The Fordham Ram Volume 99 Issue 2

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Volume 99, Issue 2

February 1, 2017

Admin Law Respond Grads to Faculty Earn Big

By ERIN SHANAHAN

By AISLINN KEELY

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Fordham’s Faculty Hearing Committee found the grievances filed by the Faculty Senate contending the administration broke the university’s own governing laws have merit, according to an email from the Senate’s president sent to faculty on Thursday.

The faculty had complained that the administration ignored the university’s governing statutes when it unilaterally determined the amount of a pay increase for the faculty for the 2016-17 academic year rather than coming to an agreement with the Faculty Senate.

The administration’s response states that the Hearing Committee lacked jurisdiction in this matter and that it does not plan to renegotiate the faculty’s 2016-17 salary at this time.

“Since the Committee had no authority to act upon the grievances, the decisions of the Committee are not determinative,” University Counsel Elaine Crosson said in her email responding to the results of the Faculty Hearing Committee. “The Administration will not

Fordham University claimed a spot on SoFi.com’s released 2017 rankings of highest average graduate salary rates. At No. 15 with an average graduate salary of $160,590, Fordham comfortably ranks in the top 20 law schools for graduate salaries. Average debt of Fordham Law graduates is $151,406, giving Fordham a 1.1 salary to debt ratio, according to SoFi. SoFi is a “new kind of finance company taking a radical approach to lending and wealth management,” according to its website. The company specializes in providing members access to information regarding financial investments ranging from the purchase of a home to the management of student loans.

To make these rankings, SoFi used 60,000 submissions of student loan refinancing applications to the company between January 2014 and December 2016. Its figures come from “verified income and debt - not just reported figures,” according to its website. SoFi’s Return On Education Law School Rankings reflects data from graduates three years out of law school, ac-

SEE SENATE, PAGE 6

SEE LAW, PAGE 5

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

A campus reacts to President Trump’s Executive Order on refugees and immigrants.

Trump’s Executive Action Causes Confusion, Fear, Protest at University

By THERESA SCHLIEP and VICTOR ORDONEZ In the wake of President Donald Trump executive order regarding immigration, Fordham students and administrators have responded with confusion, fear, and protest. Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, offered an email of support while students directly affected by the order have shared their stories. Others joined together in protest of the order this past Monday.

Amir Fadavi Ardekani, Law ’16, is one of those students. Ardekani graduated from Fordham Law in the fall, and plans to walk at graduation in the spring.

Ardekani is from Tehran, Iran,

Pete’s Cafe Reopens its Doors

By RYAN QUINN STAFF WRITER

After almost two years of no business, Pete’s Cafe has resumed its role in providing Fordham students with another option for eating out.

Once a popular destination, Pete’s Cafe was forced to close after a fire damaged the restaurant in March 2015. At the time, Pete Zervas, the owner of Pete’s Cafe, said he expected the restaurant to be open within two weeks of the fire.

However, due to red-tape and the long wait for permits, Pete’s Cafe has faced delays opening, according to Ortencia Jimenez, who has owned the building that hosts Pete’s Cafe since 2012.

After reconstruction, ConEdison, the Fire Department and the Department of Health all had to inspect the new Pete’s Cafe. Cancellations and postponements on the part of the government agencies forced an even longer wait.

Now that the wait is over, students are excited.

Atmosphere is a major draw.

Pete Taylor, FCRH ’17, said, “I’m... gonna[sic] be a regular for sure.”

Aside from the food, which he said is “a really great breakfast,” Taylor was especially excited for the black and white milkshake, which he said is a “must have.”

Overall, Taylor praised Pete’s “quality, size and location,” situated on the corner of Hoffman Ave. and Fordham Rd.

All three friends agreed that the reopening could mean trouble for competing breakfast joints. “If I am Simon, I am terrified right now,” said Shea, a former employee of Simon’s Deli. “[Pete’s] does what they [Simon’s Deli] do but better.”

Matt Wolfe, GSB ’17, said Pete’s Cafe reminds him of the diners in

one of the seven majority-Muslim countries from where Trump has barred the entrance of citizens.

This executive action has yielded concerns for Ardekani, who already found his Iranian identity cumbersome while living away from home.

“It already wasn’t easy to be Iranian in the U.S.,” said Ardekani.

“This will make it even harder.”

Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, released an email to the student body this Sunday showing support to refugees and immigrants who may be affected by Trump’s executive order.

The email included a link with guidance for the at least seven students that may be affected by this

action. It does note, though, that the university does “struggle to understand the shifting legal landscape.”

Ardekani expressed similar confusion. The most immediate ambiguity is his graduation and his mother’s attendance. The current executive order is intended to be enforced for 90 days, but this has created enough confusion for Ardekani to question his mother’s attendance.

“I’m not sure 100 percent if she can come,” said Ardekani.

The executive order prohibits the entrance of citizens from seven Middle Eastern, majority-Muslim countries for the next 90 days: Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia,

his home state of New Jersey.

“I like this environment,” said Wolfe.

Molly Crawford, FCRH ’17, reported that she enjoyed the atmosphere at Pete’s Cafe.

“It’s got a good diner feel to it,” said Crawford.

Wolfe said that his go-to breakfast, eggs benedict, was not necessarily better at Pete’s Café than at M&G’s, another local diner, but came with a “better English muffin” and “a better dining environ-

ment.”

Phil Bedard, GSB ’17, enjoyed Pete’s Cafe prior to its fire, and is glad to see it open again.

“Pete’s is open,” said Bedard.

“I’m happy.”

Bedard said he was certain that the quality of the food was “exactly the same,” as he ate his pancakes.

Jimenez, said the menu is similar to the old menu with some additions, and that they are looking for dessert ideas to add to the menu.

While there are some slight price increases, they are only by about $0.50.

Pete’s is open from 6 a.m.-10 p.m., providing longer hours than both M&G and M&G II , both of which close at 6 p.m. everyday but Sunday, when they close at 4 p.m.

SEE TRUMP, PAGE 3

in this issue

Opinion Page 7 Sentence Capital Punishment to Death

Culture Page 12

Sundance Film Festival Shows Political Side

Sports Page 19 OWEN CORRIGAN /THE FORDHAM RAM

Pete’s Cafe reopened its doors after a fire in March 2015 forced it to close for nearly two years.

Davis Coming Up Big in her Junior Year

NEWS

Page 2

PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS

February 1, 2017

St. Rose’s Garden Recieves Uprgraded Equipment

Jan. 27 9:25 pm Salice-Conley A student was reported trying to sneak in an unauthorised visitor without signing them in at the guard desk.

Public safety was notified and found the students. The unauthorised visitor was sent back to her residence hall and Residential Life was notified of the violation.

Jan. 27 10:45 pm Finlay Hall A fire alarm was pulled in Finlay Hall. Residents were forced to evacuate as F.D.N.Y. arrived shortly after.

There was reportedly no fire and Public Safety is actively investigating who pulled the alarm.

JULIA COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

Jan. 29 9:25 pm Hughes Ave. Students reported a gas leak coming from their stove in their apartment on Hughes Ave. The apartment was immediately evacuated and Public Safety was notified. Facilities was called to respond and confirmed that the student’s stove was faulty.

The leak was fixed and the students returned.

Jan. 30 2:45 pm Campbell Hall A food delivery personnel informed Public Safety of an incident that transpired at Campbell hall. The student who had ordered food approached the deliverer, but reportedly forgot their wallet in his or her dorm. The student never returned with money to claim the food.

Jan. 30 10:40 pm Terra Nova Public Safety Supervisors were warned of burnt food on a stove within Terra Nova. A student had ignited the stove and smoke was starting to fill the room. Supervisors were able to ventilate the smoke and prevent setting off the fire alarm.

— Compiled by Victor Ordonez

Follow us on Twitter! @TheFordhamRam

St. Rose’s Garden was supplied with new equipment to assist in composting organic waste material.

By JACLYN WEINER

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

For the past three years, Fordham’s community garden has been turning its organic waste with a shovel, doing its best to keep it warm and compost. Now armed with new equipment to assist in composting from the New York City Compost Project, St. Rose’s garden can more effectively and efficiently turn our organic waste into fertilizer.

This has simplified composting for the garden, according to Bryan Kiel, FCRH ’17, garden manager.

“The process is much easier than turning it with a shovel and trying to keep it warm, which is what we’ve been doing the past three years or so. Because it’s all centralized and enclosed, the process works much more easily,” said Kiel.

Thanks to the project, they are now in possession of a green, plastic compost bin called an auger.

This is a metal tool used to spin the material with bags of wood chips, a necessary material that keeps the compost as nutrient-rich as possible.

Approximately 20 Fordham students participate in composting on campus, according to Kiel.

Along with the 20 students, the community at Ciszek Hall, near the Fordham Rose Hill Campus, takes part in the composting project. Ciszek Hall is the home of the Jesuit scholastics in First Studies at the University.

Brendan Gottschall, a Jesuit scholar, said composting duties

are now required in Ciszek Hall.

They bring their waste to the compost bin once a week. Each week, around 50 pounds of compostable material is taken to St. Rose’s Garden.

Additionally, St. Rose’s garden has recently partnered with Mario Badro, FCRH ’18, a resident assistant in Salice-Connelly, to start a small compost project in the dorm.

They will have volunteers come to collect their waste once a week.

Badro said that he was compelled to start composting due to the amount of waste he produced

in his apartment.

“When I started my Resident Assistant position this year in Salice-Conley, it was evident that with apartment-style housing there was the ability to reduce organic waste,” said Badro. “The first month of cooking for myself I realized how much trash I was producing and understood that most of it could be recycled.”

St. Rose’s Garden uses the compost in the beds of its garden. It provides nutrients to the fruits and vegetables it grows, such as kale, collard greens, cabbage, to-

matoes, peppers and broccoli.

Kiel encourages students to bring readily-compostable material because the facility is small.

Readily-compostable material includes products such as fruit and vegetable scraps and peels, egg shells, napkins, shredded cardboard and paper towels. They discourage products such as grain materials, meats and dairy because they take a longer time to compost.

This runs the risk of adding unwanted bacteria and microbes that will not break down easily.

St. Rose’s Garden sells its produce each week for 10 weeks out of the year at the McGinley Center on the Rose Hill campus, according to their Facebook page. It is 16 dollars a week to buy six to eight pounds of produce. St. Rose’s Garden also delivers food to local charitable organizations.

The Project Manager of the NYC Compost Project hosted by the New York Botanical Gardens works with 51 composting sites according to Jodie Colón.

The NYC Compost Project was founded in 1993 by the NYC Department of Sanitation Bureau of Waste Prevention, Reuse and Recycling. Since, it has helped communities throughout NYC create and improve composting sites by providing materials, education and technical support to help in recycling organic waste and developing sustainable urban farms. The NYC Compost Project also helps with issues such as maggots, stealing and troubleshooting.

OWEN CORRIGAN/THE FORDHAM RAM

Photo of the Week

Owen Corrigan, photo editor of The Fordham Ram, captured The Cunniffe fountain in the midst of a winter storm on Monday.

This Week at Fordham Thursday Feb. 2

Monday Feb. 6

Monday Feb. 6

Monday Feb. 6

Tuesday Feb. 7

Lincoln Center Profession Confessions

Cultural Affairs February Raffle

Indoor Rock Climbing Fordham Night

Cinevents! Presents: Inferno Movie Showing

GO! San Jose Chipotle Fundraiser

Lowenstein Center 6 p.m. — 8 p.m.

Fordham parents from companies including Adobe, CBS, USB and Jones Day will share career guidance and present internship information.

RSVP through CareerLink, and pick up a Ram Van pass from McGinley 224.

McGinley Ballroom 1 p.m. — 2:15 p.m.

CAB will raffle off tickets to three events that will be announced at the raffle. Come to McGinley Ballroom for the chance to win.

New Rochelle 7 p.m.—10 p.m.

Join the Outdoors Club for a night of rock climbing including bouldering and auto-belays for a $5 admission. An Outdoors Club member will lead a group on the Metro North to the location, or students may travel later by themselves.

Keating 1st 9 p.m. — ­ 11:45 p.m.

CAB will screen the movie Inferno as its Cinevent. The screening is open to student audiences in Keating 1st. The movie stars Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon and Felicity Jones as Sienna Brooks.

Chipotle 2 p.m. — 9 p.m.

GO! San Jose will host a fundraiser at the local Chipotle to raise money for its forthcoming trip.

The proceeds from the fundraiser will further fundraising efforts.

NEWS

February 1, 2017

Page 3

Fresh Check Raises Mental Health Awareness

By VICTOR ORDONEZ

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

In an effort to quell what student leaders see as alarming mental health trends at college campuses, United Student Government, Counseling and Psychological Services and other campus organizations and clubs held Fresh Check Day this past Friday.

Catherine Maccaro, FCRH ’17, vice president of health and security for United Student Government Rose Hill, directed the program to create an approachable atmosphere for students to have a dialogue about mental health, as well as a place to learn about ways to de-stress and practice self-care.

Through the coalition of clubs and organizations, the program supplied attendees with Zumba classes, yoga classes and back massages. Those in attendance were also supplied with informative statistics concerning mental health on college campuses.

For instance, the PRIDE Alliance provided data on mental health issues plaguing the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ youth are up to three times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers and about 45 percent of 18 to 24 year olds within the transgender community have already attempted suicide, according to pamphlets handed out at the PRIDE Alliance table.

“Sometimes people feel like

they don’t have a place,” said PRIDE Alliance member Eileen McLean, FCRH ’18. “The good thing about going to Fresh Check Day is receiving a visual representation of people who are supportive of our community.”

Christine Phelan, GSB ’18, directed the “Look for the Good” table. The table encouraged attendees to write positive messages and display them for others to see. Studies have shown that improving positive outlook leads to improvements in both mental and physical health, according to Phelan.

Fresh Check Day is a program that was created by the Jordan Porco Foundation in order to bring awareness to mental health resources on college campuses.

The foundation specializes in suicide prevention and awareness.

Macarro found that this message was an ideal one to share with the Fordham Community.

“The program strives to increase awareness of the resources on campus, reduce the stigma and misconceptions around mental health, emphasize peer-to-peer messaging,” said Maccaro. She added that the event would “increase [students’] willingness to ask for help if experiencing emotional distress.”

Fresh Check Day is likely to be annually rather than semesterly, according to program Directors.

Other clubs and organizations

who sponsored the event include the Office for Student Involvement, Campus Ministry, University Health Services, Ram Fit Center, the Fordham Club, Active Minds, PRIDE Alliance, Me-

FROM TRUMP, PAGE 1

secution in the Middle East.

Ardekani was born Muslim, he said, but is no longer practicing.

He is transitioning his student visa to an Optional Practical Training

according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

With this, one in every 12 U.S. college students makes a suicide plan, according to National Data on Campus Suicide and Depression.

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

Students participated in various activities like yoga, recieved free massages, and learned about mental health.

Students Raise Concerns, Protest Executive Action Sudan and Yemen. It also suspends the admissions of refugees for the next 120 days, but gives preferential treatment to Christians under per-

diation Club, Achieving Change Together, Flipside and Fordham University Emergency Medical Services.

Approximately 42,773 Americans commit suicide every year,

(OPT) visa, in which students are permitted by the government to pursue practical training to complement their fields of study, according to International Student

VICTOR ORDONEZ/THE FORDHAM RAM

Students protested Trump’s executive action at Lincoln Center on Monday, voicing concerns for other students.

Insurance.

Students, professors, visitors, refugees and green-card holders were stopped at United States airports Saturday, according to The New York Times.

Despite the circumstances, Ardekani said that he remains optimistic due to the nation’s response to the executive action.

“I’m going to be hopeful because I’ve seen how people have reacted,” said Ardekani. “It is a really nice thing to see how people have been supportive.”

Danna Khawam, FCRH ’17, faces similar uncertainty regarding the executive order. Khawam’s parents were born in Syria and she lives with her mother, who works for the United Nations, in the United States.

She said that her mother works for the United Nations and is on a G-4 visa, so is not technically a citizen of neither Syria nor the United States. When recent travel plans to the Bahamas came up, Khawam said she feared for her mother traveling.

“I don’t feel comfortable with her leaving the country,” said Khawam.

Khawam said she is “super disturbed” by this executive action, as she had family who became refugees due to the Syrian Civil War. They consequently fled to Canada.

Omar Afridi, FCRH ’17, president of Muslim Students Association, said McShane’s statement provides comfort, especially to those students who he knows are affected

by Trump’s executive order.

“I read the email by Father McShane and found it comforting,” said Afridi. “Although I’m not personally in contact with anyone who is in direct conflict with the order President Trump passed, I know

there are members in our community who are, and are understandably frightened for their families. I admire Father McShane for standing up for our community members, and I know many of us took comfort in his kind and humble words.”

In his email, McShane also linked an information page for Resources for Undocumented Students (DACA), which includes local immigration charity services.

Ardekani studied corporate and tax law at Fordham. Before the executive action, he said he planned on living and working in the United States for a short time to gain experience. Now, he is unsure.

“Before this I was sure I was going to go back after having some experience working here in law,” said Ardekani. “In the end, if such a thing is in place, if you leave this country, you may not be able to come back. Now I really don’t know.”

Joan Cavanagh, director of Interfaith Ministry, said FordhamCampus Ministry is taking steps to provide services to those who may be affected.

“Campus Ministry is currently speaking to several Muslim leaders in the hope of bringing more services to our Muslim students, whom we cherish,” said Cavanagh.

Students at Lincoln Center on Monday protested the executive action.

Matthew Apadula, FCLC ’18, said there is an urgent need to support peers affected by the executive action.

“I think we need to show some solidarity for our fellow students and become more involved with these organizations that work to help those affected by this executive order,” said Apadula.

NEWS

Page 4

USG Holds Special Elections

By ERIN SHANAHAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

United Student Government (USG) at Fordham Rose Hill held special elections at their second public meeting of the semester this past Thursday. The two empty USG positions have been filled as a result: Gabelli School of Business Senator for the class of 2017 and Fordham College Rose Hill Senator for the class of 2017.

Joe Maresci, FCRH ’17, ran unopposed for the position of FCRH Senator for the class of 2017.

Maresci previously served on USG’s operations committee. In addition, he is a member of Fordham University’s College Republicans and the Fordham University Political Review. As senator, Maresci hoped to focus on streamlining club contact with USG. “I really want to work with the

Operations Committee to help make the club registration process more easy, salient and transparent,” Marcesci said. “I’m excited to listen to the unique needs and perspectives of the clubs.”

Lucas Barth GSB ’17 ran unopposed for the position of GSB Senator for the class of 2017. Barth is from Germany and is interested in soccer. He has previously studied abroad in Columbia. As a senator, Barth hopes to focus on Bronx relations and engage with the Bronx community.

The Multicultural Food and Fellowship Club was approved

by USG. According to Vice President of Operations, Doug Spring, FCRH ’17, the club’s mission is to explore different cultures through

February 1, 2017 food.

“The new club will work with the Office of Multicultural Affairs in order to ensure that cultures are represented accurately and that participants are getting quality programing.” Spring said.

The senate also votes on two co-programming initiatives. Vice President of Health and Security, Catherine Maccaro presented the Faculty Working Group on Disability. They plan to screen a movie, Life Animated, with the Office of Disability Services. In addition, they also plan to organize other discussion events later in the year. The Senate expressed budget concerns regarding the rights to movie Life Animated. USG’s co-programming efforts for this initiatives will be

geared toward advertising. The coprogram was approved pending more information regarding the budget details.

Senator Kayla Straub, FCRH ’17, proposed a co-sponsorship with the Peace Corps for a tabling event. USG will advertise themselves while assisting with the tabeling as well. The co-sponsorship was approved unanimously.

The Senate spent time discussing their visibility on campus.

New initiatives were proposed to increase their visibility. Some recommendations included bulletin boards in sophomore housing, short video recaps of minutes after every Thursday night meeting, as well as “Meet Your Senator” events in the dorms.

Panel Discusses Democracy and Catholic Social Teaching

COURTESY OF FLICKR

A panel at Lincoln Center discussed the truth, marginalized groups, and activism under the Trump administration.

By CATHERINE GABRIEL STAFF WRITER

Just a week after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Fordham University’s Theology Department held an event titled “Dear Mr. President: Catholic Social Teaching, Civil Discourse and the Trump Presidency,” in which four panelists discussed their experiences with Catholicism

and its role in the political world.

Located in the McNally Amphitheatre at Fordham’s Lincoln Center campus, panelists Fr. Bryan Massingale, journalist Christine Emba, journalist David Gibson and professor Natalia Imperatori-Lee examined the question of what it means to be a Catholic in the times of Donald Trump. Patrick Hornbeck, a theology professor and the host of

the event, opened the event and said that when this event was planned six months ago, they expected the title to be “Dear Mrs. President.”

The panelists discussed the importance of truth in government.

Massingale stressed the importance of truth in civil discourse.

“Donald Trump has a rather loose association for the truth and that is profoundly dangerous,” said Massin-

gale. “We cannot have civil discourse in this country without respect for the truth.”

Natalia Imperatori-Lee, PhD, an associate professor of religious studies at Manhattan College, said Catholic social teaching and this “post truth era are incompatible and cannot come into contact at this moment because there is no room for the truth on the side of the leadership. “ “Jesus Himself is the truth,” said Imperatori-Lee. The discussion moved on to the appropriateness of safe spaces on college campuses. David Gibson, a reporter for Religious News Service, said that while ignoring different opinions and refusing to be open to opposing perspectives is counterproductive for privileged college students, there has to be protected spaces for college students, especially low-income, immigrant or endangered students, to receive an education that will increase their opportunities for a better future.

Massingale cited Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his response. “You will be demonized when you stand up for those in society who are poor or oppressed,” said Massingale.

The panel also discussed social issues plaguing the Catholic church.

Massingale and Christine Embra, a journalist for The Washington Post, criticized the silence of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for focusing on single issue topics such as abortion, resulting in their failure to defend Catholic morality as a whole.

“If all of these social issues are stated in our Church’s documents (caring for the poor, welcoming the stranger, etc.), why do we only focus on abortion and same-sex marriage?” asked Emba.

Students reflected this idea. Jack Kiehl, FCRH ’19, said the church has an obligation to focus on all issues, especially those that prove detrimental to the most vulnerable.

“We as Catholics are required to look beyond and talk about all of the issues that affect us, especially the marginalized in society,” he said.

Kiel’s classmate in Massingale’s Catholic Social Teaching class, Stephanie Cohen, FCRH ’19, said dialogue is essential in democracy.

“If we don’t engage with others who may think differently than us, we miss out on the opportunity to defend what we know to be true and to understand an opinion different than our own,” said Cohen.

The event concluded with each panelist’s advice for action and progress in the upcoming months for those who are dissatisfied with the current state of government.

Gibson recommended individual movements. “We need to take our eyes off Trump and have a grassroots focus,” said Gibson. “We need to organize, vote, write, call senators, change people’s minds.”

Massingale furthered this suggestion. “Civil disobedience in itself is profoundly Catholic because authority must protect all humans and their dignity,” said Massingale.

Campus Briefs & Bites Fordham Hosts Public Discussion of Sesame Street

Students Receive Email Reporting Influenza Cases

Experts Gather For Workshop On Blockchain

Denzel Washington Nominated For Best Actor

On Tuesday, Jan. 24, Doctor Rosemarie Truglio, senior vice president of curriculum and content at Sesame Workshop, visited Fordham’s Lincoln Center Campus to have a public conversation with Doctor William Baker, the Claudio Acquaviva Chair at the Graduate School of Education. The conversation revolved around the long-standing educational program, Sesame Street, and the keys to the show’s success. Truglio spoke on the evolution of the program and how the show is everchanging along with arising media platforms.

The purpose behind continuously evolving the show on a season-to-season basis is to meet new educational standards based on developing research, according to Truglio. Truglio’s workshop found that more children today watch shows on devices like iPads, which is platform Truglio believes to excite children and encourage a desire to learn. Truglio’s appearance was part of a series of lectures celebrating the GSE’s centennial anniversary.

Monday, Jan. 30, Fordham Students received an email from health services regarding high numbers of reported influenza cases in New York City. “The latest report from the New York City Department of Health indicates that influenza (flu) activity remains elevated,” said the email. The email was sent from Kathleen M. Malara, Executive Director of University health services. In her email, Malara defined influenza as “a contagious respiratory illness caused by flu viruses.” It can cause mild to severe illness and at times can lead to death.” She also supplied a detailed list of symptoms to students. These symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, headaches and fatigue. Malara also noted that symptoms of the flu would come on suddenly. In special cases persons infected may experience vomiting and/or diarrhea. Students with influenza symptoms should visit the University Health Center at their campus.

Jan. 26th saw experts in fields such as law, economics, business, enforcement, and technology gather at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center campus for a workshop on the emerging Blockchain technology. With the rise of Bitcoin, the digital currency, its framework of Blockchain has risen in importance as well. The next year is a crucial growth period for Blockchain according to Dan Ramsden, GSB ’90, a lecturer at the Gabelli School of Business and managing director at Oberon Securities. Keynote speaker Bridget McDermott, vice president of Blockchain Business Development at IBM, spoke about IBM’s design of Blockchain technology. Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., President of the university opened the event by speaking on the similarities between the secure Blockchain ledger system and Jesuit’s 16th century use of ciphers. The security of Blockchain is a major factor in its projected rise in use.

Denzel Washington, FCLC ’77 garnered an opportunity to take home third his Oscar this year with an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. His role as Troy Maxson in the film Fences brought him this year’s Oscar nomination, but in 2010 he portrayed Maxson on the stage in the revival. He won the Tony for Best Actor for his performance.

In the event of a win, Washington will be the tenth man to win both the best actor Oscar and Tony for the portrayal of the same role on film and stage. Washington is not the only Oscar nominee from the film. Viola Davis received a nomination in the best supporting actress category for her portrayal of Rose, the wife of Maxson. August Wilson received a posthumous nomination for his screenplay adaptation of his Pulitzer Prizewinning play. Co-star Stephen McKinley Henderson served as Fordham University’s Denzel Washington Chair in Theatre before joining Washington in Fences.

February 1, 2017

SoFi Ranks Law Grads as Top Earners FROM LAW, PAGE 1

cording to its site.

Fordham is the third highest New York City law school on SoFi’s list, sitting behind Columbia University and New York University, which rank second and third respectively.

Both Columbia and New York University are also reported to have a 1.1 salary to debt ratio according to SoFi. Dean Matthew Diller, Dean of Fordham Law, was not surprised by Fordham’s top 20 graduate salary ranking.

“The data most likely reflects our alumni who work in large, privatesector law firms,” said Diller.

Diller also said Fordham’s location in New York City helps improve its competitiveness.

“Fordham Law is one of the top four schools providing associates to large firms in New York City,” said Diller.

Diller said Fordham Law prepares students for various occupations.

“Our overarching goal is to provide students with the guidance, tools, and resources to explore a vast array of career options so they can put themselves on a long-term path to career success,” said Diller.

Despite the ranking, Diller said salary date is not the most important statistic.

“Initial salary isn’t always the best indicator of the career satisfaction and professional heights that Fordham Law alumni can achieve,” said Diller.

Erich Carey, LAW ’09, said Fordham Law’s location and versatility helped prepare him well for a career in law.

“Being from New York City, I’ve always had a great belief in the value of a Fordham Law education,” said Carey. “It’s an institution that prepares lawyers, regardless of practice, to chart their own course in a career that is inherently challenging and demanding. “

NEWS

Page 5

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Diller attributes Fordham Law’s location and its versatility for earning No. 15 on SoFi’s top earners ranking.

University Makes Efforts to Increase Yield Rates

By AISLINN KEELY

ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

For the past five years, Fordham has had a steadily declining yield rate from 12.9 percent for the class of 2016 to 10.8 percent for the class of 2020. As acceptances begin finding their way to prospective students, the question of Fordham’s yield rate is brought to the forefront. The yield reflects how many accepted students will claim their position in the coming class as opposed to enrolling at other universities.

The declining rate can be attributed to the 26 consecutive years of growth in the applicant pool, according to Dr. Patricia Peek.

She said the increases in academic strength as well as geographical and ethnic diversity have contributed to this decreasing yield rate.

“These changing characteristics are all very positive in terms of the students we attract and enroll,” said Peek. “But they also negatively impact yield.”

More and more students have been applying, Peek said, due to the widespread use of the Common

Application and Fordham’s competition with other top institutions.

“The students in our applicant pool have many terrific options based on their strong academic and personal profiles,” said Peek. “They are being admitted to multiple prestigious colleges and universities and that creates more challenges for all schools.”

Peek said the Common Application allows students to apply to more schools, including those they may not ultimately wish to attend.

Alexandra Parker, FCRH ’20 of Half Hollow Hills High School

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Despite a decreasing acceptance rate, the university struggles to bring its yield rate up.

West, a Long Island public high school, said that Fordham is a popular school for students from her high school to apply.

“I had heard of it through the guidance department,” said Parker.

“A lot of people from my high school usually apply, not a lot of people end up going.”

Other factors include what Dr. Peek calls the college “fit.” These are academic, social and financial variables.

“Our efforts focus on finding the students who will have all of these elements as a match so that will be the most likely to actually enroll and see Fordham as the right collegiate experience,” said Peek.

Fordham does not meet full financial need for its students, contributing to the financial fit factor. Providence College in Rhode Island also does not meet full financial need, while Boston College does, according to the institutions’ websites respectively.

Other students were drawn to Fordham for its east-coast status.

“I came to Fordham basically because I really wanted to get off the west coast,” said Kaylee Kurkierewicz FCRH ’20, a Los Angeles native. Kurkierewicz cited a Fordham email and fee waiver as factors in her admissions process.

Fit is the ultimate goal according to Peek.

“We want to make sure students are a good fit, will be academically successful, contribute to the campus and alumni communities and ultimately graduate in a timely manner,” she said. However, she also said yield as a top priority, though she described the statistic as the hardest to rapidly change.

Fit is not only a priority for admissions, but a key to student decisions as well.

“I researched a lot, and then I came here and it’s really clichéd, but it’s like that magic moment of ‘this is where I want to go, this is where I belong,’” said Kurkierewicz.

The recent changes to increase

yield include the introduction of the Early Decision option introduced in the past year after 10 years without it. “By having a binding decision program in our mix of options, we have given the students who in the past wanted to commit to Fordham the chance to do so much earlier ( Jan. 15th),” said Peek.

High school and counselor outreach are also among the steps towards change. “Keeping this community updated is critical in our efforts to recruit students who are potentially admissible and likely to attend based on the various fit factors,” said Peek. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions reaches 400,000 students and 500 secondary schools annually. “Our efforts also include ongoing review of our financial aid policies, outreach campaigns and audiences, publications and promotion of new and exciting campus developments,” said Peek.

Changes in the admission rate affect the yield as well. “As the admit rate decreases, the yield can increase incrementally as well. Thus, as we continue to work on this, impact will grow,” said Peek regarding the drop in admission rate from 48.1 percent for the class of 2018 to 45.2 percent for the class of 2020.

The yield rate for the class of 2021 will not be available until September. However, Peek said that she projects a similar yield to past years.

“We are hopeful to maintain the current yield or make a modest gain.”

“We build sophisticated projection models based on previous behavior and actively monitor any changes to expectations,” said Peek on the process of projecting next year’s yield.

Fordham hopes to incrementally increase its rankings through its admissions.

“Our goals are to continue to increase the academic profile and diversity of the entering class by recruiting, selecting and enrolling talented students who will contribute to our campus community,” said Peek.

NEWS

Page 6

February 1, 2017

Administration Objects to Faculty Hearing Committee’s Recommendation FROM SENATE, PAGE 1

opening salary negotiations for the current academic year, but looks forward to continuing to work with you on negotiations for the upcoming year.”

The heart of the conflict stems from the university’s announcement in June that it would impose a salary deal on the faculty without having come to an agreement with the Faculty Senate on salary and benefits, as required by the statutes.

The Faculty Hearing Committee, which is designed to consider matters of grievance, reviewed the matter and ruled in the faculty’s favor.

Faculty Hearing Committee head, Barry Rosenfeld, Ph.D. professor of psychology and department chairperson, wrote to the Senate that “the Board of Trustees and the Administration violated the University Statutes by imposing a salary decision for FY2017 without having reached a ‘final agreement’ with the Faculty Salary and Benefits Committee of the Faculty Senate, and without having that agreement ‘reviewed and approved by the Faculty Senate.’”

The Hearing Committee specifically found wrongdoing by Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, Martha Hirst, senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer, Dr. Stephen Freedman, university provost and members of the Fordham University Board of Trustees.

Bob Howe, director of communications at the university, told The Fordham Ram that the university is acting properly and with the university’s best interests in mind.

“The University stands by its

Nov. 11, 2016, letter to Professor Barry Rosenfeld, chair of the Faculty Senate Hearing Committee, specifically that the Fordham University Board of Trustees has the ultimate authority and responsibility — by law and according to University statute — for setting the University’s budget in a timely and fiscally prudent manner,” Howe wrote. “We are currently engaged in productive compensation negotiations with the Faculty Senate, and have every reason to believe that we will conclude the process on time, and present a University budget that is both equitable to faculty and reflects fiscal reality.”

These issues regarding the 2017 faculty salary began early last summer.

The university administration set the faculty salary raise to 2.1 percent this past June for the 2016-2017 academic year without an agreement from the Fordham Faculty Senate after failed salary negotiation meetings with the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate Salary and Benefits Committee, which represents the entire fulltime faculty at the university, meets during the academic year with the university’s administration to reach an agreement on salary.

In most years, if no agreement between the two sides is reached

by May or June, the negotiators typically take the summer off and begin negotiations again in the fall.

But this year, Hirst, who became Fordham CFO in April of 2015, imposed a salary increase on the faculty and refused to negotiate further.

In a rebuttal email sent on Aug.

17 to all faculty by the Senate’s Salary and Benefits Committee, the committee said this decision is in violation of university statutes 4-08.01 which states “the Faculty Salary and Benefits Committee shall review with the administration the faculty salary structure of the University…[and] shall determine annually with the Administration the allocation of monies for faculty salaries and fringe benefits, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees.”

The Senate contends this means the university does not have the right to determine salary increases for faculty unilaterally.

In response to the university’s actions imposing salary and benefits without an agreement, the President of the Faculty Senate and English Professor, Anne Fernald, Ph.D., filed the grievances

against the three administrators and the Board of Trustees in September.

These grievances were sent to the Faculty Hearing Committee for assessment. The Committee’s decision in favor of faculty was received

by Fernald on Dec. 14, 2016.

Fernald expressed concern for the faculty’s well being regarding the administration’s response to the findings of the Faculty Hearing Committee.

“The Administration is seeking to save millions of dollars on what they pay for the health insurance coverage and then return a portion of the savings to the faculty in the form of salary increases,” Fernald said in her email to the faculty. “Our analysis indicates that the Administration’s plans would result in faculty having a significant reduction in their effective earnings. Some

faculty might find that their effective earnings have dropped by thousands of dollars.”

According to another email sent to members of the faculty this past Monday, the faculty plans to join together in a silent protest at the Board of Trustees’ scheduled meeting this Thursday, Feb. 2 at 12:30 p.m. in the Bateman Room on the second floor of the Law School on the Lincoln Center Campus.

“We need to show the Board of Trustees that we care about the grievance procedures, that we are united, and that we will not take the erosion of our rights and the structures that protect shared governance for faculty and students sitting down,” Andrew H. Clark, chair of Faculty Salary and Benefits Committee, said in the email.

JULIE COMERFORD/THE FORDHAM RAM

The Board of Trustees has the ultimate authority, the university says, in matters involving faculty pay.

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February 1, 2017

OPINION

Page 7

The Fordham Ram

Sentence Capital Punishment To Death CHRISTOPHER CANADEO OPINION EDITOR

The death penalty is and has been one of the most polarizing policies of state government in the history of the United States. On Jan. 10, Dylan Roof was sentenced to death row for murdering nine people in a Charleston Church in 2015. His sentence has since sparked controversy over whether or not state governments should hold the right to exercise the death penalty. With 31 states in favor and 19 legally opposed, the United States is in some serious trouble.

This is so problematic because, contrary to the beliefs of those 31 state governments, the death penalty does more harm than good. Whether or not you morally believe that the government should have the power to take a life or not, the death penalty needs to be removed from the United States immediately. It provides false solutions to many of the problems we believe it solves, such as lowering crime, saving money and serving justice.

Many Americans, including government officials, believe that the death penalty is an effective tool to lower the crime rate on a state level.

In an effort to combat the high crime rates of certain states such as Texas and Arkansas, state governments have adopted the death penalty as a viable solution. However, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, there is no correlation between states that exercise capital punishment and states that have a

continuous decline in crime rate.

Capital punishment is not a deterrent to capital crimes. In terms of lowering crime in the United States on a state level, the death penalty is neither a proper solution nor correct one.

Many Americans are also in support of the death penalty because they believe housing and feeding a victim on death row until their eventual death can be a costly affair for state governments. However, this is a grand misconception. According to the 2008 Report of the California Commission on the Fair Administration of Justice, “the additional cost of confining an inmate to death row is $90,000 per year per inmate. With California’s current death row population of 670, that accounts for $63.3 million annually.” That is right. The difference between life and death for those on death row in California is valued at a cost of 63.3 million dollars. Paying the overhead fees in prisons to keep death row inmates alive is more cost efficient than chopping off their heads.

Even with the knowledge of the murder rates in death penalty states, along with the knowledge of the finances required to execute a person, some people would still argue that the application of the death penalty is the proper way to handle a subject who is convicted of murder. However, what if the subject was penalized and sentenced to death row based off of misinformation or false pretenses? Or, even worse, what if a criminal was falsely executed and

The death penalty has been a controversial topic for decades, but once again the conversation arises with a new case.

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put to death for a crime that he or she did not even commit? In 2001, after studying every death penalty appeal from 1973-1975 Professor Liebman of Columbia University discovered, “…all the thousands of cases that had completed the appeals process, an astonishing 68% were found to contain errors so serious the guilt or sentencing trials had to be done over again.”

When a considerable amount of these cases went through a retrial, “Eighty-two percent of them ultimately resulted in a sentence of less than death when they were done over, correcting for the error of the first trial.” The scariest thing about Professor Liebman’s research is that an unbelievable seven percent of the defendants analyzed had absolutely nothing to do with the crime accused and were sentenced to death regardless. Isn’t one innocent person’s death

sentence enough to completely shut down this government exercise?

Capital punishment is killing innocent people and should not be allowed in the United States.

Finally, the United States judicial system believes that a persecuted person is innocent until proven guilty. The United States judicial system also believes that a person who was once found guilty can become innocent, and that they have the right to another trial if new and sufficient information is presented that would aid in altering the previous verdict.

Why, then, does the United States allow the death penalty to completely exterminate a person’s potential to be proven innocent? If the government kills a person, that person no longer has the ability to seek his or her innocence. No new information could bring the deceased back to life.

The idea that capital punishment is beneficial to the United States of America is incorrect. Not only does the death penalty have no bearing on murder rates, but it also greatly increases state and national debt.

State governments have also made the mistake of killing innocent lives, as well as ignoring a person’s civil right to fight for his or her innocence after proven guilty. The death penalty should be banned in every state, and those on death row should have their sentences altered to life without parole. Although the justification of the death penalty remains a controversial issue, it is a policy that simply does not work.

Christopher Canadeo, GSB ’19, is a marketing major from Long Island, New York.

Hillary Clinton Takes Bite Out Of Big Apple?

By PARKER ORTOLANI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Hillary Rodham Clinton has had a long and full life. She has dedicated it to her constituents and to her country. Clinton has consistently worked to help Americans throughout her career. She has been the First Lady of Arkansas, First Lady of the United States, a Senator from New York and Secretary of State. She has run for president twice, her second time becoming the democratic nominee.

Recently, rumors have arisen that she is contemplating a run for mayor of New York City.

Clinton has a massive social media following. On Twitter, she has 12.6 million followers, on Facebook, she has 10.1 million likes and on Instagram, she has 4.1 million followers.

Clinton has an opportunity to become a powerful voice in the Trump age if she utilizes her social media accounts in the same way that Trump does.

According to New York Magazine, Clinton defeated Trump in the popular vote count with almost three million more votes. This shows that there is clearly a base for her.

Even though she is almost 70 years old, she clearly is not done with public service. Surely she could handle being mayor if she thought she could handle being president. While this is a lower level government position, other high ranking politicians in our country’s history have run for and won these spots.

Four U.S. presidents have gone

Hillary Clinton may have lost the presidential election, but rumors suggest she could run for New York mayor.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

on to serve in subsequent positions after leaving the White House. John Quincy Adams became a congressman, Andrew Johnson became a Senator and several others ran for positions, albeit unsuccessfully.

Clinton did not quite break that final glass ceiling of becoming the first female president, but she got closer than any other woman in history.

Furthermore, New York loves Clinton. In the 2016 election, she easily swept New York City and surrounding areas. According to The New York Times, Clinton won Manhattan 515,481 votes to Trump’s 58,935. She also won Brooklyn with 595,086 votes to Trump’s 133,653.

In Queens, she won 473,389 to Trump’s 138,550. She won the Bronx 318,403 to 34,424. The amount of

democrats in New York City easily outnumbers republicans. In fact, according to the New York Board of Elections, there are 3,343,041 registered democrats in New York City versus the 501,976 registered republicans.

Also according to The Wall Street Journal, Mayor De Blasio (the incumbent mayor) has only a 40 percent approval rating. Of course, Clinton is not a resident of New York City; she calls Chappaqua home. However, if she can move to New York from Arkansas to become a senator, then surely she could move to the city to run for mayor.

When Secretary Clinton attended the Broadway musical “The Color Purple,” she received a rousing standing ovation from the crowd. This is a

stark contrast to the crowd booing Vice President Mike Pence when he attended “Hamilton.” A new Twitter account, @HRCintheWild has popped up too, tweeting any public appearance she makes with pictures of her fans. She most definitely has a loyal fan base.

Cinton has consistently shown that she would be an excellent fit for New York City. Whether it’s her passionate response to the September 11th attacks or her endless fight for universal healthcare, she has always embodied New York values.

As a Senator, Clinton secured $20 billion to rebuild ground zero and to provide healthcare to the incredible first responders who grew ill after experiencing the harsh conditions of the site.

Not only did she specifically help New York City, she also worked hard to secure resources for small businesses in order for them to thrive across the state. Clinton has also visited over 112 countries. She clearly has the foreign policy experience that any would-be mayor of New York would need.

Clinton has been a champion for equal rights for LGBTQ people and for women. She’s developed much more liberal stances that fall in line with millennials over the past few years as well. Her presidential campaign proved just how much she cares about important issues like fighting for debt-free college for Americans, creating good jobs for hardworking people, developing a fairer tax system, implementing criminal justice reform, equal pay and so on. Clinton and New York City sound like they were made for each other.

Values align between her and citizens of New York City. She would be a powerful advocate for New Yorkers. New York is still arguably the most important city in the United States if not the entire world. By becoming mayor, she’d continue to be a prominent figure in democratic politics. She’d just have her own little niche, allowing younger, more liberal politicians to take control of the Democratic Party on a national level.

Parker Ortolani FCRH ’20, is a communications and media studies major from Buffalo, New York.

OPINION

Page 8

R

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

Website FordhamRam.com Email Address theram@fordham.edu Mailing Address Fordham University - Station 37 Box B Bronx, NY 10458 Editor-in-Chief Erin Shanahan Managing Editor Margarita Artoglou Business Director Matthew Schiller Operations Director Andrea Garcia Copy Chief Liz Doty Editorial Director Catherine Swindal Assistant Business Directors James Haranzo Connor Smith Assistant Copy Chief Taylor Shaw News Editor Theresa Schliep Assistant News Editors Aislin Keely Victor Ordonez Opinion Editors Christopher Canadeo Briana Scalia Culture Editors Bailey Hosfelt Libby Smislova Erin Cabrey Sports Editor Jack McLoone Assistant Sports Editors Alvin Halimwidjaya Tom Terzulli Photo Editors Julia Comerford Owen Corrigan Layout Editor Delaney Leiter Digital Team Mario Nicastro Nick Wetzel Faculty Advisor Beth Knobel

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

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

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

February 1, 2017

From the Desk | Victor Ordonez

The Man Behind The Name I have a long history of surprising people when I first meet them.

When teachers would call out my last name for attendance, they often expect to find a darker toned Ecuadorian boy. Instead they find me – a pale skinned Irish lad with blond hair and blue eyes.

The name Ordonez is derived from five generations of Ecuadorian decent. Jorge Ordonez, my grandfather, came to this country seeking work and a better life than the one he was given in Ecuador. Jorge soon had a wife and children, one of which married my mother, a woman of pure Irish descent.

In every way, this aspiring journalist is the product of immigration, and I expect most who are reading this are as well. This underlying fact makes it difficult to remain silent as the United States continues to polarize itself on the issue of immigration.

I can only hope that a day will come when a teacher can hear any variety of last names and never as-

sume what that student will look like.

Unfortunately, by continuing to accept the principles that embody President Trump’s Muslim ban as well as his party’s policies regarding immigration, we continue to encourage discrimination and racism.

Border walls and registration do not affect criminals and terrorists. Implementations of power like the President’s most recent executive order on refugees and immigration only affect the immigrants already here. These are our fellow classmates, our friends, and our coworkers.

On Sunday, Jan. 29, Reverend Joseph M. McShane S. J, President of the university commented on the most recent order. McShane said the order had “shocked and unsettled many Americans.”

In light of the order, McShane made a firm vow to stand with students affected. “We have a long history as a University of and for immigrants, in a city and a nation

built by immigrants,” said McShane.

Although McShane’s promise will likely promote the correct message to students and universities facing the same dilemma, it will not be enough to undo the damage already inflicted on our society.

There has always been evidence of prejudice in our culture. Some instances have been more indirect than others, like assuming a physical identify based on a name or title. However, we will begin to see these prejudices take a more direct approach as citizens begin to assume an entire nationality to have hostile intentions.

The only way to truly remedy the damages done to our society is to remind United States citizens that this country is as much no one’s as it is everyone’s.

I would not be here writing for The Fordham Ram if it were not for one courageous immigrant who took a leap of faith that stretched hundreds of miles. Each

refugee represents Jorge and his journey, and every time a refugee or immigrant is denied that journey America risks losing the next great doctor, professor or journalist.

For the sake of the next great American citizen, we cannot allow ourselves to be divided any further.

If you support the laws that divide us because you believe the economic value outweighs the social, I beg that you look to your diverse Fordham community and reconsider your position.

Editorial | Civic Responsibility

Fight Oppression with Action, Not Words This past week, President Donald Trump made an executive order which prohibits the entrance of citizens from seven Middle Eastern, majority-Muslim, countries for the next 90 days. It also suspends the admission of refugees for the next 120 days, but gives preferential treatment to Christians under persecution in the Middle East. According to the United Nations report, this executive order will immediately affect around 20,000 refugees from around the world.

Hours after the ban, several citizens and refugees were stopped at airports and others were blocked and forced to return overseas. Stories of chaos occurring at these airports flooded news outlets. Families planning to make new lives for themselves in America were sent back on planes, some green card holders were aggressively patted down and handcuffed in customs. and some students of American universities were detained and even put back on flights. One woman facing deportation even went so far as to attempt suicide.

At times like these, when Ford-

ham students and other Americans are being flooded with disturbing and confusing news, it may be tempting to escape these harsh realities and ignore the news reports reports. Social ignorance becomes commonplace, especially when the news may not seem to “directly” affect the reader.

For example, the Women’s March, characterized as the largest protest in American history, was an event which dealt with issues directly affecting at least of half our population. At least 3.33 million protesters were reported to have attended the American Women’s Marches according to the work of Erica Chenoweth at the University of Denver and Jeremy Pressman at the University of Connecticut.

It is safe to say that protest efforts to support those affected by the immigration executive order have not been nearly as popular as the Women’s March. While many people have used their social media platforms to react to the executive order, the amount of people actually going out and protesting pales in comparison to

the crowds drawn by the Women’s Marches.

Since this ban seems like it does not affect many of us directly, it is easy to think that we should sit back and let others take the reigns. The email sent

by Reverend Joseph M. McShane S.J. president of the university, this past Saturday may seem like enough action for many of us.

Despite this temptation, we at the The Fordham Ram encourage students to be more civically minded. To be civically minded is to view yourself as member of a larger social fabric. Those who are civically minded consider all social problems to be their own problems. To be civically minded is not just to be opinionated; rather, it is to recognize the needs of humanity as a whole and, more importantly, to act in order to help those needs be met.

The Fordham community should not miss this opportunity to acknowledge that this ban affects all of us and take a step towards becoming more civically minded. We are one Fordham community, and if one part is directly affected, we are all directly

affected.

We must take on the responsibility to be active and never silent. Throughout our history, citizens like ourselves have been faced with a choice between the two. According to Elie Wiesel, “Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” To be silent now, in a time such as this, is as deadly as ever.

For Fordham students, these steps are a part of our mission as a Jesuit community. According to Father James Martin, S.J., “refusing the one in need because you want to protect yourself, especially when the other is in desperate need and obvious danger, is not what Christianity is about.

It’s about the opposite. It’s about helping the stranger, even if it carries some risk.” As a Jesuit university, it is on us Fordham students to help the stranger. It is on us to follow the Jesuit values and foster a more civically minded community. This ban affects all of us, and silence will only hurt all of us.

This is the only way to truly be “men and women for others.”

Disagree with our editorial?

Let us know!

Send your letters to fordhamramopinions@gmail.com!

OPINION

February 1, 2017

Page 9

The Torment of Intellectualism

By CASEY CHUN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Imagine yourself in a Keating classroom in a biology course. During an interactive demonstration, your professor brings in an adult elephant from the Bronx Zoo. Would you believe that an eleven foot tall elephant could be in your modestly-sized classroom? Your brain, as imaginative as it is, would most likely not believe that claim. As a student, you are given the fundamental skills of critical thinking and cognition that would otherwise tell you that an elephant in a classroom is implausible. Learning is a lifelong process that lays the foundation for intellectualism. However, there is another elephant in the room; in this case, it is President Donald Trump’s torment of intellectualism.

In 2012 he tweeted, “The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.”

Within 140 characters, he demonstrated his understanding in climatology, business and economics; he holds a Bachelors of Science in economics from the school of business, University of Pennsylvania. Within the last 10 days, he has profoundly changed the scientific and intellectual atmosphere. As of Monday morning, The Washington Post reported that the academic community openly deplored his executive order on restricting immigrants from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

The petition, now more than 12,000 strong, includes holders of prestigious awards and members of influ-

ential organizations, like the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine.

It goes without saying that President Trump has been chosen to represent us. The nominated members of his Cabinet should represent the spirit and accomplishments of American intellectualism. Instead, he has chosen an army of individuals that undermine the intellectual community in ways that any student of science should find choleric. In 2002, Vice President Mike Pence criticized evolution in front of the House of Representatives. At the time, he said that “[Charles Darwin] hoped that some day [evolution] would be proven by the fossil record but did not live to see that, nor have we.” Darwin had published his seminal book, The Origin of Species, in 1859. Pence refused to accept 143 years of evidence.

Earlier today, Betsy DeVos was cleared for her role of Secretary of Education. During her role as the chairperson for the American Federation for Children, she and the organization advanced publicly funded subsidies for parents to send their children to private schools, specifically to religious schools. DeVos has publicly endorsed education reform, most likely including teaching creationism as opposed to evolution, to “advance God’s kingdom.” As of today before she was even affirmed, only 28 percent of American science teachers take a firm stance in teaching evolution.

While science education standards are set at state levels, placing DeVos as the head of American education invites limited opportunity to improve

our already bleak public engagement of science. Science education has unparalleled implications on the quality of human lives.

The most obvious impact science education have is good training for future healthcare providers, scientists and researchers who quite literally save our lives (and also improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare disparities). For providers, it is important to combine science with empathy.

Sherry Glied, Ph..D. and Richard Frank Ph.D. comment in The New England Journal of Medicine that the Health and Human Services nominee Tom Price M.D. is taking a notably different approach. Dr. Price is an orthopedic surgeon, and his agenda would lead to increased profits for physicians at the expense of reducing efficiency and quality of care provided to patients.

Furthermore, Price has voted against budget increases for the National Institute of Health and other initiatives in biomedical research.

Our medical advancements are being undermined as Trump also recruits people like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known proponent of the discredited link between vaccines and autism. In an age of rising preventable infections, variable cancer outcomes rates and epidemic metabolic disease, the health of American citizens is conditioned by scientific and medical research.

Researchers with diverse backgrounds often champion these scientific and medical advancements.

When Trump announced his execu-

tive order on the immigration and refugee ban, many of the affected people were young adults, graduate students and Ph.D. candidates at American institutions. The Association of American Universities estimates that 17,000 students are affected by this ban. Many of them came to America, leaving their loved ones and past lives for their careers, and are now forced to confront difficult decisions. On a community level, this order will effectively delay and even impede scientific progress, as attendance, recruitment and engagement is projected to diminish. We have already seen the Centers for Disease Control cancel a long-awaited and much-needed climate change summit in the wake of the inauguration. Trump’s executive order can stress more than academic relations, as Iran has reciprocated with a ban on U.S citizens.

Even our own scientific institutions face stress. While the temporary freeze on grants at the Environmental Protection Agency has been lifted, some reported the freeze on grants as “standard practice for transition.” The bureaucracy that complicates science will likely get stricter and more difficult to work with. Pressing issues, like the need for gun violence research, will likely meet more resistance. In 1996, the National Rifle Association convinced Congress to block funding for gun violence. Things like gun violence are historically difficult to fund and these capital-demanding fields of research show uncertain promise.

College students have been able to develop a richer understanding of the world around us. Our ability to pursue

higher education is a privilege denied to many. While criticizing arguments can be valid, the option to deny harsh realities like climate change, the need for biomedical research and the need for quality healthcare is an even more luxurious privilege for those who do not need to confront these issues.

The biggest threat to American safety is within American borders, as we allow these pernicious ideologies to undermine evidence-based intellectualism. How people think is the most powerful asset that they are capable of cultivating. The scientific method is how people address issues and the inertia that impedes human progress. Mistakes are unavoidable, but the beauty of the scientific method is that it is self-correcting. However, individuals should avoid are those based on anecdotal and unsubstantiated evidence that actively devastate years of progress.

While there are governmental figures like Rex Tillerson, Rick Perry and Scott Pruitt who acknowledge the demanding issues like climate change, many have yet to provide plans for solutions. Somewhere along this road, people have stopped confiding in scientific thinking. The one thing anyone can do, regardless of his or her political affiliation, is to open oneself to science.

People need to address the biggest elephant in the biggest room in all of America.

Casey Chun, FCRH ’17, is a biological sciences and economics major from New York, New York.

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OPINION

Page 10

February 1, 2017

Organized Protests: Some Assembly Required

By AHMED YOUSSEF

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave over the land of the free and the home of the brave!”

The last line of the United States national anthem proudly touts the country as a land of freedom. Similarly, all Western countries boast of bearing the mantle of ‘The Free World,’ parading themselves to the world as symbols of freedom and liberty. Freedom is neither an exclusively American nor Western value, but rather one with a universal span.

The task of finding common ground for all mankind is a daunting one, but if there is one thing that is of value to everyone, then that title goes to freedom.

Freedom in itself is a rather abstract value; it is of many forms and varying extents. Freedom of speech is one of such forms held in high esteem; a measure of a country’s democracy and liberties. This freedom can be exercised in many ways: people divulging their opinions on TV channels and radio stations, thoughts immortalized in writing in books and newspapers, the sharing of interests on Facebook and the list goes on. The most prominent of these forms, however, is protesting.

It is fair to say that protests have played a huge role in shaping modern history as we know it. What elevates protests in particular is the distinctly human element, the natural attachment one feels to groups of fellow human beings gathered together. It is human nature to feel a connection to other people more than anything else. The impact of the written word cannot resonate as much as the sight of a person passionately chanting a slogan, and even the sight of activists arguing for their cause in a TV studio through a screen will not have the same impact as seeing the march of people through a familiar street from a window.

The real power of protests comes from their innate sense of intimacy.

Protests can be a double-edged sword. In just the past 10 years, we

Faustino Galante The Benefits of Keystone XL In 2008, Canadian oil company TransCanada proposed Keystone XL, a pipeline, which, according The Economist, will cover a distance of 1,200 miles, stretching from Alberta Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. The proposed pipeline is projected to pump up to 830,000 barrels of oil per day through the United States.

Following TransCanada’s 2008 proposal, the State Department gave the project an “OK.” Soon enough, though, controversy ensued when members of the “environmentalist left” began to protest the proposed pipeline.

They complained that the pipeline would hurt the environment and that ultimately, its installation

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

The latest protests have been widely attented, but a successful protest requires organization as well as attendance.

have seen protests topple decadeslong regimes while others ignited civil wars, taking the lives of hundreds of thousands as a result.

Protests can just as easily invoke positive change as they can become irreparably detrimental to their cause, and this establishes the notion of both successful protests and unsuccessful ones. Society has regularly tended to evaluate protests by the number of participating protesters. This has led to the belief that the likelihood of a protest’s success is directly attached to its size. However, history has shown us on several occasions that strength doesn’t always lie in numbers. On Feb. 15, 2003, the largest protest in human history occurred. Crowds of people filled the streets of more than 600 cities across the globe, demanding the cancellation of the impending invasion of Iraq.

On March 20 of the same year the United States invaded Iraq, starting a war that would leave the country in ruins until today, just over a month after millions of voices reverber-

ated across continents in opposition.

More recently, the 2017 Women’s March was declared to be the largest single-day protest in U.S. history.

Two days later, the Trump administration put into order an executive action that would prevent millions of women worldwide from receiving proper healthcare services. This is not to say that numbers don’t matter.

A million voices are always going to be louder than a thousand, and most of the successful protests can attribute part of that success to the ability to lure public attention through their large crowds. The size, however, is far from the make-or-break factor of a protest.

The methodology is an important aspect of any protest. This pertains to how people are recruited to get involved in protests, as well as the nature of said protests. Many tactics are employed to positively influence the size of protests: walking marches are preferred to standing protests, as they increase the range of people exposed to them, eye-catching banners are used in an attempt to grab the at-

tention of passerbys and celebrities become endorsements to lend protests more significance in the eyes of the public.

But when it comes to recruiting people, all of these tactics are second to the cause. The proposition is simple: if more people relate to the cause, then more people will be willing to take action and participate in the protest. In 2011, the eyes of the world were focused on the Middle East as the revolutionary Arab Spring swept across the region. It all started in Tunisia, where, in the course of a month, the people managed to overthrow a regime that had ruled the country with an iron fist for 23 years.

This would ignite the spark that would see similar results in Egypt soon after. The people were driven to the streets by the overwhelming government and police corruption, the high levels of unemployment and the restrictions on freedom, amongst other similar struggles. As the days went by, the crowds would only grow in number and never show signs of dwindling until the cities

would cloud America’s focus on finding new sources of renewable energy. Republicans in Congress were quick to refute this negative sentiment citing the improvements the U.S. economy would experience with Keystone XL’s construction.

With such long and heated debates over the proposed pipeline, former President Barack Obama ended the conflict on November 6th of 2015 when he rejected TransCanada’s proposal.

Though the proposal seemed dead after its initial rejection, President Donald J. Trump reignited hope last week when he revived the proposed pipeline. Trump’s signing of Keystone XL, while controversial, was absolutely warranted and geared towards the betterment of the United States.

The proposed pipeline will minimize U.S. dependence on Middle Eastern oil, will provide countless jobs to American citizens and will not harm the environment as severely as environmentalists claim.

A major reason Middle Eastern economies manage to survive, despite corruption and terror, is be-

cause of their stronghold on crude oil. Without oil, countries such as Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Syria would have their GDP’s split in half.

The United States has been well aware of this Middle Eastern “oil monopoly.”

For years, the U.S. has focused on keeping peace with these nations in order to be granted access to their oil. In foreign policy negotiations with the Middle East, oil has always been an underlying issue.

The proposed Keystone pipeline will allow the U.S. to grow its already established oil production. It will grant the United States the ability to focus on other Middle Eastern issues without being pressured by the Middle Eastern oil market. Keystone XL will likewise lessen the Middle East’s “monopoly” on oil.

With a diminishing oil stronghold, corrupted Middle Eastern economies will slowly fall. The U.S., in lessening its dependence on foreign oil, will be able to better equip itself in controlling the fluctuating prices of oil. This will therefore give America facilitated access to controlling the prices of domestic gasoline.

Keystone XL will not only minimize our dependence on foreign oil, but will also provide countless jobs to American citizens. Throughout the Obama presidency, many Republicans in Congress were vocal on the fact that the Keystone XL pipeline would have brought a multitude of jobs to America. According to yahoo.com, these claims were not fallacies. The website stated, in an article

by Amanda Becker, that, “thousands of jobs” would have been created if the pipeline were put into place.

With Trump’s signing of Keystone XL, America will now be able to provide countless short and long-term jobs to its citizens. In the short-term, workers will be hired to construct the pipeline. These construction jobs, according to the Yahoo article, will be two-year work programs. In the long-term, many workers will be necessary to maintain and run the pipeline as well.

It is evident in the above paragraphs that Keystone XL will help America immensely. Many Democrats and environmentalists in Congress still “fail to see the light” and argue that the “ends fail to justify the

were overwhelmed with protesters.

What sets this particular cause apart from that of the previously mentioned ones was its tangibility to all the people. The vast majority of people in these countries had felt the consequences of living under these regimes and had the inner motivation to speak against them. All that was needed was a call to action, and simple social media posts sufficed in bringing millions of people together in unison.

The method of carrying out the protest itself is undoubtedly of great importance. Violence or restricting protests to certain groups almost always has detrimental effects to their causes, but it is the cause of a protest that gives it its true worth. While it is the cause that gives the protest both its ideological worth and power to attract large numbers of people, it is not the ultimate factor that leads to the success of a protest. That distinction lies in the protest’s goals. In order to be achieved, the goals need to be clear and well-stated. People shouldn’t be scratching their heads when they get a flyer for a movement.

The goals also need to avoid drifting too far from the cause to avoid the risk of alienating key groups. The success of a protest is also dependent on the goal’s simplicity and brevity so that it avoids being completely shunned by the target or being forced into lopsided compromises.

Last but not least is the requirement of understanding the opposition; failure to do this will lead to undermining the protest against all odds, ultimately rendering it futile.

Depending on the opposition, a protest might need to adjust its goals in such a way that it makes only a small step forward for the cause to avoid the risk of taking a step backwards. It is important to know what you are asking for, but it is equally important to know who you’re asking it of.

Ahmed Youssef, FCRH ‘17, is a computer science major from Alexandria, Egypt means.” They hold the belief that the environmental implications of Keystone are too dangerous and argue that the pipeline will prevent the U.S. from advancing and looking into renewable energy alternatives ultimately hurting the environment.

What the opposition to Keystone fails to realize is that TransCanada and other oil companies will still drill whether this specific pipeline is put into place or not. Failing to enact Keystone will also not stop Americans from consuming fossil fuels. When it comes to buying into renewable resource alternatives, rejecting Keystone does nothing in incenting them.

Though Trump is obviously not the best man to hold the job of POTUS, his signing of Keystone XL was a respectable move. Keystone will allow the U.S. to reduce its focus on foreign oil agencies and will create new job opportunities for its people. To those who argue against this pipeline, they must keep in mind that when it comes to oil, the American economy is more important than the environmental threats posed by offshore drilling.

February 1, 2017

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The Fordham Ram

Sundance Film Festival Shows Political Side

By ERIN CABREY CULTURE EDITOR

With Oscar nominations already locked in, Hollywood’s gaze has shifted toward a new crop of films to fill theaters and streaming services in 2017. This year’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, the largest independent film festival in the United States, provided plenty of critically-acclaimed and often politically-charged material for studio executives looking for next year’s award-season darlings.

This year’s Sundance Festival, a 10-day event that collided with the inauguration, has been a newsworthy one. The first weekend saw Chelsea Handler lead a star-studded Women’s March of Main in Park City. Shailene Woodley also headed a protest to stop the construction of the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines. In attendance was Malia Obama, who opted out of her parents’ retreat to Palm Springs to attend several film screenings ahead of her internship with film studio executive Harvey Weinstein.

Among a roster of promising films with all-star casts, there were several standouts garnering significant buzz, most of which did not shy from addressing the political and cultural divides present in today’s America.

Notable among these was Jordan

Peele’s satirical horror film Get Out, starring Daniel Kaluuya (“Black Mirror”) and Allison Williams (“Girls”).

When Chris, a young black man, heads upstate to meet his girlfriend Rose’s white, liberal family, he realizes something is odd about the way the town’s black residents behave.

Peele’s feature directorial debut confronts the idea of a supposedly postracial America, showing that racism often reveals itself in different forms.

The Big Sick, directed by Michael Showalter and produced by Judd Apatow, stars Kumail Nanjiani (“Silicon Valley”) and Zoe Kazan (“Olive Kitteridge”) and tells the real life story of Nanjiani and his wife, Emily Gordon, who co-wrote the film. Kumail, a Muslim man, falls for grad student Emily, even though his parents insist he marry a Pakistani woman. When Emily is struck with a mysterious illness that lands her in a coma, Kumail must deal with the crisis alongside Emily’s parents.

A Ghost Story stars Casey Affleck, the current Oscar frontrunner for Manchester by the Sea, and Rooney Mara (Carol). Affleck plays a married man who, after dying in a car accident, haunts his wife and home as ghost. The lauded film’s themes of loss and dealing with tragedy have nearly been overshadowed by some of its odder elements, most prominently Affleck’s white-sheet-with-

eyeholes ghost and Mara’s nearly 10-minute scene spent devouring an entire pie after her character returns from her late husband’s funeral.

Concluding the event was The Sundance Film Festival Awards, hosted by Jessica Williams, star of another critically acclaimed feature The Incredible Jessica James. The ceremony saw several feminist films receive accolades. The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic went to I Don’t Feel At Home in This World Anymore, starring indie darling Melanie Lynskey as a woman who has nearly lost faith in humanity when she comes home from work to find she was robbed of her laptop and grandmother’s silverware. Taking matters into her own hands, she enlists her quirky neighbor, played by Elijah Wood, to track down her robbers. The Directing Award for U.S. Dramatic went to female director Eliza Hillman for her film Beach Rats, a gay coming-of-age story set in Brooklyn. “I think there is nothing more taboo in this country than a woman with ambition,” said Hillman when accepting her award.

Politics were especially prevalent at the ceremony. Williams introduced the Audience Award category, joking “The Audience Award is super special. On an election level that’s sort of the award that Hillary Clinton won.” The Audience Award for U.S. Dramatic went to Crown Heights, star-

ring Lakeith Stanfield (“Atlanta”) as a Trinidadian immigrant wrongly convicted of murder. The dialogue about immigration was deeply entrenched within the awards ceremony, colliding with protests at airports across the country as people flocked to arrivals gates to resist President Trump’s executive order restricting immigration from seven Muslim countries. In addition to The Big Sick featuring a Muslim lead, one of the countries deeply affected by the order, Syria, was the topic of three films at Sundance this year: Cries from Syria, City of Ghosts and Last Men in Aleppo, the winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Documentary.

To close the ceremony, Sundance Institute Executive Director Keri

Putnam addressed the executive order. “We know that closing our borders to these and other international artists will stop the flow of information so vital to the artistic community. Here’s to the artists who are here with us.”

The Sundance Film Festival is a paramount event in the film industry, highlighting both domestic and international films across all genres, and it is clear that the current political climate played a significant role in this year’s entries. Situated during two protest-laden weekends, the festival, along with its films and their creators used its platform to reflect on the search for identity, justice and love in a time when United States and the world are plagued by fear, discord and uncertainty.

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This year’s Sundance provided a cinematic commentary on social and political issues.

Students Favor Car Services Over Yellow Cabs

By PATRICK INFURNA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Tourists and school trips alike scurried past Paul Lorenc, FCRH ’20, and out the door of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, hoping to beat the traffic, as if that was at all possible. Unaffected by the aura of urgency around him, Lorenc strolled down the steps of the museum without a hint of concern as to how he would get back to Fordham. While tourists and commuters of the city waved, shouted and threw their hands down in defeated exasperation, Lorenc made no effort to be noticed by cabbies, but instead silently tapped away on his phone.

Lorenc had transportation home before any of the other visitors.

It does not take too long for a Fordham student to experience the frustration of traveling in Manhattan during rush hour. Attempting to find a yellow cab with its taxi sign glowing seems to be a futile search. Students at Fordham have, in large part, done away with their cab hailing frustrations by opting for car services such as Uber and Lyft. It is no surprise that Fordham University students have followed a trend that is rapidly spreading to every city in the nation. In a quickly changing world where minutes have become precious and convenience has become the hottest commodity, car service apps are changing the way the world moves.

Why do most Fordham students choose Uber or Lyft over hailing a New York City cab?

Lorenc offered a simple answer, “[Uber] is just a lot easier than getting a taxi. There’s no waiting around and fighting with other people over who hailed it first.”

According to Josh Waldrum’s article on quoted.thezebra.com, the average wait time for both Uber and Lyft is just over four minutes. This, of course, comes with the certainty of a car arriving at your exact location specifically for your own use. Both Lyft and Uber are clearly more convenient for students, but what really draws most students is the affordability of car service apps over the competing yellow cab taxis. Jennifer Godfrey, FCRH ’20, summed up the simple, but key reason of Uber’s popularity on campus, “I use Uber because

it’s cheaper.”

This sentiment is widely shared by students that know how trips to Manhattan can quickly add up and take a toll on their bank accounts.

The knack for creating inexpensive trips to Manhattan can be a hard one to learn, but Uber and Lyft make it a bit easier.

The concrete jungle constantly bustling this way and that rightfully makes safety a top priority for university students. This concern begs the question, “Are car services such as Uber safe?” Upon stepping into an Uber service car, the driver may ask how the customer’s day was, perhaps even offer a chilled bottle of water and, above all, aims to drop off the passenger at the destination on time and in one piece. What motivates many

drivers to provide exceptional service is the knowledge that each customer give them a rating out of five stars. This feature puts to rest any safety concerns Brian Ma, FCRH ’20, may have over who is at the wheel. “You can find a reliable driver through the rating system,” said Ma. “I enjoy the safer and convenient rides through Uber compared to those of taxis.”

Lyft does not underestimate the importance of integrating numerous safety measures to give its customers a sense of security.

While Uber does investigate the criminal records and DMV records of its drivers, Lyft takes the safety precautions one step further. Upon applying to be a driver, Lyft’s official website requires

OWEN CORRIGAN/THE FORDHAM RAM

With the rise of transportation apps like Uber and Lyft, Fordham students favor dropping a pin over hailing a yellow cab.

a scheduled mentorship session that entails a 19-point vehicle inspection, which includes high standards of the basic cleanliness of the car. The mentor then steps into the car and proceeds to grade the applicant’s capability to drive and even his or her ability to hold a conversation. It may seem that Lyft’s drivers are more thoroughly tested than those of Uber, but most students use Uber simply because it is the more established brand name.

Uber and Lyft haven’t missed a trick, but will there ever be a day when the streets of New York City are void of bright yellow cabs? It is quite hard to imagine, and a bit disappointing for any tourist hoping to take a snapshot of his or her first ride in an iconic yellow checkered cab. Winnie Hu’s article in The New York Times, “Yellow Cab, Long a Fixture of City Life, Is for Many a Thing of the Past” reported that yellow cab usage has taken a substantial hit over the course of only five years.

Despite the background checks that Uber and Lyft perform, a number of Fordham students feel safer in a traditional yellow cab, perhaps in part due to the clear display of the driver’s certifications inside each cab. Conventional wisdom assumes that a traditional cab company requires more state certifications, and therefore more closely watched and controlled than car service apps. But be it for convenience, safety or thrift, the Fordham community seems to be opting for apps as the way of the future.

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February 1, 2017

Ewe Sorosis | Katie Quinlisk

Ruth Whitehead Whaley: Protesting the Patriarchy Years Before Her Time

Follow columnist Katie Quinlisk as she sheds light on Fordham’s female history, one woman’s experience at a time.

On June 25, 1924, Dean Wilkinson of Fordham Law received a letter from civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois. The letter was one of many in a series of correspondence between Fordham and Du Bois concerning 23-yearold Fordham Law student, Ruth Whitehead Whaley.

Earlier that summer, Whaley received eight 100 percent marks on a series of papers. Grades like this were not unusual for Whaley, as she would graduate top of her class that same year.

But, these papers were different because Fordham promised that the student who scored the highest average of marks would be awarded a prize: a set of law books donated by Corpus-Juris Publishing Company.

Whaley outscored her classmates by a large margin; however, when she visited the library to claim her prize, she was given what she described in a letter to Du Bois as “dampened enthusiasm,” “indirect and evasive answers” and an “averted gaze.”

The librarian told Whaley that “the fellows were kicking since some of them made 100 percent on the eighth set.” Whaley was told she would have to write another paper to compete with her male peers who had matched her mark on the eighth paper of the series.

Why did Fordham Law alter the rule last minute? Why was Whaley subject to another round of discernment? Perhaps Fordham had genuinely wanted to

avoid student upset. Or perhaps Whaley’s 100 percent was suddenly not enough because she was a young, black woman studying in New York in the 1920s: a time and a place where discrimination looked more like withholding a well-deserved academic prize than the Jim Crow “separate but equal” segregation laws of the South.

Whaley decided to take action. She made charges against the University, and vocalized her grievances in a letter to W.E.B. Du Bois in hopes that Du Bois would publicize the injustice in The Crisis, the official publication of the NAACP. The July 1924 issue of The Crisis reported the injustice. In a discussion of excluding black students from higher education, Du Bois wrote: “One of the best methods of getting rid of smart Negro competitors is to ‘forget.’

This is the brilliant invention of Dean Ignatius M. Wilkinson of Fordham University.”

Whaley was never awarded her set of law books. Alternately, as detailed in The Crisis, her name was left out of the winner lists of two other competitions and her diploma was withheld for her complaints. Whaley poignantly captured her situation as a young black woman in higher education in a letter to Du Bois that summer: “I am cognizant that even at Fordham University School of Law, winning is not always synonymous with receiving.”

Though this injustice marred Whaley’s memories of Fordham, it hardly derailed her success.

Whaley eventually received her degree, becoming the first black

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

Whaley’s legacy lives on with her place in Fordham’s Alumni Hall of Honor, a rightful place for the activist.

woman to graduate Fordham Law and passed the Bar that year. She became the first black woman to practice law in New York State.

Whaley was famous for her work in civil service law. She opened her private practice, served on the New York City Council throughout the 1940s and served as the secretary of the New York City Board of Estimate from 1951 to 1973.

Whaley served as the first president of the New York National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women and president of the National Council for Negro Women. She became involved in the Democratic Party post women’s suffrage throughout the 40s and 50s and returned to

Fordham as a University Council member in the 1950s as an ambassador.

Whaley combated racial and gender discrimination in each professional role she undertook.

Fordham finally honored Whaley in October 2014 when she was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Honor.

Today, Fordham’s Black Law Students Association bestows the annual Ruth Whitehead Whaley Trailblazing Alumnus Award to alumni who capture Whaley’s groundbreaking spirit—a spirit Fordham once tried to quell. Yale Law, the Association of Black Women Attorneys and Brooklyn Law School also offer awards in Whaley’s name.

Whaley would have been 116 years old on Feb. 2nd. We can’t sit down and speak with Whaley. We can’t ask her how she would proceed in today’s polarized America so wrought with racial injustice and gender inequality.

We can’t ask Whaley how she would live and work beneath an executive branch that is so indifferent to the needs of its people and so blind to the promises of the Constitution that Whaley worked her whole life to defend.

We can’t ask her these questions, but Whaley’s answers can be found in the lines of her letters to Du Bois and her subsequent life work: “call out the injustice you see, and fight with all you have to end it.”

Review | Film

La La Land Has Everyone Seeing Stars

By CONOR GILROY

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Gather your friends, grab your popcorn and take your seats for this award season’s best film.

Heralded by movie critics as one of the best movie experiences of 2016, Damien Chazelle’s romantic-comedy musical La La Land is truly deserving of all the buzz.

Starring Emma Stone, Hollywood’s formerly designated girlnext-door, and Ryan Gosling, everyone’s favorite mysterious yet lovable Hollywood hunk, La La Land is this duo’s third romantic on-screen pairing. With the combined forces of Chazelle, Stone, Gosling and composer Justin Hurwitz, La La Land breaks through the usual boundaries of romance films and achieves cinematic triumph.

With an opening scene that I predict will become a staple in movie-musical history, La La Land embraces the audience with the vibrant “Another Day Of Sun,” which sets up an old Hollywood theme that the movie has become known for. Other catchy and powerful songs from the

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Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling sing and dance their way through Los Angeles in Oscar darling La La Land.

movie include “Someone In The Crowd,” “A Lovely Night,” “City Of Stars,” “Start A Fire” (featuring John Legend) and “Audition (The Fools Who Dream).”

Though the music adds an extra layer of excitement to the plot and leaves the audience tapping their feet and humming up until the moment they leave the the-

ater, the audience truly falls in love with La La Land when they meet Mia Dolan and Sebastian “Seb” Wilder. The two characters successfully represent the turmoil and rejection that many young hopeful artists experience upon arriving in Los Angeles.

Mia, a barista and struggling actress from Boulder City, Nevada,

is the perfect antithesis of Hollywood superficiality. Repulsed by the fakeness of her Hollywood peers, Mia leaves a party in the Hills one night and serendipitously meets Sebastian, a pianist with a love for jazz and a dream of opening a jazz club.

The progression of Mia and Sebastian’s romance throughout

the film that has left critics and audiences swooning. The turning point of the film comes when both Mia and Sebastian face struggles in balancing their love for each other and their career ambitions.

A relationship like Mia and Sebastian’s, however, is one that an audience becomes fully invested in and roots for.

La La Land has received criticism for falling into the white savior narrative, with Gosling’s character, Sebastian, being the culprit.

Sebastian sets out to save jazz, a historically African American music genre, hoping that suddenly people will listen to jazz now that he is playing it. Hopefully, future movies will be aware of this issue and look to prevent it moving forward.

The remarkable music, stunning visuals and beautiful narrative offered in La La Land are sure to bring success to the team behind the movie on Oscar night.

With a record-breaking seven Golden Globes already under its belt and a whopping 14 Oscar nominations, La La Land has already cemented itself in Hollywood history.

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February 1, 2017

Playlistism | Meredith Nardino

Rumor Has It: Hopeful Returns for the New Year If 2016 was any indication, we have an endless amount of incredible music to look forward to this year. Top music publications have been speculating about the biggest album drops of the year, posting lists that include every artist from Drake and Gorillaz to U2 and Arcade Fire. It is easy to get swept up in the excitement of these hypotheticals, so I created my own list of the artists I’d love to see make comebacks in 2017, as well as their most notable songs.

1. “Buzzcut Season” – Lorde It’s been an excruciating four years since we’ve had substantial new material from New Zealand’s quirky pop-star. Lorde’s work on the soundtracks for the latest installments of The Hunger Games films has kept her in our sights, but only minimally. It wasn’t until the singer posted a thoughtful letter on her 20th birthday that we could confirm a new album would be on the way soon. Though her debut album is full of swoon-worthy whimsy, the dreamy desperation of “Buzzcut Season” still gives me chills. Like so many other fans, I have a feeling 2017 will be Lorde’s year. David Bowie didn’t call her the future of music for nothing.

2. “Running If You Call My Name” – Haim The Haim sisters broke into the indie-rock boys’ club with their exciting LP, Days Are Gone. Another 2013 standout, the album reasserts the importance of female bands taking creative power back

into their own hands. “Running if You Call My Name” is one of the album’s most impressive tracks, yet is often overlooked in favor of hit singles like “The Wire” and “Forever.”

Harmonies as haunting and expansive as the ones heard on this track could only be produced by Danielle, Alana and Este Haim. The three are multitalented instrumentalists and self-proclaimed perfectionists, so production of their sophomore album was delayed multiple times; rumor has it the sisters will finally release new work this summer.

3. “Mad Sounds” – Arctic Monkeys When the now legendary English four-piece was spotted in their hometown of Sheffield, England late last fall, claims of a new album quickly spread through fans’ news feeds. Whether this work will actually appear in 2017 is questionable, but the possibility of new tunes from the Arctic Monkeys is always exciting. The band is prone to reinventing themselves with each LP they drop, as seen with 2013’s leather-clad and lusty “AM.” On the brooding ballad, “Mad Sounds,” Alex Turner’s illustrious lyrical poetry and silky vocals take precedence. Turner has never been one to shy away from bearing his heart on his sleeve, as he does so mercilessly on this woefully underappreciated track.

4. “Drops in the River” – Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes hardly receives the attention they so rightfully deserve.

With acts like Mumford & Sons dominating the conversation, Fleet Foxes have become little more than a footnote of the newage folk genre. The second track on their 2008 EP “Drops in the River” turns the ephemeral notion of mortality into a gorgeous anthem. Since going on a hiatus in 2011, the band has experienced some major changes, so much so that singer Robin Pecknold has alluded to a departure from the band’s typical sound.

With drummer Josh Tillman

now following his own path under the guise of Father John Misty, the potential release of an album this summer may define a new era for the Foxes.

5. “Hannah Hunt” – Vampire Weekend In a recent interview with Stereogum, Vampire Weekend drummer Chris Tomson confirmed the Grammy-winners are in the process of constructing a new album.

Expectations for the follow-up to 2013’s wildly romantic “Modern Vampires of the City” are very

high. However, late last year, Vampire Weekend fans were shocked to learn about the departure of key member Rostam Batmanglij.

Though Rostam is said to still be collaborating with the band on this new release, no one knows how the loss will impact the band’s sound. “Hannah Hunt” is just one of many examples of VW’s experimental style. The track opens with the calming sound of rushing water and climaxes with one of the most stunning instrumental breaks in the band’s discography.

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Excitement ensues as Lorde promises a new album is on its way, four years after the popular artist last released music.

Editor’s Pick | Music

Noname Makes a Name for Herself as a Rapper

By JACK MCLOONE SPORTS EDITOR

As The Fordham Ram’s resident white boy who listens to a ton of rap music, I spent 2016 trying to keep up to date on as many new releases as possible. While 2016 may have been derided for being one of the worst ever – and with pretty fair reasoning – the music catalog of 2016 was incredible.

Whether it was a big name like Kanye West or A Tribe Called Quest, or a lesser-known name like Chance the Rapper (yes, it was just early 2016 when he still counted as lesser-known) or Saba, you couldn’t move without stepping on another great 2016 project.

But because we are a society built on establishing hierarchies, a “best” needs to be crowned. After lots of hand-wringing, I’m throwing my considerable influence and respected opinion behind Noname’s debut project Telefone for the distinction.

If Noname sounds familiar, it’s probably from her appearances on fellow Chicagoan Chance the Rapper’s “Lost” from Acid Rap (back when she still went by Noname Gypsy) and “Finish Line/ Drown” from Coloring Book. For her own project, she didn’t call on her uber-famous collaborator, but instead focused the light on herself.

Noname’s delivery makes the whole album feel like a rap lul-

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Noname sets herself apart from the crowd, becoming a celebrated rapper.

laby. It’s smooth and calming, even when her content does not necessarily reflect the same sentiment.

The production reminds you more of front porches in the summer than dark alleys.

“Casket Pretty” is about the summer of police brutality in

Chicago, but the track is full of more uplifting sounds, including a repeated sample of a baby laughing. It’s one of the many examples of Telefone requiring you to do more than just sit back and vibe to the beat. “For whatever reason, I tend to find

melancholy in instrumentals that people think are innately happy,” she told The FADER. There’s a dissonance between the lines and beats that, like the best jazz, creates beauty out of opposing forces.

“Bye Bye Baby,” as you would expect, is the most lullaby-sounding of the 10-track album. Noname once again plays with dissonance, using the backing track to have a dialogue between a woman and the baby she is aborting. But unlike songs like “Bear” by The Antlers, it’s not trying to beat you over the head with the depression of abortion. It feels loving, even tender. The track doesn’t trivialize the decision but also doesn’t treat it as the be-all, end-all of decisions either.

Telefone isn’t all doom-andgloom to airy backing tracks, though. “Diddy Bop” is an airy track set to lyrics about mistakes made as a child that were balanced out by good memories.

It has an “Only 90s Kids Would Get This” moment by shouting out B2K and KSWISS in back-toback lines, and manages to transport the listener right to the street of Chicago in the summer. It feels like a prequel to Chance’s “Summer Friends.”

The album ends in the most logical place: death. Noname is joined by Saba and Smino to detail what their funerals will be like. One final time, Noname pairs a darker subject mat-

ter with a loose and airy backing track. Similar to “Bye Bye Baby,” this sadder topic is treated with a lightness that serves to equate it to any other part of life. All of the funerals described are not your typical despondent fare. Noname imagines Kanye reading her eulogy and Saba imagines being buried in satin, but it’s Smino who is ready to turn the typical funeral on its head: “Tell ‘em play ‘Metro Boomin’ at my funeral.”

Noname ditched the “Gypsy” part of her moniker in March of 2016 over concerns of the derogatory connotations of the word.

However, at the same time, the name change served as a signal of a transformation. Kanye has cast a huge shadow over the entire Chicago rap scene, but his descent into madness while supporting Trump is letting others shine.

First it was Chance, but now it looks like Noname – and others like Saba – are going to start making their way out as well.

2016 produced a ton of incredible albums like Blonde and Malibu, but it is Telefone that’s the most perfect.

Noname has repeatedly rejected being called “the next great female rapper” and “the new Erykah Badu,” and is very right to do so.

She is just a straight-up incredible rapper and wordsmith, and there will never be another Erykah Badu. Noname is, in the easiest joke of all time, making a name all her own.

CULTURE

Page 14

February 1, 2017

Who’s That Kid? | Rabela Bodini, GSB ’19

Gabelli Sophomore Combines Business and Fashion

By ANDREA GARCIA

OPERATIONS MANAGER

In a sea of suits, firm handshakes and polished resumes, how does one stand out amongst the crowd in the ever-so daunting career fair?

Rabela Bodini, GSB ’19, does so with internship experience, distinguished outfits and a recent major award on her resume: first place at the 2016 Gabelli Consulting Cup Challenge.

The Cresskill, New Jersey native came to Rose Hill with a different career in mind.

“Initially, I was a chemistry major,” she said. “I had a dream of becoming a dentist. However, as I started my freshman year at Fordham, I realized that business was my true calling.”

Her older sister, Zamane, GSB ’14, is one of her business role models. “I see a lot of resemblances between us. I’m learning from her as I go,” Bodini said.

As just a rising sophomore in Gabelli at the time, Bodini had landed two internships with GAMCO Investors, an asset management company, and LICT, a company in the telecommunications sector.

“At GAMCO, I was an operations intern, and I reconciled around 20 accounts per month. At LICT, I did a bunch of admin work at meetings by creating documents and portfolios that people at the company would look at to access different acquisitions they were looking into.”

Sophomore year at Fordham brought a new challenge to Bodini: The Gabelli Consulting Cup Challenge. She did not have any qualms about working with teammates Chris Dollesin, Sophia Woody, Gabrielle McNees, Luke Fiore and Patrick O’Donnell.

“We just clicked the first time we met and knew we were going to go far in the competition,” she said. “We did well at identifying each other’s strengths and, most importantly, each other’s weaknesses, and we all knew the hard work it would take to reach that one common goal.”

She even loves telling the anecdote about how their team’s group text got its name.

“I was looking at the 10K report and was looking at Chipotle’s trademarks, I saw that one of them was unburritable, and I immediately told everyone I was changing our group chat’s name to that.”

Bodini shares how their team defeated the odds and truly became unburritable. The group chat and other forms of new communication were essential to their success.

“Communication was our main goal and, because of new technology, we were able to talk 24/7. No one would skip group meetings, and if they couldn’t actually make it to the meeting, they would FaceTime us. We didn’t see each other as friends, but rather colleagues, and that definitely helped because we limited our meetings to just

work.”

After months of solid communication and collaboration, the team’s work culminated with their presentation at the Consulting Cup finals. Bodini will never forget the moment their win was announced.

“It was so crazy. It brought our team back to the first time we met.”

Being part of a team equally comprised of males and females, Bodini recognizes how she has been affected by the strides women are making in the business world.

“Women are taking over,” she said.

With a revolution of women entering the business world at higher rates than previous generations, Bodini has also made observations about the role of women’s fashion in the workplace.

“Many people say that women have more options than men do in the business world in regards to how they dress,” she said. “Women in the office have this expectation of wearing things that are lessrevealing and bland, but as fashion progresses, new office wear is entirely revolutionizing. There are more options that are using colors, are embellished, or are simply more figure-flattering.”

Whether for a career fair, internship or a high-stakes presentation, Bodini loves the empowerment that wearing a suit brings her.

“One thing I really love in business, is that you really empower

Review | Film

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Soars

By MATTHEW DILLON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, is the newest addition to the Star Wars franchise: a spinoff that takes place immediately before the events of the first film. The film follows a band of Rebels and renegades trying to discover the secret of the Galactic Empire’s newest superweapon. While it is far from perfect, Rogue One is a worthy and enjoyable addition to the Star Wars franchise. It has the heart, personality and the feel of the originals, which puts it ahead of most additions to the Star Wars universe. This movie is definitely worth seeing.

While most of the advertising doesn’t make this clear, Rogue One is in fact a team movie. Said team comes together in a pretty ad hoc way. They do not always feel like one, but that is what they are at the end of the day. The two main characters, fugitive Jyn and Rebel assassin Cassian, are not particularly compelling and don’t get all that much development. Thankfully, the stellar cast of side characters more than makes up for this. Ip Man’s Donnie Yen plays the force worshiping monk Chirrut, who steals every scene he is in with his force fueled abilities. Jiang Wen plays Baze Malbus, Chirrut’s faithless and heavy gun toting companion, who is a great foil character.

The real showstopper is K-2SO, a reprogrammed Imperial droid

COURTESY OF RABELA BODINI

Rabela Bodini rose to the occasion, winning The Gabelli Consulting Cup Challenge.

yourself when wearing a suit or anything you wear to the office.

Personally, I always feel confident when I put on a suit,” she said.

The only question remaining is “what’s next?”

“People say you should do

something you love, so I’m trying to do just that, incorporate my interest in fashion with business,” Bodini said. “I’m definitely passionate about the fashion industry, and I want to take that passion and do something with it.”

New York is My Campus

Juliana’s Pizza 19 Old Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201 It may seem pointless to go all the way to Brooklyn for pizza when a perfectly good Pugsley’s slice is right outside the gates, but Juliana’s offers a truly unique and bonafide New York City experience. It was named the best pizza in the country by TripAdvisor in 2015, and for good reason. DUMBO is an amazing place to explore regardless, especially if you take the East River Ferry there.

I’m Nobody! Who are you? The Life and Poetry of Emily Dickinson The Morgan Library & Museum 225 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 Emily Dickinson was one of the most highly regarded poets during the 19th century, and her legacy continues today. The Morgan Library & Museum is hosting the largest Dickinson exhibit ever, including unseen and rarely seen manuscripts and letters. Take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience a treasured piece of American history. The exhibits runs through May 28. Entrance is $13 for students, and free to the public on Fridays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK

The latest installment in the Star Wars franchise took more risks than its predecessors.

that lacks a filter for his constant sardonic wit. K-2SO has more charisma than most of his human counterparts and proves that Star Wars can have good comic relief characters.

Most of Rogue One is composed of constantly changing locales threaded together by a singular, compelling plot. While a lot of films suffer from an approach like this, Rogue One circumvents those issues by giving each planet the protagonists visit a distinct, interesting identity. The plot certainly has its problems, mainly the constant and largely unnecessary cameos, Rogue One had a decent plot. The last half hour of Rogue One really surprised me. It was very grim and fatalistic for a

Star Wars film, even if it did end on a high note. It went in a direction that you rarely see in a major Hollywood blockbuster, much less a Star Wars film. It was very daring and made it clear that the filmmakers were really trying to do something new with the franchise. They took a real risk and that made it easier to forgive some of the film’s flaws.

Much to my surprise, I found myself enjoying Rogue One a whole lot more than The Force Awakens. It tried doing something genuinely new, fixed a lot of the franchise’s past mistakes, and the side characters actually contributed. Most importantly, it felt like a Star Wars film. So I would say that alone makes it worth seeing.

L Train Vintage 118 Knickerbocker Street, Brooklyn, NY 11237 Never fear the awful “Who wore it better?” question in your life again: shop vintage! L Train Vintage features one-of-a-kind clothing with a story, personality and affordable price tag (especially in a city where cheap vintage finds are hard to come by). Plus, you will be reducing the continuously rising carbon footprint with buying pre-loved items. Guilt-free retail therapy? It is a win-win.

Sky Zone Trampoline Park 33 Lecount Place, New Rochelle, NY 10801 As February begins, New Year’s resolutions become a thought drifting away in the rear-view mirror. Stay true to your commitment to exercise while simultaneously beating weekend boredom by breaking a sweat in a trampoline park.

It is a surprisingly difficult workout, though you might not realize it until your sore muscles kick in the next day. Take the Metro North New Haven line to the New Rochelle stop.

Strand Bookstore 828 Broadway, Manhattan, NY 10003 Book lovers, rejoice! Strand is a New York classic, just outside Union Sqaure.

The bookstore boasts 18 miles of books: enough to keep you busy for hours in escape of the cold and in need for an addictive read. We will only judge a bit if you just go in to buy one of their iconic tote bags (okay, we will judge a lot).

SPORTS

Feburary 1, 2017

Women’s Tennis Falls at Drexel

By ALVIN HALIMWIDJAYA ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

On Jan. 25, Fordham Women’s Tennis traveled to the Legacy Center in Philadelphia to face Drexel University. The Rams were coming off the NJIT Invitational, where they won five matches and lost two. However, they fell to Drexel 6-1, starting their spring season off with a loss. This was their second team-scoring match of the academic year, as they had played Seton Hall at home in the fall and won 6-1.

Freshman Maia Balce gave the Rams their single victory. She bounced back from her singles loss at the NJIT Invitational and defeated Ghita Benhadi 5-7, 6-3, 10-4. The rest of the team did not fare as well. Fordham dropped the rest of their singles matches.

Sophomore Carina Ma lost to Honami Yazawa 6-2, 6-1, while junior Estelle Wong dropped her match against Kendra Bunch 7-5, 5-7, 11-9. Senior Mayu Sato lost to Lea Winkler 7-6 (5), 6-4, and sophomore Gianna Insogna fell to Clary Rodriguez Cruz 6-2, 6-2.

Finally, senior Destiny Grunin fell to Anisiya Simpson 6-4, 6-2.

“The three singles matches I played in NJIT [winning two and losing one] really helped me a lot with my singles match against Drexel,” said Balce. “It helped me get my rhythm back because I haven’t played matches in a long time. The loss against NJIT helped me realize the things that I needed to work on in my game to be able to play better in the coming matches, and my coaches also really helped me.”

Fordham did not fare any better in the doubles matches, regressing from two wins in three matches in the NJIT Invitational.

The Fordham duo of Ma and Wong fell to the Drexel tandem of Ryshena Providence and Clary Rodriguez 6-3. Balce and Insogna lost to Ghita Benhadi & Kendra Bunch 6-2, while the pair of Sato and Grunin dropped their match against Lea Winkler and Honami Yazawa defeated Mayu Sato and Destiny Grunin 6-3.

“One of our key doubles, [sophomore Alexis] Zobeideh, has pneumonia so we had to substitute a player the morning of the match,” said head coach BetteAnn Liguori. Grunin ended up replacing Zobeideh in doubles play.

Coming off a three-month hiatus, the Rams were still shaking off the cobwebs, and it showed in their play against Drexel. “[Our team is] certainly rusty from the break and we only had 6 days of practice before this match,” Liguori said. “Drexel, on the other hand, started practicing a week before us and I feel that made the difference. On paper we were equal going into the match, so Drexel having a week’s worth of practice and two dual matches, made a huge difference.”

“Most of us didn’t really practice over the break, and the last time we played an actual match was last October against Seton Hall,” said Balce. “The team is dealing with this through playing a lot of challenge matches with each other and trying getting our rhythm back, [as well as] through our coaches guiding us during practice and just motivating each other to play better each day.”

The Rams return to action on Friday, Feb. 10, as they travel to Piscataway, N.J. to face Rutgers at 12:00 p.m.

Page 15

Rams Earn Season Bests in Boston

By TOM TERZULLI ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Breaking a school record once is impressive. Breaking a school record two meets in a row is quite an accomplishment. Sophomore Mary Kate Kenny topped herself once again in the 200m dash at the Terrier Classic, hosted by Boston University on Friday.

After previously crushing the school mark at last week’s NYC Gotham Innovational with a time of 25.09, the Garden City native finished .2 seconds better at 25.07, to secure 19th place. “I went into the race excited to run and hoping that I could top my last performance because I knew this meet would have excellent competition to push me to run a fast time” said Kenny. She was joined by fellow sophomore Nkeka Pinheiro (25.51), who finished 33rd.

Merissa Wright was another top performer on the day. The junior crossed the 800m line in 2:13.31, good for 20th place and ECAC qualification in the event. Three other Rams ran the 800m, all representing the other age groups.

Freshman Kaia Corthell raced to a time of 2:17.90 and finished 47th.

While, senior Shanna Heaney 57th (2:19.28) and sophomore Aidan Moroz 59th (2:19.32) ended up two spots apart.

Fellow sophomore Leah Hickey put in a good showing as the only Ram in the 500m. Hingham, Massachusetts’ own was 25th fastest in the race at 1:20.11. Sophomore Laurel Fisher was similarly alone in the 1000m and also performed well, finishing 28th in 3:02.68.

Four runners stepped up in the mile. Freshman Sydney Snow paced the squad in 39th with a season best time of 5:04.94.

Sophomores Angelina Grebe 64th (5:14.69), Blake Elwood 76th (5:21.14), and senior Brianne Roche 88th (5:25.22) rounded out the finishers.

And finally, the 4x400m team consisting of sophomore Morgan Menzzasalma, Kenny, Wright and Pinheiro finished 9th at 3:53.90,

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Rams set a plethora of season bests at the Terrier Classic

good for their best time of the season.

On Saturday, their male counterparts took to the track with a pair of juniors setting the pace.

Junior Brian Cook placed 13th in the in the mile, with not only a season best, but also IC4A qualifying time of 4:06.54. Meanwhile, Garden City’s Thomas Slattery also qualified for the IC4A in season best time, posting a time of 2:28.34, for the 1000m.

He was joined by junior Fritz Heinrich 22nd (2:30.26) in the 1,000m. Cook was trailed by junior Louis Santelli and senior Jake Duckworth 39th (4:17.37) for the mile. Freshman Ryan Kutch finished 49th (8:41.17) in the 3000m.

In the spirits, sophomore Jared Benn had one of the better days of his Fordham career, qualifying for the IC4A in two separate events.

First crossing the line in 18th for the 200m in 21.94 and later in the 400m 20th (48.83), both times were season bests. Another sophomore, Eddie Dehais, was a 37th

place finisher (1:08.17), running 100m more in the 500m. Finally, freshman Richard Webber was a 71st place finisher at (22.59).

Freshman Michael Petersen was the final singles qualifier in 16th, posting a time of 1:51.86 in the 800m. Second year runner Patrick Dineen was 76th (1:59.46).

The men’s relay team consisting of Benn, Dehais, Petersen and Webber crossed the line 17th in 3:21.63, the final IC4A qualifying time on the day.

In spite of all the qualifying performances and season bests, there was only one record breaker.

Kenny does not see this momentum ending any time soon: “After improving my time this weekend, I feel a lot of momentum moving forward. I hope I can take this energy and continue to perform well.”

Kenny and the Rams get back to local action this Thursday and Friday for the Rams as they travel to the OBP Track & Field Complex in Staten Island, NY for the Metropolitan Championship.

Men’s Tennis Shutout vs Davidson

By ALEXANDRIA SEDLAK STAFF WRITER

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

After traveling to NJIT last week, the Rams set up shop in Philly.

Fordham men’s tennis team opened their 2017 season with a tournament against Davidson College on Saturday, Jan. 28. The teams played at Life Time Athletic in Harrison, NY, Fordham’s indoor home courts. This one-on-one tournament consisted of nine different matches, three of them being doubles and six of them being singles. Fordham struggled in its first match, ultimately ending in a 7-0 loss.

In doubles matches, freshman Allen Thornes and senior Tomas Cosmai lost the first doubles match against Davidson’s Axel Fries and J.B. Gough with a score of 2-6. Next, freshman Fabian Mauritzson and senior Nick Borak lost the second doubles point with a score of 1-6 against Davidson’s Shamael Chaudry and Jack Riazzi. In the third doubles position, sophomore Victor Li and freshman Jeremy Chung played against Davidson’s Artem Khrapko and

David Hager. The match reached a tied score of 3-3 before it was stopped. Davidson thus won the doubles point.

In the first singles position, senior Tomas Cosmai lost to Davidson’s Shamael Chaudry with a score of 2-6, 2-6. Sophomore Victor Li played the second singles position against Davidson’s David Hager. Li fell with a score of 1-6, 1-6. Senior Nick Borak played third singles against Davidson’s Artem Khrapko, with a final score of 0-6, 2-6. In the fourth singles position, freshman Fabian Mauritzson lost to Davidson’s J.B. Gough with a score of 5-7, 2-6.

Freshman Jeremy Chung played fifth singles against Davidson’s Axel Fries. He fought hard in the first set, but ultimately fell with a final score of 6 (6)-7, 1-6. Finally, freshman Allen Thornes took the sixth singles position against Davidson’s Jordan Hart. It was an extremely close match as the players split sets. In the end, Thornes fell with a score of 6-4, 2-6, and 8-10 in the tiebreaker.

“Being a freshman, I went out relying on the energy of my teammates, especially the upperclassmen which helped me dial in and compete,” said Thornes. “I thought we all fought well as a team by showing a lot of grit against a higher ranking Davidson team. I know that each and every one of us will carry this energy throughout the rest of the season, and it’s going to be a great year moving forward for Fordham tennis.”

“I thought the team competed well out there today. We proved that we can compete with the top teams in the conference,” said Cosmai. “However, we still have a tremendous amount of work to do before the conference tournament.

We will look to readjust, regroup, and learn from this. We will not let this define our season. This is simply a learning lesson.”The Rams return to action next weekend, on February 5, against Saint Peter’s University. They will be travelling to Jersey City for the tournament.

SPORTS

Page 16

Brendan O’Connell Federer-Nadal, One Last Time Early Sunday morning on the beautiful blue surface of Melbourne Park, Roger Federer defeated his longtime rival, Rafael Nadal, in the Men’s Final of the Australian Open. The meeting of these two legends was as unexpected as it was familiar, and as appreciated as it was awaited. The match was worthy of all the hype.

The match lasted five grueling sets and three hours and 38 hard-fought minutes, but in the end it was Federer who added to his legacy by capturing his 18th Grand Slam singles title, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3.

After months of rest and rehabilitation from career-threatening injuries, both Federer and Nadal returned from extended absences and did not disappoint. With both superstars aging they were ranked unusually low, as the Swiss virtuoso came in seeded seventeenth and the Spanish icon ninth.

The matchup marked the eighth time the two faced off in a major final, and the first such occurrence since the 2011 French Open. History was on the line, and perhaps for the final time.

At 35 years old, Federer became the oldest man in over four decades to reach a Grand Slam final — his 28th overall. Though, for the casual fan, it may seem Federer wins or is in the final of just about every Grand Slam event, this victory was a long time coming.

From 2003 to 2012, Federer was as excellent a player as the sport may ever see. In his younger years, he went up against the likes of Andy Roddick and Andre Agassi, emerging to the top of a crowded field of competitors that, in time, included Nadal, Djokovic, Murray and more. He reached 24 finals over that span and won 17 of them, including a stretch of 11 of a possible 15 crowns.

Before Sunday, however, Federer had appeared in just three of the past 17 Grand Slam finals, winning none of them. His last title was his 2012 Wimbeldon triumph over Great Britain’s Murray. With time and injury compromising his abilities to perform and prevail, the question arose: would we ever see Federer win again, at the highest of levels?

Then came a resounding answer.

After a six-month absence, Federer showed his brilliance as he had done so many times before.

After a back-and-forth match, Federer found himself down 3-1 in the fifth set. At that point, he dug deep into his repertoire of skills and found it within himself to play arguably his greatest handful of games of his illustrious career. His signature backhand, stoic demeanor, gorgeous forehand and unmatched grace took center stage, as he proved his distinction to the world, for perhaps the final time.

Roger Federer will go down as the greatest man to ever play the sport of tennis. His record of Grand Slam titles and appearances speak for themselves, his unique skill and strategy are forever engrained in tennis lore and his will to win and competitive drive will inspire generations. Yet what sets him apart is his poise under pressure, his grace in victory and defeat and the fact that he has achieved all his success in the finest age of tennis, against a number of all-time greats in their primes.

This Australian Open gave us one more moment of it.

Febraury 1, 2017

G’mrice Davis Coming Up Big in Her Junior Year

By JACK McLOONE

The Resurgence of Two Greats?

SPORTS EDITOR

“I’ll never forget when we went out paintballing as a team,” said Fordham Women’s Basketball head coach Stephanie Gaitley. “A lot of times, I know with me, when there’s an uncertainty of what you’re doing, there’s fear. I didn’t see any fear. She was like, ‘Give me the gun. I’m going out there.’

It didn’t matter if she was going to get hit, there was no fear factor.”

G’mrice Davis is fearless. That much is abundantly clear when you watch the 6’2” junior forward from Philadelphia on the court. She crashes the boards with abandon, takes on bigger opponents down low and bullies her way to the rim with ease.

Back when she was recruiting Davis, known to the team as simply “G,” Gaitley was most excited about her potential.

“G was always just such a great athlete. In talking to her AAU coach, he would talk about how just athletic she was. I was just so impressed with her rebounding,” said Gaitley. “I just felt like if you could take her rebounding and her athletic ability and I thought she could be a really special 4 player in our system.”

As a freshman, Davis showed flashes of her incredible talent. In just her second game as a Ram, she missed a doubledouble against #24/25 Syracuse with nine points and 10 rebounds. Despite playing just 528 minutes that first season, Davis still racked up 142 rebounds, good for fourth on the team.

However, the G’mrice Davis playing that 2014-15 season was not her in her peak form. “I was very confident in high school.

And then I came here and in my freshman year my confidence level kind of went down because I’m like, “Hey, these girls are bigger. These girls are stronger. These girls are faster, they’re smarter,’” said Davis.

“I had to really look into myself and pull out the good things about me and once I really started to work on that and focus in on what I can do instead of what everyone else can do my confidence just started to build.”

It was clear that her confidence had taken a step forward her sophomore year. Starting every game (outside of the final three due to injury), her averages jumped from 6.7 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game to 9.7 and 7.4 respectively. She finished the season with six double-doubles.

Despite the massive growth between her freshman and sophomore years Davis still had plenty to learn, and a lot of that came from starting alongside Samantha Clark, one of the top forwards in Fordham Women’s Basketball history.

“I learned a whole lot about help defense. That was Sam’s big thing, help,” said Davis.

“So I knew that if I had to play the 5 this year, I would have to learn my positions, when and when not to help, where to be.”

But the improvement heading into her junior year did not stop on the defensive end. “I worked a lot, a lot, a lot on my footwork. I struggled my fresh-

Sam Belden

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

G’mrice Davis has become one of the best players in the A-10 this season.

man and sophomore year with footwork because I never was a back-to-the-basket post player. I just wanted to get the ball at the high post and drive or ram into people,” said Davis. “It was very hard picking up on the footwork at first but all summer I focused on my footwork and working on using my left hand a lot more.”

But if you ask Gaitley, it is not the improvements defensively or with her footwork that has elevated Davis’s game.

“To be honest, I think it’s her mindset. I think she’s changed her mindset on everything. You see her improving in the classroom. You can see her improving in her relationship with her teammates and her coaches. And I think it’s all as a result of why she’s improving on the court.”

Gaitley added, “I just think she has grown leaps and bounds this year as a person, not just as a player.

And I think a lot of the reason she has grown as a player is because she’s grown so much as a person.”

If you put together an improved defensive game, better footwork, a better mindset and already solid rebounding skills, what do you get? The 2016-17 iteration of G’mrice Davis, the one averaging a double-double at 14.6 points per game and 12.4 rebounds per game. The one second in the country with 286 rebounds. The one with 14 double-doubles.

“She’s obviously been our most consistent player all year.

It’s funny, there’d be times after games where I’d think, “Man, G wasn’t all here today” and it’d be 15 and 12,” said Gaitley.

Davis has been the linchpin for the 15-8 Rams, who are fourth in the Atlantic 10 with a 6-3 conference record. The offense goes as Davis goes more often than not, and without her on the court the team suffers defensively. This was an issue early in the season, when Davis was routinely in foul trouble, but she’s curtailed the foul trouble as of late, logging back-toback 40 minute games last week.

“I’m getting very accustomed to the 40 minutes. Before she was playing me a lot of minutes and I was getting tired, getting in foul trouble. That was a big thing for me,” said Davis. “But now, you know, I’m accustomed to playing so many minutes and the team relying on me so much. So now, I’m more confident, a lot more calm, and things have just been flowing.”

The Rams are in the middle of a three-game skid after losses to St. Joseph’s, VCU and St. Louis.

Davis has logged double-doubles in all three of those games. With someone like Davis on the court, it is a fair bet to guess the streak will not last for too much longer.

“I still don’t think she’s completely reached her potential.

I think there’s still that little window of growth for her. I told her, “Do you want to be all-league or do you want to be player of the year?” It’s funny that now that’s the next conversation. “Where are we headed with this? Be content with being one of the best, or be the best?’”

The passage of time is the most transformative force in sports. It can turn a packed stadium into a sea of deserted grandstands. It can transform the most imposing of dynasties into shells of themselves and it can reduce former titans of the game into mere spectacles.

This past weekend, we saw two instances of legends going toe-to-toe with Father Time, and the outcomes couldn’t have been more different.

On Friday afternoon, 14-time major champion Tiger Woods finished up a sloppy performance at the Farmers Insurance Open, shooting rounds of 76 and 72 to miss the cut by four strokes. Less than two days later, Roger Federer outlasted old rival Rafael Nadal in a five-set final at the Australian Open, securing his 18th Grand Slam title. These outcomes reflect the course of Woods and Federer’s respective declines as they have moved towards middle age.

Since his last major victory, Woods’ life has been turbulent to say the least. Dogged by injuries and personal scandal, he has won just eight tournaments since turning 35, and none since the 2013 season.

The Farmers was his first PGA Tour start since the 2015 Wyndham Championship, and it looked it. His first round was especially bad, featuring a grand total of six bogeys or worse, including an ugly double on the 15th hole of Torrey Pines’ South course. On that hole he hit his ball way left off the tee forcing him to take a drop and settle for a six. In total, he hit just four of 14 fairways — the only encouraging sign from the week was a decent performance on the greens.

Federer, on the other hand, has been steady as he goes as he inches closer to retirement. Since turning 30 in August 2011, he hasn’t been nearly as dominant as he once was, but he has remained a formidable contender in the majors, making the quarterfinals in 16 of 20 starts.

Despite that consistency, though, Grand Slam wins have been hard to come by — before Saturday, his only title in the last five years came at Wimbledon in 2012. But Federer played impressive tennis against Nadal, ably using the fast court to his advantage and keeping his clearly gassed opponent on his toes by mixing in some vintage power. As Federer became the oldest man to win a Grand Slam in nearly 50 years, this will likely go down as the cherry on top of his sterling career, much like how the 1986 Masters was for golf great Jack Nicklaus.

What about Tiger? Does he still have what it takes to pull out an ‘86 Masters of his own? It’s possible, but again, time can be more cruel than any bounce on a golf course.

It doesn’t take an expert to see that Woods’ game is all over the place right now — he doesn’t look comfortable with the shots he’s hitting, and he seems to have lost the killer instinct that propelled him to so much greatness in the first place.

If he is going to win again, then Tiger appears to be a long way off. But as Federer showed us this weekend, an aging legend’s last stand can provide us with some of the most compelling moments in sports. For that fact, let’s hope Tiger gets there.

SPORTS

February 1, 2017

Page 17

Swimming Sends Off 11 Seniors in Final Home Meet

By ANDREA GARCIA OPERATIONS MANAGER

Last one, fast one. This mentality filled the Colonel B. Messmore Aquatic Center last Saturday, even overpowering the scent of chlorine as Fordham Swimming and Diving hosted the UMass Minutemen for the last home meet of the season.

“UMass is a conference meet, so it should show some indication of how conferences will go. I am also very sad, but excited to be honoring our seniors,” said junior Erin McBride.

Earlier in the week, the Rams travelled up the Bronx River Parkway for one last away meet against the Iona Gaels. Due to Iona’s lack of divers, Fordham did not disappoint with a healthy competition between teammates. Junior diver Wendy Espina-Esquivel took first place in the 1m dive with a score of 279.45; however, she took a

seat to first place freshman Stephanie Kerkeles in the 3m dive.

Stephanie stuck a score of 267.45.

Sophomore Christopher Craig had the boards to himself, falling automatically into first place in the 1m and 3m dives with scores of 211.05 and 258.45, respectively.

The Rams not only shut out the diving scoreboards, but also swept the competition in the racing events. The women’s team won the meet, 165-60 with a sweeping of individual wins across the event listings. Junior freestyle swimmer, Erin McBride, took care of her competitors in the 200-yd and 100-yd events, winning at times of 1:55.03 and 53.89, respectively. In the distance swims, freshman Chloe Mitchell fought for her wins in the 500-yd freestyle, clocking in at 5:15.96 and securing her first place finish of 10:43.59 in the 1000-yd event by open water.

The men took care of business and doubled Iona’s score, 144-78.

Junior Liam Semple had a particularly strong performance in the 200- and 100-yd freestyle events, winning with 1:43.75 and 48.47 finishes.

In relay action, the women made their mark as the quartet of senior Morgan Fairclough, freshman Mia Bullock, senior Megan Polaha and sophomore Tara Brunner won the 400-yd medley relay. Each member pulling their own weight, they were the only team to break the four minute mark, just squeezing in at 3:59.44. The men’s 400-yd medley relay team of sophomore Isiah Magsino, sophomore Travis Monahan, senior Joseph Mercurio and anchor freshman Joseph Vizza was the only one to break the 3:30 checkpoint with a time of 3:27.18. The combined efforts of Monahan, Mercurio, freshman Kevin Barry and Vizza finished off the day for the Rams in the 200-yd freestyle relay, bringing home a winning time of 1:25.37.

Returning home for the weekend, the Rams paid tribute to 11 Fordham seniors during the final home meet against Atlantic 10

rivals, the University of Massachusetts. Albeit the final meet of the season for many, the Rams charged ahead, exciting the crowd of parents, alumni and students in a pursuit of a historic victory on the men’s side, 156-142.

With a victory of 190-110, the women’s team did not disappoint with 11 event wins. Brunner was the only individual to take two first place finishes in the women’s events. She captured the win in the 50- and 100-yd freestyle in 24.16 and 52.55. Their final win of the meet was in the 200-yd relay, with the combined strength of Brunner, McBride, Samantha McDonald and Theresa Mullen winning in a season-best of 1:38.11.

The first points for the men were earned by Miguel Mattox, Sean Finlay, Joe Mercurio and Joe Vizza in the 200-yd medley, finishing in 1:33.42 minutes. Liam Semple fought for two individuals wins in both distance events, snatching first place with a time of 4:38.57 in the 500-yd freestyle and 9:33.60 in the 1000-yd freestyle. Vizza also dominated his 100- and 200-yd freestyle events, winning with times of 46.87 and 1:41.54, respectively.

While the Rams did not take the first place points in the 100yd breaststroke, the event was a crowd warmer as senior Nick D’Souza attempted to break one minute in his last career swim with his teammates cheering the end of the lane. Although falling just .03 seconds of his goal, he and Travis Monahan, in third and second places, contributed seven points to the Ram’s final tally.

And so it happened that each and every point mattered for the Rams. Landing first place points in the 200-yd fly, 100-yd fly and 200-yd IM, the final 200 medley relay was the dealbreaker for the Rams’ impending win. The squad of senior Miguel Mattox, freshman Sean Finlay, Mercurio and Vizza as the anchor sealed the deal for the Rams, and helped write-off the meet as the men’s first victory over the Minutemen in program history.

Now at the finish line of the Rams’ regular schedule, the team will be sending selected members of the team to compete at the Atlantic 10 Championship. The entire year’s worth of training will culminate at the conference meet at the Spire Center in Ohio from

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SPORTS

Page 18

February 1, 2017

’Bocker Bulletin: The Mishandling of Porzingis

By GRANT HILL

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

For those fans paying close attention, you might have noticed a troubling sign for the New York Knicks. No, I’m not talking about the circus act that has been the Carmelo Anthony trade saga. I’m also not talking about the fact that this team can’t play a lick of defense or win any meaningful games. No, the cause for concern revolves around the team’s rising star Kristaps Porziginis.

Prior to a 2016 matchup with the New York Knicks, former Thunders star Kevin Durant referred to the young Porzingis as a “unicorn” when questioned about what he thought of the rookie. “He can shoot, he can make the right plays, he can defend, he’s a 7-footer that can shoot all the way out to the 3-point line. That’s rare. And block shots—that’s like a unicorn in this league,” Durant said in an interview with ESPN. It’s clear that the Knicks have something special in the Latvia native. However, the organization has made decisions and created an environment that could have damaging effects on a player that many considered to be the cornerstone of the team’s future.

When Phil Jackson was hired to be the Knicks’ team president in 2014, many believed that he would bring a winning attitude and culture to a team that had been the laughing stock of the NBA for the last 20 years. Three years into his five-year contract, it’s clear things have not panned out the way everyone thought they would. Nothing has changed since Jackson took over the job, and the team has continued its losing ways. Bringing Porzingis into a losing culture is dangerous, especially at his young age, because it will teach him the one thing you don’t want him to learn: how to lose.

Along with the continued losing, the Knicks have also not

been able to keep drama away.

Most recently, Jackson and Anthony have been butting heads, making headlines and creating a black cloud around the team. It’s clear Jackson does not want Anthony on the team anymore, and it has gotten rather ugly while Jackson has actively been looking to trade the nine-time Allstar. This sets a bad example for Porzingis because it shows him that the organization will throw even its biggest stars under the bus if the situation calls for it.

Anthony and Porzingis have had a good relationship thus far, so it must be tough to watch how his friend and mentor has been treated by those running the organization. He also must be realizing that they could one day turn on him.

The current roster that has been assembled around Porzingis is also troublesome for his development. Though he still has been able to put up impressive numbers, Porzingis has found himself as being the odd man out on several occasions.

This is mainly because he plays alongside two stars: Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose, who have been known throughout their careers for being ball dominant players. Constantly, we see Anthony and Rose attempt to play hero ball throughout games, where the two of them switch off shooting while guys like Porzingis stand and watch. If the Knicks want to see Porzingis develop into the star they want him to be, he is going to need players that will get him the shots he should be taking, which Anthony and Rose clearly have trouble doing.

As Durant said, the Knicks have a rare talent on their hands.

They must figure out how to turn the page and stabilize the franchise so that Porzingis can blossom into the player were all hoping he will become.

By TOM TERZULLI

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

We’re a little over a month into 2017 and, if you dig underneath all the McGregor v. Mayweather madness, it’s been a solid first 31 days for the sport. Badou Jack and James Degale put on a great show in the first major fight of the year and with that, a great tone was set for an already hugely hyped showdown that was coming up next: the rematch between Featherweights Carl Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz.

The pair lit up the Barlcays Center on a hot July night last summer en route to the Irishman Frampton capturing the WBA Featherweight Title by majority decision. In a bout that generally did not receive much fanfare in the buildup, they delivered one of those action fights that so often eludes boxing fans, especially in 2016. They were “fighting in a phone booth,” trading big shots in close round after round. Santa Cruz failed to use his significant reach advantage and counter-punching ability, which allowed the smaller and grittier Frampton to fight toe to toe. It may not have been the type of fight Santa Cruz wanted, but it made for an amazing battle that garnered several “Fight of the Year” honors. The hype that eluded the pre-fight ceremonies was now there, and boxing fanatics yearned for a rematch.

In a relief from the often-times arduous boxing negotiations, there they were back in the ring on Saturday night, just six months removed from their war in Brooklyn. This time the MGM Grand in the fight city of Las Vegas played host in what was another electric bout. From the outset, Santa Cruz looked to rectify his mistakes from the first meeting. He kept his distance with the jab, and sat back and allowed himself to counterpunch the charging Frampton. That’s not to say that Belfast’s own wasn’t able to fight in his wheelhouse for at least some portions of the 12-round battle. When Frampton was able to keep in close, he overwhelmed the Mexican star with big power shots.

However, unfortunately for Frampton, those opportunities did not come enough. Santa Cruz won by the same majority decision that Frampton did six months ago, and also won

back the very same WBA Featherweight gold that left him on that July night. Now here we are, all even at one apiece, and the calls for a third matchup are already ringing though the boxing world.

Trilogies have always been a fascination to boxing fans. Perhaps the greatest trilogy of all time began on March 8, 1971, inside Madison Square Garden. It was the “Fight of the Century” between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. After battling once more in the Garden, the two warriors culminated in one of, if not the greatest, fights of all time: the “Thrilla in the Manila.” Evander Holyfield and Riddick Bowe followed in three bouts that would define the last great period of Heavyweight boxing. “The Fighter” Micky Ward and Arturo “Thunder” Gatti mesmerized us in the early and mid 2000s with a mix of amazing speed and grueling brutality.

Each of these, and the many other trilogies that have defined the sport, held several elements that make a great trio of fights. Each fight has its own story, its own way that it is looked at when it’s marked down in the annals of boxing history. The first meeting between Ali and Frazier was all about the glitz and the glamour of New York City, juxtaposed with the brutality in the ring. While in Manilla, the two grizzled veterans wanted to prove one more time who was the

best. In their first matchup, Ward and Gatti were both clinging to career relevance and found each other ready to launch back into the spotlight. By their third meeting their money was made; it was two fighters on their way out, battling over mutual respect.

Santa Cruz and Frampton, in their two meetings, have written their own script. In their first bout, in spite of already enjoying long prosperous careers in the sport, the two had not yet established themselves as household names. In front of a raucous crowd filled with many Irish fans supporting Frampton, the two went to war in a fight that was very much void of traditional boxing technique. The playbook went out the window, it was about finding out who was the tougher man.

Saturday’s meeting was different.

It was still thoroughly entertaining but for different reasons. It was a boxing purist’s paradise. Both men made their adjustments and they were on display. A beautiful showing of technical skill, mixed in with sprinkles of flurries that we remember from their first meeting.

They’ve made us gasp with their willingness to go toe-to-toe and dazzled us with their boxing ability. The script is there, what story will these two tell in their final chapter?

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Carl Frampton lost to Leo Santa Cruz in their first meeting last summer.

Varsity Calendar HOME AWAY

Follow us on Twitter at @theram_sports

Thursday Feb. 2

Friday Feb. 3

Saturday Feb. 4

Men’s Basketball

St. Joe’s 6 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

St. Bonaventure 2 p.m.

Metropolitan Championship

Monday Feb. 6

Tuesday Feb. 7

Wednesday Feb. 8

La Salle 7 p.m.

St. Peter’s 2 p.m.

Men’s Tennis

Track

Sunday Feb. 5

SPORTS

February 1, 2017

Varsity Scores & Stats

Evan Biancardi

NFL Award Predictions It is officially awards season and on Saturday, the National Football League will announce its recipients for the league’s highest honors.

While many players can be easily penciled in as winners, many awards are still up for grabs. Here are the players who I believe are most deserving in each category.

Defensive Rookie of the Year Joey Bosa put together an impressive rookie campaign, especially considering he missed the first four games of the regular season. Making his debut in week five, Bosa strung together two sacks and five tackles, and he didn’t stop there. His 10.5 sacks, 41 tackles and 21 quarterback hits make him an easy choice for this award and solidify him as one of the league’s best young defensive ends.

Offensive Rookie of the Year Ezekiel Elliot stepped onto the field ready to compete on every play.

After being selected by the Cowboys with the fourth overall pick, he took advantage of the game’s best frontline by recording one of the best rookie seasons of all-time. Finishing the season with a league-leading 1,631 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, Elliot proved to be well worthy of his high draft selection and played a significant role in carrying his team to the league’s best record.

Defensive Player of the Year Von Miller began the 2016 season as the reigning Super Bowl MVP for his six tackles, two-and-a-half sacks and two forced fumbles in Denver’s Super Bowl victory over Carolina. Now the highest-paid defensive player in the league, Miller had to live up to the hype, and he did just that. He finished the year with 78 tackles and a second-best 13.5 sacks. Miller helped lead one of the league’s most potent defenses and further proved why he is the best linebacker in the game.

Offensive Player of the Year Matt Ryan gained national recognition for his offensive performance this season, as he led the league’s best offense to an 11-5 record and earned a date with the Super Bowl.

Ryan was second in the league with 4,944 passing yards and 38 touchdowns, and his seven interceptions helped lead him to a league-best 117.1 passer rating and an 83.3 quarterback rating. He’ll look to complete his historic season with a Super Bowl victory on Sunday, but he has already demonstrated why he’s undoubtedly deserving of this award.

Most Valuable Player Aaron Rodgers was en route to a mediocre season (by his standards) through week 11, as his team was 4-6 and had lost four straight games.

After the team’s loss to the Redskins that week, Rodgers stated that they were going to “run the table.” What seemed like an outrageous comment at the time quickly turned into a reality, as Rodgers led his team all the way to the Conference Championship, recording 2,384 passing yards and 21 touchdowns during the team’s eight-game winning streak.

He is arguably the league’s biggest threat in the passing game and when forced out of the pocket, he can burn you with his legs. Without his top running backs behind him, Rodgers single-handedly carried his team deep into the playoffs, making him most deserving of the league’s Most Valuable Player.

Page 19

Men’s Basketball Fordham Davidson

66 75 68 71

Fordham Dayton

Women’s Basketball St. Louis Fordham

Squash

Women’s Swimming Iona 60 Fordham 165 Fordham 190 UMass 110

82 58

Fordham Johns Hopkins

5 4

Fordham William & Mary

9 0

Fordham Vanderbilt

6 3

Duke Fordham

7 2

Men’s Swimming Iona 78 Fordham 144 Fordham 156 UMass

142 Men’s Tennis Fordham Davidson

0 7

Women’s Tennis Drexel Fordham

1 6

Men’s Track Terrier Classic 200m Run (FOR) Benn 18th- 21.94 800m (FOR) Petersen 16th1:51.86 1000m Run (FOR) Slattery 17th- 2:28.34 Women’s Track Terrier Classic 200m Dash (FOR) Kenny 19th- 25.07 (FOR) Pinheiro 33rd- 25.51 800m Run (FOR) Wright 20th- 2:13.31 (FOR) Corthell 47th- 2:17.90

Athletes of the Week Thomas Slattery

Mary Kate Kenny

Junior

Sophomore

Track

Track

Slattery came in 17th in the 1000m run at the Terrier Classic in Boston, Massachusetts on Jan. 28. He had an IC4A qualifying and season-best time of 2:28.34. His previous best was 2:28.47, which was set at the Valentine’s Day Classic in 2015.

Kenny broke the Fordham record for the 200m dash for the second week in a row. She clocked in at 25.07 at the Terrier Classic in Boston, Massachusetts on Jan. 27, breaking her previous record of 25.09, which was set at the NYC Gotham Cup.

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 • Fordham Football Releases 2017 Schedule Fordham Football released its schedule for

2017, its 117th season of varsity football and the second season for Andrew Breiner as head coach. Fordham Football is hosting five games at Jack Coffey Field throughout the season, highlighted by a visit from nationally-ranked Eastern Washington.

Fordham’s road games are highlighted by a trip to Army West Point to start the season on Friday, Sep. 1. The Rams went 8-3 last year; the fourth straight winning season for Fordham Football gives the Rams their first stretch of four consecutive winning seasons since 1976-1979.

• Women’s Soccer to Host Youth Girls Winter Training Fordham’s Women’s Soccer announced

dates for its Winter Technical Training Sessions and Youth Futsal Tournament. The training sessions start on Feb. 7 and will continue for six weeks, while the futsal tourney is being held on Saturday, Feb. 11.

Both events are for girls aged 8-12 and will be held in the Lombardi Fieldhouse on the Fordham Rose Hill campus.

• Fordham Swimming and Diving Teams Earn AllAmerican Honors

• Squash Goes 4-1 Over the Weekend The Fordham squash team dominated

their competition this weekend at the John Hopkins Round Robin in Baltimore, Maryland. Fordham beat John Hopkins, Lafayette, William and Mary and Vanderbilt, while only dropping a match to Duke.

With these wins, Fordham improves to 8-8 for the season.

Fordham Swimming received Scholar AllAmerican Team status from the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA). The honor is given to teams that compete at the NCAA level. Fordham men’s swimming posted a GPA of 3.35, while Fordham women’s swimming was honored for a team GPA of 3.42. Other universities that had both teams honored include Davidson, George Mason and George Washington.

-Compiled by Alvin Halimwidjaya

Liam McKeone

The Rise of the Process For the past four years, the Philadelphia 76ers have been the laughingstock of the NBA. The 76ers’ master plan to acquire a star was to lose badly during the regular season in order to get a higher draft pick. This would increase their chances of getting that one star player. With the guidance of its general manager Sam Hinkie, the team finished with close to the worst record in the NBA three seasons in a row. Meanwhile, the team traded away any decent players it had for draft picks, filling its roster with players nobody has ever heard of. Hinkie was fired before the beginning of this season, and many abandoned the notion of “The Process” having any real value. Yet, suddenly the Sixers have won eight of their last 10 games and stayed competitive every night. For a team that was regularly blown out and scoffed at for three consecutive years, this is a huge deal.

So, how did it happen? How did the league-wide punchline become a threat?

Naturally, it all starts with the fruits of “The Process.” Joel Embiid, the seven-foot big man drafted #3 overall in 2014 out of Kansas, is the real deal. He’s bigger than almost anyone else on the court; he can dribble like a point guard, shoot the three and defend as well as any big man in the game. After being injured for two seasons due to foot issues, Embiid finally made his anticipated debut this season and has impressed beyond all expectations. He is averaging 20 points, eight rebounds and nearly three blocks per game on only an average of 25 minutes a game. Compared to true superstars like LeBron James and Russell Westbrook, who are averaging more than 35 minutes a game, Embiid’s potential seems endless.

Embiid has exceeded expectations so far, but his teammates are beginning to make a difference and swing the Sixers back towards their winning ways. Dario Saric and Nerlens Noel are early first round draft picks who have turned into two valuable results of The Process. Noel is a defensive stalwart who, when paired with Embiid on defense, contributes to one of the best defensive front courts in the entire league. Saric is a stretch forward who has begun to hit his stride recently, showing ability to both hit the three and score off the dribble. When combined with the ascension of T.J. McConnell as the team’s starting point guard, the Sixers have a young core that could make waves as early as this season in the playoffs if things go right.

This is a team that could be extremely dangerous down the road. Embiid looks good now, and he is only 22 years old. Provided he stays healthy, Embiid has the potential to be dominant on both ends of the floor and be the generational superstar that the Sixers and Sam Hinkie have been looking for. They have the outright talent on the team now with Embiid, Noel and Saric, and once they start filling the roster around them to complement their playing styles, the Sixers could soon be a force in the Eastern Conference.

SPORTS

Page 20

Feburary 1, 2017

The Fordham Ram

Women’s Basketball Struggles in St. Louis

By SAM BELDEN STAFF WRITER

Last week, Fordham Women’s Basketball head coach Stephanie Gaitley suggested that her team had become “the hunted,” thanks to early season success. After a Saturday showdown in Saint Louis, it seems that characterization was confirmed. The Billikens offense was explosive from beginning to end. This propelled them to a big 82-58 victory over the Rams, who have now dropped three straight.

Playing in front of a packed house inside Chaifetz Arena, Saint Louis had it going from beginning to end, shooting 56 percent from the field and 50 percent from three-point land. The Rams simply could not muster the same firepower — they were outscored in all but one quarter and made just two out of 20 attempts from beyond the arc while playing subpar defense on the other end.

“We have to play defense to be in a position to knock off the top teams in the conference,” said Gaitley. “I felt we were really disconnected defensively. They are very good team and they had a crowd of more than 6,000 behind them.”

Still, the game was not devoid of bright spots for Fordham. Junior forward G’mrice Davis continued her barrage of double-doubles with a 20-point, 10-rebound performance to earn her 14th of the season. Meanwhile, freshman guards Kate Kreslina and Anna Kelly scored 13 and 11 points, respectively.

The Billikens kicked off the action by going on a 12-2 run, setting the tone for the remainder of the game. As the game progressed,

the Rams began to loosen up and convert on some opportunities in the paint, but they could only tread water against the explosive Saint Louis offense. At the end of the quarter, they still trailed by 10 points.

Fordham was strong out of the gate in the second quarter, with a three-pointer from Kreslina and a layup from sophomore guard Lauren Holden cutting the lead in half within two minutes. However, Saint Louis then managed to go on a 9-0 run, with the Rams missing two shots and committing a turnover, over the minute-and-a-half.

Trailing by 14 with 3:39 remaining in the half, they tried to recapture some momentum but missed a pair of three-pointers, allowing the Billikens to keep their distance.

Kelly’s four points in the final minute provided a small amount of damage control, though, making the halftime score 39-29.

At the half, the two sides had the same number of rebounds and turnovers — it was shooting that really made the difference. While Saint Louis managed to convert on half of its attempts, Fordham shot just 37.9 percent.

This discrepancy would become even more extreme in the second half. While the Rams regressed to 34.4 percent from the field, the Billikens upped theirs to 62.5 percent, allowing them to cruise to an easy victory. Solid shot selection from Kreslina and a dead accurate jumper from junior guard Asnate Fomina allowed Fordham to cut the lead to eight with 7:19 left in the third quarter, but Saint Louis’ Jenny Vliet made a threepointer 30 seconds later to push it back into the double digits, where it would remain for the rest of the

ANDREA GARCIA/THE FORDHAM RAM

On Saturday, Danielle Burns became the fifth player in program history to play in 120 games.

game.

The Rams continued to fight hard but struggled to capture any momentum. Saint Louis seemed to have an answer for every Fordham point, and by the end of the third quarter, the score stood at 62-43.

The story was much the same in the fourth quarter. Davis was hot to start things off, scoring on three of the first five Fordham possessions, but once again, the Billikens refused to surrender any ground.

Soon enough, the Rams began to run out of gas — they were shut out for nearly three minutes in the middle of the quarter, and by the time they found their rhythm again, there was not nearly enough time to mount even a miracle comeback. The final buzzer sounded, the score standing at 82-58.

Saint Louis’ total of 82 points is the highest figure the Rams have given up in regulation this season.

Four different Billikens scored 15 points or more, led by center Sadie Stipanovich with 22. Thanks to Davis’ efforts, the Rams were better on the boards, but no amount of scrappiness could make up for their offensive woes.

Despite the loss, the game did feature a couple of milestones for Fordham. Senior forward Danielle Burns became the fifth player in program history to appear in 120 games. Meanwhile, senior guard Hannah Missry moved into a tie for second for most starts as a Fordham Ram. She now trails former teammate Samantha Clark, FCRH ‘16, by just 14 games.

With Saint Louis in the rearview mirror, the Rams will travel to the

nation’s capital on Wednesday for a showdown with the George Washington Colonials. Both squads will head into the game with the same conference record: 6-3. Then, Fordham will return to Rose Hill for a three-game homestand, starting with a game against St. Bonaventure on Saturday.

“In any conference, winning on the road is really, really tough,” said Gaitley.

“When you play at home, there’s comfort level, there’s familiarity, you wake up in your own bed, you get to do your own routine,” she later added. “That all helps. We need to focus on what’s on the court, not what’s off it.”

The Rams will continue their season at GW on Wednesday.

Tipoff is set for 12 p.m.

Men’s Basketball Bounced by Davidson

OWEN CORRIGAN/THEFORDHAM RAM

Javontae Hawkins skies for the jump ball with Davidson’s Will Magarity.

By TYLER FREIRE STAFF WRITER

With conference play well underway in collegiate basketball, the Fordham Rams men’s basketball team welcomed the Davidson Wildcats for a Saturday showdown at the Rose Hill Gymnasium.

Both coaching staffs wore sneakers as part the NABC Coaches vs.

Cancer awareness week. The Fordham coaches also wore special gold laces to honor Lacey Holsworth, an eight-year-old basketball fan who died of cancer. It was certain-

ly a wonderful gesture from both teams, as two conference foes got ready to square off.

The first matchup between these two teams saw Fordham’s defense hold Davidson to just 29 percent shooting from the field, including just 19 percent in the first half. The Rams went on to win that game 6054 in Davidson, North Carolina, and held the Wildcats to a season low points and field goals made.

That certainly was not the case on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats came out firing, shooting 57 percent from the field in the first half (12-21), while holding the

Rams to just 32 percent (8-25).

What proved to be a vital weapon for the Wildcats throughout the game was the three-point shot, as they connected on 17 of their first 29 shots from behind the arc, finishing the day shooting .586 from three.

Davidson used that hot shooting to jump out to a 20-8 lead seven minutes into the game and would build that lead all the way up to 22, but a Hawkins three just before the buzzer made it a 40-23 game heading into the locker room for halftime.

However, the Rams offered little

resistance as the second half got underway, and the closest they got to the Wildcats was 11 points, soon after, Davidson responded with 10 unanswered points to get its lead back up to 68-47 with 7:42 left in the game.

Down the stretch, Davidson closed this game rather handily, with a final score of 84-66. The Rams fell despite 21 points, four rebounds and three steals from sophomore guard Joseph Chartouny, who had a great day shooting with 8-16 from the field and 3-4 from behind the arc. Three steals from Chartouny, it brought his season total to 71, the fifth best single season total in school history and just seven behind the school record of 78 set by Jason Harris in the 19992000 season.

Redshirt junior guard Antwonie Anderson added 16 points, while graduate student guard Javontae Hawkins added 10 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Prokop Slanina rounded out the Rams in double figures as he added 10 points.

The Rams tallied 10 steals on the day making it the 15th out of 21 games that the Rams have recorded double digit steals. But the

17 threes from Davidson mark the highest for any Fordham opponent this season and proved to be the xfactor in this matchup.

At the end of the day, the Rams were unable to limit the stars for the Wildcats. “Davidson is a terrific team, especially when Jack Gibbs and Aldridge can get it going,” said Neubauer. “Those two guys just showed why they are two of the best players in this conference.”

For Davidson, Jack Gibbs, a 1st team All-Conference selection last season, tallied 28 points and seven assists while going 5-5 from behind the arc, proving to be a pest to Fordham’s defense throughout the game. Peyton Aldridge added another 28 points, going 6-10 from three.

“We did try a few different things defensively, but did not find the right combination,” Neubauer said.

“Our focus has to be maximized every game, especially against these guys.”

With the loss, the Rams fall to 9-12 on the year, and 3-5 in the A-10. The Rams return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 31st when they host the University of Dayton Flyers for another A-10 showdown. Tip-off is at 9:00 p.m.