The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 Volume 96, Issue 14
FordhamRam.com F dh R
SSeptember b 24, 2014
Feds Lead Fordham Rallies for Climate March Effort Against Students Join Ranks of Protesters in Manhattan By SAMANTHA FRANCO Sexual Assault CONTRIBUTING WRITER
COURTESY OF SAMANTHA MANDICH
Over 400,000 people from across the nation assembled on Central Park West on Sunday for the People’s Climate March in New York City, hoping to catch the attention of United Nations leaders before they debated on environmental action at the United Nations climate summit on Tuesday. The march was divided into six broad categories that each included an array of groups. At the forefront, indigenous peoples led the way for the multitude of marchers. Then followed students, labor unions, parents and children, political organizations, veterans, peace and justice groups, scientists, faith communities and LGBTQ groups, to name a few of the many types of people who came to support climate action. Fordham’s own Students for Environmental Awareness and Justice (SEAJ) club gathered a group of students to attend the march. Even professors, including Fordham Communications pro-
At the College Democrats’ first meeting last year, one of the club’s new members was curious about the College Democrats’ relationship with the College Republicans. “Do you guys even like, talk?”, the student asked. That was the first meeting for which Mike Billotti, GSB ’15, was sitting president. He still remembers that question, and a full year later, he continues to have trouble convincing people that he actually gets along well with the College Republicans. “Everyone thinks that we hate each other for some reason…I think people are going to have that perception regardless, because of what they see in the media,” Billotti, who is still president of the College Democrats, said. “But at the same time, if people still do see us in that way, it doesn’t really affect who we are. If they care enough to actually come out for one of our events, they’ll realize that’s not how the picture actually is.”
The People’s Climate March sought to catch the attention of the United Nations.
SEE CLIMATE, PAGE 5
SEE POLITICS, PAGE 5
By JOSEPH VITALE MANAGING EDITOR
President Obama’s administration last Friday advanced its initiative to combat sexual assault on college campuses by formally launching “It’s on Us,” a nationwide public service campaign that urges young people to play an active role in preventing sexual assaults on college campuses. According to White House officials, it attempts to shift how young Americans perceive sexual assault by urging all parties to take responsibility in preventing it. From its name, the campaign indicates there are not just two actors — a perpetrator and a victim — involved in an incident of sexual assault, but also preventative roles for others to assume. One way the White House is accomplishing this is by encouraging men — who make up the majority of perpetrators — to take a more active role and intervene in situations that they find potentially dangerous. “By getting men involved, we can change this way of thinking and create new social norms,” White House officials said on Friday. “Research shows that bystander intervention can be an effective way of stopping sexual assault before it happens, as bystanders play a key role in preventing, discouraging and/or intervening when an act of violence has the potential to occur.” This campaign is just one step in the Obama administration’s effort to leave a lasting impression on the issue of sexual assault in colleges across the country. The endeavor originally began in January of this year, when the president, along with Vice President Joe Biden, established the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault. It has worked closely with schools in preventing sexual assault, providing practical tools to help combat sexual assault. The new initiative invites users to formally commit to assisting in sexual assault prevention on college campuses. The initiative asks students to SEE WHITE HOUSE, PAGE 2
in this issue
Opinion Page 9 What Words Should We Use To Reference Assault?
Culture Page 11 iOS 8 Update Released, Talk of the Town
Sports Page 20 Fordham Football Dominates Columbia 49-7
Reps, Dems are Partisan but United BY KATIE MEYER NEWS EDITOR
Old Gym to Receive New Equipment, Says Athletics By MICHAEL CAVANAUGH ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Recently, students and faculty alike who regularly use the RamFit Center have experienced frustration in regard to the lack of space provided by the fitness facilities. A quick trip to the gym’s back room, where the free weights are closelyarranged in the narrow corridor, is all that one needs to understand the campus’ general attitude toward the current state of the fitness facilities. “The current gym situation is not only inconvenient, but is highly unsafe,” said Brandon Kim, FCRH ’15. “Between the issues with the fire code forcing the students to cramp into a compact space, and the severe lack of equipment and poor equipment choices on the administration’s part, the gym is really not a place of self-betterment.” Baggio Williams, FCRH ’15, shares Kim’s sentiments and disagrees strongly with the hasty manner in which the old gym was shut down. “I am extremely saddened and upset that the old gym was closed and disappointed in the sneaky way in which it was done, during the summer when most students were not on campus and with no attempts made at garnering student support or approval before the decision was made,” said Williams. In addition, Williams voices the general frustrations of those who try to perform some resistance training in the RamFit Center. “I find the new gym to be a night-
mare to work out in,” said Williams. Despite the claims that safety was one of the main impetuses behind the closing of the old gym, Williams also mentions the lack of safety in the RamFit Center’s free weight area. “Given the small size of the room, everyone who is exercising is in very close proximity to one another, which can be a recipe for an accident when dealing with free weights,” he explained. “Many times, I have had to dodge other people’s dumbbells from landing on my feet mid-exercise. This dense design is definitely
not compatible with free weights.” However, plans are in motion that may alleviate these feelings of frustration and complaints of unsafe conditions. The athletic department has designated the area of Lombardi Center situated above the squash courts. This room, which overlooks the squash courts, once housed an ample and varied array of resistance machines, which was a strong supplement to the free weights of the old university gym. Since its closure last year, a number of rumors have been circulating regarding how the university plans to use the now-
empty room in Lombardi Center. “We weren’t really sure what we were going to do with [that space],” said David Roach, director of intercollegiate athletics at Fordham University, “but it seems like the logical place because it has rubber floors and we’ll be able to put down platforms.” Because the room previously contained resistance equipment and already has rubber floors, there is no need for any major renovations to take place; it is ready to receive the new equipment, for which SEE GYM, PAGE 2
SAMUEL JOSEPH/THE RAM
Students will be relieved to hear that the room that once housed exercise machines will now be home to free weights.