Volume 93 Issue 10

STEPHEN SKELTON EYES DRAFT PROSPECTS - PAGE 24

SODEXO VIOLATES STUDENTS’ TRUST - PAGE 11

SERVING THE FORDHAM UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY FOR OVER 90 YEARS

1918-2011

APRIL 13, 2011

VOLUME 93, ISSUE 10

Students Outraged By Sodexo Health Violations Students Shower Sodexo with Complaints at Town Hall

By BRIAN KRAKER NEWS EDITOR

PHOTO BY STEPHEN MOCCIA/ THE RAM

Brian Poteat apologized to students for infractions discovered during a recent Health Department investigation.

Fordham Flocks to Facebook to Vent Frustrations and Coordinate Student Response

By BRIAN KRAKER NEWS EDITOR

The Fordham community transformed Facebook from a social networking Web site to a forum for student activism following recent health code violations at four Sodexo-run facilities.

Students flooded the online

community with links to information regarding the violations and also formed two Facebook events, allowing users to commiserate and prompting two University gatherings. These events have allowed students to share pictures and anecdotes of their experiences with Fordham eateries.

John Mantia, GSB ’13, is the

founder of the Facebook event, “Demanding a Refund from Fordham Hospitality Services,” which amassed over 1,600 members on its first day. Katherine White, FCRH ’13, founded the group “Protesting Sodexo’s Unsanitary Conditions,” which recruited over 700 students.

“I guess that somehow struck a SEE FACEBOOK ON PAGE 3

On-line USG Displays Student Housing Art in McGinley Center Selection Launches

By PATRICK DEROCHER SENIOR EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Fordham students, beginning with rising seniors, inaugurated the University’s new room selection process on April 11. Monday was the first day of Phase 3 of the housing selection and assignment process, which began with the distribution of lottery books in late February.

At the time of publication, there had been very few issues with the room selection process, according to staff members at the Office of Residential Life.

“The process has been terrific, as far as room selection is concerned,” Greer Jason, assistant dean of students and director of Residential Life, said. She noted that there was one “minor” technical glitch, wherein students were unable to select six-person rooms and another where a group had to be talked through correct room selection.

“I saw the building and the apartment we wanted were available, but when I went to assign the beds to the people in my group, the system reported an error,” Ada Colocho, FCRH ’12, one of the affectSEE HOUSING ON PAGE 2

Recent health code violations at four Sodexo-run dining facilities sparked outrage among the Fordham community, culminating in a town hall meeting Monday night.

Over 200 students and a handful of faculty members filled O’Keefe commons, as Sodexo representatives and members of the United Student Government fielded questions and complaints from the student body. Speakers raised grievances over the presence of vermin in dining facilities, lack of transparency with health code reports and cost of meal plans.

“I am personally sorry for the results of those health inspections,” Brian Poteat, general manager of food services, said. “They are unacceptable and we’ve done everything we can to improve the facilities as quickly and as expeditiously as we could.”

Poteat, in addition to Susan Gregro, regional food safety and sanitation manager; Heather Muhlenberg, district manager of Sodexo Campus Services at Rose Hill and Lincoln Center; Michael DeMartino, executive chef at the Rose Hill campus, and Abir Roychoudhury, operations director at the Rose Hill campus, represented Sodexo. Both Executive President of USG Sara Kugel, FCRH ’11, and Executive Vice President of USG Caitlin Meyer, FCRH ’12, joined the panel and answered questions.

Many students expressed contempt for the results of March 21 health inspections, which exposed the presence of mouse feces, roaches and improper storage of food.

“I worked every day this summer to help pay for Fordham,” another

student said. “Basically I just paid $5,000 to eat rat food.”

Julian Saad, FCRH ’13, addressed the panel about his affinity for Fordham, saying he could not be paid to attend another school and his desire to see improvements in the dining facilities.

“These situations of complete disgusting conditions don’t occur overnight, it’s a buildup, and that’s a failure to us,” Saad said. “We as students don’t want to fail you, the administration, and we work our butts off in the classroom, out of the classroom and we deserve something more.”

Other students expressed unease with eating at the facilities after student testimonials described finding foreign objects in Sodexo’s food.

“Its really scary that there’s a pushpin in someone’s muffin,” one student said. “That is reminiscent of something that would happen in a Saw movie.”

Poteat assured the crowd that the pushpin was not baked into the muffin, but it is still undetermined how the object arrived in the cafeteria food.

“Whenever we have an issue where a foreign object is found in the food, we have to send it off to an independent laboratory,” Poteat responded.

Poteat repeatedly apologized throughout the town hall meeting and pledged a policy of openness toward students.

Poteat also informed students that the Student Deli and Millennium Grille both received additional inspections where they received A grades, while Campbell Café was given its first examination, when it was also awarded an A. Poteat also told the crowd he spent nine hours SEE SODEXO ON PAGE 4

Women’s Empowerment “Complicates the Issue”

By CHRISTOPHER KENNEDY STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF ROBERT SKODA

Student artists pose before their artworks during the Art Gallery opening.

By KATHRYN HILLMAN STAFF WRITER

The McGinley Student Center hosted the unveiling of the new McGinley Student Art Gallery on April 6. The project, sponsored by United Student Government, was led by Sara Kugel, executive president of USG. This had been an item on her platform when she ran for USG, and in the process of putting it together, she has worked with Chelsea Becher, vice president of FCRH ’11, and Adam Remiszewski, GSB ’11, vice president of student life.

The gallery provides an opportunity for students at Rose Hill campus to showcase their creativity.

The project began over a year ago, when Kugel proposed the idea as a part of her platform while running for USG executive president.

“When you go to Lincoln Center’s campus, there is an almost palpable disparity between the art cultures, there and at Rose Hill,” Kugel said. “But for anyone SEE ART ON PAGE 5

As Respect For Life’s annual “Respect Life Week” took place on campus between April 4 and 8, Women’s Empowerment, a subcommittee of the Progressive Students for Justice, sponsored its second annual “Complicate the Issue: Reproductive Rights” week with a table in the McGinley Center and fliers throughout campus.

The activity was chaired by Sara Lynch, FCRH ’11 and Caroline Egan, FCRH ’12, and consisted of

fliers containing “unbiased information and healing resources,” and other information, including “the story of a Fordham student who chose to have an abortion and the story of a man who realized why men should view reproductive rights as an important issue to stand by,” according to the group’s Facebook page.

Women’s Empowerment explained, however, that they did not view the activity as pro-choice activism on a Catholic campus such as Fordham’s.

“We wouldn’t call this pro-choice SEE WOMEN ON PAGE 2

INSIDE Sports PAGE 19

Opinions PAGE 9

Culture PAGE 15

Softball goes 4-1 throughout the week.

Fordham class of 2015 admit rate plummets.

Fordham wraps up its participation in RecycleMania.

NEWS

PAGE 2 • THE RAM • APRIL 13, 2011

SECURITY

BRIEFS

ResLife Launches First Round of Online Housing HOUSING, FROM PAGE 1

April 6, Loschert Hall, 3 a.m.

An unknown person sprayed the fire extinguisher on the third floor.

Security responded. There is an ongoing investigation.

April 7, O’Hare Hall, Between 8:45 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.

While two students were away for their classes, cash totaling $607 was taken. One student had $300 in a drawer and the other had $307 in another drawer. Security investigated and found that the lock was intact; there was no sign of forced entry. A locksmith was ordered to change the locks.

April 9, 191st Street, 4 a.m.

A resident of East 191st street was awakened by his dog barking.

Several males were in his backyard.

He confronted them, and they punched him several times in the back. He is not injured, and no property was damaged.

April 10, 2500 Hoffman St., 2 a.m.

A student got caught while opening the front gate of the side entrance to Terra Nova House to sneak in a friend without signing him in. A security officer dislodged the friend.

April 10, LaLande Hall, 2 a.m.

Security received a call from an assaulted student. A student was on the patio when another student came and asked for a cigarette.

When the first student refused, the other slapped him. He received a minor bruise on his eye, but refused a medical attention. The abuser was referred to the dean of students.

April 10, Lombardi Center, 6 p.m.

Three young male non-Fordham students stole a wallet from a bag beloning to a visiting coach of a basketball team. A student observed their action, and notified security. The New York Police Department chased down the suspects and arrested them. The wallet was recovered and returned to the owner. All property was intact.

April 11, 2461 Arthur Ave., 5:25 p.m.

A smoke alarm went off due to overcooked food in an oven.

The New York Fire Department responded, and the building was evacuated. The fire alarm was reset. No one was injured, and no properties were damaged.

ed students, said. “I called ResLife, which directed me to the Housing Hotline. They didn’t answer so I left my name and number.”

According to Jason, the issue was resolved through manual room selection, and Residential Life is working with StarRez to resolve this particular issue before Thursday, when they expect many rising juniors will be looking to select six-person rooms in Walsh Hall. This, however, was of little comfort to the affected students.

“I was panicking because I only had 20 minutes to register for a room and no one was answering the phone,” Colocho continued.

“I called the hotline a few more times hoping to get an answer and, finally, someone answered and told me there had been a problem with the system and they would assign my group manually. Everything worked out in the end and we got the room we wanted, but it was still really frustrating, nervewracking.”

Some students said that they discovered ways to work around some of the lottery’s requirements and regulations.

“It’s simply one person forming a group [as if to select a single] and being assigned a time slot accordingly, then adding more people afterwards,” Michael DiTanna, FCRH ’13, said. “ResLife doesn’t have the mechanics in the system to prevent the exploit, so they checked by class year.”

Some students who tried this method received an email from the Office saying that he had been removed from the room he selected and would have to go through a second round of room selection, and that he should contact Residential Life for information about a new selection time.

“At the info session, some ResLife administrators actually recommended using the exploit, so they know it exists,” he said.

“Now they are using the philosophy that Monday was a senior day only to weed out exploiters.”

Most students, however, had better experiences with the selec-

COURTESY OF FORDHAM.EDU

The Office of Residential Life anticipiates few problems on Thursday, when sophomores are expected to select rooms.

Online housing runs smoothly, but students found glitches in the system. tion process.

“I have to admit, I was a little nervous when I first heard it was online, but the whole process seemed to operate very smoothly,” Kristin Guerin, FCRH ’12, said. “I definitely appreciate how transparent the whole system is.”

Jason said that the vast majority of students who selected rooms on Monday did so in Campbell and Salice-Conley Halls.

“Last year, I think there was some doubt on the part of the students about their completion,” Jason said, regarding the new residence halls. As of Tuesday, April 12, all suites in Salice-Conley Hall, most suites in Campbell Hall, all singles in O’Hare Hall and all male singles in Finlay Hall were taken.

Jason also said that there would be some singles available in Martyrs’ Court for post-lottery housing assignment, but that the Office would wait until it saw the profile of the incoming freshman class before making such a decision.

The Office found that some of their resources were utilized far more heavily than others.

“There was one person there,” Elizabeth Amico, assistant director for housing operations, said, referring to the computer lab that Residential Life had set aside in the basement of the Walsh Family Library. “That shows that they’re able to use the software, that they’re comfortable with it.”

The story was different with the housing hotline.

“We’ve had a tremendous positive response to the hotline,” Jason said.

She added that, although there is only one phone connected to the hotline number, there is always someone on staff to check the voicemail and respond to any voice messages.

“We have gotten a maximum of five voice mails in a day,” Amico said, noting that the Office has

Empowerment “Complicates the Issue” WOMEN, FROM PAGE 1

activism in the traditional sense,” the group said in a statement. “As feminists, language and styles of communicating are things we take very seriously. For Complicate the Issue, the title says it all […] by giving all the information, we are hoping to give a more nuanced, academic picture of the issue: one that takes into account circumstance, emotion and humanity.”

The issue of activism surrounding abortion on Catholic campuses has been a growing subject of controversy in recent years. President Barack Obama’s commencement speech at the Univ. of Notre Dame in 2009 sparked a wave of controversy, and New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan said Notre Dame was making a “big mistake” by honoring the pro-choice president. At Fordham in 2008, pro-choice Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer was given the Law School’s Fordham-Stein Ethics

Prize, earning Fordham’s administration a rebuke from Edward Cardinal Egan, then archbishop of New York.

Because of this, the group made sure to place their activity in the context of Fordham’s identity.

“Fordham is a Catholic institution, but it is also an academic institution,” the group said. “As such, it has a responsibility to foster dialogue and discussion ... We deeply respect the beliefs and mission of this institution, but this event is not intended to further any particular ideology.”

Brendan O’Morchoe, FCRH ’11 and president of Respect for Life, agreed that discussion was welcomed on the subject.

“While I obviously disagree with their opinions on abortion, I believe that it is important for those on both sides of the issue to be represented and heard,” he said. “The challenge makes us stronger as pro-lifers.”

O’Morchoe expanded upon his

personal views and his club’s.

“I am frustrated by the attempts of the students in Women’s Empowerment to skew the facts and deceive by downplaying the physical, mental and emotional pain that abortion causes to women and men,” he said.

“The right to abortion is not empowering for women. It diminishes their role in society, does immense harm to women and destroys thousands of innocent human lives every day.”

Women’s Empowerment’s position, however, was what facilitated the support of Student Affairs, who in the past has refused to give support to groups disagreeing with Church teaching, most recently in the case of The Vagina Monologues. In this case, however, Women’s Empowerment was pleased to note their good relationship with Student Affairs, explaining that its members had met with administrative staff to “clearly state their intentions and show them the content of our event.”

been responding to such inquiries.

“Students want their questions answered.”

Staff at the Office of Residential Life estimated that between 350 and 370 students selected their rooms on Monday, with about twice that many slated to pick on Thursday, April 14. They also estimate that there were six groups selecting during each time slot on Monday, in comparison to 10 on Thursday and 12 next Monday, April 19.

Additionally, Jason said that room selection for rising sophomores will not continue into Tuesday, April 20, saying that the Office will keep the room selection software available for a few extra hours Monday night rather than extend the process.

Finally, she assured that all students will be offered housing of some sort, provided they are eligible.

“Students should not feel that there is anything different with this year’s process,” she said. “We will place current residents in housing even though there will be, as always, more students than spaces in the lottery.”

THIS

week at FORDHAM Wed., April 13 Prayer Service for Japan Campus Ministry, McGinley Ballroom, 5:15 p.m.

Thurs., April 13 An Evening with Karl Rove College Republicans, Fordham Prep, 7 p.m.

Thurs., April 13 Movie Night with Fr. Florio Tierney Hall, 7 p.m.

Thurs., April 13 Cinevents!: Somewhere Campus Activities Board 9 p.m.

Fri., April 15 EPIC/ Masti McGinley Ballroom, 6 p.m.

Mon., April 18 Fordham for the Bronx Dealy 101, 1 p.m.

NEWS

APRIL 13, 2011 • THE RAM • PAGE 3

Students Turn to Facebook to Rally Against Sodexo FACEBOOK, FROM PAGE 1

nerve,” Mantia said of the event’s title. “Either that or it was the first [group] out there.”

Mantia first learned of the violations through a friend’s Facebook status and, upon further investigation, opted to create the group with his friend Bridget Poznanski, FCRH ’13.

“The Facebook group right now is serving as a good forum for students,” Mantia said. “They take a picture of a screw in their burger and post it and it’s there for 1,800 people to see.”

The group sparked an impromptu meeting in McGinley 2nd, attended by 22 students and five United Student Government representatives, only six hours after its formation.

Students aired grievances with Sodexo’s performances and debated avenues to pursue improvements.

Attendees raised fears of allergic reactions caused by food that is not properly prepared at dining facilities and proposed solutions to the issues raised. This meeting also lead to the initial planning stages of the Sodexo Town Hall, hosted by USG and held Monday night in O’Keefe Commons.

“I think it’s fantastic that students took the time out to do it,” Mantia said of the two meetings inspired by his Facebook event.

The Facebook group has also inspired students to use social media to display their dissatisfaction with Sodexo eateries.

Kevin Guhin, FCRH ’12, used Facebook to post a protest song titled “Sodexo Blues” after joining the Facebook group.

“I’d like to trust you’re cleanly and avoid all these hassle, but please, you’re 53 points behind White Castle,” Guhin sings in the song.

Caitlin Meyer, FCRH ’12 and executive vice president of USG, believes the social networking site was utilized in an influential way.

“We saw Facebook employed in a powerful and effective way,” Meyer said. “It helped to inform, inspire

and organize activism.”

Following the creation of the Facebook group, news of the health code violations spread to other online outlets. Barstool and Gothamist, both online blogs, produced stories covering Sodexo’s subpar scores.

Looking back on the excitement he has produced through Facebook, Mantia points to the event’s title as a possible catalyst.

“Demanding a refund was a very good marketing line,” Mantia said, giving the example that customers demand refunds at restaurants for inadequate meals. He suggested students should hold Sodexo facilities to the same standard as any other dining facility.

Mantia says the high costs of meal plans entitle students to a higher level of food quality. While he does not foresee monetary compensation in the form of checks from Sodexo or the administration, Mantia suggests a refund in the form of flex dollars as a feasible alternative; however, Mantia believes receiving a refund from the administration or Sodexo is still an idealistic outcome.

“Maybe that was a little bit impulsive, a little bit much to ask,” Mantia said.

Before the recent health code violations, Mantia cited a lengthy displeasure with Sodexo dining.

“I tried to make sandwiches, I tried to be innovative,” Mantia said.

“But after a while I was like this is stupid, I shouldn’t have to do this.

I shouldn’t have to invent new foods.”

Mantia has met with Brian Poteat, general manager of Food Services, and suggested a meal plan consisting of only flex dollars. Mantia found Poteat reluctant to consider the proposals and was referred to the Student Culinary Council to further his ideas.

“Brian [Poteat] has always been very nice,” Mantia said. “Maybe not always receptive with what I had to say, but at least he listens to it.”

Both Poteat and Jeffrey Gray, vice president of student affairs, de-

PHOTO BY BRIAN KRAKER/THE RAM

John Mantia, creator of the Facebook event “Demanding a Refund from Fordham Hospitality Services,” speaks at a meeting of disgruntled students on April 6, proposing meal plans of only flex-dollars and checks on Sodexo services.

PHOTO BY BRIAN KRAKER/THE RAM

(From left to right) Bryan Matis, Caitlin Meyer and Sara Kugel listened as students shared gripes with Sodexo dining facilities and recent health violations.

clined interviews with The Ram. Mantia also suggests hiring students to work at Sodexo dining facilities as a solution to improving food quality.

“I would love to work there,” Mantia said. “I would have a blast working there and making things better.”

Mantia believes that, by employing students in the Marketplace and other dining facilities on campus, the student employees will have more of an incentive to provide

quality food for their peers.

“They got all our money in the beginning of the year,” Mantia said. “So they spend their next four months trying to make sure their costs are low.”

Mantia realizes his Facebook event is not a perfect solution, indentifying the variety of complaints being raised through the Facebook event as creating a “disjointed effort.” He hopes to see students focus their animosity toward Sodexo productively in order to create so-

lutions to their grievances.

“We need to get behind a set plan and say ‘You violated our trust and now we demand this’,” Mantia said.

“We demand a new meal plan, we demand an opt out for freshmen and sophomores.”

Still, Mantia says he tries to remain pragmatic with his approach to improving Fordham eateries.

“Within a big institution like Fordham, it wouldn’t change in five days,” Mantia said. “We have to make sure we still have this passion in a week, or two weeks.”

Mantia plans to continue moderating the Facebook event and use the platform to inform students of updates and additional meetings to be held.

While social media has played a major role in recent student activism, Meyer reminded students that a personal presence is imperative for improvement.

“Our success relies on the participation of people like you,” Meyer said during the town hall meeting Monday night. “People who are concerned about something, people who don’t just complain on Facebook, but get out and talk to student government representatives and talk to administrators.”

Respect for Life Week Promotes Pro-Life Causes

By SANDY MCKENZIE CULTURE EDITOR

Respect for Life week occurred from April 4 through April 9 to raise awareness for the club’s mission.

The mission of Respect for Life is “to promote and protect the dignity of all human life at Fordham and in the New York City community.”

“During Respect for Life Week, we engage our fellow students in conversation to foster a culture of life at Fordham,” Brendan O’Morchoe, FCRH ’11 and president of Respect for Life, said. “We also try to make more visible the community of support for students who are pregnant or parenting and communicate the resources that are available to them.”

The week kicked off on April 4 with the Holy Hour for Life with the Sisters of Life. Tuesday and Wednesday were marked by the Cemetery of the Innocents Flag Display on the Alpha House Lawn.

COURTESY OF JONI VASQUEZ

The members of Respect for Life club display the flags on the Alpha House Lawn to commemorate the number of children killed through abortion.

There were 3,700 flags total, which “commemorated the number of innocent children killed each day through abortion.”

In addition, on Wednesday, the club held the presentation of the Robert Byrne Award, which honored Dr. Nolan-Haley, a Fordham law professor, “for her defense of the unborn.”

The events continued on Thursday with Rev. Peter West’s, assis-

tant director of Priests for Life, “A Reflection of Human Dignity from the Moment of Conception to the Moment of Natural Death.” Then, on Friday, the club handed out “Lollies for Life” and had students take surveys. The week concluded on Saturday with prayer and sidewalk counseling at Dr. Emily’s in the South Bronx.

Frank Coffey, FCRH ’12 and a member of the club, was encour-

aged by students showing their support for the club’s events.

“My favorite part is coming into contact at events with other prolifers on campus,” Coffey said. “It’s really encouraging to see other people come out and show support for such an important cause.”

According to O’Morchoe, the success of Respect for Life Week lies in the club’s ability to “reach out to students, stir up conversations on campus and get students to think about the problem of abortion.”

“I think this year’s Respect for Life Week was just as successful as in years past,” O’Morchoe said.

“We created a buzz on campus and opened the hearts and minds of students and showed those who are struggling with pregnancy, parenting or post-abortive trauma that their peers support them and that the Respect for Life club is available to help provide any resources they may need.”

Coffey, on the other hand, had mixed feelings about the success of the week.

“I think it was fairly successful,” Coffey said. “We had some good turnouts at our events, and the flag display always helps spark conversation you can hear around campus.

I think it was a failure, however, in terms of the lack of support demonstrated by the school, especially the Jesuits and religious on campus. Year after year we put on this week with little support from the Jesuit communities, and it can be quite disheartening for a Catholic on this campus. There are certain people like Fr. Koterski who do so much for us and make a lot of what we do possible, but unfortunately he seems to be the exception to the rule, and in that respect I consider the week a failure for Fordham.”

While Respect for Life does not have any more events this semester, the club is beginning to plan for next year’s events.

NEWS

PAGE 4 • THE RAM • APRIL 13, 2011

Sodexo Fields Questions Over Health Violations

PHOTO BY STEPHEN MOCCIA/ THE RAM

Over 200 students filled O’Keefe Commons for the USG hosted Town Hall with Sodexo. Many students posed questions to a panel of Sodexo representatives and members of the student government.

SODEXO, FROM PAGE 1

with the health inspector on March 21, listening to recommendations and outlining ways to improve Fordham’s facilities.

Students raised concerns with the transparency of information between Sodexo and the student body.

Matt Blough, GSB ’12, cited previous health violations at Fordham during a 2006 inspection and sought assurance from Sodexo that the March 21 violations will not reemerge.

“You said you promise this won’t happen again, but I assume you said the same thing four years ago,” Blough said. “How is it different today?”

Poteat responded to these complaints by inviting concerned students to personally inspect dining facilities.

“Come into my facilities,” Poteat said. “Come look at our records, come look at what we do everyday to ensure you’re eating safe food.”

However, not all students were satisfied with the transparency proposed by Poteat.

“Why do we have to be so proactive and organize these meetings just so we can get satisfactory food?” one student questioned.

Tom Brown, FCRH ’12, requested students have access to the reports published by the third party inspectors that frequent the Fordham campus more often than the Health Department.

Poteat cited the Student Coulinary Council as an outlet for students to remain involved in the quality of Fordham’s eateries.

“A general idea of dissatisfaction is hard to do something about,” Poteat said. “But a specific comment, a specific suggestion, I know how to act on that.”

Meyer hopes to rectify complaints about the breakdown in communication and encourages students to reach out to both USG and SCC with concerns regarding on campus dining.

“It was clear there was a real lapse in the communication avenues between Sodexo and students,” Meyer said following the meeting.

Many students also proposed alternatives to the current dining options on campus. One student proposed a solution referred to as a “Ram 0” alternative, which would provide a meal plan for students consisting solely of flex-dollars.

John Mantia, GSB ’13, supported the Ram 0 option, suggesting it which would create a more free-market atmosphere among students. Mantia

PHOTO BY STEPHEN MOCCIA/ THE RAM

Brian Poteat, general manager of Food Services, apologized to the audience.

believes the plan would expose preferences in particular dining facilities and act as an incentive for Sodexo to improve the less-popular eateries.

“You would understand right away that students wouldn’t go to the Caf,” Mantia said. “You would say ‘Hey everyone’s going to the Grille, let’s make the Caf more enticing by improving it.’ You would have more incentive to improve it.”

Another student proposed a system which would allow unused Cafeteria swipes to roll-over between the fall and spring semester.

“I’m paying for them, they’re essentially mine, why aren’t they allowed to roll-over to next semester?” the student asked.

Muhlenberg whispered to Poteat that Sodexo would look into the proposal, which he then relayed to the crowd.

Other students inquired about eliminating mandatory meal plans.

Currently Fordham policy requires any student without a personal kitchen to purchase a meal plan, which totals approximately 1,500 students.

“You couldn’t have that many people trying to cook without being monitored in those basement facilities,” Poteat said, referring to the public kitchens in some Fordham residence halls. “It’s unsafe.”

Poteat made several references to an action plan created by Sodexo to improve Fordham dining facilities following the recent health inspections.

“It’s a day-to-day issue that we have to work on,” Poteat said.

Poteat did not share specifics at the Town Hall; however, he invited students to meet with him and discuss the proposals.

The cost of meal plans was a common thread among student complaints, with many students stating they paid up to $5,000.

“My meal plan is $5,000 a year, and I couldn’t pay my tuition by $2,500, so I think I deserve a little bit of help,” Saad said.

Many students compared Fordham’s scores to the marks attained by other establishments recognizable to the student population.

“Even after the re-inspection of the Grille, they lost seven [points],” Kevin, a student who identified himself as a freshman, said. “The White Castle across the street still beats all of our facilities.”

“You can compare us to other places and some places do much better than we do and some places do worse,” Poteat responded.

Students also juxtaposed the price of Fordham’s meal plans with comparable offerings at New York University. One speaker argued that NYU students receive better-rated food for $500 less, demanding Fordham students receive the same.

Other students referenced Princeton Review’s rankings for the nation’s worst college food. The Web site, aimed at providing prospective students information about universities, currently ranks Fordham dining facilities 19th worst in the nation, while its Catholic competitor Notre Dame is ranked ninth best.

One student noted that several of the top-ranked campus eateries in Princeton Review’s ranking also employed Sodexo.

“Believe me, we don’t want to be on that list,” Poteat responded.

Several students posed questions that Poteat and the Sodexo repre-

sentatives said they were unable to answer, suggesting students address these issues with the administration.

USG invited Jeffrey Gray, vice president of Student Affairs, to join the panel at the Town Hall, but he did not attend.

“When 75 percent of the student body doesn’t feel the food is satisfactory, and that leads to not having good morale on campus, wouldn’t you want to change that?” one speaker asked, directing his question toward the administration. “Can we change that? How do we change that? Can we talk to the faculty?”

The panel also used the Town Hall to clarify some of the violations that occurred on March 21. Gregro told the audience that the Health Department allows restaurants to hold food without temperature control for up to four hours, but Fordham only permits this unregulated storage for two hours.

“I could hold [food] on this table for four hours without any temperature control as long as I have a sticker on the bottom telling me what time I put it on the table,” Gregro said.

She said Sodexo also plans to address these violations further during the Health Department’s Administrative Tribunal in May, which would lower the dining facilities final scores.

Some confusion arose during the Town Hall regarding rumors of Sodexo offering its customers different levels of food quality. While some students pointed to the Sodexo Web site as evidence of quality levels, Poteat refuted the existence of different tiers of food.

Some students inquired about the contract between Sodexo and Fordham, asking about the specific length of the agreement.

“It’s a long-running contract, but other than that I don’t know,” Poteat responded, failing to provide any spe-

cifics. He suggested that students ask Fordham administrators.

One student, John, asked how long Fordham’s dining facilities were at a failing level. Poteat responded, telling students that private auditors inspected campus eateries in January or February before the Health Department’s examination on March 21.

“You’re trying to say that for two years you were eating unsafe food, and that’s not true,” Poteat responded after a back and forth exchange with the student.

Members of USG were optimistic following the town hall meeting.

“I think that it was very clear that a lot of students were really passionate and concerned about this,” Bryan Matis, vice president of operations, said. “Food is always a personal issue for students and I think we definitively saw it as our responsibility to answer to that frustration.”

“I was very encouraged by the student activism and the number of students who showed up,” Meyer said.

“We both appreciated the fact that students got up from behind their computer screens and actually came and actually expressed their concerns in person.”

Still, Meyer reminds students that the town hall event is only the beginning of the student body’s involvement.

“A lot of really important points were raised tonight everybody needed to hear,” Meyer said. “I think it’s going to be vitally important for students to continue not to just say they’re upset but actually help us enact change.”

Editor’s Note: Both Vice President of Student Affairs Jeffrey Gray, and General Manager of Food Services Brian Poteat declined interviews for this article.

PHOTO BY STEPHEN MOCCIA/ THE RAM

A student poses a question regarding the high cost of Sodexo meal plans.

NEWS

APRIL 13, 2011 • THE RAM • PAGE 5

USG Unveils McGinley Student Art Gallery ART, FROM PAGE 1

who has walked by Keating basement, where many of the visual art classes’ work is displayed, you know that the disparity isn’t due to a lack of talent, rather to a lack of resources.”

She compared what she saw at Lincoln Center to the Rose Hill campus and eventually decided to put in a proposal for a student gallery at Rose Hill.

“There is no reason why Rose Hill students cannot have the same resources to display their talents on their own campus,” Kugel said.

“We have such talented students that have so many gifts they can share; we just need to give them an outlet to do just that.”

Kugel and Remiszewski drafted the proposal, detailing the plans for acquiring funding, the themes of the artwork and an aesthetic schematic of the gallery layout, which was done by Becher. The Office of Student Leadership agreed to fund the project, leaving the planning to USG. Remiszewski got in touch with the office of student international and study abroad programs, which sent out messages to students who had participated in the program, asking for photographs from their time spent abroad.

A subcommittee of USG received about 40 submissions, which made the blind selection process a real challenge. Meanwhile, Becher, an art history major, set about curating the project: choosing the theme, writing the description for the display and arranging the framed photos on the wall. The theme, it was decided, was people of different cultures interacting with their environment. By using pictures taken by students who had traveled all over the world, the different cultures depicted together would reinforce the concept of global unity.

“It’s just rewarding to see the photos up in one semester,” Remiszewski said.

The artists whose pieces were chosen were also present at the reception, with their photographs

COURTESY OF ROBERT SKODA

USG showcased artwork produced by Fordham students during the opening of the McGinley Center Art Gallery while attendees took time to view each piece.

taken in a wide variety of countries.

Ashton Fontana, FCRH ’11, spent a month in Rome with the Italian Theater Program and then visited various other cities, including Vatican City. In her photos, she set out to capture the different pace of Italian culture. She describes this as “part of the charm… the slower pace and the little moments.”

Aaron Peer, FCRH ’11, who studied in Paris as a part of the Contemporary French Studies program photographed a tryptic of a couple walking through an alley, the three side-by-side pictures creating a sense of motion. Peer said that he is interested in video, which led him to try to capture the progressive movement in the picture.

Daniel Doyle, FCRH ’11, who interned with Wild Jordan, an ecotourism company, said that both of his pictures were taken on the spur of the moment. The first picture was of a group of women at a historical site in the capital. Doyle said that between the lighting and the overall atmosphere, it was “… the most beautiful thing I [had]

COURTESY OF ROBERT SKODA

Adam Remiszewski took in the art hanging in the McGinley Second lobby.

seen all day and had to take a picture.”

Angelos Kontos, FCRH ’11, who studied economics and photography in Rome, actually took his pictures from film, the footage of which he shot around Italy. The pictures were black and white stills of scenes from around Italy. Elspeth Velten, FCRH ’11, studied in Venice and took a variety of photos from in and around the country.

The opening of the gallery was a

major success for all participants, who are now able to see the culmination of their efforts, with each artist receiving a certificate of recognition for their photographs.

Hors d’oeuvres were served, and two members of the jazz collective were present, with Steve Federowicz on piano and Oliver Beardsley on drums.

The event was well-attended.

These pictures will remain on display until January, 2012, and then

the pieces will be change for the new semester. Kugel said she was very pleased with the success of the project; she finds that the goals for the project have been met and looks forward to giving more student artists the opportunity to display their work for their peers.

“We wanted the talented artists of Rose Hill campus to have an outlet to display their creativity,” she said.

Kugel expounded on the value she places on the freedom of expression and speech, particularly on a college campus. She added that while there may be more art majors at Lincoln Center, that is “not an excuse to be devoid of culture.” This pushed her to see the project through to completion.

With this project set in motion, students at Rose Hill will be able to look forward to a great new venue for their art.

“Hopefully the gallery will grow more with time,” Kugel said. “It has to start somewhere, and hopefully this will be the push Rose Hill needs for visual artists to increase their presence. USG is so grateful to the artists for their contributions and we couldn’t have done it without them.”

Fordham for the Bronx Proposes Investments

By CORI RING-MARTINEZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

To a prospective Fordham student, any number of factors could sway his or her crucial decision, and Fordham’s prime New York City location and Jesuit tradition are the main selling points emphasized by the University. The Jesuit philosophy is especially visible in the work of Campus Ministry and the Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice, as well as the University’s involvement with community groups like University Neighborhood Housing Program (UNHP) and the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC).

Students involved with Fordham for the Bronx, however, contend that this is not enough to truly embody Fordham’s Jesuit principles of “assisting in the alleviation of poverty, the promotion of justice, the protection of human rights and respect for the

environment.” They have submitted a proposal to the University administration to urge the investment of a small portion of the University’s cash assets in Bronx Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI’s).

“We have a really strong community service program that is based around students that are really dedicated to working with our community partners, but in my opinion, that’s where it ends, and there is no more institutional involvement to the Bronx,” club member Brett Vetterlein, FCRH ’11, said.

After the club’s initial meeting with the administration in mid-March, the campaign intensified. They posted flyers and tabled McGinley last week to gain student support and petition signatures. In addition, they met with United Student Government and Dorothy Day Center staff members to secure an official statement of support from USG “encour-

aging the University to look into the proposal.”

“The University does do a lot and is very sensitive to its place in the Bronx community,” Robert Steves, director of Treasury Operations, said.

He stressed the positive disposition of the administration toward the student proposal.

Vetterlein cited Fordham University’s substantial role in the forming of the NWBCCC in the 1970s when the Bronx was “burning” as a sign that Fordham was an institution with strong, active ties to the local community in the past. Now, however, “in terms of finance, it’s not clear to me how Fordham uses its money to better the Bronx. If it is, then that’s great and they should publicize it more.”

The two institutions the group suggested, Bethex Federal Credit Union located here in the northwest Bronx area and Amalgamated Bank

located in Morris Heights, are federally insured up to the same amount as other traditional depository banks, and specifically serve “underbanked” areas where low income and minority communities do not have access to corporate banks and loans.

Fordham for the Bronx claims that redirecting funds into these banks will lead to an improved economic outlook for the entire area, allowing community members access to loans and spurring internal economic growth with the reinvestment made in the local community. In the proposal, the students cited seven universities with similar community investment programs, including Seattle University and the University of Pennsylvania.

“I respect and appreciate the thoughtfulness and motives of the students,” USG executive president Sara Kugel, FCRH ’11, said, despite not being an expert on the fiscal re-

sponsibility of the matter. She agreed that, “maybe it’s a matter about publicizing what the university does.”

For the University to make this a reality, several things would need to occur. According to Steves, he would need to consult with others “as it generally relates to our relationship to the Bronx, and make sure that we’re not overlapping with something else that’s being done.” If given the go-ahead, then Steves will have to research the “appropriateness” of the banks and determine a dollar value, although it “will not exceed the FDI insurance,” of up to $250,000.

If the current campaign succeeds, Fordham for the Bronx hopes that it will not only provide great publicity for the University, but also serve as an example for other financial giants and organizations in the Bronx, like the Montefiore Medical Center, to follow suit in empowering the local community through economic investment.

NEWS

PAGE 6 • THE RAM • APRIL 13, 2011

Naison Talks Local Music History Over Coffee

COURTESY OF CHRISTOPHER KENNEDY

Dr. Mark Naison explained how the ethnic diversity of the Bronx community produced interesting musical culture to Fordham students at a Coffee Talk on April 6 in Rodrigue’s Coffee House.

By CHRISTOPHER KENNEDY STAFF WRITER

Dr. Mark Naison, professor of African and African-American studies, was never a music historian; however, in a “Coffee Talk” held at Rodrigue’s Coffee House, he explained how the ethnic diversity of Bronx neighborhoods produced a fascinating musical culture. In the talk, sponsored by the Campus Activities Board’s American Age Lecture Series, Naison explained that while he was doing research on the history of the South Bronx, music stood out.

“So many people talked about the incredible music that was being sung and played in their neighborhoods in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s,” he said. “It quickly became clear that the Bronx produced more varieties of popular

music than almost any place in the United States, if not the world.”

The Bronx was unique at that time, he said, because of its cultural variety. He explained that neighborhoods such as Hunts Point and Morrisania had Jewish, Italian, AfricanAmerican and West Indian residents living in harmony and mixing their musical traditions.

The beginning of the combination of musical styles began with the opening of social clubs, Naison said.

“Pretty soon, the jazz people and the Afro-Cuban people are jamming together,” he said. “You have this sonic universe of incredible diversity.”

Naison interspersed his talk with a variety of songs from 1949 to the present. The first song played was “Ran Kan Kan,” released in 1949

by Tito Puente, a Spanish Harlem native. He explained that musicians like Tito Puente, Elmo Hope and The Chantels got their start in public schools, where instruments were provided and music was an encouraged after-school activity. “Maybe,” released in 1958, was recorded when The Chantels were still in high school and went on to sell over a million copies.

Soon, the style of music coming out of those neighborhoods made its way northward. “I Wonder Why” was a doo-wop song, Naison explained, recorded in 1958 by Dion and the Belmonts, named after the Belmont community just south of Fordham University.

He then told the story of Herbie Hancock, an African-American jazz bandleader and Mongo Santamaria,

a Cuban, who played together with Italian and Latin musicians for the first time at a club in Morrisania. The group played Hancock’s “Watermelon Man,” combining the influences of all the musicians and “the club went crazy.” He then discussed Eddie Palmieri, another product of New York City public schools, whose group Conjunto La Perfecta had a Jewish trombonist, Barry Rogers, and was one of the first to embrace the term “salsa” to describe their music.

It was in the late 1960s, though, that trouble hit the area “big time,” according to Naison. A drug epidemic began just as factories closed and middle-class families moved to the suburbs. Hunts Point and Morrisania were some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods, Naison said. Funding was cut from school music programs, and the instruments that had been so easily available disappeared.

Naison also explained that it was also around this time that immigration laws were relaxed, and several groups including Jamaicans moved into the South Bronx. One immigrant named Clive Campbell, later known as DJ Kool Herc, began mixing percussion sections of various records at parties he threw at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in Morris Heights. Hip-hop was born, Naison said. Soon, other musicians wanted to follow his success. One of the more notable musicians was Joseph Saddler, known as Grandmaster Flash, a Barbados native who immigrated when he was a young boy. As competition heightened, people decided to “toast” or speak over the mixed beats. “[Eventually,] you had four elements. The graffiti on the trains

and buildings, the DJing where it all started, the MCing or rapping and the ‘B boys’ or groups of dancers,” Naison said.

Soon, social commentary on living in bad conditions entered the picture and “The Message,” which Naison called “the most famous hiphop song of all time” was written

by Grandmaster Flash in 1982. In order to emphasize the lyrics, Naison rapped along as the music was played.

“Hip-hop was created to escape the conditions, but now it had the power to comment on it,” Naison said.

The tradition continued into the present day with groups such as Rebel Diaz and Luther Vandross all pulling influences from South Bronx hip-hop.

The talk was attended by about 25 students.

“Dr. Naison was educational, entertaining and interesting to hear, and gave me a new perspective on the Bronx and music history,” attendee Jake Sanders, FCRH ’11, said.

“It’s fascinating how a man of learning can be so relevant and encourage an understanding of our local context,” Kyle Vogel, FCRH ’14 said.

Kaylyn Toale, FCRH ’11, cochair of the American Age series, explained that the “Coffee Talk” program was designed to encourage an “atmosphere of exchange with professors” in a casual environment, and that this presentation would be especially unique.

“Dr. Naison’s topic is focused right here in the neighborhood, to give us a better sense of where we are,” she said.

Newest Member of OSL&CD Shares Goals, Challenges

By STEPHEN MOCCIA DESIGN EDITOR

Recently, The Ram sat down with Jennifer Lackie, the newest face in the Office of Student Leadership and Community Development.

Lackie, who is the assistant director for student organizations and programming, fills the position left vacant after the departure of Regina Fetterolf this past summer.

The Ram: Tell us a little about yourself, where you’re from, what interests you, ect.

Jennifer Lackie: I was born and raised in Middleton, Mass., a small town just north of Boston. In my spare time, I enjoy playing the trumpet, reading and, in the summertime, sailing.

TR: Where did you receive your undergraduate degree? Master’s?

JL: I attended Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., where I received a degree in diplomacy and international relations with a double major in French. I was fascinated with international security, specifically issues relating to terrorism and nuclear security. My senior year of college, I realized that I enjoyed learning about international security, but I didn’t want to work in the field myself. After a bit of soul searching, I changed my life direction and decided to get a Masters in higher education administration at

Boston College. Currently, I’m very interested in student development and in assessment.

TR: What do your responsibilities include, and were there any goals you had coming into the position?

JL: In this position, I advise over 92 clubs and organizations on campus and am the primary advisor for the Campus Activities Board. I work with each of the clubs to support their programming efforts and to ensure their events are as successful as possible. I also advise all of CAB and help support all of their programming. CAB does everything ranging from bingo nights, to trips into the city, to large-scale concerts.

It’s an exciting position to be in!

My first goal was to learn the position as quickly as possible. I know that everyone else in the office has been putting in extra hours while my position was vacant, and I wanted to take that extra work off of them as quickly as I could. One major goal that I hope to accomplish over the summer is to create “how to” guides, to help clubs program more efficiently.

TR: Having just finished your second month here, what was your biggest challenge?

JL: My biggest challenge was wrapping my head around the many processes that exist on campus. I’m still learning them all and I have a

the best ways to get your idea off on the right foot.

TR: What is the one thing, going forward, you wish to stress to students?

JL: My favorite part of my job is when students come by to visit or say “hi.” I love meeting new students and getting to know the ones I am already working with better.

Don’t ever hesitate to pop your head in to say hi. It’s my favorite part of the day.

PHOTO BY STEPHEN MOCCIA/THERAM

Jennifer Lackie, new assistant director for student organizations and programming, shares her responsibilities and goals with The Ram.

long way to go. Every campus has a different culture and a different way of doing things, I’m doing my best to learn the Fordham way. Everyone across the institution has been so helpful though, and I’m truly thankful for their assistance in helping me acclimate.

Having spent that last two years in Boston, living in Yankee territory is a close second.

TR: If there was one thing you could change, what would it be?

JL: I wish I had more hours in the day.

TR: After your time here, have you met or altered any of your ini-

tial goals, and have you developed any long-term goals you plan to tackle in the coming semesters?

JL: I’d like to spend some time learning my position. Spring is a very busy time to join an office, but once I have some time to reflect on the past semester, I’ll have many new goals to add.

TR: What is one thing you’d like students to know about your role on campus?

JL: If you are a club or organization leader and you want to plan an event, I’m the person to come speak with. Drop in or send me an e-mail and we can set up a time to talk.

Reaching out to me early is one of

TR: With Spring Weekend rapidly approaching and as CAB’s advisor, would you like to take this time to share any specific information with the student body?

JL: CAB has been working really hard to put on a fabulous Spring Weekend. It’s only a fun weekend, though, when you and your friends are all enjoying the weekend in a safe and smart manner. Please make sure you and your friends are eating well, drinking enough water and wearing sunscreen. Students who are found intoxicated or drinking underage will be held accountable for their actions. CAB and I want everyone to have fun at Spring Weekend, but please make sure you are enjoying the weekend responsibly.

To get the most updated information about Spring Weekend, students should “like” CAB’s Spring Weekend 2011 page, or follow @ fordhamcab on Twitter.

NEWS

APRIL 13, 2011 • THE RAM • PAGE 7

USG Amends Constitution to Retain Information on Students

By VICTORIA RAU MANAGING EDITOR

United Student Government voted in favor of a constitutional amendment that requires the vice president of operations to ask all clubs for a list of their members each year, so as to include that information on the University’s alumni database. The amendment stipulates that the vice president of operations send the list of club members and their contact information to the Office of Alumni Relations.

In addition to developing the possibility of communication between current clubs and alumni members and officers, the amendment will “allow the University to identify and target alumni who, by virtue of their undergraduate club membership, have a marked interest in various categories of events, programs and services offered by the University.”

This initiative involved a “collaborative effort” on the part of USG and Tim Dinneen, FCRH ’08, Alumni Relations officer for Young Alumni and Student Initiatives.

Dinneen said that the alumni database lacked information about non-academic involvement. By including this information, the database will “not only provide a more complete snapshot of your undergraduate experience, [but also] allow Fordham to connect to you based off what

COURTESY OF RAM ARCHIVES

This meeting was the last for Sara Kugel (right), USG executive president, whom Caitlin Meyer (left) will succeed.

you’re passionate about,” according to Dinneen.

“Student leaders put so much time and passion into their involvements,” Sara Kugel, FCRH ’11, executive president of USG, said. “There’s no reason why that should stop completely after graduation. These alumni could be a valuable asset to students, and these clubs could be a great way to encourage alumni to stay involved.”

“This is a beautiful example of University departments and students working together to put a common sense solution into place, remedying a long standing problem,” Dinneen said.

Kugel called the initiative “a great step forward” in strengthening ties between alumni and current students because it will

enable the University to inform alumni about news and events on campus that correlate with their interests and involvement.

Also at its most recent meeting on April 7, USG passed the resolution “Regarding the Inequality of Experience of Disabled Students,” which the senate has been discussing for the past several weeks. Donald Borenstein, president of FCRH ’13, proposed the resolution and has been meeting with administrators to fine-tune its suggestions for the past few months.

Now that the resolution is passed, the next step is to continue discussion with administrators, according to Borenstein.

“There’s a good potential for working with the administration to see how we can help give them

some direction on ways to improve the situation for disabled students,” he said. “They’ve already done some great work, but we would love to continue working with them because that is in the spirit of the resolution.”

The resolution makes four recommendations based on the belief that all students are entitled to a high-quality Fordham experience in terms of academics and extracurricular activities, regardless of physical disability.

These suggestions included: amplifying the number of laptop computers available to students with learning disabilities for taking tests; retrofitting rooms in residence halls other than O’Hare, such as Tierney, Walsh, Loschert, Alumni Court South and Queen’s Court, to give disabled students

more residential options; making McGinley Center meeting spaces fully accessible; and dedicating resources and serious consideration to renovations that would make the entire campus more accessible to disabled students as soon as possible.

Borenstein said that it is important for USG to play a role in promoting accessibility on campus.

“Being a student government, we really have to represent the interests of the students,” Borenstein said. “The best way to bring about change is student action. If we can just get up there toward the forefront and lead the charge, identifying issues, then we can get the administration to work on these issues and improve the student experience.”

Kugel acknowledged that the University could not necessarily implement all of the changes suggested in the resolution, but said that USG included all the recommendations in the hopes that setting high standards would encourage significant change in the future. “[Fordham] is a wonderful University, but we must always strive for more and remember that nothing less than great will suffice,” Kugel said. “We will not stop addressing these issues until every student feels included and welcome on this campus and until we know we have done everything we can possibly do to make sure this happens.”

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Applications Skyrocket, Admissions Rates Plunge

By GIRISH SWAMINATH CONTRIBUTING WRITER

In comparison to previous generations of college applicants, prospective undergraduates have faced more struggles in terms of receiving acceptances into universities all over the United States in the past several years. Class of 2015 applicants in particular found getting into a college a tougher task than they expected.

Most colleges seem to be extremely focused on rejecting more students in order to boost their reputations and build their prestige, as opposed to conducting the process to provide privileged students with an invaluable opportunity to receive a well-rounded education. For instance, according to The New York Times, in 2011, Stanford University accepted only 7.07 percent of its 34,348 applicants, and UCLA admitted 15,551 students out of 61,513 applicants.

The top 25 schools ranked on the US News and World Report are not alone in severely reducing their acceptances, however. Fordham also dropped its acceptance rate between the 2010 and 2011 application cycles from about 47 percent to about 37 percent. The continuation of this trend could result in a higher value for the University overall and allow Fordham to finally receive the recognition it deserves for its location and the well-rounded education it offers.

Since Fordham has joined other “top” schools in becoming more

selective, perhaps employers will view Fordham with more favorable eyes. Though competition has risen due to the large number of high school students in the nation, Fordham has become increasingly selective, choosing the brightest students and providing them with a well-rounded education necessary for success in the workplace.

Human resource specialists tend to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a potential candidate by simply viewing his or her alma mater. Applicants from more selective institutions tend to stand a larger chance due to their prestige and reputation for providing people with a phenomenal education. Despite turbulent economic times, Fordham’s undergraduate and graduate students might be more successful in landing jobs post-graduation than in the past.

The acceptance rate cuts that Fordham has implemented as a result of increasing demand will not only benefit the futures of students but also the careers of professors.

With Fordham’s overall reputation boosted, professors will be able to pursue more opportunities to collaborate in research projects with other prestigious universities throughout the nation and perhaps the world.

Fordham professors can partake in professional conferences and present their work along with other researchers and scholars from other top American colleges. The more faculty members are associ-

ated with other universities and establish and lead research-related programs involving undergraduate and graduate students, the more likely the American public will perceive Fordham as a leading university.

As much as the drop in acceptance rates will strengthen Fordham’s reputation among American universities, it takes away from Fordham’s focus on developing facilities, academic programs, faculty and increasing its quality of teaching. Introducing new courses and programs, hiring new professors and terminating underperforming professors can be a challenging task, requiring a lot of time and attention. If Fordham centers its aspirations excessively on boosting the prestige and the perception it reflects throughout the nation, it will end up neglecting the constant regulation of its education and curriculum.

Public perception does not and cannot wholly match the reality of Fordham’s education, since there is always at least one individual who does not perceive Fordham in a positive manner. What people outside the community think about the institution is important, but focusing on doing what is best for the University community should be a priority.

Therefore, maintaining a bright line between boosting the prestige of the institution by curtailing acceptance rates, and utilizing financial resources to effectively redevelop the academic opportunities

RAM ARCHIVES

Tognino Hall, located inside Duane Library, is used for some admissions events.

and programs offered is imperative for Fordham University.

Other universities should also maintain a balance between developing their programs and facilities and growing their prestige. Higher education should not be run like a market, using business strategies to improve public perception.

Universities should instead prioritize offering the privileged opportunity of a quality education to students over turning themselves into reputation-centered businesses.

Girish Swaminath, FCRH ’14, is a biology major from Monte Sereno, Calif.

Sr. Johnson Transcends Traditional Thought

By CHRISTOPHER KENNEDY STAFF WRITER

I have been a pretty orthodox Catholic since I was old enough to understand the faith. Things like organs, Latin and kneeling to take Communion have always been appealing to me. Thus, people have tended to label me with the rather amorphous term of being a “conservative”

in some sense of the word, and some thought I would fully support the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops when they sharply criticized Sr. Elizabeth Johnson over content in her book Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God, (“Johnson’s book stirs theological controversy,” The Ram, V. 93, Issue 9).

This is an incorrect assump-

SIMON SULIT/THE RAM

Sister Elizabeth Johnson penned a controversial book about the Catholic faith.

tion. I, and many others, find Johnson’s work educational and informative. The objections of the “Doctrine Committee” of the USCCB seem misguided. In fact, Johnson said herself in a prepared statement that she did not get a chance to explain herself and correct any misconceptions the Committee might have had.

“I would have been glad to enter into conversation to clarify critical points but was never invited to do so,” she said. “This book was discussed and finally assessed by the Committee before I knew any discussion had taken place.”

In addition, to the content of Johnson’s book, the Committee faults Johnson for saying that God is “unknowable” based on the true idea that human words cannot understand the beauty and power of God. Even today, observant Jews never refer to God by the Hebrew name out of respect for God’s divinity. The bishops’ objection is that if we cannot know God, we cannot claim to know the “truth” about God’s nature. What Johnson is saying, though, is that we know what has been revealed in Scripture, but God’s nature is unknowable (see Exodus 33: 20-22).

One of the larger, perhaps more controversial criticisms of the bishops regards the passages in which Johnson proposes that

feminine as well as masculine images be used in prayers referring to God. The book explains, “all-male images of God are hierarchical images rooted in the unequal relation between women and men, and they function to maintain this arrangement.”

In response, the bishops claim that the Gospels use masculine imagery because that was what God divinely revealed. They write, “The names of God found in the Scriptures are not mere human creations that can be replaced by others that we may find more suitable.”

I agree, however, with Dr. Terrence Tilley, chair of Fordham’s theology department and Avery Cardinal Dulles chair, S.J. professor of Catholic Theology.

“All revelation is received through language, and all language is culturally conditioned,” he said.

Language, after all, is a product of humankind and is therefore, as Johnson explained, insufficient to describe God’s divine nature; however, my objection is not chiefly with the content of the bishops’ criticism but rather, the method. They express concern for the “spiritual well-being” of those reading the book and are worried that people will consider it to be “official Catholic teaching.”

What I have discovered so

far as a theology major, though, is that simply reading “official Catholic teaching” doesn’t cut it. As previously mentioned, I respect the Church and its institutions greatly, but Johnson’s work is incredibly useful, even if it does somehow deviate from the Church’s line. She writes in her statement that theology has come to mean “faith seeking understanding,” a saying which applies directly to my study of the subject, growing up in the faith an3d seeking its true meaning.

Christianity is a vast mystery, and for the bishops to claim to hold the “truth” without leaving any room for discussion before issuing their criticism is disheartening.

No one says it better than Johnson in her statement: “Committed to the faith of the church, I take this statement as an occasion to ponder yet further the mystery of the living God who is ineffable.”

As a proud Catholic and theology student, I can only hope that Johnson is emboldened by this criticism and continues to question the nature of God, never being afraid to engage dialogue about what the Church teaches and about what remains a true mystery.

Christopher Kennedy, FCRH ’12, is a theology major from Mystic, Conn.

OPINIONS

PAGE 10 • THE RAM • APRIL 13, 2011

The Ram Serving campus and community since 1918.

The Ram is the University journal of record. The mission of The 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 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 12,000. The Ram office is located in the basement of the McGinley Center, room B-52.

www.theramonline.com Editorial: (718) 817-0873 Production: (718) 817-4381 Newsroom: (718) 817-4394 Advertising: (718) 817-4379 Fax: (718) 817-4319 theram@fordham.edu Fordham University - Station 37 Box B Bronx, NY 10458 Editor-in-Chief Nick Carroll Senior Executive Editor Patrick Derocher Managing Editor Victoria Rau Design Editor Stephen Moccia Business Editor Lindsay Lersner Business Editor Emeritus Caroline Dahlgren News Editors Connie Kim Brian Kraker Opinions Editor Christine Barcellona Assistant Opinions Editor Sarah Ramirez Culture Editor Sandy McKenzie Assistant Culture Editor Scharon Harding Sports Editor Alexander Vilardo Assistant Sports Editors Jonathon Smith Chester Baker Copy Chief Celeste Kmiotek Copy Team Taylor Engdahl Abigail Forget Tom Haskin Lisa Lo Paro Sean McGonigle Olivia Monaco Hussein Safa Erik Pedersen Photo Editor Nora Mallozzi Web Editor Kelly Caggiano Faculty Advisor Jonathan Sanders

Opinions Policy The Ram appreciates submissions that are typed and saved on a disk in a *.rtf, *.txt or *.doc formats, or sent to the staff via e-mail at RamLetters@ fordham.edu. Commentaries are printed on a space available basis. The Ram reserves the right to reject any submission for any reason, without notice.

Submissions become the exclusive property of The Ram and will not be returned. The Ram reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions in The 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 Ram may be reproduced without written consent.

From the Desk of Abigail Forget, Copy Editor I’m a bit of a cynic. Actually, I’m very much of a cynic. I can be very narrow-minded and am dead set in my ways. When I realized that this would be my last “From the Desk,” I looked back on everything I had written for The Ram and realized that my negativity has been evident in many articles that I have written over the years.

I have cast doubt on the misleading aim of a Fordham commercial, heavily criticized Fordham security and vented (no pun intended) about the infestation of mold in the ducts of O’Hare that made my roommate and me sick.

Oh, and that Ram staffer who found a push-pin in her chocolate chip muffin (see “Sodexo Cited for Health Violations,” V. 93, Issue 9)? That was me.

Most last-volume Ram staffers pen their final editorial when they are about to bid adieu to the publication and therefore tend to compose farewell Fordham/how my time was here-esque pieces. I still have over one year remaining at Fordham and, in an effort to be positive for a change, I recently reminded myself of the wonderful things I have done and experienced during my time at Fordham thus far. There have been many.

I accomplished my life’s goal of see-

ing Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen in person (judge heavily, it’s fine). We made eye contact. I died. I saw their TV uncle, Dave Coulier, (a.k.a. “Uncle Joey,”) perform hysterical stand-up in Keating freshman year.

Pre-Fordham, I merely wanted to visit Times Square and Canal Street on New York City trips. Since coming here, I have developed a desire to explore each and every borough. I got to perform the “Bad” dance at the scene of my favorite singer Michael Jackson’s famous music video at the Hoyt-Schermerhorn subway station in Brooklyn. I saw U2 for free.

I have met so many interesting people at Fordham and have made some great friends. At the same time, I have been able to easily balance them with friends from home and have successfully maintained a long-distance relationship without difficulty.

I have been able to take advantage of Fordham’s proximity to Manhattan and take on an amazing internship at Fox Business. In the cutthroat journalism field, I feel more and more fortunate every day that I have the resources that I do when applying for a job next year.

I have taken wonderful classes.

Professor Knight’s “Ethical Issues in the Media” course had me on the edge of my seat, as she recounted epic anecdotes from her time at CBS. Professor Pietros’ “Composition and Rhetoric” groomed me for the demands of college writing. Professor Schwartz’s “Theories of Media, Culture and Society” made me analyze the incessant inundation of media messages in our day-to-day lives in a way I never have before.

Did I mention that I get to go to college in the greatest city in the world?

And, The Ram, of course. Although the newspaper has been, at times, a tool to express my indignation, it has provided me with some of my greatest times at Rose Hill. Although I was initially disgruntled at being assigned to a sports beat my freshman year, the stint aided me greatly in transitioning to college newspaper writing style. Serving as assistant news editor to Rob Pergament and Nick Thibideau during Volume 91 can only be described as observing two expert journalists at work. The pair taught me valuable lessons in covering just about anything.

My year-and-a-half post as managing editor fueled my love of planning, calendars and organization. The position

allowed me to get to know everyone on staff very well and plan — my absolute favorite activity in life. No, but seriously.

This little exercise in trying to be positive was a spectacular idea. Yes, Fordham has some shortcomings, and they happen to be in departments with which I have had unfortunate run-ins, but tiffs with security guards and near push-pin throat puncture wounds aside, I love Fordham. The great thing about doing my last “From the Desk” now (other than the fact that it’s done and over with) is that my time at Fordham is not over yet. I have a superb senior year planned and I absolutely cannot wait.

Sure, I’m trying to be more cheerful in The Ram, but I haven’t gone completely soft. If any more departments mess with me, they’ll be next.

Sodexo Violations Information From “Students Shower Sodexo Complaints at Town Hall,” page 1 of this issue:

From “Campus Eateries Score Near Violations,” The Ram, October 26, 2006:

“‘I am personally sorry for the results of those health inspections,’ Brian Poteat, general manager of food services, said. ‘They are unacceptable and we’ve done everything we can to improve the facilities as quickly and as expeditiously as we could.’ . . .

Poteat informed students that the Student Deli and Millennium Grille both received additional inspections where they received A grades, while Campbell Café was given its first examination, when it was also awarded an A. Poteat also told the crowd he spent nine hours with the health inspector on March 21, listening to recommendations and outlining ways to improve Fordham’s facilities. . . .

‘You said you promise this won’t happen again, but I assume you said the same thing four years ago,’ Matt Blough, GSB ’12, said. ‘How is it different today?’

Poteat responded to these complaints by inviting concerned students to personally inspect dining facilities.

‘Come into my facilities,’ Poteat said. ‘Come look at our records, come look at what we do everyday to ensure you’re eating safe food.’”

“Brian Poteat, general manager and director of Fordham University Hospitality, commented on the high scores in a written response, saying, ‘Food safety is our number one priority and we take findings of critical violations very seriously. Sodexho is deeply committed to providing high quality food service at Fordham.’

Since the health code violations, action has been taken on the part of Sodexho. Poteat said many of the citations were due to facilities-related problems and have since been fixed. At the Deli, refrigeration appliances were called in for maintenance and repaired within days.

Additionally, all spoiled food was discarded so it would not be served.

Due to Sodexho’s fast response, they were able to lower the Deli’s violation score from a 22 to an 11 in recent court proceedings, according to Poteat.

‘When we learned of the critical violations, we took swift and immediate action to resolve all of the violations,’ Poteat said.”

Comments on Issue 9 news coverage from theramonline.com: As a parent who loves Fordham for my daughters in so many ways, I find this just sad. No wonder all she eats is salad, and apparently that is even dodgy. We should all get some sort of refund or discount having been forced to pay for a meal plan. It’s not funny that a school has such poor food. It doesn’t take much to serve good, healthy, safe meals.

—gubblebumm My son has wanted an off-campus apartment since his first year at Fordham, citing horrible food among the chief reasons. We thought he was exaggerating, but now I see why he was sick so often. I feel betrayed — we entrusted our child to this school, and expected healthy food at the very minimum! Now I see why the colleges my younger son is considering make such a big deal about their good food — and I doubt the younger one will want to go to Fordham after reading this article.

Fordham administrators who are reading this — you should know that high school seniors DO seriously consider quality of the food when choosing a college. And while parents may not expect sushi and salad bars, they DO expect cleanliness and basic quality ingredients.

—Concerned Mom

This is beyond acceptable. Fordham should be ashamed! My daughter often complains about the food and how she doesn’t feel good after she eats, but I never really thought much about it until now. Someone should be fired over this. Get serious. The amount we pay for the food plan and pride in the school should be more than enough to consistently provide excellent food!

—renakirsch Contact hospitality services with concerns about dining facilities on campus: 718.817.4515 fordhamfood@fordham.edu Contact Fordham’s Sodexo representative, Brian Poteat: bpoteat@fordham.edu Contact the Student Culinary Council: scc@fordham.edu Contact the United Student Government: usgrh@fordham.edu Check health inspection scores at nyc.gov/html/doh and click on “Restaurant Inspections.”

—COMPILED BY CHRISTINE BARCELLONA, OPINIONS EDITOR

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor: My name is Joanna Bak, and I am a junior at Fordham. I am involved with the Gabelli School of Business Learning Service Program organized by Brian Dunn, director of Honors Opportunities. I am specifically involved in a Learning Service Program named Yes The Bronx. Yes The Bronx is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Project Obesity, which brings attention to the obesity epidemic in the Bronx. The mission of Project Obesity is to en-

courage healthier lifestyle choices, diet, and to encourage residents of the Bronx to utilize the park space in the Bronx for exercise. Yes The Bronx directly plans, organizes and manages 5k races in the major parks in the Bronx. In order to promote these 5k runs and walks, the Yes The Bronx organization reaches out to community boards, civic and community organizations, healthcare and cultural institutions, metro New York running clubs and schools within the Bronx. In addition, members of Yes The Bronx, as well as students

from the Gabelli School of Business at Fordham University contact elected officials as well as local businesses asking for participation and accepting funds to spread the mission of Yes The Bronx as well as the Project Obesity initiative.

The students participating in the Yes the Bronx Learning Service Program would like to ask for your help. We’d like to ask for your assistance in getting friends and family to join us Saturday, April 23, at 10 a.m at the Split Rock Golf Club for a 5k trail race and 2k walk. This is the latest in our Run

For Your Life series to raise awareness about the obesity epidemic and get everyone using the Bronx parks. As always, prizes, T-shirts and fun for all will be the order of the day. It’s Easter weekend, so bring along any out-of-town family members who may be celebrating with you. Participants may also sign up at www.yesthebronx. org. We would like to get as many Fordham students to participate as possible for such a great cause.

Sincerely, Joanna Bak, GSB ’12

OPINIONS

Sodexo Shows Insufficient Response to Inspection Offenses

APRIL 13, 2011 • THE RAM • PAGE 11

Unfair Trade Eric Horvath Yemen Hatching

STEPHEN MOCCIA/THE RAM

Students organized via Facebook, showing up en masse for the USG-sponsored town hall meeting, to speak to members of Sodexo and ask inspection questions.

By CHRISTINE BARCELLONA OPINIONS EDITOR

Fordham’s food is notoriously bad. It currently holds the title of 19th-worst campus food on the country Princeton Review’s tonguein-cheek “Is It Food?” list. CollegeProwler.com gives Fordham’s campus dining a “C.” Students constantly complain about the Sodexooperated dining facilities on campus, and recent health inspections confirm what students have been saying for years.

During a well-attended town hall meeting called in response to student outcry over health inspections, Sodexo employees answered questions and responded to concerns.

Together, two regional representatives and Brian Poteat, general manager, said dining facilities have since been re-inspected with more satisfactory results, and they promised that they would not let conditions deteriorate again.

Promises ring hollow when seen in light of the 2006 Ram article that detailed lesser violations; he made promises at that time to improve conditions, but the opposite happened. Sodexo officials explained that the discrepancy was because of changing standards in health inspections; however, temperature issues that existed four years ago returned in recent inspections, signaling that problems still have not been fixed.

Students voiced concerns that did not involve feces in food storage areas and inadequate refrigeration.

Poor communication has exacerbated student woes. At the meeting, Sodexo representatives claimed that students had never become sick from eating Sodexo food; however, students said that they and their friends had experienced illness as a result of their products. They did not know how to report their illnesses, because they saw comment cards as the only way to give feedback.

Sodexo representatives agreed that communication must be improved. Comment cards and writing implements should always be available for students to submit their feedback publicly, but comment cards are not enough. Sodexo and Hospitality Services employees’ email addresses should be posted in obvious places around the cafeteria, and student complaints and feedback sent to those addresses should be given serious consideration and receive prompt responses.

Poteat promised students that he will answer all e-mails sent to his address and is willing to meet with students to address their concerns and give them tours of the Sodexooperated dining facilities. He should be willing to give these tours in a timely manner and should be will-

ing to extend the invitation to members of the student press.

Poteat mentioned the work done by the Student Culinary Council, which helps communicate student concerns to Sodexo managers.

They have worked with Sodexo and helped improve items on the menu.

They have an important role to play, but it has become clear that their voices are not enough to express all student grievances.

Caf, Deli, Grille and Café managers should always be available for concerned students to speak with.

On several occasions, I have asked to speak with the manager at the Caf, only to be told that he is on break. Whether this was an evasive procedure or whether he was truly unavailable, there should be a posted e-mail address for the manager on duty, so students can send him or her their concerns when managers are unreachable.

Increased transparency should go hand-in-hand with improved communication. At the meeting, students raised concerns relating to Sodexo’s contract with Fordham, which Sodexo officials said was confidential and on which they refused to comment. If the contract is confidential, then who is ensuring that Sodexo keeps its word? Were failed inspections and improper food storage part of the bargain? If Sodexo had breached its contract or violated students’ rights as a captive market, the Fordham community has a right to know.

USG is working toward gaining access to the contract. If they are successful, then hopefully they will be able to shed light on what students can expect from the food provider that has monopolized the Fordham dining scene.

At first, Poteat said he personally took responsibility for issues revealed during the inspections, and apologized to students and administrators; however, as the meeting went on, he and other Sodexo representatives blamed strict city inspectors, the school’s urban environment and the large number of students on the meal plan, in addition to Fordham facilities and employees, for the problems. They also implied that the New York City Department of Health standards were higher than necessary.

According to The Gothamist, New York University’s dining halls fared differently despite their urban setting and huge student body. Only one of NYU’s many dining facilities, operated by Aramark, had a failing grade. According to Poteat, the Caf prepares 12,000 meals per day to serve Rose Hill’s student body of over 5,000 undergraduates. In contrast, NYU has a student body of over 22,000 undergraduates. Their

daily number of prepared meals is much higher than Fordham’s, but they can still pass inspection.

Instead of pointing to Fordham’s facilities as an excuse for a low quality dining experience, Sodexo should be looking for other options for student dining. Several students suggested they should be able to use the meal plan’s declining balance at local eateries, like restaurants on Arthur Avenue. It would be a solution that would not require immediate construction projects for better facilities and would benefit local businesses.

Early in the meeting, Poteat defended Fordham’s employees and Sodexo’s admirable policy of hiring members of the community around Fordham; however, as students continued to raise concerns, he said that the menus at all Sodexo dining halls are the same, and that all of the food is of good quality.

“When the process breaks down, it’s usually a person,” he said. “The people here allowed this to happen.

It’s not necessarily measures and procedures. It’s holding people accountable.”

Blaming employees on Fordham’s campus for student discontent is unfair. As general manager of Fordham’s Sodexo-run establishments, Poteat, along with other upper-level dining facility administrators, should be held accountable for the breakdown in the establishments’ health code adherence. In several cases, when students raised complaints, it turned out that employees were not given the tools they needed to prevent problems.

One Queen’s Court resident expressed his frustration about fire alarms in the Deli, which went off as late as 1 a.m., after the Deli’s posted hours of operation.

Since the Deli is in the basement of Queen’s Court, the entire building would have to be evacuated every time the Deli alarm went off.

Poteat claimed that alarms were caused by oversensitive fire detectors. If the problem is a machine malfunction, then they need to replace the machines as soon as possible, so employees can do their job and residents can sleep at night.

Another student complained about the Sodexo-provided food’s sub-par taste. If Sodexo buys quality products, he wondered why students were consistently dissatisfied with simple menu items like chicken breasts, which he said are often dry and unappetizing. Executive Chef Michael DeMartino explained that they only have a 36-inch grill for cooking chicken. In order to accommodate meal-time rushes, Caf workers must cook much of the chicken ahead of time, since there is not enough room on the grill to prepare every breast to order. Chicken be-

comes dry when prepared so far in advance, he said.

If Caf employees do not have the tools to prepare satisfactory food, then they should be able to report where these shortcomings are, and Sodexo should quickly correct such problems. If a grill is not big enough, then the solution is to buy a larger grill. Surely Sodexo can afford that, when students pay about $5,000 per year for their meal plans.

The price of Fordham’s meal plan troubled many students at the meeting. Students deserve to know why they have to pay thousands of dollars a year for bad food served in an overcrowded cafeteria with health code violations. Sodexo representatives’ excuses for the inflated price tag were Fordham’s administration and the University’s urban environment. It is all too easy for them to pin the blame on someone else when an utter lack of transparency surrounds Sodexo, its practices and its contract with the University.

One student asked why residents of dorms containing a single community kitchen are required to buy meal plans. Poteat claimed that it is University policy because community kitchens are too small for hundreds of residents to share. This raises an interesting issue, since for years, summer resident students have been housed in Hughes Hall, Tierney Hall and, less recently, Finlay Hall, all of which possess only one community kitchen. Martyrs’ Court does not even have a full kitchen, and it will be used for summer housing this year.

Summer residents are not offered an adequate meal plan, which suggests that the University has been breaking its own policy for at least the last few summers.

During the school year and over the summer, Sodexo holds a monopoly over Fordham. Students should not have to nag the exploitative corporation to keep its operations within minimum government standards. Unfortunately, it has become clear that students must be proactive for Sodexo to consider them important customers.

It is easy to pass an inspection when there is time to prepare for it and when everyone is focused on the results. The student body at Rose Hill has risen to the occasion, organizing on Facebook and at this week’s town hall meeting. Sodexo allowed its establishments to deteriorate after problems and promised solutions in 2006; without continued student involvement and vigilance, it is conceivable that it will happen again.

Christine Barcellona, FCRH ’12, is an English major from Dallas, Texas.

She can be reached at cbarcellona@ fordham.edu.

After trillions upon trillions of chickens and eggs having been laid and hatched, I feel any debate about their origins would yield nothing but frustration. The discovery that one or the other comes first does nothing to abate the cyclicality of one perpetuating the other. That being said, considering the Al Qaeda-friendly Yemen, we are doing a respectable job of incubating eggs that are now violently hatching.

Yemen is a remote country at the southernmost tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Its western coastline is less than 50 miles from the perpetually volatile Horn of Africa. Rampant unemployment (40 percent) is fueled by a lack of jobs and infrastructure. Poor leadership and governance by President Ali Abdullah Saleh has left 40 percent of Yemeni adults illiterate and more than half of the country’s children malnourished.

Saleh has ruled Yemen since 1978 through cronyism and corruption. Many of Yemen’s economic woes are caused by Saleh’s blatant patronage politics: 70 percent of Yemen’s revenues come from the oil industry, a sector overrun by Saleh’s exploiting relatives. Corruption under Saleh, however, is much more complicated than the typical bribery for political influence.

Yemen is an ethnically fractured country, and Saleh directs a lion’s share of his bribes towards tribal leaders (as do the Saudis) in exchange for some peace and some quiet. Plagued by a civil war in the early 1990s, Yemen’s tribal loyalties continue to foment an unrest that is simmering. Erratic and easily distracted, Saleh has managed to keep mass uproars of conflict down despite unfavorable circumstances.

Saleh’s ability to hold together a semblance of a state in Yemen has won him millions of dollars in U.S. counterterrorism support. His willingness to assume responsibility for U.S. airstrikes on Al Qaeda bases in Yemen has made our marriage with him possible. We funnel millions of dollars to Yemen — the Middle East’s poorest country — in order to, as Saleh does with Yemeni tribes, ensure that no one gets too rowdy.

After weeks of violent governmental crackdowns and international pressure, however, our hand is being forced to endorse the call for Saleh’s expulsion.

It is only a matter of time before Saleh is removed from power (although that was said about Colonel Qaddafi several weeks ago, too) and anarchy becomes a legitimate possibility. Without a central figure doling out bribes for peace, a gaping power vacuum is imminent. Protestors will be dissatisfied if Saleh’s vice president assumes power, yet with over three decades of largely unopposed rule, one has to wonder how many oppositional factions have the organizational experience to weave Yemen’s intricately tribal web.

As we scramble to flip our foreign policy toward Yemen and the proliferation of an Al Qaeda safe haven looms larger, it is terrifying to think that all of our financial support and all of those chickens may be coming home to roost.

OPINIONS

PAGE 12 â&#x20AC;˘ THE RAM â&#x20AC;˘ APRIL 13, 2011

Energy Drinks Deliver Caffeine and Health Risks Students Try to Enhance Performance By Consuming Caffeine-Packed Beverages, But in Many Cases, They Are Doing Themselves More Harm Than Good one knows when they reach their safe limit, caffeine prevents one from knowing when they reach the safe limit.

In other words, the addition of a lot of caffeine to an alcohol drink covers up the effects of alcohol on the body. Since then, the manufacturer of Four Loko has taken steps to remove the caffeine from its drinks.

As the Wayne State University study and the Four Loko incidents show us, energy drinks give us a boost, but not the type of boost we are expecting from them. Even though energy drinks may seem to be the best way to enhance our performance, they are certainly not. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Energy drinks never help me,â&#x20AC;?

Marietta Leone, FCRH â&#x20AC;&#x2122;13, said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whenever I drink one, it sends me into shock and makes me jumpy.â&#x20AC;?

With many responsibilities, it may not always be easy to restrain ourselves from consuming energy drinks. It is good to know, however, that there are completely natural ways to enhance our performance.

One way, for instance, is to drink plenty of water. Water maintains fluidity in our body and thus enhances the ability of our cells to absorb nutrients, such as glucose, which is chemically broken down to produce ATP (energy).

In choosing a way to enhance our performance, it is always good to be aware of natural means of doing so.

Peter Gorski, FCRH â&#x20AC;&#x2122;14, is an undeclared major from Brooklyn, N.Y.

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on our part, thus contributing to a faster-aging heart.

Increased blood pressure and heart rate, however, are not the only impact energy drinks have on a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body. Other health risks include increased anxiety, panic attacks, vomiting, heart palpitations, sweating and diarrhea.

These and other health risks are associated with the excessive amounts of caffeine and an organic acid known as taurine found in energy drinks.

In fact, some energy drinks contain as much caffeine as the amount found in 14 cans of soda.

Although the Food and Drug Administration limits the content of caffeine in soft drinks to 71 milligrams per 12 fluid ounces, energy drinks are generally marketed as dietary supplements rather than as soft drinks and therefore have no restrictions on caffeine content.

Since there are usually no labels on energy drinks warning of the excessive caffeine content, we often consume these drinks, unaware of the health hazards to which we are exposing ourselves.

The recent Four Loko controversy is reflective of the dangers associated with excessive caffeine intake. Four Loko was an alcoholic energy drink. In the beginning of the fall 2010 semester, a number of emergency room visits made by college students were attributed to the consumption of this alcoholenergy drink. Although alcohol consumption is not dangerous if

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Students rely on energy drinks to get them through the day, despite the risks.

to concentrate and to stay awake. I thought I quickly found a solution in a Full Throttle energy drink.

Anticipating a positive outcome, I was surprised to find the exact opposite. My heart started beating rapidly. I felt like I was swaying back and forth even though I was walking straight. I thought I was going into cardiac arrest. Initially, I was uncertain about what caused such a sudden feeling of uneasiness; however, it did not take me a long time to realize that the cause was the Full Throttle energy drink.

Full Throttle, like all energy drinks, increases blood pressure and heart rate. At Wayne State University, in Michigan, researchers conducted a study in order to examine the way in which energy drinks impact heart function and overall cardiovascular health. In the study, 15 healthy volunteers drank two energy drinks a day for seven days.

The study found that by Day 1, systolic blood pressure increased by 7.9 percent, while diastolic pressure increased by seven percent and that by Day 7, systolic blood pressure increased by 9.6 percent, while diastolic blood pressure increased by 7.8 percent. In addition, the heart rate increased 7.8 percent

by Day 1 and 11 percent by Day 7.

Interestingly enough, these increases in blood pressure and heart rate were recorded while the 15 individuals were physically inactive. Energy drinks force our heart to work harder without any effort

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Regardless of whether it is while studying or exercising, one of our major goals, especially as college students, is to enhance our performance. In order to perform better, one of the most common steps we take is also perhaps the quickest: consuming energy drinks. After all, what else in the world has more energy and is more accessible to us than a beverage classified as an â&#x20AC;&#x153;energy drinkâ&#x20AC;?? In the past decade,

beginning with Red Bull, energy drinks have grown in popularity among teenagers and young adults because they promise a safe way to boost energy. Are energy drinks really capable of providing us with a boost of energy and enhancing our performance, however?

About two months ago, exhausted after studying for almost the whole night, I had to take an exam; however, I was in no shape to do so. Afraid that I would perform poorly on my exam, I tried to find a way of enhancing my ability

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Note: There will be no issue of The Ram next week due to Easter Recess.

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Really.

Look for our next issue, which will be published on Wednesday, April 27.

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Educating Minds and Hearts to Change the World

APRIL 13, 2011

PAGE 15

RecycleMania Wraps Up in Residence Halls

By SARAH RAMIREZ ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR

This year’s international Recyclemania tournament came to an end on Saturday, April 2. Fordham was one of 239 schools participating in the eight-week long Benchmark Division.

Beginning with a two-week trial period, the University collected and reported recycling and trash data; however, Fordham declined to join the Competition Division, and will not be included in the official RecycleMania rankings.

“Since it’s our first year in the competition, Fordham decided to just participate in the Benchmark Division this year,” Nell Roberts, FCRH ’11 and a member of Fordham’s RecycleMania committee, said.

The program encourages oncampus recycling and sustainability efforts at institutions of higher learning. Leading up to RecycleMania, advertisements, which included non-recyclable magnets, were placed throughout the residence halls.

“It wasn’t advertised as much as it could have been [at Rose Hill], and there weren’t many events in each Residence Hall to promote it,” Roberts said. “At Lincoln Center, they had a kickoff event and other celebrations during the competition. Rose Hill students are more spread out, so it was up to the individual buildings to program and let residents know about RecycleMa-

nia.”

“I loved the idea behind Recyclemania,” Claire Cumberland, FCRH ’13, said. “Recycling is one of those things that’s so easy to do and really plays a huge role in lessening our impact on the environment. Waste management is really a huge issue facing America right now, so it was really nice to see Fordham promoting good green ideals.”

For the inaugural year, Fordham chose only to tally the amount of trash and recyclables collected in the receptacles in the residence halls at Rose Hill and Lincoln Center.

According to Roberts, while Loschert Hall did the best out of the Rose Hill residence halls, Lincoln Center’s McMahon Hall had the least trash per person overall.

Although the final results will not be published until April 15 on the RecycleMania Web site, the tallies for each school are updated on a weekly basis. Fordham’s results, which are available on recyclemania.org, are mixed.

In the final week of the RecycleMania competition, Fordham’s recycling rate was 22.04 percent (Week 10), down from an average of 25.97 percent during the trial period (Weeks 1-2) and below the average of 23.24 percent throughout the program.

During Week 10, however, 4.90 pounds per person were recycled, just slightly above the average of 4.75 pounds per person.

COURTESY OF RECYCLEMANIA

Fordham concluded its participation in RecycleMania. The competition, which began in February, ended on April 2.

Throughout the course of RecycleMania, Fordham collected nearly 200,000 pounds of recyclables, coming in at a total of 199,648 pounds, including the 5,491 pounds of recyclables collected during Spring Break (Week 8).

“The goal of ReycleMania is to encourage students to waste less, but I don’t think that was accomplished at Fordham,” Roberts said. “Even though residents were aware of the program, I don’t think many were convinced to recycle or learned anything about it just because of RecycleMania’s presence on campus.”

Despite Fordham’s lackluster recycling performance, the University hopes to use the RecycleMania results to improve their recycling and sustainability efforts on campus.

“Giving students an incentive to participate in environmental efforts is so important, especially when it’s something as simple as recycling,” Cumberland said.

“To improve recycling on campus, Fordham could put recycling bins around campus,” Roberts said.

“If there is no recycling bin in sight, many people won’t walk to find one; they will just throw out their

recyclable container. Also, not having recycling bins everywhere gives students the impression that Fordham doesn’t care about recycling, so it makes them not want to make the effort.”

The next step for Fordham is to reevaluate its results from RecycleMania and begin planning its participation in next year’s tournament.

“I would have loved to see a stronger student participation within Recyclemania,” Cumberland said. “I believe they are planning to increase their efforts next year.”

Fordham Marketing Association Wins Competition

COURTESY OF CAITLIN ZWICK

The Fordham Marketing Association attended a conference in New Orleans.

By SCHARON HARDING ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

The Fordham Marketing Association (FMA) participated in the 33rd Annual International Collegiate Conference in late March.

Though it was only the club’s third time participating in the conference, it walked away with an impressive victory.

Forty different chapters of the American Marketing Association competed at the conference by building exhibition booths in one of three categories.

The categories were Best Rep-

resentation of Chapter Activities, Most Educational and Best Use of Conference Theme.

Fordham won first place in Best Use of Conference Theme, which was “Get in the Game: Marketing to the Wii Generation.”

“According to a judge I spoke to after the booth competition, he and his companions were extremely impressed with FMA’s understanding of Nintendo’s positioning and strategy for Wii: that it is designed to appeal far beyond the mostly young, mostly male, hard-core gaming community,” Professor Flicker, the club’s faculty

advisor said.

Each team was given 100 square feet of space and a table to build its booth.

Though the theme was based on Nintendo, Fordham’s design was unique in that it did not incorporate video games into its booth.

“Instead, we focused on diversity and the way in which our entire world is one connected generation,” Christine Campbell, who was vice president of the club during the conference, said. “The judges let us know that this focus on diversity and universality was exactly what Nintendo was aiming to do.”

To highlight the theme of diversity, the club’s booth featured photos of people of varying ages, genders and races. The booth also included a world map, where visitors marked their hometowns with star stickers. Visitors took pictures with the club members, which FMA uploaded to its blog to add to the diversity and technological unity of the booth.

“We collectively decided that the ‘Wii Generation’ encompassed all backgrounds of people as the product is able to transcend race, religion and gender inequalities,” Travis Marmara, former co-president and current student advisor of FMA, said.

“The hardest part about the competition was putting everything together by hand,” Campbell

said. “Because we had to travel, we could only bring minimal supplies and had to construct the entire exhibit on site in a limited amount of time.”

Marmara agreed that building the booth was a strenuous challenge.

“You want to see that all the hard work you invested in creating the ideas for the booth successfully come to fruition when it is actually completed,” he said. “We spent seven hours constructing the booth, and the pressure to create the best booth possible in that time frame was both a physically and emotionally draining experience.”

Despite these obstacles, the marketing team was still able to beat more experienced and more highly funded competitors.

“Our biggest competition was the schools with larger chapters and larger budgets,” Campbell said. “Our small group of seven students was competing with chapters of 40 students, and with chapters who had corporate sponsors and were able to afford fancy gadgets and decorations for their exhibits.”

The Fordham Marketing Association is only three years old. In addition, the club neither offers course credit nor has the same resources available that more experienced chapters have. These limitations made competing with the powerful chapters of the Wharton

School of the University of Pennsylvania, University of Wisconsin, University of Arizona and University of Nevada challenging.

This year’s conference taught the team some valuable marketing lessons on teamwork and cooperation, in addition to giving FMA experience in approaching the conference. The group plans on using these lessons to their advantage at next year’s conference.

Campbell, who is now one of the co-presidents of the club, and Marmara, who is now a club advisor, have big plans.

“Next year, we hope to be able to create another award-winning booth,” Campbell said. “Hopefully we can encourage sponsorships from the local Fordham community to be able to afford all of the creative ideas we come up with for our booth.”

“My plan for next year is to repeat our success that we had this year, and to build upon and leverage this success to slowly entrenching our school as one of the best schools internationally in the marketing sector,” Marmara said.

Things already look promising for the young club. Its creativity and unique ideas have not gone unnoticed.

“I’m very proud of the FMA team,” Flicker said. “As a marketing professor, I think their insight, analysis and creativity were brilliant.”

CULTURE

PAGE 16 • THE RAM APRIL 13,2011

Cooking With Clara

Dining Out: Ess-A-Bagel

CLARA ENNIST

Over the summer, I had the job of making a gluten free dessert for a dinner guest who is gluten intolerant. This was difficult because gluten is in all wheat products, meaning that any dessert recipe that called for flour was out of the question. While some recipes substitute rice flour, it can sometimes produce a sickly sweet flavoring.

Instead, I opted for some flourless options. Oatmeal does contain small amounts of gluten, so this particular dessert was all right for my gluten intolerant guest, but would be unacceptable for people more sensitive to gluten or those with Celiac disease.

Yield: 30 Bars Ingredients: -3/4 c. unsalted butter -1/2 c. packed brown sugar -1 tsp. vanilla extract - 3 c. quick cooking oats -1 c. chocolate chips; semisweet -1/2 c. peanut butter; smooth Directions: Lightly grease an 8x8 inch baking dish and set it aside.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat; stir in the brown sugar, vanilla and oats. Cook for four minutes and then press three quarters of the mixture into the baking dish. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and peanut butter, stirring until smooth. When the mixture is fully melted, pour it over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining oatmeal mixture on top. Refrigerate for three hours prior to cutting and serving.

While it may be difficult to wait the three hours before cutting this dessert, it is a must because it makes for cleaner cuts and better-formed squares. I recommend using a cool knife and wiping it clean after each cut. While this dessert does have to sit for awhile in order to set, it is extremely fast and extraordinarily easy to prepare. Actually, short of making break-and-bake cookies or adding eggs, water and oil to a cake mix, this is probably the easiest dessert you could make. What’s more, you do not have to turn on your oven; I especially appreciate this dessert on those summer days when it is too hot to even fathom turning on an even hotter oven, or when I have grown lazy from the heat and I do not feel like keeping my promise to bring a dessert to a friend’s gathering. You can even melt the chocolate and peanut butter in a microwaveable bowl by heating it and then stirring it in thirty second intervals until the chocolate is smooth and well blended with the peanut butter.

Finally, because most people keep these ingredients stocked in their house, it is a dessert that you can throw together for yourself when you are really craving a peanut butter and chocolate treat.

When certain parameters are put on your options for baking or cooking, it is an opportunity to get creative and to try some different methods of baking with ingredients that you would typically overlook. Even though this is far from the most glamorous or impressive dessert you will ever serve, it is a crowd pleaser.

onto my bagel.

Curious to try the other combinations, I tasted my friends’ A bagel for dinner? Seems like meals. As a huge lox fan, one of a crazy idea, but at Ess-A-Bagel on my companions had an everything Third Avenue between 51st and bagel with regular cream cheese 52nd, bagels dominate the menu. and lox. The salmon was fresh and A small, nondescript deli, Ess-Athinly sliced and placed on top of Bagel serves over 15 different kinds the creamy and delicious spread. of bagels and over 20 different butAnother friend had a regular baters and cream cheeses. gel with apple-cinnamon cream The restaurant itself is designed cheese. This cream cheese was my like a typical Manhattan deli. There favorite; the sweet cinnamon taste are a couple of tables and a counter was perfectly complimented by at which to order the different deli fresh apple pieces. At first it was items showcased, like salads and strange to have actual apples in spreads. the cream cheese, but as I continPrior to my dinner at Ess-A-Baued eating my piece, I enjoyed the gel, I was unaware of the multitude sweet surprise. of bagel options.

Other spreads on Overall Since this was going the menu include Location to be my dinner, I chocolate chip Food Quality wanted a filling meal. cream cheese, chedAtmosphere I chose a wholedar cream cheese, Hospitality Price $ wheat everything sundried tomato bagel with egg and cream cheese, vege(Out of 4 ’s) cheese.

Although table cream cheese, the egg and cheese peanut butter, jelly were just placed in the microwave, and butter. There were also many the bagel itself was the best I have other cream cheeses to try. ever tasted.

Ess-A-Bagel is like a typical deli After I devoured my bagel, I had in that you seat yourself, order at to get another. Since the total price the counter and wait for your food. of each bagel with toppings is unAt 6:30 on a Friday night, we had der $5, I was willing to indulge. no problems finding seating for My next bagel was my favorite five and we waited in a very short type, cinnamon raisin. The bagel line to order. Everyone’s food was was perfectly warm and soft on the prepared within five minutes. The inside. I decided to top my second staff was not exceptionally friendly helping with one of Ess-A-Bagel’s but held the typical New York despreads. I skeptically choose the meanor of quick service with no blueberry cream cheese. Often extra conversation. fruit-flavored spreads are sugary For two bagels and a drink, my and do not taste like actual fruit, total individual bill was less than but this cream cheese tasted as if $10, a cheap but filling meal for actual blueberries were crushed midtown Manhattan.

By NANCY BUCKLEY

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

PHOTO BY NANCY BUCKLEY/THE RAM

PHOTO BY NANCY BUCKLEY/THE RAM

Ess-A-Bagel is located on Third Avenue between 51st and 52nd Streets.

Editor’s Pick: Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (the Movie)

By CHESTER BAKER ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Last week I walked into to Best Buy to buy some printer ink, but I stopped over to look at some cheap DVDs. I sifted through some horrible movies before finally finding what I considered to be the holy grail of childhood movies: Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie.

Everyone has those movies that they always watched when they were sick as kids. For some reason mine were this and Beetlejuice. Needless to say, I gambled the $4.99 and proceeded to the register. My roommate Alex was as excited as I was, if not more so. We immediately started quoting what we could remember and could not wait to watch it.

For those of you who missed out on a childhood and did not watch the Power Rangers, I feel sorry for you. The movie focuses on the Rangers in another quest to stop the world from the forces of evil.

This time, they go up against Ivan Ooze (Adam Freeman, Centurion), who uses purple goo to brainwash the parents of Angel Grove and unearth his diabolical machines.

Meanwhile, he destroys the command center and Zordon’s (Nicholas Bell, Mission: Impossible II) big thing that keeps him alive, leaving the Rangers powerless. They must go to a supposedly dangerous plan-

et to receive some powers from a hot babe named Dulcea (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick, “NYPD Blue”). Eventually, the Rangers head back to Earth and are, shockingly, able to defeat Ivan.

While we were watching, all Alex and I could think was, “What the hell were they thinking with this?”

Seriously, Ivan Ooze is your go-to villain when you make the movie of the series? The graphics were bad, even for a film made in the mid-’90s, the acting was absolutely horrible (we looked everyone up on IMDB and none of them went on to do anything with their lives).

The story was generic and there were many horrible ’90s jokes.

In addition, whenever the Rangers morphed into their suits, you could not see their mouths when they talked. They compensated for this by moving their heads a lot and shaking their hands around, which was very amusing.

On this supposedly deadly land, all the Power Rangers run into is a bikini-clad hottie who helps them out, a fossil triceratops that comes alive and four weird-looking dudes.

They also have to fight big crows during their initial battle. It really did not seem that hard for them, and it seems like someone would have been able to get the power before them. There are just so many things that make zero sense in this movie.

You know what, forget every-

COURTESY OF FLICKR.COM

thing that is wrong with the film, which basically is everything that can be wrong with a film, and just accept it for what it is: an amazing piece of cinematography.

This movie goes into that magical territory where a movie is so bad that it is actually good. This is a hard thing to achieve, but this movie does so swimmingly. The pop-culture references are so obscure that all you can do is laugh.

I mean, they have a solid five minutes of them celebrating. This is genius. Also, the movie starts off with a skydiving competition. Enough said – I’m hooked. A firework sendoff with Van Halen playing in the background closes it off. I wish these were the bookends for every movie ever made.

While it is a fun movie to watch even if you did not love the series when you were a kid, it is always nice to act like a kid again. It was a lot of fun to remember all of the

times I had watching the show, all of the time wasted (enjoyed) playing the video games, singing the theme song and all of the fun I had dressing up as a Power Ranger on Halloween. I even watched the show on the Saturday morning of Spring Weekend last year. It was awesome.

So, if you are ever in the mood to just laugh at how poorly a movie can be made, and how many plot holes a movie can have, yet still be entertaining, then this might be the movie for which you have been searching. If you want to relive a little slice of your elementary school self, then this is without a doubt a must re-watch for any Power Rangers fan. Even if you are not a fan, make sure you go back and watch some of the things you loved when you were a kid. You might find a new appreciation for them, just as I did with Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie.

APRIL 13, 2011 • THE RAM • PAGE 17

WHO’S THAT KID? Cara Flynn A MEMBER OF FCRH ’12 MAJORING IN SOCIOLOGY , MINORING IN HISTORY, FROM SUMMIT, N.J. Where have we seen you?

Running to a Ram Van. I have to go to Lincoln Center every day so it seems like I’m always getting ready for my commute or getting on and off of a Ram Van. If I’m not spotted at the Ram Van stop, then you’ve seen me running around campus to make it to a class, meeting, program or tutoring session on time.

Favorite childhood show and favorite current show?

“Power Rangers” (I wanted to be the Pink Power Ranger, Kimberley Hart. Yes, I remember the characters’ names) and “Skins.”

Who would play you in a movie and why?

Let’s just say it’s an animated movie

and I’m voicing myself.

If you could have a dinner with any historical person, who would it be and why?

President Obama; I voted for him in my first election, and I’d love to talk to him about a variety of issues, such as our nation’s education system.

What would your ideal day in Manhattan consist of?

My friends and I tour Ellis Island, stop at Chipotle and then go to Central Park. While walking around Central Park for hours, we would just happen to run into the cast of “Law & Order: SVU,” who are filming a scene.

Still in shock that I’ve finally checked off the No. 1 item on my Fordham bucket list (yes, I have an actual Ford-

ham bucket list), I’ll head over to the Nederlander Theatre to see Rent (The Original Broudway Cast just happens to be performing tonight). After the show, my friends and I take a picture with the cast, get our playbills signed and head over to the Shake Shack.

If you could be anywhere and doing anything right now, what would it be?

At a bar in Cork, Ireland hanging out with some of my closest friends.

Favorite class at Fordham and favorite professor?

Irish Language & Culture I with Professor Kelly and Sociology of Education with Professor Dippolt.

How do you blow off steam?

I watch episodes of “How I Met Your Mother;” the show is hilarious.

P.S.: Neil Patrick Harris, I wish you weren’t gay.

What is the biggest misconception people have about you?

That I’m from Connecticut. Apparently my style doesn’t scream New Jersey. What can I say, I can’t do the Jersey poof (I’ve tried).

Stuck on an island, what would you need?

Fun answer: My roommate, my laptop, Wi-Fi, my Netflix, sunscreen and the following venues: a fullystocked Forever 21, Whole Foods and Dairy Queen. Real answer: A large boat with a skilled crew (including Jack Shephard, and I still need my roommate).

what’s Know “what’s going on” on campus or in NYC?

Going

Send tips, event listings, or comments to theram@fordham.edu.

14

?

On

THURSDAY The Good Person of Szechwan Pope Auditorium 8 p.m.

113 W 60th St. Enjoy Fordham Theatre’s production of the play.

15

FRIDAY Expressions Dance Alliance Presents: Send Me On My Way Collins Auditorium 8 p.m.

Watch the team’s 10th-anniversary spring performance.

16

SATURDAY El Grito de Lares Latin Gala McGinley Ballroom, 8 p.m.

The Gala will have special guest artists, food and music.

17

SUNDAY Journey to the Stars American Museum of Natural History Central Park West Whoopi Goldberg narrates the American Museum of Natural History’s newest space show.

18

MONDAY Whiplash United Citizens Brigade Theatre 307 W 26th St. 11 p.m.

Popular local comics perform, hosted by Leo Allen.

What is your dream job?

Working for a not-for-profit that is involved with helping kids from low-income areas find educational success. I’d love to organize and execute the not-for-profit’s events, in addition to working with the kids to help them reach their potential and earn college acceptances.

COURTESY OF CARA FLYNN

Cara Flynn, from Summit, N.J., is majoring in sociology and minoring in history.

What is your guilty pleasure?

Ordering large quantities of food from both Howl and Webster’s (in the same night). Before they graduate, each student must order Howl’s nacho tower. Also, I watch too much “Eyewitness News.”

19

TUESDAY Tuesday Tastings Jimmy’s No. 43 43 E 17th St. 7:30 p.m.

Taste six Scandinavian drinks for $10.

20

WEDNESDAY Play Dead Player’s Theatre 8 p.m.

115 MacDougal St. Todd Robbins puts on a magic act and lecture with a theme of murderers.

— COMPILED BY SCHARON HARDING

Ram Reviews MOVIE THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU

MOVIE JANE EYRE

TELEVISION “MAD MEN”

By JAKE KRING-SCHREIFELS

By LAUREN HATHAWAY

By ANNA BECKELMAN

STAFF WRITER

STAFF WRITER

STAFF WRITER

In The Adjustment Bureau, adjusters in the story tinker here, nudge things there and make sure everyone stays according to “The Plan.”

Part of this “Plan,” however, means nudging New York politician David Norris (Matt Damon, The Departed) as he makes his bid for Senate.

On election night, he bumps into a dancer, Elise (Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria). The two form an instant attraction with unknown implications.

A serious game of chase follows, as David tries to outrun his determined fate, while captivated by the pirouetting force of Elise.

A distinct romantic entail, The Adjustment Bureau shines through the typical out-of-place love stories so abundant today.

From the beginning of Jane Eyre, director Cary Fukunaga (Sin Nombre) makes it unapologetically clear that this will not be a cut-and-paste version of the novel.

The film opens with an adult Jane (Mia Wasikowska, Alice in Wonderland) running through the barren moors. Appearing to be on the brink of death, she is taken in and nursed to health by St. John Rivers ( Jamie Bell, Defiance), a young, yet austere clergyman.

Through flashbacks, we learn about Jane’s past. Despite many hardships, she grows into an intelligent and well-educated young woman and eventually finds herself a position as a governess at Thornfield Hall.

In typical gothic fashion, Jane Eyre is full of mystery.

Fans of AMC’s “Mad Men” breathed a collective sigh of relief recently, as they learned that the show would return for at least two more seasons.

The news came after heated negotiations between AMC and the show’s creator and executive producer, Matthew Weiner, which had many fans worried that they had seen the last of Don Draper and his colleagues.

The delay in reaching a deal between AMC, Weiner and production company Lionsgate stemmed from changes AMC wanted to make to “Mad Men.” AMC wanted Weiner to cut each episode from 47 minutes to 45 minutes and fire two actors. The basic cable channel also wanted more product placement integrated into the show.

In the final deal, AMC and Weiner reached a sensible compromise on the show’s running time.

The season premiere and finale will each run 47 minutes, while other episodes will run 45 minutes in primetime with 47-minute versions available on video-on-demand and on DVD. According to Entertainment Weekly, no cuts are expected in the show’s main cast, who are currently signed on for two more seasons. Depending on what the cast chooses to do after Season Six, the show could very likely return for a seventh season, though Weiner has said that a seventh season would probably be the show’s last.

As for more product placement, it will be, according to tvline.com writer Matt Webb Mitovich, “accommodated when organic to the storyline and under Weiner’s complete creative control.”

Since the show is about an advertising agency, product placement makes sense and the show has certainly featured countless

products and companies ranging from Kodak to Utz to American Airlines; however, since the show takes place in the 1960s and many of the products discussed on the show no longer exist or are different in their 21st century form, this particular demand from AMC seems rather strange.

It is doubtful that seeing a company’s product from the late 1960s on “Mad Men” would convince viewers to buy the company’s current product over 40 years later.

Considering the success Matthew Weiner and the show’s other writers have achieved since its premiere in 2007, however, audiences should not be too concerned that more integrated product placement will disrupt the show’s flow.

If you still need your fix of the colorful cast of “Mad Men” characters before next March, and you have a Netflix account, you’re in luck. Netflix has purchased the rights to the reruns, which will be available for streaming over the Internet beginning in July.

TO READ THESE REVIEWS IN THEIR ENTIRETY, VISIT THERAMONLINE.COM AND CLICK ON “CULTURE” ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HOMEPAGE.

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PAGE 19

APRIL 13, 2011

Softball Back on Top of A-10 Following Four Conference Wins Jen Mineau Tosses No-Hitter as Lady Rams Sweep George Washington and LaSalle; Lose to Hofstra 5-1

By CHESTER BAKER ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Following a disappointing week in which the Lady Rams won just two of their four games, Fordham was looking to get back on track.

Luckily, they had plenty of chances as they closed out their 11-game home-stand with five games this past week.

Senior third baseman Jocelyn Dearborn knew the team had to rebound and take advantage of their home field advantage.

“We felt like we should have won all those games last week,” Dearborn said. “So we came out this week with a sense of urgency and knew we had to get the job done.”

Fordham responded by going 4-1 on the week, with the lone loss coming to the only non-conference opponent, Hofstra.

Fordham went 4-0 in match-ups against Atlantic-10 foes, sweeping two-game series against George Washington and La Salle, respectively.

Fordham’s week started off poorly, falling 5-1 to the Pride.

Fordham turned to senior Chelsea Plimpton in the circle, but she did not get much help from her fielders in the first inning. Junior right fielder Nicole Callahan committed a two-base error when the ball deflected off her glove with the bases loaded, leading to three unearned runs scoring for Hofstra.

The Pride then extended their lead in the third inning when Plimpton served up a two-run homer, as Fordham fell behind 5-0.

Mineau relieved Plimpton in the fourth and she struggled in her second straight relief performance.

She loaded the bases on a walk, after she had given up a double and an infield single. Mineau was able to escape trouble though, striking out the side to leave the inning unscathed.

The only offensive highlight for the Lady Rams came in the sixth when Dearborn hit her team-leading 10th home run of the season.

Mineau was able to recover from

PHOTO BY AARON MAYS/THE RAM

Junior pitcher Jen Mineau threw her fifth career no-hitter against George Washington. She almost pitched a second consecutive no-hitter against LaSalle, surrendering just one hit while striking out 13 of the 16 batters she faced.

her uncharacteristic performance against Hofstra by picking up her sixth career no-hitter against George Washington.

Mineau lost her perfect game in the first inning when she threw a comebacker over the head of sophomore first baseman Jamie LaBovick. Mineau walked one in seven innings of work, while striking out 12 Colonial batters.

“Jen was really dominant,” Dearborn said. “It is really easy to get the win when you have a pitcher of her caliber pitching at the top of her game.”

Dearborn gave Mineau all of the run support she would need by homering for the 11th time of the season in the third inning. Dearborn then re-entered the game following a minor injury.

Fordham increased its lead to 2-0 in the fifth following a GW error and got its final run in the sixth when freshman catcher Gabby Luety delivered an offering over the

left-field wall for her fifth home run of the season.

In the second game of the series, the Lady Rams apparently did not feel like playing the whole seven innings for two days in a row, so they got the five-inning mercy rule to sweep the series. Fordham pushed across six runs in the fifth to get the 11-1 win.

The game ended when sophomore right fielder Chelsea Palumbo hit a dramatic walk-off grand slam to get the eight-run mercy rule.

The offense was clicking on all cylinders for the Lady Rams, as six different players got hits, while five players drove in runs. Palumbo led the team with the four RBI from her grand slam, Luety chipped in with three and LaBovick drove home two.

Lost in the offensive outburst by the Lady Rams was a dominant performance by Plimpton, who went all five innings, giving up just four hits while setting down four

on strikes.

Fordham did not have much time to rest, as it welcomed in La Salle the next day for a conference doubleheader.

Mineau nearly threw her second consecutive no-hitter, surrendering just one hit in the 8-0 win in the first game.

The junior was simply brilliant, striking out 13 of the 16 batters faced. Mineau did not allow a runner past first the entire game. Her best inning may have come in the third, when she struck out the side on just 10 pitches.

“The pitching on this team is so solid, it didn’t really surprise me the way Jen stepped up,” Dearborn said. “We needed to get the win, and we knew we would be able to count on her.”

With Mineau pitching the way she was, the Lady Rams did not have to provide much run support; however, they gave her much more than necessary, putting a six-spot

on the board in the second inning.

Palumbo went deep in her second straight at-bat, going back to her walk-off grand slam, to give Fordham a 2-0 lead.

Sophomore center fielder Jessica Crowley followed suit, going yard to give Fordham back-to-back jacks, and a 3-0 lead. Dearborn, Luety and LaBovick all brought in runs with hits of their own to give Fordham a 6-0 lead.

Dearborn brought home junior left fielder Lindsay Kay Bright, who went 2-for-2, with a double in the fourth.

Bright then singled home the winning run in the fifth, giving the Lady Rams the 8-0 win.

The second game saw much of the same: dominant pitching and an offensive outburst by Fordham.

Dearborn led off another game with a home run, her 12th on the season.

Fordham pushed across seven runs in the second inning, as LaBovick got the scoring started with a solo blast.

Callahan, Pellechino and Palumbo all brought home a run in the game, as did senior catcher Meghan Shager.

Plimpton pitched her second consecutive five-inning complete game, surrendering a solo-home run as the only blip on her day.

Plimpton struck out six while walking one.

At the end of the week, Plimpton stands at 13-9 on the season, while Mineau boasts a record of 12-7.

With the wins, Fordham currently stands at 26-16, 9-3 in the A-10, good enough for first in the conference.

Fordham will finally leave the Bronx, heading to Stony Brook on April 13. After that, the Lady Rams will head down to Charlotte, who currently sits in second place in the conference, for a pair of games.

“Charlotte had some rain outs, and we wanted to take advantage of it,” Dearborn said. “We did what we could to make sure we got all the wins we could while they were sitting without a chance to win.”

Men’s Tennis Loses Three More Matches to Increase Streak to Five

By DAN GARTLAND STAFF WRITER

After a trio of losses this week, the Fordham men’s tennis team fell to 4-13 on the year, with their current losing streak stretching to five.

Coming off of a close home loss to St. Francis (N.Y.) last Sunday, the team traveled to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. to take on Vassar. It was their second trip to Poughkeepsie in a week, previously falling to Marist on March 30 by a 7-0 count.

Fordham’s luck was no better against Vassar, who was ranked 29 in the most recent Division III poll.

Playing by Division III rules, where each match is worth a point, Fordham was swept 9-0.

In doubles play, Fordham dropped all three matches. They continued struggling in singles play, losing all six matches, four in

straight sets.

At fifth singles, Fukumoto forced a tie-breaker, but ended up losing the match, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).

In the sixth spot, Dan KaneWest lost the first set 3-6 but rebounded to win the second set 7-5.

The match then went to a super tiebreaker, which Kane-West lost.

If one positive thing came from the match, it was the return of sophomore Alex DeRienzo, the team’s No. 1 singles player, who had missed the last four matches with an injury.

Austin Shoup, who came back from an injury, was available for the Rams’ next match this past Saturday at Lafayette, but even with the roster at full strength, Fordham lost 5-2.

Again, Fordham was swept in the doubles matches, losing the doubles point. DeRienzo and ju-

nior Eli Plangger notched singles victories for the Rams, at the first and sixth spots respectively, but Fordham was defeated by a 5-2 count.

The following day, the Rams took to the road to face Sacred Heart. Fordham’s doubles continued to struggle, losing the doubles point. It was more of the same in the singles matches. Fordham lost all six matches in straight sets. In fact, in none of the six matches did a Fordham player take more than two games in a set.

The Rams will have to turn things around before the A-10 Championships this weekend in St. Louis.

They have their work cut out for them since their seeding will suffer as a result of losses to St. Joe’s, Temple and LaSalle in their only three conference matches of the year.

PHOTO BY SIMON SULIT/THE RAM

Dan Kane-West and the Rams dropped all nine matches against a Division III opponent, Vassar. Kane-West lost his match in a tie-breaker.

SPORTS

PAGE 20 • THE RAM • APRIL 13, 2011

World Cup in the Bronx Golf Finishes Third in New England

By JARED ALEXANDER

By ADAM KANJI STAFF WRITER

Every four years, the biggest, most passionate sporting event in the world occurs: the FIFA World Cup. For the last four years, Fordham University has had its own version of this 80-year-old tournament. Last year, Brazil won the competition.

This year, there are 11 “countries” participating in the competition of three groups, two with four teams and one with three teams.

After each team in the group plays each other, the top two teams in each group advance. In addition, the top two third-place teams advance to the quarterfinals. After Brazil’s stunning victory last year, the team was rewarded by being placed in the group of three with Ecuador and Poland. Last year’s runner-up, Germany, was drawn with Greece, Wales and the Isle of Man. The final group contains Ireland, Congo, Netherlands and Italy. As of Sunday, April 10, the group stages are finished and the business end of the competition is starting. The games will be tense and passionate affairs that nobody wants to lose.

Group 1 contains Ireland, Congo, the Netherlands and Italy. After six high-scoring and exciting matches, Ireland and Congo came in first and second, respectively, and qualified for the quarters. Ireland, led by Phil Ferrantello and top scorer Brett Heyder, qualified with relative ease, winning all three matches, beating Congo 4-1, Italy 10-1 and Holland 6-2, and scoring a stunning 20 goals and allowing only three. According to many, including Dr. Themeli, one of the main organizers of the tournament, and one who deserves an immense amount of credit for his hard work and organization, “Ireland has been the best team so far in the tournament. They are a very good attacking team and will score a lot of goals. They need to work on their defense, though.”

Congo came in second in the group with big wins over Netherlands 4-0 and over Italy 5-3. Even with its 4-1 loss to the group winner, Ireland, Congo was able to advance, led by captain Casper Gimand, who missed the second match.

“Congo will be tough to beat,” Luca Heineman said. “They will be dangerous in the latter stages of the competition.”

Italy also barely qualified for the quarterfinals. Even after its 10-1 loss to Ireland, Italy came back to beat Holland 3-2 and needed a win against Congo. Italy met a team with a lot of quality and slightly more desire to reach the next round, however. Luckily, thanks to its victory over Holland, Italy managed to get through to the next round as one of the two third-place teams. Though Holland finished at the bottom of the group, it showed a lot of heart.

It played in typical Dutch fashion, looking to attack and score goals. Its goalkeeper played with the typical Dutch flair and style, showing up to each game with a different brightly colored outfit.

For Holland, that’s it until next year. For Ireland, Congo and Italy,

its on to the quarters with a good chance to go far.

Group 2 contains Germany, Greece, Wales and the Isle of Man. Germany reached the final last year and lost a nail-biter of a match in penalty kicks to a fantastic Brazil team. It has started this year’s competition in the same manner as last year, winning 9-0 against Wales, 6-0 against Isle of Man and 4-3 against Greece. Led

by Michael Valencia, Germany is the second-highest scoring team after Ireland and has a very strong defense as well. It has a strong core right through the team and is still one of the favorites to win this competition. Greece came second in this group. Matt Courtenay and Mike Caputo are the creative force of this side and the twin threat of the Minadis sisters add quality to the team. It narrowly beat out Wales for the second spot in the group, and if its top players are on form, then the team can go far.

Wales came third in this group but did well enough to qualify for the quarters, thanks to some solid performances against both Greece and Isle of Man. Wales is the only team without any varsity or club team players on it, but its players work extremely well together as a team. Going further, Wales may struggle a bit, but it is comprised of strong competitors, and with its very direct style of play, it can cause problems for more skillful teams. The Isle of Man struggled in this tournament, but it can take solace in the fact that it was placed in a tough group with three talented teams which all qualified for the quarters.

In the final group, defending champion Brazil was joined by Ecuador and Poland and won the group with ease. Led by captain Pepe Gomez and center midfielder Davide Marcelin, Brazil won 4-0 against its only real opponent, Ecuador. Brazil won comfortably, yet it has not hit its peak yet.

“They have to be one of the favorites to win,” Brandon Klein said.

Brazil must be wary of complacency but it could go far once again. Ecuador came second in the group with one win and one loss. It lost its opener to Brazil but came back strongly, beating Poland 5-2 thanks to some brilliant performances from Jesse Downes and Annie Worden. Ecuador has a strong, athletic side and on a good day, it can compete with any other team. Ecuador should not be taken lightly by anybody because it is definitely capable of causing an upset. Poland was at the bottom of this group; unfortunately for the team, it was drawn in an extremely strong group but can take heart from two very committed performances. Both Brazil and Ecuador, who advanced from this group, have very good teams and will make the most of their opportunities in the next round.

Now that the group stages are over, it’s onto the quarters. All eight teams are strong and could do well with a bit of luck. Every game will be very intense and highly-skillful. Expect a lot of drama and excitement — just what you would expect from any World Cup tournament.

STAFF WRITER

Fueled by the masterful individual performance from sophomore Jason Del Rosso, the Rams finished third at the New England Division I championship at the Newport National Country Club in Middletown, R.I., hosted by Brown University.

The Rams finished both days of competition in third place. For the entirety of the tournament, the Rams trailed both Sacred Heart and Central Connecticut. At the end of Day 1, the Rams were six strokes from the lead, but at the end of the tournament they finished 10 strokes back of the leaders, Central Connecticut.

“It was our best tournament in two years,” junior captain Devon O’Rourke said. “We played a strong field with some tough teams, and we beat some really good ones.”

Those teams included perennial northeastern powerhouses UConn and Rhode Island.

Del Rosso led the charge for the Rams this week, shooting a combined 145 for the weekend tournament. That score was the twoday total of 74 for the first round and 71 for the second round. The score of 71 was one-under par for the course and the best round of the second day from any competitor at the tournament.

This great finish was not solely a result of Del Rosso’s efforts, as four other Rams finished within the top 26 in the individual standings for the tournament. Freshman Ryan Donahue shot a 151, good for 12th in the tournament, and sophomore Connor Monaghan finished with a pair of 76s for a final score of 152 and a 16th place finish. Sophomore Brody Nieporte ended the two days with a score of 154 which landed him at the 23rd position on the lead-

erboard. Finally, O’Rourke ended the tournament in 26th place with a final tally of 155.

“It was a team effort, no one shot above 80,” O’Rourke said.

“We finally put it all together.”

Just like the performances of the past week, the results of this tournament show that the team is making strides of improvement as the spring season reaches its halfway point. As the team starts to find its groove, it could make for a very exciting second half of the spring for the Rams.

The team has off next weekend, but it will travel to Littlestown, Pa. next Monday and Tuesday to compete in the Mt. St. Mary’s Spring Invitational. Hopefully, the team will be able to use this tournament as a springboard for some even better finishes in these next few tournaments as it heads into the Atlantic 10 Championship Tournament, which starts on April 29.

Lady Rams Finish Season in 10th Place

PHOTO BY SIMON SULIT/THE RAM

Freshman Hanna Fritzinger and her partner, junior Sarah Tremaine, won their doubles set against UMass this weekend.

By NANCY BUCKLEY STAFF WRITER

The women’s tennis team had its final tournament this past weekend. The Lady Rams lost both of their matches but were able to maintain their 10th place rank in the Atlantic 10.

The team started the championship tournament against one of its strongest season competitors, seventh-seeded UMass.

Earlier this season, the Lady Rams fell to UMass 5-2, but that was in October, and the team was not going to let a match six months ago affect their play.

The Lady Rams started the match well, winning the doubles point. At first doubles, freshman Angelika Dabu and sophomore Mia Fiocca defeated UMass’s freshman Yuliana Motyl and sophomore Chantel Swiszcz 8-2.

Second doubles was also successful. Winning 8-3, Fordham’s junior Sarah Tremaine and freshman Hanna Fritzinger defeated seniors Candynce Boney and Tanisha Hodgson. Fordham’s third doubles was not as successful, however, as junior Bethany Boyle and sophomore Jennifer Mullen fell 8-2.

The Lady Minutemen won second, third, fifth and sixth singles; these wins prevented first and fourth singles from finishing because UMass would have won regardless of the outcomes. In the first singles match, however, Fiocca and Motyl were in a tiebreaker round when the match ended.

UMass won, 4-1, and continued on to the next round against Temple. Fordham entered the consolation bracket where it played against Dayton, competing for ninth place.

The Lady Rams had not played against the Lady Flyers since the 2009 A-10 Championship, when Fordham lost 4-1. This year, Fordham put up a stronger fight, losing 4-2.

The team lost the doubles point, losing both the second and third doubles before first doubles was able to finish. Dabu and Fiocca played first doubles and won 6-5. Their win would not be enough to take the doubles point, however.

In singles play, Dabu and Fritzinger won their matches, gaining two points for the Lady Rams; however, in third, fifth and sixth singles, Tremaine, Boyle and

Mullen all fell in their respective matches. Fiocca won her first match in first singles, but she never had the chance to finish her second match, where she led Dayton’s Claire Dreyer 5-3.

Although Fordham was defeated in both matches, it finished in 10th place in the A-10 Conference, an improvement from last year’s 13th place.

At the championship, Richmond finished in first place for the third consecutive year.

“When it comes to conference play, we hope to win the first round — a big goal because we are at the bottom of the A-10, and we need to crawl out, but if we are all healthy I think we can,” Head Coach Bette-Ann Speliotis said at the beginning of the season.

The team did not reach its coach’s goal, but improving its ranking from 13th to 10th is a step in the right direction. The Lady Rams have been suffering from the loss of sophomore Taylor Holt, who is not able to play due to a hip injury, causing the team to play with the absolute minimum of six players in every match this past season.

The Lady Rams finish their season with a 3-14 record.

NHL Talk With Doc Emrick

By NICK CARROLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

We’ve finally made it, the NHL playoffs have arrived. I was able to get in touch with the play-byplay man for NBC, Versus and the New Jersey Devils, Mike Emrick, on April 8. Emrick gave his insights on what he foresees for the playoffs and what the next few weeks will hold.

The Ram: All season, it looked like the East was the Flyers’ conference to lose. Now, they’re not even the top seed. How do you handicap the Eastern Conference? Who’s the favorite?

Mike Emrick: Shake them up in a box and throw them out. There is not a favorite. The Flyers need Chris Pronger to return. He’s the team’s rudder. Some say it’s Mike Richards. It’s not, though — it’s Pronger. They respond to him and [they]respond to his physicality.

TR: What about the Capitals?

They’ve changed their style from previous years. Does that make them more suited for the playoffs?

ME: They’re certainly suited for the playoffs because of what they’ve done. I think it’ll be interesting as Mike Green gets back.

He plays a lot of minutes but hasn’t been there for the team’s renaissance. They have an unproven goalie, and I say unproven until they get to the conference finals.

Some have said they should have acquired a goalie. Tomas Vokoun and Dwayne Roloson were mentioned, but I’m not sure they really need one, [and] they’re not proven, either. I don’t know if they need one with the way they’re playing. I also like Pittsburgh and what they’re doing.

TR: After last season with the success some of the lower seeds had, do you see any of the lower seeds having success this year?

ME: They could. Traditionally, the seventh seed more than the eighth. It strikes me that the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres all won seven of their last 10. We’ll see — whoever’s in that seventh spot.

I like Buffalo’s goaltending and defensive game. I like them more than I did two months ago.

TR: You mentioned Pittsburgh earlier. Even without Sidney Crosby, do you think they have enough talent to make a deep run in the playoffs?

ME: Pittsburgh’s another team I like more than I did two months ago. I like the way they play defensively, even without their No. 1 and No. 2, Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Crosby might not get back. A head injury is different than a skin injury — you just don’t know. But they’re getting solid goaltending, really all the way back to November. And they’re playing the kind of hockey as long as they get solid goaltending, not great or even above average goaltending, they can win. They have a playoff goaltender, and even without a top guy, they’re playing solid defense.

The goaltender is something Washington, Philadelphia and the Rangers do not have.

TR: You haven’t mentioned Boston. They’ve basically had a stranglehold on their division all season. What do you think about their playoff chances?

ME: Not a believer yet. With expense to [Zdeno] Chara, [Tim] Thomas hasn’t been a finals guy, neither has Chara. Listen, you have to realize I announce for the Devils, who have had tremendous regular seasons [and have] done nothing in the playoffs the last seven years. [The Bruins] haven’t shown it in the playoffs yet. I’d handicap them a lot more positively with Savard. I like Tim Thomas. He’s an upbeat, energetic, positive guy, but there are a lot more guys around who have to prove they can win a game when they’ve already won three. They’re not a particular favorite of mine.

TR: The West seems pretty clear cut: Vancouver has dominated all season. How good can they be?

ME: If they get any momentum going, real good. They have a mental block in goal. As great as Roberto Luongo’s been in the regular season, he hasn’t had playoff success. I know it’s repetitive, but they don’t have a playoff goaltender. If they get Chicago, good luck to them, because the Blackhawks have taken them out two straight years. First, it was a veteran in Nikolai Khabibulin, then a rookie in Antti Niemi, now it’s another rookie in Corey Crawford. There’s such parity in the league today it’s tough to call. The final four goaltenders [from last year] all left; Niemi, there’s a quilt of goaltenders in Philadelphia, even Jaroslav Halak was traded and last I heard Evgeni Nabokov is preparing for the World Championships. Detroit and Chicago have an edge because they’ve done it before, but Detroit doesn’t even have a goalie that’s been there. Niemi has been there in San Jose, but Vancouver can be an overwhelmingly strong team. In one or two days between the end of the regular season and playoffs, things can happen. I want to see them succeed because they are overwhelmingly talented, but if they don’t pick up their play between the end of the regular season and playoffs, they’ll be like the other teams that went out without much fire.

TR: San Jose has really come on strong as the season has gone on. They did make it to the conference finals last season, but they still went down and raised many questions about whether they can get over the hump. Is this team different?

ME: It’s a question of whether they can get through the first round and build momentum. Last year was a surprise, they had momentum and got shutdown. Chicago was a good team, but San Jose was playing really well and I really didn’t see that coming the way they got shut down. We won’t know about them until they can get through the first round and build momentum. It’s not easy to handicap for any team. A lot comes down to goaltending and my philosophy of having a proven guy who has gotten to the conference finals. That’s not the problem with this team, we know Niemi won. In this case Joe Thornton has been knocked out and shut down, a lot like Chara. No team has that collective moxie, maybe it’s because of the cap, team’s like Chicago lose half their roster, but no team has that collective moxie.

SPORTS

APRIL 13, 2011 • THE RAM • PAGE 21

Men’s Baseball

Track & Field

Women’s Softball

Fordham 9 Bonnies 1

Rutgers Invitational

Fordham 3 GW 0

Fordham Martinez Lee Walker David Kownacki Swatek Russo McSherry Maghini Pike Reich

AB 4 4 4 3 3 2 4 4 4 0 0

R 1 2 1 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 0

H 0 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0

RBI 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 3 1 0 0

9

9

8

Bonnies AB Steinbach 4 Wallschlaeg 4 Johnson 0 Pease 0 Mosher 0 Ingraham 4 Urban 4 Brennen 4 Radwan 4 Skellie 1 Chittester 2 Jutca 1 Calderon 4 Grieco 2 Revello 0

R 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

H 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 1 0 1 0 0

RBI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

Totals

1

7

1

Totals

32

34

Innings Bonnies Fordham

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 1 2 0 0 0 3 x

Bonnies Revello Wallsch Johnson Pease Urban

IP 6.1 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.2

H 7 0 1 0 1

R ER BB SO 6 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2

Fordham IP Pike 8.0 Reich 1.0

H 6 1

R ER BB SO 1 1 1 8 0 0 0 0

Fordham Martinez David Lee DeSilva Walker Kenny Kownacki Russo Swatek Maghini Kimmeth McSherry Munday Sorine Thompson Reich

AB 5 5 3 2 5 0 4 4 5 4 1 2 0 0 0 0

R 1 3 1 0 2 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0

H 1 3 1 0 1 0 1 2 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

Totals

40

12

14

11

NYIT Campbell Rodriguez Valdez Lackner Hardy Smith McNamara Grazziani Carroll Mousa Loftus Dillaboug Costa Checo Cotov

AB 5 4 4 3 4 4 5 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

R 0 0 2 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

H 0 1 1 0 1 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

RBI 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

7

9

6

36

Innings NYIT Fordham NYIT Moussa Loftus Dillabo Costa Checo Cotov

RBI 0 4 2 0 0 0 0 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 0 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 9 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 IP 1.0 3.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.0

Fordham Munday Sorine Thompson Reich Martinez

IP 2.2 1.1 3.0 1.0 1.0

Women’s 400 Meter Dash 1. Ellis, St. John’s, 56.28 7. Connolly, Fordham, 58.75 Women’s 800 Meter Run 1. Price, Stony Brook, 2:13.46 21. Sorenson, Fordham, 2:28.08 Women’s 1500 Meter Run 1. Burne, Stony Brook, 4:36.69 6. Davis, Fordham, 4:51.18 Women’s 3000 Meter Run 1. Huet, Stony Brook, 9:56.32 2. Arsenault, Fordham, 9:59.58 Women’s 100 Meter Hurdles 1. Sample, Rutgers, 15.08 4. Sheppard, Fordham, 15.29 Women’s 400 Meter Hurdles 1. Lendor, Rutgers, 1:03.50 10. Sheppard, Fordham, 1:08.85 Women’s 4x100 Relay 1. Rutgers (Rodriguez, Walker, Gillon, Hurrington), 47.02 4. Fordham (Groeninger, Sheppard, Fagade, Warren), 49.60 Women 4x400 Relay 1. Rutgers (Sample, Lendor, Leeke, Bisiolu), 3:51.25 8. Fordham (Davis, Eiermann, Vivinetto, Sorenson), 4:19.02 Women Long Jump 1. Okobi, Unattached, 5.64m 10. Warren, Fordham, 4.82m

Fordham 12 NYIT 7

Totals

Women’s 200 Meter Dash 1. Bisiolu, Rutgers, 25.41 8. Groeninger, Fordham, 26.21

H 7 1 3 0 2 1

R ER BB SO 9 9 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 2 1 0 2 3

H 2 1 4 1 1

R ER 4 3 0 0 2 2 0 0 1 1

BB 4 1 0 0 1

SO 1 1 2 0 2

Men’s 100 Meter Dash 1. Gordon, Zenith, 10.73 16. Bongiorno, Fordham, 11.56 Men’s 200 Meter Dash 1. Gordon, Zenith, 21.32 14. Lyons, Fordham, 23.11 Men’s 400 Meter Dash 1. Hopkins, Princeton, 48.00 14. Lyons, Fordham, 50.41 Men’s 800 Meter Run 1. Isaacson, Columbia, 1:54.44 5. Walter, Fordham, 1:55.51 Men’s 1500 Meter Run 1. Wechsler, NJ/NY TC, 3:56.40 15. Donnelly, Fordham, 4:11.81 Men’s 110 Meter Hurdles 1. Gissendanner, Unattached, 14.55 11. Clemens, Fordham, 16.24 Men’s 4x100 Meter Relay 1. Zenith (Brown, Gordon, Williams, Campbell), 3:15.70 11. Fordham (Atkinson, Bongiorno, Cosgrove, Lyons), 3:29.35 Men’s Discus Throw 1. Abyad, Princeton, 48.48m 16. Houston, Fordham, 30.80m

Fordham AB Dearborn 2 Krasinsky 1 Callahan 2 Ciuffi 0 Pellechio 3 Luety 3 LaBovick 3 Wiggins 3 Crowley 3 Palumbo 2 Kay Bright 3 Mineau 0

R 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0

H 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0

RBI 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

Totals

25

3

4

2

GW Lenhart Terrazas Wilson Taylor Fogarty Moynihan Waterman Clauss O’Donnell Curcio Orlandi Zakeri

AB 3 3 2 3 3 2 1 2 1 2 2 0

R 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

H 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

RBI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0

0

0

Totals

24

Innings Fordham GW Fordham Mineau

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 IP H 7.0 0

GW IP H Clauss 6.0 4 Waterma 0.0 0

R ER BB SO 0 0 1 12

R 3 0

ER BB SO 2 0 3 0 0 0

Hofstra 5 Fordham 1 Fordham Dearborn LaBovick Pellechio Callahan Richards Palumbo Luety Ciuffi Wiggins Crowley Shager Kay Bright Plimpton Mineau

R 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

H 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

RBI 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1

2

1

Hofstra AB Senatore 4 Lavagnino 3 Hirschbuhl 3 Ziemba 4 Michalowski 2 Valentino 4 Dreslinski 3 Smith 1 Thorn 3 Slugh 3 Galati 0

R 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

H 3 1 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0

RBI 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

Totals

5

9

2

Totals

AB 3 3 3 1 0 2 2 0 3 2 2 2 0 0

23

30

Innings Fordham Hofstra

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 0

Hofstra Galati

IP H R ER BB SO 7.0 2 1 1 1 10

Fordham Plimpton Mineau

IP H R ER BB SO 3.0 6 5 2 2 4 4.0 3 0 0 1 5

Visit theramonline.com for blogs covering NBA, NHL, MLB, NCAA Basketball, NCAA Football and EPL in addition to updated coverage for all Fordham sports.

SPORTS

PAGE 22• THE RAM • APRIL 13, 2011

JONATHON SMITH So, I think I have lost my faith in professional sports. I had been losing it little by little ever since I was old enough to realize the business of sports, which was about the beginning of high school, and then this past Wednesday was the final straw, the breaking point.

The games that I had grown up loving and the athletes that I adored and looked up to, specifically those in the New York Yankees organization, were my heroes.

No longer is this the case. So here I am, at the ripe age of 20, no longer having faith in professional sports.

This past Wednesday I had tickets to take my girlfriend to the Yankees game against my favorite team, the small-market Minnesota Twins. While I was excited to see the game, I was also excited to show off my vast baseball knowledge and fanship of the game.

The only thing was, it was raining. I’m not talking about a heavy downpour, I’m talking about a light drizzle. Our seats were wet, but we could sit without the hoods of our raincoats up and see the field totally fine from the cheap outfield seats. There was no standing water on the field, and despite the forecast saying that the rain was supposed to stop around 8, the game was delayed for half an hour until finally being postponed. This may have been the final straw in my losing battle against the spirit of professional athletics.

My first feeling was of disappointment because I had paid money for a game that was canceled. The only way to get my money out of it would be to go to the make-up game, and who knows if I would still be in New York for that.

After this original disappointment, an onset of rage came upon me, not because I was missing the game, but because of a young boy who was at the game with his father sitting next to us.

When it was announced that the game was postponed, the father tried to explain, and the boy, like any child, kept asking his father, “Why?” This is a perfectly valid question. Why would the game be postponed for only a light drizzle? Why wouldn’t the Yankees play through this weather? Yes, it was early in the season, but I do not think that injury concerns or damaging the field were the reasons they postponed the game. I honestly cannot figure out why it was postponed, but I do know that the lineups were announced before the game and neither Derek Jeter nor Alex Rodriguez were playing.

This got me even more upset.

It was only five games into the

season and you’re already taking a day off ?

Please.

That is pathetic.

While that is not the reason the game was canceled, it brings up a whole new issue – the players of today really do not play as hard as the players of old.

Perhaps I am totally wrong and just writing this very angrily, but can anyone reading this disagree?

You always hear people saying that college sports are more entertaining because the kids playing give more effort, and while this is up for debate, I think it is pretty clear that it is questionable how much professional athletes care and how much effort they actually put forth.

Perhaps it is just that they are so talented that it does not even look like they are making an effort, and while I would love to believe this, I just cannot. I cannot get over the fact that it was a light drizzle, and even if it had not been raining, two of New York’s biggest stars were not going to be on the field. All I could think of was, what if it was my first time at the game?

What if I traveled a long distance just to see two of baseball’s most recognizable players play, and they decided to take the day off ? I would have been crushed. I would not have understood how players who supposedly care so much about their team could just take the fifth game of the year off.

I still don’t get it, and I’m still upset about it.

I can tell you one thing, the Yankees of old would not have done that. I believe it was Joe DiMaggio who, when asked why he plays so hard every game, replied, “Because there is always some kid seeing me for the first time. I owe him my best.”

First off, how powerful is that quote?

Secondly, gone are the days when this quote rings true. Rodriguez may not be the best example because he has always been soft, but I didn’t expect Jeter to be sitting out on the fifth game of the season.

Even I, a 20-year-old kid who has already seen him play a few times, was excited to see Mr. Yankee play.

It’s too bad that this is how the game has changed.

So while this may seem like I have been complaining and griping with the Yankees and professional sports the entire article, I do think that there is something to be said about athletes nowadays.

I just don’t think that professional sports have the same allure and attraction that they used to have. Maybe it is because I am growing up and getting older, or maybe it is because I am just being overly angry, but I think it is more than that.

I really do think that professional sports nowadays are softer.

I do think that they are not like they used to be.

Forgive me for seeming bitter and pessimistic, but I believe that it is true.

I believe that professional sports and the athletes that play them have officially lost their grandeur.

Senior Profile: Jocelyn Dearborn

By CHESTER BAKER ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Senior third baseman Jocelyn Dearborn hit .321 last season with 12 home runs. She currently leads the team in home runs, and she homered in the team’s first ever NCAA Tournament win against Maryland last season. Before coming to Fordham, Dearborn was named the Scranton Times-Tribune Female Athlete of the Year in 2007, her last season at Blue Ridge High School in New Milford, Pa. The Ram: What were the team’s goals coming into the season?

Jocelyn Dearborn: We had a great season last year, but it was pretty disappointing since we didn’t really win anything, and because of that we have all been really focused on getting back to the NCAA tournament, and getting wins against big name teams. Also, we have all been very focused on winning the A-10 Championship.

TR: Last season, the team had one of the best seasons in Fordham’s history. Did you guys expect to be that good?

JD: Honestly, no. We all knew we were going to be a pretty good team, but I don’t really think many people expected that kind of season. That was part of the thrill, always being the underdog, and having nobody expect much out of you. Because of that, we have a lot more swagger this season, and we’ve been trying to keep that going this year.

TR: Did you have any personal goals coming into the season?

JD: Well, I’m on the brink of the home run record and a bunch of other things that really only my dad knows the stats for. But I’m more of a team player, and I’m just doing whatever is best for the team and do whatever I can to get the win. And obviously, being my last season, I’d like to make it back the NCAA Tournament.

PHOTO BY AARON MAYST/THE RAM

Third baseman Jocelyn Dearborn leads off for the Lady Rams, often setting the tone for the offense by hitting home runs in her first at-bat of the game.

ite moment on the team?

that?

JD: Last season when we beat Georgia Tech. That was our first big win against a highly ranked team that showed people we were a good team, and we were able to celebrate as a team. That night we all went out for a big dinner and we were all able to order whatever we wanted, which never happens.

JD: More often than not the first pitch of the game is a strike, so I always like to swing at that, so it’s nice to know I am going to get a pitch I can handle. I am a power hitter, and Coach knows that the team feeds off power so she likes to keep me at the top spot.

TR: The team has a lot of handshakes. What is your favorite one that you have with someone?

JD: The one I have with Megan Shager is probably my favorite one.

When we walk up the line when we get announced we do a kind of ram’s stampede thing. Also, the one I have with Sam [Pellechio] is good. I’m not really sure what it is, but we do it after every out, so it’s just pretty natural.

TR: Who do you think has the best handshakes on the team?

JD: Lindsay Bright has one with everyone on the team, and all of them are pretty original. She is always doing something with her hands in the outfield.

TR: Your coach, Bridgette Orchard, won the ECAC Coach of the Year award last year, what are your thoughts on her?

TR: You’ve been hitting a lot more leadoff home runs this year.

Is that something you worked on in the offseason?

JD: She’s great. She’s very motivational, and she knows what she’s doing. She’s been around the game for so long and she is just a lot of fun to play for.

JD: Not really, it’s just been something that’s been happening.

I’m just hitting the ball and they’re going out.

TR: What has been your favor-

TR: You lead the team in homers, but you bat leadoff, why is

TR: What made you choose Fordham?

JD: I got recruited for softball, and they offered me a scholarship.

I’d never even heard of Fordham when they contacted me, but once I saw the campus I knew this was the school for me.

TR: What is your favorite part about the school?

JD: My team, I love my team.

We’re always able to have fun together, and I couldn’t imagine being here without them.

TR: What do you plan on doing after this season?

JD: I’m applying for a bunch of jobs right now, and I have interviews with a bunch of sports marketing firms lined up. So, hopefully, I’ll be getting one of those jobs once I graduate.

TR: Do you think this team can win a national championship?

JD: Yes. We have the talent to do it. Obviously, we need some things to fall into place, and we’re going to need some luck, but I think we are capable of it.

Women’s Rowing Takes First at Northeast Meet

By JOE RAPPOLA STAFF WRITER

After a strong showing on the West Coast, women’s rowing returned to the Northeast and had a great outing against many Atlantic10 rivals.

Racing on the Cooper River in Collingswood, N.J., the varsity 8 boat won the third final with a time of 7:01.17. They edged out A-10 rival Temple, who finished second with a time of 7:02.41. Colgate, from the Patriot League, finished third with a time of 7:03.75. The

race was closed out with UMass, Delaware and Boston College coming in fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.

In addition to the varsity 8 boat, the second varsity 8 boat finished fifth in its petite final race. In that race, Fordham was up against major conference competitors in Rutgers, West Virginia and Kansas.

They crossed the finished line with a time of 7:35.05, less than four seconds behind fourth-place finisher West Virginia, who finished with a time of 7:31.55.

Fordham was just over 20 sec-

onds behind Rutgers, who came in first with a time of 7:11.10.

“We’re very excited to have directly raced against our A-10 competitors, Temple and UMass, and come out on top,” senior Co-Captain Catherine Helmer said. “These results will give us a very good seed this upcoming weekend at the A-10 championships.”

The women’s rowing team will be back on the Cooper River this Saturday, April 16, for the A-10 Championships, where this past weekend’s showing will certainly be vital to their success.

APRIL 13, 2011 • THE RAM • PAGE 23

SPORTS

Track and Field Finish Strong, Hassell Breaks School Record

By ALEXANDER VILARDO SPORTS EDITOR

PHOTO BY AARON MAYS/THE RAM

Freshman Courtnay Newman finished 11th in the 100-meter hurdles at Rutgers.

By CELESTE KMIOTEK COPY CHIEF

The men’s and women’s track and field teams headed to Piscataway, N.J. on Saturday, April 9 to compete in the Rutgers Invitational, the last major meet before the teams compete in the Metropolitan Championships this coming weekend.

“At Rutgers, we got the chance to race against quite a few teams that will also be at Mets, so it was good preparation,” freshman Anisa Arsenault said.

On the men’s side, senior Christopher Lyons finished 14th in the 200-meter dash (23.11), followed by sophomore Michael Bongiorno in 20th (23.56). Sophomore Sean Atkinson took fifth in the 400-meter dash with 48.86 seconds, with Lyons in 14th with 50.41 seconds.

Atkinson also took third in the 400-meter hurdles with 55.59, while sophomore Daniel Clemens and sophomore Michael Rossi followed in ninth (57.70) and 13th (58.65), respectively.

Freshman Brian Walter placed fifth in the 800-meter run, coming in at 1:55.51, followed by freshman Ryan Polo in ninth with 1:55.92 and junior Carter Ward in 16th with 1:57.07. Junior Stephen Donnelly finished 15th in the 1,500-meter run, coming in at 4:11.81.

In the field events, senior Pat Brown finished fifth in the hammer throw with a mark of 147’ 7”, while freshman Sam Houston took seventh in the javelin through with 150’ 11” and 16th in the discus throw with 101’. Sophomore Keegan Talty placed fourth in the pole vault with a height of 13’ 9.25”, the best of the season, with sophomore Daniel Chediak in fifth with 13’ 3.5”. Senior Augustus Gleason finished 10th in the long jump with 17’ 3.5”.

The 4x100-meter relay team of Bongiorno, Lyons, junior Frank Massaro and Atkinson took sixth with a time of 44.14, while the 4x400-meter A-team of Atkinson, Bongiorno, sophomore John Cosgrove and Lyons took 11th (3:30.63) and the B-team of Anistranski, senior Tim Hutchinson, Massaro and Ward took 15th (3:35.82).

For the women, sophomore Courtnay Newman finished 11th in the 100-meter hurdles, coming in at 16.14 seconds. Senior Sherilyn Groeninger finished eighth in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes, with 12.55 and 26.21, respectively, both of which were

her best times of the season. Junior Elisabeth Warren and freshman Titi Fagade followed in the 200-meter dash in 15th (26.94) and 16th (26.98), respectively.

Freshman Averie Sheppard took fourth in the 100-meter hurdles, coming in at 15.29, in addition to 10th in the 400-meter hurdles, with a time of 1:08.85.

Freshman Darleen Eiermann followed in the 400-meter hurdles, coming in 12th with 1:10.30, while junior Kelly Connolly placed seventh in the 400-meter dash (58.75), with Warren in 10th (59.70) and Fagade in 11th (59.78). In the 800-meter run, sophomore Kellen Fitzgerald placed 20th (2:26.15), while in the 1,500-meter run sophomore Ashley Davis took sixth (4:51.18), junior Mairin O’Connor took 15th (5:02.41), freshman Christina Vivinetto took 19th (5:11.52) and junior Nako Nakatsuka took 20th (5:11.97).

Freshman Anisa Arsenault came in second in the 3,000-meter run (9:59.58, a season-best time), followed by sophomore Christina Machado (16th with 11:10.59) and senior Jana Trenk (18th with 11:25.61).

In the field events, junior Blair Hassell broke her own school record, finishing fourth in the javelin throw with a mark of 132’ 1”, breaking last year’s 129’ 3.5”. Newman followed in seventh with 114’, while also finishing third in the high jump with 5’ 4.25”, a seasonbest time. Warren placed 10th in the long jump with a mark of 15’ 8.75”.

In the women’s 100-meter relay, Groeninger, Sheppard, Fagade and Warren finished fourth, coming in at 49.60 seconds, while the 4x400meter relay of Davis, Eiermann, Vivinetto and freshman Kerry Sorenson placed eighth with a time of 4:19.02.

The teams are hoping that next week brings better results.

“While we’re hoping for stronger results this weekend, there were some excellent performances, like Blair Hassell’s new school record in the javelin [throw],” Arsenault said.

Still, the teams are confident.

“After months of training hard, I feel we are confident in our ability to perform well at the Metropolitan Championships meet,” Fagade said. “I would look out for the freshman class – we have a lot of great talent.”

Both teams will next compete at the Metropolitan Championships on Friday, April 15 and Saturday, April 16 in New Haven, Conn.

I’m fascinated by everything Cleveland Indians this year. I’m fascinated by their ragtag, journeyman-filled roster. I’m fascinated by their pitching staff made up of nonames. I’m fascinated by the fact that their manager is, well, Manny Acta.

But most of all, I’m fascinated with the fact that their roster might be so crazy, so unthinkable, that it just might work.

Is it too early to predict September’s standings? Absolutely. Is it too early to think about it, though?

Never.

Before last season, I made fun of Cleveland when it hired Acta, a manager who had a career winning percentage of .385 and only three years of experience. During spring training this year, I took one look at the Tribe’s roster and counted it out. Now, the Indians are 8-2 and leading the American League Central by a game and a half. They swept the AL-favorite Red Sox last week, and were on an eight game tear until last night.

The Tribe’s roster is so patchwork that I’d bet you can’t name one of its starting pitchers other than Fausto Carmona. Try naming one of its starting outfielders other than Shin-Soo Choo. It’s easier to name every element on the periodic table. How about Cleveland’s infield? Matt LaPorta at first and Jack Hannahan playing the hot corner? The bullpen, which hasn’t been the same since Wild Thing left, is highlighted by closer Chris Perez.

Who the heck are these guys?

After Carmona, the Tribe’s starting rotation would be expected to hit rock bottom. This year, though, the team’s No. 3 starter, this Justin Masterson kid, is 2-0 with an ERA of 1.35. Cleveland’s No. 4 starter, that Josh Tomlin guy, is 2-0 with a 2.63 ERA . The No. 5 starter, some guy named Mitch Talbot, just pitched eight innings of shutout ball against the Angels to lower his ERA to 1.35. They’ve each pitched only two games. I get that. But for now, whoever these guys are, they’re somehow winning ballgames.

The outfield arrangement is probably a quick bandage work by

PHOTO BY JOHN SLEEZER/MCT

Travis Hafner has found his old swing in the middle of the Indians’ batting order.

Acta, as his Gold Glove outfielder, Grady Sizemore, is on the 15Day DL. Austin Kearns and Travis Buck are platooning left field, while Michael Brantley roams center field. Kearns’s picture is next to the word “journeyman” in the dictionary: He’s made stops in Cincinnati, Washington, Cleveland, New York and now Cleveland again. Whoever Buck is, he spent the last four years in Oakland and has 18 career home runs and 71 career RBI. Those numbers are pretty good — for a single season. That Brantley kid has spent some time in the Indians’ dugout during the past two seasons, but he’s stepped on a Major League field just 109 times. Choo, on the other hand, is becoming a household name after hitting .300 or above the past three seasons.

If you thought the outfield was a melting pot, wait till you see the infield. LaPorta’s at first, and he’s got a career batting average of .232.

Orlando Cabrera is the starting second baseman, and he played seven and a half years for the Montreal Expos. We’ll leave it at that.

Hannahan — I think that’s how it’s spelled — starts at third, and he has a career on-base percentage of .313. The other Cabrera, Asdrubal, is at short. He was a highly-touted prospect a few years ago, so he should be starting. Carlos Santana, the Tribe’s catcher, was a top prospect as well, and he’s expected to be the heart and soul of the team one day — we’ll leave him alone, too. The infield’s utilityman, Adam Everett, was my starting shortstop in EA Sports MVP Baseball 2003.

The DH position can’t be forgot-

ten: Travis Hafner appeared to be as washed-up as a sweatshirt from the ‘80s after he underachieved for the past three seasons. This year, though, he has turned into the Pronk of old and is hitting .355 through eight games.

The bullpen is where the real fun starts. That Perez kid has 36 career saves in 47 opportunities. This year, he’s 4-4. Rafael Perez and some guy named Tony Sipp appear to be sharing the setup opportunities. Sipp has a goose egg for an ERA and has allowed just one hit through five innings this year. Rafael Perez, who’s at least somewhat recognizable, has the same stats as Sipp through four innings this year. He also has two wins. The rest of the bullpen is made up of that Chad Durbin guy, some kid named Vinnie Pestano, this Frank Herrmann character and a Justin Germano.

Bash the Indians all you want.

Make fun of their washed-up veterans and their no-name grinders.

Give their fans a hard time because Manny Acta is their manager.

Mock their mascot, too — nobody knows what he is, either.

Right now, nothing will take hope away from Indians fans. This team represents the city of Cleveland — a working-class, blue-collar city.

I’ve got no clue who this team is, and I’ve got no clue how it’s succeeding. Yes, it’s early. Yes, the wheels could fall off next week.

And yes, this team has got Indians fans wondering if the days of Wild Thing and Pedro Cerrano are coming back to haunt the rest of the AL Central.

Upcoming Varsity Schedule Friday April 15

Saturday April 16

Sunday April 17

Baseball

GWU 4 p.m.

GWU 1 p.m.

GWU 1 p.m.

Softball

at Charlotte 4 p.m.

at Charlotte 12 p.m.

Track

Metropolitan Championship New Haven, Conn.

10 a.m.

CAPS=HOME lowercase=away

Men’s Tennis

Rowing

Golf

Thursday April 14

Monday April 18

Tuesday April 19 IONA 7 p.m.

Atlantic 10 Championships St. Louis, Mo. Atlantic 10 Championship Collingswood, N.J. Mt. St. Mary’s Spring Invitational Littlestown, Pa. 8 a.m.

Wednesday April 20

APRIL 13, 2011

PAGE 24

Fordham Drops Three-Game Series to St. Bonaventure

By DANNY ATKINSON STAFF WRITER

For the Fordham baseball team, the last few weeks of play have been somewhat like a broken record. This period has been distinguished by solid, if generally unspectacular pitching, inconsistent offense and a frequently porous defense. The Rams are following an unfortunate pattern of stopand-go baseball. Every time the team puts together a strong game or two, it is followed by several clunkers that show Fordham at its worst. The team’s inability to put together a string of good games at this point of the season is troubling.

Although Fordham briefly put the disappointment of the previous weekend’s struggles behind it with a 12-7 road win over New York Tech on Wednesday, April 8, those struggles came roaring back on Friday and Saturday with consecutive home losses to fellow Atlantic 10 member St. Bonaventure.

Before the series got underway, the Bonnies were 0-3 in conference play and just 7-14 overall.

St. Bonaventure defeated Fordham 6-5 on Friday in a tight loss that featured more of the team’s sloppy play. The Rams got off to a strong start by grabbing a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second on a two-run single by freshman right fielder Tim Swatek, but from there, any good omens quickly disappeared. Following an error to open the fourth inning, the Bonnies collected a three-run home run and RBI single off senior starter Brian Pendergast. Pendergast got the short end of the stick, as all six runs scored against him would be unearned. Fordham rallied somewhat in the final two innings and cut the affair to a one-run game, but junior third baseman Brian Kownacki would be stranded at third to end the game.

PHOTO BY SIMON SULIT/THE RAM

Senior Ryan David, who usually plays behind the plate, played a bit of first base against St. Bonaventure. He went 2-11 with two RBI in the series.

Pendergast fell to 1-5 on the season following the loss, despite having a 3.12 ERA overall. He allowed one crushing blow in right fielder Brad Steinbach’s three-run homer and finished the start with a line of eight hits allowed and four strikeouts in 6.2 innings.

Fordham left eight on base, as only Swatek really stood out on offense.

Barely batting over .200 going into the game, the freshman recorded three hits and two RBI. Fordham’s three errors led to every one of St. Bonaventure’s unearned runs, repeating a trend that had reared its ugly head the previous weekend (the Rams committed six errors in a loss to Albany).

The errors came from some of the team’s best and most experienced players, with junior short-

stop Ryan Maghini, Kownacki and Pendergast himself responsible for Fordham’s poor defense.

Kownacki’s miscue stood out most, with his error at the beginning of the fourth helping start the chain reaction which led to Steinbach’s home run. At the end of the series, the Rams had committed 54 errors this season to just 41 by their opponents, and Maghini had committed a whopping 16 all by himself.

On Saturday, Fordham’s defense improved, but the team performed poorly in all other elements of the game in a 6-2 loss. The Rams’ bats were missing in action against the Bonnies’ sophomore Eddie Gray, who permitted only six hits in eight innings of work, with each of the six base knocks coming from a

different player. All of Fordham’s hits were singles, and the team pushed its two runs across on a wild pitch and an error. Meanwhile, senior Max Krakowiak showed little control and lasted four innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits and three walks.

Swatek threw the final five innings and kept the game from becoming a blow-out by giving up only two unearned runs.

Maghini addressed the Rams’ up-and-down offense following the game.

“Hitting is a roller coaster ride and right now we’re in a little slump, but that’s baseball,” he said.

“I have no doubt that we will break out soon. We just need to keep focusing on working hard in practice and staying positive and we will soon break out of this funk.”

Fordham may be starting to break out of its offensive slump if Sunday’s series finale is any indication. The team defeated St. Bonaventure with ease, 9-1, and avoided a sweep at the hands of a team with a very poor overall record on the season. Unlike in the series’ first two games, the Rams jumped out to a quick 2-0 advantage in the first on an RBI from senior designated hitter Chris Walker and senior catcher Ryan David. The team kept up its offensive attack with a solo home run by sophomore center fielder Ryan Lee in the fourth and then capped its scoring with three runs in the eighth. On the mound, freshman Chris Pike continued to demonstrate why he has been the Rams’ top pitcher since opening day. Still transitioning to the workload of a full-time starter, Pike was masterful, allowing just one run over eight innings of work with eight strikeouts. The victory improved Pike’s record to 4-1 on the season.

“Coming into the start I knew I just had to work ahead of the hitters,” Pike said. “I was able to locate

all three of my pitches throughout the game which I thought was a key to my success. After getting a few starts I’ve begun to feel more comfortable as a starter at the college level and know what it takes to get hitters out.”

At the plate, junior left fielder Stephen McSherry had three RBI and Walker went 2-4 with an RBI, while also extending his hitting streak to 12 games.

After taking one of three versus St. Bonaventure, Fordham stands at .500 in the A-10 at 3-3, and the team’s overall mark is 18-13. The Rams are currently sixth in the conference.

While Fordham’s victory on Sunday over St. Bonaventure could signal the start of a turnaround, the fact is that the team has locked away any memories of the four straight games it won at the end of March by losing four of six at the start of April. A .500 record in conference play, especially with the caliber of opponent the Rams have played in the A-10, is a far cry from the way the team played out of conference and the visions of success Fordham saw itself having before the season started. Fordham has the chance to turn itself around with series on the next two weekends against George Washington and Charlotte, the class of the conference. There is not that much time to get back on track, but Pike believes he and his teammates have been woken up.

“Going into Sunday with two losses, the team was definitely a little frustrated and upset,” Pike said. “But after those losses, we realized that we have to stay focused no matter who we play, as every team in the conference is capable of beating anyone at anytime.

While those losses were tough, it made us realize if we want to realize our goals and finish atop the conference we are going to have to work hard every week.”

Tight End Skelton Looking Forward to NFL Draft in Late April

By JONATHON SMITH ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Fordham has a rich history within its football program. Dating back to the days of the Seven Blocks of Granite and Vince Lombardi and stretching to today, there have been many quality football players at this University. Any time that you can be considered one of the best at your position, it is an accomplishment in itself, and when it is being discussed that you could play at the next level, in the NFL, obviously you are a special player. This is the case for Ram senior tight end, Stephen Skelton.

Skelton, who is projected to be a sixth or seventh-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft, is one of the greatest tight ends in Fordham history. Over his career, Skelton recorded 127 receptions for 1,313 yards and 10 touchdowns, all records for a Fordham tight end. He is seventh on the school’s all-time receptions list and tied for eighth in career touchdown receptions.

In his junior year, his breakout

season, Skelton notched a Fordham tight end record with 63 receptions, and he ranked fourth in the Patriot League in receptions per game (5.7). Skelton also finished 31st in the NCAA FCS in addition to ninth in the conference and 81st in the NCAA in receiving yards per game (57.6). To go alongside these stats, Skelton has provided valuable blocking and leadership throughout his career in maroon.

“My agent has been telling me that I should be a sixth or seventh round pick,” Skelton said. “If I do not get drafted, then I’ve been told that there are about 10 teams who will call and invite me to training camp.”

Skelton is a skilled, pass-catching tight end who impressed scouts at his pro day, by running a 4.70 40-yard dash and showing off his excellent catching ability.

Despite having an injury-plagued senior year and having young quarterbacks, Skelton showed all dimensions of his game by becoming more of a blocking tight-end

and rounding out his game. His 6’5”, 250-pound frame is something that makes scouts salivate.

With the draft looming, he knows that his time at Fordham is coming to an end, and he is quick to compliment Fordham and the system that the school has in place, saying that the talent here only keeps increasing, and the coaching staff made him into the player that he is today. This comes as high praise from the person Fordham hopes will be its second drafted player in as many years. Skelton knows that these next few weeks leading up to the draft are going to be long and nerve-wracking after watching his older brother, John, who was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals last year.

“I’ve got some team visits coming up this week, so that has got me a little bit on edge,” Skelton said.

“Having seen John go through this last year, I know it is all part of the process. It is helpful to have John encouraging me and supporting me along the way.”

Skelton remembers the joy that

it brought to his family when John got drafted, and can hope to duplicate that this year.

“John getting drafted brought such happiness to the family,” Skelton said. “I will never forget

the look on my father’s face when John’s name was called and how proud he was of him.”

No matter what happens during and after the draft, Skelton already has plenty to be proud of.

PHOTO BY MARK BECKER/THE RAM

Senior tight end Stephen Skelton (84) hopes to be drafted into the NFL.