Volume 101 Issue 17

The Fordham Ram Volume 101, Issue 17

Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 FordhamRam.com

October 16, 2019

Botanical Garden Prepares for Winter

Bronx Responds to Vape Flavor Ban

By GRACIE DAVIS

By MAGGIE ROTHFUS COPY CHIEF

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Less than two weeks ago, the New York State Appellate Division of the Supreme Court delayed Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s state-wide, 90-day ban of flavored vaping products. The ban was originally set to go into effect on Friday, Oct. 4, but was halted after the Vapor Technology Association sued and accused New York state of overreach.

The court will hold a hearing on the issue this Friday, Oct. 18.

However, some store owners in the Belmont community are already seeing a decline in sales.

The embargo would prevent retailers, via a $2000 fine, in New York from selling any and all vaping liquids in flavors other than tobacco and menthol. Spectrum News NY1 and CNN Business have reported on vape shop owners’ responses to the ban, the latter stating that 90% of the sales of one store, VapeNY, come from flavored vaping products.

Ali Ahmed of Rams Village Smoke Zone on Fordham Road spoke with The Fordham Ram on the possible ban.

“It’s good for people to stop smoking, and it’s bad for business,” said Ahmed. “[The] cigarette is nicotine and the oil is nicotine. If they stop this, they have to stop cigarettes, in a way, because all of them are nicotine.”

Ahmed said that the sales of vaping products, such as JUUL’s mint-flavored cartridges, have dropped since the ban’s proposal.

“Before [the mint sales were] at like 16 [boxes per day]. Right now, I sell maybe eight, or six or five, a day,” he stated. One box contains four “JUULpods,” the equivalent to four packs of cigarettes, according to JUUL’s website.

The effects may hit other re-

As temperatures drop and New Yorkers start donning their jackets, the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) has a few things to do to protect their plants from the cold.

Adam Choper, the Margorie G. Rosen Manager of Outdoor Gardens, said the NYBG is busy preparing for the winter ahead.

“We make sure our not-so-cold hardy plants that were out on display are safe and snug in our greenhouses for the winter,” he said. “We also do a lot of work preparing beds for the following season by top dressing with leaf mulches or composts that will be broken down by soil micro-organisms and will feed next year’s growth.”

In NYBG greenhouses, employees are starting to plant seeds and cuttings that will be used for the coming summer season, and outdoors, they are taking the

SEE VAPING, PAGE 3

in this issue

Opinion

Page 9

Warren, Zuckerberg: Facebook’s Stance on Political Ads

Sports

Page 24

Football Wins Last-Minute Thriller at Georgetown

Culture

Page 17

Rewind the 2010s

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

El Grito de Lares hosted Rep Your Heritage in North Dining to celebrate the end of Hispanic Heritage Month.

El Grito de Lares “Reps Heritage” for Hispanic Heritage Month

By SARAH HUFFMAN

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

El Grito de Lares turned North Dining into a colorful event space for the first-ever Rep Your Heritage event. The club used brightly-colored tablecloths and centerpieces along with flags

from various Hispanic countries to brighten up the room.

According to Taína Colón, FCRH ’21, president of El Grito de Lares, the club held the event to celebrate the end of Hispanic Heritage Month.

At the event, it gave out flags, played Latin music, served Colombian food and watched live performances.

Candela Latina, the Latin dance group on campus, performed a traditional Dominican dance and a hip-hop dance.

Matthew Mattias FCRH '21, a singer from the B-Sides, sang a Peruvian folk song and a song from the movie “Coco.” An SEE EL GRITO, PAGE 5

SEE BOTANS PAGE 3

BOLD to Fundraise for Cancer Awareness

By SARAH HUFFMAN

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Bronx Oncology Living Daily (BOLD), a psychosocial program at Montefiore for cancer patients in the Bronx, is hosting various events in October in honor of breast cancer awareness month.

The BOLD program is partnered with multiple universities around the city, including Hunter College, and just began a chapter at Fordham.

So far, the club has volunteered for programs that BOLD is hosting, especially this month for breast cancer awareness.

“We’ve done tabling at a few events so far,” said BOLD outreach and social media coordinator Ailsa Ryan, FCRH ’20. “Our first one was for men with breast cancer and their families where we listened to a panel of doctors and survivors of breast cancer.”

She said that she and other members learned about men and breast cancer as well as tabling and providing information and resources to attendees. They got to hear Michael Singer, an advocate for awareness of breast cancer in men, speak about the SEE BOLD, PAGE 6

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

PRIDE Alliance hosted its annual Coming Out Dance for National Coming Out Day last Friday.

PRIDE Creates “Inclusive Space” for Coming Out Dance

By HANNA DECKER

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

This past Friday, Oct. 11, Fordham’s PRIDE Alliance hosted its annual Coming Out Dance. This event is hosted every year on National Coming Out Day in an effort

to create a safe and inclusive space for any and all members of the LGBTQ+ community.

According to the event announcement, it was geared mostly towards freshmen adjusting to college, but all were welcome.

“PRIDE’s goal is to provide intentionally inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ students on Fordham's Rose Hill campus,” said Max Luf, FCRH ’22 and PRIDE Alliance secretary. “Our annual LGBTQ+ History month events … serve as SEE PRIDE, PAGE 6

NEWS

Page 2

PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS Oct. 9 Thebaud Hall 8:17 a.m.

There was an odor of smoke in Thebaud hall. An employee discovered a small fire in the boiler room due to leaves that got into the vent. The fire was quickly extinguished. FDNY responded and inspected the area. There was no damage.

Oct. 9 Lorillard Place 4:05 p.m.

A student called Public safety stating he saw a suspicious person in a white Toyota minivan.

A Public Safety supervisor responded and the area was canvassed. They did not find anyone. The student had no other information.

Oct. 12 Metro North Station 8:00 p.m.

Two female Fordham students walked out of the Metro North Station on Fordham Road. They walked past a group of males, and one yelled a derogatory statement at them. Two of them followed the students and one focibly touched one of the students. Neither student was physically injured. The NYPD was notified and is investigating.

Oct. 11 Queen’s Court 11:30 p.m.

The security officer at the front desk of Queen’s Court reported that a fire panel had been activated. Investigation revealed the alarm was set off by a student cooking food in the first floor kitchen. Public Safety and FDNY responded and aired the space out.

Sláinte Stuns at Irish Dance Performances World Champions Find Home at Fordham

By ELIOT SCHIAPARELLI ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

The members of Sláinte are heard before they are seen due to their hard shoes, or “heavy shoes.”

Their feet clack against the hard floor at a rapid pace while their upper bodies stay perfectly still.

The women perform in black dresses with a red sash and the men wear black button downs with dress pants.

The team can be seen at various events around Fordham’s campus, from sports games to club showcases to Fordham Dance Marathon, but what students do not know is that many of the members have danced their entire lives and are decorated Irish dancers who have placed in national and international competitions.

Erin Flynn, FCRH ’20, is the co-president of Sláinte. “I’ve been an Irish dancer my whole life ... and I knew I was going to try out for the team before even arriving at Fordham freshman year,” she said.

Flynn’s duties as co-president include choreographing routines and running the group’s social media while co-president Deirdre Kozicki, GSB ’20, handles the behind the scenes club management.

Sláinte, which in Irish means “cheers,” started at Fordham in 2011 but Flynn says it took a few years for it to grow. Now the team performs on and off campus as well as in the intercollegiate Irish Dance Festival at Villanova in Pennsylvania.

While Flynn said their weekly routines vary, they usually practice twice a week and hold audi-

COURTESY OF ERINNE FLYNN

Sláinte, Fordham's Irish Dance team, performs their routines at events on and off campus — nationally and internationally.

tions at the beginning of the school year. Most members have at least five years of experience, but many have more.

Grace McLaughlin, FCRH ’23, has danced competitively for ten years. She came in seventh in the age 17 divisions in the 2018 World Championships in Dublin.

Oct. 14 Queen’s Court 4:00 a.m.

A student did not follow proper guest sign-in procedures, resulting in a rules violation. The duty supervisor responded to the incident.

— Compiled by Sarah Huffman

Follow us on Twitter! @TheFordhamRam

October 16, 2019

COURTESY OF ERINNE FLYNN

Sláinte wears red and black outfits for their performances.

McLaughlin said she is glad she gets to keep dancing at Fordham.

“It’s something I’ve been doing for the last 10 years and it would feel so weird to not do it anymore,” said McLaughlin “I really like that we perform at a bunch of big events throughout the year so I can share it with my friends who aren’t dancers.”

Mackenzie Cranna, GSB ’22, has also placed in a myriad of competitions. She said she has been Irish dancing for 15 years , since she was four, and saw Irish dancers at a festival and decided she wanted to do what they did.

She competed at the 2013 World Championships and one of her teams placed 11th. She has also competed as both a soloist and with a team at the North American Championships where she placed as high as second with her team.

“Irish dancing to me is the perfect combination of an art form and a sport,” said Cranna. “It is a way to express creativity while also getting exercise. I love being a part of Sláinte. I always look forward to practices, and I love the

energy from the crowd when we perform.”

Flynn said both current students and alumni come out for Irish Night every year.

“It’s on March 12 this year,” said Flynn. “There’s food, music and Irish dancing and we may even have alumni perform this year!”

Libby Vernon, GSB ’22, said she started dancing when she was young because a lot of her family did and then joined Sláinte at Fordham.

“I began Irish dance as a way to celebrate my Irish heritage and because many members of my family were Irish dancers before me,” said Vernon. “Some of my favorite things about Irish dance was that I was able to do it with my four sisters, and Irish dance allowed me to travel to cool places all over the U.S. to such as Rhode Island, Orlando, New Orleans and allowed my family to travel to Ireland, Scotland and Canada as well.”

While not all Irish dancers are of Irish descent, according to Flynn, some use the sport as a way to connect with Irish roots.

This Week at Fordham Thursday Oct. 17

Saturday Oct. 18

Saturday Oct. 18

Saturday Oct. 18

Sunday Oct. 19

Peace in the Nuclear Age Panel

Outdoors Club Boating in Central Park

Campus Ministry Day of Service

Autism Speaks Halloween Party

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk

The Humanitarian Student Union, along with the NGO The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is bringing humanitarian workers to speak on a panel about peace and what can be done to abolish the use of nuclear weapons.

The Outdoors Club is taking students row boating in Central Park.

They will take the 4 train to the St. Loeb boathouse where students can row for an hour and then spend time in the city before heading back to Fordham on their own.

In honor of Ignation Week students can work with students from Cristo Rey High School and Bronx is Blooming to clean up Crotona Park.

The day starts with discussions of social justice. Students can pre-register through campus ministry.

Keating First 6:00 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Central Park 8:45 a.m.–11:15 a.m.

McGinley 235 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

North Dining 5:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

This Halloween party with Autism Speaks will give individuals with autism to enjoy a night of fun on campus. They will provide dinner and activities such as face painting, photo booths and crafts. They will also have candy and goodie bags.

Orchard Beach 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Bronx Oncology Living Daily will table at the American Cancer Society Making Strides against Breast Cancer Walk. They will talk to patients and families to spread awareness about their programs. The event is all day at Orchard Beach.

NEWS

October 16, 2019

Page 3

E-Cig Flavor Ban Could Affect the Vape Demographics FROM VAPING, PAGE 1

tailers, such as bodegas. Madhi Awath of Rams Deli Plus agrees with Ahmed’s belief that if flavored vaping products should be banned, so should cigarettes.

“It is gonna affect the business because, you know, not just Fordham kids buy it,” said Awath. “A lot of people buy it. … For us, [business will not be affected] that much, but I don’t know.

It’s hard to tell because … I feel like we should ban the cigarettes more than the JUULpods.”

Currently, the flavor that sells the most at Rams Village Smoke Shop is mint, while tobacco and menthol do not sell well.

“A lot of people don’t like [tobacco and menthol],” Ahmed said. “Before it was the mango, right now it’s mint that’s the bestseller here. Tobacco is not a good-seller. Any place you go to, mint and mango, that’s the bestsellers. Tobacco, a few people get it. When they get it, they taste it and say it’s not good. Tastes nasty, you know?”

Conor Vonderahe, GSB ’21, said he believes that the taste of the tobacco and menthol flavors will prove the flavor ban effective.

“It will be effective because I think a huge pull of vaping is the flavor, and that some of the flavors such as tobacco and menthol aren’t what kids are looking for,” said Vonderahe. “Getting rid of [my friends’] favorite flavors will help spur them to get off of it.”

Anthony Patrados, FCRH ’21, said he thinks the ban on flavored

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

The proposed legislation regarding electronic cigarettes plans to ban flavored vaping products.

nicotine products will have a positive influence.

“The proposed ban on flavors is definitely a step in the right direction, because I think a lot of young adults/teens stuck on nicotine only got onto it because of such a variety of flavors, almost targeted for children specifically,” said Patrados. “…A lot of my good friends will certainly be affected. I’m hopeful that the ban will get them

to quit for good now—yet, unfortunately I can see a lot of my friends simply turning to other products, which are just as, if not more, harmful than vape, such as cigarettes/chewing tobacco.”

Ahmed believes that it is not the nicotine in vaping products, but the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), that is the problem.

“Once they get this THC oil

in, that’s when people start dying,” stated Ahmed. “Before this one, nobody heard about nothing. … THC, definitely the THC.” The Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) stated as of Oct. 11, 2019 that there is a correlation of vaping-related deaths and THC-containing vaping products.

“Most patients report a history of using tetrahydrocannabinol

(THC)-containing products,” states the CDC on its website.

“The latest national and state findings suggest products containing THC, particularly those obtained off the street or from other informal sources … are linked to most of the cases and play a major role in the outbreak.”

The CDC does not rule out nicotine’s role in the crisis, which includes 26 deaths in the United States.

“Exclusive use of nicotine containing products has been reported by some patients with lung injury cases, and many patients with lung injury report combined use of THC- and nicotine-containing products,” the statement continues. “Therefore, the possibility that nicotine-containing products play a role in this outbreak cannot be excluded.”

Patrados cited the lack of research into vaping products, in addition to using informallysourced products, as a reason to be wary.

“While vaping isn’t necessarily as harmful as cigarettes, it is still loaded with carcinogens and there hasn’t been enough research to determine how damaging vaping is on the lungs,” he said. “Especially at risk are those vaping THC because a lot of people buy carts from unreliable sources and have no idea what’s actually in the product they’re inhaling.”

Ahmed concluded by saying more testing on vaping products needs to be conducted for consumer safety.

New York Botanical Garden Prepares for Winter Season FROM BOTANS, PAGE 1

opportunity to prune and shape some of their woody plants as winter is an ideal time for such updates, according to Choper.

Choper said most visitors assume that gardens don’t bloom during the colder months, but the changing of the seasons is one of his favorite parts about gardening, precisely because of the variation in the types of blooms. Plants like witch-hazel, snowdrops and paperbush all flower in the winter, and many plants have interesting forms and barks that are best appreciated in the colder months, ac-

cording to Choper.

Choper’s favorite part about winter in the NYBG are the trees —both the deciduous trees that drop their leaves as well as the Benenson Ornamental Conifer Collection that keeps theirs.

“In the winter, you really get to see the architecture and bones of the gardens in ways that you cannot necessarily in the middle of summer,” he said. “Each garden at NYBG is carefully laid out so that there are four seasons of interest.”

Angela Torricella, FCRH ’23, said she will miss seeing the rose garden in full bloom most.

JULIANA ESOLDI/THE FORDHAM RAM

The NYBG wil host several events in the winter to celebrate the season.

“I’m really excited to see what they have in store for winter though, and I’m curious to see if they have any special winter exhibits, like the Bronx Zoo does,” she said. “I expect it takes a substantial amount of effort into transitioning to the winter.”

Juliane Pautrot, FCRH ’23, seconded Torricella’s appreciation for the gardens.

“I really loved all the flowers blooming so I will definitely miss those in the winter,” she said.

Pautrot has visited the gardens with the Halloween exhibit on display, and said she is looking forward to how they will top that experience.

“I can’t wait to see how they will decorate for Christmas and the winter,” she said. “I’m guessing it takes a lot of work – not only do they have to keep all the plants healthy, [but] they also have to design decorations, put them up, plan events, and I’m sure there is more.”

NYBG additionally runs the Edible Academy program through the fall and winter seasons. “Dig! Plant! Grow! Goodnight, Garden” is the current program, running from Oct. 15, 2019, through Nov. 3, 2019. Its focus is on growing, caring for, harvesting and preparing fruit sand vegetables.

Also taking shape at the NYBG is the annual Train Show, in its 28th year this year. This year’s theme is Central Park, and it will run from Nov. 23, 2019 through Jan. 26, 2020.

Laura Busse-Dolan, president

JULIANA ESOLDI/THE FORDHAM RAM

The New York Botanical Garden moves plants inside to prepare for winter.

and CEO of Applied Imagination, said that the NYBG chose to depict Central Park this year as a way to showcase and expand the work done in previous years.

“Central Park stood out as a collection that we could not only take a little bit further with the buildings that needed to be redone, but also with the buildings that maybe weren’t represented previously [in the show],” she said.

Some such buildings include the Belvedere Castle, the Plaza Hotel, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History, among others. All of the landmarks featured in the display will be crafted from natural

materials like bark, twigs and fruit.

Since the Palm Dome is currently undergoing restoration, the display will be in a new location: the Conservatory Lawn, adjacent to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Busse says that this will serve as an “opportunity to reinvent the way that all of these New York icons are displayed amongst our trains.”

The NYBG’s holiday season traditions will be on display in the coming months. Tickets for the Train Show are available at a 30% discount until Nov. 1, 2019 at nybg.org. Tickets for “Dig! Plant!

Grow! Goodnight, Garden” are also available at nybg.org.

NEWS

Page 4

October 16, 2019

Research Spotlight

USG Column

Junior Researches Pigeons at Calder Center Studies Common Malaria Parasite in DNA

By SARAH HUFFMAN

USG Sophomores Set Goals

By HASNA CERAN

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Starting this semester, Joanna Moles, FCRH ’21, is researching malaria in pigeons at the Calder Center in the Munshie-South lab with Ph.D. candidate Elizabeth Carlen.

The pair are looking for a malaria parasite in pigeon DNA. Moles said they are currently in the beginning phases of research, but once theyfind a way to identify the parasite, their ultimate goal is to look at how it affects factors such as age, sex and location.

Thus far, Moles and Carlen have found that many pigeons have malaria in their DNA. However, Moles said it is an avian parasite—it is composed differently from malaria found in humans and has an unknown effect on pigeons.

She said it is clearly not that bad of an effect, since many of the pigeons are living with it. Since they are in the beginning stages of research, she said right now they are trying to find a way to distinguish between two different lineages of the malaria parasite. She said the pigeons can have either one or both types of parasites.

“It’s important, I feel like to be able to distinguish between the two because there may be differences in the way that they, you know, attack the immune system,” she said. “But we can’t know that if we don’t know how to separate them out to look at them.”

She said Carlen has been researching pigeons for a long time and already has a lot of blood samples that she has taken from pigeons in the wild. Moles said she has not personally done any fieldwork yet, due to the large amount of data already collected.

Moles finds pigeons interesting to study because they are everywhere, and everyone knows you can walk out onto the street and see a lot of them.

“I just think that they’re really interesting because they’re able to survive anywhere that they’re placed,” she said. “They just live in the city,

On Thursday, Oct. 10, the United Student Government (USG) had a meeting in which the sophomore senators detailed their plans and progress for their initiatives this semester.

During the senate reports, Senator Chirayu Shah, GSB ’21, proposed a sheet for clubs and organizations with a live information platform. The sheet aims to streamline processes related to clubs, such as actions taken by the budgeting and operations committees.

Senator David D’Onofrio, FCRH ’22, continued his work on an initiative to bring a dining option into Walsh library to provide another option besides the vending machines.

The initiative was passed through the USG with a unanimous vote, barring one abstention. D’Onofrio intends to work with library staff in contacting Aramark to continue work on this initiative. Additionally, he proposed an initiative to provide vending machines stocked with feminine hygiene products in bathrooms on campus.

Senator Liam Leahy, FCRH ’22, discussed his goal of rewriting Fordham’s alcohol amnesty policy in order to provide a version for students that would lessen confusion.

“The current alcohol amnesty is worded in a way that is confusing to students, and depending on where you look, be it Fordham’s website or inside the CARE manuals, you might find conflicting information on whether Fordham will protect you,” he said.

His new version of the alcohol amnesty policy would eliminate or explain contradictions or inconsistencies between the online medical amnesty policy and the Campus Assault and Relationship Education (CARE) alcohol amnesty policy from this year and the previous year.

In addition, Senator Arianna Chen, FCRH ’22, spoke about her current research with the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program on the state of gender pronoun policies across departments on campus as well as other Jesuit universities.

Currently, although a student is able to come to a professor and request pronouns that do not align with their legal or academic records, it is not mandatory in some departments for the professor to use these preferred pronouns. She explained that this research would hopefully be used in a future proposal to make a gender pronoun policy mandatory in all departments.

Senator Luke Morgan, GSB ’22, discussed the current work the Communications Committee is doing on a newsletter focusing on the USG and its initiatives. He also proposed an outdoor bulletin board at Walsh Gate, to give commuting students easier access to information about campus events.

Finally, Senator Matthew Heutel, GSB ’22, brought forward an initiative to install more hand sanitizer stations in academic buildings on campus in order to reduce the spread of illnesses. In addition, due to an earlier discussion regarding the USG election process, the USG created the Election Procedure Commission, which now plans to update what the Senate said was an outdated election processes.

Photo of the Week:

COURTESY OF JOANNA MOLES

Moles holds a quail at her summer internship that inspired her to start researching pigeons at the Calder Center.

they don’t care if there’s people walking right next to them, they kind of just do their thing.”

By looking at the malaria the pigeons might have, they can determine another factor acting against them. According to Moles, in what one would think is not a very conducive environment for them, many of the pigeons are able to survive.

“I just think they’re really interesting animals because, you know ,people call them the rats of the streets ... but they really are fascinating because they can just live,” she

said. “Even with all the odds against them.”

Moles said she has only been up to the Calder Center a few times so far, but she has been looking at articles with Carlen and figuring out a procedure for their experiment.

She said she hopes they can be successful in sequencing the DNA, which is what they are working on right now. She said once they figure out how to find the parasite, she looks forward to looking at other factors, what happens to the pigeons and better understanding the dis-

JULIANA ESOLDI/THE FORDHAM RAM

Vibrant hues of red, orange and yellow are all over the New York Botanical Gardens as fall goes on and the trees start to lose their leaves. The Botanical Gardens holds fall harvest festivals on the weekends.

ease.

“I’m really interested to see what we can find from this, because you know, in a way, understanding how this disease manifests itself in the pigeon population might be able to help us with other wildlife, or with humans and how these diseases are transmitted,” she said.

Moles said she became involved with this project after interning at a wildlife refuge. She contacted Jason Munshi-South, Ph.D., who runs a lab at the Calder Center, about research opportunities related to wildlife.

“I really wanted to get into research involving animals, and I love wildlife, and I knew that Dr. Munshi-South did a lot of stuff with the Calder Center involving wildlife,” she said. “He has research on rats and pigeons. So I just emailed him, and I was kind of relentless.”

She said Mushie-South happened to know Elizabeth Carlen was looking for an undergrad in her lab, and he paired Moles up with her.

“I feel like it’s important to get involved in research,” she said. “I’m finding that in doing this, I’m not only gaining research experience and learning how to work in a lab in the correct way, but I also gained a really lovely mentor.”

She said Carlen has also been a guide to her through her major because she is very knowledgeable about biology.

“I really look up to her, and I think that it’s important to get involved so that you can kind of have that relationship with somebody that you can look up to here,” she said.

NEWS

October 16, 2019

Page 5

El Grito Hosts First “Rep Your Heritage” Event FROM EL GRITO, PAGE 1

Afro-Latina jazz ensemble performed, playing traditional drums and mostly Carribean songs. The Satin Dolls performed their American repertoire.

“Fall is mostly just celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and just orienting the freshmen, and kind of getting the club together,” said Colón. “This year we’re trying a lot of new things, like this event.

We’re having our poetry slam next week. That’s our second annual poetry slam.”

Estephanie Peralta, FCRH ’21, said she goes to club meetings weekly and has friends on the eboard, and she came to the event to support them and the culture.

She said it was nice to be together, eating food and having pride for their flags.

“I came tonight to have food that was my culture and to be around people the same culture as me,” said Samantha Santiago, FCRH ’21.

Rep Your Heritage was the closing event for a month of Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations.

Colón said they had a kickoff event and a meeting solely for Spanish speakers, where they talked about music and Latin culture.

El Grito de Lares often collaborates with other clubs, such as ASILI, The Black Student Alliance at Fordham, and more recently with Carribean and African Students Association (CASA). Colón said most of El Grito de Lares is

from the Carribean as well, so many of the events El Grito de Lares hosts are collaborations.

“A lot of our events are very inclusive, it’s not so focused on Hispanic or Latino because a lot of our members or even the e-board itself is so mixed,” said Colón.

“And also a lot of cross-cultural stuff. Like for myself I’m Puerto Rican and Jamaican, so yes I’m Latino but I’m mostly West Indian, like I’m completely from the Carribean and a lot of our e-board relates to that. So, we have a lot of going back and forth between identities.”

As for events the club hosts throughout the year, she said a lot of them involve club members sitting together, eating food and listening to music. Colón said every semester the club has a Latin dance workshop, where they learn dances such as salsa, bechata or merengue. In the spring, they host their biggest event of the year, the Latin Gala. Colon said last semester, they had over 300 guests, a huge performance and food.

“It’s a huge party on campus that not a lot of people know about, but it’s so much fun,” she said.

Colón said El Grito de Lares is important to the Fordham community because the campus is mostly white in a neighborhood that is predominantly Hispanic, Latino and black. She said the club is also important because

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

El Grito de Lares hosted "Rep Your Hiritagean event to celebrate Hispanic culture

many of their members are commuter students.

“Our club is like a safe haven for us almost,” she said. “It's a way for us to go back to where we are used to. A lot of people went to only minority high schools, to come to Fordham is a bit ostracising.

Also, just awareness that we are on campus and we’re here, we’re loud, we’re also getting our education.”

Colón said they do a lot of collaborations with other clubs such as Students for Environmental Awareness and Justice (SEAJ),

Fordham University Philipine American Club (FUPAC), ASILI, CASA and more.

She said their club, along with all the cultural clubs on campus, is important to forming unity. Additionally, these clubs are a way for commuters to meet each other and for residents to get back together.

“Like I said, we are mostly commuters-based, so it’s a very tight knit group, and it’s hard for a lot of us to relate to a lot of the other students on campus, who are predominantly white, privileged, are

not commuting,” she said.

Moving forward, Colón said she wants more people to learn about them and join her club, especially early on. She also said she wants El Grito de Lares to be more respected on campus.

“We’re definitely kind of one of the clubs that’s kind of kicked to the side a little bit,” she said.

“OMA [Office of Multicultural Affairs] has really helped in mitigating that, but we also need the support of the rest of Fordham faculty behind us.”

NEWS

Page 6

October 16, 2019

PRIDE Alliance Hosts Annual Coming Out Dance Aims to Create a Safe Space for LGBTQ+ Students FROM PRIDE, PAGE 1

spaces for queer students at Fordham to not only be accepted, but celebrated by their peers,” The night consisted of some dancing, eating and of course mingling, as the attendees all sat together, chatting. People from many areas of the university community attended including fresh-

men adjusting to college, student athletes looking for a bigger community, regular club members and graduate students.

Kylie Elwood, FCRH ’21, said that she felt welcome when attending the event.

“I had never been to a club meeting before and wasn’t sure what to expect, but when I walked

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The event aimed to create a safe and inclusive space for LGBTQ students.

in everyone immediately introduced themselves and made me feel like I hadn’t missed a thing,” she said.

David Rosen, FCRH ’23, said that the turn out for this year's dance was great, even gathering a couple of Fordham graduates looking to be more involved with the university's LGBTQ+ community.

“It also felt good being able to provide a safe and fun space for queer freshmen to express themselves, PRIDE gave me the same ability to be vulnerable and silly when I was a freshman, so it's nice to return the favor to the next class,” he said.

October is LGBTQ+ history month, and the PRIDE Alliance is hosting a series of events, including the dance, in order to spread awareness and make it known to all students that they are accepted no matter their identity. The club’s OrgSync page says that its goal is to create a safe space for students to be themselves.

“PRIDE Alliance stands for People Recognizing Identities and Differences for Equality,” the club says. "[It] is devoted to supporting students as they integrate their sexual orientation and gender identity into their personhood.”

Luf said that this month specifically is about community and

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

PRIDE Alliance hosted its annual Coming Out Dance last Friday.

support.

“The central idea around this month is that in visibly supporting sexual and gender liberation, we can combat homophobia, transphobia and other bigoted views towards sexualities and gender identities,” he said.

The club has been spreading awareness throughout the month by putting up posters and placing flags on the lawn outside of Keat-

ing. The group has also hosted events such as its annual Speakout event at Rodrigue’s. The club said anyone from any background is encouraged to attend the events.

On Oct. 17 Pride Alliance will host a Town Hall run by its Activism Committee. It will be at 7:30 p.m. in Bepler Commons and will give people the chance to voice their opinions and discuss LGBTQ+ issues on campus.

BOLD Fordham to Raise Money for Breast Cancer Awareness FROM BOLD, PAGE 1

disease and not gendering it.

“It was really interesting to hear his story and see how he went through the whole thing and how he could provide support and information to other people that were either impacted directly or their family members are impacted,” said Ryan.

The club also tabled at the Susan G. Komen Metastatic Breast Cancer national conference the weekend of Oct. 5 and 6 in Manhattan. BOLD president, Gianna Antinori, FCRH ’20, said there were people there from across the nation She said they tabled to bring awareness to people in the city.

BOLD partnered with a designer named Matt Gresia, a 22-year-old from the Bronx and founder of Canswer Sock Co., to design a sock with “BOLD” on it. BOLD held an event called “Sock It to Cancer” to kick off breast cancer awareness month, where they introduced the project.

Antinori said 100% of the proceeds will go to the BOLD program to help fund its programs. She said the socks are currently sold out online.

“We went to that last night and they just talked about what a great opportunity this is and how willing he was, because he’s from the Bronx, to create a BOLD sock and give all of the proceeds to the BOLD program,” said Antinori.

BOLD has programs planned for the rest of October as well for breast cancer awareness. On Thursday, Oct. 17, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its Einstein campus, BOLD is hosting a special symposium in honor of breast cancer awareness called What

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Fordham students recently created a chapter of BOLD, a psychosocial program for cancer patients in the Bronx.

Matters Most. The event will talk about advising to help people with the disease to consider their treatment options, advances in treatment and screening and psychosocial and integrative oncology.

Also coming up is BOLD Beauty Day on Oct. 22 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. in collaboration with Cle’ de Peau Beaute. The event will pamper mothers and daughters in recognition of breast cancer awareness.

Fordham’s chapter of BOLD will be tabling at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event sponsored by the American Cancer Society. Antinori said the larger organization will also be hosting a Halloween party at Montefiore. She said Fordham’s club members will be helping out and in-

teracting with the patients as well as getting to know the community.

BOLD at Fordham also plans to have its own Halloween party to make care packages for cancer patients and get to know their members.

The BOLD program originally grew out of a psychoassesment asking what patients needed outside of treatment and what would help them cope better, said Alyson Moadel-Robblee Ph.D., a health psychologist with an interest in improving quality of life after cancer for patients and family members.

She has worked at Albert Einstein College of Medicine for 21 years.

Patients said they wanted more mind-body therapies, such as

creative arts, nutrition and fitness, according to Moadel-Robblee. She said in 2008, she and her team took the data and started to develop the program. The goal of the program was to provide services for free and make them accessible in English and Spanish, since they worked for an underserved community in the Bronx.

She said the program started out being run by volunteers and still heavily relies on volunteers.

Moadel-Robblee said patients requested people to talk to who have been through cancer themselves.

They formed the BOLD buddies program, which is compose of cancer survivor volunteers from the Bronx who want to give back and help navigate patients through the experience.

“The buddy program has been invaluable for helping them get through with a built in family,” said Moadel-Robblee.

They also have a BOLD brothers and sisters program for teens with a caregiver with cancer. People who have had similar experiences help these teens apply to school or stay on a good path, she said.

BOLD was started at Fordham because the larger program had interns from Fordham last semester.

According to Antinori, the members wanted to get BOLD started at Fordham and get more people involved in the program because it relies heavily on volunteers.

“She was getting in the process of getting it approved and she graduated, so I was kind of handed the BOLD club, and they were like, ‘Hey, we would love it if you could help out,’” said Antinori. “I originally wanted to intern. It was just too much of a commitment, so I was like, ‘Yeah, I would love to help bring this to Fordham and get people connected to the BOLD program.’”

She said Fordham’s club helps the larger program by providing volunteers at its events and tabling to try and spread the word. It is also looking for people who have gone through cancer with their family, and would love to be paired up with someone who is currently struggling, for the brothers and sisters program.

Antinori and Ryan said they both encourage people to get involved, and, for more information, email them at bronxoncologylivingdaily@fordham.edu.

October 16, 2019

OPINION

Page 7

The Fordham Ram

Celebrate Columbus’s Voyage and Indigenous People

By DANE SALMON STAFF WRITER

Each year in recent memory the question has arisen: should we really celebrate Columbus Day? Many argue that the national holiday is nothing more than a celebration of the mass killings of Native Americans by European colonists beginning with Christopher Columbus’ rediscovery of the Americas — the New World.

The New World was only new to all of us who may trace our lineage back to Europe, but not to the native peoples who inhabited the continent for thousands of years before the arrival of the first Europeans.

Those who oppose the celebration of Columbus Day propose the holiday be replaced with a celebration of those who were here before, most often termed “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” Currently, 12 states and the District of Columbia have opted to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day instead of Columbus Day, and a bill has been proposed to replace Columbus Day on a federal level.

Why must one replace another? May we not be thankful for the contributions of both Christopher Columbus and the myriad Native American cultures that, regrettably, many of our ances-

tors did indeed commit atrocities against?

Let me give an anecdote from my own experience to, perhaps, give more credence to this question.

When I think of Columbus Day, I think of the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa María. I think of a fellow from Italy sailing the ocean blue in the year 1492 (a remarkable accomplishment for the time). I think of the foundations being set for what I believe is the greatest nation the world has ever seen: the United States of America.

This is not to minimize, set aside or ignore the persecution and war against the peoples indigenous to the Americas.

When I think of the Native American peoples and cultures, I am indeed saddened by the knowledge of what they have undergone.

I think of myriad virtuous and beautiful individual cultures and peoples extinguished and lost to the ages, relegated to a page in the history books or an impoverished reservation.

Being from Texas, where more than 50 Native American nations once resided — the Comanche, Apache, Caddo, Kiowa, Wichita and many more — the ultimate tragedy of the Native American peoples is ever-present in my

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Though Christopher Columbus’s actions were horrific, the holiday focuses on celebrating his achievements.

mind when this issue is discussed.

It is imperative that the culture and history of the indigenous peoples be celebrated, uplifted and, most importantly, never forgotten.

All that I contend is that we may celebrate both.

When I, and many others, celebrate Columbus Day, what is celebrated is not the deaths of so many millions of native people, but the journey to the Americas that would lead the eventual founding of the United States.

I acknowledge the fact that so much of what was done along the way was horrific, but it is the end result for which I give thanks: our great nation.

I believe the positive and the negative may be separated, and celebrated and condemned in kind.

I also stress the importance of establishing a holiday to commemorate and celebrate Native American peoples’ culture and history be established.

I commend the 12 states which

have an Indigenous Peoples’ Day for establishing this holiday, but I hesitate to say it ought to replace Columbus Day. To sum it up, I ask “why not both?” We must commemorate what was built and what was destroyed, give thanks for that which we can and should and condemn and remember what was lost along the way.

Dane Salmon, FCRH ’21, is a philosophy and economics major from Coppell, Texas.

Warren v. Zuckerberg: Facebook’s Stance on Political Ads

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Sen. Warren is known for targeting “big tech” companies, and lately she has had her sights set on Facebook.

By BRIANA SCALIA OPINION EDITOR

Over the past week, presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren posted a political advertisement on Facebook that purposefully contained false information.

The sponsored ad claimed the creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, had officially endorsed

President Trump for reelection.

The ad goes on to say explicitly that this is a false claim.

So what was the point of creating a fake political ad on Facebook that didn’t even benefit the candidate who paid for it?

To show that Facebook is no longer vetting political ads for lies, a decision that seems to be backfiring on the platform.

According to Facebook, the

post has gained hundreds of thousands of views, proving that these false advertisements can reach a wide array of citizens.

But in response, Facebook has chosen to stand its ground. Earlier this week, a spokesperson for the platform stated, “If Senator Warren wants to say things she knows to be untrue, we believe Facebook should not be in the position of censoring that speech.”

In comparison, several cable news networks, such as CNN, have refused to run any political ad that is promoting falsehoods.

Facebook’s advertising system, similar to CNN’s, is not subject to any form of regulation other than its own.

There are several reasons why Facebook should take another look at which political advertisements it allows on its site, but I will focus on a few.

First of all, if Facebook continues with this policy, those in charge will have to accept that they are proponents of spreading misinformation.

Considering Facebook has been doing what it can to improve its platform integrity, this seems like a step backward.

Secondly, Facebook permitting lies on specifically political ads could lead to the site once again playing a key role in the presidential election, and not in a positive way.

Let’s not forget the many advertisements Russian trolls created in order to guarantee Trump his spot in office.

The next issue is the one Senator Warren particularly focused on: that this new policy puts Facebook in the position of profiting from the lies of politicians.

By choosing not to vet which

kinds of ads are allowed to run, Facebook is free to make revenue off every politician that chooses to utilize the platform.

Finally, you have the icing on the cake. Facebook reaches seven out of 10 American adults, and 74% of those seven visit Facebook at least once a day.

These false ads have more influence than any advertisements run on television, and therefore have the power to do much more harm than television ads.

Overall, I find this move to be completely irresponsible. Zuckerberg knows that his platform stands to profit off these ads, and he has no care for the harm they can and will do to our nation’s democratic process.

Facebook should have higher standards for what it allows on its site in general, but at the very least, it could prevent people from spreading libel.

Neither political party should want a repeat performance of 2016.

Regardless of who you plan to vote for in the upcoming elections, Americans should want an honest race from all of their candidates.

Briana Scalia, FCRH ’20, is a journalism major from Long Island, N.Y.

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 12,000 and a web readership of over 300,000. The Fordham Ram office is located in the basement of the McGinley Center, room B-52.

Website FordhamRam.com Email Address theram@fordham.edu

Editor-in-Chief Aislinn Keely Managing Editor Hannah Gonzalez Business Director Donald Dugan Operations Director Briana Scalia Editorial Director Lindsay Grippo Executive Director Colette Nolan Copy Chiefs Vanessa DeJesus Maggie Rothfus News Editor Helen Stevenson Projects Editor Erica Scalise Assistant News Editors Eliot Schiaparelli Sarah Huffman Opinion Editors Briana Scalia Collin Bonnell Culture Editors Rachel Gow Kieran Press-Reynolds Sports Editor Jimmy Sullivan Assistant Sports Editors Andrew Posadas Dylan Balsamo Digital Producers Kristen Egan Katherine Morris Photo Editor Julia Comerford Assistant Photo Editor Hunter Benegas Visual Director Bojeung Leung Faculty Advisor Jessica Baldwin-Philippi Editorial Page Policy

The Fordham Ram’s editorial is se-

lected on a weekly basis and reflects the editorial board’s view on a campus issue.

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

October 16, 2019

From the Desk | Erica Scalise

My Little Corner of the World I remember being as young as eight years old and feeling emotional at random, listening to my iPod nano, as my mother weaved through the traffic-ridden streets of Chicago. Life’s eternal questions plagued me from the backseat: Why am I here? What does it mean and where do I belong?

I’ve spent an overwhelmingly large portion of my short life concerned with the concept of my existence. After consuming an embarrassing amount of self-help articles with titles like, “Coping With Existential Anxiety,” as well as frequent trips to that one “mortifying ordeal of being known” article, my inability to relax, even at 22, has often been my Achilles’ heel.

When my eternal quest to quiet the constant noise of my own head proved itself unwavering, a place for facts and truth was perpetually opened. Being anxious brought me to pen and paper several years ago.

It pushed me toward a life of loving language’s tiniest nuances, and most importantly, it brought me to B-52 on a warm April day in 2017.

Having been an editor on my high school newspaper and a soon-to-be declared journalism major, I walked into the The Fordham Ram surprisingly collected and began copy editing leisurely, slipping in and out early on weeks I deemed myself “too busy” with a freshman schedule that, in reality, begged to be filled.

Three years later, I am completely befuddled by my previous understanding of the word “busy.”

The Ram is no longer my occasional chance to flirt with em dashes and

catch up with upperclassmen, but rather, the single most rewarding and challenging activity of my life that I’ve willfully shown up to, week after week.

Words continue to fail me when I begin to consider all that the Ram has given me. From a staff writer to an assistant news editor, to projects editor, I’ve had the privilege to return each volume to a staff of mostly strangers who have inevitably become my best friends.

After breaking away from a friend group I considered my main support system at the university, I went into the second semester of my sophomore year completely disoriented.

Anxious to appear clingy at the potential of new friendships, I tiptoed into each of my relationships at the Ram in fear of rejection, but wound up stumbling into the arms of my best friends.

Some weeks brought my fellow newsies and me topics with banal event coverage and unforgivingly long interviews, exposing the trials and tribulations of journalism more realistically than any four credit class ever could. There have been many late nights, social sacrifices, aggravating interviews and emotional breakdowns along the way.

At times, when I felt most at home at the Ram, I was driven further away from the university, a place I often longed so dearly to feel like I belonged. In spearheading the Ram’s reporting on clerical abuse, I’ve pored over lists of abusive priests, talked to their victims and felt the crushing weight of self-doubt — doubt in the university’s willingness

to protect its students and doubt in a faith I was raised practicing. I met, all at once, with these heavy realizations and felt them just as much as I feel deep admiration for our paper for unearthing these, and several other, inconvenient truths. We are student journalists who have done the investigative work of real reporters and for this experience, I am eternally grateful.

Practicing journalism at the Ram has reassured my confidence that the craftsmanship of words into sentences can drive sentences into stories: stories that can affect real change and change the course of humanity for generations. The art of news and storytelling helps us to recognize our humanity and has the capacity to heal us, to relieve us from the crushing weight of existential dread and to help us navigate through our differences, the common ties that bind us.

Thank you to my parents for allowing me to leave the nest, against your own wishes, which has given me the experience of a lifetime in New York City. I love you for seeing potential and strength in me that I couldn’t always see in myself.

Thank you to everyone on Volume 99 and Volume 100 for teaching me technical and life skills that I will carry with me, whatever the future may hold.

Thank you to Theresa Schliep for teaching me how to write provocative and engaging ledes and for intimidating me by looking 25 years old on the first day I came into B-52.

Thank you to Aislinn Keely, our fearless leader of Volume 101. I will

never forget my first production night as assistant news editor, when I arrived with an anxiety attack and you gave me lavender essential oil to put on my wrists. Sometimes you pulled my articles at 1 a.m. and all of those times it hurt and I needed that. I would trust you with my life.

Thank you.

Thank you to Helen Stevenson for just getting me and for getting news like no one else. You are a joy to work alongside.

My fellow former news assistants, Hannah Gonzalez and Joergen Ostensen, I still need help with InDesign. Thank you. I love you both.

Thank you to Beth Knobel, our faculty advisor, for every late night phone call, and for always upholding journalistic integrity, especially in a time of such political divide.

When I think of the Ram, I will always think of all of you.

I will also always think of the ‘90’s indie rock band, Yo La Tengo’s rendition of “My Little Corner of the World.” It’s a love song, but I think the lyrics here are unabashedly true and all too fitting. The Fordham Ram is, and always will be, my little corner of the world.

Editorial | Vaping

E-Cigarettes Are Causing Casualties Last volume, the Ram’s Executive Board cracked down on vaping. A year later, its message still resonates.

The public is just beginning to see the palpable medical implications of ecigarette usage, and young people are beginning to suffer from them.

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the outbreak of lung illnesses linked to vaping grew by more than 200 cases in a week, now totaling 1,299. Twenty-nine people have died from vaping-related illnesses, the youngest being a 17-year-old boy in the Bronx on Oct. 4, according to health officials.

Federal and state health authorities are currently testing vaping materials and studying tissue samples from patients in an effort to find the cause of the outbreak, but the only authoritative advice officials can offer at the moment is to avoid vaping entirely. The CDC is identifying the illness as EVALI, meaning “e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury.”

For heavy users, strong anti-vapers and everyone in between, this news proves terrifying.

The exponential rate at which Americans are experiencing the ramifications of what essentially proves to be a revival of Big Tobacco is both alarming and infuriating.

Some e-cigarette businesses might have begun with good intentions.

Many companies present vaping materials as cheaper, healthier alternatives to cigarettes or as a way to wean

off smoking altogether. Individuals have seen e-cigarette technology as a newer, safer vehicle through which to access the same old nicotine without the medical threats cigarettes pose.

However, some who made the switch have not only failed to kick their nicotine habit but have instead increased the amount they smoke due to the convenience and discretion of vaping materials. In situations where cigarettes previously proved inappropriate or inconvenient, e-cigarettes now fit in seamlessly.

More recently, people have started to view vaping as a way to enhance one’s social image. Young people are using e-cigarettes at alarming rates — teen usage has doubled since 2017, according to the National Insitute on Drug Abuse — and the cultural phenomenon continues to thrive.

Companies might have intended for their products to be used purely as a means of harm reduction, but these materials have taken on a life of their own in the public sphere. Yet, instead of effectively redirecting marketing efforts or product sales to align with their initial utilitarian missions, bigger businesses have chosen to follow the revenue stream.

For example, many businesses do not offer step programs or subscription boxes that include increasingly lower amounts of nicotine each delivery. Instead, corporations are continually spoon-feeding vaping technology to the public in newer, sleeker and rebranded ways to newer, younger and more susceptible consumers.

Much of the e-cigarette presence in our culture is directly impacting today’s youth. Enticing flavors, targeted social media campaigns and monetary scholarships for people under age 18 directly reach young consumers. These individuals, who, for all the efforts of their former generations, are extremely unlikely to have been smoking cigarettes in the first place, do not fall under the claimed consumer base of current smokers seeking a “better experience.”

Similarly, many young people have forayed into the extensive world of vaping for marijuana-inspired purposes. Though individuals suffering from EVALI did not all vape THC — the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects — federal and state health authorities are particularly concerned about the large amount of illicit THC products in circulation, as they contain unknown mixtures of solvents, diluting agents and flavorings that may be toxic to the lungs.

The market for vaping has been vast and diverse, but the reality of this technology is quite simple: It is killing people and causing addictions. The same justified panic made widespread in the past by a variety of different organizations, non-profits and government agencies in regards to the dangers of cigarette smoking must be put in place for the dangers of vaping. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s new ban on the sale of flavored ecigarettes is a well-intentioned place to start.

People have naturally come to associate the smoking of cigarettes with cancer, lung disease and other related illnesses because of both palpable medical evidence and countless antismoking campaign efforts.

For such effective and important work to be undermined by new companies striving for capital gain at the expense of public health is a visceral slap in the face to those who have suffered at the hands of Big Tobacco’s manipulation, to the people who worked tirelessly on exposing such manipulation and attempting to prevent it again in the future and to the consumers whose well-being is intentionally disregarded.

The long-term effects of e-cigarettes were relatively incalculable at the time of vaping’s cultural debut.

It is entirely possible that many businesses did not understand the extent of their products’ potential medical dangers at the beginning of these ventures.

However, e-cigarette companies’ blatant efforts to attract new and younger markets through deceptive means are completely inexcusable.

To continue to profit off of a market built around an addiction that is inherently harmful is entirely unethical.

The public is again suffering massively from the same epidemic caused by the same corporate greed and ingenuity that it had come so close to eradicating just a few years ago. We fought against Big Tobacco once, and now we must instigate yet another family feud.

OPINION

October 16, 2019

Page 9

Opposition Leader Corbyn’s Reawakening of the British Left

By KYLE CHIN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Since the last general election held in the United Kingdom, the ruling Conservative government’s grasp on power has become ever more tenuous, and with a series of Tory defections in August and September, Prime Minister Boris Johnson lost his majority in Parliament altogether.

While the next round of elections is not scheduled to take place until 2022, Johnson has voiced his intention to hold elections before the end of the year in an attempt to regain a Conservative majority.

Analysts have remarked on this ploy with skepticism, with many describing the potential upcoming elections as the most unpredictable in recent British history.

Amidst all this uncertainty, particularly after the unmitigated failures of the May and Johnson governments to secure a Brexit deal, comes the real prospect of a Labour victory and the rise of opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn to Parliament’s highest office.

Corbyn’s career might be described by some as an unlikely one.

First elected to represent Islington North in 1983, Corbyn was long viewed as a fringe back-bencher, yet in a 2015 upset he secured his party’s nomination as opposition leader.

Much has been said of the rise of right-wing nationalism in the later half of the 2010s. From the success of the Brexit referendum to the election of politicians like Donald Trump in the U.S., Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, the far-right has seen a number of electoral victories. In some states, leaders already in power have taken increasingly nationalist turns, like Ergdogan in Turkey and Netanyahu in Israel. Yet as political strength has coalesced on the right, so too has it risen on the left.

The unexpected relative success of Bernie Sanders in 2016 or left-wing populist Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s victory in Mexico’s 2018 presidential election point to a growth in global progressive politics.

Figures like Corbyn and Sanders seem very much cut from the same cloth. Both self-described democratic socialists long seen as political outsiders, the two politicians have proposed much more openly social-

istic economic programs beyond even what some would call traditionally acceptable discourse, especially in the United States. That is not to say the two are identical — Corbyn is considerably further left on a number of issues, particularly foreign policy, where the MP has gone so far as to float the idea of disbanding NATO. Among the opposition leader’s proposals are combating tax avoidance, investing in the nation’s infrastructure with a focus on green energy, public ownership of utilities and establishing a national education service, not dissimilar from rising leftist stars in America.

In regard to Brexit, which many would no doubt see as the most pressing issue facing Britain, Corbyn has been accused by many as vacillating on his actual position — claims which bear some warrant.

While Corbyn has emphatically ruled out a no-deal Brexit and asserted that it is Labour’s desire for a second referendum on the issue, he has evaded questions as to whether he would support leave or remain if such a referendum were to take place.

However, it should be noted Corbyn

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If there is any takeaway from Corbyn’s newfound success, it is that the international political climate is changing.

led Labour in campaigning against Brexit in 2016.

The increasing success of Corbyn and others must be viewed through a wider lens, however, and the domination of neoliberalism in past decades is of greatest interest. The rising tide of neoliberal politics was not absent from the U.K. Far from it, the United States and United Kingdom took quite similar trajectories in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

While Ronald Reagan crusaded against big government in the U.S., Margaret Thatcher did much the same across the pond, slashing public spending, lowering taxes and attacking trade unions. When the Democratic and Labour parties went on to regain power in their respective countries, they did not have the teeth they once had. Indeed, both the Clinton and Blair governments would retain many of the small government economic policies of their predecessors.

The unfortunate effects that these moderates called the “third way” have been most keenly felt through the economic crisis of 2007–2008.

In the wake of the Great Recession, the Tory government of David Cameron adopted an austerity plan similar to policies throughout Europe at the time, cutting back welfare programs and general public spending while raising taxes in an effort to run a more balanced budget.

The programs have helped tighten the government’s deficit, certainly, but the evisceration of social spending they spearheaded has been ruinous. Rates of child poverty in the U.K. have risen over this past decade, and cuts to community planning departments have been linked to a dearth of affordable housing.

In a special report for the United Nations, Professor Philip Alston of New York University’s Law School summarized the policies as such: “Great misery has also been inflicted unnecessarily, especially on the working poor, on single mothers struggling against mighty odds, on people with disabilities who are already marginalized and on millions

of children who are being locked into a cycle of poverty from which most will have great difficulty escaping.”

It seems many throughout the world, and especially in western democracies, have come to realize that neoliberal economic theory and the politics which arose from it have left the middle and working classes behind. This has been true both in this country and in Britain. Both nations have seen a sharp rise in income inequality since the 1980s, with a 27% decrease in middle-income households in Britain specifically. Across the world, it has become fairly obvious that the trickle down of wealth predicted by supply side models has never come to pass.

If there is any takeaway from the increasing success of movements on the far right and especially on the left, it is that the international political climate is increasingly turning away from the neoliberal paradigm that has reigned supreme these last few decades.

The political polarization we see in our times might be seen as the natural backlash against the third way. On the right, a new brand of politician, typically peddling in nationalism, xenophobia and general demagoguery has arisen.

On the left, a heartening return to the proactive, progressive social and economic reminiscent of such politicians as Franklin Roosevelt in the United States or Clement Atlee in Britain is underway.

The purveyors of more centrist politics remain entrenched in political establishments throughout the world and will no doubt continue trying to stave off challenges from the left.

Far-right demagogues also continue to wield a concerning degree of power.

But, through Corbyn and others like him, some semblance of a truly progressive way forward has finally presented itself.

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

Disagree with our opinions?

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CULTURE

Page 10

October 16, 2019

Star Wars Flies To A Different Galaxy

By ALEXANDER WOLTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

When Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4 billion, it came with an expectation. George Lucas was past his filmmaking career and wanted to place his franchise in the hands of someone who could build upon its legacy, with no one better to do so than Disney. Initially, it all seemed well and good, with Disney to reignite the Star Wars flame through new films, merchandise, video games, television shows and more.

However, since these initial promises were made, this relationship has degraded. That initial deal, in which Lucas was to play a major role moving forward, has drastically changed.

The handshake deal in which Disney would use Lucas’ scripts for its future films in the Skywalker saga was put aside. The eighth film in the Skywalker saga, “The Last Jedi” was met with tremendous controversy, and “Solo: A Star Wars Story” failed significantly at the domestic box office.

Struggles to transcend the films as Star Wars: Battlefront II” faced one of the biggest video game controversies in history and produced the most downvoted comment on Reddit, and the massive Galaxy’s Edge theme park is at a point of desperation just a few months after its opening.

The Star Wars name is not what it used to be. While the prequel films have continued to gain popularity as fans age and the beloved originals have maintained their charm, people are becoming increasingly disinterested, some frustrated — for reasons both justifiable and others completely absurd — with the “Disney Star Wars.”

However, in the past few months, things have seemed to turn in a positive direction. J.J. Abrams’ final film in the Skywalker saga, “The Rise of Skywalker,” has been met with intrigue, “Star Wars: Battlefront II” has become a wonderful experience for fans of all eras, and another video game, “Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order,” is set to release in November along with the television show “The Mandalorian” on the new streaming platform Disney+.

Also coming to Disney+ is the phenomenal television show “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” for its long-awaited conclusion along with multiple shows with characters ranging from the fanfavorite Obi-Wan Kenobi to Cassian Andor. Furthermore, a man lauded for his work with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Kevin Feige, has agreed to produce a Star Wars film.

With his presence, a few of the beloved MCU actors have expressed interest in making their appearance in the Star Wars universe as well. Disney has seemed to gain a greater understanding of the variety that exists within the franchise, aiming to deliver content from all eras of “Star Wars” and for all generations of fans.

It is this optimistic future, along with the incredibly important Episode IX just a couple months away from its theatrical release, that makes the comments in Bob Iger’s recently released autobiography, “The Ride of a Lifetime,” even more bizarre.

Iger’s memoir discusses his career and the effort it took to build Disney into the global giant it has become.

Within it are numerous details of Disney’s business dealings that were previously unknown, such as their thoughts about buying Twitter or Iger’s own

thoughts about running for president of the United States, which he relates to George Lucas and “Star Wars.”

Iger discusses the initial purchase in 2012, specifically that the deal was broken twice before being made official. There was agreement on price but contention over Lucas accepting a diminished role within the franchise. Iger spoke with an entitlement to the license, as if Lucas had not been the one who created it in the first place.

“It was difficult for [Lucas] to cede control of the ongoing Star Wars saga, and it made no sense for us not to have it,” said Iger.

It was as part of this struggle that Disney agreed to purchase Lucas’ three scripts for a final trilogy in the Skywalker saga as part of the deal, and while there was no official agreement, Lucas thought the company was going to follow his story.

Those stories were instantly thrown into the trash can.

As a result, Iger states that“George felt betrayed” by the ways in which

Disney treated him and his franchise.

When Lucas discovered that Disney ignored his stories, he was not pleased saying that there was nothing new within “The Force Awakens” after seeing the film for the first time.

While some may criticize Lucas’ work with dialogue, his ability to create unique worlds and characters is one of the best, and that skill has thus far been lost in Disney’s continuation of the saga.

This disappointment was so considerable that Lucas did not even want to attend the premiere of the film something that Disney viewed as essential, ultimately convincing Lucas to attend with a smile on his face.

Along with the first reviews of the film being largely positive, all seemed to be thriving between Lucas and Disney when, in reality, this was not the case.

As any CEO would do, Iger defends the decisions of his company in its direction for the Star Wars saga, but also admits some faults, primarily in its decision to release a film every calendar year. While Iger can admit his mistakes, nothing can change

what has come from Disney so far, something with which many fans are not too pleased.

As Disney tries to sell an already weary fanbase on its latest film, its betrayal of the admired creator of Star Wars will certainly not help its cause.

As people think about purchasing their tickets to the next Star Wars film, it would be foolish to believe they would not keep this fact in the back of their minds and approach the future with a great sense of doubt and apprehension.

Despite all the drama surrounding Star Wars and the timing of Iger’s comments, most important is the quality of what comes next, of the exciting possibilities that lie ahead for fans of all kind. Star Wars would not be what it is without an essence of hope like that instilled by Episode IX and Disney, but it is understandable why many do not hope after what has come before. It has become increasingly difficult to defend Disney, and if this upcoming film and opportunistic future fails, then the future of the franchise will be even murkier.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Disney, after purchasing Star Wars from George Lucas in 2012, produced a number of movies and video games.

“El Camino” Is a Nostalgic Ride Through “Breaking Bad”

By MATT DILLON STAFF WRITER

With the recent trend of disappointing endings, “Breaking Bad” seems even more exceptional.

Even in the so-called modern “Golden Age of Television,” the saga of Walter White, the terminally-ill chemistry teacher turned drug lord, still holds a special place in our hearts.

I’d say that has quite a bit to do with the series’ satisfying ending. Walter White’s story came to an end in 2013, and his world of drug lab RVs, booby traps and murderous partners went with him. Shows of a similar caliber, from “Dexter” to “Games of Thrones,” couldn’t quite manage to do the same.

With the artful conclusion of “Breaking Bad,” it’s easy to imagine that the sequel, “El Camino,” is an unwelcome continuation. The Netflix exclusive film doesn’t quite recapture the magic of the original series, but it’s still a worthy addition.

Taking place hours after the series finale, “El Camino” reveals the fate of Walter’s foul-mouthed partner Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). In some ways, his character had already had the perfect ending. Driving off to an uncertain freedom felt like a natural endpoint for the character. “El Camino” expands that without overwriting anything.

Jesse’s current state is immediately established as very fragile, even with his captors dead and gone. The film follows his attempts to stay ahead of

COURTESY OF TWITTER

“El Camino,” recently released on Netflix, continues the story of character Jesse Pinkman from “Breaking Bad.”

the authorities and former “associates,” while using flashbacks to fill in the gaps.

In most ways, “El Camino” is two “Breaking Bad” episodes welded together. It’s assumed that you’ve already seen the whole series, a sentiment reinforced by a vague recap segment. “El Camino” manages to replicate the tone, pacing and other elements with some measure of success.

The bizarre dark comedy elements that disappeared from the show somewhere around season five make a return. That’s offset by Jesse’s struggle with the trauma of losing everyone he cared about and being kept prisoner for so long.

This is all fairly well done, but it feels

a lot more linear and restrained than what came before it. “El Camino” still falls a bit short of the show’s heights, but it gets enough right to maintain interest.

The one place “El Camino” completely matches or exceeds “Breaking Bad” is the camerawork and visuals. The clever point-of-view shots make a return, along with some more interesting tricks. Jesse tearing up Todd’s (Jesse Plemons) apartment in search of his money almost feels like a music video with the unorthodox way it was filmed.

It lends intensity to an otherwise dull scene and, in some way, acknowledges the more surreal as-

pects of Jesse’s situation.

The set design and costuming is also top notch and does as much to tell the story as the actors and camerawork. “El Camino” might not have entirely succeeded in capturing the soul of “Breaking Bad,” but it at least got the presentation down.

As enjoyable as it may be, “El Camino” constantly needs to justify its own existence. The decision to set it so close to the ending of “Breaking Bad” was bold and helps avoid some difficult questions. By the same merit, it forced me to compare “El Camino” to the extremely memorable climax of the series. I think I might have enjoyed the film more

if it weren't so intertwined with the strongest episodes of “Breaking Bad.” The attempts to connect “El Camino” to older episodes through flashbacks don’t entirely mitigate that.

Tying “El Camino” so closely to “Breaking Bad” also draws attention to how much older every actor is. By extension, it’s a reminder of how long it’s been since this show ended. Aaron Paul’s facial hair and scar makeup help him avoid scrutiny, but Jesse Plemons has no such luck.

Thankfully, his nuanced performance as an awkward, unassuming but utterly hateable antagonist is so good that it becomes easy to suspend your disbelief.

Just as Plemons ends up stealing the spotlight and downplaying obvious issues, “El Camino” pulls off a similar trick. The film identifies what made the world of “Breaking Bad” so compelling in the first place and uses it to distract from its flaws.

The way “El Camino” expands upon the characters is compelling enough to prevent the whole affair from feeling unnecessary. Most importantly, “El Camino” builds on top of Jesse’s already serviceable ending instead of just replacing it.

The film replicates the quieter, unevenly entertaining moments of the series rather than its dramatic heights.

But even the weaker parts of a show like “Breaking Bad” are still immensely enjoyable and the same can be said of “El Camino.”

CULTURE

October 16, 2019

Page 11

Explotation Allegations Made Against James Franco

By TAYLOR MASCETTA

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Time’s up for James Franco.

Two former students of his nowdefunct Studio 4 have filed a lawsuit against him and the school. They allege that the studio’s programs served as a front for sexual exploitation and that Franco, 41, manipulated his students into performing lewd acts to his liking.

Studio 4, located in both Los Angeles and New York City, was intended to help students improve their skills in acting and filmmaking. It provided students a chance to work closely with James Franco, which could lead to their big break. With a $300 dollar monthly tuition, the school was affordable for many students. Additional classes came at a higher price, but many students jumped at these opportunities.

One of these classes was on sexual performances in film. The program intended to help students professionally maneuver through these scenes.

However, details emerging from this class have greatly disturbed the public.

According to former students, they had to pay $750 dollars and record an “audition” of sexual performances for Franco to watch to enroll in the class.

The rights to the audition video were also signed away. During the class, students were encouraged to go beyond their comfort zone in orgy or sexual scenes, even if it was against their own will.

Sarah Tither-Kaplan, one of the women filing the lawsuit, had a scarring experience with the class. She told the New York Times that she, along with other female students, were often told to partake in scenes containing

nudity or sex. In one instance, TitherKaplan filmed an orgy scene with Franco and a few other actresses.

During the scene, plastic guards designed to protect the actresses’ vaginal areas were removed. Despite feeling uncomfortable with this, Tither-Kaplan went along with it. The instructors insisted that if they did these scenes, they would be rewarded for it with roles in indie films directed by Franco himself. These dangled roles never came to fruition.

Another concerning aspect of the class was the questionable absence of nudity riders. These include a description of what would occur in each scene, so actors are prepared for what is coming. If they are uncomfortable with what is described in the nudity rider, the actor can decline the opportunity.

However, this wasn’t the case with Studio 4’s classes. Most enrolled students didn’t know nudity riders even existed, yet student permission was expected.

“In fact, I didn't know anything about nudity riders, the detail required in them, the right to counsel with the director about nude scenes, the custom to choreograph nude scenes ahead of time to negotiate them with the cast and the director,” Tither-Kaplan told The New York Times. “I knew none of that throughout that class.”

The second defendant, Toni Gaal, also told the press that she recorded an audition and took part in a callback. However, she was ultimately denied a place in the class, since she expressed uneasiness with the way it was run by educators.

“Most of the work that was offered for us had nudity requirements for women specifically,” she told NPR. Studio 4 was closed for unknown reasons in October 2017. However, defunct program, continues to haunt Franco’s reputation.

This is not the first time Franco

landed himself in hot water over Studio 4’s actions. The first allegations of sexual exploitation came in January 2018, right after he secured a Golden Globe for his role as Tommy Wiseau in “The Disaster Artist.” During the show, viewers noticed he was wearing a “Time’s Up” pin to show his solidarity with the #MeToo movement.

However, it garnered the opposite reaction. The LA Times said TitherKaplan stated his “support” was like “a slap in the face,” and the audience also noticed the hypocrisy in his actions.

Following the show, five women, including Tither-Kaplan, accused him of sexual misconduct. Along with these allegations, Franco has also admitted to pursuing a romantic relationship with a minor and was accused of shoving his co-star Busy Philipps on “Freaks and Geeks” to the ground following a disagreement.

Franco has somehow maintained

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Actor James Franco is being accused of using his film school, Studio 4, to exploit women hoping to land acting jobs.

his innocence. “This is not the first time that these claims have been made and they have already been debunked,” his representatives said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter.

“James will not only fully defend himself, but will also seek damages from the plaintiffs and their attorneys for filing this scurrilous publicityseeking lawsuit.”

His tactics seem to be working. In a world dominated by cancel culture, Franco’s career has been left relatively unscathed. He remains under the radar, taking time to focus on his personal life. Following his scandal with pursuing a minor in 2014, Franco still received job offers and starred in award-nominated films.

His most recent venture is “Zeroville,” which also stars Seth Rogen, Megan Fox and Will Ferrell. His performance in “The Disaster Artist” is still universally regarded as a pictureperfect recreation of Wiseau’s mannerisms.

Franco is considered one of the “lucky” ones. Other stars accused of misconduct, such as Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer, have rightfully lost their cultural power in Hollywood. Franco, however, has charm on his side. Before the accusations were exposed, women across the globe admired Franco for his suave demeanor and good looks.

People didn’t want to believe the allegations were true.

Nevertheless, Franco is not out of the woods yet. Tither-Kaplan and Haal plan to achieve justice for themselves and other affected students.

They are seeking monetary damages, the return of their audition tapes and an apology from Franco.

Who’s That Kid? | It’s Jasmine Ali, FCRH ’20!

Senior Transfer Has Family As Support System

By ANDREW POSADAS ASISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

For Jasmine Ali, FCRH ’20, the path to Fordham University was not perfectly laid with yellow bricks. In fact, Ali’s college experience did not even begin at the Rose Hill campus.

Yet, along the way, her journey has maintained one constant and posi-

tive source of motivation: family.

A native New Yorker, Ali grew up in Brooklyn with an Egyptian father and Italian mother. Because of her parents, she was able to experience a familyfriendly environment not only at home, but also in her neighborhood.

Her father owned an ice cream shop called Jasmine’s Sweet Shop, named after her, in the Bensonhurst area. Ali’s

COURTESY OF JASMINE ALI FOR THE FORDHAM RAM

Jasmine Ali, FCRH ’20 trasfered to Fordham University in her junior year.

mother owned a Hallmark store just down the block.

Ali enjoyed every moment she was able to help her parents at both stores, especially the times when she and her father would make ice cream. Growing up around people was perfect for Ali, who loved to socialize and interact with the customers who came to either store.

When her grandparents became ill, Ali and her mother made the decision to move upstairs from them in a two-family house in order to care for them. During that time, Ali’s bond with her grandfather strengthened.

“I became very close to my grandpa,”said Ali. “We used to play cards and watch the Yankees together on the YES network every night” She credits her grandfather for being a second father figure in her life, while her grandmother always spoiled the household each Sunday night with her Italian cooking.

After graduating high school, Ali applied to over 20 schools but was still unsure of where she wanted to attend college. Having attended an all-girls Catholic high school, Ali did want her choice to be a private Catholic institution.

One of the universities she applied to was Fordham. Unfortunately, Ali did not get accepted the

first time around. Even so, she did not mind much, in part because she did not want to be so close to home and sought a new experience.

Ali attended Loyola University Maryland for two years. Despite enjoying fond memories there in her freshman and sophomore years, she also called it one of the most challenging times in her life, and felt a change was necessary after her sophomore year.

Wanting to be closer to her family, Ali applied to Fordham again, this time as a transfer student. She was ultimately accepted and in the end, she says that coming to Fordham was a no-brainer decision. Her uncle had attended Fordham Law School and her aunt had previously stated that Fordham would be a great fit for her.

Ali has not looked back since.

She is currently double majoring in sociology and communications and culture, where she is part of the Communications Honor Society.

Knowing she was going to be here for only two years, Ali wasted little time becoming a part of the Fordham community.

She took her talents to the local radio station on campus, WFUV 90.7 FM, at the beginning of the 2019 spring semester to talk sports like she did with her grandfather growing up.

“I have grown since I have been there, both in my knowledge of the behind the scenes of radio and in my work ethic amongst my peers," she said. "WFUV has been rewarding in making me a more mature individual that is able to handle every obstacle that should come my way.”

Ali also currently interns at Smithsonian Media in their advertising department. Despite the heavy workload, Ali would not have it any other way. Through it all, her biggest inspiration will always be her family, especially her mother.

She is adamant that all her success and worth ethic comes from her mother, whom Ali describes as “having has the biggest heart and someone who would give anyone the shirt off of her back to another in need.”

Even though Ali is not completely certain of what lies ahead of her after graduation this coming May, she is motivated to give back to her mother for all the years of encouragement and guidance.

All of Ali’s best qualities originate from her mother and the entire family – her willingness to never quit in the face of adversity, striving for the best in everything and everyone around her Family values have made her transition to Fordham seamless and more importantly, an experience she will cherish for the rest of her life.

FORDHAM LOOKS FORWARD

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October 16, 2019

USG Works Toward Policy Change On Campus

By KRISTEN McNERNEY STAFF WRITER

This week, The Fordham Ram sat down with United Student Government (USG) Executive President Kaylee Wong, GSB ’20, to discuss the initiatives which senators are pushing forward this academic year.

Kristen McNerney: What kinds of initiatives are being made this year? Do you have any new policy goals?

Kaylee Wong: All of our committee chairs and senators are working on some really amazing initiatives this year. We are looking forward to reporting on their progress as they get to work this semester. Executive Vice President Ashley Qamar, GSB ’20, and I are very excited to be focusing our efforts this semester on bias and hate crime reporting information. We are hoping to make a comprehensive manual, similar to the resources for Campus Assault and Relationship Education (CARE) which will educate students, faculty and staff on where to go for varying levels of reporting/non-reporting resources on campus. We also want to ensure that we demystify the process so individuals understand the steps before getting started. We hope that this will help students to experience a more welcoming and inclusive community, while also allowing them to know where resources are should they not feel that that is the case. Of course our main purpose as the executives of USG are also to respond to any upcoming issues the student body may have on campus, so as things come up or students have concerns we are always open to meeting and hearing students opinions and taking action.

KM: Do any senators stand out this year in terms of innovations or projects?

KW: We have an especially exciting senate group this year who have interests in facets all across the university and who

have already started putting in some amazing work. A few early standout projects include Senator D’Onofrio, FCRH ’22, who proposed a new dining location in the Walsh Family Library to give hardworking students easier access to coffee and study snacks. Senator Rodriguez, GSB ’20, the new chair of the Committee on International Integration, has some fantastic new ideas including mental health resources in individual’s native languages and breakstay programming for students who remain on campus. With all our new freshmen senators, it is always very exciting to see the new ideas and goals they come in with.

KM: Have you met with any administrators this semester, and if so, what has that been like?

KW: Ashley and I have met with

tons of administrators this year, which has been extremely exciting. I am always so pleased with how willing administrators are to take time out of their day to meet with us and discuss their goals and ours and find places where we overlap and can collaborate. One great conversation we recently had was with the Chief Diversity Officer, Rafael Zapata, along with our entire cabinet to discuss the University’s Strategic Plan, specifically around Bronx and New York community relations.

KM: Have you been working closely with other clubs? If so, which ones?

KW: As always, we have been working closely with the Campus Activities Board, Residence Hall Association and Commuting Students Assocation to collabo-

rate for the betterment of Fordham and beyond. This summer we worked hard to put together a great Welcome Week Concert for the first Friday back at school.

Additionally, we worked closely with the performing groups for our Keating Steps: Club Showcase, which featured the acapella groups, dance groups and theater groups, which had over 400 attendees and was a wonderful evening of entertainment. This year we hope to work more with student clubs to be a resource when it comes to budget and operations packets as well as for co-programming and policy.

KM: What is your favorite part of being executive president?

KW: My favorite part of being the executive president is how impressive every member of USG is

and the ways the group just keeps improving. Over my three years on USG I have met some of the most wonderful individuals who truly care about Fordham and the world and it is so exciting for me to be able to aid them in accomplishing their goals this year.

Another wonderful part of being president has been co-chairing the Jesuit Student Government Alliance ( JSGA) which brings together student body presidents from all the Jesuit institutions around the world to collaborate and work on joint advocacy. It is a wonderful network of passionate students and allows us to collaborate on goals and issues all students face across our campuses.

This interview was edited for space and clarity by Hannah Gonzalez.

Spread designed by Pia Fischetti.

COURTESY OF USG

The United Student Government holds elections for its freshman class senators at the beginning of every fall semester, inviting the newest members of the Fordham community to become involved.

October 16, 2019

FORDHAM LOOKS FORWARD

Page 13

COURTESY OF USG

After the newest body of student representatives were elected at the end of last academic year, the United Student Government held its 2019 inauguration to formally install the new members.

COURTESY OF USG

USG looks to push forward initiatives that represent the concerns of the larger student body. Tabling at the fall semester club fair, they looked to make connections with and hear from students.

CULTURE

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October 16, 2019

“Parasite” Skillfully Combines Comedy and Thrill

By ALEXANDER DICKISON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

In Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite,” nobody comes out clean. It’s a movie of goofy circumstances transformed midway through into a tragic thriller.

Director Bong brutally keeps the camera rolling as every character becomes dirtied in the mad rush for money, slave to the cash rules of working life and the dog-eat-dog principles of capitalistic society. It is a statement for the present time.

The film is set in Seoul, South Korea, and begins with images of squalid family life. The Kims are grasping at loose ends. Father Kim Ki-taek,

a former valet, mother Chung-sook, artistically-talented but unmotivated daughter Ki-jeong and son Ki-woo (respectively, Song Kang-ho, Jang Hye-jin, Park So-dam and Choi Wooshik) live together in a slum-house without internet and without space, all of them out of work, reduced to folding pizza boxes to sell back for much-needed cash.

The movie kicks into motion when a friend of Ki-woo asks him to take over the tutoring of a wealthy teenage girl while he goes off to study abroad. Ki-woo accepts, and the next day interviews for the job, walking up the steps of a sleekly modern mansion complete with house-

COURTESY OF TWITTER

“Parasite,” directed by Bong Joon Ho, explores poverty.

keeper and well-irrigated lawn, a bright, roomy, neatly organized residence that could not be more different from his own home.

We’re introduced to young Dahye (Jung Ji-so), a mediocre but rich student who instantly falls for her new tutor, her brother Dasong, a rambunctious 10-year-old who draws messy portraits, and her mother, Mrs. Park (Cho Yeojeong).

Bong wastes no time giving the audience the impression of a ditzy, out-of-touch, blandly pretty housewife in Mrs. Park, an old trope that soon becomes predictable. Mrs. Park is easily impressed

by Ki-woo’s faked university records and nonsensical academic advice (“An exam is like a jungle,” he says), and he lands the job.

On his way out, he looks at some of Da-song’s portraits with Mrs. Park, who laments over the kid not having an adequate guide for his artistic endeavors. Ki-woo’s eyebrows raise: “I know an art student who would be perfect for your son.” The next day, his sister Ki-jeong is working for the Parks, under an assumed name, pretending to have no relationship to Kiwoo. After that, the siblings dupe Mr. Park(Lee Sun-kyun) into firing his driver and contracting their disguised father instead, and then they get rid of the housekeeper, replacing her with their mother.

“Parasite” becomes a tale of

two families superimposed on top of each other, one serving, the other served. But if this symbiosis doesn’t seem mutual, Bong makes sure to include scenes of a harried Mrs. Park trying her own hand at dish-washing and food-making after sacking the first housekeeper, the pretty housewife in over her head. If this is a movie about parasites, then the lasting point is that they’re to be found on both sides.

The first half of the movie veers towards comedy, making great fun out of the elaborate maneuvers that the Kim family takes in putting the wool over their rich benefactors, highlighting the absurdity of arrangements and endlessly poking fun at the vacuity of the wealthy.

Bong loves to provoke laughter with spacey blandishments of Mr. and Mrs. Park, mocking their false projection of Basquiat-esque genius onto the untalented Da-song. This culminates in a hilarious sequence where the two discuss the discovery of a pair of panties left in the backseat of Mr. Park’s chauffeured limousine, speculating over the sexual improprieties of the driver. “Why couldn’t he do it in his own seat?”

Mr. Park wails with a straight face.

The fun is such that one accepts the con and starts rooting for the Kims, relishing in their happiness and almost forgetting who they had to push out in order to set themselves up.

This in mind, it’s a testament to

the director’s cruelty and perversity how effectively he redirects the plot from charmed comedy to eerie mystery, leading rapidly to a bloody finale. The Kims decide to spend a rainy evening in modern luxury when the Parks go on a birthday camping-trip for their son, only to be interrupted in the middle of their house-squatting by the ring of the doorbell.

It’s the old housekeeper Moonkwang (Lee Jung-eun), and as the camera closes in on her puffed-up, rain-streaked face, she gives the screen an unsteady polite smile that keeps pleading, desperately, to be let in: She needs to retrieve something she “left behind.” The comedy of the destitute and the rich is transformed into a quasi-horror film.

The best parts of the film are in this unpredictable, twisting descentinto violence, which only mounts in intensity. Everybody bleeds and no impulse is presumed to be innocent. Bong digs deep in his effort to show lack of pure intentions, criticizing relationships of economic dependence that only preserves the likability of its cast of characters by making them all suffer equally.

The idea is hip enough to touch any modern audience, who’ve come to the movie theater from a society where capitalism has run rampant in some ways. But because of this, beneath the thrill of the whirling malaise that Bong injects into his fable, the film hardly shows us anything we haven’t seen already.

Midterms Test College Students’ Mental Health

COURTESY OF FLICKR

When October starts, Halloween is far from the scariest thing looming for college students. The dreaded midterm season begins and, during this time, students bond over how stressed and overwhelmed they are with academic demands. It is a time when complaints of anxiety are more than commonplace.

When students arrive on campus for their first semester of freshman year, they often find themselves burdened with an unexpectedly challenging amount of schoolwork. The transition from high school to college often leads students to question their academic abilities. While they may have been at the top of their class in high school, they now find themselves surrounded by students from schools all across the country.

According to NEA Today, around two-thirds of college students reported having “overwhelming anxiety” in 2016, up from 50% of students in 2011. Students struggling with academic anxiety often find themselves in a vicious cycle: They become anxious about not performing well, which negatively affects their academic performance further, resulting in even more anxiety.

Academic stress can have a variety

of root causes. For the most part, it is a fear of failing to meet expectations.

Due to the massive financial investment that college generally is for families, much of the pressure that students feel in terms of academics is self-inflicted. Like so many other aspects of life, we are our own worst enemies when it comes to academic performance.

Jeffrey Ng, Ph.D., director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Fordham University, explained that the academic stress that students feel can lead them to lose sight of learning.

“We seek to infuse the campus with a growth mindset, self-compassion and healthy thriving,” he explained. He emphasized the idea that students need to see their academic career as a work in progress, ultimately striving for success with bumps along the way.

Professors also make an effort to ensure that students feel challenged by their coursework, but not overwhelmed to a point of severe stress , according to Professor Cornelius Collins of the English department at Fordham College at Rose Hill.

“This is a topic that we as faculty members actually think about a lot each semester, and students’ issues with stress are real concerns for us,” he said.

College students experience increased anxiety during midterms.

Collins works to develop a growth mindset in his students over the course of the semester, as Ng recommends. “I think professors can mitigate stress by providing clear guidelines as well as rationales for assignments and by building up the complexity of assignments and expectations over the course of the term,” explained Collins.

Our thoughts can often be our own worst enemies. “Don’t believe everything you think,” Ng advises.

Students often bombard themselves with paranoid fears about their futures once they receive a grade lower than they hoped for. One grade spirals into a failed class, then a loss of job opportunities and culminates in an unsuccessful life.

These spirals are often most frequent among those who tend to perform very well academically.

It is not merely enough to know logically that this is not true. We are harder, and more unrealistic, with ourselves than with anyone else. We would never say the things we say in our own heads to any of our friends.

When our peers complain about the stress that they are struggling with,

we often feel that it is unnecessary, that they should not worry because they will definitely do well. Although our peers likely think this of our own worries, we lack the ability to understand ourselves.

“We are scared to be nice to ourselves for fear of a loss of motivation,” Ng explained. For some reason, many of us hold the belief that if we are more compassionate towards ourselves, we will lose the motivation to strive for more. Research has shown that this notion is misguided, and instead, a lack of self-compassion causes us to feel less motivated and more stressed in the long run.

The structure of college academics builds a competitive environment that starts breeding in high school.

With an exceptionally competitive process of college admissions in the United States, academic achievement is often seen as something done in order to prove one's worth as greater than his or her competing peers. One misstep may make the difference between one student and another.

Test anxiety is one common manifestation of academic anxiety in students of all ages. One exam becomes

a symbol of a student’s entire future, and the perception of that pressure causes a bombardment of physical and emotional symptoms of anxiety.

Though these fears are, of course, unrealistic, they are often the result of years of panicking about SATs and other standardized tests throughout elementary and high school.

Students as young as kindergarten sit for standardized testing that evaluates their academic abilities as compared to their peers. Academics have evolved greatly in the past few decades, and competition between students continues to increase.

Continuing this mindset into college does much more harm than good. While there remains a sense of competition for achievements like Dean’s List or later applications to graduate school programs, college is meant to prepare students for performance in their chosen field. The material learned in most of their classes is meant to stay with students as they embark on your professional path.

Hopefully, with increased awareness about the realities of academic anxieties, college students will be able to manage their fears in a more productive way. In addition, colleges and universities will continue to provide mental health resources to struggling students and strive to implement a growth mindset towards learning in their students.

After all, the focus must be on developing a deep understanding of the course material, rather than getting an A on every paper. This understanding often requires a few missteps along the way, but it is always worth the while.

CULTURE

October 16, 2019

Page 15_

Under 15 Club:Pig Out at 188 Cuchifritos

By CHRIS CAPUANO COLUMNIST

The Receipt 1x Chicharrónes Dominicano: $11.90 1x Mango Juice: $2.00 Total: $13.90 The Review A warning: If you don’t like pork, stop reading.

A related warning: If you don’t like pork, don’t go to 188 Bakery Cuchifritos.

Cuchifritos, derived from the Spanish words cuchí, short for cochino, meaning pig, and frito, describing something fried, is a group of fried pork foods in Puerto Rican cuisine.

Thankfully, though, a trip to Puerto Rico isn’t necessary to try cuchifritos. Located just around the corner from the Fordham Road subway station on E 188th Street, 188 Bakery Cuchifritos, has been serving authentic Puerto Rican and Dominican food to the local community for decades, and after eating said food, I understand why.

Approaching 188 Cuchifritos, you’ll immediately notice the colorful signage decorating the exterior of the restaurant. Among the many words on the front of the restaurant, the largest two are “COMIDAS CRIOLLA,” or Creole food.

As Hector Rodriguez explained, in Puerto Rico, comidas criolla is

COURTESY OF CHRIS CAPUANO/ THE FORDHAM RAM

COURTESY OF CHRIS CAPUANO/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Cuchifritos is located on E 188th Street next to the D train station.

associated not with the cuisine of Louisiana, but instead with the cuisine that developed in the Spanish Caribbean after the arrival of European colonists.

Thus, the cuisine of Puerto Rico, which has both native and European influences, is known as comidas criolla.

As you enter the restaurant, and “COMIDAS CRIOLLA” passes above your head, you’ll see a counter to either side of you. On the left, there is a small counter where you can buy lotto tickets and scratchoffs. On the right, there is a larger counter where you can buy some of the best food that New York City has to offer.

Behind this counter, you’ll see a vast array of food and an equally vast array of jugos tropicales, or tropical fruit juices. On the back

wall, there is a massive menu with a seemingly endless variety of Puerto Rican soul food to offer.

As an aside: the menu is in Spanish, so if you’re like me and haven’t spoken Spanish since 10th grade, you might want to bring a friend. Though I did bring a friend, he speaks no more Spanish than me, so we did some research before we went.

After some tough decision making (the downside of a large menu), we each ordered chicharrónes Dominicano, a.k.a. Dominican pork crackling. As part of a lunch special, the chicharrónes come with rice and habichuelas, or Puerto Rican beans, for just under $12. To wash it all down, I spent another $2 on a

The menu at Cuchifritos features a variety of pork dishes.

cup of mango juice.

While $14 is the most expensive receipt this column has yet seen, in both quantity and quality 188 ensures that your money is well spent. The healthy portion of rice and beans was so good that I probably would’ve gone back for more if I hadn’t been so full. The pork was crispy and succulent, and I would recommend it to any first-timer.

There are plenty of other options, though, so if you aren’t a fan of pork but ignored my pre-review warnings, you won’t have to leave empty-handed. Among these options are a variety of chicken dishes, sandwiches and more.

There are also frituras, which is more of a category of Puerto Rican fried snacks that includes alcapurrias (essentially a ground

beef fritter) and papas rellenos (stuffed potatoes), among others.

Though I have not tried the menu in its entirety (but will hopefully be able to say I have eventually), I think it’s safe to say that you can’t go wrong with anything at 188 Cuchifritos.

The existence of a place like 188 is what makes New York City special. People coming from all over the world and bringing a slice of the places they came from gives New Yorkers unparalleled access to the cultures (and more specifically, cuisines) of Earth.

I have never been to Puerto Rico, but thanks to 188, I can now say that I have tried authentic Puerto Rican soul food. If you cannot say the same, do yourself and your taste buds a favor and pay a visit to 188 Bakery Cuchifritos.

Ram Crossword: “Lets’ Split Up, Gang”

Across

1 Mystery Machine owner 5 Thought organ 10 A bus conductor 14 British aviation prefix 15 Virgo and Scorpio’s neighbor 16 Osman of the Cleveland Cavaliers 17 A commune in the Torn department in Southern France 19 Persia, today 20 Six-time world-series winning MLB franchise 22 State famous for its potatoes 24 Alternatives

26 Shorter than a minute (Abbrv.)

27 Overruns 29 Yee’s second half 32 “The ___ Santa” kept in the cathedral of San Salvador 34 Winter month (abbr.)

35 Kind of party 36 Mint, for example 39 Leading 41 To ______ (Perfectly) 42 Teachers’ org.

45 ___ Vegas 46 Devoid of help 48 NY timezone (abbr.)

51 Says “like Zoinks, Scoob” 52 Pet protection org.

Down 1 Legendary tales 2 Show connection between 3 Purges, cure for good 4 Organ giver 5 Online journal 6 ____ __ passage 7 Cut short 8 Isle of Man location 9 “If I Ruled the World” rapper 10 Opposite of bases, in chemistry 11 Superbad actor Michael 12 Wife of Esau 13 Jurassic beast, for short 21 Free from frost 22 Tax agency 25 Engraves 28 Fantasy land beyond the

CREATED BY: KEVIN DINEEN

ANSWERS TO ISSUE 16

54 She can’t see without her glasses 57 Another way to say spooky novel 59 The goal of brainstorming 60 To revolves around 61 A deer, a female deer 62 A King of Sparta AGIS 63 An international medical wholesaler providing global access to quality medical care 65 In Genesis, Jacob’s first wife 66 “Your face, my thane, __ __ _ book”: Shakespeare 67 Singer Alicia

ANSWERS IN ISSUE 18

wardrobe 29 Mishmash 30 A long time ___ 33 Baseball scoreboard trio 35 Tit for ___ 36 Buddy 37 NFL’s voluntary practices before training camp 38 A reason to change your sheets 40 Palindrome starting with E and A

43 Geometry’s cousin 46 “Take On Me” band 47 Eagles nests, variation 49 Shaggy’s canine friend 50 Selfish ones 51 Destroy 53 Someone with scoliosis might have an _ shaped ____ 54 Lab vessel 55 Outer limit 56 Luke’s sister 58 “___ _ girl!”

Page 16

CULTURE

October 16, 2019

Creative Essay | Shelby Daniel

Florida to NYC: Montage Moments I’ve found myself dreading small talk more than usual this year. It’s because I’m a senior in college.

When people ask me what I plan on doing after school, I usually picture a question mark emoticon appearing above my head as I stumble through something about how I’m “waiting to see where the year takes me.”

Logically, I know it’s a valid answer.

People close to me have shown me the different ways life can take you after college. Yet, there is a nagging part of me that refuses to wait and see what happens. It’s difficult not to be anxious about a major life transition, especially one that requires so much personal accountability.

Deciding on a pathway towards a certain place or career takes a lot of time and work, especially emotionally. When you figure out at least one of those things, everything else will fall into place, right?

Most of all, I’m scared of failing the expectations of being a successful New Yorker who came to the Big Apple from sunny Florida. In reality, I constructed these expectations on my own.

I started to reflect on this because of a poem. I’m in a special club on campus, Fordham Experimental Theater — a club where, when you join, you begin to find your sense of self. A good friend of mine got on stage in the Fordham Black Box to perform a poem exploring the difference between where you are from and where you want to go. It’s not exactly a stretch to see how these ques-

tions construct your choices during most of college.

It made me think, “I talk a lot about where I’m from.”

Going to college, I was prepared to leave Florida completely behind. It would just be something to list with a fun fact at the beginning of class my first semester, I thought. I was very wrong.

Somehow, I slipped stories about spending childhood summers on Siesta Key into every conversation — how you could smell coconut sunscreen, salty air and freshly made waffle cones from the local ice cream store.

When I realized how much I talked about home, I started to think about why. All I wanted was to leave and go do what I expected to do with myself in New York.

Living in Tampa suburbia from kindergarten to 12th grade fed into my high school fantasy that life was a coming-of-age movie, and that I was a leading lady destined to move somewhere and launch myself into greatness.

Writing the script for the imaginary flick was easy, mostly because of all my source material.

I present the quintessential postprom ritual: cosmic bowling. Going up to the counter, we were a horde of chiffon, rubber-soled shoes and relentless teenage mirth. The air was heavy with the smell of burnt pizza.

Neon lights shaped like palm trees and dolphins reflected off bedazzled dresses. None of us used bumpers, resulting in an overwhelming amount

of open frames. Fingers grasped the worn bowling balls while delicate corsages sat on wrists mere centimeters away. After getting home, I’d replay these things over and over again in my head before falling asleep.

This is what I call a montage moment: when there’s an indie song playing under a series of clips, the shots of you laughing so hard someone literally needs to break out their inhaler, the things you play over and over again in your head to remind you how much you’ve grown and what you appreciate.

I found myself making these montage moments in college, too. The problem was, I expected them all to be good. I erroneously assumed that when I went to college, I would be a different person in a new city.

On the unusually warm day that always creeps its way into February, I found myself in Central Park. It was the kind of day that had all of New York smiling. I made my way past dog walkers and kids being pushed in strollers to the carousel. Digging through my backpack for loose change, I hopped on a blue and gold lacquered horse. As our cyclical journey began, I saw every angle of the skyline, the sun glinting off the windows of buildings. I knew at the end of the ride that’s where I was meant to be.

Earlier the same morning, I spent half of my three-hour class at Lincoln Center in the bathroom crying after feeling overwhelmed with pressures from school and my own mental health.

It was the creation of my montage moment on the carousel that pulled me out of those feelings later.

Moving across the country to New York wasn’t like taking my problems and folding them into neat squares, then placing them in the dresser drawer. It was more like my problems were the pile of clothes crumpled on a chair in the corner of my room.

Over the years, I’ve realized capturing these defining moments about where you’re from and where you’re going are not always perfect. You get all of the miraculous parts along with the harmful ones.

W hether in Florida or New York, these

memories have been instrumental to my growth.

Both have given me things to remember and take with me wherever I end up post-grad.

Growing up, or the part of life where you become an actual adult, can happen anywhere and be anything. What catches you by surprise is how much time and emotional work it takes.

I think I still have a little more growing up left to do, which is why I’ll wait to see where the year takes me.

Later, when I figure this whole “adult” thing out, I’ll replay those montage moments in my head and enjoy every moment.

TEMPLATE COURTESY OF SHELBY DANIEL FOR THE FORDHAM RAM GRAPHIC BY KIERAN PRESS-REYNOLDS/THE FORDHAM RAM

Shelby Daniel writes about the struggles of growing up and montage moments.

Editor’s Pick | Weather Effects

Learning to Love London’s Rain

By KRISTEN EGAN DIGITAL PRODUCER

Telling someone you’re studying abroad in London is synonymous with someone reminding you to pack a good rain jacket. You truly can’t say one without hear-

ing the other.

I’ll be honest, it does rain a lot here, but rain in London is a lot different than in New York. The sky doesn’t open and pour for days straight. Instead, it drizzles on and off with no clear notion of when it will stop or start again.

Rain in London is a lot more polite and a lot less overbearing, much like the people.

When I was younger, I thought rain boots were the coolest shoes ever. I would wear them on the driest days of the summer with a pair of shorts and imagine that I

KRISTEN EGAN/THE FORDHAM RAM

Kristen Egan, the Ram’s digital producer, has learned to love the rain while studying abroad in the incessantly overcast London.

was Ramona from “Ramona and Beezus” and that the world at my fingertips was filled with untapped mischief.

Rain boots are just shoes you wear on your feet when it rains, but when I wear rain boots, I regain the sense of invincibility that I had as a child.

There’s the idea that when you wear rain boots you might have the power to part the seas. You might — who’s to say you can’t?

When you walk, water splashes in opposite directions. That’s almost the same thing.

This semester in London has helped me channel all the incoherent mumbles and grumbles I used to target towards the sky when it rained into a love that grows every day.

Now I like to tilt my head up when it rains and stretch my arms out, feeling the rain as a reminder of living in the present. I let my glasses cloud up with raindrops and look for people who also smile when it rains because they’re the best people to surround yourself with.

I’ve learned to love the rain and the way it can wash away the past and welcome the new. Rainy days don’t have to mean being stuck inside.

The other day I took a walk to the post office while it rained.

Once I had finished the original errand, I looked around at the slick city streets reflecting a yellow glow from the crosswalks, baffled

by London’s ability to remain so beautiful on even the gloomiest of days, and decided my walk was far from over.

On this walk, I explored paths I had never taken, saw people I had never seen and ended up at Hyde Park.

Bundled up in my bright yellow rain jacket, with my cheetah print umbrella above my head, I could not have looked more ridiculous, but I could not have been filled with more appreciation for the life I’ve gotten to experience this semester abroad.

Downpours and drizzles aren’t too bad when you’re surrounded by friends laughing as you try to escape getting wet.

The overarching idea might be that when you’re with people who fill you with so much sunshine, you don’t need to worry about the next time the sky will shed some.

London isn’t London without the looming threat of rain, but if you have an umbrella and a few good pals by your side, you are a force to be reckoned with.

CULTURE

October 16, 2019 Tame Impala, “Currents” (2015)

Lorde, “Pure Heroine” (2013)

The Australian band’s third studio album “Currents” was written, recorded and produced by lead Kevin Parker. It marks a shift from Tame Impala’s former psychedelic rock tracks to more electric and pop-inspired pieces.

The ’80s synthetic sounds feel inspired by Fleetwood Mac and the Bee Gees, and it seems that Parker appreciated the simplicity of pop and decided to let the music speak for itself rather than layering and complicating sounds.

This kind of idea is embodied by tracks like “Yes, I’m Changing,” and the seven-minute opener “Let it Happen,” where the sound captures the emotions just as powerfully as the vocals. Hhowever, this clean sound requires meticulous scrutiny over each track.

While recording the album, Parker did 1,003 different vocals on “‘Cause I’m a Man” until he perfected it. It’s this obsessive crafting that makes “Currents” a standout in the decade.

This album made Lorde the superstar she is today. In “Pure Heroine,” she captures the feeling of growing up (because the 16-year-old was going through it, just like us).

With tracks like “400 Lux,” “Tennis Court” and “Ribs,” she paints a picture of life in the suburbs where “the houses don’t change,” but you do.

She describes the imminent doom of adulthood: “We’re

reeling through the midnight streets […] it feels so scary getting old.” In “Royals,” friendship and love replaces the “islands [and] tigers on a gold leash” that pop materialism emphasizes.

Her sharp, wise lyrics capture the hope for adulthood that coexists with the nostalgia for childhood in one’s teens.

Kacey Musgraves, “Golden Hour” (2018) “Spacey Kacey” is now a favorite even amongst people that claim to avidly dislike country, thanks to the power of her most recent album, “Golden Hour.” In her third studio album, Musgraves leaves her distinctive mark on

country, starting with the opening track “Slow Burn.” “I’m gonna do it my way, it’ll be alright,” she sings. She incorporates electronic and pop sounds inspired by ABBA and Madonna with traditional country to make what she describes as “cosmic country” (hence the nickname). Tracks like “High Horse” feature synthesizer and loops that are disco-inspired. In many ways, Musgraves becomes a “Space Cowboy,” navigating uncharted territory that lies between distinct genres.

Page 17 Rihanna, “ANTI” (2016) In retrospect, “ANTI” feels like a precursor to the new Rihanna: a wildly successful and powerful entrepreneur. She opens her eighth studio album with “I got to do things my own way darling […] why you ain’t ever let me grow?” in “Consideration” featuring SZA. In the album, she does exactly that: grow. In an interview with MTV, she emphasizes her need to make something that “felt real, that felt soulful, that felt forever.” No longer is she making dance

and pop hits like from the early 2000s.

Instead she belts about love in “Higher” and in the sweet “Love on the Brain” track. The power in her voice and freedom in writing honest music empowers both Rihanna and her listeners.

Kanye West, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” (2010) This album is just as complex as the artist behind it. It simultaneously explores Kanye’s vulnerability and ego in extremes that often play out in real life, usually on his Twitter account. “MDTBF” follows the loss of his mom and (first) Taylor Swift scandal.

It is jam-packed with features like those found on “Monster,” as it includes Nicki Minaj, Bon Iver, Jay-Z and Rick Ross.

Even so, Kanye leads the pack, never getting lost in the collaborations. He combines rap and pop in a way that changed the coming decade, making way for more experimental, layered beats and use of sampling.

The sound transports the listeners into Kanye’s fantasy, a world overwhelmed by the dark realities of fame and power. “I guess every superhero needs his theme music” — but in this fantasy, the hero can also be the villain (or antihero).

REWIND THE 2010 s ALBUMS: POP and rap rule the world WRITTEN BY KATIE SCHULTE; LAYOUT BY KIERAN PRESS-REYNOLDS; PHOTOS COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Lana Del Rey, “Norman F----Rockwell!” (2019) Lana Del Rey’s newest album, “Norman F-----g Rockwell!” exists in between the past and future of the singer, hope and nostalgia and love and heartbreak. The line between extremes is embodied in “Love Song,” where she describes how she would sacrifice anything to make her lover proud.

Following “Cinnamon Girl,” Del Rey then says of the one that holds her without hurting her: “you’d be the first who ever did.”

The most powerful track is the final one, which is extensively titled “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me — but I have it.” In an interview, she told the publication BAZAAR she has hope in the future because “things have been confusing for a long time, whether it’s politically, culturally, or personally.”

Lana Del Rey’s lyrics and emphasis on each syllable make the listener question themselves, reflecting and asking themselves where they exist between these binaries.

Frank Ocean, “Blonde” (2016) Duality permeates every aspect of Frank Ocean’s second album. Even the title of the album cannot escape it — it’s listed as “Blonde” on streaming services, but the album art says “Blond.”

He traces his past and its effect on his future: hardships he has faced, whether in relationships or with family, are connected by rough nights in the track with the same name.

On the album, he exists as a rapper and a soft singer, his tone mirrored by the atmospheric, emotional melodies. It’s deeply personal like a diary. In “White Farrari,” he aches to explore the world while still wanting to settle down. “Clearly this isn’t all that there is,” he croons.

The paradoxes Ocean explores within his memories are why many consider this to be the most beautiful soft R&B album of all time.

Kendrick Lamar, “To Pimp A Butterfly” (2015) Following the success of “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” Lamar released his second studio album, “To Pimp a Butterfly.” Jazz, soul and funk influence this work more than any of his previous projects, including instru-

mental and production features from Thundercat and Kamasi Washington. The album not only fuses genres but also styles as it mixes together songs with a spoken word poem in which Kendrick is talking to 2Pac. He makes powerful references to fictional characters like the resilient Kunta Kinte, a slave who tries to escape in the novel “Roots.”

At the end of “Alright,” he addresses 2Pac and how both of them faced the pressures of being a cultural force, through which he contemplates selflove and hate.

Adele, “21” (2011) Adele’s sophomore album brought powerful, belted ballads into the ‘10s. The project is defined by the heartache and vulnerability that ensues after a breakup. She asserts her anger in tracks like “Set Fire to the Rain,” and even mocks her ex on “Rumour Has It.” She wistfully reminisces the glory

days of her past relationship in her hit single “Someone Like You.” Released before this was the single “Rolling in the Deep,” which Adele describes as “gospel disco.” In each track, the conviction of her melancholic voice leaves a deep impression on the listener. She paints the story of a heartbroken young woman looking back but also in love again, like on “One and Only.” The artist left an impression on this decade’s pop (and will continue to remain one of the only CDs I have left).

Beyoncé, “Lemonade” (2013) “I was served lemons, but I made lemonade.” Beyoncé’s second visual album and sixth studio release is unlike anything she has ever done before. The artist, who is typically private when it comes to personal matters, made an album that fully delved into her vulnerability following the infidelity of her husband.

“Lemonade” bares it all, and Beyoncé explores her identity as a black woman through a dynamic blend of rock, R&B, country and pop. Its release was accompanied by a 65-minute film on HBO, followed by her historical Coachella performance documentary “Homecoming.” In “Lemonade,” Beyoncé remains the superstar she is, but also becomes infinitely more like one of us. The lyrics and straining tone encompass loss in “Sandcastles,” anger in “Don’t Hurt Yourself” and empowerment in “Freedom” and “Formation.”

Beyoncé does not limit herself in this album, just as she will not allow anyone else to limit her. In this way, her vulnerability pales in comparison to her strength: “I am the dragon breathing fire, beautiful mane, I’m the Lion.”

CULTURE

Page 18

October 16, 2019

“Joker” Lacks the Soul of Other Disturbing Psychological Thrillers

By GREG MYSOGLAND STAFF WRITER

The question I kept asking myself while watching “Joker” was simply, “Why does this movie exist?”

It’s a question that, as a comic book fan, and specifically one that believes Joker works best as a character whose backstory is left undefined or ambiguous — as was the case with Heath Ledger’s legendary version of the character in “The Dark Knight” — has occurred to me since the new film was announced. But as a film student, I saw the potential artistic value in a Martin Scorsese-style story of such a famously deranged character’s descent into madness.

Unfortunately, a lot of that potential goes unfulfilled in Todd Phillips’ film. Even though it boasts a unique visual style and impressive performance from Joaquin Phoenix as the titular character, it is ultimately a rather soulless and problematic creation.

Phoenix’s version of the character starts out as a mentally-ill, down on his luck party clown and aspiring comedian named Arthur Fleck.

Living in an especially grimy 1980s Gotham City, Fleck can’t seem to catch a break. He is jumped and beaten early on in the film and later blamed by his boss for the incident.

He is constantly derided by others because of a medical condition that

causes him to laugh uncontrollably, often inappropriately.

Things go from bad to worse for Fleck (though often because of his own dangerous behavior) and his already-fragile stability continues to wear away until a violent encounter with a group of fraternity boys convinces him that life might just be easier if he let all his crazy out.

As Fleck embraces his inner psychopath, his clown persona becomes a figurehead for similarly disenfranchised and disturbed individuals throughout Gotham who start a clown-worshipping movement to counter the mayoral campaign of Thomas Wayne, played by Brett Cullen.

Following in the footsteps of films like “Taxi Driver” and “Fight Club,” “Joker” is a film that always held the potential to be interpreted by some disturbed viewers as inspiration rather than as a cautionary tale (see: incel culture controversy). Unlike the earlier films, though, that inspiration doesn’t come about because of a misinterpretation on the part of said viewers.

“Taxi Driver” and “Fight Club” critique the toxic masculinity of their lead characters but “Joker” won’t fully admit that Fleck’s is, in fact, toxic. There’s a scene late in the film in which Gotham latenight host Murray Franklin, played

by Robert De Niro, calls out Fleck

for his violent acts and rationales — seemingly the condemnation the film needs to offer — but then Fleck (or Joker, as he is by this point) launches into another rationale, blaming society for the way it turns away from the less fortunate and mentally ill for his actions.

That phenomenon is a horrible one, and it’s important to talk about. However, that one empathetic move doesn’t excuse the failures “Joker” makes as both entertainment and as a political statement.

Because while Fleck has a point, so does Franklin. Fleck’s treatment by society is shameful but what he does in response is worse. The film fails to give Franklin a chance to retort because it quickly launches into its chaotic and violent finale, one in which Phillips depicts Fleck for the most part as a triumphant prophet.

It’s a shame that with as much pulling as “Joker” does from other dark, politically-charged character studies, it couldn’t pick up some of the things that make them worth watching, like the emotional depth of “Taxi Driver” or the satirical tone and thrilling twists of “Fight Club.”

The few saving graces of “Joker” are in its aesthetics and mise-enscene. Phoenix’s performance is obviously the biggest draw and

for good reason, as it’s an appropriately unhinged one that makes disturbing use of body language — even if Phoenix ultimately can’t reach the high bar set by Ledger, or even Mark H a m i l l ’s work as the character in various Batman animated films and

series.

The film is also gorgeous to look at, with excellent cinematography and particularly striking colors, as well as detailed and immersive production design.

Unfortunately, some impressive visual elements aren’t enough to save “Joker” from ending up as an empty bore.

It’s a well-crafted film but one with a story that’s unnecessary and, in the end, far from compelling.

TEMPLATE COURTESY OF TWITTER GRAPHIC BY KIERAN PRESS-REYNOLDS

Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck in Todd Phillips’ “Joker.”

Summer Walker’s “Over It” Stuns

By SAM HADELMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

COURTESY OF TWITTER

R&B icon Summer Walker stuns on her beautiful debut record “Over It.”

In the aftermath of hot girl summer, Summer Walker is here to remind us that being messy is still very fashionable for the fall.

Summer Walker is the R&B icon we have been waiting for. With her face tattoos, constant reminders of how disingenuous she feels fame is and with the transparency in her music, Walker is someone who does not fit the mold of your modern star.

She has crafted an image of herself that seems to be whole-heartedly grounded in being genuine, and that truly came out on her debut record “Over It.” From the beautifully crafted album cover to the simple, yet direct, name of the album, Walker has concocted countless clever ways to tell us that she is “over it.”

Most of the album plays like voicemails we fear we will leave our exes after a few drinks, and at no point does the album escape this nuanced honesty. It frequently speaks to the insecurities that most millennials harness in regards to failed relationships or feelings of inadequacy.

Walker’s content continues this feeling that she is not a manufactured act in a sea of label-backed artists with stale and constantly recycled content.

Rather, she is a talent whose ability to wear her heart on her sleeves leads to

the well-crafted project she has curated.

One of the best aspects of the project arrives in its supporting acts.

Walker has brought forward the best feature lineup to deliver a project that will stand the test of time. With the perfect set of stars like A Boogie With The Hoodie, 6lack, Bryson Tiller, Usher, Drake, PARTYNEXTDOOR and Jhene Aiko adding their artistry to her already flourishing content, it just leads “Over It” closer to being one of the best albums of the year.

She works so well with artists that span generations, like how she collaborates so effortlessly with modern R&B’s grandfather, Usher, just as well as she works with the once-ina-generation talent PARTYNEXTDOOR. The eclectic nature of the features on this album is just one of the moving parts that makes this project such a successful venture. Another aspect of Walker’s album that really separates her from the pack is the production. Walker has something that most up-and-coming R&B artists don’t. A producer that knows how to make a hit in her pocket. Walker is currently dating LondonOnTheTrack, who has countless hits across genres, and who executively produced the whole album.

By having a producer who worked on the entire album and has already

established himself in the game, it made the project have a level of cohesiveness that is rare in today’s world.

The diverse array of songs on the album is one of the key aspects of what makes it unique. With songs like “Fun Girl,” the stripped-down sound of Walker and her guitar makes the project feel more intimate, like she is making music just for you.

Maybe I’m just too sold on her, but that song specifically showed me how different she is from everyone else.

Her ability to talk about her own insecurities and shortcomings in such interesting lyrical terms instantly made me a fan.

My favorite song on the project is “Drunk Dialing…LODT.” Her music is so beautifully messy and direct that it gives me flashbacks of SZA’s debut album “CTRL.” The song has a breakdown that truly shows the diversity in Summer Walker’s music, how it can go from chaotic to intimate in the span of a beat switch.

Summer Walker truly delivered one of the best and most interesting projects of the year and further proved the point that R&B is the most exciting genre as of late.

If this truly is the only project she releases, as she has stated multiple times, it will remain a testament to her talent and ability to communicate the feeling of wanting to call someone at 3:34 a.m. when you know you shouldn’t.

CULTURE Music and Television’s Complicated History Theme Songs Evolve in the Streaming Era Page 19

October 16, 2019

By NOAH OSBORNE

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Of all the media prevalent in today’s society, television continues to be the most dominant.

According to Statista, the number of Americans who own televisions in their households skyrocketed in the 2000s and continues to rise significantly. However, television became a mainstay in the American household prior to the early 2000s, as it was first popularized in the midtwentieth century.

With early shows such as “The Three Stooges,” it became apparent that television would never die, but rather evolve. Through the decades, television has witnessed a big bang with shows like “All In The Family,” “The Brady Bunch,” “The Andy Griffith Show” and, for all us 2000s kids, “Drake and Josh.”

Along with these shows, their theme songs have become trademarks. They alert us to when the show is on — invitations to immerse ourselves in idyllic television worlds and escape our stressful realities.

However, such an observation does beg the question: To what degree do these television jingles influence public opinion over what shows we choose to watch? To answer this question, we’ll have to go back to a time before “The Office,” “Mad Men” and “The Big Bang Theory.”

Television’s growing popularity in the mid-twentieth century would influence the masses astronomically.

However, it would take time until television would appear to the public as it does today, with high-definition graphics and thrilling sound.

Before such advancements, television was far more primitive. In fact,

upon the initial release of the television, society dubbed it simply as a “radio with pictures.”

In the 1950s, though, “The Three Stooges” changed the game. Known for its slapstick comedy, the show’s “pop-goes-the-weasel” song became iconic, signifying the mischievous trio’s bizarre antics. The same can be said for “The Twilight Zone,” with the ominous voice of the omniscient narrator indicating to the public that it was time to witness extraordinary, supernatural feats.

With such generation-defining shows, these theme songs served as calling cards that symbolized everyone’s favorite shows were on the air.

According to the research article “Industrial Structure, and the Consumption of Music in Japan,” 90% of respondents surveyed from Japan and America in 2006 stated that they find television as their primary

source for new music. This makes sense when you consider the historical popularity of music video channels like MTV. However, in today’s culture, where streaming services like Netflix and Hulu are becoming prevalent and long-standing channels like MTV are falling to the wayside, theme songs may have lost significance. On Netflix, for example, viewers can skip theme songs by pressing a button.

Still, I argue that theme songs haven’t simply evaporated, but instead evolved. Television shows that we stream, along with their catchy theme songs, are truly immaterial if they do not have a public opinion or taste to appeal to. Television jingles evolve with the content and medium. For example, in the past decade, we have seen some of the wildest theme songs of all time.

The intro for “Fleabag,” for example, which streams on Amazon, is a short burst of cacophonous metalinspired noise. This instantly separates it from every other theme song while also fitting into the zeitgeist of instant-satisfaction — it’s too fast to be skipped.

The theme song for “Bojack Horseman,” which streams on Netflix, is decadent and whimsical.

In fact, according to The Verge, it wasn’t even originally made for the television show. It is artful and eccentric, and, like the intro for “Fleabag,” something you would have never seen on traditional television.

Theme songs have been a quintessential part of shows for years, inviting us to escape the stresses of the physical world and immerse ourselves in our favorite shows. Television may be changing, but so are theme songs.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

The aesthetic value of television theme songs have evolved over time, shifting from catchy, commercialized ringtones to somewhat idiosyncratic, art-driven pieces that one would not find on cable.

Bronx’s Lil Tjay Leaps Forward on “True 2 Myself ”

By ALEXANDRA LANGE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The 18-year-old Bronx rapper Lil Tjay shares an intimate look at his personal struggles and rise to fame on his debut album “True 2 Myself.” Arguably one of the hottest rappers of the year, the New Yorker’s life has changed dramatically over the past few years. Tjay reflects on this transformation throughout the project and showcases a vulnerable, blatantly honest side of himself.

Just two years ago, Tjay was spending his days in a juvenile detention center. With a history of getting into trouble while living on 183rd street in the South Bronx, Tjay had been to a juvenile detention center before. However, this one-year sentence served as a reality check to the teenager and ultimately pushed him to dedicate himself to music. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Tjay reflects: “I feel like if I wasn’t to go to jail, I probably wouldn’t be the person I am—I wouldn’t. ’Cause I wouldn’t have sat down and wrote those songs and I never would’ve been able to focus on what I want to accomplish.”

When Tjay was released from jail in 2017, his music career took off. He dropped music on SoundCloud that racked up millions of streams. This past summer, the

Bronx-born star catapulted to fame thanks to his feature on Polo G’s Billboard top 10 hit, “Pop Out.” With a rapidly growing fanbase, pressure mounted for Tjay to release a full album. He finally responded by dropping his emotional debut studio project “True 2 Myself ” on Oct. 11.

A collection of previously released SoundCloud hits like “F.N” and “Brothers” and new tracks like “No Escape” and “Decline,” “True 2 Myself ” offers a glance into Tjay’s mind and heart. In a genre where most stars rely on lyrics that flex their money and relationships with girls, Tjay breaks the norm by candidly rapping about his emotional distress and struggles to overcome adversity.

On the intro track, “One Take,” Tjay presents himself to listeners and details his childhood growing up in the projects and the struggles he faced. He calls out haters and states his motivation in making rap music. “They said I’m the new A Boogie/ relax, I ain’t never try to copy your swag/ I’m just tryna put my hood on the map,” he raps.

While many have compared Tjay’s melodic style to the Bronx’s other hip-hop megastar A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Tjay creates his own unique style by displaying vulnerability and honesty on every track.

Passionate songs like “Dream that I Had” and “No Escape” reflect on the lessons Tjay learned as a result of his past mistakes and time in jail. It is clear that these struggles helped Tjay realize his potential, as he shares on “No Escape” when he raps, “Back when I was five years old/ I knew that I was gon’ be great/ I found my gift for music back around the age of eight/ I knew I’d be successful/ it was more about the wait.”

However, no matter how much fame Tjay amasses, he makes it clear that he will always stay true to himself. He will never forget the streets that raised him, yet he does not want to fall back into his old troubled ways. On songs produced by multi-platinum “Pop Out” producer JD On Tha Track like “Hold On” and “Brothers,” Tjay remembers his old friends and life in the projects. He is motivated by the people he has lost and will never forget his brothers from the streets.

The Bronx rapper has noticed, though, that fame has changed people’s perceptions of him, causing him to lose trust in people.

He discusses this emotional struggle on “F.N,” “Ruthless” and “Leaked,” in which he asserts that loyalty is everything to him and that he will continue to be himself no matter what anyone thinks.

The chorus on “F.N” exemplifies

this theme, as Tjay asserts, “Time go by, n---as change so much/ Why the f--k these n---as looking at my chain so much?/They just mad ’cause I departed from the game so much.”

The album features many guest verses from established artists like Lil Durk, Lil Wayne and Jay Critch. One of the project’s highlights is “Decline” featuring Lil Baby, in which the rappers vul-

nerably reflect on the traumas of their pasts, which are putting so much stress on them that they cannot focus on their present relationships.

The lessons he learned growing up in the Bronx permeate throughout the project and are reflected in his emotional, honest lyrics complemented by melodic, powerful beats. Tjay never loses sight of himself.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Bronx-born Lil Tjay is one of the biggest rising rappers in the world of hip-hop.

SPORTS

October 16, 2019

Page 20

Men’s Soccer Back on Beyond the Scoreboard: Racism Halts Euro Cup Qualifying Match Track After Win At UMass

By ANDREW POSADAS

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

While it may not be the most popular sport here in the United States, there is no question that soccer is by far the most popular sport in the world. It has an estimated global following of 4 billion people. Soccer is one of the few sports where the primary areas of influence are spread throughout nearly every region of the world.

But even the most popular of sports can still have its flaws.

Take what ended up occuring during Monday’s Euro Cup qualifying match between England and Bulgaria at the Vasil Levski stadium. England would win the contest handily 6-0, but the actions of Bulgarian fans in the first half that to a stoppage in play… twice.

In the 21st minute, referee Ivan Bebek temporarily halted the match after complaints from English defender Tyrone Mings that racist chants were being directed at him. In the crowd, Bulgarian supporters were seen performing monkey chants and Nazi salutes not only towards Mings, but to two other black players on the England squad: midfielder Raheem Sterling and forward Marcus Rashford.

As is protocol when dealing with incidents like the one on Monday, Bebek relayed a message to the PA announcer to be heard throughout the stadium. In both English and Bulgarian, the message was simple: anymore racist chants and actions would result in the game being ended early.

Even with a formal announcement, the Bulgarian fans continued their disrespectful treatment of the three England players. Ultimtely, in the 41st minute, play would be stopped yet again when England manager Gareth Southgate engaged in a verbose discussion with the referees about the continued verbal abuse towards his players. Discussing the situation post-match, Southgate said, “Nobody should have to experi-

ence what our players did. We followed the protocol. We gave two messages: one, that our football did the talking and two, we stopped the game twice.”

Southgate also gave credit to the officiating crew for being in constant communication with the team throughout the first half. After the second stoppage, the referees gave Southgate and his side the opportunity to walk off the field and end the match immediately. But it was made abundantly clear that the England players were willing to finish the first half and continue with the remainder of the match.

There is a lot to be said about the composure shown by Mings, Rashford and Sterling in the face of blatant racism. Imagine how Mings must be feeling. Monday’s match was his international debut. It is supposed to be a positive and monumental moment for a soccer player when they finally get the opportunity to represent their country in international play. Instead, what should have been one of the best moments in his professional career became a nightmare just 41 minutes into regulation.

Rashford took time to give credit to Bulgarian captain Ivelin Popov, who was seen pleading with a section of the crowd at halftime to stop the racist chants moving forward at home games in Bulgaria. Rashford went on twitter to address the situation, saying, “Proud we rose above it to take the three points but this needs stamping out.”

Thankfully, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has begun opening disciplinary proceedings against Bulgaria. On Tuesday, the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) was charged for racist behavior from their fans, prompting BFU president Borislav Mihaylov to resign from his position. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov called the crowd’s actions “unacceptable for one of the most tolerant countries in the world.”

While the words of the prime

minister come off as genuine, this is not the first time he has seen his country be disciplined for this type of behavior. Earlier this year, UEFA ordered the Bulgarian Football Union to partially close Levski stadium before England’s visit after its supporters were found guilty of racist behavior in matches earlier this year.

However, I’m troubled by the fact that most of the Bulgarian players and their coach, Krasimir Balakov, said they had not heard any abuse of the visiting team.

More so, Balakov would go on to blame England fans for being disrespectful to the Bulgarian home crowd. Defending his stance, Balakov said, “During the second half, they used words against our fans which I find unacceptable.”

To coach Balakov: Of course, the England fans used words that were unacceptable in the second half. It is almost as if Balakov was wearing ear plugs for the entirety of the first half and was completely unaware of the fact the match was stopped not once, but twice.

His inability to take accountability in the situation is shameful as a leader of a national team.

Moving forward, I am certain that Balakov will no longer have a coaching job after UEFA and the BFU conclude its investigation into this situation.

Racism should never be tolerated anywhere, much less at an international sporting event which is designed to bring fans of countries together for friendly competition. Bulgaria never stood a chance on the pitch against England. It is just a shame that the final score is not the main concern during a crucial point of Euro Cup qualifying.

Europe’s campaign aimed at eliminating racism in sports is headlined by the word “respect.”

Some of the Bulgarian fans held up shirts with the UEFA logo and the text “No Respect” next to it.

Unfortunately, they happen to be right. They have no respect. The game of soccer will not miss them when they are banned from future matches for life.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Despite being the world’s most popular sport, soccer is not devoid of racist behavior from its fans.

By ANDREW POSADAS

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Fordham Men’s Soccer went into Amherst, Mass. over the weekend losers of its last three contests, which included two non-conference losses to Stony Brook University and Seton Hall University. During that threematch losing streak, the Rams offense has looked non-existent, outscored by those opponents 7–2. Luckily, its opponent on Saturday, the University of Massachusetts, also came into the matchup on a three-match losing streak of its own.

The Rams offense could not have been any more aggressive to begin the first half. In the first 10 minutes, Fordham earned two early corner kicks and tested the Minutemen goalkeeper Marvyn Dorchin with two shots on goal, one from junior midfielder Jacob Bohm and grad student forward Tomer Zloczower. UMass found itself playing on its heels on defense as a goal seemed imminent for the away team.

Fordham’s aggressiveness on offense would finally pay off in the 12th minute off the foot of Junior forward Sameer Fathazada.

After the Rams were awarded a free kick due to a UMass foul, Fathazada lined up for a shot from about 25 yards out. He ripped a shot past the UMass defense and was able to put the ball just inside the post, where Dorchin could not get a glove on it. The goal is Fathazada’s second this season, and it would be the lone goal scored on the afternoon.

From there, the match saw Fordham’s defense control possession throughout and limit the Minutemen’s scoring chances in the 18-yard box. UMass had only seven total shots for the match, with only two of those shots coming on goal. Grad Student goal-

keeper Konstantin Weis had perhaps his best game of the season, seemingly stifling every potential UMass offensive attack.

Behind Weis and the defensive back line, the Rams never looked back and maintained their 1–0 lead for the remainder of regulation. Fordham got itself a muchneeded victory on the road, improving its record to 4–8–1 on the season. More importantly, head coach Carlo Acquista and his squad are now 3–1 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, tied for fourth place with Duquesne University and George Mason University.

While the season has not gone exactly how Acquista envisioned in terms of out of conference success, the team’s success in the A-10 so far bodes well for the future. However, the schedule does not get much easier moving forward. Down the stretch, the Rams will have to face the likes of the aforementioned George Mason, as well as the two teams currently atop the A-10, Saint Louis University and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Those matchups will be the litmus test for a Rams team that has experienced a roller-coaster season filled with questionable losses and surprising wins. For Acquista, the first-year coach will be judged on how he finishes the regular season against stiffer competition in conference and if he can lead this team on a potential A-10 Championship run.

The pressure will be squarely on him, considering this year’s A-10 Championship will be held in the Bronx at Jack Coffey Field.

Fordham Men’s Soccer will be back in action this upcoming Saturday at home against Saint Joseph’s University, who are currently winless in the conference at 0–4. The game will kickoff at 7 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Men’s Soccer now sits at 3–1 in the 2019 Atlantic 10 Conference standings.

SPORTS

October 16, 2019

Cross Country Dominates Metropolitan Championship

By JIMMY SULLIVAN SPORTS EDITOR

The Fordham men’s cross country team won its second consecutive Metropolitan Championship on Friday in a dominant performance at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.

The Rams were led by graduate student Nicholas Raefski, who won the individual championship with a time of just over 26 minutes flat. Adding to the impressive performance, two of his teammates — sophomore Brandon Hall and senior Ryan Kutch — finished right behind him in second and third, respectively. Head coach Brian Horowitz’s team extended its streak of winning the individual race to six years in a row, with six different Rams finishing firstplace in the event.

“I was very happy that the team was able to come together and win the Metropolitan Championship,” Raefski said. “Coach Horowitz has done a fantastic job at preparing us and making sure we are in really good shape heading into Championship season, and it was awesome to see so many teammates run well in order for us to secure the title.”

The men’s team’s dominance didn’t stop with the top three.

Freshmen John McGovern and Colin Flood each had comingout parties of their own, finishing in fifth and sixth with respective times of 26:15.8 and 26:27.2.

Such performances from firstyear runners are encouraging for the team as it looks to build beyond this season. Another freshman, Nick Lundberg, finished in 11th while junior Christopher Strzelisnki finished one spot behind him in 12th. Behind these excellent finishes, Fordham coasted to a first-place finish, as the Rams completed the competition over 50 points ahead of secondplace Manhattan.

“Winning was certainly nice, but it was even better having my

teammates right there,” Raefski said. “Ryan, Brandon and I have been working hard all season together, so it was fantastic having them there with me. I’m really looking forward to the next couple of races with them.”

While the men’s team dominated its side of the event, the women’s team also performed admirably.

The Fordham women’s cross country team came in second of nine teams at the Metropolitan.

The Rams ultimately lost out to Rutgers for the team title. Fordham got two top-five performances from senior Sydney Snow and freshman Alexandra Thomas, who finished third and fourth, respectively, in the individual contest.

Senior Katarzyna Krzyzanowski and sophomore Bridget Alex both finished in the top 20 with respective times of 19:49.3 and 19:52.9.

“I was really happy with my performance,” Snow said. “It’s the highest I’ve finished in a cross country meet in college and it’s always nice to help the team in whatever way I can.”

Overall, both teams were extremely impressive, and the team seems to be finding its collective stride at just the right time as the season rolls down the stretch.

“The men’s team had an awesome day, they executed perfectly,” Snow said. “Not all of us did what we needed to on the women’s side in order to win, but we did have some great performances and a lot of personal bests which are always positives to take away.”

Both the men’s and women’s teams will be back in action on Saturday morning at the Princeton Invitational in Princeton, N.J. The event will start at 10 a.m.

“We’ve got a really young team with a lot of potential so our goal moving forward is to stay focused and keep working hard,” Snow said. “We can do a lot more, and we want everyone to know that when we compete at A-10s in November.”

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Fordham Cross Country was tops at the Metropolitan Championship on Friday.

Page 21

Rowing Opens Season at Head of the Housatonic

By ALEX WOLZ

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Fordham Women’s Rowing set sail on the 2019–2020 season this past Saturday, Oct. 12 at the Head of the Housatonic at the New Haven Rowing Club in Connecticut.

Following some early struggles, Fordham delivered a successful 2018–2019 season, capped off by a third-place finish at the Atlantic 10 Championships, and the Rams have high expectations for this upcoming season. There were some noticeable losses to the team in many seniors, two of whom (Erin Parker and Caroline Roncinske) received all-Atlantic 10 honors this past season. However, tremendous talent remains along with a selection of freshmen and certain improvement from the more-experienced rowers on the roster, bringing high hopes for an A-10 Championship.

The Rams look to tell a different story in the first few competitions of this season, hoping for a better, more consistent start than last year. The first task was on Saturday. The road leading up to this past weekend was a difficult one, with weather difficulties keeping the Rams out of the water and unable to practice as much as they hoped. Saturday, however, was far different.

It was a gorgeous afternoon with perfect racing conditions, a welcome sight for the team. The effects of the weather were noticeable, with a positive attitude among the team that would translate into the competition. In the opener, the Fordham Collegiate Novice

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham Rowing looks to improve off last year with a better 2019-2020 season.

8 consisting of freshmen worked toward an easy victory, defeating runner-up Wellesley by over a minute and finishing in 17:18:9 ahead of Wellesley’s 18:29:0. In the Collegiate Varsity 8 event, the Rams sent out two boats, with the A shell placing 18th with a time of 15:42:3 and the B shell finishing 27th at 16:39:4. The performance of the A shell positioned Fordham just over three seconds ahead of fellow A-10 competitor UMass, a key indicator in the conference race moving forward. Fordham sent two teams into the women’s collegiate 4 as well, with the A shell placing 10th and the B shell 13th, with times of 17:56:9 and

19:55:0, respectively. The Rams look to remain positive, pleased with the strong performance from the freshmen and the overall speed of the boats in the fall’s first competition.

Fordham will look to build upon the opener this upcoming weekend on the 19th and 20th at the Head of the Charles in Cambridge, MA. Similarly to last season, it will be a crowded field in Massachusetts, and the Rams will hope to make their mark in one of the primary tune-ups for the spring season. With the initial successes in Connecticut, junior Estephanie Peralta said the team “can only go up from here!”

Anthony Coyle Drafted Into XFL

By JIMMY SULLIVAN SPORTS EDITOR

Former Fordham offensive lineman Anthony Coyle, who played for the Rams from 2014– 17, has found a new home in the game.

Coyle was drafted in the 14th round of Tuesday night’s XFL Draft by the New York Guardians. Coyle had signed with the Houston Texans coming out of Fordham in 2018, but after being cut by them later that year, he signed with the Green Bay Packers earlier this year. However, he fell victim to the league’s September cut-down, and as the Packers trimmed their roster to 53 players before the regular season, Coyle was an unfortunate casualty.

But with Coyle unable to break through in the NFL, he saw the XFL as another opportunity to play professionally. The XFL originally existed in 2001, and, despite record-shattering early ratings, fell by the wayside due to its own mistakes. In 2020, the league will be getting a reboot, and like it was nearly two decades ago, the XFL will be headed by Vince McMahon, who is most famously the CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

Coyle comes to this opportunity after having an illustrious Fordham career. He was a three-time all-Patriot League selection — twice a first-teamer — and even made the freshman All-America

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Former Fordham Football great Anthony Coyle is getting his chance in the XFL.

team after the 2014 season. Just as impressively, he started all 48 games the Rams played in the four years he was a member of the football team.

Now, he gets an opportunity with the New York Guardians, who will be coached by former Giants, Bills, Steelers, Jaguars and Oilers offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. He also coached the then-San Diego Chargers for two years from 1997–1998. In ad-

dition to getting a chance to show NFL teams what he is capable of, Coyle also will be playing close to home. He grew up in Staten Island, N.Y. and attended Tottenville High School.

The XFL kicks off on Saturday, Feb. 8 with all of its eight teams in action. The league has a legitimate chance to succeed, and Coyle has a legitimate chance to show both the XFL and the NFL that he can compete at the highest level.

Page 22

Volleyball Falls to 7–10 Before Return Home

By GIGI SPEER

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Heading into the weekend with a record of 7–8, Fordham Volleyball fell to two Atlantic 10 foes as it plays its last leg of road matches before its home opener this Friday. Fordham lost to Davidson 3–1 and Virginia Commonwealth 3–0 to fall to a record of 7–10 on the season.

The team managed to finish within five in each of its four sets against Davidson, being bested in the final 25–21. Taking the second set 25–22, the Rams proved to be an evenly-matched team with the Wildcats.

“After a long stretch of away games, we’re finally ready to play at home,” said junior outside hitter McKenna Lahr. “We’re excited to get back in the gym and prove that we are a team that deserves to be recognized as a top contender in our conference.”

Lahr posted a characteristically strong day offensively, finishing with 14 kills, an ace and nine digs.

Freshman libero Mallory Lipski added two aces, and senior libero

Morgan Williams also chipped in two, along with her four assists and 22 digs. Redshirt junior right hitter Olivia Fairchild had nine kills, and freshman middle blocker Aria De La Rosa had eight with four blocks.

Facing off against the 20182019 A-10 champion VCU, the Rams fell in three sets, despite keeping it close in the second.

Fairchild led the way for the Rams, finishing again with nine kills and tacking on an ace and a block. Senior middle blocker Elise Benjamin followed with eight kills and two blocks, while Lahr finished with five kills and six digs. Freshman setter Megan Brzozowski set up 19 assists, and Williams and Tanaka added on three and two, respectively.

After this weekend, the Rams are ready to get back to the Bronx and play at home on their new court as they will face off against Dayton and Saint Louis for the second time this season. The home matches start at the Rose Hill Gym on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. They can also be streamed on ESPN+.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

SPORTS

By DYLAN BALSAMO

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

By the time you read this article, the Washington Nationals might have clinched a spot in the 2019 World Series by defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series and winning the National League pennant. Maybe they haven’t yet. But chances are, whenever you’re reading this, the Nats have either clinched it or are pretty close to it.

On Monday night, Washington defeated St. Louis in Game 3 of the series 8–1 to take a commanding 3–0 lead over the Cards. Last week’s Nationals win in the National League Division Series against the Dodgers was just the second time the organization had ever won a playoff series.

If the Nationals win this series, either with a Tuesday night victory or a win in whatever games are necessary thereafter, it will be the franchise’s first-ever trip to the Fall Classic.

Younger baseball fans who have not studied the history of Major League Baseball to the plethoric and embarrassing extent that myself and the rest of this sports staff have may not find this fact particularly outstanding, as the Nationals are to some extent baseball’s “newest” team (they began play in our nation’s capital in April of 2005). What these fans do not know is that before they were the Nationals, this franchise was a whole other team: the Montreal Expos.

The Expos began play in Montreal, Quebec in 1969 at Jerry Park Stadium, now a tennis stadium, as one of four expansion teams that season, entering the newly-formed National League East. Over their uniquely rich three-and-a-half decade stint in French Canada, the Expos were home to some players that baseball fans of any age would likely recognize the names of: Rusty Staub, Andre Dawson, Gary Carter, Vladimir Guererro (Sr) and Pedro Martinez.

Current National Ryan Zimmerman was drafted as an Expo but did not reach the big leagues until after they had left Montreal. When New York favorite Bartolo Colon went unsigned after 2018, he was the last active player to have played for the Expos.

October 16, 2019

While the franchise saw plenty of star power in Montreal, it was never able to translate into success as a team. The Expos only got to taste playoff baseball once, as in 1981 the season was split in half due to a players’ strike. Montreal was the best team in the NL East in the second half of the season, so they played in the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies and won the series before falling to the Dodgers in five games in 1981 NLCS. But that’s not the “playoff” team that Expo historians are the fondest of.

That team would be in 1994. Managed by Felipe Alou, the ’94 ’Spos had star power: Martinez, John Wetteland, Cliff Floyd, Larry Walker, Marquis Grissom and Felipe’s son Moises. They had a stranglehold on the lead in the NL East, had the best record of the three national league division leaders, and were in fact the club with the best record in all of Major League Baseball. They were the favorite by Las Vegas and fans alike to play a formidable Yankees team in the World Series and perhaps beat them.

There was even talk of the city of Montreal finally getting a new stadium made just for baseball after the Expos had played in Olympic Stadium, named for its intended purpose, for nearly 20 years.

But in mid-August of 1994, the players of Major League Baseball went on strike with no sign of negotiations being made before autumn’s unforgiving arrival. All remaining games in the season were canceled, and there was no postseason, no

champion crowned.

Baseball came back in 1995, but the Expos were not the same. Half of those star players had left the club, signs of a new stadium began to fade, and by the end of 2000, Montreal was back to their old ways and the Yankees would go on to win four World Series. It is one of baseball’s most romantic tragedies.

After the 2004 season, the Expos home attendance had hit an all-time low with no sign of the team improving, so Major League Baseball bought out the club and moved them to Washington D.C. So became the Nationals, and so ended the Expos.

Now it’s 2019 and 1994 was a quarter of a century ago. This season has heard rumors of the Tampa Bay Rays moving the team to Montreal for half of their home games. It was an idea that raised eyebrows all over but eventually faded away just like the summer breeze that swept the ‘94 Expos out of sight. There are no Expos.

But there are the Nationals.

Now, 25 years after a missed opportunity for a franchise-saving championship, the Nationals are surprising the baseball world by taking the NLCS by storm. They took down the Dodgers, the team they lost to in 1981, and now they are a step away from defeating the Cardinals, one of the most successful National League clubs since the Nats moved to Washington.

And guess who they might play in the World Series: the Yankees.

It’s sad, but it’s beautiful.

Go ’Spos.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

With the Nationals going to the World Series, we shouldn’t forget what came before.

Varsity Calendar HOME AWAY

Thursday Oct. 17

Friday Oct. 18

Men’s Soccer Volleyball

Saint Louis 7 p.m.

Dayton 6 p.m.

Follow us on Twitter at @theram_sports

Swimming Golf Rowing Women’s Tennis Men’s Tennis

Saint Louis 2 p.m.

Navy/Princeton 11 a.m./5 p.m.

Water Polo Cross Country

Sunday Oct. 20

Lehigh 1 p.m.

St. Joseph’s 7 p.m.

Football Women’s Soccer

Saturday Oct. 19

Princeton Invitational 10 a.m.

Manhattan 6 p.m.

Lehigh Invitational All Day Head of the Charles Cambridge, Mass.

I TA R E G I O N A L S West Point, N.Y. I TA R E G I O N A L S West Point, N.Y.

Monday Oct. 21

Tuesday Oct. 22

Wednesday Oct. 23

Dayton 7 p.m.

SPORTS

October 16, 2019

Chris Hennessy Barry Trotz’s Attempt to Break Mediocrity The “Drive for Five” was a slogan that the 1983–84 New York Islanders used throughout their season as a rallying cry on their march toward a fifth straight Stanley Cup. The car ran out of gas, and the drive fell just short, losing in the Cup final to the Edmonton Oilers. Now, the infancy stages of season 36 of the Drive for Five are underway, and the man at the helm gives the fanbase as much confidence as they’ve had since the beginning of the drive.

That man is Barry Trotz, the second-year Islanders coach who has a winning pedigree matched by few in the history of the game. The 2018–19 season saw him win his second Jack Adams award for coach of the year after leading an Islander group who lost their Captain to 103 points, and a series sweep of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Trotz was the coach of the Washington Capitals’ AHL affiliate Baltimore Skipjacks/Portland Pirates (they moved mid-tenure) from 1992–97, winning one Calder Cup championship along the way. It was in 1997 when Capitals general manager David Poile took the same position with the expansion Nashville Predators and took Trotz along to be his first coach. Trotz was in Nashville for the first 15 years of the Predators, making the playoffs on multiple occasions, and making the Preds one of the more successful expansion franchises when they first started out.

From there, Trotz took a job that was known for extreme turnover in recent years, as he became head coach of Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. His first season was 2014–15, and it was clear from the start that he had won over the locker room. Ovechkin appeared to be happier and was playing harder on both ends of the ice, something coaches had struggled to get him to do for his entire career. His first three years in Washington saw regularseason success, 100+ points in each season, but playoff failure, losing in the second round each year.

Finally, in his fourth season, they broke through and defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, who had beaten them the previous two years, in the second round and defeated Vegas in the Cup final. Trotz, however, resigned from his head coach position, citing a contract dispute.

This left hockey’s hottest commodity on the market. After an abysmal 2017–18 season, the Islanders fired general manager Garth Snow and head coach Doug Weight and hired former Devils and Maple Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello in May, and he convinced Trotz to come to the Island in June, shortly after he lifted the Cup. This was a sign for Islander fans that maybe the cycle of mediocrity they had all been stuck in was finally broken. A winning combination was running the franchise.

After a 103-point season last year, the Isles faithful have every reason to be optimistic for season 36 of the drive.

Not since the great Al Arbor has there been someone so competent behind the bench. The defense has improved dramatically, from worst in the league under Weight to the best last season.

The Islanders have been mediocre for an entire generation, and finally, they have a man to break that cycle.

Page 23

Varsity Scores & Stats Football Fordham 30 Georgetown 27 (FOR) DeMorat: 18 CMP, 214 YDS, 2 TD, 2 INT

Women’s Soccer Rhode Island 1 Fordham 1 (FOR) Bingman: G, 4 SH, 2 SOG

Men’s Cross Country Metropolitan Championship Team - 17 points - 1st (FOR) Raefski: 26:00.6 - 1st

Women’s Volleyball Fordham 1 Davidson 3 (FOR) Lahr: 14 K, Ace, 1 Tot

Men’s Soccer Fordham 1 UMass 0 (FOR) Fathazada: G, 3 SH, 2 SOG

Women’s Rowing Head of the Housatonic Novice 8: 17:18.9 - 1st Varsity 8 (A): 15:42.3 - 18th Varsity 8 (B): 16:39.4 - 27th Collegiate 4: 17:56.9 - 10th Collegiate 4: 19:55.0 - 13th

Fordham 0 VCU 3 (FOR) Fairchild: 9 K, Ace, 1 Tot

Women’s Cross Country Metropolitan Championship Team - 72 points - 2nd (FOR) Snow: 18:38.6 - 3rd

Athletes of the Week Nicholas Raefski

McKenna Lahr

Graduate Student

Junior

Men’s Cross Country

Women’s Volleyball

At the 2019 Metropolitan Championship on Friday, Raefski led the pack, finishing first with a remarkable time of 26:00.6. He and three of his Fordham teammates accounted for four of the first five finishers in the race.

While the Rams may have gone 0–2 in a weekend where they lost to Davidson and VCU, Lahr continued to stand out, totalling 19 kills, with 15 of those kills and a block and an ace coming during Friday’s loss to Davidson.

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 • Men’s Tennis Hires Assistants

This week, Fordham Men’s Tennis head coach Mike Sowter announced that two new assistant coaches had been hired to the staff: Vladimir Makatsaria and Max Darrington. Makatsaria was one of the top junior players in Russia before moving to the United States to play Division I tennis at the University of Minnesota. He currently captains the Russian National 45+ team on the International Tennis Federation World Seniors Tour. Darrington is a graduate of Marist, having won All-MAAC Second Team Doubles honors in 2018–19 during his senior season. During his college career, he also served as a professional hitter at the Queens Club of England.

• Football Defeats Georgetown

On Saturday, Fordham Football traveled to

Georgetown in Washington D.C. and defeated the Hoyas by a score of 30–27. The game was decided by a 17-yard Rams touchdown scored by sophomore wide receiver Fotis Kokosioulis off of a throw from sophomore quarterback Tim DeMorat with 16 seconds left to play in the game.

Rams junior running back Zach Davis recorded his fifth career 100-yard game and his fourth in the seventh game his team has played this season.

Georgetown was notably unable to convert on two point attempts three times in the game.

• McGovern Gets ROW

This week, the Atlantic 10 conference bestowed

its Men’s Cross Country Rookie of the Week honors upon Fordham freshman John McGovern, the conference offices announced on Tuesday when it gave its weekly honors. This is McGovern’s first weekly award of his Fordham career. In this past weekend’s Metropolitan Cross Country Championship, McGovern was the first freshman to finish the race, coming in fifth place overall with a time of 26:15.8. He and his Fordham teammates made up four of the top five finishers, helping the Rams bring home their second straight win of this tournament and their fourth in six years.

• Women Draw Senior Day

This past Sunday, Fordham Women’s Soccer

held its annual Senior Day ceremonies and capped off the festivities with a 1–1 draw against Atlantic 10 opponent Rhode Island. The deciding goal was scored on a penalty kick from junior Saige Bingman on a foul that was drawn by senior Margaret Roughley. In net as usual for the Rams was senior Kelly LaMorte, who may have allowed Saint Louis to tie the match with a goal in the second half but also notched four saves.

—Compiled by Dylan Balsamo

Alex Wolz The New-Look NBA of 2019 Another October means another new NBA season, only this time with more anticipation. Players have moved, expectations have changed and there is incredible unpredictability, unlike the past few seasons when it seemed as if the Warriors were destined to be NBA champions. There are no guarantees anymore, and anyone who says otherwise is likely more arrogant than honest.

With the first week of preseason underway, we have received a first glimpse at the new landscape of the NBA. The rookie Zion Williamson has been flying around the court, Stephen Curry delivered a 40-point performance and LeBron James and Anthony Davis have looked as if they have been playing together for years. If the preseason is any indication, this NBA season will have a lot in store over these next few months.

While there is so much up in the air, here is a look at some of the key aspects of the upcoming NBA season.

A return to form for the forgotten greats: Giannis Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard, to name a few, have become the MVPs and the top players in the league, and rightfully so.

However, two names have been forgotten: Stephen Curry and LeBron James. The two-time MVP and one of the greatest players in the history of the game, respectively, have taken back seat these past few years with Curry allowing Durant to shine in Golden State and James accepting the rebuilding task with the Lakers.

Things have changed, however, as Durant has left for Brooklyn and Curry has a taller task than ever before, while James has been joined by fellow superstar Anthony Davis and built a championship-caliber squad in Los Angeles. James should have another prosperous individual season and similar success for his team—possibly even a Finals trophy.

As for Curry, expect a level of aggression hidden these past few seasons and for him to take over the game as only he can. The preseason is just the first sign he may very well be on his way to another MVP award.

Looking beyond Los Angeles, while the Lakers and Clippers are the favorites this upcoming season, the Western Conference is far deeper than just these two teams. The Jazz made key acquisitions with Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanović, James Harden and Russell Westbrook are united once again in Houston, the always-unpredictable yet talented Hassan Whiteside has moved to Portland and who knows what the Warriors will bring to the table. And that is just the competition out West.

Milwaukee is still a contender in the East, along with Ben Simmons making major strides in his game and the addition of Al Horford for the Sixers, Kemba Walker’s Celtics and Jimmy Butler leading the charge for Miami.

The 2019–2020 NBA season will be the first of hopefully many contentious ones to come, and while very few things are certain, one thing is for sure: there is tremendous anticipation for tip-off on Oct. 22 and all that will come after.

SPORTS

Page 24

October 16, 2019

The Fordham Ram

Fordham Football Wins Last-Minute Thriller at Georgetown

By DYLAN BALSAMO

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

What better time to put yourself and your team on the right track than at the beginning of conference play for the season ,and against Georgetown, no less?

That is what Fordham Football did on Saturday, traveling to our nation’s capital to take on a then 4–1 Hoyas team at Cooper Field and earning a triumphant 30–27 victory over the weekend.

Georgetown entered the game as the top-ranked defense in the Patriot League and the thirdbest in the FCS, but the Rams were able to pull out a victory in a tight game with sophomore receiver Fotis Kokosioulis’s 17-yard touchdown catch with 16 seconds to play to take the lead for good.

While the game was evenly matched and was back and forth in both pacing and scoring, Fordham played catchup for a fair chunk of the game clock on Saturday afternoon. But in the end, it is the final score that matters.

The Hoyas had the ball to begin the first quarter and made quick work of a Rams’ defense that was still settling into its stride for the day. Within 39 seconds, Georgetown made two plays before winding up in the end zone: one for 81 yards and the other for one yard, as Herman Moultrie III pushed his way into the end zone for a touchdown. After a failed two-point conversion attempt, the Hoyas held a 6–0 lead.

Fordham finally retaliated near the end of the first quarter when, with under a minute to go, junior tight end Jack Lynch found himself putting an 11-yard passing play into the end zone to give Fordham six points and even up the score. After the Rams’ junior

kicker Andrew Mevis’ extra point kick was blocked, Georgetown’s Cameron Deen returned the ball for 98 yards, giving the Hoyas two points and an 8–6 advantage.

On their first possession of the second quarter, Georgetown struck again, as Gunther Johnson scored a touchdown on a 16-yard run and gave the Hoyas a 15–6 lead, putting the Rams inside a nine-point deficit. But by halftime, it was a different story for Fordham.

The Rams’ defense, having themselves a collectively strong day on the ground, held Georgetown for the remainder of the second. On the other side of the ball, Fordham secured itself 10 points: three of them on a 46yard field goal from Mevis, and the other seven via a two-yard run from junior running back Zach Davis, who continues an outstanding season by earning his fifth career 100-yard rushing game and fourth of the season — he finished the afternoon with 23 carries for 138 yards).

They have not done it too often this season, but the Rams went to the locker room at halftime with the lead, up 16–15 against a team that was projected to beat them.

In the opening drive of the second half, Fordham had the ball and had another steady and successful drive, pushing downfield for three and a half minutes in what resulted in another short touchdown run for Davis (this one for one yard). It was a seven-play, 78-yard possession that gave the Rams an eight-point advantage.

But in a sport like this one, no single-digit advantage is secure.

Especially against a team that, while held under their expectations for the afternoon, finished the game with 346 pass-

ing yards and 525 yards overall.

The Hoyas made another long drive look easy. In just over four minutes, they needed only eight plays to travel 75 yards and put Johnson back in the end zone with a 10-yard running score.

Georgetown tried the two-pointer but failed again, keeping them at 21 points and leaving Fordham with a two-point advantage.

While the Rams’ offense could not secure the insurance of more scores, the Rams would hold down the Hoyas defensively until halfway through the fourth quarter, when Moultrie’s goal-line run into the end zone capped off another 70+ yard drive for Georgetown, this one being 10 plays in under four minutes. The Hoyas took a 27–23 lead after they yet again failed to convert an attempt at two points.

With 2:57 to go in the game, Fordham had the ball again on their own end of the field looking to drive and put themselves back on top, but sophomore quarterback Tim DeMorat’s pass was intercepted at the Rams’ 34 for his second of two interceptions on the day. All hope seemed to be lost for Fordham.

But the Hoyas turned it back over on downs. The Rams’ defense stuffed them on a fourth-down attempt in true channeling of the Seven Blocks of Granite. Fordham got the ball back at their own 27.

With time running out, DeMorat led his squad downfield 56 yards before connecting with Kokosioulis for a 17-yard pass into the endzone. In 1:05, the Rams had gone 73 yards in eight plays.

Fordham had a 30–27 lead with 16 ticks remaining on the game clock.

“I saw coach make the call,” Kokosioulis said of his late-game heroics on Saturday afternoon.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

A last-minute drive lifted Fordham to a win over Georgetown on Saturday.

He had said to himself, “Man, I just have to make this play.’”

That he most certainly did.

Georgetown would then go on to fumble the ball within the final few seconds to secure a Rams victory in the nation’s capital.

For the Rams, the game had many other heroes besides Kokosioulis and Davis, including DeMorat, who threw for 214 yards and two touchdowns, junior running back Trey Sneed, who ran for 54 yards and freshman wide receiver DeQuece Carter, who had 51 yards on four catches.

Defensively, Fordham had the usual outstanding performance of sophomore linebacker Ryan Greenhagen, who on Saturday had eight tackles and six solo, but the Rams also had other standout games from players like junior linebacker Glenn Cunning-

ham, who had nine tackles and forced two Georgetown fumbles.

For the Hoyas, however, it is difficult to overlook the fact that their three failed attempts at two-point conversions instead of going for the higher percentage one-point kicks may have been what sealed the deal in a game they lost by three points.

But the past is in the past, and if a team wants to win, they have to look to the future.

That immediate future for the Rams is a home matchup this coming week at home with the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks at 1 p.m. at Jack Coffey Field, the Rams’ second Patriot League game of 2019.

Fordham will have momentum after an invigorating victory on the road. Saturday will see where the 3–2 team will go next.

Fordham Women’s Soccer Draws With Rhode Island on Senior Day

By CHARLIE MAISANO STAFF WRITER

The Fordham women’s soccer team may have only played one game this week, but it was an emotional and long one, to say the least.

After having a day off for the first time this season, the Rams tied 1–1 with the struggling Rhode Island Rams on Senior Day in a contest that went into double overtime. It was the seventh overtime game of the season for the team and it is now 2–2–3 when playing an opponent past 90 minutes.

Prior to the matchup, the five seniors on the team — Morgan Busacca, Kelly LaMorte, Juliana Mascelli, Amanda Miller and Maggie Roughley — had a moment to remember. Each of them was individually honored and celebrated with members of their family by their side for all the contributions they have made to the team and university over the course of four years.

“They’ve done a lot for this program and have truly left a legacy,” said head coach Jessica Clin-

ton. “Now our work is not done yet, but what they have done to move this program forward really has been remarkable. Their work rate on and off of the field, consistency in their actions and just being great all around people makes being around this group really fun. They are not afraid to do the dirty work. That’s a big step for any individual, athlete or non-athlete. They are incredible women, and we are so fortunate that they chose Fordham.”

There was still a game to be played after the festivities concluded on the field. Neither team could get anything going offensively as they went into the locker room scoreless at the half.

The second half, on the other hand, changed only 27 seconds in. Rhode Island’s Rebecca D’Anna notched her third goal of the season on a shot from the top of the box to give the team their first lead against a conference opponent all season.

Fordham was a minute away from handing the other Rams their first win against an A-10 opponent since 2016, until the team caught a break at the last

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Women’s Soccer avoided a disappointing result at home to Rhode Island.

possible moment. In the 89th minute, Roughley was pushed in the box by a Rhode Island defender, which awarded Fordham a penalty kick. Rather than go with a player who has taken a penalty shot in recent games like Roughley or Maura Holst, Clinton decided junior Saige Bingman would take the high pressure shot.

It ended up working out for the squad, as Bingman snuck the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal to tie the game at one apiece.

“Maggie and Maura have already taken PKs,” said Clinton.

“They’ve been scouted. Simply stated, Saige has not been. We also need to give Saige the confidence to step up to the spot when the game is on the line. We trust her. It was a growing moment for Saige, and she did a great job hitting it into the corner.”

In overtime, both Rams were unable to put the ball in the back of the net, and each team walked away with a point in the A-10

standings.

This game should have been one for the taking for Fordham, as the Rhode Island Rams sit at the very bottom in the conference and have not won a game since Sept. 8.

“No one ever gives credit to the teams that aren’t winning, but URI is good, and they are competitors,” said Clinton. “Our struggle is that we weren’t mentally focused. We played to their level, and our conversation with the team post-game was that today was not good enough. Our mentality, our mistakes — they were uncharacteristic. We need to regroup, refocus, but it had little to do with URI and more to do with our own battle.”

Clinton’s sentiment will have to hit home for the Rams, as they face the number one team in the conference, the Saint Louis Billikens, at Jack Coffey Field on Thursday night. This performance isn’t reflective of who the Rams are, but they need to figure that out quickly before a team that has actually won some games this month makes its way to the Bronx.