Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 TheFordhamRam.com
Volume 105, Issue 20
November 8, 2023
Rose Hill University Responds Clubs Discuss Budget to Security Changes Breach By SOFIA DONOHUE
By EMMA KIM
An emotionally disturbed man entered campus through the Walsh Gate turnstiles and entered a suite in Walsh Hall on Nov. 3. The man was subdued by Public Safety officers and then transported by NYPD to a local hospital where he was later arrested. No students were physically injured. Public Safety notified students of the incident in an email shared with the Fordham community on Nov. 4. According to the Public Safety advisory email, the man entered campus by squeezing behind a student returning to campus through the Walsh Gate turnstile. The email states that Public Safety has increased security at Walsh Gate. “Public Safety cars are now located at the Walsh turnstile to prevent ‘piggybacking’ when they are not on an assignment. We also have a video monitor at our security base that is fixed on the turnstile,” said Robert Fitzer, associate vice president for Public Safety.
Fordham College at Rose Hill budget packets were due on Nov. 2 for all student clubs. This comes after spring 2024 budgets for each event-funded club were capped at $5,000. The Budget Committee in United Student Government (USG) is responsible for allocating the funds and reviewing the budget packet requests. Eron Maltzman, GSB ’25, vice president of finance, explained the amount of clubs has greatly increased over the past several years. “All Budget Packets are reviewed by the Budget Committee on one day By called Budget Day where we SOFIA DONOHUE have aDIGITAL limited PRODUCER amount of funding to allocate to all 171 clubs on campus,” said Maltzman. “In the past several years, the amount requested by all clubs greatly exceeds the amount of funding that we have available to allocate to clubs, so in the past, we have been put in a difficult position of having to limit the amount of funding
SEE WALSH, PAGE 6
SEE BUDGET, PAGE 4
ASST. NEWS EDITOR
NEWS EDITOR
COURTESY OF EMMA KIM/THE FORDHAM RAM
The Committee on Sexual Misconduct hosts a “Week of Action” to raise awareness for sexual violence.
CSM Begins Semesterly Week of Action with Clothesline Project By GRACE GALBREATH ASST. NEWS EDITOR
This week, the Committee on Sexual Misconduct (CSM) in United Student Government (USG) is hosting their bi-annual Week of Action. The week, which runs from Nov. 6 through Nov. 10, will feature several lectures and conclude with bracelet making. CSM Co-Chair Eliza Collins, FCRH ’26, said that the goal of
the week is to ignite change within the community and create a space for students to connect. Collins said, “Each year, we host Week of Action to connect with our peers and increase visibility on campus about our committee and the issues for which we stand. Our goal is to provide a platform for peer education and invite students
to participate in these events, which change our community for the better!” This year, Week of Action opened with “The Clothesline Project.” Set on Edwards Parade, the event welcomes students to write messages of support to survivors of sexual misconduct. The messages are written on T-shirts and displayed across the lawn’s fence. SEE CSM, PAGE 4
Fordham Music Presents Bad Bunny Forum
By MARY HAWTHORN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM
On Nov. 2, Campus Ministry held a bilingual mass and decorated an ofrenda.
Campus Ministry Celebrates Día de los Muertos By EVA ELIZONDO
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On Nov. 2, Campus Ministry celebrated Day of the Dead with a bilingual mass at the University Church and a gathering at the McShane Campus Center. This
two-day tradition, properly known as Día de los Muertos, is a Mexican holiday that honors loved ones who have passed away. This holiday is distinctly characterized by the colorful, festive and lively altars and parades. Day of the Dead is aligned with All Saints’ Day and
All Souls’ Day, Catholic holidays that commemorate saints and “All the Faithful Departed.” The Day of the Dead celebration hosted by Fordham’s Campus Ministry highlights one of the distinct traditions, rituals and celebrations of life and death SEE MINISTRY, PAGE 5
The Fordham Music Program held a Bad Bunny Forum on Nov. 2, 2023, to discuss the significance of Bad Bunny’s music in contemporary Puerto Rico and worldwide. The forum was run by Petra RiveraRideau, Ph.D., the author of “Remixing Reggaeton: The Cultural Politics of Puerto Rico,” and Vanessa Díaz, Ph.D.,the author of “Manufacturing Celebrity: Latino Paparazzi and Women Reporters in Hollywood.” Rivera-Rideau is an associate professor of American
studies at Wellesley College. She served as a consultant of several reggaeton-related projects, including Bad Bunny’s historic 2023 Coachella headlining performance. Díaz is an associate professor in the Department of Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies at Loyola Marymount University. In addition to being a professor, she works as a filmmaker, ethnographer and journalist. Both of them created the Bad Bunny Syllabus, which seeks to “educate the public on Bad Bunny’s global impact & how it reflects political, artistic, and cultural triumphs and struggles within Puerto Rico.” SEE MUSIC, PAGE 3
in this issue
News
Page 5
Opinion
Page 7
USG Debates Possible Mental Health Committee
Fordham Students, Lend Us Your Ears
Culture Page 14
Sports
Archie Saves Fordham Students From the Dog Days
Page 20
Men's Basketball Narrowly Wins Season Opener in OT
NEWS
Page 2
PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS Nov. 1 Jogues Hall 10:40 p.m. On Wednesday, a fire alarm went off in Terranova House. The supervisor responded. Investigation revealed a student cooking food caused the alarm. The supervisor ventilated the area and reset the alarm panel. Nov. 3 Walsh Hall 7:42 p.m. On Friday, the Desk Assistant at Walsh Hall called public safety to report that a suspicious person entered Walsh Hall. The supervisor responded. Students reported a male entered their room and discharged a fire extinguisher. The offender was apprehended by public safety. The supervisor contacted the NYPD to respond. The NYPD and EMS responded and removed the offender to Saint Barnabas Hospital. Nov. 5 Jogues Hall 9:15 p.m. On Sunday, a smoke alarm went off in Jogues Hall. The investigation revealed unknown persons were smoking in the area which triggered the alarm. The supervisor ventilated the area and reset the alarm panel. The investigation to identify the offender is ongoing.
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November 8, 2023
Junior CSTEP Scholar From Ghana Researches Urban Ecology By ALEXANDER HOM CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Hailing from West Africa and having conducted her research work in institutions from the Bronx Zoo to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Claudia Dabie, FCRH ’25, is studying the effects of humankind’s actions on our own environment and its animal species, including ourselves. In 2017, Dabie moved from her native Ghana to the United States to start high school at Bronxville Preparatory Academy. “Here in America, my mother told me about the significance of my race and skin color and the importance of education for my future as a Black person,” Dabie said. “After that conversation, I made it my mission to make her proud.” She graduated top of her class with a 4.0 GPA in 2021. That autumn, the high school valedictorian kicked off a double major in biological sciences and African and African-American studies. Dabie is also a scholar in the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) chapter at Fordham, which has mutually brought her much of her academic success. CSTEP, a statewide undergraduate program funded by the NYS Education Department, aims to prepare minority and economically disadvantaged students for professional careers in fields they are interested in, yet demographically underrepresented in — including STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), and Dabie’s studies in biology. During summer 2023, Dabie collaborated with the Program to Inspire Minority and Underserved Undergraduates in Environmental Health Science Research (PrIMER) in conducting studies hosted
at the laboratories of Columbia University. With backing by one of the NIH’s 27 constituting institutes for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, PrIMER directly provides research opportunities for full-time undergraduates of underrepresented minorities in underserved communities, much like CSTEP does. The chance for Dabie to pursue further lab work led her to investigate the validity of immunohistochemical markers in mice that indicate neurotoxicity associated with chronic drinking water metals exposures. Currently continuing her PrIMER work, she now spends five hours per week in the lab, a figure dwarfed by the scale of and fact that her full-time responsibilities called for her to work in the lab every weekday, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. “There is a high prevalence of heart disease and diabetes afflicting rural areas in the U.S. Northern Plains, including Indigenous communities,” Dabie said. “Toxic elements, such as arsenic and uranium, are known to affect communities in the Northern Plains and are thought to contribute to the prevalence of these diseases. Hazardous metals in drinking water are major contaminants around Superfund sites and abandoned uranium mines. In addition to cardiovascular diseases, there is burgeoning evidence that these metals are toxic to the brain.” Dabie collaborated with Fordham’s Dr. Brandon Pearson on a study to determine the neurological effects of arsenic and uranium from drinking water in private wells and rural water systems in the Northern Plains. “We utilized immunohistochemistry to visualize brain cells
and tissue and assess for neurotoxicity in arsenic and uranium exposed mice,” shared Dabie. “This project will advance the ability to recognize strong molecular signatures and mechanistic pathways in order to aid in the creation of intervention strategies and improve our understanding of the neurotoxicity of metals in other mammals such as humans.” The summer following her freshman year in 2022, Dabie began her research career with Project TRUE, an internship offered by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) through the Bronx Zoo. Fordham annually harnesses its connections with the Bronx Zoo, which jointly selects just five CSTEP scholar Rams to participate in urban ecology research. Dabie applied and became one of the few accepted students. Project TRUE provides students of disadvantaged backgrounds opportunities to conduct research, and in turn, they provide mentorship to high school students interested in STEM careers. While studying at the Bronx Zoo, Dabie partnered with WCS staff and Fordham faculty to design and conduct her independent research project. “To be specific, my project focused on how urbanization was affecting urban mammals,” said Dabie. Her duties included mentoring a trio of high school research assistants and leading the team on field research in the Bronx Zoo and Bronx Riverwalk. She created and maintained weekly schedules, facilitated urban ecology workshops, coordinated project communication and social media and utilized camera traps for mammal observation. She employed low-intrusion tools in gathering observed data to investigate her hy-
pothesis while sustainably taking care to ensure she left little to no disturbance to her target species and surrounding environment. “My research led me to the conclusion that urban mammals prefer habitat patches that allow them to live separately from humans, despite the fact that they may be dependent on certain human resources for survival,” said Dabie. “I also drew the conclusion that urban mammals move across sites in search of elements that are advantageous to them, such as preferable food options.” When she had concluded her research, WCS and the Bronx Zoo celebrated Dabie’s achievements by publishing her work in her honor. Along with her ongoing PrIMER studies, Dabie also serves as a work-study peer for Fordham’s CSTEP/STEP. She credits her research and knowledge in science with enabling her to mentor and tutor middle/high school and college students in STEM courses. “CSTEP/STEP has exponentially advanced my leadership skills and taught me how to handle myself under the pressures of the advanced sciences,” Dabie said. “It was coming to Fordham and being a part of programs like these that exposed me to a vast connection of opportunities that I’m taking advantage of.” Dabie said she concedes she used to experience imposter syndrome regarding where she is today. “Thanks to my family and friends who have been supporting me throughout my journey, I can only be proud and appreciative of the support system I have had. It wasn’t easy to get to where I am, and so I am very grateful,” she observed. “I’m proud of myself.”
This Week at Fordham Wednesday Nov. 8
Friday Nov. 10
Friday Nov. 10
Friday, Saturday Nov. 10, 11
Sunday Nov. 12
“The Frontier Ganndhi”
Friendship Bracelet Making
Rod’s Queer Speak Easy
FET Stand Up Show
Symphony Orchestra Concert
Keating 1st 6-8 p.m.
McShane Campus Center 1-4 p.m.
Rodrigue’s Coffee House 8-11 p.m.
Enjoy a screening of “The Frontier Gandhi” followed by a Q&A with the film’s director. The film tells the story of Badshah, a Muslim peacemaker. The event is open to faculty and students.
Join USG’s Committee on Sexual Misconduct (CSM) for friendship bracelet making. The event is part of CSM’s annual Week of Action which raises awareness regarding topics of sexual misconduct.
Join PRIDE Alliance for a night of dancing, mocktails, and good company at the Rods Queer Speak Easy. All students are welcome to attend and encouraged to dress up and bring friends.
Collins Blackbox 1 p.m. Are you in need of fun weekend plans? Fordham Experimental Theatre (FET) is hosting “The Seven Deadly Sins”, an “allergy friendly” stand up show. Bring your friends and come ready to laugh. Admission is free.
Leonard Theater, Fordham Prep 2 p.m. Spend your Sunday night in Leonard Theater, listening and celebrating the wonderful talent of Fordham students at the Orchestra Concert hosted by the music department.
NEWS
November 8, 2023
Page 3
Fordham Music Presents Bad Bunny Forum
FROM MUSIC, PAGE 1
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, known as Bad Bunny, is a record-breaking Puerto Rican musician who rose to fame through his politically-conscious music. He is a Grammy awardwinning artist and created the first Latin album nominated for album of the year. Addressing political issues in Puerto Rico, women’s rights, domestic violence, the LGBTQ+ community and igniting action are pillars of his character, which is reflected in his music. According to the Bad Bunny Syllabus, “Bad Bunny and his music have also become part of the voice of the generation of Puerto Ricans who have been acutely impacted by recent environmental and economic crises on the island, which are directly related to Puerto Rico’s colonial status.”
The event was sponsored by the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, and it was initiated by the Head of the Music Department, Angelina Tallaj. When asked about organizing this event, Tallaj said, “I really admired both of their work, and I always wanted to bring them to Fordham.” Further, Tallaj said she knew “there are going to be a lot of students interested in this.” She said, “The music department does many programs, but they mostly consist of what we call classical music. So, I am trying to diversify the programming because I know for Latin students especially, it is important to have concerts and conversations about the artists that they listen to.” Further, she said she shared her plans for next semester,
where in the global music class, “she is going to try to bring a West African group of musicians and have students feel more represented because I know it makes a big impact.” A major point in the forum was Bad Bunny’s overflowing pride in his Puerto Rican heritage and honoring the musicians that came before him. Bad Bunny does this in many ways beyond just his lyrics, one being his performance at Coachella. Not only was he the first Latino solo-act headliner, but he used that performance to educate his audiences and honor the history of reggaeton and salsa. The videos he shared highlighted Cuban salsa legends Celia Cruz and La Lupe, along with reggaeton trailblazers Daddy Yankee and Tego
Calderón. Additionally, Bad Bunny chose to honor his culture and his musical inspirations on his Rolling Stones cover. On this cover, he decided to wear a “jewel-encrusted medallion necklace” with the “logos of reggaeton heroes he looked up to as a kid”. These heroes included Don Omar, Tego Calderon, Hector El Father, Wisin y Yandel, Daddy Yankee and Arcangel. Bad Bunny also honors his Puerto Rican heritage through his politically-conscious lyrics, specifically, in his song “El Apagon,” which translates to “The Blackout.” This song is about the aftermath of Hurricane Maria and the blackouts it has caused on the island. The song highlights the island’s beauty while simultaneously acknowledging issues
of gentrification and electricity. Diego Martinez, FCRH ’27, said, “Being Latino and an immigrant, it was really interesting to see a new depth of an artist my family and I have listened to for years together.” Kimberly Rojas, GSB ’26, said, “I thought that the forum was really amazing… Especially at Fordham, the acknowledgment of the Puerto Rican community is limited, so I thought it was great to bring out the history of Puerto Rican music and really acknowledge how Puerto Ricans have been changing the industry from music, food and overall life.” During the talk, Díaz said, “Music is not just music. Music is identity. Music is what brings us together. Music is who people are.”
Course Registration Changes for Spring 2024 Semester By MICHAEL DUKE
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On Oct. 30, course registration began for the spring 2024 semester. However, in light of registration issues in past registration cycles, there have been strides taken by Fordham College Rose Hill (FCRH) and the Gabelli School of Business (GSB) administrations to ensure the current cycle goes as smoothly as possible for students and to ensure past issues, like system crashes, are avoided. In the past, servers failed, forcing students to experience difficulties. Firstly, students had to wait for extended periods of time to register for courses because of the crowded use of the registration portal. Secondly, students would have to take on schedules
they had not expected or prepared for, taking classes at hours that simply don’t work for them. Or students could take alternate classes to fill those that were filled up by others who were able to access the portal before them within their assigned registration slot. Finally, a common issue and frustration voiced to administrators was the registration time for classes, as commuter students had to coordinate their commute around early registration hours. However, an equitably conscious solution has been presented to students during the current registration period. Now, FCRH and GSB students register on different days. This is to decrease the number of students registering at once to try and ensure that the registration system remains unclogged. A main
element of this move is because of the different curriculum paths between the two schools, and how students in the respective colleges earn credits. Another improvement is that registration begins on students’ assigned slots at 8:00 a.m. — a measure to accommodate commuter students. Providing a comment to the Ram in a joint statement, Senior Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Students, Marisa Totino Villani, and Director of Academic Advising for First and Second Year Students, Beth Markowitz, said, “We continue to work with Academic Records and IT on developing plans for unexpected situations.” They also said, “The credit breakdown for registration for each school
accounts for the difference in curriculum paths and how students earn credits in each of the colleges. Representatives from the colleges and Academic Records develop the registration dates and credit breakdown.” When speaking on the influence and factors that resulted in a rework of the registration process, they said, “We were motivated to make the change to reduce the chances of any technical issues on the mornings of registration and to bring more equity to the registration process.” They additionally said they are “Hoping that spreading registration out among more days, with less students logging on all at once will lead to the website holding up better this year.” Students should also know
that they have resources to ensure that, beyond technical processes of the registration website, there are ways they can remain ready for the registration processes. Gabelli students have access to their class deans as a resource to plan for registration and are informed at every step. FCRH students have access to the new advising center and will be able to implement new methods into their registration process as the center explores methods that work and don’t work for students. In their joint statement, Markowitz and Villani said, “At both colleges, we are here for students and in the event that there is an unexpected situation, we will work to support you as best we can.”
USG Discusses Possible Mental Health Committee By SOFIA SEMPER STAFF WRITER
The Fordham Rose Hill United Student Government (USG) met on Thursday, Nov. 2, to review budget requests and discuss new business. Issac Forson, FCRH ’26, the representative for Resident Hall Association (RHA), announced that the RHA e-board is planning a Thanksgiving event. FUEMS was gifted a picture of the Fordham Ambulance Corp by the ROTC and given their award for being October’s Club of the Month. Senator Zachary Visocnti, GSB ’25, was announced as “Senator of the Month” for October. Executive Vice President Ava Coogan, FCRH ’25, presented a budget request for the Sustainability Committee. The committee requested a total of $342.79 for tote bags, seeds, table cloths, painting brushes, soil and Stanley cups for activities during Sustainability Week. Dan Sponseller, FCRH ’25, presented the second budget request for the Sustainability Committee. Sponseller explained that Fordham Flea lost all of their inventory and supplies (donation bins, clothes, hangers, clothing racks, etc.) at the end
of last year. They are requesting $307.16 to purchase hangers and clothing racks so they will have a place to store received clothes and showcase them for their thrift pop-up events. Vice President of Health and Security Molly Ewing, FCRH ’25, presented a budget request for an order of three dozen donuts for the Committee of Sexual Misconduct (CSM) Week of Action events. All budget requests were approved by the Senate. Coogan explained it was brought to her and Executive President Briana Al-Omoush, FCRH ’24, that a senator thought it would be beneficial to create an entire new committee that solely focuses on mental health. Al-Omoush said USG has been increasing the amount of committees they have, but adding an additional one would require changes to the bylaws. She also expressed her concern in creating a new Mental Health Committee because of how CSM already works on advocating for students’ mental health. Senator Evan McManus, FCRH ’25, said he was happy they were all having this conversation because he thinks, by creating this new committee, USG would be emphasizing the importance of talking about mental health is-
sues amongst the student body and the students would know their concerns are truly being heard. Senator Sarah Hurd, FCRH ’25, stated that since other committees have subcommittees that focus on mental health, it seems a bit redundant to create a Mental Health Committee. Al-Omoush also explained that it is always difficult when you have a student-run organization discussing mental health as they are not professionals and the students would have to be very careful when advising other students on mental health matters. Vice President of Operations Lauren Walczyk, FCRH ’25, answered that she feels that students, more than anyone, know what students need and there is no one better to advocate for students’ mental health needs than students themselves. Senator Ananya Grover, GSB ’26, explained there are many committees and clubs on campus that target mental health needs for specific groups of people and Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) takes care of the general student population’s mental health.
Grover said she felt that the best and fastest way for there to be immediate change to how the conversation of mental health is being discussed on campus would be to show more passion for those committees and clubs that are already addressing mental health concerns rather than creating an entire new committee. Senator Jill Choy, GSB ’24, offered the alternative solution of simply asking CPS to have a representative present at USG meetings so students can see how CPS is trying to better connect with the student body. Vice President of Facilities and Dining Jamie Serruto, FCRH ’24, and Ewing said the next step for the senators who think there should be a new Mental Health Committee should do more research on their idea, get feedback from students and CPS and create a list of goals they hope to accomplish by creating this committee. Coogan then said that, for the sake of ending the meeting at a reasonable time, they are putting a pause on this conversation. Al-Omoush announced the next Town Hall meeting’s theme will most likely be about study abroad concerns, they
will be holding special elections soon and the class senate newsletters should be going out around Thanksgiving break. She also stated that Fordham College at Rose Hill Dean Maura Mast, Ph.D. has requested that a USG senator acts as a liaison for the Core Curriculum Committee and the Student Experience Committee. Walczyk said there will be absolutely no extensions given on the Operations and Budgets packets. Vice President of Student Life Brian Inguanti, FCRH ’24, said a few club suites will have to vacate around Thanksgiving break due to construction, and all clubs that will need to vacate their suites have already been notified. Vice President of Gabelli School of Business (GSB) Catie Flores, GSB ’25, announced the GSB small business is targeted to be on Nov.16. Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion Mirei Fukushima, GSB ’25, stated her Programming Subcommittee has been working on their November programs such as a Thanksgiving potluck. Serruto said the Facility and Dining’s restaurant night event went very well and the new food truck should be arriving on campus this week.
NEWS
Page 4
November 8, 2023
Rose Hill Clubs Discuss Budget Changes FROM BUDGET, PAGE 1
given to Event-Funded clubs.” Maltzman explained that there are three types of funding — event funding, block funding and permanent allocation. The first is funding with specifications of line-items and backup documentation in the budget packet for clubs with semesterly allocations that vary in amount. Block funding is for clubs and organizations in the Fordham community who apply for a predetermined lump sum allocation on Budget Day. Permanent allocation is only Campus Activities Board (CAB) because it does not fall into either of the previous categories. For example, Debate Society is block-funded and was allocated $22,955.00 for the fall semester. CAB has $174,000 for the fall semester. “We are always eager to give out all of the funding that we have available as that is our mission, but we must do this in the most equitable manner
possible. The process of reviewing Budget Packet submissions has always been the same and will continue to be the same this Budget Day,” Maltzman said. Last semester, USG also discussed the possibility of increasing student activity fees, which is where the club budgets come from. A referendum was sent out to the student body. It needed at least 15% of the community to say yes in a simple majority of the students surveyed, but it did not pass. Maltzman explained that the current student activity fee is $135, which every student pays in tuition. After all of the money is summed up, 30% of the total is given to the Office of Student Involvement, $33,000 is designated to club sports, $15,000 is designated to Senior Week and the remaining amount is given to the Budget Committee to allocate to student clubs. “Getting budget appeals approved is starting to become
a much slower process than before. Our requests usually aren’t approved until two weeks after we send out the request so it’s been tricky to plan events around that fact,” said Chelsea Usiomwanta, FCRH ’24, president of Caribbean and African and Student Association and Pre-Law Society. “The USG budget committee works really hard and I appreciate their timeliness, but as a club leader of different clubs on campus I’m a bit concerned for the upcoming spring semester and how the budget cuts will impact the organizations I’m a part of.” Joseph Villanueva, GSB ’26, treasurer of Fordham University's Philippine American Club (FUPAC), said that their reduced funding for events, activities and cultural programs has made it more difficult to give the club members the experience they deserve. “This financial struggle becomes especially relevant when it comes to preparing the budget for the upcoming semes-
ter,” said Villanueva. “In the past years, we were able to hold up to 3 food outings per semester and now we can barely budget for 1. Moreover, we have to limit the number of members that can come out to events due to having a limited budget.” Villanueva added that the FUPAC e-board has recently had to prioritize the price over the quality of the experience for certain events since their spring 2023 budget got cut by over 50% from the previous semester. “However, when it comes to an event where we know the members’ experience comes first such as our most recent event, Halo-Haloween, we come to a consensus that if the necessities for the event surpass the budget, the e-board will split the costs from our own pockets,” Villanueva said. Alexandra Tamsi, FCRH ’24, president of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Asian Cultural Exchange (ACE), said CRS was not affected since they didn’t have as many big-budget events
prior to the budget cuts, but ACE was affected. “ACE was affected by the budget cuts because a lot of our events, like food outings and banquets, need funding for food at the same time. Our membership increased a lot so we were trying to accommodate more people and work with rising food prices at the same time as budget cuts,” Tamsi said. Overall, Maltzman said students should reach out with any concerns or questions about how to submit things or why certain things were denied. “We urge any students to reach out at any time with their concerns, we are always happy to help. Additionally, it is important to note that this funding is never guaranteed to clubs, but if a club doesn’t receive funding for a certain event or item from their Budget Packet, they are always urged to submit a Weekly Appeal the following semester,” Maltzman said. The budget allocation can be found linked online.
CSM Begins Semesterly Week of Action with Clothesline Project
FROM CSM, PAGE 1
Other events that will be held throughout the week include the “Women’s Empowerment SpeakOut,” “Bystander Intervention Talk” and friendship bracelet making. This semester CSM is also hosting several new events. Vice President of Health and Security and CSM Co-Chair Molly Ewing, FCRH ’25, has been a member of CSM since her freshman year. Ewing is proud to have helped plan another Week of Action. Ewing said, “We try to have new events every semester while also sticking to some of our classics. Our ‘Do’s and Donuts of Healthy Dating & Safe Sex’ is one of the new events this semester. Our members were really inspired to have this event in particular because they no-
ticed a lack of information and programming on safe sex practices and healthy relationships.” Collins and Ewing both said they are very excited for CSM’s Thursday event, “Let’s Taco ‘Bout Consent.” Collins said, “I’d say I’m most looking forward to the Bronx DA’s Let’s Taco ‘Bout Consent program! We’ll have free tacos and drinks, and the event is intended to increase visibility around the issue of consent on campus. The program will be presented by Brittany and Jamie — representatives from the Bronx DA’s Enough is Enough campaign, which advocates for survivors of gender-based violence.” Ewing said that CSM is excited to work with the Bronx DA’s office.
She said, “We have worked with Jamie before for other programming, and she is so incredibly amazing and knowledgeable!” Collins added, “We could not be more excited to host Jamie and Brittany from the Bronx DA’s office this year. Jamie was involved with one of our events last year, and we were inspired to reach out to her and her colleagues to host their own event this year!” Ewing said that CSM’s Week of Action is an important tradition for the Fordham community. She said, “It is so incredibly important that CSM continues in our tradition of hosting our bi-annual Week of Action to raise awareness of issues on sexual misconduct and to show support for survivors in our community at Fordham. Generating
visibility on these issues and giving a voice to those affected is an important step in reducing the stigma and creating a safe community and culture on campus.” This week, CSM is set to host several more Week of Action
events. For more information on the upcoming events this week and after, visit their Instagram page: @csm_fordhamusg or reach out to their email: usgcsm@ fordham.edu. All Fordham students are encouraged to attend the events.
COURTESY OF GRACE GALBREATH/THE FORDHAM RAM
Members of CSM display T-shirts in celebration of Week of Action.
Fordham Senior Researches Different Topics in Psychology & Sociology By ALICE GAALSWYK STAFF WRITER
Over the course of the summer, Violeta Rosario, FCRH ’24, a psychology and sociology double major, split her time between two different research projects. In one project, Rosario worked with Lindsay Hoyt, Ph.D., of Fordham’s psychology department in a youth participatory action research project in partnership with Fordham’s Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP). For the second project, Rosario worked with a graduate student, Taina Quiles, to examine the experiences of Latinx, AfroCaribbean and Black women with racism. The first project she worked on, Rosario said that STEP has been in place for many years for students interested in STEM-related fields from underrepresented communities. One of the classes offered is participatory action research, which emphasizes participation and action by the mem-
bers of the community affected by the research. Hoyt has been teaching this class as part of STEP for a few years. The theme of the class changes year by year; this year, Rosario focused on issues of mental health within this youth community. Rosario co-instructed a class of about 20 high school-aged students. “Our aim with participatory action research is that we’re trying to gauge their perspectives on multiple things within their community, because they are an underrepresented group, so we want to try and figure out how they see the world… what comes to mind when they think of mental health…it was more exploratory in the sense that we were trying to explore what these youth think of when they’re thinking of these questions,” Rosario said. Rosario focused the class around three broad questions related to mental health: “What do I wish my teachers knew about youth mental health?,” “What does access to mental
health research look like for youth?” and “What is mental health like in my community?” Students were instructed to answer either one or more of these questions and complete group work based on them. At the end of the course, the students presented their findings and ideas with their classmates, as well as members of the Fordham community. Rosario noted how at the end of the course, she saw that when some students heard the words “mental health,” their minds instantly jumped towards negative connotations. The kids in the class portrayed wide-ranging views about mental health in their final posters. One student focused on mental health through the lens of social media, while Rosario saw that many of the boys in the class chose to talk about how male students are often taught their mental health isn’t as important. For the second research project regarding experiences of
racism amongst Latinx, AfroCaribbean and Black women, Rosario mostly worked on qualitative skills. Her obligations over the summer involved cleaning transcripts before the data was analyzed. She also looked at participant responses to questions about topics like the hopes they had for their community, themselves and activists who are trying to improve their experiences. Rosario also held meetings with these participants and used a coding software called Dedoose to identify and highlight themes within the data. Rosario said each research project she worked on taught her different lessons and helped her learn more about different steps of the research process. On the second project she worked on, Rosario said she learned about different perspectives and the ways we can best help these underrepresented communities, while also enhancing her qualitative skills, like coding, and learning how to collaborate with others. For
her youth participatory action research class, Rosario said she had never co-instructed a class before and learned she enjoyed working with youth in general. “With youth participatory action research, we don’t want to create an environment where we’re talking at them; we want to create an environment where they feel comfortable, we want them to feel like they can come to us with questions, and we want them to realize that we’re mutually learning, so the co-instructors are learning from the students and the students are learning from the co-instructors, and we are talking with each other. We want to have that conversation,” Rosario said. Rosario also took away valuable lessons about the ways youth in the community view their own mental health. “I think it’s beautiful that youth get to reflect on ‘what do I do to make me happy?’... but I found that there was a lack of focus on the positivity and taking care of one’s mental health and wellbeing.”
NEWS
November 8, 2023
Page 5
Campus Ministry Celebrates Día de los Muertos FROM MINISTRY, PAGE 1
around the world. The All Saints’ and All Souls’ traditions have been a part of Fordham since its foundation in 1841; however, Día de los Muertos in Fordham is a more recent cultural expression of religious heritage as the campus has become more diverse, said Father Jose-Luis Salazar, executive director of Campus Ministry, given that 16.8% of Fordham’s population is Hispanic or Latino. Melvin Martinez, FCRH ’25, the Public Relations Liaison for El Grito de Lares and Campus Ministry intern, expressed that “seeing an integral part of [his] culture get properly represented and highlighted is huge especially when attending a primarily white institution.” This event was made possible due to the efforts of El Grito, Student Org’n of Latines (SOL), Commuting Students Association (CSA) at Lincoln Center and the Office of Multicultural Affairs, as well as Campus Ministry. Martinez also said the involvement of Bronx-local Mexican business owners that catered the festivities — Sanchez Grocery & Bakery and Blanquita Restaurant. “It’s moments like these that make me realize how much it matters to be actively involved in
FROM WALSH, PAGE 1
Nov. 3’s proceedings aren’t the only occurrence of subjects gaining unauthorized access to campus. On two separate occasions in spring 2022, a man used a ruse to enter campus and stole scooters from Loschert Hall. The subject gained access to campus multiple times by asking students to swipe him onto campus. In the Public Safety alert email sent to students in April 2022, Public Safety reminded students to only swipe themselves onto campus. Fordham’s website states that all campus entrances are staffed by campus security personnel. The Walsh Gate turnstile used to have a guard stationed outside the gate 24 hours a day. In 2015, the turnstile with an ID card reader was installed and the guard was reassigned to a different location.
the Bronx community as Fordham students because the locals, especially those from a similar background as me, appreciate it so much,” said Martinez. The Día de los Muertos celebration event is one of El Grito’s biggest events of the semester, as they worked to coordinate everything from the ofrenda, to the food and festivities. Before Nov. 2, El Grito opened submissions so that everyone could share pictures and objects for the ofrenda. This was displayed at the University Church. Martinez said “it’s important to be active and highlight the works of the locals in our community, praxis-based learning.” Día de los Muertos is a holiday widely celebrated in Mexican culture. It is believed that the gates to the realm of death open to give people a chance to interact with their loved ones who have passed. Altars, or ofrendas, are displayed with the deceased’s favorite foods, drinks, flowers or objects related to their memory. This blurred line between the living and the dead has been incorporated into Mexican culture since the Ancient Aztec Civilization, over 3000 years ago. The Aztecs viewed death as the beginning of life more than the end of it. For this reason, those who died in sacrifice were
honored with a ceremony. According to Aztec beliefs, the dead pass on to either Tlālōcān or Mictlān — paradise or the underworld. This concept is also a part of Catholicism, which is the most prominent religion in Mexico today. In Catholicism, a person’s soul goes on to heaven or purgatory. Originally,
the Aztecs celebrated Día de los Muertos during the summer; however, with Spanish colonization in the 16th century, many religious practices were overridden or adjusted to Catholic practices. While these are different celebrations, they both are days of remembering and celebrating those
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Campus Ministry honored Day of the Dead in alignment with their goals to foster inclusivity and fun.
University Responds to Security Breach
Currently, the Walsh Gate turnstile has an anti-passback feature that prevents students from tapping in more than once. However, Public Safety is considering implementing newer technology to prevent “piggybacking.” “We are also exploring the feasibility of installing a new product that utilizes technology to detect when two people enter the same compartment of a turnstile,” said Fitzer. Amy Herd, FCRH ’25, said she thinks that there should be campus security personnel stationed at Walsh Gate 24 hours a day, similar to all other campus entrances. Herd lives in the apartment suite that was entered on Friday evening. “I think there should be a guard out there [Walsh Gate]. I would like it to be something more like at the Bathgate entrance where you tap your ID,” said Herd. “Especially
who have passed. According to the United States Department of State, 78% of Mexico’s population practices Roman Catholicism, and some Indigenous people practice religious traditions that blend indigenous and Catholic beliefs. Día de los Muertos is one example.
because it’s right next to a dorm like the other campus entrances, it doesn’t make sense why Walsh Gate should be an exception.” Alexis Hurchalla, FCRH ’26, a resident of Walsh Hall, also said she thinks implementing campus security personnel outside of Walsh Gate will benefit the future safety of students. “I think Walsh Gate is usually safe but after the incident that took place I think a security guard couldn’t hurt to prevent this from happening again in the future,” said Hurchalla. Herd also stated that there should be a guard considering the frequency of mass shootings in the U.S., particularly in schools and on college campuses. “This is something that they [Fordham University] should take very seriously because we could
have died. He could have brought a handgun in the building — especially with the number of mass shootings happening recently,” said Herd. Although Herd and her roommates still feel relatively safe on campus, they said they’re hoping to see Public Safety implement more security changes. Similarly, although she said she continues to feel safe on campus, Friday’s occurrence has led Hurchalla to be more aware of her surroundings. “While Friday’s incident didn’t make me second guess my safety on Fordham’s campus, overall, it definitely was a reminder that anything can happen even while inside the gates. As a resident of Walsh, I am definitely more aware of people entering the building,” said Hurchalla. In order to promote the safety
of the Fordham community, Public Safety advises students to take extra precautions to keep themselves and their peers safe, especially when entering campus. “If anyone — a stranger or not — asks students to swipe them in, the student should direct the person to the guard at Bathgate if it feels safe to do so, or call Public Safety as soon as it feels safe to do so. If someone follows them through the turnstile, students should call Public Safety again,” said Fitzer. “I think this should be a wakeup call to them. They’ve been pretty nice with reaching out to us and I haven’t really had enough time to see if they’re implementing the things my roommates and I are asking for, but this isn’t something they should be sweeping under the rug,” said Herd.
Fordham Model UN Sweeps UPenn Conference By MICHAEL DUKE
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Fordham’s Model United Nations (MUN) team recently attended a conference at the University of Pennsylvania for a Model United Nations conference in which 50% of the team and delegates walked away with awards and recognitions for their work at the conference while representing Fordham. Winning awards for outstanding delegates (four in total), verbal commendation (three in total) and honorable mention, this marks the club’s best performance to date. Adil Kadirov, GSB ’26, the club’s president, spoke to the Ram on their recent win. He said the conference “was an arena where the best of the best in Model United Nations come to showcase their diplomatic acumen.” Kadirov said, “Fordham’s
performance at the conference was nothing short of historic. With a mix of seasoned and new members, our delegation emerged triumphantly, securing eight awards out of the 16 delegates we sent. This marks our best performance to date, a testament to the dedication and skill of our team.” With the e-board for Model UN being majorly new as of late, with this being the first semester that nowPresident Kadirov and now-Vice President Lucas Hjertberg, have led their team to victory, they said they hope to look to future conferences for more awards and recognitions. Currently, the club’s sights are on track to become a top 25, even 20, team this year in the nation. Kadirov added, “Our success is built on a rigorous training regimen by Sarah Hurd and Luke Hyland. We meet thrice weekly, fostering a competitive spirit and striving for continuous improvement at each
conference. Our goal is not just to compete but to set a new standard for excellence and place Fordham on the MUN map. We also have excellent planning and communications spearheaded by Emma Adgie and Luke Walsh.” Crediting the club’s camaraderie and intellectual rigor, former President of Fordham’s Model UN team, Alexander Yankovsky, FCRH ’24, spoke to the Ram, saying, “Even before my own presidency of the club, we had to work to succeed on the front of institutional knowledge. Because our team was previously smaller, especially last year, our delegates had opportunities to increase experience and knowledge and it succeeded as seen this year.” Yankovsky said, “We were ranked top 50 in the country last year, with the fact that we had people who were never involved in MUN before. Regardless, last
year, we won awards at every single conference we attended as well.” He also said, “Attendance is up, growth is up, and there are more opportunities and increased competition when we go to conferences.” Crediting the club’s successes from the past few years of preCOVID-19 growth, Kadirov also added: “This win has placed Fordham in the spotlight of the MUN circuit. Our showing in the United Nations Security Council
committee (the most rigorous committee in MUN) — where we faced off against the best/head delegates from other leading universities and secured second place — has not only outshone Harvard but also set us just behind Georgetown. This is a significant stride forward for our club, and as we gear up for an unprecedented six conferences next semester, our ambitions are set higher than ever.”
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Model UN took home several awards from their UPenn conference.
OPINION
Page 6
R
Serving the Fordham University campus and community since 1918 The Fordham Ram is the university journal of record. The mission of The Fordham Ram is to provide a forum for the free and open exchange of ideas in service to the community and to act as a student advocate. The Fordham Ram is published every Wednesday during the academic year to all campuses.
Website TheFordhamRam.com Email Address theram@fordham.edu Editor in Chief Isabel Danzis Managing Editor Sebastian Diaz Editorial Director Jamison Rodgers Production Editor Michael Sluck Multimedia Director Frances Schnepff Business Director Matthew Colucci Copy Chief Hannah Boring Assistant Copy Chief Sophia Forlenza News Editor Emma Kim Features Editor Samantha Minear Assistant News Editors Sofia Donohue Grace Galbreath Opinion Editor Nicole Braun Assistant Opinion Editors Evan McManus Allison Schneider Culture Editors Kari White Ilaina Kim Assistant Culture Editor Lauren Lombardi Sports Editors Nick Guzman Maddie Bimonte Assistant Sports Editor Lou Orlando Social Media Director Rory Donahue Digital Producers Ava Carreiro Julia Ocello Grace Campbell Claire Krieger Video Editor Skylar Harris Photo Editor Alexandra Antonov Advertising Directors Kathleen Hollinger Grace Miller Faculty Advisor Beth Knobel Editorial Policy The Fordham Ram’s editorial reflects the editorial board’s opinions or views. Opinion Policy The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of The Fordham Ram. Submissions Policy The Fordham Ram reserves the right to reject or edit any submission for any reason, without notice. Submissions become the exclusive property of The Fordham Ram. No part of the The Fordham Ram may be reproduced without written consent.
November 8, 2023
From the Desk | Michael Sluck
Truly, This is the Life of Kings In 1946, reporter and editor Stanley Herald wrote a piece on journalism entitled “What Makes a Good Reporter.” Throughout the piece, Herald extolled the virtues of what he considered good reporters, epitomized, in his mind, by the work of H. L. Mencken, one of America’s most famous newspaper writers. Herald ended on a rather melancholy note about the future generation of reporters, noting that many of them did not seem to get the same enjoyment out of reporting that older generations had. “Maybe,” Herald concluded, “they are right, and maybe we were wrong.” After reading the article, Mencken wrote Herald a letter, expressing his thanks for the kind mention. Despite his legendary cynicism, Mencken ended the letter on a positive note, saying that: “I had more fun doing news reporting than in any other enterprise. It is really the life of kings.” As I prepared for my departure from the Ram, I found myself thinking about what Mencken had to say. Since 1946, attitudes toward reporters and newspapers have hardly improved, and nowadays, when you see mentions of journalism, it’s usually in the context of hyperpolarization, “fake news” or declining print revenues. I joined The Fordham Ram as a copy editor within the first few weeks of my arrival at the university. Copy editing, in case you don’t know, consists of checking over articles for simple errors in grammar, spelling and syntax. It includes the removal of the errant Oxford comma, the
rewording of a sentence for clarity’s sake or the replacement of a term with its appropriate abbreviation. It is not a glamorous job. There are no famous copy editors. When we are recognized (if we are recognized at all), it might be in the back of the book, buried in a list of acknowledgments no one can be troubled to read. My job, for the past four years, has consisted of sitting in the darkened basement of B-52 for hours at a time, rereading articles and searching for errors I might have missed. With such a riveting description, one might conclude that the job was hell; but, much like Mencken, I have to say that I’ve never had such fun in my entire life. I didn’t know why I came back, week after week, to sit there for longer and longer periods of time; but come back I did, and I found myself doing so with increasing enjoyment. I think half the reason I love The Fordham Ram so much is that it feels like it matters — and not just at some vague unspecified point in the future, but in the here and now. So much of what we do as students feels like it’s merely laying the groundwork for some future endeavor. We work hard in school to get good grades, so we can find a job, so that, in some hazy potential future, we can finally experience the joy and purpose adulthood is supposed to bring. At The Fordham Ram, however, every week, I found myself creating a paper that felt like it mattered in the present. We covered everything from Fordham’s presidential transition to union protests to USG
elections. We provided a space for student opinions on everything from social media influencers to global politics. We wrote profiles on student research and student athletes. We gave the next generation of writers and journalists a chance to practice their skills. In our small way, we kept people informed and provided a voice to those who would otherwise be voiceless. During my tenure at The Fordham Ram, I have edited more than 3000 articles. I have made tens of thousands of edits. I have spent almost 700 hours in the Ram office. I have carried close to 300 pizzas to feed hungry editors. I have posed dozens of philosophical questions, played game after game of Skribblio and BS and listened to what I think is every Taylor Swift song that has ever been created. And I have loved every second of it. The other half of why I love The Fordham Ram is the staff, who are some of the most passionate, talented, good-hearted people I have ever met in my entire life. It would take a newspaper full of stories to give all the
credit that is due to them, but with the small space I have, here are some brief shoutouts: To all former members of the Ram who have since gone on to bigger and brighter things: to Vanessa, Ava, Amanda and most to share a planet with you, let alone a paper. To all the section editors — but especially Nicole — who poured their hearts into making a paper every week, and never once complained when we told them picture captions had to go beneath the attribution — I cannot wait to see all the amazing things all of you will accomplish. To every single one of the amazing copy editors who have come and volunteered their time in return for little more than a stray slice of pizza, my job would be impossible without you. And to the greatest copy team a production editor could ask for, Nicki, Nora, Jamison, Sophia and Hannah, you guys are the best. And finally, to Seb and Isabel: the Ram could not have asked for better leaders. I could not have asked for better friends. Truly, this is the life of kings.
Editorial | Subway Attacks
Demanding Subway Safety from the MTA There are always questions about safety when it comes to living in a big city like New York. But many of these safety issues just come with the territory of living in a concentrated area with a high volume of people. There are bound to be moments where safety is jeopardized simply because human nature makes it slightly more difficult to eradicate these incidents completely. However, there is a very specific concern that New Yorkers are facing that is completely solvable: subway platform security. On Oct. 18, a 30-year-old woman was pushed onto the subway tracks at the 53rd Street/Fifth Avenue subway station. This shove resulted in her hitting her head on a moving subway and falling onto the tracks. She was brought to the hospital where she was found to be in critical condition. It is reported that the man who shoved her did so as a random act of violence and has been described by law enforcement as “emotionally disturbed.” There has been no update released on the woman’s condition at the time of this article’s publishing. This year alone there have been 15 people pushed off subway platforms between Jan. 1 and Oct. 15. However, this statistic is an improvement from the same time period last year with the number tallying to 22 by Oct. 15, 2022. Among those incidents in 2022,
one woman, Michelle Go, was killed after she was pushed into an oncoming R train at the Times Square station. And while some of these shovings have been random acts of violence, many have been classified as a hate crime due to the targeted nature of the behavior. After 2020, there was an uptick of anti-Asian rhetoric and hate crimes against the community, including several violent incidents on subway platforms. This rise in anti-Asian hate crimes can partly be attributed to the rhetoric politicians used to describe COVID-19 and attribute blame for the spread, such as when former President Donald Trump referred to the illness as the “China virus” and one of his officials called it the “Kung-Flu.” While this is not the only reason the number of hate-fueled incidents against Asian people rose from 28 to 129 between 2020 and 2021, it did play a role. These incidents are undeniably heartbreaking, but they are also stress-inducing for New Yorkers who rely on public transit. A visitor from Canada, Natalie Tanner, said she “was troubled to learn that someone had been pushed but would continue using the subway because it was the least expensive and quickest way to navigate the city.” It is the city’s responsibility to abate this worry for New Yorkers as it is not a viable option to give
up taking the subway altogether. There has been an outcry for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to add platform barriers to block off the platform from the tracks allowing riders to get on the train through automated doors that open once the train has stopped. The MTA has resisted for years citing “special complexities” to installing these barriers in a system as old as the NYC subway system. However, in the wake of Go’s death in 2022, the MTA agreed to trial the barriers at three stations. While New York has been hesitant to implement safety initiatives, other cities with even older systems have been able to add them recently. Among them are London’s Underground, opened in 1863, and the Paris Metro, opened in 1900, as well as other systems founded around the world more recently including Hong Kong and Singapore’s subway. Clearly, the age of a system is not the issue in implementation then. A 2015 study even found the safety doors to be highly effective in not only preventing accidents such as falling off or being pushed off the platform, but less litter falling on the tracks, which is a fire hazard,
and trains don’t need to slow down when approaching the platform in fear of hitting a rider. Additionally, if age of the system was really the main concern, the MTA is currently planning on building a whole new line within the next few years, the Interborough Express, that could be used as a trial before bringing the safety feature to the rest of the pre-existing system. The line is still being planned, which means there is time to add safety barriers to the list of benefits of this new line. Furthermore, the MTA just raised subway fare from $2.75 to $2.90 in an effort to assist with operational costs such as updating traffic signals to make the system safer. In order to keep the subway safe enough to keep riders coming back to pay the fare used to update safety features, it would help if the subway was actually safe enough to not deter ridership that is already down in the wake of the pandemic. The problem of subway platform safety is a completely solvable one if New York is willing to put the money where their mouth is and actually protect its residents instead of giving asinine reasons such as “special complexities.”
OPINION
November 8 , 2023
Page 7
Fordham Students, Lend Us Your Ears By NICOLE BRAUN OPINION EDITOR
A few weeks ago, I was walking around Bryant Park listening to a perfectly curated playlist and I felt like “That Girl.” You know the one — the star of some cheesy aughts movie where a girl from the suburbs moves to the city. The sun was shining, I was wearing a new sweater, my wire headphones were dangling (and also getting tangled in my hair) — definitely feeling like That Girl. It was great, exhilarating even, to feel like I was the star of my own movie. But it also felt wrong. It felt lonely and isolating, and I think I know why. It’s because I was listening to music. I know how crazy that sounds. Music quite literally is the soundtrack of our lives, it can elevate a mundane walk to class to a moment that feels more significant. But it also removes us from our surroundings. We feel more present in ourselves when we listen to music that brings out certain emotions, but we are detached from our physical environment and everyone else in it. Of course I think there is a time and place to pop
in your AirPods and tune out the rest of the world for a little while. But our first instinct shouldn’t be to play music when things are maybe feeling a little quiet and boring. We miss so much sensory information by not listening, we lose opportunities for connection when we keep one earbud in while walking along with someone. In a recent article from the Wall Street Journal, a professor at Miami University commented that, instead of students chatting before class, they walk into class with headphones on and sit in silence. The professor said “‘that little bit of social anxiety that we have can be assuaged’” when we put on headphones, but “‘at the same time, maybe people could have dealt with the awkwardness a little bit and a friendship could have developed.’” I know how uncomfortable and difficult it can be to walk into a room on the first day of class and feel completely out of your depth. And, yeah, blasting your go-to hype song during moments like these can feel like putting on some armor. But we owe it to ourselves, and to each other, to endure these awkward moments so we
can build a bridge of connection. It’s no secret that Americans are experiencing a crisis of loneliness. Music can definitely provide an escape from that loneliness, but I think we have to be more open to forming those connections around us and being more attuned to our present environments. Not only is active listening important for forming connections, but so is passive listening. In other words, it’s good to eavesdrop. According to another article from the Wall Street Journal, “Eavesdropping not only can deliver information about what is happening at the company, it can help people understand their colleagues’ mind-sets, workloads and moods.” Eavesdropping isn’t just beneficial for your professional life, it’s also super entertaining. There’s a reason that accounts like @OverheardNewYork exist — it’s because people say some really bizarre, funny things, and we can miss them by not being present in our surroundings. When we walk down the street with headphones in, one part of our experience is already predetermined. In a city as sonically rich as New
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When we have earbuds in, we are not paying attention to our environment.
York, we are doing ourselves a disservice if we are always choosing what to hear and when. I had a professor that said she gets the best ideas for her writing by just walking down the street and listening — we can learn so much about the world and ourselves just through that little bit of openness. To fully experience a place, to fully be open to embracing the chances and possibilities for exploration that are all around us, we have to be able to hear them. Everyone has their own reasons for keeping earbuds in and the rest of the world out. But maybe next
time you’re walking from Keating to Dealy between classes, listen to the squirrels crunching through the leaves, your peers ranting about an annoying professor, a random passerby explaining all their recent drama on the phone to their mom. We are not all in our own movies. We’re here in a community together, and we have to listen to each other.
Nicole Braun, FCRH ’24, is an English major from Saddle River, N.J.
Online Shopping: New York’s Unhealthy Addiction By SOPHIE MASELLI
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Given the opportunities presented in the “Big Apple,” New Yorkers online shop far too much. With more access to stores than in other cities and towns, it would make sense for those in New York City to go out shopping at the thousands of stores and shops rather than ordering online. Alas, there are “2.4 million packages delivered in this city every single weekday.” The amount of deliveries has grown a lot in past years, as a total of 1.1 million packages were delivered in the year 2017 and 1.5 million in 2019. In 2019, however, there were 32,600 stores in New York City. So why aren’t New Yorkers taking advantage of the amount of stores that are easily accessible within walking distance? They should see the privilege of their unique ability to walk to a store, rather than having to drive, spending money on transportation, to pick up groceries, clothing or other necessities and luxury items. Even if walking is not suitable, public transportation is another way to navigate the city to a store of one’s choice. And that’s not to say that we Rams don’t add to this epidemic either. This can be
seen in the overwhelming state of the Fordham Post Office, as a long line of students waits to pick up their packages every day. Or in the Amazon boxes around campus; students are unable to order their packages there because they are full. Online shopping is a privilege; it lets us click a few buttons and then have our package show up at our doorstep (or campus) a few days or weeks later. Some may call it laziness, some may call it resourcefulness. But online shopping is becoming a problem because it is adding to rising global temperatures. This is because of the delivery system. Dozens of deliveries create lots of waste with the packaging that may lay on the side of the streets, inspired by laziness, just like the choice of online shopping rather than taking an excursion. Not all empty packages are recycled, creating more wasteful trash. Along with this immense amount of leftover trash, deliveries also clog up the streets with trucks. And with the narrower streets of New York City, other vehicles may not be able to pass, thus creating traffic, which wastes gas and emits more fumes. Deliveries are also a problem because of the emissions. The air quality in New York City
is already notoriously inadequate; it is recommended to wear masks due to the harmful air pollution. Emissions from city congestion are estimated to rise 32% by 2030. This will create a physically more toxic environment, the air quality becoming worse for our lungs and bad for the earth. Online shopping became even more popular during the pandemic, as online sales increased by 43% from 2019 to 2020. The pandemic was a great time to shop online, but it is a habit that we must stop now that the earth is being negatively affected by it — and also because we no longer have the valid excuse of not shopping in person because of the immense health risks that were present in 2020 and 2021. Did we become lazy after the pandemic? It became more of a struggle to leave the house or leave the building after many months of not — I know that it was for me. But we must realize that online shopping is having negative consequences that will and are leading to fatalistic effects. Unless what you need is niche and not available in stores, you should take advantage of the city. New York City is a tourist destination, and one of those attractions is simply to shop. So why don’t we
COURTESY OF TWITTER
The ethics of posthumous producing makes it difficult to enjoy the new music.
New Yorkers take advantage of this privilege? If you live in Manhattan or have classes there, I urge you to shop while in the city; there are a multitude of stores around to choose from, and surely one of them will have what you need. For Rose Hill students, instead of ordering groceries to be delivered to Fordham, walk over to Walgreens or Target. Walgreens is only a threeminute walk from the gate, and though Target is farther away, it saves a lot of gas emissions, as the traffic on Fordham Road is already unfavorable. And instead of ordering food on campus, explore the many restaurants on Fordham Road, Arthur Ave. and the streets
surrounding. We have a lot of resources in the Bronx to use that will suffice over an online order. Ceasing to online shop will not save the world, but it will cause less damage to it. It is difficult to undo what has already been done, but now we must attempt to prevent further harm. Yes, shopping in person will force us to be less lazy, but it will also be a step towards treating our earth more kindly so that future generations will be able to live in peace.
Sophie Maselli, FCRH ’26, is an English major from Milford, Conn.
Page 8
OPINION
You Don’t Really Understand Climate Change By KARI WHITE CULTURE EDITOR
Climate change sucks. We all know that. What we don’t all know is how it will directly impact our lives within the next few years, and how we can work together to mitigate it. This hole in our knowledge leaves us feeling helpless in the face of extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and the wildfires that ravaged Canada over the summer. Worse still, it creates apathy. If we all see climate change as this immutable force that will wipe us off the face of the earth, then of course we aren’t going to waste our energy fighting it. As someone who is a student of environmental studies and has worked at an environmental nonprofit, I can assure you that we have a lot of power when it comes to tackling climate change. But before we can try to mitigate it, we first need to know exactly how it’s going to impact our lives. So, I’m going to explain two ways that climate change will directly impact residents of New York City, and then I’ll explain how we can fight it. There’s more hope than you might think. First, it’s going to get hotter. You probably know that. What you might not have known, however, is that New York City has recently been reclassified as a subtropical climate. To meet this classification, New York has to have winters that remain above 27 degrees Fahrenheit
and summers that average 72 degrees Fahrenheit, which it has for the last five years. This increasing heat, which New York is not used to, puts your health at risk. Hot temperatures in the summer exacerbate a phenomenon called the urban heat island effect, which is when urbanized areas experience higher temperatures due to the built environment reemitting the sun’s heat. 350 New Yorkers die each summer as a result of heat-related stress, which is terrifying as each summer is hotter than the last. However, the solution is really easy: planting trees. That’s it. According to the EPA, planting trees in an urban setting can reduce the overall temperature by 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit. However, this isn’t the whole story. In an area shaded by trees, only 1030% of UV radiation from the sun reaches the ground, due to the vast majority of it being absorbed by the tree’s leaves. This can reduce ground temperatures by 20 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, ending the urban heat island effect. Second, food will get more expensive. If you’re a Sriracha fan, you might have noticed that purchasing Huy Fong Foods’ Sriracha has gotten increasingly difficult in the last year. The Sriracha shortage was caused by a drought in Mexico, where the company purchases their chili peppers, which was
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the result of climate change. With the climate shifting, other food products are likely going to experience the same fate. The World Economic Forum says climate change has been responsible for 30% of yearly fluctuations in crop production since 2007. It has also crippled the advances countries have made in increasing their food production, with recent research suggesting that climate change has canceled out “up to 30% of the expected increase in growth of European crops.” The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has even noted in their report that the increase of heat and rainfall, which is associated with climate change, is reducing the productivity of soil. In sum, the global supply of food is at risk. While this is scary, we have strategies to avoid it. One way to negate the negative impact of this is to grow your own food. New York City has around 500 community gardens, many of them here in the Bronx, where residents gather to grow all sorts of vegetables that thrive in the (now) subtropical climate. According to the New York Times, community gardens began appearing in the 1970s as a response to the fiscal crisis, allowing people a way to grow cheap food in abandoned plots. We now know that they’re also crucial for absorbing water and mitigating the urban heat island effect. In fact, they’re so important for the future that
the New York State government has created a Community Gardens Task Force in order to establish and expand these gardens. Even if you do not live in a city, growing your own food is hugely beneficial to lowering your own carbon footprint and (better yet!) your grocery bill. The good news is, the world has already changed for the better. In just New York City, dozens of different species have returned to the concrete jungle because it has become a productive environment that can sustain them. Just a few years ago, New York City was home to squirrels, pigeons and raccoons. Now, there’re red-tailed hawks, peregrine falcons and bald eagles moving into penthouses in Manhattan; butterflies and rare bees browsing the flowers in Brooklyn; oysters and seahorses wading in the Hudson; and humpback whales visiting the Rockaways. There was even a coyote in Central Park three years ago, and more live in Queens now. Mayor Eric Adams and the New York City Council have instituted mandatory composting in all five boroughs, a measure that will go into effect gradually over this year and the next. This will make a huge impact, as organic matter produces methane when disposed of in landfills. All of these improvements are the result of someone’s hard work, their dedication to their city and their imagination. I imagine the future as a
November 8, 2023
world with more green spaces, clearer water, cleaner skies and healthier people. I see a world where seals gather on Brooklyn beaches, where people sit on the edge of Manhattan and fish the Hudson, where songbirds nest in trees in between apartment buildings. A world where people spend less time at the office and more time in their communities. Regardless of my feelings, however, it’s also the future millions of people are actively working towards — a future all of them can imagine. The biggest obstacle for mitigating the impacts of climate change is a lack of imagination and an overall apathy. I’m tired of hearing, “Climate change is not the consumer’s fault,” used as a way to eschew personal responsibility. Of course the blame lies in the large corporations dumping chemicals and belching carbon, but the world will not change until we all do the work. Even if all you do is use a reusable straw, that’s great! We’re college students, we don’t have much power. But that’ll change, and it’ll change soon. When it does, it will be up to us to imagine how the world is going to transform, and put that imagination into action. Climate change will transform the way our world functions; it is up to us to ensure that our world changes for the better. Kari White, FCRH ’24, is an English major from Wilmington, Del.
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OPINION
November 8, 2023
Page 9
It’s Time for Tuberville’s Protest to End
By SAISHA ISLAM STAFF WRITER
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Alabama, has held up military appointments for nine months due to the Defense Department’s current policy of providing military members with reimbursement for out-of-state reproductive care, including abortions and fertility care. This policy was enforced after Roe v. Wade was overturned and the issue of abortion was left up to individual states. Regarding the use of this policy, in September, Senator Roger Wicker sent a letter to the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stating that “I received information that the total number of women who have been granted administrative absence and reimbursed travel pursuant to this policy is approximately 12.” Tuberville’s protest has “held up more than 350 senior military positions” and created a strain on the other responsibilities of the Senate, as bringing up and passing each promotion would take a lot of time. Senate Democrats have circulated the idea of a new procedural proposal that would allow hundreds of promotions to be voted on at the
same time. However, many have been wary of this proposal since it would require a transient change in the rules. Additionally, this proposal would require bipartisan support and at least nine Republicans to join and support the proposal. Tuberville’s protest brings up a lot of important discussions surrounding bipartisan cooperation and the question of whether the protest is making America unsafe. On the subject of bipartisan cooperation, Tuberville has remained staunch on his position in the protest “unless the Department of Defense rescinds its policy or the Senate holds a vote to uphold it at a 60-vote threshold.” Tuberville’s protest of the Defense Department policy reflects the Republican party’s more conservative view on abortion, but many Republican senators are getting tired of the protest. Despite the rising tension, there hasn’t been much support for the change proposed by the Democrat senators as it would require a rule change. It would also require Republicans to step out and show their opposition to Tuberville’s views on abortion. This would be extremely difficult to do as it would go
against the Republican party’s stance of being against abortion. While Tuberville isn’t opposed to discussion on his protest and claims he is open to compromise, his unmoving position shows that this seems to be more talk rather than action. In regards to safety, many claim that Tuberville’s protest is putting U.S. national security at risk, especially with rising conflict in the Middle East. The block on military promotions has put a freeze on the dynamic structure of the military, which can have consequences on security. Recently, the new Marine Corps commandant, General Eric M. Smith, had a heart attack, and some politicians and military officials have suggested that General Smith’s medical situation was “because of his added workload as Mr. Tuberville’s tactics have blocked the confirmation of his deputy.” Despite the growing frustrations from both parties, many Republicans are wary of changing rules and add that changing a rule now might seem appealing to Democrats but can cause them problems later as the other party uses the change for their benefit. This inaction
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Senator Tommy Tuberville’s stubbornness is threatening national security.
has led to a stalemate on what to do regarding Tuberville’s protest, especially since he shows no sign of slowing down. Tuberville’s protest is not only holding up a lot of the responsibilities of the Senate and possibly causing problems for the military, but it also negatively impacts America’s safety. This is further exacerbated by the lack of compromise and communication between Tuberville and the rest of the Senate as other senators look for a way to get around the blockade. Tuberville’s protest brings up the important discussion surrounding how far politicians should be able to go when proving a point, especially if
it is deeply impacting other American institutions. Since Tuberville has admitted that he isn’t shifting from his position, the only possible solutions to get over this blockade is either for the Defense Department to rescind its policy or for the proposal to gain support and go through. Both of these possibilities involve significant changes to policies or rules that take time to make, but during this time period, there is still strain on the military and America’s safety.
Saisha Islam, FCRH ’25, is a biology major from New York, N.Y.
Lessons from Lewiston: Will Lawmakers Ever Learn? By HAILEY BAKER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
When I heard the news of the Oct. 25 shooting in Lewiston, Maine, I was not shocked. As absurd as it is to say, growing up in the 21st century United States has forced me to grow accustomed to mass shootings. This year in the U.S. alone, there have been over 565 mass shootings, with mass shootings defined by the Gun Violence Archive as instances where four or more people are injured or killed due to gun violence. Americans, especially young ones, have asked, begged, screamed, cried and dedicated their lives to the restriction of guns. Still, people — mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children — are constantly dying because of the gun epidemic plaguing our country. We need justice, we need to fight back and we need action now. On Wednesday, Oct. 25, a gunman opened fire on a bowling alley and restaurant, leaving 18 victims dead and another 13 injured. The gunman then fled and ran as authorities from throughout the state searched for him, while thousands of residents within the region were forced to stay in their homes to ensure their safety. The intensive manhunt lasted two days until the assailant was found dead due to a self-inflicted gun wound. Concerns about the shooter’s mental health date back
to early this year. He underwent a mental health evaluation last summer after an incident in New York, and his family raised concerns about his deteriorating mental health and access to firearms to the local sheriff as far as five months before the shooting occurred. The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office contacted the shooter’s Army Reserve unit, who then assured them they would address his mental health concern. A sheriff’s deputy conducted a wellness check in September after the shooter threatened to commit a mass shooting, and his unit also decided to take away his military-issued firearms and declare him non-deployable. Still, these efforts were clearly not enough to stop him in his atrocious tracks. While I was not shocked about another mass shooting taking place, I was deeply saddened and outraged by it. Lewiston is a place that hits particularly close to home for me, as my great-grandpa immigrated from Turkey to Lewiston in the 1920s. My grandmother grew up in Lewiston with eight siblings, and many of her family members still live there. After hearing the news, I called my grandmother to make sure our relatives were safe, and I thank the universe every day they were. Still, Lewiston is a fairly small city, with a population of just under 40,000 people, and the tragedy devastated
the tight-knit community. As near and dear to my heart as Maine is, though, the local government, as well as their congressional representatives, could have and should have done more to prevent mass shootings like this one from occurring. While nearly half of U.S. states have red flag laws used to prevent dangerous individuals from obtaining firearms, Maine is the only state in the nation with a more relaxed “yellow flag” version. To purchase a gun, Maine does not require background checks, weapons registration for firearm owners or permits to carry concealed firearms in public. The yellow flag law allows officers to take a person in crisis into protective custody for them to undergo a medical evaluation, and a judge can then decide on whether to approve an order to remove the person’s access to firearms temporarily. This varies from typical red flag law procedures, where anyone who knows someone who poses a threat to themselves or others can petition for a court to remove a person’s access to firearms temporarily. With the yellow flag law, only law enforcement officials can invoke the process, and it can only be triggered by officials who physically take a person into custody. Furthermore, a person cannot be given a firearm restriction unless there is an agreement between a medical
practitioner and police officials. Red, or yellow in this case, flag laws are designed for instances like this, where someone in a mental health crisis and who has demonstrated themselves to be a threat is in possession of firearms. Still, it is uncertain whether the law would have worked, as authorities never attempted to use it. Lewiston Representative Jared Golden has loudly voiced his support of guns throughout his career, going as far as to display himself shooting one in a 2018 campaign ad. Although Golden is a Democrat, he has differed from his party on several gun safety measures, including voting against an assault weapons ban last year. This shooting was enough to change his mind about enforcing strict gun legislation, though. He gave a speech on Oct. 26 stating he was changing his view on banning assault-style weapons. Noting his previous failure to support efforts to ban deadly weapons, he proclaimed, “The time has come for me to take responsibility for that failure,” Golden said. “Which is why I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles like the one used by the sick perpetrator of this mass killing.” Golden’s ability to admit his previous faults and change his mind to become dedicated to combating gun violence is an uncommon move in modern-day politics
but deeply commendable. The United States has the highest level of gun violence among developed nations, in large part due to our government’s failure to pass strict gun legislation. As of 2022, the United States has a gun homicide rate 26 times greater than that of peer nations, and the number of lives lost and communities shattered continues to rise. In a nation that is built around the ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the fear of being subjected to gun violence that millions of Americans live with is a stark contrast. We cannot keep letting our government push off solving our gun epidemic. We need to stand together to advocate for federal red flag laws, the ban of assault weapons and overall stricter gun legislation so our neighbors and friends can stop being killed. It is way past the time for the U.S. to reclaim its reputation as a land of opportunity and hope, the American dream, rather than a nation plagued with gun violence as we stand back and let it happen. The path to a safer and more just country is clear, and together, we can pressure our leaders to walk it.
Hailey Baker, FCRH ’27, is a political science major from Gaithersburg, Md.
OPINION
Page 10
November 8, 2023
Why Everyone Should Be Writing Bad Poetry By ALLISON SCHNEIDER ASST. OPINION EDITOR
In the last couple of decades, poetry readership in the United States has dropped considerably, and that drop in readership also indicates a drop in poetry construction. People just don’t write poetry like they used to. Throughout various periods in history, in various places around the world, to be a good poet was to be respected. To be a poet was to be an artist, a leader, a genius. So what happened? In the 21st century, poetry gets a bad rap. People tend to say that the genre is antiquated or too confusing, and while that can certainly be true, it doesn’t have to be. Good poetry does not have to be critically acclaimed. It doesn’t have to rhyme or talk about nature or even form stanzas. The only requirement for good poetry is that it is good for you. It should make you feel more deeply or think about the world differently. If you are lucky, you will find some poetry that can make you do both. Besides, poetry is all around us. According to many historical and literary scholars, poetry predates prose by centuries. Everything you’ve ever
read only exists because poetry came before it. Long before the days of standardized sentence structure, spelling and capitalization, people wrote in verse. They even spoke in verse. Poetry is also tangibly present in many of our lives without us even realizing it. For example, some of today’s fastest-growing musical genres, hip-hop and rap, are filled with poetry, and if poetry is a good enough medium for Kendrick Lamar, it’s good enough for me. But possibly more important than reading good poetry is writing bad poetry. As therapeutic as reading (or listening to) poetry can be, writing your own is even more so. Poetry can free you to explore the hard feelings that are inherent to being human through easier channels. You can use metaphor to describe experiences that are difficult to put into the words of reality. You can rely on rhyme to mimic the pitter-patter of the rain that has inspired your thoughts. You can use rich images from nature to explain painful feelings that might otherwise be hard to write down. I like to think of poetry as journaling without any expectations. With poetry, you are not constrained by the
complete-sentence structure or paragraph form that journaling usually takes. You don’t have to write out the day’s events in chronological order. You can play with your words and get to know them in a more meaningful way. This exploration into language and emotion can be as exhilarating or as relaxing as you wish. After a long day, poetry can help you unwind in a way that is both constructive and creative. Rather than push away the day’s baggage, write a poem. Instead of escaping to the online world of mindless scrolling, write a poem. I’m serious. WRITE A POEM. As I’ve explained, poetry is good for the soul, but there are also some pretty clear literary and academic benefits to writing poetry. Even just practicing it is good for the mind. Writing poetry can expand your vocabulary, increase your understanding of metaphors and enable you to give new meanings to old words. Forcing yourself to write in stricter poetic forms can help advance these skills as well. Nothing is better for expanding your vocabulary than sitting on the floor, leafing through a thesaurus to finish a set of couplets. Finally, the best part about
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Writing poetry can help people cope with their everyday struggles.
writing bad poetry is that you can do it over and over again. If you sit down with your notebook and set out to write the world’s greatest poem, you won’t write anything. You have to be willing to experiment, to let yourself write crap. When you get all the bad stuff out of your system, you’ll find the real essence of your writing, the feelings that matter, the images that work. From there, you can build something great, but the bad stuff has to come first. At least, that is how I write poetry. I typically go through a few notebook pages of mismatched lines, cliché nature metaphors and not-so-funny wordplay before I get into a groove that
makes me feel like I’m writing something special. In short, poetry is pretty cool. Anyone can do it. You don’t have to be a wordsmith or an aspiring writer to sort out your feelings through the art. You just have to be willing to write something down, rip out the page and start again. On that note, I’ll leave you with some wise words from Jane Hirschfield’s “The Poet”: “Let her have time, and silence / enough paper to make mistakes and go on.”
Allison Schneider, FCRH ’26, is an English and political science major from Indianapolis, Ind.
Noise Pollution Problems: On-Campus and Off By ELEANOR SMITH
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On a bright but cold Thursday afternoon, I was walking to catch the bus while talking to a friend on the phone. As I passed Jack Coffey field and neared the roundabout just past Keating Hall, an unidentifiable song got louder and louder and more and more bothersome. My friend asked what all the noise was, and I told her it seemed like the baseball team was holding a practice and that they were probably playing music. But it was 2 p.m. on a weekday in early November. If the music was loud enough for my friend to hear it through the phone, surely it was disruptive to the classes happening in Keating Hall just across the street. The music is sometimes even audible (though hardly disruptive) from my dorm room on the far side of O’Hare, and it’s downright exasperating when I’m enjoying a warm and sunny afternoon on Eddie’s. On what was probably the last warm day of the season, families and students gathered in the parking lot on the morning of Oct. 28 to tailgate before the Fordham vs. Holy Cross football game, which started at 1 p.m. I am sure that a good time was had by all, and a football game, especially
on family weekend, is a good reason to make some noise. However, it seems as if most of the loud, disruptive music is being played at practices on weekday afternoons and weekend mornings. This unnecessary noise is contributing to a larger problem — noise pollution, which, like other environmental issues in the United States, disproportionately affects Black, Latino and lower-class communities. It has been estimated that 9 out of 10 adults living in New York City are exposed to levels of noise beyond what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has deemed harmful. The main causes of noise pollution in NYC—vehicles and industrial machines—also cause air pollution, and the uneven rates of pollution in various NYC neighborhoods contribute to higher asthma prevalence in neighborhoods like Spanish Harlem and the South Bronx, which have a greater percentage of black and Hispanic families than low asthma prevalence neighborhoods like the Upper East Side. When the Cross Bronx Expressway was built during the 1950s and ’60s, it carved up predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods. The people who continued to live in their drastically altered neighborhoods had to contend with
not only the destruction of their communities but also with the new air and noise pollution that the expressway brought with it. The Cross Bronx Expressway continues to negatively affect residents in certain areas of the Bronx—Jennie Jerome playground, which is located between the aboveground 4 train and the Cross Bronx Expressway, goes largely unused by children in the Morris Heights neighborhood as parents are concerned about highway and noise pollution. The New York City government has historically failed to hear the concerns of residents of the South Bronx, especially when it comes to pollution and development. In 2012, the City and State of New York offered FreshDirect a $130 million subsidy to relocate their diesel trucking headquarters to the South Bronx. Activist organization South Bronx Unite filed a lawsuit against the City and State, arguing that the government failed to conduct an adequate environmental review of the site, but the lawsuit was dismissed, and FreshDirect opened its facility in 2018. Since the facility opened, truck traffic in the area has increased by 10% to 40%. Traffic and air quality have worsened in the neighborhood, which already
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Fordham needs to consider how it contributes to noise pollution in the city.
had the highest rate of asthma in the country. More recently, South Bronx Unite has spoken out against congestion pricing, which is a plan to charge all motor vehicles between $9 and $23 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. Congestion pricing would begin in spring 2024, with the goal of reducing traffic and car use in lower Manhattan. South Bronx Unite is denouncing this plan because an environmental assessment by the MTA found that congestion pricing would divert traffic into the South Bronx, exacerbating the noise and air pollution that the community already faces. Noise pollution is a problem that needs to be solved on an institutional level. It is the
duty of the New York City and State governments to cap expressways, divest from carfocused infrastructure, and use different urban planning techniques like green spaces and sound barriers to reduce noise pollution. However, institutions like Fordham and individuals can also play a role in combating noise pollution. By turning down the music at sports practices and by being mindful of our noise levels while we spend time in the surrounding community, Fordham and its students can do their part in reducing noise pollution. Eleanor Smith, FCRH ’26, is an American studies and history major from St. Paul, Minn.
CULTURE Remembering Matthew Perry’s Humor and Heart
November 8, 2023
By GRACE McCARRON CONRIBUTING WRITER
Beloved actor Matthew Perry passed away Saturday, Oct. 28 at the age of 54. Perry was found unresponsive in a hot tub in his Los Angeles home, but a cause of death has not yet been released. Perry is most well-known for his starring role as Chandler Bing on “Friends,” a sitcom about six young adults in Manhattan trying to navigate life. The sitcom was incredibly successful, running for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 and launching each of the six starring actors into the spotlight. Chandler was known as a sarcastic, funny and loving friend, and the role earned Perry an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2002. Since Perry’s shocking death, fans have poured their love for the actor and grief over his death into physical memorials and other tributes. On the corner of Bedford and Grove Streets in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, fans have left flowers and notes in tribute to Perry. 90 Bedford Street, the apartment building on this corner, was featured as an exterior shot on “Friends” where the six friends hung out most often in the show. There has also been an outpouring of tributes to Perry and support online for family and friends of Perry, especially for the other five starring cast members of “Friends,” who were all close to Perry. His “Friends” co-stars released a joint statement on their devastation. Many other celebrities have commented on Perry’s
death, including “Friends” guest stars and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was in school with Perry. Outside of “Friends,” Perry had many other roles in movies and television shows. He starred in a revival of “The Odd Couple” from 2015 to 2017, and co-created, wrote and produced the ABC sitcom “Mr. Sunshine.” Perry’s memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” was published in 2022, and quickly became a bestseller. Perry’s philanthropic contributions were mainly aimed at helping those dealing with alcohol and drug addictions. Perry turned his former Malibu mansion into a rehab facility, known as Perry House, for men’s sober living. He also lobbied Congress for greater funding of drug courts. Perry himself dealt with severe alcohol and drug addictions, which caused him to be hospitalized for treatment several times. Perry even said that he could not remember three years of “Friends” because of his substance abuse, and that he had spent millions of dollars on treatment. Perry has also touched on his anxiety surrounding his fame on the show, even after it had been established as one of the most well-known sitcoms of all time; on 2021’s “Friends: The Reunion,” Perry said, “I felt like I was gonna die if they didn’t laugh…I felt like that every single night.” Much of the remembrance of Perry has been about how his character provided an escape. Chandler’s quick wit and easy humor was central to the popularity
of “Friends,” but viewers also found Chandler’s character relatable. Chandler was often depicted as insecure and, as he puts it in one episode, “hopeless and awkward and desperate for love.” Viewers have and continue to appreciate the realness of Chandler: he deals with trauma from his parents’ divorce, hates his job and doesn’t find much success romantically for half of the show. Even while dealing with personal struggles, Chandler was always the jokester and incredibly loyal to his friends. Chandler’s constant humor was
a source of comfort for many fans of the show, and fans also connected with the situations Chandler found himself in. While Perry could certainly thank “Friends” for his success and stardom, he had previously said how he wanted to be remembered for more than just Chandler’s quips on the show. His work to help those struggling with drugs and alcohol is what he most wanted to be remembered for. On an episode of the “Q with Tom Power” podcast in 2022, Perry said, “When I die, I don’t want ‘Friends’ to be the
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first thing that’s mentioned… I want [helping people] to be the first thing that’s mentioned, and I’m gonna live the rest of my life proving that.” While Perry’s work as an actor is admirable and he should be appreciated for his contributions to television and film, he should receive the same level of recognition and respect for his efforts to help others. Even when he was dealing with his own struggles, Perry prioritized the lives and experiences of others, which is something that we can all admire and hope to emulate.
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Matthew Perry leaves behind a legacy of kindness, friendship and working through the struggles of addiction.
CULTURE
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November 8, 2023
Day of the Dead at Rockefeller Center By STELLA MCFARLAND CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Rockefeller Center celebrated Day of the Dead, a Mexican tradition honoring those who have passed. The celebration took place from Oct. 27 to Nov. 2. Rockefeller’s Center Plaza featured a beautiful ofrenda to celebrate and remember loved ones, the work of Mexican artist Daniel Valero. Día de los Muertos, also known as Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday that invites the souls of those who have passed to come back to the living world to celebrate with loved ones, through dance, music, food and drinks. Day of the Dead is believed to dissolve the border between the dead and the living. This tradition is commonly brought to life through ofrendas, an altar honoring the lives of lost loved ones. Candles, photos, favorite foods and flowers are typically found in ofrendas. This tradition is a celebration of life, and remembering past lives is an important part of that. On the Rockefeller Center website, loved ones are invited to pin photos or letters to the back of the ofrenda to remember the dead, and to take photos on the reptilian benches. There were few photos and letters pinned to the back and the section around the altar was blocked off from the public
accompanied by two security guards. The attempt to keep the display secure took away from the public’s ability to interact with the ofrenda at all times of the day. Only from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. was there a timed altar participation where individuals were welcome to pin and take photos on the reptilian benches. The “Mexico Week: Día de Muertos at Rockefeller Center’s” display is presented by Tequila Casa Dragones, insurance company INTERprotección and the Consulate General of Mexico in New York City. Signs around the
display shared that the “Los Dos Soles” ofrenda by Daniel Valero of Mestiz Design Studio based in San Miguel de Allende “exists as a symbolic portal to San Miguel de Allende, where a similar ofrenda will be showcased simultaneously at La Casa Dragones, the home of Tequila Casa Dragones.” This display asked guests to welcome the duality of life and challenged the borders of space and time, as the displays were united across two locations. Signs around the ofrenda were accompanied by a QR code to shop Tequila Casa Dragones
online. Despite its celebratory nature, it seems counterintuitive to use Day of the Dead as a marketing tool to profit off of a deeply rooted cultural tradition to honor the dead. Then again, without the work and sponsorship of Tequila Casa Dragones, this display may not have been possible. This was the third year Tequila Casa Dragones and Rockefeller Center presented Mexico Week and offered a free art display for the public to enjoy. Seeing the smiles of people passing and taking photos with
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Rockefeller Center celebrates Day of the Dead, a Mexican tradition honoring loved ones who have passed.
the display brought a sense of remembrance and love within the infamous hustle and bustle of New York City. Mexico Week was filled with numerous activities including traditional Day of the Dead Catrina face painting, performances by Mariachi bands, a performance by Mexican dancer and choreographer Diego Vega Solorza and Tequila Casa Dragones sampling. Puya Tacos de Puebla also had a pop-up cart of homemade Mexican food. Many of these events were free for the public to enjoy, bringing enriching Mexican cultural experiences to the heart of New York City. This beautiful ofrenda by Daniel Valero and the events that accompanied it have been enjoyed by thousands of people, even just in passing. The amount of people that stopped and took a moment to appreciate the altar was shocking for New York City, a place where even the most extraordinary things are often overlooked. The unexpected piece brought Mexican culture, and its tradition of Día de los Muertos, to many different individuals. The Day of the Dead celebration at Rockefeller Center highlighted Mexican culture through Mexican art, Mexican music, Mexican food and a Mexican company; all parties brought to light a beautiful tradition to honor and celebrate loved ones who have passed.
The Drama That is David Beckham By JULIA LEEDOM
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The “Beckham” documentary series was an emotional rollercoaster to say the least. Starring the former professional soccer player from England, David Beckham, the series gives viewers insight to the footballer’s rise to fame. Making his first appearance in the professional club soccer world at only 17 years old, Beckham went on to win countless trophies and titles, naming him one of the greatest midfielders of his time. While the ins and outs of Beckham’s soccer career were extremely interesting to learn about, the people’s overall obsession with Beckham himself was the most entertaining and, evidently, fascinating portion of the documentary. Before watching this documentary, I had heard of Beckham but knew little about him, as the height of his career and fame occurred before my time. However, Beckham’s rapid rise to stardom during his 20s blew me away. I was so astonished with how consumed Beckham’s fans and the press were with him. The obsession started within England but then over the course of his career spread worldwide as he hopped
around from team to team and landed himself the role as husband of the one and only Posh Spice — also known as Victoria Adams from the Spice Girls. I found the Beckhams’ relationship particularly captivating. The documentary is structured in an interview style, switching from spokesperson to spokesperson, all centering around the man himself. Victoria is a consistent interviewee as she played a major role in Beckham’s career and overall life. The two met when they were only 22 years old. Both of them were only at the beginning of their careers but were also extremely well-known in their respective fields. After seeing how Victoria and Beckham spoke about the same situations, it became apparent to me that for the longest time the two of them have been the center of each other’s worlds. While soccer was at the forefront of the documentary, so was Victoria, emphasizing how she was a guiding force in one of the overall themes of the series which is Beckham’s transformation from a young boy to a man. Beckham’s formative years all occurred in the public eye. He grew up in a small town, with few friends and minimal hobbies, as soccer was all he ever focused
on. Then suddenly, the world was completely taken by him. Everything Beckham did was scrutinized by the press. There were times during his career where he was so ostracized that it seemed as though the whole world hated him. Let me just tell you, I don’t know how he did it sometimes — people were so horrible to him for making what seemed like the smallest mistakes. Time and time again, over the course of the few episodes, I was shocked with how much drama constantly seemed to follow Beckham and all that were linked to him. Even though some of his decisions were questionable from time to time, I give the guy so much credit as I cannot even imagine what it would be like to live a life that I’m sure at many times doesn’t feel like your own. I’m glad Victoria was also at the forefront of the documentary as I feel like hearing the multiple versions and opinions of the couple’s lives were really important in understanding the overall experiences depicted in the series. I have so much respect for Victoria as she was Beckham’s lifeline during so many of the hard times he experienced all while she too was being talked about and criticized by association to his name. However, together the
Beckhams were a driving force. All the ups and downs Beckham experienced during his career made him into the man he is today, which is someone he says he is very proud of. Beckham and his life’s journey of finding himself and making a career out of arguably one of the most loved sports worldwide, disrupted the media time and time again, changing the lives
of many. Now through four intense episodes, each spanning around 70 minutes, he is sharing in depth his story with the world. The “Beckham” documentary series is a must watch if you are in the mood for some intense drama alongside a history lesson about an absolute soccer legend and all those who helped him throughout his incredible career.
COURTESY OF TWITTER
The “Beckham” documentary tracks the soccer star’s rise to fame.
CULTURE
November 8, 2023
Page 13
Who’s That Kid?| Courtney Fudge FCRH ’25
Fordham Junior’s Passions: From Fashion to STEM By EMMA KIM NEWS EDITOR
While modeling and being on the pre-health track might sound like total opposites, Courtney Fudge, FCRH ’25, is able to make it work and find common ground with her passions. Fudge, who is originally from Miami, has walked at New York Fashion Week for the past two years, and is a biology major on the pre-health track, specifically for veterinarian medicine. When choosing what college to go to, Fudge said she realized Fordham gave her the best of both worlds — she would be able to pursue medicine while also being at the center of the modeling world. Fudge explained she has always had an affinity for animals and knew she wanted to work with them. “I just really am attracted to helping animals. I foster kittens every summer at home. So I bottle feed them and I take care of them and it just really, like, reminds me of why I love being here on this earth and why I love being human,” Fudge said. Fudge got into modeling when she was around 11 years old. “And then modeling is just ever since I’ve been young, like maybe 11 years old,” said Fudge. “People
were commenting on my height a lot… People would make fun of me for it like ‘oh you’re so tall, like taller than most girls are.’ And the boys would say things and then one day this lady in a grocery store told me, like, you know, you can put that height to use. I was playing volleyball, but she was like, you should get into modeling like you have the look.” After that, Fudge found a photographer and got digitals for her portfolio and has been in the business ever since. Currently, Fudge is a freelance model and is not signed to an agency. She explained she got connected with other freelance models through Instagram — where they send casting opportunities in New York City. Last year, as a sophomore, Fudge was sent a casting for Runway 7, which she explained was a newer agency and good beginner experience. “I went to the casting, and I booked three designers. And then that was my first time when I walked in New York Fashion Week,” Fudge said. While it was a great experience, Fudge did add that she experienced some conflict with her modeling work and school work this year. She had a designer who wanted her to be in a show when she had a biology lab.
“School is very important to me. So, unfortunately, I wasn’t able to walk for him. And that’s like the moment where I realized okay, like, this may be a problem… that’s where I was like okay, now I know I have to plan out my schedule better with school and modeling,” Fudge said. Fudge added that while modeling and pre-veterinarian work are different, she feels the same passion for both. “I feel when I’m in a bio lab or, like, learning about the different things of animals… I feel inside my heart that passion — I feel the same thing when I’m walking down the runway, like it just makes me feel alive. So I feel that’s the two links. I love them both, and I feel like either one I’d be happy pursuing as a career forever,” Fudge said. For now, Fudge plans to take a gap year after college to work as a veterinarian technician to get clinical hours and experience. At the same time, she would continue to pursue modeling while she has more time outside of college to go to castings and possibly be signed to an agency. If modeling takes off, Fudge plans to pursue it for a few years and then go to veterinarian school afterward. She isn’t set on what animals she
wants to work on, but she would love to work with farm animals, such as cows and horses. “I love the idea of having my own farm one day and that’s probably what I’m going to do,” Fudge said — which is another reason why she came to New York since upstate has more farm
animals than Miami. In addition to her main passions, Fudge also loves dancing. She went to a magnet high school for a dance program, and she is currently a part of Fordham’s Dance Co-Op. She also enjoys playing volleyball and being outdoors.
COURTESY OF COURTNEY FUDGE FOR THE FORDHAM RAM
Fudge masterfully balances modeling and her veterinarian ambitions.
Sofia Coppola Returns to Grandiose Intimacy With “Priscilla” By ALLISON MOFFITT CONTRIBUTING WRITER
As a filmmaker, Sofia Coppola masters using superficialities to expose deeper feelings. Arguably, no other working director is more gifted at understanding and conveying with intimacy the feelings of being a young girl. Through films often centered on young women surrounded by surface-level beauty, Coppola reveals subdued, personal glimpses at the underbelly of wealth and fame. Her latest film “Priscilla” combines all of the director’s thematic fortes to turn the tables on the story of one of the 20th century’s most recognizable couples, Elvis and Priscilla Presley (played by Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny, respectively, in phenomenal performances). Coppola tells the love story strictly from Priscilla’s point of view, who, at the age of 14, is pulled into the orbit of and falls in love with the biggest musician in the world, Elvis. We meet Priscilla in 1959 while she lives with her family at a U.S. Army Base in Germany. She sits at a diner counter when a friend of Elvis, who is serving as a GI on base, approaches her. The friend extends an invitation to a party at Presley’s home. We feel the tremors that shake Priscilla’s world as she meets Elvis and experiences the headrush of first love.Though the film does not play any Elvis music or show him performing, the
natural charisma that made him the most famous man in the world shines through his personality in subdued and intimate ways that make it easy for Priscilla to fall for. In him, she finds a friend and confidante with whom she can share her pangs of homesickness. From an outsider’s perspective, a courtship between the massively famous Elvis and a ninth-grade girl 10 years his junior raises a few eyebrows, a fact which is not lost on Coppola.
While the film doesn’t explicitly paint him as having cruel intentions, it emphasizes the power imbalance between them. He refuses to consummate their relationship until they are married. Whether this is because he wants to demonstrate how much he values her or because he does not want to deal with the moral and legal implications of sleeping with a teenager is unclear. When Elvis is discharged and returns to the U.S., Priscilla is
heartbroken, and she struggles to return to her quiet high school life. Elvis’s communication goes silent for months until Priscilla receives a first-class plane ticket to visit his Graceland estate. After a whirlwind weekend, she returns home disheveled and grief-stricken. It isn’t long after that her parents are (for some reason) persuaded to allow her to finish her schooling in Memphis, Tenn., while she lives with Elvis.
COURTESY OF TWITTER
In the film, Sofia Coppola captures the difficulties faced by Priscilla Presley in her relationship with Elvis.
Once at Graceland, in the periphery of Elvis’s fame, she struggles to find her place. She is left to herself while Elvis is often away shooting new films or performing on tour, leaving her with plenty of space and time, though not many options to occupy it with. His posse of male friends accompany him with amusing boyhood antics wherever he goes, his unseen label heads make decisions for his career and his grandma prepares home-cooked meals. She is simply his Cilla, the object of his desire. When she asks to get a job at a local boutique, he says no: he needs her to be there for him when he calls. She must learn to toe the line between being supportive and speaking her mind while also handling the velocity at which Elvis’s demeanor can change. While never explicitly violent towards her, the film communicates that, because of who he is, he can get away with more, and she is forced to learn how to navigate that. At some points, the pacing of the film feels unbalanced. Coppola spends much of the movie setting up the Presleys’ relationship, only to have it quickly wrap up in the third act. Having arrived at the estate as a girl, she aged into womanhood within its walls, which, though once beautiful and enigmatic, quickly becomes a cage from which she must escape before becoming another object trapped inside its pearly gates.
CULTURE
Page 14
November 8, 2023
Editor’s Pick | Literature
The Plotless Novel: Elif Batuman Redefines Fiction By FRANCES SCHNEPFF MULTIMEDIA DIRECTOR
The green journal my aunt gave me for my 18th birthday will be the third journal I finish in my life. Although this is not impressive for many young journalists who may fill their pages with archival details in order to remember their days, I move slowly by attempting to challenge each page to be filled with some sort of fiction. I was never sure what my writing style classified as, but I knew I loved to write about my experiences without my character: a less orderly storytelling and a sort of navelgazing, bordering on fiction and non-fiction. Obviously I am just an amateur journalist (in the sense that I only write in my journal), but I still enjoy writing in a way where if I read back on it, it’s like reading a story and not minutes from a meeting. This realization was not one I recognized until I read “The Idiot” by Elif Batuman. Named brightly after Fyodor Dostoevsky’s own “The Idiot,” Batuman explores the selfeffacing life of Selin Karadağ, the daughter of Turkish immigrants, as she begins college as a linguistics student at Harvard University in the 1990s. My friend told me to listen to an episode of NPR’s Longform Podcast where Batuman expands on her writing in The New Yorker, and how she struggles finding the balance between fiction and non-fiction. She addresses how some authors say
their characters surprise them, but Batuman reveals a new form of fiction, in which she can imagine herself participating, and maybe even expecting the characters actions in relation to herself. This commentary was eye-opening to me, and made me think of fiction, and the way I write unintentionally, in a new light. As soon as I finished the podcast, I ordered “The Idiot.” Like I said, the book follows Selin as she attends university in the ’90s, alongside the rise of the email. The novel explores the relationship between Selin and her roommates, her mother and her classmates. She enrolls in a Russian course, where she begins to deeply study its language and literature. In this course, she meets uniquely Ivy-League characters, such as Svetlana, a wealthy Serbian exchange student who becomes her best friend, and of course Ivan, the Hungarian math student whose relationship with Selin is extremely complicated and impossible to summarize. Selin is especially interested in what Ivan is interested in, and, like most girls with a crush, struggles to separate her own identity and interests from his. Their relationship begins with an email, messages about literature and philosophy and sometimes sexual innuendos, all compiling with a confusing definition of what is left. Eventually they meet and spend long nights together, doing nothing but talking, sometimes in his room, and once
above a highway. Ivan tells Selin she must go to Hungary for the summer, and work teaching English to a village outside Budapest. Selin applies on her own, gets in and finds out that Ivan has had a girlfriend the whole time. Despite the pain and confusion, Selin continues to go to Hungary. Once, she even meets with Ivan, spends over 24 hours with him, sleeps in his childhood home and leaves him at a neighboring village. The painful tension between the pair is intoxicating. All I want is for Ivan to see what Selin thinks, but her feelings are left unsaid. When summarized in this way, “The Idiot” may sound like a complicated love story, this book is so much more dynamic than just that. First, the fact that Batuman herself is Turkish, attended Harvard in the ’90s and is a fan of Russian literature reveals the complicated nature of the novel’s genre. Many times I found myself reading deep observatory monologues, of which were completely irrelevant to any sense of the plot. Because of this, the novel has had some backlash. Some people don’t enjoy learning what navalgazing is, or care about reading Selin’s comprehensive realizations about the nature of an aesthetic vs. ethical life. I even made the mistake of forcing my dad to try to read “The Idiot.” Although he was supportive of my obsession with it this summer, he couldn’t relate to the problems that come with a new recognition of the world
when you’re a college student. But for me, the occasional lack of plot throughout this novel is what made it so amazing. I think being young and in college calls for sometimes overwhelming and depressing realizations of life. “The Idiot” is a novel that is focused solely on the problems of a young girl. The world around Selin is barely discussed, and although there is a lack of political conversation, sometimes this is just the way young people exist. Like Dostoevsky’s “The
Idiot,” there are times when Selin is also clumsily navigating through love and learning. She, like so many of us when it comes to feelings, can be an idiot. Maybe Batuman was referencing herself through the title, or maybe she was just relating it all back to Russian literature. Either way, this book influenced me to be an idiot as well, because of Selin, I am enrolled in a linguistics class, which is much less romantic than Batuman made it out to be in my favorite book of all time, “The Idiot.”
COURTESY OF FRANCES SCHNEPFF / THE FORDHAM RAM
Batuman balances introspection and fiction in her novel, “The Idiot.”
Archie Saves Fordham Students From the Dog Days By SARAH URBANO CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On Nov. 1, President Tania Tetlow and Dean Maura Mast brought their dogs to the Rose Hill campus for a fun morning filled with smiles, petting and picture taking. After a “ruff” few weeks of midterms, everyone was in need of a stress-free event, and who doesn’t love petting a dog? Reigning in over 1,000 followers on his Instagram account @archietetlow, Archie already had loads of fans before stepping onto campus. Although President Tetlow herself was not there, Archie was left in the care of two Louisiana native Fordham students. The event consisted of Archie and Pumpkin on leashes held by the two students, while students were encouraged to pet them and take photos as they walked by. Although administration did not specifically state the reason for the two dogs coming to campus, the timing lined up with the end of midterms, and many students speculated that was part of the reason they came when they did. “It
was nice of the administrators to give some love to students going through midterms. It was also a fun way to celebrate dogs being allowed on campus,” said Mackenzie Noonan, FCRH ’25. Other students commented on dogs now being allowed on campus, as the Fordham University Handbook states, “Students,
faculty, staff, and guests are permitted to have dogs in outdoor public spaces provided that they meet certain requirements.” “We 100% want dogs on campus, the more dogs the better,” said Gabrielle Diaz, FCRH ’27. As the Rose Hill community came over to interact with dogs, Archie and Pumpkin were
overjoyed to meet everyone, but not necessarily each other. I noticed right away Archie and Pumpkin were separated by about 50 feet, the reason being when they were too close to each other, things were quick to get “catty.” “Pumpkin is just more of a people-dog,” commented Mast. Nothing got
COURTESY OF SARAH URBANO FOR THE FORDHAM RAM
President Tetlow and Dean Mast brought their furry friends onto campus for the first ever “Archie Day.”
crazy or out of hand in any way. There was some occasional barking from each party when they would realize the other was also there, but once thoroughly separated, they were fabulous at co-existing on Eddie’s. They were smiling, sitting still and happily accepted the love they were receiving from everyone. Some dogs get nervous around new people, but not these two — they are easily the most friendly dogs I have encountered. You seriously would have thought they had media training. There were a few distractions that caused some barking from Archie, such as the leaves getting swept up in the wind and the classic black squirrels that roamed campus, but he was quick to get back on track and pose pretty in photos with the students. Overall, both dogs receive an A for sitting when told and biting a total of zero students. Everyone loves the opportunity to pet a dog, and this event definitely showed a fun side of Tetlow and Mast. Bringing the dogs to campus was a success, and the people want more from Archie and his pals!
CULTURE
November 8, 2023
Page 15
Don’t Forget to Spend “Five Nights at Freddy’s” By NORA LEACH EXEC. COPY EDITOR
“Five Nights at Freddy’s,” while far from perfect, is a great movie to cure your postHalloween blues, especially when you’re not ready to turn on your favorite Christmas flick. “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is an adaptation of the video game franchise originally created by Scott Cawthon. If you were in middle or high school during the 2010s, you have probably played them or know someone who has. The film is directed by Emma Tammi and distributed by production company Blumhouse, famous for their catalog of horror hits that include “Get Out” and “M3GAN.” The film follows Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson), who is worried about losing custody of his little sister, Abby (Piper Rubio). With the advice of career counselor Steve Raglan (Matthew Lillard), Mike becomes a security guard at the now-abandoned Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, a Chuck E. Cheese-like entertainment center with arcade games, a ball pit and animal animatronics: Freddy, a smiling bear with a top hat; Bonnie, a guitar-playing rabbit; Chica, a duck who carries around her sidekick, Mr. Cupcake; and Foxy, a fox pirate. As Mike dreams about a
traumatic childhood experience, he realizes that a dark past hangs over the pizzeria and its seemingly loveable animatronics. With the help of police officer Vanessa (Elizabeth Lail), he is determined to unmask these secrets before it is too late for him and Abby. Cawthon said his movie was made for the fans, and Tammi, Blumhouse and Cawthon were definitely successful in that aspect. I’m a fan of the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” games, and as I sat in the theater, I could not wipe the smile off of my face as the audience cheered and laughed at some on-thenose references to the games and its fanbase. Beyond its references, though, were other strengths, especially the characters. I loved every performance, my favorites being Hutcherson’s and Rubio’s. I have a soft spot for sibling dynamics in movies, and the relationship between Mike and Abby was very heartwarming. Hutcherson is convincing as the tired, parent-like older brother, and Rubio is perfect as an innocent child who just wants to spend time with him. Once you discover their family’s past, their bond becomes much more meaningful, and I was hoping that he would retain custody of her. My favorite scenes, though, featured the animatronics. The
animatronics were designed by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, the same company that created the iconic characters of “Sesame Street.” Their loveable, friendly appearances, yet uncanny behaviors, are perfect, especially when they interact with Mike, Abby and Vanessa. Their scenes range from creepy to hilarious, and there is never a dull moment when they are on screen. Unfortunately, I did have one issue with “Five Nights at Freddy’s”: its inability to fully capture the atmosphere of the first game. The games have always done a great job at balancing its silliness with eeriness. Obviously, none of the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” games are necessarily terrifying, and I did not expect the film to be that much different, but there is an
eeriness to the gameplay that I felt was missing. In the game, you play as a security guard and must keep an eye on the pizzeria without ever leaving the security room. The confinement — flipping through cameras and being jumpscared by the animatronics as they stand outside of the doors — makes you feel helpless and adds to the horror. In contrast, the majority of the film takes place outside of this dreaded room. I did not mind the scenes outside of the abandoned pizzeria, particularly the ones in Mike and Abby’s house, as they added more depth to the characters. However, when the characters are in the pizzeria, they are usually exploring other areas, from the hallways to the arcade. While it was nice to see Mike and the other characters interact with the setting and
animatronics more, it loses an aspect of what makes the games great. The movie didn’t need to take place only in the security room, but spending more time there would have made the dark reveals much more unsettling. Despite this issue I had, though, watching “Five Nights at Freddy’s” was one of my favorite viewing experiences of the year. I can’t guarantee you’ll like the movie, especially if you’re not a fan of the original games, but I can guarantee that it is perfect to watch with your friends for the performances, animatronics and humor. And if you don’t want to pay the extra money to see the movie in theaters, it’s streaming on Peacock, so don’t miss out on one of the biggest and most hilarious movies of the year.
COURTESY OF TWITTER
The “Five Nights at Freddy’s” franchise brings their animatronics to a whole new dimension: the silver screen.
New Museum Highlights Taylor Swift’s Storytelling By MIA BATTISTA
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Museum of Arts and Design’s new exhibit, “Taylor Swift: Storyteller,” is a special exhibition that takes visitors on an immersive audio-visual journey through a collection of Taylor Swift’s most iconic music videos and stage performances. Swift is a 12-time Grammy award-winning artist and songwriter that uses fashion and style to complement her songs and artistry. “Taylor Swift: Storyteller” represents a slice of the notable work that talented designers and artists have created to accompany Swift’s performances. This exhibition features a unique assortment of costumes, props, jewelry and accessories worn and used by Swift herself. This experience provides something for fans of every Swift era and for those who are less familiar with her work. A selection of Swift’s music videos are projected for visitors to see where the individual pieces displayed at the museum originate from. While listening to the song “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault),” visitors can view the stunning red wedding dress and bellhop uniform worn by Swift in that 2021 music video. There are also various musical instruments played by Swift, such as the silver sparkle guitar by Taylor Guitars
from performances during the Speak Now World Tour. After watching “willow” in the projection area, fans of the “evermore” album can walk over to the display case containing the authentic lute created by Pasquale D’Isanto that Swift played in that 2020 music video. This exhibit occupies the whole second floor of the Museum of Arts and Design, and it is focused on utilizing the empty space and decorating the entire room. Visitors are welcomed by a neon pink “Taylor Swift” sign from the “Taylor Swift Experience” exhibit by the Grammy Museum in 2014 and a J-180 Guitar by
Gibson from the “City of Lover” concert in Paris in 2019. One of the walls is covered with recreated prints of handwritten lyrics to the fan favorite song “All Too Well” from the “Red (Taylor’s Version)” album. A second wall shows off the lyrics to lead single “Tim McGraw” from Swift’s self-titled debut album. There is a painting of Benjamin Button, Swift’s ragdoll cat, from the “Lover” music video in 2019 with green and silver wallpaper painted by Rebecca Graves hanging on one of the walls of the exhibit. Each display piece corresponds to an information card that details
where and when the piece was used. Some of these special events that are included in this collection are from award shows and tour performances that Swift participated in. One of the main display cases shows the light blue dress Swift wore in 2007 when she won her first Country Music Award at the Sommet Center. Another notable costume piece is the gold Speak Now (2010) dress by Roberto Cavalli. This dress was worn by Swift during “Sparks Fly,” “Mine” and the “The Story of Us” performances during the Speak Now World Tour in 2011-12. There
COURTESY OF MIA BATTISTA FOR THE FORDHAM RAM
A new museum exhibit explores the storytelling in super star Taylor Swift’s extensive discography.
is also the blue, gold and white cheerleading outfit and ballerina costume from the “Shake It Off” music video from 2014. This song was nominated for three different awards at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards. Swift is a multifaceted artist that has ventured into other storytelling mediums, such as film. She wrote and directed the 15-minute “All Too Well: The Short Film” that took home Best Music Video at the 2023 Grammy awards. She also directed the music videos for the singles on “Lover,” “evermore,” “folklore,” “Midnights” and “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).” Throughout her ongoing 18year career, Swift has placed an emphasis on telling stories through her music and lyrics. Her live concerts blend stunning costume pieces, grand set designs, elaborate dance choreography and vibrant vocal performance to accurately portray the emotion and mood of each song. Her music videos provide compelling cinematic reflections of those songs. “Taylor Swift: Storyteller” timed entry tickets can be purchased for $25 each through March 24, 2024, on the Museum of Arts and Design’s official website. The purchase of a ticket also includes access to the general admission sections of the museum. This experience is self-paced and self-guided, but it may take about 30 minutes to see everything.
SPORTS
Page 16
Fordham Wins Two Events On The Susquehanna River
Football Bounces Back Against Bucknell
By NICK GUZMAN
By MADDIE BIMONTE
SPORTS EDITOR
SPORTS EDITOR
Fordham Rowing was back in action last weekend for a matchup against Bucknell University to end the fall season on a beautiful fall day on the Susquehanna River. The Rams raced in four matchups across the day: the Novice 8+, Varsity 4+, Varsity 8+ and the Second Varsity 8+. In the Novice 8+ race, the Rams finished last, with a time of 7:05.23. Bucknell had three other boats going in the race, with the Bucknell A boat finishing first with a time of 6:15.73, Boat B finishing with a time of 6:39.40 and C finishing in 6:54.52. In the Varsity 4+ race, the Rams had three boats going but could not beat out the Bucknell boat for the top spot. Bucknell made it across the finish line in 6:57.77, while the Ram boats fell in alphabetical order, starting with a time of 7:06.55, and with the last two boats finishing only three seconds apart at 7:13.75 and 7:16.27. In the Varsity 8+, the Rams secured their first victory of the day, edging the Bisons by two seconds with a time of 6:54.06 compared to Bucknell’s 6:47 finish time. This was attributed to a team effort at the 1,000m marker, where the
Rams were able to pull away with the lead after being neck and neck for some time. The squad was composed of junior coxswain Charlotte Maravelis, seniors Maja Gunz, Eleanor Rodde, Brooke Gould, Annabelle Baulch and Tiernan Degnan, junior Molly Ewing and graduate students Jamie Forbes and Anya Casey. Lastly, in the Second Varsity 8+, the Rams took home another first place finish, this time with a much larger margin. Fordham finished with a time of 6:58.25 compared to the Bisons’ 7:07.66. The winning Second Varsity boat featured senior coxswain Alena Bujnowski, freshmen Faith Lee and Stella Toro, sophomores Eliza Collins, Bailey Scherdorf, Nicolette Giamarusti and Alex Zaneski, junior Carley Walker and senior Elli Lewis. The Rams wrap up their fall season with that last matchup after only competing in three events due to one cancellation. The rowing team now will turn their attentions to a spring season where they will reconvene to bring home more rowing victories to Rose Hill.
COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS
The Rams wrap up their fall season with two victories against Bucknell.
Athletes of the Week One of the newest additions to the Fordham women’s basketball program is graduate student Emy Hayford, who led the team in points in the opening match of the season against the Adelphi University Panthers. Hayford recorded seven rebounds, three assists and three steals, as one of three Fordham players with three steals against the Panthers on Monday night.
Emy Hayford
Following a heartbreaking loss against the College of the Holy Cross, Fordham Football was in need of a boost on Saturday against Bucknell University. The Rams came just about as close as you can get to an iconic victory against the Crusaders, eventually falling by a score of 49-47 after junior running back Julius Loughridge was stopped on the goal line in the final moments of the game on a twopoint attempt. It was a heartbreaker in every sense of the word, but Fordham had little time to dwell on the loss. Fordham needed a bounce back, and a matchup with Bucknell on Saturday from Moglia Stadium proved to be the perfect medicine. The Rams defeated Bucknell 27-21 on the back of 328 passing yards and three touchdowns from sophomore quarterback CJ Montes. Fordham’s defensive line also had a massive day, contributing five sacks including one on the last play of the game from junior Matt Jaworski to seal the win. It was also senior day as Fordham honored their graduating players before the game. Although both teams eventually totalled over 450 yards of offense each, Fordham and Bucknell started slowly in the first quarter. After an exchange of punts to begin the day, Montes fumbled the ball in his own territory. It was recovered by Brad Gerken of Bucknell, giving the Bison excellent field position. The Fordham defense stood tall in a goal-to-go situation, forcing Bucknell to kick a short field goal for the early 3-0 lead. The Rams came right back down on their ensuing possession with
HOME AWAY
Each week, The Fordham Ram’s sports section honors two athletes for their on-field performances as their “Athletes of the Week.”
Wednesday Nov. 8
Thursday Nov. 9
Friday Nov. 10
the house. The long touchdown gave Fordham a 24-10 lead and energized the crowd at Moglia Stadium. Bucknell slowly inched their way back into the game as the second half wore on. Fordham’s offense didn’t operate with the same success as they had earlier in the game, allowing the Bison to score 11 straight points and make it a 24-21 game in favor of the Rams. With seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the Rams utilized a long drive to kill most of the remaining clock. A fourth down conversion from Loughridge kept the drive moving, and Fordham eventually moved towards the edge of Peskin’s field goal range with under two minutes to play. Peskin then drilled a 44-yard field goal, giving the Rams extra insurance at 27-21. But, Bucknell still had time to win it with a touchdown. The Bison moved the ball down to the Fordham 42-yard line with just five seconds left. Needing a miracle, Rucker dropped back for the hail mary attempt. Fordham’s three-man rush was able to break through, and Jaworski came up with the sack to seal the win. With the close victory against Bucknell, Fordham improves to 6-3 on the season and 2-2 in the Patriot League. The Rams have two games left in the regular season, both on the road. They’ll square off with Lafayette College next Saturday, followed by a meeting with Colgate University the following weekend to close the regular season. Both of those games can be streamed on ESPN+ or listened to on WFUV 90.7 FM.
Squash
Water Polo Women’s Cross Coutnry
Sunday Nov. 12
Miami 2 p.m.
UAlbany 7 p.m. George Mason George Mason 7 p.m. 3 p.m. Navy 7 p.m.
Bucknell/ Georgetown 9 a.m./5 p.m. Lafayette
Football Men’s Cross Country
Saturday Nov. 11 Cornell 1 p.m.
Men’s Basketball
Volleyball In not only first game of the Fordham men’s basketball season, but their first win, the Rams were able to secure a 68-64 win mainly due to the efforts of Rams like Japhet Medor. The new senior Ram led the team with 17 points, with three rebounds, six assists and three blocks. Medor also recorded the most minutes played in the game after starting.
an answer courtesy of a 23-yard field goal from senior Brandon Peskin. After a stop from the defense, Fordham’s offense showed their big-play ability on the first snap of the second quarter. Montes hit graduate student MJ Wright on a 64-yard touchdown bomb over the top of the Bucknell defense to give Fordham a 10-3 advantage. Wright was Fordham’s leading receiver on the day, totalling 145 yards on seven catches in addition to that score. The scoring picked up from here, as Bucknell answered Wright’s touchdown with a tally of their own. Bison quarterback Ralph Rucker found Derrick Anderson Jr. for a 20-yard touchdown that tied the game up at 10. Fordham’s rushing attack took center stage on their next drive. Loughridge and freshman Jacob Rodriguez combined to push Fordham down the field, culminating in a 10-yard touchdown from Montes to senior Mekai Felton. As a team, Fordham rushed for 159 yards on the day with Loughridge carrying the bulk of the load and Montes, Rodriguez and sophomore Jack Kaiser providing some secondary yardage. That was the score heading into halftime. A long Bucknell drive opened up the second half, but the Bison were eventually forced to punt and pinned the Rams deep in their own territory. The poor field position was no problem for the Fordham offense. From their own nine-yard line, Montes connected with graduate student Garrett Cody on a deep ball down the left sideline. Cody secured the catch at his own 34 and took advantage of a stumbling Bucknell defender to take the ball 91 yards to
Varsity Calendar Women’s Basketball
Graduate Student Women’s Basketball
Japhet Medor Senior Men’s Basketball
November 8, 2023
12:30 p.m. NCAA Northeast Regional 11 a.m. Connecticut College 7:30 p.m.
Brown 12:30 p.m.
NCAA Northeast Regional 11 a.m.
Women’s Swim and Dive
Bryant 1 p.m.
Men’s Swim and Dive
Bryant 1 p.m.
Denison 10 a.m.
Monday Nov. 13
Tuesday Nov. 14
SPORTS
November 8, 2023
Page 17
Water Polo Retains Judge Cup for Varsity Scores & Stats Fifth Straight Season By LOU ORLANDO
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
Last Wednesday was Senior Day at the Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center, as the Fordham Rams celebrated the final home game for Christos Loupakis and Michael Rahner. In a manner befitting of Fordham’s recent success, the two seniors went out on a high note, helping Fordham defeat the Iona University Gaels 16-9 in the annual Judge Cup. The Rams are now 8-3 in the Judge Cup, retaining the trophy for a fifth consecutive season. The tradition began in 2012 to honor Fordham Hall of Famer Francis X. Judge, who brought the water polo program back to Fordham in 1949, serving as a player-coach in his freshman year. Judge carried deep ties to both Iona and Fordham, fathering water polo hall of famers at both universities. For the Rams, Wednesday wasn’t just a chance to contend for a highly valued trophy; it was also a chance for one final home sendoff for the 2023 team, and a loving goodbye for Loupakis and Rahner. With just seven of Fordham’s 29 regular season games scheduled at Rose Hill, the chance to play in front of home fans isn’t one that comes frequently. And with this year’s Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championship being hosted at Bucknell University, it is officially the last time these Fordham Rams will play at their home pool in the year 2023. The Rams certainly made
the most of it, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first quarter with freshman Barnabas Eppel and junior George Papanikolaou each scoring twice in the frame. For the latter, that first quarter was just the start of a day to remember. Notching four more goals in the next three quarters, Papanikolaou posted a career-high six-goal performance coupled with one assist and four steals as the Rams coasted to a 16-9 win. Papanikolaou wasn’t the only one to have a career day as sophomore Balazs Berenyi dished out a career-high four assists to go with two steals. Junior Jacopo Parrella added four assists as well while Eppel and junior Lucas Nieto Jasny helped out with hat tricks. Both seniors made their mark in the game with Loupakis tallying a goal and Rahner racking up three steals and a block. While a lot of attention goes to Fordham’s trio of star juniors in Papanikolaou, Parrella and Nieto Jasny — and rightfully so — the impact of Loupakis and Rahner cannot go unnoticed. Outside of the veteran leadership they provide, the pair of seniors have contributed actively
to one of the deepest water polo rotations in program history. Loupakis in particular has played a crucial role in Fordham’s system, manning the two-meter after the graduation of Nir Gross, last year’s MAWPC MVP. With the win, Fordham improves to 20-7, the fourth time they’ve done so since 2019, the lone exception being a 2020 season that was limited to just one game due to COVID-19. After posting back-to-back 26 win campaigns in 2021 and 2022, the Rams continue a stretch of excellence under head coach Brian Bacharach. Ranking 15th in the Collegiate Water Polo Association national polls, Fordham boasts the third best program in the east coast, behind only #7 Princeton University and #10 Harvard University. The Rams take a four-game winning streak into their final week of regular season play, set for a pair of road non-conference games against Connecticut College and Brown University. With tournament play now just two weeks away, Fordham will aim to finish the season strong before a highly anticipated return to the MAWPC championship as the conference’s top seed.
COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS
Fordham Water Polo continues to cruise as the regular season winds down.
Student Athlete Column: Serious Improvements By GRACE GALBREATH ASST. NEWS EDITOR
I’m back, did you miss me? I am so glad to be returning to the sports section to pen yet another student athlete column. I liken my comeback to Tim DeMorat’s March 9 return to cheer for the Rams in their A-10 10 Championship game at the Barclays Center. What I am trying to say is, like DeMorat, I am a legend returning to my homecourt. The past few weeks have been miserable without the joy of writing the student athlete column. If the student athlete column is sunshine, the past few weeks were filled with rain. One might even liken them to a hurricane. But this week I am back, and so is the sun. The Rambearables have been having a great season so far, as long as you care more about having fun than you do about winning. We have even welcomed a new member, Assistant Opinion Editor, Allison Schneider, FCRH ’26. Despite our two-game loss streak, The Rambearables’ team chemistry is off the charts. The key is to have postgame adventures planned. A few weeks ago, we took a team trip to eat dinner at the temporary McShane Marketplace (sort of like a highschool post-practice
pasta party). Last week, we all walked to the ram and took turns sitting on the statue. On a more serious note, our volleyball skills are seriously improving! Don’t just take it from me, though, take it from our amazing referee Joe DeFusco, FCRH ’25. DeFusco said, “The Rambearables are a team of great character and are always a pleasure to referee. They’ve shown a lot of improvement this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they made a run in the playoffs.” (After giving DeFusco this shoutout, I am expecting him to rig the remaining games in our favor.) I also would like to lodge a complaint. This wouldn’t be one of my ridiculous columns if I didn’t complain about something. This week’s complaint: no-shows. There are few things harder than rallying your whole team for a game at 10 p.m. on a Monday. No one wants to spend hours in a Lombardi Field House during the day, let alone late at night. As team captain, it is my job to convince everyone that the game will be worth it. Let me set the scene. Picture this: you rally the team and everyone is psyched and ready for the big game. You arrive at Lombardi, only to find the gym
empty save a few refs and scorekeepers. This semester, two Rambearable games have been met with this fate. To be frank, it’s the worst. The only positive of a no-show is that if we are the only team to show up, the referees graciously give us the win. Aside from that, no-shows are for sure a week-ruiner. (Also, I am a hypocrite because we totally forfeited our first game.) In the remaining days of the intramural season, The Rambearables are expected to make a great playoff run. Seriously, people are betting that we are going to win it all! Expect a clean sweep. Before I wrap up this article, I have two final points to make. First, I would like to re-thank my wonderful sports editors for giving me this platform. Nick, Maddie and Lou, you mean the world to me. If you guys are the sun, The Ramearables are the planets. (We revolve around you.) Secondly, consider this an official notice: The Rambearables are challenging the Ram’s other volleyball team to an official game. Hopefully DeFusco agrees to officiate! Finally, the usability of the IMLeagues website has not improved. Someone please get on that!
Men’s Soccer Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals Fordham 0 VCU 1
Football Fordham Bucknell
27 21
Water Polo Fordham Iona
16 9
Volleyball Fordham Loyola Chicago
0 3
Men’s Basketball Fordham Wagner
68 64
Fordham Loyola Chicago
0 3
Women’s Basketball Fordham 70 Adelphi 43
Rowing Bucknell University NTS (No Team Score)
Women’s Swimming Fordham 172 Georgetown 128
Men’s Swimming Fordham Georgetown
151 147
–Compiled by Maddie Bimonte
News & Notes
Check Out New Episode of “The Keith Urgo Show” This past week, a new episode of “The Keith Urgo Show” became available to listen and download on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. In the first episode of the 2023 season, Keith Urgo and Andrew Bogusch reflect on the University of Maryland-Baltimore County exhibition game and preview the opening game of the season against Wagner College.
SNY Partnering with Basketball for Broadcasts For the third consecutive season, SportsNet New York (SNY) agreed to broadcast 19 basketball games for Fordham this season. Thirteen men’s games and six women’s matchups will air on SNY during the 2023-24 season, starting with the opening game earlier this week. Furthermore, besides the 13 games airing on SNY, the Fordham men’s basketball team will have six games airing on national television: four on USA Network, one on CBS Sports Network and a Feb. 23 game against Duquesne University that will air live on ESPN2. CBSSN will air the women’s basketball team’s home game against Davidson College on Jan. 14.
Swimming and Diving Stays Perfect By NICK GUZMAN SPORTS EDITOR
Fordham Swimming and Diving continued their perfect start to the season this past weekend, with both the men’s and women’s teams defeating Georgetown University. This was Fordham’s first ever dualmeet sweep over Georgetown. On the women’s side of the competition, Fordham completely dominated. Four Fordham swimmers won multiple events on the day as the Rams cruised to a 172128 win over the Hoyas. Junior Leire Martin swept the backstroke events, winning first place in the 100 at 56.64 and the 200 at 2:02.86. Her sister Ainhoa Martin also had a successful day, taking home the 200 breaststroke in a pool-record time of 2:16.87 and the 200 individual medley at 2:05.69. In the diving competition, sophomore Mya Bokerman placed first in the one-meter and three-meter diving events, winning the former with a score of 254.85 and the latter with a score of 264.08. The final Ram to win multiple events was graduate student Manon Compagner. The transfer from Carson-Newman University earned wins in the 50-yard freestyle at 24.09 and the 100-yard butterfly at 56.01. On the men’s side, the competition came down to the wire.
Fordham eked out a 151-147 win thanks to a win in the final event of the day. With the Hoyas leading by onepoint heading into the 400 freestyle relay, the team of sophomore Christian Taylor, junior Alexander Shah, senior Noah Althoff and graduate student Guy Gropper came up huge. They took the event with a time of 3:04.06, sealing the victory over Georgetown for the Rams. Taylor, Gropper and senior Alex Wilhem were among Fordham’s top performers on the day. In addition to assisting the 400 freestyle win, Taylor and Gropper won two individual events each. Taylor won gold in both backstroke events, clinching the 100 at 50.64 and the 200 at 1:51.83. Gropper was an ace in the 50yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly, claiming the 50 freestyle in a pool-record time of 20.89 seconds and the 100 butterfly at 50.49 seconds. Wilhem also claimed two events: the 100-yard freestyle at 46.78 and the 200-yard individual medley at 1:54.00. For Fordham Swimming and Diving, the 2023-24 season has started just about as well as it possibly could have with both teams sitting at 4-0. Next up, Fordham will host Bryant University this coming Saturday afternoon at the Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center.
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Page 18
November 8, 2023
Overtime: What Do Baseball Fans Actually Want? By LOU ORLANDO ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
Repetition is boring. More than ever, I think that concept applies to sports. What’s the fun in seeing the same exact teams in the championship every year? Sure, the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers playing each other in four straight NBA Finals made for an interesting rivalry, but it also completely devalued the regular season because the finals matchup felt predetermined. Tom Brady and the New England Patriots appearing in every damn Super Bowl for two decades got a little tedious. Things get old quickly. Fans generally want parity, and baseball fans are no exception. There’s something invigorating about feeling like anyone can make it to the dance. The chaos breeds excitement, and the unpredictability makes every game must-see TV. This year’s MLB playoffs were loaded with twists and turns. The Atlanta Braves were a regular season powerhouse, boasting the best record in baseball with 104 wins and leading the MLB in nearly every offensive category. This absolute juggernaut of a team only managed one win in the postseason, falling in a best of five NLDS series to the Philadelphia Phillies. The Baltimore Orioles posted the best record in the American League with a 101-win season, but befell the same fate as the Braves, falling to a wild card Texas Rangers squad. The Arizona Diamondbacks snuck into the postseason, claiming the final wild card spot in the
National League. Their 84 wins were the lowest of any postseason team this season. Sweeping the 100-win Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS was an fathomable twist in and of itself. But they weren’t done there. The Diamondbacks rode a miraculous postseason run all the way to the World Series. It’s now the second year in a row that the lowest seed in the National League got hot and made it all the way to the final round. Isn’t that awesome? What’s the fun in a league where the top seeds dominate? Not to dog on the NBA, but the general consensus is that wild card teams just don’t upset the top seeds (except for a very special Miami Heat team). If the top teams can’t be beat, then what’s the point in watching everything leading up to the finals? That’s what made this year’s MLB playoffs so cool, to me at least. You had two teams, the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, that hadn’t made the World Series in over a decade. Texas was still looking for their first championship in franchise history, having come up empty since their 1961 debut. Most recently reaching the championship in 2011, the Rangers were one strike away from winning it all, but blew a lead in Game 6 and fell in Game 7 to the St. Louis Cardinals. Arizona upset the Yankees in 2001 for their lone World Series win and had not returned to the dance since. It was a nice change of pace for a league that had featured either the Los Angeles Dodgers or Houston Astros in every World Series since 2017. It’s not like the matchup was a snoozefest either. Texas boasted one of the most explosive offenses
in the league, led by big name bats in the likes of Corey Seager and Adolis García. Arizona was a fun up and coming team just two years removed from a 110-loss season. They featured an elite pitching staff and loads of young talent headlined by NL Rookie of the Year favorite Corbin Carroll. Despite this, the 2023 World Series was the least viewed Fall Classic in TV history, averaging just 9.1 million viewers across the five-game series. Fans complain about seeing the same teams over and over again. But when they get new teams, seemingly exactly what they’re asking for, the viewership isn’t there. Why then, do we ask to see new teams in the dance? I’ll use my friend Brian Rabacs, GSB ’24, as an example. If you’re an avid reader of my work (shoutout to all my fans), you’ve likely heard me reference this character before, but if you haven’t, let me fill you in. Rabacs’s baseline mood can best be described as crotchety, irritable and perpetually unhappy. He’s just a grumpy guy! To the surprise of no one, Rabacs grumbled about this World Series matchup for days.
COURTESY OF TWITTER
This year’s World Series looked a little different this year in terms of matchups.
Men’s Soccer Season Ends In Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals By MADDIE BIMONTE SPORTS EDITOR
The Fordham men’s soccer team’s season ended this past week as they participated in the Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals against Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), in a 0-1 loss. The Rams will not advance and lose out on a bid to the NCAA tournament for the third straight season. Facing the A-10 regular season champions, the Rams had a tough battle ahead of them. After a scoreless first half, the Rams were just not able to put up shots against VCU. VCU recorded two strong chances in the opening minutes of the match. Then, in the fifth minute, senior Florian Deletioglu picked off a pass in the box, but his close-distance try was turned aside by the visiting Rams’ John Ermini. Ermini saved another Fordham shot in the 11th minute, as sophomore Daniel D’Ippolito unloaded on a ball from just outside the box that the redshirt junior goalkeeper grabbed. It wasn’t until the 74th minute that someone got on the board. VCU developed a shot taken by Damian Gallegos off of a perfect pass from Jonathan Kanagwa to sail a shot past graduate student
Now granted, Rabacs is miserable often. My friends and I are all very worried about him. You know, it’s just like he won’t let himself be happy. I’m trying to get to the root of the issue but he’s a hard guy to read. A lot of fans seemed to share Rabacs’s sentiment. I’ll be the first to admit it’s probably not the most exciting World Series we could’ve gotten this year, but it was still an intriguing matchup and frankly, a breath of fresh air. There’s no doubt in my mind that if the Houston Astros or the Los Angeles Dodgers had made the World Series, the viewership would have been stronger. I’ve got to be honest though. I really don’t have a ton of interest in watching the Astros in another World Series. Yes, they’re great, objectively. I can appreciate that they are a good baseball team, even with their cheating scandal. That doesn’t mean I want to watch them in the Fall Classic every year. There’s such a thing as “winning fatigue.” Unless it’s your favorite team, consistent triumph without fail becomes an annoyance. Typically, it sparks resentment. A lot
of football fans hate the Patriots. A lot of baseball fans hate the Yankees. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a ton of fun. Every team can’t be universally loved. You need one or two to play the heel. Love is strong, but hatred is stronger. So yes, I absolutely hate-watch. For instance, I despise the Houston Astros, and I hate watching them to my heart’s content. However, the experience gets a lot less fun when they seemingly never lose. I’d derive a whole lot more enjoyment from watching the Astros get bounced in an earlier round as opposed to the World Series. Baseball fans posture online about the league having parity and seeing new teams in the mix. They like the concept of parity, but they don’t like what it means in reality. Parity means that the two best teams in baseball might lose in the first round. Parity means that the team with the worst record entering the postseason can make a run to the chip. Parity means that the Philadelphia Phillies might not make it back to the World Series, to the chagrin of Rabacs. It’s time for baseball fans to look inward and ask themselves what they really want. If you want sexy matchups, that probably means you want to see teams that have established themselves as powerhouses. The tradeoff is you might see those teams make multiple appearances in the World Series. And yeah, they’ll probably complain when that happens too. But hey, at least they’ll watch.
Volleyball Swept at Home in Both Matches By BRETT TULIP STAFF WRITER
COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS
It was a tough loss for the Rams as they go out in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
goalkeeper Carter Abbott into the back of the cage. Fordham had two opportunities to equalize the score late in the game. Deletioglu took a shot that seemed to hit off the outstretched arm of a VCU in the box. However, the referee chose to not make a call against the visiting Rams. Off the rebound, graduate student Liam Salmon sent another try that would have gone in, but it came right after the final whistle and was deemed no goal. The Rams would concede the match, 0-1. Some Rams were able to get some shots off during the 90 minutes, with D’Ippolito taking three shots, a team-high. Both graduate students Timo Hummrich and Shizu Yohena
recorded two shots each, but to no avail. In total, VCU outshot Fordham, 12-9, finishing with five shots on goal to Fordham’s four. The Rams ended their season with a 6-4-7 record and finished 3-3-2 in the A-10. Unfortunately, another Rams season ends in a quick fashion as they have not seen the NCAA tournament since 2020-21. The team, made up of 17 seniors and graduate students will most likely see a large turnover, giving room to a slew of sophomores and freshmen teammates. With next season ahead and a spring season, the Rams have plenty of ground to improve on while they chase for a chance to return to the NCAA tournament.
This past Friday and Saturday, Fordham Women’s Volleyball lost both matches at Rose Hill Gym against Loyola University Chicago by scores of 3-0. Nonetheless, there were still positives to come away from these matches. Starting with Friday’s match, Fordham began just narrowly losing the first set, 26-24. However, the following two sets would be less competitive. They would fall in both by scores of 25-18 and 2519. Per usual, there were multiple standouts for Fordham. However, sophomore Zoe Talabong along with senior Whitley Moody especially stood out with seven kills each. For Saturday’s match, Fordham was looking to bounce back and show a bit more than their previous performance but were unable. They started off with a disastrous 25-15 loss in the first set. The Ramblers would go on multiple runs, with the Rams having no answers. The next was a bit better, with Fordham only losing
25-22, but would lose the third set by a disappointing 25-19 score. On the day, sophomore Audrey Brown would finish with 13 kills while freshman Whitney Woodrow would finish with 10 assists. Since barely losing the first set on Friday in extra points, the Rams were unable to recover. However, they played a team with historic amounts of momentum and showed solid effort despite the losses. Now, after both of these wins, Loyola Chicago now has truly unheard of 14 straight wins which started immediately following their 10-game losing streak. For Fordham, they only have two more matches left on the season, both on the road against George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. They currently stand at 16-10 on the year, and fell to 7-9 in conference play. What was once a record season for the Rams appears to have fallen back down to earth. They are still showing improvement from years past, but not at a level that is previously expected.
SPORTS
November 8, 2023
Page 19
Who Is This Franchise, and What Have They Done With The New York Yankees? By NOAH HOFFMAN STAFF WRITER
Another World Series concluded, and for the 14th consecutive year, the New York Yankees were not the team hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy. Despite making the Championship Series five times since 2010, they have not gotten over that hump, making the 2010s the first decade the franchise did not make the series since the 1910s. The lack of recent success has prompted the fanbase to call for Hal Steinbrenner to “act like his father” and fire general manager Brian Cashman. Cashman’s latest bluff was on full display this past postseason. While the Yankees sat at home missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016 despite championship aspirations, Corey Seager shined en route to winning his second World Series MVP. In 2021, the Yankees went into the offseason in dire need of a shortstop. The class included Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, Carlos Correa, Trevor Story and Javier Báez. Cashman and crew opted instead to trade fan favorites Gio Urshela and Gary Sánchez in exchange for an aging Josh Donaldson, gold glove third baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa to solve their shortstop issues and a catcher with an inability to hit in the bigs. Some of the 2021 contracts have been disasters, but that is beside the point. The point is the Yankees have recently failed to be THE YANKEES. After losing to the eventual World Champion Red Sox in the 2018 playoffs, the Yankees not only didn’t sign the top free agent generational talent Bryce Harper, but they refused to even talk to him. What made the miss even more
By ALEXIS HURCHALLA
COURTESY OF TWITTER
An 82-80 season has Yankee fans questioning the methods of GM Brian Cashman and the Yankees’ front office.
painful to fans was the fact that Harper grew up a Yankee fan and wore number 34 to honor his idol Mickey Mantle, who wore seven (3+4=7). However, Cashman felt the Yankees outfield was too cramped to give Harper a call and that playing him at first base wasn’t realistic, leading him to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies for $330 million over 13 years. Meanwhile, Harper just finished another spectacular postseason (playing first base) after leading the Phillies to the World Series last year and winning NL MVP in 2021. It is not like the Yankees haven’t handed out or acquired large deals. After the 2017 “Baby Bombers” propelled them to within one game of a World Series appearance, they acquired 2017 MVP Giancarlo Stanton. However, after playing 158 games in his first season with the Yanks, Stanton has missed 479 of 870 regular season games,
accumulating an abysmal 8.4 WAR over the six seasons, only .5 less than his 7.9 WAR MVP season. Stanton has since clogged up the designated hitter role with his inability to play the outfield and prevented ownership from making a big move for a position player. Some say Stanton has “earned his pinstripes” in the postseason for his incredible streaks. Still, it has led to zero World Series rings or appearances, meaning he hasn’t, or Yankee fans’ standards have significantly fallen (both can be correct). In the past, such a flop of a deal would not have scared the Yankees into handing out others, but the team disguised as the Yankees acted differently than when George M. Steinbrenner was at the helm. The reluctance to sign multiple top free agents is new for the front office. Even after the ’09 win, they made lots of big signings. After winning the World Series,
they traded for Curtis Granderson that offseason. Three years later, they made four big splashes, signing Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann, Carlos Beltrán and Japanese phenom Masahiro Tanaka. Other big acquisitions have included Ichiro in 2012, Aroldis Chapman in 2015 and again in 2016. Granderson was good for two years before injuries, while Ichiro was a shell of himself. The 2013 offseason was disastrous; Ellsbury and McCann were some of the worst signings while letting all-star Robinson Cano walk for essentially the same amount as the two. Tanaka, a fan favorite and playoff stud, won nothing long-lasting, while Beltran’s name is taboo around Yankee parts (due to the Houston Astros cheating scandal). Lastly, Chapman is best known for giving up series-ending home runs. The mass flop in signings has prevented the front office from making multiple big moves and,
instead, one every couple of years. 2017 Stanton, 2019 Gerrit Cole and 2022 Carlos Rodón. Of the most recent three big acquisitions, Cole has been the only impactful piece. The verdict on Rodón is still out, but after one injury-plagued disastrous season in pinstripes, which ended in him pitching in only 14 games to the tune of a 6.85 ERA, he has much to prove. There has been the occasional diamond in the rough, like Russell Martin, Raul Ibañez, Didi Gregorius, DJ LeMahieu and Gio Urshela. Still, as they say, “even a blind squirrel finds a nut,” they are nowhere near the big impact signings they need, a left-handed power hitter. The Yankees need to go back to the Yankee way and sign multiple big-name free agents and hope one or more will lead them to a World Series. In 2009, there were four huge signings: CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, A.J. Burnett and Nick Swisher. What did this lead to? Only the 27th World Series title for the franchise. This offseason, Steinbrenner, Cashman and company must rechannel their inner George and make multiple big moves. It has seemed almost too perfect for the Yankees to sign a star left-handed power bat with the short porch they are known for at The Stadium. Luckily, multiple are available: Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger and possibly Juan Soto. Whether Cashman and Co. break the narrative and sign a bigname lefty bat or stick to their recent ways will be the determining factor on whether fans will completely turn on him and ownership. Yankees fans know one thing: the World Series drought and miss on big-name free agents would not be tolerated “if the Boss was still around.”
Hometown Hero to Walk-On Ram
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
In the world of collegiate sports, the narrative of a walk-on athlete often embodies the essence of grit, determination and unwavering passion for the game. For Eliza Hellendrung, a remarkable young woman and member of the Fordham University women’s soccer team, this story of perseverance inspires not only her teammates, but anyone who dreams of achieving goals against all odds. I had the privilege of sitting down with the sophomore Hellendrung. Her journey from an unrecruited player to a vital part of the team’s success is nothing short of remarkable. Hellendrung’s soccer journey began in her hometown of Middletown, R.I., where she developed a love for the sport at an early age. “I started playing soccer when I was just four years old,” she recalled with a warm smile. “My dad coached my first team, and that’s where it all began.” Her passion for the game continued to grow throughout her childhood, and she played competitively on various club teams. One of her career highlights was
COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS
Hellendrung’s hard work has landed her a spot on the practice squad.
leading her LaSalle High School team to its 14th state championship with a winning goal in the final minute. This pivotal moment led to media recognition — the First Team All-State player was named the “Hometown Hero” on the WPRI TV station. However, when it came time to consider college soccer, Hellendrung needed to figure out what school and soccer program would be the right fit. “Initially, I reached out to a few Division I and III schools, but I wasn’t quite sure which school would make me feel most at home,” she admitted. “But deep down, I still had this burning desire to compete at
the highest level.” That burning desire led her to Fordham University, where she made the life-altering decision to try out as a walk-on in the spring of her freshman year. It was a leap of faith, but one she was willing to take to pursue her dreams. “The walk-on tryout consisted of 14 consecutive days and was one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of my life,” she recalled. “I knew I had to give it everything I had and prove myself in front of the coaches and players who had been recruited.” Hellendrung’s tenacity paid off, and she earned a spot on the team as a practice player. Her journey from there
has been nothing short of remarkable. She embraces every practice, every workout and every moment on the field as an opportunity to prove herself. “It wasn’t easy and still isn’t at times,” she said with a reflective tone. “I try to work twice as hard to earn my place, but I am determined to show everyone that I belong here.” Over time, Hellendrung’s dedication and resilience have been recognized. Her teammates and coaches often point out her unwavering commitment, and she has earned their respect on and off the field. Hellendrung is always the first on the field and the last to leave, always doing sprints after practice and extra workouts. Hellendrung’s impact goes beyond the soccer field. She also excels academically, maintaining a stellar GPA and being recognized on the dean’s list as a psychology major. Balancing the demands of Division I soccer and rigorous coursework is no small feat, but she approaches it with the same determination that got her on the team in the first place. “Time management and discipline are essential,”
Hellendrung explained. “I have to be efficient with my time, both on and off the field, to excel in both areas.” Despite the challenges and the additional pressures of being a walk-on athlete, Hellendrung remains grateful for the opportunity to represent Fordham University. “Being part of this team, putting on that Fordham jersey, it’s a feeling like no other,” she said. “I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything.” Hellendrung’s journey is a testament to the power of determination and resilience. It’s a reminder that anything is possible with hard work and an unwavering belief in oneself. As she continues to thrive on the Fordham University women’s soccer team, her story will undoubtedly inspire generations of aspiring athletes who dare to chase their dreams, no matter the obstacles in their path. In a world where walk-ons often go unnoticed, Hellendrung’s story shines as a beacon of hope and a reminder that every dream is within reach for those who are willing to give it their all.
SPORTS
Page 20
November 8, 2023
Men’s Basketball Narrowly Wins Season Opener in OT By COLIN LOUGHRAN STAFF WRITER
There are not many easy wins at the collegiate level, and Fordham Men’s Basketball’s first win of the season was anything but a cakewalk. The Rams defeated the Wagner College Seahawks 68-64 in overtime on Monday night in front of a rowdy Rose Hill crowd. After being initially stunned by a talented Seahawk squad and trailing by as many as nine points, the boys from the Bronx were able to battle back thanks to some timely shots and a few unsung heroes. Head coach Donald Copeland’s Wagner team did not seem intimidated by a raucous home crowd. Once they settled into their gameplan, the Seahawks’ collection of transfers and relative unknowns showed a level of unexpected maturity that almost won the day. “I want to just let Coach Copeland know I thought his team came in and absolutely played as hard as any team that I think we’ve played in this building over the course of the last two years,” Fordham head coach Keith Urgo said after the game. “He had his guys prepared and ready and quite honestly they punched us in the mouth and kept punching us all game long.”
Rochester native and former Monroe College standout Melvin Council Jr. led the charge with an impressive debut performance. He tallied a game-high 21 points on a more than respectable 8-16 clip from the field. His size and athleticism gave Fordham fits on all three levels. Fellow transfer Tyje Kelton also made the most of his first game as a Seahawk. The junior put up a double-double thanks to 17 points and 13 boards, and shot a highly efficient 3-4 from range. The Rams stayed competitive in the first half with a solid showing from Romad Dean. He put up eight points in the first act, and kept Fordham afloat against a Wagner team that led 31-23 heading into the break. On a defensive level, Dean was critical to the effort to slow down Council Jr. and Kelton, as well as guard Rahmir Moore and forward Rob Taylor II. The Rams flipped the script in the second half and began to play a more inspired brand of basketball. After shooting 34.5% from the field in the first half, Fordham improved to a 53.8% mark in the second half. Senior Jahpet Medor collected 12 points in the second half, and would go on to tally 17 on the night. The Florida native also recorded a team-high six assists while serving as a needed facilitator in what was
a flashy Fordham debut. “The coaches are hard on us,” said Medor. “We do this every day at practice. We get to our spots, and we try to feed off of each other.” Also key to the Rams’ second half comeback was the play of both sophomores Joshua Rivera and Elijah Gray. Each played a pivotal role on both ends of the court. Rivera impressed with 10 points and five rebounds on the night. As for Gray, he played arguably the best game of his young collegiate career. The sophomore posted 16 points and six rebounds while showcasing his ability to be a dual threat. “I definitely got more into a rhythm,” Gray said of his second half performance. “I feel like I started off pretty slow. I was bad on defense early, but I feel like in the second half, when we went to the locker room, my teammates picked me up. They gave me the boost I needed.” Gray’s biggest make of the game came with 1:08 on the clock when he drained a three-pointer to give Fordham a 57-54 edge. A Medor triple later gave the Rams a 60-56 lead with 31 seconds left in regulation. Wagner continued to battle. Kelton laid in a second-chance bucket to trim the Fordham lead to two points. After senior Antrell
Charlton missed the front end of a one-and-one with nine seconds left, Moore took the ball and drove to the bucket. Goaltending was called on Fordham on Moore’s shot attempt with only 0.7 on the clock, forcing overtime. Seniors Kyle Rose and Charlton only combined for two points on the night, but their defensive presence and leadership allowed Fordham to withstand multiple storms throughout the contest. The overtime period was no different. The two veterans could be seen speaking to teammates and offering various pearls of wisdom. Fordham outscored Wagner 8-4 in the five minutes of extra time. A Medor three-point ball gave the Rams a 68-62 lead with 42 seconds remaining, enough of a cushion to stave off Wagner from there. Fordham is now 1-0 on the year
after the dicey victory. Wagner nearly played spoiler by beating the Rams at their own energetic game. The Seahawks collected more rebounds and shot a better percentage from the free-throw line, but couldn’t fully contain their opposition’s resilience. “This team loves to compete,” Medor said. “When our backs are against the wall, we’re going to compete… Our backs were against the wall, and we did what we had to do to come out with the win.” Regardless of the fact that their home opener was not a pretty affair, Urgo’s team once again demonstrated a capacity to fight the good fight. Such a skill will serve them well this season, which continues on Nov. 11 when Cornell University comes to the Bronx for a matinee showdown.
COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS
Japhet Mador and Fordham topped Wagner to begin the 2023-24 season.
The Bridgette Mitchell Era Begins with a Win By LOU ORLANDO ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
Monday marked the official beginning of the Bridgette Mitchell era at Fordham, taking the reins of Women’s Basketball with a new staff and a vastly different roster. And while it’s still too early to tell what the future holds for the program this season, we did get our first taste of basketball under coach Mitchell — and through one game, it’s hard to complain. Women’s basketball played the opener of a Rose Hill double header that saw the season debut for both men’s and women’s hoops. The Rams kicked their season off with a matchup against Adelphi University, a Division II program, and not a particularly dominant one at that. It’s been downhill for the Seahawks following a 27-3 season in 2019, yet to post a record above .500 since. For Mitchell’s Rams, the favorable matchup provided a chance to get into a groove early and build some much needed chemistry for a squad that doesn’t have much of any legitimate playing time together. Prior to Monday’s home opener, the Rams were dealt a series of
gut punches. Fordham will have to operate without freshman Miya Giles-Jones as the exciting 6-foot guard is sidelined with an injury. The McDonald’s All-American nominee was projected to be an impact player on the team, but instead will find her development halted with the setback. To make matters worse, junior guard Taya Davis, an exciting Juco transfer, will not be eligible for the start of the season. Suddenly, a roster that was already lacking clear offensive leadership would be down two of their most anticipated additions. Despite these setbacks, the Fordham Rams seemed to fare just fine in their opening taste of 2023-24 action. Doing what a DI favorite is supposed to do against a DII, the Rams emerged victorious in blowout fashion, defeating Adelphi 70-43. More important than the score is an increasingly clear picture of what brand of basketball we can expect from this year’s Rams. Coach Mitchell was pretty transparent about her vision back at her introductory press conference in the spring: “You gotta be able to score and defend. I think that putting so much emphasis on our defense
COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS
Emy Hayford scored 18 points in Fordham’s season-opening win over Adelphi.
will really help us go a long way. We’re gonna be in your face.” Fordham certainly took that defensive mindset to heart, holding Adelphi to 26.6% shooting from the field and 1-18 from beyond the arc. It was defense that paved the way in the first quarter after a slow Fordham start. Trailing 8-5 with four minutes left in the initial frame, Fordham’s defense turned up the intensity, spurring a 16-2 run to end the quarter. The Rams would pull off something similar at the end of the third quarter, going on an 11-4 run to take an 18-point lead. Saving their best for last, Fordham held the Seahawks to just seven points in the fourth quarter, running away with a 27-point victory. Fordham won the turnover battle as well with 11 steals. But it’s not enough to just force turnovers — you have to do something with it. After all, coaches love turning defense into offense. The Rams certainly made their coach proud, turning those 11 turnovers into 20 points on the other side. For reference, Adelphi only mustered six points off of turnovers. It’s not a complete surprise to see Mitchell’s team come out the gate with an impressive defensive performance. She’s been stressing the importance of defense and athleticism since she was announced as head coach, and it’s reflected in the players she’s brought over. The bigger mystery lies on the offensive side of the ball. With the likes of Asiah Dingle and Anna DeWolfe out the door, there’s quite the offensive void to fill. Therein lies the million dollar question: “Who would emerge at the forefront of this offense?” For
the moment, we have an idea. Coach Mitchell used all 10 available players in her rotation on Monday, but it was a trio of transfers that stole the spotlight. The headliner was graduate student forward Emy Hayford, hailing from the University of Pittsburgh after averaging 2.1 points per game as a consistent starter. Hayford put up a career-high 18 points, posting a double digit output for just the fifth time in her five-year collegiate career. Shooting 7-16 from the field with a pair of threes and seven rebounds to boot, Hayford began her Fordham career with a red hot start, tallying nine points in the first quarter alone. Senior Taylor Donaldson and graduate student Mandy McGurk were the other two Rams with double digit efforts, scoring 12 and 10 points respectively. Despite an overall positive offensive outburst, this season opener may be a sign of future issues moving forward. Namely, efficiency. The Rams ended the day with a solid 40.6% from the field but struggled to hit from deep, nailing just four of 18 shots from beyond the arc. Donaldson and McGurk, expected to be two of Fordham’s best shooters this season, combined to go 2-10 from deep. It didn’t prove to be a hindrance on Monday against a weaker opponent, but one wonders if a lack of offensive efficiency, particularly from deep, may come back to bite them, particularly when it comes time to square off against some of the elite teams in the Atlantic 10. However, now’s not the time to get lost in hypothetical worries. There’s plenty to be excited about after a promising first game. This team certainly seems up to the
task defensively, and they’ll need to be if they wish to compete with the likes of University of Rhode Island and St. Joseph’s University this year. After four years of battling in the very difficult Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Hayford seems poised to put up solid numbers in the A-10 and might very well lead this Fordham offense. Sophomore Rose Nelson was a perfect 2-2 from the field in the first start of her collegiate career, continuing to convert at a high rate after shooting 54% as a freshman. Coming off the bench, 6-foot-4-inches senior Aminata Ly pulled down 10 boards in her Rose Hill debut and senior Maranda Nyborg added seven rebounds after missing all of last year with an injury. Thanks in large part to their efforts, Fordham out-rebounded Adelphi 55-39. Fordham will play their first DI opponent of the season this Friday, hosting the University of Albany for a 7 p.m game. For fans who have kept up with the program in recent years, graduate student Sarah Karpell returns to Rose Hill after four years as a Ram, coming off a team-high 17-point performance in Albany’s season opener. Fordham will see if they can carry over their intense and physical play against a more formidable opponent. “It’s a new style of play here,” noted Mitchell, “but I think it will bode for success in the league, especially once we get familiar.” After a promising start to the season, one can only wonder what it might look like once the Rams get fully acquainted with Mitchell’s system.