Volume 101 Issue 5

Page 1

The Fordham Ram Volume 101, Issue 5

Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 FordhamRam.com

February 20, 2019

FDM Raises 61 Percent of Goal

Students Request Collins Revamp

By ELIOT SCHIAPARELLI

By ELIOT SCHIAPARELLI

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Fordham United Student Government (USG), in conjunction with The Mimes and Mummers, Theatrical Outreach Program (TOP) and Fordham Experimental Theater (FET), has put out a report on the state of Collins Hall requesting repairs to the theater space. The statement, titled “Student Voices for Future Maintenance of a Beloved Space,” lists testimony from each group that uses the space, as well as from individual students and alumni. Collins Hall, which is home to Fordham’s theater and philosophy departments, has been a contentious issue for students over the past several years. The Ram reported in April 2018 that Fordham Facilities Management planned to make Collins Hall wheelchair accessible by replacing one of the building’s staircases with an elevator. Facilities previously said the project would be finished by the end of 2018, but as of February 2019 it still has not begun. USG also made statements about accessibility in Collins Hall in 2013 and 2015. Marco Valera, vice president for Facilities Management, explained the work delay. “We received funding for the project in July 2018 as per our annual budget cycle, although we were looking to start the work in 2018 the design was not completed till the fall as we encountered some challenges with the building's structure, therefore we moved the start of construction to this year, as the demolition for this project is very intrusive and noisy to the building,” Valera said. “This project is a priority, the budget is $4 million.” Stephen Clarke is the assistant director for campus center operations. “Work on installing an elevator in Collins Hall is expected to begin shortly after commencement,” SEE COLLINS, PAGE 6

in this issue

Opinion

Page 8

Green New Deal Could Make America Great Again

Sports

Page 20

Squash wins Chaffec Cup

Culture

Page 16

Literature Encourages Empathy for Mental Health

tute for Research on the African Diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean (IRADAC) and an award-winning leading voice in the prison abolition movement. Laurie Lambert, Ph.D., a professor in the African and African American studies department, said her department had been interested in booking Gilmore

This year’s Fordham Dance Marathon (FDM) Auction, benefitting The Andrew McDonough Be Positive (B+) Foundation, brought the FDM team to 61 percent of its fundraising goal by raising over $9,000 in one night. The foundation benefits kids with pediatric cancer and their families. Last year, the student-led organization raised $101,643.44. The auction held in McGinley ballroom had both a raffle portion and a live auction. The raffle had dozens of prizes up for grabs, such as dinners with university administrators, AirPods and even a mystery basket. The live auction had bigger prizes like Hamilton tickets that went for $700 and the first housing time slot went for $1500. While FDM is not announcing its fundraising goal for this year, Jaqueline Onody, GSB ’20, said

SEE LECTURE, PAGE 3

SEE FDM, PAGE 5

CLAYTON WALTERS/THE FORDHAM RAM

On Friday, Feb. 15, scholar and activisty Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Ph.D., gave the annual Black History Month lecture.

University Hosts Activist Ruth Wilson Gilmore By CLAYTON WALTERS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

For its annual Black History Month lecture on Friday, Feb. 15, the department of African and African American studies hosted scholar and activist Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Ph.D. The title of the Black History Month lecture was “Meanwhile: Making Abolition Geography Happen.”

Gilmore is an associate director of the Center for Place, Culture and Politics in the Graduate Center of The City University of New York, co-founder of grassroots organization California Prison Moratorium Project,and author of “Golden Gulag: Prisons, Surplus, Crisis, and Opposition in Globalizing California.” Gilmore is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Insti-

Amazon Breaks Up with NYC By ERICA SCALISE PROJECTS EDITOR

After Amazon announced its plans to build a new “HQ2” headquarters in Long Island City on Nov. 13, the company publicly broke up with New York City this past Valentine’s Day following pushback from a number of state and local politicians. “While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City,” the company wrote in a letter. Several of the state’s elected officials responded negatively to the announcement. The state’s deal-makers, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, expressed their disappointment over the company’s unexpected exit. In his Feb. 13 statement, the governor criticized state and local offiSEE AMAZON, PAGE 3

ANNA PETERSON/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Mario's Restaurant celebrates 100 years on Arthur Avenue, just blocks from the Rose Hill campus.

Mario's Restaurant Celebrates Centennial Anniversary By ELIOT SCHIAPARELLI ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

From a booth back near the kitchen, Joe Migliucci presides over the restaurant his family has owned and operated for over 100 years. A family crest hangs over the door where his daughter Regina Miggliucci-Delfino greets

customers. To her left is a series of paintings and pictures showing her grandparents and great-grandparents. Mario’s Restaurant was named for Migliucci’s grandfather who moved from Harlem to Arthur Avenue 100 years ago in 1919, but its history did not start there. Mario’s

started as a restaurant in Egypt in the 1800s and then moved to Harlem in 1915. Over the years the Arthur Avenue location has gone from just six tables to having an upstairs dining room, a side dining room and enlarged main dining room. It can now seat 300 to 400 people a day. SEE MARIO'S, PAGE 6


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.