The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 Volume 98, Issue 15
To Be Muslim On Campus By YASMIN MERCHANT STAFF WRITER
In early September, New York witnessed a series of Islamophobic attacks — mostly against women. In Brooklyn, two Muslim mothers were pushing their children in strollers when they were attacked by a woman telling them to “get the **** out of America ****.” Days later, a man set fire to a Scottish Muslim tourist’s clothes while she was shopping on Fifth Avenue. For some Muslim students on campus, the fear is, especially for those who are more visibly affiliated with the religion by wearing garments. “Whenever there was an attack, I’d be afraid that if I go downtown, I may be a victim of a hate crime,” said Muslim student Raaheela Yusuf, FCRH ’20, who wears a hijab, in an interview with The Fordham Ram. “My mother would always tell me to be careful and to be aware of my surroundings.” She remembers a friend who began wearing a hijab in high school, and the extra measures her friend went to keep herself safe. “She has been carrying around pepper spray with her everywhere she goes,” Yusuf said. For Sumaiya Islam, FCRH ’19, formerly a practicing Muslim who donned a hijab, the question whether to wear it at Ground Zero when she went to visit with her family was obvious. “I was scared of hate that I would receive because of it,” she said. Recent events have only exacerbated her anxiety. “When I found out about the woman whose hijab had been set on fire on Fifth Ave, I felt sick,” Islam said. Even though Islam herself is no longer practices her faith, she fears discrimination and how it could affect her and her family. “That could’ve been my mom, my friends, any of my relatives or people I know,” Islam said. Joan Cavanagh, director of Interfaith Ministry, said this fear is common and justified. “WhenevSEE ISLAMOPHOBIA, PAGE 3
in this issue
Opinion Page 7 Expensive Access Codes Burden Students
Culture Page 12
The Role of Social Media in Political Campaigns
Sports Page 20
Football Beats UPenn 31-17 in Homecoming Game
FordhamRam.com
September 28, 2016
News Analysis
Faculty Senate Invites Expert to Assess Spending
An Insight Into Fordham’s Finances By LAURA SANICOLA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
In the midst of an ongoing dispute between the Faculty Senate and administration over the legality of the faculty salary imposition, the Faculty Senate sponsored a comprehensive analysis of Fordham’s financial condition directed by Dr. Howard Bunsis. Bunsis, the chair of the Collective Bargaining Congress of the American Association of University Professors and Professor of Accounting at Eastern Michigan University, has audited more than 10 universities and colleges including Rutgers University, San Jose State University and Portland University. Fordham Faculty Senate hired Beth Margolis, JD, counsel, according to Faculty Senate president Dr. Anne Fernald. According to Bunsis, the univeristy holds its own financially.“They’re in solid financial shape and I don’t think [administration] would argue difSEE FINANCES, PAGE 6
Political Clubs Join For Debate By THERESA SCHLIEP CO-NEWS EDITOR
Political organizations on campus such as the Fordham Political Review, United Student Government, College Democrats and College Republicans co-sponsored a screening of the debate between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. The room was packed to capacity with students who hollered at Trump’s demand for Clinton to “release her emails” as well as Clinton’s jab that “[A] man who can be provoked by a tweet should not have his fingers anywhere near the nuclear codes.” Some students said the debate only solidified who they plan to vote for. “Well, I was already planning on voting for Hillary, and my decision was only reaffirmed,” said Parker Bartoloni, FCRH ’20. “I don’t know why anyone would ever vote for Donald Trump, if anything I think he did a good job imploding himself. She just kind of sat there and
SEE DEBATE, PAGE 3
JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM
Dr. Bunsis broke down Fordham’s audited financial statements to explain where money was being spent.
Grad Assistant Plan Unionization Efforts By ANDREA GARCIA PHOTO EDITOR
As a recent National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision in favor of graduate student workers continues to echo amongst private universities, the Fordham graduate student workers have begun their drive to unionize with a town hall this past Friday, Sept. 23. Present at the meeting were undergraduate and graduate students from various academic departments. Boyda Johnstone, a graduate student and current postdoctoral teaching fellow defined a union. Prior to the NLRB’s decision in
August, graduate students were legally considered apprentices rather than employees. Therefore, they could not unionize. Now that graduate students in private universities are considered both students and workers, Fordham graduate students have the opportunity to voice their opinions on working conditions without the threat of losing their jobs. “The work we do here is legitimate and important on its own terms. We are research assistants, writing center tutors and teachers,” Johnstone said. Because the apprenticeship model is outdated, many Fordham graduate students spend their time putting in not only manual, but also emotional labor in their deal-
ings with undergraduates and faculty members. “While everything we do in the university could be considered a labor of love, it is still labor,” said Johnstone. The graduate student community found out at the State of the Graduate School of Social Sciences meeting that health care subsidies will be removed in the upcoming year. Many students in the program do not receive family leave and depend on their partners for a sustainable income. Johnson hoped the unionization can foster better relationships and solidarity in releasing future grievances. SEE UNION, PAGE 5