Volume 104 Issue 6

The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 Volume 104, Issue 6

Women’s History Month Begins

Charles Feeney: Honorary Degree

By EMMA KIM

By SEBASTIAN DIAZ

Throughout the month of March, Fordham’s Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) is sponsoring different events to celebrate Women’s History Month.

There will be an Art Fair Exhibition on Friday, March 25, in the McGinley Ballroom from 4 to 8 p.m., and on Sunday, March 27, there will be an excursion to the Lit. Bar, an independent woman-owned bookstore, which is also the only bookstore in the Bronx.

On Monday, March 28, guest speaker Carrie Wen will speak from 4 to 5 p.m. on Zoom, and on Wednesday, March 31, there will be a trivia night at Lincoln Center. OMA is also sponsoring another off-campus event on Saturday, April 2 to the New-York Historical Society, where there will be a private, docent-led guided tour of “Women of the Collection.”

In addition to OMA sponsored events, Fordham’s Career Center is also hosting a panel for Women’s History Month on Thursday, March 24 from 1 to 2 p.m. with an array of

On March 8, Fordham hosted a presentation in which Charles F. Feeney received an honorary doctorate of human letters from the university.

Charles “Chuck” Feeney is a wealthy philanthropist who made it his mission to donate a majority of his wealth throughout his lifetime.

Dennis Jacobs, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, served as the event’s master of ceremonies.

Speaking about Feeney, Jacobs said, “Among those who excel in the accumulation of wealth, there are some who excel at giving it away … [Feeney] is a public-spirited man who devoted almost his entire fortune to philanthropic causes.”

“Fordham applauds Chuck Feeney for living his belief to the fullest and we thank him for allowing us to publicly celebrate him,” said Jacobs.

Father Thomas J. Regan, S.J., offered an invocation during the ceremony in which he connected Feeney’s accomplishments to the Jesuit ideals.

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

SEE HISTORY, PAGE 3

March 9, 2022

TheFordhamRam.com

Fordham’s Graduate School Workers Unionize

FEATURES EDITOR

SEE FEENY, PAGE 4

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

Fordham's graduate student workers form a union to advocate for better pay, working conditions and more.

By ISABEL DANZIS NEWS EDITOR

Fordham University’s graduate student workers joined together to create a labor union.

Fordham Graduate Student Workers (FGSW) is a coalition of graduate students who work in the university and advocate for better wages, improved health insurance and “grievance structures that will protect [them] from abusive power relations.”

The union has recently announced that they are joining the Communication Workers of

America (CWA) to organize their efforts.

Graduate students do a variety of work within the university, teaching core classes, working as graduate assistants, tutoring students and providing administrative assistance.

The unionization conversation started during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. According to Benjamin Van Dyne, a teaching fellow and fourth-year graduate student in the theology department, the pandemic brought new challenges to teaching. Van Dyne said that switching between

Zoom, hybrid and in-person classes, as well as teaching under the circumstances of COVID-19, brought much more work for graduate student educators. It was this that originally sparked Van Dyne’s involvement in the union.

“For me, and I know for many of my colleagues, in some cases, have doubled the amount of work we have to do for that. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen that recognized

by Fordham,” said Van Dyne.

One of the FGSW’s goals is to get pay increases for these SEE UNION, PAGE 4

A Look at the Catholic Presence at Fordham

By VALERIE GLASS

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

The Loyola community shares their experiences with Tania Tetlow as she prepares to come to Fordham University.

Loyola Students Speak on Tania Tetlow

By AVA ERICKSON EDITOR IN CHIEF

Fordham University President-Elect Tania Tetlow is currently the president of Loyola University New Orleans, a private college with 4,548 stu-

dents (3,223 undergraduates), ranked number 202 in national universities by U.S. News & World Report. Comparatively, Fordham has about 16,986 students (9,904 undergraduates) and is ranked 68. Both schools

are Jesuit, co-ed institutions in urban environments. Tetlow began her presidency in 2018 when she became the first woman and non-clergy president at Loyola.

Members of the Loyola community spoke to the Ram about Tetlow’s imSEE LOYOLA, PAGE 5

The appointment of Presidentelect Tania Tetlow, J.D., signaled a change in Fordham tradition.

Tetlow will be the first layperson president of Fordham. This break of tradition could be representative of the greater trend of younger people straying away from religion.

Recent studies have shown that younger Americans are less likely than older adults to attend church, believe in God or say that religion is important to them. In addition, other measures of religious commitment find that younger people are less involved when compared to

their adult counterparts.

This recent trend amongst young Americans seems to be consistent with changes in the university’s student population.

Analysis of data pertaining to the religious identification of Fordham students over the last ten years reveals a steady decrease in the number of undergraduate students who identify as Catholic.

According to statistics from the Office of Admissions, in 2012, 51.8% of students identified as Catholic while in 2021, 43.5% of students identified as Catholic.

SEE CATHOLIC,

in this issue:

News

Page 6

Culture

Page 14

Fordham Hosts Sixth Annual Giving Day

Third-Generation Flourishes 100 Years Later

Opinion

Sports

Page 9

Page 18

Misusing DNA From Rape Student Athlete Column Kits is Privacy Violation

NEWS

Page 2

PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS Feb. 25 Keating Hall 1:40 a.m.

A security alarm was activated on the first floor of Keating Hall. Public Safety observed an individual inside Keating Hall via live video feed. Public Safety responded and apprehended him, and officers from the 48th Precinct responded and placed him under arrest.

The individual had numerous items that were apparently stolen from campus in a bag.

March 2 Off Campus 10:29 p.m.

A student contacted Public Safety to report receiving text messages from a person reporting to be a Fordham professor requesting that the student purchase gift cards.

The student immediately suspected fraudulent activity and contacted Public Safety .

March 4 O’Hare/Urban Kitchen 7:45 p.m.

Public Safety was notified of an occupied elevator stuck in O’Hare/Urban Kitchen. Public Safety responded and made contact with the two individuals in the elevator. Centennial Elevator responded and removed them from the elevator.

March 5 593 E 191st Street 8:35 a.m.

Members of a FUEMS team notified Public Safety that they had been involved in a motor vehicle accident. Public Safety responded. The FUEMS team explained that the operator of a Fresh Direct truck had sideswiped their rig, causing minor damage to it.

Follow us on Twitter! @TheFordhamRam

March 9, 2022

Fordham Creates Task Force to Research Academic Advising

By MICHELA FAHY By ISABEL DANZIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER NEWS EDITOR

In March 2020 the Task Force on Undergraduate Academic Advising (TFUAA) was created by the deans of Fordham College at Rose Hill and Fordham College at Lincoln Center, Maura Mast and Laura Auricchio, to research the best way to conduct academic advising. The TFUAA looked at what Fordham students and faculty expected out of advising, as well as researched other academic institutions’ advising approaches.

According to Auricchio, by November 2021, the task force had completed their research.

Following this, their findings were compiled into three potential advising models that could be implemented. All three models have a similar focus on developing an advising center. Auricchio noted that the center would have full-time, professional advising staff for students to utilize.

According to the official report, the first model creates a fully functioning advising center staffed with professional advisors and class deans. Each dean and advisor would be assigned a core cohort of students to advise. Faculty would then serve as major advisors.

The second model also proposes an advising center with a staff that would serve a student’s primary advisors, but students would remain close with the faculty in their major’s department.

Points of contact for students in the major could possibly be faculty members and department heads. In this model, the advising team would work closely with department heads. The third model would keep the current model of advising but would include the introduction of an advising center that would function as a center of advising and oversee all of the other aspects of the program.

Throughout February 2022 and the first week of March, Mast and Auricchio collected feedback from the Fordham community about the three models. Based on the feedback they received, they will provide an official recommendation to the provost on how to go about academic advising.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM NEWS

Dean Mast of Rose Hill and Dean Auricchio of Lincoln Center create an undergraduate academic advising task force.

“I want to emphasize that we’re not necessarily doing model one or model two or model three, we may end up with model 1.5 or 2.6. [The final system could be] something that draws from various models,” said Auricchio.

The use of an advising center is a recurring theme that the TFUAA noted in almost all the schools sampled.

“The notion that really came across [in the external investigation] was advising centers.

The top 12 Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) that [TFUAA] looked at, all have dedicated advising centers.

Likewise, so did all the places where site visits were conducted,” said Auricchio.

The hope for advising centers is that they can provide a more centralized structure to advising: they provide a staff of professional advisors, who are trained to handle both personal and academic advising.

According to Auricchio, a big part of why an advising center would be helpful to students is because these advisors would be specially trained and equipped to deal with issues of inequity and racism. Mast and Auricchio both hope that the development of an advising center will help Fordham become more equitable and move it closer to it’s

goal of eradicating racism.

“When I talked with students about [the new advising models], one student said that she’s first generation in college and she would have loved to have gone to an advisor who understood what it meant to be first generation,” said Mast. “This student said she would have loved to have been able to go to an advisor who was especially trained to work with first generation students or at least feel have someone to talk to who at least got part of what she was going through.”

Additionally, the advising center would aim to streamline and centralize advising.

In the current advising model, it can be hard for students and faculty to know where to get answers to their questions.

“We don’t want students to be shuffled between support units with no main point of contact. We know that it is frustrating: students don’t get the right answers, it’s not coordinated and it may delay student’s path to graduation,” said Mast.

According to Mast, some academic departments have created a holistic and organized system for their academic advising. Other departments may leave the advising up to

the individual faculty member, which can result in some faculty members feeling as though they have to “figure it out as they go along” and may not have a clear sense of where to go “when they don’t have the answers.”

No matter the chosen model, faculty members would still have a robust role in student mentorship.

“Whichever the model ends up being, there will always be in fact, we hope — strengthened opportunities for faculty and students to work together,” said Auricchio.

The impetus for the TFUAA was not to critique Fordham’s current advising model but rather to think about what the ideal and best system would be for Fordham undergraduate students.

According to Mast, the current academic advising system has evolved to wear over time. However, it has evolved reactively to address situations that have arisen over the years.

“Instead of building things piecemeal as we go along, this report is saying: ‘suppose we had to design something today with what students and faculty said they value and what we have learned from the scholarship of advising and the incredible work other institutions have done.

How do we bring that all together for Fordham?’” said Mast.

This Week at Fordham Wednesday March 9

Wednesday March 9

Thursday March 10

USG Hosts Healing Yoga

New Club Has Movie Night

Tap Class by Mimes and Mummers

As a part of USG’s Week of Action against sexual misconduct, they will be hosting yoga this Wednesday on Eddie’s.

This is a great opportunity to destress during the midterm season and spring break!

The new Fordham club Saving Mothers, which is dedicated to raising awareness about pregnancy-related deaths and improving women’s healthcare, is hosting a movie night in Dealy this Wednesday.

One of Fordham’s premier theater groups is holding their usual intermediate and advanced open tap class at the dance studio in the basement of Keating. Make sure to bring your dancing shoes.

Edward’s Parade 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Dealy 101 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Dance Studio, Keating Hall 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Friday March 11 USG: Bake Sale

Saturday March 12 FET’s Poetry Show

Campus Center Gallery 12:30 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Blackbox Theatre, Collins Hall 8 p.m. –9 p.m.

In continuation with USG’s Week of Action, they will be holding a bake sale this upcoming Friday. Stop by to grab some goodies and learn your CARE facts from the United Student Government.

Fordham’s Experimental Theatre is hosting another poetry group show in their Blackbox Theatre this Saturday. Head to Collins Hall to immerse yourself in some of Fordham’s finest writing.

NEWS

March 9, 2022

OMA Celebrates Women’s History FROM HISTORY PAGE 1

women guest speakers, including Women’s eNews, New York Life, Cuddy Law Firm, BKD and motivational speaker Genevieve Piturro. The registration for the event can be found on Handshake.

Women’s History Month first started in 1982 as only Women’s History Week, but, following the National Women’s History Project petitioning Congress, they made the month of March 1987 Women’s History Month.

Since 1995, presidents have officially designated March as Women’s History Month.

The month is dedicated to highlighting the different contributions that women have made throughout history, which are often overlooked.

There are multiple notable women in the history of the country that are usually not given the same recognition as men, such as Abigail Adams, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth and Rosa Parks, just to name a few.

They advocated for women’s and civil rights at a time when not many did.

Anisa Rahamin, graduate intern for OMA, oversees the programs for Women’s History Month, and she believes it is important to recognize this month. “We need to acknowledge the contributions that have been made by women and persons who identify as female as a university,” said Rahamin.

“In an academic space, it’s im-

portant to have these conversations to shed light in areas where women were once closed off from voicing their opinions and attending events,” said Rahamin. “We also want to encourage our students to embrace the intersections of their identities and bring them to light during our programs.”

Emma Karn, FCRH ’25, finds it important to acknowledge the month as a time to remember all the feats that women have accomplished through history, but she also believes this recognition should go beyond just a month.

“I think it is crucial that this celebration evolves into more than just a token, a tribute paid to women who every other month of the year are oppressed and passed over. I suggest that we live every moment like we are living in Women’s History Month, and take note of women’s accomplishments not just for the sake of a holiday, but in recognition of the changes that need to take place in our government to allow women greater freedom to keep accomplishing great things without being hindered by the agendas of a patriarchal society,” said Karn.

“We hope that all students are able to attend our events and feel comfortable and safe in these spaces to share their lived experiences,” said Rahamin. “We're celebrating this month for the first time in person in two years, so we hope that students will join us for events on campus.”

Page 3

Mask Wearing at Fordham is Now Optional

By ISABEL DANZIS NEWS EDITOR

On March 4, an email was sent out to the Fordham community announcing that mask-wearing would be made optional in most campus locations starting March 5. While Fordham still recommends mask-wearing, it is now the individual’s choice to wear them in “classrooms, labs, work settings and public spaces.” Faculty have the ability to make mask-wearing mandatory in their individual classrooms. This new mask policy only applies to individuals who are fully up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, meaning they have received the original vaccination as well as a booster shot. Following the new mandate, masks will still be required while on the Ram Van as well as in University Health Services spaces.

According to the email sent out

by Marco Valera, vice president for administration and COVID-19 coordinator, this decision was based on the CDC’s new mask guidance. The CDC now states that individuals should choose whether to wear a mask based on their preferences and “personal level of risk.”

This change in policy also coincides with New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s decision to end the statewide mask mandate in schools effective March 2.

The university will continue to hold only Fordham-sponsored events on campus, but students, as well as fully vaccinated “family members, alumni and their families,” can now attend events tht are being held on Fordham’s campus.

This marks a change from previous rules stating that

COURTESY OF NICOLETA PAPAVASILAKIS/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham students can now choose to wear a mask or not.

“current students, faculty and staff and fully vaccinated parents and immediate family members” could attend athletic events as well as performances.

Additionally, the campus will remain closed to the general public.

The only exception to this rule is for formal admission tours, in which case all participants must prove complete COVID-19 vaccination.

While this decision marks a big change in university policy, there will be no changes to the quarantine and isolation policy.

People infected with COVID-19 and who are asymptomatic can leave isolation after five days provided they receive a negative test.

After spring break, students will be required to upload a new negative COVID-19 PCR test, administered between March 16 and 30, to their VitalCheck daily attestation form.

If students are traveling away from campus during spring break, the university asks for them to be tested no earlier than 72 hours prior to their return and no more than five days after.

COURTESY OF NICOLETA PAPAVASILAKIS/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Students play pool in the new student center without masks.

Fordham Adopts “Knack” as Tutoring Platform

By SOFIA DONOHUE DIGITAL PRODUCER

Fordham has implemented a new tutoring software system: Knack Tutoring. Knack allows Fordham students to tutor their peers either online or in-person.

The university offers peer tutors in over 180 courses offered at both the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses.

Students can either apply to become a certified tutor or schedule sessions with Fordham tutors.

In order to become certified as a tutor, students must complete the Tutoring Basics Training Program on Knack.

After tutors select which subjects they are proficient in, they are required to submit a photo of their transcript for verification; students must have earned a B+ or better in order to tutor in the course.

While tutors are paid a fixed hourly rate after each session, Fordham students receive tutoring for free on Knack.

Knack’s accessibility gives all Fordham students the opportunity to become a certified tutor whether or not they’ve had tutoring experience.

A Knack tutor Gesilda Noka,

FCRH ’24, said: “I have experience in tutoring from high school, where I’ve volunteered to help out professors during their office hours by answering questions that students were having difficulty with or spending the period with a student who was especially struggling on a particular topic. My experience actually translates nicely to tutoring at Knack, where students typically come in with specific questions or concepts which confuse them that I can help clarify.”

In comparison to Fordham’s previous tutoring format, this tutoring format is more accessible.

“Pre-pandemic most of the tutoring was decentralized and coordinated by departments.

One of our goals was to find a way to centralize subject tutoring and increase access and participation in tutoring.

When we went remote due to the pandemic we started to use SSC Navigate as a way to centralize access to tutoring.

In that model, students would schedule with tutors via SSC Navigate and tutors were avail-

COURTESY OF NICK DESILVA/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Knack Tutoring makes tutoring services more accesible to all Fordham students and more students can be tutors.

able 4-6 hours a week,” said Christie-Belle Garcia, assistant dean for student support and success.

On Knack, students can directly communicate with tutors to schedule a session during a time that’s convenient for both parties. Knack’s flexible hours better accommodate a typical Fordham student’s busy schedule.

Fordham decided to switch from the previous tutoring format to Knack because it helps provide access to tutoring to a large group of students. As Garcia said: “Knack will help us expand and equalize tutoring access in support of student success. It’s a little like Uber for tutoring, but the university maintains complete control over who serves as a tutor …

We believe that Knack will help us increase tutoring engagement and participation while offering flexible and

meaningful employment opportunities for our students, giving them valuable experience while furthering their own academic and professional development."

Similarly, Noka said: “I do appreciate the platform’s clear organization style that allows students and tutors to easily find each other and arrange sessions that work best with the schedules of both parties, rather than having one party work on the schedule of the other.”

To schedule a tutoring session, students can submit a tutoring request for any of the supported courses and all tutors for that course are notified.

If a student would like to connect with a specific tutor, they can search their name and request them directly.

Communication between tutors and students is conventualized through Knack’s chat feature.

In addition to one-on-one tutoring sessions, Knack has an option to invite other students for a group tutoring session.

This feature optimizes collaboration among students.

While Knack is an improvement from Fordham’s past tutoring format, the platform still has room for improvement.

Noka said: “I think that it could be beneficial to have students tutor in courses they are currently taking and doing well in. It would not only add to the total number of students available in the course, but such tutors might be able to better explain the course material, as they are learning the same exact content.”

By providing students an opportunity to earn a steady income while simultaneously granting students easy access to tutoring, Knack is a platform certain to positively serve Fordham students.

NEWS

Page 4

March 9, 2022

Philanthropist Charles Feeney Earns Honorary Degree FROM FEENEY, PAGE 1

“[Feeney’s] entire life epitomizes and has truly embodied the spirit of generosity of St. Paul … May our students and alumni come to realize and put into practice the belief that true leadership is about service to others, that Mr. Feeney has shown us so beautifully,” stated Regan.

While concluding the ceremony, Rev. Father Joseph McShane, S.J., president of the university, spoke directly to Feeney, saying, “I want to thank you for giving us a model to emulate.”

According to the university’s website, honorary degrees are awarded as “a way of promoting and advancing the university as a whole, and giving the university prominence and recognition among her publics.”

While honorary degrees are generally bestowed upon their recipients during the annual university commencement, the university will occasionally present honorary degrees during special ceremonies at other times of the year, as is the case with Feeney.

In the past, the university has awarded honorary degrees for a variety of achievements and qualities among recipients, which include, as described on the university website, “leadership in advancing the mission of Catholic and Jesuit educa-

tion; excellence in education and specifically in the areas represented by the university’s undergraduate colleges and graduate and professional schools; contributions to furthering multicultural and international understanding; service to Fordham University; service to New York City and her communities; contributions to our nation and society that advance humanistic values.”

Feeney is perhaps best known for being the founder of The Atlantic Philanthropies, one of the largest private philanthropic organizations, in 1982.

The foundation operated for 37 years before it eventually shut down after completing its mission of donating the entirety of Feeney’s wealth.

Feeney generated his wealth through the expansion of the Duty-Free Shopping Group, which began by selling duty-free alcohol to American businessmen who traveled internationally for work.

Feeney, along with co-proprietor Robert Warren Miller, started doing business in Asia in the 1950s, but grew to include different products in international locations under the company name Duty-Free Shoppers Group. From alcohol, the duo upped the value of their products as well.

Over the course of his life-

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

Charles Feeny earned an honory degree from Fordham University in appreciation for his philanthropic actions.

time, Feeney has donated a sum greater than $8 billion in the pursuit of philanthropy.

In 2012, Feeney was also awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the universities of Ireland, North and South, “for his incredible support of the Irish universities,” which includes the €800 million that Feeney’s group, the Atlantic Philanthropies, donated to the universities in the two decades leading up to his honorary doctorate.

Charles Feeney has also been

credited as a major inspiration for the advent of the Giving Pledge, “a movement of philanthropists who commit to give the majority of their wealth to charitable causes, either during their lifetimes or in their wills.”

The Giving Pledge was created in 2010 by Warren Buffet, Melinda Gates and Bill Gates to encourage billionaires and others among the ultra-wealthy population to engage in philanthropy.

In a letter Feeney wrote to Gates on the Giving Pledge,

Feeney said: “I cannot think of a more personally rewarding and appropriate use of wealth than to give while one is living — to personally devote oneself to meaningful efforts to improve the human condition. More importantly, today’s needs are so great and varied that intelligent philanthropic support and positive interventions can have greater value and impact today than if they are delayed when the needs are greater.”

Fordham Graduate School Workers Join with CWA

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

The univeristy told faculty members and department heads in the Graduate School that they do not plan to impede any unionization efforts done by graduate school workers.

FROM UNION, PAGE 1

employees. According to their vision statement, graduate student employees make $15,00020,000 less than the living wage in New York City. According to Van Dyne, graduate student employees’ pay did not reflect many of the additional challenges and hours that they took on during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 also brought about a lot of new workplace arrangements. Working from home has become increasingly popular over the past two years, yet many graduate students feel that Fordham has not properly accommodated the challenges it poses. According to Amanda Esau, a graduate assistant in the ethics and society master’s program, she has not been allowed to work from home, despite her ability to complete her work remotely.

After she was told that she could not work from home, Esau asked the university to provide masks. According to Esau, the university accidentally pur-

chased “child-sized masks” and took nearly an entire semester to correct the mistake.

Additionally, Esau said that due to the way that her office is laid out, she works in the break room, which is highly trafficked and not ventilated. She also cited difficulty in getting things like hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes in the office.

“It’s really disheartening that my health isn’t being prioritized, especially when these are easy fixes. I’ve reached out on a personal level. I’ve really spoken to them. I’ve really explained all these things, and I’m still met with resistance, which is just crazy to me,” said Esau. “It makes me feel like I’m not being given the proper value I should be given. It makes me feel like I’m not being respected as a part of the Fordham community.”

While COVID-19 may have helped start the conversation about forming a union, the need for one existed before the pan-

demic. “I think the pandemic did heighten the urgency of [creating a union]. But, the need to have a voice in our own workplace has been something that's been around for a long time,” said Van Dyne.

According to Van Dyne and Esau, conversations about working conditions started informally amongst colleagues and individual departments.

Soon after, graduate student workers realized that there were consistent sentiments and complaints across the program.

Upon this realization, the process of creating a formal union began.

The FGSW also received a formal vote of support from the Graduate Student Association (GSA). FGSW has formally sent a letter to Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, demanding recognition.

Robert Howe, assistant vice president for communications and special adviser to the president,

said in a statement to the Ram: “The university received a petition on Monday, Feb. 28, indicating that some of our graduate students are seeking to form a union in connection with the Communications Workers of America. The university respects the right of graduate student workers to form a union and it respects the right of each student to discern and arrive at their individual opinion about the process. The university will be carefully reviewing the petition in the upcoming days.”

FGSW is now asking faculty to sign a petition in support of the unionization effort. According to a faculty member in the graduate school, university lawyers have already begun to meet with department heads to discuss the unionization effort.

They have been told that the university will not try and block any unionization efforts.

In an email sent out on March 8 to the GSAS community, the

university included a link containing answers to frequently asked questions about the union, in which the university revealed that they have joined with the law firm, Jackson Lewis. Jackson Lewis has a reputation of being against unions and has taken cases about unions created in higher education institutions.

Many people have noted the last unionization effort at Fordham, which occured in 2017 by the adjunct faculty, had to face various roadblocks.

However, this effort was ultimately successful. “When the adjunct faculty unionized, President McShane sent a letter where he said [the union] was actually very much in keeping with Fordham’s [Jesuit] values. This is not an exact quote, but [he spoke about how] it was the ethical choice to recognize that union. I think Joseph McShane was right in 2017, and I hope he does the same thing in 2022,” said Van Dyne.

NEWS

March 9, 2022

Page 5

Loyola Students Shared Their Experiences with Tetlow FROM LOYOLA, PAGE 1

pact and reputation at Loyola and the responses were overwhelmingly positive, although many are surprised and sad to see her leave.

Ashunti Wilson, the president of Loyola’s Student Government Association, described the situation as “bittersweet,” “her being a layperson and a woman really had an impact on us as an institution, so we’re definitely excited for her moving up and trying something else, but of course we’re sad because she’s our president and the only president that any of us [current students] have ever known.”

Sophia Trang, the vice president of the Commuter Student Association, said, “A lot of students are happy for her, but at the same time they’re just confused as to why it happened so suddenly out of nowhere.”

Many of the Loyola students described Tetlow as being very involved on campus with students. Tomi John, Loyola’s 2021 Homecoming Queen, said, “One thing I would say about President Tetlow is she would be around campus, you would see her interacting with students and she remembered me. That was one of the main things that made me really admire her.”

She even noted that Tetlow gave her a hug on graduation day. “It would be easy for her to just keep walking and go to her meetings and stuff, but she would interact with students.”

Trang echoed similar sentiments. She explained that Tetlow frequently comes to events hosted by student organizations: “It’s really amazing because she actually does try her best to get involved.”

Trang added that Tetlow even helped residential students move into their dorms at

the beginning of the year.

Several students spoke about Tetlow’s frequent town hall meetings for students where she answers questions and listens to students’ concerns. John, who was also a member of Loyola’s Student Government Association, felt that Tetlow did a great job listening to students: “She gave us opportunities to let her know what the administration could do better … and yes, not everything is going to be done, but at least they’re willing to listen to what we need.”

In a press conference on Feb. 23 with Fordham’s student press, Tetlow also emphasized her focus on listening to faculty, staff and students to learn as much as she can about Fordham as she begins her new job. Tetlow made several strides during her tenure at Loyola to improve diversity, equity and inclusion.

John said, “One major thing that students really asked for was to have representation in faculty, so that was one thing I wish she had pushed more … because with our demographics right now, we are becoming a more majority minority institution, but our faculty is still predominantly white.”

Wilson, said, “Of course, like most institutions, we have a long way to go in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion, but I think, just in four years, what she [Tetlow] was able to do was amazing.” In February’s student press conference, Tetlow said that during her time at Loyola, they effectively ended the gap by race and class in first year retention. She said she will also be prioritizing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at Fordham.

Another important aspect of the institution for many members of the Loyola community is sustainability.

Wilson said she’s not sure it would have been possible in just four years, but she wished Tetlow had focused more on environmental issues, “We’re in Louisiana right next to the gulf so our biodiversity is really important down here, so I think if we could have had some more sustainability efforts as well that would have been great.”

In a written statement Robert Thomas, a professor of environmental communication and the director of the Center for Environmental Communication at Loyola, said, “She [Tetlow] has especially given moral support to both sustainability (which she insisted be a major element of the strategic plan) and social/ environmental justice (cornerstones of a Jesuit education).

That support is establishing itself as a major force in the future of our institution. We know she will make these program principles foundational in her presidency at Fordham.”

Additionally, Thomas described Tetlow as “a breath of fresh air for the Loyola family,” a common sentiment among many of the people who spoke with the Ram, as she was the first woman and layperson president at Loyola, giving her a unique perspective and allowing her to make many improvements on campus.

Trang said “I think she’s a great president and I do appreciate her a lot, she’s always so kind and she’s so generous and there are times where even a president will mess up, but at the end of the day you can tell that she does care about the students and I’m really sad to see her go, but I think she’ll make a big difference at Fordham.”

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Tetlow will start as Fordham's president at the beginning of fall 2022.

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

Father McShane and Tania Tetlow greet students at Lincoln Center

How Religous are Fordham Students in 2022?

COURTESY OF NICK DESILVA/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Research has shown that younger people generally tend to be much less religous than older people.

FROM CATHOLIC, PAGE 1

While the changes in these numbers are not drastic, the data certainly displays a gradual, consistent decrease in Fordham’s Catholic student population.

However, other than a trend relating to Catholic students, there has been no verifiable trends in students who are choosing to identify as religiously unaffiliated or a marked increase in another religious affiliation.

Catholicism still remains the

largest religious affiliation amongst the student body, but it is important to consider that these numbers do not reflect the extent to which Catholic students identify with or practice the religion.

Despite Fordham being a Jesuit institution, administration has taken note of this gradual decrease of Catholic students, and even encourages it, if it means building a more diverse student population.

“Fordham has been intentionally seeking to be a more diverse and inclusive institution. We believe that

students with diverse experiences enrich our campus communities and that dialogues among faiths are encouraged as part of our Ignatian and Jesuit tradition,” said Patricia Peek, the dean of Undergraduate Admission and assistant vice principal.

The decrease in Catholic students has been small and it doesn’t seem to have made a difference in the number of students involved with Campus Ministry or activities that the department hosts.

“There are always students attending events and our different programs … We try to host programs that can speak to the souls of all different students on campus,” said Carol Gibney, director of Campus Ministry.

Despite the trend of the Catholic student population on campus, Campus Ministry has not explicitly made changes based on the decrease of Catholic students. In fact, they have not needed to make changes because they are primarily focused on the formation of student’s hearts and minds as well as supplying spiritual guidance, regardless of one’s religious identification.

“While academia and faculty focus on expanding students’ brains, student affairs and residential life programs focus on a student’s physical body, Campus Ministry attempts to focus on a student’s spirit,” said Gibney.

The inclusive nature of Campus Ministry may best be displayed by the accommodation of prayer rooms for Muslim students on both the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses as well as the different religious student associations that receive guidance from Campus Ministry, including the

Jewish Student Association (JSA) and the Muslim Student Association (MSA).

Campus Ministry’s diverse events and range of identifications among involved students is not a response to the religious composition of students or a growing secular tradition on campus, but rather a manifestation of the university’s Jesuit and Ignatian pedagogy.

“You don’t have to be Catholic to be part of the community … All students should feel welcomed to feed their faith and feed their souls regardless of their religion,” said Gibney.

While both the administration and Campus Ministry have recognized the shift in the religious composition of the student body, the university’s Jesuit values and practices promote an inclusive and comfortable environment where differences can be celebrated and included in the campus community.

For this reason, changes in the student population, as well as having our first layperson president, will not result in any extensive changes to practices amongst Campus Ministry.

NEWS Fordham Digital Collections Features Black History Month March 9, 2022

Page 6

By SAMANTHA MINEAR ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Black History Month is celebrated during the month of February to honor the historically overlooked achievements and stories of Black Americans.

Traditionally, the United States honors Black History Month through education and representation, raising awareness about not only the struggles Black people have faced, but also their tremendous accomplishments, which is paramount to the promotion of racial equality.

In honor of Black History Month, Gabriella DiMeglio, who works for the Quinn Library at Fordham, compiled a number of digital collections highlighting the Black experience in America.

The collections focus primarily on the oral histories and stories of African Americans, particularly those born and raised in the Bronx. Seeking to “spotlight” these stories, DiMeglio and her colleague, Nicholas Alongi, hope that these collections will improve Black history education amongst Fordham students, a predominately white institution.

“The importance of archival collections that center on African American stories — many of which have been historically silenced or ignored — cannot be overstated,” said DiMeglio. “The historic documents, videos and images in these collections cover the cultural, political, social, economic and religious histories of a group whose journey and contributions are woven deeply into the fabric of our nation.”

Many of the stories are centered around Black women, a historically underrepresented group.

DiMeglio explained that through their stories, Fordham students are able to connect deeply with the university’s surrounding neighborhood and gain “a more accurate and authentic understanding of the Black experience in America,” which is frequently shafted in favor of non-Black experiences or “rewritten and/ or retold by nonblack authors,” said DiMeglio.

DiMeglio believes that Black History Month can be “felt yearround by engaging with and supporting these collections which house records created by Black Americans,” which “[keeps] his-

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

Fordham's library digital collections feature content exploring the Black experience in new online exhibit for students.

tory alive and part of our societal discourse through regular discussion, exploration and preservation.”

To continue this exploration and keep the discussion alive after February has passed, Fordham offers a variety of resources in addition to these collections. These resources include Fordham’s African & African American studies department, which was

founded in 1969 and is one of the oldest departments of its kind in the nation and features digital collections highlighting the Black experience. They especially focus on African American Bronxites, some of which include the orations DiMeglio and Alongi chose to promote.

Fordham University Reference Librarians created the African American Studies Research Guide, which highlights the importance

around intersectionality when discussing Black history DiMeglio and the Fordham Libraries hope that, by placing a spotlight on these digital collections, students will feel inspired to explore more Black history. The digital collection, which acts as a testament to the fortitude of Black Americans, is available to view on Fordham University’s Library News blog.

Fordham Hosts its 6th Annual Giving Day

By ISABEL DANZIS NEWS EDITOR

On March 7, Fordham raised $1,444,835 during its 6th annual Giving Day. Giving Day is an opportunity for alumni, and other Fordham community members, to donate towards various departments within the university.

In 2021, Fordham University raised nearly $1.3 million dollars in donations.

The theme decided for this year’s Giving Day is “Every Gift Counts.”

“I think [the theme] is a great reminder to anyone who is considering donating but is apprehensive about the type of commitment the university is looking for. 66% of gifts through Giving Day 2021 were less than $100,” said Finley

Peay, FCLC ’20, the philanthropy chair for the Young Alumni Committee.

“Giving Day is focused on the number of people who give at Fordham, not the amount they give. We hope to reach a goal of 1,841 donors, honoring Fordham's founding year of 1841,” said Elaine Ezrapour, GSAS ’18, director of the Fordham Fund. The donor can decide where the funds they donate will go. According to Ezrapour, donors are encouraged to donate to the parts of the university where their passions lie.

Additionally, there are various Giving Day “challenges” that alumni and others can donate to. If initiatives reach specific amounts of money, the donations will be matched by others.

“Each year the Young Alumni

features a specific fund, this year we are featuring the new LGBTQ+ Student Wellness Fund,” said Peay.

According to Peay, the LGBTQ+ Student Wellness Fund, which will launch on Giving Day, is aimed at helping to develop “a more welcoming and inclusive experience” for Fordham’s LGBTQ+ student population.

Other funds at the university include the Ailey/Fordham BFA in Dance Challenge, the Fordham College at Rose Hill Honors Program Challenge, and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Challenge.

All these separate funds will direct aid to different areas within the university.

For this year, Fordham's Young Alumni Committee

worked to advertise Giving Day by sharing their own experiences at Fordham.

“We asked alums to share a little bit about clubs, organizations or areas of the university that were important/meaningful to them during their time as undergrads to demonstrate the broad range of areas to which alumni can donate.

Additionally, we wanted to highlight that donations can be as specific as necessary, targeting areas and funds of interest for each alum,” said Peay.

According to Peay and Ezrapour, Giving Day serves as an opportunity to show support for the university. For many, it serves as a way to give back.

“Giving Day gives us all an opportunity to consider what parts of Fordham mean most to us

and allows us to help continue the legacy of these areas of the university for future Rams.

Donations always matter to the university, to research, to programming, to students, but Giving Day gives us just an extra special opportunity to recognize the breadth, strength and passion of the Fordham community,” said Peay. The donations help to propel and support Fordham years into the future.

“When donors participate in the tradition of giving on Giving Day, they join a worldwide community of alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends, who ensure a great Fordham experience for current and future students. Every gift — no matter the size — makes a difference,” said Ezrapour about the tradition.

COURTESY OF NICK DESILVA/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham's sixth annual Giving Day serves as an opportunity for donors to donate money to initiatives of their choosing. These initiatives go to aid certain areas of the univeristy.

OPINION

March 9, 2022

Page 7

From the Desk | Nick Guzman

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 every Wednesday during the academic year to all campuses with a readership of over 12,000 and a web readership of over 300,000.

Website TheFordhamRam.com Email Address theram@fordham.edu Editor in Chief Ava Erickson Managing Editor Hanif Amanullah Editorial Director Hasna Ceran Production Editor Michael Sluck Multimedia Director Pia Fischetti Business Director Matthew Colucci Copy Chief Amanda Yarolin Assistant Copy Chief Hannah Boring News Editor Isabel Danzis Features Editor Sebastian Diaz Assistant News Editors Samantha Minear Emma Kim Opinion Editor Nicole Braun Assistant Opinion Editors Emma Lipkind Daniella Terilli Culture Editors Elisabeth Murray Kari White Assistant Culture Editor Ilaina Kim Sports Editor Nick Guzman Assistant Sports Editors Thomas Aiello Maddie Bimonte Social Media Director Frances Schnepff Digital Producers Ava Carreiro Justin Charles Sofia Donohue Visual Director Nicoleta Papavasilakis Photo Editors Theodore Wai Nick DeSilva Graphics/Illustrations Cory Bork Faculty Advisor Beth Knobel Editorial Policy The Fordham Ram’s editorial reflects the editorial board’s opinions or views.

Opinion Policy The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of The Fordham Ram. Submissions Policy The Fordham Ram reserves the right to reject or edit any submission for any reason, without notice. Submissions become the exclusive property of The Fordham Ram. No part of The Fordham Ram may be reproduced without written consent.

Why Do We Naturally Care About Sports?

It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m lying on my bed trying to figure out what to write for this week’s edition of From the Desk. I could write about my time so far at Fordham, my brief experience as sports editor or literally any other topic.

The list is endless. As I lay, my heart is almost beating out of my chest. Not because of this article, but because of what I was focusing on before. I just finished watching Rutgers basketball narrowly defeat Penn State to significantly increase their chances of going to the NCAA tournament. I barely even have a connection to Rutgers, yet I find myself attached to the team.

Sure, I’m from New Jersey and my mom went there, but that still doesn’t seem like it should be enough for the team to captivate me in the extreme way it does. Perhaps it’s because Rutgers are lovable underdogs who have gone from being irrelevant to a top power in the Big 10 conference in the span of four seasons. Or simply because I enjoy watching sports. But I think there is a deeper psychological explanation as to why so many people in the world care so deeply about sports.

Why is my mood at least somewhat dependent on the results of seemingly arbitrary

games? The answer doesn’t lie in the game itself, but rather with the individual watching it. According to Daniel Wann, a professor of psychology at Murray State University who focuses on the psychological aspect of sports fandom, people watch sports for a variety of reasons, ranging from a desire for a sense of community and a need to escape from realworld troubles. Depending on what people are lacking from a psychological perspective, they might turn to sports as a way to fill that void.

Even with these explanations, there is still one aspect of sports fandom that seems even more primal. When the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018, Eagles fans tore down traffic lights and damaged cars and storefronts after the game.

Similar events occurred in San Francisco in 2018 when the Giants won the World Series.

The first reason that comes to mind for this behavior is obviously alcohol. People tend to do stupid things when they drink, and when you’re surrounded by a large number of people who just witnessed the same thing you did, it is easy for mob mentality to take over.

Some people might also dismiss the Philadelphia incident as Eagles fans simply displaying the extreme passion that

they are notorious for in the sports world. While these factors definitely play a role, there is a biological explanation for why fans riot after their team wins.

Studies indicate that fans’ testosterone levels often increase after their favorite team wins and decrease after a loss.

This likely fuels feelings of aggression, almost like it does for other kinds of animals during competition. While aggression is undoubtedly a negative side effect, your favorite team winning also has positive impacts on your psyche. Research shows that fans view themselves as more attractive and have higher self-esteem after their team wins.

This leaves one all-important question unanswered: What hap-

pens when your team loses? Say you only win 50% of the time.

Any sports fan knows the low after a tough loss is just as severe as the high after a win. So why do we continue to watch if the odds of us feeling good are only 50/50? It doesn’t really make sense when you write it down on paper. Perhaps it isn’t even logical.

On an unconscious level, sports fans like me are chasing that psychological response that comes from competition. It feels good when you win and bad when you lose. Not much matches that feeling of joy I felt on Sunday when Rutgers was able to hang on for the victory over a heated rival. We’re all chasing highs in some way or another. For myself and so many others, sports is my outlet.

Editorial | Social Media Response to Ukraine

When Does Your Two Cents Matter?

Unless you’ve been holed up in the Appalachian mountains for the last month or so, it’s likely that you’ve heard about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

If you’ve heard about it, you’re appropriately horrified by Russia’s actions and the suffering of those affected in Ukraine.

And, apparently, if you’re under the age of 40 and have a Twitter account, you’ve immediately logged on to add the Ukrainian flag to your profile and started a thread linking places where your followers can donate to the Ukrainian army.

Gen Z seems to consider themselves a generation of revolutionaries. This could be influenced by the heyday of the YA genre or the ability of social media to give everyone the impression of having a podium and a personal army. Everyone’s account is a possible crowdfunding campaign, and everyone, at any time, has a responsibility to be raising money for a cause.

Any cause, as long as it has a link, can be pasted into an Instagram bio.

Erasing, incidentally, the donation links to last week’s cause.

Who is this for, though? No one who is looking at your Instagram is going to think Russia was right to invade Ukraine. If, somehow, someone does happen to side with Putin, there is nothing that the flag emojis and the link on your profile can do about

it. Everyone’s aware of the conflict, and everyone is firm in their beliefs.

These actions can be interpreted as a form of virtue-signaling — performative actions that only serve to show your peers that you are allied with a moral cause. We’ve seen the same sort of thing happen with the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, especially with the much-maligned “Black Square Day.” As completely unhelpful as posting a random black square on Instagram was, at least that was a largely-domestic social and political movement where your peers were much more likely to be personally involved and thus actively seek signs of your support.

Not all tragedies are the same, and the problem lies in the American youth treating an international war as an American political movement. The level of personal involvement just isn’t the same — and it’s a problem when we only know to do one thing in response. It may hurt to hear this, but a Twitter handle is no panacea.

On the other hand, a kinder perspective suggests that this doesn’t necessarily come from a desire to demonstrate morality through political opinions.

Rather, it’s a knee-jerk reaction born out of intense anxiety and helplessness. We’re scared, we’re worried, we see some-

thing terrible on the horizon and can’t stand to not be able to do something. We feel useless.

Many Americans might not have a personal stake in the conflict, and, in many ways, this distance in itself seems to inspire many of the instinctive actions people have taken.

It’s wrong to treat what’s happening in Ukraine the same as we treated the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. The problem is that many of us don’t know what else we can do; especially when, in reality, it isn’t all that much.

The reality is that people are altruistic at heart. They do want to help, and when we can’t see

an immediate solution, we start reaching for whatever tools we have at our disposal. The way a majority of the young population seems to have unthinkingly responded to the invasion demonstrates what most of us think we have to offer — our social media and bank accounts.

By all means, continue donating to humanitarian organizations like the Red Cross and UNICEF, but don’t try to support the Ukrainian Army. You cannot Venmo, tweet and mutual aid fund your way out of a war. It’s okay to be powerless as young Americans. It’s okay to be scared. It’s something we have to accept.

OPINION Hochul and Adams Subway Plan is Beneficial for Everyone Page 8

March 9, 2022

COURTESY OF TWITTER

The politicians unveiled a new plan to make subways in NYC safer.

By PETER MCGOWAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A recent news conference at Manhattan’s Fulton Street subway station saw Mayor Eric Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul announce a landmark yet controversial plan for a safer subway system. Notably, they are calling for the removal of New York’s homeless from the transit system. The plan includes a host of measures including NYPD teams clearing trains of all people at the end of the lines. Additionally, there is a direct mandate for police

enforcement against unruly behavior on trains and in stations, such as smoking, drug use, laying down or sleeping on benches, spitting, littering and aggressive behavior towards riders. Also included in the plan are direct investments into mental health services, shelters and emergency response teams.

To some, these measures and the extent to which they are laid out in the plan may seem rather draconian, cruel or offensive to New York’s homeless community. Josh Dean, Executive Director of Human.NYC, an advocacy group for the homeless, con-

tends that, “aggressive NYPD targeting of homeless New Yorkers does not solve homelessness — it just moves it. We need to take an entirely different approach, centered around housing, around compassion and around building trust. We cannot more strongly condemn today’s plan and the dehumanizing rhetoric that accompanied it.”

Dean’s stance is admirable; however, it is misguided when it comes to the realities of what New Yorkers experience on the trains daily and the contents of the Mayor and Governor’s plan.

On this issue, Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul are spot on.

According to NBC 4 New York, transit crime in New York City rose by 30% between last week and the week before, and it has risen 200% over the past year. This trend has been occurring for months now, and the city as a whole has experienced one of the worst crime surges in decades. This year alone, there have been numerous stabbing incidents, lewd public behavior and even murder in the transit system. Just this past week, a homeless man was arrested for slashing a rider with a large knife after the rider accidentally bumped into him and threw a beverage can.

These numbers and recent

behaviors are simply unacceptable, especially for what is often lauded as America’s best public transportation system.

Millions of people in New York depend on the subway system to get to work and commute across the city every day. We shouldn’t have to worry about getting stabbed or pushed onto the tracks when we ride the trains. This is above stopping people from sleeping on the train benches or seeking shelter under a staircase — it’s about protecting lives.

Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the Subway Safety Plan is that it actually does come from a place of compassion for the homeless and mentally ill.

The plan is very compressive in its focus on the homeless, citing the addition of “490 safe havens and ‘stabilization’ beds — shelters that provide mental health treatment — as well as the creation of new drop-in centers for homeless people at key subway stations through a $100 million state investment. Along with police, the city will dispatch 30 joint response teams that include homeless services and health department workers to conduct outreach to homeless people on the subway.”

This is a landmark investment in New York’s homeless

and mentally ill population and is one of the largest steps to improve their lives in years. It is sure to create lasting change in the lives of many New Yorkers.

The increased police presence and harsher enforcement against spitting or smoking might grab the headlines, but the real strength of the plan is its compassion and thoughtfulness.

Finally, city and state government officials have recognized that there is absolutely no dignity in living on a train or in a subway station. By allowing homeless New Yorkers to spend their lives underground in the trains and stations, we are just giving ourselves an excuse to ignore them and the very real problems that they face. For far too long, people in this city have been forgotten about and left to suffer under the guise of compassion and, frankly, laziness toward helping fellow New Yorkers. This new plan shows genuine care for New York’s homeless and the general public’s safety. Mayor Adams contends, “This is not about arresting people … This is about arresting a problem.” On this, he could not be more correct.

Peter McGowan, FCRH ’24, is a political science major from Rochester, N.Y.

Our Obsession with Ye’s Breakdown is Harmful

By SAMANTHA SCOTT CONTRIBUTING WRITER

In the past few weeks, it seems as if everyone has been following the drama between Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. West, also known as Ye, has recently been on an Instagram posting spree about his ex-wife, Kardashian, and her new boyfriend, Pete Davidson.

Since Kardashian filed for a divorce over a year ago, West has continually posted and expressed how much he wants her back, a plea that has become increasingly louder as Kardashian started dating Davidson in October 2021.

Why are people paying so much attention to someone who is clearly going through an incredibly difficult time and hurting those closest to him? The phenomenon of watching celebrities at their lowest points isn’t something exclusive to West. If anything, it says more about those watching than the public figures themselves. We need to reevaluate how we engage with celebrities during these falls from grace, even if they are constantly in the limelight.

Starting Feb. 9, West has been constantly posting on Instagram about the unfolding situation, begging God to bring his family back

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Kanye West (Ye) is having a breakdown on social media.

together. He has begun harassing Davidson, who he calls Skete, through taunts and rumors. He’s created drama with old friends, such as Kid Cudi, and other artists like Billie Eilish. He posts user comments and photoshopped images portraying a battle between him and Davidson for Kardashian.

During this constant spree of posting and deleting, West has gained millions of followers.

Whether they are fans of West or not, many people are following his breakdown and wondering what he’s going to post next. As an audience, we may feel entitled to follow and engage with Kardashian and West’s personal situation.

They are prominent figures in society that have largely conducted themselves in the public eye.

This is further exemplified by the Kardashian-Jenner family’s reality television show, “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” which has often shown very private situations, such as Kardashian’s divorce from Kris Humpheries, her troubles with childbirth and more.

To quote one of West’s nowdeleted Instagram captions, “WE HAVE A PUBLIC RELATIONSHIP BECAUSE WE ARE PUBLIC FIGURES.” In a sense, West is correct; we feel a right to be involved in these situations because their relationship has always been very public. However, it’s when mental health and destructive behaviors emerge that we need to decide between choosing to follow the drama or give celebrities privacy and respect.

Celebrities are both people and

personas; there are parts of them that are public and private. Their personas are incredibly crafted, so when that wall comes down, the public loves nothing more than to watch them have a meltdown.

There are countless celebrities that have had very public meltdowns, and the media continues to fuel them. Amy Winehouse suffered from manic depression and drug addiction, so tabloids used a picture of her snorting cocaine as their front page.

Britney Spears suffered a breakdown and shaved her head, resulting in her conservatorship.

Paparazzi closely followed the story to satisfy the public’s demand for content. Demi Lovato struggled with substance abuse issues and an eventual overdose that almost left her dead, and the public simply watched and shook their heads.

When these personas unravel and audiences see the struggling person underneath, there is no empathy — only a sort of satisfaction or validation that they are flawed. Yet, the ramifications of our attention are long-lasting. At the end of the day, our participation in these events does not affect us but rather the celebrities dealing with the situation.

In West’s case, we are watching someone with a history of bipolar disorder (BP) and mental health struggles face a very real crisis, and it’s not the first time this has happened. In 2016, West was involuntarily hospitalized for BP, much to the surprise of some of those around him.

Clarence Simmons, the documentarian of West’s recent documentary, “Jeen-Yuhs,” said, “When I would see Kanye go off in the past, I thought it was a part of the show. I had no idea that he was struggling with his mental health.”

Right now, we are treating West like a show or an entertainment act, when in reality this is a person that is struggling with his mental health. While it doesn’t excuse his actions or the effects that they have on Kardashian and their children, it’s something that we should be cognizant of as an audience when we choose to follow this drama.

When celebrities like West have a meltdown, it’s best to turn away.

Yes, it’s fascinating to watch the drama unfold, but by partaking in it, we are causing damage to all of the parties involved. Our participation in the drama has life-long impacts on the Kardashian-West family, yet we revel in the spectacle and reduce it to a joke. At the heart of this is a family that is going through a very real and difficult divorce, and by failing to empathize with them, we continue a heartless trend of how we treat celebrities.

Let’s have some empathy for the situation and give them a break.

The person behind the persona is just as human as the rest of us and deserves the same respect.

Samantha Scott, FCRH ’24, is an international political economy major from Columbus, Ohio.

OPINION

March 9, 2022

Page 9

Misusing DNA From Rape Kits is a Violation of Survivors’ Privacy

COURTESY OF TWITTER

The SFPD used rape kits to identify sexual assault victims as suspects in crimes.

By DANIELLA TERILLI ASSISTANT OPINION EDITOR

CONTENT WARNING: Graphic description of rape kit usage.

The San Francisco Police Department recently came under fire for using DNA samples from sexual assault victims for potential suspect identification in other crimes. District Attorney Chesa Boudin immediately pushed back against the practice, calling it “legally and ethically wrong.” Boudin is entirely correct in calling for legislators to end this reprehensible procedure for a host of reasons.

First and foremost, this practice will likely prevent sexual assault victims from coming forward.

More than two out of three sexual assaults go unreported as is. Additionally, a 2018 study published in the Emergency Medicine Journal revealed that only a small percentage of survivors choose to release rape kits to police. Head researcher Dr. Katherine Muldoon commented, “What can be inferred from our results is that a large number of women don’t want to engage with the justice system.”

Many sexual assault victims experience feelings of mistrust

towards law enforcement. According to RAINN, out of every 1,000 sexual assaults, 975 perpetrators will walk free. This wide lack of prosecution, combined with often insensitive (to say the least) police responses, makes survivors hesitant to come forward. Why would these victims want to further their pain after an already traumatizing ordeal? Knowing that their bravery in opening up about their assaults could potentially be used against them in the future only dissuades victims from opening up about the crimes committed against them.

It’s critical to acknowledge just how serious these forensic examinations are. This type of procedure is incredibly taxing and often frightening for the survivor to undergo. Rape kit exams are extensive, typically lasting from four to six hours. The examinations involve taking thorough documentation such as head-to-toe photographs of the victim’s body and swabs of orifices and any other body parts which may contain biological evidence of the perpetrator.

Sexual assault victims who elect to have rape kit exams are nothing short of courageous. Collecting DNA from a highly invasive procedure like this with even the slightest intent of using it against patients in the future is dehumanizing, disgusting and a slap in the face to survivors.

Boudin made the right decision to drop the property crime charges against the woman who was ar-

rested based on the DNA collected from the rape kit examination.

Legislation against this practice, such as the bill newly proposed

by New York State Senator Brad Hoylman, is a step in the right direction. But there is another element to rape kit misuse: the rape kit backlog.

There are an estimated 100,000 rape kits across the United States that have gone untested.

There are two primary ways that this occurs. First, “unsubmitted” kits were collected by law enforcement but never sent to crime labs and therefore have been sitting in evidence rooms for indefinite amounts of time. Second, kits arrive at crime labs but cannot be processed in a timely manner due to the volume of untested material exceeding the resources needed to analyze the evidence. Luckily, assistance from the government has somewhat alleviated the latter issue. However, the former raises some questions.

The point of gathering evidence from rape kits is to identify and catch perpetrators, which brings justice to victims and keeps society safe from offenders. If the police fail to submit kits to crime labs, they are failing to meet this goal.

That alone is not a good look, and the whole situation is even more alarming when you consider the fact that the kits that are analyzed could potentially be used against sexual assault survivors.

After consulting with the San Francisco Police Department’s crime lab director, Kate Chatfield, Boudin’s chief of staff, stated that the policy is “a standard operating procedure in the field” and not “necessarily limited to San Francisco.” So as it stands now, and as horrible as it is, the true frequency of law enforcement agencies using DNA from rape kits to identify victims as potential suspects in other crimes is unknown.

This practice is disgraceful beyond words. Using sexual assault victims’ DNA for anything beyond the purpose of putting rapists behind bars is an unacceptable violation of privacy. Inexplicably failing to submit rape kits for testing is suspicious at best.

“Why don’t people report sexual assault?” is a question that gets thrown around continuously when the answer is clear: survivors don’t come forward because they won’t get justice more often than they will. When they try to get justice, they’re subjected to victim-blaming or even the possibility that they’ll be charged in unrelated cases years down the line.

Law enforcement agencies misusing victims’ DNA will only exacerbate the problem, so officials must unequivocally speak up against the practice, and legislators must act to prevent it from continuing.

Daniella Terilli, GSB ’24, is a marketing major from Westchester, N.Y.

AnnaLynne McCord’s Slam Poetry Video About Vladimir Putin is Tone-Deaf

By CAROLYN BRANIGAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Everyone responds to the news of war in different ways. Although everyone is entitled to react as they see fit, some reactions are better kept private. AnnaLynne McCord’s recent slam poem, addressed to Russian president Vladimir Putin amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, exemplifies this perfectly. As a well-known American actress, McCord should be aware of how her actions and reactions are seen by her fans. Her responses to current events are sure to garner more scrutiny than the average person, and subsequently, her opinions and behaviors are more likely to influence others. As such, McCord’s decision to record this video and upload it for the world to see was not only an entirely careless act, but an immoral one as well.

Considering the catastrophic loss of life that has occurred in Ukraine, McCord’s video is more than just a poorly expressed sentiment. No matter what her intentions were when filming this video, her words have come across as dismissive of the horrors that

people are enduring.

Her claim that by being Putin’s mother she could have prevented this crisis is not only based entirely on speculation, but it draws attention away from the real problems at hand. Instead of focusing on what is currently happening in Russia and Ukraine, people are becoming more interested in McCord’s reaction. Whether they agree with her bizarre stance or not, the more her video trends the less people are paying attention to the real dangers of what will likely be World War III. Beyond the general lack of understanding McCord apparently has of the war, the accusation that Putin’s mother is at fault for the current crisis is ludicrous. Putin’s mother is not in any way responsible for his decision to invade Ukraine, just as she is not responsible for any other decision Putin has made in recent years. As a fully grown adult, the only person who can truly be blamed is Putin himself. To attempt to place blame on his mother is incredibly misogynistic. In saying that she could have loved Putin enough to make him not invade Ukraine, McCord is perpetuating the problematic

ideal that women are responsible for the actions of men.

In no uncertain terms, McCord has shifted the blame from falling on Putin to falling on his mother.

And whether or not she intended to do so, she has essentially excused Putin’s erratic behavior and infantilized him in the process.

McCord’s viral slam-poetry video has also inspired many people to make their own parody videos about the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

Countless creators, particularly on TikTok, have taken it upon themselves to make their own videos that attempt to make light of the severity of the situation. The videos vary greatly in their content and style, but the commonality among them is that they focus solely on diminishing the severity of an already incredibly hostile situation. In other words, these videos satirize and poke fun at the war, which only further shows how desensitized mainstream media is from current world events. Though humor is by all means a standard and recognized coping mechanism, it is one that should come from the people that are actively impacted by these recent horrendous actions and not by those who

are merely searching for their 15 minutes of fame.

Though a definitive link can likely not be established between McCord’s video and the rising number of parody videos about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it can certainly be said that her video is not helping the situation. By failing to understand the seriousness of the war, she has set the precedent that just because this war is not directly impacting her it does

not deserve to be taken seriously.

Furthermore, she is grossly misinforming the public and writing herself into current events that have nothing to do with her. As an influential figure that people look up to, her actions have undoubtedly colored the perceptions of her followers and her fans.

Carolyn Branigan, FCRH ’24, is an English major from Tinton Falls, N.J.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

McCord received criticism for her bizarre video directed at Vladimir Putin.

March 9, 2022

CULTURE

Rams Review Books | Paola Galiano

Page 10

Revisit “Romeo and Juliet” In 1920s Shanghai

By PAOLA GALIANO

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“You know me. Running around.

Living life. Committing arson.”

In this stunning retelling of “Romeo and Juliet,” author Chloe Gong imagines a glitter-

ing, 1920s Shanghai, emulating the tension, angst and violence that plagued Shakespeare’s famous tragedy. Gong’s debut novel “These Violent Delights’’ introduces Juliette Cai, who has returned from a career as a flapper in the West to step into her role as the heir to the Scarlet

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

“These Violent Delights” sets Shakespeare’s classic tragedy in 1920s Shanghai.

Gang. Her city is plagued by a monster and fear threatens even the sanest of people. Her city runs red with blood, leaving her to begrudgingly work with her family’s greatest enemy — the White Flowers, a rival gang.

Heir to the White Flowers, Roma Montagov, is Juliette’s greatest enemy, but he was also the Scarlet heir’s first love.

Juliette and Roma’s families’ blood feud is volatile and rooted in hate, so much so that, from the beginning of the novel, it is almost outlandish to imagine these two characters could ever become close enough to fall in love. Even when Gong manages to subtly poke at their past, showing rare instances of love and yearning, these moments are gone before the reader can truly analyze what happened. The line between love and hate blurs until the two decide to lay down their guns and work together.

Gong keeps readers in suspense for most of the novel, leaving us to speculate about what happened between the two.

Even though it was frustrating to be left in the dark for most of the novel, it only made me want to keep flipping the pages.

What I thought was so clever

about “These Violent Delights” is how Gong continuously finds the perfect places to integrate issues that plague a modern society. Since the novel is set in 1920s Shanghai, Gong, of course, adds facets of culture that I had never heard of, weaving it in in a way that is proud, beautiful and imaginative. It is refreshing to see diversity in the fantasy genre, especially LGBTQ+ representation and depictions of different cultures.

However, Gong never loses sight of the societal issues that not only plagued 1920s Shanghai society, but subtly relates it back to modern societies.

Many times in “These Violent Delights,” Gong mentions the western colonization of China and nearby countries. References to the Opium Wars that took place in the mid-19th century are numerous, as well as the author’s reiterations of Juliette’s family loyalty because of it. She faces many problems with her more traditional family members because Juliette was sent to the west to be educated. She speaks English almost perfectly and makes mentions of films and social norms that many in Shanghai have

never heard of or even resent.

Therefore, in order to rush her assimilation back into society, she scorns those whom she calls the “intruders.” These are the foreigners from Britain and other distant countries, who are trying to steal land from under both the Scarlet Gang and White Flowers.

A quote that really stuck with me from Gong’s author’s note was her mention of similar societal issues in 1920s Shanghai and in places around the world today. Even in “the land of dreams,” there are “men and women in white hoods [who] roam the streets to murder Black folks … [and] immigrant children are separated from immigrant mothers on Ellis Island, never to be seen again.” Mentions of societal issues like racism, transphobia, xenophobia, immigration and colonization are continuously referenced throughout the novel. However, it does not feel like the author was necessarily trying to preach to her readers; rather she draws succinct parallels between different times in history, drawing attention to history’s way of repeating itself, manifesting the same issues in similar circumstances.

Women’s History Month | Women’s Empowerment Club

Women’s Empowerment Club Discusses Fordham’s Feminism

By KARI WHITE CULTURE EDITOR

If you’ve ever attended an activity fair at the beginning of the semester, then you’ve seen just how many clubs the Fordham student body has created. Throughout Women’s History Month, we’ll be covering a handful of the different organizations that provide support, mentorship and fellowship to the women of Fordham. For the first installation of the column, what better club to profile than our very own Women’s Empowerment Club?

As the two general coordinators, Natalie Ortof, GSB ’22, and Reilly Dunne, FCRH ’24, explained, the goal of the club is to create a safe space for all students to discuss the various issues they face regardless of their defined identity.

The Women’s Empowerment Club primarily focuses on the struggle that women face, however, Ortof and Dunne understand that any feminism that’s not inclusive fails its mission.

They have strived to foster a welcoming environment that sparks conversations and champions constant education.

Their meetings often consist of presentations on important historical figures that fought for women’s rights, and their excursions into the city always have an educational aspect.

But don’t think they’re boring, they have a good time.

For their most recent trip, they visited the Museum of Sex in Manhattan. “Sexual wellness is such an important part of women’s empowerment, and so is being aware of the resources that are available to you … going to the Museum of Sex and learning more about how to practice safe sex and be that connected with a partner that is consensual and in a way that is loving is something that I wouldn’t want our members to miss out on,” Ortof said. “It’s a way to push the boundaries in a small way and give people space to learn,” Dunne added.

While they visit the Museum of Sex only once a year, they host a variety of other programs throughout the rest of the year. This includes a book club, a trip to the Museum of Modern Art, virtual attendance of Planned Parenthood’s day of action and meetings in Dealy 207 every Tuesday. Every semester they also put on a theater production and donate the proceeds to an organization of the club’s choice. They have not yet decided which organization to donate to this semester, but they will be putting on a production of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues.” Stay tuned for the announcement of their upcoming performance dates.

Along with educational events, the club organizes bake sales that raise money for mutual aid

funds that benefit people living at Fordham, in the Bronx and in the greater NYC community.

During Black History Month, the club donated the proceeds from their bakesale to Black Woman Exhale, a mutual aid fund that supports Black women, people that do not conform to traditional gender and femmes in New York City.

“Giving to mutual aid funds and supporting the most vulnerable here in our community is something that is really vital, sort of practicing what you preach. It’s nice to talk, and it’s good that we have all of these educational meetings, but what’s it all for if we’re not doing something as an organization to materially help people?” Dunne explained.

Yet, the Women’s Empowerment Club is not only about education and donating money to those in need. They also strive to create a safe environment for students on campus.

To that end, they work alongside USG’s Comittee Against Sexual Misconduct to host a Speakout against sexual violence event every semester.

This semester the event took place on International Women’s Day, March 8, in Rodrigue’s Coffee House. For those unaware of what a “Speak Out” is, it’s a not-quite-open mic where people are encouraged to share their stories and experiences with others in a supportive space. “It’s the most powerful

event that we have put on. It’s so raw, and visceral, and real, and emotional, but also so uplifting. It’s incredible, and I’m lucky to be able to put that on with the Committee against Sexual Misconduct at USG,” Ortof said.

While these programs offer support and education to Fordham students, the club (like many) was created to fill a void within the already present culture at Fordham.

So the question now, six years after the club was officially recognized and nine years after it was created, is whether Fordham does enough. In response, Dunne and Ortof noted the overall lack of institutional support. “It falls on the students to provide support, mentorship and guidance for female students, and … at least from my knowledge, there’s no targeted mentorship and targeted outreach on an administrative level towards female students. Especially when it comes to the business school and STEM, which are definitely dominated by men,” Dunne explained.

They also explained that the lack of support does not only extend to women on campus, but also to people of color, of different gender identities, of anything that does not fit the white, cisgender male “norm.”

At the end of the interview, I asked Ortof and Dunne the hardest hitting question so far:

who is your favorite feminist figure? While they sputtered for a moment, complaining that it was too hard to select only one, they each named one of their favorites.

Ortof named Sojourner Truth. She explained: “As I ran [the Women’s History Month] meeting, I got to learn a lot about her life … She helped a lot of freed slaves find jobs, and she was able to find freedom herself and use her platform to speak. I learned yesterday that when she gave her ‘Ain’t I a Woman’ speech at the women’s convention in Akron, Ohio, she was the only woman of color there. A lot of the women present didn’t want her to speak, but she did, and now ‘Ain’t I a Woman’ is one of the most famous speeches ever.”

Dunne said one of her favorite feminist figures is Angela Davis: “I admire her so, so deeply. She is such an intelligent, revolutionary thinker, and it’s incredible that she’s still doing so much work even as she’s in her 70s, which is insane. Getting to see her speak at Fordham was one of the highlights of my life.”

If you’re interested in learning more about the Women’s Empowerment Club, attend their meetings on Tuesdays in Dealy 207 at 5:15 p.m. or message them on Instagram at @we_fordham. There’s no better time to join the club than during Women’s History Month!

CULTURE “The Fallout” Explores a Heavy Side of Gen Z Experiences

March 9, 2022

By ZOE ALATSAS

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

CONTENT WARNING: Movie contains topics of violence/ school shootings, mental health issues and drug use.

Megan Park’s directorial debut “The Fallout” is a thoughtprovoking story that follows the destructive effects of a school shooting, incorporating many aspects of growing up that are unique to Gen Z and today’s altered state of adolescence. The movie deals with mature concepts that many young adults have become familiar with in some capacity, especially regarding social media and mental health.

The teenage story has never been an easy one to tell, as it is a time in life flooded with heightened hormones and emotions regardless of the generation.

However, because of the internet’s

Page 11

impact on society, with its massive influence and tendency to polarize, Gen Z faces a unique challenge in developing critical emotional skills.

Although “The Fallout” is not the first piece of media to represent the hardships of growing up in a modern world saturated with content, it was one of the most realistic interpretations of modern adolescence I’ve seen in the media thus far.

There has been a noticeable increase in character-driven plotlines in recent years, with “do-nothing” movies like “Ladybird” rising in popularity. These kinds of movies allow for closer engagement with human emotions, and “The Fallout” uses this concept in a way that skillfully demonstrates some very complex emotional experiences. Rather than packing 90 minutes with one traumatic experience after another for entertainment, the movie opens with the

COURTESY OF TWITTER

“The Fallout” came out to stream on HBO Max in January.

climax event and continues by following the emotional journeys of the characters.

The skillful characterization in this movie is very beneficial in terms of accurate representation.

Park avoids pushing the characters into tropes that are often present in coming-of-age movies; there are no mean girls, jocks or emos. All of the teenagers represented in this movie are multi-faceted individuals that are not reduced to stereotypes that have previously defined the teenage experience in media. Park acknowledges the variety and fluidity of character traits that develop during adolescence, which is a major factor in how natural and real the relationships feel in this film.

This film spends a significant amount of time capturing small interactions that may seem insignificant to the initial issue in the story.

However, these interactions allow us to connect more with the characters and identify with their emotional responses. The power of this movie lies within the details and Park uses these details to highlight the importance of compassion and relationships in dealing with traumatic experiences.

One aspect that makes this movie an accurate portrayal of the Gen Z perspective is how open it is to addressing issues previously thought of as taboo or personal.

Because of how globally interconnected the world’s youth has become, the desire to destigmatize and have conversations about certain issues has become a defining factor of this generation.

Mental health is just one of the issues that the movie discusses. The

main character, Vada, grapples with severe anxiety and PTSD following the shooting. Her gradual acceptance of speaking openly about her mental health in therapy and with her parents reflects a generational desire to outwardly discuss such topics. As the world makes important strides in understanding the nuances of mental health, “The Fallout” demonstrates how omnipresent these experiences are in the lives of teenagers today.

Another topic this movie successfully explores from the eyes of Gen Z is sexuality. This has always been a topic that often becomes prevalent during adolescence, but the way in which it affects teenagers is constantly changing.

Coming of age in a time where rapid shifts are being made in the LGBTQ+ experience has generally created a more open and experimental concept of sexuality for teenagers. “The Fallout’’ incorporates the topic of sexuality organically, as it is used to showing how it can sometimes interact with traumatic experiences instead of just utilizing it for forced representation or queerbaiting.

Park also did an incredible job addressing the concept of trauma in instances of school shootings.

She emphasizes just how fluctuating and widespread the effects and trauma of an experience like this can be. While some kids affected by the shooting immediately mobilized into political action, others, like Vada, struggle to comprehend their emotions. There is no one way to navigate trauma, and this movie makes a point of addressing this conversation. Additionally, Park

integrates the experiences of loving someone through their trauma and how that in itself can be a difficult and confusing experience.

One cannot discuss the Gen Z teenage experience without addressing social media and the internet. “The Fallout” is very open about both the positive and negative aspects of the digital influence on teenagers. Vada is allowed to create more connections to cope with her trauma because of her phone. On the other hand, her trauma becomes more complicated and overbearing because of the pervasive nature of the internet. She is constantly reminded of her experiences she went through and her healing process is made much more difficult.

Park also acknowledges how social media can warp teenagers’ perspective on trauma, as some may feel pressured to take on the weight of solving huge issues just because they have a farther reach in the world than past generations.

“The Fallout” is a very emotionally overwhelming movie, deliberately highlighting how increasingly polarized politics and the influence of social media have exacerbated the list of confusing emotions teenagers already take on. As someone born in 2003, the presence of gun violence in schools has been prevalent my entire life. This movie was an extremely realistic portrayal of how it feels to grow up alongside the repercussions of this violence. Park was ultimately successful in her goal to give voice to the unique experiences of Gen Z adolescents due to her careful and open discussion of such personal and meaningful issues.

Mimes and Mummers Bring “Shrek the Musical” to Fordham

By ELISABETH MURRAY CULTURE EDITOR

Students gathered in Collins Auditorium on Thursday, Feb. 25, to watch Fordham’s Mimes and Mummers’ first performance of the spring semester, “Shrek the Musical.”

The musical, based on the 2001 DreamWorks Animation film “Shrek,” was originally written

by David Lindsay-Abaire and scored by Jeanine Tesori; however, over a six-week period at the start of the semester, director Matthew A.J. Gregory worked alongside assistant Allie Bianco FCRH, ’24, and producer Lizzi Hartnett, FCRH ’22, to create the perfect ensemble to bring their rendition to life this spring.

Gregory is an interdisciplinary theater artist with an impressive resume. He is currently a faculty member at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and has performed as well as directed many shows across New York City for companies including the Saratoga Shakespeare Company, NYU and Theater for the New City. Additionally, his costume designs have been displayed at The Juilliard School and the Wheeler Opera House and have also appeared in various feature films. Gregory last worked with the Mimes and

Mummers over a decade ago, but says he is “thrilled” to be back as the director of “Shrek the Musical.”

Gregory’s experience as a costume designer is worth noting considering the detail put into the costumes for this production of “Shrek.” The costumes were easily one of the most remarkable parts of the entire performance.

His experience, alongside the creative eyes of costume designers Amy Cartolano, FCRH ’24 and Sarah Shanahan, FCRH ’24, shone through when Miguel Sutedjo, FCRH ’23, who starred as Shrek, illuminated the stage with

his bright green, stout, perfectly ogre-like body. The innovative costume designs allowed Clare O’Connell, FCRH ’25, to flourish in her hilarious dual role as Gingy and the Sugar Plum Fairy and gave the illusion that Matt Tobin, FCRH ’22, was short as Lord Farquaad.

One of the most notable numbers was “Forever,” performed towards the end of act one. Julia DiPreta, FCRH ’24, gave an impressive vocal performance as the Dragon. In addition to her stand-out voice, DiPreta’s costume — a dragon tail made up of about half a dozen crew

members — displayed seamless choreography that added to her powerful stage presence.

Inventive set design thanks to the hands of set designers Griffin LaMarche FCRH, ’22, and Dominic Anthony, FCRH ’23, transformed Collins Auditorium into the land of Duloc with effective utilization of props, lighting and creative backdrops. During the performance of “I Know it’s Today,” the stage turned into Fiona’s castle as the three Fiona’s delivered a harmonious performance. Any production of a fairy tale-based story requires good costuming and set design to accu-

COURTESY OF ELISABETH MURRAY/THE FORDHAM RAM

All the fairytale creatures gathered on stage to perform “Story of My Life.”

rately portray the physical characteristics, as visual elements are the most important aspect. The Mimes and Mummers’ rendition of “Shrek the Musical” was very successful in this aspect.

However, good visuals are nothing without a strong cast.

The cast of “Shrek the Musical” was nothing short of talented, energetic and engaging. The fairytale creatures are all first introduced at the beginning of act one during “Story of My Life,” commenced by Mikey Duffy, FCRH, ’23, who played Pinocchio. Sam Scriven, FCRH ’25, gave a remarkably funny performance as Donkey in this play. Together, Scriven and Sutedjo delivered many laughs and impressive song and dance routines.

At the end of the show, the entire cast came together once again to perform the Finale. The choreography by Emma Olin, FCRH, ’23, was stellar, and the entire cast moved across the stage seamlessly.

Overall, the Mimes and Mummers put on a fantastic show with their rendition of “Shrek the Musical.” The cast was strong, the music was excellent and the set was very well put together. The Mimes and Mummers will return soon with “Our Town” this spring.

CULTURE

Page 12

March 9, 2022

Editor’s Pick | Film

Feed Your Inner Cinephile with “Mubi Go”

By EMMA LIPKIND OPINION EDITOR

During this past fall semester, I had to watch a movie for class on a subscription service called Mubi. Once I signed up for the free trial, I started receiving emails from the app, one of which had details about one of their services called Mubi Go. I found out that this random app I downloaded offered a free ticket each week to a movie at a NYC theater, for the fair price of $11 a month.

I was never a film person before, but this app has not only granted me the opportunity to watch films I otherwise would not see, it has also given me an excuse to explore different neighborhoods and become comfortable in the discomfort of being alone in New York City.

Though, as cheesy as it sounds, when I go to watch a movie — whether at Film Forum in Soho or Film at Lincoln Center — I’m never really alone. I become engrossed in the movie, whether from confusion or admiration, and feel sort of disconnected from myself immediately after leaving the theater.

So, this is an ode to the seemingly innocuous app which

has brought me joy when I’ve needed it most. I’ve both seen movies I now hold dear to my heart, and felt like I wasted two hours of my life watching the strangest thing. Ultimately, however, it’s never actually a waste. At least I know that movie or genre or style maybe isn’t for me.

Even when I attend the film with someone, it still feels like it’s just me and the movie. I’ve become better at watching movies, too. Before, I was definitely a talker (much to my friends’ dismay), but now, I’m actively observing the lighting, script, larger message and acting of the movie right in front of me.

The most recent film I’ve watched through Mubi was called “Great Freedom,” a film about a gay man in Germany during a time when homosexuality was criminalized. It has been projected to be the best queer film of the year, but I probably wouldn’t have heard about it or even gone out of my way to watch it if it wasn’t offered on Mubi Go. I also had the opportunity to hear the film’s director and main actor speak ahead of its screening, something else I never expected to experience.

The film itself was incredibly moving. There was a scene

that showed the soft, hidden romance between the main character, Hans, and his lover, Oskar, through the type of film camera used in the 1950s.

Simply put, I cried. It was the first time we got to see Hans and one of his lovers outside the context of the jail, and the first time Oskar expressed the deep love he felt for Hans despite the odds being stacked against them.

Another movie I was able to watch thanks to Mubi was “The Worst Person in the World,” a Norwegian film about a young woman navigating romance, self-discovery and career trajectory. I wasn’t actually going for this movie, but the film I was supposed to see was sold out so this was a lastditch effort to make my trip to Williamsburg worthwhile.

I can’t help but feel like fate (and Mubi Go) brought me to this film. The cinematography alone, with its soft light and strategic framing that often highlights the main character’s psychological loneliness, was enough to have a meaningful impact. But it didn’t stop there. It was supplemented with acting so intoxicating that I felt genuine pain watching the main character struggle to get a grip.

It was all too relatable.

I feel lucky that Mubi Go brought this film to me and allowed me to feel moved by these stories, and I can’t begin to imagine what movies are next on the roster.

For those wanting to see more interesting films, or even have an excuse to wander around various parts of the city, I cannot recommend Mubi Go enough.

many examples of stunning cinematography, including a visually captivating musical sequence in the season finale.

The series also received praise for tackling difficult but relevant storylines focused on addiction, toxic masculinity, sexual and gender identity and the difficulties of adolescence in the digital age. “Euphoria” has also been a vessel for fantastic acting performances. Zendaya, who plays the protagonist of the series as well as its narrator, won her first Emmy award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Rue, a high schooler struggling with severe drug addiction in the aftermath of her father’s death.

But D.A.R.E remains unimpressed with the show despite its many compelling and impressive elements. “It is unfortunate that HBO, social media, television program reviewers, and paid advertising have chosen to refer to the show as ‘groundbreaking,’ rather than recognizing the potential negative consequences on school age children who today face unparalleled risks and mental health challenges,” D.A.R.E said in its statement.

Zendaya, who not only stars on the show but also serves as an executive producer, has pushed back against D.A.R.E’s criticisms of the series. “Our show is in no way a moral tale to teach people how to live their life or what they should be doing,” she told Entertainment Weekly.

“If anything, the feeling behind

‘Euphoria,’ or whatever we have always been trying to do with it, is to hopefully help people feel a little bit less alone in their experience and their pain. And maybe feel like they’re not the only one going through or dealing with what they’re dealing with.” It is important to note that the possible consequences of the portrayals of drug use and other difficult topics in the show have not gone unacknowledged by the series or its stars. A disclaimer about the show’s themes appears before the start of each episode along with the phone number for the National Alliance on Mental Health.

Zendaya has also posted disclaimers of her own on her official Instagram account. A post shared ahead of the airing of the second season this January reads, “I know I’ve said this before, but I do want to reiterate to everyone that Euphoria is for mature audiences. This season, maybe even more so than the last, is deeply emotional and deals with subject matter that can be triggering and difficult to watch.”

Of course, there really is no way of ensuring that only “mature audiences” will be exposed to “Euphoria.” While the show may claim to be aimed at older viewers, it is largely centered around characters who are in high school, so it will naturally attract young people as part of its audience. It would be disappointing to discover that the creators and stars of “Euphoria” genuinely believed that the show

would avoid garnering a large high school viewership.

So, yes, D.A.R.E, there are definitely children watching “Euphoria.” No reasonable person would deny this. However, do we really believe that the only thing a high school viewer would take from the series is that drug use is fun and glamorous?

Granted, there are many scenes, especially in the first season of the series, that portray its high school characters using illegal drugs at parties, carnivals and glitzy nightclubs. The characters wear stunning eye makeup and trendy clothes while they get high under beautifully colored lights. You can make a genuine argument that these moments do serve to at least romanticize the aesthetics of illegal drug use by minors.

However, these are not the only portrayals of drug use in the show.

There’s a reason Zendaya won an Emmy for her performance in the first season of “Euphoria.”

Watching Rue struggle through the ups and downs of serious pill addiction is heartbreaking and terrifying. The show captures the fallout of serious addiction — how it changes your relationships with loved ones and forces you to become a different person.

There is nothing romantic about watching Rue pound on her drug dealer’s door, begging to be let inside because she cannot handle the withdrawals that come with being sober. There is nothing romantic about watching her little

sister find her lifeless body after her first overdose. And there is nothing romantic about watching Rue put herself in mortal danger trying to get high episode after episode. Watching “Euphoria,” the viewer is genuinely terrified for Rue. We want her to get clean so badly. We don’t want her to keep using drugs. We are scared for her because we see the dangers that come with serious addiction.

Zendaya is right when she points out that “Euphoria” isn’t meant to be a moral tale.

There will be some viewers that will use the show’s visuals in fan cams and TikTok edits and romanticize the partying that happens on the show. But why do we assume that these same viewers aren’t also being touched by Rue’s story and learning about the reality of drug addiction?

I watch “Euphoria” for its unique and beautiful aesthetic.

Some of it is really just fluff — pretty clothes, pretty gems, pretty lights. But I also watch it for its nuanced portrayals of complex topics that are relevant to today’s youth: addiction, sexuality, gender identity, the harmful effects of social media on self-image and unhealthy and abusive relationships. I trust myself and other viewers to take in the show and separate the beautiful cinematography from the dangerous behavior of its characters. I wish D.A.R.E could do the same.

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

Mubi Go enables film fans to see four movies a month for only 12 dollars.

“Euphoria” and the Pain of Adolescent Drug Use

By ABBY DELK

NEWS EDITOR EMERITA

Sex, drugs and rock and roll.

Turn on an episode “Euphoria,” and that’s exactly what a viewer can expect to see. Well, maybe just the first two.

The series, which often centers around themes of sex, drug use and violence, has gained an enormous following with its dreamy aesthetics and melodramatic plotlines. But it has also made some enemies in its twoseason run, and the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program (D.A.R.E.) is one of them.

The organization criticized “Euphoria” for its portrayal of teen drug use in a statement made in late January: “Rather than further each parent’s desire to keep their children safe from the potentially horrific consequences of drug abuse and other high-risk behavior, HBO’s television drama, ‘Euphoria,’ chooses to misguidedly glorify and erroneously depict high school student drug use, addiction, anonymous sex, violence, and other destructive behaviors as common and widespread in today’s world,” D.A.R.E also expressed disappointment in the reaction media outlets have generally had with the show. The HBO Max original series, created and written by Sam Levinson, first aired in June 2019 and received generally positive reception for its entrancing visuals and compelling characters. The first season features

CULTURE

March 9, 2022

Page 13

Senior Loves Building Communities

By NICOLE BRAUN OPINION EDITOR

Kelly King’s excited energy is immediately contagious, as is her “swaggy” mindset. It was shockingly easy to schedule an interview with King, FCRH ’22, considering that she seems to be involved with at least a half a dozen campus clubs.

From Best Buddies to the Fordham Business Development Collaboratory, King strives to make connections and uplift her community in any way

she can. Nowhere is this drive more evident than her dedicated involvement with Fordham Dance Marathon (FDM).

King explained that FDM is a student organization that is a year-long fundraising effort for pediatric cancer. All of FDM’s campaigns and organizing culminate in their titular event, the Dance Marathon, which is a 10-hour dance marathon scheduled for April 2.

FDM, which works in conjunction with the Residence

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

King has been an active member of Fordham Dance Marathon (FDM).

Halls Association, also partners with the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation. Together they raise awareness about childhood cancer and raise money for families impacted by the disease. King says the money is raised to help families “focus on what truly matters, which is making sure their child is healthy and alive … even though they are going through really serious treatment.”

FDM involves a lot of working parts and relies on several task forces to make sure everything, from fundraising to events, runs smoothly. King plays an integral role in this organization. She has been involved with FDM since 2019, and this year she is acting as the Hero Director. The Heroes are children affected by cancer who are paired with FDM to give them a larger community of support. As Hero Director, King’s job is to “make sure they feel like a kid, and they enjoy life.”

This involves planning activities, such as birthday parties, for the children or inviting them to campus for athletic events. King adds that activities can be low-key, and that quite a few weekly, hourlong sessions have been spent playing Roblox.

The passion King has for working with FDM’s Heroes is palpable; just the mention of one of the Heroes causes an uptick in her voice and her eyes to shine even brighter than before (and I’m willing

to bet there’s a matching smile underneath her mask, too).

FDM’s hero campaign is all about offering support and morale to families and kids who need it, making themselves available and building a friendly community. However, there is a bit of a “struggle” when the Heroes “outgrow” the program because FDM still “[wants] to be there for them,” said King.

In cases like this, King and her team (one which consists of five other coordinators) try to understand and keep up-to-date with their Heroes’ interests — they put in the effort to make the kids’ experience personal.

King has always been a “people person” and generously volunteers to help people of all ages, but the work she does with FDM as Hero Director is personal, too. When she was 16, King had a benign brain tumor. Today she refers to herself as “one of the lucky ones.”

In a pensive manner, King says it is her “obligation” to help FDM’s Heroes. “I know what it’s like to sit in a hospital bed … it almost feels like you’re out of control, and the feeling of, like, helplessness.”

With her Heroes, she strives to do “whatever I can to help.”

Aside from volunteering her time to children who are in similar situations as she was, this year she has also personally raised $2,146 for the B+ Foundation through FDM. Over the past seven years, FDM has raised more than half

a million dollars for the foundation , and are well on their way to superseding their goal for this year.

In addition to FDM, King takes part in other activities that aim to foster connection. As a member of Best Buddies, King befriends and partakes in activities with people with different intellectual and developmental abilities.

In her work with Fordham Business Development Collaboratory, King helps market local small businesses. King is also a part of Our Story, a once a semester event hosted by Fordham’s Social Innovation Collaboratory, where students share stories about their lives. King relishes the opportunity to share the experiences of others because she finds that “we just pass each other by and have shallow conversations.” King wants to build connections.

After graduation, King will further her passion for helping and working with others as a student coordinator in a charter school in Newark, New Jersey, In her professional life, King hopes to continue to build communities and inspire people to do the same.

King is the embodiment of positivity and enthusiasm — her go-to karaoke song is “Don’t Stop Believin’.” She is surely someone who will set the world on fire, and we should be grateful that she infused that spirit into so many remarkable Fordham organizations over the past four years.

We Are All the “The Worst Person in the World”

By FRANCES SCHNEPFF SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR

I think that at one point in our lives, we have all felt like the worst person in the world.

That feeling comes to life in an entertaining, emotional and sometimes intense way in Joachim Trier’s new film, “The Worst Person in the World.”

This Norwegian film takes place over four years of Julie’s life, exploring the turmoils of her careers, relationships and her own self identity. The film is told through 12 chapters, starting with a witty montage of her career history, which sets her up as an incredibly relatable protagonist, one who we can all see ourselves in.

Julie’s life-crisis begins in the first chapter, when Trier begins to depict her search for herself. She starts in pre-med, then decides she is more interested in psychology of the brain than the actual brain, which leads her to wanting to write, then wanting to photograph and finally working at a local bookstore. This first chapter sets up the film as one of relatability, but also one that dives deeply into the life of Julie. It’s the type of film that feels like you

are reading an incredibly wellwritten book and just can’t put it down.

After the first chapter, we are introduced to all of Julie’s past relationships. They are presented in a similar way to her careers: fast, suffocating and products of creative suppression. But then she meets Eivind at a party, he is a cartoonist.

He is chic, suave and funny.

The relationship between Julie and Eivind is the one that takes up most of the film. They talk about kids, about Julie’s writing, about his drawing, about themselves. However, like most relationships, and most things in Julie’s life, she becomes bored. She sneaks into a random party in a beautiful Dutch Colonial and meets Aksel. They dance the border of friendship and lust all evening.

The whole scene feels like getting butterflies. They smell each other’s armpits, they pee in front of one another, they share some of the most intimate moments without ever cheating — and that is exactly what they are scared of. The night ends and Julie has to go home to her stagnant relationship with Eivind.

I’m not going to share much

more of the actual plot of this film, because I recommend it so strongly, and would never want to spoil it for anyone. However, I think it is important to explain the feeling that arises towards the end of the film.

After an unfortunate series of events, Julie finds herself stuck.

I would describe this feeling as “the weight of slowly figuring things out.” The final scene was incredibly bittersweet to watch.

Trier’s incredible writing and immaculate character development create an intense bond to the characters on-screen; we see ourselves in them.

Julie is represented throughout the entire film as a strong woman; she does not settle, she is independent, she is stubborn and smart and she is not one to depend on these sort of relationships.

This is a film that has a sort of stickiness to it — it sticks with you. The happiness you feel after watching sticks with you.

The way that Julie navigates her relationships sticks with you.

The beautiful visuals stick with you. The music, the writing and trials of life all stick with you with that same relatability I was talking about before. It also doesn’t hurt that this film

has beautiful cinematography, showing off the landscape and architecture of Oslo, Norway.

The cinematography in this film embodies “hygge” and the soft lighting present throughout makes it feel like you are sitting at a fireplace the entire time.

Overall, I think that “The Worst Person in the World” is a fantastic film, and the perfect dose of mumblecore to start a week. Also, as for the title, I

find that it is pretty clear Julie is not the “The Worst Person in the World;” however, I think that Trier called her that because that is who she thought she was.

After watching this film and seeing the trials and tribulations of Julie’s life, her normal reactions and honest attitude, I can confidently say that I am also the “The Worst Person in the World,” and there’s a chance you are too.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

“The Worst Person in the World” is a film anyone can identify with.

CULTURE

Page 14

March 9, 2022

Bronx Business Highlight | Teitel Brothers

Third-Generation Family Business Flourishes 100 Years Later

By AVA CARREIRO

DIGITAL PRODUCER

Established over a century ago, Teitel Brothers Wholesale and Retail Grocery Company continues to thrive in the heart of Little Italy of the Bronx, and a section of 186th street in the Bronx was even named after the store.Conveniently located less than half a mile away from Fordham University at 2372 Arthur Ave, Teitel Brothers services restaurants all around New York City with their delicious assortment of Italian food.

Teitel Brothers offers a rich variety of delicious products including prosciutto, sopressata, pepperoni, parmesan cheese, burrata, gouda, olive

oil and a seemingly limitless array of other outstanding meats and cheeses. The Daily News even named Teitel Brothers as having the best sausage in New York. Aside from the traditional Italian cuisine, the store also offers apricots, fish, nuts and chocolates.

In 1915, Teitel Brothers was founded by Jacob and Morris Teitel. Part of a Jewish family who had immigrated from Austria in 1912, the brothers were encouraged by their cousins to open an Italian grocery store in the Bronx. The brothers saw the demand for Italian food in their neighborhood as the Belmont area demographic became increasingly Italian. When the business first launched, it quickly

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

The Italian grocery store was found over 100 years ago by Morris and Jacob Teitel.

felt the effects of the Great Depression. Although they struggled to profit at times, they navigated the economic downturn successfully.

Balancing their Jewish religion with running an Italian-American based business was not a simple task, and the prejudices of World War II began to affect their small grocery store. The family’s landlord firmly believed that by showcasing their religious beliefs, Teitel Brothers would lose business. The brothers responded to this idea by placing the Star of David in mosaic tiles at the front entrance.

Teitel Brothers’ Jewish roots are still seen today as the store closes on all Jewish holidays.

Today, Jacob’s son, Gilbert, is 77 years old and has continued the family tradition of manning the store. His three sons, Jean, Michael and Eddie, currently run the third-generation family business together.

Michael and Eddie also both have children who help out in the store from time to time.

Although the store is just 900 square feet, its vibrant and lively atmosphere fills every inch of the room. Often packed with customers chatting with each other and those behind the counter, the staff still makes every customer feel special.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Teitel Bros is located on Arthur Avenue, just a few blocks from campus.

The room is surrounded by meats hanging from the ceiling, cheese assortments in the refrigerators, stacks of olive oil piled on one another and boxes of pasta stacked against the sides of the walls. One of the workers will be sure to help you almost immediately and always with a smile.

If you introduce yourself, it will almost certainly lead to a wonderful conversation filled with laughter and maybe even some interesting facts about

the store and its workers. They even hand out samples for customers to taste, which may or may not be my favorite part of the store.

The impact that Teitel Brothers has on the Bronx is unmatched.

A family business established over 100 years ago with a rich history of both culture and religion is certainly one you don’t want to miss out on. If you’re lucky enough to be near Little Italy of the Bronx, stopping by Teitel Brothers is a must.

“The Batman” is Everything a Superhero Movie Should Be

By SEBASTIAN DIAZ FEATURES EDITOR

I grew up on Batman. As far back as I can remember, my life was spent consuming countless comic books, television shows and movies made since the character’s first appearance in 1939.

In Batman’s 82-year history, so many possibilities and versions of the characters have been explored that it seems impossible to say anything new. Somehow, and perhaps miraculously, “The Batman” feels impressively fresh. At no point in the film’s near-three hour runtime did the grin drop from my face.

Where Warner Bros.’ DC Cinematic Extended Universe of films has set a precedent for attempting to ground fantastic characters and adventures in real-world settings and Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe has delivered a non-stop series of safe, sanitized movies, “The Batman” delivers on neither.

While the film doesn’t bog itself down by trying to adapt the Batman character to fit into a realistic world like Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy, the movie is still tonally dark and at times disturbing in its content.

The movie doesn’t shy away from gritty and violent crime, showcasing these topics in such a way that it feels as though the world of “The Batman” is the victim of some kind of eldritch horror. The film’s attempts at the grittiest, darkest themes success-

fully recognize their own absurdity in doing so.

As a celebration of pulp fiction and noir stories, “The Batman” doesn’t indulge neither familyfriendly fantasy nor realism.

With all that being said, let’s get to the beating heart behind what really makes this film breathe: the talent.

In the director’s seat, Matt Reeves allows himself to fully explore what he learned while directing the recent “Planet of the Apes” trilogy (a trilogy I hold to be one of the best sci-fi franchises of the past decade). To start off, the action of “The Batman” is so wonderfully directed. The film is rife with style and, with the added talent of cinematographer Greig Fraser, every shot in the movie is filled with glamorous colors, gripping the contrast between the light and dark of this world’s Gotham City. Every frame is beautifully constructed, brimming with deliberately placed colors that prevent the setting from becoming dull at any point in the film’s nearthree-hour runtime. The setting is full of life, and the Gotham City of “The Batman” feels like a character in itself.

Additionally, it would be easy to muddle the action in the film; each action set piece contains a myriad of moving parts, nameless goons and generic locations.

However, Reeves’ directing style is synonymous with clear action.

All of the moving parts are presented clearly and edited together

in masterful clarity, making it easy to forget just how complex each action sequence really is.

Every “nameless goon” (and even the primary characters) of action sequences are blocked clearly, allowing the audience to follow how each character moves about the screen. Generic locations are glamorized, given an invigorating make-over thanks to the movie’s heavily stylized visuals.

It would be an injustice to discuss what makes the movie great without mentioning its incredible acting talent. While a lesser movie with a cast as large as “The Batman” might waste its talent, the cast of “The Batman” performs wonderfully. No two characters are alike, and each one is acted in such a way that seems to expand what the world is capable of. Every acting performance is memorable, but Paul Dano and Colin Farrel, who play the villains Riddler and Penguin, respectively, steal the scene every time they appear on screen.

Jeffrey Wright’s performance as the police lieutenant Jim Gordon also deserves an honorable mention, as he plays the straight-man to Robert Pattinson’s absurdly angsty Batman. Thanks to every acting performance giving each character a distinctive personality, the world seems vast and endless.

Additionally, the score by Michael Giacchino’s lends itself phenomenally to the craftsmanship of the film. Although the composer has been building scores for blockbuster films for a little less

than a decade, Giacchino’s score for “The Batman” is some of his best work. The eponymous theme is clearly defined and memorable, already making it different from not only some of his own past work but also from the standardized, dull scores we often get from modern blockbuster films.

In a culture so focused on the “franchise film,” it’s refreshing that “The Batman” exists in a completely self-contained story, cut off from the rest of the DC Extended Universe. The narrative concludes satisfactorily. Enough seeds are dropped throughout the film that, if a follow-up were to be greenlit by Warner Bros., the narrative could easily continue without it seeming like a sequel was forced into existence. However, I would be happy if no fol-

low-up were produced at all, as I feel as though the film accomplished what it set out to do aside from one misstep.

To it’s detriment, the biggest weakness of “The Batman” is its inability to commit to its own morals. While a majority of the film is spent attempting to deconstruct the cycle of poverty and violence as a result of institutionalized corruption, parts of the film feel too forgiving of the system, refusing to stand by its statement. It falls flat. However, the strength of every other component more than makes up for the film’s stifled message.

It’s safe to say that “The Batman” is the best blockbuster film I have seen in recent years, if not one of the best blockbusters of the past decade.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Robert Pattinson stars alongside Zoe Kravitz in “The Batman.”

[Advertise Here] Interested in advertising in the Ram? Email FordhamRamBusiness@gmail.com for inquiries!

Page 16

Men’s Tennis Falls to Navy Before Heading to South Bend

By MILES GROSSMAN STAFF WRITER

Following a 1-1 weekend that included a win over Queens College 4-3 at home and a loss to Marist College 3-4 on the road, the Rams looked to get back to their winning ways last weekend against the Naval Academy, but fell just short again by the score of 3-4.

The Fordham Rams have played sub .500 tennis since resuming after winter break. While their 2-5 record in 2022 does include two road losses at Ivy League schools, being unable to notch wins at home against St. Francis Brooklyn and Navy has made for an underwhelming start to the spring season.

The Rams’ poor record at home has been a theme all season. Granted, men’s tennis hasn’t had the luxury of playing at the HawthornRooney Courts on the Rose Hill campus since late October of last year, as the facility is outdoors. For months now, the Rams have played their home matches in Harrison, New York, about 30 minutes north of Fordham’s Bronx campus. Being denied a legitimate home court advantage, the Rams have been forced to scratch and claw for each one of their wins against Division I opponents.

While playing in Harrison might not be ideal for the Rams, it’s not nearly as arduous as when they flew commercially to South Bend, Indiana, to face off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday.

Notre Dame played two matches, first against Clemson at noon before their match against Fordham at 4:30 p.m. To begin the day, the Fighting Irish dominated the Clemson Tigers en route to a 4-1 victory. Notre Dame took only a few hours off before facing the Rams in the late afternoon. While Notre Dame did not sport the exact same lineup as their morning match, the graduate student pair Aditya Vashistha and Peter Conklin took straight set victories from the Rams, after playing earlier in the day against the ACC’s Clemson. Vashistha and Conklin ultimately led the Fighting Irish to a decisive 4-0 sweep of the visiting Rams.

The fact that the Rams were unable to secure a single set during their trip to Indiana will certainly be viewed as disappointing to head coach Nelson Peña, but this trip to Notre Dame was never truly about results. When a mid-major team such as Fordham goes on the road to face the 32nd squad in the nation, the message of the weekend must be to gain valuable experience. Such hardfought lessons will be key when the Rams travel to Orlando for the Atlantic 10 tournament in late April. More immediately, the Rams will look to break their two game home losing streak this Sunday, March 13, when Siena travels to Harrison to take on what is sure to be a hungry, focused and determined Rams squad.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Toi Kobayashi battled for a win last weekend at home vs. Navy.

SPORTS

March 9, 2022

Another Chapter Closed in College Basketball

By MADDIE BIMONTE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

March 5, 2022, will always hold a bittersweet place in my heart, as it will for many Duke University Basketball fans across the country.

It marked the last home game of legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski, “Coach K,” against his arch rivals, the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Surrounded by countless Brotherhood alumni and the Cameron Crazies, the legacy Coach K has left upon college basketball is hard to put into words.

Every year at Duke, the newest incoming class brought in more and more talent. Yet, many of them left after just one season. One man was a constant: Coach K. Predicting just how successful Coach K became seemed impossible. After playing point guard at Army West Point for four years under another legendary coach, Bob Knight, he never seemed to be that amazing of a player.

Aside from captaining his senioryear team to a fourth place finish at the 1969 National Invitation Tournament, Krzyzewski never put up phenomenal numbers.

Krzyzewski shined not on the court, but rather on the sidelines.

At 26 years old, he joined his former coach on staff at Indiana University, and played a role in the historic 1974-75 season in which the Hoosiers went 29-0 in the regular season. That run has gone down as one of the best teams in Indiana history, being tragically taken out of the NCAA tournament in the Elite Eight by the University of Kentucky.

Kryzyzewski headed back to his alma mater after a year in Indiana, and then five seasons later, he took on the role of head coach at Duke University.

Kryzyzewski seemed to be a gamble for Duke, as his team finished 9-17 in his last season at Army. In his opening media address, he light-heartedly opened with a spelling of his name and Kryzyzewski said, “You feel, kind of a situation, where things feel right for you.

Duke felt right for me.” The first few seasons of Coach K at Duke

seemed to pale in comparison to the dominance occurring just 10 miles up the road at UNC. As a young Michael Jordan began his career in 1982, he led his team to a National Championship, while Duke struggled to make the NCAA tournament during that time.

Duke did not get their first run at the championship game under Coach K until 1985, but suffered a defeat to the University of Louisville. However, the Blue Devils have remained tournament regulars for almost every single year since.

When the 1990-91 season rolled around, Duke had an all-star roster. Junior Christian Laettner, sophomore Bobby Hurley and freshman Grant Hill ran the tables, all the way to the NCAA Tournament, where they faced Roy Williams of later UNC fame and the Kansas Jayhawks.

They upset the favorite defending champion University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the Final Four, 79-77, which became one of the biggest upsets in tournament history.

Duke was an eight point underdog in the game and avenged their previous year’s loss. In front of 47,185 fans in Indiana, Duke beat Kansas 72–65, and went on to win back-to-back championships in the next season. One of the most famous shots came out of that 1992 season. One of the most hated players of the tournament, Laettner, made a buzzer beater off of a lob from Hill to beat Kentucky in the Final Four.

Duke went on a national title drought until the 2001 NCAA Tournament, with the help of senior Shane Battier and sophomore Jay Williams. With his third national championship, Krzyzewski tied his mentor Knight for third place for most national championships for a college coach.

The 2010’s national championships hold very fond memories for me, with the jam-packed rosters of the 2010 and 2015 championship-winning teams.

Senior Jon Scheyer, one of the

best three-point shooters in the ACC and junior Nolan Smith were on that 2010 team. After lackluster pro careers, the duo returned to Duke to help as assistant coaches under Coach K. In summer 2021, Krzyzewski announced that the 2021-22 season would be his final as a coach.

For many fans, this did not come as a surprise, as longtime rival coach Roy Williams departed UNC just a season prior. Announced as his successor was none other than Scheyer. Familiarity set in at his introductory press conference, as Scheyer opened with, “So I don’t want to break any traditions yet, should I spell my last name?” There was no doubt in Krzyzewski’s mind that his right-hand man for the past eight years was ready for the job of head coach. It was just a matter of time until he stepped back from college basketball.

Aside from his time at Duke, Krzyzewski also coached in the Olympics, in which he totaled three gold medals from the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics. He was the head coach of the U.S. team that won gold medals at the 2010 and the 2014 FIBA World Cup and an assistant coach for the famous “Dream Team” at the 1992 Olympics. With five national titles, 12 Final Fours, 15 ACC tournament championships and 13 ACC regular season titles, Coach K is arguably one of the best coaches in college basketball history.

Coach K was not only successful in recording wins and amazing recruits, but he created the dynasty and prestige of what Duke Men’s Basketball should be. Although the send off game for Coach K left more to be desired, Krzyzewski will remain one of the college greats for years to come and will get a shot at redemption in postseason competition. Duke opens the Atlantic 10 tournament as the one seed on Thursday.

Varsity Calendar

Follow us on Twitter at @theram_sports

HOME AWAY

Men’s Basketball

Wednesday Mar. 9

Thursday Mar. 10

Friday Mar. 11

Softball Women’s Tennis Men’s Tennis

Sunday Mar. 13

George Mason 12 p.m.

Davidson 2 P.M.

Women’s Basketball

Baseball

Saturday Mar. 12

LIU/ Yale 1/4 p.m.

LIU 11 a.m.

St. Louis 12/2:30 p.m.

St. Louis 12 p.m.

Siena College 3 p.m.

Queens College Siena College 3 P.M. 12 p.m.

Monday Mar. 14

Tuesday Mar. 15

SPORTS Fordham Softball Wins Three in Texas, Falls to Seton Hall

Page 17

March 9, 2022

By THOMAS AIELLO

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The Fordham softball team concluded their out of conference road trip at the Boerner Invitational in Arlington, Texas last weekend, with the Rams winning three games in the Lone Star state with massive offensive outputs in those wins. The Rams also played a game last Wednesday against Seton Hall in which they dropped in a 5-3 loss in South Orange, New Jersey.

Game one on Wednesday was against the Seton Hall Pirates.

Fordham would strike first, a common theme with this team so far, when graduate student Rachel Hubertus drove in junior Michaela Carter on a sacrifice groundout. Senior Julia Martine continued her hot hitting with a two run blast that drove home graduate student Briana Pinto to give Fordham a 3-0 lead in the third inning.

The Pirates would climb back thanks to an RBI single from junior Abby Wingo, who would later score on a throwing error by freshman catcher Sydney Wells which made it 3-2 in the blink of an eye. The Pirates then emerged victorious with home runs in the fourth and sixth innings by freshmen Lauren Caye and Taylor Hill pushed the Pirates over the Rams 5-3.

Junior Devon Miller, who started for Fordham, went three and a third innings in which she gave up three earned runs, struck out two and ate her third loss. Senior Makenzie McGrath came in for relief and went two and two thirds by allowing only one earned run.

Sophomore Sydney Babik took win number three for herself for

the Pirates, going four strong innings and allowing one hit and striking out five in relief of junior Shelby Smith.

Then it was off to Texas, where the Rams opened up with a 6-1 loss against Northwestern State.

The Lady Demons had a strong start with four runs in the first two innings. Sophomore Laney Roos whacked in two in the first inning, which was followed by freshman Bailie Ragsdale’s RBI double in the second that dumped in another run. Roos then attacked again with another RBI single to make it 4-0 in the second inning. Junior Maggie Black would put on the finishing touches in the fifth with a two RBI single.

Fordham got retribution in the end with Hubertus knocking in freshman Allie Clark to give Fordham their only run of the game. Miller went out for the Rams again, going six and a third innings and giving up five earned runs. Freshman Sage Hoover was in the circle for the Lady Demons and tossed a masterful six and a third innings, allowing just one earned run on five hits and four walks.

Game two saw Fordham excel early on with a four run first inning thanks to sophomore Bailey Enoch’s grand slam to catapult Fordham in front 4-1.

The Rams would add on one more in the third when Pinto stole third and advanced home on a wild throw. McGrath went five and two thirds innings pitched, striking out, walking six and allowing six hits earning her third win of the year.

The rematch against the Lady Demons also proved fruitful for

the Rams in which key depth pieces would shine; graduate student Kelly Bright wheeled in two runs off a double in the second inning, which was followed up by a two RBI triple by senior Sarah Taffet to make it 4-0 in the third inning. Taffet has been working her way back from her heart surgery, and slowly but surely, she has been moving along week to week to get back to her full form.

“With each week [Taffet] has gotten better in different aspects, getting more comfortable on the field … she played a little bit of second and shortstop,” said head coach Melissa Inouye.

Freshman Derika Castillo and Roos kept the Lady Demons in the game, as Roos helped by forcing a walk with the bases loaded that brought a run home.

That was followed by Castillo’s two RBI single to make it 4-3 by the fourth inning. But Fordham took advantage in the fifth, as Martine scored on a wild pitch to seal the deal 5-3.

The Rams used three pitchers in this game: freshman Emilee Watkins, Enoch and McGrath.

Enoch would notch her first win of the year, and all three Ram pitchers didn’t allow any earned runs.

The final game was offensive chaos as Fordham saw University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) for a second time at their final game of the Boerner Invitational.

Both teams would score at least one run in six of the seven innings played; two runs were scored in one inning by each team and three runs in one inning for each team.

Sophomore Kat Ibarra would

get things started with a solo home run in the first inning for UTSA, and Taffet would strike for Fordham with a sacrifice fly to bring home Martine in the second.

UTSA was not done, as another solo home run by graduate student Lauren Coerver pushed the score to 2-1 UTSA. Then, Hubertus would prove worthy by hammering a two run rocket in the fifth to make the score 3-2 Rams. UTSA responded with a three run blast by senior Marena Estell to jump Fordham and put UTSA up 5-3.

In the sixth, it was Pinto’s turn to join the party and she smacked a three-run home run to jump Fordham into the driver’s seat 6-5. That home run was only the third of her career but it was a timely one, as Fordham would come out in the seventh to tack on two more runs; Martine slammed

an RBI single in the seventh to score senior Gigi Speer and then Carter reached base on a fielder’s choice that dumped in Enoch for run number eight.

Fordham in this game once again sent out three pitchers, Miller, Enoch and McGrath, and combined to retire 32 of the 34 batters they saw, as well as Enoch getting her second win on the year in a reliever role.

“It was honestly kind of nice to play the same teams twice,” said Inouye. “Given what is going to happen this weekend with conference play, it was nice for our pitchers to battle and learn how to get somebody out. But it was nice to get some more wins.”

The Rams will open up Atlantic 10 play this weekend against the Saint Louis Bilikens: Saturday will be a doubleheader at 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m and again on Sunday at 2 p.m. in the Bronx at Bahoshy Field at Fordham University.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Julia Martine contiued her fine play with another productive weekend.

Baseball Struggles on Road, Explodes with Wins at Home

By MADDIE BIMONTE

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The Fordham baseball team underwent a series of road trips over the past two weeks, dropping them both. On Feb. 25, the Rams were swept in two three game series, first against the Virginia Tech Hokies and then in the next against Florida Atlantic. However, the Rams recorded strong wins at home against Sacred Heart University and Manhattan College in the Battle of the Bronx.

After returning home following opening weekend against Texas A&M University, Fordham bounced back in their home opener against Sacred Heart University. In what was the Rams highest scoring game since 2019, the Rams bats were hot after a series of hardfought losses against Texas A&M. After a first inning with no runs on the board, the Rams got hot throughout the second and third innings, scoring seven runs in each frame to create a 14-0 lead.

The Rams totaled 16 hits, led by senior Jack Harnisch and freshman Sebastian Mexico, who were each 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Graduate student infielder C.J. Vazquez was 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs with the senior duo of outfielder Jason Coules and catcher Andy Semo scoring two runs and two RBIs. Fordham’s arms showed out

with all seven pitchers recording a two-hit shutout. Sophomore Cameron Knox pitched the opening two frames and was credited with the win. Knox allowed two walks with two strikeouts. The Rams’ pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts in the game, led by Stewart, who struck out the side in the fifth inning.

The Rams ultimately ran the score to 17-0, taking a huge win from the Pioneers. In a flip of the script, the Rams lost game one against the Hokies 12-0 after a struggling offense failed to put runs on the board. Fordham managed just two hits in the game on singles by Harnisch and senior outfielder Jake Guercio, and struck out 12 times on the day.

Senior pitcher Gabe Karslo allowed seven runs over 5.2 innings, taking the loss for the day.

Day two hoped to be a brighter spot for the Rams, and while failing to secure a win, Fordham managed to score some runs.

Things looked up for the Rams in the fourth inning, when the Hokies lead was sliced in half, courtesy of junior infielder Zach Sellinger hitting a two-run home run into left field, his first of the season. However, the Rams allowed four more runs, making the final score 8-2.

There was no slowing down Virginia Tech, as the Rams

dropped game three and were swept in another series for the season. Vazquez and Harnisch led off with back-to-back singles.

They stayed at one run until the 9th, with a two-run home run courtesy of sophomore infielder Michael Taylor. However, at that point, it was too late. Fordham took the 3-7 loss.

The Rams set their sights on the Battle of the Bronx, as they faced the Manhattan Jaspers.

Fordham had struggled in the first few innings recently, and this game was no different.

The Rams gave up four runs in the second and third innings, but things changed in the fourth.

Coules led off with a double to right center, and one out later, scored on a double by freshman outfielder Cian Sahler. After a strikeout and pitching change, Guercio singled up the middle to score Sahler.

Fordham then took a 5-4 lead in the fifth. With two outs, junior infielder Will Findlay drew a walk and moved to third on a double

by Mexico. Coules then delivered a two-run single through the right side to score by both runners.

The Rams hung tough, tying the game at six in the bottom of the frame on a sacrifice fly by Vazquez scored sophomore Ryan Thiesse from third.

The game was decided in the

eighth, when Fordham rallied for three runs and a 9-6 advantage. Junior pinch-hitter Zach Selinger led off with a single, followed by a single by Sahler and a walk to load the bases. Guercio was then hit by a pitch to force in the go-ahead run. After a pitching change, Vazquez walked to drive in another run, while the last run came on a ground out by Findlay.

The three-run cushion was enough for junior reliever Ben Kovel, who earned his first win of the year with three scoreless innings of relief, giving up just one hit.

Hoping to score their first series win, the Rams traveled to Florida Atlantic University (FAU) for a three game set this past weekend. The Rams struck first in game one, as Semo knocked his first solo home of the season to left in the second inning.

After the Owls scored three runs in the third, the Rams equalized the game at three in the fourth inning. Senior catcher Richard Grund and graduate student infielder Casey Brown started the frame with back-to-back singles.

Once again, the Rams tied the game in the top of the sixth, as Vazquez came through with a two-out RBI single to left, scoring Grund from second to make it a 4-4 game. The game remained tied until FAU rallied for four

runs in the seventh inning.

The Rams put two runners on in the ninth with singles by Semo and Harnisch, but the Owls got back-to-back strikeouts to end the game.

Saturday’s game saw plenty of offense, as the teams combined for 25 runs and 22 hits.

Unfortunately for the Rams, the Owls came out ahead by a 1510 score, despite a ninth inning rally for Fordham.

Sophomore Brooks Ey took the loss, allowing seven runs over 3.2 innings. Freshman infielder T.J. Wachter, Semo and Selinger each drove in two runs, with Coules going 1-for-2 with three runs scored.

Fordham struggled out of the gate in their last attempt to prevent the sweep, giving up nine runs through six innings. The Rams’ first run came in courtesy of sophomore infielder Nico Boza connecting on a solo home run to right, the first of his career.

Fordham netted single runs in the seventh and ninth innings for a 10-3 final. Findlay registered an RBI-single and a solo home run, the first of his career. Findlay was 2-for-2 with a home run and two RBI, while Boza and Selinger each had two hits and a run scored.

Fordham hopes to rebound with nine out of the next ten games at home at Jack Coffey field at Fordham University.

SPORTS Track & Field Wraps Up Indoor Season

Page 18

By MADDIE BIMONTE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Another busy weekend for Fordham Track & Field as both the men and women’s teams competed in the Atlantic 10 Championship and the ECAC/ IC4A Championship. As the team wrapped up its indoor season, both teams put everything on the line.

On day one of the A-10 Championship, ​​graduate student Kathryn Kelly, who broke her own school record in the long jump, earned a silver medal and Second Team All-A-10 honors with a distance of 5.92m.

Sophomore Skylar Harris also participated in the event, placing 20th at 5.11m.

Kelly and junior teammate Kyla Hill qualified for Sunday’s finals in the 60m and 200m dashes. Kelly and Hill both tied the school record in the 60m dash at 7.61 seconds. In the 200m, Kelly qualified third with a time of 24.84 seconds, and Hill in fifth at 25:11 seconds. Freshman Sarah Galvin also ran in the 200m, finishing 32nd in 27.28 seconds.

Fordham also scored in the 5000m and distance medley relay on day one. Graduate student Germaine Harbaugh scored sixth in the 5000m with a season-best time of 17:31.00. Then in the distance medley relay, sophomores Michele Daye and Abigail Llach and juniors Alexandra Thomas and Nicoleta Papavasilakis scored eighth with a time of 12:32.43.

Out of the remaining scored events, senior Casey Metzler posted a season-best mark of 15.48m in the weight throw, good for 14th overall.

In addition to Kelly and Hill qualifying for Sunday’s finals, the Rams added two more qualifiers in the 800m run. Senior Helen Connolly qualified third

with a season-best time of 2:13.67, while senior Jilli Jones qualified seventh in 2:15.87.

The men struggled to put big numbers on the board. Fordham’s lone scoring event on day one was in the last event of the evening: the distance medley relay.

Freshmen Nathan Bezuneh and Isaiah James and sophomores Justin Lombardi and Daniel Asher scored eighth in a season-best time of 10:15.44.

Out of the other scored events, Fordham just missed adding to their point total in the long jump, weight throw and 5000m run. Sophomore Justin Rhee finished ninth in the long jump with a distance of 6.80m, while senior Alec Wargo was 12th in the weight throw with a season-best mark of 15.13m. In the 5000m, senior Brandon Hall took ninth overall in a seasonbest time of 14:39.84 The other events on day one were preliminary runs where Fordham had four individuals qualify for Sunday finals.

Graduate student Antony Misko started the qualifying by taking fifth in the 500m with a time of 1:05.93, while Brown was just outside the qualifiers in 10th at 1:07.29.

In the 800m, senior Jeremiah LaDuca qualified second for Sunday’s finals with a time of 1:55.24, with teammate junior Eric Jacobson finishing ninth at 1:57.79.

The 1000m event saw two Rams make Sunday’s final.

Senior Zalen Nelson qualified second at 2:28.95 and senior Patrick Tuohy in seventh at 2:31.14.

On day two, Connolly earned a bronze medal in the 800m by placing third in a season-best time of 2:11.83, while Jones scored eighth in the event at 2:28.05.

Connolly just missed out on a second medal later in the day in the 4x800 relay, as she, senior Bridget Alex and juniors Taylor Mascetta and Mary Kathryn Underwood took fourth overall in an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) qualifying time of 9:11.99.

In the 60m dash, Hill scored fifth in 7.64 seconds with Kelly in sixth at 7.74 seconds. Later in the 200m dash, it was Kelly as the top performer, taking fourth in 24.76 seconds, while Hill was fifth in an ECAC qualifying time of 25.03 seconds. The duo returned to the track one more time for the 4x400 relay, as they joined senior Dominique Valentine and junior Ruby Avila to finish seventh in 3:53.57.

The Rams had competitors in four other events, starting with senior Jade Dyer-Kennedy, who was 11th in the triple jump with a mark of 10.88m, while junior Amanda Gurth placed 17th in the shot put at 10.77m. Then, in the mile run, Alex posted a seasonbest time of 5:05.07, for 10th overall, followed by Thomas in 19th (5:17.42) and Papavasilakis in 23rd (5:24.62). Harbaugh was the last individual competitor to place, as she was 13th in the 3000m run at 10:15.23.

Fordham saw three medal performances on day two, led

by LaDuca, who earned Second Team All-A-10 honors in the 800m, finishing second in 1:56.59. Nelson added to the medal count in the 1000m, taking bronze with a time of 2:27.38, while Tuohy scored eighth at 2:35.13.

LaDuca and Nelson then joined Jacobson and junior Erik Brown on the Rams’ 4x800 relay team to take Fordham’s final medal of the championship. The group took bronze with an impressive season-best time of 7:45.67.

March 9, 2022

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

While the indoor track season ends, the outdoor season is right around the corner.

The Rams scored in three additional events on day two, beginning with Misko placing sixth in the 500m in a time of 1:05.80. Graduate student Andrew Ramsammy then scored eighth in the high jump, clearing 1.85m.

The Rams’ final scorer was the 4x400 relay, where James, Tuohy, Misko and junior Samuel Wilcox finished seventh in 3:30.61.

In the ECAC event in Boston, the Rams showed out on day one, posting nine season-best performances, qualifying for five Sunday finals and having five top 12 finishes.

The events that qualified included efforts from Kelly in the long jump event, placing third with a 5.80m jump. Kelly also competed in the 200m dash, where she qualified for Sunday’s final with a season-best time of 24.49 seconds.

Nelson qualified for Sunday in the 800m run with a seasonbest, third place time of 1:50.19, while teammate LaDuca just missed Sunday’s final, placing 10th in 1:50.42.

Fordham then qualified for three relay finals on Sunday. The women’s 4x400 relay of Kelly, Valentine, Avila and Hill qualified fourth in a season-best time of 3:48.64, while the 4x800 relay of Jones, Underwood, Mascetta and Connolly qualified seventh in a season-best time of 9:05.34.

Then, the men’s 4x800 relay of LaDuca, Jacobson, Tuohy and Brown qualified in fourth place for Sunday in a season-best time of 7:36.18.

On Sunday, the Rams took part in seven finals starting with Nelson in the 800m. He placed just off the podium as he ran 1:49.69, good for fourth place.

He finished .04 seconds off the Rams’ school record.

In the 200m dash finals, Kelly posted a season-best time of 24.36 seconds to finish sixth overall. Next were the men’s and women’s 3000m runs, where Hall and Harbaugh placed 16th and 24th overall respectively.

Both recorded season-best times, with Hall clocking in at 8:14.19 and Harbaugh at 9:58.35.

Fordham then had three relay finalists, starting with the women’s 4x800 relay. Jones, Underwood, Mascetta and Connolly took sixth in a season-best time of 9:03.27. Next was the men’s 4x800 relay, which took fourth overall in a season-best time of 7:30.23. Lastly, the women’s 4x400 relay finished with an exclamation point. Kelly, Dominique Valentine, Ruby Avila and Hill scored fourth overall in a school record time of 3:46.56.

At the end of day two, the women tied for 17th with 17 points, and the men tied for 26th with 10 points.

While the long winter season comes to a close, Track & Field is not done for the year. They have a busy Spring schedule in front of them. Both teams will be back in action on March 19 for the Stony Brook Season Opener at Stony Brook University.

Student Athlete Column: A Letter to Seniors

By GIGI SPEER STAFF WRITER

If you’re not a senior, put this paper down, close your computer or exit out of this app on your phone.

You’re not going to want to keep reading, trust me. Seriously. The next few pages are full of scary, almost-entering-the-world, boring stuff.

I want to start this letter with a question. What was your earliest memory from being at Fordham?

Close your eyes, and really take yourself back, whether it be months, a year or four years. Do you have it?

Okay, keep that floating around in that amazing brain of yours.

Sure, this is the student-athlete column, but this is really for anybody about to get their degree in a couple of months. Before I say congrats, get ready or whatever else they may say on graduation day, I want to take it back.

For me, my earliest memory is getting dropped off at Loschert with way too much but still not enough stuff, entering an empty building because I was getting there weeks early to be trained to drive those Ram Vans we love.

I was sad, scared, excited, nervous, happy and a whole storm of emotions my 18-year-old brain had no idea how to process. My wonderful divorced parents formed an alliance this day to bring their

youngest child to college for the first and last time. I swear Loschert was haunted that first night.

The building smelled like cleaning products, Ritz crackers and garbage. The floor was cold but the wind was hot and my bare blue mattress stared back at me and laughed as I slowly opened the door to room 317. Weeks would go by, our door would stay deadbolted, I would always forget the bathroom code, I introduced myself to countless strangers and tried everything I could.

I didn’t know a thing.

What is your memory? Really think about it. Feel it. Where do you feel it? What comes up? Do you want to cry, laugh, smile or run away?

Now let’s return to the present.

I still don’t know much for sure, but I think I know a little more about life than that girl full of wonder and fear did.

I still have that same melting pot of emotions, yet I’ve met people, done things and lived through more to compile a bit of a list, but I am going to need your help to add on to it because it is definitely incomplete.

What We Seniors Know: 1. Time goes by.

2. The world has a funny way of surprising us.

3. Laughing is one of the best things ever.

4. I don’t know what I’m doing.

5. I’m grateful for everyone I’ve

met and gotten to know.

6. Moments of joy outweigh moments of pain.

For all seniors, we may relate to this list differently. Whether riding a high or scraping by on a low right now, there is something you can add to this list and I encourage you to do so, even if it’s just a mental note. One of the coolest people ever, Oprah Winfrey, wrote a book called “What I Know For Sure,” and I recommend it. If you don’t like reading, it goes a little something like this list above, plus some anecdotes about wealth and other things I cannot relate to yet.

Let’s take a break from reading and time travel again, it’s fun. I want you to go further back, to your earliest memory ever. Seriously ever.

Okay, one, two, three, go.

Where are you? What do you see?

Who are you with? Close your eyes and feel the moment as much as you can.

Maybe this memory is a story you’ve told over and over, and years of repetition give you an expedient trip back in time. Maybe you can’t remember much, and all you see are colors or hear sounds you can’t quite make out.

Either way, this was a long time ago. Come back to the present, where you are reading this article and counting down the days until you leave this place. So much has changed. Welcome back.

This is the part where I get to the congratulations and get ready’s.

Congrats.

You went to college, you are currently in college and about to graduate. No more undergraduate fees are due in a couple of months, sitting in class will be a thing of the past and you did something 98 percent of the population doesn’t get to do (percentage completely made up).

Either way, wow. I’m proud. So much has happened in your time here, and that is to be celebrated.

Pressure to perform, to excel, to have it all figured out is a concept in your mind, and something you do not need to listen to. Of course, we need to get by, to be nice to people and to do other things, but we can all do it our own way.

We’ve read plenty of ridiculous philosophers, stared at crazy equations and picked up enough knowledge to make our caveman ancestors go crazy. With all this information, I think there is only one takeaway.

Be grateful, and do what you want. We have a hundred years on this planet, and just spent four of them in college doing absolutely whatever. The version of you from your earliest memory, and from your first Fordham memory, would be so proud and impressed by you.

Although I am so happy I do not need to use a communal bathroom anymore, there is a lot about

freshman year me that I can learn from. The fear, excitement, sadness, and happiness I felt entering the haunted halls of Loschert in August of 2018 are still present, in different ways. Now though, the metaphorical Loschert I will enter someday in May will hopefully smell better, may be completely different from the dorm and will definitely be the start of a new era.

I am so grateful for that first memory and so grateful for how much I’ve learned in four years.

Although I still don’t know much for sure, and certainly can’t make a book about what I do as Oprah did yet, I know at least six things.

And so do you. Let’s keep adding to that list, and some days we may be more sure of it than others. Either way, I started this letter saying it really was about time.

Time flies, that is true. Yet we can too if we really want to.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Gigi Speer reflects on the past.

SPORTS Squash Ends Season with CSA Individual and Doubles Championship

Page 19

March 9, 2022

By NICK GUZMAN SPORTS EDITOR

After a disappointing end to team competition at the College Squash Association (CSA) Team Championship, Fordham Squash sent select members of the team to compete in the CSA Individual and Doubles Championship in Philadelphia this past weekend. At the team championship two weeks ago, the Rams went 0-4, including shutout losses to Wesleyan University and Vassar College to finish the regular season with a team record of 9-15.

The team, comprised of seniors Patrick Rodden, Winthrop Reed and Dylan Panichello, sophomore Henry Frawley and freshman Sofia Arseniev were sent to Philadelphia to represent the Rams at the individual and doubles championship.

Rodden was the only Ram to participate in the singles compe-

tition. In his first match on Friday, Rodden fell in round 16 of the Molloy Cup North Bracket, sending him to the consolation bracket. Segundo was on top of Rodden all match, winning in straight sets 11-4, 11-1, 11-0.

In the consolation bracket, Rodden again came up short, losing to Chatham University’s Jared Nallian in straight sets, 11-2, 11-0, 11-5. Rodden, who competed in first position for the Rams all season, dropped seven straight matches to end the year.

In the men’s doubles competition, Fordham were represented by the duo of Reed and Frawley.

The pair also dropped their opening round match, losing to Columbia University 15-8, 15-3, 15-10. Yale were the winners of the men’s doubles competition.

The last competitors for theFordham Rams were Panichello and Arseniev, who competed in the mixed doubles competition.

They, too, lost in the first round in straight sets to Ben Schiltz and Ariana Solecki of Haverford College 15-11, 15-10, 15-8. This loss meant the Rams would exit the championship without winning a single set.

Fordham had little luck at the individual championship, as the Rams struggled against some of the most elite squash players from around the country. The squash season is officially over for the Rams, who experienced a three game winning streak to end the regular season but ultimately came up short in postseason play.

In a season that started out rocky, with six straight losses, to later finishing the regular season at 9-12 is an impressive feat for this Fordham squad. The Rams will hope to take a step forward next season in order to experience a longer postseason run to a highly anticipated championship.

Women’s Tennis Improves to 5-2 on Two Straight Wins

By LOU ORLANDO STAFF WRITER

Fordham Women’s Tennis improved to 5-2 after backto-back road wins. Opening their four-game road trip with a 6-1 loss to Brown University, the Rams rebounded with 5-2 wins against Drexel University and Quinnipiac College. They’ll look to win a third straight road game this Saturday against Queens College.

Fordham’s road stretch began with a pair of weekend games on Feb. 26 and 27. First up was Brown University, a new addition after a match-up against Boston College for the same day was canceled due to a scheduling conflict. Playing against an Ivy League competitor for the first time since 2019, Brown proved to be a tough matchup. The Rams lost the doubles point and five of the six singles matches, suffering their largest margin of defeat in the 6-1 loss.

Senior Valeriya Deminova was responsible for the lone point, winning both sets of her singles matchup. Deminova also won her doubles match alongside junior Avery Aude, but Brown came away with the other two doubles matches.

The Rams rebounded quickly the following day, defeating Drexel 5-2. The pairings of

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Women’s Tennis recorded another big win this past weekend.

Deminova and Aude and senior Nicole Li and sophomore Eleni Fasoula came away victorious to secure the doubles point and Deminvova, Fasoula, Li and junior Rachelle Yang won their matches in singles play to ensure a split for the weekend.

Fordham carried that momentum into this past weekend with another 5-2 win, this time over Quinnipiac University.

Despite losing the doubles point, both Aude and Deminova continued their success with Fordham’s lone match win in doubles play as the pairing improved to 3-0 on the season.

They had not been paired together before this road stretch

but their early success could make them a combo to watch moving forward.

The Rams responded and won five of their six singles matchups. Deminova, Aude, Fasoula, Li and Yang were all victorious in singles play.

Fordham will look to go 3-1 on this road trip as they close it out with a cross-borough matchup this Saturday against Queens College before returning to Life Time Athletic for a Sunday matchup against Siena College. That will be Fordham’s last home game until April 23 against New Jersey City University as the Rams prepare to embark on a seven-game road stretch following Sunday’s game.

Athletes of the Week Asiah Dingle Senior Women’s Basketball

Chuba Ohams Graduate Student Men’s Basketball

Each week, The Fordham Ram’s Sports section honors two athletes for their on-field performances as their “Athletes of the Week.”

Although the Rams suffered a disappointing loss to University of Massachusetts in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 tournament, Dingle continued the excellent play seen throughout the entire regular season. In the second round against George Mason, she dropped 17 points and 12 rebounds to go along with an impressive 23 points in the game against UMass.

Dingle also earned third team all All-A-10 honors for her effort this season.

Ohams came up huge for Fordham down the stretch, helping the Rams secure a first round bye in the Atlantic 10 tournament. He closed the regular season with three double-doubles, including 23 point, 16 rebound effort against George Washington University on Saturday, breaking the single season double-double record. Ohams also earned second team all Atlantic 10 honors, the A-10 Chris Daniels most improved player award, and A-10 all defensive honors on Tuesday.

Varsity Scores & Stats Men’s Basketball Fordham La Salle Fordham Davidson Feb. 28 Game Fordham Massachusetts Mar. 2 Game Fordham Massachusetts

60 54

Women’s Basketball Fordham Richmond

66 79

45 66

Fordham Davidson

68 57

85 73

Atlantic 10 Tournament Fordham George Mason

66 50

73 81

Atlantic 10 Tournament Fordham Massachusetts

63 66

19 0

Softball Fordham Seton Hall

3 5

Fordham Virginia Tech

0 12

Fordham Northwestern State

1 6

Fordham Virginia Tech

2 8

Fordham USTA

5 2

Fordham Virginia Tech

3 7

Fordham USTA

8 6

Fordham Manhattan

9 6

Men’s Track & Field Atlantic-10 Championship 9th/10th place 28pts

Fordham Florida Atlantic

5 9

Fordham Florida Atlantic

10 15

Baseball Fordham Sacred Heart

Fordham Florida Atlantic

8 17

ECAC/IC4A Championship 26th place 10 pts

Women’s Track & Field Atlantic-10 Championship 9th/14th place 42pts

ECAC/IC4A Championship 17th place 17 pts

Women’s Tennis Fordham Brown

1 6

Fordham Drexel

5 2

Men’s Tennis Fordham U.S. Naval Academy

3 4

Fordham Quinnipiac

5 2

Fordham Notre Dame

0 4

–Compiled by Maddie Bimonte

News & Notes Three Rams Earn Atlantic-10 All Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference wrapped up the regular season with awards last Tuesday, and three Fordham Women’s Basketball players took home honors. Junior Anna DeWolfe garnered First Team All-Conference accolades, senior Asiah Dingle earned Third Team honors and senior Kaitlyn Downey landed on the All-Academic team. For DeWolfe, it’s her third straight year-end award and second straight year on the First Team. As last year’s Co-Player of the Year, she led the A-10 in scoring (18.6 ppg), 46th nationally and finished fourth in minutes played per game (38.28).

Dingle began this season by capturing the first A-10 Player of the Week award and carried that momentum throughout, earning her fourth consecutive year-end accolade. She was an All-Freshman player her first year at Kent State, All-Academic her second and Second Team All-America East while at Stony Brook). Downey has one A-10 Player of the Week award to her name this season and is the team’s leading three-point shooter, knocking down 42 at a 36.2% clip while shooting 40.2% overall from the field. She also leads in blocks (18) and is third in rebounding (5.4) and assists (66) and fourth in scoring (7.8) and steals (26).

SPORTS

Page 20

March 9, 2022

Men’s Basketball Ends Season .500, to face George Mason A-10 Tournament

By ALEXANDER WOLZ SPORTS EDITOR EMERITUS

Last season, Fordham Men’s Basketball closed out its 2020-21 season with three consecutive canceled games, its most recent contest being a 68-40 loss to the Saint Joseph’s. Their head coach, Jeff Neubauer, announced he was leaving the program a few short weeks ago on Jan. 26. They went on to lose in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament to George Washington University, with an uncertain future ahead.

Fast forward to 2022. The Rams concluded this season with a win against those same Colonials on Sunday in front of a sold out Rose Hill Gym, completing a .500 season at 15-15. Moreover, that same team that went 2-11 in conference a season ago finished a respectable 8-10.

Taken one step further, that record secured the ninth seed in the A-10 and a first round bye before the conference tournament later this week. Instead, the Rams will have one more day to prepare for a noon tipoff on Thursday against George Mason University, a team they defeated during the regular season. A date with Davidson College waits in the wings.

This past week, the Rams had an action-packed resolution to the regular season, winning two of three games in seven days.

Monday was the first of two games against the University of Massachusetts Minutemen. In a major bright spot ahead of the A-10 Championship, graduate guard Darius Quisenberry returned for the first time in nearly three weeks since going down with an injury.

Production was not the buzz word for Quisenberry, as he entered the game off the bench while shooting just 3-11 from the field in his 27 minutes of action. Simply returning to game speed was far more important, and Fordham saw exactly that.

While the shots may not have fallen for Quisenberry, the rest of the roster was locked in offensively for a positive change.

Fordham finished shooting just a shade under 50% but over 57%

from the perimeter, including a stellar 6-7 in the second half. All of that combined for one of the team’s most united efforts in more ways than one and a season-high in points with the 85-73 victory over the Minutemen.

Once again, graduate forward Chuba Ohams led the charge with another double double, finishing with 23 points and 11 boards. He also contributed one third of the team’s 15 total assists. Fellow graduate guard Josh Colon-Navarro was a key beneficiary of that, scoring 14 on 3-4 shooting from deep.

However, the game’s biggest story surrounded sophomore Rostyslav Novitskyi. In wake of the political conflicts surfacing in his birthplace of Kyiv, Ukraine, Novitskyi put together his best performance of the year — 10 points on a perfect 4-4 from the field. He did it all with his home country’s blue and yellow flag draped in the bleachers above his team’s bench and stitched into the left shoulder of the white uniforms.

It was a sign of the game being much bigger than just basketball, as the Rams locked arms beneath a “Stand for Ukraine” call to action on the jumbotron. Fordham is at its best when together both on and off the floor. Monday was a powerful example of that.

With Monday’s game being a reschedule, Fordham had a quick turnaround just two days later as it headed out to Amherst to face the Minutemen again. Defeating the same team twice, especially in such a short time frame, is a tall task and Wednesday was no exception. A late charge by the Rams came up short as UMass held on for an 81-73 victory.

It was a similarly high-scoring affair, though this time, UMass came out of the gates to develop a lead Fordham could never fully diminish. That same shooting that carried Fordham earlier in the week failed to meet the same mark, as the Rams hovered around 36% for much of the game, including shooting below 30% from deep.

T.J. Weeks topped the scoring charts for the Minutemen with 17 as one of four graduates, Rich Kelly, fol-

lowed with 15 on the home squad’s senior night. Fordham jumped out to the lead early — very early, that is — until UMass responded with nine unanswered, including a key scoring scratch from Dyondre Dominquez.

That run, along with an equal one later in the half, generated the separation UMass needed. Fordham responded by outscoring UMass in the second half, shooting 12-20 to start things off and narrowing the lead to as few as two. However, it struggled to score down the stretch, hitting just one field goal in the final nine minutes and failing to score in the last five. Even then, it took some clutch free throw shooting for UMass to fully seal the deal.

Ohams notched yet another double double, his 19th of the season, while dishing out five assists for the second straight game.

Colon-Navarro contributed 10, as did sophomore Abdou Tsimbila for his season-high, swallowing up six rebounds too. In a sign of his full return to form, Quisenberry led all scorers with 15 in 31 minutes of play.

Two of those names, Ohams and Colon-Navarro, received all the attention in the Rams’ final regular season game, senior day. Fordham welcomed George Washington in a packed Rose Hill Gym Saturday, that marked the date of the university’s new COVID-19 guidelines, enabling fans of all kinds to file into the Bronx.

That crowd proved to be a big part of the difference, as Fordham opened with incredible energy out of the gates at a place where it finished 10-4 on the year. So did the presence of a healthy Ohams, as the Bronx native closed out his career at Rose Hill — 54 games and six seasons later — with a season-high 23 points, 16 rebounds and a record-setting 20th double double in a thrilling 70-66 victory over the Colonials.

A fitting end to an extraordinary career, Fordham clearly wanted to show the Colonials what they avoided in the previous meeting, when Ohams was visibly hindered by a knee injury.

No such restrictions existed this time, as head coach Kyle Neptune strate-

gically utilized Ohams in bursts and fed him the ball in what felt like each offensive possession. “I don’t know anyone in our league who’s putting up the type of numbers he has been over our last couple of games,” said Neptune.

The results paid off, not just for Ohams, but the rest of the team too.

He totaled five assists for a third consecutive game as eight of the 10 Rams who took the floor entered the scoring charts. “I think it’s one of our strengths because our guys know that no matter who goes into the game, we have a certain standard that we want to uphold …” Neptune said in reference to the number of guys hitting the floor. “I think that our guys are embracing that and coming out and playing as hard as they possibly can.”

Quisenberry yet again dazzled with 18 points, looking even more like himself on the floor, despite Neptune saying he is still playing “on one leg” and had not practiced in over a month, while Colon-Navarro fittingly followed with 13.

Perhaps even more important was the Rams’ defense. Neptune described the defensive effort in the last two games as “just okay,” and some signs of that showed amid the Colonials’ first-half barrage from deep that put them ahead by two heading into the locker room, 36-34.

Fordham showed much more

commitment on that side of the ball from there, particularly in holding GW scoreless to build a lead among the 16 to 12 minute mark of the second half. Seven team blocks echo that too, three of which came from Novitskyi and Ohams each.

Offense and defense with fans in the stands. It was a perfect way to end the 2021-22 season for Fordham Men’s Basketball. Even then, there is still much more of a season ahead. However, to forecast too far in that, risks diluting just how extraordinary of a season this has already been.

It comes down to one simple goal.

As Neptune repeatedly reassured in the postgame press conference: treat every game like the Super Bowl. The A-10 Championship will be no different. Now, the Fordham Rams are hoping for some of that same luck themselves.

“We want to be playing our best basketball by the end of the season. That’s always been our goal,” Neptune said. “I think that was some of our best basketball of the year.” Who knows what comes next.

Fordham’s championship quest begins this Thursday against George Mason University from Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. Tipoff is set for noon on USA Network and WFUV 90.7 FM; with every game being their Super Bowl game.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Chuba Ohams delivered an all time performances on Senior Day last Saturday.

Women’s Basketball Closes the Season in Delaware in Loss

BY KALEY BELL

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR EMERITA

In Fordham’s last few games, the team was not afraid to show what type of competitors they were. When we last checked in with the team, Fordham was getting ready to play its last few games of the season. The team had just lost to the Dayton Flyers at home in a very close game. It was not an easy loss, and the team was ready to head into the next game with a focus on closing out strong for the win.

On Wednesday, Feb. 23, the team traveled to Richmond, Virginia, to face another Atlantic 10 opponent. In the final road game of the regular season, the Rams did their best to take home the win with a strong second half comeback but were unable to do so. The team worked together to try and outscore the Spiders. However their efforts only carried them so far.

Senior Asiah Dingle was a vital part of the team’s offense, ex-

ploding for 31 points and six rebounds. The next highest scorer, senior Kaitlyn Downey, had 12 points and eight rebounds. These points did not come easily, as the Spiders put up a strong fight. The opposing team had 37 defensive rebounds that contributed to their success significantly. Richmond’s starting five each had double digit points, adding to the team’s overall success. Fordham was unable to keep up with the Spiders, and they took the loss, 79-69.

Fordham then traveled back to the Bronx to face their last home opponent of the regular season: the Davidson Wildcats. The Rams were able to protect home court and secure the win. Fordham sent five graduating students off with a win in this senior game by a final of 68-47, closing their season with a record of 179. They celebrated graduate students Kendall Heremaia, Edona Thaqi, redshirt senior Vilisi Tavui

and seniors Catherine Polisano and Megan Jonassen.

The Rams were able to hold the lead throughout most of the game.

Heremaia helped lead the 10-0 run that the Rams had during the first quarter. As the Wildcats tried to take the lead back, Fordham was able to take back the lead thanks to made baskets from Dingle and Dewolfe.

Freshmen Millie Prior and Colleen McQuinn also contributed, leading the charge for the Rams’ until the end of the second quarter. This run of scoring continued as the second half started, and the Wildcats had no way to answer back. Downey and Heremaia got hot and left Davidson playing catch up.

Junior Anna DeWolfe had the most points of the game with 19 while also matching her career high of four steals. With this last regular season win, the Rams were ready to head into the A-10 Tour-

nament, ranked 6th with a lot of the competition already wrapped around their belt.

Fordham’s first opponent was George Mason University Patriots, a team ranked 14th in the league and an opponent that they already faced.The Rams last faced the Patriots in early January, and this last meeting had resulted in a win for the team. This time, instead of facing the team at home, the Rams were in unfamiliar territory, playing in Chase Fieldhouse.

It was not an easy win, but one that came with teamwork and hard effort. DeWolfe once again stood out for her team, scoring 12 points.

The Rams’ run ended just as it was beginning. This time, the team faced the University of Massachusetts Minutewomen.

Last time, the game came down to the wire, but the Rams were hoping to switch the story up

this time and take the win. The Rams held the lead during the first two quarters.

However, coming out of the locker room, the Minutewomen got a second wind and came ready to take over. UMass outscored Fordham 43-33 in the second half, defeating the Rams 66-63 and eliminating them from the tournament. Sam Breen scored 16 points on 6-8 shooting to push the Minutewomen over the line.

Fordham was picked to finish third in the A-10 in preseason polls. The Rams drew the sixth seed in the conference tournament and lote in the quarterfinals to eventual champions UMass, a disappointment to say the least for Fordham.

The Rams now wait to hear about a potential postseason opportunity in the WNIT, which could be their seventh ever appearence in the WNIT ever in the histroy of the program.