The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 Volume 96, Issue 15
FordhamRam.com F dh R
October O b 11, 2014
In Walsh, Upgrades for Only a Few SLC Tackles Agenda,
Tables Two Items
By JOE VITALE MANAGING EDITOR
By MAX PRINZ
When the six residents of Walsh 1002 returned for their third year this past August, they discovered the apartment’s kitchen — a narrow pocket of space tucked between the living room and the apartment’s three bedrooms and two bathrooms — had been completely refurbished. Rid of dilapidated off-white cabinets and dated appliances, the space is now unrecognizable with marble countertops, pristine cabinets and a vibrant backsplash. For the 12th floor residents, what seemed like a pleasant surprise was actually the result of an unfinished plan by the Office of Residential Life to upgrade kitchens in the largest residential hall on campus this summer. “I had no idea we were one of the only residents in Walsh with new kitchens,” said John Craig, FCRH ’16, a resident of 1002. “I wouldn’t normally expect for them to make changes in some and not in others.” His suitemate, John Whalen, FCRH ’16, was just as impressed. “I thought it looked great,” he SEE KITCHENS, PAGE 5
SPORTS EDITOR
SAM JOSEPH/THE RAM
The kitchens had several updates, including new countertops and cabinets.
The Student Life Council held its inaugural meeting of the semester on Wednesday, Sept. 24, in the newly renovated Bepler Commons in Faber Hall. The council tabled two of its more popular executive board discussion items, the Sexual Misconduct Initiatives and the Sex and Gender Equity Safety Student (S.A.G.E.S.) Coalition, for continuation at next month’s meeting. The discussions on sexual misconduct and S.A.G.E.S. were easily the two main topics, with several members of the student gallery offering testimony and questions for council members. The Medical Amnesty Policy and the unease of the student population over changes to the RamFit Center were also discussed. The issues of S.A.G.E.S. and contraception on campus was the final discussion item on the agenda, but it was the most anticipated. Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students Christopher Rodgers attempted to clarify the university’s policy on the distribution of contraceptives on campus. Rodgers reiterated that the
distribution of condoms on campus is in violation of the university’s policy on contraceptives. Students are not, however, prohibited from possessing contraception. "[The distribution of contraception] is a violation of the policy, there's no question," Rodgers said. "If this is surprising, that at a Catholic, Jesuit University there is this policy on birth control, that surprises me. One of the things that we have been very eager to address is the complete misunderstanding that it is somehow a violation to possess birth control. That is not the case." Rodgers also said that no investigation was underway to determine the identities of the students behind the S.A.G.E.S. coalition and that he welcomed further discussion with the group. "No, I don't think we're trying to investigate students who dropped a bunch of condoms on the floor of President's Ball," Rodgers said. "I've invited this group to come and talk with me. Over the past couple days I've heard pretty resoundingly that they are not interested in coming and talking with me." SEE SLC, PAGE 2
Business Former Archbishop of Canterbury Talks Orthodoxy Schools to be Unified By EDDIE MIKUS STAFF WRITER
By ERIN SHANAHAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Gabelli School of Business and the Graduate School of Business Administration just commenced a yearlong process of unification this summer. The integration officially began July 1 under the supervision of Donna Rapaccioli, dean of the Gabelli School of Business. Rapaccioli works with the university president and provost, the board of trustees and the business faculty to plan the future of the business school for 2020. In addition, she leads the 140 full-time business faculty members as well SEE BUSINESS, PAGE 6
in this issue
Opinion Page 7 Literary Censorship Prevents Discussion
Culture Page 11 Are Funny Females an Oxymoron?
Sports Page 20 Fordham Wins First Patriot League Game Since 2009
The Orthodox Christian Studies Center held its 10th “Orthodoxy in America” lecture on Sept. 30, featuring Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 until 2012 and the current master of Magdalene College at the University of Cambridge. “The lecture is about 10 years old and it is the only lecture of its kind in the United States in terms of size and scope,” said Dr. George Demacopoulos, the director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center. “It is the largest annual public lecture of its kind in a university. Some of the past speakers included Archbishop Dimitrios, who is the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in the United States. We’ve also [hosted] Patriarch Bartholomew, the ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, which is the worldwide leader of the Orthodox Communion.” The Orthodox Christian Studies Center’s mission is to “foster intellectual inquiry by supporting scholarship and teaching that is critical to the ecclesial community, public discourse and the promotion of Christian unity.” Lectures like the “Orthodoxy in America” provide a forum for discussion of Christian unity. Williams focused on ways to apply Orthodox teachings to a larger Christian context. Despite his Anglican background, Williams is also an Or-
thodoxy scholar. Demacopoulos explained that, despite William’s Anglican background, he was an ideal lecturer for the event. “He is one of the most visible and important theologians in the world today,” Demacopoulos said. “He’s retired now, but he is the former Archbishop of Canterbury, which is the head of the Anglican Communion…[He has] continued to write about and reflect about and be inspired by Orthodox Christianity.” Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, gave the ceremony’s introductory remarks.
“You have truly become Pontifex Anglicanus, the Anglican bridge builder,” McShane said. “You have built bridges of understanding and love between and among peoples and between and among faiths.” Williams began his lecture by discussing the teachings of the Orthodox scholar Olivier Clément. He then proceeded to explain how this concept of humanity is incorporated into Christian teachings. “What Christians claim is that human existence is addressed by an act that is completely beyond the categories of nature, of repeatable process,” Williams said. “So our
humanity is eternal, taken beyond repeatable processes and capable of responsibility, in the strictest sense of the word,” said Williams. He described how this eternal humanity leads to a Christian hunger for the Eucharist that would exhibit this humanity. He explained how the human and divine worlds are linked to each other through the liturgy and the Eucharist. Williams also discussed the importance of the liturgy in Christian celebrations as a way to bridge the gap between the living and dead. SEE ORTHODOXY, PAGE 6
MARIA ANCONA/THE RAM
Rowan Williams, the former archbishop of Canterbury, discussed Orthodoxy and the role humanity and divinity play.
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SECURITY BRIEFS Sept. 24 2357 Hughes Avenue 11 p.m. A neighbor contacted Fordham Public Safety when he observed four males loitering outside of the student’s residence. Two of the males stood watch on the street as the remaining two climbed over the fence of Hughes House and entered the alleyway. They returned several minutes later with two bikes. Students later reported the bikes missing, but declined to contact N.Y.P.D. Sept. 24 Subway Station 10 p.m. A Fordham student was arrested for jumping a turnstile in a Bronx subway station. Sept. 27 2426 Hoffman Street 1:30 a.m. Two Fordham students living in non-Fordham housing were hanging out with two local Bronx acquaintances. The students left and returned at roughly 4 a.m. to find that their apartment had been broken into. Their door was damaged and one of the student’s laptops was stolen. N.Y.P.D. was contacted and were able to apprehend one of the suspects and recover the laptop. An investigation to find the other suspect is ongoing. Sept. 28 2466 Hughes Avenue 10 p.m. A Fordham Public Safety supervisor responded to an offcampus residence when he observed objects being thrown from the rooftop and from balconies. An investigation of the incident is ongoing.
Boyle and ‘Homies’ Preach Compassion By KATHRYN WOLPER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On Wednesday, Sept. 24, Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J., founder and executive director of Homeboy Industries, and “homie” Louis Perez brought a message of kinship and justice to Fordham. “Homeboy Industries serves high-risk, formerly gang-involved men and women with a continuum of free services and programs, and operates several social enterprises that serve as job-training sites,” reads homeboyindustries.org. The Los Angeles-based organization provides employment services, tattoo removal, educational programs, case management, legal services and counseling. Homeboy Industries is the largest gang-intervention recovery and re-entry program in the U.S. and operates 10 businesses, including a bakery, a diner, multiple cafes and a silkscreen and embroidery shop. The representatives of Homeboy Industries were guests of the West Wing Integrated Learning Community for Ignatian Leadership and Civic Service. The West Wing ILC focuses on public policy problems during the fall semester and formulates solutions on a tangible, local level during the spring semester. Dr. Robert Hume, faculty director of
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J., has worked tirelessly with his organization, Homeboy Industries, to rehabilitate former gang members.
the West Wing and professor of Political Science, said that, in planning this year’s West Wing syllabus last spring, making the program more structured was a serious goal. Bridget Brennan, FCRH ’16, RA for the West Wing ILC, suggested Fr. Boyle’s Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion as required reading for the program. A California native, Brennan has volunteered at Homeboy and heard Boyle speak multiple times. The process of bringing Boyle to Fordham began last April when the West Wing ILC RAs and directors began working on the curriculum for this year. “When considering the Jesuit mission and its connection to political
and civic action, Tattoos on the Heart immediately came to mind,” said Brennan. Brennan then reached out to Boyle and invited him to speak to the West Wing students. When university administrators heard about the West Wing’s special guest, they asked that the talk be opened to the entire Fordham community. Alongside the sophomores and juniors of West Wing, the freshmen in the Manresa program attended Boyle’s talk as part of their integrated learning curriculum. “Tattoos on the Heart is all about stories and the unbreakable connection of a story,” said Louis Perez, who was rehabilitated through Homeboy Industries. Perez has now worked at Homeboy for almost nine
years. Working at Homeboy is about infusing people with “the idea that they are better than the worst thing they’ve done in their life,” said Perez. “Homies” like Louis feel nothing less than admiration for Boyle. “Stand on the margins with the poor, powerless and voiceless until the margins disappear,” said Boyle, whose talk included a call to justice, humorous anecdotes about life at Homeboy and heartbreaking stories of loss. Homeboy Industries brings together members of rival gangs in pursuit of a common goal: life in an area with the highest concentration of gang violence in the United States. “If love is the answer, community is the context and tenderness is the methodology,” said Boyle.
Latest SLC Meeting Addressed Top Issues FROM SLC, PAGE 1
"I will say that the group that did this is edging into [and] brushing up against disrespect for the religious traditions, which I think is unfor-
tunate," Rodgers added. "Civil disagreement is encouraged. That's part of why we have this meeting, so we can talk about what we agree on and what we disagree on. Dropping con-
Sept. 28 2551 Hoffman Street 1 a.m. Fordham Public Safety responded to a large, disorderly party with a couple hundred students. The party spilled onto the street and N.Y.P.D responded to the scene with several units. The students were then ordered to disperse, and they complied with the order. —Compiled by Michael Cavanaugh, Assistant News Editor
October 1, 2014
SAMUEL JOSEPH/THE RAM
Among the issues discussed at the meeting was addressing sexual misconduct.
doms in public places? That's pretty disrespectful, not only of the policy, but of the institution that we're all affiliated with." The discussion on sexual misconduct, which preceded the SAGES discussion, began with an update from United Student Government’s Sexual Assault Task Force. The task force had its first meeting Tuesday night and spoke about several of its goals, chief of which is establishing a center for victims of sexual assault. "We discussed a lot of what we want to do," said Caroline Corwin, co-chair of USG's Task Force on Sexual Assault. She continued, "One of our subcommittees is trying to help victims of sexual assault. We're thinking of trying to have a center or specific people in the counseling center actually trained to deal with that. I know that people at the counseling center are really good, and have been good with that so far, but I think having specific people and a specific organization to deal with that would be much better."
Dean Rodgers shared initiatives related the Campus Assault and Relationship Education (C.A.R.E.) program and welcomed the conversation about sexual misconduct. Rodgers hopes that fewer cases go unreported. "We need to be doing all of the above when it comes to sexual assault on campus," Rodgers said. "In an environment where we know college students are not reporting these things, we can conjecture as much as we want, but we really don't have a clear idea. So, 25, 21, whatever that number is, as dean of students I want that number [the number of people who report sexual assaults] to rise so that we can have more people we can help, more people we can address who perhaps don't understand that sex without consent is unacceptable in our community. The more reports we get, the more opportunity we have to change the culture." The Student Life Council meets on the final Wednesday of every month at 2:30 p.m. Meetings are always open to the public.
This Week at Fordham Thursday Oct. 2 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead Collins Auditorium 8 p.m. Students are performing in the Mimes and Mummers performance of Tom Stoppard’s play, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.” The show will continue through the Oct. 5, when there will be a 2 p.m. show.
Friday Oct. 3
Sunday Oct. 5
Annual Eid Dinner
Autism Speaks 5k Walk
Campbell Commons 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
McGinley Center 10:30 a.m.
The Muslim Students Association is hosting its annual celebration of the Eid holiday. There will be free Indian food and a chance to get Henna tattoos done by Operation Dreamcatchers.
Fordham’s Autism Speaks chapter will hold its annual 5k walk/ run in order to raise awareness for autism. All donations made to the event will go directly to the Autism Speaks organization.
Monday Oct. 6 College Republicans Host Kimberly Strassel Keating 3rd Auditorium 7 p.m. The College Republicans are hosting a lecture and discussion that will be given by Wall Street Journal columnist Kimberley Strassel. This lecture will be presented on the consequences of the 2014 midterms.
For more campus events, visit FordhamRam.com
Tuesday Oct. 7 Midnight Run McGinley Center 8 p.m. The GO! office is sponsoring its monthly midnight run. Students who are interested in taking part this month are encouraged to sign up outside of McGinley 205E. Space is limited. A $10 deposit, which will be reimbursed at the event, is required.
NEWS
October 1, 2014
Page 3 FORDHAM IN THE BRONX
Lauded Fordham Alum Young Grad Pushes Others Beyond Gates Returns to Campus By JEFF COLTIN
By MICHAEL CAVANAUGH ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
“I never would have imagined it would have lasted 40 years,” said Malcolm Moran, FCRH ’75, the founder of WFUV’s sports talk show “One on One,” which is now New York’s longest-running sports call-in show. “We were just trying to make it on a week-to-week basis.” What Moran did not anticipate was “One on One” becoming a launching pad for many famous sportscasters. In the following years, play-by-play legends like Mike Breen, FCRH ’83, voice of the NBA, Michael Kay, FCRH ’82, voice of the Yankees on YES, and Chris Carrino, FCRH ’92, the radio voice of the Brooklyn Nets honed their on-air skills here. Others were able to maintain their talk-radio roots in their current careers such as, Kay, Tony Reali, FCRH ’99, host of Around the Horn, Andrew Bogusch, FCRH ’02, a host/anchor on CBS Sports Radio Network and Ryan Ruocco, FCRH ’08, host of Ruocco and Rothenberg and the Michael Kay show. Moran, with this list in mind, joked about comparisons between WFUV and other stations. “I just say ‘Vin Scully’ [FCRH’49],” Moran said. “Check mate.” On Sept. 29, these and many more alumni and current students of the WFUV sports program as well as members of Fordham, gathered at Frankie and Johnnie’s Pine Restaurant in the Bronx to celebrate the show’s 40th anniversary. The event functioned as both a way to remember all this show’s history as well as commemorate its current executive producer, Bob Ahrens. Breen, Kay and Carrino spoke of the early days at the program, which for Breen and Kay was entirely student run. Breen was even able to highlight a current student in his speech, recognizing Kenny Ducey, FCRH ’15, as an example of how to act in a press conference. Ducey was astounded by the compliment. “It was really unexpected,” he said. “I’d asked players a few questions while working at Knicks media, and he happened to be in the back.
By RYAN CHAND BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT
Business News Recap: On Monday, Sept. 22, the U.S. Treasury Department tightened tax rules that will inhibit companies from performing tax inversions. A tax inversion is defined as a domestic company purchasing a foreign company with the goal of avoiding paying the U.S. corporate taxes. The treasury has stated “the notice eliminates certain techniques inverted companies currently use to access the overseas earnings of foreign subsidiaries of the U.S. company that inverts without paying U.S. tax.” This notice will also impede future inversions by making such deals less economically appealing, which is the main catalyst for a domestic company to pursue an inversion. Corporate tax inversions have become ever more popular as
Considering it was Mike Breen who said it, that’s some pretty high praise.” In the second half of the evening, Reali, Bogusch and Ruocco focused their speeches on Ahrens, who has been at the station for the past 18 years.. “I was Bob’s special project,” Reali said. He joked that Marty Glickman, the award-winning play-by-play broadcaster who coached the students both before Ahrens and with him, told him that his voice, thick with a Jersey/Staten Island accent, would never get him on air. Reali continued with stories about Ahrens. “If Bob ever put ‘very’ in front of ‘good’, he was talking about Spero [Dedes],” he said. Dedes, FCRH ’01, was unable to attend the dinner after his relocation to California. However, he did send a video discussing his affection and respect for Ahrens. The legendary Scully also sent a video played at the event, congratulating Ahrens for his 18 years at the station and the product of students it has turned out. Acclaimed NBC sportscaster Bob Costas, a graduate of Ahrens’ alma mater, Syracuse, also sent a video, joking with Ahrens about his persistent nature, which he conceded was good for the students over whom he presided. The event was organized by Linda Duhaime Candeias, the executive assistant at WFUV, Bobby Ciafardini, the assistant sports producer at WFUV and a student committee including Kelly Kultys, FCRH ’15, Marelle Cerven, FCRH ’15, Anthony Pucik, FCRH ’16, Sean Hahner, FCRH ’16, Drew Casey, FCRH ’17, and Brendan Bowers, GSB ’17. Casey, also a sports writer for The Fordham Ram, believed the event, though it took a lot of work to put together, was memorable. “Helping to plan the dinner had its challenges, but experiencing them allowed us to set up an extraordinary event,” said Casey. “It was an event I’ll remember for a very long time.” “One on One” is on from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday, unless there is Fordham football or basketball.
BRONX CORRESPONDENT
Becky Peters stood in front of a classroom, pausing in thought for just a second to consider a deceptively easy question: “What’s the fastest way to Central Park?” “Well, Central Park is huge!” she started. “It depends on where you want to go…”, and Peters dove into an exhaustive account of D trains, Ram Vans, park geography and hot spots. Peters, GSB ’12, GBA ‘13, will have to get used to questions like that. She has just launched an initiative called “Beyond the Gates” to educate Rose Hill students about places to go and things to do outside of Fordham’s gated campus. She said she founded it for students like her, “so they don’t live in the Bronx for six years… without ever hearing [about] or being able to go to City Island or any of these various places.” “Beyond the Gates” was inspired by a trip Peters took to that quaint neighborhood off the Bronx’s east coast. “I went to City Island for this first time this summer, in 2014, and I’ve been living in the Bronx since 2008. I thought that was an issue.” Peters first came to the Bronx six years ago for her freshman year at Fordham. She was a star high school basketball player in Plainsboro, New Jersey, and was recruited to play for the Rams. She said that she made her decision to come to Fordham as soon as she saw the banner hanging in
the gym. “‘New York is my campus, Fordham is my school.’ That literally sold me,” she said. After living on campus for her four years of undergraduate study, she stayed in the Bronx, renting an apartment off-campus while attending the Graduate School of Business at Lincoln Center and working in public accounting in Manhattan. “Beyond the Gates” is still in its early stages. There is a Facebook group where Peters posts information on student deals and events happening in the Bronx. She’s gone from business to business on Arthur Avenue and on City Island asking about student deals. She has dreams of partnering up with Fordham admissions. “There’s actually a woman who does Arthur Avenue food tours,” Peters said. “I think in addition to an oncampus tour, that would be a great asset to a prospective student. You’re getting Fordham on-campus, but you’re also getting everything that goes with it, which is Arthur Avenue.” Peters fielded the fastest-way-toCentral Park question at an event on Wednesday, Sept. 24, by Fordham’s Office for International Services. It was her first time presenting “Beyond the Gates” to a group, and talked for more than an hour. The accountant relished the chance for a creative project. “This is definitely an outlet,” Peters said. “I don’t get to do much talking at work.” Christina Gaskin, GSB ’15, appreciated the presentation for teaching about “different places that I can go
and see, places that people don’t traditionally associate with New York.” She mentioned Orchard Beach, a single bus ride away from Rose Hill, as an example. Jessica Yang, FCRH ’17 was not so convinced. She says she does not really like the Bronx, and the presentation did not make her think differently. “I prefer Long Island where you get trees, and grass, and fresh air,” she said. However, she had a lot of questions and was glad Peters could answer them. Despite Yang’s protestations, “Beyond the Gates” is just focused on the Bronx for now. But Peters is not opposed to expanding in the future. “New York City is so huge!” she said. “People are going to explore Manhattan on their own, but there are a couple gems I want to emphasize in the Bronx before we get too broad.” Those hidden gems include the Bronx Equestrian Center in Pelham Bay Park, where Peters said she just went horseback riding for $20, and Bay Plaza Shopping Center, recently expanded in the Northeast Bronx with an H&M and a Macy’s. As for the fastest way to Central Park—or almost anywhere—Peters has a simple piece of advice: “There are buses that take you to the D train. A lot of students, a lot of alumni think that you have to walk up the hill to get to the subway system… That’s what I want every Fordham student to know; they don’t have to walk up the hill to the D train!”
JEFF COLTIN/THE RAM
Becky Peters, GSB ‘12, hopes that one day she can partner with Fordham Admissions.
is noted with Burger King’s recent takeover of Canadian franchise Tim Horton’s. On Wednesday, Sept. 24, Apple pulled its iOS 8 upgrade as users were experiencing problems with dropped cellular service and difficulty using the phone’s finger sensor on the company’s latest update. In addition, Apple was attacked with reports over multiple media platforms that the new iPhone 6 Plus was bending in users’ pockets. Apple shares fell sharply amid this news and triggered a large sell-off that pulled the Nasdaq 100 Index to 4466.75, which was its worst performance level since April. Apple reported that only a handful of users have experienced bent phones and social media fueled the sell-off. Apple is currently updating its iOS 8 software and is expected to release an update some time in the coming weeks.
On Friday, Sept. 26, investment firm Starboard Value LP emailed Yahoo’s CEO, Marissa Mayer, regarding a recent purchase of stock in Yahoo. The email did not declare how much of the company Starboard owns; however, the notice laid out several measures that Starboard advises Yahoo to pursue. According to the email, these measures include “realizing substantial cost efficiencies by reducing expenses throughout the Company,” and “exploring a strategic combination with AOL, Inc.” Starboard strongly believes merging with AOL will improve Yahoo’s competitive position among advertising rivals, such as Google and Facebook, and experience cost synergies of up to $1 billion. Mayer released a statement on Friday stating that Yahoo would review Starboard’s letter, and the board is committed to maximizing shareholder value.
Legendary bond investor and founder of Pacific Investment Management Co., Bill Gross, has decided to leave PIMCO and join Denverbased rival firm Janus Capital Group. Mr. Gross’ decision was driven by lackluster returns, causing clients to move billions of dollars out of the fund. The move was also precipitated by frequent altercations between Mr. Gross and other executies at PIMCO. Bill Gross released a statement after his decision stating that Janus is, “the right fit at the right time in my career—and my life.” Before his departure, Mr. Gross was earning $200 million per year; however, he will not receive a severance package for his departure. As of Sept. 29, the 70-year-old ‘Bond King’ will start his position at Janus and operate a newly created unconstrained bond fund that has $13 million under assets.
Markets: The major indices experienced huge positive and negative swings as investors faced concerns over global growth, specifically in China, and deepening troubles overseas. The Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced a gain of 167.35 points, or 1 percent and closed at 17113.15. The biggest gainer for the Dow Jones was Nike, whose shares rose 12 percent, or $9.75 to $89.50 after reporting a large increase in quarterly profits. The S&P 500 posted a 1.4 percent loss for the week and closed at 1982.85. The Nasdaq Composite Index saw similar volatility throughout the week and closed at 4512.19 on Friday. The US dollar continues to climb as global investors now prefer the greenback over other international currencies. The dollar is currently trading at a two-year high against the Euro at $1.27.
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October 1, 2014
News Briefs & Bites • On Monday, Sept. 22, a panel at Fordham Law school discussed the erosion of Russian and Western relations since the origin of Vladimir Putin’s presidency at Fordham’s School of Law. The panel, entitled “Back to the Future of U.S.-Russia Relations,” discussed the difficult road facing Russia and the United States in terms of dealing with Putin’s immediate regime and Western distaste for current Russian nationalist sentiments. The panel was moderated by Stephen Holmes, Ph.D., professor at New York University School of Law,
and featured Stephen Sestanovich, Ph.D., professor at Columbia University, Kimberly Marten, Ph.D., professor at Barnard College, and Mark Galeotti, Ph.D., professor at New York University. • Renowned Fordham theologian Elizabeth Johnson, C.S.J., engaged in a public debate entitled “Evolution and Creation: A Dialogue toward Ethics” at the Corrigan Conference Center on the Lincoln Center campus on Sept. 24 in support of a renewed Christian understanding of the
value of all life on earth and a call to end global human destruction. Among the transgressions Johnson highlighted include pollution, overconsumption and human overpopulation, which have contributed to the destruction of species and natural environments and have created innumerable problems for the world’s impoverished population. Johnson, best known for her work She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse (1991), for which she became the fourth recipient of the University of Louisville and Louis-
ville Presbyterian Theological Seminary Grawemeyer Award, has published her new book this year, entitled Ask the Beasts: Darwin and the God of Love (2014). • On Friday, Sept. 26, a number of global poverty and development experts congregated at Fordham Lincoln Center in order to initiate discussions that will aid in apprising Pope Francis’ answer to the growing needs of an ever-developing world. This event, “Poverty and Development: A Catholic Perspective,” co-sponsored by the International Political Econ-
omy and Development Program at Fordham and entesimus Annus Pro Pontifice (CAPP), a Vatican foundation whose goal is to promote the social teachings of the Catholic Church, was attended by a diverse delegation which included the Vatican secretary of state, Pietro Cardinal Parolin, and General Roméo Dallaire, the UN force commander during the Rwandan Hutu-Tutsi genocide of 1994. This conference was one of three that will take place worldwide before offering their results to Pope Francis during the spring.
Photo of the Week
KELLYN SIMPKINS/THE RAM
Asian Cultural Exchange and Fordham University Philippine American Club kicked off the semester with a mixer. Members came together and get to know one another in preparation for working together in the coming year. The two clubs are the largest Asian clubs on campus, and boast a fairly large membership.
Harrington Talks Deans’ Council, Future Search for New Dean BY LAURA SANICOLA ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
New channels of communication, new faculty and a new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences — these are among the things that Dean Harrington expects the Fordham community to experience in the near future. According to Harrington, Dr. Stephen Freedman, the provost of Fordham University, will be announcing the search for a new permanent dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. At the convocation earlier this year, Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, stated that the search for a new dean would be national and include both internal as well as external candidates. As an interim dean and current dean of faculty, Harrington is not a candidate for the position. “This search for a dean in this particular role has historical significance, as the undergraduate college is the biggest and one for the most successful parts of Fordham University,” said Harrington. “Father McShane was a dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, which speaks for itself.” Harrington assumed the position of interim dean in April 2014 after former dean Michael Latham announced his departure. Harrington works above Dr. Carla Romney, Rev. John Dzieglewicz, S.J. and Dr. Rosemary Cooney, the current associate deans at Fordham. “In the past year, we have created a more clearly defined hierarchy of
deans that the new incoming dean will be able to use for effectiveness and communication.” According to Harrington, the provost will release a job description outlining qualifications Fordham is seeking in its next dean of Arts and Sciences. However, he does not expect that it will be radically different than those traditionally posted. “The school wants an academic leader who will develop programs sought by students and who can communicate effectively with students, faculty and alumni,” he said.
In order to further improve communications between students and administration, the United Student Government is continuing the Dean’s Council, which will be comprised of individuals representing all four classes at Fordham College at Rose Hill. Nicholas Sawicki, FCRH ’15, and vice president of Fordham College at Rose Hill, will act as the chairman and manager of the council. “The primary focus [of the council] is to advise Dean Harrington on a variety of issues but to also formulate programming and enacting various
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Among other things, Harrington expects to see new communication channels.
initiatives to better the academic life of the college,” said Sawicki. “This semester, we are focusing on supporting and promoting new opportunities for research with a research database coming online, making career services more accessible to liberal arts students through residence hall program programming and promoting study abroad and prestigious fellowships.” Another important channel of communication between administration and students is through the Fordham Club, which was established in 1954. It comprises 30 seniors who were nominated by faculty based on their academic record and involvement in extracurricular activities. “The Fordham Club is about making this group of students define the final year for the class,” said Harrington. “Community outreach programs and aid for pregnant students, victims of sexual assault and disabled students were among the issues we discussed at our first meeting on Sept. 23. As the dean of faculty, Harrington is highly aware of faculty concerns. Other than the ongoing healthcare negotiations taking place, Harrington states that faculty and administration are currently in negotiation over annual salary adjustment. He also indicated how the size of the class of 2018 was going to affect the size of the faculty. “Fr. McShane is public about maintaining that at least 60 percent of all the courses are going to be taught by full-time faculty,”
he said. “That means we need to hire more full-time faculty.” Harrington reports that the university has hired about 100 faculty members in the past five years. “The concern always exists that if the university does not hire enough faculty in certain disciplines, there will be no professors covering areas that hold student interest.” In particular, Fordham has hired several new science faculty members and a new Dean of Science Carla Romney as part of a campaign to expand the sciences on campus. “All of the faculty we hire are exceptional, but Fordham’s lack of laboratory space sometimes poses a challenge when trying to recruit faculty in the hard sciences,” he said. “We are maxed out on space on the Rose Hill campus.” In particular, Fordham is concerned with increasing office space, creating new facilities and upgrading classrooms. He estimates that around 10 more classrooms become “smart classrooms” each summer. However, all these endeavors are costly, and student tuition is used for many of the operations. “Critics of higher education believe that private school is overpriced and value is not there,” Harrington said. “Offering scholarships is important, but it only masks the real issue at hand. As a Catholic and Jesuit school, we don’t want Fordham to be considered a luxury item. The task remains on how to be accessible and remain financially solvent.”
NEWS
October 1, 2014
Page 5
Walsh Kitchens Earn Mixed Reviews From Students FROM KITCHENS, PAGE 1
said while peering into the radiant room from a maroon sofa in the apartment’s communal space. The plan to remodel many of the kitchens, however, was cut short during the summer due to limited resources and time. According to John Puglisi, associate vice president of facilities management, 14 kitchens have been redone in Walsh Hall this year. The move has turned a select group of typically skeptical students into grateful residents now equipped with state-of-the-art appliances. It has also made existing skeptics even more frustrated, leaving them questioning why some rooms were passed over for upgrades. Mitch Feehley, GSB ’16, is a resident of Walsh Hall and, along with his five suitemates, he has begun to feel the negative effects of being left behind in the upgrade. “New kitchen, old kitchen: they don’t even compare,” said Feehley. “Cooking in a kitchen with outdated and barely-working appliances is a challenge.” “There are years of caked-on dirt around and underneath the appliances, which presents a
health/food safety risk, too,” he added. “The cabinets are falling apart and are decrepit. With the meal plan as an additional option, not standard like in underclassmen dorms, this kitchen doesn’t meet my needs to prepare food well and safely.” According to Edward Pena, the assistant director of housing operations for Residential Life, the upgrades arrived at a time when utilities were beginning to wear and the building itself needed some new additions to remain attractive for students living on campus. “We did it because of some things [Residential Life] has heard about it in the past,” he said. “Appliances were outdated and some utilities had turnover time of five years” The upgrades, said Pena, were made to maintain student safety and to ensure that Fordham’s facilities were as modern as possible. The particular placement of new kitchens, he added, were left to the mercy of a variety of factors the department had to face in June once its students had left for the summer. “They were based on observations of those spaces,” Pena said, adding that if rooms were beyond
repair, the kitchen would be replaced because it would be more economical to do so. “Also, depending on the particular floor and room location, plumbing could determine whether a kitchen was replaced,” he added. Some students, like those in Walsh, thought that it would be helpful to have had information regarding the updates during the room selection process. But, according to Pena, that would be logistically impossible. “It was a decision made over the summer,” he said, adding that Residential Life does not plan on disturbing students to assess damage during the academic year, but waits for the building to be free of inhabitants to conduct its own inspections. “The number one thing is understanding that room selection is stressful and be transparent,” Pena added. The move underscores the finicky relationships students have with residence hall facilities, especially kitchens. Typically, students moving into Walsh look forward to making use of their private kitchens, an amenity not found in any of the underclassman residence halls on campus.
The privilege of upperclassmen, however, can often sour if students discover their new kitchen is in poor shape. “It’s a bit harder of an adjustment in cooking,” said Alexis Jimenez, FCRH ’16, another resident of the building. “Things tend to cook differently due to the older appliances and you need to keep an eye on your food more.” Stephanie Espejo, GSB ’16, sees the kitchen as one of the few aspects of Walsh apartments that keep them from fulfilling a modern aesthetic some other buildings have been designed to emulate, such as the Salice Conley and Campbell Halls, where senior students primarily live. “I don’t think they’re too bad but they’re not great either,” she said. “They’re the one room that keeps the apartment looking old, especially after seeing that some apartments come with new kitchens—which is probably why the old ones bothers me more.” In years past however, upgraded appliances — which have included electric stoves and large refrigerators — have been warmly welcomed by most students. For the most part, the newest results are mixed. “Our kitchen works just as well as the new ones, which is the only
thing that really matters,” said Elena Meuse, FCRH ’16. “This is our dorm, not our permanent residence.” “I’m not too concerned about how aesthetically pleasing it is,” she added. Sam Banellis, FCRH ’16, is also a resident of the building. “I don’t really mind not having a new kitchen, because it’s not like I’m the only one without a remodeled kitchen,” he said. “The old ones are still functional and the only difference seems to be appearance. It seems like most of the kitchens aren’t remodeled yet.” As for ongoing upgrades during the academic year, Pena said the process leads to more work and disturbance than it is worth. “We did some during last year, between six and seven, and we realized the disruption was just too much,” he said. “The timeline for turnover of materials can be days or weeks, and we did not want to do that to students this year because students need them.” Though he does not plan on replacing any kitchens anytime soon, Pena added that it is most likely that all of the kitchens will be upgraded in time for next fall, when students of the Class of 2017 move into the building.
Student Organization Hungry to Tackle Eating Disorders By KELLY KULTYS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Thirty million people — both men and women — in the United States will suffer from a significant eating disorder in their lifetime, according to the Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association. In fact, the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) cites, “Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder, and a suicide rate that is 50 times higher than that of the general population.” Despite their prevalence, especially in college-aged women and men, eating disorders are one of the least talked about illnesses. “College students…do not seek treatment for many reasons. They may be trying to hide their disorder due to shame,” ANAD states. “They may not even realize that they have a serious health problem or may mistakenly regard their disorder as something they will grow out of.” Additionally, their friends may not understand what they are going through or how to help them. Three students at Fordham are looking to change that. Emily Grasso, FCRH ’17, Corina Minden-Birkenmaier, FCRH ’17, and Robin Tornatore, GSB ’17 are trying to change the culture that can perpetrate eating disorders. They are currently in the process of creating a club titled “FedUp” which hopes to help students reduce the traits that cause eating disorders, such as a negative body image and the prevalence of dieting and body-shaming in society. “You can realize that you don’t have to talk about yourself that way; you don’t have to assess oth-
SAMUEL JOSEPH/THE RAM
The goal of “Fed Up” is to lend a hand in alleviating the factors that lead to eating disorders, which affect 30 million men and women in the United States.
er people that way,” Grasso said. “We really want to start a dialogue about that — to make people more self-aware and try to pass on that message.” The women believe a lot of these symptoms stem from the highly competitive environment that students endure before they get into college. “It’s so frustrating to us in a school like Fordham, a school with a lot of high-achieving students who worked really hard in high school and were in high pressure environments — [eating disorders] are a symptom of that,” Grasso said. Tornatore added, “People with eating disorders are high-achieving individuals who turn their eating
disorder into another way to compete.” This club, however, is not meant to be a support group or provide counseling support, as they are not certified to do so. However, they plan to share information about the many resources Fordham has to offer for students battling eating disorders. At Fordham, students can work confidentially with a joint team from Counseling and Psychological Services and University Health Services to treat their conditions. Students can be referred or walk in under their own volition. “We want to promote the resources we have on campus,” Grasso said. “People need to be made aware that it’s OK to ask for help
when something like this is happening. It’s not something that you should be embarrassed of.” The students believe that many do not understand the beginnings of their disordered thinking. “We want to try and help people realize that you don’t have to be diagnosed with a textbook eating disorder in order to have it be a problem,” Minden-Birkenmaier said. “If someone is spending an inordinate amount of time thinking about the food they eat, how much they exercise, how they look — that’s taking energy away from something else they could be doing, so that’s automatically decreasing their quality of life, even if it’s not anorexia or bulimia.” “Fed-Up” also wants to help stu-
dents avoid getting “infected” with an eating disorder. “Eating disorders, are in a way, contagious,” Minden-Birkenmaier said. “Especially when a lot of people they know have eating disorders, it’s easy to develop one. It is good to help and support your friends, but not at the expense to yourself.” Once they are approved as a club, the group plans to begin its work with a poster campaign promoting positive body image. Their first unofficial program will take place on Sunday, Oct. 5, when they will participate in the National Eating Disorder Walk at Foley Square in Manhattan. So far, about 15 people have signed up to attend.
NEWS
Page 6
October 1, 2014
Unity to Come for Undergrad, Grad Business Schools FROM BUSINESS, PAGE 1
as a team of about 70 full-time administrators. “We expect it will take about a year to fully unify the two schools,” Rapaccioli commented. “The unification is going to allow us to create a Ph.D program in business at the graduate level. This will help us to attract the best and brightest future business scholars to Fordham. Previously, great business minds had to go get their doctorates elsewhere.” Fordham’s business school has been climbing the ranks in prestige despite its relative youth. The opening of a new business school on the Lincoln Center Campus, as well as this new initiative, will only add to the school’s success. “Our motivation was — and still is — the desire to move the business schools into the top 25 for business education worldwide.” Rapaccioli said. “By making an investment in business education at Fordham, we can achieve excellence. This will mean continually improving our academic programs, truly being a global school with a global curriculum, placing more students in great jobs soon after graduation and strengthening our faculty
members’ achievements in research, teaching and service.” “The integration is also helping us implement a full-scale revision of our full-time MBA program,” Rapaccioli continued. “We now have a ‘cohort’ MBA program that is based in the same principles as the undergraduate program: a team-based approach that includes intensive consulting-style learning experiences and an emphasis on skills like writing and public presentation.” Students are excited by the potential changes and the integration of the graduate and undergraduate schools. “I think the integration is a fantastic opportunity for undergraduate students to get a legitimate idea of what happens after the four years in GSB,” said Aric Sethre, GSB ’15. “I hope that networking programs will become available. Also, I think a workshop between the graduate school and undergraduate GSB students would be very helpful. The undergraduate students would be able to seek advice from more experienced adults that have a better idea of how to write a resume and interview for a specific position.” Emma Archard, GSB ’18, said, “I’m excited, as an undergraduate
Christian Liturgy Stars in Williams’ Lecture FROM ORTHODOXY, PAGE 1
“Liturgy is the period of time in which the transition from one world to another can be traced and mapped,” he said. He continued, “The celebration of the liturgy is the primary way in which we are constituted guardians and guarantors of the faith of others.” According to Williams, Orthodox theology differs from Western theologies like Catholicism in that it is more accepting of humanist traditions than Western theologies. “It is a theology that expects to find an anthropology of visually healing, in way which Western theologies have not often sought to do,” Williams said of the Orthodox tradition. Michael Palamara, GSB ’15, and president of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship, said that he hoped the lecture would help lead to unity among Orthodox Christians within
the United States. “It’s the state of Orthodoxy in America, because originally it was made up of the immigrants and the diaspora. So, they separated based on their race and they separated based on their cultural identity. And, the divisions arose from that,” Palamara said of the current divisions in the Orthodox church in America. He explained that Americans often view the Orthodox church based on ethnic lines, even though all of the Patriarchs are part of one unified church. But, he saw events like the one at Fordham as helping to bridge the divide. “There’s such a dialogue now of the Orthodoxy in America that it is forming one Church… [It’s] grassroots movements like these, bring together people of all jurisdictions, and where we have an understanding that we’re all Orthodox and we’re all American,” said Palamara.
student, to have the opportunity to hear from more people with firsthand experience of graduate school. I hope I will be able to talk to graduate Gabelli students and discuss what they found the most helpful and useful during their time as an undergraduate student.” Rapaccioli also said the changes would create a community that will provide students with a strong network. “Both undergraduate and graduate students will benefit from a ‘double-size’ alumni network,” she stated. “You are all now part of the same business school community. Consider this: until now, two EY [Ernst and Young] partners sitting in offices next to each other — one who earned his undergraduate degree from the Gabelli School, and the other who got her MBA at the graduate school — were part of two separate alumni communities. No longer.” Not only will Gabelli Students benefit from the integration, but so will all Fordham graduates. “All students will benefit in the rise in reputation that we expect to follow the unification. It will take time to happen, but if we succeed, the value of everyone’s Fordham degree will be greater,”
COURTESY OF FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
Dean Rapaccioli hopes to unify the two business schools within the next year.
Rapaccioli said. She concluded, “It is going to take a collaborative effort, on a
long-horizon timeline, to achieve all of our goals. But I am confident that we will.”
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In his introduction, McShane spoke of Williams’ ability to build understanding.
October 1, 2014
OPINION
Page 7
The Fordham Ram
Banned Books k Censor Real Learning By JANE SKAPEK CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Two weeks ago, I attended the Brooklyn Book-fest, an annual event that celebrates all forms of writing, including novels, comics, journalism and short stories. There, I had the unique opportunity to hear Salman Rushdie, author of the infamous books The Satanic Verses and Midnight’s Children, speak about the responsibilities of being a writer in the world today. Rushdie, the target of a fatwa for his writings, is one of the most vocal members of PEN American Center, an organization devoted to the defense of free expression, the advancement of literature worldwide and the spread of literacy. In his speech, Rushdie’s ultimate message was that while art itself is lasting, artists are vulnerable and need defending. Rushdie’s speech, coupled with the annual Banned Books Week, brought into focus the topic of censorship. In America today, censorship would not make most people’s top five issues in need of attention. This lack of attention to the issue proves that in many ways, censorship has become much more insidious, because it has certainly not disappeared. Censorship generally comes in three forms. The first form is legal censorship, where a government or other agency makes laws that prohibit certain works from being created or distributed. Sec-
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A number of books, including many classics, have been challenged or banned by schools and libraries around the U.S.
ond is a lack of availability when certain works are removed from easy public access, such as removing books by specific authors from public libraries. Finally, sometimes authors practice selfcensorship, deliberately not producing works that represent controversial or unpopular subject material for fear of societal shame or other forms of reprisal. Censorship might not be considered a widespread issue in the United States, yet all three of these forms of censorship are prevalent in our country today.
One place that censorship occurs most is in the education system. Every year, universities and high schools prohibit artistic works in some form or another, from prohibiting their performance to forcing teachers to remove certain books from their curricula. In high schools across the country, books such as The Handmaid’s Tale, The Laramie Project and even To Kill a Mockingbird have been challenged and their removal from curricula demanded. In states such as New Mexico, school libraries have
removed or refused to supply books written by Latin American authors. And in high schools, where “American Literature” is a federally mandated part of the curriculum, there is a notable lack of authors who are not Caucasian and male. World-renowned American authors such as James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston and Toni Morrison are often conspicuously absent. Books that cover sexuality, especially LGBT topics, rarely are found. Today, artistic works are challenged on “moral” grounds, that is, introducing stu-
dents to topics that are deemed inappropriate. So what is the cost of this continual censorship? In their book The Shadow University: The Betrayal of Liberty on America’s Campuses authors Alan Charles Kors and Harvey A. Silvergate take the radical view that America’s obsession with political correctness and morality is choking meaningful dialogue. They argue that in order for there to be free speech, we must allow all speech. Their fear was that by censoring all forms of shocking, potentially offensive speech, the public would be left without any true conversation of important topics. While their book was published over a decade ago, their fears ring true to this day. When art and books can be censored for shocking us, we have to think very seriously about what we censor and why we censor. It is true that censorship can be argued to have some value. It can protect state secrets; it can protect a seven year old from reading Lolita. But when we begin to censor material out of a misguided need to protect, we start down a dangerous road. When we as a society censor material because it could make us feel uncomfortable, entertain shockingly new viewpoints or even just make us think critically, we create a culture that will eventually not write at all. Jane Skapek, FCRH ’16, is a Spanish major from Chicago.
Being Smart, On and Off the Field By CODY SIMS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
According to the National Football League (NFL), “of the 9,000 players that make it to the college level, only 310 are invited to the NFL scouting combine, the pool from which teams make their draft picks.” Players need to be highly skilled on the football field to make an NFL roster. Their actions off the field, however, can be even more important to professional organizations. It seems as though Jameis Winston, quarterback for Florida State University (FSU), the university that won the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Championship last year, has not fully grasped the concept of what NFL scouts are looking for in a pro quarterback. The former Heisman trophy winner appears to have the skill to be a competitive NFL contender, but does he have the ability to make the right choices off of the field as well? Jameis Winston was suspended from last week’s Clemson game for shouting a vulgar phrase at the student union. Deadspin, an online sports blog, was the first to report the careless incident after numerous witnesses tweeted about the situation. Initially, it was reported that Winston would
only be suspended for the first half of the game. Later on, the football staff at FSU felt it would be more appropriate to suspend him for the entire game. There was some backlash from FSU fans, saying that the punishment was too severe. From a fan’s perspective, of course you would not want the star quarterback to be benched. However, how could the coaching staff not punish him for at least one game, if not more? Winston deserved to sit out. If no disciplinary action was taken, what else would the athletes on the FSU football team think they could get away with? “Sometimes football players think they are above the law. They act in a manner where they don’t think consequences will follow,” said Lourenzo Smith, a senior football player at Fordham. Therefore, the way in which the coaching staff handles these small behavioral situations is a direct reflection of its football program and university as a whole. Surprisingly enough, this is not the first time that Winston has been scrutinized for an incident. Last year, he faced serious accusations of sexual assault. More recently, he was caught shoplifting after walking out of a grocery store with $32 worth of
DAVID J. PHILLIPS /AP
Jameis Winston (above) has had trouble with behavioral issues off the field that have affected his playing time this season.
crab legs. While it is easy for football players to act carelessly and have a “big man on campus” mentality, it is of the utmost importance to stay humble and maintain a positive image, especially for high profile athletes. When Winston’s college career
is said and done, even though the public may remember how great of a player he was, his reputation off of the field will continue to haunt him forever. Could Winston’s actions off the field affect his chances of being drafted? Possibly. Will NFL teams think twice before adding him to their
roster? Absolutely. Current and future athletes should use Winston’s reputation as a blueprint of how not to conduct oneself. While football is a game, life is certainly not. Cody Sims, FCRH ’15, is a communication and media studies major from Oakland, California.
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OPINION
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 over 10,000. The Fordham Ram office is located in the basement of the McGinley Center, room B-52.
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October 1, 2014
From the Desk | Laura Sanicola
Passion Is Overrated During my final months of high school, I fell victim to a fairly common existential crisis. I had received considerably high marks in almost every class I took (we’ll meet again, geometry) and played two instruments and one varsity sport. I held internships, taught Sunday School, partook in honors societies and sang at Radio City Music Hall. I never left school earlier than 5 p.m. and more commonly stayed until 7 or 8 p.m. When it came time to pick a college major, I was sure that one of my experiences would speak to me and guide my reasoning. Yet, nothing did. And that’s not uncommon, either. Society often tells students that we need to find our passion to follow our dreams, assuming that there are pre-existing passions in the world that are waiting to be discovered. This was the case for some of my friends who matriculated at music schools and those who braved demanding pre-med curriculums. These people can hardly imagine spending their lives doing anything else but what they were born to do. For me, however, the advice to find my passion was utterly useless. I couldn’t envision myself doing any one occupa-
tion in the next five years. Having the liberty to explore many potentially exciting career paths should have excited me, but instead I felt overwhelmed and disheartened. Why don’t I feel strongly about anything? Could it be that I lack the capacity to be passionate? The quest to find my passion has caused me a lot of unnecessary anxiety. Upon my high school graduation, I felt entirely unfulfilled, as if there was an important piece of my life that I had not yet discovered. I wanted to find a social cause or scientific inquiry to consume my thoughts and make my blood churn. A passion is a reason to exist, and I needed one that would be unique, socially acceptable and potentially marketable. During my first year of college, I questioned everything that I spent my time on, wondering whether or not it was my true calling. It sort of felt like I was dating a lot of opportunities and looking for love, but always coming back emptyhanded. Little did I know that the answer to my existential question had been staring me in the face all along: I happily have been doing work that I was not particularly
passionate about for my entire life. I don’t feel an overwhelming desire to become a physicist or a mathematician, but learning about those subjects and earning my grades in them left me wanting more. Even journalism, something that I spend countless hours a week pursuing, is not the motivating force that drives me. After pouring my heart and soul into my articles, I have come to love them because of the work that I put into them. I discovered that the fulfillment of interesting and meaningful work is what I craved all along, and that is not the product of passion. Interesting and meaningful work can occur simultaneously, but they can occur separately as well. When I worked a variety of odd jobs over the summer, I reflected on the type of work that made me happy. As a deli clerk, I was able to meet people from many different backgrounds and develop relationships with my customers. I found happiness in daily conversations with my boss, in perfecting a complicated order and even in the satisfaction of making sure the drawer was not a penny over or under. While lifeguarding, I felt a sense of importance in open-
ing the pool and running the operations. It is highly unlikely that I will keep either job as anything more than a part-time summer employment, but my experiences reaffirmed that I can enjoy working without feeling particularly passionate about it. Finally coming to terms with being “dispassionate,” I decided to enter college and try out a psychology major. In retrospect, I could have majored in communications or music and have been content. I enjoy both of these subjects, but they would lead me to vastly different career paths, neither of which I have an obvious passion for. However, after sticking with the workload and reaping the success of my hard work, I knew that I could eventually find fulfillment in anything to which I put my mind.
Editorial | Student Life
NYPD Stats Would Make Students Safer There have been more than 160 crimes in the 48th Precinct — Fordham’s precinct — during the 28-day period between Aug 23 and Sept 21, according to the Police Department of New York. The complaints filed during our first month on campus include one reported murder, three reported rapes, more than 48 alleged grand larcenies and more than 40 alleged felony assaults. There have also been more than 32 reports of robberies and more than 31 reports of burglary. The area crime rate, according to an interactive NYPD Crime Map, jumped an attention-worthy 16 percent compared to the same 28day period last year. Despite the fact that many students are residents of the local area — from Fordham Road to 185th Street and from Beaumont to Bathgate Avenue — the Department of Public Safety has done, and continues to do, little about informing students about the criminal activity just feet from Rose Hill’s gates. Not making advances on this front by aiding students with more information is short-sighted on the part of the university. The criminal activity is often discounted as unrelated to Fordham students, but that is far from the case. According to U.S. News and World Report, more than 40 percent of Fordham students live
off-campus, with many living in nearby apartments and arriving each morning by train and bus. In addition to a large off-campus population, Fordham students who live within the university gates spend a significant amount of time beyond them. Students often stroll in the nearby area, visit friends off-campus, grab a bite to eat or browsing at local grocery stores and shops. Similarly, during all hours of the week, students travel to and from the Fordham Road subway stops, which lie just outside Fordham’s precinct. Even with its handful campus gates, students often seem, and usually are, oblivious to the slow but steady stream of crime happening in the Fordham neighborhood. The result, if students are not careful, is a student body blind to the realities of their surroundings. What makes matters worse is that the information is readily available, yet few students make an effort to take it into account. Fordham Public Safety can play a role in changing that. The department can do a couple of things to heighten the student body’s awareness of ongoing crime in the area. The first is the distribution of a weekly round-up of all crimes reported to Public Safety via email. The email can list the incidents of the week, major and minor, that were reported to the office.
The pages of this newspaper have a limited amount of space for the incidents that occur each week. Weekly contact with students can be another reminder that Public Safety is active in assisting students. Just as importantly, a more pronounced role in the community would be of aid to students in an emergency, knowing that the department is a phone call away. The second thing is an increased number of Public Safety alerts concerning non-Fordham related incidents. We trust the discretion of Public Safety to filter those that are unimportant — say, an unarmed robbery on the outskirts of the precinct — but knowledge of a shooting or robbery just feet from the gates of campus and, for some students, right outside their doors, can be beneficial for the Fordham community. Sending out alerts about these crimes can serve as a reminder to students that there are risks traveling on one’s own during the late hours of the night in a busy and often unpredictable city. There exists already a number of resources students should consult on a regular basis. The Rose Hill Crime Log Sheet, for example, is a valuable online resource that makes on-campus incidents public to the Fordham community. A look at this week’s past incidents reported to Public Safety, for example, show a pair of grand larcenies and an attempted burglary at
Rodrigue’s Coffee House, which was referred to the NYPD. Students do, and must, have access to this information. The goal is a heightened sense of awareness. Even so, the department can go further. The goal is not to remind students of how dangerous the Fordham community is. The neighboring communities, after all, are home to hardworking people and thriving businesses. The Fordham Road Business Improvement District alone is home to more than 300 businesses and is one of the busiest areas of foot traffic in New York City. Countless other businesses line the streets of Arthur Avenue and its cross streets. The goal is to keep students aware of how dangerous the community can be. Consistently providing more detailed information about the more unsightly aspects of the community would be beneficial to all Fordham students. Weekly emails — accompanied by a menial amount of additional work in the Public Safety office — is a small price to pay for keeping students as informed, and as safe, as possible.
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.
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OPINION
October 1, 2014
Page 9
NYC Bike Culture Proves Dangerous By MEGAN BRONNER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Anyone who has been to New York City knows that one must be hyper-aware of all that is going on. It is safe to say that when people are walking in New York City they are aware of the notoriously reckless taxi drivers, whom I often see running red lights. But, there is also a hidden culprit on the streets of New York causing more damage than people would expect: cyclists. No New Yorker is been immune to getting nearly hit by a bike. Cyclists come out of nowhere zooming down the street, more often than not in neither a car lane, nor their designated bike lane. Rental bikes became even more accessible in the city through Citi Bike. Launched in 2013, Citi Bike’s purpose was to help New York City go green through having bikes readily available for people around the city to use rather than other modes of transportation. As a result, there are now more bicyclists than ever who pose a serious threat to pedestrian’s safety. Citi Bike is a great initiative and the people riding these bikes do not endanger other people as much as experienced bicyclists using race bikes. Reckless biking has gained more attention in recent weeks due to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s crackdown on irresponsible biking. Just last week, I saw a traffic cop yell at a biker who biked through a red light, yet no ticket was given. Unfortunately, this crackdown only lasted two weeks. The media reported two bike accidents in Central Park this summer, one Aug. 3 and Sept. 18, which resulted in two pedestrian
Canton Winer Dumping Gay Vs. Straight
MARY ALTAFFER / AP
Bikers often are required to share the road with pedestrians and other vehicles when riding throughout New York City.
deaths, proving that people, including myself, underestimate the damage that reckless biking can do. These tragedies sparked a debate between pedestrians and bicyclists over who is really in the wrong. A slew of evidence presented by the New York Post after the crash suggests bicyclists are to blame. Although pedestrians jaywalk and walk in the bike lanes, bicyclists should realize that they are the ones who can cause damage. They should be aware that during tourist season, there are going to be a lot of people in Central Park, so it is not the time nor the place
for people to be biking like they are in the Tour De France. Some bikers in Central Park boast speeds of 30 to 40 mph, significantly faster than the speed limit set at 25 mph. These are no doubt experienced bicyclists who should be aware that there will be crowds of people, joggers, pedicabs and horse and carriages. Jason Marshall, who was riding the bike that crashed into a pedestrian on Sept. 18, resulting in her death, was an avid and experienced biker in Central Park. Many people claim that bicyclists have become increasingly arrogant. Marshall himself was riding in the car lanes, which bicyclists
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
Citi bike is a popular, city-sponsored bike sharing program for New York City, based on a program that began in London.
often do in order to give them more speed. After the bike crash on Sept. 18, there was a larger police presence in the park. Police ticketed 103 bicyclists for speeding, going through red lights and biking in pedestrian walking paths. Meanwhile, on that same weekend last year only three bicyclists were ticketed. Although police presence has been amplified because of recent crashes, there will still be many violations that go unnoticed. Reporters at the New York Post observed on East 84th Street crosswalk, “Just 11 out of 302 cyclists stopped at a red light. And 12 riders were spotted going the wrong way.” This observation alone proves how bicyclists do not adhere to the same laws as cars, although they should. This observation also proves that an increased police presence will not stop reckless biking. Instead, it is up to bicyclists to understand that their recklessness can result in serious consequences. Their reckless biking in Central Park is absolutely inexcusable. Imagine if 11 out of 302 drivers stopped at a red light; it would result in complete chaos. The bottom line is that the streets of New York City must be shared. New Yorkers cannot expect to have a sense of personal space when walking, jogging or biking in congested areas in the city. Pedestrians in New York, especially those in Central Park, must be aware that cyclists, although unassuming, can seriously injure you. Bicyclists must also be aware of their surroundings and how dangerous biking above the speed limit through areas in the park heavily concentrated with pedestrians can be. Megan Bronner, FCRH ’17, is an international studies major from Ridgewood, New Jersey.
Stop asking people if they’re “gay” or “straight.” Surely we can all agree that human sexuality is far more complicated than gay vs. straight. Why do we insist on tethering ourselves to these clunky labels? Sexuality isn’t an either-or dichotomy. Some people have tried to battle this false dichotomy by making the so-called sexuality “spectrum” more inclusive with words like “bisexual” or “queer,” but this isn’t enough. Sexuality isn’t simply gay or straight, but it also isn’t a spectrum. Referring to sexuality as a spectrum implies that every individual can be plotted somewhere on a line, leaning either more to preferring men or preferring women. Our sexuality is not so simple. Sexuality has layers. Physical attraction, for example, differs from emotional attraction, although both are certainly components of sexuality. Sometimes those attractions add up; you could be both physically and emotionally attracted to men, for example. For many people, however, these attractions do not correlate. You can be primarily attracted to one gender identity in a physical way but more attracted to a different gender identity in an emotional way. Furthermore, these attractions (and your sexuality) can change over time. You might prefer men today, but prefer women sometime in the future. Sexuality is far from static. It’s fluid. There are many types of sexuality. In fact, it can be argued that there are 7.125 billion different versions of sexuality, as each person experiences sexuality in his or her (if you’ll pardon my sloppy gender binarism) own unique way. How could any binary label system possibly be sufficient for something so beautifully complicated? The only reason we use the gay/ straight labels is for other people’s sake. Labels make people comfortable, but why do we owe anyone an explanation of the way we experience our own sexualities? And why would anyone else owe us an explanation of their own experience of sexuality? Asking, “Is he gay?” or “Are you straight?” is a form of micro-aggression. Even with the kindest of intentions, these questions frame someone’s sexuality (and, thus, their identity) in an incredibly restrictive way. Not everyone fits into a neat little sexuality box, and the terms gay and straight try to shove the entirety of human sexuality into a very small space. If someone chooses to identify using typical sexuality labels, that’s one’s own prerogative. If people choose to call themselves gay or straight, that’s their own choice. But it should be their choice. Instead of asking someone if they’re gay or straight, ask them if they’re attracted to men or women. Or don’t ask them at all; just listen. Instead of pre-framing the conversation with restrictive labels, let everyone express themselves in the way that they choose. Don’t be afraid of sexuality’s fluidity; embrace it.
OPINION
Page 10
October 1, 2014
American Nationalism Gone Rogue By PATRICK MAROUN
Staying Secure in an Uncertain World
STAFF WRITER
About a week ago I came across a YouTube video that an acquaintance of mine shared on his Facebook to a surprising amount of praise. The video — entitled “Incredible American Soldier Plays ‘Star Spangled Banner’” — deeply disturbed me. The short video depicts an American G.I. playing the national anthem with an electric guitar on top of a building in Afghanistan during salat — the mandatory prayer that is one of the five pillars of Islam. Incredible indeed. This is the problem with nationalism. As soon as we begin to believe that we are better than or worthy of greater respect than other peoples, we subject ourselves to seeing the world with an “us versus them” mentality. It is precisely this type of rhetoric that has led to inordinate suffering, exploitation and death. This may seem dramatic, but it is. We cannot underestimate the aggregate power of our collective worldviews. If we do not have the nuance, and quite frankly the common sense, to distinguish between Muslim terrorist organizations and non-violent Muslims, we find ourselves slipping into the rhetoric of outright war. Using the “Star Spangled Banner” as a weapon of cultural imperialism (on top of our other imperialist endeavors) is a travesty. Not only does it disrespect the Afghan Muslims whose sacred prayer was interrupted, but it also embarrasses Americans and slanders the national anthem. To some extent I recognize that my audience here at Fordham al-
PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR
Some American soldiers have displayed fervent nationalism that sometimes crosses the line into radicalism.
ready knows better, but I will spell this out anyway. Islam is a religious tradition that is practiced by multiple cultures and ethnicities, in multiple languages and on multiple continents. Muslim people are not a singularity. The country with the largest Muslim population in the world is Indonesia, where more than 700 languages are spoken. Afghanistan is in Central Asia, not the “Middle East” — a term so flawed it makes my blood boil — and the majority of Afghans speak either Pashto or Dari, languages closely related to Farsi. Farsi is the language spoken in Iran. All of these languages are Indo-European languages in the Indo-Iranian branch, meaning that they are more closely related to English than they are to Arabic, an Afro-Asiatic language from the Semitic branch. Furthermore, not every native Ar-
abic speaker is ethnically Arab, just like not all native English speakers are ethnically Anglo-Saxon. For instance, the official language of Egypt is Egyptian Arabic, but Egyptians are neither ethnically Arab nor is Egypt geographically on the Arabian Peninsula. All of this information is easily accessible on the internet. It only takes the will to educate yourself to avoid conflating Islam, Arabs, Arabic etcetera into a singularity; and it only takes a little common sense to avoid immediately associating Muslims with acts of political terror. It is precisely the ease with which we can dispel the astounding amount of ignorance about Islam, which so many of us flaunt, that makes episodes like this soldier’s disrespect so upsetting. I do not mean to say that one can learn everything about a 1400-year-old religious tradition or the various cultures and with which
it interacts with a simple web search, but I think a few minutes of clicking around on Wikipedia would do a lot of people a lot of good. We need to have nuanced, sensitive discussions about Islam in this country. We need to begin engaging issues of terrorism and violence as global citizens and avoid inflammatory rhetoric and hawkish sentiments. We need to avoid othering people and understand ourselves as members of a global community. And we need to dedicate ourselves to upholding the integrity of every human being. “We,” whatever such an ambiguous and assumptive pronoun may mean, are not better than “them” and it is high time we start recognizing that. Patrick Maroun, FCRH ’15, is a theology and political science major from Norwood, Massachusetts.
RAM ARCHIVES
fries being removed from the list of meal swipe options at The Grille, Trotta said it didn’t affect him at all and he never even thought about buying the meal. Then, I mentioned that it used to be a meal swipe, to which he responded “Wait, really? Why didn’t anyone tell me this?” The reasons there might not be as many signatures on this petition are because people do not know about the petition itself, or some, like Trotta, did not know the meal swipe was an option before. Responses like Scott Abuso’s, FCRH ’16, on the petition, which states he signed “In defiance of Sodexo tyranny,” and then continued on to paraphrase Braveheart, might lead one to believe that this issue should not be taken seriously, but it should be and has been. Even the hyperbolic responses on the petition show there are plenty of people who want the five chicken strips and fries as a meal swipe again, and many others give very valid reasons as to why it should return. The Grille has recently brought fries back onto its menu to accompany wraps, three chicken strips and hamburger meal swipes due to popular demand, but the five piece and fries remains absent. Fordham should continue listening to students and bring back the meal swipe because, as Christina Costello states, “Chicken strips are freedom.” Anthony Pucik, FCRH ’16, is a communication and media studies major from Brooklyn.
Sodexo: Stop Chickening Out By ANTHONY PUCIK ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
With all of the issues and complaints regarding the food at Fordham, The Grille is usually the one saving grace. From chicken fingers to buffalo chicken wraps to salads, you could always count on The Grille for a good meal swipe — until recently, that is. Now, when students walk into The Grille and ask for five chicken tenders and fries, they are no longer able to use a meal swipe; they must use declining balance dollars (DCB). In fact, for a while the only chicken tender option for a meal swipe was three pieces with chips, not even fries; and this went for the wraps as well. Students across campus are not taking kindly to the changes at the Grille. “I think the five piece with fries should be brought back as a meal swipe,” Brian Doty, FCRH ’16 said. “I loved having that option at The Grille.” Doty is not the only person on campus who feels this way. In fact, Stephen Watts, FCRH ’17, created a petition on Change.org entitled “Bring back the five chicken strips with fries meal swipe at the Grille.” While some points in the petition are a bit hyperbolic like “chicken strips are the last bastion of American freedom,” Watts and some of his supporters make some good points. For example, “a bag of chips isn’t worth as much as two strips and fries,” is certainly true. If Fordham was trying to
Marcelle Meyer
Sodexo has recently changed the meal swipe policy at The Grille (above).
substitute fries out of a meal swipe, a bag of chips that has more air than chips is not the way to do it. And, quite frankly, three chicken strips is not a meal for a college student. As Tahseen Hasan, GSB ’16, points out on the online petition, “is not worth $10 of my meal plan money.” The petition also argues that “the lines are longer since everyone gets wraps now.” While this should not be the main reason to change the policy, it is a good observation. The Grille was crowded to begin with, but people who ordered a three or five piece meal with fries made traffic flow more smoothly. The chicken and fries are ready most of the time and just need to be placed in a con-
tainer. Now, people do not think their hunger will be satisfied with just three chicken tenders and a bag of chips or a piece of fruit and instead opt for wraps which take much more time to make and slow the line during The Grille’s busiest times. At the time of publication, 68 people have signed the Change.org petition and Watts’s goal at the start was 100. On a campus such as Fordham’s, you would think more people would be up in arms about the meal swipe changes and would want to sign the petition. As I started to look into this issue more, however, I discovered people like Mike Trotta, GSB ’16. When I asked him about his thoughts on five chicken strips and
For a man who came into office on the platform of decreasing our military intervention abroad, President Obama has found himself making some surprising decisions recently. In addition to a sudden increase of military action in the Middle East, he is also launching a nationwide effort to refurbish and upgrade our nuclear arsenal, while stating that this in no way affects his plans for a nuclear-free world. Are you confused yet? As contradictory as this may seem, I think that this is exactly what he should be doing as commander-in-chief. One only has to reference the year 1945 (and the disastrous years that followed) to understand why nuclear bombs are far too dangerous and destructive to exist in a peaceful world. Does that make the president wrong in his decision to direct efforts toward their improvement and expansion? Theoretically, yes. Practically, no. If the president could perform any action that would eliminate or decrease the existence of nuclear weapons, he would of course be wrong to neglect that course of action. The problem is that the state of the world and diplomatic relations are currently not conducive to a global reduction of nuclear supplies. As undesirable as this is, the president has a different nuclear obligation than when he entered office because he simply cannot eliminate other countries’ nuclear weapons. The only option is to make nuclear weapons as safe as possible and keep the United States at the forefront of nuclear research and technology — which is exactly what he is trying to do. When we see protests against developing nuclear facilities and politicians vehemently criticizing the proliferation of deadly bombs in an already war-filled world, it is easy to sympathize. Nuclear weapons are arguably the most immoral and unethical means of warfare. Still, even if we do not waver in our opposition to the expansion of our own nuclear programs, there is no guarantee that other countries will do the same; just has many different definitions, and I think it is important that the American people support President Obama in his attempts to secure America’s safety in an unsafe world. Maybe one day, when our relationship with Russia does not consist of a stare-down over Ukraine, when we are not walking on eggshells to recruit Iran’s help in fighting ISIS and when we can confidently deter unstable leaders’ attempts to build nuclear weapons on their own, maybe we can then seek a nuclear-free world. Right now, however, it is not the responsible thing for the U.S. to do.
CULTURE
October 1, 2014
Page 11
The Fordham Ram Review | TV
‘Red Band Society’ By ALAYNA PUTTERMAN
Only Men Are Funny? You Gotta Be Joking
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On Sept. 17, Fox premiered a new TV series called “Red Band Society.” Viewers can watch “Red Band Society” on Fox at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays. The show, starring Octavia Spencer, Dave Annable, Ciarra Bravo, Astro and others, is a comedy and drama series that has released two episodes. The series follows the lives of a group of teenagers diagnosed with serious illnesses who live in the same hospital ward. The six teens are all bound together by adapting to their surroundings and creating a family out of the patients and staff. Charlie, who is in a coma but can hear everything that happens around him, narrates the show. The concept of a character who is able to listen to and experience everything, but is never able to interact with the real world, is interesting and leaves viewers questioning if he will ever wake up. The show is slightly cliche in that it is currently trendy for the entertainment industry to feed off plot lines in which a child or teenager has cancer. For instance, movies like A Walk to Remember, My Sister’s Keeper, and most recently, The Fault in Our Stars, employ cancer as a main storyline. “Red Band Society” seems to be targeted at a slightly younger audience of high school or middle school-aged viewers. However, these characters, although sick, face obstacles that many college students still face such as eating disorders, trying to find love and not feeling heard. While the show on the surface may seem to be disturbing or upsetting, it is also very touching and heartwarming. “Red Band Society” teaches viewers that no human is perfect, and people need to value imperfections within friends and relationships.
By KATHERINE MEYER NEWS EDITOR
As a female standup comedian, Amanda Pell, FCRH ’15, has grown used to being in the minority. After joining Fordham’s standup troupe as a sophomore, she spent two years as the group’s solitary girl. Even now that other girls have been added to the lineup, female standup comedians remain hard to find at Fordham. Pell thinks this is more than just a fluke. Now a senior, she has been involved in standup comedy for almost four years, both on Fordham’s campus and elsewhere, and during that time she has noticed some inequalities between female and male comedians. “Nobody really understands that it’s kind of a culture that keeps girls down,” Pell said. She has come to view the problem not as a mere lack of females who want to do standup comedy, but a deeper, more systematic bias against them. “It’s very subliminal, definitely, because the funny thing is, everyone is trying to be encouraging,” Pell said. “But…so often when I come off stage I get ‘Wow, I usually don’t like female comedians but you were actually pretty good.’ And it’s a slap in the face.” Abby Gibson, FCRH ’16, also said she has noticed some differences between how men and women are perceived onstage. Gibson has done a variety of comedy work, both oncampus and off, but most of her experience comes from being a member of Fordham’s improv comedy group Stranded in Pittsburgh. “For the most part, I feel that I have been treated equally to my male counterparts, but I do think that I am perceived differently from many of them,” Gibson said. “In a show, a male
improvisor acting as a woman always gets a laugh, but a woman acting as a man does not always get the same reaction. I believe part of the reason is that it is easier for men to portray women as over the top, eccentric or flamboyant and still have the character be believable to the audience.” Fordham professor Kirsten Swinth, who has studied gender culture of modern women, agrees that a bias is present. She thinks it is part of a larger, older trend. “Part of what comedians do is be subversive — humor helps us see the world in a different way. But it’s more risky for women, it makes people uncomfortable…because women are supposed to be proper and appropriate,” Swinth said. Now she says that she has seen less of an overt bias against female comics, and more of what she calls a “deepseated historical bias.” “The low numbers of women in comedy are really no different than low numbers of women in the public eye anywhere. It’s part of a broader challenge we face today, which is to get more women into the public eye…[and] women can and should be in the public eye. We know from a lot of research that more voices mean richer conversation.” But is there any truth at all in the perception that female comedians are somehow less entertaining? Grant Bolles, FCRH ’16, considers himself typical of male standup fans — he enjoys watching it but does not have any comedy background himself. He said that in general, he does find female comedians less funny than their male counterparts. “The ones I know typically seem to rely on cliche bits. It’s often the same thing over and over–they talk about stereotypically ‘women things’ that really only pertain to other women: dating, sex lives, their periods, cloth-
AMANDA PELL/THE RAM
Amanda Pell, FCRH ‘15, gives a rousing performance in the Blackbox.
ing,” Bolles said. “Whereas male comedians, I think, tend to branch out more. When it’s a woman, it’s usually obvious that it’s a woman’s bit, but not so much with men. It’s like women are pigeonholing themselves.” He is quick to add though, that this does not mean he thinks women cannot be funny. “Of course, there are women who don’t do this, and I’m obviously not going to say that women can’t do good comedy,” he said. “But in the case of most of the female comedians I have seen, the material is kind of redundant. It’s just not that interesting, and not that funny.” Pell agrees with this, if only to a certain extent. She often finds herself trying hard not to sound like “the next girl who’s up there.” She attributes this pressure to stand out from female peers to many of the same trends Bolles noticed. “[With female amateur comedians] there is a lot of self-deprecating, a lot of self-sexualizing, a lot of self-
objectifying humor that is not my sense of humor, and that I don’t find funny. So I’m sitting here going like, ‘Ok either I’m crazy and this is really funny, or there’s a reason why these women are tending towards this topic and I don’t understand what it is,’ ” Pell said. She is now doing her senior thesis on just that: finding out how gender bias influences female comedians, and whether female comedians and male comedians are somehow fundamentally different in the way that they write. Whether or not they are different, it is very clear to Pell that women can — and should — do comedy. Now, she just wants to make sure the rest of the world knows that. “The ‘are women funny?’ conversation just needs to end,” she said. “Because we’re there. We’ve figured it out. There are enough funny women to prove [it]— well really we shouldn’t have to prove it, but we did. We’re good.”
Your TV Binge Guide: ‘Orange is the New Black’ By NICOLE FIORICA STAFF WRITER
At a glance Genre: Dramedy Seasons/Episodes: 2/26 Avg Episode Length: 55 min Available on: Netflix
What it’s about: Based on Piper Kerman’s memoir of the same name, Orange is the New Black, is the story of Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling, “The Lucky One”), a well-off thirty-something who is sentenced to 15 months in a women’s prison for a crime (smuggling drugs) that she committed 10 years ago with ex-girlfriend Alex Vause. Piper leaves behind supportive fiancé Larry as she adjusts to prison life and is reunited with Alex, who was also sentenced. As much as this is Piper’s story about surviving prison, it is also the story of
COURTESY OF AP
The Netflix hit “Orange is the New Black” epitomizes dark humor.
her fellow inmates and their own nuanced backstories. Why it’s so good: The characters on this show make it a success. Piper’s fellow inmates are complicated, interesting and for the most part, sympathetic. Hearing their stories and watching the way they interact with one another adds levels of depth, diversity and perspec-
tive to the show that most television programs lack. While the show follows a grim plotline, it also comes with a lot of dark humor that will keep you smiling during all but the bleakest of scenes. Also, it is just different. You may have watched a lot of crime shows in your day, but very few take place behind bars.
Why you should binge it: Released one season at a time on Netflix, “Orange is the New Black” was made to be watched quickly. And, while it does not necessarily come with cliffhanger episodes, the lives of these women are irresistible. This show comes with a large supporting cast, and while you will get all of their names straight eventually, it will be easier to remember who is who if you watch the whole thing at once. Standouts: Taylor Schilling navigates Piper’s likeable but sometimes irritating character with an incredible amount of skill. In season two’s first episode, “Thirsty Bird,” she is so good it is almost scary. In addition to Schilling’s strong performance, a large portion of the supporting cast was also nominated for Emmys this year, and for good reason. Laverne Cox and Kate Mulgrew excel as a trans-
gender beautician and a mob-wifeturned-prison-chef, respectively. The real show-stealers, however, are Uzo Aduba as the mentally unstable “Crazy Eyes” who tries to make Piper her prison wife and Taryn Manning as “Pennsatucky,” a drug user turned religious fanatic who targets Piper and Alex for their sexual relationship. Potential Pitfalls “Orange is the New Black” is still a relatively new show and has remained consistently good so far. By walking the line between comedy and drama, however, the tone of the show can turn on a dime, such as in “Bora Bora Bora,” “A Whole Other Hole” and Season 1 finale “Can’t Fix Crazy.” While intending to expose the realities of prison life, the show ends up rather ironically glamourizing some of the relationships and daily occurrences of imprisonment, and take many liberties for the sake of drama when telling Piper’s story.
CULTURE
Page 12
October 1, 2014
Off Campus Dining, Right at Your Front Door By MEGAN BRONNER STAFF WRITER
Food is great, but it is even better when you do not even have to go out to get it. If you are already over dining hall food, it is time to start taking advantage of all the great off-campus eateries that bring food to your door. Fordham is fortunate to have a variety of delivery options near campus. These restaurants are sure to leave you full and satisfied, and when you are done you can hop into your bed and let the food coma sink in. Here are just a few restaurants that you ought to try ordering from. Michelangelo’s 2477 Arthur Avenue
(718) 220-8355 If you are feeling extra hungry and want a quality meal, definitely order from Michelangelo’s. There is no doubt that the food is sure to please, but when you are ordering for delivery, they give salads with each meal and an ample amount of bread. Michelangelo’s may be on the expensive side, but getting food from here for delivery once in a while is worth it. Overall, the delivery itself does not take a long time and you get hearty amount of food.
Healthy Fresh 621 E. 187th Street (718) 618-7200
Culture Shock | Natalie Sturgeon
There’s an App for That We are all plagued by the stress of adjustment, while settling into the new school year. This adjustment may be a new financial responsibility, increased academic pressure or new responsibilities at an internship. To help with the transition, there are three iPhone apps that are essential to reduce avoidable stress. First is the organizational app known as Any.DO. This App is free in the App Store and does amazing things for busy college students. Starting with ordinary to-do lists, Any.DO creates a list that has alarmed reminders along with a feature that involves swiping to the left when tasks are completed. It is a lot better than crossing out a task on a handwritten to-do list, and you can just shake your phone to erase it when you are done. This app also introduces a shared to-do list, which could be helpful for living with roommates. All you have to do is add your roommate or helper of choice, and he or she can see the list and cross things off as he or she completes the task. For instance, you can create a grocery shopping list or cleaning schedule. Any.DO is an app that all college students need in order to stay organized and get through the year with minimal stress. The second app that is of utter importance is called BillGuard. BillGuard is a free app that provides
an easy fix to financial confusion. A person using the app can separate expenses and see his or her budget and how well he or she sticks to that budget. In addition, students can enable the smart savings alerts, which send alerts about relevant coupons. Another feature of BillGuard is the passbook assistance, where a user can input his or her credit card information into this safe portion of the app and track his or her expenses on that card in great detail. As we climb the totem pole of seniority at Fordham, we also assume more financial responsibility. This app makes financial responsibility doable and understandable. Last but not least is an app called EasyBib. EasyBib is a popular website for creating accurate bibliographies. The App is free on the App Store and is popularly used as a quick and easy way to create a bibliography. The app allows users to scan books with their phones and the app will instantly create an MLA or APA style bibliography. This is a great tool for when you’re in the library at 12 a.m. just finishing an eight-page paper, and you’re not in the mood to find all of the information in the book yourself. All it takes is one scan, and your bibliography is complete. All of these apps are time saving and even life-saving when it comes to the hustle and bustle of college.
After you have gorged yourself on Michelangelo’s, done some selfloathing and sworn you will never eat another carb again, it is time for a salad (ugh). Healthy Fresh has basically every food you could want for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The best thing about Healthy Fresh is the price — almost everything is under $10. The delivery is quick, and most importantly, the food is delicious. Estrellita Poblana III 2328 Arthur Avenue (718) 518-7425 After you have had your monthly salad, it is time to eat a bucket of guacamole and a burrito in bed. Estrellita is a Fordham crowd favorite. Estrellita also gives you a decent amount of food, so it is always a good option when thinking about delivery. Once again, the food came on time and was worth every penny. You can have a mini fiesta in your dorm. Umai Fusion 2330 Arthur Avenue (718) 933-3268 To continue your urge for international cuisine, Umai is a great option
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Golden City 2324 Arthur Avenue (718) 562-5885 Having a good, reliable Chinese food delivery place is a college necessity. I suggest you give Golden City a try. I think the food quality is better than other Chinese restaurants in the Bronx that I have tried; it is not as greasy. Whenever I order from here, it is always delivered fairly quickly and the food is generally under $10. Primavera 387 E. Fordham Road (718)-971-2446 Primavera is quite similar to Healthy Fresh and just as good. The people who work here are so nice and Fordham students get a 10 percent discount. Primavera offers a variety of dishes at a reasonable price that is slightly more expensive than Healthy Fresh. Delivery is fast and
efficient, and whatever you are in the mood for, Primavera is able to satisfy your cravings. Pete’s Café 570 E. Fordham Rd. (718) 733-7416 Delivery should not be restricted to dinner; treat yourself right and order breakfast every once in a while. I suggest ordering breakfast from Pete’s, considering they have most popular breakfast dishes. Pete’s is good quality but very affordable, and the delivery is fast. Its other items besides breakfast are also tasty, and the menu is extensive. Pugsley’s 590 E. 191st Street (718) 365-0327 I am pretty sure Pugsley’s saves lives and I would eat everything from here. Pugsley’s is a staple in every Fordham student’s diet, and ordering for delivery is a great way to satisfy your gustatory needs. The food is awesome and so is the price. You will not regret eating garlic knots and pizza in the comfort of your own room. Delivery from Pugsley’s is rather quick too.
Editor’s Pick | Derek Jeter
A Perfect End to a Long Career By ANTHONY PUCIK ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Everyone wanted it to happen. Everyone dreamt of how it could happen. But when it actually did happen, nobody could believe it. Derek Jeter’s final game in Yankee Stadium could not have been scripted any better if the greatest writer in Hollywood had written it. Yankee fans had been preparing for this day since the start of the season. Sept. 25, 2014: Baltimore Orioles versus the New York Yankees — Jeter’s final regular season game at Yankee Stadium. After seeing Mariano Rivera retire just one year prior, everyone knew the game would be emotional; everyone knew there would be tears, but nobody knew just how the Captain would go out. Would he be pulled off the field or step onto it by himself in the top of the ninth if the Bombers had a lead? Would Andy Pettitte and other former Yankees come take him out like they did for Rivera? In the end, whatever plan the Yankees had was pretty much thwarted. Sure, they could have anticipated Jeter having a good first 1 YEAR at-bat, driving in PROGRAM the first New York IN NYC run of the game, and later scoring to tie the game at two. They might even have thought that Jeter would hit a hard ground ball to short with the bases loaded in the seventh so the Orioles’ shortstop would mishandle it, allowing two binghamton.edu/emshs-nyc runs to be scored
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Derek Jeter lived his childhood dream of playing shortstop for the Yankees.
and giving the Yankees the lead. They could’ve even predicted the emotion Jeter felt with the Yankees up 5-2 in the top of the ninth and with closer David Robertson on the hill when Jeter, almost moved to tears at short, tipped his cap to the fans who had not stopped chanting his name all night. But, what happened next was nothing short of impossible. Robertson gave up three runs in the top of the ninth to tie the score. The night was spoiled. Jeter’s chance of going out on top was all but over. But, with a runner on second and one out in the bottom of the ninth, Jeter stepped up to the plate and the rest was a blur. First pitch: base hit to the right side, run scores, Yankees win. He did it. For one final time in Yankee Stadium, Jeter did it. Having been at Mariano’s last game and sobbing my eyes out, I never thought I would feel that kind of emotion again. Then, I saw Jeter get mobbed by his current teammates as well as Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, Jorge Posa-
da, Joe Torre and others after rounding first and scoring the winning run. When Jeter crouched down and looked out into left field from short, it made me think of Rivera’s last game all over again. I sat there and tried to think of another way that this game could have gone, another way Jeter could’ve been honored, but nothing came to mind. And that’s when it hit me: Jeter never asked to be showered with gifts or have a farewell tour. He didn’t even ask to be taken out of the game in a special way. I’m sure the Yankees had something in mind, but nothing could top the way Jeter took himself out, or walked himself off, I should say. The only way for Jeter to go out the right way was for him to do it for himself on his terms. For all the cheers and praise and love fans showed him over the last 20 years, and in particular this year, Jeter still managed to steal the show, have a classic Jeter-like hit to win the game and do it the right way, as he did for his entire career. Thank you, No. 2.
CULTURE
October 1, 2014
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Review | Concert
NYC Fights Poverty Through Benefit Concert By AMANDA GIGLIO ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR
Over 25 million people in poor, developing countries are without access to toilets. About 58 million children around the world still do not have access to sound education, while about the same number do not have access to proper vaccinations for life-threatening diseases. These facts, plus many more, were shared with me and 60 thousand other people this past Saturday at the third annual Global Citizen’s Festival, a free concert to end extreme poverty. Global Citizen is an organization that works to inform people about the 1.2 billion people deprived of basic rights and opportunities. A Global Citizen is anyone willing to stand against the great injustices of the world, especially extreme poverty, and this festival brings together tens of thousands of Global Citizens to fight for an end to extreme poverty. To earn tickets to this event, you had to take action to becoming a Global Citizen. The ticket process included reading articles and answering question about food and hunger, education, women’s rights, water and sanitation, health, sustainability and innovation.
By becoming informed, you are then able to take action through social media by posting one of the resources to Facebook or Twitter in order to spread the word about extreme poverty. Your name is then entered into a raffle based on how many points you earn through your actions. Following these simple steps, everyone who participated officially became a Global Citizen. Now, the festival itself was a whole other experience. Even though I waited in lines that seemed never-ending, when I finally rounded the corner and saw the giant red circle stage, I immediately got excited. Celebrity guest stars, including Olivia Wilde, Diana Agron, Jessica Alba and Hugh Jackman, came on stage and spoke about their fight to end poverty and how we, too, could help. Political leaders from all over the world came and gave speeches about what their countries are doing to contribute to the cause. Denmark increased its annual contribution to the Global Partnership for Education to $70 million per year. Norway’s Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, committed to give Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, $215 million. Luxembourg’s Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, announced an additional commitment of 500,000 euro
Around Town | Anna Creatura
What: Open House New York Neighborhood: NYC When: Columbus Day Weekend
New York City is full of history, but rarely are its inhabitants granted access to its most intriguing locations. This Columbus Day weekend, be prepared for that to change. Since 2002, Open House New York has been an annual event showcasing places in the city that are closed to the public 363 days a year. This event, lasting for just one weekend, is an amazing opportunity to see and learn more about the city. Open House New York (OHNY) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2001 by Scott Lauer. Originally, the mission of this organization was to educate New Yorkers about the city’s rich architectural history. Now, OHNY is known for its open house weekend. The first annual OHNY weekend took place in 2003 and included access to 84 locations. Since then, the organization has done nothing but expand and grow, introducing a variety of programs for families and students to learn more about their city. This event offers extraordinary access to some of NYC’s premiere hotspots, including free tours in many locations. People travel from all over the country, and even all over the world, to participate in the annual OHNY weekend. Last year’s event pulled in over 200,000 participants and
included more than 300 sites. The hardest thing about the weekend is deciding which sites to visit. Past open house locations have included The Jefferson Market Library Building, The NYC Marble Cemetery, The Little Red Lighthouse, The Brooklyn Navy Yard and the Edgar Allen Poe Cottage. Some sites are world renowned, while others are hidden treasures waiting to be discovered. The common thread is that each site makes a unique contribution to the diverse and intriguing history of the city. This year’s full list of sites is scheduled to be released on Sept. 30, so be on the lookout. This event is free, but there are options to reserve spaces at the more popular sites for five dollars. The most expensive option is the OHNY passport, which works like a Disney World fastpass, and allows you to skip the line. At $150, this is only for those who really have some cash to burn, but it does cover both days of the open house, and one passport is good for two people. People looking to get involved next year can volunteer in a variety of ways. It provides an excellent opportunity to help others enjoy the weekend, and as a bonus, all volunteers are granted front of the line access to all sites. All events are open rain or shine. See you there.
to the Global Fund for 2014. Organizations such as the H&M Conscious Foundation, Sesame Street and the World Bank Group all donated huge sums of money to help with sanitation and water development in countries without clean water and sanitation systems. Being a part of this wonderful community of people dedicated to serving the poor of the world was a great experience that made it easier to see how I can help in the future. As an added bonus to the fundraising, there were amazing performances from some of today’s hottest musicians. Headliners included Tiesto, fun., The Roots, Carrie Underwood, No Doubt and Jay Z. There was also a special performance by Alicia Keys and several international singers. Gwen Stefani and No Doubt killed it on stage with crowd favorites like “Don’t Speak” and “Hey Baby.” A surprise appearance by Sting set the crowd in a frenzy as he sang “Message in a Bottle” with No Doubt. The crowd was on its feet during JayZ’s performance, throwing their diamonds in the air and rapping along with him. But the biggest shock was what came next... Be-
COURTESY OF SAMANTHA MARDICH
Hands went up when Beyonce made a surprise appearance during Jay-Z’s set.
yonce! Jay Z brought her out on stage as she sang the refrains to “Holy Grail” and “Young Forever.” All in all, the concert experience was unforgettable making
the Global Citizen’s Festival fantastic. Everyone who attended was connected by the same energy and dedication to ending extreme poverty in the world by 2030.
Rose Hill Caffeine Fixes By JUNGSUH KIM STAFF WRITER
Many people are not morning people (and for good reason). Having to roll out of bed for an early 8:30 a.m. class and still show up alert, awake and decently dressed is one of the harder parts of being a student. That is where good coffee comes into play. Whether you wake up to the smell of your Keurig brewing dark roast or stop by the local Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts to pick up your favorite blend, you definitely cannot get by without a quick caffeine fix to start your day. Here are some of the best (and worst) places to get coffee at Fordham University. The Grille: A quick, easy stop for O’Hare residents but quite a walk for the rest of the Fordham community. Here you will find a couple of Starbucks blends ranging from dark roast, decaf (who actually drinks this?) and hazelnut (on a good day). Iced coffee is also an option. There are also a variety of different creamers and sweeteners, so you can really modify the coffee to your taste. The Grille also sells Tazo tea at the counter. Dagger John’s: Fordham’s very own Starbucks makes a comeback this year with earlier opening hours. They now open at 8 a.m., so students can grab coffee before their 8:30 a.m. classes. There are not a whole lot of choices here, but they do have all of the Starbucks basics and have even stocked up on the seasonal
SAMUEL JOSEPH/THE RAM
Fordham offers Starbucks coffee in a variety of locations.
pumpkin spice latte. SubConnection: Quite similar to The Grille, but fewer breakfast food options. The coffee choices are average — they have a few basic flavors, such as americano and dark roast. The Caf: If you are looking for bland/bleak coffee, this is the place for you. There’s just something about the coffee here that makes me want to crawl back into bed rather than start my day off strong. Perhaps it’s the thinness, or the fact that it is usually lukewarm. The Caf offers subpar tea as well. Dunkin’ Donuts: Slightly inconvenient to get to but definitely worth the few extra steps off campus! The hot coffee is pretty rich in flavor and the iced coffee is absolutely superb. Prices are pretty cheap as well. If you are looking for tea, the vanilla chai is amazing. Best Deli: Surprisingly enough,
the coffee here is actually not that bad. I highly recommend the cappuccino or the french vanilla if you crave a sweeter drink. Palombo’s: Once you get past the fact that you have to walk all the way to Arthur Avenue, you will really appreciate this bakery’s take on coffee. The coffee here always smells and tastes incredible. A fan favorite is always the classic cappuccino; the combination of espresso and frothed milk is heavenly. Starbucks: Just recently opened at Fordham Plaza, this is definitely the place to be. The cool ambience makes it not only a good coffee shop, but also a place to relax and get some homework done. Starbucks always does a bunch of seasonal flavored drinks like a pumpkin spice latte or the peppermint mocha frappuccino. Keep a lookout for more fall and winter-themed drinks. Starbucks also has a host of teas, lemonades and hot chocolates for a less-caffeinated option.
CULTURE
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Who’s That Kid? | Anthony Carl
October 1, 2014
Letters | Ask Emma
Globalization Through Internships Dear Emma, My boyfriend and I just started dating this past summer. His ex-girlfriend goes to Fordham, and she really doesn’t like me. She’s constantly trying to text him or talk to him when he’s out and I really don’t like it. It causes a lot of fights between my boyfriend and me and she knows it, but she continues to try to contact him. I’ve talked to him a dozen times about it, and he says that he doesn’t want to be mean to her by telling her to stop. I would feel like a crazy girlfriend if I confronted her, but I just don’t know what other options I have. What should I do? Crazy Girlfriend
By SAMUEL JOSEPH PHOTO EDITOR
If you happened to listen in on a conversation with Anthony Carl, FCRH ’16, you may find him arguing about anything from the Gaza-Israel conflict, to S.S.C. Napoli’s chances to win the Coppa Italia, to the best Chinese restaurant in Manhattan — sometimes all in the same conversation. Anthony has always been drawn to the study of how the international scene works. With the increase in global interconnectivity, Anthony is working to see how he can participate in the global playing field. Anthony grew up in Cleveland, where his neighbors spoke Hebrew and Arabic as often as English. Living near his relatives, he was surrounded by his Italian family, which gave him a chance to discuss and learn about the political and cultural norms of Italy. “Growing up in an environment where you confront a lot of different cultures makes you more attuned to be interested in them,” said Anthony. “You learn from an early age that there are a lot of different perspectives.” While in high school, Anthony spent his free time working in an oriental carpet showroom. As a self-described foreign politics junkie, Anthony keeps up with foreign news through sources like Al Jazeera and Corriere Della Sera, an Italian newspaper. “Especially with our world since the fall of the Soviet Union becoming increasingly more globalized, we need people, especially in this country, to take up their time and learn about new cultures, because understanding where a person comes from allows for understanding who they are, and begins a dialogue that may otherwise be impossible.” Anthony is delving further into his interests abroad as a double major in Italian studies and international political economy with a minor in Arabic language. Being in New York has widened his perspective and oppor-
Dear Crazy Girlfriend, First of all, you’re not being crazy; your boyfriend is just being inconsiderate. It sounds like this problem should have been fixed a while ago if you’ve talked to him dozens of times about this issue. If he sees that this is upsetting you, why does he continue to do it? Asking his ex-girlfriend to stop talking to him doesn’t have to be mean at all. If he really cares about you, he would respect your wishes and ask her to stop. If it continues to happen, I wouldn’t even talk to her about it, I would just seriously start to consider ending the relationship with him. You deserve to be with someone who focuses on moving forward rather than concentrating on the past, especially if the past has a secret agenda to mess with his future. Good luck! Emma
SAMUEL JOSEPH/THE RAM
Anthony Carl’s childhood experience proves important to his field of study.
tunities to explore a career in law and language, whether in or out of class. He has taken a variety of internships that have increased his interest in law. In the fall of his sophomore year, he worked in the district attorney of Manhattan’s office in the Crime Strategies Unit. There, he saw how criminal law actually works, specifically in West Harlem. He described the position as illustrating how America has not begun to answer complex social issues regarding race and education. He worked with fellow interns to help gather information that would later indict 104 people in gang violence and gang conspiracy. Currently, he is interning at AXA, a French insurance firm, in the Casualty Claims department. He regularly interacts with lawyers, which has given him a chance to see how businesses such as insurance companies must interact with the law. “It’s been
a great learning experience to understand how one should act in an international business,” Anthony said. “It’s also been great for networking. I’ve met a lot of people locally in the New York area in my network, and it’s given me the chance to start building a network in Europe.” Anthony plans on studying abroad at Bologna University in Italy through a non-Fordham program this upcoming semester, in an effort to pursue his Italian major. After Fordham, he plans to attend law school, although he is unsure of what particular field he is interested in at the moment. “It’s said in law school that you figure out which direction you want to go in the legal perspective. I definitely want to do something internationally. However, that’s a very broad topic, so possibly humanitarian or international business, but I’m open to many possibilities.”
Dear Emma, I’m a freshman, and ever since I got here, I’ve been confused about the kind of boys there are at Fordham. I’m not searching for a boyfriend, but I’m not trying to get caught in a friends-with-benefits trap either. I’m just looking to make friends and not make any mistakes my first semester here. What advice do you have? Freshman Dear Freshman, Many girls make mistakes their first semester and have reputations that follow them for the rest of their four years here. You really don’t want to make the mistake of being known as someone who will make out with dozens of people each weekend in Howl, or the girl that hooked up with four boys on the football team. Regardless, this doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. If there’s a boy that you like, I highly suggest you get to know him before getting involved with him. There are a lot of boys at Fordham who are really cute, or seem really nice, but turn out to be just terrible. You can’t go wrong with being friends with someone first! Have fun and be careful. Emma
Have a question for Emma? Send them to fordhamramaskemma@gmail.com
Superheroes Take Small Screen by Storm By NICOLE FIORICA STAFF WRITER
It should come as no surprise to anyone who has glanced at the blockbuster hits of the past few years that superheroes are getting a second wind. This trend is now transferring to the small screen, with new shows “Gotham” and “The Flash” joining “Arrow” and “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” to this year’s fall lineup. “Gotham” premiered on Sept. 22 on Fox with stellar ratings. It is a Batman origins story that begins on the dark night when Bruce Wayne’s parents are killed, and the case is picked up by Detective Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie, “The OC”), a new arrival to the crime-filled city of Gotham. Young Bruce (David Mazouz, “Touch”) will not become Batman for many years, so “Gotham” will primarily be a police drama with Gordon at the center, while also exploring how the villains of Batman grow into the iconic big bads that fans of
the comics have come to love. While viewers seemed to enjoy the pilot, which received an 8.3/10 on IMDB, there is some concern that “Gotham” will not be able to balance its big supporting cast. Will the backstories of Catwoman, the Penguin, Poison Ivy and other famous villains be as popular as the show’s creators hope? Still, McKenzie shines as a believable Gordon, and his arc throughout the show promises to be worthwhile. Viewers can tune in Mondays at 8 p.m. Also testing if the superhero genre can survive in police drama format is “The Flash.” As a spinoff of the CW hit “Arrow,” the story follows forensic investigator Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), who, after gaining super-speed as the result of a chemical explosion, devotes himself to protecting his city from other chemically enhanced villains. “The Flash” will premiere on the CW on Oct. 7 at 8 p.m. Given the success of parent show “Arrow” (about DC Comic’s Green
Arrow), it is hopeful that “The Flash” will have the same trajectory. The appeal of superheroes is widespread, and in movie form makes for exciting, actionpacked blockbusters. Translating that epic appeal to television can be a lot harder. Marvel has released a slew of Avengers movies over the past few years with enormous success, including heroes such as Captain America, Iron Man and Thor. Meanwhile, its spinoff show “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” has seen a hefty drop in ratings and viewers during its second season this fall. Interestingly, with the exception of the lead character Phil Coulson, who was seen in several Avengers movies, “S.H.I.E.L.D.” is mostly comprised of new characters. While it would seem natural for fresh characters to liven an already worn-out story line, ratings say otherwise, as the show struggles to engage its formerly EVAN AGNOSTINI/AP
SEE GOTHAM PAGE 15
Ben McKenzie (“The OC”) receives praise for his character on “Gotham.”
CULTURE
October 1, 2014
Review | Comic Book
Comic Celebrates Acclaimed Performer By JORDAN SIMON CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Part of what makes both a comic book and an autobiography so compelling is conflict. As readers, we want to see our hero, or heroine in this case, go through some sort of obstacle, overcome it and, in typical fashion, triumph and persevere. In the grand scheme of things, Female Force: Liza Minnelli, accomplishes this. In this latest comic book released from Bluewater Productions, writer Michael L. Frizell provides a look into the life of the iconic entertainer. Going into this comic book, I was aware of Liza Minnelli and her various accomplishments, but I was not aware of the obstacles she overcame in her personal life. Female Force: Liza Minnelli begins with a brief glimpse into Minnelli’s childhood. As the daughter of famed actress Judy Garland (The Wizard of Oz) and acclaimed director Vincent Minnelli (An American in Paris), Minnelli spent most of her childhood at the foregrounds of MGM Studios in Hollywood. It did not take long for Minnelli to make a name for herself after appearing in a few episodes of her mother’s television sitcom. Her performance in the Broadway play Flora The Red Menace earned her a Tony Award. In 1972, her portrayal of Sally Bowers in the musical film Cabaret earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress. But despite her success in film, theater and television, Minnelli insists, “I’m not a very good singer, I just know how to present a song.” It is hard to imagine words like these coming from a woman whose enduring legacy was built on musicals such as Chicago and Victor/Victoria. However, it is this type of candor that makes Minnelli a likeable person that you root for. This is also where the comic book takes a dramatic shift into tragedy.
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‘Gotham’ and ‘Flash’ Fight to Save Fall Pilot Season
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
“Flash” follows “Arrow” in CW’s superhero endeavor. CONTINUED FROM GOTHAM PAGE 14
This comic’s imagery is as vibrant as Minnelli’s life.
When Minnelli was 23, her mother died of an accidental overdose in London. What soon followed for Minnelli was a series of unsuccessful marriages, multiple surgeries and a stint in rehab at age 35. While Frizell does not sugarcoat the obstacles Minnelli overcomes, readers will surely appreciate the humorous way she reacts to her outlandish life, especially the part where she jokes about how she inherited her mother’s alcoholism by saying that she is, “after all, Scottish, French, Irish and Italian.” One of the comic book’s strengths is its imagery. Illustrator Rafael Cor-
COURTESY OF BLUEWATER COMICS
dero creates a balance of both dark and lighthearted imagery that is meant to reflect the titular entertainer’s various accomplishments and many hardships. For all of its colorful imagery and humorous anecdotes, Female Force: Liza Minnelli concludes with two learned lessons: Despite the decline of comic book sales over the past few years, the quality of such mediums has remained intact. Secondly, Minnelli’s influence crosses generational boundaries, as Lady Gaga, who makes a brief cameo in the comic, would concur.
struggles to engage its formerly large audience for another season. Meanwhile, DC Comics, which has only made one film, Man of Steel, since its completion of the Dark Knight trilogy in 2012, seems fairly content to recycle the same characters and plotlines on the small screen, with a few changed details here and there (after all, who is the Green Arrow except Batman in a different costume?) For instance, the plot of Captain America: The Winter Soldier brought some major upheaval to S.H.I.E.L.D when Captain America decided that freedom cannot be sacrificed for justice. This change in the government agency affects the future of the TV show. Consequently, blockbusters take presedence to their television counterparts. While “Gotham” and “The Flash” are still in their early stages, the outlook on both shows is pretty positive, and the odds are high that people will continue to
watch in order to catch glimpses of some of their favorite characters and listen closely for subtle hints of characters to come. It seems strange that these shows would continue to be successful despite being so repetitious, but they capitalize on an important nostalgia that comic fans feel towards their favorite superheroes. Bringing superheroes to the small screen may mean toning down some of the big-budget effects that we love in blockbuster hits, but it also allows viewers to delve deeper into their favorite stories. By making “Gotham” and “The Flash” more police-oriented, both shows drive home the age-old concept of justice. Most comic heroes and vigilantes do not just deal with good and evil, but also tread the gray area in between. Is it ok to do the wrong thing for the right reason? Their struggle to find this balance is a large part of what enthralls viewers, and if these new shows can capture that essence, they will be around for a long time.
SPORTS
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October 1, 2014
The Fordham Ram
Rams Fall to Dartmouth, D h Columbia By TARA CANGIALOSI WEB EDITOR
It was a tough week of competition for the Fordham men’s soccer team, as the Rams faced two out-of-conference Ivy League opponents away from Jack Coffey Field. In both games, the Rams managed to hold Columbia and Dartmouth to 0-0 during the first halves, but the Ivies came alive in the second half. Both teams scored two goals before each game’s end to top the Rams 2-0. “Both Columbia and Dartmouth were quality opponents with talented offenses,” junior Ryan Cupolo said. “I think we came out strong holding both teams to 0-0 results after the first half... [but] it’s a 90 minute game, and we need to be able to maintain full concentration for those 90 minutes every time we step on the field.” Hoping to carry the energy from the win against Temple University the week before, the Rams had a positive outlook going into the matches against the Ivies. The first game, played against Columbia on Wednesday, Sept. 24, was held at the Lions’ home field, Commisso Soccer Stadium. Throughout the first half, Columbia controlled much of the possession, but was unable to break through. Sean Brailey, Fordham’s senior goalkeeper, kept the Rams in the game, making several key saves early on. In the third minute, he blocked a low shot from Columbia’s Antonio Matarazzo. Twenty minutes later, he stopped a rocket from Arthur Bosua and another from Andrew Tinari just
MARIA ANCONA/THE RAM
Fordham has dropped three straight and is currently 3-5-1. The Rams have yet to take on an A-10 conference opponent.
before halftime. Fordham’s best chance at the net came in the 33rd minute, when junior Tomas Penfold got a chance at a free kick outside the box. Fordham players cut toward the net, but the cross was picked off by Columbia’s goalkeeper, freshman Dylan Castanheira. After the break, Columbia came back full force. Just 36 seconds into the half, Rhys Williams made a run down the sideline and crossed the ball. Sophomore Nicholas Pappacena finished the cross, netting his first score of the season and putting the Lions up 1-0. Brailey redeemed himself minutes
later when he saved a Tinari shot to the upper right corner. He quickly pounced on the rebounded shot. The Rams’ defense deadened Columbia’s attack until the 81st minute, when Bosua headed in a beautifully struck corner kick from Tinari, to make the score 2-0. “In every game we’ve played, we’ve been tied or ahead at half and always put in a good first 45 minutes,” Brailey said. “In a couple of these games, we have been punished in the first five, 10 minutes [of the second half] and that completely changes the outlook of the game.” In the 86th minute, Fordham tried to climb its way back into the game.
USA Fails to Reclaim Ryder Cup By SAM BELDEN STAFF WRITER
Last week, many people thought that this would finally be the year that the Americans would defeat the Europeans on their home turf at the Ryder Cup. Team Europe looked a bit stronger on paper, but there were definite causes for concern. Meanwhile, the Americans were hungry and boasted a well-constructed team, and they had what looked to be a superior leader in Captain Tom Watson. It was never meant to be. Team Europe was superb, and in the end, it defeated Team USA by a score of 16.5 to 11.5, the largest margin of victory since 2006, when the Europeans massacred a clearly inferior American team by eight points. The top ranked Americans failed to keep up with the stars of Europe, while Captain Watson made blunder after blunder in constructing pairings and deciding who to play and who to bench. Simply put, everything fell Europe’s way. The Americans started off well. In the first session on Friday morning, the famed pairing of Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson found success with a comeback win, and youngsters Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed were magnificent, blowing out the doomed team of Ian Poulter and Stephen Gallacher. Additionally, the
pairing of Rickie Fowler and Jimmy Walker turned in a gutsy performance to halve their match and earn a half point. It all added up to a nice little advantage for Team USA heading into the afternoon session. It was between the two sessions when Watson made the first of his many mistakes. Despite the fact that Reed and Spieth had the largest margin of victory out of all the morning pairings, they were benched in the afternoon. The captain never gave a clear explanation. Instead, he sent Mickelson and Bradley back out, even though the former was, at the age of 44 years old, clearly gassed from playing 18 holes on a long, hilly course. Predictably, they lost their match to Victor Dubuisson and Graeme McDowell. In fact, the Americans were almost completely blanked on Friday afternoon; their only score came from another halved match by Fowler and Walker, giving them half a point. By the end of the day, Team USA’s one point lead had turned into a two point deficit. Things appeared to be looking up on Saturday morning, when the Americans edged the Europeans, thanks to great showings by Reed and Spieth and a new pairing of Jim Furyk and Hunter Mahan. Those hopes, however, were quickly dashed thanks to more afternoon dominance from the European side, which once again came close to shutting
out the Americans. Later, Team USA only managed one half of a point, this time thanks to Reed and Spieth, who had quickly proven themselves to be Ryder Cup stars. Meanwhile, Walker and Fowler, who were playing in their fourth consecutive match and were fatigued, got crushed, while the other two pairings were simply outplayed. At four points back, they needed a Sunday miracle. They failed to find one. While the European stars kept their heads above water on one of the most pressure-packed days in golf, the American stars looked bad; Spieth, Fowler, Furyk and Bubba Watson all lost their singles matches. Europe’s big lead carried over, and for the third consecutive time, they won the Ryder Cup. What went wrong for Team USA? The obvious answer is that they lacked proper leadership. Tom Watson was aloof and failed to connect with his players. He was authoritative, but he failed to listen to them. There were many things that went wrong for the USA; Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler both went winless, while none of the three captain’s picks did much to help. However, athletes cannot be perfect. They are human and are unable to craft a perfect golf shot every time they address the ball. Ryder Cup captains, on the other hand, can be perfect. Tom Watson was not.
Andres Penfold had his shot blocked, and when his brother shot the rebound, Castanheira made a diving save. With the win, Columbia improved to 3-2-0, snapping Fordham’s winning streak. “We have a lot of young guys, so every single game we play, that experience helps our team,” head coach Jim McElderry said. “But we still have a lot to improve on.” Three days later, the team headed to up to Hanover, New Hampshire, to face its second Ivy League opponent, Dartmouth. The Rams came out strong in the first half, generating scoring oppor-
tunities. In the 13th minute, Tomas Penfold shot from 20 yards out, but Dartmouth’s Stefan Cleveland made the save. Six minutes later, Ole Sanders had a chance to finish a corner, but his shot missed wide. Unable to convert, Fordham had to hold Dartmouth scoreless. The Big Green’s best first half chance came when Alberto Gorini shot from 25 yards out, but it was an easy save for Brailey. In the second half, however, the Rams ran into the same problem they had against Columbia. The Big Green scored within the first four minutes, when Nick Rooney headed in a long throw-in by senior Tommy Johnson. Three minutes later, Dartmouth almost scored again, when Alex Adelabu shot toward an empty net. Junior Ryan Cupolo raced back and made the save to keep the game at 1-0, but it was not enough for the Rams. The Big Green scored an insurance goal in the 70th minute, when Eric Jayne and Robin Alnas combined for a give-and-go goal, with Alnas scoring from 11 yards out. Dartmouth improved to 3-2-1, while the Rams dropped to 3-4-1. “The previous two losses definitely hurt, but it is important with the quick turn around to sweep them [the losses] under the rug so that we can step on the field with confidence on Tuesday,” Cupolo said. The Rams concluded non-conference play on Tuesday night, travelling to St. John’s for a match that was broadcast on ESPN3. The Rams fell to the Red Storm, 1-0, but Brailey set a career high with nine saves.
Water Polo Now 8-5 By ANTHONY ALI STAFF WRITER
Fordham water polo rebounded from a 16-10 loss against Iona on Thursday to defeat MIT, 7-6, while dropping one at No. 16 Harvard by a score of 10-8. The Rams went into Thursday’s matchup coming off of a 1-1 start to conference play last weekend. Off to a quick start, the Rams found the back of the net 1:12 into the first quarter, with junior Patrick Reyes turning past two Iona defenders to score. After that, Iona proceeded to dominate, with the Gaels scoring six unanswered goals in the first quarter, making the scoreline 6-1. Iona continued to open the scoring in the second quarter, expanding its lead to six goals. The Rams then mounted a spirited comeback, with three straight goals of their own from freshman Ethan Vandeventer, junior Peter Bergum and sophomore R.J. Simmons. With the score at 7-4, the Gaels continued to attack and finished the half with a 10-5 lead. In the third quarter, Iona started to break away, outscoring the Rams 5-1, which gave them a decisive 15-6 lead. The Rams closed out the game by outscoring the Gaels 4-1 in the final quarter, making the final score at 16-10. In their second game of the week, the Rams traveled to Cambridge,
Massachusetts to take on MIT for their first of two matches in the Bay State. With a stifling defense that did not allow the Engineers to take the lead once, the Rams weathered a strong comeback to win 7-6. Taking a 5-1 lead by halftime, bolstered by four second quarter goals, Fordham managed to close out the game with a goal in each of the last two quarters. The Rams followed up their win with a trip to No. 16 Harvard, where they were downed 10-8. With everything square after the first quarter, the Crimson managed to pry open a lead and make the score 7-4 before halftime. Fordham was able to get within two goals with the score at 8-6, but were unable to pull themselves any closer before the end of the match. Senior Ori Raz led the team in scoring once again with three goals, while Vandeventer continued his productive first season with another two goals. Simmons, DeFontes and junior Landon Kern managed to hit the back of the net as well. Noah LeBeau was dominant between the posts with 14 saves. The string of results put the Rams at 8-5 overall, although they dropped to 2-3 in conference play. The Rams head to the west coast Thursday, October 2 for a doubleheader, playing Cal-Baptist at 3:30 p.m. and Mt. San Antonio at 9 p.m. before they start play for the Gary Troyer Invitational on Friday.
SPORTS
October 1, 2014
Page 17
A Grand Finale Varsity Scores & Stats By MATTHEW MICHAELS STAFF WRITER
When MLB implemented a second wild card team for each league, critics argued that it would detract from the excitement of the last weekend of the regular season. The season finale for the third year of the expanded playoffs proved those critics wrong, as it was an exciting Sunday for the whole league. Three playoff spots were still up for grabs going into game 162. The Tigers led the Royals by one game, but Kansas City had a chance to force a one game playoff for the AL Central title. The Royals were never given an opportunity, however, because David Price was stellar for the Tigers against the Twins. Even though the Royals won their last game, Detroit clinched its fourth consecutive division title. Over in the NL Central, St. Louis and Pittsburgh were in the same position as the Tigers and Royals. The Cardinals won their game 1-0 while the Pirates were defeated. St. Louis took the Central crown. Going into the last day, the only teams still alive without clinching were the Athletics and the Mariners. The A’s depended on Sonny Gray to hold on to the second wild card position. Gray pitched phenomenally, finishing with a complete game shutout to defeat the Rangers (and Fordham graduate Nick Martinez). With Oakland’s victory, Seattle was officially eliminated from the playoffs. The Mariners (led by Cy Young favorite Felix Hernandez) denied the Angels of its league best 99th win. Playoff implications were not the only newsworthy story around the league on Sunday. Jose Altuve, originally not in Sunday’s lineup, batted second and collected two hits. The pair of singles raised his batting average to .341 and allowed the short second baseman to become the first Houston Astro to win a batting title. Altuve also led the league in hits and stolen bases, a remarkable feat from an outstanding breakout season. Not all of the day’s drama was of a typical end-of-season variety. Ian Desmond homered in the second in-
ning to give the Nationals a 1-0 lead over the Marlins, a score that would remain for the rest of the frames. Nationals’ starter Jordan Zimmermann dominated the Miami hitters with 10 punch outs and just one walk. Most impressively, Zimmermann did not allow a single hit. With two outs in the ninth inning, defensive replacement Steven Souza made a terrific grab in left field to preserve and finish the no-hitter. Zimmermann became just the fourth pitcher to throw a no-hitter on the last day of the season. In a strange coincidence, the losing pitcher in this game was Marlins’ starter Henderson Alvarez, who pulled the same feat by twirling a no-no in game 162 last year. I would be remiss if I did not include the efforts of retiring players in my last day wrap-up. Mets’ outfielder Bobby Abreu announced his retirement on Friday before his last series. Abreu singled in the fifth inning for career hit number 2,470 before being pulled for a pinch runner. Abreu ended an interesting, strange and terrific career by receiving a standing ovation. White Sox fans also had a reason to applaud as long time Pale Hose Paul Konerko played in his final game. The six-time allstar went 0-3 at the plate to conclude a disappointing season, but the fans appreciated the effort he brought in his 16 seasons for the Sox. After a season that captured the attention and respect of fans around the world, the Captain, Derek Jeter, finished off his career a grand style. After hitting a walk off single in his last game at Yankee Stadium, Jeter and the Yankees played three games against their longtime rivals in Boston. The shortstop did not play the first game and only acted as a designated hitter for the latter two, but he was admired and honored the entire time, even by Red Sox fans who have been jeering at him for the last 20 years. Jeter singled in his last at-bat, another great moment for the future Hall-of-Famer. With so much pomp and circumstance, vital baseball and extraordinary feats, the baseball season is certinaly not losing momentum before the postseason.
Football Fordham 0 17 14 14 45 Holy Cross 0 3 6 7 16 (FOR) M. Nebrich 5 TDs (HC) J. Wieczorek 1 TD
Volleyball Fordham 0 George Mason 3 (FOR) L. Hipp 10 kills (GMU) M. Martin 10 kills Fordham George Washington (FOR) L. Hipp 10 digs (GW) M. Doyle 11 digs Golf Dartmouth Invite
0 3
Men’s Soccer Fordham Columbia GOALS: Pappacena (COL) 46’ , Bosua (COL) 83’
0 2
Fordham 0 Dartmouth 2 GOALS: Rooney (DART) 53’ , Jayne (DART) 70’ Women’s Soccer Columbia 1 Fordham 2 GOALS: Linde (COL) 33’, Lahcanski (FOR) 47’, Linde (COL) 51’
Men’s Cross Country Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown 10th Brian Cook
50th- 25:28
Women’s Cross Country Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown 20th Brianna Tevnan 80th-18:25 Water Polo Fordham Iona Fordham MIT
7 6
Fordham MIT
7 6
11th
Athletes of the Week Quincy O’ Connor
Lisa Hipp
Junior
Grad Student
Cross Country
Volleyball
O’ Connor was named Atlantic 10 Men’s Cross Country Performer of the Week. He came in 60th at the Coast-to-Coast Battle in Beantown 8K with a career best time of 25:39.
Hipp was one of Fordham’s top performers this past weekend, tallying 22 kills and 19 digs in matchups versus Atlantic 10 opponents George Mason and George Washington.
Each week, The Fordham Ram Sports editors honor one male athlete and one female athlete for their on-field performances as their “Athletes of the Week.”
News & Notes • Fordham quarterback Mike Nebrich was named Corvias Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week, and also was named a College Sporting News National All-Star. Nebrich completed 32-42 passes for 315 yards and had five total touchdowns, four passing and one rushing, against Holy Cross this past Saturday. • Fordham running back Chase Edmonds was named the Corvias Patriot League Offensive Rookie of the Week for the third straight week and fourth time this year. Edmonds had 26 carries for 142 yards and a touchdown versus Holy Cross. • Fordham runner Brian Cook was named Atlantic 10 Men’s Cross Country Rookie of the Week, finishing first for Fordham and 50th overall at the Coast-to-Coast Battle Beantown in with a 25:28 in the 8K. • Former Fordham kicker Patrick Murray kicked two field goals, one from 50 yards, and made three extra points in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 27-24 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. • Fordham men’s soccer fell to the St. John’s University Red Storm 1-0 Tuesday night. Gabriel Camara scored for St. John’s in the 86th minute to win the match.
Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/theram_sports COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
Sonny Gray’s gem in Game 162 helped propel the Athletics into the playoffs.
10 16
SPORTS
Page 18
October 1, 2014
Senior Profile | Sean Brailey
Kelly Kultys
Max Prinz
Editor-in-Chief
Sports Editor
Thank You, Jeter
Orioles Magic
On Thursday, Sept. 25th, Yankee fans around the world cried, cheered and celebrated for their Captain’s last home game. The 48,613 in attendance witnessed the perfect ending to a seemingly perfect career before giving Derek Jeter the proper send-off — a simple, fitting chant: “Thank you, Jeter.” With today’s world of sports plagued by turmoil, this sentiment couldn’t be more appropriate. In a day and age when athletes come loaded with baggage, where our legends have asterisks next to their records, when we spend more time talking about the off-the-field drama rather than on-the-field play —thank you Jeter for never getting involved in the nonsense. Thank you, Jeter, for showing us that you can have a good time and still stay away from the infamous back pages. If you’ve ever seen the commercial with George Steinbrenner and Derek Jeter, you know that the Yankee owner was worried about his shortstop’s partying ways. It wasn’t as if Derek Jeter didn’t enjoy a good time — a look at his illustrious dating history will show you otherwise, but he never let that define him. He never had his “good times” captured on camera. He never seemed to treat women poorly. There were no elevator videos of Derek and Mariah or allegations that required law enforcement action. So thank you Jeter, for treating people right. Thank you for being a star people can admire. Right now, one of the faces of the NFL is known as a prolific running back and child abuser. Last year’s Heisman Trophy winner was accused of sexual assault. A 5-time NBA Champion might be better known for being accused of sexual assault. Even one of the young stars of European soccer is known better for biting a human than being the 2013-2014 leading scorer in the Premier League. Thank you, Jeter, for having enough respect for the game to not cheat. Thank you for being able to accurately say, “I know there are a lot of players that have had much more talent throughout my career, but I can honestly say that I don’t think anyone played harder. Maybe as hard, but not harder.” Thank you for not taking steroids or visiting the Biogenesis Clinic or trying to outsmart the game. Thank you Jeter, for not abandoning your friends and teammates when they did turn to drugs. You showed us that people can make some horrific decisions, but that it doesn’t mean you have to abandon them. A-Rod, Andy Pettite and many others hopefully appreciate the fact that you didn’t turn your back on them — you stood by them. Thank you, Jeter, for always giving back to the fans for the last 20 years. Thank you for making them a part of your history. But most of all, thank you for being a hero in a time when sports needed one the most.
Baseball fans, rejoice. October baseball is finally upon us. What’s that you say? Your favorite team didn’t make the postseason and you need a team to root for? Well, I’m here to help. Look no further than the magical, fun-loving Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles won the American League this season for the first time since 1997. They opened the season with a 24-25 record and then proceeded to finish 72-41, a winning percentage of .637. Some might chalk that up to luck. Fans call it “Orioles Magic.” The best part of being an Orioles fan is the fantastic stories surrounding the players who wear orange and black. First and foremost, there’s the face of the franchise, Adam Jones. No player was more excited when the team clinched the division. Jones grabbed an Orioles flag from the team’s mascot and lapped the field, high-fiving fans. He even brought out a few of his celebratory pies and stuffed them in the face of joyous Oriole fans. The Orioles’ leading slugger, Nelson Cruz, was an afterthought in the offseason and struggled to get the kind of money he wanted. The Orioles took a chance on him and he proceeded to hit 40 home runs, leading the league. Miguel Gonzalez, discovered by an Orioles scout in the Mexican League, made his debut in 2012 as a 28-year-old rookie. Gonzalez has posted a 7-4 record with a 2.34 ERA since July. Steve Pearce, a first baseman and occasional outfielder, was designated for assignment earlier in the year and then resigned by the Orioles in May. Pearce hit three home runs in his first 10 games back with the team and finished the month with a .309 average. Then, he hit .361 in June. “All I wanted to do is play for the Orioles,’’ Pearce told Sports Illustrated in September. “I love it here.’’ Catcher Caleb Joseph, who took over for injured All-Star Matt Wieters, broke an Orioles record, becoming the first Orioles catcher and the first rookie to hit a home run in five consecutive games. Chris Davis, just days after being suspended, was one of several people who lifted an overturned truck to help accident victims on I-295. I could go on, and on and on. Back when Jones signed his contract extension in 2012, he talked about wanting to become part of the city. He wanted to bring winning back to Baltimore. “I fit here in this city. I fit here on this team. I fit in Camden Yards,” Jones told ESPN at the time. “I’m not from Baltimore. This is now my town.” No one is more excited for back in October than Orioles fans. Their town has spent too many years looking up at the Yankees and the Red Sox. They haven’t felt this level of excitement in a long, long time. If you need a team for this October, the excited, magical town of Baltimore is the place to be.
MARIA ANCONA/THE RAM
After seeing his playing time fluctuate in his sophomore and junior year, Brailey has settled in as a senior leader in 2014.
By TARA CANGIALOSI WEB EDITOR
Sean Brailey is the senior goalkeeper for the Fordham men’s soccer team, and one of only six seniors on the team. Given the chance to start the 2014 season, Brailey has already recorded 35 saves and one shutout. The Fordham Ram: How and when did you start playing soccer? Sean Brailey: It was one of those things. When I was around six or seven, my mom just signed me up for soccer. I played soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring. They just sign you up when you’re little, and whatever sticks, that’s what you stay with. And soccer was the one I went with. I have to credit my mom for signing me up — without her, I wouldn’t be here right now. TFR: Why did you choose Fordham? SB: Throughout high school, I always had a spot because I was one of the only kids who played goalie. When I first started playing, and when you’re little, they just rotate or throw a different kid in goal every game. When it was my turn, I guess I did well, and it just stuck with me from when I was eight years old, all the way through high school. I started recruiting later on, and everything just fell into place coming here. TFR: Being a goalkeeper, you have one of the toughest jobs on the field. What made you choose the position? SB: It’s one of those positions that is high pressure, and all the eyes are on you. It’s not really towards my personality, but it was something I was good at. I found
that I was able to adjust to the position quickly and through coaching from the time I was 10 or 11, I just kept training and training. And it all paid off. TFR: Can you recall a particularly intense moment in goal during your Fordham career? SB: During my Fordham career, my sophomore year was my first year playing. In the second or third game, we were at Brown, who was nationally ranked. We were up 1-0, and it was late in the second half. They were bombarding us with shots and crosses in the box. But, we just bunkered in and were able to weather the storm, and we walked away with a 1-0 win. That was one of the best and biggest games I’ve played here. TRF: How does your position in goal enable you to help your teammates on the field? SB: You are the last man, so you can see everything in front of you, unlike forwards who can only see so much. One of the biggest things for me is being loud and vocal — either to my defenders telling them where to go or where their man is. It all comes from me, so there is a lot of responsibility relies on being in that position where you can see the whole field. TFR: Have you taken on more of a leadership role since starting the season, especially since the majority of the team is composed of young players? SB: We have probably one of the biggest freshman classes in my four years, and a lot of new guys coming in. A bunch of our starters were hurt last year, so it’s a fairly new team. I feel like just being one of the seniors on the team comes with the standing that I have experience
after being here for three years. Also, just being a goalie means you have to be vocal. I’m not the loudest guy, but I’m just trying to lead by example. TFR: How has the team dynamic changed since your freshman year? SB: It was a fairly older team when I first got here. There were a lot of seniors playing, and a lot of the younger guys did not see as much time. There has always been a solid core that has really transitioned from year to year. Being that we spend a lot of time together, whether it’s on or off the field, we get to know each other pretty well. it’s really easy to assimilate into our group. TFR: What do you ultimately hope to accomplish in your final season? SB: We set out a goal to win the Atlantic 10 Tournament. We haven’t made the playoffs in the past two years, but you always want to shoot for something high. Given that we have a lot of talent on this team — It’s probably one of the most deep teams I’ve been a part of in my four years — we feel like we can make a solid run. We just need to be more tuned into the game for a full 90 minutes. We just have to be positive, focused and just bring a lot of energy to every game. TFR: Do you have any postgraduation plans? SB: I’m keeping my options open. I’m an accounting major, so I’m undecided if I will do a fifth year undergraduate program here where I can sit for the CPA right away. Or, if I want to get work experience through training, and then sit for the CPA. It’s all coming really fast.
Volleyball Spiked on the Road By ANTHONY PUCIK ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Graduate student Lisa Hipp and the volleyball team were not thinking about their 0-10 record heading into Atlantic-10 play. The only record that mattered to them was the clean slate they had in the conference. “Our current record does not reflect how we play, but now, starting A-10 play, we are 0-0,” she said. “We have talent and skill. We have the desire. We just need to play the game one point at a time and keep control of the game.” Hipp was also excited to open A-10 competition against two competitive teams. “George Mason and George Washington will be a good opening weekend for us,” she said. “They are going to be tough matches.” The George Mason Patriots did prove to be a tough match, as Ford-
ham opened up conference play on Friday, Sept. 26, in Virginia with a 3-0 loss. George Mason came out on its home court and opened up the first set with an 11-3 lead on their way to a 25-14 set win. Fordham started the second set better at six all, but the Patriots pulled away from there and went on to win the second set 25-16. The Rams had an 11-9 lead in the third set, but a 13-8 run by George Mason gave it a lead it would never relinquish, taking the third set 25-19 and completing the sweep. Hipp lead the Rams with 10 kills and junior Abigail Konovodoff once again led in assists with 13 and digs with 10. Fordham then traveled to Washington D.C. on Saturday, Sept. 27, for its second A-10 road game of the weekend against the George Washington Colonials, which it also fell to in straight sets. The Colonials won the first set 25-15, setting the tone early on in the match. George Wash-
ington took a 12-7 lead in the second set as well, on route to a 25-18 victory to go up two sets to none. The third set looked to be much of the same early on, as the Colonials had a 12-7 lead. They eventually made it 18-12 when the Rams started mounting their comeback. A 7-2 run by Fordham brought it back to within one, but George Washington was able to hold off the Rams’ late push, winning the set 25-23 and the match. Hipp led Fordham with 12 kills and 10 digs, while Konovodoff continued to rack up assists with 19. The loss dropped Fordham to 0-12 on the season and 0-2 in conference play. This weekend, Fordham looks to get its first win of the season and in conference in the Rose Hill Gym when it takes on two A-10 foes. Duquesne University visits on Friday, Oct. 3, at 3 p.m. and La Salle University follows on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 7 p.m.
SPORTS
October 1, 2014
Page 19
Cross Country Struggles Against Top Competition By BRYAN KIEL STAFF WRITER
The Fordham cross country team competed in Boston this past Friday in a meet that featured some of the top teams in the country. The Coast to Coast Battle in Beantown, hosted by Boston College, brought teams from 11 different states up to Franklin Park, including the No. 1 ranked Michigan women’s team and the No. 3 ranked Oregon men’s squad. The men’s race also featured No. 8 ranked Syracuse, No. 13 ranked Columbia and No. 16 ranked Providence while the women’s race featured a total of five top-25 teams, including No. 5 Georgetown, No. 15 Syracuse, No. 16 Boston College, No. 18 Providence and No. 25 Dartmouth. In reference to the high concentration of top competition, Michigan coach Mike McGuire was quoted as saying that the race was “very similar to what we’ll face at the NCAA Pre-Nationals (Oct.18) in Indiana.” While both squads for Fordham have had promising races so far this season, neither could pull off a surprising finish. Senior Brianna Tevnan, who led the Fordham pack with a career best of 18:25 in the 5K race, placed 80th overall in competition. Michigan, meanwhile, won the race with its fifth finisher coming in just 27th place overall. Sophomore Brianne Roche finished 124th overall with a time of 19:18, Senior Mara Lieberman finished with a time of 19:26, good for 127th overall. Freshman Brynna Harum also broke the 20 minute mark with a time of 19:33, while fellow freshmen Shea Williams and Stephanie Leo, as well as senior Melissa Higgins, ran well under 21 minutes. Overall, Fordham finished 20th out of that race. “We all expected more, and definitely were capable of more,” Roche said, reflecting on the disappointing finish. “It could have been
a combination of running on a new course and not being used to such intense competition, plus racing in the afternoon as opposed to the morning.” Higgins echoed Roche’s sentiments, but added hope to the next races coming up. “This was a very difficult meet, but we are really hoping to improve upon this weekend’s results throughout the season.” Entering Boston, the men’s squad had a few reasons to be happy. Two freshmen, Brian Cook and Thomas Slattery, were named Corvais ECAC co-rookies of the week after their impressive finish at the Iona Meet of Champions the previous week. The men also entered the week 10th regionally in the USTFCCCA Northeast Regional rankings. The squad, which raced against against 19 other teams, had a better showing, finishing 10th in competition. The race was easily won by Oregon, which took five of the top-10 spots. Sophomore Edward Cheserek and senior Eric Jenkins led the Ducks and the rest of the racers with a time of 24:20 in the 8K meet. Cheserek, the reigning NCAA Cross Country champion, is also a former New Jersey standout, who represented St. Benedict’s High School of Newark, New Jersey. Cook was Fordham’s top runner, finishing 50th overall with a time of 25:28, while juniors Quincy O’Connor and Mike Turi teamed up for 60th and 61st finishes with times of 25:39 and 25:40, respectively. Slattery just beat the 26-minute mark with a time of 25:59, while fellow freshmen Louis Santelli, Nik O’Brien and senior captain Jon Annelli all fell under the 27-minute mark. The Rams will have the next weekend off as they prepare for championship season to begin in October, starting with the Metropolitan Championship in Van Cortlandt Park on Oct. 10.
By MATT ROSENFELD SPORTS EDITOR
There are many things I like about sports, but one of my favorite things is that sports can mean so many different things to so many different people. For some, they’re an escape from the doldrums of life. For others, sports are a tool for teaching many life lessons. Sports can even be as simple as just having something to look forward to on Sunday. Professional athletes, however, are a little bit different. While they, too, can trigger a lot of different emotions in people, the athletes who play the games we love often evoke emotions that can get more politicized than just the games themselves. It can get personal. Sometimes we as fans, sit on our high horses and judge professional athletes’ personal lives like we are their parents. When it comes to the individuals playing the sports we love, the thoughts we have are decreasingly pure. Derek Jeter was, or seemed to be, the exception. Last Thursday, when Jeter’s fairytale-like career had the perfect denouement, a walk-off hit in his final game at Yankee Sta-
dium, it made me realize what I’m going to miss the most about him. It’s not his abilities, which at times were way overrated. It’s not the fact he was the last real beacon of my childhood sports fandom. I’m going to miss him mostly because, to the best of my knowledge, he is the last superstar athlete who was almost unanimously loved off the field. There were a lot of factors that helped Jeter reach that status. He played the most prominent position on a baseball field. He played for one of the most famous franchises on the globe. He is biracial, which has always sort of kept him away from any racial vitriol. And, he somehow managed to stay out of countless cheating scandals despite playing a 20-year career in the heart of baseball’s steroid era. I’m not saying Derek Jeter’s abilities played an insignificant role his success. It’s not easy to play 20 years of professional baseball in the biggest market and pretty much never have a negative press clipping written about you. Obviously, I didn’t look back over every story over the course of Jeter’s career, but the fact that I cannot think of a single scandal involving Jeter after
COURTESY OF FLICKR
Derek Jeter retired from baseball after a 20 year career with the Yankees.
20 years is amazing. People rag on Jeter for always saying the right thing, for not being a good quote. Even in his most vulnerable interviews over his final days as a Yankee, he thanked the fans over and over, hitting cliche after cliche. Some think it isn’t genuine, and it may be boring, but you’ve never seen The Captain causing strife in the a locker room. He has always done what’s right for his team. You don’t get that too often today One sign I saw on TV during the seemingly 24/7 Derek Jeter coverage last week read, “My grandpa told me stories about Babe Ruth, I’ll tell my kids stories about Derek Jeter.” That really struck a chord with me. I started to think about what athletes I admire and want to tell my kids about, and every one that came to mind had a caveat attached. I thought about telling my future child about the unparalleled athleticism of LeBron James, for example. I thought about telling them how LeBron could do everything on a basketball court and influence a game any way he wanted. Then I pictured him telling his little friends about LeBron James. And then I realized there would undoubtedly be somebody who bought up “The Decision” and the mess that followed for LeBron. There really aren’t that many transcendent professional players worth telling your children about. There are even less that don’t come with an asterisk attached. Jeter is one of them. I’ll miss No. 2 on the field. I’ll never forget the five rings, the clutch at bats and the heroic plays at shortstop. He was the player our entire generation has idolized. All of that has been well-documented. But, the more I come to grips with the reality that Derek Jeter will never play another baseball game, the more I realize how much I’ll miss having an athlete that was universally loved.
Upcoming Varsity Schedule Home games in CAPS
Thursday Oct. 2
Friday Oct. 3
Saturday Oct. 4
Sunday Oct. 5
GEO. WASH 4 p.m.
VCU 1 p.m.
Women’s Soccer
at Quinnipiac Invitational TBA
at Quinnipiac Invitational TBA
Men’s Tennis Women’s Tennis
Fordham went up against its toughest competition of the season in Boston.
Golf
at Marist 4 p.m.
at College Invitational Flushing, N.Y. at West Point Head Race TBA
Women’s Rowing
COURTESY OF KERRY SORENSON
Wednesday Oct. 8
URI 1 p.m.
Men’s Soccer
Volleyball
Tuesday Oct. 7
LAFAYETTE 6:30 p.m.
Football
Water Polo
Monday Oct. 6
at Cal Baptist/ Mt. San Ant. 3:30 p.m.
at Gary Troyer Tournament All Day DUQUESNE 3 p.m.
LA SALLE 7 p.m. at Macdonald Cup 8 a.m.
at Lehigh 7 p.m.
SPORTS
Page 20
October 1, 2014
The Fordham Ram
Fordham Beats Holy Cross, 45-16, Retains Ram-Crusader Cup By MAX PRINZ SPORTS EDITOR
Playing in their first Patriot League game since 2009, the Fordham Rams defeated the Holy Cross Crusaders 45-16, showing off their full arsenal of offensive weapons. Senior quarterback Mike Nebrich continued his stretch of strong play, throwing for 315 yards and four touchdowns. Nebrich spread the wealth among his targets — five different receivers caught at least two passes. Freshman Chase Edmonds was stellar yet again, racking up 142 yards and another rushing touchdown, his eighth of the year. The talented Fordham receiving corps also played a significant role in the win, putting its depth on full display. Senior Sam Ajala, Nebrich’s favorite target, suffered a hip contusion and did not play for much of the game, but seniors Brian Wetzel, Tebucky Jones, Marcus Jones and Dan Light all stepped up and picked up the slack. Marcus Jones, who replaced Ajala, had the best game of his career, catching six passes for 66 yards and a touchdown. Early on in the game, it did not look like the Fordham offense would put up close to 45 points. The Rams had a field goal blocked on their second drive of
MATT ROSENFELD/ THE RAM
The Rams have won the battle for the Ram-Crusader Cup each of the last three seasons.
the game and were held scoreless in the first quarter. The momentum shifted dramatically when Fordham returned the favor and blocked a Holy Cross field goal attempt. The Rams also got a helping hand from a poor 12-yard Holy Cross punt that gave them the ball just 30 yards away from the end zone. Fordham took advantage of the short field five plays later, when Nebrich found Wetzel for a
nine-yard touchdown pass. The Rams put together another scoring drive before the first half ended, capped by an Edmonds eight-yard touchdown run. Holy Cross managed a field goal on the following drive, but, despite a scoreless first quarter, the Rams had a 14-point advantage going in to halftime. Holy Cross, however, refused to go away. The Crusaders scored on the second play of the third
quarter when Holy Cross quarterback Peter Pujals found Jake Wieczorek for a 74-yard touchdown pass. The Rams showed the same level of resiliency they have all season, coming out and scoring a touchdown of their own on the following possession. Nebrich led a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Light catching an eightyard touchdown pass. Nebrich led another scoring
drive in the third quarter, putting the game squarely in the Rams’ control. This time, Nebrich showed off his speed, faking the pass and scrambling across the goal line for a four-yard score. At three quarters of play, Fordham had a commanding 31-9 lead. Holy Cross attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter, scoring a touchdown when Pujals found Tyler Artim for a 27-yard score, but the Rams refused to let the Crusaders back in the game. Nebrich connected with Wetzel for a 25-yard touchdown pass that put the game away. The play-action pass, a staple of the Fordham offense, was particularly effective against the Crusaders. Three of the Rams’ scoring plays came out of a play fake, including Nebrich’s rushing touchdown, his first of the season. The win gives the Rams their first Patriot League victory since 2009, the last year before Fordham gave out athletic scholarships to student-athletes. The Rams have not played a game that counted towards the league standings since then, and head coach Joe Moorhead stressed the importance of conference games this season. The Rams take on Lafayette at home this Friday night in their second conference game of the season. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m.
Rams Drop Final Non-Conference Match, 2-1 By DREW CASEY STAFF WRITER
After dropping consecutive road contests two weekends ago, the Fordham women’s soccer team returned home this past Sunday for an afternoon matchup with Columbia. The squad turned in a solid effort, but fell to the Lions 2-1 on a beautiful day at Jack Coffey Field. Columbia started out strong, registering the first three shots of the game, and took the early 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute. Lions’ forward Madeline Linde found the back of the net, beating the Rams’ senior goalkeeper Ally White from the edge of the box on the right side of the field. Fordham responded well with some quality chances, but went into the break down by one to a Columbia team that had not allowed a goal in its previous four games. At the intermission, head coach Jessica Clinton knew that the team could have played a better half. The team recognized this too and responded very well. “What went wrong was there was a little bit of disconnect between our lines,” Clinton said. “We didn’t come out with the fight and the toughness that we’ve shown to play with.” Determined, the Rams quickly tied the score at one. Junior midfielder Ivana Lahcanski connected on a header from point blank range to beat Columbia’s goalkeeper in the 47th minute. Both senior forward Kate McDonnell and freshman
Senior captain Kate McDonell leads the Rams into the start of their A-10 schedule this weekend as they take on VCU and George Washington.
midfielder Natalie Sims added an assist on the well-executed one-touch passing play. The goal was Lahcanski’s third of the season. However, the Lions quickly answered and retook the lead, when Linde added her second goal of the game in the 50th minute. White made a remarkable diving stop on Columbia’s initial shot, but could not manage to stop the second chance opportunity. With a 2-1 lead, the Lions went into a heavily defen-
sive formation that Fordham had a difficult time breaking through. Senior midfielder Jessica Widmann and sophomore defender Ally Doyle had the best chances to tie it up for the Rams, but could not put their shots on target. Despite the loss, the second half was definitely a step forward for the team compared to the first 45 minutes. “What went right was the second half,” Clinton said. “[There] was the
fight and the hard work and the battle — the strength that the team put in: playing together.” With the loss, the team is now 6-4-0 and has lost three consecutive games. The squad has also concluded its non-conference schedule. The Rams will open up the Atlantic 10 season this weekend with two home games, battling VCU on Friday at 1 p.m. and playing George Washington on Sunday at 4 p.m. The team is looking to put together a solid con-
ANDREW ESOLDI/ THE RAM
ference season in hopes of qualifying for the A-10 tournament. “To make the A-10 (tournament), we have to stick to who we are and make sure we know exactly who we are every time we step onto the field,” Clinton said. “If we lose our identity at any point during the game, that’s when we start to struggle.” Fordham currently sits in fifth place in the A-10 conference standings.