Volume 98 Issue 2

The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham dh University Community Since 1918 Volume 98, Issue 2

FordhamRam.com

February 3, 2016

Student Allegations Deemed Unfounded

By LAURA SANICOLA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The November allegations brought against Fordham Public Safety and Fordham University Emergency Medical Services (FUEMS) by Marissa Marcinelli, FCRH ’17, have been deemed unfounded following investigation, according to an email from Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university.

The university hired an independent team to review the allegations.

“The response of Fordham University Department of Public Safety employees to the information provided by [the students] in the early morning hours of November 11, 2015 was appropriate, measured and in accordance with Fordham University policy and procedure,” read an analysis from T&M Protection Resources, a firm that employs former prosecutors and law enforcement experts and specializes in investigating claims of misconduct. The firm was hired by the university “to avoid even the appearance of a biased investigation,” McShane wrote in a SEE ALLEGATIONS, PAGE 5

JACK BRENNAN/FORDHAM RAM

After terminating the Sodexo contract prematurly, Fordham invites four food providers to campus.

Sodexo Avoids a Hefty Penalty, Joins Three Other Providers in Bidding

By THERESA SCHLIEP ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

With the current Sodexo contract ending in June 2016, Sodexo will likely avoid a $3 million penalty for landing on The Princeton Review’s worst food list again this year, a dining services contract liason announced Wednesday.

“The Princeton Review [is] the thorn in my side,” said Deming Yuan, Fordham’s dining services contract liaison. “Sodexo had promised the goal was to be off The Princeton Review list by August 2016, but now that the current agreement ends June 30,

I doubt there will be any penalty.”

Fordham is currently ranked number 13 on The Princeton Review’s 2016 ranking “Is it Food?” which evaluates colleges with the least edible food. Fordham topped the list in 2012, causing the university to reevaluate its relationship with Sodexo, but they ultimately continued Sodexo’s contract in June 2013.

Yuan spoke mainly on the university’s Request For Proposals (RFP) for a new dining service at Fordham’s monthly Student Life Council meeting on Jan. 27. The RFP is set to be completed at the

end of March.

This action counters the university’s 2013 decision to extend Sodexo’s contract at Fordham for another 10 years.

Fordham has instead made arrangements with the catering service to end its current agreement on June 30, 2016.

Fordham reports that its “internal survey processes” find that 80 percent of Fordham students have stated they are “satisfied or highly satisfied” with Sodexo’s services.

“It is highly publicized that in the Sodexo agreement there are penalties for not meeting certain satisfaction criteria we have abyss satisfaction criteria

based on internal survey processes… in the three years we have been doing that, [Sodexo] has met those goals every time,” Yuan said.

Five original bidders have been narrowed down to four, including Sodexo and three companies that the university will not disclose at this time, Yuan announced.

“We are not identifying the companies interested and participating in the process, but we are pleased Sodexo is participating,” Yuan said in an email to The Fordham Ram. “With the issuing of an RFP, we are starting with a clean slate: every firm that submits a proposal has chance of being selected, based on the contents of their proposal.”

The request was introduced to the Fordham community in a universitywide email in early December. Yuan reported that the RFP was under works throughout the summer of 2015.

“Preparing the RFP took months and months and lots of consideration and talking to professionals throughout the industry to advise us,” he said in reference to the process. “In discussions with [Sodexo] last May through this summer, it just became apparent that hey, maybe we need some more.”

Students will be involved in the bidding process, according to Yaun.

The dining proposals from the companies involved are due Feb. 16, and will be on display for students to review. There will also be visits to facilities in which the companies are already operating in early March.

Executives from the companies will also host formal presentations open to students on March 7-9. FurSEE SODEXO, PAGE 2

Tragic Death of Second Student At Fordham Prep

BY ERIN SHANAHAN, MIKE BYRNE AND LAURA SANICOLA

JACK BRENNAN/FORDHAM RAM

After years of construction, the Fordham Plaza Transportation Hub is almost completely operational.

Fordham Plaza Opens to the Public

By MALIHA GUL STAFF WRITER

The three-year reconstruction project of Fordham Plaza is finally coming to a close. The new space not only serves as a more efficient transportation hub, but it also boasts a greener, more accessible, space designed with Bronxites in mind. The plaza, located across from Fordham’s Third Avenue entrance, is also a short distance

from campus.

Though some construction continues in parts of the plaza and in the Metro-North station, city officials, as well as officials from the Department of Transportation, officially opened the new plaza to the public with a ribbon cutting ceremony that took place on Jan. 20, only one day after the Spring 2016 semester began at Fordham University.

Previously, the plaza and the bus

pathways that passed through it posed danger to pedestrians and visitors of the plaza. Slow traffic on Fordham Road encouraged jaywalking, and the busy intersection at Fordham Road and Webster Avenue, with its six lane traffic was also a threat to the safety of the 80,000 pedestrians that frequent the Fordham shopping district every day.

SEE PLAZA, PAGE 6

A student at Fordham Prepatory School was fatally struck by a Metro-North train in the Bronx on Monday afternoon.

The 16 year-old male is the second student at the Jesuit-run high school on the Rose Hill campus to be killed by a train in under a month. His name had not been released by either the school or the New York City Police Department as The Ram went to press.

Rev. Christopher J. Devron, SJ, President of Fordham Preparatory School, issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon about the incident. “The sudden and tragic death of a member of our sophomore class last evening has deeply shocked and saddened the entire Fordham Prep community,” the statement read. “We are in close contact with the young man’s family and have assured them that our prayers, sympathy and support are with them in their time of need.”

The student was struck by a northbound train around 3:30 p.m, according to MTA spokeswoman Meredith Daniels. The train was

passing through the Botanical Garden station and was not making a stop. Law enforcement officials said that the boy appeared to have jumped in front of the train.

On Monday afternoon, the Fordham community was informed of Metro-North delays due to police activity by the Botanical Garden station, apparently related to the incident.

John Carroll, the associate vice SEE PREP, PAGE 3

in this issue

Opinion Page 7 Diversifying the Core

Culture Page 12 Comedians as Public Mouth Pieces

Sports Page 20 Men’s Basketball Wins First on the Road

NEWS

Page 2

February 3, 2016

Sodexo Contract Expires

PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS Jan. 27 2:15 p.m.

2500 Hoffman Avenue A smoke alarm went off at a student’s off-campus apartment due to cooking on the stove. There were no fire or injuries and the apartment was vented.

Jan. 27 3:45 p.m.

Public Safety Office A student received a call from a man demanding that he wire $4,000 to him for the release of his brother, who was a student at Holy Cross. The Fordham student reported the call to Public Safety who deemed the call to be a scam. NYPD was also notified.

Jan. 30 2:45 a.m.

The Blue Goose Bar Two male students got into a fight with one sustaining a black eye and the other injuring his hand. Both met with Public Safety supervisors and declined to report the incident to NYPD. Jan. 31 3 a.m.

Brooklyn, NY A Fordham student exited an Uber cab in Brooklyn and left her iPhone 6 in the car. She came back to campus later that day and received a call from a man who said that he had her phone and would return it for $200.

The student reported this to the Public Safety supervisor who contacted the caller in an attempt to negotiate the return of the student’s phone.

The caller did not cooperate, and the phone was not returned. The student declined to report the incident to NYPD. Feb. 1 1 a.m.

Loschert Hall A student living on the second floor reported having her iPhone 5s stolen from her dorm. She saw on the “Find My iPhone” app that the phone was located at 187th street, but was unable to retrieve it. The student declined to file a report with the NYPD. — Compiled by Michael Byrne

Follow us on Twitter! @TheFordhamRam

FROM SODEXO, PAGE 1

LAUREN MCMURRAY/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Lauren McMurray is able to overcome her nerves, find comfort in her host family and embrace Spanish culture.

Journal From Abroad

The Things I’ve Learned from Luisa

By LAUREN McMURRAY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Studying abroad brings out all sorts of feelings: there is the initial, “Oh my god, I’m studying in Spain next semester!” tell everybodyphase, followed by a phase of sadness when you realize you won’t be at school for an entire semester. The last phase takes place in the airport right before the big flight when the nerves really set in. I experienced the height of every one of these feelings. I was incredibly excited, made a Facebook status, told virtually everybody I knew and even went as far to Instagram a picture of my passport. But as excited as I was, I was equally as nervous to speak Spanish for the next four months and to meet new people. But, above all else, nervous about my homestay.

My program, Syracuse University Abroad, Madrid has one option for housing, a homestay. I think this factor made everybody nervous.

As my pre-semester seminar group pulled up to Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, the home of Real Madrid and the place in which we would be meeting our host families, nervous chatter could be heard all throughout the bus. It didn’t help that our professors played a video of students circa 1990 meeting their families in which the awkwardness radiated off the screen. The next thing

I knew, I was off the bus and my roommate and I were searching for our host mom, Luisa, who we knew vaguely from pictures. We spotted her almost instantly and searched for a taxi to get our luggage, seven bags between the two of us, and ourselves home.

The cab ride was nearly silent.

The only talking that occurred was between the cab driver and Luisa, and most of what the cab driver was saying referred to our Spanish speaking skills. In fact, he told my host mom “buena suerte,” Spanish for good luck, upwards of five times.

I still don’t think he knew we could 100 percent understand every word of what he was saying. At this point, I thought I was doomed. My hope was restored when, after being in our new home for nearly five minutes, Luisa was in my room chatting my ear off and laughing at the amount of clothes that I brought for the next four months.

That night at dinner, we sat around the table for nearly two hours talking about ourselves, Spain and Madrid itself. We showed pictures of our families and ate a typical Spanish dish, tortilla de patatas. We had been prepared for long dinners and lengthy conversations, but I soon realized that this wasn’t as much of a burden as I expected it to be, but an opportunity to be immersed in Spanish culture. 10 days later and

I’m still learning new things with every passing meal. Aside from providing us with culture, she has created an environment where we are comfortable to come home and talk to her about anything. She is especially interested after a night spent at a discoteca.

This past week, on the night I happened to have my first bit of homework since starting classes, Luisa came knocking on my door, asking if we could become Facebook friends. She proceeded to sit on my tiny bed with me for the next hour showing me all the photos on her iPad that she thought were really “chulo,” or cool. These photos included the cast of The Hunger Games, Audrey Hepburn, a cartoon woman she is especially fond of, destination spots throughout Europe and a few photographs. She forgot to show me one of her very favorite photographs, but rest assured, she posted it on my Facebook wall moments after walking out of my room. I couldn’t help but smile. I had never envisioned my night turning out like it had, but I didn’t mind at all. It didn’t take long after arriving to Madrid to realize that my nerves about my homestay were misplaced.

Now, I consider myself lucky to have the opportunity to learn this much about both the culture and language of Spain. I would definitely recommend a homestay.

thermore, a student committee that will work collectively with Dining Services to choose a new dining provider will soon be open to students.

Yaun established that they will keep the Fordham community informed throughout the RFP process.

Fordham University’s room and board cost, which includes meal plans, is among the most expensive in the nation. According to the Integrated Post Secondary Education Data System, Fordham’s room and board ranks ninth highest in the country at an average cost of $14,491 per year.

Fordham’s most expensive unlimited meal plan is $3,625 a semester, while all block plans are $2,572.50.

In comparison, New York University’s most expensive meal plan is $2,800, Columbia University’s is $2,582, and Syracuse University’s is $3,610.

None of those schools appear on The Princeton Review’s “Is It Food?” ranking except Fordham.

Student opinion varies regarding food services at the university.

Thomas Capozzi, FCRH ‘19, anticipated poor services before his arrival at the university. “I went in with a bad impression from word of mouth, but I grew to like it.”

Julian DiFiore, GSB ’18, said he has no problem with the food. “I think kids expect more for what they’re paying but in reality, this is college food that feeds over 5,000 people everyday. I’ve been to other colleges where the food is ten times worse, and they’re perfectly fine with it there. Also, I think the personal atmosphere the Sodexo workers make is great.”

Other students feel that while Sodexo’s services have potential, they are not being fulfilled at Fordham.

“It feels wrong to constantly criticize Sodexo because there are visible efforts being made by not only Fordham students, but also Sodexo staff that I completely appreciate,” said Kate Marinkovich, GSB ’18.

“Having said that, I do have complaints.... I have visited friends at other colleges where Sodexo is the food provider and have had awesome food. ” Marinkovich said that it shocks her at the great quality of Sodexo services at other schools, in comparison to their poor service at Fordham.

This Week at Fordham Friday Feb. 5

Saturday Feb. 6

Tuesday Feb. 9

Tuesday Feb. 2

Verbal Essence’s Spoken Word Poetry Show

Men’s Basketball Austism Speaks Game

RHA Beer Tasting

Keating 1st 8 p.m.-11 p.m.

3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets Screening and Discussion

Blackbox Theatre in Collins 8 p.m.-10 p.m.

Rose Hill Gymnaisum 1 p.m.

Keating 1st 7 p.m.-9 p.m.

The Campus Activities Board will be screening The Intern as part of its weekly on-campus movie screenings. There is no charge to students. The film stars Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway.

Fordham’s only spoken word poetry team will perform a series of original student poetry. Hosted

by Fordham Experimental Theatre, it will take place on both Friday and Saturday.

Men’s basketball is raising awareness for Autism Speaks and giving away spirit bands and rally towels.

Autism Speaks is an autism advocacy organization in the United States that raises money for autism research and awareness.

React to Film is holding a screening and discussion of the film 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets. The film details the murder of a black teen and reveals hidden racial prejudice in cases of tragedy. Following the film, there will be a discussion.

Thursday Feb. 4 Fordham Cinevents!

Presents The Intern

Dagger John’s 9:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m.

The Residence Hall Association is hosting its second annual Philanthropy Fair. It is a showcase of the Fordham community’s philanthropic efforts and is part of its Philanthropy Month.

NEWS

February 3, 2016

Page 3

Fordham Mourns Death of Prep Students FROM PREP, PAGE 1

president of Fordham’s Department of Public Safety, said that at the time he sent the email he was unaware that the victim was a student at Fordham Prep.

“Our role was to let the community know this was a major disruption in both New Haven and Harlem Metro-North, which our students, faculty and staff use,” Carroll said, “and then to assist the Prep, which is what we did.”

Carroll said that he assigned one of his employees to go to the Botanical Garden station and work with Metro-North and the NYPD. It was at that time the police identified the victim as a Fordham Prep student.

“I contacted the president of Fordham Prep, Father Chris Devron, and Father Devron and I went there for about an hour and a half last night to be there while Father blessed the body,” Carroll said. “Father met with his family and notified them and we were there for this tragedy.”

This is the second Fordham Prep student to be killed by a train in less than a month. At Philipse Manor station in Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County on Jan. 18, Fordham Prep Sophomore Owen Kelly was struck and killed by a Metro-North train after police say he deliberately

stepped in front of it.

According to his obituary, Kelly was an honor student and member of the junior varsity hockey team, as well as a community volunteer and worked during the summer at the Tarry Crest Swimming and Tennis Club and the Philipse Manor Beach Club.

Devron made it clear that support staff was available to help the Fordham Prep community through the tragedies.

“In order to support and care for our community during this difficult time, Fordham Prep will be providing trained experts and grief counselors to meet with students, faculty, staff, and parents,” he said.”We will also host a parent meeting at which specialists and members of the Prep’s Crisis Team will address their concerns and questions.”

In addition, according to the MTA, additional police officers were stationed at the platforms near Fordham Prep today as a result of the tragedy.

Dean of Students Christopher Rodgers provided the following information about student resources in response to the recent deaths of the Fordham Preparatory students: In any emergency, please call Public Safety at 718.817.2222 immediately. At Rose Hill, counseling is available through Counseling and Psychological Services

in the basement of O’Hare Hall: (718) 817-3725, or by calling Campus Ministry at (718) 8174500.

Students may also contact

Christopher Rodgers, dean of students at Rose Hill, at (718) 8174755/deanrodgers@fordham. edu, or their resident assistant or resident director for assistance.

Members of the University community can also call Public Safety at any time at (718) 817-2222 with questions about counseling services or requests for assistance.

FORHDAM RAM ARCHIVES

The Fordham community learned of a Fordham Prep student’s death on Monday.

Gabelli Announces New Assistant Dean for Freshman Dean Greer Jason Takes on a Newly Created Position

By ERIN SHANAHAN NEWS EDITOR

As Dean Greer Jason takes on the newly created position of senior assistant dean of undergraduate studies in the Gabelli School of Business, Marisa Totino has stepped in as the new assistant dean for freshmen.

The new position was created in order to address the more logistical side of undergraduate studies, according to Jason. This includes coordinating business aspects of the Gabelli core curriculum and acting upon student feedback.

For example, many students

reportethat the IP 2, professional development class, was placed too late within the Gabelli core timeline. Students reported feeling that the class material would be more helpful during their freshman year. As a result, with the help of other deans, Jason is working to move that class into Gabelli

JACK BRENNAN/FODHAM RAM

Marisa Totino, a Bronx native, is now the current Gabelli assistant dean for freshmen

students’ schedule for freshman year.

In addition to coordinating business aspects of the Gabelli core curriculum, Jason is tasked with keeping students engaged outside of the classroom. For example, Jason works to organize the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior overnight retreats for Gabelli students. Dean Jason is also working to organize a “Women in Business” Retreat. In regards to student engagement, Dean Jason also oversees the Gabelli Book Club and other special projects.

While Jason is working as the senior assistant dean, Dean Marisa Totino is working as the new assistant dean for freshmen.

Totino is a Bronx native who lived just 15 minutes away from the Rose Hill Campus.

“I spent a lot of my childhood taking advantage of the amazing things the Bronx has to offer and decided to stay in the Bronx and attend Fordham,” Totino said.

After graduating from Fordham College at Rose Hill, Totino obtained her masters from Fordham’s Graduate School of Education. Before arriving at Fordham, Totino worked at Columbia Business School where she developed a global engagement strategy for the school.

Totino decided to apply to Fordham because of her connection to the Bronx and the universi-

ty. “Coming back to Fordham was about coming home,” Totino said.

“I always knew I wanted to return here because of the values that were instilled in me during my academic career. The assistant dean for freshmen position in the Gabelli School of Business allows me not only to come back to Fordham but also to work with students in business educationsomething I am extremely passionate about.”

In addition to business, Totino is also very interested in politics.

“My first love was (and still is) politics,” she said. “I am a political junkie and for a short time I served on one of the Bronx’s local community boards. It was an absolutely phenomenal experience to participate in local government and work with my community in such a positive way.”

Totino hopes to help freshmen in the Gabelli School better understand their academic and professional goals. She also looks forward to introducing students to all the possibilities that business education has to offer. “Fordham has the ability to change your life in ways you do not even realize,” Totino said. “Throughout your time here, say yes to all the opportunities the University has to offer, meet new people and reflect daily. The decisions you make and the people you meet here will stay with you and will enrich your life every day.”

NEWS

Page 4

February 3, 2016

Fordham In The Bronx

A Fight By the Community, for the Community

By MICHAEL DOBUSKI BRONX CORRESPONDENT

The overhead lights are harsh, beating down on the two men as they eyed each other from across the ring. Their exact location is a secret. The only indication as to their location is a huge banner on the back wall emblazoned with the words “BX Fight Club.” Indecipherable music thumps in the background, almost completely obscured by the shouts and whoops of the crowd. Without a word, the referee, wearing a black snapback hat and a black t-shirt to match, makes eye-contact with both of the fighters, points to each of them in turn and then points to the center of the ring. The scene is traditional: three judges, three two-minute rounds, one referee and no headgear, just a pair of sixteen-ounce boxing gloves.

The first punch misses its mark.

The second gets closer and causes its target to hop back, remaining in constant, controlled movement.

The first man then rushes his opponent onto the ropes, striking quickly and letting his forward momentum carry most of the power.

He receives an onslaught of blows around his head and neck but keeps his gloves around his face, deflecting much of the retaliation. The crowd goes wild.

The BX Fight Club was founded in 2014 by two men who prefer to go by BX Hova and Will. Full names are not used in the context of the organization because fight clubs are illegal in the state of New York, even if this one is a bit different from the Chuck Palahniuk-fueled fever dream. Attendance costs $20 and all audience members are patted down before entering in order to make sure no one sneaks in any illicit substances. Last season,

MICHAEL DOBUSKI/ THE FORDHAM RAM

The BX Fight Club operates out of a secret location because of the illegality of fight clubs in the state of New York.

32 fighters competed in a March Madness-style tournament, each in pursuit of the club’s grand prize: a $10,000 diamond-studded Rolex.

This year it is a Mercedes.

What started in the parking lot of P.S. 152 on the corner of Colgate and Bruckner Boulevard quickly broke the first rule of Fight Club, as

KATE MACKIE/THE FORDHAM RAM

The Whitney Museum of American Art The view from the 8th floor of The Whitney Museum of American Art, located on 99 Gansevoort Street in Manhattan. It focuses on 20th and 21st century art and has more than 21,000 pieces of art in its exhibits.

everyone involved could not seem to stop talking about it. The BX Fight Club has been covered by major news organizations such as Vice and The New York Times, and has also experienced profound popularity on Facebook, Instagram and especially YouTube. The club has also garnered support from stars such as Shaquille O’Neal and 50 Cent, the latter of whom actually performed recently at one of the fights.

The creators of the BX Fight Club cite the club’s purpose as one of a charitable organization designed to give young men and women from the Bronx a chance to channel their negative feelings and emotions into something that builds community rather than tears it down. “Put your stress into something positive and not into something negative,” said BX Hova in an interview with Vice.

“Don’t shoot him — punch him in his face. He’ll live, you’ll live, y’all both can hug afterwards and be alright.” Both BX Hova, who books the club’s entertainment acts and handles marketing, and Will, who deals with the logistics of the tournaments and the fighters themselves, have served time in prison for drug-related offenses. The BX Fight Club is a product of their effort to turn not only their own lives around after prison, but also the lives of underprivileged Bronx community members. The fighters have names like Wild Nigerian, Odee and Pacman, the last of whom is named because of his striking resemblance

to another Filipino boxer, Manny Paquiao.

Unlicensed boxing matches are considered misdemeanor offenses in the state of New York, with everyone from the club owners, the fighters and the ring girls facing charges.

Other unsanctioned fight clubs in New York, such as Brooklyn’s Friday Night Throwdown, have been making the move to official status in recent years. This not only legalizes the activity, but also necessitates the added expense of insurance for the boxers, ringside doctors and medical equipment. Currently, the BX Fight Club remains illegal, which means that fight times and locations tend to remain undisclosed until the last minute, and even then, the specifics are variable. In spite of this, the gyms that host the fights have gotten nicer as crowds have grown. Equipment has gotten more professional and safety precautions have gotten more stringent.

The crowd cheers and slaps their hands on the ring as the fight draws to a close. Both fighters are now sweat-drenched and breathing hard, but both have huge grins on their faces. The referee ends the match. One of the fighters, the shorter one, momentarily looks like he is going for another attack, but instead embraces his opponent. In boxing, it is traditional for the referee to raise the glove of the winning boxer above their heads as a sign of victory. Here, the fighters raise their gloves together.

Campus Briefs & Bites Fordham and West Point Enter New Partnership

Panel Held Focuses on Rights of Pregnant People

James B. Donovan, FCRH ‘37, Subject of Film

Zika Virus Not Threat to New York City

Military science instructors from the United States Military Academy at West Point will now have the opportunity to study at Fordham. Fordham’s Graduate School of Education (GSE) has partnered with West Point so that the military academy can train its officers in pedagogy at Fordham. Military science instructors have not yet been required to earn a degree beyond a Bachelor’s, unlike their counterparts in traditional arts and sciences. This partnership will give West Point instructors the chance to receive a graduate education. The partnership arose thanks to the Viola Foundation, a group that focuses on national security, education and faithbased initiatives. The foundation was established by Vincent Viola, a West Point graduate, member of the Fordham Board of Trustees and father of two Fordham graduates.

A panel of experts came together on Tuesday Feb. 2 at Fordham Law School to discuss the need to defend the basic human and civil rights of pregnant people. Prominent members of advocacy organizations led the event, called “Cura Personalis and the Rights and Dignity of Pregnant People.”

It focused on the various ways in which the rights of pregnant people are infringed upon. Topics included the rights of incarcerated pregnant women and the barriers to accessing quality reproductive healthcare.

“Cura personalis is the idea of caring for the whole person, including recognizing and respecting their needs, their concerns and their personal circumstances,” said event organizer Jeanne Flavin, Ph.D., professor of sociology. “It also calls on us to recognize people’s strengths and insights, as well as their authority to make decisions for themselves and their families.”

Fordham is hosting a panel discussion and screening of the film Bridge of Spies, directed by Steven Spielburg and starring Tom Hanks. Hanks portrays James B. Donovan, FCRH ’37, who was a New York lawyer famous for arguing against the death penalty for a convicted Soviet spy.

He eventually organized the exchange of that spy for Americans held in Russia in 1962. He also negotiated the release of over a thousand prisoners held in Cuba after the Bay of Pigs invasion. The panel discussion will include Donovan’s son, John Donovan, his granddaughter, Beth Amorosi, and Jim Jennewein, screenwriter and artist in residence. Fordham History professor, Christopher Dietrich, will be the moderator. The screening will take place on Feb. 9 at 5:30 p.m. in the Costantino Room at Fordham Law School.

Thomas Daniels, Ph.D, director of Fordham’s Calder Center Biological Field Station and co-director of its vector ecology lab, said that an outbreak of the Zika virus in New York is unlikely because mosquitos prefer sub-tropical temperatures, more likely to be found in the south. Scientists think this virus is the reason for almost 4,000 cases of microcephaly in Brazil. Normally rare, microcephaly is a brain defect in babies that results in smaller head size and inappropriate development. At least one person in New York City has tested positive for the virus, while two others in the state have as well. Daniels added that sexual transmission is also possible, and that humans can be contributing to the spread of the disease through human-to mosquito transmission.

NEWS

February 3, 2016

Page 5

Allegations Against FUEMS, Public Safety Unfounded: Investigation FROM ALLEGATIONS, PAGE 1

university-wide email on Tuesday morning. His email included excerpts of the investigation results.

Marcinelli wrote “An Open Letter To The Fordham University Emergency Services Who Failed Me” FPR Slant News, a digital news website consisting of crowdsourced content. She described a Nov. 11 incident in which she and her friends were questioned

by FUEMS after they requested that Public Safety pay the taxi driver who allegedly attempted to sexually assault her friend. In a university-wide email following the alleged incident, McShane wrote that he would look to have the case reviewed by independent professionals and requested the university’s patience during the investigation.

Marcinelli also claimed that the university officials violated HIPAA

(The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) laws while questioning her.

HIPAA includes a privacy rule, establishing national standards for the protection of individuals’ medical records and other personal health information.

The investigation found that FUEMS behaved appropriately.

“The actions of Fordham University Emergency Medical Services and their interactions with [the students] in the early morning hours of November 11, 2015 were appropriate, measured and in accordance with Fordham University procedures and New York State Department of Health Bureau of Emergency Medical Services Protocols,” read another excerpt from the report sent by McShane.

Marcineli was contacted by The Fordham Ram on Monday after-

FODHAM RAM ARCHIVES

The allegations brought against Fordham’s Public Safety and FUEMS have been deemed unfounded.

noon, at which time time she only commented that she was disappointed.

McShane concluded the email

with his hopes that the report would “reassure students, faculty and staff alike that we have taken the student’s allegations seriously,

and that our staff acted with the high level of professionalism and respect that the Fordham community expects and deserves.”

Alumni Organization Forms, Talks Race Relations Initiatives

By MIKE BYRNE ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Fordham’s alleged lack of diversity and negative social atmosphere were topics of discussion for a recent group of alumni. The group held an informal meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 26, where they talked about last semester’s racial bias incidents and what they indicate about the school’s character and how Fordham can be more involved in its own Bronx community.

These discussions have risen from some alumni observations that Fordham has become disconnected from its Bronx community.

“What feels very different now from when I first started teaching here 45 years ago, and even from 20 years ago, is the economic disparity between the students attending Fordham and the people in the surrounding Bronx community,” said Dr. Mark Naison, professor of African and African American studies. “The result is a glaring economic as well as racial divide between the campus and the Bronx community which can reinforce stereotypes students hold about people living in the Bronx, stereotypes deeply rooted

in popular culture.”

The alumni were critical of the lack of concrete change following last semester’s bias incidents.

They commented that Fordham is now becoming a place where students of color are being intimidated.

The group proposed specific plans that the school could implement, as well as long-term measures to help counteract what it perceived as a growing detachment of students from the Bronx.

“If the university could make students more socially aware, more involved in experiences where they meet people whose lives are harder than their own. Not just the hardship but the creativity and courage of people in this community will enter into this institution and people are gonna be changed by it,” Naison said.

They first proposed the revival of a permanent progressive alumni entity, which would keep former students involved in Fordham’s current social affairs.

“The goal is to create a permanent alumni organization to try to encourage Fordham to take a whole different view of the Bronx community and also to recruit more low and moderate income

students and students of color,” Naison said.

Furthermore, they discussed the possibility of holding an anti-gentrification and antiracism protest outside the gates of Fordham sometime in April.

The group also was also in favor of Naison’s idea to include a onehour lecture in the freshman orientation program focused on the Bronx and its cultural vitality.

Dr. Naison has also created a class which will begin in Fall 2016 called “The Bronx: Immigration, Race, and Culture.” According to Naison, it is aimed at changing the popular narrative of the Bronx as just another story of urban decay.

There was also the suggestion that Fordham become a much more open campus by hosting events where the Bronx community is welcome. “The gates of Fordham should be open to people from the community for them to have events here, and for them to attend events that are sponsored by student organizations that are of interest,” Naison said.

Naison was critical of Fordham’s current relationship with the Bronx.

“There’s a disconnect,” he

VANESSA AGOVIDA/FORDHAM RAM

Dr. Mark Naison talks to former students about diversity proposals at an informal meeting with alumni.

said. “We have these high gates and we’re afraid to let the community in. We’re afraid to let this resource be used by anyone but paying customers. It’s a mentality that accentuates inequality in our society.”

The alumni hope that these concrete initiatives will lead to more fundamental changes in Fordham’s policy and its attitude towards the Bronx.

Current students have also observed a community disconnect.

“The [school’s] gate serves as a literal divide between the communities, and I think that we need to actively work to overcome this divide by integrating ourselves more intentionally in the community,” United Student Government (USG) executive president Ashley Domagola, FCRH ’16, said. “Students don’t take the time to explore the culture of the Bronx and assume that they need to travel to Manhattan to find rich cultural experiences.”

Vice President of Student Life, Peter Vergara, FCRH ’18, was proud of Fordham’s ties to the Bronx, but acknowledged the need for a continued effort.

“I think Fordham students do a great job interacting with the Bronx Community with everything from community service and tutoring programs to interacting with the community in shops and restaurants off campus,” he said. “Of course, there is much work left to be done.”

Domagola commented that students have been getting involved and started coming up with their own approaches, noting that last semester, USG came together with several clubs to form the Diversity Action Coalition.

“The coalition’s goals are aimed, in part, at improving the relationships between Fordham students and the community outside of the gates,” she said.

She proposed an idea is to expand First Year Formation to a mandatory course for freshmen and transfer students. “We would design the curriculum to emphasize the history of the Bronx and to explore aspects of diversity,”

she proposed.

Vergara also highlighted upcoming projects that, according to him, will help yield more dialogue between Fordham and the Bronx and create a better relationship between the two.

“First, a community cleanup program for public areas andstreets of high traffic near campus. Second, a student art show titled ‘The Beautiful Bronx,’ which encourages students to create and submit art that highlights the beautiful diversity and vibrancy of the Bronx just beyond the campus walls. I am hoping this art show encourages more students to get involved with programs and initiatives off campus,” said Vergara.

Naison argued a fundamental change in school policy and attitude will ultimately produce a stronger bond between the school and its community. He commented that the school has recently not lived up to the Jesuit ideals it prides itself on.

Citing the fact that Fordham ranks 134th in the country in financial aid to low-income students, Naison said, “if you’re going to change admissions and financial aid policy, it means you may have to sacrifice geographical diversity and high SAT scores for more of a social justice orientation. So, you’re U.S. News & World Report ranking may go down… It’s not easy to be part of the solution. It means sacrifices. I would take a salary freeze to have more low-income students here.”

Still, Naison does not want to speak too soon about potential changes.

“I am cautiously optimistic about Fordham’s future relationship with the Bronx because students, faculty, alumni and community members are mobilizing to make sure that relationship improves,” he concluded.

“Without that pressure, I am not sure the administration will make difficult decisions regarding admissions, financial aid, and greater access to the Rose Hill Campus for Bronx residents and community groups.”

NEWS

Page 6

February 3, 2015

McCarthy Joins Campus Ministry

By THERESA SCHLIEP ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

JACK BRENNAN/THE FORDHAM RAM

Some students feel Fordham Plaza has improved, while others miss the commerce in the old plaza.

Pedestrians Enjoy New Fordham Plaza FROM PLAZA, PAGE 1

Construction began in 2013, and the three-year project broke down all existing structures at the plaza, including Pronto Pizza, popular with Fordham students due not only to its location, but also its $1 pizza. The existing ‘marketplace’ section has been demolished and replaced with plaza seating, and an upcoming cafe where the pizza place once stood.

The bus routes that once cut through the plaza have been relocated into a loop, creating a contiguous plaza area. Furthermore, in line with the city’s commitment to incorporate principles of sustainability in all new developments, the new plaza replaces concrete with grass and trees that provide shade and create a more park-like feel for its visitors.

The project, developed through a partnership between the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), cost a total of $34 million and was funded on local, state and federal levels.

Due to the nature of the project, which sought to improve traffic and pedestrian safety, efficiently organize the 12 city buses that pass through the plaza and provide a space for the people of the neighborhood to relax, it was able to garner support from different places.

The reconstruction project was originally one of the initiatives in the PlaNYC 2030 plan of public initiatives announced in 2007 by then-mayor Bloomberg, which called for increased lighting and pedestrian safety in the plaza, as well as a restructuring of the 12 bus routes that traveled through it.

The project was also part of the NYC Plaza Program, which aims to increase the availability of quality open spaces to New Yorkers, especially in neighborhoods which qualify as low income, by transforming underused streets into public spaces. The project is also in line with the New York City Vision Zero initiative pushed

by Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2014, which sought to reduce pedestri-

an and traffic fatalities and make the streets of New York City safer.

The plaza is placed where thousands of pedestrians, cars, buses and trains meet on Fordham Road between Webster and Third Ave, and the Fordham Road Metro North station is the fourth busiest stop within the entire Metro-North system. Thousands of students from both Fordham University and the Roosevelt Educational Campus across from it contribute to the daily hustle and bustle around Fordham Plaza. The plaza sits at the end of the Fordham shopping district, which spans from Jerome Avenue and the 4 train station all the way to Webster and is not only the largest shopping strip in the Bronx, but also the third largest in New York City.

Joe Rapp, FCRH ’17, who is a commuter Assistant, has watched the construction progress during his years at Fordham. “The new plaza looks nice, but I haven’t seen it fully functional yet,” said Rapp, who commutes from Manhattan.

Though Rapp is not so sure about whether the changes will significantly decrease traffic or have a noticeable effect on pedestrian crossing, he is optimistic about the new plaza.

“Hopefully, the pedestrian friendly space will be a positive impact on the community,” he said.

Other students feel that the snowstorm, which took place only a few days after the ribbon cutting ceremony, diverted attention from the new plaza.

“The blizzard skewed any noticeable changes,” said Channprit Singh, GSB ’17, who commutes from Parkchester, Bronx. “I haven’t noticed anything different about pedestrian crossings due to people still jaywalking.”

Jaywalking on Fordham Road, according to the Fordham Plaza concept plan, mostly occurs as pedestrians cross the street directly from the front of the plaza to the Metro-North entrance on the other side, despite the fact that there is a pedestrian crossing about two or three meters away.

Singh, who has lived in the

Bronx his whole life, spoke positively about new pedestrian crossings in his neighborhood. However, he was less enthusiastic about the new plaza.

“Over a decade ago, the plaza used to be a marketplace with booths everywhere,” he said.

“That has long been gone and the Plaza has since become a bland, barren block.”

When asked if they plan on going to the new plaza when the snow melts and the weather becomes more favorable, Rapp is all for it. “I used to stop by the old plaza for pizza,” he said. “I will likely travel to the new plaza as well.”

As for Singh, he is not so certain, but is keeping an open mind.

“I have no incentive to go to the new plaza,” he said. “If that changes, sure.”

“It certainly isn’t so much of an eyesore as it used to be,” added Rapp.

Other students, like Frairee de la Fuente, FCRH ’17, who is an Resident Assistant for Campbell Hall, prefer the new plaza.

“There’s definitely a big and positive change to the new plaza,” she said. “The design is sleek and beautiful and it brings a lot of beauty to the area.”

The changes in pedestrian safety have not been lost on others.

“The pedestrian lanes are definitely safer and more accessible,” said Jamie Toto, FCRH ’16.

Andrew Julian, FCRH ’16, who graduates this year, said he does most of his grocery shopping near the plaza, and that he feels safer crossing the street since the construction. “I enjoy it,” he said. “I think what they did is absolutely an improvement and I intend to enjoy the area for the rest of my time at Fordham.”

Other students would like to see the Fordham Plaza as a place to escape the hustle and bustle of the immediate Fordham area.

“I hope that the new plaza will contain more space for pedestrians, residents, and students like myself,” said Preetika Govil, FCRH ’17. “It would be nice to have more open space without being surrounded constantly by traffic and bustling pedestrians.”

As a Californian transplanted to the Bronx and the new Vice President for Mission Integration and Planning, Michael C. McCarthy, S.J., replaces Monsignor Joseph G. Quinn, J.D., J.C.L., the vice president for university mission and ministry in the office of Campus Ministry. Quinn left Fordham after serving six years, and is now returning to the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

McCarthy said that he is looking forward to integrate into the community. “I’m excited about meeting the people and about the possibilities of trying to communicate the Jesuit message in very different kinds of communities,” he said.

McCarthy’s detailed his history in academia in an interview with The Fordham Ram. It includes a start at Stanford University, where he initially planned on pursuing law. Instead, he finished at Santa Clara University in California, went to Oxford University for four years, then Berkeley to finish his theology training and finally completed his doctorate at Notre Dame.

“As Fordham approaches its 175th anniversary, we hope to find ways for the Jesuit tradition to support not only the student experience, but also the academic mission of the university,” said Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University. “Hence we are changing the title of this particular position to vice president for Mission Integration and Planning.”

As vice president, McCarthy’s responsibility is to encourage academia through the Jesuit mission.

“Most Jesuit universities have a person of somewhat high position in the administration whose job it is to really advance the Jesuit Catholic mission of the university,” said McCarthy. “The vice president is a person who is really dedicated to

keeping his or her eye on how well we are we doing on that, and trying to help all parties who work in the university to see how their own natural worth can be enhanced by this philosophy that we have.”

McCarthy’s service at Santa Clara included the Thriving Neighbors Initiative, a program that they dedicated to serving the recent local immigrant community.

“My first initiative, really, is to meet people and listen to them,” he said. “I think relationships are very crucial. I don’t come with any set of initiatives, but I want to enter and learn as I can at this university.”

McCarthy thinks the initiative was mutually beneficial.

“We are these magnificent universities who can become more and more detached from the reality of the people we are living with, and so I felt that a good practice in community based learning was to deepen our partnerships with the recent immigrant community near Santa Clara with the intention that they teach us and we teach them,” he said.

In his vice presidency, McCarthy plans to emphasize communication and relationships, with people of various backgrounds and disciplines.

“I think it can be difficult at times for people to keep the bigger picture in mind, that we are here to serve a universal good,” McCarthy said. “I think that part of our job is to make that vision accessible and easy to understand for people with vastly different backgrounds, personal commitments and understanding. Communication is really the biggest thing I can do.”

Lastly, the native Californian said that his transition has been aided by warmer weather and his sports allegiances.

“I’m a San Francisco Giants and Golden State Warriors fan, but I have to admit, ever since I was little, I have been a Yankee fan.”

JACK BRENNAN/THE FORDHAM RAM

Father McCarthy hopes to advance the Jesuit mission of the university.

February 3, 2016

OPINION

Page 7

The Fordham Ram

Fordham’s Curriculum Lacks Eastern Representation

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Many syllabi in college focus on Western canon, instead of including texts from all regions of the world.

By BRIANNA ALLARD STAFF WRITER

Recently, the New York Times published an article on the most important part of college: syllabi.

The study describes the metadata of over a million syllabi from all different colleges. Now, it is no surprise that the survey they conducted found that many differ-

ent syllabi share the same course readings. It is worth noting that these shared readings come from the traditional Western canon.

The Western canon is composed of works such as Karl Marx’s the “Communist Manifesto,” Plato’s “Republic” and Shakespeare. All of these texts are written by authors from the Western world. Of course, some of these texts can

be taught in multiple subjects, but there is still a notable pattern in the selection of texts within academia.

Where does Fordham fit into the scheme of this new study? Fordham’s curriculum follows this tendency towards the Western canon.

As a sophomore, I have read many of the works mentioned in the article. Even if Fordham syllabi were not counted in the survey, I have

encountered many syllabi in my four semesters at Fordham that prove its point.

Fordham stands out from other schools in many ways, but it can be assumed that the classes that other universities offer include very similar readings to the syllabi here at Fordham, which means that other universities across the country play into this Western canon as well.

Furthermore, the core curriculum here is focused on the Western world and the Western canon.

For example, our philosophy classes focus on the popular philosophers from the Western world and our theology classes focus on the religions of the Western world, mostly Christianity. Even our core classes, which have the flexibility to stray from the Western canon, focus on Western readings. Only one-third of Understanding Historical Change classes focus on the so-called East. And only one of seven fine arts core classes is not focused on the Western world.

Obviously, we have a problem on our hands. Many students across the country are only learning about the history, traditions, faith and beliefs of half of the world. The Eastern world is left out of higher education. This is unacceptable. Every year, millions

of students enroll in universities across the country and around the world to become educated and well-rounded. Yet these students are being cheated of this opportunity. By only exposing their students to the Western education professors are not fully meeting this responsibility.

Fortunately, this problem can be solved. We need to incorporate more Eastern literature into more classes. Fordham prides itself on its core curriculum, which produces graduates who are experts not just in their majors, but knowledgeable in other topics as well.

By incorporating Eastern literature into its curriculum, not only will Fordham’s graduates be wellrounded individuals, but they will be well-rounded global individuals. In today’s society, we need to be global individuals, since the world around us is integrated and global. In order to fully contribute to that global society, we ourselves need to be global citizens.

By adding Eastern literature into the academic world that is college, the next generation can be the global citizens the world needs.

Brianna Allard, FCRH ’18, is an International Studies major from Somers, Connecticut.

Colleges Should Teach the Role of Whiteness

By OLIVIA COOLEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

At some point, we have all probably heard a white person lament that there is no such thing as “White History Month.” At Portland Community College (PCC), there is (almost) such a thing — but it might not be what you expect.

Portland Community College is now recognizing April as “Whiteness History Month.” The subtle difference between “white” and “whiteness” is important: it signals a critical examination of whiteness as a concept rather than a celebration of white people’s historical accomplishments.

PCC describes the program as a “multidisciplinary, district-wide, educational project examining race and racism through an exploration of the construction of whiteness, its origins and heritage.” This obviously is not the “White History Month” some people have been calling for — but that is a good thing.

Despite the backlash the program has generated, which ranges from accusations of “whitenessshaming” to violent threats against faculty and students, Whiteness History Month represents an important step toward addressing racial inequalities on college campuses and in society as a whole.

Specifically pointing to whiteness as the concept behind the oppressive regime of systemic racism is crucial in developing an understanding of white privilege and accountability. It also chal-

lenges the very notion of race as we know it by introducing the idea that the definition of “whiteness” has varied throughout history and that the category arose only out of a desire to subjugate those who did not meet its criteria.

Here at Fordham, adjunct Professor of sociology and anthropology Andrew Thompson is offering a course entitled “Race, Racism and Whiteness” during the Spring 2016 semester. The course examines “the particular historical, cultural and epistemological dimensions of white experience,” relying upon works from the field of “critical whiteness studies.” Critical whiteness studies, a discipline within the broader field of critical race theory, attempts to understand the implications of the construct of whiteness with respect to racial injustice and inequality.

As hate crimes and other racially-motivated incidents continue to occur on Fordham’s campus and on college campuses around the country, and as student activists continue to respond to these incidents by demanding more effective responses from faculty, it might be useful to ask: should Whiteness History Month be enacted everywhere? Or, as some students here at Fordham have suggested, would it be useful to include a course such as Professor Thompson’s that explores systems of oppression and our role in dismantling them in the core curriculum?

While one single approach might not work best for every

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Some colleges are starting to teach classes about racial sensitivity, including a course available at Fordham.

school, it is clear that every college and university should make an effort to do what colleges and universities are supposed to do: educate their students. Education should not just include fields like math and science, writing and literature.

Students should be challenged to expand their worldview and become responsible citizens working against the racial injustice that continues to be perpetuated in our society.

If we continue to approach issues of race without focusing on the role of whiteness, we are missing a huge piece of the puzzle.

Treating whiteness as the de-

fault or the norm is a symptom of a racist culture, marking people of color as “other” and centralizing the interests of white people. We must acknowledge that whiteness is not an inherent characteristic, nor a neutral description of one’s racial background, but rather a socially-constructed category used to bring about degradation and subjugation of people of color.

As the Cascade Diversity Council at PCC states, whiteness is an “ideology based on beliefs, values, behaviors, habits and attitudes which result in the unequal distribution of power and privilege based on skin color.”

Raising awareness about the

construct of whiteness and its grave implications is not “whiteshaming,” but rather a very important step in bringing about racial equality.

When people complain that there is no such thing as White History Month, it is safe to say they are speaking from a place of relative ignorance about the history of race and racism in the United States. The best way to combat this ignorance is to do exactly what Portland Community College is doing: educate.

Olivia Cooley, FCRH ’16, is a Women’s Studies and Spanish double major from Meridan, Connecticut.

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 Drew Casey Copy Chief Sydney Keen Editorial Director Amanda Giglio Business Director Zack Miklos Assistant Business Director Tyler Dikun Assistant Copy Chief Tara Martinelli News Editor Erin Shanahan Assistant 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 Editors Jack Brennan Andrea Garcia Kate Mackie 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 fordhamramletters@ 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.

February 3, 2016

From the Desk | Jack McLoone

Loss of Grantland Devastates Sports Journalism On Friday, Oct. 30, my emotions could be best described as “Little Foot after his mom dies.” The world of sports writing, and longform internet articles in general, was struck a blow so large that it is still being felt today: the shuttering of Grantland out-of-the-blue by ESPN a few months after creator and polarizing figure Bill Simmons was fired.

A quick rundown of Grantland goes like this: after a meteoric rise in popularity, Bill Simmons had the pull at ESPN to create his own website in conjunction with the sports-media giant. Simmons, well known for his mixture of sports and pop culture, set out in 2011 to make a website like none before it and, improbably, achieved it.

One half of Grantland was its incredible sports content, whether it be stories like “The Sound and the Fury,” which is an oral history of WFAN, or the more consistent analytical content written by writers like Jonah Keri, Zach Lowe and Bill Barnwell.

Grantland found a way to dig deeper and weirder, discovering incredible stories and finding statistical deficiencies no one else could.

But the other side of Grantland was its pop culture articles, which were just as inexpertly good. These stories were published with a free-

dom only Simmons could provide.

One of the finest examples of this is a story written shortly before the end of Grantland by Chris Ryan entitled “The Sea is Dope.” Ryan spends some 600 words waxing poetical about how the best setting for movies is the ocean, and he makes you believe it.

Grantland writers and readers alike latched onto this piece following the death of Grantland as the standard bearer of the freedom given to writers on the site. That piece, let alone its title, could never have been published elsewhere. The list of great stories from Grantland goes on and on, and I would recommend you check out its archives (still up on ESPN’s website). But class is still in session, and you might forget that for a week if you end up there.

The thing about Grantland was that it was never supposed to work.

When Grantland was first announced, doubt came in from all directions. The Atlantic even published an article entitled “Bill Simmons’ Grantland is Doomed Even Before Launch.” And, looking back, I cannot say I totally disagree with the logic. Simmons had, and still has, a reputation as being unmanageable, and ESPN handing him essentially free reign could have easily backfired immediately. Instead, he was able to

punch the right buttons and create arguably the best staff in the history of writing. That sounds like hyperbole, but it is the honest-to-goodness truth.

Incredible personalities and writers rose out of Grantland. There’s Rembert Browne, a pop culture writer who, while also contributing lighter fare like his brackets of who “won” March Madness each year, also contributed deeper pieces, such as “The Front Lines of Ferguson” and “Stanford Man: Richard Sherman and the Thug Athlete Narrative.”

There is Bill Barnwell, who managed to make football analytics accessible to the layman, while also deconstructing the idea of “momentum” in sports along the way. And you cannot have Barnwell without his Twitter foil and fellow Grantlander Shea Serrano, who wrote articles like “When Did Will Smith Stop Being Cool?” and other amazing pieces that I read for a half hour while looking for good examples. And I would be remiss not to mention my favorite sports writer of all time, Jonah Keri, who ranked the MLB teams each week with “The 30” and deconstructs baseball like no one else. Grantland is the reason I want to be a sportswriter. I wanted nothing more than to be a part of the culture, the dream being to eventually write

for Grantland. If I didn’t read a story on Grantland on any given day, I must have been dead. I could always forgive ESPN for its transgressions against intellectual thought (looking at you, First Take) because they let Grantland hang around, despite it being so outside the realm of ESPN’s usual fare.

So I guess this can be summed up best as a thank you letter to all of Grantland. Thank you for my procrastination over the last five years.

Thank you for inspiring me to think of sports writing as something more than just puff pieces and score reports. Thank you for writing about pop culture in a way that made it matter. You were one of a kind, and undeniably the best. I miss you a lot.

Editorial | Election

Come April, Let Us Be Iowans If the 2016 presidential election ends up getting a chapter in future U.S. history books, as we predict it very well might, then the Iowa caucus will be deserving of at least a page. Ted Cruz secured a victory in Monday night’s caucus, narrowly snatching the win from Donald Trump, who had been leading in the Iowa polls.

Going into the primaries, Trump, as the frontrunner of the Republican Party, is the elephant in the classroom, lunchroom and dorm room, as his exceedingly brash statements have earned him media ridicule and surprising support across state borders. While Ted Cruz may seem tame compared to the real estate mogul, his character appears to be no more upstanding; he tried to shut down the government over

Obamacare and, just yesterday, issued an apology to Ben Carson for falsely telling Iowa caucus voters that the neurosurgeon was planning to quit the race. However, a win for the bigoted Trump would have been earth-shattering and embarrassing.

The Republican party was spared from that.

In the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were head-to-head until the end, with Clinton winning by decimals of a percentage — a shock to many following months of Clinton maintaining a solid lead. A strong performance by Sanders can reasonably accomplish two things: it advances him towards the White House, and it assures that even if he does not make it all the way there, Clinton will not be able to ignore the criticisms di-

rected toward her and her campaign

by Republicans or Sanders’ supporters in the coming months.

As is typical of the primaries, and evident in the multi-candidate Republican Party, radicalist ideals are capturing coveted votes and moderation is difficult to find. More moderate candidates, such as John Kasich and Marco Rubio, were unable to capture the same amount of delegates on their side. The exception, of course, is Clinton, who may not be moderate by moderate standards but is seen as such when compared to the likes of Sanders.

It is hardly objectionable that most of the Iowa caucus’ hype is due to its timing, as Iowa is the first state to cast its votes. But this year, the Iowans should serve as an inspiration to Fordham students eligible to vote

and to the country as a whole. The Iowans were excited and enthusiastic, their choices fostered continuous debate and they turned up in record numbers in a time where civic engagement is strikingly low.

For the majority of Fordham students, the November 2016 presidential election will be the first that we can actively participate in. Whoever wins the presidency is sure to impact our young adult lives in drastic ways both in college and well afterwards. We can fight the stigma that college students do not care about politics and are not as aware of the issue that the candidates are talking about. We can do it by educating ourselves, voting in primaries, voting in the general elections and casting absentee ballots. Come April, let us be Iowans.

We at The Fordham Ram extend our deepest sympathies to Fordham Preparatory School following the tragic loss of two students within the past two weeks. Our hearts and minds are with the teachers, students and faculty at Fordham Prep, as well as the families of the deceased. We stand in solidarity with you.

The following mental health resources are available to students at Fordham University: CPS Location: Rose Hill Campus O’Hare Hall Basement Phone: 718-817-3725 Hours of Operation: Monday - Thursday: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Friday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

OSAPSS on the Rose Hill Campus Location: Rose Hill Campus Lower level of Alumni Court South Phone: 718-817-3948 Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

OPINION

February 3, 2016

Page 9

Students Standing Up to Sodexo Services

By KACIE CANDELA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

In early December, a petition on Change.org was posted, asking Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university and Christopher Rodgers, dean of students, to “Make Fordham University Sodexo-Free.” As of print, the petition has 680 supporters.

The day after the petition went viral, the Senior Vice President for Student Affairs emailed the Fordham community notifying us that the university issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) — meaning that if a better candidate comes along and can compete with Sodexo, the university might switch providers for the 201617 academic year.

According to Deming Yaun, the university dining contract Liaison, the decision to open an RFP “was not in response to the petition, as the Request for Proposals had been in the planning stages for most of the summer.”

The university was already in a 10year contract with Sodexo that began on July 1, 2013. Some of the promises made upon the inauguration of that contract were that what is now Cosi would have become a Starbucks, and The Grille as we know it would have become a Chipotle. Today, neither of those promises have been fulfilled, and Fordham still ranks #13 on The Princeton Review’s “Is it Food?” list for 2016.

However, the university is of the mindset that Sodexo has reached the annual goals set since 2013. This does not include the $3 million penalty hovering over Sodexo if Fordham is not removed from The Princeton Review list. If that penalty is instated, it will “not take effect until Summer 2016,” according to Yaun.

JACK BRENNAN/THE FORDHAM RAM

“Customer satisfaction has been increasing since 2013, according to our surveys, with about 80 percent of respondents indicating they are satisfied or highly satisfied with Fordham Dining,” Yaun said. But if these statistics are so high, why has Fordham bothered to issue a RFP at all?

My first thought when seeing that statistic was that it could not be right.

I am definitely not satisfied with Fordham Dining (nor do I know anyone who is). Sure, the cafeteria cookies are delicious and students rave about the buffalo chicken wrap from The Grille. But I find it incredibly difficult to believe that students are highly satisfied with the nutritional value, variety of offerings and quality of food provided here.

Perhaps part of the reason why Sodexo was able to renew its contract four years ago was because the only other contractor who was able to have its formal proposal considered was Aramark. At the time, those involved in the process largely agreed that Sodexo offered the better deal to Fordham students. Would this change if the university had actively sought out

a wider variety of vendors?

Hopefully this time around, Fordham will learn from its mistakes in the 2012 bidding process and decline to give Sodexo a third chance. According to Yaun, “We are starting with a clean slate: every firm that submits a proposal has a chance of being selected, based on the contents of their proposal.”

Sodexo, however, does not seem concerned. On Sept. 14, 2015, a Fordham/Sodexo worker bargaining committee ratified a new five-year contract with Sodexo management.

The contract saved Sodexo money on health coverage for its employees and increased pension contributions for each year.

On the Change.org petition, various students commented that while they despised the food, they do not want the staff to get laid off in the process.

“I want healthier, better-quality food at school. However, the employees are incredible, so I would love it if they were able to stay on staff,” the top comment reads.

“The employees are great but the

food makes me feel awful. It’s so repetitive and my allergies make food options so limited that I can’t even eat in every establishment on campus. I’m never full, just sick or bloated from the horrible food,” another student commented.

While these comments echo the sentiment of many students on campus, if Fordham students were truly passionate about exiling Sodexo from our campus, we would do more than sign a petition and forget about it.

Luckily, there will be various opportunities for students to take part in the RFP process this spring. After the proposals are submitted, students will be able to tour dining locations operated by the companies who are finalists. During the week of March 7, 2016, students can attend the presentations by each company, and the winner will be chosen in late March 2016.

If students ignore the opportunity to play an active role in the RFP process, surely Fordham will respond to the anti-Sodexo petition in exactly the same way it responded to The Princeton Review ranking in 2012 — by giving Sodexo yet another chance and claiming that it is our best option.

We already know how Fordham is going to respond. The question we should instead be asking ourselves is: how will our student body respond?

With disgruntled murmurings and complaints about food poisoning or real action?

We have the power to decide what we eat next fall, but only if we show the university administration that we are serious about freeing Fordham from Sodexo.

Kacie Candela, FCRH ’19, is an International Political Economy major from Franklin Square, New York.

Religion Is Not a Trend

By JACLYN WEINER STAFF WRITER

Over the years, religions have used celebrities to brand and popularize their churches. The Church of Scientology is the most wellknown example of a church that practices this form of recruitment, and has used celebrity endorsements in order to attract followers since of its creation in 1954.

However, Scientology is not the only church that uses this method of branding. Within the past couple of years, the Hillsong Church has had an increase in media attention due to its association with celebrities, such as Justin Bieber, Kendall Jenner and Kevin Durant.

These tactics that churches use in order to gain attention is making religion out to be a type of trend. Religion is not a trend no matter what church or faith one belongs to, and should not be thought of as such.

A religion should be defined by its beliefs and customs, rather than the celebrity faces that endorse it.

The Church of Scientology is very open when it comes to the fact that it caters to celebrities. During the late 1960s, the first Celebrity Centre was created. The main goal of the Celebrity Centre is to recruit celebrities to their faith. In 1955, L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, created “Project Celebrity,” which promised rewards

to those that successfully recruited celebrities to their faith.

In 1976, a Scientology policy was released that proclaimed that “rehabilitation of celebrities who are just beyond or just approaching their prime” enables the “rapid dissemination” of Scientology. Hubbard also explained that Scientology is available to help celebrities and public figures deal with the burdens of being in the public eye. The practice of catering to celebrities has not diminished over the years. Some of the most famous Scientologists include Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kirstie Alley. Cruise is known for his outward public support for the Church of Scientology, making recruitment videos and declaring Scientologists as “authorities on getting people off drugs, using the mind, improving conditions, rehabilitating criminals, creating peace and uniting cultures.”

One of the main issues with celebrities being the face of specific faiths is the overshadowing of a church’s beliefs and values. Scientology is an individualistic faith that encourages spiritual enlightenment and freedom for all, rather than following specific scripture like other religious groups, though there are specific values that Scientologists live by. The Church of Scientology does not encourage its members to accept anything solely based on

faith, but rather to apply what they have learned from their church and find the proof of truth themselves through experience and observation.

Though the Church of Scientology supports positivity and spiritual growth, there are many controversial beliefs that are associated with Scientology, such as the right to attack those that criticize Scientology and the disbelief in psychiatry and psychology.

Overall, it is important to educate oneself on the beliefs and practices of a religion before judging or being swayed by its supporters.

Different faiths may be harming, rather than helping, themselves by establishing their religions through the voices of celebrities.

The Hillsong Church, founded in Australia in 1983, is another faith that has sparked media attentionrecently. Many are branding it as a “hipster” and “cool” church due to the way Hillsong presents and celebrates its faith, often through the form of music. Additionally, the church’s association with celebrities, such as Justin Bieber, has led to a rise in attention and membership. According to the church, 30,000 people attend services every week. Hillsong Music has topped the Australian charts and has had albums certified platinum or gold.

Hillsong is a Pentecostal Church,

which is a Christian religion. Unlike Scientology, Hillsong is scripture based. The Church sees the Bible as truth and as authoritative in all matters of faith and believes one should strive to live a fruitful Christian life.

The mission statement of the Hillsong Church is “to reach and influence the world by building a large Christ-centered, Bible-based church, changing mindsets and empowering people to lead and impact in every sphere of life.”

The Hillsong Church holds some controversial viewpoints, such as opposition to embryonic stem cell research and abortion, support for creationism and intelligent design to be taught in school and forbidding of homosexuals to hold leadership positions in the church.

Celebrities have the right to the comforts of religion just like anyone else, but that does not make it right for churches to use the status of celebrities as a means of profit, especially when it distracts people to what the religion represents. Celebrities and trends should not be what drives your religious convictions. If you want to understand a religion, you must research and observe for yourself.

Jaclyn Weiner, FCRH ’18, is a Communications and Media Studies major from Wantagh, New York.

Elle Rothermich You Is Smart A new commercial series for TurboTax features a number of highprofile physicists aiding “everyday people” in the use of its tax preparation system. “You don’t need a genius to do your taxes,” runs the tagline.

This advertising campaign begs a question: what, exactly, is a genius?

If a child takes a minute to solve a problem that other children need 10 minutes to solve, she probably has a high level of logical intelligence. If the child then extrapolates a novel algorithm from her calculations and later uses it to solve similar problems, someone is bound to throw around the word “genius.”

Understood by the Romans to refer to a personal guardian spirit, the term “genius” in modern society has come to signify the seemingly effortless ability to remember and retrieve information that can be used to solve problems those with lesser intellects can see yet barely approach. The scientific minds of Sherlock Holmes and Sheldon Cooper exemplify this definition. Both brains possess a large aptitude for spatial reasoning, while both personalities express an equally large affinity for commenting on the mental shortcomings of those around them. So lives the idea of genius in the public consciousness — the highly logical man, misanthropic and intensely reliant upon a sturdy sidekick to act as a liaison between himself and the world. Computers, humancreated tools, can also remember and retrieve. If we hold this narrow definition to be true, Google then must be the greatest genius of them all: able to retrieve the molar mass of lithium acetate in less than a second and then, in a blink, offer you showtimes for Star Wars just from the letters “amc st.” What Google does not know, one assumes no one knows.

But we know that Google is not truly thinking. Computer code stretching for miles keeps up the charade of organic mental processes, but the search engine cannot create anything new from the information it acquires. It cannot truly problem solve.

Problem solving is, at first glance, far more applicable to the STEM fields than to the humanities. Logicbased tasks have clear inputs and outputs (solve the equation to generate a value for x, or add hydrochloric acid in a specific concentration to neutralize a set amount of sodium hydroxide). Massive theories can be articulated through the systematic application of inputs derived from prior outputs. Scientists at CERN found the Higgs boson because their calculations pointed to a Higgs boson-shaped hole in the human understanding of particle physics.

But what calculations pointed LinManuel Miranda to a rap-shaped hole in Alexander Hamilton’s narrative?

Imagination, as Einstein himself said, “encircles the world.” Embracing ample imagination and creative thought as the markers of intellectual prowess may be just the thing to help schools match students to the resources that will best help them grow. It may be just the thing to lead our society to a deeper appreciation of female intellect, and maybe parents will not look so harshly upon the child who prefers the paintbrush to calculus. Perhaps it is time to broaden our definition of genius.

OPINION

Page 10

February 3, 2016

Are Visa Policies Discriminatory?

By SAMUEL FARNUM CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Beginning on Jan. 21, the State Department implemented new policies designed to make it harder for certain groups of people to enter the United States. Under the new policies implemented by the Obama administration, citizens must seek visa clearance if they visited Syria, Iraq, Iran or Sudan in the last five years or enjoy dual citizenship with any one of them, whereas before this step was not necessary.

The stated purpose of these measures is to make it harder for potentially radical Islamic terrorists to enter the United States. As the self-declared Islamic State controls thousands of square miles of territory in Syria and Iraq, and both Iran and the Sudan are classified as state sponsors of terror by the State Department, these countries have been host to increased terror activity in recent years. By making it harder for people who have a connection to these countries to enter the U.S., the Obama administration maintains that our country is better protected from potential attacks.

However, opponents accuse the new policies of being financially disastrous and discriminatory. Some of the loudest opponents of these measures are the countries targeted by them. Iran has expressed grave concerns about the effects such travel ramifications could have on its business sector even with the outlined business exemptions. Furthermore, civil liberties organizations at home and abroad have accused the mea-

sures of being needlessly discriminatory. In a letter written to Congress in December, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said, “It is wrong and un-American to punish groups without reason solely based on their nationality, national origin, religion, gender, or other protected grounds.”

While the sections of these policies related to travel make sense, those tied to citizenship and nationalities do not. In the current state of the world, travel to Syria, Iraq, Iran or the Sudan for reasons unrelated to journalism, business or humanitarian aid could be seen as reasonably suspicious. Mandating extra visa requirements for those who enjoyed this type of travel seems appropriate, as groups increasingly recruit new fighters from Europe and the Americas. Though the countries targeted in these policies may not agree with these travel measures, the measures themselves are a reflection of how these governments have failed to secure their own borders. With better governance, these countries have the ability to make an appeal against the new laws.

On the other hand, dual citizenship to any one of these nations does not constitute reasonable evidence to suspect terror related activity.

Throughout history, whenever our country has discriminated against civilians in this way during a time of conflict, it has always returned as a source of national embarrassment.

The nature of the terror activities being carried out in these countries has nothing to do with nationality and everything to do with perverted ide-

ology that pays no attention to international borders.

A notable Iranian journalist in the U.K., Rana Rahimpour, became affected by these new policies last week as she attempted to surprise her brother in the U.S. for his birthday.

She was stopped at London Heathrow airport and told she would have to apply for a visa to continue.

In an interview with NPR, Rahimpour expressed her frustrations. “You become British, and you pay taxes in Britain,” he said. “And you think that you can benefit from the visa waiver program. And then suddenly, they tell you that, no, you’re not British anymore. You have to apply for a visa.” She continued, “I think this is racial discrimination. You feel that you’re being punished for something that sometimes, you don’t have anything to do with.”

As a journalist, Rahimpour had the privileged ability to bring her story forward — a privilege thousands of dual citizens in the same positon will not have over the coming years.

If national origin has nothing to do with your potential support of radical Islamic ideologies, then what do measures like this do but punish innocent people for something they “have nothing to do with?” In regards to these new policies, national origin should be left out of the conversation, though travel habits may be cited as an appropriate motivation for additional screening.

Samuel Farnum, FCRH ’16, is an English and Music Studies major from Ranchester, Wyoming.

Joseph Moresky Trump’s Wrong Foreign Policy On the campaign trail, Donald Trump, the business mogul turned unlikely Republican frontrunner, has repeatedly emphasized his commitment to strength at home and abroad.

So far, this has been a winning strategy. But, he lacks an articulated grand strategy, and voters are left to look at the Donald’s rhetoric on other policy areas: immigration, trade and military intervention. His policies would actually weaken the position of the United States on the international stage.

One of Trump’s trademark policy areas is immigration. Seeking to be “strong” on the issue, Trump has called for the construction of a physical wall along the nation’s southern border. Additionally, Trump has called for an across-the-board ban on Muslim immigrants in the wake of the Syrian refugee crisis. This alienates a North American Free Trade Agreement partner and singles out a specific religious group, which is not only a hit to international credibility, but would also hurt the U.S.’ current demographic advantage relative to other countries. The influx of immigration the U.S. currently enjoys helps keep the nation’s population young and the labor market diversified.

In regards to trade, Trump has promised to “get tough” on China, particularly its alleged currency manipulation. He has even advocated for the imposition of a protective tariff to offset Beijing’s devaluation of the yuan and use of export subsidies.

However, utilizing an economic relic

of the 19th century would only harm both markets and antagonize Beijing, who would certainly retaliate. Combined with Trump advocating for the restructuring of the U.S.’ relationship with Japan, a stalwart East Asian ally, such actions would encourage increased aggression from China and potentially risk the emergence of a countervailing Asian alliance.

Trump’s approach towards military interventions showcases a worrying disregard toward the need to build an international coalition. Trump’s inclination towards brute force concerning non-state actors, like ISIS, neglects the reality of power in the 21st century: even large nations have trouble accomplishing goals alone.

Globalization will ensure the dispersal of technological and information resources to multiple actors, reinforcing the need for the U.S. to maintain and strengthen international alliances while seeking to advance the liberal order.

Trump’s rhetorical playbook of hegemonic decline and international strong-arming has no place in modern international affairs. His policy proposals would risk America’s demographic advantages, jeopardize international economic continuity and regional stability and showcase a fundamental misunderstanding of power dynamics in the post-Cold War era. Simply put, a Trump doctrine would set America up to lose on the global stage because it would be playing the wrong game.

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February 3, 2016

CULTURE

Page 11

The Fordham Ram

Comedians Prove They Can Inspire More Than Laughs

By EMMA CAREY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Last April, Cecily Strong, the 32-year-old “Saturday Night Live” cast member and comedian, boldly opened her speech at the 2015 White House Correspondents’ Dinner stating, “I promise, I’m not going to try to tell you politicians how to do politics, or whatever.

That’d be like you guys trying to tell me what to do with my body . . . could you even imagine?” The bitingly sarcastic burn was followed with an uproar of laughter and applause by celebrities and bigwigs alike.

Over the past few decades, comedians like Strong have been increasingly incorporating controversial societal issues into their work, providing a bit of relief to such topics as well as “breaking the ice” for further conversation.

Unbeknownst to many, however, this style of comedy was not always popular. In fact, until the break-out of standup comedian George Carlin, who pioneered the concept of discussing taboo topics in comedy in the mid-1960s, most comedy was nothing short of fluffy and, generally, politically removed. Today, these hardhitting topics have become more than just the butt of a handful of punch-lines in a stand-up set. The controversial issues and concerns of our society are now, more often than not, the main focus of comedy productions. Our current

ANDREW ETSEY/AP

Amy Schumer, among other comedians, acts as a public mouthpiece for issues.

media coverage has become an integrated pow-wow of politicians, scholars and comedians alike, all discussing the same issues in their own fashion, and the conversations are heating up.

Comedian Chelsea Handler, most commonly known for her late-night talk show “Chelsea Lately” on E! Network, is taking to the floor to give her own two cents on such topics in her new Netflix documentary series, “Chelsea Does . . .” To provide a gist of just what Chelsea does in this series, the episode list is studded with titles: “Chelsea Does: Marriage,” “Chel-

sea Does: Racism” and “Chelsea Does: Drugs.” While the series sustains Handler’s trademark style of crass humor, as one of her interview tactics includes questioning pre-schoolers on what the New York Times describes as “inappropriately grown-up subjects,” the show also holds some real weight and makes brave conversational strides as well. Similar to her past talk show, Handler frequently invites guests onto the show, adding a bit of diversity as well as expanding her social conversations. In Handler’s episode on “Racism”, scholar Darnell Hunt of UCLA

eloquently explained the connection between stereotypes and a “political agenda that’s about certain groups being able to dominate other groups.” The four-part series is available on Netflix, and is rated 4.25 out of 5 stars.

Current golden girl of the comedy world Amy Schumer has also used her new MVP title to act as a public mouthpiece for the political hot topic of gun control. This past October, Schumer joined her cousin, Sen. Chuck Schumer, on the steps of New York City Hall to encourage Congress to pass gun legislation. Schumer shed her typically playful tone for the speech, having been inspired to join efforts after the July shooting that took place inside of a Lafayette, Louisiana, movie theater screening her film, Trainwreck. Schumer stated in an August press conference that while she is “not sure why this man chose [her] movie to end those two lives and injure nine others… it was very personal for [her].” The comedian has also taken to social media, encouraging her followers to tweet “#aimingforchange” in support of the political efforts.

Strides by comedians like Handler and Schumer have been steadily accompanied by the more familiar combination of social commentary and comedy: political comedy shows. While comedians like Stephen Colbert and Bill Maher continue to add to their massive viewership, many

newcomers have entered the ring to take down today’s presidential candidates and legislative controversies as well. Trevor Noah, Jon Stewart’s “Daily Show” successor, adds a more objective viewpoint to many issues as a South African native. However, newcomers like Noah have more pressure to perform than just rating concerns.

In a 2009 Huffington Post poll, research found that almost 39 percent of adults considered political comedy shows to be a major news source and political influence for Americans.

While the rumor mill of American society does not appear to be ceasing any time soon, comedians are taking their cue to jump into the taboo topics often avoided by traditional entertainment media. For some, this now widely accepted combination of controversy and comedy means more material and a better chance to relate to audiences. However, many comedians seem to also be using their roles as an opportunity to get more than just a laugh. Comedians in our society are no longer distracting court jesters of the American kingdom. Rather, they are mouth-pieces for the public of America. With the upcoming election as well as a massive rise in social movements like Black Lives Matter and gun legislation, Americans will likely notice an audible voice of more and more comedians joining in on this national discourse.

Tribute to Burrows: The One With the Sitcoms

By MARLESSA STIVALA STAFF WRITER

Over the past few decades, characters such as Rachel Green, Sam Malone, Sheldon Cooper and Mary Richards have become household names. Millions continue to watch, quote and love the shows that made these characters famous. But what do these particular ones have in common?

Aside from existing within an exclusive pantheon of iconic sitcom characters, each one was a prominent player in shows that, at one time or another, were helmed by visionary director James Burrows. Having recently directed his 1,000th television episode (for NBC sitcom “Crowded”), the television network will be honoring Burrows with a special tribute airing on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 9 p.m.

EST titled “Must See TV: A Tribute to James Burrows.”

While a great deal of the buzz for this event has been focused on the “Friends” cast reuniting for the special (though, sadly, Matthew Perry will not appear in person due to rehearsals for “The End of Longing” in London), the tribute will also include the casts from other iconic shows that have benefited from Burrows’ talent, including “Taxi,” “Cheers,” “Frasier,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Will

& Grace” and “Wings.” Known for his skillful comic timing, as well as television pilots that utilized four cameras on a multi-camera set when many directors were still using three, Burrows’ most prominent work include: “Friends’” “The Morning After” (3x16) Burrows is responsible for one of the most emotional episodes of “Friends” (maybe in television history, depending on personal preference) in which Ross (David Schwimmer, Madagascar and the upcoming “The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”) and Rachel ( Jennifer Aniston, Horrible Bosses and Office Space) tearfully break up following an unclear “break” and Ross sleeping with Chloé, the copy girl. Featuring solid performances from Aniston and Schwimmer, what takes the episode to a higher level is how cleverly it juxtaposes Ross and Rachel’s romance woes with the comedy of the other four “friends” trapped in Monica’s (Courteney Cox, “Cougar Town” and “Dirt”) room, eavesdropping, bantering and desperately trying to find something to eat aside from the “edible” waxing kit, Waxine.

Burrows also directed “Friends’” pilot episode (also known as “The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate”) and other key Ross and

Rachel episodes such as “The One with the Prom Video” and “The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break.”

“Frasier’s” “My Coffee with Niles” (1x24) Proving the comedy chops of its five leading characters—though Frasier (Kelsey Grammer, “The Simpsons” and Toy Story 2) and Niles (David Hyde Pierce, “Wet Hot American Summer” and A Bug’s Life) truly shine here—“My Coffee with Niles” is a stellar bottle episode (an episode of a sitcom mainly contained to one location and primarily with the main cast) that ends “Frasier’s” first season on a high note as Niles asks Frasier the ultimate question: “Are you happy?”

Burrows also directed some of the “Frasier” episodes to feature the return of Grammer’s fellow former Cheers cast members, including “The Show Where Lillith Comes Back.”

“Cheers’” “Showdown, Part 2” (1x22) Long before Ross and Rachel disagreed over the definition of a “break,” “Cheers’” Sam Malone (Ted Danson, Becker and Fargo) and Diane Chambers (Shelley Long, “Modern Family” and The Brady Bunch Movie) originated the bickering on-again/off-again sitcom couple. Burrows won an

CHRIS PIZZELLO/AP

Director James Burrows lives on through his plethora of outstanding TV shows.

Emmy for directing this season one finale in which Sam and Diane’s passions finally explode into a long-awaited kiss, following an argument and one of the most iconic sitcom exchanges ever: “Are you as turned on as I am?”

“More!”

Burrows directed most of “Cheers’” 275 episodes.

While darker series such as “Breaking Bad” and “Game of Thrones” have undoubtedly elevated television drama to new heights, the sheer joy of watching situation comedies remains prominent. There is a reason so many college students rejoiced when “Friends” was added to Net-

flix last year and, in a similar vein, why people who grew up watching “Cheers” cannot resist revisiting favorite episodes. There is something special about watching a show where the characters become like a second family, where one can identify with the struggles seen onscreen (or, conversely, forget one’s real-life troubles for a while) or root for a favorite couple to end up together. In addition to talented television writers, producers and stars, it is thanks to prolific directors such as Burrows who recognize why the sitcom is such an important medium. He more than deserves this special honor.

CULTURE

Page 12

February 3, 2016

La Dolce Vita: A Ram’s Second Semester in Rome

By PASQUALE GIANNI STAFF WRITER

One down, one more to go — it isn’t a reference to a baseball doubleheader, but my enriching academic journey in a foreign land. I’m about to kick off my second, and final, academic term in Rome for the next few months. My decision to study abroad for a full academic year, as opposed to the more common track of just one semester, was an unusual one. However, I am now more certain than ever that it was the right choice. There is just too much to do, see and learn to be squeezed into a three-and-a-half month period. I came in with the goals of traveling to over twenty destinations throughout continental Europe, learning the Italian language with more than just a basic level of proficiency and becoming a social and cultural observer. Gaining a deeper understanding takes time and involves a bit of a step outside of one’s comfort zone, but it is always worth it.

In my previous semester in the beautiful Italian capital, I made

COURTESY OF FLICKR

The Colosseum is both the largest ampitheatre ever built and one of Rome’s most popular tourist attractions.

significant progress towards reaching my goals. My Italian is steadily improving towards fluency, even though natives can always spot an American accent. I have taken excursions to London, Munich, Budapest, Barcelona, Cyprus, Milan,

Food | Allison Russo

Sunday Brunch at The Smith’s

COURTESY OF ALLISON RUSSO

Avocado toast retains its status as a Sunday brunch staple.

I have always said that The Smith is “the spot.” Whether it is brunch or late night drinks, this Manhattan favorite almost never fails to deliver.

They serve generous portions at reasonable prices, and it is a solid place for modern-American fare. With three locations, including one conveniently situated in Lincoln Square, The Smith has been a favorite with almost all of my Fordham friends. I went for Sunday brunch this week at the East Village location and overall had a great dining experience.

Every brunch meal is served with a cocktail or fresh juice (make a note that NYC restaurants can’t serve liquor before noon), so if you want a mimosa with your eggs benedict, plan accordingly. This cocktail-included policy is a great alternative to “bottomless” brunch — where one tries to get one’s money’s worth of watered down drinks. With this system, one can simply pick one cocktail to enjoy with one’s meal and for less money. Most of The Smith’s brunch entrees are under $20.

Even though I feel like avocado toast peaked a while ago trend-wise, it sounded so good on the menu that I ordered it. The waiter delivered a beautiful plate featuring multi-grain bread topped with perfectly ripe avocado, crushed red pepper, freshly dressed greens and two poached eggs. The eggs were perfectly cooked, but the bread got soggy quickly, and

I thought it was a little chewy. Ordering a side of home fries was a good call on my part, and they were definitely a spicy spotlight-stealer.

If you’re looking for a brunch on the sweeter side, go for the vanilla bean French toast. The caramelized bananas are lackluster and a bit mushy, but the French toast itself is to die for.

Nine times out of 10 I’ll choose pancakes over French toast, but this is the exception. The bread they use is two inches thick, perfectly browned and caramelized on the outside and soft and fluffy in the middle. The toast is sweet to begin with, but a little maple syrup definitely doesn’t hurt.

An underrated menu item is the cheesy grits. I had never eaten grits before dining at The Smith, and found them to be perfectly creamy, cheesy and indulgent. The side portion is huge, so it’s great for sharing among your tablemates if you’re looking for a savory bite. To finish the meal, we couldn’t resist an order of homemade doughnuts. They were delivered to our table perfectly warm and glazed in a sugary coating, an ideal companion for a mid-afternoon latte.

If you go, I definitely recommend opting for eggs benedict, whether it’s the original or something special (they had lobster benedict this week), or the French toast. I wouldn’t order the avocado toast again, but I definitely plan to return to The Smith the next time I’m in a brunch-y mood.

Bologna, Bari and Sicily. I have met great people, seen sights I could have only dreamt of and dabbled in cuisines that most can only read about in The New York Times dining section. And I now feel that I could write a book comparing, at least,

Italian daily life to that of life in the states. I did forget to mention I have been taking courses as well, but the learning extends so far beyond the classroom in a subtle yet enlightening way. But still, the first semester felt like an adjustment, “getting the

lay of the land” and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t settle in quite enough to feel like a local. Now, it’s a much different feel going in: it’s the “I’ve been here before,” more confident approach. I don’t need to stress about how I’ll get by with the language, worry about finding my way around or learning the public transportation system or finding the good places to eat and a gym to workout in, or stress about making friends. This time it’s all gravy. I can hit the ground running.

So my advice: if faced with an opportunity to go abroad and expand your horizons, do it and do it fullthrottle. You won’t regret it. There is a great big world out there waiting to be explored. So here I am, back halfway around the world with an open mind and hungry for more. If you’ve been keeping up with my column, I hope it has been enjoyable. I have written about my travels, encounters with culture and people as well as my love of food. This time around I hope to dig deeper, go bigger, bolder and push the envelope. Stay tuned — my journey resumes.

Theater Talk | Claire Del Sorbo

School of Rock: Screen to Stage Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, celebrated composer of theatrical classics such as Evita, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar and countless other productions, has written a rock musical. An unlikely thought, but true nonetheless.

Even more unlikely, he has written a good rock musical. School of Rock: the Musical is his latest project, and, as the name suggests, it’s based on the beloved 2003 comedy of the same name, starring Jack Black in his prime, Joan Cusack, Sarah Silverman and a young Miranda Cosgrove.

Alex Brightman stars as Dewey Finn, a lazy, perpetually hungover, wannabe rock star who takes up a (fraudulent) career in substitute teaching after getting kicked out of his band. Desperate for cash, he forms a new band, starring his super-talented students from a respected prep school. His goal is to get them to play in the Battle of the Bands and win for a $10,000 cash award. He must, however, bypass the authority of the school’s uptight principal, Rosalie Mullins, played by Sierra Boggess, in order to accomplish this. The result is an upbeat, acceptably corny tale of a wishy-washy hero and his young friends learning the importance of cutting loose and having fun.

Besides Webber, the production team consists of director Laurence Connor, lyricist Glenn Slater, librettist Julian Fellowes (of Downton Abbey fame), production designer Anna Louizo and choreographer Joann M. Hunter.

The musical stays fairly true to its film counterpart in terms of the story. It retains its witty charm and memorable punch lines, but makes references to Taylor Swift and smartphones

to keep it fresh. The child actors who play Dewey Finn’s students steal the show add their own interpretation to the roles. There is something extremely charming about watching a large group of eight-year-olds (who actually play the instruments) shred classic rock songs like “Smoke on the Water” and “Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones, as well as original pieces from the musical. The young musicians consist of Brandon Niederaurer as Zack, the curly-haired guitarist resembling a young Hendrix, Dante Melucci as Freddy, the punk-rock drummer, Jared Parker as Lawrence, the awkward keyboardist and my personal favorite, Evie Dolan as Katie, the adorable pigtail-donning bassist. All of the children are distinct individuals without excessive shtick.

Furthermore, the creative team gives more depth to the kids with a song about their home lives and aloof parents something that was not present

in the film, making their collective performance not only fun, but touching as well.

The way Brightman interacts with these talented youngsters is remarkable. He does not overpower them, but instead brings out their individual talents while encouraging them to “stick it to the man.” His energy is infectious, which in turn forces the rest of the cast to keep up. There is never a dull moment with him on stage.

Considering the fact that Brightman is on stage for most of the show, the production in its entirety has astoundingly high energy.

School of Rock is a unique addition to Webber’s library of musicals. It is not a tragic love story like Phantom, a biography like Evita or Sunset Boulevard or just plain confusing like Cats. It is pure fun: a show that wants its audience to simply enjoy themselves and let their inner child come alive. It is a breath of fresh air in an era of dramatic musical theatre. I say rock on, kids.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

School of Rock: The Musical is recieving rave reviews on Broadway.

CULTURE

February 3, 2016

Page 13

Playlistism| Meredith Nardino

Seven Summer Songs to Melt the New York City Snow Watching the snow fall last week made me long for only one thing – summer. There is nothing I love more than bonfires at the beach, endless hours in the sun and roadtrips with perfect playlists. These are just a few songs I love to listen to when I need to escape the cold.

mainstream producers with her unorthodox performance style.

Off her fourth studio album, Art Angels, this single captures Grimes’ exciting and eclectic essence. “Flesh Without Blood” relies on a brisk, ethereal hook, which contrasts beautifully with its often unintelligible lyrics.

“You’re Still a Mystery” Bleachers Jack Antonoff (formerly of Fun.) formed Bleachers, a powerhouse indie-pop group, to explore a more personal outlet for his songwriting. Antonoff was inspired by 1980s new wave, and he created a sound that radiates nostalgia, yet still resonates with modern listeners. There is something so uplifting in Antonoff ’s ability to consistently mask the slight darkness of his lyrics with such upbeat melodies. Though often unrecognized amongst Bleachers’ other popular work, this song’s sweeping chorus makes it the perfect summertime song.

“Dancing on Glass” St. Lucia Jean-Philip Grobler began performing as St. Lucia when he moved to New York in 2012, and he has since produced several radio-ready tunes that emulate the work of Passion Pit and Foster the People. “Dancing on Glass” is the promising first single off his new album, Matter, which comes out this week. St. Lucia often receives praise for crisp percussive beats and earworm choruses, both of which are exhibited perfectly in this track.

“Get Away” - CHVRCHES This Scottish electro-pop group blew critics away with its sophomore album, Every Open Eye, which premiered late last year. One of three bonus tracks on the album, “Get Away,” brings a new and exciting layer to the CHVRCHES of old. The song subtly highlights vocal samples from the band’s male instrumentalists, whose raspy tones compliment the bright, poppy voice of lead singer, Lauren Mayberry.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

BØRNS, a Michigan-born artist, wowed the Fordham crowd at his Winterfest performance on Jan. 29.

CHVRCHES has continued to expand its sound in brilliantly inventive ways, an achievement showcased perfectly in this song.

“The Sound” - The 1975 When I first heard this song live back in December, I eagerly awaited its radio debut. As expected, the studio cut of this track was nothing short of brilliant. The 1975 embraced its love for pop music ahead of its sophomore album, and ditched its moody, black-andwhite aesthetic for a vibrant pink.

With a simple chorus and intricate verses, this song lets The 1975 show off its greatest asset: guitar-

ist Adam Hann. The 1975 constantly challenges the definition of pop, a feat easily achieved in this single by Hann’s flawless solo in the bridge. “The Sound” is addictive and though it differs from what the band has released previously it is The 1975 at their best.

“American Money” - BØRNS After the success of his first single, “Electric Love,” it seemed as though the world could not wait to see what this Michigan artist would produce next. His debut LP, Dopamine, was one of my favorites of 2015

and proved that there is elegance and individuality in simplicity.

“American Money” is hypnotic and easily the best track on his album, as BØRNS croons the same type of dreamy poetry heard on Lorde’s Pure Heroine. BØRNS is an unpredictable artist and a breath of fresh air amongst today’s basic pop music.

“Flesh Without Blood” Grimes Claire Boucher, otherwise known as Grimes, is no stranger to thinking outside the box. Since 2013, this Canadian artist has been capturing the attention of

“Feels Like Summer” Panama Wedding I first heard this New York synth-pop group early last year when they supported Magic Man on their first headlining tour. I was immediately intrigued by the way singer Peter Kirk effortlessly created images with his story-like lyrics. The group’s first EP dropped in 2014 and featured this upbeat anthem. True to its title, this song really does feel like summertime. While Kirk’s style is melodically simple, it is altogether unique in tone and execution.

Editor’s Pick: “The Girl on the Train”

Perspective Makes Hawkins’ Novel a Page Turner

By TARA MARTINELLI ASSISTANT COPY CHIEF

Perspective is everything in the world we live in. I never truly appreciated its significance in storytelling until I read “The Girl on the Train” by Paula Hawkins.

Throughout the story, this concept of perspective left me puzzled and curious, but eventually gave me clarity. On a purely logistical level, perspective played a crucial role in the understanding of this book because of the switching narrators from chapter to chapter. This story definitely required a lot of concentration at first, but once I got to know the characters and their unique characteristics, keeping track of who was speaking came very easily.

The story has three primary narrators, all women, and all connected in the most unconventional of ways. The first woman introduced, and arguably the main character, is Rachel. Rachel is recently divorced and an even more recently unemployed alcoholic, living in a flat outside of London with an old college acquaintance. However, in order to keep her flatmate in the dark about her job loss, Rachel rides the train to and from London every day at her usual work times.

When Rachel is not riding the train, she is usually drinking her sorrows away to the point of blacking out or mindlessly wandering around London. However, when she is on the train, she is content. The best part of her train ride is when she passes one particular house with a pictureperfect couple sitting lovingly outside on their patio.

After watching this couple day in and day out, Rachel feels as though she knows them. She even assigns names to them to make them even more real to her. This is the love that she had and then lost. This couple was even more significant to her because they lived on the street that she lived on with her ex-

husband, Tom. After Tom’s affair with Anna, Rachel moved out and Anna moved in. And yes, this is as icky as it sounds.

Nevertheless, Rachel enjoys her time on the train until one day, she spots something strange on her way home from London. She sees the woman (we later find out that her name is Megan), passion-

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Paula Hawkins’ debut thriller, “The Girl on the Train” keeps its readers on their toes with suspenseful content.

ately kissing another man. Later that day, Megan goes missing.

The story continues by alternating between narrations of Megan, Anna and Rachel. These women are connected through diverse circumstances that are somehow related to this event. The reason I love this book so much is because if the story was told from just one point of view, so much would be left out and readers would never receive any answers. The story is deep and complex, revealing so much about relationships and innate human qualities. For instance, Megan and Rachel never actually meet, but they influence each other’s lives more than either of them realizes.

I also was prompted to consider how women have been portrayed in literature throughout history. Women have oftentimes been made out to be crazy, irrational characters. At times each of these women seem crazy in their own ways, but after looking more closely at this idea of perspective and how important it can be, I was forced to think otherwise. Only after following the story through these three points of view was I able to achieve clarity on what actually happened that night. And I have to say, I never saw it coming.

CULTURE

Page 14

February 3, 2016

Who’s That Kid | Paola Joaquin Rosso, FCRH ‘17

Commuter Finds Her Place on Campus, Always a Friendly Face

By MARGARITA ARTOGLOU OPINION EDITOR

New Student Orientation Leader and Coordinator Paola Joaquin Rosso, FCRH ‘17, was one of the first friendly faces many freshmen encountered at Fordham. As an orientation leader, she helped students adjust to college life and encouraged them to get involved at Fordham.

Paola is an expert on being involved on campus: she is the executive vice president for the Commuting Students Association, a Senior Week Volunteer, a member of the Global Outreach program and a member of the Student Culinary Council. She also participates in intramural sports, is involved with cultural clubs and serves on the newly formed Diversity Task Force.

Paola, an English major, is on the Pre-Law track, but hopes to become involved with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps after graduation before heading to law school.

One might wonder how Paola juggles such a full academic schedule and extracurricular responsibilities, plus the extra pressure of having to leave campus and commute back home every night. But she says that being a commuting student actually helps her involve-

COURTESY OF PAOLA JOAQUIN ROSSO

Paola Joaquin Rosso breaks down all barriers she faces as a commuter, truly making FCRH her home away from home.

ment on campus.

“I was a very involved student in high school so that motivated me to become very involved here,” she said. “Being a commuter added the extra spark that pushed me to actually make sure that I got to know my peers. I did have to be aware about the time that I got home and the responsibilities that I still have

as a commuting student.”

She said that she hopes that other commuters do not get discouraged about joining organizations on campus. “It makes a big difference in your college experience, even if it is just one club, she said.

“Getting involved has not only opened many doors for me, but it has also allowed me to get to meet

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students that I would not necessarily get to meet outside of class.”

Being on the executive board of the Commuting Students Association has helped Paola ensure that commuters have a voice on campus, which is one of her passions as commuters sometimes have a more difficult time finding a sense of belonging at Fordham than resi-

dents. Helping students feel like they belong is one of Paola’s personal goals. Her position on the Diversity Task Force is aimed at helping Fordham students of different backgrounds feel welcome in their environment.

“I always think that that’s when people will enjoy their college career, when they feel like they belong,” said Paola. “Some people sometimes run into a small disconnect, and I would hope that somehow they manage to find a sense of belonging here.”

Paola has devoted much of her time at Fordham to helping others, both on campus and in other countries. She has been on two Global Outreach trips to Alaska and Nicaragua, and says that the ability to learn about the history of an Alaskan tribe and work with NGOs in Nicaragua opened her eyes to a whole new world.

“I recommend everyone to at least apply to one project during their time at Fordham,” she said.

“Trust me, I have loved each project that I have been on, and I know that they have definitely opened my mind and eyes to things I might have never realized.” One thing is for sure: Paola is getting everything she can out of her time here at Fordham, both on and off campus.

SPORTS

February 3, 2016

Swimming Splits at UMass

By BRYAN KIEL STAFF WRITER

The men and women’s swim team continued its season at the University of Massachussetts, Amherst, where the Rams took on their Atlantic 10 rival Minutemen in a very competitive meet.

In the pre-season Atlantic 10 poll, the UMass men were predicted to win the Conference Championship in an almost unanimous decision, while the women’s team was predicted to come in second.

The Rams kept this in the back of their minds as they produced one of their best finishes of the season. While the Fordham men lost to UMass 179 to 114, the women’s team came away with a decisive victory, 171 to 124.

Though the men’s team ultimately lost the meet, the young squad was not overmatched, and put up many strong times to win three individual races. Senior Steve Sholdra, who was crowned A-10 and ECAC Performer of the Week after last week’s performance against Iona and La Salle, continued to lead the team with two wins in the 200-yd butterfly and 500-yd freestyle. He was joined by a pair of sophomores, Liam Semple and Tommy Christensen, who took first place in the 1000-yd freestyle and 100yd butterfly, respectively. Christensen credits the heavy training and ability of the team to give it all in a big meet. “We had to step up against one of the fastest teams in the conference and were able to make improvements from last week’s meet against La Salle and Iona,” he said.

The women’s team, also facing one of the top teams in the conference, was able to pull through with another great performance.

Three swimmers were able to earn victories in multiple races,

including senior Shannon Lulley, who won first in the 50-yd freestyle sprint, followed right behind by fellow senior and sister Chandler Lulley, who took second.

Shannon Lulley also took first in the 100-yd fly, while Chandler Lulley took first in the 100 yd freestyle. Junior Kalena Laurent took first in the 200-yd and 500yd freestyle races, while fellow junior Morgan Fairclough took first in the 100-yd and 200-yd backstroke events. Other race winners included senior Anna Marshall in the 100-yd breaststroke, junior Megan Polaha in the 200-yd fly and junior Marie Feneron in the 200-yd breaststroke.

The women helped build a solid performance with top finishes in both the 200-yd medley relay and 200-yd freestyle relay. In addition, the women gained points from a group of second place finishes that put them over the edge for victory. Shannon Lulley gave credit to her teammates who finished just behind the race winners. “We had a great 1-2-3 finish in the 50-yd freestyle which really gave us a huge advantage going into the second half of the meet,” Lulley said.

Many on the team agreed that this meet was a great way to prepare for the rest of the season and for the A-10 Championships in general. Chandler Lulley thought this race set the tone for the rest of the season. “This meet was our last big racing opportunity before A-10s, and I think all of the girls really took advantage of it,” she said. “Getting the chance to race one of the best teams in the A-10 in-season helps us to form goals for championships.”

While the A-10s are still a few weeks away, Fordham will face its opponent tonight when it takes on St. Francis Brooklyn at 6 p.m.

Page 15

Track Shines at Terriers Classic

By ALEXANDRIA SEDLAK STAFF WRITER

On Friday, Jan. 29, and Saturday, Jan. 30, the men’s and women’s track and field teams competed in the annual Boston University John Thomas Terriers Classic. Most of the women’s events took place on Friday, while most of the men’s events took place on Saturday. Fordham competed against 80 other universities, with about 3,000 athletes spread across the events. There was no team scoring, but there were many outstanding performances and personal records among the Rams.

The first event to start the two-day meet was the 800m run.

Sophomore Brynna Harum, who finished with a time of 2:21.32, and freshman Laurel Fisher, who finished with a time of 2:22.46, were both making their debuts for this indoor race. Sophomore Merissa Wright also ran in the event, with a time of 2:18.15, a new personal record. Sophomore Christina Perrier then ran in the 400m dash, finishing in the top 100 with a time of 1:00.39; she was the only Fordham runner in this race. Freshmen Mary Kate Kenny and Morgan Menzzasalma both set new personal records in the 200m dash with times of 25.95 and 26.34, respectively.

This succession of personal bests continued with freshman Kate McCormack’s 45th place finish in the mile with a time of 5:08.07.

In the relay races, the team of Wright, Menzzasalma, Rowe and Moroz finished the 4x400 meter relay in a time of 3:53.10, which put them in 18th place overall and less than one second away from the ECAC-qualifying time. The highlight of the women’s races was junior Shanna Heaney’s run in the 800m race. Her personal best time of 2:13.03 gave her a 23rd place finish and qualified her for the ECAC, her first time qualifying for a solo event.

The men’s races also started with the 800m run. Sophomore Fritz Heinrich made his debut in this event with a time of 1:56.34.

Next, freshman Jared Benn was the sole Ram in the 400m dash, and finished in 44th with a time of 49.37. This time was only .17 seconds away from qualifying for the IC4A. Sophomore Louis Santelli was also less than a second away from the IC4A qualifying time, with his time of 1:05.51 in the 500m run placing him in 11th overall. In the 200m dash, freshman Michael Aman finished in 91st place with a time of 22.66, which also just missed the mark for the IC4A qualifying time.

Three Rams, freshman Sean Phillips, sophomore Michael Campbell and freshman Patrick Dineen, competed in the 1000m run. Phillips, who was making

COURTESTY OF SHANNA HEANEY

Strong individual performances abounded for Track at the Terriers Classic.

his debut in this event, finished in 18th with a time of 2:29.61.

Campbell, setting a new personal record, finished in 34th with a time of 2:32.54. Dineen also set a new personal record, with a time of 2:33.49 putting him in 38th place. Finally, for the 3000m race, sophomore Thomas Slattery finished in 44th with a new personal best time of 8:25.45. “This weekend went flawlessly for so many of us,” said Slattery. “Our training was catered to accomplish many of the IC4A standards, which is what is expected of us to fulfill at a high performance meet like this one.”

After such a produtive weekend in Boston, the team has reason to feel confident about the rest of the season. Four Rams turned in career-best performances, and the season is still young.

Slattery looked forward to the fruitful future of the team. “As

the season continues onward, our stellar performances this weekend should really fill us with hope,” he said. “Now we can begin to not just run, but race with a sense of faith in ourselves and one another to accomplish a little, or maybe a lot, of gold hardware during the championship season. If this season is one big fire, then this weekend was definitely the match.”

The Rams will be back in action this Thursday and Friday, Feb. 4 and 5, when they will compete in the Metropolitan Championships at the Ocean Breeze Track and Field Complex on Staten Island.

After that, the team will head back to Boston University for the Valentine’s Day Classic, where it will attempt to replicate the success it saw this past weekend.

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THE RAM ARCHIVES

In a competitve meet at UMass, the women won and the men lost.

Stop by McGinley B-52 next Monday, 8 p.m.

We’ll show you the ropes.

SPORTS

Page 16

February 3, 2016

Jack McLoone

Drew Casey

No One Likes the Pro Bowl

What Makes an All-Star Game?

This past Sunday was the NFL’s Pro Bowl, and it was bad. You probably didn’t know it was bad, since you probably didn’t watch it. I’m so sure of this, in fact, that I’m writing this on the Thursday before the game is even played.

Do you know who else doesn’t like the Pro Bowl? The players. This year, a total of 133 players were invited to the Pro Bowl, the most in its history.

This was due to the large number of players who abstained from participating. As expected, some skipped due to playing in the Super Bowl next week. But then there’s Tom Brady, who, despite being selected for 11 Pro Bowls in his career, hasn’t played in one since his first. In fact, five of the six quarterbacks selected this year were replaced.

So if the players don’t like the Pro Bowl, and fans don’t like the Pro Bowl (last year’s Pro Bowl pulled a lower rating than the worst Monday Night Football game), then why does it keep the same stale format?

Well, it’s mainly due to the fact that there’s really only so much you can do to make a football game entertaining when the players are actively trying to avoid injuring one another. You can’t play football on eggshells.

The Pro Bowl has no “wow” factor.

Conversely, the MLB has a game that actually means something (determining home field advantage for the World Series), the NBA has a slew of events, like the Slam Dunk Contest, that are generally exciting. Even the NHL, whose All-Star experience is usually decried as being just as boring as the Pro Bowl, is testing out threeon-three this year.

The Pro Bowl has tried various gimmicks in an attempt to gain a larger viewership. The NFL instituted a player draft two years ago to mix up teams. They generally try out new rules, like swapping positions at the end of every quarter. There are only two reasons someone watches the Pro Bowl: they are afraid to confront the impending absence of football coming right after the Super Bowl or they want to make fun of the dumpster fire on social media. The latter of the two really doesn’t help the NFL brand.

So if the NFL can’t fix the game to make it more intriguing, what can they do? The key is in understanding why any players go to the Pro Bowl: it’s a paid vacation on the NFL’s dime with a bunch of their buddies.

Knowing this, I propose what I have deemed “Soft Knocks” – a “Hard Knocks”-esque show following the players selected for the Pro Bowl doing their practices, but also their exploits in Hawaii. One of the biggest draws of “Hard Knocks” is getting to see NFL players’ personalities, both on their off-days and during practices. There are practices, parties and a ton of star power.

Sure, this might not get people to actually watch the game itself, but “Soft Knocks” would at least draw viewers. Combining arguably the NFL’s weakest product with one of its strongest seems like a match made in marketing heaven. Darren Rovell would lose his mind over the synergy.

The Pro Bowl is stale. Not much can be done to fix the game itself, but if it’s made into an experience, there’s a chance.

According to Merriam-Webster, an all-star team is “composed wholly or chiefly of stars or of outstanding performers or participants.” While this definition stands theoretically true, it is by no means true in most of the sports world.

On Sunday, the NFL and NHL supposedly showcased the best their respective games had to offer.

Both the NFL’s Pro Bowl in Honolulu and the NHL’s All-Star Game in Nashville were well-attended, but the product put out by the two leagues could have been of drastically higher quality.

Let’s start with John Scott and the NHL All-Star Game. When a fan vote is in place, things like this can happen. Entering the weekend, Scott was a minor league player in the American Hockey League, who had appeared in 285 NHL games, netting five goals and registering six assists in eight seasons. Scott is not an all-star in any universe. The fact that he scored two goals, was named the All-Star MVP and received the keys to a brand new car does not make a difference.

If the NHL was truly putting on an All-Star Game, two of the league’s best players, Alex Ovechkin and Jonathan Toews, would have recognized the value of attending. Instead, the two chose to withdraw from the game and face a one game regular season suspension to rest and prepare for the second half of the season.

Flipping to the Pro Bowl, similar points can be made. How many of the eligible, selected players actually showed up to participate? A record 133 players received Pro Bowl honors this year on account of replacements. That’s quite the extensive roster.

Notables who did not participate included Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson and Brandon Marshall. While some were legitimately injured, others simply looked for a reason not to attend the Pro Bowl because they did not see the value in it.

To be honest, who would blame them in light of this year’s Pro Bowl rules? Aside from a two-minute warning in each quarter and limited permitted defensive formations, possession changed at the conclusion of each quarter in a further attempt to highlight offense.

I don’t have a problem with these special features and changes to traditional game play, but by all means do not call such an event an All-Star Game. The Pro Bowl is not an All-Star Game. The NHL AllStar Game simply entertains fans.

The NBA All-Star Game is just an exhibition.

The only true all-star game in the four major professional sports leagues is in baseball. Considering that the MLB All-Star Game actually means something in determining home field advantage in the World Series, this should not come as a surprise.

Don’t count on anything changing outside of the MLB anytime soon, but perhaps the definition of an all-star will begin to ring truer in some of these events in the future.

PATRICK DOHERTY/THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham Men’s Tennis traveled to Jersey City, New Jersey, and defeated Saint Peter’s 7-0.

Men’s Tennis Downs Saint Peter’s

By TOM TERZULLI STAFF WRITER

It has been nearly four months since the men’s tennis team last stepped foot on the court for a match. It would be fair to assume that they would be a bit rusty in the first match of the spring season against Saint Peter’s. However, those assumptions were put to rest immediately, as the Rams got off to a strong start and surged to a 7-0 sweep of the Peacocks in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Fordham’s only loss of the day came in the first position of the doubles match, when Jonathan Paredes and Gabriel Russutto of Saint Peter’s topped the tandem of senior Pedro Alonso and sophmore Joseph Kavaloski 6-2. However, they would not lose another match. The Rams would secure the doubles point with a pair of

victories in the second and third positions. The team of freshman Victor Li and senior Nick Borak picked up the Rams’ first victory of the spring season with a 6-1 triumph over Andres-Sebastian Roj and Jorge Rodriguez. Junior Tomas Comai and sophomore Cameron Posillico clinched the doubles’ point in a close 7-5 victory against the St. Peter’s twosome of Daniil Ivanov and Douglas Nover.

There was no resting on their laurels for Fordham, as they stormed out of the gate to swipe all six singles points. The domination began with the play of Kavaloski, defeating Russutto in straight sets (6-1,6-1). The straight set victories would continue when Borak rolled past Sebastian Roj (6-1, 6-3). Alonso clinched the match with yet another straight sets triumph against Paredes (6-4, 6-3). The

Rams had a victory secured but were not content to just play out the schedule. Li and Cosmai each picked up three set wins at the expense of Rodriguez (2-6,63,12-10) and Ivanov (2-6,7-6,108), respectively. Posillico capped an explosive day on the court off with a (7-5,6-0) sweep.

Second-year head coach Michael Sowter was pleased with his team’s performance out of the gate. “Great start to the season,” he said after the final match. “I was extremely pleased with how hard everyone battled, especially when the matches were tight.”

His team carries over a 2-0 record from the fall season and stays undefeated. Saint Peter’s stays winless at 0-4. The Rams will be back home for their next match, when they host A-10 rival Saint Joseph’s on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 5 p.m.

Women’s Tennis Falls to Drexel

By ANDREA GARCIA PHOTO EDITOR

After last weekend’s cancellation of the NJIT Invitational in Newark due to the blizzard, the women’s tennis team postponed their season opener to a dual match against Drexel University on January 29th. The team took a 5-2 loss in its first action of the spring season.

Out of six allotted singles matches, there were two Fordham victories. Sophomore captain Estelle Wong beat Drexel’s Erin Bowsher in an easy two-set 6-3 rally. After a grueling threeset match, freshman Gianna Insogna overcame the Dragons’ Rushena Providence in a 1-6, 6-4 and 10-3 series.

The most notably difficult setbacks of the afternoon’s match were junior Hannah Drayton and freshman Alexis Zobeideh’s individual losses to Drexel players Clary Rodriguez Cruz and Lea Winkler, respectively, in three set matches. Drayton secured the first set in a 5-7 win, but she fell in the two following sets in 6-4 and 6-3 battles. Zobeideh lost in a first set 7-6 (2) tiebreaker and 6-2 second set.

The Drexel Dragons posed a challenge to juniors Maya Soto and Destiny Grunin. Sato lost to Drexel’s Honami Yazawa in two 6-4 sets. Gruinin put up a valient effort in her match. After strug-

gling out of the gate and losing the first set 6-0, she battled in the second and improved, losing 6-4.

Drexel secured the day’s win after a 4-2 completion of the singles matches. However, the dual match progressed with the three scheduled doubles matches.

Even though the event’s outcome had already been determined, the doubles team of Sato and Drayton fought back. They were Fordham’s only winning pair after beating Yazawa and Cruz in

a deciding 6-4 match.

“There is a lot of dedication and hard work on our team this year,” said Wong. “We view every practice as a chance to improve.”

The women’s tennis team has two more weeks of scheduled practice until it has an opportunity to demonstrate its progress in Newark against NJIT on Valentine’s Day. After that, they will head upstate to battle with Army West Point and Marist on the weekend of Feb. 27.

THE RAM ARCHIVES

Women’s Tennis battled but fell short against the Drexel Dragons.

February 3, 2016

Page 17

SUPER BOWL STAFF PICKS Panthers 34 - Broncos 17

Panthers 43 - Broncos 8

A Super Bowl win over the Denver Broncos would be a fitting way for the Carolina Panthers to end their season. Throughout the first half of the season, a number of teams — the Patriots, the Packers, the Bengals, even the Broncos — looked like they could have a historic campaign, but Carolina was the only one to actually do it. Now that they’re just one game away from becoming the fourth 18-1 team in NFL history, they’re not likely to let up now. Just like in the regular season, quarterback Cam Newton has been outstanding in his two postseason starts, posting a passer rating of 113.4 and rushing for two touchdowns. The defense, too, is outstanding, ranking sixth in the league in yards allowed and grabbing the most interceptions of any NFL team. With all due respect to Peyton Manning and his boys in orange, they don’t stand much of a chance. The 39-year-old future Hall of Famer looked shaky at times this season and has been no better than average in the playoffs. The Broncos deserve praise for a job well done this season, but Newton and the Panthers have been on another level.

Panthers 35 - Broncos 14

Panthers Panthers Panthers. I would pick them 10 times out of 10 and bet my house on it (if I owned a house). The Carolina linebackers are going to eat Peyton Manning alive, similarly to how he eats chicken parm or Papa John’s. He can’t throw passes past 15 yards, as he showed us with his performance against the Patriots. He looks like football’s version of Jamie Moyer. Many believe that Cam Newton will fall victim to the powerhouse Bronco defense as Tom Brady did, but there is one major difference: Newton runs a 4.59 40yard dash, while Tom Cool runs about as well as Betty White through mud. Carolina’s offensive line will be just fine against the pass rush. Here are my predictions: the Panthers will win, Matt Paradis will snap the ball over Peyton’s head twice, Michael Oher will celebrate with Sandra Bullock (that’s his Mom, right?) and Cam will dab while holding the Super Bowl trophy.

— Sam Belden

Does anyone remember the last time Peyton Manning and the Broncos were in the Super Bowl against one of the best defensive teams that season that also had a run first offense helmed by a mobile quarterback that can also throw the ball? I thought so. Let’s face it: Peyton Manning did not beat the Patriots in the AFC Championship. The Patriots offensive line beat the Patriots (you could even say their play was…offensive). Yes, the Broncos have the best defense in the NFL this season. But the Panthers absolutely dismantled a better team in the NFC Championship, the Cardinals, who also have a great defense and a quarterback who was actually born after the Civil War. The Carolina defense is too adept at forcing turnovers (they led the league with 24) to not force Mr. Noodle Arm himself to throw one or two picks. Giving Cam Newton, quite possibly the best athlete in the NFL (and certainly a better QB than Russell Wilson), just one or two more possessions in good field position are too much to overcome, regardless of one’s defensive prowess. Newton is everything fun about football. Manning is a mannequin with a peewee-level JUGS machine for an arm. You decide who wins that matchup.

— Pat Costello

Panthers 45 - Broncos 10 In Super Bowl XLVIII, I said that there was no way a veteran like Peyton Manning would be dominated by a Seattle Seahawks team that got through the playoffs with relative ease. Needless to say, the Broncos were embarrassed by Seattle in East Rutherford, New Jersey. I will not make the same mistake this year. Despite the Bronco defense being significantly improved this time around, Manning is another two years older and has not been 100 percent this year. The Panthers dynamic offense will cause problems for Denver’s biggest strength, its defense. Combine that with the Panther defense bringing the heat to Manning and the Denver offense, it will prove to be too much to handle. I hate to say it, but I believe we will see another blowout in this Super Bowl for the Broncos, and they will be on the losing end. Cam Newton and the Panthers will finish the season as Super Bowl champions and go down as one of the more dominant teams in history. It will not be pretty, and it will end a rather lackluster playoff season for the NFL.

— Anthony Pucik

— Jack McLoone

Panthers 27 - Broncos 17 A Panthers and Broncos Super Bowl does not necessarily create a buzz on the basis of name recognition. But a Cam Newton and Peyton Manning Super Bowl does. Newton, the likely NFL MVP to be announced this weekend, has had a season for the ages. The Auburn product racked up 45 total touchdowns in the regular season and has added five more in the Panthers’ first two playoff games. Manning, a five-time MVP, has also had a season for the history books in light of his illustrious career. The sure Hall of Famer has battled injury and it seems clear that this season will be his last. With that said, Super Bowl 50 ultimately comes down to a different matchup in my eyes.

Denver boasts the best defense in the league statistically from the regular season, while Carolina boasts the best postseason offense thus far. Can Cam Newton conquer the Broncos defense? Yes. Newton leads the NFL with 21 touchdowns when facing blitz this season. The Panthers, a true team, will finally get the recognition that they’ve deserved all season. It won’t be a walkover like many are predicting, but the Panthers will win Sunday’s battle in Santa Clara.

— Drew Casey

SPORTS

Page 18

February 3, 2016

Squash Takes Three of Four in Baltimore

By TOM TERZULLI STAFF WRITER

Fordham Squash rolled into the Johns Hopkins Round Robin undermanned at the second, third and fourth positions with four matches on tap, and head coach Bryan Patterson knew this would be a tough test. “The team knew that they had to have a great attitude, mental toughness and improved skills to do well,” he said. However, an inspired effort from the Rams was able to overcome this deficiency and Fordham was able to take three out of four in Baltimore.

The first match back on American soil was a 6-3 victory over Lehigh on Friday night. A couple of straight sets made it 2-0 Fordham right off of the bat. Senior Kinkade Webster rolled past Gordon Newell, and senior Jeremy Keller trounced Max Liu. It was the third and fourth position, along with Keller in the No. 2 spot, that produced the most interesting matchups, with each of the Rams in uncharted territory and playing in a much higher position than what they were used to. Junior Jimmy Shinnick did not fare well in the new pressure position, falling in straight sets to Ovie Ojeri. The transition was more successful for sophomore John Lennon, but it was still difficult. It took a grueling five-set battle for Lennon to topple Lehigh’s Nick Bancroft. A 3-1 lead turned to a 4-1 lead when junior Sahil Bahri topped Dan Levy in a straight set sweep. Senior Matthew Crowe could not clinch the match for Fordham, falling in a five-set marathon to Jeff Schwartz. It did not matter though, as senior James Potts and freshman Robert Levi carried Fordham to victory with a pair of straight set triumphs over Jack Littlefield and Huy Hoang.

The Rams could not celebrate the victory for long as they were up bright and early for a date with the Penn State Nitty Lions. There was no sign of lethargic play for the Rams, and they jumped out to a 3-0 advantage. Webster was once again in top form in the first position in his win over Zahair Khan. Keller and Shinnick had to work just a bit harder to succeed, with four sets for Keller and five sets for Shinnick. Jesper Carona and Josh Pau were the victims.

According to Patterson, the trip to London is what helped his team

in these long matches. “They played players way better than they are, they were put under pressure and were made to rally patiently to get any points,” he said.

Playing in the fourth position, Lennon fell to Ahmed Bahrain, but he took it to five sets. However, the Rams stormed back and rattled off four victories to lead Fordham to a 7-2 triumph. Winners were Bahri, Crowe, Potts and Levis.

The Rams were riding high. They were 2-0 in the tournament and winning match after match in convincing style. Then they ran into the brick wall known as the Denision Big Red. On a day that Fordham dominated its adversaries, the shoe was on the other foot in this 7-2 defeat. Denison capitalized on a slow Fordham start and took the first four matches.

There were some bright spots on the Fordham side however. Keller took Sherief Shahi to four sets in a loss.

Bahri and Potts picked up the two victories for Fordham. It took five sets for Bahri to top Drew Levine.

Potts remained undefeated in the tournament with a sweep of Luke Friedman. Levis also did not make it easy in the eighth position, taking Big Red’s Darimas Somaniwalla to four sets.

Fordham finished strong on Sunday outlasting the Miami Hurricanes in a heated 5-4 victory. Webster and Keller got back to their winning ways at Nos. 1 and 2. Webster got past Ahmad Almasoud, and Keller swept Micnaei Raghunandan. The “U” surged back with three victories to secure a 3-2 lead. Shinnick, Lennon and Bahri lost, but they did not go down easy, as they all went to five sets. The Rams responded to the three victories with three of their own. Crowe, Potts, and Levis were all on the winning side.

The star of the weekend was James Potts, the only Fordham player to go undefeated. “He played some of his best squash since joining the team,” said coach Patterson.

Kincade Webster and Jeremy Keller also came up big in the crucial one and two positions, taking three out of four matches. Patterson emphasized how invaluable these two are.

The Rams improved to 8-5 on the successful weekend. NYU and Bucknell are up next on Saturday in the Bronx.

By PAT COSTELLO ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Amid widespread allegations of match-fixing, the Australian Open still went on and was extremely entertaining. The storylines were that of a WWE match from the early 2000s. Every match seemed to have an incredible moment or story behind it, such as Rafael Nadal’s inglorious first round loss to Fernando Verdasco. After the final, it came to pass that Nadal was the unfortunate winner of the “Wooden Spoon,” which is unceremoniously given to the player who would have lost to everyone he played against. Let me elaborate: Nadal lost to Verdasco. Verdasco lost his second round matchup to Dudi Sela. Sela lost in the third round to Andrey Kuznetsov. Kuznetsov lost his matchup in the quarterfinals to Milos Raonic. Raonic lost in the semifinals to Andy Murray, who subsequently lost the final to Novak Djokovic. If any of that made sense to you then you’re keenly aware that that implies that Rafa would have lost to every single player in the field. It’s not an exact science, but you get the gist.

In the “how could that have possibly happened” department, Serena Williams again failed to tie Steffi Graf ’s 22 Grand Slam singles record. Her demise came at the forehands of Angelique Kerber. Kerber had never been in a Grand Slam final, and had lost five of six previous meetings with Williams. Williams pushed the match to a third set, but unforced errors were her undoing.

Williams hadn’t dropped a single set in six rounds prior to the final.

Conspiracy? Who knows.

Speaking of match-fixing, a major betting website was shut down after an absurd amount of money was being placed on a rather obscure match. The mixed-doubles contest featured Lara Arruabarrena and David Marrero against Andrea Hlavackova and Lukasz Kubot.

Nearly all of the money placed by the sharks was on Hlavackova and Kubot to win. Unsurprisingly, the pair came out victorious by a score of 6-0, 6-3. The first set only took 20 minutes. Triple H came out and won the title at the end. Wait, wrong

sports entertainment program.

The true heroes on the court at any given time are the linespeople.

They have to make split second decisions on whether a ball was in or out and cannot lose focus during the course of the match. Unfortunately, during the Federer-Berdych quarterfinal match, one of the linesmen lost focus a bit and immediately made every man in the world say “thank God I’m not that guy.”

During a Berdych serve in the first set, the linesman attempted to get out of the way of the ball. He badly mistimed it and ended up being hit by the ball where the sun doesn’t shine. He was alright, but the crowd erupted in laughter at the expense of the poor guy.

We’ve all had that moment when you get a phone call at the worst possible time and have to hurriedly tell the person that you can’t talk.

Nick Kyrgios took that to a whole new level, answering his phone just moments before his mixed-doubles match. His partner, recently confirmed to be his girlfriend, was not happy about it. When asked if it was something important, Kyrgios said, “kind of, not really.” He managed to avoid a fine because tennis currently has about as much power over its players as David Blatt had as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The men’s final featured two for-

mer doubles partners in Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. Murray and Djokovic’s careers have been intertwined since their days playing Juniors. They have known each other for almost their entire lives, and their rises to tennis stardom have coincided. And yet, Djokovic always seems to have the upper hand.

He had beaten Murray in 11 of their last 12 matchups, and now has 11 Grand Slam titles to Murray’s two.

Spoiler: Djokovic won handily. In straight sets Djokovic managed to remind the world why he is the number one. He dismantled the opposition with incredible precision, and came away with another Grand Slam. Murray, whose father-in-law collapsed earlier in the tournament and whose wife is expected to give birth any day now, seemed like he wasn’t completely focused. After the shortest press conference of all time, in which he called his wife a “legend,” Murray got on the first flight back to the U.K. This Aussie Open was more similar to WrestleMania than an actual tennis tournament. The incredible play was vastly overshadowed by the cornucopia of interesting stories. The best part is that this was only the first major of the year. I bet The Rock will win the belt next. It’s all scripted anyway. Wait, do I have the right sport yet?

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Novak Djokovic came out on top at a dramatic Australian Open.

Varsity Calendar HOME AWAY

Thursday Feb. 4

Friday Feb. 5

Saturday Feb. 6

Tuesday Feb. 9

Wednesday Feb. 10

Saint Joseph’s 2 p.m.

St. Bonaventure 7 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

Massachusetts 2 p.m.

Saint Joseph’s 7 p.m.

Metropolitan Championship

Swim and Dive

Squash

Squash had a productive weekend at the Johns Hopkins Round Robin.

Monday Feb. 8

Men’s Basketball

Indoor Track

ALLY WHITE/THE FORDHAM RAM

Sunday Feb. 7

Men’s Tennis

NYU 11 a.m.

Saint Joseph’s 5 p.m.

SPORTS

February 3, 2016

Varsity Scores & Stats

Anthony Pucik Thank You, John Scott Last week, I wrote about John Scott’s selection into the NHL All-Star Game. In it I said, “There’s no real significance to the NHL All-Star game, but that doesn’t mean the NHL and the fan base wouldn’t want the game to have some dignity attached to it, and having Scott be the captain of the Pacific Division certainly does away with any of that.” After watching the All-Star tournament on Sunday night, however, I would like to apologize to John Scott because he was part of the one of the greatest NHL All- Star games I’ve ever seen as a fan.

Starting with the NHL Skills Competition on Saturday, the cheers Scott received from fans were as loud as the ones for the hometown Predators, which spoke volumes of the NHL fans’ decision to vote Scott into the game. He might not have shined in the hardest shot competition, but he and the rest of the players seemed to really enjoy themselves, which is what All-Star Weekend is all about. More importantly, the players were thrilled to have Scott there. They stick-tapped when he came onto the ice during introductions and didn’t treat him like an inferior player, but as an equal and captain who would be making decisions for them throughout the weekend. The players stuck up for their fellow hockey player, who seemed to be ousted by the Arizona Coyotes and the NHL in general when they asked him to respectfully decline an invitation to the All-Star Game. Their support of Scott truly spoke volumes.

By the time the All-Star tournament came around, even I found myself pulling for Scott. When he scored his first goal and I watched his celebration, the crowd’s eruption and his teammates’ utter jubilation for him, I, much like the rest of the NHL world, became a John Scott supporter. He followed up his goal with a “fight” with former teammate Patrick Kane, a second goal that featured a fantastic shot and a burn of analyst Jeremy Roenick in an in-game interview that sent Twitter into a frenzy, all with a big smile on his face.

The NHL tried once more to spurn Scott’s fun on All Star Weekend by not including him in the final vote for All Star Game MVP. The crowd booed and Twitter revolted, only tweeting #VoteMVPScott for the vote (even team NHL Twitter accounts were showing their support). In the end, the Pacific won the tournament and Scott was named MVP and handed a one million dollar check by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman: the ultimate victory in a fantastic weekend for Scott.

So thank you, John Scott, for bringing back the fun and excitement into the NHL All-Star game.

You not only came to play, you showed you belonged. You didn’t let anyone stand in your way of having a good time and showcasing your abilities as an NHL player and did an awesome job of sticking it to those who said you shouldn’t have been in Nashville, like myself. Hopefully Montreal saw what you brought to the game, and will call you up from St. John’s in the near future.

Page 19

Men’s Track Terrier Classic 500 m Santelli 11th- 1:05.51 Women’s Track Terrier Classic 5,000 m Heaney 23rd- 2:13.03 Men’s Squash Fordham Penn State

7 2

Denison Fordham

7 2

Fordham Miami

5 4

Fordham Lehigh

6 3

Men’s Basketball Rhode Island Fordham Rhoomes (FOR) 18 pts Terrell (RI) 25 pts Fordham UMass Chartouny (FOR) 18pts Pekarek (FOR) 11 pts

79 63

78 72

Women’s Basketball VCU Fordham Missry (FOR) 15 pts

61 51

Fordham 50 Rhode Island 42 Clark (FOR) 8 pts, 14 rebs Holden (FOR) 10 pts

Alvin Halimwidjaya

Men’s Swim UMass 179 Fordham 114 200-yd Butterfly Sholdra 1st- 1:54.50 Women’s Swim Fordham 171 UMass 124 200-yd Free Laurent 1st- 1:55.53 100-yd Back Fairclaugh

1st- 58.33

Men’s Tennis Fordham Saint Peter’s

7 0

Women’s Tennis Drexel Fordham

5 2

Athletes of the Week Joseph Chartouny

Shanna Heaney

Freshman

Junior

Basketball

Track & Field

Chartouny paved the way for his team’s overtime victory against UMass last Saturday. The freshman standout recorded 18 points and 10 rebounds, good enough for his third double-double of the year. As a reward for his effort, Chartouny was named A-10 Rookie of the Week.

Heaney’s blazing speed allowed her to qualify for the ECAC Championships. Her 800m time of 2:13.03 was good enough for 23rd overall and an entrance into the aforementioned championships, which take place in early March.

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 • Rhoomes, Clark named

Zipcar Performers of the Month Rhoomes was a key contribu-

• Former Rams Football Player Aki Jones inducted into AFNT Hall of Fame Aki

• Five Softball players named to preseason All-Conference

• Men’s Tennis Take Home a Pair of Weekly Awards

tor in Fordham’s three conference wins in January. He averaged 13.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game and was named A-10 Player of the Week. His month was highlighted by a 25 point, 18 rebound game against LaSalle.

Clark continues her stellar performance over the month, averaging 10.9 points and 10.5 rebounds in eight games. She recorded four double-doubles, included a 14 point, 14 rebound and 6 block game against George Mason. Both players look to maintain their success as their seasons wind down.

CollegeSportsMadness.com recently announced the selections for preseason AllConference, which included five Ram players. Coach Bridget Orchard was also selected as preseason Coach of the Year. Rachel Gillen, who was also selected for pitcher of the year, Amy Van Hoven and Sydney Canessa were named to the first team, while, Lindsay Mayer and Morgan Figueroa earned second team honors.

Jones was recently inducted into the AFNT Hall of Fame. Jones last played for the Rams in 2004. He was a four year letterman and a two year starter. Jones was also a member of the 2002 team, which is remembered for winning the first Patriot League Championship in school history. In 2005, Jones made it to the NFL, playing one season with Washington. Jones died tragically in a car accident in 2014. The American Football News Today honors players from all levels of football, including college.

After defeating Saint Peter’s last saturday, two men’s tennis players were honored with A-10 weekly awards. Junior transfer Tomas Comai, who was given Player of the Week, and freshman Victor Li, who was given Rookie of the Week, helped their team in the 7-0 victory. The awards were the first on the year for the team.

– Compiled by Pat Costello

Running Through the Six Things are looking good for the Toronto Raptors: they’re currently on an 11-game win streak, they have the support of one of the most prominent artists in music and they look to host the All-Star game this month.

They’re only two and a half games behind the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference and their improved play is starting to turn heads. After a couple of underwhelming seasons in which they did not live up to the expectations of an Eastern Conference contender, they look to make a splash in the playoffs this year.

Everything in Toronto starts on defense. The Raptors are fifth in opponents’ points per game; they have held teams to 43.8 percent from the field and 37 percent from the field, and they average 8.3 steals per game as well as 5.3 blocks per game. The Raptors have always been known as a gritty team, and now with the proper defensive prowess, they have been able to shut teams down on a more consistent basis. Kyle Lowry, their leader, has set the tone defensively, averaging 2.3 steals per game. Their new acquisitions this season have also done well, with Cory Joseph bringing a great mindset on team defense from the Spurs and Demarre Carroll lending his individual defensive talent, despite being injured for a significant time. Bismack Biyombo has also helped in holding down the middle, leading the team in blocks with 1.5 per game in only around 22 minutes per game.

Despite the Raptors’ ability to contain opposing teams on offense is where people have mixed feelings. Lowry and DeMar DeRozan have established themselves as the best backcourt in the East this season. Lowry is averaging 21 points, five rebounds and six assists per game, while DeRozan is averaging 23 points, four rebounds and four assists per game. However, due to their reliance on their dynamic duo, Toronto tends to lean too heavily on an isolation-heavy offense. They’re currently 29th in the league in assists per game, and in a league where the current trend is consistent ball movement, sticking to DeRozan’s midrange game and Lowry’s undersized bulldog mentality—while proven reliable so far this season—is a significant risk to take.

Most people are confident that the Cavaliers will get to the Finals without much of a struggle, and for good reason, since it is unpopular to bet against the best player in the East, if not the league: LeBron James. Jimmy Butler is trying to keep the Bulls afloat, and Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are trying to keep the Heat relevant in the conversation of East contenders. Right now, the Raptors have a chance to try and build up momentum to knock off the Cavs.

Despite their dependence on an offensive style that is slowly being rendered obsolete, Lowry and DeRozan are still extremely talented scorers.

Cory Joseph has been a revelation and has injected a little of that Spurs magic into the Raptors, and players like Luis Scola, Patrick Patterson and Terrence Ross are playing well in the Raptors’ system. Toronto’s stock has been steadily rising this season, and after a disappointing first round loss to the Wizards last season, the Raptors are, as Drake succinctly puts it, “looking for revenge.”

SPORTS

Page 20

February 3, 2016

The Fordham Ram

Men’s Basketball Wins First Road Game

By PAT COSTELLO ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

After splitting a pair of games at home, the Rams had to travel to Rhode Island last Wednesday. The Rams battled hard the entire game but came up short in the end. Senior Ryan Rhoomes had another stellar game — producing 18 points and 10 rebounds — good enough for his fifth double- double of the year and 12th of his career. The senior went six for 11 from the field and tacked on six foul shots. Senior Mandell Thomas also had a nice game for himself, contributing 13 points and four steals.

What really allowed Fordham to stay in the game was the bench play of junior Jon Severe and freshmanDavid Pekarek. Severe netted 12 points in only 24 minutes and Pekarek added 10 of his own.

The game was close through the first 29 minutes, but the Rhode Island Rams went on a couple of runs down the stretch and pulled away. After a couple of Joseph Chartouny foul shots brought the game within three, 53-50, Rhode Island stepped on the gas pedal. They dumped on 13 points to Fordham’s four, pushing their lead to 66-54 with just under 8 and a half

MICHAEL REZIN/ THE FORDHAM RAM

The men’s basketball team lost a tough game against URI, but rebounded with a strong away win at UMass.

minutes remaining. Fordham remained resilient and began to fight back, but failed to overtake Rhode Island. After Fordham pulled within seven, Rhode Island scored 11 of the next 12 points to put the game out of reach. The 79-63 loss was Fordham’s sixth in the Atlantic 10 and eighth on the year. Fordham had not won an away game all season, at that point.

The Rams could not afford to wallow following their most recent loss, as they had to go up to Amherst to take on UMass on Saturday. This game was an absolute nail-biter down to the bitter end. With 19 seconds left on the clock, redshirt sophomore Antwoine Anderson stepped to the line looking to seal the deal. As a 75 percent foul shooter, he is one of the

best on the entire roster. After knocking down the first to make the score 63-60, Anderson uncharacteristically missed the second. UMass quickly pushed the ball up the court. UMass guard Trey Davis was on the far side of the court and drove left towards the rim. The Fordham defense collapsed around him, leaving Donte Clark wide open on the left wing.

Davis turned around and hit Clark with a perfect pass, who proceeded to hit the game-tying three with nine seconds left. Undaunted by this, Fordham inbounded and quickly got the ball down the court, finding sophmore Nemanja Zarkovic with seven seconds left. When it came off his fingertips the entire building thought the ball was going in, but it rattled out, sending the game to overtime.

It would have been very easy for the Rams to get discouraged, especially after UMass initially took the lead in overtime, but they dug deep and battled hard, eventually coming out victorious. Fordham went 6-8 from the line in the extra period, including a perfect 4-4 from Anderson.

The final score was 78-72, pushing the Rams record to 12-8 overall and 3-6 in the A-10. The win also gave Jeff Neubauer his first road victory as the coach of the Rams. They continue A-10 action this week with a home game against the high-powered St. Joe’s Hawks on Saturday. Fordham was defeated in its previous encounter with the Hawks by 25 points and surely will have that memory with them.

Women Fall at VCU, Beat URI at Home

By SAM BELDEN SPORTS EDITOR

After a loss to Davidson on Jan. 20, the Fordham women’s basketball team had a full week to prepare for its next games, a rarity during the grind of conference play. The Rams were able to regroup during the layoff, and while they fell short of having a perfect week, they showed plenty of life in a pair of contests against Atlantic 10 opponents. After falling to Virginia Commonwealth University last Wednesday, the team returned to the Rose Hill Gym for Saturday’s Alumni Day and bested Rhode Island.

The first matchup of the week, held in VCU’s Siegel Center, featured one of Fordham’s most uneven performances of the season. The team led by 15 points at halftime but was outscored by 25 in the second half, resulting in an eighth straight road loss. The final score was 61-51.

“It was obviously a tale of two halves,” said head coach Stephanie Gaitley.

The game started out as a close one. Fordham hit four shots from beyond the arc in the first quarter, accounting for 12 of its 16 points. Junior guard Hannah Missry made two three-pointers, while junior guard Danielle Padovano and freshman guard Lauren Holden each made one of their own. Senior forward Samantha Clark rounded out the scoring for Fordham with a pair of layups. However, VCU managed to keep it close and trailed by just four at the end of the first period.

Fordham started to dominate in the second quarter. Missry opened the scoring with another three-pointer, stretching her team’s lead to seven.

VCU kept pace until the five-minute mark, at which Fordham went on a 10-0 run, denying the opposition any points for the rest of the half. Missry

DREW DIPANE/ THE FORDHAM RAM

The women’s basketball team was unable to hold a halftime lead at VCU, but defeated a strong URI team at home.

sunk two more three-pointers over that stretch, giving her a total of 15 points through the first two periods.

Clark was also a main contributor in the game’s first phase, adding 10 points.

In the third quarter, the tide began to turn. Suddenly unable to get into any kind of rhythm, Fordham failed to score a single point in the period’s first eight minutes. Instead, they turned over the ball five times, and VCU added six points as a result.

The opposition pulled within one, but Clark finally ended the scoring drought by successfully converting on a three-point play. At the quarter’s end, Fordham’s lead was just two, and the game had a renewed sense of urgency.

Holden opened the last period with a three-pointer, stretching the Fordham lead to five, but the offensive struggles continued from there.

The team allowed VCU to go on a 13-0 run, resulting in an eight-point

deficit with just under four minutes remaining. Fordham committed eight turnovers over the stretch. It made a late run, at one point cutting VCU’s lead to just four, but the home team was strong down the stretch and ended up winning by 10 points.

After the game, Gaitley was critical of her team’s inability to hold the lead. “In the second half, we shot 22 percent [from the field] and turned the ball over 15 times,” she said. “We need to play 40 minutes of solid defense. The offense will take care of itself.”

Three days later, Fordham returned home to host the Rhode Island Rams, winners of their last three games. It was Alumni Day at the Rose Hill Gym, providing the home team with an extra incentive to come out on top.

“It’s always great being back at Rose Hill,” said Gaitley. Because of Alumni Day, she added, “we had a huge boost.”

It showed. Just three minutes into the game, Fordham took a lead that it would not relinquish, holding Rhode Island to just 42 points and winning by a margin of eight.

Rhode Island was first to score, but Fordham responded quickly. Gaitley’s team went on a 7-0 run to take control, with Holden contributing five points over the stretch. Rhode Island eventually pulled back to within one, but a jumper from junior forward Danielle Burns put Fordham in front by three to end the quarter.

Both teams struggled from the field in the first half. This was most noticeable in the second quarter— at one point, just two points were scored during a four-minute interval.

Rhode Island kept it close, but threepointers from Missry and Clark made the difference as Fordham took a sixpoint advantage into the half.

Both sides’ offenses began to perk up during the second half. Due to a pair of turnovers from Burns, Rhode

Island was able to work quickly and cut Fordham’s lead to two at the beginning of the third quarter, but a Holden three-pointer provided some breathing room. Another threepointer from Missry stretched the advantage to eight. However, Rhode Island found something towards the end of the period and made it a fourpoint game heading into the final quarter.

The visitors failed to rise to the occasion. Fordham, having allowed just one basket in the quarter, extended its lead to 10 points with just four minutes remaining. Rhode Island attempted to make a late charge, but a final three-pointer from Missry put it out of reach. Fordham won by a score of 50-42.

Missry and sophomore forward G’mrice Davis led the way for the Rams with 12 points each, with Holden adding 10. Clark and Burns were also major contributors in the Fordham victory, grabbing 14 rebounds apiece.

After the lackluster defensive showing at VCU, Gaitley was pleased with her team’s performance in front of the home crowd.

“We held Rhode Island to the fewest points of [any opponent we’ve faced] this year,” she said. “We also out-rebounded them by 18. We talked as a team that we’ll have to dedicate ourselves to being a defensive team. We’ve found out the hard way that we won’t always have consistent offensive games.”

After splitting the week’s games, the Rams moved to 4-4 in the A-10.

The remain tied for fifth place in the standings.

Next up for Fordham is a home game on Feb. 3 against the George Washington Colonials, winners of their last 14 games, before traveling to UMass on Saturday.