Volume 95 Issue 5

The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 Volume 95, Issue 5

FordhamRam.com F dh R

Ram Van Office to Follow Online Trend of Ease

February F b 20 20, 2013

Fordham Falls Short Against Butler

Writing Songs From Here to Webster Hall

By DEVON SHERIDAN

By EDDIE MIKUS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

STAFF WRITER

Walking over to the Ram Van office in order to reserve a seat for a Ram Van ride will soon be a thing of the past.

Ram Van sign-ups will now be available online, thanks to a new system currently in the works.

“I think it will be great,” Marc Canton, director of University Transportation, said, describing how the new system will run. “It’s going to work via your My.Fordham portal, and the reason for that is because essentially, by you having to log into my.fordham, your credentials as a member of the university are sort of automatically checked, built into the way the portal works.”

Charles-Henri Sanson, the director of Internet Services, offered further insight, via email, into how the new system will work. Sanson is designing the specific programming that will enable the online signup program to be operational.

“Once you log in, you will instantly see if there is availability on any particular Ram Van trip,” Sanson said. “Then you select the date, time and direction that you want to go and then hit reserve. It is that simple. You can also sign up for a return trip, if you wish. The site works equally well from your smart phone or any computer.”

Sanson also said in the email that the system is expected to be available within the next few weeks.

When the system does become operational, it will be the only way for students to sign up for the Ram Van. “This will be how you sign up for the Ram Van,” Canton said.

“The current system of walking up to Lowenstein counter or into our office and flipping through a binder and writing your name

Opinion Page 7 College Scorecard May Mislead Students in College Search

Arts

Page 11

Tina Fey, Paul Rudd Discuss the Admissions Process

Sports

Page 24

Number 11 Butler Escapes Raucous Rose Hill Gym

SEE CENSORSHIP, PAGE 2

SEE LUSH, PAGE 16

MICHAEL HAYES/THE RAM

On Feb. 16, 2013, the Butler Bulldogs visited the Rose Hill Gymnasium to play Fordham in what was a nail biter of a game. The Rams led 35-30 at one point, but the Rams eventually fell 68-63. Senior Chris Gaston made a return to the court, posting 21 points, but it wasn’t enough to lift the Rams over 11th-ranked Butler. (Sophomore Ryan Canty pictured above). For more, see SPORTS on page 24.

Students Gather, Challenging Censorship on Campus

By KELLY KULTYS NEWS EDITOR

An email from Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University, to members of the Fordham community back in November has sparked some students to challenge Fordham’s current censorship policy.

As a response to the controversy caused by the College Republican’s invitation to Ann Coulter, McShane sent an email to the University saying, “To prohibit Ms. Coulter from speaking at Fordham would be to do greater violence to the academy, and to the Jesuit tradition of fearless and robust engagement. Preventing Ms. Coulter from speaking would counter one wrong with another.”

Soon after, a group of students began to meet to combat censorship on campus, according to Stephen Erdman, FCRH ’13 and executive presi-

dent of United Student Government (USG). The group called themsleves, “Fordham Students for Free Speech.”

The group has since been on Facebook, sharing McShane’s free speech sentiments. Their “about” page says, “In light of Fr. McShane's recent letter defending free speech as critical to our university identity, student organizers for free speech have new grounds to argue for their demands.

This group exists to generate ideas, facilitate communication and organize activities related to lobbying for students to have free speech at Fordham.”

“They started meeting in person to discuss the issue, so [Aileen Reynolds and I] were invited on Facebook and decided to go to those meetings and start getting involved to hear what their concerns [and] thoughts were on the issue,” Erdman said. “[Then] potentially where Fordham

Fordham Serves as Host for City Venture Fellows

By KRIS VENEZIA STAFF WRITER

SEE RAM VAN, PAGE 4

in this issue

could move forward [with policies].”

They started with brainstorming what exactly the problem was and then what policies could be put into place to resolve that problem.

“From our end, it became clear that we didn’t really know what the problem was, but we knew there was a problem, but we couldn’t fully articulate it,” Erdman said.

Erdman and Aileen Reynolds, FCRH ’14 and executive vice president of USG, listened to students speak about things that they believed had been censored on campus. They desired to understand what challenges students face when they plan on hosting potentially controversial events.

In recent weeks, the group has expanded, working to identify freespeech issues students have faced when it comes to hosting events, in-

The timeline of the history of La La Lush, a band comprised of Fordham students, reads like a “how-to” recipe for college bands in search of both on and off-campus popularity.

Having played together for a short period of time in more casual settings, the quartet found early promise in their unique electro-rock sound and have played under their current name for about a year.

Taking into account its relatively brief existence, the two most recent additions to La La Lush’s timeline become that much more impressive: on Feb. 10, the band performed a debut album release show at Webster Hall.

“The experience has been an incredible learning opportunity for all of us, especially since we self-wrote, self-produced and self-funded this entire album,” vocalist Leea Borst, FCRH ‘12, said. “The album is truly a product of our collective imaginations, and there is no feeling more satisfying than being able to share all of our hard work with our friends, family and fans. It’s been a trial-anderror-based process, and we’re much wiser musicians because of every mistake and every success we’ve experienced along the way.”

Describing the songwriting and recording process for the full-length album, which is eponymously-titled and features 11 songs, Borst and keyboardist Stephen Fedorowicz, FCRH ‘13, hint at the collaborative nature of their product.

“We all contribute to every aspect and area of a song so to say one person is in charge of this department or that department wouldn’t be a fair evaluation of our songwriting process,” Borst said.

Fordham University is working with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to assist young entrepreneurs who are trying to get their start in New York City.

By doing so, they established a program known as NYC Venture Fellows in 2010, announced by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to encourage entrepreneurship within a variety of professional fields.

The program consists of students with extraordinary achievement and leadership potential who founded or co-founded an innovative organization that could create sustainable employment in the city.

Selected students are provided with professional guidance from experts in their respective fields and attend a series of networking

and training events with local and international entrepreneurs.

The 2013 class of small business owners, also known as NYC Venture Fellows, spans over six countries and represents various industries including biotechnology, education, real estate, fashion and financial services.

A four-person committee selected the NYC Venture Fellows for the 2013 year. Included on the committee was Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the University. The group went through a wide variety of applicants before narrowing the list down to 30 young entrepreneurs from eight different international cities.

This group includes young entrepreneurs like Adam Braun, founder and CEO of Pencils for Promise, a nonprofit organization that aims to bring quality education to children in need around

TESSA VAN BERGEN/THE RAM

Members of the Entrepreneurship Society learn to start successful businesses.

the world, Elias Roman, CEO of popular music streaming site Songza, Mei Shibata, co-founder and chief strategy officer of ecofriendly company ThinkEco,

which created the Modlet (an energy-saving “modern electrical outlet) and many other young innovators.

SEE VENTURE, PAGE 3

NEWS

Page 2

SECURITY BRIEFS Feb. 15 JMH 11:15 a.m.

After attending his morning class, a male student left his watch behind. He returned to the classroom soon after, but the watch was gone. The student declined to notify the NYPD. Feb. 15 Rose Hill Campus 1:20-1:45 p.m.

A female student lost a wallet that had been in her bag as she attended class on Friday. She was not certain where she lost the wallet, only that it was somewhere on the Rose Hill campus.

The student declined to notify the NYPD. Feb. 16 LaLande Hall 2:45 a.m.

A male visitor to Fordham attempted to enter LaLande Hall while in the company of a female LaLande resident. He was stopped at the door by the security guard and asked for ID and was subsequently denied entrance because it was late at night. The visitor then became irate, so security was called and he was escorted from campus.

Feb. 18 Martyrs Court 2 a.m.

Smoke detectors throughout Martyrs Court went off in response to food that had been burned in a microwave in a third floor Goupil lounge. Students were evacuated from the building and the fire department responded, ventilated the lounge and reset the alarms.

Feb. 18 Hoffman St. 9 a.m.

In buildings at 2500, 2504, 2508 and 2512 Hoffman St., there was a partial blackout. It was attributed to a broken phase in the basement of one of the buildings.

Feb. 19 FMH 3:50 a.m.

A fire alarm was set off late at night by a suspected steam leak.

No one was in the building at the time, so evacuation was not necessary. The custodial department responded and awaited the arrival of the fire department.

— Compiled by Katie Meyer, Assistant News Editor

February 20, 2013

Rodgers: ‘Door is Always Open’ for Discussing Issues FROM CENSORSHIP, PAGE 1

viting speakers or organizing other activities on campus. They gathered testimonials from various student organizations on campus by asking various questions including what their specific incident was, who was involved from OSL&CD, what process they went through to attempt to get their event, speaker, sign, etc. passed, if modifications were made and what the eventual result was.

“Some of them can be from a slight modification that was encouraged by someone in OSL&CD and there are some examples that haven’t been approved,” Reynolds said.

What they have found so far in gathering the testimonials seems to be a lack of consistency from one person to the next.

“There’s been a wide range of difficulties groups have faced, which is why we’re collecting testimonials to get concrete examples of what’s going on,” Reynolds said. “But I think an overarching issue is that because there’s very little written policy, that a lot of it is up to interpretation and who you’re working with, so it seems to be that students are having issues with really understanding why an event can or can’t happen, or needs to be altered, because they don’t have anything to really refer to.”

Erdman said that right now the most concrete written documentation about censoring events comes from the student handbook in the hate speech clause, which loosely defines the parameters of what types of speech are not allowed on campus.

Christopher Rodgers, dean of students, and Alanna Nolan, assistant dean of students, both agree, however, that the current policy seems to be in students’ best interest.

They believe it allows for an open dialogue between students and administrators and does not strictly limit the types of speakers and events held on campus.

“The balance we try to strike with programs can be tricky and merits ongoing conversation and reflection in light of our principles and values,” Rodgers said via email. “This is why we are always engaged with our students on these issues and why my door is always open to anyone who wants to talk. I’ve spent many hours talking with students about these very issues over the years and see it as especially vital to listen carefully to those who disagree.”

Some believe, however, that this can create confusion.

“There are other things that are also not permitted that probably don’t fall under the jurisdiction of the hate speech clause but are still

ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

Over 1,000 events are held each year on campus, but some believe OSL&CD has censored or altered their planned event(s).

deemed inappropriate,” Erdman said.

“There’s nothing formal in writing that explains why those things are inappropriate.”

There are multiple steps that students have to go through to hold an event on campus.

The first is that students submit their proposed event to OSL&CD and Jennifer Lackie, assistant director of student organizations and programming, through OrgSync.

After Lackie, the proposal is forwarded to Nolan for further discussion, especially if the event has any questions regarding its content or logistical issues. Then Nolan discusses the events with Rodgers to determine what has to happen for the event to take place. Throughout the process, there is consistent questioning, especially if it is a new event or one that could potentially cause controversy.

Many times, according to Nolan, an event is questioned for its logistical or security purposes, such as when a high-profile speaker is booked.

OSL&CD needs to know where this is happening, how the speaker would get onto campus, what security is necessary and then notify the University Media Relations Department to prepare them for potential outside questions.

“What we’ve seen so far is that a club will face resistance from OSL&CD when they’re trying to do something and they will view that as an outright rejection and stop there,” Erdman said. “I understand why they would stop, but we think that if that if some student groups would push back more, they would be able to do what they wanted to do.”

This is consistent with what Rodgers and Nolan said in relation to students working to get events approved.

They believe that if students are well-prepared and can come to them with legitimate reasons why their po-

tentially controversial event should happen, they can work with them to make it happen.

“To best assist students with activities, coordinate the many events on the campus and simply assure we know what’s happening, we try to reach out as soon as possible and maintain good communication with the clubs and organizations,” Rodgers said. “Usually, this is a simple and quick back-and-forth, but in a small number of cases, this can slow things down a bit or a misunderstanding can result. This is why it’s so important that our doors are open to discuss these problems when they occur.”

During Rodgers’s time here at Fordham, he has never stopped a speaker from coming or a demonstration from occurring if the students holding the events went through the proper procedures outlined in the student handbook under “Speakers and Demonstration Policies.”

“While events sponsored by academic areas are not our responsibility, I simply cannot recall any instance where a student speaker or demonstration request has been declined here at Fordham,” Rodgers said. “I see this as a rather strong commitment to free speech, especially given the sometimes strenuous objections some have lodged with us to many of our invited speakers and protests.”

Sometimes, however, this process and questioning can be a bit confusing to students.

“What we’ve noticed in different conversations with different people is that because it can stop at different levels, not everyone knows about everything that’s happened,” Reynolds said.

The next step in the process is getting the administration’s perspective on the testimonials.

“We’re going to give [the testimonials] to Dean Nolan and there will be an opportunity for her and her

office, as well as Dean Rodgers and anyone in Student Affairs, to provide any commentary they wish to be included in the document,” Erdman said.

Once all the data is accumulated from student testimonials and administrative comments, these will be combined into an overview and publicized at USG, which will vote on making it public.

Both Reynolds and Erdman hope these testimonials will provide clarity and information for both students and administrators involved in the process.

“It’s very complex and that’s why we’re trying to gather these documents to analyze it,” Reynolds said.

“I think it’ll clear up a lot of misunderstandings about what is acceptable and what isn’t acceptable,” Erdman said.

“I think we’re hoping this can educate everyone and raise awareness so that club leaders feel that they can talk to us about things like this and if they’re facing resistance, USG can become an outlet to express concerns to us,” Reynolds said.

“Our student clubs and organizations do a tremendous job of programming for the community — a strong and justified feeling of ownership and pride in these activities results from the job they do,” Rodgers said. “In turn, it’s our job in Student Life to make sure we know what’s going on around campus, so we ask questions and talk with our programmers all the time. This may be part of why these misunderstandings arise.”

Currently, many student groups involved with testimonials are not publicly discussing specific complaints.

Anyone who believes that they have experienced censorship can email their information to endthesilencefordham@gmail.com.

This Week at Fordham Thursday Feb. 21

Thursday Feb. 21

NSO Information Session,

Mimes and Mummers Presents: ASSASSINS!

Keating First, 4 p.m.

Collins Auditorium, 8 p.m.

Students interested in applying to be an Orientation Captain, Leader or Assistant for New Student Orientation for the class of 2017 should attend this info session to learn what exactly is involved in training for NSO.

The Mimes and Mummers perform Stephen Sondheim’s Tonyaward-winning musical that goes inside the minds of well-known murderers such as John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald.

Friday Feb. 22 RHA Talent Showcase McGinley 2nd, 8 p.m.

A Series of Fortunate Events continues with some of Fordham’s finest competing in a talent show that includes Fordham Flava, The Satin Dolls and Keating Steps (formerly Movember and Sons). All proceeds go to the B+ Foundation.

Friday Feb. 22

Tuesday Feb. 26

FET Presents: Take Your Base

CAB Cinevents: Life of Pi

Blackbox Theater, 8 p.m.

Keating Third, 9:30 p.m.

FET performs a musical comedy written and directed by James Murtagh, FCRH ’15, and Jeffery Sharkey, FCRH ’15, that tells the story of young love in the Little League World Series.

For more campus events, visit FordhamRam.com

Cinevents shows the movie nominated for over 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, adapted from the fantasy adventure novel written by Yann Martel.

NEWS

February 20, 2013

Venture Fellows Offer Mentorship for Students FROM VENTURE, PAGE 1

“It goes without saying that it is an honor for Fordham to be chosen as the host institution for the program,” McShane said on the Venture Fellows website.

“The New York City Venture Fellows effort, like many great ideas, seemed obvious once it had been articulated. As an educator, it is abundantly clear to me that entrepreneurs need mentors — especially in New York, where the learning curve is steep, and the competition unrelenting. The program will not only benefit the venture fellows themselves, but will be the source of continuous revitalization for the city’s economy.”

Dr. Stephen Freedman, provost of Fordham University and a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, said Fordham had a lot of involvement with the New York City Economic Development Corporation in putting this program together.

“We [Fordham] engaged early on in what the program might look like and designed the program […] and we designed a recruitment strategy,” Freedman said. “It was really a team effort.”

Freedman said one of the big challenges early on was setting up an initiative that could improve the small businesses involved.

“In the beginning, we were developing a program that was new and needed to get a sense on how best the fellows could benefit from [the] mentor styles,” Freedman said.

Freedman also said the fellowship program looks for entrepreneurs that are interested in growing their brand.

“We [Venture Fellows Program] want people who are really looking to be more interconnected within the city but [also] regionally and internationally as well,” he said.

The NYC Venture Fellows receive advice and assistance from mentors who are executives at various national businesses, including IBM and FirstMark Capital. Each Venture Fellow also gets paired with a group of mentors that help the young business owners improve their company.

In a press release, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the Venture Fellows Program wants to give small business a chance to thrive.

“No matter the buzz or early accolades, the transition from promising young startup business to successful leading company can be extremely difficult,” Bloomberg said. “We want to make it easier for entrepreneurs to succeed, and when they do, we want them to succeed in New York City.”

The first events for the 2013 Venture Fellows begin next week.

Over the course of the year, the fellows will participate in roundtable discussions with New York City’s industry leaders, network with entrepreneurs from around the world, attend cultural events like Broadway shows and museum tours and have access to

industry events like the VentureForward Conference, the New York Tech Meetup and the World to NYC series.

Aaron Shapiro is CEO of HUGE and a mentor for the 2013 class of entrepreneurs. On Twitter, he said he cannot wait to be part of the initiative.

“I’m looking forward to being a mentor for the[ New York City Venture Fellows] program,” Shapiro said.

In previous years, the program has produced NYC Venture Fellows including Naveen Selvadurai, who started Foursquare and Adam Green of Rocking the Boat, an organization that allows young people challenged by economic, educational, and social conditions to build boats and improve waterways.

Rameet Chawla is founder and CEO of Fueled, an iPhone app development agency and one of the businesses in the 2013 class of fellows.

In a press release, Chawla said he hopes the program can take his company to the next level.

“Our company is at a critical stage in development now,” Chawla said. “We have a target number of employees of 90 by the end of the year.”

Rachel Shechtman is founder of Story, a Manhattan fashion boutique that changes its theme every four to eight weeks. On Twitter, she said it was exciting to be chosen as part of the program. “[I’m] honored to be a 2013 Venture Fellow,” Shechtman said.

According to the official website, NYCEDC “is the city’s primary engine for economic development charged with leveraging the city’s assets to drive growth, create jobs and improve quality of life. [NYCEDC] is dedicated to investing in growth and capital but it’s not only economic, it’s also human growth and capital — New York and New Yorkers realizing a rich, rewarding and vibrant future.”

NYCEDC is also committed to developing infrastructure for young entrepreneurs to develop across industries and various stages of business by providing access to information, training and innovative competitions.

Students who are a part of the NYC Venture Fellows are invited to many networking events, such as CEO roundtable discussions and kick-off receptions. The groups also helps businesses get a jump start by offering opportuntities and resources through the program.

“Being a NYC Venture Fellow has been very helpful through networking with fellow entrepreneurs at similar stages,” Philip James, co-founder & president of Venture Fellows said on their website. “Mentorship as well — having an engaged mentor who runs a large — but not too large — business has been a huge gift.”

Katie Meyer and Girish Swaminath contributed reporting.

Page 3 FORDHAM IN THE BRONX

NROTC Brings Different Perspective to the Bronx

COURTESY OF NAVAL ROTC

NROTC students at Fordham work hard to prepare for the responsibilities that await them after college.

By JEFFREY COLTIN BRONX CORRESPONDENT

Twice a week, a couple dozen Rose Hill students wake up long before sunrise. While their more procrastination-inclined classmates are still awake writing papers for the day, this close-knit crew fills into cars and drives south before 5 a.m.

Near the moonlit waters of the Long Island Sound, they do their rituals: pushups, sit-ups and running. The students are Fordham’s midshipmen, part of the Fordham Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps, or NROTC, and their early-morning experiences give them a unique perspective on the Bronx.

“Tuesdays and Thursdays we have PT [physical training] in the morning, and we have to be there around Zero-Five-Ten,” Troy Gaub, FCRH ’15, said. “So you know we’re getting up at like 4:15, 4 in the morning to get ready and everything.”

The midshipmen have PT at SUNY Maritime, a college in the East Bronx. Even though it is only a ten-minute drive from Rose Hill in the mornings, Maritime seems like a world away. The campus is on a peninsula, almost completely surrounded by the Long Island Sound.

“It’s right under the Throgs Neck Bridge,” midshipman Phil Reilly, FCRH ’15, said. “It’s actually a beautiful view of the city skyline.”

Reilly is joined by 23 other Fordham students, male and female, who make up Fordham’s NROTC. These midshipmen join with students from SUNY Maritime and a couple other area schools to make up a 150-person battalion.

On Wednesdays, Fordham’s midshipmen make the drive to Maritime in the afternoons for naval classes. Students take a variety of classes depending on the year and week, from current events, to navigations, to the history of the Navy.

There is also a leadership lab, which consists of the entire battalion, Reilly said. “It’s more of an organizational period, teach you how to march, stuff like that.”

Reilly says being in NROTC has allowed him to see a different part of the Bronx.

“Most students don’t even know where Maritime is,” he says.

“It’s definitely changed my experience as a college student, just meeting the people I’ve met, doing the stuff I’ve done, and getting to explore parts of the Bronx that I would have never gotten the chance to. And it’s something

as simple as going down a street that I’ve never gone down before to shop in a store that I’ve never heard of before.”

SUNY Maritime is in the Throggs Neck neighborhood of the Bronx. While the Fordham midshipmen never leave campus, they see a lot of the neighborhood while driving.

Reilly said it is classic suburbia.

“There’s no apartment complexes, it’s not busy at all … If you were just placed there, you wouldn’t realize that you were in the Bronx.”

But Reilly is quick to add that the Bronx’s tough reputation is undeserved. “Does the Bronx have its troubled spots? Yeah, but so does every borough. But I think that’s what’s awesome about New York City and each of the five boroughs just in general — [finding] the hidden gems.”

Fordham’s midshipmen know their East Bronx waterside workouts are more than just a way to stay in shape.

Gaub said he’s already jumping into the real world.

“I know that once I graduate there’s no downtime — I’m going to be in charge of people’s lives and it’s a big responsibility, and it’s sometimes hard to wrap your head around, but if it’s what you want to do then it’s what you want to do.”

COURTESY OF NAVAL ROTC

Midshipmen have the unique privilege of spending time in parts of the Bronx that many other students never see.

NEWS

Page 4

February 20, 2013

Freshly-Designed Portal Emphasizes Mobile Accessability For Students, Faculty

By KATIE MEYER ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

For the numerous Fordham University students with smartphones, accessing school sites (like My.Fordham.edu) on the go can be frustrating. The website is incompatible with any smartphone’s smaller screen, which makes text and images miniscule and difficult to see.

“The layout is not very user friendly because you have to zoom in to use it,” said Samantha Banellis, GSB ’16, on her difficulties with the Fordham portal.

This problem, however, might soon be solved.

Fordham’s Office of Internet Services is currently in the final stages of production on a new My.Fordham portal design that is intended to make accessing important school-related information considerably easier.

The My.Fordham portal is an invaluable tool for students. It allows them to easily view course schedules, grades, enrollment sta-

TESSA VAN BERGEN/THE RAM

A specially designed app will allow students to access the my.fordham portal from their smartphone or tablet anywhere.

tus, accounts and more, as well as make tuition payments. It also links to resources like Blackboard and Fordham Gmail. Anywhere from 10,000 to over 13,000 students use the portal every day, and the new update will hopefully help to expand use even further.

“We recognize that everyone

is on the go and doing more with their smartphones than they used to,” Charles Sanson, director of Internet Services at Fordham, said.

“One of the IT mottos is access anytime, anywhere, anyhow — and that brings us to the portal.”

The new portal design, tentatively entitled My.Mobile, will be

designed to respond to the width of any screen, be it a computer, iPhone, iPad, Droid or BlackBerry.

A faculty version has already been released for testing but has not yet been publicized. Like the faculty version, the student version of My.Fordham will be released as a beta, which means that the site will

not yet be working at full capacity.

Some functions are not going to be introduced until later, and improvements will continue to be made for some time.

A small focus group of students will assist in improving the site in its early days. They will be providing feedback to Internet Services and suggesting new features for consideration as My.Mobile is further developed.

Sanson conceived My.Mobile about six months ago, and for the past three months he and a team of five Internet Services staff members have been working diligently to get the new portal in working order.

“If I can create something that will help 13,000 people per day, I feel pretty good about it,” Sanson said about the project.

Although the new layout has yet to be released, the IT department has high hopes for its effectiveness.

“I think it will make a real difference in the way students use the portal,” Deirdre Dillon, director of Customer Relations and Student Technology Services, said.

New Online System Custom-Built for the Ram Van Service FROM RAM VAN, PAGE 1

on a carbon copy — that is going away the minute we implement this.”

According to Canton, however, students will still be able to sign up for the Ram Van at either the Rose Hill or Lincoln Center campus.

“Where we currently have our books, we’re going to have kiosks,” Canton said. “Wherever there is currently one of those binders, it will be replaced by a keyboard and monitor.”

Canton believes that this new setup will be more convenient for students.

“The problem now is you currently have to walk all the way over here, which is fine if you are in O’Hare,” Canton said in describing the process of signing up for the Ram Van. “Those folks don’t mind so much but the folks in Salice-Conley don’t love it too much. Or maybe you’re off campus or maybe you’re working all day and you only come to campus just in time to get your van. So now you’ll be able to do it online, from anywhere. Anywhere you have access to the Internet you can do it, and if you have a smartphone, which seems to be common these days, you can do it from your phone, even. To me, that is just inherently more convenient.”

Additionally, Canton highlighted the fact that the new online sign-up program will allow students to better be made aware of any emergency changes that may occur with regards to Ram Van service.

“One of the things that I also think will be a benefit from a convenience perspective is, at the top of the page, there will be sort of a message board, where we’ll be able to leave a message for anyone who is coming to sign up,” Canton said. “For example, this past weekend, snow days. Say you click to sign up on a Friday, there would be a message saying, ‘Hey, we’re

MICHAEL HAYES/THE RAM

No longer will students have to walk to O’Hare or Lowenstein to sign up for a Ram Van once the service is implemented fully through the my.fordham.edu portal.

not running, the snow has forced us to cancel’ and would be right in front of your face, there would be no surprises.”

Although the Ram Van office publishes information about closures on its website and Twitter account, Canton said that the message board would be a more universal way of reaching students.

“Currently, we put [emergency information] on our website, we put [emergency information] on our Twitter feed, but what I like about this is it’s sort of in your face,” Canton said of the message board. “If you’re going to sign up for that van, it’s hard to miss the fact that we’re closed, so if you’re not the kind of person to check our website or follow us on Twitter, this is sort of like a fail-safe, because if you miss it there, there’s not too much we can do about it.”

However, establishing the online sign-up does come with some challenges. For example, Canton said that the new system needed to be able to enforce Ram Van policies.

“I think on the outside looking

in, even for me, it looks simpler, but as I’ve been working with them in trying to build this, the intricacy of the details necessary for our systems and our policies makes it extremely difficult to try to accommodate that,” Canton said.

He cited a specific Ram Van policy that prohibits students from reserving places on multiple vans departing from the same campus within two hours of each other.

“Let’s say you sign up for a 12 noon van,” Canton said. “You’re not allowed to sign up for the 12:30. Why? Because, over the years, someone would come in, they’ll sign up for the 12 noon, the 12:30, the 1:00, the 1:30 and the 2:00, so that whatever time they end up being able to go, they have a spot reserved. In the meantime, though, other folks who want to come in and want to use the van, they can’t sign up.

Sometimes they’ll come and wait and that’s fine. When that person doesn’t show up, they’ll come on.

Other times, when they realize, ‘Hey, maybe this van is full,’ or

something to that effect, they’ll go and take the train or do something else and meanwhile, there actually was a seat available on that van.

So, in the online system, we had to have a way of preventing that abuse.”

Part of the decision to switch to an online system came from student feedback of the Ram Van. “Every summer, as part of the normal course of the year, we do a lot of brainstorming and a lot of reflection,” Canton said. “We take all the surveys you guys give us, and the ideas in the surveys, and frankly, online signups are something that has appeared with regularity and consistency over the last few years. And we’d read it, and say, ‘Hey, they’re right. We need this, how can we do this.’”

Canton also said, however, that previously existing software programs in the transportation industry were too expensive and not suited for use by the Ram Van office.

“Up until now, we’ve looked at, basically, the transportation industry, and in the transportation industry, there are several differ-

ent versions of software packages,” Canton said. “Those software packages are extraordinarily, extraordinarily expensive, and really cost-prohibitive, and they’re not really designed to do what we do.

So not only would they be expensive, they wouldn’t have worked perfectly. And so, now, for the first time, we have something that was custom-built. This is custom-built just for Ram Van.” As such, the new system needs to be able to accommodate future changes to Ram Van operations.

“We’re hoping to make the registration system totally paperless,” Canton said. “The drivers, instead of having a paper sheet, would have some sort of tablet, and also such that you could buy tickets online. So we’re envisioning a system where you have an ID, and you swipe that ID, and your information pops up and a ticket is deducted from your account. Therefore, this Phase I portion of the system needs to have in its mind the outphases. It’s solely sort of the adding on instead of the replacing of the entire original system.”

NEWS

February 20, 2013

Page 5

IT Plans to Install Wireless, Central Printers in Residence Halls

By EDDIE MIKUS STAFF WRITER

Fordham residence halls will soon have central printers, much like those that currently exist in the Walsh Library.

O’Hare and Tierney Halls will be used as pilots for the new printing program, which, according to a post on the Fordham Resident Technology Consultant blog, will permit students to print wirelessly from their rooms.

“For the first time, a residence hall will have a public printer within its walls, available to print via the pay-and-print setup we know and love, or wirelessly from your own machine,” the post said. “Soon, with just a little bit of setup, you can print wirelessly without thumb drives and copypasting files, or even leaving your hall.”

As of press time, Fordham IT personnel declined to be interviewed for this article because the printer program is still in development and not yet available for student use.

They did say, however, that they would be willing to disclose more information about the program once it is fully operational.

Students in O’Hare and Tierney greeted the idea of a central printer within the residence halls with near-universal approval.

“I would definitely use a printer in this building rather than walking all the way to the library, especially because it’s more conve-

LI YANG/THE RAM

The introduction of printers to residence halls will hopefully make printing an easier process for many students.

nient and also if I need something directly, I can have access to it right where my room is,” O’Hare resident Chelsea Aiss, FCRH ‘15, said of the new printers.

Blanche Hedrick, FCRH ‘15, an O’Hare resident who does not have a printer in her room, seconded the view that it would be more convenient to use a printer in a residence hall.

“I know where every printer on this campus is, and it’s not close

to me,” Hedrick said. “And if I’m in a rush, I’d like to go downstairs and use that printer instead of having to go 10 minutes out of my way.”

Others viewed the idea of a printer as a fail-safe against a personal printer malfunctioning in any way.

“This past week, my printer has been broken, so I know that if there was another printer in the dorm that I could have used, then

that would have been very helpful,” Brittany Vella, FCRH ’15, a resident of Tierney Hall, said.

“For people who have their own printers, I feel like they would use theirs, but if your printer, if something happens to it, if it malfunctions, I think it would be useful.”

Some students said they would rather use a central printer because they did not want to use a large amount of ink printing readings for classes.

“When I’m reading for my law classes, sometimes it’s 50-plus pages of reading, and I don’t want to print on my own printer and waste all that ink,” Thomas DeGrace, FCRH ’14 and O’Hare resident, said.

DeGrace, however, also made a suggestion for the residence hall printer program.

“The only thing that I would suggest is putting a pay station with it,” DeGrace said. “This way, we could print and fill up on our cards here.”

He clarified his remarks by saying he was not sure if a pay station would eventually be installed with the O’Hare Hall printer.

Judy Rothschild, a manager in the IT Department, spoke about the pilot printing system at a United Student Governemt meeting several weeks ago.

Rothschild mentioned at the meeting that students would be able to swipe their ID card at the residence hall printer to pay for their copies, similar to the system in the library.

Rothschild also said at the meeting that in the future, she hopes students would eventually be able to put money on their student ID cards through the My.Fordham portal, instead of using machines such as those located in the copy center of the library.

Either way, IT hopes that this will make things more convenient for students to access their technologies.

fordhamram.com facebook.com/theram @fordhamramonline @theram_sports youtube.com/user/ thefordhamram fordhamram.com

social for you and me—dia.

THE FORDHAM RAM

NEWS

Page 6

February 20, 2013

Rose Hill Honors Attends AJCU Conference in Philadelphia

By KATIE NOLAN COPY CHIEF

The Fordham University Rose Hill Honors Program attended the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) Honors Conference on Feb. 14, 15 and 16 at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.

Last year, Fordham played host to the conference for the second time since the conference was founded in 2006.

The conference is an opportunity for Jesuit honors programs to gather together, share ideas and solve problems. It had presentations and forums for both students and administrators.

This year, much of the conference was spent in discussion of undergraduate research and using technology in the classroom. The programs were especially interested in comparing notes on how to approach the honors thesis, a major component of most honors programs.

Dr. Mindy Walker of Rockhurst University led an interesting discussion on the concept of a “hybrid learning environment,” also referred to as a “flipped classroom.”

A flipped classroom is a style of teaching that was developed at the elementary through high school level where the focus of class time is hands-on activities; this idea is beginning to expand to the college level. In a flipped class, a professor will place his or her lectures online in the form of a podcast or YouTube video and then use class time to do

an activity, supervise small group work or have more active discussion.

Walker also discussed taking advantage of iTunes U, TED Talks and other online resources as an occasional substitution for traditional lectures. Since college students are so fluent in technology that they are considered “digital natives,” the challenge for professors is to find a way to integrate technology into the classroom in an appropriate and helpful way for students.

As Dr. Walker pointed out, this is important for honors programs because they are often considered the “labs” of their respective universities, meaning honors programs can try new ideas on a small scale and lead in educational innovation.

“It was both refreshing and reassuring to see such a large commitment across such a diversity of schools and disciplines to scholarship and innovation in both research and a dissemination of knowledge in the classroom,” Dominic Dongilli of Creighton University in Omaha said of the discussion.

The conference also fostered discussions about problems at the university level and the honors program level.

As college costs get more expensive, universities are increasingly looking for ways to cut budgets and raise class sizes. Students and administrators discussed challenges for the future. How do honors programs navigate a changing financial landscape while keeping true to the tradition of enrichment and small, discussion-based classes? How do

COURTESY OF SARAH SULLIVAN

Honors students from all over the nation convened at Saint Joseph’s University last weekend for the AJCU Conference.

honors programs have a positive effect on their universities at large?

The student representatives from the different universities spent time comparing their respective colleges.

Although the colleges and honors programs at the schools were very diverse, the Jesuit educational values behind the schools quickly became apparent as the driving force at each university.

For example, Saint Joseph’s is covered in red banners that display the word “Magis,” a principle developed by St. Ignatius that is a core of

both Fordham’s and Saint Joseph’s educational philosophy.

Katherine Bercovitz spoke about her decision to attend Santa Clara University.

She said she heard a professor say at an admissions event, “You can go many places for the sake of being excellent, but here you will be excellent for the sake of something else.”

She said that after hearing this, “I knew I would go here.”

“I think this conference was a great celebration of one of the

Think Summer, Think Fordham

things I like most about Jesuit education, which is respectful inquiry and thoughtful discussion across a great diversity of people,” John McCoy, student body president of Creighton University, said.

Next year, the AJCU Honors Conference will be held in Canisius College in Buffalo, NY. The conference will continue to build on the foundations of Jesuit identity as the honors programs gather together to improve their programs and learn from each other.

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opinion NFL Bullies College Students in Name of Copyright Page 7

February 20, 2013

By PATRICK MAROUN STAFF WRITER

Companies spend years and countless dollars building a reputation for their brands. Having a strong brand is beneficial in a number of different ways: bigger profits, lower costs and the ability to potentially reach more markets. Ultimately, a stronger brand boils down to market share, and companies will do whatever they can to protect it. But at what point does protecting your brand become counterproductive? Just ask the National Football League (NFL).

The Super Bowl is the mostwatched televised sporting event in the world. For the less economically-inclined (generally I would fall into this group), this means that they have the greatest market share. As a result, the cost relative to the amount of their viewers is lower, and the amount of profit they are able to produce is greater.

An addendum: This does not mean that it costs less money to host the Super Bowl than any other televised event, but rather that because the cost of hosting the Super Bowl is more or less fixed for each additional viewer, the cost per viewer goes down.

Similarly, the relative popularity of the Super Bowl allows the NFL to charge higher prices to their tenants (ticket holders, advertisers, etc). In short, greater market share means more money.

Should the NFL not be able to do everything that it can to

PAUL MORSE / MCT

The NFL recently sued students at RIT for using “Super Bowl” in a promotional advertisement for an on campus event.

protect its market share? Earlier this month the NFL did just that, threatening legal action against college students at Rochester Institute of Technology for infringing on the NFL’s copyright of the title “Super Bowl.”

Students at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) were hosting an event much like the ones that took place in the dorms here at Fordham. They announced it as a “Super Bowl

Party” to be held in a field house on campus, showing the game via projectors. Super Bowl parties are a staple in American sports, taking place in our homes around the entire country. So, why would the NFL threaten to take legal action against students who are not potentially limiting the NFL’s market share but actually serving to bolster it by advertising for their event (and offering free food to cheap college students)? It makes

no sense whatsoever for an organization like the NFL to pursue such aggressive bully tactics to protect a brand that can only be enhanced by the fandom of Americans.

“I think it is important to understand that this is not exactly anything new for the NFL or any other league” avid Philadelphia sports fan Joe Gallagher, FCRH ’15, said. “They are businesses and have been known for years

to do whatever it takes to make money. Fans like to think that it is about them, but in reality it is about the fans only to the extent that the league can dip into the fan’s wallet. Sports leagues have lockouts all the time because of this.“ This is a difficult sentiment for sports fans like myself to come to grips with, despite the fact that we all know it to be true.

“I would say yeah, it is more than a little ridiculous to sue students watching a game for the title. That said, it is the nature of businesses in America, so I wouldn’t call it a shock,” Gallagher said.

By pursuing, or threatening to pursue, such legal action, the NFL hurts its own business interests by potentially alienating some of its viewers.

Outsiders see them as bullying people who pose no threat to them and are really just fans, limiting the ability of Super Bowl events to increase viewership overall and wasting money on senseless legal fees.

The League should be less focused on protecting its brand and more focused on promoting it. I understand that it is the nature of a business to turn a profit and protect what it suspects to be its own, but this is just crazy. A substantial part of brand building is customer service. We are people, not just consumers.

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

College Scorecard Informs, But Can Mislead

By CANTON WINER MANAGING EDITOR

President Obama, in his effort to boost college affordability and to increase transparency about higher education, announced the White House’s new College Scorecard website in his State of the Union address on Feb. 12.

The interactive website allows anyone to look up the average net cost — essentially tuition minus scholarships and grants — of attending a particular school, as well as graduation and loan default rates and data on the amount that the average student borrows.

Transparency is almost always a good thing, and as many prospective college students and their families can attest, figuring out how higher education works can seem impossible.

The White House’s effort to help college applicants and their families make informed college choices is a step in the right direction. There is one category at the very bottom of the scorecard, however, that is cause for concern: “Employment.”

While this category is not yet functional, the Department of Education ultimately hopes to present the average earnings of former undergraduate students who borrowed federal student loans for every school on the scorecard. Given the current job

market, it seems rational to emphasize this data. But a growing chorus within the educational sphere suggests otherwise.

“We can all agree that college applicants and their families need to make informed college choices,” Catharine Hill, president of Vassar College, wrote in a Feb. 15 article in The New York Times.

“Yet, I am among many economists who would suggest that taking a short view of what college graduates earn early on in the job market is troubling for several reasons.”

Among her objections are that a graduate’s first job may not predict lifetime earnings.

“Different professions have different earnings profiles over time, and students and their families should really care about lifetime earnings, not the salary of their first job,” Hill said.

The “Employment” category also does not appear to take into account students who immediately go on to graduate school, whose incomes would, understandably, be negligible while in graduate school. The category could also add fuel to the “earnings-are-everything” school of thought.

Bill Destler, president of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), said that the category minimizes the importance of creative, fine art and teacher

education programs, as well as programs that serve special populations. The current scoring system would give lower scores to schools with these programs, as they often attract students who will have a more difficult time securing a job.

“RIT is the host institution for the federally-supported National Technical Institute for the Deaf,

and these students bring a rich diversity to our student body found almost nowhere else,” Destler said. “But while deaf graduates from RIT are employed at a much higher rate than the deaf population as a whole, they still have a more difficult time finding employment and they don’t earn as much on average as their hearing counterparts. Should RIT close

this program to look better on the College Scorecard? I think not.”

Yet, the biggest problem with the employment category is that it diminishes the value of a broad education. The category favors a more career-oriented education over the liberal arts education offered by institutions like Fordham. This is a great weakness of SEE SCORECARD, PAGE 9

GRACE LILLY / THE RAM

The White House’s recent College Scorecard provides useful information for college students but may be misleading.

OPINION

Page 8

The Fordham Ram

R

Serving campus and community since 1918 The Fordham Ram is the University journal of record. The mission of The Fordham 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 Fordham 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 4,500. The Fordham Ram office is located in the basement of the McGinley Center, Rm. B-52.

FordhamRam.com Advertising: (718) 817-4379 Executive: (718) 817-4380 Fax: (718) 817-4319 theram@fordham.edu Fordham University - Station 37 Box B Bronx, NY 10458 Editor-in-Chief Connor Ryan Managing Editor Canton Winer Editorial Director Rory Masterson Copy Chief Katie Nolan News Editor Kelly Kultys Assistant News Editors Kate Meyer Girish Swaminath Opinion Editor Richard Bordelon Assistant Opinion Editor Joseph Vitale Arts & Entertainment Editor Devon Sheridan Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor Danielle Garrand Executive Sports Editor Dan Gartland Sports Editor Matt Rosenfeld Assistant Sports Editor Max Prinz Layout Editor Kate Doheny Photo Editor Elizabeth Zanghi Web Editor Anne Couture Assistant Web Editor Courtney Ho Business Directors Nikos Buse Drew Rapp Assistant Business Director Craig Domeier Circulation Director Gary Guarnaccia Distribution Managers Stephanie Kawalski Shannon Marcoux Faculty Advisor Dr. Beth Knobel Copy Team Alyssa Ammazzalorso John Bonazzo Alessandra Bruno Michael Dauber Clare Larson Francesca Leite Shannon Marcoux • Tom Merate Christina Mellamena Amanda Pell Vincent Pellizzi Anthony Pucik Stephanie Sarno Kirsten Simons Austin Thomas Opinion Policy The Fordham Ram appreciates submissions to fordhamramletters@gmail. com. Commentaries are printed on a space available basis. The Fordham Ram reserves the right to reject any submission for any reason, without notice. Submissions become the exclusive property of The Fordham Ram. The Fordham Ram reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions in The Fordham Ram’s editorials are those of the editorial board; those expressed in articles, letters, commentaries, cartoons or graphics are those of the individual author.

No part of The Fordham Ram may be reproduced without written consent.

February 20, 2013

From the Desk of Joseph Vitale, Assistant Opinion Editor Successful ideas of the Information Age always begin with noticing a common dilemma. The hard part, though, is not coming across the dilemma, but finding its solution. For three Yale students, the dilemma began with confusion over a Cam’ron lyric. It read, “80 holes in your shirt: there, your own Jamaican clothes.” It certainly was not the first time someone pondered the meaning of a specific hip-hop lyric — but it may have been one of the last times there was not an explanation within reach.

The solution the students came up with was two-fold. The first part was the multi-million dollar idea: a website built to explain rap lyrics. The second part was finding users to generate content. The result was Rap Genius, which, according to their website, claims to be “the guide to the meaning of rap lyrics” placed at the intersection of rap lyrics, Wikipedia and Urban Dictionary.

Rap Genius, furthermore, contains thousands of hip-hop song lyrics and cites user-generated explanations that help listeners better understand song meanings. The home page displays its latest uploads, but also a search bar for

exploring artists, albums and lyrics.

Typing in a hip-hop song followed by the term “lyrics” in any search engine, though, will surely list Rap Genius in the top three results.

Along the lines of Wikipedia or Yelp, Rap Genius is crowd-sourced, meaning that content is generated by users. Rap Genius allows users to create accounts and increase their “Rap IQ” by explaining lyrics and having other users express approval through a virtual “thumbs up.”

Many critcized Rap Genius for translating songs into “nerdspeak.”

They believe there is a cultural division keeping hip-hop artists at a distance from white listeners. Rap Genius, disagreed, saying instead that it attempts to “critique rap as poetry” and the purpose is to dissect hip-hop lyrics and use their meanings to better grasp a song’s message. Rap Genius is not meant to make it easier for white people to listen to hip-hop.

While the philosophy may be unique to music, it is often used in other art forms, but, Rap Genius tries to bridge this gap by treating each set of lyrics like a Shakespearean sonnet.

It is only when every piece is under-

stood can one take away a comprehensive meaning.

There is much to say about a genre whose prime component calls for the creation of a new method of critique.

Unlike in most pop, rock and alternative music, hip-hop lyrics are not easily accessible as it is a constantly evolving art form. These lyrics are filled with colloquialisms, metaphors, double entendres and allusions that artists use to showcase their talent in a unique fashion. For this reason, hiphop songs are often stories relying on witty wordplay and hip-hop knowledge; they focus on form just as much as function.

This is not to say that Rap Genius makes hip-hop any less unpleasant to those who despise its aggressive nature. Hip-hop, like all good novels, movies and other art, does not try to hide behind a fasade of heart-warming lyrics and catchy beats. Lyricists talk about everything from wealth and misogyny to alcohol and drug abuse, but it does not mean they ignore family, friendship, acceptance and romance. Many artists do so with such perception and acuity, it is difficult to grasp what is being conveyed

“Home is where the heart is.” It is a relatable cliché that removes the idea of home as a place and replaces it with the suggestion that home can be anywhere a person is happy. To many, home can be the place where they grew up, the place where they currently reside or somewhere else; the list can go on ad infinitum. The idea of home penetrates the heart and mind of every person on this planet, and each has his or her own definition of the place in which he or she feels most comfortable.

Fordham has made numerous strides toward ensuring that its campus feels like a home for its reidents.

From the integrated learning communities to the improvements of fa-

cilities we see on a daily basis, Fordham is working toward making Rose Hill a place where residents can feel comfortable resting at night, even within the hustle and bustle of the of metropolis New York City.

On-campus living functions as much more than mere living quarters.

It allows residents to grow together from the time they first arrive on campus until graduation, and covers all of the growing pains of adjusting to college life in between. Fordham’s residence halls accommodate their students with increasing proficiency, even as many students abandon Rose Hill for off-campus apartments.

These halls are a place where students can seize the opportunity to fully im-

merse themselves in student life, an experience that can only be described as once in a lifetime. With plenty of time to live in cramped studio apartments after graduation, why would one not choose to live among peers?

One of the most recent improvements is the laundry altert system, which can tell residents when washing machines and dryers become available and when their clothes are finished with the cycle. The days of wet piles of clothing all over laundry room floors seem to be coming to an end with the advent of this system.

This new initiative follows the Office of Residential Life’s decision to begin installation of ID swipe systems to replace physical keys for the front doors

Dear Editors, As concerned citizens for the welfare of women, we write to you in response to a quarter-page advertisement from Montefiore Medical Center looking for egg donors that was included in last week’s edition of The Fordham Ram. This advertisement is in direct opposition to the Fordham University mission statement which declares that “Fordham recognizes the dignity and uniqueness of each person.” The advertisement features a pregnant woman, ostensibly in an attempt to convince women that they would be helping infertile women become pregnant even though the majority of eggs donated are used for research. The advertisement calls for women between the ages of 21 and 32 who are interested in becoming anonymous donors. Apparently, “compensation is $8,000 upon completion of cycle.”

But the process of egg donation exposes women to harmful and even deadly situations. The process requires the donor to take injections of powerful hormones over many weeks that stop her ovarian function (in order for her menstrual cycle to occur when researchers desire or to match her menstrual cycle to that of an egg donation recipient so that she may be able to receive the egg) and make her super-ovulate in order to produce multiple eggs. She then receives a hormonal injection to release all the matured eggs from her ovaries and then

undergoes a surgical procedure to collect the eggs from her ovaries.

Before any of that happens though, the process of egg donation relies on the exploitation of vulnerable women, particularly desperate college-aged women in need of money. What the advertisement fails to include are carefully screened physical and psychological requirements set forth by researchers and egg recipients (the existence of requirements, however, is vaguely mentioned on Montefiore’s website). These physical and psychological requirements often include specific heights, IQ scores, complexions, ethnicities, and religions. The list goes on. According to Jennifer Lahl, founder of The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network and creator of the movie Eggsploitation, Jewish, Asian and higher-scoring SAT donors often make more money than other donors. Lahl has also found through her research that “the application process is not intended to ensure the safety and the well-being of the donor, but to ensure the buyer of the eggs gets the best possible genetic material.” If a donor’s eggs are not “the best possible genetic material” as deemed by the researcher or the egg recipient, if she does not produce the desired amount of eggs, or the egg recipient changes her mind, a donor may not even receive the $8,000. Through egg donation, women in result become mere commodities where researchers and egg recipients have binders

full of women to choose from at their fingertips.

Often compared to organ donation, egg donation is often viewed as altruistic. Lahl however states: “In organ donation, the donor assumes risks to her own health in order to save a patient’s life — to help a sick or dying person. But the recipient of the egg donor’s gametes is not sick or unhealthy — not a patient, but a consumer, purchasing her eggs. The end purpose of the donation is importantly different, and therefore, not analogous to organ donation. ” The risks of the egg donation process include stroke, cancer, the loss of future fertility, death in rare instances and the most prevalent side affect of Ovarian Hyper-Stimulation Syndrome. Is $8,000 really worth all of these risks? In reality, the compensation does not wind up being $8,000 in the end after all. This fails to include the hundreds of dollars that must be paid for follow-up doctor appointments and missed work, not to mention all of the classes college-aged donors miss as well.

While there are risks to everything in life, this industry does not guarantee any protection or care to women in any degree because there are no laws or regulations that protect egg donors. This is visible on Montefiore’s website and in its advertisement because neither mention protecting donors. Why should any woman expose herself to such risks when she will not

with just a single listen. The positive side of hip-hop is often lost in the dark beats and vulgarity. Rap Genius helps people find it.

Along with literature, cinema, and other visual arts, hip-hop deserves a deeper and fuller analysis. Understanding lyrics not only teaches us about who is writing the music, but also about ourselves.

The website’s slogan, an allusion to a Notorious B.I.G. line, reads, “If you don’t know, now you know.” When coming across a hip-hop song you cannot discern, it would be wise of you to check out Rap Genius. If you don’t know, you will. And you will probably be surprised to see how much we overlook when it comes to hip-hop.

EDITORIAL: On-Campus Living Presents Many Benefits

Letter to the Editor

of some residence halls. We at The Fordham Ram hope to see improvements grow as time progresses.

The experience of being engaged in an intellectual community is invaluable, and can only be truly provided by on-campus residence halls. Recent advances are encouraging and we greet them with great optimism. We hope that Fordham students will take note and advantage of the improvements and continue to make on-campus living a memorable experience.

Editorial Policy The Fordham Ram’s editorials are selected on a weekly basis, and are meant to reflect the editorial board’s view on a particular issue. be protected in any way? Furthermore, there are no federal registries or national databases that keep track of egg donors. What then happens to the harmed donor? Who can she turn to? Who speaks for her? Where is her story? She is unheard and becomes “eggsploited.”

In order to ensure the health, inherent dignity and beautiful uniqueness of each and every woman that we are obligated and committed to protecting, we respectfully ask that The Fordham Ram discontinue including future advertisements for egg donations because it endorses a crime against women.

Thank you, Respect for Life Executive Board Joe Moreshead, Amy Gembara, Meg Horgan, Ruthanne Sobecki, John Tracey and Mike Prescia

Editor’s Note Dear Reader, I must apologize for an advertisement that was published in last week’s issue of The Fordham Ram (V. 95, i. 4).

The advertisement, which publicized a call for egg donors, was in violation of Fordham’s advertising policy.

The mistake was inadvertent. My colleagues and I are taking steps to prevent this kind of mistake from occurring in the future.

Thanks for your continued readership, Connor Ryan Editor-in-Chief

OPINION

February 20, 2013

Page 9

GOP Must Reform Message and Tone for Future

By JOSEPH VITALE

Conor Fucci

ASSISTANT OPINION EDITOR

Tesla May Hold Solution

It should not be surprising that Republicans are worried. Following a Presidential election in which Democrats captured the popular vote for the fifth time in the past six elections, there are obvious reasons why the GOP is finding itself falling behind in a rapidly changing electorate.

After President Obama’s latest State of the Union Address, the party stands at a crossroads. At this point, it can either compromise with voters or it can remain stiff and continue to rage against the Democrats. With the former, there is hope for the GOP, but with the latter, not so much.

The party’s stance on everything from immigration and gay rights to gun control and abortion is becoming less and less consistent with the changing electorate. As many Republicans in the House continue to campaign against Roe v. Wade, they are suffering at the polls with their unpopular (and biologically bizarre) convictions. A similar story describes the hostility towards gay marriage within the party, an issue more than half of all voters support. Moreover, the moral crusades for preserving “tradition” are becoming more and more costly in the polls as support for gay marriage continues to come from young voters and college educated voters.

Unfortunately, the GOP, a party often seen to be run by angry old white men, consists of very little malleable material. Too much of the core ideology of the GOP remains rooted in the Encroachment Story — that our big cities and our big government want to have their way with those in the rural regions of southern and western America. The idea is the crux of the conservative moment: that there exists a continuing battle between Big Government and Individual Freedom. It is a polarizing sentiment that the GOP cannot seem to shake out.

In approaching the 2016 campaigning season, the GOP is in dire need of deciding what chang-

Although the media seems not to be paying as much attention to the electric car as it once did, the progress that has been made towards creating a competitive, alternative option to the internal combustion engine is impressive. One stand-out company is Tesla Motors, out of Silicon Valley.

This company, established by Elon Musk, only has two models available to the public right now, but they are extremely popular, and are now affordable.

Recently, Tesla has released the Tesla Model S, a four door sedan priced at $57,400 and a reasonable alternative to the over $100,000 Tesla Roadster. Pricing the Model S at a point where it is competitive with other upper-end sedans is a huge step towards electric vehicles gaining market clout. Unfortunately, electric car infrastructure such as high speed charging stations is severely lacking, except in certain locations on the East and West coasts. This issue is slowly being resolved, but the only way to expedite the process is by selling more vehicles by positive reviews from influential reviewers.

First, there was a review of the Tesla Roadster done by the English television show “Top Gear” that proved to be relatively controversial. When one of the show’s hosts, Jeremy Clarkson, was driving the car around their track, the vehicle was shown to run out of charge after about 55 miles, far lower than the advertised range. This was immediately contested by Tesla Motors, who stated that the show was scripted and the car was meant to fail before the test even occurred. This protest was completely ineffective.

The lawsuit was thrown out of court due to a lack of evidence and both parties have moved on.

The “Top Gear” incident is not the only time that Tesla has run into bad reviews. Recently, The New York Times published a review of the Tesla Model S by John M. Broder, where Broder reported many problems, all relating to the range. Elon Musk formed a rebuttal citing the data was pulled directly from the car that Broder used, noting that the route reported was not the route used.

Broder was seen circling around in a parking lot while the battery was low, and driving over recommended speeds with the heat up higher than recommended temperatures, which has caused a bit of a firestorm between the two organizations and was elevated when CNN performed its own test of the Tesla with the same route and reported none of the same problems. Broder has since “rebutted the rebuttal,” explaining his actions on the route and why he didn’t follow exact instructions. This issue is far from over and is only becoming more interesting as we see the reccurring conflict with Tesla Motors.

The amount of issues that Tesla has been experiencing can be attributed to either its popularity or its attempt to overturn the status quo. There is no doubt that its are some opposed the electric car, for it will change the auto industry forever by eliminating gasfueled vehicles and heralding a new age of green technology. We will have to wait and see if it is Tesla’s immaturity or the power of established ways that is holding back this significant innovation.

TIFFANY TOMKINS-CONDI /MCT

Republicans, under the leadership of Marco Rubio, need to compromise with voters in order to improve popularity.

es to make and how to make them.

Regardless of how it does so, the changes need to force voters to reevaluate its perception of the party. The party’s best approach is to rethink both its tone and its delivery.

The Republican Party needs to begin by minimizing its less antigovernment sentiment. A campaign that does nothing but blame government cannot put forward any progressive-minded government program changes. Criticizing President Obama may be filler during a campaign season but will not suffice in inciting a surge of conservatism in the United States.

In the past, the GOP continuously denounced Obama’s DoddFrank financial regulation, yet it failed to offer an alternative plan to the reform. They have also opposed many of Obama’s plans to cut the deficit but default to proposing cutting small programs like PBS and other liberal favorites. The GOP’s fierce opposition to cutting defense spending is also becoming less favorable, yet there

are no signs of the GOP budging.

While forfeiting all of these issues is unlikely, compromise does remain feasible and proposing ideas about regulation reform and supporting reasonable budget cuts can be a start.

The GOP also needs to reconsider its use of technology: how they connect with voters and how much they spend doing so. This past November, Romney connected with over 12 million Facebook users, a weak number when compared to Obama’s 33 million.

Romney’s digital tool, Orca, experienced a server crash on Election Day, while Obama unveiled Narwhal, a data platform containing information about campaign staffers and voters, which was easily accessible and widely used by his campaign staff and his supporters leading up to election night. While Romney profited slightly from his online ads, Obama’s team’s profits doubled their spending on online advertisements. The GOP’s base voters in rural areas provide low return

on online ads and their approach to attracting young, urban voters is failing.

“They were playing chess while we were playing checkers,” a member of Romney’s digital team reported to one of his top aides following the election results.

With the GOP, the problem has little to do with the party’s emerging figures. Pundit favorites such as Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz and Paul Ryan are not doomed to fall before their Democratic peers. They are all capable leaders. It is about their tone and ability to excite the American people about progress in the party.

Trying to mold the electorate is a task too large for such an unpopular party. Instead, the GOP needs to adapt and create excitement around modern conservatism in America. It is going to take not a regression to old traditions, but a look far into the future.

Joseph Vitale, FCRH ’16, is a political science major from Staten Island, NY.

Scorecard Fails to Take Many Considerations Into Account FROM SCORECARD, PAGE 7

the scorecard not only because it makes my Fordham heart cringe, but also because it ignores the reality of our current job market; professions are changing, evolving and disappearing at an astonishing pace.

“A student who receives very specific training during college may have greater success at getting that first job, but may in fact be more vulnerable over time compared to a student with a more general education,” Hill said. “The nature of the labor market has changed radically over the last several decades. While there was a time in the past when people took a job and stayed with that firm for their lifetime, these days, people do not even stay in the same professions — much less jobs — for most of their careers, because those professions

are changing, evolving and in some cases disappearing at rapid rates.”

The intellectual dexterity of a liberal arts education may not help recent graduates land their first job, but it undoubtedly gives its students an advantage in the overall job market.

The White House’s push for transparency in higher education is nothing if not well-intentioned.

In order to be truly transparent, however, the White House must ensure that the measurements on its College Scorecard are simple enough to understand but still comprehensive in their assessment. College applicants and their families deserve greater access to information, but not at the expense of being misled.

Canton Winer, FCRH ’15, is an American studies major from West Palm Beach, Fla.

GRACE LILLY / THE RAM

President Obama wants to make a college education more accessible.

OPINION

Page 10

Amanda Pell I’m Pro-Life, Too I am a woman. I am registered as a Democrat, and most of my opinions are relatively liberal, but I identify as an Independent and am completely willing to cross partisan lines on an issue-by-issue basis. I am a strong advocate for female reproductive rights and a woman’s right to choose. By the accepted terminology, this makes me “pro-choice.” To suggest that this makes me “anti-life,” however, would be patently untrue.

Do I support the pro-choice movement? Yes. I strongly believe a woman should have the ability to receive an abortion, should she choose it.

Does that mean that I’m not “pro-life”? No. I also believe that, should a woman find herself with an unexpected pregnancy and a desire to keep the child, she should have access to the resources necessary to provide that child with a life worth living.

What am I against, then? I am vehemently against placing a pregnant woman in a position where she cannot terminate her pregnancy but also cannot find the resources necessary to support herself and the child. I am against bringing a child into the world destined to suffer the lowest quality of life without hope of improvement.

With that in mind, I’m suggesting a new question: Where do we stand on quality of life? Somehow, the discussion never makes it that far. We argue for the child’s birth, then forget about them when they begin to live. Consider this quote by Sr. Joan Chittister: “I do not believe that just because you’re opposed to abortion, that that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child fed, not a child educated, not a child housed. And why would I think that you don’t? Because you don’t want any tax money to go there.

That’s not pro-life. That’s probirth. We need a much broader conversation on what the morality of pro-life is.”

It’s time for us to broaden the terminology that surrounds the abortion issue. I am pro-life and pro-choice. I’m also pro-qualityof-life, and that absolutely includes mothers.

According to Egyptian medical records, the earliest recorded abortion occurred in 1550 B.C.E. Eliminating the legal possibility in America will not end a 3,000-year-old practice; it will only eliminate the safe option.

Similarly, the elimination of contraception, or the obstruction of women’s ability to obtain it, will serve to place more women in the difficult position of having to consider an abortion and/or bring more unsupported children into the world.

I am not anti-life, quite the opposite. I am a woman, and I advocate for the support of the quality of the lives of women and their children. I am pro-choice and pro-life, and I will not apologize for my beliefs or your inability to understand them.

February 20, 2013

Congress Must Review Education, Not Gun Control

By RICHARD BORDELON OPINION EDITOR

Educaction is the key to many problems in this country.

While Republicans claim that the possible gun control laws and many of the proposed executive orders concerning firearms are an affront to civil liberties, they, consumed by this fight, fail to see the link between violence and education. This debate, however, does nothing to curb the violence in the murder capital of the country, Chicago. Banning the manufacture of assault weapons and limiting clips with a large capacity of bullets, which many Democrats have argued will reduce gun violence, may have a small affect, but the focus, above all, must be fixing the broken American education system, which is lagging behind those of much of the Western world.

In an article for The Huffington Post that discusses the direct relationship between education and gun violence in Chicago, Ximena Beltran writes, “We want killers punished to the full extent of the law after committing a crime, instead of investing in preventive measures through education, after school programs and mentoring to curtail the violence on Chicago’s streets before it even begins.”

If the Democratic party wants to curb gun violence, its lawmakers need to realize that the solution is not striving for laws that limit the manufacture of assault weapons and certain kinds or quantities of bullets. Neither is the solution debating the constitutionality of these laws with opponents. All of Congress needs to realize the importance of funding education and educational programs.

Regardless of whether preventative gun control measures actu-

ally work or whether or not they are constitutional, education is a preemptive tool that can be used to end the violence before the thought of violence even begins.

Background checks and armed guards at every school could be an answer, but at that point, we have already gone too far. By only trying to stop the violence itself with bans, we are acknowledging that we are too powerless to prevent the attitudes of the perpetrators.

Both the White House and Republican leadership are so deadset on a futile debate over whether the federal government should or should not restrict gun sales that they fail to realize the implications of their actions.

Beltran continues, “[Killers] get to that point through neglect and a broken educational system.”

In a speech this past week in Chicago, Obama even said, “This is not just a gun issue. It’s also an issue of the kinds of communities that we’re building, and for that we all share responsibility as citizens to fix it.”

The government, however, must take the first step in building stronger communities with better schools. Republicans do not want to spend more money on education. During the presidential debates, Mitt Romney admitted that the country needs to do a “better job in education.” And so far, it seems like the two major parties would rather continue a gun debate than attempt to fix public education.

After many debates over the budget in 2011, Republicans in the House of Representatives restricted the accessibility of Pell Grants, which cover some college expenses for the poorest collegebound Americans.

According to Peter Kingkade of The Huffington Post, “Pell Grants

JULIAN WONG / THE RAM

Congress continues to ignore education reform, which could deter gun violence .

currently cover the smallest portion of the cost of college in the program’s history.” Furthermore, a study by the University of Alabama “concluded that year-round Pell Grants improve completion rates. It comes at a time when other recent studies have suggested that America has a ‘college dropout crisis.’”

Although many of the people who commit these capital crimes are neither college graduates nor

interested in attending college in the first place, this legislative action shows a trend occurring in national politics. Congress is willing to spend less and less money on educating the population in exchange for prolonging one of the most contentious debates that exists in American political discourse.

Richard Bordelon, FCRH ’15, is a political science and history major from New Orelans, La.

Ram on the Street Compiled by Joseph Vitale, Asst. Opinion Editor

Is there a censorship problem at Fordham?

“Not generally, but I

“The university is fair

“I would say so. For

“As a musician I’d rath-

was surprised about the Ann Coulter event. I do not think the university’s mission has to agree with the people who come and speak here.”

in respecting its students’ opinions and allowing them to be voiced; however, when a line is crossed, or students are made to feel their voices are unequal in comparison to others, an appropriate censorship is used.”

Fordham Flava, there is a limited amount of songs we can choose from, and we also have to be sure there isn’t a bad message in the songs.”

er not play any live shows at Fordham. They really keep things censored when it comes to lyrics, and it just makes things more difficult than they need to be.”

— Gaetano Migliaccio, FCRH ’15

— Renata Ciampi, FCRH ’15

— Jason Diaz, FCRH ’15

— Alex Lupo, FCLC ’13

Arts & Entertainment

February 20,2013

Page11

Tina Fey, Paul Rudd Talk the ‘Admission’ Process

By DANIELLE GARRAND ASST ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

In the upcoming film Admission, Tina Fey (“30 Rock”) plays Princeton admissions officer Portia Nathan, who searches for the best and brightest students, but ends up finding romance with John Pressman, played by Paul Rudd (Our Idiot Brother).

Directed by Paul Weitz, this film features the worries of being accepted into one of the top schools in the country, to which all college students can relate.

With college as the key focal point of the film, viewers are prone to wonder what the stars’ experiences with academia have been.

In a special pre-screening and press conference granted to The Fordham Ram, the film’s stars discussed their own journeys to college.

Both Fey and Rudd attended college, but seemed to remember it as an experience much different than students today know.

“I didn’t go through this before. I just bought the t-shirt and showed up,” Rudd joked.

He attended the University of Kansas and studied Jacobean Drama at the British American Drama Academy of Oxford, England. Similarly, regarding a com-

ment about the many sections of the SAT, Fey said, “There are only three parts to the SAT now.

I couldn’t even remember how many there were back then.”

Fey attended The University of Virginia, where she studied playwriting and acting.

Fey also offered some advice about getting into the acting business for potential hopefuls, “Don’t go to New York or LA. You have a much better shot at getting something in a different city where everyone doesn’t go.” Fey got her start in the world-famous comedy and improv group Second City in Chicago.

For younger co-star Nat Wolff, who plays the gifted and somewhat strange Jeremiah Balakian, a boy that Fey meets on her high school tours, the topic of applying to schools is as fresh in his mind as last week. Wolff is a high school senior who just finished applying to college.

“Of course I was way more excited about the movie than applying to college. So, I would visit colleges in character. I really hit it off with the MIT guy, but that’s because he thought I was Jeremiah and really good at math and sciences. Too bad I’m not really good at math and sciences. He kept asking me questions about

COURTESY OF MCT

Palin glasses at home, Fey struts the red carpet at the 19th annual SAG awards.

visiting again and I couldn’t tell him I had no idea what I was saying,” Wolff said.

Although Wolff isn’t getting

into MIT anytime soon, he is planning to attend college in the fall. When asked about his newfound fame, he said that he was

not very comfortable living with it in New York. Maybe he will follow in his older co-stars footsteps and trade in the city life for one of a country mouse next year.

Director Paul Weitz joked about his early experiences with college and grades as well.

“My doorman would save my report cards for me so they wouldn’t get to my parents. I used to change them, you know the ‘F’s’ to ‘A’s,’ the minuses to pluses. It was only a problem when I was applying to college, and they had an inflated sense of what my grades were,” Weitz said. Despite his shenanigans, Weitz attended Wesleyan University.

Weitz also offered a bit of valuable information that is sometimes overlooked by the GPAdriven culture of colleges and the coveted acceptance letters.

“Personally, I don’t think it matters where you go to college,” the director said. “It is whom you meet when you’re there. Be your own judge. The biggest pitfall is giving the judgment over to others.”

Admission, coming out March 22, should not be missed, and it is the thoughtful and hysterical cast that truly makes the experience seem like a real college admission process.

Playwrights Step Up to Bat for First Time

By JAKE KRING-SCHREIFELS STAFF WRITER

Little League baseball has always been a great subject for the medium of film, but it turns out its comedic appeal can be just as enticing on the stage. Take Your Base, the latest Black Box musical from first-time writers Jeff Sharkey and James Murtagh, continues an excellent string of productions in the cramped theater, never forgetting of course to bring humor to the table.

Infused with pop culture, countless movie references, and Bad News Bears relationships, the baseball musical comedy is a strong first effort from the duo.

“It was originally supposed to be a sketch video in which it was going to be just a manager in a press conference after the game and then you’d pan over and see it was all about a Little League team,” Sharkey, FCRH ’15, said.

“But then we were like, ‘Let’s write a musical,’ and so we had a couple ideas what to do and the Little League one came out on top. I think children are funny.”

Especially seeing college kids play them. Last year, Fordham Experimental Theater put on the first student-written musical Cowboys Don’t Sing from Dennis Flynn and Johnny Kelly that became a huge success.

“They were definitely helpful in at least showing us that we could do this,” said Sharkey.

Sharkey did not have much background in writing, let alone comedic writing, except for FET’s standup group. His method for writing a musical was a bit more basic.

“It was all like James and I just sitting there and being, ‘I think this is funny,’ and then just writing it,” he said.

“We kind of approached it like, ‘we’re not writing a musical, we’re writing what we want a musical to be,’” said Murtagh, FCRH ’15, who collaborated with Sharkey on the musical.

“I always thought it would be cool if there was a musical with just nice folk songs to listen to and that were fun to play,” Murtagh said.

Murtagh, the musical brains behind the project, started playing instruments in third grade, beginning with trumpet and then rotating to glockenspiel, piano, drums and guitar. He leads the small pit with his acoustic guitar and folksy harmonica humming, featured most prominently in the set change interludes, harnessing the Williamsport, Pa spirit.

“I always listen to Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen and always liked the sound of harmonica, and I just thought for the folksier parts of the show it would work really well.”

The show centers on two teams, one from Maine, the other from Oregon, and their convergence in Williamsport for the

World Series.

A boy-girl romance ensues as the teams prepare, a relationship injected with humor from ex-

terior sources like coaches who forget they are fathers and broadcast partners who are rarely on the same page. The Little League

COURTESY OF TIM LUECKE

Take Your Base will be performed in the Blackbox, located in Collins Hall.

experience rings true mostly because Sharkey had lived it.

“I only played Little League. I tried out for high school baseball and did not make it,” he laughs.

“I played in the all-star tournament. We went to the district championship. But in the grand scheme of things of the Little League World Series, that’s nothing.” Murtagh is simply a baseball fan.

“It was a pretty perfect setup because Jeff took care of the script pretty much, and we would just sit in my living room and, while he would write out the scene, I would figure out the song,” Murtagh said.

The good news about the two is that they share the same style of comedy. It’s uncomfortable, melodramatic and everything a troubled Little Leaguer might experience. Shying away from the full range of 12-year-old conflicts was not an option.

“We’re very self-aware that it’s silly and stupid. But I’d say it’s more absurdist. I think there are a lot of dark tones in it, a lot of problems with parents and kids, but we try to make light of that. “ Take Your Base open on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 8 p.m., followed by two shows on Friday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 23 at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. The show is free, but not recommended for children. Potential patrons should arrive at least 30 minutes in advance; seating is limited.

Page 12

ADVERTISING

February 20, 2013

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Page 14

February 20, 2013

TSeersucker Fordham Can’t Shake Infectious New Dance he

By ANNE COUTURE

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

The tie is a marvelous bit of tailored fabric that serves absolutely no purpose. So why are designers so thoroughly obsessed with mitigating its visual presence into that of a thin sliver? The skinny tie exists because thin lapelled suits exist. The lapel is that bit of fabric on a suit that folds and drapes over the chest. In theory, the widest point of a tie should equal the widest point of a lapel. This rule only exists because when a tie and lapel are mismatched, the designer of the suit appears to lack the ability to coordinate an outfit.

Having your tie measure within a quarter inch of your lapel gives your suit a refined look and is the closest thing to getting a proper “fit” out of a tie, given the tie’s nature as a one-size-fits-most garment.

Trends and proportional adjustments to neckwear aside, the tie is a flamboyant work of art that exists for the purpose of personalization. Back before business demanded slate and navy, people had tastefully different ties for the purpose of communicating personality. The fellow with the maroon striped tie might be a Fordham alumnus and the guy with the dark blue and purple scarf pattern paisley tie might be an eccentric devotee to Picasso’s blue period works. The tie helped your family to pick you out of a crowd when everyone had the same haircut, suit, car and cigarette addiction. The necktie was like a colorful corporate dog tag.

With recent suiting trends, this has become less of an issue.

A brisk walk through Greenwich, Conn. will instantly reveal that people have far fewer issues with self-customization. Modern sensibilities regarding individuality and Orwellian phobia have largely ensured that one’s personal wardrobe shall reward the strange, exciting and new, while punishing the dull and musty. It is for these very reasons that ties are probably better now than they have ever been in the past. Ties are great because far fewer people are required to wear them. Showing up with a torso draping silk neck squeezer to work is a statement of individuality when everyone wears a cotton-poly T-shirt and Chuck Taylor’s to creative meetings.

Still, if you do not like ties and are not required to wear them for your line of work, do not wear a tie. A large part of looking good is appearing comfortable. So, if you feel as though the necktie only exists to block your arteries and if the very act of cinching a knot around your throat conjures paranoia about strangulation, do not apply. Also, if you are a mechanic, do not wear a tie because it will get sucked into a fan belt. It’s just not worth the risk.

WEB EDITOR

Before Jan. 30, 2013, no one had ever heard of Baauer’s, “Harlem Shake.” Now, it is the number one iTunes song in Australia, only ousted from the number one position in the United States and the United Kingdom by a new One Direction song.

A 30-second snippet from Harlem Shake is used to create a video that usually consists of a single dancer wearing a headpiece or helmet. This lone dancer is surrounded by a group of people oblivious to his awkward dance moves. Then, the bass drops and all hell breaks loose. The people who were once minding their own business are now joined by even more people and all of them are dancing convulsively. These people are typically clad in skimpy outfits, and a few of them wave around strange and random props.

According to statistics provided

by YouTube, this video sharing site has over 4,000 Harlem Shake videos a day and that number is predicted to continue rising.

On Valentine’s Day, an estimated 40,000 Harlem Shake videos were posted.

Perhaps the reason that Harlem Shake is so popular on iTunes is because people are buying the track simply to compose their own 30-second videos.

The Washington Post has even noticed the meme and claims that the reason behind its suc-

CHENLI YE/ THE RAM

Brave members of Fordham student body took to the snow in nothing but their skivvies and a yearning for Youtube fame.

cess is due to its simplicity and its short time frame. Anyone who has a camera, tripod and a decent amount of friends can produce this video. That’s not to say that those are the most popular, though, as creativity is the driving force behind Harlem Shake. In fact, the Harlem Shake has even been filmed underwater.

One such video re-creation has even been done by Fordham University by Mike Rubacky, Daniel Stein, Ansel Hoang, Dan Snyder, Albert Dalipi, Zach Olah, Kris Thompson, Billy Fitzpatrickal, Adriano Pierroz and Connor Regan.

Ironically, the “Fordham Shake” members did not plan on filming their video. As one of the mem-

bers, Daniel Stein, puts it, “We didn’t know how to act so we took our clothes off, then families started to yell. We got scared so we started dancing.” He did note that without the snow, this video would “probably include Father McSchane with a lot of bacon and probably people complaining about the cafeteria.”

The population of Fordham seems to be divided on if Harlem Shake is something that will have the same impact as the YouTube dance fad, “Gangnam Style.” Jackie Gawne, FCRH ’15, said she does not think the two are comparable, but she said “What are we going to play at our weddings? Gangnam Style and Harlem Shake.” She also noted that she was first intro-

duced to Harlem Shake by seeing Fordham Shake.

In contrast, Michael Cavanaugh, FCRH ’13, does not think it will last long and says that he will, “give it a week.” He has yet to see Fordham Shake, but he agrees that renditions of it are entertaining but he has yet to “laugh out loud.”

It seems like everyone is getting in on the Harlem Shake bandwagon, but is that necessarily a good thing? The feeling you got when your parents joined Facebook resurfaces when you watch a Harlem Shake video featuring old people at a retirement home.

It is worth noting that the original Harlem Shake, a dance move in the 1980s, does not seem to be present in any of the videos.

Dining Out: Northern Spy Food Co.

By COURTNEY HO WEB EDITOR

Ever since I was forced to watch the documentary Super Size Me in middle school, I often wondered where my food originated from. As New Yorkers, we all know that there are countless supermarkets and restaurants that claim they only source from local, organic farms, but we know that is not always the case.

At the Northern Spy Food Co., you no longer need to wonder where your roasted chicken came from. In fact, they will tell you the exact farm the chicken was from, and probably even tell you how many friends she had and whether or not she liked romantic strolls down the beach. If you are curious about where they get their Brussels sprouts, beers and meats, they take the extra step of providing a long list of their purveyors on their website.

Their menu is concise, straightforward and, best of all, seasonal. Executive Chef Hadley Schmitt regularly changes the menu based on whichever ingredient is freshest that day.

Their philosophy is based on exclusively serving locally sourced, rustic, seasonal food — a philosophy that perfectly reflects their name. Northern Spy is actually the name of an apple local to East Bloomfield, NY, that is supposedly the ideal apple for pies, cider or just eating fresh. Honestly, I was disappointed to learn that the restaurant was not run

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Northern Spy Food Co. strives to let their customers know exactly where their food comes from.

by spies.

Chef Schmitt brings an unparalleled wide-eyed, creative paradigm to Northern Spy that sets them apart from any other “rustic, seasonal” New York menu.

Some highlights of their dinner menu are the Pork Sticky Rolls ($7) and the Battenkill River Valley Pork ($21).

If the idea of Pork Sticky Rolls sounds odd to you, that is because it is. They look exactly like cinnamon buns, but do not let that throw you off. The rolls are stuffed with impeccably moist pulled pork and topped with a parsnip and Dijon mustard glaze that looks just like the sugar glaze on cinnamon buns. Served as a starter, it definitely challenged the way I thought about using something as simple as pork and parsnips.

The Battenkill River Valley Pork is certainly a must as well.

The cut depends on the day (I had the shoulder), and it is served with black eyed peas, collard greens and natural a jus.

Unfortunately, there is one downside to the Northern Spy: space. There was one point during the meal when I had to ask the waitress if I could move because there was a table of four sitting next to me and I could barely hear my own thoughts. The waitress seemed a little frustrated at my request, but she complied. I normally would never request such a thing, but it was impeding my dining experience. Otherwise, if you are able to make reservations on their website, you should be good to go.

Northern Spy has managed to take traditional values behind

food, such as striving to use every part of an animal out of respect and to avoid waste, and translate it into a fresh take on otherwise ordinary ingredients.

With their ever-evolving menu and admirable philosophy, the Northern Spy Food Co. is a place I would recommend to anyone who wants to experience a new perspective on food.

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

’s)

Interested in writing restaurant and food reviews? Email: fordhamramculture@gmail. com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

February 20, 2013

Editor’s Pick: Drood

By NIKOS BUSE

Take Your Base Where: Blackbox Theater (back door of Collins) When: Thursday, Feb 21 at 8 p.m., Friday Feb. 22 at 8 p.m., Saturday Feb. 23 at 8 p.m.

Cost: Free

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In the deep and cold days of winter, when daylight is fleeting and the night seems to stretch on endlessly, the books to which I turn are always those of horror and mystery. From Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories like “The Cask of Amontillado” to H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, I am inexorably drawn to stories fraught with danger, darkness and the machinations of the twisted minds of ingenious villains.

This winter, having exhausted my supply of old favorites, I turned to Dan Simmons’ enigmatically entitled work, Drood. I was pleasantly surprised to find the work a beautifully nightmarish combination of slowly building tension and hallucinatory imagery. If you are in search of a long and slow descent into the underbelly of 19th century London with a laudanum-fueled narrator who is swiftly losing his sanity, look no further than Drood.

Drood is a gothic tale of horror and suspense set in mid-19th century England, as the narrator, Dickens’ confidant, colleague and “Salieri-esque rival,” Wilkie Collins, describes the truth behind the final five years of the life of Charles Dickens. The story begins with Dickens’s experience of the 1865 Staplehurst rail crash, an event that both in the story as in reality would change his life forever. As he explains to Collins, it is at the scene of this crash that Dickens meets the ghoulish titular character, Drood. A fascinating and sinister individual, Drood quickly captures the imagination and attention of the protagonists.

For the next five years, Dickens and Collins follow Drood into slums and the vast subterranean city below London, watching his dark adventures and striving to discover who or what Drood is.

As the reader accompanies the authors on their travels, it becomes

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Curtains rise this Thursday at 8 p.m. on the student written, composed and directed musical Take Your Base in the FET Blackbox theater. First time writers Jeff Sharkey and James Murtaugh concocted a new and humorous show about two Little League teams competing in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. Naturally, crazy coaches, overbearing characters and a little romance accompany the teams as they play the game of their short lifetimes. Do not miss this hysterical musical-comedy or the chance to see a few fellow Rams debut their home run work on the public stage.

Barney’s Department Store Bi-annual Warehouse Sale COURTESY OF MANGUS MANSKE/WIKIMEDIA IMAGES

The Author of Drood, Charles Dickens, never finished his last work.

clear that Drood is far more devious and dangerous than either man had originally believed, and that neither will escape the story unscathed.

Simmons’s work benefits from his complex and three-dimensional characters, his exhaustive research into the history of both authors and his ability to eliminate the barrier between reality and hallucination. He writes in a style that is a near-perfect imitation of Dickensian literature, and includes brilliant passing references to other compatriots and contemporaries of Dickens and Collins, all of whom are impeccably described.

The result is an incredibly rich and detailed setting that truly transports the reader to the very tunnels and pubs that the protagonists frequent.

It is in the creation of his protagonists, however, that Simmons truly shines. Through the character of Collins, Simmons has created the paradigm of the unreliable narrator; Collins’s sanity is constantly warped by his increasing dependency on laudanum and the stress that accompanies his perilous situation.

o t g n i o g Love

Spend a ll day

Throughout the story, his feelings of adoration and jealousy for Dickens become increasingly clear, even as his stream of consciousness becomes progressively twisted and strange. Dickens is also a very well-written character, full of pride, creativity and a burning sense of curiosity that condemns him even as it gives him new life.

Though I loved Drood, it was not without faults. First and foremost, the book is too long. The gothic style lends itself to florid and long-winded text, but even by these standards, Simmons is verbose. The plot would be much more well-suited to a work that was far shorter than its current 941page length.

In sum, Drood is a thoroughly well-crafted work of terrifying fiction. From its gripping beginning to its strange and terrible climax, Collins holds the readers in a suspense that is supplemented by the growing feeling of impending doom and his own growing madness. As Simmons puts it, “This is every writer’s nightmare — the sudden breakdown of meaning in the language that sustains and supports us.”

? s e i v o m e th

listening to music ?

w? o n k u o y e anyon n a h t s k o o ore b m d a e r u o Do y

Is Netfl ix your best fri end?

Where: 255 W 17th St between Seventh and Eighth Ave. (Subway: 1 to 18th St.) When: Until Sunday, Feb. 24

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA IMAGES

These few awkward weeks in February can be a little dull, now that Valentine’s Day is over and St. Patrick’s Day is far away. Be bored no more; Barney’s Department stores biannual warehouse sale is here to save the day. Throughout the year, many gawk at the gorgeous designs through the windows or fawn over the accessories in the store with the realization that the elegant adornments are far out of their price range, but now they are (semi) affordable. All of the designers you know and love are 75 percent off, radically reducing the dent in your wallet. Those Marni Mary Janes you have lusted over for months that you could not afford are now marked down to $289 from their original $715. How about that $260 Alexander Wang silk shirt? Now, the attire can be yours for $99. Head on down to 255 W 17th St between Seventh and Eighth Avenues before the sale ends this Sunday Feb. 24 to snag fabulous duds.

— COMPILED BY DANIELLE GARRA ND ASSISTANT ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

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Page 16

WHO’S THAT KID? SOFI MUÑOZ A MEMBER OF FCRH ‘15 MAJOR: INTERNATIONAL STUDIES/SPANISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE FROM: ATLANTA, GA Describe yourself in a couple of sentences for the readers.

love the Jesuits.

I’m a perpetual passenger on the struggle bus.

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

What is your favorite aspect of Fordham and why?

I would decrease the tuition by about $40,000.

I really like the community here and how close we are to the city, as well as the small class sizes. I also

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

Walking around and people watching. I also quite like taking the subway.

What is something about you that not many people know?

I can touch my tongue to my nose. Oh, and I can fit my fist in my mouth.

What is your favorite class at Fordham?

This semester it’s Terrorism and Society with Professor Sweet.

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

I would love to run a 5K in under 23 minutes and have a sand-

February 20 , 2013 wich named after me.

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

Enrique Iglesias and Sour Patch Watermelon.

What is the biggest misconception people have about you?

I guess a lot of people are surprised that I’m Cuban and that Spanish is my first language because I don’t “look” Hispanic.

Do you have plans, career or otherwise, for post-college life?

Well, I would like to marry a Spanish football player and have six children.

What activities, clubs, projects or organizations are you involved with at school?

I’m an editor at The Paper, part of the GO! Adirondacks team and work as a tutor in the Spanish department.

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

Rum and one of those things that desalinizes water. And a ton of books.

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

COURTESY OF SOFI MUNOZ

When Sofi (center) is not bumping Enrique and snacking on Sour Patch kids, she likes to relax with pals supporting The Rams.

Don’t take everything so seriously, and don’t buy so many sweatshirts.

La La Lush Debuts Album at Webster Hall LUSH, FROM PAGE 1

“We have four very different minds with very different musical tastes and backgrounds coming together. The fusion of those four minds has resulted in our unique La La Lush sound.”

“I think once you do try to adhere to a formula, you lose a large part of the creativity that makes songwriting so much fun,” Borst added.

From the band’s name to its pension for practicing and playing shows in the basements of Fordham party houses, “fun” seems to be the end goal for the four musicians.

Nevertheless, the band jumped at an opportunity to promote their first album at a venue a little more prestigious than the basement of the rugby house. Luckily enough, guitarist Steve Scarola, FCRH ‘13, had “developed a working relationship with the booking agent at Webster Hall.”

He decided a full-length album release was a good enough time as ever to take advantage of the connection.

“The experience was a milestone for La La Lush. After playing numerous house parties at Fordham (which we love to do), playing Webster Hall was a step to the next level for us,” Scarola said.

“With bigger and better venues comes bigger and better sound quality. The little things like actually getting a proper sound check are integral to the success of our show. The second I felt the kick drum rattle my bones at sound check, I knew our show was going to sound just the way we wanted it to.”

For any band, the sound check

process is one that can be sorely missed when playing at a basement show or bar. For a band like La La Lush, which prides itself on a collaborative, balanced sound all while bringing the noise as loud and fast as possible, a professional sound check is even more prized. For drummer Cashel Barnett, FCRH ‘13, however, the added decibels are the real treat.

“The coolest thing about playing Webster was the sound system. It’s a small stage, but the speakers really pack a punch,” Barnett said. “Every time I kicked the bass drum, the entire stage shook.”

For Fedorowicz, however, the simple act of playing music in front of a crowd outweighs venue prestige or location.

“When it comes down to it, every opportunity to play music live (regardless of the location) and have an audience rockin’ with you is truly a

euphoric, and in some respects a religious experience,” Fedorowicz says.

As for La La Lush’s achievements thus far? Borst attributes the band’s success and its continued motivation to the four “F’s”: friends, fans, family and fun.

“What makes our shows different from other shows is we’re all just having the time of our lives on that stage. We’re four best friends just playing the music we love to play, and I think the audience really feels that,” Borst said. “We have the most incredible fans and we’re very fortunate to be able to call most of them our friends. The Fordham community has really embraced us as their local band and seeing those same faces at every show front row center is the most incredible feeling in the world. Everyone knows our lyrics and often times the crowd is singing so loud I can’t even hear myself

in the mic-and how awesome is that?

People come to our shows because they have a great time being in the audience. They’re just as much a part of our show as we are. Everyone’s dancing, everyone’s singing, everyone’s contributing in their own way.

If you look far enough back into the audience you can see our parents standing in the back. We have a support system that many bands aren’t fortunate enough to have, and that support has become the foundation of this project.”

La La Lush’s next major show will be on March 23 at Sullivan Hall on 213 Sullivan St. near Washington Square. “Like” the band’s Facebook page for information on upcoming shows, as the band is booking multiple shows in the Fordham area over the next few months before the three seniors finish up their final year at Rose Hill.

Well-dressed people playing hard rock music: Check out La La Lush’s new album on iTunes or Spotify.

COURTESY OF LA LA LUSH

Karen Hill Even with more than 100 times more nerve endings in our lips than our finger tips, kissing, compared to other expressions of attraction, becomes a mundane activity for many couples.

What I have for you all are not your typical “rotate your tongue in a technical washing machine motion” tips. Rather, I have focused on the total experience of the kiss. Two factors that enhance the said experience are the preparation and approach.

As far as preparation is concerned, check your breath. This weekend, my friend denied a cute-faced yet foulmouthed pursuer. They are called “Life Saver” mints for a reason.

One needs to be fully equipped with not only fresh breath but also the ever-crucial moisturized lips. No, your partner’s saliva does not count as hydration.

The approach to any kiss is crucial, and a momentary pause to put on lip balm might be a tad awkward.

It might be just the right amount of awkward, however, that you can both laugh about it.

When dealing with someone who is difficult to read, stealing a kiss may not be the best option. Read the other person’s body language. There is a difference between really wanting to kiss someone and having that feeling reciprocated.

If you are feeling the desire build between you, and all conversation simply sounds likes “blah blah blah” because his or her lips on your lips is all that is on your mind, it is time to make the move. My classic move is to ask, “What are you thinking?” and if he or she is thinking what you are, he or she will say something along the lines of “I am thinking I want to kiss you.”

I know it sounds cliché, but it works because most guys are unoriginal and will resort to cheesy lines to catch a girl. Asking for a kiss is always nice because it expresses interest and shows that you are not forcefully crossing boundaries. The surprise of a stolen kiss can be fun, but it can also take a person off guard and won’t even give them a split second to mentally prepare themselves for what is about to ensue. You had better be a good kisser if you are going to just assume someone wants your tongue exploring the inner workings of their mouth, or else all your curious tongue will find is some angry teeth ready to bite.

Also, when I say ask for a kiss, do it in person. By far one of my most bizarre occurrences was receiving a text message that asked if we could try our first kiss the next time we hung out. My initial immediate reaction was dancing around my room, kissing my phone and having my roommates read it out loud to me because I couldn’t believe it was true.

Now I realize my naïve infatuation blinded my common sense to see that was not the cutest approach, as when we met again we awkwardly sat around thinking, “How about that kiss, eh?”

The approach to a perfect kiss is a combination of anticipation and spontaneity, but not too much of either as it can make things awkward.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

February 20, 2013

Page 17

Ram Reviews MOVIE BEAUTIFUL CREATURES

By JAKE KRING-SCHREIFELS STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF MOVIEPOSTERDB.COM

There are parts of the latest young adult, southern gothic novel adapted for the screen, Beautiful Creatures, which tend to break the mold of its predecessors of the same genre.

There is an emphasis on classic literature, from Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer to Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five and subsequent identification with its marginalized characters. Ambition flows in the thematic rivers of free will and fate, Christian sacrifice and, of course, love.

That ambition to break free from genre, however, often shackles and confuses a story told many times before it. Continuing to modernize the Montague and Capulet family incompatibility, director Richard LaGravenese (Freedom Writers), adapting the first book of a trilogy, instead pits humans against casters (as in spell casters, who don’t prefer the term witch). More specifically, we center on Ethan (a dynamic Alden Ehrenreich, Twixt), the mortal, and Lena (Alice Englert, Ginger and Rosa), a caster who has just enrolled in his high school. Their on-screen chemistry builds as quickly as does their characters’ relationship. On her 16th birthday, her destiny will be decided, and her soul will dictate whether she becomes a dark or a light caster. It is the basis for a lot of anxious buildup and metaphorical pre-pubescent choices.

Lena’s fate actually becomes tied to a much greater cause, but her current preoccupations relate to her acceptance in the classroom, and further disassociation outside it. Gatlin is a town filtering its unacceptable racial rhetoric and channeling its discrimination towards Lena and her supernatural family who happens to live in a rustic, tangled mansion as only these kinds of families do. The inhabitants of the fictional South Carolina town live backward dives, stuck in its past, keeping it alive with annual Civil War reenactments.

Ethan, who colors the film’s perspective with his thoughts, desires to be Vonnegut’s Billy Pilgrim, unstuck in time.

Preppy girls cast their own insults and religious vernacular towards Lena. Ethan, by simply being a normal, courteous human being, appears to be the only decent fellow in school, and the only one willing to give Lena a chance. They share an affinity for literature; she reads Bukowski and romance sparks between the two figures, who claim to have seen the other in visions and

dreams. At some point, Ethan realizes his Shakespearean dilemma: star-crossed lovers separated by distinct worlds.

Uncle Macon (Jeremy Irons, The Man in the Iron Mask), who presides over the prickly exterior but vogue interior mansion, does his best to ward away Ethan’s love for Lena, which as we later find out could turn her dark thanks to a curse that is activated during the same wartime battle the town replays each year. Can pure love overcome the prophecy? YA novels sometimes suffer in this regard, aiming to be grown up but also censoring their darker and graphically dangerous content with these supernatural substitutes. It becomes a constant struggle then for any director, to navigate the arc of a story: highly melodramatic, like the now complete Twilight series, or more levelheaded and rationally sound?

LaGravenese, who both directs and adapts, tries a dash of both, but the fusion is mediated by careful explication, dialogue and details the audience can already figure out by a look or cue. Such is the trouble for staying true to a book’s words, or that quintessential quote. When Ethan begins citing Vonnegut, there is potential to break free from the YA novel’s sappy clichés his hardheaded classmates are presumably fixated with. The script has the chance to be infused with powerful, meaningful words, down from the esteemed authors both he and Lena read. Instead, these rhetorical tools and their marginalized characters are props for heavy metaphors. These books are banned from school, so is their love.

THEATER CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF

By VANESSA AGOVIDA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

COURTESY OF MOVIEPOSTERDB.COM

Whenever a Hollywood celebrity ventures onto Broadway, the same question arises. Can an actor who stands out on screen translate his or her talent to the stage? The answer: Not necessarily.

Yet Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation), whose visage features prominently on the promotional materials for Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, has already proven herself a respectable player in the theatre world. Her 2009 Broadway debut in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge garnered widespread critical acclaim and won Johansson a Tony Award.

This time around, Johansson is attempting to fill bigger shoes. Her role as the feisty Maggie has been played by a number of actresses over the years, including Elizabeth Taylor in the 1958 movie adaption. Johansson’s task — the task of any actor dealing

with an iconic role — was to add her own nuances to the famous character.

The famous Tennessee Williams play, set on “Big Daddy” Pollitt’s plantation, explores several dynamics within Big Daddy’s household. It particularly focuses on the strained relationship between Brick, Big Daddy’s son, and his wife Maggie. Tension is not exclusive to their relationship; the entire family is in a difficult situation.

It is Big Daddy’s birthday, and everyone knows that Big Daddy is dying of cancer — that is, everyone but Big Daddy and Big Mama.

The show boasts a fine ensemble.

Benjamin Walker (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) plays the alcoholic Brick with the aloof yet observant demeanor of a man trying to detach from reality because he is disgusted with what he sees. Both Debra Monk (The Devil’s Advocate) and Ciarán Hinds (Munich), who play Big Mama and Big Daddy, respectively, are seasoned actors. Their experience shows. Although some have criticized Monk for a shrill delivery, her loudness did not prevent me from pitying the character. Hinds, however, was the show stand-out. He embodies Big Daddy’s brusque, no-nonsense character perfectly. Even his mean-spirited remarks come off as humorous.

Whenever Hinds walked on stage, he commanded the scene (Fun fact for any Harry Potter fans: Hinds played Aberforth Dumbledore in the final Harry Potter film.).

As for Johansson, I do not think this is the actress’s best work. Her Southern accent was shaky at times, though it improved as the play went on. She plays on all of the frustration and anger of Maggie “the Cat,” but she does not take enough advantage of the character’s softer moments.

What we see is what we get: a bitter, determined woman trying to make the most of a loveless marriage. There are more shades to Maggie — shades that do not yell or bark, for example — but Johansson does not explore them.

The only cast member to greet fans at the stage door was, unsurprisingly, Scarlett Johansson. After watching the show, this was rather disappointing. Audiences will come for Scarlett Johansson, but they will walk away impressed by her talented co-stars — and it is her co-stars that many will hope to see once the show has ended.

MOVIE LIFE OF PI

By KIERSTEN SCHMIDHEISER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

COURTESY OF MOVIEPOSTERDB.COM

After its release at the end of last year, Life of Pi made a splash worldwide. Originally, director

Ang Lee did not even feel confident in his ability to transform the novel into a believable film due to its unique setting and philosophical themes. However, despite all odds, the movie succeeded with a variety of audiences and became another foreign-based film to join the ranks as a Hollywood blockbuster.

Life of Pi follows Piscine, who eventually adopts the nickname Pi, growing up on the grounds of the public zoo that his family runs in Pondicherry, India, and the plot unfolds through a series of flashbacks. When Pi’s father decides to relocate to North America, the family boards a ship along with their menagerie of zoo animals. A storm hits, and Pi becomes stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

Life of Pi recently passed the $500 million mark in total box office sales. It grossed over $100 million domestically and made up the rest in foreign markets, raking in about $90 million in China alone. Furthermore, it received 11 Academy Award nominations (second only to Lincoln, which received 12). Its nominations included Best Picture, Direction, Adapted Screenplay, Production Design, Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Original Score, Original Song, Film Editing and Visual Effects.

The movie’s wild success led many to compare it to the 2008 winner for Best Picture, Slumdog Millionaire. Although Slumdog Millionaire takes place in the streets of India and Life of Pi takes place in the middle of the ocean, the films possess similar traits. A young Indian boy acts as a protagonist for both, and they both experience flashbacks which dictate the progression of the plot.

The struggles of Jamal in Slumdog Millionaire to find purpose in his life amongst debilitating poverty and violence give audiences a thoughtful attitude similar to the effect of Pi’s philosophical musings. Many are wondering if Life of Pi will mimic Slumdog’s success in the Academy Awards this year.

Life of Pi also reflects an acceptance by Hollywood of films with foreign flavors. Although the movie explores the story with an American perspective, it has international appeal and does not take the same approach as traditional Hollywood blockbusters.

The movie seems to be a step toward a broader worldview in the film industry, but, obviously, the lack of many successful films of this nature proves that this ideology in filmmaking is far from mainstream. Life of Pi has been described as a one-of-a-kind production, breaking the Hollywood formula for success and stepping outside of solely American tastes.

The consistent domestic success and elevated international box office numbers for the movie show that the world market is willing and ready to accept movies with global culture, and hopefully more movies like Life of Pi will come to the big screen in the future.

TO READ THESE REVIEWS IN THEIR ENTIRETY, VISIT FORDHAMRA M.COM

TELEVISION “COMMUNITY”

By ALEXANDRA COUMBISCONTRIBUTING WRITER

COURTESY OF MOVIEPOSTERDB.COM

So it actually happened, “Community” returned for a fourth season.

As any die-hard “Community” fan already knows, Dan Harmon, the creator of the show, was fired. Fans were left in a lurch as to whether or not the show would go on. Since the show did return this month, people have been debating: Does “Community” maintain the same self-aware satire we have come to love? Does it still have heart? Will it ever be as good?

The season premiere, “History 101,” had a promising start. It began as a standard sitcom style with an over-the-top laugh track. Think “Seinfeld” or “Big Bang Theory,” except this “new Community” spoof had many more lame jokes. The new writers were playing on our fear that Community would change drastically. It turns out this cheesy scene only existed in Abed’s head. Throughout the episode, Abed learns to cope with the fact that the group will potentially break up post-graduation. His fear of change perfectly reflects the viewers’ anxieties of the show degrading from the high standard it once held.

Where the plotline fell the most flat for me was with “The Hunger Deans.” The Dean accidently allowed too many students to enroll in “The History of Ice Cream,” so students need to fight for a spot in the class.

Jeff needs this history credit to graduate early, so he is the only one in the study group who invests in this potentially awesome plotline. Instead of going into a full-on Hunger Games montage, similar to the “Modern Warfare” episode, the gang splits up.

Britta and Troy throw pennies into a wishing fountain. Annie and Shirley, for some reason, try to prank the dean. Meanwhile, Pierce spends the entire episode trying to make a joke, and “gay balls” is what he comes up with. The show has a few good jokes once in a while, but nothing mindblowingly special.

The episode ends with naked Chang walking up to a postal worker.

He says he has “Changnesia.” So, I guess we’ll see where that plot line goes. Personally, I have been over Chang for a while now. Overall, I was disappointed with this first episode of Community. There was so much potential, yet nothing really happened in this episode.

The second episode, “Paranormal Parentage” gave me a little more hope for the future of “Community.” I will continue to warily watch season four.

It’s undeniable that the show will never be the same, but there still are

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February 20, 2013

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Sports Rams Announce 2013 Football Recruiting Class

Page 19

February 20, 2013

By DAN GARTLAND EXECUTIVE SPORTS EDITOR

On Feb. 8, the Fordham football team announced the 17 players it had signed to National Letters of Intent. It is the first full recruiting class from head coach Joe Moorhead, who took over the program in December of 2011.

“We feel we added some playmakers at the skill positions and some size and athleticism up front,” Moorhead said. “I thought it was a good, balanced class overall.”

The recruits come from nine different states and Canada. Five are from New York, including one from Brooklyn and one from the Bronx. By Moorhead’s calculations, nine come from areas within a two-hour drive from campus. The other seven hail from Maryland, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida and Ontario, CA. “For two years now, that has been the composition — where half of it has been local and half of it has been from outside of [a twohour radius],” Moorhead said. “It will vary from year to year, but we want to obviously keep it as local as we can, and I think we’ve been able

to do that.”

Moorhead singled out three players that he and his staff are particularly excited about.

“Kyvaune Brammer, the receiver from Brooklyn Tech, is an excellent local prospect — a very talented player,” he said. “Brandon Fields, the quarterback from Louisiana, is a good dual-threat prospect. He had a very excellent high school career and is a good fit for our system. And Manny Adeyeye, the defensive end from Malverne, out on Long Island, is a big, strong, capable athlete with a lot of potential.”

Joining the Rams as a transfer from UConn is wide receiver Tebucky Jones, Jr., who Moorhead was familiar with from his days as the Huskies’ offensive coordinator. Jones played only sparingly at UConn and was upset with the lack of playing time.

“The playing time issue, you have to ask the coaches, but from my understanding I thought I was going to go out and play and be a big contributor to the team this year,” Jones told the Hartford Courant in September. “I guess the plans are otherwise.”

“He was just looking for a little

change of scenery, and I think he’ll be a good fit,” Moorhead said of Jones. “He’s enrolled already, so he’ll have a chance to go through spring drills and get to learn the system.”

Since he transferred from an FBS program to an FCS one, Jones will be eligible to play right away.

At Fordham, Jones is not only reunited with Moorhead, but also with Michael Nebrich, who transferred here from UConn last fall.

Nebrich, who will be a redshirt sophomore next season, will likely be the Rams’ starting quarterback in 2013. The coaching staff had planned to have him split time with Ryan Higgins in 2012, but Nebrich tore his ACL in Fordham’s win over Cornell in the third week of the season. He had surgery to repair the injury shortly thereafter and missed the remainder of the season. “[Nebrich’s recovery is] going well; he’s ahead of schedule,” Moorhead said. “He’s working diligently with the training staff. We’re just going to be smart with what we do with him during spring ball and not try to push it unnecessarily, just give him as much work as we can.”

MICHAEL REZIN/THE RAM

This is head coach Joe Moorhead’s first full recruiting class at Fordham.

Fordham Women Secure First Winning Atlantic 10 Record

By MATT ROSENFELD SPORTS EDITOR

Another successful week is in the books for the Fordham women’s basketball team. The Rams won in dominating fashion, 66-56, at home last Wednesday against George Washington and then traveled to Missouri to take on St. Louis, which resulted in another Fordham victory, 61-56. The win guaranteed the Rams would end the 2012-2013 season with a winning record in the Atlantic 10 for the first time in program history.

It was an interesting scene at the Rose Hill Gym on Feb. 13 when George Washington came into the Bronx for a noon tipoff.

It was School Day, meaning 1,500 school children from around the area packed into Rose Hill Gym to watch the matchup.

The energy in the building immediately showed in Fordham’s play, as the Rams jumped out to a 6-0 lead only two minutes into the game, forcing the Colonials to take a timeout. Each time Fordham made a basket, the sea of children screamed quite loudly for their Rams, creating the most electric home atmosphere the women’s basketball team has had all year.

“It was great for the kids to play in front of something like that,” head coach Stephanie Gaitley said.

Things would only improve for Fordham after the timeout.

Four points each from junior Erin Rooney and graduate student Marah Strickland, along with a three pointer from senior Arielle Collins, gave Fordham a 17-2 advantage before George Washington needed its second timeout with 14 minutes remaining in the first half.

Fordham remained relentless throughout the half. After the second George Washington timeout,

the Rams went on another run, this time to the tune of 13-4 as they extended their early lead to 24 points before a Colonial three pointer slowed the Rams down. With nine minutes remaining in the first half, Fordham had seemingly already determined the outcome, holding a 30-9 lead.

The Rams would get the lead to 28 before George Washington started to make any dent. After the score hit 37-9 in favor of Fordham, the Colonials finished the half on a 14-6 run that pulled them to within 20 points at half, with the score 4323.

The second half seemed like a formality. George Washington pulled the lead down to 13 points just after the under-16 media timeout, but Fordham responded with a 7-0 run that pushed its lead back to 20.

George Washington was able to put a dent into the lead near the end, when many of Fordham’s second team players were on the floor, but the Rams still managed to walk away with a double digit victory.

Four Rams scored double figures, as Strickland led the game with 16 points, while Collins, sophomore Abigail Corning and Rooney had

15, 14 and 13, respectively. Rooney was also one assist away from recording a double-double.

Fordham then flew to St. Louis to take on the Billikens on Feb. 17 in a tough conference road game. To make matters even worse for Fordham, the team learned that Strickland would be unavailable because of an ankle injury. Nonetheless, the Rams had to take on the then 10-14 St. Louis Billikens.

The two teams played rather evenly in the opening minutes of the game. It was right after the under-16 media timeout that St. Louis went on an 11-2 run to give them

ALLY WHITE/THE RAM

Erin Rooney had another impressive week, recording 19 points, six rebounds and six assists in the win over Saint Louis.

a nine point lead midway through the first half.

Fordham, as resilient as ever without its top scorer, fought back over the next five minutes to take the lead 26-21. The Rams outscored the Bilikens 17-3 over that span. St. Louis would come back to tie the game at 28 heading into halftime.

“It’s been such a resilient team,” Gaitley said. “Different people have stepped up all year for us.”

In the second half, Fordham would start the scoring with a 6-0 run that included an old-fashioned three-point play from Rooney and a three-pointer by Collins. The Rams would never give up that lead, extending it to as much as 12 halfway through the second half.

St. Louis would narrow the lead down to three with 18 seconds remaining in the game, but two successful free throws from freshman Samantha Clark would secure the game and a winning Atlantic 10 season for Fordham.

Rooney led the game in scoring with 19 points to go along with six assists and six rebounds. Corning made her presence felt on the glass, recording 13 rebounds, seven of which were offensive Sophomore Christina Gaskin took the majority of minutes left

by Strickland’s absence. The 6’1” forward had two blocks to go along with seven points and six rebounds.

“Christina Gaskin did a tremendous job,” Gaitley said. “She came in and filled the void. Everybody else remained steady. I was very proud of how we were able to tough it out on the road.”

The two wins take Fordham’s record to 18-7 overall, 8-2 in the Atlantic 10. The Rams will travel to Rhode Island on Feb. 21 to take on URI. Then, Fordham comes home to take on St. Joe’s on Feb 24.

Page 20

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February 20, 2013

fordhamram.com The Fordham Ram will not be publishing next week.

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THE FORDHAM RAM

February 20, 2013

NBA Dissapoints on All-Star Weekend

By MICHAEL DAUBER STAFF WRITER

As many are aware, last weekend was All-Star weekend for the NBA, during which the best the league has to offer met for a weekend of friendly competition in several areas of the game.

There was a Rising Stars Challenge (a pickup game in which the best rookie and sophomore players went at it), a team challenge made up of current and former players and WNBA stars, an individual skills competition (obstacle course), a three-point shootout and a dunk contest, along with the actual All-Star Game itself. Except for a few bright spots like Kyrie Irving’s emergence as a dominant force in the league, the weekend was a bit of a let down from recent years.

Speaking of the NBA’s future, did anyone see Damian Lillard win the skills competition?

The man out-foxed Tony Parker, last year’s winner, to make the individual final and then thrashed Jrue Holiday, a much improved newcomer to the All-Star scene. This guy started out his career by tying an NBA record in his debut week, has hit a game winner already and now is making a case as one of the most skilled players in the NBA. I am very excited for this man’s future.

The dunk contest was not as fun as previous years. Terence Ross won while jumping over the son of the man who owns Twitter. This is impressive, but I generally like to reward the creative guy, so I liked Jeremy Evans better. The man dunked over a portrait of himself dunking over a portrait of himself and then signed it while the crowd cheered. Not as creative as biting a stuffed animal off of the rim like Serge Ibaka did, or as impressive as Blake Griffin jumping over a car, but definitely amusing, to say the least. He also had a nice dunk in which he hung in the air for a second with his legs apart

before jamming it through the rim. Oh, and he did this after jumping over someone sitting on a box. Not bad; shame he didn’t win.

The actual All-Star game was not too eventful or surprising. The West won (of course), making them the winners of four of the last five. Kevin Durant led all scorers with 30 points, but L.A. Clippers point guard Chris Paul took MVP with 21 points and 15 assists.

The main event people are still talking about occurred when Kobe Bryant blocked LeBron James twice in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. This took place a few days after Michael Jordan picked Bryant as better than James career-wise simply because he has more championships, stirring up wild debates about who the best really is.

My previous article mentioned that LeBron James, in the prime of his career at age 28, is certainly better right now than Kobe (age 34). Many took Bryant’s defensive efforts as a stunt to drive home Jordan’s point, a way of saying “I’m still your master.” Others, like Reggie Miller, took it as a fun, competitive gesture: The Lakers were predicted to play the Heat in the finals this year, which most likely will not happen, making the All-Star game the last time the league’s giants will play each other until next year.

For me, the fact that a veteran blocking the league’s star is the most talked about event in All-Star weekend this year tells me that the league and players need(s) to step up its/their game in the coming years.

These days, we just are not seeing it. Even the game itself was not spectacular this year.

Last year had many more creative and impressive dunks and an exciting faceoff in the fourth quarter to determine who would win. This year, although the score was close, it was pretty obvious who was in control.

Maybe next year will be a little bit more nail biting.

GEORGE BRIDGES/MCT

Terrence Ross of the Raptors took home the victory in this year’s dunk contest.

SPORTS

Page 21

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/theram_sports

Varsity Scores & Stats Men’s Basketball Xavier 38 41 79 Fordham 32 34 66 (FOR) M. Thomas 23pts 5asts (XU) S. Christon 19pts 5asts

Women’s Tennis St. John’s 5 Fordham 2

Women’s Track A-10 Championships 800m T. Fagade

2nd-2:14.13

4x400 Relay 1st-3:18.81

500m K. Stuart

3rd-1:15.29

4x800 Relay 2nd-7:42.60

4x800 Relay 3rd-9:12.69

Women’s Basketball Fordham 43 23 66 Geo. Washington 23 33 56 (GW) S. Shipp 14pts 6rebs (FOR) A. Collins 15pts 7rebs

500m S. Atkinson

Mile Run M. Lieberman 5th-5:02.73

Fordham 28 33 61 St. Louis 28 28 56 (FOR) E. Rooney 19pts 6asts (SLU) C. Webb 18pts 4rebs

High Jump D. Fajoyomi 2nd-6’ 10 ¾”

Butler Fordham (BU) R. Clarke (FOR) C. Gaston

30 38 68 26 37 63 22pts 6rebs 21pts 6rebs

Men’s Track A-10 Championships

2nd-1:03.65

Heptathalon S. Houston 2nd-4,829

High Jump C. Newman

7th-5’ 5”

Athletes of the Week Each week The Fordham Ram’s Sports editors honor one male and one female for their on-field performance as its “Athletes of the Week.”

Chris Gaston

Titi Fagade

Senior

Junior

Basketball

Track & Field

Gaston scored a team-high 21 points in the Rams’ 68-63 loss to the Butler Bulldogs on Saturday. Gaston shot 9-for-17 from the field and added six rebounds in his first game back from injury.

Fagade was named Second Team All Atlantic 10 Conference after finishing second in the 800-meter run in 2:14.13.

She was also part of the third place 4x800 relay team.

News & Notes • The New York Red Bulls have named Fordham soccer alum John Wolyniec reserve team coach/player development coordinator. Wolyniec, previously a Red Bulls forward, was promoted from head coach of the Red Bulls Academy’s Under-23 team.

• Samantha Clark was named A-10 Rookie of the Week in women’s basketball for the fourth time this season, a new program record. Clark had 22 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocked shots this past week.

• Fordham named Gini Ullery the new head coach of volleyball. Ullery was previously an assistant at Duquesne University for seven years, helping the program advance to the conference championship each of the past three years.

• The CBS Sports Network featured the Fordham women’s basketball program during a halftime special on Feb.18. The special highlighted the program’s great turnaround led by head coach Stephanie Gaitley.

• Wednesday, Feb. 13 was Field Trip Day at the Rose Hill Gym. Over 1,500 local school children cheered the women’s basketball team to a 66-56 victory over the Colonials of George Washington.

Page 22

SPORTS

February 20, 2013

Smith Senior Profile: Quetzalli Torres Matt’s Says Minute

During last Saturday’s FordhamButler matchup in the Rose Hill Gym, I sat courtside calling color commentary for the WFUV broadcast. The gym was so loud that I could barely hear myself speak. The student section was raucous, shaking the whole arena while still staying respectful. At the end of the game, the No. 11 team in the country squeaked by with a five-point victory. Fordham players and coaches applauded the crowd after the game, saying that it was a huge advantage for them. That is what the Rose Hill Gym should always be. With all that in mind, I want to use this column to address the Fordham student body.

As a senior, I’ve experienced three and a half years of Fordham students ripping on our athletics. “Our sports teams are so bad.” “We’ll always be terrible.” “Typical Fordham.”

I firmly believe that this attitude is one of the biggest problems with our school. And that argument isn’t even true. Our women’s basketball team is having a historic year, and our softball team has received votes for the nation’s top 25 (they also beat last year’s national champion Alabama in a game at home). On top of all that, our football program had one of the best turnarounds in the country.

Take the Butler game this year and the St. John’s game from two years ago as prime examples of what a good crowd does. In the St. John’s game, we were clearly the less talented team, but the amazing crowd spurred Fordham on to not one but two 16-0 runs in the second half to knock off the Johnnies. Even though the Rams couldn’t take down the Bulldogs, they nearly pulled out an unbelievable upset.

If people would go to more games — our teams would win more games; it’s as simple as that. So for all the people who want to complain about the Rose Hill Gym being small and outdated, my response is that if we packed the gym every game, it would be one of the most unique and intimidating game environments in the country.

For the last two seasons, I’ve traveled with the women’s and men’s basketball teams calling the games for WFUV. I’ve seen all kinds of arenas, both big and small. I’ve seen what an amazing student section can do to a visiting team. Having a smaller arena makes our student section seem louder, which literally shakes the whole building. There’s no reason that we couldn’t have the A-10’s version of Duke’s Cameron Crazies.

According to our official website, Fordham has close to 3,400 students living on campus. It only takes one or two hundred people to give our teams an edge.

Most of our women’s and men’s basketball games are on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. I know what Fordham students are typically doing at these times. They’re sitting in bed, shoving bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches in their mouths. I’m calling out the Fordham students. If you’re going to complain about how bad our sports teams are, but never take the five-minute walk to go see a game, then you’re the problem, buster. Go support our teams. More people at games translates to more wins. Stop being lazy.

— Alex Smith

ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

Torres has played squash for three years here at Fordham in addition to helping start the club soccer team.

By MAX PRINZ ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The Fordham Ram: Quetzalli, you are from Chicago, right? A Jesuit high school?

Quetzalli Torres: That’s right, I went to St. Ignatius College Prep, and I guess that’s why I came to Fordham — those same Jesuit ideals.

TFR: Were you looking for a Jesuit college during the whole admissions process?

QT: Not really, but the moment I stepped on campus I felt the same vibe. I said, “Yep, this is home.”

TFR: You have played squash all four years here?

QT: No, only three years actually, since sophomore year; that’s actually when I picked up the sport.

I tried out for the varsity soccer team — soccer’s the love of my life. I didn’t make it, and I wanted to stay with sports, so I picked up squash. I had a friend on the team who taught me how to play.

He recommended that I try out. I said, “No, you’ve got to be kidding me.” But then I went out, made the team and here I am.

TFR: Do you have a favorite moment in those three years of squash?

QT: I think I’m living in it right now. Right now I’m on a four match win streak, and that’s really awesome. Having just started the sport, it’s been a rough road for me. Now I’m really finding the groove — I think I’m up to like six wins on the season, so I’m really happy.

TFR: What is your mindset like going into a squash match? What do to you try to do against an opponent?

QT: The main objective of the game is to make the opponent move and try to get the ball in the corners. Whether it’s a drop shot, or way back in the corner, you want to put them in a position where it’s difficult to make a return. For me, coming from a soccer player, I love to run. I’m fast and I have the endurance. So, part of my game is moving the opponent around as much as possible. Some people will get stuck doing the same rails, staying on the left side over and over. I try to vary it up left side, right side, front, back, over and over. Hopefully, they’ll tire, and I’ll be able to hang in there.

TFR: There are a lot of seniors on the squash team. Do you see yourself as a leader, teaching those younger guys?

QT: We’re definitely an older team and I feel like I’ve done a lot of talking to the younger guys.

I want to try to teach them to be leaders, give them some insights on how to lead the freshmen that will be coming in next year. I think that’s really important. We are an older team, and there are a lot of freshmen coming in, so that leadership development is definitely important.

TFR: Do you think the squash program can continue getting even better?

QT: Yeah, definitely, I’ve said that all year. As soon as we seniors are out they’re going to shoot way up there. Half the team is a

reformed squash player team. I and a couple others picked up the sport, but the younger guys have been playing for several years, and there’s even more freshmen coming in. I’m very excited for where the program is going to go.

TFR: You’re on the club soccer team too, right? Can you tell us a little about that?

QT: Well, when I didn’t make the varsity soccer team I wasn’t too torn up about it because I knew that I was at the same level as some of the players who did make it. I had another friend who tried out with me and we decided we wanted to keep going, so why not push for a club team? He did a lot of the work pushing for a team, and we’re in our third year now, and I think we’re doing really well.

It’s a great thing because there are a lot of kids out there who are into soccer. It works out perfectly for me because I have club soccer in the fall, and then squash in the winter and then I get to cap off the year with even more soccer. It was a great fit.

TFR: You’re a communication major, right? What are your plans after graduation?

QT: Yes, I’m majoring in communications with a specialization in journalism. I thought about going down the journalism route, but I’m thinking more the media, culture and society route. I would love to do some PR for a professional soccer team, either in the MLS or the U.S. Soccer Federation. I’d maybe even go abroad and do some stuff in England because that’s where the big clubs are, but who knows? I’m open to anything — if it’s fun and exciting.

Watch the interview with Quetzalli at youtube.com/thefordhamram

Last week, pitchers and catchers reported to spring training. Every year, New York sports fans practically salivate for this day to arrive.

Football has been over for a while, and let’s face it, the Knicks usually (excluding this year) are not serious contenders this time of year. Besides signifying the impending arrival of spring, every year, “pitchers and catchers” represents a sports revival in New York, because we are most definitely a baseball-crazy city. Baseball holds a special spot in the hearts of New Yorkers, since we have a team with the potential to win a championship seemingly every year: the New York Yankees.

This year, however, the Yankees are not clear favorites to win the division or even make the playoffs. In fact, in a few short years, the balance of power has completely shifted: Many experts predict the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles, perennial bottom-dwellers, to fight for first place, forcing the Yankees to contend for a possible wild-card berth. I do not agree with said experts.

The Yankees have their weaknesses; there is no doubt about that.

With the departures of Raul Ibanez, Russell Martin, Nick Swisher and Eric Chavez, they lost a few key sources of run production while not doing much to replace them, only signing veterans Kevin Youkilis and Travis Hafner. This leads to another area of weakness: age. The Yankees have the oldest lineup in baseball by a wide margin. Two key players, Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter, are returning from major injuries; their health will be crucial to the Yankees’ success.

The Yankees’ aging lineup has been the major catalyst, causing critics to foresee a rough year ahead.

The team does, however, have many bright spots. The rotation has a bona fide ace in CC Sabathia and will hopefully have some quality depth with the return of Michael Pineda at midseason. Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte will provide stability and Phil Hughes and Ivan Nova can (at a minimum) eat innings at the end of the rotation. Despite the loss of Rafael Soriano, the bullpen still boasts a deadly one-two punch with Mariano Rivera and David Robertson. The Yankees’ quality starting rotation will limit the appearances of mediocre middle relievers such as Joba Chamberlain (Yankees fans are still waiting for a return to 2007 Joba, which seems all but impossible at this point).

Even with the losses of many key run-producers, this Yankees’ lineup still has an MVP candidate in Robinson Cano and many quality (albeit aging) hitters in Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter, Ichiro Suzuki and Mark Teixeira. Although not exactly “Murderer’s Row,” it should get the job done in the regular season at least.

After all, they will not need to score 10 runs a game with their vaunted pitching staff.

Seemingly every year, people write the Yankees off due to their age. Admittedly, the collapse has to happen sooner or later. Hopefully, the Yankees’ aging stars can hold on to their former greatness for one more year.

The happiness of thousands of New York baseball fans depends on it.

— Matt McCormack

February 20, 2013

Fordham Men Take Sixth, Women Tenth at A-10s

SPORTS

Page 23

By MAX PRINZ ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE RAM

The men’s team took sixth in the Atlantic 10 Championship meet.

By RYAN SCANLON STAFF WRITER

With the weather warming up and spring looming, the Fordham men’s and women’s indoor track seasons have hit their last stretch of championship races, beginning with the Atlantic 10 conference championships.

The men’s team looked to duplicate its success of the last indoor season by earning a third place finish in the conference with a notable All-Conference performance in the 4x800-m relay.

The women’s team, after finishing ninth last year, was hoping for improvement and some maturation among the very young squad going into this meet.

A very noteworthy difference between this season and last was the insertion of two teams in the Atlantic 10. The new presence of Butler University and VCU proved to steepen Fordham’s competition.

The men’s side dropped to sixth overall in the conference, out of 12, but not without some excellent individual and team performances.

The highlight of the meet was the 4x400-m relay team, which captured the gold in a time of 3:18.81 over Rhode Island. The Rams were represented by senior Sean Atkinson, junior Sean Collins, junior Ian Williams and sophomore Lester Taylor. As a senior and Fordham school record holder, Atkinson earned the first first-team All-Conference honor of his career with this effort. Atkinson also earned a second-team All-Conference distinction by finishing second overall in the 500-m dash for the second consecutive year. His time of 63.65 was just 0.11 seconds off the leader.

The men’s streak of Atlantic 10 4x800-m victories came to an end this year. Fordham’s team took second behind La Salle’s four-senior

team.

The Rams’ team was composed of senior John Cosgrove, junior Ryan Polo, sophomore Danny Green and senior Mike Rossi.

They clocked in at 7:42.60, earning eight points for Fordham in the process. Junior Sam Houston took second place in the heptathlon through his two day efforts.

Houston’s strengths would prove to be the 1000-m run (2:45; 810 points) and the high jump (6’6”; 785 points), as he finished with 4,829 total points. Defending Atlantic 10 champion, junior David Fajoyomi placed second in the high jump field this season, hitting the same mark he did a season ago, 6’10” (1/4).

The women’s team finished 10th out of 14 but is still looking to capitalize on its strengths as a group as the seasons comes to a close.

Junior Titi Fagade was involved in more scoring for the Rams over the weekend, placing second and earning eight points in the 800-m run. She hit 2:14.13 in a very tight 800-m final. Fagade also contributed on the women’s 4x800-m relay that earned a third place finish.

The formula of Fagade, sophomore Melissa Higgins, sophomore Jillian Brooks and sophomore Kristen Stuart proved to be successful, gaining six points in a time of 9.12.69. Stuart would go on to score individually as well.

The sophomore would hit 1:15.29 in the 500-m dash, earning another third place finish.

Senior Courtnay Newman, who has been featured in The Fordham Ram’s senior profile, scored in high jump for the third consecutive year by clearing 5’6”, good enough for a seventh place finish.

The Rams will have the next couple of weeks off to train for the IC4A/ECAC Championships hosted by Boston University on March 2 and 3.

“The Harlem Shake” has taken over the Internet for the last two weeks. It has been everywhere: “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” “The Colbert Report” and even the swimsuit models of Sports Illustrated joined in. Several Fordham students did their own “Fordham Shake” in the snow in front of Keating Hall. I even got in on the new craze with the cast and crew of “Overtime,” Fordham’s sports talk TV show. My favorite one so far: “The Harlem Shake” performed by the women’s basketball team.

The best teams in sports are the ones that can have the most fun.

The fans love getting to see that the players love what they do. Everyone who watches sports wishes they could be doing what those athletes do. Teams need moments that remind sports fans that, yes, the players are talented athletes, but they are people who laugh and have a good time just the way the fans do.

The women’s basketball team’s “Harlem Shake” is excellent. They start in a practice setting, the players clearly hard at work. That is the first part of what makes it so great: The team took time out of

their practice schedule to film a “Harlem Shake” video. They could have just done it in practice uniforms, players on the court, a few basketballs around, but they did not. They incorporated the prize wheel, an old water jug; there is even an orange traffic cone in there. This is the most successful women’s basketball team in school history. This moment only further proves that they are having fun and are capable of even more success.

This week, Minnesota basketball head coach Tubby Smith gave the Internet even more reason to laugh. He led his players in a huge dancing celebration in the locker room after the Golden Gophers upset Wisconsin. The players picked him up on their shoulders full of joy. Wisconsin even had their own celebration earlier in the year, dancing to Ke$ha’s “Die Young” after they upset Michigan.

The best scene of the NFL’s season was Colts head coach Chuck Pagano returning from a battle with leukemia, coaching again and dancing with his team in the locker room after a victory over the Texans.

These scenes and many others give fans a peek into what goes on behind the scenes with great sports teams. They remind us

that these players are people too.

Having fun is definitely the most important part of team sports.

The teams that have fun together create bonds that will keep them together long after their playing days.

The best part of the women’s “Harlem Shake” is head coach Stephanie Gaitley. Coach Gaitley doesn’t just let the team make its video on its own; she participates in it. She gets out her own prop and dances just as crazily as everyone else. Gaitley gets out the big prize wheel, dancing and having as much fun as her players.

The women’s team is a real joy to watch. There is a clear sense when watching the women’s basketball team that the players truly enjoy playing with each other. Everyone on the bench cheers for the whole game. Everyone high-fives each other after a successful threepointer. Their ability to have fun is a big part of what makes them a great team.

This basketball team is having it best season in Fordham history.

Gaitley has done a terrific job with this program and has her players playing at a truly high level. This video shows that this team has already come a long way and that they have the ability to go even further.

YOUTUBE

The Fordham women’s basketball team’s “Harlem Shake” video has collected well over 2,000 views on YouTube.

Upcoming Varsity Schedule Home games in CAPS

Thursday Feb. 21

Friday Feb. 22

Swimming

Baseball Softball Squash Women’s Tennis

Sunday Feb. 24

at Rhode Island 7 p.m.

ST. JOE’S 2 p.m.

Atlantic 10 Championship Geneva, Ohio Michigan 2 p.m.

Tuesday Feb. 26

Wednesday Feb. 27

ST. BONA 7 p.m.

Atlantic 10 Championship

Michigan 11 a.m.

Indiana & Pacific 1/3:30 p.m.

CSA Team Championship New Haven, Conn. at Dartmouth 9 a.m.

Monday Feb. 25

at Geo. Wash.

7 p.m.

RICHMOND 1 p.m.

Men’s BBall

Women’s BBall

Saturday Feb. 23

Albany 9 a.m.

Page 24

Sports

February 20, 2013

Bulldogs Beat Fordham 68-63; No. 11 Butler Escapes Raucous Rose Hill Gym

By DAN GARTLAND EXECUTIVE SPORTS EDITOR

The Rose Hill Gym was abuzz on Saturday even before Fordham and No. 11 Butler tipped off. A sold-out crowd of 3,200 created a deafening roar inside the old gym, but when the clock hit zero, the only noise was the sound of the buzzer.

Butler started the game on a 6-0 run, quieting the crowd to some degree. But when senior forward Chris Gaston entered the game a little less than three minutes in, the fans greeted him with a hearty chorus of cheers. Gaston had missed the Rams’ previous seven games after re-aggravating the left knee injury which caused him to miss six games in November and early December.

“I wanted to bring Chris in so the crowd would get excited a couple minutes into the game and get them involved and engaged in the game,” Fordham head coach Tom Pecora said.

Despite the long absence, Gaston said he was not nervous.

“I was just feeling calm, just trying to get back into a rhythm,” he said. “I knew how strong my leg was. I wasn’t really trying to think about the leg. I was just trying to go out there and get a win.”

Gaston scored Fordham’s first five points, sparking a 9-1 run for the Rams, which brought a thunderous explosion of noise from the stands. The entire building seemed to shake, and one couldn’t help but wonder if the nearly 90-year-old gym would come crumbling down before the game was over.

A three-pointer from sophomore guard Bryan Smith produced another roar from the crowd and gave Fordham an 18-14 lead with 8:06 left in the first half. Butler got lucky a few seconds later, when the whistle blew for a foul and there was a break in the action for a media timeout.

Media timeouts provided only a slight reprieve from the heartpounding action. As soon as play resumed, the crowd was as unrelenting as ever.

Fordham held the lead until the 3:38 mark of the first half, when Butler’s Kellen Dunham hit a three to put the Bulldogs up 23-22. Fordham answered with a layup from freshman forward Ryan Rhoomes to put the Rams ahead.

Rhoomes played one of the best games of his young career, scoring eight points and recording eight rebounds while exciting his team and the crowd with his energetic style of play.

Butler closed out the first half on a 7-0 run and took a 30-26 lead into the locker room. The Rams came out hot to start the second half, though, going on a 7-0 run of their own to reclaim the lead at 35-30.

Then the tide started to turn.

Two quick baskets by Butler tied the game at 35. With 14:37 left to play, Butler’s Kameron Woods drove baseline and went up for a dunk. Rhoomes grabbed the ball while Woods was in the air and Woods went crashing to the floor.

Rhoomes was called for an intentional foul, which greatly upset

MICHAEL HAYES/THE RAM

Playing for the first time since Jan. 16, senior Chris Gaston tallied 21 points and six rebounds, but the Rams still lost.

Pecora. On Butler’s next possession, Pecora was given a technical foul after loudly voicing his displeasure. After the game, Pecora was critical of the call.

“Part of changing a culture is not having people come in this gym — including people in striped shirts — thinking they know the outcome of a game already,” he said. “I thought that was a hard, clean basketball play. I got a technical, and I wanted one, because I wanted to make sure the rest of the way we

got a whistle that we deserved, and I wanted to let them know that we were good enough to win that basketball game.”

Rhoomes also disagreed with the officials.

“I thought it was a bad call,” he said. “I’m playing hard, they’re playing hard. It’s a good ballgame so they just should have let us play.”

Butler head coach Brad Stevens, however, thought the referees made the right decision.

“It wasn’t a dirty play by any

means, but it is an intentional foul by the way the rule is written,” he said.

The play helped swing the momentum in Butler’s favor, as it came in the middle of a 13-0 Bulldogs run, during which they built an eight-point lead.

Gaston took over the game after the run. He scored 12 of his 21 points after the Butler run, mostly posting up against Butler’s Roosevelt Jones. At 6’4”, Jones is small for a forward, and the 6’7” Gaston

LI YANG/THE RAM

Junior Branden Frazier struggled for the fifth straight game. He was 1-9 from the field and scored only two points.

proved too difficult to contain. After the game, Stevens called Gaston “one heck of a player.”

Pecora said after the game that he was pleased with how his team played on the interior.

“Look at the size of these kids,” he said. “We’ve got big, powerful, skilled kids. With [sophomore center Ryan] Canty and Rhoomes and [freshman forward] Travion [Leonard] and obviously with Chris’s ability to play inside and out, I think that [post play] has to be our bread and butter. When you do that efficiently, it creates better opportunities for your guards.”

Despite Gaston’s dominance in the latter stages of the second half, Fordham was unable to pull even.

A pair of free throws from junior guard Branden Frazier made it 5955 with 2:28 left, but the Butler lead swelled to eight once again thanks to some clutch free throws from Bulldogs senior center Andrew Smith.

A pair of three-pointers by Fordham freshman guard Mandell Thomas made it 64-61 with 32 seconds left, at which point it became entirely plausible that Fordham might win.

The event staff removed the barrier between the student section and the court in preparation for a potential court storming.

After Fordham fouled to stop the clock and Butler’s Alex Barlow hit one of two free throws, Frazier found Leonard all by himself beneath the basket on a pick-and-roll.

Leonard put in a layup to make it 65-63.

Fordham stopped the clock again with a foul, and Butler’s Kellen Dunham made only one of his two shots, giving Fordham a chance. The Rams had the ball, trailing 66-63 with 18 seconds on the clock.

Sharpshooting sophomore forward Luka Zivkovic had entered the game with a little more than a minute left. With 10 seconds on the clock, the ball was in Zivkovic’s hands at the top of the three-point arc. He let it fly, but his shot was well off the mark and the rebound was secured by Butler. Fordham did not foul the Bulldogs’ Rotnei Clarke until there were only five seconds left on the clock. Clarke hit both shots to ice the game.

By the time Thomas’s desperate heave in the final seconds clanged off the iron, the heavy drapery of sound that enveloped the gym throughout the game had been lifted. It was suddenly quiet as the fans shuffled toward the exits while the band played “New York, New York.”

Despite the loss, Pecora was pleased with his team’s showing and saw the game as an indication that better days are ahead for his program.

“I said to the guys, ‘We’re knocking on the door,’” he said. “‘We got to kick it down. One night we’re going to kick the door down.’”

“After the performance we had tonight, why can’t we go win our next five games?” he continued. “I don’t understand why we can’t…

If we can build off this game, we’re going to be fine.”