Volume 98 issue 22

The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 Volume 98, Issue 22

FordhamRam.com

Looking Back on USG

Gabelli Improves in Rankings

By ERIN SHANAHAN

By THERESA SCHLIEP

Fordham’s fall academic semester was characterized by several major events that shook the University, such as several bias incidents and the presidential election. Fordham’s United Student Government (USG) responded to these events in several ways throughout the semester while promoting initiatives and changing its system.

Daniel Stroie, GSB ’17, and Eli Simon, GSB ’17, made several personal initiatives during their spring term as USG President and USG Vice President, respectively.

In response to the bias incident which occurred in September of this semester, Stroie and Simon worked with the executive members of the other “Big Four” organizations on campus: Residence Halls Association, Campus Activities Board and Commuter Students Association, to respond to the situation and create “Diversity Month.” Together, they created a month’s worth of programs promoting diversity among the community. In addition, Stroie and Simon worked to create a video regarding diversity, which was uploaded onto the USG website this past Friday.

“We wanted to highlight the differences amongst our community and celebrate them,” Stroie said.

As high school seniors begin to decide on where they spend their college years, most of whom will enroll in the nation’s undergraduate business schools, they will find Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business — both undergraduate and graduate programs— appealing institutions, according to recent rankings.

Bloomberg Businessweek released its annual Best Business Schools ranking on Nov. 16, and ranked the Gabelli School of Business’s MBA program No. 59 in the nation, an improvement of 13 spots from its No. 72 ranking in 2015.

The business publication Poets & Quants also released a ranking, its first, in which it ranked Fordham’s undergraduate Gabelli School of Business No. 31.

The top graduate business schools, according to Bloomberg are Harvard, Stanford and Duke.

New York University’s Stern School of Business moved seven spots from last year, from No. 24 to No. 17 in the Bloomberg ranking.

Boston College’s rank remained stagnant at No. 48, while Georgetown’s ranking moved down 8 spots, from No. 26 to No. 34.

MANAGING EDITOR

SEE USG, PAGE 3

Demember 7, 2016

NEWS CO-EDITOR

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Facilities is planning changes to make Collins, a building that poses challegnes to disabled students, more accessible.

Rose Hill Campus to Be Completely Wheelchair Accessible by 2018: Valera

By VICTOR ORDONEZ STAFF WRITER

Upon the completion of Collins Hall, one of three projects currently being reviewed by Facilities Management, Fordham University’s “Rose Hill campus will be completely wheelchair accessible,” according to Marco Valera, vice president of Facilities Management.

He said these plans will include multi-million-dollar renovations.

SEE RANKINGS, PAGE 2

“We want to do it right,” said Valera.

Other buildings on campus are being renovated to improve overall accessibility. Valera is working on improving accessibility in McGinley Center. The center of student life has an elevator, but its faulty lift system currently in place necessitates renovations.

“I don’t know who built that thing,” said Valera, regarding the McGinley Center lift. “It doesn’t even come level with the floor. But we plan on fixing this with a new lift.”

An elevator will be installed in Cunniffe House by late 2017, according to Valera.

Changes to Collins Hall include the installation of an interior lift and an elevator. The interior lift will provide theater stage access to students.

With no elevator or ramp, it is nearly impossible for a respective student with a handicap to enter or even travel within Collins Hall.

USG members had originally SEE FACILITIES, PAGE 5

Fordham Foundry Hosts In-House Hackathon

By AISLINN KEELY STAFF WRITER

CAROLINE O’KANE/THE FORDHAM RAM

Father McShane aligned with other Catholic university leaders to support undocumented students.

McShane Pledges Support to Undocumented Students

By ERIN SHANAHAN AND THERESA SCHLIEP Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, joined more than 70 other leaders in Catholic higher education affirming the university’s commitment to teaching students who entered the United States illegally as children.

The statement, originally issued

Wednesday by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and published in The Washington Post, was released following several claims by President-elect Donald Trump, a former Fordham student, to tighten illegal immigration laws and deport undocumented residents. Other Jesuit universities participating in this pledge include Fairfield University and Boston College.

McShane did not provide comment to The Fordham Ram, but but he did send a university-wide email on Thursday explaining his support of the statement.

In the email, McShane said that Fordham’s mission is one dedicated to immigrants, and alluded to the founder of the university, John Joseph Hughes, an SEE UNDOCUMENTED, PAGE 6

The second floor of the Fordham Foundry transformed on Saturday as directions, schedules and web addresses filled the chalkboards around students participating in a marathon of tech business building: Hack the Foundry. From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. students of business and computer science backgrounds came together to work on fledgling ideas in competition, but more importantly, collaboration. Projects focused on linking the average consumer with specific small businesses through web developments, requiring both a business and tech innovation.

The challenge? To “create a program or hack that can help small businesses in the area,” according to its mission statement. The prize? $225 and an opportunity to develop ideas with other creative and motivated people.

Participants met in the morning and formed teams of varying sizes and skill sets. The ultimate winner was a one man team, though. Nicholas DiBari, FCRH ’17, of the Fordham Computer Society (CSS) created a program that analyzed song lyrics to determine sen-

timent. In the framework of a business tool, it can help small businesses create playlists tailored to a positive sentiment. DiBari said he believes that positive music will have a positive influence on business.

“Hacking, in our terms, is putting together a program,” said Anthony Parente, GSB ’19, vice president of entrepreneurship society. “Really, it’s just a competition to create cool things.”

The hackathon was part of Local Hack Day, organized by Major League Hacking, a company that

SEE FOUNDRY, PAGE 3

in this issue

Opinion Page 11

Liberals Are The Most Vocal and Accepted Voices

Culture Page 14 Star Wars Fanbase Expanding

Sports Page 24

Women’s Basketball Beats Duquene, BS

NEWS

December 7, 2016

PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS Nov. 31 Southern Boulevard 1 p.m.

A student parked his car on Southern Boulevard near Crotona Avenue.

When he returned to his car he found that the rear window on the passenger side had been broken into. The student’s backpack was taken from the car. The student filed a report and NYPD is currently investigating. The student said nothing of value was in his backpack.

Dec. 1 Fordham Road 1 p.m.

A student was riding the Bx9 bus to campus. She stepped off the bus and realized that her ID and metro card were stolen. The student believes she was pickpocketed, but denied filing a report with the NYPD. Dec. 1 Walsh Hall 4 p.m.

An occupied elevator in Walsh Hall became stuck. Seven students were in the elevator. Public Safety notified the elevator company. The company responded within half an hour and fixed the elevator. No students were injured in the incident.

Dec. 2 Alumni Court South 2:30 p.m.

A student reported that someone had removed her Champion sweatshirt from a dryer in the laundry room of Alumni Court South. Public Safety is currently investigating the incident.

Page 2

Journalist Discusses Importance of Media in American Democracy

By VICTOR ORDONEZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

In the wake of a polarized political ruler, esteemed American journalist Marvin Kalb told students that journalists will continue to serve the community as watchful protectors from corruption and censorship.

“Journalism is an essential piece of our democracy,” said Kalb at an event hosted by the communications and media studies department on Nov. 17 in Faculty Memorial Hall. Kalb, a senior advisor at the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, gave students with advice and insight into the future of journalism.

A 30 year veteran of CBS News and NBC News, he predicted that media relationships with President-elect Donald Trump in years to come will be tense as journalists scuffle with the president elect over issues of transparency. Trump broke recent tradition by refusing to allow journalists to cover his first meeting with President Barack Obama.

Kalb said the public wants transparency from the Trump administration and he expects that Trump will communicate mostly with those who he likes and feels are

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Marvin Kalb gave a talk at Fordham in which he discussed the importance of the media in maintaining a democracy.

treating him fairly.

“Trump will choose those he will favor, and those he will not,” he said.

With this, Kalb addressed recent prejudices aimed towards journalists. “When people say disparaging things about journalism, please do

not listen to them,” said Kalb.

Kalb said Trump will have an unprecedented influence over the media during his presidency. “Within a year or so,” said Kalb, “[Trump] will have the media eating out of his hand.”

Dec. 3 Lombardi Fieldhouse 4:15 p.m.

A student playing basketball in Lombardi Fieldhouse placed his wallet on the floor next to his phone. After practicing, he found that his wallet was missing. The student’s phone was not taken. Approximately three hours later, NYPD arrested three non-students near Fordham. One of the individuals had the student’s wallet in his possession.

— Compiled by Michael Byrne

Follow us on Twitter! @TheFordhamRam

Photo of the Week

Gaudete Sunday is on Dec. 11 and the University Church will be holding a mass in recognition of the annual tradition.

The celebration honors the third Sunday of Advent in the liturgical calendar. “Gaudete” is derived from the Latin term for “Rejoice,” and the day has been referred to as the “Sunday of Joy” by Pope Francis.

The media also failed in some ways in this election, according to Kalb. For instance, Trump’s ubiquitous media presence during the presidential election allowed him to generous airtime on many networks.

“Donald Trump was the acting executive producer of every cable news network,” said Kalb.

Trump nearly doubled news networks’ coverage of the Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton.

Studies by the 2016 Campaign Television Tracker show that Donald Trump was mentioned by television news programs 1.2 million times.

Trump also used the rise of social media to his advantage, a platform that journalists often use to promote their stories.

“Social media is centrally important in determining and defining contemporary journalism,” said Kalb.

Social media has also abetted the proliferation of fake news stories and publications, which have become increasingly controversial election the election.

Kelsey Micklas, FCRH ’18, was a student attendee and journalism major concerned about the current state of news media.

“In earlier days journalism was vital and so well done,” said Micklas, “I feel like we are losing some of that.”

This Week at Fordham Wednesday Dec. 7

Wednesday Dec. 7

Thursday Dec. 8

Friday Dec. 9

Friday Dec. 9

The Santa Clause Showing

RHA December Quizzo Dagger John’s 9 p.m. —11 p.m.

UNICEF Unity Concert

McGinley Ballroom 8 p.m. — 10:30 p.m.

Fordham Stand Up Holiday Spectacular

Hot Notes Winter Concert

Campus Activities Board will be holding a Cinevent, showing the 1994 holiday film The Santa Clause, starring Tim Allen, in honor of Christmas approaching.

The Residence Halls Association will be hosting its monthly trivia competition. Students are invited to come in teams of four and compete to win free prizes.

Various Fordham performance groups will be appearing at the UNICEF Unity Concert to raise money for UNICEF. Tickets are $5 for Fordham students.

Fordham Experimental Theater will be hosting a special holiday stand-up comedy event. Students are invited to attend the performance.

The Hot Notes will be hosting one of its bi-annual concerts where they will perform original jazz a capella arrangements. Admission to the event is free.

Keating First Auditorium 8:30 p.m. — 11:30 p.m.

Blackbox Theater 8 p.m. — 9 p.m.

Collins Auditorium 7 p.m. — 9 p.m.

NEWS

December 7, 2016

Page 3

Hackathon Challenges Programmers and Entrepreneurs FROM FOUNDRY, PAGE 1

assists local organizers in putting together local hacking events. The Foundry’s hackathon encouraged students to “think about the problems they face and how your solution could help them generate profit,” according to the mission statement.

The Fordham Entrepreneurship Society, CSS and host Fordham Foundry collaborated in organizing the event, making it appealing to both those focused in computer science and those with business cultivating skill sets.

In some cases, business builders with no computer science experience were able to find a team to build their idea, and likewise, those with computer science skills did not have to build the business model of their program.

“A lot of people aren’t super competitive, they’re just trying to find like-minded people to work on projects,” said Michael Gonzales, FCRH ’18, vice president of the Fordham Computer Science Society.

The panel of judges consisted of the CSS President, the Fordham Foundry Co-Chair and Director of the Concourse Group.

Throughout the day there were periodic activities including a cupstacking event and an After The Hack event to provide business advice for program builders.

CSS has rallied the troops for hackathons at other universities in the past. In 2014 participated in a hackathon at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, but no Fordham students won.

Hackathons provide a space for dialogue and learning exchange. Not everyone in attendance aimed to build a project for the competition.

Many used the time to discuss ideas and work on skills related to other projects.

“We’re not really working on a project per say,” said Elana Tee, FCLC ’17 as she and Aurielle Catron, Marketing Director of the Fordham Computer Science Society, FCLC ’17, discussed coding. “We’re kind of just working together.”

COURTESY OF THE FORDHAM FOUNDRY

The Fordham Foundry became a site of invention as students gathered to participate in a hack-a-thon.

USG Enacted Initiatives, Worked Through Committees FROM USG, PAGE 1

“There are a lot of different people at this university and we want them to feel included here at Fordham.”

In regards to the presidential election, Stroie issued a statement on behalf of USG in the wake of the results.

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

In addition, Stroie and Simon discussed the results of the election at large with their representatives at their public Thursday night meeting.

The conversation was also taken to the following Student Life Council Meeting. However, USG did not hold any kind of programing regarding the results and climate on campus. According to Stroie and Simon, the hesitance to program in addition to the SLC meeting was to maintain USG’s unbiased, bipartisan status on campus.

“The worst thing that we could do is alienate someone we are supposed to be representing and supporting,” Stroie said. “I wanted to remind our

senators and VPs to be open to all conversation and offer support to all people during this time, regardless of their opinions.”

In addition to their response to the bias incident and the presidential election, Stroie and Simon are currently finalizing bylaws for the future Committee on Sexual Misconduct. Those bylaws will be voted on this coming Thursday at the final USG meeting.

“We wanted to address hook up culture through this committee,” Stroie said. “We hope to help the university improve resources and assist people going through the CARE process.”

In addition to just the work of Stroie and Simon, their student representatives and committees have made efforts to improve the lives of students here at Fordham.

The Freshmen Senate sent out an interest survey in the beginning of the semester in order to assess what the current freshmen are looking for during their time at Fordham.

They are currently still reviewing the results of that survey and are planning to move forward in the spring semester.

Senator Aaron Banasiewicz, FCRH ’18, along with the rest of the Junior Class Senate, passed the

Beacon Exemplar Code for faculty and staff members. This award is now broken down by group. The award is given out to a member in each subgroup of the Fordham community. For example, the award will be given out to a faculty member, an administrator, a member of the dining services, a facilities worker and a security member.

“We want to be able to highlight individuals within their specific area of work in the university,” Simon said. “They matter too and we really want to make sure they know that we care.”

The senior class senators are working to provide funding for unpaid interns here at Fordham. Senator Elizabeth Wetzler, FCRH ’17, spearheaded this initiative. The initiative will allow Fordham students to receive compensation from the school to supplement their unpaid fall, spring and summer internship positions nationwide. The fund is expected to launch this coming spring semester.

The USG House Committee has created the Dining Services Advisory Committee at the beginning of this semester in addition to their usual programing events and student life procedures. This dining services initiative was picked up by sopho-

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

USG, pictured above at their weekly meetings, worked on diversity and sustainability this semester.

more Senator Sarah Brown, GSB ’19.

“Last year during the food provider recruitment process, we learned that there were few places for students to provide constant feedback to the food provider.” Stroie said.

This USG committee meets monthly with the Dining Services Liaison, the Resident District Manager House Committee and a Student Athletic Council representative. The committee has also reached out to include a Faculty Senate representative; however, they have yet to hear back from the Faculty Senate.

This semester, the committee was able to acquire an “All Day Breakfast” option at The Urban Kitchen. Next semester, the committee is working to create a meal swipe and declining balance donation program. Aramark is eager to bring the proposal to fruition, according to Stroie. At New York University, Aramark already has a similar program in effect.

“From what has been reported to me, Aramark has been very receptive to the suggestions provided by our Dining Services Advisory Committee,” Stroie said. “The committee and Aramark have created a nice partnership together and I think good things are to come for both parties.”

The House Committee has been facilitating its normal yearly projects as well such as Gaudete Sunday, Festivus and the Art Show. Additionally, in terms of general student life procedures, the House Committee created House Liaisons to assist all clubs in case of any violations.

The Gabelli School Dean’s Council has been working on several initiatives this semester. For example, the council spearheaded the event TEDXFordhamU. This TEDX event focused on the theme “Roots of Change.”

The council also created an academic advisory committee. This council has been working on a survey to determine what aspects of the curriculum need improvements.

The survey is expected to be sent out by the end of this semester or the beginning of next semester.

The council has been working to promote Gabelli Vision as Gabelli’s students go-to platform to learn

about events occurring in the community.

Next semester, a study abroad stipend program for cultural excursions is expected to be developed and launched. The goal of this program is to promote abroad experiences while increasing the visibility of the study abroad program.

Abroad students will be able to apply for a grant for a weekend excursion.

While on their trip, they will be required to document their experiences for Gabelli marketing.

“The program will have dual purpose,” Simon said. “Students will be able to experience cultural immersion in a different country while supporting Gabelli Marketing and help increase awareness for the abroad program.”

The Gabelli Council also hoped to begin a food cart initiative. Clubs and organizations will be invited to use the food cart in the lobby of Hughes Hall during the activity block. This will help clubs fundraise and gain visibility USG’s Operations Committee approved 4 clubs this semester. The new clubs include: Consulting Society, Futurist Club, Tzu Chi Collegiate Association at Fordham and Integrative Neuroscience Student Association. There are four more clubs waiting for approval.

Sustainability Committee hosted sustainability week once again this semester. In addition, they are beginning a trial run for “back of house composting.” The goal of this initiative is to have Aramark compost food scraps from The Marketplace.

The committee also plans to place recycling bins around Eddie’s’.

Next semester, the Sustainability Committee plans to increase their visibility through a promotion called “Trust the Tap.” This initiative will encourage students to use the campus’s tap water instead of bottled water. The committee will also be organizing Fordham Flea and The Bronx is Beautiful once again.

In addition to allocating budgets, USG’s Budget Committee has created subcommittees to edit the guidelines of the budget packet. They are planning to propose these guideline revisions by the first week in February to USG and the student body.

NEWS

Page 4

December 7, 2016

Fordham In The Bronx

Homeless Shelter for LGBT Young Adults Opening in the Bronx

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Councilmember Ritchie Torres played a key part in establishing the new LGBT young adult homeless shelter.

By YASMIN MERCHANT STAFF WRITER

A homeless shelter for LGBT young adults will be opening in the Bronx.

The shelter, run by the organiza-

tion Project Renewal, will be the first LGBT shelter in the city to house residents over the age of 24. It will open in the Bathgate area on Dec. 19. Councilmember Ritchie Torres played a key role in the initiative. Torres, who represents District 15 of the

Bronx, is the first openly gay candidate to be elected to legislative office in the borough.

Various organizations, such as the Williams Institute and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), say a combination

of factors contribute to LGBT youth’s marginalization. According to the Williams Institute, 40 percent of the homeless youth served by agencies identify as LGBT. Most in their situation were kicked out by their families.

LGBT youth can also face harassment in school and are two times less likely to finish high school or pursue a college education compared to the national average, according to the GLSEN. Lack of higher education makes it more difficult to find jobs that pay enough to afford housing.

The past decade has seen much progress for the LGBT community, such as the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and the federal legalization of same-sex marriage. But the LGBT community still faces discrimination. One of the biggest problems is the large number of homeless LGBT youth and young adults. The city hopes to address this issue through the creation of the shelter.

Because of their sexual orientation or gender, LGBT youth face discrimination when seeking alternative housing and in federally funded institutions. Even if this demographic

is able to find housing, they are often not safe. The National Coalition for the Homeless says that “once homeless, these youth experience greater physical and sexual exploitation than their heterosexual counterparts.”

Transgender youth in particular are in danger of physical harassment and are more likely to be turned away from shelters.

“Single adult shelters are too dangerous for LGBT youth,” Torres said in a statement. “If you’re a transgender young adult who’s been evicted from your home by your own parents, going into a single adult shelter could do more harm than good.”

The space will have 80 beds. Services will include group counseling, medical services for transgender residents, HIV care, an on-site psychiatrist and assistance in applying for health benefits and changing gender identity documentation.

Torres believes that this shelter could make a critical difference in these young people’s lives. “It can be the refuge that stands between vulnerable LGBT youth and suicide,” he said.

GSB Rankings Released

FROM RANKINGS, PAGE 1

In the Poets & Quants ranking Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business was ranked No. 4. New York University’s Stern School of Business followed at No. 9, while Boston College’s Carroll School of Management did not make the list.

The Bloomberg Businessweek ranking employs a methodology that uses employer surveys, alumni surveys, student surveys and job placement rates. Employer surveys had the most weight in the rankings.

Poets & Quants uses admissions standards, the academic experience as judged by alumni and employ-

THERESA SCHLIEP/THE FORDHAM RAM

Gabelli School of Business improved to No. 59 in Bloomburg Businessweek’s annual MBA rankings. Last year. Gabelli was ranked No. 72 by the publication.

ment outcomes, all with equal consideration.

Donna Rapaccioli, dean of the Gabelli School of Business, said improvements in the Businessweek

ranking are encouraging.

“It is encouraging to see the fulltime MBA program continue its upward trajectory in Businessweek. As a school, we are investing in that pro-

gram, which remains the standard by which graduate business schools are evaluated,” said Rapaccioli. “I greatly appreciate everything our faculty and administrators have done to

enhance the MBA curriculum, improve job-placement and startingsalary outcomes, and strengthen the ties between MBA students and Fordham alumni. “

Campus Briefs & Bites Fordham Mourns Death of Thomas Vinci

NCATE Accredits Fordham University GSE

Fordham Honors Staff Members at 1841 Awards

McGinley Lecture Focuses on Wisdom and Learning

Thomas G. Vinci, Ed.D., UGE ’49, professor emeritus and associate dean emeritus at the Graduate School of Education (GSE), passed away on Nov. 24. Vinci was 93 years old. Vinci’s funeral was held on Saturday, Dec. 3 at St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Vinci earned his B.S. in 1949 from Fordham’s School of Education. After earning his Ed.D. from Columbia University, Vinci began teaching at Fordham’s Graduate School of Education as an assistant professor in 1967 and later as a full professor. In 1974, he began serving as associate dean of the school until 1988 when he retired.

Vinci was also the author of 27 chapters and monographs in textbooks and publications, as well as a recipient of the Doctorate Association of New York’s “Outstanding Educator of the Year” award in 1983.

Vinci was also director of the Graduate School of Education’s alumni association.

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) has granted Fordham University Graduate School of Education a full, seven-year accreditation.

NCATE’s accreditation system is performance-based and aims to ensure that all prospective teachers in the school is qualified. NCATE’s goal is to ensure graduates of the educational programs are prepared to interact with families and individuals in a professional setting. NCATE intends to guarantee that students are ready to work in educational, psychological and counseling fields. Fordham University GSE met all standards, and NCATE emphasized GSE’s effectiveness and collaboration with other disciplines and schools. NCATE accreditation standards fall under the single specialized accreditation system for United States educator preparation, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).

Fordham University held its annual 1841 awards, which honors support staff members who have worked at Fordham for 20 years, on Nov. 30. This was the 34th annual presentation of the 1841 awards. 16 employees were recognized at the awards.

Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, spoke at the event, praising them for the integral they play in Fordham’s operation. At the event, those being honored shared stories of how they came to apply to Fordham. Staff members remembered anecdotes of their time at Fordham. Families of recognized staff members also attended the event to support their spouses and parents. Many of the employees’ children attended or currently are enrolled at Fordham University. Some of the staff members are taking Fordham classes themselves. The awards are named after the year 1841, when Fordham University was founded.

Patrick J. Ryan, S.J., Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society, held this fall’s McGinley lecture on Nov. 15 at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus and on Nov. 16 at Fordham’s Rose Hill campus. The lecture was titled, “Wisdom and Learning: Higher Education in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim Traditions.” The talk was inspired by the motto on the Great Seal of Fordham, “Sapientia et Doctrina,” which translates to “Wisdom and Learning.” Ryan presented the lecture with Magda Teter, Ph.D., Shvidler Chair in Judaic Studies, and Ebru Turan, Ph.D., assistant professor of history. The lecture focused on the roots of education in each spiritual tradition and what aspects they all share in common and how they differ. The talk included an understanding of the specific Jesuit perspective and Ignatius of Loyola’s focus on education.

The event ended with a Q&A session between the audience and panelists.

NEWS

December 7, 2016

Page 5

Marvin Kalb Remarks on the Changing World of Journalism

By BEN ST. CLAIR STAFF WRITER

In a career spanning over than three decades, Marvin Kalb has worked at both CBS and NBC News, where he served as moderator of “Meet the Press” from 1984 to 1987. He holds numerous awards for his work, which earned him a spot on President Richard Nixon’s “enemies list.” Kalb is also the author or co-author of 12 books and the host of The Kalb Report.

BSC: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing journalists today?

MK: I believe the biggest challenge is to find a workable financial system for sustaining a vibrant journalistic force. Without that financial structure — which is under siege right now and has been for 10 or 15 years — without a new way of financing journalism, we’re going to lose the heart and soul of journalism and we’ll all just end up as entertainers. And I think that would be horrible, not only for the journalists but for the country.

A second important point is that we are giving too much time and attention to the entertainment factor in journalism rather than the substantive factor. What is happening is what is important, not the color of the hair of the anchor providing us with that bit of information. We’ve got to go back to the origins of fact. How do we know something to be true? How can we trust the person who is providing the news to us? Are we the beneficiaries of journalism or entertainment?

And that to me is the second large question stemming from the absence of an acceptable economic underpinning of the industry.

BSC: Do you fear that’s incompatible — finding a sustainable business model with also being true to the facts and the hard news, not necessarily the entertainment aspect?

MK: There is a direct relationship because if you don’t have the money, you then will not be able to hire good people, you will not be able to give them the amount of time necessary to find out the facts of the story. You will not be able to sustain investigative reporting, which is an extremely

important element in contemporary journalism. I don’t want to say that the money is the single most important issue, but it has become one of the two or three most important issues: determining the nature of the “news” that we are getting every single day, indeed every single minute of every day.

BSC: Do you see the role of the news media changing today with the upcoming Trump presidency?

MK: Two answers to that. The function of journalism has not changed. The journalist is still there to provide the information so that the public can make up its mind.

Trump is, in my judgement, going to be a unique president in the sense that we have never before had someone with so little experience in major domestic and international issues. He is a businessman who has been both very successful and then, on occasion, not so very successful in the area of real estate. But that is not the same thing as negotiating an agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians. He tends to see everything as a deal.

Where journalism comes in here is that he, in my opinion, took journalism for a ride during the campaign, most especially cable news.

He became effectively the executive producer of every cable news show for 15 months, adding up to something like $2 billion in free airtime.

He is going to strike deals with those journalists he feels he can trust.

Good journalists will not engage in those deals, and he is going to find that it’s very difficult to seduce an entire world of journalism, but it is seduce-able. And my deepest fear is that in six months to a year into his time as president, he will have the media eating out of his hand. I’m not saying he’ll control everything, but he will have the dominant influence on the way in which events are covered.

He is his own producer. He measures success in his own way. He needs the media, yet hates the media. And that balance between need and hate will determine a good measure of his success as a president because if you can persuade enough

people that what you are doing — regardless of what you are doing — is a good thing, then you’ve got it made.

BSC: What can journalists do to work against that?

MK: Keep your distance. Even if with Trump it’s going to be — if he reaches out to you and wants to envelope you in his world and give you good stories and make you a great success, and you say, “No, I will stay out here and just look and cover,” he’s going to put distance between himself and you. And you’re going to find where it was sometimes with Nixon and his crowd — there was always a distance that he put. But Nixon was very unlike Trump. Nixon was a career politician. Trump is up to this point a career narcissist.

BSC: Do you think the journalist has a responsibility of speaking out in some way?

MK: He doesn’t have a responsibility to speak out. He has a responsibility to cover the news, and if the news speaks out about something, good. If it doesn’t, also good. The journalist is not there to pull down Trump or to enhance Trump. He’s there to cover the news, and if he does, that in this world of entertainment and big money contracts and all, people can easily be enticed into believing that journalism is become a Hollywood enterprise. It isn’t. It is most of the time a boring job where you’re going around getting information. Some of it isn’t worth a hill of beans, and you put it out in the paper.

But every now and then you’re on to something that is really good, and that is worth everything. And that is the excitement of being a journalist.

It is the pursuit of new information presented in an honest way, and try to win back your audience because we have been so over — we have been made so cynical toward everybody and institutions today.

It just didn’t just start with Trump, and it didn’t just start in the last couple days. It’s been going on for about 20-30 years now. It’s been a steady whittling down of general respect for the major institutions of American life. And it is not an accident that what remains fundamental to most Americans: 1) their faith, 2) their

ANDREA GARCIA/ THE FORDHAM RAM

USG first voiced concerns over the accessibility of Collins Hall, home to several theater groups, in 2013.

VICTOR ORDONEZ FOR THE FORDHAM RAM

A Ram reporter had a conversation with Marvin Kalb (left), an award-winning journalist, about the state of journalism.

faith in their military and the boy scouts, the old solid institutions in society. But almost everything else, starting with the Congress and going to the president, has been subject to withering criticisms and left in a state where the American people are simply confused as to what it is they can trust and what it is that they can’t.

I have a feeling that sometimes from a lot of the students that I talk to at many different universities — this is not just Fordham — that many have lost their faith in the institutions of American democracy. And what I try to say to them is that the institutions remain as solid and strong as ever, except our appreciation of them. And that relates to the way in which we acquire our information about the world. And to the degree that we continue to acquire the in-

formation mostly from the internet, we’re going to be in trouble. Information from the internet may be good, it may be bad. I think that we have to be very careful about that, more careful about that than anything else.

BSC: What advice do you give to young people who are aspiring to be journalists?

MK: Remember the essence of journalism is an honest, curious pursuit of new information that will help people understand an increasingly complicated world. To the degree that the journalist accomplishes that modest goal, he or she is doing God’s work.

BSC: I like that. Thank you very much, Mr. Kalb.

MK: You’re very, very welcome.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

FROM FACILITIES, PAGE 1

radar is expanding the McGinley Center to address overcrowding.

Samantha Spallina, FCRH’18, is a former student athlete who frequents the Rose Hill fitness center in the McGinley Center.

“It is nearly impossible to work out on a crowded day,” said Spallina. “I’ve often had to turn around and go home halfway through a workout simply because there wasn’t enough space in the weight room.”

However, the addition to McGinley Center is expected to cost upward of $80 million and is not on Valera’s five-year plan since it will require extensive fundraising.

According to Valera, the extension will fill in the open lawn in front of McGinley Center.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) makes it illegal for buildings to be inaccessible for the disabled. Collins Hall, however, continues to escape those regulations because was built in 1904.

Rennovations to Increase Accessibility

brought attention to Collins accessibility problems in early 2013.

In early 2015, former United Student Government (USG) Executive President Nevin Kulangara again called for improvements to be made to Fordham’s Rose Hill Campus.

Collins was once again named in this called for action. “It’s a building that is just closed off to a certain portion of the student body,” Kulangara told The Fordham Ram. Facilities Operations is focusing on other projects as well, such as energy efficiency.Currently, the department is replacing all of the lights at Rose Hill with high energy efficient LED light.

Walsh Library was one of the first buildings to take part in the renovations. The building now consumes 20 percent less energy. The project is expected to be completed by 2018.

Another project on Facilities

NEWS

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December 7, 2016

Vin Scully Recieves Presidential Medal of Freedom Fordham Alumnus Given Highest Civilian Honor

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Vin Scully, FCRH ’49 received the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Tuesday for his contributions to American sport.

By THERESA SCHLIEP NEWS CO-EDITOR

Vin Scully, FCRH ’49, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony on Tuesday surrounded by figures like Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Ellen Degeneres.

On Nov. 16, the famed Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster received a call from John Earnest, the White House Press Secretary,

telling him the news. Scully replied with humility and shock.

“Are you sure you’re calling the right guy?” Scully asked Earnest when he heard the news, according to a video shared by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Twitter.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor, “presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United

States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors,” according to the White House.

Recipients included other sports figures like Michael Jordan and Abdul Jabbar, as well as significant public figures like Lorne Michaels and Bill and Melinda Gates.

Scully helped found WFUV and was an assistant news editor for Volume 28 of The Fordham

son of four Irish immigrants and the son of a first-generation college graduate whose life was transformed by the education that he received here at Fordham, the university’s devotion to and service of generations of new Americans is especially close to my heart,” he said.

The educators referred to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), established in an executive decision by the Obama administration in 2012. DACA allows certain undocumented immigrants who arrived before their 16th birthday to bypass deportation and obtain a work permit. Trump pledged in his presidential campaign to “immediately terminate” Obama’s “illegal executive amnesties” which would include the DACA. The educators write that students who currently qualify for DACA should be able to continue their studies without interruption.

“Undocumented students need assistance in confronting legal and financial uncertainty and in managing the accompanying anxieties,” the statement said. “We pledge to support these students — through our campus counseling and ministry support, through legal resources from those campuses with

law schools and legal clinics, and through whatever other services we may have at our disposal.”

Last week, more than 200 college and university leaders signed a similar statement in solidarity with undocumented students, of which McShane did not sign. The memo had also urged that the Trump administration uphold and expand DACA. Several members of the university are pleased with McShane’s decision to defend undocumented citizens.

“I’m glad that McShane and other leaders in higher education are making it known that they are mobilizing to protect a vulnerable student population at a time of uncertainty in immigration policy,” said Dorothy Day Center Social Justice Leader, Jameson Connors, FCRH ’18.

The United Student Government (USG) also supported McShane’s signature.

“I think that this is a great message of support for students in our community and around the county that may be feeling scared about their safety and education,” said USG President Daniel Stroie, GSB ’17. “I commend Fr. McShane and the other Presidents for proudly supporting and standing with their students.”

After Election Results, Catholic Universities State Support for Undocumented Students FROM UNDOCUMENTED, PAGE 1

Irish-born archbishop.

“Because he was himself an immigrant and the victim of prejudice and discrimination both in Ireland and in the United States, and because he was the bishop of a largely immigrant community that suffered from the same discrimination from which he had suffered, Archbishop Hughes was passionately devoted to America’s immigrants.

Therefore, when he founded Saint John’s College (Fordham University) in 1841, he did so to create a school that would make it possible for the immigrants whom he served to receive an education that would both confound their enemies and enable them to take their rightful place in American society.”

Though the demographics of Fordham have changed over time, McShane said, Fordham has “kept faith with its founder’s vision and committed itself in a special way to serving immigrants and their sons, daughters, grandsons and granddaughters.”

In his email, McShane said he has a personal interest in maintaining the university’s “historic mission of welcoming and serving new Americans.”

“I would be less than honest if I didn’t tell you that as the grand-

Ram. “Vin Scully lifted sports play by play broadcasts to a high art, becoming the gold standard for the genre,” said Mark Conrad, J.D., director of sports business concentration and an associate professor of law and ethics. “His on-air work was poetry, his exquisite delivery made strike calls into lyrical cadences. In so doing, he delighted baseball fans for seven decades” Conrad said Scully deserves the honor.

“The Presidential Medal of Freedom recognizes those individuals who have made an especially meritorious contribution to the nation’s cultural and civil affairs,” said Conrad. “Mr. Scully has certainly met that standard.”

After awarding Scully the honor, President Barack Obama said Scully was shocked, and he had to explain to him why he was receiving the award.

“We had to inform him that, to Americans of all ages, you are an old friend,” said Obama on Tuesday at the ceremony.

After graduating from Fordham, Scully worked at CBS Radio Network. In 1950, he began his long career broadcasting for the Brooklyn Dodgers, eventually accompanying the team for their move to Los Angeles. Scully is the youngest person to have ever broadcast a World Series. He announced the 1953 World Series, which pitted

the Brooklyn Dodgers against the New York Yankees. Scully was 25, and the Yankees won the title.

He was inducted into the 1988 National Baseball Hall of Fame.

At 88 years old, Scully concluded his career this year calling for the Dodgers in their Oct. 2 game.

His career spanned 66 years.

In Issue 8 of Volume 28 of The Fordham Ram, the newspaper notes Scully’s passion for broadcasting.

“One of the most enjoyable things in the football season is Vin Scully’s Monday morning reports of the trials involved in broadcasting Saturday’s game. His kick-ofthe-week currently is the white jerseys with the shiny gold numbers…Oh, yes, Happy Thanksgiving everybody…,” wrote Jack McNulty.

In a Fordham Ram column, “Too Little Too Late,” in Issue 3, Volume 28, Jack Chezek said he was grateful to Scully for his announcements of the Fordham football game versus Canisius College.

“Although I wasn’t able to ‘shuffle off to Buffalo’ this past weekend and therefore cannot give an eyewitness account of the Fordham-Canisius fray, nevertheless I feel as though I have a pretty vivid picture of what happened, thanks to the efforts of the dulcet voiced redhead, Vin Scully, and his WFUV associates,” wrote Chezek.

Fordham Financial Aid, Scholarships Recieve Giving Tuesday Generosity

By THERESA SCHLIEP NEWS CO-EDITOR

After Americans waited in line on Friday to buy 50 inch TV’s at half price and sat in the comfort of their beds on Cyber Monday to get 20 percent off Adidas sneakers, the University celebrated Giving Tuesday through a fundraising effort.

Donors committed a total of $556,194 to the university for financial aid and scholarships, according to Kelsey Miles from the Fordham Fund. The average donation was $399.85, coming from 1,391 donors.

The overwhelming majority of gifts came from Fordham alumni.

Of the total donations, 68 percent of gifts came from alumni, 10 percent from parents, 5 percent from faculty and staff, 3 percent from friends of the university and 2 percent from current students, according to Miles.

Parents of the class of 2020 had the majority of donors for the undergraduate classes. Forty-four donors raised $12,210.

An anonymous donor donated $50,000 after 800 donors made a

gift. Another donor, Jerry Crotty, FCRH ’73, current trustee and past parent made a gift of $50,000 because 250 people made a gift between 5 p.m. and 3 a.m.

The Fordham Fund is an “unrestricted fund that goes to the university’s greatest needs,” according to Miles. Donors could choose where the money went. They could, for instance, donate money to scholarships for the men’s basketball team.

The fundraising was completed through a large outreach campaign. The university used Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to get the word out about Giving Tuesday, as well as postcards, emails and phone calls.

Noelle Beale, Ph.D., FCRH ’97 and GSE ’13, saw Giving Tuesday as an opportunity to show her appreciation for the university.

“In my office, I proudly have a Fordham banner hanging behind my desk, I wear a Fordham shirt every day, I use a Fordham schoolbag… I firmly believe that I would not be in the position I am in today without the time I spent at Fordham,” Beale said.

December 7, 2016

VOLUME 98 IN REVIEW

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December 7, 2016

December 7, 2016

OPINION

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The Fordham Ram

Keeping “Christ” in the Christmas Season

By PAUL SAMSON

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The season of giving has, ironically, turned into the season of “the greatest deals” at the local mall. As we have come to the close of this year, we have once again reached that time when churches hang signs and wreaths reading, “Keep Christ in Christmas.”

Yet in a country where inclusivity is becoming increasingly important and religious holidays become more secularized, the “Keep Christ in Christmas” slogan seems to not be enough to maintain the foundations of Christianity. Rather, it appears today that Christians need to do a little bit more than to just keep “Christ” in Christmas — they have got to keep “Christmas” in Christmas. As the secular industries become more inclined to use all-inclusive phrases such as “Holiday Tree,” practicing Christians lose the sight and true practice of one of their most important liturgical celebrations.

When a tradition is adapted completely bereft of its intended meaning, it is not so much a cultural appreciation as much as it is appropriation.

Whether or not people like to hear it, an adaptation of the Christmas season that removes its core Christian values is in itself a form of cultural appropriation, such as when the “Christmas tree” becomes the “Holiday Tree,” as well as when religious foundations are purposely not brought up for fear of excluding others. These practices undermine the holiday, degrading it of its original purposes; but that does not mean Christianity excludes nonChristians.

The secularization of the holiday

COURTESY OF FLICKR

During the holiday season, it is important to remember the religious aspect of Christmas instead of its secularization.

is nonetheless understandable. According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2014, 70.6 percent of Americans identify as Christians. In a country where nearly three-quarters of the population celebrate a holiday, it is understandable that the remaining 30 percent feel compelled to take part in all the excitement.

This is where a tremendous misunderstanding comes into play. The religious foundations of Christmas and the resulting religious barriers do not, in fact, exclude non-Christians from its celebration. For a religion that constantly preaches “all are welcome,” it would be actually hypocritical for Christians not to invite individuals of other backgrounds to celebrate the season. Christians should welcome all others to enjoy Christmas with them, regardless of religion. In doing so, they should not attempt to inject others with biblical

doctrine, but should instead encourage the recognition and celebration of the underlying meanings of Jesus’s birth. The religious holiday is not merely a day for family, decorations and gift-giving — though we are all guilty of associating it with of most these practices. Christmas represents far more than merely a spirit of giving, which has become the key meaning for the season over time. Rather, it celebrates the power of humility. As is widely known, the Nativity tells the story of a young woman named Mary who gives birth to a child in a stable, surrounded by sheep and oxen. She dresses her son in swaddling clothes and lays him in a manger out of which animals had taken their feed. The birth of Christ is, in no way, shape or form, a birth fit for a King, and thus serves as an example of how all should attempt to be humble in their positions.

The Nativity story tells of heavenly angels who appear to shepherds, sing-

ing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace and good will toward men.” Jesus’ birth in a quiet stable on a quiet night is peaceful in its very nature, and, as the angels’ song states, encourages a peaceful world for all humankind.

The idea of giving has nonetheless persisted throughout the centuries of the holiday’s celebration; it has, however, contributed unquestionably to the secularization of the season. The mall rushes and fights for discounts preoccupy even the most devout Christians, counteracting a giving spirit with impatience, stress and even violence in the most extreme cases.

Essentially, the dominant qualities that people exhibit during the Christmas season are the polar opposite of what its foundations encourage.

The secularization of Christmas through Black Friday deals and Christmas sales is an issue for which all people, including Christians them-

selves, can be held accountable. This Christmas season, Christians such as myself should encourage people of all backgrounds to join us as we celebrate not merely the birth of Christ, but its humble and peaceful themes that can apply to anyone.

This past election season has exhibited the tremendous division that exists amongst the American people.

In this time of political division, our country could sincerely use the genuine peace, generosity and humility that Christmas represents. An all-around acknowledgement of the religious meanings within the holiday would foster respect for such religious practices. An all-around celebration of Christmas’s underlying values would further emphasize our common values as an American people; similarly, a non-Jewish celebration of Chanukah should respect Judaism by upholding the holiday’s foundational values without appropriating or removing any of its facets. No matter what religious, racial or ethnic backgrounds all people are welcome to celebrate either the religious or symbolic meanings of the Christmas holiday. These non-Christian celebrations should, however, maintain respect for Christians, and should not therefore mandate that even the names of its traditions should be allinclusive.

This December, whether you are Christian or not, make it an effort to keep “Christmas” in Christmas — for those of Christian religion, this day is far more than just a “holiday.”

Paul Samson, FCRH ’19, is an economics major from Long Island, New York.

Trump’s Backtracking Eases Worries

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Donald Trump is commonly known for changing his political stances, sometimes within the span of a single day.

By BRIANA SCALIA STAFF WRITER

President-elect Trump has grown quite famous for making claimsthat he quickly back tracks on. While it can be difficult to keep track of each promise that the Presidentelect has made over the course of his campaign, it is obvious to most that Trump is not an obstinate man. In fact, he seems much more open to compromising his views than some gave him credit for. Those that support Trump see these changes of opinion as leniency, while those

against him view their opinions as coming from a man unsure in his position.

One rallying cry during Presidentelect Trump’s campaign was “Lock Her Up,” in reference to the opposing candidate Hillary Clinton and her various legal scandals. Many of his supporters agreed with Trump on his stance regarding Clinton, and applauded his promises to appoint a special prosecutor to look into her FBI case if appointed. However, it is evident that the President-elect has no plans to start an investigation

into Clinton. Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s campaign manager, made an appearance on MSNBC’s show “Morning Joe” to explicitly state that, “[President-Elect Trump] does not wish to pursue these charges because it sends a very strong message-tone and content-to the members.”

This formed a divide between American citizens over this statement. Some Trump supporters are angry that Trump is going back on one of his claims during his campaign, while other supporters commend the President-elect for granting Hillary

Clinton a modicum of peace after her defeat in the election. Finally, those who oppose Trump are quick to confirm to others ignorant of our nation’s complex set of laws that a president does not have the power to direct or order such an investigation.

This example is just one of several claims President-elect Trump has mulled over the past few months, though this particular promise was prominent during his campaign.

Though it is not uncommon for those with political power to make promises they either cannot or will not fulfill, a many view the future president as uncertain in his role, but with an optimistic outlook one can hope this uncertainty comes from Trump trying to make the best decisions possible. It certainly means that the President-elect is not afraid of public opinion, nor the opinion of foreign leaders. Also, it is common knowledge that President-elect Trump does not have much, if any, political background, being one of his most appealing factors to American voters. Though Trump is doing quite a deal of backtracking, it is definitely preferable to him sticking by half-baked plans. It is certainly favorable to have a president who is willing to change his plans over a President that is obstinate in his perspective.

Also, while many political experts

see Trump’s lack of commitment as vice, no one that has been keeping up with this campaign can say they are shocked that Trump is changing his stance on so many issues, especially when compared the severe trash talk delivered to his opponents during the race versus his opinion of those same politicians now that he has been elected.

Trump will not be a regular president. He will not be conforming to rules set before him, whether or not he particularly disagrees with them.

It is not in his nature to obey a set of laws that he did not approve first hand.

Although this is a very different philosophy than that of most traditional American presidents. this behavior is not novel for Donald Trump. While every expert can predict whether the President-elect is pursuing the right or wrong paths, the American public will not come to consensus until they see the consequences of President-elect Trump’s actions. Despite individual opinions of Trump, the country can all agree that this presidency will certainly be a departure from the norms set before it.

Briana Scalia, FCRH ’20, is a journalism major from Long Island, New York.

OPINION

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R

Serving the Fordham University campus and community since 1918 The Fordham Ram is the university journal of record. The mission of The Fordham Ram is to provide a forum for the free and open exchange of ideas in service to the community and to act as a student advocate. The Fordham Ram is published and distributed free of charge every Wednesday during the academic year to the Rose Hill, Lincoln Center and Westchester campuses with a readership of over 12,000 and a web readershipi of over 300,000. The Fordham Ram office is located in the basement of the McGinley Center, room B-52.

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

December 7, 2016

From the Desk | Laura Sanicola

Entering the News Industry With More Questions Than Answers When I was named assistant news editor of The Fordham Ram in 2013, journalism was an answer.

It answered my hopes to make new friends other than my roommates, to be part of a body of students that really cared about issues affecting us and to write about something that mattered.

In so many ways it was just that.

The student journalists I worked with throughout the past three years (who later became some of my closest friends that I would make at college) covered some of Fordham’s most important issues including adjunct faculty wages, bias incidents against our minority students, critical budget analysis and sudden tragedy. We took controversial editorial stances about safe spaces on college campuses and mental health.

It was hard work. As student journalists, we taught ourselves, generation through generation, how to do it thoughtfully and objectively.

As I write my final column for The Fordham Ram, journalism presents itself as less of an answer and more of a question. Can it monetize in a sustaining way? Are we relevant? Can we push past our current identity crisis to greener pastures?

As the editor-in-chief, I never had to worry about operating the newspaper as a traditional media outlet — it isn’t one.

Not tethered by the financial constraints affecting the industry, our reporters and editors never needed to worry about writing articles for clicks.

I cared very much that students read The Ram, but I arguably cared more that we held ourselves to high journalistic standards. We wrote about faculty budget disputes and student evaluations.

These were not always topics popular among our readers, but they do perform one of the most basic journalistic tasks: holding superiors accountable.

We also continue to produce a print product, an expense that

publications increasingly realize they will not be able to afford in the near future.

Since my freshman year, I have interned in six different newsrooms and I know that this is not the reality we are entering into.

The cost of operating a newsroom is real, and metrics are given a much greater importance rather than measuring the relevance of the campus newspaper.

In the past year, the industry has had to face other pressing questions about why it lost public trust and whether or not it will be able to regain it.

I see these issues as interrelated, and inevitable.

To say that technology disrupted the way news was produced and read is an understatement.The internet not only drove the demand for free news, but gave rise to social media, which allowed users such as myself and my peers to curate our ideas in 140 characters or less. My futile attempts to get my peers to click on a link instead of browsing past a headline have been ineffective.

There is no going back.

Watching networks and publications struggle to retain viewers during an election year was interesting to witness as a burgeoning member of the media.

With the internet as an unprecedented global platform, every article had the potential to do a world of good or a world of hurt.

I learned together that semantics and context matters, even when we are rushing to beat out other news sources. It matters now more than ever.

I also learned that the old fashioned structure of news, sports, features, op-eds and commentary has blurred in people’s minds into “content.”

This re-categorization of news has fundamentally affected the way we consume it, and will probably continue to have lasting effects on the profession.

Social media also transformed the image of journalists. One

hundred years ago, journalists did not have bylines. Now many are elevated to a celebrity status on Twitter.

Journalists had opinions and voiced them. A wall was broken, a wall we have been told since our first journalism course was so important.

As the internet allows articles to exist in ubiquity, I’ve watched a fear of reporting journalism exist among my peers and colleagues.

At The Fordham Ram, this has translated into a centralization of the way administrators respond to our inquiries. Most of our comments from the university were crafted in statements from the vice president of administration, if they were answered at all. The benefits of student media cannot be measured in dollars, but the damage done by negative press can be. The fear of the damage, existing forever on the internet, felt palpable every week. It is something I understood but never quite came to terms with.

The biggest question that journalism poses to me now is to what extent we can continue operating without free press. I’m not referring to a fear of first amendment rights but news as beholden to outside forces. In the professional world, it is bound by the need to sell newspapers. At Fordham, it is bound by the fear that student media will bring the university bad publicity.

I’m not convinced that the press was ever completely free. But I am convinced that good journalism can make an important impact, and that trust in this industry is the most important thing a journalist can build with his or her audience.

In the face of these seemingly insurmountable challenges, many ask me why I am still optimistic about a career in journalism. The answer lies in the people.

Those that have worked with me on the student paper are facing the same industry and asking themselves the same questions.

We want to get it right. We know we are a pivotal generation for doing so.

I am still optimistic because of Kelly Kultys, my first editorin-chief and the best boss I ever who convinced me not to quit The Fordham Ram when I was a freshman because I had botched a story, because at least I was trying.

I am still optimistic because of Katie Nolan, the former copy chief at The Fordham Ram who dedicated more hours than she ever had to in order to edit student work and teachour journalists — including myself — the necessity of developing a coherent narrative.

I am still optimistic because of my faculty adviser Beth Knobel, who spent the past year making herself available at all times for my staff because she wanted us so desperately to get things exactly right.

I am still optimistic because of Katie Meyer, my former managing editor and very close friend, who talks to me every day about these challenges. In her own writing and reporting, she teaches me every day how to tell stories that matter with the finesse of a seasoned professional in a world that deserves her reporting.

I am lastly optimistic about the future work of Erin Shanahan, our incoming editor-in-chief, and the staff of Volume 99.

The Fordham Ram is full of bright students who want to be on the right side of the news. They see this great newspaper and the profession in general as something larger than themselves.

In a way, I am glad I am ending with so many questions. It lends to a career spent trying to answer them.

Editorial | Summarizing Fall 2016 Editorial Page Policy The Fordham Ram ’s editorial and ramblings topics are selected on a weekly basis and reflect the editorial board’s view on a campus issue.

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

Submissions become the exclusive property of The Fordham Ram .

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

Wrapping Up Bias, Elections and Conflict in 2016 As The Fordham Ram wraps up its 98th volume, sentiment among the faculty and student body is markedly tense. Faculty negotiations, bias incidents and presidential elections created polarizing forces on campus, which led to a closed-off and unsupportive environment at the end of this semester.

The faculty and administration remain at a standoff regarding their salary negotiations. Faculty, adamant that the university violated certain bylaws to imposed an unapproved salary raise, filed grievances with four administrative members and groups, including Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, this past September.

Later in October, days after McShane dismissed a hate crime

allegation as unfounded, the Fordham Faculty Senate sent out an email to the community admonishing the practice of writing open letters with no further action.

Students are also still reeling from the bias crimes that have pervaded campus life. After a turbulent Fall 2015, we came into Volume 98 confident that the student body would be able to overcome these incidents and come together, only to have to deal with the repercussions of more racist and homophobic actions. This led to backlash from students on administrative responses and a disjunction between students on campus.

All the these differences were overshadowed by the results of the election, which led to many

protests against the Presidentelect in New York City, as well as a couple smaller demonstrations on campus. In-class discussions certainly left students and faculty feeling emotionally raw, despite of who they supported.

Various members of the faculty and student body were vocal against the election results while supporters of the President-elect felt marginalized and silenced as the minority political group on campus.

It’s been obvious there has been a lot of conflict in the past year on and off our campus. While diverse opinions and representations are important to a flourishing college campus, there needs to be a balance and understanding among students and faculty.

We love our school and our

community, but Fordham is not without its flaws.

Coming together as a student body to change our university for the better is something that we can unite around despite these polarizing times socially and politically.

Rallying around issues is the perfect way to make sure unrepresented groups do not feel like the outgroup, and strongly stating that every member of the community has a voice that wants to and needs to be heard is a way to raise morale on a campus that has been lacking in it this past year.

With half of this editorial board being seniors and this being the last editorial of the volume, we hope that underclassmen can come together and take up some of these issues in the new year.

OPINION

December 7, 2016

Check Your Liberal Privilege

By RYAN QUINN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The 58th Secretary of State Ed Muskie once said, “Americans like to believe that they are decent, and most of them are, nevertheless they find it easy to persuade themselves that there is too much risk, too much danger, in trusting Americans who are different.”

We continue to see this attitude polarize our nation, especially in light of the recent election. Today’s political climate is a personal one. However, I experience a type of fear that has yet to be adequately addressed.

Imagine living in a world in which nobody agrees with you, a world in which you are embarrassed by your fundamental beliefs. That is the way many liberals have made conservatives feel on college campuses. The most vocal voices are those on the left, and conservatives are not invited into dialogue. Conservatism has become a dirty word, stripping right-leaning college students of their freedom to speak their minds.

Liberation theologian, Gustavo Gutierrez, defines a “poor” person (in regard to the preferential option for the poor) as a “nonperson,” or someone who lacks a voice. According to Liberation theology, I am a nonperson.

Yes, I have a voice. I am blessed with an education. I am by no means invisible. I am a straight, white, cisgender male. I have a platform on which I can project my thoughts and people will listen to me — but only if I say what people want to hear. As a conservative on a college campus in New York City, I have spent the last three and a half years in fear that my views will single me out as a hateful, close minded conspiracy theorist.

But this fear, unlike other fears, is ignored. If a Muslim mother asks her daughter not to wear her hijab in public for fear of discrimination, everyone’s heart breaks.

But when my conservative mother asks me not to speak my mind in class for fear of discrimination, nobody knows. Recent physical attacks on Trump supporters legitimize this fear.

Conservatives have been silenced. Pop culture makes a mockery of conservatism. Academia pushes liberalism. We are embarrassed, not by our views, but by how our views will be interpreted. When I say that I am pro-life, people hear “anti-woman.” When I say that I believe in the second amendment, I am a callous enabler of gun violence.

We are attacked and shamed for our views, so we grow silent.

Because of our silence we think we are alone. Our silence leads to silence from other conservatives.

But we raised our voices through the ballot, and the left is shocked by the number of people who disagree with them. However, so far, the response from the left regarding these digressions has been uninspiring.

For example, a November NPR article entitled, “One Way to Bridge the Political Divide: Read

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While voicing one’s opinions in class is encouraged, conservative students on our liberal campus may feel suppressed.

The Book That’s Not for You,” encourages readers to expose themselves to political thought written by people that they disagree with. I was amazed that this was a new concept to people. I assumed that people regularly educated themselves on both sides of an issue. Of course we should engage in thought from across the aisle! It is something I have done — forced and voluntarily — for my entire life. It is astonishing that this is a novel idea for some people.

After the recent election, students in my classes started to toy with this idea of reaching across the aisle. However, a common narrative is that the political divide is based on the level of formal education of voters, so my classmates thought that there were no conservatives sitting right next to them in class. Maybe, just maybe,

the loudest voices are the ones that are condescending, and those that truly want to understand the right are less vocal, then that is useless. The existence of open-minded liberals is irrelevant. They need to be vocal and seek out conservatives.

Now, I would like to directly address my liberal friends.

To my liberal friends: First, I would like to say that friendship is not contingent on political views. Enough people, on social media and in the classroom, have expressed concern over whether or not they can be friends with someone who voted for Donald Trump. This is not only a manifestation of the silence imposed on the right, but will perpetuate that fear in the future. The media spent countless hours on coverage of Donald Trump’s infamous tape. That is a

“If love and respect is too much to ask, do it for yourself.

Realize that you have so much to gain from the ideas of others.” there was a Libertarian.

I quickly realized that any effort to understand the opposition was not motivated by the intention to learn anything and broaden horizons. It was clear that understanding conservatism was only a means to explain why conservatism is wrong. This is not even conjecture. Students openly admitted that they want to understand conservatives so they can explain why their beliefs are old fashioned.

I realize that my observations of liberals are not representative of the entire left, but rather just the loudest ones. They produce the visible trend. In most cases, perception is not as important as reality, but perception here is what causes conservative fear. If

good thing. Such speech should be condemned. However, few students in my classes heard about Clinton’s arguably equally abhorrent tape. This was a recording of her laughter allegedly over the acquittal of a man who raped a 12-year-old girl, with heavy implications that she knew he was guilty. This unequal portrayal of the candidates trickles down to their supporters. This tells conservatives that we are unvalued and that our beliefs automatically disqualify us from a place in any given person’s life. Liberal students do not feel this way.

Second, check your privilege.

I have checked mine, and I hope you will too. You probably will not know what it is like to look at a professor, who has years

more experience and education, and say the words, “I disagree with you.” Worse, you may never know the experience of lying to a professor and saying “I agree with you,” suppressing your views out of fear that your grades will suffer and your character tarnished. If you have had to do this, I highly doubt that you have had to do this in four out of four classes in any given semester.

You are, simply, more comfortable sharing your ideas in class.

You have a sense of intellectual freedom. Conservatives are outnumbered here at Fordham. Even if we are not outnumbered, we certainly feel as though we are.

You are louder than us because you can be. You can count on the administration, all of academia, all of Hollywood, the media and countless Buzzfeed articles to back you up.

You are encouraged that your views are correct, and that my conservative views are antiquated thoughts fueled by hate. Or, you trust my morals and expect my views to evolve, and that one day I will look back on this period of conservatism as a mere phase.

Finally, I would like to ask a question. Have you ever assumed people agree with your politics?

Don’t. It suppresses dissenting voices and inhibits your own growth.

Dennis Prager, conservative radio talk show host, suggested that conservatives in liberal schools are some of the most intellectually open minded people.

We have our views, and we are forced to understand yours. Conversely, you have your views, and are constantly reassured as to how correct you are. One cannot adequately grow in an environment like this. Check your liberal privilege out of love and respect.

If love and respect is too much to ask, do it for yourself. Realize that you have so much to gain from the ideas of others. Do not just try to understand the dissenting point of view so you can more easily argue against it. Ask questions. Analyze the answers and think, “could I possibly be wrong?”

Ryan Quinn, FCRH ’17, is a history major from Queens, New York.

Page 11

Marcelle Meyer Obama and DAPL “I think that right now the Army Corps is examining whether there are ways to reroute this pipeline.”

These 18 words make up the most recent statement from President Obama regarding massive groups in North Dakota protesting the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), on the grounds that it would be environmentally and culturally detrimental to Standing Rock Sioux Reservation there. As of Dec. 6, the Army Corps has denied a permit for the construction of a key part of the DAPL. Based on a compilation of Facebook posts from protestors at the site and relatively insufficient news coverage of the situation on the ground, we currently know that protestors have been hosed and teargassed by police on the scene, that the state is attempting to block access to food and medical care to the protestors and that those arrested are being kept in temporary “holding cells,” which have been described as animal cages by those incarcerated. Based on this information, our president “thinks” that the Army Corps was “examining” other options. One might read this statement and assume it is a bland, pre-written response to a negotiation between the environmental lobby and White House officials — not a reaction to one of the greatest infringements on indigenous rights in recent years.

The treatment of protestors has been a topic of national debate since the Black Lives Matter movement began protesting police violence on a large scale. Protests in Ferguson, Missouri were just the beginning of a conglomeration of protests not only against police violence and now the Dakota Access Pipeline. President Obama has many reasons to take a stronger stance on the human rights violations and arguably illegal actions taken against DAPL protestors.

President Obama was one of the actors vehemently rejecting the building of the Keystone XL pipeline because of environmental concerns.

Interestingly enough, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also rejected DAPL in Bismarck because of concerns about it crossing too many water lines (though Snopes debunked the rumor that it was the “predominately white” residents protesting the pipeline).

It is simply morally objectionable that these same concerns would not be projected onto a piece of land that is arguably more significant because it is owned by a supposedly autonomous yet extremely marginalized group with deep-rooted cultural history in the land.

Obama is also in a position in which he has the unique opportunity to speak out about these abuses, since he no longer needs high approval ratings President Obama has the ear of the nation with less consequence, and in a political climate of discrimination and fear of minority rights, it is imperative to take an aggressive stance against these abuses.

After eight years of national reform and representation of those most oppressed in this country, now is not the time for half-hearted discourse about what could be one of the greatest conflicts of the decade.

Page 12

OPINION

December 7, 2016

Obama vs. Trump Election: An Objective Post-Election Evaluation

By JAMES MCNAMARA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I want to state this as explicitly as possible — I did not vote for either major party candidate. The evaluation of the election should be filled with statistics and analytics, not personal opinion, and I aim to put that forward.

However, this article will involve questions about the Electoral College and the media’s polling during this election cycle.

I aim to answer the question: “was Trump an exceptional candidate, or was Hilary a mediocre candidate?”

Statistically, all of my comparisons will include President Obama’s performance from his 2008 election juxtaposed with the 2016 election. The 2008 election and the 2016 election showed many differences in popular and electoral votes.

President Obama defeated John McCain by a score of 365 173 in the electoral votes, clearing just under 10 million more votes in the popular vote. In the 2016 election, the prospective Electoral College vote is 306 232 in President-elect Trump’s favor. Swing states were won by Trump and lost by Clinton in historic fashion, most notably in Pennsylvania and Florida, as both states have 28 and 20 electoral votes respectively. Many margins were extremely close which begs the question: “would Trump have defeated President Obama in 2008?”

The simple answer to that, assuming all votes were to be the same, is no. Trump would have lost in both the popular vote and the Electoral College vote. Since

Kathryn Wolper “Gilmore Girls” and Diversity When old TV series receive the Netflix reboot treatment, they face a number of concerns about content and diversity, especially through commentary on social media. This Thanksgiving, when Netflix released “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,” fans’ initial reactions were mainly plot focused.

As conversations about the plot died down, more serious conversations about racial representation arose.

For example, Rahawa Haile made a Tumblr blog documenting the appearance of each black character and whether he or she has a name or any lines. The purpose of her project was to show that, although there was some racial diversity in “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,” much of it was cursory at best.

Since diversity of represen-

2000, all states have voted either red or blue for all elections with exceptions in 13 states and districts in Nebraska and Maine.

These electoral votes total to 164 electoral votes “up for grabs” and assert Democrats start out with 195 votes and Republicans come in slightly at a disadvantage with 179 votes.

Looking at the polls from 2008 and polls from the 2016 election, President-elect Trump would have won Indiana, Ohio, North Carolina and Florida. Additionally, President Obama would have won Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Hampshire, Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico.

These states would have earned President Obama 90 electoral “swing” votes and President-elect Trump 74 votes, with a final score of 285 - 253 in President Obama’s favor.

These votes assume that Obama picks up a district in Nebraska, as he did in 2008, and Trump picks up a district in Maine. This analysis shows that the results of the 2016 election were less of Trump’s ability to gain a surplus of new voters, as Republican voting only rose 4.31 percent compared to Democrat voting dropping 6.29 percent.

It seems as if Clinton was a worse candidate than Trump was a good one.

Popular question surrounding the post-election buzz is “can the Electoral College just vote Hillary into office?” Technically it can, but it is rare that a single elector would change, and more rare that a presidential majority shift of 41 electors would occur.

When a party wins a state, the

tation has not changed much between “Gilmore Girls” and “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,” the uproar can be attributed not to the show itself, but to the sensibilities and communication tools of the audience. During the show’s original run from 2000 to 2007, viewers weren’t making widespread use of social media to discuss plot points, much less social issues associated with the show’s cast.

However, today’s bloggers, Twitter users and Facebook users take to these platforms to discuss what they see and the social implications of the content.

Social media’s influence on TV criticism increases accountability. The hard truth is that old shows brought back through reboots cannot always stand the test of widespread fan criticism that crosses racial, geographical and social boundaries. People are likely to notice, point out and talk about troubling things in the shows that they’ve long awaited.

Of course, this criticism presents a challenge to TV writers looking to reboot their shows.

Some may choose to adapt their content to meet the socially conscious and outspoken present day audiences, while others may

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Based off of the data from the 2008 and 2016 presidential elections, swing votes were key in winning the electoral college.

party chooses all of the electors, with exception to Maine and Nebraska. While the electors can all change votes, although some states have fines for doing so, the electors chosen to vote are all more politically left or right than any person you or I probably have met.

The chance of them voting to the other major party whose views are polar opposites from them is infinitesimal at best.

Voters issue with the Electoral College because they claim it is not fair. The official government we use is a republic, not a strict democracy. The difference between the two is that in a democracy, the majority has the ability to completely neglect the minor-

ity. This would have horrible effects to the country and many advancements to better the country would not have been instituted if the minority was neglected like it can be in a democracy.

For this reason, the governmental implementation of a republic is beneficial to 100 percent of the citizens, not 51 percent. If democracy was the official government of the US, things like the two thirds requirement for proposal of a new amendment and 75 percent ratification requirement would also be seen as a direct opponent to democracy. For these reasons, voters cannot ask for their government to have it both ways, and it is seen that the idea of a republic looks out for every-

one.

The media was arguably the most influential in this election compared to all others in our country’s history.

The effects of both the Trump tapes and coverage to the reopening of the Clinton files proved to have immense effects on the elections as seen in the polls. It is also important to note that the polls were very different than the outcomes because of the characterization of Trump supporters throughout the election cycle.

James McNamara, FCRH ’20, is undecided in his major from Garden City, New York.

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Netflix’s “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” continuation highlighted Hollywood’s issue with representing people of color.

choose to stay true to the original show to appease fans. Either choice is risky.

The possibility of criticism should not discourage TV writers from trying to make reboots.

The reboot is a challenge filled with nuance and meaning. Shows matter to their fans, their casts and their crews. Furthermore,

they contribute to culture in a significant way and can help mold the way people talk about race in entertainment. The ways that audiences react to reboots of TV shows demonstrate the social responsibility that audiences expect of artists.

The failure on the part of the writers of “Gilmore Girls: A Year

in the Life” to include satisfying and nuanced diversity in their reboot is also a lesson to people who engage with TV online.

Viewers ought to be vigilant in making sure that representation is robust and that writers join in the conversation about diversity and representation in film and TV.

December 7, 2016

OPINION

Page 13

Let’s Talk About Sex: The Relevance of the Catholic Church’s Teaching on Relationships

By STEPHANIE RODDY and GABRIELLE GRECO CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Relationships are a complex aspect of human life, and are further complicated by sex and intimacy.

Humanity gains its understanding and education about sex from many sources, including family, school and society as a whole.

One additional source that can be used to teach more about sex and relationships is the Catholic Church. Today’s ever-changing world has given rise to many discussions about whether religions are keeping pace with the present world or if they are too invested simply in the “archaic” teachings of the past. According to Paul Tillich, a Christian existentialist philosopher, “a theological system is supposed to satisfy two basic needs: the statement of the truth of the Christian message and the interpretation of this truth for every new generation.” Tillich’s claim can be applied to the debate regarding the relevance of the Catholic Church’s teachings on sexuality in the 21st century.

Is there any relevance for Church teaching about sex? Or, are Church teachings terribly out of date for the “hook-up culture” many college campuses, both Catholic and non-religious, find themselves navigating?

The church can provide certain structures that can help relationships develop and mature over time. Couples can become better at critical thinking and developing boundaries for each other so as not to hurt or offend either partner, as well as a path for forgiveness in instances where one or both partners mess up. In healthy relationships, partners will respect the limits set and encourage each other to engage in discussions that could lead to constructive conflicts, all while retaining respect and love for each other.

The Catholic Church’s most prominent stance for its teaching on sex comes from the sixth commandment: “You shall not commit adultery” and secondly from Matthew 5:28, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that every one who looks at a woman lustfully has already

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Catholic teachings about sex and relationships can be valuable, even when applied to college life in the 21st century.

committed adultery with her in his heart.”

From these two sources, one often simply summarizes the Catholic Church’s teachings about sexuality to be a long list of “do not’s.”

For many, their understanding of the Church’s teachings on sexuality ends here. In Donna Frietas’ book Sex and the Soul, this idea is represented through an interview with theologian Luke Timothy Johnson. The problem for Johnson is not the teachings themselves, but the way the Catholic Church has failed to communicate them to Catholics. The reasoning and meaning behind the Catholic Church’s teaching is properly understood may cause a very different feeling.

When the Catholic Church’s teachings on sex are practiced, sex can take on a new meaning.

It goes from something that is sentimental, something that is self-assuring and can bring about a good feeling, to something that is sacramental, or transformative and transcendent. It can be an opportunity to encounter God on earth. Fordham professor Father Scirghi explains this idea further in his book “Everything is Sacred” through the use of an analogy.

He writes about a man you pass

every day but barely notice until you discover that he is a friend of a friend. Then, this man stands out on your walk. “The person has not changed. What changed was the way in which you saw, or viewed, that man,” said Scirghi.

Sex, when viewed as sacramental rather than sentimental “takes on great significance for the same reason, in that they point beyond themselves.” Once these true messages and meanings behind the Catholic Church’s teachings on sex are fully known and understood, the Catholic Church’s reasoning becomes so much more relevant and powerful to the discussion.

Relationships grow and develop best when there is a set understanding for what each partner is and is not willing to do in any capacity, not just sexually.

Every relationship also has a set of expectations for each partner, which becomes extremely important when it comes to expectations regarding sex and intimacy.

Freitas would also argue that religion can offer a framework for thinking and discussing sex, and offer ideas as to how religion can shape a conversation about sex and sex education. The first point she offers up in her book is that religion can offer more concrete

boundaries within a relationship that the partners could not do themselves and allow couples to draw very distinct lines that they are not willing to cross. If the two people involved try to draw up their own rules and limits, they could potentially renegotiate said limits every time they become intimate with each other. Religion can offer “limits, protocols and gradations of what is and is not permissible sexually,” as Freitas put it. By having those limitations, a partnership can grow and develop without accidentally, or intentionally, pushing one of the people out of his or her comfort zone.

Harville Hendrix, author of “Getting the Love You Want,” recommends that partners should create a list for each other of the things that one would like the partner to do, whether it is cooking dinner, buying flowers or doing laundry. By occasionally doing something for your partner that he or she request, it creates a safe space for a loving relationship to grow. Freitas would agree that expectations are an extremely important part of any relationship, and that religion can offer some expectations that couples either would not come up with on their own or were maybe lack-

ing. By providing a set of expectations, religion provides partners with how they should expect to be treated and not be treated. It also teaches couples that a person “has the right to say no to sex,” which as Freitas explains is an important aspect in relationships.

In a partnership, one person may feel compelled to partake in a certain activity which makes them uncomfortable but he or she feels obligated to please their partner. By providing a sense of right and wrong and a list of promises, partners can please each other without overstepping boundaries or doing wrong to each other, whether it is intentional or unintentional. This also reinforces the idea of consent and that sex and intimacy can only be meaningful and healthy if there is full consent from both parties.

We cannot afford for the Catholic Church’s teachings on sex to be irrelevant in today’s society.

The Catholic Church and Catholic parents — where many young adults get their knowledge about sexual ethics — must present the Catholic Church’s teaching as an understanding of why rather than a list of “do-not’s” in order to stay relevant in today’s world.

Secular society assumes that we know how to live. Religious society assumes that we do not and therefore provides direction. The church promotes respect and understanding alongside consent, which is not always emphasized enough by other sources of information. Religion can provide an understanding of sex in relationships that is very different than what is presented in mainstream media.

Religion emphasizes positive, constructive and healthy relationships and argues to avoid casual sex to encourage more grounded and secure relationships. Partners in a relationship would have a much harder time finding common ground and understanding without some of the structure that the Church provides.

Stephanie Roddy, FCRH ’17, is an international political economy and theology double major from Aberdeen, New Jersey. Gabrielle Greco, FCRH ’17, is communication and media studies major from River Vale, New Jersey.

Disagree with these opinions?

Have your own hot take? Write to us!

Email us at fordhamramopinions@gmail.com!

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Page 14

December 7, 2016

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CULTURE

Page 15

The Fordham Ram

Star Wars Galaxy Transcends Generations

By VICTOR ORDONEZ STAFF WRITER

The Star Wars galaxy is expanding, and so is its fandom. The once underdog sci-fi film is now a multimillion-dollar franchise.

The first film, A New Hope, was released in 1977 by visionary director and producer George Lucas. Those who attended screenings and theaters to see the movie were a part of the first generation of fans.

The second generation of fans live now. With Disney at the helm, the Millennium Falcon has continued to smash box office records with The Force Awakens.

The franchise has seen both sides of the spectrum, enduring many tough and successful years.

Star Wars has survived thanks to its various media, which also created the next generation of Star Wars fans. With toys, video

games and television, Star Wars has evolved from platform to platform, which in turn has kept its rich history alive.

Toys were among the first to keep the franchise alive and well. Through the late 1970s and 1980s, Hasbro toy manufacturing boomed thanks to their commitment to Lucasfilm. Star Wars action figures immediately became collectibles.

In the late 1990s, Star Wars became Lego’s first licensed characters, thus doubling their profit margin for the next several years.

A more modern medium is its cartoon series, which may even mold a third generation of fans.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars, from 2008, and Star Wars Rebels, released in 2014, have taken to both Netflix and network television. Both of these shows provide canon depictions of the galaxy far away.

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Star Wars Legos remain popular toys for children and fans of the franchise.

However, shows and toys alone cannot keep an entire franchise afloat. After the three films spanning from 1999 to 2005, Lucasfilms sustained massive financial losses.

As a result, Star Wars survived the only way it could, by joining the empire— the Disney empire.

In late October 2012, news broke that Disney had successfully bought Lucasfilms for four billion dollars. The deal was fair, as George Lucas maintained his rights to Star Wars and was also granted 40 million Disney shares.

That is not to say the deal did not work out for Disney as well.

Disney did not even have to establish a fan base for its newly acquired franchise, instead relying on the preexisting relationships that had been passed down by the different Star Wars media.

The deal promised a fruitful future for Lucasfilms and for fans.

After mixed reviews of the previous three films, many hoped and speculated that Disney would do for Star Wars films what it did for Marvel films: make them a box office goldmine.

The Force Awakens (2015) is director J. J. Abrams’ highest-grossing film and the first Star Wars movie to include the original cast since 1983. It was the fastest film to gross one billion dollars in 12 days. The film also had the biggest worldwide opening weekend and single weekend gross with 529 million dollars. In the end, it was the highest-grossing Star Wars film.

So, it is fair to say that with the

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The first generation of fans dates back to the franchise’s first release in 1977.

help of two generations of fans, Star Wars will live long and prosper. However, it is tough to determine how long this will continue, as Abrams’ film success could be largely due to the return of a familiar cast.

Disney is already creating multiple canon narratives for fans through various media. The film, despite being sent for reshoots mere months before its Dec. 19

release, is anticipated to see success. Rogue One is confirmed to not be the last spin-off, as Han Solo starring Alden Ehrenheich will start shooting in January.

It remains unknown if Disney will continue to thrive by making a Marvel-sized Star Wars universe or spread itself too thin, disappointing the generation of fans who have kept the franchise alive since 1977.

Review | Film

Moonlight’s Poignant Look at One Man’s Life

By GREG MYSOGLAND CONTRIBUTING WRITER

These days, films with genuine thematic weight tend to be complex, grand affairs, often occurring in historical settings. Director Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight is an exception, packing more emotion and poignant social commentary into its 110 minutes than most epic historical dramas or star-studded political thrillers. Moonlight’s power stems mostly from its intimacy, found in the struggles of an individual character speaking profoundly about various societal issues.

Moonlight tells the story of a young black man named Chiron who slowly discovers that he is gay while suffering incessant bullying and dealing with his drug addicted mother, Paula (Naomie Harris).

Jenkins wrote the film’s screenplay, which is broken into three chapters, and depicts Chiron as a child, teenager and young adult.

The three actors who play Chiron, (Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes) are complementary. Their performances are suitably similar, so the viewer believes they are the same person but they are individual enough to convey Chiron’s various emotional states.

Jenkins is the film’s greatest asset.

His screenplay gracefully weaves between the various social issues it seeks to confront while never diverging from the central story of Chiron’s struggle with his sexuality. The film calls attention to problems like homophobia, bullying, addiction and institutional racism through Chiron’s experiences. The

film’s social commentary is subtle enough to feel natural. Jenkins’ direction is the other key to the film’s success. Moonlight is a uniquely intimate experience, and Jenkins portrays this through masterful composition.

The intense emotion of Chiron’s story necessitates a large number of close-ups. However, Jenkins main-

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Naomie Harris portrays Chiron’s drug-addicted mother.

tains variety through long tracking shots and low angles that visually express Chiron’s developing sexual orientation. Unfortunately, it must be noted that the film’s strong art house sensibilities occasionally become self-indulgent, such as the titular shots of the moon which, although obviously symbolic, are entirely superfluous. Additionally,

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Mahershala Ali plays Juan, Chiron’s surrogate father figure.

the film’s ending, while emotionally powerful, is ambiguous to the point of being somewhat unsatisfying.

Moonlight’s entire supporting cast does admirable work, but Harris and Mahershala Ali, (playing drug dealer Juan who becomes a surrogate father figure to Chiron) are standouts. Harris likely claims the most screen time among the entire cast, as she is the only member to appear in all three chapters of the film, and gives the most dynamic performance. She is both disturbingly ferocious in scenes where Paula verbally abuses Chiron and genuinely pitiable when depicting withdrawal. Ali alternates between a hard-edged “business” persona, general swaggering charm and touching kindness spectacularly. A scene he shares with Alex Hibbert at the end of the first chapter is the film’s most emotional.

Moonlight is essential viewing for film buffs. Its emotional power, creative direction and exceptional cast will likely earn the film several awards nominations, though its frank depictions of less glamorous aspects of sexuality may cost it the support of old-fashioned voters.

Ultimately, Jenkins’ film is one of 2016’s best, although the overuse of abstraction and symbolism prevent it from being a masterpiece.

CULTURE

Page 16

Review | Film

Strange

By MATTHEW DILLON

Naughty and Nice Ways to Spend Money

By NATALIE DOWD

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

As a big fan of comic books, I had pretty low expectations for Doctor Strange. The film is the newest addition to the seemingly endless array of Marvel Comics adaptations. While the Marvel/Disney powerhouse has yet to put out a genuinely bad film, I was certain that Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme who guards reality from gods, demons and worse, was one of those characters you could never properly translate to the big screen. I thought that too much of the Steve Ditko-created character’s background and history couldn’t work in the format of a movie, or at the very least, not in a way that could appeal to mainstream audiences.

Historically speaking, Doctor Strange has been one of the more “out there” characters in superhero comics, to the point where a lot of readers accused the writers and artists of taking hallucinogens due to the sort of storylines and visuals they were presenting. But Disney has defied expectations yet again by executing a smart, funny and visually impressive film that competently adapts the complex source material, while still being different enough to stand on its own merits.

One thing you need to keep in mind is that Doctor Strange is not a superhero film in any real sense. Sure, it takes place in the same “cinematic universe” as the other Marvel adapted media, but Doctor Strange fulfills a very different role and has a very unique story compared to his peers.

Doctor Strange is refreshingly different from every other Marvel film in terms of tone, visuals, story and especially characters.

I was surprised to find that this was, by far, the funniest of the Marvel films. While a lot of the other additions to the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” try to be humorous Doctor Strange’s fast paced, character driven and genuinely clever writing got the most laughs out of me. Benedict Cumberbatch, who played the titular Doctor Strange, contributed a lot to this, mainly by presenting a surprisingly charismatic and engaging performance. While I am generally not a fan of Cumberbatch’s work, he really knocked it out of the park with Doctor Strange. Cumberbatch captures the titular hero’s arrogance and mysticism while still maintaining a strong element of humanity and comedy.

The film itself does a good job striking the right balance between its complex source material and being its own thing. The film maintains the important parts of Strange’s background, mainly his transformation from an arrogant hotshot surgeon to the most powerful magic user in the complex multiverse.

Most of the film centers on Strange’s education in magic and later his battles against planet devouring magical menace Dormmammu and his agents. Along the way, we get some of the most impressive and complex visuals in any Marvel movie, which managed to be impressive and devoid of gimmicks.

Overall, Doctor Strange hits all the right notes and manages to break the mold most of the Marvel films have fallen into, while providing a great film that offers something for comic fans and casual film goers alike.

December 7, 2016

In the spirit of encouraging fashion retailers to be transparent this holiday season, Oxfam released its annual “naughty or nice” list of clothing companies that have or have not lived up to an ethical initiative. Oxfam’s choice to focus on fashion retailers is important, as the 2015 report by the National Retail Federation noted fashion takes up more than 40 million dollars of holiday retail sales with the industry coming in second place as the largest polluter behind oil. The “naughty” list consists of fashion retailers with a lack of factory transparency, with Zara, ASOS and Topshop at the top. The “nice” list includes brands that have become more transparent with their manufacturing in the past year includes brands such as Target, GAP and H&M. H&M is a surprising pick for this “nice” list, as it has faced recent scrutiny for its treatment of workers and fast fashion practices.

The growth of the “nice” list is accompanied by continuous new installations in ethical, sustainable fashion, such as the emergence of Californiabased retailer, Reformation, and the so-called Net-a-Porter of sustainable shopping, Rêve en Vert. The standard is constantly being raised for “naughty” retailers to make socially impactful changes. The expansion of the “nice” list also gives consumers less of an excuse as to why they cannot make ethical shopping choices, as accessibility to these brands is ubiquitous with online shopping and growth in variety.

Ethical fashion consumption has been declared an upcoming trend, as fashion powerhouse, Vogue, re-

cently made approving commentary of sustainable fashion in a November article that featured quotations from Cora Filts, cofounder of Rêve en Vert, as she compared the ethical fashion movement to the organic food movement. “The organic food movement was a little stigmatized, but then people started caring more about [what they ate] and food options became available to them,” said Filts. “I think fashion is the same way.

More and more designers have been talking about it, and consumers are open to the conversation.”

With rising prices of sustainable products because of the expenses of fair trade, Fordham students have differing opinions on how to shop ethically this holiday season. Truman Stephens, FCRH ’20, exerts a great effort to shop ethically, but admitted that it is hard to ignore cheaper products made by larger corporations. “I care about shopping ethically and generally try to support companies that make an effort to stand for something more than just making money,” said Stephens. “But it is hard because most large, unethical companies do not have a social cause and that makes some of their products cheaper and easier to buy for college students like me.”

Other students expressed their eagerness to shop ethically, and think that there is more work to be done on the side of large corporations. “I do not particularly look for companies’ ethics,” Lucille Tomforde, FCRH ’20, said. “If their ethics happen to be in bad standing, it is not going to make me not buy the product. Yet if they are, I definitely have more incentive to buy the product.”

In addition to the Students for Fair Trade Club raising awareness

about the realities of poverty, hunger and other social problems throughout the world that may be alleviated through a more equitable free market system, they also sell fair trade goods.

Dana Nelson FCRH ’18, president of Students for Fair Trade explained that the club runs an on-campus fair trade business called Amani. “We sell products such as sweaters made in Bolivia, jewelry and handbags from India and soapstone carvings and decor from Kenya. “Our goal is to help our network of artisans in these countries escape the poverty trap by providing them with a sustainable method of reaching developed mar-

kets,” Nelson said. “We want to educate Fordham students of the impact of their consumer choices and show them how they can actively support international economic growth and development through shopping fair trade.”

With the presence of Amani accessibly selling goods on campus, Fordham students do not have to travel far to shop ethically for their gifts this holiday season. There is power in the dollar, as consumers have the ability to make a statement with their shopping choices. So this holiday season will you, as both a giver and receiver, be naughty or nice?

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Stores like Topshop might offer affordable options, but at a larger cost.

Playlistism | Meredith Nardino

Recounting a Trying Year in Albums Ah, 2016. I do not think I have ever been so happy to see a year end.

Through all of its ups and detrimental downs, music has been the one constant. Every genre, subgenre and sub-subgenre saw growth and exposure at some point in the last twelve months.

Choosing my favorite songs for this year-end wrap-up was so challenging, so I decided to switch over to entire albums instead. In the spirit of democracy (and mostly indecision), this list is simply in alphabetical order by artist.

Alicia Keys – Here For me, this album is one of the best surprises of the year. I do not have an extensive knowledge of Alicia Keys’ work, but I have always applauded her originality and truth as an artist. Here is a powerful ode to both personal and political struggle.

Upon first listening, it is easy to be swept away in the irresistible melodies.

Listen a few more times, and the beauty of Keys’ lyrics takes precedent. Stand-out tracks like “Girl Can’t Be Herself” and “More Than We Know” encourage empowerment and unity. Various interludes are dispersed between songs, acting as windows to Keys’ recording process. Packed with social commentary, Here is a modern woman’s manifesto and a timely investigation into the complexities of black femininity.

Chance the Rapper - Coloring Book While not technically an album, this mixtape from Chicago’s newest savant made an incredible impression on the industry. It could be argued that Chance the Rapper’s decision to release his mixtape without the support of a label catapulted its success. Coloring Book is one of the first releases to chart solely on streams, earning a historic 57.3 million listens in its first week.

Through all its simplicity, the mixtape is a complex investigation of spirituality and society. More than unique, Chance is a visionary. From “No Problem” to the gospel-fueled “Blessings,” the tape changes the way we interpret hip hop. In a year as tumultuous as this one, it feels comforting to hear “music’s all we got.”

James Blake - The Colour in Anything On the day The Colour in Anything was released, I was walking through the Lower East Side in the pouring rain, feeling like I was the protagonist in a pretentious but loveable indie rom-com. The brooding mystery of James Blake is contagious, apparently. As the follow-up to the 2013 Mercury Prize-winning Overgrown, this LP could not have been more impressive.

Minimalistic and introverted, as always, Blake’s work is nothing if not thoughtful. It almost seems selfish to

adore this album knowing it emerged from a place of deep heartache and self-exploration. Each song is laden with a sort of sorrow that comes across as both pain and relieved, determined and cathartic.

Matt Corby – Telluric There are few people with as much natural talent as Australian singersongwriter, Matt Corby. In the same vein as Hozier or Ben Howard, Corby comes armed with vocals so strong and soulful it could bring you to tears. Telluric is an experimental work, often darting between intricate instrumentation and creative choruses.

Corby is not one to shy away from an unusual arrangement, as heard on “Monday,” where each sound is made by just his voice. On “We Could Be Friends” and “Wrong Man,” Corby demonstrates an expert amount of control over his instrument, masterfully transitioning through highs and lows. The album flows with a sort of oceanic inertia, an electric current of lush musical poetry.

The 1975 - I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it Anyone who knows me knows how much I love the incredible artistry of The 1975. This Manchester four-piece is not afraid to be controversial, even if that means transforming themselves from a dramatic alternative group to an unabashed pop

powerhouse. With an award-winning light design and a full arsenal of backup singers supporting them on tour, the band stops at nothing to portray their vision. ILIWYS is a massive 17 tracks long, so by the time you finish saying the title, you might be half-way done listening to the album. From the reworking of their debut album’s title track, to the soulful “If I Believe You” and every ambient symphony in between, the album sets itself apart from anything produced this year.

Young the Giant - Home of the Strange Airy and eclectic, this California indie-rock band proves their affinity for evolution with their third studio LP. Released in the final days of summer, Home of the Strange made a name for itself as a timely examination of the immigrant experience.

The album opens with “Amerika,” where our narrator has arrived with gold in their eyes.

Coming full circle, the album finishes with the title track, “Home of the Strange.” With a stark juxtaposition to the blind optimism of “Amerika,” it has the potential to be a liberating anthem in our contemporary climate. But by far the most impressive song on the album falls directly in the middle of the narrative; “Titus Was Born” demonstrates the impact of singer Sameer Gadhia’s unique cultural perspective on his storytelling.

CULTURE

December 7, 2016

Page 17

Sweet ‘N’ Sour | Caitlyn Letterii and Patrick Hood

3 Way Resturant: Food With a Dominican Attitude Join Caitlyn Letterii and Patrick Hood, a couple of misfit toys just trying to find a home, as they explore and critique the cheap eats available around the Bronx and Rose Hill campus.

For the final review of Volume 98, Sweet ‘n’ Sour decided to check out 3 Way Restaurant. The rumor mill had been abuzz about this hot spot, so we decided to see what the fuss was all about. With two hot locations to choose from, we decided to go to the one on Webster and 188th. This review probably applies to the other one too, but who knows!

PH: The first thing we saw when we entered was a B Health rating on the door, but we don’t shy away at the first sign of trouble. We here at Sweet ‘n’ Sour believe in challenging ourselves, our palates and our im-

mune systems.

CL: Intrepid culinary explorers are we!

PH: Once inside, we could see that the restaurant was bumpin’. There were fun seasonal decorations and very loud, very danceable music. It felt like a Christmas discotheque!

CL: 3 Way is divided into a takeaway and dine-in section; wanting to experience it to the fullest, we decided to eat in. If you go to this restaurant with more than two people, be forewarned, it is pretty crowded and the seating is tight. It also took quite some time for our server to come around and take our orders. Once placed, however, the actual food came pretty fast.

PH: I decided to go with an old Caribbean favourite and ordered

the mofongo con chicharrones (mashed plantains and fried pork belly). To complement this savory dish I thought a sweet beverage would balance out my meal, so I went with a tall glass of morir soñando, a sort of creamsicle-tasting beverage made from orange juice, sugar and milk over ice.

CL: From an outsider’s perspective, it just looked like watery milk, but you seemed to like it just okay.

PH: I did like it just okay! It was quite average.

CL: Great! For all my fellow vegetarians, this menu was a very tricky maze to navigate. Most (read: all) of the main dishes had meat in them, which was great news for adventurous meat eaters like my fellow critic, Patrick, but a grim reality

COURTESY OF CAITLYN LETTERII AND PATRICK HOOD

The Sweet ‘N’ Sour gang pose while enjoying their traditional Dominican grub, courtesy of 3 Way Restaurant.

for us veg-heads. Thankfully, there were meatless sides to be had and so I ordered rice, plantains and beans.

Also due to a miscommunication with the waitress, I ended up ordering a salad. I really didn’t mean to but thems the breaks, baby.

PH: When the food arrived, I must say that I was impressed with the presentation. The mofongo was surrounded by a trifecta of chicharron chunks in an artful display evocative of the early work of Jasper Johns.

However, beauty is only skin deep while flavor exists to the bone, so to really know if 3 Way had the goods I had to get my munch on.

CL: What a complicated way to say that. Did you like it or not? Our readers are dying to know.

PH: Well the chicharrones were flavorful, but a little too tough for my liking. However the mofongo was delicious, especially with the sauce they served on the side. And do I dare talk about the mouthfeel? I do!

It had unbelievable mouthfeel.

CL: Are you done?

PH: ...Mouthfeel.

CL: Ugh. Thank god we’re taking a hiatus on these for winter break, because you’re really scraping the bottom of the review bits barrel.

My meal of assorted sides was very strange and took up a lot of space.

The rice and beans were delicious and paired well with one anothermy little cup of side plantains was a yummy treat, even if it didn’t quite match the other tastes on my various plates. The low point of my meal was the unwanted side salad, which was extremely mediocre. It was just shredded lettuce with a spoonful of corn and two slices of tomato. Oh! And there was a little beet slice on

the top! This actually almost saved it for me, as I find beets to be a fun and exciting root for kids from age one to 92.

PH: So let’s hit these cats and dogs with one last Official Sweet ‘n’ Sour Ratigan to finish out what has been a truly awful year. 3 Way Restaurant put on a decent performance, from the food presentation to the baffling music, which would leave minute long gaps between songs. However, the food itself on a whole was not enough to really convince me that this should become one of my regular haunts. Aside from the delicious mofongo, the rest of the meal lacked that little je ne sais quoi required to lift it above a lukewarm Sweet Rating of 2.5 stars out of 5.

CL: Yeah I’m with you sister. Everything was just sort of… fine. It was tricky finding a veggie-friendly meal and the one I wound up with was only okay. I, too, give 3 Way Restaurant a 2.5 out of 5 ratings.

And from all of us here at the Sweet ‘n’ Sour family we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Overall Recommendations: Definitely try out the mofongo with whatever meat of your choice, and the morir soñando is great for those with a bit of a subtle sweet tooth.

Pass on the side salad, just ask for an order of beets!

General Info: 3 Way Restaurant Address: 384 E 188th Street (On the corner of 188th and Webster Avenue) Phone number: (718) 295 - 9595 Hours: 8:00 AM-11:30 PM $10 minimum on delivery Price: Cheap to Medium

Editor’s Pick | Film

Lord of War Features Nicolas Cage at His Best

By TYLER DIKUN

BUISNESS DIRECTOR

Back before his meteoric plummet to Hollywood punch-line, Nicolas Cage actually had a string of good performances. In Leaving Las Vegas, Cage poured trauma and heartbreak into the role of Ben Sanderson, a suicidal alcoholic. His work in the action-thriller The Rock alongside Sean Connery was nothing short of heart-stopping.

While his choice of movies in the past decade leaves something to be desired (see CollegeHumor), the once A-list celebrity stunned in one of my personal favorite movies, Lord of War. Starring in a biographic based loosely on notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, Cage exemplified the extreme highs of gun running followed by the predictable downfall of selling one’s soul for profit.

Backed by an emerging Jared Leto, Hollywood mainliner Ethan Hawke and Bridget Moynahan of I-Robot fame, Cage fully showcases the life of an international arms dealer. The movie begins by taking its viewer through the life of a bullet from its conception in a Soviet munitions factory to its ultimate fate- moments before it is about to strike a helpless African child.

As Buffalo Springfield’s “For What

It’s Worth” plays in the background, the viewer is made to understand the inadvertent death and suffering arms dealing inflicts.

Yuri Orlov (Cage) has dreams for a better life, dreams that don’t involve working in his parents’ restaurant in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn.

His get-rich-quick scheme? Guns.

Yuri sees the market for weapons as vital as the market for food and thus convinces his brother Vitaly (Leto) to join in his illegal arms-dealing business.

As the movie progresses through the 1980s, Yuri becomes rich, marries the girl of his dreams, Ava Fontaine (Bridget Moynahan) and owns a multi-million dollar apartment in Manhattan. The eye-opening moment for Yuri and the viewer comes in the form of the fall of the Soviet Union. A question I never once asked was what happened to the millions of weapons the USSR stockpiled during the Cold War? Before watching Lord of War it had never once occurred to me that weapons ranging from assault rifles to attack helicopters were easily swooped up in former Soviet Republics and resold to conflicts around the world.

Lord of War is teeming with a multitude of memorable scenes, but the most ironic comes when Yuri sits on the toppled statue of Vladi-

mir Lenin at a Ukrainian military base. While using a calculator to count his profits, Yuri says, “I have a feeling it wasn’t exactly what Comrade Lenin had in mind when he advocated the redistribution of wealth.”

As Yuri’s business and bank account skyrockets he becomes the primary target of Interpol agent Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke).

In one instance, Valentine handcuffs Yuri to a chair in the remote African plains for 24 hours in order to “buy someone an extra day.” The message is as striking as it is clear, while Yuri has never actually killed anyone, he has blood on his hands from the deaths of thousands, if not millions.

Lord of War truly examines the human side of arms-dealing. The film successfully captures what it means to profit off the backs of the dead and suffering. The real message of the movie is that at a certain point, where do we draw the line? Given the ability to make millions, would ordinary people choose to deal in death and destruction? Yuri could not understand the torment he was inadvertently causing until it directly affected him. Even then, he continues his work as a “necessary evil” because in Yuri’s own words, “they say evil prevails when good

men fail to act, what they ought to say is... evil prevails.”

A good Nicolas Cage film is a rare find, therefore seize on the opportunity to see Lord of War if you have not already. It documents the spectacular and rather devilish life of an international criminal in the same ilk as Goodfellas and Blow. You will find yourself simultaneously cheering for Yuri to rise

above his meager beginnings while also questioning the very foundations of war profiteering.

Lord of War will grab you with its outlandish characters, enrage you with its low-regard for human life and test your confidence in your own government. But by the end you will remind yourself, there are far worse ways to kill two hours, gun-running is perhaps the worst.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Fan of Nicholas Cage or not, Lord of War presents a thought-provoking story.

CULTURE

Page 18

December 7, 2016

Who’s That Kid? | Michelle Briney, FCRH ’18

Junior Joins Debate Team, Finds Her Fit

By THERESA SCHLIEP NEWS EDITOR

With the eloquence of a debater, the idealism of a millennial and the pragmatism of a history major with an understanding of the mistakes of years past, Michelle Briney, FCRH ’18, has established herself through her academics and extracurricular activities.

Michelle is from Naugatuck, Connecticut, a town where she says little happens except for its annual duck race, in which rubber ducks are raced to the finish line in a local river. While

this small town tradition may be obscure, Michelle — and her voice on the debate stage — is anything but.

Michelle is on the Fordham Debate team, which participates in tournaments throughout the semester and travels as far as Washington D.C., according to Michelle. She has also participated in Fordham College Democrats debates.

“It’s really cool, partially because they’re really nice people, and it’s a really nice environment,” said Michelle. She highlighted her strengths, which include denoting competence in subjects she finds herself incom-

THERESA SCHLIEP/THE FORDHAM RAM

Michelle Briney’s interests include history, debating and fantasy novels.

petent.

“I’m really kind of good at making it sound like I know what I’m talking about,” said Michelle. “I’m not an economics major, I’ve never taken an economics class and I’m really good at making it sound like I know what I’m talking about when I’m really just repeating supply and demand in various different ways.” She also admitted some weaknesses. Michelle said organization proves to be her Achille’s heel, especially on the debate stage.

“Just as a general rule, organization is not my strong suit, so what I tend to do is have good ideas, but I throw them out there and jump around,” said Michelle.

Throughout her experiences on the debate team, a few memories stick out in particular. One debate in American Parliamentary Style involved Michelle on the government side, the side that writes cases.

Michelle said most debates involve economics or foreign policy, though sometimes students propose slightly nonsensical topics, but that nonetheless prove to be an interesting commentary on the issues we face today.

Michelle double majors in History and Middle Eastern Studies. She was

conflicted for a while over whether she wanted to pursue a career as a veterinarian, but ultimately decided on a career in law with a potential minor in biology. However, when Michelle decided upon a career in law, a professor suggested she pursue a life in academia.

“Well, huh, that sounds interesting too, now I don’t know what I want to do,” she said. “There’s a bit of humor in that.” The topics that pique her interest unsurprisingly coalesce around the Middle East, specifically the ancient Middle East. She said the region interests her, especially because she never learned about it in high school. “I find that really fascinating, maybe because it’s so long ago and it’s so removed and it’s something I would have never learned about otherwise,” said Michelle.

Next semester, she plans on studying abroad in Jordan. “My poor dad, he spent years thinking I was going to study abroad in France,” said Michelle. “‘Hey, guess what! The country next to Syria? I’m studying there.”

In order to save some money for her trip and to alleviate her father’s financial burdens, Michelle is currently working in the Rose Hill bookstore, a fitting occupation for a

woman whose youth was consumed by fantasy novels. Her favorite author is Terry Pratchett, a novelist known for his Discworld Series, a series containing 41 novels.

“He manages to combine actionpacked, legitimate plots with really well fleshed out, sick characters,” said Michelle. “At the same time he’s making really interesting social points with really powerful phrases, while making you giggle at the turn of every page.”

Her fondness for stories does not confine itself to the narrow binds of fantasy novels. Sometimes, Michelle said, she thinks of a really good story in her head, and will start to run — a habit not unfamiliar to her father, who can sometimes sense when she is going to get into one of her jogs, and students who see her on her daily route to class.

“I randomly start running around in places,” said Michelle. “I like to imagine what ifs, and it drives my dad nuts when I do it in the house. Sometimes when I get the story in my head and I get to a really exciting part, I’ll just start running. I don’t know why. I get all this pent up energy in my legs, and I get really excited about it. Then I slow down.”

Review | Television

“Gilmore Girls” Revival Divides the Fandom Nostalgia Prevails

By MARIANYS MARTE STAFF WRITER

The cult-classic series, “Gilmore Girls,” became the second-highest rated show for The WB network when it debuted in 2000. After seven seasons of watching Lorelai and Rory’s lives play out for us on screen, fans everywhere were left with many unanswered questions when the show went off the air for good in 2007. But, recently, revivals seem to be the new black (such as “Fuller House”). That is where Netflix came in and agreed to bring us four 90-minute episodes to make up for the series ending without Amy Sherman-Palladino’s infamous four words; and boy, did they come back with a bang.

The revival, titled “Gilmore Girls: A Year in The Life,” follows Lorelai and Rory over the course of a year, divided up into winter, spring, summer and fall. The opening scene is the perfect welcome back for fans as the camera pans around a snowy Stars Hollow before landing on Lorelai holding her signature cup of coffee and inhaling the beloved snow. Rory soon joins her, and they sit on the gazebo in the middle of town to commence their classic mother-daughter banter. I do not know about you, but I was giddy to be back in Stars Hollow and to see their reunion; and so the nostalgia begins.

Throughout the revival, we learn that Rory has just finished publishing a very successful piece for The New Yorker, which seems fitting that her work ethic would lead her to such a prestigious publication. But, surprisingly, this is only a one-hit-wonder for her. Our girl has been bouncing around from place to place looking for work.

The fact that Rory does not have a stable job seems to reflect how many young people feel in today’s world. I think this makes her more relatable and less of the perfect archetype she was portrayed to be in the original series. We also have to keep in mind that Rory is now 32.

So naturally there are many scenes where she is seen enjoying a cocktail or two and some mild swearing is also involved.

Because the revival is cut into 90-minute episodes, there is a lot of action in each one. As many fans already know, Edward Herrmann, who played Richard Gilmore, passed away in 2014. His death plays a very important role in the revival, and we are privy to how Richard’s absence has impacted the rest of the Gilmore clan. Nonetheless, the show is about the comforting relationship between a mother and daughter who are more like friends. I do not think the revival does away with any of these overarching themes. If anything, the episodes highlight it in new ways.

Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino gets an A for doing this revival right by the fans who have been waiting a decade to see where Stars Hollow and all of the beloved characters stand. The lessons the characters learn and how they react to them, all translate to how some fans might feel at some point in their lives.

In the end, wherever the Gilmores go, I will follow (any, anywhere). Fans can relate to the show’s three female leads, each one a powerful figure in today’s society.

With a plethora of celebrity cameos, the development of each character and those four final words, the cultural phenomenon that is “Gilmore Girls” still lives on.

Series’ Second Attempt Falls Short

By LAURA SANICOLA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

I was a bit late to watching “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life,” but when I read Kevin Fallon write in the Daily Beast that “The ‘Gilmore Girls’ Revival Is Everything You Hoped It Would Be,” I watched. He was wrong.

The “Gilmore Girls” revival was everything I feared it would be.

For the past seven years, the immensely popular dramedy about three generations of women with vastly different relationships that aired on WB (then CW) was revered by fans of all ages for its zany characters and feminist “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” undertones.

But since its last season aired in 2007, the show’s most endearing characteristics, such as the fast talking mother daughter duo, the girls’ obsession with coffee, the town’s small town, quintessential feel and even certain lines (copper boom!) have been discussed and dissected to the point where they have become the commercialized.

The revival capitalized on that, and the result was an astonishingly uncomfortable four episodes that lacked the show’s original charm and ingenuity.

Amy Sherman-Palladino, the “Gilmore Girls” creator, seemed to be relishing in her half baked ideas that seemed to be stuck in a time vault for almost 10 years. None of the characters acted their ages — or like themselves, for that matter. Lorelai (Lauren Graham) remained single despite having lived with Luke (Scott Patterson) for an inferred nine years since the show’s end.

Luke, rehashing an old story line from the original series, is keeping secrets from Lorelai and mulling

over an expansion of his diner franchise.

Rory (Alexis Bledel) is callously shacking up with her almost-husband Logan at the expense of her long term boyfriend and Logan’s fiance. At 32, her career is all but stagnated, and important career tips that she should have learned within the first few years on the job (do your research before an interview, no offer is below you, don’t sleep with a source) somehow mysteriously escapes her.

The redeeming character, as always, is Paris Geller, Rory’s competitive Chilton gal pal who runs a fertility company in Connecticut.

To characterize the 370 minutes I spent on the show watching a Netflix-created fan fiction would be a generous description. But most fans do not want to watch fan fiction.

We did not ask for a dizzying array of cameos, including a bafflingly irrelevant Rachael Ray depicted as a

potential replacement for Lorelai’s long time pal Sookie.

We did not ask for an opening montage of phrases from the past seven years that have somehow not only become immortalized but have come to define the show.

We did not ask for your the dialogue to speed up twice as much just to prove the point that the show was about two girls who talk fast.

We did not ask for a series of emotionally manipulative scenes between Lorelai and her mother that seem to forget the seven years of progress the adversarial characters had made when the show aired.

We did not ask for the show to become a cliche of itself, for overly dramatic, drawn out scenes and unsatisfying “full circle” endings.

But because Palladino was more concerned with capitalizing on its fandom instead of recreating an epilogue to an otherwise enjoyable series, this is what viewers got. It was unsatisfying.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Sherman-Palladino’s revival fell short of expectations, Sanicola says.

December 7, 2016

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The Fordham Ram

Page 19

SPORTS

Page 20

Track Starts on Right Foot

By TOM TERZULLI STAFF WRITER

History was on display at the Fordham Season Opener on Friday night. Tom Courtney, former NCAA Champion and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, was honored with a banner commemorating his stellar career at Rose Hill. Courtney, FCRH’55, secured the NCAA crown in the 880-yard competition and anchored the world record setting twomile relay team with classmates Terrance Foley, Frank Tarsney and Bill Perischetty, both in his senior campaign. The following year the Newark native traveled to Melbourne, Australia to compete in the 1956 Summer Olympics, where he took gold in the 800 meter run, setting a then-Olympic record in the process.

Later on, gold number two came in the 4x400 meter relay. Courtney was inducted into the Fordham Athletics Hall of Fame in 1971.

Now, 45 years later, the current generation of Fordham runners watched in awe as Fordham Athletic Director Dave Roach unveiled the banner for one of the greatest Fordham athletes of all time.

“I want to thank Artie O’Connor and all the past runners and all today’s runners here.” said Courtney. “I know there are some very good runners here and I look forward to see you try some of your things today.

Fordham has been a great part of my life and I have great memories from it.”

As the Rams closed the door on one of the greatest, this year’s squad got their first chance to show what they could do. After the ceremony ended, the Fordham Season Opener, a six team meet, began, in which Fordham took home six titles.

The 800m, the same event that Courtney won the gold medal in so many years ago, was won by junior Louis Santelli (1:55.15). Freshman Richard Webber took first in the 60 meter (7.02) and 200 meter dash (23.16). Second year distance runner Sean Phillips did the same in the 1000m (2:32.89). Sophomore Mary Kate Kenny swiped up the only women’s victory in the 200 meter dash (25.90).

The Fordham “A” team in the 4x400 meter relay stood alone as the

top team finisher.

The Rams fleshed out the special day with some other great performers on the men’s and women’s sides.

Freshman Griffin Bilicic, in his first Fordham meet, finished fourth in the 200m (23.64). A pair of sophomores, Jared Benn and Eddie Dehais, finished second and fourth in the 500m, with times of 1:05.93 and 1:08.36 respectively. Toronto native, freshman Michael Petersen finished right behind Santelli in the 800m in second in 1:55.56. Sophomore Patrick Dineen finished third in the 1000m (2:38.22). Finally, junior distance runner Fritz Heinrich placed fourth in the mile, in a time of 4:29.78.

Aside from the one top finisher for the women, there was a fifth place finish for sophomore Nkeka Pinheiro in the 60m (7.98) and fourth in the 200m (26.15). A couple of New Yorkers, sophomore Morgan Menzzasalma from Monroe (1:17.98) and junior Christina Perrier from Dix Hills (1:20.74) finished second and fourth in the 500m. Junior Merissa Wright (2:18.82) and sophomore Aidan Moroz (2:22.24) finished second and fifth in the 800m, respectively. Finally in the 1000m, the trifecta of freshman Sydney Snow, Kaia Corthell and sophomore Laurel Fisher all finished in the top five.

In long distance, freshman Katarzyna Krzyzanowski was fourth in the mile (5:28.02). Sophomores Maiya Larsen and Isabel Huelskamp finished fifth and sixth in the 3000m with times of 11:09:39 and 11:13.53, respectively.

On hurdles and field events, there were top five finishes for freshman Gabrielle Schreib (3rd – 9:57) and junior Kylie Farrell (5th – 9.73) in the 60m hurdles. In the high jump, sophomore Neve Devine finished second (1.55m). Two fourth place finishes for freshman Gabriella Gavalas in the long jump (5.29m) and triple jump (10.69m). Finally, fellow freshman Alina Kwiatkowski was fifth in the high jump and the shot put (9.37m).

Staten Island, NY and the OBP Track and Field Complex play host to the Rams’ next meet when they take part in the Wagner Invitational on Jan. 6 at 12 p.m.

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

The Rams performed well at the Fordham Season Opener with multiple top finishers.

December 7 2016

Men’s Basketball Drops Three Straight in Non-Conference Play

By TYLER FREIRE STAFF WRITER

After starting the year off 5-1, the Fordham men’s basketball team fell to 5-4 after three straight losses to non-conference opponents. This past Wednesday, the Rams hosted Sacred Heart University in the last game of a nine game home stand.

Sophomore standout Joseph Chartouny would leave the game against Sacred Heart with an undisclosed elbow injury. This would prove to be a major factor in the game as the Rams missed his leadership and ball control down the stretch.

Fordham led by 11 with 6:14 remaining in the game after a pair of free throws from Hawkins, but Sacred Heart would follow that up with 11 unanswered points to tie the game up at 66 with 2:31 left.

On the following possession, Fordham’s sophomore forward David Pekarek was fouled attempting a three pointer and Sacred Heart’s bench was called for a technical foul, giving the Rams five free throws. Hawkins would connect on one of the two technical free throws, while Pekarek converted on all three of his free throws to give Fordham a 70-66 lead with just over two minutes remaining.

The next couple possessions would see a missed three from Fordham, a turnover from Sacred Heart and a turnover from the Rams. Sacred Heart would take advantage of the Fordham turnover as a Barnett and-one layup and free throw would make it a one point game with 43 seconds remaining.

Fordham would turn the ball over once again on the following possession with 17 seconds left.

Sacred Hearts’ Charles Tucker drove the ball and made a beautiful pass to Barnett who laid it in with just two seconds left, giving the Pioneers a 71-70 lead.

On the final possession, the Rams inbounded the ball at half court and were forced to call a timeout immediately. On the next attempt, Fordham would turn the ball over once again, as the inbound pass was stolen by Sacred Heart as the time expired.

Fordham forced Sacred Heart into 25 turnovers and recorded 14 steals, making that the seventh straight game with double digit steals. But the Rams turned the ball over their fair share of times, totaling 16 giveaways and three late turnovers in the final two minutes that sealed the victory for the Pioneers.

The Rams fell despite a gamehigh 23 points from graduate transfer Javontae Hawkins, who shot 9-11 from the field and added two steals while junior guard Antwoine Anderson netted 15 points and added four assists and four steals. Sophomore forward Christian Sengfelder and junior guard Will Tavares each added 11 points.

Fordham was outscored 23-13 from the free throw line, while the Pioneers only attempted 36 field goals in the game, a season low for a Fordham opponent. They also shot 61 percent from the field.

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Antwoine Anderson pulls up for a jumper against Sacred Heart.

Despite the loss, head coach Jeff Neubauer was still happy about the way his defense performed. “I really felt good about our team because of our defensive effort. Not only because of the steals but the fact that we were taking stops from people.”

As for Neubauer’s impression of Sacred Heart he stated, “They’re the fastest offense that we have played so far. And they scored 27 points in transition, and to me that’s the game right there.”

With the loss the Rams fell to 5-3, and would travel to Cambridge, Massachusetts to face Harvard over the weekend, which would be their first road game since Nov. 11.

Joseph Chartouny celebrated his 22nd birthday on Saturday as Fordham was set to face Harvard, but he would have to contribute off the bench due to an injury he suffered against Sacred Heart.

Heading into the game, both teams proved to be a threat from behind the arc, averaging eight three-pointers per game, but it was Harvard who would take advantage of the long ball, hitting nine threes to just five from Fordham.

The Rams got off to a good start defensively, holding Harvard to just 42 percent from the field in the first half, but trailed 29-25 heading into the locker room.

As the second half got underway, the Crimson scored the first

four points to extend their lead to 33-25, but a layup from the Rams would cut Harvard’s lead to six, making it 33-27 three minutes into the half.

At the halfway mark in the second half, a Sengfelder three and a Hawkins lay-in made it a one point game, 41-40 with 10:51 left in the half. But Harvard would follow Fordham’s run with one of their own, as the Crimson went on a 9-0 run and lead 50-40 with 7:33 left in the game.

The Rams would go on a 7-2 spurt to cut the deficit to five, but Harvard responded with eight unanswered points to secure the 64-52 victory for Harvard.

Fordham had an awful day on offense, shooting just 33 percent from the field and 26 percent from three on the day. Javontae Hawkins led the Rams with a game high 17 points and added nine rebounds.

The Rams registered double figure steals for the eighth straight game, and grabbed a season high 14 offensive rebounds and scored 12 second chance points. This was Harvard’s third straight win over Fordham, and they now lead the all-time series 8-6.

The Rams are now 5-4 on the year with three straight losses.

The Rams will have to make some adjustments quick as they travel boroughs to face St. John’s University Thursday night at Madison Square Garden at 7 p.m.

SPORTS

December 7, 2016

Pat Costello Luke Walton for Coach of the Year The Coach of the Year Award doesn’t always go to the best coach, but rather to the coach of the best team. Last year, Steve Kerr inexplicably won the award after missing over half of the season while taking a leave of absence to deal with his back problems.

While he was figuring out whether or not he liked medicinal marijuana, Luke Walton stepped in to lead the team, earning 39 wins and only four losses, although he would not officially be credited with those numbers. This set the record for most wins to open a season and helped Walton earn some credibility as a coach. Regardless, Kerr won the award off of the merits of his team, not on his ability to coach. This year, I’m hoping there will be a different outcome, ideally involving the man who coached the Warriors for half a season last year.

It was announced late last year that Walton would head back to Los Angeles to take the reins. Byron Scott had not worked out as head coach, and upper management was afraid he was losing the team’s collection of young stars.

Walton’s history with the team was something the Lakers couldn’t have overlooked either. He spent almost 10 seasons with the Lakers during the Kobe years and was part of two NBA championship teams. Transitioning to a head coach that is familiar with an organization already makes things much easier than trying to find someone from the outside.

The Lakers had to make sure that guys like D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle were not dissuaded by the chaos that Scott and Kobe Bryant brought to the table.

Kobe was going to play his game last year and be the number one guy on the team, no matter what.

It would have been easy for Russell and Randle to lose motivation or respect coming off of a season like that. However, those two players are going to be instrumental to the future of the franchise, so bringing in a respected guy like Walton was a smart move. He has already made a huge impact on the team, leading them to a 10-12 record so far this year. Last season, they crawled to a 17-65 record.

Walton has completely changed the culture of the Lakers locker room. He’s moved away from the hero ball, Bryant Era to a team oriented one. He’s received praise from coaches around the league from guys like Kerr, Gregg Popovich and Grizzlies coach David Fizdale, who said that “Luke Walton is a hell of a coach” in his postgame press conference following the Grizzlies 103-100 win over the Lakers.

Walton has managed to turn a terrible team into one of the most exciting in the NBA. They no longer get steamrolled by better teams, but instead compete for all 48 minutes and force their opponents to play their best. His coaching has changed the franchise for the better, which is why he should be NBA Coach of the Year this season.

Page 21

STAFFHALLOFFAMEBALLOTS Every year, members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America pay their respects to the legends of the game by voting them into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. This year, The Fordham Ram’s sports staff got in on the fun and submitted mock ballots. Check out our picks, and be sure to keep an eye out for the announcement of the inductees in January.

Jack McLoone

Sam Belden Jeff Bagwell Roger Clemens Edgar Martinez Tim Raines Curt Schilling

Barry Bonds Vlad Guerrero Mike Mussina Ivan Rodriguez Gary Sheffield

For the first time in a few years, I didn’t need to make any concessions when filling out my mock ballot. As I see it, there are 10 qualified players up for induction this year, and those are the 10 I’ve listed.

While I’m sure the topic will be covered elsewhere in this feature, let me first say that Tim Raines is unquestionably my top choice. This is his last chance to get in via the BBWAA, and to relegate his case to the Veterans Committee would be an injustice. He was the best percentage base stealer of all time and would be in the 3,000 hits club if he hadn’t walked so much — this should not be detrimental to his case. He deserves induction, and perhaps a formal apology from the baseball community for all the years he was kept waiting.

Clemens and Bonds are also high on my list. AntiPED purists will decry this view, but the fact is that both owned Hall of Fame-worthy careers before they even touched a needle. At the end of the day, they committed their transgressions back in the MLB’s “Wild West” era, when non-prescribed steroids were illegal but not against the rules of the game.

The same can’t be said for Manny Ramirez, who’s conspicuously absent from my ballot. The leftfielder was slapped with two banned substance suspensions in his career, one in 2009 and one in 2011.

Sheffield is also an admitted steroid user, but he was never suspended for it. What’s more, I believe he’s been poorly served by the sabermetric community, which sometimes puts too much weight on unreliable defensive stats. Had Sheffield been a career American Leaguer, he’d be in already, and that’s not fair.

The others are also deserving, but I don’t have the space to justify them all here. In a perfect world, every one of these icons would be enshrined in bronze.

Pat Costello Jeff Bagwell

Trevor Hoffman

I follow a certain set of rules when looking at the Hall of Fame, particularly in the post-steroid era. I don’t support anyone who used steroids. I also don’t look at the hyper-metrics because they are nonsense stats that have only been made up in the last five years. That being said, here is who I would like to see get in.

Bagwell was a mainstay of the “Killer B’s” teams in Houston. He hit 449 bombs in his career with a .297 average and won both the 1994 MVP and the 1991 Rookie of the Year. He did all of this while playing in an era where so many players put up these numbers using steroids. Last year he received 71.6 percent of the vote, which makes him almost a guaranteed entrant on his seventh ballot.

When Hoffman retired he was the all-time leader in saves with 601, and he still holds the NL record. He saved 40 games in nine seasons, four of which came in a row. He received 67.3 percent of the vote and is a shoein to get in this year.

I don’t understand the fascination with Tim Raines. He was an above average lead-off hitter, but certainly not a Hall of Famer. While 2,605 hits is fantastic and he adds 808 stolen bases, good enough for fifth alltime, he simply didn’t do enough to merit Hall of Fame status. Mr. John McLoone will probably throw a bunch of stats at you comparing him to Lou Brock, but Brock was a transcendent player who broke the stolen bases record with 938 and held it until Rickey Henderson came along. He also had 3,023 hits. Tim Raines is certainly no Lou Brock.

Jeff Bagwell Roger Clemens Edgar Martinez Tim Raines Gary Sheffield

Barry Bonds Trevor Hoffman Mike Mussina Ivan Rodriguez Billy Wagner

Tim Raines is probably going to be inducted this year, and rightfully so. He’s been defended through statistics by plenty of writers more talented than I, so I will go this route: if he isn’t elected, I will fight every voter who didn’t put him on their ballots.

Edgar Martinez was a god at the DH position, so much so that the MLB named the DH of the Year award after him. After becoming a full-time player in 1990, his OBP dipped below .400 just four times, and in his age 32-38 seasons he never slugged below .543 and his OPS dipped below 1.00 just twice.

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens did not use steroids when they were banned. Neither did Gary Sheffield, who is held back by disastrous defensive play (his -195 is second-worst only to defensive master of smoke and mirrors Derek Jeter) but whose offensive numbers (1,475 walks and 509 home runs) deserve enshrinement, even if just for the bat wag.

Despite his counting stats falling short thanks to a shoulder injury, Jeff Bagwell’s peak years rival those of Lou Gehrig. He’s somehow held back by suspicions of PED use, even though he flat out admitted to it in 1998, well before any kind of regulation.

Ivan Rodriguez was a 13-time Gold Glove winner and his 311 home runs are second all-time for catchers.

Mike Mussina’s candidacy is really only held back by the fact that he didn’t reach 300 wins, but pitcher wins are dumb and 270 is plenty.

Billy Wagner, king of the reliever rate stats, and Trevor Hoffman, king of the kind of garbage save statistic until Mariano Rivera came along, need to go in together. They are two sides of the reliever coin of their era: burning bright at 100 miles per hour, or lasting long enough to collect over 600 saves.

Andrea Garcia

Matthew Michaels

Jeff Bagwell Barry Bonds Roger Clemens Vlad Guerrero Trevor Hoffman Jorge Posada Tim Raines Manny Ramirez Ivan Rodriguez

Jeff Bagwell Roger Clemens Edgar Martinez Tim Raines Curt Schilling

It’s time for Tim Raines to be inducted. More importantly, it’s the last time he can be inducted. Out of seven league players with more than 600 extra-base hits and 700 stolen bases, he’s the only one not in the Hall of Fame.

Another one whose induction should be in the bag? Jeff Bagwell. He fell only five percent short of breaking through on last year’s ballot, but he still stands out with his .297 batting average and .540 slugging percentage over 15 seasons with the Astros. The only strike against him, his alleged drug use, is up for debate, but his hard-hitting numbers outweigh the ongoing controversy.

Even putting the pinstripe pride aside, Jorge Posada has to have the most empathy-evoking case of all the first-time contenders on the ballot. From his first major league appearance in the ’95 Division Series through the Yankees’ four most recent World Series championships and his heartfelt retirement speech, Posada remained one of the most consistent offensive catchers in the league. He’s second to 2016 inductee Mike Piazza in wOBA, runs created and home runs and third to Piazza and fellow 2017 contender Rodriguez in WAR. While his respectability and performance put him in the same category as recent Hall of Famers, the competition in this class might just be enough to keep him off the ballot for good.

Tim Raines is the National League version of Rickey Henderson. His ability to get on base is hidden behind 2,600 hits and playing in Montreal.

His 808 stolen bases are even more impressive considering his fantastic success rate. He is a clear Hall of Famer.

Edgar Martinez is an obvious Hall of Fame member, but too many voters have a problem electing a designated hitter. These voters are ignoring the facts: Frank Thomas is already in the Hall, Martinez was a fine third baseman who could have stayed in the field and players with less impressive offensive statistics and negative defensive value are already in. Martinez’s great bat is enough to deserve a trip to Cooperstown.

Of the newcomers, only Pudge Rodriguez and Vlad Guerrero earn my vote. Rodriguez is one of the greatest catchers in history and should slide past steroid allegations to get in. An outstanding two-way player, his longevity and leadership made Rodriguez an asset in his early twenties as much as his late thirties.

Guerrero was a silent and admired superstar. He finished his career with a .318 batting average, a rare sight in the modern game, as well as 449 home runs. Guerrero will also be well remembered for his powerful arm that he displayed in right field. Some of his numbers don’t quite add up to an elite player, but Guerrero’s likeability should improve a borderline case.

Barry Bonds Vlad Guerrero Mike Mussina Ivan Rodriguez Larry Walker

Drew Casey From the Mets to the Jets Diehard sports fan or not, you’ve probably heard the expression “that’s so Mets.”

Maybe you’re a Met fan who’s lived it firsthand or perhaps a Yankee fan who’s reveled in your friends’ suffering for many years, like me.

But after this past week, it’s as clear as ever that the negativity of the phrase no longer exists.

The Amazin’s did something truly unprecedented from an organizational standpoint by signing star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to a four year, $110 million deal.

Some thought Cespedes might resign in Queens again after a season and a half with New York’s National League club, but no one expected the ink to hit the paper before baseball’s Winter Meetings.

In fact, many thought 2016 was a total long shot after the aptly nicknamed “Yo” didn’t sign until late January in free agency following the 2015 season.

It certainly wasn’t something “so Mets” to do. The organization’s pockets opened up, showing the fan base and the rest of the league that the Mets hope to be reckoned with for years to come.

Signing a superstar a season after making the World Series is certainly action enough to put the Mets past the three word moniker, but Cespedes’ move or not, the Mets would have probably fallen out as the punch line of every New York sports joke soon enough anyway. Just change the first letter.

If you happened to tune in to NFL action this Monday, another great national showcase might I add, then I’m sure you know what I mean.

To put it mildly, the national spotlight wasn’t kind to the Jets as they were utterly embarrassed, 41-10, by a now .500 Indianapolis Colts team at the Meadowlands.

What’s more, the AFC South squad should’ve and could’ve easily scored 62 or more.

Still, I’m not sure what’s worse: the fact that Jets owner Woody Johnson might evacuate the hemisphere for a U.S. ambassadorship to the United Kingdom or the fact that Colts tight end Dwayne Allen, averaging one touchdown every 12 games in his five year career, scored a career high three on Monday night.

When a pair of fans barreling onto the field is the biggest highlight from a national television performance, it’s clear that something needs to change. It’s time to start over. Blow it up and start from scratch.

Sorry Todd. Sorry Fitz. Sorry Geno. Good luck Bryce. You’ll need it these next few weeks as the starter.

As long as Mark Sanchez doesn’t take a snap in a Jets uniform anytime soon, everything should be okay. “Butt” then again maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

Wasn’t it just the other day the Jets were in back-to-back AFC Championship games and the Mets had six straight losing seasons?

Page 22

Senior Profile | Robbie Cantelli

SPORTS

December 7, 2016

By JACK McLOONE

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Robbie Cantelli, a communications major from Holdmel, New Jersey, had a huge role in the Fordham Football offense the past two seasons as a wide receiver. This year, he led the Rams in receiving touchdowns with 13, good for second in the Patriot League, and also had 634 yards on 37 receptions.

He sat down with The Fordham Ram to discuss his journey from walk-on to a scholarship player and coming back from a significant injury last season.

The Fordham Ram: What was it like being a walk-on?

Robbie Cantelli: Right away, I came in and all the freshmen got here on July 1 and I didn’t get here until August 1. So, I was kind of behind the eight ball already with that.

It’s tough. The first day of camp was I think was [August 3], so all these kids have been learning the playbook since July, I get here and the first day I’m expected to know everything. It was really stressful right away, but you start to get yourself acclimated, start to meet all the guys, the upperclassmen, the coaches. But it’s an uphill climb, it definitely is. Sometimes you feel like you’re kind of — not disadvantaged — but you have to work a lot harder than a lot of people to get the same opportunities. But there are opportunities as long as you work hard and continue to do that work and put everything you have into it.

TFR: Last year, you stepped into a larger role due to some injuries.

What was it like going from being a walk-on to being a starter and having a bigger role in the offense?

RC: It was awesome. But it was something that I expected of myself because I have high expectations of myself, obviously. Learning from guys that came before me like Brian Wetzel [GSB ‘15] and Tebucky Jones [FCRH ‘15], they kind of taught me what it took to be a starting receiver here and the mentality it took to have, the leadership you had to have. We had a lot of young guys come up last year, so I knew I had to kind of take on that role, whether I was a walk-on or a scholarship, whatever. I did that, I feel like, pretty well. It was good. It was enjoyable.

TFR: You tore your ACL in the game against Colgate late last season [the Rams were playing for a chance to win the Patriot League.

Cantelli tore his ACL in the first quarter, and Fordham lost 31-29].

Can you describe the work you had to do to come back this season?

RC: That was definitely the hardest thing I’ve had to do through my athletic career. From not being able to feel my entire leg for a week after the surgery not being able to walk or put pressure on it for a month and a half after the surgery and then just the rehab process itself right away is the worst. Trying to bend your leg.

Something as little as lifting your leg becomes almost impossible. The beginning was definitely tough. As you progress three months, four months, five months, you really start to feel like, “Okay, I’m making progress.” But even then, you can only run straight. You can’t do this, you can’t do that. So, it’s definitely tough, a lot of hard work. I was in the training room with Vinny [Porricelli, head athletic trainer] for four hours a day. Coach Reimann on the sidelines during spring practice. Just consistently working. Icing when I went home. I had to rent an ice machine to always have ice on it no

By SAM BELDEN SPORTS EDITOR

COURTESY OF ROBBIE CANTELLI

Football senior Robbie Cantelli

matter what time of day it was. It was a continuous process that was definitely stressful at times. I even doubted myself at times. I had great family and friends that would pick me up and motivate me to continue to go.

TFR: Now you come back this season and playing Colgate you have those two late touchdowns in what could be considered a revenge game [Cantelli caught one with 3:38 left in the third to bring Fordham within three. With 4:55 left in the fourth, he made a top-tapping catch after a huge jump to give the Rams the lead and the 24-20 win].

What was that like?

RC: That was an unbelievable experience. On Senior Day, with I think 28 guys that I came in with, our last home game to finish it off.

To have two touchdowns to help us come back and beat Colgate, I couldn’t ask for a better storybook ending than that, especially since I tore my ACL against them last year.

It was definitely a game I had circled on my calendar since last year. In those late rehab hours, just thinking, “Alright, we’ve got another shot at Colgate. I have to get back so I can do the best I can against them.”

But yeah, that moment was crazy.

All the fans, I had a bunch of family there and my teammates embracing me after the game, it was really special.

TFR: You had a good year as a junior, but to have all these touchdowns this season was something else. Was there something different you did, or was that how the games just worked out?

RC: It is how the games worked out, but I think what got me a lot more touchdowns this year – I had a couple long ones – was Coach Breiner really looked for me in the end zone. I think that helped.

He set up a lot of plays for me like pick plays or one-on-one plays that I had the opportunity to get open, so that really helped I think. And Kevin [Anderson] was obviously constantly looking for me, gave me great passes...but I didn’t expect to have 13 touchdowns. I mean I only had one last year, so that was a surprise to me, too.

TFR: What are your post-Fordham plans?

RC: I actually have a fifth year of eligibility. Not here, because of the way the league works. I didn’t miss enough games when I got hurt to redshirt, but I didn’t play my freshman year. I’m looking into that.

I’ve been talking to Coach Breiner, Coach Marmaros, they’re helping me reach out to other schools to possibly do a year of grad school, play some more football, which would be awesome. But if doesn’t work out, I guess just look for a job and be happy with whatever I do after my football career is over.

While the MLB hot stove is burning bright, some of the biggest baseball news to come out of this week had absolutely nothing to do with the current crop of free agents. According to multiple reports, superstar outfielder and 2015 National League MVP Bryce Harper, who will hit the open market after the 2018 season, is after a $400 million contract of at least 10 years. Whether or not he eventually gets it, this initial demand seems to have stifled talks of an extension with the Washington Nationals, at least for now.

While $400 million is an exorbitant sum, baseball fans shouldn’t be surprised by Harper’s demands — we’ve known about his prodigious talent and potentially massive earning potential for years.

But in today’s MLB, the wealth is shared, and even the most unlikely players can pad their bank accounts beyond belief. Want proof? Look no further than Rich Hill and Mark Melancon, two veteran pitchers who signed big contracts this week.

Hill, 36, signed a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, one of the richest teams in the league. Acquired at this year’s trade deadline, Hill’s time in Chavez Ravine was limited by recurring blisters on his throwing hand, but he was effective when healthy, posting a 1.83 ERA in six regular season starts. While his throwing motion is suspect and his last season with more than 150 innings pitched came in 2007, the Dodgers chose to take a gamble on Hill to the tune of $48 million over the next three years.

This multi-year deal should put a lid on what has been one of the wildest odysseys through the sport of baseball in recent memory. Once a top prospect for the Chicago Cubs, Hill underwent shoulder surgery in 2011 and Tommy John surgery in 2013. He returned near the end of 2014, posting an ERA of infinity in two appearances for the Angels before signing with the New York Yankees and providing solid relief down the stretch.

After the season, Hill became a free agent and began working

out with his old American Legion team in Massachusetts. While he had been a sidearm reliever for the past several seasons, he started throwing over the top again and got inspiring results. However, no team would give him a rotation spot for the 2015 season, not even in Triple-A. Hill could have made around $15,000 a month as a minor league reliever, but he instead signed with the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League for around a sixth of that salary, choosing opportunity over stability.

The gamble worked — after making just two starts, both of them scoreless, Hill attracted the attention of the Boston Red Sox and was signed. He made four sterling starts down the stretch, got a one-year deal with Oakland for 2016, and the rest is history.

Despite an injury-plagued career, Hill will be able to head towards retirement with lifelong financial comfort all but assured.

While Melancon didn’t have to overcome nearly as much adversity to reach this point, his story nevertheless has a rags-to-riches feel. Drafted by the Yankees in the ninth round of the 2006 draft, the reliever was once best known as one of the players traded in exchange for Lance Berkman at the

2010 deadline, a deal that did little to help the Bronx Bombers. He had a solid year with the Astros as a 26-year-old rookie in 2011 and an abysmal year with the Red Sox in 2012; that offseason, he was traded to the Pirates as part of a package for Joel Hanrahan and Brock Holt.

After arriving in Pittsburgh, Melancon wasted no time transforming into a different pitcher, posting a 1.39 ERA and 16 in saves in his first year. In all, he racked up a 1.80 ERA and 130 saves over 260.1 innings for the Pirates before being traded to Washington at this year’s trade deadline. There, he continued to dominate, setting him up for a big payday this offseason. He got one earlier this week, signing with the San Francisco Giants for $62 million over four years, the largestever contract for a relief pitcher to date.

While Melancon’s career was never in dire straits like Hill’s was, it was on a path towards an eternity of middle relief mediocrity. By smashing expectations, both players were able to grab a piece of the vast sums of money that flow freely in modern baseball. At this rate, Harper will be taking home that $400 million check, and then some.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Mark Melancon is the latest player to sign a long-term deal this offseason.

Varsity Calendar HOME AWAY Men’s Basketball Women’s Basketball

Thursday Dec. 8

St. John’s 6:30 p.m.

Friday Dec. 9

Saturday Dec. 10

Sunday Dec. 11

Monday Dec. 12

Tuesday Dec. 13

Wednesday Dec. 14

Manhattan 7 p.m.

Princeton 2 p.m.

St. John’s 7 p.m.

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SPORTS

December 7, 2016

Varsity Scores & Stats

Peter Valentino

Are The Mets Big Spenders?

With the signing of Yoenis Cespedes on Tuesday, the Mets retain a major piece that will allow the team to be a contender for the division.

The deal was four years and $110 million, a hefty price for a team who usually never breaks the bank on anyone. The team has handed out these contracts before, like making David Wright a Met for life in 2012 and Johan Santana’s contract in 2008, but this one was a bit more shocking due to what the club wants to do for the future.

The team has a lethal group of young pitchers who are all in arbitration, so the original thought was that they were going to save money for them when their time comes. However, with the idea that the window of opportunity is now, the Mets had to sign Cespedes. But even with the pressure, will this change the mindset of the Mets to spend more money? And with their star locked up for four years, where do the Mets go from here?

This idea that the Mets are cheap stems from the fact that the Yankees are the juxtaposing front office in New York. The Yankees are known for spending, making people ask the question of why the Mets can’t do the same. They are in the same market, even though the Yankees have a larger fan base. The main reason for that as of late has been the Madoff scandal, but even with that, ownership insists that the financial woes have passed. With that, in a time when the Mets have a chance to be great, this should be the time where they do spend the big money.

With the Cespedes signing, the Mets have acknowledged that the time is now, and will bring back the superstar in order to be as successful as they can be. With the Mets, it isn’t how much they spend, it’s when they spend it. The Mets picked up Beltran’s record contract in 2005, and went on to get many great years out of him. The team does spend money, but it only gives it out to the people who deserves it. Sometimes it goes well (Beltran, Piazza), and sometimes it backfires (Jason Bay, Johan Santana).

So where do the Mets go from here? They signed their star, and put themselves in a position to compete for the next few years. The Mets still have some issues in the bullpen that need to be addressed, mostly due to the Jeurys Familia situation. The team will need Addison Reed to be the closer for when Familia gets suspended, so an eighth inning guy will be needed. There is a bit of a logjam in the outfield, as rumors swirl of the Mets trying to trade Granderson, or Bruce. The jury is still out on Travis d’Arnaud’s ability to be a number one catcher, as he regressed in 2016.

The Mets offseason isn’t over, but the most important piece of this team has been brought back.

With Cespedes, the team simply plays better, and management knew that. With the pieces in place, and barring injuries, this team should be back to making a run at the postseason in 2017.

Page 23

Men’s Basketball Sacred Heart Fordham

71 70 64 52

Harvard Fordham

Women’s Basketball Fordham Duquesne

64 51

Fordham Boston College

56 49

Squash Fordham Colgate

6 3

Lehigh Fordham

5 4

Fordham Boston

8 1

Women’s Swimming Bucknell Invitational Fordham- 4th 200m Butterfly (FOR) Polaha 1st- 1:58.92 (FOR) Bullock 2nd- 2:00.70 200m Breaststroke (FOR) Albers 3rd- 2:19.61 (FOR) Feneron 7th- 2:21.47 Men’s Swimming Bucknell Invitational Fordham- 4th

Men’s Track Fordham Season Opener 60m Dash (FOR) Webber 1st - 7.02 200m Dash (FOR) Santelli 1st- 1:55.15 (FOR) Bilicic 4th- 23.64 1000m Run (FOR) Phillips 1st- 2:32.89 Women’s Track Fordham Season Opener

1650m Freestyle (FOR) Semple 3rd- 15:40.13 (FOR) Sleutjes 5th- 15:41.17

200m Dash (FOR) Kenny 1st- 25.90 (FOR) Pinheiro 4th- 26.15

200m Butterfly (FOR) Viera 4th- 1:51.64 (FOR) Lombada 6th- 1:51.83

800m Run (FOR) Wright 2nd- 2:18.82 (FOR) Moroz 5th- 2:22.24

Athletes of the Week Richard Webber

Danielle Burns

Freshman

Senior

Track

Basketball

Webber put on an incredible display of speed on Friday during the Fordham Season Opener. The freshman won two of his events, the 60 meter and 200 meter dashes. In the 60 meter, Webber clocked a time of 7.02 and finished 200 in 23.16. He was named A-10 Rookie of the Week.

Burns was on fire from the field in the Rams 64-51 upset win over Duquesne last Thursday. The senior went 8-12 from the field, including 4-6 from behind the arc. She ended with a gamehigh 22 points, while also snatching seven rebounds. The Lady Rams are currently 6-2.

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 • Olivia Fairchild Named ECAC Rookie of the Year Freshman phenom Olivia Fairchild was named

• Men’s Soccer Players Named to NSCAA Team Three men’s soccer players were named

• Joe Vizza Named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week Freshman swimmer Joe Vizza was named

• Peter Yuen Leads Squash Team to Two Victories The squash team went 2-1 over the week-

ECAC Rookie of the Year last Wednesday.

Fairchild received the honor on the heels of earning the A-10 Rookie of the Year award. She ended her freshman campaign with 477 kills, the fourth most in program history and the most of any freshman. The freshman also led the A-10 in kills with 57, which was also top10 nationally. Her 4.3 kills-per-set average was also a program record, shattering the mark set

by Tasha Johnston in 2006.

A-10 Rookie of the Week after his stellar performance at the Bucknell Invitational. Vizza broke the school record for the 200 meter freestyle, clocking a second place time of 1:38.85. the previous record, set by Shintaro Noguchi in 2013, was 1:39.37. He also took second in the 100 meter with a time of 45.37, and fifth in the 500 meter freestyle with a time of 4:33.23 . Vizza’s performance helped the Aquatic Rams take fourth place out of nine teams over the weekend.

to the NSCAA All-Midwest Region team follwing a season in which their team won the A-10 Championship. Sophomore forward Janos Loebe, his brother, junior midfielder Jannik Loebe and sophomore goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu were given Third Team honors. The Brothers Loebe tied for the team lead in goals (6), assists, (7) and points(20). Nuhu recorded three shuouts during the A-10 Championships.

end during a home round robin. In the first match of the weekend the Rams beat the Colgate Raiders 6-3. Senior Peter Yuen beat Colgates top man 11-4, 11-8, 6-11, 117. Fordham dropped the second match to Lehigh by a score of 6-3, before storming back against Boston to win 8-1. The weekend performance brings the teams record up to 3-6. They return to the court on Jan. 1 against NYU, Bucknell and Tufts.

– Compiled by Pat Costello

Alvin Halimwidjaya

The New Era of The Big Men This past week, the New York Knicks saw the Minnesota Timberwolves in consecutive games with a home-and-home series. While neither team is exactly the cream of the crop in their respective conferences, many saw this matchup as a chance to see two rising stars in Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis face off against each other. Despite other notable names like Carmelo Anthony and Andrew Wiggins being involved, fans flocked to see two of the most exciting big men in the league today.

With the rise of “small ball” and perimeter prodigies like Curry, Harden and Lillard, not to mention Lebron James’s iron grip on the league, there have been not many big men to garner much attention.

While Draymond Green and Kevin Durant gain traction as stretch forwards and centers, the age of behemoths like Wilt Chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O’Neal who live on the low block is over. While players like Dwight Howard still make their living down low, other big men like Marc Gasol, Anthony Davis and LaMarcus Aldridge are slowly growing more versatile and drifting out beyond the arc. This has developed a new generation of giants, and Towns and Porzingis are right at the forefront of the movement.

In their first game against each other in Minnesota, both players made it clear that they were the future of the NBA. Porzingis had 29 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and the Knicks won despite Towns exploding for 47 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks. Both players combined to shoot 10 threepointers, and while Towns didn’t make any this game, they boast percentages of at least 38 percent from beyond the arc. Towns and Porzingis showed off their ability to run the floor, shoot from the perimeter and play impactful defense. As they racked up highlight after highlight, the tantalizing potential that Towns and Porzingis display speaks to how good they could be in a few years.

However, these big men are still young, and not yet at the height of their lofty ceilings. In their next game against each other, both players shot under 30 percent from the field. Towns still ended up with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Porzingis only had 11 points and five rebounds. One advantage that Towns has over Porzingis is that he is constantly the focal point of the offense. With Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings on the Knicks, Porzingis can be left standing on the side at times, when he should instead be recognized as the future of the team.

Younger players are starting to follow in the footsteps of Towns and Porzingis; Joel Embiid is already making wave with his “Process,” and youngsters like Thon Maker and Julius Randle have started to attack from farther out. With more kids going to the gym and looking to play on the perimeter, centers and forwards are growing up with guard skills, and even the tallest players want a quick crossover and an outside shot. Though we won’t see many teams dump the ball into the post anymore, this new generation of big men will bring an exciting style of play that will prove to push the NBA to even greater heights.

SPORTS

Page 24

December 7, 2016

The Fordham Ram

Women’s Basketball Beats Duquesne, BC

By SAM BELDEN SPORTS EDITOR

This past week was another strong one for the Fordham women’s basketball team. Coming off of a thirdplace finish at the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament, the Rams kicked off their conference schedule in style with a win over Duquesne on Thursday and kept it going with another victory over Boston College on Sunday.

The team returned from the Sunshine State with a new appreciation for the Thanksgiving holiday. “Two of the major highlights of the trip was Thanksgiving dinner at [junior guard] Tiffany Suarez’s house and an evening with Luis and Mercy San Miguel and the Miami chapter of Fordham alums,” said head coach Stephanie Gaitley. “Both were such classic cases of families opening their homes to our travel party and allowing everyone to feel the Thanksgiving spirit.”

After returning to the Bronx on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the Rams prepared for Thursday’s game against Duquesne, their first Atlantic 10 opponent of the season. The highly anticipated contest was a rematch of a second round game in last year’s conference tournament, which ended in a five-point Fordham loss.

While Thursday’s was one of several conference games set up by the A-10 in order to build excitement throughout the month of December, the rest of Fordham’s conference schedule does not get underway until January.

Duquesne scored the first bucket of the game within the first 15 seconds, but the Rams quickly went on an 8-0 run, highlighted by threepointers from senior guard Hannah Missry and senior forward Danielle Burns. Burns would go on to be the star of the game, finishing with 22 points and seven rebounds.

With a nice advantage to start the game, the Rams remained a step ahead of the Dukes for the rest of the

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Danielle Burns cuts to the basket. She had a season-high 22 points against Duquesne on Thursday.

quarter. Three more field goals, including a three from freshman guard Kate Kreslina with 1:30 remaining, were all they needed to take a 16-9 lead into the second period.

Duquesne was much better on offense in the second quarter, kicking it off with an inside jumper from KadriAnn Lass to cut the lead to five. While another three-pointer from Burns helped control the damage, two more good shots for the Dukes put them within three points of the lead. They struggled to keep the Fordham offense in check, however, repeatedly falling victim to the Rams’ offensive bursts. Missry and junior guard Asnate Fomina hit a pair of threes as the half wound down, allowing Fordham to carry a 31-23 lead into the break.

The Rams began to take control of the game in the third quarter. A seemingly reenergized Duquesne offense cut the lead to six on a pair of occasions at the beginning of the period, but they suffered through a four-minute scoreless drought in the middle.

The Rams, meanwhile, were aggressive from behind the arc, attempting seven three-pointers and hitting three of them, including the 254th and 255th of Missry’s career. The New Jersey native moved to fourth among active Division I players and 11th alltime in the Atlantic 10.

The Dukes went on a 5-0 run to-

wards the end of the quarter, but the Rams bit back hard with a 7-3 stretch, highlighted by Burns’ three-pointer at the buzzer. Heading into the final period, the score was 49-37 Fordham.

Duquesne certainly had enough time to mount a comeback, but the team lacked the offensive firepower, failing to move the deficit into the single digits at any point in the fourth quarter. The Dukes struggled to find their rhythm and allowed Burns to score five points in the first three minutes, leaving them at a 14-point disadvantage. Neither side made anything until garbage time rolled around, when they matched each other shot for shot. The Rams took it by a score of 64-51, serving up a bit of revenge from last season’s season-ending loss.

In addition to Burns, Missry also did plenty of heavy lifting for the Rams, scoring 13 points. Junior forward G’mrice Davis fell just one point shy of a double-double, scoring nine and grabbing 10 rebounds.

With A-10 play off to a good start, the Rams got set to host a non-conference opponent: the Boston College Eagles of the ACC. With a 2-5 record, the Eagles entered the game on a bit of a cold streak and struggled, falling to Fordham by a score of 5649.

The two sides exchanged baskets to

start the game, but the Rams quickly took control thanks to Davis’ scoring ability. After making the game’s opening bucket, she drew a pair of shooting fouls and scored four more points for her team. She then made a layup and a jumper on the next two Fordham possessions to put the Rams up by eight. In all, Davis scored Fordham’s first 10 points of the day before Suarez hit a jumper with 3:53 remaining in the quarter.

With less than one fourth of the game down, Davis had already secured her fourth double-digit scoring performance of the season. “[She] is really coming into her own as a player,” Gaitley remarked prior to the game.

With a 16-10 lead after the first quarter, the Rams continued to push ahead. The Eagles scored a pair of buckets within the first two minutes of the second period, but two Davis jumpers and three-pointers for Missry and Kreslina allowed Fordham to take a 12-point lead with 4:15 remaining in the half. Boston College scored three of the next four baskets, but another three for Kreslina kept the Rams squarely in the driver’s seat, leading 29-20 at the half.

Fordham came out of the locker room looking to add to its lead and did just that, scoring the first four points of the second half to push the

lead to 13. The two sides were evenly matched for most of the period, however, and a 7-2 run for the Eagles to close out the quarter left BC trailing by just seven with 10 minutes of play remaining.

The game’s final quarter saw a couple of brief comeback attempts from Boston College. The Eagles made two of the first three baskets of the period to sit just five points behind with 9:05 left, but the Rams were resilient, maintaining their lead and then pushing it to 11 thanks to a pair of inside buckets from Burns.

With 5:39 remaining in the game, Fordham held a healthy advantage, but spotty defense allowed Boston College to go on a 6-2 run — only a pair of Fomina free throws prevented the Eagles from cutting further into the lead. Then, suddenly, the offense disappeared, with neither side scoring for the next three minutes. While Fordham was doing its best to run down the clock, it was the Eagles who failed to perform under the pressure.

They managed to move within five points of the lead thanks to a layup from Mariella Fasoula with 0:30 left in the game, but 10 seconds later, a Davis jumper put it out of reach. The Rams came away from the game with the 56-49 victory.

Davis led the way for the Rams, grabbing nine rebounds to go along with her 22 points. Kreslina was also a big contributor, scoring 13. Although Fordham hit just 38.9 percent of its field goals to Boston College’s 49.0 percent, the Rams’ perfect 10-for-10 performance from the foul line made the difference.

In a bit of notable news, Missry’s lone three-pointer of the game was also the 256th of her career, moving her into the all-time top 10 in A-10 history.

The Rams are now 6-2 on the season. They will see their next action on Wednesday, Dec. 7, on the road against Iona.

Aquatic Rams Finish Fourth at Bucknell

By PAT COSTELLO

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The aquatic Rams returned to the pool last weekend for the Bucknell Invitational. Both the men’s and women’s teams came in fourth place out of nine teams in the competition. “The best part of the weekend is the energy and enthusiasm brought to the competition by both squads,” said head coach Stephen Potsklan. “This is only because of their commitment to becoming a better racers and winners.”

The Rams had multiple competitive races from both the men’s and women’s teams. On the men’s side, freshman Joe Vizza clocked an impressive 45.37 in the 100 meter freestyle on Sunday, earning second place in the event.

Senior Joe Mercurio wasn’t far behind, coming in with a time of 46.94, an eighth place finish. In the 1650 meter freestyle, junior Liam Semple posted a third place time of 15:40.13, with freshman

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

The Rams had numerous strong finishes in the meet, including from Joe Vizza and Joe Mercurio.

Christopher Sleutjes also placing in the top five. His fifth place time was 15:40.13. Senior Miguel Mattox led the Rams in the 200 meter butterfly after a fifth place swim, resulting in a time of 1:50.17. In the 200 meter breaststroke, sophomore Travis Monahan had the best swim for the Rams, finishing in 2:08.88, good enough for 11th

place.

On the women’s side, senior Megan Polaha continues to impress in the pool. She was an impressive three events on the weekend, including an incredible performance in the 200 meter butterfly, which she won in an NCAA “B” cut time of 1:58.92. “Megan has talent, is steadfast hard

worker, and is very coachable,” said Potsklan. Freshman Amelia Bullock came in right behind her, posting her own time of 2:00.70.

Senior Kalena Laurent took fifth place with a time of 2:04.40. In the 200 meter breaststroke, junior Nele Albers led the way, placing in third and doing so in 2:19.61. Senior Marie Feneron came in sev-

enth place, completing her swim in 2:21.47. Sophomores Amie Ko and Yvonne Kang came in 18th and 22nd, respectively On the diving board, junior Wendy Espina-Esquivel led the way, coming in fifth place while posting 272.30 points. Behind her were freshman Stephanie Kerkeles and junior Natalie Wodniak, who finished in 11th and 20th, respectively.

Towson, Bucknell and North Dakota finished in front of the Rams on the women’s side. Fordham put up an admirable fight, scoring a total of 1,096.5 points.

All of the teams in the top four scored over 1,000 points. On the men’s side, Towson (1,271.5) finished in first again, with La Salle (1,049) and North Dakota (983) trailing them. The Rams finished in fourth place with 932.5 points.

The Rams return to the pool on Wednesday, Dec 7, when they host Manhattan College at 6:00 p.m.