POINT-COUNTERPOINT: INTERNSHIPS - PAGE 11
AODE DIRECTOR WAHESH LEAVING - PAGE 6 SERVING THE FORDHAM UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY FOR OVER 90 YEARS
1918-2010
VOLUME 92, ISSUE 8
APRIL 14, 2010
Kugel-Meyer Win President, VP of USG Final Tally is 609-464 as Tom Brown and Nico DePaul Appeal Results Due to Initial Ballot Mix-ups; Election Commission Rejects Appeals, 2-1-3 By VICTORIA RAU ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
PHOTO BY AMANDA DIPANE/THE RAM
Capturing nearly 55% of votes cast, Sara Kugel and Caitlin Meyer became the first all-female ticket to be elected president and executive vice president of United Student Government at Fordham.
Sara Kugel, FCRH ’11, and Caitlin Meyer, FCRH ’12, garnered 54.6 percent of the vote in USG elections held online on March 29 and 30 to win the executive presidency and vice presidency of United Student Government, the first all-female ticket to do so in that body’s history, campaigning on a platform of experience, transparency and increased interactions with clubs. Despite problems wherein students received online ballots with the incorrect class year (e.g. freshmen who have a higher number of credits received sophomore class ballots), executive board elections were able to proceed as scheduled. Senate elections, originally postponed indefinitely, will be held April 12 and 13. Bryan Matis, CBA ’12, who ran unopposed, will serve as vice president of operations on Kugel-Meyer’s executive board. Emily Amato, FCRH ’12, Nicole D’Souza, CBA ’13, and Sandie Habib, FCRH ’12, all won unopposed races to serve as vice presidents of finance, communications and Fordham Col-
lege, respectively. In the other contested races, Adam Remiszewski, CBA ’11, defeated Sara Shahmiri, FCRH ’13, by a margin of 48.7 percent to 34.4 percent to assume the role of vice president of student life. Tim Lynch, CBA ’13, amassed 60.5 percent of the vote to become vice president of the College of Business Administration over his opponent, Miguel Bantigue, CBA ’12. In the closest contest, Angelo Labate, FCRH ’12, edged out Celine Montalla, CBA ’13, by 21 votes to take on the newly created position of vice president of health & security. Montalla appealed the election results on the basis that the placement of names on the electronic ballot put her at a disadvantage for being listed second. The Election Commission rejected her appeal unanimously. This year marked the first election for this position, to which Matis was appointed last year when it was first created. Tom Brown, FCRH ’12, and Nico DePaul, CBA ’12, candidates for executive president and vice president, respectively, filed an appeal on March 31, on the grounds SEE ELECTION ON PAGE 3
Dr. Michael Sulick’s Lecture Garners Strong Response In Spite of Protracted Interruption, USG Inaugural Lecture in Leadership and Government Largely Successful, Well Received by Fordham University Students By PATRICK DEROCHER NEWS EDITOR
The United Student Government Inaugural Lecture in Leadership and Government Service, the centerpiece of this year’s Fordham Week, was held on March 25 in Keating First Auditorium with an address given by Dr. Michael Sulick, director of the National Clandestine Services within the Central Intelligence Agency. Sulick, who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Fordham University in Russian studies, is a longtime family friend of Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University, who introduced Sulick that evening. McShane, who hails from West 227th Street in Marble Hill, said he remembered fondly his time growing up alongside the Sulick family, referring to him as “Mike Sulick from West 228th Street.” He discussed how Sulick grew up with his older brother, the two of them having attended the same elementary school before moving on to Fordham Prep and finally Fordham University. Sulick began by speaking of Fr. McShane’s brother, the recently deceased Jack McShane, in whose memory he dedicated the lecture. He recalled the elder McShane’s “public service of a different kind,” as he had served for years as a high school teacher of American history and political science in Brooklyn. Sulick shared that Jack McShane was referred to by one of his former students as “the most inspiring teacher I ever had.”
He then went on to talk about how American and Christian values relate to the fight against terrorism in addition to the effects of present American military and intelligence action on the contemporary political climate in this country. He made comparisons to the United States in the 1960s and divisiveness over the Vietnam War, noting how Fordham at that point was rather more conservative than many other college campuses of the era. In particular, he recalled a yearbook photo that involved a sign reading, “Ram the Cong,” which referred to the Viet Cong guerilla soldiers fighting for the Communist South Vietnamese during the war. Sulick used this anecdote as a jumping-off point to assess Fordham’s place in his education, placing particular emphasis on the importance of languages in higher education. Fordham, he noted, was the recipient of much largesse from the U.S. government for its establishment of a center for Russian studies, which was viewed as highly beneficial during the Cold War. Sulick said that as a result of Fordham’s programs he was able to perform his duties far better than if he had not received an education in not just Russian language but culture, as well. It was, he said, a highly useful tool for communicating with and obtaining information from potential Soviet defectors; Sulick noted that knowing a culture’s literature is especially useful in such endeavors. As an example of how his FordSEE SULICK ON PAGE 6
PHOTO BY STEPHEN MOCCIA/THE RAM
Dr. Michael Sulick, Fordham graduate and director of the Central Intelligence Agency’s National Clandestine Services, spoke to Fordham students on March 25 in Keating First Auditorium, forming the centerpiece of Fordham Week 2010.
INSIDE Sports PAGE 25
Opinions PAGE 14
Culture PAGE 17
Softball team wins twelve of last fourteen games.
MTA raising fares, eliminating service in budget cuts.
An interview with the owners of the Blend cafe.