Volume 94 Issue 19

Opinions PAGE 9

Culture PAGE 15

Sports PAGE 28

Celebrity endorsements don’t sway voters, just help to motivate them.

Prescribe Fordham! A birth control fair hosted by Fordham students.

Football wins a tough one over Holy Cross, before falling to Bucknell.

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SERVING THE FORDHAM UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY FOR OVER 90 YEARS

1918-2012

NOVEMBER 7, 2012

VOLUME 94, ISSUE 19

President Barack Obama Wins Re-election

Obama Captures Key Swing States to Secure His Stay in the White House

By KELLY KULTYS ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Shortly after 11 p.m., President Barack Obama was officially reelected as President of the United States. Ohio and Oregon came in back-to-back to push Obama over the necessary 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.

It was a slightly closer battle this time around for Obama than four years ago when he defeated Senator John McCain with 365 electoral votes to McCain’s 173. This time around Obama captured 303 electoral votes while the Republican challenger, former governor Mitt Romney, earned 206.

Obama also held the popular vote 56,224,328 votes to 54,786,753 votes. (At press time, the official election results from Florida were still pending.)

Obama won the key battle ground states of Ohio (18 electoral votes), Virginia (13) Wisconsin (10) — the home state of Paul Ryan — Nevada (6), Colorado

(9) and New Hampshire (4). He also secured the usual Democratic strongholds in the Northeast including New York (29), Romney’s former state of Massachusetts (11) and on the West Coast, most importantly California with its 55 electoral votes.

The decisive factors in Obama’s victory were the swing states, especially the ones that were assumed to be leaning right (such as Virginia).

Romney, on the other hand, took the usual Republican strongholds including the South, particularly Texas (38), and parts of the Midwest. However, Romney was unable to capture any of the main battleground states.

Romney officially conceded in 12:55 a.m. in Boston, MA. He began by thanking his running-mate, Paul Ryan, his wife, Ann, and his family for all of their support.

He then continued to thank all of his supporters throughout the country. Romney followed with SEE ELECTION, PAGE 5

CHRIS CARLSON/AP IMAGES

President Obama and his family greeted supporters in Chicago after winning the re-election on Tuesday night.

Campuses Sustain Minimal Damage Amid Hurricane As Administration Cancels Week of Classes, Final Exam Schedule is Adjusted to Allow for More Class Meetings

By CONNOR RYAN NEWS EDITOR

Compared to the mass power outages in Connecticut, the transportation problems in New York City, the flooded homes in New Jersey and the loss of life (which has amounted to at least 48 people in New York), Fordham’s campuses escaped Hurricane Sandy with minimal damage.

“I am happy to be able to report that, through the grace of God and the hard work of our staff, we came through the ordeal relatively unscathed. We sustained no injuries and no building damage on any of our campuses,” Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University, said in an email to the Fordham community this week.

About 12 trees came down at Rose Hill, but no building on campus ever lost electricity, according to John Carroll, associate vice president of Safety and Security.

Contrary to popular belief, no residence hall at Rose Hill has a backup generator. There is a generator in the McGinley Center, Rose Hill’s evacuation meeting point. (It is not an emergency shelter open to Bronx residents; Lehman College is, however.)

At Lincoln Center, about 50 graduate students had to be evacuated from a residence hall on 58th Street and some administrative and academic offices had to be closed on Monday afternoon because of a collapsed construction crane on West 57th Street. Those students

University Church Reopens With New Organs

By EDDIE MIKUS STAFF WRITER

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

One large tree was uprooted near Rose Hill’s administration building Monday night as Hurricane Sandy made landfall.

were relocated to McMahon Hall, an undergraduate residence at Lincoln Center. The 58th Street residence hall has since been reopened as the City works to stabilize the crane.

Fordham’s Calder Center campus in Armonk, NY lost power and bore “slight damage,” according to McShane’s email. Power has since been restored. The Westchester campus suffered some downed trees.

Early on Tuesday, Oct. 30, students at the Rose Hill campus lost Internet connection. The problem reportedly stemmed from flooded

facilities and power outages near Fordham’s off-campus servers.

Fordham IT resolved the problem on Wednesday, Oct. 31.

Fordham’s Emergency Management Team, made up of administrators from every department and campus of the University, held meetings and initiated conference calls about the effects of Hurricane Sandy over the course of last week.

The group was ultimately responsible for canceling classes Monday, Oct. 29 through Sunday, Nov. 4.

“Our number one priority was the safety of our students, closely

followed by the safety of the staff who rode out the storm on campus, many of them staying here instead of at home to assist even during the most dangerous parts of the storm,” Christopher Rodgers, Rose Hill’s dean of students and a member of the Emergency Management Team, said in an email.

Before the storm made landfall on Monday evening, students were urged to stay in their residence halls SEE HURRICANE, PAGE 5

For more information see the Hurricane Photo Spread, Page 14

Fordham’s masses have returned to the University Church after a two-month stint in Keating Hall’s First Floor Auditorium due to the installation of two new organs.

Rev. Patrick Ryan S.J., Rev. Philip Florio, S.J. and Monsignor Joseph Quinn said the first Mass this year in the Church, which was held at 11 a.m. on Nov. 4.

Father Florio also presided over the 9 p.m. student Mass, held in the same location. A third Mass was held at 5 p.m. in Our Lady’s Chapel.

Not surprisingly, people connected with the installation of the new organs took tremendous pride in the completion of the project.

“Obviously, it’s the culmination of really years of planning, and then the years of installing and making the organ,” Robert Minotti, Fordham’s director of music and University organist, said. “It’s just a great sense of satisfaction that the project’s finally complete.”

Other University Church officials were happy that Mass had returned to the Church.

“It was very gracious for the people of Keating First to allow us to use that space,” John Gownley, SEE CHURCH, PAGE 2

PAGE 2• THE RAM • NOVEMBER 7, 2012

SECURITY

BRIEFS

NEWS

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New Organs Enhance Mass Experience Ignatian Week Honors the Jesuit Mission

Oct. 28, Arthur Ave and E. 188 Street, 3:15 a.m.

By FRANCESA LEITE STAFF WRITER

A student was robbed at gunpoint by three males carrying a silver handgun. The males pointed the gun and demanded the student’s phone. The student obliged and the males fled in the direction of Fordham Rd. NYPD is investigating.

Oct. 30, Southern Blvd, 4:45 p.m.

A student was assaulted on Southern Blvd by two males. His phone was stolen. The two males then fled in the direction of Fordham Rd. Oct. 30, Hughes Ave and E. 191 Street, 10:45 p.m.

A female student was assaulted while walking. She was forcibly touched by two males. NYPD and security are investigating.

Nov. 3, Finlay Hall, 4:40 a.m.

The fire alarm was triggered in Finlay Hall due to the improper use of a fire extinguisher located on the third floor. People believed the residue of the extinguisher to be smoke and set off the alarm.

FDNY responded and the building was evacuated successfully.

—Compiled by Kelly Kultys, Assistant News Editor

THIS

week at

FORDHAM Thursday, Nov. 8, The 39 Steps Mimes and Mummers Collins Auditorium, 8 - 11 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 8, CAB Cinevents!: ParaNorman Keating First, 9 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 9 - Sunday, Nov. 11, Family Weekend All Day Sunday, Nov. 11, Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Dedication Mass & Ceremony University Church, 4 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 11 Junior Open House All Day Tuesday, Nov. 13, CAB Cinevents!: Beasts of the Southern Wild Keating First, 9 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 14 Kickoff Registration Event Relay for Life O’Keefe Commons 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

One of the new organs resides in the choir loft, while the other is located in the front left section of the Church.

FROM CHURCH, PAGE 1

University Sacristan, said. “But there’s something about being in your Church, in your home, that makes it feel complete.”

The new organs also were met with approval by members of the Gloria Dei Choir, who believe that the instruments will help improve their own music.

“It will hopefully bring a new level of praise and worship to the church,” Bryan Galligan, FCRH ’15 and choir member, said. “I think music definitely has the power to elevate people’s souls towards God, and good music has the power to do that better.

As we get the new organ, we’ll obviously change the way that we sing. The music will change to respond to that, but it will always have the same goal, having people pray. The organ will definitely help that.”

In his closing remarks at the 11

a.m. mass, Msgr. Quinn thanked several people who were involved in constructing the organ. These included Jack Bethard and Louis Patterson, the president and vice president of Schoenstein & Co., which was the company responsible for designing and building the organ. Both officials were in attendance at the Mass.

Quinn also told the congregation that a ceremony to dedicate the organs officially would be held on April 21.

These masses were also the first occasion for Fordham freshmen to get a glimpse of the Church.

“It’s absolutely gorgeous,” Bailey Link, GSB ’16, said in describing her first impressions of the Church. “It’s really light inside and very pretty, and I feel very happy there.”

In addition to unveiling the organs, Fr. Florio made a revelation

at the start of his sermon during the 9 p.m. Mass.

“I have a confession to make to you guys, if I can make it — I tweet,” Fr. Florio said. He said that he had a Twitter account for two weeks and was using it mainly to promote Campus Ministry.

That did not stop him from reading a series of humorous tweets made by Fordham students before proceeding with a more serious part of the sermon.

While the tone was generally celebratory, attendees at the Masses were often reminded of the devastation that had resulted in New York City from Hurricane Sandy.

For example, an interfaith service was held in Our Lady’s Chapel to support storm victims, and the proceeds from the collection at the 9 p.m. mass were given to the Fordham University Disaster Relief Fund.

Fordham in the Bronx

By JEFFREY COLTIN STAFF WRITER

Residency, Storm Cause Problems for Fordham Voters For so many Bronx residents and others around the nation, Election Day meant driving down the street, checking in, waiting in a short line and filling in a few bubbles in a secluded booth. Fordham student Joe Russo, FCRH ’15, did just that.

He went home Tuesday to vote at P.S. 14. Russo is a Bronx resident and had to travel only about four miles from campus to the east Bronx to cast his ballot. But for many Fordham students, voting in this year’s election was nowhere near that simple. Fordham is in the Bronx, but few students maintain permanent addresses in the borough and even fewer are properly “from” here. Thousands of Fordham students, then, had to find alternate ways of voting, and many faced challenges.

New York election law requires you to vote only at your assigned polling place, which caused problems for Dan Stracquadanio, FCRH ’15. Stracquadanio lives at Rose Hill but maintains his permanent address with his family in Queens, who were affected by superstorm Sandy.

“As a result,” he said, “I [was] unable to vote in this election be-

cause I [had] no means of going home to vote in my district. Public transit [was] not fully reliable by my house, and my parents [did] not have enough gasoline to come and pick me up.”

Megan Scully, FCRH ’15, of Monroe, NY, was also affected by last week’s storm. She applied for an absentee ballot, but it did not arrive in the mail in time to meet the deadline.

“I don’t live too far away but it would [have been] very difficult for me to get home in order to vote,” she said. “I had every intention of voting, but because my ballot didn’t arrive on time, I couldn’t.”

The storm also caused issues for New Jersey voters like Jordan Catalana, GSB ’15, of Vineland, NJ. Catalana applied for an absentee ballot weeks ago, but never received one in the mail, blaming the storm, which shut down many operations in her county for days.

Her problem was resolved, however, as on the day before Election Day, she found out that she could complete the whole process online, emailing in the absentee ballot form application, then emailing in the completed ballot after it was

received.

Other students had to go through similar hurdles to vote, like Abby Wilson, FCRH ’15. Wilson is from Kansas City, MO, and the state of Missouri requires all absentee ballots to be notarized.

She was able to have a friend’s mother notarize the ballot, but Wilson acknowledged the difficulties of voting in college.

“You have to plan ahead,” Wilson said. “You don’t really know what’s going on with the mail.”

Even with planning ahead, Mickaela O’Neill, FCRH ’15, proved the best-laid plans often go awry.

O’Neill applied for an absentee ballot from her home state of New Jersey weeks ago, but found the very application she had sent two weeks ago sitting in her mailbox with a return stamp after the storm.

O’Neill says she felt disappointed, and explained her desire to vote.

“It is my first time eligible to vote, and since the president that enters office this term will be in office when I graduate and enter into the real world in two more years, I feel that is an extremely important election to vote in — as all elections are,” she said.

Fordham celebrated Ignatian Week from Wednesday, Oct. 17 to Wednesday, Oct. 24. During this week, Mission and Ministry hosted several events and activities on all three campuses. These events included mealtime discussions, special guest lectures, masses and a pilgrimage.

The discussions and lectures included topics such as the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Ignatian Spirituality, the history of Jesuit education and living the Jesuit mission.

Rev. Patrick Conroy, chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives, was one of the special guest lecturers. He spoke to Fordham students at the Rose Hill campus on Tuesday, Oct. 22 about “faithful citizenship in a presidential election year,” according to Fordham’s website.

“Father Conroy himself had a career as a priest, which spanned defending Native American tribes, teaching theology at Georgetown and coaching JV girls high school baseball,” Dan Stracquadanio, FCRH ’15, said. “The Society of Jesus works with all walks of life and all aspects of it, which is what makes the Jesuits so remarkable to me.”

On Saturday, Oct. 20, a few students and campus ministry leaders attended the pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville, New York.

“I thought it was a profound experience,” Jedd Vergara, FCRH ’15, said. “Part of what made it remarkable was that Martyrs’ Feast Day was the day before, and we also went to the shrine of Kateri.”

Auriesville, New York is the birthplace of St. Kateri Tekakwitha who was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on Oct. 21, the day after the pilgrimage.

“One of the greatest parts of the trip was being able to see the holy spring; the water where she [Kateri] was baptized in was surreal,” Wanda Medina, FCLC ’15, said. “It was located in a forest and it was just so peaceful. The sun was shining and I felt like God’s presence truly could be felt.”

“I’d never been to a saint’s shrine before, and walking where they [the martyrs and Kateri] walked — standing on holy ground — gave me a sense of humility and a profound sense of reverence,” Vergara said.

To close out the week, Mission and Ministry held two events to put a close to a week meant to, according to the Mission and Ministry website, “celebrate the rich Ignatian heritage with which Fordham is blessed.” A discussion entitled “The Spirit of Solidarity” told the stories of the lives of the martyrs of El Salvador who “dedicated their lives to solidarity and justice through Jesuit teachings and traditions.” Finally, the week came to an end with a praise and worship ceremony held in Our Lady’s Chapel.

The purpose of the annual week was to help the Fordham community “appreciate the rich and rewarding Jesuit heritage through the work of local Jesuits and colleagues.”

NEWS

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NOVEMBER 7, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 3

Rochelle Group Hired to Evaluate Dining Services Administration Looks to Gain an Unbiased Perspective of On-Campus Food Services and Student Opinion Through Consulting Organization

By KELLY KULTYS ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Fordham’s Office of Student Affairs has hired the Rochelle Group Ltd., a food consulting company, to aid in the analysis and evaluation of Fordham’s current dining services.

“The Rochelle Group has been asked to provide an unbiased evaluation of Fordham's dining services and give us a really good understanding of what is currently being done well and where there are areas for improvement,” Brendan Francolini, GSB ’14, vice president of operations of United Student Government (USG), said via email.

The food services at Fordham have been under scrutiny recently, especially since it was released earlier this year that Fordham’s food services topped The Princeton Review’s “Worst Campus Food” list. This was one of the reasons Fordham decided to hire the Rochelle Group to give an unbiased perspective.

“The Rochelle Group is number one in their field [in working with undergraduate food services],” Sama Habib, GSB ’14, president of the Student Culinary Council, said. “They’re very transparent, fair and unbiased, which is why they were selected.”

The first step for the Rochelle Group will be to collect data from the Fordham dining services.

The organization plans to evaluate all aspects, from food quality to pricing to service, in order to get a full picture.

“[The Rochelle Group] will be around and they’ll have a chance to experience Fordham dining services for themselves,” Habib said.

The Rochelle Group plans to gather as much data as possible through many different sources such as focus groups, conversations with management and student feedback. Its first step includes meeting with the newly formed Dining Services Student Engagement Committee.

“Vice President [ Jeffrey] Gray has created the Dining Services Student Engagement Committee, which will be assisting in providing a context to the information,” Francolini said.

The group consists of eight students: the presidents of USG, RHA and CSA from both Rose Hill and Lincoln Center, as well as Francolini and Habib.

“It is the role of this committee, and all students involved, to ensure that the student voice is heard throughout the process,” Francolini said.

Bringing in the Rochelle Group allows Fordham to expand its perspective on dining services issues.

“I’ve heard from students who have no complaints about [dining services],” Habib said. “But then, I’ve also heard from students who have many complaints. [The Rochelle Group] will help figure out who’s telling the truth.”

This data-gathering phase will last until approximately the end of this semester. At this point, the Rochelle Group will present its

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH ZANGHI/ THE RAM

Francolini and Habib are two members of the newly-formed Dining Services Student Engagement Committee.

findings to the Fordham administration.

“The evaluation that The Rochelle Group provides us will be the basis of our conversation about what Fordham students want and need from a dining services vendor and which company can best meet those needs,” Francolini said.

Fordham will use this information and assistance from the Rochelle Group as it enters the “Request for Proposal” process.

“This is when Fordham will be putting out the dining services contract up for bid,” Francolini said, “so that other vendors can be considered to become Fordham's dining services provider.”

Fordham hopes to reach a deci-

sion on its dining service provider for the 2013-2014 school year by the end of this coming spring semester.

Both Habib and Francolini support Fordham’s decision to hire an outside consulting group to evaluate this important part of campus life. “[Hiring the Rochelle Group] really shows that the Fordham administration is listening to its students,” Habib said. “They want to address this issue and provide the best possible [services] for their students.”

“The University is recognizing that this is an important issue on campus, and that they need to make sure students are receiving a service comparable to other

universities and to what students pay for it,” Francolini said. “It is great to see Fordham being proactive with its response, and that students are being involved in every step of the process.”

Students should look for information in the upcoming weeks on how to get involved in the feedback process. They are welcome to contact Francolini at bfrancolini@fordham.edu if they are interested.

“The purpose of hiring an outside consulting firm is to provide a complete and thorough review that is focused on nothing other than what is best for the students, and that is what we should all expect to see come from this process,” Francolini said.

Respect for Life Walks for Suicide Prevention Students Joined Hundreds in Lower Manhattan to Raise Money and Awareness Before Hurricane Sandy Inundated Battery Park

By CONNOR RYAN NEWS EDITOR

Despite the increasingly urgent warnings about Hurricane Sandy’s approach, a group of close to 20 Fordham students gathered at Battery Park in Lower Manhattan on Sunday, Oct. 28, to participate in the Out of the Darkness Community Walk.

The American Foundation for

Suicide Prevention (AFSP), a national not-for-profit group dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide, hosted the charity walk — one of the many the foundation hosts across the country every year. Fordham’s Respect for Life (RFL) club rallied students to participate.

“Respect for Life got involved because we see that suicide is on the rise — it’s the highest it’s been

in 15 years — and it keeps increasing,” Mike Prescia, FCRH ’14 and marketing director of RFL, said.

“It’s a very important life issue that we need to address.”

In total, roughly 900 people registered for the walk, according to the event’s website. Participants ended up raising $138,175.51 for education, research, survivor outreach and advocacy, which exceeded the event’s fundraising

COURTESY OF MIKE PRESCIA

Members of the Fordham Respect for Life Group rested after participating in the Out of the Darkness Walk held on Oct. 28.

goal of $125,000.

For Amy Gembara, FCRH ’14 and vice president of RFL, the walk was a chance to learn about the devastating effects of suicide and to talk with others about prevention.

“The strong sense of concern and support brought everyone together to help end a horrible thing,” Gembara said via email.

“I am taking away a deeper understanding of the community of people affected by suicide and ways to bring others together to support people who may be considering suicide.”

Meghan Muha, GSB ’14, who also participated in Sunday’s walk, recalled a Fordham student who took his own life on campus in September of 2010 — one of the 1,547 reported suicides in New York that year, according to AFSP’s website.

“That really affected me because I did not understand how something like this could happen,” Muha said in an email. “We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper, so that was a loss to the entire Fordham community. When our community loses someone to suicide, we all have a personal connection to suicide.”

Gembara believes that everyone should support the cause and participate in other Out of the Darkness Community walks.

“I recommend that everyone goes on a suicide prevention walk,” Gembara said. “We need to show our love and care for those who are contemplating suicide, and we should do whatever it takes to help them. Doing a walk to raise awareness of this life issue is a solid way to start helping; there can be multiple opportunities that can arise from there.”

Out of the Darkness Community walks are hosted across the country on Saturdays and Sundays. A complete list of walk locations and more information about getting involved or donating may be found on ASFP’s website.

Prescia said on Facebook that despite the impending hurricane, the walk was a success.

“Within hours after the walk, Battery Park was submerged under seven feet of water,” Prescia wrote. “But as Fordham students, we remained calm, strong and courageous in the midst of the storm approaching.”

Muha said that the darkening sky and weather forecast added a certain level of uncertainty and intensity to the afternoon.

“It was super windy and cloudy,” Muha said. “Mayor Bloomberg was trying to get Zone A to evacuate, and we were in Zone A. We saw Jim Cantore from The Weather Channel — it was pretty intense.”

PAGE 4 • THE RAM • NOVEMBER 7, 2012

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Students Begin Composting Project at St. Rose’s Garden Biodegradable Food Wastes Provide Gardeners with a Healthy, Organic Alternative to Chemically-Produced, Artificial Fertilizers

By EDDIE MIKUS STAFF WRITER

A group of eco-conscious Fordham students has begun a composting project with the aim of enhancing environmental sustainability at the University.

This project began last April and is based at St. Rose’s Garden, which is located between Faculty Memorial Hall and the Ram Van office. The purpose is to use biodegradable food wastes from the Millennium Grille in order to create a nutrient-rich soil in which the garden’s produce grow.

“You take non-animal waste, like no fats or anything” Julia Sponseller, FCRH ’13, Fordham’s sustainability coordinator, said, in explaining how the composting process works. “And you put them in with leaves and all sorts of different stuff and they break down and become kind of like a conditioner for the soil.” Sponseller said that coffee grounds are good compost materials, as are fruit and vegetable trimmings.

People connected with the project emphasized that composting was a more sustainable way of operating a garden than using chemical fertilizers.

“We want it to be sustainable,” Jason Aloisio, GSAS ’14, president of St. Rose’s Organic Garden, said. “Sustainable means that we want to not use any fertilizers, and we want to kind of be self-contained. If we can use a waste stream, we can use food wastes, a waste stream, stuff that would normally be going into the garbage dump. We can take that, put it into our compost bin, and then we can have it decompose,

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

The biodegradable food wastes from the Grille are a part of the nutrient-rich soil which helps grow the garden’s produce.

and then it becomes rich, nutrient-filled compost that we can put into our soil beds.”

Aloisio explained that many commercial fertilizers use fossil fuels, which are detrimental to the environment. Additionally, using compost as fertilizer reduces the amount of material that ends up in landfills.

“They [Sodexo] would be taking that food waste and then throwing it out, and it would be going into a landfill, and that would cost more fossil fuels,” Aloisio said. “Instead, we’re taking it and preventing it from going into the landfills, taking up space, and we’re composting it and turning it into fresh fruits and vegetables.”

The project also offers a learning opportunity for the Fordham community.

“It’s also an educational tool,” Aloisio said. “Folks are getting

into the garden and getting their hands into the dirt, and maybe they’ve never done that before.

And learning about where your food comes from may help you to make sustainably-minded decisions in your life.”

The composting project has a more direct benefit to those who work in the garden.

“The volunteers that work in the garden eat the food that we produce,” Aloisio said. “So, instead of buying food from an industrialized agricultural system, they’re buying food that was grown right here on campus.

And it’s healthy, and it’s delicious and it’s freshly picked on a daily basis.”

Aloisio said that government regulations prevented food grown at Saint Rose’s from being sold in the Marketplace; however, items from the garden were sold at an on-campus farmer’s

market.

To carry out the composting project successfully, manager Kyle Clonan, FCRH ’14, brings vegetable cuttings three times a week from Millennium Grille to St. Rose’s Garden. This material is then sorted into one of three bins based on its current state of composting.

“All of the very raw materials that we just started, like the stuff they don’t pick up today, goes into one bin,” Clonan said of the way the compost system works.

“Then we have a middle bin of mid-material, and then a third bin which is all nutritious soil, ready to go.”

A major challenge is that producing compost requires a large amount of plant material.

“It actually requires quite a bit of material to get any compost,” Aloisio said. “It reduces quite a bit. The fungus, bacteria and in-

vertebrates that break down the material parts, it actually reduces it quite a bit. When you have plant material and it decomposes, it decomposes and gets quite a bit smaller. So if we had a cubic foot of plant material and then it was decomposed, you might just have a few cubic inches at the end.”

To combat this, Clonan told The Ram that the garden is currently in the process of obtaining compost from Lehman College.

“We’re actually looking to get some of their compost or borrow their soil,” Clonan said of Lehman. “They have a really big composting program there. They produce more compost than they can use.”

Although St. Rose’s Garden only opened in April, the idea of a composting project has been in the works for a long time.

“This has actually been something people have been trying to do for years,” Clonan said. “I was speaking with a woman at the Botanical Gardens who’s helping us with just logistics of how to compost, and she had said that she’s been contacted by multiple Fordham students almost every year for the last 12 years she’s been working there with wanting to start composting at Fordham.”

Clonan attributed the actual creation of St. Rose’s Garden to being able to initiate the composting project.

Composting is not the only form of sustainability that has been proposed on Fordham’s campus. Aloisio suggested other projects, including the creation of energy-efficient buildings with the installation of solar panels and green roofs.

Farmers’ Market Provides Students With Local Produce Supporting Local Farmers Has Many Benefits for the Community, Economy and the Surrounding Environment

By EDDIE MIKUS STAFF WRITER

Fordham students were recently given the opportunity to purchase fruits and vegetables at a farmers’ market outside of the McGinley Center in October.

All of the produce sold at the market was purchased from local suppliers, a fact which organizers were keen to emphasize.

“I think we’re trying to, number one, provide students with locally-sourced products, to help the University in its mission of sustainability, ” Brian Poteat, Sodexo’s general manager at Fordham, said of the market, which was conducted by the Student Culinary Council and St. Rose’s Garden Community-Supported Agriculture.

Poteat further explained that there are both ecological and economic benefits to supporting local farmers.

“We may get organic mesclun greens every day, but they’re coming from California; they’re still being shipped halfway across the country,” Poteat said of a kind of green served in the Marketplace’s salad bar. Poteat clarified that Sodexo purchased this particular

vegetable from California because conditions there permitted yearround growth. However, he also estimated that, on a year-round average, Sodexo obtains about 25 percent of its food products from local suppliers.

Additionally, Poteat stated that purchasing locally was good for the area’s economy.

“We’re supporting local farmers because we believe it’s important to support the local commerce,” said Poteat. “As they flourish, then it becomes more available for everybody. In the big distribution chains that everybody uses, buying local can be a problem, because they have to have so much.”

Local suppliers were pleased to have the opportunity to sell their products on Fordham’s campus.

“I service a lot of hotels and restaurants throughout New York City, and local is a trend that everyone is trying to [go] towards,” Victor Lobo, a representative from Baldor Specialty Foods, a company that supplied the market with produce, said. “If a product is available local, we’ll definitely go that route. If not, then we obviously have to go other means.”

In addition to the local economy, St. Rose’s Garden also benefit-

ted from the farmers’ market. Students who work in the garden had the opportunity to sell some of their produce. St. Rose’s received the portion of proceeds from the market not used in covering costs of the event.

Students who work in St. Rose’s were appreciative of the effort to bring attention to their project.

“A lot of people don’t know about us,” Maeve Bassett, FCRH ’14, a student who volunteers at St. Rose’s, said. “And so seeing our sign and seeing our vegetables and talking to us gets a lot of knowledge out.”

She further stated that students who came to the farmers market had the opportunity to sign up for St. Rose’s Garden.

The farmer’s market was the second that Fordham has held this year. Plans are currently underway to hold more in the spring, despite a potential challenge in the timing of New York’s growing season.

“It’s hard in New York state because the seasons of the produce around here are kind of like summer, fall, and we don’t grow too much,” Julia Sponseller, FCRH ’13, the sustainability coordinator for Sodexo, said.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM

A student sets up the farmer’s market, which helps to promote sustainability.

NEWS

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NOVEMBER 7, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 5

Strongholds in the Northeast and West Coast Help Carry Obama FROM ELECTION, PAGE 1

a message about joining forces and moving forward based on the principles the United States was founded on.

“I so wish I was able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country,” Romney said. “But the nation chose to go another way, so I will pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation.

I believe in America. I believe in the people of America.”

Shortly after, Obama held his victory speech in Chicago, Illinois where his family, friends and a multitude of fans surrounded him.

“I want to thank every person who voted in this election,” Obama said. “You made your voice heard. You made a difference.”

Obama discussed his tough campaign for reelection.

“We may have battle fiercely, but it’s because we love the country deeply,” Obama said.

Obama continued by thanking his family and his vice-president, Joe Biden. He then moved on to thank all of his supporters, both

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

Students celebrate at Rose Hill by ringing the Victory Bell in celebration of the re-election of President Barack Obama.

new and old. Obama also discussed how he would be moving forward with his work.

“A long campaign is now over,” Obama. “Whether you voted for me or not, I’ve listened to you, I’ve learned from you. I’ve become a better president because of you.”

Obama reminded everyone

why they decided to vote for him.

“Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual,” Obama said.

During his last four years in office, Obama has had numerous successes, including the operation that took down Osama Bin Laden and ending the seven-year war in Iraq. He has also been under fire, however, at times during

his first term, especially for how he’s dealt with the current recession and unemployment. Also, his “Obamacare’ is constantly a topic for heated discussion among all citizens of the United States.

However, it was Obama’s effective campaigning and debating, as well as some missteps by his challenger that secured the presiden-

cy for Obama for four more years.

His platform, which, according to the New York Times, includes plans such as “extending tax cuts for the middle class while asking the wealthiest and corporations to pay their fair share”, enticed many Americans to vote for him.

The Democratic platform also describes Obama’s health care reform as an “accessible, affordable, high quality health care [that] is part of the American promise.”

These are two of the many reasons well over 47,000,000 voters went out to the polls to reelect Obama.

With the election and campaigning process behind him, Obama can now return to work with some new members of his team in Congress to improve the lives of Americans through his plans for health care, taxation, immigration and social issues.

Many students here at Fordham were very excited about the news of Obama’s re-election. The College Democrats arranged a small grouping of students to meet and ring Fordham’s Liberty Bell in honor of President Obama’s four more years.

Downed Trees and Loss of Internet Were University’s Main Issues FROM HURRICANE, PAGE 1

and away from windows. It was also recommended having a small bag ready, with vital supplies and some food, in the event that relocation was deemed necessary. Rodgers said that students were cooperative.

“We could not be more proud of our students and staff,” Rodgers said. “They really rose to the occasion, looking out for one another during the storm and staying out of harm’s way themselves.”

All classes for Monday, Oct. 29 and Tuesday, Oct. 30 were canceled and announced via email on Sunday, Oct. 28. Classes for Wednesday, Oct. 31 were canceled and announced via email Tuesday, Oct. 30.

As subway tunnels were pumped and New York City’s transit system slowly began returning to service, an email was sent to students on Wednesday afternoon saying that all classes would resume on a normal schedule on Thursday, Nov. 1.

After reconsidering the situation in light of ongoing transportation issues, administrators sent a followup email to the Fordham community Wednesday night stating that classes would be canceled for the remainder of the week.

“The University revisited the decision to resume classes in light of updated information regarding the prospects for mass transit service and New York City school closings announced late [Wednesday] afternoon,” Bob Howe, Fordham’s senior director of communications, said in an email.

“I am impressed with the administration’s willingness to revisit, and ultimately reverse, its initial decision to hold classes,” Thomas R. Riley, FCRH ’81, and parent of current student Meghan Riley, FCRH ’15, said in an email. “Fordham saw the light and did the right thing. As an alumnus, I’m grateful that they chose to act with compassion.”

Riley was also a member of the University Relations staff from 1986 until 1988.

“I am grateful and impressed with Fordham’s embrace of current technologies — Facebook and Twitter — as means of communicating with the wider community,” he said, when asked about Fordham’s communication during the storm. “With these vehicles in use at all levels of society, the University would be remiss if they did not take full advantage of them.”

Other parents seemed to reiterate Riley’s sentiment via Fordham’s Facebook page (apparently operated by Howe).

“Great job Fordham! I’m glad and proud to have two students entrusted to you,” Bob Gran commented.

“Many thanks to Fordham University for keeping our kids safe and doing such a great job of communicating information to the parents,” Melissa Winchester commented.

“Thank you, Fordham, for keeping our children safe,” Celina Pacheco commented.

As a result of the canceled classes, administrators have decided to make Dec. 11 and Dec. 12 regular class days rather than reading days, as originally marked. Dec. 13 will also be made a regular class day, and exams scheduled for that day will be moved to other days within the exam period, according to an email sent to students from Dr. Stephen Freedman, provost of the University.

Exams originally scheduled for Dec. 12 will be moved to Dec. 15.

“Students who end up having three exams on one day will be able to reschedule one to a separate day,” Freedman said in the email.

Most food service locations on all campuses remained open last week, but operated on a revised schedule.

“Food service staff began duty on Sunday, Oct. 28 when the University’s Ram Vans picked them up from their homes and brought them in for the duration of the storm to work in shifts,” according to a press release. “The University housed the staff in nearby hotels.”

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

The Facilities staff worked to cut down loose branches or splintered trees that were damaged by Sandy’s winds.

Ram Vans did not run last Monday or Tuesday. Limited service restarted late Wednesday, Oct. 31.

Meanwhile, outside the gates of Fordham, New York City and the surrounding areas still struggle with the storm’s aftermath. As of late Monday, Nov. 5, about 71,000 customers in New York City and 56,000 in Westchester County were still without power, according to The New York Times.

Almost 310,000 customers remained in the dark in New Jersey as of early Tuesday, Nov. 6. About 30,000 customers were without power in Connecticut, 113,000 customers in Nassau County and

91,000 customers in Suffolk County were still lightless as of Monday afternoon, according to The Times.

The MTA’s bus service was operating close to normal and most subway lines were operating normally on Tuesday afternoon, according to The Times.

Amtrak, the Long Island Railroad, Metro-North, New Jersey’s Transit Rail and PATH service were all operating on modified schedules Tuesday afternoon.

All bridges into Manhattan and the Lincoln Tunnel were open as of Tuesday afternoon. The Holland Tunnel will reopen for all motorists on Wednesday and the Rockaways

Bridges were mostly open. The Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and the Queens Midtown Tunnel, however, remained closed at press time.

Most New York City public schools resumed as Fordham did on Monday, Nov. 5.

“In a special way, I would like to thank the members of the Facilities, Safety and Security, Student Life, and Food Service staffs who worked literally around the clock to make sure that our students were safe and that our buildings and campuses were secure,” McShane said in the University-wide email. “We are all in their debt, a debt that I am more than happy to acknowledge.”

NEWS

PAGE 6 • THE RAM • NOVEMBER 7, 2012

Students Gather to Watch Election Results

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South Residents Recognize Workers’ Efforts

On Tuesday, Nov. 6, students converged in O’Keefe Commons to watch the results of the presidential election. The Commuter Student Association sponsored the program under the guidance of Dean of Students Christopher Rodgers. Students received an email describing the event as a chance to “come watch democracy in action and have some food on us!”

Doors opened for students at 8 p.m. The students who attended enjoyed the free food, snacks and drinks provided for them. They were encouraged to watch the results casually or engage in friendly debates with their fellow classmates should they arise.

This was part of a ongoing effort by the Fordham community as a whole to get students more involved and more aware of the current political issues and the right to vote. Prior to the results showing, the three debates were screened and students were able to sign up to vote right on campus.

These initiatives aimed to help educate the student body on important issues outside the Fordham gates.

- Kelly Kultys, Assistant News Editor

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

While some students throughout Fordham groused over the lack of internet access and missing cable, they were very thankful to have many campus facilities available for their use last week. During the entire extent of the hurricane, many Sodexo locations throughout campus, especially the Marketplace, never closed for an entire day. In fact, the only time the locations even closed earlier than planned was on Monday night during the most threatening and dangerous weather conditions. Even other facilities, such as the McGinley Fitness Center and the Lombardi Memorial Center, remained open for students to use.

None of these would have been available to students, however, without the hard work and dedication of the Food Services and Security Staff. These workers, as stated in the “Class Canceled, But Minimal Damage to Rose Hill” article, were shuttled to campus each day from the hotels they were living in. Many times these workers are often overlooked, but this time students in Alumni Court South decided to make sure they were appreciated.

Adrianna Krasniansky, GSB ’15, a resident assistant in South, developed a few programs to assist the relief efforts for Sandy. Her main program included created cards for the Food Services and Security staff for all their hard work during the dangerous hurricane conditions “It was my program, but all the RAs were involved,” Krasniansky said. “They all signed the cards, or I believe they did, and I sat at the desk last night and many of the students that came in signed the cards.”

Krasniansky and some of the South residents delivered the cards to the workers on Tuesday evening.

Krasniansky also held a bake sale on Wednesday to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

“We raised just over $100 and donated the money to Campus Ministry,” Krasniansky said.

—Kelly Kultys, Assistant News Editor PHOTO BY ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

Editor’s Note: Due to the dangers posed by Superstorm Sandy, The Ram was unable to go to print as scheduled last Tuesday, Oct. 30. We Stay updated with carried over some of that content to this week and hope that you enjoy this week’s slightly longer issue. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and hope that everyone is safe and well.

Fordham News!

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Class of 2013 FIRST HONORS Jillian Marie Abballe Frederick Olen Barnum Anne M Buckel Benjamin Philip Calderon Kristin Cara Marisa T. Carroll Sean C. Coburn Giuseppe S. D’Amelio Benjamin Thomas Delikat Sabina P. De Matteo Nicholas A. Fiore Olivia H. Gall Yi Gao Elizabeth Z. Gillett Justin S. Gillis Kerry Ellen Ann Gunsalus Christopher S. Hernandez Sean Martin Hickey Tracy T. Karpinski Devin Gael Kelly Timothy James Luecke Zachary Meinhart Brendan J. Nosal Michael Paul Rametta Erin Marie Reynolds Gabriella Marie Riley Christina Taylor Rooney Julian Michael Saad Teresa Avila Salinas Caitlin M. Schroen Sara Shahmiri Anna Maria E Shaker Stephen L. Sobey Timothy G. Stahl Christopher Alfred Tesoriero Morgan Blayke Vazquez

SECOND HONORS John P. Anistranski Christopher E. Bair Jeffrey C. Beazley Andrew Ralph Biello Jessica P. Brosnan Christine Marie Campbell Donato Casarella Nicole Caso Heather Ashley Crombie Sarah Elizabeth Dorman Liam J. Duffy Jacob Alexander Edison Rebecca Lynne Greene Thomas C. Hanvey Lauren Elise Hathaway Amanda Marie Iorio Maria Cristina Jimenez Anan Kahari Adrian Michael Laluk John Michael Malfetano Brendan Edward Malone David Marcelin Olivia N. Monaco Kim E. Naples Robert J. Nayden Melissa C. Neri Brendan J. Offer Luigi Patruno Cheyenne Jarah Pons Nicole C. Rocco Andrew T. Steffan Alana E. Telesford Melissa Susan Tesoro Michael C. Troiano James Joseph Valenza Jobin John Varghese Daniel Michael White Alexander Hugh Williams Jingyuan Zhou Rosemary E. Zlokas

HONORS Stephany Agovino Thomas Michael Alia Courtney Elizabeth Anders Alejandro Avalos Alisa Marie Benintendi Andrew John Bevilacqua Navena Felicia Chaitoo Colleen N. Chambers Rachel Anna Coffey Shane Michael Conroy Vincent Patrick Corcoran Danielle Nicole Craft Michael Crowe Alexander Ian Deardorff Christina Marie Debiase Michelle Alicia Dondero Ariana Elefterakis

NOVEMBER 7, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 7

Fordham College at Rose Hill Dean’s List 2011- 2012 Isabella Fante Leslie Felicia Feigenbaum Alexandra Janet Fisher Kellen E. Fitzgerald Kristen S. Flores Jacob Anton Guth Sami Hafez Scharon Cristine Harding Nicholas J. Harris Michael Robert Hickey Samanth Hokanson Emil Kain Yarah Alyssa Kassam Evan L. Kurant Christopher Lee Marietta Josephina Leone Katelyn Michelle Levy Meredith Kathryn Libbey Rebecca Marie Lindner Lisa Lo Paro Sellie Maria Makhraz Markian Myroslav Martynetz Michelle A. Mathios Michael Teddy Mazzone Charles M. McMahon Rachel L. Middleton Jillian Marie Minahan Jacqueline J. Monnat Patrick Stephen Moore Joseph Harold Moreshead Harjot Kaur Nayar Nicholas D. Novak Evan B. Oei Terrence John O’Toole Monica Ida Perrino Simone Laurie Pesce Michael Robert Prate Patrick Thomas Raleigh Sarah Alicia Reda Kira Marin Rosi-Schumacher David James Rowley Jean Michel Eric Royall Hannah E. Schaffer Nathan T. Schiller Stephanie Simeone Amy Megan Simidian Madyson Spano Marcus Kristian Stromsmo Angela P. Thompson Jeremiah Fitzpatrick Walsh Mark Andrew Ward Brian Albert Williams Dylan Scot Young Shannon Katie Young

Class of 2014 FIRST HONORS Dana N. Bach Talia L. Boyer Kristen Angele Cagino Daniel R. Carter Laura Jane Childs Emily K. Dinan Andres Duran Rueda Laura Macchiarola Alexandra T. Macchiarulo Andrew John Maitner Brent R. McDonnell Michael E. McMenamin Thomas C. Merante Megan Elizabeth Sullivan John M. Turiano Zachary F. Vasile

SECOND HONORS Rachel Marie Albert Emily J. Arata Anisa J. Arsenault Christopher S. Awad Jillian Rose Bauman Jennifer K. Boland Andre C. Brooks Eleanor R. Christenson Kyle R. Clonan Eva C. Codispoti Kelly M. Cunningham Jennifer L. Dakin Marion M. Daluga Craig M. Domeier Kelsey Dougherty Howard Melissa S. Doura Taylor F. Engdahl Katrina T. Feldkamp Kelly P. Fitzpatrick Amanda E. Foggia Nicholas J. Gatto Daniel John Gibney Elizabeth A. Green Xavier Michael Griffiths

Joanna M. Groccia Mary K. Hamilton Catherine Rhea Howe Taylor Sheridan Jacob Matthew J. Kasper Marina Kobayashi Karina J. Krainchich Jacob A. Kring-Schreifels Catherine L. Landry Timothy M. Landry Sean David Lemkey Alexander S. Levine Michael Anthony Maurantonio Lauren E. McInnes Emily Anne Muller Erim R. Murphy Christofer Nicoletti Angela Cecilia Owczarek Camille Raimondi Maria Annalies Rodenberg Jacob B. Steiss Joseph J. Tumolo Ellen V. Wray

HONORS Erik S. Angamarca Celia E. Aniskovich Francesca Cosimina Arturi Amanda Jean Auricchio Brittany Meri Batten Alexander L. Battistin Caitlin V. Bennett Claire M. Bohrer Benjamin C. Boltz Cathleen Elizabeth Bonner Jaimie Lyn Brogan Hannah K. Brumbaum Patrick J. Burke Vincent K. Carey Esther E. Carlson John L. Casey Tess Chamakkala Kaixi Chen Christopher A. Clark Zachary A. Cohen Emily Anne Collette Antonio Pedro Concolino Holly M. Coppens Matthew D. Cucino Mario S. D’Agostaro Rebecca M. Daily Karalea Ruth Davis Bernadette Catherine Davis Jonathan A. DeAssis Caitlin E. Degnan Thomas Anthony DeGrace Sara T. DeNault Cristina I. Diaz Elizabeth Mary Dobbin Margaret H. Dunbar Nadia Alexandra Elbaar Ani M. Esenyan Kimball Fontein Ariel K. Fragale Matthew L. Freeze Christopher Thomas Garnett Jordan Ashley Goldberg Alex M. Gopinathan Allison Leigh Grossman Courtney Margaret Hartnett Luca Max Heineman Jocelyn Marie Hernandez Emily A. Horihan Rebecca P. Ivins Nicole Alicia Jaconetty Patrick M. Jerry Ryan M. Jones Jenny Kang Daniel F. Kearney Nicole D. Kirsch Alexandra Elise Lutz Elizabeth A. Mallozzi Liliana D. Markey Julia Marie McCane Marley B. McDermott John R. McMenamin Eric M. Mollo Samantha E. Moore Elizabeth M. Morse Katherine E. Oberhelman Stasha M. O’Callaghan Liam Brinley O’Flaherty Elizabeth M. O’Malley Dhurata Osmani Emily K. Pandise Elaine C. Park Grace C. Perrotta Jenna R. Petronglo Daniel Joseph Pfau Catherine Pirraglia

Joseph N. Posimato Rachael A. Prensner Nicole Quezada Karyn A. Rahal Kathryn C. Reddy Kelsey G. Reeder Kaitlin E. Renshaw Alexander S. Reynolds April Lee Rohr Rachel L. Roman Stephen P. Ross Michael R. Rossiello Carly R. Russell Jordan Lisa Ryan Farrah Layla Saleh Robert F. Scanlon Margaret E. Shelledy Alison M. Silverman Christina Marie Smith Amy E. Snopek Alessandra G. Sorrento Daniel Philip Svogun Erica L. Talbott Mary Edna Tassone Juliet E. Tchorbajian William L Thibeau Kelsey R. Topa Stephen Adrian Tyson Michael A. Valdetara Katherine J. Valles Elizabeth Mary Wagner Sarah M. Watanabe Josephine C. Wear Samuel O. Wicks Christopher James Williams Megan L. Wrinn Caroline Faye Zimmermann

Class of 2015 FIRST HONORS Alyssa Dominique Ammazzalorso Nicole Andrea Arrato Christian Philip Bagrow Andrew Philip Bilotta David R. Buchanan Anne Elizabeth Buglione Dylan Michael Cepeda Lianna Marie Drobatz Elizabeth R. Fitzpatrick Elizabeth Anne Galici Caroline Rose Inzucchi Madeline Ann Kimball Nicholas Joseph Mariconda Brandon Scott Mogrovejo Ann M. Murphy Lucca Perse Pelliccia Jeffrey Scott Pitts Austin Michael Thomas Megan Kathleen Tlamsa Oliver B. Wiegel Charles J. Wingfelder Kelsey Wuensch

SECOND HONORS Daniel David Brauer Antonina Bullaro Patrick James Cahill Nicholas G. Claps Ryan D. Conroy Stephanie Anne Criscione Michelle Theresa Dimartino Anthony Joseph Forlini Patrick Sean Freed Troy Daniel Gaub Ian Robert Grotton Abigail Marie Kayser Alina Bridget Kenealy Rachel Marion Lee Daniel J. Lehane Melissa Ann Luster Joshua Honasan Luzuriaga Cherokee Clare McAnelly Megan Mary McLaughlin Gaetano Migliaccio Tara Elizabeth Moran Rachel Song Elizabeth Estelle Stevenson Emily Terry Von Essen Timothy J. Wasgatt Michaela Rose Winch-Peterson Canton A. Winer Julian Joseph Wong Neshat Joy Yazdani Elizabeth Palma Zanghi

HONORS David Joseph Araoz Philip Richard Armstrong Flavia Barlassina

Meghan E. Bell David Louis Birkdale Rachael Ann Boles Richard P. Bordelon Melissa C. Bright Hadley C. Brochu Patrick James Brogan Michael Patrick Brunner Alexis Nicole Carra Marelle Ann Cerven Michael Leocadio Charboneau William Chen Monica Marie Cleary Courtney Serignan Code Mary Kate Patricia Crenny Maris R. Cuddeback Maria T. D’Amore Megan Therese Datoc Maryclare Demenna Connor Christian Diaz Danielle Marie Drummond Michaela M. Eduque Alyssa B. Fiorentino Grace Helen Fredman Ava Grace Gagliardi Victoria Catherine Garrity Walter John Genito Jr. Marco G. Giarracca Thomas Andrew Ginch Gregory Michael Giordano Nicholas Stephen Gliatta Angela G. Gonzalez-Curci Evan C. Grassi Robert James Hannan Rachel E. Hawkinson Elizabeth Anne Henderson Melissa M. Higgins Deirdre Elizabeth Hynes Lindsay A. Javitz Alexander Mario Jordan Kultida Faye Juabsamai Stephanie R. Kawalski Sean Arthur Keegan Alexandra Nicole Kennedy Sohil Khurana Mika Kiyono Victoria Lynne Kohler Kelly Ann Kultys Clare Marie Larson Katherine R. Lease Ka Yi Lee Kayla Ashley Lombardo Matthew James Lupini Anthony Michael Matus Callen Murphy McBride Cara Elizabeth McDavitt Martha Machesney McKinley David Rossi McManus Hannah J. Moon Alexis C. Morales Julian Anthony Morelli Shannon Elizabeth Morrall Michael Robert Morrissey Shanen M. Mulles Ryan T. Myers Rachel E. Nass George Nikoloudakis Katherine Farrelly Nolan Mickaela O’Sullivan O’Neill John Patrick O’Rourke Harrison John Pidgeon Adam John Pluchinsky Sara Ann Power Javier Ramos Jr. Jonathan B. Rooke LaurenE. Ross Barbara Ann Rusnack Abbey J. Santanello Matthew James Schafbuch Sydney A. Schneider Megan Rose Scully Karina Catherine Shuttie Madison E. Snider Rachel Marie Sortino Marissa Nicole Sosa Nicholas Provatas Spanos Michelle M. Spotts Katherine Elizabeth Sullivan Haichao Sun Kathleen Anne Towne John Clayton Tracey Kevin Robert Ulmer Brian Allen Wall III Colleen Elizabeth Wallace Jillian Cormac Walsh Madison Zoe Elizabeth Wenzlick Ryan Joseph Wichtowski Baggio M. Williams Abigail Eve Wilson Allison Megan Wright Chihyun Yim

PAGE 8• THE RAM • NOVEMBER 7, 2012

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PAGE 9

U.S. Leaders Must Embrace Green Energy Development

By JOSEPH VITALE STAFF WRITER

In what was a more telling tale of politics than policy, President Barack Obama and former Governor Mitt Romney continued their bickering on the topic of energy independence and alternative resources up until their final days on the campaign trail. While the election was undoubtedly a crucial predictor of our nation’s economic future, it also came at a pivotal moment for our nation’s future in energy.

Romney, who once stood in front of a coal mine saying it “kills people,” boasted his affection for coal and advocated for the Keystone Pipeline. Obama, who has yet to follow up on a number of promises, continued to promote both natural and alternative energy sources and bragged of the respect green energy experts have ceded him. So, regardless of who will take office come January, which of them got it right?

Obama, in the past four years, has pleased both conservatives and liberals in his approach to energy policy. He may not have achieved all of his promises in his first term, but many were longterm goals that he admitted would require more than one term.

Since his 2009 stimulus plan, Obama has spent $90 billion on green energy, including funding for makers of solar panels, wind turbines, biofuels and electric cars.

While a number of them failed, others have received government investments and tax incentives

that were successful in promoting the foundation for a clean energy economy for the future. But, to steal a cliché, the buck stopped there.

Governor Romney, on the other hand, rose as a fierce proponent of energy independence — but in a different sense. He was in support of policy focused on drilling, as well as cutting funding for clean energy sources. He also wanted to extend tax breaks for large oil corporations and argued for the drilling of public and coastal lands.

Frustrating both energy advocates and members of his own party, Romney opposed the extension of a tax credit for wind turbine companies. To his surprise, even red states see the potential in green energy. Still, he ignored it, as he continued to side with big oil and coal companies.

“Romney would have rather drilled and continued to give money to big oil companies,” Connor Farrell, FCRH ’14, said.

“Obama was for strengthening the EPA, while Romney clearly alluded to weakening the agency.”

Even if Obama was the better option for our nation’s future in green energy, why are we still far behind other nations?

Where our nation stands with green energy in relation to the rest of the industrialized world is modest at best. The United States is lagging behind its competitors in developing and advancing green energy technology, while countries like China, Australia and Germany continue to soar. Not only do they have more stream-

JAIME GREEN/MCT

Countries like Germany, Australia and China currently outpace the United States in green energy technology.

lined permit and regulation processes, but they are also home to far more competitive markets.

Over the past five years, the cost of photovoltaic panels has plummeted 75 percent due to China’s mass production at far cheaper prices. In Germany, the prices of solar panels are half of our $5.50 per watt.

Obama has failed to develop a national energy policy, one that eases regulation, promotes investment, stirs the market and interests buyers. Adopting a policy like that is something at which China, Germany and Australia have succeeded. Without these policies, our nation cannot grow, become environmentally sustainable or further its national security.

Energy differs from other industries in that it cannot be advanced

solely by the private sector. If we want to avoid extremely dangerous climate changes, reduce pollution and cut down on our dependence on foreign oil, then major changes, not bargains by venture capitalists, need to be made. These major reforms are the kind that can only be made by the government.

The federal government should be prepared to make the same mistakes that the private sector has made. A willingness to bet on which clean technologies will work and which will not would parallel how research and development for the Department of Defense works. One can only hope for such a favorable outcome, however.

For this reason, the American green energy market is not booming, because it does not start at

the bottom and escalate upward.

Conversely, it begins at the top, with the government, with investors, with those willing to work continuously to get it right and, as much as I do not want to say it, trickles down.

If done right, more awareness of climate change, more sensitivity toward our planet and more interest in playing a role in changing the world for the better will ensue.

“Awareness requires education,” Farrell said. “Most schools are not required to teach environmental science and the result is a failure to understand all of these policies we are hearing about, but it’s not just our world — it’s not just for us to own.”

Joseph Vitale, FCRH ’16, is a communication and media studies major from New York, NY.

Celebrity Endorsements Energize, But Do Not Persuade

By PATRICK MULLEN STAFF WRITER

Although the presidential election is now over, the tumult of these past few months has left us fi xated on battleground states like Florida and Ohio. Meanwhile, Barack Obama received assistance from one of the world’s most respected musicians: Bruce Springsteen. A well-known Democrat who campaigned for John Kerry in 2004, the “Boss” spent some time in Ohio campaigning alongside former president Bill Clinton. The question, however, is whether Springsteen’s support matters. Does this — or any other celebrity endorsement — really affect voters?

The five students who I interviewed, including two Republicans, two Democrats and one independent, all felt that celebrity endorsements mean less than candidates would probably hope. Jeffrey Coltin, FCRH ’15, a Ram columnist, felt that it is worth noting when a celebrity crosses his or her party lines to support a candidate.

The endorsement itself is not important, Coltin said, but the reasons behind celebrities’ opinions merit consideration. He, like the others, thought the endorsement ultimately comes down to core beliefs and ideologies.

Anthony Cascione, GSB ’15,

DAVID SWANSON/MCT

Bruce Springstein, rock-and-roll icon, campaigned for President Obama throughout the recent election cycle.

had an interesting amendment to these thoughts, however. He argued that the effectiveness of a celebrity endorsement depends on how “celebrity” is defined.

Many church leaders, such as New York’s own Cardinal Timothy Dolan, have been relatively vocal regarding issues such as abortion and gay marriage. Cascione pointed out that this endorsement is more effective than someone like Bruce Springsteen because “most people don’t think of [Cardinal Dolan] as a celebrity, even though they should.”

While a few of the interviewees stated that it might be noteworthy if a famed intellectual were to endorse a candidate, the Church example seemed to be the most striking.

How does a celebrity endorsement affect an undecided or independent voter? According to Steven Lynn, FCRH ’15, who was undecided up until Election Day, not at all. While Lynn is admittedly minimally involved in politics, he thought that most independents in his situation would just take the advice of people close to

them. This reinforces something Cascione said, that “[political advice] transmits better to you if you know the person giving it.”

Despite our societal tendencies to be “loyal to celebrities,” in the words of Frank Valentino, GSB ’15, we may still be more loyal to our friends and family.

Dr. Costas Panagopoulos, associate professor of political science at Rose Hill, agrees that the effect of a celebrity endorsement is limited. He does not believe that someone like Springsteen has the ability to persuade an undecided

voter, but admits that it can “energize” a candidate’s supporters for “volunteering and greater enthusiasm.” He described it more as an indirect effect than a direct one, allowing the people to still do the work, with the celebrity’s endorsement acting as incitement.

Regarding demographics, Panagopoulos notes that the candidate must be careful in picking celebrities with which to campaign. For instance, though Springsteen is well loved by many college-age voters, his core appeal is undoubtedly with the younger portion of the “Baby Boomer” generation; he hit his peak of popularity from about 1975 through the mid- to late-1980s.

Hence, someone more popular with youth may be more effective in influencing that group.

It appears that campaigning celebrities are not there to persuade undecided voters or to make people switch parties; instead they promote civic duty and enthusiasm throughout their party. Since this is the case, Bruce Springsteen was the perfect choice, with energetic, oftentimes pro-union music and a fan base that has been going strong for about 40 years. It seems celebrity endorsements have their place and will be around for years to come.

Patrick Mullen, FCRH ‘15, is an English major from Delafield, WI.

PAGE 10 • THE RAM • NOVEMBER 7, 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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OPINIONS

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From the Desk of Sarah Ramírez, Executive Editor I’m a planner. Blame it on my Virgo tendencies or just my personality, but I’m not one for spontaneity. So it shouldn’t surprise my friends that I’ve been brainstorming what to write here, in my senior From the Desk, since I wrote my first one, in January of my sophomore year.

The planning for that piece didn’t go so well — I blame procrastination. And now, I’m entering a period in my life where I just can’t plan things out, even when I want to. Getting ready for graduation and the job market means too many things are out of my control, for better or worse.

As we get closer to May, I’m starting to accept that feeling — the lack of control. It’s startling, though, how my emotions differ from what I was feeling four years ago. Struggling to finish my college applications and bracing myself for acceptance letters was intense, and, like so many high school seniors, I placed all that pressure on myself.

I didn’t plan on attending Fordham, nor did I have my heart set on any school in particular. I was told I’d be going to college for as long as I remember, but when the time came, the idea of “college” didn’t really appeal to me.

Looking back, I was probably burnt out from too many AP classes, and most importantly, unsure what I wanted from my future and my college experience.

It’s not quite a regret, but I’m still left wondering how things would’ve worked out had I paused

and taken a gap year.

Regardless, I ended up in the Bronx, far removed from my South Florida roots. And while it’s too soon to call my years at Fordham an overall positive or negative experience, these were not the best four years of my life, but they were certainly defining.

Sometimes it’s hard to remember what drew me to Fordham, academic, architectural and financial benefits aside. Other times, though, it hits me in a singular word: community.

My time at Fordham can be defined in that one word. And I would know; I did a whole group project on the definition and usage of “community.” (Side note: a quick shout out to my fellow American studies seniors — we’re almost there!)

In all seriousness, from my first visit to Rose Hill, I haven’t been able to escape talk about the strong Fordham community.

Sometimes, unfortunately, the Fordham community disappoints me. Lincoln Center is like a different world. The unspoken distinction between commuter and resident students has troubled me.

The absence of school spirit at sporting events is a stark contrast to the gamedays I spent tailgating in the shadows of the Orange Bowl. (For my friends waiting for a Miami reference, there you go.)

More often than not, however, this community surprises me.

The student section at games has gradually grown in size and spirit since my freshman year. When it

was reported that Sodexo failed health inspections a couple years ago, students organized town halls to voice their concerns.

And, just last week, residents supported commuters in pushing for a whole week of canceled classes, in light of post-Sandy safety concerns.

During my sophomore year, right around the time I wrote that first From the Desk, I had a small pile of transfer applications on my desk. My first semesters at Fordham had left me isolated and unsure of my decision — in short, I had yet to find my community, my niche, at Fordham.

Things have changed since then, and I’m grateful they have.

Spring break that year, I went on a Global Outreach trip to San Diego. I found my first home with my team members — many of us have graduated, but we still remain friends, and that won’t change.

GO! was a defining Fordham experience for me, and something that attracted me to Fordham since that first visit. Missing that sense of community, I’m now part of this year’s GO! Dominican Republic team. I look forward to the service trip, as well as growing close to a new group of friends, including some wonderful people from LC. Urban Plunge was one of my first experiences at Fordham, and I’m so thankful that the people at the Dorothy Day Center were the first to introduce me to the wonders of the Bronx. McGinley 101

is always a place free of judgment, and I thank everyone at CSJ, especially my fellow Urban Plunge assistants, for being so welcoming.

A reflection on my Fordham experience wouldn’t be complete, of course, without a mention of The Ram. I’ve spent more Tuesday nights in the basement of McGinley than I care to count. Still, I found another community when I began sitting at that clunky copy table, and Fordham wouldn’t have been Fordham to me without The Ram. In the tradition of seniors before me, I have to thank the Ram staff members who came before me and showed me how it was done. I have to give special appreciation, though, to my friends from Volume 93 — Celeste, Christine and Nick. Thanks for being my support system outside of this place, always taking my calls and giving me advice — all too often on Tuesday nights.

When I came to Fordham, I didn’t know who I was or who I wanted to be. I still don’t. But when I kiss Rose Hill goodbye this May, I’ll have my friends and support systems to thank for giving me a better idea.

From the Desk of Taylor Engdahl, Copy Chief In a year, a Ph.D. candidate can write a thesis. A teenager can graduate from high school. A runner can train for a marathon; an artist can craft a masterpiece.

In a year, a student can learn a language; a musician can pick up a new instrument. And every human being takes millions of breaths and has thousands of conversations.

This last one holds true for me especially; in the year that my boyfriend and I have been together, we have had a lot of conversations — about why his native California trumps my home on the East Coast. He is beyond passionate for what he calls the

“Best Coast,” constantly spouting emphatic praise for California’s beaches, sunshine, Mexican food — all of which I am sure are wonderful, and which I will experience for the first time this December.

While I expect to love my trip across three time zones, there are some things I will not find in California, things I just cannot imagine living without. So, I have compiled the following list, consisting of the best things that Massachusetts has to offer, in defense of my beautiful Bay State.

1. Foliage: Fall is my favorite season in Massachusetts. As the days grow chillier and shorter,

the leaves of nearly every tree undergo a metamorphosis of color. Green gives way to impossibly brilliant hues: ruby reds, butterscotch yellows and fiery oranges. Slowly but surely, each leaf allows itself to be wrenched from the comfort of its branch, creating a sylvan carpet. Nothing beats the sound of leaves crunching underfoot, or the way their earthy smell fills the air.

2. A white Christmas: Continuing with the topic of seasonal weather, waking up on Christmas morning to find the outside world covered with a fresh blanket of glistening snow is one of the best feelings. There

is something magical about tracing the swirling crystalline configurations of Jack Frost on your windowpane or tasting the wet, chilly sweetness of a snowflake on the tongue.

Snow makes for warm family memories: snowball fights, piles SEE ENGDAHL, PAGE 13

EDITORIAL: Spread Out Sandy Relief Efforts In typical New York fashion, Sandy, the destructive superstorm originally classified as a hurricane, brought out the best in the city’s residents. As those in New York and the surrounding areas literally begin to pick up the pieces of their lives, New Yorkers have showed a spirit of resilience and community.

The overall trend is one of togetherness. After Sandy passed and left much of New York City in the dark, those fortunate enough to have power ran extension cords outside for others to use or organized canned food drives. Runners unable to participate in the canceled New York City Marathon this weekend instead turned to volunteering. Newark Mayor Cory Booker even used Twitter to invite those

without power into his home. He provided food and shelter for at least a dozen of his neighbors in Newark’s South Ward.

In New Jersey last week, Governor Chris Christie and President Barack Obama set aside any political differences during a joint tour of the hardest-hit areas of the Jersey Shore. Their display of bipartisanship is encouraging and inspiring, especially after such a vitriolic election season.

The Fordham community followed a similar trend of unity and concern for those affected.

Students quickly organized assistance as best they could. Ram Vans transported Sodexo employees who could not otherwise travel to and from campus and brought donated items to areas of the city in need. In addition,

Campus Ministry has decided to donate the mass collections to benefit Hurricane Sandy victims for the rest of the semester.

Despite all the goodwill and heroism seen in the aftermath, we at The Ram are disappointed in the disproportionate response directed toward Lower Manhattan rather than New Jersey, the outer boroughs and Long Island.

While Sandy’s impact was surely (and continues to be) felt in Lower Manhattan, other areas such as the Far Rockaways and Staten Island are far worse off and merit just as much concern during the clean-up process.

The blame rests firmly on both the media and governments’ shoulders. While we commend the president’s leadership when visiting the Shore, other areas

were initially neglected, by both charitable organizations and the federal government, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It is important to make up for that neglect with our own efforts and concern. Though donating or volunteering anywhere is going to be helpful, we should try to focus our efforts on those hardesthit areas that have received the least attention up to this point.

Now, more than ever, we need to showcase our Jesuit education by being “men and women for others.”

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.

OPINIONS

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NOVEMBER 7, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 11

The Left NYPD Should Cease the Stop-and-Frisk Lane Conor Fucci

Re-election Raises Questions The results are in, and Barack Obama has been elected to four more years as President of the United States. As was expected, it was the extremely tight races in the “battleground” states that ended up deciding the election. Obama will now be given the opportunity to serve over a nation that is starting to recover from one of the greatest economic recessions in recent history and bring the United States back from the brink to receive the credit he deserves. In his first term, President Obama has made great changes to our nation that have benefited every citizen. From Obamacare to the repeal of “don’t ask don’t tell,” America has indubitably moved in the right direction.

Having expressed my high hopes for this upcoming presidency, I do have some worries. Judging by this campaign season, it appears that Obama has not come up with any new ideas for what he wants to do in the future. Will there be any additional progress made with the economy? Will marijuana legalization be put on the table? Will Obama’s support for gay marriage turn into any real legislation? None of these questions have been answered yet, but they will be in the coming years.

The answers to these questions could define the Obama presidency. Having expressed my worries, I have to say that if the Democrats retake the House and hold the Senate bills will get passed and progress will be made.

One of the more important things that will occur during the upcoming four years is the selection of a new Supreme Court judge. This judge will most likely be Democratic and change the total lean of the court from notoriously conservative to fully Democratic. This change could open the opportunity for more cases fought in the courts, such as gay marriage, to be upheld and more progressive policies to be passed. This will not only have a major effect on the upcoming four years, but it will be important for the years to come.

Even if the next president is a Republican, chances are there will not be another judge looking to retire for quite a number of years.

Reflecting upon the campaign itself, it took an enormous of effort by Obama and his campaign officials, which truly brought together all of the members of the Democratic Party, to re-elect a leader who will reach across the aisle to get legislation passed and move the United States in the right direction. The amount of fundraising, over three-quarters of a billion dollars, was put together not only by large donations but also by a strong grassroots movement, showing the common person was actively involved and wanted to make a difference.

Although this is arguably the most important election of my generation, I know that chances are there will not be too much of an immediate difference made. This is, however, a great opportunity to set plans in motion.

There is a good chance there will be more problems to come for the Republican Party and their confidence as a whole. Now is the time to look to the next four years to see where Obama is going to take the United States.

SETH WENIG/AP

In recent years, the NYPD has come under increasing criticism for its controversial “stop-and-frisk” policy.

By DECLAN MURPHY STAFF WRITER

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has come under fire in recent years due to the public controversy surrounding its highly criticized “stop, question and frisk” policy, a crime reduction tactic that allows officers to stop people who they believe are committing or about to commit a crime.

This police strategy is aimed at keeping criminals off the streets and reducing gun violence. The criticism of “stop-and-frisk” has come from many New York City residents and civil rights advocates who believe that it is driven by racial profiling, allows for excessive force and does not effectively combat crime.

According to The New York Times, “last year, the police made a record 680,000 stops, more than 80 percent of those people black or Latino” and “only about 6 percent of stops led to arrests and last year, only one in every 879 stops turned up a gun.”

These statistics show that even thousands of stops, which are viewed by many as unlawful, are seemingly not that effective in controlling crime.

The NYPD, however, has not wavered in its defense of stop-and-frisk, claiming that the tactic is successful in deterring crime and getting illegal guns off the streets.

The area around Fordham, which is patrolled by the 46th and 48th precincts, is actually part of the focal point of the NYPD’s effort of using stop-and-frisk to fight crime.

The New York Times and critics of the NYPD have labeled areas to the west of Fordham as “ground zero” for the NYPD’s controversial use of profiling and excessive force when performing stops.

The Times reported on the Fordham area among others in a recent analysis noting that, “The 46th Precinct has about 128,000 residents and includes the predominantly black and Hispanic neighborhoods of University Heights, Morris Heights and Fordham. Officers used force in 58 percent of stops last year, the highest rate of any of the city’s 76 precincts. Yet, just three percent of stops that involved force resulted in an arrest — the lowest rate in the city.”

The basis for stop-and-frisk comes from a Supreme Court decision in 1968 that ruled that officers can stop, question and, in some cases, pat down people they believe might be committing a crime, even if the officers’ suspicions do not fully constitute probable cause for making an arrest. The legal basis for “stop-andfrisk” has been questioned by many who feel that it violates constitutional rights.

“Criminal justice research has shown that many stop-and-frisk arrests are really based on racial profiling rather than reasonable suspicion,” Orlando Rodriguez, professor of sociology at Fordham, said. “Rights against unwarranted stop-and-frisk are protected under the constitution.

But much of how police respond to citizen encounters depends on things such as how the person is dressed or where that person is at the moment. How you dress, the color of your skin, your age, your gender — all of these things are often taken into account by police.”

The practice of stop-and-frisk and its racial profiling implications has also strained the NYPD’s relationship with many local communities.

The old policy of community policing in which officers would develop relationships and trust with members of the community seems to have disappeared and been replaced with the crime control model in which officers zero in on gun violence and drugs by having a constant presence that theoretically deters crime.

“I think — as do many law enforcement officials themselves — such practices are just plain bad police work,” Dr. Jeanne Flavin, professor of sociology at Fordham and author of Our Bodies, Our Crimes, said. “They contribute to a climate of distrust of the police and the justice system. I have incredible respect for the work that law enforcement officials do in terms of preserving order, investigating crime, et cetera. But the widespread and systematic abuse of stop and frisk is making us less safe, not more.”

The effects of stop-and-frisk on Fordham students are hard to measure. The presence of the NYPD around Fordham is never in question, with patrol cars almost always in sight around Fordham Road and

less crowded streets. There is even a mobile command center for the 46th Precinct located three or four blocks up Fordham Road. The number of muggings and security alerts, however, has raised concern among Fordham students. A recent security alert issued on Oct. 4 revealed that two students were robbed at gunpoint at 9:20 p.m. on East 191st Street between Hughes and Hoffman Avenues, which is right near the security gate in front of Walsh Hall.

“Getting robbed by someone with a gun that close to campus is a scary thought,” Kevin Levin, GSB ’13, said. “It makes you wonder how safe you really are just a block or two from campus.”

If the police are concentrating their stop-and-frisk effort to find guns in areas near Fordham, it did not show in that case. Although the NYPD has claimed to have decreased the number of citizens detained via stop-and-frisk by onethird, the police still face the issue of the practice being unconstitutional.

The first proceeding federal court hearing regarding stop-and-frisk occurred on Oct. 15, and the case will likely decide if the NYPD has committed a pattern of unconstitutional stops under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. A recent New York City public hearing held on Oct. 10 also addressed the issue and suggested some proposals. They included requiring officers to give people a reason for stopping them, telling citizens when they have a right to refuse a search and even a suggestion that an oversight body be established to monitor the police department.

If stop-and-frisk is declared unconstitutional by the federal court ruling, the NYPD might have to dramatically change its tactics of fighting crime and deterring it. The decline of stop-and-frisk could mean that Fordham students would not have to worry about being racially profiled by officers. It also means that the police would have to alter their strategy of policing and may be forced to work more directly with the community to rebuild the trust and respect lost from racially profiling New Yorkers.

Declan Murphy, FCRH ’13, is a political science major from Parkland, Fla.

Righter’s Block

John P. Castonguay

Election Is Not the End of the World It is done. Finally, we know who the next president of the United States is. Frankly, I am relieved. For the past two years, and, especially over the past two months, the American public has been subjected to an endless barrage of campaign ads on television, radio and social media. The media was only temporarily distracted by Syria, the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi and Hurricane Sandy. Even these events were often covered through the lens of their impact on the presidential campaign.

Obviously the election was important in establishing our country’s path for at least the next four years, if not beyond; however, the overlydramatic and sometimes hateful language that has become commonplace in referring to the election in recent months has made me look forward to it coming to a close as quickly as possible. On Tuesday morning, swastikas were painted on a church that opposed the legalization of gay marriage in the state of Maine. On the same morning, I received a phone call from my 91-yearold grandmother; she informed me that if her candidate did not win, she would have a heart attack. My social media pages have been flooded with official campaign ads and endless declarations of how each of my friends will be impacted by the result of the election.

While I am excited that my sometimes apathetic acquaintances are taking an active interest in the world, I am concerned when people who claim to be open-minded assert that a vote for anyone but their candidate is a vote motivated by hate. Note to my Facebook friends: Referring to any candidate (particularly ones as welleducated as these) as an idiot is not going to make me change my vote; neither will creating dopey memes or telling me I am a racist, sexist, homophobic, soul-less person if I do not vote for your candidate. I had hoped this was an isolated trend, but even members of the mainstream media picked up the vitriolic, useless attacks as the election drew to a close.

It would be easy to be disheartened by the mindless, melodramatic mud-slinging, but I find hope in the aftermath of the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. Although there are reports of disagreements in gas station lines, far more common are the stories of volunteers donating their time and, in some cases, risking their lives to help friends and perfect strangers. Volunteers up and down the East Coast are turning out in droves to assist in putting our cities back together. Many Fordham students have already proven that New York actually is their campus by going out into the local community to help people put their lives back together.

Although we may have forgotten it in the heat of the election, our actions in the wake of Hurricane Sandy prove that we recognize our shared humanity. Even if we are unhappy with the result of the election, these efforts demonstrate the hope and love that will protect our country’s future.

Please consider donating time in the weeks to come to help those impacted by the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy.

PAGE 12• THE RAM • NOVEMBER 7, 2012

OPINIONS

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2012 Debates Reshaped Course of the Election

By JOE CLINES STAFF WRITER

Throughout the race for the presidency, we were reminded of the importance of obtaining the support of the “undecided” group of voters. In all sources, from CNN’s barometer of live reactions to the debates to the myriad polls referenced on nightly newscasts, this portion of “on the fence” voters is always constantly changing, and this time around it played a crucial role in shaping the outcome of the election.

The Democratic and Republican National Conventions represented the candidates’ efforts to solidify their highly partisan platforms.

While the conventions may have showcased the candidates’ efforts to reenergize their support bases, no format is more indicative of the attempts to capture undecided voters than the presidential debates.

The impact of the debates cannot be understated. Due to their proximity to the elections and the enormous television audience they garner, the debates represent the last and best chance a candidate has to make his or her case to the undecided voter’s malleable opinion. Being televised, the debates bring into focus many of the attributes that can shape an undecided voter’s opinion, for better or for worse.

Dr. Costas Panagopoulos, associate professor of political science, said he believes that an undecided voter’s decision-making process is “both cognitive and emotional,” giving great weight to the less sub-

stantive, yet critical, presidential attributes such as “likeability,” “relatability” and the overall aura of appearing “presidential,” both in tone and with the use of gestures.

Whether it be through historical precedent or the recent example of Mitt Romney’s inflated polling numbers following the first 2012 presidential debate, there is great evidence to suggest that debates may be the ultimate factor in deciding a close election. Panagopoulos said that, on average, upwards of 10 percent of total voters decide which candidate to support based on their performances and messages during the debates. In an election where the margin for error in polls is between 3 and 4 percent, this 10 percent can have an enormous impact on the outcome of the election.

The 1960 presidential debate, which was also the first debate to be televised, provides what is perhaps the most noteworthy example of a debate impacting the outcome of an election. Then-candidate Richard Nixon had been hospitalized days before the debate and appeared sickly and unenthusiastic, especially when juxtaposed with the good looks and charm of John F. Kennedy. As legend has it, the television appearance of an under-the-weather Nixon played such an enormous role in shaping opinion of the debate that those who watched the telecast of the debate believed Kennedy had drubbed Nixon, while those who only had access to the radio broadcast believed Nixon had performed better. Some of this is most likely

ROBERT DUYOS/MCT

The 2012 campaign for the presidency was reshaped by the debates, which made the race much more competitive.

hyperbole, but the discrepancy in opinion between audio and visual audience member suggests that the appearance and gestures of a candidate can be paramount in the decision-making process of undecided voters. Predictably, in the aftermath of Nixon’s poor television debut, Senator Kennedy received a boost in the polls that eventually led to him capturing the presidency.

While less notorious than the Nixon debacle in 1960, another legendarily awkward moment occurred at the 2000 presidential debate, in which Al Gore walked from his seat to within inches of thencandidate George Bush. George Bush deftly handled the moment by sarcastically nodding at Gore,

garnering a wave of laughter at the breach of personal space.

While debates rarely have the power to shift the concrete support bases of the respective parties, the potential for a debate faux pas to live on in Saturday Night Live lore has an enormous and tangible impact on the undecided voter.

Each of the 2012 presidential debates had an enormous effect on the national polls. At summer’s end, the race was believed to be slipping away from Romney, with many in his own party criticizing him for what was viewed as a bungled campaign. Obama’s poor performance in the first debate, however, resulted in a nosedive in his polling numbers, giving Governor Romney control of a sizable

lead in most national polls. Following a more inspired performance from Obama in the second debate, showcasing several pointed oneliners directed at Governor Romney, Obama again closed the gap in the national polls, creating an impasse heading into the final days before voting began.

The debates served to tighten an election that was already expected to be decided by the slimmest of margins. Perhaps more than anything else, the lasting images of the 2012 campaign and the result of the election are tied to the debates and their impact on the “undecided” voters who decided the election’s outcome.

Joe Clines, FCRH ’14, is an economics major from Hempstead, NY.

Prominent Catholic Rightly Barred From “Piss Christ” Gallery

By PATRICK MAROUN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

About a month ago, William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, was turned away from a Midtown art gallery. This gallery was displaying a 1987 photograph titled “Immersion (Piss Christ)” that depicts a crucifi x submerged in a jar of urine, which Donohue had publicly denounced as a sacrilege.

The important questions that should follow from this story are not, “What about freedom of speech?” or “What about the gallery owner’s or curator’s right to protect the art and consumers?”

Both of these questions frame this as an issue of legality, when it really is not. It is an issue about who determines the legitimacy of a person’s religious beliefs and the boundaries of art, if they even exist.

So who does have the final say in what is considered a legitimate interpretation of a religion? Who has the “real” beliefs? Strictly speaking, no one.

Scott Appleby, in his work The Ambivalence of the Sacred, describes all religions as ethically and politically “ambiguous.” It is incredibly important to recognize this ambiguity when considering the subject of religion, often manifesting itself in the form of dichotomy. “‘Piss Christ’ is a spectacular juxtaposition of the sacred and the profane,” Nick Haggerty,

COURTESY OF ARTSTOR

“Immersion (Piss Christ)” has been the source of national controversy.

FCRH ’16, said.

While this is one interpretation of the photo, it is not the statement the photographer actually intended.

In an interview with The New York Times, Andres Serrano, the photographer, stated that the photo was in honor of Jesus’ love and the bodily affliction that he endured while on the cross. The urine is symbolic of Serrano’s belief that all of Jesus’ bodily fluids,

not just his blood, flowed out during the crucifi xion. This is an anatomically feasible belief.

Does Serrano have an equal claim to beliefs about how to honor Jesus as Donohue does?

Of course he does. The Catholic Church emphasizes that Jesus was both wholly divine and wholly human. Why is it that the Church censors this part of Jesus’ human experience?

One objection to the photo is

that “it narrows the field of vision to one specific aspect of the crucifi xion, so much so that it misses the broader point,” John Blake, FCRH ’15, said.

This is a legitimate grievance with the photo, but religious traditions are incredibly complex, and the older the tradition, the more contradictions it contains.

What is important to think about is that every one of these aspects is “real.” Something equally important to keep in mind when deciding which aspects of a religion’s ambiguous tradition to give credence to is, “Why is this the right thing to do? Why is this ‘real’ for me?”

Moving on, what are the boundaries of art? Are there any at all?

There are many different forms of artistic expression. Some are easy to wrap your head around, and some are more esoteric.

Personally, I do not think that “I don’t get it” is an adequate critique of anything, least of all art.

Better questions are, “What does it mean?” and “Is that worth saying?” These questions evaluate the art based on its message.

The value of an artist’s message

and his or her art’s ability to convey that message are the only factors that define art’s legitimacy. “‘Immersion’ does its job like any good piece of art: it keeps us talking, arguing and — most importantly — thinking,” Chris Hazlaris, FCRH ’16, said. “Although I do not agree with this particular representation of Christ, this work manifests the complexity and difference of opinion that makes America special. In the end, if we don’t have [free and varied forms of] expression, what do we have?”

I cannot help but agree with Hazlaris. “Immersion” has legitimate value in the realm of art and religion.

Donohue and the Catholic League do not hold the sole form of legitimate Catholicism, and it was right for the gallery to turn him away so as to preserve the experiences of its other visitors.

Donohue is certainly entitled to his own opinions, but after voicing them, he should leave it up to others to make up their own minds.

Patrick Maroun, FCRH ‘15, is a theology and political science major from Norwood, Mass.

Are your friends really tired of hearing you complain?

Write for The Ram’s opinions section.

E-mail us at: fordhamramopinions@gmail.com

OPINIONS

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NOVEMBER 7, 2012 • THE RAM • PAGE 13

Laptops Have Place in the Classroom

By JINGYUAN ZHOU CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Have you ever taken a class in the computer classrooms located on the third floor of John Mulcahy Hall?

The rooms that were equipped with rows of computers? Starting this semester, public computers are no longer supplied to students in these rooms. The computer science department says that these computer rooms are gone forever.

According to the department, the reason they removed the computers is that many professors who had classes there complained that they did not really use computers every class. They further said that, when not essential, the computers became a temptation for students to let their minds wander during classes.

Students were not only distracted by in-class computers in JMH, but also by their own laptops. Professors and students are debating whether or not students should be allowed to use laptops during class.

Some professors prohibit laptops in class sessions, while others hold different opinions.

Dr. Tom McCourt, a professor in the department of communications and media studies, is not in favor of allowing laptop use in his class.

“My classes are based on lectures,” he said. “I feel that a laptop is a distraction, not only in lecture, but also in students’ interaction as well.”

McCourt said he treats his class as a family, just like the relationship between parents and kids. Students are encouraged to ask questions.

He will only use the computer in

ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

Some professors allow laptop use in the classroom, while others prohibit it.

the classroom to go online and find more information in order to answer.

Giacomo Santangelo, a professor in the economics department, holds a much more positive attitude toward laptop use in class.

“Students are allowed to bring and use laptops in my classes,” he said. “Some people do abuse the privilege of being able to use a laptop in class, but others are actually typing notes.”

According to Santangelo, the Gabelli School of Business has encouraged students to use laptops as a tool in class since last semester.

“Laptops are part of the package when [students] come to the University,” he said. “It is part of what they got.” For this reason, Santangelo utilizes laptops in his statistics class by working on Excel as a statistic tool.

In this case, laptops can provide valuable assistance in promoting

class efficiency, and they allow for increased note-taking speed. Sometimes, it is a helpful way to find online related sources for in-class participation.

Professor Santangelo mentioned a time that one of his students made a good use of his laptop in class.

“Every time I say something, and I illustrate some point,” he said. “[that student] looks up [the point] online and his hand goes up.”

Every issue has two sides, however. Even Santangelo expresses reservations. He saw his students using laptops in class while people sitting behind were looking at the screen.

Xinyu Cao, GSB’ 13, said she was not willing to use her laptop in class.

“Sometimes, when I am looking for online related materials for the class discussion, unexpected content would rather catch my attention,” she said. “Facebook news feed and Twitter posts are all more

stimulating than the class content.”

Cao added that research work itself might distract her.

“Even though sometimes I focus on research-related material, it is those Google work-and-search results that distract me from what the professor is saying,” she said.

Another concern with laptop use in class is whether it is really helpful for students in remembering what they have taken down. “If students take note longhand, they focus more on the material,” McCourt said. “If you write on the computer, that is called word processing, not writing.”

I agree with what Professor McCourt’s line of thinking. It seems that students have saved a lot of time on note-taking. I used to use my laptop to type down notes; I found it quite neat and organized.

Even when I wanted to add some lines of thoughts to my notes, I only needed to press enter on my keyboard and insert whatever I wanted.

It was just so easy. With traditional note-taking, changes make the whole paper messy. When it came to exams, however, those notes in my laptop could hardly remind me much of what my professor had said. Maybe it is just hard for students to multitask well in class.

Should laptop use be allowed in class? This question is still a controversy, but it seems that a consensus has been reached.

“There is a way technology should be used, but not to dominate [the class],” McCourt said.

Jingyuan Zhou, FCRH ’13, is a communications and media studies and economics double major from Shanghai, China.

Adderall Abuse Does More Harm Than Good

By ANDREW SANTIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

As most readers are likely aware, the drug Adderall treats people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Many high school and college students around the country are also familiar with Adderall for the wrong reasons.

This is the story of Stephan Perez who, at 13, had only one goal: to attend Columbia University.

“I woke up in the morning, it was Columbia; I went to sleep at night, and it was Columbia,” Perez said on “Rock Center with Brian Williams” a few weeks ago. For four years, Perez worked diligently. He even stopped playing sports in order to focus fully on his academics. His effort paid off.

Not only was he accepted to Columbia, he also received a Gates Millennium Scholarship. He would attend Columbia for free. He was on top of the world.

Once college started, Perez began to feel overwhelmed by the amount of work and felt he could not keep up. One night, while studying for midterms with a friend at the library, he finally gave in to the pressure.

“I can’t concentrate…I just can’t do it,” he recalled telling his friends.

His friend pulled out an Adderall pill and told him to take it. He took the pill, and that night, Perez said he ended up reading for eight hours nonstop.

Afterwards, he asked the same friend how to get his own Adderall prescription. The friend told Perez

that all he had to do was to go to Columbia’s Health Services Center and tell them he was having trouble focusing. He would have to meet with a psychologist, answer a few questions and he would get a prescription, just like that.

“They give it out like it’s candy,” his friend said.

It took Perez no more than 10 minutes to get a prescription.

Stephan’s story is not the only one out there. As I researched this topic, the news articles that I read featured interviews with out-of-college students candidly admitting to having used the drug to boost their grades.

They were surprised by how much information they could remember and how focused they were during tests after taking the drugs. One student referred to Adderall as a “safety net.” Perez went as far as to call it an “academic steroid.”

I agree. Using Adderall recreationally is a way of getting ahead of the game and cheating the system. Some psychiatrists admitted that high school parents make them write prescriptions for their child just for the SAT. If you think Adderall is the solution you have been looking for, remember one thing: Adderall is both a stimulant and an amphetamine.

Like any other drug, it can become addicting, and the side effects are dangerous, especially if you do not have ADHD. So before you run over to your college’s health center to get your hands on “the study drug,” read further about what happened to

Stephan Perez.

Perez soon experienced negative side effects from the Adderall, which can include increased heart rate, anxiety, sleeplessness, curbed appetite and nausea. He began to take it only when he needed to study, leaving him with extra pills that he would give away. Eventually, he started selling the extras, some of which he sold to an undercover police officer. It led to Perez’s arrest, along with that of four other Columbia students, in the infamous Operation Ivy League drug bust in 2010. He pleaded guilty, served 300 hours of community service and was expelled from the University. More importantly, he de-

stroyed his reputation.

It is not all about the A. Students who do not need the drug should not be using artificial means to be the best. We are not perfect. We are only capable of doing so much. As tempting as the results from taking Adderall sound, drugs are not the answer.

Do not take the chance that Perez did and risk losing everything for which you worked. There is more to look forward to in life than acing college. Perez may not get that chance, since his name will always be tainted by his choice. Do not make the same mistake.

Andrew Santis, GSB ’16, is an undeclared major from Flushing, NY.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Many college students dangerously abuse Adderall for use as a “study drug.”

From the Desk FROM ENGDAHL, PAGE 10

of dripping hats, gloves and coats on the porch, flushed cheeks, drinking hot apple cider by the fire — these moments have defined Christmastimes.

3. The Boston Red Sox/New York Yankees rivalry: The Sox/ Yankees rivalry is arguably one of the fiercest in professional sports. Fenway tickets that normally sell for $15 go for $80 during a series against the Yanks, which just goes to show how much the rivalry means to Bostonians.

Most Sox fans are constantly checking up on how the Yanks are doing in conference play, not only because the two team’s rankings are contingent upon one another, but also because we just love to see the Yankees lose.

An example that illustrates this perfectly: At basically any Modell’s or Dick’s Sporting Goods in Massachusetts, an avid Sox fan can pick up a T-shirt reading “I support two teams: the Red Sox, and whoever beats the Yankees.”

Enough said.

4. The North End: Boston’s North End is home to the best Italian food I have ever tasted, which is significant, considering I have consumed an inordinate amount of Italian food in my lifetime. In the early 20th century, Italian immigrants flocked to this part of the city, opening markets, restaurants and — my personal favorite — bakeries.

The best of the best is Mike’s Pastry, from which I have been eating cookies for as long as I can remember. My grandparents frequented Mike’s back when I had family in the North End, and my parents continue to take me there to this day. The place is nearly always packed, and it’s usually hard to even get in the door, but three generations of my family would agree that the sweets are worth the wait.

5. The history: While California has history of its own, Revolutionary War history is around every corner in Massachusetts.

Battle sites are spread across Concord and Lexington. Even when you are not actively seeking out historical monuments, many of the houses that you pass while driving down the street are from the 1700s.

At the age of 20, I still get a thrill from walking past the “Old” North Church in Boston, from which Paul Revere famously received a signal via lantern before his midnight ride (one if by land, two if by sea).

Other notable sites unrelated to the American Revolution include Walden Pond, Thoreau’s home for four years (about which he wrote — “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately”), the town of Salem (host to the Salem witch trials) and the Old Manse, where both Hawthorne and Emerson lived at one point in their lives.

The best part: Massachusetts is so small that it is easy to visit all these sites over the course of a single day, something that certainly cannot be said for California. Love that dirty water — Boston, you’re my home.

PAGE 14 • THE RAM • NOVEMBER 7, 2012

PHOTO

SandyHitsFordham Photos by:KateDoheny,ClaireLorenzo,ConnorRyanandElizabethZanghi SpreadCompiledby:ConnorRyanandElizabethZanghi

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NOVEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 15

Andy Warhol Event Embraces Art and Nostalgia

PHOTO BY SARAH BALTRUWEIT/THE RAM

Warhol’s Factory at the Met party included private exhibition tours, a photo booth and a performance by DJ Kalkutta.

By MARLESSA STIVALA COPY EDITOR

There is no denying that the seemingly endless array of cultural events is one of the prime benefits of living in New York City. From theatrical productions to street fairs, anyone living in “the city that never sleeps” never lacks something to do.

At the same time, however, many of these events cost money, a com-

modity that college students cannot afford to waste. That is why it is always important to be on the lookout for any student-friendly events that can allow for a fun, cultural experience while still being kind toward one’s wallet. Thus, when I learned over two weeks ago that the Metropolitan Museum of Art was having a special, free event for college students on Oct. 24 in honor of its current Andy Warhol exhibit, I had

only one reaction: Count me in.

From this September until Dec. 31, the Met will be displaying a special exhibition entitled “Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years.”

This exhibit is unique because it not only highlights many of Warhol’s iconic artworks, but also his lasting influence on contemporary art in general.

Seeing such an exhibit is an ideal trip for any day, but last week’s event

made the entire experience far more special.

Orchestrated by The College Group at the Met, the event (though the more appropriate word seems to be “party”) was entitled “Warhol’s Factory at the Met.” While the main attraction was, of course, the private viewings of the Warhol exhibit for all college students in attendance, there was so much else to enjoy that night.

The Met’s ground floor and the balcony were lit with candles, providing a nostalgic ambience highlighted by classic music from artists like The Beach Boys. Refreshments were also readily available, including candy bowls, mini grilled cheese sandwiches and popcorn (which, in all honesty, was probably the best popcorn I have ever had).

The most fun and interesting aspects of the night definitely came from the fact that the Met encouraged all party guests to dress in 1960s or 1970s attire, using the likes of Marilyn Monroe or Jackie Kennedy as inspiration (or, in my case, a combination of Jackie Kennedy, Edie Sedgwick and Audrey Hepburn à la Breakfast at Tiffany’s).

From bright wigs to go-go boots to hippie-esque ensembles, nearly every fashion trend of those two decades was represented and highly enjoyable to see.

I am always up for a good mu-

seum exhibit, and the Met is not a venue to disappoint, but being able to attend an event that was nostalgic toward the ’60s and ’70s while simultaneously highlighting such an iconic artist made this event stand out as an especially memorable night.

“It was fun to see the works of not only Warhol, but also the other artists from that era who also contributed to shaping pop and modern art,” Felicia Zhang, GSB ’16, said.

“I also loved seeing everyone’s ’60swear.”

Sam Joseph, FCRH ’16, also said he had a positive experience, while noting some of the exhibit’s key artistic themes. “[The exhibit] contained a great blend of famous Warhols, modern art and great food,” he said. “My favorite pieces were those that juxtaposed societal norms with images and words that we frown upon to create a powerful message.”

After all, art is all about appreciating that powerful, deeper message, and Andy Warhol was certainly one to want his work not only to speak for itself, but also to reflect who he was as an individual.

As Warhol himself once said, “If you want to know all about Andy Warhol, just look at the surface of my paintings and films and me, and there I am. There’s nothing behind it.”

Prescribe Fordham! Provides Students With Birth Control Prescriptions and Health Education

By CHRISTIAN ANDREWS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

What is birth control, and what is sexual contraception? These are two basic definitions that have eluded conversation at this University for quite some time and should further be explored. Luckily enough, I had the opportunity to learn more about this topic at the Fordham Law Students for Reproductive Justice's (FLSRJ) 2nd Annual Prescribe Fordham!

Birth Control Clinic and Sexual Health Fair.

According to many top professionals, birth control is any method used to prevent pregnancy.

With that being said, the availability of birth control within schools and universities has proven to be of the utmost importance first and foremost for health reasons.

Fordham’s Health Center states that it is willing to provide all reasonable procedures for the wellness of students. This includes services such as “gynecological examinations, pap smears, sexually-transmitted infections testing and pregnancy testing.” Of course, “treatment and related counseling are confidential and always offered in a non-judgmental manner.” In layman’s terms, Fordham University administers all appropriate procedures within the confines of this country's law.

Under the recent Affordable Care Act, women have the right to all preventive services, including those involving birth control and all sexually transmutable problems.

“In addition to FDA-approved forms of birth control (and yes, that includes the morning-after pill), these preventive services include well-woman screenings, gestational diabetes screenings, breast-feeding support and domestic violence screenings,” states an earlier Ram article (Volume 94, Issue 3) regarding this recent issue on our campus. If you are well aware of our college's standings on such issues, then it is no surprise that our Jesuit affiliation hinders any distribution of contraceptive products.

“As an institution in the Catholic, Jesuit tradition, Fordham University follows church teachings on reproductive issues,” according to our University's handbook.

Rather confusing lingo if you ask me, but, all in all, an appropriate maneuver by a school with such conservative and private affiliations.

After attending the event hosted by FLSRJ, I was exposed to a possible future for women's health. Within a three-hour span, students from John Jay College and Fordham University congregated around medical officials in an event that put health first. The main topic was IUDs (or intrauterine devices) and other modes of contraception.

IUDs are a pretty simple concept. 98 to 99 percent effective, an IUD is a small, plastic, flexible T-shaped device that is placed into a woman's uterus for birth control. There are various types of IUDs, and the actual procedure is a lot simpler than implied. With

rare cases of side effects, an IUD can be inserted by a gynecologist and is effective for up to 10 years.

Many of those attending Prescribe Fordham!, including yours truly, had no idea that such birth control was an option.

Aside from IUDs, the women at the event were informed of not just means for contraception, but means for sexual health. It was more than an event promoting the fast times in which we are living, where teen moms are celebrities.

It was a place for people to voice their opinion on such common issues as irregular menstruation and period spotting. At a school where such issues are taboo, it was refreshing. With the help of the Reproductive Health Access Project, the FLSRJ was allowed to educate students about such procedures.

Aside from free condoms being distributed, many doctors volunteered their time to inform students about the new opportunities that are accessible for students at this time. The turnout was great and many of the students, predominantly women but a few men, were eager to learn more about what was being promoted

by FSLRJ. Promotion for Prescribe Fordham! was rather low-key, with Student Affairs denying the right for publicizing such an event on campus. In addition, Fordham's Office of Student Affairs denied the right for promotional flyers to be hung up around campus.

“Even with the Graduate School of Social Sciences and the Women's Department for Social Jus-

tice, [Student Affairs] said, 'Nope, sorry. We don't approve of your posters,” Emily Wolf, Fordham Law ’13 and president of FLSRJ, said. “We really are looking for any opportunities to communicate with the Fordham administration to understand the limits of birth control and contraception on its campuses.”

About 90 to 100 people came out to see trained professionals, and it was truly an honor to participate in Prescribe Fordham!.

Dr. Elizabeth Yukins, the director of the Women's Center at John Jay, was the conduit for the event after FLSRJ was denied space at both Lincoln Center and Rose Hill.

“As a legal right and as an institution that receives state and federal money, if such need and demand is there (for contraception) in order to achieve academic success,

students must be self-determining about issues of their bodies and sexuality,” Dr. Yukins said.

All in all, the event Prescribe Fordham! gave an outlet for a necessary voice. As far as making general connections between students and physicians, this annual event will continue to reach its goal in informing and administering proper procedures for women seeking sexual aid.

As a male Fordham student, it was enlightening to know how many people truly support such a cause even if the Fordham administration is not as willing to lend its support.

“I would like to press on the ability to push this event for every semester,” Wolf said.

Surely, I hold the utmost support for her and everyone else involved in the FLSRJ. Keep up the cause.

PHOTO BY EMILY SAWICKI /THE OBSERVER

Event attendees spoke with doctors from the Institute for Family Health .

PAGE 16 • THE RAM • NOVEMBER 7, 2012

The Seersucker KEVIN ZEBROSKI

The Seersucker provides a wealth of knowledge on sartorial fundamentals, contemporary male fashion and the mastery of personal style.

It’s cold outside as of late. We all need to wear more sweaters.

Responsible for insulating the layer between outerwear and underwear with warm threads, knitwear is an important facet of any wardrobe. Knitwear is perfectly fine to wear a sweater sans coat in a time of less-extreme frigidity.

I have this one “Fair Isle” sweater, the kind with the bands of clashing colors running horizontally across the body, that I like to wear on its own because of its visual complexity.

Fair Isle sweaters come from Fair Isle, a small island north of Scotland.

My favorite type of sweater, or jumper as our European neighbors choose to say, is a cable knit — an Irish cable knit to be more geographically particular.

I prefer the “shawl” neck closure to the “crewneck” or “round neck” standard, because the excess material around the collar can serve as a wind shield or an emergency scarf. Shawl collared sweaters are the stereotypical “grandpa sweater,” the one with the overlapping and folding material around the back of the neck and a crisscross closure in the front.

For shawls done well, see Daniel Craig in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. His character, Mikael Blomkvist, survives the frozen north in ribbed cable knits and merino wool shawls.

The military tradition of cable knit crewnecks with shiny shoulder pauldrons is an interesting thing to look into, but I don’t personally see the appeal.

Maybe the sartorial climates of the future will allow for the military jumper’s resurgence, but as of now I do not see it blending in outside of the occasional selfaware military-surplus raid-anddisplay.

Cardigans are also a thing.

Mr. Rogers wore a zippered cardigan, but you should not. He was a cool guy, but that sort of look is inimitable. Trying to ape Mr. Rogers will only bring you to a dark place.

You should turn to buttons instead, or maybe toggle closures.

Some people would say that a man should never button his cardigan, but these people have probably never been cold before.

Unless you are especially proud of your weather-sharpened nipples, there is no reason to avoid closing your sweater in fear of the elements.

Sweaters are the materialization of comfort, and to wear them for any other reason would be disingenuous folly. No one has ever looked well making himself suffer.

If you are feeling cold, put on something warm. That is all.

CULTURE

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Editor’s Pick: Jingle All the Way

By CHESTER BAKER SPORTS EDITOR

With the holiday season just around the corner, everyone will begin to dust off their favorite Christmas movies. While the classics such as Elf, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and White Christmas are sure to be shown on a 24-hour loop from now until Dec. 26, I will be reaching for a film somewhat off the beaten path. The ultimate “It’s so bad it’s good” holiday movie is without a doubt Jingle All the Way. Chances are you have seen or at least heard about the flick, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (The Terminator) as absentee parent Howard Langston, who is on a mission to make his son’s dreams come true by hunting down the toy of the season: Turbo-Man. While bumbling his way through clichéd one-liners and traditional holiday antics, Howard teams up with mailman Myron Larabee, played by Sinbad (Good Burger), who is on the same mission to hunt down the coveted action figure.

Along the way, Schwarzenneger runs into a sketchy Santa Claus, played by James Belushi (“According to Jim”), who leads him into the underbelly of counterfeit toys. After he beats up a horde of impostor Santas following a toy deal gone wrong, Howard then . . . you know what, this plot is honestly so ridiculous that it’s just not worthwhile to go over it piece-by-piece. Instead, just go along for the ride with this motley crew of actors. I

COURTESY OF VIDEOGUM.COM

In 1998, Murray Hill Publishing sued 20th Century Fox, claiming the film’s concept was stolen from one of their screenplays. They lost.

promise that you will not be disappointed.

The only thing you need to know is that at the end of the movie Schwarzenneger is wearing a jet pack flying around the city and takes on Sinbad in a fistfight.

While critics chastised the movie for focusing too much on the commercialization of Christmas, I find this movie wildly entertaining. Any kid remembers the one Christmas on which he or she did not get what he or she wanted, either because the request was ridiculous or because they simply asked Santa for it instead of their parents.

My one Christmas disappointment came when my parents

did not get me the Food Saver, which was an infomercial product used to vacuum seal foods to help them stay fresh. Alright, so maybe I was a little bit of a weird kid, but I still remember how disappointed I was when I unwrapped all my presents to find I would not have a way to keep steaks frozen for up to two years.

Luckily, my mom redeemed herself by getting me a Food Saver the next Christmas, which made me the happiest kid in the world.

This movie plays off of the idea that parents will do anything to get their hands on a toy.

Still, not all parents have to pose as police officers or face a bomb to get their hands on an action

figure, which is exactly the type of scenario that our two fathers run into in Jingle All the Way. This film simply proves that, when it’s Christmas time, the love parents have for their children will lead them to do pretty much anything to make them happy.

Whether it’s Sinbad’s rants on how sick the world is, Schwarzanegger screaming, “Put that cookie down!” or just the total chaos of the movie, everything about it works for me. So once you get tired of watching the over-played Christmas movies, grab some hot chocolate and celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with Jingle All the Way.

Editor’s Pick: Flannery O’Connor

COURTESY OF AP IMAGES

O’Connor also wrote book reviews for two Catholic diocesan newspapers.

By RICKY BORDELON ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR

“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it,” Flannery O’Connor, one of the best authors of the Southern Gothic movement, said.

Once, during my sophomore year of high school in the middle of January, just after we returned from the

respite of the Christmas holidays, my English teacher announced that we would begin reading a couple of stories and novels from Southern authors, one of whom was the great Flannery O’Connor. We were told she was the author of such works as Wise Blood, The Violent Bear It Away, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” and the collection of short stories “Everything that Rises Must

Converge.”

I was instantly intrigued with O’Connor’s work, because she combines some of the greatest issues that people face in their lives, such as violence, relationships, racial tensions and religion, and morphs them into enthralling tales that force the reader to face the situation and question his or her life along with the content of the story.

One of the first of her stories that I read was “Good Country People,” which is part of the short story collection, A Good Man is Hard to Find.

“Good Country People” tells the story of the Hopewell family and a Bible salesman named Manley Pointer. Eventually Hulga, the daughter of the family, begins to question her relationship with her mother and with Pointer, leading to a surprising climax.

One of the most interesting aspects of O’Connor’s writing is that each story does not lead to a nicely designed ending, complete with a fitting moral.

“A Good Country People” urges its readers to question how much one can trust appearances and relationships and the role that grace plays in a person’s life.

The stories, using much dramatic irony, usually lead the reader to these greater questions that are not necessarily answerable. Instead, they allow the reader to identify

with the story and its themes.

O’Connor’s subject is the human experience, which adds richness and variety to her writing, especially with the characters she creates, each of whom have dynamic personalities.

My favorite story of hers is “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” In this story, she again writes about family relationships but further explores what it means to be a truly religious person while facing extreme violence. The ending is quite suspenseful and combines the best in writing with fascinating themes.

Her short stories make excellent reads, even at times when it seems that assignments for class never end. She paints a dark, interesting picture of the Southern United States during a turbulent time (1950s-60s) before and during the Civil Rights movement, using vivid characters and language.

Because O’Connor herself was a Catholic, religion plays a key role in most of her stories and adds an additional otherworldly dimension to them.

Although O’Connor sadly died young at 39, her literary legacy lives on today. Her writing paints an accurate picture of Southern life and, with innovative storytelling, pushes the reader to confront social, political and personal issues while reading truly compelling literature.

CULTURE

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Dining Out: The Sunburnt Calf

NOVEMBER 7, 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

Rory Scovel Where: Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre 307 W. 26th Street When: Thursday, Nov. 8 Show: 8:00 p.m.

Price: $15

COURTESY OF SUNBURNTCALF.COM

The Sunburnt Calf has two levels of seating. The servers are often liberal with giving out free shots while awaiting seats.

By CODIE LANDSMAN STAFF WRITER

Experience your own taste of Australian culture and cuisine at The Sunburnt Calf bistro, located on the Upper West Side at West 79th and Broadway.

Most noted for its popular weekend brunch specials, this trendy, lively bar and restaurant is sure to leave you satisfied and anxious to return. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 12 to 5 p.m. on Sundays, the Calf offers its all-you-can-drink brunch specials for only $20-25, depending on your choice of meal.

I strongly recommend the eggs Benedict over crab cakes, accompanied by a house salad and perfectly crisp French fries. Other favorites include the Queen Adelaide poached eggs with avocado and salmon or the Bush Benedict eggs with bacon.

With your meal comes “bottomless drinks,” and you can choose from mimosas, screwdrivers, Grey Hounds, Bloody Marys and Foster’s beer.

The drinks do seem to flow endlessly, as the attentive (and at-

tractive) servers are anything but skimpy. If you are discouraged that you had to wait about 20 minutes to be seated at your table, fear not. The staff makes up for it with at least two free drink tickets following your meal, and watery shots along the way, but it is the thought that counts.

The predominantly-Australian staff adds a unique cultural element to the experience and complements the extensive list of Australian wines and seafood traditional to Australia. All of the staff are extremely friendly and lively, which is an amazing aspect for patrons to be able to depend upon in the hospitality business.

If you cannot make it for the weekend brunch (though you really should try to at least once during your Fordham career), the lunch and dinner specials are tasty and well-priced as well.

Some favorites include the five-spiced lamb salad with a side of watermelon, calamari with kiwi jalapenos, tuna tartar, shrimp on the Barbie, tuna nicoise platter and oysters Kilpatrick.

Additional popular dishes in-

clude the “cow salad,” complete with toasted pecans, mango, avocado, tomato, bacon, mixed greens and a lemon mustard dressing. Their specialties range from the “calf pasta” with veal ragu, and herb-crusted cod to the “burger with the lot.”

The “smaller bites” section of the menu offers mini crab cakes with black sesame avocado mousse, and “stix,” which is your choice of Balinese spiced chicken, rice wine marinated beef or chili shrimp tempura.

Honestly, you cannot go wrong at this place. Between the value, service, taste and ambience, I would hands-down give the Sunburnt Calf five stars.

Just remember: Weekend brunch is cash only, so plan accordingly. You will not be disappointed.

Overall Location Food Quality Atmosphere Hospitality Price $$$ (Out of 4

A week off from the doldrums of the regular school routine was a reprieve surely welcomed by students last week. But the circumstances surrounding “Hurrication 2012” were hardly anything to celebrate. Many students spent their free week worrying about close family and friends. Others spent their money and time buying twelve packs at the bodega and hunkering down for the five day lay-off. If you’re the former, then certainly you could use a night of carefree smiles and laughter. If you’re the part of the latter group, what better way to kick a week-long hangover than with a healthy dose of farce?

Why not head into the city (it’s safe again) and fork over that leftover emergency money from mom in exchange for a ticket to a show at Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. As a part of the New York Comedy Festival (Nov. 7-11), comedian Rory Scoval will do his best to warm the dampened hearts of the New York community.

For food and drink before the show, try The Grey Dog, a tasty little Manhattan gem, on 242 W. 26th St., a 10-minute walk south of UCB.

The Invisible War: Special Screening Where: Keating, First Floor Auditorium When: Monday, Nov. 12 6:30 p.m.

Price: Free (w/RSVP and ID) With the election over and the president decided, now is the time for forward thinking and nonpartisan progress. Hopefully, the Republican/Democrat/Whatever-I-Don’t-Care rift created in Fordham’s student body over the last few months is now healed, like the wounds of a bar fight between two ignorant college students full of stern conviction.

In partnership with Rock the Vote, REACT to FILM’s Fordham Chapter is screening The Invisible War in an effort to “share a common value of nonpartisanship and a common mission of civic engagement.” The movie, directed by Oscar-nominated director Kirby Dick (This Film Is Not Yet Rated), sheds light on an appallingly unknown American epidemic: rape within the U.S. military. Free from the chains of partisan bias, coordinators hope to facilitate productive discussion, with a Q & A following the film. Refreshments will be served.

’s)

- COMPILED BY DEVON SHERIDAN ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

Ram Reviews MUSEUM RUBIN MUSEUM

MOVIE

MOVIE

MUSIC

TELEVISION

CLOUD ATLAS

FLIGHT

FLYING LOTUS: UNTIL THE QUIET COMES

“GIULIANA & BILL”

By MARGARET DESMOND

By JAKE KRING-SCHREIFELS

By JOHN BONAZZO

By PATRICK DOHERTY

By LINDSAY JAVITZ

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

STAFF WRITER

COPY EDITOR

COPY EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I went to the Himalayas last week.

Ok, not the actual Himalayas but it felt pretty close. The Rubin Museum is unassuming on the outside, but, once you enter, you are transported to the mystical East. The museum’s calm, darkened interior, combined with the faint aroma of Eastern spices from the museum’s restaurant, work in tandem to create a unique experience.

The most stunning exhibit is the example of a Buddhist shrine. It is a small, dimly-lit room filled with countless statues that take your breath away.

As your gaze wanders from statue to statue, soft chants provide a musical element that is almost otherworldly.

Rivaling this experience are the tapestries that recount the lives of different Dalai Lamas. These tapestries are overflowing with depictions of each Dalai Lama and different occurrences in their lives.

The intense color and detail of the tapestries is overwhelming and evokes a sense of wonder.

Ambitious storytelling, grandiose visuals and confluent characters surround Cloud Atlas, the latest metaphysical spectacle from the Wachowski producers (The Matrix) and director Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run).

To call this film — adapted from the 2004 novel — a complete mess would be negating its rather overt messages and pronounced themes. But the film becomes a struggle for clarity amidst its six interweaving narratives.

Our earliest story embarks in 1849, on a ship’s maiden voyage in which an elite English businessman helps a stow-away slave while battling his own deadly sickness. Fast forward to 1934, where Robert Forbisher, a poor homosexual composer, takes shelter and finds work transcribing for a famous, boastful conductor.

Sometimes our confusion should be left to sink in and self-discover, but when this ambiguity is straightened for us, more persists. Cloud Atlas is a messy marathon of a masterpiece.

The film focuses on Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington, Unstoppable), a pilot fighting deep, personal demons. His struggles come to a head one day when he saves his plane from crashing in what many call a miraculous rescue. The circumstances of Whip’s heroic act come into question, however, when it is discovered that he had a high level of alcohol in his blood when he made his decisions.

The use of special effects in this film is fantastic as well. The plane crash sequence is one of the most visceral, unnerving things I have ever seen in a movie theater.

Washington gives a great performance in the film. He puts all of Whip’s character flaws on the surface so that the audience can see that Whip is an imperfect man.

From start to finish, Flight is an absorbing, dramatic ride. Thanks to Denzel Washington’s excellent performance and a well-written script, Flight soars.

Many hip-hop producers have attempted to emulate FlyLo’s unique style. Flying Lotus’ unparalleled instrumentation and arrangement remain in a league of their own among a sea of other electronically-fueled instrumental hip-hop creators. Until The Quiet Comes continues with this incomparable fashion, while still maintaining experimental freshness.

Until the Quiet Comes, like his 2008 album Los Angeles, wears its influences on its sleeve: trip-hop, IDM and jazz are just a sampling of the genres featured on the album, and when combined under FlyLo’s expert guidance, they create musical works that sound as if they were mixed and mastered in the distant future.

Overall, Flying Lotus has managed to create an album that may be his most accessible, while still continuing to expand his repertoire as a brilliant and inventive producer who is leading a Renaissance amongst West Coast beat-makers.

Now in its fifth season, Style Network’s “Giuliana & Bill” has taken viewers into the lives of “E! News” anchor Giuliana Rancic and her entrepreneur husband Bill. The couple has allowed cameras to document them as they experience both the joys and hardships of life. The couple’s chemistry, wit and comical tension always make for amusing reality TV. This was especially true for the Oct. 30 episode of “Giuliana & Bill,” titled “Who’s Your Nanny?”

Since its premier in early October, part two of season five has shown a happier time for the couple. After years of trying for a baby, the couple is finally in full baby prep mode. After watching all the heartache the couple has endured, it is such a joy to watch them finally experience happiness.

If you are in the mood to watch happy people and have some laughs, Giuliana & Bill is a must watch! Catch a new episode of Giuliana & Bill Tuesday nights at 8 p.m.

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

PAGE 18 • THE RAM • NOVEMBER 7, 2012

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Apply to be an Editor or Columnist for our 95th Volume, spanning the Spring 2013 and Fall 2013 semesters.

To get more information on available positions or to download the application, email theram@ fordham.edu.

Completed applications are due Sunday, November 11 by 5:00 p.m., to McGinley B-52 or via email to theram@fordham.edu.

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NOVEMBER 7, 2012• THE RAM •PAGE 19

WHO’S THAT KID? Clay Stanley A MEMBER OF GSB ’15 DOUBLE MAJORING IN APPLIED ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE FROM HINGHAM, MA Describe yourself in a couple of sentences.

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

I’m a sophomore in the Gabelli School of Business and I am from a town on the south shore of Massachusetts. I’m an avid Boston sports fan through the good times and the bad.

During my free time I hang out with friends, play pick-up sports and catch up on the daily dose of “SportsCenter.” I’m also a desk assistant at Finlay Hall.

When I go into the city, my favorite thing to do is probably to hit up Sunny’s on the Upper East side. I’m sure many Fordham students have been there, but if not, they definitely should.

What is your favorite aspect of Fordham and why?

I would have to say that my favorite aspect of Fordham is the undying school spirit that the students display.

Some schools really lack school spirit, and I am happy Fordham is not one of those schools.

If there was one thing about Fordham you could change what would it be?

Definitely the food.

What is something about you that not many people know?

I’m a huge fan of animals. I had a lizard for a few weeks at the beginning of the semester.

R.I.P. Ra’shawn Cunningham; August 2012-September 2012.

What is your favorite class at Fordham?

Over the next four years I want to leave a positive and long lasting impression on my peers and those close to me.

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

I could watch “24” all day, every day.

What is the biggest misconception people have about you?

A lot of people think that I’m always being super serious. It’s probably because I can be really sarcastic, but people who know me can see right through it.

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

My favorite class at Fordham would have to be The Ground Floor. It was great listening to high-profile guest speakers every week. The field trip to Stew Leonard’s was great too.

What is a personal goal you would like to accomplish over your four years here?

What are your plans, career or otherwise, for after college?

After Fordham, I hope to get a job in the financial sector. Yeah, it’s vague, but I don’t really know yet.

If you were stranded on a

Stanley’s pet lizard, Ra’shawn, lived for one month with the animal lover.

desert island, what would you bring with you?

If you could go back to your first day at Fordham, what advice would you give yourself ?

I would bring a seven iron, a trash bag full of golf balls and a six-pack.

My swing is terrible and this would be the perfect opportunity to straighten that out.

I if I could, I would tell myself to get the meal plan that gives me as many flex dollars as possible with minimal trips to the Caf.

A STUDENT BODY THIRSTS FOR CULTURE YOU ALONE CAN QUENCH THEIR THIRST WRITE FOR THE RAM CULTURE, AND SAVE THE FORDHAM COMMUNITY FROM CULTURAL IGNORANCE Contact us at: fordhamramculture@gmail.com or come to room B52 in McGinley, Tuesdays @ 6 p.m.

PAGE 20• THE RAM • NOVEMBER 7, 2012

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A Guide to Proper Nutrition On Campus

By DANIELLE GARRAND CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Students come to college in order to gain a diploma, but sometimes they end up gaining weight instead.

According to WebMD, one in every four college students gains five percent of his or her body weight, or roughly 10 pounds, during the first semester of college. With the proper nutritional knowledge and tactics, however, that same student could come home for Thanksgiving fitter than ever.

The key is to balance the late-night Pugsley’s runs with a gym session in the morning.

“I mix my beloved Caf cookies with running and rowing crew in order to keep off the pounds,” Élan Saynay, FCRH ’16, said.

A student can have deep-dish pizza and see his or her waistline shrink, as long as the nutritional equation is balanced. A pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories that were consumed, but not burned as energy. So, if a student eats 3,500 calories extra a week or 500 extra calories a day, he or she will gain a pound of fat a week. By going for those two extra slices of pizza, indulging in a cinnamon roll at breakfast or having a plate of French fries for dinner, the calorie count rises and so does your jean size.

Another pitfall for college students is the classic “kid in a candy store” situation. Walking into the Marketplace, students see the delicious bakery section, fountain sodas and chicken fingers, and without their parents to caution them against poor choices, they only consume these foods.

The key to tackling this problem is to think of the fattening foods as special treats, not everyday meals.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM

Quinoa is a lower-calorie dish that makes a great substitute for salad. The Caf usually has plenty of it every day, along with plenty of other healthy vegan choices.

Instead of reaching for the cheeseburger, grab a salad with lean protein and have one cookie for dessert for a more balanced meal.

Nicole Segall, FCRH ’16, described her tactics to indulge without bulge.

“I eat burgers without the bun and make my own tomato caprese to avoid repetition, but still eat a wellbalanced meal,” she said.

Many students gain weight in college, not because they are eating bad foods, but because they are eating too much food. Portion sizes are a crucial aspect of good nutrition, because by sticking to the controlled amount, individuals gain the correct amount of nutrients. Although portions may need to be increased for students participating in athletics, with heavy workout routines or special dietary needs, there are general rules of thumb to follow.

For example, a portion of meat should be the size of a card deck,

cheese should be the size of two die and a serving of pasta should equate to the size of half of a baseball. It is also important to note how much dressing or oil is added to food before it is served. Add more than two tablespoons of dressing, which is the recommended amount, to a healthy salad, and that salad becomes a health hazard. Being aware of how much one is served will decrease the caloric intake and give an individual the actual amount of food they need.

Many have been in this situation: It is a Saturday night, and all of your friends decide to go down to the Deli to get a pint of ice cream. If you do not get one too, you feel left out, but if you do get one, you feel the extra weight the next day. The trick with social eating is to note the healthy alternatives to the high-fat foods your friends are ingesting. Instead of reaching for the ice cream, get frozen yogurt. In lieu of chips, chomp on

trail mix. These easy swaps allow you to bond as a part of the group while following a healthy diet.

As a fellow lover of high-calorie foods, it is sometimes tiresome to reach for a salad every day, but finding ways to spice up nutrition is easier than you think. The Grille offers made-to-order salads and fresh smoothies, the Deli boasts subs that have less than 500 calories and the Caf has enough quinoa to feed an army. When the pre-made options are not satisfying, one can become a chef of sorts and make one’s own meals. One of my favorite dishes is to combine one cup of quinoa, three ounces of grilled chicken and a ¼ cup of barbecue sauce together to yield a flavorful, yet healthy, concoction.

Eating healthy does not have to be impossible on campus. Just watch what and how much you eat, so that you can still fit into your skinnies when you go home for break.

MEAL GUIDE Each meal includes a mix of whole grains, proteins or dairy. Portions vary depending on gender, height, weight and caloric needs.

Breakfast: The Caf One and a half cups of oatmeal with two tablespoons of brown sugar and two tablespoons of cranberries Coffee Lunch: The Grille Salad with two tablespoons of lowfat dressing; Three ounces grilled chicken with any vegetables of your choice; One small glass of 2 percent or skim milk Snack Two tablespoons of peanut butter One apple Dinner: Dagger John’s Veggie burger One apple Glass of water

New York Television Festival Previews New Shows

By COURTNEY SMITH STAFF WRITER

Calling all television lovers: The eighth annual New York Television Festival has arrived!

While this particular festival may be newer and less well-known than most entertainment festivals, it is on its way to developing a reputation for itself in New York City.

In 2005, the festival was launched with the hopes of giving

independent television creators a chance to show their work and gain exposure. Eight years later, the festival has done just that and has also expanded into a primetime event. I was there opening night to bask in this “television wonderland.”

On Oct. 22 at the School of Visual Arts Theater, the festival commenced with the world premiere of the CW’s “The Carrie Diaries,” the new series starring AnnaSophia Robb (Soul Surfer),

as 16-year-old Carrie Bradshaw.

The series comes from Fake Empire’s Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (“Gossip Girl,” “The O.C.”), based on the book series from Candace Bushnell (Sex and the City).

The New York Television Festival was an appropriate fit for the glamorous series with a “pink” red-carpet, colorful and youthful candy snacks such as ring-pops, nerds, and Fundip, along with soda drinks from the ’80s. Wom-

PHOTO BY SARAH BALTRUWEIT/THE RAM

The New York Television Festival was founded in 2005. Major networks like A&E have purchased pilots from the festival.

en dressed up in their best “Carrie Bradshaw” heels.

“The event was cute in every way possible,” attendee Sarah Baltruweit, FCRH ’15, said. “As a fan of the original series, I thought the event and the series premiere did justice to such a beloved series and character.”

After the pilot episode, there was a panel discussion with Robb, Bushnell and Executive Producer Amy B. Harris, who was a writer for HBO’s popular series, “Sex and the City.” The panel granted questions from the audience and an informational conversation between the ladies. The panel really allowed access into the minds of the people most involved in the series along with their hopes and fears for its future. It is just one example of why the New York Television Festival is such a treat for television fanatics.

In addition to attending “The Carrie Diaries” panel, I also took the festival as an opportunity to volunteer and get a look behind the scenes. On Oct. 25, I volunteered for the Unscripted and Comedy Pilot Screenings event at 92Y Tribeca Cinemas.

While my work was minimal, including tasks such as ripping off ticket stubs as the audience entered the theater, the experience gave me insight into the

people who run the festival. The staff welcomed all the volunteers into the back room and treated us as if were vital members of the team. It was not long before the discussion turned to a discussion on our favorite television series and why we wanted careers in the television industry. As Michael Getto, director of the festival would say, “Television is awesome!”

The New York Television Festival is an opportunity to unite people through their love of television. Television fans have an event that they can get excited about, which is great. Now they can begin counting down the days until next year’s festival. It is an added bonus that the staff of the event is just as excited about their work as the fans.

“I am so excited for the ‘FOX’s Tuesday Night’ event,” Melissa Rosen, programming director, said. “I love “New Girl.” I honestly do not want to work the event; I just want to sit and watch it.”

While this year’s festival has come and gone, one is left to anticipate next year’s. The festival has expanded dramatically since its establishment, and one can only wait to see where it all goes.

So until next fall, keep obsessing over everything television related — I know I will.

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NOVEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 23

Rams Fail to Repeat as Atlantic 10 Regular Season Champions Fordham Misses Postseason After Losing to Duquesne 3-0; Ends Season With 2-0 Win

By MATT ROSENFELD ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Heading into its final four games, the Fordham men’s soccer team had not been dominating its Atlantic 10 conference schedule. The team had a 1-2-2 record in conference play with just four games to go, not in a great place but still alive in the race to make the conference tournament.

After going 1-2-1 during that stretch, however, the Rams’ season has come to an end.

The home stretch began, back on Oct. 26 against the Temple Owls, one of the top teams in the Atlantic 10.

The Owls asserted their power early on a 15th minute corner, when senior midfielder Cody Calafiore played a ball in that was tipped by one Owl directly to the head of freshman midfielder Jared Martinelli. He beat Fordham’s sophomore keeper Sean Brailey to give Temple an early 1-0 lead.

Temple added another goal just before halftime, this one coming when junior Vaughn Spurrier played a ball to junior Jake Lister, who was able to blast a shot in the upper left corner past Brailey for a goal.

The Rams came out for the second half with a new goalie.

Sophomore Ricky Berotti replaced Brailey.

“I think Sean was struggling a little bit with confidence,” Head Coach Jim McElderry said. “He’s had a really good season, I felt we could give a spark to the team, and more so I wanted to give Sean [Brailey] a break. I thought it was a good time to pull him out and have him just watch the game.”

PHOTO BY ALLY WHITE/THE RAM

Kalle Sotka and the Rams sent their seniors off with a victory in the final game of the season, against St. Bonaventure

Berotti was able to shut out the Owls in the second half, but Fordham was unable to score a goal as Temple took the game 2-0.

Fordham took on St. Joseph’s on Oct. 28, looking to get a win in its last home game of the year and make a push toward the conference tournament.

Berotti got his first collegiate start and was able to blank the Hawks.

Fordham’s offense, however, found itself struggling again. Although the Rams outshot St. Joe’s 27-13, the game ended in a scoreless tie.

St. Joe’s senior goalkeeper had a spectacular effort, recording 10 saves and stopping a Fordham of-

fense that created many scoring oppotunites.

“We played very well,” McElderry said. “We just didn’t score. We had a ton of chances, we missed a penalty kick and their keeper played very well. I was satisfied with our play and our effort. We created a ton of chances, which was a problem of ours all year, so to tie that game was disappointing because I thought our guys did enough to win.”

Because Fordham failed to win its first two games of the stretch, its Nov. 2 bout at Duquesne was a virtual must-win if the Rams hoped to make the Atlantic 10 tournament.

Things did not go as planned for Fordham, however, as the

Dukes shut out the Rams 3-0.

In only the 12th minute, Duquesne got the lead when senior Carter Poe received a pass from junior Simon Gomez and beat Berotti, who was starting his second consecutive game, for the early goal.

The Dukes did not rest, coming back just eight minutes later and scoring another goal. This time, it was sophomore midfielder Karter Sell who beat Berotti.

Before the Rams could blink, they trailed by two goals.

As the Rams scrambled to salvage their postseason hopes, Duquesne put the game away in the 59th minute.

Sophomore Austin Lange scored this time for the Dukes,

beating Berotti after receiving a pass from senior teammate Joshua Patterson.

“It was a tough game, it was a tough night,” McElderry said. “It was very wet and cold, it was a fast game. They scored a couple of goals, we really tried to chase [the game] and couldn’t get it.”

After the loss at Dusquese, Fordham was officially eliminated from playoff contention. This meant its Nov. 4 meeting with St. Bonaventure would be the team’s last game of the year.

Fordham was able to close out the season on a positive note, as it defeated the Bonnies 2-0 in Olean, NY. Brailey started in goal for the Rams and did not disappoint, getting his sixth shutout of the season and the team’s seventh.

Fordham’s offense scored for the first time in four games in the 63rd minute, when junior Nathaniel Bekoe delivered a pass to junior Taylor Gulbins, who beat St. Bonaventure’s senior goalkeeper Abel Bautista for a 1-0 Rams lead.

In the 77th minute, the Rams tallied their second goal, putting the game out of reach for the Bonnies.

Freshman Tommy Granot passed to junior Julian Nagel, who was able to get another ball past Bautista and into the net to give the Rams a two-goal lead.

“It was important for us to put a good performance together to end the season, and to start building for next year,” McElderry said.

The win put Fordham at 6-7-4 to end the year, 2-4-3 in the Atlantic 10, ranking Fordham 12th in the conference.

Women’s Volleyball Struggles Continue With Four Atlantic 10 Losses

By KENNY DEJOHN STAFF WRITER

It has been an up-and-down season for the Fordham volleyball team, as hot and cold streaks have defined their season. Unfortunately, they’ve been stuck in a rut for the past two weeks.

The start of the cold stretch came on Oct. 26 at the Rose Hill Gym against Butler. Coming off of an exciting win against La Salle, the Rams were looking to gain some momentum. That was not the case, though.

This was one of Fordham’s most disappointing losses of the season, as it was easily a match the Rams could have won. Set scores were 25-21, 33-31 and 25-23. Even though the Rams were swept, the close scores indicate that they had plenty of opportunities to come out with the victory.

Junior Lisa Hipp led the team with 13 kills. Freshman Brianna O’Neil and senior Randi Ewing each compiled 11 kills of their own. Ewing hit a ridiculous .556 in the match. Junior Sara Konkel recorded a double-double with 37 assists and 16 digs.

The Rams then took on Saint

Louis the following night (Oct. 27) on Dig Pink Night at the Rose Hill Gym. The Rams were swept again. Set scores were 25-18, 2520 and 25-17.

This was a match to forget for Fordham. In the first set, the Rams made 10 attack errors. The Billikens capitalized on these mistakes.

The second and third sets were not very efficient for the Rams.

They hit .132 in the second set and a very poor .057 in the third.

O’Neil and Hipp led the team with eight kills. Hipp also added in 10 digs. Ewing compiled seven kills and five blocks. Junior Maria Rodenberg led the team with 12 digs.

After getting swept in consecutive matches at home, the Rams looked to start fresh on Nov. 2 at George Washington.

It was more of the same in Washington, D.C., however, as the Rams were swept yet again.

Set scores were 25-23, 25-17 and 25-20.

As usual, Hipp led the team with 13 kills, while also adding in seven digs. Ewing had nine kills and four blocks. Konkel recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 32 assists and 12 digs. Rodenberg

had a match-high 18 digs. Senior Michele Keathley added in 11 digs of her own.

With postseason hopes dwindling, the Rams looked to keep their playoff hopes alive against the Duquesne Dukes on Nov. 4.

The Rams opened the match with a win in the first set (25-23),their first set win in over three matches. They could not keep up the strong play throughout, losing each of the next three sets.

Ewing posted a season-high 17 kills in the match along with nine blocks. Hipp contributed nine kills, 14 digs and three blocks. Junior Carina Thompson recorded seven kills and four blocks of her own. Konkel racked up 39 assists with five digs and four blocks.

The rough two week stretch dropped the Rams to 13-19 on the year, with a 5-8 record in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

With their recent stuggles the Rams have now dropped seven of their last eight matches.

The Rams will be in action today, Nov. 7, when they take travel to Lawrencville, N.J. to take on the Rider Broncs on the road in an out-of-conference contest.

PHOTO BY DREW DIPANE/THE RAM

The Rams have struggled away from Rose Hill Gym, earning a 3-8 road record.

SPORTS

PAGE 24• THE RAM • NOVEMBER 7, 2012

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Men’s and Women’s Swimming Defeat Marist, Fairfield, Fall Short at BU

By TIM DEROCHER STAFF WRITER

The Fordham swimming and diving teams competed in a trio of dual meets over the last two weeks.

Both the men and the women defeated Marist and Fairfield but fell to Boston University. This moves the men’s dual meet record to 2-3 and the women’s to 3-2.

The men beat Marist by a team score of 140-97. The Rams started out with a win in the 400 medley relay. The team of senior Thomas Yi, juniors Ben Dwyer and Shintaro Noguchi and sophomore Pat Militti won the event with a time of 3:31.23. The men then went on to win eight of the individual events.

These event wins were highlighted by freshman Steve Sholdra, taking first in three events. He started out by winning the 1000-m freestyle in 9:49.79. Sholdra turned around later, winning the 200-m freestyle in 1:42.00. The freshman then took a bit of a break and finished his third win in the 500-m freestyle, finishing in 4:33.50. Sophomore Zachary Jacobsen added two event wins of his own in the 200-m individual medley along with the 200-m breaststroke. Senior Devon Morris, Militti and Yi each added one win to the total as well.

The women beat the Red Foxes 145-96 and also started the meet with a win in the 400-m medley Relay. The team of seniors Brienne Ryan and Alana Biagiolli, sophomore Kelly Carroll and

freshman Shannon Lulley finished in a time of 3:53.40. The women, led by Ryan, won seven individual events. Ryan won the 200-m freestyle in 1:53.57 along with the 100-m freestyle in 51.70. Lulley also won the 200-m individual medley. Sophomore Frances Warren and freshmen Theresa Goehring and Anna Marshall all added individual wins of their own in the pool while senior Brittany Salas tacked on a win for the divers too.

The Rams made a quick turnaround the next day, sweeping Fairfield. The men won 177-121 and the women 166-123. The Rams dominated the meet as they pulled down the fastest times in a combined 24 of 32 events. Multievent winners for the men included Militti, Noguchi and Jacobsen while Marshall, Ryan, Salas and freshman Megan Gray all had multiple top times for the women.

The Rams’ third meet was against the Boston University Terriers. The women fell 178-120 while the men lost by a count of 194.5-102.5. The women, in what is starting to seem like typical dual meet fashion, swept both of the relays, winning the 200-m medley in 1:46.84 and the 400-m freestyle in 3:32.90. The medley team consisted of Ryan, Marshall, Biagioli and Lulley, while the freestyle team was composed of Biagioli and Ryan again along with Carroll and senior Kellie Lyver. Ryan went on to win two more events of her own, taking the 100-m backstroke in 55.04 and the 200-

m backstroke in 2:02.00. Lyver went on to indiviually win the 50 Freestyle in a time of 25.01. Rookies Anna Marshall and Lulley also won an event each, taking the 200m breaststroke and the 100-m butterfly, respectively.

Another rookie who had a fantastic meet was Sholdra, who won three individual events against the Terriers. He won the 1,000m freestyle in 9:26.69, the 200-m butterfly in 1:52.94 and the 500-m freestyle in 4:38.91. Coming up with two wins of his own, Noguchi won the 200-m freestyle and the 100-m butterfly.

Marshall won the Atlantic 10

Rookie of the Week award for the last week of October, and Sholdra won the same award for the first week of November. This was Marshall’s first Rookie of the Week award and Sholdra’s second.

Sholdra was honored for his aforementioned three wins against BU, one of which (the 200-m butterfly) was an A-10 top time for the whole conference. Marshall’s accolade came in light of her winning performances in the 100-m and 200-m breaststroke, along with being a member of the top 200-m medley relay team.

The A-10 awards did not stop there for the Rams, however, as

Ryan captured the A-10 Performer of the Week award for both of the last two weeks. This now makes three straight weeks that Ryan has been awarded the title of top performer in the A-10 conference.

Over just three meets, Ryan managed to win six individual events, be part of five winning relays and set multiple top conference times.

It will be interesting to see if Fordham can carry the momentum from these dual meets into its first invitational of the season. On Nov. 9 and 10, the Rams will travel to Princeton, NJ to compete in the Princeton Invitational against solid competition.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM

The Fordham men’s and women’s swimming teams each beat Marist and Fairfield in dual meets.

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Why the Giants Are Built to Last

By TARA SLEDJESKI STAFF WRITER

The 2012 Major League Baseball season has come to a close, and for the second time in three seasons, the San Francisco Giants are the World Series Champions.

The Giants surprised many when they swept the American League Champion Detroit Tigers in the World Series, but the Giants’ victory should not come as a huge surprise.

I believe the Giants are a stronger team than many people give them credit for, and I think they still have a few more World Series Championships in them over the next few seasons.

The old saying is “pitching wins championships,” and the Giants have plenty of that. Many pointed to the Giants’ young pitchers as the reason why they won in 2010. Starters Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner are all under the age of 30 and have all contributed largely to the World Series titles. Lincecum is a two-time Cy Young Award winner who struggled in early 2012 but found new life after being placed into the bullpen in the postseason.

Lincecum excelled in the bullpen in the postseason and was key to the team winning this year; he could also help them in years to come. Lincecum’s success relieving this postseason could help him get better next year. I am sure Lincecum lost some confidence while he was struggling, but doing as well as he did on baseball’s biggest stage, even if it was out of the bullpen, should help him get some confidence back. I believe that Lincecum will come into 2013 ready to compete as a starter. Lincecum is still only 28, and, if he comes back strong in 2013, he will continue to help lead this Giants team to championships.

Barry Zito also added to the Giants’ pitching. Zito has been in San Francisco since 2007 and was not on the Giants’ postseason roster in 2010 when they won the World Series. This year, Zito was a starter in the postseason, and he won two playoff games, including one in which he outdueled reigning American League MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander in Game 1 of the World Series. While Zito is not as young as the other Giants’ pitchers, at age 34 he could still produce for the next few seasons and be a solid pitcher at the back end of their young rotation.

The Giants’ bullpen also contributed largely to their two titles in recent years and should help them out in seasons to come. Their closer, Brian Wilson, is one of the best in the game and was crucial to the team in 2010. Wilson underwent Tommy John surgery this April, however, which kept him out of action for the entire 2012 season. Expect Wilson

to be back and stronger in 2013.

Wilson’s absence did not bother the Giants too much, thanks to Sergio Romo, who stepped up in Wilson’s absence and was a great closer. The Giants will have both Romo and Wilson in the bullpen in upcoming years, giving them one of the best eighth and ninth inning pitching combinations in the major league.

But, do not forget about the Giants’ offense. The star of this Giants’ team is their catcher, Buster Posey.

Posey is only 25 years old, but he is arguably the best catcher in the game and one of the best overall players. Posey put together an MVPworthy campaign in 2012 — just his first full season in the majors. While there is not much for Posey to improve on, he is still expected to put up big numbers for seasons to come and keep playing solidly behind the plate. With a catcher like Posey, it would be hard for the Giants not to compete for World Series titles.

The Giants also have two young hitters in addition to Posey. This year’s World Series MVP, Pablo Sandoval, is only 26 and looks like he will be around to contribute to the Giants for years to come. The Giants also have Hunter Pence in the outfield to assist them in the next few seasons. Pence was another midseason pick-up for the Giants and is credited with helping the Giants out this postseason with inspirational speeches. Pence is more than just inspirational, however, he can also hit. At age 29, if he does stick around in San Francisco for a few more seasons, he will help this team in their attempt to win more World Series titles.

Veteran hitters have also made a difference for the Giants. In 2010, Edgar Renteria played a key role in the Giants’ World Series run, winning the World Series MVP award.

This year, the Giants brought in Marco Scutaro in the middle of the season, and he came up big in the National League Championship Series, winning the MVP for that series.

Scutaro also drove in the winning run in the final game of the World Series. Though players like Renteria and Scutaro do not stick around for long, the Giants have showed that they are not afraid to bring in veteran players for a short time to help them win championships, which should keep helping them in the next few seasons.

The reason why I see the Giants winning a few more championships in the upcoming seasons is because they have a mixture of everything: youth, experience, hitting and pitching. The Giants in 2010 and 2012 showed everyone how good they can be, and I see more of this to come. The Giants have everything they need to create a dynasty in San Francisco.

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/theram_sports Varsity Scores & Stats Volleyball Fordham 23 17 20 0 Geo. Wash. 25 25 25 3 Hipp (FOR)- 13 kills, 7 digs White (GW)- 17 kills Fordham 25 22 13 19 1 Duquesne 23 25 25 25 3 Ewing (FOR)- 17 kills Focsia (DUQ)- 8 kills, 13 digs Women’s soccer Fordham 0 Saint Joseph’s 1 Goals: Hawkins (SJU); 53’ Fordham 3 Temple 0 Goals: Worden (FOR); 47’, 70’ McDonnell (FOR); 74’

Swimming- Men Fordham 194.5 Boston U 102.5 Swimming- Women Fordham 178 Boston U 120

Men’s soccer Fordham 0 Duquesne 3 Goals: Poe (DUQ); 12’ Sell (DUQ); 21’ Lange (DUQ); 59’ Fordham 2 St. Bonaventure 0 Goals: Gulbins (FOR); 64’ Nagel (FOR); 77’

Squash Fordham 1 Navy 8 Fordham 5 Sewanee 4 Fordham 1 Washington 8 Fordham 0 Johns Hopkins 9

Fordham 0 Football Bucknell 9 Fordham 6 15 0 3 24 Bucknell 7 0 10 10 27 Koonce (FOR)- 187 total yds, 2 TDs Smith (BUCK)- 189 yds rushing

Water polo Fordham 8 Harvard 10 Fordham 11 Conn. College 8 Fordham 10 (OT) Iona 12

Athletes of the Week Steve Sholdra

Randi Ewing

Freshman

Senior

Swimming

Volleyball

Sholdra was named A-10 Rookie of the Week for the second time this season after finishing first in three events against Boston University.

Ewing led the Rams with 17 kills in a 3-1 loss to Duquesne. She also tallied nine total blocks, three solo and six assists.

News & Notes •

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Want to write for us? Tweet us: (@TheRam_Sports)

NOVEMBER 7, 2012• THE RAM • PAGE 25

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Senior kicker/punter Patrick Murray earned Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the sixth time this season, after making 41-, 22- and 39-yard field goals in the loss to Bucknell.

Redshirt junior running back Carlton Koonce eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the season in the game against Holy Cross. It is the first time in his career that Koonce has surpassed 1,000 yards.

The Fordham men’s cross country team finished in a tie for eighth at the A-10 cross country championships, while the women finished 13. Freshman Mike Turi was the top individual finisher for the men, placing 28th. Junior Anisa Arsenault finished 28th; she was the top finisher for the Fordham women.

Senior Brienne Ryan was named Atlantic 10 swimming Performer of the Week for the third consecutive week. Ryan is undefeated in individual races this season.

The Fordham women’s basketball team beat Division II Dowling College in an exhibition on Saturday, Nov. 3, 60-43. Graduate student Marah Strickland led the Rams with 16 points in 25 minutes of play. She was 4-7 from three-point range.

The Fordham men’s basketball team opens the 2012-13 season this Friday when the Rams travel to take on the Texas State Bobcats. Fordham won 81-70 when the two teams met in the Bronx last year.

PAGE 26• THE RAM • NOVEMBER 7, 2012

SMITH SAYS ALEX SMITH

Well, everybody, baseball season is over. Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants on dominating the Detroit Tigers and winning it all. But now it’s time to talk about another sport, starting up this fall: hockey…just kidding.

The NBA season is upon us and there are a few things that jumped out to me early in the season.

Here are five impressions about the Association thus far.

1. The best team in the Western Conference plays in Los Angeles, but I’m not sure which team it is. Everyone is ready to write the Lakers off following their 1-3 start. People need to calm down here. The Lakers starting five consists of a Hall of Fame backcourt in Nash and Bryant, two of the top defenders in the league in Metta World Peace and Dwight Howard and a pretty deep bench.

Come the end of the season, they will be just fine. That being said, it’s been that other LA team that has been the most impressive.

The Clippers not only have two of the most exciting players in the league in Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, but they also have the deepest roster in the West.

The bench was a big problem for the Clippers last season, but that won’t be the case this year. The Clippers have added the best bench player in the NBA, Jamal Crawford, along with talented veterans Lamar Odom, Ronny Turiaf, Matt Barnes and Ryan Hollins. If the Clippers can keep Griffin and Paul healthy, this supporting cast can be good enough to take the Clippers to the NBA Finals.

2. James Harden is the real deal.

I’m not necessarily saying that the Oklahoma City Thunder made the wrong move in dealing Harden to the Houston Rockets. Actually, yes I am. Honestly, what were they thinking? I’m well aware that the Thunder are a small market franchise with a limited number of financial resources, but they could have kept this guy. Harden wanted an extension worth $60 million over four years, and OKC would only give him $55.5 million. So an extra $4.5 million was the difference in the Thunder giving up one of the best young talents in the NBA. How has Harden responded to the move? How about 106 points in five games?

Harden no longer has to come off the bench and watch Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook take the majority of shots. Harden is now the main man in Houston. By teaming Harden up with Jeremy Lin, the Houston Rockets have a very young and very exciting team. The sky could be the limit.

3. The New York Knicks are better when Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire aren’t playing together. The Knickerbockers have started out their season by beating Miami and Philadelphia, two talented Eastern Conference teams, and they beat them pretty handily. Carmelo Anthony av-

eraged 28.5 points per game in those contests. He’s also averaged 7.5 boards per game while playing at the power forward position.

We all know that Melo wants the ball in his hands. So does Amar’e Stoudemire. We’ve seen in the past that these two players don’t really click when they are on the court together. The Knicks look like they’re in a nice little groove to start the season, and I wonder if it would be the same if Stoudemire was in the lineup. Even without Jeremy Lin, the Knicks still have an exciting team with a lot of potential. The veteran and unselfish backcourt of Raymond Felton and Jason Kidd is exactly what the Knicks needed. They will give Carmelo the ball. Stoudemire appears to be the odd man out.

4. Damian Lillard is the best player that you haven’t heard of.

After watching the NBA Draft back in June, I thought the Portland Trail Blazers were the biggest losers of the draft. The Blazers had the sixth and 11th overall picks.

With the sixth pick, they took Damian Lillard, some no name from Weber State, and passed on high-profile names like Austin Rivers, Harrison Barnes and Andre Drummond. Most NBA fans had never heard of him, but he is quickly making a name for himself. Lillard has started the Blazers’ first three games at point guard, and his numbers are already remarkable. He’s averaged 21.3 points per game, along with nine assists and four rebounds per game. He’s incredibly quick, he can shoot the rock and he’s a team player. He reminds me of an unselfish Russell Westbrook.

By the end of the season, Lillard’s name will spread from Portland to the rest of the country, and he will without a doubt be a leading candidate for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year.

5. The Miami Heat are still the team to beat. Last season, the Heat were the most talented team in the entire NBA, but it takes more than talent to win an NBA title; it also takes determination, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a more determined player than Lebron James in last season’s playoffs. Say what you want about James, but he stepped up his game to a whole new level in the postseason, keeping his mouth shut as he led the Heat to a title. Miami’s lineup was already loaded with stars like James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Their bench was also deep, but the Heat front office went out and made their bench even stronger. They brought in future Hall-of-Famer Ray Allen from the Boston Celtics and Rashard Lewis (and his career 16 points per game) from the Washington Wizards. Those two join a supporting cast of Shane Battier, Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem and Mario Chalmers, giving the Heat an incredibly deep roster. Just as in the previous two years, it will be extremely difficult for any Eastern Conference team to beat the Heat this season.

So there you have it. Five things that have really jumped out to me in the early stages of the NBA season.

Only time will tell if the season plays out the way it has been through the opening games.

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Senior Profile: Daniel Barron

By JUSTIN OLSON STAFF WRITER

Daniel Barron, a native of Darien, Illinois, co-captained the Fordham men’s water polo team this season. Last year, he played in all 29 games for the Rams, setting career-highs in goals (10) and assists (29) for a total of 39 points.

This season he co-captained the Rams to a 7-20 finish, including a win in the inaugural Dr. Francis X. Judge Memorial cup over their rival Iona.

The Ram: Why did you choose to go to Fordham?

Daniel Barron: Well, I wanted to go somewhere where I could play water polo and I had a couple of options, but Fordham seemed like the best fit for me. I mean, New York City speaks for itself.

Go Rams!

TR: What was it like having a leadership position on the team this year, especially with so many new players coming in?

DB: We had 10 new players this year. It was definitely a challenge for the other co-captain and I because we only had eight players returning from last season.

It took longer for us to find our groove this year.

TR: What are your thoughts on this season?

DB: We had a couple of goals going into the year, win the Northern division championship, then win the Eastern Championship, which gives us an automatic berth into the Final Four.

TR: What are your expectations for the Northern Division

PHOTO BY DREW DIPANE/THE RAM

Barron has been a member of the water polo team since stepping foot on campus in 2010, and he has been a valuable member of the offense.

Championship next weekend?

DB: It all comes down to who comes more ready to play. It’s going to be a very tough, very competitive game.

TR: Have you ever been to the Eastern Championship before?

DB: Yes I have, it’s a great time.

It’s very competitive, very loud, it’s a great atmosphere.

TR: Any thoughts on the win over Iona?

DB: Well, obviously the big game of the year for us is Fordham vs. Iona. It was also the Inaugural Dr. Judge Cup, which we definitely wanted to win because his grandson was on the team. We won it for him, and for Fordham.

TR: What do you think of the future of this team in the coming years?

DB: The future is very bright.

We have so many young players on the team who can only get better. There are many good players on this team.

TR: What are you going to remember most about your time with the water polo team at Fordham?

DB: Well, last night’s game [Oct. 24] against Iona certainly was memorable. Also, I’m going to remember the 20 guys a year that I would get close to. With 3-4 hour practices and going on trips 6-10 weeks a year, you really get to know these guys. Some of my best friends are on the team.

TR: What do you plan on doing after graduation?

DB: Not sure yet, but I will definitely stay around New York City. There is so much to explore here.

MLS Goalie Meara Returns to Fordham

By ADAM KANJI STAFF WRITER

On Friday, Oct. 26, before the Fordham men’s soccer team played a vital match against Drexel, one of Fordham soccer’s most famous alumni, Ryan Meara of Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls, took to the field to present coaches Jim McElderry and Gavin Wyse with a signed Red Bulls goalkeeper jersey.

The presentation, which was set up by junior Reade Maier, gave Meara the opportunity to show his appreciation publically for the great support from the Fordham coaches and the soccer program in aiding him to the MLS. Meara credited his experience at Fordham with preparing him for the move to the next level.

“The main thing as a player, as a goalie especially, is you need to play games,” he said. “I was lucky enough to come in and start as a freshman here, and I think I only missed one game in four years. Getting experience from games is vital. You can train as much as you want, but there’s nothing like game experience so that’s helped me a lot.”

Fordham currently has four goalkeepers on its squad faced with the impossible task of trying to fill

Meara’s shoes. Sophomores Sean Brailey, Ricky Berotti, Mike Devito and Antonio Salluzzi all spent last year under Meara’s tutelage, and he had glowing praise about them.

“They all got a lot better from last year,” Meara said. “Sean’s done great this year in the games that I’ve seen and from talking to Jim, and I know Ricky is pushing him all the way to make sure he’s sharp. They’re all good kids too and enjoy doing it, so I give them a lot of credit.”

Meara also heaped plenty of praise on junior Nat Bekoe.

“Nat’s been great so far, and I’m sure this time next year when he’s a senior he’ll be getting looked at and will be getting plenty of interest from the MLS,” he said. “I would love it if he was at the Red Bulls, and you know there’s a great group of freshmen that just came in, so you never know, hopefully some of them can make it too.”

As far as Meara’s future, he hopes to play in Europe one day.

“Yeah I think that’s every player’s goal: to push themselves as far as possible, whether that’s the MLS or Europe or playing in England,” he said. “It’s definitely been a dream of mine to get over there and play but for right now I’m just trying to get healthy, [and] get on the field, that’s the main thing.”

Meara also said that if he did have a chance to play in England, his dream would be to play for Manchester United.

He had a fantastic start to the MLS season and in April got a callup to play for the Republic of Ireland U21 National Team, which was declined by the Red Bulls.

According to Meara, the decision to pass up on playing for Ireland came down to not interrupting his MLS season.

“For me it was a huge honor to get called up,” he said. “The decision came down to me sitting down with the Red Bulls coaches and staff, and at that point we were only seven games into the season. I was just settling down a bit, and they thought it was in my best interest and the team’s best interest to pass on it and to focus on here and with the Red Bulls.

“I was disappointed,” he added. “I wanted to go, but I could see where they were coming from, and I hope to get the chance again in the future.”

Meara has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a hip injury, but it looks likely that he will be fit again to start next year.

The young goalkeeper has a bright future ahead of him, and he still hasn’t forgotten that he came from Fordham University.

Women’s Soccer Playoff Hopes Dashed With 1-0 Loss at St. Joseph’s

By DOMINIC KEARNS STAFF WRITER

After losing a gut-wrenching 3-2 home match to eventual Atlantic 10 champion La Salle on Oct. 19, the Fordham women’s soccer team needed a weekend sweep in Philly to prolong its season. The Rams knew there was a difficult task at hand, but they battled gamely in the City of Brotherly Love.

On Friday, Oct. 26, the Rams enjoyed their finest game of the season in a 3-0 romp over the Temple Owls. The game started on even terms, as each team sought a crucial win. Temple pressed forward with a brief flurry 15 minutes into the game, but sophomore goalie Ally White saved a Paula Jurewicz shot. After that brief stretch, the Rams regained their composure.

As the half wore on, Fordham started to exert its offensive superiority, and Temple keeper Tara Murphy needed to make three saves in the final 13 minutes to maintain the scoreless tie. With 45 minutes remaining, the Rams anticipated a breakthrough.

The second half started with a bang when senior Annie Worden scored the one of the biggest goals of her Fordham career in the 47th minute. Sophomore Kristina Maksuti slid the ball to Worden, who fired into the goal from 18 yards. Temple nearly got an instantaneous equalizer in the 49th minute, but Kate Yurkovic struck the post for the Owls. Fordham barely held its advantage over the next 10 minutes, as White made two big saves to preserve the 1-0 edge.

Fordham responded with some attacking play, and the Rams doubled their lead in the 70th minute when Worden headed in her second goal of the half. After senior Kate McDonnell’s shot was blocked, the rebound fell for Worden, and she slotted home. Just four minutes later, McDonnell clinched the win for the Rams. When freshman Ivana Lahcanski’s blocked shot bounced towards McDonnell, she nodded the ball past Murphy for a 3-0 lead.

This goal dashed any hopes of an Owls comeback, and Fordham cruised through the final 15 minutes to a dominating 3-0 victory.

“We really were not playing our best at the start, because it was such an important game,” senior Kaitlin Abrams said. “But once we relaxed

NOVEMBER 7, 2012• THE RAM • PAGE 27

SPORTS

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in the second half, we started playing much better.”

On Oct. 28, Fordham’s playoff hopes were crushed by the St. Joseph’s Hawks in a tight 1-0 contest.

The match began at 11 a.m., to avoid the effects of Hurricane Sandy, but a strong breeze made life difficult for both teams. Fordham created the majority of the early chances, as Hawks keeper Christine Neal had to save shots from Worden and freshman Joann Murino in the opening 15 minutes. The game turned into a midfield battle, however, and the goalies enjoyed a very calm half. In the final 30 minutes of the half, neither squad recorded a shot on goal. With everything to play for, Fordham and St. Joseph’s entered the second half tied 0-0.

The second half started much like the first, until the Hawks broke the deadlock with a 53rd minute goal. Junior Emily Irons delivered a lead ball to junior Mo Hawkins, and the St. Joe’s forward fired a nice shot into the top left corner past White. Fordham tried to respond, but St. Joe’s nearly scored again in the 68th minute when junior Nicole King hit the crossbar for the Hawks. In the 74th minute, Worden forced Neal into action, but the Rams could not find a vital equalizer. St. Joseph’s used strong defense in the final minutes to maintain their edge, and Hawkins’ goal gave the Hawks a taut 1-0 win.

The result propelled the Hawks into the A-10 tournament and ended Fordham’s season.

“It was such a bitter end . . . ” Abrams said. “I don’t know what to say.”

Fordham concluded its 2012 campaign with an 8-11 overall record, a 4-5 conference mark and a winning 6-5 home record. Fordham overcame early-season injuries and a bleak start to become a conference contender, but its crushing defeats at the hands of La Salle and St. Joeseph’s proved too difficult to overcome. Highlights of the year included wins over Maryland, Fairfield, Loyola, St. Bonaventure and Temple. Kristina Maksuti spearheaded the offense, as she led the team with seven goals and three assists.

Fordham women’s soccer looks forward to a promising season in 2013, but this campaign is finished.

By CHESTER BAKER SPORTS EDITOR

South Carolina Head Coach Steve Spurrier made some headlines last week when he said that the Alabama Crimson Tide could beat an NFL team.

“Alabama, gosh, they look like they could beat a couple of those NFL teams that I’ve watched on Sundays,” Spurrier said when speaking on “The Dan Patrick Show.” “I think a lot of the oddsmakers out there that usually know what’s going on — I’d guess Alabama would be favored by a little bit.”

Allow me to quote Billy Madison as my initial response to Spurrier’s notion: “What you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”

In my opinion, the notion that any college football team could ever beat any NFL team is one the most irrational ideas that a sports fan could hold. I can’t even tell you how many fights I have gotten into with friends about this subject, and every time I do it becomes even more frustrating.

No matter which teams you pick, Alabama or Oregon, the Cleveland Browns or the Jacksonville Jaguars, the game would be an absolute blowout. Even if you compiled a team of the best college players in the country and lined them up against the worst players in the NFL, the contest would still never be close.

The only argument that needs to be made is that the Jaguars, Chiefs and Browns have 53 players in the NFL. Alabama has zero on its roster.

I’m no mathematician, but I know the alligator thing that looks like this, <, would rather eat the 53 because it’s a bigger number. So basically this would be a game between 53 people who currently play in the NFL and a team sporting no NFL players. Seems like a pretty simple choice there.

Sure, there will be some players from Alabama who go on to be

CAPS=HOME lowercase=away

ROGER V. SOLIS/AP

Steve Spurrier thinks Alabama could beat an NFL team. Should you really trust anything from a guy who thinks visors are cool?

Thursday Nov. 8

Friday Nov. 9

Saturday Nov. 10

at Albany 8:30 p.m.

Cross Country

NCAA NE Regional 10 a.m.

Volleyball

Monday Nov. 12

Tuesday Nov. 13

Pre-Season NIT Pittsburgh, PA (Tuesday if advanced)

at Texas State 8 p.m.

Women’s BBall

Squash

Sunday Nov. 11

LAFAYETTE 1 p.m.

Football

Swimming

Senior Rachel Madasci finished her final season with 11 shots on goal.

In response to Spurrier’s nonsensical thoughts, some bookmakers decided to make some Vegas odds for a potential matchup between Alabama and some NFL teams. RJ Bell of Pregame.com put the Tide as 24 point underdogs against the Jaguars.

The 24-point spread was the smallest handicap the Tide were given by oddsmakers, with the biggest push for Alabama coming against the 49ers, where the books would spot Alabama 40 points.

In either of those games, you would need to be a fool to 1take the points. The only way that Alabama could cover would be if the NFL team got up by too large a margin and decided to put in their practice squad. Even then, chances are the NFL team would continue to dominate Alabama.

This is not to diminish the skills of the Crimson Tide, as they are the best college football team in America. While Oregon has a more exciting offense, Alabama is more of a complete package. They have blown out every single team up until this weekend, when they escaped Baton Rouge with a 21-17 win over LSU. Still, just because they are the best college football team in the country does not mean they could hang with the worst NFL team in America.

The worst NFL team will never lose to the best college team in any given season, and it will never be close.

Upcoming Varsity Schedule Men’s BBall

PHOTO BY DREW DIPANE/THE RAM

drafted in the NFL, some probably even in the first round. Regardless, the NFL team would outmatch Alabama in absolutely every single position.

Some skill players from Alabama would flash their talents for a play or two, maybe score a touchdown, but their highlights would be few and far between.

Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll joined the right side of this debate a few days following Spurrier’s comments.

“It ain’t even close,” Carroll said at a Seahawks practice. “Alabama’s got a great team and Nick is a fantastic coach, but when you match up the interior lines against regular NFL teams on either side of the ball, it wouldn’t even be close.”

Carroll rightly points out the area in which the talent gap is most glaring is between the offensive and defensive lines of college and the NFL. There is simply no way in hell that a group of college kids can be asked to stop grown men who have spent their entire lives playing football.

The amount of experience that players on the Browns would have over the Alabama team would simply be overwhelming.

While Alabama’s offensive line does boast a few kids over 300 pounds, the skill, size and knowledge of the Browns defense would make it impossible for the Tide to ever get anything going on offense.

at Cornell 1 p.m.

Princeton Invitational Princeton, NJ

Vasssar & Haverford Pough., NY URI 4 p.m.

Wednesday Nov. 14

NOVEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 28

Fordham Tops Holy Cross, Downed By Bucknell

By DAN GARTLAND SPORTS EDITOR

The situations were the same, but the outcomes were not.

In two consecutive weeks, Fordham held sizeable halftime leads that eventually turned to late fourth-quarter deficits, and in each case the Rams offense took the field trailing by three points with fewer than three and a half minutes on the clock.

On Oct. 27, senior quarterback Ryan Higgins led his team down the field for a late touchdown, which gave the Rams a 36-32 victory over Holy Cross. The following week against Bucknell saw a last-ditch drive come up short, as Fordham was unable to overcome a second-half surge from the Bison and lost 27-24.

Against Holy Cross, Fordham held a 23-10 halftime lead, but the Crusaders’ second-half renaissance was thanks in large part to a quarterback change; Sean Laughlin replaced Steven Elder with 6:44 left in the second quarter. Laughlin accounted for 259 total yards and four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing). The Crusaders would score 14 unanswered points and take a 24-23 lead with 11:06 remaining in the fourth quarter.

After the two teams traded touchdowns (with Fordham failing on a two-point conversion and Holy Cross successfully converting a two-point attempt) the Rams trailed 32-29 with 3:22 on the clock.

On first down, Higgins threw toward senior receiver Greg Wilson, but Wilson was unable to make the catch. Sophomore tight end Dan Light gained seven yards on a second-down pass. Then, on

PHOTO BY MICHAEL HAYES/THE RAM

Ryan Higgins had a stellar performance against Holy Cross, but struggled in the loss to Bucknell.

third down, Higgins’s pass to Wilson skipped along the ground. On fourth down, with the clock inching toward the two-minute mark, Higgins threw short to sophomore receiver Brian Wetzel, who was tightly covered on the play. Somehow, Wetzel was able to come away with the ball and give the Rams a new lease on life.

“Brian made a huge play,” Higgins said. “That was a huge catch.

We saw they were in kind of a man defense. We checked out of the pass play we had originally. Brian’s my go-to guy. He makes a ton of plays every single game. He just went up and I think he grabbed it out of that guy’s hands, honestly.”

The Wetzel catch began a streak of nine straight completions for

Higgins, the last of which went to senior receiver Nick Talbert. When Talbert made the catch, his feet were in the end zone and the ball appeared to be across the plane of the goal line. After much deliberation, however, the officials ruled Talbert down at the 1-yard line with 15 seconds remaining. On the next play, redshirt junior running back Carlton Koonce punched the ball into the end zone, putting Fordham ahead for good.

According to Moorhead, the decision to call a run play in that situation was easy.

“There was no hesitation,” he said. “None at all. Zero.”

Moorhead was also impressed with the way Higgins played. The quarterback had 407 yards passing

and a 67.8 percent completion rate with two total touchdowns and no interceptions.

“The growth that that kid has made as a football player has been astronomical,” Moorhead said. “In the entire fourth quarter he kept coming over to me and saying, ‘Put the game on my back. I’ll win it for you,’ and I said, ‘I have no doubt that you will.’”

Higgins’ performance at Holy Cross earned him Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors, but his showing the following week at Bucknell was less than stellar. Against the Bison, Higgins’ completion percentage dropped to 57.5 percent. He threw for 267 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns.

“Ryan had gone 200-plus attempts without throwing an interception,” Moorhead said. “We talked about it with Ryan — that the success he’s had thus far this season has really been when he’s worked within the confines of the offensive scheme and did a good job taking what the defense gave him.

There were just some instances this week when he got out of sync with his reads and did some things that were uncharacteristic of his play.”

Higgins had a chance to erase all of that when he got the ball with 2:22 left in the game, trailing by only a field goal.

On the second play of the drive, Higgins and Wetzel connected on a 25-yard pass play. Three plays later, after catches by Koonce and Wilson, the Rams were at the Bucknell 36-yard line, just inside senior Patrick Murray’s field goal range, with about one minute remaining. Higgins, though, took a 13-yard sack on second down, which brought the ball all the way back to the 49yard line.

“If you’re looking at one play [on that last drive] that you wish you had back, it would have been that play where we took a sack,” Moorhead said.

That play brought up thirdand-23 for Fordham. After an incomplete pass on third down, Higgins’s desperate heave on fourth down went begging and Bucknell took over on downs, able to just run out the clock.

The loss dropped Fordham to 5-4 on the season. A win would have clinched the program’s first winning season since 2007.

The Rams close out the season with a pair of home games: Nov. 10 against Lafayette and Nov. 17 against Colgate.

Water Polo Wins Inaugural Dr. Francis X. Judge Cup, Ends Season with Loss

By JUSTIN OLSON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Despite a less-than-stellar regular season, the Fordham water polo team had a chance to start fresh in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Northern Division Champi-

onships.

Before the playoffs began , Fordham closed out the regular season with a home match.

On Wednesday, Oct. 24, the Rams won the inaugural Dr. Francis X. Judge Memorial Cup against the rival Iona Gaels. The cup was

played in honor of the former Fordham head coach who passed away earlier in the year. Fordham opened up a 3-2 lead in its final regular season game after the first period, with two goals by freshman defender Davis Defontes and another goal by junior utility player

PHOTO BY ALLY WHITE/THE RAM

Davis Defontes had two goals and two assists against Iona, as the Rams took the Dr. Francis X. Judge Memorial Cup.

Nicholas Allen. The Rams went into halftime up 5-4 in the tight rivalry matchup. Fittingly, the grandson of Dr. Francis X. Judge, senior utility player Alex Judge, scored the first of his two goals in the third to help the Rams to an 8-4 lead. This was a lead the Rams never relinquished, as they went on to win 10-8 to take home the inaugural cup. The Rams finished the regular season with a record of 6-18, with a 2-4 record in their division.

Last weekend, the Rams traveled to Providence, Rhode Island to participate in the CWPA Northern Division Championship. They were matched up with Harvard in their first game of the day. It was an extremely tight defensive game that was scoreless after one period and tied at two at halftime, thanks to goals by Judge and junior driver Ben Clinkinbeard. Harvard broke the game open in the third and took a 7-4 lead into the final frame.

Fordham tried to mount a valiant comeback but fell short, 10-8, despite another goal by Judge. Sophmore goalie Noah LeBeau made 10 saves for the Rams.

The loss did not affect the team’s performance in a game with Connecticut College in the afternoon.

Allen scored a game-high four goals and the Rams defeated Connecticut College 11-8. This got the Rams into the fifth-place game on Sunday, which was bound to be a spirited contest against their rivals, Iona, once again.

Unlike in the Judge Cup the week before, the Rams were not as fortunate in their rematch against Iona, losing a heartbreaker in overtime to finish their season. The teams were even at two after the first period; but Fordham led 5-2 entering halftime thanks to a goal

by Allen and two more by Defontes. Clinkinbeard and senior driver Daniel Barron scored in the third period to give the Rams a 7-2 lead entering the final frame.

The Rams were unable to shut the door on their rivals, however. In the final five minutes of the game, Iona scored four times to send the game into overtime tied at 8-8. In the first three-minute session of overtime, Iona would come out on top leading 11-9. Barron netted a goal early in the second session to get the game within one, but Iona scored with 19 seconds left to close out the game 12-10. This loss had the Rams finish their well-fought season with a record of 7-20.