Volume 102, Issue 6

The Fordham Ram Volume 102, Issue 6

Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 FordhamRam.com

March 4, 2020

FDM Reveals Concert Lineup

Dems Discuss Super Tuesday

By JOERGEN OSTENSEN and HASNA CERAN

By HELEN STEVENSON

Fordham Dance Marathon (FDM) announced the lineup for their annual fundraising event on Monday, March 3 at their weekly committee meeting. Representatives confimed that Logan Henderson will be performing as the headliner, with Maude Latour opening for him at FDM this Saturday, March 7. All donations will benefit the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation.

Henderson and Latour will be joined by a diverse collection of student-led and independent bands, all represented by Quadio. Performers will include Hot Notes, Doov and the Fordham University acapella group the B Sides.

Early in his career, Henderson starred in the Nickelodeon series “Big Time Rush” in the role of Logan Mitchell. The show told the story of a Minnesota-based boy band and their adventures on the course of attempting to become famous and move to California.

As of today, Henderson is a solo pop artist based out of Los Angeles. His music career is flourishing, with his two top hits on Spotify being “Pull Me Deep” and “Sleepwalker,” which each have been played more than two million times.

Rebecca Besada, GSB ’20, said she was excited about getting Henderson to perform because of his name recognition from his acting days.

“We wanted to go for someone that everyone would recognize since we wanted to bring as many people to the event for fundraising purposes,” she said. “Since everyone grew up on Nickelodeon we thought it was a good fit.”

Latour is a sophomore at Columbia University who recently released an EP called “Starsick,” which has over four million streams on Spotify.

in this issue

Opinion

Page 8

Encouraging Journalistic Pursuits

Culture

Page 13

Rest in Peace Pop Smoke

Sports

Page 24

Women’s Basketball Advances in A-10 Tournament

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

history department, as well as Arnell Stewart, GSB ’20, Jonah Issac, GSB ’20, Joseph Monga, GSB ’22 and Diontay Santiago, GSB ’21.

The event was moderated by Arto Woodley, Ph.D., the executive director for the center

Fourteen states and one territory voted on Super Tuesday, March 3, for the Democratic presidential primaries. 1,357 pledged delegates were up for grabs - 34 percent of the nation’s total.

As of 2 a.m. ET on Wednesday, March 4, former Vice President Joe Biden has won eight state primaries, including Alabama, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virginia.

Senator Bernie Sanders has won four states, with successes in California, Colorado, Utah and his home state of Vermont.

Maine and Texas are still reporting votes, but the New York Times reports that Biden has a “good chance” of winning both states.

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg won the caucuses in American Samoa. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has yet to win a presidential primary in the 2020

SEE PANEL, PAGE 6

SEE PRIMARIES, PAGE 5

COURTESY OF CAMERON DECHALUS

Members of the Fordham community gathered to listen to students share their experiences at the panel.

Students Gather for ‘Being Black at Fordham’ Panel

By SARAH HUFFMAN NEWS EDITOR

Editor’sNote:Thisarticlecontains mention of racial slurs.

ASILI, the Black Student Alliance at Fordham, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs presented the annual Being Black at Fordham Panel on

Friday, Feb. 21. Campbell Multipurpose Room was filled with Fordham students and members of the community for the panel.

Six panelists spent the evening answering questions pre-written by ASILI and from the audience, including an alumna, Mesha Joseph, FCRH ’18 and Lisa Betty from Fordham’s

Budget Committee Changes Guidelines

By SARAH HUFFMAN NEWS EDITOR

The University’s budget committee is currently in the process of changing the budget procedures and guidelines. At the end of last semester, it implemented a few new procedures but it plans to make more significant changes this semester.

According to Elizabeth Bjorklund, FCRH ’21, United Student Government’s vice president of finance and budgets, last semester, the committee made three major changes, the first being that they got rid of the rule that clubs could not change the dates of an event. Previously, if clubs failed to submit a date change form to the budget committee, the club would not be able to change the date of an event. If they tried to change the date after the originally planned date had passed, they would not be able to do so as the funds would have expired.

The second was that clubs could reallocate leftover funds from an event to a future event. Previously, if the club did not use all SEE BUDGET, PAGE 6

JENNIFER HOANG/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham University is taking precautions with all study abroad students as the novel coronavirus spreads.

University Recalls Italy Abroad Programs Due to Coronavirus

By HELEN STEVENSON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Fordham University is recalling all study abroad students from northern Italy following reports of the novel coronavirus. The university will allow the students to return to campus after spring break,

on March 22, if they remain symptom-free.

Syracuse University and New York University took similar actions earlier this week, canceling their programs in Florence, Italy.

According to Bob Howe, director of communications for

the university, four students were enrolled in a school in Milan and two in Florence. For students who were in Milan, he said each case is being considered individually in acknowledgment of students’ different needs. Students in Florence will complete their coursework SEE CORONAVIRUS, PAGE 3

NEWS

Page 2

PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS Feb. 24 Grand Concourse 9:00 p.m.

A Fordham student was assaulted at the corner of Fordham Road and Grand Concourse.

Public Safety responded to the location, and the 52nd precinct and New York City EMS were at the scene. Someone was taken into custody, but the student refused to press charges. The alleged perpetrator was taken to the hospital.

Feb. 25 Parking Garage 2:00 p.m.

The resident director from Queen’s Court reported that they observed the basement window grate was moved. They stated that they had heard something the previous night. Public Safety investigated and identified three students who removed the window grate and entered the building.

Feb. 27 Starbucks 4:30 p.m.

The fire alarm was activated in Dealy Hall because of a smoke condition. The building was evacuated, and FDNY responded. After an investigation, it was determined that an employee at Starbucks used the wrong oven cleaner.

Feb. 29 Walsh Hall 10:37 p.m.

There was a report of a stuck elevator in Walsh Hall. Six students were briefly stuck in the elevator. The company was called and responded, testing the elevator. It later operated without incident.

March 1 Keating Hall 1:00 a.m.

The building alarm was activated in Keating Hall. Public Safety responded and found several students in the first floor vestibule, who were eating. They said it was cold outside and they were unaware that the building was closed.

Follow us on Twitter! @TheFordhamRam

March 4, 2020

Akeem Browder Discusses Law and Justice

Students View Kalief Browder Documentary

By KRISTEN McNERNEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On Friday, Feb. 28, students and faculty were able to view the first part of “Time: The Kalief Browder Story,” a 2017 six-part documentary that gives a background of the criminal justice system through the lens of Kalief Browder. Akeem Browder, Kalief ’s brother, attended the event and facilitated discussions about law, justice and humanity.

Kalief Browder was a teenager who grew up on 181st Street and Prospect Avenue, right outside the Bronx Zoo. In 2010, at the age of 16, Browder was arrested for allegedly stealing a backpack on Arthur Avenue. What ensued over the next three years included being denied bail and living two out of three years on Rikers Island in solitary confinement.

Kalief. After he was released, he struggled with mental health, and took his own life in 2013.

In honor of Kalief ’s life, his older brother Akeem has become a full-time activist to help tell his story. He has been travelling around the country and having conversations with students similar to the one he had at Fordham.

“The system is not broken — it’s working exactly the way that it’s supposed to,” he said, stating that the system is mechanized against poor people, namely blacks and Latinos.

Browder gave a brief history of the bail system in America, citing bounty hunters collecting money for the capture of runaway slaves.

Browder emphasized the importance of understanding the country’s origins and their significance now during Black History Month.

Browder said a huge part of what he does through the Kalief Browder Foundation is empowering youth through education. He said coming to teach at middle schools, high schools and colleges allows students to understand the law, the lobbying process, how to write legislation and the importance of civic engagement.

“People in poor communities do not think that voting makes a difference because our suffering is ongoing whether we vote or not,” he said. “It does make a difference … we just have to teach.”

Browder said he is running for mayor in 2021 to help promote policies that do not demonize

KRISTEN MCNERNEY/THE FORDHAM RAM

Kalief Browder, whose suicide made international headlines, became a symbol against solitary confinement.

black and Latino communities. He said education and mental health have been priority issues for him over the years. He said he was successful in helping to pass a state bill that would give jail systems funding for education. Browder said he supports bringing those incarcerated to a human standpoint so that they are able to be productive members of society upon release.

Browder said he believes that living as a New Yorker is a difficult feat in itself, but the task is much harder for someone who is poor.

He talked about the Bronx being a food desert, the poorest borough in New York City, and along with New York’s 15th Congressional District, having the lowest median household income in the nation.

He said he sees the connections between food, education, mental health and general quality of life.

To him, all of these factors combined can make or break someone’s life, like Kalief ’s.

Juan Carlos Matos, assistant vice president of Student Affairs for Diversity and Inclusion, said the main takeaways of the event included understanding how mass incarceration disproportionately targets black and Latino communities, and the impact of solitary confinement on mental health. Equally significant, he said, is Fordham’s relationship to these issues.

“With Fordham being nestled in the Bronx, continued conversations about issues that impact black and brown communities, in this case mass incarceration, deserve continued exploration,” he said.

Organizers of the event including Hira Hassan, FCRH ’20, spoke along the same lines.

“I hope students will begin to question and recognize the roles of power and privilege in their experience within Fordham as a gated community versus the lived experience of those outside the

gates,” she said.

Hassan sits on the Office of Multicultural Affairs’ Black History Month committee. She was responsible for bringing Akeem to Fordham after watching the docuseries and said she wanted to open the eyes of fellow Fordham students. Although she said the story is enlightening, she also said it feels bittersweet to have the knowledge of what Kalief went through.

“Akeem emphasizes that until people start taking action, we’re insane to expect a change,” she said.

Browder wanted students to reflect on their own lives. For him, Kalief ’s story is a loss of childhood, from the time of his arrest at 16 to the end of his life at 22.

“What could you be missing in your life and how could it impact you?” he asked. He said he hopes with this in mind, students will be willing to take action on issues that surround them.

This Week at Fordham

Thursday March 5

Thursday March 5

Friday March 6

Friday March 6

Saturday March 7

Spread the Word to End the Word Day

National Cancer Prevention Month Party

One Acts Festival

Faith, Natural Law and the Common Good Lecture

Rachel Feinstein “Maiden, Mother, Crone”

Bronx Oncology Living Daily will be having a party for Cancer Prevention Month. Students will be painting mini pots and then planting succulents in them while learning about how to lead a healthier life.

The Theatrical Outreach Program will be presenting their annual One Act Festival, an event in which students direct one act plays. The plays will include “Dead Boy” and “Variations on the Death of Trotsky.”

The Thomistic Institute Chapter at Fordham University will be presenting a lecture titled “Faith, Natural Law and the Common Good: Two Stories, a Basement and a Mezzanine” by J. Budziszewski.

The Fordham Art History Society will be participating in an excursion to the Jewish Museum to view the first United States career survey of Rachel Feinstein’s surreal and fairytale-like sculpting work.

McGinley Lobby 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

The Special Olympics Club at Fordham will be collecting pledges from people to end the usage of the Rword for Spread the Word to End the Word Day. Students that pledge will receive one baked good.

Keating 3rd 8:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.

McGinley 235 6:00 p.m-8:30 p.m

Keating 124 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

Lowenstein Lobby 12:00 p.m.

NEWS

March 4, 2020

Page 3

University Offers Free Feminine Hygiene Products

USG Works to Reinstate Free Dispenser Policy

By MARISA VALENTINO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Fordham University is in the process of reinstating free feminine hygiene products in restrooms on campus.

In the past, free feminine hygiene products were available in coin-operated machines in McGinley Center bathrooms at the Rose Hill campus. According to Kaylee Wong, GSB ’20, president of the United Student Government, these machines were moved because of limited use, misuse and vandalism.

Wong said she felt this policy needed to be reinstated and reached out to the Office for Student Involvement (OSI) and the Assistant Director for Campus Center Operations, Stephen Clark, about bringing back the machines and the free products.

“It actually went very quickly, there was very little pushback on it,” said Wong. “It was already moving so there was no need for a petition or anything like that.”

According to Wong, facilities bought and installed the dispensing machines.

“Currently, on Rose Hill, the McGinley Center restrooms have dispensers,” said Clarke. “Over the summer, additional restrooms will be added in classroom buildings.”

Clarke said similar machines are also available at the Lincoln Center Campus.

Women’s restrooms are not the only place free feminine hygiene products will be available, according to Clarke.

“Campus Operations is obtaining a list of the gender-neutral restrooms on campus in classroom buildings and plans to add dispensers to these restrooms over the summer,” Clarke said.

The resources that will be offered in women and gender-neutral bathrooms are pads and tampons, said Wong.

This policy is a necessity for a variety of Fordham students.

Wong said it is particularly important for commuter students.

“I think it's really important for our commuter students who aren’t able to just run back to their dorm room to address their period,” she said.

Wong also said this policy is necessary because of the high cost of living in New York City, where taxes are higher on feminine products.

President of Spire Fordham, Jane Tegeler, FCRH ’21, said she agreed with this new initiative.

“We love this idea,” she said. “I believe that will help women feel more comfortable and supported while going about their busy daily lives.”

Kate Pozner, FCRH ’21, said she supported the initiative.

“I think it’s really important for a school to provide women

JENNIFER HOANG/THE FORDHAM RAM

The university installed machines that dispense free feminine hygiene products in the bathrooms around campus.

(or people with periods) with free menstrual products,” she said. “They’re an essential part of women’s health and having free access means that we can more easily manage our time, finances and therefore our productivity.”

She said this is an issue of fairness.

“Toilet paper is provided for students, and getting your period is no different than using the bathroom,” she said. “It’s a completely natural bodily function and should be treated as such.”

It is important for the university to help its underprivileged

students, according to Pozner.

“Access to free menstrual products can have a crucial impact on our low-income students,” she said. “Free menstrual products can help foster an inclusive environment for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds.”

She also said the initiative should be expanded to help gender non-conforming students.

“To help promote gender-inclusivity on our campus, its also might be appropriate to distribute products in men’s restrooms,” Pozner said. “Not everyone who has a period uses the women’s re-

stroom.”

Alex Go, FCRH ’22 also favored the policy.

“Fordham providing menstrual products is really important and a great initiative that needs to be more widespread throughout the country,” Go said. “I fully support it and look forward to seeing how it will be received by those who need it.”

Go also said this issue exists within the larger issue of the patriarchy.

“The Pink Tax is something that needs to be eradicated and this is one step of many in doing so,” Go said

Administration Prepares Campus for Coronavirus FROM CORONAVIRUS, PAGE 1

online.

Howe said these will not be the last programs to be cancelled as a result of the virus.

“This is a rapidly evolving issue, and there will be more study abroad students recalled,” he said.

“There will be more, certainly.”

Joseph Rienti, Ph.D., director of international and study abroad programs, advised students to reconsider any travel away from their host study abroad city until further notice.

He also said the university would work with any student who wanted to return to New York and complete their coursework online.

“Many study abroad programs have begun to make coursework available online to accommodate students, so please consult with the on-site staff of your program,” he wrote in an email. “Fordham London Centre and Fordham in Granada courses will be made available online shortly.”

On Monday, March 2, Dennis Jacobs, provost of the university, sent an email to all Fordham instructors to request that they develop a course-continuity plan for the spring semester that would allow them to continue instructing students if they were unable to meet in class.

“Although we have no indication that such a disruption is imminent, conditions could change abruptly, and we need to be prepared to help our students successfully complete the Spring semester under any scenario,” he wrote.

There are no confirmed or sus-

pected cases of the virus at Fordham University as of March 2, according to an email from Public Safety. 489 students are attending study abroad programs this semester.

Public Safety said students who travel to areas affected by the coronavirus may be kept out of class for two weeks following their return to prevent transmission to other students, faculty and staff. They said the Office of the Provost will work on academic plans for students who are held out of class during the two-week incubation period.

Some spring break trips arranged through the university will also be cancelled to prevent exposure to the virus. Howe said he is unsure which programs will be cancelled, but its participants will be the first to know.

In late January, the Beijing Center and the Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE) made the decision to suspend programming for the semester, following the U.S. State Department Travel Alert Level increase to 4. Howe said the university supported this decision. Study abroad guidelines regulate that students should not be traveling to countries with a Travel Advisory Level of 3 or higher.

According to Howe, Fordham had seven students affected by the cancellations in January: five returned to study in New York and two others attended different study abroad opportunities outside of China. He said of the seven students, three were actually in China, and the other four were in

other locations abroad when the change was announced.

“Fordham’s Study Abroad Office was in frequent contact with all seven students in China, or headed there, and their host study abroad programs, as soon as the University became aware of the extent of the coronavirus outbreak,” he said. “How to manage the safety and placement of Fordham’s study abroad students was obviously a rapidly evolving issue. The University took pains to ensure appropriate placements — in New York or abroad — for all of the affected students.”

Howe said that in an effort of caution, Fordham will not accept study abroad applications in China for summer 2020 or fall 2020.

He said the university has also suspended programs to Korea and closed applications for summer and fall.

“This situation is rapidly evolving so we are monitoring programs worldwide,” he said. “(We) remain in frequent contact with our partners abroad, students, parents, the CDC (through UHS), the U.S. State Department Overseas Advisory Council, and colleagues in the field. Fordhamrun programs in London and Granada have contingency plans in place.”

Matthew Holland, assistant head of centre and director of student affairs at the Fordham University London Centre, sent an email to students attending its abroad program. He advised students to avoid traveling to Milan, Venice and other regions of

JENNIFER HOANG/THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham University has been taking precautions as the coronavirus spreads.

Northern Italy until further notice.

However, he said there are currently no changes to the program in London and the centre will continue to operate as usual.

Students enrolled in Fordham’s Granada program received a similar email.

“Fordham in Granada staff is monitoring the coronavirus situation throughout Spain and Europe on a daily basis,” it reads. “There

is currently no change to the situation in Granada, and at this time Spain continues to be considered ‘low risk’. The Fordham in Granada program will continue to operate as usual at this time.”

Any student experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus, which may be similar to the flu or common cold, should call University Health Services immediately at (718) 817-4160.

NEWS

Page 4

Research Spotlight

USG Column

USG Announces Events

By KRISTEN MCNERNEY

March 4, 2020

Fordham Senior Studies Protein Interactions Encourages Pursuit of Undergraduate Research

By ALEX PARKER

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

United Student Government (USG) members made major announcements on upcoming campus events at Senate meetings on Feb. 20 and Feb. 27.

Senator Alex Chavez, GSB ’23, announced that “Ram Fest” would be this year’s Commuter Week theme.

Commuter week is from March 2-6 and encompasses themed events for each day. Monday’s theme is “Ramchero Rodeo,” which includes a mechanical bull and Tex-Mex food in McGinley ballroom from 1-3 p.m.

Tuesday’s theme is Frost Fest, with the main event, ice skating, from 3:30-6:30 p.m. in McGinley 2nd.

“Ramchella,” a Fordham rendition of Coachella, will be held on Wednesday from 1-3 p.m. in the ballroom.

Thursday’s events include “RamCon” from 1-2 p.m. in the Student Lounge, and “Rio de Rams” from 4-6 p.m. in McGinley 2nd. “Rams Night Market” will be held on Friday from 4-5:30 p.m. in McGinley 2nd with an assortment of cuisines to taste.

Vice president of health and safety Emma Budd, FCRH ’20, and Senator Nate Singh, FCRH ’20, talked about their collaboration with FUEMS and Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) to put on Fresh Check Day at Fordham. The event will be held on March 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Edwards Parade and will feature various organizations from the Fordham community with informational booths. Food and music will be provided throughout the day.

Budd also announced this semester’s Week of Action organized by the Committee on Sexual Misconduct. Week of Action will include the Clothesline Project, a “Candy and Consent” activity and a selfdefense class on Edward’s Parade.

Week of Action will be held March 30 to April 3.

Maya Bentovim, GSB ’23, talked about the Gabelli Major Fair coming up on March 12. Bentovim said the fair is designed to help freshmen with choosing their majors within the school. Upperclassmen will present information about each specific program at the fair.

Carsyn Fischer, FCRH ’21, said she and Carlos Rico, FCRH ’21, held their first round of auditions for “Mic Check,” set for April 3 at 7 p.m. in the McGinley ballroom. The event has been coordinated with the Bronx African American History Project, ASILI and Commuting Student Association.

Liam Leahy, FCRH ’22, reminded the Senate that Fordham Dance Marathon is coming up on March 7.

Vice President of Student Life Kevin McSorley, GSB ’20, advised the Senate to fill out Beacon Exemplar Award nomination forms. The nomination can be given to an exemplary faculty or staff member on campus and is due March 14. Nominees have the opportunity to attend a dinner on April 14 as well.

Vice President of Sustainability Maggie Tattersfield, FCRH ’20, said there will be a Fordham Flea pop-up on March 4 from 1-3 p.m. in the McGinley lobby.

Advisor Dean Arcuri announced that Senior Week tickets are open online.

Rachel Molina, FCRH ’20, prefers to spend her time focusing on the small things. She works in a lab on campus under Qize Wei, Ph.D., analyzing protein interactions in cells.

Molina’s research deals with a specific gene called TMOD1. She observes the ways the proteins created by TMOD1 interact with other proteins and how those interactions affect the cytoskeleton of a cell. A cell’s cytoskeleton is a series of proteins that gives it its shape and holds things in place.

Molina has been working in the lab with Wei since the fall of 2018 after reaching out to several professors looking for lab opportunities. She said she would tell other students looking for research positions on campus to take initiative and reach out to professors with labs.

“You definitely have to go out of your way to get a research position,” she said. “No one is going to go out of their way to give it to you. It may feel weird to reach out to someone you’ve never talked to before, but you just have to send the email.”

When she is in the lab, there are a number of procedures Molina completes before she can observe the protein. For example, a process called PCR multiplies a segment of the TMOD1 DNA. Another process called linearization uses an enzyme to uncoil the DNA’s double helix in order to make it easier to see under a microscope.

Molina is working on this project by herself, but she says she has come a long way since she started.

In her first days at the lab, she said she was tasked with basic prep pro-

COURTESY OF RACHEL MOLINA

Rachel Molina, who is working on this project alone, said she initially struggled but gradually got used to the work.

cedures like making gels used in the lab.

“It’s kind of intimidating walking in there for the first time, but everyone was very helpful, and they wanted to help me learn,” she said.

Molina said those early days learning the ropes paid off for her.

She said she still uses what she learned in her work now.

“I became more familiar with the procedures and the protocol in the lab,” she said. “For example, if you’re pipetting bacteria, afterwards you have to bleach it to kill the bacteria. There’s a correct way

CHRIS CAPUANO/THE FORDHAM RAM

Photo of the Week: Edinburgh Scotland, pictured above, remains part of the United Kingdom, despite attempts to leave. Fordham students studying abroad in London may have the opportunity to visit during their time off.

to do everything.”

For Molina, working in the lab allowed her to apply the knowledge she had from her classes as a biology and anthropology double major in a practical setting.

“Concepts help, but it’s definitely challenging to put (them) into practice,” she said.

Molina said classes like genetics gave her some of the practical skills — like properly handling equipment — that she uses in the lab. However, she still emphasized the difficulty of transitioning from a classroom to a lab environment.

“It’s definitely different, and you definitely won’t be comfortable.

You have to work in the lab to get there. You won’t just walk in and immediately feel comfortable.”

With her sights set on medical school in the future, Molina said she is glad she got this experience as an undergrad.

“It’s definitely given me practical experience, which you need for med school,” she said. “They like to see you doing research and that you’re involved in practical application of science.”

While she has not gotten to the point of seeing results yet, Molina still said she learned a lot from her experience in the lab.

“You have to think critically and remember what comes next when you do something,” she said.

“Even though I haven’t found anything yet, it has helped me learn procedures, which is important for all scientists.”

Molina’s research is still ongoing, and she said she is hoping to see results soon. In terms of next steps, she said she hopes to present her research at the Undergraduate Research Symposium in the spring.

NEWS

March 4, 2020

Page 5

Sanders and Biden Compete in Super Tuesday Elections College Dems Comment About Remaining Candidates FROM PRIMARIES, PAGE 1

cycle.

The College Democrats hosted a Super Tuesday watch party from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. the night of the elections. President Michael Fissinger, FCRH ’21, said he thinks Biden’s primary win in South Carolina this weekend helped his campaign.

“It definitely seems like the momentum Biden got in South Carolina carried over,” he said. “It is always hard to tell how fast momentum is going to move in a race that is as compressed and tight like this.”

He believes the endorsements by former Mayor Pete Buttigieg from South Bend, Indiana and Sen.

Amy Klobuchar almost certainly helped Biden’s successes. He cited Minnesota, Klobuchar’s home state, as an example.

Although the College Democrats will not endorse a presidential candidate until the Democratic nominee is chosen, Fissinger said he believes Sanders, Warren and Biden are all

COURTESY OF FLICKR

14 states helf their primaries on Tuesday March 4. Candidate, Joe Biden pulled ahead throughout Super Tuesday.

viable candidates for the 2020 general election.

However, he said the November general election results are going to be close regardless of the nominee — for the Democratic nominee to win, they will have to turn out people who do not typically vote, and win back some people who voted for President Donald Trump in 2016. “(Sanders, Warren, and Biden) have the capability to do both of those things, but whether or not they do is going to depend on how disciplined of a general election campaign they run and the willingness of the Democratic base to help turn out voters,” he said.

After a majority of Tuesday’s results were confirmed, Fissinger said he thinks it is still a competitive race between Bernie and Biden.

“Biden may get a lot of the momentum out of the night but in terms of delegate math Sanders is still very much alive in this race,” he said. “Bernie is going to have to come up with a plan to combat that momentum and make sure people still see him as a front runner.”

Fissinger believes Warren has an outside shot at the nomination as well, although it may be a little too late in terms of how many del-

egates have already been awarded.

He said her campaign may have to rely on a contested convention, a scenario where no candidate goes into the convention with enough delegates to secure the party nomination.

“I think she is probably going to position herself as a middle ground in between Biden and Bernie,” he said. “A lot of progressive policies that Sanders and Warren support are popular and you see Warren signal to (voters) that she is the kind of a candidate who can get those policies done.”

Fissinger said Bloomberg is in a unique position due to his funding and timing. Bloomberg was the last to announce his candidacy in November 2019 and has selffinanced his campaign.

“I don’t think nationally people had the time to get attached to him as a candidate as they have the other candidates,” he said. “I think he could drop out tomorrow, or a week from now, and I don’t think the race would shake up too much, honestly.”

The next Democratic primary elections will be on Tuesday, March 10. Six states will vote, including Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington.

Founder of Stupid Cancer Speaks About Life and Failure

By HASNA CERAN

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

The 9th Annual Fordham Entrepreneurship Conference, TrepCon, was presented at the Gabelli School of Business (GSB) at Fordham University Lincoln Center, last Saturday on Feb. 29.

It hosted guest keynote speakers Michael Gelb, author of “How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci,” Matthew Zachary, founder of Stupid Cancer and Joan Ball, founder of WOMB Service Design Lab. Trepcon also presented three breakout sessions, including panels on starting nonprofits and podcasts and a panel on starting out as a young author. The conference was sponsored by Deloitte, the largest professional services network in the world.

The conference began around 11 a.m. with an introduction from Dean of GSB Donna Rapaccioli about the growth of entrepreneurship in GSB, from just one course to a concentration and a minor. She went on to introduce Danielle Gallagher, Fordham alumnus and managing director at Deloitte, who spoke about the difficulty, self-sacrifice and hard work that surrounds entrepreneurship for people starting their own businesses.

Michael Gelb, the author of “How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day” and 15 other books, was the first keynote speaker of the conference. In 2003, he received a Batten Fellowship in Innovation from The University of Virginia.

Having begun his presentation with an impromptu demonstration of meditative exercises, Gelb

continued to speak about his vision of Leonardo da Vinci as a personal mentor on the subject of creativity and innovation.

Afterward, Matthew Zachary, founder of Stupid Cancer, began his presentation on the effects of failures and unexpected roadblocks to success. He spoke about his experiences with brain cancer and the difficulties in getting accurate information about his treatment in the ’90s.

Zachary, a concert pianist who was diagnosed with a brain tumor, had medication that would permanently end his ability to play piano prescribed to him without being informed of this fact.

He saw the need for patients to advocate for themselves for treatment of cancer that takes their own livelihoods seriously as a concern.

“Advocacy is entrepreneurship in hiding,” said Zachary.

He said dealing with potential failures was an important topic to speak about to students.

“This is kind of what I wish I were told in college; be prepared to fail,” Zachary said. “It’s not so much about perseverance, it’s the circumstances. Your passion is only as good as the opportunity to not compete and find a little space in between. Being able to have been told that would have been really nice.”

One student asked Zachary how he felt about presenting at Fordham University.

“When I talk, it’s usually to corporate audiences and sales teams and medical conferences, and, you know there are cancer communities out there, but the idea of talking to just regular people, like students, without scaring them

a little, is amazing for me,” he said.

He said that with culture and society changing, entrepreneurs have to be looking forward to paving the path for the next class, thinking about what being an entrepreneur means with the way new technologies and platforms have changed business in recent years.

“If I’m telling anything to students, it’s that my story is a ’90s story, a 2000s story, it’s in perspective to the kind of opportunities today, not do it like I do it,” Zachary said. “Past is prologue. Everything that happened back in the day is a prologue to what’s coming in the future, and history is a teacher.

The thing to ask is ‘where do I fit in the gap I want to fill?’”

He emphasized the necessity of aspiring entrepreneurs to not expect things to get going right away.

“Everyone and their mother kept saying ‘Stupid Cancer is so incredible, how did you do it?,’ but we were an overnight success that took 14 years,” he said.

The final keynote speaker was Joan P. Ball, the founder of the WOMB service design lab, a consultation space for individuals and organizations. She spoke about the importance of founder resilience and the ability to transition in order to avoid the early failure of businesses started by entrepreneurs, as well as what she described to be the three primary aspects of the ability to transition: hardiness, resourcefulness and optimism.

Additionally, there were three breakout panels hosted by Fordham Alumni on topics such

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Matthew Zachary spoke at the 9th annual Entrepreneurship Conference.

as starting a nonprofit with Jennifer Aleman of Peace Starts Now, a nonprofit dedicated to helping the disadvantaged with mindfulness sessions and art therapy, starting a podcast with Marc Gib-

erti of the podcast Breakthrough Success, a podcast featuring interviews of and for entrepreneurs and future influencers and making it as a young author with Alex Cucchiara and JJ Meador.

NEWS

Page 6

March 4, 2020

ASILI Hosts Successful Being Black at Fordham Panel Students and Faculty Discuss Challenges and Changes FROM PANEL, PAGE 1

for community engaged learning (CCEL).

The night began with a round of questions that ASILI prepared for the panelists to answer. The questions covered topics such as what it’s like to be a black student in the Gabelli School of Business and how incoming students of color can be successful at the University.

Panelists talked about having to find people that they connected with on Fordham’s campus.

“I think everyone can relate to the fact that when you first come into an institution this large, you undergo a bit of a culture shock, but it’s sort of amplified when you’re a black student because not only are you seeing a million and one people from different backgrounds, but almost none of them look like you,” said Joseph. “It’s very hard for you to figure out where exactly you fit unless you speak to people.”

One question was, "In the last years that you’ve been here, how do you think Fordham has grown or diminished in making non-white students feel part of the community?"

Joseph talked about what a tumultuous time it was when she attended school here around the time that Trump was elected. She referenced instances where swastikas were drawn around campus and people used the N-word. She said she was confused about how the administration handled those situations because they apologized for them but did not take further action.

“Things were said, but nothing

was ever done,” she said. “I remember being here and being upset with how the administration had dealt with things.”

Joseph said she was happy about the implementation of the Chief Diversity Officer at the time, but did not get to see the effects it had. Santiago said it is great that they have resources such as the the Chief Diversity Officer and C-Step, but there is a lack of visibility for these resources.

Betty said many of the students and alumni on the panel described being told by faculty, administrators and their peers that Fordham is an oasis, inversely projecting the Bronx as a desert.

“The inverse is true: Fordham is the desert, and the Bronx is an oasis and a true depiction of the diversity of the world,” said Betty.

At the halfway point, Woodley explained the history behind Black History Month and why it exists today.

“We talk about being black at Fordham, but what does it mean to be black?” asked Woodley. “We may not have time to get into all of that, but we should meditate on that for a minute.”

The second half of the event allowed audience members to ask the panelists questions, including, “What do you wish your white peers knew that they didn’t?” and “How much did you consider the culture and diversity before you chose Fordham?”

Panelists talked about Fordham, a predominantly white institution, in comparison to historically black col-

leges and universities (HBCU).

Santiago said he did not consider the culture or diversity before coming to Fordham but is glad he learned how to navigate these kinds of spaces and become comfortable with people of all different types of backgrounds, which he does not think would have happened at an HBCU. Joseph agreed with Santiago’s statements.

“This is a more realistic representation of what it’s going to be like for the rest of my life,” said Joseph. “I’ve been prepared … to learn how to stay true to myself in this kind of space.”

Cameron DeChalus, FCRH ’20, president of ASILI, said all of the panelists did an amazing job articulating their experiences while at Fordham, whether it be as commuter, athlete, international student, professor, or alumnus in Rose Hill or Gabelli.

“We had an excellent turnout and I think it was great to see members from the Bronx community bring their younger children who could be potential future Rams in order to hear about these perspectives as well,” said DeChalus. “Our executive board was pleased with how successful this event has been over the years and the important conversation and dialogue it creates about black students experiences at a predominantly white institution like Fordham.”

Santiago said he thought the panel went really well. He said the food was great, the audience was

receptive and engaged and the other people on the panel were charismatic and authentic in discussing their experiences of being black at Fordham University.

“I wanted to be on the panel because I wanted to be able to highlight my experience as POC on this campus and maybe offer someone who may be having similar experiences an opportunity to feel seen,” he said.

He said he thinks panels like this are important because a lot of people of color can feel isolated in their interactions with academia and higher education, especially high-cost, private institutions like Fordham University.

“Inferiority complexes and imposter syndrome tend to creep into the minds of people when they don't have others to validate them,” said Santiago. “When situations like a black kid at Fordham being the only

black kid in their classes occur, these aforementioned negative feelings can take over. I want them to know they aren’t crazy or inferior or unfit to be at Fordham.”

Woodley said he thought the event went well and ASILI did a great job with it. He said ASILI invited him to moderate the panel.

“This is something I do, period,” he said. “As executive director for CCEL and an African American man who’s visible on campus, this is part of my moral and ethical obligations to elevate these conversations.”

Woodley noted that the audience was made up of primarily students of color, but there were also some non students of color in the audience. He said he thinks that conversations like these need to be broadened and expanded to all students across the campus.

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A variety of Fordham community members spoke on the panel.

Budget Committee Implements Guideline Changes Proposes Additional Changes to Simplify Procedures FROM BUDGET, PAGE 1

of their money for an event, the funds would expire and get added back into the large pool of money that is allocated to all the clubs on campus.

“We want to make sure clubs are using funds efficiently,” said Bjorklund. “(This) allows clubs to use all their money in an effective way.”

Bjorklund said they want to reward clubs for using their funds in a smart way, and they did not think clubs should be punished for finding smarter ways to use their

money. “(We) want to make sure we’re allowing clubs to program, but using (their money) wisely,” she said. “(We) want to make it easier, but not too easy to be used recklessly.”

Mary Hurstell, FCRH ’21, treasurer for the Theatrical Outreach Program (TOP), said letting club leaders reallocate funds eased the budgeting process.

“Especially for performing groups like TOP where budgets can vary wildly from production to production,” said Hurstell.

The third major change made last semester was the implementation of "Fordham preferred vendors." These are stores near Fordham that clubs make purchases from often, such as Party City or Pugsleys.

Clubs have to submit backup documentation when receiving money or being reimbursed to prove that the price of an item is what they say it is. Adding Fordham preferred vendors loosened the rules regarding backup documentation for those establishments.

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Three changes were made to the budget guidelines last semester, including reduced required backup documentation.

“These changes were approved at the end of last semester, so they have only been in place for this semester,” said Bjorklund. “The changes have been great so far and appear to take some of the weight off of club leaders.”

The budget committee plans to make more major changes as the semester goes on. Bjorklund said she met with the Office of Student Involvement (OSI) recently to make sure everything had proper justification. After being reviewed

by OSI, the changes were sent to Dean Rodgers and are currently with him.

After Rodgers reviews them, they will be presented at USG’s Senate meeting and the Student Life Council meeting after that.

Bjorklund said they are expected to be presented at those various meetings this week and next week, but nothing is guaranteed.

She said everything should be approved by the end of the semester.

The budget committee has been considering making changes to its procedures for over a year now and plans to announce major changes this semester, said Bjorklund.

In fall of 2018, a few USG representatives went to a student government conference. Bjorklund said they learned that Fordham’s budget practices are much different from other schools. Last

spring, the committee reached out to other universities to see what their systems were like. This past fall, the committee talked about the needs of Fordham clubs.

They completed a research phase with club leaders where they collected feedback about the guidelines and procedures. She said the overall consensus was that it was complicated, confusing and time consuming. “(It’s) real money,” said Bjorklund. “We want to make sure it’s spent wisely.”

As the plans move forward, Bjorklund said it is unclear how much is going to change, but the committee plans to have information sessions as things move forward.

Bjorklund said they got a new advisor this semester: Alex Voorhees, student organizations and engagement specialist in OSI. She said Voorhees orders everything for clubs, so hopefully they should see more communication between the budget committee and OSI starting this semester.

Overall, Bjorklund said the budget committee wants to guide clubs and be seen as a resource.

She said they hate to deny people over technicalities, and she emphasized to clubs that they are an ally to clubs.

NEWS

March 4, 2020

Page 7

Orsi Lectures About Sexuality and the Catholic Church

By HASNA CERAN

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

On Tuesday, March 5, the Curran Center for American Catholic Studies hosted a lecture on the sexual dynamics of modern Catholicism, presented by Robert Orsi of Northwestern University.

Orsi taught at Fordham College Lincoln Center (FCLC) between 1981 and 1988, and later taught at Harvard University. He currently teaches at Northwestern University and serves as the Grace Craddock Nagle chair in Catholic studies at Northwestern University.

Orsi has written several books on the topic of religious studies, including “History and Presence and Between Heaven and Earth: The Religious Worlds People Make and the Scholars Who Study Them.” He is currently working on another book, “Give Us Boys,” which will be published

by Columbia University Press in 2022.

The lecture, titled “The Sexual Dynamics of Modern Catholicism,” centered around sexuality in Catholicism and the effects of the Catholic church’s views on sex. Orsi specifically spoke on ways in which these views relate to the sexual abuses and hypocrisies committed by members of the clergy in the Catholic Church sexual abuse cases.

Orsi said that the reveal of the sexual abuse cases in the ’80s and ’90s has been widely treated by the Catholic Church in the past as a contemporary perversion of power and the failure of authorities. He argues that in actuality,

these abuses are a continuation of sexual dynamics present in modern Catholicism from the 1600s onward.

Among Martin Luther’s condemnations of the Catholic Church for the selling of indulgences and the exclusivity of the Bible were his virulent accusations of hypocrisy on the subject of sexual sins in the clergy.

“The council’s response to Luther’s relentless excoriations was to institutionalize the high latemedieval vision of the priesthood by reaffirming clerical celibacy while at the same time improving, regulating and standardizing clerical formation, intellectual and spiritual, and then surrounding the new Tridentine ideal of the priest with various mechanisms of control and surveillance,” said Orsi.

He continued to explain that changes to the hierarchy of the clergy instituted in the Council of Trent paved the way for the continued abuses of power committed by members of the clergy.

The Council of Trent’s solution to the widely acknowledged problem of misconduct on the part of supposedly-secular priests was the establishment of an “empire of closets.”

Orsi said this empire of closets revolved around the continual coverup and complicity during cases of abuse perpetrated by members of the celibate clergy. He said this was achieved through the veneration of priests due to their transcendent practice of celibacy, a practice which gave the clergy a hierarchical advantage over the

HASNA CERAN/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Robert Orsi lectured about sexuality in Catholicism and its relation to sexual abuse in the Church.

sexually active lay people. These closets often became increasingly transparent, which led to an uneasy tolerance of indecent conduct. It would become an open secret that, despite being known, was not or could not be stopped.

Orsi said the intersection of race and class further served to enable the exploitation of vulnerable populations by certain members of the clergy, as the al-

ready-pervasive role of hierarchy and power imbalances within the clergy extended to the people that the priests were left responsible for, as in cases with priests left in charge of emotionally fragile and needy children.

“The sexual, political and religious were not distinct in modern Catholicism,” said Orsi.

There were a number of Fordham students present at the lecture, many present due to the rec-

ommendations of their theology professors.

Juan Hertsens Marques, FCLC ’23, said that the lecture was very insightful and perspectivechanging with regards to the history of sexuality in Catholicism, especially with its perspective on the empowerment of priests in the Council of Trent allowing for sexual crimes. “(The lecture was) very direct and emotionally riveting,” he said.

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OPINION

Page 8

March 4, 2020

The Fordham Ram

Debates Showcase Increasing Tensions

By KYLE CHIN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The end of February saw heightened tension in the contest for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the presidency. The candidates met to debate in Las Vegas and Charleston prior to the Nevada caucuses and South Carolina primary. In both gatherings, sparks flew between the candidates, as a number of factors have considerably shifted the atmosphere of the race.

Perhaps the most notable change in these last two debates was the presence of billionaire and former mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg, and his introduction did not go smoothly, to say the least. In his first of the two debates especially, Bloomberg was challenged on anything and everything. Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg made numerous jabs at his past affiliation with and financial support for Republicans.

Former vice president Joe Biden challenged Bloomberg’s claim that the mayor had been proactive in rolling back stop-and-frisk. No doubt the most devastating blows came from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who on both nights laid bare the most shocking and guttural of Bloomberg’s alleged comments and pressed him on non-disclosure agreements with former employees.

Bloomberg shockingly seemed ill-prepared for these predictable attacks, and, worse yet, often came across as aloof or even arrogant,

dismissing some allegations of inappropriate workplace behavior as bad jokes taken poorly. Even in moments which should have been bright spots for him, such as his characterizations of Sanders as too extreme, Bloomberg undercut himself by snidely labeling the Vermont senator as a communist, eliciting groans from both the audience and other candidates on stage. Moreover, Bloomberg’s apparent Freudian slip in Charleston, when he seemingly started by saying that he had “bought” politicians, did nothing to mend the perception of him as an oligarch merely trying to buy another election. While the sheer immensity of his wealth will likely keep him in the fray for as long as he desires, it seems increasingly unlikely that the Democratic base will accept him as their nominee.

As for the person who went on the offensive both nights, Elizabeth Warren delivered strong performances, taking the moderate candidates especially to task.

Among her zingers in Nevada, Warren dismissed Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg’s healthcare plans as belonging on Post-It notes and PowerPoint presentations, respectively. In Charleston, Warren offered some critique of Sanders, asserting that she would be better equipped at passing a progressive agenda through Congress.

In spite of both of these strong showings, Warren has seen no bump in the polls. The reason, I believe, is that she has created something of an identity crisis

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The Democratic debates have shown heated exchanges between candidates.

for herself. In these and past arguments against both progressives and moderates, Warren has seemingly tried to forge a path as a compromise between extremes. Yet in doing so, she seems to have instead alienated both sides, leaving her campaign stagnant.

The increasing hostility between Buttigieg and Klobuchar in Nevada was of obvious note, rooted perhaps in that each wanted to claim the role of the midwestern moderate for themselves. Based on her lines of attack, Klobuchar also seemed to resent Buttigieg’s comparable success despite his lack of experience.

Both Buttigieg and Klobuchar dropped out of the presidential race following the South Carolina primary.

This leg of the race seemed to be a make or break performance for Biden, as hehas fallen dramatically from his frontrunner position following severe underperformances in the first few contests. Both nights saw Biden deliver fairly en-

livened debate showings, which, while not particularly memorable, were an improvement upon past debate performances marked by gaffes and stumbles. He needed steady and stable nights, which he achieved. Even more importantly, Biden righted the ship in South Carolina, a state hailed as his stronghold with its large share of older black voters among whom Biden has long received strong support, and he delivered a resounding victory for himself in the primary.

However, the prevailing sentiment behind all this was the ascendancy of Bernie Sanders as the Democratic frontrunner. National polls show the Vermont senator in first place. After having won the popular vote in the Iowa caucuses, the New Hampshire primary and the Nevada caucuses, Sanders has attained a solid position at the head of the pack.

During the South Carolina debate especially, the other candidates went on the attack, once

again questioning the practicality of Sanders’ various plans such as Medicare For All, decrying his supposed attraction to Communist regimes and generally painting him as overly divisive. At least for this newest and most prominent line of criticism surrounding comments on Cuba, Sanders dismissed the attacks by correctly pointing out that President Obama had in fact made similarly positive assessments of Cuba’s education and health programs during a visit to the country and in a town hall after. For this and other critiques, though often having to speak over a flurry of crosstalk, Sanders seemed to offer mostly effective rebuttals.

Coming out of these two debates and the contests which followed them, Sanders did not seem damaged enough to topple him from his place as the most likely ultimate victor. That being said, especially after Biden’s more invigorated debate performances and subsequent victory in South Carolina, it is very much premature to declare this process over.

With the first five contests decided, it seems increasingly certain that this election will ultimately be one between Biden and Sanders, with one candidate carrying the banner of the Democratic Party’s moderate old guard and the other championing the growing progressive wing of the party.

Kyle Chin, FCRH ’21, is a political science and history major from Malverne, N.Y.

Encouraging Journalistic Pursuits

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Journalism is not dying, contrary to what some people may say.

By TAYLOR HERZLICH STAFF WRITER

The notion that journalism is a dying industry was a lie often fed to me, I then perpetuated the same lie.

I was convinced that the industry was a lost cause. After all, who my age could I picture that would purchase a newspaper subscription in the future?

Technology was advancing rapidly, and there was no feasible way to imagine journalism could survive.

I listened throughout high school as STEM was heavily promoted to students. Science and business majors were seen as safe and secure options, and the students who followed these paths were revered for making smart decisions. There are plenty of advertisements running every day that

encourage young people, especially young women, to pursue careers in STEM. An article in The Economist states that one of the biggest problems with the job market today is that “not enough talented women move into technology.” I had one teacher tell my class that unless we were going to college for STEM, there wasn’t really any point. Of course, he saw the fiscal benefits. Since then, I’ve read a multitude of articles explaining college as an investment and mathematically laying out evidence that devalues college for liberal arts majors.

Therefore, it should not come as a shock that I am a business administration major. It was the safe route. I did not have to worry about the practicality of my choice or defending it to those who questioned me. However,

what I didn’t expect was the pushback from close friends and family. Those who really, truly knew me were surprised. They asked me why I wasn’t doing anything with writing. My answer: “Journalism is a dying industry.”

At the time, I was honestly annoyed. I had chosen a major that I believed would help me support myself, and I had expected that others would approve of it. I would be lying if I said I didn’t notice the favorable reactions from strangers. However, my family and friends had just known sooner than I had that I was, in a way, taking the easy way out. This is not to say that business is an easy major or a simple path to go down, but I had chosen it because it was the easiest to envision tangible prospects after college.

It may have taken me a little longer, but eventually, I realized that the safe choice is not always the best choice. Of course, my time at Fordham delayed that realization a bit. As I’m sure it is at so many other colleges, there is a certain perception that comes with being a business major. I can guarantee that most students hear the phrase “Are you Gabelli?” repeatedly throughout their time here, referring to the Gabelli School of Business. There are plenty of programs that attempt to solidify business students in their choices, such as mandatory presentations or panels that Gabelli students have to attend. A swarm of students dressed in dreaded

business casual will flood the campus, descending on the Fordham Prep auditorium for yet another presentation.

There are also mandatory business classes per year, one-credit courses that are supposed to help business students explore their interests.

One of the classes I am taking this year is called Career Exploration, and it does exactly what it claims to do: helps students explore their career options. These opportunities are wonderful and can be extremely helpful for business majors. However, it does make me wonder why these same opportunities don’t seem to exist for all other majors. Frankly, I cannot speak too much on this issue, seeing as I’m not a liberal arts major at the moment, but one thing I can say is that I don’t see why “career exploration” should be limited to Gabelli kids. All students are perplexed about the future, and this process of resume-building would prove extremely beneficial to all. I don’t see why networking and professionalism are not as encouraged in other majors. Dressing up and learning how to interview or network are skills that are needed for almost every job out there, not just those in business.

Nonetheless, my point remains that the broader issue lies in the inherent attitudes towards liberal arts majors. For so long, I believed that business and STEM were, in a way, better.

Society told me they were reliable, solid and seemingly unquestionable.

Fortunately, liberal arts degrees can provide this reliability and stability, as well.

That is why I am here to tell you that journalism is not a dying industry. Journalism is simply a changing industry. Sure, there are not nearly as many people reading paper copies of newspapers anymore because of the advancements in technology. This doesn’t mean that technology is killing journalism; it is just changing it. I receive a briefing from The New York Times on my phone every morning.

Each day, millions of people sit at home and watch the news on their television.

Of course, I like to believe that some things won’t change too much.

I still enjoy the feeling of opening a fresh print copy of a newspaper. I can see a stack of The Fordham Ram on my desk as I type this. Nonetheless, my point is that even if it does change, it is not the end of the world. Journalism is a way of informing the people and of doing everything in your power to spread truth. People need the news, and for that reason, journalism will never die.

Taylor Herzlich, GSB ’23, is a business administration major from Mt. Sinai, N.Y.

OPINION

March 4, 2020

R

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

Website FordhamRam.com Email Address theram@fordham.edu Editor-in-Chief Helen Stevenson Managing Editor Andrew Posadas Editorial Director Kelly Christ Multimedia Director Kristen Egan Business Director James Rosato Operations Director Robert (Max) Quintas Production Editor Vanessa DeJesus Copy Chiefs Emma Butler Erica Weidner News Editor Sarah Huffman Projects Editor Joergen Ostensen Assistant News Editor Hasna Sena Ceran Opinion Editors Kelly Christ Emma Lipkind Culture Editors Rachel Gow Kieran Press-Reynolds Sports Editor Jimmy Sullivan Assistant Sports Editors Dylan Balsamo Alexander Wolz Digital Producer Katherine Morris Visual Director Hunter Benegas Photo Editor Jennifer Hoang Graphics/Illustrations Pia Fischetti Faculty Advisor Jessica Baldwin-Philippi Editorial Page Policy

The Fordham Ram’s editorial and

ramblings topics are selected on a weekly basis and reflect the editorial board’s view on a campus issue.

Opinions Policy The Fordham Ram appreciates submissions to fordhamramopinions@gmail. com. Commentaries are printed on a space available basis. The Fordham Ram reserves the right to reject any submission for any reason, without notice. Submissions become the exclusive property of The Fordham Ram. The Fordham Ram reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions in The Fordham Ram’s editorials are those of the editorial board; those expressed in articles, letters, commentaries, cartoons or graphics are those of the individual author. No part of The Fordham Ram may be reproduced without written consent.

Page 9

From the Desk | Jennifer Hoang

Pink Does Not Always Mean Princess What comes to mind when the word “pink” is mentioned? Chances are most people will picture something “girly.” It is safe to say that this color is almost always assigned to girls the moment they are born, or even before — take gender announcements as an example.

I was obsessed with all shades of pink as a kid: Barbie pink, pastel pink, coral, fuchsia and most recently millennial pink. To be honest, I don’t know if this obsession was something I knowingly and naturally developed or if it came from the fact that the color was imposed on my being the minute I was recognized as a girl. I remember being asked “Oh, so you’re a girly girl?” every time I told someone my favorite color. What does my favorite color have to do with my expression of identity?

I started to notice how the idea that pink is exclusively attached to girls was not just something I encountered in my life, but also reflected in mainstream entertainment. Films depict bubbly female characters through the use of a dominantly pink color palette, as seen in the character of Frenchy in

“Grease.” Adjectives associated with this palette range from “innocent” to “sweet” to “feminine.” We are all aware of the issue of one-dimensional female characters, and it’s interesting to see how the stereotypical use of color can be part of the problem.

Take Sharpay from “High School Musical” as an example. Sure, she appears to be girlier than the other characters, but the excessive utilization of pink to portray her is unsatisfactory. She is ambitious and determined to succeed in the field of musical theater; depicting her as being inseparable from the color pink, coupled with her pouty attitude, reduces her worth to that of a spoiled rich girl who relies on her “sweetness” to get through life.

Thankfully, in more recent films and TV shows, pink appears to be given a new, less restrictive meaning. In “Lady Bird,” Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson flaunts her pink hair as an attempt to seem rebellious and different from her peers. She is much more multidimensional than the girly archetype that has long been portrayed on screen. However, it does not mean that she is solely a

product of her bold choice of hair color either. There are still moments where she wants to look pretty in pink (trying on her prom dress and asking for her mom’s validation) as well as moments of rebellion and “misbehaving” (eating communion wafers while goofing off with her best friend Julie).

Similarly, the character of Maeve Wiley in Netflix’s “Sex Education” is also portrayed as a rebel through her pink ombre hair. She does not wear pink; in fact, her choice of clothing completely contrasts with

the “sweetness” that her bubblegum pink hair color gives off. Maeve is a combination of the colors she chooses to express herself through.

Pink alone does not wholly convey that she is a witty, intelligent, unspokenly sweet and rebellious teenager.

I still like the color pink for what it is, artistically and aesthetically speaking. Considering the vast range of shades it has, its association should be expanded to reflect the multidimensionality it should have been given in the first place.

Editorial | Internships

Internship Process Promotes Inequity of Opportunity As spring arrives at Fordham University and the summer internship application process gets underway, feelings of panic and anxiety descend upon students. Internships have evolved to become something of a necessity when entering today’s workforce, and the search feels more competitive than ever. Many internships today do not often provide financial compensation, instead offering academic credit, which can come with additional expenses. Thus, the nature of these positions disadvantage those who are not as financially secure as their peers.

The controversy over unpaid internships is far from new. Today more than ever, there is an essential need to reexamine the process that college students must go through in order to attain the necessary experience to be a competitive applicant for positions.

Researchers found that students who completed multiple internships were more likely to obtain a job or enter graduate school after graduation.

Given the priority that many employers place on internships in hiring, it is unacceptable that gaining an internship is so heavily influenced by one’s financial standing.

These opportunities pose many challenges that often do more harm than good in the name of acquiring experience. With so many unpaid internships, the financial risk that students are encouraged to take is not always worth the investment.

Internships are a prominent part of the college experience, but many workplaces do not provide their interns with proper financial compensation. Paid and unpaid internships differ significantly, and not just in matters of compensation.

Studies have demonstrated that paid internships often provide a higher level of learning in terms of skills as compared to unpaid internships, as employers are likely to dedicate more resources to training interns who are a financial cost to have on board. Additionally, research from the National Association of Colleges and Employers demonstrated that paid interns had approximately a 63% likelihood of receiving job offers, while unpaid interns had a 37% likelihood, less than 2% more likely than those who had not had an internship at all.

Perhaps what is most concerning about this topic is the fact that it has been a discussion for many years. In the archives of The Fordham Ram, there are a multitude of articles exploring the difficulties of unpaid internships and the need for improvement. However, not much has been done in regards to promoting paid internships or improving career resources for non-business majors.

Internships first became prominent among college students in the 1990s — around the same time that college tuition rates began to increase significantly. Tuition rates are higher than ever — with student debt reaching its highest level in history at $1.5 trillion in 2019. Considering this, it is even more frustrating that it is so difficult for college students to find paid experience relevant to their chosen field.

Fordham’s location gives students the opportunity to pursue internships in the New York City area while students at other universities are elsewhere for the majority of the academic year. Similarly, Fordham’s location means that a robust network of alumni exists in the area. How-

ever, public transportation costs, in addition to rent or housing costs, can place an additional burden on students. Career Services offers the option for free Ram Van passes if a student is involved in an unpaid internship for academic credit. To receive academic credit for an unpaid internship, a student must enroll in an internship seminar or one-on-one tutorial through the university.

As the Ram covered last year, students are required to pay for the academic credit for their unpaid internship if it is done during the summer.

If the internship takes place during the school year, students are only required to pay if the internship leads them to exceed their credit ceiling.

From a legal standpoint, interns must be compensated, either financially or with academic credit. However, the academic credit compensation is often an additional financial burden, as students often lose money in the process.

While Fordham’s assistance is beneficial, it is not enough. The Ram Van is a convenient means of travel, but when it comes to getting to work, the rush hour traffic often complicates this, and many internships are not in the vicinity of the Lincoln Center campus.

Additionally, requiring students who are working at an internship to complete a course in order to receive their academic compensation is an unnecessary time commitment. Students with unpaid internships often need this time in the week to pursue paid job opportunities in order to afford basic living costs while interning or to simply complete the coursework they are unable to do while working.

Perhaps most importantly, the

financial burden often disqualifies students of lower socioeconomic statuses, as they are unable to make the commitment to a job that they are not receiving payment for. Students who do not have the adequate financial resources to agree to an unpaid internship may become disadvantaged in the job process as a result, as they do not have the competitive experience their peers who are able to take this financial risk obtain. This only amplifies the diversity problems that are so apparent on college campuses, including Fordham’s, and it must be rectified in order to make meaningful change in the future.

The mere idea of unpaid interns often leads companies to neglect them in the workplace. In the past, students have complained about the treatment that they have received as unpaid interns. Many reported internships that consisted of “noneducational menial work.” Not only are these interns stripped of their compensation financially, they are not receiving the education in the field that they should be for the time commitment.

There are many advantages to having an internship during your college career. Internships allow students to obtain essential hands-on experience in the field that they hope to pursue, thus complementing classroom work. However, these experiences should not come at the expense of financial security. The current system favors students who are financially better off and able to commit to these internships. Change must be made in order to improve the opportunities available to college students and develop a diverse, driven workforce.

OPINION

Page 10

March 4, 2020

Learning to Think Before You Tweet

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In the digital age, plagiarism on social media platforms should be taken as seriously as other forms of plagiarism.

By LINDSAY GRIPPO

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR EMERITA

When people have a thought to share, they often take it to Twitter.

Developing into a cesspool for deeply intimate musings, hot political takes and general buffoonery, the site sees a wide variety of ideas from all different types of minds.

However, sometimes people steal these thoughts.

In our increasingly digital age, plagiarism can look quite different from the definitions we were given in grammar school. The copying of a classmate’s test answers or the omission of citations in a term paper are still practices one should avoid partaking in. But in a time where the online is omnipresent,

plagiarism goes beyond those examples.

Copying funny tweets and pawning them off as your own in order to gain likes, followers or social media “clout” is a modern form of plagiarism that we must actively work to denormalize.

Comedians and YouTube personalities often gain significant followings through viral tweets.

These individuals utilize social media to maintain brands that sustain lucrative lifestyles and secure a financial independence which is otherwise difficult to obtain in our modern creative industries.

Just as writers share early bits of writing to garner public interest in upcoming projects, musicians share snippets of new tracks in an

attempt to attract listeners, and creatives virtually circulate their art in hopes that the right people will see it. Entertainers taking to Twitter with clever jokes rely on virality for both self-affirmation and professional success.

When people steal this content, it hurts the original producer’s ability to make a living off of their work.

Twitter users with significant followings often complain about digital publications like BuzzFeed featuring popular tweets in their articles without the original creator’s consent or financial compensation.

Copyrights, patents and trademarks make it possible for individuals to retain the rights to their

creations in the marketplace. However, because Twitter is technically a public forum, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy or constitutional protection for one’s actions within the virtual space.

In most cases, the legality of copying someone’s tweet and presenting it as your own is the equivalent of overhearing someone tell a funny joke at a bar and turning around to tell it to your friend. No legal framework is in place to protect the threat of such intellectual property, but as individuals navigating an increasingly online world, we should all come to the agreement that to do so is just wrong.

In 2018, Twitter suspended several popular accounts that had been consistently accused of copying and stealing other users’ content. The accounts were not removed for their content theft but rather for their participation in a scheme known as “tweetdecking,” in which high profile accounts exchange money for retweets. The many small-time creators they exploited, as well as the public they tended to annoy, were pleased with these accounts’ newfound absence nonetheless.

Inspiration comes to people in all forms. Often, copying can be subconscious or incidental.

People can unwittingly begin to dress like their friends or start to listen to that artist their roommate is obsessed with. It is highly unlikely that anyone will make it

through life without accidentally ripping off someone or something at some point.

But when such copying is intentional, targeted and consistent, it is a massive problem. When powerful people purposefully appropriate content from individuals that have less of an ability to retaliate — for example, when popular accounts steal (and, by extension, bury) the tweets of those with fewer followers — such action is highly immoral.

No intellectual content exists in a vacuum. It is the natural course of things for thinkers to allow the ideas of those they admire to inform their own work.

But paying homage to those you look up to is entirely different from deliberately pirating the material of individuals you then hope to differentiate yourself from.

In creative fields, ideas are capital. Stealing tweets might seem harmless, but it is essentially theft.

In 2020, plagiarism has begun to encompass a much wider span of actions than what people might initially imagine, and each is equally as harmful.

We should respect all types of intellectual property as steadfastly as we do the kinds whose copying could get us kicked out of university.

Lindsay Grippo, FCRH ’20, is an English major from Long Island, N.Y.

Remembering the Resilience of Parkland

By KELLY CHRIST

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Two years ago, the community of Parkland, Florida was rattled forever when 17 lives were lost in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Just over a month later, the March for Our Lives was organized by survivors of the shooting. The march protested gun violence in the United States, bringing attention to the need for stricter gun control legislation and improved safety for students.

Though Parkland sounded alarm bells in the minds of many Americans, mass shootings continue to be an immense problem in the U.S. CBS News reported that in the year following the shooting at Stoneman Douglas, there were more mass shootings than there were days in the year.

While school shootings have been a massive issue for the past two decades in the U.S., the shooting in Parkland evolved into a response that had never been seen before.

The shooting at Stoneman Douglas is the deadliest high school shooting in the history of our country. But it was not just this fact that spurred such an intense response from the survivors. Almost every student at Stoneman Douglas at the time of the shooting was born after the shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado in 1999. This is the

generation that has grown up with active shooter drills and a hyper-vigilance of their surroundings on a daily basis.

Parkland had been named the safest city in Florida in 2017. Still, the Broward County Police Department instated many drills to prepare the school for an attack. Many survivors of mass shootings report confusion at the first moments of the attack, but the Parkland students knew exactly what was going on as soon as they heard the gunshots.

The students should have been more prepared than anyone, but even the best active shooter drills cannot entirely prevent fatalities in these events. The shooter, who had once been a student at the school, pulled the fire alarm before the attack began in order to draw students out of the rooms, thus manipulating the very system that was put in place to protect the school.

The most important solution is gun control. It is completely unacceptable that major changes have not been put in place since the shooting.

It is terrifying to think what kind of event would have to occur to motivate meaningful change. We must not let the lives lost in these attacks be in vain.

The courage and desperation displayed by the survivors during the March for Our Lives should never be forgotten. These survivors took to the

Florida state capitol to rally for gun control during the same week many of the funerals were taking place for the victims of the tragedy.

The Florida state legislature passed a bill, known as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, which raised the minimum age to purchase a rifle to 21, instituted background checks, established waiting periods, banned bump-fire stocks, increased restrictions on mentally ill persons attempting to purchase a gun and provided initiatives for school “guardians.” It was passed on March 9, 2018.

However, much more must be done if change is to be made on a national scale. The subject cannot be dropped after a month of public mourning. The candidates for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination were not asked a single question about gun violence at the recent debate in Las Vegas, the same city where the deadliest mass shooting committed by a single perpetrator in the history of the U.S. occurred in 2017. This issue cannot be swept under the rug nor can it be a mere talking point for candidates to impress the audience.

The tragedy does not end on the day of the shooting. The heartbreak continues to this day for everyone who witnessed the shooting or lost someone they loved.

A little over a month after the first

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Gun control remains important two years after the shooting in Parkland.

anniversary of the Parkland shooting, one survivor, Sydney Aiello, died by suicide. Aiello was known to be suffering from PTSD and struggling with survivor’s guilt. Another student survivor, Calvin Desir, died by suicide the day after Aiello’s funeral.

The rampant rate of mass shootings in the U.S. is unacceptable. Just days ago, on Feb. 27, five employees were shot and killed at the Miller Brewery in Milwaukee. Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes told the media, “We should never grow comfortable in the face of these repeated tragedies all across America.”

The responses echoed those made after Parkland, after Las Vegas, after Orlando, after Sandy Hook … the list goes on. Unfortunately, we have grown comfortable with these tragedies. These attacks make fewer and fewer headlines with each recurrence.

The frustration at the lack of an effective legislative solution is understandable, but it cannot lead us to sit back and give up. Just as it did in Parkland, the heartbreak and frustration must be channeled into standing up and refusing to let these lives be lost in vain.

With the coming 2020 presidential election, do not let discussions of gun control fall to the wayside. It remains an important issue that cannot be forgotten.

You cannot wait until it is your child or your life that is lost in the next shooting to take action. As Manuel Oliver, the father of victim Joaquin Oliver, explained, “You don’t have to pay the price that we paid to understand what is going on.”

Kelly Christ, FCRH ’21, is an English and psychology major from Long Island, N.Y.

March 4, 2020

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Page 11

Page 12

King Krule’s “Man Alive!”

By ED LUCANO

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Four for four: Archy Marshall comes out with yet another unique punk jazz project with the release of “Man Alive!” under the menacing moniker of King Krule. This stage name was inspired by the Nintendo character King K. Rool, an immense, humanoid crocodile acting as the main villain in “Donkey Kong Country” and a top-tier fighter in the “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” roster.

Much like his namesake, King Krule is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

2017’s “The OOZ” is one of King Krule’s most critically-acclaimed albums to date. Infectiously energetic tracks like “Half Man Half Shark” and “Emergency Blimp” take listeners through a whirlwind of manic yearnings and coarse guitar riffs that redefine modern garage rock as we know it. On the other hand, slower dream pop tunes such as “La Lune” and “Midnight 01 (Deep Sea Diver)” offer a twist of introspective jazz.

Even though these two sounds seem to juxtapose each other, the way the tracklist of “The OOZ” is spread out creates a unique blend of genrebending music that certifies King Krule as a genuine creative.

The space between an artist’s album releases can sometimes feel like a lifetime. Fortunately, some creators take this time to fine-tune their sound and mature as both artists and people. For example, the fouryear stretch between Frank Ocean’s “channel ORANGE” and “Blonde” resulted in a collective discography of songs that will go down in history as some of the best of this past decade. Luckily, King Krule’s threeyear gap led to a 14-track triumph which shows that his best days are surely not behind him. However, his musical maturation has come with a price: everything has slowed down.

“Man Alive!” starts off with the thumping bass bop “Cellular.” With melancholy lyrics reminiscing about a past relationship that seems to have gone sour, King Krule’s trademark deep voice and South London vernacular are paired with a steadily low-key drum sequence and a series of faint pattering synth chords. It almost sounds as if The Replacements time traveled to the digital age.

Two tracks later comes “Stoned Again,” which serves to personify King Krule’s lifelong sense of anxiety and subsequent use of marijuana as a coping mechanism. With faint glimmers of grunge style vocal bellows and extremely distorted basslines, this song reclaims “The OOZ”-era energy that I almost thought he had left behind. Now that “Man Alive!” is currently the dominant Krule-istic style of the decade, his high-octane intentions are masked by sounding like a Turnstile song slowed down in both pitch and speed. This is a movement I can surely get behind.

My favorite two songs off this record are “Perfecto Miserable” and “Underclass.” The former takes King Krule’s audience on a solo joyride through the darkness of space with beautifully warped electric guitar vibratos and a spoken love letter to the mother of his infant son, while the latter takes these loving feelings for his girlfriend to a whole new level with lyrics about consuming infatuation and a rich, harmonious brass riff that accentuates the tenderness of his methodical guitar strumming.

Although “The OOZ” has not been dethroned as my favorite King Krule album, “Man Alive!” is a daring testament to his growth as a musician and as a human being. Maybe album number five will drip with more ooze whenever it is recorded, but right now all I can do is revel in the fact that I have another solid album to kick back and listen to.

CULTURE

March 4, 2020

“The Cordillera of Dreams” Explores Heartbreak of Political Trauma

By ALEX DICKISON STAFF WRITER

“The Cordillera of Dreams” takes its meaning from the Spanish term for mountain range, but it’s not much of a film for hikers or geologists. In spite of the wide shots of snowy Andean peaks, director Patricio Guzmán remains focused on telling the human story, one about Chilean revolutionaries and dictators waging war in the shadows of the tall mountains.

The film begins with bird-eyed imagery of the vast Andes mountains that surround Chile’s capital of Santiago. These large pictures are interspersed with interviews of a collection of mostly visual artists who use the Cordilleras as muses for their art. The juxtaposition of the windy majesty of the Cordillera and the noisy bustle of Santiago street life creates a rhythmic pattern. Whenever Guzmán has had enough of one, he brings in the other.

After a whole lot of waxing lyrical over the mystical art-giving properties of the Andes, the film ends its innocent prologue and marches toward the true understanding it has of the Cordillera: a witness to a bloody Santiago. In 1973, Santiago saw a coup d’état against its socialist leader, and in the following decades, it saw repression, torture and protest under the dictatorial order of Augusto Pinochet.

“If these cobblestones could speak, they’d talk of the blood that ran over them,” narrates Guzmán.

The film darkens almost at the drop of a hat, veering away from an awed reverence for the Cordillera and toward the politically-informed hope placed in them. Guzmán’s mountains serve as the site of his fortress of solitude, his vantage point, figuratively, if not literally.

They are higher than any petty squabble, and in their enormous dignity, they somehow judge the

human drama that plays out below.

“The Cordillera of Dreams” is a historical movie, but knowing the details — the broadstrokes are more or less explained — is not as important. The emotion of Guzmán and those he interviews is far more convincing and interesting than any comprehensive account could hope to be. It’s a seriousness so forceful that it runs the risk of becoming metaphorically heavy-handed.

For instance, during one scene, the camera slowly zooms in on an elaborate patchwork of cracks strewn across the door of a rusting car, all while Guzmán narrates in painstakingly slow Spanish, as if giving an object lesson about the labyrinthine nature of the Chilean political scene. In a later sequence, the camera pans out from a lonesome climber struggling up a cliff face while the narration turns to pontificate about the isolation and alienation felt by a generation of Chileans growing up in the ’70s.

Even with its excess, this serious-

ness always invites attention, and despite the silence of the mountains and the age of the protest footage Guzmán digs up, the film never becomes a dull monologue or lecture.

Part of the reason for this is that there is more than politics in Guzmán’s emotion. The Cordillera is more than a spectator to violence: it is a constant during that violence, too — a solid backdrop to a changing Chilean childhood.

A deep mournfulness forms a tangible layer over the whole of the film, serving as a sad foil to the urgency of its politics. The transition from the early scenes of mountain worship to the blood-soaked history of the coup is marked by a definite scene in which Guzmán films through a long shot the tattered, graffiti-tagged remnants of a 1970s-era house. Drawling, he introduces the reader to the “ruins of my childhood,” but he’s speaking about more than the home.

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

“The Cordillera of Dreams” narrates a war waged in the Andes mountains.

Ocean Vuong’s “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” Ocean Vuong’s remarkably elegant debut novel, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous,” is a poetic letter to a mother who cannot read. Following the biographical story of Vuong’s life, the novel gracefully

jumps between the past and present, evoking incredible questions about contemporary American society.

Flashing through three generations of Vietnamese people, Vuong weaves stories of survival from both the Vietnam War and American immigration into a seamless narrative, collapsing time and making his grandmother’s story just as relevant as his own.

The multigenerational experience of Vuong’s family is taken into account with each word, making each character reverberate across time.

The protagonist, Little Dog, is a young man tormented by his classmates, his mentally ill mother and his own inner monologue. As readers watch Little Dog grow from the quiet son of a nail salon owner into an em-

boldened young poet and visionary, they encounter his trauma with striking precision.

Such trauma is not an isolated incident felt by Little Dog but a multigenerational series of compounded abuse and discrimination by the society Vuong and his family inhabit.

The vision of himself that Little Dog develops in his childhood begins to clash with his American and Vietnamese identity, creating an isolated, vulnerable narrative that makes each word a difficult step in an inevitable struggle.

Engrossing and poignantly sad, Vuong’s novel reads like poetry without high-brow language or overly complicated structure. At its core, “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” is just that: anchored to the Earth on which we live, brief and profoundly gorgeous.

The book itself is bound by both life and death, whose presence and sudden imposition into the narrative have a life-like feeling that makes readers mourn alongside Lit-

tle Dog. Vuong’s prose is a reminder been translated into over 30 lanof how vulnerability is painful but guages. You can pick up a copy of necessary. Each word carries the “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” weight of his and his family’s experiat your local bookstore. ences, elevating the novel from a compelling story into something reminiscent of an epic poem.

Although the novel is short, its impact on readers is tremendous.

Winner of a MacArthur Genius Grant in 2019, Vuong has created a new and daring lane for himself in contemporary literature.

Although 2019 was a profoundly successful year for the young writer, it was also full of great loss. In October, the woman at the core of Vuong’s writing, his mother, passed away from stage four breast cancer.

Since the book’s reCOURTESY OF FACEBOOK lease, Vuong’s work has Ocean Vuong’s “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.”

CULTURE

March 4, 2020

Page 13

A King Denied His Kingdom Rest in Peace Pop Smoke

By SAM HADELMAN STAFF WRITER

Pop Smoke was not a rising star, but rather a shooting star. This past month, Brooklyn lost 20-year-old Bashar Barakah Jackson to a home invasion in Los Angeles, California, and New York has been reeling and mourning ever since. Now, any hip-hop centered event has become a dedication to the artist the city

never got to fully see prosper. Tracks like “Welcome To The Party” and “Dior” have become unifying community anthems for a city that’s only begun to start grieving.

He was the breath of fresh air that Brooklyn drill had been gasping for since the incarceration of Bobby Shmurda. He was a staple in his community and brought together a coalition of influences in the music realm, from his infectious dances

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Upcoming Brooklyn drill rapper Pop Smoke tragically passed away this past month.

to the earth-shattering tone in his voice. While those in the Brooklyn drill scene knew the star power that Pop Smoke held at the time of his death, the rest of the world was just starting to catch up to the fire that started in Canarsie, Brooklyn.

Pop Smoke was a hometown hero.

When talking to my friend Stefan Bunbury, a longtime Crown Heights native and photographer, this notion became more apparent than ever. “You don’t understand, seeing someone come out of the same conditions I live in made me feel like I could do anything,” he told me.

“He just meant so much to Brooklyn, and it’s just different when someone walked the same streets you do. It’s just crazy to me he survived Canarsie, literally the most dangerous part of Brooklyn, only to get killed in Hollywood Hills.”

His artistry was held back by the oppressive forces that have plagued New York rap since its inception.

The NYPD has had a strong hold on Brooklyn drill music since it gained notoriety, and this effectively dampened the stardom that Pop Smoke was cultivating. The best example of this came in February when the NYPD denied Pop Smoke access to his homecoming coronation at Kings Theatre three days before he died.

Throughout his entire career, he was targeted by the police, and

the result of this was a king denied his kingdom. The oppression Pop Smoke and others in the drill community have suffered at the hands of the police may have held back his stardom while he was alive, but posthumously his legacy lives on.

Regardless of what held him back, his memoriam in Brooklyn focuses on what made him prosper. You cannot walk the streets of New York City without hearing his distinct voice, though now in the spirit of remembrance. Music that at one point lit up the party now serves as a timestamp for a much happier time in Brooklyn culture. However, the city has made sure that the music lives on, since the artist who created it was not given that opportunity.

There are so many aspects of his tragic story that strike a chord with me, but one particularly jarring aspect is that Pop Smoke was only 20 years old when he was killed. This has stuck with me heavily — that this artist, who was taking the world by storm, wasn’t even old enough to buy a beer when he was taken from us.

This is a horrible recurring aspect of hip-hop music, and specifically drill music. I had hoped would not plague the Brooklyn drill scene, yet it took its biggest star.

Pop Smoke had limitless potential and a sound that united continents, seeing as most of his production

came from the U.K. He was not only a household name in the tri-state area but a force to be reckoned with around the world.

One of the most notable aspects of Pop Smoke’s career was how hyper-local his music was, spawning Brooklyn lingo and dances connected to the music. Yet his music was viewed so affectionately worldwide.

His ability to create a sound that was so indistinguishably Brooklyn yet represented fan bases on different continents, is something that is so rare to hip-hop, and a skill Pop Smoke honed better than any modern rapper.

Pop Smoke is the king of New York. Though the title has been thrown around and diluted by any rising star in the New York music scene, seeing how far his music traveled and the effect his short-lived career had on the city makes this an undeniable fact.

Death cannot take the legacy that Pop Smoke left not only for the world, but the block, neighborhood, community and family he left behind. The mark he left cannot be washed away by the waves of tragedy, and the ripples of his legacy will live on forever. We may have lost the king, but the kingdom he created still remains to honor the memory of its fallen leader. Gone but never forgotten, rest in peace to the Brooklyn icon Pop Smoke.

Young Nudy Continues Flexing on “Anyways”

By ALEX FOGG

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Most music fans are used to waiting up every Thursday night to hear their favorite artist’s new music, but not fans of rising Atlanta rapper Young Nudy. On Monday, Nudy posted on Twitter, “Tomorrow 12:00 School Time #ANYwAySs No pad No pencil just instrumentals,” letting his fans know he would be dropping his anticipated album, “Anyways,” just in time for lunch, and blue cheese salad would be on the menu.

Nudy had an amazing 2019, as the much anticipated release of his joint album with Atlanta super producer Pierre Bourne, “Sli’merre,” was met with love from both old and new fans. He was also featured on arguably the hottest song never released that year, “Kid Cudi,” with Atlanta megastar Playboi Carti.

While this was a great look for Nudy as he aims to move his career forward, feature-heavy projects have never been Nudy’s style. His early work rarely featured other rappers besides close friends and associates, such as 21 Savage and other Zone 6 Atlanta rappers. On “Anyways,” Nudy returns to his roots by having no features on the album.

When I first saw there were no features, I became slightly worried as usually only the most creative and versatile rappers can pull off an hourlong featureless album. However,

Nudy proves to us that he is more than capable of carrying on his own.

I was not a fan of the first two songs “Understanding” and “No Go,” as I found the production to be uncharacteristically dull and repetitive along with Nudy’s rapping. Fortunately, the album picks up with the hard-hitting song “Blue Cheese Salad,” which follows Nudy’s tradition of naming songs after his favorite foods. The production on this song is right in Nudy’s bag and allows him to rap in all of his usual pockets as he tells us what we can expect for the rest of the album: “I told you, I only make stoner music / Gangster music, killer music,” while even throwing shade at Atlanta superstar rapper Gunna for his perceived fakeness.

Two tracks later, Nudy goes into what became my favorite song off the whole album, “A Nudy Story.”

The production on this song really stood out to me — there’s an eerie but soothing outer-space riff repeating throughout the whole track that blends perfectly with Nudy’s most personal and heartfelt lyrics.

Nudy describes his first robbery and reflects on his strained relationship with his father: “Daddy, man, I met him when I was seventeen, that shit hurt me / Grandma died, it brought my daddy around, was that s--- worth it? / My daddy left me out here for a b----, but I still forgive him.” His experience with his father can help explain why Nudy continues to return to the topic of loyalty in

his work and why he seems to value that over everything.

Nudy has always been credited with having one of the best ears for beats in music. He was one of the first to rap over Bourne’s beats. On “Anyways,” Nudy once again demonstrates his amazing ear.

While Bourne is absent from this album, Nudy instead chooses to showcase the skills of unknown producers 20 Rocket and Coupe, who produced the vast majority of the songs.

While these producers are able to show their talent for creating the trendier, hard up-tempo beats such as “A Nudy Story,” “I Won’t Flex” and “F---- Me Mean,” Nudy also showcases variety in his beat selection by enlisting producer Lamb for the nostalgic-sounding “That’s Why.” The beat features the same type of drippy piano keys that were heard on nearly every Atlanta trap beat during the middle of the last decade, a sound pioneered by the producer Zaytoven.

This beat sounds like something Future would have rapped over on “Beastmode.”

Towards the end of the album, the songs begin to sound more melodic, with Nudy experimenting with singing hooks. This is most apparent in “I Won’t Flex,” the most distinct-sounding song on the whole album. It has a much moodier beat that sounds like its underwater at times, and Nudy’s soft but infectious singing blends perfectly with it during the chorus.

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Atlanta sensation Young Nudy just released his new album “Anyways.”

“I flexin’ on purpose (know I’m flexin) / I know they wanna murder me (wanna murder me).” Even with such a morbid topic, the soft production works with Nudy’s lighter tone to express both his dedication to flexing and the agony he faces everyday while trying to flex.

Even if it’s not the last song, “Marathon” is a fitting end to “Anyways,” as it seems to truly encapsulate everything Nudy is rapping about the whole album. The production is firmly in Nudy’s comfort zone, sounding like something off his “Slimeball” tapes. He’s able to hit all his usual flows and pockets effortlessly while never sounding repetitive. In the sec-

ond verse, Nudy raps, “Loyalty over everything, they know how I rock / Never change for no fame, still on my block / Say when you get money that you’re ’posed to leave the block) / When I got enough money, I’m comin’ to buy the block.” Once again, Nudy raps about loyalty and tells us how he will always stay true to his origins and never stop supporting those that made him.

Even as Nudy gains more fame for his consistent output of amazing music, he makes sure to reassure his oldest fans and supporters that no matter where his career goes, nobody should be worried about Nudy changing anytime soon.

CULTURE

Page 14

March 4, 2020

Who’s That Kid? | It’s Brianna Leverty, FCRH ’20!

Senior Found Her Place in WFUV

By JIMMY SULLIVAN SPORTS EDITOR

Brianna Leverty, FCRH ’20, arrived at Fordham in 2016 after falling in love with the campus during a visit in high school.

“Someone recommended that I take a look at Fordham, and when I visited, I loved how it was such a perfect blend of a traditional college campus but still in a city,”

Leverty said. “New York was already one of my favorite places, so Fordham quickly became my top choice to go to school.”

Leverty grew up in Severna Park, Maryland, roughly 15 minutes outside of Annapolis. After taking her freshman year to find her way at Fordham, she looked to get more involved, joining WFUV’s sports department and looking at other clubs as well.

That experience has been overwhelming for Leverty, as she just completed a season covering the New York Giants and, most notably, covered last month’s Super Bowl between the 49ers and the Chiefs.

“The entire time I was in Miami, I felt like I needed to keep pinching myself, and it was definitely one of the best weeks of my life,” Leverty says. “My favorite

COURTESY OF LINKEDIN

Brianna Leverty, FCRH ‘20, pursues sports journalism for WFUV’s sports department.

part of the experience was being able to walk on the field after the game ended and the teams cleared out.”

Leverty and five of her classmates spent a portion of the week in Miami, taking part in the Super Bowl’s traditional “radio row” festivities in the days leading up to the game. There, she and her classmates interviewed over 30 guests, including broadcaster Kevin Harlan, former Fordham running back and current Arizona Cardinal Chase Edmonds, Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams and former mixed martial arts fighter Chael Sonnen, among others. Additionally, she was one of two beat reporters who got to watch the game in person as part of the credentialed media in Miami.

“You always see the game and celebrations afterwards on TV, but having the opportunity to be part of it is something I’ll never forget,” she says.

Leverty’s Super Bowl coverage comes at the tail end of a college career that has included covering the Giants and Rangers professionally, in addition to Fordham’s teams. Even though she started a year later than some of her counterparts, she has made her way to the front of the line thanks to hard work and dedication. She realizes that it takes time to find your place at college, and she advises younger students not to worry about hitting their stride right away.

“You’ll find your place at school, and when you do, you should vig-

orously pursue it,” Leverty says.

“You never know where it could lead you, both personally and professionally.”

Now, Leverty’s vigorous pursuit has led her to personal and professional opportunities most students could only dream of. She wrapped up an internship with “The Dr. Oz Show” last semester and is now interning at MSNBC for the spring semester. She said she doesn’t quite know what she will do after graduation, but she will have plenty of options after what she has accomplished over the past four years.

“I’ve been able to accomplish so many goals professionally that I never could have even imagined going into school as a freshman in 2016,” she says.

In her final game as WFUV’s Giants beat reporter this past season, she got to ask now-fired Giants coach Pat Shurmur a question.

Towards the end of his postgame presser after yet another frustrating loss to the Eagles, she plainly asked Shurmur if he had left the Giants in a better place than he found them the year before. It was a nearly perfect question, not just for the non-judgmental tone Leverty used in asking it but also the fact that Shurmur so clearly had not, with just eight wins to his name in two seasons.

The question led Shurmur to mind-numbingly proclaim that he had. Leverty, on the other hand, can honestly say the same about Fordham: she left it in a better place than she found it.

Nathaniel Rateliff Embraces Life on “And It’s Still Alright”

By ALEX WOLZ

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

My first engagement with Nathaniel Rateliff came during an August 2015 performance on “The Tonight Show.” Backed by the triumphant instrumentals of the Night Sweats, Nathaniel Rateliff’s riveting, soulful voice on what would become a hit single, “S.O.B.,” struck a deep chord within me.

After the performance, I listened to his self-titled debut album, “Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats,” and have been a follower ever since. An EP, “A Little Something More From,” would follow, and the Night Sweats would find their most polished sound yet on their second studio album in 2018, “Tearing at the Seams.” Yet, after numerous hits, live performances and unprecedented success, Nathaniel Rateliff returned to his roots with his first solo album since 2013, “And It’s Still Alright.”

Rateliff cites this album as an important personal experience.

Following a divorce from his wife and the death of producer and longtime friend Richard Swift, Rateliff used this album as both an outlet for pain and a means of moving forward. There is a tone

of despair matched with a sense of beauty that, as the title suggests, is the lasting message of Rateliff’s latest work.

That message comes through in a variety of pieces, some more memorable than others. Rateliff’s opening track, “What a Drag,” possesses a vintage aura and succeeds in its simplicity. Other songs hold a similar tone, such as the raucous, albeit meaningless, “Expecting To Lose,” which does appear half-written, as I have seen other reviews suggest. “You Need Me,” written during his marriage, exudes a childlike fantasy with Rateliff’s more soft-spoken voice, while “Mavis” — supposedly not influenced by Rateliff’s friend and soul icon Mavis Staples — finds that lighthearted nature in the uplifting sounds coupled with its chorus. On the other hand, “Kissing Our Friends” tells of love lost, exemplifying the differing emotions of Rateliff’s life experiences.

Many of the earlier songs ensue in this passive manner. “Tonight #2” is a fitting example: an ideal background song with Rateliff’s voice at the forefront, filling in the gaps with peaceful melodic rhythms that evoke the forest on the album’s cover. For some songs, like the aforementioned

“Tonight #2,” this style is largely successful, despite being different from what recent fans have come to expect. For other songs, those softer moments teeter on monotony, only finding life at certain moments, as is the case with “All Or Nothing,” which does not reach its stride until the latter half.

However, it is these softer moments that display Rateliff’s multifaceted artistic talent and make the album’s more memorable pieces stand tall.

One such piece is “Time Stands,” which Rateliff says he almost did not finish for fear that no one would like it. That same song is by far my favorite of the album, putting me at a standstill almost every time. The chorus — “Time stands in a duel and I stand for you” — is one of Rateliff’s best, and his voice, in all its anguish and desperation, makes it all the more memorable.

“Rush On,” a six-minute endurance test, with longing apparent throughout, is equally influential.

Then there is the title track, one that seems to summarize all that the album is about, with moments of despair but a positive takeaway.

Ultimately, while some songs emerge as a bit meaningless, others stand out as some of the best work Rateliff has done yet. Com-

pared to his original solo pieces, his latest represents a man who has achieved successes, yet is willing to embrace the struggles as well. As Rateliff says, those struggles are important to acknowledge, with this album acting as his way of moving through the pain.

Ultimately, this album is most important to Rateliff himself, and it is that value, elevated by an unrivaled voice, that grounds it throughout and, at its strongest moments, drives home the message of faith and gratitude with unabridged clarity.

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Nathaniel Ratecliff’s new album deals with themes such as fame and loss.

March 4, 2020

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Editor’s Pick | Fashion

The Fashion Industry Evolves With the Times

By MAX QUINTAS

BUISNESS DIRECTOR

While I wouldn’t call myself a fashionista, I’d say clothing is a semi-important part of my life. I like to think that I have a somewhat original style. While I wouldn’t call my attire flashy, I feel like I usually get a fair amount of compliments on the way I dress, which I like, because I think the way I dress is, in some ways, a reflection of who I am and what I like.

That said, as we started a new decade, we realized that a wardrobe change may soon be necessary. It’s no secret that the fashion industry is

always on the move, and I’d hate to be left in the dust. But with that realization came a big question: what direction is fashion going in 2020?

Now I’m no expert, but to figure it out, I decided to look at trends that were popular in the past decade as a starting point. The 2010s were an interesting time to say the least with regards to fashion.

Of the most notable trends, we saw the emergence of athleisure, ’90s skater and grunge styles, the rise of streetwear in collaboration with luxury brands and more gender-neutral clothing options, among many others. However, the biggest thing to hit the world of fashion in

the 2010s was not any particular piece of clothing or style; it was actually social media.

A lot of people often talk about the negative consequences of social media in the day-to-day life of the average person. But, if there is one positive takeaway from social media, it’s that it gives everyone a platform to express themselves. When it comes to fashion specifically, the result of that open discussion is a world that is much more flexible and interactive.

Prior to social media, if you wanted to know what was in style, you had to look to magazines and catwalks, which essentially left very

little creative freedom in the hands of anyone outside of the industry.

What is considered “fashionable” isn’t so black and white anymore because people outside of the industry can grow a following online and promote their own idea of what stylish apparel looks like.

You can wear whatever you think is cool, showcase it to millions of other people and before you know it, you’ve started a trend, regardless of what pompous designers and fashion critics have to say. There’s just so much more subjectivity in the world now.

Recognizing all of this, it’s difficult to predict what the landscape

of fashion will look like this coming decade. The current state of the industry allows for much more freedom and fluidity in apparel than the world has ever really seen. This isn’t to say that trends won’t exist, but I don’t think they will exist within as strict guidelines.

No one could have predicted the extent to which this new platform could have effected the fashion industry, but I’m grateful for it.

I have no issue with high-culture or high fashion, but I think it’s good that people can explore their options and feel free to express themselves without worrying about what some model in Paris is wearing.

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Social media, especially apps such as Instagram, has helped to popularize streetwear, a style trend characterized by brands such as Supreme (left), Off-White (middle) and Balenciaga (right).

The Fordham Ram Crossword: A Bunch of Words That Do Not Relate At All Across 1. Metal fastener 5. Buddhist monk who has attained Nirvana 10. One of the five W’s 14. Romance lang.

15. Cash 16. Quiet 17. N.Y. state specific mortgage 18. “Like _ ____ from the blue”

19. “__ __ excited” 20. Those who coat with a hard, glossy finish 22. Winnebago owner, briefly 23. Fastener 24. Like a movie, to a critic 27. However, briefly 28. “__ ____ _ ____?” “No, this is a crayon” Vine quote 32. Highlander 34. Keanan of “Step by Step” 35. Battery size

36. Dan of “Ghostbusters” 39. PC key + grammar subject 41. Biz abbr.

42. Important part of a shoelace 44. Magician saying 45. Gift bag padding 48. British YouTuber 51. In an impoverished way 52. Performed 54. Stitch 56. Provider of music on the go?

58. “I cannot tell _ ___” 59. Remove 60. Soul singer Bridges 61. Pottery oven 62. Hoity’s partner 63. Late night Jay 64. Cardinal direction 65. Scottish slopes 66. Break up _ ___

ANSWERS FROM ISSUE 4

1. Most pleasant 2. Next after a ninth 3. 1996 Simon and Garfunkel hit 4. Pack animal 5. George Clooney’s wife 6. Mr. Frost 7. Cheers 8. Are you in good hands?

9. Body art, for short 10. Vortex 11. Desert Storm vehicle 12. African fox 13. Son of Odin 21. Conclusion 25. Just one small bite

ANSWERS IN ISSUE 7

Down

BY KEVIN DINEEN

26. Casino game 29. Fashioned 30. ___ de Cologne 31. Dapper lad’s name 33. Obliteration 36. Performance 37. “Will it ever stop? _ __ don’t know...” (“Ice Ice Baby” lyric) 38. Artist, of a sort 40. Acorn producers

43. Mercury’s winged sandals 46. Escargot 47. Fool’s gold 49. “___ ___, do one, teach one” method 50. Words of denial 53. Room in a Greek temple 54. Japanese rice wine 55. Director Kazan 57. 1974 CIA spoof film 59. Religious deg.

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March 4, 2020

Lil Baby’s Vulnerabilities Shine on “My Turn”

By ALEXANDRA LANGE STAFF WRITER

Three years ago, few had heard of Lil Baby. Today, he is arguably the hottest rapper in the industry.

Already reaching milestones of which most young artists could only dream, his long list of accolades includes a top 10 album on the Billboard 200 Chart, 24 entries on the Hot 100 Chart, Grammy and Billboard nominations and more.

In 2017, his first year on the rap scene, Lil Baby dropped four projects. He followed that up with three more in 2018, including his first studio album “Harder Than Ever.” Seven projects and over 100 songs in two years is a feat for a veteran artist, and it is even more impressive considering Lil Baby did it with virtually no prior rapping experience.

In 2019, though, he took a break and focused on improving his skills as a rapper. He told Billboard he feels he is now at least “20 times” better at rapping than he was when he put out his first studio album. The pressure was high for Lil Baby to shine on his sophomore album, especially considering the year he blew up was the year he didn’t drop any music.

It is clear he made the most of his year off, as Lil Baby returns hotter than ever on “My Turn.”

Not only have his technical skills noticeably improved, but his emotional sincerity also has become more evident.

With these improvements, Lil Baby has a track for every listener

and vibe on “My Turn.” As he told Billboard, “I put a lot of songs on my album, and I got something that’ll touch everyone. I have songs for the streets, songs for my concert fans, songs the ladies will like and songs that’ll touch people who are really going through it.”

“Sum 2 Prove,” “No Sucker” and “Woah” are for the Lil Baby fans who like to blast their speakers cruising around the city. “Catch The Sun,” which also appeared on the “Queen & Slim” soundtrack, appeals to his female audience with its chill guitar beat. “Gang Signs” is sure to be a club hit, sampling ’90s rap group Three 6 Mafia and featuring multiple flow switches by Lil Baby.

Continuing to push his limits as a rapper, Lil Baby opens up and shows his vulnerable side on the album, particularly on “Emotionally Scarred” and “Can’t Explain.”

He reflects on his pre-fame life and the toll his upbringing had on his mindset on these tracks, telling The New York Times he doesn’t miss his old life at all. Lil Baby moves away from the hood rap of his early career and its heavy drug references, hoping to show a more authentic side of himself instead of trying to fit the stereotype of an “Atlanta rapper.”

Lil Baby is anything but the stereotypical rapper, though, and “My Turn” makes it clear that he is more comfortable with himself than ever. Unlike many other rappers’ huge personalities and frequent gimmicks, Lil Baby prefers to keep quiet about his personal life.

His low-key personality is seen through his choice of features on “My Turn,” as they are all within his circle of close friends. Young Thug, whom Baby credits for helping launch his rap career, appears on the Wheezy-produced “We Should.”

Gunna is featured on “Heatin Up,” an early fan favorite, in which the frequent collaborators flex their new lives and cut off their competition in the streets. Lil Baby also collabs with up-and-comers Rylo Rodriguez and 42 Dugg, artists he has signed to his own 4 Pockets Full label.

The only exception to Baby’s close-knit group of collabs is Lil Uzi Vert on “Commercial.” Immediately rising as an album stand out, “Commercial” has a deeper meaning hidden beneath the spectacle of rap’s two biggest artists teaming up. The song is Lil Baby’s commitment to staying true to himself and never going “commercial” despite his rise to stardom.

Along with its team of all-star features, “My Turn” also delivers on the production side from start to finish. Tay Keith reunites with Lil Baby to produce some of the hardest beats on the project, pushing himself outside his trademark bass-heavy sound. He plays around with a summery guitar on the upbeat “Same Thing” and takes notes from the sounds of Atlanta on “Commercial.”

The album also features upand-coming producers, such as Twysted Genius on four tracks and Hagan (who also produced NBA Youngboy’s most recent chart-

topper “Lil Top”) whose energetic piano melody on “Solid” is the perfect outro for Lil Baby’s sophomore project.

Lil Baby proves to the world that it is his turn to shine on his

latest project. Set to become his first No. 1 album, “My Turn” will undoubtedly elevate Lil Baby to the top of the rap hierarchy and prove that he is one of the game’s best for 2020 and beyond.

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Lil Baby released his album “My Turn” on Feb. 28 after a year long break.

Bad Bunny Does What He Wants on “YHLQMDLG”

By SARA TSUGRANIS STAFF WRITER

“YHLQMDLG,” Bad Bunny’s much anticipated second solo album, has finally been released after all of the teasing.

After two well-received singles, “Vete” and “Ignorantes,” everyone knew Bad Bunny would drop an album. He hinted at the album’s name in multiple posts with captions or hashtags of “YHLQMDLG” on Instagram and Twitter. Bad Bunny even sneakily tweeted many lyrics from songs on the album.

When the single “Ignorantes” was released on Valentine’s Day, Bad Bunny tweeted he would not return to Twitter until the album was released, but he did, which left fans confused. He finally confirmed the album’s release date and revealed the cover art on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” on Feb. 27.

The album was released on Feb. 29 at midnight — Puerto Rico time, of course. “YHLQMDLG” presents themes of complicated love, partying with pride in Puerto Rico and Bad Bunny’s roots with a bittersweet message.

“YHLQMDLG” successfully continues Bad Bunny’s use of storytelling. The album starts with “Si Veo a Tu Mama,” sampling the famous Brazilian bossa nova and jazz track “The Girl from Ipanema.” In this track, Bad Bunny speaks to an

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Bad Bunny’s new album “YHLQMDLG” was released on Feb. 29 explores themes of love and partying in Puerto Rico.

ex-girlfriend he misses.

He still loves her, but he knows the relationship was not best for him and that she does not love him anymore. He says if he sees her mother, he will ask if she has found someone to make her happy. The song’s upbeat and fun melody distracts from the heartbreaking lyrics.

“Que Malo” has the most intriguing narrative. Bad Bunny and Ñengo Flow sing from the perspective of two men involved with the same woman. Ñengo Flow was once the lover she had cheated on with Bad Bunny. Both men criticize each oth-

er, but ultimately come to the same conclusion that she was never really theirs, but the other man’s. It is a romantic drama presented with a classic reggaeton beat and a bittersweet tune.

The song with the most different sound from Bad Bunny’s usual music is “25/8.” It has classic characteristics of trap music like Auto-Tune and snare beats, but with a melancholic whine underlying the main beat that sounds like a violin.

Bad Bunny hits high notes while still rapping in his very identifiable deep voice. The theme of rags to

riches appears in “25/8,” as well as the much anticipated collaboration with Anuel AA, “Está Cabrón Ser Yo.” Bad Bunny raps about still being “street” and aware of his roots and tough upbringing despite the great fame and wealth he now has.

Every song on “YHLQMDLG,” whether it contains heartbreaking or playful lyrics, is danceable. A Bad Bunny album would not be a Bad Bunny album without new songs to make you dance.

The hefty 20-track album ends with “<3,” a sweet “thank you” to all of Bad Bunny’s supporters. Howev-

er, the last lyrics have sent fans into a whirlwind. Bad Bunny says in nine months he will release a new album, then retire. Bad Bunny makes it clear that this is a necessary decision. The lyrics state that he already does not sleep, and he bluntly raps that fame has made him sick.

“YHLQMDLG” stands for “Yo Hago Lo Que Me Da La Gana,” which translates to “I do whatever I want.” Bad Bunny has built his reputation doing what he wants. He bends gender norms, often wearing bright acrylic nails — silver during his Super Bowl performance. Bad Bunny participated in the protests in Puerto Rico in 2019 with other Puerto Rican artists calling for the resignation of former Governor Ricardo Rosselló.

After announcing his album cover and release date on “The Tonight Show,” Bad Bunny changed into a skirt and a shirt that said “Mataron a Alexa, no a un hombre con falda” for his performance of “Ignorantes.” This translates to “They killed Alexa, not a man with a skirt.” This refers to the recent cruel murder of a transgender woman named Alexa in Puerto Rico.

Bad Bunny is not afraid to be controversial. “YHLQMDLG” pushes the message that he will continue to do whatever he wants no matter what anyone thinks, even if he steps out of the spotlight.

RAM

March 4, 2020

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“The Circle” Plays At Our Desire To Connect

By KELLY CHRIST OPINION EDITOR

At first glance, Netflix’s latest reality show “The Circle” seems like another over-dramatized and outlandish competition filled with contestants hoping to find fame.

However, upon further viewing, it becomes apparent that “The Circle’’ mirrors the very real — yet still outlandish — way we use social media every day.

A remake of the British program of the same name, Netflix’s “The Circle” first premiered in January. The contestants are kept isolated in individual apartments, communicating solely via a social network called “The Circle.” The goal is to rise in popularity, as ranked by their fellow players, and become an influencer. Those who fall in the rankings risk being blocked or eliminated from the show.

Contestants are not required to play as themselves — as is the nature of the internet — thus leaving the possibility of catfish lurking around.

With a rather ridiculous premise, it may seem strange to think that parallels could be made to real life.

Nevertheless, the tactics used by the contestants to foster an appealing persona and connect with others via social media are quite realistic.

The Wired’s review of the show praised its ability to dramatize the common experiences of social media use, asking, “A reality show about people alone in their rooms trying to be cool online — could anything be more cursed?”

“The Circle” has drawn obvi-

ous comparisons to another Netflix program, “Black Mirror,” but it may not be as exaggerated a portrayal of technology as we would like it to be.

When we interact with others on social media, we are, more often than not, alone. We amplify false perceptions by sharing only the most perfect snapshots of our lives online. Just like in “The Circle,” our ability to pass these images off as our honest reality leads to the best reception from followers.

The social media platform depicted on “The Circle” is voice activated — meaning the contestants sit in their rooms talking to themselves, saying phrases like “heart emoji, send” one too many times. While this may seem tedious at first, it serves as a reminder that exchanges on the internet are grounded in real human communication. With the messages all read aloud, the lines are blurred

between digital and in person interactions.

In today’s world, many of our social exchanges occur in a digital manner. Though this often fosters more convenience and connectivity, there are immense downsides. Whether it be a breakup over text message or a friendship ended via Snapchat, virtual communication can easily take a turn for the worse when essential confrontations are avoided through technology.

The humanity that underlies these interactions is often lost in translation, as we can avoid seeing the other person’s reaction face-to-face. While we think that it may be easier to communicate through these platforms, it largely does us all a disservice.

Throughout the season, contestants constantly value “real” interactions and connections with the others. The cast members who formed

bonds with other players and remained loyal to those alliances often performed the best. However, with potential catfish abound and all interactions taking place via “The Circle,” it is hard to infer whether one could consider any of these connections real.

Still, “The Circle” demonstrates that connections fostered online are not inherently shallow. As one of the final contestants explained upon meeting the others in person, “I genuinely feel the love in this room, the connections that we made.”

There is a universal nature in how people form connections, both online and offline. “The Circle” shows how social media exploits the desire for each of us to reach out and connect with one another.

The most effective tool on the show proved to be loyalty and sense of sincerity, even when it might have

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

“The Circle,” a Netflix original reality TV show, explores the way people connect and interact online.

been falsified.

On the internet, there is not a single person who honestly portrays themselves. Instagram sees only our best angles, Twitter only our wittiest jokes and Facebook our happiest moments. This is not to say that these are not real, but rather that they hide the complete and far more complicated picture.

We all struggle to recognize the multitudes that exist in one another.

When we see gorgeous “candid” shots posted by friends, we are often filled with intense jealousy. But what we fail to consider each time is that, like us, these friends are likely carefully watching the likes and comments they receive and worrying about whether they will be enough.

“The Circle” is a light-hearted reminder that everyone is fake online, yet we all crave authenticity and admire those who portray it best. The world is changing, and the way that we communicate has been forever altered by the omnipresence of technology in modern life. These changes are fascinating and frightening all at once.

We cannot make the sweeping generalization that all social media use is harmful to a user’s mental health — although it certainly can be.

There are nuanced levels to all technology use, and “The Circle” reminds us that we all have the same concerns about how we appear online.

Hopefully, with shows like this, we can learn to laugh at the ridiculousness of social media and maybe make some genuine connections along the way.

Pilot Pete’s Turbulent Season of “The Bachelor”

By TAYLOR MASCETTA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

It was the pop heard around the world. This year’s bachelor, Peter “Pilot Pete” Weber, was enjoying his night with his First Impression Rose recipient Hannah Ann. As the two waltzed around Bachelor Mansion, the pair came across a smartly placed bottle of champagne by the fireplace.

The two decided to enjoy it, but little did they know, Kelsey from Iowa had brought the bottle from home in order to share it for a “special moment” with Weber. Therefore, chaos ensued, leading to champagne spewing all over Kelsey’s face.

Every single year, the seemingly immortal Bachelor host, Chris Harrison, claims “This year’s season of ‘The Bachelor’ will be the most dramatic yet.” Usually, the audience rolls their eyes, wondering what the producers could possibly come up with this year. Remarkably, Weber’s season may actually be the most overthe-top, crazy and absolutely diabolic one ever.

The reality show entered its 24th season in 2020 and shows no signs of slowing down. Just this year alone, “The Bachelor” already has four spinoffs following its finale, including a singing competition, a senior citizen edition of the show and beloved veterans “The Bachelorette” and “Bachelor in Paradise.”

The sheer absurdity of the drama on the show keeps viewers coming back for more. We can’t get enough

of the classic “Can I steal you for a sec?”’ moments and Fantasy Suites, and nobody knows why. The easiest explanation is that everyone needs a little bit of trashy reality TV in their lives.

To put it simply, this season has a lot of turbulence. The beloved pilot, who did “it” four times in a windmill with Hannah Brown on the 15th season of “The Bachelorette,” returned for a second chance at love but had no idea what his season would entail.

Hannah Ann and Kelsey’s champagne battle was just the beginning.

In week three, the first “Is she here for the right reasons?” debate emerged around Alayah, a pageant queen whose voice conveniently went up three octaves in pitch when she spoke with Weber. Another contestant, Sydney, accused her of being “fake,” leading to Weber ousting Alayah from the house, only to bring her back a week later. That did not go over well with the rest of the girls, and Alayah quickly found herself packing her bags again.

Then there’s Victoria F., the single most infuriating character this season. Every episode ends with her either crying, claiming she’s shy and meek or yelling at someone. In the episode involving an “exotic” trip to Cleveland, producers decided to act extra evil and have her ex-boyfriend, Chase Rice, perform at her and Weber’s one-on-one. Offscreen, gossip sites exposed her past modeling gigs with White Lives Matter and her multiple affairs with married men.

But for some inexplicable reason, she made it to the final three.

Besides these women, every single contestant on the season acts as the season’s “villain” at one point or another. There are no heroes (except for Madison and Kelley, the latter sent home before her time). Sydney, Alayah’s accuser, claimed she spent her entire senior year hiding from bullies in the bathroom, but uncovered yearbook pictures tell a very different story: she was allegedly homecoming queen. So who’s the liar now?

McKenna loved Weber a little too much: when he simply talked to another girl, she sobbed, cried and licked her lips. When Weber finally put her out of her misery and sent her home, she gave a speech any Pinterest quote account would be proud to feature.

However, there’s still a few fanfavorites left in the mix. Even after the champagne situation, Kelsey won over many hearts in Bachelor Nation through her genuine connection with Weber. (Her love wasn’t enough to save her during Hometowns, unfortunately.) Kelley’s carefree, relaxed attitude also served as a breath of fresh air following the other girls’ craziness.

Both seemed to be top contenders for the highly coveted position as “Bachelorette,” until ABC shocked Bachelor Nation by announcing that Clare Crawley, runner up from the 2014 “Bachelor” season would be handing out roses next season.

There’s just one problem surrounding Weber’s season as a whole:

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

This season of “The Bachelor” features pilot Peter (Pete) Weber.

he’s a loveable idiot that has no idea what he’s going to do at the end of this. He says he wants a relationship with an engaged, loyal partner, but then he eliminates Kelsey — the only woman who seemed to have absolutely no doubts about him — in favor of the wishy-washy Victoria F. He says he’s falling in love with Madison, but after she tells him she’ll probably walk away if he sleeps with anyone during Fantasy Suites, he still sleeps with both Hannah Ann and Victoria F. The list goes on and on.

Throughout the season, the contestants and fans have been infuriated with his questionable decisions and inconsistent track record of cocktail parties this season. There are two weeks left until the finale, and no one knows what he’s going to do.

We’re not even sure if Weber himself knows. There’s even an unconfirmed rumor spreading that he ends up with a producer, instead of any of the girls. Weber needs a reality check, and fast — maybe smashing his head against a golf cart in Costa Rica messed with his head a little bit.

Nevertheless, the drama shows no signs of slowing down. Madison walked away from Weber after he slept with the other women, and he seems absolutely crushed. Promotional videos show his mother crying and shaking her head, begging her son “not to let her go.”

It feels as if Madison is about to walk away with the whole thing.

Honestly, if anyone but Victoria F wins his heart, Bachelor Nation will be pleased.

Page 18

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March 4, 2020

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March 4, 2020

Page 19

Beyond the Scoreboard: Celebrating Black History in Fordham Athletics

By ANDREW POSADAS MANAGING EDITOR

Considering that we here at The Fordham Ram did not print for the final week of February, I felt it was imperative to use this edition of Beyond the Scoreboard to highlight Black History Month, specifically in Fordham Athletics.

In this issue, I want to highlight one of the most successful athletes to have played at Fordham , former Fordham Men’s Basketball star guard Kenneth Charles, FCRH ’73.

Known by coaches, teammates and people around Rose Hill as “K.C.,” Charles played on the hardwood for the Rams from 1970-73. It is universally agreed upon by longtime Fordham fans that the 1970-71 men’s basketball team is undoubtedly the best squad ever seen at the historic Rose Hill Gymnasium. Charles was a sophomore in that season which saw the Rams finish with a 26-3 overall record, rank as high as seventh in the nation and earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Charles’ Hall of Fame Plaque in the Rose Hill Gym.

Led by rookie head coach Richard “Digger” Phelps and a starting lineup that featured just one player over 6’5”, Charles finished as the second leading scorer on the team. He averaged 15 points per game, along with five rebounds in just his first year starting for the varsity team. On Feb. 18 of 1971, the squad had its biggest win of the regular season when Fordham beat 14th-ranked University of Notre Dame in front of a sold out crowd at the newly-built Madison Square Garden.

The win propelled Fordham into the top 20 at No. 18, with the momentum carrying over into the NCAA tournament. Ultimately, the Rams would fall to Villanova University 85-75 in the East Regional Semifinal.

The team finished out the season by defeating the University of South Carolina 100-90 in the East Regional Third Place game, tying a bow on the most successful season in the program’s history.

For context, no Fordham men’s basketball team has won more than 26 games in a season since, with the closest being the 199091 team which won 25 games that year.

When talking about that team, Charles described it as a once-ina-lifetime experience while adding, “What made that team was the camarderie. It was incredible.

Just incredible.”

Charles would play two more seasons at Fordham, averaging over 20 points in both years, on his way to becoming a two-time team captain. In the 1972-73 campaign, Charles set the school record for most points in a season with 679 in his senior year.

Charles finished his senior season averaging 24.3 points per game, the fourth best all-time in school history.

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Charles led the Rams to one of the best seasons in program history and is equally as influential off the court.

Accumulating 1,697 points in his collegiate career, Charles graduated as Fordham’s third alltime leading scorer and currently ranks seventh on the list. From there, Charles was selected in the second round of the National Basketball Association (NBA) draft by the Buffalo Braves. He played in Buffalo for three seasons before going to Atlanta to play on the Hawks for two seasons.

Charles’ production in the NBA was not as statistically impressive as his numbers were at Fordham. Charles averaged 8.5 points and 2.5 assists over five seasons, and notably led all NBA guards in blocked shots during the 1975-76 season.

However, his story does not end there. Charles earned a bachelor’s degree in political science upon graduation. His career postbasketball included becoming an NBA analyst for ESPN and going

back to college, ultimately obtaining a law degree.

Charles would also give back to the game that helped him become just the second black athlete drafted to the NBA from Fordham and the first Afro-Trinidadian born player to do so. Charles became a head coach of the Brooklyn Kings of the United States Basketball league from 1999 to 2007, earning Coach of the Year honors in 2005.

In 2011, Charles was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame, along with the likes of former New York Knicks president Donnie Walsh and former George Mason University men’s basketball coach Jim Larranaga.

On February 23 of last year, Charles would finally have his no.

44 jersey retired and hung in the rafters of Rose Hill gym, something long-awaited considering he was inducted into the Fordham Athletics Hall of Fame back in

1980 and was the third black athlete to be inducted at that time.

Now, at age 68, Charles works for the New York City Department of Social Services, where he is a special advisor for Intergovernmental and Legislative Affairs in the Human Resources Administration and the Department of Homeless Services. His love for the empire state runs deep, and Charles focuses a majority of his time helping those less fortunate throughout the five boroughs.

As someone who grew up in Brooklyn, Charles believes it is his duty to give back to the city that welcomed him and his family when they immigrated from Trinidad and Tobago to Brooklyn when he was a young child.

Charles does not plan on slowing down anytime soon, keeping the passion and desire he developed on the basketball court and utilizing it in his life today.

Squash Crowned 2020 Chaffee Cup Champions

By JIMMY SULLIVAN SPORTS EDITOR

Fordham Squash entered this season trying to win its second straight Chaffee Cup title at the CSA (College Squash Association) Team Championships. The Rams did so last season for the first time in recent memory, and despite some early hurdles, this year’s team looked primed to accomplish the same feat.

This past weekend, the Rams did just that.

Fordham claimed back-to-back Chaffee Cups as the Rams defeated Washington University (Missouri), New York University and Hobart College in Boston, Massachusetts. The first match against Washington was the easiest of the weekend. Senior William Douglass won his opening match over Washington’s Russell Scharf in four sets; elsewhere, all but one Fordham individual match was decided in straight sets and Fordham moved on to the semifinals.

The team’s next match against NYU on Saturday was slightly more difficult but never quite in doubt.

Douglass and Patrick Rodden won the opening two matches of the day over Hamaad Jefry and Tyler Kang, respectively. Things got a little more interesting in the

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As they have all season, Fordham showed its resilience to win the Chaffee Cup for the second year in a row.

third match, as the Violets’ Liam Pope took down Fordham junior Tommy White in an exciting fiveset match to get NYU back in it for the time being. The match turned in the next individual contest, as Fordham junior Griffin Fitzgerald was pushed to the wall

by NYU’s Andre Megliola. Megliola took a two sets to one lead on Fitzgerald entering the fourth set,

but Fitzgerald, who finished the year with a 20-8 record, buckled down and won the next two difficult sets, 11-9 and 11-8, respectively. The teams split the next two matches, and Fordham junior Justin Deckoff clinched the victory — and an appearance in the final for Fordham — with his win over Gene Chung.

With Saturday’s victory, Ford-

ham stood just one win away from another Chaffee Cup title. The only team standing in the way was Hobart College, and nothing came easy for Fordham in its attempt to win another championship.

The Rams started in a hole at the outset of the match. Douglass, Rodden and White all lost their matches, and after three

matches, Hobart was just two victories away from swiping the Chaffee Cup away from Fordham. But Fordham turned the match around behind Fitzgerald, who once again went the distance against James Mazzarelli. In the deciding fifth set, Fitzgerald came out on top in a dominant 11-0 performance. Senior Bruce Czachor and sophomore Jack Reed won their next two matches to tie it at three apiece. Fordham needed to win two of the next three matches to win the trophy, but Hobart’s Quran Davis won the next match to complicate things further for the Rams.

As Fordham did all season, the team had a response.

Sophomore Dylan Panichello forced a winner-take-all ninth match with his victory over Charlie Beall of Hobart in straight sets.

With the Rams’ season on the line, it came down to freshman Jacob Bennett, and he delivered with a straight-sets victory to give Fordham its second straight Chaffee Cup win.

What is next for Fordham is unclear. What is clear is this: the last two Fordham Squash seasons have been historic, and the likes of them may not be repeated again for a long, long time.

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March 4, 2020

Student-Athlete Column: To The Girl Dads

By KELLY BRIGHT

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Shortly after Kobe Bryant’s tragic passing, ESPN anchor Elle Duncan gave an emotional on-air recount of a personal interaction with Bryant that has since touched millions.

While many others also shared heart-warming anecdotes, stories and moving tributes about the basketball icon, Duncan’s message spread particularly wide. Bryant’s athletic achievements are impressive, but the most important aspect of his legacy is arguably his relationship with his daughters, specifically Gianna (or Gigi), who lost her life in the same accident. Duncan captures this sentiment — the love and support of a father for his daughter — at the end of the segment. Choking up and fighting back tears, she stares into the camera and says, “I suppose that the only small source of comfort for me is knowing that he died doing what he loved the most: being a dad, being a girl dad.”

A girl dad. Literally, it means the father of a female child, but figuratively, it means so much more.

This past month, hearing and reading so many different people’s accounts of their personal “girl dad” relationships led me to reflect on my own. As hard as it is for me to admit, I honestly took my dad and

all the effort he poured into my development as an athlete for granted when I was younger, and it took time, space and a whole lot of growing up to realize that.

My dad is from Lynn, a poor inner-city neighborhood in Massachusetts where many were lucky to get out alive, let alone play a sport in college. His parents were hardly around, especially his own father, and because his family never really had anything, he spent most of his life dedicated to making sure that one day his children would never go through what he did. My dad was a two-sport college athlete and was determined that at least one of his kids would follow in his footsteps, regardless of his or her gender.

The most important thing he ever taught me was that nothing in life will ever be handed to you. You have to work hard consistently and tirelessly if you want a chance at being successful. He pushed me to do what no one else was doing, and although I used to resent him for it, today I am truly grateful.

Despite juggling multiple jobs, enduring incessant pain from countless surgeries, battling a severe eye disease (he’s legally blind now) and dealing with everything else parents go through and try to hide from their kids, my dad still found time every single day to prac-

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Kobe Bryant’s tragic death also brought his fatherhood into the spotlight for many of his fans.

tice with me. He’d wake up early to drive me to workouts, stay up late to show me technique videos and even spend the weekends coaching my travel teams. It didn’t matter if it was rebounding free throws, feeding a hitting machine for hours or pushing me to do an extra set of sprints, my dad was always there. Not everyone is fortunate enough to say that.

To have a dad who wholeheartedly supports me as a female athlete has changed my life in ways I can’t even begin to articulate. He’s done so much more than help me participate in sports. He follows profes-

sional women’s sports with genuine interest and advocates for equality at all levels, showing me that if a Catholic, middle-aged northeastern white male gets it, then realistically anyone can. My dad encourages me to pursue a career in sports journalism regardless of the risk in that industry and always brags about my accomplishments in the field so far.

Most importantly, he believes in me. He has more confidence in my softball than I do, and he speaks my dreams into existence louder than I do.

What I used to think was over-

bearing, pushy or at times downright cruel, I now see as fundamentally loving and selfless. I would not be where I am today without him.

Now a “girl dad” doesn’t have to be blood related, they don’t even have to be male, but whoever that person is in your life, make sure you send them a little extra love. If we’ve learned anything in these recent weeks, it’s that people can be taken from you in an instant, and you never know when you’ll speak to them for the last time. So dad, if you’re reading this, I love you and thank you for everything.

Softball Makes Strides in Florida Gulf Coast Classic

By EMMANUEL BERBARI STAFF WRITER

Fordham responded to adversity in a big way at the Florida Gulf Coast Spring Break Classic last weekend, making the most of its third challenging destination of the young 2020 season.

The Rams dropped the first two, 4-1 and 3-1 decisions to Southern Illinois University and Florida Gulf Coast University, respectively, and saw their record drop to 1-11 and losing streak plunge to seven.

“We sat after and talked it over as a team and decided that we needed to do something different and really come together on the field,” Aughinbaugh said. “We did that, and I think we all did a great job of buying into the process for the last three games of the weekend and it showed.”

Freshman Devon Miller was sturdy in the opener, permitting four runs across 5.1 innings, but two sixth-inning home runs haunted the Rams, who were thoroughly dominated by Southern Illionois freshman hurler Sarah Harness.

Senior Madie Aughinbaugh followed suit with an even better effort, surrendering seven hits and three runs in a complete game loss to FGC. Fordham could not garner any pressure offensively, mustering four hits, with Aughinbaigh knocking in the lone run on an error.

With two losses using their onetwo punch atop the rotation, the Rams needed a spark behind junior Anne Marie Prentiss, who took the circle against Harvard University.

She delivered to start Saturday in style, holding the Crimson to two runs (both unearned) in her second career complete game and first victory of the season, fanning a careerhigh six and allowing only three hits and one walk. With the game tied at two in the seventh, staff ace Aughinbaugh came through at the dish,

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Devon Miller (left) and Madie Aughinbaugh (right) have emerged as top pitchers for Fordham Softball in the early part of the season. drilling a walk-off double to the leftcenter field gap, scoring sophomore Sarah Taffet all the way from first.

With the 3-2 victory, the Rams rediscovered life that had been nonexistent over the previous seven games and carried it into the nightcap.

In game two, Aughinbaugh tied her career-high with nine full innings pitched in an extra-inning affair with UMass Lowell, struck out a season-high nine batters and picked up her first win of the year.

“Nope,” she swiftly said in re-

sponse to any doubt she would reach the finish line, “That was my game.”

Aubree Barney’s sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth scored Aughinbaugh from third and was all the reigning Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the year would need. A quick 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the ninth gave the Ram captain her first win of the season.

“I think my catcher and I worked well together,” Aughinbaugh said. “We were getting into a good rhythm and on the same page about pitch calling. We did

a good job of not letting batters get complacent on one side of the plate, and I think that was the difference by the end of the weekend.”

Devon Miller followed Aughinbaugh’s mastery with five strong innings of her own on Sunday against Michigan State University, allowing only six hits and one unearned run. Fordham captured the lead on an Aughinbaugh two-run dinger in the fourth, and never relinquished the lead thanks to its captain.

Aughinbaugh’s two-inning

save took just 20 pitches, capping off a 3-1 win and a weekend that saw the senior pitch 17 innings of four-run ball, tally two complete games, a win and a save, while scoring a game-winning run and jacking a go-ahead home run.

“It felt good to finally step up for my team when they needed me,” Aughinbaugh said. “We were on the losing end of a couple of one run games the two weekends prior, so it was awesome to help my team come out on the winning end of it.”

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March 4, 2020

Page 21

Track & Field Has Wins and Men’s Basketball Falls Losses at A-10 Championships to Last Place in A-10

By DYLAN BALSAMO

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The month is March. It is a month in college athletics specifically noted for men’s and women’s basketball, but more than just those sports are starting to heat things up.

It is championship season.

That includes Fordham Men’s and Women’s Track & Field, which spent this past weekend competing at the Atlantic 10 Conference’s Indoor Championships taking place at the University of Rhode Island.

It was a two-day event that saw multiple events and wins for both the men and women of the Rams squad. The men finished fifth out of 13 schools competing while the women found themselves in 12th.

Beginning on Saturday, day one saw the Rams compete in both events and preliminaries that would continue on Sunday. For the women, the highlight of the day was the performance of junior Kathryn Kelly. Kelly had a season-best number in the long jump at 18’11 3/4”, earning the bronze medal. Later on, she qualified for two Sunday events: the 60 meter dash with a time of 7.61 seconds (breaking a school record that she held herself by just .06 seconds) and the 200 meter dash at 24.83 seconds.

Additional standout performances on Saturday came from freshman Radha Dooley, who came in eighth place in the pole vault by clearing the mark of 10’0”, junior Sarrinagh Budris, whose 1:16.83 performance in the 500 meter qualified her at seventh and sophomore Helen Connolly, who impressed in the 800 meter by qualifying eighth in the 800 meter with a time of 2:18.15.

The men saw some success as well, and highlighting that success was graduate student Nicholas Raefski.

Competing in the 5,000 meter run for Fordham, Raefski posted a time of 14:35.80, not only good enough to win the race but enough to earn himself a spot on the AllAtlantic 10 First Team. For Raefski, the moment of victory was a eu-

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At the Atlantic 10 Championships, Fordham Track & Field took center stage.

phoric one.

He said he knew he was going to have to give the race everything he had going into the last lap and that “the victory was everything I had hyped it up to being.”

Another one of the men’s crowning achievements on the day was the performance of the relay team.

The team consisted of juniors Will Whelan and Arthur Gooden Jr. and sophomores Zalen Nelson and Patrick Tuohy. They competed in the distance medley and came in seventh at a time of 10:27.89.

There were three additional qualifiers for the men: junior Antony Misko came in fourth in the 500 meter at 1:06.06, sophomore Jeremiah DeLuca came in fifth in the 800 meter at 1:55.49 and junior Christopher Strzelinski came in fourth in the 1,000 meter at 2:30.30.

Then came Sunday. The women saw themselves score points in three events and a relay: In the 500 meter, Budris found herself in eighth place with a time of 1:16.83, and in the 800 meter, Connolly also came in eighth, posting a time of 2:18.18.

In the 4x400 relay, the combination of freshman Kyla Hill, sophomore Dominique Valentine, Kelly and Budris proved successful, with an eighth-place finish at 2:56.26.

The other scoring event was from Kelly. After her record-setting performance on Saturday, she followed up with a 7.67-second fourth place finish in the final. However, when competing in the 200 meter dash final, her false start cost her

the chance to score in that event as well.

The men continued their success from the previous day in Sunday’s proceedings, producing four medal winners. Leading the way was Misko, who earned AllAtlantic 10 Second Team honors in the 500 meter with a second place finish of 1:04.99. The other medalists for the Rams on the day were all bronze medals: Reardon had an IC4A-qualifying 6’8 3/4“ height in the high jump, DeLuca recorded a time of 1:57.49 in the 800 meter and Strzelinski got a time of 2:20.30 in the 1,000 meter.

In a weekend that had its share of successes and lower finishes for the Rams, Raefski said supporting teammates is the most important thing.

“Weekends like last are all about giving it everything you have and getting people going,” he said.

He also had remarks regarding this upcoming weekend’s season finale: “We are shipping up to Boston for the last race of the season... this weekend is all about chasing fast times,” he said. “As always I’m excited to get after it. The turkey is in the oven. Now it is time to eat up.”

Those races will be the ECAC/ IC4A Championships at the Boston University Track & Tennis Center. Now is the time for the Fordham Rams to eat their turkey and hope they don’t get drowsy.

Men’s Tennis Keeps On Winning with Two Victories

By ROBERT HAGAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Fordham men’s tennis team extended its winning streak to four, picking up two wins in the last two weekends. The Rams won 5-2 against Siena College last weekend and 4-3 against Quinnipiac University this weekend.

The men’s tennis team got off to a great start against Siena, picking up the doubles point by winning all three doubles matches. Senior Fabian Mauritzon and junior Lutwin de Macar won at first doubles 6-2, while junior Max Green and senior Finn Kemper won at second doubles 6-3. Seniors Steve Duka and Gabriel Mashaal won the third doubles match 6-3.

However, the singles was a lot tighter. Fordham won four of the singles matches, while Mauritzon

won 7-5, 6-7 (3), 10-2 at first singles, and de Macar won 6-3 as the opponent withdrew in the second set.

Senior Finn Kemper won at fourth singles 6-4, 7-6 while Steven Duka won at fifth singles 7-5, 4-6, (10-7).

Junior Max Green won at second singles and Gabriel Mashaal, in fifth singles, lost in three tight sets 3-6, 6-2 (6-10) and 6-4, 1-6 (6-10).

The following weekend, the men once again got off to a great start with wins in two out of three doubles.

Finn Kemper and Max Green won at second doubles 6-2, and junior Alex Makatsaria and sophomore Jofre Segarra won at third doubles 6-2.

Mauritzson and Lutwin DeMacar lost at first doubles 6-4.

In singles, Fordham won three matches to take home the victory.

Segarra would win 6-0, 6-0 at sixth

singles, and de Macar would win at third singles 6-4, 6-4, giving Fordham a 3-0 lead. Quinnipiac won the next three matches with Green losing at second singles 6-3, 7-6 (7), Makatsaria losing 6-3, 6-4 at fourth singles and Finn Kemper losing at fifth singles 7-6 (3), 6-3.

With the competition tied 3-3, Mauritzson showed his experience, and after losing the first set 7-5, he won the next two sets 7-6 (5), 6-2 for Fordham to clinch it. Speaking about the match, he said, “We knew coming into the match it was going to be a battle, but we all felt confident, and that showed in especially the doubles early on.”

Fordham will go to Ohio next weekend to play Xavier University, Saint Louis University and the University of Dayton.

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With a loss this past weekend, men’s basketball fell to the bottom of the conference.

By ANDREW POSADAS MANAGING EDITOR

With the University of Dayton having clinched the Atlantic 10 conference regular season title last Friday, one question remained over the weekend: who would finish in last place? Tied for last place coming into Saturday, Saint Joseph’s University defeated Fordham Men’s Basketball 73-69 in Hagan Arena to drop the Rams into sole possession of 14th place with two games remaining in A-10 play.

Saturday’s contest against Saint Joe’s marked the sixth time Fordham would be playing on leap day.

Since 1926, the Rams entered with a 3-2 record all-time on leap day.

However, head coach Jeff Neubauer’s attention was focused on building the offensive momentum from its previous game against the University of Rhode Island when the team scored 75 points and was nearly seconds away from a huge upset win. Neubauer described the offense as “several bounds forward,” while adding that a well-balanced attack was crucial to increasing the team’s scoring offense.

Coming into the season, the Rams were predicted to 14th and last for the third straight year. The team selected to finish just ahead of them in 13th place? That would be Saint Joe’s, with the Hawks entering Saturday’s game having lost nine of their last 10 A-10 games.

The match-up also featured the best scoring defense in Fordham against the last place scoring defense of Saint Joe’s.

Early on, the Rams were able to take advantage of a woeful Hawks defense, opening up the game on a 7-0 run in the first three minutes.

Fordham never gave up its lead for the duration of the first half, with senior guard Erten Gazi scoring a team-high eight points to pace the Rams. As for Fordham’s defense, it was able to hold a perimeteroriented Hawks offense to just 25% from beyond the arc.

The Rams held just a one-point lead at halftime. Then, the second half began, and Saint Joe’s offense decided to wake up. Led by the A-10’s leading scorer in guard Ryan Daly, the Hawks pushed the pace and opened up holes in Fordham’s defense. Daly had 13 points in the second half, and Saint Joe’s benefited from its aggressive play by getting to the free throw line 27 times in the second half alone.

The Hawks would lead by as many as 16 points despite shooting 8-of-38 from the three-point line for the entire game. Fordham attempted to stage a last minute rally which saw junior guard Josh Colon going on a personal 7-0 run to cut the deficit down to two points with three seconds remaining. Ultimately, the Hawks were able to make enough free throws down the stretch and earned their second A-10 win of the conference season.

With the loss, Fordham falls to 7-21 on the year, and more importantly, they now find themselves all alone in last place at 1-15 in A-10 play. Fordham Men’s Basketball is back in action on Wednesday, when they travel down to the nation’s capital to face George Washington University at 7 p.m.

The game can be heard on WFUV 90.7 FM and see exclusively on ESPN+.

Women’s Tennis Loses to Washington State

By GIGI SPEER

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Fordham women’s tennis squad secured its third win of the 2020 season in Providence, New Jersey against the Seton Hall University Pirates 5-2. They won by the same score last year.

The doubles pairs secured an early lead for Fordham, as junior Arina Taluyenko and freshman Weronica Pociej combined to get a 6-2 win in the second doubles spot.

In first doubles, freshman Avery Aude and sophomore Genevieve Quenville also dominated 6-2.

Moving on to singles, Taluyenko

seemed to like the 6-2 scoring line, winning both sets by that score at the number one spot.

Sophomore Valeria Deminova battled, but eventually lost in second doubles 7-5, 5-7, 6-1, and senior Maia Balce went down 6-4, 7-5 in the number three spot.

Fourth, fifth and sixth doubles meant success for the Rams: Aude won 2-6, 6-1, 1-0 (11-9), and Pociej won 6-4, 6-4 while the number six spot was a default win.

The Rams will travel back to New Jersey this weekend, playing New Jersey Institute of Technology at 4 p.m. on Friday.

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March 4, 2020

Page 22

Swimming Wraps Up at A-10 Championship

By JACK ROCHE

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Year in and year out, the very best swimmers within the Atlantic 10 flock to the conference championship to compete, with this year’s tournament being held at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Any one of these athletes will tell you that swimming is an individual team sport. The Rams came together one last time as a collective unit throughout their four days in Ohio, spanning from Wednesday, Feb. 19 to Saturday, Feb. 22.

The Fordham women’s team continued its impeccable season, placing second in the conference championship, only behind George Washington University, and finishing the season with a 10-1 meet record (their only loss coming against Boston College by one point). The men finished the weekend in eighth place, with their meet record just below .500 at 4-6.

The women’s second-place finish would perfectly cap off their nearly immaculate season, their best finish in the A-10 championship since 2014, also in second place. There isn’t enough space in this entire newspaper to do proper justice to the record-shattering performance the women’s team put on display. Amelia Bullock, the senior from Westport, Connecticut, claimed the honor of the tournament’s Most Outstanding Performer, the first Ram to do so in program history. She played a part in breaking five school records (two individual, three relays), four of which also serving as A-10 records, en route to her six medals.

Michelle Martin was the only

other Ram with an individual gold medal, while Fordham took home six collectively. She claimed that title in the 50 freestyle, also a new school record with a time of 53.03 seconds.

The women’s strong finish on Saturday propelled them past two-time defending champion Duquesne University, 534 to 525.

While the men finished in eighth place, they absolutely had highlights across their trip to Geneva. Sophomore Spencer Clarke thought the men performed particularly well in their team relays.

“The relays, no matter what, always have a special energy to them.

No matter what, whether you’re tired, whether it’s the end of the meet like that last relay or you swam the mile that day. Or maybe you didn’t swim as fast as you wanted to in the morning. No matter what, everyone shows up for that relay and gives it their all and always finds a way to dig deeper and swim faster than they did in the morning, or maybe than they did all week. Especially going into that final relay, we just talk about all the work we do for each other all year,” he said.

As for individual performances, junior Patrick Wilson stole the show, breaking Fordham records in the 100 (55.29) and 200 (2:00.77) breaststroke events. He made his impact felt in his first year as a Ram, transferring from Binghamton University after spending two years there.

While the season may seem over, the women participate in the NCAA Zone Diving Championship from March 9-11, and both squads look to send swimmers to the CSCAA National Invitational on March 12-14 in Cleveland, Ohio.

By DYLAN BALSAMO

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

If you have been an active sports fan over the past month or so, you, like most of us, have probably been fascinated, entertained and perhaps even perplexed by the the XFL, the brand new football league taking place in the offseason of the NFL. While the NFL stands for the National Football League, the “X” in XFL does not actually officially stand for anything. The XFL is not only flashy, but it is also uniquely its own league. It is not just any old copy of the NFL. The XFL was founded by WWE mastermind Vince McMahon as a viable alternative to the United States’ most popular entertainment entity. Some of the rules are different; the officials allow for elaborate player celebration and there have been alcohol celebrations after almost every win across the league so far. It’s all just a barrel of monkeys.

But we should all be completely honest with ourselves. There is no way this league is going to last.

We are in a weird void in the sports year where not much is happening. Still, conference tournaments are about to get going in college basketball, and March Madness will directly proceed.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) will soon begin what will likely be a very exciting year of playoffs. The National Hockey League’s (NHL) Stanley Cup Playoffs will get going as well. Not to mention that Spring Training will soon be over, and summer’s sweetest love — baseball season — is nearly upon us. With all of this going on, the XFL, even in its exciting rookie season, will likely be striving to put up the same viewing numbers as the Kentucky Derby.

The XFL is not the first time a sports league has come into existence in order to compete with its sport’s top tier. In fact, this isn’t even the first time that Vince McMahon has tried to compete in football with a league called the XFL. As you would probably imagine, most of these leagues fail in their presumed initiative of tak-

National League, and the two did not become a singular legal entity under the name Major League Baseball until commissioner Bud Selig made it so in 2000.

Now, while the XFL is not going to last awfully long, it is, undoubtedly to anyone who has seen it, a very entertaining league to watch and follow, and it is legitimate football. While it has significant rule differences from the NFL, such as the continuous running clock, the double forward pass and the entirely new and wacky extra point options, the XFL is no gimmick of a sports league. The game is real. Not since the ABA has an upstart competing sports league had this many rule changes and this much flash while still holding true to the basis of the sport. A great musician can make a song their own while keeping the original spirit of the song intact, and that is exactly what the XFL has done with football.

Eventually, the NFL is going to approach the XFL in a way that leagues just like it have been approached before. Hopefully, whenever it is that they do, the NFL sees that the XFL’s unique brand of rules and approach to the game of football are not just entertaining enough to grab people’s attention, but also a viable way to move the game of football forward.

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The XFL is very similar to the ABA, trying new innovations for bigger leagues to use.

Varsity Calendar

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The season is over for Fordham Swimming and Diving after the A-10 Championship.

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ing over one of the sports leagues as America’s top provider of that sport. But in another sense, some of these leagues find success in their influence, and their legacies live far beyond the day they cease operations.

The way most startup competitor leagues make their name is by having the top league buy them out or merge with them. If those smaller leagues are lucky, some traces of their league will remain.

There are plenty of examples of these leagues throughout the history of modern American sport: quite a few of the NFL teams that we know, namely the New York Jets and the New England Patriots, came from the AFL (American Football League). It merged with the NFL after competing against each other in the first three incarnations of what is now known as the Super Bowl. The ABA (American Basketball Association) is probably the most influential of these leagues rule-wise, as it introduced the sports world to the 30-second shot clock, the threepoint shot and the beloved Slam Dunk Contest. The NHL had a merger with the WHA (World Hockey Association) in 1979, and that league gave the NHL its most successful team of the late ‘80’s: the Edmonton Oilers. MLB’s American League was originally a league that competed with the

Thursday March 5

Friday March 6

Saturday March 7

Sunday March 8

George Mason 2 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

Atlantic 10 Tournament Dayton, Ohio Hartford 4 p.m.

Softball

Kent State/ Duke 12 p.m./7:30 p.m.

Baseball

Iona 3 p.m.

Wednesday March 11

NCAA Zone Diving Championship Morgantown, W. Va. Howard 12 p.m.

9 a.m./11:30 a.m.

Lafayette

Iona 12 p.m.

Iona 1 p.m.

ECAC/IC4A Championship Boston, Mass.

Track

Tuesday March 10

A-10 Tournament Brooklyn, N.Y.

Men’s Basketball

Swimming

Monday March 9

Men’s Tennis

Xavier 1 p.m.

Saint Louis 6 p.m.

Women’s Tennis

NJIT 4 p.m.

Drexel 3:30 p.m.

Dayton 9:30 a.m.

Wagner 3 p.m.

SPORTS

March 4, 2020

Anthony Cardone Houston’s Got a Real Problem The baseball season is officially a couple weeks away, and I’m pretty sure 29 of the 30 teams can’t wait for it to begin. But if you’re a player on the Houston Astros, you might be a little terrified of getting back on the field, and for all the wrong reasons.

Yes, they were caught. Yes, they cheated. But I think Major League Baseball (MLB) fans are taking it way too out of context.

There were reports that were scattered around the Astros locker room that the players were receiving death threats to them and their families. This is completely heartbreaking.

Outfielder Josh Reddick reported on social media that fans have wished “cancer on his children.”

Have people gone completely insane? At the end of the day this is a game, and these are people’s jobs. It doesn’t affect the fans at all.

How dare people have the audacity to make these comments toward these players? I don’t have sympathy for the players because they cheated and got caught, but there is absolutely no reason for any fans to even get to this point. The only way cheating would affect you directly as a fan is if you had a bet with some of your buddies in 2017 and in the end, you lost a couple of bucks. Get over it.

Another report has come out that MLB is considering using SWAT teams to amplify security when the Astros come to play at certain stadiums. Just watch the game. Yes, fans can add fuel to the fire by having a good time at the game and making it more intense for players; that’s what makes sports amazing. However, now it’s getting to the point where MLB fans need to be treated like animals at a baseball game.

Now, I’m not saying the players don’t need to face the consequences of what they did, but these are not normal consequences. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like when José Altuve or Alex Bregman come up to the plate at an away game. What it is going to be like if an Astro makes the All-Star Game when it is in Los Angeles this year, who the Astros beat in the 2017 World Series? Players will get hit intentionally, and there will be bench-clearing brawls this season.

It’s going to happen, but that is the players’ problem. It’s a cowardly way to try to solve things, but it’s going to be part of the game this season. If I was an Astros player, I wouldn’t even want to get up to the plate, but it could give them more inspiration to win. Who knows?

From a fan’s perspective, just relax. Baseball is a form of entertainment. You don’t know any of them personally and have no right to threaten them or their families.

Just sit on the couch with your beer and chips and watch the game.

Page 23

Chris Hennessy

Varsity Scores & Stats Women’s Basketball Saint Joseph’s 45 Fordham 67 (FOR) Cavanaugh: 30 PTS, 12 FG #14 Saint Joseph’s 36 Fordham 59 (FOR) Cavanaugh: 22 PTS Squash Fordham 9 Washington 0 (FOR) 11-4, 11-3, 4-11, 11-6 Fordham NYU (FOR) George: 4-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9

7 2

Fordham 5 Hobart 4 (FOR) Reed: 13-11, 7-11, 112, 3-11, 11-9 Men’s Tennis Fordham Quinnipiac (FOR) Segarra: 6-0, 6-0

4 3

Men’s Basketball Rhode Island 76 Fordham 75 (FOR) Gazi: 15 PTS, 5 FG Fordham 69 Saint Joseph’s 73 (FOR) Colon: 17 PTS, 7 FG Men’s Track & Field Atlantic 10 Championships 61 - 4th (FOR) Raefski: 5K - 14:35.80 - 1st Women’s Track & Field Atlantic 10 Championships 15 - 12th (FOR) Kelly: 60m - 7.61 - 1st Women’s Tennis Washington State 7 Fordham 0 (FOR) Deminova: 6-7 (4), 6-3

Baseball Sacred Heart 4 Fordham 5 W: Melendez (1-0) L: Aufiero (0-1) (FOR) Coules: 2-5, R, 2 SB Fordham 5 Furman 1 W: Mikulski (1-1) L: Simmons (0-2) (FOR) Melendez: 2-4, 3 RBI Fordham Furman W: Stankiewicz (1-1) L: Bertrand (2-1) S: Karslo (1) (FOR) Coules: 3-5, RBI Fordham Furman W: Wall (1-1) L: Hughes (1-1) (FOR) 3-6, RBI

Athletes of the Week Bre Cavanaugh

Jason Coules

Junior

Sophomore

Women’s Basketball

Baseball

The entire Fordham women’s basketball team is at the top of theit game, but as usual, Cavanaugh is leading the way, having put up 52 points in two games against Saint Joseph’s University. She had already earned Atlantic 10 Player of the Week before her 20 points on Tuesday.

In an eventful week for Fordham baseball, Coules was the most consistent player, hitting .563 over four games, one against Sacred Heart University and three at Furman University. His six RBI and three stolen bases also helped in earning him the Atlantic 10’s CoPlayer of the Week award.

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

News & Notes • Mcelderry Honored at Gala

• Football Starts Spring Practice

Former Fordham Men’s Soccer head coach Jim McElderry was honored, along many other local soccer names, at this year’s New York City Soccer Gala on Wednesday. The seventh member of the Fordham program to receive the honor at the Gala’s annual event, McElderry spent 16 years on Fordham’s campus coaching the men’s team, bringing them success in the Atlantic 10 Conference and attention on a national stage. With his 127 registered victories for the Rams at the helm of the squad, including a regular season championship, two Atlantic 10 titles and three trips to the NCAA Championship McElderry is one of the program’s most successful coaches.

For the third season under head coach Joe Conlin, Fordham Football had the first practice of its spring practice season on Wednesday. Held on Murphy Field, the practice is what begins the yearly cycle that encompasses the football season, which will not officially begin until the fall. The Rams, who took part in their first of a handful of spring practices before their annual Spring Game on Saturday, April 4, are returning 10 players on either side of the ball, including quarterback Tim DeMorat and running back Zach Davis on offense, linemen Ryan Greenhagen and Glenn Cunningham on defense and kicker Andrew Mevis on special teams.

—Compiled by Dylan Balsamo

8 3

11 3

The Goaltending Situation at the Garden The Rangers have one of the more interesting goaltending situations in the league, with three goaltenders on the National Hockey League (NHL) payroll in the thick of a playoff race. Alexander Gerogiev is an established youngster who has proven his worth over the last few seasons; Henrik Lundqvist is the face of the franchise, one of the highest paid players on the team and one of the best goalies of the last decade; the third is the rookie sensation Igor Shesterkin.

Coming into the season, Georgiev and Lundqvist looked to split the load again, just like they did last year. Georgiev certainly looked (and still looks) like a viable heir to the King’s throne, but a young Russian in the American Hockey League made waves and caused a welcomed disruption in those plans. Igor Shesterkin was called up in early January, just weeks after his 24th birthday, and put the league on notice immediately.

In his first ten games, Shesterkin is 9-1-0 with a 2.23 goals against average (GAA) and a .940 save percentage (SV%). He has sparked the Ranger resurgence over the past two months, easily won the fans over and provided a great look at the future in the Ranger net.

All of this is great for everyone besides general manager Jeff Gorton and president John Davidson, who now have to decide which one of the three goalies will not be on the roster next season. The trade deadline has come and gone, so a trade of either Gerogiev or Lundqvist will have to wait until the draft in June at the earliest. Lundqvist has a notrade clause and one year left on his $8.5 million per year deal. He could have been traded at the deadline to a team looking for a goalie, but nothing was done, and he remains a Ranger for now. It certainly seems like he will be in New York until the end of his deal next season. Georgiev, on the other hand, makes this situation a lot more interesting. He will become an RFA at the end of this season, meaning if he ends up on another team next season, the Rangers will get assets in return no matter what.

The obvious solution is to attempt and trade Georgiev at the draft and get some picks and prospects for a solid young goaltender. However, the two-goalie system is thriving in today’s NHL, and the Rangers were using it to perfection with Georgiev and Shesterkin before Shesterkin’s upper body injury. Lundqvist will simply not be able to carry that load into the future. Getting rid of Lundqvist makes the Rangers a better hockey team, but it certainly looks like Alexander Georgiev will join the ranks of Antti Raanta and Cam Talbot as Lundqvist backups who the Rangers move on from.

Igor Shesterkin is the goaltender of the future for the Rangers, but this offseason provides an interesting situation for the franchise and one of their greatest players.

SPORTS

Page 24

March 4, 2020

The Fordham Ram

Women’s Basketball Wins First-Round Game Against St. Joe’s

By JIMMY SULLIVAN SPORTS EDITOR

Fordham Women’s Basketball entered the Atlantic 10 Tournament on a quest to win its second-straight conference title. So far, that journey is off to an excellent start.

Fordham defeated Saint Joseph’s University 59-36 on Tuesday night in front of a lively crowd at the Rose Hill Gym. The Rams had a particularly noteworthy performance on the defensive end, holding St. Joe’s to fewer points than it allowed from any other opponent this season.

The win over St. Joe’s was the second-such victory in four days, as Fordham ended its regular season with a home rout of the Hawks 67-45 on Saturday. The win clinches a spot for the Rams in the A-10 quarterfinals and a matchup with Duquesne University on Friday night at University of Dayton Arena.

“I thought (freshman) Sarah (Karpell) did another great job defensively and of course, (junior) Bre (Cavanaugh) stepped up offensively, but you could look at a lot of different people who stepped up and did some great things,” Fordham head coach Stephanie Gaitley said.

Fordham suffocated St. Joe’s from the outset defensively. Karpell, the Rams’ foremost defensive stopper, held the Hawks’ leading scorer, sophomore Katie Jekot, to just eight points on 2-13 shooting from the field. Cavanaugh, despite a barrage of double teams and all of St. Joe’s’ defensive attention, still got her offense, scoring 22 points on 8-17 shooting in her closing argument to be named A-10 Player of the Year.

Junior Kendell Heremaia also chipped in 15 points, and Gaitley was impressed with her effort on both ends.

“I challenged Kendell in practice yesterday and she responded really well. To me, she’s our missing link; when she plays well, I think we’re a different team, so I was really proud of her.”

Fordham led the game 13-7 after the first quarter and caught fire offensively at the end of the first half, taking a 10-point lead into the locker room and maintaining a 18-4 run from the end of the first half to the beginning of the second.

In the third quarter, the Rams blitzed St. Joe’s with hot shooting, as Fordham shot 8-16 and outscored St. Joe’s by 13 points to make the game a blowout heading into the fourth. Despite struggling early on, Fordham was able to defend well all night en route to a blowout victory.

With the win, Fordham will face sixth-seeded Duquesne in the A-10 quarterfinal on Friday.

Fordham lost 74-63 to Duquesne last Tuesday in what was by most measures Fordham’s worst defensive performance of the season.

“I think the only blip on our radar was Duquesne defensively,” Gaitley said. “We have a great shot of getting them back.” Shortly after this quote, Gaitley learned that her team would be facing Duquesne, and Fordham knocked out Duquesne with a dominant 76-34 win in the semifinals of last year’s A-10 Tournament in Pittsburgh.

Fordham will need all hands on deck to win another Atlantic 10 crown. Teams like Duquesne, Virginia Commonwealth University and Dayton will be difficult

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Led by Cavanaugh, the Rams charge into the A-10 Quarterfinals in Dayton against Duquesne. to take down this time around, the final, its likeliest opponents and Fordham will enter Ohio are Saint Louis University or Daywith a target on their back as the ton. Fordham played both teams defending conference champions. twice in the regular season and Still, the team is feeling good as it split the meetings. tries to win thrice in three days to The toughest test for Fordreturn to the NCAA Tournament. ham may be simply playing away Looking ahead to Fordham’s from home. Fordham is currently road through the conference, 20-10 on the season and 14-2 at it will be difficult. Starting on the Rose Hill Gym. Everywhere Friday night, Duquesne boasts else, the Rams have a record of multiple double-digit scorers in just 6-8. That being said, Fordjuniors Libby Bazelak and Laia ham enters this tournament conSole, both of whom went for at fident that they can make their least 20 points when Duquesne way through the conference, and toppled Fordham last Tuesday. that task starts at 7 p.m. on Friday If the Rams win, they’ll face night at UD Arena. either Davidson College or VCU, “I think they’re in a great place both of whom beat the Rams right now,” Gaitley said. “I think once in the regular season. David- we realize that one of our worst son would have beaten Fordham efforts was against Duquesne. twice had it not been for Cavana- They’re a very good team, don’t ugh’s last-second buzzer-beater get me wrong, but I just don’t to win the game for Fordham on think we played our best basketMACKENZIE CRANNA/THE FORDHAM RAM Feb. 13. ball so we’re looking forward to After that, if Fordham reaches getting that chance again.”

Cavanaugh rises for the finish.

Fordham Baseball Hits Stride With Sweep of Furman

By JIMMY SULLIVAN SPORTS EDITOR

The weather is getting warmer, and spring is in the air. Major League Baseball’s regular season kicks off at the end of the month, and winter is almost officially over.

With all of this being said, college baseball has been off the ground for a couple of weeks, and after a few tough games to start the year, Fordham Baseball’s season is getting closer to full bloom.

The Rams are winners of their last four games, including a threegame weekend sweep over Furman University. Fordham outscored Furman 24-7 over three games in Greenville, South Carolina.

The series started on Friday night, as Fordham sent junior left-hander Matt Mikulski to the hill. Mikulski was excellent all night, allowing just one run in 7.1 innings, which accounted for the second-longest start of his Fordham career and the longest start by a Fordham pitcher this season.

The Rams’ offense was able to get him just enough run support all day, as senior outfielder Alvin Melendez’s single gave Fordham a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning,

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

After a difficult 1-6 start to the season, baseball now finds itself the winner of four straight games. and sophomore outfielder Jason Coules’ sacrifice fly put Fordham up 2-0 in the sixth. Fordham scored three more runs in the top of the eighth on Melendez’s tworun single and a throwing error by Furman pitcher Matt Lazzaro.

Despite Mikulski’s allowance of an unearned run in the bottom of the inning, Fordham cruised to a 5-1 victory to open the series.

The Rams’ strong play and solid pitching continued through the rest of the weekend.

Saturday’s game saw junior John Stankiewicz, who won Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year last year, take the mound for Fordham against Furman’s John M. Bertrand. For the second straight game, Fordham got another long, strong start from its starter, as Stankiewicz allowed just two runs over six innings, along with five strikeouts. Melendez continued to rake, driving in two runs with a hit in the fourth inning.

After Furman tied it in the bot-

tom of the fifth, Fordham sophomore catcher Andy Semo put the Rams ahead for good in the sixth with an RBI double. Coules and senior infielder C.J. Vazquez added run-scoring hits in the late innings while freshman designated hitter Zach Selinger hit his firstcareer home run.

Sophomore pitcher Gabe Karslo came on in the seventh inning in relief of Stankiewicz and allowed just one unearned run to preserve the Fordham victory.

As Fordham looked for the series sweep and a victory on Sunday, the Rams’ bats kept the fireworks going. Senior Nick Labella clubbed a two-run home run for his first home run of the season, giving Fordham a 2-0 lead in the top of the second.

Despite Furman’s answer in the bottom half of the inning, Fordham broke through with five runs in the next four innings with runscoring hits from Coules, Labella and senior infielder Matt Tarabek.

Sophomore Fordham starter Cory Wall powered through five tough innings and allowed just two runs despite scattering seven hits over that time. Freshmen Garrett Crowley and Ben Kovel — along with Melendez — combined to allow one run over the final four innings to clinch the sweep for Fordham.

Fordham’s bats were incredibly impressive on the weekend, and Coules — who played a key role in Fordham’s 13-inning victory over Sacred Heart on Wednesday — was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week after hitting .562 over the team’s four games. Fordham is now 5-6 on the season, with six straight home games coming up.

Spring has sprung, and so have the Rams.