Sports PAGE 24
Opinions PAGE 11
Culture PAGE 15
Bishops call into question Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget proposal.
Fashion for Philanthropy donates to Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Baseball wins a conference series against LaSalle.
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SERVING THE FORDHAM UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY FOR OVER 90 YEARS
1918-2012
APRIL 25, 2012
VOLUME 94, ISSUE 11
Ramskellar to Become Fitness Center in Fall Facilities Will Begin Construction on May 1; Fitness Center to Have Over 50 Cardio Machines, Spin Room
Undergrad Unveils Secret of N. Korea’s Website By CONNOR RYAN NEWS EDITOR
“When I look back at my time in the White House, what it meant for me, and what it could mean for everybody here, an honor of serving your country,” Fleischer said. “Again, the party you belong to does not matter. The people who are serving President Obama right now. It is one of the most privileged, rare jobs anyone can hold, and it is a job that I wish everyone in this room, if you want it, someday you can have it.”
It took Michael DiTanna, FCRH ’13, a matter of 15 minutes while working on a project for his Korean history class to make a discovery that has since sparked international debate and public shock. The project’s assignment was to explore and research popular media sources and items of propoganda in North Korea, according to DiTanna. He focused on North Korea’s website. “I actually missed class when the materials [for the assigned project] were given out,” the computer science major said recently in an email. “Professor [Yufeng] Mao was kind enough to give me [North Korea’s] official English language website to review.” DiTanna said that he noticed “some common open-source web elements” soon after visiting the website of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. DiTanna noted, specifically, that the main image banner, which sits in the middle of the webpage and transitions through five pictures, inspired him to look further into the website’s structure. DiTanna’s next step was to check the source code of the website and “browse for common signs of a template,” he said. DiTanna reportedly found “mainly instructional coding ‘commented’ out of the actual functioning HTML.” The “commented” code, according to DiTanna, is used to assist web designers in reverse engineering of a template or website. “Envatowebdesign” was located in the code, according to DiTanna, which can be connected to themeforest.com, a website where independent designers sell clients web templates and themes for an average price of $15. The code found on North Korea’s website “gave away the template’s source,” DiTanna said. “I then searched themeforest. com for websites tagged with the ‘piecemaker banner’ that North Korea’s website used,” DiTanna said. “I simply browsed five to 10 sites until I found the matching template.” DiTanna apparently discovered that the template used to create North Korea’s website costs $15 and is available for anyone to purchase.
SEE FLEISCHER, PAGE 2
SEE WEBSITE, PAGE 5
COURTESY OF MARCO VALERA
The Ramskellar, located in the basement of the McGinley Center, is set to become a fitness center; Facilities hopes to have the center open next semester.
By KELLY KULTYS ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
In an effort to continue improving Fordham’s on-campus facilities, the University has decided to convert the Ramskellar, located in the base-
ment of the McGinley Center, into a new fitness center for students. “We’re looking to create an almost commercial-looking gym, like you’d see in New York City,” Marco Valera, vice president of facilities, said. This gym will not replace the one
currently located in the Lombardi Center. The new gym will be used in addition to the existing facilities on campus and will offer students a variety of work-out options. “Athletics is going to monitor the use of both facilities over time,” Val-
era said. The renovations are expected to begin on May 1. The first step of the process will include removing all the current furniture. Then, the facilities staff will begin gutting the current SEE RAMSKELLAR, PAGE 2
Former Press Secretary Speaks to Students Ari Fleischer, Former U.S. Press Secretary for President George W. Bush from 2000 - 2003, Spoke About 9/11, Upcoming Election By EDDIE MIKUS STAFF WRITER
Ari Fleischer, who served as the White House press secretary from 2000 to 2003, spoke at an assembly sponsored by Fordham’s College Republicans organization on Thursday, April 19. During his talk, Fleischer touched on topics that ranged from his upbringing to his White House experiences. Fleischer began his speech by telling students something which he admitted might surprise them. “Before I moved to Washington D.C., where I worked for three congressmen, one senator, and one president of the United States — Republicans all — to begin my Congressional career, I was raised as a liberal Democrat,” Fleischer said. He further described how he became more conservative during his college years in Middlebury, Vermont, until finally becoming a Republican during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. During his speech, Fleischer also spoke about his experiences during two incidents which made American history: the 2000 election and the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Fleischer described being sent to Washington to prepare George W. Bush’s transition into the presidency, despite the fact that a recount in Florida that year delayed the final results of the elections. “When I returned to Washing-
ton, when I got back to that city where I had lived for some 17, 18 years at that point, and when I drove past the White House, I literally averted my gaze,” Fleischer said of his experiences during the year 2000. “I could not let myself look at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, where so many decisions have been made shaping the course not only of American history, but also of world history and world freedom.” Fleischer also had some interesting stories to tell about his experiences on September 11, 2001. Bush was notified of the attacks while visiting a school in Sarasota, Fla. in order to promote his education policy. “I was with [President Bush] all day on September 11,” Fleischer said. “From the moment we walked into that schoolroom in Sarasota, Florida, we knew that the first tower had been hit. The moment that I was in that classroom with the president and Andy Card, the chief of staff, whispered into the president’s right ear ‘The second tower has been hit, America is under attack,’ I was fifteen feet from the other ear.” Fleischer, however, also noted something significant that he himself did on September 11 while traveling with the president on Air Force One. “I spent the entire day in the president’s cabin, writing down everything the president had said,” Fleischer said. “My notes are the
PHOTO BY STEPHEN MOCCIA/THE RAM
Ari Fleischer, former press secretary, spoke to students in Keating Hall last week.
only original notes of what the president of the United States did and said.” Fleischer said that he donated these notes to the Bush Library, which will open next year. Fleischer also managed, to work in a more light-hearted story from his time as press secretary. He told students of an occasion where Bush asked him to play catch on the South Lawn. Fleischer also lectured the assembled students on the importance of serving their country.
PAGE 2 • THE RAM • APRIL 25, 2012
SECURITY
BRIEFS
NEWS
theramonline.com
New Gym Will Double the Size of Fitness Facilities
April 17, Belmont Avenue Gate, 8:00 p.m. A student attempted to enter campus with another student’s ID. The ID was confiscated and returned to the owner. The culprit was reported to a dean. April 18, Salice Hall Second Floor, 8:30 a.m. A smoke alarm went off after a plastic dish came in contact with an active electric burner. The fire department responded to the incident. The alarm was reset and there was neither damage nor injury. April 18, McGinley Center, 7:20 p.m. A student put his red backpack loaded with a Macbook Pro and charger on a bench by the former Ram Van bus stop. He went skateboarding and returned to realize his backpack was gone. Security is investigating the occurrence. April 21, Finlay Hall, 4 a.m. A student reported that an unknown person threw an apple from the top floor of Finlay, which hit her on the back. She neither received nor needed any medical attention. Security is investigating the event. April 21, John Mulcahy Hall, 3 a.m. Three young women were walking on the roadway, when two other individuals made derogatory remarks. A male student who overheard this made a comment to the two individuals. One of the individuals then punched the bystander in the ear. He was not injured and did not receive any medical attention. Security is investigating the event. April 21, Howl at the Moon Bar, Between 1 and 3 a.m. A student reported that she put her purse containing her iPhone on a table inside the bar. She danced and then returned to discover that her phone was missing. Security is investigating the event by checking the bar’s cameras and tracking the phone’s GPS. The student did not want to notify the NYPD regarding the incident. April 21, 188th and Lorillard Place, 2:30 a.m. Two students were walking home to their off-campus housing when they were approached by a group of approximately 10 males. The males demanded that the students surrender their iPhones. When one student attempted to escape, he was knocked to the ground. The students complied and gave up their phones and wallets. One of the males was described to have a medium build with black shaggy hair. The NYPD as called and canvassed the area, but were met with negative results. — Compiled by Karen Hill, Assistant News Editor
COURTESY OF MARCO VALERA
According to design plans, the new fitness center will feature cardio machines, a spin room and a multipurpose room. RAMSKELLAR, FROM PAGE 1
space. One of the most important issues the staff must address is improving the air circulation in the Ramskellar; they are planning to add new air conditioning units. They also have to work with the electrical and plumbing systems. “We’re pushing for opening by the fall semester, which is a very tight schedule,” Valera said. “But that’s our goal.” The Ramskellar is much larger than the current gym in the Lombardi Center. It’s approximately 9,000 square feet, which will allow Fordham to at least double the amount of space students have to work on their health. The office of Facilities Management will also have the ability for some expansion if they need to in the upcoming years. The gym’s new facilities will include a variety of more than 50 state-of-the-art Cybex cardio machines and approximately 20 fixed Cybex stations located around the gym. There will also be a new multipurpose room that can be used as a yoga and dance studio. “Currently, we’re sharing a space [for yoga and dance] in Keating and this [expansion] will really provide the recreation folks’ ability to have many more classes,” Valera said. The new gym will also include more space for free weights that students can use, as well as another room dedicated to over 25 spin bikes. “The team thought that spinning was a very popular class, and so a space was created to host spinning
classes,” Valera said. This gym will also have cubbyholes in which students can safely place their belongings while they work out. It will be a fully staffed facility with greeters and receptionists. For the most part, students are happy about the plans to expand the fitness facilities. “I’m glad that Fordham wants to expand their gym, because the current one is a little small,” Elizabeth Hughes, GSB ’15, said, “But I feel that the placement of the new gym is a little weird.” This is not the first change the Ramskellar has undergone over the years. According to The Ram (V. 92, i. 19), the Ramskellar used to be used as a hangout spot for students in the ’70s and ’80s to “grab a beer and watch the game.” "The ‘Skellar was particularly popular on Thursday nights, which used to be movie night in Keating First," one alumnus, the father of a Fordham senior, said (V. 92, i. 19). "Can't tell you how many times we stopped in for a pitcher before the 8 p.m. movie, only to decide three pitchers later that we were going to the 10:30 show." It also was, and still is, sometimes used as a place for entertainers to perform. In the earlier years, this included many well-known performers like Steve Martin when he began his career. Currently, the Ramskellar is used as a free-space location, where students can eat their Dagger John’s to-go lunches and hang out with friends. It is available for clubs and
organizations to rent out for events, like Campus Activities Board’s Bingo. The Ramskellar is also used currently used as an “events center” to host large amounts of people, such as the lunch reception area for Admitted Students Day or Senior Nights. This causes some to wonder what Fordham will do without the current Ramskellar. According to Valera, the staff listened to these concerns but, after canvassing the entire campus, they believe this was the most beneficial space available. “This space had very little usage over time, and so we did a survey of all space on campus to locate a facility this size, and there were very few locations, frankly,” Valera said. “This one really stood out as the one location that would meet the full program that we’d like to have.” The Facilities Department is also currently in the middle of a few more renovation projects that would open up more community space to replace the Ramskellar’s current functions. “[The users of the Ramskellar will] hopefully be accommodated in other spaces, like the McGinley Center,” Valera said. “We’re currently renovating the meeting spaces, such as the faculty lounge.” In the end, it was decided that the Ramskellar was the best pace to be converted into a new gym to accommodate many students’ needs. “We’ve been looking for a long time for an ideal space to grow, particularly the recreational spaces available for students in the community,” Valera said.
Ari Fleischer Delivers Speech at Fordham FLEISCHER, FROM PAGE 1
He added, “As difficult as it’s been, as rewarding as it can be sometimes [...] it always is important to our nation.” Additionally, Fleischer offered predictions for what will happen this November, when the president, the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate stand for election. Fleischer stated that he believed the House of Representatives will remain in firm Republican hands and that the Senate would gain a narrow Republican majority. He
described the presidential race as being“very much a jump ball.” He backed up his judgment on the presidential race with the evidence, that Obama is currently leading Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee, by an average of three points in all national polls. Fleischer also expressed surprise at this result, as he called many issues Republicans discussed during their primary campaign, “side issues, that in my judgment, were not helpful to the Republicans.” Fleischer was also critical of
Obama, who he felt did not have enough experience to handle the demands of the presidency. Prior to his election in 2008, Obama had served in the Illinois State Senate and completed his first four years of a six-year term as a United States Senator from Illinois. “I think [Obama] is in over his head. I think America is essentially run by a state senator,” Fleischer said, who also mentioned Obama’s failure to carry through on his campaign promises of hope and change.
THIS
week at FORDHAM Thurs., April 26 Commuting Students Association Elections CSA All day Thurs., April 26 30-second Elevator Pitch Ascend Keating 218 1 p.m. Thurs., April 26 “How to Succeed in Life and Business” Bill Rancic Lecture McGinley Ballroom 7p.m. Fri., April 27 “Rambler Games” The Fordham Ramblers Keating 1st 7p.m. Fri., April 27 DJ 3LAU CAB “A” Parking Lot 10 p.m. Sat., April 28 Jay Sean Concert CAB Martyrs’ Lawn 12:30p.m. Sat., April 28 “Jungle Jamboree” Under the Tent Dance RHA Martyrs’ Lawn 9 p.m – 1 a.m. Tues., May 1 Finals Week Giveaway RHA McGinley Center 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Corrections Dr. Beth Knobel, assistant professor of communication and media studies, was incorrectly titled in “Communications Department Offers Brown Bag Lunch Series” [V. 94, i. 10]. The library will open next fall, Monday - Thursday, at 6:30 a.m., not 6:00 a.m. as stated in “Library Hours Extended” [V. 94, i. 10].
NEWS
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APRIL 25, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 3
USG Passes the Torch at Inauguration The Newly-Elected USG Executive Board and Senate Members Take Their Official Oath of Office at the Annual Ceremony on April 19 By KELLY KULTYS ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Students, faculty, administration and a few family members gathered in the McGinley Ballroom on April 19 for the 2012-2013 United Student Government (USG) Inauguration Ceremony. Stephen Erdman, FCRH ’13, and Aileen Reynolds, FCRH ’14, were officially sworn in as the executive president and vice president, respectively. “The ceremony served as the official induction of the new elected members of USG,” Reynolds said. Unfortunately, Erdman was unable to attend the ceremony, since it was his last day of service in the Dominican Republic, but he will return on Saturday to take over his official duties as USG executive president. The ceremony began when Fr. Philip Florio, S.J., led the group in an opening prayer. Angelo Labate, FCRH ’12, the outgoing vice president of operations, then took over conducting the ceremony. Bryan Matis, GSB ’12, the outgoing executive vice president, performed the ceremonial “passing of the gavel” to his successor, Reynolds. “My favorite part was probably Bryan handing me the gavel,”
Reynolds said. “Just because it was a physical representation of the passing of power, and it was funny because he just handed it to me, and I was like, ‘I guess I’m taking this,’ but the physical representation was very real and made me that much more excited to get started.” Caitlin Meyer, FCRH ’12, outgoing executive president of USG, gave a brief speech, which included a reflection on her previous two terms on USG, both as the executive vice president and executive president. She also said how glad she was to leave USG in the hands of Erdman and Reynolds. “[Meyer] expressed her confidence in us leading USG next year,” Reynolds said. “It was really encouraging to hear. We have big shoes to fill, but it was reassuring to hear that she thinks we’ll do a great job.” All of the new members of USG’s executive board and senate then took the official oath of office, led by Christopher Rodgers, dean of students. Reynolds, on behalf of both Erdman and herself, gave the inauguration’s closing remarks. “They had great food after, and my parents came,” Reynolds said, “so it was just a really nice ceremony.” Reynolds and Erdman said they are excited to begin their official
term with their new members. “The senate seats were really contested,” Reynolds said, “and then we had a few competitive e-board elections.” Erdman and Reynolds are not worried that competition will divide USG. In fact, they believe it will be an asset for their government. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem,” Reynolds said. “I think it’ll be a good thing with all different parts of campus coming together on USG now, and especially because this past USG was a lot of continuation from the year before. We had a lot of e-board seniors who had been on it the year before, so this is a new bunch of people coming in. We see it as a great opportunity to bring everyone together.” Erdman and Reynolds said they are ready to officially begin their term with the first meeting on April 26. “I’m so excited,” Reynolds said. “It’s overwhelming; you know, the amount of emails I already get every day. It’s crazy, but I’m excited to take it on. I’m ready. I feel like Stephen and I are prepared, and we have had great mentorship from Bryan and Caitlin.” At their first meeting, Reynolds and Erdman’s goal is to get all the positions to know each other before
diving into actual business. “We’re going to do introductions, so just like making sure everyone gets to know each other,” Reynolds said. “You’re going to be working with them for the entire year, so you have to know names, know basic things about each other. We’re probably then going to go over how the meeting works, and then we already have people sending in initiatives, so there will be a few presentations and throwing ideas around.” Erdman and Reynolds plan to continue their work with USG
throughout the summer months away from Fordham. “Stephen and I really want to emphasize to the Senate and the eboard that the summer isn’t a time to just hang out,” Reynolds said. “It’s actually a really good time to get stuff done, especially because you have more free time and the administration is still on campus. We’re going to encourage brainstorming and teamwork to try and get things going over the summer, so we can be as productive as possible as soon as we come back in the fall.”
PHOTO BY STEPHEN MOCCIA/THE RAM
Newly-elected students are sworn in during a USG ceremony last week.
Respect for Life Week Spreads Awareness Series of Events, Ranging From Guest Speakers to Symbolic Memorials, Shape Fordham’s Annual Respect for Life Week
PHOTO BY MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM
Students camp next to a symbolic cross made of white flags on McGinley lawn.
By KAREN HILL ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
After a year of planning and holding various events such as the March for Life, speeches from various keynote speakers and a conference, the Respect for Life (RFL) club closed its semester with Respect for Life Week. Respect for Life Week or, as it was promoted by the club, Respect “All” Life Week, celebrated the many aspects of what it means to be pro-life. Each day during the week of April 16 through April 20, a different event was held. While RFL is most commonly associated with abortion issues, it has equal interest in topics such as the death penalty, euthanasia and pregnancy resources for underprivileged mothers. “Being ‘pro-life’ is the summary of
our philosophy, which has to be applied to every stage of methodology,” Laura Notess, FCRH ’12 and the club president, said. Throughout the week, RFL promoted its stances on these topics, hoping to educate those on campus and encourage conversation. “The nature of the events we ran — we hoped we would get more of a response from people on the events or on the other side,” Joe Moreshead, FCRH ’14, said. “With neutral subjects, I would have hoped that we would have reached out to the nonclub population.” The first event, held on Monday April 16, was a speech by keynote speaker Marietta Jaeger Lane, entitled “From Fury to Forgiveness: Responding to the Death Penalty.” Lane told her story about how her daughter was kidnapped and murdered in 1973 on a family vaca-
tion to Montana. The murderer had killed three other children, but Lane fought to ensure he would not receive the death penalty. Lane went so far as talk with the murderer’s mother, who had virtually lost her child as well. “The loved ones who have been wrenched from our lives by violent crime deserve more beautiful, noble and honorable memorials than premeditated, barbaric state-sanctioned killings, which create more victims and more grieving families, and which make us become that which we deplore — people who kill people, a horrendous insult to the memory of all our beloved victims,” Lane said. The personal story moved students. “The very personal perspective on how [Lane] came to advocate against death penalty was very powerful,” Notess said. Tuesday’s display was seen by those passing the cafeteria, as the McGinley Lawn was adorned with white flags in the shape of a cross. The white flags represented the 3,700 abortions that occur in the United States every day. The display captured the attention of several students, many of whom stopped to talk to RFL representatives. “We got positive responses and negative,” Notess said. “It’s an emotional topic and triggers emotional responses in people.” Not only was the topic of abortion controversial, but so, too, was RFL’s use of the cross itself. “When I was working my shift for the cross display, someone asked me why it is shaped in a cross and
someone else jumped in to say that the cross that it is a symbol for a lot of different faiths, not just Catholics,” Amy Gembara, FCRH ’14, said in light of her experience. Some other ideas the group had were to form a heart or a fetus but, according to RFL, the cross served best as a memorial to the aborted. The club held an intimate candlelight vigil at the cross. “Members read interdenominational prayer, prayed for mothers in crisis and people on death row,” Moreshead said. “It was expected to be a smaller event, with 20 people mostly members of the club.” In years past, the club had issues with the destruction of its displays. To prevent that, club members camped out overnight. To pass the time, they said the rosary every few hours and sang show tunes and Irish pub songs. On Wednesday, April 18, keynote speaker Dr. Anne Speckhard of Georgetown University Medical Center’s psychiatry department gave the speech “Abortion: The Politically Incorrect Trauma.” Speckhard approached the psychological effects of abortion from an empirical standpoint. “She did not have a stance on abortion, but kept it open for both sides,” Notess said. “Her purpose was to display the research.” Speckhard told stories of women who suffered trauma from their abortions. One mother who had previously terminated a pregnancy decided to keep her next child. When her child would cry at night, however, she could not go past the door to get her baby because she saw what she believed to be a demon in
the rocking chair telling her, “Don’t touch that baby.” This was not believed to be postpartum depression because it occurred beyond the first month of the child’s birth, but rather posttraumatic stress disorder, which can manifest itself months or years after a traumatic event. After the speaker’s presentation, counseling services were offered to anyone who might need it, in light of the traumatic effects of abortion. Thursday, April 19, was the fifth annual Robert Byrn Award Reception. Mary D’Ablemont was the recipient of this year’s award. “Each year, we give an award to someone doing pro-life work in the greater Fordham community,” Notess said. In 1954, D’Ablemont was one of only three female students on campus. Since then, she has gone on to open a maternity home and a pregnancy care network in Yonkers. “It was a small but lovely ceremony, a way of saying thank you for the work you have done,” Megan Langston, FCRH ’14, said. Friday, April 20, the final day, was spent tabling in the McGinley Center as a part of the awareness campaign. Club members handed out fliers with abortion statistics: 41 percent of reported pregnancies in America in 2010 were terminated, according to the website 41percent.com. The website also stated that 51 percent of pregnancies were terminated in the Bronx in 2010. Over the course of the week, the club reached out to a variety of audiences through a series of events in the hopes of educating the Fordham community.
NEWS
PAGE 4 • THE RAM • APRIL 25, 2012
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CAB Announces Guest Lecturer and Comedian Bill Rancic, Entrepreneur and Reality TV Star, to be on Campus Thursday; Comedian Dave Coulier to Close Spring Weekend By KAREN HILL ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Anyone who grew up watching TV knows and loves Uncle Joey, better known as Dave Coulier, and any follower of modern pop culture knows Bill Rancic of “Giuliana and Bill,” and the first winner of “The Apprentice”. These two famous faces are being brought to Fordham by the Campus Activities Board (CAB) as a part of the Spring Weekend lineup. Rancic will be the motivational speaker, sponsored by the American Age Lecture Series, presenting on Thursday, April 26 in the McGinley Ballroom. The doors will open at 7 p.m. and the lecture will be at 7:30 p.m. Coulier will be the featured comedian, sponsored by CAB’s Comedy Committee, performing in the Fordham Prep Auditorium on Sunday, April 29. Rancic is renowned for his speeches on how to succeed in business as he travels around the country talking to various organizations on business topics. Rancic, cum laude graduate of fellow Jesuit institution Loyola University Chicago, is and always has been an entrepreneur. At age 10 he started a pancake company with his grandmother. Out of college he created the multi-million dollar company, Cigars Around the World, which was an online subscription-based cigar distributer. He currently runs a multi-million dollar
real estate enterprise He won the first season of “The Apprentice” which qualifies him to be offer advice on success, in addition to the fact that he is the published author of a New York Times best-selling book You’re Hired: How To Succeed In Business And Life, should suffice. Rancic also wrote a book directed towards young entrepreneurs entitled Beyond the Lemonade Stand. All the proceeds from this book were donated to charity. Philanthropy is a large part of Rancic’s life. He has been on two trips to Haiti to build homes for the victims of the earthquake of 2010. In addition to that, Rancic is a board member for the Mecy Home for Boys and Girls, based out of Chicago. Business and charity are not the only fortes of Rancic; he has also been triumphant in the field of love. His wife is Giuliana Rancic, television host from E! Television. The power couple co-wrote the book I Do...Now What, where they divulge their tips to making love last. While this motivational speech will encourage students to study hard for upcoming exams to succeed, the comedy show will serve as a nice relief from stress. Coulier is most famous for his quirky character of Uncle Joey on “Full House” for eight seasons, from 1987 to 1995. He performed at Fordham in fall 2009. He has since hosted several shows such as ABC’s “America’s Funniest People”,
Nickelodeon’s “Out of Control” and Animal Planet’s “Animal Kidding” — a play on “Kids Say the Darndest Things” but with animals. As displayed on numerous episodes of Full House, Coulier has an interesting array of vocal imitations. He has done voices for “Scooby Doo”, re-syndicated episodes of “The Jetsons”, “Muppet Babies”, “Dexter’s Laboratory” and many more. Coulier does more adult performances with his stand-up comedy, as he has been featured on the “The Tonight Show” and HBO’s “Detroit Comedy Jam” and “Comic Relief”. Since 2004 he has been touring colleges and performing stand up. Apart from his busy career in show business he has a son, Luc, with whom he lives in Los Angeles. He spends his free time with the diverse hobbies of playing ice hockey, flying airplanes and playing golf. Students have given mixed reviews on these guests. At least one student has expressed sarcastic distinterest. “He hasn’t been relevant since 1995,” said Connor Fucci, FCRH ’14. “I’m sure [Coulier] will be a great blast from the past.” The opinion of one other student was more optimistic. “Dave Coulier will be an amazing show,” said Michelle Famulare, FCRH ’14. “I know a lot of people are really excited about it! I love the show ‘Giuliana and Bill’ on the Style Network. I can’t wait to hear him speak.”
COURTESY OF CAB
Bill Rancic will be speaking to students on Thursday in the McGinley Ballroom.
Fordham Holds Its Annual Party With a Purpose:‘Relay for Life’ By SARAH SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER
The origin of the American Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life” event shows that it only takes one person to make a difference, but the progress of the organization proves that the help of others makes an even bigger impact. In the 1980s, Gorsy Klatt, a Tacoma, WA colorectal surgeon, wanted to raise funds for his local American Cancer Society office to show support for his patients who had battled cancer. He decided to take it upon himself to personally raise the money for the fight against cancer. In May 1985, Dr. Klatt spent a full 24 hours circling the track at Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, totaling over 83 miles. 300 of his friends came to show their support and throughout the night friends donated money in order to walk a lap with him. By the end of the day, over $27,000 was raised to help in this fight. The next year, in 1986, 19 teams participated in the event. Fordham’s own Christina Diaz and Lorenzo Ferrigno, both FCRH ’12, have enlisted in this battle by serving as the chairs of Relay at Fordham. This past Friday was the fifth annual Relay for Life at Fordham. The event raised $22,000 to support the fight against cancer. The American Cancer Society was extremely grateful for all of those at Fordham who helped make this year’s Relay possible.
PHOTO BY TOM MERANTE/THE RAM
Two students battle it out in the blow-up jousting area set up as one of the activities held during the Relay for Life event.
“I want to thank the administration, the Relay committee and all the participating students,” Jillian Ladouceaur, the American Cancer Society staff partner for Fordham, said. “The passion of everyone involved is what makes the events so successful and amazing.” This “party with a purpose” featured DJ Pat McCarren, GSB ’14, the Satin Dolls, the Ramblers and the b-Sides. Additionally, all of the teams set up booths around the track with a large assortment of New York-themed goodies,
such as treats from Dylan’s Candy Bar and hot dogs from a street vendor. The event was considered a success by all who attended. “One fun success was that we did a ‘Stop the Bop’ lap, where DJ Pat McCarren played Hanson's ‘Mmm Bop’ until we raised $50 — which was done in under 10 minutes,” Michelle Ioannou, FCRH ’13, said. In addition to the performance groups, the event schedule also included a basketball knockout tournament, a ‘frozen t-shirt’
competition, a scavenger hunt, class pride laps, a volleyball tournament and a toilet paper fashion show. The activities kept all the participants busy and lively while they relayed from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Many different departments and organizations helped make Relay possible. Diaz and Ferrigno wanted to especially thank the FCRH Dean’s Office, Fordham IT, Matt Lee, GSB ’12, Beta Alpha Psi and all the clubs that helped and the businesses that donated items for the raffle.
“We are lucky to have had their continuous support,” Ferrigno said. “We also want to wish Michelle Ioannou the best of luck next year as the new Event Chair.” When walking around the track, one thing that truly made the space different than any other day was the luminaria ceremony. The track was lined with remembrances in honor of someone who has or had cancer. “They serve as a reminder as to who we are fighting for and why we are walking,” Ioannou said. Every year at Relay during this ceremony, there is a caregiver speech given by someone who has had a loved one fight cancer. After this portion, everyone participates in a silent lap. This year, Ferrigno presented a PowerPoint of all the names and pictures of those honored in the luminaria ceremony. It helped make the whole event more personal for everyone participating. The committee was very pleased with the progress of Relay for Life. “I am definitely proud that we made over $22,000!” Ioannou said. “I am even more proud of everyone’s hard work, and I am honored to serve as the new chair next year.” Donations are being accepted up until August 31, so it is not too late to make a donation. If you are interested in serving on the committee next year, Ioannou encourages anyone to reach out by e-mailing fordhamrelay@gmail. com.
NEWS
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APRIL 25, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 5
Student Pushes Fordham Name into Global Spotlight
COURTESY OF KOREA-DPR.COM
Michael DiTanna, FCRH ’13, discovered that North Korea’s website is based on a $15, American-made template, while working on a project for class. WEBSITE, FROM PAGE 1
DiTanna reported his findings to his history class and then quickly tipped off editors at Wired magazine, who published the story via a blog post on April 18. “As it turns out, [the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea website has] an amateurish look,” Spencer Ackerman, a senior reporter at Wired said in the post.
“North Korea’s using a webpage template that costs $15.” Wired confirmed that the website was created using IgniteThemes “Blender” template. Since Wired’s blog post, news outlets from all over the world have gathered to comment on the discovery in the context of North Korea’s political climate, namely the country’s recent rocket failure.
“North Korea has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on its ill-fated rocket program, but when it came time to give its website a facelift, the country decided to go the thrifty route,” The Los Angeles Times wrote on April 21. Keeping in time with the widely-known censorship laws and policies in North Korea, spokesman Cho Son-il told FOX News
that the website is not for citizens. “[It is] for the people outside [the country], to have basic information and a direct connection point with the country,” Son-il said. According to DiTanna, the global debate, established since the discovery was brought to light, is focused on the question of whether North Korea’s website
choice is simply frugal or detrimentally embarrassing. “While I do support the use of templates as a means of accessing beautiful quality work at a cheaper cost than custom work,” DiTanna said, “it is extremely embarrassing for a country to be using a web template.” DiTanna went on to note that while North Korea is “proud of self-sufficiency,” an Americanborn template was used to represent the country. “I had a good laugh at discovering [the template came from America],” DiTanna said. Robert Westmore of South California, the creator of the “Blender” theme, told FOX News that before DiTanna made the discovery, he had no idea that North Korea even had a website. Nevertheless, Westmore likes the idea of his $15 design being used to digitally represent a “high-profile” website. “As a web designer I’m always happy to see my work getting utilized, especially when it’s on a high-profile website,” Westmore said. Aside from the global conversation this exposure has aroused, DiTanna is just proud to push Fordham’s name into the spotlight of international headlines. “The important thing is that Fordham University’s name has been mentioned in every single article [published about North Korea’s website] in hundreds of sources across the world as a result,” DiTanna said.
Fordham Begins Website Reconstruction By KELLY KULTYS ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
The Fordham University website has been a cause of concern for many in the Fordham community due to its outdated, confusing interface. Over roughly the next 18 months, however, the website will undergo an entire reconstruction aimed to alleviate much of the confusion and better market the University to prospective students and faculty. This reconstruction is an enormous undertaking, requiring Fordham to put together a University-wide assessment team that includes members of the Marketing and Communication department, Information Technology (IT), a member of the Provost staff and several faculty members to begin this job. James J. Kempster, senior director of marketing and communications, was asked to assess where he believed the University was at with its current website when he arrived at Fordham last year. “I knew it was an enormous task when we began talking about what has happened [with web design] over the last 10 years and about what we needed to be doing,” Kempster said in a phone interview. Kempster learned that the website had not been updated, with the exception of a “face-lift” in 2008 that was strictly a template renovation.
“The content management system underneath it is very old, and it is time for a change,” Kempster said. Kempster realized that the website is a primary marketing tool for prospective students and faculty, as it is the first impression of Fordham many see. “Almost 20 percent of students that applied had never actually called, or visited or spoke to anyone in person,” Kempster said. “I’m guessing that means that they learned about Fordham through the website and just applied. It shows how important of a tool it is in recruiting.” The website redesign initiative began in June 2011 when Kempster shared his preliminary thoughts with University vice presidents and admission directors. He presented the idea of creating a core team of administration and faculty to direct the process and hire the assessment team. Kempster took their feedback, revised his proposal and presented it to the vice presidents and deans in October 2011. After the October meeting, the group created the assessment team and immediately sent out a request for a proposal to several companies. “We, as a group, selected the top two and invited them in to
present,” Kempster said. “We hired the one that we thought fit best.” The team chose the communication strategy and implementation services company, mStoner. “They’ve worked with a vari-
and staff,” Kempster said. Students should be aware of the fact that they can have an active role in creating the best possible website for Fordham. There are two phases in which they can be involved as of now: assessment and design. Currently, students are involved in the assessment process, discussing how they use the website and what problems they find. “All [the students] say that it’s impossible to navigate, and they can’t find what they need easily,” Kempster said. “They say it seems backward and awkward.” A survey will also be sent out to all students so as many people as possible can participate and share their opinions. Then, once the webdesign starts, they will be invited to share their thoughts and potentially even be testers of the new site. The goals of the assessment team for the new site will include creating better content management and adding a new interface to support many new features. These will include a news feed, videos, a robust calendar that will contain the majority of University events and a better navigation system. “Currently, our website can’t support these features,” Kempster said. “We need to make it
The goals of the assessment team will include creating better content management and adding a new interface. ety of schools, such as William and Mary,” Kempster said. “We went with them, because they had a good sense of us as a University and Fordham’s community, so they were able to understand us and create a website that works well with our needs.” The team’s current goal is to finish the assessment by the end of May. Then, they can lay out the timeline, break it down phase by phase and eventually launch the new website. “We want to take our time and develop something that will work really well with Fordham in terms of the technology, content
easier to update content, because the current system is very old, and it makes an already difficult task even more challenging.” University websites are some of the toughest to design because of the wide range of users. The website must fit the needs of current students and faculty, attract prospective students and staff and please the alumni. “There’s a variety of different users which makes it tough to be streamlined and easy to use,” Kempster said. “We need to work toward making it much easier to navigate while creating a nicer-looking design.” Another issue is that the current staff in charge of the website and its content is understaffed. “Fordham doesn’t have enough full-time staff to be watching and developing web content as well as working with faculty and administration to keep content up-to-date,” Kempster said. “We need to structure the staff that will create, and in the future, maintain [the website].” Many from the outside looking in could believe that 18 months this is an extremely long period of time, but Kempster reiterated the importance of creating a website that is done right. “This is an initiative that includes marketing and communications working closely with IT and the University to make sure that we’re doing this together to create a tool that can be used across the board.”
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APRIL 25, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 7
Spring Weekend Info Spring Weekend Weather Forecast Friday
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No backpacks, lawn chairs, beverages, or any type of food There will be plenty of food and water at the event Wear SUNSCREEN! you can bring two guests with photo ID. No Reentry allowed.
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Think Summer, Think Fordham Summer Session 2012 Session I: 29 May–28 June Session II: 3 July–7 August
Catch up or get ahead! • Human Ecology (BISC 1002) • Major American Authors (ENG 3653) • Drawing I (VART 1150) • Sport Psychology (PSYC 3360) • Or choose from 200 courses available this summer at Fordham University
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APRIL 25, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 9
Dear Fordham Family, It is that time of year again! Spring Weekend 2012 is officially here and CAB is very excited to announce this year’s schedule of events.
You do not want to miss out on all these exciting events! CAB has partnered with USG, RHA, CSA and Peer Educators to bring you a fun and entertaining weekend to celebrate another the close of another great year at Fordham. While participating in this year’s activities we encourage you and your friends to act responsibly, whether on or off campus. As said, we intend for this to be a fun weekend for all students, but it is dependent on the choices we make. Last Spring Weekend many students were hospitalized for reasons related to alcohol and other substance abuse. We want to stress that this behavior is dangerous and can result in serious consequences for students. The hospital is not the place to spend Spring Weekend and it adds stress to a time of year that should be about celebration. So again, please be responsible by drinking lots of water, applying sunscreen and looking out for your friends. We plan on having a great time this weekend and invite you to join us in the festivities! We will have plenty of music, food and of course free Spring Weekend 2012 t-shirts. Let’s make this a Spring Weekend to remember! Best, Melissa Maturo President, CAB
Phil Bellissimo President, Peer Educators
Elisa DiMauro President, RHA
Artie De Los Santos President, CSA
Caitlin Meyer President, USG
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PAGE 10 • THE RAM • APRIL 25, 2012
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Think Summer, Think Fordham Summer Session 2012 Session I: 29 May–28 June Session II: 3 July–7 August
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2:47pm: Colosseum in Rome
APRIL 25, 2012
PAGE 11
Bishops Rightly Criticize Ryan’s Budget Proposal By CANTON WINER ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR
The messages of caring for the needy and loving the poor within the Bible seem to have been lost on Republican House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan and replaced with messages of tax breaks for the rich and oil subsidies. Maybe that explains why the congressman from Wisconsin stated that his Catholic faith contributed to the shaping of his controversial budget plan. The proposal was passed by the House in a vote in which only 10 GOP lawmakers defected and not a single Democrat crossed party lines. It contains tax cuts for the wealthy and massive government spending cuts. About 70 percent of the cuts would be used to finance additional tax cuts, and the rest would be used to reduce the deficit. Ryan’s budget is hardly a courageous, adult or Christian move. Its primary function is nothing more than to publicly and unapologetically criticize President Obama in an election year, not to propose new ways to create jobs, as he would like you to believe. His three big proposals are to drill for oil, to cut taxes for the super-rich and to cut taxes for corporations. His call to increase oil production, frankly, tastes like a stale saltine. The proposed tax cuts for the rich and for corporations are simply yet another Republican attempt to “create
jobs” by stuffing the already bulging pockets of America’s wealthiest and further strain those who are already struggling financially. To add insult to injury, Ryan also slashes government programs that help America’s poor, such as food stamps. All of this is merely recycled, musty old musings from the GOP handbook. What is really surprising about Ryan’s budget is his claim that this budget is the result he arrived at “using [his] Catholic faith” and following Catholic doctrine. If Ryan wants to call his budget a venture to shrink the deficit, fine, but is it the product of Catholic inspiration? I think not. Slashing taxes for the rich and for corporations while drastically cutting food and medical aid to the poor does not reflect Catholic values in any way. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) was quick to notice this as well, pointing out that various aspects of Ryan’s budget failed to live up to Catholic “moral criteria.” The bishops sent letters to various congressional committees that were critical of Ryan’s budget, writing that, “A just framework for future budgets cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor persons…It requires shared sacrifice by all, including raising adequate revenues, eliminating unnecessary military and other spending, and addressing the long-term costs of health insurance and retirement programs fairly.” In a letter to the
ZIA NIZAMI/MCT CAMPUS
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has denounced Paul Ryan’s proposed budget in a series of letters.
Agriculture Committee, the bishops wrote flatly that the “unacceptable cuts to hunger and nutrition” programs should be rejected for “moral and human reasons.” This criticism is not coming from the bongo-bearing crowds at Occupy Wall Street, but from American Catholic bishops. Yet, Ryan tried to diminish the importance of the letters criticizing his budget from the USCCB, saying that the group does not represent all bishops. “These are not all the Catholic bishops, and we just respectfully disagree,” Ryan said on FOX News.
Forgive me if I trust the judgment of America’s bishops more than Ryan’s as to what defines Catholic morality. Furthermore, USCCB spokesman Don Clemmer points out that the letters do, in fact, represent all Catholic bishops. “Bishops who chair USCCB committees are elected by their fellow bishops to represent all of the U.S. bishops on key issues at the national level,” Clemmer said. “The letters on the budget were written by bishops serving in this capacity.” When politicians like Ryan bring religion into politics, they sully both
religion and politics. To heartlessly slash spending for programs that help the needy in order to fill the coffers of the super-rich, and then turn around and claim that God inspired you to do so is just disgusting. Ryan unfairly gives the Catholic faith a bad name when he pretends that kissing the polished shoes of the rich and pushing the needy into the deep end without a life vest is the result of good Catholic conscience. Canton Winer, FCRH ’15, is an undeclared major from West Palm Beach, Fla.
California Universities Move to Acknowledge LGBT Community By AUSTIN THOMAS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
California’s state colleges have a history of being at the forefront of social progressivism, if not outright liberalism. Their latest policy initiative illustrates that this tradition is still very much alive. AB 620 is a law, signed into effect last year, that calls for colleges to implement measures against the harassment and bullying of gay and lesbian students. In response, the University of California (which includes, among other schools, Cal-Berkeley and UCLA) recently approved the inclusion of sexual identity questions on enrollment forms. The California State University system (San Diego State, CSUMonterey Bay, Sacramento State, etc.) may also implement such questions this fall, mimicked soon after by the community college system. These questions are among the first of their kind: Few colleges have explicitly asked about students’ sexual identities. If sexual orientation truly has a genetic base, and counseling, among other support services, is offered with an eye to other genetic factors like race and mental handicaps, then the identification of students’ sexual orientation is long overdue.
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
California state schools may begin asking students on surveys if they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT).
To classify sexual orientation with race, gender and age acknowledges the impact a person’s sexuality may have on his or her self-identification. As a Los Angeles Times article stated, “giving students the opportunity to answer such questions…sends a positive message of inclusiveness to LGBT students and creates an environment that is inclusive and welcoming of diverse populations.” It would certainly seem
that addressing the topic, rather than ignoring it, would help nonnormative students feel less marginalized. Of course, there is always the possibility that students might not answer truthfully because of a perceived stigma attached to certain responses. “This is a particular issue for the LGBT question,” Xavier Montecel, FCRH ’12, said. “While for most questions, students either
answer them or they don’t, with this there’s the possibility of getting a non-truthful answer.” “[This situation is a] catch22 because if the question isn’t voluntary, there’s an invasion of privacy,” Montecel said. “But if it’s voluntary…your results will be skewed.” Even a conservative FCRH freshman (who wished to remain anonymous) conceded that “there’s no reason not to [ask
students]…as long as the questions are not used for admission purposes.” There is some potential for abuse. Some lawmakers are concerned with privacy — and perhaps rightfully so. Since the questions will be voluntary and responses will be used only for student body data collection purposes rather than for admissions decisions, privacy seems like a relatively minor issue in this case. A more realistic problem is the overproliferation of policies, especially in the legislation-happy state of California, where equal treatment usually means “more benefits for everyone” rather than “no benefits for anyone.” While the collection of voluntarily-submitted student data on sexual orientation seems to be a good idea on the surface, the use of said data to influence new policies should be weighed against the economic realities of financially-crippled university systems. Alas, fiscal discipline seems more difficult to impose on the Golden State than does social sensibility. But as surely as “gin” leads “tonic,” a nugget of responsible policy has emerged from the West’s deep blue sea. Austin Thomas, FCRH ’15, is a physics major from Palos Verdes, Calif.
OPINIONS
PAGE 12• THE RAM • APRIL 25, 2012
The Ram Serving campus and community since 1918. The Ram is the University journal of record. The mission of The Ram is to provide a forum for the free and open exchange of ideas in service to the community and to act as a student advocate. The Ram is published and distributed free of charge every Wednesday during the academic year to the Rose Hill, Lincoln Center and Westchester campuses with a readership of 12,000. The Ram office is located in the basement of the McGinley Center, room B-52.
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Editor-in-Chief Connie Kim Managing Editor Olivia Monaco Executive Editors Sarah Ramirez Emily Arata Business Editor Lindsay Lersner News Editor Connor Ryan Assistant News Editors Karen Hill Kelly Kultys Opinions Editor Rory Masterson Assistant Opinions Editors Ricky Bordelon Canton Winer Culture Editor Scharon Harding Assistant Culture Editor Devon Sheridan Sports Editors Chester Baker Dan Gartland Assistant Sports Editor Matt Rosenfeld Copy Chief Taylor Engdahl Copy Team Anisa Arsenault Nikos Buse Isabella Fante Ava Gagliardi Deirdre Hynes Stephanie Kawalski Chris Kennedy Celeste Kmiotek Brian Kraker Cathy Landry Tom Merante Meghan Mulvehill Katie Nolan Erik Pedersen Anna Romagnoli Photo Editor Michael Rezin Design Editor Elizabeth Mallozzi Web Editor Anne Couture Assistant Web Editor Daley Quinn Faculty Advisor Dr. Beth Knobel Opinions Policy The Ram appreciates submissions that are typed and saved on a disk in *.rtf, *.txt or *.doc formats, or sent to the staff via e-mail at fordhamramletters@gmail.com. Commentaries are printed on a space available basis. The Ram reserves the right to reject any submission for any reason, without notice. Submissions become the exclusive property of The Ram and will not be returned. The Ram reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions in The Ram’s editorials are those of the editorial board; those expressed in articles, letters, commentaries, cartoons or graphics are those of the individual author. No part of The Ram may be reproduced without written consent.
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From the Desk of Emily Arata, Executive Editor No man is an island, according to poet John Donne, but Sodexo would argue that some are salad bars. Contrary to the beliefs of our beloved food service company, vegetarians and rabbits need not share the same diet of lettuce, tomatoes and carrots each and every day. In the comfort of my own kitchen at home, I prepare dishes full of eye-catching, colorful raw vegetables and spices. Some of my favorite recipes to cook at home include soft sweet potatoes grilled with cilantro and honey, dal makhani — an Indian black lentil stew — and thick, fragrant pasta e fagioli soup packed with beans and vegetables. When cooking for myself, I make sure that my herbivore diet meets my nutritional needs. At school, however, the story could not be more different. For
almost every single non-breakfast meal, I eat a spinach salad with assorted vegetables. To mix up my diet, there is often-frozen sushi and a stir-fry line that is inevitably miles long. Sodexo seems to misunderstand the fact that I am not simply meat-free for one or two meals a week, but rather every single meal for the foreseeable future. Thus, having a maximum of four or five vegetarian options will not fulfill my dietary needs and the needs of other vegetarians. Where are the portobello mushrooms? The Indian curries full of lentils, chickpeas and the like? The commonly accepted price per meal at Fordham’s cafeteria is $10, once the total price of the meal plan is divided by the amount of meals in the plan. For $10 at the Whole Foods prepared food bar, I could be feasting on
over a pound of raw greens and hearty stews, tailored to provide protein, vitamins and minerals. The same price at our cafeteria gets me a dish of cold, unappetizing food that rarely changes and never satisfies. Furthermore, the cafeteria fails to provide information on its vegetables. I try to focus on eating organically and sustainably — growing my own vegetables or buying from a farmer’s market. Sodexo’s vegetables could be from anywhere and, as far as I know, may be saturated with toxic pesticides. No information is visibly posted in the cafeteria, so that situation is certainly possible. With the recent announcement of a community garden being planted on the Rose Hill campus, I see great things in store for the vegetarians of our community.
Not only would we be able to see our own vegetables growing before our eyes, but perhaps we could also establish a dialogue with Sodexo regarding the needs of both vegetarians and vegans in our community. Once Sodexo understands that the needs of Fordham’s vegetarian community are greater than what is presently being offered, perhaps it will be willing to add a plethora of new recipes to its catalogue. Ratatouille, anyone?
EDITORIAL: Students Seize the Summertime As the sun-drenched days of the semester bring our academic year to a close, The Ram would like to take a moment to reflect on the opportunity that summer vacation provides young, independent students to absorb and reflect on the Jesuit teachings and values ingrained during the busy year. A key point of the Jesuit philosophy is cura personalis — care of the whole person. Although Fordham students are told to take care of their minds, bodies and souls, the stress of the academic year inevitably takes its toll and ends in late-night Pugsley’s and stressful study sessions. While not many Fordham students experience summer vacation in the idyllic manner of children playing at dusk, there are still
plenty of chances for us to ruminate on the lessons of the year and develop our passions. Students stuck in a perpetual “work (and study) to live” mindset, however, often miss out on countless opportunities to expand their awareness and understanding of the world outside of the classroom. When we are completely absorbed with building our futures, it is easy to let the present pass us by. Many undergraduates take on summer employment or internships as a chance to expand their résumés while learning a little more about a chosen industry. While these jobs often involve scanning and getting coffee for superiors, we are lucky enough to be in a position of endless opportunity during an extremely difficult economic time in America.
For the students not lucky enough to find professional placement in “the real world” during the next three months, travel presents an unquantifiable life experience. Whether taking the opportunity to hop a train across Europe while attempting to survive merely on Euros a day (otherwise known as the impossible), or just taking the car upstate to spend a day at a national park, traveling provides the opportunity for selfreflection and quiet time that does not often happen in the chaos and clutter of New York City. We at The Ram hope that our peers take this summer as a chance to step back and assess our many opportunities. A summer at home provides the chance to catch up with old friends and spend qual-
ity time relaxing with family. An internship or job in a new city creates the opportunity to explore while expanding horizons. Overall, summer is the time to step outside of our eight-month routine and contextualize what we are taught here at Fordham. Appreciating the finer things in life, like the boundless creative individuality of New York City in summer, is also in line with our Jesuit values. Cura personalis is one reason why we should develop all aspects of our person. Frankly, it is genuinely good for our spirit to step back and breathe it all in. 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.
Tuition System Limits Disadvantaged Students By NIKOS BUSE COPY EDITOR
Due to the new $1 billion of budget cuts that took effect in California on Jan. 1, 2012, many academic institutions were left without a significant portion of governmental funds. According to the Los Angeles Times, public schools alone will face a $330 million budget reduction. After cutting 1,000 course offerings over the past few years, Santa Monica College, a junior college in southern California, turned to unorthodox methods in order to prevent losing further integral classes. Noting that classes that were required for transfer to a four-year university had more demand than supply, the administration decided to offer 50 of these specific classes at a higher price, in what was called a “two-tiered system.” These courses were to be offered at $180 per credit hour, a price five times greater than that of other courses. The rationale behind this decision was that the price increase would reduce the number of students who sought to take those classes, in order to prevent them from overfilling. The price increase would only cover the cost of offering the courses themselves and would not provide surplus capital to alleviate financial strain for the college as a whole.
This attempt proved entirely unsuccessful. Santa Monica College’s plan to offer the most popular courses at a higher price was met with heated student protests and a request from the Chancellor of California Community Colleges to cease all efforts to increase the price. The college’s board of trustees voted in April to put the plans for the two-tiered system on hold. While this struggle over course availability is certainly more pronounced at state colleges and universities, the concept is not altogether foreign to students at Fordham. During registration, students can be left scrambling to find classes to fulfill core requirements. Fortunately for Fordham students, however, our administration has not attempted to implement a similar system. The issue with the strategy attempted by Santa Monica College is that the two-tier system caters to those who have higher incomes and marginalizes students who can not necessarily afford a price increase. The function of state universities is to provide quality higher education at a lower price. This creates opportunities for students who would otherwise lack the necessary funds to pursue higher education. By putting a higher price on the courses that are required for moving on to four-year colleges and universities, Santa Monica College was margin-
alizing those who could not afford to take the higher-level courses. Through the two-tier system, the college would have, in effect, been creating a system of two-tier students. To ensure that all courses remain equally accessible, and that the system stays ethical, the college should have raised tuition for all courses across the board, ensuring that there was a more level playing field for all students. By increasing the cost per credit hour by a very small increment for all classes, the college would have ensured that all students bore the burden of the financial difficulties. Rebecca Chowske, GSE ’92, who works as the Language Arts Director for the Wantagh School District, supported this opinion but recognized its inherent complexities. “It’s not a simple issue,” Chowske said. “School districts like my own are faced with increased unfunded state and federal mandates and a two percent tax cap. That being said, public schools have a fundamental and lawful responsibility for fair and equal access to a comparable education.” “I’m concerned that knowledge and innovation will suffer if we move entirely into the law of the marketplace,” she added. “If we choose who will stand and who will sit out of knowledge building, we will hobble our national inno-
vation — and ultimately our economy. I think the two-tiered system is penny-wise and dollar foolish.” With the rapid and consistent growth rate in college applications and the weak economy, it is not out of the realm of possibility that systems like that of Santa Monica College could begin to appear elsewhere. Junior colleges like Santa Monica could simply be the metaphorical canaries in the coal mine of university education. Since similar problems with classes filling up too quicky apply to many schools, it is also possible that four-year colleges and universities could resort to similar plans, especially with courses that are needed to apply to law school and medical school. Santa Monica College’s policy, while unethical, could very well be a sign of things to come. Nikos Buse, FCRH ’14, is a Spanish major from Marin County, Calif. Clarification In its April 11 issue (V. 94, i. 9), The Ram published a letter it received from former Ram editors. The Ram made a journalistic error by running the letter without names attached. Although The Ram reached out to the sender to identify the writers, The Ram was not able to acquire the names of the writers of the letter to the editor. The Ram apologizes for its journalistic error.
OPINIONS
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Left of the Allen Dial
APRIL 25, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 13
Attacking the “War on Women”
John P. Castonguay Liberals Master Social Media
Ying
Neither Party Is Evil As this is a presidential election year, things will inevitably become heated. Nominees, pundits and parties will sling harsh rhetoric. Stuck right in the middle of all the posturing and talk of a ruined America is you, the voter. During election years, we often find ourselves too focused on the differences between the parties, convinced that the other party is evil or misguided. Many Americans are driven to voting by virtue of their fear of the other party’s intentions, rather than making informed choices. In reality, nobody is trying to ruin America. I have yet to meet one person from either party actively trying to destroy American ideals or make this country worse. With all sincerity, I admire many Republican and conservative ideals. I find the fiscal responsibility of the government and its footprint on average Americans admirable. Calling attention to our country’s growing debt crisis and subsequently attempting to reduce the budget are actions by which I do not particularly stand, but were venerable efforts in their own accord. To stand one’s ground despite fear of consequences or retribution is a quintessential American trait that is too often lost by liberals. Furthermore, I greatly admire the GOP’s camaraderie. Every time a scandal breaks that is attributed to a Democratic figure, most Democrats denounce the actions of the culprit. This is completely at odds with what Republicans do, which is to stand their ground, usually with the accused. When Hilary Rosen made comments about Ann Romney’s credibility when she empathized with working-class mothers last month, every major Democratic leader and pundit stepped forward, criticized her actions and asked her to apologize. Yet when Rush Limbaugh utilized vulgar language to critique a law student, most Republicans failed to muster critiques, and instead protected Rush. The unity of the GOP is one of its defining qualities. Sure, there are machinations and bad blood behind the scenes, but Republicans almost never critique one another in public. The same cannot be said of the Democrats, who often seem at war with themselves. Democrats will jump on the chance to criticize anyone else in order to prop themselves up and gain easy brownie points with voters. Putting aside the primaries, Republicans act like they support each other. The two-party system has its merits. It allows individuals to debate over an issue while culling only the best ideas into law. What it doesn’t do, however, is set up one party as supremely good and one as supremely evil. I encourage voters this year to keep an open mind regarding each party’s platforms, instead of listening to the fear-mongering fostered by their own party. If the opposing party wins, America will not turn into a socialist state, you will not be forced into the streets to starve and Armageddon will not come. Either way, we will have a competent commander-in-chief in office who is probably far preferable to the majority of world leaders.
Righter’s Block
OLIVIER DOULIERY/MCT CAMPUS
This year’s presidential election has brought about renewed discussions about many of the roles of women in society.
By DANIELLE SOLINSKI CONTRIBUTING WRITER
If you have been keeping up with the news, you have surely heard about the “war on women.” Women have suddenly become the campaign topic du jour, and both parties are fighting for our souls (well, at least our votes). I really cannot express how annoying this “war on women” is to me. Let me start with the term itself. What exactly is meant by the phrase that both parties “bandy about?” Both sides blame the other for instigating the alleged “war,” using a myriad of evidence as fodder for the fire. The whole idea that women as a bloc have been downgraded to a campaign ploy, to me at least, is quite offensive. Do all women have the same viewpoint? Please. There are very few things that women as a voting bloc agree upon en masse. Although he is guilty in his own fashion of engaging in the mythical war on women, President Obama recently stated my point very eloquently. “Women are not some monolithic bloc. Women are not an interest group . . . Women are over half this country and its workforce,” he said. Thank you. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Even so-called “women issues” (i.e. abortion) produce mixed emotions among women. According to a 2011 Gallup poll, 50 percent of women define themselves as “pro-choice” and 44 percent define themselves as “pro-life.” This is nearly identical with their male counterparts: 49 percent of men define themselves as “pro-choice” and 46 percent as “pro-life.” The same poll finds both age and party affiliation to be better indicators of viewpoint on this issue than gender. I am going to admit here that I have a liberal bias as to who is winning this manufactured war. I think that a lot of the claims that Republicans have been making about Democrats are just an attempt to turn the tide and obtain more of the female vote. Republicans have not been successful with this, according to the polls. Let’s look at some of the claims. First, consider the Republican claim as to why Democrats are conducting a “war on women.” Mitt Romney recently argued that women have suffered 92.3 percent of the job losses under the Obama administration. Zing, Obama administration. Ball’s in your court. While this statistic is staggering (and a great talking point for the
Romney campaign), it is misleading when taken out of context. In this case, one needs to remember that the recession began 13 months before the Obama administration entered office. Men were hit much harder in terms of job loss, leading to the recession to be referred to as a “man-cession.” This is not particularly uncommon during a recession, since male-dominated sectors, such as manufacturing and construction, tend to be the first to get hit. Therefore, women lost jobs during the later months and years of the recession, when state and local governments started to feel the impact and fired teachers and other publicsector workers. When looked at overall, men still have been more significantly impacted. According to The Washington Post, approximately 3.4 million men have lost jobs since the start of the recession, compared to 1.8 million women. What’s that old joke? 67 percent of all statistics are made up? Another Republican insinuation was sparked by a comment from political insider Hilary Rosen. What was this comment that stirred so much controversy? Rosen re-opened the so-called “mommy wars” debate over whether being a stay-at-home mom was work or not. She stated that GOP candidate Mitt Romney’s wife Ann has never “worked a day in her life.” Republicans jumped on this comment, trying to portray Rosen as a mouthpiece for the Obama administration. Let’s get something straight from the get-go. Rosen (despite insistence from certain GOP talkingheads) is not officially affiliated with the Obama campaign. Agreeably, she is a Democrat and has advised the administration in the past, but she was not speaking for the president when she made her now-infamous comment. What about the brouhaha over the comment? Were Republicans right to accuse Rosen — regardless of whether she was speaking for the president or not — of being insensitive to mothers? The answer is yes and no. Nobody argues that being a stay-at-home mom is easy, especially when you are raising five boys, as Ann Romney did. I am sure that this required infinite amounts of energy, patience and hard work. So in that sense, Rosen was wrong to say that Romney had not worked a day in her life. However, can we be honest for a few seconds here? Although Rosen stated it quite tactlessly, the point she
was trying to make is valid. Again, one has to look at the entire context of what was said, not just the solitary quote. In full, Hilary Rosen said to CNN host Anderson Cooper, “What you have is Mitt Romney running around the country saying: ‘Well, you know, my wife tells me that what women really care about are economic issues. And when I listen to my wife, that’s what I’m hearing.’” And then the whole not working a day in her life thing. To me, the point she was trying to make is that Mitt Romney was wrong for looking to his wife as a weather vane of the female vote. How can she be the determinate of the thoughts of all women of the country? Regardless of whether she has officially held a job, she is not the voice of all American women, just as Rosen is not the voice of all Democrats. Furthermore, the Romney family is quite wealthy, which in part gave Ann Romney the option to stay at home. I am not claiming what she decided was not noble. However, her economic status is very different than that of many women in this country. Again, the idea that Mitt is turning to her for authority on the viewpoints of American women is, well, just silly. On the other hand (again, I know, liberal bias), Democrats do have some stronger ammunition to accuse the Republicans of conducting a war on women. Let me rephrase this. I do not think that the issues should be blocked under the term “war on women.” However, the issues that the Democrats have brought up are valid and important (i.e. access to abortion, contraception, the Violence Against Women Act, etc.). I am not going to hash out every issue — that would take a series of articles, so let me just end with this point. I am not at war with either the Republican or Democratic parties. I am an individual, and happen to be female, and have myriad opinions about a multitude of topics. Being a woman, just like being a man, does not mean I am in lock step with everyone of my gender. Overall, what I demand from both parties is a level of respect for my intelligence as a person to make informed decisions about the issues out there. Oh yeah, by the way, “I am woman, hear me roar.” Take that, stupid war. Danielle Solinski, FCRH ’14, is an undeclared major from White Plains, NY.
It is “Yearbook Syndrome Time.” As I approach the end of the semester, I am trying to find closure in the midst of chaos. I attempt to tie up loose ends and gain catharsis. This involves reconciling my differences with those I am currently engaging in ideological battles. I want to take the opportunity to recognize that, although we heatedly debate the best approaches to government policy and individual behavior, my political adversaries share my goal of making America the best country possible. In their efforts to improve our nation, liberals display several admirable qualities. They have an incredible ability to generate excitement about their candidates, create long-lasting protest movements and inspire the youth to join their causes. Recently, this has been accomplished through the impressive utilization of social media. Often, even for staunch conservatives, it seems like liberal candidates are more passionate. The presence of Democratic candidates on the Internet, specifically the frenzy surrounding President Obama’s 2008 campaign, and causes such as the Occupy Wall Street movement, make them relevant and appealing, especially to youth who are hesitant to get actively involved in politics. In the 2008 election, the future President recognized the need to create a brand image for his candidacy and posted videos of his speeches on YouTube. He created a profile on Facebook at a time when many adults were still resistant to joining the site, and he even started tweeting. As president, he has maintained his commitment towards using social media, not only in the 2012 election cycle, but also during his time in office. Republicans, with the exception of Ron Paul, have failed to take advantage of social media to the same degree. I am thoroughly impressed by this ability to adapt election strategies to take advantage of technological progress. Conservatives are often represented as being “behind the times.” Unfortunately, this also appears to be the case in campaigning. Republican candidates and causes appear to wait for liberals to push the boundaries regarding advertising and campaigning. Generally, liberals are able to outlast conservative candidates and causes in retaining their rebelliously cool status through social media. Now, this declaration of admiration for an element of the political opposition’s organization does not mean that I no longer disagree with their beliefs. It is just recognition that no one group is right all the time. It is important to recognize our own failings and the successes of others in order to prevent isolating ourselves from members of the opposing party. Passion is important, but so is respect.
PAGE 14 • THE RAM • APRIL 25, 2012
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APRIL 25, 2012
PAGE 15
Student Models Walk the Runway at FFP Twisted Tea Party
PHOTO BY BIANCA BATIS-GELPI/THE RAM
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA PHOTO BY BIANCA BATIS-GELPI/THE RAM
Assistant News Editor Karen Hill (left) walked elegantly down the runway.
By ALYSSA MONTEMURRO and JOHN LEE CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Fordham Fashion for Philanthropy (FFP) hosted its seventh annual fashion show in the Rose Hill Gym on Friday, April 20, showcasing emerging fashion brands, Fordham models, music and plenty of refreshments. The proceeds from the show, entitled “A Twisted Tea Party,” were donated
to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York. Throughout the year, FFP hosts several events that promote interest and knowledge of the fashion industry, while creating an opportunity for the Fordham community to give back to a great foundation that strives to grant the wishes of children battling life-threatening medical conditions. Following a Fordham alum’s personal connection to the Make-
A-Wish Foundation, the club has spent the past seven years raising money for its philanthropic efforts. “Fashion for Philanthropy was founded by a Fordham student who was a ‘former wish kid,’” Holly Lemanowicz, FCRH ’12 and FFP president, said. “She wanted to create an organization that could give back to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, while inspiring and teaching students about her personal passion for fashion.” The first event in the show was a video presentation showing various children being helped by the Makea-Wish Foundation and their life stories. “It was heartfelt,” Alexander Federico, Columbia ’13, said. “I felt like it was necessary for the show. Those kids are the real reason why we’re here. The video set the foundation for everything.” To add to this year’s excitement, FFP enlisted the support of top designer names including Nicole Miller, Shoshanna, Katie Ermilio, Ali Ro and For Love & Lemons. Fordham’s own student designers including Justin Segovia, FCRH ’14, were also given the opportunity to showcase their work on the runway, alongside outside student designers Kirby Budz, Chelsea Goral, Ou Ma and Michelle Williams from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Some of the outfits in the audience reflected the serious tone set by the video, with many men dressed in formal wear and women in sleek ensembles. “The show is supposed to be a fun time, but it’s also kind of a serious
event,” Johnny Casey, FCRH ’14 and audience member, said. “With the Make-a-Wish Foundation and the fact that the designers worked really hard on their projects, I felt like I had to be respectful.” The second event of the show drew cheers from the crowd as the models walked. The men were dressed in stylish casual wear and the ladies in similarly impressive pieces. There were some favorites from the first half of the show, particularly the dress which ended the first portion, a white feathered piece which revealed the model’s legs. “I felt like the white feathered dress was the show stealer,” Casey said. “It kind of came out of nowhere; it was just different from everything else that came before it. It was almost risqué. I was actually pretty shocked at seeing it.” The second half of the show was evening wear themed, with the men exchanging their casual clothes for formal wear, and the ladies dressed in dark, goth-inspired dresses, like an image out of a Tim Burton film. The ensembles gave visual meaning to the show’s theme, “ A Twisted Tea Party.” “I thought the second part of the show was really dramatic and dark, a cool change from the first half,” Katie Mariano, GSB ’14, said. Before Tony Siatta, also known as DJ Scyaeta, took the stage at 7 p.m. to spin a mix of tracks that included “I’ve Got the Magic” and “Birthday Cake,” FFP held a pre-party event where attendees had the chance to socialize, enjoy Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and enter for a chance to win a number
of raffle prizes. This year’s top prizes included 13 pairs of Jeffrey Campbell shoes, as well as a signature Longchamp red leather handbag retailed at $610. FFP was also able to raffle off multiple clothing donations from the show’s designers, namely a Tracey Reese dress, a TwoBirds Bridesmaid dress valued at over $300 and three separate looks from sponsor DIGS. Friends and family who opted for the VIP tickets that sold for $12, instead of the $5 general admission tickets, were also treated to priority seating and gift bags featuring samples of Pop Chips, Izze soda, Stash Tea and pairs of Yeroc sunglasses. Following the great success of last year’s event, which raised a total of $7,500, FFP had set this year’s fundraising goal at $10,000 with an expected audience of about 400 supporters. The club started planning for the event in November with scheduled weekly meetings. “We held the meetings to discuss the theme of the show, sponsors and to improve upon last year’s event,” Lemanowicz said. “The show is definitely one large collaborative effort where we all work together for a common goal.” Lemanowicz, however, was confident that the show was a “big success.” “As far as feedback, people seemed to enjoy the clothing that we showcased this year, much more than in the past,” she said. For more information about Fashion for Philanthropy and its upcoming events, visit fordhamffp.blogspot. com.
FET Presents a Powerful Cast In Production of All My Sons By JONATHAN O’NEILL CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Something is rotten in the Keller household. Joe Keller, a former factory owner, has recently been exonerated after being charged with shipping defective airplane parts to the U.S. Air Force that killed over 20 World War II pilots. He lives with his family: a wife, Kate, and son, Chris, in the shadow of his other son Larry’s disappearance. His former business partner, who was in the factory the day that the bad parts were shipped out, was not so lucky and was imprisoned. Thr partner’s daughter (and Larry’s girlfriend), Annie, has dropped in for a visit. She distresses Joe’s paranoid wife and delights his love-struck son. The plot of All My Sons details the ensuing social hurricane that not only uproots the household’s foundation but also sweeps up the Kellers’ family members, lovers, neighbors and political enemies in the process. Mike Drosos, FCRH ’13, and Matt Burns, FCRH ’13, the directors of All My Sons, successfully and masterfully interpreted Miller’s script. In creating the domestic microcosm that is the Keller’s neighborhood, Drosos and Burns effectively set up a series of conflicts that evocated a sort of Rube Goldberg-like social mechanism. Each of the characters’ actions created an almost tangible ripple in the Kellers’ community. Annie Deever’s
off-stage telephone conversation with her brother in the first act, while brief, cast a dreadful vibe upon the audience that was only heightened by his arrival in the second act. Frank Lubey’s conversation with Kate in the play’s opening scene created a similarly bleak atmosphere of impending disappointment. Drosos and Burns successfully brought out the “Christ-like quality,” as director Matt Burns puts it, of many of the characters — culminating in a living medieval pieta that serves as the play’s closing image. The women in the production gave performances so gratifying that Miller might as well have named his drama All My Daughters. Kristin Guerin, FCRH ’12, in her last appearance on the Fordham stage, gave a performance that could only be described as immaculate. As Kate Keller, the aching matriarch of the Keller household, Guerin created a character whose often-belligerent insistence that her son is still alive simultaneously grated on the nerves and begged sympathy of characters and audience members alike. Isobel Menard, FCLC ’13, excelled as Annie Deever, a difficult role that perhaps best exemplifies the slippery spectrum of idealism and realism that All My Sons seeks to deconstruct. Shannon Morrall was a strong presence as the contemptuous Sue Bayliss. Though on stage for only two scenes, Morrall nearly stole the show
with her perfect physicality and subtly aggressive tone. Furthermore, she seemed to be the only performer who could fully convey her character’s frustration and hostility without increasing her vocal volume, a welcome relief from the incessant shouting matches that permeated Burns’ and Drosos’ interpretation of the domestic drama. Pam Zazzarino, FCRH ’14, shined as the bubbly Lydia Lubey, an idealistic and eminently cheerful member of the local community who represents the philosophical antithesis of Mrs. Bayliss. The male actors gave similarly effective performances. Matt Van Orden, FCRH ’12, was truly captivating as Joe Keller. Orden gave a performance worthy of a professional actor, seeming almost to effortlessly gain the audience’s sympathy with a character that was obviously guilty of some wrongdoing. Come next year, his charisma on and off the stage will be missed by the Fordham community. Steve Tyson, FCRH ’14, as Chris Keller, displayed remarkable range as a complicated character whose feelings toward his parents, missing brother and Annie culminated in several poignant emotional outbursts. The second act of the play marked the entrance (and exit) of George Deever, played by Kyle Forrester, FCRH ’12. Forrester, who displayed not only a superior understanding of his role but also the ability to maintain an aura of unappeasable resent-
COURTESY OF PPFIVE.COM
Mike Drosos and Matt Burns directed the play for the weekend of April 20.
ment for the extended duration of his scene, lacked the theatricality to deliver melodramatic lines. Despite this one shortcoming, his confrontation with the Keller family was an intense and memorable sequence. Tim Rozmus, GSB ’13, as Jim Bayliss, was an engaging comic foil to the other characters. Of all the actors, Rozmus perhaps showed the best comprehension of his character in an off-stage interview where he identified Jim as a fictional extension of the author himself. Johnny Kelley’s, FCRH ’13, talent was disappointingly underused in his turn as Frank Lubey. Despite the director’s efficacious interpretation of the piece, the production’s “experimental” aspect did not seem well-developed. In an interview after the show, Burns identi-
fied the experimental aspect as one of internalization and reflection. This was achieved by editing the parts that included a younger character named Bert to suggest Joe was recalling the boy’s meaningful statements about jail instead of experiencing them for the first time. On opening night, however, the audience talked loudly during these segments, rendering them inaudible and completely useless. Furthermore, the directors ultimately sabotaged their concept of an “internalized” All My Sons by turning many of the tenser conflicts into shouting matches. Despite these passing anomalies, FET put on a magnificent production of a classic play that was, perhaps, Fordham’s most successful dramatic endeavor this year.
CULTURE
PAGE 16 • THE RAM • APRIL 25, 2012
Going Global
Dining Out: The Saint Austere
This week’s column is written by Victoria Rau, FCRH ’13. When Olivia and I first hatched the idea for this study abroad column, I do not think that either of us anticipated the depth and breadth of experiences that would appear week after week. While I have noted a familiar name here and there among the columnists, and I can recognize many of their voices through their writing, our experiences abroad are undoubtedly changing us. Imperceptibly at first, these changes will shape our opinions and our goals going forward. Perhaps it is in seeing the seasons change that it dawns on me that I am actually living in another country. The landscape on the road between Johannesburg (South Africa’s commercial center) and Pretoria (its capital), lush and invariably green in January, now sports fall colors dotted throughout the vegetation. This change in the landscape, coupled with the fact that I have written papers and taken tests here, makes it clear that this is not merely an extended vacation. South Africa, with its multi-layered and unique history, is still a country of two worlds, which becomes increasingly noticeable the longer I am here. When my parents visited recently, we ate at a nice restaurant in an upscale suburb of Pretoria (incidentally called Brooklyn). Throughout the meal, we could have been anywhere: New York, London or Pretoria. When we folded ourselves into a cab afterwards, however, it felt much more like Africa, or at least what most people think of as Africa. “Are you sure this is a cab?” my mom asked incredulously. I assured her it was fine and negotiated the fare with the driver. There was no meter and no identification of the driver or the cab service; the driver spoke rapidly into his phone in an African language for most of the ride. The stark contrast between posh neighborhoods with houses surrounded by walls and informal settlements that lack basic sanitation also illustrates the tension between the first world and third world. Frustration and a sense of disquiet naturally come into play when grappling with harsh realities like this, which is an experience that not every study abroad program can offer. Standing on the top of Table Mountain in Cape Town and watching a leopard climb out of a tree and pass a few meters from our vehicle are just two of the many awe-inspiring experiences that I have encountered that show how beautiful and unique this country is. At the core of any study abroad experience are the people. South Africans are some of the most welcoming, hospitable people I have ever met, rivaled only by my Italian relatives with their tendency to push food on guests. Living in one house with eight fellow Fordham students has its challenging moments, but seeing acquaintances grow into close friends in such a short span of time represents another remarkable and rewarding element of this program. None of us will be exactly the same upon leaving as when we arrived, changed for the better, I hope, as a result of our rich experiences.
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PHOTO BY COURTNEY HO/THE RAM
The polenta and patatas bravas are served every Monday through Saturday.
PHOTO BY COURTNEY HO/THE RAM
The restaurant is at 613 Grand St. and serves broccoli rabe and grilled octopus.
By COURTNEY HO STAFF WRITER
As someone who lives outside of Brooklyn, it takes a lot for me to take the subway past Canal Street. Nevertheless, I have found one reason for me to travel across the river: the Saint Austere. The Saint Austere channels upscale taste with a relaxed, downtown feel. This tapas-style restaurant is a bar food paradise that can successfully satisfy every craving you might have, while enjoying the finest collection of
artisanal beer and wine. Somehow, the Saint Austere manages to successfully create a melting pot of styles that defies the boundaries of modern luxury. Objectively, one might think that elaborately patterned ceilings, vintage wallpaper, casual wooden tables, a metallic bar and a chandelier should not be combined in one room. The unique industrialrustic design, however, creates a space that reflects the contrasting characteristics visible within the very name of the restaurant. The word “austere” is derived from the term used to de-
scribe a young, harshly acidic wine that has yet to fully age and develop in flavor. “Saint” is used to juxtapose “austere” and to soften the overall feel of the name. The Saint Austere is a relatively new and family-run business. The Priolo siblings (Jacqueline, Fabrizio and Mike) jointly created the restaurant’s design, concept, food and wine menu. The condensed and whimsical menu is comprised of small dishes that are meant to be shared and act as conversation starters. Every dish is packed with layers of flavor that inspire consumers to think profoundly, if they are not already too merry from the superb wine and beer, that is. While the menu certainly reflects the Priolos’ Italian roots, they have made sure to put their own quirky spin on traditional dishes. For instance, instead of serving conventional caesar salad, the Priolos serve delicious broccoli rabe ($7) devoid of bitter flavor and cooked with anchovies, parmigiano reggiano, breadcrumbs and boiled eggs. Another notable dish is the ricotta crostino ($5), which is a crunchy bread topped with fresh ricotta cheese, butternut squash and cinnamon. One of the most consumer-celebrated dishes on the menu is the creamy polenta ($10) which is served with sausage and cipollini. Although most claim that it is the best dish in the restaurant, I have to say that the grilled octopus ($15) reached delightful levels I did not even know existed. The grilled octopus is delicately cooked until impeccably tender and is served with fingerling potatoes
and capers. I have never had octopus cooked so well before — even in the finest restaurants. Two dishes that are perfect no matter your mood are the patatas bravas ($7) and the fried chicken ($14). The patatas bravas consist of slightly crushed fingerling potatoes that are fried and ingeniously served with mayonnaise and sriracha sauce. Then, there is the fried chicken — oh, the juicy, beautiful fried chicken. The chicken is brined for 48 hours before it is covered in Japanese panko breadcrumbs and fried to Paula Deen-worthy perfection. The dish is served with a mushroom and potato stufato and should be illegal in at least 10 states. One cannot help but appreciate the careful consideration that has been put into every square inch of the Saint Austere. My experience was elevated by the warmth and happiness that beamed from each and every customer around me. Although Saint Austere place just opened up this past September, I have no doubt that this joint will stand for years to come. Its allure has already drawn hungry people from all over the tri-state area just to soak up the exceptional food, drink and atmosphere. When asking around the bar, people proudly exclaimed “This is our place!” — an exclamation for which the Priolos’ aim. Overall Location Food Quality Atmosphere Hospitality Price $$$ (Out of 4
’s)
Editor’s Pick: Salman Rushdie By CONNIE KIM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Why do we read stories? Why are they so important that people often consider reading stories a part of the growing process? I have wondered about this since my childhood. Stories are just one way to transmit ideas from one person to another; nevertheless, people are still attracted to them. Readers try to discover their way of life through stories because tales provide the meaning and context to what would otherwise be a collection of easily forgettable facts. In other words, stories aid people in making sense of the world. The privilege of telling stories is not limited to authors who publish books. We not only read and listen to stories but also narrate our personal stories to one another. It makes storytelling unique, as we are the only creatures that use this method as a tool to understand ideas and concepts. In fact, there is a growing body of research that points to the power of narrative, not merely as a way to engage people, but as the only way to change deeply entrenched views. I once read a children’s book called Haroun and the Sea of Stories, written by Salman Rushdie. In the novel, one of the antagonists says: “What are all these stories? Life is not a storybook or joke shop. All this fun will come to no good. What’s the use of stories that aren’t even true?” I was surprised for a moment. For what purpose do we read stories that are
not true? I found out through this novel that the world would be a horrible place to live if stories did not exist. Rushdie places the main character, Haroun, in the Sad City, which lacks in storytelling, to demonstrate how people become greedy and immoral when stories are not available or existent. Sad City is the epitomic location of unhappiness and life’s follies, where people are so depressed that they cannot even remember the name of the city and so materialistic that “necessity” strips citizens of their truthfulness. “I am having my time wasted by a Disconnector Thief who will trust in what he can’t see,” Rushdie wrote. “How much have you seen, eh, Thieflet? Africa, have you seen it? No? Then is it truly there? And submarines? Huh? Also hailstones, baseballs, pagodas? … And the past, did it happen? And the future, will it come?” Children are supposed to use imagination to believe in things they do not see with their eyes; however, Sad City only cares about the tangible and thus ruins the innocence of the children’s minds. A society goes awry when storytelling is not obtainable for the common man. Stories are necessary in order to fulfill our lives in a positive way, but there is no point of creating stories if no one wants to read or listen to them. Rushdie also claims that, even when the stories exist to fulfill human lives, the quality of the story is important.
OLIVIER DOULIERY/MCT
Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie is a British-Indian writer. He was knighted in 2007.
As Haroun puts it, “Anybody can tell stories […] even the best storytellers need a method of expressing that ‘umph.’” Stories can significantly affect readers both positively and negatively, thereby allowing readers to change their behaviors and even their traditional values. Readers usually experience a whole new world through stories, since stories can
deal with a plot that is totally impossible or unlikely to happen in the real world. Although people understand that the lives they experience in stories usually are not real, they can easily devote themselves to the story; people give full play to their imaginations and start to believe that their lives are closely related to those in the stories.
CULTURE
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Fun Ideas for a Special Summer Vacation
APRIL 11, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 17
Check Take a look at the latest events and hotspots in NYC!
This
Send tips, event listings, or comments to fordhamramculture@gmail.com.
!
Out
The Wombats with The Static Jacks and Flagship Webster Hall Thursday April 26; Doors: 6:30 p.m. Show: 7:30 p.m. $20
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
Working for a Renaissance Faire is a way to make this year’s summer unique. Faires can be found at renfaire.com.
By CASEY RYAN
students throughout the world.
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The beginning of summer is always filled with excitement and unbridled anticipation for the possibilities of the season. That excitement and anticipation, however, often fades to boredom and monotony. Fight summer blues with some of these unique summer activities. Volunteer Abroad There are a ton of websites dedicated to helping volunteers find locations to visit during the summer. No matter what your interest is, there is a program for you. If you are interested in helping the environment, try checking out World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) to find local farms near looking for workers. Look for other opportunities to explore at projects-abroad. org/more-info/planning-yourtime-abroad/university-students. These projects can be great ways to travel and meet other college
Dance Something about warm weather makes people want to bust a move. Summer is the perfect time to learn to dance. Join a flash mob near your town at flashmob.com You can also take classes to become certified as a Zumba or salsa instructor. As an added bonus, when you return to Fordham you can work at the 24-Hour Fitness gym and make good cash. Roam the countryside Consider this the road trip of a lifetime. If you are over 18 and have a valid driver’s license, this summer plan might be for you. Companies that need to transport cars from one location to another hire drivers and pay them to travel cross country. See the Great Lakes, the Rocky Mountains and the rolling hills of San Francisco. Check out roadrat.com for jobs. Go Viral Ridiculous people are becom-
ing famous everywhere, so why not you? Get a bunch of friends together and create a Youtube video that will spread like wildfire. You can lip-sync to a Spice Girls song or pull a prank on your neighbor and then see how many hits you can get. All you need is a computer and a camera, and you are on your way to overnight stardom. Work at a Renaissance Faire Realize your childhood dream of being a princess or a knight by volunteering at a medieval festival. You can design your own costume, use the word “wench” in a socially acceptable environment and possibly get paid. As college students we only have a finite amount of summer vacations left to enjoy. Make the most of them by sharing memories with friends and trying new experiences that may not be available to you later in life. Besides, if the world does end in 2012 then there is no excuse to not make this the best summer you have ever had.
COURTESY OF THEROUNDTABLEONLINE.COM
Need a dose of electric guitars and un-auto-tuned vocals before heading into the pop-fest that will be Spring Weekend ’12? If you answered “yes,” then get down to Webster Hall on Thursday for a good old-fashioned rock concert. The Wombats take the stage in New York for their second time since an extensive tour in 2008. With a brand-new album on the way, fans should be treated to new tunes and hopefully some old gems, like the ’07 hit, “Let’s Dance to Joy Division.” The Static Jacks hail from New Jersey and promise to bring a mix of “punk, garage, and soul sounds.” The night’s opener is Flagship, an up-andcoming band from North Carolina. That’s where I’m from, so they’re definitely
Gravid Water Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre 307 W 26th St Monday April 30; 8 p.m. $5 If your head still hurts from all that crazy Spring Weekend debauchery, laugh it away on Monday night! Gravid Water is a UCB show that takes trained actors with memorized lines and puts them on stage with some of the funniest people in improv. It’s like when your project partner doesn’t know when to change your Powerpoint slide mid-presentation, only funnier. If you do not get a chance to see this show but are interested in great comedy in the city, go to timeout.com and search ‘comedy.’ Shows at UCB and similar troupes run on a nightly basis and are usually very cheap.
— COMPILED BY DEVON SHERIDAN
Ram Reviews THEATER
TELEVISION
NEWSIES
“GAME OF THRONES”
MUSIC BLUNDERBUSS
TELEVISION “IT’S MY PARK”
THEATER DEATH OF A SALESMAN
By AMANDA RYLAND
By NATE SCHILLER
By KATIE NOLAN
By NANCY BUCKLEY
By STEPHANIE KIM
STAFF WRITER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
COPY EDITOR
STAFF WRITER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The best aspects of this musical are the strongly written new musical numbers, backed by an equally talented nearly all-male cast. Some of the most talented male dancers I have ever seen make up the company of Newsies. There are several dance numbers in which the entire cast dances. They move perfectly in sync with one another and perform gymnastics moves on the stage. Newsies definitely brings the funloving feeling from the movie onto the Broadway stage. The newly written songs combined with a young, talented cast provide a great Broadway experience. Although originally on limited engagement until June, the play has recently extended its run until August because of its popularity and success. This is a great musical for people of any age.
If any “Game of Thrones” fans were upset when the Malfoy-esque Joffrey took the Iron Throne at the end of the show’s first season, fear not: Just four episodes into Season 2, six other rulers are poised to chop the golden-haired head off the boy-king’s shoulders. While not retaining any star power from the first season, the second season of the television adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series offers a slew of new throne-seekers who have changed the war for the realm of Westeros. The busy plot line can be frustrating at times, especially with entire story arcs being skipped in each episode for lack of time. Despite starting off slow since its April 1 premiere, the rest of this year’s season promises to have all the excitement and drama that fans of the show have come to expect.
Jack White’s first solo project, Blunderbuss, was released April 24. The title refers to both a song on the album and an early shotgun from the 17th century. Fans of White will be fans of this album. It features good rock and blues with grooving base lines and his well-known wailing vocals. Blunderbuss has a retro feel to it, especially in the second half of the album. Clocking in at about 44 minutes, there is not a single song in the bunch that I consider junk, and the second half of the album shines as much as the first. The second half features a jangling piano in contrast to a more hard-rocking first half, which keeps the album interesting; every song is a little quirky. All things considered, this album is tailor-made for people who like their rock with a healthy dose of blues.
Over 14 percent, or 29,000 acres, of New York City is park land, but beyond local and famous parks, most New Yorkers are unaware of the land and resources available in their city. Adrian Sas, the creator, producer and director of “It’s My Park,” established the program to highlight different parks throughout the five boroughs. The goal of the series is to help New Yorkers become acquainted with their parks and with the events and opportunities offered by the Parks Department. On May 12 and 13, the Bronx Week Film Festival at the Bruckner Bar and Grill will showcase two episodes: “Concrete Plant Park” and “Origination of Hip Hop at Cedar Park.” Concrete Plant Park is a former concrete factory. The series airs on NYC Life.
The fractured relationship that Willy and Biff Loman possess in the famous American play of the 20th century, Death of a Salesman, is powerfully animated on stage by actors Philip Seymour Hoffman (Moneyball) and Andrew Garfield (The Social Network). Garfield in particular does a tremendously moving job. He performs especially well in a flashback scene, where he reaches an epiphany and breaks down, showcasing Biff ’s teenage vulnerability. After 18 years of naively believing in his father’s values about the importance of popularity, Biff starts to live according to his own ideals, which causes him to stray farther away from what Willy considers success. Although it has been around for more than 60 years, Death of a Salesman continues to grasp audiences.
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CULTURE
PAGE 18• THE RAM • APRIL 25, 2012
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WHO’S THAT KID? Alex Casella A MEMBER OF GSB ’13, DOUBLE MAJORING IN MARKETING AND MANAGEMENT FROM CHATHAM, MA Describe yourself in a couple of sentences. I’m a junior GSB student, majoring in marketing and management. I’m interested in music, art, skateboarding, photography, travel and food. I currently work at Murray’s Cheese on Bleecker Street. On my days there I either work behind the counter helping customers out or underground in our caves where I age cheese. In what campus organizations are you currently involved? None. I have been a part of the Crotona Achievement Program over the last few years here. It’s a program helping out South Bronx youth with tutoring and mentoring every Saturday morning. It’s been a very rewarding experience to be a part of. What is your favorite aspect of Fordham? Everyone says it, but the campus is really amazing. That and the atmosphere of the Bronx outside of the gates go well together. Besides those two, the friends I’ve made since living here have been excellent. Shout out to Third Floor North and all my other friends here at the ’dham. If you could change one thing
about Fordham, what would it be? Probably to open Walsh gate permanently. If the D train were a bit closer that would also be cool. I would also say the food because that was one of the reasons I moved off campus after freshman year. What is your favorite thing to do in New York City? Walk around; I don’t think it’s possible to ever know this city too well. That and the museums are a couple of my favorite aspects. I could probably list off a few dozen more. What is something about you that not many people know? I spent most of my time growing up internationally. I went to school in Belgium and Singapore, and now my parents live in London. It was interesting not being in America, and at the same time, it was a really rewarding experience that I’m thankful for. The amount I got to travel and see was unreal, and even though I lived internationally I spent every summer back in Massachusetts. Go Sox.
pello last semester was pretty enjoyable, especially since I didn’t have an interest in law. He was easily one of the most intriguing and entertaining teachers I’ve had since being here at Fordham. What do you want to do or accomplish before you leave Fordham? I want to feel like I got the most out of my time here. Be completely satisfied and ready to leave college and move on with my life. I still haven’t been on top of Keating or under Finlay, so stuff like that would also be solid to have accomplished. What would you consider your “guilty pleasure”? I would say Estrellita, but after three years, it’s become more of an addiction. What is the biggest misconception people have about you? That I know what I’m doing.
What has been your favorite class since attending Fordham? Why?
If you could go back to your first day at Fordham, what advice would you give yourself?
Business Law with Professor Cap-
Don’t stress as much, don’t spend
PHOTO BY MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM
Casella works at Murray’s Cheese and is addicted to the restaurant Estrellita’s.
as much money and continue meeting new kids until your last day.
support me after I leave the Bronx.
What are your plans (career or otherwise) for after college?
If you were stranded on a deserted island, what would you bring with you?
Probably stay in the city, but move to a different borough. Hopefully, I’ll have a career lined up or already be working at a place that will be able to
Notebook, pens, books, sunglasses and a surfboard so I could become amazing at it. That and a cooler of Arizonas and I guess some water.
Fordham Flava Asks Students to “Pardon My Swag”
PHOTO BY MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM
Fordham Flava’s showcase featured four different mixes, each designed to evoke a different vibe from the audience.
By AMANDA DONOVAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Let’s be honest — trying to put Flava-status swag into words is a pretty tough assignment. Fordham Flava’s 2011-2012 Showcase, “Pardon My Swag,” which took place this past Saturday in the Rose Hill gym, was
arguably one of the most intriguing lessons ever given on what it means to have swag. Featuring four mixes (“My Time,” “My Heart,” “My Party,” and “My Swag”), three guest performances (Red Bull Breakdancers, the Ailey Company and the Drew James Company), two videos (one comically predict-
ing Flava’s elderly future, the other composed of interviews with team members about what exactly “swag” is) and one truly sentimental senior appreciation ceremony, Saturday’s showcase was well worth the $5. In fact, most of us would have even been fine dropping $20. Priceless, on the other hand, is
probably the word that this year’s eight seniors — Aileen Alimonte, FCRH ’12, Audrelyn Oria, FCRH ’12, Chelsea McLaughin, FCLC ’12, Erin Finch, FCRH ’12, Lauren Mitchell, FCRH ’12, Meredith Dattoli, FCRH ’12, Rob Coglitore, FCRH ’12 and Rodney Mann, GSB ’12, — would use to describe Saturday’s performance. As a four-year Flava member, Mitchell feels this year’s showcase was the team’s best ever. “I even overheard several others saying the same after the show on Saturday night,” she said. “This year the choreographers focused more on ‘vibe’ than on ‘theme,’ making the show as a whole more fluid and cohesive.” The first mix, “My Time,” was designed to get energy levels high and to pump up everyone — dancers and audience members alike — for the rest of the performance. The energy then slowed down significantly with the second mix, “My Heart,” which portrayed a highly emotional love triangle between one girl and two guys. The third mix, “My Party,” was a compilation of all of Flava’s favorite throwbacks from the ’90s and early 2000s, creating a sentimental trip down memory lane to which everyone could relate. “My Swag,” the showcase’s
final mix, was created with one word (and one word only) in mind — S to the W to the A to the G. Despite the sometimes upin-the-air vagueness of what the term “swag” actually means, Fordham Flava seems to have that special gift of bringing it all the way back down to Earth. No two Flava members described swag in the same way. In the showcase’s second video, the diversity of definitions of swag spanned from “all about the layers,” “all about the shoes” and “the bigger the hoop, the bigger the swag,” to “swag is effortlessness.” Other responses included, “swag is being yourself, but with good style” and “swag is knowing where you fit in in the world, and being chill with that.” This year’s Flava president, Coglitore, concluded the series of interviews with his heartfelt definition of swag that can pretty much apply to anybody, thereby highlighting the true inspiration that the Fordham Flava dancers always leave with their audience. “Swag isn’t just a style, swag is much more than that,” he said. “Swag is charisma, swag is intelligence, swag is a state of being. It’s believing in your greatness and personifying that greatness. It’s something that people need to embody and not copy. Your swag is unique to you. Your swag is you.”
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APRIL 25, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 19
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PAGE 20 • THE RAM • APRIL 25, 2012
FORDHAM COLLEGE AT ROSE HILL FIFTH ANNUAL
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The Fordham Undergraduate Research Journal is pleased to announce the winners of the inaugural FURJ Faculty Undergraduate Research Mentor Award:
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Dr. Ipsita Banerjee, Chemistry
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Dr. Beth Knobel, Communication and Media Studies
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Dr. Larry Welborn, Theology Please join us in congratulating them for their continued dedication to undergraduate research!
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APRIL 25, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 21
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PAGE 23
APRIL 25, 2012
Fordham Wins Critical Conference Series Versus La Salle Rams Miss Out on Sweep With Heartbreaking Loss in Rubber Match of Series By CHESTER BAKER SPORTS EDITOR
The Fordham baseball team picked up two wins this weekend in a three-game series against the La Salle Explorers, improving its conference record to 9-6. The Rams missed out on the series sweep, however, dropping the rubber match 2-1 in 11 innings, despite many chances to win the game. The conference series avoided the downpour on Sunday by rescheduling to a doubleheader on Saturday, with the first game starting at noon. “That didn’t really affect us at all,” junior relief pitcher Jeremy Adel said. “We could have gone out there and played five games.” The Friday night game was played in its originally scheduled time slot. Senior pitcher Daniel Munday delivered a performance that would have
been appreciated regardless of when the game was played. The right hander shut down the Explorers, pitching a complete game five-hitter as the Rams picked up the shutout victory, 5-0. Munday struck out nine batters and had a no-hitter going until the fifth inning. Senior designated hitter Brian Kownacki sparked the offense and become just the 12th Ram in over 150 years to collect 200 hits in a Fordham uniform. The milestone hit came in the first inning when Kownacki ripped a double down the right field line, scoring junior first baseman Mike Mauri and increasing the Rams’ lead to 2-0. Friday was also the first time this season that the Rams modeled their camouflage uniforms, as a visible sign of the team’s participation in the Wounded Warrior Project. “The cause is absolutely phenomi-
nal,” Adel said. “Anytime we can give something back to soldiers who fight for us everday is just an honor.” Several Rams also expressed a liking for the way the jerseys looked. Full views of the specially-made jerseys can be found on fordhamsports. com. Mauri knocked in two runs for Fordham in Game 1, going 2-for-4. For his efforts, Munday was named the Pitcher of the Week by the Atlantic 10. His award is even more impressive given the performance that junior Joe Charest turned in against La Salle in a Game 2 victory for the Rams. Charest limited La Salle to just one run despite giving up nine hits, while striking out nine in the 3-1 victory. It was the third complete game of the season for Charest, as he improved to 4-6 this year. The Fordham bats were stifled a bit by the La Salle pitching, collect-
PHOTO BY MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM
Mike Mauri was named Atlantic 10 Player of the week for his efforts in the La Salle Series, collecting seven hits.
ing just six hits on La Salle senior starter Ryan Donahue, who pitches sidearm. “It throws you for a little bit of a loop,” sophomore catcher Ryan Phelan said. “His sliders go one way and the change-ups go the other so you just need to adjust.” The three runs were more than enough, as Mauri, senior left fielder Stephen McSherry and Kownacki led the way. Mauri had two hits for the Rams, while also scoring a run on a wild pitch. On the week, Mauri collected 10 hits in 17 at-bats while earning a perfect fielding percentage in his first week as a full-time first baseman. Mauri was named A-10 Baseball Player of the Week, and leads Fordham with a .336 batting average. The final game of the series saw more of the same trends from the earlier games, and runs were even harder to come by. The Rams could muster only one run against the La Salle pitching staff, falling 2-1. Sophomore pitcher Chris Pike was scratched from the weekend series, bumping Charest up to start in Game 2. Pike had injured his back in his last start against the Dayton Flyers and was unable to warm up without pain on Saturday. Pike will most likely miss this week’s series against Xavier, according to Phalen. Fordham turned to sophomore John Porter on the mound, getting the emergency start for the final game of the series. Porter went three innings for the Rams, holding the Explorers at bay. It was a busy game for the bullpen, which used four different relievers. Junior pitcher Rich Anastassi was the first to get the call, going three innings to hold La Salle scoreless through six. Graduate student Zach
Small was then brought on, but he surrendered the tying run during his only inning of work. Adel was forced to work a seasonhigh four innings for the second week in a row, turning in a brilliant outing by only allowing three hits after being brought in the 11th. “I had no problem with working outing again,” Adel said. “Anytime I can help, I will pitch until the coach pulls me out.” The Rams squandered several opportunities to grab a lead while Adel was on the mound, the most critical in the eighth inning. With a man on third and one out, Head Coach Kevin Leighton called for a suicide squeeze with Phelan at bat. Phelan’s attempt was popped up, leading to an inning-ending double play. “It was a play we knew we were going to call,” Phelan said. “The ball was high and outside, and I just popped it up. That is a play I have to be able to make.” Sophomore right fielder Tim Swatek came in to pitch for just the second time of the season in the 11th inning, relieving Adel. Swatek gave up an eventual game-winning home run to his first batter before finishing the inning. Despite missing out on the sweep, Fordham still improved its chances of making the Atlantic 10 Tournament, with sole possession of fifth place. “We knew we needed to win the series, especially going up against Xavier this weekend,” Phelan said. “Any time you can win two games in a conference series you’re going to be happy about that.” The Rams will travel to Morningside Heights today, April 25, for a double dip against Columbia, before the crucial conference series against Xavier.
Women’s Tennis Ousted in First Round of Atlantic 10 Tournament By KENNY DEJOHN STAFF WRITER
It was a great season overall for the Fordham Rams, but they were not able to finish out the season with an Atlantic 10 Championship. The team closed out its 20112012 season with a 4-2 loss against the Saint Louis Billikens in the first round of the tournament at the Boar’s Head Sports Club in Virginia on Thursday, April 19. Sophomore Hanna Fritzinger and freshman Julie Leong were unsuccessful in third doubles, dropping the match by a score of 8-1, while junior Amy Simidian and sophomore Angelika Dabu fell victim to the same fate. The score of their first doubles match was 8-5. The match began with the Rams dropping two of the three doubles matches. Freshmen Bella Genkina and Sarah Ali defeated their opponents in second doubles, 8-2, but that was the only doubles match the Rams could muster against the tough Saint Louis team.
In singles play, Simidian, the team’s best performer, earned a point for the Rams (their first of the match) at first singles. She dropped the first set, 6-1, to her opponent, but came back to win the second, 6-3 and the third, 6-4. Dabu also picked up a singles point for the Rams at third singles, winning her match in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. Those were the only points the Rams scored, however. Ali came within a set of securing another point for the Rams, as she lost the first set, 6-3, before winning the second by the same score. In the tie-breaking third set, she was unable to keep the momentum going. She eventually lost the set by a score of 6-2. With the loss, the Rams finished the season at 17-6. The team went 4-3 in conference play, 6-0 at home, 5-2 in away matches and 6-4 at neutral sites. It was a very successful season for Head Coach Bette-Ann Liguori and her team, posting em-
phatic victories against Manhattan College, Vassar College, St. Peter’s College, Quinnipiac and Marist College. All of those key wins came in the form of shutouts, as the Rams put on some dominant performacnes. Of the team’s 17 wins, three stick out. The Rams were able to defeat powerhouse schools UMass-Amherst, Villanova and St. John’s en route to their best record in recent memory. Next season, the team will look to avenge its six losses against Richmond, Army, George Washington, Fairleigh Dickinson, Temple and Saint Louis; move up the ranks of the Atlantic 10 Conference and hope to advance past the first round of the tournament. The future seems bright for Fordham’s women’s tennis team, and a year of new recruits and new opponents could prove to be just what it needs to work its way to the top of the conference. The team will need to replace seniors Bethany Boyle and Sarah Tremaine, who will be graduating this May.
PHOTO BY MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM
The women’s tennis team finished the season with a 17-6 record, including four wins in the conference and a perfect 6-0 record at home.
SPORTS
PAGE 24 •THE RAM •APRIL 25,2012
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Houlihan Park to Play Host to Atlantic 10 Baseball Tournament By CHESTER BAKER SPORTS EDITOR
The Atlantic 10 Baseball Tournament will be held at Houlihan Park this season, as the conference moves postseason play back to college campuses. The tournament pits the top six teams in the conference against each other, with the seedings based on the teams’ conference records throughout the season. Last season, the tournament was played at Campbell Field in Camden, NJ while Fifth Third Field in Dayton, OH, has also played host to the tournament three times in the past eight years. The tournament will be held in various Atlantic 10 complexes for the next few years, with a rotating schedule of host sites. Fordham gets the first chance to host the event. “There are three or four schools that are equipped, and we are obviously one of them,” Executive Director of Athletics Frank McLaughlin said. There was some difficulty in getting the tournament moved back to a campus site in the league, however, because the winner of the tournament is given a place in the NCAA Tournament. “There were some people that argued that because a NCAA tournament berth was involved, we should have it at a neutral site,” McLaughlin said. “Discussions went on and eventually those in favor of the on-campus sites won.”
There are some concerns about the size of the press box at Houlihan Park. The media area becomes cramped when both teams have radio stations broadcasting from within. McLaughlin sees no problem in hosting the media that comes with the Atlantic 10 teams, and he believes the press box size will be a non-issue. “It will all work out,” McLaughlin said. “We have done it in the past, and we have had no problems. [Sports Information Director] Joe DiBari and his team do a great job of coordinating all of that so everything will work out.” In order to accommodate the
increased attendance, there will be temporary concessions stands set up, as well as the installment of temporary bathroom facilities. Currently, the Millenium Grille is the closest place for fans to get food. “We have gone above and beyond when hosting A-10 tournaments in the past,” McLaughlin said. “Everything will be great.” McLaughlin also sees this as an opportunity to get Fordham some exposure outside of New York City. “This gives us a chance to not only to host the tournament but also to showcase the school,” McLaughlin said. “There will
be people coming from other schools that have not seen the Fordham campus, but will leave very impressed.” As well as allowing people to learn about Fordham as a school, hosting the tournament could also be potentially beneficial to recruiting for the baseball program. “There might be a baseball player from Charlotte or Richmond or something like that, and then he comes here and realizes what a beautiful campus we have,” McLaughlin said. “Maybe down the road he has a brother or nephew who could wind up coming to Fordham because he remembers
what great facilities we have.” The softball tournament will also be moving to on-campus sites, starting with Saint Louis which will host it this season. Bahoshy Field is in the rotation, however, meaning that the tournament will be played there within the next few years. The Charlotte 49ers won the Atlantic 10 Tournament last season. The 2011 Fordham baseball team narrowly missed out on postseason play, losing the final game of the season to the Xavier Musketeers. This year, the Rams are 9-6 in conference and are in fifth place in the league.
PHOTO BY KATE DOHENY/THE RAM
Houlihan Park is named after Jim Houlihan, who donated $1 million to the baseball program in 2005. The money was used, largely, to resurface the field.
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BLOG: Fordham Men’s Soccer Goes to Red Bull Arena to Cheer on Meara By ADAM KANJI STAFF WRITER
On February 6, Fordham’s own Ryan Meara officially signed with the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer. Meara ranks with the likes of Gregory C. Boles as one of the best goalkeepers Fordham University has ever seen, and possibly tops the list as the best soccer player Fordham has ever produced. In his debut season in Major League Soccer, Meara has been a shining light on the Red Bulls team, making some outstanding saves and keeping the opposition at bay, even with a porous defense. He has arguably been the best player for the Red Bulls this season, and there are plenty of rumors that it will not be long before he heads to Europe. In an exclusive interview, Meara said that his main footballing inspiration was the former NY/ NJ MetroStars goalkeeper, Tim Howard. Howard was the star of the MetroStars team for many years and finally ended up getting a transfer to Manchester United. Though his time there wasn’t successful, he has grown as a keeper at Everton. When asked if he would like to follow his hero’s footsteps to Manchester United, Meara said that would be great, but right now he’s just focusing on this season. Meara is 6 foot 4 inches tall, strong and very athletic. He distributes the ball well and is an excellent shot-stopper. According to his coaches, he will outwork anybody, and even at the young age of 21, he marshals his defense like a veteran. He reminds me a lot of Joe Hart, the current England and Manchester City No. 1, and I think anybody who sees him play will be impressed. Soccer fans and players at Fordham are very lucky to have seen and played with Ryan Meara. On
Saturday, April 14, the members of the varsity soccer team went to watch their former teammate in action. I was able to tag along, thanks to The Ram. Thanks to senior Mary Atwater-Kellman, who works in the marketing department at Red Bull Arena, they were able to get fantastic seats right behind the goal, a field-level tour and locker room passes for after the game. Senior John Niyonsaba even took part in the pre-game coin toss with Thierry Henry. They were driven to and from the game in the official Red Bull bus, a party bus redecorated inside and filled with free Red Bull. It was such an amazing, unique experience. It was as if we were true celebrities, and it gave everybody a chance to see what it is like to live that lifestyle. The game itself was enjoyable, and the Red Bulls were able to hang on to a 2-2 draw thanks to some inspired goalkeeping by Meara. After the game, Meara said that the team was disappointed with the result, because at home they expect to win, especially after leading twice. It was a great experience to see a player who I had seen play right here on Coffey Field playing in a professional game. It must have been even more amazing for Meara’s teammates at Fordham. “It’s surreal because we’re such good friends and there he is playing professional,” Junior midfielder Michael Valencia said. “It’s weird man, just weird.” Meara was loved by his teammates, and from talking to him, it’s obvious that he loved playing here at Fordham. After one of the goals, he turned around and celebrated along with his former teammates. At that moment, he was just one of the lads again. Meara may go on to reach incredible heights in the football world, but there is no doubt that Fordham and his teammates will always hold a special place in his heart.
APRIL 25, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 25
Baseball Fordham 3-1 La Salle Fordham Swatek Cianci Maghini Lee Mauri McSherry Kownacki McCunney Pehlan
rf 3b ss cf 1b lf dh 2b c
Totals
AB
R
H HR RBI
4 3 4 3 3 2 3 3 2
0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0
0 1 1 1 2 1 1 0 0
27
3
7 0 2
La Salle
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0
AB R H HR RBI
Norton Negrin Feierstein Flax Klem Korenblatt Conroy Bennie Welling Kammler Garcia Smith Jr.
lf lf c 2b 3b rf dh ss 1b ph 1b cf
Totals
2 1 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 1 1 3
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
34
0 0 0 2 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 2
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
1 9 1
1
Fordham
IP
H
R
ER BB SO
Charest
9.0 9
1
1 0 8
LA Salle Donahue Cherry
IP
H
R
7.0 6 1.0 1
3 1 0 0
Men’s Tennis
Fordham 7-1 St. Bonaventure
Fordham 7-0 Rider
Singles Fordham LaBovick Callahan Ortiz Palumbo Turgeon Fortier Daubman Luety Bright
1b 2b dp ss cf 3b rf c lf
Totals
AB
R
H HR RBI
4 4 4 3 4 3 3 2 3
3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
0 3 2 2 0 1 0 0 2
30
7
10 1 5
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 0
4 0
DP - Explorers 1; Rams 1. LOB - Explorers 7; Rams 5. 2B Bennie(6). HBP - Cianci; Phelan. SH - Norton(1); Lee(3); McSherry(3). SB - Lee(8); Mauri(8). CS - Phelan(2).
Fordham 1-2 La Salle (F/12)
1. Alla (Fordham) def. Malfitano (Rider) 6-2, 6-2 2. Peara (Fordham) def. Laverty (Rider) 6-1, 6-3 3. Gram (Fordham) def. Carpenter (Rider) 6-0, 2-0, retired 4. Puntillo (Fordham) def. Kulpinski (Rider) 6-0, 6-0 5. Kulak (Fordham) def. Gershon (Rider) 6-0, 6-0
St. Bonaventure AB
R
H HR RBI
Frey Stowell Snider Andujar Enderby Watson Waite Storch Rohan
3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
23
0
2 0
0
ss rf lf 3b cf 1b c 2b dh
Totals
Mineau Pirone
6.0 2 0 0 1.0 0 0 0
Bonnies
IP
Sansano Pratt
5.0 6 4 1.0 4 3
0 0
6. Plangger (Fordham) def. Sweeney (Rider) 6-0, 6-1 Doubles 1. Alla/Peara (Fordham) def. Malfitano/Kulpinski (Rider) 8-0 2. Gram/Plangger (Fordham) def. Carpenter/Laverty (Rider) 8-1 3. Puntillo/Maloney def. Gershon/ Sweeney (Rider) 8-3
Fordham IP H R ER BB SO
ER BB SO
3 0
Softball
12 1
Fordham 2-5 Marist
H R ER BB SO 1 0 3 1
1 0
Singles
E - FREY; STOWELL; ANDUJAR 2. LOB SBU 2; FOR 7. 2B - WATSON; ROHAN; Palumbo; Fortier; Bright. HR - Ortiz. SF - Palumbo.
1. Kowalski (Fordham) def. Rossi (Marist) 6-3, 6-4 2. Alla (Fordham) def. Himmelsbach (Marist) 3-6, 7-5, 10-6 3. Reznek (Marist) def. Peara (Fordham) 6-4, 6-5 4. Dube (Marist) def. Gram (Fordham) 6-1, 6-0
Fordham
AB
R
H HR RBI
Swatek rf Cianci 3b Lee cf Maghini R. ss Mauri 1b McSherry lf Kownacki dh Maghini B.ph McCunney 2b Conway ph Pehlan c
5 4 5 5 4 4 4 1 4 1 4
0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2 0 0 2 2 2 1 0 1 0 0
Totals
41
1
10 0 0
La Salle
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
AB R H HR RBI
Negrin Korenblatt Flax Klem Smith Jr. Bennie Kamler Schoch Garcia Welling
lf rf 2b 3b cf ss c dh 1b 1b
Totals
6 6 5 5 4 5 4 4 4 1
0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0
44
2 1 1 1 0 2 1 2 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0
2 10 1
2
Fordham 5-1 St. Louis 5. Klassen (Marist) def. Krouham (Fordham) 6-0, 6-3 Fordham
AB
LaBovick Callahan Ortiz Palumbo Turgeon Fortier Ciuffi Lombardo Luety Krasinsky Bright VanBenschote Totals
IP
H
R
ER BB SO
Porter Anastasi Small Adel Swatek
3.0 3.0 1.0 4.0 1.0
1 2 2 3 2
0 0 1 0 1
0 0 1 0 1
La Salle
IP
Christy 7.1 Christensen 4.2
1 0 1 0 1
2 1 0 0 0
H
R
ER BB SO
6 4
1 0
1 0 8 0 1 3
E - Cianci 2(4). DP - Explorers 2; Rams 2. LOB - Explorers 9; Rams 7. 2B - Korenblatt(2); Bennie(7); Swatek(9). 3B Kownacki(3). HR - Kammler(1). SH - Cianci(4); Mauri(1). SB Garcia(2). CS - Klem(2).
4 3 3 2 2 2 0 2 2 1 2 1
0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 2 1
24
0 1 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 2 1
0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3
6. Bishop (Marist) def. Kulak (Fordham) 6-3, 6-2 Doubles 1. Himmelsbach/Giudici (Marist) def. Kowalski/Tauil (Fordham) 8-4 2. Alla/Peara (Fordham) def. Rossi/Van Eck (Marist) 4-6, unfinished 3. Klassen/Bishop (Marist) def. Gram/Plangger (Fordham) 8-3
5 7 2 5
Women’s Tennis St. Bonaventure AB
R
H HR RBI
Frey Stowell Snider Andujar Enderby Watson Rooney Waite Storch
3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
23
1
4 1
1
ss rf lf dh cf 1b 3b c 2b
Totals
Fordham
1b 2b dh ss cf 3b pr rf c ph lf ph
R H HR RBI
6.0 4 1 1 1.0 0 0 0
Bonnies
IP
Phalon
6.0 7 5
0 0
1. Simidian (Fordham) def. Nalepa (SLU) 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 2. Hollis (SLU) def. Ali (Fordham) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
4. Urzendowski (SLU) def. Genkina (Fordham) 6-2, 6-2
10 0
5. Moreno (SLU) def. Leong (Fordham) 7-6, 6-3
H R ER BB SO 4 6
Singles
3. Dabu (Fordham) def. Elmore (SLU) 6-4, 6-2
Fordham IP H R ER BB SO Mineau Pirone
Fordham 2-4 Saint Louis
1
6. Fritzinger (Fordham) def. Jolly (SLU) 6-7, 3-3, unfinished Doubles 1. Nalepa/Elmore (SLU) def. Simidian/Dabu (Fordham) 8-5
E - FREY. DP - SBU 1; FOR 1. LOB - SBU 2; FOR 8. 2B - Fortier. HR STOWELL; Fortier; VanBenschote. HBP - Palumbo. SB - Ciuffi; Lombardo. CS - S.Smith.
2. Genkina/Ali (Fordham) def. Urzendowski/Tomalek (SLU) 8-2 3. Hollis/Moreno (SLU) def. Fritzinger/Leong (Fordham) 8-1
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Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/theram_sports PHOTO BY ADAM KANJI/THE RAM
Fordham soccer players team saw their former teammate in action last week.
SPORTS
PAGE 26 •THE RAM •APRIL 25,2012
TWO-MINUTE DRILL
CHRISTIAN BEAULIEU
By CHRISTIAN BEAULIEU STAFF WRITER
After months of training, scouting and speculating, the 2012 NFL Draft is here. On Thursday, April 26, the NFL will welcome 32 new players who will looki to make an impact on their respective teams. For 30 first-round hopefuls, when and where they will be selected is a mystery. The two men at the top of the draft, however, can breathe easy with the certainty of knowing who will select them. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck was told will be selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the first pick in the draft, while the Washington Redskins have made it clear that they will be selecting Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III when they traded for the second pick in the draft. This would mark only the fourth time since 1991 that two quarterbacks were selected with the first two picks. Every year, draft experts make “Big Boards,” lists of the best players available regardless of position. Every year, quarterbacks that are listed lower will be prioritized and drafted above players who are considered “better” picks. Quarterback is the most important position on the field and recently they have been drafted as such. Last year, six quarterbacks were selected wihin the first 36 picks. Four of those quarterbacks started in games during their rookie seasons. The importance of drafting quarterbacks, however, is not unfounded. Of the 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL, 20 were selected in the first round. Drew Brees, Matt Schaub and Tom Brady were drafted in the second, third and sixth rounds respectively. They represent the only franchise quarterbacks not taken in the first round. Tony Romo is the only current franchise quarterback to be undrafted. While selecting a player higher than his indicated value is considered a reach, the quarterback position is treated slightly different. Quarterbacks like Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, Josh Freeman and Mark Sanchez were all considered reaches when drafted. All but Sanchez have proven to be franchise-caliber quarterbacks, however, and have greatly impacted their teams. Due to the increased emphasis on passing in today’s NFL, quarterbacks can justifiably be selected before their value would normally dictate. After the 2011 NCAA football season, USC quarterback Matt Barkley and Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones surprisingly decided to stay in school. Along with Luck and Griffin III, they
would have been virtual locks to be selected in the first round of the draft. With Barkley and Jones out of the quarterback mix, however, attention immediately turned to the third best quarterback in the draft, former Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill went to Texas A&M in 2007 as a redshirt quarterback. In 2008, new A&M coach Mike Sherman moved Tannehill to wide receiver after he came in third in the team’s quarterback competition. He used his great athleticism to amass 112 receptions for 1,596 yards and 10 touchdowns during his redshirt freshman, sophomore and half of his junior seasons. During his junior season, he was able to take reps at practice as a quarterback. The coaches were impressed by the way he played during practice, and in a game against Kansas, Tannehill played quarterback, splitting time with incumbent starter Jerrod Johnson. Tannehill finished the game with 12 out of 16 completions and three touchdowns. As a starter during his junior season, Tannehill managed the team as they knocked off No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 9 Nebraska. He finished his junior year with seven starts at quarterback, a 65 percent completion percentage with 1,638 yards passing and 13 touchdowns with only six interceptions. During his senior season, Tannehill fell victim to one of the worst receiving corps in the nation. Every game his receivers repeatedly dropped balls or ran the wrong routes. Despite the ineptitude of his receivers, Tannehill showed off poise, accuracy, arm strength and athleticism while starting all 12 regular season games and the Meineke Car Care Bowl. He finished his Texas A&M career with 484 completions and a 67.8 completion percentage, 5,450 passing yards and 42 touchdowns to go with only 21 interceptions in 20 career starts at quarterback. He also added five rushing touchdowns. Tannehill has been the hottest story leading up to the draft. He was originally thought to be a mid-second round pick, but has moved up into a sure-fire top-15 pick. Tannehill is one of the purest examples of how importance of position can elevate the draft position. While his size, speed and arm match those of a prototypical franchise quarterback, Tannehill is said to be raw. The rawness that scouts are talking about comes from having 20 starts at quarterback in college. This leads many to believe that, while he has all the tools to be a franchise quarterback, he may not have the instincts. While these arguments are fair, one must look at his poise and maturity while playing quarterback and should consider that his team had a lot of holes for which he cannot be blamed for. Given time and coaching, he has all the tools to be a long time starting quarterback. While he may or may not be raw, it is clear that he has great upside. While my opinion on Tannehill is debatable, it is undebatable that he will be the biggest wild card of the draft on Thursday.
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Senior Profile: Stephen McSherry By CHESTER BAKER SPORTS EDITOR
Senior Stephen McSherry has been patrolling the outfield of Houlihan Park since joining the team as a freshman four seasons ago. In that time, McSherry has been a staple in the Rams’ offense, seeing significant playing time every year. During his career at Rose Hill, McSherry has been to the Atlantic 10 tournament two times, and the Rams are in position to make another run at the tournament this season. He compiled a .273 batting average this season, the third-best on the team, while also knocking in 20 runs. The Ram: You recently had a nine-game hitting streak snapped. What was your mentality during it? Stephen McSherry: I had been struggling before then, and I was just trying to simplify my swing. I had a couple of good at bats and then eventually the games just kind of strung together. I was just trying to go up there and get hits. TR: A lot of players have some kind of superstition when they are going through a streak like that. Did you do anything? SM: No, not really. I’m not too superstitious so I didn’t really have anything. TR: You led the team last season with six outfield assists, and you have six so far this season. How do you go about throwing out someone from the outfield? SM: I just try to be accurate. It’s not all about strength, but the accuracy is the most important thing. I try to keep it on a line and put the ball in a place where the fielder can make a play on it. I’m focusing on not giving them an in-between hop while being accurate. TR: There has been a lot of discussion this season about the dimensions of Houlihan Park. What is it like to play in an outfield where the gaps are so big?
PHOTO BY MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM
McSherry is leading the team in doubles this season with eleven two-baggers.
favorite? SM: I have really enjoyed the new camouflage jerseys that we just got this year. TR: Since the jerseys were a part of the Wounded Warrior Project, did playing in a game with a special cause have an important meaning for you? SM: I think it was a great cause and something that everyone enjoyed. Also, I have a brother in the military, so it was pretty special to be able to give something back to all the soldiers. TR: The team has a losing record overall, but a winning conference record. How do you explain that? SM: We just take it one game at a time. We may lose one game but we just got to keep staying positive. The conference games mean more because the postseason is on the line, so we get more fired up for those games. TR: You’ve seen a lot of playing time for the Rams. What has it
been like to play so much during your time here? SM: I love it. Sometimes you wake up and you’re sore and tired. You wonder what it’s like to be a regular student, but it’s been great to play a game that I’ve been playing since I was six years old, make so many new friends and have so many memories. I’m going to miss it. TR: What has been your favorite memory of all the games you’ve played at Fordham? SM: Making the A-10 tournament twice was great. We played in a minor league stadium in Dayton my freshman year and an independent team stadium my junior year. It’s exhilarating and exciting to play the top notch competition with a spot to the College World Series on the line. TR: What are your plans for after graduation? SM: I will be interning at Ernst and Young this summer and then I’m going to the Graduate School of Business at Lincoln Center.
SM: It’s pretty spacious, and there is a lot of room out there. We just depend a lot on communication and knowing where each other will be. I have to always be aware of where I am in the field, but that can be hard since we don’t have any warning tracks. TR: You have switched your number a couple of times over your career. Why is that? SM: I came in and the number I wanted — number nine, the number I wear now — was not available. So I just took the lowest number that was available, which was 16. But once number nine opened back up, I asked our coach [former Head Coach Nick Restaino] if I could switch, and he said he didn’t mind. TR: You have also played in a number of different jersey designs. Which one has been your
PHOTO BY MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM
McSherry has stolen three bases this season on only four attempts.
SPORTS
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APRIL 25, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 27
Men’s Tennis Concludes Very Successful Season By KARA SCAGLIOLA STAFF WRITER
Fordham men’s tennis team closed out a historic season with a split doubleheader, and full optimism towards next season. The first of two matches displayed a Ram team as strong as it has been all season against Rider University, as the Rams took the match 7-0. Fordham exemplified special strength, in taking all three doubles matches, and then taking five of the six singles matches in straight sets. While the Marist match did not share such an outcome, the Rams still displayed considerable strength even through some team injuries. After losing the doubles point, sophomore Kuba Kowalski and freshman Srikar Alla reeled in the two Fordham points. Eventu-
ally, however, the Rams fell to the Red Foxes 5-2. “It’s been a great season for us,” senior captain Eli Plangger said on the closing of the season. “Hopefully the guys who are returning next year use this year’s success as motivation to get better over the off-season and have an even better next few seasons. Everyone still came out with a lot of energy and wanted to close the season on a high note.” Despite the loss, the Rams’ statistics surely end the season on a high note, with a record of 17-10 being the best record since the 1995-96 team (18-3). Even more, individual players such as Alla (23-9), Kowlowski (21-9) and freshman Mischa Koran (20-6) displaying 20 or more wins, the success for the Rams’ future is surely hopeful.
PHOTO BY MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM
Senior Eli Plangger wrapped up his Fordham career with two matches last week.
Track Season In Home Stretch; Penn Relays Next By RYAN SCANLON STAFF WRITER
The Fordham men’s and women’s track and field teams were in action over the weekend at the Larry Ellis Invitational in Princeton, NJ, hosted by defending outdoor Ivy League champs, the Princeton Tigers. A limited group of athletes participated due to the prestigious nature of this two-day meet. The men’s side showed some impressive times, indicating that its peak this season may be approaching. Senior Kevin Fitzgerald hit a personal record of 3:47.55 in the 1,500-m run elite, again indicating that he is hitting his stride down the last stretch of these meets. He finished 16th overall in the elite section. Sophomore Sean Collins continued his breakout year with a 14.95 finish in the 110-m hurdles. The hurdler has had better times this season, but the 10th place finish and consistency throughout the season was the key on Friday. Junior Sean Atkinson place 10th as well in the 400-m hurdles in a time of 54.25. Atkinson came back to
run the 4x400-m relay along with teammates senior Nick Delligatti, sophomore Sam Houston and Collins. That group finished sixth in the impressive time of 3:15.20. The women’s group looked as strong over the weekend, namely the 4x400-m relay team. The team of sophomore Titi Fagade, sophomore Averie Sheppard, senior Kelly Connolly and senior Elisabeth Warren notched a fourth-place finish in a new school record time of 3:46.38. The best women’s 4x400m relay team in Fordham history will attempt to lower its mark at the Penn Relays next weekend and at the Atlantic 10 Championships. Fagade also participated in the 800-m run elite. She placed 18th overall in a time of 2:10.98. The freshman hurdling pair of Kristen Stuart and Melissa Higgins had a strong outing as well. Stuart finished 22nd in the 400-m hurdles at 63.58 and Higgins finished 26th at 64.11. Next weekend, the Fordham men’s and women’s track and field teams will participate in the renowned Penn Relays hosted by the University of Pennsylvania.
began with Ottawa’s Matt Carkner seeking revenge against New York’s Brian Boyle for going after Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson in the previous game. Carkner left his position on the ice with the intention of fighting Boyle. Carkner tossed his gloves to the ice and landed two blows to Boyle’s head before he could react. The second punch knocked Boyle to the ground, and Carkner continued to pound away. Carkner was given a fiveminute major for fighting and two minutes for instigating, as well as a game misconduct. He was later suspended for one game. Later in the same game, Rangers’ rookie Carl Hagelin went up high on Ottawa’s Daniel Alfredsson. Hagelin got five minutes for elbowing and was later suspended for three games. Is Hagelin’s ill-advised play three times worse than Carkner’s attack on a defenseless opponent? What troubles me is that Hagelin’s play occurred within the context of the game, whereas Carkner’s and Weber’s actions couldn’t possibly be considered hockey plays, yet, Hagelin’s is the play that received the harshest punishment. One key issue is whether punishments should be based on intent or results. Alfredsson suffered a concussion as a result of
By DAN GARTLAND SPORTS EDITOR
Announcers and analysts love to talk about “playoff hockey.” Springtime hockey is more exciting, more pressure-packed and much more physical. However, it seems like this postseason, many players have crossed the thin line that separates toughness from malice. This year, there have been nine suspensions and one fine assessed for violent plays in only the first round. In last year’s first round, there was only a single suspension, and in 2010, there were no playoff suspensions. Whether that is a result of increased physicality or increased scrutiny from the league is difficult to tell. Still, I’ve seen a number of cringe-worthy plays that certainly seemed to warrant suspensions. I appreciate the NHL’s efforts to clean up the game — especially given the rash of apparent suicides by former NHL enforcers this past summer — but this is a war they can’t win. Either they’re criticized for not being harsh enough and endangering their players, or they’re criticized for being too harsh and sanitizing what is an inherently dirty game. It appears as though the league has had a tough time determining how to straddle this line, since the punishments handed down in this year’s playoffs have been wildly inconsistent. On the very first day of the playoffs, Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators grabbed Detroit Red Wings center Henrik Zetterberg by the back of the head and smashed his face into the glass. If you watch the video closely, you can see a fan point to Weber, then turn to the person next to him with his mouth agape, astonished. Weber was fined $2,500 (the maximum under the current collective bargaining agreement) by the league for the play. A few days later, the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators played a chippy game in the second installment of their series. It
the Hagelin hit, while the victims of Weber’s and Carkner’s actions were uninjured. The problem is that Weber and Carkner were clearly trying to injure their opponents while Hagelin was not (at least not as clearly). Playoff hockey should be rough. The players should be battered and bruised by the end of the series. They should not, however, be taken off the ice on a stretcher like Chicago’s Marian Hossa was after a brutal — and illegal — hit by Phoenix’s Raffi Torres. Torres left his feet (illegal) and hit Hossa in the head (illegal) after the play (also illegal). Torres, who has a history of dirty plays, was banned 25 games by the NHL. I can’t help but think that the league might have been making an example out of Torres, hoping that the lengthy suspension would keep gratuitous violence to a minimum in subsequent rounds of the playoffs. Because of the increased physicality, the NHL playoffs are a test to see who can stay standing the longest. That makes this postseason more valuable than any other in pro sports. It truly is survival of the fittest. For that reason, the league has to find some way to protect its players without sacrificing the integrity of its playoff system.
NAM Y. HUH/AP
Raffi Torres received a 25-game suspension for this hit on Marian Hossa.
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Upcoming Varsity Schedule CAPS=HOME Thursday lowercase=away April 26
Friday April 27
Saturday April 28
Sunday April 29
Baseball
at Xavier 3 p.m.
at Xavier 1 p.m.
at Xavier 12 p.m.
Softball
at Dayton 3 p.m.
at Dayton 12 p.m.
Track & Field
Men’s Golf
Penn Relays at the University of Pennsylvania
Monday April 30
Tuesday May 1
MANHATTAN 7 p.m. at Iona 3 p.m.
Yale Invite
Atlantic 10 Championships at Heron Bay GC, Coral Spings, Fla.
Wednesday May 2
APRIL 25, 2012
PAGE 28
Softball Continues Its A-10 and Home-Field Dominance By MATT ROSENFELD ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Fordham’s softball team remained on trend this past weekend, continuing its conference and home-field dominance with a sweep of Atlantic 10 opponent St. Bonaventure. Game 1 started off well for the Rams, as junior first baseman Jaime LaBovick reached on an error in Fordham’s half of the first. Senior captain and second baseman Nicole Callahan followed with a base hit, advancing LaBovick to third. Fordham put its first run on the board when junior shortstop Chelsea Palumbo hit a sacrifice fly that scored LaBovick. Fordham had a 1-0 lead after one inning. Senior pitcher Jen Mineau pitched another gem. In the first three innings, Mineau allowed only one hit, a bunt that took a bad hop and resulted in a double. Fordham added to its lead in the bottom of the third, when freshman designated hitter Paige Ortiz flashed her power, hitting an opposite-field home run to increase the Fordham lead to two runs. It was Ortiz’s team-leading 13th home run of the year. Following two more scoreless innings from Mineau, the Rams scored two more in the fifth. Senior outfielder Lindsay Kay Bright led off with an infield single and promptly advanced to second on a wild pitch. LaBovick then reached on an error, with Bright scoring on the play to make it 3-0 in favor of the Rams. Callahan singled to right field, where the outfielder
PHOTO BY MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM
Senior Nicole Callahan had four hits combined in Friday’s doubleheader sweep against St. Bonaventure.
could not handle the ball and allowed LaBovick to score to increase the lead to four. A two-RBI single from Callahan in the sixth inning, her third hit of the day, put the game out of reach for the Bonnies. Callahan was one of four players to have multiple hits in the game. Freshman Taylor Pirone came in to pitch the seventh inning and had a scoreless effort, sealing the Rams 7-0 victory in the first game of the doubleheader. “It was good to get on them ear-
ly,” Head Coach Bridget Orchard said. “Jen pitched another great game, and scoring early helped relax the team a bit. It’s nice to get the whole team hitting, especially with UMass coming in soon.” The second game started with a scare, as Mineau gave up a pair of singles that gave the Bonnies first and second with just one out, but Mineau managed to work out of trouble and escape without a run. Fordham continued its offensive success in the second, when sophomore third baseman Elise
Fortier hit a solo home run, her fourth of the season, to give the Rams a 1-0 lead. After Mineau struck out five of six batters in the third and the fourth in another two scoreless innings for the Bonnies, Fordham gave its pitcher some insurance. Fortier managed a walk, followed by freshman catcher Kayla Lombardo reaching on an error. Orchard then had junior outfielder Katherine Van Benschoten pinch hit for Bright. Van Benschoten responded by hitting the first pitch
she saw over the fence in left for a three-run home run, providing the Rams with a four-run lead. “That was huge,” Orchard said of the pinch hit home run. “That is not an easy thing to do, and it is great to see some power coming off of our bench to help pick up some starters that weren’t hitting.” Fordham added another run to its lead in the fifth, when after a Palumbo walk and freshman centerfielder Brianna Turgeon single, LaBovick ripped an RBI double to make the score 5-0. St. Bonaventure got its only run in two games in the sixth, when sophomore outfielder Lindsay Stowell hit a solo home run for the Bonnies to make it 5-1 in favor of the Rams, which proved to be the final score. “We played the way we were supposed to against the Bonnies,” Callahan said. “We should have scored more, but we’ll take it.” With the two wins, Fordham is now 29-19 overall (13-1 in conference play). A Tuesday afternoon loss to Iona dropped the Rams’ record to 9-1 at the newly-renovated Bahoshy field. The final score was 6-2 in favor of the Gaels. Prior to that game, Fordham had been undefeated at the new field. “They get excited when they get to play in front of our fans,” Orchard said. “They feel comfortable here, they’re confident, and I think it shows when we play here.” The Rams will head out to Ohio later this week to take on Atlantic 10 opponent Dayton this Friday and Saturday, April 27 and 28.
Sophomore Alex Cinque Takes Collegiate Taekwondo Title By DAN GARTLAND SPORTS EDITOR
Next time you are walking around campus, keep this in mind: walking those same paths is Alex Cinque, and she could totally beat you up. On April 8, Cinque, a sophomore at Fordham College Rose Hill, won the women’s welterweight black belt sparring championship at the National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships, held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. With her goldmedal finish, Cinque qualified for the World University Taekwondo Championships, to be held this May in South Korea. Cinque has been practicing taekwondo since she was five years old. “My parents wanted me to start with a sport when I was young, so they brought me to all these different dance schools and stuff, but I hated everything except for taekwondo,” Cinque said. “There was [a taekwondo school] in my town and my parents brought me to it, and I was just obsessed with it right away.” Since then, Cinque’s taekwondo honors have piled up. She has won a slew of state, regional and national competitions and is also a two-time member of the U.S. National Team.
As a senior in high school, she won the gold medal at the Pan American Championships. It was Cinque’s success at the smaller competitions that put her in a position to qualify for the bigger stages. “There are state and regional championships, and if you medal there, then you can go on to nationals and then worlds,” Cinque said. “At nationals, you have to win gold to go to worlds.” Cinque did take the gold at nationals, meaning she will leave on May 20 for Pocheon, South Korea for the World University Taekwondo Championships. “At nationals there were, I think, like 100 schools and over a 1,000 kids, and obviously at worlds there’s going to be ton more than that,” she said. “There’s going to be people from all over the world. It should be really crazy.” Cinque was even more pleased with her performance at nationals considering she had recently suffered an injury. “It really meant a lot to me that I did well at collegiate nationals,” Cinque said. “I was out for a little over a year due to some injuries, and this was my first major comeback tournament. I’m so happy that I was able to represent Fordham.” Cinque, who is from Ossining, NY, trains at a taekwondo school in
Little Falls, NJ She trains three days during the week and on weekends. “We do a lot of cardio and stuff at the track,” she said. “We do a lot of technical work and a lot of actual sparring as well.” It is the same taekwondo school where she trained when she was in high school. According to Cinque, the ability to train at that same taekwondo school was an important factor in her decision of where to go to college.
“Fordham is perfect because it’s about 30 minutes from my house, but also like 45 minutes or an hour away from my taekwondo school. If I wanted to go to college farther away, it wouldn’t have really worked out, and I really liked Fordham, too, so it was perfect that it was in this vicinity.” Cinque will continue to train in preparation for next month’s world championships. “I’m training hard, so hopefully
I’ll be able to win a world championship,” she said. “It’s an honor just to go. I’m really excited. This is another step in my goal to go to the Olympics some day.” While she won’t be competing in the Games this summer in London, the 2016 Games in Rio de Janerio are a possibility. “That’s my ultimate goal,” she said. “That would be awesome.” Additional reporting by John Lee, contributing writer.
COURTESY OF ALEX CINQUE
Cinque took gold at the National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships and will compete for a world title in South Korea.