Volume 105 Issue 4

USG Faces Backlash Amid Club Budget Changes

By SAMANTHA MINEAR FEATURES EDITOR

In their first email of the spring semester, the Outdoors Club — known for their regular rock climbing events — wrote to members: “due to reasons out of our control, our funding has been severely diminished.” The email cited these budget cuts as the reason for why they will no longer be able to do events of their “usual caliber.”

Funding and budgeting tends to be a sensitive topic at Fordham. These budget cuts are one of the money-saving measures the school has taken in the past couple of years. Last May, they increased tuition by 4% in response to funds lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Outdoors Club, run by Emma Reynolds, FCRH ’23, is “not a block funded organization, meaning all of [the] events are budgeted for and must be reviewed and individually accepted or denied for funding.” To combat this financial loss, they have begun to collect membership dues. Though the $10 payment is optional, those who

SEE BUDGET, PAGE 4

The Fordham Ram

Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 February

SLC Discusses Steering Committee and Club Absences

By EMMA KIM NEWS EDITOR

On Wednesday, Feb. 8, Rose Hill held its monthly Student Life Council (SLC) in the McShane Campus Center with a special guest from one of the co-chairs of the Steering Committee.

Fordham’s Campus Activity Board Hosts Valentine’s Week

By KEAGAN OSTOP CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Between Feb. 5 and Feb. 16, the Fordham Campus Activities Board (CAB) is hosting seven free Valentine's Day-themed events for students.

CAB is made up of nine different committees that plan free events for students on campus. The most popular event week is Spring Weekend, but CAB also hosts event weeks for

Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and midterms. During these event weeks each CAB committee aims to host a unique event to provide students opportunities for festive celebrations and goodies.

Students involved in CAB meet every week throughout the school year to brainstorm new ideas, discuss the current student body’s interests and change past events. The events

Updates on Phase 2 of the McShane Campus Center Construction

By ANTONI ZLATANOVSKI STAFF WRITER

This past spring, many Fordham students were excited to witness the grand opening of the McShane Campus Center.

take down what was originally the McGinley Center in order to make space for the new McShane Campus Center. In all, the new space is planned to contain a gym, pool, restaurants as well as various study spaces for students.

are spaced out over a week or more to try to allow a range of opportunities for students to attend.

The Valentine's Day celebrations kicked off on Sunday, Feb. 5 with CAB’s Weekend Activities Committee (WAC). Many students know WAC for their monthly bingo and weekend outings, WAC brought a group of students to make Love Pies

Fordham Law Boycotts US News Rankings

By ANTONI ZLATANOVSKI STAFF WRITER

The Steering Committee is leading a self-study of the university before the upcoming evaluation from the Middle States Association of the Commission of Higher Education (Middle States) in 2025, which determines the university’s accreditation.

The meeting was commenced by Kendra Kleintop, GSB ’24, vice president of RHA. She introduced Greer Jason-DiBartaolo, who is one of the co-chairs of the Steering Committee and a dean from the Gabelli School of Business. The other co-chair, who was not present, is Melissa Labonte from the political science department at Rose Hill.

Jason-DiBartaolo started the meeting off and explained that all universities are evaluated by an independent group called the Middle States every eight years, and they conduct the university’s accreditation process.

“They reverify that the university should maintain its accredited status,” said Jason-DiBartaolo. “[This] process is a long one. It takes over two years, and we just started in fall of 2022. It will culminate in a visit in spring [of] 2025.”

She explained that the selfstudy aims to be “thorough, reflective, transparent and also inclusive.” Right now, the co-chairs are putting together the committee by getting representatives from across the university.

They are also putting together a self-study design, which is a report that explains how they are going to go about the process of the self-study and what they are

in this issue

Opinion

The United States Was Right to Burst China's Bubble

Culture

Page 11

Phase 2 will include the cre -

Fordham University has officially become the 24th law school in the country to boycott the U.S. News & World Report rankings. According to a statement made by Matthew Diller, dean of Fordham Law School, the university “will no longer provide data to the U.S. News for use in its ranking other than information that is already generally available to the public.” Additionally, he described the U.S. News ranking system as “deeply flawed” and that it does not accurately represent Fordham as a university, as the algorithm is known for “omitting important criteria” when calculating university rankings.

According to the statement sent by Diller, the

Six months before the COVID-19 pandemic, Fordham began to SEE RANKINGS, PAGE 3

ation of a brand new arcade, as well as a Grab-and-Go near the Marketplace. When walking past the McShane construction site, students can see that the exterior of the building, which will stand in between the McShane Center and the Rose Hill Gymnasium, SEE UPDATES, PAGE 4

Celebrating Platonic Love on Galentine’s Day

Sports

Men’s Basketball Wins 20 Games for the First Time Since 1991

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

One of CAB's events was making Love Pies at Pugsley’ s Pizza, a popular off-campus pizzeria.

The new McShane Campus Center is now currently in Phase 2 of its construction, which will end in 2023.

COURTESY OF ALEX ANTONOV/THE FORDHAM RAM

PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS

Feb. 6 Campbell Hall

12:20 p.m.

A fire alarm went off in Campbell Hall on Monday. Public Safety and FDNY responded. Investigation revealed a member of the cleaning staff inadvertently activated the fire alarm while cleaning the wall.

Feb. 8 Walsh Gate

5:15 p.m.

Public Safety observed three people soliciting funds from students. Investigations revealed the individuals were not members of the Fordham community and were granted access to campus through the Walsh Gate by a student. A review of video and access controls identified the student who granted access to the group. The student said they were unaware the group would be soliciting funds and was instructed not to allow unknown persons onto campus.

Feb. 11 2484 Arthur Avenue 8:10 p.m.

On Saturday, a smoke alarm went off at 2500 Hoffman Street. Public Safety and FDNY responded. Investigation revealed a student burned food on the stove resulting in the activation of the fire alarm. The room was ventilated and the alarm panel was reset.

Follow us on Instagram!

@thefordhamram

On Feb. 8, The Fordham Ram ran an article entitled “Fordham Resident Assistants Union to Vote for Recognition.” In the article, Madison Ryan was incorrectly referred to as Madison Reynolds. The Ram strives to report accurately, and we apologize on behalf of the entire Ram staff for this mistake. We always try to report important and correct information, and we thank the affected parties for bringing the matter to us. All corrections can be submitted to theram@fordham.edu.

– Isabel Danzis, Editor in Chief

Wednesday Feb. 15

Rose Hill Gymnasium 7 p.m.

Men’s Basketball is facing St. Bonaventure University this Wednesday at 7 p.m. All attendees will recieve a t-shirt complimentary of Coca-Cola. Cheer on the Rams in their annual White Out game!

Fordham Hosts Lecture on Migration at the U.S.- Mexico Border

By MICHELA FAHY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

By SAMANTHA MINEAR FEATURES EDITOR

On Feb. 7, Campus Ministry held a Common Grounds conversation titled, “Current Realities of Migrants and Asylum Seekers.” The event included a panel featuring Joanna Williams, executive director of the Kino Border Initiative; Power Malu, executive director of Artists, Athletes and Activists; and Adama Bah, a Guinean-born immigration reform activist.

On the topic of the border, the group consensus was made clear by Williams: “The approach to the border since the 1990s has been ‘if we can make people suffer more, then they won’t come to the U.S.’”

The Kino Border Initiative, which she has been working at for several years now, is a Jesuit humanitarian aid organization which seeks to “promote humane, just and workable migration” from their headquarters in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. They process intake forms and provide clothing, food and housing to immigrants who have traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border. Approximately six to seven thousand people come from Mexico to the U.S. border every day, and stricter border laws have made it difficult for them to receive asylum.

Migrants were once processed at the border using the process of “metering,” which meant that only a certain number of people could be considered for passage each day. In addition, if a migrant was seeking asylum and expressed fear of returning to their home country, U.S. officials were required to consider their application on the spot, according to Williams.

However, this policy changed during the Trump administration with the creation of Title 42. Title 42 states that the U.S. Border Patrol is permitted to deny entry to any person who may pose a health risk to the country, including those who qualify for temporary protected status.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, this has resulted in migrants from dozens of countries being rejected from the border, even if they are seeking asylum.

This has required organizations like the Kino Border Initiative to take matters into

their own hands, helping hundreds of migrants with their immigration paperwork. Williams states that, a lot of the time, they feel like “the gatekeepers of asylum.”

“There’s not a day we feel morally okay with it,” she said. However, without humanitarian aid, no migrants would have the opportunity to cross the border.

Power Malu, the executive director of Artists, Athletes and Activists, cited similar experiences working on the frontlines in the immigration fight in New York City. Although New York is a sanctuary city, “it doesn’t feel like it,” he said. This is because “our leadership doesn’t act that way.”

“Things are hard; it’s not easy, but we advocate for them,” said Malu. “They confront a lot of rejection, a lot of mistreatment, a lot of people who are gonna say harsh things, like ‘you’re coming here to take our resources’ or ‘you’re coming here to take our jobs.’”

Despite these obstacles, Malu and his organization continue to fight for New York City’s most vulnerable immigrant communities, especially in the wake of the ongoing migrant crisis.

In October 2022, Texas Governor Greg Abbott began sending buses of migrants to New York City without warning. Many called this move a political power play or an attempt to mock the Democratic party’s strong pro-immigration stances; this is especially true amongst New York legislators such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

The tremendous influx of migrants to New York City placed an “unprecedented burden” on the city’s shelters and resources. Although Mayor Eric Adams refused to turn any buses away, and has attempted to welcome the migrants with open arms, the government has turned to nonprofits and aid organizations to do what they cannot.

“We can never rely on the government to do the work of the people,” said Malu. “If things have not changed at a policy or government level, we have to bring it back to the spirit and soul so that we can truly commit to our role to create real change.”

Artists, Athletes and Activists and its sister organizations have been setting the groundwork and filling in where the govern

The panel featured

has failed. While Malu expressed frustration at how politicians sometimes treat migrants – people – as commodities, he remained unwavering in his commitment to help those he can.

“We owe it to our existence to be able to reach out to one another,” he said.

Adama Bah is another immigration reform activist based in New York City. Born in Guinea, a country in West Africa, she was sixteen when her parents were detained by FBI agents and deported back to their home country. She spent most of her adolescence fighting for asylum and became a U.S. citizen in her early twenties.

In a sphere that is overwhelmingly dominated by Spanishspeaking migrants, Bah spoke on the prevalence of African immigrants and how language barriers affect access. She stated that there is a lack of representation for Black immigrants and, additionally, an increasing need for African and Middle Eastern languages, specifically citing Turkish and Farsi.

After the evacuation of the American soldiers from Iran and the subsequent takeover by the Taliban, Bah expressed her disappointment in how the U.S. government effectively “abandoned” its Iranian allies and American translators. Some that have managed to reach the U.S. are being denied at the border.

The beginning migrant crisis is something that Bah recalled vividly, stating that she learned of

This Week at Fordham

Wednesday Feb. 15

Our Lady’s Chapel 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

Carol Gibney will be hosting Ignation Spirituality and Yoga in the basement of the University Church. Celebrate Wellness Week through reflection. Don’t forget to bring a yoga mat or towel!

Friday Feb. 17

McShane Gallery 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Come to the McShane Gallery this Friday to see how long you can hang from a pullup bar! Round out Wellness Week by testing your strength and learning about shoulder health and grip strength.

Sunday Feb. 19

Rose Hill Gymnasium 3:30 p.m.

Women’s Basketball is hosting George Mason University this Sunday at 3:30 p.m. to celebrate Senior and Alumni Day. Come cheer on the Rams during as they play this competitive A-10 Game!

the first buses by word of mouth.

“Non-profits were not ready for the buses of migrants,” she said.

Familiar with the immigration process by experience, Bah explained that the bureaucracy is the hardest part for those seeking asylum and safe haven.

“They need documents, like marriage licenses,” she said. But many migrants abandon such paperwork in pursuit of safety, leaving them without proof of marriage, birth and other important documentation.

Many asylum applications also require negative pregnancy tests, confirmed by a hospital. Bah stated that she is working with a woman who was sent for a test at 1 p.m. that day; by 7 p.m., she was still waiting. This was commonplace.

“In Texas, the NGOs run the shelters, they do all of the immigration work,” said Bah. Conversely, in New York, advocates are fighting with the bureaucracy and shortcomings of a city that poses itself as safe passage, but is now inundated as a result of political theater.

The migrant crisis of New York is not stopping any time soon, and neither is the growing number of migrants at the southern border. But what remains steadfast is the dozens of groups and individuals who have committed themselves to doing what the government cannot, to serving people with empathy and compassion and to providing them with the resources they need for success and, ultimately, what is most valuable: safety.

Tuesday Feb. 21

JMCC 234-235 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

The Office of Multicultural Affairs will be hosting a game night in collaboration with several other Fordham clubs. Come celebrate Black History Month with OMA while playing fun games!

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Joanna Williams, Power Malu and Adama Bah. ment

Fordham Law Boycotts US News Rankings

FROM RANKINGS, PAGE 1

U.S. News and World Report is known by many users to provide rankings to the public that do not tell the whole picture of a school, disregarding important information that can impact a student’s experience.

Such factors would include student life, alumni connections, school culture and the location of the school. Diller also said he believes rankings do not calculate the most important characteristics of Fordham, which consist of the strength of the faculty, commitment to others, professional values, leadership of alumni within the legal field and warmth of the community as a whole. Moreover, Diller said they do not depict whether a school has the faculty expertise and desired programs that a student may want.

“[Rankings] shoot up or down based on small differences in data and the methodology is deeply flawed,” said Diller.

“At its heart, a unitary ranking of the nation’s 200 law schools that functions like sports standings sows more

misunderstanding than clarity for prospective law students.”

When Diller was asked if he is concerned that Fordham’s popularity amongst law applicants will be negatively affected, he said, “I’m not concerned at all about our popularity… We have one of the best applicant pools in the country and we have no problem attracting applicants… Our graduates have tremendous employment rates across the board, but especially in regard to highly desirable jobs.”

“Prospective law students generally know us or get to know us once they decide they want to go to law school in New York City. And finally, I don’t think U.S. News has helped us attract applicants. To be clear, U.S. News will still rank schools who have withdrawn regardless of their withdrawal. They will rank all the law schools based on publicly available information,” said Diller.

When Diller was applying to law school, he stated that there were no U.S. News rankings and that what mattered in choosing a school was research opportunities, pre-law advisors and network connections. There is

more access to information regarding law schools on the internet. Websites such as lawschooltransparency.com, isac.org and abarequireddisclosures.org are widely used upon potential students.

“I believe that the U.S. News ranked Fordham accurately,” says Jakub Gul, GSB ’26.

“I believe that it’s impossible to quantify the value of school in a number… I believe that faculty and student talent should be ranked publicly, but I do not know if there is a fair way to do that,” says Aakarsh Sriran GSB ’26.

Fordham Law is not the first to disassociate themselves from the U.S. News & World Report. Many of the nation’s top law schools such as Georgetown, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, the University of Michigan, Harvard, UCLA, the University of Virginia and others have already boycotted the ranking system.

With opinions of U.S. News’ rankings growing unfavorable, it is possible that many schools will follow Fordham in their effort.

COURTESY OF FRANCES SCHNEPFF/THE FORDHAM RAM

USG Discusses Ongoing Re-Accreditation Process

By GRACE GALBREATH ASST. NEWS EDITOR

On Thursday, Feb. 9, the Fordham Rose Hill United Student Government (USG) met to discuss campus dining hours and the university’s upcoming Middle States reaccreditation process.

A student representative for the Residence Hall Association (RHA) said that Under the Tent, an annual formal hosted by RHA on Martyrs’ Lawn, will be replaced with a more cost-effective formal.

USG then welcomed Associate Professor Melissa Labonte, Ph.D., and Greer Jason-DiBartolo, Ph.D., associate dean of academic administration, to speak about Fordham’s Middle States Accreditation Process. To maintain the original accreditation first granted in 1921, Fordham is expected to undergo re-accreditation every 8-10 years. This process allows the university a chance to reflect on how

well it achieves and delivers on its mission as well as follows the Middle States’ seven standards for accreditation.

Labonte and Jason-DiBartolo said that although they are in the beginning stages of the accreditation, the process will take around three years and will span from the fall 2022 to summer 2025. They also both stressed that they are dedicated to improving the university, not just receiving the accreditation.

USG Vice President of Operations Lauren Wallczyk, FCRH ’25, said she thinks the accreditation is a great program and is willing to put the team in touch with various Fordham clubs to ensure a wide variety of voices and opinions are heard. Senator Sean Power, FCRH ’24, raised questions about the accreditation timeline and what the USG members can do to help. Labonte and Jason-DiBartolo said the next

steps are to finalize the steering committee and working groups, write a report entitled “the self study design” and prepare for an April visit from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education VP Liaison.

USG Vice President of Diversity Equity and Inclusion Briana Al-Omoush, FCRH ’24, asked what benefits an accredited university receives. Labonte and Jason-DiBartolo said the accreditation brings more value and credit to the university by verifying it is delivering on its public message. They also mentioned federal government-provided funding as a benefit.

Al-Omoush also raised concerns about ensuring diversity is an important value for the university in the accreditation process. Labonte and Jason-DiBartolo said they are prepared to work hard in collaboration with Rafael Zapata, chief diversity officer, and

Fordham Law has joined dozens of schools in ditching U.S. News rankings. to an increase in the meal plan cost. Sponseller said it would not.

that they recognize ensuring positive change is a constant process. Executive President Santiago Vidal, FCRH ’24, said that USG will be happy to provide the accreditation team with all relevant information regarding clubs numbers and budgets.

USG also recognized the Asian Cultural Alliance (ACE) as the USG January club of the month.

Tiberius Benaissa, GSB ’25, was recognized as the USG January senator of the month.

Daniel Sponseller, FCRH ’25, along with Mikaela Casanova, GSB ’26, and Nicola D’Abundo, FCRH ’26, presented a proposal to extend the operating hours of the Marketplace. Sponseller requested that the Marketplace remain open from 6:30 a.m.-11:00 p.m. and said he is currently working with a representative from Aramark. Jack Glynn, GSB ’25, questioned whether these changes would directly lead

Molly Ewing, FCRH ’25, presented a budget request on behalf of the Committee on Sexual Misconduct to fund activities celebrating Women’s History Month. The budget was approved. Keegan Roeder, FCRH ’23, presented the USG’s Statement on the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

Students Receive Suspicious Spam Emails

By GRACE GALBREATH ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Recently, multiple Fordham students have reported receiving spam emails under the guise of internship opportunities. Titled “Internships and job opportunities for CS majors,” the emails claim to include a link to RippleMatch, a professional online recruiting platform.

Fordham Information Technology Services (IT) has notified students of the spam emails and recommends students delete them upon receipt. Bob Howe, assistant vice president of communications at Fordham, said that

while these emails are infrequent, they are sometimes sent to Fordham email addresses.

Howe said, “Occasionally, spam emails of various kinds are sent to the Fordham Community. Fordham uses Proofpoint to protect the @fordham.edu addresses from a constant barrage of spam and other unwanted emails. Of course, one or two may slip through from time to time, but the majority of nefarious emails are kept at bay.”

To distinguish between valid and invalid emails, students should always look closely at the organization through which emails are sent.

“All legitimate emails will come

from an address @fordham.edu, and not from gmail.com, yahoo. com, hotmail.com, etc... Also, Fordham will only communicate with students to their @fordham. edu address and not the students’ own personal email addresses,” said Howe.

Additionally, emails from outside the Fordham organization include a small message called an External Email Warning. This warning notifies Fordham email users when they are sending or receiving emails from addresses outside of the organization. This tool provides students with an extra layer of protection and

security. Although there is no direct way for Fordham IT to stop spam emails, Howe recommends students follow any necessary steps that will protect their emails from spam.

“There isn’t any way to stop these emails from being sent to students’ personal email addresses outside of Fordham University. Taking precautions, and ensuring that the sender is a legitimate member of the Fordham community, sending from a real @fordham.edu address is always recommended,” said Howe.

Abigael Hartlieb, FCRH ’25, said that although she has not re-

cently received any spam emails to her Fordham email account, she doesn’t think Fordham provides enough resources to students when it comes to protecting themselves against spam. “I haven’t received any email from Fordham warning about them,” she said.

Howe mentioned IT resources that are offered to Fordham students as guides for navigating possible spam emails. He recommends the account @FordhamSecureIT on both Facebook and Twitter. Additionally, the IT Service Desk is available to help students in-person at JMCC 229 and via email.

COURTESY OF FACEBOOK Fordham's USG discussed many issues.

USG Faces Backlash Amid Budget Changes

commit will become an “official member” and receive “priority signups.” The money will be used to support their regular programming.

“We in no way intended to limit funding to any club,” said the United Student Government Vice President of Finance, Eron Maltzman, GSB ’25. “With that said, this past semester, we received the largest amount of requests we have ever seen. We capped each club at a $5,000 funding limit.”

The USG Budgeting Committee that Maltzman heads is responsible for allocating money to student clubs and organizations.

Fordham has over 130 student organizations, with USG receiving new requests every week. Some clubs fall defunct per semester, but there is an overall net increase in organizations requesting funds.

For some clubs, like the Fordham Historical Society, this was not a dramatic change.

“Our club is able to operate on small expenses,” said Treasurer Joseph Ryan, FCRH ’24. “We switched to some alternatives that allowed us to keep the same number of events which were a bit cheaper and still provide a cool experience for our members.”

For others like the Outdoors Club, however, this was disastrous for the club’s structure.

“We received no notice about the changes. Our budget was

completely denied except for one of our requests,” said Reynolds. “We average around $20,000 a semester for our budget, and we received $5,000 this semester. As you can imagine, this has been somewhat devastating for our club function.”

Clubs at the university are classified by being either “block-funded” or “non-blockfunded.” A block-funded club is a club that applies for a “predetermined lump sum allocation on Budget Day.” However, if a club chooses to become block-funded (and if they qualify, to which there is a lengthy criteria), they cannot request additional funding throughout the year. This prevents many clubs — whose budgets operate based on their fluctuating membership and participation base — from becoming block-funded, and, therefore, vulnerable to getting the financial axe.

“While $5,000 sounds like a lot,” said Reynolds, “our passes for indoor climbing alone cost upwards of $6,000.”

Reynolds also emphasized the importance of keeping these events accessible.

“Our mission is making the outdoors financially accessible to students. I want to help Fordham students have access to an industry and environment that can be extremely cost prohibitive.”

While tuition has increased, many students perceive that

club budgeting has remained the same. “A $135 fee is included in every student's tuition and the sum of all of these fees is where the Budget Committee’s funding comes from,” said Maltzman. The number has been the same since 2013, even though he said that “the cost of a club’s event 5 years ago is almost half of the price the same event costs now.”

This year, USG has received more requests for funding than ever before, according to Maltzman. Additionally, the costs of club activities and supplies continue to rise as membership spikes across the board.

Only 30% of the sum of student activities fees is allotted for the Office of Student Involvement, and most of it is permanently allotted to Campus Activities Board (CAB).

“We understand that students are upset and rightfully so,” said Maltzman. “President Vidal and I assure students that we are working toward a solution to increase the student activities fee and ensure that this does not become a recurring issue.”

It is uncertain whether an increase of the student activities fee would involve money moved between departments or an overall increase in tuition costs.

Moving forward, clubs will have to adapt their programming to the universal $5,000 budget, though USG encourages club leaders to continue to submit budget appeals in an attempt to get more funding.

Updates on Phase 2 of the McMcShane Campus Center Construction

FROM

UPDATES,

is nearly completed. However, the interior is not even close to being finished.

According to the Fordham website, Phase 2 should be completed by the end of 2023. The building will feature natural light due to glass ceilings and will be a major addition to the Fordham campus, as it is meant to provide more space for students to bond together or study.

During Phase 3, the interior space of what was originally

the McGinley Center will include a variety of new features such as a new marketplace with new menu choices, a larger space for student meeting rooms used for clubs and organizations, a ballroom with the capacity to hold 800 people and a brand new strength and conditioning center for Fordham athletics.

Some students may find the project to be disruptive as a result of the sounds of construction and beeping trucks during early morning hours.

Residents of Loyola Hall said they are particularly affected by the noise, because that the building is located across from the newly-built McShane Campus Center.

“I heard the jack hammer going off at 9 a.m… I feel that construction is being done at the most inconvenient times very early in the morning, which disrupts students’ sleep,” said Aakarsh Sriran, GSB ’26.

Although some students may find the work to be disruptive, others do not seem to have any

issue with it.

“I do not find the construction disruptive. If anything, I am excited to see what Fordham has in store for its students,” said Jakub Gul, GSB ’26.

“The construction doesn’t bother me too much. The project seems to be kept contained at McShane so that less noise is generated,” said James Reilly, FCRH ’26.

Various students said they hope that the construction will finally be completed by the end of the 2024 spring semester, as

they said they are excited to see what the final project has to entail.

Fordham’s Campus Activity Board Hosts Valentine’s Week

at an off-campus dining establishment, Pugsley's Pizza.

On Feb. 8, the CAB Concert Committee, who plans the Spring Weekend concert, hosted a giveaway for four different concerts this month at Webster Hall. The raffle included tickets to Fitz and The Tantrums, Claire Rosinkranz, DVSN and Chappell Roan.

CAB’s Cinevents Committee is known for hosting showings of movies for each holiday season. On Feb. 9, Cinevents streamed “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” which many know was a Valentine's Day classic.

On Friday, Feb. 10, CABs Weekend Activities Committee hosted a Valentine’s Day-themed bingo. They gave away prizes including massage gift cards, movie and dinner gift cards,

weighted blankets, flowers and teddy bears.

“I went to bingo for the first time on Friday and I was literally on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was so much fun seeing others do the same,” said Norah Mosquea, FCRH ’25. “When I saw that I had cleared my whole board I screamed at the top of my lungs ‘Bingo!’”

On Tuesday, February 14

CAB hosted Rom-Com Movie Bingo at 7p.m. in Keating 1st.

On Wednesday, Feb. 15 from 4-6 p.m. in the McShane Gallery, the CAB General Board is having an event. The General Board is bringing back stuffa-plush, in which students will be able to choose between building their own raccoon, dinosaur, sloth or teddy bear stuffed animal.

“With our event being the day after Valentine’s Day, our Gen Board devoted itself to take the route of self-love,” said co-chair of CAB’s General Board Alyssa Curcio, FCRH ’24. The event will have a table to build your own self care bag, an affirmation station, snacks and candy and the newlywed game (for platonic or romantic relationships).

The General Board will also have a table featuring Parade to give out free apparel in all sizes to students, first come first serve.

To close off the holiday week CAB’s Special Events Committee will be tabling on Thursday, Feb. 16 for a variety of giveaways. Follow @fordhamcab on Instagram to stay up-to-date with all the events that they are throwing this semester.

Rock climbing is a popular event for the Outdoors Club, but passes are expensive.

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

VALENTINE, PAGE 1

FROM

Student Life Council Discusses Steering Committee and Club Absences

FROM STEERING, PAGE 1 going to submit.

There are seven standards that the Middle States uses for evaluation. As part of the self-study, Jason-DiBartaolo explained that there is also a set of institutional priorities. In addition to fulfilling the seven standards and requirements of the Middle States, the university has to outline these school-specific priorities.

“[They] are what is important to us right now at this moment in our history,” said Jason-DiBartaolo.

She explained that there are four institutional priorities that include positioning “Fordham as a leader in the creation and advancement of knowledge,” “enhanc[ing] the holistic student experience,” “cultivat[ing] a diverse, equitable, inclusive, caring and connected community” and “promot[ing] institutional vitality and continuous improvement.”

Jason-DiBartaolo noted that the Steering Committee has an email (selfstudy2025@fordham. edu), where any students can send in questions.

The next agenda item was the student intoxication transports updates that Charles Clency, director of residence life, discussed. There were 11 intoxications and one refusal to medical assistance (RMA) compared to eight intoxications and one RMA last spring.

Kleintop then opened the floor for any comments from the gallery.

Alexander Yankovksy, FCRH ’24, who is president of Model United Nations and secretary of the Fordham Debate Society, raised an issue on behalf of clubs.

Yankovksy discussed that his clubs compete against other big schools, such as Yale and Harvard, to show their worth in competition. But, because of Fordham’s club student absence policy, they are unable to do this.

“We were informed last semester that the student absence policy was going to change,” said Yankovksy.

Yankovksy explained that they were denied excused absences despite how in his previous years at Fordham club-approved trips were excused. This then leaves it up to the professor whether or not the students are able to miss the class.

“Students that participate are smart and dedicated and will make up [the] work that they miss,” said Yankovksy. “This creates a massive issue for us, for the future, for the survival of these clubs.”

Yankovksy had two other agenda items but asked for any comments.

Santiago Vidal, FCRH ’24, executive president of USG, followed up on Alex’s point. He said that he followed up on the policy before with FCRH, and he got a response that clubs do not have any absences available for this semester because of the school trying to uphold credit hours for classes.

Eron Maltzman, vice president of finance and budgets, GSB ’25, asked whether this would apply to all clubs, such as SPOON University, if they wanted to go on a food outing.

Yankovksy responded by saying that since they are competitive, like other sports teams, they need the excused absences. His main point was that “the policy was there and then it was gone,” and they were left having to deal with it.

Christopher Rodgers, dean of stu-

dents, responded to Maltzman’s point that the question has been raised in the past about the validity of the absence and parameters of the policy. He also asked if the written policy was changed or just the way it was implemented.

Yankovksy responded that to his knowledge the policy was that university-funded events were eligible for excused absences. Previously, he would fill it out and get accepted, but now he gets denied. He does not know if the written policy was specifically changed.

Vidal mentioned that sports and athletics that want to travel on the day of classes are university-sanctioned, so they can submit an excused absence.

Alessandra Carino, FCRH ’23, president of the Commuting Students Association, mentioned that following up with athletics might help, and they could be an ally to the situation.

Aftering concluding the topic, Kleintop asked about his other agenda item.

Yankovksy explained that any sort of overnight travel requires a chaperone. He explained that it is an added cost for the club, and it can be difficult to find a chaperone who has time to attend. In addition, sometimes the chaperone is not knowledgeable about the subject, so they do not add any knowledge to the experience besides chaperoning.

Kleintop asked if the council had any discussion to raise.

“Have you ever had to cancel your trip because you have not been able to find a

chaperone?” asked Rodgers.

While it has not happened yet, Yankovksy explained that it has been a possibility before.

Catherine McGlade, assistant dean of student involvement, encouraged clubs to work with their advisors first and extended an invite to them to reach out if they needed help finding a chaperone. In addition, she added that an overnight trip can have risks associated with it, so someone needs to be there to connect with the university in case of an emergency.

The next agenda item was going over Campus Activities Board’s (CAB) recent events.

Ava Devita, president of CAB, FCRH ’23, said that the club had multiple Valentine’s events throughout the week, and it was planning to have Spring Weekend in the last week of April.

Carino went over Commuting Students Association’s recent events. Carino noted that programming will still have a Commuter Week, but it will now be a Commuter Month.

Nicole Jara Andrade, a graduate intern at the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), said that Martin Luther King Junior Week was completed and that the association was working on Women’s History Month next. They are also working on the diversity graduation celebrations.

For USG updates, Vidal had multiple items. At their next meeting, the board/team planned a statement on Turkey and Syria, a proposal to extend

the hours of the Marketplace and a proposal to subsidize the cost of expensive STEM books.

Lauren Walcyzk, FCRH ’23, who is vice president of operations for USG, said there were 25 new club applications received. She then went over previous years of club applications that were received and which ones became defunct.

Maltzman said the biggest update for his committee was that people are concerned about funding and why they didn’t receive their normal amounts. He explained that this year had the highest value of requests that were ever seen: there were more clubs, more participants and, in general, more inflation than in past years.

Arlene Ganess, assistant director for student organizations and programming, gave an update about the club fair. She said that there were just under 160 tables, and the entire student center was utilized.

Next, Stephanie Sheehan, assistant director for leadership, development and training, talked about resident assistant updates. Sheehan said the team is in the hiring process for resident assistants, and they had a successful event with athletics.

Clency said they are actively engaged in room selection that went live on Feb. 1 and closes Feb. 15.

After a few more remarks on the club fair, the floor was opened for more discussion after finishing the agenda items, and the meeting concluded when there were no more items.

Sophomore Researches Carol Parish During the Reconstruction Era

By EMMA KARN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

George Voelker, FCRH ’25, is an honors student majoring in history. In summer 2022, he conducted research mentored by Westenley Alcenat, Ph.D., in the Fordham history department. The work centered around a county in Louisiana known as Carol Parish during the Reconstruction Era, a period from 1863-1880 when Union troops arrived in the American South after the Civil War.

In the context of rampant white violence against Black voters and officials, Carol Parish was the one of the only parishes where Black people could vote fairly without reprisal. Voelker was interested in examining what allowed Carol Parish to evolve differently than neighboring parishes. He began his research in 1867, when Congress passed the Reconstruction Acts, disbanding Southern governments and requiring them to rewrite their constitutions to include Black suffrage. Carol Parish had a Black majority population that held power for elections.

They elected carpetbaggers, a term for rich white Northerners who came to the South, who then tried to keep Black people out of power and enrich themselves. They formed police juries, which could be described as a board of commissioners

with control over the parish money. They had the power to issue warrants and bonds, and through crooked means, plundered the parish treasury. Because of this dishonesty, resistance began to grow from Black voters who wanted more representation.

In 1873, a revolt arose against the carpetbaggers and their leader George Benham. Black voters came together to write articles of denunciation.

Nicholas Burton, the county sheriff, was one of the few Black men who held official power. He committed an act of resistance by firing George Benham’s brother, the deputy sheriff, and replacing him with a Black man. Voelker explains, “This was basically a declaration of war.”

Alongside these two key figures of Carol Parish, Voelker mentions a third man: Jacques Gla. Gla was a free-born Black man from New Orleans who was wealthy and educated and thus became a leader in the Black community. His ideals aligned more with the old Democratic party. The state senate election in which Benham and Gla were competing for a seat was filled with allegations of voter fraud.

While the Benham faction won in Carol Parish, the seat was determined by the votes of both Carol and Madison Parish,

another majority Black parish, and Gla was able to win the senate seat by a small margin.

Voelker identifies 1875 as a defining year, in which a corruption scandal changed the course of the Carol Parish government. The parish tax collector, a white man named R.K. Anderson, collected taxes in gold currency and then paid the police jury in parish bonds, which, Voelker notes, were “practically worthless.”

Wealthy Democrats were angry and formed a taxpayer’s union. In response to this, Voelker said, “The police jury decided to make some concessions to placate them.” When the jury allowed some members of the union to go over the account books, they found information implicating Anderson and W.W. Benham — George Benham’s brother — in the theft of thousands of dollars from the government.

There was “a massive political fallout” after this discovery,” said Voelker. It was enough to fully loosen the grip of the Benham faction on parish politics. “Guilty by association,” said Voelker.

In 1878, white Democrats streamed into Black parishes in violent redemption campaigns to stop Black voters of the western Louisiana delta, also known as bulldozing. Black members of police juries were forced to

resign at gunpoint. Great numbers of Black people moved to Kansas in order to escape this terrorism and violence. However, Carol Parish was largely exempt both from the bulldozing and from this exodus. In fact, by 1880 the parish reached the height of Black political power. Most of the members of the police jury were Black, as was the sheriff, justice of the peace, and constable.

Voelker argues that this is a direct result of the peace in Carol Parish. Why did these Democrats decide not to undertake a bulldozing campaign like their peers in neighboring parishes?

Voelker says it all goes back to 1867, when the first radical Reconstruction governments appeared. In the rest of the parishes, these same governments elected in the beginning of Reconstruction maintained their power — but, in Carol Parish, the shift in power from the

Benham faction to the Gla faction was a crucial event. “It’s an issue of relativity,” says Voelker. “The conservative Black Republicans under Gla represented a…moderate approach that was more acceptable to the Democrats.”

Voelker, a native of New Orleans himself, spent time in the East Carol Courthouse conducting this research. He consulted lawsuits, newspaper reels and secondary source materials written about these events.

He is now engaged in publishing his work in an academic journal –his publication draft is currently undergoing internal review within the Fordham History Department.

He will also present his work at the Undergraduate Research Symposium. He plans to continue working with Alcenat in the summer of 2023, studying Black immigration to Haiti in the Antebellum period. Voelker says he continues to be interested in studying “enduring Black political independence and success in the post-Reconstruction period.”

Voelker researched Carol Parish in Louisiana during the Reconstruction Era.

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Fighting Mediocrity & Embracing Ambitions

Considering I’m roughly halfway through freshman year, writing a reflection as my first From The Desk doesn’t seem fitting. After endlessly scrolling through the opinion section for ideas, I found that deeply pensive and thoughtful pieces are characteristically reserved for first-semester seniors. However, I want to use this space to reflect on my past. Admittedly, because I read online that reflective writing prepares a person for their later endeavors, I still have very little idea of what I’m doing with my life during and following Fordham. So maybe by the end of writing this, I’ll have a better sense of what I’m supposed to do for the foreseeable future.

By the end of high school, I realized I was remarkably unremarkable. I can’t say I’m terrible at anything, but I seem to have no standout trait, either. I was always more of a “participation award” type of person instead of a front-of-the-newspaper athlete or an academic prodigy, bouncing between various clubs, sports teams and jobs throughout my high school career. As a skier, cross-country runner, Model UN president and restaurant hostess, I’d say I was pretty decent. I think the problem lay with the fact that everyone around me seemed to have figured it all out, and I just couldn’t put my finger on any remarkable and rewardable ability — I somehow didn’t possess one. My new plan was to try any possible route until I

had the breakthrough moment: the “this is it. This is what I need to do.” Although, waiting for a wake-up call definitely wasn’t my best move. By the time I was 16, my older brother had already spent an estimated quarter of his life watching movies and was applying for specialized colleges in the film industry. My best friend was — and is still — one of the best runners in Massachusetts and had her heart set on the Middlebury track and field team. Even my high school motto seemed to be mocking me: “Find your fire.” College application season soon loomed over the fall of my senior year, and I struggled to identify anything that would elevate my Common App essays. All I knew was that I needed to go to school in New York City, and after months of intensive research, I believed the core curriculum at Fordham would help me find my footing. The last thing I needed was to be more “well-rounded,” as Fordham’s website advertises, but I immediately fell in love with the school after several campus visits and knew it was the place for me.

Upon arriving at Fordham, I knew who I was and where I was going. I was on the pre-law track majoring in humanitarian studies, minoring in peace and justice studies and heavily considering the 3/3 program, in which I would have to transition to Fordham Law as a senior. Additionally, much to my academic advisor’s terror, I was taking six

classes instead of the required five, writing articles for the Ram every week, working on a 10-page legal dissertation for the Law Review, coxing for the Division 1 Women’s Rowing Team and leading the legal team at a non-profit organization in Manhattan.

I constantly wonder how much my parents dread my weekly calls. Three weeks ago, I told them my life passion was to become a foreign correspondent for the New York Times, and I wanted to major in journalism. I spent at least two hours Googling “the best graduate programs for journalism” and “can I survive living in NYC on a journalism paycheck?” A week later, I denounced both and intended to double major in anthropology and political science. Last week, I took refuge in the Three Jewels at a Zen Buddhist temple on the Upper East Side and decided to minor in Religious Studies. At this point, no one in my family is

Editorial | Unhoused Population

surprised by my drastic, constant lifestyle changes.

In all honesty, it was really cleansing to get this all out of my system. Who knows? Maybe you’ll see me on stage next week if I temporarily settle on a theatrical pursuit… that seems to be the only industry I haven’t tried yet. But if Fordham and all of my random endeavors have taught me anything so far, it’s to stop resisting mediocrity. Being adequate and equally decent at everything is now one of my favorite aspects about myself. Unfortunately, I’ve made the mistake of fighting that my whole life when I should have embraced my ability to drift in and out of everything I’ve done with ease. And don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. If you want to be entertained, you can find me at the Ram production night in the McShane basement every Tuesday night — I’m sure that I’ll have some great new life ambitions to tell you about.

NYC Neglects Homeless Amidst Arctic Temps

New York is no stranger to extreme weather, experiencing the gamut from brutal winter snow storms to deluges of rain from summer tropical storms. Fordham itself has experienced the consequences that these severe weather events can cause, forcing the university to close the basement of Walsh Library for a year of repairs after a particularly nasty flood in September 2021. The first weekend of February brought the next severe weather event to New York: an arctic blast, bringing temperatures in New York down into the low single digits.

New York City rallied behind the communities in all five boroughs in an effort to keep their residents warm and sheltered during the worst of the weather event. Mayor Eric Adams declared a Code Blue for all five boroughs on Feb. 2, meaning any New Yorker that was unhoused could not be denied entry to a shelter while the code was in effect. Adams also made sure a larger outreach team was assembled to try to get as many people out of the cold and into a shelter as possible.

Aside from posting tips for residents on how to handle the cold weather, there didn’t seem to be much specific action in individual boroughs. The official New York City webpage outlined the steps the city was taking to keep its residents safe, but the city simply

seemed to be on standby, waiting until something happened to then solve it. Several departments that serve New York City, such as the Department of Buildings and the Department of Sanitation, had extra staff on hand should a problem arise related to heating and water access. However, looking at several other cities’ and states’ responses to the bitter cold shows that New York needed to do more. Boston had several more initiatives to actively assist their residents through the arctic blast. The Governor of Massachusetts, Maura Healey, kept the doors unlocked to the major train hub, South Station, to offer an additional shelter option. The Mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, similarly to Adams, declared a cold emergency but took it one step further by closing public schools in the city. This was done out of fear of students getting hypothermia or frostbite during the commute to school.

Erie County opened several warming shelters during the day before the cold weather set in. Maine followed suit and opened 150 shelters by the morning of Feb. 3 with more still to come. The only mention of repurposing spaces in New York City as warming shelters is the Long Island Railroad leaving its waiting rooms open overnight. However, the LIRR does not have spaces in all five boroughs, meaning the city needed to look into finding

other spaces throughout the entirety of New York City.

A moral question comes to mind after reading the responses different cities, counties and states have had to the arctic blast moving through the Northeast: why does it take extreme weather for us to start putting a concerted effort into caring for the unhoused population? Access to shelter is a basic human right, but several locations were opened or remained open during the day when that is not normally the case. The unhoused population deserves to access these warm and safe shelter options no matter the temperature outside, but it takes an extreme for our humanity to shine through.

Additionally, the language of Code Blue is disconcerting. The Code Blue states that anyone cannot be denied access to shelter while the code is in effect, but this suggests that there are times when this is not the case. No one should be denied access to

shelter, no matter the environmental conditions. It should not take a severe weather event for leaders to start investigating the support and resources available to unhoused populations. Clearly, the resources are lacking if so much has to be done when severe weather conditions arise. A concerted effort needs to be made to improve support and access to resources year-round.

Overall, New York City’s response to the arctic blast was fine, if not a little passive, especially compared to the more active solutions put forth by other Northeast territories. But, a deeper problem has become increasingly more evident and requires urgent attention to rectify: the support and access to resources for New York City’s large unhoused population.

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

It’s Time For Joe to Go: Biden Shouldn’t Run Again

By MICHAEL DUKE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

It’s no secret that the past two years have been a tumultuous time in the United States, especially under the authority of President Joe Biden. A dangerous and neglectful border policy, the abandoning of Afghanistan that has led to unstable conditions in South Central Asia and open threats to the United States’ safety, the Ukrainian war crisis and an increase in prices are amongst many of the various blunders that the Biden administration is responsible for. It is because of the numerous missteps this administration has overseen that lead many to ask President Biden not only to not seek reelection, but to step to the side in his current term. Though, the prospect of a 2024 presidential contest without President Biden as the top Democrat opens up a can of worms for not only his own party, but the Republican Party as well, it is my opinion that a Bidenless party is the Democrat’s best chance in 2024.

With the State of the Union address still being fresh in the minds of many in the nation, people on both sides of the aisle are praising Biden for not only being able to finish his speech, but for bringing about an odd sense of unity in a period where we least expect it. Biden championed bipartisanship and administrative successes in his address, which not only positioned him to a place where it might be easy for many in his party to back him in a run in 2024, but dismisses any challenge to his bid. Despite his successes, there is still much up in the air about his candidacy and what he offers that his

opponents lack. Being an incumbent, Biden has his current office to thank for the lack of contest coming out of his party against him, but has plenty of scrutiny coming from across the aisle. Using many of the issues discussed so far against him, Republicans have Biden playing defense and have forced him to present arguments in places his predecessors have not had to. Though, one thing in Biden’s favor is that is that he is not one person in particular, former President Donald Trump.

Trump announced his bid late last year and has been vocally opposed to Biden’s policies and administration, having claimed false and dangerous narratives that the 2020 election was “rigged” and stolen from him. Biden, having won the electoral college by 74 votes three years ago, ran on the promise that he would end the COVID-19 pandemic and would reverse many of the Trump-era policies, but I find that he lacks a firm platform that would distinguish himself in the field and present himself as the common sense candidate. This, in my view, is a problem for Biden. Running solely as the anti-MAGA candidate has failed for not only Democrats, but Republican challengers to Trumpendorsed candidates in primaries and elections in the 2022 midterm elections. In fact, the only Trump-endorsed candidate who lost his primary was former North Carolina Representative Madison Cawthorn with an additional 34 of 233 preferred candidates losing to democrat challengers in the midterms compared to Biden’s 67% primary endorsement success rate for his 12 preferred candidates. Without a constant headline to

run on that would position himself ahead of Trump, Biden has an uphill battle, especially with the soft approval ratings he’s been receiving from voters for the past two years.

Though, a Biden ticket itself is something that Democrat leaders have reason to be fearful of. Many see Biden as a one-trick-pony and has nothing to offer, which is distant from the Democratic Party’s message to their base and independent voters. Critics attribute this issue of disconnect to Biden’s age, hence his low ratings on topics and issues of the economy, jobs and other domestic issues when compared with his predecessors. However, with the recent midterms coming to an official end with Kevin McCarthy being elected speaker, there is much that the Democratic Party has to champion. The first Black minority leader of the house, Hakeem Jeffries (DNY), was elected by his party to a leadership position in the House, and the Democratic Party overtook the “Red Wave” and washed it out, losing fewer seats in the house than expected having even picked up a senate seat with Sen. John Fetterman’s win over Dr. Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania.

Overall, the Democratic platform itself is strong looking ahead to 2024, especially with issues being in national conversation which Democrats typically fare better with when compared with Republicans. Topics like reproductive rights, immigration and healthcare are amongst those that the party is focusing on, but seems to leave Biden behind on.

This seems to be the main issue of the question of Biden, as his party is connected to their base, but he

is too focused on the wrong things. Republicans want a strong border, a robust and stable economy and a strong foreign policy. On the other hand Democrats want progressive solutions to domestic problems and tout common sense responses to everyday issues. However, Biden seems to go around his party’s platform and focus on issues he has already conquered. Repeatedly claiming COVID-19 is over yet pushing for more action on the issue of COVID-19, comparable to his action on climate change or healthcare, are examples of safety topics Biden keeps running back to for brownie points within his block of supporters. This is problematic for his cause in 2024 as most voters are concerned with the real issues, those most impactful on their daily lives, and not the issues of two or more years ago.

Thankfully for Biden, when put up against Trump, most voters fall into their party lines and Biden beat Trump once and can do it again. But, with a negativelyviewed vice president running alongside him, a failed political agenda and a robust field of conservative challengers, it might be time for Biden to step to the side and let a more ambitious and exhilarating candidate take the wheel

for the Democratic Party in 2024. Whether that is Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar or New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, the Democratic Party has a vast number of qualified candidates to challenge republican titans like Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley, former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor. With the world moving on from COVID-19, many in our nation want an exciting candidate who will tackle the issues that matter, lead by example and most importantly, be the figure that many in America would be proud to claim as their president. Unfortunately for Biden, his image and administration seems to be too plagued by itself to match his party’s speed and keep up with the competition. If Biden were to step to the side and endorse another candidate for 2024, he would allow his party to potentially put forth and elect someone from a more diverse background who will fight for America and represent her in ways that he hasn’t been able to.

Despite Progress, Indonesia Will Still Rely on Coal Power

By SAISHA ISLAM CONTRIBUTING WRITER

In order to reduce global warming effects, Indonesia plans to build a green industrial park with an area of 40,000 acres which would “become a hub for green manufacturing using the country’s vast mineral reserves.”

Along with this, in November 2022 world leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, and financial institutions announced a $20 billion deal to help Indonesia get off coal power and move towards more renewable energy sources.

This deal seeks to shift Indonesia’s power sector by about seven years and “result in a cumulative reduction of more than 300 megatons in greenhouse gas emissions through 2030 and a reduction of well above two gigatons through 2060.” A similar plan was employed with South Africa, and the goal of these deals are to serve as a model for multiple industrializing countries to transition the economy from coal to renewable energy in a more secure way.

Although the plans for a new

green industrial park seem like a step in the right direction, this would take many years with Indonesia planning to build more coal plants in the meantime. Indonesia’s push to build more coal plants should not be endorsed.

Indonesia’s plan to build more coal plants contradicts the deal to help Indonesia to shut down current coal plants. Indonesia currently has “more coal power than it can use,” with 60% of its electricity coming from the carbon-emission-heavy energy source. The $20 billion deal would allow Indonesia to transition off coal plants in an easier economic manner and have the added benefit of decreasing fossil fuel emissions. Yet there is a loophole in the deal which allows Indonesia to keep building coal plants if “they are already in the pipeline or attached to nationally strategic projects like the green park in Indonesian Borneo.”

While the new deal may help Indonesia transition to reduced emissions in a more secure and economic manner, in the long run there will be no change as new coal plants would still be

built. The building of these new coal plants would add to the problems from climate change as research shows that “to keep warming less than 1.5 degrees Celsius and avoid the worst effects of climate change, there must be ‘no new development of unabated coal-fired power plants.’” In the end, there would need to be another plan to transition off those coal plants which would put Indonesia back to where it was before.

Many are also worried about the connections between politicians and coal plants. The owner of the new green park is a coal billionaire and whose brother is the Minister of State Owned Enterprises. In addition, politician Luhut Pandjaitan who is helping the deal get off the ground also has holdings in coal. While the government tries to reassure that there are no vested political interests in which coal plants will get built or remain, there is still worry over the ties between officials working on the new deal and coal.

Consequently, Indonesia’s renewable energy industry faces roadblocks which limit them

from the targets of the new deal. For example, Indonesia has “a price cap that keeps coal prices artificially low,” which allows renewable energy industries to sell electricity at a lower price in order to be able to compete.

Although Indonesia wishes to transition away from coal, new uses for coal are still being looked into like being able to turn coal into gas for cooking which “in addition to having high emissions, is expensive and requires subsidies.” International banks also provide support for coal plants by financially investing in these new developments.

In conclusion, while the new deal sounds beneficial in helping

Indonesia smoothly transition to more renewable energy sources, there are obstacles that would reduce the impact of this deal. Although this new deal sets ambitious goals, the funding for new coal plants and developments would counteract any progress being made. Reaching zero emissions for Indonesia is a high goal to set and in order to achieve it, there shouldn’t be any loopholes which cause setbacks. Indonesia currently has more coal power than the demand and building more plants won’t help anyone.

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

Michael Duke, GSB ’26, is undecided from Scottsdale, Ariz.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Biden needs to step aside and endorse another Democrat for a 2024 run.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Despite potential environmental benefits, Indonesia will likely still rely on coal.

The United States Was Right to Burst China’s Bubble

By CLAIRE BICKEL CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The balloon found floating over the U.S. on Wednesday, Feb. 1 was discovered to be a Chinese craft meant to gather intelligence, and the U.S. government was right to shoot it down. This was days after it had first entered American airspace over Alaska, re-entered over Idaho and eventually moved along the jet stream to Montana, where many citizens spotted it, describing it as a “big round disk in the sky.”

After days of travel across the U.S. and multiple statements from both the Biden administration and the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the balloon was shot down by an F-22 six miles off the coast of South Carolina.

But many question whether the actions taken, such as shooting down the balloon and canceling the Secretary of State

Anthony Blinkin’s diplomatic trip to Beijing, were overreactions. The simple answer is no, they weren’t overreactions.

First, the balloon was not a weather craft as the Chinese Foreign Ministry had claimed; instead, according to the U.S. government, it was undoubtedly a balloon equipped with instruments for espionage, such as camera surveillance technology. While the balloon did not gather much more than what

Chinese satellites can already glean from space, the balloon entered U.S. airspace, put bases on alert and disrupted air travel in multiple states. Therefore, while not an immediate threat to the U.S. or its citizens, the balloon was still a threat and a clear breach of U.S. sovereignty.

During a time when state sovereignty is being challenged through Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a visible breach of this extent should not be allowed to continue without attention and response.

Additionally, while flying over Montana, the balloon alarmed Pentagon officials because the state is home to the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, one of three U.S. Air Force bases that operate and maintain intercontinental ballistic missiles. Moreover, the balloon would have passed over multiple other IBM sites through its path in the jet stream. This prospect made the balloon much more dangerous than it originally seemed.

Finally, the balloon was posted to social media, where the whole world watched a spy balloon fly across the U.S. Perhaps if the balloon stayed high enough that it couldn’t be seen from the ground, the Biden administration would have been able to remain passive; however, within view, this was not an option.

Had Biden not taken action, the world would be watching a blatant breach of sovereignty go ignored.

As for the question of whether the government under-reacted, the answer is the same as before; no, the actions were not an underreaction. As a whole, the situation was handled in a manner befitting the offense. Nevertheless, there are people on Twitter calling for the invasion of China over the incident. This is both detrimental to the country’s health and an unrealistic response.

The balloon was said to be relatively harmless — but shooting it down, especially over the ocean where no damage to people or infrastructure could occur, was the correct decision. The breach of sovereignty and careless espionage from China could not be allowed to continue unchecked.

Moreover, the tension added to US-China relations from shooting down the balloon is an unfortunate byproduct of a necessary action. It would not be responsible for the U.S. to have allowed a foreign aircraft to float around its airspace unchecked. Regardless of whether or not the U.S. shot down the balloon, relations would have been damaged because of the balloon’s presence. The State Department would still remember the breach of sovereignty; it

would simply be less public. In this case, China’s anger, while predictable, is not justified as they were the aggressor in this scenario.

The only action that could be considered an overreaction is the cancellation of Secretary Blinkin’s diplomatic trip to Beijing. Tensions have escalated over the incident; however, it is an objectively minor issue.

Jessica Chen Weiss, a political scientist at Cornell University, said the decision to cancel Mr. Blinken’s trip “confirms the low expectations going into the trip, that the potential upside should have been so outweighed by the domestic political risks of visiting Beijing amid congressional outrage.” The trip could have served to resolve damaged relations from the incident and

helped move forward discussions about more significant issues such as the economy and Ukraine. Instead, by canceling, many lines of dialogue were closed off. That being said, while canceling the trip was a bit extreme, it was not unreasonable or unjustified. Overall, the reaction by the Biden administration and the general public has been precisely what the situation warrants. Moreover, the memes which have been prevalent online only prove that the situation, while not meaningless, was not overly serious.

ClaireBickel,FCRH’24,isapolitical science and international political economy major from Branford, Conn.

The Toxicity and Health Risks Of Detox Culture

By ALAINA STANISCI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

While detox cleanses claim to rid the body of toxins, human bodies are natural, beautiful machines that can already regulate and eliminate toxins without risking our physical health by feeding into the toxicity and empty promises behind diet culture. In today’s world of modern technology, social media has exacerbated the spread of detox culture and the health trend has taken the world by storm. While detoxification diets have become increasingly popular because they promise to cleanse the body of toxins, there is no scientific evidence to support detox cleanses. Instead, recent studies have highlighted these trends’ potential physical and mental health risks.

Typically, detox diets are designed as short-term diets that claim to eliminate toxins by drinking only specific liquids, fasting, eliminating most solid foods and exercising regularly. By taking these actions, detox diets promise to rest your organs, support the immune system with healthy nutrients and flush the liver of toxins. However, despite the rigorous steps and diet restrictions involved with these detox diets,

they rarely specify which toxins they will eliminate. Furthermore, this raises the question: “Why are we going to such extreme measures when we don’t even know what we are trying to eliminate?”

Given that most detox cleanses involve severe calorie restriction, there is a plethora of different adverse health effects that come with these cleanses. For instance, short-term fasting frequently causes extreme fatigue, irritability and chemical imbalances. Moreover, the more dangerous effects of short-term fasting and consistently being deprived of vitamins and minerals can be long-term electrolyte imbalances or even death. Additionally, since many detox diets involve supplements and laxatives, there is an increased risk of overdosing on these laxatives and diuretics. In many cases, there is little to no detail on the ingredient labels of detox products, which can result in very serious and sometimes fatal effects. While many detox cultures promise to cleanse the kidneys and flush out any toxins, studies have shown that they do quite the opposite. In fact, there is a high risk of developing kidney issues because many detox trends require consuming excess greens. But many vegetables, such as spinach, are

high in oxalate, which can cause kidney stones.

While it is essential to be aware of the negative health effects of detox cleanses, it is also important to remind ourselves that our bodies naturally work to detox and cleanse ourselves of these “toxins.” By participating in these harmful detox diets, individuals are going to extreme, dangerous and unnecessary measures, as our bodies can regulate and flush out toxins naturally through the liver, feces, urine and sweat.

Equally as important as acknowledging the potential health risks of detox culture is breaking down the negative ideas that feed into the toxicity of diet culture. The need to “cleanse the body” of toxins and lose weight is rooted in a diet culture that can be incredibly dangerous to mental health. Furthermore, the belief behind detox culture — that we need to lose weight and change our bodies through regulating food intake — feeds into unattainable beauty standards. As a society, rather than prioritizing thinness and promoting weight loss, we should embrace all body types and promote self-love. Regardless of our flaws or how the media portrays certain standards, we should accept and appreciate ourselves. Detox culture promotes calorie

restriction and limits our food intake, both of which are part of a vicious cycle that can spiral out of control and take the form of an eating disorder. Rather than depriving ourselves of certain foods and putting ourselves through detrimental, dangerous conditions that detox trends require, we should nourish and admire our bodies for the beautiful vehicles that they are.

Notably, however, a few potential health benefits come with detox culture: exercising and sweating regularly, avoiding processed foods and drinking more water. Even so, the common thread between these health effects is that they can all be accomplished without

detox culture. All of these actions can be implemented into our daily lives without restriction, excessive exercise or other rigorous steps. Any given individual can increase their water consumption and implement more exercise into their daily routine. Rather than risking the negative health effects of participating in detox culture, a safer alternative to improving health is incorporating natural movement and consuming all foods in moderation.

Alaina Stanisci, GSB ’26, is a marketing major from Mountain Lakes, N. J.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

A Chinese spy balloon floated across the U.S. and caused international tension.

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

Detoxing is a rampant trend, though it is not clear what is being detoxed.

China Ill-Prepared for the End of “Zero COVID”

By ZACHARY BADALAMENTI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Of the countless safety measures enacted and repealed by countries illequipped to deal with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese government’s sudden termination of “zero COVID” policies is one of the most baffling decisions yet. China’s “zero COVID” policies originated in January 2020 following the outbreak of COVID-19 and proposed strict rules including federally-enforced quarantines in governmentsupervised facilities, a requirement to comply with extensive contact tracing and proof of recent negative test results in order to enter certain buildings. On Dec. 7, 2022, following roughly three years of strict government lockdown and quarantine measures, the Chinese government abruptly repealed their most strict “zero COVID” policies.

With the sudden end to “zero COVID,” the number of new cases have increased dramatically from Oct. 1, 2022 with an average number of 867 new cases to an average of over 30,000 new cases during the week of Dec. 7, 2022. In the two months leading up to Jan. 29, 2023, roughly 10,000 new critical cases received medical attention daily.

The Chinese government was exposed for their failure to establish adequate healthcare infrastructure since hospitals, morgues and medication suppliers were all overwhelmed by the influx of COVID-19 patients in critical condition. A major reason behind this failure to establish the necessary healthcare supply-chain to handle and contain the amount of new cases was the large nation-wide protests by Chinese citizens expressing their frustration with the government’s inability to remove COVID-19 measures which infringe upon the public’s freedoms. In the eyes of the Chinese citizens, the detrimental effects of “zero COVID” on one’s quality of life outweighs the potential risks associated with the pandemic.

The protests (also known as White Paper Protests) were in response to a statement from President Xi Jinping on Nov. 11, 2022. Leading up to his statement to the press, there had been growing levels of discontent among Chinese citizens as strict “zero COVID” restrictions in other countries were lifted. The statement says that country’s “zero COVID” policies will continue, at least in certain highly populated cities. By failing to address the public, the president catalyzed the month-

long protests, which led to the hasty removal of all national “zero COVID” regulations this past December. Not only did “zero COVID” policies spur public anger surrounding the restrictive nature of “zero COVID” on one’s quality of life, another popular theory as to why the government abruptly ended the precautions which were effective is Chinese officials were seeking a way to boost the economy.

Since the enactment of “zero COVID,” China’s economy had taken a hit due to government’s regulations on international trade, chains of supply and extensive quarantine requirements hindering the Chinese workforce. However, the International Monetary Fund finds that this strategy garners positive growth within China’s economy and is expected to grow over 5% in the upcoming year compared to about 3% in 2022 as a result of the economic boom from the removal of trade barriers and quarantine laws. Despite expediting the country’s economy, as the number of active COVID-19 cases continues to surge, Xi’s decision to disband the country’s COVID-19 protocols without the necessary infrastructure to deal with future outbreaks appears completely misguided. Furthermore, when

considering the pervasiveness of the omicron variant, a much more viral strain of COVID-19 than the original, there is a clear lack of anticipation and deliberation on the side of the Chinese government.

Although the public held disdain for the extensive amount of time China specifically underwent zero regulations, the efficacy of this method of stopping the spread has been proven. As of Feb. 12, 2023, there are 118,977 active cases in China, an increase of 2465% since Nov. 1, 2022. Slowly

reopening all of the healthcare facilities may have allowed for the production and distribution of China’s vaccines and other medically related utilities to better keep up with the growing flow of COVID-19. Instead, the scarcity of doctors and other medical professionals coupled with the low vaccination rates and lack of necessary medications revealed Xi’s lack of consideration for the Chinese public.

Marie Kondo Stopped Cleaning – And It’s Okay if You Do Too

By GRACE CAMPBELL DIGITAL PRODUCER

The height of seasonal depression is upon us. The days are dark and long, and despite the fluctuating weather recently, warmer days can feel so far away. On days when the winter gets to you more than others, it is important for everyone to be prioritizing their mental health.

There are many helpful ways to cope with mental health struggles. Some people find it helpful to get outside or meditate or talk it out with close friends. And one method that many people, including myself, find helpful is cleaning. I believe a clean space leads to a clean mind, and if I am not feeling too good, then cleaning my room helps me unwind and feel more relaxed. Sometimes if everything in life feels out of control, it is nice to know you can at least control your space.

However, in a shocking turn of events, Marie Kondo, who is known as the queen of cleaning, has announced that she no longer prioritizes cleaning. Her Netflix show “Tidying Up with Kondo,” rose to

fame for a cleaning method that she came up with. Her method consists of cleaning by category and discarding any clutter that does not spark joy in life. Her method took the world by storm, and many people found that this method helped them keep their minds as clear as their space.

But, after the birth of her third child, Kondo found she no longer had the time to prioritize cleaning as she once did. She goes on to say that she’s okay with not tidying up every day. While some people are unhappy with this news, I actually find this to be very real and honest. No person is perfect, life gets in the way sometimes and other responsibilities take the lead over cleaning. To push an image that you must clean every day and be incessantly neat is pretty much unattainable for most people. And in no way did Kondo say she’s going to let her home turn into a pigsty, but she’s just being honest that there are things that are more important in life.

I think what caused people to be so upset by this announcement is that they looked up to Kondo as this

beacon of cleanliness and perfection. But, as I said, that’s not realistic for anyone. At the point she’s at in her life, Kondo said that she simply no longer feels the need for perfection as she perhaps once did. She says she wants to focus on tidying up other aspects of her life, not just in the literal sense, but using her method of discarding what does not spark joy, in her personal life as well as her home.

I find this to also be an important aspect of helping with mental health. Remember to keep things in life that make us genuinely happy and not to keep things around just because we feel like we have to. Mental health is so personal and so different from person to person, so finding a method that works for you, that makes you happy, is the key. So, if cleaning is something that sparks joy for you, then you do not have to stop just because Kondo is not tidying up every day. The best way to improve your mental health is to focus on the fact that it is just yours. And for me, I find that cleaning does improve my mental health, and I don’t have to feel differently because someone else does.

I like to keep my room pretty neat for the most part since it helps me feel on track with the rest of my day and when I feel my mental health going down, I like to clean up as sort of a reminder that I am capable of it. But like anyone else, even Kondo, sometimes things get in the way. I have plans, or I have a particularly busy day and I cannot get around to it.

Cleaning is not meant to be something that people should feel burdened by, but rather something that can actually aid in relaxing when needed.

Instead of being upset by Kondo’s announcement, I actually feel inspired by it. It is really okay not to have it all together all the time, it is just important to do what feels good for your mental health when you need it. And who knows, maybe in a month or in twenty years, I’ll feel different, but for now, I know that I will keep doing what makes me feel the best.

Zachary Badalamenti, FCRH ’25, is a journalism major from Oakland, Calif.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

COVID-19 cases skyrocket in China as the country abandons health protocols.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Galentine’s Day Is A Love Letter to Friendship

By NICOLE BRAUN OPINION EDITOR

Here at the Ram, we have had many spirited discussions about Valentine’s Day, many in appreciation for the so-called Hallmark holiday and just as many against. But this debate is irrelevant, because it misses the true, sparkly red heart of the cold, dark month that is February: Galentine’s Day.

The holiday, which originates from an episode of the sitcom “Parks and Recreation,” was initially perceived as a joke, a parody of the way women get so wrapped up in Valentine’s Day and an outlet for the, up until that point, unlucky-in-love protagonist Leslie Knope to express her wealth of adoration for those in her life.

Now, Galentine’s Day is a cultural phenomenon separate from the show. Feb. 13 is celebrated by millions of people, typically women as the name would suggest, to express the love they have for the platonic connections in their lives. It also rebuffs the stereotype that women are crazy, love-obsessed monsters who solely desire to find the perfect Valentine’s Day date, and if they don’t find someone, then they are sulking at home and sobbing while watching Nora Ephron movies. No, Galentine’s Day makes

space for the platonic loves of your life, and rejects the stereotype that women need to find romantic love in order to be happy.

And you know what? Sure, Galentine’s Day is cheesy — but aren’t all the best love stories?

This world is often a dark and pessimistic place, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that some people can’t stand Galentine’s Day. They think it is just another capitalistic ploy to steal our money and pit women against each other. To them, I say: you’re missing the point.

Galentine’s doesn’t necessitate an extravagant celebration. While large dinners and orchestrated nights on the town are certainly very fun activities to do with your friends, that isn’t the only thing Galentine’s is good for. Friendship is found in the quiet moments: it’s having a standing coffee date in between classes, it’s eating French fries after a night out and laughing over nothing in particular, it’s resting your head on their shoulder while you’re watching TV.

Don’t overcomplicate Galentine’s Day. Don’t give it the same amount of pressure that ruined Valentine’s Day. For the simple Galentine’s Day treat, just think of the little things. Write your friends a note, buy

them their favorite candy, give them a hug the next time you see them instead of a “hey.” Whatever your love language is, use it to show your friends a little extra appreciation.

Galentine’s Day is also a beautiful holiday because Valentine’s Day, and all the marketing that goes into it, will have you believing that unless you have a significant other, you might as well be hibernating until March. Even though there has been a considerable effort to revamp Valentine’s Day to make it a generic celebration of love, the connotation remains, and it can still be a difficult day for those without romantic relationships. So Galentine’s Day is a perfect day to reflect on the relationships that you do have — the ones that sustain you while romantic loves come and go.

More often than not, that platonic love will outlast your romantic one. Just 28% of college relationships last, compared to 87% of people who still stay in touch with their college friends. Now don’t go snapping Cupid’s arrows and giving up on love just yet — I just brought up those statistics to remind you that the relationships we have with our friends will likely be the most significant and long-lasting ones to come out of our college experiences,

Galentine’s Day is a wonderful way to celebrate the platonic loves in your life.

so it is worth it to remember to celebrate your friends at this time of the year.

In a quote that is now making the rounds across TikTok, writer Dolly Alderton says, “Nearly everything I know about love, I’ve learnt from my long-term friendships with women.” Celebrating Galentine’s Day in college is to remember that maybe the great college relationship that has been lauded in virtually all media is the bonds you are forming with your friends.

If you have a romantic partner

on Valentine’s Day, good for you. If you don’t, also good for you. Regardless of how you celebrate Feb. 14, make sure you hug your friends a little tighter on Galentine’s, and remember that those bonds will be there long after the rose petals from your sweetheart’s bouquet dry up.

Trump’s Dangerous Rhetoric Threatens LGBTQ+ Community

By ELEANOR SMITH CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Former President Donald Trump has once again changed his stance on gender-affirming care for minors, stating on Jan. 31 that, if elected, he would punish doctors who perform gender-affirming surgery or provide gender-affirming hormones. This declaration is a serious departure from his previous stance on the LGBTQ+ community and, more specifically, transgender youth. Now that Trump — a demagogue with a hold on most Republican politicians and most registered Republicans — has spoken on transgender rights, it is almost a guarantee that the attacks on trans rights will increase in the coming years.

He has also vowed to promote conservative values in the education system, entering a raging debate around parental rights in education and the place that sex education and topics of racial justice and sexual diversity have in the American education system.

Trump has long done and said what is politically advantageous, either for him personally or for the Republican Party at large. In 2000, when he was a possible Reform Party presidential candidate, Trump wrote in his book “The America We

Deserve,” “We must have universal health care. Just imagine the improved quality of life for our society as a whole.” As a Republican president, however, Trump advocated for cuts in health insurance. During his presidency, 2.3 million Americans lost coverage.

It is now politically helpful for Republicans to attack the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans — and transgender children more specifically. Although about two-thirds of Americans oppose laws targeting trans rights, 2022 was a record year for anti-LGBTQ+ bills in state legislatures. These bills attack a variety of LGBTQ+ rights, but most focus on transgender people. There have been bans on transgender kids in sports, bills limiting access to sex marker changes on IDs and “bathroom bills,” which state that transgender people must use the bathroom of their sex assigned at birth.

While the strategy of curtailing LGBTQ+ rights to gain a political advantage is somewhat new, the Republican Party has long used fear and prejudice to win elections. Nativism, conservatism and religion have played a large role in the Republican Party’s platform since the late 1960s when presidential candidate Richard Nixon implemented the “Southern strategy.” The

“Southern strategy” capitalized on racial resentment and cultural differences in the South to help Nixon win the Republican nomination and then the presidential election.

Ronald Reagan pandered to the Christian right to win votes in the South, declaring in a speech during his 1984 presidential campaign that “politics and morality are inseparable — and as morality’s foundation is religion, religion and politics are necessarily related.” That year, the Republican Party built its platform around evangelical Christian values, calling for a ban on abortion with no exceptions.

The Republican Party uses fear and prejudice to motivate voters and win elections. Republican candidates tell Americans that other people living in their communities, their states and their country are a threat to their way of life. The uptick in attacks on trans rights is just another iteration of this political strategy. The Republican Party has revived its focus on “family values,” training their attention on parental rights in education and telling their constituents that transgender people are a danger to children and society.

It is no surprise that Trump has taken aim at transgender people. He caters to his constituents and

other Republican politicians, and his stance on any particular issue sets the tone for how the rest of the party handles said issue. The blatant attacks on trans rights are relatively new for Republicans, but Trump’s endorsement of limiting gender-affirmative care for minors shows that this will be a longterm focus for the Republican Party.

While Trump currently cannot directly put any anti-trans legislation into effect, he has spoken on the issue, which will have a great impact on antitrans legislation at the state level. 2023 is expected to have even more anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. While some of these bills

do not pass and never become law, the mere introduction of a bill attacking trans rights leads to spikes in calls to suicide hotlines from transgender people. Although Trump shifted his focus to trans people relatively recently, the trans rights issue is just the latest unnecessarily divisive topic that the Republican Party has capitalized on to win votes. Like in the 1960s and the 1980s, a marginalized group is once again caught in the crossfire and is paying the price for partisan posturing.

Eleanor Smith, FCRH ’26, is an American studies major from St. Paul, Minn.

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

Trump has shown that he is not truly devoted to protecting LGBTQ+ rights.

Celebrating Platonic Love on Galentine’s Day

By RORY DONAHUE SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR

When Valentine’s Day comes around, it’s easy to be down if you don’t have a significant other, but there are different things you can do to celebrate the romantic holiday. My friends and I decided to venture into Manhattan on Sunday for a fun

By GRACE CAMPBELL DIGITAL PRODUCER

Valentine’s Day has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love the gimmicky candy hearts and boxes of chocolate everywhere. This year, I’m especially excited because my friends and I have decided to celebrate “Galentine’s Day.” While I believe this tradition probably started out bitterly, for when someone didn’t have

By JULIA CHORUN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Valentine’s Day is about love, and personally, the title of “the greatest love of my life” goes to my closest friends. But hey, who doesn’t enjoy a spontaneous, romantic night out? And what better way to bond with your friends and potential love interest at the same time, than a double date? Full disclosure: my friends and I aren’t exactly looking for a serious relationship, but that doesn’t mean we’re opposed to indulging in Valentine’s Day altogether. Our plan this year is to hit the streets of the city, walk up to

“Galentine’s Day” brunch at Carroll’s Place in Greenwich Village. We shared delicious food and spent quality time together, which was much needed in our busy schedules.

Among Fordham students, Carroll’s Place is known for having low-cost food for the city, so we all split the margherita pizza, french toast and egg

a “proper” valentine to celebrate with, it has actually turned into one of my favorite times of the year. Whether you have a romantic partner in your life or not, Valentine’s is just about showing love for people in your life, no matter who they are. This year for Galentine’s Day, we have big plans. Plans that include buying premade sugar cookies and icing to decorate with. We’ll spend the night playing board

an attractive stranger and ask them to come out with us on Tuesday. But there’s a sneaky twist: these targets won’t know where we’re taking them until the holiday and, even more exciting, they won’t know that they’re all coming to the same place! Double dates are often awkward unless everyone is familiar with each other, and since I’m not a monster (completely), we’re each going to stick to our own partner in private. My friends and I are all interested in boys, which means there are bound to be some red flags on at least one of our dates. That’s why it will help to be in the same place

plates, which were all delicious. I encourage you all this Valentine’s Day to rethink the way the holiday is traditionally celebrated, and make it about self-love, relaxation and learning how to treat yourself instead. Spending the holiday alone may seem daunting, but I believe you can make it your own special day!

games, undoubtedly listening to Taylor Swift, and we might even round out the night with a cheesy rom-com. And honestly, I can’t picture a more perfect night. To me, that’s what Valentine’s Day is all about. It’s not about doing anything crazy, but is just a day where we can remember to show the people in our life how much we love them. It’s a day to show up for people who show up for you.

so that when one of us needs a rescue, a coordinated trip to the bathroom or a curated cover story will be easy. Truthfully, we’ve seen too many TikToks about this exciting, undercover mission not to partake, especially on Valentine’s Day. The plan works for everyone, whether you’re looking for deep emotional commitment in someone new, or even if you have major trust issues and you just want some excitement. No matter what you’re hoping to feel or not feel, the point is to go through it knowing your friends are there, quietly supporting you and having your back if something goes wrong.

By NICOLE DIPIETRO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

For Valentine’s Day this year, my closest friends and I are celebrating with a secret-Santatype exchange on the girliest day of the year: Super Bowl Sunday. While yes, we do plan to pass around surprise Galentine gifts wrapped in pink and red hearts, and juxtapose all of the rather manly traditions that come along with this special day, we are going to have most of our fun watching the big game. In fact, my friend Grace (an Eagles fan and Philly native) has worn her Eagles hat with pride almost every day since their NFC win against the 49ers. The real show this weekend however, for most of us girls, will be Rihanna’s comeback performance during the game’s halftime. Over the past seven years, she has left her fans itching for new music since her last album release all the way back in 2016 with her work of art “Anti.” Cooking dinner, picking up sweets from

the Morrone bakery on Arthur Ave and revealing the trinkets and gifts we’d been keeping secret since we planned the swap is working up to be the best pre-game ritual of any game I’ve watched. Between the highly awaited musical return of Rihanna, the apartmentmade Super Bowl appetizers and a blissful exchange of gifts, my Valentine’s Day festivities are to be the sweetest start to a week full of love.

We’re Not Lying, “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” Is a Hit

By AMÉLIE ACEVEDO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

PinkPantheress, a U.K. native, rose to prominence in 2021 when her songs “Pain” and “Break it off” went viral on TikTok. After her single, “Boy’s a liar,” recently went viral on the same social media site, she recruited Ice Spice to rap on the song’s sequel. Ice Spice hails from none other than the Bronx and was raised in the Fordham neighborhood. She began rapping in 2021 and released her hit single “Munch (Feelin’ U),” which first garnered recognition through Drake’s support, and then gained popularity on TikTok.

When asked to describe her music, PinkPantheress said she often masks dark lyrics with happy, pop instrumentals. “Boy’s a liar Pt. 2” is no exception to this. This song contains the same lyrics as the original version, with an added third verse by Ice Spice. PinkPantheress’s soft vocals and upbeat backing track draw attention away from the melancholic lyrics. If you focus solely on the lyrical content, it becomes clear that she’s singing about her fears within a romantic relation-

ship. She’s worried that the love she has for a certain boy is not being reciprocated and that he makes it clear that he is only interested in her when she is “looking good enough.”

The boy in question is more focused on her physical appearance than her as a person and offers conditional love in return for her unconditional love. She asks herself what’s

the point in crying over him if he never truly loved or cared for her. The boy is a liar because his compliments do not coincide with the way he treats her. He can see her appearance, but he is not seeing her as a three-dimensional person, and her frustration toward this realization is clear.

In Ice Spice’s verse, she echoes PinkPantheress’s message that

the boy she’s rapping about is playing with her emotions. He’s very physical with her and makes it clear that he wants to be with her when they are together. When he is not with her, however, she is sure that he is seeing someone else. She hates the toxicity of the relationship and the way he treats her, but without him, she feels like she cannot function.

The music video for the song was filmed entirely in New York, both on the fire escape of a building, in a subway station and within a subway car, showing that Ice Spice is going back to her (very close to Fordham) roots.

I’m excited to see what other collaborations PinkPantheress will do in the future and if she’ll feature any more Bronx or New York City natives in her songs. Both she and Ice Spice appeared in the music industry and rose to prominence at an insane rate at early ages, and this is only the beginning for both of them.

I think this song can sadly resonate with a lot of teenagers who settle for people who don’t truly care about them, value them as a person or reciprocate their emotions. It’s hard to accept that a relationship isn’t healthy and make the active decision to leave to find someone who will treat you properly. However, it’s ultimately worth it when you find someone who loves you for you. I may be biased as a Puerto Rican girl from Queens, but I think we’ll see a lot more viral songs from Ice Spice and PinkPantheress very soon.

PinkPantheress brought on Ice Spice, a Bronx native, for her sequel to her hit song, “Boy’s a liar.”

Some Fordham students celebrated platonic love at a Sunday brunch.

COURTESY OF RORY DONAHUE FOR THE FORDHAM RAM

COURTESY OF NICOLE DIPIETRO Others celebrated over football.

What “Emily in Paris” Gets Right About Paris

By GRACE MILLER ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

On Dec. 21, 2022, season three of “Emily in Paris,” starring Lily Collins as Emily, made its long-awaited debut. Alongside Lily Collins stars the respective French and British actors in her love triangle, the handsome Lucas Bravo as Gabriel and Lucien Laviscount as Alfie, as well as her two side-kick girlfriends she found once moving to Paris, Ashley Park as Mindy and Camille Razat as Camille. In this week’s Editor’s Pick, I will use my own Paris travel experience from last summer to record what exactly “Emily in Paris” gets right about the Parisienne culture.

However, before I begin, I must digress to last spring ––that is, pre-Paris Grace –– and mention the show’s significance to me: “Emily in Paris” was a hopeful opening of an adventure awaiting me in summer 2022.

My life dream had always been to fly to Paris. After winning a $5,000 travel voucher from United Airlines, that dream came true. (P.S. If in the event you are on a flight and the flight attendant announces, “We are looking for passengers who are willing to take a later flight in exchange for a [insert x amount of dollars] voucher, please come forward,” take it.) This series became my source of inspiration for my trip to Paris. I fervently observed the extras’ clothes (since Emily’s wardrobe is unrealistic to true

chic Parisienne fashion), the city’s romantic air, Sylvie (who is Emily’s boss and the epitome of French women’s striking confidence and suave) and of course the classic French dishes like boeuf bourguignon and moulesfrites that Emily often orders at the local brasserie.

For two glorious weeks in Paris, my mom and I embraced the Parisienne culture, similar to Emily’s experience when she first moved to Paris from Chicago, and walked nearly 20,000 steps each day, exploring the city and the countryside. Our Airbnb in the Latin Quarter was directly across the street from the Sorbonne, a historic university that has produced philosophers and skilled doctors since the 12th century; a three-minute walk from the Cluny Museum,

which is home to “The Lady and the Unicorn” and “The Heads of the Kings from Judah”; a tenminute walk to the magnificent Notre Dame; a four-minute walk to the Panthéon, which holds the tombs of Voltaire and Rousseau; and a 15-minute walk to the Musée d’Orsay where, among other paintings, Monet’s “Water Lilies” is kept. The feeling of experiencing with my own eyes landmarks and paintings of the highest magnitude in the world alongside my mom is simply indescribable other than pure thrill.

What “Emily in Paris” gets right is the French culinary culture and the gorgeous, intricate architecture. Throughout the series, Emily snaps away posts of the most delectable pastries, including the infamous croissant, macaroons, eclairs and blueberry

tarts, when sitting either outside a patisserie or café (a wonderful tell of Paris’s café culture) or in one of the city’s quiet, tucked-away gardens. Each afternoon, my mom and I walked to La Maison d’Isabelle, a spectacular boulangerie in the Latin Quarter and a five-minute walk from Notre Dame, and strolled through Paris, like Emily, with –– naturally –– a camembert sandwich and pain au chocolat in hand.

Furthermore, “Emily in Paris” film director Andrew Fleming does a wonderful job in capturing the beautiful Gothic architecture, spanning from Notre Dame to Sainte-Chapelle, as well as the French Baroque architecture, as seen in the Panthéon and Jardin du Palais Royal. In fact, Emily receives a call from her boyfriend

outside of the Panthéon in season one. She also meets Mindy, her first friend in Paris, while eating lunch in the Jardin du Palais Royal.

“Emily in Paris” is catered towards an American audience and is not completely attuned to certain aspects of French culture such as its ethnic diversity and fashion and certainly reveals an unflattering portrayal of French stereotypes; yet, this critique is for another article. The series is an opening into the Parisienne culture that the hopeful American, who has dreamt of traveling to Paris, can see and vicariously live through, and the show certainly does a job well done in pointing to the bubbling and alive culinary, historical and architectural characteristics of the City of Light.

Spend a Sunday afternoon in Ridgewood, Queens

By CALEB STINE COLUMNIST

There’s nothing like walking out of a subway stop and into a neighborhood you’ve never been to before. Nothing.

A 70-minute D and M train journey on a Thursday afternoon without classes was worth where it led me, and it sure beats doing laundry in Loschert Hall.

As I left the familiar patches of Fordham Road, I took the D train downtown past familiar stops and ended up in Ridgewood on a mild afternoon with gray skies and light

rain. When I got there, I was reminded of the true value and beauty of seeing a new slice of New York pie.

Before last week, I had been out to northern Queens on occasion, but had always been eager to venture south of Jackson Heights and Astoria. I had been curious as to what that pocket of central Queens looked and felt like. I’m happy to be curious no more.

Lying just east of Bushwick in Brooklyn and acting effectively as the southwesternmost point of Queens, Ridgewood exudes a comforting lack of the city’s

pretentiousness and commotion that doesn’t necessarily have one wanting to go-go-go, but to just be.

Originally settled by Native Americans in the early 1600s, Ridgewood remained mostly rural until the late 1800s, despite nearby Bushwick being fully developed. However, once the Queensboro Bridge opened in 1909, connecting Queens to Manhattan, development quickly accelerated. In the first two decades of the 20th century, over 5,000 buildings were built in Ridgewood.

The neighborhood saw an

influx of German settlers (as did much of central Queens) during the 19th century, and today, Ridgewood continues to be an enclave of eastern Europeans and Ecuadorians.

If you want to get a good read of a neighborhood, a good place to start is always a local bookstore. Topo’s Bookstore Cafe on the corner of Putnam and Woodward has a recognizably Ridgewood vibe. With minimal decor and only one staff member with low-fi tunes and coffee on tap near the register, the quaint atmosphere greeted the few customers that walked in. Topo’s is almost never crowded and is equipped with a small patio for bookworms to relax and indulge.

“The Bear” and “Shameless” actor Jeremy Allen White calls this neighborhood home and famously endorsed a local restaurant, Rolo’s, on Onderdonk Ave. A hip twist on the American classics of wood-fired chicken and steak is fired up on an extensive menu, which also includes ethnic dishes such as fluke ceviche and mortadella.

For those without the time, money or pallet for Rolo’s, Mediterranean fare at Pita Cafe and Grill on Fresh Pond Road has lamb that will melt in your mouth. Its menu also features

Mediterranean staples such as hummus and babaganoush for modest prices in a familyfriendly environment.

While I would be the first to tell you that Rosa’s Pizza on Fresh Pond and Metropolitan Ave is not even close to the best slice in the city, I can vouch for its atmosphere and authenticity.

While originally a workingclass neighborhood, Ridgewood has experienced rapid gentrification and the cultural and demographic shifts that come with such a process. You would never know this from inside Rosa’s. Spanish and European languages outnumbered English speakers by a wide margin when I had my made-to-order white slices. The restaurant felt both excitingly foreign and strangely familiar in a way that only such a neighborhood staple could.

Ridgewood isn’t a force of nature. If you’re looking for an adrenaline boost or a crazy night out, for your own sake, look elsewhere. Ridgewood is a Sunday afternoon, not a Friday night. It’s quiet enough to hear birds chirping on side streets, striking enough to admire the winding row houses and memorable enough to find yourself coming back, again and again.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

While “Emily in Paris” does not accurately represent Parisienne culture’s nuances, it does offer a beautiful entry way for those hoping to see Paris.

Ridgewood, a neighborhood in central Queens, offers a quiet refuge for good food, books and people.

Neighborhood Spotlight | Ridgewood

Beyoncé Makes History at the 65th Grammy Awards

By NICOLE DIPIETRO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On Sunday, Feb. 5, the biggest night in music kicked off at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Hosted by Trevor Noah for the third year in a row, the Grammys ceremony was full of great performances, tributes and historical records in the industry.

Before the event, acclaimed conductor Georg Solti held the record for most Grammys won at 31 awards. However, once it was announced that Beyoncé won for both Best Dance/Electronic Recording and Best Dance/ Electronic Music Album with her song “Break My Soul” and hit album “RENAISSANCE” respectively, she took the crown and broke the record for most Grammy awards won. Off stage, she won the awards for Best Traditional R&B Performance and Best R&B Song, which also contributed to her historic night.

Of the four biggest awards of the night, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best New Artist, there was no sweep as we’ve seen before, like Billie Eilish’s consecutive win of all four at the 2020 Grammys. This year, four different and deserving artists got the chance to accept their awards on stage. Taking home Album of the Year was Harry Styles, with the pop album “Harry’s House.”

Also snagged by Styles was the first award of the night: Best Pop Vocal Album. Many think that the other nominees were snubbed, so much so that videos have come up online of audience members

present at the award show yelling, “Beyoncé should’ve won,” during one of Styles’ acceptance speech. Further, in that speech he defaulted to his usual spiel that he recites at the end of most of his concerts. One line he resorted to, however, received some backlash. His classic, “This doesn’t happen to people like me very often,” was labeled as out of touch and full of white privilege, and as many pointed out on Twitter. Album of the Year has not been won by a woman of color since 1999. Depending on how you look at it, the controversial speech could be seen a number of different ways; but who’s to say what Styles really meant by the comment.

This year showcased a surpris-

ing win for the track “Just Like That” by songwriter Bonnie Raitt, who won the Song of the Year award. Many people on social media resorted to joke making and angry-tweeting because they’d never heard of the song or Raitt before the ceremony. Many “Swifties” were also upset, as this is the sixth time Taylor Swift was robbed of this award — this year’s nomination was for “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film).” However, the fans came back around when Lizzo took home Record of the Year for “About Damn Time.” For any award that Lizzo accepts, her speeches are always full of gratitude and undeniable thankfulness that almost make

me emotional with her. Finally, the award for Best New Artist, whose category was filled with rising stars like Omar Apollo, Måneskin and Wet Leg, went to jazz star Samara Joy, most known for her song, “Warm in December.”

Beyoncé’s record-breaking night left her with 32 Grammys.

Aside from the actual awards presented in the almost fourhour long spectacle, the main reason most people tune in is to watch the year’s talented artists take the stage to perform. Opening the show this year was Bad Bunny with a super lively performance of “El Apagón” and “Después de la Playa.” Later in the show, Harry Styles performed one of the biggest hits of the year, “As It Was.” Some of the dancers that rehearsed alongside him on a rotating platform for the performance have since made videos revealing that during the live presentation of the song, the platform began to rotate in the opposite direction, leaving Styles and the dancers to think quickly on their feet to finish the show in reverse. Another incredible performance was Lizzo’s, who sang her winning song “About Damn Time” accompanied by “Special.” More notable performances of the night include Steve Lacy, Sam Smith and Kim Petras, Brandi Carlile and an epic hip-hop medley to close out the night with appearances by DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend and Fridayy. While this is not a comprehensive list, all these performers and more did wonderfully on the Grammys stage.

There were also two tribute performances of the night. The first was a 15-minute-long medley with some of the biggest names in hip-hop, celebrating 50 years of the genre. The tribute included appearances from LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Future, Ice-T, Lil Baby and Queen Latifah. Also during the televised ceremony was an annual tribute to all the artists and musical talent that we lost in 2023: Loretta Lynn, Christine McVie and Takeoff were all honored by Kacey Musgraves, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and Quavo to name a few. In a heartfelt presentation, this is a Grammy tradition that never fails to bring tears to the room.

“The Banshees of Inisherin” Teaches a Valuable Lesson on Sensitivity

By LAUREN LOMBARDI ASST. CULTURE EDITOR

“The Banshees of Inisherin” begins with Pádraic (Colin Farrell), a sheepherder from Inisherin (a fictional Irish island), knocking on the door of his best friend Colm’s (Brendan Gleeson) house. At the same time, day after day, the pair of friends head down to the bar to share a drink with one another. But in the first ten minutes of the film, we find their routine has been disrupted when Colm refuses to turn around and open the door for Pádraic. He is obviously hurt as Colm seemingly out of nowhere decides to ignore him, and spends the rest of the runtime dodging the rejection by trying to find out why it was casted upon him in the first place.

“Banshees” is the latest film from director Martin McDonagh since the release of his criticallyacclaimed but divisive “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” in 2017. McDonagh hides a film about the Irish Civil War through the guise of a forcefully broken friendship.

It is a completely enjoyable black comedy without knowledge of the historical context the film and its characters exist in. With the added layer, it is a thoughtprovoking, humanizing and entertaining gem.

In the midst of begging for reasoning, explosions and littletalked about fighting is transpiring on the mainland, across from the people of Inisherin. The not-sofaraway conflict is the Irish civil war, which broke out between two Irish nationalist groups in 1919 until 1921 over Ireland remaining part of the British Commonwealth. The bloodshed between people who had originally fought on the same side arises as the main metaphor of the allegory; Pádraic and Colm are not just two men who will no longer share a beer together — Pádraic experiences a sense of grief and heartbreak as he realizes someone he once believed to be closest to him is actively working against him.

If Colm had told Pádraic he wished to no longer speak to him and Pádraic simply listened, “Banshees” may be considered a comedy only as

the request is so forward and eclectic without a reason to accompany it. But Pádraic refuses to go down without a fight (or an explanation). This doesn’t result in Colm being mean to him — Colm halfhilariously and half-terrifyingly makes a promise that he will cut off his fingers, one for every time his ex-friend continues to speak to him. The clear selfthreat underscores Pádraic’s

desperation and horror at the prospect of a lost friendship; he wouldn’t be suffocatingly pressing Colm if he felt that he had any other choice.

When Colm continues to spend time at the pub with his bandmates instead of Pádraic, Pádraic confronts him. Colm surrenders to his requests and tells him he’d rather live an interesting life making great art and come across as a bad person than spend

Along with any A-List event comes the highly anticipated red carpet walk, and this year the Grammy attendees didn’t disappoint. A few of my personal favorite looks of the night would have to be Beyoncé in a beautifully sleek black velvet gown, Swift in a dark blue glimmery two piece and Jennifer Lopez appearing in an extravagant ruffley purple gown. Twitter is always a scene with any red carpet event, and this year, viewers didn’t disappoint. Many were quick to joke about Styles rolling up in a revealing colorful jumpsuit, and users also had a lot to say about Shania Twain’s whimsical black polka dotted suit and hat, accompanied by her bright red hair. Nonetheless, the red carpet (and Twitter’s reaction) provides half the entertainment for any award show, especially one that’s almost four hours long. his time doing useless activities with Pádraic. His debate sparks passion in Pádraic, who is used to the simple life that Inisherin is so good at providing to its inhabitants. Pádraic, who values ease and being kind above all, disappointingly asks his old friend, “you used to be nice, or did you never used to be?”

In the humiliation Pádraic experiences, he befriends the other local island outcast, Dominic, who is wonderfully played by recent Oscar-nominee Barry Keoghan. The friendship between Dominic and Pádraic has plenty of moments of banter and silly storytimes, but the despair over the few true connections they have to the other people of the island shine through in every interaction they share; they are each other’s last resort.

The wailing, animals and coast create a faraway and forgotten landscape for a man of the same qualities. “The Banshees of Inisherin” intertwines the life of a simple islander with the narrative that surrounds him, giving audiences a lesson in the sensitivity and principles of humanity and history alike.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

“The Banshees of Inisherin” is nominated for nine Academy Awards.

“Knock at the Cabin” is a Bland Thriller

By LANDIS HALL CONTRIBUTING WRITER

During a visit to an amusement park when I was much younger, I remember seeing an amateur magic show. Accompanied by a large cannon onstage, the magician claimed he could shoot a volunteer from the audience out of the cannon and across the room. Instead, he had one kid get in the cannon and another run to the other side of the room as if they had been shot out. I suppose he thought this trick would appeal to the younger crowd, but I couldn’t help but feel ripped off. After all, I was promised something more exciting. M. Night Shyamalan’s horror thriller “Knock at the Cabin” is the cinematic equivalent of this kind of cheap, manipulative spectacle. It has the form of a thriller, a form it clearly knows quite well, but beyond its knowledge of generic conventions lies an empty void; the film simply forgets to show the audience anything new or exciting. The story concerns a vacationing family of three who are

suddenly held hostage in their own cabin by four religious zealots who claim that they must offer one of themselves up as a sacrifice in order to prevent the apocalypse. The whole cast does a fine job with the less-than-stellar material they’ve been presented with, especially Dave Bautista as Leonard, the leader of the invaders. He’s gentle and placid

in his demeanor, but one gets the sense that this character could blow up at any minute. Bautista’s humble respect for his craft and his imposing physique collide to create an antagonist whose uneasy warmth sends shivers down the spine.

It’s a shame that the rest of the film can’t do anything right. The suspense and unpredictability that

characterizes the thriller genre is almost entirely absent, and the plot stays a little too true to the initial premise. The Wikipedia summary for the film is probably just as, if not more, exciting than the actual picture. The bland predictability of the screenplay is made only worse by the horrendous stilted dialogue. None of the characters speak like real

people and they might as well have just sat around listing the themes of the film for an hour and 40 minutes, although even that would be like spreading too much butter over too small a piece of toast. The film’s core arguments are just far too obvious and contrived to be interesting, which mostly stems from its over reliance on cliché religious imagery like the four horsemen of the apocalypse and the seven deadly sins.

Admittedly, there are some striking, if not arbitrary, visual moments. The camera moves around and settles on its subjects haphazardly, forgoing atmosphere and mood in favor of satisfying visual composition. The cinematography and editing are simply limp and weightless, making for a thriller that seems to have forgotten what its purpose is — to thrill. “Knock at the Cabin” is an ineffective bland thriller that, like a punctured bike tire, has had all the air completely sucked out of it, making for a faulty final product. It’s a movie, but not much else.

Who’s That Kid? | Anthony Satrohan, GSB ’25

Sophomore Finds Himself in Songwriting

By LOU ORLANDO ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Anthony Satrohan, GSB ’25, just hasn’t been able to escape music. As a child, his mother had him play the piano. This sparked him to play other instruments like the trombone, tuba and, most recently, the guitar. What started as an innocent enough desire to learn the guitar has blossomed into a full-on passion.

“If I’m being honest, the guitar was the first instrument I ever wanted to play, but my mother said no. She made me play the piano first. I probably wasn’t thrilled about it at the time, but looking back, it’s what got me into music,” said Satrohan.

Satrohan didn’t begin to learn the guitar until the summer before his freshman year. The strides he’s taken since then are monumental. Without any lessons, he’s transformed himself from a beginner to a musician capable of stringing together bar chords and complex licks.

“I just tried to play songs that I liked. That’s how I learned. ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ and ‘But, Honestly’ are two of the first ones I remember learning. It’s pretty much all beginner chords, but that was the best way for me to get a feel for the guitar. I started to get more comfortable with transitioning between chords and creating a rhythm and I kinda just picked everything else up along the way.”

For the first half of his freshman year, he played the guitar in the comfort of his Tierney Hall dorm room. When he saw that RHA was setting up an open mic program, he offered to play a few songs on his guitar. The response

was overwhelmingly positive.

“Ant stole the show,” said fellow Tierney resident Visnu Selvan, GSB ’25. “It was the first time any of us had seen him play the guitar and sing. It just blew us all away.”

For Satrohan, it was his first time playing in front of a large group, but it would certainly not be the last. Satrohan began playing the guitar for his friends regularly. He even started to take song requests. “It’s really fun to play songs that people love to sing along to. You can see them get into it, and it just makes the whole experience more fun. ‘Cigarette Daydreams’ is a big hit. I also love ‘Wonderwall.’ People don’t ask me to play ‘Wonderwall,’ but I do it anyway.”

All of this was the kick Satrohan needed to take his guitar playing in a new direction. Namely, songwriting.

“To see people react like that to me playing was pretty surreal. I started to go, ‘Hey, maybe I should do this more often.’ It’s fun to play music people know, but I started to think about writing some of my own stuff.”

By the end of his freshman year, Satrohan had written five songs. This continued over the summer and into his sophomore year. The songs vary in tempo and tone, but all typically fall under the umbrella of indie pop.

“One of my favorite things about playing the guitar was also getting to sing the songs. I don’t really think I’m a great singer, but I enjoy doing it. I’ll even beatbox sometimes. The idea of singing lyrics that

I actually wrote was something that really interested me, and I think I drew a lot of motivation from that early on.” He starts by experimenting with chord combinations: “If I can find a sound that I like, the lyrics just come.” The process became more rewarding than he expected.

“Songwriting became therapeutic. I was feeling a little down at that point in my life, and music really helped me get through all of that,” said Satrohan. While this is not to say that all of his songs are autobiographical, many of the lyrics and overarching themes in his songs reflect his mindset and emotions. “My main priority is making sure the lyrics match with the tone of the song,” Satrohan continued. “But I think ultimately, whatever my mood is at the time ends up seeping into what I’m writing.”

Satrohan sees a correlation between mental health and songwriting. “It’s not an easy conversation to have, but I can definitely say that it’s helped me get to a better point in my life. Something about incorporating my emotions into something creative has done wonders for me.”

The sophomore continues to write songs from his dorm room in O’Hare Hall. Depending on how loud he plays or if he forgets that the deadbolt on his door is open, you can hear him from the hallway.

“I’m never going to be a famous young guitar player. I can and will blame my mother for that. But songwriting has become a part of who I am, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.”

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Shyamalan’s latest thriller is underwhelming, despite the convincing performance by Dave Bautista.

Satrohan realized his passion for songwriting during his freshman year.

A Romantic Reading List for Valentine’s Day

By LILLIAN VERDI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Every year, Valentine’s Day brings love to the forefront of most peoples’ minds. Some spend the day with their significant others, while others use it as an excuse to wear more pink than usual. Here are a few romance book recommendations for anyone who wants some date ideas, or just a great new read.

First is a book with a great date idea. “Hook, Line, and Sinker” by Tessa Bailey is the second book in the Bellinger Sisters series.

Hannah Bellinger and Fox Thornton become unlikely partners when Hannah wants help romancing her coworker and Fox offers to help. When lines blur between friends or something more, Hannah doesn’t know how to respond, as Fox has a reputation as the town flirt. In true Valentine’s spirit, Fox takes Hannah on a date to a record convention to convince her that he only has eyes for her. Hannah’s life is centered around music, making Fox’s

idea perfectly catered to her character.

However, it’s something great for any music lover, so I chose Bailey’s book as an example of a great date.

“In a New York Minute” by Kate Spencer centers around a subway meet-cute, which is why it’s fantastic.

To make a bad day worse, the subway doors close on Franny Doyle’s favorite dress, ripping it for countless strangers to see. A mystery man saves the day by giving her his suit jacket.

To Franny’s disbelief, he immediately gets off the subway train, leaving her with only his surprisingly expensive jacket.

Franny thinks that’s the last she’ll see of her subway savior, but she keeps running into Hayes Montgomery III. To make matters worse, the video of their meet-cute gets posted online and goes viral. Franny and Hayes end up falling for each other, making their subway meeting even more memorable and my pick for the best meet-cute.

Lastly, “Better Than The Movies,” is a perfect book for

rom-com movie lovers. Lynn Painter wrote her book for those obsessed with Nora Ephron’s films.

The two main characters, Liz Buxbaum and Wes Bennett, have been neighbors their whole lives. Liz and her mom would watch rom-com after romcom, and she imagined her life would turn out the same as all the happily-ever-afters she saw on screen. When a boy from her childhood, Michael, moves back into town, Liz thinks she’s found the answer to her lackluster love life. The only problem is that her childhood nemesis Wes has taken Michael under his wing. When Wes offers to help get Michael to fall for her, Liz discovers she might like his company more than she ever thought possible.

Painter’s novel has the feeling of a classic ’90s rom-com. It also has many movie references, making it perfect for anyone reveling in the Valentine’s Day spirit.

Hopefully, these books sound romantic enough to be added to your TBR list. Happy Valentine’s Day and happy reading!

An Exhibit of One’s Own: Woolf at the NYPL

By NICOLE BRAUN OPINION EDITOR

The New York Public Library’s (NYPL) exhibition “Virginia Woolf: A Modern Mind” is a comprehensive and thoughtful collection that celebrates the life and career of one of the greatest, most influential writers of the 20th century.

This exhibition, which opened late last year, is the first in 30 years to highlight Woolf’s work, displaying her novel’s manuscripts, her personal journals, letters and photographs. Carolyn Vega, curator of the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English

and American Literature at the NYPL, explains that she initially proposed the exhibition in 2018, but that it was always meant to come out in 2022 to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the publication of Woolf’s novel, “Jacob’s Room.”

“1922 was the year that she published ‘Jacob’s Room,’” Vega begins. “It is also the year that ‘Ulysses’ by James Joyce and ‘The Waste Land’ by T.S. Eliot were published, and five years ago I anticipated that there would be a lot going on with Joyce and Eliot, … so I thought it was a really important time to bring Virginia Woolf into that conversation as

well. And it had been a long time.”

The room that houses the exhibition is small, and the intimacy of it truly brings the audience into the mind of Woolf. Her diary entries are enlarged on the walls and the viewer is enclosed in Woolf’s writing. It feels as though we are actually in the mind of the genius — we are with her as she scrawls in her journals, and we are floating on the stream of her consciousness.

The Berg collection of the NYPL has tens of thousands of manuscripts, journals and other artifacts from the most significant writers of all time. It is home to nearly all of Woolf’s manuscripts, the exception being

“Mrs. Dalloway,” which is back in Woolf’s native country, England.

The NYPL has access to so many of Woolf’s belongings thanks to the forward-thinking of her widower, Leonard. Vega explains that after Woolf’s death, Leonard worked with women bookdealers in Chicago who had a specialty in placing bigger collections in public American institutions, as opposed to private collections. In 1958, they made the connection with Woolf’s collection and the NYPL. And, unlike other collections from famous writers who choose to keep their innermost thoughts close to their chest even decades after their passing, Woolf’s most private writing and correspondence was immediately available to the public. It was tremendously important to Leonard that his wife’s work be available to “serious students.”

Woolf is credited as one of the most prominent and experimental voices of the literary modernist movement. Her novels and essays explored themes of identity, gender, class, violence and the passage of time. However, she was not immediately lauded for her contribution to literary fiction.

According to Anne Fernald, one of the world’s leading Woolf scholars and professor of English and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Fordham, “Woolf had a reputation in England as a snobby girl writer who wasn’t important.” One of the contributing factors as to why Woolf’s works are in America is because British institutions had no interest in them.

It wasn’t until the 1970s, decades after her death, that Woolf finally began to receive recognition for her contribution to literary history. Fernald says that this is thanks to the work of American scholars, a biography by Woolf’s nephew Quentin Bell and the play “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?,” which, in fact, had very little to do with the writer, “except that it has an intense woman going kind of crazy and has Virginia Woolf in the title.” Fernald adds that “the Berg is absolutely central” to the revival of Woolf’s work.

Woolf is often imagined as a pitiable figure: a tortured genius haunted by her internal demons and the ghosts of the first World War before filling her pockets with stones and walking into the river. This exhibition declares that she is more than her worst moment. She was not only an accomplished and gifted writer, but a celebrated publisher, valued critic and a woman who surrounded herself with some of the most prominent artists of her time.

The exhibition has received well-earned praise, and Vega, a “lifelong reader and admirer” of Woolf’s work, says that “it is nice to see her being celebrated.”

If you want to be inspired, awed and gain an in-depth understanding of one of the greatest creative minds of the twentieth century, visit the NYPL’s exhibition of “Virginia Woolf: A Modern Mind,” on display until March 5. Hurry, and hopefully you won’t have to wait another 30 years until you can see her work again...

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with inspiration from a good book.

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

COURTESY OF NICOLE BRAUN / THE FORDHAM RAM

For the first time in 30 years, Virginia Woolf’s work is on display through the New York Public Library.

Student Athlete Column: The Unshakeable Force Of Confidence

By MARY KATHRYN UNDERWOOD CONTRIBUTING WRITER

This weekend my teammates and I had the opportunity to compete at Boston University’s David Hemery Valentine Invitational. Featuring collegiate and professional track athletes, Valentine is one of the country’s most competitive indoor track meets; its depth and caliber bring forth waves of nerves and prerace anxiety in even the most experienced athletes. In the past, meets such as this would fill me with that same fear: anticipation for the pain that’s about to deaden my legs and constrict my lungs, pointless feelings of inferiority to the competitors that line up beside me and misdirected focus centered on my rapid heart rate rather than the race ahead of me. However, as I lined up to race this weekend, I felt something that I hadn’t in a long time: a calmness overtaking my mind and body, accompanied by an unshakeable force of confidence in my abilities.

Much of the success I garnered in the early stages of my running career was due to my unwavering belief in myself, something I hadn’t recognized until recently. It did not matter who I was lined up beside and how much faster or slower they were than me; my consistent faith in myself assured me that I had all of the tools and capabilities within myself to win. Fueled by the countless hours I had spent working at the track, and with the knowledge and passion that I wanted success so profoundly, my confidence and selfassuredness was unfaltering and pushed me to never give up.

This all changed when I entered college. As it was happening, I could feel my confidence draining out of me during my freshman year to the point that my persona was unrecognizable. I entered college in sub-par running shape, newly diagnosed with asthma, and anxious that I would be physically behind everyone else on the team. Riddled with health issues and sickness during most of my freshman year that affected my performance dramatically, my confidence had depleted almost entirely, and it got to the

point where I knew I had lost before the race had even begun. The ebbs and flows of my confidence following freshman year were disorienting. After being sent home for COVID-19 that March, I trained as hard as I could for months until I finally felt like myself again. Through summer and into fall 2020, my belief in myself sky-rocketed: although we couldn’t race until spring 2021, I was feeling consistently strong and persistent. As it would have it, I was knocked down many times that year. A seemingly never ending battle with COVID-19, a trip to the ICU and increasing mental blocks all abased my belief so low that I started to question if it would ever get better — if I would ever get better — and what I would have to do to be as confident as I once was.

The answer was to never give up.

Over the past year and a half, I have trained harder and more consistently than ever, adopting the “I Can Do Anything I Set my Mind To” attitude and not backing down from it. Although my physical perseverance and tenacity undoubtedly led to the exponential increase in my confidence over this time, I have found that it is more than just that. Realizing that every single person that I line up against is experiencing the same nerves, the same anticipation, and the same pain as I am has made the experience more digestible to me. Knowing that we’re all about to go through the same emotions and experiences has allowed me to concentrate on myself, hone in on my abilities and focus on what I love to do: compete.

The resurgence in my self-belief in running has allowed me to take the risks necessary for growth and success that I hadn’t been able to in years. In recent races, I haven’t been scared to cover or make moves, and I am confident enough to go out without fear of failure; I can’t remember the last time I could say that. Going forward and into our championship season, it is more important now than ever to believe in myself and my capabilities whenever things get difficult. And, for the first time in what seems like forever, I know I can do it.

Athletes of the Week

Overtime: The Beauty of Relegation

By NICK GUZMAN SPORTS EDITOR

Towards the end of any NBA, NHL or NFL regular season, things get quite boring for any team that isn’t in a playoff race. There isn’t anything to play for, and losing is almost incentivized. The phenomenon of “tanking” enters into full display, where teams will seemingly lose games on purpose in order to earn a better draft pick and set up their franchise for future success.

This strategy is commonplace in the United States, but it’s one that diminishes the overall product of American professional sports. Wouldn’t it be better if every team was fighting tooth and nail to finish in the highest position possible in the standings?

That’s the beauty of the European soccer system, where the bottom three teams in each league are relegated to a lower division at the end of the season. Looking at the English Premier League for example, the highest division of soccer in England. If the season were to end today, Southampton, Bournemouth and Everton would be relegated to the second division, the EFL Championship. Beyond the prestige of the Premier League, the revenue the top flight generates greatly outweighs the money brought in by the Championship.

When a club is relegated, they lose their share of Premier League revenue. That’s everything from TV deals to sponsorships. In addition, a Championship club is nowhere near as attractive of a destination for potential transfers as a Premier League club. Because of the lost revenue, a relegated club will both struggle to hang on to their most talented players who want to seek greener pastures and will also have difficulty attracting high quality targets. Relegation can spell both financial and sporting doom for any club that finds themselves at the bottom of the league at season’s end.

For a club like Everton, relegation would be catastrophic. They’ve competed in the top division of English soccer for a record

119 seasons and were last in the second division in 1953-54. The Toffees are one of England’s most historic and successful clubs, ranking third in the top flight’s all-time points rankings. A club of Everton’s size isn’t supposed to be relegated.

But years of poor transfer dealings and financial mismanagement have Everton on the brink of disaster. The club currently sit in 18th place, just one point from safety behind Leeds United. They’ve sacked their manager Frank Lampard and replaced him with Sean Dyche, a no-nonsense manager known for his old-school tactics and straightforward style of play. The Toffees could very well stay up with 16 games to go, but it’s a failure that they are even in this situation.

To me, it’s a beautiful thing that a club like Everton could be relegated. So often, sports teams in America aren’t punished for unwise spending or not spending at all. You simply sit at the bottom of the league, still taking in money from the NBA or NFL’s lucrative sponsorships. The Houston Texans can be awful year-after-year with seemingly no penalty. In the MLB, the Cincinnati Reds can avoid investing in their team with talent and still make a profit.

If Everton don’t turn their season around, there will be huge ramifications. The club will lose money, players will leave and fans will protest. Their new, shiny stadium set to open in 2024 will look cavernous and out-of-place in the Championship. There will be actual, tangible consequences for putting a poor product on the field.

Some clubs do recover from relegation, but others don’t. Take Sunderland, for example. After getting relegated from the Premier League in 2017 after a 10-year stay, the Black Cats didn’t fix their problems and suffered another relegation the following season to EFL League One, the third division of English Soccer. They spent four years in the third division, finally winning promotion back to the Championship this year. If you don’t fix your ways, getting relegated and becoming stuck in the lower divisions like Sunderland is a real possibility.

Everton may not get relegated, but they’ll be fighting hard until the very end of the season to avoid that fate.

Instead of tanking for a potentialdraft pick, the Toffees have to bear down and prepare for the fight of their lives down the stretch of the season.

Varsity Calendar

Khalid

With 19 points on Wednesday against the University of Massachusetts (UMass) and a team-high 22 on Sunday against Davidson College, Moore led Fordham Men’s Basketball to two straight wins and the Rams’ first 20-win season in 32 years. Moore added seven and nine rebounds and 3.5 assists over the course of the two games and did it all while shooting a superb 64% from the field.

Going into hostile territory against rival UMass, Dingle posted a season-high 30 points as the Rams fell by one to the twotime reigning champions in the Atlantic 10. Rounding out the night with eight rebounds, six assists and four steals, Dingle raised her A-10 leading points per game total to 19.4 on an efficient 13-19 from the field. Her 13 field goals set a Mullins Center record for most field goals made by an opposing player.

AWAY

Each week, The Fordham Ram’s Sports section honors two athletes for their on-field performances as their “Athletes of the Week.”

Women’s Basketball Baseball

Softball

Women’s Tennis

Men’s Tennis

Women’s Basketball Men’s Basketball

The threat of relegation serves as a motivator for several Premier League teams.

COURTESY OF TWITTER

Devils Start Second Half of Season Strong

By JAMES BIRLE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

In their first back week from the National Hockey League All-Star break, the New Jersey Devils stayed hot, comfortably holding onto their second place position in the Metropolitan Division standings with 73 points through 52 games. At this pace, the Devils are set to finish with 115 points this season, four more than their franchise points record from 2000-01.

The Devils opened the week at home with two wins against a couple of Pacific Northwestern adversaries in the Vancouver Canucks and Seattle Kraken on Monday night and Thursday night, respectively. Despite having the third highest point totals across the entire league, the Devils have struggled at home this season, claiming just the 16th best home record with 15 wins and 32 points through 27 games at the Prudential Center (.593%).

New Jersey then capped off the weekend with a hard-fought 3-2 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota that saw goaltender Vitek Vanecek’s remarkable 10game win streak come to an end.

The Devils won their fourth straight home game, all of which had gone to overtime, on Monday night against a struggling Vancouver team by a score of 5-4. New Jersey once again converted a one-timer in overtime on a 4-on-3 power play, this time coming off the stick of Jesper Bratt.

However, the Devils put themselves in a sticky situation when they went down early in the first period due to a lack of energy and awareness. They were able to come back in dramatic fashion, though, scoring four unanswered goals, three of which came in the span of just 50 seconds. New Jersey showed weakness late in the second period and throughout the third, allowing Vancouver back into the game with three unanswered of their own. Ultimately, New Jersey would restore order in overtime through Bratt’s game winner. As it would turn out for the Canucks, they allowed themselves to lose

Varsity Scores & Stats

the game in just one bad minute.

Ondrej Palat and Jack Hughes each scored a pair in the victory, with Palat reestablishing himself since returning from injury in January and Hughes solidifying himself as a bonafide Hart Trophy candidate. His 67 points (35 goals, 32 assists) through 50 games is good enough for ninth among NHL skaters, and it puts him on a 110 point and 57 goal pace (through 82 games), both of which would shatter the Devils’ franchise records for points (96, Patrik Elias 2000-01) and goals (48, Brian Gionta 2005-06) in a season. Monday night was the first time Devils fans were heard chanting “MVP” at Hughes, and it was the first time since Taylor Hall in 2017-18 that Devils fans started the Hart campaign. Hughes would be just the second Devil after Hall to win the award, but he of course faces incredible competition with the consensus’ best player in the world, Connor McDavid and his whopping 97 points through 54 games.

This wasn’t just Hughes’ game to remember, though, as goaltender Vitek Vanecek picked up what was his 10th straight win, tied for the third longest goaltending winning streak in franchise history. It cannot be overstated how important Vanecek’s stability, consistency and excellency has been; Vanecek’s 22 wins so far this year are the most any Devils goaltender has had since 2017-18 when they last made the playoffs (Keith Kinkaid, 26).

Amidst Vanecek’s dominance in net, opportunities have begun to dwindle for now backup Mackenzie Blackwood, who was only just recently tipped to be New Jersey’s goaltender for the future. However, Blackwood not only was given the start against the surging Kraken but he also shined throughout the night, earning a 33-save victory, his first win since Jan. 14 against the Los Angeles Kings, and the Devils’ fifth straight at home. With trade rumors circulating around just about every team in the NHL, Blackwood’s name has been brought up as he represents a very strong depth piece at

goaltender for New Jersey. He’s starting to remind people just how good a confident Mackenzie Blackwood can be.

The Devils went up against Seattle and Minnesota without their All-Star Hughes (who has been listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury retroactive to Feb. 7) but they were able to come from behind for the win once again on Thursday. Star defenseman Dougie Hamilton was instrumental in the win with two powerplay one-timers to add to his already impressive 52 points in 52 games and six-game (now seven-game) points streak. Hamilton’s 52 points are fourth amongst active NHL defenseman and breaks his previous points record of 50 (2016-17 with the Calgary Flames).

With Blackwood starting in the second of the two home games, Lindy Ruff referred back to Vanecek ahead of their matchup on the road against Minnesota, where the Devils once again started slow and mounted a comeback, this time getting a pair of goals from forward Tomas Tatar. Secondary contributors have continued to step up in big moments throughout the year, especially with Hughes sidelined temporarily due to injury. The comeback effort was eventually curtailed by a strong third period from the Wild as they pushed the game all the way to a shootout, where Mats Zuccarrello and Frederick Gaudreau both converted to deny New Jersey of both points. Even though they ended up squandering their own comeback, it’s a very valuable point on the road against a playoff-quality team.

The Devils will remain on the road for the rest of this week (likely without Hughes) as they travel to Columbus Tuesday night for a division matchup against Johnny Gaudreau and the dead-last Blue Jackets before heading to St. Louis and Pittsburgh for a couple of games against the Blues and Penguins on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

Despite their shootout loss to Minnesota on Saturday, the Devils still maintain the league’s best away record with 41 points from 25 games played on the road (.820%).

News & Notes

Frank Giufre Hired

as Fordham’s Offensive Line Coach

Fordham Football head coach Joe Conlin named the new offensive line coach for the Rams on Monday. Frank Giufre, who served as an assistant coach at the University of Connecticut from 2018-21, is now taking up the mantle of coach this upcoming season. Giufre spent the previous six seasons as the offensive quality control coach for the Indianapolis Colts. Giufre has 17 years of coaching experience, including 11 seasons in college football.

Women’s Tennis Handles Back-to-Back Matches With Ease

By BRETT TULIP STAFF WRITER

This past weekend, Fordham

Women’s Tennis traveled on Saturday and Sunday to play two away matches where they were able to pick up 5-2 wins in both contests. This marks four straight wins for the program, a strong turnaround since their wobbles in their first match against Drexel University.

They began by first competing against Army West Point in what proved to be a largely uncompetitive match due to Fordham’s outstanding doubles play. Usual duos consisting of graduate student Valeriya Deminova with senior Avery Aude and sophomore Lorraine Bergmann with freshman Sofie Siem dominated in their matches with convincing wins that would set the tone for their play against Siena College the next day.

In singles play, Army put up

somewhat of a better fight, taking home two of the five completed singles matches. Army sophomore Jenna Sabile narrowly defeated junior Eleni Fasoula in three sets with scores of 6-2, 2-6 and 6-1. Army’s only other singles victory of the day would come courtesy of junior Caroline Ahn who gave Bergmann some trouble with her 6-4 and 6-0 wins. Army, whose team is significantly bigger and

outnumbers Fordham by a total of 15-8 women, could not use the size of their roster to their advantage. Unlike Fordham, by using 12 different students in this match, they had none of their doubles matches consist of any of the same players from their singles matches. This strategy ultimately didn’t work and paved the way for the first victory of the weekend for the Rams.

The second match against Siena College on Sunday provided another opportunity for Fordham to show off their impressive doubles play as they again won both matches. The third match was not finished due to the first two already being won, but Deminova and Aude were also ahead 5-3 before play stopped. Both Saturday and Sunday proved to be monumental in establishing the team’s

confidence through doubles matches. Much like Army, Sienna managed to win two singles matches, with the Rams taking four.

Both Fasoula and Bergmann again dropped the singles matches, contributing to the extreme parallels of the weekend between both events.

The Rams will certainly have a tough one next week when they travel to play the 6-1 Ivy leaguers in Brown University. However, this year’s roster is starting to shape up into something special, and continued success during a competitive stretch of the season could prove helpful in reflecting postseason play.

It should definitely be a compelling matchup and the team’s hardest of the year. Keeping up the positive play would allow Fordham to continue to be on its path towards one of the best regular seasons in recent memory.

–Compiled by Maddie Bimonte

Valeriya Deminova and Fordham now hold a 6-1 record after two big wins against Army and Siena College.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Super Bowl LVII Recap

By NOAH HOFFMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The 2022-2023 NFL season came to a close this past Sunday with Super Bowl LVII. The top two teams in the league squared off in a thrilling finale to this season that ended in the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35.

The Chiefs came into the season with something to prove. After losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2022 AFC Championship game and trading away one of their top weapons Tyreek Hill, many thought of them as competitive but in a transitioning phase. They managed to prove the doubters wrong going 14-3 in the regular season, good for the number one seed in the AFC, behind their star player and MVP of this past season, Patrick Mahomes.

After a promising 2022 campaign, which saw first-year head coach Nick Siriani lead his team to the playoffs, the Eagles were considered by many to be “one weapon away.” They managed to find this weapon after trading for A.J. Brown in the offseason, turning quarterback Jalen Hurts from a solid starter into a perennial MVP candidate. On the backs of one of the most dynamic offenses and menacing defenses, the Eagles cruised to the number one seed in the NFC en route to a Super Bowl appearance.

The game started off with an opening drive score by the Eagles after a Jalen Hurts rushing touchdown. The score was quickly matched by the Chiefs after Mahomes found his most reliable weapon in Travis Kelce in the endzone. A missed field

goal by Harrison Butker on Kansas City’s next possession kept the score tied at seven while giving Philly excellent field position. The Eagles capitalized on the good field position with a 45-yard touchdown pass from Hurts to Brown on the first play of the second quarter. With the Eagles regaining the ball midway through the second quarter, their drive was halted after Hurts fumbled the ball which was returned by Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton for a KC touchdown. However, the Philadelphia offense would bounce back on the very next possession when Hurts scampered into the end zone for the second time that night, giving the Eagles the lead again at 21-14. After a field goal at the end of the half, the Birds found themselves up 24-14 and controlling their own destiny.

A touchdown on the opening drive of the second half for the Chiefs would dictate how the rest of the game would go. An Eagles field goal would put them up six before a touchdown on the second drive of the half for Mahomes and the Chiefs gave Kansas City its first lead of the game at 28-27. A big stop on defense by the Chiefs led to a

Men’s Tennis Drops Two to NJIT and Binghamton

By JOE MASTERS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

QB’s.

punt that was returned by Kadarius Toney for 65 yards, the longest punt return in Super Bowl history. The Chiefs capitalized on the excellent return and field position by scoring another touchdown, putting them up by eight.

The Birds would not go down without a fight with Jalen Hurts tying a Super Bowl record for his third rushing touchdown of the evening, capping it off with a two-point conversion to tie the game. With just over five minutes remaining in the game, the score was knotted at 35 and a chance for none other than Patrick Mahomes to prove more doubters wrong. Mahomes led his team, as he had all season, into field goal range, with the help of a controversial defensive holding call. Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker would nail the game-winning score and gift Kansas City with a 38-35 victory and their third Lombardi trophy.

Patrick Mahomes was named MVP of the game, joining elite company for being recognized as both the MVP of the season and its Super Bowl. The Chiefs and Mahomes win their second Super Bowl in four years, further cementing themselves as a dynasty in the making.

Squash Takes Three In Last Regular Season Weekend

By MADDIE BIMONTE SPORTS EDITOR

In the last weekend of regular season play the Fordham squash team secured three out of the four games with a win against Drexel University’s Club team, Lehigh University and Johns Hopkins University at home. Their lone loss came from Boston University in the first match of the weekend.

The Rams were not off to a hot start against Boston as they dropped their match 8-1, with sophomore Bennett Van Liew, winning the second slot match over Milan Tahliani in four games, 8-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9.

While Fordham ultimately fell at the one and six slot, junior Henry Frowley and senior Caleb Schumacher were able to force game fives, with Frowley almost making a comeback after being down two games. He narrowly lost the final game, 11-5, 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 12-10.

Schumacher also suffered a similar fate, as he opened the match strong, faltering slightly in the last two games. His final line was 1210, 7-11, 8-11, 11-3, 11-7.

The Rams quickly shook off that loss, immediately turning things around against Drexel’s club team. Sweeping the one through six slots, the Rams, courtesy of Schumacher, sophomores Sofia Arseniev, Robert Cruikshank and junior Nicholas Choo had decisive wins.

The Rams had a big weekend heading into the CSA Team

Fordham’s losses in the seventh and eighth positions were hardfought battles, with both going to four games.

Squash continued rolling, gearing up for their doubleheader on Sunday against Lehigh and Johns Hopkins. First up, the Rams swept the one and two slots as well as the four through seven. The third slot, which belongs to Arseniev, was the toughest matchup of the day, with Arseniev stretching five games, winning the first and fourth to ultimately drop the fifth, 10-12, 11-5, 11-8, 6-11, 11-3. The Rams took a 7-2 victory over Lehigh, immediately heading into their final match of the regular season against Johns Hopkins. Frowley kicked things off at the one slot with a quick victory over Kavish Hajarnavis in just

After earning their first win of the season against Fairfield University last weekend, the Fordham men’s tennis team fell to the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Binghamton University in consecutive days.

Traveling to the Naimoli Tennis Center on Friday to take on NJIT, the Rams were riding the momentum of their first win of the new season. This momentum was cut short, however, losing 1-6 collectively as a team. Despite the overall team loss, the Rams were glad to secure the doubles point thanks to juniors Toi Kobayashi and Nicholas Kanazirev combining to win 6-3. The freshmen duo comprising of Dhillon Virdee-Oakley and Sampras Rakotondrainibe came out on top 6-4.

Facing a quick turnaround, the Rams headed to the Life Time Tennis Center in Harrison, N.Y. where they fell to a Binghamton team that had started off 0-8 to begin the season. After splitting the singles matches three a piece, all attention turned to the doubles courts with the deciding match being played out by graduate student Quinn Fender and junior Giorgio Soemarno who faced Binghamton senior Michael Pawlowicz and freshman James McPherson. Despite a valiant effort, it wasn’t enough for the Rams, as they fell 2-6 in the deciding doubles match, losing 3-4 as a team.

Fordham won’t retake the courts until next Saturday, Feb. 18, where they’ll face a tough opponent in a Monmouth University team that is 4-1 so far on the season.

three games, 11-6, 11-4, 11-4. Van Liew continued his weekend success in the two slot, also managing to win his match in three, 13-11, 1210, 11-2. The Rams swept the three through seven slots, with a default victory to Arseniev and strong playing from Fordham, with only one of those matches going to four games. While the Rams dropped the eighth slot, they pulled out another strong victory at 6-3.

The Rams finished the regular season with an impressive 19-8 record, with a 13-3 record at home at the Lombardi Squash Courts. Now, the Rams have one final test on the season, the 2023 CSA Team Championship, which will be Feb. 2426. Matches for the event will be in split locations in Hartford and Middletown, Connecticut.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Championships.

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

Super Bowl LVII delivered a matchup between two of the NFL’s best

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Men’s Tennis had a tough battle against New Jersey and Binghamton.

Hanna Breaks School Record in Busy Weekend

By LOU ORLANDO ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Another action-packed weekend for Fordham Track and Field saw the Rams split their roster between the BU Valentine Invitational in Massachusetts and the Millrose Games in New York City. Serving as the last weekend of events for two weeks, Fordham had another successful showing as they prepared for the Atlantic 10 tournament at the end of February.

The women’s side got things started on Friday at the BU Valentine Invitational. Graduate student Tiffany Hanna headlined things, breaking the school record in the weight throw event with a distance of 58’ 2”, besting the previous school record of 57’ 2 3/4” which she set back in December.

Hanna’s throw finished seventh overall, the highest finish for the Rams on Friday. Hanna also ranked 24th in the shot put event.

Junior Skylar Harris finished 12th overall in the long jump with a season best distance of 17’ 10 3/4”. Freshmen Leia Ruvo and Alexandra Manetovic tied for 18th overall in the high jump event while graduate student Helen Connolly posted a season-best performance in the 800-meter run. Freshman Dilyn Green ranked 13th in the sprinting events and senior Nathania Tan had a season best time in the unranked 3,000 meter run.

On Saturday, men’s and women’s competed in the 4x400 relays at the 115th Millrose Games at the NYC Armory while a portion of the men’s team stayed in

Massachusetts to close out the BU Valentine Invitational.

The Rams showed out at the Millrose Games, with women’s earning a second place finish and men’s earning a third place finish. It was freshman Alexandra Williams, junior Molly Mulvaney and seniors Kyla Hill and Mary Kathryn Underwood on the women’s side, while senior Erik Brown, sophomore Christopher Martinez and freshmen Matthew Nurse and Kevin Callaghan were getting it done on the men’s side.

Back in Boston, the men competed in eight events. Junior Steven Zucca posted a seasonbest and IC4A qualifying time of 8:17.47 in the 3,000 meter run.

Graduate student Zalen Nelson also recorded a season-best time in the 1,000 meter run, finishing 23rd overall. In field events, freshman Michael Croke finished 17th in the pole vault while junior Justin Rhee tied for 18th in the long jump.

The Fordham Rams will not have any meets this upcoming weekend as the team prepares for the 2023 A-10 Indoor Track and Field Championship. Both the men’s and women’s teams were in the bottom half of participating teams last season with ninth place finishes. With the ECAC/ IC4A Championship just a week after the A-10 Championship, it will be an important two week stretch for the Rams. The A-10 Championship spans February 25-26 at the Mackal Fieldhouse in Kingston, Rhode Island.

Fordham’s Club Sports Return to Action

By ALLIE COPPOLA STAFF WRITER

Fordham’s club sports are returning to action after the winter break and are looking to start the semester off strong. The club hockey team is already back in full swing, and both the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams are looking forward to their first games in the following weeks. The baseball and softball teams are also beginning their seasons in March, with matchups before and after Fordham’s spring break.

The club hockey team began the semester with four games and already holds a 2-2 record with two remaining games. In their opening game on Jan. 28, they suffered a 6-2 loss to Fairfield, but bounced back with back-to-back wins against Quinnipiac University (2-1) and Hofstra University (2-0) the next weekend. Club President Bryce Vitale, FCRH ’25, said he is excited for the rest of the season. “The past three games have gone well for us. We had a huge win against Quinnipiac, and I believe that we will be in great shape for the rest of the season leading up to nationals.” He touched on the energy of the team and how they are adapting to changes in the lineup due to injuries and players that are studying abroad. “We had to adjust our lines, and I think we are doing

Women’s Hoops Drops Heartbreaker to UMass

By COLIN LOUGHRAN STAFF WRITER

So close, and yet so far. Fordham Women’s Basketball dropped an 80-79 heartbreaker on the road against the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Minutewomen last Wednesday, and fell to an 8-4 Atlantic 10 record. The Rams played a holistically good game, but UMass was ultimately the better squad in crunch time.

The Bronx faithful saw their Rams get off to a hot start against UMass. Fordham held a 41-39 lead at the end of the opening half and was particularly aided by the play of both graduate student Asiah Dingle and senior Anna DeWolfe. The A-10’s leading scorers posted 21 and 10 points, respectively, over the first 20 minutes of play. Dingle’s 21 included three 3-point shots. Further, the Boston Native also contributed six boards and three assists in the first half.

The Rams’ edge may have been greater if they had not turned the ball over 12 times in the first half. One furious run gave the opposition life before the break.

Fordham led 41-30 with 1:28 to go in the half, but UMass showed their ability to connect from behind the arc before intermission. 3-pointers from Sydney Taylor, Sam Breen and Destiny Phoenix trimmed the maroon lead to two and enabled the Minutewomen to enter the locker room feeling confident.

Fordham played an aggressive brand of basketball in the second

half. They out-rebounded UMass by eight boards in the second half, but did not keep up the same offensive firepower they illustrated in the first half.

Meanwhile, the A-10’s second best three-point shooting team only made two 3-pointers in the second half, but were able to score by getting to the free-throw line and swishing both mid-range jumpers and layups.

DeWolfe hit a late fourth quarter jumper to give Fordham a one point lead. But, Ber’Nyah Mayo answered right back with a clutch shot of her own, giving UMass an 80-79 advantage with 11 seconds remaining in regulation. The Rams had a chance to win it at the other end, but could not get a shot off.

All told, Dingle tallied a game-high 30 points, while also contributing eight rebounds, six dimes and four steals. DeWolfe

pretty well considering the loss. Our first game against Fairfield was a tough game to come back from winter break with, and we unfortunately lost the game. However, our starting goalie is back from an ankle injury, and he has been doing very well. I feel as though we are in the correct mindset for nationals, and I am excited to see where we go with the remainder of this season.”

After a 5-3 loss to Farmingdale State College on Friday night, they look forward to their final away matchups against Ramapo College and Fairfield University. The Fairfield game on Feb. 19 will be an exciting rematch after their earlier loss to the fellow Jesuit school.

The women’s club lacrosse team begins their season in just over a week, on Feb. 26, with a round robin event at Fairfield. They play two tough opponents in Marist College and Fairfield. Though they did not see Fairfield in the fall season, they suffered a close loss to Marist and are looking to even the score. Fairfield is usually a fiery matchup, as the Jesuit schools traded wins in seasons past. In the following week, they’ll play a rare matchup against Central Connecticut State University at home on March 4, and will wait until after the spring break to continue the game schedule.

Also beginning their season is the men’s club lacrosse team, who will host Columbia University and Rutgers University in a round robin event on March 5. In the fall season, they handily defeated Columbia with a score of 8-3 and will look to continue their success in the opening weekend.

Fordham’s club baseball team also opens their season on the weekend of March 4, with two games against a fellow New England South Conference team in the Stevens Institute of Technology. Fordham’s record within the conference is an excellent 5-1, and they will attempt to extend their dominance. They resume games after the spring break with three games against Adelphi University. The club softball team only has five games on their schedule, all of which will be played after the spring break in March and April. They play two games at Rider College at the end of March, and Rutgers University’s team will travel to Fordham for a three game series in the beginning of April.

Fordham’s club baseball team also opens their season on the weekend of March 4, with two games against fellow New England South conference team Stevens Tech. Club baseball captain Michael Calamari, FCRH ’23, comments on how the team is shaping up and their high hopes for the postseason. “We are looking forward to opening our spring season against Stevens Tech and improving on

the success we enjoyed in the fall.

We return almost our entire team from both the Fall and last season, and we hope to make a push for the playoffs and potentially return to nationals.” Fordham’s record within the conference is an excellent 5-1, and they will attempt to extend their dominance. They resume after the spring break with three games against Adelphi University.

The club softball team only has five games on their schedule, all of which will be played

ATHLETICS

poured in 17 points and collected one rebound and five assists. Graduate student Jada Dapaa led the Rams in rebounding with 10 boards. The forward also provided 12 points on an effective 6-9 shooting performance.

Mayo and Breen led UMass on the scoreboard. Mayo ultimately finished with 29 points while Breen added 18. Phoenix was also superb as she put up 15 points, six assists and five rebounds. Mayo, Breen and Phoenix made all 16 of the Minutewomen’s trips to the charity stripe and sank 12 attempts.

Fordham Women’s Basketball will look to get back into the win column this Thursday when they head to the city of brotherly love for a battle with the La Salle University Explorers before returning home for a Sunday matinee against George Mason University.

after the spring break in March and April. They play two games at Rider College at the end of March, and Rutgers University’s team will travel to Fordham for a three game series in the beginning of April.

An exciting slate of games is on the horizon for Fordham’s club sports teams, and all home games can be attended either at Mt. Vernon’s Ice Hutch or Fordham’s Houlihan Park, Bahoshy Softball Complex and Murphy Field.

Asiah Dingle’s season high 30 points raised her season total to 19.4 PPG.

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COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

Club hockey pushes towards playoffs as baseball readies for spring.

Men’s Basketball Wins 20 Games for the First Time Since 1991

By THOMAS AIELLO ASST. SPORTS EDITOR EMERITUS

The running Rams have started to cut down the proverbial red tape that has plagued them for a quarter century, but for this program it has felt like an eternity. Not since 1992 has Fordham made the NCAA Tournament, and not since 1991 have they won anywhere in the range of 20 games overall, nor won more than 18 games as members of the Atlantic 10 conference.

Given the current state of the A-10, an at-large bid to the big dance for Fordham seems to be a stretch given their awful outof-conference slate. However, a trip to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is a growing reality by the day. If Fordham were to play in an NIT game alone, it would be the first postseason appearance for the program since 1992.

Fordham continued their historic year last Wednesday when the University of Massachusetts (UMass) rolled into the Bronx.

A once-national power back in the mid-to-late 1990s, the days

of a young John Calipari, Marcus Camby and Lou Roe have long passed the Minutemen. Between the combined effort of former head coaches Steve Lappas, Travis Ford, Derreck Kellogg and Matt McCall, UMass only mustered a lone NCAA tournament appearance in 2014.

In steps a notorious screaming enthusiast and a former boss at Kansas State University and the University of South Carolina: Frank Martin. Martin is known for three things: generating one of the greatest seasons in Kansas State history behind All-American Michael Beasley, losing his mind on the sideline and taking the Gamecocks to the Final Four in 2017.

Martin’s first iteration of UMass returns only three players from last season with the remainder of the team composed of transfers from conferences like the Big East, Southeastern and the Atlantic Coast.

Going into Rose Hill, the team was already down UConn transfer Rahsool Diggins, star freshman RJ Luis and superstar Noah Fernandes due to injury. All

guards, all are responsible for a majority of the scoring and distributing.

The Minutemen marched into Rose Hill and sprung out to an early 8-6 lead in the opening minutes. Martin was able to squeeze a lot out of his limited roster in the first half, with Wildens Leveque asserting himself with a vicious dunk over top of multiple Rams to make it 26-18 with six minutes to go in the first.

Fordham got as close as seven going into the halftime break with Massachusetts ending on a 7-0 up 39-32 in the first.

Weaponizing a 19-4 run to open the second half, Fordham jumped back in front with three threes from various sources in junior Kyle Rose, freshman Will Richardson and graduate student Darius Quisenberry. The latter finished with 21 points, 12 of which came from free throws.

The Rams turned UMass over 14 times, adding nine steals in the process, four of which were courtesy of Rose. Graduate student Khalid Moore added 19 points on the evening with seven rebounds, remaining extremely efficient on 8-13 shooting.

Massachusetts showed a ton of guts, a known identity of Frank Martin teams. Four players hit double figure scoring between Leveque: Matt Cross with 17, freshman point guard Keon Thompson with 13 and Brandon Martin tossing in 11 on the day. The Minutemen were able to stay in the game by utilizing a matchup-zone defense to conserve energy.

Where they came up short were rebounds and free throws. UMass only went to the line 18 times and hit 12 of their shots despite

maintaining a lead in the first half. The Minutemen were also outmuscled on the glass 39-30, allowing 15 offensive rebounds to the Rams.

The Rams dominated UMass in free throws, going to the line 34 times and nailing 27 attempts in the night en route to a 77-67 win over the Minutemen. Fordham also included 18 points off turnovers despite going 4-20 from distance.

For the first time ever as an A-10 team, Fordham has won 19 games overall, the highest total since their infamous 2007 season. With one layer of the proverbial red tape cut down, Fordham looked to make more history when they went down to North Carolina to face off against Davidson College.

All time, the Wildcats entered the matchup 14-2 against the Rams with the last Fordham win coming in 2017 at Belk Arena. It also happened to be the celebration for long time head coach Bob McKillop, with a ceremony taking place following the game.

The struggling Wildcats gave Fordham just about everything they could handle, with Foster Loyer dominating compared to his previous outing against the Rams in December. He exploded for 26 points while going 15-16 from the free throw line.

The Rams held Loyer’s helpers to no higher than 10 points, but the Wildcats took the lead four separate times and were tied with the Rams on four different occasions. The second half opened up as the Darius Quisenberry show, when he hit three of his first four long balls to balloon the Fordham lead.

Davidson utilized an 11-0 run

to get back within one with just over six minutes left, that was until a series of unlucky events went against the Wildcats. Junior Antrell Charlton dumped in his patented free throw line jumper to give Fordham breathing room.

With about four minutes left, Junior Abdou Tsimbila recovered a key offensive rebound for a putback off a missed Quisenberry free throw to go back up six.

A herculean effort from both sides allowed Davidson to hang around, but Fordham kept their foot on the “Cats’” neck. Kyle Rose made a huge play to stop a fast break, going the full 94 feet in a blink to poke the ball away from Davidson’s Desmond Watson. Grant Huffman nailed a long two to keep Davidson in the hunt but to no avail.

Fordham slayed their demons and won their 20th game of the year, their first 20-win season since 1991 and their first 20-win year as an A-10 team.

The Rams’ final six games are crucial as they have a home whiteout game against St. Bonaventure University on Wednesday and a test on the road against Virginia Commonwealth University on Saturday afternoon, the consensus best team in the A-10 and a team Fordham has only beaten once since they joined the conference.

Beyond that, Fordham plays two basement dwellers in the University of Rhode Island and Loyola University Chicago and two middle of the pack units in George Mason University and Duquesne University. If the Rams are to secure a double bye in the A-10 tournament, winning at least four puts them in a good position, but winning five is a practical guarantee.

Softball Begins Season at NFCA Leadoff Classic

By NICK GUZMAN SPORTS EDITOR

Fordham Softball kicked off their 2023 season this past weekend at the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla.

The Rams went 1-4 across five games, picking up a win against Prairie View A&M University but falling to Auburn University, the University of Missouri, the University of Illinois and the University of Pittsburgh.

Fordham is coming off a dream 2022 season that saw an Atlantic 10 Championship win last May. While some key contributors to last year’s success have moved on, the Rams have also retained much of the talent that helped them capture their ninth conference title. Among the notable departures are Rachel Hubertus and Brianna Pinto. Hubertus hit 18 home runs last season and 40 for her career, which places her fourth all-time on the Fordham leaderboards. Pinto is the program’s all-time leader in steals and was named second team AllA-10 in 2022.

Despite these losses, Fordham still has several notable returning players. Junior Bailey Enoch seems poised for another big

campaign both in the circle and at the plate, as she was named most outstanding player at the A-10 Championship in the spring. Also returning are seniors Devon Miller and Michaela Carter and graduate student Julia Martine, all of whom played key roles in the Rams’ success a year ago.

But the Rams 2023 season began against some tough opponents, including two SEC schools, a Big 10 school and an ACC school. Opening the season against Auburn on Friday, the Rams fell behind early and weren’t able to recover, eventually losing to the Tigers by a score of 9-0 in six innings via mercy rule. Miller started in the circle for the Rams and went the distance, but she struggled to find her command throughout the contest. Miller only allowed four hits on the day, but her 10 walks allowed, in addition to a hit batter, contributed to her surrendering eight earned runs on the day.

While Fordham batters struck out 14 times against Tiger pitching, Miller was only able to retire one batter on strikes.

Things didn’t get easier for the Rams as they again lost in six innings to an SEC school, but this time against Missouri. Mizzou started fast against Enoch, scoring

twice in the first and four times in the third to open up an early 6-0 lead. Fordham climbed back into it thanks to an RBI single from Martine and a two-RBI single from Enoch, cutting the lead down to 6-3. The Tigers then used a huge sixth inning to extend their lead to 13-3 and end the game via mercy rule. Both Enoch and sophomore Emilee Watkins got roughed up a bit in the circle, with Enoch giving up six earned runs and six walks in five innings of work and Watkins allowing three earned runs and five hits in just a third of an inning.

But, Fordham was able to rebound on Saturday, picking up the first win of the season against Prairie View A&M in dramatic fashion. A low-scoring contest, freshman Holly Beeman nearly tossed a no-hitter in her Fordham debut, surrendering just one hit and one run in the top of the seventh inning.

With the score tied at one in the bottom of the seventh, Michaela Carter walked it off for the Rams on an infield single. Junior Bella Ayala crossed the plate with the winning run, delivering Fordham the 2-1 win for their first triumph of the season.

Later on Saturday, the Rams found themselves on the wrong

side of an extra-inning thriller against Illinois. Watkins pitched well, allowing just one earned run in over six innings of work. Leading 2-1 heading in the top of the seventh, Illinois tied the game on a passed ball to send the game towards extras. In the eighth, Illinois jumped out to a 4-2 lead on a clutch single from Kelly Ryono. But the Rams had a big answer in the bottom of the inning when Martine socked a two-run homer to knot things up at four. In the ninth, the Fighting Illini responded with a two-run bomb of their own from Sydney Malot that proved to be the fatal blow. The Rams were unable to answer in the bottom of the frame, falling to Illinois 6-4.

Fordham had one last game down in Florida on Sunday morning, squaring off with the University of Pittsburgh. Trailing

3-0 in the top of the fifth, Fordham rallied furiously, scoring three runs in the frame to tie the game. A two-RBI single from freshman Nicki Sudall knotted things up, but Pitt responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the fifth and three runs in the sixth. The Rams couldn’t muster up a comeback in the seventh, with Pittsburgh taking home the 7-3 victory. Although Fordham went just 1-4 to open the season, they faced some really difficult opponents down in Florida. The experience of facing solid SEC, ACC and Big 10 schools will prove invaluable once conference play begins this Spring. The Rams will continue their out-of-conference schedule this coming weekend at the Elon Softball Phoenix Invitational in Elon, S.C., with five games scheduled across three days.

The Rams are rolling in the A-10 after two big wins against UMass and Davidson.

COURTESY

Julia Martine and Fordham are looking to build on their 2022 A-10 Championship.