The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 Volume 96, Issue 11
FordhamRam.com F dh R
Aprill 30 A 30, 2014
Spring Weekend Brings Spring Showers As Rain Falls, Cold War Kids Hang Students Out to Dry
Students Weigh In On Grad School By KATIE MEYER NEWS EDITOR
SAMUEL JOSEPH/THE RAM
For Spring Weekend 2014, Martyrs’ Lawn saw performances from mash-up DJ The Melker Project and rock bands Cartel and Cold War Kids. Despite a brief period of rain that dampened a mostly-sunny day, students flocked to the grassy field in front of Martyrs’ Court for the music, food and company. SEE SPRING WEEKEND, PAGE 11
USG Promises Busy Agenda for Next Year By AMINA BHATTI CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Nevin Kulangara, GSB ’15, newlyelected president of Rose Hill’s United Student Government (USG), has fresh ideas and projects to bring to the table, as well as old ones to tackle. In its first meeting under Kulangara’s presidency, USG discussed and reviewed the activities it is planning, as well as activities that are currently underway. USG has also picked its election commission for next term. The commission handles both marketing and the elections. “[The commission has to] make sure everything abides by the election code” Kulangara said. At the time of this interview, there was still one senate seat open, which USG hopes to fill soon. During the first meeting, along with voting to fill leadership positions, USG chose FUEMS (Fordham University Emergency Medical Services) as teh club of the year. In addition, USG members supported the fundraising efforts of Flash Magazine by sending out emails with the goal of allocating $200 for the cause. The actual fundraising event for Flash Magazine took place on April 21. One project that Kulangara hopes to make effective as USG President is the Fordham Student Holdings (FSH) Initiative, an organization designed to support on-campus businesses run by Fordham students. “Apparently, there is no section in the Fordham Student Handbook adSEE USG, PAGE 2
Martinez Added to Graduation Lineup By CONNOR RYAN & MAX PRINZ STAFF WRITER & SPORTS EDITOR
Tino Martinez, a former major league baseball player and the father of a graduating Fordham student, is slated to deliver the keynote address to the Class of 2014 during Fordham’s 169th Commencement at Rose Hill on May 17, according to a statement released by school officials Monday afternoon. School officials quickly removed the announcement, which was obtained by “Fordham Daily,” from Fordham’s website soon after it was mistakenly published Monday. After Fordham’s Board of Trustees approves the speaker selection on Thursday, administrators are expected to announce that Martinez will deliver this year’s commencement address. Martinez, 46, is celebrated for his illustrious 16 year career, in which he played on four teams and was twice recognized as a league All-Star. He is perhaps most remembered for his time spent at first base for the Yankees during four World Series victories in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000. Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, touted Martinez’s accomplished career and personal character in a statement. “Tino Martinez has advanced himself through hard work and perseverance, with humility and gratitude that are not just the hallmarks of good sportsmanship, but are the foundations of a life well lived,” he said in the statement. While a student at the University of Tampa, Martinez set school baseball
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McShane praised Martinez for his excellence, both on the field and in his life.
records by earning a .398 batting average and hitting 54 home runs over the course of three seasons. He also impressed many playing on the 1988 United States Olympic team. That year, Martinez left school before graduating to pursue his baseball dream when the Seattle Mariners drafted him in the first round. He looks back at that time fondly. “Winning the World Series was great,” Martinez told The New York Times in 1997. “But, getting to the major leagues in itself was also a great accomplishment, especially for someone like me.” He added, “I was always a good hitter. But I didn’t have speed or a great arm. I had to work extra hard to convince people that I could be a major leaguer.” Martinez would later return to the
University of Tampa to earn his bachelor’s degree, which he was awarded in 2011. The Mariners called him up on Aug. 20, 1990, months after his father – his perervering coach and the man he considered a guiding light in his life – suddenly died of a brain tumor at the age of 48. “I think he knows I made it,” Martinez told The Times, speaking of his father. “He always believed I would [make it to the major leagues]. I really believed. I don’t think he was just saying that.” After spending five years playing for the Mariners, carving out a reputation for himself, Martinez began playing for the Yankees, where he would spend five years. Martinez first came to the Bronx, N.Y., in 1996, as the centerpiece of SEE MARTINEZ, PAGE 3
When Daniel Krug, GSB ‘14, graduates this May, he, like many of his classmates, will not be attending graduate school. Krug, who majored in business administration with a minor in economics, is hoping to join a company that, in his words, “promotes economic welfare by providing loans to small businesses.” Several things factored into his decision not to seek further education, but Krug says that his primary reason for the choice was that it just made more sense for his career. “My reasons for choosing a degree in business were centered on alleviating poverty through economic development post graduation,” Krug explained. “Once I leave Fordham, I hope to immediately use my degree to achieve this goal.” Krug’s decision is not uncommon among today’s college students. According to a 2012 New York Times article, graduate enrollment surged in 2008 and 2009 as students sought to better their employment opportunities in the face of recession and a poor job market, but after those years it began to drop off. From fall 2010 to 2011, the number of students enrolling in masters and doctoral graduate programs declined by 1.7 percent, a significant figure. The article cites “increasing debt burden” as one of the reasons that many have begun to view entering the workforce as a more rational option than graduate school. Katie O’Brien, FCRH ‘14, is one of those students whose reasons for opting out of graduate school included financial constraints. “I have two younger brothers who will be attending college soon, and it does not make financial sense for my family to be paying for school for that many people,” O’Brien said. “Beyond that, taking out another set of loans for grad school is out of the question when I still have undergrad loans to worry about.” SEE GRAD, PAGE 3
in this issue
Opinion Page 7 Should Profanity be Permitted in Journalism?
Culture Page 11 Spring Weekend Takes Fordham by Storm
Sports Page 19 Softball Clinches A-10 title