Issue 2 volume 100

The Fordham Ram Volume 100, Issue 2

Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 FordhamRam.com

January 31, 2018

Senate Votes on Merit

By AISLINN KEELY NEWS EDITOR

MORGAN OUTLER FOR THE FORDHAM RAM

Students enjoy food at the Fordham Dance Marathon Promotional Dinner, the first fundraiser of the semester.

FDM Sets Goal of $100,000

By JOERGEN OSTENSEN ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Four celebratory plaques span the walls of the Residence Hall Association (RHA) office, each showcasing the annual funds raised by Fordham Dance Marathon (FDM). The first reads $30,059 in 2014, and across the wall there is a steady growth to last year’s donated total of $91,869.75. This year, FDM hopes to add a fifth plaque that

tracks over a $100,000 donated.

The money raised by FDM benefits pediatric cancer research and is donated directly to affected families in conjunction with the Andrew McDonough B+ (Be Positive) Foundation, according to Claire Polacheck, the Executive Director of FDM and the Executive Vice President of RHA. On Thursday, FDM hosted their first event of the semester – a promotional dinner and live performance by Satin Dolls that was

free for students who sent out ten emails to people they knew asking for donations.

Polacheck said that it is one of the group’s most effective fundraisers.

“We don’t get anything from the students themselves, but it really spreads awareness and [provides] big outreach into the community,” she said.

FDM’s first ever event took place in O’Keefe Commons and SEE FDM, PAGE 6

Debate over the pool of funds for faculty salary and benefits continued into 2018 with a recently approved motion by the Faculty Senate. After a faculty referendum, discussion and Senate vote, a motion has been passed that will consequently decrease the sum allocated to merit.

The Faculty Senate, which represents the entire faculty on such issues as salary and benefits, approved an across-the-board salary increase for the 2018-2019 academic year of 0.2 percent above the 2017 consumer price index (CPI), with the remainder of the funds allocated to merit increments, according to Action Minutes of the Jan. 26 Senate meeting.

The faculty had held a referendum in December on whether or not to keep merit pay. Merit pay is additional compensation received by certain faculty selected by their department for exceptional performance. At Friday’s meeting, the Salary and Benefits Committee recommended keeping merit pay for 2018-19.

According to the Bureau of Labor SEE MERIT, PAGE 3

Wertz Serves As LC Dean

By AISLINN KEELY NEWS EDITOR

Frederick J. Wertz, Ph.D., professor of psychology, will serve as acting dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) this semester. Rev. Robert R. Grimes, S.J., will take a leave of absence due to a “personal matter,” according to Bob Howe, director of communications for the university. Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university and Stephen Freedman, provost of the university, announced the decision in a university-wide email on Jan. 29.

In an email comment to The Fordham Ram, Grimes said he has not had a fellowship in his 20-year tenure, although most tenured faculty are eligible for a fellowship about every five years. He also said now is a good time for him to address recent foot problems that have made walking difficult.

McShane and Freedman made the decision to appoint Wertz, according to Howe. They discussed the transition with others.

Grimes is the college’s longest

SEE DEAN, PAGE 3

KEVIN STOLTENBORG/THE FORDHAM RAM

Panelists at Know Your Rights forum, pictured above, discussed challenges facing immigrants.

Immigration Discussed at Know Your Rights

By JASMIN BOYCE

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Students and community members discussed current New York City immigration laws and immigrant rights at an open “Know Your Rights” forum on Monday night, sponsored by Fordham’s Bronx African American History

Project.

The forum, held in the Campbell Hall multipurpose room, featured representatives from organizations heavily involved in fighting for immigrant rights, including Bronx Defenders, the International Refugee Assistance Project, the CLEAR Project and the Office of the

Mayor’s Center for Faith and Community Partnership.

The event comes at a time of frequent raids conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as the Trump administration has put greater focus on illegal immigration. Describing the fear of deportation or of losing SEE RIGHTS, PAGE 6

CDO Takes Office

By HANNAH GONZALEZ ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

After his hiring this fall, Rafael Zapata has officially assumed his role as Fordham’s first Chief Diversity Officer, Special Assistant to the President for Diversity and Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. In the next year of his involvement at Fordham, his goals include building a support team, as well as gaining an understanding of the community’s priorities and perspectives in regard to diversity.

In an interview with The Fordham Ram, Zapata stressed the importance of working alongside faculty, students and administration to reach the goals of diversity and inclusion laid out in the President’s Task Force.

“If I fail to articulate that this is a shared endeavor, then I would have failed, because that is not the work of a true diversity officer,” said Zapata.

In response to queries about the purpose of the position and its role in comparison to other positions such as offices of multicultural affairs, the National Association of Diversity Officers released a list of Standards of Professional Practice for Chief Diversity Officers in October 2014.

Zapata said the purpose of the position is to foster diversity in all aspects of the university.

“Frankly, our job is to work ourselves out of a job. To do the work so that it becomes embedded in the culture, in the policies and the practice of the institution,” he said.

In order to promote the goal of diversity at Fordham, within the next three months Zapata aims to hire a staff to assist with the management and outreach demands of the position. In the meantime, he has been in frequent meetings with members of the Fordham community to gain an understanding of the unique challenges at this institution.

SEE CDO, PAGE 5

in this issue

Opinion

Page 7 “Congrats Democrats, You Played Yourself”

Sports

Page 18

Spring Preview

Culture Page 14 The Ram Culture Crossword

NEWS

Page 2

PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS Jan. 23 O'Hare Hall 2 p.m.

A student reported that articles of clothing were removed from a washing machine in O’Hare Hall.

The student alleged that the theft occurred on Jan. 15 between 3:30 and 7:00 p.m. The NYPD was not contacted. The alleged theft is under investigation by Public Safety.

Jan. 24 Terra Nova House 5 p.m.

There was a smoke condition that activated a fire alarm at Terra Nova House caused by cooking.

The FDNY responded to the scene and the building was ventilated, allowing for the residents to return. There was no damage and no one was injured.

Jan. 25 Dealy Hall 2 p.m.

A student reported that a backpack was taken from Dealy Hall.

Public Safety responded to the location and contacted custodial services. The bag was found in Dealy by a student and returned later that day.

Jan. 26 Tennis Courts 4 p.m.

A Fordham prep student reported that he left his backpack on a bench opposite the cemetery by the tennis courts. The possible theft is under investigation. The NYPD was not contacted.

Jan. 27 Arthur Avenue 7 p.m.

Two students reported that they were followed by two males in dark clothing from the 7-Eleven on Fordham Road. The students called Public Safety, who responded to the scene and gave the students a ride to an undissclosed location. Public Safety canvassed the area with negative results. The incident is not under investigation.

- Compiled by Joergen Ostensen

January 31, 2018

Money Matters

Fordham Indirectly Invests In Fossil Fuels CIO Eric Wood Says Not Divesting

By JAKE SHORE STAFF WRITER

While New York City took steps earlier this month to divest the city’s $5 billion pension from fossil fuel companies, some of Fordham University’s endowment fund still remains indirectly invested in fossil fuel producing companies.

Fordham’s endowment, an investment fund of approximately $750 million made up of gifts from donors to the university, has no direct holdings in fossil fuel companies, according to Chief Investment Officer Eric Wood. Wood, who manages the fund alongside a number of other board members, said Fordham’s indirect involvement with fossil fuels, however, makes up “no more than five percent” of the total fund.

Fordham’s indirect investments in fossil fuels come from its involvements in “commingled pools” where the university’s endowment money is part of a shared fund with other institutions, according to Wood. He said that while it is easy for an institution to announce an end to direct investments to fossil fuels, a full and actual divestment is much more costly because of those pools.

“I could say that today, ‘We are divesting from all, we will not invest in any [coal, fossil fuels] from our direct investments . . . it’s a bit of a PR game that a lot of people are playing,” said Wood.

Divestment is the practice of decreasing or selling off assets in a certain area. The decision to decrease holdings of a type of asset may be made for a variety of reasons, including ethical, political and financial reasons.

The movement among universities to divest from fossil fuels began in 2011 with Swarthmore College. It has since spread to institutions like the University of California system, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Maryland and others, causing them to pledge some form of endowment divestment. Even private universities like Georgetown and Syracuse have announced narrower divestments in the last three years.

Formed in 2015, Fossil Free

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

An advocate for Fossil Free, pictured above, advocates for the divestment of Fordham's endowment from fossil fuels.

Fordham is a group that has been pushing for the university to completely divest its endowment money, direct holdings and commingled funds from oil, gas and coal companies. Sarah Morrison, FCRH ’19, runs Fordham’s chapter of the Fossil Free campaign, which was organized through the Sustainability Committee of United Student Government (USG).

The campaign has 194 signatures on an online petition to Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university.

“We need to find a way to bring us towards a more sustainable future. More than anything, I think I want to be able to take pride in the university I attend, and I would be overcome with joy if we could be one of the leaders by divesting from fossil fuels,” said Morrison.

Morrison said the campaign aims to first have Fordham divest from coal companies, one of the “weakest” fossil fuel sources. As an industry, coal has been struggling because of new renewable

sources of energy and a dwindling amount of coal worldwide. But even if coal is a slam-dunk for universities looking to divest, scholarship suggests it is not likely that most universities will divest or believe in the benefits of doing so.

In a study on the financial impacts of university divestments from fossil fuel companies, professor Hendrik Bessembinder of Arizona State University found that while university administrators usually sympathize with students pushing for divestment, the costly nature of divesting outweighs the potential benefits.

“Even if only a small portion of a [university endowment’s] assets are invested in fossil fuel companies, the entire fund must be sold (and some new set of assets purchased to replace it) in order to divest. This can dramatically increase the share of a university’s portfolio that has to be turned over to fulfill a fossil fuel divestment pledge,” wrote Bessembinder.

Eric Wood touted Fordham’s “positive-impact” investments from its endowment. As mandated by the mission statement of the endowment, five percent of the total $750 million is required to go towards projects and companies with a positive impact. Wood said this year Fordham is considering investing in a firm that operates in wind and solar power in Europe.

However, Morrison is skeptical that remaining invested in fossil fuels meshes with the Jesuit mission of the university.

“There is no way that five percent of our endowment going towards positive things offsets the negative consequences of investing in fossil fuels, which are companies that are directly accelerating climate change and impacting impoverished communities across the United States,” said Morrison.

Wood said Fordham will be conducting a review this year on its indirect holdings in fossil fuel companies.

This Week at Fordham Thursday Feb. 1 Speak Your Truth

Friday Feb. 2 What Does It Mean to be Black at Fordham

Saturday Feb. 3

Sunday Feb. 4

FET: Baptism by Fire

Battle of Pamplona Dodgeball Game

Sunday Feb. 4 CAB/IT Super Bowl Party

Keating First 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.

McGinley 237 6 p.m. - 8 pm

The Blackbox Theatre 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Lombardi Squash Courts 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.

McGinley Ballroom 6 p.m. -11 p.m

Commuting Students Association will host its first ever open mic night in Keating First at 5 p.m. Food and refreshments will be available to all who want to listen or share poetry, music and comedic talent.

ASILI will host a panel on the experience of being black at Fordham. Faculty, student and alumni will discuss race, culture and issues faced by black members of the Fordham community.

Fordham Stand Up and Free Pizza Sketch Comedy are hosting their first show of the semester this Friday and Saturday. Join them in celebrating the induction of their newest members. Admission is free.

Kick off Ignatian Week 2018 with an afternoon dodgeball game against the Jesuits of Fordham, hosted by Campus Ministry. Come to support or play. Pre-registration is encouraged online.

Fordham IT and CAB are co-sponsoring the 2nd Annual IT Superbowl Party. Head to the McGinley Ballroom early to get a good view of the Eagles v. Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

NEWS

January 31, 2018

Page 3

Gabelli Fosters Sustainable Businesses

KEVIN STOLTENBORG/THE FORDHAM RAM

Gabelli has offerings on cultivating sustainable business.

By JOE ESPOSITO FEATURES EDITOR

Last year, members of the Fordham community sat down for strategic planning to discuss future goals and current strengths of the Gabelli School of Business (GSB). Attendees agreed with Donna Rapaccioli, dean of the Gabelli School of Business, who said that Fordham’s commitment to social innovation sets the college apart from others.

“Sustainability is an important element of social innovation; it involves the understanding that processes that respect people and the environment are our best bet for long-term success,” said Rapaccioli.

Fordham University is an Ashoka U campus, a title given to 45 universities in the world deemed changemakers. Fordham received the title

in recognition of its dedication to social innovation and sustainability.

According to Rapaccioli, no major rankings address social innovation or sustainability directly. While this is the case, students are still committed to these issues.

“Right now, none of the major rankings addresses social innovation or sustainability directly, but that may change as these principles become more valued and prioritized by prospective students,” said Rapaccioli.

Max Lynch, GSB ’19, a student who works closely with Fordham’s Social Innovation Collaboratory, said that while traditional aspects of academics factored into rankings are important, pursuits in these other areas have proven meaningful.

According to Professor Michael Pirson, the interim area chair of

leading people and organizations at Gabelli and a scholar in humanistic management, we are using more resources than the planet has at its disposal every year.

“We must shift our approach to organizing and creating impact,” he said.

Students are choosing to tackle these issues in many ways, according to Pirson. Some go to graduate school to take advantage of the programs that Fordham has to offer in these fields of study. These programs and courses equip students with the tools to finding solutions these problems, according to Pirson.

“These students are learning how to problem solve and use design thinking to come up with solutions for these wicked problems that are not linear in nature,” he said.

GSB’S curriculum gives students the opportunity to pursue these fields inside the classroom. Classes have been specifically created to allow for this, such as How to Change the World, which focuses on social innovation.

Freshmen are able to integrate themes of sustainability into their business-plan project, a component of the mandatory Ground Floor course. Sophomores interested in learning how these ideas are relevant in the business world can choose to have their business core curriculum specifically geared toward these themes as well.

A concentration in social innova-

tions or a minor in sustainable business is also available to students, and the latter is open to both GSB and Fordham College.

Students at Fordham are also able to pursue these fields of study outside the classrooms at Fordham as well. This is done largely through the Social Innovations Collaboratory, a group on campus that works toward creating change. Through the Collaboratory, members of the Fordham community come together to identify problems and come up with possible solutions.

The Collaboratory is a network which brings together people from all disciplines, according to Carey Weiss, director of Sustainability Initiatives. A non-credit practica in which the group worked with BMW executives was among the offerings.

It has since been turned into a fourcredit consulting class due to the success of the project.

During the practica, students worked to find ways to increase sales of the BMW i3, an electric vehicle. The executives and Fordham students were able to find success through the various disciplines of the group, according to Weiss. “Combining different backgrounds and areas of study together allowed for meaningful work,” said Weiss.

Lynch was one of the students who took advantage of this course.

“My work in the course, as well as with the Collaboratory, has allowed me to pursue activities that are close

to my values,” he said.

For Lynch, the outdoors had always been one of his greatest passions. “Working toward creating social and environmental change on campus has allowed for personal growth, and I have always looked for that,” said Lynch.

Some students use their education in sustainability and socially-conscious business in careers that allow them to continue being change-makers. Many students are choosing to work for companies that value these principles, such as Tesla and Unilever, according to Pirson. Some even start their own companies, like Olivia Greenspan, FCRH ’19. Greenspan co-founded Today’s Industrial Living Landscapes (TILL), a company that works toward regenerating brownfields, sites that are potentially contaminated due to former industrial use.

“Climate change is both the obstacle and opportunity of our time.

Failing to find a complex array of solutions that work holistically together is simply not an option,” said Greenspan.

TILL is one such solution for our built world and the economies we choose to grow within it, according to Greenspan.

Through the work that students are doing, especially through the Collaboratory, Jesuit values are coming to life, according to Weiss. “Growing and making change, that is our goal,” she said.

Senate Approves Motion Merit Pay To Decrease FROM MERIT, PAGE 1

COURTESY OF FORDHAM

Dr. Wertz, pictured above, took up the position of Dean of Lincoln Center.

Dean Appointed FROM DEAN, PAGE 1

serving dean. He took up the post in 1997.

Wertz will assume all responsibilities of the office, according to Howe.

McShane and Freedman said Dr. Wertz is qualified for the position, commenting on his awards and administrative experience.

“In addition to his teaching and research, Dr. Wertz has held numerous administrative positions,” said McShane and Freedman.

Wertz said he agreed to take up the position until June, and that his role will be reexamined then. Wertz said he received the call to be acting dean of Fordham College Lincoln Center on Thursday, the day before the university-wide announcement.

Although Wertz said he planned on working on research and a publication this semester, he’s looking forward to his work as dean of Fordham College Lincoln Center.

“This will turn my life around completely, but I have not had any

regrets about accepting the position, because this is my chance to give back to Fordham,” said Wertz.

Wertz has served as interim chair of the Department of Computer and Information Sciences, from 20142015; interim chair of the Department of Communication and Media Studies, 2011-2013; chair of the Department of Psychology, from 20022008; and Associate Dean, Fordham College at Lincoln Center, according to McShane and Freedman.

Wertz received tenure at Fordham in 1988, three years after his arrival at the university and six years after earning his doctorate at Duquesne University.

“Dr. Wertz brings long experience and a steady hand to the dean’s office,” said McShane and Freedman in the email.

Wertz said this is a new yet exciting role for him to take on.

“This is a position like none I ever had,” said Wertz. “I feel like I have to rise to the occasion and give it everything I have.”

Statistics for Metropolitan NYC, the CPI for the calendar year of 2017 is 2.1 percent. As the across-the-board salary raise will now be 0.2 percent above CPI, or 2.3 percent, the remaining funds available for merit compensation will be insufficient to pay the established full merit amount and will require a decrease in merit awards for those faculty who receive it this year.

The Senate passed this motion with a vote of 14 - 0 - 4 after voting against a motion from the Faculty Salary and Benefits Committee. The committee had passed a motion that Salary and Benefits form a subcommittee for the long-term study of merit, according to the Action Minutes. The Salary and Benefit’s motion further advised that the merit allocation should remain its full amount and be distributed in the manner set down in the 2017 contract until the recommended study was completed.

This Senate voted down the motion 6 - 9 - 3. The Senate is not bound to follow the motions of the Salary and Benefits Committee, which are recommendations, and has voted against them in the past, according to Professor Andrew H. Clark, chair of the committee.

“On Friday, the Senate chose not to follow the Salary and Benefits Committee’s recommendation;” said Clark. “Rather, they modified merit, as has been done a few times in year’s past, in order to provide a small level of purchasing power (raise above inflation) to all of the faculty.”

Across-the-board increases indicate an increase in purchasing power

for all faculty.

Within the conversation surrounding merit, the Faculty Salary and Benefits Committee of the Faculty Senate argued the pool of funds allocated by the administration for faculty use would not account for the usual customary increase in purchasing power and the allocation of merit during conversations last semester.

Departments allocate merit to its tenure and tenure-track faculty based on its own measures, such as engaging in research or publication.

These measures and their weight in the allocation of merit vary across departments.

In response to the December 2017 faculty referendum on merit pay, surveying faculty views on the issue, Clark said there were differing interpretations of the referendum.

“The interpretations of the referendum differed significantly both in the committee and among the fac-

ulty more widely,” said Clark.

Some felt the vote confirmed that a majority of faculty wanted the process surrounding merit to remain in the same form, according to Clark.

Others felt the vote demonstrated that faculty desired a change in merit policies, such as modifying the amount to account for the current inflation rate or eliminating merit entirely. There was also a contingent that felt the results of the referendum required a ranking of responses in order to analyze the results.

These differing views led to the committee’s recommendation for further research into merit, according to Clark.

The motion ultimately passed by the Senate reflects a majority view, according to Clark. “As you can see from the Salary and Benefits Committee vote, the majority believed that merit should remained unchanged although there were some dissenting voices,” he said.

ANDREA GARCIATHE FORDHAM RAM

Faculty Senate represents the facutly on issues such as salary and benefits.

NEWS

Page 4

January 31, 2018

Research Spotlight

USG Column

Dr. Smith Studies Protein Structure

By ERIN SHANAHAN

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF EMERITUS

In spring 2014, Paul Smith, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry, got a phone call regarding a mysterious protein referred to as E4orf1. Most properties of the protein were unknown at the time he got the call. However, currently, Smith’s team is making headway towards learning more about the biomolecule.

Specifically, Smith is looking to create a high-resolution x-ray crystal structure of the protein as well as detail some of the protein’s biophysical characteristics.

This task has proven to be very difficult, especially considering molecules are invisible to the naked eye.

The scientific community became interested in this protein after the Rafii lab in Howard Hughes Medical Institute observed the effects of expressing a single adenovirus gene on endothelial cells. The lab found that the protein E4orf1 may allow for the better growth of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (or PECs).

PECs act as a laboratory model system. These PECs are used for the study of the function and pathology of endothelial cells.

Prior to this finding regarding E4orf1, PECs were problematic for multiple reasons.

First, the creation of PECs require many growth factors, specific serums, and other complicated cellular extracts, such as cow brains. These growth agents are problematic because the human immune system will reject

Photo of the Week:

Special Election

By SARAH HUFFMAN COLUMNIST

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Dr. Paul Smith’s research builds upon research from the Rafii lab in Howard Hughes Medical Institute (pictured above).

them. Therefore, this growing concoction is not useful for humans. In addition, growing PECs in this way creates immortal cell lines, which look more like cancer cells than healthy human PECs found in the body. Finally, these PECs are tricky to grow.

However, the Rafii lab in Howard Hughes Medical Institute found that PEC’s expressing the E4orf1 protein can be grown in serum. In other words, the E4orf1 protein nullifies the nasty cow-

brain growing concoction issue with PEC’s.

In addition, the Rafii lab found that PEC’s expressing the E4orf1 protein can display “normal” angiogenic properties. In other words, PEC’s expressing the E4orf1 protein does not create immortal cell lines, but instead creates cells that display normal cell growth and death.

Although the Rafii lab had found some interesting information about the E4orf1 protein in

KEVIN STOLTENBORG/THE FORDHAM

A MetroNorth train travels down the track, possibly to the Fordham Road stop at 417 East Fordham Road. Students use the transit system to make their way downtown.

relation to PEC’s, much about the protein remains unknown.

Specifically, back in spring 2014 no lab had established purification of the protein’s structure. In addition, the enzymatic properties were unknown. Finally, structure and function relationships, or mutations of the protein, were also unknown.

This is where Smith and his team of research assistants at Fordham came into play.

Smith received a phone call regarding this protein and its unknown structure and was asked to research its molecular properties. Specifically, his lab is looking to create a high-resolution x-ray crystal structure. Collateral goals include finding functional and biophysical characteristics.

Smith’s lab was the first to express and purify many milligrams of E4orf1. This proliferation of pure E4of1 was essential in order to run further tests on the protein.

Although Smith has not created a high-resolution x-ray crystal structure yet, his lab is still very hopeful.

“Crystallization is a pretty frustrating and time-consuming,” Smith said. “It involves mixing highly concentrated protein with a cocktail of chemicals that alter ionic strength, osmolarity, and pH so as to promote gentile precipitation into a lattice. It’s not uncommon for thousands of trials to be necessary.”

To help with the process, Smith has programed a robot to do the majority of the concocting. Currently over 5,000 trials have been done, but still no crystal.

Besides working on crystallization, Smith’s lab has run several other tests on the protein as well.

Most recently, the lab found that E4 has very strong aggravating properties.

In other words, when the protein reacts in a specific chemical reaction, it gives off a very strong, cement-like discharge.

“I’ve never seen a protein precipitate so strongly. I would sell it for glue if I could,” he joked.

This past Thursday, United Student Government (USG) held special elections for the positions of Senator GSB 2019, Senator FCRH 2020, Senator FCRH 2021 and Vice President of Finance. There were nine candidates in total that ran for the various slots, including two for 2019, two for 2020, three for 2021 and two for VP of Finance.

Kaylee Wong, GSB ’20, was elected Vice President of Finance.

Wong served as a member of the finance committee this past semester. She said that in her new role she hopes to create a way for clubs to find other sources of funding outside of USG budget allocation.

Wong said she plans to work with club leaders through the budget process.

“I’m really excited to work with all the club leaders and try and make this somewhat confusing process more clear to them and to help them through and make sure that we can continue doing great programming at Fordham,” she said.

Wong filled the seat of previous VP of Finance, Elizabeth Crennan, FCRH ’18. Crennan served on the budget committee since her freshman year before leaving the position this year. She said she will help facilitate the transition.

Morgan Menzzasalma, GSB ’19, was elected to the GSB 2019 position. Menzzasalma said she hopes to ues her experience on other activities on campus to bring various perspectives to USG. “After winning I felt really excited for the new connections I will be able to create this semester.

The United Student Government is filled with such passionate, kind people, and I cannot wait to work beside them to better the Fordham community,” said Menzzasalma.

During her time on USG, Menzzasalma said she plans to support current leadership retreats and create more outlets to support leadership development, as well as increase visibility of the Senate and collect students concerns.

Matt Schumacher, FCRH ’20, was elected Senator for FCRH 2020. Schumacher said that he ran because he has always wanted to be a part of a body that governs and makes a difference at Fordham.

Schumacher said he has four very distinct goals he would like to focus on during his time on the Senate. They include increasing vegetarian dining options, increasing internship opportunities for History/Education majors, shortening waiting times at the post office and reserving space for studying and activities.

The position of Senator FCRH 2021 was filled by Carsyn Fisher, FCRH ’21. Fisher said she plans to focus on making activities more accessible to commuters and building an altogether more cohesive student body, as well as working on diversity at Fordham.

NEWS

January 31, 2018

Page 5

Fordham’s First CDO Takes On New Position FROM CDO, PAGE 1

“I need to learn this place from the people who are already here,” Zapata said. “I think it would be premature for me to implement the things I did at Providence or Swarthmore to Fordham, because they may not apply.”

His long-term goal, as laid out by the Diversity Task Force, is to establish a standing committee on diversity and inclusion.

“The challenges seem to be clear, and laid out both by the Task Force and by the president’s response, so we have, in the near term, a serious to do list,” said Zapata. “The question is how do we do it together?”

Zapata has nearly 20 years of experience working to promote diversity on college campuses.

Prior to being hired at Fordham, he was the first chief diversity officer at Providence College. He has also worked at Swarthmore College and New York University (NYU). There, he was an assistant director of the office now known as the Center for Multicultural Education and Programs, overseeing programs for academic support, leadership development and social justice education.

His work, he said, has always centered on fostering environments in which all students can be successful.

“How do you affirm the identities of people who don’t always

see themselves, whose identities may not always be as immediately understood, whether they be first generation college students, LGBTQ, students of color? How do you help them navigate successfully these institutions that aren’t always as easy to navigate?” said Zapata. “That’s always been my work. ” Roderick Perez, GSB ’20, president of the Fordham University Philippine-American Club (FUPAC), expressed his disappointment in the current lack of attention given to students of diverse backgrounds.

“I hope to see the new Chief Diversity Officer strive to empower the presence of these students with diverse backgrounds on campus. Their issues are generally not given as much attention as they should, which sometimes can to feelings of discomfort and isolation on campus,” he said.

Zapata, a New York native, expressed a desire to form new connections with the communities surrounding both Rose Hill and Lincoln Center, as well as draw upon existing connections forged in his time at NYU and his childhood roots near the Lincoln Center campus.

“I’ve always tried to connect my work in higher education with local communities,” said Zapata.

“You build those relationships and you pull that community in

when there are strategic and relevant opportunities for mutual benefit. It’s one of the more exciting aspects of my job.”

Zapata said he was happy with the current direction of the Ford-

ham community in matters of diversity, and he encouraged students to continue to stay engaged.

“There’s a lot of momentum, not just among the high level administration, but among the students

and the faculty that I’ve spoken with. So that gave me a sense already that there’s a shared responsibility,” said Zapata. “That’s what really convinced me that this was a good place to be.”

Chief Diversity Officer Rafael Zapata, pictured above, took up his post at Fordham this January.

COURTESY OF RAFAEL ZAPATA

Media with a Mission

Master of Arts in

Public Media

Fordham’s one-year, full-time master’s program in public media combines academic inquiry with hands-on experience.

• Choose between two tracks: Multiplatform Journalism or Strategic Communication • Develop multimedia production expertise in graphics, audio/video editing, and web/mobile design • Take advantage of internships and courses at WFUV, WNET, other media outlets, and public-interest and advocacy organizations

Evening courses available at Lincoln Center and Rose Hill.

Visit fordham.edu/pmma to learn more.

NEWS

Page 6

January 31, 2018

FDM Expands Goals For Fifth Anniversary FROM FDM, PAGE 1

was mostly attended by people involved with RHA, according to Polacheck. “It’s this tiny room, it’s kinda dingy. There weren’t a lot of people there who didn’t have to be there working it,” she said.

Since then, the group has grown to become an integral part of campus, according to Haley Hauge the operations coordinator for FDM. “[FDM] is such a common thing that you come across now.

People are more comfortable donating to it. They know that it’s a good cause,” she said.

The group has also started to spread its message beyond the

gates of Fordham.

In past years, the cost of catering was taken out of the total amount raised. However, the catering for this year’s Promotional Dinner was donated by Arthur Avenue restaurants. Emilia’s, Mario’s, Gino’s Pastry Shop, Joe’s Deli and Burger Lodge all donated food, according to Polacheck.

Hauge said it was not difficult to get local businesses to donate because FDM has gained notoriety.

“Now that FDM is becoming a bigger name and is more ingrained on the campus culture, of course that stems into the off-campus culture. [Local businesses] are famil-

iar with the name,” she said.

Hauge said that there is also an effort to have a sandwich named after FDM at Rams Deli.

This would help foster a constant presence for the group even when it is not putting on events, according to Hauge.

Hauge said this kind of outreach is consistent with the ideals of Fordham. “It does connect, in a sense to the Jesuit values and ideas of community that Fordham struggles at times to proceed with.”

Over the course of their five years, FDM has also attempted to expand beyond only raising

MORGAN OUTLER FOR THE FORDHAM RAM

Organizers of Fordham Dance Marathon’s Promotional Dinner sit in McGinley second to check in students.

money. “You want to do more than just fundraising. People can throw money at anything, but that’s not solving any problems necessarily,” said Hauge.

To accomplish that goal they have expanded their Hero Program, in which members directly visit local kids affected by cancer.

They now have five heroes, kids with cancer, with whom they have a relationship.

“Being there to interact with the kids, help the parents take a moment off to breathe, giving the kids something exciting and different. It’s all very important and makes a really big impact,” said Hauge.

Prior to the founding of FDM, RHA had a philanthropic committee that focused on a different issue every year. One of the efforts was relief for Hurricane Katrina.

Five years ago, RHA did a succulent sale in Martyrs Court in conjunction with Be Positive, which began the two groups’ relationship, according to Polacheck.

Polacheck said the event led to the creation of FDM as a sustained effort for one cause.

“It’s definitely a charity that you don’t want to do a one-off fundraiser with,” she said. “Once you get to know the cause and having the relationship with heroes definitely encourages a year-long effort.”

Polacheck said this year’s promotional dinner was a success, with 120 people in attendance.

The group has have raised over

$3,500 already, with more money expected to come in from email requests.

Patrick Sawyer, FCRH ’21, enthusiastically attended the event because of the cause.

“My grandmother was personally affected by cancer and so the issue is close to home. [Pediatric cancer] is so tragic,” said Sawyer.

“You have so many years left, and to be diagnosed with cancer, it just feels like something is being stolen away from you.”

While he was at the event, a member of his family emailed him saying he was donating $100.

“Without this event that $100 that wouldn’t have been donated to the cause,” he said.

Other students said they liked that the event brought people together for a worthwhile cause.

“Everyone kind of comes together for this. It’s just nice to see.” said William Kingsbery, FCRH ’18.

Thomas Dang, FCRH ’20, expressed a similar sentiment, citing how divided Fordham can be.

“It’s something special when a community, especially at Fordham, can come together and we can fight for the same goal,” he said.

FDM has several more events planned this semester. Polacheck said she hopes the success of the promotional dinner will continue.

“It started the ball rolling for fundraising this year, and I’m excited to see what the upcoming events bring,” she said.

Panelists Discuss Illegal Immigration FROM RIGHTS, PAGE 1

loved ones experienced by illegal immigrants in New York City, Bronx Defenders staff attorney Sarah Borsody explained a major tactic commonly utilized by the government agency.

“High ranking ICE officials have stated themselves that people should be afraid, and sort of selling this kind of climate of fear,” said Borsody. “The fact is that just because you are an immigrant or you weren’t born here doesn’t necessarily mean that you can be arrested by ICE.” Commonly, ICE seeks out immigrants through targeted surveillance, workplace raids, court house arrests and home raids, according to the panelists. In the event that ICE arrives at a person’s doorstep, CLEAR Project Staff Attorney, Naz Ahmed, provided three “golden rules” to follow.

“One, don’t open the door. Ask for a warrant. Two, repeat some variation of ‘I don’t feel comfortable answering any questions without an attorney present.’

Three, if for whatever reason they manage to get into your home, keep repeating ‘I do not consent to this search’. These are very important for legal reasons,” said Ahmed.

Immigrants also face hardship during international travels, according to representatives from the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP). Countries presently affected by the refugee ban and travel ban are Chad, Iran, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia,

Venezuela and North Korea.

Close to a year ago, protests erupted at JFK along with other airports throughout the nation surrounding the issues of detaining immigrants who were entering the country. Mariko Hirose, IRAP’s Litigation Director, recounted the project’s experience challenging these bans in the court system.

She said two of IRAP’s clients were detained while coming to the United States on special immigrant visas after working with the US military for years. Hirose said IRAP was active in challenging the ban.

“We got very involved in the challenge to the Muslim ban, and we worked with our advocates to file a lawsuit overnight,” said Hirose. “The day after the executive order came down, we went into court, sued and got the first order that stopped the deportations under the executive order. Since then, we’ve been involved in challenging every version of the Muslim ban.”

The project’s paralegal Casey Smith discussed IRAP’s advice for its clients when travelling internationally and navigating inspections by airport officials. Tips ranged from providing family with your itinerary before travel to knowing your right to water, food, medicine and a translator during secondary inspection. When interacting with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, Smith urged all parties involved to be respectful.

“During all interactions, CBP

officers must treat you with respect and courtesy, and so we recommend that if anyone treats you with disrespect you note their names and file some sort of report after the fact,” said Smith.

Jonathan Soto, executive director from the Center for Faith and Community Partnership, urged the crowd to have a unified approach moving forward.

“We are seeing our activists jailed throughout the country;

we are seeing our freedom fighters put at risk of deportation, and you all here are really going to shape the future of activism and engagement,” said Soto.

Mark Naison, Ph.D., professor of History and African American Studies and event sponsor said this event was an important one to host at Fordham.

“All these contacts and numbers are resources which we can spread around,” said Naison.

“This is just the beginning of our resistance, at this university in the Bronx, in the city and around the country. I’ve been here and I can smell it.”

The event was formed in collaboration with the Muslim Social Justice Initiative and Bronx Educators Unite for Justice. This forum was not the first hosted by the collaborators, and event organizers said that they hope to host similar events in the future.

KEVIN STOLTENBORG/THE FORDHAM RAM

Panelists used their legal expertise to discuss the travel ban among other topics at the Know Your Rights Event.

January 31, 2018

OPINION

Page 7

The Fordham Ram

Congrats Democrats, You Played Yourself

By JACK McCLATCHY STAFF WRITER

This week, we found yet another example of how the Democratic Party is all talk when it comes to actually playing the opposition party.

First, it was rolling over and confirming almost all of President Donald Trump’s cabinet appointments.

Then, it was voting for an increase in military spending and renewing of the FISA Act that grants the NSA and Justice Department broad surveillance powers on foreigners that, all too occasionally, have American citizens surveilled.

Now, it is reopening the government on a “promise” to discuss protections for DACA recipients from Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who we all know is a beacon of honesty in Washington.

A deal was struck after Democrats pressured Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to relent after rightwing media assigned blame to the Democrats for the shutdown and as #Schumershutdown was trending on Twitter.

This is just another example of Democrats having no backbone when they need it the most. A government shutdown has now become a game of chicken, and the Democratic leadership in the Senate blinked almost immediately.

Schumer points to the handshake agreement he got from McConnell as a win for Democrats, but that is all it is: a handshake agreement. Even

if, defying all odds, a comprehensive immigration bill with protections for DACA recipients passed in the Senate, it is dead on arrival in the hardline House of Representatives.

Again, if that bill miraculously passes through the House (note we’re stepping into a universe in which hardline Republicans suddenly sign on to comprehensive immigration reform), Trump says he will not sign it unless it had provisions for a border wall, which is a line Schumer said he would not cross.

In the end, what did Democrats get? A handshake agreement with no guarantee of passing the Senate and a bill almost guaranteed to be dead on arrival in the House.

To the Democrats’ credit, Schumer’s refusal to trade protections for DACA recipients for the farce that is the border wall (remember when Mexico was supposed to pay for it?) is a backbone that is needed from an opposition party.

Senate Democrats also were not united in voting to reopen the government, as Senators such as Kamala Harris (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) voted against the continuing resolution. Now, whether they voted against it because they truly believe in protecting DACA recipients, or to posture for their eventual 2020 runs, both remain to be seen but it is a bit of a silver lining.

The consequences of the deal

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The government shutdown that transpired this past week has resulted in a weakened position for the Democrats.

with Senate Republicans isn’t just a mistake in the strictly political sense.

This deal has helped to deflate hopes of progressives that the Democrats would stand firm in their opposition to the Trump Administration; this loss of hope is not what the party needs right now.

It remains to be seen how badly this deal can hurt Democrats’ chance at retaking the House, the Senate, or any number of state offices around the country in November.

Current polling of the generic ballot, or whether Americans are more likely to vote for a generic Democrat or Republican to Congress, has the Democrats about seven points ahead, according to Fivethirtyeight, which averages out different polls of

the ballot.

The conventional wisdom right now is that the Democrats stand at the precipice of a “blue wave”, where Democrats would have sweeping victories in November thanks to an energized Democratic base and a complacent Republican base.

This has credence in recent elections in Virginia, New Jersey and Alabama, but this deal could jeopardize the scale of Democrats’ victories if the base is unsure if the Democrats will actually stand against Trump in Congress.

Eyes are most importantly on the House of Representatives; if the Mueller investigation into the potential Russian interference in the 2016 elections has incriminating evidence

against the Trump administration, the House will vote for impeachment. Those chances are substantially lower if Democrats fail to take the House.

There’s a lot riding on how Democrats carry themselves in the next few months. They need to be incredibly careful in picking their battles, and this past week was one time they should have fought. Instead they relented.

If Democrats fail to win big at a time when the conventional wisdom has them winning big, it wouldn’t be the first time in recent history, and I for one would not be surprised.

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

The Language of Abdicating Responsibility

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The lives lost and permanently changed in the Marshall County cannot be in vain.

By SEAN FRANKLIN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Mass shootings are an unfortunate everyday occurrence in America.

This week, yet another mass shooting (at a high school, no less) occurred in Marshall County, Kentucky. Two students were killed, and 12 others were injured. Five remain in critical condition. For most other developed countries, this would be an unimaginably outrageous act of violence; yet here in America, it barely registered.

The news cycle churned on, with stories about the government shutdown and the president’s newest nonsensical statements taking up the top spots.

Mass shootings have become so common in America that they are not even newsworthy anymore.

So many of these shootings come

and go that a script has developed for dealing with them when they happen.

Consider this statement from Republican Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin: “This is a tremendous tragedy and speaks to the heartbreak present in our communities. It is unbelievable that this would happen in a small, close-knit community like Marshall County. As there is still much unknown, I encourage people to love on each other [sic] at this time. Do not speculate, but come alongside each other in support and allow the facts to come out.”

Or this tweet from congressman James Comer (R-KY 1), who represents Marshall County: “My thoughts and prayers go out to the students & faculty at Marshall County High School where there has

been a tragic school shooting.”

I want to draw your attention to the language that these Republican politicians use to describe this event. They refer to it as a “tragedy.” Not an attack, not a crime or an act of violence, but a “tragedy.” This is the kind of language that politicians usually reserve for things like natural disasters: events that are truly unpreventable. They imply, through their language, that nothing could have been done about this. That these things are just going to happen. We must send our “thoughts and prayers” and “come alongside each other in support.”

Obviously, thoughts and prayers are powerful tools for healing, and the people of Marshall County could certainly use those right now. But thoughts and prayers are not all we

can offer them. We can offer them a solution.

Let me be very clear – mass shootings are preventable. Politicians such as Matt Bevin like to imply that they are not, but they are. And the only reason that they still happen in America is that Republican lawmakers are dead-set on never, ever instituting any kind of gun control policies. More guns lead to more gun violence, and the U.S. has more guns than any other country in the world.

We don’t even need a sweeping ban on all guns. We simply need to regulate them. We could institute universal background checks. We could ban those under 12 years old from buying guns (that may have prevented this week’s attack). We could end legal immunity for gun companies, or require that they produce guns with safety measures such as fingerprint scanners. If someone steals my iPhone, they can not use it; yet, the same is not true for guns.

None of these measures would prevent responsible, law-abiding citizens from owning and using guns. Yet Republican politicians, amazingly, refuse to support even the most basic of gun control measures.

Some may argue that gun control will never work in America because guns are so deeply ingrained in our culture. But this claim doesn’t hold water. Australia had the same kind of gun culture before 1995, when a deadly mass shooting shook the country and prompted legislators to institute gun control measures. There have been 62 mass shootings in the

United States since 1996. In Australia, there have been zero. We can even look within our own borders to see examples of gun control working. In 2007, Missouri repealed its licensing requirements. There, gun homicides rose by 25 percent. The states with the lowest rates of gun violence are, tellingly, also the ones with the lowest amounts of guns. Gun control has worked and can work here – to imply that it will not is to willfully ignore reality.

The only reason, therefore, that gun violence continues to take so many lives in America is because of political inaction. Thousands upon thousands of preventable deaths happen every year in this country for no other reason than the fact that Republican lawmakers refuse to address the issue. The next time a mass shooting happens, I want you to pay very close attention to what the politicians are saying. They are not proposing solutions and they are not introducing legislation that would limit access to guns. They are simply couching their statements in the language of tragedy.

Politicians are quick to offer “thoughts and prayers,” but slow to offer solutions. We deserve better.

We deserve more than hand-wringing and resigned, fatalistic statements about how tragic these deaths are.

The cycle of violence can be ended, and we should do everything in our power to end it.

Sean Franklin, FCRH ’21, is an urban studies major from Alexandria, Virginia.

OPINION

Page 8

R

Serving the Fordham University campus and community since 1918 The Fordham Ram is the university journal of record. The mission of The Fordham Ram is to provide a forum for the free and open exchange of ideas in service to the community and to act as a student advocate. The Fordham Ram is published and distributed free of charge every Wednesday during the academic year to the Rose Hill, Lincoln Center and Westchester campuses with a readership of 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 Theresa Schliep Managing Editor Taylor Shaw Business Director James Haranzo Operations Director Jack McLoone Editorial and Multimedia Director Bailey Hosfelt Copy Chief Lindsay Grippo Assistant Copy Chief Colette Nolan Assistant Business Director Daniel Coleman News Editor Aislinn Keely Assistant News Editors Erica Scalise Hannah Gonzalez Joergen Ostensen Features Editors Helen Stevenson Joeseph Esposito Opinion Editors Briana Scalia Christopher Canadeo Culture Editors Isha Khawaja Ryan Di Corpo Sports Editor Jack McLoone Assistant Sports Editors Emmanuel Berbari Jimmy Sullivan Multimedia Producers Charlie Maisano Tom Terzulli Digital Producers Kristen Egan Erin Clewell Photo Editors Julia Comerford Kevin Stoltenborg Faculty Advisor Beth Knobel Editorial Page Policy The Fordham Ram ’s editorial and ramblings topics are selected on a weekly basis and reflect the editorial board’s view on a campus issue.

Opinions Policy The Fordham Ram appreciates submissions to fordhamramopinions@ gmail.com. Commentaries are printed on a space available basis. The Fordham Ram reserves the right to reject any submission for any reason, without notice. Submissions become the exclusive property of The Fordham Ram .

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

Janurary 31, 2018

From the Desk | Briana Scalia

Time To Talk Impeachment During the Watergate era, the clear majority of Americans were not in favor of impeaching former President Nixon until August of 1974—the very month he resigned. In comparison, 64 percent of Americans opposed the impeachment of former President Clinton. The most recent poll from the Wall Street Journal says that about 40 percent of Americans want to start the impeachment process for President Trump.

However, in each separate case, citizens of the president’s opposing party were the main contributors to those petitioning for impeachment. Rather than associating the notion of impeachment with the committing of crimes, people use impeachment as a way to express their disapproval of the president’s actions.

This brand of confusion is not only tolerated but exploited by the very government officials we are told to put our trust in. Citizens struggle to express their demands due to their misinterpretation of the inner workings of our government. As of late, the topic of impeachment is the latest in a series of antiquated governmental processes–more antiquated than one might assume.

According to the National Constitution Center, the concept of impeachment was created not by America’s founding fathers but by the English Parliament in the early 1300s. During the Constitutional Convention, Alexander Hamilton proposed that the American government should base its impeachment process off Parliament’s origi-

nal process. This meant abiding by the tradition of legislature handling the trials, now known as the House of Representatives and the Senate.

However, this exact form of impeachment was deemed obsolete

by Parliament not long after this decision. In 1999, the Joint Committee on Parliamentary Privilege Report affirmed that “the circumstances in which impeachment has taken place are now so remote from the present that the procedure may be considered obsolete.” So while our ancestors in Great Britain modernized their system, the United States government continued its death grip on not just a confusing, but an outdated process.

I repeat the word “process” because that’s what impeachment is: a process. Many people are not aware that if a president is impeached, that does not necessarily mean they will be removed from office. Instead, Congress can only commence the process if enough lawmakers decide that the sitting president has committed treason, perjury or other high crimes. From there, the operation can truly begin.

The New York Times details the course implemented by our founding fathers. The president can officially be impeached only if the majority of the House of Representatives determines they are guilty on at least one charge. The proceedings are than handled by the Senate, which plays the role of jury in the president’s trial. If at least two-thirds of the Senate determine the president is guilty, he is officially removed from office. A com-

plex, obsolete system that is built to serve the government rather than the people it represents.

There are no standard rules for these trials. Before the trial proceeds, the Senate (a legislative body comprised of politicians) decides on the rules for each case. Former Representative Bob Barr served as House manager during the trial of President Clinton. He states that “The rules adopted by the Senate in the Clinton trial — including limiting the number of witnesses and the length of depositions — made it harder to prove a case compared with trials in federal court.” Over three quarters of Republican senators voted guilty while Democratic senators unanimously declared his innocence.

Anyone with experience in the political world (or any fan of “House of Cards”) recognizes that an overwhelming number of politicians are fueled by their own ulterior motives. Unfortunately, justice does not always prevail over those with hidden agendas. Therefore entrusting the task of terminating a president to the legislative branch is nothing short of naive.

If the current president’s political party holds the majority of the Senate, there is simply no point in even holding the trial. No matter the crime, neither political party can provide a completely unbiased ruling concerning a president either denying or enforcing their legislature.

It is not difficult to understand why our impeachment process was built to mimic another country’s. At the time of America’s founding, the

average person was not prepared to handle a responsibility as daunting as voting for a representative.

Running a successful democracy with illiterate, uneducated citizens would have been near impossible without the safeguards implemented, giving final say to our appointed government officials. But we do not live in that time anymore. Citizens today are able to vocalize what they want from the government.

There are several alternatives to having the Senate vote on a president’s innocence. Personally, I agree with the system James Madison proposed, which would have tasked the Supreme Court with the authority of removing a president from office. But no matter which alternative is offered, the current system must be changed, sooner rather than later. The United States government has surpassed its label of old-fashioned, achieving the status of archaic. The American public has aged out of its developing phase and does not need to be held by the hand. That which chooses not to evolve will inevitably perish.

Editorial | Fordham Research

Research Positions Are Worth Pursuing Ask a fellow Ram about his or her involvement this semester, and you may hear the following response: “I’m doing research with my professor.”

That answer – equal parts impressive and intriguing – often elicits even more questions from the person on the receiving end.

Perhaps a simple “how can I get involved” stands at the forefront of follow-up inquiries.

Given that Fordham held its research reception earlier today, inviting its students and faculty members to engage in an “academia social,” the editorial staff at The Fordham Ram would like to take this opportunity to underscore the importance of promoting and prioritizing research at our university.

We cannot achieve a higher status at Fordham, whether statistically represented in our collegiate ranking or otherwise, without encouraging on-campus research across the board.

When considering how well a university marks, research continues to play a crucial role. According to the U.S. News’ article explaining the methodology behind its 2018 ranking system, financial resources account for 10 percent of an institution’s final score – research being among this group.

With a higher ranking, universi-

ties can receive newfound advantages – increased recognition and respect being two prominent examples.

In this regard, encouraging research at Fordham is beneficial to both the university as whole and the thousands of students in attendance.

Should Fordham move up in ranking, more prospective students will be interested in attending the university. Similarly, the degrees of students who are graduating will have more of an impact in the post-collegiate world.

It is imperative that students pay attention as well as seek to participate in research. This cannot occur without faculty members making a concerted effort to publicize research opportunities in a capacity that will reach an inclusive range of students.

Students majoring in STEM are more likely to be aware of and pursue opportunities within their respective departments. However, those pursuing degrees in other areas may not know of research openings related to their academic specialty.

The flyer distributed to undergraduates marketing today’s research reception regarded faculty research from departments such as biology, linguistics, econom-

ics, psychology and computer science.

While it impossible to post an exhaustive list of opportunities all in one place, it is important for professors who are from departments not traditionally associated as being research-heavy to publicize positions when they become available.

With an extensive amount of core requirements, every Fordham student is capable of applying his or her interdisciplinary knowledge to research efforts, regardless of whether it is within his or her primary area of study or not.

Fordham prides itself on promoting diversity among its faculty and student body. This should certainly extend to research efforts.

Currently, there are numerous efforts to encourage research at Fordham. The university sponsors events throughout the academic year ranging from research roundtables to speaker series. Students have the opportunity to apply for undergraduate travel and research grants.

The Calder Center offers summer research opportunities. The Fordham University Research Journal (FURJ) accepts submissions in various formats ranging from articles and communication to book reviews and photo essays.

Maura B. Mast, Ph.D., dean of Fordham College Rose Hill engages with undergraduates at Town Hall meetings where students can raise any concerns they have regarding the university’s function. Last October’s event was sponsored by United Student Government; Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives Rachel Annunziato – an administrative resource for those interested in research – was also in attendance.

Fordham News regularly spotlights faculty members who are involved with groundbreaking research. Digital Humanities at Fordham preserves collaborative research efforts that faculty and staff are currently pursuing, such as the Bronx African American History Project.

Fordham encourages professors to share their research-based writing with their students to showcase the work they do outside of the classroom. Academic research is not conducted without a reason.

At their core, researchers strive to share their educational findings with a vast audience.

We must continue to foster an environment at Fordham that spotlights academic advancement executed by our own. And ultimately, this is a shared responsibility that falls on faculty members and students alike.

OPINION

January 31, 2018

Page 9

Fake News Awards Far From Newsworthy

By LEONARD CHIANG CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump bestowed “Fake News Awards” on an altogether predictable set of honorees. After all, the current occupant of the Oval Office has been trumpeting nominations in early-morning tweets all throughout the first year of his presidency. The Republican Party would have you know that the announcement remained a “highly-anticipated” event, especially after the reveal was delayed two days.

To be clear, combating fake news is an important task in concept, for the consequences of misinformation can be anything but trivial; history suggests political tensions can reach flashpoint with a dizzying quickness. In the years before the turn of the 20th century, an upstart United States asserted its place on the global stage with a rapid naval modernization. When under mysterious circumstances, the battleship Maine sank in Havana Harbor, the waters of an ailing Spanish Empire, the New York World and New York Journal, known for irre-

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The first year of the fake news awards were far less eventful and impactful than President Trump assured they would be.

sponsible and salacious reporting, raced to the bottom. Skipping the fact-finding, they accused Spanish agents of blowing up the vessel and, in the same breath, called for war.

(For the record, experts concur today that the cause was likely an accidental detonation of onboard ammunition.)

The days of yellow journalism have long passed, but it should not be surprising that Trump feels

under siege. The actions of his administration are studied with a granularity that verges on petty. Consider, for instance, how media outlets suddenly become anatomists when breaking down Trump’s tweets, or how CNN cameras sniffed almost audibly for any chyron-worthy bad news at the press conference on the president’s health.

However, Trump lacks the nec-

essary moral high ground for his opinion on the issues to have real relevance. In regards to war, his potshots at Kim Jong Un have apparently done nothing to de-escalate tension, and the propensity of his White House to fabricate and/ or exaggerate means (anti-)press releases are especially disingenuous. Indeed, as the work of provocateur Paul Horner showed, deliberately and obviously falsified

news crept near the current center of power with alarming ease.

Further, much to Team Trump’s chagrin, the American body politic does not seem to have responded to the Awards. The administration and its supporters were once again on their heels after the public heard the reporting of the disparaging comments Trump allegedly made about Haiti and African countries.

Hence, it is hard to imagine that Trump has much to offer by way of constructive criticism. If they are to wield the “fake news” label with any level of credibility, he and his associates need to tamp down the self-pity, develop more discerning eyes for themselves and stop forking fodder over to an unforgiving Fourth Estate.

Devoid of those developments, the awards are totally without value—just one of many temper tantrums of a touchy chief executive. Regardless, the awards might become a legitimate must-watch event next year.

Leonard Chiang, FCRH ’19, is an engineering physics major from Tolland, Connecticut.

Tino’s Takes | Faustino Galante

The “Rust Belt” is Far From Lackluster

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The term “Rust Belt” is a dated phrase and does not accurately represent the growing potential of the areas it includes.

On Nov. 8 2016, business mogul Donald J. Trump was elected the 45th president of the United States. Leading up to election night, politicians (both on the left and the right), the media and the public discounted the idea of a Trump presidency. Believing that his racist rhetoric and antiestablishment principles were simply not enough to win Trump the election, most people presumed that Hillary Clinton would be the next president of the United States.

However, what many failed to consider was the Trump campaign’s effect on America’s former industrial heartland: the “Rust Belt.”

Coined during the 1984 presidential race between incumbent republican Ronald Regan and former vice president Walter Mondale, the term “Rust Belt” has become a staple of political and scholarly vernacular and is commonly used to group together the cities and states residing in America’s deindustrialized heartland. Despite lacking clear cut borders, politicians, scholars and

media outlets have used the title frequently.

As a result of the term’s usage, our society has tended to simply focus on the region’s reluctance to modernize their industries and its failure to keep up with a globalized market throughout the ‘60s and the ‘80s. However, it has repeatedly failed to view places within the “Rust Belt” as separate entities, despite the fact that they took different paths following the demises of their industrial sectors.

One cannot argue against the idea that formerly industrial Midwestern cities were economically weakened due to the “hollowing out” of their industrial sectors. I argue that using the term “Rust Belt” in order to classify them as a collective should be considered an outdated mode of over-simplifying a region which has proved economically diverse in recent years.

Though cities within the “Rust Belt” suffered similar effects of globalism throughout the second half of the 20th century, when analyzed individually, it becomes increasingly obvious that the cit-

ies often evolved in dissimilar fashion following the downfalls of their industrial sectors. Cities such as Youngstown, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; Cleveland, Ohio; and Allentown, Pennsylvania serve as great case studies that exemplify the weakness of utilizing the term “Rust Belt.”

The effects of deindustrialization are by no means pretty. Job loss, bankruptcy, scandal and social desolation resulting from the demise of a city’s industrial sector can truly cripple it and lead to long-term complications.

While certain societies prove competent in battling deindustrialization, others spiral out of control. Youngstown, Ohio and Detroit, Michigan are prime examples of areas which proved inept in dealing with industrial decline.

Throughout the first half of the 20th century, Youngstown and Detroit were both flourishing cities that took advantage of an industrialized America. Youngstown was known for housing some of the largest steel companies in the United States. Likewise, Detroit prided itself in hosting the “Big Three” automobile companies: Ford, General Motors and Chrysler. Unfortunately for both cities, globalization beginning in the 1950s wiped out their once flourishing industrial sectors.

Today, both cities have emerged as “poster children” for postindustrial decline. Though differing in regards to their population numbers (Detroit nearly doubles Youngstown in population), both cities distinguish themselves in the fact that they have utterly failed to demonstrate any signs of economic recovery since the 1960s. The question subsequently arises: why were Youngstown and Detroit so unfortunate in comparison to their “Rust Belt” counterparts?

To answer this question, one must steer clear of analyzing the “Rust Belt” region in a holistic fashion. When the post-industrial socioeconomic trends of these cities are studied individually, it becomes clear that, unlike other cities residing in America’s former industrial heartland, Youngstown and Detroit lacked economic diversification, strong leadership and were riddled with social struggles.

Weak leaders in both cities failed to rally their respective populations in a time of economic crisis.

As a result, working class inhabitants became keen on maintaining the status quo and furiously vented their frustrations. Blue-collar residents of Youngstown made known that they wanted their steel jobs back and workers in Detroit fought hard to bring back the automobile industry.

However, the working classes of both cities failed to recognize that their ideas of re-industrialization were delusional. Each city’s government made it known that it was not in favor of trying to bring back manufacturing to their cities. Instead of establishing plans to spur the economy, Youngstown and Detroit found themselves in the midst of social strife and failed to incentivize economic diversification. Today, not much has changed.

When one thinks about the “Rust Belt,” cities such as Youngstown and Detroit seem to always come to mind. Many fail to consider that other cities in this “region” took different paths following the extinctions of their industrial sectors in the 1950s. Cleveland and Allentown, while not perfect, managed to successfully rebuild their shattered economies.

Like Youngstown and Detroit, Cleveland, Ohio and Allentown, Pennsylvania found themselves in

economic disarray throughout the second half of the 20th century.

America’s growing dependence on foreign manufacturing crushed the economies of both cities. However, Cleveland and Allentown managed to take the “high road” in regards to renovating their economies.

Cleveland and Allentown, firstly and arguably most importantly, did not allocate all of their attention to the renewal of manufacturing. Throughout the 1980s and ‘90s, leaders in Cleveland establish state-of-the-art law and accounting firms, hospitals and banks to build up the city’s service sector.

Similarly, leaders in Allentown managed to revitalize its economy by focusing less on bringing back manufacturing such as in the case of Detroit, and more on establishing new companies and job opportunities. The opening of the Leigh Valley Industrial park in the 1970’s helped Allentown bring in new sources of revenue. Today, unlike other suffering cities residing in the “Rust Belt,” Cleveland and Allentown have managed to become “up and coming cities.”

The four cities listed above highlight the fact that places residing within America’s “Rust Belt” are by no means homogeneous in regards to their socioeconomic atmospheres. The term “Rust Belt” is clearly riddled with negativity.

However, many use the title nonetheless.

Political demagogues such as President Donald Trump have employed the term to produce nostalgia among voters.

When one hears the expression, he or she often tends to become pessimistic and think back to the Midwest’s glory days of manufacturing, rather than focusing on the positives of the present. People must recognize that the term “Rust Belt” has officially “rusted over.”

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January 31, 2018

Has the Age of Adolescence Changed?

By BRIAN MA

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

As folks say, “back in the good ol’, simple days...,” men and women married, took on social roles, matured and began the chapter of adolescence at an early age. According to an article published by the journal The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, humans have biologically and socially developed at an earlier and quicker pace.

For example, earlier puberty has accelerated throughout one’s onset of adolescence, and its endpoint is well into one’s 20s.

I certainly agree that the social construction of the age of adolescence has dramatically altered from generation to the current wave. Rather than 1019 years old, the new interpretation of the adolescence age refers to 10-24 years.

I remember my father, George, told me about his first job at 13. He

worked day and night at his father’s gift shop, selling wondrous oriental souvenirs. He studied in school and matured into a grown man at 19. Back in those days, people would eat, sleep, work, study and play in conjunction with the ecological clock, the day was often shorter and more fast-paced.

There was a lack of technological outlets and media influence to affect the health and wellbeing of others. In fact, my father, because he had no distractions from social media or television, chose his career when he was just 18 years old. The lack of resources and opportunities led him to choose a quicker, more realistic career option; he started “adulting” because he had to, not because he wanted to.

On the other hand, I am a first generation undergraduate student, and I made my college choice at the age of 17. My brother, at 21, landed his first job in the music industry.

Another idea to consider is that the

age of marriage is explicitly delayed at present time. While not everyone marries at the same exact age, the average age one marries now is 25. I do not feel I am an adolescent because I still rely on my parents, and I still have the urges to be immature, naive and dependent. The stark contrast between my generation and that of my parents is apparent.

In terms of joining the army, the minimum age requirement is set at 17 years with parental consent and at 18 without parental consent. During World War II, children as young as 13 or 14 years old were enlisted. The age requirement should be raised higher.

Not only are teens more susceptible to being less mature, but they are also more easily coaxed and spoiled today.

Because media and social influences have developed to become societal norms, many teens are believing one path or image is the right answer.

For example, many men and wom-

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Individuals may not feel that they are ready to decide on a college at seventeen but they must find the courage to do so.

en aspire to have supermodel bodies or great amount of wealth, as portrayed in film and in social media, in order to reach that “image” of success and worth; however, that is not the case since there are various shades of beauty and degrees of success. Teens cannot think for themselves as they had in the past. Media influences and technological advancements have made life less complicated, but have also promoted reliance, narrow views and socially constructed requirements. In order to produce more intelligent and reliable citizens, the minimum age requirement to enter the military should be raised; we need men and women of the army to be mature, both mentally and physically. Because teens are often oblivious to openness and lacking in mental growth, they can potentially harm themselves if they enter for military training as early as 17-years-old.

As for drinking age, the legal baptism of liquor consumption in the U.S. is 21 years old. Many people have drank liquor and spirits before that imposed age, either under parental supervision or not. Even though people both above and under the age of 21 have died of unhealthy alcohol consumption, I do not think the US legal drinking age should be changed.

Instead, reforms and education gearing towards safe drinking and responsibility should be fostered.

In regards to driving, everyone has to drive at some point in their lives.

Driving makes life much more convenient. The minimum driving age in New York state is 16. Because driving takes time, dexterity, mental quickness, strong perception abilities and responsibility, it is an arduous life skill

to acquire. Many of my peers started driving at 18; many are responsible, intelligent and decisive individuals. Nonetheless, because the rates of recklessness and motor accidents among teens have risen steadily, the age for acquiring a driving license and should be higher.

College is a commonly spoken word about among family, friends and acquaintances. Graduating with a degree in a specific field has been an increasingly common goal and achievement in present American society.

One must decide on one’s ultimate college choice at 17. Is not daunting that you have that empowerment to choose where you want to study and create new experiences for the next two, three, four years, or even more?

I did, and I do not regret that I had the authority to do so. I always believe that through different chapters in life, one must take a leap of faith. One might say that I am a hypocrite because I support raising the age eligibility for driving; however, it is a critical learning experience for a student to make a life-changing decision. When one grows up, one has to always make decisions.

While one can rely on public transportation rather than driving, going to college is a positive outlet for one to grow for the better. I certainly learned to socialize and educate myself in my field of study. It is true that the adolescent age has risen. I agree that, as a 19 year old, I do not exhibit “adult-like” qualities. Just wait a few more years.

Brian Ma, FCRH ’20, is a digital tech and emerging media major from Fort Lee, New Jersey.

Amazon Go’s Intensive Surveillance May Not Make it Worth The Convenience

By EMILY THOMPSON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

It is apparent to me that as a society, we have become much more paranoid about surveillance. Whether it is placing a sticker over your computer camera or clearing the history on your internet browser, we all have moments where we get that eerie sense of being “watched.” The whole idea of constant camera-coverage can seem very dystopian. However, that is the point- we want to believe that this creepy level of surveillance over our daily existence is just that: fiction.

Last week Amazon Go opened in Seattle, Washington. Amazon Go is a grocery/convenience store unlike your average Stop-and-Shop or Fairway in that there are no checkouts. Amazon Go works by having customers download Amazon’s app, create an account and use it to swipe into the store. Once inside, cameras keep track of what you take off of the shelves. Just as you walk out, feeling self conscious and guilty as if you’ve stolen your groceries, Amazon charges your account.

According to New York Times writer Nick Wingfield, “The only sign of the technology that makes this possible floats above the store shelves — arrays of small cameras, hundreds of them throughout the store. Amazon won’t say much about how the system works, other than to say that

it involves sophisticated computer vision and machine learning software.”

The intricate technology making Amazon Go possible sounds like something out of the next best-selling sci-fi thriller.

In one of my classes, we have focused on how utopian concepts can become dystopian very quickly - often they are hard to decipher. The idea is that Amazon Go is easier and more convenient for shoppers. It could be the model for the future of shopping. Amazon’s new shopping experience strives for pure utility. But to me it seems that this new environment is slightly creepy. I am not a very suspicious person. I don’t look up conspiracy theories online, nor do I usually care about public surveillance.

But where I struggle to fully accept Amazon Go’s concept is that I don’t think the current system of shopping was flawed enough to deserve this complete overhaul. I can’t see how hundreds of cameras watching whether or not I grab a box of cereal is needed when the current system seems perfectly effective. It also seems like the experience is almost completely void of human interaction. What happened to having a favorite cashier, or getting to know the workers at your local joints?

I do understand the pros of such a system. I believe that Fordham students know very well how one of the

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Amazon’s new in-store business strategy may increase efficiency, but runs the risk of making customers feel uncomfortable.

key parts of living in a city is constantly waiting in line: to cross the street, to order food, to enter a subway terminal, etc. Having the store in Seattle does cater to the on-the-go lifestyle of the people living there. But also as city dwellers, we can understand that being surrounded by other people all the time can be quite isolating.

Sometimes I feel that the art of being a city-dweller is synonymous with ignoring people, so the concept of Amazon Go is just another way of limiting human interaction within cities. There is that certain homey charm to getting to know the local

business owners, or having a bodega to call your own. It makes the process of shopping enjoyable and fulfilling.

Computers, no matter how smart, cannot replace people. Utility is only one part of the equation.

This new store is a giant step in the direction of innovation in order to make an often tedious chore more manageable. The fact is that the concept of this new store is so advanced that it will probably find much success just because people want to experience its futuristic qualities for themselves.

At its core, I think Amazon has

good intentions with making our shopping experience less of a hassle and more convenient, but the cost of doing so may lead to a future of consumerism that lacks any personal charm. To me, this seems like a drastic step towards a system where people are unable to acknowledge that this level of surveillance (and the willingness to embrace it) might be a step too far.

Emily Thompson, FCRH ’21, is an art history major from Norwalk, Connecticut.

January 31, 2018

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CENTENNIAL

January 31, 2018

The Fordham Ram in the Roaring ’20s

With drama productions, intercollegiate debates and sporting events making front page news, The Fordham Ram emphasized the values of the ’20s (Vol. 4, Issue 25).

January 31, 2018

CENTENNIAL

By THE FORDHAM RAM STAFF In an effort to commemorate 100 years of student journalism on campus, The Fordham Ram will be including moments in history through its archives each week. This week’s selections are concentrated in 1923, offering a glimpse into the period that has

Page 13 been coined the “Roaring ’20s.”

The era before the stock market crash of 1929 was famous for its economic growth, a consumer society and a newfound emphasis on mass cultural trends.

Across the country, the more affluent members of society enjoyed the luxury of entertainment, fashion and music. Here

at Fordham, the ’20s brought the constuction of the landmark Rose Hill Gymnasium. As broadcast radio gained popularity nationally, Fordham began stations of its own.

The Fordham Ram, still young and growing, continued to cover news across campus as the voice of the students.

Broadcast radio began to rise in popularity (Vol. 4, Issue 21).

The book store advertised 1923’s equivalent to a Macbook (Vol. 5, Issue 5).

The 1920s brought about greater emphasis on fashion (Vol. 4, Issue 25).

The Rose Hill Gymnasium opened in 1925, and its construction began in 1923 (Vol. 5, Issue 6).

The editorial staff of The Ram in 1923 (Vol. 4, Issue 25).

The staff of The Fordham Ram encouraged students to write and contribute to history (Vol 4, Issue 25).

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January 31, 2018

The Fordham Ram

The Oscars: Likely Winners and Biggest Snubs

By DOMINIC ARENAS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Andy Serkis and Tiffany Haddish announced the nominations for the 90th Academy Awards bright and early last Tuesday morning. #MeToo and #TimesUp have replaced #OscarsSoWhite. Two years ago, #OscarsSoWhite gained traction when only white actors were recognized in the major acting categories. The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that pushed for a more diverse voting body saw its fruition in this year’s nominations.

In accordance with the mood of this year’s award season, the Academy did right with (most of) the nominations and exclusions. Salute for taking a valued effort to not repeat a “Casey Affleck” moment with James Franco.

Some of the highlights from the nominees include Greta Gerwig and Jordan Peele for Best Director, The Big Sick for Best Original Screenplay and Rachel Morrison for Outstanding Cinematography in the Netflix produced, Mudbound.

With the announcement of the nominations comes the “Oscar snubs” discussion.

The biggest disappointment is the exclusion of The Florida Project, a poignant commentary on childhood and the ineptness of parts of the government. Sean Baker’s The Florida Project, arguably the best film of the year, got no love in the directorial and production categories. The Academy unsurprisingly chose the most Oscar baited film, a glorified “Michael Bay-esque” war drama, a crime comedy with a problematic resolution and another biopic on an iconic historical figure.

Watch The Florida Project, get the tissues ready, marvel at the flawless

cinematography, prepare for the last ten minutes and thank me later.

Here are the nominations for the “major” awards, the likely winners and the unlucky few that will get robbed on Oscar night: (Spoiler alert: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri deserves no awards).

Supporting Actor: Who Will Win: Sam Rockwell Who Should Win: William Dafoe The reason Sam Rockwell’s winning on Oscar night? People have watched Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Though Rockwell’s performance somehow manages to make (some) audiences sympathize for a racist cop, consider Dafoe’s supporting cast. Excluding DaFoe, The Florida Project is a cast of very talented non-professionals and children. Both performances attempt to comment and humanize white poverty in America, but only DaFoe succeeds in doing so.

Supporting Actress: Who Will Win: Allison Janney Who Should Win: Allison Janney Critics and Oscar predictors have rightly dubbed this category as the most competitive. Though it is a two woman race for Best Supporting Actress, it is an exceptional duel between the two mothers: Janney and Metcalf. Janney and Metcalf’s characters show the complexities and intimate elements of a motherdaughter relationship. Janney’s previous wins at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards and the SAG Awards make her the odds on favorite, but it is hard not to recognize and praise Metcalf’s.

Lead Actor: Who Will Win: Gary Oldman Who Should Win: Daniel

Kaluuya/Daniel Day-Lewis Immediately following his win at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, people took to Twitter to voice their dismay at Oldman’s dark past of domestic abuse. It would not surprise me to see Oldman eventually losing due to this award season’s theme of #TimesUp. If the Academy decides to shake things up last minute, expect Daniel Day-Lewis to win.

Given Oldman’s physical transformation for the role, dominance this awards season, exclusion of the only other real competition (Disaster Artist’s James Franco) and the Academy’s bias towards actors playing historical figures, he is the clear cut favorite in this category.

Lead Actress: Who Will Win: Frances McDormand Who Should Win: Saoirse Ronan Frances McDormand, with the exception of her nominated supporting actors, is the only highlight for Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri.

The biggest threats to McDormand on Oscar night are Margot Robbie and Saorsie Ronan. Both snagged wins at the Golden Globes (Ronan) and the Critics Choice Award (Robbie). Hopefully, Ronan comes out on top with her first win after being previously nominated twice.

Original Screenplay: Who Will Win: Lady Bird/Get Out Who Should Win: Lady Bird/Get Out This is a tossup between Lady Bird and Get Out. It is also great to see The Big Sick getting recognition for its laugh-out-loud script and unique way of depicting comedy amidst tragedy.

Peele and Gerwig’s films are outstandingly original. Both make the unconscious conscious. Bringing attention to very realistic truths about coming of age and racism deserve the recognition at this year’s Oscars.

Director: Who Will Win: Guillermo del Toro Who Should Win: Greta Gerwig The Director’s Guild America Awards, held on Feb. 2 this year, is the last awards show prior to the Oscars. The winner of the DGA award went on to win 21 of the past 25 years for best director at the 90th Academy Awards. And judging from his wins at the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards, del Toro is the clear frontrunner in the Oscars’ category.

Greta Gerwig and Jordan Peele rightfully get the nod for Best Director for two of the most talked about films from this year.

Best Picture: Who Will Win: The Shape of Water/ Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Who Should Win: Lady Bird/Get Out Considering the success of The Shape of Water and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri throughout awards season, it is fair to say it is a two-picture race. However, given the controversy regarding the latter’s theme of redemption, The Shape of Water has the slight edge going into the 90th Academy Awards.

Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell’s acting carry the film, not Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’s plot. There are more problems than just the redemption of a racist cop. And why is there an Australian woman in Missouri?

Lady Bird and Get Out sit along-

side previous nominees for Best Motion Picture films like Boyhood and The Social Network as timeless pieces that are forever remembered and held dear, but do not take home the top prize.

Though The Shape of Water and Three Billboards are not this year’s best, if I had to choose which I would like to see win, I would rather (as weird as it may sound) choose the love story of a fish and a deaf woman. But, do not count out Lady Bird or Get Out “Moonlighting” either of the two frontrunners.

It is ironic that in a year themed by the phrase, “Time’s Up” and “Me Too,” a film that glorifies the abuse of power and redeems a racist and bigoted cop, is the frontrunner for best picture.

If you were to answer the question of, “Where is the moral compass in Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri?” After digesting the surface-level, idiosyncratic depictions of inhabitants in a small middle America town, with excessive violence and an abundance of cliche storytelling techniques, one realizes that the film ultimately redeems a bigoted cop. Moonlight rightfully beat out La La Land in a year that celebrated diversity. What will be Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri’s lasting memory in a year that celebrates powerful and talented women when it itself is a film that treats women horribly?

Though The Shape of Water and Three Billboards have effortlessly captured the awards season’s biggest awards, expect a lot of surprises on Oscars night. Until March 4, movie lovers can only predict, complain and prepare Oscar viewing parties to see all the drama unfold. Fingers crossed for another Moonlight moment in favor of Lady Bird and Get Out.

The Ram Culture Crossword: Required Reading ACROSS 1. The reason to show up early to the airport, briefly 4. A fashionable statistic, along with range and median 8. Umbridge’s cough, or a shortening stitch 9. The second word to start a fairy tale 10. An insomniac’s dream 12. Snow day accoutrements, that you apparently can’t bring into the Botanical Gardens 13. Mostly nitrogen and oxygen 14. A noble’s land 16. Not Chicago or APA 17. Slugger stat

GOOD EATS ANSWERS

18. A deadline after EOD but before EOY 19. Opposite of luna 20. Reading material for Fordham College Reps & Dems 23. “Selma” and “A Wrinkle in Time” director DuVernay 24. A lion in the stars 25. Monogrammed towels and sheets 29. Spanish suffix expressing smallness and familiarity 30. A person acting weird is descibed to be in __________ 31. Ann Perkins on The Office 33. Susan B. Anthony or Emma Watson, e.g., for a feminist 34. A second grader’s favorite class, maybe 35. Carvey, Perino, White, eg 36. Not aye DOWN 1. A statue to ride or a weekly source 2. Oh, say can you…

3. A poetic symbol to denote a conjunction 4. To think over 5. A submission to 1-Down 6. An extinct bird 7. French Maritime Academy 10. Equal 11. Stich’s human 12. From off the southern coast of India 15. _____ the Influence

CREATED BY CLAIRE POLACHECK AND JACK MCLOONE ANSWERS IN ISSUE 3

20. Amorous, enticing 21. Fordham Road cafe owner 22. Horse coat color 25. JLo, in Manhattan

26. A fun place to stay 27. A silly aquatic bird 28. Fordham’s Westchester rival, the Gaels 32. “The Altar” constellation

CULTURE

January 31, 2018

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Albüm Klüb | Adam Payne-Reichert

The Rap Character and Characters of Madvillainy In many ways, much of popular rap these days can feel as if it’s lacking character. Much of the lyrical content contained in chart-topping hits often seems tired and uninspired, with some rappers seemingly refusing to depart from the themes of women, money, and power. This isn’t to say that popular rap is bad; it’s simply to say that it can sometimes feel repetitive and uninviting to people unfamiliar with the genre.

Enter Madvillainy, a 2004 hip hop release from a pairing of some of the underground’s most unique and skilled performers.

This album is overflowing with character in every sense of the word. First, and most notably, the album contains appearances from a whole range of personas, with MF DOOM, the album’s main lyricist, and Madlib, the album’s producer, taking on several different roles. For instance, Madlib appears on several songs as both himself and as a spacedout miscreant known as Quasimoto, whose vocals are characteristically pitched upwards to a nearly comical level. The record also features vocal samples from obscure movies and cartoons that help to add to the overblown villain character DOOM has developed throughout his career.

The album also reflects the meaning of the word “character” with its incredibly creative and distinctive approach to production and lyricism. Madlib, well

known for being a crate-digger, pulls samples from a huge swath of unexpected sources to help provide the backdrop for DOOM’s rhymes. One of the first songs on the record, for instance, contains a swaying accordion sample taken from a niche electronic producer named Daedalus. That’s right: there’s an accordion track providing the melody for a rap song.

Madlib’s intent, however, is not merely to wow listeners with his knowledge of obscure music or with his ability to smoothly fuse unusual instruments into backing tracks. He’s instead trying to prove he’s paying attention to every detail. Take the track “Bistro” for example. The purpose of this song, in which MF DOOM provides his own personal introduction to the album and its characters, probably could’ve been neglected entirely or accomplished with a few lines at the outset of the track listing.

However, Madlib turns the song into a grand statement, complete with backing vocals from a choir, an intricate orchestral arrangement, and a harp part occupying the top of the register. In typical Madlib fashion, he even refuses to pat himself on the back for this beautiful production, allowing a sample from Casablanca to do the talking for him. If you’re sick of hearing producer tags thrown mindlessly over the top of pop rap beats, this may be the song (and the album)

for you.

Despite this lush and attention-necessitating production, DOOM is able to cut through Madlib’s mixes and deliver masterfully crafted verses. He raps on a variety of topics, ranging from the medicinal benefits of weed (“DOOM nominated for the best-rolled L’s/And they wonder how he dealt with stress so well”) to the difficulty of blaming drug dealers for defending their livelihoods against the police (“Paid to interfere with how a brother get his money/ Now who’s the real thugs, killers, and gangsters?”).

Recognizing the fact that some of these lyrical themes have certainly been addressed before, DOOM approaches them all with novelty and creativity. One

somewhat rough-around-theedges but nonetheless impressive example of this comes when DOOM discusses the bloodied appearance you’ll receive from a rap battle with him: “Leaving pussycats like why hoes need Kotex.”

Yet DOOM also breaks significantly from rap convention. For instance, he takes the rap industry M.O. of talking oneself up to a comical extreme by rooting his ego in an old comic book villain and thus pokes fun at this unnecessary practice. He also makes sure to not take himself or his songs too seriously. In “Operation Lifesaver AKA Mint Test,” he elevates his goal of subtly trying to get a cute girl to accept a breath freshener to the status of a fate-of-the-world-deciding

mission.

Madlib and DOOM produced a thoroughly creative, detail-oriented, and enjoyable set of songs in this album. This album would be ideal for anyone who’s been trying to get into rap for a while, but who’s not interested in the chart-topping hits that receive so much attention and would also be enjoyable for listeners who enjoy rap but feel they need a bit of variety in their listening habits. If the 22 tracks prove to be a bit daunting and if you don’t have the time to listen to the entire album, I’d recommend you check out “Curls,” “Fancy Clown” and “Raid” to start. Don’t take this recommendation too seriously, though – you can’t go wrong putting this gem of a record on shuffle and seeing where it takes you.

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Madvillain’s 2004 album Madvillainy is included on NME’s 2013 list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”

Review | Event

Poetry Comes Alive at Lincoln Center Reading

By TEREZA SHKURTAJ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

For many people, poetry is an outlet to coherently express sporadic thoughts and desires. Poets Out Loud, a poetry community situated at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus, has made it their mission to foster the art of poetry by frequently inviting poets to share their work with

the public. On Wednesday, Jan. 24, the community welcomed Tess Taylor, a distinguished U.S. Fulbright Scholar and award-winning poet, and Liz Bowen, a Fordham Alumni, scholar, teacher and poet, to their reading series.

The gathering, although small and intimate, was attended by members of the general public, as well as Fordham students and students of local high schools. Free

posters featuring the poets’ work were handed out and all attendees were entered in a raffle for a chance to win a free copy of one of the poets’ published books.

Both Tess Taylor and Liz Bowen started writing poetry for class assignments. As the audience filled in, I thought of my own first exposure to poetry in kindergarten. My teacher distributed a collection of poems to my class, in-

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An event at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus spotlighted two talented and distinguished female poets

sisting we choose our favorite to be laminated. We were assigned to carry the poem in our pockets for a day and to share it with our friends, teachers and family members. I chose “April Rain Song”

by Langston Hughes—the poem that fueled my love for lyrical verse. The beauty and simplicity of Hughes’ poem captivated my young heart and inspired me to read and write poetry at every opportunity. Jotting down thoughts and emotions on paper has not only become a habit, but a creative release that provides a relaxing pause after a stressful day.

These two women grew to love the art form that is poetry and to utilize poetry as a platform to voice their opinions on pressing issues. In one of her poems, Liz Bowen, an intersectional feminist and activist, writes, “I don’t want to be a machine anymore, I want to be an animal.” Her carefully crafted poetry dares to speak out against gender, sex, disability and racial inequalities, creating a sense of urgency.

The poems she read aloud spanned a variety of topics. She opened with a bold piece in which she cited the causes of her anger, but later read a lighthearted poem about her most recent stomach ache. Each of her poems, no matter their complexity, exhibited political hues and managed

to clearly illustrate her inner “animal.” Through her experimental, abstract poetry and powerful voice, the audience can discern her burning passion for creative, positive change in society.

Tess Taylor, on the other hand, takes a unique route with her work by making nature the sole focus of her poetry. Taylor relies on the raw beauty of nature to depict vital moments in time by analyzing the changes in the seasons while alluding to social and political affairs. Her poetry not only displays her interest in gardening and farming, but also her talent for incorporating the topic of nature into edgy, meaningful pieces of art. During her reading she advised the audience of the importance of doing the “things that nourish us,” because our time is truly limited.

The room was silent as the poets fearlessly read their work.

It seemed as if the poetry had come to life. The poets engaged the audience with consistent eye contact and their commanding voices, but were also personable and willing to explain their work while answering questions. The Poets Out Loud community is a strong, creative group that is continuing to encourage creativity and exploration of the mind through poetry, and it is doing a pretty good job at it.

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Review | Music

Buzzed and Abroad | Cat Swindal

Mastering the Spanish Language Two weeks before I arrived in Granada, Spain for my semester abroad, I got a buzzcut. I have had a secret desire to get a buzzcut for a couple years, and I finally gained the confidence to do it. There was always part of me that had a twinge of nervousness that I would get weird looks, but I am pleased to report that I think I look pretty good (if I do say so myself), I’ve gotten more weird looks from Americans than I have from Spaniards. So far, so good.

Reflecting on my relationship with the Spanish language, I’ve been starting to think that the process of getting my buzzcut has become a metaphor for my Spanish skills. Bear with me here.

I have been studying Spanish for 12 years, since the third grade. It should be something that’s impressive, sure. But, here’s the rub: for someone who has been taking Spanish classes for more than half their life, I can’t speak or write it very well.

Going through Spanish classes in middle school and high school was a breeze, but as soon as I got to college, I started clamming up. I heard how much better other students’ accents were and how quickly they could speak and found myself inadequate. I still remember my freshman year having a group presentation where three out of four could speak Spanish as quick as can be.

Guess who was the lucky fourth who stuttered the whole time?

During my first two years at Fordham, Spanish fluency was kind of like my buzzcut, something I wanted, but thought I could never pull off. So, I never really put in any effort. I’ve taken three literature classes during my time at Fordham and I would hardly speak up during classes. When I tried, I would often say the wrong thing. Even in small conversations with my professors, I would get so nervous that my brain would freeze up and I would just stare blankly, not saying anything at all. (If my professor is reading this, lo siento mucho.) I thought somehow, with little to no effort, my confidence in Spanish would just come

to me magically. It was not happening, and I continued to get more and more frustrated with Spanish during my freshman and sophomore year.

It got to a point where I was close to dropping it.

My whole perspective on learning Spanish changed when I spent 10 days in El Salvador this past summer. It was the first time I had ever been in a Spanish-speaking country; to say it was a life changing experience is an understatement.

The people there were some of the kindest people I will ever know, and they have seen things I can’t even imagine. Every day I realized more and more, that I could understand my surroundings better than I had thought. When I got over my nervousness, I could hold conversations and make jokes that made my new Salvadoran friends laugh. They were there to hear me and help me, with more patience and support I could’ve asked for.

Of course, there were moments when I had no idea what was being said and when I embarrassed myself. But I could feel myself opening up, and for the first time I had the incentive to build my confidence in Spanish: seriously this time. This meant speaking up as much as possible during my next Spanish class and actually putting the work in. I was ready for the task, I did the best I could in my Spanish film class and I learned a lot. My confidence only continues to build, just as the confidence in my hairstyle decision did.

I have now been in Granada for

January 31, 2018

five days. Yes, I have slipped up and embarrassed myself in front of my host mom (“Quiero ser fluente” does not make any sense, I learned).

I still feel a little pressure in terms of Spanish level and accent, but what I learned is that people from other cultures have so much patience and respect for someone from a foreign country who wants to immerse themselves. My host mom asks me questions and talks a lot. Although she speaks quickly, I can feel myself understanding more and more everyday. Professor Lamas and his assistant Begona have been amazing resources, and I feel incredibly supported by them to continue to learn the language. I would be remiss if I did not mention my roommate Kat Martucci,who is a great partner-incrime and doesn’t hesitate to practice Spanish with me.

Every day that I’m in Granada, I feel more and more blessed to be here, and more confident in myself.

I feel more confident that I can feel like myself in a completely new and beautiful place. I feel more confident that I can continue my study of the language and someday be fluent. I feel more confident that I can return to El Salvador someday and be able to speak my truth.

If you had told me freshman year that this is how I would feel about Spanish junior year, I wouldn’t have believed you, just like I wouldn’t have believed I would ever get a buzzcut. Unlike my hair, the love I have for Spanish will never be cut short.

COURTESY OF CAT SWINDAL

Swindal at the fountain of Neptune at Plaza Bib-Rambla in Granada.

Fall Out Boy’s MANIA Flops

By SHELBY DANIEL STAFF WRITER

Jan. 19 brought us some new songs from the steadily popular, early 2000s, emo-punk rock outfit Fall Out Boy. The tried and true team of vocalist and guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joseph Trohman and drummer Andy Hurley released their seventh full LP, MANIA. MANIA seemed to be destined to fail from the start, and it appeared as if the band knew after the initial release of the first single of the album “Young and Menace.” Plagued with EDM synths and bass drops, the single completely ignored Stump’s wellknown powerhouse vocals for auto-tune and exchanged Wentz’s distinctive lyricism for cheap Britney Spears references. With critical and fan backlash hitting them hard after its release, the band took “Young and Menace” as an example of what they were doing wrong, scrapped MANIA in what seemed like its entirety and pushed back the release date by several months to return to the studio.

What ultimately produced was an eclectic range of songs that fully displayed the range of talents the band has. Their second single “Champion” echoes American Beauty/American Psycho’s “Centuries,” a driven motivational ballad. Other singles like “Wilson (Expensive Mistakes)” and “Last Of The Real Ones” showcase a more traditional sound and more traditional lyrics from the band, with “Wilson…” providing the all too early 2000s-emo-esque line, “I’ll stop wearing black when they make a darker color.”

However, not all singles were safe recoveries from their failed first. “HOLD ME TIGHT OR DON’T” experiments with a swingy tropical rock vibe that nears reggae. What would have been a perfect summer single was released in the dead of winter.

My personal favorite aspect of the album is the angry resistance message delivered by “Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea”. What exactly is the band resisting? Evidently, the entire world. Filled with the bitterness and sharpness of Wentz’s classic lyricism, Stump proclaims, “I’m about to go Tonya Harding on the whole world’s knee”. A perfectly timed lyric that warrants an eyebrow raise and frankly, an understanding nod.

MANIA also makes sure to highlight Stump’s powerhouse vocals on slower tunes like “Church” and “Heaven’s Gate,” letting his vocal range carry the song on the less produced tracks.

Despite its impressive range, MANIA from the start was bound to receive criticism. Many of the favorite early 2000s emo-punkera rock bands - namely Fall Out Boy, Paramore and Panic! At The Disco - have fallen prey to what their previous adolescent fan followings deem as “selling out” by constructing themselves to fit into the mainstream of the increasingly popularized alternative pop. Fall Out Boy does more than just shut down these accusations.

The band ignores them by remaining genuine to its intentions as a band, which was never to gain full credibility in the emo-punk rock sphere. It was instead to produce music that the members enjoy making; music that would in turn reach the largest audience possible because of its genuine nature.

It has not been, and certainly will not be, the last time the band receives criticism for being something its not. Take 2009’s Folie a Deux, Fall Out Boy’s final album before hiatus. What was initially deemed the band’s worst album to date by critics slowly became a classic by fans for its nuance and exploration of genre. Without a doubt, the same will be said of MANIA. That is the beauty of the album - Fall Out Boy made it for no one but itself.

Editor’s Pick | Film

The Guilty Pleasure of One Missed Call

By THERESA SCHLIEP EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Sleepovers in middle school were dominated by scary movies featuring pretty stars who tried to convince us they were of high school age. I recently watched one such film with my friends, One Missed Call, promising them a scary throwback movie that would remind us of times long gone.

Instead, I spent the whole movie trying and failing to convince my friends it was actually scary. It’s hard to do so when the whole plot depends on mid2000s cell phones that ring even when off, foretelling the owner’s death.

It was not my nine year old naivete that convinced me this

movie was actually good. By that time, I was a seasoned pro concerning the horror drama, already having mastered classics like The Exorcist and television shows like “Paranormal State.”

I may not have been able to distinguish between cheap slasher films and cinematic masterpieces; but I was shocked to have realized recently how bad movies like One Missed Call and Prom Night truly are, despite their box office success.

As of late, I’ve developed a habit in which I can’t watch a movie without looking it up on Rotten Tomatoes. Every choice in film is dictated by its “fresh” score on the Tomatometer. If a film dips below 70 percent, it’s not likely that I’ll watch it.

An article in the The New York Times details the influence Rotten Tomatoes has on the success or critical acclaim of films. The movie business isn’t doing well, according to The New York Times.

Many Hollywood executives cast part of the blame on the ubiquity of the movie review website.

Hollywood might be able to fix its attendance problem if it works on racial, gender and sexual inclusivity. For the top grossing films in 2017, women comprised 18 percent of directors, writers, producers, and other behind the scenes positions, according to Women in Hollywood.

Representation is even lower for women of color, and the number of films dedicated to non-heterosexual relationships is

even smaller.

However, I’d be remiss to ignore the impact Rotten Tomatoes has on film taste and popularity. While I don’t particularly enjoy indulging in poorly made movies, I do miss the risk in choosing a movie without consulting Rotten Tomatoes or other rating websites.

Many arguably good movies— at least, movies I would argue are good—have pretty abysmal Rotten Tomatoes scores. The website can’t quantify elements like nostalgia. For instance, Space Jam may not be the most artfully produced film. However, its quality lies in its place as a cultural representation of its time (Michael Jordan, Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes)

and not in its production. Rotten Tomatoes offers the critics consensus on the film: “A harmless mishmash of basketball and animation that’ll entertain kids but leave adults less than thrilled.”

Besides the unnecessary demarcation between films for kids and films for adults, the 38 percent score ignores the cultural and contextual value of the film.

While Rotten Tomatoes is not an entirely ineffective way to determine the quality of a film, perhaps we can depend on it less. Yes, you may end up watching movies like One Missed Call that received a 0 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But deciding on your own the quality of a movie for yourself is a pleasurable and productive experience.

CULTURE

January 31, 2018

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Who’s That Kid? | It’s Stephen Kipp, FCRH ’18

Exercising Improvisation and “ImagiNation”

By TAYLOR SHAW MANAGING EDITOR

The Chicago native, Stephen Kipp arrived at Fordham with his sights set on the on-campus comedy groups. In high school, he took a few comedy classes and participated in a teen ensemble with The Second City, a comedy organization in Chicago, where he first gained experience with sketch and improv comedy.

“I knew the name of the improv team before I got here, and I found out they had a stand-up team, too, so the first thing I did was get involved with FET,” Kipp admitted. “I looked it up—well, my mom did the actual looking up—because I did improv in high school, and I definitely knew I wanted to do that.” He auditioned for both groups during freshman year, was selected for the teams and has been involved with the Fordham Experimental Theatre (FET) since then.

Nearly four years later, Kipp is the current leader of Stranded in Pittsburgh Improv Comedy group, and a former leader of Fordham Stand-Up. Each group performs both on-campus in the Blackbox and off-campus in various arenas. This year, the improv group performed at the college improv tournament on Jan. 20 at the Magnet Theater in Manhattan, as

well as in various “jams” around the city. Fordham Stand-up performed at Gotham Comedy Club and Eastville Comedy Club.

He went on to explain that, while the two comedy groups are similar in their breadth, they are drastically different in the ways the teams function and perform. Though they workshop and provide feedback to one another, the members of standup perform individually at the end of the day.

“It’s just you up there, it has to be very genuine—you can’t really do otherwise and do well,” he reflected, while also appreciating the way the members of the group influence one another’s style and incorporate aspects into their own acts.

Improv, on the other hand, forces every performer on a stage to be tuned into the others; they have to listen well to one another, giving each other content and material that they can build upon to create something cohesive, all without preparation.

“There’s something so freeing about that: going up with no ideas and together somehow forming something out of nothing and then, in the end it’s all washed away,” Kipp said. “You build something really cool, but once it’s over it’s over. You will never and can never do it again, and you hardly even remember

what you did. There’s something really beautiful about that.”

Kipp attributes a lot of credit to FET for his growth as a performer and comedian, and expressed that every performer he has interacted with has influenced him and can feel more in touch with how far boundaries can be pushed on stage. He described the community as an “awesome incubator full of creativity” and his experience as “getting to explore what comedy can be.” Through these experiences, comedy has become inseparable from who he is.

“I’ve never performed without being scared,” he confessed. “I was so bad at first. I was so bad for so long and I didn’t get laughs and that sucked but it’s part of the process.

But now I just do it because that’s how my brain works now, I need that outlet to keep functioning.”

Outside of Fordham, Kipp and his friends from high school started a production company called Flightless Bird Creative. Currently, Flightless Bird Creative is shooting videos found on companies in the Chicago area’s homepage. However, the collective is focusing on moving to more recognizable name brands.

Additionally, the group is focusing on original content, shooting its own comedy sketches and shorts. In the long-term, the goal is to move into production for film and TV.

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Stephen Kipp wrote and will direct FET’s slot one production, “ImagiNation.”

This semester, Kipp is directing a show he wrote, “ImagiNation,” for FET’s slot one production. The show is about a fifth grade boy who gets bored in class and daydreams.

In his daydreaming, the audience watches him travel to ImagiNation, a “big public space,” where anyone who is simultaneously daydreaming has a body and can “hang out.” The play combines Kipp’s passions with a heavy emphasis on humor and improvisation.

“There is of course a whole plot and a script, but in the script there

are points where it will say, ‘here’s the situation, talk to the audience for a little bit, or play this game, or riff on this for a little while, then get back to the script,’ so pretty much every scene has some improv,” he said. “I think that it’ll be really cool to see because it allows the performers to really make the show their own and to have free reign with their characters and what can happen.”

“ImagiNation” will be performed in the Blackbox in Collins, Feb. 1517 at 8:30 p.m. and Feb. 18 at 2:00 p.m.

Akua Naru: Creating Conversation With Music

By ERIN SHANAHAN AND ALVIN HALIMWIDJAYA Akua Naru and Mark Naison, Ph.D., professor of history and African American Studies, met in 2009 and they have been “cool ever since.”

Akua Naru, a notable international figure in conscious rap, has worked with Naison since she “blew his mind” with some freestyle in his office.

“For four straight minutes she came up with this overview of black woman’s history in rhyme… She has the whole package because she can make you move with her rhymes, but also these images, bringing in literature, history, in rhyme [and] on time… I had never heard anything like it,” said Naison.

Following her debut in his office, Naru spent time at Fordham as an artist-in-residence for the Bronx African American History Project

(BAAHP) in 2010. Post Fordham, her international career has flourished. Naru has traveled throughout Europe and Africa with a home base in Cologne, Germany. Naru took some time to sit down with Naison and The Fordham Ram to expand on her upbringing in music, discuss how her art has evolved and contemplate the evolution of modern day hip hop.

Naru expressed that art has always been a part of her. The outward expression of her art was cultivated through her exposure to diverse poets at a young age.

“I just was always writing rhymes from when I was a little girl, I liked to write and read poetry… And then I started writing my own at some point,” said Naru. “I was always someone very interested in literature and reading, and reading at some point becomes writing.”

She attributes her aptitude for a verbal artistic style to her childhood

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Akua Naru is an international rap artist and a friend of Fordham’s own Dr. Naison.

experiences in a black congregational church.

“I grew up in a really heavy black church environment, so the whole tradition of holidays, getting up on stage and saying something, even if you can’t speak at three years old. If you just get up and say, ‘Jesus wept’ people will say, ‘That’s right baby, that’s all right, yes!’ There’s a culture of presenting something before people who are super happy about receiving it and celebrating whatever that is,” said Naru.

Naru attributes a great deal of her personal growth to her time traveling abroad. She feels this personal growth may be reflected in her current music.

Particularly, Naru describes her internal transformation from an African American to a Pan African and the effect that has had on her art.

“In my first album I was traveling through Africa too, and there were more African influences, and my music has evolved from [writing] as a black American who is living abroad and traveling, I mean, now I’m doing like 100 shows a year. The more I live outside of the country the more I become to be from pro black to being Pan African. Now my music represents more of the African Diaspora in the continent. At least, that what I’ve noticed in my own personal music.

I’m not sure if that comes out in my music. Because my music is about black women. Period. Where as before, I may have been talking about the African American experience, I think now, over time, I’ve leaned towards talking about being a black woman in the world. But it’s always been about being a black woman, so I guess it’s really all the same,” said Naru.

Naru’s newest music video, My Mother’s Daughter, provides a rich

narrative of black womanhood, agency, West African spirituality, lineage and sisterhood. The video was filmed in Lome, Togo, West Africa and directed by Hamburg based artist Joachim Zunke. Naru explained that the inspiration for this music video came from her reaction to Beyonce’s video, Lemonade.

“I wanted to do a video kind of like Lemonade-like. But there are things that I’ve found problematic with that video. I wanted to answer some questions that were not answered with that video. So we shot the video. But what I was asking for, like- I want some sexy guys with no shirt on horses... running through the streets of West Africa. I want to have a drone.

I wanted to be underwater. And people were saying to me, and mainly white people, ‘come on, this is ridiculous. How are you going to find this in Africa?’ And then when the video came out I cracked my ass up. I just laughed and laughed and had a drink in my right hand, and I just laughed as the people were shocked. Because I had my horses. I have my drones. I was underwater.”

Naru’s music and lyrics are geared towards political and social “consciousness.” This differs from some mainstream rappers and the glorification of rich lifestyles, trap life and gang activities. While Naru takes issue with multiple forms of ignorance in music, she asserts the right for all people to express their art however they choose. She nods to the musical talents of her contemporary artists.

“I feel many things day to day.

Some of those things might contradict themselves, minute to minute.

I feel like, as an artist, people should be able, whoever you are, to create art. And I don’t believe that it should be censored. But of course, I have

a problem with patriarchy. I have a problem with white supremacy.

I have a problem with predatory capitalism. I have a problem with misogyny. I have a problem with these things. They affect my lived experience in this, so that’s not going to be cool with me under any circumstance no matter how dope the beat is… I mean [in] trap, I’m not gonna lie, the beats is hot. Sometimes the beats, they ridiculous. You just like what you like. I’m not mad… but that’s not my issue. My issue is with these system that oppress me on a daily basis when I’m trying to advocate what it means to be free. And although I am a keeper of the traditions of my people and my music is all about that, other artists are free to tell whatever story they want to tell.”

However, Naru rejects the idea that this claim of starting “from the bottom” is only valid for some artists.

To Naru, it’s about bringing your personal perspective to the music.

“When you read Shakespeare, for example- he’s no longer with us. We could debate Hamlet, and we could sit and talk about it to this day and debate what was meant when he wrote this. But your relationship to a text, even as the writer, changes over time. So there’s songs that I wrote, like when I wrote ‘The World is Listening’ and somebody asks, ‘When you wrote that, what did you mean?’

All of this is speculation. It doesn’t belong to me anymore… That is to say that when you consider ‘Started from the Bottom’, there’s a writer, and then there’s the character who was the I in the text. He is free to be all of that… ‘the bottom’ is wherever he was. Let’s focus on what it means for us. It ain’t gotta be about what it means for him, and for people to question that authenticity, I think that’s not fair.”

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Rowing

By MARIA TRIVELPIECE STAFF WRITER

Most spring sports teams have yet to start their pre-season competitions; however, the Fordham University women’s rowing team has gotten a head start as they took their training trip to Florida from Jan. 6 13. The team practiced twice a day side-by-side with other colleges from across the country.

The sunny, warm weather was fantastic for training, and head coach Ted Bonnano said that it might have been one of the best trips yet. This jump start to the season, along with their rigorous practice schedule, is the epitome of what defines the women’s rowing team and will hopefully correlate to its success this year.

SPRING

The Rams have been preparing for the spring since they arrived back on campus in August. They competed in five races including Boston, Philadelphia and New York. They also followed a stringent lifting and training schedule.

Because of the logistics of finding an adequate place to practice, the rowing team is one of the first groups of people awake on campus and one of the last to go to bed. But, last year, it seemed to pay off.

The Fordham Varsity 8 placed fourth in the grand final to lead the Ram rowers to a fourth place team finish at the 2017 Atlantic 10 Championships held on the Cooper River.

This year the Rams are not only looking only to place, but also to win it all in the A-10 Conference Championships.

Junior Erin Parker will be returning, as will sophomore Danae Ohresser-Joumard, junior Cynthia Luz, and senior Caroline Hamann, all who competed on Fordham’s Varsity 8. The larger class of incoming freshmen and the growth of underclassmen will hopefully be able to make up for the losses from the previous season.

The Fordham University women’s rowing team will kick off its spring season on March 31, where the Rams will head to Philadelphia, PA to compete in the Murphy Cup. Following the opener, the Rams will have a competition almost every week until the 2018 A-10 Championships which will be held in Cherry Hill, NJ. The cliché that hard work pays off will hopefully hold true for these Rams.

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Track

By EMMANUEL BERBARI ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Coming off a 2017 season that saw Fordham Track and Field fall shy of some of its overall goals, the next step is in sight as the teams embark on another spring season.

The men’s team, spearheaded by the likes of seniors Thomas Slattery, Louis Santelli and Fritz Heinrich, as well as sophomore Ryan Kutch and others, will look to bounce back from a campaign that featured an Atlantic 10 finish short of the top three.

“We were frustrated [since] we were so close,” said Slattery, who achieved numerous feats in the fall, including an individual five-mile title at the Metropolitan Championships, the best A-10 Championship finish in school history and All-Conference honors. “But we were pleased

that we made it so far to where we were only a few points out of contention.”

Santelli, who made noise by setting a school record in the 1,000-meter run last week, is an obvious number two to complement Slattery, but there are other under-the-radar performers who could help this Fordham team achieve its ultimate goal. “[Fritz Heinrich] is a new addition to our distance group whose training has been yielding fast times, and [ Jack Keegan] is a freshman who is poised to help us out in relays with consistent sub50 legs in the 4x4,” said Slattery.

On the women’s side, junior Mary Kate Kenny joined Santelli in the record books when she beat out her previous school mark in the 60-meter dash a week ago. Sophomores Katarzyna Krzyzanowski and Sydney Snow, senior Stephanie Leo and junior Angelina Grebe, fresh off a

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

stellar respective Cross Country seasons and promising results last year, round out what figures to be a formidable core.

“I expect us as a team to have a stronger finish at the A10 Championship,” said Grebe.

“There are a lot of strong athletes on the team who I expect to make an impact in the upcoming weeks.”

The women’s team shares similar goals, and a competitive drive is aiding its push.

“I think that the atmosphere on this year’s team is slightly more positive and goal-oriented,” said Grebe. “We have a lot of ladies who have incredible potential, and coupled with the hard work they have been putting in I am excited to see how the season plays out.”

Slattery notes that head coach Tom Dewey, who is in his 37th season at the helm, has been pleased with the team’s progress, with the group growing disappointed with times that would have resulted in contentment two or three years ago.

“In my four years here I have never seen our team this close and focused with the right, matured talent,” said Slattery. “We have made sure that everyone knows our goal: to get third as a team [at A-10s], which would be our best finish in close to 10 years.”

On both sides, positive attitudes, developed team chemistry and a few nationallyrecognized performers have put the Rams within striking distance of a wildly successful campaign.

Golf

By JIMMY SULLIVAN

ASSUSTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The Fordham men’s golf team looks to pick up where it left off in the fall when it starts its spring slate at the Lafayette Invite on April 1-2.

The team had a strong fall showing, highlighted by an opening-weekend win at the Ryan T. Lee Invitational and third-place finishes at the Bucknell Fall Invitational and the Lehigh Invitational. The team was spearheaded this spring by seniors Joseph Trim, James Mongey and Matthew Schiller, all of whom averaged under 75 per round in the fall. Mongey also earned two Atlantic 10 Player of the Week nods and won the Lee Invitational with a four-under 140, three strokes ahead of the second-place finisher. That tournament was the only team victory of the season for the Rams.

In terms of his approach as the spring season approaches, Mongey said, “I think my sense of urgency, knowing it’s my last semester of golf, will help me keep my performance up. I know myself and the rest of our team, especially the seniors, have some pretty high goals for the season and A10s, and we are looking to finish strong.”

However, the fall season wasn’t all positive for Fordham. The team fell into a cold spell at the end of September and finished 11th and 12th, respectively, at the Quechee Invite and the Yale Invitational to close out the month. “I feel like we can improve on everything honestly. I can’t remember a time where myself, Joe and Matt all played our best during the same week,” Mongey said. “We have a lot of good young players and Tommy Hayes’ return will

January 31, 2018

help. We are all very competitive amongst each other so that will bring out the best in us.” The team corrected itself, though, towards the end of the season and picked up back-to-back third place finishes at the Bucknell Invitational and the Lafayette Invite in October.

Of course, while the trio of Mongey, Schiller and Trim are skilled and accomplished, the Rams will also need contributions from other players if they want to ascend to new heights this spring.

This was perhaps best evidenced at the Lee Invitational. While the senior troika was a combined two-under par, they were not the only ones to turn in solid performances for Fordham. Sophomore and Miami native Tomas Nieves as well as junior Josh Madarang both fired a 36-hole score of four-over, and freshman Mithran Denbow finished at just five-over.

With the three seniors playing as well as they did, the Rams were dangerous. With the entire team clicking, the Rams were deadly.

That being said, it will be interesting to see how fresh the Rams are when they begin play at the Lafayette Invite. While having over five months off can help a team get healthy and rested, there is something to be said for not having played a tournament in that long of a period. The break likely served Fordham well, but it remains to be seen how the team will start the season once April comes around.

The Rams’ spring season begins on April 1-2, when they take part in the Lafayette Invite in Hellertown, PA. If the Rams’ stellar seniors play up to par, the team will be competitive. If those seniors get help from some of their rising underclassmen, the squad may very well be unstoppable.

Now, the team looks to pick up where it left off in the spring.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

January 31, 2018

Baseball

By JACK McLOONE SPORTS EDITOR

Fordham Baseball had a tough 2017, missing the Atlantic 10 Championship Series with an 1112 in-conference record and finishing just one game above .500 at 27-24. The Rams come into 2018 with a lot of fresh faces after graduating 10 seniors. Among those seniors were everyday starters Mark Donadio, Matthew Kozuch, Luke Stampfl and Jason Lundy, along with number one starter Jimmy Murphy and consistent contributor Ryan Mahoney.

“Losing seniors happens every year and it’s something that you try to prepare for,” said head coach Kevin Leighton. “We will definitely have some guys starting this year that haven’t had college experience yet, but we’ve had that every year, and young talent is an exciting and promising sign for the future.”

The Rams will feature just two seniors this season, the rarelyused reliever Jake Bernardo and starting pitcher Ben Greenberg.

Greenberg, who is the team captain, missed all of last season with a back injury. In his freshman year he was named to the A-10 All-Rookie team, and as a sophomore posted a 2.83 ERA. “Ben has experience and has pitched in big games for us so for him to be back is going to be big,” said Leighton. “He is a competitor

Softball

By BRENDAN O’CONNELL STAFF WRITER

Something Fordham Softball fans have come to expect over the past decade is success.

Entering her 18th season at the helm of the softball program, head coach Bridget Orchard is embracing the standard she and her athletes have set over the years.

Last season, the Rams captured their fifth consecutive Atlantic 10 Championship and finished the season with the second-highest winning percentage mark (.730) in program history, but this season will present new challenges and opportunities, which keeps Orchard motivated.

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PREVIEW

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and wants to win in the worst way and I know that our younger guys will learn from him just by watching his preparation and the way that he competes on the mound.”

The pitching staff will, as in years past, continue to be a strength for the Rams. Freshman Alvin Melendez settled into a closing role for the Rams last season – his exploits included closing both halves of a double-header – and tossed an A10-best 0.76 ERA in 23.2 innings.

He started the season also playing in the outfield, but a lower body injury limited his playing time there.

Leighton hopes to get him back to playing in the field this season.

“He has tremendous natural talent and I expect that he will show that this spring in the outfield and the mound,” said Leighton.

The other focal point on the mound will be junior Reiss Knehr, last season’s number two starter, along with starting at second base.

He led the Rams in strikeouts with 86, including a 16-strikeout performance against St. Joe’s.

Leighton thinks sophomore Brandon Martin could make a big step this season. As a freshman, he did not allow a run over his first six appearances.

Where the Rams run into problems, however, is at the plate. They had a .259 team batting average (219th) and .337 on-base percentage, good for 219th and 262nd, respectively, out of 295 teams. No matter how good your pitching is, simply being able to get runners on base will limit you. The Rams were

shut out in six games last season.

“I am confident that this year’s group is bought in to the plan of how we want to run our offense,” said Leighton. “We need to compete in the batter’s box and we need to find ways to get on base more consistently this year.”

Leighton thinks junior first baseman Brian Goulard could be one of the breakout players at the dish for Fordham this season.

With all the graduating seniors, the Rams will field a young lineup out of necessity, especially on days that either Knehr or Melendez (if

he starts) are pitching. Freshmen infielders Jake Mackenzie and C.J. Vazquez and outfielder Nick Labella are expected to contribute early.

On the mound, the freshmen slate of John Stankiewicz, Matt Mikulsi, Joe Quintal and Brandon Nance should be impact performers.

Fordham will start its season in the way it always does: three weekend road trips to warmer climes to escape the Northeast winters. The Rams will first head to South Carolina for three games starting Feb.

16 before weekend series at the University of South Florida and James Madison.

“That’s one of the things that I think as a student-athlete you will remember the most after your career,” said Leighton of the seasonopening road trips. “The bonds that are made on road trips last for a lifetime and the experiences of playing some tough competition will definitely benefit us throughout the season.”

Fordham’s first home game is against Wagner on Wednesday, March 14 at 3 p.m.

The start of the seasonal change has Orchard ready to go. “I am so anxious to get out on the field and play,” Orchard said. “There will be many new faces on the field in 2018.

Our goals, as always is to go to the Women’s College World Series, but first our focus is on winning the Atlantic 10 championship. We host this year so it will be extra special to win at home.”

Youth is one key difference between last year’s historic team and this year’s. With studs such as Amy Van Hoven, Lindsay Mayer, Ally Vergona, Sydney Canessa, Jessica Hughes and others having graduated, one challenge Fordham will face this season is a lack of experience. Orchard anticipates about five of her nine Opening Day starters to be first-year players,

whereas her starting lineup in 2017 was nearly entirely composed of returning players.

With so many new contributors coming into the fold, Orchard will rely on certain mainstays to lead the team, both on and off the field.

Among these players are graduate student Lauren Quense and senior Madi Shaw, who each had stellar seasons in 2017 and will serve as team captains this spring. “[Lauren and Madi] are absolutely amazing and we couldn’t do it without them,” raved Orchard. “Especially with so many young players, they have really taken ownership of the team and are showing them the Fordham way.”

Along with seasoned veterans like Quense and Shaw, the team will also

depend on solid performances from a variety of players. Orchard specifically mentioned sophomores Madie Aughinbaugh and Skyler Johnston along with juniors Chelsea Skrepenak and Maria Trivelpiece as being important returning members.

Among the freshmen expected to make an impact are Paige Rauch, who will start at second, and Brianna Pinto, Kelly Bright and Rachel Hubertus, who will compete for playing time right away.

The Rams also have Molly Roark, a junior college transfer, who will be their starting catcher.

No matter how the lineup shakes out to begin the year, players will have ample opportunity to earn their Ram horns, starting with their matchup with UCLA on Feb. 14.

“We are counting down the days until our first game at UCLA, and also our Palms Springs tournament where we play top ranked SEC and PAC 12 opponents and the gold medal Team Japan in an exhibition game. We also head to play Alabama in March, which I am really looking forward to. It is an amazing experience for the players to play in these top stadiums and atmospheres. We sign autographs for young girls and the players really get to see what kind of impact they have as role models,” said Orchard.

Just nine wins away, this season will undoubtedly include Orchard’s 600th victory as head coach of the Rams. When she thinks about milestones like this, or the NCAA Championship berths her team has earned in 7 of the last 8 years, or any number of other accomplishments, she jokes that it must mean she is “getting old!”

In a more serious sense, she credits her achievements to having had some “amazing” athletes and support staffs.

“I have been very blessed and feel so fortunate to have the opportunities I have had. Fordham has really supported me and my teams and allowed us to be successful.”

Orchard’s philosophy has produced incredible, historic results at Fordham, and her approach remains consistent this year.

“We prepare, commit and sacrifice a lot to achieve the success. Our players really buy in and work all year long to achieve their goals,” said Orchard.

Poised for another run, time will tell if the Rams will bloom with the flowers beside Bahoshy Field and maintain the incredible standard they have set in recent years behind their remarkable coach and leaders.

JULIA OCMERFORDTHE FORDHAM RAM

RODERICK PEREZ/THE FORDHAM RAM

Page 20

Squash Splits Two Matches on Saturday

By JIMMY SULLIVAN

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The Fordham Men’s Squash team split a pair of matches against Bryant University and Bucknell University on Saturday afternoon. With the week’s results, the team is now 14-3 on the season, but Saturday’s loss to Bucknell marks their first in 11 weeks.

The team’s Saturday slate started with a 9 a.m. match against Bryant.

The Bulldogs came in 41st in last week’s edition of the College Squash Association rankings. It appeared as though they would be a tough out for a Rams team that came into the day winners of eight matches in a row. As it turned out, the Bulldogs were no match for Fordham.

The Rams took the first match easily with nary a shred of difficulty from Bryant. In fact, the Rams were so dominant that they were able to take the match without conceding a single game in any of the individual matches. Freshman Tommy White won his match by only allowing his opponent, Rich Appel, to earn three points. Additionally, only one Bulldog mustered eight points in a single game. Remarkably, it was the eighth time this season that Fordham won a match without allowing an opponent victory in any of the individual matches. Unfortunately, the team’s match against Bucknell did not prove to be nearly as easy, and the outcome was not in the Rams’ favor.

The Rams lost that match in a heartbreaking 5-4 finish and saw their nine-match winning streak come to an end. However, the news was not all bad for Fordham.

Junior and Whitestone, New York

native Will Pantle won his matches on that day to improve to a staggering 15-1 on the season. “It’s nice to have teammates who help out, and even after playing for 10 years, it’s nice to know I have support from my Fordham teammates,” Pantle said. Other outstanding performers were freshman Justin Deckoff and graduate student Joseph Hughes, who both improved to 14-2 on the year, along with freshman Griffin Fitzgerald, who, with two wins on Saturday, pulled his record to 141. While the winning streak was snapped on Saturday afternoon, the performance of these players and others is a major positive for the team going forward.

Next up for Fordham is the Northeastern Round Robin, which will take place February 9-11. The tournament will feature Brandeis University, Northeastern University, Boston College, Boston University and Minnesota University.

This will be the final regular-season tournament for the Rams, as the College Squash Association Tournament takes place Feb. 23-25. The Rams are looking to qualify for that tournament for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

“Even though we are an individual sport, all of our team members are important from the number-nine spot all the way to the top three,” Pantle said. “We need to continue to do our job and just remember that we always need to continue working hard.”

The Rams have worked hard this season, and the results have shown that their labors are paying off. They will need to continue working hard if they want to maintain their current success.

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

The Fordham Squash team defeated Bryant but lost to Bucknell this weekend.

SPORTS

January 31, 2018

Fordham Swimming to the Atlantic 10 Tournament

The Fordham swimming and diving teams came away with several wins this weekend.

By DOMINIC CAPONE STAFF WRITER

The Fordham Swimming and Diving teams wrapped up their regular seasons this past week, with both teams defeating Iona and the women coming away with an additional win against UMass.

The women had an outstanding day in their 150-75 victory over Iona, while the men picked up their 3rd victory of the season winning 131-94.

Sophomore diver Stephanie Kerkeles took first place in both the one-meter and the threemeter boards, with a career-high 269.93 points and a season best of 258.98 points respectively.

The women also won all nine individual events and both relays. In fact, all nine wins came from nine different swimmers.

Senior captain Erin McBride got things started for the Rams winning the 1000 freestyle with a time of 10:41.02. The other freestyle winners consisted of junior Tara Brunner in the 50 with a time of 24.15, freshman Noelle Theodoulou winning the 100 in 54.12 seconds, freshman Bayley Frierson in the 200 with a time of 1:56.85 and sophomore Paulina Watson, who won the 500 freestyle in 5:15.28. The remaining wins came in the 200 IM in which sophomore Natalie Brown won in 2:11.32, the 200 butterfly won by

sophomore Catherine Alabanza in 2:08.28, the 200 backstroke won by freshman Michelle Martin in 2:10.00 and the last win came from senior Nele Albers with a time of 2:24.51 in the 200 breaststroke.

In the relays, the women won the 400 medley behind freshman Caitlin McNary, junior Gabrielle Celia, Theodoulou and freshman Hannah McGee with a time of 3:59.20. The team of Brunner, Celia, Watson and last week’s A-10 women athlete of the week sophomore Amelia Bullock helped the women pick up a win in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:39.12.

On the men’s side, junior Christopher Craig won both diving events, setting a new careerhigh in both the three-meter with 289.80 points and the one-meter with 260.93 points.

The Rams won both relay events and five individual events as well. Fifth-year senior Joe Mercurio started his team off with a win in the 50 freestyle in 21.75 seconds. Junior Isiah Magsino took first place in the 200 IM in 1:57.25. Other winners include senior Manny Avila Garcia taking the top time in the 200 butterfly in 2:00.13, sophomore Joseph Vizza winning the 100 freestyle in 47.92 seconds and junior Ethan D’Arcangelo taking the top spot in the 200 backstroke event with

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

a time of 1:56.64.

In the relays, Fordham’s team consisting of freshman Auston Ramsay, junior Travis Monahan, Mercurio and Vizza won the 400 medley relay in 3:28.43, while the 200 freestyle relay team of Monahan, Mercurio, Kevin Berry and Jack Madigan placed first in 1:26.39.

The Rams then traveled up to UMass where the women won 171.5-128.5 and the men lost 211-87.

The women ended their regular season on a strong note winning nine events. Freshman Michelle Martin had herself a day, winning a total of three events. She took first in the 100 backstroke in 58.64 seconds and the 100 butterfly in 57.23 seconds. She also helped lead Celia, sophomore Samantha McDonald and junior Tara Brunner to a win in the 200 medley with a time of 1:47.37.

The men struggled in their loss, winning only two events.

Joe Mercurio was a part of both of those wins, placing first in the 100 butterfly in 49.16 seconds and also winning the 200 freestyle relay in 1:24.13 along with Travis Monahan, Bryce Bollesen and Joseph Vizza.

The Fordham Rams will now get set for the Atlantic 10 Championship at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio which will be held February 14-18.

Think you know sports? Become a writer!

Email: fordhamramsports@gmail.com

SPORTS

January 31, 2018

Liam McKeone

Page 21

Men’s Tennis Starts with Two Losses

Peter Valentino

Cousins’s Injury Complicates Season

Vegas Knights For Real?

For anyone who likes fun basketball – or lives in New Orleans – DeMarcus Cousins tearing his Achilles this weekend was devastating. The controversial big man had just started to find his groove with the Pelicans, with the injury occurring only four days removed from Cousins dropping the obscene stat line of 44 points, 23 rebounds and 10 assists.

Cousins and Anthony Davis were thriving as always, but the biggest positive was the play of their role players; it seemed, nearly a year after the trade, that all the pieces were coming together for New Orleans. Jrue Holiday was beginning to emerge as the all-around, two-way player that he was known to be before having his career waylaid by injuries and his wife’s brain tumor. Rajon Rondo was doing all the good Rondo things and none of the bad Rondo things, dishing out assists and playing good defense, all while not fighting his teammates. The team was finally starting to gel on both ends of the court.

Now, they’re back to Anthony Davis shouldering the majority of the load, and it will lead to a series of tough decisions for a maligned franchise.

Cousins is an unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason, and where he would end up was already one of the hot topics of the year. Over the last month, it has seemed more and more likely that New Orleans may make the dual big man approach work and double down on their stair pairing of Cousins and Davis. Cousins was giving more effort on defense, and both players were finally starting to find their groove and put up big numbers consistently with one another. Now, with only a taste of what a Cousins-Davis team could do at full power, New Orleans is stuck. The front office has proven unable to provide Davis with any decent supporting cast, and Cousins was their last effort. If the team had flopped this year, Cousins would be gone, head coach Alvin Gentry would have been fired and Davis would, in all likelihood, be on the trading block. No one wants to hit the reset button after getting a once-in-a-generation talent like Davis, but it’s been almost eight years now. If things didn’t go well, it was a very real chance that Davis would either force his way out or be shipped out in a complete rebuild.

Unfortunately for the Pelicans, things are now tricky. They could go all-in on Cousins and Davis, seeing how good they could be over the last months, and decide that, even though the success of the experiment was questionable throughout the year, Cousins is worth the risk. Of course, Cousins comes with his own baggage of not being a great locker room guy or giving full effort all the time. Then there’s the fact that if they do sign Cousins to a max extension, that leaves them very little salary cap room to fill out the roster behind Cousins, Davis and Holiday, who’s also on a max deal. Is the front office willing to stake the future of the franchise, and maybe their careers, on a notoriously headstrong player who hasn’t proven he can win? Do they take a chance on letting Cousins walk and filling the roster around Davis, even though they’ve failed in that exact effort for seven years? Do the owners decide that it’s not worth the potential expenditure and dump everyone? It’s an intriguing situation and one that was made all the more complicated this weekend.

When the Vegas expansion bid was approved in June of 2016, the universal opinion among fans was that it was another wasted moneygrab by Gary Bettman. The team was seen as another Arizona Coyotes, a southern hockey team hemorrhaging money because it was a poorly run team in a terrible market. This was the first professional franchise in Las Vegas, so there was no proof that sports would do well there. The Raiders announced their impending move to Las Vegas in 2020. The Vegas Golden Knights were going to have to obtain a foothold in a weak market before a historic football team moved to town. Its expansion draft in June had some steals, but overall, the team was expected to just get their footing in the league first. While some were happy to see a new team in the league, the outlook on the team’s inaugural season was bleak.

Well, guess what? At the All-Star Break in 2018, the Vegas Golden Knights have the best record in the Western Conference, have played the fewest number of games in the league and have captured the attention of fans in southern Nevada along with the rest of the country. The Vegas Golden Knights come out fast, attack early and somehow has incredible depth. Las Vegas has rotated through five goaltenders this year due to injuries, but still seems to keep winning.

The Knights have perfectly mixed no-name young underachievers like William Karlsson and Reilly Smith with veteran players such as James Neal and Marc-Andre Fleury. There’s also a bit of sick poetry to this team, too. Head Coach Gerard Gallant was fired on a road trip by the Florida Panthers, and was forced to take a taxi and a separate flight back to his home. When he was named Vegas’ head coach, Gallant cherry-picked Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith from his former employers and used them both as intricate parts of his hockey machine. The success of this team is unprecedented, unimaginable and unlikely, but it is also incredibly respectable. This team’s style of hockey is like the 1970’s Soviet Union, relentlessly attacking with every player performing to the best of its abilities, and the Knights are only going to get better with all of the draft picks they have stockpiled. This team will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

With this team leading the West, how realistic is a cup run? What seemed blasphemous in October might become a reality in June. As mentioned earlier, this team has the veteran presence in Fleury and Neal to be able to lead a young team to the cup. I see this team possibly getting bounced in the first round, too, because of its overall lack of team playoff experience. I think that out of the Pacific, the Sharks could come out to represent the division in the Western Conference. There is still half a season to go in order for the league to figure itself out, as well as a trade deadline to get through. Vegas probably should be active at the deadline with all of the picks and assets they have. Regardless, the start of the Vegas franchise has been nothing short of a success. The team is not only primed for a playoff run, but primed for a great next few years and a solid spot in the Vegas market.

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

Steven Duka crashes the net. Duka played in the sixth singles match against Boston College on Friday.

By ALEXANDRIA SEDLAK STAFF WRITER

The Rams started their season off with two away games this weekend.

The first was on Friday against Boston College, and the second was on Saturday against Brown University.

The Rams fought hard, but in the end they dropped both matches over the weekend.

On Friday, the Rams faced the Eagles at Boston College. For the first doubles matches, freshman Lutwin de Macar and sophomore Fabian Mauritzson dropped the set 6-1. In the second doubles position, sophomore Finn Kemper and sophomore Jeremy Chung also dropped the set 6-1. Freshman Max Green and freshman Alex Makatsaria were playing

the third doubles match when they had to stop, with a final score of 5-2.

Overall, Boston won the doubles point.

For the six singles matches, Boston came out on top, giving them an additional six points. Green played first singles, de Macar played second singles, Mauritzson played third singles, Kemper played fourth singles, Makatsaria played fifth singles and sophomore Steven Duka played sixth singles On Saturday, the Rams travelled to Rhode Island to face Brown University. The doubles matches were extremely close, though the doubles point went to Brown. In the third doubles position, Green and sophomore Allen Thornes played a long match, with a final score of 7-6. De

Macar and Mauritzson were playing the first doubles match when it was stopped at a tie of 6-6.

For the singles matches, four out of six were regular two set matches, while two were an eight game proset. The fifth singles match, played by Kemper, ended with a score of 1-8, while the sixth singles match, played

by Makatsaria, ended with a score of 3-8. Mauritzson scored the sole win for the Rams, fighting hard to win the third singles match 7(12-10)-6, 6-4.

The Rams are back to practicing this week at their indoor courts to prepare for their tournaments this coming weekend. They will be facing Siena College on Friday, Feb. 2, and Monmouth University on Sunday, Feb. 4.

Kenny Breaks Own Record, Seven Men Qualify for IC4As

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Mary Kate Kenny has broken the Fordham record in the 60m two weeks in a row. It now stands at 7.78 seconds.

By EMMANUEL BERBARI ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The women’s and men’s track teams competed at the Terrier Classic at Boston University on Friday and Saturday, and multiple athletes posted stellar times.

On the women’s side, junior Mary Kate Kenny topped her own school record for the second time, finishing the 60-meter run in 7.78 seconds.

The time beat her previous record of 7.79, which she set at the NYC Gotham Cup last week.

For the men, seven runners registered IC4A-caliber times and 10 recorded season-highs.

Notable contributions included freshman Anthony Misko’s fifthplace finish and season-high in

the 500-meter dash (1:04.47), junior Sean Phillips’ fifth-place mark and career-high in the 1,000-meter run (2:27.43), senior Thomas Slattery’s 32nd-place crossed and career-best in the 3,000-meter run (8:22.95), senior Louis Santelli’s IC4A-qualifying 15th-place finish in the 800-meter run (1:51.22) and senior Brian Cook’s 39thplace mile time (4:11.41).

Slattery, who finished in an impressive time, said he wants to “break out of the pack in bigger meets and grab more impressive times [at] the national level.”

“I’m not the only one who has that goal,” said Slattery. “It’s been a pleasure training with a group with a similar mindset.”

In relays, the men’s 4x400 ‘A’ team rolled to a fourth-place and

IC4A-qualifying time of 3:18.01, while the women’s distance medley relay squad finished ninth with an ECAC-qualifying and seasonhigh time of 12:05.36.

Junior Aidan Moroz and senior Jennifer Boerke posted fifth and 13th-place finishes in the 500-meter dash in 1:16.82 and 1:17.89, respectively. Kenny and freshman Kathryn Kelly placed 11th and 17th in the 200-meter dash in 25.09 and 25.47 seconds, respectively. Junior Kate McCormack finished 16th in the 1000-meter run in 2:57.04.

Fordham Track will be back in action this Thursday, Feb. 1 at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex in Staten Island, New York, when it competes in the Metropolitan Championships.

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, 2018

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 31, 2018

Marc Anthony Costanza

NBA Players vs.

Referees It has been no secret that the animosity between NBA players and referees has escalated to new heights this season. Every week there seems to be a moment during a game where a call made by the ref is heavily disputed by a player, resulting in a heated altercation on the court. This has led to an absurd number of ejections and technical fouls. According to Fox Sports’ NBA statistics, there have already been 41 ejections and over 460 techs called.

Has this tension between players and referees always existed?

Issues between players and officials generally occur across all sports. However, in the NBA, the relationship has a significant history of problems. A notable example is the 2007 NBA betting scandal.

NBA fans will remember disgraced referee, Tim Donaghy, who infamously betted on games and fixed them accordingly, so that he and others would win large sums of money. After pleading guilty to federal fraud charges, Donaghy became outspoken on the corruption among officials within the league. He claimed numerous referees were involved in fixing game six of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings in order to extend the series to seven games. In addition, the disgraced ref alleged that the officials in the 2006 NBA Finals organized the games so that the Dallas Mavericks would lose the series against the Miami Heat.

Although Donaghy was the only referee caught and punished, the scandal left a residual effect where fans, players and coaches became skeptical of the officiating.

From the players’ perspective, it is frustrating because they don't know if there is some incentive for referees wanting players out of games. This is not to say that the current referees are corrupt, or that athletes feel that way, but it’s something significant to keep in mind when considering why their rapport today is so bitter.

As of right now, the tension seems to only be getting worse. However, there is some hope on the horizon that the relationship can potentially head in a positive direction.

On Jan. 26, the NBA President of League Operations, Byron Spruell, announced a five-part program they intend to implement in order to improve the communication between players and referees. Leading the program will be NBA Senior Vice President and Head of Referee Operations, Michelle Johnson, and NBA Vice President and Head of Referee Development and Training, Monty McCutchen.

Beginning before the All-Star break, all 30 teams will meet with Johnson, McCutchen and their staffs to discuss “rules interpretations, on-court conduct and the expectations of NBA referees.” Also, there will be enhanced training for the referees on how to resolve conflict situations.

There is no guarantee this program will mediate the bad blood between the players and referees, however it may allow for a more “amicable” second half of the season. …Or things could just get worse.

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Alvin Halimwidjaya

Varsity Scores & Stats Women's Basketball Fordham 72 St. Bonaventure 48 (FOR) Davis: 18 Pts, 14 Rebs, (FOR) Goulding: 15 Pts. 10 Rebs

Squash Fordham 9 Bryant 0 Tommy White (FOR) def.

Rich Appel (BRYANT) 11-1, 11-0, 11-2

George Mason 62 Fordham 67 (FOR) Davis: 18 Pts, 13 Rebs (FOR) Cavanaugh: 14 Pts, 2 Asts Men's Basketball Fordham 58 Rhode Island 78 (FOR) Tavares: 17 Pts, 3 Asts Fordham 82 UMASS 69 (FOR) Slanina: 19 Pts, 10 Rebs (FOR) Raut: 16 Pts, 4-7 3pt

4 5

Fordham Bucknell Men's Swimming Fordham Iona

131 94

UMASS Fordham

211 87

Women's Swimming Fordham 150 Iona 75 UMASS Fordham

128.5 171.5

500m dash (FOR) Misko 5th - 1:04.47 Women's Track Terrier Classic 60m dash (FOR) Kenny 4th - 7.78 Men's Tennis Boston College Fordham

7 0

Brown Fordham

6 1

Women's Tennis Seton Hall Fordham

2 5

Athletes of the Week Joe Mercurio

Mary Kate Kenny

Fifth Year

Junior

Swimming & Diving

Track

Mercurio, a fifth-year senior on the men's track team, came away with a win in the 50 freestyle in 21.75 seconds against Iona and played a major role in both event wins at Iona, placing first in the 100 butterfly in 49.16 seconds and winning the 200 freestyle relay in 1:24.13.

Kenny made school history for the second straight week, leading the women's squad to an impressive showing at the Terrior Classic at Boston University. She bested last week's record in the 60-meter dash, crossing the finish line in 7.78 seconds to top her own mark for the third time.

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 • Alum Named NFL Executive of the Year

Howie Roseman, Fordham Law Class of 2000, who currently serves as the vice president of football operations for the Philadelphia Eagles, was named National Football League Executive of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America. Coming off back-to-back losing seasons, Roseman helped construct an Eagles roster that dominated to a 13-3 regular season record, earned a first-round bye and will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl this weekend against the New England Patriots. Roseman started as an intern in 2000 and rose up the ranks to become the youngest general manager in the NFL in 2010.

• Martin Awarded A-10 Rookie of the Week Michelle Martin, a freshman on the Ford-

ham Women's Swimming and Diving team, has earned her second A-10 Rookie of the Week award of the season. She led the team to wins of Iona and UMass this week, setting her season-high in the 200yard backstroke against Iona and winning the 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard butterfly at UMass.

Clipping Blake’s Wings

Men's Track Terrier Classic

• Stephanie Gaitley Earns 600th Career Victory Fordham Women's Basketball head coach

Stephanie Gaitley won her 600th game as a collegiate head coach in the team's 7248 win over St. Bonaventure at the Rose Hill Gym on Thursday. She is the 69th head coach in women's college basketball history to reach 600 career wins. Her Rams are riding high at 17-5 overall and 8-1 in A-10 play, including an impressive 11-2 clip at home.

• Women's Tennis Names New Assistant Coach Peter Banas, who previously served as

the assistant coach for men's and women's tennis at Sacred Heart University, was announced as the assistant coach of Fordham Women's Tennis on Thursday.

Before landing his previous job at Sacred Heart, Banas was the head tennis professional at the John McEnroe Tennis Academy in New York, a position he held from 2014-2016. On the University of Louisiana men's tennis team, he earned AllAmerica honors and ranked among the Top 25 in NCAA Division I. -Compiled by Emmanuel Berbari

The first thing you notice about Blake Griffin is how he seems to fly in the air. The star forward’s highlight reel is filled with casual in-game windmill dunks, whether on his own or off an alley-oop, while he has turned center Timofey Mozgov’s last name into a verb for what he does to his victims at the end of a pick and roll. Even Kia’s string of successful commercials has him in a fictitious realm in the clouds, as if to say that Griffin is a man not meant for gravity. However, he’s turned himself into more than that, becoming a triple double threat with the court vision of a guard and a disturbingly refined three-point shot; now, as he faces a change of scenery, it’s time to see if he can prove his worth as a top-15 player in the NBA. On Monday, Jan. 29, Griffin was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Detroit Pistons along with big men Brice Johnson and Willie Reed for Avery Bradley, Tobias Harris and Boban Marjanovic, a future first-round pick and a future second-round pick. The Clippers seem to be ready to rebuild, and they have a couple nice pieces in Bradley’s “3 and D” mold and the sharpshooting Harris, despite head coach Doc Rivers’ odd propensity for trading almost exclusively for players on his former Celtics team. However, the focus should be on if Blake Griffin can handle the added pressure Motown is going to bring.

Griffin will undoubtedly be facing easier competition in the Eastern Conference; with a dearth of elite big men facing up against him, Griffin’s production should see a sizable increase. Pistons center Andre Drummond provides less than former frontcourt mate Deandre Jordan, but is still an incredible rebounder and fits the same mold, allowing Griffin to handle the ball more and not deal with the dirty work in the paint. However, Blake is used to the spotlights and the headlines; as he leaves the glamour of LA, it remains to be seen whether Griffin can handle the lower attendance rates and the more apathetic attitude fans in the Motor City have developed.

Not to mention, Griffin still has questions to answer on the court; his injury history remains a problem, as he hasn’t played 70 games in a season in quite a while. In addition, his fourth quarter production has been a point of concern the past few years, which begs the question: will he really be able to lead a team to significant success when it counts?

With the Pistons, Griffin has the perfect opportunity to prove to the league that he belongs in the elite superstar category in the NBA. A run to the playoffs, even if it’s just the seventh or the eighth spot, should be well within reach.

From there, it’s up to whether the promising frontcourt of Griffin and Drummond can lead the Pistons to real playoff success.

SPORTS

Page 24

January 31, 2018

The Fordham Ram

Gaitley Nabs 600th Win, Rams Win Fourth Straight Road Game

By JACK McLOONE SPORTS EDITOR

It is no secret that Fordham Women’s Basketball Head Coach Stephanie Gaitley is one of the best in the country. She further cemented that on Thursday, her birthday, when Fordham’s 72-48 win over St. Bonaventure gave Gaitley her 600th career win. The Rams followed that up with a 6762 victory over George Mason on Sunday.

“All wins are special but because of the significance of the milestone it made it sweeter on my birthday; basically because when you get past 50, you don’t want any more birthdays so other celebrations are welcome!” said Gaitley. “When you hit milestones there a lot of things to take in consideration. First, it means you’re old! But seriously it’s a total team effort that involves a lot of great coaches, players and administrations. It made it special that it was on my birthday because my day started off with a conference call with all three sons and they have been a significant part of the ride along with my husband Frank.”

The win over the Bonnies ended a lopsided affair that was pretty close in the early-goings. With 6:29 left in the half, St. Bonaventure tied it at 21. The Rams responded with a 13-6 run to close the half, finishing up 34-27. Six of the points came from breakout

freshman guard Bre Cavanaugh.

Fordham started running on all cylinders in the second half, outscoring the Bonnies 23-9 in the third quarter.

“It took us a half of basketball to settle down and figure ourselves out against St Bonaventure,” said Gaitley. “Once we were able to settle down offensively we locked in on defense.”

While the Bonnies played a much closer fourth quarter, Fordham had built up a significant lead. It was high enough that junior Kristen Ryan and the freshmen bench squad of Katie McLoughlin, Ralene Kwiatkowski, Lauren Murphy and Halei Gillis were able to help celebrate Gaitley’s milestone and birthday by entering in the fourth quarter.

While the win over the Bonnies may have been the milestone win for the Gaitley, it was the George Mason win that is indicative of the kind of coaching that has kept Gaitley in the game for so long.

The Rams went on the road to Fairfax, Virginia where the Patriots had yet to lose a game this season, and left with a victory.

“This was a significant win because we won in a difficult atmosphere,” said Gaitley. “We still have four very difficult road games left against some of the top teams in the conference so this win was a big confidence booster.”

The Rams led for the majority of the game. The Patriots never went away even as the Rams built

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

Head Coach Stephanie Gaitley won her 600th game last Thursday when the Rams defeated St. Bonaventure.

multiple 10-point leads. George Mason finally broke through late in the fourth, taking a two-point lead with 3:43 left to play.

Gaitley praised senior do-itall forward G’mrice Davis for settling the team down during the Patriots push, something we probably would not have seen out of her even just a year ago.

Davis went to the line twice over that final stretch, hitting all four of her free throws en route to the Rams’ 67-62 victory. She finished 18 points and 13 rebounds for her 20th double-double this season. She did so while matched up against Natalie Butler, who leads the nation in double-dou-

bles this season.

Any coach will tell you that winning on the road is hard. Any coach will also tell you that young players, in particular, have problems on the road in more intense environments. But for these baby Rams, there has not been much of an issue: Fordham has won four straight road A-10 games.

Gaitley gives a lot of credit to chemistry for this young team’s success.

“I really believe the foreign tour was instrumental in helping this team develop the chemistry,” said Gaitley. “As I’ve said before this has been the best chemistry since I have been here.”

The team chemistry has been evident from its first official game this season, and has only improved as it worked through first the tough out-of-conference schedule and now A-10 play.

The Rams enter the back stretch of the season in third in the A-10 with an 8-1 conference record and 17-5 overall. Their last game of January will be on the road at Saint Louis at noon on Wednesday, January 31 where they will look to make it five straight road wins. They then return home on Sunday, February 4 to take on Rhode Island in one of the A-10’s Battle of the Rams matchups.

Men’s Basketball Gets in the Win Column Against UMass

The men’s basketball team defeated UMass on Saturday to get its first win since Jan. 3 against Richmond.

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

By ALVIN HALIMWIDJAYA STAFF WRITER

The Fordham men’s basketball team finally ended its six-game skid; after a tough loss to Rhode Island, the Rams broke through from long distance and beat Massachusetts at the Rose Hill Gym. Fordham started its week with a A-10 home game against Rhode Island on Wednesday, Jan. 24. Ranked #24 in the nation, the similarly named Rams came into the Rose Hill Gym looking to avenge their previous game to Fordham, as they lost the teams’ last meeting 71-68.

However, despite Rhode Island’s 8-0 run to start the contest Fordham hung tough and managed to land a

few punches of their own, eventually tying the game at 22 with 5:34 left off a three-pointer from freshman forward Ivan Raut.

Rhode Island ended the first period on a 14-5 run and the second half belonged to the visiting Rams, as Fordham would not get closer than nine points after halftime.

Fordham turned it over 23 times, which led to 35 points for Rhode Island. Senior guard Will Tavares led the team in scoring with 17 points, while junior forward Prokop Slanina added 13 points and junior forward David Pekarek chipped in with seven points and eight rebounds. Forward Andre Berry was the leader for Rhode Island, as he scored 20 points on 9-12 shooting, and guard Stan-

ford Robinson notched 16 points and tied his season-high with seven steals.

After their sixth consecutive loss, the Rams looked to their matchup against Massachusetts on Saturday, Jan. 27 as a chance to bounce back.

“Just stay together; that’s what I’ve been repeating to the team the past five or six games,” junior guard Joseph Chartouny said. “I just try to bring guys together to play with each other and have each other’s backs, so that’s basically the main message we have right now, especially with a shorthanded team.”

With the pressure on the Rams, they came through and grabbed an 82-69 victory against the Minutemen, racking up a season-high 26

assists on 29 baskets and lighting it up from beyond the arc, going 12-25 from long distance.

“Our group over the last two and a half years has had some gritty wins, and y’know, we’ve beaten some good teams, but I don’t know if any of them feel better than this one, simply because our team has struggled, we’ve had a tough time,” Head Coach Jeff Neubauer said. “Not only that but we were down at halftime, and our guys just showed a lot of resilience… I think what we saw in the second half was a great indication of what this team can be, and what I mean by that is we shared the ball, we passed the ball, we took care of the ball, and that’s the best it’s moved all year.”

Massachusetts led 35-31 going into halftime, but after the Minutemen started the second half with a three-pointer to extend their margin, the Rams swung back with a haymaker as a 19-2 run gave Fordham a 50-40 lead with 11:44 left in the game. UMass cut the lead back down to 52-47 with 10:49 left in the second half, but Fordham used an 11-5 burst to push the margin back to 11, 63-52, courtesy of a three-pointer from Pekarek with 7:55 remaining in the contest. Fordham controlled the rest of the game from that point, with Massachusetts getting no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

“That was really fun basketball in the second half,” Neubauer said.

“Basketball is a team game, but it’s played by individuals. So when individuals are united, and they pass it and share it, it’s fun to watch. But also

our defense in the second half was really good; we had several guys who just committed to the game plan. I thought Prokop stepped up in the second half around the rim as well.”

The Rams had five players score in double figures, led by Chartouny’s 16 points and season-high 13 assists.

He also played the full 40 minutes and went 3-8 from beyond the arc, which is hopefully a good sign after his prolonged shooting slump this season.

“I mean, I haven’t shot the ball well from three this year, so it always feels good when it goes in, but it’s not about just me making threes,” Chartouny said. “It’s more about me making threes to help the team more, and it always feels good when you win.”

Slanina poured in 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while Raut added 16 points and Tavares chipped in with 14 points. In addition, despite only contributing five points and five assists, sophomore guard Cavit Havsa was the only other player to play all 40 minutes.

“Well if you look at our assist turnover [ratio] between our guards: 18 assists and 2 turnovers,” Neubauer said. “A big reason we had so many assists is we made shots. This is how we have envisioned our team playing: guys moving the ball, and some ending up with an open three… really, really impressed with what [Havsa] did today and really proud of him.”

Fordham’s next game is on the road as the team travels to face the St. Louis Billikens at the Chaifetz Center on Saturday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m.