey expects both of those numbers to rise if the Rams maintain proper focus throughout the season.

The Rams begin the outdoor season at the University of Richmond for the Fred Hardy Invitational on March 22.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Fordham’s golf team had a tough fall season and is looking to rebound in the spring.

Championship four weeks later.

The other two Rams to keep their average rounds under 80 were fellow sophomores Anthony Wells and Mithran Denbow; both also had best rounds of 73. Additionally, Wells, Denbow, Hayes and Madarang were the four golfers to compete in all of Fordham’s fall tournaments.

As we have seen, consistency was an issue for Fordham in the fall, and the team is trying to change that in the spring.

“I think the team realized we have to eliminate big numbers from our scorecards by missing the ball in better spots,” Madarang says.

“Managing our misses will help consistency.”

Besides the aforementioned athletes, there are other interesting pieces at head coach Paul Dillon’s disposal this spring. Freshman

and Bronx native Aidan Denning competed in 11 of Fordham’s 13 rounds and finished the season with an average score just under 81. After not competing last season, sophomore Dean Cerimido competed in six rounds but struggled and never shot below an 81. Also returning is freshman Billy Harrison, who competed at the Lehigh Invitational and shot an 84 and an 85.

In the fall, the Fordham golf team felt the losses of the three best statistical golfers in its history. These departures reverberated throughout the fall season, and the team never quite recovered from them.

Now, the Rams will try to match, if not improve, last year’s seventhplace finish in the A-10 Tournament.

Just like it did in the fall, Paul Dillon’s team has a lot of work to do.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Fordham Track is still in its indoor season, but it’s never too early to look ahead.

January 30, 2019

Baseball

By JACK McLOONE

SPORTS EDITOR EMERITUS

The 2018 season was big for Fordham Baseball, but ultimately ended in disappointment. The Rams finished 35-19-1, their most wins since notching 35 in 2007. However, they only won their first game of the Atlantic 10 Championship before being knocked out by back-to-back losses, ending their 2018 season on a sour note.

Head coach Kevin Leighton credited the team with accepting a mindset he had been trying to push for a while for the sustained success.

“I thought we did a good job last year — it’s kinda cliché, but — taking it one game at a time,” said Leighton. “We had a motto of ‘1-0’ today.’

I thought the guys bought into that, they didn’t start looking too far in the future.”

Despite the disappointing end result, the season as a whole was a success for the Rams. After a number of seasons wallowing at the bottom of the country in terms of offensive numbers, they finally were able to hit for country-average in most categories. They also led the country in steals by a wide margin, an aggressive mindset that Leighton expects to carry into this season, thanks to the Rams returning the vast majority of their starting lineup.

“Not only did they buy in last year, but they really saw the results of it,” said Leighton. “It led to wins, so it’s

Softball

By EMMANUEL BERBARI STAFF WRITER

Football and basketball may garner the most attention, but Fordham Softball is far and away the most dominant team on campus.

Six straight Atlantic 10 titles and eight NCAA Tournament appearances over the last decade have thrust the Rams into the national spotlight and cemented

SPORTS

PREVIEW

a much easier pitch to new guys.

There’s no real kickback on it. That’s our style, that’s how we want to play.”

One man subtracted from the Rams’ standard starting lineup is Reiss Knehr, who logged 81 at-bats and hit for a career-high .259 batting average. Knehr was drafted in the 20th round by the San Diego Padres after wrapping up his junior season.

But where Knehr will be missed most is on the mound, where he was the Rams’ lead starter, leading the team in innings pitched, posting a 2.40 ERA and finishing his career tied for second all-time in career strikeouts with 218.

The Rams will also be without their number two starter, lone starting senior and captain Ben Greenberg, who had the best season of his career by also posting a 2.40 ERA. In A-10 play, that ERA shrunk to 2.12.

He graduated from Fordham and is using his redshirt season to play at St. John’s.

The only starter remaining of last season’s triumvirate is senior Anthony DiMeglio. In his first full season as a starter, he had an ERA of 3.40 and struck out 95 batters over 82 innings.

He led the team in pitcher wins, if that interests you, with eight.

Leighton is still unsure who will fill in the rotation behind DiMeglio and expects to use the early season to figure that out. Redshirt junior Mike Cowell made four starts last season in 16 appearances, though he posted a 4.26 ERA. Sophomore Matt Mikulski made five starts as a freshmen, the most of the non-top three, but had a 5.18 ERA, the highest of any pitcher

on the team with at least 10 IP. Juniors Kyle Martin, Brian Weissert and Alvin Melendez all had great seasons in 2018, but worked primarily out of the bullpen, with Weissert the only one to make even a single start last season. Adding into those options are three freshmen, Cory Wall, Garrett Crowley and Michael Ghiorzi, all of whom he praised for their work in the fall. Overall, Leighton is happy with his options.

“I think we have a talented pitching staff,” said Leighton. “The freshmen have looked pretty strong, and some of the guys coming back as returners have impressed this fall. We’ll see what they can do early on.”

The lineup, however, will come into the season more or less unchanged. It will be headlined by senior catcher Justin Bardwell, the only senior position player on the team.

He was named to Collegiate Baseball’s All-American Third Team, and is coming off a year where he had career highs in almost every statistic and led the A-10 in doubles with 20. He has also been on the Johnny Bench Award watch list for the nation’s top catcher two years in a row and will surely be on it again this season.

“He’s got a lot of games under his belt,” said Leighton of his catcher. “I think of him as another coach on the field.”

The Rams are going to have a tough lineup to crack for a newbie.

Besides the spot that Knehr leaves, every other starter is returning, and doing so after a mostly solid season.

Even junior Jake Baker, who usually batted ninth, hit just .249 and had an

their place as one of the nation’s best softball teams.

Last year, a 33-23 overall mark, including a stellar 18-4 showing in conference play, resulted in another NCAA Regional appearance.

“UMass was already planning their travel and hotel reservations for their regional before the tournament started after sweeping us a few weeks before playoffs,” said sophomore Kelly Bright, who will have an elevated role on the 2019 squad. “We ended up beating them twice when it mattered and they had to watch us at LSU from

their couches at home.”

Losses to No. 11 LSU and No. 21 Louisiana halted Fordham’s special season, as the Rams bowed out early in the NCAA Softball tournament.

After a legendary 17-year tenure in maroon and white, head coach Bridget Orchard departed for Villanova to pursue her dream job, having an unfamiliar empty space at Rose Hill.

Fordham wasted little time finding her successor in former mentee Melissa Inouye, who will be stepping into enormous shoes.

It’s not easy fulfilling a standard

RODERICK PEREZ/THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham Softball had many losses after last year, including star pitcher and infielder Paige Rauch, who left for Villanova.

Page 19

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham Baseball will have to replace some key pieces in the 2019 season.

on-base percentage of just .300, still provided value by hitting 10 doubles and finishing as one of four Rams with 20 or more steals (he had 21).

Leighton thinks junior third baseman Matt Tarabek could be in-line with a breakout season similar to that of Brian Goulard’s in 2018 (which Leighton predicted in this space last year). He hit .265/.324/.390 with 10 doubles, three triples and three home runs last season, but was streaky in terms of consistent performance. If he starts stringing together longer stretches of success, he could elevate to one of the top offensive weapons.

If Leighton and his staff can identify the right starting pitching pieces quickly, the rebuilt offense should be

able to provide them the support they need to build on last season’s regular season success. Things are looking legitimately optimistic at Houlihan Park for the first time in a while, and with good timing: the A-10 Championship will return to Fordham this season.

The Rams will kick off their season on Feb. 15 with a three-game series against perennial powerhouse Texas A&M University, with their first home games coming in a doubleheader against Iona College and Hofstra University on Friday, March 8 in the Fordham Round Robin. Their first A-10 matchup comes later that month on March 22 at home against St. Bonaventure University.

of excellence, but tapping a former Orchard assistant with six years of head coaching experience at Iona, including two MAAC Coach of the Year honors, was considered a home run.

“She has a true knowledge of the program and the university,” said Director of Athletics Dave Roach in his official statement.

“We look forward to working with Coach Inouye in the years to come.”

An extremely experienced group, highlighted by several players Inouye is familiar with, will aid the transition.

“I think our team has adjusted nicely to the new coaching staff.

They’ve made a significant effort to get to know us all on a personal level which I think has helped our team dynamic tremendously,” said Bright. “Coach Melissa and the rest of the staff give us the same level of energy, effort, communication, and commitment that they expect back from us and that’s pretty comforting as a player.”

The Rams lose Seniors Lauren Quense (.348 OBP, 4.75 ERA) and Madi Shaw (13 HR, .436 OBP) to graduation, Junior Skylar Johnston (.315, 14 HR) to N.C. State and, most notably, sophomore Paige Rauch (16 HR, 1.66 ERA), who followed Orchard to Villanova after an outstanding Atlantic Rookie of the Year campaign in 2018.

However, a vast majority of last year’s group returns, along with an impressive freshman core, including Cedar Grove, N.J. native infielder Sarah Taffet, a secondteam All-American in high school,

Bridgeport, Connecticut’s All-Area star outfielder Gigi Speer, Dumont, N.J. All-County selection pitcher Makenzie McGrath, and Hamilton, N.J.’s infielder Julia Martine, who raked to a .477 batting average over a four-year Hamilton West high school career.

“We are genuinely a family, even more so than last year. I would trust each and every one of these girls with my life, including the freshmen,” said Bright. “We spend all day at practice and workouts as a team and still want to get dinner and hang out in our free time together. I think that in order to be successful this year we’re going to need every single player to buy into the system and contribute to each game.”

Perhaps the most welcome sign is the return of senior FirstTeam All-Conference outfielder Chelsea Skrepenak, a-middleof-the-lineup force who slashed .331/.395/.548 with eight home runs last year.

2018 A-10 Championship Most Outstanding Player and SecondTeam All-Conference junior Madie Aughinbaugh will be back to anchor the pitching staff and fill Rauch’s void. She led the rotation with 157 innings logged in 2018, and completed 15 of the 26 games she started, along with eight shutouts, working to the tune of a 2.99 ERA. “There’s some talk of this being the year that the Rams finally break the streak and lose the throne, but that only fuels our fire more,” said Bright. “All of our players and coaches want to win and we’re going to do whatever we can to make that happen.”

SPORTS

Page 20

January 30, 2019

Beyond the Scoreboard: New Allegations Surround Referee

By ANDREW POSADAS

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

On Dec. 18, 2018, Buena Regional High School wrestler Andrew Johnson of New Jersey was given two options by referee Alan Maloney. Due to not having a legally-sanctioned cover for his dreadlocks, Johnson had to cut his dreadlocks shorter in order to wrestle or else he would face forfeiting the match.

He had 90 seconds to decide what to do.

The fact of the matter is: Johnson really did not have much of a choice.

Maloney’s officiating sparked nationwide outrage from those who believed his actions were racially charged, given that Johnson is biracial. Maloney was not without his group of supporters; fellow referees defended him from the beginning, arguing he had followed protocol in upholding the rules on hair length in wrestling.

Maybe the “just following rules” defense would hold water if this had been a first-time incident. However, new allegations have brought to light prior incidents involving Maloney. One in particular involves the referee in a very familiar and damning situ-

ation.

As first reported by NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, Maloney is indeed no stranger to quarrelsome circumstances. In 2012, while officiating a youth tournament, Maloney allegedly told a six-year-old wrestler that he could not compete due to his hair. The youth wrestler was also biracial, just like Andrew Johnson. Sound familiar?

New Jersey’s Division on Civil Rights recently received a witness declaration which delves deeper into the incident. A witness claims that Maloney told the six-year-old he could not wrestle because “hair doesn’t naturally look like that.”

Maloney had followed that up by remarking the young child had “stuff in his hair” in an attempt to validate his reasoning. In this instance, the boy’s parents were in attendance and tried to assure Maloney that their child’s hair was natural.

Regardless, Maloney didn’t budge on his ruling, refusing to believe the parents. It would finally take another referee, specifically a person of color, to intervene on behalf of the parents.

The other referee deemed the boy’s hair natural, allowing him to wrestle that day.

It did not end there. While Maloney was officiating the child’s second match of that day, the boy was put in what looked to be an illegal chokehold. Allegedly, Maloney waited multiple seconds before stopping the match. This prompted a verbal altercation between the boy’s coach and Maloney. This altercation ultimately ended in the dismissal of the coach from the gym.

The boy’s parents did not initially seek further action against Maloney until they heard of the Dec. 19 incident with Andrew Johnson. In the six years between these two incidents, Maloney had allegedly kicked an 11-yearold (also biracial) in 2014 at a tournament in Paulsboro, N.J. The young man’s mother, Jessica Castro, explained that her son accidentlally warmed up for his match on a mat that was already being used.

Castro says Maloney delivered a hard enough kick to her son that he was knocked off balance. Upon confronting Maloney, she, too, ended up getting ejected from the gym, exactly like the coach of the six-year-old two years earlier. It is not just coaches and parents who have had disputes with Maloney.

Two years ago, Maloney found

COURTESY OF N.J. ADVANCED MEDIA

Allegations from the past seem to have caught up with Alan Maloney.

himself in hot water when he allegedly said the N-word in front of other referees at a social function. Referee Preston Hamilton, who had witnessed the incident with Jessica Castro’s son, threw Maloney to the ground. Both referees were suspended a year for their part in the scrum but eventually appeals overturned their suspensions.

At the moment, Maloney is no longer being assigned to officiate wrestling meets in the Buena Regional School District. The superintendent of the district, David Cappuccio, is adamant that he will never officiate in the district ever again.

While that is good news, what remains confusing is how Alan Maloney was able to continue working as a referee for six more years after the initial 2012 incident. Nobody around him had raised any issues in that period until the incident involving Andrew Johnson. Even after he originally denied a six-year-old the opportunity to wrestle and even when he kicked Jessica Castro’s son off of a mat instead of politely asking him to move, Maloney kept his job.

Luckily, the power of social media helped shed light on one certainty following this story: Alan Maloney does not deserve to be a referee.

Men’s Tennis Opens Season Strong Against La Salle

By DYLAN BALSAMO

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Fordham Men’s Tennis is off to a good start in the spring portion of their season.

The Fordham men’s tennis squad got their spring season underway on Saturday in Harrison at Life Time Athletic against Philadelphia’s La Salle University and came out on top in a 5-2 victory.

The Rams came out of the gate strong by winning the doubles point by taking two of the three doubles matches. Those two victories were in the second doubles by junior Fabian Hansch Mauritzson and sophomore Lutwin de Macar over Connor Merrill and Rogelio Gonzalez, 7-6 (7-4) and third doubles by Allen Thornes

and Jofre Segarra defeating Aandrija and Colin Lucius 7-6 (7-3), both in tiebreakers.

After the win in a tight doubles round, Fordham took hold of the evening by claiming victory in four of the six singles matches, accounting for the rest of the five points they earned. It was sophomore Alex Makatsaria who opened up the singles with a Rams victory by beating Patrick Pascual 6-1, 6-0, and then Finn Kemper, who kept the good times rolling with a 6-0, 6-3 win, besting Nassim Fenjiro.

Green guaranteed a Fordham win for the night by beating Merrill 6-3, 6-2. After Mauritzson and

de Macar lost their matches (with Mourey 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 10-5 and with Gonzalez 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, respectively), Thornes ended the day on a high note, defeating Lucius 5-7, 6-4, 10-3.

Head coach Mike Sowter discussed the fact that it was clear this early season matchup would “be a great test” for this squad.

“They are a solid team,” he says, “and this will give us a better indication of where we stand and what we need to work on.”

The next step for these Rams: a Feb. 1 match at the CullmanHeyman Tennis Center in New Haven, Conn. against Fairfield University.

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SPORTS

January 30, 2019

Page 21

Squash Wins Four of Five in Hectic Weekend

By JIMMY SULLIVAN SPORTS EDITOR

Senior Justin Esposito says the key to the Fordham Squash season is resilience.

“We had to deal with some unexpected changes to the lineup, especially during the first half of the season, but several players have definitely stepped up to the challenge and played their best squash.”

This weekend, the Rams showcased that resilience, and the team is rounding into form at exactly the right time.

After last weekend’s cancellation due to weather, the Rams were back in action with a taxing triple-header on Saturday and a doubleheader on Sunday. Sahel Anwar’s squad took four of five matches on the weekend and improved to 16-5 in the team’s second-to-last tournament prior to the College Squash Association National Championships.

Believe it or not, the weekend started inauspiciously for the Rams as they dropped their first match on Saturday with a final score of 8-1 to Bucknell University. The lone

winner for the Rams was freshman Dylan Panichello, who took his match in five sets over Bucknell’s Maxwell Oliphant. Every other Ram lost his match in straight sets.

Following the match, the team made the long trip from the Bronx to Hamilton, New York for two matches with Colgate University and Hamilton College. That’s when things took a considerable turn for the better for the Rams.

Fordham dropped just four individual matches Saturday afternoon en route to two victories. First, the Rams vanquished Colgate 8-1 in a dominant performance. Not all of the individual matches were cakewalks, though; the best match was sophomore Tommy White’s victory in a five-set thriller over Colgate’s Dillon Howard. Fordham had a chance to sweep the Raiders, but Colgate’s Daniel Lucas pulled out the final individual matchup over Fordham freshman George Holiat.

By the end of Saturday, the Rams had won two of their three matches.

When Sunday rolled around, Fordham’s fortune continued.

The Rams took two more match-

es against Siena College and Bard University; these matches were played in Annendale-on-Hudson, New York, which was a more manageable drive of slightly under 100 miles up the Taconic. Fordham was tied after the first four individual matches with Bard, but the last five Ram players to take the courts took matters into their own hands and won all of their individual matches in straight sets. The win against Hamilton College was impressive, but it was also crucial for another reason.

“The win against Hamilton College was a big confidence boost, as they are ranked above us and beating them will affect how our team is seeded at Nationals,” Esposito said.

“I think the team is feeling very optimistic right now and energized for our last three weeks of training and matches before Nationals.

Despite these two matches being played at 10 a.m. and noon, respectively, Fordham seemed unaffected, and the team was even more dominant in the afternoon when they swept through Siena 7-0.

With the four wins, Fordham is

Student-Athlete Column: New Year’s Resolutions

Last year was a good year. I have a lot to be thankful for. I got into college, graduated high school, got my first job and became a part of the D-1 track program at Fordham University.

Around this time last year, I didn’t know which college I was going to, how I was going to get there or what I was going to do to pay for it. My goal last year was to go to a good college. I was so scared that I was going to have difficulty choosing where I wanted to go.

It was by chance that I got onto the track team at Fordham. Every day, I am thankful that I get to be a part of this team and I am thankful to be at Fordham in general.

When I hear the saying, “new year, new me,” I automatically groan. Every year everyone says this, and it has definitely lost its meaning. Why do people always say the same thing, but never change? It’s like our words today have lost meaning. We all believe that they have.

In making my “Yearly Goals” list, I was ready to take the full meaning of these words. I wanted to make changes this year, specifically when it came to my performances, both athletically and academically.

When I think about the amount of times that people have made the statement, “new year, new me,” I feel like it does not reflect how I’m trying to create a more successful year for me. the year 2019 is definitely a new year, but in terms of me, I am still the same, just a more improved version.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Fordham Squash won four straight matches after Saturday morning’s loss.

now 16-5 with two matches left on the season. The leaders for them have been Esposito and sophomore Justin Deckoff, who are both 16-5 this season. Both men have won nine of their last ten matches, and so has Fordham.

Sahel Anwar’s squad has two

Women’s Tennis Goes North

By GIGI SPEER

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Athletes are just like us, in many ways; trying to get better in the new year.

Right now, it begins with a change in diet and exercise patterns. Toward the end of last year, I was not satisfied with my performances and I wanted to get better.

I knew to do that, I would have to change a lot more than my mentality.

I have started looking for new ways to enhance my diet, so that I lose unnecessary weight and gain the lean muscle I need to be a successful sprinter. As all athletes, bodybuilders and trainers know, diet is a major performance enhancer. The food you eat is like gas in the car: you need to put in the right fuels in order for it to work.

When it comes to exercise patterns, I find myself looking for new ways to enhance my form and technique in sprinting. Because the short distances are so particular, I know that I am going to have to do some outside practices, as I need to find a new way to enhance my performance. This entails going out of my way to find a diet and exercise pattern that fits how I can be my best self.

For 2019, it is new year, new student; new year, new athlete; new year, new sister; new year, new friend. This year, I am going to be the best that I can be at everything I do.

matches left in the regular season.

Fordham will take on NYU at home on Feb. 9 and finish the season on the road against Wesleyan the next day.

The College Squash Championship is coming. Fordham looks ready.

The Fordham Women’s Tennis team took two trips north this weekend, playing at Yale on Friday and Harvard on Sunday to open up the spring season. After five fall tournaments at Stony Brook, Columbia, West Point, Yale and Harvard, the senior-dominated team was ready to get back in action this weekend, gearing up for conference play starting Feb. 15 against Seton Hall.

The fall saw dominance by sophomore Arina Taluyenko in both singles and doubles, ending October going 6-0 in her matches over the course of the three-day tournament at the Harvard Invitational.

To start off the spring, Yale swept all three doubles matches on Saturday, with Taluyenko and Tatiana Grigory an in first doubles, freshmen Nicole Li and Genevieve Quenville in second doubles, and seniors Alexis Zobeideh and Gianna Insogna in third doubles. Zobeideh and Insogna forced an extra game before falling 7-5.

In singles, Taluyenko lost 7-5 and

6-3 in first singles, junior Maia Balce fell 6-2 and 6-1 in second singles and Grigoryan was bested 6-0 and 6-2 in third singles. In fourth, fifth, and sixth singles respectively, Li lost 6-2 and 6-0, Quenville 7-6 and 6-3 and Insogna 6-0 and 6-3.

Travelling to Cambridge, the results were the same, with a 7-0 loss to Harvard.

Doubles play saw TaluyenkoGrigoryan being bested 6-3, Balce and Insogna losing 6-0, and bookends Zobeideh and Li winning 5-2 when the match was stopped.

For singles, Taluyenko won the first set 6-2, then Harvard’s Erica Oosterhout tied the match 6-3 in the second set, before beating Taluyenko 12-10 in the tiebreaker. Balce lost 6-4 and 6-3 in second singles, Grigoryan 6-1 and 6-3 in third singles and Quenville being bested 6-1 and 6-1 in fourth singles. In fifth and sixth singles, Li lost 6-0 and 6-3, while Insogna fell 6-1 and 6-2.

The Rams will look for redemption this Saturday, Feb. 2 against Quinnipiac University, hosting them at Life Time Athletic in Harrison, N.Y at 7:00 p.m.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Fordham Women’s Tennis started its season with matches against Yale and Harvard.

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Page 22

Women and Soccer on the Gaza Strip

By ANDREW POSADAS STAFF WRITER

If you’ve ever been to a soccer game in the States, you’ll find the spectators vary in race, age and gender. Men, women and children are all welcomed to watch the sport that is universally recognized as the most popular in our world today. You can sit wherever you want with whomever you want. This is something you shouldn’t take for granted, especially after news out of Gaza City surfaced that women were denied entry into a local soccer game this past Sunday.

The Gaza Strip is currently under the control of the Islamic terrorist group Hamas. According to The Times of Israel, activists were hopeful that women would be permitted to attend a soccer game for the first time since Hamas’s rule began. Instead, all women walking into the stadium gate were met by police. These authorities, under Hamas influence, notified the group of females that their orders were to prevent any woman from entering the stadium. Some women ended up leaving, disappointed in being turned away as a spectator. Others decided to stay and watch the game.

However, their view was obstructed for the whole match.

What was in their way? The chainlink fence that went around the entire stadium. Now, some may say that they’ve watched games from behind a fence before with no problem. To those people, I’d say: of course, you had no problem. You had no issue because at any point during the game, you could walk up to the gate and go inside to find a better seat. Imagine having to watch a soccer game behind a fence, not because you want to, but because you must.

One female turned away from viewing the match, Ayat Othman, told the AFP of the women’s intentions today attempting to attend Sunday’s game. “We came here to encourage the team and youths in Nuseirat and watch the game, but we were surprised by the presence of Hamas security

guards who closed the gates in our faces and did not allow us to go inside to cheer,” Othman said.

Up until today, only women and girls who were related to the players were allowed entry into soccer matches in Gaza. In an effort to improve public relations for sports in Nuseirat, the plan Sunday afternoon was to allow any and all Hamas women in the stadium to spectate. According to Farid Abu Yusuf, head of AlNuseirat’s soccer club, the team had hopes that women would attend and even prepared a separate section for female fans.

Even though female spectatorship was supported by one of the competing teams, it is still concerning to know that even if those women could have watched Sunday’s game, they would have had to be in their own area away from everyone else. Hamas interprets Islamic law to prohibit the fraternizing of males and females in public places, and strongly enforces this belief in the Gaza Strip.

It’s a shame to know that men and women can’t even socialize at the most basic events, namely sports matches.

In instances like these, the outcome of this game is irrelevant.

I don’t care who ended up winning the game. I don’t care if there were any highlight plays worthy of ESPN recognition. What matters is how behind certain parts of the world are with social issues.

Soccer is known as the biggest global sport in the world, something everyone enjoys. Together.

How can people come together if they are separated in something as simple as a game of soccer?

I leave you with this scenario: You’re going to a soccer game with your husband or wife and your two children: a son and daughter. You get to the stadium and as you make your way to the entrance, the security guard in front of you rips the ticket stubs, gives them back to you and proceeds to say, “The men are seated on this side. The women are seated on that side.”

The question now looms heavy: What do you do?

SPORTS

By JIMMY SULLIVAN

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Michigan State has been one of the most successful sports programs in the country over the past 20 years.

From three Big Ten championships in football to seven Final Four appearances in men’s basketball, the Spartans have become one of the most respected programs in college sports.

Over that same period of time, though, they willfully whitewashed the wrongdoings of multiple staff members and let a sexual predator roam their campus under the guise of “medical attention.” And that’s a little more important.

Yes, while the Spartans were cutting down the nets and going to major bowl games, their university engaged in a cover-up to protect university physician and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar from losing his job after he sexually assaulted at least 150 underage girls, including U.S. Gymnastics medalists Aly Raisman, Simone Biles and many, many others: The breadth of the individuals Nassar abused could fill the length of at least three of these Overtime articles.

Nassar was sentenced last week to 40 to 175 years in prison, and will likely never see life outside a prison facility ever again. Had it not been for the complaints of two American gymnasts in September 2016, Nassar would likely still be practicing medicine today. The Nassar trial has been exhausted thoroughly in the media, and the exploits of a predatory clown like him do not deserve to be rehashed here.

This is not just about Nassar. It’s about a larger pattern of injustice and lack of institutional control that has taken place at Michigan State over the past 20 years. Not coincidentally, the same amount of time that their stock has surged as one of the best programs in the country.

On Friday, ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” published a report stating that a former assistant basketball coach was allowed to stay at the school after punching a female student in the face at a bar in 2010. This report comes on the heels of the resignations of both the athletic director and the president of the university. There were other

January 31, 2019

cases as well; the questionable handling of a sexual abuse case involving two basketball players, the accusation of 16 football players committing sexual assault and, of course, the Nassar case.

And where was the NCAA in all of this? Well, all of these accusations say nothing of the fact that Mark Emmert was personally notified of the Nassar allegations all the way back in 2010.

In response to this, the NCAA – and this will absolutely shock you – did nothing. That may be a lesser-publicized aspect of this horrific story, but it’s true. While the natural inclination is to burn Emmert in effigy every time a controversial incident occurs involving the NCAA’s incompetence, the organization’s board of directors holds equal, if not more, culpability in allowing Nassar to continue his practice when they knew very well that his “practice” involved abusing literally hundreds of underage girls.

We live in a fascinating time in sports, culture and the world. The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have transformed Hollywood and alerted the world to an epidemic of sexual misconduct amongst actors, directors and other industry powers-that-be. Those movements have come to sports too and they even forced an NFL owner (the Panthers’ Jerry Richardson) to sell his team.

This reckoning is long overdue, and while sports has not seen as extensive of an impact from it, players, coaches and executives could learn a thing or two from it. One of the people who falls into that group is former Michigan State President Lou Anna K. Simon.

In her statement announcing her

resignation from the university over this mess, Simon said that “as tragedies are politicized, blame is inevitable.” With respect, ma’am, the people placing blame on you for this situation are absolutely right. While much time has been spent dissecting Nassar’s actions over the past 20 years or so, he had his fair share of enablers.

Those include Simon and recentlyresigned athletic director Mark Hollis, who oversaw Nassar’s predatory behavior and purported sexual misconduct by multiple members of the football and basketball programs.

And frankly, enough people have been accused of these crimes for anyone to figure out that this a troubling pattern of behavior and not an isolated incident involving just one or two Spartans athletes.

Larry Nassar is an abhorrent human being and deserves to be eviscerated for what he did as a “doctor”.

But let’s not forget about his enablers in this situation. This was the classic case of a difficult situation that should have required a very simple solution on the part of Michigan State’s administration and governing body. The move should have been to investigate Nassar and, when the hypothetical probe found his wrongdoing, to fire him. How difficult is that?

But Michigan State’s administrators continually stepped around this situation and others at the university.

Instead of holding those involved accountable for their actions, the school turned a blind eye to the matters at hand.

Last week, the law finally put Larry Nassar to justice. Now, the NCAA needs to do the same to Michigan State.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Former US Gymnastics and Michigan State doctor Larry Nassar is going to jail.

Varsity Calendar HOME AWAY

Follow us on Twitter at @theram_sports

Thursday Feb. 1

Friday Feb. 2

Saturday Feb. 3

Rhode Island 2 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

Quinnipiac 2 p.m.

Women’s Tennis

Track

Monmouth 6 p.m.

Siena 7 p.m.

Metropolitan Championships 1 p.m./10 a.m.

Monday Feb. 5

Tuesday Feb. 6

Wednesday Feb. 7

George Mason 12 p.m.

St. Louis 8 p.m.

Men’s Basketball

Men’s Tennis

Sunday Feb. 4

SPORTS

January 30, 2019

Andrew Becker An Elite Gathering - What’s Next for the Isles?

This week at the NHL’s all-star festivities in San Jose, Matt Barzal got to join an elite group of prospects in his sophomore season. To the pleasure of Isles fans, Barzal, the current star and future of the Islanders’ organization, was highlighted on the Metropolitan division’s top line, playing with the likes of Sidney Crosby and Chris Letang. A player like Barzal can really thrive under a three-on-three structure, with lots of time and space to move up the ice. He did exactly that Saturday evening, recording two goals and four assists in the Metro Division’s two games, including the championship victory over the Central Division.

Although the All-Star Game usually has a more lighthearted nature, Barzal’s performance was poetic justice for a fanbase in need of a new “all-star” after the departure of ex-captain John Tavares this offseason. Seeing his Atlantic division team get eliminated in the first round only for Barzal to secure the victory that night was icing on the cake for Isles fans.

The All-Star break, which is considered a breath of fresh air for most teams in the league, couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Islanders. At a time when teams take the opportunity to rest and heal before they falter, the Islanders were in the midst of a point streak worthy of considerable recognition from opposing teams.

With points in each of their last six games and a 15-3-1 record over their last 19, the hot streak would now take a back seat. The team is in the midst of a nine-day resting period, which combines the league-wide All-Star break and the league-mandated team bye week (every team must have one during the course if the season).

That’s a lot of time to cool off, and the Islanders, with crucial games down the stretch, will have to keep the fire ignited as they get back into action Friday night against the league’s best Tampa Bay Lightning (76 points) at the Coliseum.

In their prior meeting just over two weeks ago in Brooklyn, the Isles dumbfounded the Lightning, scoring three goals in the game’s first five minutes of the game and earning a decisive 5-1 win.

It will now be an exciting duel between the two first-place teams in the East, which is a sentence that still comes as a shock to most fans due to its unexpectedness.

The following day they play the slumping Los Angeles Kings, also at home in Nassau.

There is a lot of hockey to be played in such a short time period, and the Isles have plenty of games left to grind out if they still wish to contend for a top playoff spot by season’s end. They’re just hoping the success that comes with the fire can stick. Time will tell where the Islanders stand moving forward, especially as the trade deadline approaches.

As we look ahead to the trade deadline, the team, with new management guided by Lou Lamoriello, will not be afraid to make a move if it is the right one to bolster the roster for the long-term and not just the short-term. But one thing is for sure: the Islanders will be busy down the season’s home stretch.

Page 23

Varsity Scores & Stats Men’s Basketball Dayton 75 Fordham

52 (FOR) Honor: 10 PTS (4-18 FG), 4 AST

Women’s Track John Thomas Terrier Classic (Individual Results Only) (FOR) Moroz: 500m - 1:14.93 - 7th

La Salle 73 Fordham 71 (FOR) Portley: 22 PTS (6-15 FG), 7 REB

Men’s Track John Thomas Terrier Classic (Individual Results Only) (FOR) Benn: 500m - 1:05.90 - 10th

Women’s Basketball Fordham

56 Rhode Island 38 (FOR) Cavanaugh: 21 PTS (6-14 FG), 4 AST

Squash Bucknell Fordham

8 1

Fordham Colgate

8 1

Fordham Hamilton

6 3

Fordham Bard

Fordham Siena

7 2

Davidson 60 Fordham

56 (FOR) Goulding: 16 PTS (6-10 FG), 3 AST Men’s Tennis La Salle Fordham (FOR) Green: 6-3, 6-2

2 5

Men’s Swimming & Diving Fordham 150 Iona 144 (FOR) Bollesen: 50 Freestyle - 21.34 - 1st 100 Freestyle - 47.78 - 1st Women’s Swimming & Diving

7 0

Fordham 199 Iona 85 (FOR) McNary: 100 Freestyle - 53.14 - 1st 200 Freestyle - 1:53.54 - 1st (FOR) Ortof: 1M - 225.00 - 1st 3M - 229.80 - 1st Women’s Tennis Fordham 0 Harvard 7 (FOR) Taluyenko: 6-2, 3-6, 10-12

Athletes of the Week Griffin Fitzgerald

Natalie Ortof

Sophomore

Freshman

Squash

Swimming & Diving Ortof dove her way to two wins during a weekend in Iona, helping Women’s Swimming & Diving win by 117 points. Ortof won the 1M (225.00) and the 3M (229.80), allowing her to sweep the diving events.

The Squash team had a 4-1 weekend, and nobody contributed more to that than Fitzgerald. On Sunday alone he had two wins, one of them coming against Siena’s top player. He also had a win on Saturday against Colgate.

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

News & Notes • Former Ram’s Greek Success Former Fordham Women’s Basketball stand-

• Swimming & Diving Dominate

Both the Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving teams went on the road blew Iona out of the water this weekend. The men, winning 150-144, saw Bryce Bolleson win both the 50 and 100 freestyle events and join Travis Monahan, A.J. Frakes and Auston Ramsay for a win in the 200 fresstyle relay. The women won 199-85 and had Caitlin McNary and Natalie Ortof both win their own pairs of individual events.

out G’mrice Davis is having her moment in the sun - in Greece! This week saw Davis claim her fourth Player of the Week Award as a member of Kalyvion in the Greek A1 Basketball League. She made her case for the honors this week in Kalyvion’s win over Esperides on Sunday, scoring 27 points and bringing home 24 rebounds.

• Busy Weekend for Squash

The Rams Squash squad was on the road for the majority of the weekend, playing five games between Saturday and Sunday, and making up for last week’s snow cancellation with a whopping three games on Saturday. Starting at home with an 8-1 loss to Bucknell, Fordham turned it around for the remainder of the weekend, winning games against Colgate and Hamilton on Saturday and against Bard and Siena on Sunday. The force was led by Griffin Fitzgerald, who had two wins on Sunday, including one against Siena’s top player. The Rams are now 16-5 on the year and play their home finale againsyt NYU on Saturday Feb. 9.

• Women’s Track Medley Win

When the Rams Women’s Track team kicked off their weekend at the Terrier Classic, they found the most success in the 4x800m relay, with the team of Sydney Snow, Kate McCormack, Aidan Moroz and Laurel Fisher coming in first with a time of 9:13.34. Moroz additionally finished seventh in the 500m, and McCormack, Fisher and Snow all ran in the 1,000m, finishing 13th, 16th and 17th, respectively.

– Compiled by Dylan Balsamo

Chris Hennessy All-Star Break Review & Predictions The All-Star Break is upon us in the NHL and, considering I was not writing for the Ram at the beginning of the season, I figured I’d get on the record with my trophy and playoff predictions for the rest of the season. Here’s who I think will win the major trophies, each division and the conference championships come season’s end.

HART: Nikita Kucherov - Tampa Bay Lightning - The best player on a great team, and arguably one of the top five players in the world right now. Kucherov should have won the Hart over Taylor Hall last year, but he will get his justice this year following another remarkable season.

VEZNIA: Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets - This one could go a lot of different ways, but Hellebuyck has proven over the last two seasons that he is one of the top goaltenders in the league and will get that recognition. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Pekka Rinne have put up good season, as usual, but Hellebuyck will walk away with the hardware.

CALDER: Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks - It’s not even close. Number one pick Rasmus Dahlin will get some votes but Pettersson will win if he stays healthy.

Pettersson and Brock Boeser, who finished second in the Calder race last year, provide a good base for the Canucks’ rebuild moving forward.

NORRIS: Erik Karlson, San Jose Sharks - He has been the league’s top defenseman for the last four to five years and only has two Norris’ to show for it. Justice will be served big time this year.

JACK ADAMS: Barry Trotz, New York Islanders - Nothing can describe how different the Islanders look compared to last year. This year, the accountability and discipline that Trotz has implemented have worked wonders and have the Isles in first place.

Division Winners Metropolitan: Washington Capitals - The defending champs will figure it out coming out of the All-Star Break. They went into the break on a seven-game losing streak which will not last much longer, just like the first place New York Islanders.

Atlantic: Tampa Bay Lightning - It won’t be very close either. Toronto is a good team, but Tampa has played at just a different level this season. They will also win the President’s Trophy for most standings points in the regular season.

Central: Winnipeg Jets - In case you couldn’t tell from my trophy picks, I like the Jets a lot. Hellebuyck and Laine will get hot, and the stellar supporting cast will carry them to the top of the Western Conference at the end of the regular season.

Pacific: Calgary Flames - They won’t stay as hot as they are now, but the Flames will win the division over the Sharks, which no one predicted at the beginning of the season. They are a fun team to watch and will be for years to come.

Western Conference Final: Winnipeg over San Jose in six games Eastern Conference Final: Tampa Bay over Pittsburgh in seven games Stanley Cup: Winnipeg over Tampa in 6 games

SPORTS

Page 24

January 30, 2019

The Fordham Ram Men’s Basketball Woes Continue in Home Loss to Dayton, 75-52

By Andrew Posadas ASST SPORTS EDITOR

Fordham Men’s Basketball welcomed the University of Dayton this past Saturday afternoon in hopes of finally earning its first conference win of the year. Having experienced three straight losses each decided by one possession, the Rams seemed due for a much needed-win. Unfortunately, that win would not come into fruition as the Flyers earned a convincing road victory against Fordham, 75-52.

The Rams held a three-point lead seven minutes into the first half before the Flyers decided to shift into another gear. A 14-0 Dayton run in five minutes behind two three-pointers from forward Frankie Policelli gave the Flyers a double-digit lead, 20-9. Fordham battled back valiantly in the first half, eventually cutting Dayton’s lead to six with under two minutes remaining.

Just like clockwork, Fordham’s positive momentum was met by a sudden Dayton run. The Flyers ended the first half on a 7-0 run, essentially taking the air out of the Rams and its fans at Rose Hill Gym. Dayton took a 33-20 lead at the break and never looked back.

Dayton’s forwards Josh Cunningham and Obi Toppin both had their way against Fordham’s big men on Saturday. Cunningham nearly had a double-double

Men’s Basketball struggled to score against the Flyers defense in their double-digit loss to Dayton. in the first half, scoring 10 points and grabbing nine rebounds to set the tone. Toppin took advantage in the second half, leading all scorers with 13 points. Their dominance in the paint led to 46 Dayton rebounds, the most by a Fordham opponent this season.

Fordham saw itself down by as many as 31 points in the second half. Offensively, the Rams have yet to find a consistent rhythm since conference play began earlier this month. Scoring 20 points in the first half is a season low for the Rams. Freshman

guard Nick Honor and Junior guard Antwon Portley scored 10 points each, yet neither shot particularly well from the court.

As a team, the Rams took tough shot after tough shot, finishing an abysmal 25 percent from the court. Head coach Jeff Neubauer used the word “helpless” when describing Saturday’s game. Neubauer said postgame, “You feel helpless, not only as a player out there where you’re really struggling to score and you can’t stop the other team, but as a coach as well.”

The final score was never in doubt. The Flyers were in cruise control in the second half and won decisively on the road, 7552. The Rams’ free fall continues with Saturday’s loss, extending its current losing streak to eight. Now, Fordham remains the only winless team in the Atlantic 10 conference at 0-7.

Ironically, Fordham’s record now stands at 9-11. The team’s struggles this last month certainly warrant the basketball equivalent of a 9-1-1 call. The Rams are in desperate need of help to jump-

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

start an offense, which frankly, appears lost much of the time.

However, Coach Neubauer is still optimistic about his team’s mindset moving forward. Neubauer was adamant post-game that his players are still buying in. “It’s hard to differentiate in the locker room which guy is more bought in, ’cause they really are trying their tails off.”

The Rams’ journey for theirfirst conference win continues this evening at 7 p.m. as Fordham goes on the road to take on George Washington University.

Women’s Basketball Dumps URI, Loses Close to Davidson

By JACK MCLOONE

SPORTS EDITOR EMERITUS

Fordham Women’s Basketball had seemingly ironed out at least some of their issues against the University of Rhode Island in their 56-38 road win on Thursday, but followed up with a crushing late loss to Davidson, 60-56. Fordham is now 13-8, but just 4-3 in Atlantic 10 play, putting them at sixth in the conference.

The win over URI was a trademark Stephanie Gaitley defensive game. The Fordham Rams’ head coach preaches defense over everything, and her team snapped its two-game losing streak by holding URI to under 40 points for the first time this season. A main reason for their success was forcing URI to turn the ball over 18 times (to Fordham’s 11) and holding their opponent under 31 percent from the field, including not a single made three.

However, URI is currently 11th in the A-10 (yes, that doesn’t make sense, move along). In fact, of Fordham’s four conference wins, only one team is outside the bottom half of the league — George Washington, who sit just above the Rams at fifth. Including their loss on Sunday, all three of the Rams’ dropped conference games came against the top three teams in the A-10.

Following their victory over Fordham, the Wildcats of Davidson are now second in the conference. However, it did not look like the game would end up the way it did over the first three quarters.

MACKENZIE CRANNA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Women’s Basketball split their last two games, giving it a 4-3 record in the Atlantic 10.

The Ram defense dominated the opening quarter, holding Davidson to just seven points, including just one basket over the final seven minutes of the first. Meanwhile, the Rams were able to follow Gaitley’s game plan, turning defense into offense by putting up 16 of their own.

Half of those points were scored by senior forward Mary Goulding, who ended up tying her seasonhigh of 16 points for the third time. She also pulled in a careerhigh 15 rebounds.

While the Rams pushed the lead to as much as 15 in the second quarter — on a layup from sophomore guard Zara Jillings — the Wildcats clawed their way back to

end the half down just six.

Fordham has struggled from three as of late, with the 26.5-percent performance from three against URI — on 34 attempts — a high over the previous three games. However, it got worse, starting with the Rams not making a single three in the entire first half, going 0-7. The problem is confounding Gaitley, who has not been able to nail down one clear culprit.

With 2:33 left in the third quarter, a Ram finally connected from deep. Fittingly, it was senior Lauren Holden, a typically lethal three-point shooter who has been off for pretty much the entire season. She went 1-5 from three in

this game.

At the end of the quarter, Fordham was still clinging to a fivepoint lead.

With 6:37 to go in the fourth quarter, Davidson tied the game for the first time. About a minute later, they sunk a layup to go up two, the Wildcats’ first lead.

Goulding hit two free throws to tie it back up at 60, but another Davidson bucket gave the Wildcats the lead for good.

“I think our defense let up, and when Davidson was able to score, their run and jump gave us problems and took us out of our rhythm,” said Gaitley.

Just like the Rams kept the Wildcats from scoring over the fi-

nal seven minutes of the first quarter, Davidson prevented Fordham from making a single field goal for six minutes in the fourth quarter.

However, the defense was mostly standing tall, so when sophomore guard Bre Cavanaugh hit a jumper with just over two minutes left, the Rams were still down just five. The Rams couldn’t force a clutch turnover late, so threes from freshman forward Kaitlyn Downey and sophomore guard Kendell Heremaia — the Rams’ second and third made threes of the game — were all for naught.

If it is any solace to the Rams — which it most certainly won’t be for a team that is light on the “moral victory” talk — the quality of loss, at least when it came to defense, was better than their other two A-10 losses.

While Gaitley is struggling to figure out why the Rams are struggling from three, she knows why they are struggling as a whole: not playing full games.

“Right now we are playing well in stretches, and then we have mental lapses,” she said. “You can’t beat the top teams with lapses.”

The Rams will get another chance to pick on the bottom half of the conference on Thursday, Jan. 31, when they travel to take on La Salle at 7 p.m. But then they will have to turn around and take on the fourth-best team in the A-10, Duquesne, at home on Sunday, Feb. 3 at noon.