Volume 97 Issue 20

The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham dh University Community Since 1918 Volume 97, Issue 20

FordhamRam.com

November 11, 2015

Fordham Falters in New Report

For Student Athletes, Grad Rates Increase

By LAURA SANICOLA

By ERIN SHANAHAN

NEWS EDITOR

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Fordham placed 1,166th out of 1,275 universities in a ranking of U.S. colleges and universities released by The Economist in late October.

The rankings, which were the first-ever released by the magazine, were derived from “a simple, if debatable, premise: the economic value of a university is equal to the gap between how much money its students subsequently earn, and how much they might have made had they studied elsewhere.”

It places Fordham in the eighth percentile with expected earnings of $59,931 and actual earnings of $55,400, a devaluation of $4,531.

The rankings compare the estimated salary of a college’s current students to the real salaries of alumni that share certain characteristics. Fordham placed far behind several of the nation’s Catholic universities, including University of Notre Dame (193), Georgetown University (16) and Boston College (587). However, it placed 104 places above Yale Uni-

This past Wednesday, Nov. 4, the NCAA released the graduation rates and graduation success rates for the 2005-2008 cohorts.

With a 93 percent graduation success rate, Fordham University is ranked among the top schools in the Atlantic 10.

"We are proud of the NCAA graduation success rate results which are a direct result of the hard work our student-athletes put in, both on and off the playing fields," Dave Roach, director of Fordham Athletics, said to Fordham Sports News. "It is also a testament of the dedication demonstrated by our coaches, academic advisors and the entire academic support team, as well as the faculty, at Fordham."

Fordham’s Athletes’ Federal graduation rate is 87 percent, higher than the overall Fordham student body rate of 80 percent as well as the NCAA student-athlete average of 67 percent.

Fordham's 93 percent graduation success rate is fourth among all Atlantic 10 schools. Fordham’s NCAA rate was only beat out by Davidson (98), Dayton (95) and George Washington (94).

The Federal Rate differs from the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) for Division I in two ways.

U.S. Department of Education requires the student-athlete graduation rate to be calculated based on IPEDS-GRS method, according to Roach. This method looks at the graduation rate of athletes who enter the university as firstyear, full-time student-athletes with institutional aid. Athletes must graduate from their institution within six years to be a part of the Federal Rate.

Student athletes who transfer from Fordham are considered non-graduates at both the college they left and the one from which they will eventually graduate through the Federal Rate.

The NCAA was asked in the early 2000s to develop a more modern and fair measure of

SEE RANKINGS, PAGE 6

New Social Work Major Approved

By CAILIN MCKENNA ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Fordham Rose Hill social work majors received exciting news a few weeks ago when the Fordham College Rose Hill Council, a council of associate professors, approved a proposal to create a stand-alone major. The standalone social work major has been in place at Fordham College Lincoln Center and the School of Professional and Continuing Studies for several years. However, Rose Hill students will now be able to concentrate on their social work major without having to fulfill the requirement of a second major.

The Bachelors of Arts in Social Work program is accredited by the Council of Social Work Education and ranked as the fourth leading social work undergraduate program in the nation. Fordham’s program is a five-year accelerated Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Arts program in which students receive both a BASW degree and a MSW degree. Many social work majors at the university opt to take a fifth year of classes in order to earn a masters degree in social work. “In line with Fordham’s strong commitment to social jusSEE SOCIAL WORK, PAGE 5

ANDREW ESOLDI/THE FORDHAM RAM

Rams Soar High Above Bucknell In their last regular season home game on Family Weekend, Fordham defeated Bucknell 24-16. See Page 20

Protests on Race Reach Fever Pitch Demands for Response Mount at Fordham and Across Nation

By JOE VITALE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Following a string of racial and bias incidents at the University of Missouri, protests from students and threats of boycott from student-athletes came to a head this week when two top administrators agreed to step down from their positions at the university.

Students there were calling for ad-

ministrative action after what they said were inadequate responses to discrimination and racism directed at students of color.

Yielding to the demands of student and faculty organizers, Tim Wolfe, the university president, took responsibility for the simmering tensions on the university’s campus, suggesting his resignation “was something that needed to be done that was im-

mediate and substantial for us to heal.”

The organizing students at Missouri are not alone in their calls for swifter and stronger responses to incidents of discrimination on college campuses.

At other universities across the county, including Yale University, the University of California Los Angeles, the University of MichiSEE INCIDENTS, PAGE 6

Students Stand Alongside ‘Fight for $15’

FORDHAM RAM ARCHIVES

An April rally for higher adjunct wages saw students and professors united.

By KATIE MEYER MANAGING EDITOR

On Tuesday, several groups of Fordham students braved rainy, dreary weather and schlepped downtown for a cause they say cannot be ignored: fair wages. They were attending national coalition Fight for $15’s official Day of Action, which included three major protests through-

out the day and drew hundreds of protestors, all fighting for better pay.

Students involved were affiliated with three primary groups: the Rose Hill chapter of Fight for $15, Fordham Students United (FSU) and Fordham Faculty Forward.

All came from different backgrounds. FSU supports and ad ocates for a varied assemblage of

causes and describes itself on Facebook as an “intersectional coalition of student leaders, activists, faculty and alumni.” Fordham Faculty Forward is a subdivision of a larger national organization, which is dedicated to raising adjunct wages.

Fight for $15 more generally aims to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour nationwide with a special emphasis on raising the wages of fast food workers.

But all these student groups, as they joined with hundreds of other protestors at various points throughout the day, were united under one cause. As Mohan Seshadri, FCRH ’16, a member of both FSU and Fordham Faculty Forward, said, the idea behind the protests transcended ideologies.

“A living wage is important because we all have a right to live, ‘to be human,’ and to take care of ourselves and our families,” Seshadri, who played a large role in mobilizing students for the event, said The Day of Action started early Tuesday morning, with students meeting to catch a bus from Rose Hill at 4 a.m. They were in Brooklyn by 5 a.m., and congregated with other protestors at CadSEE PROTEST, PAGE 5

SEE ATHLETES, PAGE 2

in this issue

Opinion

Page 7

NYC Benefits Students by Making SAT free

Culture

Page 11

Does Social Media Win Debates?

Sports Page 20 Fordham Defeats Bucknell In Final Home Game

NEWS

Page 2

PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS Nov. 4 12 p.m.

Walsh Hall A student reported that he used his card at the vending machine in the basement of Walsh. After making his purchase, he put the card back in his pocket. At 5:00 p.m., the student’s bank called to inform him that his card was stopped due to suspicious charges. Upon this call, the student realized his card was missing. Within five hours, the card had 14 charges worth a total of $145.

One was a charge at Pugsley’s Pizza for $33. NYPD was notified and they are now investigating the case.

November 11,2015

Journal From Abroad

Remember, Remember the Fifth of November

FROM ATHLETES, PAGE 1

Nov. 6 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

Ram Fit Center A student placed a backpack into a locker in the fitness center. When she returned the backpack was gone.

The backpack contained his Apple Macbook valued at about $1,000. In addition, it contained his wallet with $26 as well as his driver’s license and Fordham ID. The student declined to file a police report at this time.

Nov. 7 1:15 a.m.

184th and Hughes Avenue A Fordham student was issued a summons for an open container of alcohol as well as drinking under the age of 21 and disorderly conduct.

Nov. 7 9:30 p.m.

Off-campus Residence A student took an Uber cab to a residence off campus from Manhattan. An hour after she left the cab, she realized she left her wallet in the cab. The wallet contained her Fordham ID, debit cards and driver’s licence. She contacted the driver, who told her that he had the wallet, but was too busy to return it. A Public Safety supervisor contacted the driver and told him that he would notify the police if he did not return the wallet. As a result, the Uber driver returned the wallet soon after to the student and her father.

—Compiled by Erin Shanahan, Assistant News Editor

Follow us on Twitter! @TheFordhamRam

Athletes Meet Goals off Field

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Guy Fawkes Day was celebrates on Nov. 5 to commemorate an unsuccessful attack on the British Parliament.

By MARY KATE O’TOOLE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

LONDON — While Nov. 5 is a rather uneventful night following the weekend-long festivities of Halloween in America, it has traditionally been a much bigger holiday in England. Guy Fawkes Day, also known as Bonfire Night, was celebrated all over England this past weekend with fireworks, some bonfires and the burning of effigies.

Long before there was V for Vendetta, Catholic revolutionaries devised a plot to burn down the Houses of Parliament in London on Nov. 5, 1605. When the Church of England was at its strongest, Catholics were persecuted and marginalized during the long reign of Queen Elizabeth I and her successor, James I. A group of conspirators, led by a man named Robert Catesby, decided that violent action was the only answer.

However, the plot to destroy the Houses was foiled when British authorities stormed the cellar of Parliament in the early morning on November 5th. Thirtysix barrels of gunpowder were found, along with conspirator

Guy Fawkes. Fawkes, along with his accomplices, was tortured and hanged for his crime.

To celebrate the safety of the king, Britons burned bonfires on the night of the fifth, a tradition that continues today. Originally called Gunpowder Treason Day, the British holiday was also the occasion for often violent classbased riots in some areas or antigovernment demonstrations. Effigies of Guy Fawkes were burned, often along with effigies of the pope (often Pope Paul V, leader at the time of the gunpowder plot) and some leading politicians.

Though it is rarely done anymore, it used to be common practice for British children to go around with homemade effigies of Guy Fawkes asking for ‘a penny for the guy’ to spend on fireworks.

While the anti-Catholic sentiments that once dominated Nov. 5 celebrations are hardly noticeable, groups such as the hacker group, Anonymous, have backpacked off of the anti-government sentiments of the original conspirators.

The Million Masks March, as it was called, was celebrated in cities across the world this past Thursday, taking place here in London’s Trafalgar Square. Protesters wore

Guido (a name Guy Fawkes once used for himself ) masks which were popularized by V for Vendetta. Anonymous has appropriated these masks for their anti-capitalist cause, and this year’s masked march promoted the group’s antiausterity and anti-establishment cause. London’s march on Thursday culminated in 50 arrests made after protesters turned violent, burning a police car and throwing fireworks at policemen sent to surround the area.

Although revolutionary ideals are still part of the holiday’s tradition, most Londoners celebrated this year’s Bonfire Night much more peacefully. Firework displays were going on in parks around the city all weekend long, and tons of people turned out to see them despite the mud and rain. We headed out Saturday night to Victoria Park in East London, which was absolutely packed with students and families, and thoroughly enjoyed the colorful display.

Though the spread of American Halloween traditions has somewhat encroached on England’s Bonfire Night celebrations, November Fifth is still a memorable weekend for Brits and tourists alike.

early 2000s to develop a more modern and fair measure of student-athlete graduation success, which led to the creation of Graduation Success Rate (GSR) for Division I and the Academic Success Rate (ASR) for Division II, according to Roach.

“We are proud of both of these numbers,” Roach said. “They show that athletes can come to Fordham to receive a great education as well as a great Division 1 athletic experience. ” Several sports teams report a perfect graduation success rate.

This includes men’s cross country, men’s indoor track and field, men’s outdoor track and field, women’s cross country, women’s indoor track and field, women’s outdoor track and field, rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis and women’s tennis.

A graduation success rate above 90 percent is reported by 16 of the 20 Fordham scholarship programs. These teams include baseball (96), women's swimming and diving (95), softball (94) and volleyball (91).

Danielle Padovano, FCRH ’17, a member of women’s basketball, as well as President of Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) was not surprised by the ranking.

“I believe we have a great support system and can speak to the great effort my coaching staff puts into supporting us both on and off the court,” she said.

She referred to the early registration for classes offered to student athletes and additional support by their professors, coaches and academic advising staff.

“It is only right that we use the help to put ourselves in the position to graduate and succeed in life after college and athletics,” Padovano said.

Besides Fordham's support system, she credits athletes themselves for their success.

“Student athletes who come here are motivated both academically and athletically,” Roach said.

“They bring same passion to academics that they bring to athletics,” Roach concluded.

This Week at Fordham Thursday Nov. 12

Friday Nov. 13

Pool Tournament

Playwrights’ Festival

McGinley Student Lounge 5:30 p.m.

Blackbox Theater 8 p.m.

Commuter Student Services will host their seventh bi-annual pool tournament. Refreshments will be provided.

Fordham Experimental Theater will host a night of student-written one act plays. The festival will include two comedies, “Punchline” and “Wing It: A Fleek Tragedy,” and two dramas, “Before the Dawn” and “Eddy’s.”

Saturday Nov. 14 Museum Excursion The Museum of the Moving Image 3 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Cinevents will be taking 25 students to the Museum of Moving Image, tickets and MetroCards provided

Sunday Nov. 15 WAC Bingo

Monday Nov. 16 Cinevents! Presents

Keating 1st 9 p.m.

Keating 1st 9 p.m.

Students can come and win prizes for bingo rounds. The first board is free and additional boards can be purchased by GO teams!

Campus Activities Board will host a showing of the film Age of Adaline. The movie stars Blake Lively as a woman who remains a youthful twenty nine-year-old for nearly eight decades.

NEWS

November 11, 2015

Page 3

Millennials Shift Away from Religion, Report Says

By YASMIN MERCHANT STAFF WRITER

The Millennial Generation, which most researchers define as those born from 1980 to early 2000s, is less religious than those before it, according to a new report from the Pew Research Center earlier this month.

A survey administered to over 35,000 people indicated that the number of people who are certain that God exists has dropped by eight percent, the number who are religiously affiliated has fallen by six percent and the amount of people who consider religion to be very important and attend services at least monthly has fallen between three and four percent as compared to numbers from 2007.

“The recent decrease in religious beliefs and behaviors is largely attributable to the ‘nones’ — the growing minority of Americans, particularly in the millennial generation, who say they do not belong to any organized faith,” the report said.

Skepticism surrounding religion is prevalent in the millennial generation. About a quarter of those surveyed attend weekly services on a weekly basis and only four in 10 said religion is important in their lives. The percentage of the American population identifying as religiously unaffiliated is 23 percent.

It may be more difficult to sense this shift here at Fordham, according to Fr. Mark Zittle of Fordham University. “Catholic students self-select Fordham, so

the general observation of a more secular/less religious younger population may be true nationally, but not specifically for Fordham,” he said.

He reported that the university’s Spiritual Retreats Program grows every year, often times with more students signing up than spaces available.

Hannah Buckley, co-president of the Jewish Student Organization, has also reported growth in involvement. “For the first several years of the JSO's current existence, the club attracted maybe five [ Jewish student] students if we were lucky,” she said. “Now, thanks to the support of Campus Ministry, my dedication to the group's growth, and the incredible management skills of my co-president Emily Hill, the JSO see a regular attendance of about 10 students. It may not seem like much, but we are so excited that we have been able to reach more students and invite them into our community.”

Rebecca Lewis, FCRH ’17, is unsure of what caused her lack of religiosity. “I don't know how much my generation has influenced me, but as I got older I felt a certain freedom to question the religion I was raised in,” she said.

“I didn't feel tied to it. And it was because of that freedom that I've been able to realize I personally don't benefit from having religion in my life.”

David Balick, FCRH ’17, reported that he had not been interested in attending church from a young age. “I wouldn't be sur-

ZACK MIKLOS/ THE FORDHAM RAM

The Pew Study released in 2014 found that many millennials are uninterested in organized religion and politics.

prised if our generation is still religious [later on]. But I do not plan on becoming on religious and I wouldn't plan on raising kids in a religion,” he said.

This detachment from institutions is a common feature of the Millennial Generation. A 2014 Pew Study titled “Millennials in Adulthood” characterized the age group as relatively unattached to organized politics and religion.

“Students today, I think it's fair to say, have less of a connection

to religious institutions and authorities than their grandparents, for example,” said Jim McCartin, director of the Center on Religion and Culture.

This does not mean that students have no interest in faith.

McCartin said that students seem to be very interested in religious themes and spiritual practices.

“What seems to repel them, I think, is religious authorities attempting to dictate to them on matters of faith and morals,” he

said. “They want a more interactive kind of engagement with faith, not a dictation from above.”

Erin Hoffman, associate director of Campus Ministry at Lincoln Center, finds that millennials are looking for authenticity within religions.

“People want faith communities to practice what they preach,” she said. “Even with students who identity with no tradition, we see interest in exploring and are more open to exploring.”

Gabelli Launches Business Doctorate Program

By KENNETH ESELHART STAFF WRITER

Next year as undergraduates return from summer break to begin the Fall 2016 semester, a new group of students will join the academic community at Fordham: the inaugural cohort of the Gabelli School of Business’ first ever doctoral degree program.

Mario Gabelli, who in 2010 donated to Fordham the most prodigious gift the university has ever received, once again contributed a gift to the school in order to initiate the new PhD program in business administration. This will be a five-

year program focused on cultivating future educators in the field of business.

“This program is unique,” said program director Iftekhar Hasan, PhD, professor of finance and Corrigan Chair in International Business and Finance, in an email. He has been closely involved with this new program, which has been in development for two years. Leading the program’s development, Hasan has worked with faculty, administrators and external advisors to get the program running by 2016. “It involves two areas of focus, a strategy and decision making focus and a capital markets focus,”

Hasan said. Ph.D. students will participate in a cross-disciplinary study of economic theory, management, marketing, information systems and media theory.

“Students will take a mix of theory and empirical core courses,” said Hasan in reference to new courses on philosophy of science, data analysis, financial theory, management, econometrics and researchintensive seminars.

Close collaboration between faculty members and students will be an important aspect of the new program. Only four scholars will be accepted into the inaugural Fall 2016 cohort. “The goal of a PhD

ZACK MIKLOS/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Gabelli’s inaugural cohort of doctorate students will arrive on campus for the Fall 2016 semester.

program is to give students highly focused, one-on-one mentorship from research-active faculty in their business specialties,” said Donna Rapaccioli, PhD, dean of the Gabelli School of Business.

“The faculty-student connection is what helps doctoral students to blossom into highly promising young scholars.”

Hasan said that the program will stand out amongst others due to its “interdisciplinary approach, combined with mentorship by highlevel faculty, contact prestigious visiting scholars, significant job placement support and of course, Jesuit values.”

Rapaccioli believed the new program will be integral in the training of young business professionals.

“The Gabelli School has a strong reputation for educating the next generation of business leaders,” she said. “The PhD program will extend our mission into educating the next generation of business educators.” Upon obtaining jobs as professors and researchers at other universities, she said, these PhD students will be able to spread the Gabelli School’s guiding philosophy of “business with purpose.”

In addition to preparing graduate students to teach at the university level, the program will also strengthen one of the Gabelli School’s top priorities: original research.

“The PhD program will intensify even further the business research that takes place under the Fordham banner,” Rapaccioli said.

Graduate students will be able to work alongside faculty, researching business topics that Rappaccioli hopes will “yield useful, applicable benefits for industry.”

In a Fordham Notes article, Hasan also emphasized the role of research in the new program. “This particular program will create an environment that not only enhances the current commitment to research, but will also create a new hub of research activity at Fordham,” he said.

For the first time, Fordham will be represented by PhD students at national academic conferences and colloquia. This will strengthen the Gabelli School’s reputation in business scholarship, as well as inspire undergraduates to explore research projects in business said Dean Rapaccioli.

The new doctoral program will accept applications this upcoming winter. Hasan explained that the program will be looking for “students who have a passion for research and wish to hone those skills at the highest possible levels and develop a career in research and teaching.”

These students should also have a strong background in mathematics, statistics, economics and computer science, as well as high GMAT and GPA scores.

“My personal hope,” concluded Hasan, “is that the program leaves a lasting impression on Fordham and helps the school reach new heights in research and doctoral education.”

NEWS

Page 4

November 11, 2015

Fordham In The Bronx

The High Bridge Reopens as Pedestrian, Bicycle Greenway

By MICHAEL DOBUSKI BRONX CORRESPONDENT

This week’s Bronx highlight first opened in 1848 to little fanfare.

The High Bridge piece saw no huge crowds or movie star appearances, for it was but another piece of infrastructure to complement the always-growing city.

In recent years, the media, such as WFUV and The New York Times, covered its grand reopening. However, as is the case with much of the major Bronx development, the attention brings with it deeper questions on how gentrification will affect the borough.

Stretching 1,450 feet across the Harlem River, the High Bridge connects the West Bronx with Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighborhood. It was originally constructed in the early nineteenth century as an aqueduct, making it part of the city’s first sophisticated water supply system.

As part of the Old Croton Aqueduct System, the High Bridge brought in water from the Croton River 10 miles north of the city in Westchester County, helping to fuel the seemingly boundless ex-

pansion that characterized the city at that time. Despite its humble, blue collar beginnings, the High Bridge soon garnered the attention of a more elite class, who was attracted by the structures in the rural surroundings and sweeping vistas.

The 123-foot tall bridge hosted regattas, horse races and parades until 1928, when some of the arches that made up the aqueduct were demolished in order to allow for easier navigation for boats on the Harlem River. However,11 of the original archways on the bridge still remain today and the High Bridge remains the only inter-borough bridge that does not allow cars.

The High Bridge closed in 1970, with an official statement (which said that the decision was made after a pedestrian threw a rock over the side of the structure) damaging a tour boat in the process. However, the bridge had been slowly falling into disrepair for over 100 years.

A restoration plan for the city’s oldest still-visible bridge began in 2009. The project continued over the course of six years, two mayors

MICHAEL DOBUSKI/ THE FORDHAM RAM

The High Bridge closed in 1970 to the public, but reopened in June as a pedestrian and bicycle greenway.

and $61.8 million.

On June 9, 2015, the High

United Student Government Updates College Mentors for Kids Requests Room College Mentors for Kids is a national non-profit group with the goal to reach out to less fortunate children through weekly after-school activities on campus. In addition, mentors show kids the importance of school and help them understand higher education opportunities.

The organization requested cosponsorship and a room.

Senator of the Month Senator Anisah Assim was awarded Senator of the Month. Assim became President Pro-Tempore of Senate this month. She also facilitated roughly 20 meetings with the staff.

Club of the Month

USG’s public meetings take place Thursday at 6 p.m.

Office hours are established on www.usgrh.net.

Academia Hispania, Autism Speaks, ASILI, Global Outreach and FUEMS were nominated by USG for Club of the Month. This September and October, FUEMS experienced an abnormal increase in the amount of Drug and Alcohol Transports. In September and October of 2014, FUEMS had about 37 transports. In contrast, this Follow USG on Facebook, Twitter (@usgrh) and Instagram (@fordhamusg) for more September and October of 2015, FUEMS had about 53 transports. information.

FUEMS was awarded Club of the Month with 12 votes.

Bridge was reopened to the public as a pedestrian and bicycle greenway by former mayor Michael Bloomberg in an effort to restore eight major sites across the city.

The Bronx borough president Ruben Diaz Jr. called it a source of pride for the historically embittered borough. “Downtown may have the High Line, but uptown we have the High Bridge,” he once said.

On Oct. 29 in a warehouse near the Third Avenue Bridge, a popup art show, called the “Macabre Suite,” was attended by Adrien Brody, Naomi Campbell, Ruben Diaz Jr. and DJ Kool Herc. Social media emphasized the tagline “The Bronx is Burning,” a reference to the party’s decorations: flaming trash cans and bullet-ridden cars.

The event has since seen much controversy, as critics see it is as an exploitation of the Bronx’s troubled past. A past, it is worth noting, from which the Bronx has moved on. The event’s organiz-

ers said that their goal was not to abuse, but rather to demonstrate the Bronx’s potential as a trendy place to live.

The High Bridge revitalization and the Macabre Suite incident can both serve to demonstrate the difficulty that comes with city development in a post-gentrified Brooklyn era. There is no question that the Bronx does have some very appealing properties and one could argue that it could use the money to revitalize.

When I visited the High Bridge earlier this year, I did not see an outdoor art exhibit from MOMA or a boutique coffee shop. I saw a police station, some big brown tower-block apartments and a woman sitting at a table in a nearby park with one hand on her shopping cart full of things next to her.

If one wants to argue that the Bronx is the new Brooklyn, he or she cannot make that argument just yet.

Campus Briefs & Bites Annual McGinley Lecture Delivered

Bronx Beer Hall Featured in the Wall Street Journal

Irish Poet Performs at Duane Library

Alum Named to White House Staff

The Reverend Patrick J. Ryan, S.J., the Laurence J. McGinley professor of religion and society, presented his annual Fall McGinley lecture this week. His lecture titled “Rejecting Hatred: Fifty Years of Catholic Dialogue with Jews and Muslims since Nostra Aetate,” was delivered at the Lincoln Center campus on the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 10 followed by a second presentation of the lecture at the Rose Hill campus on the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 11. Nostra aetate, which is Latin for “in our time” was the declaration on the relation of the church with non-Christian religions that emerged from the Second Vatican Council.

Following Father Ryan’s lecture, there was a Jewish response from Dr. Magda Teter, who will be installed as the Shvidler Chair in Judaic Studies at Fordham next week, and a Muslim response from Dr. Hussein Rashid, an adjunct assistant professor of religion at Hofstra University.

The Wall Street Journal recently featured an article about the Bronx as an up-andcoming dining destination. Writer Charles Passy talked to restaurateurs about the role of food in the borough. Chefs such as Douglas Rodriguez, the force behind the “Nuevo Latino” cuisine, are looking to the Bronx as an alternative dining destination to Brooklyn and Manhattan. A decade ago, the Zagat restaurant guide only listed about a dozen Bronx eateries and bars. Now, the guide features 33 spots for dining and drinking in the Bronx. The increase in restaurants in the area has led to the creation of “Savor the Bronx,” which kicked off on Monday, Nov. 2 and will run through Friday, Nov. 13. Passy also noted the Bronx Beer Hall, located on Arthur Avenue which celebrated its second year and its continuing desire to blend the Old World of the Arthur Avenue markets with the New World of local craft brews.

Irish poet, Micheal O’Siadhail, spoke in Tognino Hall on Monday, Nov. 10.

O’Siadhail has been awarded The Marten Toonder Prize and The Irish American Cultural Institute Prize for Literature for his poetry. Born and raised in Dublin, his father was a chartered accountant and his mother was a Dubliner with roots in County Tipperary. O’Siadhail was educated at Clongowes Wood College, a Jesuit boarding school known for its famous alumni such as James Joyce. Much of his poetry was influenced by his time at Trinity College and by his late wife Brid Ni Chearbhaill. Through O’Siadhail’s poetry reading, his unequivocal love for Brid became clear. O’Siadhail’s next publication, One Crimson Thread, chronicles O’Siadhail’s thoughts and emotions endured during the last two years of his wife’s life. Brid suffered from Parkinson’s Disease and passed away in 2013.

Jayson Browder, PCS ’13, returned to the White House as a Presidential Management Fellow. Despite leaving high school before graduation, Browder became an Air Force veteran, Fulbright scholar and now works in the White House among some of the most influential people in the nation. “At Fordham, I had some very good mentors who said, ‘Here are the good opportunities and scholarships that are available for you,’” said the Iraq war veteran. Browder is now working through his newly founded organization, Veterans4Diplomacy, in order to share his experiences and personal success with other vets. He aims to help student veterans identify and earn scholarships and fellowships that will lead to roles in U.S. foreign policy through this program.

— Compiled by Cailin McKenna and Erin Shanahan, Assistant News Editors

NEWS

November 11, 2015

Page 5

Fordham Incorporates Honors Society for Resident Assistants as Part of National Chapter

By MARIANYS MARTE STAFF WRITER

To recognize Resident Assistants (RAs) for their hard work and dedication to Residential Life, Fordham has introduced a new honor society: Rho Alpha Upsilon.

Assistant Director of Residential Life for Leadership, Development and Training, Justin Muzzi is in charge of the inductions alongside Resident Director for Loschert Hall, Julie Liss.

Fordham’s chapter is part of the larger Rho Alpha Sigma (RAS) organization. There are now 33 chapters including the freshly minted Alpha Upsilon. This opportunity is available to sophomores, juniors and seniors at the end of this academic year.

Muzzi said that the move would give RA s additional recognition for the hard work they do. “As a department, we do a lot internally to recognize them, but I don’t think there’s a lot on the university like a campus wide approach to recognition of them,” Muzzi said. “It can be a thankless job because you put in so many hours and it’s a lot of behind the scenes work. I see this as an opportunity for us to say in front of everybody that these individuals had this really great leadership opportunity throughout their time here at Fordham and they did so well that we were able to recognize them by making them part of

this honor society,” he said.

The decision to create the society came from Liss, who belonged to the society and believed this could be something from which Fordham would benefit.

“Looking at the organization and what it stands for and some of the other schools that have it, we decided that it would be a good fit for Fordham and it would be an opportunity for us to promote the RA position as a leadership opportunity but also give them the recognition at graduation,” Muzzi said.

Only 10 percent of the RA population will be a part of the society, a process intiated by peer or selfnomination. In the spring 2016, 10 people will be inducted to the organization. There can also be up to five honorary members each year, consisting of professional staff members at Fordham that made valuable contributions to residential life but that did not meet some of the minimum qualifications. Inducted members will receive yellow and blue tassels at commencement in order to distinguish them as members of Alpha Upsilon.

In order to be inducted into the chapter, students must have a year of previous experience as an RA . Candidates must also have and maintain a 3.2 GPA or higher, which is in line with a lot of the Fordham honor societies. As part of the application process, students must write a letter of interest in the organization. If an RD or RA

CASEY CHUN/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Justin Muzzi is facilitating Fordham’s new Resident Assistant honors society.

nominates them, they would do the same and list the candidate’s qualifications.

Muzzi and Liss searching for the strongest candidates for the organization.

“We look for people who really embody what it means to be an RA so they are strong programmers,” said Muzzi. “They are good with

New Social Work Major Introduced to Rose Hill FROM SOCIAL WORK, PAGE 1

tice, the BASW program provides a major that educates students to work on behalf of vulnerable individuals, families, groups and communities,” said David Koch, PhD, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and director of the BASW program.

Students complete their course work at either the Lincoln Center or Westchester campuses. BASW students participate in Fordham’s Graduate School of Social Service and take classes with MSW candidates. BASW students have access to the graduate school’s resources, lectures and social work student groups. “Fordham University has a vital BASW program and with the change for Rose Hill students, all students at Fordham can choose Social Work as a major,” he said.

While the program and curriculum will largely remain the same, Rose Hill students will be able to concentrate more on their social work major and will not be required to add a second major. Beginning in Jan. 2016, all students will be able to matriculate into the stand alone major.

Candidates for the major must complete 33 credits as well as 600 hours in a year-long field placement and integrative seminar. Student placements for field work are determined.

The placements range from working in a hospital delivery

room and maternity department to a senior center for LGBTQ adults to a domestic violence hotline. Rachelle Kammer, PhD and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, coordinates the field work and teaches the integrative seminar.

Despite their wide range of field work assignments, students come together in the seminar to engage in discussion of social work and how their actions can help others.

“Students get to share their experiences with one another and thus learn a great deal about the vast range of settings in which social workers work and the many different types of interventions social workers use to help individuals, families and communities,” said Kammer.

The new stand alone major has attracted the attention of many Rose Hill students. “I think the new major is a great thing because it was really very stressful for me to balance two majors,” said Lauren Kawulicz, FCRH ’16, a social work major. “It was difficult to feel motivated to do well in my non-social work classes because I would not have kept the other major if I did not have to. Going forward students will have the freedom to just focus on their social work major.”

Kawulicz was involved with the proposal to make social work a stand-alone major. She worked with Eve Keller, PhD and director

of the Rose Hill Honors Program, who presented Kawulicz’s argument at the council meeting and voted in favor of the stand alone major.

She is currently doing her field work at the Nuevos Horizontes site of the larger Edwin Gould Services for Children and Families.

Nuevo Horizontes is the organization’s first Bronx-based preventive program, which operates in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the South Bronx. “It has been great to have the opportunity to feel like I am actually able to make a positive impact,” she said. “Throughout college, I have learned that I have trouble with just doing academics for their own sake, so the applicability of social work has been a really good fit for me.”

In addition to the BASW’s strong relationship to the Graduate School of Social Service, the program has also forged an alliance with China Youth University’s social work program allowing students, like Kawulicz, to study in Beijing. Students from China Youth University are also coming to New York to obtain a dual degree in social work from their host university and Fordham. “I have really enjoyed the opportunity to get to see social work in other countries and more generally to just learn about another culture and meet new people,” Kawulicz said.

conflict, help address issues in their community and step up for the department. It is the person who goes above and beyond what we’re asking for of the normal RA and meets those academic qualifications.”

According to Muzzi, the chapter is expected to complete some level of community service on or off

campus, as is already required for resident assistant programming.

Once the members are inducted, they are also to be responsible for helping choose the new members of the society and continue to be strong programmers in Residential Life. The team behind the society is hoping that members will be recognized in the commencement books this year.

“We want them to continue meeting [high expectations,] so this is kind of another way to make sure that they’re doing that,” said Muzzi.

Now that the team has all the materials and is looking to induct the first class, Muzzi is working closely with Kimberly Russell, the director of Residential Life and assistant dean of students, to try and figure out who to work with to get Alpha Upsilon recognized on campus.

“Our hope is that if we induct 10 RA s and five of them are seniors and are graduating this year that those five people will be able to wear their cords,” he said.

The team looks into the buildings the candidate has been assigned to, their merits, the kind of programs they have done and how they have gone above and beyond.

“We hope that we can make it truly blind and that we are picking the best and the brightest and the most excellent RA s because of how they are being nominated and what is being said about them,” said Muzzi.

Fordham Students ‘Fight for $15’ FROM PROTEST, PAGE 1

man Plaza Park. From there, they walked to a McDonalds in Brooklyn, where they rallied, singing songs and chanting poetry. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also made an appearance and gave a speech, as did City Comptroller Scott Stringer, several local union leaders and fast food workers.

“The atmosphere was pretty high energy considering the rain, wind, and cold,” said Gina Foley, FCRH ’18, a student coordinator.

“People were dancing, chanting, playing music, waving giant signs.

It was the first time I had ever been to a protest so huge. It was incredibly powerful to see.”

After the first movement wrapped up around 7:30 a.m., diehard protestors had a few hours to rest and regroup before the next action shortly before noon. This time, the protestors assembled in Harlem.

The focus shifted in this segment, to economic justice, immigration and race issues. Seshadri described the gathering as “less of a rally than a solemn occasion to mark the passing of those we’ve lost due to our lack of economic justice, racial justice, and immigration justice.”

The third and last portion of the New York Day of Action cumulated in Manhattan, with a rally at Foley Square that was dubbed the March on Broadway. It end-

ed with the protestors marching south via Broadway, heading for Wall Street.

Seshadri said that as important as it was for Fordham students to show solidarity with underpaid workers throughout New York City, there were also important causes a little closer to home that were represented on Tuesday.

“Previous Ram articles have covered how Fordham treats its adjuncts, from the low pay, to the great number of adjuncts below the poverty line, to the highlystressful environment caused by job uncertainty,” he said.

“Not only does this go against our values as men and women for others,” he continued, “but it also negatively impacts Fordham students by creating a climate in which it is extremely hard for Fordham’s adjuncts to both devote their full effort to each Fordham class and simply survive, let alone thrive.”

Phillip LeClair, FCRH ’19, agreed with that sentiment.

“Frankly, the importance of students’ presence at fair wage protests can’t be overstated. As the next generation, we set our expectations for the future,” he said.

“By continuing to make noise and bring these issues to the table, we can have an influence on international politics and make sure politicians are addressing what is important to us.”

NEWS

Page 6

November 11, 2015

Fordham Ranks 1,166th In Economic Value, says Report FROM RANKINGS, PAGE 1

versity (1,270).

In an official statement, Fordham University denounced the methodology used by the magazine in its rankings.

“The Economist introduces curious proxies for elements that lack data and omit important considerations, all of which invalidate the effort,” said Bob Howe, senior director of communications at Fordham.

Fordham’s Office of Career Services did not respond to requests for comment.

The Economist created the ranking system using data from the federal government’s new “College Scorecard” website, which aggregates statistics regarding a school’s average cost, graduation rate and graduates’ salaries.

In contrast, the Brookings Institute, a think-tank in Washington, published its own ‘value-added’ rankings using the scorecard data on Oct. 29, the same day The Economist released its rankings. Brookings’ approach differed in numerous ways, including that it used different variables, encompassed a much larger group of universities (including two-year colleges and vocational schools) and regarded a college’s curriculum as a significant part of its “value added,”

ranking engineering schools much higher than liberal arts schools. In these rankings, Fordham placed 84th with a 17.5 percent value added.

A post in The Economist accompanying the rankings noted that limitations included the fact that the rankings only included individuals who applied for federal financial aid, which restricts the sample to “a highly unrepresentative subset of students that leaves out the children of most well-off parents.” Furthermore, the database used only tracks students’ salaries for ten years after they start college, which The Economist acknowledged cuts off a students’ trajectories at a point in their life when potentially high earners are still in graduate school and therefore are not included in the sample of incomes.

Janis Barry, an associate professor of economics at Fordham, is not convinced that that the gap measure is able to provide any useful analysis for understanding a university’s true economic value.

“As was pointed out in the article, it is very hard to disentangle the impact of individual ability and merit, from the ‘added-value’ provided by the university and its staff, facilities and general environment,” Barry said. “The negative gap evidenced in Fordham's

COURTESY OF FLICKER

The Economist ranked college in regards to the economic value of the univeristy and how much alumni earn.

ranking may be influenced by many factors.”

For example, Barry noted that the creators of the rankings emphasized that they heavily weight SAT scores in their model.

Barry also found that the rankings may not take into account the locational disadvantages of attending a university in New York City. “It is possible that given the very high salaries found in NYC, where Fordham is located, the expected versus real median income for Fordham students does fall short,” Barry said. “After control-

ling for students location preferences, the findings show that both Columbia University and NYU ‘underperform’ in terms of the earnings gap.”

In the post, The Economist acknowledged that maximizing earnings is probably not the primary goal of college.

“You could easily argue that ‘underperforming’ universities... are actually making a far greater contribution to American society than overperformers like Washington & Lee, if they tend to channel their supremely talented

graduates towards public service rather than Wall Street,” the post continued.

Jeffrey Coltin, FCRH ‘15, an editorial assistant at City & State magazine, shared this sentiment, remarking that students “should be proud of its dismal, near-bottom ranking.”

“It could mean students who attend Fordham are moved to take less financially-lucrative careers than they would have if they had attended another college, such as politics, social work and journalism,” he added.

Students and Admin Look for Common Ground After Incidents FROM INCIDENTS, PAGE 1

gan and Arizona State University, students have voiced concerns in recent months that administrators are not taking the problem of racism and discrimination on campus seriously.

Facing a pair of incidents in September, one involving a racial slur and the second involving a backwards swastika, Fordham students also have spoken out and have called for more action from university administration.

Following the incidents, several student groups moved to foster conversations and open dialogue in order to begin a campus “healing process.”

ASILI: the Black Student Alliance hosted an open dialogue and the Jewish Student Organization, along with ASILI, Pride Alliance, Muslim Student Association, Office of Student Involvement, Cam-

pus Ministry and United Student Government, hosted a vigil on Keating Steps.

The incidents also resulted in the formation of a student group, as Fordham Students United (FSU) an “intersectional coalition of student leaders, activists, faculty and alumni.”

While not an official student organization, the group staged protests at various Fordham events, including the Homecoming football game and a pep rally for Fordham’s basketball program, where students held up a banner that read “Black Students Matter.”

FSU, in an open message penned on the back page of the paper, called for changes to the core curriculum, increasing service-learning programs and the expansion of “diversity and privilege” programming at New Student Orientation.

More broadly, their concerns

have asked for administrators to expand and hasten their response to racial bias incidents.

FSU, in a statement to The Fordham Ram, said the events in Missouri “are a testament to the power students have when they unite and organize.”

“Though our goals are not concerned with merely having an administrator resign, we hope that this encourages Fordham students to recognize the power we have on campus and to be fearless in holding our community — students and admin alike — accountable in addressing racism on campus effectively and proactively,” the group said.

Other student organizations, like the College Democrats, are collaborating to press the university on racial incidents on campus.

“What you’re seeing at the University of Missouri is student ac-

THE FORDHAM RAM ARCHIVES

After incidents on campus, student groups fostered conversations in order to facilitate the campus “healing process”

tion and activism that’s having real and immediate effects,” the College Democrats said in a statement.

“Now at Fordham, when those racial incidents happened in September, there was a big outcry from students, but we haven’t seen any substantial, long-term action taken from administration,” the group said. “Now ASILI, as well as several other clubs, including the College Democrats and Fordham Students United, are putting together a task force to try to help spark some change and work with the administration to create a better environment and a better, more accepting and inclusive, campus climate.”

Still, university administrators believe their track record shows the opposite is true, saying that they are acting to combat the incidents, aware that they still persist and negatively impact the community.

“We've seen our student groups and staff in various ways over the past few months engaged in inspired efforts to confront incidents of bias in our community, large and small,” said Christopher Rodgers, dean of students, in a statement to The Fordham Ram. “The message has been clear: hate has no place at Fordham, but we won't be lulled into silence by the false assumption that this common work is complete.”

In addition to the notification of the community of this year’s bias incidents, Public Safety, in its emails to the university community, included messages about the incidents.

“It goes without saying that such behavior is antithetical to the values of Jesuit education. Such slurs injure not only their intended targets, but the entire Fordham community,” Public Safety stated in response to the first incident.

The first incident also warranted a message from Rev. Joseph McShane, S.J., president of the university. In a lengthy message to the Fordham community, McShane said that the incident “has affected the entire Fordham family” and “has created an atmosphere in which both the victim of the incident and every African-American student on campus feel both violated and vulnerable.”

After condemning the actions of the student, McShane briefed students on the university’s next steps: to crack down on perpetrators of incidents of discrimination and to facilitate student discussion, both in residence halls and in classrooms.

Student Affairs and the Office of Student Involvement also lay claim to other methods of promoting inclusion and diversity on campus.

This includes a bias incident protocol, a confidential online reporting system for students and diversity and inclusionary programming during New Student Orientation.

Part of the response also includes the Bias Incident Resource Group (BIRG), which consists of a variety of offices from both Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses.

“We will be keeping the reflection, conversation and action going with this week's film/media series program from the Bias Incident Resource Group, through ongoing education and engagement,” Rodgers said.

He recommended students attend the showing of Dear White People, a 2014 satirical film that depicts the racial tensions between black students and white students at a predominantly white campus.

The event, scheduled for Wednesday, is set to include a discussion and reflection in hopes of provoking student opinion and thought.

OPINION

November 11, 2015

Page 7

The Fordham Ram

Free SAT Increases Student Opportunities

By EMILY SULLIVAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

As part of outreach programs to promote higher rates of college application, the Department of Education announced last week that New York City will begin to offer the SAT free to all public high school juniors.

Within the city, the exam will now be administered weekdays during school hours instead of Saturday mornings, and will no longer cost a staggering $54.50 per session.

School Chancellor Carmen Farina, who announced the initiative, suggested that eradicating as many barriers as possible might allow students who otherwise would not have signed up for the exam more resources. “The opportunity to go to college should never be decided by students’ backgrounds or ZIP codes,” Ms. Farina said in her announcement. “I only became the first person in my family to go to college because a teacher let me know it was an option and supported me through the application and enrollment process so I could follow my dreams of becoming a teacher.”

With this initiative, New York City joins several other efforts throughout the U.S. to increase the number of high school students participating in college entrance examinations. In order to fulfill their high school testing requirements, South Carolina,

Wisconsin and Kentucky public high school juniors must take the ACT. Just last August, Connecticut announced an outreach initiative that mandates the SAT for all high school juniors. Students in the state still had to pay out of pocket for the exam, which replaced an existing standardized exam. The aim of this initiative was largely to reduce the number of exams students were taking rather than expanding access.

According to the Department of Education, over 80 percent of Connecticut high school students have taken the SAT by the end of their senior year, compared to only 56 percent of New York City high school students. Taking the test during regular school hours, free of cost, is expected to make a huge difference in the amount of New York City students taking the SAT, according to educators.

University of Virginia professor Benjamin Castleman noted that participation tends to be higher when it is the standard. “For some families, maybe from better educated or more affluent backgrounds, the SAT or ACT really is a default; you know you’re going to do it,” Castleman said.

“For those who are less educated, the SAT may not be part of the default practice. Applying to college may not be the default practice. By making it universal, you make it something that

COURTESY OF FLICKR

The Department of Education in New York City recently removed the high $54.50 fee for students taking the SAT.

every student who shows up on that day is going to take.”

Students will not be required to take the exam, but its new cost and convenience may promote the SAT to a standard part of the New York City educational landscape. The SAT will not be administered under recent initiative’s terms until the spring of 2017 and is estimated to cost New York City $1.8 million annually. By allowing students more accessibility to college applications, the city is investing in New Yorkers’ futures. The SAT and other “aptitude” tests, though increasingly criticized for their lack

of focus on students’ demonstrated academic abilities through grades or extracurriculars, are still required on the applications of the majority of universities throughout the U.S. In a video posted by the White House to Facebook, President Obama referenced a desire to rethink the current emphasis placed on standardized testing. “I hear from parents who worry about too much testing,” he noted, “and from teachers who feel so much pressure to teach to the test that it takes out all the joy out of teaching and learning for both them and the students. I want to fix that.”

Though the majority of current college students would agree that standardized tests and college application process were stressful processes, initiatives such as this one should be applauded until education develops a more inclusive and representative way of assessing students.

Removing restrictive barriers to higher education is essential in increasing the number of college applicants throughout New York City.

Emily Sullivan, FCRH ’17, is a psychology major from Wall, New Jersey.

A Day in the Life of a Female STEM Major

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Despite the growing number of women in STEM-related majors, some still face incidents of misogyny and inequality.

By ALYSSA OPDYKE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On Oct. 10, the New York Times ran the op-ed, “What Really Keeps Women out of Tech” by Eileen Pollack, highlighting the stratification between men and women in STEM fields. As a former computer science major who had left the field due to feelings of minimal belonging, Pollack cited the media’s male-focused coverage of startup culture, feared perceptions by male counterparts and niched “nerd” culture as reasons for women’s hesitance to pursue and remain in STEM fields. After speaking with three female STEM students at Fordham, it was evident that, while there are many instances of acceptance among women in STEM fields, there are still issues, especially at the undergraduate level.

The most prominent issues discussed and experienced universally

among interviewed students were distinctly related to mentors and guidance in STEM. Maria Coluccio, FCRH ’15, a psychology and pre-med graduate who is now enrolled in Fordham’s psychology graduate program to become a military psychiatrist, noted a mentor’s deep hesitance of her intended career path: “I’ve had someone who was supposed to be a mentor tell me that I should reconsider my career goals of wanting to go into military psychiatry because I’m a small woman and the men I will be dealing with are violent. I have had people question me about how I plan on keeping a family or finding a guy who will make time for my career multiple times every year.”

Additionally, Katie Dolan, FCRH ’18, a physics major intending to specialize in an area of theoretical physics commented, “[While] I’ve

actually been very lucky thus far with my studying experience, I have never been taught science by a woman. I’ve had a female math teacher once here at Fordham, but overall, there is a distinct lack of female mentors and advisors.”

However, there have also been a number of positive aspects and advantages to studying in a STEM field as a woman. Brigid Mulroe, FCRH ’16, a physics major and math minor who will be pursuing her PhD. in physics has always been “aware of a support system for women in STEM fields.”

Having attended conferences and networking events on women in physics and STEM, Mulroe commented that while she recognizes that she is a minority in her program, she has benefitted from efforts to encourage women to go into these fields: “As someone who’s not natu-

rally very ambitious, I’ve always felt a lot of support from my teachers and professors to push myself: for example, in my first few years of college I was thinking of going into civil engineering, but a few professors encouraged me to pursue a PhD. in a more challenging field. In my senior year of high school, my STEM teachers encouraged me to go into science or engineering and pointed out that being a woman in STEM had some advantages, because girls are in the minority at most engineering schools, a strong female applicant would stand out more.”

My own experiences have fallen to the trends of the article: general encouragement to study STEM, but a lack of positive mentors to help me stay. I came into Fordham as an extremely hesitant biology major on the pre-med track, hoping to soon switch to the newly established neuroscience major and eventually become a neurologist. However, I had been debating pursuing that path since the middle of senior year of high school, when I realized that my enjoyment of science classes was more because I was good at them, not because I enjoyed them. I distinctly remember the incident when I decided that this major and career path was not for me.

During summer orientation prior to my freshman year, Fordham required all students considering pre-med to attend an introductory meeting about the program. What seemed like a simple informational meeting became a terrifying, fear inducing hour of warnings about the difficulties of science classes and the massive amount of dedication they required. I also distinctly remember that the pre-

sentation was led by a female chemistry professor. While I now realize this meeting was necessary to weed out hesitant students like myself, regardless, the way the science program and STEM field was presented was that of a place that should be feared and warned about. It did not feel like an environment of acceptance or joy for any student, not just female students.

I quickly made an appointment in Dean Parmach’s office to drop my science major, became undecided, took a communications class and am now a very happy communications major, which has always been in the back of my mind but never seemed like a viable career path. However, I have recently considered attending graduate school for public health to eventually work in unstable mental health and healthcare reform.

I have always felt welcome in my STEM classes, and was never afraid to be classified as a “nerd” or compete with male students if I had pursued science. If anything, I was afraid of my failure on my part, not as a woman, but as a person with a history of school-related anxiety.

Overall, while there are still incidents of bias and misogyny evident in studying and pursuing STEM, it is often relative to the individual student’s experiences and mentors.

Additionally, while systems like affirmative action and female-exclusive STEM events have recently popped up in major numbers, only time will tell if women will finally be viewed as equal to men in STEM fields.

Alyssa Opdyke, FCRH ’16, is a communications and media studies major from Doylestown, Pennslyvania

OPINION

Page 8

R Serving the Fordham University campus and community since 1918 The Fordham Ram is the University journal of record. The mission of The Fordham Ram is to provide a forum for the free and open exchange of ideas in service to the community and to act as a student advocate. The Fordham Ram is published and distributed free of charge every Wednesday during the academic year to the Rose Hill, Lincoln Center and Westchester campuses with a readership of over 10,000. The Fordham Ram office is located in the basement of the McGinley Center, room B-52.

FordhamRam.com Advertising: (718) 817-4379 Executive: (718) 817-4380 Fax: (718) 817-4319 theram@fordham.edu Fordham University - Station 37 Box B Bronx, NY 10458

Editor-in-Chief Joe Vitale Managing Editor Katie Meyer Copy Chief Robert Frerich Assistant Copy Chief Sydney Keen News Editor Laura Sanicola Assistant News Editors Erin Shanahan Cailin McKenna Opinion Editor Margarita Artoglou Assistant Opinion Editor Kristen Santer Culture Editors Nicole Horton Amanda Giglio Sports Editor Anthony Pucik Assistant Sports Editors Sam Belden Drew Casey Photo Editor Zack Miklos Assistant Photo Editors Casey Chun Caroline LeBranti Digital Editors Blaine Kaniewski Anna Carey Ellie Bruckner Executive Copy Editor Zachary Jones

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 fordhamramletters@ 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.

November 11, 2015

From the Desk | Robert Frerich

Here’s to Tuesdays at The Fordham Ram As I sit in the office reflecting on what to write, I cannot help but get sentimental. It has dawned on me that my time at The Fordham Ram is drawing to a close. A new crop of eager editors is maturing among the underclassmen, ready to replace my fellow outgoing staff members and me in just over a month. It will be hard to adjust to life post-Ram. It has been so deeply intertwined with my life for the past two and a half years, but I will be leaving The Fordham Ram proud of what my fellow editors and I have accomplished.

I joined The Fordham Ram as a sophomore on the recommendation of my friend and former Editorial Director Shannon Marcoux, FCRH ’16, and it has altered my Fordham career forever. Working under former Copy Chief Katie Nolan, FCRH ’15, I quickly fell in love with the editing process and became friends with my fellow copy editors. I began staying later and longer, and eventually, Katie took a leap of faith and entrusted me to do executive reads. When

application time for Volume 96 rolled around, she encouraged me to apply for assistant copy chief.

I fell headfirst into The Fordham Ram; what started as a two hourper-week commitment was suddenly 25. After working so closely with the same people week after week, many of us became friends and the newspaper came together more naturally. That is not to say it was ever easy. We had our challenging moments (like when “The Fordham Daily” launched) but we always somehow made it through.

I have found a home in McGinley B-52, the location of The Fordham Ram office, something I was unsure as a freshman that I would find during my four years. As a biology major who is pre-med, it often seemed odd to my friends and family that I was on the newspaper but it is, in fact, one of my proudest accomplishments. Joining the newspaper was one of the most random decisions of my life, and also one of the best.

To the staff of Volumes 96 and 97, thank you. None of this would

have been possible without each and every one of you. To my copy staff, thank you for returning week after week to the copy table. I know serving as a copy editor can often feel thankless, but we could not produce a paper without you.

I must especially thank Katie Nolan for believing in me and giving me tremendous amounts of guidance and support. It was an honor to work with you for the past two years; you taught me everything I know. I must also thank former staff members Kelly Kultys, Mike Cavanaugh and Max Prinz, all FCRH ’15, for serving as great role models and always setting the bar high.

To fellow seniors Katie Meyer, Joe Vitale, Nicole Horton and Anthony Pucik, all FCRH ’16, we can leave The Fordham Ram knowing that, even if we never made a perfect issue, we always gave it our best efforts. Saying goodbye to The Fordham Ram is one of the many goodbyes we will have to endure during our senior year, and one of the hardest, but

I have confidence in the future staff of Volume 98 and Sydney Keen, FCRH ’17, who will replace me (and do a phenomenal job) as Copy Chief starting in a month’s time.

My advice to the reader is this: please, take a chance and pursue something that interests you.

With enough dedication you may end up falling in love with it.

Anything worth working for is never easy, but I can assure you the reward when you succeed is worth all the blood, sweat and tears.

Editorial | Safe Spaces

Safe Spaces Suppress Necessary Dialogue The past few weeks have been eventful, tumultuous and sometimes thorny ones for student protesters at several colleges and universities across the country. These protests have largely been based in race issues, the largest of which saw effects manifest just two days ago in Columbia, Missouri when, on Monday, the heads of the University of Missouri System and its Columbia campus announced their resignation. This action came amid allegations that they had not responded to widespread racial issues on campus.

A few days previously, in New Haven, Connecticut, weeks of tension surrounding alleged racial insensitivity came to a boiling point at Yale University. After professors issued several advisories on acceptable, racially sensitive Halloween costumes, another professor, a live-in “master” in one of the campus residences, responded with an email expressing fears that liberal arts campuses will become “places of censure and prohibition.” The email drew ire from many Yale students, and culminated Monday with thousands of students gathering to call for an end to racism on campus.

These larger incidents have given rise to a rash of other, smaller protests across the country. Walkouts have already been planned at Ithaca College and Smith College, both in

the northeast.

These protests are, by and large, not harmful. Indeed, they bring up important issues of race, representation and respect at liberal arts institutions that are still largely attended by a significant majority of white, privileged students. This point must be made very clear: the recent protests bring up weighty issues that are very worth fighting for and discussing.

But that element of discussion is also where they can run into complicated territory. In both of these major protests at Missouri and Yale, the scent of censorship has been in the air, and much of that has to do with the concept of the “safe space.”

Safe spaces are generally defined as places where anyone can relax and express their views, without fear that they will be made uncomfortable or unsafe because of their gender, sexual orientation, race, religion or any other personal feature. In theory, such spaces sound innocuous at worst. But, as we have seen in the Missouri and Yale protests, they can snowball.

In Missouri, protestors celebrating the ousting of their president in the school’s quad engaged in a confrontation with a student journalist, who was shooting photos on a freelance assignment for ESPN. He approached the camp to take pictures,

but was told to get away. Several protestors chanted “Hey hey, ho ho. Reporters have got to go,” and one administrator told the photographer to “leave these students alone” in their “personal space.”

In Yale’s case, the “safe space” concept reared its head in the aftermath of the resident professor’s muchderided email about censorship, in which she posed the question “Is there no room anymore for a child or young person to be a little bit obnoxious … a little bit inappropriate or provocative or, yes, offensive?”

It is a valid question, and a valid intellectual problem to meditate upon.

But that is not how it was taken by a significant portion of the student body, members of whom drafted an open letter to the professor in question that read, “We are not asking to be coddled… [but] simply ask that our existences not be invalidated on campus. This is us asking for basic respect of our cultures and our livelihoods.”

That statement is a gross exaggeration; the email did not disrespect anyone’s culture or livelihood. It merely posed a question that went, marginally and respectfully, against the dominant narrative on how to deal with race on college campuses.

And that disagreement, apparently, tore down the safe space walls.

Safe spaces, in these contexts, are

being abused. The incidents at Yale and Missouri are not unique. But they, and others like them, are representative of a trend at many colleges and universities, many of them institutions of the liberal arts. Students are using the concept of these spaces to go beyond feeling “safe” and to create a shield against any possible criticism or disagreement. By claiming that feelings are hurt or that they feel invalidated, students allow emotion to proliferate at the expense of rational discussion.

This is not to say that emotion has no place in academic life. Emotionally charged discourse can be extremely powerful. But we cannot claim that opposing arguments are unacceptable because they hurt us, or make us feel invalid. By saying this, we take away our own power.

We are not invalid. In fact, we are fully capable of standing up for ourselves, and engaging in legitimate arguments about what we believe in, whatever that may be.

There is still a place for safe spaces on college campuses and otherwise.

But there is a much larger place for unsafe spaces, for spaces where our opinions are challenged, where we are forced to legitimately consider and respond to arguments that belie our own beliefs.

We cannot hide behind our safe spaces.

Disagree with our editorial?

Want to write a response?

Email us at fordhamramopinions@gmail.com to find out how.

OPINION

November 11, 2015

Page 9

Has the U.S. Given Up on Anti-Trust?

By MATTHEW CALHOUN STAFF WRITER

The media has been buzzing about the acquisition of RiteAid, the third largest drugstore chain in the nation, by the second largest chain, Walgreens for $9.4 billion.

In many markets across America, this will create a huge monopoly for Walgreens, leaving CVS as the only other major player in the industry.

Walgreens and RiteAid are currently the only two drugstores in walking distance of the Rose Hill Campus and soon students will only have one option.

These multi-billion dollar transactions that the US has been approving can have detrimental long-term effects on regional economies, as well as the national and global economies as a whole. In the past 10 years alone, numbers of major competitive companies have been cut by up to 50 percent, in several industries most notably in the airline and banking industries.

In 2005, Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), a major hub for Delta Airlines, was the fifth busiest airport in the nation, serving 23 million passengers annually. This year, the airport has served less than five million passengers, an 80 percent decline in just ten years and dropping to the 54th busiest in the America. The downturn began in 2008, when Delta acquired now-defunct Northwest Airlines, which operated two nearby hubs in Detroit and Minneapolis.

Today, Delta still operates a small connecting hub at the airport which has since become more of a ghost town than an airport — there are five terminals built at CVG, but only one has been used since 2012. The merger hurt the local economy more than just by decreasing flights. From 2006 until the end of 2014, Cincinnati was the most expensive airport to fly

COURTESY OF FLICKR

RiteAid, a large pharmacy store, was recently acquried by Walgreens.

though in the United States, with an average ticket price of $570. Today, it is still usually cheaper to fly from New York to the West Coast than to Cincinnati, which is only about an hour away by plane.

Outside of the airline industry, banks have been one of the biggest culprits of hurting the economy by way of mergers and acquisitions. In recent years, Bank One, Wachovia and National City have all been swallowed up into Chase, Wells Fargo and PNC banks respectively.

True, these transactions have made it more convenient for customers who travel across the country often.

But after the Chase merger, over 10,000 former Bank One employees lost their jobs. When Wells Fargo bought Wachovia in 2009, the bank terminated over 11,000 employees in North Carolina.

Perhaps the most controversial of these bank transactions was the purchase of National City Bank by PNC in 2008. We all remember the government bailouts of nearly every major bank remaining after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. The loans, or “bailouts” intended to keep major banks afloat to prevent more disastrous economic conditions were part

of Troubled Asset Relief Program, and are known as TARP funds. Of the 25 largest banks in the US, National City was the only bank to be denied TARP funds by the federal government. What makes this deal more controversial is that PNC used the TARP funds that were loaned to PNC by the government to purchase National City for $5.5 billion.

National City stakeholders were furious. Congressman Dennis Kucinich even lead a movement in the house to stop the merger, claiming it was a blatant misuse of federal funding given to PNC. TARP funds were given to dozens of banks to save them from toxic investments during the great recession, and many believed the funds given to PNC to purchase National City should have been loaned to National City to save itself from troubled assets that were plaguing the global economy.

PNC is the only corporation to date that has used government funds to buy out another company. The deal ultimately cost more than 15,000 National City employees their jobs.

Today, we are in the midst of another historic acquisition. If the new Walgreens-Rite Aid merger is approved by regulators, the combined

market share would sit at 46.5 percent, putting the newly combined chain ahead of current market-leader CVS’s 30.9 percent.

As of now, the only thing stopping the deal is the threat of intervention by the government due to antitrust laws. Currently, the offer from Walgreens states that the deal will only be valid if less than 1,000 stores between the two brands are forced to close.

Though Walgreens and Rite Aid are diverse enough that some states like Illinois and Texas have no overlap, much of the Northeast and Lower Great Lakes do.

The combined brand would own over 12,000 stores in California, just under 11,000 in New York and about 5,000 in Ohio. The divide between Walgreens and Rite Aid market shares in California and Ohio are split nearly 50/50, meaning these states are the most likely to see forced closings by the government to stop the company from holding a monopoly in those regions. New York State has a higher presence from Rite Aid than Walgreens; however, the government could still intervene in areas of New York if they believe a monopoly is imminent, the same applies to other states like Massachusetts.

The last time the United States Government passed a major antitrust law to limit the formation of monopolies was the Federal Trade Commission Act in 1914. As we can see from recent history, the U.S. has failed to prevent mergers and acquisitions that devastate local economies and allow price gauging by corporations. It has been 101 years since the last time our government passed legislation to prevent monopolies, perhaps Walgreens-Rite Aid is the place to pick up where we left off. It is long overdue.

Matthew Calhoun, GSB ’17, is a finance major from Springboro, Ohio.

Daily Fantasy Sports Not a Crime

By THE RAM SPORTS EDITORS SPORTS EDITORS

On Tuesday night, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman ordered daily fantasy sites like DraftKings and FanDuel to stop taking bets from residents of the state, citing an acute lack of fairness in the games.

“It is clear that DraftKings and FanDuel are the leaders of a massive, multibillion-dollar scheme intended to evade the law and fleece sports fans across the country,” he said, according to the New York Times. “Today we have sent a clear message: not in New York, and not on my watch.”

Schneiderman missed the mark with his decision. There is nothing unlawful or wrong with the kind of difficult, engaging and skill-based games that can be found on DraftKings and FanDuel. Quite frankly, the only outrageous thing about DraftKings and FanDuel is the amount of mind-numbing commercials that plague ESPN 24/7 and commercials on football Sundays across every network.

While gambling has long been regulated in the state of New York, daily fantasy sites have been allowed to operate thanks to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act’s exception for online games of skill. Fantasy sports certainly fit into

the category of online games of skill.

People spend days, sometimes even months, reading every fantasy article possible to put together the team that will win them bragging rights amongst their best friends. DraftKings and FanDuel do the same thing, but instead of your friends, you can brag with strangers from all across the country and the bragging rights come in the form of dollar signs on a daily basis.

Immediately following Attorney General Schneiderman’s decision, DraftKings sent an email to New York resident participants which stated their displeasure with the decision. It included links that allowed users to “let [Schneiderman] know that New York has bigger challenges than fantasy football,” claiming that playing daily fantasy sport is “fun, entertaining and a game of skill.”

While there are certain things on DraftKings and FanDuel that we do not support, like Washington Redskins’ wide receiver Pierre Garcon’s suit against FanDuel for not compensating players for using their likenesses on their applications, we do not believe that one-day fantasy sites on the surface are wrong.

The biggest concern with the industry and the likely reason for the New York ban is the fear of future

insider trading between the two industry leaders. The two were at the center of controversy in early October after a DraftKings employee, who had access to detailed statistical data, won $350,000 on FanDuel during the third week of the NFL season in mid-September.

The public and government had legitimate reason to be concerned at this point, but since the alleged insider trading, DraftKings and FanDuel have barred their employees from participating in any contests on their own or competing in daily fantasy sports platforms.

Outsider regulation is not needed.

DraftKings and FanDuel have and will continue to self-regulate effectively in order to ensure the integrity of the game that they provide to a large sports audience. Just take a look at how quickly the two companies came to the decision to bar their employees from participating in contests of any form: the news of an employee’s big win broke nationally on Oct. 5, and the two companies banned their employees just two days later on Oct. 7.

There are much bigger things that the government needs to worry about. Republican Presidential Candidate Chris Christie addressed the topic during CNBC’s Republican

debate on Oct. 28.

“Wait a second, we have $19 trillion in debt,” Christie, the New Jersey governor, said. “We have people out of work. We have ISIS and al Qaeda attacking us. And we’re talking about fantasy football? Can we stop?”

To put it simply, daily fantasy sports are a form of entertainment that include both skill and chance. If you ban them, what is next?

Will you and your friends be prohibited by law to have a fantasy football league and to win each other’s money through entry fees?

The ruling hurts the casual DraftKings and FanDuel player. The twenty-six-year-old football fan who throws a couple of dollars a weekend into the app to see if a team of Tom Brady, Julius Thomas and the Broncos Defense can win them a couple hundred dollars is being punished due to the greed of employees within the company trying to cheat the system.

But at least for now, you have to travel north to Connecticut or west to New Jersey to compete in such contests. That needs to change.

This article was written by Anthony Pucik, Drew Casey and Sam Belden, editors of the sports section.

Marcelle Meyer Stop Staying You Aren’t Privileged I witnessed an argument on Facebook last week that most of us have probably seen several times: an African American girl posted something about an injustice caused by white privilege, and a white person commented to aggressively defend her lack of privilege. She grew up poor. She had to work through college. She has to support her children on a single-parent salary. And, for some reason, all of these things mean that she has had no advantages in society by virtue of being born white.

In American culture, we very strongly value the sentiment of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.” Independence, selfreliance and hard work are some of the most admirable qualities in our society. So when you tell someone that there are things in his or her life that they did not earn, he or she often take offense.

But white America needs to stop pretending that white privilege does not exist.

The most fundamental misunderstanding about privilege is that it is all-encompassing. If you have white privilege, then your life is easy. However, this has never been the argument.

Being born Caucasian in America means that your cultural history is the primary historical perspective taught in schools.

It means that you will not have to explain to your children that many people dislike the color of their skin. It means that, when you are articulate and well-spoken, nobody is surprised or says that you speak like a member of a different race. It means that not everything you do with your hair, body or clothes is a social statement about your demographic group. It does not mean that you are rich, well-educated or have an easy life.

When white America denies that we have any advantages in society because of our skin color, we also deny that black Americans are in any way disadvantaged — we deny that racism still exists. The implications of this are numerous, the most harmful of which being that we never do anything to address racist practices in America.

Every day, people of all races work hard and overcome obstacles to achieve personal success, and admitting to having some advantages does nothing to lessen the significance of that. People are born with certain privileges if they are male, cisgender or physically able among other things.

When we fail to acknowledge this, we focus on protecting the feelings of the majority, rather than the safety of the minority.

Although this may seem like a sensitive topic to discuss, it is a necessary one if our society is going to get better.

It is time for us to stop fighting about whether or not our lives are easy and start fixing real problems.

OPINION

Page 10

November 11, 2015

Should Circumcision Still Be Practiced?

COURTESY OF FLICKR

More people have started to discuss the morality and ethics behind male circumcision in the 21st century.

By JACLYN WEINER OPINION EDITOR

Over the course of American history, circumcision has become the norm. For years circumcision was only practiced by followers of particular religions, such as Judaism and Islam. Over time, it became popular among secular Americans due to widespread propaganda, the American sex-phobia of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and incomplete and biased medical research. American society is one of very few that practices circumcision on a widespread scale.

As multiple generations have passed, parents have rarely questioned whether or not they should have their newborns circumcised, since circumcision has become commonplace in America. Only recently have parents started to question the true health benefits and morality of circumcision.

Still, the number of newborn circumcisions performed in hospitals is high. Research conducted within the past several years by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that the rate of newborn circumcision preformed in hospitals has decreased to about 58 percent, but is still the majority.

Statistics obtained between July 1963 and December 1965 by Cycle III of the Health Examination Services, Education and Welfare found that 76 percent of boys born in the late 1940s and early 1950s were cir-

cumcised. The study also found that in some hospitals, more than 90 percent of boys were circumcised.

Many believe circumcision became popular due to medical research, but the popularization predated medical research on the subject. It was believed during the late 1800s and 1900s that masturbation was a sin, was vile and caused many diseases such as epilepsy, alcoholism, hysteria, poor development, impotence, “masturbatory insanity” and mental illness.

Circumcision was suggested as a means to prevent children from having the desire to masturbate when they matured. The foreskin of the penis has thousands of nerve endings and is the only part of the penis that is capable of movability. It was believed that the removal of foreskin of the penis would decrease sexual urges by reducing sexual sensitivity and restricting movement of the shaft. Female circumcision was also proposed but, thankfully, did not catch on.

One of the biggest supporters of circumcision and the anti-masturbation movement was John Harvey Kellogg, the inventor of corn flakes.

Kellogg was a Michigan doctor who basically hated sex. He thought that it caused physical, emotional and spiritual harm to human beings. Kellogg never consummated his marriage, slept in a separate room from his wife and adopted all of his children.

Kellogg’s discomfort with sex made him a major contributor to the sex-phobic movements of the 1900s.

Kellogg’s invention of corn flakes actually stemmed from it. He believed that flavorful and seasoned foods contributed to an increase in sexual desire. Kellogg developed multipleflaked grain breakfast cereals, including corn flakes, to be used as healthy, anti-masturbatory breakfast meals.

His brother was business-savvy and wanted to sell the flaked cereal to the general public.

Though Kellogg’s flaked corn was a large contribution to the anti-masturbatory movement, it definitely did not stop there. Kellogg was a vocal supporter of the circumcision for both girls and boys. He advocated the threading of silver wire through boys’ foreskin, to prevent erections and cause irritation. He also advocated for the use of carbolic acid to burn the clitoris of girls, and sometimes employed the practice.

The anti-masturbatory and procircumcision movements of the late 1800s and early 1900s greatly contributed to the normalcy of the practice of circumcision in America today. The sex-phobic and ill-informed propaganda has gone out of fashion, due to the new medical findings and a shift of popular views, but the effects remain.

Another big contributor to the popularization of circumcision in America is the medical research that has been done over the years that

supports the practice. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), an American professional association of pediatricians, has said that circumcision might have various health benefits, such as easier hygienic upkeep, a decreased risk of urinary tract infections and a decreased risk of sexually-transmitted infections.

Although the AAP has recognized the possible health benefits of circumcision, they do not take a firm pro-circumcision stance. In 1975, the AAP stated in no uncertain terms that “there is no absolute medical indication for routine circumcision of the newborn.” In 1983, in 1999 and again in 2012, the AAP restated this position.

Circumcisions have risks. Problems may arise from the surgery, such as skin infections, bloodstream infections, bleeding, gangrene, scarring and surgical complications.

The procedure also causes pain to the child. The foreskin plays an instrumental role during sex. Its movability provides a natural lubricant and it contains thousands of nerve endings. The foreskin also provides physical benefits — it protects the glans from forms of irritation, protects the sensitivity of the glans and protects against infection or scarring of the urinary opening.

Several of the pros of circumcision are not completely relevant in the modern age. Hygiene is not as much of an issue as it was in the past, due to clean running water and soap. Though circumcision is shown to somewhat decrease the risks of sexually transmitted diseases, so do condoms, which do not require the removal of part of the penis. Furthermore, babies cannot consent to this alteration of their body.

Even though the topic may be hard to talk about, opening up this conversation is important. Parents need to discuss the benefits and detriments of the practice of circumcision before they make this critical choice.

Jaclyn Weiner, FCRH ’18, is a communications and media studies major from Wantagh, New York.

Trump as an Immoral Compass

By THERESA SCHLIEP STAFF WRITER

Donald Trump is the opposite of a moral compass. He encapsulates immorality — he is boisterously racist, unequivocally selfish and appallingly sexist. His character is so extremely exaggerated that he has proven to be a joke, some comedic relief in an otherwise frustrating election.

His supporters find his appeal in his debilitating honesty. Trump bypasses political jargon in an age when constituents are weary over empty promises and political rhetoric. He appeals to a growing anti-immigrant sentiment, one that claims that people crossing the border are the reason for all of America’s problems.

It has been easy for people to laugh at Trump’s preposterous reasons for why America is not great. But it is also easy for people to use this scapegoating as a justification for violence. Two men in Boston recently beat up a Hispanic homeless man, allegedly claiming that “Donald Trump was right.”

Publications like Rolling Stone have harnessed this to condemn Donald

Trump’s words. Racism is never funny — it is, in fact, dangerous. Trump dismissed the assault by saying his followers “are passionate.” Instead of reprimanding the assault, Trump essentially established an excuse for any crimes his constituents can commit — their passion, patriotism and redwhite-and-blue blood are too strong for them to not beat anyone up!

Donald Trump’s racism, compounded with Ben Carson’s perplexing ignorance, Hillary Clinton’s ambiguous past and Bernie Sander’s unrealistic democratic-socialism, have all made this election both interesting and frustrating. Perhaps, that is why Jon Favreau’s opinion on Donald Trump is important.

On Nov. 2, Jon Favreau spoke at Fordham about politics and rhetoric. I inquired on Favreau’s feelings toward Donald Trump, and whether he is funny or a legitimate danger to this country.

He replied that Trump’s unethical views force his opposition to extrapolate on why they are unethical.

In this sense, Trump is not a moral

compass. He is an immoral compass, one whose immorality is so offensive that he forces Bernie Sanders to establish why he believes a wall like the one in Israel should not be erected on our nation’s border, and Carly Fiorina to explain why it is inappropriate for Trump to call her either ugly or beautiful in a political context.

We cannot deny that Trump is a danger. He has invested into an already existing culture of anti-immigration, misogyny and racism, and his popular and successful face normalizes these societal blemishes.

This normalization is why we cannot be surprised when there are assaults of homeless Hispanic men. We can be disgusted, yes, but when there is already a growing anger toward Hispanics, who many claim occupy jobs that un-aboriginal people who live here legally can occupy, violence is symptomatic.

Trump’s everlasting spot in the headlines is a reflection of where society is today. We give attention not to the brightest minds, but the loudest mouths; we give the spotlight not to

the marginalized and voiceless, but to those who are already represented by the overwhelmingly rich white men that occupy politics today. Donald Trump is not funny in the traditional sense, despite what his “Saturday Night Live” spoof of Drake’s “Hotline Bling” might tell you. His popularity is depressingly funny, in that a man arguably so unqualified for president is not only popular, but has maintained his popularity.

We cannot deny that Trump is a danger, but this is not to say that he is entirely useless. His unorthodox speech juxtaposes the rest of the field of candidates who, by and large, are honestly trying to combine their ideals and their policies. This juxtaposition humanizes a political era in which politicians are more like robots programmed to win votes and less like people who care to create a nation conducive of opportunity and the pursuit of happiness.

Theresa Schliep, FCRH ’19, is undecided in her major from Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey.

Cate Carrejo Problems With Registration Rose Hill undergraduates began registration for spring semester last week and, once again, sleepy students throughout the Bronx grumbled as they set their alarms for 6:55 a.m. in order to wake up in time to get the classes they wanted. Like with most Fordham administrative processes, there are some perplexing aspects of the registration procedure that could definitely be improved. Let’s start with the obvious: why does it have to be so early? The time must be accessible to all students who may or may not be in class, but 10 p.m. is just as accessible as 7 a.m. (and if the administration thinks students are likely to be asleep at 10 p.m., they are clearly very out of touch with the student body). It is a minor inconvenience, but it is still inconvenient for nearly every student I have ever talked to.

A more serious and frustrating problem is the separation of portals.

Degreeworks is an application completely differentiated from the registration process, meaning you cannot figure out which classes you need to take and register for them at the same time. It is also a clunky format that is not very user-friendly, and you cannot make certain changes without your advisor (it took me three tries and two years to drop my pre-health indicator). Personally, I do not use Degreeworks. I have kept a Word document for the last three years that has the information for every class I need to take until I graduate. It is a lot easier for me to navigate and personalize than Degreeworks — maybe that speaks to my need for organization, but it seems to point towards the inefficiency of Degreeworks instead.

My system may be low-tech, but at least it is a more understandable and usable tool for planning ahead.

Another issue that upperclassmen are probably familiar with is the credit limit rule for juniors. Freshman and sophomores: pay attention. This is not particularly publicized by advisors, and if you are planning to optimize your class schedules all the way through graduation, this is something you need to know. Upperclassmen have to apply for special permission to take a fifth class, and are strictly limited to one semester of five classes, unless you have a 3.7 GPA. I understand that Fordham encourages us to have internships and extracurricular activities, but it seems a little unnecessary to enforce that regulation on everyone. Not everyone’s career path requires internships, and some students want to enhance their degree with double majors and minors. The credit limitation is an arbitrary inhibition of those perfectly reasonable goals. Every so often, the registration gods smile upon students and the entire process is smooth sailing, but generally, registration at Fordham is not a pleasant experience. Beside the unavoidable complications — getting locked out of a class that gets full almost instantly, classes that are offered at inconvenient times, classes for your major not being offered at all — it seems that the university could change some aspects of the procedure to make it much easier for students. Let’s hope they make changes for the better with the students in mind.

November 11, 2015

CULTURE

Page 11

The Fordham Ram

Does Winning Social Media Win Debates?

By DELANEY BENISON STAFF WRITER

Bernie. Hillary. Ben. Donald.

These are our significant presidential prospects for 2016 to date, in terms of popularity and fundraising capability. We sit and watch these candidates compete for our attention, our respect and votes, but the difference lies in how we reciprocate in the voter-politician relationship.

President Barack Obama has had a strong social media presence for both his campaigns and his presidency, which has helped reach out to constituents and mobilize young voters.

Clinton was declared the winner of the Democratic debate by CNN, but Bernie Sanders was the one trending on Twitter. He gained over 35,000 Twitter followers during the debate.

This could mean many things for the new wave of political practice that runs an election, but we have to ask how much stock should we put into social media when it comes to the 2016 Presidential Race?

Donald Trump, for good or bad, but certainly not anything in between, is all over social media. Does that mean Trump will be our 45th president? Doubtful. Simply trending on Twitter or on a social media page does not guarantee you will get the votes. In addition to his memeworthy quotes, some voters support him because his background in busi-

PAUL MORGI/AP

Bernie Sanders is among several presidential candidates who have maintained aggressive social media campaigns online.

ness goes against the current political culture. People have been enjoying the show for now, and maybe that is why Trump was leading. However, Ben Carson has now taken over the lead and is demanding to be taken seriously.

It is possible that Trump’s Twitter rise has peaked and he is on his way down, leading Carson towards the Republican nomination. This begs the question — is social media fleeting? Trump could not maintain the lead despite the fact that he gained

78,000 Twitter followers the night of the Republican debate.

This is not to say we should ignore or be indifferent to social media and the value it brings to our awareness in 2016.

According to Forbes, “Bernie Sanders won the democratic debate — on Twitter.” To which they immediately follow, “Let’s be clear. Twitter numbers aren’t a guarantee of anything.”

This is true for a few reasons. Anyone can have a Twitter account in the United States, and many of those

people can be under eighteen-yearsold or choose not to vote. Twitter is a social media platform where corporate interests can buy out its users to “fix” the Twitter debate. Twitter outcomes do not represent the nation as a whole or their beliefs. There is a discrepancy that exists. However, Twitter can convey popularity, public interest and issues people are most concerned about.

Winning a debate is not equivalent to winning on Twitter. The moderators recognize the difference

between a flashy statement and an answer, and therefore their decision will be based on who answered the best. Twitter may have a candidate trend based on whether its users are pleased or outraged by their comments. On the other hand, moderators also do not represent a party as a whole either. Many avid Republicans or Democrats can fundamentally disagree with the moderators and their decisions, leaving room for interpretation as to who actually won.

But this really is the purpose of these debates. The essence of a debate is for those watching to decide for themselves who they felt faired the best against the other candidates.

Social media does and will matter in this upcoming election. It can have content that is vital to understanding a candidate and party. If we are really looking towards the future, we can rely on social media as a source of information. We must remember, however, that social media does not have the staying power that will determine who the next president will be.

Since the elections have yet to take place, it really is impossible to tell how the primaries will pan out. Therefore, it is difficult to definitively say how greatly social media will affect this election, but it continues to gain influence in each presidential election.

It is essential to understand that when it comes to politics, anything can happen.

Navigating the Terms and Conditions of Apps

By MARIANYS MARTES CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Nothing says living in the moment more than Snapchat. You snap a picture, upload it to your story, it is there for 24 hours and then poof! All gone.

That might not be the case anymore due to Snapchat’s updated privacy policy. Effective October 28, Snapchat Inc. has drafted what they simply call “Terms” so that users are aware of the rules when using the app. The company has taken pride in removing the legalese from the Terms, making it easier for users to understand.

The opening paragraph of the Terms reads, “These Terms do indeed form a legally binding contract between you and Snapchat Inc. So please read them carefully.” But does anybody really read them? Do you really? Maybe now you should.

As reported by The New York Post, the update states that Snapchat has the rights to reproduce, modify and republish your photos and save those photos to Snapchat’s servers, specifically in relation to the “Live Story” feature.

After downloading the new update, users are prompted to read and accept the new privacy policy. On snapchat. com/terms, the full policy is listed for users to read and decide whether or not they will be keeping or deleting the app. It states, “Many of our Services let you create, upload, post, send, receive, and store content. When you do that, you retain whatever owner-

ship rights in that content you had to begin with.

But you grant Snapchat a worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free, sublicensable and transferable license to host, store, use, display, reproduce, modify, adapt, edit, publish, create derivative works from, publicly perform, broadcast, distribute, syndicate, promote, exhibit and publicly display that content in any form and in any and all media or distribution methods (now known or later developed).”

While the Terms are pretty straightforward, Snapchat does not explicitly state that your private snaps will still automatically delete after they have been viewed.

As a result, your snaps may not be as private as you thought they were.

Instagram’s terms of service grants the company a royalty-free license to use content posted by its users. This means that Instagram has the right to use one of your photos for promotion and marketing. This is often seen through the “Explore” feature of the app.

Facebook’s privacy policy grants the company a royalty-free license as well. However, The New York Post reported that this is only applies to content published under the “Public Setting.” Detailed in Facebook’s terms, you can find the following, “You own all of the content and information you post on Facebook, and you can control how it is shared through your privacy and application settings. In addition: When you delete IP content, it

COURTESY OF AP

Snapchat’s privacy policies have surprised its users, prompting a discussion about understanding social media privacy.

is deleted in a manner similar to emptying the recycle bin on a computer.

However, you understand that removed content may persist in backup copies for a reasonable period of time (but will not be available to others).”

The update has also prompted users to dig deeper into the privacy policies of other social networks like Instagram and Facebook. In contrast to Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook have never offered private or “instantly

deleted” services. Nicole Chiuchiolo, FCRH ’16, said, “It prompts me to check the terms of other networks, especially Facebook. I usually just check that I agree to the terms and conditions without reading them because they are way too long. But I definitely put up a lot of personal information on Facebook that I would not be okay with people who aren’t my friends being able to see.”

With more than a million monthly

users, Snapchat’s decision to make their Terms readable means users will be able to understand exactly what they are signing up for. Facebook attracts more than 1.9 billion users, while Twitter has 232 million users, but both have yet to remove the legalese from their privacy policies.

We should all be aware of what we are accepting when deciding to download a new app when our pictures and personal information are involved.

CULTURE

Page 12

November 11, 2015

La Dolce Vita

Great Britain’s Attitude Deters Student From Traveling

By PASQUALE GIANNI STAFF WRITER

There are countless things one could say about London, a global city perhaps only rivaled by New York City on a world scale. It is historic, charming, expensive and gigantic.

I saw, of course, all the main attractions: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The Tower Bridge, The London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Shakespeare’s Globe and St. Paul’s Cathedral, and they were all quite impressive spectacles. Instead of rattling off about these sites like a tourist manual, however, this article is going to take a different direction. As a writer, one who travels and relates his experiences, I must be honest and forthright in relating my personal take. So, quite truthfully and simply put: I have never before seen a country as pretentious as the U.K. Before you get offended, allow me to explain.

Travelling to Great Britain is a much different experience than going to any other EU member state.

For starters, The Schengen Agreement, brokered in 1995, sought quite successfully to abolish travel borders within the European Union.

This measure got rid of customs and passport controls within Europe and unified the travel visa process in order to comply with primary aims of “free movement of goods, services, capital, labor, and people.” The U.K., of course, managed to secure an “optout” of this agreement. In addition, the Brits were able to find themselves in a position to opt-out, once again, this time in the early 2000s to the unified currency adoption (the Euro) and instead still operates on its own British Pound Sterling. You might

JAVIER DIAZ BARRERA /FLICKR

British culture goes beyond tourist attractions like Buckingham Palace.

ask why Great Britain has stood firm against adapting to the core principles of European integration, thus completely undermining the purpose of joining the European Union, but the simplest answer comes down to the fact that the British will always remain the British.

The country does do a lot of things right, and remains a world superpower. As far as recent history is concerned, the U.K. has been considered a crossroads between the U.S. and Europe. The U.S. and U.K. have long been, and will always remain, incredibly strong allies: from WWII to the Reagan Era to the recent Iraq War. At the same time, the U.K. has long stood as a leading moderate voice in Europe (with Germany placed firmly to its right and France to its left).

There are still many nice things I can say about the place as well.

London is an attractive city despite the crummy weather and average, yet improving food. For starters, the shopping is incredible; everywhere you look there are upscale shops in this very fashion-conscious town.

Culture Shock | Connor Smith

Courtney’s Side Project Possesses New Wisdom Many Moons is the debut solo album from Real Estate’s singer and guitarist, Martin Courtney. Real Estate’s band members are known for their plethora of side projects, most notably Matt Modanile being the guitarist for Ducktails. However, Alex Bleeker also has had some success in his band Alex Bleeker and the Freaks. It was just a matter of time before Martin Courtney debuted a solo side project.

Many Moons sounds a bit more like a compilation of philosophical assertions rather than any album production he’s ever been involved in. Courtney released “Vestiges,” “Northern Highway” and “Airport Bar” before the full album on Oct. 30. There’s a lot of deep thinking in this new album. This became very evident upon my first listen of “Vestiges.” Martin Courtney discusses the past and how life is constantly changing. He asserts, “It’s hard to know if we can rely on anything.” If nothing ever stays the same, how can we rely on anything or anyone for that matter? What really struck me about “Vestiges” was one lyric, “The more things change the more things stay the same.” I guess it is true that the only constant is change.

However, the subject matter of this album doesn’t stagnate either. In “Airport Bar,” Courtney focuses less

on the change that occurs and more on the effect it can have. He sits in an airport bar watching all the people come and go, but he’s just staying in one place.

This metaphor continues through the song as he talks about being in a dream-like state he refers to also in “Asleep,” saying, “I thought I had it made.” Unfortunately, Courtney did not have it made, and begs in the chorus, “Please don’t go forgetting about me, don’t go forgetting about me.” Many Moons is a fitting album title which he references explicitly, “Many moons for it to grow, phases they will come and they will go.” The changing of the times is as swift and polarizing as the changing phases of the moon. It is clear that Martin Courtney has seen the crescent and full moon along with everything in between.

This is a solid album both sonically and lyrically. Courtney clearly doesn’t lack experience, as his lyrics are very mature and retrospective.

He possesses a new wisdom not seen in his previous ventures with Real Estate. The instrumentals have some influence from his work with Real Estate, but they are also very unique to this album. This is a very promising debut solo album from Martin Courtney, and I look forward to what he has in store for the future.

The parks are plentiful and luscious green. The history and architecture are admittedly fascinating. It is useful to note, though, that the city itself is an incredible urban sprawl which calls for long commute times. English cuisine, typically characterized

by English pub food (fish and chips, English pies) is nothing to write home about. The booming international food scene, however, is quite good: Chinese, Middle-Eastern, Indian, Japanese, Italian and so on. So, like many things British, the allure of it came from elsewhere.

London impressed me, but like traveling anywhere in the world, it is important to come with open eyes, and to see the good and the bad. As a traveler, it is quite difficult to not have a good time in London as it has just about everything to offer. And I am being generous here by ignoring the absolutely brutal and ugly history of the country and only focusing on the present. Exceptions aside — because I do know many upstanding and polite Brits — the country needs an attitude adjustment. Even the little things are frustrating. The airport controls were, unnecessar-

ily, the strictest I have ever seen; they made me take every item out of my shaving kit, and whatever toiletries I could not fit into the smallest Ziploc bag known to man had to be disposed. And while some may find the backward driving ways of the British to be cute and comical, I find it quintessentially British that they refuse to join virtually the rest of the world and drive, figuratively and literally, on the right side of the road.

So when the country votes in 2017 to remain or withdraw from the European Union, I hope they vote themselves out because they are not willing to be part of such an inclusive, collaborative and civilized organization committed to making the world a better place. The British Colonial Empire is a thing of the past, but do not tell that to a Brit. The sun has set on the Empire, but the afterglow still blinds too many eyes.

Editor’s Pick | Milan

Italy’s Hub of Culture and Design

By CAROLINE LEBRANTI ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR

When attempting to visualize the diverse country of Italy, it is easy to gather only images of ancient ruins where gladiators once shed blood, extravagant galleries abounding with work by famous artists like Michelangelo and Caravaggio and countless lavish baroque and romanesque churches. For the most part, Italy is seen as one big homage to the past.

While the country has done an impeccable job at preserving history, we cannot forget that it is also home to cutting-edge design.

Milan is widely regarded as a global capital in industrial design, fashion and architecture. Beyond the historic gothic-style Duomo and the charming Brera district, you will find contemporary galleries, museums and showrooms featuring some of the most innovative ideas and artwork in the world.

The idea of Milan as a progressive hub can be traced back to the early 1900s Futurist movement, sparked by the Italian poet, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, who was sick and tired of his country being stuck in the past.

The social and artistic motion glorified modernity, speed, industrialization and progress, and rejected the glorification of the past. While this avant-garde movement was fairly short lived, it heavily influenced forthcoming movements that shaped Milan into the contemporary city it is today.

Post-war Italy looked to industry as an opportunity for renewed prosperity, and to creative design to unify all of its productions. In 1933, architect Giovanni Muzio designed the Palazzo dell’Arte, which served as the headquarters of the Triennale di Milano, an exhibition that highlights decorative and industrial arts as well as modern architecture held every three years. For over 80 years, the Triennale has been an icon for cultural and economic life, and an engine for important international dialogue between society and the arts.

In the 1950s, Milan sprung Italy even further into the present. From 1952 to 1955, the revenue from Milan’s fashion exports almost qua-

CAROLINE LEBRANTI/THE RAM

Milan is the progressive center of Italy, with culture at the forefront.

drupled. In addition to the growing fashion scene, modern skyscrapers, such as the Pirelli Tower and the Torre Velasca were built, and forwardthinking artists such as Bruno Munari and Lucio Fontana migrated to the city. The city also became known for the Fiera Milano, Europe’s largest permanent trade exhibition, and Salone Internazionale del Mobile, one of the most prestigious international furniture and design fairs.

Some of the most prominent hot spots for design in Milan include the Triennale Design Museum, 10 Corso Como, Studio Museo Achille Castiglioni and the countless showrooms for designers such as Venini, Flos, Alessi and Dilmos. The Triennale Design Museum opened within the Palazzo dell’Arte in 2007, and is the first museum in Italy focused on industrial design.

Unlike the typical museum with a fixed collection, the Triennale is a space with continuously changing exhibitions, some focusing on culinary design, infographics, iconic Italian designs from the 20th century, graphic novels, sustainable urban architecture in Africa and others featuring the work of major artists, such as Keith Haring and Roy Lichtenstein, and designers like Giorgio Armani and Louis Vuitton. In addition to the diversity of exhibits, the museum also houses an amazing bookshop, cafe and outdoor picnic area. Ten Corso Como is a shopping and dining complex that shows and sells works of art, music,

design and cuisine. The complex was founded in 1990 by gallerist and publisher Carla Sozzani, when it started as an art gallery and bookshop. By 2009, it expanded to accommodate a fashion store, cafe, small hotel and luscious rooftop garden. Ten Corso Como is known as a “radical union of culture and commerce,” and its mazelike succession of small showrooms is meant to promote slow shopping.

The complex is also known as one of the most innovative establishments in terms of retailing and marketing.

One of the best kept secrets of the design world is the Fondazione Achille Castiglioni. After his death in 2002, the famous Rationalist industrial designer, Achille Castiglioni’s workshop was perfectly preserved. His daughter currently gives daily informal tours of the space. When you enter the studio adjacent to Piazza Castello, you enter a whimsical world of knickknacks, vision boards and original designs.

The opportunity to get a glance into Castiglioni’s world of inspiration and vision is unlike any experience you could ever get while at a museum or gallery. This is a must-see for design lovers.

Milan may not possess the classical beauty of Rome or Florence, but what it lacks in historical charm, it makes up for in progress, culture and innovation. Nowhere else in the world will you feel the same energy, and nowhere else will you find the same love and dedication to the art of design.

CULTURE

November 11, 2015

Page 13

Searching for the Perfect Latte in New York

By MEGHAN CAMPBELL STAFF WRITER

In college, coffee can often be considered your right-hand man.

It is there to get you through those late-night study sessions and the dreaded 8:30 a.m. classes and to help you power through that last-minute essay. At Fordham, students can get their caffeine fix at Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks (both on- and off-campus locations) and Rodrigue’s. But when they step outside the neighborhood, they can find a whole new world of coffee.

Dubbed the city that never sleeps, New York City is fueled by coffee.

With chain coffee shops on every corner, it is close to impossible not to find a cup of coffee when you need one, if you dig a little deeper in the city streets, however, you will be able to find coffee shops that can easily put any grande caramel frappucino to shame.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters Found in Greenwich Village on West 8th Street, it is a spacious shop for customers to meet up with friends or sit on their laptops with a cup of coffee. Due to its popularity, this place is always crowded, but this should not stop you from trying its incredible coffee. The shop offers a variety of drinks and a small selection of pastries, and, although I would not consider its menu cheap, the coffee is definitely worth buy-

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

Stumptown Coffee Roasters, located in Greenwich Village, has a chic look.

ing. Stumptown also has a location on West 29th Street in the Ace Hotel, which offers a completely different and beautiful atmosphere where you can enjoy your beverage.

Culture Coffee Located on both West 78th Street and on West 36th Street, this shop has a perfect mixture of rustic and modern decorations. With extremely tight spacing and relatively loud music, I would not recommend going here if you are looking for a place to catch up on homework or chat with

a friend, but the trip is completely worth it if you are craving a good espresso, latte or mocha. With drinks set at very reasonable prices, buying their mouth-watering, homemade chocolate chip or oatmeal cranberry cookies is an entirely guilt-free decision and completes the incredible experience.

The Chipped Cup Found in Harlem on 3610 Broadway Ave., it offers a quirky atmosphere that you will instantly fall in love with. The interior of

Review| Music

Eclectic Pop Purity on Full Display

the shop is small, with mismatched furniture and brightly colored specials boards that instantly remind you of Central Perk from the sitcom “Friends.” With a relatively broad list of coffees, teas and snacks, this place seems to have it all. Although prices are a bit high, it would be a mistake to skip out on this hidden gem. There is free Wi-Fi for customers, which extends to the outdoor patio, where all are welcome to relax on their laptops while enjoying their coffee.

Café Lalo Located on West 83rd Street, Cafe Lola offers coffee lovers a fancier twist on the typical coffee shop. Walking into this shop feels like walking into Paris, with beautiful French windows and vintage French posters covering the walls.

It has a very relaxed atmosphere, making the perfect place to meet up with friends for brunch. The shop mostly appeals to customers with a sweet tooth, offering delicious cappuccinos and a variety of heavenly cakes and other desserts.

Two Hands On 164 Mott St, Two Hands offers its costumers a variety of coffee, tea and brunch items that will leave you feeling refreshed and satisfied.

With great interior decorations and

Binge Guide | Nicole Fiorica

Master of None At a glance: Genre: Comedy Seasons/Episodes: 10 Avg. Episode Length: 30 minutes Available on: Netflix

By BRIAN CONWAY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Grimes has always been one for the outlandish.

She is commonly associated her with the more “artsy” side of pop music due to her sound and image, which stray from the norm and create a “love it or hate it” opinion of her. With her latest release, Art Angels, she keeps the weirdness but adds hints of mainstream pop appeal that latch onto you and leave you perplexed about what you just listened to.

The album starts off with the orchestral “laughing and not being human” followed by the ridiculously corny and upbeat “California”.

Already we have an example of Grimes taking jabs at her critics, with two songs that sound like parodies of underground and mainstream pop, respectively. The bizarre does not stop there. “SCREAM” offers a rough, screech-filled rant done entirely

by Taiwanese rapper Aristophanes.

Grimes handles the production on this track, showing off her range of moods in the process.

The album really starts to take flight, though, with “Flesh without Blood” — the incredibly catchy lead single. Here Grimes takes a passive aggressive approach when discussing an ex-lover, delivering hauntingly beautiful melodies wrapped up in a radio-friendly chorus. It is without a doubt the easiest song on the record to di-

What it’s about: Dev (Aziz Ansari, “Parks and Recreation”) is a thirty-something actor living in New York City, trying to break out of commercial acting in favor of bigger roles. He’s also trying to decide if he’s ready to find love and settle down, and if he can survive the romantic mishaps of the first date. Of course, he is joined by his fellow single buddies Arnold (Eric Wareheim, “Tim and Eric Awesome Show”), Denise (Lena Waithe) and Brian (Kelvin Yu) who are there to coach him through it all.

Grimes’ 4th album, Art Angels, mixes her usualy eclectic sound with pop.

gest, and the most memorable.

Another standout track is “Venus Fly,” an absolute banger in an album filled with curveballs. It manages to stand out with abrasive bass and a short-but-sweet bridge.

Grimes ends the project on a high note, literally, with the candycovered “Butterfly”. This blissful cut features soft, fairy-like vocals and dreamy production. The song’s last words are a summary of Grimes’ pop stardom as a whole, “If you’re looking for a dream girl/ I’ll never be your dream girl”.

Art Angels is not the type of album an artist who cares about public opinion would make. This

is a very personal record, as evidenced by the range of styles, lyrics and atmosphere.

This is Grimes’ ultimate expression of her craft and how she feels about the music industry. She knows very well she is capable of producing Top 40 radio singles, but puts that aside for a shot at pop stardom carried solely on her own ambitions.

This album will not be an easy listen for many, but the cutthroat aggression masked in pop purity is something you still need to admire from whatever distance you choose.

awesome latte art, this shop is the perfect place to enjoy a great meal all while capturing the experience on your phone.

Latte Art Located on 15 Stone Street in the Financial District, it offers exactly what its name suggests: a beautiful latte. The shop itself is extremely small and considered a to-go shop, so this is not the place to go if you are looking to relax inside, but the coffee is so incredible that it would be a crime not to visit. You can tell the barista what design you would like on your coffee, and the result looks so amazing that you almost feel guilty drinking it. The shop offers great deals such as punch cards that give a free drink after it has been filled out and mouth-watering 5 dollars empanadas with your coffee during breakfast hours.

There is no better combination than coffee that tastes good and also looks good. These coffee shops offer great cups of coffee with even greater coffee art that make for a fantastic Instagram every time.

These are just a few of the amazing coffee shops New York City has to offer to its caffeine lovers. And after visiting these locations, you will never want to step into another chain shop again.

Why it’s so good: It’s a lot of fun to see Aziz Ansari in a new role outside of “Parks and Rec” and his standup, and if you’re afraid that “Master of None” might just be more of the same old Aziz, don’t be. Yes, there are bits and pieces of Aziz’s standup scattered throughout, but it’s retold and acted out in a way that’s still original. And while the show is telling a continuous story, each episode has an isolated theme. Some of them are fun and random, like a date gone wrong (“Hot Ticket”), but others really do touch upon serious issues like racism and typecasting (“Indians on TV”) and sexism (“Ladies and Gentlemen”) while still making you laugh out loud.

Why you should binge it: With the complete series clocking in at about five hours of screen

time, “Master of None” might not be your first choice for a hardcore binge, but it’s perfect if you’re trying to procrastinate completing your final paper while still planning on starting it at some point later that night. Also, reviews have been overwhelmingly positive considering it just came out on Netflix. Get ahead of the conversation and watch it first.

Standouts: The supporting cast of the show is a fun, sassy group with a lot of chemistry, but “Master of None” has a lot of fun cameos and guest roles, too, including Claire Danes (“Homeland”), Noah Emmerich (“Super8,” “The Americans”), Danielle Brooks (“Orange is the New Black”) and even Busta Rhymes. Also, Dev’s parents are played by Aziz Ansari’s own parents, which is pretty cool. It’s these kinds of random appearances — not to mention humor found in the most unexpected of places — that makes this show so funny.

Potential Pitfalls: It may seem like a cop-out answer, but the main problem with “Master of None” is its length.

Much like the dilemma posed by “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” the Netflix formula of releasing ten thirty-minute episodes in one swing just feels so horribly incomplete. You can watch this entire season in one afternoon and still have time to go out after. You have time to do whatever you want after because you have to wait a whole year until the release of the next brilliant season. And that hurts.

Then again, you can always grab a friend and watch it all over again.

CULTURE

Page 14

Advice | Catherine Kastberg

November 11, 2015

Who’s That Kid? | Juliette Arcodia

A Passion for Media and Global Issues

Conquering the Fall Semester Blues It’s that point in the semester where everyone is getting tired. Physically and emotionally, everyone is exhausted. The inconsistent weather, and the school work that keeps piling on is a lot to take in. We all know how hard it can be to force yourself to sit down and and start doing work. As students, it is our job to attend class and get good grades, but how do we do this when our drive is all the way down to zero?

A lot of classes require a final essay or project that is usually lengthy and dense. I know most of us take procrastination to the next level, but that’s not always the best idea, especially when you have multiple assignments due. You need to clear your head and allocate time dedicated to your work.

One method that I found works very well is writing down a minimum of five sentences a day. That’s easy, right? It’s only a couple of lines, nothing too extreme or unmanageable. Just start by writing down initial thoughts and ideas. They don’t have to be complete sentences. By sitting down and giving yourself a definitive goal, you unlock your creative juices. Eventually, as the time passes, you will have substantial material and be in a much better position than if you were starting cold turkey.

If your final project involves group work, pick a time each week to meet and discuss the details and progress. You need to encourage ever to pull their weight and play a significant part in the group. I know sometimes this is not the easiest thing to do, but it is important to step up and be a leader.

One of the best ways to generate ideas is to speak about them. Get together with some classmates or even friends and tell them what topic you are working on. You can do this in your weekly group meetings or with your roommates. You can bounce around ideas and engage in conversations that will help you to spark new ideas. It helps so much to talk things through.

The Internet is also a great way to do some research. If you are writing an essay on a specific author, read up on his or her personal life and try to understand the author’s style of writing. You could read other pieces by the same author to gauge a better understanding of his or her style and tone. Just make sure to always cite the source as you’re writing so you don’t forget at the end.

In the midst of all of this, it is important to remember that Thanksgiving is right around the corner. You will have a break from school for a couple of days to relax with your family and eat some great food. It is the perfect distraction to clear your head and help yourself remain sane.

COURTESY OF JULIETTE ARCODIA

By ROBERT FRERICH COPY CHIEF

You may recognize Juliette Arcodia, FCRH ’16, from around campus; she is one of Fordham’s friendliest faces, and also one of its most accomplished. Julie hails from Fallston, Maryland, a small town a half-hour outside of Baltimore, and credits her parents and community responsible for her drive for success.

“My parents always pushed for my sisters and I to do our best — achieve our best — and helped us reach our goals each step of the way. My friends and school were also a big part of my support system,” Julie said.

At Notre Dame Prep, an all-girls school in the Baltimore suburbs, Julie developed leadership skills that she brought to Fordham and uses every day. When asked about what made her select Fordham from her long list of potential schools, Julie said, “I loved the idea of having a beautiful campus while also being in New York City.” She continued, “I had always wanted to go to Fordham, but I think the people I’ve met here are the reason I love Fordham.”

Julie is a political science and communication and media studies double major hoping to pursue a career in

television production. She felt drawn to these fields because she has a “passion for combining the world of politics and global issues and relating them to how they are presented in the media.”

She cites a course called Media and Public Opinion as part of her inspiration to pursue this double major. “I learned so much about the world of politics in the news and the different interpretations of news over the course of history. Plus, Professor McDermott is awesome.”

Julie currently interns at “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and calls it her proudest accomplishment thus far. She beat out thousands of applicants for this position and referred to it as “a dream come true.” Julie said, “It has been an absolutely incredible experience and I’m so appreciative I get to intern for a show I’ve always loved and find absolutely hilarious.”

She previously interned for Sportsnet New York (SNY), the TV home of the New York Mets. She described her experience as enriching and inspired her to more adamantly pursue television. “I was a newsroom intern and it was my very first experience in television. I learned so much about the incredible world of live

television and I loved being in the world of sports.”

She experienced an awakening of sorts during her Global Outreach trip in her sophomore year. She was a member of the GO! Glenmary program and cites it as one of her favorite undergraduate experiences. “While in Vanceburg, Kentucky, I learned so much about the world of rural poverty from the incredible people that live there. Each one of them has a unique life story and I was honored to be able to listen to many of them.” She also enjoyed the many friendships she made through the program.

Throughout her tenure at Rose Hill, Julie has been a member of the Residence Hall Association, Campus Activity Board, Rose Hill Society and is the second-year captain of Fordham’s Ultimate Frisbee Team, among other clubs.

As with many seniors, Julie is beginning to get sentimental of her limited time left at Fordham. She hopes to pass on advice that she says was the key to her success at Fordham. “Go into Manhattan and explore, but also enjoy your time on campus. Go to at least one football or basketball game.

Spend an entire afternoon on Eddies. Find the underground tunnels.

Eat at and spend time in the caf,” she said, “I’ve made my favorite Fordham memories on this campus and I only wish I could have made more.”

When asked about her post-graduation plans Julie is hopeful. “Oh gosh, a job would be nice after I graduate.

I’ve loved my internships in television and I definitely want to pursue a career in production in news, comedy or sports. I’m not afraid to say that I don’t have it all figured out yet, but hopefully I will as graduation approaches. I plan to apply to the NBC Page Program,” she said. She does, however, have plans to road trip cross-country with a few friends.

Her strong drive and commitment to her goals is admirable and inspiring.

While she may not have her future entirely figured out, it is clear that Juliette Arcodia is destined for greatness.

Review | Movie

A Compelling Tale of Women’s Rights in America

By SOPHIE LADANYI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Carey Mulligan’s new movie, Suffragette, does not disappoint. The film, directed by Sarah Gavron and costarring Helena Bonham Carter and Meryl Streep, tells the story of the British women who worked to gain suffrage in the early 20th century. Mulligan plays Maud Watts, a laundress who gets involved in the movement when convinced by a friend to join in a protest . Maud befriends fellow activists, including Emeliene Pankhurst (Streep), and Edith Ellyn (Bonham Carter). They work to gain equality, whether it be by going on hunger strike, bombing mailboxes or speaking to parliament members, who, of course, do not listen.

Mulligan not only viscerally connects with her character, but also offers a stunning portrayal (one of her best) of a woman willing to risk everything for a brighter future. Bonham Carter’s performance is excellent, while Streep’s is lackluster since

she attempts to develop her character in about 10 minutes of screentime.

However, the film does more than highlight the bravery of these women. It gives insight into the bondage of societal pressure and sexism the real suffragettes had to overcome. It shows how, as women became more devoted to the cause, they took greater risks while enduring ridicule.

Tear-jerking scenes detail their hardships, such as physical abuse from police and emotional abuse from their families, who spurn them because of their radical behavior.

Perhaps the most important thing Suffragette does is show us three things: how significant suffrage is in itself, how far women have come and how far women still have to go. With the presidential election a year away, there have been strong campaigns to get young adults to the polls, since that demographic is known to have low voter turnouts. Suffragette reminds women that voting is not a chore, but a privilege that was earned and we

have fought for. Women risked their lives so we could have that privilege; we need to take advantage of it.

Watching the film, I was so grateful for these women and thankful that I can share my political opinions. Moreover, the film made me thankful that I have other freedoms: I am allowed to work, receive an education and wear whichever clothes I choose — opportunities many women in other countries are denied. Yet, Suffragette also keenly reminded me that the fight for women’s rights is far from finished. There remain many issues to be resolved, including equal pay, reproductive rights and sexism in the workplace and media.

Suffrage seems like an integral part of being a law-abiding citizen, but the film reminds viewers that in some places, it is not. In the end credits, viewers see a list of nations and when their female citizens were enfranchised. Saudi Arabia was last on that list. Women there have simply been “promised” voting rights. And when, you may ask? In 2015.

November 11, 2015

SPORTS

Page 15

The Fordham Ram

Men’s Soccer Looks for Another A-10 Title

By TARA CANGIALOSI STAFF WRITER

The Fordham men’s soccer team dropped its final regular season contest 1-0 against the University of Massachusetts in an overtime effort on Saturday, Nov. 7.

The loss caps both regular season and Atlantic 10 Conference play for the year and brings the Rams’ overall record to 6-7-4. The team also dropped to 4-3-1 in the A-10, but landed the four seed in the A-10 Conference Championship, which is set to begin on Thursday, Nov. 12, at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

Fordham will take on the exact same rival in UMass, which earned the five seed in the tournament.

“We are super excited to play them again,” senior captain Ryan Cupolo said. “We feel we didn’t play our best soccer when we played them the first time, and just need to focus on making sure we are healthy and focused when we see them again.”

The Minutemen are a deceiving squad due to a 5-12-1 overall record. However, UMass boasts the exact same record as Fordham in the A-10 at 4-3-1, proving that they are a force to be reckoned with.

Though both teams had already qualified for the Championship before the match, the game’s results — along with other scores around the league — dictated seeding.

ZACK MIKLOS/THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham Men’s Soccer will look to defend their Atlantic 10 title this week at the A-10 Championship in Fairfax, Virginia.

With its record before the game, Fordham could have been anywhere from a two to a seven seed depending on league results.

With players still out due to injury, the Rams started a similar lineup to the Halloween game against the University of Dayton.

Notably, freshman goalkeeper Dan Miklos again got the start because classmate Rashid Nuhu is still coming back from a concussion.

Fordham and UMass put up a combined total of 15 first half

shots, but were unable to convert on any opportunities and the score remained scoreless through the 45 minutes.

The Rams had their best chance to take the lead in the 60th minute.

Freshman Janos Loebe took a corner from the near side, crossing the ball into the center. Sophomore Matthew Lewis attempted a diving header for a goal, but the Minutemen’s keeper, Jorge Becerra, made the grab.

Fordham had five corner kicks in the second half, but did not con-

vert. UMass outshot the Rams 7 to 2, but also did not register a goal in regulation.

The game went into overtime, and the Rams came out on the losing side of the spectrum.

The Minutemen got the gamewinner in the 97th minute, when redshirt-freshman Casey Hamil got a hold of a loose ball in Fordham’s eighteen. He finished from eight yards out for his first goal of the season to win the game 1-0.

Miklos ended the game with three saves, while his counterpart

Becerra had five.

With this game behind them, the Rams should anticipate another physical game with the Minutemen come Thursday.

The game saw three yellow cards — two for UMass on Mark Morris and Kevin Boino and one on Fordham’s Cupolo.

Considering Fordham’s track record in the A-10 Championship, the Rams need to let this loss roll off their backs especially because they play UMass again.

Fordham’s strong backline will have a second chance to quell the Minutemen’s attack, while the offense got a good look at goalkeeper Becerra. Both ends of the field will be more knowledgable on what to anticipate and how to best their counterparts.

According to the team, sophomore Jannik Loebe, junior Andy Hickey and Nuhu — all of whom sat out the last game — will be ready to play on Thursday.

Additionally, graduate student and defender Lars Zimmerman will practice on Wednesday at George Mason and will be assessed there to see if he can play.

Either way, the team will move forward with the best lineup that it can put together for its first match in the Championship.

Fordham and UMass kick off on Thursday at 2 p.m. The winner of the match will go on to face the winner of the game between one-seed George Washington and eight-seed VCU. That game will be played on Friday, Nov. 13, at 5 p.m.

Women’s Basketball Dominates Exhibition

By DREW CASEY ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Ahead of its regular season opener, Fordham Women’s Basketball blew out Division II Caldwell University 88-59 on Sunday afternoon at the Rose Hill Gym. The team, featuring nine returning players and seven newcomers, made positive strides, according to fifth-year head coach Stephanie Gaitley.

“I thought we showed improvement from last week’s scrimmage against Stony Brook,” Gaitley said. “We are going to be a work in progress as we see a lot of new faces taking the court. I think we will have better idea of the identity of this team after 10 games.”

In the sport’s new four tenminute quarter format, Fordham jumped out to an early 11-2 lead in the first stanza behind the early success of senior forward Samantha Clark and sophomore forward G’mrice Davis. The team led 14-6 after the first ten minutes.

Davis went on to lead the Rams with 22 points in the contest, netting 11 of her 13 field goal attempts, and also pulling down a team-best 12 rebounds in the exhibition. Davis’ career gamehighs in points, field goals and rebounds from last season are 19, 8 and 10, respectively. “’G’ [G’mrice] continues to im-

DREW DIPANE/THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham Women’s Basketball begins its 2015-2016 regular season this Sunday, Nov. 15, on the road against Penn State.

prove every week,” Gaitley said.

“We have been working on her being a threat both inside and outside. She has better discipline on the defensive end. We are a better team when she is on the court.”

In the second quarter, the Rams offense extended their lead by exploding for 27 points. After sur-

rendering the first basket of the quarter, the team went on a 17-4 run, helped by threes from junior Hannah Missry, sophomore Aaliyah Jones and freshman Lauren Holden. The Rams led 41-18 at the halftime break.

The Cougars showed signs of life out of halftime in the third quarter, outscoring Fordham 23-

18 to cut their overall deficit to 59-41. Fordham committed eight of its 18 turnovers in the quarter and was out rebounded 10-9 in the period.

The Rams came out a bit stronger in the fourth quarter, scoring 29 points to easily seal the win against the local opponent.

Aside from Davis, Clark helped

lead the way for Fordham with a double-double of her own, netting 13 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.

“I think Sam has finally come into her own and has been the most consistent and impressive performer the entire pre- season,” Gaitley said.

Missry turned in 14 points on the afternoon, making four of her six three point attempts, and Jones contributed ten points and a game-high six assists.

Junior Danielle Burns and freshman Alexia Douglas each recorded seven points in the win as well.

While the identity of the team might be unknown until midDecember or until the Atlantic 10 season begins on Saturday, Jan. 2, there is one thing that Fordham certainly hopes to be right from the beginning.

“We will continue to build on being the best defensive team we can be,” Gaitley said. “Our backcourt is young so it will be important for us to keep things simple.”

Under Gaitley, Fordham has consistently been close to the top of the nation across various defensive statistical categories, including defensive points per game.

Fordham’s first regular season game is this Sunday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m. in University Park, Pennsylvania, against Penn State.

SPORTS

Page 16

Sam Belden

November 11, 2015

Swimming Swept in Boston

By GREGORY WAGNER

Stephen Fragano

STAFF WRITER

Where Will Jason Heyward Land?

The experts have spoken: this year’s free agent class is one of Major League Baseball’s best in recent memory. Several big names are looking like good bets to net deals upwards of $100 million. One of these is right fielder Jason Heyward, who will hit the open market as a much different player from the one he was projected to become.

Heyward, formerly of the St. Louis Cardinals, proved himself to be a valuable asset over the past few years, but was expected to be even more than that. As a former can’t-miss prospect, he made his MLB debut with a significant amount of fanfare and was billed as once-in-a-generation talent (never mind the fact that players like Justin Upton, Giancarlo Stanton and Bryce Harper all got the call within the same five-year window). Now a seasoned vet at the ripe old age of 26, Heyward has arrived at a career crossroads, so let’s examine how he’s performed in light of these astronomical expectations.

Heyward’s rookie campaign in 2010 was a definitive success. Playing for his hometown Atlanta Braves, he got on base at a .393 clip and hit 18 home runs — good, but not good enough to edge out Buster Posey for the NL Rookie of the Year. Still, that kind of initial performance seemed to be a harbinger of better things to come. Thanks to his slick glove work and disciplined approach at the plate, Heyward was often compared to the great Willie Mays, from whom he took the nickname “The J-Hey Kid.” Braves fans were overjoyed with their budding superstar, but things didn’t go as planned. Heyward never improved his hitting skills. He hit 27 home runs once, in 2012, but that’s looking more and more like an anomaly by the day. By the end of last year, Braves GM John Hart had enough and flipped him to St. Louis, where he had his best season at the plate in years.

Five years down the line, Heyward has never come close to replicating his rookie stat line. For that reason, many who predicted offensive superstardom for the right fielder have labeled him a mild disappointment.

Those critics are wrong; Heyward hasn’t turned into a masher, but he’s still extremely valuable.

Always one of the better fielders in the league, Heyward generates a ton of value with his glove. By most measures, he was more productive in the field than at the plate during the 2014 season. Additionally, his baserunning is plainly excellent. Over the past two years, Heyward has stolen 43 bases and been caught just seven times. Even with the stolen base falling out of fashion among sabermetric circles, that kind of success adds a ton of value. All told, Heyward has topped six WAR in each of the past two seasons and racked up 31.1 in his career.

So no, Heyward hasn’t developed into a consistent 40-home run threat like Willie Mays, but in this day and age, he’ll still be paid handsomely.

Once undervalued by the baseball economy, skills like fielding and baserunning are more quantifiable than ever, making it easy to see just how much Heyward can bring to a team.

Don’t be surprised if his deal passes the $200 million mark.

This past weekend, the men’s and women’s swimming and diving team’s shipped up to Boston to compete against the Boston University Terriers. After two weeks off, and coming off of a successful 3-0 start, the men were amply rested and prepared to take on the tough competition that the Terriers posed.

The Rams first win came in the men’s 1,000-yd freestyle with a victory from senior swimmer, Steve Sholdra, in a time of 9:43:31.

Sholdra had another dominating day in the pool as he finished first in his two other races, the 200-yd butterfly and the 500-yd freestyle.

Sholdra was the only Fordham men’s swimmer to individually finish first in his respective race.

In his 400-yd freestyle relay with Thomas Shetler, Thomas Gillespie and Liam Semple, the team was just outouched by Boston University’s four.

Yet despite the loss in the 400yd freestyle, sophomore Liam Semple continued to show signs of extreme progress. Semple finished third in the 500-yd freestyle and was the first Fordham swimmer to finish in the 200-yd freestyle. He finished a very close second with a season-best-time of 48.06 seconds in the 100-yd freestyle.

After the race, Semple said that he was happy with his performance, although he expects to continue to improve throughout the remainder of the season. “[I’m] hoping to break the team record in the 200-yd freestyle and get under 4.00 in the 400-yd individual medley and 4.28 in the 500-yd freestyle,” Semple said.

Despite the Rams’ performance, the Terriers defeated the

Get Hot at the Right Time

JOSHUA KIM: THE FORDHAM RAM

The men are 3-1 on the season, while the women are 3-2.

Rams by a score of 190-107.

With regards to the overall team’s performance, Semple was not disappointed with the team’s loss.

“Boston University is really tough competition and we traveled a long way,” Semple said.

More than anything else, Liam is impressed by the performance of the freshman class.

“Our freshmen continue to contribute a lot to the team,” he said.

“They’ve stepped up to fill in the holes left by last year’s seniors, which gives a lot to our team performance and morale.”

The women’s team found themselves with the same result, a 191109 loss to the Terriers.

The women’s team was spearheaded by the efforts of swimmers junior Morgan Fairclough, senior Shannon Lulley and sophomore diver Wendy Espina-Esquivel, all three placing first in their individual events. Fairclough finished

first in the 100-yd backstroke with a time of 58.11 seconds, and Lulley took first place in the 50-yd freestyle with a time of 24.25 seconds.

Espina-Esquivel continued to own the diving pool, as she broke away from the competition in both of her events. Espina-Esquivel finished first in the 1-m dive, scoring a 263.10, and finished first in the 3-m dive with a score of 241.20.

After the tough competition on both sides this past weekend, the Fordham Rams were not phased.

“From top to bottom we put up a lot of promising swims that leave us hopeful for when we taper at the end of the season,” Semple said.

The Fordham women’s swimming team (3-2) will continue its season this Friday as they host LIU-Post. The men’s swimming team (3-1) will travel to the Bucknell Invitational on Nov. 20.

Squash Opens Season 1-3 at Navy Invite

By TOM TERZULLI STAFF WRITER

The squash team kicked off its 2015-2016 season at the home of the Midshipmen in Annapolis, MN to duke it out with four other teams in the Navy Round Robin.

The action began with the Rams taking on the host team in a Friday matchup. In what was by far the toughest matchup of the weekend, the Rams fell in a 9-0 sweep to the Midshipmen, a team ranked in the top 16 in the country. It was a dominating affair for Navy with all of their victories coming in three set sweeps.

The closest matchup came in the first slot with Ram Senior Kincade Webster falling in a valiant effort 11-8, 11-3 and 11-5 to Navy’s Senen Ubina. Sophomore Peter Yuen also gave the Midshipmen’s Jack Herold a run falling 11-4, 11-2 and 11-7 in the second slot. Senior Matthew Crowe contributed the third best performance of any Ram in the third set of his loss to Navy’s Reed Whitney falling 11-4, 11-1, 11-6.

There was no rest for the dejected Rams as they met the Washington Huskies in a 9 a.m. Saturday morning matchup. Fordham bounced back nicely, topping the Huskies 6-3 for their first win in the young season. After going down 2-0, the Rams fired back with six straight wins. Senior Jeremy Keller gave Fordham its first set victory of the year in

the third position with a four-game trouncing of Washington’s Jai Padmakumar 6-11, 11-5, 11-9 and 11-5.

John Lennon took one more game to put away the Husky Malcolm Daigle 6-11, 12-10, 11-1, 9-11 and 11-6 for the second point. Juniors Jimmy Shinnick (11-6, 11-4, 11-3) and Sahil Bahri (15-13, 11-3, 115) each swept their matches over Claire Overby and Yunfeng Shi respectively. In the seventh slot Crowe nipped Andrew Kim of the Huskies in four games, holding Kim to seven points total after losing the first of the four games (9-11, 11-2, 11-2, 11-3). Finally, Senior James Potts routed Husky Aman Bawa, like his teammate did in the previous slot winning three straight games after losing the first.

Sixth year head coach Bryan Patterson was pleased with how his team bounced back following the Navy loss: “All the players were mentally prepared to give their all, so in this respect I didn’t have to do much to get them up for the match.

They wanted to win and to show that they could rebound.”

In a busy day for the Rams, they fell in a close 5-4 matchup to Haverford College that afternoon. Fordham came out firing on all cylinders to start the match taking a 3-0 lead on the backs of wins from Webster, Yuen and Keller. The Webster and Yuen victories both came in threegame sweeps of Haverford’s Nate Vestrich-Shade and Peter Dudley.

Keller needed one more game to secure his success, 11-6, 8-11, 114, 11-9 over Laurenson Ward. The Rams would drop four of the next five games with the lone triumph being Crowe’s four game bouncing of Will Greer 11-2, 11-6, 8-11, 1412.

Fordham capped off their weekend at the Naval Academy with a 6-3 loss to fellow Jesuit institution, Georgetown University. Once again, a great start did not lead the Rams to glory as they blew yet another 3-0 start. The first triumph came from Webster’s three game rout of the Hoya’s Austin Dixon. Yuen upended Georgetown’s Matt Williams in a 5 game marathon 10-12, 11-3, 11-4, 8-11, 11-7. Keller picked up the second straight set victory of the day for the Rams with a three game drubbing of Nick Bowell, 11-6, 117, 12-10.

Keller and Crowe were stars of the weekend, with Keller posting three victories and Crowe notching two straight after the Navy loss.

Coach Patterson chalked up the performance to the tireless effort of the two: “Both Crowe and Keller are intense players who are great examples of giving 100 percent all the time.”

With a 1-3 record to begin the season, Fordham will next be in action again Friday Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. against fellow New York City school NYU at the Lombardi Center squash courts.

The New York Giants are 5-4 after this past Sunday’s victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If you told me during the preseason that the GMen would be top dogs in the NFC East after Week 9 with a 5-4 record, I would have most likely laughed.

In a normally competitive division like the NFC East, being just above .500 usually does not cut it. However this year, the East just has not been competitive. The teams are still close in terms of their records, but not competitive in terms of their showings on the field. The division lacks the competitive flair it had the first couple weeks of the season, especially with injuries to Dez Bryant and Tony Romo.

I think the Giants have played better than its record proves. They have botched a few fourth quarters and had a heartbreaking loss to the New Orleans Saints this season already.

The team is hot and cold. When they have their offense and defense clicking, the Giants can compete. When they are not on the same page, things get tough. Kind of obvious, right? It is consistency on both sides that creates championship caliber teams.

Despite the lackluster record and moments that leave viewers scratching their heads, I will be so bold as to say that the Giants deserve to be on top right now. Their record should be better than the mediocre 5-4, and they are a scrappy, persistent team. I will give them an A for effort.

The important thing for the team from here on out is to maintain that top spot. It does not matter how a team gets into the playoffs, just that it gets there. Anything can happen once the playoffs start; regular season records go out the window. It is true that records can be indicative of how matchups can play out, but a game is a game and no team is going to be awarded a victory without playing.

Take the 2011 Giants as an example. The team finished the season that year with an unimpressive 9-7 record. It is above .500, but no one expects a team that squeaks into the postseason like that to win it all. But they did. They got their collective, proverbial foot in the door and got hot at the right time. As the saying goes, “Timing is everything.”

And who knows — maybe history will repeat itself. The 2007 Giants played the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl held in February of 2008, and New York won that game with a little divine intervention and David Tyree’s helmet. Four years after that in 2012 (after the 2011 regular season), the Giants played the Patriots once again and with what seemed to be a bit more help from above, New York claimed victory.

We find ourselves in 2015 with the Super Bowl coming up in February of 2016, and yet again that four-year interval shows its face. The Patriots certainly look to be well on their way to a Super Bowl appearance, and the Giants have the potential to take the NFC East, even with an uninspiring regular season record. Big Blue just needs to make it and once again find that postseason fire.

It really is all in the timing. The 2011 Giants’ unlikely Super Bowl victory can make a lot of fans hopeful even in hot and cold times such as these in Giants nation.

SPORTS Varsity Scores & Stats

November 11, 2015

Matthew Michaels

The Mets’ Approach to 2016 The New York Mets transformed from a joke into a respectable, formidable team within a couple of months during the magical summer of 2015. After an unexpected trip to the World Series, it is now time for the kings of the National League to focus on repeating as pennant winners.

The Mets do not have bountiful room to add free agents with their bloated roster and talented core.

The starting rotation will be the foundation of the team, with five young studs once Zach Wheeler returns from Tommy John surgery.

Even without re-signing midseason trade acquisition Yoenis Cespedes, the Mets outfield will be solid with the rejuvenated Curtis Granderson and a full season from rookie Michael Conforto.

The infield will be flanked by veterans David Wright and Lucas Duda on the corners. The middle infield could use some work, but there is not much talent on the market. It would be unwise for the Mets to try to re-sign Daniel Murphy, even after he put on his best Babe Ruth impersonation in the first two rounds of the postseason.

The Mets should replace him with someone who can play second base adequately. However, with Wilmer Flores controlling shortstop, the Mets can look internally to Ruben Tejada to handle the second sack.

If either player struggles, Dilson Herrera can be called upon to play second.

Sandy Alderson should focus his attentions on bolstering the bullpen. Manager Terry Collins was hampered in the playoffs by his distrust of his bullpen to get outs.

This impacted his decision making and put the team in tight spots that eventually came back to bite them.

Closer Jeurys Familia had a coming out party in 2015 with a superb campaign punctuated by his franchise-record 43 saves. Even after blowing through tough hitters in the NLDS and NLCS, Familia blew three save opportunities in the World Series, a mark never before reached in the Fall Classic. Belying the basic numbers, Familia actually pitched well in the World Series but was the victim of circumstance and a weak supporting cast.

The Mets’ setup men were Addison Reed and Tyler Clippard, with a whole crew of fringe major leaguers filling out the bullpen. Adding relief arms will not be the sexiest move, but it is what the Mets need most. If they intend to return to the World Series, which is completely plausible given their rotation, the Mets need to fix the bullpen leading up to Familia.

With just four full seasons under his belt, Reed will return to Flushing for 2014, but the Mets are unlikely to re-sign Clippard. Similarly, they probably won’t pursue a topflight free agent like Darren O’Day or Joakim Soria — both will likely demand contracts that exceed the Mets’ budget. A southpaw on the next tier down — like Antonio Bastardo, who can deal with righties as well as lefties, or Tony Sipp, who posted a 1.99 ERA with the Houston Astros in 2015 — would fit. If the Mets can make those kind of incremental improvements, they’ll be in solid shape for next season.

Football Bucknell 7 3 0 6 16 Fordham 7 3 7 7 24 (BUCK) DelMauro 168 yds (FOR) Anderson 2 TDs

Women’s Basketball Caldwell Fordham

59 88

Squash Fordham Navy

0 9

Fordham Washington

6 3

Fordham Haverford

4 5

Fordham Georgetown

3 6

Water Polo Fordham MIT

7 10

Fordham Conn

13 6

Fordham Iona

13 6

Men’s Swimming Fordham Boston U

107 190

Women’s Swimming Fordham 109 Boston U 191 Volleyball Rhode Island Fordham

3 1

Men’s Soccer Fordham 0 Massachusetts 1 GOALS: Hamill (MASS) 97’ Women’s Soccer Fordham 1 VCU 0 GOALS: Salmon (FOR) 15’

Fordham 1 George Mason 1 GOALS: Hardison (GM) 38’, Widmann (FOR) 59’, PK: 4-2 (FOR) Fordham 0 Duquesne 2 GOALS: Losco (DUQ) 77’, Faccenda (DUQ) 85’

Athletes of the Week R. J. Simmons

Jessica Widmann

Junior

Graduate Student

Water Polo

Soccer

Simmons had a productive weekend at the CWPA Northern Division Championship. The driver scored nine goals in three games, more than any other Ram. His goals helped Fordham to a pair of victories and a fifth-place finish at the event.

In the Atlantic 10 semi-final against George Mason, Widmann found the back of the net for the equalizer, then scored a penalty kick at the end of the contest to send Fordham to the next round.

Each week, The Fordham Ram’s Sports editors honor one male athlete and one female athlete for their on-field performances as their “Athletes of the Week.”

News & Notes • Women’s Soccer 10th in

Final Coaches’ Poll

Fordham Women’s Soccer was featured in the final installment of the NSCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Regional Rankings of the season. On Sunday, the Rams wrapped up an impressive season, falling to Duquesne in the Atlantic 10 Championship and finishing with a 137-2 overall record. Princeton wound up on top of the Mid-Atlantic rankings, with James Madison and Hofstra close behind. The A-10 Championship-winning Duquesne squad was ranked eighth.

• Dawson Takes Player of the

Week Honors

On Monday, junior linebacker George Dawson was named the STATS FCS National Defensive Player of the Week as well as the Corvias Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week. During Saturday’s game against Bucknell, Dawson made 10 tackles, including two sacks for a loss of 25 yards. He also forced a fumble and intercepted a two-point conversion attempt that would have put Bucknell in the driver’s seat.

On the season, Dawson has 54 tackles and three sacks.

• Collins Receives Bach Award at Tip-Off Dinner

At last week’s Fordham Men’s Basketball Tip-Off Dinner, Doug Collins received the 2015 Johnny Bach Award in recognition of his contributions to the sport. The No. 1 overall pick in the 1973 NBA Draft, Collins represented the United States in the 1972 Olympics and went on to enjoy a successful head coaching career. He is the fourth recipient of the award in as many years, following Patrick Ewing, P.J. Carlesimo and Phil Jackson.

•

Water Polo Headed to CWPA Championship

After a fifth-place finish at the Collegiate Water Polo Association Northern Division Championship, Fordham Water Polo received one of four at-large bids at next weekend’s CWPA Championship, to be held at MIT. As the eighth seed overall, Fordham is the most heavily favored of the four. The tournament’s field is now complete at 12 teams.

– Compiled by Sam Belden

Page 17

Brendan O’Connell

Practically Pitcher Perfect The 2015 MLB Awards are right around the corner. With many of the races being considered toss-ups by fans and experts alike, such as the AL MVP (Josh Donaldson and Mike Trout) and AL Rookie of the Year (Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor) among others, the accolade with the most uncertainty surrounding its outcome is clearly the NL Cy Young.

As Zach Greinke, Jake Arrieta, Clayton Kershaw, Madison Bumgarner, Max Scherzer, Gerrit Cole, Jacob deGrom and others dominate opponents on a consistent basis, selecting one as the standout from the bunch is an extraordinary challenge.

Greinke, the NL’s starting pitcher in this past year’s All Star Game and the 2009 AL Cy Young winner, had the best season of his 11-year career.

Finishing the season with the highest win percentage among qualified pitchers (.864), the lowest ERA in the majors (1.66), highest WAR (9.3) and the lowest WHIP among starters (0.844), Greinke posted a 19-3 record as the arguable ace of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

His Dodgers partner in crime of ridiculously elite pitching, Clayton Kershaw, the reigning NL MVP and three-time NL Cy Young winner, led the league with 301 strikeouts, 232.2 innings and four complete games, including three shutouts, with a 16-7 record.

Jake Arrieta, emerging Cubs ace, finished the season with the most wins in the majors at a record of 22-6.

He tied Kershaw with four complete games and three shutouts, including one no-hitter, threw 229.0 innings, was runner-up to Greinke with an 8.7 WAR and posted an ERA of 1.77 and WHIP of 0.865, all while piloting Chicago to its first postseason appearance since 2008.

Three-time All-Star and 2013 AL Cy Young winner Max Scherzer completed a solid 14-12 season that included not one, but two no-hitters for a Washington Nationals ballclub that fell well short of expectations.

2014 World Series MVP Madison Bumgarner of the San Francisco Giants continued his torrid ascension to the top of the league with an 18-7 record. Pirates star Gerrit Cole capped off his stellar year with a 19-8 record and 2.60 ERA and 2014 NL Rookie of the Year. Jacob deGrom led the Mets to the World Series after a 14-8 record and 2.54 ERA in the regular season.

It is a veritable logjam, even after former National League aces Johnny Cueto and Cole Hamels were traded to American League teams mid-season. As pitching remains the trend in baseball, the NL enjoys a surplus of talent at the position. After a period of unprecedented hitting success in the steroid era, these gem-twirlers have helped turn the MLB into a sport governed by pitching, where fielding, “small ball” and base running are as important as ever.

The top vote-getters for this season’s NL Cy Young Award will likely be Greinke and Arrieta, with Kershaw playing the role of dark horse, though strong arguments can be made for each of the pitchers previously mentioned. The race is so close that it really comes down to personal preference.

With a historic upper-class of pitchers, picking the best in the National League is an almost impossible task.

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Page 18

November 11, 2015

KNOW MORE

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SPORTS

Novebmer 11, 2015

Page 19

How the Mets Can Sustain Success

By PETER VALENTINO STAFF WRITER

While much of baseball is a winhere-and-now game, teams that can break the mold and sustain success in the MLB are very well heralded.

Many people compare the Mets’ pitching staff to that of the Braves in the 90s; however, winning 14 consecutive divisional pennants is something that baseball may never see again. Therefore, baseball sees success more along the lines of what the Phillies did from 2007 to 2011, or the Tigers in the Dave Dombrowski years. Now with young players on the team, the real question is how to keep October baseball in Flushing for years to come.

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson has proven to be a man who can put together a team that is more than just a one-hit wonder. From 1983 to 1997, Sandy served as the Oakland A’s GM, bringing a World Series to the Bay in 1989, bookended by two other AL pennants in 1988 and 1990. Sandy brought in players such as Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco and Walt Weiss to spearhead a three-year run as the best team in the AL. After working in the MLB office for a few years, he worked as the GM for five years in San Diego, bringing back two NL West championships before the team fell off a cliff.

When coming to the Mets, the former GM Omar Minaya had drafted many players that would be instrumental to the team’s future success, such as Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and Jacob DeGrom.

Alderson also traded veterans away for young talent, such as Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler and Travis D’Arnaud, all while hampered by the Madoff Ponzi Scheme.

Through all of this, Alderson has helped make the Mets one of the most lethal pitching rotations in the major leagues.

As the monetary stranglehold of the scandal seems to have subsided, the Mets came off their most successful season since 2000. They already have free agents hitting the market and garnering interest, such as Daniel Murphy, Bartolo Colon and, probably the most important one, Yoenis Cespedes. A qualifying offer has already been given to Mur-

phy, and the team has expressed interest in bringing back Bartolo in a relief role, however, many think that New York will let Cespedes walk. It is not the worst thing in the world if Cespedes does not come back, considering he would want a long-term contract after being on four teams in four years. While it is likely that the Mets will sign neither Murphy nor Cespedes, the team still can lean on its potent pitching to lead it to a .500 record, like it did this year. However, they will in fact need some bats.

With prospects such as Brandon Nimmo, Gavin Cecchini and Matt Reynolds set to make their debuts this upcoming season, and young guys such as Dilson Herrera and Michael Conforto set to have a big impact, the team needs to find ways to fill in those holes while the young players develop into those roles. In the absence of Daniel Murphy, a guy such as Alexei Ramirez, previously with the White Sox, could fill that role nicely. He was a solid player in Chicago, and can fill in to the lineup immediately.

As for the hole of Cespedes, the development of Juan Lagares will need to continue. After his breakout year in 2014, he receded in 2015, relinquishing his leadoff role to Curtis Granderson. While the power of Cespedes would not be filled, the fielding still can be.

Lagares is a young player still being developed. As for the cleanup spot, the hole for the beginning of the season will have to be filled by either Lucas Duda or Travis d’Arnaud. If they continue to be streaky, then a deadline acquisition will have to be brought in, with the potentially unfortuante result of giving away one of our top prospects. If Bartolo refuses a spot in the bullpen, a player such as Darren O’ Day from Baltimore could fill in.

The New York Mets accomplished incredible things this year with their run to the World Series, and are also expected to have more spending money this offseason.

While they are losing key components in their run, the team continues to find ways to win. When the pitching is off, the hitting is on, and vice versa. Their ability to pick each other up will be the key to multiple NL East championships and multiple runs to the World Series.

By DREW CASEY ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

It’s hard to win a championship.

Just ask the New York Mets.

By now, you all know the story of the 2015 Amazins. They apparently arrived on the world’s biggest baseball stage a year too early. The team dominated the Washington Nationals, an early World Series favorite, in the regular season and easily won the National League East. The organization made win-now moves, none bigger than acquiring slugger Yoenis Cespedes; that surprised everyone.

They fought hard and outlasted the Dodgers in a dramatic fivegame National League Division Series. They dominated in the National League Championship Series against the Cubs, sweeping Chicago in four games.

Then came the World Series. It seemed like the Mets couldn’t lose.

It had to be 1986 all over again.

Wrong.

The ending was less than storybook as the Royals ended the Mets’ spectacular season in just five games without even bringing the series back to Kansas City. The Mets lack of a bullpen came through on the biggest stage and a few costly defensive mistakes doomed them. The script didn’t end the way it seemed like it should for New Yorkers.

There was a certain buzz in the tristate area that’s been absent for quite some time but was certainly exciting to experience. However, I dare ask, “Would it have been better if the Mets didn’t even make the playoffs as opposed to losing in the World Series?”

Was this great run of joy followed by the depths of despair all worth it, or would you have rather just went about your life calmly without baseball in October?

This is an interesting question and there’s no definite answer to it. I will say one thing: There are many ways to get to a championship, but losing once you’ve gotten there hurts all the same.

No one expected Fordham Wom-

en’s Soccer to make the Atlantic 10 Championship and come just a couple of bounces away from a NCAA Tournament appearance. A team picked to finish 11th should not finish first on paper, critics would say.

But that’s why they play the game and why sports are so entertaining.

With a mix of youth and veteran leadership, the team turned in an exceptional regular season, finishing 12-6-1 and 6-3-1 in the Atlantic 10.

With a four match winning streak early in the season, the squad earned the fifth overall seed of eight teams at last week’s conference tournament.

Paired with VCU in their first match of postseason competition, Fordham needed to overcome an early conference season loss to the team on a neutral field in Davidson, North Carolina. They did just that on Brooke Salmon’s first career goal and advanced to take on George Mason the very next day.

Both teams, coming off of thrilling victories, battled to a 1-1 tie through regulation and additional time was needed to determine a winner. Twenty minutes of overtime didn’t do the trick, and it was time for penalty kicks.

It was either win the shootout or go home and have your season come to an end. To make matters even

RAM ARCHIVES

The women’s soccer team suffered a tough loss in the A-10 Championship.

Varsity Calendar HOME AWAY

Thursday Nov. 12

Friday Nov. 13

Saturday Nov. 14

UTA 8:30 p.m. EST

Men’s Basketball

Cross Country

Penn State 2 p.m.

Massachusetts 2 p.m.

District Regional 10 a.m.

Rhode Island 5 p.m.

Volleyball

It’s up to Alderson to keep the Amazin’s competitite next season.

Squash

NYU 7 p.m.

Women’s Swimming

LIU Post 6 p.m.

Volleyball

Monday Nov. 16

Tuesday Nov. 17

Wednesday Nov. 18

Queens College 7 p.m.

Women’s Basketball Men’s Soccer

Sunday Nov. 15

Georgetown 12 p.m.

Football

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

more interesting, penalty shootouts are not done in the regular season.

The only similar instances are individual penalty shots as a result of a defensive foul in the attacking 18-yd box. The Rams took care of business in the shootout and moved to the conference final.

It seemed like Fordham had to win. The team was playing its best, or close to its best, soccer of the year and they had all the momentum.

But in the end, the finish fell just short. A 77th minute goal for championship opponent Duquesne put the team down late, and an 85th minute long distance strike doomed the squad. They were outdone by the Dukes, predicted to finish 12th in the conference during the preseason.

The hardest thing of all is to hold your head up high when you find yourself in situations like these, in sports or otherwise.

It’s not easy to get back, but when the Mets and Fordham Women’s Soccer do, the experience of previously having played in a championship atmosphere will surely help.

Expect the desire and fire from their championship losses to ignite the Mets and Fordham Women’s Soccer to the same or greater peak next season.

VCU 1 p.m.

Davidson 12 p.m.

Manhattan 7 p.m.

SPORTS

Page 20

November 11, 2015

The Fordham Ram

Football Edges Bucknell in Home Finale

By ANTHONY PUCIK SPORTS EDITOR

Fordham Football was able to get back on track this weekend with a 24-16 victory over the Bucknell University Bison during Family Weekend at the Rose Hill campus. This was the final home game of the regular season for the Rams, who have 11 seniors that played their final regular season game at Jack Coffey Field. They include tight end Phazan Odom, defensive back JQ Bowers, offensive lineman Garrick Mayweather and wide receiver Ben Johnson. Graduate students Stephen Hodge and Lourenzo Smith will also be leaving the team after this season.

“It was tremendous for those guys,” head coach Joe Moorhead said of the seniors. “These guys were our first true recruiting class and they believed in the vision of our program and were able to make it happen.”

The Rams got the ball to start the game, but were forced into a three and out by the Bison defense. Bucknell responded with a 91-yd touchdown drive capped off by running back Matt DelMauro’s one-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0 Bucknell. Both teams exchanged punts, but on Fordham’s third drive of the game, junior quarterback Kevin Anderson found freshman wide out Jonathan Lumley down the sidelines for a 43-yd reception down to the Bison two-yard line on the second play.

Anderson found Lumley two plays later in the endzone for a six-yard touchdown reception to tie the game at seven.

In the second quarter, the Rams punted back to Bucknell and the Bi-

ANDREW ESOLDI/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham Football edged Bucknell 24-16 on Saturday afternoon in the team’s final regular season home game of 2015.

son drove 82 yards down the field to the Fordham eight-yard line before setting up for a field goal. The Bison sent out Alex Pechin for the first time this season, but Bucknell’s struggles in the kicking game continued as he missed a 25-yd field goal to keep the game at 7-7. The teams exchanged three and out drives, followed by an Anderson interception deep in Fordham territory which resulted in a 37yd field goal for the Bison to make it 10-7.

The Rams were again forced into a three and out and Bucknell got the ball back with 1:20 to go in the half.

The Rams stopped the Bison with 31 seconds left, and Anderson found freshman wide out Jordan Allen 48 yards down the field to set up a 38yd field goal by sophomore kicker Alejandro Cardenas, which allowed

Fordham to head into halftime tied with the Bison at 10.

The Bison received the ball first in the second half, but junior George Dawson and the Fordham defense forced a fumble off Bucknell quarterback R.J. Nitti at the Bucknell 43.

The Rams responded with a five-yard touchdown pass from Anderson to senior tight end Phazan Odom to give Fordham its first lead of the game, 17-10. The Rams got the ball back after a Bucknell punt, but Anderson was picked off for the second time in the game to give the ball back to the Bison.

Bucknell ended up punting the ball away and the Rams went 88 yards on their ensuing drive, but had a 27yd field goal partially blocked early in the fourth quarter to keep it a seven point game. Bucknell and Fordham

exchanged three and outs twice, and with 4:42 left in the game the Bison got the ball back. A Fordham interception on fourth down was negated by a defensive holding penalty, and late in the drive Nitti found Bobby Kaslander from five yards out to give Bucknell its first score of the second half and make it a 17-16 game. Instead of trying to tie the game with less than two minutes to play, Bucknell went for two, but Nitti was intercepted in the end zone to keep it a one-point advantage for Fordham.

The onside kick was recovered by Fordham and the drive ended with a 22-yd touchdown by sophomore running back Chase Edmonds to make it 24-16.

Dawson, who also had a team-high ten tackles, two sacks for a loss of 25 yards and a forced fumble on the day,

was named FCS National Defensive Player of the Week along with Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week.

“It’s something I’ve been working for, just to get recognized nationally,” Dawon said. “I’ve just been playing hard this season and the stats just piled up this game. I was just really thankful.”

For Bucknell, DelMauro had a great game running for 168 yards and a touchdown, while Nitti had 222 yards on 19-31 passing and a score.

Edmonds, who was wearing number 26 in honor of junior wide receiver Robbie Cantelli who suffered a season ending knee injury last week, was held to just 62 yards on the ground, 71 total, but did have the touchdown to put the game out of reach late. Anderson threw for 296 yards on 20-27 passing with two interceptions, and Allen had 98 yards receiving.

The Rams improved to 8-2 on the season and 4-1 in Patriot League play. Colgate remained undefeated in conference play, maintaining its one game lead over the Rams.

Fordham travels down to Washington D.C. to take on Georgetown for its final game of the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 12 p.m. and will have its bye week on the last week of the regular season.

“We have to continue to control what we can control, that’s how well we prepare for Georgetown and how well we play in the game and hopefully get the win and let the chips fall where they may,” Moorhead said regarding the playoffs. “There’s a couple of scenarios that play out where we can win the league, but if we don’t and we finish 9-2 and we’re not selected as an at-large bid for the playoffs I think that’ll be a crime.”

Women’s Soccer Falls Just Short of NCAA

By LEIGHTON SCHNEIDER STAFF WRITER

The Fordham women’s soccer teams’ remarkable season came to a close on Sunday afternoon in the Atlantic 10 Women’s Soccer Championship. The team was picked to finish 11th in the Atlantic 10 in the preseason coaches poll. The Rams fell to the Duquesne Dukes 2-0 in the Championship game. Despite outshooting the Dukes 11-7, including 8-3 on goal, the team could not find the back of the net.

Fordham got their first chance in the eighth minute. Sophomore midfielder Natalie Sims sent a cross into the box, where junior forward Nicol Natale found herself open and tried a volley that was stopped by Duquesne junior goalkeeper Vanessa Perdomo.

Only 30 seconds later, senior midfielder Ivana Lahcanski took a shot from outside of the eighteen-yard box that deflected off of a defender, but Perdomo made a diving stop in front of the right-side post.

Head coach Jessica Clinton thought that the loss, while disappointing, showed the team what they are capable of.

“We were really close and I think that’s the disappointment from the players, how close they got,” said Clinton. “From staff point of view, we’re so proud of how far they’ve

RAM ARCHIVES

After winning two games at the Atlantic 10 Championship last week, the Rams fell just one match short of an A-10 title.

come. At first, our goal was just to make it into the A-10s. Then once we realized our bracket and how we felt going through the season, we felt good about making it into the finals and we believed that we could win it.”

Fordham continued to get their chances in the second half. They could not find a way to get the ball past the Dukes goalkeeper, though.

In the 65th minute, freshman midfielder Brooke Salmon sent a ball

into the six-yard box, where redshirtsenior forward Kristina Maksuti headed it down, but Perdomo made another miraculous save.

Graduate-student midfielder Jessica Widmann got the next chance for the Rams in the 66th minute.

Widmann got a pass from Maksuti and then one-timed the ball toward the upper left corner of the goal. Perdomo made a diving one-handed save to keep the game scoreless.

Duquesne got its first goal in the

77th minute following a corner kick taken by junior midfielder Maddie Layman. After landing in the middle of the eighteen-yard box, freshman midfielder Abby Losco fired it past junior goalkeeper Megan Fitzgerald.

The Rams last chance to tie the game came in the 83rd minute. A corner kick from junior defender Brianna Blunck found sophomore defender Rachel Collage, but Perdomo once again made the save.

The Dukes scored their second

goal in the 85th minute after Fitzgerald gave the ball away while attempting to clear it away. Duquesne sophomore midfielder Linnea Faccenda scored from 30 yards out.

Widmann, Blunck and junior defender Nicole Bates were named to the All-Championship team.

Fitzgerald set the Fordham singleseason record for the most minutes played (1885), wins (12) and shutouts (9). Her goals against was the second lowest in Fordham history at 0.91.

Widmann finished tied for third in the league in points with 29, second in goals with 12 and added five assists. She and Maksuti tied for second in the league with five gamewinning goals each.

The Rams will return 20 of the 27 players from this year’s team next season.

With so many returning players, Coach Clinton believes this experience will show the team what it takes to have so much success during the season.

“We can take away how much hard work and effort the team put in to get there,” said Clinton. “I think it was a rewards system to see how hard they worked, how they got here and how it came to fruition, because they had never been there.”

The Rams finished the season at 13-7-2, the second most wins in team history, including 11 shutouts, the most in one season.