Volume 98 Issue 13

The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham dh University Community Since 1918 Volume 98, Issue 13

FordhamRam.com

September 14, 2016

Fordham Climbs In Elite Rankings

By LAURA SANICOLA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Adjunct instructors and students gathered on the steps of Dealy Hall to hand out pamphlets and publicly deliver their petition to the Office of the President.

Adjunct Faculty Protest Low Wages, Deliver Petition to University President

By MICHAEL BYRNE CO-NEWS EDITOR

Fordham Faculty United (FFU), a campus orgainzaiton comprised of Fordham adjuncts, held a protest on the steps of Dealy Hall last Thursday in hopes of presenting a petition outlining their complaints

to Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university.

The petition, which has 394 online supporters as of Tuesday night, contains three demands of the administration: “That Fordham live up to the pronouncement of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,” “that Fordham follow

Georgetown University’s lead and adopt the Jesuit Just Employment Policy” and “that a public meeting with the president, the provost, and a panel of adjuncts and contingent faculty be convened to discuss the implementation of this policy.”

The United States Conference of Bishops references an obligation to

ensure workers’ rights, “If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected — the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property and to economic initiative.”

SEE PROTEST, PAGE 5

Students Concerned Over Luxury Housing Mother of this community that have been

By THERESA SCHLIEP Capstone, are located at 2409 ArTeresa here long before students at Fordthur Avenue. ham have,” said Jamie O’Connor, Some students worry that this Remembered Concerns over the changing development FCRH ’18, a social justice leader and others like it CO-NEWS EDITOR

By MARGARET FAHEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Students at Fordham remembered the late Mother Teresa who was canonized on Sept. 4, becoming Saint Teresa of Kolkata. 19 years after her death, Pope Francis recognized the Roman Catholic nun for her lifelong dedication to the betterment of society’s outcasts. Members of the Fordham community, too, recognized Mother Teresa for the role she played in their lives, and how her legacy continues on campus.

Pierre Bourgeois, a second year graduate student of Fordham’s theology department, shared a personal connection with Mother Teresa and her organization, Missionaries of Charity, in India.

Bourgeois went to went to Calcutta after he graduated from high school in 1995 to work for the Missionaries of Charity for three months, an organization whose nuns can be recognized by their blue and white saris, totaled more than 4,500 sisters in 2012.

“I went to work in one of two houses for the sick and dying, Prem Dan or Kalighat, wherein SEE MOTHER TERESA, PAGE 6

landscape of the Belmont and greater Bronx area grow as new

By THERESA SCHLIEP luxury housing opens on Arthur CO-NEWS EDITOR Avenue. The apartments, called Artu Viale and developed by AB

threaten the inclusivity of the Bronx.

“Branding these apartments as both luxury and for students makes housing inaccessible to members

with the Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice.

The apartments were initially slated to be finished by Fall 2016

SEE APARTMENTS, PAGE 5

Fordham University rose in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2017 edition of “Best Colleges”. The list, released Wednesday morning, shows Fordham ranked at No. 60 in the national universities category with an overall score of 59 out of 100.

Fordham shares the No. 60 spot with Syracuse University, University of Maryland College Park, University of Connecticut, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Purdue University West Lafayette. Fordham jumped six places from its No. 66 ranking in the 2016 list. The school was ranked No. 58 in 2015, No. 57 in 2014 and No. 52 in 2013.

Fordham also placed No. 77 in the best business program rankings and No. 42 in high school counselor rankings.

The university has not yet responded to a request for comment.

After the university dipped in the rankings last year, Bob Howe, the senior vice president of communications at Fordham, said that Fordham began outlining and implementing “corrective action in the areas which most effect the learning experience, over which Fordham has the most control and which are the most heavily weighted,” including alumni participation, class size and graduation rates.

Princeton University was ranked at No. 1 for a third consecutive year, followed by Harvard, University of Chicago, Yale University, Columbia University and Stanford University, respectively.

Fordham remains lower in the rankings than some of its Catholic rivals: Notre Dame ranked No. 15, Georgetown University at No. 20 and Boston College at No. 31. Villanova University, debuting on the National Universities list this year, was ranked at No. 50.

According to U.S. News, Fordham’s tuition and fees were $47,317 for the 2015-2016 academic year with a room and board of $16,350.

The university enrolled 15,286 students in Fall 2015 and had an acceptance rate of 48 percent. The report lists Fordham’s endowment as $665,532,000, compared to Villanova’s $563,865,441.

The university has sporadically risen and fallen in the prestigious SEE US NEWS, PAGE 4

in this issue

Opinion Page 7 Adulthood as a Cause for Anxiety

Culture Page 12 ALEXIS MOLINA FOR THE THE FORDHAM RAM

Italian Culture Celebrated at Arthur Avenue Ferragosto Festival The annual Ferragosto Festival was held on Sept 19 on Arthur Avenue. The celebration, hosted by Bronx Little Italy, draws crowds of around 20,000 of locals and tourists alike for a day of great food and live performances.

READ MORE ON PAGE 5

BronxArtSpace Exhibit Opens Sports Page 20 Breiner Gets Historic Victory

NEWS

Page 2

PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS

September 14, 2016

Journal From Abroad

Finding Religion in a Different Country

Sept. 6 12 a.m.

Resident Housing Office A student left her pocketbook in the lobby of the RHO office,.

When she returned to retrieve it, it was not there. Another student returned it. The pocketbook was missing $20.

Sept. 6 11 a.m.

Walsh Hall Students activated a smoke alarm in their dorm room by burning food. Public Safety evacuated students and the room was ventilated. There was no damage found and the system was reset.

Sept. 6 9:25 p.m.

Finlay Hall A student reported her laptop missing from her dorm room. She left her room and kept the door open. When she returned, she found that her laptop had been taken from under her bed. The laptop has not been returned.

Sept. 10 9:25 a.m.

Salice Conley A student became stuck in an elevator when it malfunctioned.

The New York Fire Department responded and got the student out of the elevator, which he was in for approximately 25 minutes.

Sept. 12 12 p.m.

Finlay Hall A student reported he put his clothes in the washing machine, and when he returned, items were missing. The student reported the incident to Public Safety, which is currently investigating.

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THOMAS GERITY FOR THE FORDHAM RAM

A Fordham student studying in London discovers comfort can sometimes be found outside of one’s comfort zone.

By THOMAS GERITY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

LONDON – Prior to my arrival in London, I was assigned to live in the northwestern neighborhood of Westburn. It is about a half an hour tube ride to the Fordham Centre campus and even further to some of the other flats that Fordham rents out for the term. Admittedly, I was disappointed about my housing placement due to its seemingly remote location. I felt isolated from the few friends I had here in London and the inevitable vulnerability of being abroad had set in almost immediately. So I was relieved to find that the nearest Catholic church, St. Augustine’s, Kilburn, was only a 500 foot walk from my front door. I saw this convenience as a blessing.

Unofficially known as the “Cathedral of the North,” St. Augustine’s lives up to the grandeur of its title. Built in the early 1870s in the Victorian Gothic Revivalist style, the church is a splendor to behold from every angle. Its steeple rises high above every building in the area, while its interior is decorated with many arches and a variety of artistic elaborations. The minute I stepped inside, I was sold. This was going to be my church.

It became apparent to me over the course of my first mass and the tea reception afterwards that its convenience and beauty were simply additions to what was really going on. There was something different about how the parishioners were engaged in the mass and with each other.

The Gospel reading was held in the middle of the church with the congregation surrounding the priest, which implied the Word was the center of a much more human context.

From my experience, the Lord has always been preached towards the crowd as opposed to spoken from the heart of the crowd. When it came time for the Sign of Peace, people did not stay in their pews and greet those immediately near them, but actively moved throughout the entire crowd to share a smile with as many people as possible. After mass, several people, including the priest, approached me with great interest about my reasons for being in London. There was a genuine feeling of warmth through-

out this community that I had yet to feel in any church elsewhere.

The next Sunday, the feeling of community was just as strong.

Through attending, I felt more confident about being abroad. After I told the priest that I would not be at mass for the next few weeks due to travel plans, he showed me his email address on the back of the readings booklet and told me to email him pictures of my adventures. In this place I found a community of people who cared about me.

Soon after, I discovered St. Augustine’s is an Anglo-Catholic church, as opposed to a Roman Catholic church, the religion to which I belong. The differences between the

two were subtle enough to have me duped for two weeks, but clear enough in hindsight. I was disappointed because I felt the need to leave St. Augustine’s, but found great humor in the situation. I found a nearby Roman Catholic church to attend when I returned from my travels.

After a few days of consideration, I realized I had very little reason to leave St. Augustine’s. Is it technically sacrilegious to receive communion there? Sure. But to abandon a community that had so willingly welcomed me and provided me with a source of strength during a taxing transition not only seemed silly, but also unfair.

I’m not renouncing the Pope, I’m just going to spend some time with his little brother.

This whole situation was a personal demonstration of the dichotomous feelings of comfort and exploration that each study abroad student feels. In looking for a place to feel safe, I found myself in a place where I am able to explore my beliefs. I achieved this state of contrast through a willingness to connect with other individuals within the Roman Catholic Church, a process that started long before I had even considered studying abroad.

I encourage all students, but particularly those planning to study abroad, to truly connect with multiple communities and to recognize the extent of those communities in other societies. I may not have connected with the community I intended to, but a mixture of will and error has brought me to much more interesting circumstances.

CHELSEA CRONIN/THE FORDHAM RAM

Parishoners Celebrate a New Academic Year The Mass of the Holy Spirit celebrated the new academic year and the university’s 175th anniversary.

This Week at Fordham Thursday Sept. 15

Friday Sept. 16

Friday Sept. 16

Saturday Sept. 17

Monday Sept. 12

JP Morgan Internship Info Session

September Open Mic Night

JSO’s Fall Welcome Shabbat

Keating First 1 p.m. — 2:15 p.m.

USG’s Meet the Candidates Night

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

St. Ignatius Room 6 p.m. — 7 p.m.

FET Presents: Black Sheep Performance

Smart Woman Securities will host Meera Desai, a recruiter for the financial analyst development program, to speak about internship opportunities. The event is open to all Fordham students.

Rodrigue’s will be hosting their first monthly open mic night of the school year. Students are invited to play music, read poetry or participate in other performances. Students can sign up before the events begin.

The Jewish Student Organization will host a welcome Shabbat in the St. Ignatius Room. They will be lighting candles and eating challah while reflecting on the first full week of classes.

Blackbox 8 p.m. — 9 p.m.

Keating Third 7 p.m. — 8 p.m.

Fordham Experimental Theatre will be hosting Fordham’s only performance poetry collective.

Their first show of the year will be held in the Blackbox Theatre in Collins Auditorium.

United Student Government is hosting a Meet the Candidates night for the class of 2020. Students running for senator will have the chance to hear the voices of their classmates.

NEWS

September 14, 2016

Page 3

Alumnus Appointed to Puerto Rico Financial Board

By CATHERINE CARREJO FEATURES EDITOR

President Barack Obama appointed Arthur Gonzalez, GSB ’69, LAW ’82, to the newly established Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, part of the federal strategy to address the commonwealth’s ongoing debt crisis. According to Fordham Magazine, Gonzalez studied accounting during his undergraduate career at Fordham, then taught public school in New York City for 13 years before returning to the university to earn his law degree.

Gonzalez’s later professional career combined his studies in accounting and law as a bankruptcy judge on the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. For 17 years, Gonzalez worked on some of the country’s highest profile corporate bankruptcy cases, including Enron, WorldCom and Chrysler. He was appointed to the position of chief judge in 2010 and retired from the court in 2012, the same year in which he was awarded the Medal of Achievement from the Fordham Law Alumni Association.

In a 2007 profile in Fordham Magazine, Gonzalez cited his Jesuit education at Fordham as one of the factors that made him want to work for the public good.

MICHAEL DOBUSKI/THE FORDHAM RAM

@FORDHAMNOTES/TWITTER

Fordham Alumnus Arthur Gonzalez is part of the federal strategy to mitigate Puerto Rico’s financial crisis.

“Jesuit education encourages thinking, analysis and generally provides a good foundation for understanding the subject matter while encouraging a commitment to community and service,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez is one of the three democratic members on the bipartisan board, which was ap-

pointed by congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle following the passage of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA).

Republicans represent four of the board members, and the governor of Puerto Rico will also serve on the board as an ex-officio member. Joining Gonzalez on the

panel are democratic appointees Jose Ramon Gonzalez, the chief executive of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York, and Ana J. Matosantos, the former director of California’s Department of Finance. Representing the Republican Party are Carlos Garcia, the chief executive of private equity firm BayBoston Managers, Jose

Carrion, Andrew Biggs, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and David Skeel, a professor of corporate law at the University of Pennsylvania. Four members of the board have Puerto Rican backgrounds, and almost all have worked in Puerto Rico before.

House Speaker Paul Ryan commented on the diverse backgrounds of the board as a benefit in healing the island’s financial wounds. “Drawing from a wide variety of practical experiences and policy prowess, the members have what it takes to serve Puerto Rico and help get the territory on a path to fiscal health,” Speaker Ryan said in a press release.

Gonzalez and his fellow board members will have a long path to fiscal health for Puerto Rico ahead of them. The island currently holds $72 billion in debt in addition to a $40 billion deficit in its pension fund. Although the congressional solution was not the one the people of Puerto Rico were advocating for President Obama publicly placed his confidence in Gonzalez and his peers.

“The task ahead for Puerto Rico is not an easy one, but I am confident Puerto Rico is up to the challenge of stabilizing the fiscal situation, restoring growth and building a better future for all Puerto Ricans,” said President Obama in a press release last month.

Law Professor Runs for Congress Zephyr Teachout Vies for Seat in House of Representatives

By HANNAH GONZALEZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

With progressive policies akin to those of Senator Bernie Sanders, Fordham Law professor Zephyr Teachout is running for a seat in the 115th Congress. She hopes to draw support from Sanders and his New York-based supporters as the November elections approach.

Teachout announced her bid for Congress in January 2016, and Sanders raised money for her candidacy during his presidential campaign. In November, Teachout will face off against republican John Faso for a seat in the House’s 19th district. Republicans currently dominate both the House and the Senate, so democratic hopefuls such as Teachout aim to tip the scales in favor of more liberal policies. She won 71.3 percent of the vote in the June primary elections.

In 2015, Teachout wrote a Huffington Post article endorsing Sanders for president. She has been an outspoken critic of corporate influence in politics. She supports small and mid-size businesses and the enforcement of antitrust laws.

Teachout has subsisted on small donations and accused the campaign finance system of corruption.

“Her political support for campaign finance reform, protecting social security and empowering workers against corporations stand in stark contrast to the encroaching corporatization of higher education of which Fordham is largely complicit,” said Evan Cramb, FCRH ’18. “I am confident that

Teachout stands for the interests of average New Yorkers and not the Wall Street crooks, hiding in their glossy skyscrapers downtown.”

According to a report by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, of voters under 30-years-old, Sanders won over two million votes, compared to Hillary Clinton’s 766,425 and Donald Trump’s 828,675.

“I think almost all millennials are very for far left concepts, so I think [Teachout] probably has a high chance of winning if the voter turnout is high,” said Kaylee Kurkierewicz, FCRH ’20.

Teachout is running in the Hudson Valley and Catskills region, a swing district previously represented by republican Chris Gibson.

Fifty-eight percent of Fordham Democrats and 29 percent of the Fordham student body overall supported Bernie Sanders in March of this year, according to a joint poll conducted by United Student Government (USG), Fordham Political Review, Fordham University College Republicans and College Democrats. It follows that Teachout’s similar views would be popular amongst students--provided they follow politics.

“I’ve never heard of her, but I like Bernie Sanders,” said Gabriela Christensen, FCRH ’20. “If her policies are like Bernie’s, then I like her too.”

Teachout’s campaign trail continues with meet-and-greets and canvassing around the 19th district.

@ZEPHYRTEACHOUT/TWITTER

Many fans of Senator Bernie Sanders favor Fordham Law professor Zephyr Teachout, who is running for Congress.

NEWS

Page 4

September 14, 2016

Rankings Released FROM US NEWS, PAGE 1

ALEXIS MOLINA /THE FORDHAM RAM

The Ferragosto Festival, a celebration of the end of the harvest season, drew in visitors from all over for its Italian food, music, culture and traditions.

Arthur Avenue Celebrates Ferragosto

By KATHRYN ROBERTS STAFF WRITER

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. As a nation mourned the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, an aroma of spices and sweets drifted down Arthur Avenue Sunday for the 19th consecutive year at the annual Ferragosto Festival. Tourists, neighborhood locals and students navigated through crowded streets, amassed food tents and live performers. The event was hosted by the non-profit organization, Bronx Little Italy.

For some restaurant and shop owners, the Italian festival provides an opportunity to reconnect with old customers, old business partners and friends.

“The people who lived here,

who were born here, moved away.

This is like a reunion. It gets better and better every year,” said Gill Teitel, owner of the historic Teitel meat and cheese market, which has operated for over 100 years in the Belmont area.

The Bronx celebration traditionally takes place the Sunday after Labor Day, and draws crowds of between 20,000-28,000 people, according to self reported statistics by the organization.

Jacklyn Onody, FCRH ’20, said she has gone to Arthur Avenue with her whole family since she was a little girl. “We would spend the whole day in line in order to get all of our food for Christmas dinner,” said Onody.

Ferragosto is a centuries-old celebration that originated in Italy and is traditionally celebrated

in August. The festival is intended to coincide with the major Catholic feast of the Assumption of Mary.

The Bronx Ferragosto is celebrated at the end of the harvest season, a time in which workers can enjoy the fruits of their labors. This year, the event had a political purpose as well. Residents of the Belmont community have been working with local politicians to raise money for victims of the 6.2 magnitude earthquake in Italy in late August that all but decimated the town of Amatrice, killing nearly 300 civilians according to the Washington Post. The wreckage has left over 4 thousand homeless.

Nestled amongst Ferragosto vendors was the tent for The Italian Disaster Relief Fund, which offered pamphlets and information for the festival goers as to how they could

get involved.

This year featured performances from Two Gents & The Lady featuring Elio Scaccio, Vincent Ricciardi and Julie Anna Gulenko, The 70’s Project, Uncle Floyd, Sal Valentinetti and Nick Vero. The event was sponsored by Pepsi, New Rochelle Chevrolet, Divella and Con EdPeroni, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Stepping Out NYC. Dorothy Albert, a Bronx native, now lives in New Jersey with her husband Gary but makes an effort to attend the festival each year. For Dorothy, the visit back brings back childhood memories in the Belmont area.

“I used to come to Arthur Avenue when I was a kid with my dad,” Albert said. “He used to buy all of his meats up here.” She continues the tradition.

in the past 15 years, jumping 31 spots from No. 84 in 2002 to No. 53 in 2011, when it was tied with Boston University. This year, Boston University has risen to No. 39.

The U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Colleges” list is arguably the most referenced and popular of all college rankings.

The report categorizes regionally accredited schools their mission, “which is derived from the breakdown of types of higher education institutions,” according to the Report.

It then gives colleges a ranking based on data received on 15 indicators of academic excellence, “which are assigned a weight that reflects U.S. News’ judgment about how much that measure matters.” Colleges and universities are ranked against their peers based on their composite weighted score.

This year’s ranking methodology included two changes from the previous year “First, U.S. News recategorized colleges based on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education,” the Report’s website states. “In February 2016, Carnegie, which is the most widely accepted classification system in U.S. higher education, released official updates – called the “2015 Update” – including to the Basic Classification used in the U.S. News rankings.”

As a result, around 12 percent of ranked schools have moved into different categories of classification.

The Report also changed its methodology to create a one class size index measure (40 percent of the faculty resources score) “that takes fuller advantage of all the data schools report on class size.”

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Campus Briefs & Bites NASDAQ Gives Grant to Gabelli, Law School

Theology Professor Publishes Book

Photography Exhibit Explores Race

Biology Professor to Give Keynote Address

The NASDAQ Educational Foundation selected the Gabelli School of Business and Fordham’s School of Law to receive a one million grant in the upcoming year. The funds will go towards expanding the Fordham Foundry. The Foundry’s expansion tatthe Lincoln Center campus will help students earn internships and gain a better understanding of the distinct challenges of starting their own businesses. The university also received another award earlier this year from Verizon Corporate Resources Group for $480,000, which was used to create a camp for low income students. The three-week camp, coordinated by the Office of the Dean for Undergraduate Studies and the Office for Sustainability Initiatives, allowed budding entrepreneurial students to live in Rose Hill residences halls, participate in corporate site visits in Manhattan and attend workshops with Gabelli School faculty members.

Fordham theology professor Elizabeth Johnson marked the publication of her new book, “The Strength of Her Witness: Jesus Christ in the Global Voices of Women”, this week.

The book is an anthology of 20 essays written by women from around the world in order to highlight both the female perspective and the geographical diversity that are often lacking in theological discussions. The title is in reference to the fourth chapter of the Gospel of John, which contains the famous story of the Samaritan woman at the well. In the verse, the woman meets Jesus at the well outside her town and is touched by their conversation. She hastily returns to her town to tell everyone she met the Messiah and the strength of her witness brings many people to follow Jesus. Johnson’s goal for the book was to give diverse women around the world the opportunity to give their witness and to give devout Christians the chance to be moved by them.

A provocative new photography exhibit at the Lincoln Center campus’s Lipani Gallery entitled “Schools for the Colored” explores themes of racial segregation and separation.

The artist, Wendel White, used Photoshop to create a grey veil between the foreground and background of his subjects, old formerly segregated school buildings located north of the Mason Dixon line. The artist, as well as several other experts in both art and race relations, will participate in a panel discussion on the exhibit on Monday, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. at Franny’s Space in the Lowenstein Center at the Lincoln Center. Joining White on the panel is Rebecca Carroll, a producer of special projects on race for radio station WNYC, Deb Willis, the chair of the Department of Photography and Imaging at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, and Marta Gutman, Ph.D., an architect and professor at the City College of New York.

Fordham Associate Professor of biology Dr. J. Alan Clark, Ph.D., will give the keynote address at the fourth annual Bronx Science Consortium Poster Symposium. The hour-long talk is entitled The Penguins Call: A Journey of Discovery. Clark studied the Little Blue Penguin in New Zealand during his sabbatical in 2011, focusing his research on the correlation between the penguins’ physical features and the measures of their reproductive success. The symposium is organized by the Bronx Science Consortium, which consists of Fordham University, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Hospital, the New York Botanical Garden and the Wildlife Conservation Society/ Bronx Zoo. The event, which is open to the public, will take place on Sept. 28th in Schiff Hall at the Bronx Zoo. The keynote begins at 1:30 p.m. and the poster session begins at 3.

NEWS

September 14, 2016

Page 5

Fordham Adjuncts Demand Meeting With President, Provost Over Wages FROM PROTEST, PAGE 1

organization and joining of unions, to private property and to economic initiative.”

Bob Howe, the senior vice president of communications at Fordham, commented on the university’s reasoning for hiring adjuncts. “Fordham employs adjuncts to offer students instruction from professionals working in fields related to the students course of study, and to provide flexibility in course scheduling, release time for tenure and tenure-track faculty, and more varied curriculum offerings,” Howe said.

According to the Office of the President, McShane had a prior commitment and was unable to meet with the group, so Trevithick and Jopling instead delivered the petition to the University’s General Counsel, Elaine Crosson.

Fordham administration has promised to respond to the petition, according to Trevithick.

The Voices of the Protesters There were 803 adjunct instructors at Fordham in the Spring 2016 semester, according to informaiton provided

by Associate Chief Academic Officer Jonathan Crystal, The Fordham Fact Book 2015 reports there were 737 fulltime (non-adjunct) faculty members in the fall 2014 semester, the latest numbers made available to The Fordham Ram. According to these numbers, adjuncts make up 52 percent of the instruction staff.

Kathryn Krasinski, an adjunct instructor of anthropology who has been teaching at Fordham for six years, finds the number alarming.

“When half of the faculty are adjuncts, it shows that Fordham does not value teachers or the information and skills students are learning in the class,” Krasinski said.

Adjunct Instructor of anthropology Alan Trevithick, who has been teaching at Fordham for 12 years, spoke to the group of about 30 protestors.

“We’re asking to be recognized,” he said. “We’re half of the faculty here.

We’re doing half of the teaching for (the students). It’s not a fact that people know very much so we need to be recognized, and we need to somehow impress it upon Fordham’s administration.”

Fordham adjunct faculty members are paid a minimum of $4,000 and a maximum of $5,500 per course and are allowed to teach a maximum of two courses per semester.

Chris Brandt, adjunct instructor of creative writing, also spoke at the protest. “We are given no benefits — no health plan, no retirement benefits and we cannot even file for unemployment insurance, since we are contract employees, with no guarantee that we will continue to be employed from one semester to the next,” Brandt said. “We are all forced to have supplementary jobs, some of us teaching at as many as four different schools. What this means of course is that no matter how conscientious we are, it is physically impossible for us to give our full attention to our Fordham students. This is in direct contradiction to Fordham’s ‘commitment to high standards of academic excellence.’” Brandt has taught at Fordham for 12 years.

Andrew Thompson, an adjunct instructor of sociology in his third year of teaching at Fordham, commented on Fordham’s Jesuit identity in relation to the adjuncts’ protest.

“I think the more you make [Jesuit ideals] a part of your branding, the more you should expect people will raise questions when you don’t live up to those pronouncements,” Thompson said.

Fordham pays adjuncts for nine hours a week per course, and courses last 15 weeks. This means the hourly rate for adjuncts ranges from $29.63 and $40.74. According to a 20152016 New York University collective bargaining agreement published on the university’s website, NYU adjuncts teaching Degree Courses

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Adjuncts and students marched around Fordham campus handing out pamphlets detailing their mission.

are paid $128 an hour. A New York Times article from 2004 reported that adjuncts unionized in 2002 and were granted “health benefits, pension contributions and some job security, as well as wage increases.”

“The university has committed to pay scales that are unfeasible when evaluated from the standpoint of the cost of living,” Thompson said.

Thompson thinks that one day adjunct professors will realize that they are not getting paid to work the nine hours a day they devote to their classes and workload, and in the end the courses will suffer.

“And that will strictly be because we followed the rule that the university laid out,” he said. It’s a strategy that’s likely to bite them in the ass in the end.”

The American Association of University Professors reported the average salary for a full professor at Fordham is $162,200. There is no public information that differentiates between what full professors are paid for the five courses they teach and other administrative and research responsibilities they have.

Fordham did publish a document titled, “Salary and Benefit Provi-

sions for Active Faculty,” that details how the university pays faculty members for summer courses. According to the formula the document provides, full professors are paid $12,165 for a three-credit course. This is 2.21 – 3.05 times the amount that adjunct instructors are paid per course during the academic year.

Thompson said that looking at the university as a corporation, the administrative stance makes sense.

“They don’t feel like they owe anything to contingent workers,” Thompson said.

Krasinski told The Fordham Ram that adjuncts deserve better compensation for the work they do. “Fordham should pay its full-time faculty well with raises, so I do not necessarily take issue with pay differences between faculty who have served the university longer,” Krasinski said.

“However, preparing and updating courses, lecturing, responding to inquiries, and grading requires much more time than is compensated by adjunct contracts,” Becca Erwin, FCRH ’18, a member of Fordham Students United, also spoke to the group in support of FFU’s message. “As students who

pay tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars to attend Fordham University, we expect to receive a world-class education,” said Erwin.

But if your professors are struggling to make ends meet and are running after class to their two or three other jobs…they just can’t pour their heart and soul into their work and students can’t get the education they expect.

We think that is a failure of Fordham to commit to the Jesuit moral code,” Erwin said.

Hannah Jopling, an adjunct instructor of anthropology who has been teaching at Fordham for 12 years, said that FFU has been primarily headed by adjuncts in the sociology and anthropology department, but their message has gained a lot of momentum since they started reaching out to adjuncts in other departments. Jopling said that Fordham students, both undergraduate and graduate, have also shown solidarity with the movement. One of the biggest challenges in organizing, according to Jopling, is trying to find statistics of adjuncts at Fordham.

“There is a general frustration that there isn’t enough transparency,” Jopling said.

Luxury Apartments for Students In Development FROM APARTMENTS, PAGE 1

but are now delayed to Spring 2017.

The rent is expected to be at $850$1000 per bed, but could increase because of improvements to the facilities.

The building features six floors of apartments with retail space in the first floor, as well as a gym, game rooms, terraces and high tech security.

Joseph Zanzuri from AB Capstone said these apartments are simply providing a better product for students.

“This is geared toward students and is a better product,” said Zanzuri. “It is whats there and what is providing a better product.”

Zanzuri said these apartments were similar to flying in a plane.

“We’re just offering you business class and up,” he said. “We’re giving you a cleaner, better environment.”

The apartments take the place of what was once an abandoned bakery, according to an article in The Fordham Ram. O’Connor worries the apartments were priced high as to make it exclusively Fordham housing, even though the apartments are not officially affiliated with the university.

This, she said, can compromise the culture of the Bronx community in order to accommodate Fordham students.

“I think it is a dangerous precedent that has been set in which rich tenants can sacrifice the integrity and vibrancy of the Bronx community specifically surrounding Fordham at the expense of its members for the sake of development,” said O’Connor.

Other students feel the movement of more Fordham students to off campus housing exacerbates this exclusivity.

“I think it absolutely is a reflection of the gentrification of the Bronx,” said Madelyn Murphy, FCRH ’17. “It holds racial as well as classist undertones. ‘Luxury student apartments’ is intensely exclusive and is taking up space from other Bronx families, a process Fordham began since its creation and especially since more and more students have been moving off campus.”

The development project will not open until next spring due to delays in construction. Zanzuri said certain changes had to be made to the building in order to open.

“Some of the structure of the basement had to be changed,” said Zanzuri in a phone interview with The Fordham Ram. Zanzuri said that AB Capstone communicated with Fordham to brand the apartments as Fordham housing, but the university declined because it wants to see operation for two years before claiming it as university housing.

The developers were interested in working with Fordham housing because that would allow for two additional floors of apartments.

“Builders build for profit,” said Zanzuri.

Zanzuri said AB Capstone plans to build more in the area.

“We’re building a brand, not just a product,” he said. “We’d still be happy to hear [Fordham residential life] out.”

According to Kimberly Russell, director of residential life and assistant dean of students, there are about 3,540 residents in Fordham housing. Consequently, about half of the 6,971 undergraduate and graduate students live in Fordham housing, while the other half commute from their off campus housing.

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

New luxury housing on Arthur Avenue concerns some Fordham students.

NEWS

Page 6

September 14, 2016

A Student Remembers His Interaction With Mother Teresa in India

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Graduate and undergraduate students recall Mother Teresa, who was recently canonized by the Catholic Church.

FROM MOTHER TERESA, PAGE 1

bathing patients, feeding them and giving them water, but his job allowed him to work directly

with Mother Teresa herself. He described his most significant encounter with her was that first meeting, the day I arrived.

“Mother Teresa told me that my most important job would be to love the patients,” Bourgeois said.

In the United States, the Mis-

sionaries of Charity was first established in the South Bronx.

Today, the facility continues to operate and assist those who need it, such as individuals who have contracted diseases, or are facing hunger or homelessness.

In Washington D.C, at the Missionaries of Charity facility where nuns are sent during the final stages of training, former Fordham theology professor, Susan Feeley, continues to work. Feeley was enlisted by Mother Teresa more than 40 years ago to teach the nuns English. Feeley’s work as a coordinator for the 50 volunteers was profiled in a Washington Post article.

Bourgeois accredits Mother Teresa for the reason behind many of his life choices.

“My confrontations with unimaginable human suffering and dehumanizing poverty, as well as my encounter with radical Christian love, have directly impacted every decision I’ve made since,” he said In January, the community service organization on campus, Global Outreach, will lead a group of students to Kolkata for the duration of 10 days. Andrew Friedman, the project leader, explained what will happen on the

trip.

“We will work closely with the Missionaries of Charity, the organization Mother Teresa founded in Kolkata, India,” he said. “We will work at various sites throughout the city alongside the missionaries, ranging from homes for orphaned children to homes that care for the sick and the dying. We also plan to immerse ourselves in Indian culture to examine some of the social justice issues and the roots of various social and economic injustices that exist in the country.”

Mother Teresa’s work earned her the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize, but she has received her fair share of harsh judgement.

“Critics say that Mother Teresa, to some extent, glorified poverty, particularly in Kolkata,” Friedman said.

For Friedman, nothing can be farther from the truth.

“I think that her mission displays her bravery in caring for those in need — both physically and spiritually through love. It is important to recognize the reality of the world, and while the problems are daunting, Mother Teresa simply started at square one — through simple acts of love and kindness, she began her journey.”

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September 14, 2016

OPINION

Page 7

TheFordhamRam

Accounting for Anxiety: “Adulting” is a Daunting Task

By MARGARITA ARTOGLOU OPINION EDITOR

When I scroll through Facebook, I sometimes see articles promising to teach you how “to adult” and links that will provide you with 16 gifs that perfectly describe “adulting.” The word is colloquially used as a verb to describe grown-up, responsible behavior and the concept has apparently thrown college students into stress-overload.

According to a 2015 survey from the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Penn State, half of all students who visit campus counseling services across the country experience anxiety. At East Carolina University, steps are being taken to help students with these increased levels of mental pressure through a new program called Recognition, Insight and Openness (RIO) which teaches students stress management methods such as self-talk, journaling and mindfulness, according to NBC News.

While the actions of the university are commendable and will probably provide a great amount of help to students, the university’s explanations of students’ increased anxiety levels oversimplify the situation at hand and suggest that it does not fully understand the context of student’s stress.

East Carolina University officials state participation awards in childhood have led to students’ inability to deal with failure. “[Millennials] have received a

Joe Moresky An Afternoon with the Libertarian Party This past Saturday, I decided to step outside of my normal political box and attended a rally down in Times Square for Governor Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party presidential nominee. As a self-described moderate Republican with a penchant for reform conservatism, I’ve been in search of political representation ever since the GOP nominated Donald Trump as the party standard bearer. Upon hearing that the Cornell College Republicans would be at Gov. Johnson’s rally, I decided to attend out of a sense of solidarity since their endorsement of him wrongly cost the chapter its operating charter.

As I made my way into Manhattan, I mulled over exactly what I might find at the event. With a fiscally restrained approach to domestic economics and an open-mindedness in regards to social issues, maybe the Libertarian Party could be my new home.

I arrived in Grand Central Terminal and boarded the shuttle to 42 St. and marveled at how the un-

lot of recognition for participation and all get something for being involved,” ECU Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Virginia Hardy told NBC News. “But they didn’t have to manage the emotions that come with not being successful.”

While it may be true that there is still a third grade soccer participation trophy somewhere in my basement, it is also true that I took my first standardized test that same year, and would continue to take standardized tests until I graduated high school. We may be the generation of participation awards, but we are also the generation of constant scrutiny and judgment.

The reason we have difficulty dealing with failure is not because we have floated through our entire lives being told how wonderful we are. The reason that the prospect of a lack of success is causing more panic attacks among students is we really cannot afford to fail. Tuition prices are constantly rising, and we are constantly being informed of how competitive the job market is, all while student debt looms over our heads. The pressure to perform has skyrocketed.

We constantly hear stories about unemployed grads still living with their parents, along with huge sums of student debt. When we are in danger of failing a class, then, we start to worry: Will I still be able to graduate in time if I have to retake this class? How badly will it hurt my GPA? Will I get into grad school?

Will I find an internship if my GPA orthodox nature of this election had brought me to the doorstep of a minor party. I emerged out of the underground and into the fluttering crowd of tourists and began to fight my way up to the Marriot hosting the rally.

Upon arrival, I encountered fellow Rams both new and old, diligently working to promote Gov. Johnson and ensure the rally was a positive experience for all who attended. Friendly in demeanor and generous with free items, the volunteers and staffers helped create an energetic and welcoming environment. Equipped with my limited-edition “Johnson/Weld 2016” wristband and rally sign in hand, I took my place towards the back of the ballroom and listened in on the warm-up speakers. I certainly looked the part of the average Libertarian voter.

Within the hour Gov. Johnson finally took to the stage with thunderous applause. Chants of “Let Gary Debate” broke out and signs advocating for the legalization of marijuana were thrust up.

Gov. Johnson began his speaking slot with an earnest apology for his damaging blunder earlier in the week, in which he was unable to identify what Aleppo (the Syrian city that rests squarely in the center of the conflict plaguing the country) was. I was struck by the novelty of it all. Instead of downplaying the gaffe’s significance or trying to write it off as the product of Gov. Johnson assumed full responsibility for the remarks. He owned the mistake and expressed

JOSHUA BROWN/FLICKR

Contrary to what baby boomers might think, students of our generation face a considerable amount of stress.

is not perfect? It is so easy to get caught up in a worst-case scenario in your own mind.

So it is no wonder that students are feeling increased levels of anxiety in a world full of stressors. I reject the idea that praise for participation during childhood has resulted in a generation of young adults who simply cannot deal with failure just because they have never had “to manage the emotions that come with not being successful.”

My soccer participation trophy did not change the fact that I never once made a goal the entire season and fully understood that I was by far the worst player on the team. Realistically, every single one of us has

experienced failure in some capacity, and the idea that our upbringing did not prepare us to deal with failure at all is absolutely ridiculous.

Hardy also told NBC News that conflict resolution in residence halls is a source of stress for students because of social media. Hardy states that millennials “can’t manage faceto-face in the real world and can’t resolve conflicts in the residence hall,” as if college-aged students have never held an in-person conversation until freshman year move-in day.

Hardy’s commentary on the increase in anxiety completely misses the mark, and sounds like a stereotypical baby boomer complaining that kids these days are too

spoiled and are always glued to their phones.

We might joke and make memes and Buzzfeed listicles about how stressed we are about “adulting,” but joining the competitive and expensive real world is a scary undertaking.

If university counseling services are to help the nation’s increasingly anxious student body, they need to recognize that post-grad life is a legitimate source of concern.

Margarita Artoglou, FCRH ’18, is a communication and media studies major from Queens.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Gov. Gary Johnson is the Libertarian Party presidential nominee, and was recently endorsed by Cornell Republicans.

disappointment in himself for not meeting the standards his audience deserved.

For a brief moment I was intrigued by a candidate who genuinely seemed to be striving to meet a higher standard for himself.

In an election season filled to the brim with mudslinging, racial undertones and the occasional rise of conspiracy theories, it was a breath of fresh air.

But then the speech continued and I was abruptly reminded of why I wasn’t a libertarian to begin with. Gov. Johnson’s assessment of the situation in Syria came

across as amateur, lacking the nuance that comes with recognizing just how complex the problem really is. He fumbled with the pronunciation of “Islamist State” and confused the 2003 invasion of Iraq with the United States’ initial incursion into Afghanistan. The failed attempt to assure potential voters of his grasp of international affairs soured the rest of his policy prescriptions. He talked of the need for sentencing reform and the virtues of fiscal responsibility, but it all seemed inconsequential in light of the inability to offer up a convincing vision of the United States’ role on the world stage.

I returned to Grand Central to make my way back to Rose Hill, freshly reminded of my own disagreements with the Libertarian Party platform and a new appreciation for just how outside of mainstream political thought it is perceived to be. Spotting the rally sign I had held onto, an elderly couple jested about Johnson’s Aleppo gaffe and asked if I defend the remark. I, somewhat awkwardly, explained to them that I was not in fact a Johnson supporter.

I was just another disillusioned voter looking for a home.

OPINION

Page 8

R

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

September 14, 2016

From the Desk | Patrick Costello

America’s Pastime Is Not the Most Boring Sport One of the most overused tropes in sports is that baseball is boring because it takes too long.

A 2014 report by Major League Baseball concluded that an average nine-inning game lasted about two hours and 54 minutes.

Baseball has tried to speed the game up a bit by implementing shorter warm ups for pitchers and quicker mound visits.

While baseball is still long, it is definitely not the most boring sport on television — football is.

Every year, fans lose their mind over the return of football season so that they can spend their Sundays watching every game, dissecting every play and viewing their Fantasy teams. What fans seem to forget every year is just how boring an NFL football game actually is.

The average NFL game lasts three hours and 12 minutes, which is 18 minutes longer than the average MLB game. So why do fans thinks that baseball is more boring? It mainly comes down to the high-octane and up-tempo play of football. NFL football is incredibly fast-paced and thrilling

to watch. Or is it?

The average NFL game has over 100 commercials during the course of the broadcast, which force the games to take media timeouts. There are also injury timeouts, coaches’ timeouts, reviews of every scoring play, coaches’ challenges, the two minute warning and so on. There is so much time spent not actually playing football that it’s no wonder people like watching games at other people’s houses on Sunday.

Football is boring, and you need someone to talk to.

Granted, the last two minutes of NFL games are exciting if it’s close, but everyone knows that those two minutes could easily last 15 minutes in real-time. The only thing slower is the last two minutes of an NBA game, when both teams foul so often that it feels as though they’re playing at half-speed. The NFL isn’t quite that bad, but it’s still incredibly annoying.

All of that down-time is made up for by the awesome action on the field, right? Well actually, the Wall Street Journal did a study in

2010 that concluded that there were only 11 minutes in which the ball was actually in play.

They also concluded that there was more time spent on replays (17 minutes) then on actual game play. In 2013, the Wall Street Journal did the same study for baseball and concluded that the ball spent just under 18 minutes in play.

Football isn’t fun to watch unless you’re eating a plate of wings while sitting on your couch surrounded by your friends. At that point, at least you’re afforded the luxury of changing the channel to find a different game. Imagine paying for a ticket to go to a game.

It makes less sense than the movie Sully existing.

Why would you pay for a ticket to go to a game, where everything is already massively overpriced, just to watch 11 minutes of action in between five minutes of commercial breaks? At least in baseball you know exactly when the breaks will be — in between each half-inning. During NFL games it feels like there’s a timeout every two minutes.

So why do we believe that base-

ball is so much more boring than football? It’s shorter, has more action, is played mostly during a warm season when you can go to a game in shorts and is guaranteed to have one truly exciting play during every game. NFL games are just overly drawn out money grabs that sell its fans on the idea that it’s the most exciting sport.

The point is this: if you’re looking for excitement while watching from home, don’t watch football.

Turn on a baseball game and save yourself from being bored by the NFL.

Editorial | Administration and Faculty

LIU: A Warning to Mend Broken Channels of Communication More than 400 professors locked out of a university on the first week of class. Health benefits cut, email accounts cancelled.

Professors protesting with a giant inflatable rat outside campus as administrators scrambled to find “fill-in professors” for the hundreds of faculty unable to teach.

This is the current state of Long Island University Brooklyn.

This could be Fordham.

The trouble started over the failure of LIU Brooklyn’s faculty and administration to reach an agreement on a five-year contract for the faculty, according to The Atlantic. The unionized members of faculty sought to raise starting wages for professors to the rate offered at LIU’s sister C.W. Post Campus in Nassau County, as professors at the latter campus were making over $16,000 more than their Brooklyn counterparts. On Tuesday, the LIU faculty voted 226 to 10 to reject a contract from administration, and the faculty senate supported a majority vote of no-confidence in the university’s President Kimberly Cline.

The historically unprecedented lockout has caused student

protests and discord among the LIU community. Despite LIU Brooklyn’s efforts to assure students that the lockout will not affect their academic life, it is evident from the forced larger class sizes, reported by students to The Gothamist, and the lowered morale on campus, that students will be affected.

Fordham’s professors are losing confidence in its administration as well. After a failure to reach an agreement on the faculty’s budget for the coming academic year, the administration imposed a salary increase that was lower than the one the faculty had proposed at their last meeting. As a result, the faculty senate accused the administration of violating university statutes.

“Having a faculty that feels marginalized and alienated will have a negative impact on the entire community as a result,” Andrew Clark, a professor and member of the faculty senate, told The Fordham Ram in a phone interview.

However, Martha Hirst, the chief financial officer of the university, told the faculty in an email that the administration had to concede “critical funds set

aside as a contingency to cover the University’s unanticipated expenses and advance strategic initiative” in order to even offer the 2.1 percent increase.

Clearly, effective channels of conversation have broken down between faculty and administration and the disarray at LIU Post is telling of what can happen when conversation between administration and faculty breaks down.

Though we are currently abstaining from taking a side with either the faculty or administration, several facts are clear to us from our vantage point: there is less money to be spent on professors this year than in recent years. Professors, especially those who have dedicated substantial time and money into attaining advanced degrees, believe they are being unfairly compensated. Based on The Fordham Ram’s attempts to attain information on budgetary processes at Fordham, it appears that specifics of Fordham’s financials are not as transparent as they could be or should be.

The administration and faculty need to engage in dialogue in which both parties understand

fundamental realities about the financial options the university has, as well as the importance of fairly compensating the backbone of higher learning at Fordham.

We encourage the faculty to question specific budgetary decisions made by the administration, and for the administration to defend them fairly or concede appropriately. Most importantly, we urge both parties not to take drastic measures at the expense of students in order to resolve their issues.

Higher education is at a crossroads. Colleges in 2016 are in the business of driving in revenue, and many universities — ours included — seem unable to effectively balance the financial demands of operating while providing the school with the resources it needs to compensate professors in a way that they seem fitting for their work across the board.

The last thing that we need, however, is a drastic divide among faculty and staff. As a divided campus, we are unable to achieve common goals and create the kind of environment that students both pay for and the community deserves.

Disagree with our editorial?

Let us know!

Email us at fordhamramopinions@gmail.com to submit a letter to the editor!

OPINION

September 14, 2016

Page 9

Safe Spaces: Sanctuaries, For Harrassment

FORDHAM RAM ARCHIVES

The recent bias incident in Finlay Hall underscores the importance of students’ right to feel safe on campus.

By MATTHEW MICHAELS STAFF WRITER

Those who argue that safe spaces are part of a liberal agenda propagated by the “PC-police” unwittingly argue for people to feel unsafe. Safe spaces have historically been places where groups of people with common characteristics can join together and feel secure in the environment because they feel insecure in the larger general community. Safe spaces have been misinterpreted and the definition and purpose have been misaligned by the media, but the root issue and purpose remain.

The Fordham community was

shaken up by a bias incident almost as soon as the school year commenced. On Sept. 3, residents of Finlay Hall woke up to find a message on their white board that was quite clearly offensive and intolerable. Our community cannot allow vicious attacks like those seen far too often — harassment of a group of people that serves to destroy our community.

As a resident assistant and a university tour guide, I know as well as anybody that Fordham encourages the use of the term “residence halls” in lieu of the nearubiquitous “dorms.”

The school rightly believes, based on the Latin root of the

word, that a dormitory is a mere place to sleep. By contrast, a residence hall is a place to live, to grow and to develop into men and women for others. In other words, a residence hall is a temporary home, and a home is a place where residents feel the utmost security. The development of character Fordham expects from its students cannot occur as long as any of us feel unsafe in our homes.

On tours, I often get the dreaded safety question: “Do students feel safe off campus?” What anxious parents should be asking is if students feel safe from on-campus abuse by those who make up our community. When one person in

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our community is threatened, we are all threatened. A home ceases to be a home. No person should feel unsafe at home.

Many people do not see the need for safe spaces because they do not feel unsafe. Those people are forgetting about the members of marginalized and historically repressed groups who do not feel safe. If you felt unsafe, you would appreciate safe spaces.

A common critique of safe spaces is that it coddles the minds of young adults. But I, and most advocates for safe spaces, agree that all college students should indeed be challenged.

Making safe spaces around sexual orientation, religion or race is not preventing students from being challenged: it is preventing them from being harassed. Within the framework of safe spaces, students can simultaneously be safe and challenged. However, people should ever be challenged about something which they have no control over, such as their sexual orientation or skin color.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is one of the simplest and most well-known psychological theories, and it helps support the concept of safe spaces. The hierarchy is a pyramid with the most basic needs at the bottom and each level cannot be reached until the previous one is satisfied. Safety is second to the bottom as one of the most basic needs of the human experience, right after physiological needs such as air and water.

Without safety, members of our society are limited and will not reach other needs, like belonging and self-actualization. The lack

of safe spaces would inhibit millions of Americans from reaching their full potential as they are stuck fighting for their own safety, something so many of us take for granted.

Safe spaces are likewise protected by Fordham’s Jesuit value of cura personalis. They promote the well-being of the whole person, mind and body. St. Ignatius would say that safe spaces are required to care for the whole person, and the entire society benefits from them.

The idea of safe spaces is that they provide vulnerable members of community with environments where they can be themselves while advancing the national conversation to progress and be more accepting. Safe spaces do not prohibit anybody’s freedom of speech. They protect people from being verbally assaulted from vitriolic bigots spewing venomous messages meant to incite harm and pain.

Fordham can sometimes be prone to a feeling of exceptionalism, but recent events have proven we are vulnerable to the same issues as any college campus. I have always been impressed with the student response to bias incidents like the one this month. However, condemning hateful actions after they occur is not enough. We must remember that if we do not make room for safe spaces on campus, there will be more incidents, and more students will be targets of hate, leading to a community where far too many are unsafe.

Matthew Michaels, GSB ’17, is a marketing major from Hightstown, New Jersey.

OPINION

Page 10

September 14, 2016

Annoying, Exasperating Homework May Have Purpose

By YUJIN KIM CONTRIBUTING WRITER

One thing students of all ages have in common is hatred of homework. At its best, homework is an annoyance that students only begrudgingly admit is helpful, but at its worst, it can be the bane of students’ lives, extending the school day for hours after the final bell has rung.

It is therefore no surprise that many education reform advocates — students, parents and teachers alike — have called for the elimination or decrease of homework assignments. Although students need some homework to supplement their class experience, teachers, parents and educational institutions need to explore creative ways to decrease students’ stress.

Students despise homework mainly because it takes away from their time to have fun and relax.

Many of my friends and peers have recounted the times when they had to bow out of family movie nights or excursions into the city, simply because they had papers to write or lab reports to finish.

By the time I was in high school, I felt like I had to choose between having fun with my friends and being a good student. There was no possible way, it seemed, to balance work and fun. Either you chose to stay in and slave away doing homework, or you simply gave up and went out to socialize instead. For many students, juggling academics, family, friends and hobbies seems like a distant, unreachable dream, and those who try to do it all face stress and exhaustion.

Students’ increase in stress and weariness has convinced many that homework is no longer effective and that it is more detrimental

to students’ performance than it is supplementary to their education.

Brandy Young Elementary School in Godley, Texas made the controversial decision to do away with formally assigned homework for the school year, According to the New York Times. Instead of spending hours helping their children with homework, the school asked parents to play with their children after school and get them to sleep earlier, both of which have been shown to have a positive impact on students’ academic success.

I do not deny how homework can add to students’ stress levels, but I draw the line at the argument that we should get rid of homework entirely. I have complained long and hard about the work my teachers dump on us, but even so, the benefits of homework are undeniable. Homework provides the opportunity to pinpoint which areas of the material they have difficulties with by completing assignments at home. During classroom lectures, it is easy to believe we understand everything. In practice, however, we may discover that we do not fully understand a specific concept and therefore have trouble applying it to the questions posed by our assignments.

Homework also teaches students the responsibility of time management, which allows them to indulge their hobbies or spend time with their friends and family. According to an article in New York Daily News, homework may even be useful for parents, providing them insight into their children’s progress in school and their strengths. Homework is also an essential part of the education system simply because it forces students to practice new material, familiarizing them with concepts they may have trouble remember-

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Homework is a source of stress for many students, some of whom may turn to performance-enhancing drugs.

ing or understanding.

As such, I strongly oppose the notion that homework is so entirely detrimental to students’ learning that it must be abolished completely.

But homework does have a negative impact on students as well, especially older ones. Some students, desperate to stay afloat in a sea of assignments, have been driven to drugs like Adderall to sharpen their focus and plow through their work. According to a 2009 study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 6.4 percent of full-time college students abuse Adderall, and that statistic is likely underreported due to the study’s survey design. With limited time, mountains of work to complete and a strict grading policy, students often feel desperate and overwhelmed, so they turn to

drugs that supposedly improve mental activity. A casually popped Adderall can even snowball into a full-fledged substance abuse. Students who misused Adderall were three times as likely to use marijuana, eight times as likely to use cocaine and five times as likely to abuse prescription painkillers.

Although there is no easy or universal solution to the problem of homework, there are more options for students burdened with stress from homework. A recent New York Times article introduces a 10-minute guideline, which suggests that homework “should not exceed 10 minutes a grade level a night,” meaning that first graders should only get 10 minutes of homework, while high school seniors should be able to handle two hours. For a more community-specific approach, teachers can speak to each other about their

Faustino Galante Have a Cigar Tobacco is the easiest and most pleasant way to end your life slowly and steadily. Whether you like it in a pipe, in a paper littered with chemicals or even in the crevice between your teeth and lips, two things are the same across the board: if you are a user, you smell bad and you are hurting your health.

For the record, I have nothing against tobacco users. Most of my childhood summers were spent in Pescara, Italy. I was basically born breathing in second-hand smoke.

In first grade, my teacher asked my classmates and more what smell reminded them of summer.

My response: “thigerettes” (I had a bad lisp as a child).

Since moving to NYC, I’ve discovered a lot of new things in the past two weeks. I’ve learned that people here don’t stop at red lights and don’t always say hello.

Yesterday afternoon, though, I discovered something so special that I decided I would use it as a topic for my first ever article in The Fordham Ram. At the Arthur Ave Ferragosto Festival, I learned that one must be 21-years-old

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In New York City, it is illegal for people under the age of 21 to purchase tobacco products, despite being legal elsewhere.

to purchase tobacco products in New York City. The city where a bagel and a cig is considered the breakfast of champions restricts tobacco sales to people under 21!

Pretty crazy, huh? I thought so.

Anyway, all I wanted was to buy a handmade cigar — but I was denied twice.

As much as I acknowledge the horrible side effects associated with tobacco (refer to paragraph one if you don’t believe me), I believe this law is an absolute abomination. I believe the age for tobacco purchases should be

changed back to 18 years in NYC for three reasons. First, it is ineffective in preventing tobacco use.

Secondly, the legal age to purchase tobacco is 18 in every other part of New York State. Thirdly, a person is considered an adult at age 18 and therefore should be able to decide whether or not he or she wants to smoke darts (a slang term for cigarettes in Buffalo).

In general, prohibition is ineffective. It didn’t work for alcohol in 1930s, and it surely hasn’t stopped minors from consuming

alcohol today. Walk outside to East Fordham Road and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

So, we should ban tobacco sales to those under 21, right? Wrong.

It’s really common sense. All that will result from this age increase is a greater desire to smoke cigarettes. If you don’t believe in common sense, refer to Professor Michael A. Nelson’s “Global Efforts to Combat Smoking,” which highlights five studies that prove that banning cigarette advertisements is an ineffective way to

homework plans and cooperate to ensure that students don’t feel overwhelmed by homework from all their classes. In discussing their plans and needs, teachers can stagger homework deadlines so their students can have some time to relax and unwind, working on only a few assignments at a time. This may require more of the professors’ time and effort, but it benefits them as well.

It is important to discuss new ways to make homework more effective and efficient. A less stressed student is a more engaged and excited student, which makes a teacher’s job both easier and more enjoyable.

Yujin Kim, FCRH ’20, is a communication and media studies major from Long Beach, California.

decrease the amount of cigarette sales in the international community.

In November 2013, Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s bill, “Tobacco 21,” made New York City the largest city in the U.S to have an over21 age restriction on tobacco. He also made New York City the only city in the state to implement such a measure. It is not fair to deny an 18-year-old foreigner, whose culture may root in tobacco, the inability to purchase it. Obviously, that 18-year-old will most likely find a way to get his or her hands on cigarettes; the age restriction will only burden him or her.

It is also not fair that I, a citizen of Buffalo, New York, can purchase tobacco products, but my roommate, who resides in Westchester, cannot. We’re in the same state!

Lastly, 18-year-olds are considered adult citizens in the U.S. It is absurd to think that someone who can serve our country and shoot a gun legally cannot buy dumpy cigars on Arthur Avenue.

Either make the age of adulthood 21 or stop trying to limit what adults in America can and cannot legally do. Fine, take away our alcohol, whatever.

Just don’t take away the stoagies.

September 14, 2016

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The Fordham Ram

BronxArtSpace Exhibits Latin American Art

By BAILEY HOSFELT CULTURE EDITOR

BronxArtSpace, a thriving oneroom gallery located in the Mott Haven neighborhood, kicked off the fifth Bronx Latin American Art Biennial last Friday with an opening that revealed a cohesive and culturally rich instillation of artwork. During the three hour reception, visitors walked throughout the art-filled space, mingled with friends and enjoyed an array of hors d’oeuvres.

Entitled “I am one of those people that…,” the inaugural event featured 13 contemporary Latin American artists hailing from the Bronx and abroad. This exhibit is part of a larger network of locations in the New York area participating in the Biennial’s theme. With a wide range of stylistic and technical approaches represented, those in attendance were able to view everything from oil on canvas paintings to repurposed hardware with mixed media elements.

Alexis Mendoza and Luis Stephenberg, the curators behind this year’s events, carefully selected artists for each gallery that they believed best represented the themed exhibition.

The duo sought out works of art themselves in addition to evaluating submissions received through an open call. Artists provided their own interpretations of the themes and their experiences with various social issues, including migration, women’s rights, political conflicts and discrimination.

In other words, each piece of artwork filled the blank based on that individual’s creative process.

Located in the South Bronx, BronxArtSpace is a part of the area that real estate developers are eager to gentrify. Last October, Keith Rubenstein, founder and head of the development firm Somerset Partners, threw a high-

BAILEY HOSFELT/THE FORDHAM RAM

Local art galleries offer an opportunity to have a culturally rich experience closer to home and to support local businesses.

ly-publicized Halloween party in Port Morris, the waterfront neighborhood adjacent to Mott Haven. While the bash’s official title was “Macabre Suite,” the space had trash cans engulfed in flames and rusted cars riddled with bullet holes — a direct reference to the borough’s crime-ridden past — as decoration. Attended by the likes of Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and other A-listers, partygoers were encouraged to hashtag photos from the night with #thebronxisburning.

Many longtime Bronx residents were frustrated and angry, as they felt the party mocked the legitimate struggles the borough has endured in the past to promote commercial development. Linda Cunningham, director and co-founder of BronxArtSpace, who has been with the gallery since its birth in 2008, commented on the changing landscape as well as the area’s art scene. “People get here and act like all of a sudden we are showing art and having a cultural presence, but this is not true.” said Cunningham.

Stephanie Lindquist, assistant director at BronxArtSpace, noted that

the gallery’s presence has steadily grown since 2008, gaining funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the Bronx Council of the Arts. On the brink of its 10-year anniversary, the gallery has been a mainstay in the Mott Haven neighborhood.

Cunningham referenced the SPEAK OUT exhibit the BronxArtSpace held last February as an example of the engaging artistic presence found in the South Bronx. Over 200 individuals flocked to the space to view artwork that shed light on racial tensions and institutionalized injustices.

Cunningham remembered the opening was so crowded that people could barely walk through the gallery. “We’ve been having booming openings since 2012. This has nothing to do with the real estate development in this area,” said Cunningham.

According to The New York Times article “The South Bronx Beckons,” construction sites along the Third Ave. Bridge are set to become as many as six 25-story luxury towers within the coming years. A 1,000-square-foot-

one-bedroom could rent for upwards of $3,750, more than twice the average asking price for an apartment of that size in the area. With potential developments a short five blocks from BronxArtSpace, members of the local community are wary of what will unfold in the years ahead.

“People come in all the time asking, ‘Haven’t we made the neighborhood better for you?’” said Cunningham, citing the frequent misconception that the arts scene in the Bronx is only now starting to flourish. “Those people are not going to care about this community, even this kind of art that is culturally really important.”

Cunningham furthered that the Biennial not only provides incredible exposure for underrepresented and emerging Bronx artists, but also those from abroad who would not otherwise have the opportunity to show their artwork here. Artists whose work is displayed at BronxArtSpace are provided with both a resume builder and an opportunity to have their creations seen by a large New York audience. Jairo Alfonso is one of

these types of artists.

Alfonso, originally from Cuba, has exhibited his artwork on a local and international scale since the early 1990s.

He was eager to be back in the Bronx to have his piece “174” shown here, citing Lehmann College Art Gallery’s Cuban America: An Empire State of Mind exhibit as the last time his art was shown in the borough.

On a 34 x 55 inch sheet of paper, he created a cluttered, box-like area intricately filled with everyday objects drawn in incredible detail ranging from a MacBook Pro to a box of saltine crackers and a Bill Clinton bobblehead. The 174 pieces are piled up and drawn with minimal space in between.

“My inspiration for this piece comes from the accumulation in present society and the consumerism,” said Alfonso. “The idea is to have anything with social, political or cultural reference.”

Each piece of artwork on display provides an insightful look into the life of the contemporary Latin American individual. Where larger museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art have an expansive (perhaps overwhelming) amount of artwork, galleries like BronxArtSpace allow people to take in a smaller collection in a simplified setting. From “Come Sit at My Kitchen Table,” a mixed media installation of chairs surrounding a table with various household ingredients spread on top of the surface to “Sold Out,” a repurposed wooden sign turned into an American flag with a barcode in the corner, visitors can contemplate the culturally rooted meaning behind the gallery’s curated content.

BronxArtSpace’s installation of the 5th Bronx Latin American Art Bienniall is on display until Oct. 8. Located at 305 E 140th St. #1A, the gallery is open to the public 12 - 6:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 12 - 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Review | Poetry

A Night. Of Spoken Word. And Originality.

By TAYLOR SHAW CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I (and a few uncertain but optimistic friends) hopped on the D train and headed downtown for a night of poetry at the Sheen Center on Sept.

10. To some, this may sound strange, or even dreadful, but unlike the poetry one might read in his or her Texts and Contexts class, spoken word poetry is performance-based. It is an art form of storytelling and metaphors.

This performance in particular, entitled “All Falls Down,” featured renowned spoken word poets Sarah Kay, Anis Mojgani, Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib and Clint Smith. The poets each performed before and after intermission, and finally, each concluded with a single poem, leaving the audience members’ heads spinning with literary ideas and long-lasting thoughts.

Each poet spoke out about a relevant social issue or topic at some point in his or her performance with artful respect. Additionally, each of the poets were encouraging and reverent of one another, noting that they had all been inspired or awestruck by one another at some point in their

COURTESY OF TAYLOR SHAW

Spoken word poetry covers a plethora of topics, creating both tears and laughs.

lives.

A few minutes after 8 p.m., Sarah Kay took the stage. She performed a variety of poems, incorporating “ghosting,” puns and Whole Foods without missing a beat. Kay left the audience grasping their hearts, shocked that they had been laughing only moments before. She ended her first act with a poem entitled, “The Places We Are Not,” about 9/11 and many violent acts of terrorism that followed. In this eye-opening piece, she both asked and answered: “‘Are you okay?’ ‘We are not okay, but please remind me that you are breathing?’” It was, in essence, a plea for a cessation of violence and terrorism.

Next, Anis Mojgani took a creative and impressively fluid approach to his poetry, reciting each of his po-

ems so seamlessly that the audience could not tell where one poem ended and the next began. Those who had listened to his poems before recognized lines from a variety of poems, including “This Was How She Made Me Feel,” and, after the intermission, “Come Closer.” “Come Closer” was, in my opinion, the crowd-pleaser, but he used his center stage moment to bring suicide awareness into the spotlight with a newer poem, in which he explains, with striking imagery, the temptation of suicide. Mojgani said, “I am scared, but I am more scared of being quiet.” His words spoke loudly and left an impression on listeners’ minds and hearts.

Following Mojgani, Hanif WillisAbdurraqib took the stage with poems about home, labor, music, parents,

the Chicago Bulls and even dreams, exclaiming, “In truth, I believe you were all there because I knew that in a dream, I could keep all of you safe.

In truth, I woke still afraid.” His most hard-hitting piece was more difficult to decide upon, but I believe it was his piece on Michael Jordan. It began humorously, speaking to Jordan’s short-lived baseball career, but revealed a greater truth in the nobility of Jordan’s decision to, in the wake of tragedy, unlike most of mankind, fall back on something uncomfortable rather than comfortable, stating, “I would have watched you be unspectacular.” He stressed the importance of failure and the importance of striving forward nonetheless.

Finally, Smith performed, beginning with a poem about his father battling chronic kidney disease, encouraging people to be proactive and become organ donors. He compared his father to an oyster of New Orleans, where he is from, emphasizing the transformation from parasite to pearl that an oyster initiates. He spoke on the racial tensions and controversial deaths of AfricanAmerican boys across the country, in a series of poems in which objects

such as the ocean, cicadas, fire hydrants, windows and cathedrals are personified and speaking directly “to black boys,” with powerful and original comparisons and similarities. In the letter “To the Black Boy From the Fire Hydrant” he asks, “Do you know what it means for your existence to be defined by someone else’s intentions?

Of course you do.” Smith continued with poems of fierce resolve and social activism, that left me feeling empowered and exposed.

Each poet brought something new to the stage in context, concept and style, and the night was filled with laughter, heartache and thrilling, thought-provoking ideas. I left the event knowing that it had lived up to its slogan, “For Thought and Culture,” and knowing that I would be back very soon.

All four of these poets have recent books and publications that I would recommend to anyone looking for a new read: “No Matter the Wreckage” by Sarah Kay, “The Crown Ain’t Worth Much” by Hanif WillisAbdurraqib, “Songs From Under the River” by Anis Mojgani and coming out this week, “Counting Descent”

by Clint Smith.

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September 14, 2016

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Theater Talk | Claire Del Sorbo

Winning “Hamilton” Tickets: The True American Dream On a seemingly ordinary day, I refreshed my email. Within a few seconds, I was a blubbering mess making a spectacle of myself on Eddie’s. This was the day I won the “Hamilton” lottery. After months of trying to win tickets to the show, my hard work had finally paid off. Later that evening, I paid $20 for two tickets worth $1,000 each on eBay and laid my eyes upon the glory that is “Hamilton.”

For the past year, “Hamilton” has taken Broadway by storm. Tickets are sold at astronomically high prices. The cast album has sat on the top of the charts for weeks. It is a Tony, Grammy and Pulitzer winning piece, with success that is matched by almost no other production in history. The question is, to many, why is it so popular?

“Hamilton” is a hip-hop musical written by Lin-Manuel Miranda of “In the Heights” and the upcoming Disney film Moana. It is a dramatization of the life of America’s first Treasury Secretary, Alexander Hamilton, a founding father often left out of historical narratives due to his untimely death. Miranda was inspired to write it after reading “Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernow. It covers nearly all of the important events of his life: his arrival in New York af-

ter a childhood in the Caribbean, his marriage to Elizabeth Schuyler, his involvement in the Revolutionary War and drafting the Constitution, his sex scandal, his rivalry with the other founding fathers, the death of his son and, of course, his fateful duel with Aaron Burr. The show presents an immense emphasis on reputation, legacy and “who lives, who dies, who tells your story.”

The production practices colorblind, or rather, colorful casting, meaning that nearly all the roles are played by people of color. Casting people of color as historically white people adheres to the same idea of memory and storytelling. At its core, “Hamilton” is the story of yesterday’s America told by today’s America. It juxtaposes the immigrants of the past with the immigrants of the

present. In a time where hashtags such as #OscarsSoWhite emerge due to a lack of diversity in media, “Hamilton” represents a breath of fresh air for people of color and allies alike; giving people of all ethnicities an opportunity to perform.

When I first heard about the concept of “Hamilton” about a year and a half ago, I was perplexed by the concept of rapping founding fa-

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Lin-Manuel Miranda composed, wrote and starred as the titular character in “Hamilton.”

thers. However, after receiving context about the show and listening to its soundtrack, I realized that trying to tell Hamilton’s story in any other way would be complicated. The lyrics of every song condense Hamilton’s life and the events surrounding it into a three-hour theatrical production. Hamilton was an insatiable writer, as he explains in the musical. He wrote essays in order to leave St. Croix, he wrote love letters to Eliza and he wrote the “Federalist Papers,” which defended a loose interpretation of the Constitution.

Miranda, a writer himself, has incorporated this element of Hamilton’s identity into the lyrics, which is a stroke of genius.

Seeing “Hamilton” live was an extremely emotional experience for me. For the past year, the cast recording has accompanied me through finals. I played it in my car every day this summer. It was my only solace as I began to think that my chances of seeing it in the next five years were second to none. Every decade or so a musical comes along that is so extraordinary and transcendent, it is impossible to ignore. “Hamilton” is without a doubt the musical of the decade, and to quote the opening number, “the world will never be the same.”

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Editor’s Pick | Travel

Woman of the Hour | Erin Cabrey

Traveling Without a Plan in Capri

By ERIN SHANAHAN MANAGING EDITOR

The Amalfi Coast, a picturesque stretch of mountainous coastline on the southern coast of the Salerno Gulf in southern Italy, attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world. I visited the coast one weekend this past summer while studying abroad in Rome. In some ways, this weekend trip was everything I imagined it would be. The water was crystal clear, the beautiful seaside towns that stretched up the rocky cliffs were quaint and the mountainous terrain made for a unique beach experience.

However, in other ways, the trip had some unexpected moments.

I have always considered myself to have a little bit of a “type-A” personality, which mostly stems from my overwhelming desire to be neat and organized. However, I did not realize how this quality would affect me as a young traveler. As I began to travel around Italy with my classmates, I soon noticed that most people did not put as much effort into where they were going and what they were seeing as I did. While I tended to know what I wanted to see, when I wanted to see it and how I planned to get there, others seemed to fly by the seat of their pants.

It did not bother me that other people traveled in this way, but I just felt “winging it” was something I could not possibly do. For me, unfortunately, it was too stressful and anxiety-provoking to not have a plan.

In fact, I began to envy those around me who were calm and comfortable enough to take the back seat when it came to travel plans. It was impossible for me to be unprepared.

I went to the Amalfi Coast with several of my friends one weekend during our summer semester abroad.

As usual, I knew exactly where we were going, what I wanted to see and when I wanted to see it. On the Saturday of our trip, we decided to hop on a ferry and travel to the island of Capri. I was really looking forward to this destination because of the blue grotto on the island.

The blue grotto is a sea cave on the coast of the island. It is renowned as one of Italy’s greatest environmental wonders. Sunlight passes through an underwater cavity and shines through

COURTESY OF ERIN SHANAHAN

Unplanned travel presents the opportunity to make spontaneous memories.

the seawater in the cavern, which creates a blue reflection that illuminates the entire grotto. The cave extends some 50 meters into the cliff at the surface, and is about 150 meters (or 490 feet) deep, with a sandy bottom. I was excited and prepared to get to Capri, hop on a bus and spend the whole day at the grotto with my friends.

As we arrived, a flash storm engulfed our ferry and the island. Although the storm was just minutes long, it brought a lot of precipitation and unfortunately flooded the blue grotto for the day. Although I tried hard to hide it, I was incredibly disappointed.

Besides being unable to see one of my top destinations, my plan for the day was also ruined. I began to feel anxious and stressed at the idea of being in a foreign place without an agenda. As I realized that these feelings were just a personal character flaw, I tried my best to stay calm and collected in front of my friends.

We made small talk with a British couple who was also set back by the closing of the grotto, and they told us about a chairlift at the top of the island.

We decided to go check it out because we had nothing else to do anyway. The ride was incredible. We got to look down on the island from many different vantage points as we slowly rode up the side of the mountain. At the top, we had a 360 degree view over all of Capri. It was an unbelievable sight and we got some nice photos too.

Afterwards we traveled back down the mountain to the harbor. I chatted with some vendors in an attempt to

find something else to do. I stumbled upon a stand that was renting out boats. Despite my presumption that boats would be too expensive, I approached the vendor. He offered to let the five of my friends and me rent our own speedboat for the rest of the day. No boating license was necessary, and it would only cost us 18 euros per person. I officially loved Italy.

We drove our speedboat around the island and stumbled upon a white grotto, which had not been flooded by the morning storm, the lighthouse of Punta Carena, Marina Piccola and its legendary Faraglioni, Villa Malaparte and the Natural Arch. In addition to lowering the anchor and swimming around the crystal clear blue water, my friends and I also dove in and explored the inside of the white grotto together. We spent the rest of the day drifting around the island and enjoying the absurd beauty that surrounded us.

I would not have had that amazing day in Capri if I had let myself be bogged down by a rigid plan — or lack thereof, in this case. This was a major lesson that I learned while traveling this summer. Traveling without a plan gives you incredible flexibility and letting the day unfold randomly can lead to exciting and unplanned adventures. But let’s be honest — when you are traveling to an amazing place like Capri, you do not really need to do much for a fantastic time.

Review| Film

Tom Hanks Shines in Sully

By MATTHEW DILLON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Depicting the famous “Miracle on the Hudson” through eyes of pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberg (Tom Hanks), the Clint Eastwood-directed film Sully successfully captured the awe and heroism surrounding the 2009 event while also presenting a more grounded view of the ordeal.

Rather than just mindlessly reveling in Sully’s brave heroics, his copilot (Aaron Eckhart) and the rescue crews, the film instead opts to emphasize the doubts held by both Sully and his superiors over whether he made the right choice.

The film unfolds in a non-linear fashion, jumping around from the events leading up to the crash to

the investigations made afterwards.

While it was a bit difficult to keep track of, I think it worked in its favor and kept the film interesting.

However, a few of the flashbacks felt redundant and began to overlap towards the end of the film.

Hanks does an amazing job as the titular hero, portraying a conflicted man whose elation in surviving is contrasted by his fears of putting hundreds of lives in unnecessary danger. His performance paints a balanced but flattering image of the real-life Sully. Hanks is one of the few prolific actors who manages to avoid typecasting through taking on strong and diverse roles like these ones. While Sully’s character gets most of the running time, the movie gives everyone else involved in the “Miracle on the Hudson”

September 14, 2016

praise. Nevertheless, I found the other performances to be a bit clichéd. The investigators of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are woefully underdeveloped compared to the nuanced depictions given to Sully and his copilot. They are little more than zealous, regulation obsessed 21st century witch hunters, to the point where even the real world NTSB has begun to protest the film.

Some of the plane related special effects are very convincing, while a scant few come off as downright ridiculous. Overall, Sully is a very enjoyable film that showcases both the directing talents of Clint Eastwood and the acting ability of Tom Hanks.

Felicity Jones Although summer has come and gone, women’s presence in popular culture seems to be heating up. I’m diving into another semester of discussing cool ladies doing even cooler things, but this time I’m writing from abroad in London. Since I’ve swapped the D train for the Tube, I thought it was only right to start off with one of the most intriguing actresses from across the pond, Felicity Jones.

Felicity Facts Jones was born in Birmingham, England and began acting at a young age, starring in “The Worst Witch” television series and its later spin-off “Weirdsister College.” She graduated from Oxford with a degree in English in 2006. She then had roles in films such as the costume drama Brideshead Revisited and the Ricky Gervais comedy Cemetery Junction.

Her breakout role (my personal favorite of hers) was in the 2011 indie romantic drama Like Crazy, alongside the late Anton Yelchin.

Jones played Anna, a British student dealing with the fallout of overstaying her student visa after beginning a romance with an American while studying in Los Angeles. The role, which featured completely improvised dialogue, earned her a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

In 2014, Jones made her star turn as Jane Hawking in The Theory of Everything. The role earned her an Academy Award, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations among many others accolades. Though she played the wife of one of the world’s most renowned scientists, Jones was not sidelined to the stock love interest role. Her character was just as responsible for carrying the film as her male costar.

Now comes her most riveting role yet in one of the year’s most anticipated films, Rogue One. Summer television built up the excitement with teasers, trailers and inside looks at the film. With Jones continuing the important notion that women can be leaders in the rebellion and, in a wider sense, big-budget action films, the landscape for such projects seems to finally be changing.

A New Star in the Galaxy Star Wars has turned our usually multi-faceted, often niche-driven pop culture into complete monoculture. Nearly every product on the shelves last Christmas featured characters from the beloved film series’ latest installment, The Force Awakens.

This year will presumably see much of the same, with Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story taking over for Daisy Ridley’s Rey as the default pattern for every notebook and roll of wrapping paper.

Jones stars in the stand-alone film in a galaxy far, far away as a Rebel Alliance recruit working to steal plans

for the Death Star that will eventually help Luke Skywalker to destroy it.

This film will be the second consecutive entry in the franchise to feature a female lead, and with last year’s installment becoming the third-highest grossing film of all time, the Jones-led Rogue One is set to further demonstrate the fact that women can be action heroes too.

The Female Force When Jones was named the star of Rogue One, the announcement was not without its backlash. Many took to Twitter to criticize the use of another female lead so soon after Daisy Ridley’s in The Force Awakens. TIME posted an article with a selection of these responses, some of which criticized the originality of Star Wars for casting another woman in the starring role.

I find it surprising that a woman starring in a monumentally successful film has suddenly become a stunt for originality and not a truthful depiction. Plenty of men have wielded lightsabers up and down the galaxy, so it just makes sense that women should too. And Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso shows just that.

“Physically, she’s smaller than everyone else around her, but… when someone has something they believe in, that’s what powers them, that’s what motivates them, that’s what can give someone enormous strength,” Jones said of her character to Entertainment Weekly.

This role comes at a very important time for women in action films, following the announcement this season that Brie Larson will play the first ever superhero-led Marvel film.

With women at the helm of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters — playing characters appealing not because of their skimpy outfits but because of their grit, depth and strength — it’s clear that attitudes in today’s society, and consequently films, are changing.

We finally have heroines to believe in, as we happily avert our gazes from Batman and Superman to stories we want and need to see.

“As we’re seeing in politics, it is a world where women are becoming leaders of nations, and films should be reflecting that,” Jones further told Entertainment Weekly. And she’s right.

The notions of women as sidekicks and eye candy in the real world have long begun to fade, so why should women still be reduced to such on the big screen?

Jones leading Rogue One highlights the important notion that casting women in lead roles isn’t a stunt but a reflection of the truth that females are just as capable of battling the Empire.

Watching Daisy Ridley’s Rey effortlessly take control of the Millennium Falcon proved that last year, and I can’t wait to see what equally brilliant cinematic moments await Jones’ Jyn Erso this December.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Felicity Jones stars as Jyn Erso in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

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Who’s That Kid? | Ryan Quinn

FCRH Senior Shows Laughter and Faith are the Best Medicines

By SAM BELDEN SPORTS EDITOR

With less than a year remaining before the Class of 2017 graduates, it is fair to say that Ryan Quinn FCRH ’17 has made the most out of his time at Fordham.

The Queens native is involved in a number of ways, both in and out of the classroom.

In terms of academics, Quinn is a history major but has added minors in theology and Medieval studies, as well as a concentration in American Catholic studies.

Quinn’s work in these areas has shaped his time at Fordham, but he did not intend to pursue two minors and a concentration.

“The Medieval studies minor was an accident,” he said. “Studying theology and history, I just happened to be interested in a lot of Medieval aspects. I just woke up one day with six Medieval classes, so I got the minor.”

While a major, two minors and a concentration may sound like a lot of work, academics have not stopped Quinn from living life at Rose Hill to the fullest. Many students recognize Quinn from his involvement with Fordham StandUp, a group he performs with several times per semester. To those who have not seen him on stage, Quinn describes his style as “conversational.”

“I like to be clean. Nothing against those that aren’t — I just

prefer it. I tell stories here and there. I’m a big fan of one-liners,” he said. When pressed, he offered one: “I broke up with my GameCube last week, and now it’s my ex-box.”

Considering Quinn’s love of one-liners, it is not surprising that Quinn lists Steven Wright as one of his chief influences. Quinn also cites Steve Martin as a major inspiration, saying that the comedian helped him to branch out and find his comedic voice.

Ultimately, Quinn relishes performing for Fordham Stand-Up because he enjoys entertaining people. “There’s something beautiful about having a joke land [with] people you don’t know, and then them getting it,” he said. “I don’t want to say it’s a loving relationship, but I think it’s kind of a spiritual experience, a surreal experience.”

Speaking of spiritual experiences, Quinn is also heavily involved with Campus Ministry. A retreat leader since his sophomore year, he swears by the positive changes those weekends away have had on his life and encourages everyone at Fordham to go on one.

“You would have to try to not get anything out of a retreat,” he said. “The least you’ll get out of it is a relaxing weekend to reenergize for the coming week. Anyone can benefit from taking a step back from all their responsibilities and taking stock of what they have.”

COURTESY OF RYAN QUINN

Ryan Quinn revels in his Fordham experience by taking advantage of many special creative outlets Fordham offers.

“It’s kind of like when you’re an athlete, you need a rest day,” he continued. “You’re not going to work out 24/7, you need to recover. The human soul and the brain need this recovery — that at a minimum. Best case scenario, you enhance your spirituality, you learn a new way to pray or meditate or you learn about a new book that can help you center yourself. The Ignatian tradition has helped so many people throughout history, Catholics and non-Catholics alike.”

In addition to his positions with Stand-Up and Campus Ministry, Quinn is also a proud member of the Fordham University Rugby Football Club. He picked up the sport as a first-semester freshman, and while he enjoys his time on the field, it is the camaraderie in the team room that keeps him coming back.

“You’re running sprints at practice, you’re getting beat up at the game, you’re riding home on the Ram Van and we’re all in pain to-

gether,” he said. “That alone gives you a bond. But the laughs, doing it all every week with the same guys, you get to know each other.

We’ve been through a lot. They’re like brothers to me.”

Involved with programs that promote his physical, mental and spiritual well-being — as well as one that allows him to crack some jokes — Quinn is a veritable jack of all trades. If you are looking for a true Fordham Ram, then look no further.

Review | Food

Luna Cafe Serves Authentic Albanian Food on Arthur Avenue

By EMMA NANAMAKER STAFF WRITER

Upon stepping into the bright and bustling Luna Cafe on a September afternoon, you might not realize that this restaurant, teeming with content coffee-sippers and eager waiters, just opened this May. Located on the corner of Arthur Ave. and East 187th Street, Luna Cafe could not have more prime real estate to present itself as a neighborhood staple.

With its wide open windows and outdoor seating, the atmosphere is light and inviting, conveying a distinctly European vibe.

After Palombo’s Bakery closed last semester, many students and families felt lost without their classic corner spot for cannolis and cappuccinos. Luna Cafe fulfills the niche for a comforting post-Arthur-dinner dessert, but also exceeds this with its breakfast, lunch and dinner selections, more spacious seating and unique Albanian additions to the menu.

A delectable combination of Italian and Albanian cuisine, Luna’s menu features everything from burgers to burek to brickoven pizza. I had the opportunity to sit down with Tony, who runs the restaurant with his brother, and discuss the importance of Luna joining the neighborhood’s luxe dining scene. Just eight years ago, Tony immigrated to the United States and began working as a dishwasher.

Since then, not only has he

COURTESY OF EMMA NANAMAKER

The menu at Luna Cafe offers more than a typical cafe in Little Italy does, with Albanian dishes and meals for any time of day.

learned to speak English fluently, but he has also learned everything one needs to know to run a successful restaurant, and he has worked his way up to become both a chef and a manager.

Although Tony and his family operate other restaurants in different boroughs of New York City, they recognized that the Bronx, and Arthur Ave. in particular, needed an open space where all members of the community could grab a table and taste a

variety of cultures represented through their food.

When it comes to cooking, Tony’s emphasis is on quality.

Each dish is made with fresh, local ingredients. Tony holds a high standard for all food the kitchen puts out, for which he credits his Albanian upbringing. “Everything is light and fresh, so you always want to go back in for more. It is the Albanian way,” he told me. If you are looking to expand your taste buds with Albanian delica-

cies try the warm, flaky burek made with several layers of dough thinly rolled out by hand and filled with your choice of cheese, meat or vegetables.

If you want to try Tony’s favorite Albanian dish, order the Banja Luka, freshly baked bread glazed with sour cream and topped with pulled filet mignon, mushrooms and onions. For the best of both worlds (the Albanian and the Italian), try the “Luna Special” pizza, topped with fresh mozza-

rella, Albanian sausage, beef jerky, mushrooms and olives.

Now the most important part: dessert. A meal might end with one of the many colorful flavors of gelato, Italian baked goods including a rich biscotti cake or traditional Albanian pastries such as “Tri Leche,” made with caramel and three different types of milk.

Fresh crepes are served throughout the day, with decadent topping choices such as strawberry, banana and Nutella.

Of course, no meal at Luna is complete without a comforting cup of coffee — frappuccino, macchiato, espresso — you name it, Luna will make it with the best machines money can buy. Skip the Starbucks line and try the coconut caramel frappe, which tastes like a creamy dessert but will also leave you feeling refreshed and energized for the day.

Luna Cafe is open from 8 a.m. to midnight and is in the process of beginning deliveries. Tony and his staff emphasize good food and even better service, which is evident as soon as you walk through the door. There is a clear respect for the community and all the rich culture it has to offer.

For any Fordham student looking to branch out their appetite or find a cozy spot to dine in the heart of Arthur, Luna Cafe is your next must-try for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a coffee-on-thego. Tony and the servers will be there to welcome you with open arms. It is the Albanian way.

SPORTS

Page 16

September 14, 2016

Volleyball Places Third at Northeastern Tournament

By ANDREA GARCIA PHOTO EDITOR

After securing a third place finish at the Terrier/Rose Hill Classic, Women’s Volleyball swung over to the Northeastern Tournament in Boston.

Northeastern University opened the match with a powerful serve, but the Rams immediately sided out with two kills from freshman Olivia Fairchild and senior Kristen Ostach, respectively. After trading match points up to the 5-5 mark and substitutions on both sides of the net, Northeastern took the first major lead of the game off a five-point run, giving them a four point cushion over Fordham at 10-6. The Huskies held onto their lead as the Rams trailed behind, and Northeastern won the first set, 25-19.

Fordham led 6-5 at the top of the next set, mostly from front net attacks and an ace. Northeastern then went on a strong run, giving them a solid lead at 18-12. A Fordham timeout reset the women’s mentality, and the Rams closed the lead to 22-19. Ultimately, the Rams could not catch up, and Northeastern took the second set, 25-20.

The Rams charged to a third set lead at 9-3, held by four Fordham kills, four Fordham aces and an error on Northeastern’s side of the net. The host took the lead after an offensive front secured a seven-point run. It would become a back-and-forth affair and the score crept up to 23-21.

An attack error from the Huskies and a kill by Fordham junior Molly Oshinski finished off a close set win for Fordham, 25-23.

After taking an opening lead with two Northeastern errors, Fordham fell apart in the fourth set. The

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

L to R: Breanna Jones, Elise Benjamin and Olivia Fairchild get ready at the net.

teams kept pushing each other back through the first half of the set, until the Huskies took a three-point run into a double-digit score over Fordham, 13-9. Northeastern continued to pick up momentum and Fordham fell behind 21-12. Four straight errors brought the Huskies up to game point, and their front line closed up their third winning set, a commanding 25-15 box score.

The second day featured a doubleheader against Binghamton University and Presbyterian College.

The Rams first faced off against the Binghamton Bearcats. In the opening stages of the game, Fordham controlled the court with an easy 5-3 lead from three kills and a Binghamton attack error. Binghamton started to attack on Fordham and secured its lead midway through the set. The Bearcats held onto this lead, and closed off their first winning set, 25-20.

Binghamton opened the second set with the service, and kept a close lead over Fordham until 11-8. Fordham finally took the lead after a fivepoint run with kills from Ostach and Fairchild. However, the Ram’s strong offense was outrun by the Bearcats’ libero and defensive specialists. Fordham could not hold onto their lead for long, with the Bearcats playing off a seven-point run. Binghamton held tightly to its lead, winning the set, 25-18.

Much like in their previous game against Northeastern, the Rams were able to bounce back and win the third set. A close score gave both teams an opportunity to side out and make a prolonged run, but the Rams held onto their slight lead. With two more kills, Fairchild and Benjamin completed Fordham’s victorious third set.

Binghamton shocked Fordham with an opening four-point run. The

Bearcats distanced their lead until a Fordham timeout helped the Rams reset it, tying up the game at 8-8. The court witnessed another close game until Binghamton went on a fivepoint run, bringing the scoreboard up to 18-13. The Bearcats held onto their lead and finished off their win at 25-16.

After two tough four-set matches to start off the tournament, Fordham finished third in the tournament after a tight three set win against the Presbyterian College Blue Hose. In the first of the three, Fordham picked up an early 5-0 run off two kills and kept their lead to win the set 25-22.

Presbyterian found themselves in the lead at the 6-5 mark to start the second set, but a series of kills from Fairchild and freshman Kaitlyn Morley brought Fordham back on its feet.

In the midpoint of the game, both teams rallied behind four-point runs,

but Presbyterian reclaimed the lead, 17-14. A number of Presbyterian errors tied up the game at 19-19, and again at 22-22. Two kills and another opposing error closed off another set towards Fordham’s victory.

The third and final set of the match opened up with a commanding seven-point run from Fordham’s court.

Presbyterian attempted to catch up with trading points, but another seven-point run secured a win for the Rams mid-set, carrying the box score to a 18-7 lead. Although Presbyterian fought back, Fordham’s win was wrapped up at 25-19 with a kill from Ostach.

The Rams return to Rose Hill Gym to play against Saint Peter’s on Wednesday, Sept. 14th. Over the weekend, face off against the University of Hartford, Providence College and Columbia University in the Columbia Invitational.

Men’s Soccer Beats Fairfield in OT, Falls to Lafeyette

By TYLER FREIRE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

After starting the year 0-2-1, the Rams played host to Fairfield University and Lafayette College this week at Jack Coffey Field. As most people were heading home for Labor Day weekend, the Fordham men’s soccer team welcomed the Fairfield Stags to the Bronx for a game that did not disappoint.

Fairfield opened up the scoring in the eighth minute when Dominic Marshall took a shot for the Stags, which deflected off of a Fordham defender right to Ben Wignall. Then Wignall laced a shot inside the left post from 25 yards out for his third goal of the season. The score would remain that way until the 52nd minute, when sophomore midfielder Janos Loebe crossed the ball from the left side of the pitch to his brother, junior Jannik Loebe. Jannik got off a header shot that deflected off a defender and up in the air. Junior Eric Ohlendorf then headed the deflection in for a goal to even the score 1-1.

That was Ohlendorf’s first goal of the season and his second of his career.

The Rams then relied on the goalkeeping of sophomore Rashid Nuhu for the remainder of the match to keep the game tied 1-1 as they headed to overtime in the Bronx. The game would be over rather quickly as the overtime period started, as Ohlendorf slipped a beautiful pass into the box that found the boot of junior Cole Stevenson where he then drove in the winning goal, his second

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Cole Stevenson scored the winning goal against Fairfield just 39 seconds into overtime.

of the year, just 39 seconds into overtime, giving the Rams the 2-1 victory on Labor Day. Head coach James McElderry gave his thoughts on the team’s overtime performance.

“I thought we ended the regulation part of the match very well.,” he said.

“The guys seemed fresh and hungry to win the game as opposed to hanging on for a tie. I just told them to go after the win. We had no idea we would score so quickly, but it was a good goal. So a deserved win for our team.”

Later in the week, the Rams host-

ed the Layfette Leopards in a Friday night matchup in the Bronx. Layfette would get on the board first late in the first half as a botched clearance from the Rams lead to Layfette’s Joe DeStefano scoring from about 16 yards out for his first goal of the season. Fordham would even things up in the 56th minute as Jannik Loebe was able to get a pass through to freshman forward Dantae Greer inside the box, and Greer turned and fired a shot past the outreached arms of the goal keeper for his first collegiate goal.

However, the game would not stay

tied for long, as Lafayette scored four minutes later when Evan Vare put one past Fordham’s goal keeper, sophomore Rashid Nuhu. Vare would go on to score again in the 85th minute to seal the 3-1 victory for the Leopards. With the win against Fairfield and the loss against Layfette, the Rams fell to 1-3-1 on the year.

“The Lafayette match was very odd,” said McElderry. “We created a lot of chances in the game, so I still feel we have huge potential in the group. We will start to convert our chances and the wins will come. We have to stay confident and simply

continue to grind and work in training. I am looking forward to the Manhattan game, mainly because it gives us another opportunity to improve and earn a win. The players are hungry to get to the next match and show people what we can do.”

The Rams are looking to get back on track as they travel down the road to Gaelic Field in Riverdale, New York on Wednesday night in the Battle of the Bronx against the Manhattan Jaspers.

SPORTS

September 14, 2016

Pat Costello

Page 17

Water Polo Battles in Princeton

Brendan O’Connell

A Changing of the Guard

Fantasy Football Not So Fantastic

Last weekend, the U.S. Open concluded with two new faces hoisting the championship trophies. Angelique Kerber won on the women’s side, becoming the new No. 1 in the world in the process. Stan Wawrinka beat Novak Djokovic to capture the men’s title.

Both entered their respective draws ranked in the top three in the world, so their victories are not necessarily surprising. Rather, they illuminate the shift that has been taking place in tennis over the last few years — the old regime is on its way out.

Remember in the mid-2000s, when seemingly every final consisted of some combination of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic? Those days are long gone. Federer hasn’t won a major in over four years, with his last win coming at Wimbledon in 2012. However, it’s no surprise that Federer isn’t as competitive as he used to be. He is 35 years old and has been winning at the top level for over a decade.

Eventually your body simply no longer works how it used to, and the same can be said for Nadal. Nadal’s body has taken a beating over the years, bearing the brunt of his injuries to his left wrist. It was that same injury that Nadal was battling in the US Open, when he was bounced in the fourth round by 22-year-old Lucas Pouille. While he came away with a bronze medal in the Olympics, it’s clear that Rafa’s best days are behind him.

It may seem strange for Andy Murray’s name to pop up on this list, especially since he had been in every major final this year and even won at Wimbledon. Murray is just beginning to peak now at 29, which is relatively late for someone to begin hitting their prime. While his best tennis could still be ahead of him, there are a ton of young, talented players behind him who are hungry to prove themselves, including 26-year-old Kei Nishikori, who beat Murray in the US Open quarterfinals. While Djokovic is still at the top of his game, and at 29 still has a few years left in the tank, it’s clear that he is no longer in his prime. He dropped the U.S. Open title to Stan Wawrinka in four sets, proving that he is not the same guy that used to win epic battles against the aforementioned players.

Serena Williams had been the number one player in the world since February 2013, but her semifinal loss to 24-year-old Karolina Pliskova brought her reign to an end. At 34, Serena is no longer widely feared by her opponents.

For over a decade, every women’s major felt as though it was Serena versus the field — but that is over.

Last year Serena attempted to complete a Grand Slam by winning all four majors in the same year. This year, she only came away with a Wimbledon title, and she had to sit on the couch and watch her number one ranking slip away as Kerber won her second major of the year.

There is a changing landscape in the tennis world. The new players that have been thrust into the spotlight have taken over, and they don’t appear to be ready to give it up any time soon.

As the NFL season kicked off this past Thursday, fantasy football leagues everywhere also began their highly-anticipated seasons. With online drafts completed, waiver wires explored and starting lineups set, fantasy experts and casual fans alike tuned in to see their lineups perform.

Fantasy sports have seen an increase in participation over the past decade, as technology and digitization have taken over both social interaction and sports culture. The industry itself has even become a topic of controversy, with some arguing it relies more on luck than skill, qualifying it thus as a form of gambling, but that is another story for a different day.

Fantasy football is easily the most popular form of fantasy sports among the four major sports leagues in the United States. Magazines, radio and television programs and other forms of media have devoted countless resources to it as it has exploded in recent years. In 2015, the Fantasy Sports Trade Association estimated that over 57 million people age 12 and above would play fantasy football, up from about 13 million in 2005, with a large portion of those people competing with multiple teams in different leagues.

This is terrific news for the NFL. Fantasy football generates more interest in its product from casual fans because it gives them more of a rooting interest in its brightest stars, causing them to watch games, purchase merchandise and become bigger fans.

However, while the NFL profits from fantasy football, the participants do not.

I play fantasy football every year, and this year I have three teams to track each week to try and beat my friends and colleagues. Despite this, I feel an increased sense of my fandom being torn apart.

As a Massachusetts native, I am a huge New England Patriots fan. I take great pleasure in the team’s wins and great pain in its losses, and I follow its every transaction, news alert, star player and, of course, game. While I may have the Patriot’s defense on my fantasy team, I still am presented with a conflict when I tune in to their game on Sunday.

Even though I want the best for the Patriots, I also want the best for my fantasy team. For instance, when the Patriots play the Pittsburgh Steelers — one of their fiercest challengers in the AFC — I cheer every positive play the Pats make and want them to keep the Steelers to the fewest possible points, however I also root for the Steelers’ Antonio Brown, a wide receiver in my fantasy lineup, to grab several receptions, rack up yardage and find the end zone so that my fantasy team benefits.

This contradiction, in my opinion, severely damages my experience as a fan, and causes fans of the NFL to lose their convictions in their team in order to fulfill meaningless desires in a fantasy world.

Therefore, while fantasy football is fun to partake in, it is ultimately a frivolous activity that tends to damage the fandom and experience of NFL supporters everywhere, leaving the conclusion that maybe fantasy football is not so fantastic after all.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Cameron Shewchuck had a productive weekend in the pool, scoring multiple goals for the Rams.

By TOM TERZULLI STAFF WRITER

Going into this past weekend’s Princeton Invitational, Water Polo head coach Bill Harris knew the tournament was not going to be easy.

“It’s kind of tough love, you play better teams, hopefully you will learn something from that and improve,” Harris said.

Three teams ranked in the top twenty in the nation awaited the Rams, and although they did not leave with any victories, their coach’s message rang true.

Play began on Saturday against No. 17 Cal Baptist. The Rams quickly fell behind 5-2 at the end of the first. Cal’s defense smothered Fordham for the next two quarters, allowing only two goals to extend its lead to 12-4 at the end of the third. The Rams outscored Cal 3-2 in the final frame, but it was not enough to prevent the 14-7 rout.

Freshman Jake Miller-Tot led the way with four scores and an assist.

He was joined in the scoring column by junior Cameron Shewchuck with two goals and sophomore Magnus Sims with one goal and three steals.

The next morning’s matchup was with the Santa Clara Broncos. The 20th-ranked team in the country, they presented the Rams with their best chance to pick up a victory.

They came within two markers of doing just that, with the Broncos barely skating by 10-8.

Fordham stayed step-for-step with Santa Clara, with coach Harris calling the match his team’s “best performance to date.” The score was 2-1 in favor of the Rams at the end of the first frame, before the Broncos tied the halftime score at three.

They each netted four apiece in the third to set up a 7-7 showdown in the fourth. But, it was there that Santa Clara’s depth and experience shined through, outscoring the Rams 3-1 in the quarter, and pulling away for the win.

“We missed a penalty shot and had a few man-ups that we didn’t convert on. We didn’t capitalize on those opportunities and if you don’t do that in water polo you’re most likely not going to come out on top,” said Harris.

Miller-Tot continued an excellent weekend, filling up the scorecard with three goals, two assists and four steals against the Broncos. Senior captain R.J. Simmons added a pair and two steals.

Coach Harris highlighted Simmons’ importance as a leader. “Even if he’s not scoring, he brings his maturity and leadership to the team,” he said. “He’s helping us a great deal during practice. He gets it, he gets that his defense, his assists and his patience

will really rub off on the freshman and sophomores.”

The final match of the tournament was the most difficult, an afternoon date with the 12th-ranked Harvard Crimson. The Rams put in a lethargic performance, getting blown out 15-4.

“They caught us coming off Santa Clara, which we put in a lot of energy and it was an intense game, so it was tough to come back, but Harvard is a very good team,” said Harris.

Miller-Tot scored yet again and added three steals. Coach Harris was not at all surprised at the young player’s performance over the weekend and expects more of the same from him this year.

“I anticipated he would be a real help to us, even as a freshman,” Harris said. “He came from a strong program in high school, he was a high school All-American. He’s just a workhorse and he’s talented. It’ll be fun to watch him develop.”

Shewchuck and freshman Tristen Knoflick each had a goal and a steal apiece. And sophomore J.J. Meador had the final tally.

The three losses drop the Rams to a game under 500 at 3-4. The team will take this weekend off before returning to action on Sept. 24th, when it will begin conference play against Johns Hopkins at 3:30 p.m. and George Washington at 8 p.m.

Cross Country Races in the Bronx

By TOM TERZULLI STAFF WRITER

The men and women of the Fordham cross country teams might have faced just a bit more pressure than usual heading into their first meet on Saturday morning. You cannot really blame them, as their school was in the name of the event: the 36th annual Fordham Fiasco.

While they did not win the event that bore their name, they put forth some strong showings.

There were solid individual and team performances on the men’s side. The Rams finished second among Division I schools at 45, not enough to edge out a 27 point performance from Yale in the top spot.

It was plenty enough, however, to eclipse Bronx rival Manhattan (62), the New Jersey Institute of Technology (133), St. Francis (139), Farleigh Dickinson University (162) and John Jay (206).

Fordham may not have won the team competition, but one of Fordham’s own finished the 5k first. Junior Brian Cook crossed the line in 24:50.83, 10 seconds ahead of the second place challenger. His finish was good enough to secure him Patriot League Men’s Performer of the Week. Not far behind in fourth and fifth were freshman Ryan Kutch, who finished with a 25:08.15 in his first race as a Ram, and junior Thomas Slattery at 25:12.01. Another junior, Nikolas O’Brien, rounded out the top 15 in 26:15.02.

The remaining Rams all finished with sub 30:00 times: senior Devin Rocks (27:06.19), senior Ryan McGann (27:20.81), sophomore Jerome Vessichio (27:44.91), freshman Sean Sullivan (27:54.40), senior Peter Storm (27:57.51), junior Phil Robbins (28:27.27) and sophomore Patrick Dineen (29:42.18).

The women could not get by Yale in team competition either, finish-

ing third behind the Bulldogs (44) and Monmouth (57) with a score of 70. Manhattan (120), Princeton (138), St. Johns (152), St. Francis (211), NJIT (236) and FDU (249) were the other Division I participants.

Sophomore Angelina Grebe was the first Ram to cross the line, finishing second with an overall time of 19.09.86. Senior Cristina Ulto joined her in the top fifteen, completing the course in 19:47.44, good for 14th overall. The Rams then took all spots 18th-24th: senior Shanna Heaney (19:58.83), junior Brynna Harum (20:01.70), freshman Sydney Snow (20:03.55), sophomores Kate McCormack (20:05.48) and Abigail Taylor (20:07.97), junior Stephanie Leo (20:08.69) and freshman Olivia Gaudet (20:09.64).

The Rams will race next in Boston on Friday, Sept. 16 at the Coast to Coast Battle in Beantown.

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SPORTS

Page 18

September 14, 2016

Golf Takes Fifth in CT

By SAM BELDEN SPORTS EDITOR

The Fordham golf team returned to action on Sept. 10, traveling to Simsbury, Connecticut for the Ryan Lee Memorial Tournament. Even with the long summer layoff, the Rams had no trouble picking up right where they left off in the spring. They finished fifth out of 14 teams, good for their fourth top-five finish in their last six events.

Even though they fell short of victory, the Rams turned in a consistent performance. Their opening round of 296 put them in a tie for third place at the midway point, while their closing 300 dropped them into fifth place, three strokes shy of a podium finish. Still, it was not enough to satisfy the ambitious Fordham players.

“I can speak for all of us when I say we are not happy with the way we played,” said junior Joseph Trim. “We easily felt like we could have finished second, and if everything fell into place, possibly [could] have won.”

Junior Matt Schiller led the way for Fordham, sharing runner-up honors on the individual leaderboard. The Cincinnati native was on his game, signing for rounds of 73 and 71 to kick off the fall portion of the season. If not for a pair of triple bogeys in his opening round, he would have had the lowest individual score of the tournament. Even so, his tie for second matches his career-best finish as a Ram. Trim also got the year off to a fine start, posting a pair of solid rounds to wind up in solo fifth.

While his opening 70 put him in a

tie for the lead after the first round, his closing round of 75 included five bogeys and took him out of contention.

“I was very anxious to finally play tournament golf [again],” he said. “Personally, I thought it was important to remind myself that it was a 36-hole tournament, that we still have four more tournaments after this and there is still a lot of golf left to be played.”

The other Rams finished further down on the leaderboard. Sophomore Tommy Hayes signed for rounds of 76 and 78, landing him in a tie for 39th place. Junior James Mongey notched rounds of 77 and 78, just one stroke behind. Finally, senior Oscar Cabanas opened with an 80, but recovered nicely with a Sunday 76, ending up in a tie for 47th place.

The Bryant University Bulldogs ultimately won the event. With four golfers in the top 10, including medalist Ryan Tombs and co-runner-up McKinley Slade, the Bulldogs were clearly the best team in the field, outpacing the competition by 14 strokes. Tombs’ Sunday 69 was the low round of the tournament.

Wagner College finished in second place, while Central Connecticut State University, the tournament host, took third.

While Fordham is looking to add to its victory count, it was still a successful season debut.

Finishing in the top five should give the team plenty of momentum as it turns its attention to the four events remaining on the fall schedule. The Rams will return to action on Monday at the Hartford Hawks Invitational in South Kent, Connecticut.

By SAM BELDEN SPORTS EDITOR

These mid-2010s New York Mets teams are a strange breed. Clearly, they’ve had some talented players, but that hasn’t stopped them from experiencing long stretches of poor play and high levels of tension, both among the fan base and in the front office.

If there is one defining characteristic, though, it is this: these teams find a way to win.

Take this year’s squad. As the reigning National League champions, the Mets faced high expectations going into 2016, and with one of the most impressive young starting rotations in recent memory, they had more than enough talent for another pennant run. Sure enough, the team burst out of the gate to start the season, posting a 20-11 record through May 9.

Then, as has happened far too many times in the history of the Mets, disaster struck. First baseman Lucas Duda suffered a back injury and hasn’t suited up since May 20.

Team captain David Wright, suffering from a chronic back condition known as spinal stenosis, is out with a herniated disk in his neck, limiting his contributions to just 37 games.

Starting pitcher Matt Harvey, ineffective in 17 starts this year, opted for season-ending surgery at the beginning of July, while Travis d’Arnaud missed a whole two months — not abnormal for the injury-prone catcher, but still frustrating.

Playing with a stripped-down roster, the Mets went 40-51 from May 10 through Aug. 19: a three-month stretch of sub-.500 baseball. They looked dead in the water, with no remote chance of a playoff berth. The Nationals held a wide division lead in the NL East, while the orange and blue trailed lackluster teams like the Marlins and Pirates in the wildcard standings.

Then, out of absolutely nowhere, the Mets transformed into the hottest team in Major League Baseball.

Through Sept. 11, they have gone 16-5 over their last 21 games — exactly the kind of surge they needed to make a late playoff run. Half a game clear of the St. Louis Cardinals, they are in line for the second wildcard spot.

And yet, the injuries have continued to roll in. Juan Lagares is on the disabled list, as are midseason acquisitions Jon Niese (back in New York after a few months in Pittsburgh) and Justin Ruggiano. Second baseman Neil Walker underwent back surgery less than a week ago, putting an end to his season, and possibly his tenure in Flushing too. Furthermore, major trade deadline grab Jay Bruce has been atrocious, slashing a listless line of .193/.267/.328.

So why all the recent success? In this unpredictable year for the New York Mets, a few things have actually gone according to plan. Starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard is finishing up an incredible year, posting a 161 ERA+ and ranking among the league leaders in strikeouts. Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes has continued to impress, smacking 30 home runs and 21 doubles to the tune of a .568 slugging percentage. Curtis Granderson, Bartolo Colon and Asdrubal Cabrera have also had consistent seasons — without these five, this team would not be where it is right now.

But while these players were expected to perform from the get-go, the Mets have gotten value from a laundry list of unexpected players.

Rookie pitchers Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman have been tremendous rotation pieces, picking up the slack as both Steven Matz and Jacob DeGrom — yes, more injuries — went down in late August and early Sep-

tember, respectively. Infielder Wilmer Flores has looked great, slugging .469 in part-time duty, while utility man Kelly Johnson has been among the best clutch hitters on the roster. It’s all adding up to a surprising late-summer surge for the Mets, and with the momentum on their side, a postseason berth looks more like an inevitability than a pipe dream.

Less than a month ago, this was a team in dire straits, but one hot stretch has the 2016 Mets looking a whole lot like another great team from recent history: their direct predecessors, the 2015 Mets. Last year’s team was just 53-50 through the month of July, trailing the Nationals by a few games in the division race.

However, a sizzling 37-22 finish, arguably brought on by the deadline acquisition of Cespedes, sent the team sailing into the playoffs. From there, the rest is history — Ruben Tejada gets decked, Daniel Murphy transforms into Sylvester Coddmyer III, the whole nine yards.

This year, the Mets are not the most talented team in the National League, but they don’t need to be.

The postseason is a crapshoot — any squad can get hot enough to win the required 11 or 12 games, even against the best in the MLB. Given their recent play, it looks like these Mets will be in the thick of the World Series conversation, and even if they don’t make it, they’re going to go down swinging.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Noah Syndergaard has been a major contributor for the Mets this season.

Varsity Calendar HOME AWAY

Thursday Sept. 15

Friday Sept. 16

Saturday Sept. 17

Sunday Sept. 18

Stetson 7 p.m.

Men’s Soccer

Hofstra 1 p.m.

Women’s Soccer

Volleyball Men’s Tennis

THE FORDHAM RAM ARCHIVES

Fordham Golf kicked off its season with a solid fifth-place finish.

Women’s Tennis

Tuesday Sept. 20

Hartford Hawks Invitational

Golf

Cross Country

Monday Sept. 19

Battle in NYIT Invite Beantown 10 a.m.

2 p.m.

Hartford 4:30 p.m.

Providence 1:30 p.m.

Fordham Four-in-the-Fall

Quinnipiac Invitational

Stony Brook 7 p.m.

Wednesday Sept. 21

SPORTS

Septermber 14, 2016

Matthew Michaels

Roberts’ Tough Decision Few, if any, events in sports are more compelling and attention-worthy as a perfect game. Pitchers will push themselves through anything to be one of the select few to be eternally enshrined in the record books for completing one of baseball’s rarest and most impressive feats. However, managers may not be so inclined to witness a perfect game by any means necessary.

On Sept. 10, left-handed journeyman Rich Hill had a chance of immortality that most pitchers only dream of, before his boss took the opportunity away. The southpaw had a “perfecto” through seven innings in his third game for the Los Angeles Dodgers after a recent trade. After throwing 89 pitches, skipper Dave Roberts lifted a visibly upset Hill in favor of reliever Joe Blanton to start the eighth inning.

With four outs to go for a combined perfect game, Jeff Francoeur of the Miami Marlins singled to break up the bid. Never before had a pitcher been taken out during a perfect game bid of at least six innings, so Roberts’ decision was immediately questioned and dissected. He was by no means in an enviable position, as he had to balance the health of his pitcher with the potential of a grand but ultimately singular feat.

The decision made Roberts sick, and it will give him little solace to know it was the right choice. The Dodgers are relying on Hill in order to win the organizations’ first World Series since 1988. Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher on earth, but he has suffered from October mediocrity.

Rookie Kenta Maeda has impressed in his first year out of Japan, but he should not be burdened with carrying the entire team. Hill can bring stability to the rest of the rotation that has been a revolving door of familiar names frequently getting injured.

The 95 major league innings Hill has compiled this season is the most since he tallied 195 innings in 2007.

In the eight seasons in between, Hill pitched a total of 182 below average innings in the big leagues.

In his two previous games, Hill threw six innings of shutout ball, allowing only one hit in his second outing in Dodger blue. In 19 innings with the Dodgers, Hill has surrendered six hits and no runs. Including his time with the Oakland Athletics, Hill sits at 12-3 for the season with a spectacular but unsustainable 1.80 ERA. Roberts has experience pulling a starter during a no-hit outing. In the first week of the season, the Dodgers’ skipper yanked Ross Stripling in the eighth inning of his major league debut, despite the rookie having held the Giants hitless to that point.

Dave Roberts took a gamble and took his pitcher out during a perfect game bid. The perfect game was no guarentee and Yanking Hill may have been his hardest move of the season, but it was much better than the alternative for Roberts.

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Varsity Scores & Stats Volleyball Northeastern 3 Fordham 1 (FOR) Fairchild 17 kills (NE) Walding 46 assists (NE) Eyl 25 digs, 3 assists Binghamton Fordham (FOR) Walsh 33 assists (BING) Alicea 15 kills (BING) Morina 6 blocks Fordham Presbyterian (FOR) Elise 3 blocks (FOR) Morley 13 digs (PRES) Del Toro 10 kills

Football Fordham ECSU

83 21

(FOR) Anderson 225 yds, 4 TD

(FOR) Edmonds 155 yds, TD Water Polo Cal Baptist 14 Fordham 7 (CB) Teraoka 4 goals (CB) Moorman 19 saves (FOR) Miller-Tolt 4 goals

3 1

3 0

Santa Clara 10 Fordham 8 (SC) McClone 2 goals (FOR) Miller-Tolt 3 goals (FOR) Simmons 2 goals

Golf Ryan T. Lee Memorial Fordham- 5th (FOR)Schiller E

Harvard 15 Fordham 4 (HAR) Chiapello 4 goals (HAR) Harrison 3 goals

Men’s Soccer Lafayette 3 Fordham 1 (LAF) Evans 2 goals, 60’, 85’ (LAF) De Stefano goal, 40’ (FOR) Greer goal, 56’ Women’s Soccer Fordham 2 Iona 0 (FOR) Roughley goal, 29’ Fordham Hartford (FOR) Bates goal, 53’ Cross Country Fordham Fiasco Fordham Men- 2nd Fordham Women- 3rd Men’s 5 mile (FOR) Cook 1st- 24:50.83

Athletes of the Week D’ Angelo Palladino

Nicole Bates

Freshman

Senior

Football

Soccer

Palladino was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week after his big performance against Elizabeth City State University. He racked up 116 yards, 107 of which came in the fourth quarter, on 19 carries, scoring one touchdown. The award was the first weekly honor of the season for Palladino.

Bates had a big week on the pitch, scoring two goals in as many games.

The first, a penalty kick, came in a 2-0 victory over Iona. The second propelled her team to a 2-1 victory over Hartford. Bates has also anchored the defense, which has pitched four shutouts this year.

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 • Former Basketball Player

Samantha Clark Named to Women’s Coaching Staff

• Chase Edmonds Rushes into Record Books With his 155 yard day against ECSU, Edmonds moves into second all time in rushing yard with 3,711. His touchdown also moved him into second place with 45. Edmonds is just behind Kirwin Watson, who racked up 48 touchdowns from 2000-2003. Watson is also the rushing leader with a whopping 4,617.

Edmonds, a junior, will almost certainly break both records provided that he stays with the team and maintains his health. The football team has off this weekend, but returns to Jack Coffey Field on Sept. 24 against Penn.

Samantha Clark, who wrapped up her playing career last season, was recently named director of player development for the women’s basketball team. Clark ranks eighth all time in scoring for the Rams with 1,263 and gather 946 rebounds during her four-year career. She became just the third Ram with over 1,200 points and 900 rebounds for her career. Clark was also named to the Second Team All-Atlantic 10 and Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team during her senior year. The Rams kick off their season on Nov. 11 against Furman.

• Cross Country’s Brian Cook Named A-10 Performer of the Week Cook had a stellar race during the Fordham Fiasco at Van Cortlandt Park last weekend. He won the five-mile race in a time of 24:50.83. His victory helped the Rams come home with a silver medal for the event. His efforts earned him Atlantic 10 Performer of the Week accodlaed. It was Cooks first weekly conference award of the season. The Rams return to action on Friday in Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown in Boston, Mass. The race is set to begin at 2 p.m.

•

Alvin Halimwidjaya

Women’s Tennis Hires New Assistant Coach Ken Henderson was named assistant women’s tennis coach on Monday. Henderson was the summer tennis director at the Silver Gull and Breezy Surf Clubs.

Prior to his time there he served as an Elite Professional with the USPTA. Henderson graduated from Fordham in 1988. In 1987, under the tutelage of Hall of Fame coach Bob Hawthorn, he helped the Rams win the MAAC Championship.

– Compiled by Pat Costello

2 1

NBA Central Recap In anticipation of the 2016-2017 season, here are some of the highlights of the off-season in the Central Division.

Wade and the Windy City: While Chicago lost former cornerstones Derrick Rose, Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah, elevated Jimmy Butler to alpha-dog status and signed Rajon Rondo, the biggest news in Chitown is the return of its local legend, Dwyane Wade. Born on the South Side of Chicago, Wade signed with the Bulls after a difficult resigning situation with Pat Riley and the Heat.

Though many Bulls fans are excited, major concerns still persist, as a starting lineup of Wade, Butler and Rondo project to be less than ideal when it comes to perimeter system.

It remains to be seen whether this collection of big names can come together and bring Chicago back to the playoffs.

Larry Bird and Paul George look to keep Pace in the East: The Indiana Pacers obtained all sorts of players to add depth to its roster, such as bench scorer Aaron Brooks and backup center Al Jefferson. While getting rid of mainstays such as Jordan Hill, Ian Mahimi and most importantly, floor general George Hill, Bird replaced him with Jeff Teague to add more offensive firepower. With Paul George leading the charge and youngsters like sophomore Myles Turner ready to contribute, along with steadying influence Nate McMillan, Larry Bird is trying to best to get the Pacers back to the contender status they were at several years ago.

Can the Cavs Repeat?: After celebrating its first ever NBA championship, Cleveland didn’t change much and shouldn’t. They let Matthew Dellavedova and Timofey Mozgov go, choosing to sign players such as Chris Andersen and Mike Dunleavy as well as drafting Kay Felder of Oakland University. Though the Cavs still have to resign J.R. Smith, Lebron James and Kyrie Irving are back to lead them to the “Promised Land” once again. Despite the issues surrounding Kevin Love, the Cavs have proven he contributes on a championship team, and the “Wine and Gold” remain the biggest threat to Golden State’s second championship in three years.

The Young Bucks’ Road to Relevance: Milwaukee is another young team looking to the crack the Eastern Conference playoff race. With its frontcourt core of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker and Greg Monroe, coach Jason Kidd has a solid foundation to build around. With electric rookies Thon Maker and Malcolm Brogdon, the Bucks have a seriously talented influx of youth, which is a major advantage. Jason Terry and Matthew Dellavedova will hold down the guard position, while Mirza Teletovic serves as a solid stretch four. While this team still has some growing to do, the talent and athleticism on the roster bodes well for the future.

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SPORTS

September 14, 2016

The Fordham Ram

Breiner Gets First Victory, Rams Score 83

By JACK MCLOONE ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

It took until the second week of the season, but new head coach Andrew Breiner was able to collect his first win as Fordham Football head coach as the Rams beat the Division II Elizabeth City State University Vikings 83-21. Those 83 points were both a school and Patriot League record, and made for quite the home opener. “It feels great”, said Breiner.

“To be able to get the win in front of the home crowd is very special.”

The Rams were coming off of a disappointing start against FBS opponent Navy last week, where they lost 52-16, including trailing 21-10 after the first quarter. But according to junior defensive back Caleb Ham, the Rams put that behind them.

“Practice was full of energy from both sides of the ball every day,” said Ham. “Everyone had a clean slate to start the week.”

Fordham used that week of practice to fully flip the script, hanging up 38 unanswered points on the Vikings in the first quarter alone. While the first drive only resulted in three points from the leg of senior kicker McKay Redd, the offense found its gear on the next possession.

After the Rams defense forced a quick three and out, they quickly found the end zone for their first touchdown on the day, a 38-yard reception by junior receiver Robbie Cantelli from senior quarterback Kevin Anderson, making it 10-0.

The defense scored their first touchdown of the day when sophomore linebacker Noah Fitzgerald returned a fumble for a touchdown just two plays into the Vikings’ next drive.

The Rams kept up the pressure on both sides of the ball. After forcing another three and out, there was another touchdown for Fordham almost immediately, this time a 36-

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Chase Edmonds had a monster day in limited action, rushing for 155 yards and a touchdown on just 16 carries.

yard scamper by senior running back Kendall Pearcey.

With Fordham already up 24-0 less than ten minutes into the game, the Vikings went for it on fourth and three from their own 29, but quarterback Daquan Neal was stuffed at the line for a turnover on downs in unnecessarily favorable field position.

The Rams continued the onslaught, with Anderson finding sophomore wideout Austin Longi for a 21-yard touchdown just two plays later to make the score 31-0.

The points kept coming for Fordham, the next score being a 54-yard burner of a rushing touchdown for junior running back Chase Edmonds, making the score 38-0.

The defense for Fordham had been clearly stalwart up to this point, as the Vikings finally converted their first first down on their next possession at the tail end of the first quarter. “As a defense we were hungry, searching for our first win and looking to improve from the previous week,” junior defensive back Caleb Ham said after being pushed around by Navy last week. They certainly did, holding ECSU to just 220 yards of offense.

Redd notched another field goal

at the start of the second quarter to make it 41-0, and then Rams got the ball right back after senior linebacker George Dawson came down with a ball that was popped in the air. That drive broke the Rams scoring streak at six, as they turned it over on downs.

After Anderson and Cantelli linked up for their second touchdown pairing of the day to make it 48-0, this time on a 17 yarder, the Rams gave up a quick 14 unanswered.

The first came on the best drive of the game for the ECSU Vikings, culminating in a QB keeper touchdown for Neal. On the Rams’ next possession, Anderson tried to orchestrate a two-minute offense, but his luck with escaping near-interceptions came back to Earth when he was picked off and the Vikings returned it for a touchdown.

Despite the rough end to the first half, the Rams still had a commanding lead and many were surprised to see the majority of the Fordham starters come back on the field.

“I didn’t like how we finished the first half, particularly on the offensive side of the ball,” said Breiner.

“I thought we got a bit sloppy and I didn’t want to take those guys out of

the game until I felt like we finished the right way.”

The starters certainly tightened it up with Pearcey and Anderson scoring in the first two drives. The first ended in a six-yard score for the former and the second a three-yard connection with Longi for the latter.

The defense did the same in their two drives, forcing a punt and a turnover on downs.

Already up 62-14, the Rams then made their substitutions. They gave another touchdown, but still scored more of their own, including maybe the nicest pass of the day from junior second-string QB Luke Medlock to sophomore wide receiver Jordan Allen for an 82-yard score.

“It was encouraging to see Luke Medlock go in and operate the offense the way its intended,” said Breiner. “You don’t always get a chance to get your number two quarterback game reps and Saturday’s game provided us with that opportunity and he capitalized on it.”

Looking stellar in his Fordham debut, freshman running back D’Angelo Palladino saw a lot of work in the second half as the Rams tried to work down the clock. He racked

up 116 yards on 19 carries including one touchdown, enough to have him named Patriot League Rookie of the Week.

Fordham’s last touchdowns following the Medlock-Allen connection were another scoop and score, this time off of the kickoff by freshman Jesse Bramble, and Palladino’s 17-yard rush.

Both sides of the ball showed out for the Rams. All three running backs totaled over 100 yards rushing, with Edmonds collecting 155 on just 16 carries and Pearcey collecting 115 of his own on just 12 carries to go along with Palladino’s 116. Through the air, Anderson was an efficient 18/28 for 255 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.

Edmonds’s efforts put him at 3,711 rushing yards for his career and 45 rushing career touchdowns, both second-best in Fordham history.

The Rams defense piled on the takeaways with four interceptions and four fumble recoveries. Dawson had interceptions on back to back drives in the first half, with sophomore defensive backs Lawrence Menyah and Tyler Long corralling the other two. Outside of the two fumble recoveries for touchdowns, junior defensive lineman John O’Boyle and sophomore linebacker JM Nocket picked up the other two.

The Rams now sit at 1-1, but are headed into an early bye week before their next matchup against the University of Pennsylvania.

“This year, the bye week comes so early,” Breiner said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for us to take a little time and focus on fundamentals and techniques while also working on some scheme and getting ready for UPenn.”

Fordham will take on UPenn at 1 p.m. on Sept. 24 at Jack Coffey Field in the Homecoming game.

Women’s Soccer Beats Iona and Hartford

By PAT COSTELLO ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The women’s soccer team continued to roll through its non-conference schedule, defeating Iona and Hartford this past week.

Iona entered the match 6-0 this season and looked to keep its winning streak going. The Rams were not ready to give up on their own two-game winning streak and did everything in their ability to ensure a victory. In the seventh minute the Rams were awarded a penalty kick after Carlie Wagner was fouled in the box. Senior defender Nicole Bates stepped up and buried the kick for her first goal of the season. Just over 20 minutes later the Rams added another goal, this time off of the foot of freshman midfielder Maggie Roughley. Roughley gained possession of a rebound and promptly tucked a shot inside the left post, giving the Rams an insurance goal. The stellar Rams defense was able to prevent Iona from scoring for a 2-0 win.

The second game of the week, against the Hartford Hawks, caused some serious déjà vu, with both Roughley and Bates each scoring again. In the 42nd minute, Rough-

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Brianna Blunck eyes the ball as an Iona defender looks on.

ley corralled her own rebound and put it in the back of the net for her third goal of the season. In the 53rd minute Bates attempted to head the ball in off of a corner kick, but her shot was blocked to the ground. She gained control of the ball and back healed it through multiple Hartford defenders into the back of the net.

“Whenever I go up for a corner kick I expect myself to capital-

ize on the opportunity, Bates said.

“Brooke (Salmon) played in a beautifully paced ball and I was fortunate enough to be on the other end of it.”

The Hawks battled back to cut the lead to 2-1, but Fordham’s defense was able to hold onto their lead and win the game, improving their record to 5-1-1.

The stellar play of these two women highlights one of the biggest keys

to the Rams’ season: the stellar combination of youth, like Roughley, and experience, like Bates.

“Bates has also been playing very well. She’s grown so much as a player in the past three years, but the biggest growth has been from last season to this season,” coach Jessica Clinton said. “She’s a leader for this team. We expect her along with her classmates and teammates to put

this team on their backs and carry it.”

One of the biggest surprises for the Rams has been the exceptional play of Roughley early in the season.

“Maggie has been terrific for the team lately and is really starting to break out of her shell,” Clinton said.

“We knew at some point Maggie would develop and play well in our system, we just didn’t think it would be this fast!”

Roughley knows that she is just one piece of a much bigger puzzle. “I could not have had much of my early success however without the help of my teammates and my coaches,” she said. “They are the ones who deserve credit.”

Bates, Roughley and the rest of the Rams will look to keep their win streak alive against the Hofstra Pride on Sunday at Jack Coffey Field. “[They] will be a great challenge. Hofstra is typically a top team in the CAA (Colonial Athletic Association) and last year they made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament,” Clinton said. With Roughley on offense and the Department of Defense protecting the net, the Rams will be set up nicely to defeat their opponent.