Volume 101 Issue 19

The Fordham Ram Volume 101, Issue 19

Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 FordhamRam.com

November 6, 2019

Public Safety Addresses Alert Policy

GO! Explains Application Process

By SARAH HUFFMAN

By ELIOT SCHIAPARELLI

On Thursday, Oct. 24., an “unauthorized individual” entered Campbell Hall behind a group of students at 7:18 p.m., according to an email sent by Public Safety.

This individual left the building at 7:50 p.m. after being confronted by a student. The individual fled campus shortly after that.

Public Safety did not notify the campus community about this event until Thursday, Oct. 31, when it sent out a Public Safety alert at 4:58 p.m. John Carroll, associate vice president of Fordham Public Safety, said when the incident was reported to them on Oct. 24, it was reported as a trespassing incident.

Carroll said when Public Safety heard of the incident, it was unsure about who the individual was and the primary focus was identifying the trespasser.

“It wasn’t that it went unnoticed,” said Robert Fitzer, director of Rose Hill Public Safety.

“We may have not alerted the community because it didn’t rise to our criteria. It wasn’t taken lightly, it was thoroughly investigated, a lot of work went into it.”

Public Safety eventually found out that the “unauthorized individual” came in through the vehicle gate and made a left turn, but they didn’t see him because a car passed at the same time, blocking him from view, said Carroll.

Public Safety called the NYPD right away, but didn’t put out an alert because it was a trespass as opposed to a crime. Trespassing is not considered a crime, it is considered a violation, and thus it was not deemed appropriate for an alert.

“There’s certain crimes that we’re mandated to put an alert out on, and trespass would not be one of those crimes,” said

Colorful posters advertising cultural immersion and service trips to locations across the U.S. and around the world adorn the front window of McGinley Center, changing every season with the different Global Outreach (GO!) trips Fordham offers. A lot of students around Fordham’s campus know about GO! on a basic level — a friend or roommate went on a trip, they bought a sticker or a grilled cheese for a fundraiser, or they went to an information session about the program freshman year.

According to Michelle Cisneros, FCRH ’21, who went on a GO! Trip to Mexico and is now on the GO! executive board, many students do not understand the true purpose of GO! trips.

“GO! Projects are not service trips,” she said. “You’re getting this unique experience where you’re learning from people in specific communities that you wouldn’t

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

SEE SAFETY, PAGE 3

in this issue

Opinion

Page 7

Digital Technology Spoils AP Style

Sports

Page 24

Women’s Basketball Face Notre Dame

Culture

Page 18

49th NYC Marathon

JENNIFER HOANG/THE FORDHAM RAM

Members of Fordham University EMS break down how the team responds to medical emergencies.

From Classes to Cases: FUEMS Educates and Responds

By ERICA SCALISE PROJECTS EDITOR

On the first truly cold night in October, on-duty members of Fordham University EMS (FUEMS) cleaned the office together — containers of leftover french fries littered the table

and the smell of empanadas lingered from that night’s dinner. Laughter permeated through the office’s crevices, past the handheld radios, piles of EMT jackets and buckets of coffee creamers. Amidst the chatter of weekend plans and complex medical jargon, one member ran through a mock emergency while the other

feverishly took notes. All was still before 10:30 p.m., when the crew’s first call of the night came in.

“Is it nighttime or daytime?” asked Gabrielle Ma, FCRH ’20, a crew chief on FUEMS, evaluating the patient outside SEE FUEMS, PAGE 5

SEE GO!, PAGE 5

Fordham Hosts Kith Collection Photoshoot

By HELEN STEVENSON NEWS EDITOR

When Kith promoted its collegiate-inspired fall collection on Instagram this Monday, students were quick to recognize Fordham’s familiar gothic architecture and fall leaves in the background.

Many of these students and alumni took to Instagram stories and Twitter to express their excitement.

The collection, a collaboration between Kith, Vogue and Russell Athletics, included track pants, crewnecks and varsity jackets.

According to Vogue, the clothes paid homage to Kith’s flagship store locations in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Miami and Soho, New York. Pieces include the “Miami sweatshirt” made with pastel colors and the “Brooklyn jacket” in all black.

Bob Howe, assistant vice president for communications, said the photoshoot was approved by the university, following a precedent for all commercial photography on campus, and took place on Oct. 22.

SEE KITH, PAGE 6

CAMRYN SHUMACHER/THE FORDHAM RAM

Anthony Scaramucci, who was White House director of communications for 11 days, spoke at Fordham this week.

Anthony Scaramucci Criticizes President Trump During CR Event

By HELEN STEVENSON NEWS EDITOR

The College Republicans (CR) hosted Anthony Scaramucci on Monday, Nov. 1, for a speaker event in Keating First. Scaramucci is a businessman and political advocate who

served as White House director of communication to President Trump for 11 days in July 2017.

Timothy Kyle, FCRH ’21 and president of the College Republicans, introduced Scaramucci as a native New Yorker with a long history in finance and poli-

tics.

“In recent years, Mr. Scaramucci has been both an ally and critic of President Donald Trump, serving briefly as White House communications director,” Kyle started.

“I got fired,” Scaramucci inter-

SEE SCARAMUCCI, PAGE 6

NEWS

Page 2

PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS Oct. 30 John Mulcahy Hall 10:00 p.m.

Public Safety was notified of an alarm in JMH. The building was evacuated. FDNY responded and determined the alarm was activiated by dust from prior work in the building.

Oct. 31 Tierney Courtyard 3:30 p.m.

Tierney’s resident director notified Public Safety of found contraband. A black shopping bag was found containing a glass bong, a bag of marijuana and a Bic lighter.

Oct. 31 187th Street 5:40 p.m.

A student reported that he was the victim of a robery at 187th Street and Crescent Avenue. He was approached by a male in a red hoodie who was approximately 16. The male said “It’s Halloween. How are we going to do this? Do you want to get egged or mugged?” The student responded “egged,” the male threw eggs at the student, and two additional males threw him to the ground, stomped on him and took his phone. The NYPD is investigating.

Nov. 1 Dealy Hall 9:30 a.m.

Someone let two pitbulls into Dealy Hall. Public Safety responded and got them into a utility closet. Public Safety gave the dogs water, and the NYPD removed them.

Nov. 3 Hoffman Street 4:00 a.m.

A student called Public Safety and reported that a fellow student was bleeding from the head after being hit with a can of beer. The injured student was at a house party when he was hit in the head. He was taken to the hospital and received seven stitches. Anybody with information should contact Public Safety.

— Compiled by Sarah Huffman

November 6, 2019

Tourists Flock to Bronx to Visit “Joker” Steps Local Residents Worry About Gentrification

By GRACIE DAVIS

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

After the recent release of the new “Joker” movie, there was an influx of tourists visiting the steps from a scene in which Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll Part II” blares as the Joker descends the stairs dancing and heading into deeper madness. The scene and the movie as a whole have recieved backlash for glorifying the path to violence that can lead someone to commit an atrocity such as a mass shooting. Others said it romaniticized mental illness.

Famous steps are no new phenomenon. The stairway in the “Joker” movie is comparable to “The Exorcist” steps in D.C. and Philadelphia’s notorious Rocky steps. However, this instance may be different because of the steps’ location in the Bronx.

The steps are in the Highbridge neighborhood, rising from Shakespeare and Jerome Avenues.

Before the movie was released, they served the sole purpose of transportation.

Now, people are using the Bronx as an Instagram backdrop.

Some permanent residents of the borough are encouraging this newfound tourism, but others are expressing their grievances.

Ruben Diaz Jr., the Bronx borough president, responded to a Twitter post from Time Out New York promoting the steps.

“When you visit, check out http://ilovethebronx.com and @TheBronxTourism and learn about some of our borough’s many fine attractions and restaurants... and spend some $$$ in The Bronx!” he wrote.

The main issue people have with the influx of tourists is that they aren’t supporting the borough as a whole.

Many people travel solely to the steps without spending money at local businesses or taking time to appreciate the culture of the Bronx.

People who grew up around the neighborhood surrounding the stairs remember avoiding them, along with the neighborhood altogether.

Some say the area is now, in a way, being gentrified because of the attention.

Edgar Santana, Bronx native, curator of Everyday Bronx and photographer (@esantana) be-

COURTESY OF FLICKR

The steps in the Bronx are now filled with tourists clamoring for a picture in the same spot the iconic “Joker ” scene was shot.

lieves that, in general, tourism is a good thing in the Bronx.

“Everyone is welcome,” he said.

“However, some neighborhoods in the borough are some of the poorest in NYC. Visitors should understand and respect that.”

Santana mentioned giving back to the Bronx community as well as simply being respectful of permanent residents of the Bronx as parts of ethical tourism.

“Those steps have been there way before Joaquin danced on them,” he said. “I saw the movie and loved it. I loved how gritty the scene was and loved how they used the backdrop of the Bronx to showcase that. The issue is really about these people coming into the borough which they have never stepped foot in before to make the stairs an ‘Insta-moment.’”

People still need to use the stairs for their actual purpose: transportation.

Cathyrine Spencer, a native Bronx woman, said the tourism

caused by the stairs is an inconvenience to her.

“Every day when I come down the stairs, I have to go through a barrage of people,” she said.

Residents of the Bronx have been pushing back against tourism.

In all-caps red spray paint on the walls lining the steps, there are the phrases such as “GO HOME” and “MY POVERTY IS NOT YOUR PHOTOSHOOT.” Santana argued that the issue of the steps would not be so controversial if people actually appreciated the culture of the Bronx as a whole.

“The Bronx is more than a zoo, the Yankees and steep steps,” he said. “There is such [sic] much culture and diversity in this borough. If these people would see what else the Bronx has to offer and support small business, I don’t believe this would be a controversy.”

In response to a question about

getting a complete, well-rounded cultural experience when visiting the Bronx, Santana said visitors should walk down Grand Concourse.

“Check out the beautiful architecture. Go to the Bronx Museum or the Andrew Freedman Home,” he said. “Go to City Island and have clams on the half shell while drinking a cold one.”

Santana said there are many opportunities for tourism in the Bronx, including but definitely not limited to visiting the stairs from the Joker movie.

He said that those who do visit the steps should also contribute to local businesses, recognize the history of the neighborhood and appreciate the culture of the Bronx.

“I love my borough,” he said. “I want to share the beauty of everyday life here. I want outsiders to see that,” Santana said. “Just respect it. Check out what else we have. You won’t be disappointed.”

This Week at Fordham Thursday Nov. 7

Friday Nov. 8

Friday Nov. 8

Sunday Nov. 10

Sunday Nov. 10

ASILI Speaker: Jelani Cobb

Keating First Auditorium 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

Taste of the Middle East

McGinley Ballroom 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

Fall Playwrights Festival Blackbox Theater 8:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

Spoon University MOFAD Trip

Museum of Food and Drink 12:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.

CAB WAC November Bingo

Keating First Auditorium 8:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.

ASILI is hosting a speaker event with journalist, educator and diversity speaker Jelani Cobb. Fordham’s Black Student Alliance is hoping to use the event to raise awareness of underrepresented groups in Fordham’s community.

The Middle Eastern Student Association is holding its main event of the fall semester. Students will have the opportunity to taste foods from across the Middle East. The event is in McGinley Ballroom 6 p.m.–9 p.m.

Fordham Experimental Theater is presenting its Fall Playwrights Festival in the Blackbox Theater. It features three student-written shows in one weekend. The event is 8:00 p.m–9:00 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Spoon Fordham is taking 30 students on a trip to the Museum of Food and Drink. The club will provide members with Metrocards and tickets to the exhibit. The trip will depart from campus on Sunday, Nov. 10 and last two hours.

Campus Activities Board is holding its monthly bingo game. The event in Keating First will feature lots of prizes. The first game board is free and students can purchase additional boards for a dollar. The event is 8:00 p.m.–9:00p.m.

NEWS

November 6, 2019

Page 3

Public Safety Details Policies for Crime Alert System FROM SAFETY, PAGE 1

Fitzer.

There are certain crimes that Public Safety is required to send alerts out about. These crimes are defined by the Clery Act, a law that aims to provide transparency around campus crime policy and statistics. Not every crime is included in this, since it has to be a violent crime, according to Fitzer.

Geography also plays into what Public Safety is required to alert the campus about. It is required to report crime on campus and on the adjoining streets to the campus, said Carroll.

Public Safety sends alerts for incidents that occur outside that radius though. For example, Public Safety sent an alert on Monday, Nov. 4, at 11:08 p.m. detailing an assault and robbery on East 189th Street between Bathgate and Washington Avenues.

This location is outside the area it is required to report about.

“We chose to extend it because we feel we have a duty to our students to alert them of situations that are going on in the neighborhood because as you know we have four houses off campus as well as probably an additional 1,000 students that live in the Belmont community,” said Fitzer.

“So that’s why we choose to extend it. So we’re going actually above and beyond the requirements.”

Carroll said Public Safety usually send an alert in those instances if a crime was committed and

COURTESY OF RAM ARCHIVES

John Carroll addressed how Public Safety handles alerting students of crim, including their criteria for these alerts.

there was no apprehension made of that individual, because he or she may present as a danger to Fordham students.

According to Carroll, Public Safety alerts students about what is applicable, but they do not want to overuse the alert system might, because students might ignore it.

“Alerts are something that we want to save for the more impor-

tant things,” said Carroll. “We’ve debated this subject now for years. We’ve never not notified.

I don’t want to put out too much white noise.”

It refrains from sending an alert if a crime occurs and the NYPD asks Public Safety to forgo an announcement.

“We don’t want it to impede the investigation,” said Fitzer.

“If the police ask us don’t send it out at this particular time because it may impede our investigation, there could be a delay in that.”

Carroll said there’s a normal delay with the work Public Safety is doing, but it usually sends messages out within a few hours.

If there is ever a situation on campus that presents immediate, ongoing danger, Public Safety will

send an alert through text, such as the on campus pursuit that occurred last semester, said Carroll.

In regards to apps such as Wildfire, which allow private citizens to send alerts about emergencies, Carroll said it is just a social media platform.

“I don’t think it’s that helpful,” said Carroll. “And I think it would cause a lot of unnecessary concerns. You can be 100% certain that if you are in any danger, we would notify you immediately and we have all sorts of mechanisms to do that.”

The app Citizen is similar, but is New York City-based. Carroll reiterated, that it is not guaranteed accurate information.

“They create a sense of fear that may not be appropriate,” said Carroll. “I think when you tell the truth and deal with facts rather than rumor, you’re a lot better off. We’re not gonna ever deal in rumor.”

In regards to the unauthorized person incident, Carroll said a lot of people trespass onto Fordham’s campus and Public Safety catches trespassers all the time, but it is just a violation rather than a crime. He said Public Safety is not going to send out alerts on trespassers because it is not required by its statutes to do that.

“But we also recognize that there is some human factor behind this which is the concern of our students,” said Carroll. “So when I was getting the feedback, that there was that concern, I put it out.”

DAC Advocates for Indigenous Peoples Day in October

By SARAH HUFFMAN

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

The ongoing, nationwide dialogue on how to recognize the second Monday of October is coming to a head on Fordham's campus. New York state and Fordham University both currently celebrate it as Columbus Day, but United Student Government (USG) is petitioning the university to recognize it as Indigenous Peoples Day. Although the federal government recognizes the date as Columbus Day, many universities, businesses and even some states have chosen to make the switch to Indigenous Peoples Day. Some support Columbus Day and view it as a significant aspect of ItalianAmerican heritage, while others believe Indigenous Peoples Day is more appropriate, as it is an opportunity to celebrate and respect members of the Native American community.

Sen. Carsyn Fisher, FCRH ’21, co-chair of Diversity Action Coalition (DAC) first proposed the resolution at a weekly USG meeting on Thursday, Oct. 3.

Two weeks later, on Oct. 17, the motion was passed unanimously barring two abstentions.

In an interview with The Fordham Ram, Fisher said DAC began the process by conducting historical and peer-aspirant research on other universities across the country. Afterward, a resolution was written and a petition was created.

DAC has also created a petition

to build support for the resolution. According to Fisher, the petition has close to 400 signatures.

Fisher said the next step for USG will be to reach out to the calendar committee at Fordham University to show them the petition, results of the passed resolution and ask them to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day on the Fordham University calendar.

She said this change would allow “a climate on campus of more inclusivity and create prospective students looking at website to see Fordham is an inclusive space and a place where people think about these kinds of things and question the traditions and institutional norms.”

Furthermore, she hopes this initiative will encourage more discussions on campus about recognizing and respecting the culture of all students.

DAC is also working to encourage the university to publish a “land acknowledgement” statement.

“It is a statement that recognizes that Fordham sits on the land of indigenous people or land that is home to indigenous people,” said Fisher.

The statement would recognize the Lenni-Lenape tribe, who inhabited the land in the 1600s.

Fisher said this acknowledgement would ideally be posted on Fordham’s website, similar to Columbia University, Colorado College, Northwestern University and University of Illinois.

“I think it's an important issue

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

Columbus Circle boasts a large statue celebrating Christopher Columbus — similar to the Oct. 12 holiday.

in terms of showing indigenous students and the indigenous people around the Fordham community that their voices and lives matter to us,” said USG Executive President Kaylee Wong, GSB ’20. “It's saying we will not celebrate someone who committed these horrific acts against their ancestors.”

According to the USG website, DAC seeks to make Fordham a more inclusive environment for all students. The coalition allows club leaders

to create initiatives to promote greater acceptance and understanding of diversity.

“Many of these groups, especially at Fordham, tend to feel unseen or unheard," said Wong.

"Some people might feel like it doesn't make a huge impact but to someone who has faced these issues, it can mean the difference between feeling comfortable and uncomfortable on campus.”

Wong said DAC is a unique place in terms of being studentrun.

“It’s a really good outlet for members of smaller and more marginalized groups to come together to discuss their experience and work toward initiatives to make the student experience better,” she said.

“As an Asian woman on campus, I think it’s great because we can come together to discuss our own experience and also put forth initiatives and ideas to make it so future generations of Fordham don't have to have the same experiences,” said Wong.

NEWS

Page 4

November 6, 2019

Research Spotlight

USG Column

Senior Researches Impact of Social Media

Studies Effect on People’s Personalities

By SARAH HUFFMAN

USG Talks Upcoming Events

By HASNA CERAN

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Bryce Allen, FCRH ’20, is in the middle of completing his senior honors thesis project about the use of social media and its impact on people’s personalities.

The goal of Allen’s study is to understand the specific role of social media usage and followers in the relationship between personality traits and well-being, especially given the pervasiveness of social media use in young adults’ everyday lives, he said.

Allen said he originally became involved in research at Fordham in the spring of his sophomore year through Assistant Professor of Psychology, Lindsay Hoyt, Ph.D, Hoyt’s lab studies youth development, diversities and disparities.

Last spring, Allen was invited to join the psychology honors program, which requires its participants to complete a senior honors thesis. He said he spent the rest of last semester trying to determine where his interests lie within the field of psychology and what he wanted to research.

“I have always found people’s behaviors on social media to be very interesting, especially in a time where social media seems to impact all different facets of life,” he said.

Allen said he was specifically interested in the impact that social media has on people’s lives and personalities. He said he believes that you can learn a lot about someone by understanding their personality traits.

He found literature suggesting there was a link between social media use and psychological well-being, as well as social media usage and personality traits.

“There seemed to be an established link between psychological well-being and personality traits,” he said.

He said he began to wonder

On Thursday, Oct. 31, the United Student Government (USG) discussed upcoming events such as Sustainability Week and this year’s upcoming Thanks-GiveAway.

During the delegate updates, the Campus Activities Board (CAB) delegate spoke about the diversity campaign that will be hosted on the CAB Instagram, @fordham_cab, throughout November.

The campaign will feature cultural clubs and events on campus posted on Instagram. The Commuter Students Association (CSA) delegate reminded the representatives of this year’s upcoming Thanks-Give-Away on Nov. 21. Thanks-Give-Away is a fundraiser hosted by CSA to raise donations for Part of The Solution (POTS), a nonprofit in the Bronx area. Students can participate in the event either by purchasing a $5 ticket or by donating five cans of food to the event.

Other important dates included Sustainability Week and the upcoming USG Art Show in McGinley. Sustainability week will span from Nov. 4 until Nov. 8 and will include a documentary screening, potluck and community cleanup.

Students can find the exact schedule for the event at the Sustainability Committee’s Instagram, @fordhamsustainability.

The USG Art Show in McGinley was accepting submissions from the student body until Nov. 5, and the actual event will be in the Bepler Commons on Nov. 22.

USG also discussed a proposal for Open Campus Wednesdays.

The initiative lead by Mark Naison, professor of history and African and African American studies, proposed that Fordham open its gates to the general public on a specific day of the week, in this case, Wednesday. Mark Naison and a group of USG students planned to visit Public Safety this week to discuss the proposal.

At the meeting, USG senators brought up issues with logistics in response to the proposal. They worried about how to ensure everyone left campus at the end of the day and ways to draw community members to Fordham for open campus days if they were created.

Some members of USG felt weekends or Sundays when the campus is open for church services may work better. Others thought planned events might provide a reason for people to visit campus.

In the additional reports, Sen. Simon Rodriguez, GSB ’20, stated that the Committee on International Integration is still looking for a co-chair and more international members.

Sen. Luke Morgan, GSB ’22, said he reached out to the Fordham IT department to find out if an alternative to Philo had been found. Philo is the streaming service through which Fordham used to provide students with HBO GO. IT told him that no replacement had been found.

Photo of the Week:

COURTESY OF BRYCE ALLEN

Allen is researching connections between social media usage and personality traits. He has an FCRH research grant.

if anyone had tried to connect self-esteem, anxiety and depression, the big-five personality traits (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism), and social media use (i.e., time spent on social media).

Over the summer, he reviewed the literature relating to his research to fine-tune his project.

He also applied for an undergraduate research grant which he found out he received at the beginning of October.

“This took a great deal of time because it required me to make sense of the literature relating to these topics, as well as, develop-

ing my research questions and hypotheses,” he said.

Allen has since applied for Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and created the survey for his study.

He plans to go live with the survey this month.

Allen said he will run his study on Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), which is a crowdsourcing marketplace where you can pay people to complete your survey. He aims to recruit approximately 180 participants.

“I chose to run my survey on MTurk because it would allow me to recruit a much more diverse sample, compared to just

JENNIFER HOANG/THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham students marked Diwali this week on the steps of Keating Hall. The Fordham University South Asian Entity held the Hindu Festival of Lights that celebrates the triumph of good over evil.

recruiting Fordham students,” he said. “I will use all of the undergraduate research grants to pay participants to complete my survey.”

Allen has two hypotheses he is testing with this project.

The first relates to a connection between personality and wellbeing. “[A person] low on extraversion, openness to experience, or neuroticism will likely report worse psychological well being if they spend more time on social media,” Allen said.

The latter half of the hypothesis states the opposite.

“The association between personality and well-being will be moderated by a number of social media followers. Specifically, higher levels of extraversion and conscientiousness will be associated with greater psychological well-being, especially for those with a higher real friends ratio,” the second hypothesis states.

The real “friends ratio” is the number of friends on a specific social media account divided by the number of friends in real life.

“I hope that I find my hypotheses to be correct and that these findings can help us better understand the impact social media has on our lives,” he said. “I believe that as the social media landscape continues to grow and evolve, it is vital to understand the implications it has on development.”

Going forward, Allen plans to go live with his survey and collect data. Next semester, he will analyze the data and see if his hypotheses are correct. He plans to present his findings at the Fordham Undergraduate Research Symposium next April.

NEWS

November 6, 2019

Page 5

FUEMS Members Walk Through a Night on Staff FROM FUEMS, PAGE 1

of the university’s bathgate entrance.

“Daytime,” responded the patient.

For the 150 members of the organization that provides 24/7 EMS coverage on and around the university’s campus, timing and coordination are everything.

As Ma lifted the patient onto the stretcher, Adam Rosen, FCRH ’20, an EMT, began taking her vitals as Yianni Flouskakos, FCRH ’20, chief of FUEMS, oversaw the situation, talked to Public Safety and addressed the patient’s friends. A new member, Sophia DeRosa, FCRH ’23, stood close to assist. The crew pulsated in sync surrounding the patient, an orchestra of arms swinging in succession for the stretcher, its straps and a stethoscope.

In the driver’s seat sat Mike Aman, FCRH ’20, a longtime crew chief and driver, navigating toward one of several routes he has memorized to the closest hospital and one FUEMS transports to most often, St. Barnabas.

“They know us. They respect us.

They look out for our students,” said Yianni Flouskakos, FCRH ’20, referring to the staff at St. Barnabas. “I say this and I mean this wholeheartedly, if anything were to happen to me and these guys picked me up, I would tell them to take me to St. Barnabas.”

Flouskakos said he hopes to debunk the stigma surrounding

the hospital and explained the organization’s reasoning for its longstanding and close relationship with the hospital — it is the only hospital the organization has a personal connection with, and its medical director, Mark Estrellado, M.D., FCRH ’09, an ER attending at St. Barnabas, is notified of every FUEMS transport.

“Age, chief complaint, brief story of what happened and any other concerns are [texted] to me,” said Estrellado. “Sometimes if I can, I squeeze in teaching points about the case. I could be doing administrative duties at the hospital, in the ER, or I could literally be eating dinner or about to hop in the shower and I might get a text. I tell these guys I’m available to them 24/7.”

Estrellado is also present at each of the organization’s biweekly meetings where e-board members lead training sessions and rapid-fire simulations of medical emergencies such as stroke and anaphylaxis.

Efforts to get to where the organization is today, from its once humble beginnings, is the work of an entire team, according to Nate Singh, FCRH ’20, director of FUEMS. Singh said Maureen Keown, MSN, ANP-BC, FNP, director of university health services, constantly looks out for the club’s members.

Keown said she meets a few times per month with FUEMS’ members and works with Estrel-

lado to ensure the organization is prepared for all emergencies.

“University Health Center’s staff has a great relationship with FUEMS because many times we need to use FUEMS if a student is ill and they need further treatment at the hospital so they are called to assist in [Health Services],” said Keown.

These strong ties were seen when the health center worked with Public Safety and FUEMS to get public access automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for campus buildings last year, according to Keown. FUEMS assisted in training members of the Fordham community to use these AEDs. As both a club and an agency operating under the NYC Department of Health, the organization also coordinates with Emergency Aid Training, a third-party training company that sends students to EMT school according to Singh.

“We’re a club so we’re still completely funded by the student activities fee,” he said. “We also function just like any other club that has general elections for our officer staff.”

Joining FUEMS automatically waives the cost of EMT school, a semester’s worth of coursework, and requires students to pass a statewide examination, according to Singh.

The staff, which has faced a series of turbulent medical emergencies and has witnessed myriad stressful situations, is largely

prepared medically, according to Flouskakos, but is trying to be more introspective in improving the training process, especially in emotionally intense situations.

“Recently we’ve partnered with campus ministry, psychological services and legal authorities outside of FUEMS to know how to work with people who are under suicidal ideation or victims of sexual assault,” said Flouskakos.

“It’s not something you could read a sheet of protocol and be good at.

It’s about being another human being.”

Jessie O’Keefe, FCRH ’20, general member liaison, is responsible, among her duties as a crew chief and driver, for handling all of the organization’s new members. O’Keefe routinely checks in with new members, ensuring they feel welcomed, at ease and are acquainted with the rest of the staff.

“I always go to a member’s first shift to make sure they feel comfortable and to give them a basic rundown,” said O’Keefe. “It’s good to see where they’re at and be there for them before they’re exposed to all of this new stuff and these kinds of emergencies.”

According to O’Keefe, who is on the university’s pre-med track, the female-dominated FUEMS staff differs largely from the emergency medical service organization she volunteers at in her home in Woodlawn.

“I was in an ambulance with an older woman and she said, ‘I’m so

happy to see more of you in the back of ambulances,’ and I said, ‘Oh, okay,’ thinking she was just talking about Fordham students and then she continued to talk and I realized she was talking about women,” said O’Keefe. “It was really, really cool that she said that.”

Amidst intermittent patient care, including a day-staff schedule that allows members to pick up brief, 1–2 hour shifts between classes, the work done on FUEMS is never quite done. Medical responses are reviewed extensively after most calls, cases are documented, and evaluative tactics and questions regarding what could have been improved are asked.

Oftentimes, the most difficult and frustrating task, according to Flouskakos, is leaving the patient without knowing the extent of their condition or outcome.

“Once we drop the patient off at the hospital, that’s where our contract ends,” he said. “That for me is why I want to be a doctor, to take that next step of patient relations and form more long-term relationships with people.”

At 11:05 p.m., the crew loaded the empty stretcher back into the ambulance and conversation surrounding the patient slowly faded, the ride back much slower and less bumpy. Approaching the university, there’s now song where there was once siren. “All you need is love, love, love is all you need,” echoed from the ambulance’s speakers.

GO! Discusses Application Process and Volunteer Work FROM GO!, PAGE 1

have otherwise interacted with and getting the real, on the ground information about how they’re feeling and how the community is feeling about certain issues.”

To reinforce the learning and understanding aspects of GO! rather than just the service portions, Cisneros said that students read an article titled “To Hell With Good Intentions” and learn about the place and community they are visiting before leaving.

GO! trip leader Kristen Sulewski, FCRH ’20, reinforced this idea. She explained that before heading to the Dominican Republic she and her team are learning Spanish phrases, learning about the history of the Dominican Republic and reading about current social issues in the area. She said her trip is mostly immersion rather than service. Sulewski went to Mississippi a few years ago on a trip that she said was largely service based but she still learned a lot about the area and the people with whom she worked.

She said, “I know so many other schools have quote-unquote, ‘alternative breaks’ where you just sign up and pay your way without meeting anybody on your trip or learning anything about where you’re going,” said Cisneros. “You just kind of roll up and do whatever service aspect and then leave. The thing I love about GO! is you get to know the people you’re going with. You get to know your community partner and you learn about where you’re going.”

Since being incorporated with other social justice programs like Pedro Arupe and Urban Plunge at Fordham’s Center for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL), GO! has

ANNA DIGIUSEPPE/THE FORDHAM RAM

Global Outreach (GO) is a university club dedicated to participating in service around the world.

also tried to assign a specific social justice topic to each trip. Sulewski’s trip to the Dominican Republic is focusing on migration and immigration, and the domestic trip to New Orleans, for example, will examine civil rights and discrimination.

Cisneros said she personally learned about immigration on her trip to Mexico when they visited a migrant center.

“After you go and come back you just want to keep learning and growing your knowledge of social justice,” said Cisneros. “For me extending my knowledge from GO! translated very directly into declaring a double major in Latin American studies, volunteering at an advocacy center here in the city … and subsequently doing research this summer about New York City as a sanctuary city.”

Other people will become more involved with CCEL, Pedro Arupe or even go on another trip.

Cisneros recommends that students pick a topic, rather than a place, when deciding which trip

they might like to go on. She also said sometimes domestic trips can be an easier way to ease into the program for students with less social justice experience, but that is not true in all cases.

She recognized the financial aspect of domestic compared to international trips can weigh heavily on where students choose to travel. The program offers scholarships and teams fundraise to offset their costs.

“We’re aware that the inclusivity from a financial standpoint is not there, but that is also something that is difficult to help because you’re paying, for example, for international flights and you also have to pay these community partners,” said Cisneros.

“The way they’re making their living is hosting groups like Fordham students. You’re not getting housing and food for free so there is also that aspect of things that we can help but only so much.”

The team selection process for GO! has also changed under its new administration in CCEL. Sulewski explained that when she was picking

her team for GO! Dominican Republic, that will travel in January, she had a list of applicants who had listed her trip as their first choice. This way students only had to interview for their top choices rather than to every trip they applied as was the previous process.

She said it was a 50-50 balance between the CCEL administration and trip leaders in the process of deciding who would fit best on each team.

Sulewski said she asked those she interviewed questions about past mission trip experience, questions to get to know them and about what they thought they would struggle with on the trip.

CCEL Director Arto Woodley explained the purpose of the altered process in an email to The Ram “We have condensed the process for students applying for the program,” wrote Woodley. The intent is to elevate everyone's ability to engage in asset based community relationships that values the strengths of each entity. This is in contrast to a mission oriented service model that assumes

that Fordham and its students can solve community issues.”

The other change GO! has made since becoming a part of CCEL is administrative. The program used to be run by a single director, but now several staff administrators work with students to explain the projects, according to executive board President Anna DiGiuseppe, FCRH ’20.

“Since becoming a part of CCEL, GO! has changed only in logistics and not in mission,” DiGiuseppe wrote in an email to the Ram. “The change from being its own office to being part of the greater CCEL office has merely opened doors for GO! and allowed the program to use the resources of the entire center and created a space for more collaboration.”

DiGiuseppe explained the program is now run by several staff members who run multiple programs within CCEL rather than one director. She also said she expects more concrete changes in the future including in-depth training programs for leaders and possible academic components.

In the future, DiGiuseppe also wants to change the perception of she feels GO! as exclusive.

“Global Outreach is attempting to promote this diversity through better marketing, providing more scholarships for participants, and restructuring our application process to give first time participants and upperclassmen a slight upper hand.”

Sulewski’s team illustrates the more inclusive program that DiGiuseppe envisioned. Teams are often largely female, from Rose Hill, and resident-based but her team has two men, multiple commuters and Lincoln Center students.

NEWS

Page 6

November 6, 2019

Scaramucci Speaks at College Republicans Event FROM SCARAMUCCI, PAGE 1

rupted. “They all know that I got fired.”

Throughout his time — which ran for about an hour — Scaramucci talked about his experiences in finance, his quick hiring and firing as White House director of communications and his opinions on President Trump and the current political climate.

“You should be engaged in the system and you should share your opinion — so what I’m going to do, is I am going to talk for about five minutes and then I am going to take questions,” he said.

His initial speech described the way he grew up in a middle-class family from Long Island, N.Y. He spoke on attending Tufts University for his undergraduate degree and Harvard Law School while struggling to pay off his student loans.

He said he started Oscar Capital Management on Dec. 1, 1996, after he paid off his loans. Then, he addressed his time in the White House.

At first, he spoke about the building itself and the history it represents. He says the president’s quarters and the oval office is much smaller than he would have thought, and he does not shy away from his firing.

“I did 11 days in the White House and the last day sucked. If you’re in Washington … and you want a friend, buy a dog,” he said.

“But even the dogs are barking and biting in Washington.”

Regarding his transition from

Wall Street to Washington, Scaramucci said there was a lack of common goal.

“On Wall Street we are all on the same team — the green team — we are trying to make money,” he said. “In Washington, you could be motivated by power, or money, or politics, or change. There’s never a specific goal.”

Scaramucci was fired for his strong words against Reince Priebus, former chief-of-staff, after a conversation with a reporter in which he called him a “paranoid schizophrenic.” Scaramucci said he believed he was having an off-therecord conversation, despite not clarifying that fact with the reporter.

He said he found out that he was fired when he could not turn on his encrypted cell phone on the morning of July 31.

“When you are fired, when you have done something wrong like I did, the first thing you do is you take accountability ... the second thing you do is you apologize, which of course I did, and then the third thing you do is you forgive yourself,” he said.

After the firing, Scaramucci said he continued to support President Donald Trump. However, he is a vocal critic of the president at this point in time.

“I don’t want to overly get into it because I do not want to make this too political… I just think there are certain things going on right now that I do not think are acceptable for the American people,” he said.

Although he did not want to

CAMRYN SCHUMACHER/THE FORDHAM RAM

Anthony Scaramucci discussed his issues with President Trump for the College Republican event on Nov. 4.

“overly get into it,” attendees asked about the president and his policies, and the hour ended up concentrated mostly on Scaramucci’s criticism. After looking to the College Republican executive board for approval, he spoke on several issues he has with President Trump.

Scaramucci expressed concerned regarding the president’s involvement with Ukraine. He also said he believes in stronger immigration policies, but the crisis at the border is unacceptable.

Although he said he does not believe President Trump was colluding with the Russian government during the 2016 election, he believes that there was Russian intervention.

“Frankly, the president couldn’t even collude with his own staff,” he said.

He said that although he does not support many liberal, freshman senators — such as the Bronx’s Sen. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — he does not think it is wise for the president to turn his back on his constituents.

He said he does not think the president will survive the impeachment inquiry.

But one of Scaramucci’s biggest problems with the president is the way he went after his wife, Dierdre Ball.

“I don’t think it was necessary for him to go after my wife after giving him three years of my life and a tremendous amount of money,” he said. “I’m an Italian from Long Island. Don’t go after the women in my family. That was the red line for me.”

Later on in the evening, one student, Anike Tella-Martins, FCRH ’20, pushed him on this statement.

“How is it that your personal line was your wife?” she asked.

“Even though maybe you had your opinions that were different from the president, you still supported him which indicates to me that even if it was a personal issue that you had, it’s not a big enough issue for you to not work with him.”

Scaramucci said he was playing by party lines — no matter what, he was going to support the Republican presidential candidate.

“Unfortunately, I did what other people did — which was morally equivocate on a lot of issues,” he said. “I should have been a stronger person, and I should have said a year ago that the way he’s handling himself and dividing the country is completely wrong.”

College Republicans did not respond to several requests for comment.

Kith Collaborates with Vogue on Fordham Rose Hill Campus Advertising Campaign Pictures Football Field, Freeman Steps FROM KITH, PAGE 1

Some students also pointed out that the models were walking a dog — a violation of the university’s rules and regulations.

Howe said the dog was approved as part of the shoot.

“Companies often use props

we typically don’t allow on campus. The shoots are carefully controlled and closely monitored,” said Howe.

Isiah Magsino, FCRH ’19, freelance writer for Vogue, said he thought this photoshoot resonated with students because the fash-

COURTESY OF GIANNA ANTINORI

Some of the Kith collection photos were shot on the Fordham football field.

ion scene at Fordham Rose Hill is rapidly growing and students are becoming more interested in it.

“Both Vogue and Kith are two fashion powerhouses,” he said. “Powerhouses from different sides of the fashion spectrum, but powerhouses nonetheless. When you put the two together and place them in students’ second home, it’s only obvious as to why people get to talking.”

Howe said Fordham charges a standard set of fees for oncampus filming and photography. At a minimum, those fees more than compensate the university for personnel costs, typically Public Safety and Facilities Maintenance staff, and any required services, such as electricity, water or parking.

Fordham approves filming and photography on campus as long as it meets a certain set of criteria. Parties who wish to film or shoot photography on campus must pay the appropriate fees and provide proof of insurance. The subject matter must not conflict with Fordham’s mission nor image, the activity cannot disrupt academic activities nor campus life and the activity cannot compromise the safety nor privacy of members of the campus community.

For all those who are able to meet Fordham’s requests,

COURTESY OF GIANNA ANTINORI

Two models were photographed on the Freeman steps, pictured above.

Fordham is convenient for New York City producers who want to shoot at a traditional college campus, according to Magsino.

“Those types of settings are rare in New York City and Fordham is a short train ride from Manhattan,” he said. “It is not only a beautiful campus, but it’s also extremely versatile.”

Magsino pointed to multiple locations on campus as appealing options for photography.

“Want a traditional college feel? Keating, Duane Library, etc. Want something modern and Contemporary? Hughes, Salice-Conley, Campbell and McGinley,” he said. “It’s a playground for producers.”

November 6, 2019

OPINION

Page 7

The Fordham Ram

Digital Technology Spoils AP Style

By MAGGIE ROTHFUS COPY CHIEF

For the typical college student, styles such as MLA, Chicago or APA should be almost second nature. However, besides journalism majors, many may not be familiar with or even aware of the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook. This is the style most journalist publications follow, and those that do not such as The New York Times modify AP to make their own “house style.”

First published in 1909, AP style’s purpose has been to make newspapers readable and to save paper while doing so. For this reason, states are abbreviated differently than they are on envelopes. Writing “Calif.” instead of “CA” removes the confusion between California and Canada. To save paper, Oxford or serial commas are removed from lists, a controversy among many writers and editors across Englishspeaking countries.

At The Fordham Ram, we practice a strict following of the AP Stylebook with no variations. This settles skirmishes between editors, or between Copy Chief Vanessa DeJesus, FCRH ’21, and myself.

I like AP’s state abbreviations but not the avoidance of the Oxford comma; DeJesus is the opposite.

For us, AP style is how we compromise and aim for consistency based on a single standard. However, that

HUNTER BENEGAS/THE FORDHAM RAM

Though AP rules had their uses when newspapers were primarily printed, they serve little purpose in this digital landscape.

standard could be baseless in 2019.

While the AP continues to update its style every year and accommodates by implementing the singular they and selectively allowing for split infinitives, it does not often budge on many stances. Yet on Oct. 22, the AP Stylebook’s official Twitter page delivered shocking news.

“We are considering changing to use ’s when making a name that ends in S possessive: Mavis Staples’s album, Martha Reeves’s concert,” the tweet read.

The tweet received more than 3.3 thousand responses, both negative and positive. Many, including

multiple professional writers and authors, responded with pleas not to follow through with the change.

Reasons for AP conservatives could include resistance to change or, simply, aesthetics.

“No. S’ is clean and tidy. Everyone knows what it means,” wrote Twitter user @raissathomas.

On the other hand, Connor Sheets, an investigative reporter for AL.com, shared his excitement toward the possible style amendment.

“As a journalist and person with a last name that ends in an S and also happens to be an actual English plural word mark me down as STRONGLY in favor of making

this change! It’s more precise and avoids any questions about the writer’s intended meaning,” wrote Sheets.

On Oct. 30, AP responded to the criticisms of the naysayers by emphasizing its strive for consistency: “Our style on singular common nouns ending in s already adds ’s for possessives: witness’s. So we contemplate: For consistency, should the style be the same for proper names ending in s as for singular common nouns ending in s?”

Immediately, the new change made sense and appeared perfect, but something felt off about this statement. If this is for consistency’s

sake, where is my Oxford comma?

Let me explain. Just as how the Oxford comma was expelled from publications to preserve paper, so, too, was the extra “s” on possessives. In a world where print magazines are endangered and more articles are available online than print, there is no longer a need for saving space.

With journalism and media evolving at such a fast rate, it only makes sense for the AP to do so as well, but it should do so with consistency. One of AP style’s goals is to provide clarity, and, more often than not, an Oxford comma does just that. This is no time for stubbornness and pride. Perhaps the proposed change for possessives is only a foreshadowing of more radical changes to come. Perhaps we can only hope — or plea into the Twitter void.

Whether editors, writers or readers may have their own individual feelings on grammar rules and possible, seemingly arbitrary updates to said rules, they ought not to deny the importance of consistency in the conversation, and not let that become an irony.

That being said: Associated Press, come up with a new argument for excluding the Oxford comma from your stylebook, or get with the times and technology.

Maggie Rothfus, FCRH ’20, is an is an English major from Pittsburgh, Pa.

When Nonprofits Profit: The Problem of Charity Misspending

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Some purportedly charitable organizations, like the Wounded Warrior Project, have been accused of mishandling funds.

By COLLIN BONNELL OPINION EDITOR

Americans often take pride in giving back to their communities by donating to charities and nonprofits. Despite this, many of these groups misallocate their funds, betraying the trust of the public, and oftentimes their own mission statements, in the process.

Nonprofit organizations are groups that have been granted tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service due to the belief that they further social causes or provide public benefits. This status means that the groups do not

have to pay taxes on their incomes and that donations to them are tax deductible. Charities, meanwhile, are nonprofit organizations which have been established to serve the public benefit, and are not supposed to turn a profit — meaning accumulate large amounts of assets — or benefit any individual owner.

Many charities do not follow these guidelines, however, and have been accused of misallocating funds, focusing on accumulating assets and overpaying their staffs.

This trend is exemplified by the practices of the Susan G. Komen Foundation, a charity that markets

itself as raising funds for research on breast cancer, and has been protested by a group called “Cure Komen” for misallocated funds. The protests began in reaction to the Komen Foundation’s latest budget, in which only 16% of the group’s expenses went towards funding research, while 47% went to “education” — meaning efforts to raise public awareness about breast cancer — and 15% went to fundraising. Many other cancer research charities, for comparison, spend at least 90% of their expenses on research. While “Cure Komen” is an extreme example, it is emblematic of a larger problem among Ameri-

can charities.

A more prominent scandal occurred in 2016, when a CBS investigation discovered chronic mismanagement within the Wounded Warrior Project, revealing that the group’s claim that 80% of its expenses go toward programs benefiting wounded veterans included costs for promotions, advertising and shipping, among other costs.

The investigation eventually found that the group only spent 55–60% of its budget on programs directly benefiting veterans, while comparable groups, like the Fisher House Foundation, spend over 90%. Additionally, CBS discovered that the group had over $248 million in assets and was accumulating more.

These reports caused a massive backlash and forced the resignation of the CEO and CEO of the group, along with pledges of internal reform. While donations to the group were nearly halved over the following two years, the group began rebuilding itself in 2018, claiming that it had undergone extensive internal reforms. However, despite these pledges, Wounded Warrior Project increased spending on salaries from $48.5 million in 2017 to $63 million 2018, while its assets peaked at $317 million in 2017 before falling slightly to $305 million in 2018.

Ethical issues concerning the spending habits of charities also extend to the salaries of their leaders, which can exceed $1 million a year.

The highest-paid leader of a charity in the United States is Craig B. Thompson, the president/CEO of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, who was paid over $5 million in 2017.

Scott A. Blackmun, the former CEO of the United States Olympic Committee, meanwhile, was paid nearly $3 million in 2018; while the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association both paid their highest-earners nearly $2 million in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

These groups have an obligation to be honest with the public about how they spend their money, and should remain true to their stated purpose of benefiting the public.

Despite this obligation, many have proven that they are incapable of internal reform. In light of this, Americans should research the spending habits of organizations before donating to them, and should understand that their money often does not benefit the cause they support.

Collin Bonnell, FCRH ’21, is a history and theology major from Hingham, Mass.

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 Editor 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.

November 6, 2019

From the Desk | Colette Nolan

When I came to Fordham as a freshman, I didn’t know anyone aside from a handful of people from my hometown. I was finding it hard to make friends. I felt lost and a little isolated, which made my first semester of college challenging. The club fair was my saving grace.

While walking around Eddie’s on a hot August afternoon, I came across The Fordham Ram. I signed up for the email list and decided to try my hand at copy editing, largely because of Amanda Maile, FCRH ’17, one of the copy chiefs for Volume 98 and a familiar face from my hometown. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome.

What started as a way to get out of my dorm for a couple of hours on Tuesday nights turned into the most worthwhile experience of my life. Of all the email lists I put my name on at the club fair in 2016, the Ram is the only one I’ve stuck with to this day. I fell in love with the welcoming and at times silly atmosphere of B-52 and I’ve been

My One and Only falling ever since.

I moved from copy editor to the position of copy chief alongside my partner in crime, Lindsay Grippo, FCRH ’20, for Volume 100. I can’t thank Lindsay enough for making my time as copy chief so amazing, filling B-52 with loving, positive energy and sometimes tea tree essential oils. I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my Monday and Tuesday nights editing articles with anyone else.

It was during Volume 100 that I truly found a family in the Ram. The staff showed me that a club isn’t just a club when you truly care about it. It’s an escape from the stress of schoolwork, a place to get a little philosophical about anything and everything, a place where you know you’ll be accepted and supported.

Volume 101 came around and I found myself on the executive board of the Ram, acting as executive editor. The position has taught me a lot, especially when it comes to stepping outside my comfort

zone. But then, the Ram has been redefining my comfort zone since I first started as a copy editor. Having a leadership position in the club that helped me so much my freshman year has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and it filled my heart with so much joy since the first issue of the volume.

As important as the work at The Fordham Ram has been to me over the years, the people are what made the countless hours in a windowless basement room worth every second.

To Amanda Maile, thank you for being the familiar face that convinced me to join the Ram in the first place.

To Lindsay Grippo, thank you for being my partner in crime. Costar was right: we truly bring out the best in each other.

To the staff of Volume 100, thank you for showing me that you can find a family in a club.

To the staff of Volume 101, thank you for making my last year

on staff the most amazing.

I may have only stuck with one club during my time at Fordham, but can you blame me for choosing the Ram over everything else?

Whatever I have put into the Ram, it has given me back tenfold. Words cannot express how grateful I am to have been a part of something so wonderful. Though I may be saying a bittersweet goodbye, I don’t regret a single second. The Fordham Ram may be my one and only, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Editorial | Daylight Saving Time

Set Your Clocks and Your Habits

Many of us woke up particularly well-rested this past Sunday after shifting our clocks an hour behind to comply with the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST). This additional hour might have come as a welcome gift, however one decided to spend it, but the manual time changes associated with DST are unnatural disruptions to our bodily systems, and ones that have consequences.

While there can be confusion surrounding the purpose and relative value of the practice, people are generally familiar with the biannual tradition requiring them to “spring forward” and “fall back.” Losing and gaining an hour of sleep becomes a factor to lament and celebrate, but for the fleeting evening in which we get that blissful extra hour, DST poses several other downsides.

The practice of DST has somewhat of an ambiguous history. Many believe the tradition began in order to give farmers more hours of sunlight to work in the field. Today, many countries use the system to reduce electricity usage by capitalizing on sunlight.

However, there are many places that do not participate in DST, such as Hawaii and Arizona. Some people go as far as to advocate for permanent DST for a variety of reasons.

Those who are proponents of permanent DST cite a harmful change to daily rhythms and negative effects on productivity levels. An estimate places this decrease in productivity at over $434 million annually —

money that is not made up in the fall when workers get an additional hour of sleep.

However, an extra hour of evening sunlight for more of the year would come at the cost of delayed sunrise during winter months. Such darkness in the morning, particularly when paired with inclement weather, can prove to be not only an inconvenience but also a danger for people who go to work or send their kids to school early.

The question of the practice’s value in our contemporary society is an important one to pose in general, but as this year’s DST comes to a close, it is crucial that people check in with their mental health and take the system’s potential to have negative impacts on both their minds and bodies seriously.

The shifts in time presented by DST can disrupt normal bodily systems in a multitude of ways.

Our brains each have a master “clock” that syncs time in the body using hormonal and chemical signals.

This clock regulates many of our internal processes, and imbalances in these systems are a factor of many diseases such as cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, psychiatric disorders and heart disease.

Scientists have begun to research the ability of a regulated human clock to prevent, slow down or even treat many diseases, and studies have found that disrupting natural body rhythms negatively affects overall health.

During the days immediately after we change our clocks ahead — and lose what often proves to be a precious hour of sleep — Americans are at a slightly greater risk of heart attack and stroke, and car crashes and workplace accidents increase.

To avoid stark alterations to these internal systems, it is suggested that individuals get to sleep a bit earlier for a few of the days leading up to the beginning of DST. Similarly, waking up earlier (in small, increasing increments) for a handful of mornings before the event can help make the hour shift feel less drastic.

Though participants gain an extra hour of sleep at the close of DST, “falling back” presents its own set of challenges, as well. Not only do days begin to shorten naturally during fall and winter months, but the manual clock change causes the sky to appear darker an hour earlier than it previously had.

This compounded darkness and comparative lack of sunlight can have a strong impact on individuals’ mental state.

Many people can experience what is known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression directly related to seasonal changes.

Scientists believe the disorder to be based around changes in individuals’ body clocks, as well as shifts in melatonin and serotonin levels, as a result of reduced levels of sunlight.

It is clear that the end of DST and its accompanied backward shift in

time can exacerbate the negative effects of such mood disorders.

SAD, specifically, can be treated by means of light therapy, medication or psychotherapy and relaxation techniques. Meditation or music and art therapy are other ways to tend to such symptoms.

Treatments for such mood disorders are extremely personal, however, so methods that work for some might not for others. If you begin to notice differences in your mental and bodily well-being, consider that these experiences might be linked to DST. There might be other factors at play, but it is worth recognizing that DST’s external alterations can have intense, internal ramifications on your life nonetheless.

As the days continue to get shorter, colder and gloomier, healthy habits are crucial in combating symptoms of depression and other disorders that may be heightened during this time. We must take DST’s seemingly arbitrary changes in time seriously and understand the effects of the practice can be much more severe than simply an hour loss or gain of sleep one evening.

After we do so, it would then be valuable to readdress the practice of DST, considering the possibility that it might harm more than it helps in our modern age.

Enjoy your recent extra hour of sleep, but for as long as it’s still around, DST can and should serve as an annual reminder to check in with ourselves and each other.

Send your ideas to fordhamramopinions@gmail.com

OPINION

November 6, 2019

Page 9

Taking Stock on ISIS and the Death of Baghdadi

By NOAH OSBORNE

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

When President Trump announced the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, history was made.

As a result, America has come one step closer to liberating Syria from the tenacious clutches of terrorism that have been plaguing the region for years.

However, it would be a fatal mistake to believe that terrorism is suddenly minimized following the death of just one major cog in

the machine that is terrorism.

Baghdadi was an elusive force that drove ISIS and its radical ideals to prominence: These ideals threatened not only Syria, but the very fabric of America and the safety of its people.

As a result, American troops made it their mission to capture Baghdadi for years in an attempt to suppress ISIS from further spreading throughout the world.

In 2019, as a result from a tip from an arrest, justice was served to Baghdadi. It is no secret that relations between the U.S. and

Turkey have been tumultuous following the president’s controversial decision to withdraw American support from Syria, leaving our Kurdish allies to fight a war alone.

Following this polarizing decision, it appears as if Trump is touting the achievement of killing Baghdadi as a trophy of success for America. However, this simply is not true.

By no means is the death of one man enough for ISIS, and other terrorist organizations for that matter, to begin to wave a

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic state of Iraq and Syria, was killed by U.S. special forces.

submissive white flag. If America has learned anything from 9/11, terrorism in the Middle East is like a hydra. This is in part due to an extremist perversion of Islam which advocates the use of violent tactics.

As a result of extremist indoctrination, the seeds of terrorism that have come to define the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and most recently ISIS have been sewn into what will become the next generation of ISIS fighters. The process is cyclical, since new recruits can eventually become figures like Baghdadi.

Therefore once the wheels of terrorism begin to turn it is unknown if they can truly stop.

Knowing that this cycle will only repeat, the U.S. would be in a state of delirium to believe that our mission in Syria is over.

The death of Baghdadi should not be treated as a green light for America to drive through oblivious to the fact that war will still rage in the Middle East.

Instead, America needs to view Baghdadi’s death as a substantial move in the chess game that is counter-terrorism, which we have been playing for years.

In simplest terms, Baghdadi’s death should provide more of an incentive for the U.S. to stay in Syria. This is due to two fundamental reasons. Firstly, the U.S. has irrefutably angered ISIS by

killing its leader who has aided in its meteoric rise.

However, by no means does this equate to a meteoric fall for the terrorist organization because of the concrete platform Baghdadi has built for the terrorist group.

Because there are so many people who have and still are actively subscribing to ISIS ideals, this makes it all the more difficult to put ISIS away for good, let alone terminate the entire terrorist threat against America and Syria altogether.

In fact, we have seen this before: When former President Obama announced the death of Osama Bin-Laden, former leader of Al-Qaeda, back in 2011. Although Bin Laden was killed, AlQaeda still will not be eviscerated. The same very much applies to ISIS: Where one falls, another will take the reigns of terror.

With this knowledge, U.S. troops should feel more obligation than ever before to remain in Syria to assess the potential new threats that may arise.

Making this decision may not end the bloody war being fought in the Middle East, but it could be the next step in obtaining safety in America, and peace and diplomacy for Syria.

Noah Osborne, FCRH ’23, is a journalism major from Harlem, N.Y.

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Visit fordham.edu/mshs to learn more.

CULTURE Digital Dazzler Petticoat Talks Avant-Pop November 6, 2019

Page 10

By OLIVIA NANGLE

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A few months ago, I stumbled upon the solo project of San Francisco native David Halsey, aka Petticoat, on SoundCloud when he posted a link to his single “Ferrofluid” on the PC Music subreddit.

I was immediately hooked. I stalked his entire SoundCloud and Spotify discography, which includes his latest EP, “InFormat,” along with a handful of older singles dripping with dazzlingly ambient sounds and futuristic onomatopoeia-like titles like “Ointment” and “Mojito.”

Halsey creates quick and dreamy electronic tracks riddled with 8-bit samples and high pitched hooks, such as a track called “Whip” that could easily serve as soundtrack to the infamous Rainbow Road from “Mario Kart.”

The Fordham Ram had the chance to chat with Petticoat to discuss Madonna’s impact, niche Twitter and the future of pop, among other things.

Q: Would you say that PC music is incredibly ironic or deeply authentic in that it’s a genre that attempts to emulate a time period that’s passed?

A: I think it’s kind of ironic in that it’s an experiment with sound. You have these attributes that people might not altogether love, such as squeaky voices and bubblegum riffs, but it strikes a chord with certain people. It’s the identity of pop music. I think what PC music artists are doing is genius because, sure, sometimes it might sound crazy, but there’s no music that accentuates these characteristics of pop music.

It’s sort of a progressive vision of what music could be. Just like pop music from the early 2000s, like Brit-

ney Spears and Christina Aguilera, there is an eye towards futurism.

Q: What kind of music were your parents playing while you were growing up that influenced the music you make now?

A: There was a lot of Madonna.

My mom loved Madonna and Cher, but mostly Madonna. She had these two albums, “Ray of Light” and “Music,” which were her change to pop in the 2000s. My mom and dad loved Depeche Mode and a lot of ’80s new wave bands. That music had this very unique rhythm that I really liked. It’s something that strikes a chord with people and is fun to dance to, and I think at the core of it is why I connected with it so much.

Q: So I actually found one of your singles on the PC Music subreddit, have you been able to successfully connect with your ideal audience through this platform?

A: There’s actually been a lot of people who found me on there. At first, there was one post where someone said “recommend me some non PC music artists” and someone responded with “Petticoat” and then I found out. So now there’s been people hitting me up on Instagram asking if I can make music for them and stuff like that. So, that one little subreddit has been kind of crazy. I think the audience for PC music is definitely interesting. It’s also very eclectic, and they’re all die hard fans who like to troll, but it’s a really tight knit community with an interesting identity.

It’s also funny because I checked out some of them on Twitter and they share different memes that no one else has heard of. It lives and dies within their community, and I tried to quote them one time to my friends and everyone was so confused. I really thought it was a lot bigger.

Q: How and when did you learn to create and produce music?

A: I’ve been making music for, I think, nine years now. I went under a bunch of different monikers with a friend of mine, but we wanted to do something more interesting, so we decided to do solo projects.

Q: What’s your first step in writing a song?

A: My first step is usually the lead or melody. I try to get a barebone melody down and then I sprinkle it with little finite details that describe who I am. If you listen closely to my music you can hear these glitchy, 8-bit sounds which are actually sampled from “Final Fantasy,” which is a video game I used to play growing up. There are little things here and there, and these details show who I am and my personality. I love sampling different forms of media that are dear to me, so after a while I just layer until there is a product that’s a biproduct of my own creativity and ultimately who I am.

Q: Do you think pop music as a whole is headed in a more experimental direction?

A: I think pop music will continue to be experimental because people won’t want to hear the same thing over and over again. Recently, we’ve started to see world trends going to pop music like dancehall, Afrobeat and K-pop. We’re going very global, but that can only sustain the scene for a certain amount of time. Personally, I think pop music will start to cut back and go to the bare essentials, like simple drums and melodies. Just look at rap — it’s currently evolving and getting more and more stripped down. Kicks are being erased and being replaced with massive 808s, melodies are way simpler and the mixing of these beats are gritty and raw nowadays.

I think pop music is one of the

COURTESY OF PETTICOAT

Petticoat makes creative, experimental pop music on SoundCloud.

hardest genres to create because it’s popular music, and it has to strike a chord with a lot of people. It will become a lot more experimental, but it won’t happen fast. PC Music is a kind of crazy, off-balance strike of lightning movement, and obviously it’s going to separate people based on who likes it and who doesn’t. But I think PC music will root itself in what we are listening to in the coming years.

Q: How have other experimental artists influenced you?

A: Early on, I was a really big dubstep kid. I started listening in seventh grade, which inspired me to make music. I was with a friend and we started making dubstep which oddly built character. I loved building crazy sounds and landscapes. After a while, I started expanding my horizons.

Artists like Rustie, S-Type, Hudson Mohawke and SOPHIE (who all come from Scotland) helped me realize what music could really be.

Although electronic music is based around sound design, melodies and rhythms, you can also evoke messag-

es and feelings as well. These artists and many more find a way to express themselves sonically through melody and design, and that’s what makes them unique.

Q: Who are some artists you’ve been listening to lately?

A: Right now, I’m listening to a lot of ’80s music like Tears for Fears, Howard Jones and Soft Cell. I’ve also been listening to a lot of Arca, JME, J Stalin, Messy Marv, Dark0, White Armor, Yves Tumor, Madonna and Siba.

Q: What’s next for Petticoat?

A: The music that I’m working on right now is different than what I’ve released in the past. I’m focusing on some collaborations right now. I’m also putting my own vocals on my own tracks. Right now I find myself singing and editing in a sort of vintage style, with big choir-y effects and a bunch of delay. Basically, right now, I’m just creating, creating, creating and figuring out what I want to do next. In 2019, what you’ll find is more singing, more vocals and more thought-out tracks from Petticoat.

The Zodiac Renaissance: Not in Retrograde

By ELISE SOUTAR

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

It has been a conversation starter for decades: “What’s your sign?”

Through the years, the average person may have given a one-word answer and moved on, or not even known the answer at all. For many millennials and zoomers, though, the more appropriate question is, “What’s your chart, and what does Co-Star say about it?”

In the current sociopolitical climate of the United States, where almost nothing is predictable and everything feels out of control, higher powers like astrology have become appealing. And while astrology is not inherently religious, young people follow its teachings and belief systems with a devout fervor.

Though hearing the phrase “Mercury Retrograde” may induce eyerolls from some, it is empowering to people who believe that the planets decide our personalities. When I explain how the zodiac calendar works to others, more often than not, they are impressed by how accurate it is.

Applications like Co-Star, The Pattern and Sanctuary have brought astrology to the digital world, making

this ancient practice more accessible and taken more seriously than ever before.

For those who are not aware, apps like these take your birth chart information — date, time and location of your birth — and provide daily insights on everything your placements could possibly determine your life, from how well you’ll be able to communicate with others to how you behave in relationships. The Pattern, specifically, tends to offer advice for the long run, providing insight to what you might like the rest of your life to look like, whether personally or professionally.

Now for my own astrology journey. I always knew I was a Scorpio — gasp, I know, we’re the worst — but it wasn’t until a friend from high school, who was older and smarter, explained that astrology goes beyond just your sun sign, that I understood it all.

The basics: your big three are the most important placements. They consist of sun sign, which determines basic personality traits; moon sign, which dictates inner feelings and mood; and rising sign, which is based on the precise time of birth and determines outer appearance. For example, I am a Scorpio sun, Capricorn

moon and Aquarius rising.

As I read about these placements, as well as other more specific ones, everything began making sense. I’ve been hooked ever since. I follow dozens of astrology accounts on social media, own several books on the subject and have looked up an unfathomable number of birth charts.

It has reached such a peak in popularity, especially with people in their late teens and early twenties, perhaps because any person with an internet connection can discover their chart.

It’s free and easy.

And while astrology certainly doesn’t replace professional guidance or help, it does provide a path for those who feel helpless and are looking for answers. I would like to say that I take my astrology apps’ advice with a grain of salt, but I usually find the advice, or an app’s perception of my life, spot-on in weirdly specific ways.

I am fully aware of how ridiculous I might sound when I sing astrology’s praises, but it has provided new insight into my own actions and thoughts that I had never considered before. For that, I maintain my status as a believer.

For example, The Pattern once de-

scribed effects of childhood trauma and emotionally formative situations that perfectly matched ones I had as a kid. Imagine downloading an app in a harmless attempt to learn a little bit about yourself, and it starts digging up stuff like that.

It was accurate, though, and almost validating, as it gave me real advice about personal things I’ve either buried over the years or been too afraid to talk about.

Another time, a friend and I received different notes on what we look for in relationships, and they fit each of us scarily accurately. In fact, her post described — in extreme detail — things that were likely to happen to her in relationships when those exact things had just happened in her last long term relationship.

As many of my friends will tell you, I’m hard to impress or convince — it’s a Scorpio trait, after all — but it was so accurate for each person I showed that I couldn’t just write it off.

Sydney Drager, FCRH ’22, has similar feelings about the zodiac renaissance.

“I think it’s fun, and I think there are threads that everyone can relate to,” said Drager. “Astrology is acces-

sible and special for each individual.”

Madison Hennessey, FCRH ’20, agreed.

“I think that it’s nice to believe in a higher power controlling our lives,” said Hennessey. “It gives us some sense of direction where, otherwise, it might be hard to come by.”

With social media, astrology becomes immensely relatable and accessible, especially for people who may have never heard of anything about the stars beyond horoscopes or an introductory Astronomy course.

Celebrities, for example, by simply sharing daily messages from The Pattern on Twitter or Instagram, inspire their hundreds of thousands of fans to join in.

Culture publications like Garage and Vulture also regularly post about astrological phenomena, which not only introduces it to its readers but also legitimizes it in our culture as a whole.

There is a demand for astrologybased content that media outlets and companies are seemingly prepared to satiate.

As long as people continue to understand themselves better through astrology, I believe public interest in the stars will twinkle for many years.

CULTURE

November 6, 2019 “Inside Out” (2015) Set inside the mind of an 11-year-old girl whose five personified emotions — fear, anger, joy, disgust and sadness — guide her through life, “Inside Out” centers around a boldly abstract narrative. The animated comedy-adventure film teaches a profound lesson about emotions, arguing that it is important, and even beneficial, to feel sad. This insightful message sets “Inside Out” apart from other Pixar films and brings light to a topic that even movies geared toward adults rarely cover. Although younger viewers enjoy the movie’s bright colors and humorous dialogue, adults can appreciate the film on a deeper level, connecting to its candid discussions of mental health and emotional wellness.

Directed by Pete Doctor (“Monsters, Inc” and “Up”), “Inside Out” combines audacity, intelligence, humor and emotion in a classic film that will stay with viewers long after they have seen it.

“Boyhood” (2014) Filmed in secret over 12 years, “Boyhood” is a dynamic time capsule of American life and love, and the pain and sacrifices experienced by families.

Viewers are afforded the unique opportunity of watching the actors age before their eyes, giving the film a heightened sense of authenticity and emotion. Starring Ellar Coltrane, who was six years old at the beginning of filming, Ethan Hawke and Academy Award winner Patricia Arquette, the cast plays each of their roles with unbelievable truth and believability. “Boyhood” blurs the line between fact and fiction as it captures Coltrane’s life in real time while also interlacing powerful scripted elements such as a violent stepfather and his first heartbreak. To the surprise of many critics, the film lost the Best Picture Oscar to the less wholesome “Birdman,” yet it is still touted as one of the most ambitious and passionate projects of all time.

“Lady Bird” (2017) On the surface, Greta Gerwig’s solo directorial debut appears to be just another coming-of-age drama, filled with the usual milestones of prom, graduation and relationship problems. However, at its heart, “Lady Bird” is the story of the rebellious and fiercely independent Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) and her complicated relationship with her mother (Laurie Metcalf). In typical teenage fashion, Lady Bird struggles to find herself, hoping to become her own person while also pleasing her loving, yet critical, mother.

Both Ronan and Metcalf step completely outside of themselves and embrace their roles, with every scene between the two conveying the love and anguish of a mother-daughter relationship. Their acting performances, coupled with Gerwig’s ability to layer the film with humor, realness and warmth, make “Lady Bird” one of the decade’s best.

Page 11 “Moonlight” (2016) The 2017 Oscars Best Picture “mixup” scandal often overshadows the true legacy of “Moonlight” as one of the decade’s most timeless and powerful films.

Coming out as the winner of the Best Picture award, the drama is the heartwrenching tale of a young black man’s coming-of-age in a society that does not accept his color or sexual identity. Divided into three defining chapters of Chiron’s (Ashton Sanders) life, the film gives viewers a riveting and sometimes uncomfortable look into living outside the margins. Growing up from an awkward, nervous teen to a confident, openly gay adult, Chiron’s journey incites a heartfelt reaction and succeeds in telling the story of those in society who are often seen the least. Director Barry Jenkins urges audiences to look past appearances and stereotypical signifiers of identity in “Moonlight” and strikes a chord with anyone who has ever struggled to be seen.

“Bridesmaids” (2011) “Bridesmaids” is more than the average romantic-comedy. The powerhouse female cast, led by Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Rebel Wilson and Maya Rudolph, prove that women can be just as funny, and often even funnier, than men.

Making stars out of its lead cast, the film started a conversation in Hollywood about women’s comedy and opened the door for women in mainstream comedy productions. Due to the overwhelming success of the flick, studios began scrambling to find their own R-rated women’s ensemble comedies (becoming known as the “Bridesmaids effect”). The movie subtly broke boundaries, instead of focusing on the romantic relationship between a man and woman like most romantic-comedies: “Bridesmaids” centers around the friendship of two women in a sentimental yet hilarious manner. It set the standard for women in Hollywood in the 2010s.

REWIND THE 2010 s MOVIES: HOLLYWOOD EMBRACES DIVERSITY WRITTEN BY ALEXANDRA LANGE; LAYOUT BY KIERAN PRESS-REYNOLDS; PHOTOS COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

“Get Out” (2017) Although horror films are rarely featured on best-of lists because their predictable violence and thrills are not usually associated with high art productions, “Get Out” manages to combine the elements of a great horror film with social commentary and thought-provoking storylines. The modern horror movie is a satire on racism, told through the eyes of a black lead character (Daniel Kaluuya) in an especially relevant political climate. Kaluuya gives a sensational performance as a young black man who meets his white girlfriend’s parents and discovers a disturbing truth. Director Jordan Peele explores the theme of slavery and white domination over African Americans in his debut feature and exposes the real-life issue of missing black persons and racism in the United States.

The deep symbolism present in “Get Out” makes it a film that will be analyzed and reflected upon for years to come.

“Black Panther” (2018) “Black Panther” ventured beyond Wakanda and into uncharted territory in the Marvel universe even before its release. Featuring a predominantly black cast starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o, the film is the first time Marvel has fully embraced diversity and representation, and tells a story that actually means something to the real world, all while still fitting into the MCU. The film reimagines the black superhero, evident through the Afro-punk and Afrofuturism aesthetics, finely honed storytelling and celebration of black culture and heritage. Audiences were moved by the movie’s direct approach to issues affecting modern-day black life and the history of African-descended people struggling for freedom and autonomy amidst colonialism.

“Black Panther” set an intimidating new bar not only for the Marvel universe but also for Hollywood as a whole.

“Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015) Widely regarded as one of the greatest action movies ever made, “Mad Max: Fury Road” is as exciting as it is thoughtprovoking. The film is set in a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland that lacks the basic necessities of life and follows Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) and Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) as they flee from the tyrannical Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). It is a cinematic masterpiece. Director George Miller fought through a decade of production roadblocks to produce 480 hours of raw footage and 3,500 storyboards. While the stunts, visual-effects and chases are exhilarating, the most captivating element of the movie is its message. “Mad Max: Fury Road” offers an affecting look at the struggle to retain humanity in the face of survival, as well as a depiction of a powerful female warrior who contrasts the typical male-centered hero that’s popular in many films.

“Inside Llewyn Davis” (2013) The Coen brothers are undoubtedly two of the most creative and talented filmmakers in cinematic history, and their genius is no more apparent than in the 2013 film “Inside Llewyn Davis.”

Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival where it won the “Grand Prix,” it is both a portrait of the early ’60s folk music scene in Greenwich Village and the challenges faced by a gifted musician (Oscar Isaac).

The main character, Llywen Davis, faces countless hardships, from the humorous loss of his friend’s cat to the more serious loss of his musical partner, giving the movie a bleak and melancholic yet smart and funny tone that is characteristic of the Coen brothers. Not only are the film’s directors and cast noteworthy, but the soundtrack of “Inside Llewyn Davis” perfectly encapsulates the ’60s folk music scene and transports viewers to the dusty bars of the West Village and inside the mind of its protagonist.

“Inception” (2010) Director Christopher Nolan stretched the limits of the imagination in his 2010 psychological thriller “Inception.” Starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a thief who steals information by infiltrating the subconscious, the film leaves viewers in awe, making them question the way the world works and the power of ideas. Beyond its narrative, “Inception” celebrates the beauty of movies, as they allow us to dream with our eyes open. With its cross-cutting between different planes of existence and combination of different genres and groundbreaking visual effects, Nolan’s production is a testament to imagination. The film’s visual effects inspired a decade of flashy computergenerated images and mind-bending animations. On top of its cinematic impact, “Inception” resounded culturally, inspiring countless memes and a new suffix, -ception, which refers to anything with multiple layers of itself.

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RAM O’WEEN

November 6, 2019

COURTESY OF (LEFT TOP-TO-BOTTOM): KEVIN DINEEN, ALBERTO MENA, SUITS MORSE, ORLA DIVER COURTESY OF (RIGHT TOP-TO-BOTTOM): TEREZA SHKRUTAJ, KEVIN DINEEN, DYLAN BALSAMO

November 6, 2019

RAM O’WEEN

Page 13

COURTESY OF (LEFT TOP-TO-BOTTOM): ERICA SCALISE, KEVIN DINEEN, ERICA SCALISE COURTESY OF (RIGHT TOP-TO-BOTTOM): RACHEL GOW, RACHEL GOW, DYLAN BALSAMO

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CULTURE

November 6, 2019

Ramped Up With Chris Parkin

By KIERAN PRESS-REYNOLDS and RACHEL GOW CULTURE EDITORS

For this month’s “Ramped Up,” we featured Chris Parkin, FCLC ’20.

Parkin, a sophomore transfer to Fordham from Oberlin College, is an aspiring musician from Cape Cod, Mass. He was one of the first three artists signed to Ramses Records, a record label recently founded by two Lincoln Center students, Jordan Meltzer, GSB ’20 and Paolo Estrella, GSB ’20.

On the eve of Halloween, Parkin rode a Ram Van up to Tognino Hall and played two original tracks and one cover. You can watch the full performance on our YouTube channel, The Ram. After, the Ram interviewed Parkin to learn more about his musical journey.

Q: We’ll start with you telling us your major, your name, the basics.

A: My name is Chris Parkin, I am a senior at Lincoln Center and I’m studying general science (premed), but I’m also doing music in my free time.

Q: And how did you get started with music?

A: I’ve been playing music for most of my life. My parents had me start doing piano lessons when I was two or three. I picked up the violin in fifth grade. It wasn’t until I got to college after doing both of those that I started playing the guitar and singing, and I realized that I was really passionate about that.

Since freshman year, I’ve been playing around a little bit and doing gigs, and it brought me to the city [from Oberlin]. I started writing some songs and recording stuff, too.

Q: What was your first gig like?

A: Ah, it was very nerve-wracking. Most gigs I’ve done on the piano, it’s like you prep two or three songs, and you’re in front of a room

full of people, and it’s in a program, all very formal, but gigs… I do bar gigs and restaurant gigs, so you’re kind of going into this public space, and you have a three-hour time slot, so you have to learn like 40 songs. I remember I had this big binder because I hadn’t memorized my lyrics yet. I was flipping through it really fast. I was really nervous, just hoping I don’t forget any lyrics, hoping they like me. You get more comfortable as time goes on.

Q: Have you done most of your gigs solo?

A: Yeah, I started out solo with a

find people that are into the same sort of cover music you are, because then you have to do three hours of the same genre. It definitely lets you do different songs and connect with different people and do some cool things. I have a good friend from back home, his name is also Chris, we’ll do gigs together. We met in a songwriting class.

Q: What’s the process of writing a song like?

A: That’s a great question. There are the clichés where there isn’t one, but I think what’s great about songwriting is that you can’t really go

an organic thing, and it’s fun when it comes together.

Q: Can you talk a little bit about the music scene at Lincoln Center versus Rose Hill?

A: Yeah, so, being down there, I don’t know how songwriters are heard up here. At Lincoln Center, with school being so busy, there aren’t a lot of solo artists going around and advertising. There’s the a capella group, the F-sharps, which I’m a part of too. It’s part of the reason why Ramses Records was formed, to give this outlet to songwriters and let them be heard a lit-

KIERAN PRESS-REYNOLDS/THE FORDHAM RAM

Chris Parkin, FCLC ‘20, performed two original songs and one cover for episode two of “Ramped Up.”

loop pedal, kind of like Ed Sheeran.

He’s a big inspiration of mine. When I’m here for school, I play with my cousin sometimes, she’s a great singer, she lives in Long Island. We’ll meet up, do a couple duo gigs here and there.

Q: Do you like playing with other people? Do you think you’d want to join a band in the future?

Or are you just solo?

A: I think there’s definitely pros and cons to both of them. I love playing with people and jamming.

With gigs, sometimes it’s a hard thing to coordinate everything and

wrong with different approaches.

Sometimes, I’ll think of an idea walking down the street, and I’ll come home and hash it out on my phone. Sometimes, I’ll be sitting at my computer with my guitar playing the same couple of chords for an hour, and then something comes. Sometimes, I’ll start with a lyric that I’ve written down and go from there. It all kind of just comes together on its own. You just have to let it happen. Sometimes there’s a time crunch, where you have to force the creativity, but the great thing about songwriting is that it’s

tle bit more. Get their music heard around campus. With school being so tough, and the city being such a big place, it can feel overwhelming, and that’s why I’m grateful for these guys for starting this thing out.

Q: Do you take advantage of music within the city, like outside of campus?

A: For sure, one of my favorite things to do, and where I started, is open mics. There are so many. You can go five feet and hit five different open mics at all different bars.

You’re never too far away from a good club or music venue where

you can see live music for free. Even just walking through Central Park, you’ll see some of the most amazing people. It’s really inspiring to be able to do that, and it gives you a chance to meet people who are similar and like writing songs for every different genre.

Q: Do you have any funny music stories?

A: One thing that’s funny is my guitar strap will often come off the bottom, and then I’ll have to stand like a flamingo. That’s happened to me probably a dozen times now.

Q: Have you ever had a gig go horribly wrong?

A: My best friend’s grandmother’s birthday party. No one was listening. I wasn’t sure why, I thought maybe I sounded bad. A couple of my family members came up after and said, “No, you sounded great.”

That was the first thing that helped me realize, with live entertainment and gigs and bars, because it’s a public space, you kind of have to know you’re okay.

Q: Where do you see yourself going with music in the future?

A: I’ve spent the past year or so writing, and I’m recording stuff, so when I graduate [this Spring] I definitely plan on being in the city, or maybe being at home and building up my home base there. I plan on getting these songs recorded and released as an EP. Wherever I am, either home or here: growing my fanbase, working on my online presence and just trying to get my songs heard. Maybe get some radio play.

Keep on writing. I want to grow my YouTube channel, since online is such a big facet of music today. I want to take the time to grow and keep on developing a foothold wherever I can.

Follow Chris Parkin on Facebook (his name) and Instagram (@cparkin7). You can also find him on YouTube, Spotify, iTunes and Apple Music. His debut single, “That’s Alright by Me,” is now streaming.

The Maddeningly Mystical Aura of “The Lighthouse”

By SAM HADELMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Editor’s note: Spoiler warning.

When someone told me the best movie of the year was a 35mm black-and-white film detailing the complicated relationship of two men in a lighthouse, I thought they were joking. Little did I know, “The Lighthouse” would deliver.

The film centers around two characters — the only people in the entire film: Ephraim Winslow (real name Thomas Howard, as he reveals), played by Robert Pattinson and Thomas Wake, played by Willem Dafoe.

Howard is sent to serve as a wickie (lighthouse keeper) for a lighthouse for four weeks off the coast of New England, supervised

by Wake. The plot revolves around Wake’s seemingly mystical connection with the bulb in the lighthouse, which transfixes Howard. Over the course of the film, Howard loses his focus and sanity, leaving him mal-

leable to Wake’s mental manipulation.

The dichotomy of their relationship serves as the primary focus of the film. Feelings of isolation, wariness and inadequacy reign frequent in Pattinson’s and Dafoe’s correspondence throughout. This derives from the power dynamic between Dafoe and Pattinson.

Wake relies on the “Captain Ahab” character trope (circa “Moby-Dick”) throughout the whole movie, sprinkling his dialogue with stories of the high seas and military experience. Wake’s position gives him authority over Howard, and this is where the seeds of conflict are planted.

As Howard becomes more frustrated with his little capacity for power, his mental health crumbles.

This is set off when Howard murders a lingering bird that bothers him during his duties. Wake warns Howard that killing a seagull is bad luck and that it is the soul of dead sailors reincarnated.

Howard’s trek towards insanity continues when he finds a mermaid relic in his mattress. This relic begins to consume him and later in the film we see him violently masturbate to the figure multiple times.

This mermaid serves as the personification of Howard’s slipping mental state, as throughout the film, we see his visions of having sex with the mermaid.

This surrealism surrounding aquatic folklore is the backbone of the whole movie. The audience is left unsure: Is Howard truly descending into madness, or are there actually mythic aspects to the lighthouse and Thomas Wake?

As the film continues, the toxic nature of Wake and Howard’s relationship develops. Their stay in the lighthouse is extended when a vicious storm hits and the ferry to take Howard home never arrives.

Drinking is one of the more notable aspects of the film. Wake keeps Howard in a constant state of inebriation, making Howard easier to

influence. The film grows increasingly hectic as Howard and Wake continue to drink themselves into insanity, with their relationship almost reaching the brink of a romance. They almost develop an “older married couple” connection.

For example, Howard complains to Wake that he didn’t like his cooking, which upsets Wake. Later, when Wake shows that his feelings were truly hurt, Howard caves and admits he wasn’t serious.

The moment where the movie begins to flip itself upside down is the jarring confession from Howard. In this scene, Howard confesses to Wade that he has been using the identity of a man he had killed in his previous employment, and that he had been running from his dark past by becoming a wickie in the first pace. This triggers Howard to try to leave the island in an emergency boat, which is eventually destroyed at the hand of the axwielding Wade. This is when Howard’s delusion reaches the surface

of reality, and he is confronted with the past he has been so mindful to avoid and repress.

Howard finds a book of his shortcomings written by Wake, including times his pay should have been docked and jobs he may have done wrong. He then confronts Wake, and they have a physical fight.

During this battle, Howard continues to see visions of Wake as a sea creature modeled after Poseidon.

The end result of this bout is an axe in Wake’s head. Now, Howard finally has the opportunity to visit the lighthouse roof that he wondered about throughout the whole movie.

When Howard finally reaches the lighthouse and sees the beam, he is instantly consumed by it and sent rolling down the stairs. In the final scene of the film, we see seagulls eating his lifeless corpse.

This film is mostly up to interpretation. It’s genius. Viewers have no idea whose perspective to believe. When everyone’s losing their minds, who can you trust?

November 6, 2019

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Editor’s Pick | Soundtrack

The “Phineas and Ferb” Soundtrack Is Eternal

By KATIE MORRIS DIGITAL EDITOR

There are six days of finals.

There are 12 days of Christmas.

There are nine days of spring break. Most importantly, there are 104 days of summer vacation.

Source? My two close friends, Phineas and Ferb.

As a child, the untamed adventures of these iconic brothers reminded me to challenge the notions of possibility. Through the television screen, their show sent an open invitation to an entire generation of kids, encouraging us to escape the monotony of recess and spelling tests.

“Phineas and Ferb” fearlessly defended childhood joy with inventive problem solving skills, original plot lines and engaging musical performances.

The Disney Channel show beautifully normalized step-family relationships, expressed and validated a variety of personality types and interests and crafted complex characters who comedically reflected the same stereotypes which they frequently defied. However, the best part of the show is its seamlessly interwoven musical features.

The album “Phineas and Ferb” is a 37-minute compilation of 26 of the show’s impeccably crafted bops like “Gitchee Gitchee Goo” and “Perry the Platypus Theme.”

Each song tells a catchy story that enriches the adventure between

Phineas (half-Dorito, half-genius engineer), Ferb (soft-boy genius), Dr. Doofenshmirtz, Perry (a platypus bold enough to think he pulls off a fedora) and Candace (a ginger).

A true bop of 2009, “S.I.M.P (Squirrels in My Pants),” layers contemporary pop with rhythmic grit to emotionally express the widespread everyday struggle of having a squirrel in one’s pants.

The song is narrated by male vocalists who carefully balance stylized singing and relaxed rap.

However, the true star of the song is Candace, who provides

dynamic interjections with her exasperated plea, “There’s squirrels in my pants!”

As a listener, the emotional resonance of her powerful raw performance can be felt like squirrels in your own pants. Electrified percussion, deep male vocals and harmonic teenage girl shrieks create an energetic and always-needed rodent-awareness PSA. In “Ain’t Got Rhythm,” Phineas helps Sherman, the librarian, embark on a two minute journey to rediscover his innate rhythmic mastery. His soulful angst is heightened by campfire guitar

strums and instrumentals which wax and wane for dramatic intensity.

The song culminates in an intense and energetic mesh of strings and harmony between Phineas and Sherman that leaves you feeling like you also just rediscovered your own wicked groove.

My personal favorite is “Busted,” a duet juxtaposing the show’s two teenage female leads, Candace and Vanessa. “Busted” unites the melodramatic girlnext-door and the edgy goth queen by grounding them in

COURTESY OF FLICKR

“Phineas and Ferb,” a popular Disney Channel cartoon has, along with an entertaining plot, a high energy soundtrack.

shared glee of playful child antics.

The song’s percussive framework is flavored with technosynth elements that allow both girls to showcase their impressive vocal ability with infectious harmonies and perfectly placed belts.

“Busted” is decorated w ith harmonic interjections, vocal overlays and unexpected melodic runs that command you to temporarily substitute adulting with a carefree dance of youthful simplicity.

Each song on “Phineas and Ferb” is a high-quality musical exploration. This diverse compilation introduced our generation to musical elements of softEDM, jazz, blues, folk, surf and rock. The stories spread positive messages about acceptance and encouraged self-growth.

The show rewards optimistic creativity at a critical transition stage that begins to threaten unrestricted youthful imagination.

All in all, Disney created a timeless masterpiece with a lasting impression on our generation.

For decades to come, the adventures of this iconic fraternal duo will remain firmly canonized in my childhood nostalgia.

“Phineas and Ferb” created an impeccable commentary on absurdity by merging art with the lighthearted humor of childhood joy.

The Ram Crossword: Colleges and Other Words Across 1. Deer movie 6. To secure 10. Japan’s highest peak 14. Out of control 15. Vedic fire god 16. Oil source 17. Boys, in Bogota 18. ___ _ Wade (Supreme Court Ruling) 19. Farm sound 20. A Spooky Squash 23. ___ Miss

25. “No kidding?”

29. Japan currency 30. Human bone total, in Ro man numerals 32. Corn unit 33. Candy with nuts 37. Intersection of 1st Street and 1st Avenue, in “Seinfeld” 39. Source 40. Dance or dip 42. Fill with cargo 43. Nonbeliever 45. Argentine plateau 47. Eggs

50. Container 51. Game of love?

53. Cries of surprise 54. ___ Na Na (Doo-wop group) 57. Unseen holiday figure in Peanuts 61. Crimson Tide 64. Lone Star State school 65. Main artery 66. Cartoon bear 67. Blunt 68. Criticizes harshly 69. Red muppet 70. Check out 71. Toys with tails Down 1. Backwoods instrument 2. Sans Serif 3. Chop 4. To schedule 5. Answer to a knock 6. She smiles 7. “Ghostbusters” Spengler 8. Work without _ ___ (Daringly) 9. Not prerecorded 10. Shrek’s love 11. Ocean State school, abbr.

12. One of Michael’s girl friends in “The Office” 13. Tattoo 21. Cause of many disputes 22. Nose (prefix) 26. Longhorn 27. Certain Arabian 28. “By land __ ___”

29. Skywalker’s mentor 30. Off-brand Cokes 31. Anatomical sac 33. “You missed _ ___” 34. Get out 35. “Drake and Josh” antagonist 36. Trick or tease 38. Rich man 44. Gritty film genre 46. Riot squad gear 49. Fake

52. Mystery writer Marsh 53. Keeps the doctor away 54. Squirrel in “Ice Age” 55. Card player’s request 56. Samson’s weapon was the jawbone of __ ___ 58. Give _ ___ (yank) 59. Inform 60. ____-sci 61. Casual farewell 62. Gmail alternative 63. Famed movie studio

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November 6, 2019

“Terminator: Dark Fate” Not Destined to Failure

By GREG MYSOGLAND CONTRIBUTING WRITER

To echo what many other critics are saying, “Terminator: Dark Fate” is easily the best “Terminator” movie since the beloved “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” roared into theaters almost 30 years ago.

But to declare “Dark Fate” as nothing more than the best of the post “Judgment Day” efforts, the preceding three of which have ranged in quality from bland to abysmal, is to understate the films’ merit.

“Dark Fate” is better than just “not bad,” and while it probably won’t usher in a franchise renaissance the way “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” did,

it’s a legitimately enjoyable action adventure that benefits from a talented and committed cast, especially Linda Hamilton, who returns to her iconic role as Sarah Connor for the first time since “Judgment Day.” “Dark Fate” is, in reality, the sixth film in the franchise, but it acts as if it’s the third, ignoring its three most recent predecessors entirely in order to act as a direct sequel to “Judgment Day.” This is for the best, as it allows for one of the new film’s greatest strengths, namely that it is the first film since “Judgment Day” to try to push the franchise into new territory, even if it’s only incrementally successful.

The story of “Dark Fate” is far from innovative, replicating the structure of the first and second films entirely.

However, it manages to feel less repetitive by allowing “Judgment Day” and the original film to have some weight and lasting consequences.

The fact that a new AI ruins the future by using Terminators is so silly that the film can’t help but hang a lampshade on it. But at least it doesn’t negate the victory Sarah and her son won in the second film, a failure of “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.”

Skynet is at least well and truly gone, but that doesn’t mean the future is better off. The new AI threat uses the same tactics as its predecessor, sending a Terminator, specifically

COURTESY OF TWITTER

“Terminator: Dark Fate” stars Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger, pictured above, along with Mackenzie Davis.

an advanced Rev-9 model (Gabriel Luna) back in time to kill a leader in the human resistance, Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes), before she can become a problem.

Just as before, a lone warrior is sent to safeguard humanity’s hope: Grace (Mackenzie Davis) a soldier in the new future war with cyborg enhancements who will stop at nothing to keep Dani safe.

Soon after getting acquainted with one another, Dani and Grace are rescued by Sarah Connor, who, after a personal tragedy, has spent the years since “Judgment Day” hunting Terminators left over in our time.

Despite a rivalry between Grace and Sarah, the women agree to help each other to keep Dani safe and kill the Rev-9. And yes, they cross paths with an Arnold Schwarzenegger model eventually.

Another one of the great successes of “Dark Fate” is how it replicates the nonstop intensity that makes the first two films so endlessly enjoyable.

However, this is a bit of a doubleedged sword as it leaves some characters’ stories feeling half-baked given that the film is always rocketing towards the next car chase or gun fight.

Davis gives an impressive, vibrant performance, but Grace doesn’t really have much of an arc or many character traits beyond her strength or commitment to protecting Dani.

Dani essentially plays out the same arc Sarah had in the original film, going from just a regular, down-onher-luck woman, to a survivor and soldier.

But there are no new twists to this familiar tale. “Dark Fate” can’t help but be a little heavy handed with how often it reminds the viewer that Dani is a strong and capable woman, rather than simply allowing the viewer to recognize that for themselves as the first two films did with Sarah.

Hamilton and Schwarzenegger get meatier material to play with, and both are in top form. Sarah is once again a live wire brought to life

by Hamilton’s impressive physicality and Hamilton makes the character’s pain and anger palpable while also maintaining a dry sense of humor.

The film is always at its best when she’s on screen. Schwarzenegger’s latest character is one of the more interesting ones in the franchise: a Terminator that, having succeeded in its mission, has found a new purpose and is actively seeking redemption.

It’s a really interesting continuation of the idea introduced in “Judgment Day” that machines are capable of developing souls. Schwarzenegger gives one of his more nuanced performances in the role.

Unfortunately, “Dark Fate” probably isn’t fresh enough to reignite the franchise. It doesn’t give itself enough time to breathe and let its themes achieve complexity.

While much of the action goes back to the franchise’s gritty, brutal roots there are also one or two sequences of modern, more absurd spectacle that leave a lot to be desired.

But, overall, the film is a welcome return to form for the ways it prioritizes story, suspense and character.

Who’s That Kid? | It’s Emma Paolini, FCRH ’21!

Junior Reads Into a Future in Book Publishing

By SARAH HUFFMAN

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Imagine walking into work every day knowing there was a possibility you could meet John Green.

That’s how Emma Paolini, FCRH ’21, feels everyday at her internship with publishing giant Penguin Random House.

This internship is Paolini’s second with one of the big five publishers. Over the summer, she worked for Celadon books, an imprint of Macmillan. Before that, she worked for a small literary agency, helping her boss go through book submissions and passing on the ones that she liked.

Paolini’s career success thus far can be traced back to her passion for books, which she has been cultivating since middle school.

Her favorite thing to do between the ages of 11 and 14 was to go on the Scholastic message boards and look at the publishers of books she loved, she said.

In high school, she turned her interests away from books and publishing and focused her energy on a steadier career. She decided she was going to major in history, participate in mock trial and eventually go to law school.

“I thought that I really liked it, and then come freshman-sophomore year I got stuck in two history classes I did not like,” she said.

“I was like, obviously this is a sign that I don’t like history, what am I going to do now?”

It was a whirlwind combination of getting good grades in her current English class, a realization that she’s always enjoyed her English classes, and flyers to apply for a creative writing concentration that led Paolini to declaring her major in English. She also decided to apply for the creative writing concentration and joined Fordham’s literary magazine, The Ampersand.

“I would so much rather be working in publishing, not making a lot of money and maybe having to compete for a job, rather than going to law school, spending a ton of money to do something I don’t think I even want to do,” she said.

Paolini’s connections through The Ampersand helped her find her first internship with a literary agency. Through that internship, she learned that she did not want to work in editorial, but rather work in marketing and publicity.

Her connections through GO! helped her land her second internship with Macmillan, and she now works for GP Putnam Sons, an imprint under Penguin Random House that has published books such as “The Help” and “Where the Crawdads Sing.”

“The cool thing about publishing is that everyone who works in publishing does it because they love books,” she said. “No matter what, you always have something to talk about with people. So, I feel at home because I’ve been loving

books since I was little.”

Paolini said she is currently working on the campaign for a new book called “Such a Fun Age.” “At Putnam there are so many books that we’re marketing that I’m very excited about and when I was talking about ‘Such A Fun Age,’ I read that book, and I was like, wow, this book is really great and I want people to be able to read it and I want to get it into the right hands,” she said.

She said lately she’s been looking for Instagram book influencers, or “bookstagramers” and asking them if they want to read and review the book. She said she also got to write a press release for another book.

“I do a lot of work with bloggers and bookstagramers,” she said. “I mail the book to librarians and independent booksellers because those are a lot of people who do the heavy lifting of advertising for books.”

Paolini said she has learned a lot through her internships so far.

Professionally, she said she has learned a lot about social media and how to write succinctly. On a personal side, she said she has learned a lot about how to advocate for herself in a professional environment.

“It can be intimidating sometimes to go into an environment that’s kind of prestigious sometimes, and feel like you’re really out of your depth, but everyone’s in the same boat in terms of in-

ternships,” she said.

Paolini said she hopes to work at a publishing job similar to her current internship after graduation.

“I want people to know that following what you want to do, there’s usually a way,” she said. “Don’t let anybody tell you that what you want to do is unrealistic because there is a way. Those jobs exist and they’re going to need to be filled.”

Outside of working at Penguin Random House, Paolini is very in-

volved on Fordham’s campus. She runs the social media for both The Ampersand and Fordham Experimental Theater (FET) and is also a member of FET’s umbrella group Black Sheep Performance Poetry.

Paolini has participated in GO! trips and was an orientation leader for the last two years.

Her most recent read was “How Not to Die Alone” by Richard Roper, and she highly recommends it.

Emma Paolini, FCRH ’21 interns at Penguin Random House, focusing on marketing.

November 6, 2019

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Detoxing Instagram Culture: The Power Of Influencers

It is no secret that good nutrition and frequent exercise have benefits for both physical and mental health.

But in today’s world of Instagram models and detox trends, fitness can quickly enter the realm of the unhealthy and even the detrimental.

Some of the practices promoted by self-proclaimed fitness gurus on the internet can be harmful for your health in the long run. In addition, the stream of fitness images social media can promote unhealthy body images and lead to problems with self-esteem in its users.

A recent article from Fordham University at Lincoln Center’s The Observer highlighted the problems that social media influencers have in the realm of health and wellness.

Many of the diets and products that influencers promote to their followers are ineffective and even dangerous.

There is a significant financial incentive for these figures, as they are often paid to create posts showcasing the different diet or fitness products by their respective developers.

Instead of promoting brands they truly believe in, many influencers will choose the brands that pay them the most.

This behavior is especially problematic because of the large volume of young users on social media.

Young girls are especially prone to body image and self-esteem issues, and social media has only exacerbated the problem. These girls often do not know better, and they may

not possess the necessary skepticism older users have when it comes to these advertisements. Additionally, social media algorithms create a false sense of closeness with these influencers, fostering a trust that makes young users increasingly swayed by their posts.

Instagram, in particular, has allowed social media fitness gurus to thrive. Despite financial success, many of these fitness models have struggled with disordered eating due to the expectations they feel from their followers and other influencers. The constant flow of incredibly, and often unrealistically, thin and fit models can contribute to a worsened body image for users viewing the content.

Many celebrities like the Kardashian sisters have received backlash for their posts that promote these unhealthy dieting products such as detox teas or appetite-suppressing candy. These posts often hide the reality of the situation.

The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate dietary supplements like those promoted by social media influencers, thus leaving many potential dangers. Additionally, many of the diets promoted online can do more harm than good by cutting out crucial nutrients for the human body.

Actress Jameela Jamil, known for her role on “The Good Place,” has been an outspoken advocate against these celebrity-touted diet trends.

Jamil, has been open about her previous struggles with an eating disorder.

“The money is built on the blood and tears of young women who believe in them, who follow them, who look up to them like the big sister they never had,” said Jamil.

There is a level of trust that social media fosters that makes these advertisements even more effective, and even more dangerous.

Mental health can be just as negatively affected by this toxic diet culture as physical health is. One study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh named Instagram the worst social media platform for the mental health of young people (according to young people themselves).

One of the researchers noted that, platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat, which ranked in the two worst spots on the survey, “are very image-focused and it appears they may be driving feelings of inadequacy and anxiety in young people.”

Snapchat, another popular platform among young adults in particular, is even more focused on selfies and appearances than Instagram. In a similar manner, Snapchat has come under fire for the popularity of filters on the app that retouch user’s faces in a dramatic way. Researchers in Boston reported the rise of “Snapchat dysmorphia,” which they coined to describe the rise in self-esteem issues and body dysmorphia as a result of social media apps like Snapchat.

Is it possible to use social media in a healthy manner, considering all of these occurrences? In response to the public outcry against many of the platform’s elements, Instagram has pledged to make changes. As The Observer highlighted, Instagram will release a new update at the end of 2019 to “help college-aged students better process what they are exposed to on the app.”

One notable change that has recently occurred saw the removal of selfie filters on Instagram that mimic plastic surgery results. These filters

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Instagram influencers frequently promote detox teas to their followers.

included “Plastica,” which replicated the results of lip and cheek fillers, and “Fix Me,” which drew lines on the user’s face showing where a plastic surgeon might make changes.

Additionally, influencers now must declare when a post is being sponsored, usually with a “#ad” in the caption. With an awareness that this content is being paid for, users may be more skeptical about the product’s abilities and safety.

When it comes to physical fitness, a balanced and nutritional diet should be the highest priority, alongside healthy physical activity. Some Instagram fitness models have made it a point to post unedited photos or some taken from unflattering angles in order to show users that the perfection found in their images is impossible to maintain on a constant basis.

Mindset is key here: the goal should not be immediate and constant perfection, but instead, healthy progress. Social media platforms do have a responsibility to their users to mitigate the negative effects of the

app on self-esteem and body image.

The recent changes to Instagram are great examples of small alterations that can make a positive difference.

As Jeffrey Ng, Psy.D, director of Counseling and Psychological Services at Fordham University, told The Observer, Instagram is now changing its focus to be more mindful of mental health.Thankfully, with more open discussions about the mental health ramifications of social media, platforms have been able to make adjustments to improve the overall experience. However, it remains imperative that users are aware of the fabricated nature of the content on these sites.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues, do not hesitate to contact the following resources: Fordham University Counseling and Psychological Services (RH): 718-817-3725 Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741

“Harriet” Paints Image of Bravery and Perseverance

By KAYCIE SANTIAGO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“Harriet” (2019) is a film that has premiered at an opportune time in history. With Harriet Tubman under consideration to be featured on the 20-dollar bill and audiences celebrating increased representation of people of color in films such as “Get Out” (2017), “Black Panther” (2018) and “Us” (2019), “Harriet” provides viewers with another opportunity to celebrate African American history.

The film begins by following Harriet Tubman, then known as Araminta “Minty” Ross (Cynthia Erivo) during her last days on the Brodess plantation. It displays the horrors of the plantation and the profound impact it had on Tubman.

Through a series of divine visions and guidance from her father and the North Star, Minty manages to escape from the plantation in 1849.

To mark this new chapter of her life Minty changes her name to Harriet Tubman.

However, the prospect of enjoying her freedom while others remained bound to slavery moved her to take action. Despite the slight opposition

COURTESY OF TWITTER

“Harriet” chronicles the life of Harriet Tubman who risked her life to rescue slaves and lead them to saftey in the North.

she receives from William Still (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Marie Buchanan (Janelle Monáe) — who expose her to a world of black freedom and prosperity — Tubman embarks on a series of journeys to the south to help slaves escape from their plantations and experience freedom in the north.

Donning a disguise and naming herself “Moses,” Tubman rescues a great number of slaves with her wit and relentless determination.

Tubman faces numerous perils

that result from conducting her trips on foot throughout the night as well as the constant threat of being caught in a racist society that opposes the moral basis for her expeditions.

The montage sequences of the film juxtapose the lives the slaves are running towards and the lives they leave behind, effectively capturing the fastpaced and exhilarating nature of her quest.

Such sequences display the intensity of Harriet’s risks and how she must

evade those such as a ruthless Gideon (Joe Alwyn), the owner of her former plantation, and a chilling Walter (Henry Hunter Hall), a slave catcher.

The film also places viewers on the edge of their seats during the moments she is occasionally searched by white officials. This raises the stakes of Harriet’s fight for freedom and, after being admonished by William Still for her negligence, gives viewers a glimpse of her selfless devotion to freedom in spite of the brutal conse-

quences she may face. The film itself is a very powerful work rooted in a clear, straight-forward and linear story. The viewer, in examining this composition, is inclined to side with Tubman’s plight, and rightfully so.

In its insistence on glorifying Harriet as an idealized and saint-like figure, Harriet transforms into a melodrama which focuses on crafting an enlightening portrait of Tubman.

This portrait has some drawbacks as it favors Tubman’s idealized image in the media as the woman on postage stamps and history books, rather than focusing on portraying her as a realistic figure.

However, the film depicts Harriet as a brave woman who devoted her life to helping others acquire their freedom. Erivo’s performance captures Harriet as a “tough-as-nails” character and gives the audience many reasons to emotionally invest themselves in the plight of a figure that has long been neglected from the screen.

In spite of the occasional instances where dialogue may be a bit inexpressive and inaccurate for the time period, “Harriet” remains a graceful and moving work.

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November 6, 2019

The 49th Annual NYC Marathon: 26.2 Miles of Electrifying Energy

By TAYLOR MASCETTA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On a chilly Sunday morning, runners from all over the world huddled in Staten Island as they prepared for the race of their lives — the 49th annual New York City marathon.

The prestigious race occurred on Nov. 3 this year. The notoriously difficult 26.2 mile course begins in Staten Island and wraps through Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and The Bronx before culminating in Central Park. A record setting 52,813 runners finished the race on the brisk 45 degree morning.

This year’s marathon had many defining moments. A first time marathoner won on the women’s side, and a former winner came back to claim the title once again on the men’s side.

Joyceline Jepkosgei, 26, hailing from Kenya and the current women’s half marathon world record holder, told reporters her goal this year was simply to finish her first marathon.

In the end, she breezed across the finish line in a blistering two hours, 22 minutes and 38 seconds, claiming victory. Her time missed the course record by seven seconds, but regardless remains the second fastest performance in NYC marathon history.

Jepkosgei is also the youngest champion since Margaret Okayo, who won the 2001 marathon at age 25. To cap off her historic victory, Jepkosgei became the first woman to win both the NYC marathon and the NYC half-marathon.

“I didn’t really know I could win,”

Jepkosgei said to ESPN reporters following her victory. “But I was trying my best to do it, and to make it and to finish strong.”

Finishing 53 seconds behind her was reigning champion Mary Keitany, who collapsed following her finish.

Keitany, also from Kenya, is a fourtime champion of the NYC marathon. Other notable finishers include 2018 Boston Marathon champion Desi Linden, who placed sixth overall in 2:26.49. Other top American finishers include Kellyn Taylor in seventh and Alpine Tuliamuk in twelfth.

On the men’s side, Kenyan Geoffrey Kamworor, 26, returned to the NYC Marathon with a vengeance.

Kamworor, who won in 2017 and placed third last year secured the victory, crossing the line in two hours, eight minutes, and 13 seconds. He pulled away from second place finisher, Kenyan Albert Korir, with two miles to go.

Following the race, Kamworor credited his training partner and mentor, Eliud Kipchoge, with inspiring him to pursue the victory. Kipchoge, the current men’s marathon record holder, broke the seemingly impossible two hour mark in an unofficial marathon earlier this month, where he was aided by elite pacers and advanced technology.

Last year’s champion, Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa, dropped out of the race around seven miles in. According to officials, he felt tightness in his hamstring.

The United States’ top finishers include Jared Ward, who placed sixth

in 2:10.46 and Abdi Abdirahmran, who finished ninth. Abdirahman, 42, bested his own age 40-and-up record today.

Along with the winners, many members of the Fordham family — current students, professors and alumni alike — raced the 26.2 mile trek.

Fiona Danyko, FCLC ’20, said the marathon was a huge milestone.

Danyko decided to compete in the NYC marathon with her best friend, Aislinn Keely, FCRH ’20, her sophomore year. The pair met when competing on their high school cross country team their freshman year, and running the NYC marathon has been a dream for them ever since.

Going into the race, Danyko said she didn’t want to focus on hitting a certain time. Instead, her goal was to enjoy it.

“I was happy that I made sure to take moments to smile and enjoy myself, since that can seem impossible during 26.2 miles,” she said.

“The race felt like a celebration, and it really made me feel like a part of the New York City community.”

The marathon’s atmosphere demonstrated NYC’s lively, all-inclusive spirit. Crowds of thousands of supporters cheered the runners on for miles upon miles, motivating them to keep going. Danyko said the immense amount of support, whether it was a shared smile with a stranger, receiving mid-race orange slices or hearing motivating words of affirmation, helped push her to the finish line.

Danyko said the defining moments of her race were seeing Fordham friends and family on the sidelines, cheering her on through every step. The final stretch of the race — which is usually referred to as “hitting the wall” — can feel impossible, but Danyko’s mother, her mother’s friend and another family friend pushed her through the last grueling miles.

Along with her family and friends, many Fordham students traveled to the various boroughs to support their fellow students. At one point, Danyko said she called out to a group of Fordham spectators and they responded with delight and high-fives.

Every year, the NYC marathon illustrates the beauty of the NYC community. The trek through the five boroughs expresses the diversity of New York City and the people electrify the air with trademark excitement and encouragement.

For Danyko, the race was a truly unforgettable experience.

“From the moment the cannon went off in Staten Island and ‘New York, New York’ started playing over the speakers, to crossing the finish line in Central Park, it was clear that the only place in the world that could produce that kind of an environment is New York City,” she said.

COURTESY OF FIONA DANYKO

Fiona Danyko, FCLC ’20, runs her first NYC marathon with the help of family.

“Motherless Brooklyn” Stumbles to Success

By ALEX DICKISON

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“Motherless Brooklyn” is really two movies in one. The first, a character-drama of private eyes and highpowered robbers, an assortment of colorful city-dwellers. The second, an almost documentary-like take on the political and economic life of a 1950s New York, a slight fictionalization of the famous faceoff between plucky tennis shoe-wearing old-lady activists

and the authoritarian construction regime of Robert Moses and his automotive dreams.

Director Edward Norton stars in this sprawling two and a half hour adaptation of Jonathan Lethem’s 1999 novel of the same name. Norton plays Lionel Essrog, a middle-aged partner of a small private detective firm, and an orphan since age six who was taken under the wing of his current boss and the firm’s top detective, Frank Minna, played by a beefy Bruce

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“Motherless Brookyln” features a detective who uses his quirks to his advantage.

Willis.

Lionel is a classic case of the mentally disturbed genius: he has an inhuman skill for memory and recall, his eyes and ears functioning as human security cameras, but at the price of uncontrollable physical and verbal tics and a deep-seated obsession over details. He blows out matches when lighting a cigarette until he gets the sound of the flame right and he shouts out swears and half-formed thoughts like a man with Tourette’s syndrome.

The film begins with Lionel and his partner Gil Coney (Ethan Supplee) on assignment in upper Manhattan, sitting in a car together, working on a job that Minna lined up. Norton immediately pipes in as a narrator, setting the scene for the audience: between this and some acrobatics with the adapted screenplay (written by Norton), the choicest lines from the novel are squeezed into the film, to a satisfying-if-hammy effect.

After overacting through the first five minutes to drive home the strangeness of Essrog’s broken mind, Norton gets the action rolling. Four men show up to meet with Minna, unaware of the presence of Lionel and Gil backing him up.

Minna had declined to tell his underlings anything about this latest assignment that he’d been working on, but whatever it was, things go south

quick. One car-chase later and Lionel and his detective friends are left with a dead Bruce Willis and a jig-saw whodunit puzzle which Essrog, with his photographic memory, is conveniently well-equipped to solve.

This actor-directed film begins with a relentless emphasis on characterization that manifests itself clearest through a lot of put-on Brooklyn accents and angry shouting, revolving around the core of spastic Norton’s antics.

This drive continues throughout the film, partly thanks to its starstudded cast, but nevertheless cedes ground to a muddy political question that serves as the lynchpin of the initial murder mystery.

Some quick sleuthing turns Essrog and the remainder of his firm onto a cluster of activists working under a Jane Jacobs-esque Gabby Horowitz (Cherry Jones) to fight menacing Moses Randolph (Baldwin), the unelected and uncrowned shadow king of New York City construction.

Randolph’s plans, like the real life Robert Moses, involve systematically evicting lower-income and minority residents in an effort to pave the way for an automobile-friendly New York — an all-white metropolis of highways and bridges built through quasi-legal “slum renovation.”

It’s a vision of racial strife and total greed that barely exists in the movie

outside of the speeches the political characters make. The racism common to the film’s 1950s setting is concentrated in the Trump-like figure of Randolph-Baldwin, giving the impression of a whole city’s worth of boiling racial hatred as product of one nasty supervillain, rather than the reality of an inherent structural inequality that enabled Moses to play God over the city’s highways in the first place. The resulting political drama thus ends up as unconvincing as it is uninteresting.

There’s a similar confusion over the time-period of the movie-image.

The cinematographers equivocate between present-day and the ‘50s, in which the film is supposed to be set.

The cast dresses for their part, and the props are there, but the video itself is too glossy and realistic. The film manages a noirish sheen, but only by virtue of a jazzchoked soundtrack and copious VFX: dark mist-filled angular shots of the Brook l y n Br idge; dimlycolored drug-induced hallucinatory dreams of Essrog as he fitfully sleeps through the Long Island night.

It’s thanks to both these kind of nostalgic shots and — despite a schmaltzy love affair thrown in there at the end — the classic thrill of a detective putting the pieces together that the film ends up being pleasurable.

SPORTS

November 6, 2019

Football Comeback Attempt Falls Just Short at Lafayette

By DYLAN BALSAMO

Page 19

Beyond the Scoreboard: Concussions in Sports

By DYLAN BALSAMO

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Any fan of Fordham Football, casual or devoted, would agree: just when you thought you were out, they pull you right back in.

In what was perhaps a seasondefining game for the Fordham Rams on Saturday, they went into Lafayette looking for their fourth win and instead left with their sixth loss, dropping an afternoon matchup with the Leopards at Fisher Field in Easton, Pennsylvania by the ultimately close score of 34-31. The Rams fell to 3-6 on the year, including a 1-2 record in the Patriot League, while Lafayette improved to 2-7, with their 2-1 Patriot League record putting them ahead of the Rams in the conference standings.

It was one of four Rams’ games in 2019 that ended up being decided by a margin of four points or less, with three of those games ending up on the right hand side of the Fordham record. The fourth quarter looked to be what could be defined as a comeback for Fordham. An incredible and improbable comeback, perhaps even season and momentumshifting. But even when it comes to comebacks, it’s how you finish.

Getting started immediately after winning possession of the opening kickoff, the Leopards took 12 plays to get their kicker Jeffrey Kordenbrock to nail a 31-yard field goal and get Lafayette a 3-0 lead before the Rams could even touch the ball.

On the kickoff return following the 31-yarder, Fordham’s freshman receiver Dan Byrnes fumbled the ball after carrying it 15-yards, and Lafayette recovered it to take back possession. Rams’ sophomore quarterback Tim Demorat and his offense were yet to set foot on the gridiron, and the Leopards were well on their way to getting back on the board. In a little over 90 seconds, Lafayette ran five plays and put running back Selwyn Simpson in the end zone on a 14-yard run for a touchdown.

The first quarter was less than halfway done. It was 10-0 Leopards.

Fordham took a three and out possession in their offense’s first time on the field before the defense came back on and allowed one more touchdown before the opening 15 came to a close, as Lafayette receiver Julius Young caught a 10-yard pass from his quarterback Keegan Shoemaker and made the score 17-0.

The Rams had to come speeding out of the gates on their next drive if they wanted to give themselves a fighting chance in the rest of the game, and they did. As the first ended and the second began, Fordham finished up 68-yard drive with a 10-yard run from junior rusher Zach Davis and put the Rams back in the conversation by making the score 17-7. Going back and forth for the remainder of the quarter, the Leopards were able to secure one more score before halftime approached, as receiver Jordan Hull took in a 6-yard pass from Shoemaker with 33 seconds on the clock, bringing the score to 24-7 Lafayette before the Rams and leopards would take their trips to their respective locker rooms.

We’ve all heard the stories before. We’ve read and heard about all of the different examples of head trauma suffered by pro athletes, specifically from football players. We’ve all heard the acronym CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and then proceeded to Google what exactly the phrase stands for and means. We all then had our reservations about continuing to watch football and supporting the NFL, and we’ve all had our reservations about children playing it. We all saw the film “Concussion” and then got upset when Will Smith was not nominated for an Oscar. We have done all of that.

From all of these things, the American public as a whole seemed to come to some kind of general consensus that this is a problem that we only have in American football.

But the fact of the matter is that head trauma is an issue that affects much more than the gridiron.

It’s common on the Internet to see photos and memes of a football or soccer player down on the field clear in pain with an injury juxtaposed next to hockey player, presumably after a hit or a fight, usually with a busted up, bloody nose and/or missing or broken teeth, still on his feet, and on skates no less, headed to the penalty box with almost no help. These images are a clear way of trying to assert that hockey players are just tougher than athletes of other sports.

Not to mention that they are, presumably, tougher in a sport that some may consider to be just too dangerous.

But that is what an outsider looking in would think. When you look inside, the National Hockey League’s history of confronting and dealing with the physical health of their players in such a physical sport is laughable and one of pure ignorance and denial.

Hockey is a historically physical sport. The first Stanley Cup was awarded in the 1910s, and mandatory wearing of helmets of players is an idea that is only a couple of decades old. It’s also the only sport where fighting, specifically of the one-on-one fashion, is not incredibly abnormal of an occurence and one that coaches, analysts and even referees do not particularly bat an eye to. Refs will try to break up the fights, if ever so meekly, and will give each player involved five minutes in the penalty box, but that is the extent of it. The fighting goes on, and the trend does not seem to be dying out any time soon.

These fights have had their effects. Take two NHL stars from the late 1980s and through the ‘90s: Todd Ewen and Bob Probert.

The two were known as a couple of the league’s most frequent, and one might even say prolific, fighters, and they even fought each other on an occasion or two.

Before either of them had reached 50, they had both passed on.

These are not just two isolated cases. In 2013, a class-action lawsuit of 10 former NHL players was filed against the league, with plaintiffs claiming that they had suf-

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Fordham Football now fall to 1–2 in the Patriot League standings.

Needless to say (or write), things were looking bleak during halftime for Fordham.

As the break came to an end, and the squads came out to begin the third quarter, things seemed to be looking a little better for the Rams. Their third quarter put them right in position to leap back into the game.

Having first licks at the ball in the second half, they opened up with a 67-yard drive that resulted in an 18-yard field goal kick from junior kicker Andrew Mevis, and the Rams put themselves back in striking distance down by two TD’s. After holding the Leopards on their next drive, Fordham allowed another Lafayette touchdown with a little over five minutes to play in the third, bringing the difference back to 21 points.

Four minutes later, the Rams were able to round out the quarter with another touchdown, this one being a pass from DeMorat to freshman receiver Dequece Carter for 17 yards, meaning Fordham trailed by two touchdowns with 15 minutes to play.

That is when things got interesting. The Rams exploded in the fourth in a most improbable of fashions. Less than a minute into the quarter, Fordham finished up a march downfield of 61 yards in only three plays, as junior receiver Hamze El-Zayat caught a six-yarder in the end zone. It was another touchdown pass on the afternoon for DeMorat, and it put the Rams within a scoring play.

After forcing the Leopards to punt, the Rams got the ball back, and on that very next possession, they tied the game. DeMorat threw another one, this one to freshman tight end Jeff Ciccio from 15 yards out, completing another successful drive of at least 50 yards. This one only took six plays to get the job done.

They at one point trailed by 21.

Now, Fordham was in the middle of a tied game in the fourth quarter.

And then, the improbable and unpredictable continued. At the Lafayette 27, Shoemaker threw a pass that was picked off by fifthyear defensive back James BiggsFrazier who returned it for five yards. The Rams had the ball back.

They needed just three plays before Mevis was in position to send a 42-yarder through the uprights to make the score 34-31 in favor of Fordham.

If you had looked away for a little while, you would have thought the Rams’ chances at a third win on Saturday were well over. Now they had the lead

with 3:36 left on the game clock.

But it’s when you’ve been pulled back in, that teams can ultimately break your heart again.

Upon getting the ball back, Lafayette moved the ball 75 yards and grabbed a go-ahead and ultimately game-deciding touchdown when Simpson ended a 10-yard run in the Fordham end zone.

With 1:48 left to get the ball back and score, the Rams did not have enough time. The Leopards walked off of the gridiron with a 38-34 victory in hand.

Despite a comeback of incredible stature, giving a seven-loss team its second win of the year when the road ahead only gets tougher is not a result that Fordham can walk away from happily.

“We didn’t play very good football today,” is what Rams head coach Joe Conlin had to say about the loss. “I liked the way we fought back but we created our own problems with a slow first half. We need to come out with more energy and play a complete game.”

Obviously, these remarks do not come out of nowhere. Playing a full and consistent game has been Fordham Football’s achilles heel all season, and the squad totalling just one good half of a football game has not been uncommon in 2019.

But despite that, there were of course bright spots for the Rams in a game where they put up 34 points. The team had a total of 383 offensive yards, and DeMorat made 23 completions for 315 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. “[He] stood tall and made some good throws,” Conlin remarked on his quarterback. “He was able to keep some plays alive with his feet and get us back in the game but we couldn’t stop them at the end.”

But when it was all said and done, the Leopards just hit over 500 yards in total offensively.

Not to mention that the defense held Fordham’s sophomore running back Zach Davis, who has made 100-yard games a regular occurrence this season, was held to just 34 yards on the ground on Saturday afternoon.

This was a game Fordham had to win. And they didn’t.

Up next for the Rams: a meeting with the Colgate University Raiders in Hamilton, New York at Andy Kerr Stadium at 1:00 on Nov. 9.

After that game comes Holy Cross and Bucknell to close out 2019.

If Fordham wants to squeeze out wins in these final three games, it’s going to be a difficult road.

fered severe head injuries during their careers and hockey executives had been ignorant, dismissive and negligent to their conditions.

You may not have heard much about hockey’s history head trauma before reading this. In full truth, as a hockey fan, I will admit that I did not personally know much about the brevity of the situation until very recently.

Of course, there has been plenty of justified hullaballoo regarding head trauma in sports, but most of that coverage and public knowledge is geared in the direction of football and the NFL. In true hockey fashion, even the NHL’s health scandals are overshadowed by football.

In 2018, over 100 former NHL’ers have thrown their names onto the lawsuit, and that number continues to grow. Now, obviously, none of these players are sure to have CTE, as the disease is only detectable in the brain after a patient has died. But eight former players that have since passed on have been found to have CTE upon completion of their autopsies, including Probert, former Ranger enforcer Derek Boogaard and Hockey Hall of Famer Stan Mikita. You would think that would be enough to give the players involved in the suit leverage to get the NHL to admit wrongfulness, give them compensation and further protocol regarding head injuries and discipline for violence.

But one major thing has gone wrong for these players in their quest for justice. Todd Ewen was an activist and important public figure for the NHL’s image after his retirement, and after he tragically took his own life in 2015 following years of memory loss, spurts of anger and self-imposed isolation, it was revealed that he actually did not have the disease.

Hockey executives took that and ran with it. They used the results of Ewen’s as an excuse to stay static and claim there is no evidence that the league has wronged the players in any way. Ewen’s death, they claimed, was a suicide and had nothing to do with anything wrong in his head.

A suicide that was not caused by anything wrong in the head. That’s an almost Euthyphroian flaw in logic.

The NHL is going to have to admit that the death of a humanitarian like Ewen may not have exactly been CTE, but it was clearly in some way related to head trauma.

They are denying reality by refusing to confess that perhaps the violence of their game causes issues.

That’s a difficult concept for anyone involved in professional sports to take a gulp and admit, even in other sports with violent tendencies like rugby and even soccer.

Sports still has that innate mentality of intensely physical theatrics that has been there since the days of the ancient civilizations.

But if the Greeks and Romans had our doctors and technology, perhaps they would not have jousted either.

The National Hockey League is already technically the least popular of the major North American professional sports. The last thing they need is for this scandal to continue to snowball.

SPORTS

Page 20

Men’s Basketball Falls to St. Francis Brooklyn

November 6, 2019

Men’s Soccer Beats SLU to End Season

By ANDREW POSADAS

By ANDREW POSADAS

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Head Coach Jeff Neubauer said before Tuesday evening’s homeopener against St. Francis College of Brooklyn that the Terriers were a “dangerous team” and overlooking them would only result in an early upset loss. St. Francis ended up giving the Rams all they could handle at the newly-renovated Rose Hill Gym, but it was not enough to keep Fordham from overcoming a 14-point deficit and beating the Terriers, 68–59.

This was the 36th meeting alltime between Fordham and St. Francis, with the Rams coming into the contest holding a 24–12 series edge. The rivalry dates all the back to the 1905–06 season with the Rams enjoying a 76–68 win at Rose Hill in Dec. of 2017.

Fordham came into Tuesday’s game without two key players, sophomore guard Jalen Cobb and sophomore center Onyi Eyisi, both serving a one-game suspension for undisclosed reasons. Fortunately, the Fordham defense was up to the task of compensating for the loss of perhaps its two best defensive players. The Rams forced 14 turnovers in the first half and shot over 50% from the floor. One might assume that the great defensive prowess on Fordham’s part would correlate to success on the offensive end.

However, Fordham struggled from beyond the arc as well as from the free-throw line, leaving the door

Going into its matchup over the weekend against Saint Louis University, Fordham Men’s Soccer knew it had already clinched a berth in the Atlantic 10 Championship. What remained uncertain for head coach Carlo Acquista and his team was where they would end up seeded going into the tournament. In order to earn a top-four seed and the right to host a quarterfinal match, the Rams needed a win Saturday along with some help from other A-10 results.

At best, Fordham could still finish as high as the third seed.

However, the Billikens had just as much to play for, considering the team was in position to earn the top seed in the Championship with a win against the Rams. Saturday marked the 11th meeting all time between Fordham and Saint Louis, with the Billikens holding a 7-3 edge in the series.

Despite being on the road in a hostile environment, Fordham rose to the challenge by controlling possession in the first 25 minutes of regulation. The Rams were able to get off five shots in that span, including two great chances by senior forward Johannes Pieles. Fortunately for Saint Louis, goalkeeper Patrick Schulte looked up for the task as he came up with crucial saves early on.

The Rams aggression on offense would finally pay off in the 34th minute. Saint Louis tried clearing the ball near the top of its own 18-yard box, but freshman midfielder Adrian Valentine had other ideas. Valentine was able to deflect the clearance, and the ball ended up on the foot of graduate student forward Tomer Zloczower. Zloczower wasted little time, ripping a shot inside the right post and past Schulte,

ALEX WOLZ/THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham Men’s Basketball came back from a double-digit hole to win on Tuesday.

open for St. Francis to stick around.

Despite foul trouble to the Terriers two best players, the road team hung in with Fordham by shooting well from the floor. What many fans thought would be a potential blowout turned out to be an evenly-contested game. At halftime, both teams went into its respective locker rooms tied up at 30–30.

In the second half, St. Francis threw a haymaker in Fordham’s direction behind multiple three-point shots, taking control of the game and earning a double-digit lead. At one point, the Terriers were up 14 points with a little under 14 minutes left in regulation. However, unlike last season, this year’s men’s basketball team did not fold under the pressure.

Behind redshirt Junior Chuba Ohams Jr.’s double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds, the Rams were able to go on a quick 8–0 run

to cut into St. Francis lead. A key second-half adjustment by Neubauer was giving junior forward Ivan Raut and senior guard Ertan Gazi more minutes down the stretch. Raut added 15 points, including two massive three-pointers in the final three minutes to put the game away for good. As for Gazi, he thrived in the sixth man role, chipping in 11 points and three rebounds.

Fordham starts off this season on the right track, and with a relatively light non-conference schedule, an auspicious start is very much realistic for Neubauer’s squad.

Fordham Men’s Basketball has nearly a week off before its next game, as it will look to improve to 2–0 when the team hosts Fairleigh Dickinson University on Nov. 13.

The game will take place at Rose Hill Gym and can be seen exclusively on ESPN+.

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for his first goal of the season to give Fordham a 1–0 lead.

Coming out of halftime, Saint Louis looked poised to turn the tables on Fordham and show some offensive aggression of its own. The Billikens outshot the Rams 12-2 in the second period, giving captain senior defender Joergen Oland and his defensive back line all they could handle for 45 minutes.

The Rams needed a stellar performance in goal, and graduate student Konstantin Weis delivered by having arguably his best match of the season. Weis came up with four critical saves in the second half, not to mention perhaps the biggest save of the entire match. In the 88th minute, Saint Louis midfielder Matteo Kidd looked to have the equalizer when his shot seemed destined to sneak inside the right post.

However, Weis made an incredible diving save to deny Kidd and preserve Fordham’s lead.

Nearly 45 seconds later, Zloczower used great individual effort to add an insurance goal for the Rams, ensuring its biggest road victory of the season. The win improved Fordham to 5-2-1 in the A-10, earning them the fifth seed in the championship.

The bad news is that Fordham now has to play its upcoming quarterfinal match this weekend on the road. The good news is the Rams opponent is the same team they just defeated in Saint Louis.

Beating a team twice on their home field is no easy task, but the Rams will have incredible motivation to do so, knowing that this year’s A-10 Championship is being held at Jack Coffey Field.

Fordham Men’s Soccer is back in action on Saturday afternoon, going on the road again to face Saint Louis, this time in an A-10 quarterfinal matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. and can be seen exclusively on ESPN+.

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Fordham Men’s Soccer heads into the A-10 playoffs on a high note.

SPORTS

November 6, 2019

Kutch Finishes Second at A-10s for Cross Country

By JIMMY SULLIVAN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Senior Nicholas Raefski (above) earned all-Atlantic 10 honors on Saturday.

Ryan Fahey (104th — 27:58.6).

Over on the women’s side, the team finished 11th out of the 14 teams competing in the tournament.

Freshman Alexandra Thomas was the best finisher for head coach Brian Horowitz’s team, coming in 26th place with a time of 18:59.0. Senior Sydney Snow was the other top-50 finisher for the Rams with her 43rdplace time of 19:12.0.

After Thomas and Snow, other competitors for Fordham included sophomore Bridget Alex (70th — 19:49.9), freshman Taylor Mascetta (71st — 19:50.4), senior Kataryna Krzyzanowski (80th — 20:02.0), freshmen Sarah Rubenheimer (102nd — 20:35.2) and Nicoleta Papavasilakis (104th — 20:38.5) and juniors Maeve O’Connor (120th — 21:14.5), Julia Herms (124th — 21:30.5) and Bridget White (128th — 21:52.5).

This performance by the Rams

leads them into the NCAA Regionals in Buffalo, N.Y. on Nov. 15. It also wraps up the first Cross Country regular season under head coach Brian Horowitz, who took over for Thomas Dewey in the offseason.

“Coach Horowitz has done a great job in his first season so far,” Kutch said. “The freshmen have also stepped up and have worked hard to make the travel meets and score for us at meets. We still have two big races to go, so we are excited to showcase what we have for those meets.”

Those two big races are the NCAA Regionals and the ECAC/ IC4A Championship at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx on Nov. 23.

The team will take the next few days to get ready for both of those events.

“This year was the highest team finish [at A-10s] and we had a super young team,” Kutch said. “I am happy where the team will be in the future.”

Volleyball Outside A-10 Playoffs

By GIGI SPEER

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

After a win against Duquesne on Friday and a loss to La Salle on Sunday, the Fordham Women’s Volleyball team remains eighth in Atlantic 10 play, two spots shy of the tournament held later this month.

On Friday, the squad took the win 25–21, 18–25, 25–17, 25–18 against a tough opponent. With confidence and composure, they finished with their secondlowest number of errors on the season and showed a glimpse of their preseason offensive prowess, hitting at a .244 clip for the first time since mid-September.

Everyone stepped up and competed well throughout the match, as sophomore outside hitter Joey Landeros finished the contest with a season-high 11 kills to add to junior outside hitter McKenna Lahr’s 17 and junior right-side hitter Olivia Fairchild’s 12.

Senior libero Morgan Williams continued to be a defensive weapon for Fordham, setting a new single-season record with 505 digs, to edge out the previous high-water mark, set

by Stephanie Frost in 2007. Williams also won Defensive Player of the Week last week, and is a top-10 player in the country, with 6.08 average digs a set, putting her at top-five in the nation.

On Sunday against a stronger opponent, the Rams came out hot, taking the first set 25–19.

However, La Salle answered back with a 6–0 run at the end of

Rowing Concludes Fall Season

By ALEX WOLZ

SPORTS EDITOR

Fordham Cross Country competed in the Atlantic 10 Championships on Saturday at Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg, Va. The men’s team finished in third while the women finished 11th out of 14 teams.

Senior Ryan Kutch entered the event looking to defend his A-10 crown from a season ago. He was outstanding once again this season, but finished behind St. Joseph’s Zachary Minion by four seconds for first place. Kutch earned all-Atlantic 10 honors for his performance, as did fellow senior Nicholas Raefski, who finished 15th with a time of 25:46.9. Both seniors wrapped up their Fordham Cross Country careers in style on Saturday.

“I am most proud of having the best team to push me each cross country season,” Kutch said. “We always came into the season with big goals each of my four years. Although that goal wasn’t necessarily always hit, we still put in the necessary steps to get there.”

Other finishers for Fordham were freshmen Kyle Flood and John McGovern, who finished in 26th and 27th, respectively. Sophomore Brandon Hall finished 34th with a time of 26:20.8. Other competitors on the men’s side included freshmen Jack Craven (60th — 26:53.6) and Nick Lundberg (63rd — 26:55.7), junior Christopher Strzelinski (65th — 26:56.4), senior Sean Sullivan (87th — 27:15.9) and freshman

Page 21

Fordham Rowing wrapped up its fall season at the inaugural 1969 Cup at Casperson Rowing Center on Lake Mercer in Princeton Junction, NJ. The history behind the tournament is complex, but it was established this November to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of Women’s Varsity Athletics at the University of Delaware to honor the legacy of the Blue Hens. The field was small, consisting of multiple heats per event with only a few teams in each heat, and only one familiar A-10 face in Saint Joseph’s. There were five events, all of which the Rams participated in, with encouraging results at all levels of competition.

The day began with the Women’s Varsity Eight and Fordham was off to a strong start. The Rams placed second in the fiveteam field, eight middle seconds ahead of fellow A-10 opponent Saint Joseph’s with a time of 7:13.96, besting the 7:14.04 performance of the Hawks. Fordham fielded a second Varsity Eight team, one that struggled in the first heat, clocking in at 7:34.54, but keeping pace with other boats and again outperforming Saint Joseph’s, this time by over 10 seconds. A third Varsity Eight boat would enter the fray as well, finishing 4th in a six-team field with a time of 8:07.14, a strong showing from the third-level boat.

The success for the Varsity Eight boats would carry into the Varsity Four, where Fordham finished second with a time of 8:34.02. Senior Erika Selakowski felt as if all the boats on the day delivered strong performances but was especially impressed with the Varsity Four. The freshman boat that has raced well all year long continued this trend on Saturday, finishing first of a four-

team second heat in the Freshman Eight competition with a time of 8:33.89, edging out second-place Saint Joseph’s by about five seconds.

The Rams took to the water again on Saturday afternoon for a second round of competition.

The first Fordham Eights boat would struggle to begin the action, finishing last of the six teams in the Grand Final competition.

But the second Eights boat, participating in a Petite Final, rebounded from its slow start on the day, placing first with a time of 7:41.72, ahead of the Hawks.

Finishing at 7:47.56, the final Varsity Eight boat placed fourth on the afternoon, again besting Saint Joseph’s by a few seconds, complimented by a second-place performance from the Varsity Four boat. The Freshman Eights boat was unable to replicate its first-round successes and ended up at the bottom of the Grand Final competition, but it did not distract from an otherwise successful day for Fordham’s newest rowers.

Overall, Drexel and Bucknell seemed to control the day, but Fordham was frequently near the top of the competition and saw strong performances from all of its boats, especially in their finishes above the only other A-10 boat in the field, Saint Joseph’s, on almost every occasion.

“It was a really strong way to end our fall season and it sets us up on the right foot to get start training for our spring season,” said Selakowski.

The fall tune-up for the Rams has reached its conclusion, but the team will continue to improve as it prepares for A-10 competition in the spring season. For now, the Rams have a lot to be pleased with, and it will be very exciting to see what is to come in just a few months.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Fordham Volleyball showed promise this week, but the season is almost over.

the second set to hold the Rams at 16 and propel the Explorers into the third.

The two teams continued to flip-flop into the fifth set, as Fordham won the third set 25– 21, La Salle the fourth 25–12 and La Salle went on another 6–0 run at the beginning of the fifth to give them the advantage and eventually the win 15–7.

Although the Rams couldn’t

round out the weekend on a three-game win-streak, the win against Duquesne and the nearwin against La Salle show promise, and wins in their final four games of the year could push them to the six seed and a shot at the A-10 title.

In a pivotal matchup, Fordham will take on conference-leading VCU this Friday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Rose Hill Gym.

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham Rowing wrapped up the 2019 fall season at this weekend’s 1969 Cup.

November 6, 2019

Squash Sweeps at Vassar Round Robin

By JIMMY SULLIVAN SPORTS EDITOR

Fordham Squash opened its season at the Vassar Round Robin this past weekend. The team made the 85-minute trek to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. to compete in the tournament, which the team swept last year en route to its best season in many years.

This year’s team was able to achieve similar success.

The Rams took on Vassar College, the host school, and Lafayette College on Saturday and easily won both matches. Fordham started slow against Vassar, dropping the first two individual matches. However, after dropping the first set in his match, junior Griffin Fitzgerald got Fordham on the board with a four-set win over Milinid Joshi. After that, Fordham didn’t drop any other individual matches en route to a 7–2 victory.

“I was very impressed with my team this weekend,” Fitzgerald said.

“I expected our first two matches to be wins, and my team delivered.”

With two wins already under their belt, the Rams headed into Sunday looking to make it a clean sweep on the weekend against Northeastern. The final match of the weekend would also be a rematch of last year’s Chaffee Cup final, where the Rams emerged victorious after a hard-fought contest.

Sunday’s meeting of the two teams wouldn’t be nearly as close, even though it started inauspiciously for Fordham.

Fordham once again fell behind after senior William Douglass and sophomore Patrick Rodden both lost their individual contests to start the match. Fitzgerald would

be tasked once more with turning the tide of the match, but he fell behind two sets to one to Alexander Swenson. But, once again, he dug deep and pulled out the final two sets, 11–8 and 11–6, to win his match three sets to two and give his team momentum. After his thrilling victory, the rest of his team followed suit and the end result was a blowout 7–2 win that moved Sahel Anwar’s team to 3–0.

Fitzgerald cited several reasons for his come-from-behind win on Sunday.

“First, I lost last year in five [sets] to Northeastern and refused to allow that to happen again. Second, Will Douglass coached me between games and told me to ‘keep it simple’ and that helped me to focus on my game instead of my opponents and eventually gain control of the match,” Fitzgerald said.

“Third, as a new co-captain, I had an extra drive to win and show my team, and especially the freshmen, how to win a tight match.”

Fitzgerald’s performance in his tight matches turned the overall contests between Northeastern and Vassar into runaways. This weekend was also defined by extended runs of dominance from Fordham’s best players. The Rams took seven straight matches to end their meeting with Vassar, eight straight against Lafayette and seven straight over Northeastern. These performances showcased the depth of the Rams and that depth should bode well for the team as the season progresses.

Fordham is next in action this weekend as the Rams play Johns Hopkins on Friday afternoon before competing in the Navy Round Robin from Nov. 8–Nov. 10.

SPORTS

By ANDREW POSADAS ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Author Krishna Udayasankar once said, “No empire lasts forever, no dynasty continues unbroken.” In the last five years, the Golden State Warriors omnipotently held the rest of the NBA in a collective vice grip. They were in the NBA Finals in all five years, capturing the Larry O’Brien Trophy three times. However, the departure of Kevin Durant in free agency, paired with injuries to Klay Thompson and Steph Curry, has irreparably ended that fiveyear empire.

Now, the dynasty that once broke the record for regular seasons win with 73 back in 2015–16 find itself a broken team moving forward into this season. But not all is lost in the Bay Area. In fact, I believe losing this season only benefits the Warriors if they want to put the pieces back together for another potential dynastic run.

Over the weekend, head coach Steve Kerr had no choice but to trot out a starting lineup against the Charlotte Hornets that included three rookies. It was the first time in the Steve Kerr era that the Warriors started multiple rookies.

Take into account the team’s starting lineup around this time last year: Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Damian Jones.

Other than Jones, the quartet of Curry, Thompson, Durant, and Green will all likely be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame in the future. Fast forward to this year.

The only recognizable name in the Warriors current starting lineup is Eric Paschall, who Fordham Men’s Basketball fans will recognize from his one year at Rose Hill when he won 2015 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year.

Paschall, along with the other unproven young players on this team, will be given the task of trying to keep the Warriors afloat until the likes of Green and Curry return. Surprisingly, Paschall dropped 34 points on his 23rd birthday Monday night as the injury-depleted Warriors were able

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to get a huge win against the Portland Trail Blazers at home.

While the win gives Warriors fans temporary optimism, the truth is that winning games this season makes absolutely no sense for a team that is unlikely to contend in the western conference.

Even if Curry and Green return to 100%, no NBA fan would put them up there to contend with the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers come postseason time.

At best, Golden State sneaks into the playoffs as an 8th seed and perhaps Klay Thompson could be ready to suit up in the first round.

But there is still no guarantee that Thompson will automatically come back into superstar form after sustaining a torn ACL in the NBA Finals last June. A chance at another Finals trophy this season is unrealistic, so that leaves the Warriors with one other option: taking the year off and embracing a losing season.

The trio of Green, Curry and Thompson have played into June for five straight years. Adding up the five postseason runs, the three have essentially played an extra season’s worth of games and minutes. With the bad breaks suffered via injuries, now may be the best time for Kerr and the organiza-

tion to wave the white flag on the season.

On the bright side, this may just be a blessing in disguise for Golden State. If they were to shut down Curry, Green and Thompson for the rest of the regular season, the Warriors would undoubtedly find themselves with a potential top10 pick. Considering how weak the roster is, it is plausible that the Warriors could ultimately find themselves with the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Now, imagine if the Warriors come back next season with a fully healthy team and a top young player like LaMelo Ball or Anthony Edwards. Golden State’s dynasty is far from dead should that happen. They won’t be an automatic lock for the NBA Finals as they were when Kevin Durant joined the team, but could the Warriors come away with one or two more titles and sustain excellence like the San Antonio Spurs?

Absolutely.

There will be no parades going through San Francisco this upcoming summer in celebration of another Warriors title. But fortunately, should the Warriors take this year to retool and revamp the team, we may be seeing the beginning of another dynastic run for Golden State starting next season.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

The Golden State Warriors find themselves in unfamiliar territory early on this season.

Varsity Calendar

Follow us on Twitter at @theram_sports

HOME AWAY Volleyball

Thursday Nov. 7

Friday Nov. 8

Saturday Nov. 9

VCU 7 p.m.

Davidson 4:30 p.m.

Sunday Nov. 10

Women’s Tennis

Navy Round Robin Annapolis, Md.

Men’s Soccer

Saint Louis A-10 Tournament

Swimming

Georgetown 10 a.m.

Water Polo

George Washington 10 a.m.

Football

Colgate 12:30 p.m.

Women’s Basketball Men’s Basketball

Monday Nov. 11

Tuesday Nov. 12

Wednesday Nov. 13

3 p.m.

Fairfield 5 p.m.

Johns Hopkins 11 a.m.

Columbia 2 p.m.

St. Francis Brooklyn 7:30 p.m.

Penn State 7 p.m.

Fairleigh Dickinson 7 p.m.

SPORTS

November 6, 2019

Chris Hennessy Examining the NHL’s Central Division In the past few weeks, there has been a lot of news coming out of the Central Division revolving around injuries and a big-time contract extension.

Let’s start in Nashville, where the captain of the Predators, defenseman Roman Josi, was awarded an eight-year, $9 million average annual value (AAV) extension. The contract begins next season and goes through the 2027–2028 season, when Josi will be 38 years old. This will keep him on the Predators for his whole career after he was drafted to Smashville in 2008. The contract makes Josi the third highest-paid defenseman in the league.

On the surface, it’s a lot of money for an aging Josi. The Predators will be paying him deep into his 30s, a time where defensemen usually fall off (see Marc Staal). The market continues to grow and see astronomical annual averages, captained by Erik Karlsson’s $11.5 million contract in San Jose. This was the contract that Josi was going to get from some other team this summer had he made it to free agency, and the Preds took matters into their own hands. It’s a lot of money, but the cap will grow at the next collective bargaining agreement, and they are certainly not the only team with a similar contract on the books.

Now onto the injuries. Starting with the biggest one in the entire league, let alone the Western Conference: Vladimir Tarasenko’s shoulder injury and subsequent surgery.

St. Louis says it will re-evaluate its star forward in five months, which means he’ll be back in late March/ early April, right as the regular season is ending. Of course, there is the possibility that the evaluation does not go to plan and he misses the playoffs.

But let’s say all goes well. The Blues have a talented forward corps without Tarasenko, but not having their star will certainly make the playoff push more difficult. Assuming they make the playoffs and Tarasenko is ready for the title defense, it adds a dimension to the Blues offense that will only make them more dynamic. For now, they will lean on Ryan O’Reilly and company to get them back in the playoffs.

Moving to Colorado, both Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog are missing time with various injuries.

The 23-year-old Rantanen has not played since Oct. 21 and is listed as “week-to-week” with a lower-body injury. It appears that Rantanen will be back within the month, but the lack of specificity could point to a longer injury. Remember, we all thought Luis Severino would be back in May and didn’t see him until September. The captain Gabe Landeskog is listed as “out indefinitely” with another lower-body injury. Again, lack of specificity makes it difficult to analyze, but “out indefinitely” does not sound good. No longer how long the two are out, it will greatly impact the entire Central Division. Colorado lacks depth scoring, and missing two of their big forwards puts a lot of pressure on Nate Mackinnon and company.

These three injuries will impact on the early season standings in the Central Division and will certainly affect who makes the playoffs come April.

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Kaley Bell

Varsity Scores & Stats Football Fordham 34 Lafayette 38 (FOR) DeMorat: 23 CMP, 315 YDS, 3 TD

Men’s Soccer Fordham 2 Saint Louis 0 (FOR) Zloczlower: 2 G, 2 SH, SOG

Women’s Cross Country Atlantic 10 Championship Team: 11th (FOR) Thomas: 18:59.0 26th

Women’s Basketball #16/14 Notre Dame 60 Fordham 55 (FOR) Cavanaugh: 14 PTS, 8 REB

Women’s Volleyball Duquesne 1 Fordham 3 (FOR) Lahr: 17 K, Ace, 2 Tot

Men’s Squash Fordham 7 Vassar 2 (FOR) Fitzgerald: 3-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-9

Men’s Basketball St. Francis BKN 59 Fordham 68 (FOR) Ohams: 3-8. 19 PTS

La Salle Fordham (FOR) Morley: 9 K

Women’s Soccer Fordham 0 Massachusetts 4 (FOR) LaMorte: 5 SH, 21 SF

3 2

Men’s Cross Country Atlantic 10 Championship Team: 3rd - Bronze (FOR) Kutch: 25:06.6 - 2nd

Fordham 8 Lafayette 1 (FOR) Panichello: 11-4, 11-4, 11-5 Fordham Northeastern (FOR) Reed: 11-8, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8

Athletes of the Week Ryan Kutch

Morgan Williams

Senior

Senior

Men’s Cross Country

Women’s Volleyball

After winning the race at the Atlantic 10 Championship last year, Kutch came up just four seconds short this time, finishing 25:06.6 for second place. He received AllAtlantic 10 honors, and Fordham placed third overall.

In her average of seven digs per set on the week and clinching of the program’s single-season record for most digs, Williams’ week earned her her second straight Altnatic 10 Defensive Player of the Week, and her fourth this season.

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 • Williams Gets Award Again

This week’s honor of the Atlantic 10’s Women’s Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week was once again given to Fordham’s senior libero Morgan Williams, who received the award for the fourth time this season and the second week in a row.

Williams had another outstanding seven day period, highlighted by her average on the weekend of seven digs per set and her setting of the singleseason program record for most digs with her performance on Friday night. On Sunday, she played in her 105th career match and, most notably, her 400th set. No other Fordham Ram has had two weekly honors in a single season, and Williams has set the mark in the past two weeks.

• Cavanaugh on Preseason Team

Last Thursday, Women’s Basketball’s redshirt ju-

nior Bre Cavanaugh was named to the Atlantic 10 Conference’s Preseason First Team. She was named to the Second Team as a freshman and finished the season on the First Team last season.

“Bre has gotten better every year and I believe this season is no exception,” said head coach Stephanie Gaitley. “I felt Bre played her best basketball in the conference tournament and will use that to fuel her this season... she was also a unanimous choice for team captain. That shows great growth on and off the court.”

Student Athlete Column: The NCAA’s New Money Rules

• Men’s Soccer Gets Honors After a 1–0 loss to Columbia last Tuesday, Ford-

ham Men’s Soccer earned a 2–0 victory over Saint Louis University, and graduate students Tomer Zloczower and Konstantin Weis received honors.

Zloczower, a forward, was named the Atlantic 10’s Co-Offensive Player of the Week after scoring his first two goals of the season against the Bilikens, accounting for all of the Rams’ scoring. He shares the award with Davidson’s Lucas Hauth. Weis solely earned the honor of the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week following his performances against Columbia and Saint Louis, in which he made eight saves and only allowed one goal total.

• Mevis is a Player of the Week

The Patriot League announced on Monday that

Fordham junior kicker Andrew Mevis was named the conference’s Special Teams Player of the Week.

While his team may have lost 38–34 on the road to Lafayette on Saturday, 10 of the Rams’s 34 points were the responsibility of Mevis, who had two field goals to go along with the four extra points he scored following his team’s four touchdowns. His 18-yard connection gave Fordham the lead in the fourth 34-31 before they allowed what was eventually the game-winning score for the Leopards.

—Compiled by Dylan Balsamo

7 2

Is money really the root of all problems?

Recently, the NCAA announced a rule that allows amateur athletes to be compensated for representing their school.

Student athletes across the nation could not be more confused.

There are a lot of things that need to happen in order to determine who will benefit from this new rule. How, who and when are just three of the questions that need to be answered as the NCAA goes forward with its decision. The full effects will not be felt until 2021, and, at that point, it will only be a small portion of athletes who will benefit.

But what would happen if it were me? What would happen if Fordham student athletes were financially compensated for their performance?

I’m telling you right now, they would not know how to act.

I think about how that would change me and my peers.

In terms of my own performance, I think that I would work harder than I do now and run myself to the ground. I would be more motivated to earn money.

I would feel like I’m never doing enough.

In California, the larger schools use the image of big athletes so much that they make millions of dollars off of them and their talent.

Comparatively, I am not in the same boat. My name is not as big as Zion Williamson, and I’m definitely not as good as any of those USC runners.

I asked some of my fellow teammates what they would do if they were compensated financially for their competition, and the responses I got were slightly different from mine.

“I would train harder, but I would be more nervous,” sayid Jade Dyer-Kennedy, FCRH ’22.

“More would be at stake.”

“I feel like it would add a lot of pressure,” said Kat Kelly, FCRH ’21. A top athlete in Fordham’s sprint program, Kelly said, “It would start to feel like a career.”

“It’s not an amateur sport anymore,” said Mary Kate Caucci, FCRH ’20. “I think it’s fair for your own image to used, but at the same time, you don’t want extra perks.”

My competitive teammates have different views about how compensation would change their athletic experience, but a girl can dream, right?

SPORTS

Page 24

November 6, 2019

The Fordham Ram

Women’s Soccer Season Ends in A-10 Quarterfinal Match at UMass

By CHARLIE MAISANO

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

In a long regular season filled with highs and lows, the Fordham Women’s Soccer team ultimately ended their year on a low note.

The Rams were ousted in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship on the road this past Sunday to the UMass Minutewomen, 4–0. They ended the regular season by downing the Davidson Wildcats in overtime and clinched this highly-anticipated matchup with the Minutewomen.

The game seemed like it would be a close one at the conclusion of the first half. Neither team scored in the first 45 minutes. However UMass did have an advantage on the offensive side of the ball. They outshot Fordham 10–2 and had four corner kick opportunities compared to zero for the Rams.

Everything started to unravel in the second half, and Fordham seemed to have no answer to stop the bleeding. The A-10 leading goal scorer, Lauren Bonavita, started the part for UMass in the 51st minute. Ansley Frazier passed the ball to teammate Jenny Hipp off a corner and then sent a cross into the box for Bonavita. Bonavita played the ball off the bounce and sent a strike right past Rams goalie Kelly LaMorte for the 1–0 lead. The goal

by Bonavita extended her goal streak to five games in a row and gave her 11 goals for the season.

It only took UMass three minutes to extend its lead to 2–0. In the

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Fordham Women’s Soccer suffered a blowout loss to UMass on Tuesday night to end its season with an elimination in the A-10 Tournament.

54th minute, Frazier and Hipp did same corner play in the 57th minan insurance goal in the 84th minhardest out of conference schedthe same play off the corner, but ute with Frazier and Hipp a third ute to put the game on ice. Rebeca ule in recent memory and it hasa this time Hipp passed the ball at time. Hipp received the pass from Frisk received a long pass on the lot of young pieces to work with the top of the box to Ava Jouvenel.

Frazier off the corner and sent a run from Serena Ahmed and scored for years to come. While it wasn’t Jouvenel took a shot in between a cross into the middle of the box. on the lone breakaway to increase the finish both the coaching staff bunch of Rams and Minutewomen The ball found the foot of senior the Minutewomen lead to four. and the players expected, the players that snuck its way by LaMSini Laaksonen who smashed With the loss, the Rams finished Rams will be back next year ready orte without her moving an inch. it into the left side of the net the year with a 5–11–4 record, a to make waves in the conference It seemed to work two times, for her third goal of the season. drop off from their 9–9–1 record and try to make it back to their so the Minutewomen ran the The Minutewomen would add a year ago. Fordham played the first A-10 title game since 2015.

Women’s Basketball Falls to Notre Dame in Valiant Effort at Home

By JIMMY SULLIVAN SPORTS EDITOR

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was Fordham Women’s Basketball. In 2011, head coach Stephanie Gaitley took over a program in disarray. The Rams had won just 11 Atlantic 10 games in the four years before her arrival.

Now, six postseason berths and two NCAA Tournaments later, Gaitley’s Rams are a national power, and the team showcased that on Tuesday night.

Fordham fell 60–55 to Notre Dame, the defending national runner-up and 2018 national champion. The Irish entered the 2019–20 season having lost their entire starting five — Jackie Young, Breanna Turner, Marina Mabrey, Jessica Shepard and Arike Ogunbowale — from the season before.

If there was a time for Fordham to upset the 16th-ranked Irish, it was 7 p.m. on Tuesday night in front of a sold-out crowd at the newlyrenovated Rose Hill Gym. The Rams came tantalizingly close to doing just that.

Fordham struggled to shoot in the first half, and early jitters presented themselves in the form of early turnovers. Junior Kendell Heremaia had five in the first quarter, but settled in to have a nice game in the second half. However, in the first, Muffet McGraw’s Irish were able to get a double-digit lead behind stingy defense and timely shooting from freshman

ALEX WOLZ/THE FORDHAM RAM

Despite the Rams’ best efforts, Fordham fell on Tuesday night in a close game at the hands of Notre Dame.

Sam Brunelle. Notre Dame led by as many as 15 points in the second quarter and carried a 12-point lead into the halftime break.

Throughout the second half, though, Fordham refused to go away.

Fordham chipped away at the double-digit deficit with tight defense and timely offense. The Rams’ inability to convert outside

shots was an issue all night; the team was 3–18 (16.7%) in the first half and closed the game with an 8–38 (21.1%) performance from outside. Fordham was down 11 entering the fourth quarter, but started the final frame on a 7-0 run to electrify the audience in the Bronx. Notre Dame soon pushed the lead back to 10, but Fordham went on another 6–0 run to cut

the lead back to four. After a series of misses, Kendell Heremaia’s layup with 29 seconds left brought Fordham within three. The Rams got within two with sophomore Kaitlin Downey’s late basket with 11 seconds left, but Notre Dame put the game away with an offensive rebound on a missed free throw by freshman Anaya Peoples.

Fordham, improbably, could

have won the game with better shooting. Junior preseason allconference selection Bre Cavanaugh was 6–22, freshman Anna DeWolfe was 5–16 and Downey was 3–11. That being said, with Fordham’s stars having their offensive struggles, the Rams’ ability to keep the game close with a team that nearly won the national championship the year before shows that Gaitley’s team can play with just about anyone in the country.

That wasn’t the only positive from Tuesday night, either. DeWolfe and fellow freshman Sarah Karpell were extremely impressive, with Karpell winning several possessions defensively for Fordham. Sophomore Meg Jonassen was forced into duty with big minutes down the stretch, as Downey and sophomore Vilisi Tavui both hit major foul trouble. Still, with the inexperience of the Rams, the team didn’t buckle on a big stage.

The other takeaway of the night was just how far the Fordham program has come in just under a decade. When Gaitley took over the program in 2011, a night like Tuesday night — with a sold out Rose Hill Gym and a national power coming to play — was a pipe dream. In the span of eight years, Tuesday night became a reality, thanks to hard work and a winning culture.

Fordham lost on Tuesday night.

In many ways, it’s unclear just how much the Fordham Women’s Basketball program won.