Volume 94 Issue 1

Opinions PAGE 7

Culture PAGE 10

Sports PAGE 15

Americans unite against SOPA.

A preview of spring concerts.

Ryan Meara is drafted by the Red Bulls.

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SERVING THE FORDHAM UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY FOR OVER 90 YEARS

1918-2012

JANUARY 25, 2012

VOLUME 94, ISSUE 1

Ram Van Office Moves to O’Hare Office of Over 20 Years Moves to First Floor of O’Hare Parking Garage, Security Set to Offer Shuttle Service Through Rose Hill

By EDDIE MIKUS STAFF WRITER

Students returning to Fordham after Christmas break may have noticed an interesting sight: the road in front of McGinley Center was devoid of Ram Vans.

The Ram Van Office, which governs transportation between Fordham’s Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses, moved to a renovated space in the basement of the University’s parking garage on Jan. 3.

Ram Vans will now depart from in front of the new office.

Marc Canton, Fordham’s Director of Intercampus Transportation, said that the move was made with regards to safety, space and convenience.

“We’re a 15-passenger van being driven around campus,” Canton said. “You have a lot of people, especially between classes, with their headphones on, on their cell phones, whatever it may be. It’s predominantly a pedestrian campus; you walk across the street, and

Fordham professor starts “99 Percent Club”

By CONNOR RYAN NEWS EDITOR

lot of them are from other places,” Montano said.

Their popularity from readers continues to grow with more regular and timely posting.

“It’s all about putting out consistent material, otherwise people aren’t going to check back,” Montano said.

“Sports Spangled Banter” has also benefited from the three creators’ strong advertisement.

“We market shamelessly. We annoy everyone with Facebook, Twitter. If there’s live chats for ESPN, we’ll just throw it in there and say come check this out,” Montano and Daly said.

“Sports Spangled Banter” covers a range of sports topics from NFL playoff picks to NBA power ranking. Its goal is to cover all stories,

Mutual frustration and a desire for discussion about the problems of education reforms brought together two educators amidst a thick Zuccotti Park crowd last October, and inspired an Occupy Wall Street extension movement which, while still in its early stages, has reached Queens, Harlem and Fordham’s Rose Hill campus.

The “99 Percent Club” concept, set in local communities and named after the political mantra of “Occupy” protestors referring to the issue of wealth distribution in America, came to Dr. Ira Shor, an English professor at City University and writer on education issues, but it was Dr. Mark Naison, Chair of African and African-American studies at Fordham, who pushed to bring the movement to students.

Fordham is currently the only university to have a “99 Percent Club” on campus, but clubs have also been formed at Hollis Presbyterian Church in Queens, N.Y. and Canaan Baptist Church of Christ in Harlem, N.Y. Shor and Naison joined forces to create spaces for those who support the ideals of the “Occupy” movement, but for physical or logistical reasons, do not stand among the crowd in protest.

“I’m not comfortable sleeping in a tent,” Naison said in an interview. “I have an artificial hip; how would I get up?”

The Ram first reported on the Occupy Wall Street movement on Oct. 5 [V. 93, issue 16] last year, when two Fordham students and two alumni were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge. The protest had just begun its third week of demonstrations, and “Liberty Square” was beginning to crawl with mostly young people, desperate for change and uncertain of where else to go.

Since then, not only this publication, but nearly every news provider in the United States has written editorials, columns and articles on the conflict between protestors’ dissatisfactions and the government’s response.

The media’s awareness of the movement came to a climax when Time magazine chose “The Protestor” to be the 2011 Person of the Year over the favored likes of Steve Jobs, the late founder

SEE BLOG ON PAGE 3

SEE OCCUPY ON PAGE 3

PHOTO BY KATE DOHENY/THE RAM

The new Ram Van office in the basement of the O’Hare parking garage allows for more administrative, waiting space.

a van’s coming. Knock on wood, we’ve never had any major incidents, but the idea was, or is, ‘Hey do we really want the vans in the center of campus, really in the heart of campus?’ You have the McGinley

Center there and Eddie’s Parade. If we can avoid that, and separate the vehicular traffic from the pedestrian traffic, that just seems prudent to me.”

Previously, the Ram Vans had

Graduate School Receives City Grant

shared University roads with facility management vehicles. Canton indicated that he could see the improvements in vehicular safety as a result of relocating the Ram Van office.

SEE RAM VAN ON PAGE 2

Graduate Students Teach in Failing Bronx Public Schools

By KATIE NOLAN COPY EDITOR

Part of Fordham University’s identity as a Catholic university is service to others. As a major force in the Bronx, Fordham has an obligation to reach out to better the community. The Fordham Graduate School of Education is recognizing this obligation by offering a new residency program this year called the Teacher Residency Scholars Program in Adolescence Education.

The program was piloted last year in a Manhattan school with success and was rewarded a $2,500,000 grant from the Department of Education for the next two years.

“At the earlier pilot, teachers, teacher candidates and high school students all benefited from Fordham having an increased and more integrated presence in the school,” Dr. Jane Bolgatz, assistant professor of teacher education, said regarding the pilot program.

The idea of this new program is to place student teachers at Intermediate School 117, Middle School 391, Discovery High School and International School for Liberal Arts, all struggling schools here in the Bronx, where they will teach for three days a week. The program is a competitive scholarship program. The 24 students selected from the appli-

“Occupy” Movement Comes to Campus

cant pool will receive a $30,000 stipend, a $10,000 scholarship and a 20 percent tuition reduction while working toward their Masters of Science in teaching at Fordham.

The students who are selected will have to sign an agreement stating that they will teach in a high-need New York high school for four years after they complete the program.

A high-need school is defined as a school under registration review, a persistently lowest achieving school or a school in “improvement status” where there is a teacher shortage. It is estimated by the New York State Department of Education that 50 percent of new teachers in high-need schools will leave within their first five years of teaching. This creates a vicious cycle in which high-need schools stay high-need because of teacher turnover and shortages.

The goal of this program is to give the students who have a real desire to work in these schools the support they need through mentoring and scholarship, with the hopes that they might successfully stay in these schools long-term.

By receiving student-teaching experience in the very schools at which they may find themselves working, they are better preparing themselves to meet the needs of their future students.

SEE SCHOOL ON PAGE 2

PHOTO BY MIKE REZIN/THE RAM

Joe Gallagher, Bobby Montano and Kevin Daly begin sports blog.

Students Find a Voice Students Discover Creative Outlet Through Sports Blog

By KELLY KULTYS ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

What good could come from a two hour argument with friends at the Grille? Just ask Fordham students Joe Gallagher, Bobby Montano and Kevin Daly, all FCRH ’15, creators of the up-and-coming sports blog, “Sports Spangled Banter.”

“I remember my sister being like ‘stop talking,’”Gallagher said. “‘I don’t want to hear this anymore.’

So I decided I would just write it all down.”

The blog was born in early October and has, so far, received approximately 500 views per day, with some days even peaking around 900.

“It started out Fordham-based, but when we have 900 views, a

NEWS

PAGE 2 • THE RAM • JANUARY 25, 2012

SECURITY

BRIEFS

Jan. 18 Camberling Avenue 4 p.m.

The front door of an off-campus apartment was forced open by unknown intruders. No missing property was reported stolen, but the door’s lock was damaged.

NYPD was notified and prepared a police report. The building was secured by facilities.

Jan. 18, Tierney Hall 5:30 p.m.

A student’s keys were stolen from a common room, after he momentarily left them behind. A locksmith changed the locks on his door.

Jan. 19, Walsh Hall 11:00 p.m.

A security guard had a laser pointer shone on him from one of the top floors of Walsh. The student was located by security and referred to the Dean of Students.

Jan. 19, E. Fordham Road and Washington Avenue Between 4 p.m.-12 a.m.

An unidentified person broke into the passenger’s window of a security guard’s vehicle. Two dollars in change was reported stolen.

Jan. 21, Queen’s Court 6:25 p.m.

Cooking on a stove triggered the fire alarm due to excessive smoke. There was no actual fire, but FDNY responded.

Jan. 22, Camberling Avenue and Fordham Road 2:00 p.m.

FDNY responded to a smoking manhole. No active fire was present. FDNY fire chief said it was possible that salt interacted with Conedison cable, which caused the smoke. No university property was affected.

— Compiled by Connor Ryan, News Editor

PHOTO BY KATE DOHENY/THE RAM

The new Ram Van Office, located in O’Hare’s parking garage, hopes to cut down on campus traffic, keep pedestrians on campus safe and provide more space.

Safety, Space and Convenience Considered in Move RAM VAN, FROM PAGE 1

“Already, I can see traffic flow is much better. We’re not interfering with the traffic flow on and off campus as much. We do not have to interact with pedestrians as much. We’re sort of on an outskirt,” Canton said.

In addition to the added safety benefits, the Ram Van staff also has more space. Previously, Canton shared an office with two other administrators and with the Ram Van’s student workers. Drivers did not have a specified central location in which to wait for their rides.

The lack of space also made it difficult for Ram Van passengers, who had to wait in long lines to buy tickets, obtain free passes or ask questions of the Ram Van staff.

Passengers also had to wait outside of McGinley Center for their vans, even in inclement weather.

Now, the Ram Van office has increased counter space for the purpose of serving students, which in turn means that multiple students can be helped simultaneously.

Passengers also have a designated waiting room where they can remain until their van leaves.

Canton stated that he felt there were several advantages to moving

the Ram Van office. For example, the office is now located closer to the Ram Van fleet. According to Canton, this will help to reduce travel delays.

“Even when we were operating out of McGinley, our vans were parked here,” Canton said. “There were a few behind McGinley, or in front, but the majority of the fleet was parked in the garage. You would see four vans outside of McGinley. The Ram Van fleet is much larger than that. The Ram Van fleet is 20 vehicles. To operate the Lincoln Center service alone, we need at least 12 vans, and there are times of the day when we need as many as 15. So the drivers, then, would walk all the way here to the garage and then bring the vehicle back up to McGinley. So, obviously for us, that’s an advantage to be so close to the vehicles.”

Having all the drivers in a central location will allow for easier communication among the Ram Van staff, according to Canton. While some students are responding postitively to the move, others are unafraid to voice logistical concerns.

James Demetriades, FCRH ’15, who uses the Ram Van at least twice a week, voiced a concern about the new office that will affect

some students at Fordham.

“I think it’s far away from the side of campus that I live on and the side of campus where I normally have my activities,” Demetriades said. “And it’s a little out of the way.”

Demetriades admitted, however, that he would likely continue to use the Ram Van because it is cheaper than the Metro North and more accessible than taking a subway.

According to an email sent to Fordham students last Friday, Security will be offering a service to transport people between a series of campus locations and the new Ram Van office location.

“Security will provide transportation for people in need of being shuttled across Rose Hill’s 85-acre campus,” the email said.

Transportation will be offered from the garage to a number of popular campus locations, including the gate near the Metro North stop, the McGinley Center, Fordham Prep, Walsh Library and Tierney Hall, between 7:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. There are a total of 12 campus locations to which the service will travel, and the email reports that students will be able to board or to depart the continual shuttle only if they are at a desig-

Graduate Students to Teach in Bronx EDUCATION, FROM PAGE 1

The New York State Department of Education is choosing to fund programs like this because it recognizes the need to combat teacher turnover as part of the so-

getting experience in the classroom through collaboration and integrated course work. These types of programs will hopefully better prepare new teachers to be more effective in these challeng-

“The New York State Department of Education is choosing to fund programs like this because it recognizes the need to combat teacher turnover as part of the solution to improve Bronx schools.” lution to improve Bronx schools.

The Department of Education put out a request for grant proposals for Graduate Level Clinically Rich Teacher Preparation Pilot Programs.

Such programs include mentoring by a certified teacher in the classroom and emphasis on

ing school environments.

The Department of Education recognizes a critical shortage in teachers prepared to teach math and science in particular, as well as teachers prepared to teach students with disabilities or students who need to learn or improve their English. Positions in these

areas are historically the ones that experience the highest turnover.

To compound the problem, these are critical subjects where it is crucial to have experienced and skilled teachers. The hope is that a program like Fordham’s will prepare graduate-education students who wish to make a difference in the greater New York area.

The Fordham Graduate School of Education has a grant to run the Teacher Residency Scholars Program in Adolescence Education for the next two school years, with applications due in March of this year. The program will run June through August, for a total of 15 months.

Correction In the last issue of The Ram [V. 93, issue 22], Tom Pecora, Fordham’s basketball coach, was named on the cover instead of football coach, Tom Masella.

nated campus stop.

The Ram Van ticket machine will remain in McGinley Center for the time being, and the Ram Van office is currently working with IT to create a Web site. The Web site will not include ticket-purchasing capabilities, since that would require expensive bar-code reading software to ensure that tickets are not duplicated.

Although Canton does not believe students’ usage of the Ram Van will decline significantly as a result of the relocation, his office will be monitoring the number of students that use the Ram Vans.

He expects that Rose Hill students who have classes at Lincoln Center will continue to use the Ram Van, as they are entitled to free passes.

He also believes that the Ram Vans will prove popular with students who have classes in Faculty Memorial Hall and that the new shuttle service provided by Security will ease the concerns of those who are concerned with taking the longer walk to the new office.

According to Canton, the Ram Van stop has been located outside of McGinley Center since 1981, when it was founded as a means to unite the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses.

THIS

week at FORDHAM Wed., Jan. 25 Autism Speaks Bake Sale McGinley Lobby, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Wed., Jan. 25 FET Sketch Comedy Auditions Blackbox Theater 7 - 9 p.m.

Thurs., Jan. 26 Cinevents!: Moneyball Campus Activities Board, Keating First, 9 - 11 p.m.

Thurs., Jan. 26 “Stranded in Pittsburgh,” Improv Comedy Troupe, Black Box Theater, 8 - 10 p.m.

Sun., Jan. 29 Football Walk-On Tryouts Rose Hill Gym, 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Tues. Jan., 31 Cinevents!: The Ides of March, Campus Activities Board, Keating First, 9-11 p.m.

NEWS

JANUARY 25, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 3

Fordham Professor Starts “99 Percent Club” on Campus, Harlem OCCUPY, FROM PAGE 1

of Apple who died last October, and Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the Democrat who was seriously injured after being shot last January.

Since its humble beginnings, when the movement was compared to similar demonstrations in Egypt, Spain and Israel, scholars were amazed by how effectively the youth of America have joined in solidarity to voice frustration and gain public awareness.

“I have been a part of a group of scholars who have been talking about this for the last 10 years and seem to have no impact whatsoever,” Naison said. “And this movement starts, and it’s the question of the day.”

Because Shor was worried that the movement would die down with the fall weather, he came up with an idea to form localized groups that supported the goals of the Zuccotti movement. The groups would discuss future demonstrations, while also focusing on taking advantage of local platforms to vioce neighborhoodcentered concerns.

The mission from the beginning has been to keep the conversation going.

Naison quickly realized that a free space for students to join together would be an important addition to Fordham’s culture.

Dr. Paul Levinson, a professor of communication and media studies on campus, said he has attended a meeting since the club’s formation and that he supports the need for a space on campus designed to support freedom of expression.

“If students cannot express

PHOTO BY MIKE REZIN/THE RAM

The “99 Percent Club,” founded by Dr. Mark Naison of Fordham, had its third meeting on Tuesday at Rodrigue’s.

themselves on a variety of issues, whatever they are, as honestly and as vigorously as possible on campus, where else can they do it,” Levinson said in an interview. “I see the universities [in America] as places where [students] hold forth the torch of freedom, if, sadly, a mayor of a big city doesn’t.”

The first meeting of Fordham’s “99 Percent Club” took place in the beginning of December. According to Naison, close to 25 students, alumni and faculty discussed how they wanted to edu-

cate the campus on economic inequality issues, as well as freedom of expression issues.

Dylan Scot Young, FCRH ’13, said he has worked with Naison on developing Fordham’s club and now helps run Working Group for Information, a committee within the club dedicated to sharing accurate information on issues raised by the Occupy Wall Street movement. According to Young, such issues include income inequality and corporation and government corruption.

While Naison is unsure of what actions the club will take going forward, both on and off campus, Young made it clear that the group is dedicated to peaceful demonstration.

Fordham’s administration has remained quiet, mainly because the club does not receive funding from Fordham. It is not officially registered as a school club, and the group has remained quiet during meetings, but Naison admits that a future conflict is possible. “[I have a] sometimes coopera-

tive and sometimes adversarial relationship with the administration over things I am involved in on campus,” Naison said. “I don’t see that changing any time soon.”

Both faculty leaders and club members believe that the group’s presence and attendance will continue to grow.

The group gathered for the third time on Jan. 17 at Rodrigue’s, and while the park where the conversation began has been closed since last November, members are confident that the issues that drive the club’s discussion continue to affect the majority.

“Libertarians and moderates have plenty of reasons to join now that SOPA, NDAA and PIPA have been added to the list of targets for this greater reform movement, as well as tax reform and foreign policy see change,” Young said.

For those who are not yet comfortable with joining in on Fordham’s grounds, but would like to voice concern, Young recommends groups like MoveOn. org and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee when considering support alternatives.

Naison continues to contribute to meetings at Fordham, as well as “99 Percent Clubs” housed in Queens and Harlem, and hopes to work with Shor to start up more clubs throughout the area.

“Maybe what Fordham needs is a real, live debating society where everybody can say what they think and not worry about repercussions and learn from each other and educate each other and educate the campus,” Naison said.

Students Refine Academic Skills Through Unique Sports Blog

COURTESY OF SPORTS SPANGLED BANTER

The homepage of the students’ blog is simply organized to help readers navigate easily through the Web site.

BLOG, FROM PAGE 1

especially ones that may not be covered by more professionallyrecognized writers.

Besides Gallagher, Montano and Daly, the blog also has many other writers who intermittently post based on the sports topics in which they are interested. The blog’s target audience ranges in age from about 18-24, but it attracts readers of every age, beginning with students in high school.

What makes “Sports Spangled Banter” different from other sports blogs? The answer lies in the personalities attached to each post.

“We all have different styles. It’s pretty obvious who writes each post. If you read articles from between the two of them[Gallagher

nd Daly], I would absolutely know who wrote what just from the opening line,” Montano said.

The blog also benefits from offering opposing perspectives on a variety of sports, since none of the three root for the same team.

“The three of us, we couldn’t disagree more on a lot of things, Gallagher said. “We go at each other’s throats. Sometimes we get the idea to write because we’ll be yelling at each other,” Gallagher said.

Even though it is a sports blog, Gallagher, Montano and Daly like to tie in other topics to attract an even wider audience. Montano enjoys focusing on statistics and the numbers behind the game, while Daly often writes about ethics in

sports.

“I’ve been doing a lot of my stuff with incorporating pop culture,” Gallagher said. “My sister will take my posts and put them on her [Facebook] wall, and her friends will comment, saying that they don’t know much about the sport, but I mention movies and compare them [to sports], so they understand what I’m saying.”

The most important thing to them is staying true to themselves, as fans first. Even their writing style is conversational, putting it at the same level as their readers.

“A lot of times you read national writers, and they seem to have this sense of authority, that they know more and that makes them greater

than you,” Gallagher said. “We just try to write like we’re fans. We feign arrogance, but we just want it to be like a fan talking to another fan.”

But that does not mean they are not serious about actively updating, posting and working religiously on the site.

“A lot of times people hear ‘blog’ as a negative or less professional term, but if you read enough of them, you realize they’re almost better than what you’re going to get at the professional level,” Montano said.

One of the top reasons for the success of “Sports Spangled Banter” so far is that writers include their strong opinions, which allows for in-depth discussion and debate over hot sports topics.

“Sometimes I feel when you read the national writers, they’re completely indifferent. That’s exactly what I don’t want to be,” Montano said.

“We want to be biased. I want people to be annoyed enough with me to comment,” Gallagher said.

What started out simply as an outlet to vent their opposing opinions has turned into a potential launching pad for their careers.

“It’s something we’ve thought about and considered. There’s a lot of competition with journalism now, but Joe and I have talked about it. If we could continue it for a career, we would,” Daly said.

“But, right now, it helps when

applying for jobs, because I say I’ve done this and send them an archive of my work,” Montano said.

For now though, Gallagher, Montano and Daly continue to write because it is something about which they are extremely passionate.

“I know for me it consumes 90 percent of my daily thought. I know I spent a lot of my free time looking up articles, so now instead of reading about it, I write about it. It’s how I would spend my time anyway,” Montano said.

It can be tough trying to balance consistent updates with assignments due at school, but the writers believe so far the extra work has helped them in their classes, especially composition, since actively posting has improved their writing.

Additionally, the blog has served as a way of dealing with the ups and downs of college.

“I know I wrote two of my longer articles during finals week. It was something that helped me de-stress, because I focused on one thing and did not think about anything else. It can be very therapeutic,” Daly said.

“I don’t consider [writing] work. I don’t really want to have work, let’s be serious. If I could, why not be like ‘Honey, I can’t come home. I’m watching the game. I have to do my work.’ That would be wonderful,” Gallagher said.

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GET EXCITED!

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GOODNESS People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.

Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.

Fame, money and love may come and go, but memories of sharing a pizza pie with true friends last forever.

The young lady talking- I know he promised me the stars and the moon, but I am just as happy with a Pugsley’s slice and chicken roll!

Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anway.

The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the snallest people with the smallest minds.

Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.

Fight for some underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

-Gary C. Griessner

If you are surrounded among 4 gorgeous and beautiful young ladies, you know you’re cool!

Watch out! These are the future of the world, they are young, sharp and good-looking- “The Prep Boys”.

JANUARY 25, 2012

PAGE 7

Citizens Unite Under Threat of SOPA and PIPA

By BRIAN KRAKER STAFF WRITER

A black bar was stamped across Google’s homepage. An ominous dark message replaced Wikipedia’s articles. WordPress bloggers fell silent, and the active chatter of Reddit’s message boards ceased. The Internet was on strike.

The Internet has served countless roles since its invention: a research journal of infinite length, a social networking hub and even a late night procrastination tool. But last Wednesday, the World Wide Web earned its newest moniker, social activist. A myriad of Web sites collaborated to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act and Protect IP Act, two bills that have been introduced in Congress and would expand the government’s ability to police the distribution of copyrighted and pirated material online.

The Internet has become the black market for illegally obtaining music, movies and a wide variety of other digital goods. Proponents of SOPA and PIPA hope to curtail this behavior by allowing the government to prosecute those who provide and illegally watch copyrighted material. The bills’ opposition believes the government would infringe on free speech by shutting down websites. Regardless of personal opinion on these bills, SOPA and PIPA have certainly shown one thing: the Internet has a voice, one that will not be easily silenced.

There has been opposition to new legislation in the past, people taking to the streets with picket

COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA

Wikipedia, Reddit and Google were among the many websites to “black out” their homepages in protest on Jan. 24.

signs in hand and pointed words blaring through megaphones. The Internet has served as a forum for political discussion. Online petitions and forums have been used to raise awareness of social injustices and tools to enact change.

Over the past year, the Internet has been used to raze governments and topple tyrannical dictators. The Occupy movement was organized through online communication and spread to over 80 countries.

The Middle East protests were

broadcast to the world through YouTube and Facebook and garnered attention in every corner of the globe. The Internet has always been a staging ground for the exchange of ideas, but this week the Internet itself joined the conversation.

Google spoke volumes with a simple black sensor bar. Wikipedia withheld access to articles and reminded users of their reliance on free information. If Fordham’s library threatened to withhold its

collection of encyclopedias, the campus would laugh. But when Wikipedia went dark, the whole nation took notice. The Internet flexed its binary-coded muscles and spoke volumes in its HTML, and the U.S. government was forced to listen.

However, there is a major difference between the SOPA protests and other movements of recent memory. The Tea Party’s cacophony of incoherent, conservative rhetoric ultimately painted the

movement as right-wing radicals, much like the disjointed drum circles of Occupy Wall Street depicted the protestors as lazily demanding handouts. The Internet’s blackout had one coherent message that rang clear throughout the day: we will not be silenced.

“These bills provide overly broad mechanisms for enforcement of copyright which would restrict innovation and threaten the existence of websites with user submitted content,” Reddit said on its homepage on the day of the protests.

Most protesting websites included links to online petitions.

Wikipedia led users to contact information for their representatives.

Within two days of the protests, the bill was shelved. The debate over regulating the Internet is far from over, and SOPA will not be the last bill to try and crackdown on pirating music and movies. For now, the blackout achieved its goal, maintaining the status quo. But this protest was ultimately about more than just a bill.

These websites were not just homes to the movement; they were the movement. They reminded us of our reliance on the Internet for everything from news to socializing. These websites reminded us that they are made up of more than just code but also ideas. At the end of the day, these websites demonstrated that they have a voice that will not be easily deleted.

Brian Kraker, FCRH ‘12, is double majoring in English and Computer Science from Pompton Lakes, NJ.

Actions of Marines Embarrass Dept. of Justice, Nation as Whole

By CANTON WINER ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR

The now viral video that shows four United States Marines casually urinating on three dead Taliban fighters became an immediate subject of international outrage when it surfaced last week. The near unanimous outrage generated by the video mirrors the global disgust triggered by the publication of grisly photos of abuses at the hands of American soldiers at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison in 2004.

The content of the video, which is still available on YouTube, is disturbing enough by itself, but the greater implication of the video is perhaps even more distressing. First of all, the vast majority of servicemen and women of this country are citizens of upstanding moral character. However, the casual nature of the Marines shown in the infamous video, clearly aware that they were being filmed, shows an alarming attitude present in our nation’s military. The Marines in the video obviously did not fear the threat of repercussions, though punishment will undoubtedly come. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has promised a prompt and thorough investigation.

Our soldiers are trained to view enemy combatants as “the other”

and as nonhuman. The military obviously does not encourage such deplorable action, but this video shows that it should rethink the way it trains its soldiers to view enemy combatants. Yes, it is often the justifiable duty of those in the military to kill other humans, but it should always be their responsibility to respect the dignity of human life.

The only somewhat positive result of the video was the near unanimous condemnation it received, which largely crossed party lines, international borders and institutional divides. Rick Perry, however, who somehow never manages to surprise, has made a statement that is possibly as foolish as it is indefensible. Rick Perry, on CNN’s “State of the Union,” said that he feels that the video is just another example of “kids” being kids. It seems doubful that Perry’s children urinate on corpses in their front yard to entertain themselves. Perry further stated that reaction to the video has been “over the top,” saying that “what is really disturbing to me is the overthe-top rhetoric from this administration and their disdain for the military.”

Perry has said a lot of stupid things during his campaign for the Republican nomination for president, but this statement is his big-

gest blunder yet. Legally, there is no room for debate on this issue.

The actions in the video must be investigated as criminal acts. The Geneva Conventions and laws governing warfare are clear. The appropriate treatment of those killed in war, as well as wounded and captured personnel, is nonnegotiable. Beyond the moral reasoning, there is a practical reason: that almost all countries agree to abide by these regulations. The United States, as an adherent to the Geneva Conventions, wants its troops treated correctly and must

therefore do the same for everyone else. If our soldiers do not adhere to these Conventions, a dangerous precedent is set for when our own soldiers are captured, killed or wounded. Rick Perry’s statements, and his later defenses of those statements, should serve as the final nail in the coffin of the Texas governor’s presidential hopes.

The shameful video is unequivocally deplorable and alarming, but our military should use this as the impetus to rethink the way it trains United States soldiers to think about “the enemy.” The Unit-

ed States military is an institution that should be held to the utmost standards of behavior. The investigation promised by Secretary Panetta is an immense step forward, but we should not stop there. Let Panetta, President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton and other fellow higher-ups use this extremely unfortunate incident as an opportunity to hold our military to that higher standard.

Canton Winer, FCRH ‘15, is an undeclared major. He hails from West Palm Beach, Fl.

COURTESY OF NOW LEBANON

Disturbing footage of U.S. Marines urinating on three dead Taliban fighters surfaced on YouTube on Jan. 21.

OPINIONS

PAGE 8 • THE RAM • JANUARY 25, 2012

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From the Desk of Dan Gartland, Sports Editor Last week, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) dominated the news.

Unable to look up random facts during Wikipedia’s blackout, I found myself considering the purpose of the Internet.

For a sports nerd like me, the Internet is amazing because I am always less than 10 seconds away from finding out Chuck Knoblauch’s career batting average (.289) or Tanyon Sturtze’s career ERA (5.19).

For the student in me, the Internet is an amazing research tool. I shudder at the thought of having to write research papers based solely on information from books.

That’s all well and good, but I’m more interested in Internet content which serves no other purpose than to make me laugh for three or four seconds and doesn’t require the use of about 98 percent of my brain.

Thankfully, the World Wide Web has

no shortage of such material.

SOPA protesters argued that the proposed law would inhibit the free exchange of ideas and all that jazz.

Yeah, yeah, whatever. All I wanted to know was how it would impact the booming (stupid) YouTube video industry. Imagine what March 2011 would have been like if every parody of Rebecca Black’s “Friday” had been removed for copyright infringements. The horror.

Trivial nonsense is arguably the Internet’s greatest contribution to our society. A world without memes is not a world I want to live in.

My friends and I spent an inordinate amount of time over winter break watching idiotic YouTube videos, perhaps none more moronic than those produced by a man who goes by the name “shoenice22.”

The premise of his videos is simple: he eats or drinks a large quantity of

something (usually not food) as quickly as he can. Some highlights include a dozen eggs (with the shells), a jar of Vaseline, a can of chewing tobacco and a stick of deodorant.

He has also drank a quart of motor oil and a bottle of hairspray, among other things.

Surely a man who has ingested all these things is not long for this world, right? Wrong. Shoenice22 (real name: Chris Schewe) has more than 300 videos, which have been viewed a total of 5.8 million times.

The high number of views is no surprise. Watching Schewe’s videos is a lot like eating potato chips: you can’t stop after just one. It’s nearly impossible to watch him eat a can of Crisco shortening, and then see a link to him eating a container of Vick’s Vapo-rub in the “related videos” section and not click the link. It’s the epitome of the car wreck analogy. It’s really terri-

fying to watch someone eat a tube of painter’s caulk, but there’s absolutely no way to look away. It’s repulsive, but strangely compelling.

Some people might see Schewe’s videos as an indicator of the decline of the human race and a harbinger of the apocalypse. Indeed, the fact that Schewe finds himself compelled to do hundreds of these asinine challenges doesn’t paint a positive picture of our species, and neither does the fact that I so thoroughly enjoy watching.

This is what the Internet has become: your one-stop shop for idiocy; and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

EDITORIAL: Free Speech Needed at Universities On January 12, five students and two non-students at Florida International University (FIU) were arrested for participation in an Occupy Miami protest and for not holding the protest in one of the designated free speech zones on campus. In response, FIU students wrote a letter to University President Mark Rosenberg asking the school to eliminate designated freespeech zones and allow the entire campus to speak freely, as they feel that limiting students to free-speech zones is a violation of their first amendment rights. One school, the University of North Texas, did recently get rid of free speech zones in favor of extending free speech across the entire campus, amidst pressure from students and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, following examples ser by many other schools.

In an age where “the protester” is Time magazine’s person of the year, free-speech zones where protests can occur are becoming increasingly relevant. While that choice re-

flected political uprisings in foreign nations as well as movements such as Occupy Wall Street, the protester seems to be gaining momentum and power in the public eye. Free speech zones seem to be a way for threatened groups and entities to contain their agitators while keeping up the appearance of fairness.

On the flip side, there are places such as our own campus that do not allow for an established space for complete and total free speech. Students here do not seem especially eager to mount a protest against, say, the cafeteria (not anymore, at least), but that may be because they would not know what to do if they had that desire.

At Rose Hill, one has to file formal protest papers, get them approved, obtain club backing and wait for three weeks before he or she can actually stage that protest.

Is it not counterproductive to ask someone for permission to protest against them?

Some may remember the failed Maroon Square proposal of 2009,

a 26-page document which called for the removal of protest application guidelines in one specific area of campus. The proposal wanted to eliminate the administrative hurdles students face when organizing a protest, namely a discrepancy between the three-week space reservation policy and the two-day protest approval policy, and though students and administration reached a compromise on Maroon Square, many of the major issues from 2009, including the lack of a designated freespeech zone, remain unresolved.

What Fordham students have to decide is how much they want an area designated specifically for free speech in the face of a campus that does not allow it. Coming back to the caf example, say Martyrs’ Lawn became a free-speech zone. People could go and protest the caf there, but the attention it attracted would undoubtedly come from annoyed students on their way to the library to memorize important terms from Pope John Paul II’s encyclical letters.

The quality of food in the cafeteria,

in this case, takes on an air of significantly less importance.

The students at FIU and elsewhere are certainly on to something. How right or wrong they are depends on an individual’s views; however, most can probably agree that those in charge must take steps to somehow address free speech and the territories it spawns on college campuses. Perhaps there should be a standard for every college, some form of free speech areas on every campus where students, faculty and administrators alike can express themselves. Asking for total free speech everywhere may be too selfish at this point. Maybe we can take it step-by-step, gradually building toward an open dialogue on free speech, if not toward total free speech itself. If the powers that be do not give us everything we want in due time, we can stage a protest.

Editorial Policy The Ram’s editorials are selected on a weekly basis, and are meant to reflect the editorial board’s view on a particular issue.

Students Speak on Ram Van Office Move

By RICKY BORDELON

ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR

The Ram Van Office’s move to the basement of the Regional Parking Garage has sparked differing opinions among members of the Fordham community.

Some have complained about the inconvenience of having to walk to the parking garage located on the fareast side of campus. Furthermore, students can no longer sign up at the McGinley Center, which means that students must go to the office twice, once to sign up and again to board the van, although the ticket machine on the second floor of the McGinley Center is still operational. Fordham, however, is beginning to offer shuttle service between different locations on campus and the new Ram Van Office.

The McGinley Center was, no doubt, a more centrally-located spot for inter-campus transportation; however, it does increase the vehicular traffic on a greater portion of campus, which, in turn, can increase the danger of a collision between vehicles or pedestrians. Also, the new office is larger and provides new facilities for waiting drivers and passengers, as

well as offices for administrators who previously shared with student workers. In this sense, it seems that the benefits of the new office outweigh any inconvenience caused by its new location on the far side of campus.

“The [location in the McGinley Center] was better and more convenient, but the new location is not horrible,” Mary Frances Richardson, FCRH ’15, said. “It will be fine once

I get used to the new location, and I will probably better understand their reasons for moving [the office].”

The drivers of the Ram Van seem to be happy about the change.

“As a driver, it is much easier,” Mike Fynan, FCRH ’14, said. “We have a lounge in the back where we can wait during breaks. It’s also nice to have a waiting area for passengers.”

Although many have argued about

the inconvenience of having to walk to the far side of campus, the Ram Van Office move seems, in the end, to be more beneficial in order to increase the safety of students and better the experience of driving and riding the Ram Van. Ricky Bordelon, FCRH ‘15, is a political science major. He hails from New Orleans, La.

CARTOON BY ANNA TIGHE

OPINIONS

JANURAY 25, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 9

Left of Tebow Sparks Debate on Religion in Media or she is able to compete. This that religion does not become a

By QUETZALLI TORRES the Dial is taken to heart in soccer, the sort of measuring stick by which STAFF WRITER

Allen Ying

Pro-Lifers Misguided On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, thousands of anti-abortion protestors descended upon the National Mall to rally against the precedential ruling that guaranteed a woman’s right to privacy. It has been 39 years since that ruling, and in those 39 years the argument has not changed: abortion kills. That is what pro-lifers espouse.

Unfortunately, Americans cannot agree on what constitutes a “life” and thus cannot agree that abortion is a sin liberals push, i.e. Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal.

What one can ascertain, however, is the puzzling hypocrisy of the prolife platform. The pro-life platform is, at its core, religious; orthodox Christianity condemns and disparages performing abortions, and the majority of Christian churches align with this principle.

In fact, over 70 percent of all prolifers identify as Protestants or Catholics, with their faith a focal point to who they are. It is strange, then, that the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, a pro-life educational foundation, states on its website that 84.1 percent of abortions are performed at the request of Protestants, Catholics and Evangelicals. Considering this statistic, the Churches might want to reevaluate their ideology or at least have stricter pledging guidelines.

Pro-choice, or at least, “I don’t support abortion, but...” is already mainstream in America; just criminalizing abortion will not make it disappear.

Women will die risking their lives on illegal, non-standardized abortions.

Furthermore, the hypocrisy of the conservative base supporting saving a baby’s life while condemning the poor and needy to fend for themselves is rather illogical and strange.

Seventy-one percent of anti-abortionists identify themselves as fiscal and social conservatives who, incidentally, vehemently opposed any government program designed to help those already living and in need. The same people who cried that everyone deserves a chance to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness opposed universal health care, unemployment benefit extensions and increased discretionary spending in education.

Well, maybe just the life part. Even state programs designed to decrease unwanted pregnancies through sexual education, and thus reduce the rate of abortion, were blocked by conservatives, who want to teach Christian morals of abstinence. Oddly, wherever abstinence-only programs have been implemented, there has been a rise in teenage pregnancies.

In the end, the motives behind prolife and pro-choice advocates are the same: to do what they think is right.

Pro-lifers aren’t the ignorant, Biblethumping fanatics that the left-wing media paints them to be, and prochoice advocates aren’t the euthanizing, morally-deprived heathens that the right-wing media depicts. There should be a mutual level of respect from both sides. This is America.

However, one cannot argue that prolifers are thinking logically about how to resolve the abortion issue. Prolifers should support programs that teach students to be proactive when sexually active. Don’t hold politicallycharged rallies as an affirmation bias for a minority position.

For the past few months, a heated debate has raged about America’s conception of religion in the public sphere. No, a zany religious group was not the propagator. In fact, it was perhaps one of the most unlikely of candidates: a seemingly mediocre quarterback for the Denver Broncos, Tim Tebow.

Some see his knack for lastminute wins as a sign of divine intervention, thus strengthen their religious convictions; others see his religious displays as not belonging on the football field.

Sure, there are plenty of openly religious public figures, but none of them has brought religion to the forefront like this before. As the treatment of Tebow will set some precedence for dealing with religion, the debate is important and one that the country needs to get right.

What is surprising in this situation is not the type of response or type of person responding; it is that there has been such a reaction in the first place.

To give attention based on religious beliefs is similar to giving attention for being a certain ethnicity or a certain gender (In a related, political vein, it is inappropriate to make a fuss about Obama being black or Mitt Romney being a Mormon rather than to focus on their political ideologies).

An athlete’s creed should not be important as long as he

most-played sport on the planet.

Countless players are seen crossing themselves or pointing to the sky in reverence. In a famous example, Brazilian soccer star and Christian evangelical Kakà has on many occasions worn t-shirts that say “I belong to Jesus.”

Religion in popular media has been transformed into something which is used to either praise or criticize, all too often being the latter when it ought to be the former. The fact is that religion is a label of a person’s journey to act in accordance with his or her belief in a higher power.

The media is wrong to use religion to paint a certain picture of a person, whether it is positive or negative.

One could find many examples of non-religious people in the media who are morally outstanding and at the same time find many examples of religious people who are morally corrupt.

to judge a person. The myriad of religions in the country would make it difficult, if not impossible, to come together and create some coordinated meaning of being a “good” person or a “bad” person.

America’s Founding Fathers knew this and created the Constitution based on Christian laws and laws found in nature that are apparent to men of any religion, as long as they are logical. Society should be based on and held together by common desires, not shared religious faiths, although those faiths should be respected.

Of much greater importance to the media than religious affiliations is the unethical behavior by public figures, especially that of athletes. Far too often are athletes at the center of legal complications. The fact that negative attention is given to a football player like Tebow, while there have been countless athletes in legal challenges that have recieved far less attention, is rather disconcerting.

Perhaps this is due in large part to the spread of m ate r i a l i s m and greed and an increased numbness to the two. Either way, the media would much better serve the people by tracking down and punishing crime than making noise regarding a person’s religious affiliation.

“In a society that includes a multitude of religions, it is important that religion does not become a sort of measuring stick to judge a person.

The myriad of religions in the country would make it difficult, if not impossible, to come together and create some coordinated meaning of being a ‘good’ person or a ‘bad’ person. ” Popular media ought to view religion similar to ethnicity or age; these are defining factors, rather than something used to celebrate or condemn a person.

In a society that includes a multitude of religions, it is important

Quetzalli Torres, FCRH ’13, is a communication and media studies major. He hails from Chicago, Il.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL REZIN

Fordham students demonstrate “Tebowing,” the trademark prayer stance of Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.

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

Righter’s Block John P. Castonguay Media Ignores March for Life This week marks the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling, and some will use this as an opportunity to continue the debate on the ethics and legality of abortion. While open debate on any issue should be encouraged, particularly one that so divides our country (the latest Rasmussen Reports survey indicates that approximately 49 percent of Americans are pro-choice and 43 percent are pro-life), the most important issue for me at the moment is the way the media has treated protesters of the Roe v. Wade decision.

On Monday, Jan. 23, a crowd of nearly 100,000 pro-life activists, myself included, brought their witty, emotionally-charged signs and passionate beliefs to the nation’s capital for the 39th annual March for Life.

The Speaker of the House, John Boehner, delivered the opening remarks, and a flock of other notable politicians made appearances at the protest. Parallel protests also took place in other major cities across America. Putting together a controversial topic, big-name politicians, wide-spread activity and angry students sounds like a recipe for a popular nightly news item. Occupy Wall Street has used this formula to promote the discussion of corporate greed.

Somewhat surprisingly, however, March for Life has not received the same aggressive media coverage.

Matt Hadro, a news analyst at the Media Research Center, said that last year, CBS, ABC and NBC all ignored the pro-life protests. The New York Times also failed to acknowledge the event. This might be excusable if other important, nationallyrelevant events were taking place on the same days but according to Hadro, this was not the case. These media outlets chose to ignore an event with a turnout greater than the population of Orlando, Florida, presumably because they do not agree with the message being promoted.

This week also marks the apparent end of SOPA and PIPA, legislation aimed at preventing the spread of internet piracy but would have resulted in the end of Internet freedom. Over 7 million Internet users signed a petition against SOPA and PIPA. Why is censorship deemed unacceptable when the government attempts to prevent people from illegally obtaining the new Maroon 5 song but not when nearly 100,000 Americans protesting in our nation’s capital are blacked out of national news?

Regardless of your feelings concerning the pro-life movement, these protesters are performing a national service by drawing attention to an issue of interest for many Americans.

When tens of thousands of citizens united behind a single cause cannot earn the acknowledgment of major news outlets, the right for individuals to express their views is in jeopardy. If the media coverage is nearly non-existent again, we must defend the right of protesters to be heard, regardless of their views or affiliations.

It is our responsibility to defend freedom for everyone in order to ensure liberty.

JANUARY 25, 2012

PAGE 10

Spring Semester Concert Preview

By DEVON SHERIDAN

ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Noise pop duo Sleigh Bells will perform its new songs at Terminal 5 on Feb. 17.

Finding tickets, scrounging for money and coordinating plans with your friends: the process of attending concerts is sometimes enough to induce headaches.

As the second semester begins, so does a new season of shows, and if you are one of the many who revel in the chance to see a favorite band live and up close, you are in the right place. It can be overwhelming, but we are here to help facilitate your experience.

Here is a preview of the best concerts scheduled for the next four months. Each show (except for one) is less than $50 a ticket, and all of them are in either Manhattan or Brooklyn, only a short train or subway ride away. All you have to do is buy the ticket.

Potentially putting on the premier show of the season, The Black Keys are scheduled to play two shows at Madison Square Garden. Multiple Grammy winners, the Keys will be bringing their signature soulful bluesy rock to the Garden on March 12 and 22.

The kicker, however, is that The Arctic Monkeys will be the opening act, and their electric

sound is the perfect ingredient for what is sure to be a raucous party.

Unfortunately, with a venue of such prestige and bands of such high caliber, tickets are listed at a high, yet justifiable, price of $70.

If March is too long a wait to get your rock n’ roll fix, then travel down to Union Square next week and see Smith Westerns (1/31, $20) play at Webster Hall.

Much buzzed about and worthy of the praise, the young indie rockers are fitting candidates for the inauguration of the new concert season.

Other notable acts taking the stage at Webster Hall this semester are Swedish folk-band Fanfarlo (3/06, $20) and Brooklyn rapper Theophilus London (2/09, $20), while of Montreal will be playing on March 30 and 31 for $22 a pop. In April, Nada Surf (4/07, $25), The Ting Tings (4/10 and 4 /11, $27) and Grammy winner for best new artist Esperanza Spalding (4/21, $40) will all be playing at Webster Hall.

Another hot spot for shows is Terminal 5, a go-to venue for big name bands who want to play a smaller show in the city. Located on West 56th Street, Terminal 5 will play host to popular acts this year, such as everyone’s favorite

dubstep artist Skrillex (2/04, $40) and English indie rock band The Kooks (3/07, $30). In February, heavy pop duo Sleigh Bells (2/17, $35) will play, and in March The Kaiser Chiefs and Young the Giant, with fantastic and equally venerable opening act Grouplove, will play March 8 and 9 respectively, each for $30.

Terminal 5 flourishes in April accommodating electronic indie crossover The Naked and Famous (4/04, $25), veteran rock band Snow Patrol (4/13 and 4/14, $35) and the ultra-catchy Miike Snow (4/25, $35).

As more bands announce tour dates, lineups will continue to change and more shows will be added to venues’ schedules.

Make sure to visit Web sites such as thebowerypresents.com and seatgeek.com for the latest shows and ticket information.

Order tickets as soon as possible, before they sell out, and if one Web site says a show is sold out, make sure to double check at other sites. If your favorite band is going on tour this year, it’s guaranteed that they will make a stop in the Big Apple.

For now, mark your calendars, and make sure to go out and catch these great bands and artists live while you can.

Stay Warm With Winter Fashion Trends

COURTESY OF UNIQLO

Flannel shirts are available at UNIQLO. They are warm pieces great for layering.

By HOLLY LEMANOWICZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

We have all been fooled by the mild and balmy weather we experienced before break. Now, real winter weather is upon us. We finally had our first real snow of the season (the one in late October surely does not count). It is time to embrace the weather and winter trends, bundle up and add some versatile pieces to your wardrobe.

It is all about layering to stay warm, with classics that have been given a face lift.

Updated classics serve as the

base for any good winter wardrobe.

Whether it be new fleece-lined or cashmere leggings, or flannel-lined chino or corduroy pants, these basics will keep you warm throughout the winter and can be dressed up or down depending on occasion.

Flannel and plaid for both men and women have become staple layering pieces and are available in many different and new styles this season. Uniqlo, which recently opened a store on Fifth Avenue, has over 80 colors and patterns from which to choose, as well as a variety of fits. Although flannel tends to be perceived as more casual wear, it

COURTESY OF MCT CAMPUS

Cashmere sweaters are classic and are available in various colors and styles.

can easily be dressed up for an appropriate nighttime look. Men can layer flannel under a sweater and pair it with slacks, while women can wear it with a sequined pencil skirt or an embellished pull-over.

If second, or even third, layers are needed, vests and knits often do the trick. For women, faux-fur vests are available in a variety of lengths and styles and easily fit under most outerwear. One might think that a piece like this would break anyone’s budget, but affordable and eye-catching vests can be found at Forever 21 and Zara for a fraction of designer prices. In terms

of knits, think Fair Isle, chunky and cashmere to stay warm. Since it is right after the holiday season, cashmere sweaters can be purchased for a portion of the price. They are a great way to add a pop of color or warmth to any existing ensemble.

In terms of outerwear, perhaps the most important layer of all, traditional puffer coats are no longer just for skiers or those looking for mere utility.

Universally flattering fits now exist, which are much slimmer than their Michelin Man counterparts. Designers have jumped on the bandwagon and produced out-

erwear that keeps you warm while still looking fashion-forward. Since stores are eager to purge their seasonal items in favor of fresh new spring looks, you can now find outerwear at jaw-dropping prices at retail stores, including Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s.

For women, capes were hot this fall and reamined trendy well into the winter season. With cashmere or heavy knits underneath and gloves, a cape can be taken from season to season. They can also be found at steep discounts at department stores, since they debuted as part of early fall in-store items.

During the winter, accessories are equally as important. Touchscreen compatible or fingerless gloves are now a must-have for anyone on-the-go. Brimmed wool felt hats, trapper hats, knit beanies, cloche hats, berets and the newly popular snood, a neck scarf that can be worn as a hood, are all viable and fashionable options for winter.

Boots by Hunter, Sperry, Sorel and L.L. Bean are great choices for winter weather, especially when trekking across this city or just going to class in the slush. Equally as important are the socks one chooses to wear with them, since not all boots are properly insulated.

Adding these and other updated classics to your wardrobe lends warmth and style to any of winter’s coldest days. With the first snow fallen, who knows for what types of temperatures or storms we will have to dress during the rest of the semester.

CULTURE

PAGE 11 • THE RAM • JANUARY 25, 2012

Going Global

Dining Out: Grounded Café Overall Location Food Quality Atmosphere Hospitality Expense $$

The Ram takes you inside the lives of students studying abroad in different places around the globe. This week’s column is written by Nancy Buckley, FCRH ’13.

(Out of 4

One month ago, I arrived back home from an amazing semester in Ireland. Although I did miss Fordham and my friends and family, I would not exchange my experience for anything.

In Dublin, I directly enrolled into University College Dublin, the largest university in Ireland. At UCD, I lived in a dorm, took six classes and was fully immersed in the Irish lifestyle. During orientation, I also got to experience another style of studying abroad when I was assigned to a host family for a few days. Although I was not with the family for long, having that experience, permitted me to better understand the Irish people and their culture.

Over the four months, I had the opportunity to travel throughout Ireland and to several other European countries. In Ireland, I visited Cork, where I kissed the Blarney stone, and Galway, where I got to stay in a castle converted into a hotel and saw the Cliffs of Moher. Also, when my family visited for Thanksgiving, I had the opportunity to visit central Ireland and my grandmother’s birth town.

After exploring my host country, I visited my two friends from Fordham in their respective host countries of England and France. Both trips were amazing, especially because I had the opportunity to experience the cities with my own personal tour guides.

Coming back to America after my time in Europe, I have been able to adopt a more worldly view and a much better understanding of other cultures and people. I would not say that I am a different person after my semester, but I did come back to America with a greater appreciation for others.

After living with four Irish girls, I was exposed to the Irish culture in a manner that I never anticipated.

I experienced studying habits, the value of family and the importance of their home lives. Before my semester abroad, I naively believed the lives of college-aged people were similar everywhere, but I was quickly proven wrong. Family and home life are significantly more important in Ireland than in America. I love my family and friends at home, but, when I am at Fordham, despite the close distance to home, I barely go home (especially compared to Irish students).

In Ireland, however, the average college kid sees a family member at least once a week and travels home almost every weekend. At one point, my roommate could not go home for two weeks, so her mom came and stayed in our dorm for three nights.

The closeness of the family unit in Ireland is unbelievable.

After four months abroad, I was happy to return home. I had greatly missed my family and Fordham and my friends. The strangest part about returning home has been coming back to my ordinary life where nothing has changed. I plan on using my new experiences and understandings, however, to enhance my life back at home.

PHOTO BY COURTNEY HO/THE RAM

The Grounded Café is located on 28 West Jane St. in the West Village. It is open everyday from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

By COURTNEY HO STAFF WRITER

Like every other New Yorker, I have been to my fair share of local cafés in order to escape coffeehouse-chain mediocrity.

Fortunately, I recently found the complete antithesis of the corporation coffeehouse.

The Grounded Café, located in the West Village, is a café that lives up to its name. It prides itself in its modesty and support of local farms, and it pledges to use only fresh and organic ingredients. That,

combined with its friendly service and relaxed ambiance, makes it the perfect cozy New York café.

I met up with a friend at the Grounded Café on 28 Jane St., only a couple of blocks away from the L train. While on Jane Street, I almost passed by the café without noticing it because of its unassuming exterior. When I walked in, I felt a complete change in atmosphere. Even though there was a good amount of people inside, the café was quiet, calm and peaceful.

I snagged a seat in the back of the café, and the first thing I noticed

was the large variety of plants that were meticulously placed around the café. To my left was a huge bookcase filled with beautiful vintage-looking novels.

When I looked closely, I noticed subtle oriental touches, such as a Chinese farmer figurine that sat on a lamp and traditional Chinese dolls lined up on the top of the bookshelf. The plants, hanging lights, skylight and exposed brick completed the low-key and comfortable setting.

After I took a seat, I walked towards the register and was greeted

’s)

by a small selection of pastries and a decent-sized menu of organic coffees, drinks and food.

I was pleasantly surprised by the menu. It offered everything from breakfast wraps and bagels to hearty salads and sandwiches.

I started off by ordering the chai tea latte ($3.75) and the organic fruit and yogurt parfait with granola ($6.00). The chai tea latte was perfectly balanced. It was not too spicy and had just the right amount of chai and milk.

The yogurt parfait was delicately put together and composed of fresh cut fruits, honey granola and vanilla yogurt. The regular-sized chai tea latte was quite small, so I ordered another drink.

I got the Café Bonbon ($3.00), because it was impossible for me to pass over espresso layered with condensed milk. The condensed milk gave the espresso just the right amount of sweetness and depth.

My friend ordered the Nutella latte ($4.25), which had the perfect balance of espresso and hazelnut flavors.

I will definitely return to the Grounded Café in the near future.

If you ever want a quiet space to do work or meet with friends while drinking quality coffee and eating decent food, Grounded Café is the place to be.

Editor’s Pick: “Dorm Life”

By SARAH RAMIREZ EXECUTIVE EDITOR

It is no surprise for television fans that the mockumentary genre is on the rise, with the success of single-camera series such as “Parks and Recreation” and this year’s Golden Globe winner for Best Television Comedy, “Modern Family.” Hilarious mockumentaries are not limited to network television, however; one standout example is the Web series “Dorm Life.”

“Dorm Life,” which ran for 46 episodes from 2008 to 2009, follows a group of college students, mostly freshmen, living on the same floor, 5 South. Their pranks and personal dramas provide most of the show’s storylines, which are supplemented by webcam confessionals.

The series was the brainchild of students at UCLA, and these relative unknowns handle their onscreen personas well. Their comedic timing is especially deft and elevates the already witty and heartfelt writing, which was honored with a Webby Award.

“Dorm Life” draws inspiration from other mockumentaries not only in terms of style, but characterization as well. The main cast includes nice-guy Mike (Chris Smith), a freshman whose personality is reminiscent of Jim Halpert

( John Krasinski) from “The Office,” as well as Marshall (Brian Singleton), the RA who is as socially inept as fellow “Office” costars Steve Carrell’s Michael Scott but as malicious as Rainn Wilson’s Dwight Schrute.

Many of the other floormates are representative of college stereotypes, including the slacker, the academic, the drama student and the party animal (not to be confused with the slacker). Granted, these are clichéd characters, but all the better for comedy.

When I first discovered “Dorm Life,” shortly after the series ended and before experiencing dorm life for myself at Fordham, it was the sheer wackiness of the show that appealed to me as a viewer.

Looking back at the show now (read: re-watching the entire first season as “research” for this article), it is also clear to me how the situations in which the floormates find themselves ring true, despite all the silliness. The characters deal with their share of relationship and friendship drama, and it feels completely relatable as they make the transition to the college lifestyle.

Another great, perhaps underappreciated, quality of “Dorm Life” is that it inherently fits into the college lifestyle. With each of the episodes clocking in under 15 minutes, it is almost as if the show exists solely to help college kids

COURTESY OF DORMLIFE.COM

“Dorm Life” features funny characters reminiscent of those from “The Office.”

procrastinate. Add into the equation that you can watch it for free on YouTube and Hulu, and maybe you can understand why I had to procrastinate this article.

For anyone who is a fan of shows like “Modern Family,” “Parks and Recreation” or even shows like “Community,” which is heavy on the improvisation, “Dorm Life” is a must-watch. If you are looking for something different to distract

you, this series offers a safe bet. It may not be as polished as a Hollywood production, but the homespun quality adds a sense of nostalgia to the show.

Not every student has a chance to experience dorm living, and even then, it is hard to recreate the magic and freedom of your freshman year (especially if you spent it in Tierney). Luckily, there’s “Dorm Life” for that.

CULTURE

JANUARY 25, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 12

Yes The Bronx Campaigns Against Obesity

By SCHARON HARDING CULTURE EDITOR

Yes The Bronx, a Gabelli School of Business Learning Service Program, has the joined the fight against obesity.

Obesity is a significant American health issue, and the Bronx is not immune to the problem.

The non-profit organization works to promote Project Obesity, a program designed to bring awareness to the obesity epidemic in the Bronx.

Joanna Bak, GSB ‘12, participates in Yes The Bronx and believes in its mission.

“The mission of Project Obesity is to encourage healthier lifestyle choices, diet, and to encourage residents of the Bronx to utilize the park space in the Bronx for exercise,” she said.

The program organizes races in parks all over the Bronx, encouraging locals to use their community to be active.

They also contact community boards, civic and community organizations, healthcare and cultural institutions, metro New York running clubs and local

Bronx schools to promote the races and get as many people as possible involved.

Yes The Bronx wants to be effective in its goals and even reaches out to those with power and influence in the borough to help.

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

On Nov. 6, the Learning Service Program collaborated with members of the Fordham community, including Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., City Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera and the New York Road Runners to hold the Fifth Annual Energize the Bronx Marathon Party.

“The Energize the Bronx Marathon Party began as a way of increasing public awareness of the growing obesity epidemic and encouraging Bronxites to

modify their daily behavior by embracing healthy foods and exercising – any activity, from walking to soccer,” Bak said.

“It has a major impact on the entire Bronx by helping kids and their parents take control of their health by using our city’s parks and modifying eating habits,” Bak said. “The support of Bronxites to help the program grow will insure its success.”

The 26.2 mile run was possible thanks to ongoing cheers from the Yes The Bronx members.

The cheering was strong when the first runner completed the run at 11 a.m. and just as loud when the last runner finished at 4 p.m.

This semester, Yes The Bronx is coordinating a 5k run/walk in Van Cortland park.

“All members of the Fordham community are strongly encouraged to participate and show their Bronx pride,” Bak said.

If you are interested in volunteering with Yes The Bronx, you can contact one of the program’s organizers, Alec Diacou at alec@ yesthebronx.org.

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

Going

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

26 27 28 29 30 31 01

?

On

THURSDAY Squash Tournament of Champions Grand Central Terminal, Vanderbilt Hall 87 East 42nd St. 9 p.m.

Watch 24 of the 25 top squash players in the world compete in a large, glass cube at the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions. Tickets are as low as $10.

FRIDAY

“Behind the Screen” Museum of Moving Image 3601 35th Ave. 10:30 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Learn how videographers splice together baseball games or create a short animated film. The exhibit also features props from popular movies and television.

SATURDAY Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre 307 West 26th St. 7:30 p.m.

Chicago comedy troupe Let’s Have a Ball has weekly latenighters. The improv troop does its best to provide an evening of laughter. Tickets range from $5-$10.

SUNDAY Hanksy Art Exhibit Krause Gallery 149 Orchard St. 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.

The art of artist Hanksy, who combines Tom Hanks’ countenance with pieces of famous U.K. street artist Banksy, is on display at the Krause Gallery.

MONDAY “Policing a Changed City” New York City Police Museum 100 Old Slip 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The New York City Police Museum, (yes it exists) exhibits NYPD’s ability to fight crime using technology.

TUESDAY Smith Westerns Webster Hall 125 E 11th St. 7 p.m.

The Chicago indie rock band takes the stage at Webster Hall to kick off the new concert season. Show starts at 8 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets are $20.

WEDNESDAY Superfree Wednesdays People’s Improv Theatre East 24th St. 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 p.m.

Upright Citizens Brigade hosts hour-long improv routines from six-man troupes. From 10 p.m. and on, one man troupes induce laughter from the crowd.

PHOTO BY JOANNA BAK/THE RAM

— COMPILED BY DEVON SHERIDAN

Members of Yes The Bronx gathered in Nov. to support the Fifth Annual Energize the Bronx Marathon Party’s participants.

Ram Reviews

TELEVISION

BOOK

“PORTLANDIA”

MICRO

MOVIE SHAME

THEATER HOW TO SUCCEED

TELEVISION “ARCHER”

By DEVON SHERIDAN

By PATRICK MULLEN

By MOLLY FERNS

By AMANDA RYLAND

By SCHARON HARDING

ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

CULTURE EDITOR

When trying to describe a television show to a prospective viewer, one finds oneself describing the plotline; however, IFC’s new comedy “Portlandia” presents a problem, as there seems not to be one. A 30 minute compilation of sketch-comedy centered on the lives of recurring characters Fred Armisen (“Saturday Night Live”) and Carrie Brownstein (of the indie rock band Sleater-Kinney,) the show lacks a definitive plotline.

This is not a negative; rather, the show’s inclination for random, quirky sketches combined with Armisen and Brownstein’s capability to seamlessly switch from flannel-shirted professional hideand seekers to lethargic bookstore owners keeps the show intriguing and surprisingly hilarious.

Micro, released Nov. 22, is sort of a mixed bag. I would like to first point out that I do not believe Michael Crichton was a literary genius or something, but I do think he was an extremely effective writer. He combined scientific fact with high adventure to create a style uniquely his own.

The novel is incredibly juvenile for Crichton. All that being said, despite its many flaws, I was entertained by this novel, particularly the last 200 pages, during which I struggled to put it down. It’s not fantastic literature or groundbreaking in any way, but I liked it.

I don’t know if I would recommend this to too many people.

The novel lacks depth, but I found the action — and there is a lot of it — pretty exciting.

The film is not just about revealing the issues of a sex addiction.

The title of the movie speaks for itself. Shame is about exposing a man.

It is a character study, honing in primarily on the concept of shame.

McQueen’s greatest success is Shame’s unflinchingly cold and dry style. Each frame is a personal and intimate examination into every detail of Brandon’s life, whether it be running through the streets of New York or having sex with a stranger.

Shame reconfirms what was established in 2008’s Hunger; McQueen and Fassbender are both artists in their own respects, but when teamed together, movie magic is made.

Having big names to headline the 1960s musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying definitely draws a huge audience, but does the show hold up to the hype?

Harry Potter alum Daniel Radcliffe played the lead role of J. Pierrepont Finch in the opening of the revival last year. Seasoned actor Beau Bridges (Max Payne) plays intimidating president of World Wide Widgets, J.B. Biggley.

The play tells the story of Finch’s rise and near fall from the top, by doing exactly what the title suggests.

This musical is definitely fun and will have you singing the catchy songs for days. How to Succeed is certainly not one to miss for any theatergoer.

The third season of the FX original animated series premiered Jan. 19. The show continues to follow the life of Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin, “Home Movies”), the most obnoxious, egotistical, womanizing secret agent in television history.

The writers spiced up this season with even raunchier ways for the characters’ to insult and sexually harass one another. Jokes made in the season premiere were more jaw-dropping than ever.

Archer grew slightly more mature in the season premiere. One can only watch a grown-man dramatically cry about his mother’s actions for so many seasons. With more character development and extra dirty jokes, the show will remain a hilarious classic.

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

CULTURE

PAGE 13 • THE RAM • JANUARY 25, 2012

WHO’S THAT KID? Jeffrey Sharkey A MEMBER OF FCRH ‘15, MAJORING IN COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES WITH A CONCENTRATION IN FILM FROM SCRANTON, PA Describe yourself in a couple of sentences.

I’m from Scranton, Pa. No, not like “The Office.”

I watch a lot of good movies and TV. I’m also a huge Yankees fan.

What is your favorite aspect of Fordham and why?

I like the campus a lot. When you think of a New York college, you don’t think of a big, spacious, green campus.

It’s very nice.

If there were one thing about Fordham University you could change, what would it be?

What is something about you that not many people know?

In high school I was the school mascot: Calvin the Cavalier. But no one ever called me that. They would just say “Who’s that kid?”

Hey, wow! What a coincidence.

What is your favorite class at Fordham?

I really like my chemistry class because I’m trying to get a “Breaking Bad” deal out of it, but so far my teacher hasn’t gotten back to me yet.

What is one thing you would like to accomplish over your four years here?

The food. I’m a picky eater.

What is the biggest misconception people have about you?

People think I like Will Smith music a lot. I don’t know where they get that idea from.

What are your plans (career or otherwise) for after college?

I want to do something with film. I’m not quite sure exactly what yet, but anything with film would be a dream come true.

You are a film major; what are your top three favorite movies?

My three favorite movies are Cool Hand Luke, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Space Jam.

Dean’s List would be nice.

What is your favorite thing to do in New York City?

I like exploring all the famous things that New York is known for.

What show, food, artist or movie would you consider your “guilty pleasure”?

Will Smith’s music. Pretty much Will Smith in general.

He’s a timeless American hero.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what would you bring with you?

The president of the United States because I would just sneak on the ship that they brought for him.

PHOTO BY MIKE REZIN/THE RAM

Jeffrey Sharkey, a Rose Hill freshman, is a fan of Will Smith music and movies.

GO! Teams Experience Spiritual Change Over Winter Break

PHOTO BY CODIE LANDSMAN/THE RAM

Members of GO! Florida traveled to the state to learn more about the struggles of migrant farm workers and their families. The team also developed a better understanding of community and sprituality.

By CODIE LANDSMAN STAFF WRITER

The first weeks back to school mark a time for new classes, new textbooks and new teachers; many students also feel a profound sense of spirituality and a desire to benefit the community in a selfless, wholesome manner. This also describes typical feelings that students experience after embarking upon a Global Outreach project.

For those unfamiliar with this Fordham-based organization, Global Outreach is a service-learning and cultural immersion project through which students live and work with various communities throughout the world. The projects focus on social justice issues, and students not only become better educated on often overlooked problems, but also have the opportunity to completely

immerse themselves within a potentially foreign and often strikingly different culture than they are used to.

This sense of solidarity allows those on the project to truly connect with and understand the lives of those in the surrounding community. In turn, this creates an unbelievable bond between the small groups of students after working so closely together for an enriching cause.

Members of projects that took place over winter break have returned safely and joyfully back to New York.

The Rose Hill projects included GO! India, Belize, Peru, El Salvador, Guyana, Glenmary and NYC. These projects collaborated with a variety of organizations, including the Missionaries of Charity, Hand in Hand Ministries, Community Links International, Christians for Peace and orphanages and colonies for people suffering from leprosy.

Kara Finnegan, FCRH ’12, leader of GO! Peru, described the special bond and sense of community she felt while staying with a host family in Lima.

“They were absolutely wonderful,” Finnegan said. “They were welcoming, willing to share their lives and their culture with us and just very kind people. Having returned to campus now, each one of us not only has the rest of our team as great friends, but also an amazing Peruvian family whom we will forever love.”

The three Lincoln Center projects consisted of GO! Florida, Dominican Republic and Camden. These projects focused on issues of farm workers’ rights, fair wages and food justice, the development, education and health of children, and building bridges between diverse communities, respectively.

Meg Hannigan, GSS ’12, recount-

ed her experience of GO! Florida, which worked with organizations such as the Coalition of Immokalee Workers that helped to bring justice to the often exploited migrant workers of Immokalee, in addition to after-school programs and low-rent housing organizations to accommodate those with minimal income.

The group also spent two days with Habitat for Humanity, constructing homes for those who needed them most.

For some of the projects, students reside in shelters or churches, and in others they participate in a homestay with local families from the community. All of the projects focus on the “Four Pillars of Global Outreach,” which consist of simple living, spirituality, community and social justice.

Students must engage in simple living, which means a lack of cell

phones or other means of communication and electronic devices. “[It was] so refreshing and liberating to not have these distractions,” Hannigan said. “I’m certain that a huge factor in why my team got along so well was because we spent so much quality time together. In most of our day-to-day lives we might be too caught up in life’s shuffle to be able to do this.”

Particpants of GO! are often pleasantly surprised when they push themselves outside of normal boundaries. Never doubt the power of community and the profound ability you can have on someone else’s life.

Jennifer Fazzolari summarized the experience.

“GO! is truly the hidden gem of Fordham,” Jennifer Fazzolari, GSB’12 said. “Everyone should give it a go.”

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JANUARY 25, 2012

Fordham Goalie Ryan Meara Headed to Major League Soccer Senior Captain Selected by New York Red Bulls in the Second Round of 2012 MLS Draft

By DAN GARTLAND SPORTS EDITOR

In today’s current economic climate, most college seniors are worried they may not have a job after they graduate.

Fordham’s Ryan Meara has no such problem. Meara, a four-year starter in goal for the Fordham men’s soccer team, was taken by the New York Red Bulls in the second round of the 2012 MLS Superdraft on Jan. 12.

Meara capped off a splendid collegiate career with a record-setting senior season. The Rams went 7-2 in conference play and were crowned Atlantic 10 regular season co-champs. Meara broke the school record for most career shutouts with 31 and was named A-10 Defensive Player of the Year.

The selection was not much of a surprise for Meara.

“Growing up, my dream was always to play professional soccer,” he said. “I think by my junior year I realized I had a chance if I kept working hard and playing well.”

A Yonkers native and graduate of Fordham Prep, Meara is glad to be continuing his career close to home.

“It’s amazing,” he said of the opportunity to play locally on the professional level. “I was a Red Bull fan growing up. I used to go to the games when they were the [New York/New Jersey] MetroStars.

PHOTO BY SIMON SULIT/THE RAM

Ryan Meara became the first player in Fordham history to be drafted by a Major League Soccer Club. Meara hopes to be the starting goalie for the New York Red Bulls by the start of next season.

Coming up to the draft I saw they had a pick in the second round, and I heard they needed a goalie. So in the back of my mind I was thinking it would be awesome if they picked me.” Meara is currently the only goalkeeper on the Red Bulls’

roster, though the club is expected to bring in at least one more before the season starts in March.

A story on Yahoo! quoted one source as saying Meara is “MLSready.” Meara says he is prepared to step in right away if needed.

“If they need me to, I’d love to start,” he said. “I know they’re probably bringing in two other goalies, just because you need to have two or three. I’ll be trying to start; that’s the goal. But I know being a rookie, and being a young guy, there’s a

good chance I’ll be starting off on the bench as a backup. I’m fine with that too.”

Meara hopes his selection can serve as a recruiting tool to help build the soccer program.

“I think we’re an up-and-coming program,” he said. “Ever since [Head Coach Jim] McElderry has gotten here, the team’s gotten better every year. I think it’s good just getting the name out with soccer people in the country. Hopefully it’s good for recruiting. You can say, ‘We had a kid come through here and get drafted, and if you come here and play well, you’ll have the opportunity to do the same.’”

Meara has already begun training with the Red Bulls in preparation for the team’s first preseason game at the end of February. He’s attempting to balance that with finishing his degree.

“I want to finish, just because I’m only a semester away, but I’ll have to talk to the dean and figure that out,” he said.

If soccer doesn’t work out, Meara says he plans to pursue a career as a firefighter.

“Before the draft, I signed up for the City and the Yonkers fire department tests,” he said. “If I didn’t get drafted, I’d be taking the tests in February. It’s something I’d still love to do at some point, but hopefully I’ll have a long enough career where I’ll be too old to be a fireman.”

Women’s Basketball Looks Ahead to A-10 Play Fordham Names Joe Moorhead,

By MATT ROSENFELD ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Winter break was a roller coaster this year for the Rams, as they went 4-4 in their eight games during the vacation.

With wins over Winthrop, Navy, Delaware State and Rhode Island, as well as close losses to Cornell and Coppin State, Coach Stephanie Gaitley feels the team is improving.

“There were some ups and downs, a couple tough, one-point losses that we kind of let slip away, but I think we’ve grown and got better from those losses,” Gaitley said.

Fordham completed its non- conference schedule on Jan. 4, in a 63-48 win over Delaware State. The Rams went 9-6 in games outside of the Atlantic 10 conference, the team’s most non-conference wins in almost a decade. Compared to last year’s 8-8 non-conference record, it is clear the Rams are taking steps in the right direction.

“The fact that we won that many games out of conference shows that the team has learned how to win. We just have to carry that into conference play,” Gaitley said.

Fordham has already begun its Atlantic 10 conference schedule and is now standing at a disappointing 1-4 in conference play, landing them 11th in the A-10. In the two games since the start of the second semester, Fordham has fallen to St. Joseph’s on the road in Philadelphia and Dayton at home

this past Saturday.

“There’s a lot of parity in the A-10, and it is very tough to win on the road,” Gaitley said. “We’ve played, so far, a lot of teams that have a lot of upperclassmen and a lot of experience. So we are dealing with having a lot of freshmen.”

Even with the inexperienced team, Gaitley feels that her few upperclassmen are stepping into their roles as leaders.

“Our captains are doing an outstanding job of leading us. We’ve been playing very good defense, and when we shoot well, we’re a pretty good team.”

Fordham has already completed half its schedule with the A-10 schedule to look forward to, and

there are positive signs already .

“Right now, I’d say we’re ahead of where I thought we’d be at this point,” Gaitley said. “We put together some wins through our defense. The St. Joe’s game was probably one of our best defensive efforts; unfortunately, we didn’t shoot the ball really well. If we’re shooting well, I think we can definitely beat teams in the upper echelon of the conference.”

Fordham will get that chance in their next game on Wednesday, Jan. 25 when the third-ranked team in the conference, Charlotte, comes to Rose Hill gym to take on the Lady Rams.

Fordham will then travel to Amherst, Mass. in a road conference game against UMass.

PHOTO BY MIKE REZIN/THE RAM

Head Coach Stephanie Gaitley sees improvement in her young squad.

FCRH ’96, as Head Football Coach

By NICK CARROLL STAFF WRITER

Following a disappointing onewin season that left a coaching vacancy at Fordham, the Rams will look to new Head Coach Joe Moorhead to turn the program around.

Moorhead, who graduated from Fordham College at Rose Hill in 1996, spent the last two years at the University of Connecticut.

In 2010, he helped lead the Huskies to a Big East championship as the offensive coordinator of the second-ranked offense in the conference.

Last season, Moorhead served as the quarterbacks coach after a coaching change from Randy Edsall, who left for Maryland, to Paul Pasqualoni.

Moorhead was officially introduced at a press conference at Duane Library at Rose Hill in December.

Fordham chose Moorhead over four other candidates, which included Assumption Head Coach Cory Bailey and Don Bosco Prep (NJ) Head Coach Greg Toal, according to McLaughlin.

Before coaching at UConn, Moorhead was an assistant coach at Akron, where he was a recruiting coordinator and wide receivers coach in 2004 and 2005 before becoming quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator in 2006.

This will not be Moorhead’s first stint in the Patriot League.

He was an assistant coach at Georgetown from 2000-2003 where he coached running backs, quarterbacks and served as the offensive coordinator in his final season with the Hoyas.

Moorhead played quarterback at Fordham from 1992 through 1995.

He is the Rams’ fifth-all-time leading passer with 5,925 yards in his Fordham career.

In his final collegiate season, he was named Second-Team All-Patriot League.

COURTESY OF FORDHAMSPORTS.COM

Head Coach Joe Moorhead

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Giants, Patriots Set to Meet in Super Bowl

By BRENDAN MALONE STAFF WRITER

Championship weekend in the NFL produced two excellent football games, two huge goats and very few heroes. Both games were decided by special teams miscues that will be remembered for quite some time. The Patriots will be returning to the Super Bowl for the fifth time in the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era thanks to Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff completely choking on a 32-yard field goal. I also place some blame on Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh for this kick. The entire operation was rushed because the play clock almost expired before the ball was snapped. Harbaugh should have called a timeout. He had one remaining, and this is the biggest play of the season. There is no excuse for Harbaugh allowing that kick to be rushed.

That does not excuse Cundiff for missing the kick. A 32-yard field goal would be a fairly easy kick to make in a hurricane, and Cundiff missed the kick so badly that it can only be described as a choke. Plenty of kickers have missed big field goals at the end of playoff games, but I cannot remember a miss that bad from that close of a distance. Cundiff and Harbaugh both choked in the biggest moment of their careers. There is no other way to look at it.

Cundiff ’s miss is not the play that put the Patriots back in the Super Bowl, though. The kick would have only tied the game, and overtime would have been needed. Nobody can say for sure what would have happened in overtime. The biggest play in this game occurred two plays earlier. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who overcame a slow start and actually played very well, appeared to throw a game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Lee Evans. Evans caught the ball, got one foot down in the end zone, but a split second before his second foot came down, Patriots’ defensive back Sterling Moore knocked the ball out of Evans’ hands. So basically, the AFC Championship was decided by Lee Evans, formerly a decent wide receiver for the Bills, Billy Cundiff, a kicker, and Sterling Moore, a practice squad player whom the Patriots released earlier in the season. Moore was literally passed on the defensive back depth chart by a wide receiver, Julian Edelman.

The NFC Championship Game between the Giants and 49ers was another great game. This was an old-fashioned football game that featured great defense, shaky quarterback play and this thing known as sure tackling, which did exist at one time in the NFL. The Giants took a 10-7 lead into halftime, and at that point it looked like the Giants’ offense had figured out the 49ers’ defense, but in fact it was the other way around. Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, for whom the 49ers had no answers in the first half, was held to just two catches for 19 yards in the second half. The 49ers were able to get pressure on Eli Manning, sacking him six times and hitting him 20 other times. Manning did not turn the ball over, but on at least three occasions, he threw ill-advised passes into double and triple coverage.

Luckily for him, on each of those occasions, 49ers’ defenders ran into each other as they were going for the ball.

The 49ers’ offense finally backed up its defense when quarterback Alex Smith hit tight end Vernon Davis with a 28-yard touchdown pass to reclaim the lead with 5:18 left in the third quarter. It was the second time Smith and Davis connected for a long touchdown pass in the game.

The first was a 73-yarder in the first quarter. The score would remain 1410 49ers until just over eight minutes remained in the game, when the Giants scored a go-ahead touchdown after the goat of this game, 49er punt returner Kyle Williams’ first huge gaffe.

Prior to the punt that changed the entire complexion of this game, the 49ers were leading 14-10 with 11:00 left in the game. The 49ers had just sacked Manning, continuing their stifling defensive performance in the second half. The crowd was beyond fired up, and the 49ers had all the momentum in the world. Then, Giants’ punter Steve Weatherford shanked the punt. If Williams had come up to catch the ball, the 49ers would have had the ball at midfield. Instead, Williams lets the ball bounce then made a move to field the bouncing ball, but appeared to think better of it and backed away. For some reason, Williams again changed his mind, and he started moving toward the ball, but he had no real intention of picking it up. The ball took one strange hop and hit Williams in the knee, which is what he deserved to have happen for being so stupid. As a punt returner, you are taught as early as pee-wee football to either catch the punt or get as far away from it as possible. Williams’ failure to catch the punt cost the 49ers 20 yards in field position, and his failure to get away from the ball probably cost the 49ers the game.

Williams was not done, though.

The 49ers defense continued its great effort into overtime, forcing the Giants to punt twice. Williams handled the first punt cleanly, but the second punt is where disaster struck. Williams caught the punt cleanly, but he was hit soon after the catch and fumbled. The Giants recovered the fumble, moved the ball a few yards and set up the conference-winning field goal.

OTHER THOUGHTS FROM CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY •Patrick Willis is the best defensive player in football. He was all over the field against the Giants. He sacked Eli Manning, and on a couple of occasions he covered Victor Cruz, who is probably the best slot receiver in the league. Willis was stride for stride with Cruz on these plays. He also delivered the hit of the day on fullback Henry Hynoski.

Willis hit Hynoski at the Giants’ 40yard line. Hynoski fell right there, and his mouthpiece landed at the Giant 25-yard line.

•49er wide receivers combined to catch one pass for three yards.

•Tom Brady did not play well at all.

He missed a wide-open Gronkowski on what was a sure touchdown.

He also was intercepted twice and missed a couple of other throws that he normally makes with ease.

SPORTS

JANUARY 25, 2012• THE RAM • PAGE 17

Men’s Basketball

Women’s Basketball

Swimming and Diving

Fordham 66-64 Rhode Island

Fordham 46-57 St. Joseph’s

Men Fordham 135-96 Iona

Fordham Bristol Gaston Frazier McMillan Smith Samuell Estwick Dominique Canty

FG 0-1 1-2 7-16 4-7 1-9 3-5 7-9 1-5 0-1

3FG 0-0 0-0 3-7 0-0 0-6 0-0 4-6 0-0 0-0

FT REB 0-1 8 2-4 2 2-4 3 3-4 1 5-5 3 0-0 2 0-0 0 0-0 8 0-0 0

A 2 0 6 1 2 2 1 1 0

TP 0 2 19 11 2 8 18 6 0

Fordham

FG

Gaskin Collins Stoddart Peters Corning Sims Durant Tapio

0-3 3-15 4-7 3-9 2-11 3-6 0-2 2-2

Totals Totals

24-55 7-19 12-18 29 15 66

3FG FT REB A PTS 0-2 0-5 2-2 0-1 0-3 2-3 0-0 0-0

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

2 6 6 4 9 5 2 0

0 0 2 8 1 11 1 8 1 6 1 8 0 0 0 5

Steals - Gaston, Bristol, Frazier, Dominique, McMillan (2), Smith (5) Turnovers - Gaston, Smith, Samuell (2), Bristol (2), Frazier (4), McMillan (4)

St. Joe’s

URI FG Outerbridge7-14 Holton 4-11 Powell 3-10 Baron 7-13 Malhoit 0-0` Malone 3-8 McKoy 1-2 Shengelia 0-1 Buchanan 1-1

Totals

3FG 0-1 0-0 0-4 4-9 0-0 2-6 0-0 0-0 0-0

FT REB 1-3 9 0-2 18 1-1 3 4-4 4 0-0 1 0-0 0 0-0 0 0-0 1 0-0 5

A PTS 1 15 0 8 6 7 6 22 2 0 1 8 0 2 0 7 1 2

26-60 6-20 6-10 41 17 64

Blocks- Outerbridge (2) Steals - Holton, Powell, Malone, McKoy, Baron (2) Turnovers - Baron, Malhoit, Buchanon, Malone (2), Outerbridge (3), Powell (4), Holton (6)

Fordham URI

1 40 38

2 26 26

Fordham 51-95 St. Bonaventure Fordham FG Bristol 0-0 Zivkovic 1-2 Frazier 1-7 McMillan 2-10 Smith 4-13 Samuell 1-3 Estwick 1-6 Dominique 3-7 Canty 3-7 Totals

3FG 0-0 0-1 0-4 1-2 3-10 0-0 1-3 0-0 0-0

FG 3FG FT REB A PTS

Van Grinsven6-11 Cavallo 2-3 Kuester 2-5 Baker 3-15 Prim 4-11 Shields 1-2 Parker 3-4 Vila 0-0 Totals

FT REB A 0-0 1 0 2-1 1 0 2-2 0 5 1-2 2 2 2-4 5 0 6-7 2 0 0-0 2 1 0-0 2 0 1-6 10 1

TP 0 4 4 6 13 8 3 6 7

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

0-0 0-0 1-4 5-6 2-6 1-2 1-2 0-0

9 7 0 4 7 0 1 0

2 0 3 2 2 2 1 0

12 4 7 11 11 4 8 0

21-51 5-8 10-20 34 12 57

Blocks - Van Grinsven, Cavallo (3) Steals - Cavallo, Shields, Parker, Prim (2), Baker (2), Kuester (2) Turnovers - Van Grinsven, Baker (2), Shields (2), Parker (3), Prim (3), Cavallo (4) 1st Fordham 21 St. Joe’s 24

F 66 64

2nd 26 32

Fordham

FG

3FG FT

Stoddart Gaskin Collins Peters Corning Sims Durant Tapio Milner

1-8 3-7 3-16 2-10 2-5 0-2 1-3 0-2 0-1

0-4 2-5 1-5 0-3 0-1 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0

REB A PTS

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

4 3 1 4 4 2 3 1 1

0 4 1 8 2 10 2 5 1 6 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0

16-55 5-20 14-23 27 9 51 12-54 3-19 10-14 29 6 37

Blocks - McMillan, Canty (2) Steals - Smith, Samuell, Estwick Turnovers - Dominique, Zivkovic, Estwick, Samuell (2), McMillan, Frazier (5) BONNIES FG Conger 1-5 Cook 6-11 Nicholson 6-9 Kloof 2-5 Wright 4-8` Mosley 2-5 Gathers 5-7 Farrell 1-2 Moore 1-2 Ndoye 0-0 Johnson 2-3 Houseknecht1-2 Team Totals

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

FT 0-0 6-7 7-7 0-0 4-4 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1-2 4-4 0-0

REB 6 8 9 2 2 0 7 0 0 3 2 3

A 4 2 3 2 2 2 3 0 0 0 4 0

PTS 2 18 19 6 13 6 12 3 4 1 9 2

31-59 9-20 24-26 45 22 95

Blocks - Tapio, Milner Steals - Gaskin, Corning, Milner, Stoddart (2), Collins (2), Durant (2) Turnovers - Gaskin (2), Corning (2), Sims (2), Durant (3), Stoddart (3), Collins (3), Peters (4)

Dayton Queen Raterman Nance Lalor Hoover Applewhite Mackay Malott Moses Sant Totals

FG 3FG FT REB A PTS 3-7 4-5 2-6 5-10 3-4 0-1 2-3 2-3 0-2 2-4

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

3-4 3-5 0-0 2-2 2-2 0-0 3-3 0-0 0-0 0-0

4 1 2 3 8 3 3 3 3 2

5 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0

9 11 4 13 10 4 0 7 0 4

22-45 3-9 15-18 36 19 62

Blocks- Cook, Kloof, Mosley, Houseknecht (3), Nicholson (3)

Blocks - Queen, Nance, Applewhite, Malott, Sant (2)

Steals - Conger, Cook, Houseknecht, Mosley (2), Wright (2), Nicholson (2)

Steals - Nance, Lalor, Hoover, Raterman (2), Queen (3)

Turnovers - Johnson, Farrell, Gathers, Kloof, Wright (2), Mosley (2), Conger (2), Cook (3)

Fordham Bonnies

1 18 49

2 33 46

F 51 95

Turnovers - Raterman, Nance (2), Lalor (2), Hoover (2), Sant (2), Applewhite (4), Mackay (4), Malott (4)

Fordham Dayton

1st 16 30

2nd 21 32

Women 1000-yard Freestyle -1. Wessel, Fordham, 10:45.15, 2. McGovern, Fordham, 10:52.82, 3. Morton, Fordham, 11:00.76.

Men 1000-yard Freestyle - 1. Kosciuk, Fordham, 10:06.27. 2. Grimmet-Norris, Fordham, 10:09.43.

Women 200-yard Freestyle-1. Field, Fordham, 1:55.67. 3. Lyver, Fordham, 1:58.61. 4. Peschke, Fordham, 2:02.51.

Men 200-yard Freestyle -2. Yi, Fordham, 1:44.88. 4. Alemann, Fordham, 1:51.48. 5.

Nowak, Fordham, 1:53.79.

Women 50 Yard Freestyle- 1. Ryan, Fordham, 24.38. 5. Santoro, Fordham, 26.95.

6. Deputato, Fordham, 28.66.

Men 50 Yard Freestyle - 1. Noguchi, Fordham, 21.70. 2. Mulligan, Fordham, 22.65.

3. Schneck, Fordham, 23.31. .Women 200 Yard IM - 1. O’Keefe, Fordham, 2:15.32. 2. Warren, Fordham, 2:15.61. 3. Coe, Fordham, 2:18.50.

Men 200 Yard IM - 3. Strong, Fordham, 2:05.19. 4. McManus, Fordham, 2:05.25.

6. Lusardi, Fordham, 2:08.44.

Women 1 Meter Diving - 1. Krok, Fordham, 265.65. 3. Salas, 239.48.

Men 1 Meter Diving - 1. Wong, Fordham, 212.77.

Tot 47 56

Fordham 37-62 Dayton

Totals

Women 200-yard Medley Relay-1. Fordham (Chappell, Bunster, Ryan, Biagioli), 1:50.76.

Men 200-yard Medley Relay-1. Fordham (Morris, Yi, Simpkins, Noguchi), 1:39.42.

17-55 4-16 8-13 38 6 46

Blocks - Gaskin, Tapio (2) Steals - Stoddart, Peters, Durant, Corning (2), Collins (2) Turnovers - Gaskin, Stoddart, Sims, Tapio, Durant (2), Corning (4), Collins (4), Peters (5)

Blocks - Bristol (2), McMillan

Women Fordham 184-96 Iona

Tot 37 62

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Women 100 Yard Butterfly - 1. Collyer, Fordham, 57.40. 2. Jones, Fordham, 1:00.05. 3. Morton, Fordham, 1:00.28.

Men 100 Yard Butterfly - Morris, Fordham, 52.83. 3. Simpkins, Fordham, 54.89. 4. Dwyer, Fordham, 55.20.

Women 100 Yard Freestyle - 1. Bunster, Fordham, 54.88. 3. Carter, Fordham, 55.95. 4. Chappell, Fordham, 56.11.

Men 100 Yard Freestyle- 1. Yi, Fordham, 48.34. 2. Schneck, Fordham, 49.87. 5.

Begley, Fordham, 52.54.

Women 100 Yard Backstroke- 1. Tomimatsu, Fordham, 1:00.64. 2. McKenna, Fordham, 1:02.14. 5. Conroy, Fordham, 1:09.59.

Men 100 Yard Backstoke - 1. GrimmetNorris, Fordham, 55.02. 2. Hendrickson, Fordham, 57.98. 3. Strong, Fordham, 58.46.

Women 500 Yard Freestyle - 1. Kaftan, Fordham, 5:18.61. 3. Karpinski, Fordham, Fordham, 5:31.82. 5. Moseley, Fordham, 5. 38.71.

Men 500 Yard Freestyle - 2. Belfanti, Fordham, 4. 56. 79. 4. Burbidge, Fordham, 5.02.86. 5. Nowak, Fordham, 5:07.59.

Women 3 Meter Diving - 1. Krok, Fordham,248.92. 3. Salas, Fordham, 228.45 Men 3 Meter Diving - 1. Wong, Fordham, 205.95.

Women 100 Yard Breaststroke - 2.

McGovern, Fordham, 1:11.54. 3. Coe, Fordham, 1:12.76. 5. Biagioli, Fordham, 1:14.35.

Men 100 Yard Breaststroke- 3. Hines, Fordham, 1:02.46. 4. Mulligan, Fordham, 1:04.26. 6. Lusardi, Fordham, 1:07.93.

Women 200 Yard Freestyle Relay - 1.

Fordham A (McKenna, Karpinski, Chappell, Wessel), 1:43.05. 2. Fordham B (Moseley, O’Keefe, Warren, Carter), 1:44.24. 3.

Fordham C (Santoro, Kaftan, Deputato, Conroy), 1:49.73.

Men 200 Yard Freestyle Relay - 2. Fordham B (Burbidge, Kosciuk, Begley, Noguchi), 1:30.60. 3. Fordham A (Belfanti, Hendrickson, Alemann, Morris), 1:31.96.

4. Fordham C (Simpkins, Nowak, Dwyer, McManus), 1:33.79.

SPORTS

PAGE 18 THE RAM • JANUARY 25, 2012

Senior Profile: Swimmer Chris Schneck

By TIM DEROCHER STAFF WRITER

CHRISTIAN BEAULIEU While the NFL offseason usually yields optimism and promise for the season to come, little could be mustered by the majority of the New York Giants’ faithful. Injuries ravaged the defense even before the first snap. Going into the 2011 regular season, the Giants’ roster was filled with question marks.

The Giants’ season changed when Victor Cruz salsa danced into the headlines and households of America as Eli’s new favorite target. While his 82 receptions for 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns tell the story of his dominance on the field, his Hollywood-esque story embodies his determination and will.

Cruz’s journey began as a wide receiver at Paterson Catholic High School in New Jersey. He signed a letter of intent to play college football at the University of Massachusetts. Due to academic shortcomings, however, he was forced to put off his enrollment to UMass, instead enrolling at Bridgton Academy, a prep school in Maine. After eventually making his way to UMass, Cruz was declared academically ineligible, resulting in his dismissal from the university in 2007. Cruz was forced to enroll in community college, with the lone goal of making it back to UMass. Later that year, Cruz achieved that goal with a new focus and determination. He finished out his junior and senior seasons as a starting receiver and an impact player for the Minutemen.

Despite a strong finish to his college career, Cruz went undrafted in 2010. The Giants were the lone team to invite him to a free agent workout. Cruz took advantage of the opportunity, earning himself an invite to Giants’ training camp.

His 297 yards on 15 receptions and four scores in the preseason earned Cruz a spot on the Giants’ 53-man roster.

Still, he failed to record a catch before a hamstring injury ended his rookie campaign.

Going into this season, Cruz was buried on the depth chart.

An opportunity presented itself early in the season when Mario Manningham and Domenik Hixon went down with injury. Cruz scorched the Philadelphia Eagles in week three for two touchdowns and 110 yards, thus starting his fairy-tale season.

Cruz proved his ability to score from anywhere on the field with touchdowns of 68, 72, 74, 74 and 99 yards on the season. Cruz’s defiance of the odds in achieving success goes to show that determination and perseverance are fuel for electrifying receptions, celebratory salsa dances and, hopefully for the Giants and their fans, a Super Bowl ring.

For the past four years, Ram swimmer Chris Schneck has been an integral part of the men’s swimming team, both in the lane as a competitor and as an all-around leader for his team. Having scored at the Atlantic 10 Championships in the butterfly event multiple times, and also scoring at the dual meets consistently, he earns his title of captain on the team. It is not just his athletic performance that makes Schneck such a good leader though. During both his sophomore and junior years, Schneck was named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

This season Schneck is looking to improve both individually and as a team as the A-10 Championships draw nearer. Schneck is already enrolled in the graduate school and is majoring in business administration. Schneck is from Lower Gwyneed, Pennsylvania and attended Wissahickon High School.

The Ram: What made you choose Fordham?

Chris Schneck: Being from Philadelphia, I wanted a school that was close enough to home that I could go home whenever I wanted to. When I visited Fordham, I loved the suburban campus and the fact that it was so close to Manhattan. Also, I knew I wanted to study business and swim, and Fordham is great for both.

TR: How did you first get into swimming?

CS: I first started swimming in my local summer league when I was seven. My older sister had been on the team so she convinced me to give it a try. Once I got to

high school, I really started enjoying the sport and started focusing on swimming ahead of the other sports I was doing.

TR: As a senior captain, how has it been different leading your team?

CS: Being a senior really brings a lot of responsibility compared to the other years I have been on the team. For one, it’s really our responsibility to make sure the freshmen on the team are adapting well to the college life and helping them do the right things from the beginning to balance school and swimming. Additionally, as a captain, it’s our job to make sure the team is always having a positive attitude even when times get tough and keeping a good example for everyone to make sure the team is always working as hard as possible.

TR: Being enrolled in the graduate school majoring in business administration, what do you plan on doing after school?

CS: Starting this summer, I will be working as an analyst for Duff & Phelps in New York. They are a financial advisory company that specializes in asset valuations.

TR: What are your individual goals for the rest of your senior season?

CS: My individual goals for the rest of the season are to improve my times as much as possible in the rest of the dual meets we have.

At championships, I would like to place in the top eight in both the 100 and 200 butterfly.

TR: Last year at the Atlantic 10 Championships the team placed sixth, and you placed in the 100

RAM ARCHIVES

Chris Schneck, a captain of the men’s swimming team, has competed in the Atlantic 10 Championships over the past few years.

and 200 butterfly events. How do you plan on improving on this?

CS: Right from the beginning of the season, our team has been working really hard with the goal of improving from our sixth place finish. Whether it has been in the pool or in the weight room, our team has stepped it up a lot this year in our training, and it has shown in our times so far this year. Our coaches brought in a great freshman class which should really help us replace the seniors we lost last year. At this point, it’s important that we really focus for the next six weeks on our training, and I think we will be able to do some great things at championships.

TR: Being from Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania, are you a big

Philly sports fan?

CS: I’m a huge Philly sports fan.

Phillies, Eagles, Sixers, and the Flyers are who I cheer for all the time. It’s been fun because most of my friends are from the New York area, so we’ve had some good times watching New York and Philly play each other.

TR: What is your favorite moment as a member of the Fordham swimming team?

CS: My favorite moments have been the training trips we go on each winter break. This past break, we went to St. Croix, and it’s a really good time for us to bond as a team. Although the training is very hard, we always manage to have a lot of fun.

Women’s Swimming Wins One as Men Split Matches

By TIM DEROCHER STAFF WRITER

After a few weeks off for the Christmas holidays, the Rams’ swimming and diving teams were back in action last weekend with two dual meets against Iona and La Salle.

The women swept the meets, beating the Gaels 184-59 and the Explorers 160-140. This brings the women’s dual meet record up to 6-1 this season.

The men’s team fared equally well against Iona, defeating the Gaels by a score of 135-96, but came up short against La Salle, losing 163-133.

The men’s squad now has a dual meet record of 2-6 thus far this season.

In New Rochelle, the women won 12 of the 13 events. In the individual events, senior Alexandra Wessel won the 1000 freestyle in 10:45.15.

Sophomore Kara Field won the 200 freestyle in 1:55.67. Junior Brienne Ryan won the 50 freestyle in 24.38.

Freshman Aurelia O’Keefe won the 200 intermediate in 2:15.32.

Senior Courtney Collyer won the 100 butterfly in 57.40. Senior Kelly Bunster won the 100 freestyle in 54.88.

Freshman Jordan Tomimatsu won the 100 backstroke in 1:00.64.

Rounding off the individual wins was senior Giulia Kaftan in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:18.61. The women also swept the diving events as senior Andrea Krok took home the one-meter and three-meter events.

Krok scored 265.65 and 248.92 in them respectively. Lastly, the women won both relays of the meet as well. Bunster and Ryan were joined by freshman Spencer Chappell and junior Alana Biagioli to win the 200 medley relay in 1:50.76.

The 200 freestyle relay was conquered by the team of Chappell, Wessel, freshman Maureen McKenna and junior Tracy Karpinski, clocking in at 1:43.05. Against the Gaels, the men won eight events including an additional sweep of the dives. Junior Kevin Wong won the one-meter with a score of 212.77 and the three-meter with a score of 205.95.

The 200 medley relay team consisting of junior Devon Morris, junior Thomas Yi, freshman Brennan Simpkins and sophomore Shintaro Noghuchi won in a time of 1:39.42. Noguchi went on to win the 50 freestyle in 21.70.

His other teammates of Mor-

ris and Yi also won an additional event each, with Morris taking home the 100 butterfly in 52.83 and Yi winning the 100 freestyle in 48.34.

Sophomore Michael GrimmettNorris won the 100 backstroke in 55.02. Finishing up the scoring for the men was freshman Kevin Kosciuk, who won the 1000 freestyle in 10:06.27.

Against La Salle, the women managed to once again sweep the relays and the diving events.

Krok won the three-meter with a score of 304.50. Senior Elizabeth Dorger joined her by scoring a 292.95 in the one-meter dive.

Ryan, Collyer, Bunster and Biagiloi took home the 200 medley relay in 1:47.70. Ryan, Biagioli, Wessel and freshman Ariana Peschke won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:33.34. Collyer and Ryan then both won two additional individual events. Collyer won the 200 butterfly in 2:06.77 and the 200 individual medley in 2:06.83.

Ryan swept the backstroke events, winning the 100 in 55.30 and the 200 in 2:01.68.

On the men’s side Thomas Yi won three races: the 100 backstroke in 53.28, the 200 backstroke in 1:55.02 and the 200 intermediate in 1:57.64.

His teammates Noguchi and

Morris each took back a win as well. Noguchi won the 200 butterfly in 1:55.67 while Morris won the 100 freestlyle in 47.14. The pair of them joined freshman Pat Militti and sophomore Nick Belfanti to win the 400 freestyle relay, clocking with a time of 3:10.06.

Capping off the week was the Rams’ sweep of the Atlantic 10 Performers of the Week awards.

Krok won her first weekly award for the Rams while Yi received his second of the season so far.

Krok won three of the four diving events in their last two dual meets and broke her own school record with a score of 304.50 in the three-meter dive. That dive made her the first woman to break 300 and also qualifies her for the NCAA Zone Diving. Yi had four individual event wins to his name over the same two dual meets. He won the 100 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 200 backstroke and 200 yard individual medley.

The men will look to improve upon on their 2-6 record when they travel to Piscataway, New Jersey to take on the Rider Broncs on Jan. 28.

The women will look to continue their winning ways as they join the men in New Jersey, where they will take on Rider and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Indoor Track & Field Has Successful Holiday Season

By KELLY KULTYS ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

While many of us used the winter break to relax and get ready for the next semester, the Fordham men’s and women’s winter track teams remained busy, competing in five events since Dec. 2. The teams took part in the Fordham Season Opener on Dec. 2, the Christmas Classic on Dec. 9, the Rutgers Invitational on Jan. 7, the NYC Gotham Cup on Jan. 13 and most recently, the Yale Invitational on Jan. 14.

Both the men’s and women’s teams got off to a great start at the Season Opener, claiming 10 events that day. On the women’s side, senior Elisabeth Warren won the 400 meter dash (1:01.6). Junior Courtnay Newman placed first in the high jump (5’1”). Senior Kelly Connolly took the top collegiate time in the 800 meter run (2:21.4).

On the men’s side, sophomore David Fajoyomi won the 60-meter dash (6.9), as well as the high jump (6’ 3/4”). Senior Nick Delligatti finished first in the 400-meter dash (51.2). Junior Sean Atkinson won the 800-meter run (1:57.5). The sprint medley relay team, Delligatti, Atkinson, senior Frank Massaro and sophomore Ryan Polo, placed first (3:41.4). Freshman Jon Annelli took home the top time in the 3,000-meter run (9:00.2).

In the teams’ next event, the Christmas Classic, the Fordham men and women combined for the top spot in 12 events. On the men’s side, junior Keegan Talty won the pole vault event (13’ 11 1/4”). Fajoyomi took home the top spot in the high jump and junior Daniel Chediak won the men’s hurdles (8.6). Atkinson claimed first in the 500 meter dash and junior John Cosgrove took the top spot in the 1,000 meter run (2:31.4). Finally, the 4x400 relay team of Rossi, Delligatti, Cosgrove and Atkinson placed first with a time of 3:24.1.

On the women’s side, Warren won the long jump (17’ 8”), freshman Hailey Cox took first in the triple-jump event (32’ 2 3/4”) and Newman won the high jump (5’ 3”). Sophomore Averie Sheppard claimed the top time on the hurdles (9.4), while sophomore Titi Fagade took first in the 500-meter dash (1:18). Finally, sophomore Anisa Arsenault placed first in the 3,000 meter run (9:57.8).

At the third event, the Rutgers Invitational, Fordham took the top spot in five events, as Atkinson broke

the school record for the 500 meter dash with a time of 1:03.06.

“This was especially impressive for Sean because the track was 330 meters instead of the standard 200 or 400 meters, making the races awkward,” Arsenault said.

On the men’s side, Cosgrove took home first in the 800 meter race (1:55.30) while sophomore Kevin Harvey won the 3,000-meter run (8:56.33). Finally, the 4x800 relay team took home first with a time of 7:58.93. On the women’s side, graduate student Erin Lunny won the 3,000-meter run (10:05.27), while the 4x800 relay team placed first with a time of 9:42.15.

The Fordham teams had two events within two days, so the teams split between the NYC Gotham Cup and the Yale Invitational. At the NYC Gotham Cup, Fordham turned in three season-best performances. Newman took second in the high jump with a 5’5”. Talty placed eighth overall in the pole vault with 14’ 3 1/4”. Finally, freshman Lourenzo Smith placed 21st in the 60-meter dash with a season best 7.05 seconds.

Fordham finished strong at the Yale Invitational with four IC4A qualifying times along with ten season best performances. On the women’s side, Arsenault (5:10.03), Lunny (5:12.97) and freshman Emily Osman (5:16.67) placed in the top 10 in the mile run. Connolly (2:22.46) and Fitzgerald (2:27.29) placed in the top 10 for the 800-meter event. Freshman Jillian Brooks, freshman Mara Lieberman, Fagade and Osman took home the top spot in the women’s 4x800 relay (9:30.72).

“Our best results were probably at Yale. On the women’s side, we put together a winning 4x800 relay of three freshmen and a sophomore.

Having that younger talent is very promising,” Arsenault said.

On the men’s side, Annelli had a season best time for the mile (4:24.55), while Atkinson posted an IC4A qualifying time for the 400 meters (49.1). Sophomore Sean Collins had a season best time of 8.72 in the 60 meter hurdles and qualified with sophomore Ryan Polo, junior Julian Saad and Cosgrove as a member of the distance medley relay team (10:00.07).

“Our goal for the season is to have as many IC4A/ECAC qualifiers as possible,” Arsenault said.

The track teams return to action on Jan. 26th for the start of the Metropolitan Championship.

JANUARY 25, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 19

SPORTS

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

A statue dedicated to Paterno stands outside Penn State’s Beaver Stadium, honoring the legendary Nittany Lions coach.

By CHESTER BAKER SPORTS EDITOR

It’s amazing how quickly things can change. In the span of a couple months, Joe Paterno went from being a college football icon to a hated man and then to a cancer patient. Now, Joe Pa has lost his final battle and left behind a legacy that we may never be able to make sense of.

By now, we all know the story of the child sex scandal that shattered the tradition of Penn State football.

Paterno received information from a graduate assistant, who said that he had witnessed former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky having sex with a young boy in the team showers. Paterno went to the athletic director of the university with this report but never called the police. He had been told from an eyewitness that a friend of his was having sex with a 10-year-old child, and all Paterno did was tell someone else within the school.

Why didn’t he call the police?

This will probably be the question that looms over his legacy forever. Despite everything he did for the university, all of the kids he graduated in the program, all of his community work, all of his records...this will be the thing for which most people will remember him. And maybe it should be.

Paterno gave his last interview to The Washington Post about a week ago and was asked why he did not do more.

“I didn’t know exactly how to handle it, and I was afraid to do something that might jeopardize what the university procedure was,” he said. “So I backed away and turned it over to some other people, people I thought would have a little more expertise than I

did. It didn’t work out that way.”

Any idiot knows that if someone tells you point-blank that they saw a kid getting raped, the first thing you do is call the cops.

Mike McQueary, the graduate assistant who reported to Paterno, is also to blame. He too should have just called the cops. If nothing else, they should have at least looked into it a bit more, and then called the cops. The fact that it took almost ten years from the time Sandusky was caught for him to be locked up shows that they never fully did their duty as ethical people.

I understand the side that proclaims he did not abuse the kids, and that he did tell someone. Of course, there is an argument that he made Penn State what it is. And he did. Without him, that school would be nowhere near as popular and their trophy case not nearly as full. So looking at it from a sports perspective, maybe those accomplishments really do outweigh it all. In a sports world, maybe what he did not do is overshadowed by what he did.

But when thinking about it simply as people, without any sports knowledge or affiliation, how can we let this guy off the hook? He knew that children were being raped in his team locker room, yet he did not call the police.

Take all of it away — the national championships, the library he built for the school, the peach ice cream named for him at a local store — and simply play out the scenario. A man trying to do the right thing would not simply tell a person with more power and call it a day on the situation.

Now, some will ask, “How can you just take all of that out of the equation? That was his entire life’s

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Thursday Jan. 26

Friday Jan. 27

Men’s Basketball

Women’s Basketball Indoor Track & Field Swimming

Squash

PHOTO BY AARON MAYS/THE RAM

The Fordham Indoor Track & Field team will next be in action Thursday.

work, that has to count for something.” Of course it does. Paterno did more for that school than anyone has ever done for any other school, and he will occupy the record books of college football for as long as there are record books.

But when did we become a society that values football wins and university traditions more than the safety of children? Maybe we actually have reached that point, but I wish that were not the case.

There are also people who will argue that he did not actually do anything illegal. Paterno was under no criminal investigation at the time of his death, but there is legality and then there are ethics.

Can you honestly look someone in the face and tell that person that Paterno did everything ethical in his power to stop Sandusky from terrorizing those kids? I know that I can’t.

I loved Paterno before all of this broke out. I thought he was one of the funniest figures in all of sports.

It’s hard not to root for an old man rocking mid-shin socks with his pants tucked in. It’s also hard not to root for a guy who wore the thickest glasses in the history of glasses. It’s even harder not to root for a guy for whom everyone else in the world was rooting, and who simply won games. But it’s impossible to root for someone who allowed what transpired in his own facility.

So as Penn State goes on without their legendary coach, those children will have to live with the haunting memories of what Sandusky did to them and what could have been done to stop it. I want to feel sorry for Joe Paterno. I really do. He was a legend in every single sense of the word. But I just feel so much worse for those kids.

Saturday Jan. 28

Sunday Jan. 29

Monday Jan. 30

Tuesday Jan. 31

Wednesday Feb. 1

GWU 1p.m.

at Temple 7p.m.

at UMass 5 p.m.

LASALLE 12 p.m.

Metropolitan Championships New York, N.Y. at Rider 10 a.m CONN COLLEGE and MIDDLEBURY

Men’s Tennis

at Columbia 7 p.m.

Women’s Tennis

at Fairfield 7 p.m.

JANUARY 25, 2012

PAGE 20

Estwick’s Late Three Lifts Fordham Over URI

By ERIK PEDERSEN STAFF WRITER

This season, the men’s basketball team has seen consistent home success, with equally consistent road futility. Both trends continued last week for the Rams.

Senior forward Alberto Estwick scored a season-high 18 points, including a game winning threepointer with 28 seconds left to lead Fordham to a 66-64 win over Rhode Island on Wednesday night. The Rams picked up their first Atlantic 10 victory of the season despite star junior forward Chris Gaston playing only 13 minutes after he was ejected late in the first half.

The result improved Fordham’s home record to 7-2. The team has only one win away from the Rose Hill Gym, however, and the Rams suffered their worst loss in two years three days later at Saint Bonaventure, losing 95-61.

After a back-and-forth second half on Wednesday, with six lead changes, Fordham trailed by one in the last minute when sophomore guard Branden Frazier drove to the basket and found Estwick alone in the corner. Estwick, who previously had not scored more than seven points in a game this season as he adjusts to his new bench role, nailed the decisive shot to keep Rhode Island winless in the A-10.

“I’m thrilled for Alberto,” Head Coach Tom Pecora said. “He’s a senior who stuck in there through good times and bad times and tolerated everything. When he took that last shot in the corner, I was like if anyone deserves to make it, it’s this kid.”

According to Pecora, Gaston was thrown out after the officials determined that he directed a punch at

RAM ARCHIVES

Senior guard Alberto Estwick made a three-point shot with 10 seconds to go to give Fordham the victory over Rhode Island.

Rhode Island freshman forward Jonathan Holton with 1:02 left in the first half. Gaston was also suspended for Saturday’s game against the Bonnies as a result of the flagrant-two foul.

“They went to the tape, apparently they said that he was smacked in the face with a backhand, but then he swung at the guy with a closed fist,” Pecora said. “He’s got to have more savvy than that; he’s got to realize how important he is to us. With greatness comes responsibility. You can’t lose your composure.”

Gaston’s ejection could be considered the low point of an up-anddown first half for Fordham. Rhode Island jumped out to an early 11-2 lead, and Pecora subbed out every starter except sophomore guard Branden Frazier before the first media timeout.

Led by Frazier and Estwick, who each scored 12 first-half points, Fordham slowly began to chip away at the early deficit. Estwick hit a jumper with six seconds left in the half to give Fordham a 40-38 lead,

its first of the game.

“When Chris went out, I just kept talking to the team, making sure they stayed focused and kept playing hard,” Estwick said.

Frazier led Fordham with 19 points and six assists. Wednesday marked the fourth straight conference game in which Frazier scored at least 19 points.

“It was challenging losing our leading scorer and our best rebounder,” Frazier said. “It was a close game, it was a tough one, but it was a big win for us.”

After Estwick’s go-ahead threepointer, Rhode Island had two chances to tie or take the lead. With 10 seconds left, Holton missed an uncontested layup which would have tied the game. Fordham gave Rhode Island another chance, however, after freshman guard Bryan Smith stepped out of bounds on the ensuing possession.

Rhode Island was unable to take advantage of the turnover. Sophomore guard Billy Baron, who led all scorers with 22 points, missed a con-

tested three-pointer as time expired to allow Fordham to hold on for the win. Fordham snapped a threegame losing streak to improve to 8-9 on the season (1-3 in the A-10). The Rams also snapped an eight-game losing streak against Rhode Island, which fell to 3-16 (0-4 in the A-10).

“The expression I’ve been using lately with [the team] is that it’s not who we play, it’s how we play,” Pecora said. “It’s about us, and I think this game will go a long way in them believing.”

The optimism from Wednesday night did not last long.

Without Gaston, Fordham traveled to upstate New York on Saturday. The team was looking to end a 23-game road losing streak in A-10 games. They were thoroughly dominated by the Bonnies, however, trailing 49-18 at the half and ultimately losing by 44 points. The defeat was the worst for Fordham since a 48-point loss to Xavier in January of 2010.

“From heaven to hell in one week,” Pecora said.

Already short on depth up front due to Gaston’s suspension, the Rams were further limited by sophomore forward Marvin Dominique (Gaston’s replacement) and senior center Kervin Bristol getting into early foul trouble. Both players were non-factors, playing a combined 29 minutes while contributing only six points and three rebounds.

Fordham never led in the game.

The team shot only 29.1 percent from the field and was out-rebounded 45-27. Despite the blowout score, Pecora stayed with his normal rotation throughout the game. Freshman forward Luka Zivkovic was the only seldom-used player to receive playing time late.

“I wanted to let them feel this in their gut and maybe it will have an impact on them,” Pecora said. “If they’re sitting on the bench and the walk-ons are getting tattered, I don’t think it has much of an impact.”

With the loss, Fordham is now 1-8 on the road this season, with six of the losses coming by a double-digit margin. The team’s next game will be Wednesday night at Richmond (119, 2-3 A-10), and Pecora is looking for his experienced players to step up away from Rose Hill.

“We’ve got to get the veterans playing,” he said. “When we win on the road in this league it will be because we get big games from Bristol, Estwick and Gaston, and then the young guys will follow suit.”

Pecora added that Bristol missed practice Monday due to the flu and could miss Wednesday’s game.

Freshman center Ryan Canty would be his replacement.

After facing the Spiders, the Rams will return home Saturday afternoon to face George Washington. The Colonials are 3-2 in the A-10 despite an 8-11 overall record.

Fordham Racking Up Big Wins at Rose Hill

By NICK CARROLL STAFF WRITER

When Head Coach Tom Pecora came to Fordham he preached the importance of establishing a homecourt advantage. He went about trying to create student interest by the creation of Ram Town, by delivering pizza to dorm buildings and by sending out campus-wide emails reminding the students of upcoming games.

Now, only two seasons into Pecora’s tenure at Fordham, he can see the fruits of his labor, at least at home.

Over Christmas break, Fordham took out Georgia Tech, the first Atlantic Coast Conference team to come to Fordham since 1964, and quickly followed that up by beating Harvard. Beating Harvard, who came into the game ranked 22nd in the AP poll , snapped a 54-game losing streak to AP-ranked opponents that dated back to 1978.

“I got tremendous response from alumni all over the world,” Pecora said. “It puts you on the map.”

Even though it was late December, the Rose Hill Gym was sold out,

not missing a beat despite the campus lacking its students. Highlighted by those two wins, Fordham is 7-2 at Rose Hill, despite an 8-10 record overall.

“We’ve talked about making this the toughest place to play in the country, and when it’s packed and people are making noise, it is,” Pecora said.

Last year, the team also had success at Division-I’s oldest gym, going 6-6 at Rose Hill and 1-15 anywhere else, including the IZOD Center, where the team played four of its home games. As everyone knows by now, that home slate featured the team’s big win over tournamentbound St. John’s.

“We feel really confident here,” sophomore guard Branden Frazier said. “Playing at home we draw a big crowd and that helps us a lot, and winning big games such as Georgia Tech and Harvard, and being close with Xavier, and I feel like the crowd gives us an upper hand at home and we feel more comfortable and confident.”

Fordham has had so much success at Rose Hill that it is becoming

difficult for Pecora to schedule bigname opponents at the small gym.

According to Pecora, St. John’s is no longer open to playing at Fordham, and the Red Storm is not alone.

“After the Georgia Tech game, [Georgia Tech Head Coach] Brian Gregory said, ‘this is why people don’t come into Rose Hill, this is why ACC teams don’t come to Rose Hill to play,’” Pecora said. “In some cases we might be able to pull off a home-and-home with an opponent and get that team to come in and play us here, but it’s going to be really difficult. I think most of those marquee games are going to be played in the Garden or in the Barclays Center.”

Despite the growing success Fordham has had at home, the next step is to win road games.

“We’re pretty young,” Frazier said.

“As we grow on the basketball court, and learn to be what we need to be and listen to coach, that’s when we’ll be better.”

“Those wins, hopefully we’ll look back on those when we build this into what we think it can be and they’ll be landmark wins for us and this program,” Pecora said.

PHOTO BY SIMON SULIT/THE RAM

Home court advantage has proved to be a key factor for the Rams this season.