Volume 105 Issue 11

Sustainability Committee

Hosts Earth Week

By EMMA KIM NEWS EDITOR

The United Student Government’s (USG) Sustainability Committee hosted Earth Week, a week of programming at Fordham from Saturday, April 15 to Saturday, April 22 in honor of Earth Day. Earth Day is an annual celebration that honors environmental achievements and raises awareness of the work that still needs to be done. On April 15, the week kicked off with a Fordham Flea pop-up, which is an in-person flea market on campus. Other events included Plant a Seed, Day of Kelp, a Community Climate Summit and Action Fair, Paint a Tote Bag and other collaborations with environmentally-focused clubs on campus.

Liz Shim, FCRH ’23, chair of the USG sustainability committee, explained the importance of celebrating Earth Week.

“It is extremely important to celebrate Earth Week because I feel like a lot of people forget that climate change is one of the most threatening and imminent issues

SEE EARTH, PAGE 3

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Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918

Fordham

OMA and ACE Celebrate AAPI Month

By ALEXANDAR HOM CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Although Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM) is in May, which begins with finals weeks, the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) is honoring the university’s AAPI members, who make up 15.4% of Fordham’s population, with a spread of special events throughout April. OMA’s unique annual tradition sees seven events at Rose Hill following the return from the Easter weekend. Asian Cultural Exchange (ACE), the largest student club representing Fordham’s diverse communities of AAPI ancestry, held their annual “EPIC” spring banquet social on April 21 in Bepler Commons.

By SOFIA DONOHUE DIGITAL PRODUCER

“It’s important for us at OMA to provide events and — most importantly — spaces on campus that help everyone foster identity development and meet others in the Fordham community with shared experiences,” said OMA Graduate Intern Nicole Jara Andrade. “While May is the national AAPI Heritage Month, a time where we’re all busy

SEE AAPI, PAGE 4

Fordham’s Graduate Student Workers Rally During Three-Day Walk-Out Demonstration

By ISABEL DANZIS EDITOR IN CHIEF

Members and supporters of Fordham’s Graduate Student Union (FGSW) rallied on April 25 outside of the Rose Hill campus during their three-day walk-out demonstration in support of the union’s ongoing bargaining process with the university. Yesterday, the second day of the walkout, was the first event at Rose Hill after

Fordham Hosts Ignatian Q Conference for the First Time Since 2014

By ELEANOR SMITH CONTRIBUTING WRITER

In 2014, the first Ignatian Q conference was held here at Fordham, and on Friday April 21, it returned. Ignatian Q is a conference that develops spirituality

and affirms humanity for LGBTQ+ students at Jesuit schools. A different Jesuit school hosted Ignatian Q each year until 2020, and every conference has a different theme.

This year’s theme was “Homines

Pro Aliis: Queer Activism Rooted in Justice and Love.”

Monday’s rally occurred outside the Lincoln Center campus.

FGSW members and supporters met by the Metro-North gate to campus to show their displeasure with the university. Members chanted, “hey, hey, ho, ho, union-busting’s got to go,” among other chants, walking back and forth across the gate while holding signs in support of the union. Addition-

ally, rallygoers brought things like noisemakers and held signs asking for passing cars to honk to support the union.

The walkout came in response to ongoing contract negotiations with the university, which have been largely stagnant according to many FGSW members.

“The first contract is usually finished early on, I think a year, year and a half, and at this point,

SEE RALLY, PAGE 4

Fordham Hosts 16th Annual Research Symposium

By ANTONI ZLATANOVSKI STAFF WRITER

Fordham hosted its 16th annual undergraduate research symposium in an effort to showcase the research that Fordham students had been working on throughout the past year on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. “Originally, and still today, the symposium is inspired by our amazing students and their interest in engaging undergraduate research with faculty mentorship. It’s always been a way to celebrate them and showcase their work.

It has grown a great deal

over time and students from so many disciplines will be participants,” said Rachel Annunziato, who is a professor of psychology and associate dean for strategic initiatives for Fordham College at Rose Hill.

At its core, the symposium aims to help contribute to Fordham’s mission of cura personalis by allowing students to step out of their comfort zone in an attempt to make new discoveries, while simultaneously growing from the experience. “I have so many hopes that I cherish seeing come true,” said Annunziato.

“Our students are a part of such a wonderful community of

SEE RESEARCH, PAGE 5

Opinion

The conference began on Friday at the Lincoln Center campus. At the welcome ceremony, Fr. Bryan Massingale, S.T.D., a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, a professor at Fordham and an advocate for queer inclusion in Catholic SEE IGNATIAN, PAGE 5

COURTESY OF CAMPUS MINISTRY FOR THE FORDHAM RAM

The theme of Ignatian Q this year was “Homines Pro Aliis: Queer Activism Rooted in Justice and Love. ”

Monday was the beginning of the FGSW union’s three-day walk-out, in response to Fordham administration.

COURTESY OF SEBASTIAN DIAZ/THE FORDHAM RAM

PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS

April 17

Public Safety Office

8:45 p.m.

On Monday, a student reported a fraudulent scheme. The student stated that they received a text message that claimed their bank card was used and listed a number to call if the transaction was not authorized. The student called the number and spoke to a representative who said that their bank account was compromised, and they had to immediately withdraw $5,000 from their bank and deposit the money into Bitcoin Depot. The student deposited the money, and then contacted their bank who informed the student that the message was fraud. The student declined to notify the police.

April 17 Martyrs’ Court

11:26 a.m.

On Monday, a student reported their bag missing from Martyrs’ Lawn. The supervisor canvassed the lawn and checked the found property log. The bag was not turned in. The supervisor recontacted the student who said their bag was found and returned to them by a friend.

April 18

O’Hare Hall

1:18 p.m.

A student reported the loss of two sweatshirts from the O’Hare Hall laundry room on Tuesday. The student said they last saw the items while doing laundry on March 11. Investigators reviewed the video and identified the student who had taken the items. The student said they did not realize that the items did not belong to them. The items were returned to the owner.

Fordham Introduces Environmental Action Plan: Laudato Si’

By EMMA KIM NEWS EDITOR

On April 16, President Tania Tetlow sent an email to the Fordham community introducing Fordham’s environmental action plan: Laudato Si’. It is named after Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical, “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home,” where he urged people to take action for the planet. The action plan is a guide to a sevenyear transformation process for Fordham’s campuses.

In her email, Tetlow explained that the plan is only the beginning. “We’re taking a deeper look at how we use single-use plastics and learning how to compost our food waste. We’re cleaning and preserving our parks in the Bronx. And this is only the beginning. As we continue this journey, we know that our best and most powerful resource is you. Join us as we make a difference — not just for Fordham, but for the world,” wrote Tetlow.

The committee that wrote the environmental action plan included different people from across the Fordham community, including Chair Julie Gafney, Amy Aronson, Eric Chen, Gerardo Galiano, Rachelle Green, Judith Jones, Debra M. McPhee, Russell Pearce, Jose-Luis Salazar, S.J. and Christiana Zenner.

In the mission statement, it states, “We cannot leverage the powerful intellectual force of our University for public good without working on climate justice and environmental justice across disciplines and schools. We cannot consider ourselves a world-class institution unless we demonstrate a commitment to sustainability in our day-today practices, our infrastructure, and our physical plant.”

It also states that the goal is to “continue to work across the University to unite sometimes-siloed or disparate work in teaching, learning, research, student affairs, finance and strategic sourcing, human resources and infrastructure and facilities under one prevailing vision of environmental and climate justice.”

In addition, it has 10 different action steps — let go of the old world; face your grief but hold a vision for the future; defend the truth; see yourself as

Friday April 28

McShane Gallery

1–4 p.m.

Support USG’s Committee on Sexual Misconduct as they host their annual Week of Action. Help construct bracelets displaying supportive messages for sexual misconduct survivors.

a citizen, not a consumer; move beyond fossil fuels and invest in a clean economy; reforest the earth; use technology responsibly; build gender and racial equality; advance and grow civic engagement; and finally, groundin ecological spiritual practices.

On the website for the action plan, there is also an outline of different steps that Fordham has already taken over the past two decades. In 2007, Fordham accepted the NYC Carbon Challenge, which is an initiative between the Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice and different leaders in the private, institutional and non-profit sectors who have committed to decarbonizing their properties. In 2015, Fordham recycled 208,000 lbs of waste and 90,000 lbs during construction. In 2017, their pledge extended to include a 40% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and in 2018, an entire Ram Van fleet ran on biodiesel. In 2019, solar arrays offset 20% of Fordham’s energy usage (37% of Fordham’s Prep). Finally, in 2022, the Laudato Si’ Steering Committee began creating the seven-year action plan.

In addition to action, there have been multiple events to raise awareness. On March 26, Fordham hosted Caring for Our Common Home — an environmental justice leadership workshop. Most recently, Fordham hosted A Summit on Community Power and Just Climate Actions on April 19 on Walsh Library Lawn. The event was a chance to discuss the collective power of communities in transforming just climate actions.

Marc Conte, Ph.D., professor of economics, was one of the speakers at the event and is part of the newly-formed Sustainability Council at Fordham. The council did not make the action plan, but they were formed to guide the university in its efforts to increase its focus on climate and environmental issues.

Conte explained that Fordham is able to provide information on environmental issues with research conducted by Fordham faculty members.

“The impacts of climate change on human well-being are challenging to mitigate for a number of reasons. One key challenge

is that the impacts may not be immediately obvious to communities (e.g., increased risk of more extreme tropical cyclones, which occur sporadically),” said Conte. “As an institution of higher learning, Fordham has an opportunity to provide critical information to community members, policymakers and residents of the five boroughs of New York City that allows them to more clearly understand their exposure to climate risks. This information comes from the incredible research conducted by Fordham’s faculty and their colleagues at other institutions.”

Conte added: “Fordham should increase its support of faculty research to ensure that the third element of the action plan (“defend the truth”) is achieved and surpassed. While I think that each action item is important, I believe that it is critical for Fordham to commit meaningful resources to this component of the plan. In doing so, Fordham can foster closer relationships with the broader community in the Bronx and New York City that will drive achievement of related goals with regard to increasing Fordham’s contribution to civic engagement (the 9th action) and communicating the terrific research being

This Week at Fordham

Saturday April 29 Martyrs’ Lawn 12 p.m.

Celebrate the start of spring with performances from Coin and Cochise. Come early to see Fordham DJ, Ms. Worldwide and Battle of the Bands winner, The Wave.

Saturday April 29

McShane 2nd 9-12 p.m.

Enjoy a night of food, drinks and dancing at RHA’s Inaugural Rose Ball. Tickets must be bought in advance. General admission tickets cost $15 and drink tickets cost $25.

Sunday April 30

conducted on the Fordham campus (the 1st action) to help us understand and respond to the challenge of climate change and to mediate the distribution of climate damages across members of society.”

Ultimately, Conte explained that in the context of climate change that uncertainty is heightened given the sheer scale of the greenhouse gas emissions and their impacts and the pace of technological improvements, but there are different things, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, which can unlock money to support additional research and development in areas. Conte explained that because of this, decision-making on the topic must be forward-looking and pliable, which is not always easy at institutions.

Overall, Conte said, “As a faculty member on the newlyformed Sustainability Council, which will make recommendations to the University about how best to achieve and surpass its targets under this action plan, I will offer my expertise and work with my fellow council members to suggest paths forward that could establish Fordham as a leading institution of higher education with regard to the pursuit of climate justice.”

Tuesday May 2

Spring Weekend Comedian Fordham Baseball versus NJIT

Fordham Prep Auditorium 7 p.m.

This Sunday, USG is hosting SNL castmember, Michael Longfellow, as their annual Spring Weekend comedian.

Come to the Fordham Prep Auditorium ready to laugh.

Houlihan Park 3 p.m.

Fordham Baseball will host the New Jersey Institute of Technology this Tuesday. Come support Fordham on their home turf, as take on the Highlanders. Let’s go Rams!

Fordham took action in 2007, accepting the NYC Carbon Challenge.

FROM EARTH, PAGE 1

that we are all facing together as a species,” said Shim. “People are saying ‘it won’t affect me in this lifetime,’ and they aren't focusing on combating climate change. And there are a lot of disbelievers out there. So it is important to raise awareness and just celebrate how to live sustainably, so we can secure our futures.”

Lauren Larsen, FCRH ’25, a member of the sustainability committee, added that it is important to have reflective programming at Fordham.

“The Bronx is the greenest borough, so I really think that it is important to make sure that Fordham reflects that in our programs,” said Larsen. “Hence why we do events for Earth Week and Sustainability Week throughout the year to carry that on into the Fordham community.”

Andre Pulumbarit, GSB ’25, another sustainability committee member, highlighted how the different events can encourage people to be more sustainable.

“The Plant a Seed event encourages people to raise nature. I think

By GRACE GALBREATH ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Fordham students celebrated Ignatian Week on April 18 by hosting a showcase to publicly present on the themes of Ignatian spirituality. The showcase, “Unchained: Ignatian Spirituality Beyond Institutional Bounds,” was moderated by David De La Fuente, FCLC ’10, and featured one of his classes, THEO 3854: “Ignatian Spirituality.”

“When I was given the opportunity to teach the course, I thought that it would be really great to do a public facing event, showcasing the students and having them talk about how they have experienced spirituality. In this case, we were looking at each of the four weeks of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola,” said De La Fuente.

De La Fuente felt it was important that he do his part to continue spreading the themes of a Jesuit education.

“We currently have 27 Jesuit universities. The demographics are changing, the realities are

USG Sustainability Hosts Earth Week

that is a big thing – showing people how easy it is to start small with being sustainable,” said Pulumbarit. “By planting a seed and letting them take it home, the event is kind of us giving them a kickstart to being sustainable.”

Pulumbarit added that the Paint a Tote Bag event is where people get to paint their own reusable tote bags. “It is a fun way to incentivize people to have a reusable bag,” said Pulumbarit.

Shim added that Earth Week is a way to raise awareness about the intersectionality within sustainability and raise awareness about things such as greenwashing. Greenwashing is when a company uses misleading information about its product and often involves unsubstantiated claims to deceive consumers into thinking that the company has a greater environmental impact than they actually do.

“People don’t realize how many different sectors that sustainability is a part of. For example, with Plant a Seed that is something a little more personal to get people to embrace nature,” said Shim. “We had a career panel and that really shows

how sustainability and ESG and business are going hand-inhand together now.”

Shim added: “A lot of companies are greenwashing… Right now, we are trying to raise awareness to make sure these businesses are responsible for all the greenhouse gasses they emit and all the waste they produce.”

Other members of the sustainability committee also shared why they decided to become involved, including Sean Powers, FCRH ’24, and Tierney Kulju, FCRH ’24, vice chair of the committee.

Powers explained that he always loved being outside. He said he was not always a believer in climate change and sustainable practices, but over the past few years, he saw all the damage that was being done to the environment when he was outside, from tides rising to the increase in trash during COVID-19.

“Having that mindset of what I once thought, I hope I can inspire people to understand the importance of sustainability and caring for the planet and not only

changing the planet now and trying to heal it but teaching people how to care for it tomorrow and the years after us,” said Powers.

“As an environmental science major, I believe that I have a responsibility to promote sustainability both on and off campus, and USG has been an excellent outlet to make change in both of those avenues,” said Kulju. “Throughout my two years on the committee, I have made many wonderful connections with people who are passionate about making Fordham a greener campus. Additionally,

I have had the opportunity to connect to both the student body and university administration on proposals such as composting in the Marketplace and the reintroduction of reusable drinkware at campus dining locations.”

Shim added, “I decided to become part of USG sustainability because I wanted to make a long-lasting, permanent impact and leave my legacy and change the world for the better. In college, you have the opportunities that are not available in high school to make that change.”

Fordham Students Celebrate Ignatian Week

changing. When I was an undergraduate student at Fordham, there were a fair amount of Jesuit faculty, administrators and, of course, our president was Jesuit. Just because of demographic shifts, there are fewer Jesuits who are active in faculty, administrative and leadership positions. There is a need to carry forward and communicate why the Jesuit education is important, what is distinctive about it and what is distinctive about places like Fordham. I feel compelled to do my part and this is one way to do that, to have my students directly engage through the class, and in that way, get a direct sense of what it could mean for them.”

To cover each of the four weeks of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, De La Fuente’s class split up into several small groups. Each small group chose to display their reflection in a different medium. Some of the chosen display styles included paintings and studentmade short films.

“It made the most sense to have students use creative modes as

a way to express what they’ve learned, because what they’ve learned will always be tied to what they’ve experienced. It makes it meaningful for them and personalizes the education,” said De La Fuente.

Each student took a different approach to presenting the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Kaitlyn Squyres, FCRH ’26, helped coordinate the logistics of the event.

Squyres said, “I did a lot of the graphics, not all of them, but I did the logo and some of the slides. I also did some color schemes and some typography.”

Squyres also designed the program for the showcase.

“It was a lot of back and forth with my professor about what information needed to be on there, what names, what titles and all of that. A lot of it was just graphics that I had already made,” said Squyres.

Other students chose different methods for displaying the themes of Ignatian spirituality. Abigael Hartlieb, FCRH ’25,

and Ava Coogan, FCRH ’25, were student moderators for the event.

Hartlieb said, “I think the core curriculum at Fordham does a great job of welcoming students to new ways of learning about religion. My theology class last year really inspired me to learn more about Ignatian spirituality.”

“When I was looking for a course for the second theology core requirement, I saw Ignatian spirituality and I thought it was interesting because we go to a Jesuit school that is always talking about Ignatian spirituality and cura personalis. I thought it would be cool to take a class and learn more about it,” added Coogan.

Darin McFarland, FCRH ’25, was inspired to take the class through peer recommendation.

“Fordham students have to take certain higher level theology classes. I had heard good things about Professor Dave. He was recommended to me, so I decided to take the class and see what it was about.”

The showcase included food and student-designed T-shirts that featured St. Ignatius of

Loyola donning a Fordham baseball cap.

De La Fuente and his class hoped to teach guests that attended the showcase about the overarching themes of Ignatian spirituality.

“Ignatian spirituality is unique. With lots of topics you can study them by reading it, but with Ignatian spirituality, to really understand it, you have to experience it first and then deepen that with the reading,” said De La Fuente.

De La Fuente added, “I think the main thing, for those who experience Ignatian spirituality, they find that it’s really flexible. It gives you a frame for understanding what is happening in your head and in your heart, a way of looking at the world and responding to it. That is what I want my students to experience, because in the end, that is what is happening in a Jesuit education. From whatever perspective they are coming from, from all the unique backgrounds they have, they are being trained to acquire a frame of mind, a disposition and a commitment that will enable them to transform the world around them.”

USG Discusses Public Proposals and New Business

By SOFIA SEMPER STAFF WRITER

On Thursday, April 20, the Fordham Rose Hill Student Government (USG) met to discuss club proposals and new business.

The Men’s Mental Health Union presented their proposal to be named an official club. Its founders said that during their freshman year, they were able to find a close group of friends that they could share their issues with, and they want to help provide other students on campus with that same opportunity. They also stated that some students may have a difficult time expressing their emotions, so it might help to have a constant group of people that they could talk to. As the college years go on,

they explained, students have less time to socialize, so the original sense of community that they feel can start to dissipate. They are hoping that this club can help counter that feeling. Additionally, they want the club to promote men’s mental health and emotional and physical wellness. The club meetings would consist of movie nights, outdoor activities and discussions that promote mental well being.

Senator Lucas Hjertberg, FCRH ’26, asked what is the value in gendering the club. The club founders responded by saying that anyone can join the club, if they feel inclined to, but that they specified it to men’s mental health and wellness because that is what they are experienced with.

Senator Andy Diaz, FCRH ’25, said that he felt like the club was “a friend group asking for funding.”

The presenters explained that that

is not the case at all, however, they do feel that team building activities, such as playing sports, would help the club members build trust and be able to talk to each other more freely about their issues or worries.

The Badminton Club presented their club proposal next. The club founders explained that badminton and physical activity are great ways to relieve stress and the club would be a great opportunity for students to build a community. Their meetings would include an introduction to badminton class, a badminton de-stress event and a badminton tournament.

The last club to present was the Citizens Climate Lobby Fordham (CCL). The student presenting the club explained that CCL is an established

nonprofit organization that they would be working with so they would be able to collaborate with other universities for events. The purpose of this club would be to provide students with meetings and efforts to lobby for policies that address climate change.

The student said that she also hopes that this club would encourage students to create change beyond the Fordham campus, and CCL also has many internships and fellowships available for students. Some event ideas are film screenings, speaker presentations and attending conferences.

The Residence Hall Association (RHA) delegate announced again that the Rose Ball is April 19 from 9 p.m.-12 a.m. He also asked for the student government’s help in advertising the event.

Executive President Santiago

Vidal, FCRH ’24, announced that the March Club of the Month is Fordham Backstage.

Senator Keegan Roeder, FCRH ’23, and Senator Maria Narvaez, GSB ’24, presented their proposal for Spanish-speaking campus tours.

They explained that the purpose of campus tours is to help prospective students and their parents decide what university to go to so, to make it more inclusive, there should be Spanish-speaking tours as well.

They also clarified that Spanish-speaking tours are currently offered. However, they are not advertised so many families do not know about the option. They explained that it’s a matter of expanding accessibility and of showing that they welcome students of all backgrounds.

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

During Earth Week, students had the opportunity to attend the events.

Fordham OMA and ACE Celebrate AAPI Month

with finals and graduation, our annual April celebrations importantly empower our AAPI community members to take pride in their cultures!”

The month-long bash by OMA kicked off with an educational tabling about South & Southeast Asian New Years celebrations on April 13, followed by a screening focusing on Pacific Islander representation in “The Wind & The Reckoning.” OMA also organized an April 14 outing to Yu & Me Books, an Asian woman-owned bookstore in Chinatown; and an April 19 “Paint & Sip” event featuring traditional Batik painting and tea sampling.

“We hope that students find community in our events, whether a sense of belonging or an educational space to learn more about AAPI cultures!” Andrade said.

“Our events highlight the numerous achievements within the AAPI diaspora and the progress that our Fordham AAPI community’s successes contribute to.”

OMA’s events also coincide with

ACE’s festive “EPIC” celebration, their annual end-of-spring-term celebration closing out the academic year. Complementing their similar fall “DYNASTY” event, the club added new foods and performances in the spirit of inclusion.

“EPIC’s one of ACE’s annual hallmark events — with it, we continue celebrating Fordham’s AAPI, and this year we really wanted to highlight the diversity within our community even further,” said ACE President Alex Tamsi, FCRH ’24. EPIC 2023 is ACE’s first time inviting student South-Asian dance troupe Fordham Falak to perform, as well as catering collaboratively with Fordham University SouthAsian Entities (FUSE), a club representing the students and cultures of South Asian nations from Iran to Thailand. “We at ACE are super thankful for these opportunities, because much of our current makeup comprises Southeast/East Asian heritage,” added Tamsi, a Filipino international student from Manila, addressing the crowd as she opened

the event. “We’re so thrilled to help spotlight and invite more members of South Asian heritage.” ACE’s eboard then introduced themselves, before Tamsi handed the floor to members of Fordham Falak, who danced to traditional Bollywood music.

“Food’s a very central ingredient in how we engage with each other’s cultural heritage,” added Tamsi, “and this is the first time we’ve ever had Indian food at one of our events, so we’re very excited!” There was Indian chicken biryani, and chicken and paneer tikka masala. Korean cuisine was also present: sweet beef and spicy pork bulgogi, stir-fried cellophane japchae noodles, kimbap rolls, fish cakes and soy garlic wings.

“With Fordham Falak, the sense of community always comes through,” said Arul Mollin, GSBLC ’23. “Being able to share with everyone my passionate excitement dancing to Bollywood music is really impactful, especially because people don’t often realize South Asians are AAPI. Participating in AAPI Month celebrations allows

us to spread our cultures so we can educate others about Bollywood music, introduce our customs and enjoy time together.”

“EPIC is really special to ACE as it’s one of our signature events of the calendar year,” said Peggy Ye, FCRH ’21, a former ACE President. “It’s a really cool time to celebrate South/Southeast-Asian cultures.”

“I can explore different cuisines from different cultures and experience different performances,” said Sabina Zheng, FCRH ’25. Crystal Wu, GSB ’25, added, “It’s a very fun tradition where I can catch up with people I know.”

Phillip Real, GSB ’25, is the president of Fordham's PhilippineAmerican Club, or FUPAC. “EPIC is a great opportunity to bring ACE exposure and EPIC awareness to showcase our pride for culture,” said Real. “Coming to these events are a great way to find community, for the diverse groups of both Fordham AAPI and allies. A lot of hard work was put into EPIC, which is a testament to the hard work of the students here.”

Students emphasize that OMA’s

and ACE’s events call attention to the imperative to stand with AAPI, made all the more important especially in the wake of COVID-19 and the devastatingly resultant spikes in racially-motivated hate crimes against AAPI. They note that with the scores of ethnicities that comprise AAPI identities, a need for intra-AAPI unity across cultural backgrounds also builds toward a broad understanding of the AAPI community.

Tamsi notes NYC’s robust Asian American history and points to Fordham’s emphasis on their Diversity in Action initiatives. “AAPI Month is a very important way for the university to showcase their concrete commitment to these initiatives and to acknowledge their AAPI students, and the backgrounds they come from and come with,” she added.

“EPIC and AAPIHM mean more than just a club food gathering,” said Oscar Zeng, GSB ’26. “It means good times with friends, good times with fellow students, and most importantly, good times with family.”

Fordham’s Graduate Student Workers Rally During Three-Day Walk-Out Demonstration

FROM RALLY, PAGE 1 an unfair labor practice with the university.

if we didn’t walk out, we weren’t going to build any more momentum towards a contract that could be negotiated in a reasonable time frame,” said Shawn Brewer, a second-year Ph.D. student in the philosophy department, and a member of FGSW’s bargaining team. “So, the reason we chose to do it right now is because of a longer strategy to basically push momentum towards a contract that would be to our liking. Otherwise, we would have just kept going in the way we were going. It was just going to continuously basically delay any type of progress on the contract and would have made the process far longer than it should be.”

Mark Himmelstein, a graduate student in the psychology department and another member of FGSW’s bargaining team, said the university’s conduct also prompted the walkout during negotiations. Himmelstein said that the university has “failed” to provide “sufficient information” to FSGW that they need to negotiate, like names of the people involved in the bargaining unit, their positions, the amount they are being paid, etc. Himmelstein said this conduct prompted them to file

“Whenever you file an unfair labor practice, one of the means we will often take is that we will show them that we don’t approve of their unfair labor practice, and we’re going to walk out of the job as a part of negotiations,” said Himmelstein.

On April 20, President Tania Tetlow sent an email to Fordham students regarding the walkout and FGSW negotiations. The university urged graduate students to reject the call to cancel their classes. In an additional email from Provost Dennis Jacobs on April 21, it was claimed that canceling classes harms the undergraduate population.

“We understand the desire of every student (and every person) to have a living wage, affordable housing, and free child care. But what we do not understand is the expectation that Fordham, a nonprofit and a school, could provide all of this for its own students. Indeed, because we are almost entirely tuition-dependent, the demand presents serious equity issues. It would effectively require us to redirect the tuition dollars paid by undergraduates and other graduate students to provide full,

personal financial support for the 360 students represented by this union,” wrote Tetlow in the email.

The email also highlighted some of FGSW’s demands, explaining their stance on each issue and outlining the current package many graduate students already receive. In the email sent by Jacobs, he stated that “the University has negotiated with the FGSW in good faith.”

Later in the same email, Jacobs said: “Unfortunately, the FGSW has not kept the focus on substantive issues. For instance, after six months of bargaining, the FGSW still has not brought forward all of its economic proposals for the university to consider.

Instead, the FGSW has focused during negotiations on topics that reach beyond the scope of its particular bargaining unit, on debating the meaning of well-understood words such as ‘event’ and on the precise means by which their members will submit certain paperwork.”

In response to the emails sent, members of FGSW expressed disappointment in the university, claiming that the university misrepresented their demands.

“We were disappointed by

the tone of [the emails]. We think there was a lot of misrepresentation. We are also relieved that the university is telling the public what their perspective on the negotiations are, so not just the public, but so that we can get an understanding of their perspective because their bargaining team hasn’t given us a great understanding of what’s going on behind the scenes and what the university’s perspective and motives are,” said Himmelstein. “We feel that they’ve been very withholding of where they’re hoping to go with these negotiations, and so this gave us a little more insight to where things are at.”

The Fordham Ram reached out to the university for comment and was told it does not have any additional comments at this time. Attendants of the walkout say they chose to participate to show the university their demands and what the union stands for.

“Personally, I think it’s important just to show that we know our worth. We know we’re not being treated fairly at the bargaining table or being bargained in good faith with.

We know we’re not going to be taken advantage of, and we’re standing up for that,” said Molly McCargar, a graduate student and worker in the biology department.

“For me, it’s about standing in solidarity with my peers and my colleagues and recognizing that you know we love our students and we really appreciate our work in this university and we hope through this work we can make it better. And hopefully, it will be an invitation to Fordham to better live out its values around Catholic social teaching surrounding workers,” said Sadie Yates, graduate student and worker in the theology department.

The walkout also attracted support from undergraduate students.

“Just to be frank, I’m disappointed in the university. It’s just sad that the school is professing all of these ideological beliefs about cura personalis and they’re representing the general social Catholic spirit, and yet I’m not seeing any of that,” said Charles Thompson, FCRH ’26.

Following the second day of the walkout, FGSW is hosting a final closing rally on the Rose Hill campus on April 26.

Sky Campus Happiness Program Comes to Fordham

By JULIANNA MORALES CONTRIBUTING WRITER

This semester, the Sky Campus Happiness program came to Fordham University.

Sky Campus Happiness is a well-being program aimed at supporting college and university students. The program was designed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and is offered by the International Association for Human Values and the Art of Living Foundation.

The mission of the program is to boost the “meditation, breathwork, emotional intelligence, social connection, and service leadership” to all members of campus communities, students and staff.

The organization has over 500 certified SKY teachers who work to bring the program to colleges

and universities, with customized plans made to fit the needs of each one. The main organizers of this new offering were the Director for Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS), Jeffrey Ng, PsyD, Associate Clinical Professor David Marcotte, Ph.D., from the psychology department and Michael Pirson, MS, Chair for Leading People and Organizations Area. Ng, explained that “Sky” refers to the Sudarshan Kriya Yoga meditation program that was taught at the programming. The SKY Breath Meditation was shown to be the most effective program for student mental health by recent research studies evaluated at Yale University, explained by Manuj Goyal, a SKY facilitator working with Fordham.

The Yale University study showed that the students showed

improvement across six categories: depression, stress, mental health, mindfulness, positive effect and social connectedness. The research supported that bringing SKY programming to campuses is a good way to improve student mental health proactively without putting a financial strain on the university.

Additional studies done at Harvard University also found the program to help support better sleep and increase resilience against stress. Fordham introduced the Sky Campus Happiness Program this semester with two workshops and a retreat. Both the workshops and the retreat were offered at no cost to participants. The retreat was held over the

course of three days, taking place from April 21-23 on the Rose Hill campus. The activities took place in three-hour long sessions each day during which participants learned well-being and resilience tools and worked with facilitators with 1,000 hours’ worth of training, according to Goyal. Ng explained that the primary goal of the retreat was “to equip our students with a specific set of skills (and a sense of community) that have been empirically demonstrated to be effective in enhancing resiliency, flourishing, mental health, and well-being.”

The Sky Campus Happiness program is not the only retreat offered to students at Fordham University. Another notable one is held by Campus Ministry among others. However, the university

introduced SKY as an attempt to offer a new alternative to the methods of mental health support and management they have offered before. With the high result rates that SKY yields, the hope is that the university will be able to help students where other techniques perhaps haven’t worked.

Sky Campus Happiness has held their program at numerous colleges and universities throughout the country and has been met with great success, earning it its high regard. In order to organize the Sky Campus Happiness workshops and retreat, CPS collaborated with the Psychology Department and the Leading People and Organizations Area in the Gabelli School of Business.

spaces, spoke about the power of dreaming. Massingale quoted the historian Robin Kelley, who believed that dreaming is vital because it allows us to imagine alternatives and “bring them to fruition.” The night concluded with a scavenger hunt in Greenwich Village, the historically gay neighborhood in lower Manhattan.

The keynote speaker for the second day of the conference was Joan Garry, a Fordham alumna and a nationally recognized LGBTQ+ activist. Garry spent ten years at the helm of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and throughout her career has

advocated for more accurate representation of queer people in the media and news. She credited the Jesuit education she received at Fordham for teaching her how to use her education for leadership and activism.

Garry’s speech focused on the obstacles that LGBTQ+ students face both as they decide where to attend college and as they attend college. Garry called on colleges and universities to create a more welcoming environment for queer students, but also granted that institutions were unlikely to change unless pushed to do so by their students. Declaring that “visibility drives understanding and understanding drives acceptance,” Garry called

on queer students and their allies to “model activism for those who are struggling.”

Sunday’s speaker was Fr. James Martin, S.J. Martin has advocated for queer inclusion for much of his career, and has met with Pope Francis to discuss the Church’s treatment of LGBTQ+ Catholics. He argued that, not only does Catholic and Jesuit social teaching focus on helping the marginalized, the Bible also encourages it. Martin’s speech focused on Jesus’s work with people on the margins of society, and provided theological justification for queer ministry and acceptance.

After Martin’s speech, con -

ference attendees asked him questions concerning Catholicism and queerness. The questions mostly focused on the progress the Church has made and the work that is left to be done regarding queer Catholics.

While Martin said that progress is not linear, he declared that the “trend of bishops, priests and laypeople coming out is not going to end,” and that acceptance of LGBTQ+ Catholics will increase as members of the Church get to know queer people and come to understand that they come from all walks of life.

Ben Reilly, FCRH ’23, chair of the Ignatian Q conference, said that “the most rewarding

part of organizing Ignatian Q has been the opportunity to foster a sense of welcome for LGBTQ+ students.” While Reilly said the process of putting on Ignatian Q has been time consuming, he wants the conference to make a lasting difference at Fordham.

He said he hopes that by discussing the intersections of queerness and spirituality with students and speakers from across the country, “we can more clearly see the reality of the queer experience, discern proper actions for queer inclusion, and move forward together.”

Details of the conference can be found on Fordham News.

Fordham Students Manage Investment Fund Worth Two Million Dollars

By CEARA PERRY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

At Fordham, the Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) is a global-balanced fund in which students manage a portfolio of the major asset classes of equities, fixed income, options & exotics, commodities and real estate. Students involved in SMIF manage $2 million of the University’s endowment.

A fusion of a finance-elective class and a club, students can apply to join SMIF in their junior or senior year and participate for two semesters. Taught by Professor James Kelly, SMIF seeks to provide students with real-world investing experience before their post-graduation careers.

Additionally, there is a new SMIF program being piloted at Lincoln Center focusing on various Environmental Social

Governance (ESG) goals, using more quantitative methods than the value-investing strategy of Rose Hill SMIF.

In their first semester, analysts cover an equity sector, fixed income, foreign exchange, emerging markets or real estate. Once analysts complete their first semester, they move on to become portfolio managers, or PM’s, of their sector. PM’s are also members of the investment committee, which decides the investments that go into the portfolio. Students have the opportunity to pitch two securities within their sector.

Collectively, students attempt to outperform the benchmark and grow the endowment each year. Analysts go through an “orientation process,” which teaches them fundamental and technical analysis tools.

An important aspect of SMIF is that students not only learn from

class and Kelly, but also from each other. PMsact as mentors to analysts, as they share their expertise from the previous semester.

“As an analyst, you work closely alongside your portfolio manager, sit next to them in class and hear what they have to say about how macro themes apply to your sector. Those discussions are really valuable,” explained Natalie Kimmelshue, GSB ’23, consumer discretionary PM and technical analyst.

The club aims to increase students’ responsibilities as they gain experience and knowledge in their sector over the course of two semesters.

“My job is essentially to stay up to date with my portfolio, pitch new ideas, monitor existing positions and to guide my analyst,” said Bobby Singh, GSB ’23, financials PM and risk manager.

The fund also has three top executive staff members, which are two Managing Directors and one Chief Investment Officer.

“My role as CIO is mainly making sure everyone is doing the correct research, doing right by the university and managing the chemistry and personalities we have at SMIF,” said Joseph Nussbaum, GSB ’23, chief investment officer and commodities and materials PM.

Investment and security analysis is a prerequisite for the club, which Gabelli students typically take in the first semester of their junior year. With 15 spots opening each semester, SMIF is selective, and applicants should aim for demonstrating interest in markets, as well as networking with PM’s.

“Anyone who is interested in the markets or wants to get hands-on experience should definitely try to apply and network with those in the

program,” said Singh.

“Try to learn as much as you can about the markets and stay educated on financial portfolio management because learning the terminology and strategy of portfolio managers will set you up to be prepared,” said Kimmelshue. “Take things one step further from what your hearing about the market, ask yourself how this event would affect the allocation of the portfolio.”

Managing real money is a unique experience of the club, making the program an aspiration for many students interested in the financial services industry.

“In my experience, it’s a rare instance where everyone in the class is focused on something they enjoy. We’re all finance majors, so at any time we could be on the phone talking about stocks, and you’re not going to be able to find that passion in any other class,” said Nussbaum.

Fordham Hosts 16th Annual Research Symposium

FROM RESEARCH, PAGE 1

researchers. It’s so helpful, too, for building analytical, communication and organizational skills that are important for many different career paths.” The symposium also attempts to act as an opportunity to work with others, develop leadership skills and learn to cooperate with those around them.

“There are also terrific opportunities like this to disseminate findings internally among supportive peers,” said Annunziato. “I see so many incredible discoveries being made by our students; the research they spearheaded and contribute to is deeply impactful.” Annunziato said her passion for the event stems from her own days as a college student. “I was a bit of a lost soul in college, but when I was introduced to research by a beloved professor and found how exciting and joyful it was, it gave me such a sense of purpose. I see so much of this too,” said Annuziato.

This year’s event was kicked off by slide presentations on the second floor of McShane. At 2 p.m. the event featured oral sessions on the third floor until 3:45. During the confer -

ence, students presented various interesting research topics and findings. Among the students were Anthony Lekakis, FCRH ’24, who conducted a 15-week research project in regards to legacy effects within plants such as the Japanese knotweed.

Another student, Sinaloa Burrja, FCRH ’22, conducted her research project in regards to the effect of ovarian hormones on regulating X-chromosome inactivation on the hypothalamus within mice. According to Sinaloa, “a significantly higher expression was found within the genes in OVX mice compared to naturally cycling animals when ovariectomy was done pre-pubertally, not not post-pubertally. Moreover, X-chromosome inactivation plays a role not only in biological but also in reproductive aging. Previous exposure to endogenous estrogen may also have a protective role in preventing major changes of Xchromosome inactivation due to ovariectomy.”

Della DeCola, FCRH ’26, conducted research on how poor mental health within adolescent years can affect a child’s academic ability later on in life.

“Eighth-grade math achievement levels as ‘below basic’

percentage has increased from 27% in 2013 to 32% in 2022,” said DeCola. “At the same time, eighth-grade reading achievement levels as ‘below basic’ have increased from 23% in 2013 to 32% in 2022. Hence, showing a sharp decline in academic achievement due to poor mental health.”

As a whole, the program is meant to help nourish intellectual curiosity and spark interest and debate when new topics are being presented

that some may find to be shocking or interesting. “I think our students learn a great deal about techniques germane to their disciplines, how to implement projects and explain/present findings to others. There are many different ways for students to get involved,” said Annunziato. Further information about the program can be found through online information on the Fordham website, as well as through the symposium web page which contains more

information about how students could get involved. According to Annunziato, students typically get involved through the Fordham College Rose Hill grant-funding network or university coursework. However, the symposium also has many students who connect with faculty in other ways that lead to research collaborations. Details of previous symposiums can be found on the Fordham website.

The 16th annual undergraduate research symposium highlighted different research from the past year at Fordham.

Clubs Respond to Changed Excused Absence Policy

By EMMA KIM

NEWS EDITOR

In fall 2023, clubs were informed of a change to the excused absence policy. Unlike previous years, where Fordham club-approved trips were able to have excused absences, the policy changed and the absences were no longer excused. Recently, however, the policy has been restored to its original form, with clubs once again able to request excused absences.

Alexander Yankovksy, FCRH ’24, who is president of Model United Nations (UN) and secretary of the Fordham Debate Society, explained that while the policy is now being implemented as in previous semesters, it is only temporary.

“It is still under review,”

said Yankovksy. “At the end of the academic year, there will be a review of what the new policy will be. The policy has not been changed nor do we know what the policy will be for next year.”

Yankovsky said that all traveling clubs are urging the university to consider the absences because the clubs are something that bring value to the university, and they also allow for new experiences for students which is very important for extracurricular activities.

“The university talks about cura personalis. The student organizations really embody that. It is the lifeblood of the extracurricular of students,” said Yankovsky.

In December 2022, Samantha Wong, FCRH ’23, president of the Fordham Debate Society, sent a

letter to the Fordham Policy Committee on behalf of three clubs — Fordham Debate Society, Fordham Model UN and Fordham Mock Trial — in support of excused absences.

In the letter, Wong explained that Fordham Debate Society is part of the American Parliamentary Debate Association (APDA), which means that the club has to run on APDA’s competitive schedule.

“The core function of these clubs is to compete with the country’s top schools at tournaments, and they will require missing classes,” said Wong in the letter. “Simply, without the ability to compete and attend these tournaments, these clubs will cease to function.”

Wong further explained that without a clear excused ab -

sence policy that there has been more pushback from professors, which has resulted in fewer students being able to attend tournaments. Overall, the letter urges the committee to vote in favor of an excused absence policy for competitive academic clubs.

Christopher Rodgers, dean of students, explained that the issue was brought up at a Student Life Council meeting.

“After this concern was first raised at a Student Life Council meeting earlier this spring by a group of students, Fordham College responded in a way that seems to be working quite well for now,” said Rodgers. “We know that the college and individual faculty are genuinely interested in coming up with a way to creatively support some of the

student organizations competing on behalf of Fordham.

Our role in Student Life will be to work with the student groups to minimize absences and with our colleagues to ensure that these are special exceptions.”

Yankovksy added that Fordham Debate Society was founded in 1852 and is the longest active club on campus.

“We hope that debate continues to have support in the future. We want to continue to grow this and continue to compete,” said Yankovksy.

“A lot of this is difficult postCOVID, and we have to rebuild these things. We are rebuilding to make sure we can do Fordham proud.”

The system remains under review by administration.

English Department Hosts “Reid Writers of Color” Series

By SOFIA DONOHUE ASST. NEWS EDITOR

On April 19, Fordham’s English Department hosted the Reid Writers of Color Series. Since the first Reid Writers of Color event in 2008, the English Department has hosted numerous award-winning writers of color such as Junot Díaz, Tracy K. Smith and Renee Gladman. This year, the Reid Writers of Color hosted Angie Cruz, a novelist whose primary works include “How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water” and “Dominicana.”

In 2007, a few faculty members in the English Department chose to incorporate a book by an author of color into the English curriculum.

“We were floating this idea that, as a department, we should draw attention to writers of color and give students across classes a book by a writer of color so they could think together about it and we, as a department, could celebrate writers of color,” said Susan Greenfield, an English professor

at Fordham.

When Frances Reid’s son entered Fordham as an undergraduate, Reid jumped at the opportunity to contribute to Fordham’s diversity initiatives and support BIPOC. During her son’s time at Fordham, he read very few books by writers of color. Reid wanted to make a donation and have the money go towards a literary series.

“It’s tremendously important not only to undergraduates looking at Fordham’s English program…her generous request year after year, being so involved, has genuinely changed the literary landscape,” said Mary Bly, chair of the English department.

That same year, Sarah Gambito, professor and director of creative writing, was hired. Through the English department’s initial initiative to teach a book by a writer of color, Reid’s generous donation and Gambito’s leadership, the English Department hosted the first Reid Writer’s of Color Series in 2008.

“Sarah Gambito was able to really turn this into a huge event and so that’s what happened from

2008 between the grant from the Reids and the arrival of Gambito the program took off,” said Greenfield.

Throughout the last decade, an increasing number of faculty have participated in the event and incorporated the Reid book into their curriculum. The Reid Writers of Color series has hosted a number of prestigious authors, many who have won Pulitzer Prizes.

“Frankly, the people we’ve had come have a habit of winning prizes. We’ve gotten people who are right on the cusp of getting famous,” said Bly.

This year’s writer of color, Angie Cruz, read an excerpt from her newest novel “How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water,” participated in a brief Q&A and signed students’ books.

“How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water” was featured in New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2022.

“As a child who was not allowed to speak until spoken to, I had to listen a lot. I was born into

a family of professional storytellers so I’ve been training to tell stories for my entire life,” began Cruz.

Cruz, a New York-born Dominican, shared that she started her own archive of photos and stories by interviewing workingclass women. In 2017, Cruz was losing hope in her aspiration to be a writer. However, she was struck by inspiration for her novel “How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water” when she was reminded of these women while waiting on a subway platform. The novel follows Cara Romero, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic who loses her job in the Great Recession.

“The thing is Cara Romero came to me when I was seriously considering changing careers,” said Cruz.

Cruz wrote the beginning of the novel during her commute. She urged writers in the audience to not give up on their writing, sharing that she received numerous rejection letters from editors while she was trying to publish “Dominicana.”

“My message is don’t give up, believe in your work and allow

yourself to be as weird as possible through your work,” said Cruz.

During the Q&A portion of the event, Cruz talked about how her relationship with her mother inspired “Dominicana.” Cruz said that after she began her education at SUNY Binghamton, she could feel the distance between her and her mother.

“When I think about writing this book [“Dominicana”], it was because I really wanted to close that space between me and my mother. Because of my education, I think she felt judged by me. But when she read the book, she felt seen,” reflected Cruz.

Reflecting on the event, Greenfield said that she believes the Reid Writers of Color Series is one of the single most important events Fordham offers.

“It’s hugely important for students and the community to celebrate, support and treat with absolute intellectual rigor the work of writers of color who, for way too long, and still to this day, are grossly underrepresented in academia,” said Greenfield.

Fordham Undergoes Accreditation Review

By ANTONI ZLATANOVSKI STAFF WRITER

Fordham University is beginning the accreditation review process from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), which will conclude with a site visit by a peer review team in spring 2025. Previously, the university received full, unconditional accreditation in 2016. However, according to a statement made by Fordham, MSCHE reviews “the University’s mission and goals, its performance and its resources every eight years in order to ensure compliance with seven standards of excellence.”

The process involves a university steering committee that will lead an institutional self-study by working with different groups and teams on campus. The co-chairs of this steering committee are Greer Jason-DiBartolo, associate dean for academic administration at the Gabelli School of Business, and Melissa Labonte, associate professor of political science.

“This is no different than any

organization,” said Dean JasonDiBartolo. “Every organization is a work in progress and undergoes this process to reflect on their commitment to excellence. In the end, Fordham University has a mission, goals and priorities. Not because we need to attain accreditation, but because we constantly strive to live by our mission and values, to act with integrity and to constantly reflect on what we’re doing well and what we need to improve. However, I believe that this is already a crucial part of Fordham’s culture.”

As a whole, the country is divided into different regions with independent bodies responsible for accreditation within that region. However, the MSCHE is responsible for accrediting Fordham as a whole. According to Dean Jason-DiBartolo, “Fordham actually has many accreditations within different academic disciplines. So we are not accredited by a single organization.

The Gabelli School of Business, for example, is accredited by AACSB. Different parts of the university have different specific accreditations. But the MSCHE is simply the

institution-wide accreditor of the university.”

According to Dr. Labonte, “these are the kinds of standards that you would want to see within institutions of higher education. The ways we demonstrate these standards are tied to institutional priorities that are unique to Fordham.”

“The MSCHE helps the university identify what we can improve on,” said Dean JasonDiBartolo. “It simply helps act as a framework to help the university fulfill its goals and mission as a Jesuit, Catholic institution of higher learning. This is a very important process that we hope the whole community will be involved in some shape or form.”

“In the end, the university is always thinking of its goals, priorities and mission,” said Dean Jason-DiBartolo. “This includes what changes to make, what advances to make, what is the support of the faculty in regards to research, how to deploy our resources, what changes to curriculum and to help the life-long

learning of administrators, students and alumni.”

On Tuesday, April 25, 2023, Dr. Sean McKitrick visited Fordham University during a town hall to give additional insight as an evaluation facilitator. Upon being asked a question regarding whether student experience played a role in the re-accreditation process, he mentioned standard IV of the MSCHE requirements. He said, “basic things such as course placement tests, consistency, fairness and support services are many of the most important

preambles of standard that drive student success. Everything we do focuses on students, which is why a positive student experience is very important, as it indicates that both the students and society are well served. So when we look at a university’s mission statement, we consider ethics, integrity, curriculum and ask how the instruction and resources are affecting students.”

As of now, the re-accreditation process is still an ongoing process, with a full timeline of the events published online.

Fordham is undergoing

Fordham’s Graduate Student Workers Union Addresses Nondisclosure Agreements

By RINA LOKAJ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Fordham’s Graduate Student Workers Union (FGSW), which called a job action this week, has given a long list of demands to the university, including better pay, improved working conditions and paid child care for graduate student workers with small children. While graduate student unions all over the country are trying to address these same issues as they unionize, there is one unprecedented issue on FGSW’s list: nondisclosure agreements (NDAs).

Benjamin Van Dyne, a Ph.D. graduate student in Fordham’s theology department, said cases of harassment and discrimination occur at Fordham on a daily basis, some of which could entail the use of NDAs. This is why Van Dyne and other organizers of FGSW say they are trying to negotiate a proposal that would have Fordham ban the use of NDAs in cases of harassment and discrimination. FGSW said this would make Fordham the first university in America to do so.

“If Fordham said ‘yeah, we can guarantee categorically that no NDAs have been used,’ no one would be happier than us,” Van Dyne said. “Because what that would mean is that, actually, there’s not a lot of harassment and discrimination going on. And making sure that’s not going on is our goal.”

However, Fordham President Tania Tetlow has on multiple occasions said that Fordham does not ask those making complaints about sexual misconduct to sign a nondisclosure agreement. “You may fire someone for sexual harassment and have them sign an NDA because what they will do is go say the whole thing was made up and trash the poor complainant. So that is very much worth an NDA,” Tetlow said at a Student Town Hall held in April. “This isn’t the issue. The issue is whether you ask the complainant, someone who brings the case, is brave enough to come forward. And we do not do that.”

Bob Howe, associate vice president for communications and special adviser to the president, also said that Fordham does not make those who bring forward a complaint use nondisclosure agreements, though it has asked those accused of sexual misconduct to sign one. “The University does not ask complainants to sign NDAs; the University will sometimes ask respondents to sign NDAs to prevent them from misrepresenting the outcome of a student conduct or human resources proceeding (and possibly defaming the complainant in the process),” Howe said.

FGSW members are holding a walkout from April 24-26 in response to what it sees as the administration’s lack of response to their concerns, including over the use of NDAs. Although the FGSW has been unable to point to any specific examples of NDAs being in place, it is taking the position that those

kinds of agreements are inappropriate when relating to cases of sexual misconduct and are negotiating to see them banned by the university.

A nondisclosure agreement is an agreement that certain information will remain confidential.

FGSW addressed the NDA issue in April when it hosted a talk by Rachel Robison-Green, an assistant professor of philosophy at Utah State University and author of “Sworn to Secrecy: The Ethics of Confidentiality Agreements.” Robison-Green said power dynamics often come into play when an NDA is used in cases of discrimination and harassment, especially in universities. Because of this power struggle, Robison-Green said the use of NDAs is unethical.

“NDAs protect power,” she stated at the talk, citing their ability to allow perpetrators to go free. “Nondisclosure agreements can lead to pain and suffering for individuals and for communities at large.”

Robison-Green noted that this rationale is specific to cases of sexual harassment or discrimination, specifically where there is a marginalized party involved. She said that NDAs may give protection to those who might agree to a settlement over a personal or embarrassing issue, especially when both parties sign temporary contracts, so as not to intervene with ongoing legal situations.

FGSW says it is addressing the use of NDAs because it finds them to be unethical. Despite not personally knowing about any cases of an NDA being used,

Preston Carter, a Ph.D. student in Fordham’s philosophy department, said that it is still important that a policy is put in place that unequivocally bans their usage. “We’re preventing a problem that we know about because there has been sexual harassment at Fordham,” Carter explained. He said that it is important that FGSW focus on NDAs because they have been historically known to be used as a tool to silence victims in universities to keep from tarnishing a school’s reputation.

Van Dyne also agreed with this idea, saying that, by its very nature, it is near impossible to know whether any NDAs are currently in place at Fordham. “There might be one. There might be 10. There might be 100 that are currently being enforced. We simply don’t know,”

Van Dyne stated. “We can’t know if Fordham is safe. We don’t say ‘we know it’s unsafe,’ right? We can’t know. But the lack of disclosure is troubling.”

The issue of using NDAs to silence survivors of sexual misconduct or discrimination is not unique to universities.

In September 2022, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved the SPEAK Out Act. This bill would void NDAs that keep employees from discussing instances of sexual harassment and sexual assault. It would allow victims to speak publicly without fear of legal backlash in order to stop

future cases of harassment and discrimination from perpetrators.

Similar to the SPEAK Out Act, which is specific to NDAs used in cases of harassment and discrimination, Van Dyne said that the graduate student union is not looking to ban NDAs that deal with salary or other personnel issues at the institution but would eliminate the use of nondisclosure agreements for cases of harassment and discrimination entirely. He said FGSW is seeking to have any person currently under an NDA through Fordham relating to sexual misconduct released from their agreement, and that this policy would extend to every member of Fordham University, not just graduate workers and students.

“Our reasoning here is beyond the fact that it’s just wrong to silence people about their experiences of harassment and discrimination,” Van Dyne said. “Our reasoning is that, if there are people who have committed such acts, it is in everybody’s health and safety interest to know that that has happened.”

In a December 2022 letter sent by FGSW to Fordham University attempting to request information about the history of NDAs at Fordham and the university’s policies about them, the union laid out its demands related to nondisclosure agreements.

“The Union proposed a contractual term that would bar Fordham from using NDAs in any settlement of a claim of harassment or discrimination,” the letter stated. “The Union maintains, as we have stated during bargaining, that the use of NDAs in such circumstances is a matter of workplace health

and safety because contractually barring a complainant from speaking about the underlying facts and circumstances of their claims of harassment or discrimination can conceal known dangers that exist in the workplace (e.g. individuals who engage in harassment or discrimination).”

Howe said that the Fordham administration does not want the FGSW to be negotiating for changes that would extend to every member of the university, even those outside the graduate student union. “They [FGSW] want the same policy to cover all employees, even those outside of the bargaining unit,” Howe stated. “The university has told the union negotiators multiple times that [their] proposal should not pertain to other groups of employees who they don’t represent (some of which are represented by other unions).”

During bargaining negotiations in which Carter was present, he said that Fordham’s negotiating team has said that they want to reserve the right to use NDAs in certain cases of sexual misconduct. During these sessions, Fordham administration has said that there might be cases in which survivors themselves choose to sign them, according to Carter. “They sort of had the rationale that some survivors might want to sign an NDA,” Carter said. “And the other rationale that they gave was that it would somehow expedite the process of getting a harasser out of Fordham.”

However, Howe said that if a complainant does not want to talk, that is their own choice and does not have to be legally enforced. “There’s no reason for a complainant to voluntarily sign

an NDA,” Howe said. “If they don’t want to talk about their experience, that’s their business, not the university’s.”

However, Jay Plourde, a Ph.D. graduate student studying quantitative psychology at Fordham, said there are some discrepancies with the administration’s word choices. At a bargaining session in which she was present, Plourde said that Fordham’s team said “that both parties may be considered complainants because the originally accused party may file their own complaint or countercomplaint against the original complainant. Theoretically, this could make both parties complainants and either or both parties subject to NDAs.”

In an email sent out to the entire Fordham community by Tetlow, she stated that both the union and Fordham administration are seemingly in agreement about one thing: harassment and discrimination should not occur. “We care deeply about the opinions of our graduate students, and we agree with many of the issues they have championed, including their advocacy on behalf of sexual harassment complainants.” the email said.

However, until this agreement is translated into a contract that legally eliminates the use of NDAs at Fordham along with satisfying the union’s other demands, FGSW says it will continue to negotiate and potentially withhold their members’ labor again in the future.

“This story here isn’t a story about an individual who was forced or coerced or cajoled into signing an NDA,” Carter said. “The story is entirely about many people in the union being concerned about harassment and silencing survivors.”

COURTESY OF PIXABAY Nondisclosure agreements were included in the Fordham’s Graduate Student Workers Union’s list of demands.

From the Desk | Frances Schnepff

I’m Not A Real Person, Yet

Serving the Fordham University campus and community since 1918

The Fordham Ram is the university journal of record. The mission of The Fordham Ram is to provide a forum for the free and open exchange of ideas in service to the community and to act as a student advocate. The Fordham Ram is published every Wednesday during the academic year to all campuses.

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RIn Noah Baumbach’s 2012 film “Frances Ha,” Frances says one thing that has always stuck with me: “I’m embarrassed, I’m not a real person yet.” I relate to Frances in many ways, not just because we share a first name, but I understand her unmatched curiosity for a world in which she does not yet belong. I, like Frances Ha, am also not a real person yet, and it has been a challenge for me to accept that until now.

Like everyone else, I’ve experienced feelings of inadequacy and imposter syndrome, especially throughout college where everyone seems to be comparing themselves to one another. I’ve felt like there is no room for true individuality, true uninterrupted solitude, in which I can find a place to become a real person. But, I also think it’s important to understand what a real person is before diagnosing myself as a fake one.

A real person has a driver’s license, which I don’t have. Of course there are many excuses I could make as to why I don’t own this declaration of freedom in the form of paper. One being I’m from Chicago, the city, so I just have no need for it. Two being COVID-19, but that has become an excuse for everything

nowadays. Three being environmental protection, which is important to me, but not a valid reason to not have my license. The truth is avoidance. Avoidance of becoming a real person.

A real person cooks their own food. I cook sometimes, but when I do it’s always basic, with no variety and no creativity. Whenever I bake, it somehow fails because I’m too impatient to follow the directions exactly and get frustrated. I have friends from home who live in houses with kitchens, who cook all their meals, like real adults. I wish I was that much of a real person, but my lack of culinary skills makes me feel like a failure who depends on a plastic student ID for all my meals.

A real person knows what they want, in everything. They know how to approach all situations, they know how to talk to people in a way where they seem normal, not in a way where they analyze every little thing they say. They know where their future will take them. They know what they’re passionate about, they don’t jump around all the time. They know they have to pay their rent, they know to talk to their landlord, they know how to say no, or yes. I don’t know how to do any of these things. I

sincerely wish I did, actually, I wish I was more capable of understanding the how-to’s of being an adult. Since I was little, like really little, I never wanted to grow up. I had a pillow on my bed that said: “never grow up.” Despite how ugly it was, and how cringed-out I get looking back on that pillow, I still feel some of those fears about the future. I’m nervous to fly by myself sometimes, but I’m also excited to sit in silence on the plane for two hours. I’m anxious to call the doctor’s office, but I like taking the subway there. I’m on edge before going into a job interview, but I love the exhilarated feeling I get after the interview is over. I have begun to like doing the things that are slowly

Editorial | USG Campaign Promises

making me a real person, and I think that’s the most important thing.

At 20, we are in a limbo, like a river that splits the land. On one side is our childhood, and on the other is our future adulthood. We are floating down the middle, trying to make it to the other side. Even if there is no such thing as a “real” person, I’m definitely not one. I would say that I am two-thirds of the way there, and I’m okay with that. Not being a real person is what college is, and for me that’s a relief.

For now, I’m going to embrace not being a real person, because this is the only time in my life when I will be able to be indecisive, a little aimless and without a driver’s license.

USG Still Far From Goal of Transparency

During the 2022-23 term, the United Student Government (USG) at Rose Hill claimed that they wanted to emphasize transparency, as this theme was central to the campaign platforms of many elected members. However, as this term comes to an end and the elections for the next cycle begins, it has become increasingly more apparent that USG is not living up to this goal.

First, USG has decided to move the election process and candidate panels to later in the semester than usual. Last year, the election and panels happened in a slower part of the semester: early April, after midterms and before finals. This year, regardless of the true intention, it feels as though USG is trying to slide this election in under the radar at the end of April as student focus is pulled to finals and finishing the semester. This is the exact opposite of transparency.

Additionally, while USG has been posting on Instagram to get the word out about elections, it is not enough. It is especially easy to miss an Instagram story or post as it gets lost in the shuffle of an overwhelming onslaught of media students have to wade through. As the entire school is on the cusp of finals and Fordham students enter the busiest time of year, USG should take a more in-your-face approach to bringing attention to the election such as tabling events and hanging posters in classrooms and residence halls. It feels as if USG is trying to sneak this election in under the wire with hardly any advertising about it. This lack

of transparency on USG’s part is especially disappointing as many candidates ran on a platform of change during the 2022 election, and while the governing body have passed countless proposals and statements, the effects of these actions are intangible on the general student body.

USG is forever discussing proposals during their meetings and in their emails, but have never taken the time to explain what a proposal even is, the process of creating a proposal and what happens once a proposal is approved or rejected. Many students and the community in general feel that USG writes a proposal, calls for a round of applause and nothing ever changes.

The Fordham Ram reached out to Executive President Santiago Vidal Calvo, FCRH ’24, for an explanation of the function of proposals and the proposal process. Essentially, proposals are drafted by USG and sent to the offices they believe should be involved with the decision-making for that proposal. While the Ram was able to obtain this information through an email correspondence, the general student population does not have an easily accessible place to get that explanation. USG needs to get back to basics and explain what they even do for the student body and how they accomplish it.

When the current executive ticket took office they too made several statements about changing and increasing the transparency between USG and the student body they represent. One promise they

made before taking office was their “initiatives tracker” idea. The tracker was supposed to be sent out at the beginning of the 202223 academic year so students could gain insight into what USG was actively trying to achieve on their behalf. The tracker was then supposed to be present at the end of the academic year to outline what was promised and what they ended up accomplishing. This tracker can be found on the USG website. However, many students are unaware of its existence as it has gone unpromoted. This goes to show that USG is not spreading their message in an effective way that students are aware that this tracker even exists.

Many candidates in the 2022 election also claimed that they felt that the student body did not know what USG did or even who USG was. These candidates had high hopes of ensuring the student body became aware of USG’s presence and the work that they do, but as their term comes to an end, many students still have no idea what USG does. USG has broken yet another promise to the student body and did nothing to

improve transparency this year.

Students will not be aware of what USG is doing without first knowing who USG is. They need to first work on getting students used to the organization and where to find information before adding an easily missable story or post to Instagram. They need to get out into the community and let students know that way who they are and what they are doing as this has issued the best results and most heavily attended events in the past.

Students need a voice for their opinions on current affairs at the university, and they need this voice to advocate for the changes they want to see. In theory, this is what USG is supposed to be doing, but as they continuously fall short on their promises and fail to communicate in a transparent manner, they are no longer an effective advocate for the student body.

If you have any questions, concerns or inquiries, please email therameditorialdirector@ gmail.com

Feinstein Isn’t Fine — She Should Retire

By ALEXANDRA RAPP CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Senator Dianne Feinstein (DCalif) has been an invaluable Californian asset to the Senate since her election in 1992. She led the effort to improve fuel efficiency in the state of California, was vocal in the campaign to legalize gay marriage, championed preservation efforts in key areas of the U.S., helped create the national AMBER alert and has been working to improve water infrastructure in California. Among her greatest achievements was the 1994 federal Assault Weapons ban and the 2014 report reviewing the CIA’s post-9/11 detention and interrogation methods, which led to legislation banning particularly cruel tactics. She became the top Democrat in the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017, and the first woman to do so. This is just the short list of achievements by Sen. Feinstein. But unfortunately, a public servant needs to be able to serve the public — Feinstein can no longer do that.

I am in no way dismissing Feinstein’s monumental achievements, but I felt this same way when Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg did not relinquish her position during the Obama administration, thereby denying any possibility that her role be fulfilled by a nominee of similar ideology. I was outspoken when looking at my home state’s abysmally old Senate, filled with men in their late 70s and 80s who have run uncontested their entire careers and whose outdated perspectives throttle progress in the state. If

it were up to me, we would have term limits and mandatory retirements — just as any respectable law firm will turn its 65+ lawyers out to pasture. No one is saying these people are unable to fulfill their position because of their age, but when someone is unable to show up and contribute, it is time for them to step away. We would not let a neurosurgeon in their 90s experiencing cognitive degeneration keep operating for the safety of their patients, and we should not be making exceptions or covering for when a politician is no longer able to serve the community. We cannot hold a U.S. Senator to a different standard than everyone else. It is incredibly selfish on the part of a public servant to cling to power despite not being well enough to even cast a vote, especially when their absence directly harms the public. Feinstein has been on medical leave since February, and, since March 7, she has missed 58 Senate votes. This is unacceptable, but Feinstein isn’t alone. Rep. Nancy Pelosi has stated that she believes people are targeting Sen. Feinstein and, “I’ve never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate in that way.” I know that we are gnashing our teeth to bash a woman, but let’s not forget about Sen. Chuck Grassley or Sen. Mitch McConnell. Grassley is only three months younger than Feinstein and no one seems to be talking about him (or his hip surgery back in January), or how he is expected to be in office until 2029, which will land the senator in his mid-90s. McConnell suffered a

concussion not two months ago, and no one is calling for him to resign or questioning his capacities.

PBS reporter Lisa Desjardins said she “can count on both hands — I need both hands to say how many older male senators I have spoken to who have been confused, who haven’t understood me.” It would be incredibly reckless to ignore the rampant sexism women in politics experience, particularly for their age and appearance. But, on a wider scale, it is also wholly unacceptable that the average age of a Senator is 64, when the U.S. average age is 38.

Now let’s talk about logistics. It is not only selfish from the public service perspective for Feinstein to refuse to step down, but it is also politically reckless. Senate Democrats hold a majority of one. Democrats also hold a majority of one in the Senate Judiciary Committee. Without Feinstein, the committee is at a tie and cannot pass judicial nominees. Such a holdup prevents Democrats from making any progress in courts across the country, leaving positions vacant or filled with people who actively oppose the will of the President and majority of the population. A single person should not be allowed to freeze the entire system, but she is. Even with her request to be replaced, Republicans would have to agree on the replacement, which won’t happen. At this point, Feinstein is acting against her own party and given her Republican colleagues a golden opportunity to unofficially filibuster. Even close allies are calling for her resignation. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said

recently, “if she can’t come back month after month after month, with this close Senate, that’s not just going to hurt California. It’s going to be an issue for the country.” Klobuchar says it perfectly. Politics is a demanding job and it is a simple fact that age comes with a slew of health issues that compromise anyone’s ability to fulfill tasks. Compromising your party’s agenda and the functionality of the country’s government is unacceptable.

There is another angle I would like to quickly touch on — being able-bodied does not inherently mean being good at the job, and at the same time, being disabled does not mean being bad at the job. Politicians, like anyone else, deserve the right to recover. Sen. John Fetterman, following his stroke earlier this year, has had his needs accommodated so that he can do his job. Procedures should be in place to accommodate the needs of legislative members, recognizing that all

people are capable of fulfilling the role of a civil servant. It is not, however, the same thing when it comes to age-related degeneration after a long and prolific career.

The United States is in the middle of a judicial emergency. We are living in the midst of the most conservative judiciary in 90 years. If Sen. Feinstein really cares about her constituents, about her party or about the policies she has spent decades fighting for, she will step away. As for the age of our legislature and judiciary, maybe we should be trusting in young people who run for government positions and questioning the people older than the computers they don’t know how to operate. I don’t want to live in a gerontocracy anymore, and neither should you.

Classified Information Leaks Expose America’s National Insecurity

By NOAH OSBORNE STAFF WRITER

An unprecedented amount of attention is being directed towards America’s national security. Whether it’s the multiple Chinese spy balloons flying well beyond the continental United States, or the Pentagon finding itself penetrated by a 21-yearold leaker, it’s becoming abundantly clear that U.S. national security is under attack from threats both foreign and domestic.

While President Joe Biden has remained mum on the implications of shooting down one of the aforementioned spy balloons, the ramifications of former Massachusetts Air National Guardsman Jack Texeira’s Pentagon leaks are too loud to ignore. Specifically, the 21-year-old leaked classified information which exposed key vulnerabilities in Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s ongoing invasion. They also shone a light on China’s blooming relationship with Russia, as President Xi Jinping allegedly eyes military action to invade and take down Taiwan.

Texeira is hardly the first or likely last case of U.S.-classified information being leaked. From

Julian Assange’s WikiLeaks to Edward Snowden’s NSA leaks, the act of leaking information has come under a microscope that continues to polarize the country. What remains specifically polarizing about this is the fact that with each individual scenario, there are supposed reasons. Snowden, who worked for the NSA, served as a whistleblower to expose the questionable degree of surveillance power America holds. Assange’s WikiLeaks provided insight into the U.S. military’s role in the previously undisclosed murders of Afghan citizens while the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan raged on. It even continues to be argued that Assange’s leaks were not crimes, but rather journalism. While both scenarios serve as rightful lightning rods of conversation both for and against the act of leaking, Texeira’s has unequivocally put the U.S. and its allies in danger.

Where Snowden wanted to expose American surveillance and Assange sought to highlight American military malfeasance, Texeira claims he leaked classified information from the Pentagon to his Discord friends because he wanted to educate them on the experience of war.

Such an act cannot rationally be validated because, as he attempted to supposedly “educate” his friends online, he inadvertently educated America’s adversaries overseas regarding the weaknesses of the free world. Texeira is not working as a whistleblower in an act of civil disobedience to educate the country on its systemic wrongdoings, nor is he officially acting as a foreign agent to aid foreign governments. Rather, he is serving as the embodiment of youthful naivety, and it is important that the country understands that his stupidity cannot afford to be conflated with bravery. Because of Teixeira, both Ukraine and Taiwan’s defenses have been compromised, which could lead to countless more lives being lost. Additionally, his leaks have jeopardized diplomatic relations between the United States and South Korea.

While most cases of leaking end in plea deals, Texeira should be imprisoned for the remainder of his life. Every year that he should serve would be symbolic to the lives his carelessness has cost our country, as well as those overseas. The act of leaking classified U.S. information is already a

conceptually gray area, and Texeira has irreparably tainted it. Whistleblowers and leakers alike could, to some degree, serve as agents of civil disobedience to raise awareness of acts of American misconduct — inspiring meaningful dialogues about the relationship between the country and its constituents. Texeira’s actions were an act of American misconduct because they exposed international vulnerabilities that stand to be exploited by the likes of Russia, China and even Iran.

Texeira’s leaks also somehow manage to send an even more sinister message to our adversaries — incompetence. Specifically, Russia and China may come to the realization that the United States is more

vulnerable than it appears to be simply due to the fact that our nation’s greatest secrets are being supposedly safeguarded by America’s youngest citizens in 21-year-olds who tend not to know the damage their actions could cause.

Texeira’s actions most definitely should be raising questions with regards to the ages of who our country is placing its trust in, as it seems questionable that college kids are in positions to play games with America’s national insecurity.

Alexandra Rapp, FCRH ’24, is a history and international studies major from Hershey, Pa.

Noah Osborne, FCRH ’23, is a journalism major from Harlem, N.Y.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Sen. Feinstein should do the responsible thing for her constituents and retire.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Texeira’s leaked documents raise questions about America’s national security.

Focus the New Core Curriculum on Vital Knowledge, Not Trendiness

By JOHN DAVENPORT FACULTY OP-ED

As you probably know, the faculty of Fordham’s undergraduate Arts & Sciences colleges and the Gabelli Business college are about to rewrite their core course requirements. Nine faculty members elected somehow will propose a much smaller core, probably as little as 10 required courses (or one course from each of 10 required buckets, with multiple courses to satisfy each). This is bound to be a contentious process with potentially disastrous results for a Fordham education.

Not everything about this is bad. Many students and professors think the core should be revised, and so do I. Offering multiple ways of fulfilling each requirement is generally a good idea. For example, my own department should have offered different courses under the theme of philosophical ethics long ago.

But the extreme notion that we cut the core to 50% of its current size starts from a basic fallacy that students entering college can judge well enough what they need to learn. That makes about as much sense as imagining that we don’t need doctors and should be able to diagnose our own physical illnesses and write our own prescriptions. The whole point of a core is that faculty generally know (or should

know) a lot more than incoming college students about what is most important to learn for a good life in the 21st century.

Literally hundreds of former students and alumni over my 25 years at Fordham have told me that they would not have chosen to take a course in X, Y or Z area, but are so glad that they did, because only afterwards could they understand why that subject matter is so vital for everyone to know (at least at an introductory level). No student will love every core course they take; but they also cannot anticipate at age 18 or 22 all the possible changes in jobs, life-circumstances and social or technological developments that may require them to draw on the broad array of basic familiarity they have with different fields of inquiry. For example, when I finished college with a philosophy major, I was surprised to find myself working for the biology editor of a university press — but I was sure glad that I was required to take some bio in high school and college!

So the idea that it’s somehow progressive to have a minimal core is confused and counterproductive. It would be irresponsible of faculty members to sell this illusion. I occasionally get the feeling from a few colleagues that some perverse desire for revenge against humanities departments is operating here. But whatever the

motives may be, there are two other big problems with where this core “revision” (or decimation) is going.

The problems concern both the vague feel-good aims defined during the first “phase” of this process (2022-23) and the sort of courses that these aims will be used to rationalize. Students are to become “active, empathetic, globally-informed citizens who collaborate effectively with others across differences in service of justice and the common good” (Phase One vision statement, April 2023). Sounds great, right?

But here is the first big problem. The 16 more specific goals that follow this vision do not include anything like “learning the foundational concepts, distinctions, and theories that are essential for understanding and interpreting central conditions of structural justice.” Such a goal is essential if we really care about understanding socio-political justice instead of merely posturing a lot. I don’t care which departments are involved in offering courses to reach this goal; it does not have to be only philosophy. But without it, Fordham graduates will not be able to assess realworld issues involving justices and their causes with any kind of rigor.

In particular, every student needs to learn basic elements of game theory, basic types of market failures and accounts of public goods — which are to the study of justice what the periodic table is to

chemistry. Students cannot “work towards making the world…more peaceful, sustainable, and just” (current goal 2.4) without, for example, knowing that Tragedies of the Commons can take the form of prisoner’s dilemmas or Assurance games, or that many informal customs and other “cultural productions” (current goal 1.1) coordinate people to reach better equilibria through norms that overcome assurance problems, chicken games and other collective action problems. A real foundational course would require students to acquire at least basic familiarity with different dimensions of justice — from basic rights and meritocratic processes to transactional justice and social insurance against risks not

insurable in free markets — along with utilitarian and other common distributive equity norms that may be appropriate in different contexts. They would need to learn why common goods include not only public goods in the economic sense, but other goods with putative objective value that market demand functions cannot measure. The study of justice has become a quasi-science, but very few faculty seem to realize this.

The rest of this article can be found online at thefordhamram. com.

The Sun Sets On a Significant Era of Journalism

By NICOLE BRAUN OPINION EDITOR

Having devoted the past year and a half to the cause of journalism as a member of The Fordham Ram, I have developed an acute attention to and love for journalism news, and this past week has been one for the books. The consequences of the decisions made in the last few days will reverberate for the years to come and will create a new era of journalism entirely.

Firstly, Tucker Carlson, one of the Fox News’s most flagrant fear-mongers, was fired this week. This is a massive win for immigrants, people of color, queer people, the “less sexy” green M&M and every other group for whom Carlson stirred up hate and furthered damaging conspiracy theories and stereotypes.

And, on the other side of the political broadcasting pendulum, Monday also saw the firing of CNN’s host Don Lemon. This is a win for women “past their prime” (any woman who is over the age of 50) and all others who have been on the receiving end of his misogynistic remarks.

Whether you loved or hated these two broadcasters (I am personally happy to see both of them go), their absence will create a massive vacuum. Lemon was one of the most

recognizable CNN personalities, and Carlson’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight” averaged 3.5 million viewers, making it the most popular show on the most popular network.

Moving forward, in the past few months, CNN president Chris Licht has made it clear that he wants “to shave down what he views as the more partisan edges that emerged in the Trump years,” and move the network to more centrist territory and out of the far leftwing of political broadcasting. Though Lemon wasn’t a totally polarizing left-wing pundit, his absence will give the network the breathing room to make that adjustment.

Fox News, as is often the case, is a completely different story. The specifics over why Carlson was fired are still unclear, but I’m willing to bet that his involvement in and damning messages about the Dominion case had something to do with it. But that’s not to say that Fox is now swearing off broadcasting highly-charged, occasionally false copy. No, it just now means that they might start over with some new talking head that is ready to enrage the masses and stoke some fires.

The empty space Carlson once occupied could be filled with a journalist who actually values accuracy, accountability and fairness, though it is unlikely that this will be the case.

Unless you ask Newsmax, of course. Christopher Ruddy, the chief executive of Fox’s more conservative and less factual rival, said that “for a while Fox News has been moving to become establishment media and Tucker Carlson’s removal is a big milestone in that effort.”

Regardless of whether or not that’s true, I think most of Fox’s upcoming efforts will be devoted to recuperating from the $787.5 million settlement it has to fork over to Dominion Voting Systems in response to spreading defamatory sentiments in regards to the 2020 presidential election. This settlement means we can hopefully finally lay conspiracy theories about the 2020 election to rest. However, it is important to note that Fox never apologized or was held accountable for the seeds of doubt they sowed in the American people. Though Fox can be seen as conceding, at least monetarily, they have done long-term, if not irreparable, damage to the trust people have in our election systems.

Perhaps the least splashy fish in this pond of media mayhem is the fact that BuzzFeed News is shutting down after just 12 years. Executives cite advertising costs and an inability to keep up with digital trends as the culprit of this failed venture. Though BuzzFeed is often, and sometimes fairly, mocked for its silly listicles and clickbait-

laden dossier, the shuddering of BuzzFeed News marks a sad day for journalism. Born out of the idea to make news more digestible for our short attention spans, BuzzFeed News revolutionized digital media and gave readers quality journalism without them having to scale a paywall. Founding editor of BuzzFeed News Ben Smith believes that this demise signals “the end of the marriage between social media and news.” I think Smith is being a tad melodramatic here, but this is the end to an exciting and dynamic

period of journalism.

It is truly remarkable that all four of these stories coalesced within the span of one week. Something’s in the air, and I’m hoping that the winds of change will bring along a better era of journalism. Until then, I’ll stick with The Fordham Ram.

Nicole Braun, FCRH ’24, is an English major from Saddle River, N.J.

John Davenport is a professor of philosophy at Fordham College Rose Hill.

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

Core classes should introduce students to a wide array of vital information.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Carlson’s firing from Fox News leaves a vacuum in the journalism industry.

Don’t De-Ratify New York City

By GRACE McLAUGHLIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

My first word was rat, so I am a bit partial on topics concerning rodents — in favor of said rodents, that is.

It’s no secret New York City has a rat problem, and the fact that it stands out among the many, many other problems means that it’s disrupting daily life. Rats go where their food goes, and the menu here is, generally, garbage. It’s in bags on the curb or in buildings, loose on the street, overflowing from cans, the stenches wafting in the wind. So it’s safe to say that rats are pretty much everywhere, too.

There are certain areas of New York that are more conducive to rats than others. The conditions in the subway system in particular offer ideal real estate for thousands of rats. Personally, I don’t believe these rats are the problem. For the most part, they mind their business — avoiding the third rail and feeding their families.

The rats that need to go — or get a serious humbling, at the very least — are those that take up residence in people’s apartments. To me, it seems to be a structural integrity issue with the actual buildings in addition

to garbage disposal protocol. Older buildings with orifices at the ground level allow rodents to get in easily. I think that working to seal these buildings from vermin is the first step in bettering living conditions for all parties, but the Mayor’s office seems to have a different approach.

Mayor Eric Adams appointed the first New York City director of rodent mitigation earlier this week to keep tabs on the evergrowing rat population that we share a city with. “Rat Czar,” Kathleen Corradi, is a former elementary school teacher with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology as well as a Master of Science in urban sustainability.

Part of Corradi’s approach involves reducing the amount of time trash sits on the curbs, as a garbage feast is a rat’s paradise. But, as urban ecologist Michael Parsons of Fordham University pointed out, most of the rats native to New York are nocturnal and enjoy moonlit meals.

Obviously, there are health and sanitation concerns in areas housing large mischiefs, the term for a large group of rats. However, New Yorkers have been trying to remove rats from the city for centuries to no avail. Is there a way to get rid of rats for good? Will Corradi’s reign be

a revolutionary breakthrough? I think one crucial element seems to be missing from the previous approaches to eradicate rats from New York: rats are smart. According to a New York Times article, rats have been trained to scuttle through earthquake rubble to look for survivors. They’re not trapped easily either — they tend to stick to daily routines and avoid new things. Scientific American reported that rats also have the ability to laugh. Maybe we’re not so different, rodents and us. Maybe, in order to rid the city of rats, we have to think like them. What would make us leave the only home we’ve ever known? Corradi is right to start at the food source, but then again, rats are both resilient and not picky. That’s why I don’t think it’s realistic to try and rid New York of rats. But taking away easy access into people’s homes is a start at controlling them. A combination of managing garbage disposal as well as working to repair buildings in areas where rats find their way inside is what I think might be most effective in making sure rats keep to their subterranean nests.

Unfortunately for those who want to completely eradicate rodents, rats play an important role in the city’s food chain.

What other staple of New York vermin also dines on garbage?

Cockroaches. When there’s an abundance of garbage, there’s an abundance of roaches. Like I said, rats aren’t picky.

Personally, if I had to choose, I’d rather find a rat in my house than a roach. I’ve been told it’s a hot take, but I feel more comfortable dealing with furry mammals than large insects. One member of each species always indicates more, and I happen to find rats cute, even when

they’re not being compared to cockroaches (rats alone, not their plague-ridden fleas).

The next few months will tell us if Czar Corradi has what it takes to rein in New York City rats. I hope there’s a way to coexist with rats that we haven’t explored yet and keeps all parties safe and satisfied.

Industries Should Proceed With Caution Before Incorporating AI Tech

By SAISHA ISLAM STAFF WRITER

The development of AI technology has been occurring rapidly and rising ethical and economical concerns have been posed. Many members of the tech community including Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak expressed some of these concerns in an open letter calling for an immediate six-month pause on “training models more powerful than GPT-4, the latest version of the large language model software developed by U.S. startup OpenAI.” The advancement of AI is creating more natural and human-competitive technology which can cause risks for ways we receive information and jobs. ChatGPT, an AI chatbot which gives “human-like responses to questions asked by a user,” can create poetry and even draft legal opinions on court cases. While AI technology can make some jobs more efficient and productive like in the case of doctors and lawyers, it can pose a risk to the availability of other jobs, especially jobs which involve repetition. AI technology can also virtually eliminate some “human-performed” jobs such as “audio-to-text transcription and translation.”

Other risks include safety and reliability of information. While AI researchers try their best to find and circumvent misuses of AI technology, it is impossible to

cover every single base. This leads to worry “that people would rely on these systems for inaccurate or harmful medical and emotional advice.” Additionally, abuse of AI technology is already seen with the spread of plagiarism, as it is easier for students to write essays and do their homework with AI chatbots like ChatGPT. Dangerous abuse of AI technology is seen with AI scammer calls where people receive false calls from loved ones requesting money. It is hard to trace these calls and legal precedent regarding AI scam calls and the responsibility of AI companies hasn’t been set yet. AI technology makes it easier to mimic voices by allowing scammers to “re-create the pitch, timbre and individual sounds of a person’s voice to create an overall effect that is similar.” In order to mimic these voices, AI technology only “requires a short sample of audio, taken from places such as YouTube, podcasts, commercials, TikTok, Instagram or Facebook videos.” This is alarming considering that a majority of people have some presence in these platforms and have probably uploaded audio clips or videos without the thought that it can be used to scam their loved ones.

Many have fallen victim to these scam calls, losing thousands of dollars. In 2022, the Federal Trade Commission reported that there have been “over 36,000 reports of people being swindled by those pretending to be friends

and family” with more than 5,100 of these incidents happening over the phone and “accounting for over $11 million in losses.” AI technology hasn’t slowed down, and companies like Google are incorporating AI into their products. Google’s new AI technology, Bard, has been released for testing and aims to “generate ideas, write blog posts and answer questions with facts or opinions.” This rise in AI is unprecedented, and there are fears of technological advancement outpacing the development of laws and safety regulations. Many hold fears that without regulation, we will lose control and AI will replace humanity in civilization.

While I believe that AI technology definitely does make things more efficient and lead to improvements in many areas of life such as in the medical field, I also think that misuses of this technology and better safety regulations should be considered, especially regarding privacy. A pause on AI would allow many people to step back and consider the future of AI without the current frenzy of companies developing technology as fast as they can. Lawmakers and ethicists should especially consider legal and ethical protections for individuals who use AI technology. These protections should then be established in AI technology so there is a general baseline of what to expect when using AI. Cooperation between AI researchers, lawmakers, ethicists and the public is

key in controlling AI regulations so that it can be beneficial and that risk of harm can be minimized as much as possible.

In conclusion, there should be a pause on AI technology so more of the ethical and legal implications of it can be considered. While AI technology can make great improvements in many jobs and in daily life, it can also reduce the necessity of some jobs and has risks for misuse. Although AI researchers do their best to circumvent any risks, not everything can be fully covered. Misuse of AI technology

can present in the forms of misinformation and plagiarism. More dangerous uses of AI include the use of technology in scam phone calls where people may lose thousands of dollars to scammers because they believe their loved ones are in trouble. A pause on AI will be beneficial in regulating it for more safety so that it can be used as beneficial as possible.

Saisha Islam, FCRH ’25, is a biologymajorfromNewYork,N.Y.

Grace McLaughlin, FCRH ’23, is a historymajorfromRidgewood,NJ.

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

Czar Corradi should explore different methods of treating the rodent problem.

The Battle Over Phonics Obscures Students’ Other Needs

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Educators are fighting over how to teach children reading skills.

By ALEXANDRA RAPP CONTRIBUTING WRITER

America has failed its students at every level of learning. For decades now, students have gone without adequate tools to learn, and teachers, school districts and families have gone without adequate funding to provide essential teaching materials. The not-so-new new trend is the “science of reading.” Now, I’m not opposed to education reform — it is a civil rights issue and we have been failing our school system — but I am cautious. First and foremost, there is a history of “educational experimentation” that has horrifically failed children, leaving thousands without the tools to function in society. Second, the same politicians who back reforms are also refusing to feed children in schools, cutting education budgets left

and right and leading crusades against valuable literature. So you can see my hesitation when notoriously anti-public education and anti-childcare people are saying the “verdict is in” on how we are supposed to be teaching children. But maybe, just maybe, this could be a meaningful change in literacy for American children.

Every time I hear an argument for phonics learning, I think of my mother and her childhood friends’ horror stories from the 70s. The method I’m talking about is named the ITA (Initial Teaching Alphabet). It’s a long-forgotten cautionary tale on how important getting it right in early education is. ITA was pioneered by James Pitman in Britan during the 1960s, who thought that if he could produce a single symbol for every one of his identified 44 sounds in the English

language, children would have an easier system to learn. Children were not taught the standard alphabet. Instead, they were given a series of symbols associated with sounds. For example, the sentence ‘I have a goat’ would be written: ‘I hav a gœt.’ The most glaring issue is that, at some point, the child would have to transition. Except they never learned the ABCs and were just expected to figure it out. The teacher then had to figure out how to teach the various common ways of spelling sounds for accepted orthography, how many spellings represent different and similar sounds and the skills to enable the child to read and write. The ITA method is why my mother and many young children with the financial means were put into Catholic school, and it is also why so many children from Generation X (particularly from impoverished communities) can’t spell seemingly basic words. To put it simply: phonics was a failure and educational experimentation can have horrible consequences.

Now, let’s talk about the “science of reading.” According to McGraw Hill, this curriculum comes out of more than 40 years of research and is the “identification of several key pillars that are the core of any effective literacy program: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics and Word Recognition, Fluency, Vocabulary and Language, and Comprehension.” The basic idea is that a key step in developing fluent reading skills is helping children with phonemic awareness – the idea that phonemes (sounds) correspond to graphemes (letter sequences that sig -

nify sounds). Then as students begin to decode words using phonics, they can build up their orthographic lexicon and then they can more easily manipulate words and expand their vocabularies. Sounds pretty good, right? The actual curriculum, however, is hard to find beyond these principles and it is even harder to find these supposed 40 years of research. Education, particularly early childhood education, is a contentious topic. More than we’d like to admit, our early educational experiences were formative, and incredibly varied. I attended a slew of public schools before the age of seven, each of which provided a wildly different curriculum. My early education was different year to year, and differed from a student at a private K-12 Catholic school, and theirs was different from a kid who attended a charter school in Pittsburgh. Today, you can’t escape a mommy blogger telling you your child will be corrupted by public school or an ad for a parasitic charter school telling you that their “success academy” has cracked the code to teaching inner city kids (by kicking out the ones who fall behind). Wherever you look, there’s someone bashing the public school system and overworked teachers leaving their jobs for less abusive work. As a proponent of public school, I find it heartbreaking to see how we treat this pillar of democracy, and I want to see increased literacy rates, decreased childhood poverty and a system whose funding is distributed equitably. Education is a civil rights issue, an ethics issue, an economics issue

and an environmental issue. At each level of American life, we rely on our education to get us through. That’s why a 79% literacy rate in 2023 is horrifying, and even worse – only 46% of adults have a reading level above sixth grade. On average, 80% of low-income students across the country cannot read proficiently. You cannot drive a car, apply for a job, read a map or consume information effectively without being literate. That’s why reform is important, but these realities are also why caution is just as important. Extensive meta-analysis and collaborative efforts by various pediatric neuroscientists and teachers alike means they should be calling the shots on how public education is run. Not politicians who send their kids to $60k a year private schools and who have no interest in raising state education budgets, paying teachers or providing children with the most basic of necessities to survive. That’s my problem with the “science of reading.” There is clear evidence that children need access to food and safe environments at home and in school to thrive, but instead administrators want to change the curriculum. As important as these changes will be when we are certain of the benefits, they cannot fix the heartbreaking reality that public schools lack the funding and national attention needed to fix systemic issues that affect students.

Let’s Hit the Brakes on Binge Watching

By GRACE CAMPBELL DIGITIAL PRODUCER

In recent years as streaming services have become the primary source of TV income, binge watching has hit an all-time high. Because most streaming services originally would release their original shows all in one sitting, viewers have gotten used to consuming all their content in one sitting, in one place.

Somedays, nothing is more perfect than pulling up a show on

Netflix and binge watching it all day long. But because it’s become so ingrained in our culture, we fail to see the issue with binge watching. It has become normalized that it’s now seen as normal behavior, when really if it becomes a constant habit, there are negative side effects. Prolonged time in front of a screen is bad for our eyes and our brain. So now that streaming services are starting to change their release schedule to a more weekly “cable style” model, I think it’s better for everyone.

Services like Amazon Prime and HBO-Max have begun seasons by releasing the first few episodes, to drag the viewer in, then release the rest of the season weekly. It caused some uproar, because these streaming services are the reason we’re all so addicted to binge-watching in the first place. But the upsides of weekly releases outweigh the cons.

Weekly releases generate more buzz and anticipation with viewers. It gives fans something to look forward to every week and get excited about what’s to come. It also helps build a community among fans with the same favorites. One example of this was “Euphoria Sundays”. Every Sunday millions of people sat down at the same time to watch the new episode and got online to discuss the updates. This model of viewing is more fun and allows for more reflection on what’s gone on leading to a greater appreciation and excitement for the show.

Binge watching for me can create a sense of isolation. It’s easy to waste a day watching episodes back to back, and most of the time I’m only half paying attention. It can be honestly overwhelming and

I never feel good knowing I did nothing all day but watch six hours of the new season of ‘You’. Binge watching can honestly be an exhausting experience, both mentally and physically. Sitting for hours on end, staring at a screen, leads to eye strain, headaches and back pain. It’s also quite emotionally draining, as viewers are exposed to a constant stream of intense emotions and stimuli. In contrast, weekly releases provide a more manageable and sustainable viewing experience, allowing viewers to take breaks between episodes and process their emotions at a slower pace.

With all that being said, binge watching is popularized for a reason, and I’m not innocent of it. Binge watching can be convenient if you have a few hours to kill or want something to put on in the background. It can also be a great way to catch up on a show that’s already aired, or to rewatch a favorite show whenever you want. It’s also a good strategy for shows that have a strong narrative arc or a continuous storyline, as viewers don’t have to worry about being in suspense while waiting a week between episodes. But despite the

many advantages there might be to this model, in the long run it’s not good for anyone, and it’s definitely not sustainable.

In sticking with weekly releases, these services will be able to maintain the relevance of their shows in modern culture. The streaming cycle goes so quickly now that you can watch a whole season in a week, and by the next week you’ll have moved onto something new. But with weekly releases, people are still on the hook. Every week new theories and discussions come out on social media in regards to that week’s episode which is both fun for the viewers, but also helps the network keep their show relevant, with more press coverage and higher ratings and viewership.

I think all streaming services are going to revert back to releasing new shows weekly. There will always be fully finished series available to binge watch, but when it comes to new releases, the best way to consume the content is week by week.

Alexandra Rapp, FCRH ’24, is a history and international studies major from Hershey, Pa.

Grace Campbell, FCRH ’25, is a new media digital design major from Northborough, Mass.

The Monarchy’s Relevance Has Run Dry

of Prince Harry’s life, at least the way that he describes it, is characterized by the extravagance of his existence, an extravagance that is still not enough to fill in the gaps between him and his family. In this way, the book is equally frustrating as it is sad. Prince Harry bemoans the isolation he felt at his $55,000 a year boarding school, getting one of the best educations in the world. His childhood tales of always playing second fiddle to his brother, Prince William, are peppered in amongst stories about trips to Africa and various tropical islands.

By ALLISON SCHNEIDER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Despite a tumultuous history, Americans have tuned into the comings and goings of the British Royal family since even before the nation declared independence. With the advent of smartphones and ever-present online media, the royal family have become less like national figureheads and more akin to Hollywood celebrities. Headlines that discuss the royals read more like tabloid coverage about the Kardashians than political figures. While British and American news outlets have always covered the Windsors, American actress Meghan Markle’s marriage to Prince Harry in 2018 sent many American publishers into a frenzy that has yet to truly die down.

The persistent attention media outlets give to the Windsors implies that there is a prominent American audience, excited for more royal news. But how many of us really care all that much about the British royal family? And honestly, why should we care?

To begin my research for this article, I thought it necessary to take a read through Prince Harry’s memoir, “Spare.” While reading, there were two things that stood out to me. One: how dysfunctional the royal family is, and two: how ridiculously out of touch the family is with average people. Neither of these claims is in any way shocking — truthfully they are painfully predictable — but it was the pervasiveness of these two facts throughout the book that stung. Every moment

If nothing else, “Spare” is a testament to why the tradition of a British royal family should be done away with. As Prince Harry makes clear in his memoir, the family is so out-of-touch with average life that they cannot appreciate all the wealth their birthright grants them. The expectations for royalty and the effect that has had on the royal family unit is nothing but a burden. Prince Harry wanted out; perhaps, the whole family will be next.

The actual likelihood of evicting the Windsors from the luxurious Buckingham Palace may not seem very high, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time the idea has been proposed. In fact, the monarchy was abolished in 1649; however, it was reinstated only 11 years later. And as any avid watcher of “The Crown” would know, the monarchy has long struggled to keep approval ratings up and members of the

public invested in royal affairs. Not much has changed today. As of 2022, a poll suggested that only 62% of British people were in favor of maintaining the monarchy, not an incredibly strong majority. A large chunk of these 62% were above the age of 50. Among 18-24 year olds, only 33% were in favor of keeping the Windsors around. Young generations have historically disapproved of the monarchy, but the messy, socialite-type drama of present royal affairs promises to garner a more permanent criticism from the public.

The financial maintainince of the Brithish monarchy is also not an efficient move on behalf of Parliament. In the 2020-21 fiscal year, the Sovereign Grant (the fund that supports the royal family) amounted to 86.3 million euros, or 95.8 million U.S. dollars. The majority of this funding goes towards the maintenance of royal residencies and the renovations on Buckingham Palace, but a sizable portion also pays for frequent (and expensive) royal vacations. Abandoning the monarchy could result in an additional 95.8 million dollars in public resources or a decrease in British taxes.

All this said, it is important to note the power of British dedication to tradition. The British monarchy has far exceeded other monarchies’ expiration dates. I’ll hand it to the Brits — they’ve got some serious national pride. But as Americans, why do we care?

I think the answer to this can be summed up in the words of

freshman Maia Miller, FCRH ’26: “I love, love, love the royal family just because I don’t see them as real people. I just wish I was a princess.” Miller, like many other Americans, is fascinated by the opulence and strict rules of royal life. The real difference between the Windsors and your run-ofthe-mill Hollywood stars is that the Windsors are the epitome of nepotism. Their fame and fortune can be attributed to nothing but their familial relations. This fantasy dominates American pop culture, taking form in everything from Disney princess movies to the increasing popularity of social media “influencers” who produce content often based on their pre-possessed wealth.

Prince Harry’s book, “Spare,” is a look at the realities of this fantasy. While it might be easy to read the book and find the royals ungrateful, their incredibly sheltered existence almost makes you pity them. Royalty doesn’t suit them, and I can’t imagine how it ever could. The previous era of European sovereignty has ended. It is well past the time for the world to formally recognize the history of colonialism and the perpetuation of a brutal class system that the British royal family symbolizes. The principles upon which the royal family exists no longer serve the British people, and as Americans, we need to recognize the British monarchy for what it is: irrelevant.

It’s Time To Put The Apple Watch To Rest

By MADDIE BIMONTE SPORTS EDITOR

Listen, I never claimed to be the most fashionable person ever. Sure, I have my moments where I put together a nice outfit and people compliment me. But on a daily basis, I just like being comfortable. Yet one thing I can’t imagine being comfortable or stylish, is a giant screen wrapped around my wrist for 24 hours a day.

Yes, I am talking about the Apple Watch. You’ve probably seen your mom, workout class leader or maybe even your neighbor tapping away at the block on their wrist, answering calls and responding to text messages.

Every year, the technology giant Apple sells about 40 million Apple Watches to people around the globe. Now, no matter where I look, I see the awful giant screens wrapped around my friends’ and family members’ wrists.

I’m here to say that this epidemic of the Apple Watch needs to stop. There is nothing more horrific than seeing people’s wedding photos nowadays with an Apple Watch featured in one, or wearing it to a funeral. My jaw drops everytime I see them there. Fashion is such an easy thing to grasp, and it’s supposed to show

how unique and cool everyone is.

The Apple Watch immediately makes me think you don’t know how to read a regular watch and need an elementary school level clock.

Don’t get me wrong, I used to think they had a really cool function. Somewhat of an elevated FitBit, which I used to rock back in the day. But now, people are getting too comfortable with wearing their watch all the time.

From five-year-olds to 90-yearolds, the Apple Watch has dominated the technology scene, with a cost of anywhere between $200400. I will say, the Apple Watch is reasonably priced for what it does, but the Apple Watch, in my opinion, is such a fashion travesty that people need to start hanging it up for a real watch.

In case my opinion isn’t enough, which it should be, I’ll give you a few reasons why the Apple Watch is a no-no.

First off, there’ve been reports of Apple Watches literally exploding on people’s wrists. I cannot fathom how people would be willing to strap a mini-bomb to their wrist just so they could access their texts. I personally own something called an iPhone that is always in my hand and am able to check my texts that way.

Secondly, it gives you the worst tan lines ever in the summer. I see too many people suntanning in their Apple Watch and they get a big rectangle tan line splayed across their wrist. Typically, the Apple Watch community loves to show off their tan lines, to show how dedicated they are to wearing their watch all day and night. Next time, consider taking off the watch so it doesn’t overheat and potentially blow up on your wrist.

Yet my biggest gripe with Apple Watches is how people have been styling it. People wear their watches to formal events, like weddings and even funerals. I can’t get over the time I saw a groom on his wedding day wearing an Apple Watch. It makes the whole outfit look tacky and nothing could be worse than getting a text message lighting up your watch during the service. There’s certain situations in which you can wear an Apple Watch and it may look fine, but otherwise, the watch is completely out of place with the rest of the outfit.

Lastly, there is nothing more disrespectful to me than being mid-conversation with someone and they start messing around with the little buttons on their watch. People make such a production out of messing with their

watches, with exaggerated tapping, scrolling the side button and calling people on their watches only to hold their arms up ridiculously because they can’t tell if the person on the other side of the phone can hear them.

Watches are supposed to be timeless, elegant and classic, something that is the antithesis of the Apple Watch. While modernization and the development of technology is always great, sometimes it stretches too far with where people want to wear their

watch and how they tend to use it in certain situations.

I hope that in a few years (maybe even sooner) the Apple Watch will fall out of style just like every other horrible fashion trend.

Maddie Bimonte, FCRH ’24, is a journalism major and political science minor from Raleigh, N.C.

The British monarchy’s irrelevance needs to be acknowledged.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Allison Schneider, FCRH ’26, is an English and political science major from Indianapolis, Ind.

Screaming, Crying, Perfect Storm: Eras Tour Review

By HANNAH BORING COPY CHIEF

When I was eight years old, my mom surprised me with tickets to the Speak Now World Tour as my First Communion present. Eight-year-old me, with a 13 drawn on the back of my hand and a messy poster I wouldn’t let go of, was so excited to see my favorite singer, and it was the best night of my life.

Twelve years later, my mom fought through the Ticketmaster war to get tickets to the Eras Tour. Next thing we knew, we’re booking flights to Tampa, Fla. to see Taylor Swift again.

Thursday, April 13 marked the first of a three-day, sold-out stay at Raymond James Stadium. A beautiful pink and yellow sunset splashed across the blue sky, a fitting background to the opening era of the concert, “Lover.” “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince” opened the show, leading into the fanfavorite “Cruel Summer.” The bridge came and my voice was shot, screaming the lyrics at the top of my lungs along with everyone else inside that stadium.

The sky turned pitch black just in time for the last song of the era, “The Archer.” For my 20th birthday, I got this song’s lyrics tattooed on my arm, keeping the song and the book characters I connected with it tied to me forever. I was an absolute mess. The soft yellow lights on the stage and scattered throughout the stadium by our concert-issued light-up bracelets could have been distinct, singular lights, but I couldn’t tell — my tears made them all blend together.

I got myself under control for the “Fearless” era. Filled with nostalgia, my friend and I were dancing through all three songs. Even the chaperoning dads and the dragged-along boyfriends

and husbands were jumping to “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story” — the dad in front of us was having the time of his life with his little girl, who was probably no older than six.

Next up was “evermore,” the long-lost and underappreciated album from Swift’s creative writing era of the COVID-19 pandemic. “evermore” is not as universal of an album as her others are, so as much as I love “champagne problems,” I was not expecting it to get the longest applause. Even Swift was confused, looking around the stadium, mouthing “I love you” into the camera connected to the big screens and said, “So you’re the best crowd, huh?”

“reputation” was up next, and the whiplash from “evermore” was intense. No concert video could compare to hearing the bridge of “Don’t Blame Me” live. It felt like I was blasting the song alone in my car, except now I was with over 200,000 other people who felt the same way.

Sadly, “Speak Now” only has one song on the official setlist, but there truly was no better pick than “Enchanted.” It is such a beautiful song, and the live performance was straight out of a Disney princess movie: Swift stood center-stage in a beautiful floor-length dress, her dancers flowing around her in suits and ball gowns.

The transition from “Speak Now” to “Red” was the only one where the albums were actually in chronological order. During Swift’s costume change, a dancer stood on stage with a big red box. When it opened, a one-line clip from a “Red” song played, but even after the box closed and the song stopped, the audience continued singing the next line until the box opened again, continuing until Swift emerged to sing “22.”

Throughout the concert, many

songs were cut short — there’s no way to fit 44 full-length songs into a singular concert. Also, she needed room to perform the entirety of “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault).” Yes, she sang the entire 10 minutes of this song, and yes, I sang (screamed) every single word.

Next, we got into “folklore,” the first of the creative writing era mentioned prior. No line up could compare to the final “folklore” four: “august,” “illicit affairs,” “my tears ricochet” and “cardigan.” Just tears, profanities and more tears as me and my friend sang to one of our favorite albums. Honestly, I deserve an apology for the emotional turmoil that lineup caused me.

I deserve an even bigger apology for the whiplash I got when “Style” came on immediately after. The “1989” era was definitely the most well-known among the crowd, rolling through the album’s five main songs. “1989” was pop excellence, equipped with a sparkly orange two-piece costume on Swift, easy-to-follow dances and… hitting an image of a car on the stage with blue light-up golf clubs? No matter what, it was a great time.

For every show, Swift performs an acoustic set of two surprise songs. Maybe it was coincidence, maybe it was fate, maybe it was telepathy between me and Swift. Whatever it was, I thank the mysterious element at play because my first secret song was “Speak Now” — the title track of the album for my first ever concert. Nostalgia poured over me and I couldn’t stop smiling as I sang along, looking out at the purple lights all around the stadium. The lights turned red as she sang the second secret song, “Treacherous,” where my friend and I sang the lyrics word-forword but couldn’t figure out what song it was until the chorus’

first few chords began. A slight malfunction occurred in the transition to her final era. Usually, the floor opens and Swift dives head-first into the floor. This night, the floor didn’t open, and the real Swift watched the pre-recorded Swift swim across the stage.

Eventually, she did her dive and costume change, bringing us to the tenth and final era of the concert, “Midnights.” Considering “Midnights” is my favorite of her albums (controversial, I know), I enjoyed every bit of the ending. From “Lavender Haze” to “Anti-Hero” to “Midnight Rain,” the “Midnights” era showcased the culmination of her 17-year career. “Vigilante S***” felt like I was watching “Cell Block Tango” from “Chicago,” and “Bejeweled” incorporated a cute, viral TikTok dance in its choreography. I wasn’t expecting to hear “Mastermind,” but the surprise was both pleasant and tear-inducing, as it is one of my favorites from the album.

Tampa was the first outdoor show of the tour, so instead of confetti, we got to see fireworks light up the sky during the final song, “Karma.” Starting at 8 p.m. and ending at exactly 11:16 p.m., it was a picture-perfect ending to such a fulfilling and energetic night. Even the hour-long walk

back to the hotel didn’t move the smile on my face.

Music can be so meaningful, defining different parts of who we are and the life we’ve lived, and that’s exactly what the Eras Tour proved. “Fearless” and “Enchanted” were me singing into my karaoke machine in elementary school. “I Knew You Were Trouble” was me buying the “Red” album on my iPod Touch on release day in fifth grade. “Blank Space” and “Look What You Made Me Do” were the “I’m not like other girls” purple hair portion of middle school. “Lover” was listening to the car radio when I finally got my driver’s license. “betty” and “‘tis the damn season” were the loneliness of quarantine. “The Archer” helped me make it through my senior year of high school, while “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” got me through my first semester of college. And now, “Karma” is helping me make it through finals.

Writing this conclusion feels like I’m closing out another era of my life, in some weird way. So, for those of you who got tickets, enjoy every second of your show, and I really hope you don’t get to hear “the lakes” live. And thank your mom, especially if she took you to see Taylor Swift twice.

Spring Ushers in Return of Manhattan’s Grand Bazaar

By GRACE CAMPBELL DIGITAL PRODUCER

Last Sunday, my friends and I headed down to 77th street for the weekly Grand Bazaar flea market. The market, which is open once a week all year long, is a perfect Sunday afternoon activity. Just a 15-minute walk from Lincoln Center, you can spend the day shopping, eating and wishing you had enough money for all the antiques and vintage goods.

The market features over 100 vendors to get your fix of food, clothes, jewelry, home decorations and everything in between. We started our trip right outside the market, where independent sellers have tables full of knick knacks and goods. These tables had many small unique pieces that were on the cheaper side, so it’s definitely worth taking a look before heading into the market.

Inside, the market consists of a schoolyard covered in rows of tents covering a variety of tables. The variety of goods allows for hours of browsing, and you can find tons of unique pieces. Because of the vintage clothing and handmade goods, the market can tip more on the expensive side, although prices definitely vary depending on the item and the table.

I ended up walking away with a vintage slip skirt, some posters, a necklace and some handmade pottery. All the vendors were very nice and happy to answer any questions or let you try on the clothes.

Most of the tables had business cards with a link to their website, so anything you don’t see at the market, you could try looking for elsewhere. One of my favorite vendors was a guy selling “really bad portraits” where for $5 he drew

an extremely hideous portrait of my friends and I, which was definitely worth the money.

There were also a lot of really great food options to choose from, both to sit down with or take home. There were food trucks with pizza and hot dogs, but there were also little bakery tents and a homemade pickle tent, which I highly recommend to all dill lovers

Going to flea markets is definitely one of my favorite things to do. It’s so important to support small and independent businesses and a flea market is a great place to do it. Everything I saw was pretty much one of a kind, so finding unique and personal items was really fun.

If you’re looking for a unique and fun activity to do on a Sunday afternoon in the city, the Grand Bazaar is definitely worth checking out, especially as the weather gets warmer. The

Grand Bazaar on 77th street features food, antiques and more.

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” recalls the highlights of her long career.

The Ambiguous Allure of David Lynch’s“Twin Peaks”

By SEBASTIAN DIAZ MANAGING EDITOR

“In darkness, the sound of a meadowlark’s song. / Fade In: The Meadowlark / The bright eye and beak of the bird, backlit by the first light of the rising sun.”

These are the opening lines to the production script for the pilot episode of “Twin Peaks,” written by Mark Frost and David Lynch. Despite these lines being among the first things written for the series during its 30-year run, they capture the heart of the engine running one of the most beautiful worlds ever imagined. If you look through the darkness, past the wall of negative space and into what lies beyond it, you’ll find a momentary light. If you pull on that light hard enough, you’ll find it brings forward a tidal wave of love and hope to drive away dark despair.

It’s a beautiful message, but it’s one that makes itself clear only after you’ve become intimately familiar with everything inhabiting the world of “Twin Peaks.” What starts as a simple smalltown-murder whodunnit evolves into a rich deconstruction of a version of Americana disintegrating alongside the radioactive fallout of post-nuclear paranoia.

Or, “Twin Peaks” is a fable of how society fails to recognize abuse and violence against young women when heavy social pressures make them exceedingly vulnerable. From another perspective, it’s a careful examination of the many ways grief can manifest in

a community that no longer feels safe. Someone else’s takeaway could be concerned with the lies required to maintain the idyllic American Dream. If nothing at all, it’s a mystifying show about an odd detective trapped in the middle of an even odder mystery.

In summary, “Twin Peaks” follows FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper and various residents of the eponymous town as they investigate the murder of the 17-year-old Laura Palmer, who, over the course of the series, is revealed to have contained multitudes of dark secrets hidden behind the “Homecoming Queen” facade deeply appreciated by the town. The deeper we go into the rabbit hole, the wider the scope becomes as Frost and Lynch introduce an intricate and abstract supernatural mythology hinting at a metaphysical, yet absolute, Good and Evil and the humanity that lies in the space between. In theory, “Twin Peaks” is about discovering what resides in the spaces between the intangible threads that stitch our reality together.

I’m not sure I can definitively state what “Twin Peaks” means to me. Every rewatch, every look, every attempt at understanding what the series fundamentally is brings new conclusions, new philosophies, new experiences. When taken as a whole, the series resists the human compulsion to “understand.” Every time you think you’ve reached a new conclusion, “Twin Peaks” will look you directly in the eyes and ask if you’re certain.

The second time you watch

“Twin Peaks” will be an entirely different experience than the first time, and the third time will cause you to rethink the conclusions you drew during the second watch.

Nothing about “Twin Peaks” exemplifies this spirit more than examining the different tones taken by each of the three main works that comprise the series: the original, two-season show “Twin Peaks,” the follow-up prequel film

“Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” and the sequel “Twin Peaks: The Return” released 25 years later.

The original series has its moments of intensity, but, for the most part, it’s a light-hearted, 30-episode series that didn’t need to be censored to air on national television. It focuses on the spiritually optimistic Agent Cooper, who brings light and hope to any room he enters.

“Fire Walk With Me” is notorious for its tonal break with the original series, so much so that its premiere at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival was (supposedly) met with bozoing and hissing from the audience. Unlike the lighthearted original series, the movie was tragically brutal as it follows the last week of Laura Palmer’s life.

On the other hand, “The Return” takes a much more abstract approach to continuing the legacy of its predecessors. Directed by David Lynch for the entirety of its 18-hour run time, people continue to debate whether or not the series, which was aired in 18 weekly one-hour parts, should be considered a television series or an art film.

I haven’t even mentioned the

various supplementary media like the lore-expanding books. Within all of the various texts under the “Twin Peaks” umbrella, there are countless worlds and stories waiting to be told. Half of the fun is understanding the various connections between them, asking how Cooper’s investigation into the abstract evil space known as the Black Lodge ties into the fierce war for control of the local lumber mill between two dysfunctional families.

Co-creators Lynch and Frost expertly managed to build connections between stories that are invisible to first-time watchers and become increasingly clear on rewatches. My favorite example of this is the Blue Rose Task Force, an arm of the FBI dedicated to paranormal X-Fileslike cases. The Task Force isn’t formally introduced until “Fire Walk With Me,” after the conclusion of the original series, and isn’t explored in depth until “The Return” over two decades later. It’s revealed that multiple characters from the original series are deeply connected to the task force, and, in revisiting that series with this new knowledge, you realize that the history of the Blue Rose has always loomed over the town of Twin Peaks like a phantom invisible to untrained eyes.

While just about every television show is more fun to rewatch, what differentiates “Twin Peaks” from every other show is that, in classic Lynchian style, you will not have a complete understanding of the world after

just one watch. No matter how many times you go over the series, you are bound to constantly come to new realizations.

For the most part, “Twin Peaks” creates more questions than it cares to answer, begging its audience to find beauty in the unknowable. You have to come to terms with the fact that, somehow, FBI Agent Phillip Jefferies (as played by David Bowie in a cameo for the 1992 film) can cease to exist in our reality and transform into a tea kettle-esque machine at the loss of his human form. Lynch didn’t include this nonsensical narrative beat to arbitrarily confuse his audience, but to encourage the audience to interrogate the new implications this transformation creates for the stories of both Dale Cooper and Laura Palmer.

Audience interaction is key to getting the most out of “Twin Peaks.” The series only works if you are willing to engage in conversation with it, allow yourself to learn and draw your own connections. It’s a show that benefits exponentially from multiple rewatches, both because the show is structured to be rewatched and because it’s just that good. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve talked about a lot of serious themes present in “Twin Peaks,” but it is absolutely the most warm, inspiring and hopeful show I’ve ever seen. It’s an optimistic story about learning to find hope, letting that hope enter your heart and practicing that hope in every aspect of your life.

I can’t recommend it enough.

CAB’s Spring Weekend Brings Excitement to Campus

By RORY DONAHUE SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR

Fordham hosts the highly anticipated Spring Weekend each year, planned by the Campus Activities Board (CAB). This team of devoted Fordham students works very hard to make it a wonderful weekend to culminate the spring semester here at Fordham Rose Hill. Historically, there have been a plethora of unique talent showcased at Fordham’s events, like Twenty One Pilots and Matt and Kim. This year, the special talent of COIN and Cochise are headlining the festival-style concert coming to campus soon.

The Spring Weekend begins with a speaker event on Thursday, April 27 with actors, Kevin McHale and Heather Morris from the hit Fox show, “Glee.” On Saturday, April 29, the band COIN and the rapper Cochise will headline the concert, along with student band The Wave and Fordham DJ Ms. Worldwide. Topping off the weekend, on Sunday, April 30, SNL comedian, Michael Longfellow, will be performing with the winner of CAB’s Last Comic Standing, Noah Petzinger, opening.

Kevin McHale and Heather Morris are well-known actors and famously played the roles of Artie

and Britney on Fox’s hit show “Glee.” McHale was nominated for a Grammy award and currently hosts a podcast named, “And That’s What You Really Missed.” Morris has vast dance experience and after the show, performed on Dancing With The Stars and The Masked Singer, where she recently won the second season in 2022.

In speaking with Anna Fahy, FCRH ’25, a member of the concert committee, I was able to gain insight into the process of choosing the artists for the musical component of Spring Weekend. The concert committee consists of three people, Fahy, Gibson Borelli, FCRH ’24, and Adeyinka Maddy, FCRH ’25, who have worked tirelessly since last summer. To make the process easier, the team works with an agent to assess what artists are potential options within their budget.

The most important thing Fahy emphasized in consideration of choosing the artist was the student population’s opinions. Filling out the survey they send out annually is crucial to gauge who everyone is interested in seeing perform. The most popular genre of music based on the survey results was pop and indie-pop, with some of the top artists requested being Steve Lacy, Harry Styles

and COIN! Luckily, COIN was in the budget and of interest to a majority of students who filled out the form, so it worked out well for the concert committee.

COIN was formed in 2012 by a group of students from Belmont University, who were classmates together in music theory class.

The group gained major success in 2016 with the hit “Talk Too Much,” which reached Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart. Some of their other hit songs include “Crash My Car” and “Malibu 1992.” Fahy emphasized that they had watched COIN’s previous concerts and

loved their enthusiasm while performing, making for a great Spring Weekend headliner. Another genre students requested was rap, so they wanted to choose an additional opener that fulfilled this interest. With that came Cochise who has hit songs such as “Tell Em” and “POCKET ROCKET.” Originally hailing from Jamaica, he now resides in Florida with strong musical influences from Bob Marley and Busta Rhymes.

Michael Longfellow will be the main comedian performing. He joined SNL in 2022 for their 48th season. Originally from Phoenix, he attended Arizona State University where he performed stand-up comedy. He moved to Los Angeles after college and was on Netflix’s “Is A Joke” festival during its “Netflix Introducing…” segment.

CAB has worked very hard throughout the year to plan and make this weekend a successful, fun experience for Fordham students. It is the best time to celebrate the school year and enjoy the spring weather. There is an abundance of events with a variety of entertainment that should speak to all different types of people. Make sure to thank the members of CAB for planning this fantastic weekend.

By KARI WHITE CULTURE EDITOR

For this semester’s final article, we’re making another dish that looks impressive, but is quick and easy to make: a frittata. Easily shareable, stores well in the refrigerator and can be eaten for both breakfast and dinner, this dish is perfect for meal-prepping breakfasts or having a dinner with friends. All you need are a few eggs, some veggies and an oven-safe pan.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a frittata is “an unfolded omelet often containing chopped vegetables or meats.” This definition is, as Marisa Raniolo Wilkins, a Sicilian-raised writer who has published two books about Sicilian food, can attest, shockingly simple. In a guest spot on her friend’s blog, Wilkins explained the complicated web that is the frittata’s inception. Named after the Italian word “fritta,” which means “fry” and is derived from the verb “friggere,” the dish consists of eggs and a variety of fillings that are fried together. As Wilkins studies the frittata in Sicilian cuisine, one of her questions focuses on the conundrum of who introduced it to the island. There are myriad fried egg dishes throughout the world, but three appear in the different cultures that interacted in the small place. The Arabs introduced their “eggah,” the Spanish brought their “tortilla” and the French cooked their “omelet.” All are egg-based dishes consisting of

Frying Up A Frittata

a variety of ingredients thrown together. Wilkins tends to lean towards the Spanish as the frittata’s inspiration, but it’s a question that evades a simple answer.

Despite its history, the frittata itself is very simple. At its core, it is a handful of beaten eggs combined with a variety of sauteed vegetables and cooked protein. Its beauty, then, lies in its versatility. You can incorporate all sorts of different vegetables, spices and proteins into it. For this recipe, I drew on Tex-Mex inspirations (and what I already had in my pantry), combining a green bell pepper, onion, cumin, cayenne and cilantro. This went against the recipe I used from New York Times Cooking, which flavors its egg base with bacon, spinach, onion, bell peppers and goat cheese. When it comes to

frittata fillings, only your own creativity limits its possibilities.

The only hard and fast rule when it comes to frittatas is the use of an oven-safe skillet. As frittatas require you to first start on the stove before baking the whole dish in the oven, it is imperative to have an oven-safe pan. For the most part, any skillet that is made completely out of metal, without a plastic or wooden handle, will be safe for the oven. Nonstick cookware should work fine for this recipe as well. If you do not have an ovensafe skillet, then you can transition your sauteed vegetables to a casserole dish or even a muffin tin, and then pour your egg mixture into it. Regardless of the difference in method, this dish will still taste fantastic.

When it comes to cost, this dish

fits comfortably into the tight, end-of-spring-semester college budget. I used an onion, a green bell pepper and cheddar cheese that I already had, making my grocery list include only ground cayenne, fresh cilantro and eggs. The price of most items were about a dollar, give or take 50 cents. The eggs, however, were pricier. As we all know, eggs are one of the foodstuffs that have suffered the largest increase in price over the last few years. Impacted by factors like increasing inflation, war abroad and the avian flu, the price for a carton of eggs hovers in between five to eight dollars. I used about six eggs in my frittata, making the whole meal about $7.50. Even though I skimped out on some of the ingredients (the NYT’s

original recipe calls for eight eggs), I ate less than a third of the frittata and packed the rest away for Monday and Tuesday’s breakfast. So, all in all, the dish is fairly inexpensive.

But enough about that, it’s time to actually make the thing. Cooking the frittata was, in all honesty, much easier than I expected. After turning the oven on to preheat at 375 degrees, I chopped up my onion and green pepper. Then, I dropped them in the skillet. While they were cooking, I made my egg mixture by beating six eggs, adding a half cup of milk and the spices (cayenne, cumin, salt and pepper). Once the onions were translucent, I turned the heat under the skillet to low and poured in the egg mixture. After stirring a few times to evenly distribute the different ingredients, I moved the skillet into the oven. 20 minutes later, the frittata came out. With a giant, terrifying air bubble growing inside it. I popped it, causing steam to rush out in a defeated huff, and left the dish to cool. A few minutes later, I plated it and ate it with salsa — upholding the Tex-Mex theme. It was wonderfully light and fluffy, and a perfect Sunday night meal. (It was a pretty good Monday morning breakfast, too.)

This dish is very simple to make, and honestly didn’t take any longer than 40 minutes. However, due to the necessity of having not only an oven, but an oven-safe pan, I rank this dish’s difficulty as…

Difficulty level: Spellman Hall.

O’Keeffe’s Ethereal Artistic Evolution at the MoMA

By KATRIINA FIEDLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

According to Georgia O’Keeffe, “To see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.” This gradual process is the inspiration for MoMA’s newest exhibit, highlighting O’Keeffe’s works that were completed on paper. The exhibit, located on MoMA’s third floor, is curated around various groups of work that tell the story of O’Keeffe’s artistic evolution.

O’Keeffe, recognized by many as the “mother of modernism,” is largely known for her large, vibrant and largely abstract paintings of flowers. Moving from New York to New Mexico in 1929, O’Keeffe was heavily inspired by natural forms and flowing shapes. She was the first female artist to be featured in a retrospective exhibit at MoMA in 1946.

This exhibit centers itself around O’Keeffe’s less celebrated and rarely displayed works, many of which are drawn in charcoal and pastel. Although the exhibit is composed of only a few rooms, there are over 120 works featured overall.

The exhibit is organized chronologically, spanning over 50 years of O’Keeffe’s work beginning in 1915. The story begins with some of O’Keeffe’s

most abstract drawings, which mark the first developments of her artistic style. In a series of small charcoal prints, O’Keeffe seeks to capture experiences ranging from intense headaches to the sound of music itself. As visitors circle around the room’s exterior wall, they witness her progression towards modernism.

Most striking about “To See Takes Time” is the dedication O’Keeffe gives to each of her subjects, often portraying them six or seven times. One group of such works is of a canyon in Palo Duro, Texas. The first stages of her process are realistic sketches displaying the entire landscape, which evolve into colorful oil paintings consisting only of a few shapes barely resembling a canyon. According to curator Samantha Friedman, “Ultimately, she extracts the key forms that she sees in the landscape, presenting them in a way that seem almost entirely abstract.”

The exhibit ultimately takes its name, and advertising images, from a series of paintings called “Evening Star,” which depict a gradual Texas sunset. Although I found this work less striking, and it didn’t really evoke the sensation of a sunset for me, the bold colors and paint are a fascinating preface to O’Keeffe’s later works, such as the famous flower

paintings she is immortalized for.

O’Keeffe’s modernism ultimately comes from her desire to capture sensations and experiences in a visual form. One of my favorite works was titled “Train at Night in the Desert,” which is done both in charcoal and watercolor in various attempts to capture the beauty of smoke at night.

O’Keeffe described the sensation of a train pulling in, saying, “A

train was coming way o—just a light with a trail of smoke— white—I walked toward it— The sun and the train got to me at the same time— It’s great to see that terrifically alive black thing coming at you in the big frosty stillness— and such wonderful smoke.” Her depictions of experiences that cannot be captured on camera give an ethereal and striking quality to

her visual art.

“To See Takes Time” is an exhibit that is certainly worth your time, even if you’re not a fan of modern art. By focusing on O’Keeffe’s method of creation, the curators at MoMA illuminate the genius of her process, as well as her art. Tickets are $14 for students, and the exhibit will remain open at the MoMA through Aug. 12, 2023.

“To See Takes Time” illuminates the genius of O’Keeffe’s method of creation and the genius of her process.

COURTESY OF KARI WHITE/THE FORDHAM RAM

COURTESY OF KATRIINA FIEDLER FOR THE FORDHAM RAM

Senior Launches Women’s Swimwear Brand

By ALEXANDRA ANTONOV PHOTO EDITOR

As a competitive swimmer, you train a lot. At a Division I program like Fordham, that training often consists of spending over 20 hours a week in the water, on top of strength training and conditioning. When you spend that much time in the pool, it is important to have a training suit that is comfortable, durable and, of course, fashionable.

Unfortunately, the market for women’s training suits does not always meet these requirements. Women in the sport often have to deal with uncomfortable straps digging into shoulders, little or excessive coverage in the wrong places and unflattering designs. They are then left with the nearly impossible challenge of finding a suit which allows them to both look and feel their best while training, without having to sacrifice comfort.

Audrey Tirrell, GSB ’23, captain of the women’s swim team at Fordham, was tired of putting up with flimsy and badly designed training suits. She decided to take matters into her own hands by creating Freestyle Swimwear, a women’s swimwear company whose designs are actually made with the female athlete in mind.

Having been a competitive swimmer for 15 years, Tirrell knows what women look for in a training suit better than anyone. Aiming to help other women in the sport find the ultimate practice suit, she began the process of creating Freestyle

Swimwear: “I’ve always been disappointed with the limited choices available for women’s training swimwear, as well as the inaccurate proportions of the suits, which is why Freestyle Swimwear was created.”

Tirrell’s first line of swimsuits is called the Contrast Collection. She currently offers three different one-piece training suits and two bikini sets. The suits come in multiple colors, contrasting between bright pink, green and blue with black. Her designs take on a variety of styles, but Tirrell said the main inspiration for her designs has always been to create a suit which emphasizes strong athletic and feminine features. “The biggest inspiration for the designs was to create a silhouette that truly flatters a swimmer’s body, and offers the most optimal comfort in each swimsuit.”

She didn’t just make a suit based on her own personal preferences, though. Before coming out with prototypes, Tirrell spent months surveying female swimmers across the globe in order to find out exactly what they look for in a training suit.

“The greatest component of my designs came from surveying thousands of female swimmers from around the world, to take their candid input into my design process,” Tirrell said. The survey consisted of questions on a variety of different preferences in colors, straps, coverage, sizing and even an open-ended response on what women personally look for in a practice suit. Tirrell used this as the basis for her first line,

combining all of the most popular responses to come out with the Contrast Collection.

Audrey said the process of starting her business has been a challenge. Afterall, she’s doing something that not many people can say they have, which is starting her own company entirely from scratch while being a full-time student athlete. On top of her already demanding schedule, Tirrell had single-handedly coordinated every element of her business, from marketing to production.

“I took full responsibility for every aspect of the venture, including sourcing high-quality materials, assembling a team of manufacturers and sewers, crafting branding elements, rigorously testing each prototype, developing marketing strategies and even constructing a website from scratch,” she said.

However, Tirrell said her biggest challenge when creating Freestyle Swimwear wasn’t about the production process.

“The biggest challenge overall was balancing my demanding schedule as a D1 swimmer, training 20 hours each week alongside coursework, while testing products during training sessions and single-handedly building the brand.”

Tirrell had been preparing to launch Freestyle Swimwear for the past two years, and she is now finally getting to see all of her hard work and vision for the business come to life. With the official release date having just passed on April 14, 2023, Tirrell had already been busy packaging and shipping out

pre-sale orders. She admitted, “it has been crazy, as I currently run this brand out of my dorm.”

“But I am so excited with how many incoming orders I’ve been receiving, and enjoy packaging orders and carrying pounds of swimsuits in my duffel bag to the mailroom,” she laughed.

Despite having just launched this April, Freestyle Swimwear is already making a big splash in the swimming community. With publicity from the Swimming World Magazine Instagram page and even going viral on TikTok, Freestyle Swimwear is making a name for itself.

Tirrell said her biggest goal for Freestyle Swimwear is “to not only provide women with great performing swimwear,

but act as a platform for inspiring women to feel empowered and be their best selves.”

She also believes that Freestyle Swimwear is for everyone, even if you’re not a competitive swimmer. “Whether you are a competitive swimmer or not, we offer athletic bikini sets as well for anyone who is interested.”

If you want to check out Freestyle Swimwear and support Tirrell’s business, you can head over to the company website, freestyleswimwear.shop, or follow them on Instagram at @fsswimwear.co. And if you want a live look at Tirrell’s suits, you can also stop by the pool and catch some members of the Fordham women’s swim team sporting the Contrast Collection.

Flava Reminds Students That “Class Is In Session”

By MEGHAN MAHAFFEY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On Sunday, April 23, Flava, Fordham’s only hip-hop dance crew, performed their semesterend showcase entitled “Flava: Class Is In Session.” The showcase took place in the Rose Hill Gym, where eager fans composed of students, families and alumni packed the bleachers. Special guests, including Fordham’s Expressions Dance Alliance, Flava alumni and the Fordham Pep Band, supported Flava’s incredible dancers by contributing intermission routines. Flava’s

dancers, notorious for their contagious energy, showed their immense talent and chemistry throughout the showcase.

Before the showcase, I met with Flava’s PR Manager Catherine Brown, FCRH ‘23, to discuss the production of “Class Is In Session” and the inner workings of Flava. Unsurprisingly, the conversation revealed the extensive time commitment that Flava entails. The team began working on this performance in January to ensure the complex material was ready by April. The club meets every evening from Monday to Thursday for at least three hours,

and sometimes the practices last much longer leading up to a performance. Brown explained that, “every team member is open to submitting choreography. It is not limited by grade or experience.” The intricate nature of each dance speaks volumes about each dancer’s talent for creating choreography. Brown highlighted her love for the learning process when asked about a favorite memory leading up to the show. She finds it “fun to see a choreographer’s ideas come to life.” As a graduating senior, she shared she will miss this part of Flava the most. She was very excited for the Fordham community to witness “Flava: Class Is In Session,” as it has been a suggestion that has floated around within the club for the past couple of years. This year Flava decided to, “narrow in on it and have a lot of fun with it because a lot of people had it in mind,” according to Brown. The general enthusiasm for the theme was apparent on each dancer’s face throughout the performance. The theme “Class Is In Session” entailed four sections: Jock, Cheer, Nerd and Popular, with a bonus section entitled Pep Rally to pull the entire showcase together.

A one-minute video preceded each mix, exciting the crowd for the dances about to come. The dancers performed each portion of the showcase to a mash-up of nine songs related to the theme. Each dancer wore multiple costumes throughout the showcase to encapsulate each mix. The enthusiasm for Flava reverberated throughout the Rose Hill Gym. While each section was beautifully executed, my personal favorite was Nerd, which included songs such as “Cooler Than Me” by Mike Posner, “Low” by SZA and “Music For a Sushi Restaurant” by Harry Styles. It was impossible to take my eyes off the group. Their preparation for the showcase was apparent as they moved as a unit with no hiccups. The dancers rotated in shifts for each song, and those on the sidelines cheered on their fellow club members. The energy they brought to the showcase radiated off their faces with no dull moments. Flava paid attention to every detail of their showcase, from the lighting to the sound. The production had a professional feel that supportive audience members appreciated.

Once the dancing concluded, Flava bid farewell to their eight

graduating senior dancers. Each senior had a role in producing “Flava: Class Is In Session,” whether as an e-board member or choreographer. Eight members of the team prepared speeches for their graduating team members. Many of the speeches led to tears all around, showing the bond between all 27 dancers. The dancers offered warm wishes for the seniors’ futures, indicating their faith that each of them will do great things. Although the team will miss their seniors in the coming year, they ensured the big shoes the graduates are leaving would be filled in Flava’s future. In the program for “Flava: Class Is In Session,” Flava President Luke Zadrima, GSB ’23, expressed his grateful appreciation for everyone who made the event possible. He concluded his letter with, “I am sad to go, but I know I am leaving Flava in such great hands and am so excited to watch you all continue to push your limits and succeed in all your endeavors.” This showcase is indicative of Flava’s commitment to a bonded team. Follow @fordhamflava to keep up with the club’s future undertakings and witness their performances to come.

Tirrell’s frustration caused her to launch her own swimwear brand.

COURTESY OF MEGHAN MAHAFFEY FOR THE FORDHAM RAM

Flava, Fordham’s hip-hop dance group, performed their annual show.

Find Excitement In Brooklyn’s Williamsburg

By CALEB STINE COLUMNIST

Perhaps the trendiest neighborhood in America since the turn of the 21st century has been Williamsburg. A Brooklyn enclave that sits just across the East River from the Lower East Side and the East Village, Williamsburg is a monster of a neighborhood that could populate an entire column’s worth of a Ram’s issue with information and recommendations.

Like most of Brooklyn, the neighborhood of Williamsburg has undergone recent, dramatic demographic and cultural transitions through gentrification. The neighborhood’s fluidity can be felt as soon as you get off the Bedford Avenue L-Train stop after taking the Metro-North to Grand Central, hopping on the 4, and transferring at Union Square to go towards Brooklyn.

Originally settled by the Lenape Native Americans, present-day Williamsburg was purchased by the Dutch West India Company in 1638.

After integrating into New York City in 1898, Germans and Jews from the Lower East Side entered the neighborhood after the completion of the Williamsburg Bridge in 1903, contributing to Williamsburg’s status as the most densely populated neighborhood in the United States for the first

two decades of the 20th century.

Later, Hasidic refugees fleeing the Holocaust came to the neighborhood in waves from Hungary and Romania. Hasidic hamlets still exist alongside Flushing Avenue on the southside of Williamsburg today.

Williamsburg became a hot spot for artists and creatives towards the late 1990s when rents were modest and inventory was high. Today, the neighborhood boasts some of the highest rents in Brooklyn.

But top dollar gets top restaurants, views and attractions. Williamsburg has a lot to offer, in an environment that never feels overwhelming or claustrophobic.

What rarely gets talked about in Brooklyn, outside of Prospect Park, is the green space. Domino Park and McCarren Park, two equally attractive options, offer a change of scenery for a moment.

Domino Park features stunning waterfront views of Manhattan and is a perfect spot to watch the majesty of the concrete jungle unfold just miles to the west.

McCarren Park isn’t quite as calming or romantic but acts as an extension of the neighborhood, often populated with crowds coming to and from dinner or drinks, and even the most unlucky can bet on an upbeat mood in the park. McCarren also serves as a welcome to, or a goodbye from, Williamsburg. The neighborhood

Greenpoint borders the park directly to the north.

It would be silly to suggest that simply going to Williamsburg isn’t invigorating entertainment in and of itself, but for formal entertainment venues, Williamsburg comes prepared. The Nitehawk Cinema, with a second location in Park Slope, features current and repertory films in a pub-like environment. Their next three Saturdays feature a stacked ensemble of one classic each week, with “Singin’ in the Rain” playing April 29, “2001: A Space Odyssey” showing May 6 and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” playing May 13.

Brooklyn Bowl is a bowling alley, concert venue and bar. Catering fun for all ages, tribute bands of classic bands such as Fleetwood Mac and The Beatles are staples here.

The highlight of Williamsburg is its dining destinations. A neighborhood loaded with electric environments serving quality plates.

Bedford Avenue is lined with restaurants, buzz and overall good vibes. Here are my three recommended spots on Williamsburg’s central drag.

A casual spot that has routinely been packed in the months since its inception, the joint is owned and operated by Sean Feeney, of nearby upscale Williamsburg staples Lilia and Misi, which both ranked among the New York Times’ top 100 restaurants in New York in last week’s issue.

Terasa North Ninth serves Mediterranean fare in an atmospheric setting. The dimlylit restaurant accompanied by braised lamb, views of Bedford and quite possibly the best roasted potatoes I’ve ever had is as chef’s kiss as it gets.

Allswell, just a block up from

Terasa, does what so many restaurants in Brooklyn do so well, but even better: elevates classic American cuisine in a lively and classy environment. The energy here is contagious and is the place that you’ll inevitably end up at if you walk by, even if you had reservations elsewhere. The eggs benedict and grilled chicken sandwiches should be at the top of your list.

Every time I’m in Williamsburg, I feel like I’m on a mini-vacation. It’s a neighborhood where people are excited to be there. Excited to explore. Excited to learn. And most importantly, excited to eat.

Fini Pizza arrived in the neighborhood during our first semester this past fall and is rated a solid 7.9 on Dave Portnoy’s One Bite App. The pies have great char and a balanced thickness that complements the modern environment. Williamsburg

Fordham Fashion For Philanthropy Braves Contradiction

By ALAINA STANISCI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On Saturday, April 15, 2023, Fashion for Philanthropy (FFP) held its annual spring fashion show and put on an unforgettable night in the McGinley Ballroom. Fashion for Philanthropy is a student-run club at Fordham that

brings together like-minded, creative students passionate about fashion and service. The spring fashion show is the club’s biggest fundraiser of the year, donating all proceeds to the Make-AWish Foundation of the Metro New York Area. Since 2006, FFP has donated over $63,000 to create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.

This year, the show’s theme was “Contradiction,” and the fierce looks on the runway demonstrated confidence, creativity and radiant self-expression.

Aligning with the theme of sustainable fashion, models were tasked with creating three unique looks they could wear on the runway by recycling, reusing, and reimagining the clothing items they already owned. As a model myself in the show, I must contest that this task was initially a daunting challenge, and I struggled to figure out which items in my closet were cut out for the runway. However, with time and patience, I embraced the opportunity for self-expression and creativity within this challenge. This year’s theme was built around the idea of sustainability and being confident in what you already have in your closet without having to buy something new or conform to today’s trends.

One model after another, the looks on the runway were unexpected, extravagant, over the top and jaw-dropping. Many of

the looks featured contradicting prints, colors that don’t necessarily pair and mix-and-match fabric textures. Focusing on contradiction in the seasons, one model strutted the catwalk in a summer bathing suit, sunglasses and a fox fur winter headband. Similarly, another look featured a Hawaiian summer shirt and a winter burlap scarf worn as a skirt. In the same way, many unique looks paired colorful patterns with mix-and-match fabrics. One look featured green utility-like cargo pants with a more feminine, sheer, purple lace top. Many models achieved similar looks by mismatching loose-fitting, baggy pants or a skirt with a more tight-fitting, structured top. Similarly, many models juxtaposed different dress code genres to curate interesting and eloquent looks, such as pairing business blazers with shorts and sporty sneakers.

In addition to nailing down the theme of contradiction with their runway looks, many of the models in the show wore their clothing articles in creative, unexpected ways. For instance, one model creatively tied a traditional button-down, striped collared shirt into a new elegant wrap-style mini-dress. Likewise, another model wore a tie as a necklace and another wore a traditional skirt as a flowy tube top.

Coupled with the theme of contradiction in fashion, the models heavily accessorized to level up

their runway looks and express their true personalities. For example, one model featured an “I ♥ Pugsley’s Pizza” baseball cap in two of her runway outfits, which showcased her playful personality and spunk. With the same idea of heavily accessorizing to elevate an outfit, another model paired a lace, doll-like white dress with contrasting leather platform-heeled boots, unique jewelry and black lace gloves.

FFP works closely with a company each year to sponsor the Fashion Show. This year, the show was sponsored by ITGirl, a jewelry company with a mission surrounding self-love and the idea that everyone has the perfect “it girl” potential. Moreover, the talented entrepreneur behind the company is Kate Barton, GSB ’25. Barton is an active member of FFP, walking as a model in the show and giving an opening speech before the show’s commencement. In her speech, Barton emphasized the company’s mission to redefine what it truly means to be an “it girl” rather than striving to meet society’s standards of perfection. Barton believes we are all “it girls” in our own ways and hopes she can empower others to believe in themselves, tell their stories and unleash their inner “it girl” by wearing her jewelry collection.

Each jewelry piece displayed by the models looked exceptionally made, well-crafted and

professional up on stage. Outside the McGinley Ballroom, Barton set up a small pop-up shop for ITGirl, where the audience could browse her collection and speak to the young entrepreneur after the show finished. Near the ITGirl pop-up shop, FFP had tables beautifully decorated with toptier raffle baskets, including luxury name-brand items such as Olaplex, Tarte and Dormify.

As for the show’s layout, the models strutted down the catwalk on a platform, T-shaped runway stage. Throughout the entire duration of the show, fastpaced, energetic music boomed throughout the room as the models walked down the runway. Furthermore, everybody that attended the show received a complimentary goodie bag filled with unique items such as fun beverages, beauty samples, sweet treats and even a freebie class to Barry’s Bootcamp in NYC.

To put on a performance like this, club members work hard throughout the fall and spring semesters to ensure that the event falls into place seamlessly. Throughout the year, students in FFP work together to brainstorm ideas, acquire donations, stuff goodie bags, find sponsors for the event, and overall work hard behind the scenes to bring the event to life. Seniors Anna Gaylord, FCRH ’23, and Christina Muraskas, FCRH ’23, organized the show, led outreach and excelled in their leadership roles to make the event successful.

Student Athlete Column: Iron Sharpens Iron

By MARY KATHRYN UNDERWOOD STAFF WRITER

One of the most difficult parts of training during COVID-19 was doing it alone.

Beforehand, my teammates and coaches were one of the only things that got me out of bed in the morning for practice. Training alone for months and having to rely on myself to get out the door and stay motivated day in and day out during that time was a test of perseverance and mental fortitude exacerbated by the confusion and worry of what was going on in the world around us.

Now that restrictions have eased up and we’ve trained steadily and “normally” for the past year or so, I have even more appreciation for my teammates who motivate me each and every day. I never realized just how much I needed my teammates until this time.

During lockdown, getting myself out of the house to go on a run seemed like a near impossible task. We had no races lined up in the near future, no idea when we’d start practice again, and I had no teammates to hold me accountable. Getting it done alone was very difficult. However, those times made me appreciate just how special and vital having teammates is for motivation and encouragement. Alongside keeping you motivated and holding you inspired, teammates also make you better than you would be if you were training alone. When training alone, we may feel that we are giving our very best and trying our absolute hardest,

Overtime: Adding Insult to Injury

By MADDIE BIMONTE SPORTS EDITOR

but if we have no one to push us then we are ultimately staying within the zone of our perceived “best” effort. The phrase “Iron Sharpens Iron” is true: in order to get better and exceed your limitations, training with teammates is essential. Running alongside others who share a common goal as you and are willing to do whatever it takes to reach those goals is undoubtedly conducive for growth.

Over the past four years, I have had the opportunity to run alongside the best teammates that I could have asked for. They have helped me grow as a person and a runner, and I know for a fact that I would have never been able to accomplish what I have if I didn’t have them.

Not only have my teammates helped push me in training, but they have also been there for me when I fell short and have helped me get back up when I have fallen down.

I still have one more year of collegiate track and field, but I know that in the future I will never forget the memories and experiences that I have had with my teammates. I will always cherish the bonds that I have built with my teammates and the ways that they have helped me and I have helped them.

Athletes of the Week

DeMaria had himself a huge week, taking home Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors while also being named among Collegiate Baseball’s National Players of the Week. He was an outstanding 7-14 across three games while adding five runs, eight RBIs and seven runs scored.

Sports are physically demanding. That seems like a massive understatement, but in today’s world, injuries are a dime a dozen. Players go down constantly, sidelining them indefinitely, unable to help lead their teams to victory. But now more than ever, it seems that there’s a major injury problem in many sports, but especially women’s soccer.

Just recently, news broke saying England Women’s Soccer team captain Leah Williamson is out of the Women’s World Cup this summer due to an ACL injury. A massive blow to the team for losing their leader, just as the Women’s World Cup begins in July.

But she isn’t the only one being sidelined. There have been 57 players going down with ACL injuries this past year — and that number is just in the top six women’s leagues. Across the sport, more and more ACL injuries are becoming particularly commonplace.

For those who are unfamiliar, an ACL injury results from overstretching or tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee. A tear that occurs may be partial or complete. As a result, a person can be sidelined from physical activity for about six months. But that time frame is typically the earliest people are allowed to return to contact sports. Major healing and recovery can take up to 12 months or more.

And, going forward in life, I know that if I am ever trying to achieve something, that I cannot do it alone, and that the strength of a group of people helping me is significant and indispensable. AWAY

Yet one has to beg the question, why? According to female health specialist Dr. Emma Ross, “We know female athletes are up to six times more likely to have a noncontact ACL injury than their male counterparts.” Specialists like Ross and others claim that it has to do with a woman’s joints especially in relation to their cycles. Women’s joints tend to break down during that time of the month, making it increasingly likely that an injury could take place.

This issue is also not just unique

to the professional level, but growing concerns at the college level increase daily. In 2021-22, the Wake Forest Women’s Soccer team saw six ACL injuries in that span of time. With women’s bodies still undergoing changes as they enter their 20s, the long-term damage on the knees can lead to more health concerns down the line, forcing athletes into an early retirement.

Knowing that, what can be done for the sport to take more care of these athletes? Honestly, it’s hard to pinpoint what has to change. Every athlete’s body is different. Therefore, finding a catch-all solution seems to be impossible.

One thing that can be changed, however, is footwear. Other health specialists cite the improper fitting of soccer cleats can be a cause for knee injuries as well, and the pickings for women’s cleats can be slim. Until more manufacturers provide proper fitting women’s cleats, it could be another reason more and more women go down with horrible knee injuries.

ACL injuries are tough. It’s terrible for the team and just as terrible for the fans. For the team, they lose a friend, a leader and a teammate. The athlete loses playing time and

the ability to represent their club or nation. And probably the biggest thing, they lose a lot of money.

Talented players can only take so many injuries. Over the past few decades, concern about concussions in sports have sidelined and retired so many athletes across multiple sports. ACL injuries seem to be falling into that same mentality now as well. I personally know many high school and college athletes that ended their careers prematurely because of the damage done to their knees due to ACL injuries. It is a brutal recovery process that a lot of people struggle with. More importantly, there’s a mental toll that many people do not address. It hurts to be away from your favorite sport and best friends. To see them succeed while you’re forced to be on the sidelines. With more emphasis on mental health in sports, hopefully less athletes will feel that depression that comes with being injured.

All injuries take a toll on the athlete. It’s time for the sport to finally figure out ways to minimize the risk of injury before every player in the world of women’s soccer ends up with an ACL injury.

Varsity Calendar

Nogay was a major part of the Rams’ big sweep over UMass last weekend, going 6-9 across the three games while scoring three runs and contributing an RBI and a stolen base. She was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week for her efforts. Each week, The Fordham Ram’s sports section honors two athletes for their on-field performances as their “Athletes of the Week.”

Peter DeMaria Graduate Student, Baseball Neleh

Freshman, Softball

Now, more and more women’s soccer players are going down with ACL injuries. COURTESY OF TWITTER

Champions League Set For Thrilling Semifinals

By MICHAEL HERNANDEZ ASST. SPORTS EDITOR EMERITUS

And then there were four. Over the past few weeks, the quarterfinals of the Champions League took place. As a reminder, the winner of the tie is determined by the aggregate score of the two legs. If the aggregate score is tied after the second leg, extra time and, if needed, penalties are used to determine the winner. With that out of the way, here were the four quarterfinal clashes:

Manchester City vs. Bayern Munich, Benfica vs. Inter Milan, AC Milan vs. Napoli and Real Madrid vs. Chelsea.

In a blockbuster clash, City faced off against German giants Bayern. In the first leg, City stormed to a 3-0 home victory to give them a huge advantage going into the second leg. In the return leg, Bayern tried to get off on the strong foot but weren’t able to. City scored first in the 57th minute courtesy of Erling Haaland to put the tie to bed. Bayern were able to get a consolation goal in the 83rd minute courtesy of a penalty. When the final whistle blew, it ended 1-1 on the night with City punching their ticket to the semifinals 4-1 on aggregate.

In the Benfica vs. Inter tie, Inter scored the opener in the first leg in the 51st minute. Then they doubled their advantage in the 82nd minute to take a 2-0 aggregate lead into the second leg. In the second leg, Inter struck first again in the 14th minute. Benfica then struck back to level the score on the night in the 38th minute and make it 3-1 on aggregate. Then in the second half, Inter scored two more goals in the 65th and 78th minutes to make it a 3-1 score on the night to put the tie out of reach for Benfica. However, in the final five minutes, Benfica scored two quickfire goals to make it 3-3 on the night. However it was too little, too late as the game ended 3-3 with Inter progressing 5-3 on aggregate.

In another clash was AC Milan vs. runaway Serie A

Varsity Scores & Stats

leaders Napoli. It was a close contest throughout the first leg. Milan were able to get the lone goal in the 40th minute courtesy of Ismael Bennacer to take a slim 1-0 lead into the second leg. In the second leg, Milan were awarded a penalty early in the game but were unable to convert it and left the door for Napoli to tie the aggregate score. However, right before the end of the first half Milan scored to make it 1-0 on the night and double their aggregate score.

Napoli were able to get a goal in the 93rd minute to make it a mad dash, but it wasn’t enough. With the second leg ending 1-1, Milan advanced to the semifinal 2-1 on aggregate.

In the final quarterfinal leg, it was a rematch of one of last year’s quarter final clashes of Real Madrid vs. Chelsea. In the first leg, Madrid scored first courtesy of Karim Benzema in the 21st minute. Madrid then doubled their advantage in the 74th minute to take a 2-0 aggregate score into the second leg. In the second leg, Chelsea came out strong and had several great chances to score and bring themselves back into the tie. Unfortunately, they were unable to convert any of them which ended up costing them. In the second half, Madrid opened the scoring with Rodrygo who made it 3-0 on aggregate. Rodrygo then struck again in the 80th minute to end the tie. With Madrid

winning 2-0 on the night, they advanced to yet another semifinal 4-0 on aggregate.

With only four teams left, here are the semifinals: Real Madrid vs. Manchester City and Inter Milan vs. AC Milan.

The first semifinal is a repeat of last year’s where Madrid came from behind to knock City out of the competition, scoring two goals in stoppage time to force extra time. It’s a battle from a team who hasn’t won the competition against the 14-time kings of the competition. City have come so close in recent years but haven’t been able to lift the coveted Champions League. If this tie brings half of what last year’s clash had, this should be another exciting matchup.

The other semifinal is Inter vs. Milan in a Milan derby. The last time that there was a Milan derby in the Champions League was the 2004-2005 quarter finals with Milan advancing 5-0 on aggregate. This was when the second leg had to be suspended due to Inter fans throwing flares onto the pitch. With both of these teams having such a history between each other, expect this to be an exciting clash between these two Italian heavyweights.

With only four teams left in the tournament, each team is one step away from reaching the final as they try to lift one of soccer’s most prestigious trophies.

Women’s Track

Rutgers Relays

NTS (No Team Scoring)

Men’s Track

Rutgers Relays

NTS (No Team Scoring)

News & Notes

Helen Connolly Receives Atlantic 10 Postgraduate Scholarship

Every year, 15 athletes across the Atlantic 10 conference are awarded postgraduate scholarships to help them further their graduate studies. This year, Fordham Track and Field star Helen Connolly was a member of the A-10 Postgraduate Scholarship class of 2023. Connolly will pursue a graduate degree in biological sciences with a focus in cell and molecular biology.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Real Madrid topped Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals for the second consecutive season.

Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud combined for a crucial goal against Napoli.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Rangers-Devils Series Tied Through Four

By ALLIE COPPOLA STAFF WRITER

The New York Rangers began their playoff run with two wins and two losses against the New Jersey Devils, and the Hudson River rivalry has not disappointed. After a pair of 5-1 blowouts, the Rangers got a taste of their own medicine and dropped two low-scoring games at Madison Square Garden.

In game one, the Blueshirts put on a clinic, scoring four straight goals into the third before both teams scored one apiece later in the period. Vladimir Tarasenko opened the scoring in the first, followed by Chris Kreider’s power play goal. In the next period, Lindgren scored a top-shelf goal from a difficult angle, and in the final frame, Kreider scored his second power play goal of the night.

Tarasenko’s tally and Patrick Kane’s assist in the game demonstrated the effectiveness of the two major deadline acquisitions. The highlight of the night was Adam Fox’s four assists, which is tied for the most points in a Rangers’ playoff game. The game one win at the Devils’ home arena made a strong statement and set the Rangers up for success throughout the series.

It was déjà vu in game two, with the same 5-1 score and two more of Kreider’s signature power play goals. The Devils opened the scoring this time, but the Rangers went on

to score five straight goals in the second and third periods.

The newest Rangers continued their dominance as Tarasenko scored the opening goal and Kane put up three points, including a beautiful goal and two assists on Kreider’s goals. Fox added another two assists in the game, putting him at six points through the first three games.

The series moved back across the Hudson for game three, but the Rangers couldn’t make the home fans happy after losing in the extra period. After the Rangers chased Devils’ starter Vitek Vanecek out of the lineup, their new goalie Akira Schmid rose to the occasion. Kreider added yet another goal

for the Blueshirts in the second, but Jack Hughes of the Devils responded later in the period to tie the game at one. After no scoring in the third, Dougie Hamilton scored the game winner for the Devils halfway into the extra frame. It was a bad game overall for the Rangers, with a total of 19 giveaways after only recording nine in the first two games combined.

Game four was more of the same, as the Rangers couldn’t solve Schmid once again. Kane and Kreider added to their point totals with assists on Vincent Trocheck’s goal, which proved to be the Rangers’ only offense in the 3-1 loss. Devils’ defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler tallied the winning goal for his team, and

Ondrej Palat added another goal on the empty net in the final minute of play. The giveaways hurt the team once again, as their 15 giveaways make it 34 in the last two games at home.

The Blueshirts’ success in the first two games can be safely credited to Igor Shesterkin’s dominance. Through three games, the netminder recorded 76 saves with a 0.950 save percentage, and only allowed a total of four goals through 10 periods of play. He looked shaky in game four with only 20 saves on 22 shots, but he

kept his save percentage above 0.900. The defense in front of Shesterkin has improved from the regular season, but still needs a bit of polishing in order to be truly competitive for these playoff games.

The Rangers look to bounce back in the newly tied series and play game five back in New Jersey on Thursday night. Gaining momentum for the final games is vital, and they’ll have to use their playoff experience to get the best of this young New Jersey team.

Fordham students can apply to master’s, doctoral, and certificate programs in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, including:

• Master of Arts in Economics, Public Media, Urban Studies, and more

• Master of Science in Cybersecurity, Health Administration, Humanitarian Studies, and more

• Master of Theological Studies

• Ph.D. in Biological Sciences, English, History, and more

• Advanced certificates and training courses

• Accelerated master’s programs

fordham.edu/gsas

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Jonas Siegenthaler notched a goal and an assist in the Devil’s Game 4 win.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

The Devils stole two games on the road to even the series at two apiece.

Fordham Track and Field Enters Final Stretch with Momentum

By LOU ORLANDO ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

With their three biggest meets of the season coming up each of the next three weeks, Fordham Track and Field had one final tune up. Traveling to New Jersey for the Rutger Relays, the Rams took first or second in seven events, riding into the most important section of their schedule with some momentum.

a time of 47.17 seconds, while the men’s group of freshmen

Christian Weddington and Liam Volz and sophomores

Jonah Coleman and Kenneth Maxwell took third with a time of 42.75 seconds.

That success carried into the individual sprinting events.

Hill shined once again, taking the event win in the 200-meter dash with 24.34 seconds and adding a second-place finish in the 100-meter dash with 12.01 seconds, both good for seasonbest times. Green posted topfive finishes in both events as well while Kelly’s season-best distance of 20’ 2 ¼” was good

for second in the long jump event. Weddington led the way with two top-five finishes in the men’s events, taking second in the 100-meter and fifth in the 200-meter while Maxwell added two top-10 finishes. Freshman Matthew Nurse also added top-five finishes in the 200- and 400-meter events.

Fordham saw dominance in the 1,500-meter event, taking three of the top five spots in the men’s event and two of the top 10 spots in the women’s event. Sophomore Rodolfo Sanchez earned the event win, ahead of senior Colin Flood in second and sophomore Nathan Bezuneh in fourth. Junior Marin Bogulski and senior Alexandra Thomas took sixth and eighth respectively in the women’s event.

The Rams first flexed their muscles in the 4x100 relays, with both sides posting seasonbest times. The women’s group of senior Kyla Hill, graduate student Kathryn Kelly, junior Skylar Harris and freshman Dillyn Green took second with a season-best time. Freshman George Pomer notched a pair of top-10 finishes in 400- and 110-meter hurdles, and senior Amanda Gurth did the same in the shot put and discus throw. Rounding it out, freshmen

The Rams added three more individual top-five finishes in the form of a third-place time from freshman Ben Borchers in the 800-meter, a fourth-place time from junior Sophia Crucs in the 400-meter hurdles and a season-best distance from freshman Alexandra Manetovic that ranked fifth in the triple jump.

On top of that, Fordham added a slew of top-10 finishes. Graduate students Helen Connolly and Zalen Nelson had top-10 finishes in their respective 800-meter events with Connolly posting

Fordham Wraps Up Season Strong with Two Conference Wins

By BRETT TULIP STAFF WRITER

Fordham Women’s Tennis finished their regular season this weekend in the DMV area with dominating wins against George Washington University and George Mason University. It really could not have ended any better for the team, with 4-0 shutouts against both opponents.

Starting at George Washington on Saturday, the team started winning straight away with the doubles team of graduate student Lindsay Hung and junior Eleni Fasoula crushing their opposition 6-0, followed by senior Rachelle Yang and graduate student Carlota Casasampere Escoda securing the doubles point with their 6-1 thrashing. After doubles play concluded, the team maintained control with singles wins from senior Avery Aude and Casasampere Escoda, which clinched success.

The next match at George Mason University began similarly with doubles dominance with three straight wins. Graduate student Valeriya Deminova and Aude, Hung and Fasoula and Yang and Escoda all secured doubles wins contributing to the first point on the day going to Fordham. Next, in singles play, the team clinched with

three wins from Hung, Aude and Escoda to end the match in a 4-0 victory.

As this weekend concludes the regular season, we can finally step back and view this year’s squad’s successes from a historical standpoint. The team finished the 2022-23 season with an 11-7 record, a minor step down from the monumental 14-5 record they amassed last season, but still the second highest winning percentage in the last six seasons and a real step in the right direction in solidifying Fordham women’s tennis as a legit player in the Atlantic 10.

These wins are a huge confidence booster for the team as they head to Orlando this

weekend to begin their playoff run in the A-10 tournament. Fordham will look to follow up on their championship appearance from last season and will certainly be ready to take revenge on the powerhouse that is Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). VCU, a legit dynasty with A-10 championship wins in eight of the last nine years, is likely the favorite again this postseason. However, the Rams are in it to win it and received their highestever seed in the program’s history of being in the A-10 with a 2nd-seed designation. The first matchup for Fordham will come against the winner of the Rhode Island vs. Duquesne match at 11:30 a.m. this Friday.

Michael Croke, Nicole Lytle, Leah Ruvo, Zoe Arakelian and Alison Burton all slid into the top 10 on Saturday.

To close out the day, the Rams posted top-five finishes on both sides in the 4x400 relays as the men’s unit finished third while the women’s unit finished fourth, serving as a fitting capper to a very successful day.

Fordham will have to bring their best over the next three weeks. The gauntlet starts this

weekend in Philadelphia, as the Rams take part in the Penn Relays over the course of the weekend. Championship play begins the following weekend with the Atlantic 10 Tournament in Amherst, Massachusetts, ahead of the ECAC/IC4A championship in Fairfax, Virginia which will be the final event of the 2022-2023 Track and Field season.

They should enter this stretch feeling fairly good about themselves as the Rutger Relays simply highlighted the fantastic contributions that have come up and down this roster on both sides. It just remains to be seen if they can keep it up against premiere collegiate competition when it matters most.

Smooth Sailing at Spring Metropolitan Championship for Rowing

By NOAH HOFFMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

After a successful showing at the Knecht Cup, the Fordham rowing team had their “home” regatta this past Saturday in Glen Island, N.Y. It was a near-perfect performance for the team, with all of the Varsity boats taking home a first-place finish in each of their respective competitions.

The day started off with the Novice 4+ winning their heat with a time of 7:50:14. The final for that race was unfortunately canceled due to poor weather later in the day. With results then being based on heat time, the boat took third place, the lone non-top finish of the day.

Both Varsity 4+ shells coasted to victory in each of their first heats. The First Varsity 4 won by about 30 seconds ahead of Iona with a time of 5:24.66.

The Second Varsity 4 took care of their heat by beating Stony Brook by 13 seconds and finishing in 5:26.73. In the Varsity 4 final the two sculls continued their dominance, with the First Varsity 4 winning the race followed by the Second Varsity 4 coming in second. The winning time for the First was 5:24.943, more than 15 seconds faster than the Rams’ Second shell.

The Second Varsity boats continued the successful day by securing two of the top three spots in their final race. The winning crew finished the race in 6:57.86, while Fordham’s other top-three finish came in third after completing in 7:37.64.

In the other Varsity 8 final the Ram boat took home another firstplace finish, cruising by the other boats with a time of 6:46.690, 14 seconds in front of second-place Sacred Heart. This finished off the sweep for the Varsity shells and completed a very successful weekend for the Fordham Rowing team.

Fordham will return to the water this coming weekend in Shelton, C.T., at Beacon Point Marine, hoping to bring home more first-place finishes. They will be facing Sacred Heart, Bryant, Monmouth and Fairfield in the last regatta before the A-10 championship.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Fordham earned the two seed, their highest mark in program history.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS Fordham Track and Field finished in the top two in seven events.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Kyla Hill was part of three top-two finishes in the Rutger Relays.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS Fordham dominated the weekend.

Off the Runway: New York Jets Acquire Aaron Rodgers

By COLIN LOUGHRAN STAFF WRITER

At long last, it’s time for the New York Jets to take flight.

After much speculation and anticipation, the Jets have completed a trade for former Green Bay Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.

Gang Green acquired the four-time NFL MVP along with the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and a 2023 fifth-round pick in exchange for the 13th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, a 2023 second-round pick (No. 42), a sixth-round pick (No. 207) and a conditional 2024 second-round pick that will become a first if

Rodgers plays 65% of plays this season.Last season, New York finished with a 7-10 record, missed the playoffs and struggled to maintain a consistent offense. Second-year signal caller Zach Wilson was benched twice, and ended his season with the NFL’s worst completion percentage and fifth lowest QBR. Despite their issues at quarterback, the Jets’ 2022 campaign was far from a failure. Wideout

Garrett Wilson and cornerback

Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner took home Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year

honors, respectively. Running back Breece Hall rushed for 480 yards and four touchdowns before tearing his ACL in October. Additionally, the Jets’ defense showed promise under second-year head coach Robert Saleh and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich. The bunch gave up the second fewest yards per play over the course of the year and kept the team in games, even when the offense was stagnant. The blockbuster trade for Rodgers is a clear sign that the Jets are attempting to move off of Wilson, and make a legitimate Super Bowl run this upcoming season.

The 39-year-old veteran has a proven track record and is one of the game’s most dynamic players. He had a down year in 2022, failing to lead the Packers to the playoffs due to a lack of pure firepower. He finished the season with 3,695 passing yards and 26 touchdowns, but never seemed to find his groove or establish a rapport with a particularly young Green Bay receiving corps. He’ll have no shortage of weapons in the Meadowlands. Wilson, Hall and tight end C.J. Uzomah will join newly signed wide receivers Mecole Hardman and Allen Lazard in forming a formidable unit that will be led

by newly hired offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Rodgers worked with Hackett in Green Bay from 2019-21 and has a strong relationship with the coach. The pairing, combined with a multitude of offensive playmakers and a stingy defense, places the Jets in prime position to make their first playoff appearance since 2010.

Back in January, New York owner Woody Johnson referred to the quarterback position as the “missing piece” for the Jets, and now there is finally a definite bona fide savant under center.

The franchise has not won a championship since legendary

quarterback Joe Namath’s heroics in Super Bowl III. Just as there have been narratives surrounding the Jets’ inability to win big games, Rodgers has faced scrutiny for his inconsistency during the playoffs. He won Super Bowl XLV as a member of the Pack and took home MVP honors for his performance, but has posted a 7-9 playoff record since then. Once he arrives in New York, he’ll have an opportunity to simultaneously change two narratives with heavy histories. It remains to be seen if Aaron Rodgers will lead the Jets to the promised land, but his mere presence signals they are now off the runway.

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Rodgers says goodbye to his longtime team the Green Bay Packers

The Packers acquired quite a hefty package for the 39-year-old quarterback.

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Softball Picks Up Huge Sweep Over UMass

By NICK GUZMAN SPORT S EDITOR

Fordham Softball returned to Bahoshy Field for the first time in over two weeks, taking on the University of Massachusetts (UMass) in a three-game series last weekend. But first, the Rams concluded a 10-game road trip with a doubleheader last Wednesday against St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.

Heading into the St. Joseph’s games, Fordham had lost six in a row and were in need of a spark. They got exactly that from junior Bailey Enoch both in the circle and at the plate. In the circle, Enoch tossed a complete game, allowing two runs on five hits while adding five strikeouts.

While she’s been great pitching wise, Enoch has struggled at the plate this season. The New Jersey native is batting well under .200 after being one of Fordham’s top offensive performers last year. But, she put these offensive struggles aside on Wednesday. With the score tied at two in the top of the seventh, Enoch helped her own cause with an RBI double that scored senior Michaela Carter. That put Fordham up to stay, as the Rams snapped their six-game slide with a 3-2 win in game one over St. Joseph’s.

Game two didn’t go quite as well for the Rams. Senior Devon Miller wasn’t herself in the circle, surrendering six earned runs in the first two innings and eight total by the end of the game.

Fordham got five runs of offense thanks in large part from a threerun homer from sophomore

By MADDIE BIMONTE SPORTS EDITOR

Sydney Wells and a solo homer from senior Amanda Carey. But it wasn’t enough as Fordham fell 8-5 to split the doubleheader in Philadelphia.

A return to Bahoshy Field last weekend was very much needed for a Fordham team that went 2-8 on their long road trip. With their Atlantic 10 schedule winding down, the Rams needed to make a statement against a UMass team that has struggled in conference play, particularly in the circle. Fordham entered the series at 5-9 in A-10 play and in serious danger of slipping out of the conference tournament, which Bahoshy Field is set to host in May.

But Fordham answered the bell in a big way against UMass. They swept the Minutewomen in dominant fashion, allowing just two runs across the three game series while outscoring them 16-2.

Stellar pitching was the name of the game all weekend for Fordham. It was Enoch up first for Fordham in game one, and she did not disappoint. She followed up her stellar outing against St. Joseph’s with a complete game shutout against the Minutewomen.

Offensively, Fordham got all their scoring done in the first and second innings. In the first, the Rams pounced on UMass’ Natalie Horton, tallying three runs through RBI doubles from Wells and graduate student Julia Martine and an RBI single from freshman Eva Koratsis.

Freshman Neleh Nogay chipped in an RBI single in the second to make it 4-0 Fordham, a score that stood up as the Rams walked away with a convincing win in game one. Nogay has been an offensive spark plug for Fordham all year long, leading the team in batting average at .381.

In game two, Fordham received another stellar effort from the circle. This time, it was freshman Holly Beeman who was terrific.

Like Enoch, she tossed a complete game shutout as the UMass offense was completely neutralized. The Rams also struggled to score against a three-pronged UMass pitching attack, but they got the only two runs they needed early off a pair of sacrifice flies from Martine and Wells.

With two wins under their belt, Fordham went for the sweep of UMass on Sunday afternoon. First pitch was delayed for about 45 minutes in order to get Bahoshy Field ready for play, as thunderstorms from the previous evening caused some damage to both the infield and the outfield. But after the delay, Miller took to the circle looking to bounce back from her disappointing performance against St. Joseph’s.

She wasn’t perfect, but Miller danced around trouble all day to limit UMass to just two runs. The Minutewomen tallied eight hits against the senior, but she picked up strikeouts in key situations to work out of jams.

Fordham’s offense, which has struggled for large stretches this season, put on a show Sunday afternoon. They scored 10 runs in six innings, forcing a mercy rule and walking away with a 10-2 win and a three-game sweep of UMass. Fordham got a two-run homer from Carey to center field and an opposite field grand slam from Wells, both in the second inning.

In the sixth, the Rams sealed the eight-run mercy rule with a two-run single from Enoch that sent Bahoshy Field into a frenzy. This was Fordham’s first A-10 sweep of the season, and it came at the absolute perfect time.

With just two A-10 series remaining for the Rams, they now sit at 17-24 overall and 8-9 in conference play.

That’s good enough for fifth place in the A-10, where the top six teams qualify for the conference tournament. After winning the tournament last year and being this year’s host, the Rams will want to ensure their place in the competition by finishing the season strong. They have one final non-conference game on Wednesday against Stony Brook University before hosting Loyola University Chicago next weekend and wrapping up the regular season the following weekend on the road at George Washington University.

Baseball Struggles in Atlantic 10 Play

In another week of Atlantic 10 play the Rams still struggled to take a series, this time against the University of Richmond Spiders. While Fordham picked up game two for another win to their record, the Rams couldn’t get the job done and take the series. After that, the Rams suffered a loss against Marist College on Tuesday.

In the opening matchup between the Rams and the Spiders, Fordham’s powerful offense was on display, with an opening single from senior Zach Selinger, scoring two.

A pair of home runs for the Spiders put the Rams in hot water in terms of pitching, as starting pitcher Declan Lavelle and Nolan Hughes took a beating from the Richmond batters.

Lavelle gave up four runs and four hits across 2.1 innings, while Hughes relinquished eight hits and nine runs over two innings of work.

But the Rams offense was able to pick things up across the fifth and sixth innings with stand-out performances from graduate student Peter DeMaria and junior Chris Genaro, who both delivered big two-run and three-run home runs. On top of that, junior Ryan Thiesse also got in on the scoring action with an RBI single.

Immediately after the Rams retook the lead, the Spiders delivered a harsh blow in the form of a three-run home run, retaking the lead and securing the win as they went on to tack on nine more runs across four innings.

The first game in the series finished with a 15-8 loss for the Rams.

Game two shaped up much stronger for the Rams. Highlighted by junior Michael Taylor’s grand slam home run in the second inning off of Brenden Argomaniz, that quickly eliminated any stress the pitching staff had after conceding a solo home run to the Spiders in the first.

In a game featuring eight home runs, fans were in for a thrilling offensive battle.

Selinger delivered a grand slam of his own in the fourth after the Rams’ lead was eliminated, bringing the score up to 8-4, Fordham. DeMaria, coming off a big game one, added to his unbelievable offensive stats this year with two home runs in the game.

The first came in the seventh, scoring himself and freshman Daniel Bucciero and then in the ninth to cap off the game, this time scoring other freshman Tommy McAndrews.

With a final score of 12-9, Rams pitching was able to hold their

own as the offense continued to shine.

Combined efforts from sophomore Connor Haywood, freshman Aric Berg, junior Nate Scott and senior Ben Kovel helped the Rams propel themselves to take game two, 12-9.

Unfortunately, Fordham couldn’t hold on for a victory in game three, even amidst another strong offensive performance from DeMaria.

Featuring two home runs from the graduate student, who is batting .288 on the season, DeMaria has also recorded 10 home runs leading the team in that category as well as RBIs, with 37.

Outside of his efforts, the Rams

offense couldn’t find the groove as Richmond piled on RBI singles and doubles to bring in a total of seven runs.

Junior Nico Boza also added a home run of his own, but the solo shot was not enough to bring the Rams to victory. They lost the final game of the series 7-4.

For his efforts on the diamond this week, DeMaria received A-10 Player of the Week honors for the first time. DeMaria was also named one of Collegiate Baseball’s National Players of the Week as well.

To wrap things up on the week, the Rams took on Marist for a one-game series in Poughkeepsie. The Rams lacked their usual offense, only managing to score two runs.

The offense capitalized on an error in the fourth, scoring DeMaria, while the second run of the day was scored on a wild pitch, bringing home McAndrews.

All in all, it seems that the Rams ran out of gas by the time they got to Tuesday but had major success in their hitting this past week, regardless of the loss.

Now the Rams have yet another A-10 series, this time against Saint Joseph’s University starting Friday. Then, the Rams will play an out-of-conference game against the New Jersey Institute of Technology in the Bronx at Houlihan Park on Tuesday.

Fordham Softball received excellent pitching as they got back on track with three big wins over UMass.

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Fordham Baseball got a huge week from Peter DeMaria but fell short in their three-game series with Richmond.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS