Volume 93 Issue 5

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SERVING THE FORDHAM UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY FOR OVER 90 YEARS

1918-2011

FEBRUARY 23, 2011

VOLUME 93, ISSUE 5

The Vagina Monologues Encounters Resistance Women’s Empowerment Preps for its Annual Production of The Vagina Monologues; the Administration Shows Lack of Support

COURTESY OF JEREKEYS

The Vagina Monologues consists of sets of independent scenes; each scene demonstrates female empowerment and the embodiment of individuality. lates to the vagina. Although through a tremendous amount of what womanhood means both

By CONNIE KIM NEWS EDITOR the overall theme of the play is of difficulty each year to perform in a mental and physical capacdemonstrative of female empowthe show on campus due to lack ity. It is not condoning any kind Many Catholic universities are erment by using the vagina as a of support in terms of funding of sexual assault or any other ill against supporting the play The tool, some of the scenes and ideas and venues. feelings towards womanhood.”

Vagina Monologues, and Fordin the play generate controversy “The Vagina Monologues atThis year, Women’s Empowerham is no exception. among Catholic audiences. tempts to bring awareness to ment had the full support from The Vagina Monologues is made While Fordham is one of the and stop sexual violence against both the president and the vice up of a series of independent few colleges in the U.S. that alwomen,” Grace Waltemyer, president of United Student scenes and, as the title suggests, lows the showing of the play FCRH ’11, one of the play’s proGovernment; however, its proevery monologue somehow reon campus, the organizers go ducers, said. “It is a celebration posal for funding was rejected by

the dean of students.

“For a number of years, our understanding has been that funding and sponsorship for this program is supplied by various academic departments,” Christopher Rodgers, dean of students, said. “Administrative units, such as Student Affairs, are not involved and do not provide funding. All recognized clubs, organizations and student government fall under Student Affairs.”

The Women’s Studies department has supported the play since its first year on the Fordham campus.

“The Office of Student Life has never supported the production of The Vagina Monologues,” Caroline Egan, FCRH ’12, said.

“Women’s Empowerment members have been the ones heading the production for the past two years; we are not allowed to be the one sponsoring the event.”

“We then had to run it through the Women’s Studies department once again,” Waltemyer said.

“When the show is run through SEE MONOLOGUES ON PAGE 4

RFK, Jr. Calls for ‘True Free Market Capitalism’

By MICHELLE FLORCRUZ & KEVIN FITZPATRICK CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

His voice might have sounded like sandpaper on gravel, due to illness, but Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. knows how to speak.

In his talk on campus, Kennedy addressed how the United States could pioneer the world’s first free-energy grid, as well as other environmental issues, on Feb. 16. Sponsored by College Democrats and the American Age Lecture Series, the event was a huge success, drawing a crowd of over 300 students and faculty members in Keating 1st floor auditorium.

Kennedy, recognized as one of Time Magazine’s “Heroes of the Planet” for his success in leading the fight to protect New York City’s water supply, is an environmental lawyer whose ambitions focus on reprioritizing American values.

Kennedy’s fervor about the environment extends beyond clean water and saving trees into an economic and social plan to rejuvenate American culture.

“We need to make an investment in our infrastructure, and the rest of the economy will follow,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy’s talk highlighted the many environmental issues that Americans face nationally, specifically coal, oil consumption and water pollution. During the talk, he directly correlated environmental effects to economic effects.

Kennedy emphasized the importance of establishing American strategies instead of relying on oil from the Middle East. This requires changes from Washington lobbyists, who subsidize coal and oil incumbents.

PHOTO BY NORA MALLOZZI/THE RAM

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. addressed the importance of pioneering the free energy grid and the necessity for the true free-market capitalism at the speech. a solution to America’s environmental easy as having Internet access would the work of Dorothy Day and how it “We don’t use [wind energy] beand economic problems is to impledrastically defray costs. has inspired him to work toward betcause of the illusion that it is more ment a true free-energy marketplace, “If we do that, we’re going to watch tering the American community. He expensive than coal or oil,” Kennedy essentially turning every resident into the price of energy in this country strives to change the mindset that in explained. “That’s because of the a stakeholder in the energy business. plummet,” he said. order to be rich, there must be the huge subsidies we give to oil.”

Similar to the information grid creKennedy emphasized not just poor.

When addressing American deated in 1979 by the federal governthe economic implications of these “You cannot make yourself rich pendency on liquid oil, he gave credit ment, creating an energy grid where changes, but also the economic impliwithout making your neighbors to American automakers. accessibility to energy would be as cations of moral ones. He mentioned rich.”

“At this year’s Detroit Auto Show, every automaker had an electric car model,” he said.

He suggested that we take this further by following the Israeli government’s plans of establishing an electric car network.

Kennedy said that there is somePAGE 23 PAGE 9 PAGE 17 thing to be learned from the Internet Men’s Track Ties for Best-Ever Finish Pros vs. Cons of Crosstown ROTC Living and Studying Abroad in and the well-developed telecommuat A-10 Championships.

Programs.

Granada. nications industry. He suggested that

INSIDE Sports

Opinions

Culture

NEWS

PAGE 2 • THE RAM • FEBRUARY 23, 2011

SECURITY

BRIEFS

McNeely Elaborates on Days as White House Photographer

Feb. 18, Lorillard Place, 4-7 p.m.

A door was unlocked at Lorillard Place. Someone entered the unlocked rooms. Properties, including a Macbook, a charger, an iPod and $200 in cash, were removed. NYPD reported to the scene.

Feb. 18, New York City, 7 p.m.

A Fordham student was having dinner with her parents. She left her properties at the table and went to the restroom. When she came out, her pocketbook and a key were missing.

Feb. 18, O’Hare Hall, 11:30 p.m.

A fire alarm was activated at O’Hare Hall’s Millenium Grille due to the smoke condition. The reason was exhaust fans that were turned off for the scheduled clean up. FDNY responded. The alarm was reset without any incident.

Feb. 19, Alumni Court South, 12 p.m.

A smoke detector was activated from the steam from the shower.

The security responded after the alarm went off. There was no further incident.

Feb. 19, Finlay Hall, 9:15 p.m.

A student left his longboard (skateboard) outside in the hallway. When he came out of the room, longboard was no loger where he left it.

PHOTO BY STEPHEN MOCCIA/THE RAM

Robert McNeely has documented numerous political campaigns and served as chief White House photographer.

By EMILY ARATA STAFF WRITER

Robert McNeely became a photographer accidentally. While deployed overseas as a young man, he purchased his first camera simply because all of his friends were buying them.

“I had no awareness,” he said during a conversation before his American Age Lecture this week. “I just got a camera and fell in love with it.”

McNeely is best known for his work in political photography, most notably as the White House photographer for six years of the Clinton administration.

While flipping through the many black-and-white still frames that define his career, the audience saw McNeely as a man with a deep compassion for his fellow human beings, whether it be a grizzled old man sitting in an armchair after a tornado or President Clinton in the midst of the Monica Lewinski scandal.

In 1992, McNeely took his first fateful photograph of Bill Clinton. In the picture, Clinton sits on an NBC set, waiting for his first presidential debate to begin. In a manner Mc-

COURTESY OF HIP HOP COALITION

By GIRISH SWAMINATH STAFF WRITER

Feb. 21, Conley Hall, 6:45 p.m.

Occupants of a room activated the smoke detector by burning food on the stove. FDNY was at the scene. The alarm was reset without any further incident.

— Compiled by Connie Kim, News Editor

“It turned out he’d been lying to us,” McNeely said with a grim smile.

“It got difficult to look at him the same way.”

Although they were employer and employee, McNeely shared countless hours with Clinton, getting to know him as more than the president. One earlier photograph shows the President from behind, looking up at the enormous White House Christmas tree.

“President Clinton was like a little boy in the way he saw the Christmas tree. Right behind him, Mrs. Clinton came in and started rearranging it.”

Indeed, the relationship between the Clintons fascinated McNeely during his time at the White House.

When asked about what his photography revealed about their relationship, McNeely sighed.

“It was a complex relationship.

You have a man who is president and a woman who was almost president herself. [The Clintons] were very affectionate in private. I like him … I find her fascinating. She is a total control freak.”

In many photographs, Hillary sits alone in front of a crowd with the defensive expression of a seasoned

ness and appeal to a different crowd of students altogether. “[HHC and Sodexo] wanted to spread knowledge about hip-hop culture in the Fordham community,” Shumona Shimi, FCLC ’11, president of the Hip-Hop Coalition, said.

Shimi believed that coordinating Hip-Hop Week would help students appreciate culture in the Bronx and assimilate to a larger extent with the surrounding community. “[HHC and Sodexo] sought to encourage Fordham students to participate in the events and realize that there is a lot of undiscovered talent in the Bronx,” Shimi said. “After all, hip-hop originated in the Bronx.”

Hip-Hop Week has taken place in prior years, though it has not commonly received very much recognition or publicity.

“This is the first time [HHC] worked with Sodexo to hold a largescale event in ‘the caf,’” Shimi said. “[HHC] originally did not consider the idea until Julie Vargas from Sodexo suggested holding Hip-Hop Week in ‘the caf.’”

Some students, including Elizabeth Morse, FCRH ’14, enjoyed the hip-hop events throughout the

week.

“Hip-Hop Week made the cafeteria extremely festive and improved the dining atmosphere of the Marketplace,” Morse said. “It was really nice having lunch and dinner with the catchy music and entertainment [in] the background.“ Other students, including Alison Silverman, FCRH ’14, did not seem to appreciate the hip-hop music background in “the caf,” however.

“I felt that [Hip-Hop Week events] were extremely distracting, since my friends and I had a tough time conversing with one another,” Silverman said. “Also, I personally am not a fan of hip-hop music, so I did not really appreciate the event as much.”

HHC credits not only Sodexo for the event, but also numerous oncampus clubs that helped advertise the event. These include, but are not limited to, Academia Hispana, El Grito, ASILI, SOL, Molimo, Flava, Asian Cultural Exchange, Fordham University Philippine-American Club and members of the Center for Service and Justice and the Office of Multicultural Affairs.

HHC looks forward to holding the event in future years with even

HHC Hosts Hip-Hop Week on Campus

Feb. 20, Finlay Hall, 5:20 a.m.

A student, who was complaining of the pain in his shoulder, was transported to St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx. Then, he was transferred to Will Cornell Medical Center.

Neely describes as the “epitome of Bill,” he adjusts his tie in a moment of temporary vanity before the cameras begin rolling. This fresh, realistic take on photography is the focus of McNeely’s career. In his time at the White House, McNeely showed America “who [the Clintons] were as people…spontaneous imagery that’s not posed or pre-considered.”

As McNeely flipped through slide after slide, it became clear that the Clinton administration was woven of informal, creative people coming together to better the country. One photograph showed the heads of Japan, England, France and Germany relaxing at dinner together. Jackets discarded, they seem as likely to be discussing classic cards as solving the world’s problems.

Many of the photographs seemed ironic and even humorous when considered in light of Clinton’s later scandal. In one snapshot, McNeely captured Clinton as he walked by a nude Aphrodite statue. His head turned slightly as he walked, taking in the view of the beautiful figure. In fact, McNeely left the White House soon after the Monica Lewinsky scandal surfaced.

warrior. A few show a more intimate side of the family, with Bill and Hillary grinning at each other like love-struck teenagers or wrapping their arms around their daughter in a rare expression of family bliss.

After leaving the White House, McNeely began photographing the 2000 election, documenting politicians from both parties.

“What engaged me was the process of democracy. If I was in a place like South Carolina to photograph the Bush race and saw signs for a sheriff ’s race, I would go photograph that.”

FORTUNE Magazine, deeply interested in McNeely’s photography, underwrote a yearlong photographic series about the election.

The photographer shared an anecdote about shooting then-candidate George W. Bush. When he was politely asked to stand in a particular spot, Bush responded, “What is this, a mug shot?”

In contrast, McNeely shot Al Gore continuously for fifteen minutes, only to discover later that his expression was identical in every single frame.

Looking back on his career, McNeely pushes aside the scandals and petty arguments of politics in favor of considering the people behind them.

“What I tried to do was capture some of these human moments,” he said confidently.

What attracted McNeely to photography is the interconnectedness of both the subjects and the viewers.

“A picture that I show to someone in a rural village in China or sub-Saharan Africa or in Midtown Manhattan … there can be a response to it. Maybe some of those people are smarter than I am and I can’t speak to them … maybe some are more primitive. But there’s universality to visual communication.

Truly creative photography — there is a shock to it. All of a sudden it becomes a part of who you are and what [your] world is like.”

During the week of Feb. 14, the Ultimate Dining Marketplace at the Rose Hill campus, commonly known to students as “the caf,” featured varieties of hip-hop music each day. Hip-Hop Week was a joint collaboration between the Hip-Hop Coalition (HHC), an on-campus student organization, and Sodexo, the company that provides hospitality services to all Fordham students.

The Marketplace included music, graffiti, dancing, a disc jockey and hip-hop-related food throughout the week. Both HHC and Sodexo sought to promote hip-hop aware-

more performances and involvement on the part of the Fordham community.

THIS

week at FORDHAM Wed., Feb. 23 ACE and Rangela Bake Sale Asian Cultural Exchange McGinley Lobby, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

Thurs., Feb. 24 Eating Disorders Fair CPS, Athletics Department McGinley Ballroom, 4-7 p.m.

Thurs., Feb. 24 Art Exhibit and Open Mic ASILI O’Keefe Commons, 6:30 p.m.

Thurs. Feb. 24 Performance: Bulrusher Dept of Theatre & Visual Arts Lincoln Center, 8 p.m.

Fri. Feb. 25 Free Friday!

CAB (WAC) McGinley Lobby, 12-5:30 p.m.

— Compiled by Vikram Bhatia, News Editor

NEWS

FEBRUARY 23, 2011 • THE RAM • PAGE 3

USG Fails to Pass Minimum GPA Requirement Fordham

By VIKRAM BHATIA NEWS EDITOR

In a preliminary vote on Feb. 17, United Student Government failed to pass a new resolution that would have required that each potential candidate for a position within the body maintain a minimum GPA of 2.50. Currently, members of USG are only required to have a 2.25 GPA at the time of election and do not have to maintain that number throughout their tenure.

The formal vote will be taken during the next USG meeting.

The proposal for stricter GPA requirements was presented by Sean Radomski, president of FCRH ’11, chairman of the election commission.

There was a lengthy debate before the preliminary vote concerning two aspects of the Election Code.

One was whether the GPA should be raised, while the other was regardless of whether the GPA should be raised whether a member should have to maintain that required GPA

while he or she is serving on USG. “The past institutions that I have been at, [the requirement] has been at least a 2.5 or a 3.0,” Sabrena O’Keefe, the assistant director for Leadership and Commuter Student Services, said.

“You go to school for academics first,” Alanna Nolan, assistant dean for Leadership and Community Development, said.

The average grade distribution across the University was approximately a 2.8 GPA. The other problem with the 2.25 minimum requirement is that it does not provide students much leeway in terms of graduation requirements. The required GPA to graduate from Fordham is a 2.0.

Other USG members argued in opposition. They pointed out that the voters can make decisions on their own. Active students who are heavily involved in various extracurricular activities and for whom academics may take a second seat should not be punished, they argued, because the low GPA does

not mean that those candidates are not qualified.

Since it was a preliminary vote, USG members simply raised their hand in order to affirm or deny the legislation. The reason for this preliminary voting was to gain an idea of how the actual voting would go before the bill is presented for official voting. Thirteen members raised their hands in affirmation of the raise to 2.50, but 12 voted against it.

As USG requires a two-thirds majority to pass a piece of legislation, it is clear that the GPA requirement will not be raised.

Nineteen of 25 members voted to force elected members to maintain the required GPA while holding a position within USG, however.

A potential sustainable business minor was also introduced at last week’s meeting. It is a “minor that combines environmental science, environmental policy and a business minor,” the proposal said. “The basic structure of the minor will be different based on whether you are a business student or a Fordham Col-

lege student.”

“This is incredible,” Caitlin Meyer, FCRH ’12, executive vice president of USG, said. “This is really, really, really great.”

Global Outreach was named the Club of the Month for December and January.

“They have had a consistent fundraising effort for those two months,” Bryan Matis, vice president of Operations, said. “We just wanted to commemorate them for that.”

Most clubs do not perform as well during December and January because those two months combine the winding down of a year and the start of a new year.

A special election was also held for the vacated seat of secretary/ treasurer of FCRH ’11. Jenny Burnes defeated Kendall Lewis and Chris Gannon for the position.

Burnes won a “in a very close vote,” according to Meyer.

“I wish I had the opportunity to work with all three of you,” Sara Kugel, FCRH ’11, executive president of USG, said.

OneVoice Movement Discusses Peaceful Resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

By KATHRYN HILLMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On Feb. 16, Fordham University hosted a panel of representatives from the OneVoice Movement, a group that advocates for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The discussion was sponsored by the Muslim Student Association and organized primarily by the president of the group, Muhammad Sarwar, GSB ’14, along with the Jewish Student Association, Campus Ministry, the Middle Eastern Studies Program and International Community of Fordham.

The speakers included Roza Helou, Dana Sender and the International Education program manager. Roza Helou works for OneVoice Palestine, while Dana Sender works for OneVoice Israel.

The two groups have been doing parallel work in both nations to bring about a two-state solution to the present conflict.

Roza Helou and Dana Sender opened the panel discussion by sharing their backgrounds and experiences growing up in the midst of constant conflict. Sender was born and raised in Israel; her grandparents were Holocaust survivors. Sender said that she had always been aware of the conflict, but the first time it hit home was when she was 12. She and a friend had planned to go into Tel Aviv for a day, but their parents decided not to allow them, because of the dangers presented by the conflict.

They later found out that on the day they were supposed to go, the bus on which they would have been exploded. Sendersaid that this moment made a profound impact on her and gave her a new awareness of the conflict. As she grew up, Sender came to realize how profoundly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict affected citizens’ everyday lives — fear, particularly of suicide terrorism, was all-pervasive.

When Sender was 18, she joined

the Israeli Defense Force, working as a social worker (only about five to ten percent of the citizens are combat soldiers). Her tour of duty was still very difficult; eight of her friends died while in the army.

After her period of service, Sender began to work toward resolving the more all-encompassing problem of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a whole. Sender was drawn to OneVoice because it is more than just a discussion group — it looks for pragmatic means of bringing about solutions. Since joining, Sender, now 27, has worked with the Israeli branch of OneVoice on numerous projects and campaigns to raise awareness and bring about a twostate solution.

Helou, raised in Palestine, comes from a very politically active family.

Her father has been outspoken and has spent many years incarcerated as a political prisoner, despite his moderate political views. This incarceration period included five years shortly after Helou’s birth.

After he was released in 1987, he was placed on the interrogation list and forced to go into hiding. After spending two years hiding in the city in which Helou’s family lived, Helou’s mother, father and younger sister went to Gaza, but were unable to bring Roza with them, so she stayed with relatives. She spent most of her childhood moving from city to city, making it difficult to make longterm friends.

Eventually, Helou’s life began to settle down and, as it did, she reflected on the sacrifices her father had made for this cause, and Helou came to realize that she wanted to help reach a solution for this conflict. Helou says that much of what drives her is a desire for future generations to have a normal childhood and, for this goal she is willing to follow in her father’s footsteps and work for a two-state solution.

OneVoice was established in 2002 in the wake of the collapse of the Camp David Accords, which left many feeling hopeless and

COURTESY OF ONEVOICE.ORG

A panel of representatives discussed the possible resolution to the conflict.

frustrated. OneVoice seeks to “… empower moderate Israeli and Palestinian constituencies by showing them that they have an engaged partner on the other side.” OneVoice has conducted studies which reveal that about 74 percent of citizens on each side of the conflict are open to working for a two-state solution which will allow Israel and Palestine to coexist peacefully.

With offices in Tel Aviv, Ramallah, New York, Washington D.C. and London, OneVoice works with a wide variety of people with moderate ideas on ways to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

There are three dimensions to OneVoice’s program, which enable the program to realize pragmatic means of leading the nations toward a peaceful conflict resolution. OneVoice seeks to influence decision-makers, affecting public opinion by going to the places hit hardest by the conflict and educating people about their cause. They also train youth leaders (ages 1835) in order to empower them and give young people tools to reach their goals and spread their message as much as possible.

Both Sender and Helou have been youth leaders for the past few years and have worked on a number of campaigns to spread the message and raise awareness.

The “Imagine 2018” campaign was launched in 2008 and encouraged ordinary citizens to submit their image of what the Israeli-Palestinian territory would look like if a peace agreement was signed. Many citizens submitted videos outlining their visions; youth leaders sent mock newspapers to a number of

politicians, dated Jan. 1, 2018, with the politicians’ pictures, thanking them for their support in ending the conflict. Artists have been commissioned to design and paint murals around a number of cities with visions of life under a peace agreement.

Youth leaders have also gathered support from international leaders, including Tony Blair and Martin Luther King III. Youth leaders spend the majority of their time educating people on the ground in addition to building and gathering grassroots support. Projects have included rallies and poster campaigns. Recently, youth leaders put “tickets” on parked cars on the streets of Tel Aviv, which charged people with being too passive with regards to the conflict and not working to end it.

OneVoice continues to work to empower the silent majority of moderates in seeking a peaceful two-state solution. While violence in Gaza has unfortunately forced OneVoice to evacuate their office there, youth leaders continue to work on the ground. The group also continues to raise awareness by sending youth leaders to speak abroad at colleges and in town-hall style meetings.

Dana and Roza also gave a variety of suggestions for helping to increase awareness and support for OneVoice in college communities: training youth leaders, designing an initiative similar to the 2018 campaign, starting a OneVoice chapter on campus and launching town-hall meetings to discuss the conflict and possible peaceful twostate resolutions.

Becomes Official Affiliate of NWBCCC

By CORI RING-MARTINEZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Fordham recently became an official affiliate organization of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC), a local organization that seeks “social, economic, environmental and racial justice” for the community.

At the organization’s annual celebration on Jan. 25, Sandra LoboJost, director of Fordham’s Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice, was introduced as a new member of the NWBCCC’s Board of Directors.

In her short introductory speech, Lobo-Jost described the University’s new membership as “long overdue” and as a way for Fordham to continue strengthening its relationship with the community. As members, Fordham also sent two representatives to sit on the Leadership Council. According to the NWBCCC’s Affiliate Invitation, both the Board of Directors and the Leadership Council have “a vote in the decisions that govern the organization,” such as financial planning and “political and national engagement.”

On Feb. 8, at the Leadership Council’s first meeting of the year, members were asked to delineate some issues that are impacting the community. The loss of affordable housing, living wage jobs, education and safety were among the most pressing concerns outlined.

“Every possible attack on my income has been made,” member Yorman Nunez, 22, said. “[I feel]stupid sometimes because I don’t know how to generate wealth and it’s right in my face,” he said.

Another member, Ana Gilda Dominguez, spoke about her concerns for the community’s large undocumented population and the “marginalization and desperation” that it faces, as well as the way the young people in this community are increasingly cut off from extracurricular activities due to their economic situations.

On campus, students including Jack O’Brian, FCRH ’13 and John Mantia, GSB ’13, welcomed the change.

“Its clear that Fordham students have demonstrated a commitment to working with the community and it’s nice to see the administration back that up with action,” Mantia said.

“I just think this should have happened a long time ago, especially in helping the way that Fordham is perceived in the community,” Mae Horgan, FCRH ’13, said. “We’re not just visitors and we have to immerse ourselves. By Fordham taking an active role, I think this will help jumpstart the process to compel students to do so as well.”

The NWBCCC is gearing up for fundraising events in the spring, but the new partnership has not wrought any immediate changes on campus.

PAGE 4 • THE RAM • FEBRUARY 23, 2011

NEWS

Fordham in Brief Cyber Conference Explores Newest Online Security Threats The battle to keep online information secure is a continuous game of one-upmanship, with law enforcement officers, businesses and academics pitting themselves against hackers and other cyber criminals.

Experts shared their success, failures and predictions about the cyber fights at “Tackling Digital Crime: Tales from the Trenches,” a lunch panel held on Feb. 17 at the Lincoln Center campus.

The panel included: Adam Palmer, Norton lead cyber security adviser at Symantic Corporation; Christopher K. Stangl, supervisory special agent at the FBI’s New York cyber branch; and Dan Larkin, director of strategic operations at the National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance.

Palmer noted that 73 percent of United States Web servers have been affected by cyber crime, according to surveys conducted by his company.

“If there were a street on which two-thirds of the people were robbed, we would recognize it as MONOLOGUES, FROM PAGE 1

the Women’s Studies department, the University can’t really do much about it.”

In order to advertise the play, the producers have to go through the Office of Student Leadership and Community Development to get things approved, but according to the play’s producers, there have been attempts from the OSL&CD to disturb the advertisement of the play on campus.

“When we make fliers and posters, we have to pass everything through Alanna Nolan, [assistant dean of OSL&CD],” Waltemyer said. “For example, we made the huge butcher-paper posters in OSL&CD Development to hang in McGinley and also in the dorms. Normally, the staff will just glance over the posters and then approve them to be placed on campus. In our case, though, because the show is controversial, they held onto our posters, and every time we dropped something off, we had to continually check with them to make sure they were approved.”

Many organizations and people, who are against the play, argue that The Vagina Monologues is against Catholic teachings.

“I am neither a theologian nor an expert on the Church’s teachings and it would therefore be inappropriate for me to characterize the play as ‘for’ or ‘against’ Catholic teachings,” Rodgers said. “However, there has, for years, been reluctance to support the V-Day production because it contains a well-known monologue that appears to celebrate a sexual encounter between an adult and a minor under the influence of alcohol. We have been informed by past show organizers that this monologue cannot

a very serious problem,” he said.

One of the panelists’ biggest concerns is the ease with which inexperienced criminals can engage in cyber crimes such as identity theft, spamming and credit card fraud.

“You don’t have to be technical expert to run a cyber crime ring. You can hire someone to do almost every step of it — to do technical activities that might be a challenge for you,” Palmer said.

“So we’re seeing organized criminal gangs who recognize — like the old joke goes — ‘why do you rob banks? Because that’s where the money is.’ They know that there is big money on the Internet.”

By their very nature, mobile devices are susceptible to breaches because people lose them.

Cyber crime has grown in farflung areas of the world, where educated people do not have opportunities for advancement, according to the panel. In places such as Eastern Europe, the payoff for cyber crime is exponentially higher than for doing legal work.

In other instances, hackers invade corporate servers just because they can. be removed.”

“To say the play has no place on a Catholic campus is a perspective that completely fails to note its value to an academic setting and its intrinsic root in Jesuit teachings,” Sara Kugel, FCRH ’11, president of USG, said in response to such claims.

“The concept behind The Vagina Monologues is to empower women to speak and share their experiences. [The] Vagina Monologues deals with uncomfortable topics, yes, I won’t deny that because that is its purpose.”

“The play is supposed to leave the audience bothered, disturbed and enlightened,” Kugel continued. “Isn’t that exploration of truth, the acknowledgment of tragic aspects of the human experience, actions that we, as members of a Catholic university should promote rather than shrink away from? It is the acceptance and understanding of these truths that allow us, and further motivate us, to make the world a safer, more just place for all.”

There has been an effort from the OSL&CD to reconcile with the producers by removing the controversial monologue to provide the support for the play.

“Over the years, we have asked groups appealing to Student Life at Rose Hill to add its support to the program whether alterations to the monologues would be possible,” Rodgers said. “The groups have consistently informed us that this would not be possible.”

Ten percent of the profit the play earns from this year’s production is going to an organization in Haiti. The other proceeds will be donated to organizations in the Bronx.

The play will be on March 25 and 26, with an evening show on both days and a matinée on Saturday afternoon.

“Some of the people we’ve debriefed [told us] they found a lot of un-patched corporate servers and — though the remedies had been out for years — the corporations hadn’t gotten around to fixing them,” Larkin said. “So the criminals just said, ‘Well, we’re going to teach them a lesson.’”

While cyber attacks have become more common, they also have grown increasingly complex, Stangl remarked.

“The brokerage firms noticed the trades and tried to contact the customers. When the firms couldn’t get in touch with the customers, the firms tried the alternate phone numbers. The bad guys on the other end told them [that the trades were authorized].”

“Last year was a good one for the FBI’s fight against cyber crime,” Stangl said. He detailed five major crackdowns, including the dismantling of the “Carding World” credit card theft ring.

In addition, he noted that many of the FBI’s busts were successful due to the cooperation of foreign law enforcement agencies.

“Ten years ago, when the FBI created the cyber division, overseas criminals could target the U.S. with few, if any, repercus-

sions,” he said. “It’s a totally different story today. We have made leaps and bounds in investigating these matters.”

The panel was moderated by Kevin Kelly, Ph.D., adjunct professor of computer science at Fordham, and was sponsored by Norton from Symantec and the department of computer and information science at Fordham.

Jeanne Fromer Awarded American Law Institute Young Scholars Medal Fordham Law Associate Professor Jeanne C. Fromer received one of the first two Young Scholars Medals from the American Law Institute.

The medal credits her work exploring the claiming systems of patent and copyright law, as well as the forum shopping in patent litigation.

“Jeanne Fromer is quite simply an outstanding scholar, and it is fitting that she was chosen to inaugurate ALI’s new award,” Michael M. Martin, Fordham Law’s interim dean, said.

“Entering her fourth year on the faculty, she has already pro-

duced a body of work that epitomizes open-mindedness and rigor combining to improve the law in ways that can only be done within a branch of academia that is fully fluent with the details of the law and legal institutions.”

Fromer will receive a $5,000 prize. She will speak at the upcoming ALI Annual Meeting and she will plan a conference devoted to identifying legal subjects that would benefit from law reform.

The selection committee was chaired by William Fletcher, professor emeritus at the University of California-Berkeley School of Law and a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

“Both scholars are fluent in the details of law and legal institutions,” Judge Fletcher said.

“They produce work that is consistent with ALI’s goals of clarifying the law and adapting it to social needs and the administration of justice.”

Fromer teaches in the areas of intellectual property and contracts. She writes about copyright, patent and trademark law.

— Compiled by Connie Kim, News Editor

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FEBRUARY 23, 2011

PAGE 7

Vagina Monologues Deserves Official Support

COURTESY OF VDAY.ORG

V-Day is a nonprofit organization dedicated to stopping violence against women and girls; charity performances of The Vagina Monologues are put on with resources from V-Day. The play, which aims to raise awareness and start dialogue about violence toward women, will be performed at Rose Hill on March 25 and 26.

By CHRISTINE BARCELLONA OPINIONS EDITOR

Even before students arrive at Fordham, they hear that the Jesuit education should trouble them. As Joseph McShane, S.J., president of the University, tells admitted students in his oft-quoted speech, the Jesuit education they will receive at Fordham is aimed to make them strive to change troubling injustices.

Ironically, though Fordham claims that its mission is to make students aware of and uncomfortable with the unjust realities of the world around them, their lack of support for the student-run performance of The Vagina Monologues sends a different message.

The production is affiliated with the nonprofit group V-Day, a charity that raises awareness and money to protect women and girls from violence. Productions of The Vagina Monologues bring these issues to the public eye; the production “generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and

girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sex slavery” according to vday. org.

Though the purpose of the performance is to raise awareness about violence that exists in the world, some Catholic groups see the discussion of real problems as nothing more than “chanting obscenities, telling tales of lesbian activity and masturbation,” accordingto cardinalnewmansociety. org. The Cardinal Newman Society gloats over its attempts to shut down performances on Catholic college campuses nationwide, as if meaningful dialogue about problems of violence toward women worldwide and women’s empowerment is nothing more than an “annual display of defiance against traditional marriage and sexual morality,” as the Cardinal Newman Society called The Vagina Monologues earlier this month.

Eve Ensler, author of the Monologues, wrote the play after interviewing hundreds of women; the issues raised in the play were culled from and inspired by the these women’s

stories. Rape, violence and abuse are not concepts that Ensler invented to make her play controversial. They are real problems that exist in the world.

They are problems that merit discussion. The Vagina Monologues brings these dilemmas to the forefront and sparks dialogue about solutions.

According to a United Nations fact sheet detailing violence against women, on average, one out of every three women worldwide experience physical or sexual abuse. The same report estimates that one out of every five women will face rape or attempted rape during her life. The Vagina Monologues begin to humanize these statistics and help people realize that the victims of violence are not just numbers on a U.N. document, but humans with faces and stories of their own.

The performance is not a juvenile attempt to bother university administrators and conservative Catholic groups; those who argue this are utterly shortsighted and intolerant.

Women acting in The Vagina Monologues tell the stories of thousands of

the U.S. “LikeALittle is the [illegitimate] child of Facebook stalking and textsfromlastnight,” Ray McCreavy, FCRH ’12, said (male, brunette, at Crotona Avenue). That is a pretty fair statement with which this author would tend to agree. A logical extension of the Craigslist “Missed Connections” section, the site gives the user a template that approximates this: “I’m looking at a (guy/ girl) with (blonde/brown/red/ black/other) hair at _____ (given location).”

The site prohibits full names, and people can bask gleefully in the anonymity of clicking the “Boom!” button without having to give any identifying characteristics. Other users can comment on the post, possibly aiding or giving more information to the seeker under fruity pseudonyms.

The posts can range from perhaps deliberately vague, such as, “At Fordham: Male, Black hair, Why are you so cute?!” to pleading, such as, “At Finlay: Female, Brunette, where are all the nice guys at Fordham?” to cleverly creepy, such as, “At Tierney:

Male, Brunette, I see you with your tie-dye t-shirt and when you drive the Ram Van. I know you’re from the south, so come by my place, and I’ll give you some southern comfort” to actually naming people, only by first names and always anonymously.

It is probably too soon to realize the broader implications of such a site, but such a site adds to the trend of withdrawal that has come with the advent of the internet. Rather than walking up to a stranger and attempting to start a conversation, something with which a lot of people grapple daily in this day and age, LikeALittle seems to be an easy way out of possibly embarrassing situations.

“It’s trash,” Justin Schultz, GSB ’14, said (male, red hair, at the café).

“It supposedly allows people to say how they really feel when, in reality, it gives them a platform for remaining silent and acting indifferently.”

LikeALittle may be a fair gauge of our generation’s increasingly incompetent communication skills.

Even though just as many people know about the site as those who do not, students practice actions

women around the world who cannot speak out for themselves. They express the pain of silent sufferers and it is shameful for groups to try to silence these surrogate voices.

Fordham has not banned the performance of The Vagina Monologues, but the University has refused to officially support the production, verbally or monetarily. The Women’s Studies department is allowed to sponsor the performance of the play, but the United Student Government cannot allocate funds drawn from students’ activity fees to defray The Vagina Monologues’ costs. Proceeds from the play are donated; 10 percent of profits go to V-Day. However, the rights to the play and related images are free. According to vday.org, the goal is to keep production costs low enough so that 94 percent of proceeds can go to charity.

USG should be allowed to allocate funds to support the performance.

There is something ironic about students’ elected officials being told that they may not allocate funds that come from the students’ activi-

ties fund to support a social justiceoriented performance. The nature of the play, though transgressive at times, supports the University’s mission of social justice, caring for the whole person and understanding of different viewpoints. It supports McShane’s own words when he told PBS that he wants students to “be bothered by the realization that they don’t know everything and bothered by injustice.”

McShane’s statement encapsulates a large portion of what The Vagina Monologues and the V-Day mission seek to do.

The Vagina Monologues’ purpose is to empower women and end violence toward women by airing difficult, unsettling issues. Its purpose is to shock people into considering issues that usually lie submerged, to break taboos and launch a search for a solution. The play is not meant to make people comfortable.

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

She can be reached at cbarcellona@ fordham.edu.

LikeALittle Indulges a Tech-Obsessed Generation

By RORY MASTERSON STAFF WRITER

On Feb. 14, many people celebrated Valentine’s Day, the annual festival of love and affection, which Pope Paul VI officially deleted from the Roman calendar of saints in 1969.

Couples and friends alike ignored the declaration and, as they do every year, gave chocolate, roses and, in one reported case, an a capella version of The Temptations’ seminal 1964 hit “My Girl” in the Marketplace (kudos to the Ramblers and Fordham’s crew team). For those who were single, either by choice or under other circumstances, the day was a chance to reflect on romance as a whole and how society has shaped it. One frightening, yet intriguing, recent development in this inexact science has been the rise of the new anonymous flirting Web site, LikeALittle.com.

When doing a simple Google search, I discovered that LikeALittle only began in Oct. 2010 at Stanford University. Since then, the site has grown to include campus-specific pages for most major universities in

BRIAN KRAKER/THE RAM

Students use LikeALittle to flirt online so they do not have to do it in person.

tantamount to LikeALittle posts every day. When was the last time you initiated a conversation with a complete stranger simply because you thought he or she was attractive?

The LikeALittle aesthetic allows little room for maturity. It is the kind of thing a group of high school girls would engulf given the chance, as well as being the safe haven for falsified posts making fun of people. Still, there is something alluring about having the chance to scroll on your dorm or location page and stumble into a post that may or may not be about you.

This writer does not personally know of any specific cases of LikeALittle actually facilitating successful flirting. If any readers out there have had this happen to them, feel free to write a letter to the editor. I would be really curious to see if it works. As it stands now, however, LikeALittle is simply a mask at a Halloween White House party. No one will ever know what is under the mask unless the wearer removes it.

-At Computer, Male, Brunette.

Rory Masterson, GSB ’14, is a business administration major from Fort Mill, S.C.

OPINIONS

PAGE 8 • THE RAM • FEBRUARY 23, 2011

The Ram Serving campus and community since 1918.

The Ram is the University journal of record. The mission of The Ram is to provide a forum for the free and open exchange of ideas in service to the community and to act as a student advocate.

The Ram is published and distributed free of charge every Wednesday during the academic year to the Rose Hill, Lincoln Center and Westchester campuses with a readership of 12,000. The Ram office is located in the basement of the McGinley Center, room B-52.

www.theramonline.com Editorial: (718) 817-0873 Production: (718) 817-4381 Newsroom: (718) 817-4394 Advertising: (718) 817-4379 Fax: (718) 817-4319 theram@fordham.edu Fordham University - Station 37 Box B Bronx, NY 10458

Editor-in-Chief Nick Carroll Senior Executive Editor Patrick Derocher Managing Editor Victoria Rau Design Editor Stephen Moccia Business Editor Lindsay Lersner Business Editor Emeritus Caroline Dahlgren News Editors Connie Kim Vikram Bhatia Opinions Editors Christine Barcellona Brian Kraker Culture Editor Sandy McKenzie Assistant Culture Editors Sarah Ramirez Scharon Harding Sports Editor Alexander Vilardo Assistant Sports Editors Jonathon Smith Chester Baker Copy Chief Celeste Kmiotek Copy Team Daniel Atkinson Abigail Forget Tom Haskin Sean McGonigle Olivia Monaco Erik Pedersen Hussein Safa Photo Editor Nora Mallozzi Web Editor Kelly Caggiano Faculty Advisor Jonathan Sanders

Opinions Policy The Ram appreciates submissions that are typed and saved on a disk in a *.rtf, *.txt or *.doc formats, or sent to the staff via e-mail at RamLetters@fordham.edu. Commentaries are printed on a space available basis.

The Ram reserves the right to reject any submission for any reason, without notice.

Submissions become the exclusive property of The Ram and will not be returned.

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

From the Desk of Chester Baker, Assistant Sports Editor ditor My roommate Alex really has not contributed much of anything to the room in the past two years.

Last year, I lived in Loschert with Jon (assistant sports editor), and Alex was kind of like our third roommate. He mooched food off us, was constantly in the room and slept on our floor on numerous occasions.

Still, we loved him enough to room with him this year in Finlay. Over the summer we discussed what everyone was going to bring the room, and who would get the coveted loft. I said that I would bring to the Xbox 360, the refrigerator, a table, a Swiffer and some other items for the room. Jon said that he would also bring a refrigerator (so we would have more space for leftover Nice Food), the printer and some other things. Jon has since contributed to the room by receiving two large boxes of tortilla chips. What was Alex, to whom we gave the loft, going to bring?

Well, the only thing of value that Alex was going to bring was the Nintendo 64. I was in complete awe and could not move when he told me. Immediately, I realized that Alex was the best roommate of all time.

Throughout the years I got

more into the modern gaming systems, such as Gamecube, Playstation, Xbox and now the Xbox 360. While these have all been great, I had forgotten the feeling of a rumble pack when you slid over a banana on Rainbow Road. I had forgotten the feeling of winning the Star Cup with Boo in Mario Tennis. I had forgotten the feeling of buying a star from Toad in Mario Party. I had forgotten my childhood.

We can all remember the times going over to a friend’s house and sitting there for hours upon hours waiting for Natalia to follow you so you could finish a level of Goldeneye, just to see that she had been shot and that you would have to start over, and we can all remember the days upon days we spent with our buddies playing Super Smash Brothers until our moms came to pick us up.

Alex brought with him a bunch of games that he had lying around the house and we sifted through them on the first day. Some names that popped up were BomberMan, Waverunner, Mario Party (1-3), Mario Tennis, Goldeneye, Super Smash Brothers, Mario Golf, Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball and Diddy Kong Racing. Wow. I knew right away that this was going to be an

amazing year. Obviously there are some classics missing, most noticeably Mario Kart, but this list is still pretty amazing.

I was most excited to see Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball. I had played that game so much when I was a younger kid. I had made so many trades and had a perfect 82-0 season going for the Yankees with Ken Griffey Jr. himself slugging 56 homers through half the season. Tragically, I lost the game and my perfect season was never completed. Now, I would have a chance to redeem myself.

Jon, Alex and I got started on a franchise with the Baltimore Orioles. While none of us are actually fans of the team, they have some great players (almost all of whom we have traded out of boredom). The biggest move I made was trading Jimmy Key and David Segui for Ken Griffey Jr., a trade which, for some reason, Alex questioned. He believed that Key had too big a following in Baltimore for us to trade him.

Needless to say, his activity with the team since then has been limited. We are currently 59-4, and were looking to bring home a title to Baltimore, which would be truly amazing, considering Hideki Irabu was one of our

starters.

I look over at our table, and I see the Xbox and I see the Nintendo 64, and I know which one most people would choose. Most would go for the high definition gaming system, rather than the outdated dusty console, and the only way that you would choose over the N64 is if you have not played it in a while.

It is so easy for us to get lost in the technology that we have presented to us every day, but sometimes I think we need to look back rather than forward and realize that some things are not meant to change, and some things need to stick with us forever. Sometimes it is just more fun to be a nine-year-old version of yourself. For these reasons, I believe that an N64 should be a staple in every single college dorm room. I highly recommend picking one up on eBay; they are so choice.

Letter to the Editor To the Editor: With 1.4 million associates in the U.S., Walmart is the country’s largest private employer, and we’ve been able to achieve this status, in part, by offering our associates competitive wages, affordable benefits and real opportunities for career advancement (“Wal-Mart Should Not Infiltrate New York City,” V. 93, issue 4).

In New York state, Walmart already employs more than 38,000 people, including over 1,400 New York City residents. Approximately 60 percent of our associates are full-time, and our average hourly full-time wage in the state is $13.09 per hour. In fact, our wages are equal to or better than many other national retailers operating now in New York City.

Walmart also insures more than 1.2 million associates and family members, making the company among the nation’s largest providers of private sector health insurance. Health insurance plans at Walmart begin at $11 (associate only) or $33 (associate plus dependents) per pay period.

Each year, thousands of Americans choose to make Walmart their first job, where they receive training and experience to build a successful career. Nationwide, more than 70 percent of our store management team started as an hourly associate.

In addition, Walmart is an employer of choice for female associates in the U.S. Women make up 59 percent of our U.S. workforce, with more than 850,000 female associates throughout the country. More than 41 percent

Are your friends tired of hearing you complain?

Write for The Ram opinions section.

E-mail us at: fordhamramopinions@gmail.com

of our officials and managers are female, and in 2010 the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE) named Walmart one of the Top Companies for Executive Women.

Our positive impact in the communities where we operate goes beyond the jobs we create. A quick visit to the neighborhoods that are home to our stores, particularly in urban settings, will give you a good sense of how we foster opportunity for others.

Chicago is a great example; since we opened our first store there, 22 new businesses have opened nearby, including a Food4Less, Menard’s, ALDI, Burlington Coat Factory and Bank of America.

Here in New York, according to a recent poll, 62 percent of small business owners support Walmart coming to New

York City (the poll referenced in the Feb. 15 edition of The Ram claiming that 73 percent of small businesses oppose construction of a Walmart is neither scientific nor accredited to a reputable source).

Most importantly, Walmart’s “save money, live better” mission is relevant to every customer, every day, everywhere we have a presence. During tough economic times, the savings we provide matter more than ever. The overwhelming majority of New Yorkers recognize this and it’s just one of the reasons why more than 70 percent are in favor of us opening a store here.

Sincerely, Steven Restivo Walmart Director of Community Affairs

If you have an opinion about something you saw in this week’s issue of The Ram, send us a Letter to the Editor at: fordhamramletters@gmail.com

Free Pizza: Feb. 24 at 6 p.m.

The Opinions Writers Workshop The opinions section is giving away FREE PIZZA at its writing workshop Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. If you are interesting in improving your writing or starting to write for the opinions section, come down to B-52 in the McGinley Center.

At 6 p.m., pizza will arrive and we will discuss news writing. At 6:30, we will discuss opinions writing.

The Ram’s adviser, Professor Sanders, will be present to offer his wise advice. If you haven’t written for The Ram before, now is a great time to start and get some tips.

Please e-mail fordhamramopinions@gmail.com to RSVP by noon on Feb. 24 so we know how much pizza to order.

OPINIONS

FEBRUARY 23, 2011 • THE RAM • PAGE 9

Crosstown ROTC Students Face Unique Challenges Unfair Trade

Eric Horvath Beyond Big Brother

NORA MALLOZZI/THE RAM

Faculty Memorial Hall houses facilities for Fordham’s Army ROTC students, while students interested in Air Force ROTC can participate in other schools’ programs.

By KELLY CAGGIANO WEB EDITOR

You may have seen them running around campus at freakishly early times, marching with bulging rucksacks or low-crawling across the football field. These students who willingly give up much of their free time are members of Fordham University’s Army ROTC Battalion.

Fordham students are not limited to Army ROTC; Air Force ROTC is available at Manhattan College and Navy ROTC is available at SUNY Maritime.

Fordham students enrolled in the Air Force ROTC or Navy ROTC programs are considered “crosstown students” since Fordham only offers Army ROTC on campus. Fordham also hosts numerous crosstown students from other schools in the New York City area.

Fordham’s Army ROTC Battalion has crosstown agreements with 37 other colleges and universities in the area. The Air Force ROTC Detachment at Manhattan College has crosstown agreements with 33 other colleges and universities and the Navy ROTC Unit at SUNY Maritime has crosstown agreements with two other schools. As a crosstown student in Air Force ROTC, I know from firsthand experience how irritating it can be as a crosstown student.

Although crosstown school agreements are meant to provide as many college students as possible with an opportunity to join the military, it often creates ad-

ditional hardships for them.

“There are some problems that arise, such as Physical Training [PT],” Amanda Imperato, FCRH ’13, said. “Alpha Company PTs at 0600. Bravo Company [which is made up of crosstown students] PTs at 0730 so that cadets that commute [from] Manhattan can do so in a timely fashion.”

Angelo Rosa, Vaughn College ’12, is a crosstown student at Fordham’s Army ROTC Battalion.

“Transportation is the main difficulty that crosstown students have,” Rosa said. “Most crosstown students get to Fordham by public transportation.”

ROTC, the already tight budget of the military will be stretched further. Right now, the military is going through various stages of force-shaping, or downsizing.

This force-shaping has significantly impacted the money that is allocated to ROTC. If more schools “open their doors” to ROTC, the battalions, detachments and units already in existence will inevitably lose even more money.

Although having crosstown students can complicate training, Rosa, Imperato and Hernandez agree that crosstown agreements are advantageous to the

ROTC program.

“I definitely believe that having crosstown schools is beneficial to the Battalion, as well as the Army in general,” Hernandez said. “It brings diversity to the pool of cadets that are all training to become leaders in the US Army; different locations means different backgrounds, experiences, which allows for extended growth and change within the battalion. Diversity is key in any branch of the military.”

Without crosstown schools, “there would be much less opportunity to meet other cadets and learn about their stories and backgrounds,” Imperato said.

“It’s very likely that the Ram battalion would not receive as much funding as we currently do.”

While bringing ROTC programs to more colleges and universities may alleviate some of the problems for crosstown students, it ultimately would cause more problems for all students in ROTC due to an increasingly strained budget. Additionally, all ROTC students would miss out on the opportunity to work and train with a more diverse group of people. In lieu of creating more ROTC programs, the schools that have existing crosstown agreements should work on lightening some of the difficulties faced by crosstown students.

Kelly Caggiano, FCLS ’12, is a double major in environmental policy and communication and media studies from Chester, N.J. She is a crosstown cadet in Air Force ROTC at Manhattan College.

Benjamin R. Barber, Huffington Post

Doug Powers, Michelle Malkin

“If Gadhafi’s resistance to the resistance fails, he is likely to die a martyr. It is unlikely, but not impossible on the other hand, that Gadhafi will survive, not just because he has access to overwhelming firepower (if he can control those who wield it).”

“[Gadhafi] chose an unusual setting to reassure Libya that he was still in the country and in charge. He appeared in a car wearing a Cousin Eddy hat holding an umbrella and speaking into a microphone swiped from Bob Barker. That doesn’t exactly scream ‘the palace is secure.’”

“Crosstown school agreements are meant to provide as many college students as possible with an opportunity to join the military, it often creates additional hardships ” “The biggest difference between the Fordham cadets and the crosstown commuters, such as myself, is the convenience, as well as being able to utilize the Fordham campus facilities,” Ashley Hernandez, CUNY Lehman ’13, said. “Crosstown cadets often have to resort to doing PT at other locations such as Central Park, and therefore cannot utilize the gym facilities at the Fordham Rose Hill campus, which pretty much all the Fordham students/cadets have immediate access to.”

As one of three Fordham students who attend Air Force

Issue of the Week:

Libyan Unrest A Look at the World Outside of Fordham from the Perspective of Professional News Bloggers

ROTC at Manhattan College I can vouch for the difficulties of having to take public transit, especially when traveling to Manhattan College. The only way to get there from Fordham is the Bx9 bus, which takes 45 minutes on a good day. In order to make travel between Fordham and Manhattan College less of a hassle, I pay to keep my car on campus.

In January 2011, President Barack Obama called for colleges and universities to “open their doors to our military recruiters” and ROTC in his State of the Union address; however, with additional schools hosting

See what commentators from the Left and the Right have to say about turmoil surrounding Dictator Muammar al-Gadhafi.

The year 1984 is probably most remembered for the infancy of MTV, and not for any ubiquity of Big Brother. Orwell’s prescient observation that the media is a commanding force in shaping public opinion nevertheless holds.

Media coverage of the turmoil in the Middle East over the last several weeks has been overwhelming. There isn’t a day that goes by that the front page of the New York Times or one of the lead stories for the BBC are not following the crisis in Tunisia, Egypt and beyond, and rightfully so. The rewriting of fundamental freedoms, constitutions and livelihoods will forever alter history books.

But what about the other events that fall just short of being revolutionary?

In the wake of the Middle East coverage lays a disputed presidential election in Cote d’Ivoire, a new country in southern Sudan and a shaken Haiti.

In Cote d’Ivoire, the incumbent Laurent Gbagbo is refusing to relinquish power, despite the international consensus that he lost the 2010 election; because of the political unrest, hundreds of people have died and nearly 40,000 Ivorians have fled to neighboring Liberia.

Sixty percent of native Liberians live on less than $1 a day.

Less than three weeks ago in Sudan, the people of southern Sudan voted nearly unanimously (98 percent) to secede from the north. One of the least developed and war-torn countries of the last few decades, receiving publicity from Bill Clinton to George Clooney, southern Sudan will create the world’s newest nation in a few short months.

In Haiti, over a year since the 7.0 earthquake that shook its western coast, reconstruction and relief efforts have stalled.

Needing food, water, shelter and health care more than ever, Haitian suffering has not stopped, but media interest largely has.

I am sure I am omitting many other overlooked events, but these three remote countries, despite their differences, all manifest a common theme: caring is a lot harder when something is not on the front page.

The concern is not that what is being reported is a distortion of reality, that the unrest in Egypt is not real, but rather that it provides an insufficient scope. I realize that the hope for a mainstream media that covers all the relevant stories at all times is preposterous; word counts, advertising sales and Google Reader have no tolerance for such stasis.

I typically frown on acquiescence, but for this case, since Big Brother will always be watching you, I guess we just have to make sure that we’re always looking at and beyond him.

PAGE 10 • THE RAM • FEBRUARY 23, 2011

OPINIONS

Webcams Cannot Replace Class Discussion

RODGER MALLISON/MCT

Some colleges have welcomed the idea of holding classes via webcam; Fordham is right to insist on student attendance.

By BRIAN KRAKER OPINIONS EDITOR

The world is plugged in. America is connected with a serpentine vine of electrical wires and satellite signals. Students are comatose to the outside world, instead consumed by smartphones and the vast Internet wasteland. Even classrooms are not immune to the suffocating presence of technology, as professors propel their lectures toward the future.

Across the country, colleges have begun to incorporate the use of webcams in their classrooms.

Proctors have linked guest speakers to classrooms for years, but now

student’s lack of attention. Merely attending class is not enough to garner an education; rather, participating in a semester-long conversation is an essential part of a college education. Further, it is not the role of a university to cater to every student. Undergrads with disabilities should undeniably be accommodated. Universities should provide every amenity so students can join their peers in a classroom. But, the majority of students requesting webcams interfaces for their classes are hindered not by physical impediments, but simply are not motivated. Students who are capable of attending class but lack the motive to leave a residence hall should not be accommodated.

Webcams have practical functions beyond gossiping with long-distance acquaintances.

The business world embraces this technology to connect with clients across continents. Many boardroom meetings utilize video conferencing to debate corporate decisions. Using a webcam for a business associate across the world is a necessity, but for a lazy student across campus, it is pathetic.

At a certain point, technology becomes more a hindrance rather than it is helpful. The idea of bringing webcams into the classroom has the allure of a futuristic learning experience. Computer manufactures may be eons from

developing Star Wars-esque holograms, but the concept of students beaming in from remote locations is a seductive science-fiction fantasy.

Yet, this excess technology transforms a classroom from an intimate learning environment to an online course. By eliminating classroom interaction with webcams, professors could proctor their classes from an online chatroom and garner more participation.

Webcams ultimately become a barrier for learning. In the pursuit to update classroom with the latest technology, professors have forgotten that the most effective tools are simply their lectures and books.

Luckily, professors have not allowed webcams to spread to Fordham. I caution against the infiltration of gratuitous technology into the classroom, however. Fordham has assembled a valuable asset in its faculty of astounding professors. It would be a shame to see the value of these teachers diminish from behind a computer screen.

There is no need to soil the invaluable classroom experience in the name of technology. Sometimes, the world is better unplugged.

Brian Kraker, FCRH ’12, is an English and computer science major from Pompton Lakes, N.J. He can be reached at kraker@fordham.edu.

individual students are permitted to beam in for lectures. Many professors are now accustomed to utilizing popular communication programs, such as Skype, to bring students from around campus into the classroom. While technology is a sign of progress, using webcams in classes is a complete regression.

There is no denying the stereotype of the lazy college student. The undergrad who refuses to shed his pajama pants before trudging off to class. Students who are barely conscious after a cheap-beer-induced bender staring blankly at a blackboard for an hour-long lecture. There is no

reason to encourage this juvenile, sloth-like behavior. Allowing students to join classes from the comforts of their dorm room is only perpetuating this stereotype.

There is an inherent value in participating in a classroom setting. Engaging in a volley of ideas aids in the education of a student.

Webcams deter students from contributing to a class discussion.

The use of a computer reduces a student to a mere face on a screen, a physical presence with no substantive value. Like the student who mutely hibernates in the back corner of a classroom adds nothing to a class discussion, a computer monitor simply masks a

titled “New York State Public Health Legal Manual,” has been nicknamed the “Doomsday Manual” and was published with the intent of being used for reference by legal professionals in both the public and private sectors during times of extreme duress.

“It is a very grim read,” Ronald P. Younkins, chief of operations for the state court system, said in a New York Times article. “This is for potentially very grim situations.”

For fairly obvious reasons, the whole book has not been released to the public, but excerpts are available.

“Violations of individual property rights, if actionable, would generally be sorted out after the need for such actions has ended,” it reads, after declaring that private homes and businesses can be seized for use as shelters, medical dispensaries and the like.

Apart from some disturbing potential realities it addresses, the fact that the manual is a slim 88 pages has drawn some criticism.

“Needless to say, this makes me a little nervous,” Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said in the same article. She called the legal issues in the book “nuance, thorny and difficult, and hard to capture in ‘Cliff Notes.’”

Lieberman’s comment, however, raises the question: How else is the state to present such issues? The point of the book being less than 100 pages in length is that it allows for quick reference in times of emergency. If

Doomsday preparations are not a new concern; during the Cold War, people readied fallout shelters and held bomb drills.

New ‘Doomsday Manual’ is a Wise Precaution

By PATRICK DEROCHER SENIOR EXECUTIVE EDITOR

You see the signs every time you ride the subway: “If you see something, say something.” The MTA seems intent on constantly reminding its riders that we are the first line of defense against a terrorist attack, and it probably should. Given the diffuse nature of the New York City subway, and thus the difficulty inherent in protecting it from any terrorist attack, the MTA is doing its job by encouraging watchfulness on the part of commuters.

But no terrorism-prevention mechanism is perfect. What do we do, God forbid, when one terrorist slips through the cracks?

In the nearly 10 years since the Sept. 11 attacks, federal, state and local governments, not to mention countless companies and private citizens, have developed response plans not just to potential terrorist attacks, but also to other disasters, including epidemics, tsunamis and even volcanoes.

Until recently, however, it seemed that the legal response to such catastrophes was going unnoticed and unaddressed. Earlier this month, the state of New York published a manual dealing with such matters, answering questions including: Who gets vaccinations or antidotes, what can the government do regarding evacuations and quarantines and how do we assure that Constitutional rights are not entirely suspended in an emergency?

The manual, understatedly

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

the book were anything other than “Cliff Notes,” it would be far more difficult for legal professionals to look to it for reference.

A thick tome prescribing correct response procedures in great detail would only increase response times for dire situations such as those described in the manual.

Moreover, no book can truly account for all of the possible events and situations that may arise in the case of such a public health emergency. If it tried, responders’ hands would be tied in many situations, preventing them from implementing an appropriate response, while other situations would likely go entirely unmentioned. The legal chaos, both during and after any catastrophic event, would be extraor-

dinary and could only exacerbate the situation.

The Sept. 11 response proves this point. Officials at the Federal Aviation Authority, Federal Bureau of Investigation and other agencies had only the loosest of guidelines regarding terrorism on American soil. There were certainly specific instructions on how to deal with a multipronged attack using airplanes as missiles up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Somehow, they managed to react in an appropriate, rational manner that prevented further panic and ensured the safety of everyone in American airspace. Even the federal government realized that the system worked; a few years later, when response manuals were being

updated, they recognized that the system worked on Sept. 11 and chose not to make extensive updates and expansions to the manuals.

What the state of New York has done with the “Doomsday Manual,” then, is what it should have done. Guidelines of some sort are necessary, and they serve a purpose. They do not, however, work when overly complex and detailed. Thus, the “Cliff Notes” version of disaster response should be lauded for striking the balance between no guidelines and too many guidelines. Perhaps the only flaw inherent was not creating them before now.

Patrick Derocher, FCRH ’12, is an international political economy major from Loudonville, N.Y.

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© 2011 PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. All rights reserved. In this document, “PwC” refers to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (a Delaware limited liability partnership), which is a member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each member firm of which is a separate legal entity. We are proud to be an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer.

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PAGE 13

Mimes & Mummers Present The Wild Party to Fordham

By SARAH RAMIREZ ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

Next week, from March 3-6, Fordham’s Mimes and Mummers will be performing their spring musical, Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party.

The musical is based on a 1928 narrative poem of the same name, written by the poet Joseph Moncrue March.

The Wild Party, which takes place in the Roaring ’20s, focuses on the turbulent relationship between two vaudeville performers, Queenie (Emily Weaver, FCRH ’12) and Burrs (Mike Dahlgren, FCRH ’14).

When the passion begins to wane for the two, Queenie decides to throw a lavish party to embarrass Burrs and make him jealous.

The couple invites quite a cast of characters to their party, including Queenie’s best friend and archrival, Kate (Kristie Koos, FCRH ’11), and Kate’s lover, Mr. Black (Dave Cavanaugh, FCRH ’11). It does not take long for the party to quickly spiral out of control.

Due to the mature content in The Wild Party, including sex, drugs and alcohol use, the University was very reluctant to “greenlight” this Mimes and Mummers production.

“The administration wanted to take a sufficient amount of time to look though the script and score and meet with us to see what our vision of the show was,” Courtney Schiessl, FCRH ’11, president of

Mimes and Mummers, said. “Overall, they wanted to make sure our intentions were in the right place.”

Schiessl added that the goal of Mimes and Mummers is to produce shows that have artistic integrity and contribute to Fordham as a whole, and the organization felt The Wild Party fit the bill for a variety of reasons.

“This piece is challenging musically, technically and artistically,” Schiessl said. “We felt that the story was unique and full of depth.”

In addition to the creative challenges the musical posed, the cast and crew also had to deal with a shortened timeline for the show, due to the delay in obtaining administrative approval.

“The limited amount of time has really forced the cast to raise the bar and push ourselves,” Weaver said. “We had to become familiar and comfortable around one another very quickly.”

The cast members have also enjoyed learning about the complicated characters they will soon become onstage.

“The thing I enjoy the most about my character [Burrs] is the challenge he presents to the actor playing him,” Dahlgren said. “He’s so incredibly complex that he really motivates someone to keep working until they feel they’ve really gotten into his head.”

“Queenie is just really multidimensional,” Weaver said. “Her character progression is just so interesting and varied, everyone can

relate to her story at one time or another.”

Everyone involved with The Wild Party believes that the musical is the sort of production that will appeal to all Fordham students.

“There are so many fantastic elements in this show: the direction, the set, the cast, the choreography, the sex, the costumes [and] the music,” Weaver said.

“We’re not talking about some traditional, old-school Broadway show,” Schiessl said. “This show pushes the boundaries and is so fun to watch.”

Not only does the cast hope that The Wild Party is well-received by their Fordham peers, but they encourage students to support all the theater productions at Rose Hill.

“The Mimes and Mummers and FET [Fordham Experimental Theater] put so much effort into their work and it really does show,” Cavanaugh said.

Mimes and Mummers will be presenting The Wild Party March 3-5 in Collins Auditorium at 8 p.m., with a special matinee performance on Sun., March 6 at 2 p.m.

Opening night is free with a Fordham ID. After that, the price of a ticket is $5 with a Fordham ID and $8 without an ID. “It’s a great show with a great cast,” Dahlgren said. “It’s the kind of show you won’t see all too often at Fordham.”

To learn more about Mimes & Mummers, check out their Fordham Web site.

COURTESY OF MIMES & MUMMERS

The Mimes & Mummers will be performing The Wild Party from March 3-6.

The Vagina Monologues Performed at Fordham Law School

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JERE KEYS

The Vagina Monologues is a play by feminist Eve Ensler.

By SANDY MCKENZIE CULTURE EDITOR

On Feb. 17 and 18, members of the Fordham Law School performed Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues. The event was held in the McNally Amphitheater and was sponsored by Fordham Law School’s V-Day. While past performances by undergraduates have raised controversy, there was no debate surrounding the Law School’s performance.

“Most of the time, the Law School has an arms-length relationship with the general administration of the University and our immediate administration has been nothing except fully supportive,” Jere Keys, the co-director of the production, said.

Although the production may not have stirred up any controversy among Fordham Law School administration, the topics addressed in the performance are sensitive.

“Many of the topics addressed by the show have a legal aspect that makes them relevant to the law

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FLICKR.COM

The play at the Law School occurred on Feb. 17 and 18.

school community, from rape and women’s rights abuses to empowerment and professional lives,” Keys said. “In addition to the benefit performances of The Vagina Monlogues, we have hosted a variety of events for the law school community, including sex ed discussions, a panel on violence and women in the law, and more.”

Auditions were held in November for women to perform in the production; however, men were encouraged to participate in the performance in other ways, including becoming members of the production board. Rehearsals began in January for the cast of 15, which is comprised of 13 law students, a graduate student in social work, and a Law School staff member.

According to the Fordham Law School Web site, V-Day is a global activist movement that aims to end violence towards women. To help the cause, V-Day Fordham Law decided to donate 30 percent of proceeds to the V-Day campaign to help women in Haiti. The other 70 percent of proceeds went to Safe

Horizon, which helps victims of domestic violence, child abuse and human trafficking.

“Before including final ticket sales, we have raised just over $18,500 to split between Safe Horizon and the official V-Day charity for 2011, the women and children of Haiti,” Keys said.

Although the Fordham Law School may have succeeded in gaining administration support, the undergraduate production, which will be performed in April, has not faired so well. According to vday. org, in 2005, the undergraduate performances of The Vagina Monologues were banned as a student activity at Fordham. Accordingly, the monologues were performed as an academic event, sponsored by 11 departments at Fordham.

“The Vagina Monologues is ‘not supported’ (which means banned)

by Student Affairs, which means that our student club, Isis, cannot put on the play,” Rebecca Gehman, FCLC ’12, and president of Isis, said. “Issues with the administration vary year-to-year — one year

PHOTOS COURTESY OF VDAY.COM

The cast has 15 members, including 13 law students.

it was the fact that one character is drinking underage, then they repealed that and said the real problem was that a girl in the play had an affair with an older woman.”

The students have found ways to perform the play in spite of the ban, however.

“As individuals, myself and other girls can put on the play under academia: Women’s Studies department, to be specific,” Gehman said.

Although the members of the production have not receieved support from Student Affairs, they are supported by numerous departments in the academic community.

“We get huge [support] from the academic community, including the Communications Department, Theology Department, Theatre Department, Women’s Studies Department and American Studies Department, all of whom have spoken out against ‘the ban,’” Gehman said.

Nonetheless, performing the play under academia has its fair

share of difficulties.

“We receive no money, cannot do simple things like make copies or use any supplies in the Student Affairs room and can’t reserve rooms through the University system,” Gehman said.

The difficulties do not end with finances, however.

“Worst of all it means that important staff such as Residential Life and Counseling Services are not allowed to attend the production or discussions,” Gehman said. The inability of the staff to attend the production presents an obstacle to the students, who could use assistance in dealing with the sensitive topics dealt with in the production.

“Sensitive issues such as sexual violence and rape are brought up and there is no one there except the members of Isis to facilitate it,” Gehman said.

Even with the obstacles set up by the Fordham administration, The Vagina Monologues will be performed on April 14, 15 and 16 at Lincoln Center.

CULTURE

PAGE 14• THE RAM FEBRUARY 23,2011

Cooking With Clara CLARA ENNIST I am always somewhat wary of food that comes in cans; specifically, I am wary of canned, diced chicken breasts.

In order to overcome this prejudice against canned foods, or any pre-made ingredients for that matter, I decided to make a chicken pot pie from as many non-homemade ingredients as possible.

Chicken Pot Pie (Servings: 8) Cost per serving: $2.40 Ingredients: -2 cans of chunk chicken breasts (12.5 oz. each) -1 can cream of mushroom soup (10 oz.)

-1 can chicken gravy (10 oz.)

-1 bag of frozen, mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn) -1 cup chicken broth -1 premade, frozen pie crust - 1 box cornbread stuffing Directions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Drain the chicken and place it in a saucepan, over medium heat, with the soup, gravy and frozen vegetables. Add the chicken broth to stuffing and mix until fully absorbed.

When the pie filling is lightly bubbling, transfer it to the pie shell.

Evenly spread the cornbread stuffing over the top of the pie.

Bake this for 30 to 35 minutes; let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Call me a snob, but I never feel as self-satisfied when I have completed a recipe that used mostly prepackaged ingredients.

I genuinely do not believe that I can taste the difference between a chicken pot pie made with canned ingredients and one made entirely from scratch, but I like pretending that I perceive some difference.

When I opened the canned chicken, I was not entirely disheartened. While the look and texture of the chicken is quite similar to canned tuna, it was almost as tender as the meat you would get from boiling a whole chicken; or, maybe I thought so because the prospect of boiling a whole chicken was rather unappealing.

Also, it was much more relaxing to simply open a couple of other cans and a bag of vegetables than to measure flour, cornstarch and milk in order to make a creamy sauce.

Overall the pie turned out better than I had hoped for. It smelled and looked as if I had made it from scratch, but I still was not sure about the taste.

While it was pretty delicious, I could not overcome the fact that the chicken had come from a can, as the texture of the chicken was not quite the same as it would have been had I boiled an entire chicken myself.

While I will admit that the pie was not as impressive as it would have been had I made everything from scratch, it was nicer to spend 10 minutes completing the preparation compared to two hours, and to only have to clean one pan.

With winter back, you will need something warm to eat, so rinse and recycle those cans and just show the finished pie to your friends when you serve it — let them draw their own conclusions as to how hard you worked on it.

Dining Out: Mermaid Oyster Bar fish tacos, which were both cheap ($6) and delicious.

With only one waiter serving For those seeking to satisfy their the entire restaurant, the wait for seafood cravings, the Mermaid the food was a long one. This is Oyster Bar in Manhattan’s West the type of restaurant that fosters Village is a seafood haven. Entering a take-your-time-and-talk-to-yourthe restaurant is like walking into date kind of atmosphere; so maybe a fancy fish shack, complete with I should not discredit the joint too whitewashed walls and undersea much, as it encourages a good date decor. Coral reefs and pictures of vibe. beachfront houses cover the wall The food did take a while, space. though, so plan for a lot of time to The place was packed with peobe spent at the restaurant. ple consuming generous amounts Definitely try to go during the of seafood. The sleek, fish-shack“happy hour and a half,” which hapesque eatery is modest in size, ofpens seven days a week and ends at fering a few booths on one side, a 7 p.m. It is a bargain. You can get few high tables on the other side the malpeque East Coast oysters or and seating around little neck clams for Overall the bar. $1 each, while the Location Many seemed popular fish tacos Food Quality content with sitting or shrimp corndogs Atmosphere anywhere — just as are only $3 a piece Hospitality long as they could during this time.

Price $ $ eat some oysters.

There is not a (Out of 4 ’s) There are 12 kinds dessert menu at of oysters on the the Mermaid Oysmenu — six from the West Coast ter bar, but customers get a comand six from the East Coast. plimentary cup of delicious dark The menu includes descriptions chocolate pudding topped with such as plump, cucumbery sweet whipped cream with each meal. It or zesty salinity for each type, was the perfect cold dessert to finwhich help when choosing which ish off the meal. oysters to order.

A fortune-telling fish comes I prefer the East Coast oysters, with the check, a good addition to which are a bit saltier. Blue Point the laid-back, date vibe of the resoysters are always a safe bet, as are taurant. the naked cowboys.

It is places like the Mermaid For the main course I had the Oyster Bar that remind me why Maine bouchot mussels, which I did not give up seafood when I were cooked just right and came gave up eating meat several years with little buttered baguettes on back. top — perfect for dipping in the All in all, I would say the Merbroth that the mussels were swimmaid Oyster Bar is a pretty solid ming in. I also had the Mermaid seafood eatery.

By MORLENE CHIN STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF MERMAID OYSTER BAR

COURTESY OF FLICKR.COM

Mermaid Oyster Bar, a seafood restaurant, is located at 79 MacDougal St.

Editor’s Pick: Sunday Brunch

By VICTORIA RAU MANAGING EDITOR

Coffee, omelets, potatoes, coffee, pastries, juice, fruit and that easy feeling of having no particular place to go: these are the sights, smells and the attitude that I associate with Sunday brunch.

Whether it is a decadent affair, complete with ice statues, sport coats and a prime rib station or a more laid back gathering with friends in the cafeteria or at a diner, Sunday brunch is simply the best.

In the Bible, Jesus says “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

I say Sunday was made for brunch, not brunch for Sunday (important corollary: Sunday was made for coffee, not coffee for Sunday). I am not claiming to be Jesus, but I would argue that it is more or less an equivalent concept.

Of my friends who worked at restaurants last summer, I can honestly say that I was most consistently happy with my job. I attribute this to the fact that I usually served brunch on the weekends.

There is no better way to make a customer happy than to pour him or her a cup of coffee and never let it empty.

The only more gratifying serving experience I can imagine would be to pour something a little stronger for someone who just got off work, but I would also hazard a guess that

bartending has its own tradeoffs.

I digress. Take my word for it, though, the weekend brunch crowd is much more pleasant to wait on than the weekday power lunchers or the high-maintenance dinner parties. It is far more difficult to be a snob about eggs and toast than it is to get persnickety about filet mignon or duck confit (not impossible, but more unlikely).

My fascination and affinity for brunch is a recent development.

When I was younger, I did not like eggs. Scrambled, over easy, sunny side up, hard-boiled, poached, Benedict: I would have none of it.

The concept of breakfast was wholly uninviting to me because eggs were such an established fixture of the meal.

Now, I am the first in line for a veggie omelet, huevos rancheros or egg-and-cheese on a bagel. Even for those who remain decidedly in the no-eggs camp, however, brunch offers a plethora of alternatives. I have seen everything from strawberry French toast to smoked salmon to Nicoise salad on brunch menus, and it is all good.

Besides, the essence of a great Sunday brunch is the people with whom you eat it, not the food you eat or the atmosphere in which you eat it.

Brunch can take place at 11:00 a.m. or 3:00 p.m. You can go after church in your Sunday best or after rolling out of bed in your pa-

COURTESY OF FLICKR.COM

jamas. A diner like Pete’s Café is just as good a venue as an Upper West Side bistro. A savory dish like Eggs Benedict will hit the spot just as well as a syrup-soused Belgian waffle, as long as the hollandaise sauce and the syrup are top-notch.

I suppose that tea, orange juice or mimosas would make an acceptable substitute for coffee.

The only real requirement for a successful brunch experience is engaging conversation, good company and the willingness to bask in the glory of the week’s most unhurried meal. The price point, the attire and the exact timing are immaterial.

The goal is to take time out of a busy weekend to enjoy a meal that

does not exist in the same capacity during the week (think about it: Thursday brunch? It just does not have the same ring to it).

If New York is our campus, then we should consider brunch an integral part of the Fordham experience.

As Carrie Bradshaw from “Sex and the City” says, “There are very few things this New Yorker loves as much as Sunday brunch. You can sleep until noon and still get eggs anywhere in the city.”

Remember, Sundays were made for brunch, so take time to enjoy it.

Your homework can wait.

Coffee, or the accompanying beverage of your choice, cannot and should not.

CULTURE

FEBRUARY 23, 2011 • THE RAM • PAGE 15

Transgender Comedian Shares Experience

By SCHARON HARDING ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

Comedian Ian Harvie spoke at Fordham on Feb. 18 to tell the story of how he became a transgendered person. The speech was sponsored

by PRIDE Alliance.

Harvie is an established comedian, known for raunchy jokes and poking fun at his situation; however, during the lecture he stepped back from the raunchiness and instead gave a light-hearted biography of himself, the man formally known as Janet Harvie.

“I was really moved by his story,” Colin Croughan, FCRH ’14, said.

“It was really interesting and definitely something that I have never seen before.”

As a little girl, Harvie was his mother’s pride and joy. His mother had hoped to have a daughter for a long time and could not wait to clothe Harvie in frilly bell dresses.

Even at a young age, Harvie did not feel comfortable in these clothes. He tried to wear less girly clothing but his mother insisted that this was a bad idea. ”My mom would say, ‘you can’t wear that,’” Harvie said. “‘People will never like you if you wear

that.’”

Growing up, Harvie discussed how he would constantly play with the boys. Upon reaching puberty, he naturally became separated from his male friends and turned to drinking for comfort.

Harvie spent a lot of time talking about how he used alcohol to cope with his feelings of isolation, confusion and dissatisfaction.

“It [alcohol] kept me part of those groups of boys,” Harvie said.

Harvie also joked about the naughtiness he felt having sleepovers with girls. ”It felt so dirty,” Harvie said. “If only they knew I was a boy.”

Harvie’s tale led to a realization that he was a lesbian. He found comfort in the term “butch.”

“That identity felt good for me,” Harvie said.

Being a lesbian was not enough for Harvie, however, as a girl Harvie still felt uncomfortable being with other girls.

He realized that he was not just a lesbian. Something deeper was going on. After attending a public forum featuring a transgendered person, Harvie said he realized that he wanted to be a man.

“I felt an amazing sense of relief,”

Harvie said.

Harvie then decided to take hormones and undergo breast removal.

“It was really interesting how losing her breasts was such an important thing,” Croughan said. “I didn’t think that’d be so difficult in her life.”

Harvie battled with the decision he made. He began thinking like his mother, believing that he would have no friends if he chose to become a man.

“I had thoughts like ‘people are going to think you’re a freak,’” Harvie said. “No one will like you. You won’t have any friends.”

Despite fear, Harvie committed to his decision. Eventually he received acceptance from his parents and, most importantly, himself.

“He made it seem really normal and more human than it’s talked about because it was a real genuine story,” Croughan said. “It’s because he was really friendly and comfortable.”

John Thornhill, FCRH ’13, also changed his perspective based on Harvie’s lecture.

“It made me realize that a transgendered person is just like any other person,” Thornhill said.

what’s

Going

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

24

?

On

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

THURSDAY Weekend Activities Committee Bingo Ramskellar 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Forget your stress and enjoy a game of Bingo with your friends.

25

FRIDAY

Free Music Friday American Folk Art Museum 45 West 53rd St. 5:30 p.m.

Listen to free live music, from artists including Jus Post Bellum, Shanna Zell and Jeremiah of The Ramblers.

26

SATURDAY Yoga Class Keating B23 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.

Begin your morning with a relaxing yoga class.

27

SUNDAY

“The Oscars” ABC 8:00 p.m.

See which films, actors and actresses win this year’s Academy Awards. Anne Hathaway and Best Actor nominee James Franco will host the awards.

28

MONDAY GO! Adirondacks Fundraiser McGinley Main Lobby 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Help support GO! Adirondacks.

01

TUESDAY FET Auditions Blackbox Theater 6:00 p.m.

Come audition to be a part of the next FET production.

02

WEDNESDAY Journey to the Stars American Museum of Natural History 10:30 a.m.

See the stars like never before in this show about space, which is narrated by Whoopi Goldberg.

COURTESY OF FLICKR.COM

Ian Harvie is a transgender comedian and talk show host from Maine who spoke to Fordham students on Feb. 18.

— COMPILED BY SANDY MCKENZIE

Ram Reviews MOVIE COFFY

By GIBSON MERRICK STAFF WRITER

“Have no fear, Pam Grier is here!”

Just in time for Black History Month, Coffy (1973) is the movie that launched the legendary and beautiful Pam Grier’s (Jackie Brown) career and inspired director Quentin Tarantino’s (Pulp Fiction) Jackie Brown.

Now, for your viewing pleasure, Coffy is available on Netflix Instant Watch, and you had better believe Grier means business.

Grier is Coff y — nurse by day, vigilante avenger by night. After her preteen sister becomes addicted to heroin, Coff y takes the law into her own hands, vowing to bring justice to anyone and everyone involved in the drug business.

Arming herself with a shotgun, good looks and street smarts, Cof-

fy begins her quest for vengeance with a bang — literally. Seducing a notorious drug dealer in a club, she brings him home and turns on the charm.

What follows is a medley of Cadillacs, catfights and bloody revenge, all set to a funky R&B soundtrack that walks the line between awesome and hilarious.

In one scene, Coff y also briefly adopts a Jamaican accent and dons a wig she fills with razorblades. Can you dig it?

What sets Coffy apart from all the rest of the instant movies Netflix has to offer? For one thing, it made history. Coffy is without a doubt one of the most action-packed, politically-charged and sexed-up blaxploitation films to come out of the 1970s.

For those of you who do not know, “blaxploitation” is a term for a genre of films that exploded in the ’70s, when Hollywood studios started making action films aimed to exploit African-American audiences across America.

Coffy was notorious for being the first blaxploitation to feature a woman lead, and a strong one at that. That woman is Pam Grier.

Watch Coffy and you will understand.

What makes Coffy so great is that literally everyone can enjoy it. Do you have any desire to have a good laugh at 1970s fashion, lingo and attitude? Coffy will not disappoint.

And for everyone who likes a good one-liner, Coffy wrote the book.

Be sure to look up the trailer for Coffy on YouTube, because the clip on Netflix simply does not do the film justice.

After you have been sufficiently impressed, be sure to check out Grier in her next starring role, 1974’s Foxy Brown, and the 1995 movie that reignited her career, Jackie Brown.

I highly recommend Coffy and incourage everyone to watch it instantly on Netflix. It is sure to be a crowd pleaser and will not dissappoint.

MOVIE I AM NUMBER FOUR

By SANDY MCKENZIE CULTURE EDITOR

Although I Am Number Four may be another teenage action movie, it deviates from the typical “one-big-chase-scene” standard of most suspense-thrillers. The movie chronicles the journey of a teenage alien, John Smith (Alex Pettyfer, Stormbreaker). He is from the planet Lorien and is the fourth of nine survivors who possess incredible abilities. He and his guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant, Gone in 60 Seconds) are on the run from the Mogadorians, who are trying to kill the survivors.

John and Henri move to the small town of Paradise, Ohio, where John meets Sarah (Dianna Argon, “Glee”), and the two soon fall in love. Accordingly, John must learn to harness his powers in order to protect himself and Sarah, as

well as the planet as a whole.

I Am Number Four is based on the 2010 novel by Pittacus Lore (the pseudonym for the writing team of James Frey [A Million Little Pieces] and newcomer Jobie Hughes).

Although the plotline may be somewhat simple and predictable, the movie does a good job of balancing the action scenes, which are intense and exciting, with calmer scenes of John and Sarah’s encounters in Paradise.

The director, D.J. Caruso (Eagle Eye), succeeds at juxtaposing humans and aliens in the combat scenes, making the action more interesting and thrilling.

Throw in a couple of witty lines and a cute puppy and I Am Number Four appeals to a middle-school and high-school age audience of both genders. Although the movie has a final action scene, the ending is left wide open, which sets the stage perfectly for a sequel.

I Am Number Four is rated PG13.

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

PAGE 16 • THE RAM • FEBRUARY 23, 2011

CULTURE

Students Seek RFK, Jr.’s Opinions on Politics, Environment

By CONNIE KIM NEWS EDITOR

Hundreds of students and other members of the Fordham community came to Keating 1st on Wednesday, Feb. 16 to attend Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s lecture and question-and-answer session. During the session, Kennedy addressed topics such as environmental policies, politics and current events.

Rober F. Kennedy Jr., son of senator and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, is an attorney who specializes in environmental law. He is probably best known for avidly defending the environment, as he is the chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and president of theWaterkeeper Alliance. The Ram talked to Kennedy about his policies and future plans, while students engaged him during the question and answer session.

Student (during the Q & A): What is your opinion about the revolution in Egypt?

RFK, Jr.: I don’t have anything profound to say about the revolution in Egypt except, to me, it was incredibly exciting to watch it happen. Who would have known that Facebook could become the most important political impact on the world in the 21st century?

It really was a democratic revolution. The people who started the revolution stood up for themselves and said that they are not going to take this anymore.

I hope that we can have that kind of revolution in this country, where we really take act[ion and] control of the corporations we are running.

If you go down to West Virginia and try to speak out against the coal industry, watch how quickly you lose

everything. You know, your job, all your security, etc. Those kinds of things are happening all over this country.

People have to start to understand that we need democracy.

We have our government that gave away habeas corpus, which is a 1,300 year old right. The [former administration] that abolished it, they’re allowing torture for the first time, torture each other. They are allowing eavesdropping on our citizens.

And you say, oh, well, it’s because we are in greater danger now than we’ve ever been. When I was a boy, we were in much greater danger than we are today.

The Soviets had 25,000 nuclear tipped missiles pointing at our country. We were digging bomb shelters, [but] we didn’t start torturing people and suspending habeas corpus.

When Bush and Cheney did this, they [violated] not just the law and the constitution, but they also violated the 200 years of America’s tradition.

I am not just saying [this because they are] Republicans; if Democrats did that, they should go to jail. Everyone who is involved in that should go to jail.

Otherwise, who are we? What do we stand for? Do we actually represent the values and ideals that we claim to represent to the rest of the world? If you do that, they have to face the traditional consequences. You can’t just let them do it.

Another Student (during the Q & A): I want to go to law school and you definitely opened up my mind today. I was wondering, how can we get involved in making a difference and making the initiative to change the country?

RFK, Jr.: The most important

WHO’S THAT KID? Brian Kelley A MEMBER OF FCRH ’12, MAJORING IN PHILOSOPHY AND CLASSICS FROM BRIARCLIFFE, PA. Where have we seen you?

I guess around campus. Specifically, Lombardi Center playing basketball.

Favorite childhood show and favorite current show?

My favorite childhood show was “Hey Arnold.” My favorite current show is “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Who would play you in a movie and why?

I’m not a big movie buff, but I would have Leonardo DiCaprio play me in a movie because he does a lot of philosophical movies.

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

I would have dinner with Socrates because I would like to meet and engage in conversation with the wisest man from the best city

thing you can do is to get involved in politics. It is much more important to change your politician than your light bulb. It doesn’t just mean working in campaigns; you can even run for it yourself.

You don’t have to run for president or Congress. School, or local government, etc. you can do it. Start participating in a political process. And start building your own ideology.

The cable news is now dominated by FOX News. Other media companies like ABC, NBC, CBS and CNN, have no ideology except for their own pocket books, which are dictated by their advertisers and government that is in power.

They are not giving us independent news. I can tell you story after story that advertisers wouldn’t let us talk about things that are genuinely controversial, outside the narrow boundaries of what is acceptable. However, there are all kinds of opportunities in the [internet business], which are in the developing phase of communication. You can work on getting the ultimate truth out to the people.

brought a real tape recorder. I started writing a book, but I didn’t get it finished until I was 29.

TR: Do you have any political plans for the future, since you said that the best way to make changes is by participating in politics?

RFK, Jr.: I participate in politics every election cycle. I usually end up supporting anybody, either Republicans or Democrats, who has great environmental records.

At some point, I may run, but I haven’t in the past. I have a lot of young kids. I want to focus on them for now.

PHOTO BY NORA MALLOZZI/THE RAM

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is an avid environmental activist, as well as an attorney.

The Ram: Were you always interested in environmental policies?

What made you become an environmental advocate?

RFK, Jr.: Yeah, I was always interested in [environmental politics]. In fact, when I was eight, I sent my uncle, President Kennedy, a letter and told him that I wanted to make the world without pollution. And this was in 1962, and he invited me to the Oval Office.

I brought him a salamander and told him that I was going to write a book about the environment.

He arranged for me to interview his secretary of interior, Stewart Udall. I interviewed him, even

Kennedy is the chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper.

golf course, so I usually throw my clubs.

I like going home a lot to keep things fresh.

What is the biggest misconception people have about you?

I’m not sure. People might think that I don’t like Fordham because I go home a lot.

Stuck on an island, what would you need?

Probably just some golf clubs, some golf balls and some philosophy books.

PHOTO BY NORA MALLOZZI/THE RAM

What is your dream job?

My dream would be to become a college professor (but not at Fordham).

What is your guilty pleasure?

I don’t really consider any pleasures guilty.

in the classical world.

What would your ideal day in Manhattan consist of?

Going to Penn Station and leaving to go back to Philly.

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

Back in Delaware County, in front of my house either playing wiffle ball or listening to the Phils on my porch.

Favorite class at Fordham and favorite professor?

Individuality and community life and Father Regan, because he said the class would change our lives and it did. It gave me a new outlook on things and a new worldview.

How do you blow off steam?

I’m only really angry on the

COURTESY OFBRIAN KELLEY

Brian Kelley, from Briarcliffe, Pa., is a junior in Fordham College (RH) and a double major in philosophy and classics.

CULTURE

FEBRUARY 23, 2011 • THE RAM • PAGE 17

Living and Studying Abroad in Granada

By MARK HERREROS STAFF WRITER

Less than a month has passed since 19 Fordham students began their spring semester abroad through the “Fordham in Granada” program.

The four-month excursion allows students to learn about the Spanish language and culture through host families, classes and discussion groups with local intellectuals and artists and casual encounters with Spaniards in everyday life. The students also spent some time in Morocco.

When he got back from Morocco, Liam Larkin, FCRH ’12, said the trip was one of the greatest experiences he ever had in his life.

For Larkin, home was only across the Mediterranean, in Granada, Spain.

Granada is a relatively small city in southern Spain that is neighbored by the Sierra Nevada’s snowy peaks and is only miles away from the Mediterranean coast.

“The students we met there were so kind and compassionate,” Larkin said. “It was interesting to see the disconnect between what we think other people think of America, and what these people are actually like when we talk to them. There are nice and caring people throughout the world, and that’s something that was expressed as soon as we got there.”

Beyond its reputation for the free tapas, that come with every drink, and parties lasting well until sunrise, Granada was one of the last strongholds of the Moors in Southern Spain. Though expelled by the Catholic monarchs in 1492, the Moors and their legacy lives on through the Alhambra palace, one of the most highly visited attractions in Spain.

The program has also given students opportunities to travel outside of Granada — and in the case of the Morocco excursion, outside of the continent. After two weeks, the group was just beginning to adjust to living in another country, specifically living with their home stay families and one another.

Nevertheless, Dr. Rafael Lamas, Fordham in Granada’s director, said it was important to leave Spain and experience Morocco because of the common history the two countries share.

“I think it’s impossible to understand the richness of Andalusia and Granada if you don’t know the Arab world,” Lamas said. “It’s the key to understand history here in Granada. Morocco is where you can understand Spain, and also far more about our Western culture.

During the four-day trip, students not only traveled to cities like Tangier and explored the countryside, but also spent time talking with local students and farmers in the North African country.

Lamas said that these types of exchanges are important when traveling as a student abroad.

“It was not tourism,” Lamas said.

“It was wonderful and beautiful, of course, the landscape was amazing and we saw beautiful places. But everything was addressed to understand what it means to live in Morocco and the Arab World.”

Maureen Sweet, FCLC ’12, is a Spanish major who came to Granada to improve her language skills and understanding of the Spanish culture.

She said that while the West tends to focus on the differences between Eastern and Western cultures, she was more impressed by the similarities between the Moroccan culture and her own.

“Students interacted with one another just like students in the United States do,” Sweet said. “The family that I stayed with watched soccer during dinner, just like any family might, and the farmer we talked to placed the same value on his home and his family that any good American does.”

Sweet also said that her host family in Morocco was one of the most memorable parts of the experience.

“They didn’t speak any English or Spanish, but it was absolutely amazing to see the differences and similarities, especially the similarities between our lives and the lives of people in what seems like such a foreign country to us,” Sweet said.

“I think that’s impacted me a lot and it’s changed my perspective and made me more open to the Spanish experience too.”

Students are beginning to settle back into their host families in Granada, and have spent several weeks adjusting to the city while beginning their classes at the University of Granada’s Center of Modern Languages.

Lamas said he designed the program specifically for students who are interested in learning the Spanish language and culture from the inside and chose Granada above other Spanish cities because of its cultural significance, its identity as a university town and its people.

“When you walk the streets, you are in constant contact with its history and you get in touch with the past,” Lamas said. “It’s much easier in Granada to get a grasp of this cultural richness, than in a big city such Madrid or Barcelona where you don’t know anyone and it’s difficult to make a connection between yourself and the city. Here everything is much easier. The people are very open and welcoming.”

At the same time, students are getting used to communicating exclusively in Spanish while getting to meet people in Granada.

Sweet said that the language barrier was a challenge in adjusting to her host family. This is the first time Sweet has had to depend on her Spanish language skills without reverting back to English.

“Communication is difficult and sometimes she’ll be speaking very quickly in Spanish and I’ll just smile and nod because I don’t want to stop her, but I don’t know what she’s saying,” Sweet said. “I’m still adjusting to the comprehension, but she’s really great and it’s been a good experience.”

Larkin has made friends with both Spaniards and foreign students here in Granada. He said it has been easier to make friends in Granada when he shows a genuine interest in what people have to say.

“You have to enter the conversation with a real idea of naivety, coming in like you don’t know

COURTESY OF MAUREEN SWEET

Granada, a small town located in southern Spain near the Sierra Nevadas, is miles away from the Mediterranean coast.

COURTESY OF MOLLY MALAR

Students learned about the Spanish culture by living with host families and communicating with other Spanish speakers.

anything and just ask a lot of questions,” Larkin said. “In my case, I really don’t know anything.”

With the Morocco trip and the associated culture shock behind them, Lamas said that students will find it easier to make friends and immerse themselves in Spanish culture. At the same time, he said students should be adventurous and embrace the cultural differences they encounter in Granada.

“You have to take some risks, to not defend yourself too much and let the city and culture shock enter you,” Lamas said. “Be tolerant with the customs. You have to be tolerant and understand you’re the one who has to adapt. You will grow as an intellectual and a human being.”

To encourage meeting locals, Lamas hosted an intercambio during the program’s second week, bringing together the Fordham group and students from a local music

conservatory in Granada. During the exchange, the Spanish students were able to practice their English with American students seeking to improve their Spanish.

Rachel Curland, FCRH ’12, said that intercambios make it easier to meet locals and receive advice on where to hang out and meet people in Granada.

“Just to hang out with locals we went to a club to see flamenco and a guitar jam session,” Curland said.

“It’s been pretty fun. And some of the conservatory students friended us on Facebook. They were really excited to practice their English on us although they mostly reverted to Spanish, which is better for me because I’m trying to understand their language.”

Larkin said the Morocco trip helped improve the friendships amongst the Fordham group, and he hopes to branch out and make

more Spanish friends.

“I haven’t made many local friends in Granada, which I really want to change,” Larkin said.

“I want to learn more about the language and culture. I can’t wait for the classes to keep developing.

I want to travel to other parts of Europe. And I want to play soccer twice a week or more.”

Though the students here in Granada still have three months left to go, Lamas said he was already amazed at progress students have made in their adjustment to life abroad.

“I think the students have adjusted wonderfully,” Lamas said.

“So far students seem to be adapting quickly to the city and get together and form a bond as a group.

They like to explore, and have lots of friends already. They’ve been extra quick in becoming real Granadinos.”

PAGE 18 • THE RAM • FEBRUARY23, 2011

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FEBRUARY 23 , 2011

PAGE 19

Softball Opens Season with Highs and Lows in Florida Tournaments Lady Rams Lose a Pair to No. 18 Georgia Tech But Upset No. 25 DePaul en Route to 4-5 Record

By CHESTER BAKER ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The Lady Rams opened their much-anticipated season on Feb. 12 at the Dot Richardson College Classic in Cleremont, Fla. against Florida International University.

Fordham defeated the Panthers, 1-0, behind a dominant three-hit shutout by senior pitcher Chelsea Plimpton. Plimpton struck out a career-high 11 batters, and faced just four over the minimum in the victory. Fordham got all the offense it needed from senior outfielder Jocelyn Dearborn when she singled home junior outfielder Lindsey Kay Bright, who reached on an error.

In the second game of the season, Fordham squared off against no.18 Georgia Tech. Junior preseason All-American pitcher Jen Mineau surrendered just five hits in five innings of work, but sophomore pitcher Jamie LaBovick gave up five runs in two innings of relief as the Lady Rams fell 6-0. Fordham could only muster five hits off the Georgia Tech pitching, and no Ram had more than one hit.

On the second day of the tournament, Fordham dropped a pair of games, falling to Georgia Tech again, this time by a score of 3-1, while also dropping a game against Tennessee-Chattanooga 1-0.

In the second game against Georgia Tech, the Lady Rams loaded the bases in the first, but could not bring anyone home. The Yellow Jackets also loaded the bases in the first, but they were able to bring home a run as Plimpton walked sophomore pitcher Hope Rush. Georgia Tech pushed across two more in the bottom of the third on a two-run homerun by senior first baseman Kristine Priebe. Plimpton was able to get out of the inning without any

more harm, and finished the game with five strikeouts over six innings.

The only run of the game for Fordham came when Dearborn drew a walk with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth.

In the last game of the tournament, the Lady Rams turned to Plimpton once again and she gave up one run on just two hits over five innings of work while striking out six. The only run of the game came in the fourth when Tennessee-Chattanooga’s senior outfielder Lyndsey Stiles smoked a triple that scored a run.

Again, the Rams threatened in the first by putting runners on the corners, but again they were unable to bring anyone home. In total, Fordham left eight runners on base in the game.

Head Coach Bridget Orchard knows the team cannot leave this many opportunities on the base paths.

“We’re doing a great job of getting runners on, but we need to get them home,” Orchard said. “We are working really hard right now with getting runners in once we get them on. We need to drive them home when we’re playing these kinds of teams.”

The highlight of the day for Fordham came in the seventh when Mineau became Fordham’s all-time strikeout queen. Mineau struck out freshman outfielder Kaiti Dutton for her 680th career strikeout to tie the record, and then promptly struck out the next batter for strikeout number 681. Fordham finished the tournament with a disappointing 1-3 record.

“It’s amazing that Jen has these kinds of records, and she’s only a junior,” Orchard said of Mineau. “She had an amazing season last year, and we’re looking for more of the same

PHOTO BY AARON MAYS/THE RAM

Junior Pre-Season All-America pitcher Jen Mineau has been used as a reliever more than a starter during the team’s first two tournaments of the season

out of her this season.”

On Feb. 18 the Lady Rams went back to Florida to compete in the University of Southern Florida Tournament. Fordham faced Ole Miss in the first game of the weekend, and it looked great for the Rams early on. Fordham jumped out to a 3-0 nothing lead in the first behind an RBI double from senior infielder Beckah Wiggins, and a two-run double off the bat of freshman catcher Gabby Luety. Ole Miss countered with two runs in the bottom of the first and then took the lead in the fourth with another three runs, giving the Rebels a 5-3 lead.

From there, Fordham was unable to get anything going and the Lady Rams fell to 1-4 on the season.

In the second game of the day, Fordham put an end to its fourgame losing streak by shutting out

USF, winning 1-0. Plimpton and Mineau combined for the shutout, each tossing four innings of scoreless ball. Between the two pitchers, they gave up just three hits to the Lady Bulls. Dearborn came through with an RBI single in the top of the eighth to score junior outfielder Jessica Richards.

Fordham was able to build on their win over USF with a pair of wins in the second day of the tournament, coming against Indiana and #25 DePaul. The Lady Rams defeated the Blue Demons 2-0, despite being held hitless in the first four innings. Luety singled up the middle to drive home two in the bottom of the sixth to score the only runs of the game. Plimpton and Mineau combined for their second consecutive shutout, as Plimpton got her second win of the season

and Mineau earned her first save.

Fordham wasted no time against DePaul, as Dearborn led off the game with a triple. LaBovick singled her home and, following a pair of walks, the bases were juiced for junior infielder Nicole Callahan. Callahan ripped a single that plated two, and the Lady Rams had a 3-0 lead after one. Plimpton got touched up for a run in the second, and a tworun homerun off Plimpton tied the game in the fourth. However, Callahan delivered again with another 2-RBI single to give the Lady Rams a 5-3 lead in the fifth.

“Callahan came up huge in the game,” Orchard said. “She showed that she can deliver in the clutch, twice.”

The Lady Rams scored one more in the frame and added three more insurance runs in the seventh to win, 9-3.

“That was a big win for us,” Orchard added. “It showed the girls that we can win against ranked teams and that we are capable of doing big things.”

Fordham dropped its final game of the tournament against AlabamaBirmingham, 2-0. Plimpton got the start in the circle again and surrendered only five hits. Unfortunately for theLady Rams, two of these hits scored runs in the sixth. Plimpton ended the tournament with a 3-4 record on the season.

Fordham wasted its best opportunity of the game when Callahan led off with a double, but was left stranded as the Lady Rams could not advance her.

Fordham currently stands at 4-5 and will travel to California for the Cathedral City Classic starting Feb. 24.

The Rams will square off against Texas, Washington, Cal-State Fullerton, LSU and Nevada.

Lady Rams Split Pair of A-10 Matchups, Snap Six-Game Losing Streak

PHOTO BY NORA MALLOZI/THE RAM

Ariel Dale scored a career-high 10 points in the loss against St. Bonaventure.

By ALEXANDER VILLARDO SPORTS EDITOR

Last week was a bit challenging for the Lady Rams (11-17, 3-9), although they finally snapped their six-game losing streak.

On Wednesday, the team traveled to Rhode Island (7-19, 1-11), where it used a second-half surge to beat the other Lady Rams, 6443. On Saturday, however, the team returned to the Bronx, where it was defeated by the St. Bonaven-

ture Lady Bonnies (17-10, 7-5) by a score of 62-52.

The win over Rhode Island was a great pick-me-up for the Fordham Lady Rams, as they won for the first time since Jan. 22 against George Washington. Senior guard Kyara Weekes continued her stellar play, as she netted a game-high 21 points to go along with three assists.

Junior guard Becky Peters had a solid all-around game, finishing with 14 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal, while senior forward Tiffany Stokes had 12 points, eight boards and a steal.

Junior forward Lara Gaspar scored a team-high 10 points for Rhode Island. She also grabbed 10 rebounds and had three steals and an assist.

The Lady Rams had a cold first half, as they shot just 28 percent from the field and 15.4 percent from behind the arc. Despite the poor shooting, they went to the locker room with a 26-24 lead.

The second half was a completely different story, however, as the team started with a 15-0 run and shot 52 percent from the field,

including 62.5 percent from threeland. The Lady Rams ended the game shooting 40 percent from the field, their first time shooting over 30 percent in five games.

The Lady Rams returned to the Rose Hill Gym to face the Lady Bonnies in a game that was a part of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Pink Zone, a program dedicated to raising awareness for breast cancer and donations for research.

The Lady Rams were cold from the start, as St. Bonaventure opened the game with a 14-3 run.

Despite Fordham cutting the lead to seven at the 8:22 mark, the Lady Bonnies had control of the first half and went into halftime with a 3622 lead.

The Lady Rams fared a little better in the second half, as they worked the Lady Bonnies’ 18-point margin down to six with 2:31 left.

The Lady Rams were unable to score after that, however, and St. Bonaventure hit the needed freethrows to secure the game.

St. Bonaventure freshman forward Chelsea Bowker came off the bench to lead both teams in scor-

ing with 15 points in 14 minutes of play.

Stokes led the Lady Rams in scoring with 14 points to go along with eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals.

Sophomore forward Ariel Dale came off the bench to have a career-high 10 points, as well as five rebounds, one assist and one steal, in just 12 minutes of play. Weekes finished with 10 points, eight boards and two assists. Peters never quite found her stroke, as she finished with an unusual zero points on 0-10 shooting.

The Lady Rams’ shooting percentage dropped a bit from their last game, as they shot just 31 percent from the field.

Head Coach Cathy Andruzzi was not available for comment.

After staying in the Bronx to face UMass (7-10, 3-9) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 23rd, the Lady Rams travel to Dayton to face the Lady Flyers (16-10, 7-5) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26th.

It will be the Lady Rams’ last regular season game before heading to Lowell, Mass. for the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

PAGE 20 • THE RAM • FEBRUARY 23, 2011

SPORTS

Swim Team Prepares for Baseball Starts off Hot in the South A-10 Championships

By BRIAN JASINSKI STAFF WRITER

After a hard-fought season, the men’s and women’s swim teams will head into the Atlantic 10 Championships rested and confident. The men are seeking a topthree finish, while the women are looking to defend their title as A-10 Champs after posting a strong 7-1 record in dual meets.

Last year, the Lady Rams snapped Richmond’s streak of eight consecutive A-10 titles.

This year, they are attempting to build on last year’s success with a veteran team.

Both squads boast some of the top talent in the conference.

Following a record-breaking performance against UMass, senior Megan McGorry was named A-10 Swimmer of the Week after breaking her own school record in the 1000 free, clocking in at 10:13.17. She also won the 500 free in 5:02.99.

For the fourth time this season, freshman Shintaro Noguchi was named A-10 Male Rookie of the Week for his performance against the Minutemen. He captured both of his individual events, posting a 1:42.85 in the 200 free and a 51.30 in the 100 fly.

Noguchi and his teammates finished off the season in bold fashion by dominating St. Francis College 141-66.

“At the St. Francis meet, we wanted to see where we were in relation to our training,” Noguchi

said. “As we taper down, we have more energy we can channel into our races. The victory no doubt boosted our confidence going into A-10s.”

Even after a losing skid that saw the team drop below .500, the men remain confident that they can rebound in time for the Championships.

“Our focus for the season has always been our championship meet, and even though we had lost our last few meets, we only saw the Terriers as preparation for A-10s,” senior Billy Colton said. “Our greatest competition this season is LaSalle. The past few years, we have been able to beat them at A-10s, and we’re looking for the same result this year.”

“This year, we would like to place in the top-three in our conference, and we’re confident we’ll be able to do so.”

Noguchi echoed the composure of his elder teammate.

“Right now, we are in stiff competition with LaSalle and see ourselves making the top-three in finals,” he said. “In the last week before A-10s, we really want to focus on resting up. We have been training diligently throughout the whole year without rest, and we are confident going into the championships.”

The team will spend the next week in Buffalo, N.Y. Finals begin with the 200 medley and 800 free relays on Wednesday, Feb. 23 and end on Saturday, Feb. 26.

Men’s Tennis Starts Slow, Confident About Change

By DAN GARTLAND STAFF WRITER

We seem to be in late winter here Fordham, but the men’s tennis team is already more than a month deep into their spring season.

The Rams opened the season against Cornell on Jan. 22nd, falling 7-0 to a strong Big Red team.

Unfortunately, their next two matches were no different, as the Rams fell to Quinnipiac and Penn, again by 7-0 counts.

The match against Penn was much more one-sided than it was evenly-matched. Sophomore Alex DeRienzo, senior co-captain Kevin Maloney and junior Eli Plangger all lost in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0.

Against Quinnipiac, the scores were significantly less lopsided.

Four of six singles matches featured tiebreakers, as well as one doubles match.

The only victory for the Rams came courtesy of DeRienzo and sophomore Dan Kane-West at third doubles, 8-7 (7-5).

According to senior co-captain Austin Shoup, the team is not discouraged by their results and the players are looking forward to a complete turnaround by the end of the season.

“The scores don’t reflect what we’ve been doing as a team,” Shoup said. “On paper it may look like Fordham got destroyed,

but that’s really not indicative of where we stand. This is the first time we’re playing teams of this caliber. Once we get back to playing teams we’ve played before, like LaSalle and St. Joe’s, things should turn around.”

Things turned around this past Saturday when the Rams took on Division II St. Thomas Aquinas.

Playing by Division II rules, in which each doubles match is worth one point, the Rams earned a convincing 9-0 victory. All six singles matches were decided in straight sets, and Fordham dominated the doubles matches by winning all three.

The win was the first of the season for the Rams, who were also winless in the fall exhibition season.

Perhaps more importantly, it was the first win for the new head coach, Cory Hubbard.

According to the players, Hubbard has had a postive influence on the team so far.

“We’ve been playing better than we ever have,” Shoup said.

“We worked hard over the winter. We spent a lot of time in the weight room. We did a lot of conditioning. We practiced a lot at a few local tennis clubs.”

The team hopes that the hard work put in over the off-season, as well as the momentum from the win over St. Thomas Aquinas, will result in more victories as the season gets into full swing.

PHOTO BY SIMON SULIT/THE RAM

Junior infielder Nick Martinez had two runs scored and a double in the third game against Virginia Commonwealth.

By DANNY ATKINSON STAFF WRITER

The Fordham Rams’ baseball team came into its 151st season of play with a healthy dose of optimism, as Fordham returned five starting position players and its top two starting pitchers from a squad that had gone 15-12 in conference and qualified for the Atlantic 10 Championships for the fifth time in seven years. Although the Rams were predicted to finish seventh in the conference, one spot outside of qualifying for the conference playoffs, the program returns a number of integral players that could lift it to greater heights.

Senior First Team All-A-10 catcher Chris Walker will be the lynchpin of Fordham’s offense after breaking out last year. Walker hit .370 in 2010, with 25 doubles and 61 RBI, and was also named to the ECAC All-Star Team.

Senior pitcher Max Krakowiak will be the ace of the Ram’s pitching rotation after being named second-team all-conference in 2010. Krakowiak was dominant in A-10 play last season, posting a 7-0 record and a 2.63 ERA in 68.1 innings. On top of Walker and Krakowiak, Fordham returns a number of key contributors, including junior infielder Nick Martinez, sophomore outfielder Ryan Lee and senior starting pitcher Brian Pendergast.

While the Rams return a solid roster for the 2011 season, a number of the team’s best players from last year have graduated. Fordham lost infielder Ryan McRann, the team’s best all-around player, starting infielder Mike Mobbs and pitcher J.P. Mack, who started 15 games for the Rams.

Fordham is a young team, with nine freshmen and nine sophomores, and the modest expectations for the team allow the Rams significant room for error and the opportunity to surprise some people.

Like most college teams in the Northeast, Fordham’s early schedule consists of almost all road

games played in the South, with a home contest against Manhattan on March 2 being the Rams’ only home game in the first two months of the season. Having to begin their schedule against southern programs of a strong caliber is a challenging order for the Rams, but doing so also allows them to quickly improve and be that much more prepared for conference play down the line.

The Rams started their 2011 season with a three-game series in Richmond, Va. against Virginia Commonwealth University on Friday, Feb. 18.

Although Fordham began its season with a 6-3 loss, the final two games of the series went as well as Fordham could have hoped for, with the Rams grabbing wins by scores of 6-4 and 3-1.

Fordham played in an undisciplined and uninspired manner from the opening pitch on Friday, with VCU jumping out to a 3-0 lead after one inning on a series of singles off of Pendergast and poor defense. Though the Rams would knot the game in the top of the sixth on a Walker two-run homerun, VCU retook the lead in the bottom of the inning on a passed ball and later pushed its advantage to 6-3 when junior center fielder Brian Kownacki committed a two-base error.

Although Pendergast allowed just one earned run in 5.2 innings, he was the hard-luck loser in his first start of the year. Senior designated hitter Joe Russo went 3-4 for his second career three-hit game.

As poorly as the Rams performed on Friday, all the elements of their game came together on Saturday. Fordham jumped out to a 5-0 lead by the third inning, taking advantage of a few separate errors by VCU. Senior first baseman Ryan David had the key blow with a two-run double to right-center in the third.

While Fordham’s offense was coming alive, the team was getting crisper performances in the field and on the mound from Krakowiak, who allowed just two hits over

the first five innings while striking out eight VCU batters.

Though VCU made a brief bid at a late rally, the Rams went on to a fairly easy 6-4 victory. At the plate, the Rams got a combined eight hits and three RBI out of the top four in the lineup.

Behind great work from its pitching staff, Fordham baseball took the rubber match of its season-opening series against VCU, 3-1, improving to 2-1.

The Rams put themselves in a position to win by scoring a run in each of the first three innings.

Martinez scored on an RBI single by Walker in the first, junior shortstop Ryan Maghini recorded an RBI single in the second and Walker capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the third.

VCU pushed a run across in the fifth but was otherwise shut down by a group of Rams hurlers, with Fordham’s pitching staff managing to strand 11 runners throughout the game. In his debut for Fordham, freshman Chris Pike was outstanding in closing out the game, with four strikeouts and only two hits allowed in 3.1 innings.

At the plate, Martinez led the Rams’ offense with two runs scored and a double, while senior right fielder Alex Kenny was 2-4 with a triple and a run scored.

Fordham has to be encouraged by its start to the season. Going against a strong opponent, the Rams featured strong pitching and timely hitting.

The team’s best players had an impressive series, and Fordham largely avoided physical or mental mistakes. In no way are the Rams playing in midseason form, but Fordham will be in fine shape if it continues to play at this level.

Fordham baseball returns to the South with a three-game series against Iona in Ashboro, N.C. beginning this Saturday afternoon, Feb. 26.

After one home game versus Manhattan, Fordham travels to Winston Salem for three games against Wake Forest, Towson and Radford beginning March 4.

The Melo-Drama is Over

By AMIT BADLANI STAFF WRITER

After a season full of speculation, Carmelo Anthony has finally been traded from the Denver Nuggets to the New York Knicks. With the Brooklyn native heading to New York, it changes the entire face of the Eastern Conference for the next three years.

I still think the Knicks overpaid in two different ways, however.

First, let’s get the details of the trade straight.

The Nuggets receive Wilson Chandler; Danilo Gallinari; Raymond Felton; Timofey Mozgov, the Knicks’ 2014 first round pick; two second-round picks the Knicks received from the Golden State Warriors in the David Lee sign-and-trade; and $3 million. The Knicks get Melo, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Renaldo Balkman and Anthony Carter from the Nuggets, and Corey Brewer from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves obtain Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph from the Knicks, so the figures for the three-team deal work out. Anthony will sign a 3-year, $65 million contract extension with the Knicks.

So let’s see what the Knicks gave up. Gallinari will be the best three-point shooter in the league once Ray Allen retires.

He has one more year left on his rookie deal.

Chandler, who has a similar game to Melo, may develop to be as good as Melo. His contract ends this season, but he will be a restricted free agent, remaining under Denver’s control.

Felton is a solid, young point guard that can tough out 40 minutes per game. His value will come at next season’s deadline when a team that needs an extra push for the playoffs can get him for younger talent.

Mozgov was just thrown into the Knicks rotation after Ronny Turiaf was injured and he proved he is already solid offensively, despite having stone hands. He’ll be a starting center in a few years when he gets some more NBA experience.

Randolph’s size and athleticism show that he has huge upside, but he didn’t get playing time in New York.

Curry was simply a large expiring contract.

The vibe in the past few weeks was that Randolph would be traded for a first-round pick so the Knicks wouldn’t have to give one up, but they threw in a 2014 first-round pick.

Even though the Knicks gave up a boatload of talented pieces with tons of potential, their most important loss will be President of Basketball Operations, Donnie Walsh.

It seemed as though Walsh was running the trade negotiations with the Nuggets up until two weeks ago.

Before then, Walsh’s best offer included Chandler, Randolph and Curry. Then the Nets got involved with the Carmelo negotiations again, offer-

ing Derrick Favors, Troy Murphy, Devin Harris, Ben Uzoh and four first-round picks. The Nuggets agreed to that deal in principle if Anthony signed an extension, but multiple reports said that Anthony was turning down trades to the Nets since he didn’t want to play for them.

Despite those trades being unsuccessful, what these negotiations did do was drive up the price for the Knicks. Then The Daily News reported that Knicks owner James Dolan was negotiating directly with Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke, possibly overruling Walsh. On All-Star Sunday, the Knicks released a statement that Dolan, Walsh and D’Antoni were all on the same page when it came to negotiations. Then the Knicks offered this deal and that’s that.

I applaud the Nuggets for squeezing the Knicks for all they had, since Anthony wasn’t going to extend with them. They got a lot of talent in return for their superstar.

Chandler and Felton won’t have a problem integrating into the George Karl offense, since their styles are similar to Anthony’s and Billups’ at the moment.

Gallinari will likely be traded again before the deadline, the New Jersey Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers have shown interest in the Italian forward.

The Nuggets would likely get a top draft pick in the upcoming draft in return.

That 2014 first round pick from the Knicks won’t be a high pick since “STAT and Melo” will know how to work together by then and may have a top point guard join them, like Deron Williams or Chris Paul. Mozgov will be a good backup for Nene now and will develop to be a middle of the line center.

With the new collective bargaining agreement possibly interfering with anything that will happen in the future, the Knicks needed to pull the trigger, even if they may have overpaid.

I’m tired of trashing the Knicks now, so let’s look at the positives. The Knicks are certainly a much better offensive team now.

Melo is a top-15 player year in and year out, and can crack that top-10 barrier some years. He can hit the outside shot, drive on anyone and hit the mid-range jumper. One can argue that with another superstar in Amar’e, he’ll have more open looks and be more efficient.

He’s only 26, so he still has some room to grow.

The point is that the Knicks were a .500 team before this deal and this will make them better.

If Donnie Walsh was the one making the deal, they would be even better, probably keeping Gallinari and Mozgov.

Every NBA Championship team that’s won in the past 10 years, with the exception of the 2004 Pistons, has had multiple superstars. Now the Knicks have two, giving them a shot to break into the top five in the East with the Heat, Celtics, Magic and Bulls.

SPORTS

FEBRUARY 23, 2011 • THE RAM • PAGE 21

Men’s Basketball

Indoor Track & Field

Women’s Basketball

Xavier 79 Fordham 72

A-10 Championships

Bonnies 62 Fordham 52

Fordham

Men’s 55 meter hurdles 1. Cotto, UMass, 7.60 13. Clemens, Fordham, 8.34

GASTON

fg

3pt

ft

10-20 0-0

BRISTOL

0-3

reb tp a

6-10 15 26 2

0-0

0-0

10 0

2

FRAZIER

3-11 2-8

0-0

2

8

ESTWICK

6-10 2-3

0-0

4

14 2

BUTLER

8-14 5-9

SAMUELL

1-5

0-0

1-2

3

0-0

3

2

3

5

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

GREEN

0-0

0-0

0-0

0

0

0

28-63 10-22 6-10 38 72 16

Xavier

fg

3pt

ft

McLEAN

2-5

0-0

0-0

3

4

FREASE

4-9

0-0

6-6

6

14 1

reb tp a 0

LYONS

6-14 0-5

4-9

1

16 2

JACKSON

3-8

0-0

3

9

3-7

8-11 1-3

9-11 11 26 10

TAYLOR

3-4

1-1

ROBINSON

Totals

1-3

0-1

2

1-2

7

3

3

0 0

27-54 4-16 21-29 32 79 13

Blocks: Bristol, Green (2), Frease, Lyons, Robinson. Steals: Butler, Lyons, Jackson, Holloway (2). Turnovers: Gaston (3), Bristol (2), Frazier, Estwick (3), Butler, McLean, Lyons (2),

Scoring

1st

2nd

final

Fordham

30

42

72

Xavier

39

40

79

Men 400 meter 1. Davidson, URI, 48.66 3. Atkinson, Fordham, 49.38

2-11 2-8 4-4 8 10 2

Peters

0-10 0-5 0-0 3 0 3

Corning

3-9 1-3 1-1 1 8 2

Men 500 meter 1. Kennedy, URI, 1:03.99 10. Delligatti, Fordham, 1:06.47

Dale

5-7 0-0 0-1 5 10 1

Collins

1-1 1-1 0-0 0 3 0

Griff

0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0

Men 800 meter 1. Schmidt, Fordham, 1:54.65 4. Cosgrove, Fordham, 1:55.48

Shadbolt 2-3 1-2 0-2 0 5 0

Men 1000 meter 1. Fitzgerald, Fordham, 2:29.02 5. Walter, Fordham, 2:30.28

Fordham ab Dearborn 4 LaBovick 4 Pellechio 2 Luety 4 Callahan 4 Crowley 0 Wiggins 4 KayBright 3 Krasnisky 0 Richards 3 Palumbo 1 Shager 3 Plimpton 0 Mineau 0

r 1 2 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

h 3 1 1 0 3 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

rbi 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0

Totals

9

12

8

Depaul MOROCCO BROWN DODD VERDUN YNIGUEZ CORONADO MATHEWS DEAN PENNA WARREN CIEZKI SHIZAS

ab 4 3 3 1 2 1 1 2 1 3 3 0

r 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

h 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

rbi 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

Totals

24

3

5

3

E- Yniguez. LOB - Fordham 6, DePaul 4. 2B - Verdun.

3B - Dearborn. HR - Brown.

SH - Coronado. SB - Bright, Wiggins. CS - Wiggins.

Fordham IP H R ER BB SO Plimpton W 4.0 4 3 3 3 3 Mineau S,2 3.0 1 0 0 0 1

R ER BB SO 5 5 1 0 4 3 1 0

3pt ft

reb tp a

Zamora

0-2 0-0 0-0 2 0 0

Totals

18-58 5-21 11-15 38 52 9

Bonnies

fg

ORTEGA

0-4 0-0 5-6 4 5 0

3pt ft

reb tp a

VAN TATEN 3-7 0-0 1-2 7 7 1

Men mile run 1. Lowery, Charlotte, 4:14.54 5. Harvey, Fordham, 4:17.88

WALKER

1-3 0-0 6-7 5 8 3

JENKINS

2-12 2-8 7-7 1 13 2

Men 3000 meter 1. Benford, Richmond, 8:18.27 4. Saad, Fordham, 8:25.36

DIXON

2-4 0-2 0-3 0 4 1

BOWKER

5-5 5-5 0-0 1 15 1

HORTON

1-1 0-0 0-0 3 2 1

ASHTON

0-1 0-0 0-0 4 0 0

Totals

16-42 9-18 21-29 34 62 10

Men 4x400 meter 1. Charlotte 2. Fordham Men Long Jump 1. Koncki, UMass, 7.10m 14. Mays, Fordham, 6.31m

GUSTAFSON 2-5 2-3 2-4 2 8 1

Blocks: Walker (2), Stokes (3).

Turnovers: Van Tatenhove, Walker, Gustafson (2), Dixon, Horton (2),

Men 4x800 Relay 1. Fordham, 7:40.51

Fordham 9 DePaul 3

H 9 3

0-3 0-2 2-3 6 2 1

Weekes

Men Pole Vault 1. Busch, UMass, 4.80m 6. Talty, Fordham, 4.35m

Women’s Softball

DePaul IP Dean L 5.0 Penna 2.0

Bell

Men Triple Jump 1. Woodley, URI, 14.91m 11. Mays, Fordham, 12.95m

Robinson.

32

5-12 0-0 4-4 8 14 0

0

HOLLOWAY

0-0

fg

Stokes

21 2

MOQUETE

Totals

Fordham

Men Distance Medley 1. UMass, 10:00.99 4. Fordham, 10:11.72 Women 55 meter 1. Butler, Charlotte, 7.08 8. Groeninger, Fordham, 7.48 Women 200 meter 1. Ginyard, Charlotte, 25.18 15. Groeninger, Fordham, 26.20 Women 500 meter 1. Glenn, Duquesne, 1:15.19 5. Connolly, Fordham, 1:16.60 Women 800 meter 1. Smith, Temple, 2:17.34 20. Machado, Fordham, 2:27.42 Women 1000 meter 1. Gallagher, Fordham, 2:51.43 2. Pelsue, URI, 2:54.44 Women mile run 1. Gallagher, Fordham, 4:48.60 Women 4x400 1. Charlotte, 3:48.62 6. Fordham, 3:55.06 Women Long Jump 1. Cloudy, Fordham, 5.80m 8. Warren, Fordham, 5.40m

Ashton, Stokes (3), Bell, Weekes (2), Peters, Corning (3), Collins (2).

Scoring

1st

2nd

final

Fordham

22

30

52

Bonnies

36

26

62

Fordham 64 URI 43 Fordham fg

3pt ft reb tp a

Stokes

4-12 0-0 4-6 8

12 0

Zamora

3-4 0-0 0-1 1

6 1

Bell

0-3 0-2 4-4 4

4 1

Weekes

6-10 5-7 4-4 0

21 3

Peters

6-12 1-5 1-1 14

14 4

Collins

0-2 0-2 2-2 1

1 2

Griff

0-1 0-1 0-0 1

0 0

Shadbolt 0-1 0-0 0-0 3

0 1

Corning

5 0

1-5 1-4 2-2 2

Totals 20-50 7-21 17-20 37 64 10

URI

fg

3pt

ft reb tp a

GASPAR 4-11 0-0 2-2

10 10 1

SESSION 4-8 0-1 1-2

2

9 0

KEARNS

1-5 0-0 0-0

5

2 1

BOONE

2-6 2-6 2-2

1

8 0

SHONIKER 4-14 1-5 0-2

4

9 4

WALLACK 0-1 0-1 0-0

1

0 0

RIVERA

0-1 0-1 0-0

0

0 1

WILSON

2-2 0-0 1-2

1

5 0

TURPIN

0-0 0-0 0-0

1

0 0

LEHNERTZ 0-0 0-0 0-0

0

0 0

Totals 17-48 3-14 6-10 28 43 7 Scoring

1st

2nd

final

Fordham

26

38

64

URI

24

19

43

Visit theramonline.com for same-day game stories after home men’s basketball games.

Also visit for blogs covering NBA, NHL, MLB, NCAA Basketball, NCAA Football and EPL.

PAGE 22 THE RAM • FEBRUARY 23, 2011

JONATHON SMITH I traveled to my native Vermont this past weekend, and during the over eight-hour train ride, I had a lot of time to reflect. My first reflection came when I was watching Miracle, arguably the greatest sports movie ever made. While watching, I can even remember shaking my girlfriend awake when Team USA defeats the USSR because I was so excited.

Watching this movie and being in the cold Vermont temperatures got me thinking about the Olympics – the glory and how amazing it must be to have the title “Olympian.” Even though they only happen once every four years, we as a society seem to not appreciate our Olympic athletes enough.

I am not saying that we don’t cheer for our country enough, as I have always been a firm believer that the country becomes much more patriotic during the Olympics. What I am saying is that I do not think that Olympic athletes get enough credit and recognition.

Athletes in the four major American sports dominate headlines and seem to get salary increases every year, while Olympic athletes do not seem to get the attention they deserve.

Perhaps I am biased coming from a town in Vermont where there is a weekly curling league, skiing is the biggest moneymaker and the winter months seem to never end, but I think being an Olympic athlete, in any capacity, even in my least favorite event, ribbon dancing, would possibly be the most thrilling thing to do. On a side note, can you imagine how easy it must be to pick up girls at the bar if you told them that you are an Olympic athlete?

I can remember watching the scene in Miracle when Herb Brooks makes the boys do suicides after a loss in what was supposed to be a tune-up game and being so jacked up when Mike Eruzione was asked who he plays for and responded “The United States of America!”

Even typing this gives me goose bumps. The power that this one line delivers is tremendous.

When Eruzione said this, whether it was really said or just in the movie, I think every person watching had to have their heart pound a little faster. Can you imagine saying that you play for Team USA? You represent the nation; you carry the whole country’s hopes, dreams and pride on your back. This is why I do not understand how athletes who do this, who have the honor and the privilege to wear the Stars and Stripes on their uniform, are not held with a higher regard.

Many kids see athletes as heroes and, if you are going to have an athlete as your idol, why not make it an Olympic athlete?

As basketball and hockey are

about halfway through their seasons, baseball is beginning spring training and the NFL Draft is approaching, I turn my mind to the Olympics. I wonder what the athletes are doing. With the exception of the skiers, hockey and basketball players, many Olympians are not playing their sports professionally year-round. Since it is not their profession, what are they doing? I know that they are working at lower-paying jobs where they can take time off to compete and train.

Most Olympians earn nothing for Olympic competition.

Many countries’ Olympic teams, including the United States’, provide travel expenses to Olympic competitors, yet even these funds don’t come directly from the government, but rather from a pool of private and corporate donors.

The only direct income a few Olympians receive for their competition is from corporate sponsorships. For an A-list Olympian like Michael Phelps, that means plenty of dough from companies like Speedo to support himself while he trains and competes. In addition to regular sponsorships, the swimwear outfit paid Phelps an additional million for breaking Mark Spitz’s 1972 record for most gold medals.

All U.S. athletes also can earn a “medal bonus” from the U.S. Olympic committee for each medal won.

The U.S. pays American medal winners $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze medals. Some countries, though not all, pay athletes similar medal bonuses.

The highest I found is Russia; this year, Russia raised Olympic medal awards to $100,000 for gold, $60,000 for silver and $40,000 for bronze.

While these bonuses are a nice way to reward athletes financially for a big accomplishment, many will never enjoy the steady income that comes with a corporate sponsorship, making what they endure to compete all the more impressive.

These world-class athletes have to sacrifice so much in order to be called Olympians. Not only are they training their whole lives like other professional athletes, but they also have to make sacrifices by putting all of their training on the line every four years to become part of the Olympic team. This means that these athletes have to leave their jobs for at least one month to be at the Olympics and, most likely many more to train with the team at a training facility. Olympic athletes never have an offseason, as they must constantly train and be ready for a challenger to take their spot on the team. While professional athletes in the four major sports work hard, they do not work nearly as hard as the Olympians.

Maybe it is because I have always seen myself as a very patriotic person that I am defending Olympic athletes. But I think it is more than that. I think that there is something about the Olympics, just like the World Cup this past summer, that brings people together, and you find yourself rooting for people you don’t know in sports that you don’t know the rules to. There is something special about the Olympics.

It is just a shame that the athletes are not rewarded and treated like they deserve to be.

SPORTS

Senior Profile: Kerri Gallagher

By CHESTER BAKER ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Senior Kerri Gallagher recently broke two Atlantic 10 Championship records in track and field, while leading her team to an eighth place finish last weekend. Kerri is also a member of the cross country team, and will be graduating this spring with a long list of Fordham records.

The Ram: What were the team’s goals coming into the season?

Kerri Gallagher: We’re a pretty small team and we wanted to work on recruiting and building the team. We also wanted to make sure we finished around the top eight and even the top three in most of our events. Its hard for us to score big since we’re such a small team, so everyone focuses on their scoring.

Kerri Gallagher led the women’s track team to an eigth place finish at last weekend’s Atlantic 10 Championships, while breaking two records.

TR: Were there any personal achievements that you focused on coming into the season?

more competitive in all of our events. We’re a small team, so we’ve been really pleased with the way we’ve finished so far.

PHOTO BY MARK BECKER/THE RAM

them when we don’t have runners in every event.

TR: You come from a family of nine children. What was it like growing up in a house with that many kids?

KG: Well I wanted to score at the A-10s as much as possible, which wound up happening. I also hope to make the NCAAs. I’m not there yet, but I still have a few meetings to make that happen.

TR: What do you hope for out of the last meet of the season?

TR: You recently broke two A-10 records for the mile and for the 1000-meter run. When did you realize that you had a chance to break the records?

TR: You’ve mentioned a few times the team is small. Do you think the program needs to expand?

TR: How does your real family compare to your family on the track team?

KG: We definitely want to be a bigger team, since the more people you have the higher you can score, so the coaching staff has been doing a really good job of focusing on that and trying to recruit and bring in more runners.

KG: It’s actually pretty similar.

On the team we are always pranking each other, just like at home, and always having a good time.

But at the same time were always there for each other and everyone is always very supportive.

TR: The team recently came in eighth place in the A-10 championships. What do you think the team needs to do in order to crack the top five, and even win the tournament?

TR: What is your favorite part about the school?

KG: On that day everyone needs to be really consistent, and run their best races. But its hard for us since teams like Dayton, who won the championship, and Cincinnati have people in every single event so they can score more points. It can be hard for us to compete with

TR: What do you plan to do after Fordham?

KG: It was not my intention to go out there and break the records, I just wanted to finish first. I actually didn’t know I had broken the record for the mile until we were on the bus on the way home. I realized I broke the record for the 1000 right after the run.

TR: What does it mean to you to be an A-10 record holder?

KG: It’s pretty cool. It’s nice to have my name in the books for that. I guess we’ll see how long it stays there.

TR: Are you pleased with the performance of the team this season?

KG: Yeah, we’ve been much

KG: Just to continue our success and, if anyone is close to making ECACs, to have them qualify.

KG: It was awesome. I was never alone, and there was always some one to hang out with. It definitely kept me on my toes.

KG: Midnight Breakfast. I love all of the food and seeing all of the students come together.

KG: I plan on going back to school at some point but not before I work. But I also plan to continue running and hopefully run a marathon someday.

Women’s Tennis Looks To Improve After Disappointing Fall Season

By NANCY BUCKLEY STAFF WRITER

The women’s tennis team is one of the smallest teams amongst Fordham’s varsity athletics, but despite their membership of seven, they are trying their best to make themselves known.

This spring season for the Lady Rams has arrived with a lot of hope.

Despite injury and their fall season record of 1-4, the team is ready for the spring to begin and they hope to be a strong competitor in the Atlantic-10 conference.

“We are looking forward to the season,” Head Coach Bette-Anne Liguori said. “We have a young team and new recruits. We are looking forward to facing teams like St. Joseph’s, Villanova, UMass

and URI.” Last fall, the team lost to URI 4-3, but the Lady Rams were suffering from injuries. Also, against UMass, a strong A-10 competitor, freshman Angelika Dabu and sophomore Mia Fiocca upset their respective singles match-ups and beat their UMass opponents in first singles.

As a doubles pair, Dabu and Fiocca won their first doubles, but later fell in second and third doubles.

The Lady Rams opened their spring season Jan. 29 against Fairfield University. Despite singles wins from Dabu and freshman Hanna Fritzinger, the team lost 5-2.

Soon after, they faced Army on Feb. 13 and, although the team

benefitted from strong singles play

by Dabu, Fiocca and Fritzinger, they lost the match by a score of 4-3.

Although the Lady Rams are having a rough start to their season, with practice and persistence the team and Coach Ligouri are still optimistic.

“This season we are at the bottom of the Atlantic 10 conference,” Liguori said. “But if we are all healthy I think we can cause a big upset.”

With limited indoor resources, the teams has to use an indoor court to practice, and will continue to travel for their matches until the weather improves.

This season, the team will only host five home matches; the first will be on Mar. 23 against FairleighDickinson University.

Men’s Track Places Third at A-10s, Women Take Surprising Eighth

By CELESTE KMIOTEK COPY CHIEF

Fordham’s men’s and women’s track and field teams competed at the 2011 Atlantic 10 Championship, hosted by the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I., on Friday, Feb. 18 and Saturday, Feb. 19.

At the end of the first day, the men’s team was in sixth place out of 10 teams with eight points, while the women were in 11th place out of 12 teams with two points.

The second day, the men made a comeback, finishing third with 88 points, behind Rhode Island (158.5) and Charlotte (155.5).

It was the men’s highest finish at an A-10 meet. The women’s team finished in eighth with 32 points.

Dayton came in first with 161 points, while Charlotte took second with 159 points.

Both teams, especially the men, were thrilled with the results.

“The team came up big at A10s,” senior Brian Schmidt said.

“Everyone stepped up into their position and competed very well.

The guys’ team has so much talent and it was exposed this past weekend with our third place finish. Overall, it was a great weekend for Fordham track and field.”

“I think that the A-10s went great and that overall we were really pleased with our performances, and everyone did their best to help the team get as many points as possible,” junior Kelly Connolly said. “The team’s been working really hard this season and this is always a really exciting time of the year where we want to see all that hard work pay off.”

For the men, sophomore Keegan Talty finished sixth in the pole vault with a height of 14’ 3.25’. In the heptathlon, freshman Sam Houston finished the day with 2,685, senior Augustus Gleason with 2,547 and redshirted senior Vincent Servello with 2,147. The distance medley team of senior Tom Kelly, senior Christopher Lyons, senior Tim Hutchinson and freshman Michael Belgiovine took fourth with 10:11.72.

On the women’s side, freshman Anisa Arsenault came in eighth in the 5,000-meter run, finishing with 17:21.71, the best time of the season.

In the field events, junior Elisabeth Warren took eighth in the long jump with 17’ 8.75”, also the best time of the season.

On Sunday, a series of solid performances pushed the men ahead five places.

In the 400-meter dash, sophomore Sean Atkinson placed third with 49.38 seconds, while, in the 800-meter run, Schmidt defended his A-10 title with 1:54.65, followed by senior John Cosgrove in fourth with 1:55.48. Junior Kevin Fitzgerald won the 1,000-meter run, coming in at 2:29.02, while freshman Brian Walter came in fifth in the race with 2:30.32 and freshman Ryan Polo came in sixth with 2:31.03. Freshman Kevin Harvey took fifth in the mile (4:17.88) and sophomore Julian Saad came in fourth in the 3,000-meter run (8:25.36).

In the field events, junior Kyle

Kesses placed eighth in the high jump with 6’.5”. All three Fordham competitors in the heptathlon scored; Houston placed second with 4,549 points, followed

by Gleason in fourth with 4,407 points and Servello in eighth with 3,907 points.

The men’s relays, always a crucial event for the team, sealed their third-place finish. The 4x800-meter relay team won the event for the third straight year, with Cosgrove, sophomore Michael Rossi, Schmidt and Fitzgerald finishing in 7:40.51.

Junior Nick Delligatti, sophomore Michael Bongiorno, Atkinson and senior Christopher Lyons came in second in the 4x400-meter relay, finishing with 3:19.99.

The men were elated with their second-day comeback.

“We truly relied on a team effort,” Kesses said. “Every athlete who scored at the meet contributed to our third-place finish.

After the first day of the two-day meet we were in ninth place. But with a bevy of scoring on Day Two, including 32 points in the final three events, we vaulted into the third place finish. Our team was focused this weekend and we got what we needed from nearly all of our athletes to pull off the third place finish.”

The players are especially thankful to the coaching staff, whom they credit with preparing them for the meet.

Though the second day of the women’s competition was not as dramatic, senior Kerri Gallagher was the highlight, earning two A-10 titles.

Senior Sherilyn Groeninger took eighth in the finals, after tying her own school record the day before in the preliminaries with 7.33, finishing with 7.48 seconds.

Connolly finished fifth in the 500-meter dash with 1:16.60.

Gallagher had her first win in the mile run, finishing in 4:48.60, which broke the A-10’s 2000 record of 4:49.71, set by La Salle’s Toniann Razzi. Gallagher then also took first in the 1,000-meter run with 2:51.43, again breaking the A-10’s record; La Salle’s Elizabeth Geiger ran 2:52.79 in 2006.

In the field events, sophomore Courtnay Newman finished seventh in the high jump with a height of 5’ 5”.

The 4x400-meter relay team of Warren, freshman Averie Sheppard, Connolly and, once more, Gallagher, placed sixth with 3:55.06.

The teams are now working to keep up their training before the ECAC/IC4A Champsionship.

“In terms of training, we’re still getting tough workouts in while backing off a little bit so that we’re strong for these last few indoor meets,” Connolly said. “I think both the men and women’s teams are feeling great after the A-10 Championship and are expecting some big performances at the ECAC/IC4As.” Both teams will next compete on Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6 at the ECAC/IC4A Championship at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, Mass.

FEBRUARY 23, 2011 • THE RAM • PAGE 23

SPORTS

By ALEXANDER VILARDO SPORTS EDITOR

It’s as borderline as it gets. When the decision is in, it’ll be like a photo finish at the Preakness. One side will eventually win, though. I just hope it’s the correct side.

A guy like Andrew Eugene Pettitte doesn’t come around very often. In fact, they don’t make them like the 38-year-old Pettitte anymore. That’s why, when the time comes, the Baseball Hall of Fame voters should hang his plaque in Cooperstown forever.

Actually, they should start making his plaque now.

But he used Human Growth Hormone!

Baseball prides itself on being a gentleman’s game, and Pettitte handled his HGH situation as a gentleman would and should. He came out almost instantly and admitted to using HGH twice in order to heal quickly from an injury. HGH wasn’t even illegal in baseball when he used it.

People make mistakes. Pettitte did for two days out of his entire 16-year career.

His 3.88 career ERA would be the highest in Cooperstown.

Pettitte wasn’t known for having the best stuff. He was known for being a grinder, for getting the most — and then some — of what he had. He was a blue-collar pitcher earning a white-collar salary.

But he was never any team’s ace!

He may have been had he not been on teams with David Cone, Roger Clemens, Roy Oswalt, Chien-Ming Wang — while he was an ace — and CC Sabathia.

Pettitte had ace-caliber years. Try 1996, when he finished second in the AL Cy Young voting. He went 21-8 in 35 games. Look at 1997: he went 18-7 with a 2.88 ERA in 35 starts. How about 2005? He went 17-9 with a 2.39 ERA in 33 starts.

Forget the regular season, though. The playoffs are what No. 46 was all about: Pettitte has 19 career postseason wins — the most in the history of baseball.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

After 16 seasons on the hill, Andy Pettitte has retired with a 240-138 record.

But the playoffs are longer now than when Sandy Koufax or Bob Gibson pitched.

More credit to Pettitte. Sure, he’s started 42 postseason games, the most all-time, but he’s won 19 of those starts. Sure, it may have been harder to get to the Fall Classic way back when, but the road to the World Series is longer now and more teams are given the opportunity to win it.

Times change. Ask Bob Dylan.

His numbers don’t match up to the greats’.

Try again. Pettitte finished his 16-year career with 240 wins, and Whitey Ford — the Yankees’ alltime leader in wins and strikeouts — racked up 236 in his 16-year career. Pettitte also had himself 2,251 career strikeouts, while Whitey finished with 1,956.

We’ll never know if Pettitte’s 37 wins and 428 strikeouts with the Astros would translate over to the Yankees had he been in the Bronx from 2004-2006. Maybe he would be the Yankees’ all-time leader in wins and strikeouts; maybe he wouldn’t be.

What we do know, though, is that some of his numbers are very comparable to a Hall of Famer’s.

What awards has Pettitte won?

What stat charts has he ever topped?

For starters, he took home the 2001 ALCS MVP award and his five World Series rings speak for themselves. He’s also a three-time All-Star. In 1996, 1997 and 2005,

Pettitte had the eighth, fourth and second-best ERAs, respectively, of his league. He finished in the top10 in wins six times, and he topped the American League’s list in 1996.

Hasn’t he pulled a few Brett Favres?

How am I supposed to know if Pettitte texts?

No, you idiot — hasn’t he retired a few times and then come back?

This is the first official retirement that Pettitte has ever had. For the past few years, he’s been unsure of whether or not he’d pitch, but that’s not exactly a Brett Favre.

Don’t get on his case for retiring too late, either: Before getting hurt about halfway through last season, Pettitte was on pace for a career year; numerous baseball analysts believe he has what it takes to pitch for even a few more years.

Pettitte knows that this is his time to put his mitt away for good, though — before his game declines and his greatest years seem even farther away than they are.

There are more arguments to be made for either side, but I have to write another column in three weeks.

So for now, Baseball Hall of Fame voters, do the right thing.

Honor a man who has honored your sport and your league for the past 16 years.

There may be a gazillion arguments for keeping Andy Pettitte out of Cooperstown, but there’s a gazillion and 46 for putting him in.

Upcoming Varsity Schedule CAPS=HOME lowercase=away

Thursday Feb. 24

Friday Feb. 25

Tuesday Mar. 1

Wednesday Mar. 2 at La Salle 7 p.m.

Last Chance Invitational 6 p.m.

Track

Iona 12 p.m.

3 p.m.

Baseball Texas 8:30 p.m.

Washington 11 p.m.

CS Fullerton 11:30 p.m.

Iona 12 p.m.

MANHATTAN 3 p.m.

LSU 8:30 p.m.

Nevada 11 p.m.

CSA Team Championships Harvard University Cambridge, Mass. at St. Peters 4 p.m.

Women’s Tennis

Swimming

Monday Feb. 28

at Dayton 2 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

Squash

Sunday Feb. 27

Rhode Island IZOD 2 p.m.

Men’s Basketball

Softball

Saturday Feb. 26

Atlantic 10 Championships Buffalo, N.Y.

FEBRUARY 23, 2011

PAGE 24

Rams Fall Short in Upset Pursuit of Ranked Xavier Only Three Bench Points Scored as Team Drops its 38th Straight Conference Game

By MARK BECKER STAFF WRITER

It seems that something goes wrong for the men’s basketball team every game. No matter how well the Rams shoot, their opponents shoot better; when a few players have great games, the others have terrible ones. This bad luck and inconsistency is not helped by the Rams’ obvious shortcomings, with lack of depth first to blame.

At No. 25 Xavier, all these problems showed themselves, leading to a tantalizingly close 79-72 defeat.

“I was proud of the effort given by our guys,” Head Coach Tom Pecora said. “We continue to play real hard and we just keep coming up a little bit short. The effort was there for sure. I think it was the kind of effort that could have helped us get a win or two possibly in the A[tlantic] 10 earlier in the season. We have to be consistent with our effort. ” Junior point guard Tu Holloway, the favorite for A-10 Player of the Year and an All-American candidate, posted a triple-double (26 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) while leading the Musketeers’ similarly thin rotation to the win, stealing the spotlight from sophomore forward Chris Gaston, who earned his 15th double-double of the year, matching Holloway in points and grabbing 15 rebounds. “[Gaston]’s made great strides and really working hard to shoot the ball better both from the free throw line and from the field,” Pecora said. “I think his shot selection is much improved, he understands where the wins are coming and where his offensive sweet spots are on the floor, he’s getting better at making catches and making plays there. He’s gotten much better at handling double teams because he sees a ton of

those, so his ability to pass out of double teams and make good decisions out of double teams is much improved.”

As flatly as they played, the Musketeers were still clearly the dominant team, although their significant height advantage (four regulars standing at least 6’8”) did not play as big a part as could have been expected.

A number of controversial calls by the home referees favored Xavier at the expense of Pecora’s cool, including an intentional foul call on junior center Kervin Bristol early and a no-call on a Gaston breakaway which Holloway ended by jumping onto his neck.

The last straw nearly came with about five minutes remaining, as Gaston was fouled going up for a shot but did not go to the free throw line, with Fordham instead taking a short fivesecond call on the inbounds and turning the ball over, much to Pecora’s chagrin, as he let the referees know.

Fordham(6-18, 0-12) jumped out to an early lead, scoring seven straight points after Holloway opened the scoring with a jumper. Both teams passed the lead off to each other for the first 10 minutes of the half before Xavier (20-6, 11-1) took over, using a 10-2 run to push the margin past five for the first time all game and ending the half up nine.

The Rams slowly chipped away at the lead in the second, whittling it down to four on several occasions before redshirt senior guard Brenton Butler nailed a three-pointer to cut the lead to one with 13:54 on the clock.

Xavier hit three free throws over the next two minutes to stretch it back out to four but Fordham answered right away with a Gaston jumper and another Butler trey to take the lead by one with

11 minutes to play.

Then things fell apart; Fordham went two and a half minutes before its next basket — another Butler three — and Xavier had already scored eight straight to push the lead back up to seven, which the Musketeers would not relinquish. Stretching it to 10 before Fordham started fouling to stop the clock, Xavier held on for the close win.

Butler finished an impressive game with 21 points on 8-14 from the field (5-9 behind the arc), three rebounds and two assists while junior guard Alberto Estwick continued his resurgence from a month-long January slump by scoring 14, going 6-10 from the field, and adding four rebounds and two assists.

Freshman point guard Lamount Samuell played well in just 16 minutes as he recovers from his high ankle-sprain, scoring three and grabbing two boards while dishing out five assists.

Junior center Kervin Bristol had a mixed game, missing all three of his shots but grabbing his usual 10 rebounds and blocking a shot before fouling out, while freshman guard Branden Frazier had a tough game, scoring only eight points on 11 shots, including going 2-8 on three-pointers.

Senior forward Jacob Green wasted his 14 minutes, earning only two blocks while fouling out.

Behind Holloway, sophomore guard Mark Lyons scored 16 points despite going 0-5 from behind the arc, and 7’0” junior center Kenny Frease scored 14 and grabbed six rebounds. Despite playing a combined 60 minutes, senior guard Dante Jackson and senior forward Jamel McLean scored only 13 points, grabbed six rebounds, committed a turnover and got a steal between them.

The bench saved the Musketeers, with senior forward Andrew

Taylor and sophomore Jeff Robinson combining for 10 points, five rebounds and a block with only one turnover in 26 minutes on the floor. Only Samuell produced from the Rams’ bench.

“We don’t practice very long,” Pecora said about managing the team’s lack of depth. “This time of the year the mindset we’ve always used is fresh minds, fresh legs.

We’re not doing quite as much full-court work. It is a challenge.

We’re playing with a short bench and guys have to play a lot of minutes and obviously it’s a great challenge to do that for these guys in a physical conference like the A-10. We have to burn timeouts; at times I use timeouts just for us to catch our breath in the first half sometimes. You just need to do that and just manage the game and manage the clock differently when your bench is as short as ours is right now.”

The most telling statistic from

the matchup was the free throw margin, as Xavier took 29 (making 21) compared to Fordham’s mere 6-10 line. The Musketeers limited their fouls to half of the Rams’ 24, with only one player being called for even three. The Rams, meanwhile, saw two big men foul out and two others called for four each, as Xavier’s experience and smart play trumped Fordham.

After a trip to St. Bonventure (14-11, 6-6) to finish their homeand-home series on Wednesday, Feb. 23, the Rams will head to their final IZOD Center matchup to take on Rhode Island (16-10, 7-5) to close out another homeand-home series on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. before taking to the road for their final away game, against La Salle (12-15, 4-8) on Wednesday, March 2.

They will close out their season against Massachusetts (1411, 6-6) in the Rose Hill Gym on Saturday, March 5 at 1 p.m.

ers and five defensive backs slated to come on board next season.

This fills a positional need for Fordham, as the team will lose a litany of talent at both positions. Senior wide receivers Jason Caldwell, David Moore, Patrick Miller and senior defensive backs Isa AbdulQuddus, Ahmed Haruna and Jamal Haruna all started for Fordham this season and will graduate.

“We expect some of the skill kids to play,” Masella said. “Some wide receivers, some defensive backs, even a linebacker or two should play.”

“In some instances they’re better athletes than the ones we already have here,” Masella added.

This year’s class, the second that was granted football scholarships, does differ significantly from the previous class. Even though last year’s class did not impact the team much last season, there is reason to believe that both classes will con-

tribute significantly in 2011.

“It’s a different class,” Masella said. “We had many more linemen last year. It takes longer for them to get situated. This year we have many more skill players who can step in more quickly. We feel good about both class, we have some good kids.”

Now in the second year of scholarships, Masella is finding out what type of player Fordham can recruit.

“We’re learning who we can recruit,” Masella said. “We pushed the bar and got some good players, next year we’ll raise the bar again.”

The announcement comes in the wake of the Patriot League’s December announcement to postpone a decision on football scholarships for another two years.

Fordham began offering football scholarships following the 2008 season.

The league’s uncertainty did not

affect Fordham’s recruiting process.

“We hoped the Patriot League would follow our lead but there was not an immediate impact on us,” Masella said. “Down the road the decision could have a longterm impact, but that’s for [Executive Director of Athletics] Frank McLaughlin and [Vice President of Student Affairs] Jeff Gray to decide.”

The scholarships have allowed Fordham to schedule games against Football Bowl Subdivision schools, including Big East Champion Connecticut (who the team will open against on Sept. 1) and Army, whom the team will play in 2011.

“It helps us in recruiting,” Masella said. “The kids look forward to playing them.”

“If you talk to our alums, with what Army/Fordham meant in the ’50s, it’s exciting,” Masella added.

“We’re probably not ready to play two [FBS] games, but it’s a tremendous atmosphere for our players, coaches, fans and alums. We’re biting off more than we can chew, but it’s exciting.”

Fordham has gone 5-6 in each of the past three seasons and will face a tough challenge in 2011. With the high-profile games, Fordham is looking at a very difficult 2011 season.

“It’s going to be tough with our schedule,” Masella said. “This is our most difficult schedule going into a season. We have to get kids ready; it’s going to be a challenge week-in and week-out. We play seven road games which will make it more demanding.”

“We hope, by the end of the season, people are excited about our players and not who we are playing,” Masella said.

“It’ll be a challenge, but we’re excited for it.”

PHOTO BY NORA MALOZZI/THE RAM

Sophomore forward Chris Gaston put up 26 points against No. 24 Xavier.

Football Fills Positional Needs With Recruits

By NICK CARROLL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

With a graduating class heavy on skill players, Head Coach Tom Masella focused on replacing these players in his 2011 recruiting class. “[Recruiting] went pretty well,” Masella said. “It remains to be seen how they adjust going from high school to college, but it’s a good, solid class with good football players.” “[Defensive back] De’Nard Pinckney had quite a few offers, [linebacker] Nick Merino had quite a few offers as well, obviously the quarterback [Peter] Maetzold; it’s a really good, quality class.”

In all, 23 players signed a letter of intent to play at Fordham for the 2011 season, which was announced on the Fordham athletics Web site on Feb. 6. Wide receivers and defensive backs made up a good portion of the class, with eight receiv-