Volume 98 Issue 21

The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 Volume 98, Issue 21

FordhamRam.com

Diversity Student Admin Job Assaulted Created in Queens

By LAURA SANICOLA

By LAURA SANICOLA

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The university president will appoint a Chief Diversity Officer, a new senior administrator position, in light of recommendations made in a new report from the Diversity Task Force. The Monday announcement was among 14 initiatives outlined by Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, in an email that also included the heavily anticipated Diversity Task Force report.

McShane established the Diversity Task Force last year to analyze diversity and race relations on campus amid a string of publicized bias incidents. The search for the officer will begin in January.

The officer “will serve as [the] champion for the University’s overall diversity and inclusion agenda by developing and facilitating at all levels of the University, the strategies, decision making, priority setting, and actions necessary to advance diversity and inclusion at the University,” in accordance with the Task Force’s recommendation. The candidate will serve as special advisor to the president for diversity, chief diversity officer and associate vice president for academic affairs and will report to the president and to the provost.

The officer will produce annual diversity reports for the university after participating in monthly vice president meetings and assistant vice presidents and deans in faculty and staff recruitment. According to McShane, Fordham has “identified the financial resources necessary to bring to campus a highly qualified leader.”

The appointment would fulfill one of the goals of the strategic planning framework CUSP, which first called for such an officer in its April draft.

McShane’s response letter addressed several recommendations made by the Task Force on the status of race on campus. The university, like several others across the country, has seen increasing numbers of bias incidents and incidents of student harassment, the latest of

Last Thursday, a graduate student was the victim of an apparent hate crime near his apartment in Jamaica, Queens. Jacob Traugott, GAS ‘17, was walking to get a slice of pizza when a group of men in a car slowed down next to him, yelled “faggot,” threw a rock at his face and sped off, according to a post he wrote on Facebook that night.

“I just went home. I did not want to get to the pizzeria to cry. This is New York. I am shaken. My face will heal,” the student wrote in the original post.

Traugott posted about the incident on Facebook, where it went viral and received more than 33 thousand likes and shares. Screenshots of the post have also been shared on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, 4chan and Instagram. Facebook removed the post on Nov. 12 for unspecified reasons . “It had been shared thousands of times and people had started sending me waves of support and also a deluge of hatred,” Traugott told The Fordham Ram. Traugott filed a police report at

SEE DIVERSITY, PAGE 8

in this issue

Opinion Page9

The Rise of Donald Trump, and the Solution

Culture Page 14

Centenarian Student, Professor Share WWII Paths

Sports Page 24

Football Cruises to Win Against the Crusaders

SEE ASSAULT, PAGE 5

November 16, 2016

Fordham Reacts to Trump Victory

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Students protested President-elect Trump last Wednesday night, with familiar sayings such as “love trumps hate.”

By LAURA SANICOLA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

A week ago, Fordham awoke to the news that Donald J. Trump, a former Fordham student who ran in a heated election against Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, was voted the president of

the United States. The news has prompted professors to cancel classes, advisors to cancel meetings and student groups to mobilize protest and discussion events.

In response, PRIDE held an impromptu meeting on Wednesday evening in the McGinley Center second floor lounge discuss the

election results. Resident assistants in halls such as Finlay are holding meetings to discuss election results and concerns. Women’s Empowerment distributed an email Wednesday to its members with mental health care resources.

The Fordham Ram reached out SEE ELECTION, PAGE 3

ACA May Affect Grad Coverage

By THERESA SCHLIEP NEWS CO-EDITOR

theme in Walt Disney’s movies based off the Greek myth of Ganymede and Zeus, as well as present day issues. Although it may seem that Walt Disney was promising viewers unlimited youth, according to Giacomo, Disney’s message was much deeper and and resonated with viewers.

“The only time characters get what they want in Disney movies is when they are brave, unselfish,

The state of graduate student worker healthcare at universities across the country remains unclear because of rising costs, fewer players in the market and the uncertain future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) under Presidentelect Donald Trump.

Since the ACA was enacted in 2010, the landscape of graduate student health care has changed.

Concerns over whether or not the ACA would permit universities to continue to offer healthcare subsidies to graduate students to participate in Student Health Care Insurance Plans (SHIPS) recently subsided when various government departments issued guidance notifying them that they could continue to do so.

Fordham can currently cover 64 percent of Aetna’s $2544 premium with a subsidy, which should continue to be available for about a year, according to Eva Badowska, dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). Potential increases in the cost of insurance premiums due to the ACA

SEE TEDX, PAGE 5

SEE INSURANCE, PAGE 6

ZACK MIKLOS/THE FORDHAM RAM

Dr. Giacomo Santangelo was one of seven speakers at TedxFordhamU, which focused on the theme “Roots of Change.”

Tedx Event Focuses on Change

By ERIN SHANAHAN MANAGING DITOR

Dr. Giacomo Santangelo was one of seven speakers at TedxFordhamU, which focused on the theme “Roots of Change.” (Zack Miklos/The Fordham Ram).“We wanted to make sure we had a variety of unique talks touching upon many different schools of thought,” Sal Cocchiaro, GSB ’17, USG VP of the Gabelli School of

Business said.

“As a result we have many different community members, including alumni, professors and students participating in the evening.”

The first speaker of the evening was Dr. Giacomo Santangelo, an economist with training in quantitative and qualitative research and analysis. In his presentation, “Disney: A Ganymedean ‘Toy Story,’” Giacomo asserted a recurring

NEWS

Page 2

November 16, 2016

In the wake of the election results....

The Fordham Ram reached out to some faculty and members of various student organizations including The College Democrats, the College Republicans, PRIDE, Women’s Empowerment, the Muslim Student’s Association, the United Student Government and others, for their reactions to the election. Most of the responses received by Wednesday afternoon, especially from members of the LGBTQIA, represent a dismayed and divided student body.

Daniel Stroie, GSB ’17 and president of United Student Government “This election, this campaign, has created rifts in our communities and our country, with so much happening over the last few days. I think the one thing we can focus on and tangibly affect is our community, and making sure we come back together while respecting each other’s humanity.”

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Students posted signs on doors to the Office of the President denouncing silence from administration in the wake of the election results.

Thomas Palumbo, FCRH ’17 and president of the College Democrats “I, along with my fellow club members, am very disheartened at the results of this election. Hillary Clinton was an incredible, qualified, dedicated candidate and we are very proud of the campaign she ran. She reminded us that we are stronger together and that America can be a country for all Americans. Donald Trump ran a campaign based in hatred, fear, and misinformation, and his victory has left many members of the Fordham community fearful for their future and their safety. That being said, the country has spoken and I am rooting for his success. Not the success of the hateful ideas that he extolled in his campaign, but rather for his success as a President for all Americans.

We will continue to fight against injustice in all its forms and hope that all Americans and their President do the same.”

An Excerpt of The Fordham University College Republican’s Official Statement on the 2016 Election Results ...Like the party nationwide, the College Republicans were and remain split over support for President-elect Trump. The club had supporters of Mr. Trump as well as for Gary Johnson, Evan McMullin, and several others.

However, there is little doubt that he will work with the Republican Congress, several of which have years of experience in Washington, to produce good legislation that is beneficial to all the people of this country. The President of the United States does not have unlimited and unrestrained power, which should be kept in the back of the minds of those worried about his administration or what he may attempt to do. Whether or not individual members support him, we are all hoping that he does well while in office. No one should hope that their country fails, struggles, or is not able to provide for the safety of her people.

It should be addressed that yes, Secretary Clinton won more of the popular vote than Mr. Trump, and some might feel cheated over his victory or that the election was rigged. But The United States is a Republic, and this is how our system works and has worked since days of the Founding Fathers. It seems odd that when Mr. Trump implied he would not accept the election results it was considered outrageous, treasonous, etc., but now that it is the other candidate at the losing end that opinion has appeared to fly out the window. And we doubt that if Presidentelect Trump had won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College, his opponents would not say the same. In 2008 and 2012, people predicted President Obama would bring on the apocalypse. We’re still here.

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Students hung signs on posts surrounding Eddie’s Parade in diapproval adminstration quietude post election.

We also commend President Obama on his handling of the race over the last few weeks. His dealing with a Trump supporter at a Clinton rally and his efforts to reach out to President Trump during the upcoming transition, referencing the courtesy President Bush showed him eight years ago, shows a tremendous amount of class and dignity, despite his obvious disappointment of the outcome.

The next four years will be an exciting time in American history. We are anxious, curious, and excited to see what it produces.

God bless you, God bless Fordham, and God bless the United States of America.”

ANDREA GARCIA/ THE FORDHAM RAM

A group of 20 students protested around campus and held hands in solidarity outside of Keating Hall on Wednesday night.

ANDREA GARCIA/ THE FORDHAM RAM

November 16, 2016

NEWS

Page 3

An email from the deans of the business school, liberal arts school, students and director of campus ministry was sent to the student body on Thursday night.

As we have reflected on the presidential campaign and the tumultuous events of the last several days, we wanted to write to express our care and concern for you. Regardless of who you voted for or which candidate you supported, you are part of a community and a country that now needs to come together to seek understanding and work toward a strong and bright future. Among the many messages we heard yesterday in response to the election, there are two that we want to highlight for you: Pope Francis’ call for “dialogue, mutual acceptance and fraternal cooperation” and President Obama’s encouragement to “go forward with a presumption of good faith in our fellow citizens, because that presumption of good faith is essential to a vibrant and functioning democracy.”

As we work together toward the common goals and ideals found in our mission as a University, please join us for an interfaith prayer service tomorrow at noon in Our Lady’s Chapel in the University Church.

ANDREA GARCIA/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Cameron Galleghar, FCRH ’17 and a member of Fordham’s PRIDE Alliance “I am, first of all, shocked. I followed this pretty closely and never imagined anything but a Clinton win. And second I am disappointed. As an LGBTQ+ Republican I am disappointed in my party. And as American I am disappointed in my country. There have to be ways to send a message without electing someone who reminds me of my middle school bully and Claire DelSorbo, FCRH ’19 and a member of Fordham’s PRIDE Alliance

ANDREA GARCIA/ THE FORDHAM RAM

An interfaith prayer service was held by Campus Ministry in Our Lady’s Chapel to incite peace for those troubled by political antipathy.

Alex Schmidt, GSB ‘18 The results of this election have proven that many Americans are scared of Muslims and it already had a negative impact on the Muslim community: Hate crimes against Muslims have risen and we cannot tolerate any form of racism, violence or discrimination against Muslims in this country. Being scared or unfamiliar with something does not entitle you to discriminate it or categorize it as something bad. Muslims are as American as Christians, Jews, Hindus or Atheists. American society has a false perspective of Islam as a whole, created by fear and the media. I am happy to answer any questions about Islam and I pledge to defend any Muslim being discriminated or hated on, and you should too!

Jasnaam Grewaal, FCRH ‘19 “So I'm just sitting here in Times Square, with 3% battery, and charging my phone outside some Irish pub. Donald Trump's face is on every billboard in Times Square right now staring back at me, and I'm in shock. I'm in shock that Americans have chosen a president who has based his campaign off divisive and fear mongering rhetoric. Most importantly, I'm disappointed in myself because despite all the things he's said, pain he's inflicted, and division he's created, a part of me still saw him as a complete joke. I never fathomed just how serious a threat he could be to the unity and celebration of diversity that makes America so wonderful. I chose to watch the election results from outside the Fox News headquarters and as soon as he won, I was told to go back home by a group of Trump supporters and called an Arab terrorist by another. And just in front of me a group of Trump supporters were cheering when a group of Latina women walked by and shouted at them, "Yeah, our asses roll the burritos you eat! Keep cheering and fuck you!" After these two events, I can see some evidence of the damage his campaign has inflicted, and our country seems truly divided.

Now is the time for all of us to come together and protect our values of respect, tolerance, and equality. The president doesn't define that for us. We have to work toward a better future, no matter who's in charge. I have hope in our nation and I have hope in our leaders that we can still come together as one nation. Most importantly, I truly hope that now he is president, Donald Trump can help heal the wounds that this entire election season has created.

I implore people on both sides of the divide to at least try and empathize with one another because I honestly don't know what else we can do to at least have some common ground. Though I will say that I did have wonderful conversations with many Trump supporters about my religion and background, and I enjoyed being able to speak freely about myself with people who don't share the same political beliefs as I do. I hope that despite how passionately we hold to our political beliefs and differences, we can still bridge that divide and at least celebrate our shared identity as Americans. #godblessAmerica”

“When I say ‘unfriend me if you vote for Trump,’ I really mean it. A vote for Trump means a vote against every woman, every immigrant and child of an immigrant, every person of color, every LGBTQ person in your life. I dare you to look them in the face and explain why you felt so compelled to vote for 2 men who hate their entire existence. There is no way around it. If you voted for Trump, you stand with racism, xenophobia, misogyny, classism and ableism. Please unfriend me, not only from Facebook, but from real life as well, if you voted for Trump.”

COURTESY OF UNICEF FORDHAM

11/9/16 at 6:36 p.m. -UNICEF invited Residential Assistants via email in making blue paper hearts for their residents to hand out to residents.

NEWS

Page 4

November 16, 2016

USG Sponsors Internship Compensation Initiative to be Proposed to Administration

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

USG sponsored an initiative that will have Fordham compensate students for some internships.

By LAUREN WINN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

United Student Government (USG) agreed to sponsor an initiative by USG Senator Elizabeth Wetzler, FCRH ’17, to provide funding for unpaid interns as of Oct. 20. This sponsorship was a major step in the direction of success for the senator. The initiative, if implemented, would allow Fordham students to receive compensation from the school to supplement their unpaid fall, spring and summer internship positions nationwide.

Wetzler compared her initiative to the Fordham undergraduate research grant program, except it would be applied to students working in public service or social sectors. Although the structure of the program is not set in stone yet, it would function similarly to internship grant programs at universities such as Syracuse, Villanova, Notre Dame and George Washington.

Wetzler is not working toward this initiative alone. With the help of USG Senator for the class of 2017 Joe Mattiello, USG President Daniel Stroie and multiple Fordham administrators, the plan for this initiative only needs

financial assistance and perhaps administrative permission to be complete.

Mattiello said that the requirement of authorization from executive figures such as Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students Christopher Rodgers or Assistant Dean for Student Involvement Cody Arcuri would depend on how the senators decide to implement the program.

One major issue that could stand in the way of this initiative is not the involvement of administrative figures, but rather funding. USG President Daniel Stroie, GSB ’17, said he is a big fan of this initiative, but said “the funding is the biggest issue.”

Stroie said this initiative could affect a sizable amount of Fordham students. Stroie said he hopes the initiative receives consistent funding in order to allow it to continue after Wetzler graduates.

“If it is something big, we want it to stick long-term,” said Stroie.

Stroie said a long-term focus would enable Fordham students to “do more good.”

Wetzler is not yet able to provide a concrete timeline for when students can expect the initiative to be implemented, but she said

the ideal plan is to get unpaid internships funded by fall of next year.

“In order to make it happen, we would have to have the initiative approved and have substantial funding secured this year,” said Wetzler. Despite the challenge, she is confident she will work hard enough to reach her goal.

This initiative was heavily researched and thought out by the senators on the project. Mattiello provided feedback on the program as a whole in addition to the proposal, comparing Fordham’s initiative to other schools.

What makes Fordham’s program unique is its focus on the Jesuit values of being men and women for others, evidenced by the volume of students pursuing internships in the social service industries.

“With 90 percent of Fordham undergraduates participating in at least one internship during their time at Fordham and forty-five percent of these internships being unpaid, over 40 percent of undergraduates could be affected by the financial hardship of unpaid internships,” said Mattielo.

Wetzler, an International Relations major, was inspired to create this initiative following her work experience over summer 2015. During that summer, she volunteered at a courthouse while working for a fast-food chain in Manhattan.

“It was difficult to juggle both commitments, and my ability to

Photo of the Week

earn money during the summer was somewhat impeded as a result,” said Wetzler.

After dealing with her own financial hardship, she realized many other students were probably dealing with similar issues.

Wetzler said that students should be “encouraged and empowered” to accept jobs within the public and social service fields instead of feeling limited due to financial constraints.

As far as the next steps for this USG initiative, they will solidify their program’s structure and work with the university administration, according to Wetzler.

Once the program is solidified, Wetzler will propose the initiative’s resolution to USG, which will vote to approve or deny the initiative. If the program gets approved, the senator will most likely be working with the Student Life Council and potentially the Office of Development and University Relations to work on financing the program. Unpaid working students may be a thing of the past at Fordham, soon being replaced by a future of encouraged and empowered interns.

ANDREA GARCIA/FORDHAM RAM

On November 13 and 14, Fordham students got a clear view of the brightest supermoon in 68 years from Edward’s Parade. A supermoon is caused by the fact that the moon’s orbit around Earth is an oval shape. On this evening, the moon was a mere 221,524 miles from Earth and will not be this close again until 2034.

Campus Briefs & Bites Faculty Co-Edit Book on Christianity and Politics

Dominic Balestra, Philosophy Professor, Dies

Professor Co-Publishes History of Ireland

Alumni and World War II Veteran Honored

Fordham’s Orthodox Christian Studies Center sponsored a conference in 2013 that focused on Western politics and Christian Orthodoxy as a part of the Patterson Triennial Conference Series. The goal of the conference was to bridge the gap between the Orthodoxy and Catholicism. The book, Christianity, Democracy and the Shadow of Constantine (Fordham Press, 2016), was co-edited by the Orthodox Christian Studies Center’s co-directors, Aristotle Papanikolaou, Ph.D., the Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture, and George E. Demacopoulos, Ph.D., the Fr. John Meyendorff & Patterson Family Chair of Orthodox Christian Studies. The book focuses on how Eastern European and traditionally Orthodox cultures had to deal with the relationship between Christianity and the new influence of Western liberalism after the fall of communism. Many cultures felt that the new liberalism held beliefs that went against their traditional and sacredly held Christian values.

On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Professor of Philosophy Dominic Balestra died at age 69. Balestra was the former chair of the philosophy department and the former dean of arts and sciences. Balestra’s funeral was held on Saturday, Nov. 12 at St. Catherine’s Church in Pelham, New York. Balestra joined the philosophy department at Fordham in 1975 and has been a part of the Fordham community for over 40 years. He served as a tenured professor on the Faculty Senate and held positions on multiple administrative boards. Before working at Fordham, Balestra received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from St. Francis College and his doctorate in philosophy from St. Louis University, where he was also a lecturer and assistant director of the honors program.

Balestra was also the author of more than 35 academic philosophy articles and gave more than 40 speeches around the world for colleges and professional conferences.

Christopher Maginn, Ph.D., professor of history, served as a co-editor for the new collection of essays, Frontier, Stages and Identity in Early Modern Ireland and Beyond (Four Courts Press, 2016). These original essays are in honor of Professor of History at the National University of Ireland Steven G. Ellis, and they focus on the history of Ireland. Maginn co-edited the book with Lecturer at Metropolitan University Prague Gerald Power. The two scholars asked those who knew Ellis to submit essays that were inspired by his work and research. Maginn contributed his own essay, One state or two? Ireland and England under the Tudors, to the collection. Maginn’s essay is concerned with whether the kingdoms controlled by the Tudors — a major European power in the 16th century — in England and Ireland were considered a single united state or two different states.

William J. Schneider, FCRH ’46, was honored on Nov. 1 for his bravery in the Second World War during a battle at Dogna, Italy in 1945. At the event, where Schneider’s friends and family gathered, the veteran was awarded the Silver Star Medal, the U.S. Military’s third-highest combat award.

Schneider took a break from his time studying at Fordham in order to serve his country during World War II as a flight commander and major in the U.S. Army Air Corps’ 310 Bombardment Group. Schneider is 97 years old and the ceremony was held at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey.

Schneider returned to Fordham after the war, received a business degree and spent his life working in sales and management.

It took Schneider’s daughter four and half years and the help staffers for the state legislators to track down the necessary proof that showed her father’s commanding officers recommended him for the award.

NEWS

November 16, 2016

ZACK MIKLOS/THE FORDHAM RAM

100 guests were invited to attend Fordham’s Tedx event which included a talk from student Sal Cocchiaro.

Tedx Sees Roots of Change FROM TEDX, PAGE 1

truthful. Therefore, the Ganymedian message that Disney asserts is to simply be nice.” Giacomo said. “In 2016, today, that is a very important lesson that we must hold close.”

Dr. Elizabeth Yuko, an internationally experienced bioethicist and communications strategist, presented “Everything I Know About Bioethics I Learned From the Golden Girls,” at TedxFordhamU. Yuko asserted this idea through discussion of the complex characterization and situations that the Golden Girls overcome.

“The four main characters are an effective lens for considering bioethics issues because each character is so solidly developed that it’s possible to explore complex issues through their ethical decision-making process,” said Yuko.

Therefore, Yuko was able to discuss four ethical principles — autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence and justice, through the stories of the Golden Girls. For example, the character Sophia dealt with the issue of autonomy regarding suicide. Sophia had to weigh the risks and benefits of witnessing her friend’s suicide.

On one hand she did not want her friend to die alone, but on the other hand she was fundamentally against the idea of suicide.

Currently, Yuko is the program administrator for the Fordham University Center for Ethics Education and HIV and Drug Abuse Prevention Research Ethics Training Institute. In addition, she is the founding and senior editor of the Fordham Ethics & Society blog. Dr. Yuko also serves as a member of the Advisory Board of the Global Bioethics Initiative and as an external ethics expert for the European Research Council.

Young Lee, director of the Innovative Workplace Institute, presented “Disengage to Engage: New Workplace Metrics.” In her presentation, Lee discussed the challenges in the workplace such as cognitive overload, absenteeism and general workplace boredom and unhappiness. According to Lee, creating a healthy workplace will allow for higher productivity, financial savings, healthy organizational culture and will enhance the company’s reputation.

“I encourage you to think

about how you implement workplace wellbeing in your own lives and the lives of those around you.”

Lee said. “By doing this, we can improve our own and other’s quality of life and create a sustainable workplace.”

Joshua Fredenburg, a nationally acclaimed speaker, media commentator, leadership and diversity consultant, relationship expert and author of five books, presented “Fundamentals of Resiliency.”

Fredenburg discussed the six fundamental habits to utilize in order to mitigate failure and to increase daily success.

“Every successful person will have a story to tell. Every individual that succeeds is at some point is going to have a story or an obstacle they had to overcome.”

Fredenburg said. “There are a set of practical things that people can do in order to enable them to endure, to bounce back, to deal with obstacles to get to their desired outcomes.”

Fredenburg encouraged the audience to create a daily motivational routine. This may consist of affirmations, positive music, prayer and talking with positive people.

Second, Fredenburg asserted the need to possess the right perspective.

“If you have the right perspective, you can make a whole situation better,” he said. “There is a lesson to learn, an opportunity to be apprehended in every situation.

When I studied the people who change the world, they have the ability to face a challenge and use it as a catapult.”

He also encouraged the audience to be purpose-driven in every area, possess an attitude of gratitude, create a strong support team and live with courageous faith.

“The ability to think, speak and act despite the challenges between you and your desired goal is an essential skill to have,” Fredenburg said. “When the pressure comes up, you don’t allow the pressure to hold you back.”

Sal Cocchiaro, a primary student organizer at the event, presented “Me Being Me, and You Being You.” Cocchiaro said that the only way to understand others is to first understand yourself.

“I want you to search your heart and search your mind and consider the question, ‘who am I?’” said Cocchiaro. “I want you to wrestle it, wrangle it, and tame it. Know your story and be it.

Nicholas Tampio, an associate professor of political science at Fordham, presented “Democracy and the Test Refusal Movement.”

In his discussion, Tampio talked about the Common Core and some of its issues with standards such as teaching to the test, teacher evaluations, instructional time, corporations in schools, privatization of schools and a lack of conversation with parents.

“Democracy means consulting the people who are affected by a policy.” said Tampiois. “We were affected by Common Core, but we were not necessarily consulted. The people should be able to say when the shoe doesn’t fit.”

Tampio researches contemporary politics and philosophy, spe-

Page 5 cifically the legacy of the Enlightenment. He has written “Kantian Courage”, “Deleuze’s Political Vision” and several peer-reviewed articles in leading journals such as the Journal of Politics, Political Theory and Politics & Religion.

Currently, Tampio is writing a book on democracy and national education standards.

Chester Elton, co-author of several successful leadership books, presented “The Power of Recognition: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.” His books “All In,” “The Carrot Principle” and “What Motivates Me” have been New York Times and #1 Wall Street Journal bestsellers. In his presentation, Elton impressed the idea of giving out little “carrots,” or signs of appreciation, to those around you every day.

“If you are having a tough day, go out and appreciate someone,” said Elton. “Little things can make big changes. When the headlines are filled with vulgarity and crassness, we have to work together to change that.”

TedxFordhamU was announced at the last annual Gabelli Town Hall. Cocchiaro officially announced the event at the beginning of the meeting.

The event has been in the works since fall of 2015. It was produced and funded by three different parties: United Student Government, Fordham College Rose Hill (FCRH) discretionary funding and Gabelli School of Business (GSB) discretionary funding. Maura Mast, dean of Rose Hill, and Donna Rapaccioli, dean of GSB, worked closely with Cocchiaro to organize the event.

“This event represents how Fordham College Rose Hill and the Gabelli School of Business and work together and integrated in order to put on an amazing event,” said Patrick Casaccio, FCRH ’18.

Only 100 guests were permitted to attend this event. As a result, 25 GSB students and 25 FCRH students received tickets.

The remaining tickets were given to campus leaders and faculty to divvy out at their discretion. The event was also live streamed to Keating 3rd. There was also food and other interactive events.

“We made an investment in Tedx because the event is a perfect marketing tool for the university,” said Cocchiaro. “In addition, this event will put us in a prime position to have more Tedx events or conferences in the future with greater crowd size in order to spread more knowledge with the community.”

ZACK MIKLOS/THE FORDHAM RAM

Dr. Young Lee discussing challenges in the workplace, including cognitive overload.

Student Victim of LGBT Crime FROM ASSAULT, PAGE 1

around 1 a.m. Friday morning and NYPD said they would to increase surveillance in his area.

Public Safety reached out Traugott the next morning and told him about resources on campus.

Public Safety released the following statement to The Fordham Ram. “On November 11, Fordham Public Safety was notified that a male student was the victim of a likely assault in the Borough of Queens: a Public Safety investigator contacted the student immediately and offered him the department’s and the University’s assistance.

The student reported to the Public Safety Investigator that he had notified the NYPD of the incident. The student said that at approximately 1:18 a.m. on November 11, while he was walking on the street in Queens, a black automobile occupied by two people pulled up to him. The driver was a male white who made a disparaging sexual remark and threw a rock at the student, which struck him in his left eye.

Fordham’s Division of Student Affairs immediately assigned an Administrative Support Person to the student to ensure his wellbeing, and to offer him the appropriate University resources following the assault. The NYPD investigation is ongoing.”

Traugott said that not everyone online believed that he was attacked.

“People who [sic]thought I deserved it for my sexuality or who threatened to do worse or even thought it was makeup or that I hurt myself,” Traugott said.

The student is not expected to suffer any lasting physical injuries to his face.

Hate crimes against members of the LGBT community have increased five percent in 2015, according to the latest FBI report released Tuesday. Approximately 18 percent of all incidents recorded in the report were motivated by sexual orientation.

Traugott has asked his Facebook friends who wanted to help to donate to The Trevor Project, a national 24-hour, toll-free confidential suicide hotline for gay and questioning youth.

“Donate it in your name. Donate it in my name. Either way, it does much more good and a more practical way to push back against powerlessness and bigotry,” he wrote.

Cameron Gallagher, FCRH ‘17 and a member of Fordham’s PRIDE alliance, said that the LGBTQ+ organization was frightened and disturbed when they heard of the incident.

“While it is disappointing for such violence to have occurred in our city, known historically as a haven for LGBTQ+ people, unfortunately physical manifestations of hate are not uncommon these days,” he said.

“It is truly sad to see a fellow Ram targeted, but these stories are not new to our community. Jake Trauggot thankfully received tons of support, and we applaud his bravery in speaking up about his incident. We hope that people of love will support one another and organize for radical change...we hope that both the current and alumni Fordham communities will help to achieve those goals and also use PRIDE as a resource.”

NEWS

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November 16, 2016

Grad Student Healthcare Remains Uncertain FROM INSURANCE, PAGE 1

might impede the ability of university’s across the country to offer subsidies.

“While the regulatory landscape has been clarified for now, the cost of SHIPs continues to rise and the university has, in recent years, experienced difficulty in securing affordable options with good coverage,” outlined a document released by GSAS in late October announcing the guidance document released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

Badowska said this is both an issue of social justice and an issue of maintaining enrollment at GSAS. An inability to offer subsidies to graduate students can result in students attending other universities for their graduate education.

“We are absolutely conscious of how important this is and that it is the right thing to do,” said Badowska.

Universities struggle to afford these subsidies partly because the cost of premiums has increased.

Expenses due to mental health and reproductive health for this age range, as well as expenses relating to treating graduate students as individuals instead of groups, discourage competition.

Consequently, there is decreased competition amongst insurers, according to Badowska.

Before the ACA was enacted in 2010, GSAS offered subsidies as a part of their admissions package

to the university. But in 2013, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued guidance saying universities could no longer offer these subsidies.

Universities across the country struggled to decide whether to suspend their subsidies. If universities continued to offer subsidies, they could face significant fines.

But the repercussions of halting subsidies or other programs like these subsidies were severe. For instance, the University of Minnesota terminated their subsidies, and faced a planned graduate student worker walkout. The university eventually reinstated the subsidies.

In Feb. of 2016, the IRS issued transitional relief for graduate student heath care coverage. Then, in late Oct. 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Labor and the Department of the Treasury released a notice that said it was the intention of the ACA to “preserve the ability of institutions of higher education to continue offering student health insurance plans otherwise permitted under applicable Federal, State or local law,” Badowska said the subsidies are safe for the next year or so, and GSAS is committed to continuing these subsidies in the future.

But she is not sure how universities across the country will keep up with the increasing premium costs.

The ACA was intended to improve SHIPS, through the prohibition on annual dollar limits and

the requirement to provide certain preventative health services without costs.

Malkah Bessler, a P.h. D. English student, president of the Graduate Students Association, said she noticed these improvements in her time at the university.

“To be honest, the health insurance wasn’t great,” said Dressler about the insurance when she first enrolled. “A lot of people

Health coverage for graduate students at universities may be affected by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

Michael Sam Discusses Bullying In an effort to promote diversity at the university and uniting the community, Campus Activities Board (CAB) hosted Michael Sam as part of their Diversity Month.

Sam is a defensive end who played college football at the University of Missouri. Sam was drafted in the seventh round of the 2014 draft by the St. Louis Rams.

Sam is the first openly LGBTQ player in the National Football League. He spoke about how his choice to come out liberated him and allowed him to finally be himself.

“It was the first time in my life I felt that I was Michael Sam,” said Sam. “I finally felt free.”

Sam spoke about his struggles with his family life and with bullies. Sam witnessed one of his brothers die from a gunshot wound and another brother has been missing since 1998. His parents separated in his youth.

Sam said he hated bullies because his brothers bullied him.

He had thought his siblings would be there to lead and protect him.

“If anyone knows any bullies, tell me who they are,” said Sam. Sam struggled with his sexual identity in high school. Sam attended the University of Missouri on a football scholarship,

porarily relieved that they will continue to receive subsidies.

Uncertainty has only grown, though, with the election of Donald Trump, who campaigned against the ACA and said he would repeal the act. However, he has recently backtracked, and said he may keep facets he finds favorable, such as the clause that prohibits insurers from discriminating against those with preexisting conditions.

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Michael Sam spoke about his experiences as the first openly gay NFL player as a part of Diversity Week.

ANDREA GARCIA AND THERESA SCHLIEP

didn’t take it, but since I’ve been at Fordham every year it’s gotten every better and better. It’s not perfect, but it’s a marked improvement.”

Dressler said she also believes it is a social justice issue, especially considering there is a debate over whether or not graduate students, who she said work teaching and doing research, are considered employees.

Dressler said students are tem-

and made headlines when he publically came out as gay. He said he did not have anyone to

confide in about his sexuality, but he was encouraged to speak out for those who did not have a medium to do so.

“I was going to be the voice for those who didn’t have a voice for themselves,” said Sam. In one instance, Sam said a teammate asked him if he could talk to a relative because she was being bullied. Sam said his story gave her inspiration to push against the bullies.

Stephen Esposito, FCRH ’17, president of CAB, said the event was especially important in light of the election.

“We were so fortunate to have such an inspiring person such as Michael Sam come speak during this time of divisiveness in our country and particularly on campus,” said Esposito. “I hope that this discussion with Sam was uplifting and empowering for all that attended.”

Emily Oliver, FCRH ’17, part

of the American Age Lecture Series Committee said Sam embraced the purpose of Diversity Month.

“Having Michael Sam as our Diversity Month speaker was truly amazing,” said Oliver.

“He fully embraces himself and spreads a message of love and acceptance.”

Maxson Thomas, FCRH ‘17, said Sam provided a beneficial perspective on diversity.

“He spoke about overcoming adversity throughout his life due to his race and sexual identity, specifically in the world of professional sports,” he said.

The American Lecture Series, a committee on the election board, organized the event. Sam no longer plays in the NFL, but currently has a contract with the Canadian Football League team, the Montreal Alouettes.

-Julia Comerford contributed reporting

Campus Activites Board hosted NFL player Michael Sam who talked about his sexuality and bullying.

COURTESY OF CAB

NEWS

November 16, 2016

PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS Nov. 7 Queen’s Court 9 p.m.

Students cooking in the first floor kitchen of Queen’s Court activated the smoke alarm by leaving a plastic plate on the stove. The students were evacuated and Public Safety responded. There were no damages or injuries and the room was ventilated.

Nov. 8 Arthur Avenue 10:15 p.m.

Students in an off-campus apartment were frying food on the stove which caused a fire alarm to activate.

Public Safety and FDNY responded to the situation. There was no fire and no damage to the apartment. The building did not need to be evacuated. The system was reset.

Nov. 9 Walsh Library 3 p.m.

Two library employees reported money missing from their lockers.

The employee locker room is located on the lower level of Walsh Library and the employees stated that their lockers were broken into. $20 was taken from one wallet and $60 was taken from the other.

Nov. 13 Cambreleng Avenue 1 a.m.

Students at an off-campus apartment were hosting a party when Public Safety arrived responding to a noise complaint. The students were asked to keep the gathering quiet.

The students complied and Public Safety left the scene.

Page 7

Journal From Abroad

The Art of Grocery Shopping

By JANE HAYES

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

LONDON— Going to the grocery store is a straightforward, run-of-the-mill trip. However, when living abroad in a new culture, the trip can actually be rather exciting and an essential learning experience.

Here in London, I learned that grocery shopping is something people do almost daily. The British seem to buy only what they need at the moment — bulk shopping isn’t much of a thing.

As a result, walking through the sliding glass doors of Tesco, a major British grocery retailer, has become a part of my daily routine as well.

Grocery shopping felt like a true component of my study abroad experience. The addition of the mundane activity into my daily schedule is representative of how living in London has become simple and comfortable for me.

While exploring foreign countries this semester, I am completely aware of the fact that I am just a visitor to a variety of cultures and touristy landmarks.

However, now when I return to London it feels as if I am returning to my home away from home.

Two months ago when I ar-

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Jane Hayes learns that simple things, like going to the local grocery chain, can make you feel at home in a new country.

rived in London, this place was just as foreign to me as the other cities I have since visited throughout the past months. I couldn’t have made my way back to my flat without Google Maps, no matter how basic the route, during my first weeks here.

However, the more often I re-

turn to the city, the more familiar to me it becomes. London feels less foreign every time I arrive back from a weekend trip. Tube lines and Tesco are now as much, maybe even more, a part of my understanding of London culture as Big Ben and Buckingham Palace are.

Nov. 14 McGinley Fitness Center 4:20 p.m.

A student placed her belongings in a locker of the fitness center. When she went back to recover her property an hour later she found her card holder to be missing. The holder contained her Fordham ID, her Metro Card and her debit card.

— Compiled by Michael Byrne

Follow us on Twitter! @TheFordhamRam

COURTESY OF FLICKR

In addition to navigating the city, I also have learned to navigate the grocery store. I’ve memorized the route back to my flat through the streets of the city and I’ve memorized the route to the eggs, unrefrigerated, through the aisles of the grocery store.

I also learned that food in London expires quickly, due to the pleasant lack of preservatives. I am no longer surprised when my bananas transition from a vibrant yellow to brown in a single day.

The more I understand the things I never thought twice about in America, the more I appreciate London for its cultural differences.

Although my inner American does miss Costco and “real” peanut butter, I am trying to live like a Brit and enjoy the daily trip to the grocery store. However, I still have no shame in googling “Pound to USD” in the fruit aisle.

Passport stamps, unique cuisines and historical buildings have ended up only being part of my once in a lifetime experience here in London. The mundane tasks, like grocery shopping, have proven to be formidable experiences living abroad as well.

I have learned here that familiarity and comfort go hand-inhand. Although I will likely not consider London home in the future, for these four months, I feel familiar and comfortable enough in London to call it my home.

This Week at Fordham Thursday Nov. 17

Thursday Nov. 17

Thursday Nov. 17

Friday Nov. 18

Saturday Nov. 19

CAB and Unicef ’s Hunger Banquet

Special Olympics Spin-A-Thon

FET Presents: Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

Intersectionality in Acedemia

Sports and Sharpless at Rod’s

Campus Activities Board and Unicef will host Hunger Banquet, an interactive event in which your seating and meal are determined by luck

Special Olympics Club at Fordham will host a spin-a-thon to fundraise for Special Olympics New York City.

Admission costs $10 and is on a first come, first serve basis.

Women’s Empowerment will host a panel discussion on intersectionality and diveristy within academia. Various professors will speak on their experiences.

Rodrigue’s Coffee House will host two bands, Sports from Ohio and Sharpless from Brooklyn. The event is open to all of the Fordham community.

McGinley 234 & 235 5 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.

RamFit Center 7:30 p.m. — 8:30 p.m.

The Blackbox Theatre 8 p.m. — 9:30 p.m.

Fordham Experimental Theatre will present its fall slot show of “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.” The play was written by Nathan Crawford and directed by Liam Paris.

Flom Auditorium 4 p.m. — 5 p.m.

Rodrigue’s Coffee House 8 p.m. — 10:15 p.m.

NEWS

Page 8

November 16, 2016

Diversity Task Force Issues Report

McShane Reacts, Calling Racism “Original Sin” FROM DIVERSITY, PAGE 1

which was investigated this September.

“Although Fordham is not a racist institution, institutionalized racism and incidents of explicit or implicit bias have impeded its ascendency to the greatness for which it was created and of which it is capable,” the Task Force wrote in the report.

The Report The Diversity Task Force was lead by Dr. Peter Vaughan, Dean Emeritus of the Graduate School of Social Service, and included an array of more than twenty students, faculty and administrators.

The 38-page report contained a number of findings, listed below, as well as various recommendations to address the issues present in the summary.

“There is no one in the University leadership who takes responsibility for developing a unified sense of community across the campuses.

“Conversations with members of the community indicated that there are feelings of distrust throughout the University and that there is fear of speaking out about concerns among staff, faculty, administrators, and students.

“Silos in the organization make communication difficult, and there is a lack of cooperation and integration of shared functions.

There exists a generalized perception that nothing will happen that will ever change this Fordham re-

ality.

“There is a significant underrepresentation of racial minorities in different parts of the University, especially in the undergraduate student body, in senior administrative offices, and in the teaching faculty. The lack of such leadership at the campus level contributes to an atmosphere where nonwhite students are mostly quiet and respectful, but distant in relation to the larger Fordham community.

“There is far too much isolation and separation among departments and among schools in dealing with race and diversity.

Cross-community dialogue on these issues is not plentiful either in the classroom or outside of the classroom.

“Students noted the lack of minorities in positions of student leadership and the tendency of majority students to associate with others similar to themselves.

Student athletes, on the other hand, speak very positively of their interactions with each other as members of racially, socially, and ethnically diverse teams with the common objective of being successful in sports competitions.”

The Task Force found that “all in all, racism, institutionalized racism, discrimination, and implicit and explicit bias do exist at Fordham,” noting that it can be exhibited in the practices of some faculty, departments, centers, and individual administrators.” The report referenced implicit bias on campus, noting that “a school that

prepares professionals to work with inner city populations of color has only one African-American faculty member.”

“There are departments and schools that have a reputation for frequency of incidents of racial and gender bias...any efforts to deal with such incidents are reactive, and all too often unsuccessful,” the Task Force added.

It advocated for open discussions of race, racism, and diversity and for safe spaces for such dialogue to occur.

The President’s Response McShane responded to the Task Force’s report with a Diversity Action Plan outlining various initiatives in four categories — people, curricula, community engagement and policies and procedures.

Many points referenced the Task Force’s recommendations — as well as timelines for these to be started.

McShane addressed students in the response letter, calling racism our “original sin.”

“Racism is a legacy of this original sin, and it shows itself in sinful social structures and systems,” he said.

McShane acknowledged the recent contentious presidential campaign and the tensions that have arisen on a national level.

“We at Fordham have not been immune to these tensions and this pain,” he wrote.

He promoted the position of assistant dean and director of

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multicultural affairs to the position of Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs for Diversity and Inclusion and creating a Chief Human Resources Officer position in part to oversee diversity and inclusion initiatives in Human Resources.

A diversity leadership team will be created consisting of the Chief Diversity Officer, the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs for Diversity and Inclusion, and the Chief Human Resources Officer.

McShane’s initiatives included placing priority on diversifying all university administrators and faculty members utilizing “cluster hiring,” the hiring multiple professors into departments based on shared, interdisciplinary research interests. He also said the university would prioritize the John LaFarge Visiting Scholars and Fellows Program, where doctoral candidates of color nearing the end of their degree can be recruited to work in departments related to their field of study and are mentored by faculty members at Fordham.

He announced plans to recruit more students of color through the current excelsior campaign to raise $175 million for financial aid for undergraduate and graduate diversity. The new diversity leadership team will consider allocating specific scholarship funds for students who seek to become leaders in diversity and inclusion, among other recruitment efforts and enrollment practices designed to increase the

enrollment of students of color.

Other notable points in the document included the advancement of a proposal that seeks to require all first-year undergraduate students to enroll in a one-credit “First Year Experience” course with a significant diversity component. McShane said Fordham’s deans will form school-based committees “to identify and/or create professional development programs for faculty colleagues.” The incoming Chief Diversity Officer will also create a standing Diversity Committee.

Student Response Response to the task force’s report as well as the president’s response will be discussed at today’s Student Life Council meeting in the Bepler Commons at 2:30 p.m.

Brian Daaleman, a FCRH ‘19 Senator and Co-Chair of the Diversity Action Coalition, said he was very happy with both the Diversity Task Force’s report and McShane’s response to it.

“They did a thorough job in examining this issue from administrative, faculty, and student perspectives and gave excellent recommendations for how to make Fordham a more diverse and tolerant university,” he said. “While there is a lot of work to be done, I am thrilled to move forward in our work with such support and hope to coordinate efforts with administrators in order to ensure that these initiatives will become a reality.”

November 16, 2016

OPINION

Page 9

The Fordham Ram

Tinder Gender Offerings Come At a Pivotal Moment Nationally

By KRISTEN SANTER OPINION EDITOR

After this past week of dim and depressing news, Tinder offered some good tidings in response — which is a sentence I never thought I would write. For National Transgender Awareness Week (which began on Monday), Tinder is now offering 37 options to choose from for your gender. This is a great progressive movement in a nation that seems to be sliding back into the archaic, degenerative institutions of racism and sexism. Although it may not seem like a major step forward, this change provides hope and helps to convince Americans that progress will come, even if we are still faced with oppression.

Some of the genders that users can choose now on Tinder include “transgender female” and “transgender male,” but also include less common options like “gender fluid,” “pangender” and “androgynous.”

Users even have the option to write in their own term. Tinder worked closely with the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) to help create and execute this update.

In Recode’s Code Conference in June, Tinder CEO Sean Rad admitted that he has not done enough to

help the transgender community.

Several transgender users had their accounts flagged in the past because people were reporting them as “fake.” Dating can be a nerve-wracking and stressful experience even for those who identify as male or female, and it can be even more difficult for those who are transgender.

Tinder realized that they owed more to the transgender community, and this update provides a safe space for these users to mingle and date.

The GLAAD Director of Transgender Affairs Nick Adams said in a press release, “We helped make sure the app had language that would send the message to trans people that Tinder was listening and would develop an app to meet their needs … [this is] an important step forward [and] a message to its tens of millions of users that transgender and gender non-conforming people are welcome.”

This is exactly what the country needs. Tinder has released this update at a turning point in the United States. Anti-Trump protests continue to occur all over the country, offering words of hope, solace and support to women, minorities, gay people and transgender people.

According to Trans Lifeline, a suicide hotline for transgender people, there was a spike in calls after Don-

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Tinder recently updated their gender options when users sign up, including “transgender,”“gender fluid” and “neutrois.”

ald Trump was elected president last Tuesday. Tinder made a bold transition by allowing users to change their gender to what accurately represents them, which shows that they will stand with the transgender community during an extremely difficult period.

Not only does this update provide hope to a grieving society, but it also provides access points for others to learn more about the transgender and gender non-conforming community.

As we have seen this past week, this

election has shown that there is a great divide in our country, especially concerning social justice issues. At times, some of this divide stems from misunderstanding. This new Tinder update could be the gateway to providing information to those unaware of the vast spectrum of gender possibilities. When I researched a couple of the options listed under Tinder’s new gender list, I learned that “neutrois,” according to its website, is a “non-binary gender identity that falls under the genderqueer or transgen-

der umbrellas.”

Perhaps other users will also see these gender options and be inspired to better understand this subsect of America better. Hopefully, this update will encourage more citizens to stay optimistic about progressive movements within our country and promote others to educate themselves more about the transgender

Kristen Santer, FCRH ’17, is a communication and media studies major from Stamford, Connecticut.

Explaining the Rise of Donald Trump and the Solution

COURTESY OF FLICKR

In a political outcome that surprised many Americans, Republican candidate Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton.

By BENEDICT CARRIZZO STAFF WRITER

I have never seen a former president or candidate quite like Donald Trump. Even Andrew Jackson, with his brand of populism, was hardly as clownish and insubstantial as the new president-elect. Now Donald Trump’s deplorable character and baseless policies will make their way to the White House, where he and his orange toupee will reside for the next four years.

One can look to thousands upon thousands of articles written against him to see what I mean, and I do not really think it would be useful to reiterate all his faults, or else I would risk making the already sad and depressed readers of The Fordham Ram even sadder. It is hard to understand why

nearly half of America is still buying the snake-oil, but I can give it the old college try. So here, I will try to answer what has been going through so many people’s heads about how can anyone buy into Trump’s fascist proclivities and warped sense of morality.

I have seen dozens of explanations like trade, social media confirmation bias and just plain old white-male bigotry. Yet all of these fall flat, since Trump supporters make on average $71,000 a year, not all of them (especially older ones) are active on social media and plenty of them voted for Barack Obama in 2012. These play a role in the election, but they do not fully explain the picture. I want to explain the bulk of his support.

Looking at this hard for too long, I have figured out that Trump’s rise is

mainly cultural. Trump supporters see the world around them changing, and they do not like it.

People in the Midwest, a place known as “flyover country,” see Trump’s candidacy as a blast from the past, a time when a church was the hub of the town and “family values” were not challenged by young women looking to succeed in the labor force, or become president for that matter. The media illuminated these challenges. Imagine sitting in your home in the middle of the countryside, watching Fox News and seeing the system crumble: police officers are dishonored, globalization is undermining your national identity, your way of life is ridiculed and no one in politics hears your concerns.

Basically, you see a world changing around you, and you cannot keep up.

That explains why Evangelical Christians, who are so passionate in their faith, are supporting a morally pathetic man. It is a vote of desperation.

But Trump is a false prophet. For example, already he’s eyeing Goldman Sachs alumnus Steven Mnuchin for Treasury secretary, not “draining the swamp” in Washington.

So how can we solve the issue? It is very simple, but very hard to do for the anti-Trump shouters in the street.

It is called listening. Understand that Trump supporters are helplessly clinging to their old way of life, and it is up to you to put aside your own moral righteousness and condescension to understand how others think and feel.

The first way to address societal issues is by including everyone affected by them (This will be my most controversial point, so I will spare my readers the pain of continuing if they disagree with this.) Avoid identity politics at all costs. It is what Sigmund Freud calls the “narcissism of small difference,” and it permeates our political discourse. When politics becomes all about me and my issues, oftentimes expressed by the intro “as an {insert sexuality}, {insert race}, {insert gender} person with {X} life experience, I believe this,” we lose our ability to empathize. Yes, white, male, straight privilege is a strong and powerful force in our system, but it does not mean that all straight white males are living better lives because of it. Communally, white males — and white females, to an extent — get what they want, but if you are living in the middle of nowhere and holding an unsteady factory job, you are probably not feeling very powerful or privileged. If the world is so adamant

on teaching empathy, it should be for everyone.

Secondly, focus on exposure and appreciation for old-world America.

This is a job for the media, but I will include everyone because the majority of you at least have a social media account and a blog. Stop demonizing middle Americans as “hillbillies” and “racists” — as a matter of insult, not description — and allow them to express a healthy sense of pride, without letting it devolve into white identity politics. Let the Midwesterners and other Trump supporters understand how harmless American immigrants are without delegitimizing their concerns. And here is something Bernie Sanders did very well: he provided exposure for their issues. He railed against bad trade deals, and wanted an economy for all working-class Americans. Half of America is feeling left out of the big-league, elitist American politics, and it is our job to create an America for everyone, as cliche as that sounds.

So these are the answers. Not very specific, right? I did not even discuss the range of -isms and phobias that trademarked Trump’s candidacy. I did not even mention Hillary Clinton’s faults. There is not enough room in The Fordham Ram to print it all.

But I do know that abandoning and marginalizing Trump supporters will not solve anything. Silencing an issue will not make it go away, and silencing a bigot will never make him less bigoted. Empathy is the answer, and everything else goes from there.

Benedict Carrizzo, FCRH ’18, is a communication and media studies and English double major from Kings Park, New York.

OPINION

Page 10

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 readershipi 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 Mailing Address Fordham University - Station 37 Box B Bronx, NY 10458 Editor-in-Chief Laura Sanicola Managing Editor Erin Shanahan Business Director Zack Miklos Copy Chief Tara Martinelli Editorial Director Amanda Giglio Assistant Business Director Tyler Dikun Assistant Copy Chief Amanda Maile News Editors Mike Byrne Theresa Schliep Opinion Editors Margarita Artoglou Kristen Santer Culture Editors Bailey Hosfelt Libby Smislova Sports Editor Sam Belden Assistant Sports Editors Pat Costello Jack McLoone Photo Editor Andrea Garcia Digital Team Ellie Bruckner Meghan Campbell Anna Carey Faculty Advisor Beth Knobel

Editorial Page Policy The Fordham Ram ’s editorial and ramblings topics are selected on a weekly basis and reflect the editorial board’s view on a campus issue.

Opinions Policy The Fordham Ram appreciates submissions to fordhamramopinions@gmail.com. Commentaries are printed on a space available basis. The Fordham Ram reserves the right to reject any submission for any reason, without notice.

Submissions become the exclusive property of The Fordham Ram .

The Fordham Ram reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions in The Fordham Ram ’s editorials are those of the editorial board; those expressed in articles, letters, commentaries, cartoons or graphics are those of the individual author. No part of The Fordham Ram may be reproduced without written consent.

November 16, 2016

From the Desk | Amanda Giglio

Revealing the Work and Play Behind The Fordham Ram “What does The Fordham Ram mean to me?” As my last semester on staff comes to a close, I feel like this question has continually come up in conversation. Everyone expects this heartfelt story of how The Fordham Ram changed my life and has been the best and only experience I’ve had at Fordham in the past almost four years, but that’s not the right way to put it. If anything, The Fordham Ram showed me just how dedicated people can be to a cause.

I started as a copy editor my first semester freshman year and had the weirdest experience. There was pizza, a bunch of upperclassmen who looked like they had their lives completely figured out and a lot of conversation that went way over my head. I was lucky enough to have found an awesome buddy for those strange Tuesday nights in Amanda Maile.

Yes, we made it this far together, and I give us all the props.

By the time December rolled around, I knew that this quirky, music-bumping environment was something I wanted in on so I applied for Assistant Culture Editor (back then the Arts and Entertainment section) and surprisingly got the position.

This could be the start of my Ram story, but it was still just a stepping stone.

I was thrown into a position with little experience alongside an editor who was in the same boat as I was, so it was a rocky start, but we managed to put together an interesting and fun Culture Section each week, even bonding in the meantime. It was during this first year on the Volume 96 staff that I realized The Fordham Ram was something of a phenomenon on campus.

The Fordham Ram runs every week, with a budget meeting on Sundays, layout and editing on Mondays and finally publication night on Tuesdays, where all the editors are in the office from 5 p.m. until anywhere around midnight to five in the morning.

This is on top of reaching out to writers, writing our own articles for different sections, coming up with an editorial, sending out story ideas each week and then lugging huge stacks of the paper around campus on Wednesdays for distribution. It may seem like some insider business that goes on, as most people on campus just see the finished project midweek, but these are real hours that full-time students are devoting to this newspaper without being paid or getting credit. That’s insane!

After being a part of this craziness for a year, I somehow found it in myself to tackle it again as Culture Editor for Volume 97 and I was still astonished at the time and effort each and every one of us put in each week, but it wasn’t all work and no play. We blast music and sing along to horrible throwbacks while discussing articles and sharing opinions on the most random events and ideas.

We eat pizza and random crap from Best at 1 a.m., while yelling over each other about which is the best movie (my vote is still that everyone should watch One Day; you have to cry at least once watching it).

We share our worries and aspirations with each other, while roasting one another until someone dissolves into laughter. Yes, my Tuesday nights weren’t filled with Beer Hall Karaoke or much sleep, but they were in a room full of people from different, and sometimes conflicting, backgrounds and interests that came together each week.

I spend a majority of my week with people I don’t necessarily choose to be with, but still look forward to seeing them and hearing about their lives each Tuesday. Volume 97 brought me more experience than I could have asked for, as well as friends that I know I will keep in touch with and people that have taught me so much (I am looking at you, Sydney Keen, Cailin McKenna and Joe Vitale).

Having had all of that, it only made

sense to stick with it for Volume 98.

While it was a rough transition for us all, I think we were able to pull through with few casualties. I’ve been Editorial Director for the past year, holding a position on the e-board and spearheading the editorial for the newspaper.

I forewent going abroad to stay another year on The Fordham Ram staff.

That was a huge decision for me that at times I regret, but I am also glad that I have had the extra experience with the newspaper.

This year has been one of learning and adapting that has been invaluable for me. I would not have been able to get through this volume without our reckless, yet practical Copy Chief and my good friend, Tara Martinelli, and the rest of the amazing copy editing team.

This volume has seen many changes, some more obvious than others, but ultimately has shown me that even when the going gets tough The Fordham Ram staff, regardless of its changes, always pulls together and prints out the best journalistic newspaper Fordham has to offer (yes, I know I’m biased).

So, what does The Fordham Ram

mean to me? It means a group of talented and hardworking students who devote way too much of our time and social lives to print a newspaper.

It means printing hard-hitting news pieces, sensational op-eds, fun culture features and sporty sports. It means reaching their to administration in futile attempts over and over to get that one quote that will make or break an article.

It means being forgotten by most of the Fordham community and getting little to no recognition for how much we put in, yet still coming to work every week and trying our best.

It means dragging yourself down to B-52 every Tuesday night just to crawl out of bed Wednesday morning for class or internships.

It means creating relationships and memories during my time at Fordham. It means making a physical printed newspaper that I am always so proud of, even if my friends hardly ever pick up a copy. The Fordham Ram means a lot to me, and I hope that it continues to prosper and becomes a part of other students’ Fordham life too.

Editorial | Election

Redefining Safe Spaces in a Post-Election World It is time to revisit one of the most contentious terms of the 21st century: safe spaces.

For years, arguments for against these communities fostered in colleges across the country have grown increasingly heated. Without bothering to agree on a proper definition for the term, those accusing safe spaces of existing as bubbles of ignorance, critical of the state of higher education, have been met with indignant responses from loyal college-aged defenders.

Those arguing colleges exist as homes of the “liberal snowflake culture” aiding only those who share the same opinion have only exacerbated confusion following last week’s presidential election.

In our opinion, not all of these arguments have been unsubstantiated. Safe spaces on liberal college campuses can often act as retreats for those leaning left to escape differing opinions and surround themselves only with people who share their views. They have become places that console more than teach and promote coddling over listening and

debating.

This is unproductive.

A safe space that shuts down a point of view before it is fully expressed and demands a person change his mind or leave is no safe place at all. Given the intense bipartisan nature of this election, real “safe spaces” are more necessary than ever — places where students from across party lines don’t fear speaking out in front of their peers, so long as they are not targeting others with hateful words.

At Fordham, we have seen the community reacting to the election in often positive ways. Professors are opening up conversations in class to discuss the results. Administrators are reaching out via email urging the student body to come together in solidarity to heal and discuss. What they appear to be advocating for is what a safe space should be — one that does not pit ideas against each other, demonizing one group of individuals and validating another.

Much of the discourse around the effectiveness of safe spaces has missed the point. A safe space should

not be considered an insular area where students retreat to avoid triggers, but a place where anyone is given the chance to explain themselves and fully express their thoughts and opinions without fearing their peers will not just attack their ideas but attack them as human beings.

It is clear from the aftermath presidential election and the shock that ensued that some of us existed in echo chambers we didn’t even see.

We need safe spaces now more than ever, but one’s that allow for everyone’s perspective, regardless of race, sex, gender expression, sexual identity, cultural background, religious affiliation and ability.

What we are calling for during this intense time is a redefining of safe spaces and how they are used.

We are Fordham students, above name calling and above transferring negative qualities onto other people based on their choice of two candidates for president. Everyone deserves to feel like they can engage in dialogue without being disrespected (barring outward statements of hatred towards another group of

people).

In order for safe spaces to function, mutual discourse must take place. Dialogue can be confrontational — getting to the root of another perspective is imperative. But it should not be cold or cruel.

Universities are prime places for people of all different backgrounds and ideas to come together and learn from one another while maintaining dignity and respect.

Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at New York University said in the New York Times, “Universities are unlike other institutions in that they absolutely require that people challenge each other so that the truth can emerge from limited, biased, flawed individuals.

If they lose intellectual diversity, or if they develop norms of ‘safety’ that trump challenge, they die.”

We at The Fordham Ram agree with this sentiment. We hope that students keep this in mind while engaging in productive, thoughtful conversations in the wake of this long and tiring election.

OPINION

November 16, 2016

Faustino Galante The “Art” of the Deal I made myself promise Tuesday night. I told myself that I would not write an election column for my final article of this semester.

Well, here I am, breaking my own promise. Sort of. I would like to make it clear that instead of focusing on Tuesday night’s debacle, or tearing into every aspect of our president-elect, I will spend this time to focus in on one particular consequence of Tuesday night’s verdict, one that many U.S citizens tend to discount: Donald Trump’s plan to repeal the Iran Nuclear Deal.

Since Tuesday, much of the hostility greeting Trump is rooted in domestic social matters. Many have avoided considering what our foreign policy might look like in the next four years. Well one thing is for certain: the future of American foreign policy, as long as Trump maintains his promises, looks grim. In the short-term, Trump’s plan to repeal the Iran Deal will create two complications. The United States, along with other countries, will no longer have the ability to keep a close-eye over Iran’s nuclear ad-

vancements. Also, the re-implementation of sanctions will, again, prove ineffective because they will only cause further international hostility, unease and confrontation.

Before demonstrating the damages that will arise as a result of repealing the deal, it is important that one has a general understanding of what the “it” entails. The main focus of the deal is to ensure that the country of Iran will not establish a nuclear weapons program. The deal still allows Iran to have a nuclear program. though that does not necessarily mean that the country is looking to build Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs).

The deal cuts Iran’s uranium centrifuges and exhausts its plutonium reactors. This limits the country’s nuclear capabilities and ensures that their program can never construct any power that can be used as a weapon.

The deal also makes Iran subject to the International Atomic Energy Agency, and allows the organization to investigate anything suspicious in regard to the program.

Under the deal, the U.S. has the most leverage it can possibly have over Iran without going to war with the country. Repealing the deal would bring us back to the status quo and make us again uncertain about the fate of Iran’s nuclear program. Uncertainty is never good in the case of WMDs.

Page 11

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If Trump repeals the Iran Nuclear Deal, the International Atomic Energy Agency may not be able to properly investigate.

The last time the United States became unsure about a countries WMD capabilities, resulted in the Iraq War. For this reason, Trump’s repeal of the deal would diminish America’s power over Iran’s nuclear program, would prevent the International Atomic Energy Agency from performing routine investigations and would grant Iran the power to do as they pleased in regard to its uranium and plutonium output, thus allowing them access to possible weapon-grade nuclear power in the future.

Before the Iran Deal, the United States, along with most NATO countries, placed heavy sanctions on Iran in order to ensure that

they would not go nuclear. Many politicians want to go back to the status quo and re-implement these sanctions lifted by the deal.

Re-applying sanctions on Iran is not a good move, because Iran is in no way a stable nation. Adding sanctions to an already suffering economy would not bode well. If Iran’s economy were to crumble, which is indeed a possibility when heavy sanctions are applied to it, the country could become what Syria is today and venture into civil war. It must also be noted that sanctions will not necessarily make the country unable to produce nuclear energy. Russia has been a longtime supporter of Iran and opponent of the United

Joe Moresky The Awesome Responsibility I never thought I’d be writing this column.

In arguably the greatest political feat in American history, Donald J. Trump has become the president-elect of the United States of America. Poaching several Rust Belt states, Trump coasted to victory on the backs of voters who felt sense of frustration and disillusionment with a status quo that had seemingly forgotten about them. The once-impregnable Democratic firewall crumbled.

Down-ballot republican candidates benefited from Trump’s long coattails; the GOP retained control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Polls missed this. Forecasting models missed this. Consultants and pundits on both sides of the aisle missed this. A sense of utter

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Trump will have to become more serious and responsible if he wishes to lead a successful administration in 2017.

shock through the Beltway is palpable, and political professionals (and likely most voters) are still trying to fully process the outcome nobody thought was possible.

On Jan. 20, 2017, Donald Trump will officially succeed Barack Obama as the nation’s 45th president, and while the question of why this outcome was so widely missed rightly ought to hang over the minds of Americans everywhere, the much bigger

question is whether Trump is up to the enormous burden soon to befall him.

With his inauguration comes the acceptance of the greatest mantle of leadership in the modern world. Decisions of the utmost gravity, which will impact millions of lives and adjust the course of history, will fall squarely on the shoulders of the real-estate mogul turned politician. Up until this point, Trump has given me little reason to believe he has the

seriousness of purpose required to faithfully execute the duties of the Oval Office, or the appropriate reverence for its lofty purpose.

A cavalier attitude on the campaign trail often left the candidate eschewing counsel or preparation. His tendency to retaliate massively to criticism was often draped with a muddied veneer of vindictiveness. He lacked — and continues to lack — governing principles and a moral compass.

His absence of experience in hold-

States. For this reason, it is possible that in order to spite the U.S., Russia could take Iran under its wing.

This would put the U.S in further danger of being enemies with a nuclear nation.

It is doubtless that repealing the Iran Deal is not in America’s best interest. Going back to the status quo and re-implementing sanctions would only make Iran less stable and more susceptible to hating the Western world. Trump should take a gander at the title of his “hit” book, “The Art of the Deal,” and should try to understand that in repealing this deal, he would only bring uncertainty and the risk of another Iraq War. ing elected office and meeting the obligations such a posting carries is concerning.

All of this causes me to have serious doubts about whether Trump is up to the challenge of stewarding the ship of state. I suspect that he is just now being introduced to the grandiose scope of the presidency and perhaps struggling to come to terms with the sheer awesomeness of responsibility he will face.

Nevertheless, I do not want the Trump Administration to fail.

In democracies, sometimes the other guy wins. That is a truth that we all must protect and accept. National unity is needed now more than ever, and the American tradition of a peaceful transition of power must be venerated. I hope that Trump shows the American people that he is capable of being more than just a disruptor that he abandons the demagoguery he so gleefully indulged in on the campaign trail and that his victory is more than just a ruinous triumph.

Despite my cautious pessimism, I hope that Trump achieves something for the common good.

Have a post-election opinion?

Email us at fordhamramopinions@gmail.com!

OPINION

Page 12

November 16, 2016

Defending our Right to be Upset and Protest

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Anti-Trump protests have continued to erupt around the country, and often send the message “love trumps hate.”

By CASEY CHUN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

One conclusion we can all arrive at is that this election cycle has left us all tired, emotionally and even physically. Being constantly exposed to a glut of headlines on all the candidates and traveling home to vote has left us weary and in need of a break.

Would you like a cup of coffee after all this exhaustion? How many sugars? Milk? Is drip okay, or would you prefer French press?

You could respond to my offer in many ways: answering how many sugars, if you wanted milk and whichever way you wanted preferred it brewed. That is okay because I respect your opinion on your choice of beverage. Your intent is just that you want to enjoy the coffee. Your consumption of your coffee has no negligible consequences on my life.

After this week, however, a lot of people are asking me and others not to respect their coffee preference, but instead to respect their votes and political opinions.

Asking me to respect your choices on how many sugars and milks you take is not the same as asking me to respect your vote. To tolerate someone’s vote is to understand that their political agenda does not align with mine, but to accept their vote is to bear the burden of their decisions that will directly affect my quality of life.

You can ask me to respect your opinion and your vote, but understand that your vote allowed a campaign to position itself in the White House after using an agenda rooted in derogatory comments and stereotypes of many individuals and communities.

While I understand your vote may not reflect all of the hateful comments aimed at those communities, it has certainly assisted in the victorious rise of that agenda. The systemic and social impact of that vote may be more than your initial personal intent.

In the nascent days of Donald Trump’s election, there have been cases of racially charged episodes across American schools, ranging

from middle schools to college campuses. The New York Times compiled cases of these reports, ranging from chants to vandalism and graffiti. At the York County School of Technology, students were filmed yelling “white power” as they walked through the halls with a Trump campaign poster.

In a Maple Grove Senior High School restroom, profanity and racial epithets were positioned next to “Trump,” as well as a hashtag that said “#WhitesOnly.”

At New York University, “Trump” was marked on the door of a Muslim prayer room used by the Muslim Students Association. I am not saying that cases like these did not exist prior to this election cycle, but what we are seeing is the rise of crimes like these which are purposely justified and positioned with Trump effigies.

Similarly, upon hearing of Trump’s victory, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) of North Carolina organized a victory march. The North Carolina GOP Chairman Robin Hayes reported to CNN, “We are disgusted and condemn

this extremist ideology and associated actions in the strongest possible terms.”

It is true that the entire Republican Party is not represented by these episodes or the KKK, but we must recognize that Trump’s campaign provided a suitable and ideal environment to cultivate these ideologies and these behaviors in the midst of racial, political and social tension. These people purposely perpetrated these actions in support of Trump and his victory.

When someone asks me to respect their vote, they are asking me to respect a vote that directly allowed these actions to take place. In addition, a vote for Trump and his running mate Mike Pence is indirectly supporting policies aimed at limiting the few rights that LGBT people have.

In his political career, Pence has voted to support a Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage and constitutionally defining marriage as one-manone-woman. He voted against HR3685: Employment Non-Dis-

crimination Action, which prohibits job discrimination on the basis of perceived or actual sexual orientation. Pence has also voted against enforcing legislation that protected victims of hate crimes based on their actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, gender, disability or sexual orientation. A vote for Pence is a vote for a person embodying these principles, which are vehemently against the LGBT and other minority communities.

Furthermore, quality of life for these marginalized communities may be further exacerbated by changes in policies. Our generation has arguably been in the midst of a sexual revolution, in which people have chosen to be more comfortable with expressing their bodies and their sexuality. This paradigm shift calls for an emphasis on providing sexual health, which has historically been stigmatized. A vote for Trump is a vote for a man who said, “I would defund [Planned Parenthood], because I’m prolife,” when asked about his moral position on abortions. Yet he admits, “millions and millions of women — cervical cancer, breast cancer — are helped by Planned Parenthood.”

What he fails to emphasize is that Planned Parenthood’s services are available not only for women, but also men. Forty-one percent, their largest allocation of patient care, is allocated to STI/ STD testing and treatment. With the issues like the rise of antibiotic resistant gonorrhea, it is imperative that we allow and fund public health institutions to address these issues our citizens face.

Defunding Planned Parenthood and its affiliated practices has serious implications on the healthcare citizens have access to. This issue is compounded by the fact that Trump’s agenda includes repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In February, Cathy Schoen of the Commonwealth Fund published an analysis that found that though the full extent of the ACA is limited,

its effects have been positive and beneficial in contributing to the country’s economic recovery, acting as a stimulus without having the negative impact on economic growth or jobs that critics were concerned about. More importantly, the act has contributed to the slowdown in health spending while allowing coverage to be expanded to citizens. Healthcare, and the access to proper care, is inherently a human right, which has been supported by the World Health Organization and facilitated by the ACA. I would have loved to avoid using a platitude, but a lot will change. Some of these changes will compromise the basic human rights and dignities of others.

When you ask me to respect your opinion when your vote has enabled these ideologies and agendas, understand that it is difficult when my friends and I fear not only for our safety, but also our quality of life. When we criticize the conditions we are subjected to, we are criticized for not understanding or patronized as being querulous or throwing a “temper tantrum.”

Are Second Amendment rights exclusive to those who voted for Trump’s campaign?

Partial support or a vote for Trump’s campaign is complacency in fortifying and perpetuating the systematic injustices and inequities that have existed — and now will continue to exist — in our country. When you criticize us for being “divisive,” understand where, how, and why these divisions are drawn. Asking me to respect your opinions on how you take your coffee is different from asking me to disregard my human emotions and response to your vote that aims to revoke the rights others have. Drink your coffee with however many sugars and milks you want to change the taste, but I will take mine black — unadulterated and undiluted by how you take yours.

Casey Chun, FCRH ’17, is a biology major from New York, New York.

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Demonstrators took to the streets to protest against the election that resulted in the victory of Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.

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CULTURE

Page 14

November 16, 2016

The Fordham Ram

Holocaust History Unites Student, Professor in College After 60 Program

By DELANEY BENISON STAFF WRITER

Over the course of a century, the unsuspecting are often reunited. This was what Dr. Robert Spiegelman and his 100-year-old student, Mathilde Freund realized during a recent College at 60 class at the Lincoln Center campus.

In class, Spiegelman was intent on playing two videos for his class. He had decided to play the footage of “Beethoven’s 9th Symphony” being played to celebrate Hitler’s birthday on April 20, 1942.

Spiegelman sought to illustrate the irony of the melodic tune, ending in “Ode to Joy,” being played while the Jewish people were suffering at the height of the Holocaust. The music struck a chord in Fruend, reminding her of a past immortalized in textbooks but rarely recollected by those living in 2016. Before Spiegelman could play his second clip, Freund intervened with a tale of personal woe in the Holocaust, one she did not realize her professor was also connected to.

COURTESY OF MATHILDE FREUND

Mathilde Freund poses for a photograph with her late husband Fritz before he enlisted in the war.

“I had to crawl on my stomach to go over the border from Austria to France,” she told The Fordham Ram. “The Germans didn’t let you out, and the French didn’t let you in. It was very, very difficult and dangerous. ” In Sept. of 1939, all Austrian and German Jews were put in a detention camp and were referred to as enemies of France because they were Austrian and German.

The men were given the choice to enlist for Allies, and there went her husband, father, brother, cousin and uncle all enlisted.

“I’m very proud of them that they volunteered,” she said.

In 1940 France fell to Germany and Freund’s family members were sent back, forced to go into hiding. They found a place to hide in the stables and woods in Lyon but was eventually caught by the Gestapo.

COURTESY OF ROBERT SPIEGELMAN

American soldiers prepare to liberate the Buchenwald concentration camp.

“Everything was very heartbreaking,” Freund said. “My brother Alfred was 26-years-old, and he was stowed away with his wife and baby. The Gestapo never asked for any papers. They lowered the pants and whoever was circumcised was taken.”

On Aug. 17, the Gestapo took 150 people, including Alfred, to the Bron Airport. The individuals were forced to dig their own graves and then were killed with machine guns in what is now known as the Massacre of Lyon.

COURTESY OF ROBERT SPIEGELMAN

Seymour Spiegelman helps liberate German camps during World War II.

Freund and her father had to go to the mass graves and try to identify her brother’s corpse, eventually recognizing pieces of his burnt clothing.

Freund would spend much of the time of the Holocaust hiding in the woods.

“We were in hiding without hygiene,” she said. “It was very hard.

I went, at one point, three days without water. It is so terrible. Finally I was given a cup of black coffee and it was the greatest feeling.”

Freund ended up in a Montluc prison with my mother, where she was tortured by the guards.

“No one ever came out of there alive,” she said. It was run by Klaus Barbie, known by Fruend as ‘The Butcher of Lyon.’

“My mother cried and screamed, but I was very still,” she said. By a stroke of luck involving an error with a higher up officer, Fruend and her mother were inexplicably able to leave the prison with their lives.

In Sept. 1943, Freund’s husband, Fritz, needed medication and went into the city of Lyon. He was arrested there and deported to the German concentration camp, Buchenwald.

He was killed in March of 1945 shortly before the camp was liberated the following month — in part by Spiegelman’s father, Seymour, a U.S. Corporal during World War II was sent to Germany

for the liberation.

After Freund spoke in class, she and Spiegelman conversed and realized the incredible coincidence. It is possible that Freund’s husband could have been weeks away from being freed by Spiegelman’s father. However, Spiegelman’s father was reluctant to tell his son about his time in the war.

“My father never spoke about what he saw over there,” Spiegelman said. “I think that was pretty common among soldiers who returned after freeing Germany.

He held on to these pictures and I think that’s how he communicated what he experienced,” said Spiegelman.

Seymour took pictures of the horrors in camp Buchenwald in April of 1945, including the mass graves that had yet to be covered and the state of Germany in that moment of history.

“I think it’s so important that we tell these stories and keep giving voice to them,” said Spiegelman. “‘Truth crushed to earth will rise again,’ as Dr. Martin Luther King once said.”

After the Holocaust ended, Freund worked in hospitals in New York, including Mount Sinai, and has been involved in Fordham for 40 years.

“I have taken many different classes in philosophy and psychology,” she said. She finds personal solace in Fordham’s College at 60 program.

“Taking these classes helps me a great deal to survive my tragedies,” she said. “I have to speak up even though it hurts me all the time. I’m not bitter but I want to tell people what happened. It is important that people aren’t silent and speak up against injustice.”

Mathilde Freund and Dr. Spiegelman have built a friendship around this connection, and have bonded over the common admiration they hold for their family members.

“I am so glad I am alive to tell this story,” Freund said. “I wanted to tell the story. But there is nothing in books or movies and really even in words that can describe what it was like to actually be there.”

COURTESY OF ROBERT SPIEGELMAN

Four soldiers carry a wounded person who needs medicial assistance.

COURTESY OF ROBERT SPIEGELMAN

Spiegelman documents a mass grave that had yet to be covered.

CULTURE

November 16, 2016

Woman of the Hour| Erin Cabrey

As Nasty Women, We Can Unite A week has passed since the presidential election, which was a night of anticipation, shock and confusion. While I hoped to write my last column about the first female president, I, instead, was inspired to write something to console myself and my fellow females who are struggling to accept the election results. So, sad and sleep-deprived, I wrote as I watched the last hours of the election. This one is for all the nasty women out there.

It was just after six in the morning in London. I had not slept yet.

The time difference made following this election even more agonizing. The drone of British political analysts on the BBC played on in the background, but I stopped listening.

Over the past few hours, as the election results have trailed in state by state, I’ve experienced some very unique stages of grieving. I cried, I stress-ate and I debated with my brother over text.

I reminisced about simpler republican days when we all joked Ted Cruz was the Zodiac Killer, or way back when Mitt Romney’s “binders of women” remark was the worst problem we had. I sent a seething snapchat of a BBC anchor delivering the election results with an evil smirk. I cried some more. Now I’m writing to help myself and women feeling the same as me to make sense of it all.

Here I am, a sad American girl in London, watching Donald Trump’s electoral college votes rise towards 270, while Hillary Clinton’s remain stagnant. I was feeling tired and helpless, like to my vote, which was printed and carefully filled out and mailed to my hometown in New Hampshire for £6.95, I did not count. But then I realized that, though my vote may not have been effective, my voice will always be.

So many women stood up during this election cycle and will no doubt stand up far after campaign signs are plucked from lawns. These women wore “Nasty Woman” t-shirts and let’s just say grabbed back. They tweeted, they canvassed, they called, they discussed with their friends and family and they supported and defended the institutions that a Trump presidency will try to threaten. We have been strong and brave throughout this election, and though racism, bigotry and misogyny seem to reign supreme right now, they do not.

Our voices are not silenced, especially because we have reason now more than ever to speak up.

Right now I am scared, my friends are scared and my mom is scared. We are scared of the rights women will have under President Trump, of the dialogue about female bodies and equal pay and of so many threats a Trump presidency promises to bring.

For those who are scared along with me, fear not. We can’t let a Trump presidency destroy what generations have worked so hard to establish. We are fierce, we are strong, we are unapologetic and we will not let an ignorant man lead us to believe otherwise. We

Page 15

Junior Writes “Catching Stars,” Reaches for Sky

By ANNEMARIE MARCONI STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF FLICKR

In the wake of Clinton’s loss, Cabrey encourages us to continue the fight.

elected the first female presidential nominee of a major party, and, it was an air-tight race. Let us not allow the results of this presidential election to erase the progress we’ve made over this election cycle.

As my flatmates went to sleep at a reasonable hour, I was trying to seek solace in the fact that I am not alone as a woman. I turn to Twitter and my feed immediately consoles me. Brie Larson retweeted information about ending rape on college campuses, Emmy Rossum quoted Michelle Obama and Mae Whitman claimed she is more inspired than ever to stand up.

Today, these are not celebrities.

They are simply American women, just like us, who are primed for the fight. They, just like us, are filled with so much love, intelligence and determination that we must not put to waste. Although #ImWithHer will fade, let us not forget that we are all still with each other. We must lift each other up, create dialogues, listen to one another, respect one another and love one another. The road ahead will be tough, but, just as the “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” theme song states, females are strong as hell.

Although it is imperative we remain strong, it is okay to feel sad.

I watched as, at the prompting of John Podesta, as Hillary supporters at the Javits Center head home for the night. As they shuffle toward the door, the camera focuses on a single woman remaining seated, tears in her eyes as she stares at the empty stage, one we all assumed would see a historical victory speech from a would-be President Hillary Clinton.

It is not the result that I hoped for, or, that I discussed with so many of my friends and a surprising amount of British and Irish strangers. But it is one we must accept and begin to deal with.

America does not need to be made great again.

It is there, this greatness, but it is sullied by confusion, fear, intimidation and deep-set prejudice. We cannot give in to this.

And we will not, I will not. I will keep writing, keep talking, keep voting and keep controlling my body, my choices and my voice no matter who sits behind the desk at the Oval Office.

Just as we stood with her, let us now stand with each other. Now more than ever, it is crucial that we push back and fight for what we want and what we deserve: freedom, respect, equality and the inalienable right to be nasty women.

For most college juniors, finding the time between class, work and activities to crank out a 1,000 word essay is a challenge. But Cayla Keenan is not like most college juniors. The English major recently finished her first novel, a young adult fantasy story called “Catching Stars.” It clocks in at over 300 pages, but the story is not done yet — Keenan has plans to make it into a trilogy.

“The idea kind of came to me in a philosophy class,” said Keenan with a laugh. “I was sort of zoning out when the characters just kind of appeared. From there, I was able to build this whole world.”

World-building is very important in fantasy stories, as the reader must be transported somewhere unlike anywhere they have ever been, but it must also maintain a sense of familiarity. Keenan’s world specifically features witches, magic and even a language that Keenan invented herself.

The world of “Catching Stars” is called Aestos, and in it exists two main characters, Maddix Kell and Jayin Ijaad. “Jayin is being hunted for her very unique magic abilities as a witch, and Maddix is on the run from a group of witches who basically ruined his life. They have to work together, putting aside their differences, so that they can make it in Aestos.”

It took Keenan three or four months to get her first draft down on paper. It tooke even longer to edit what she had written. Now that her book is approaching its final manuscript, the task remains to get it published.

“I tried querying for about eight months, but I just wasn’t getting anywhere with it.” Selfpublishing can be a lot for one person to handle, as Keenan noted. “With self-publishing, the author is in charge of distribution,

packaging, design and marketing. It can become overwhelming quickly.”

Keenan found a website called inkshares.com, which offers crowd-sourcing support for a book. Writers can upload their story to inkshares, where fellow members of the website can preorder the book. If the book gets 250 pre-orders in three months, it receives its own ISBN, a oncethrough editing from a professional and distribution of physical and electronic copies via Amazon. Should a book receive 750 preorders, the author receives a more standard publishing treatment complete with a professional cover design, a months-long editing process and even distribution in bookstores should the demand exist.

Keenan uploaded “Catching Stars” three weeks ago, and it already has 163 pre-orders. That still gives her plenty of time to hit the 250 goal in the upcoming months. “It’s crazy to me that I could hit the 250 goal — to think that I could write a book and people could actually read it,” she said.

While she waits to hit those goals, she has plans to write two more. “It’s really interesting to be working on the next book while still focusing so much on the first,” she said.

Despite her devotion to writing, one tough question that always exists: is there a backup plan that does not involve art? Keenan plans to attend law school after graduation — though she admits that she will likely not put down the pen.

“Writing is my passion,” she said. “I’ve been reading and writing for as long as I can remember.

And if I can at least try to give this a shot, I want to see how it turns out.”

To read “Catching Stars,” search for Cayla Keenan on inkshares.com.

COURTESY OF CAYLA KEENAN

Keenan hopes to get her YA fantasy story, “Catching Stars,” published.

CULTURE

Page 16

Theater Talk | Claire Del Sorbo

“The Humans”

With Thanksgiving on its way, going home for the holidays is something students and many other young people seem to dread. There are many things people would rather do than return to family members from home, make small talk about college and relationships and have heated political arguments. At the end of the day, however, we still view these people as our family and refuse to let irreconcilable differences affect that.

These intricacies of human nature, family and the future are the topics of one of the best new plays of the year, Stephen Karam’s “The Humans,” excellently directed by Joe Mantello.

Upon seeing this hilarious, tragic and ultimately wonderful production, I easily saw why it won Best Play at the Tony Awards in the summer.

In a duplet apartment in Chinatown, Brigid Blake (Sarah Steele) and her boyfriend Rich (Arian Moayed) are preparing for Thanksgiving dinner with Brigid’s dysfunctional parents coming up from Scranton, Pennsylvania, Erik (Reed Birney) and Deirdre (Jayne Houdyshell), as well as her older sister, Aimee (Cassie Beck), who works in Philadelphia. Accompanying them is Momo (Lauren Klein), Erik’s aging mother who has dementia. Erik and Deirdre are both disappointed with their daughters for leaving home and for abandoning religion, but they are determined to have a happy holiday together.

The parents seem to envy their daughters somewhat for their success, an embodiment of the idea that each generation seems to be doing progressively better than the last. However, Brigid and Aimee are both dealing with their own problems. Brigid is inundated with debt from music school and her dream of finding success as a composer has become bleak. Aimee will likely be laid off from work because she has been shirking responsibilities due to her sadness over a breakup with a long term girlfriend.

It becomes easy to judge Erik and

Deidre. One could claim they are jealous of their daughters, but it becomes more complicated as the play progresses. Their jealousy is due to fear, fate and the sheer nature of protecting those closest to the family. Erik is dissatisfied with his daughters leaving home, not because he is jealous, but because he is afraid for them. It is revealed that he accompanied Aimee to a job interview on 9/11 and recalls two frightening hours when he was unable to find her. He is also uncomfortable with the idea of Brigid living in the middle of a flood zone. Karam demonstrates that every one of us is at the mercy of fate in our lives, which determines the course of them.

The cast is certainly one of the finest on Broadway. Although “The Humans” works within the “dinner party” archetype, the characters and their actors are anything but cliche. Reed Birney gave a touching performance as Erik, a father, son and husband who tries his best to keep his family happy but is withering away inside. He sets the tone for a dynamic family. Jayne Houdyshell is charming as Deidre, a fun and humorous mother whose personality persists amidst the seriousness, but, at times, she comes off as insensitive. Cassie Beck and Sarah Steele accurately portray the nature of young millennials as dreamers, both constantly aiming toward their lives’ goals. Not to forget Arian Moayed, who has a comparatively smaller role as Richard, must receive some credit for being the play’s mediator.

“The Humans” is an anomalistic play. It is one that is as empathetic as it is straightforward, as honest as it is entertaining and captures the fear of the unknown that most of us feel but do not wish to reveal to others. As the lights dim and the play ambiguously ends, the audience is left wondering whether or not the Blakes will still enjoy their Thanksgiving. They need not fear. Karam makes it obvious that, in spite of the past, overlooking all differences and previous grievances, family is still family, and that will always be so.

November 16, 2016

Review | Film

Arrival Artistfully Weaves Emotion With Innovation

By GREG MYSOGLAND CONTRIBUTING WRITER

It is very rare for a film to simultaneously be highly innovative and emotionally impactful, while conveying important messages with real-world significance. Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival is one of the rare films to meet all three descriptions.

Arrival offers biting social commentary on mankind’s potential (or lack thereof) to work together, an extremely creative narrative structure and a truly moving family drama anchored by a moving performance from star Amy Adams.

Arrival, based on the short story “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang, follows Louise Banks (Adams), a linguistics professor who is recruited to translate between the American government and two aliens who have touched down in Montana. The aliens’ craft is one of 12 that have arrived in different locations across the globe. U.S. Army Colonel Weber (Forest Whitaker) partners Banks with Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), a theoretical physicist, in the hopes that the pair will be able to discover how to communicate with the aliens and determine their purpose on Earth. What follows is a unique vision of a common film premise that focuses on communications and international disagreements, rather than the massive action set pieces common in most movies about aliens.

Arrival is a fantastic film all around, but its greatest elements are its script and Adams’ performance. There are essentially two intersecting stories in Arrival: the world’s reaction to the titular alien arrival and the personal story of Louise Banks, who is dealing with emotional family issues while also struggling to understand the aliens.

Screenwriter Eric Heiserrer tells

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Jeremy Renner plays a theoretical physicist in Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival.

both stories with immense depth, and the film’s shocking final plot twist brings the two together in a truly awe-inspiring way. Adams’ performance is phenomenal, providing Louise with a foundational personality of spunk and intelligence. The emotional rollercoaster that Louise goes on in the latter half of the film allows Adams to truly shine, portraying love and heartbreak immaculately. In short, Arrival certainly deserves Academy Award nominations for both Lead Actress and Adapted Screenplay.

It would be unthinkable to discuss the film without praising Villeneuve.

The French-Canadian filmmaker takes a commendably modest directorial approach, mostly allowing Heiserrer’s screenplay and the film’s talented actors to tell the story, rather than attempting to dazzle the audience with creative shot compo-

sition. However, there is a sequence with altered gravity that serves as a reminder of Villeneuve’s visual skill.

Among the remaining aspects of the film, the most praiseworthy are Jeremy Renner’s performance and Jóhann Jóhannsson’s score.

Jóhannsson’s work is a perfect atmospheric match to the rest of the film, giving the encounters with the aliens a suitable feeling of wonder and apprehension while scenes involving Banks’ family are accompanied by suitably tragic melodies. Renner proves to be the perfect companion for Adams, depicting a charmingly nerdy enthusiasm for his character’s task, with Donnelly being the most likeable character in the film.

Ultimately, Arrival is one of the year’s best films. It is a must see both for fans of intelligent science fiction and anyone who enjoys highly creative and emotional filmmaking.

Editor’s Pick | Society

Not Traditionally Feminine But the Belle of the Ball

By THERESA SCHLIEP NEWS EDITOR

When my little sister was five, she started losing her hair.

We first we noticed it in the bathtub. She and I were inseparable, and our parents often had us take baths together. Clumps of her hair started to fall out, and they’d float in the bathtub, clogging the drain, confusing us both. I thought she had cancer — my naivety associated baldness with cancer, not the chemotherapy used to treat the disease.

Eventually, my concerns were somewhat assuaged. Dermatologists diagnosed her with alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease in which the body attacks its own hair follicles, resulting in hair loss. Initially, she did not lose all of her hair. It fell out in patches, until the entirety of her cap was bald. She did, though, still have a ring of long hair from ear to ear, on the base of her skull. My little sister had recently been given glasses for her astigmatism, and we half-heartedly joked she was a better looking Ben

COURTESY OF THERESA SCHLIEP

Hair proves to be no measure of beauty compared to an ear-to-ear grin.

Franklin. We also dismally buzzed the rest of her hair, as to discourage the same jokes from the less affectionate mouths of her peers.

Since then, she has lost all of her hair. All of the hair on her skull, eyebrows, leg and arm hair. A few eyelashes cling on, but her alopecia areata — partial hair loss — turned into alo-

pecia totalis.

As my little sister has gotten older, she has felt the increasing pressure that all teenage girls feel: pressure to have a flat stomach, thin legs, straight teeth and an acne free face.

She also faces a unique pressure — the pressure of fitting into the narrow mold that is femininity without

having the most distinct symbol of it.

Comments about women’s looks have dominated the news cycle. President-elect Donald Trump said he could not have sexually assaulted his accusers because they are not attractive enough. Harvard University recently terminated their men’s soccer season because of a leaked document containing their ratings of the attractiveness of the Harvard women’s soccer team. It seems, no matter their accomplishments, society reduces women to their looks.

This is intolerable. It is time for both men and women to champion women’s success, instead of dismantling it.

My little sister and I love the Netflix hit show “Stranger Things.” The star, Millie Bobbie Brown, moves things with her mind, steals Eggo Waffles and terrifies grown men all while donning a production mandated, closely cropped pixie cut.

In a recent interview with W Magazine, Brown spoke about her haircut: “I want people to say, ‘Oh, she’s nice,’ rather than, ‘Oh, she’s so

pretty… Yes, it’s hard for anybody to go through something like that, but it’s harder for someone to through a disease like alopecia or cancer, losing their hair without any choice.”

Brown’s comment pleasantly surprised me. So often, hair loss is associated with cancer, as I mistakenly associated it with all those years ago.

My little sister is often accosted by well-intending, albeit very upsetting, strangers in public, promising she is in their thoughts and prayers. Hearing such a young girl acknowledge the disease, while also prioritizing personality over something as superficial, as mundane, as common, as hair, was gratifying.

I do not want my little sister growing up in a world where her president degrades women’s looks or where her very own peers assign her a number based on her attractiveness.

Women are much more than their looks.

My little sister is beautiful. She doesn’t have alopecia, but is pretty.

She has alopecia, and is pretty. It is part of who she is, and she is a beauty.

CULTURE

November 16, 2016

Page 17

The Two Rams Behind “Rachel Unraveled”

By ALEXANDRA MANDALAKIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Rachel Ravel, FCLC ’19, and Austin Spero, FCLC ’19, both acting majors in the Theatre Program, are releasing the pilot of their original six-episode musical comedy series, “Rachel Unraveled,” in mid-December. This satirical show follows aspiring actress Rachel Ravel as she tries to make it big in the Big Apple in the most unconventional ways.

With the help of some of her best friends, Rachel learns what it really takes to become a star.

“Rachel Unraveled” is based on Ravel and Spero themselves.

“My friends and I were joking for a while about how funny it would be to create a show about our lives,” Ravel told The Fordham Ram. “One day, at 7:15 a.m. in the rush line of ‘The Color Purple,’ we said to ourselves, ‘Today’s the day!’”

“I think that’s what makes our project so special,” said Spero.

“So many people have ideas for so many different things, but they don’t always put them into action. I am so happy that we de-

cided to go through with it, and it is definitely paying off.”

The show began as a kickstarter project, where the duo raised $3,000 for production needs.

“People have been so kind in lending their services. The support that we have received from professors, friends, family and people that we don’t even know donating money has been really crazy and overwhelming. We couldn’t have done this without them,” the duo said.

The cast consists of both Ravel and Spero, as well as Olivia Caridi (“The Bachelor”), David Alvarez (“Billy Elliot”), MariaChristina Oliveras (FCLC acting professor), and William Youmans (“Wicked”). Ravel and Spero were ecstatic about this group of professionals. “I loved watching Olivia on ‘The Bachelor,’” Ravel said. “When I found out I was working with her for a show prior to this one, I was just like ‘Be cool, but ask her to be on your web series!’” As far as Professor Oliveras goes, Spero was honored. “It is crazy being able to work with [Oliveras] because she honestly is my teacher and my hero, and I

am so glad that she is on board.”

With the help of the production team of a previous project of Ravel’s entitled “Tuff Boys,” as well as a social networking chain of actors and a plethora of Fordham students, a professional team was quickly pulled together.

Playwriting major, Billy Recce, FCLC ’19, is the writer, composer and lyricist for the web series. An original song is included in each show episode, and the first one, entitled “Only In My Head,” will be released to the public as a single later this week. “Billy is truly incredible,” Ravel said. “We pitch him an idea for a comedic bit and he returns it to us completely polished.” The music video was filmed in Fordham Rose Hill’s Collins Auditorium, and according to Spero, “It looks so good.

The stage looks like a Broadway fantasy. It’s amazing.”

The creative film process was not always easy, as the cast and crew struggled with inclement weather and scheduling issues.

“The hardest part I’ve encountered so far was when something didn’t go as planned and everything else had to be rearranged

COURTESY OF AUSTIN SPERO

Rachel Ravel and Austin Spero, sophomore students at FCLC, created and star in their web series “Rachel Unraveled.”

COURTESY OF AUSTIN SPERO

“Rachel Unraveled” is a satirical take on Ravel trying to make it as an actress.

around the problem,” Ravel said.

“It has happened a couple times and it’s hard to just pick ourselves up and try something new.”

For Spero, the most difficult thing was loosening his grip on the story that him and Ravel originated. “Bringing a ton of new people on the team and having to relinquish creative control and collaborate with them was tough, since this has been our baby for so long,” she said. “But the collaborative nature of the show always worked out in the end.”

The most rewarding aspect of the project for both students was seeing their ideas come to life on screen and watching others truly enjoy them. Spero explained his first experience on set: “The first thing that we actually wrote for the show was the first scene of the pilot. When it was finally being filmed I remember thinking that this was really a dream come true.

I was sitting in the audience and just sobbing, and in that moment I realized that I could really see it going somewhere.”

Both Ravel and Spero have

high hopes for the series. They plan to submit their pilot to various webfests to earn funds for future seasons. They hope to reveal, in a comedic manner, the true struggles of an actress trying to live her dreams, as opposed to the all too common plotline of a girl hitting it big right off the bat.

Above all, both creators are happy to have inspired others.

“A lot of people have told us that they’re going to start producing and creating their own work too, which is exciting because as an actor there is a lot of waiting around for opportunities and as an artist you have to often wait for someone to give you a job and give you something to do. We decided that this is something that we love and are passionate about and we’re going to do it, and prove that you don’t have to wait to do so.”

The pilot episode of “Rachel Unraveled” will be available in mid-December on Vimeo. More information about the web series can be found on Twitter at @RUtheseries.

Who’s That Kid? | Kiera Maloney, FCRH ’17

Senior Finds Her Sweet Spot in Social Justice

By ELLIE BRUCKNER DIGITAL EDITOR

Throughout her three years at Fordham, Kiera Maloney, FCRH ’17, has found her niche in the social justice world. From academics, to on campus clubs and her work outside of the university, Maloney’s passion for promoting community and sustainability is evident.

Maloney first got involved at Fordham through the Dorothy Day Center. Beginning her freshman year with Urban Plunge, she continued to work with Dorothy Day by doing community service projects and attending different events. Additionally, during her first year, she found herself as the only freshman member of GO! Navajo. Now, after enjoying her time so much in both of these organizations, she is both a Social Justice Leader and will lead GO! Mexico.

“I couldn’t ask for more meaningful work or a better community to do it with.” said Maloney.

During her sophomore year,

Maloney found another outlet to become involved with the Fordham community when a friend introduced her to St. Rose’s Garden.

“St. Rose’s Garden is the hidden gem of Fordham, and it has been one of my favorite parts of the week,” said Maloney.

Maloney, now one of the comanagers of the garden, said the community has grown “quite a bit.”

The garden hosts three meetings a week as well as special events with other clubs around once a month.

Located next to the Ram Van Office, the garden is completely student run and has its own CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) that members can become a part of. Garden volunteers who help with up-keep get a share of the produce and also help bring food to local charitable organizations.

Another hidden gem that Maloney has found herself part of is the Fordham Foundry. “It’s a really cool space that encourages students to get involved with social innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Maloney.

This location, just one block away from the Bathgate entrance, has been a big part of Kiera’s Fordham experience. During her sophomore year, she, along with Alyssa Rose, FCRH ’17, started their company Radiate Market. Radiate is an online marketplace, which links artisans from the Dominican Republic to a global market. The idea was formed “based on experiences we had both in meeting talented artisans all over the world and trying to shop sustainably here,” said Maloney Her interest in global communities and sustainability led her to do research on community economics in the Belmont neighborhood. Currently, she is writing her thesis on this subject, focusing in particular on how Fordham students interact with their neighbors and local businesses.

“I think it is so important for students to have a positive relationship with the community,” she said.

“The Bronx is one of the most culturally rich neighborhoods in the country in terms of music, food and

immigrant groups. Every Fordham student could benefit from learning more about their current home.”

After graduation, Maloney hopes to continue her work with environmental or fair trade initiatives by working in the supply chain depart-

ment for a food or clothing company. She is also considering working in a food justice non-profit. The California native also added, “Although I wouldn’t trade my four years in NYC for the world, I want to move back West.”

COURTESY OF KIERA MALONEY

Maloney has committed her life to social justice in more ways than one.

Page 18

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The Fordham Ram

November 16, 2016

SPORTS

November 16, 2016

Rams Start Season 1-1

By TOM TERZULLI STAFF WRITER

After a 17-14 campaign last season, the Fordham Rams men’s basketball team traveled to Tennessee to face East Tennessee State in the season opener.

The Rams got off to a fast start from behind the arc as sophomore forward David Pekarek hit the fourth of the four straight Fordham three-pointers to open the game and put the Rams up five, 1813, with 12:03 left in the first. Yet, ETSU used a 12-3 spurt to take a 25-21 lead with 8:24 on the clock.

As the game progressed, the three point shot did not prove to be a viable option. The Rams hit just three of their final fifteen from behind the arc. ETSU went on to score nine straight points to take a double digit lead, 35-25, with 4:37 remaining in the first half.

The Rams managed to cut the ETSU lead to six twice over the next three minutes, but ETSU took a 47-37 lead into the break. As the second half got underway, ETSU built on the momentum gained at the end of half and scored the first eleven points of the half. ETSU jumped out to a commanding 5837 lead three minutes into the half.

The closest the Rams got from that point on was with 10:51 remaining in the game as they cut ESTU’s lead to fourteen with the score of 65-51. The final score was a lot worse, 96-59.

David Pekarek and junior guard Antwonie Anderson each netted 11 points for Fordham while sophomore guard Joseph Chartouny added eight.

The Rams returned to action on Monday night, Nov. 14, hosting the New York Institute of Technology in their first game in the Rose Hill Gymnasium of the season.

As the game got started, it was clear that NYIT would be no match for the Rams. Fordham led by just seven at half with the score of 42-35 and in the first four minutes of the second half NYIT cut the lead to just four. However, that score was as close as it got, as Fordham began to pull away.

Fordham would outscore NYIT 18-4 over the next three minutes

of action to take a commanding 82-61 lead with 6:08 remaining in the game. For the rest of the contest, the lead would not drop past 19 points. Fordham would go on to win the game, earning their first win of the season with the final score of 101-75.

The game marked the first time the Rams scored 100 points or more in a game since 2010 (a 111100 loss at Duquesne) and the first time the Rams scored 100 or more points in a win since a 110-73 victory over Siena in 1999.

Chartouny led the way for the Rams, notching his third career double-double with 17 points and 14 assists. The 14 assists are a career-high for Chartouny, who also shot an efficient 7-for-11 from the field and added four steals.

Chartouny was one of six Rams to net double figures, including all five starters. They were led by graduate transfer guard Javontae Hawkins, who tallied 18 points.

Junior guard Will Tavares finished with 13 points, shooting 3-for-4 from behind the arc, and Anderson added 13 points and five assists. Junior forward Christian Sengfelder and sophomore forward Jesse Bunting each finished with 12 points and seven rebounds for Fordham.

The Rams made 13 three-pointers in the game, two shy of the school record, while attempting a school-record 34 long distance shots.

Head coach Jeff Neubauer was pleased with his team’s performance on offense, particularly their good ball distribution, as they had a 25-8 assist to turnover ratio, but Neubauer feels there is room for improvement on the defensive side.

“We have a lot of places to improve defensively,” Neubauer stated. “What we did a lot better tonight was value the ball, our guards really passed the ball well and created for their teammates and got easy opportunities.”

The Rams, now 1-1 on the year, return to action on Friday, Nov. 18, as they open play for the first of three straight days by hosting Fairleigh Dickinson University at 6:00 p.m.

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Chuba Ohams handles the ball during the Rams’ home opener on Monday.

Page 19

Women Beat Furman, Fall to #1 Notre Dame in Preseason WNIT

By SAM BELDEN SPORTS EDITOR

The Fordham women’s team made its long-awaited return to the court last Friday, defeating Furman at home in the first round of the Preseason WNIT. Three days later, the head coach Stephanie Gaitley’s squad traveled to South Bend, Indiana for a second round showdown with the top-ranked team in the country, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. While that game ended in a loss, Fordham gained some important experience going up against one of the country’s elite programs.

The Rams may have struggled against Notre Dame, but the Furman game was full of highlights.

Junior forward G’mrice Davis scored the first bucket of the season for Fordham, finding space from around 15 feet and hitting the shot with ease. The Rams’ following two possessions featured back-to-back three-pointers from sophomore guard Lauren Holden and senior guard Hannah Missry, giving them an 8-2 lead over the Paladins. Senior forward Danielle Burns and freshman guard Kate Kreslina got on the board soon after, making it a 10-0 run.

The scoring fizzled out over the last few minutes of the first quarter, but Furman came out of the break strong, cutting the deficit to one with just eight minutes remaining until halftime. A layup from guard Tierra Hodges gave the Paladins the lead for a brief moment, but a three-pointer from Burns put the Rams back in front.

Fordham then picked up a Furman turnover to go four points up.

Furman managed to tie it up again with 2:33 remaining, but a trio of Fordham underclassmen — Kreslina, freshman guard Anna Kelly and sophomore forward Mary Goulding — contributed to a 7-0 run for the Rams. Furman’s Cierra Carter hit a three-pointer with 45 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to four. On her next attempt, another three with time winding down, Kreslina swooped in to block the shot, sending shockwaves through the crowd in the Rose Hill Gym. Halfway through, Fordham led 26-22.

The Rams came out swinging in the third quarter. It took Kreslina just 20 seconds to find Holden behind the arc for a quick three, stretching the lead to seven. While a pair of jumpers from Deanneisha Jackson put Furman back within three, the Rams proceeded to go on a 13-2 run from there, opening up a 14-point lead with just over four minutes remaining in the period. Davis was especially productive over that stretch, making a pair of layups and coming up with one steal.

The Paladins attempted to regroup, but they could only tread water as the Rams kept the pressure on.

Ahead by 14 entering the fourth quarter, the women closed the game with some of their worst basketball of the day, but still managed to cruise to victory.

Jackson quickly scored five points for Furman, while teammate Le’Jzae Davidson hit a three to

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Asnate Fomina drives the lane against Furman in Friday’s season opener.

cut the deficit to six. Meanwhile, Kelly was the only Ram to score within the first five minutes of the quarter. Furman remained within striking distance until the 4:20 mark, when Goulding hit a jumper to put the Rams back up by nine. Both sides played stingy defense to end the game, and at the end of regulation, it was Fordham standing tall with the 60-47 win.

Burns and Holden were the high scorers for Fordham, putting up 12 points apiece. In terms of all-around performance, however, Kreslina was most impressive. The Latvia native scored 10 points and grabbed eight boards, falling just two short of a doubledouble in her first career game.

“Kate had a great first game and I feel her best basketball is ahead as she gets more comfortable with each game,” said Gaitley. “She does a terrific job of attacking the basket and getting her teammates involved. She is a difficult matchup, and this will make us a difficult team to defend.”

“I was very impressed with our overall effort against a solid Furman team,” she added. “Our defense set the tone early and we had a balanced offensive attack.”

With some momentum in tow, Fordham traveled to Indiana for the second round showdown with Notre Dame.

While the Rams were ultimately blown out, they managed to keep things reasonably close before running out of gas in the last quarter.

Fordham’s defense rose to the

occasion, holding the Fighting Irish to just 37.5 percent shooting from the field. However, the Rams were even worse in that category, making less than 25 percent of their shots from the field and going just two-for-19 from beyond the arc.

Still, every Ram who played more than 10 minutes managed to get on the board offensively, with Davis leading the way in most every category, including points (nine), rebounds (15) assists (three) and steals (four). Burns and junior guard Asnate Fomina were the other leading scorers, with eight and five points, respectively.

The Rams trailed by 15 points entering the fourth quarter. However, the Notre Dame’s enviably deep roster, along with the tired bodies of the Fordham players, led to a complete overmatch in the final period, with the score eventually reaching the final of 67-36.

While the Rams are no longer in the hunt to win the Preseason WNIT, they still get to play a home consolation game against Little Rock this Saturday. The action will kick off at 12 p.m. in the Rose Hill Gym. Then, the Albany Great Danes will visit for Fordham’s first non-tournament game of the year next Tuesday.

SPORTS

Page 20

Sam Belden What’s Going On in Atlanta?

This year’s World Series between the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians was nothing short of an instant classic — simply put, you couldn’t have scripted it any better. But now that the dust has settled, it feels like an appropriate time to ask the question: What the heck is going on with the Atlanta Braves?

As the third-worst team in the MLB according to Pythagorean wins, the 2016 Braves missed out on the postseason for the third year in a row. The team’s three stars — first baseman Freddie Freeman, starting pitcher Julio Teheran and centerfielder Ender Inciarte — all did well, but they received little production beyond that. Atlanta ended up finishing more than 25 games behind the Washington Nationals in the National League East.

So on the surface, this isn’t an exciting team. But what kind of cellar dweller goes out and spends a combined $20 million on a pair of 40-something starting pitchers who can’t touch 90 miles per hour to save their lives?

Normally, that kind of expenditure would be unheard of for a rebuilding team, but the Braves surprised everyone last week, first signing knuckleballer and former Blue Jay R.A. Dickey to a one-year deal with a club option for 2018 and then poaching Bartolo Colon from the New York Mets. Those two will likely be slotted in behind Teheran and ahead of youngsters Matt Wisler and Mike Foltynewicz, giving Atlanta a solid, although unspectacular, rotation.

That’s all well and good, but neither Dickey nor Colon, both former Cy Young Award winners, are impact players at this point. What good can they do for a struggling team that scored just 649 runs in 2016?

Well, as it turns out, the Braves are more than just a struggling team. They actually have a remarkable stable of young talent, acquired mostly by virtue of a staggering rebuild begun after the 2014 season.

Atlanta icons Jason Heyward, Craig Kimbrel, Andrelton Simmons and Justin Upton were all traded, but with young hitters like Dansby Swanson and Mallex Smith performing on both sides of the ball and the arms of Wisler and fellow starter Aaron Blair projected to develop further, the team is already benefitting from these deals and others like them.

The Braves also have a number of top prospects waiting in the minors.

Add it all up, and it doesn’t look like they’ll remain a last-place team for long.

While there’s no telling whether Dickey and Colon will be a part of the next contending Braves team, the front office can be reasonably sure that the squad will be back in the playoffs at some point within the next five years. In the meantime, the two veteran starters can provide mentorship and advice to players like Wisler and Blair. Plus, when your team’s projected payroll is barely over $50 million, you can spend freely, especially if the potential payoff is 400 innings of league average pitching.

Ultimately, these signings won’t make or break the Braves. Colon and Dickey will do their part, but if Atlanta succeeds next year, it will be because of its younger players.

November 16, 2016

Senior Profile | R.J. Simmons

By TOM TERZULLI STAFF WRITER

For college athletes, senior seasons are always bittersweet.

Fordham Water Polo’s R.J. Simmons is one of only two seniors on this year’s team. That distinction comes with certain responsibilities. He’s been a leader in and out of the pool, setting an example for the young guys while also scoring at a high clip. With a first round matchup against Wagner in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Championship just a week away, Simmons reflected on his swan-song season, his Fordham career and what his Rams expect from the Seahawks.

The Fordham Ram: This is a very young team. You’re not only one of two seniors and the captain, but a top scorer as well. What have you done to take a leadership role with such a young squad?

R.J. Simmons: As captain of such a young squad, I believe being patient with them is the best attribute to have, because they need to learn how to play our game and also realize this is Divison I water polo and not high school water polo. This means a young team is prone to make errors and mistakes, and as a leader, I try to give them advice, hopefully leading to improvement.

TFR: Your final regular season in a Fordham cap went by in a flash.

How would you assess the ups and downs of the 14-12 season?

RJS: I believe as a team we have improved since the beginning, but we have also let a few games slip away from us. Overall, I would have to say I am proud of my teammates showing up to workouts and giving it all they have.

TFR: One of the more prominent moments of the season had to be Senior Day. What were the emotions like?

RJS: It was a bittersweet feeling.

It really sank in after the last buzzer sounded and I realized this was the last home game I would ever play at Fordham. I was happy my whole family came to watch.

TFR: Has there been a defining moment or a proudest moment for you in your Fordham career?

RJS: My sophomore year we beat Bucknell, which has to be one of the proudest moments in my water polo career. They were a nationally ranked team and we were able to steal one away from them in sudden death overtime. We just played a great game, and to this day I occasionally watch it.

TFR: In talking to and having a working relationship with Coach Harris this season, I know he’s a terrific guy. How much has he meant to you over the years?

RJS: Coach Harris and I have a comedic relationship. Sometimes we have disagreed and argued, but at the same time have the common goal of winning. When there were times when I was not playing my best, he just told me to keep my

The NFL’s Bogus Campaigns

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Water Polo senior R.J. Simmons

head up and believed in me.

TFR: Finally, looking ahead to Wagner, you’re 1-1 against them this year. What’s the matchup looking like?

RJS: We have been preparing for Wagner for about two weeks now and believe we can beat them. The first time we played them, we did not have [assistant coach Brian] Bacharach, which threw us out of our game. The second time, we did have him and we were victorious.

Coach Bacharach and I have never won the first game of a Championship tournament since we have been at Fordham, so we would want to get a win my senior year and see if we can upset a few teams this weekend.

XC Races to Success at Regionals

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

The Rams turned in solid performances at NCAA Regionals.

By TOM TERZULLI STAFF WRITER

It’s that time of year for Fordham Cross Country. The home stretch of the season means a different championship meet every week. This past weekend it was the NCAA Regional Championships, just a short ride away from Fordham at Van Cortlandt Park.

Junior Thomas Slattery, a top finisher for the men’s side all year, knew championship season meant an increase in the level of competiton. “This was the NCAA regional qualifier,” he said. “If you run well and get top five individually, you make it to NCAA nationals.

Teams like Syracuse, Columbia, Dartmouth, Iona and other distance powerhouses make it no cakewalk.”

Slattery was right — they did

not make it a cakewalk by any means. The men finished 21st in the team completion, while the women clocked in at 24th.

Slattery led the way, finishing 51st in 31:52.85. Junior teammate Brian Cook didn’t finish far behind in 57th, clocking in a time of 31:58.92 on the 10 kilometer course. Seeing Slattery and Cook leading the pack has been a common sight all year.

“Brian Cook and I went back and forth a lot this season,” Slattery said. “I can’t exactly speak for him, but we push each other all the time. It feels as though whoever comes out as the top man for the day is irrelevant.”

With the pairing having their inner competition out in front, the next Ram to cross the finish line was senior Jake Duckworth, 23

Brendan O’Connell

spots behind in 80th with a time of 32:19.32. Junior Nik O’Brien (184th – 33:58.00) and seniors Devin Rocks (204th – 34:26.72) and Adam Schwenzfeier (212th – 34:57.95) followed him.

Sophomore Angelina Grebe led the Fordham women in their 6 kilometer race, finishing in 77th with a time of 22:00.85. Much further behind was freshman Abigail Taylor, a 113th place finisher who concluded the race in 22:27.60. Close to 23 seconds behind her was senior Cristina Ulto in 148th (22:50.70). Freshman Sydney Snow (166th – 23:03.80), junior Stephanie Leo (178th – 23:16.30), freshman Katarzyna Krzyzanowski (181st – 23:20.70) and senior Brianne Roche (197th – 23:33.10) were the other finishers.

Syracuse junior Justin Knight took the men’s individual title with a 30:30.52 finish, and his team also secured the team championship.

Another junior, Elinor Purrier of New Hampshire earned the women’s individual crown in 20:08.70.

The Providence Friars were team champions.

For the Fordham seniors, the meet was the second to last of their careers. For the underclassmen, the meet was one of the few chances of the season to measure themselves against the region’s elite.

“We ran as hard as we could have. For the guys who get to return next year, I’m proud that we had the opportunity to learn about what needs to be adjusted for next year,” said Slattery.

Only one meet remains: the ECAC/IC4A Championship back at Van Cortlandt Park. Races kickoff at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19.

On Friday, the nation thanked and remembered its military veterans for their selfless service and sacrifice.

Then, over the weekend, I was reminded of the NFL’s fraudulence.

First off, let me say that I fully approve of and encourage the support of cancer patients and veterans. These are extremely worthy, commendable and necessary endeavors.

At the same time, although the NFL claims to be participating wholeheartedly in this sort of work, their campaigns, like “Salute to Service,” ring hollow and inadequate upon further examination.

When I surf the channels on Sunday afternoons during this month of November, changing from football game to football game, the first thing I see is camouflage gear.

It’s awfully ironic, isn’t it? Camo is supposed to avoid being detected visually, but the NFL is so blatant about showcasing it that it’s all the eye picks up. From end zone paint to socks and wristbands, virtually everything within the realm of a football gamesomehow features a camo design.

Essentially, the NFL uses themes, colors, mantras and organizations associated with the military as a marketing ploy under the guise of charitable effort. Rightfully so, the armed forces and charitable groups are looked upon favorably and are deemed virtually untouchable, in general.

However, the deal brokered by the NFL to partner their product with these values and programs allows the league a chance to promote itself as an incubator of such worthy causes.

By centering its brand around the military and high-profile charities by placing a ribbon behind its logo, the NFL is attempting to put up a virtuous front, while simultaneously covering up its scandals and flaws.

This dissonance is enough to make the average fan question the league’s intentions.

Similarly, each October, the NFL decks itself out from head to toe in pink to raise awareness for breast cancer-related causes. But in reality, the NFL only uses these causes for public relations purposes while giving little back to the causes themselves.

The NFL is a thriving business.

Its revenues are projected to surpass $13 billion in 2016 alone. However, since the aforementioned campaigns started several years ago, the football superpower has donated very little in comparison — just $15 million to the American Cancer Society and even less to foundations like the Wounded Warrior Project, Pat Tillman Foundation and USAA. Additionally, if it isn’t October, NFL teams are not allowed to sport pink apparel, and the same goes for camo in November. If the NFL really cares about these causes, why not promote them all year round by permitting players to wear these colors?

Please, NFL, if you are actually serious about supporting worthy causes like veterans and cancer research, let your players wear pink and camo throughout the whole season if they wish, and actually donate the proceeds of these campaigns to the appropriate organizations. You can afford to do so, and really, to maintain any ounce of integrity or respectability you still have, you must do so.

November 16, 2016

Volleyball Closes Regular Season with Loss to URI

By ANDREA GARCIA PHOTO EDITOR

The women’s volleyball team hosted its last regular season game on Saturday afternoon. The Fordham Rams ended up being swept under the rug by the Rhode Island Rams in a three-set battle.

Rhode Island’s offense got off to a quick start, but freshman Olivia Fairchild answered with a kill of her own to open the scoring for Fordham. The teams kept siding out until the 8-8 mark. The visiting Rams pulled ahead with a kill, a Fordham hitting error and an ace, giving themselves some breathing room at 11-8. Fordham took back the serve off a Rhode Island serving error but could not hold off a series of attacks from the opposing front row. The Rhode Island fiveone offense allowed for outside hitter Audrey Castro, middle hitter Layne Self and starting setter Callan Kinnan to take four total kills.

With four down balls and two Fordham hitting errors, Rhode Island extended its lead by six points, 17-9. The visitors kept this lead up through the end of the first set, winning by a score of 25-19.

Despite being on the road, the Rhode Island Rams appeared to shake Fordham’s confidence in the second set. Within the first two rotations, Rhode Island arrived at an early 7-2 lead secured by four Fordham errors. The home Rams sided out to rally around two more points before the visitors took full control of the court. After siding off Fordham’s service error, the Rhode Island Rams held their opponents hostage while going on a 10 point run. They rolled out five aces, three kills and a Fordham hitting error to command the court with a 17-4 lead. Fordham sided out only three more times in the set, and each rotation fell after a Rhode Island error. The inevitable win for the visitors was called at 25-7.

However, Fordham was not yet ready to give Rhode Island the win. In the third set, the two sides held each other out with the lead never exceeding three points until Fordham reached double digits. With a three-point run via two front row kills and an ace, Fordham took a 12-8 lead. Rhode Island responded with two threepoint runs of its own. The first was a mixed effort from Rhode Island’s middle and outside hitters. It was interrupted by a single outside error, only to pick up steam again thanks to three consecutive Fordham errors.

With the set tied at 14, both teams were looking for a chance to squeeze out a marginal lead.

Neither was able to find space for more than a two-point advantage, however. At the 21-21 mark, Rhode Island edged out two points at the net with an outside kill and an error from Fordham’s opposite hitter. While the visitors only had to fight for two more points to close out the series, an error from the outside corner gave Fordham a glimmer of hope, trailing 23-22. A Rhode Island outside kill reclaimed the serve and brought them to 24-22, one point shy of the win.

Hoping to reach a fourth set, Fordham sought to exceed the needed 25 points. Fordham’s offense looked for a hole in Rhode Island’s defense but was blocked by their opponent’s middle hitter and setter. Reaching up at the net for the last swing of the series, junior Molly Oshinski made a valiant attempt from Fordham’s outside, but an error on her part offered the last winning point to the Rhode Island Rams, 25-22.

Senior middle Kristen Ostach tallied a team-high of eight kills to finish off the last regular season of her college career. The Rams finished with an 11-18 record and a 4-10 standing in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

SPORTS

Page 21

By JACK McLOONE

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

As someone who is infatuated with baseball at its most ludicrous, Bartolo Colon represents to me the pinnacle of human achievement. A listed 285 pounds of man continuing to throw a mid-80s fastball at the age of 43 is worthy of all the praise, and, according to the Atlanta Braves, $12.5 million.

My reaction to the Braves signing Colon away from the Mets can be fully summed up by the single tear emoji. I’m sad, but not overwhelmingly so, and I also understand that being upset about it is at least a little ridiculous. The Mets certainly don’t need him, considering they pull good young pitching out of thin air so often that I wouldn’t be surprised if Tim Tebow suddenly pitched better than he threw a football.

But needs and wants are two totally different things, and I want Colon in New York for more reasons than one. In terms of his actual skill, he was incredibly reliable during his three years as a Met. He went 44-34 with a 3.90 ERA, 3.79 FIP and 422 strikeouts to just 86 walks. He was a stable arm in the rotation, serving as more than just an innings-eater despite his age. He was even an All-Star last season.

But while Colon’s Jamie Moyeresque late-career success was certainly a huge asset for the Mets, that wasn’t what made him one of the most beloved Mets in recent history.

It’s because he’s fat, people. In the greatest bodyshaming reversal of all time, Bartolo “Big Sexy” Colon is fat and proud, and the fans love it. One of baseball’s greatest GIFs is Colon shaking his belly in the Mets dugout. There exists somewhere in this world a Colon bobblehead with bobblebelly action, because sometimes everything is just as beautiful as we wish it to be. Baseball Twitter mainstay Lana Berry posited maybe the most important question of our time on her podcast: is his stomach rock solid, like some sort of incredibly over-pronounced six pack?

There is nothing more entertaining in sports than watching Colon confound hitters with both his stuff and with the sheer fact that he is still pitching at his age while looking like

a life-size Buddha statue.

Colon was a solid pitcher for what amounts to a full career for many. From 1998, his first full season, to 2005, his age 31 season, in which he won 21 games for the Angels and won the Cy Young Award, he amassed a 3.85 ERA and 1,369 strikeouts. But in 2006, he barely pitched due to inflammation in his shoulder, and in 2007 he was just awful to the tune of a career-worst 6.34 ERA in 19 appearances.

So at the age of 34, it seemed like Colon’s long (long enough that he is the last player in the MLB to have played for the Expos) and generally good career was coming to a natural end. He tried to cling on, signing one-year contracts with the Red Sox and White Sox in 2008 and 2009.

He then didn’t pitch in 2010 to rehab from a stem cell transplant in his shoulder to rehab various tendon and rotator cuff injuries. He somehow made a comeback at the age of 38 with the Yankees, which started with a spring training invite that he showed up to 30 pounds overweight.

But he managed to do well enough for a one-year, $2 million contract from the A’s, which is where things got interesting.

That year, 2012, Colon tested positive for testosterone, earning him a 50-game suspension. But the A’s believed in him enough to give him a one-year, $3 million deal in 2013.

Yes, those Moneyball A’s gave a 40year old pitcher coming off of a 50game suspension an even bigger deal than the one he got the year before.

And somehow, it paid off. Colon posted the best ERA of his career in 2013 at 2.65.

And that, my friends, is how a 41year old pitcher got a two-year, $20 million contract (plus one more oneyear, $7.25 million deal) with the Mets to become the unlikeliest fan favorite. Among proven steroid users, he is the most beloved of all time, and it isn’t particularly close. If you think back to some of the best Mets moments of the past three years, a lot of them involve Big Sexy.

The best moment of what was a comparatively disappointing 2016 came courtesy of Colon. I’m not exaggerating when I say it is one of my favorite baseball moments of all time.

“The impossible has happened!” exclaimed Gary Cohen on May 7.

“This is one of the great moments in the history of baseball.”

On that day, Colon — whose inability to swing a bat is one of his most endearing qualities — hit his first career home run to left field, giving the world hope that anything is truly possible. It might have been off of James Shields, but it still counts.

Cohen wasn’t being hyperbolic in calling Colon’s home run one of the greatest moments in the history of baseball. Nothing is better than when baseball doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, whether it’s physics-defying breaking balls or an undeniably rotund pitcher being more specifically athletic than your average baseball fan. So when Colon and his beloved 285 pounds hit a home run just as unlikely as Kirk Gibson’s, Mets fans put it right up there with the 1986 World Series.

In three short years, no one was a more improbable fan favorite than Bartolo Colon. Here’s to his reinvention as a bench bat.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Signed as a 40-year-old, Bartolo Colon became a fan favorite for the Mets.

Varsity Calendar HOME AWAY

Thursday Nov. 17

Friday Nov. 18

Saturday Nov. 19

Sunday Nov. 20

Fairleigh Dickinson 6 p.m.

Men’s Basketball

Saint Peter’s 3 p.m.

Lipscomb 3:30 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Molly Oshinski nearly saved Fordham’s third set against URI, but came up short.

Tuesday Nov. 22

Wednesday Nov. 23

Bucknell 12 p.m.

Football

Men’s Soccer

Monday Nov. 21

Rider 2 p.m.

Albany 7 p.m.

Boston College 6 p.m.

Water Polo

Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Championship

Cross Country

ECAC/ IC4A Champs

SPORTS

Page 22

November 16, 2016

Swimming Makes a Splash at Princeton Invitational

By ANDREA GARCIA PHOTO EDITOR

Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving dove into competition this past week, traveling to the Big Al Open/Princeton Invitational in Princeton, New Jersey after a two-week hiatus. In the invitational format, the Rams were competing on an individual level against other athletes from Princeton, Lehigh, UConn and TCNJ. In women’s freestyle competition, sophomore Tara Brunner posted the fifth-best time of the day in the 50m free. She clocked in a new season best of 24.14 seconds. In the 100m free, Brunner moved up in the ranks to a fourth-place finish at 52.85, a new personal best. Junior Erin McBride held up Fordham’s fastest time in both the 500m and 1650m free, with 17:51.12 in the 1650m and a season best of 5:07.49 in the 500m free. Sophomore Travis Monahan swam a season best of 21.49 in the 50m free, finishing in 13th place. The men also took 13th place in the 100m free, thanks to freshman Joseph Vizza’s time of 47.42. Vizza also performed well in the 500m free, placing fifth overall with a season best of 4:40.09. Out of 10 entries in the 1650m free, freshman Christopher Sluetjes swam into fourth place in 16:24.52.

Freshman Amelia Bullock flew into a second place finish in the 100m fly, putting up a time of 56.44 seconds, just behind Gianna Garcia’s winning time of 56.02 seconds. Then, Bullock

Senior Megan Polaha had a productive meet in Princeton, finishing 10th in the 200m IM.

passed Garcia to take first place in the 200m fly, celebrating a season best of 2:01.53. On the men’s side, junior Tommy Christensen came in 10th place in the 100m fly to offer the Rams’ best time of 52.43. Junior Christopher Viera posted a season best of 1:54.89 to finish second in the 200m fly.

Princeton dominated in the 100m breaststroke, closing out the top six times of the race.

Sophomore Gabrielle Celia followed in ninth place, with a time of 1:08.48. Princeton also proved its strength in the 200m race, but junior Nele Albers still managed a season best of 2:27.30. Monahan showed fourth-place speed in the men’s 100m and 200m breast,

clocking in 58.87 and 2:08.71.

Six Princeton women claimed the top times of the 200m IM, but senior Megan Polaha held her ground to secure a 10th place finish with a time of 2:08.57.

Fordham remained competitive in the 400m IM, and Polaha put up the third-best time of 4:31.22.

Freshman Cat Alabanza came in sixth at 4:35.03. Sophomore Isiah Magsino, touching the wall at 1:54.88, took the fifth place standing in the men’s 200m IM. He also finished seventh in the 400m IM with a time of 4:12.08.

Magsino also found success in the 100m backstroke, placing fourth with a time of 52.48 seconds. In the 200m back, senior

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Miguel Mattox surpassed Isiah to finish in seventh place with a time of 1:56.52. Senior Morgan Fairclough swam her season best in the women’s 100m back, putting her in sixth place behind only Princeton and UConn swimmers.

Alabanza followed three spots behind her in ninth, with her time of 59.23 seconds, but marked a personal best of 2:03.48 to place third in the 200m backstroke.

In women’s relay action, Fordham took a fifth-place finish in the 200m free, posting a time of 1:38.28, less than half a second behind Connecticut A. Fordham’s 400m free relay team finished fourth with a time of 3:34.95, behind Princeton A, Lehigh A

and Princeton B. The Rams, in 7:51.30, also took fifth place in the 800m free relay. Fordham brought home a third-place finish in the 200m medley relay with a time of 1:47.49. The fastest 400m medley team secured its spot in fifth place, clocking in at 3:55.68.

The men’s fastest relay time of 1:25.97 also landed the Rams a fifth-place finish in the 200m free relay, followed by the B team in a sixth place finish at 1:28.14. In the 400m free relay, they posted a another sixth place standing with a 3:11.80 finish. This placing held in the 800m free relay event, which the Rams clocked in at 7:03.87. In times of 1:36.39 and 3:33.25, the men brought home fourth and sixth place finishes in the 200m and 400m medley.

The divers also had great performances at Princeton. In the 1m dive, junior Wendy EspinaEsquivel scored 245.6 points to land in eighth place. She rose up to a fifth-place ranking in the 3m competition with 272.55 points.

On the men’s side, sophomore Christopher Craig fell into 11th place behind Princeton and UConn divers with a score of 202.40 in the 1m dive. Sophomore Colin Esterine-Reid posted Fordham’s highest score of 178.15 in the 3m dive, placing twelfth.

The Rams will continue to train hard through the Thanksgiving break until their next competition in the first weekend of December. They are looking ahead to their next stop, the Bucknell Invitational in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

Recycle The Ram

SPORTS

November 16, 2016

Varsity Scores & Stats

Pat Costello

Knicks Take Notes from Nets New York fans are well aware that the Knicks acquired Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah to come to the assistance of Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis. The fan base was tossed into a tug-of-war of emotions over whether or not they had faith in the “win it now” roster. The team faces an interesting predicament. Phil Jackson didn’t create a super team, but rather a Franken-team, filled with multiple post-prime superstars. The Knicks are banking on guys like Rose, Noah and Anthony to recapture their glory, which they have not been able to do in three or four seasons. Rose and Noah have both dealt with injuries and Anthony is simply a superstar on the back nine of his career. However, there is a precedent for such an outlandish gamble and the Knicks aren’t the first New York team in recent memory to take a shot at a title through offseason acquisitions.

During the 2013 offseason, the Brooklyn Nets made one of the boldest decisions in the history of basketball. They traded Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries and three future draft picks to the Celtics for aging superstars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, in addition to Jason Terry. The two joined fellow old guy and then-six-time all-star Joe Johnson, an underperforming point guard in Deron Williams and the fantastic big man Brook Lopez.

Nets fans were excited for the new roster and had high expectations for what the team could achieve.

However, the Jason-Kidd-led Nets quickly realized that they were unable to build a team full of starsturned role players, which is the opposite of what the Dallas Mavericks were able to do when they won the NBA Championship with the help of Kidd and Terry. The Nets underperformed in their first season together, but were still able to squeak into the sixth spot in the playoffs. They were bounced in the second round. Pierce jumped ship during the offseason and headed to Washington and Kidd was traded to the Bucks, leaving the Nets drifting up creek without a paddle. They turned in a 38-44 record, barely creeping into the eighth spot for the playoffs, but were bounced in the first round. Their window, which was never really open to begin with, was slammed tightly. The roster moves are still affecting Brooklyn to this day. The Celtics still currently own the rights to the Nets 2017 first round pick. Their extreme gamble was one of the worst general manager moves in the history of basketball Granted, the comparison between the two teams isn’t exact.

The Knicks still have a bright future ahead of them, mainly due to the Porzingod, but the point still stands. Teams with aging superstars have almost never worked and only do so when the situation is perfect.

The Knicks situation is far from it.

They are a team filled with heroes, rather than a cohesive unit, such as the aforementioned Mavericks team.

Phil Jackson’s gamble certainly won’t set the Knicks back for year to come, but it wasn’t enough to win them an NBA Championship.

Page 23

Men’s Soccer Fordham Duquesne

4 0

Fordham Rhode Island

4 0

Fordham (PK) St. Bonaventure

0 0

Volleyball Rhode Island Fordham

3 0

Women’s Cross Country NCAA District Regional Fordham- 24th Men’s Cross Country NCAA District Regional Fordham- 21st (FOR) Slattery 51st- 31:52.85

Squash Navy Fordham

9 0

Washington Fordham

8 1

John’s Hopkins Fordham

5 4

Georgetown Fordham

9 0

Women’s Swimming Princeton Invitational 200m Butterfly (FOR) Bullock 1st- 2:01.53 Men’s Swimming Princeton invitational 200m Butterfly (FOR) Viera 1st- 1:54.89

Alvin Halimwidjaya

Football Fordham 54 Holy Cross 14 (FOR) Edmonds 119 yds, 4 TD’s (FOR) Anderson 426 yds, 3 TD’s

Men’s Basketball East Tennessee State Fordham

96 59

Fordham 101 NYIT 75 (FOR) Chartouny 17 pts

Women’s Basketball

Fordham 60 Furman 47 (FOR) Burns 12 pts, 5 ast

Notre Dame 67 Fordham 36 (FOR) Davis 9 pts, 15 rebs

Athletes of the Week Rashid Nuhu

Amelia Bullock

Sophomore

Freshman

Soccer

Swimming

Nuhu came up huge for the Rams during the championship game of the A-10 Tournament. the Fordham and VCU Rams went to penalty kicks.

Nuhu stepped up and made three tremendous saves, helping the Rams win. He was awarded Most Outstanding Player of the Championship.

Bullock was the only Aquatic Ram to win an event during the Big Al Open/ Princeton Invitational this past weekend. She came in first place in the 200 meter butterfly, turning in a time of 2:01.53. Thanks to her performance she was named A-10 Women’s Rookie of the Week.

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 • Swimming’s Vizza Named Men’s Rookie of the Week Freshman Joseph Vizza turned in another fan-

• Anderson Honored With Patriot Legaue Award Kevin Anderson had a career day during

• Squash Competes at Navy Round Robin in Maryland The squash team dropped four matches this

• Chase Edmonds Surpasses Touchdown Milestone Another week, another record owned by

tastic performance this past weekend during the Big Al Open/Princeton Invitational. He opened Friday with a fifth place finish in the 200 meter freestyle, coming in with a time of 1:25.97. he followed that with a 4:40.09 in the 500 meter freestyle, again placing in fifth. On Saturday Vizza was a member of multiple relay teams, all of which performed well. He was named A-10 Men’s Rookie of the Week, his first honor of the year.

weekend, losing by a combined 30-6. The first match of the weekend came against the hosts, who were able to sweep every match, beating the Rams 9-0. The second match against Washington was nearly the same story, with the Rams losing 8-1. The tertiary match, which was against John’s Hopkins, was a better performance from the “Squash Squad,” but they still came up short, losing 5-4. Their final match was reminiscent of their second, with the Rams losing 8-1 to Georgetown. They return to action on Dec. 3.

the Ram-Crusader Cup at Yankee Stadium this past Saturday. The senior quarterback threw for 426 yards, one shy of tying John Skelton’s record for most passing yards in a single game. He also threw for three touchdowns. It was one of the most consistent performances of Andersons career, thanks to him going 28 of 34 in the air. He was named Patriot Legaue offensive Player of the Week.

junior runningback Chase Edmonds. During the Ram-Crusader Cup, Edmonds became the Patriot League’s all-time leader in career rushing touchdowns. His four-score day pushed him to 59 for his career, breaking the previous of 58. Edmonds already owns the Fordham career touchdowns, career rushing touchdowns and career rushing yards records. He currently sits 518 yards away from breaking the Patriot League rushing yards record of 5,621.

– Compiled by Pat Costello

Oh, How the Clipper Crumbles As of Monday morning, most teams in the NBA having played 10 or 11 games and a surprising name headlines the Western Conference standings. It’s not the Warriors juggernaut, the San Antonio Spurs or even the Westbrook-led Thunder.

With nine wins and only one loss, the Los Angeles Clippers are alone at the top. However, no one knows if this is worth paying attention to, because everyone is once again waiting to see the Clippers shoot themselves in the foot, or in this case, get Blake Griffin to punch another employee in the face.

To be clear, the Clippers are objectively an elite team. They are consistently one of the top 10 offenses in the league and their defense, while a little unsteady, is still a force to be reckoned with. They have a quintessential point guard in Chris Paul, who continues to keep up with Curry, Westbrook and Lillard. They also have Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, two of the best big men in the league, and coach Doc Rivers, who can get any unit to produce to its full potential.

However, the curse of being the “other” team in Los Angeles still haunts the Clippers to this day.

While they’re out wreaking havoc and bouncing teams like the Spurs, Trailblazers and Thunder, everyone is still enthralled with the Lakers’ youth movement led by young guns like D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle. Playing in a stadium that has a statue of Magic Johnson right outside it and in a city that adored Wilt, Shaq and Kobe isn’t the best thing for a team that, until late 2011, had Elton Brand and Michael Olowokandi as its most notable names.

In addition, the Clippers simply have not yet proven that they can get past their demons in April and May. The last two years, they were pegged as one of the few teams that could dethrone the Warriors. However, in 2015, the Clippers lost a 3-1 lead to the Rockets in the second round of the playoffs. This was headlined by a Game 6 meltdown that saw Corey Brewer and Josh Smith, of all people, lead a comeback in the fourth quarter. Last year, the Clippers were once again hit by the injury bug, as both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin bowed out in the first round, allowing the upstart Trail Blazers to take their place in a matchup against the Warriors.

The question everyone is asking is whether the Clippers can finally pull it together this year. Season after season, the Clippers have succumbed to bad luck, whether by misfortune’s hand or by their own.

The Clippers bench has been playing at a high level so far, with new acquisitions like Raymond Felton and Marreese Speights giving the other role players new life. Griffin, Paul and Jordan are still one of the best trios in the league. However, until the Clippers can prove that they are capable of pulling themselves together and making a deep playoff run, critics and pundits will continue to dig their graves and the Clippers’ meme-worthy reputation will live on.

SPORTS

Page 24

November 16, 2016

The Fordham Ram

Rams Top Holy Cross at Yankee Stadium

By JACK McLOONE

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

In front of over 21,000 people at Yankee Stadium on Saturday night, Fordham Football played one of its best games of the season, trouncing Holy Cross 54-14 in the Ram-Crusader Cup. Playing on the biggest stage most of them will ever play on, the Rams came out of the gate with just the right kind of manic energy. After receiving the first kickoff in a Fordham game at Yankee Stadium in 70 years, they did not waste any time finding the end zone. Junior running back Chase Edmonds, who had been bottled up against Colgate for just 73 rushing yards and held out of the end zone for four straight weeks, broke out of those slumps in a huge way. He hit a hole on the left side of the line and turned on the jets, bouncing off a would-be tackler on his way to a 41-yard touchdown rush and a quick 7-0 Fordham lead.

After the defense forced a threeand-out, the Rams once again looked towards the end zone. This time, it was senior quarterback Kevin Anderson doing the bulk of the work. He completed three long passes to start the drive. Those passes — to Edmonds, senior receiver Robbie Cantelli and sophomore receiver Corey Caddle — moved the Rams 55 yards downfield.

It was Edmonds who finished up the drive, leaping over the offensive line for his second touchdown in as many drives, giving the Rams a 14-0 lead.

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Chase Edmonds heads to the end zone for the first of his four touchdowns at Yankee Stadium on Saturday.

Holy Cross looked poised to finally get on the board on its next drive, getting deep inside Fordham territory.

Hoping for a spark on the big stage, Crusader head coach Tom Gilmore decided to go for it on fourth-and-3 on the Fordham 24, but sophomore linebacker Noah Fitzgerald deflected the pass attempt away for a turnover on downs.

After securing catches of eight and 27 yards to open the ensuing drive, Caddle caught what looked like a screen pass on the Holy Cross 27.

However, it was a double-pass play, and Caddle lofted the ball towards senior receiver Jorge Solano in the end zone. The ball was a little underthrown, but Solano was able to duck his defender and grab the ball right before it hit the ground to give Fordham 21 unanswered points before the end of the first quarter.

After punts from both sides, it was once again Edmonds finding the end

zone for the Rams. He took the ball in on the left side for a 4-yard touchdown and a 27-0 lead after the missed extra point from senior kicker Makay Redd. It was a historic touchdown in a historic venue, as it gave Edmonds sole possession of the career rushing touchdown record in Patriot League history with 58.

“It speaks volumes to the people around me,” said Edmonds in regards to the record. “It’s great to have a great line. It’s great to have the best quarterback, in my eyes, in this country.”

The Crusaders finally got on the board on their following drive. Darrius Lacy caught a 55-yard pass to set up an 8-yard rushing touchdown for Diquan Walker.

The Rams again answered right back. Anderson got to work through the air, first finding sophomore tight end Isaiah Searight for 23 yards and then 21- and 14-yard completions to Caddle. After Caddle was crushed

over the middle of the end zone – he went to the locker room and did not return to the game – Anderson found Searight for a 17-yard score. A failed trick play on the two-point conversion attempt put the score at 33-7.

The Rams defense once again forced another turnover on downs in their own territory to give the offense one more chance to score before the half. Sophomore receiver Austin Longi caught a pass over the middle and then turned on the jets, running past most of the Crusader defense to the Holy Cross 2-yard line for a 60-yard catch-and-run. Anderson found Cantelli in the back of the end zone for the 2-yard touchdown on the next play, giving the Rams the 40-7 lead they took into the locker room.

“The theme this morning was ‘He who holds the pen controls history’ and today was a historic day for our football program,” said Breiner. “So I told them at halftime that the chapter

was only half-written, that we had to finish it.”

Finish it they did. Despite allowing the Crusaders to score immediately on the opening drive of the second half thanks to another big completion down the field, the Rams answered right back, this time with a 7-yard touchdown reception for Longi. They iced the game away in fourth quarter when Edmonds took the ball on a fourth-and-1 on the Holy Cross 18 in for his fourth touchdown of the day, bringing his big day and a big day for the program to an end with a 54-14 victory.

Edmonds finished with those four touchdowns and 119 yards on 23 carries. Anderson had his best game of the season, completing 28 of his 33 pass attempts for 426 yards and three touchdowns.

“I had 40 of my closest family and friends come up for the game, a lot of people in my life that are really close to me that have never seen me play in person, so it was huge for me,” said Anderson.

For the second time this season, the defense held a team to negative rushing yards on the ground, holding the Crusaders to -5 yards.

The Rams will hope to carry their momentum of this big win on the biggest stage to their final regular season game of the year, on the road at Bucknell on Nov. 19 at noon. A win would improve them to 8-3, which may be enough for them to sneak into the FCS Playoffs with an at-large berth.

Men’s Soccer Wins A-10 Championship

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHELTICS

The men’s soccer team poses after winning their second A-10 Championship in three years, and third all-time.

By TYLER FREIRE STAFF WRITER

After a solid 8-6-3 campaign in the regular season, the Fordham men’s soccer team went into the Atlantic 10 Championships as the second overall seed with a 5-2-1 record within the conference. The Rams came out victorious, winning a pair of games before topping VCU in a dramatic shootout to win the conference title.

The Rams have relied on a solid back line this season to go along with aggressive forwards who would push the ball forward and create opportunities for the offense. Most of that offense came from the Loebe brothers, Janos and Jannik, who share the team lead for goals with seven apiece.

With these weapons in tow, Fordham traveled to Davidson, North Carolina with plenty of confidence.

In the first round, the Rams faced

Duquesne and immediately established an all-business approach. After a scoreless first half, the Rams continued to play excellent defense and eventually got on the board in the 64th minute. Junior Cole Stevenson made his way into the box for a shot on the right side, where Duquesne goalkeeper Evan Kozlowski made the initial stop, but could not control the rebound. Junior Eric Ohlendorf then knocked in the rebound for his fifth goal of the season.

That goal opened up the scoring for the Rams, who went on to score three more goals in the remaining 25 minutes of the match. In the 74th minute, freshman Joergen Oland connected on a long ball to sophomore Janos Loebe, the A-10 Offensive Player of the Year, cutting in on the right side for a shot that Kozlowski got a piece of. However, the ball still had enough momentum to cross the goal line for

Loebe’s seventh of the season.

Just four minutes later, Fordham struck again. This time, it was with a long lob into the attacking third.

Ohlendorf picked up the pass from junior Patrick Thees, fighting off a Duquesne defender. Ohlendorf then snuck a shot inside the left post for his second goal of the game and sixth of the year.

The Rams then iced the victory with a fourth goal in 80th minute, as Ohlendorf completed the hat trick for his seventh goal of the season. Senior Andrew Hickey started the play on the left side, sending a cross right along the ground to the front of the net. Junior Jannik Loebe touched the ball back to Ohlendorf, who drilled home his third goal of the game and became the first Ram to record a hat trick since Kevin Meyer did so on Oct. 12, 2007 against La Salle.

“Eric was the difference in the

match,” said head coach James McElderry. “He brings energy every game, whether it’s defending on set pieces or getting in on the attack.

Real happy to see him get rewarded tonight.”

In the second round against Rhode Island, Fordham went on another scoring frenzy and put up another 4-0 shutout.

Fordham got on the board in the 16th minute. Junior Chris Bazzini got the play started, chipping the ball toward the six-yard box from the right side. The ball was knocked down by a Rhode Island defender and mishandled, allowing senior Ole Sandnes to fire the loose ball into the net from six yards out for his first goal of the season.

The game stayed at 1-0 until the second half, and the Rams caught a major break when Rhode Island’s Dante Lamb was red carded in the 66th minute, forcing URI to play down a man while trailing by one.

The Rams then took advantage of the shorthanded Rhode Island team in the 74th minute as Stevenson took the ball up the right side of the box, crossing the ball to Ohlendorf near the left post. Ohlendorf knocked the ball back in front of the goal, where Jannik Loebe knocked it in for his sixth goal of the season.

The Rams went on to score two more goals and won the match 4-0, advancing to the second round. The four-goal output in both matches was plenty for Fordham’s sophomore goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu and the Rams’ defense, as Nuhu earned his fifth and sixth shutouts of the year.

The victory set up an epic showdown between Fordham and VCU with the A-10 Championship on the line. Prior to the start of the tournament, the Fordham men’s soccer team preached, “Defend, Defend, Defend,” and that’s exactly what it did.

The shootout began with VCU’s Steve Dal Molin, who converted on his penalty kick attempt, while Fordham’s Janos Loebe converted against VCU backup goalkeeper Joe Rice, who was brought in for the shootout to replace Pierre Gardan.

In round two, VCU’s Dakota Barnathan was denied by Nuhu on a shot to the lower left corner, while Oland’s shot found the left side of the net for a 2-1 Fordham edge.

Round three saw Nuhu come up with another huge save, giving Fordham a big chance to take control of the shootout. However, Jannik Loebe’s attempt sailed high, keeping the score at 2-1.

Both teams converted in round four with attempts by VCU’s Greg Boehme and Fordham junior Matthew Lewis, putting the score at 3-2 Eli Lockaby got the final opportunity, but his shot was denied by Nuhu to give Fordham the Atlantic 10 crown.

Nuhu was selected as the Championship’s Most Outstanding Player.

The VCU game featured his third shutout of the tournament, as well as two saves and three stops in the shootout.

They will see their next action on Thursday, when they face Boston College in the first round of the NCAA Championship in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.