Volume 96 issue 21

The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 Volume 96, Issue 21

FordhamRam.com

November 19, 2014

Admin Break Down Budget Allocations

Fordham Undefeated in Patriot League Rams Defeat Hoyas 52-7 at Home

By KELLY KULTYS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

By MAX PRINZ SPORTS EDITOR

The 2014 Rams became the first Fordham team to go undefeated in Patriot League play Saturday, defeating Georgetown 52-7.

The team’s 32 seniors, who were honored in the Senior Day ceremony before kickoff on Saturday, have come a long way from 2011′s 1-10 season. Senior wide receiver Brian Wetzel reflected on how far the team had come after the game.

“When I got here I thought we had a special group of guys,” Wetzel said. “I thought that if we stuck together we could come out and do something great. Obviously that 1-10 season turned that around a little, but the new coaching staff came in and we all bought in and came together.”

"We bonded so quick and came together," Wetzel added. "I think we just clicked."

Wetzel turned in a strong per-

formance in his final regular season game at Jack Coffey Field, catching nine passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. He was also a favorite target on third downs and moved the chains several times.

Another one of those seniors who remembers the 1-10 season all too well is Peter Maetzold.

Maetzold replaced Mike Nebrich at quarterback in the second quarter and completed 14 of 18 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns.

“Pete’s up for relief pitcher of the year, he’s done an unbelievable job,” head coach Joe Moorhead said. “Three of the biggest games of the year Pete stepped up and performed unbelievably.”

Nebrich appeared to land awkwardly on his left knee after completing a pass to senior Tebucky SEE FOOTBALL, PAGE 20

ANDREW ESOLDI/THE RAM

Peter Maetzold led the team with 285 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Students Link Up at RPI for Hackathon

By KATIE MEYER NEWS EDITOR

It is a Saturday at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and the mood is tense. All throughout the halls, heads are bent low over laptops. Hushed exchanges are made, eyes never leave the computer screens on which they are fixed. Music plays quietly. Here and there, people catch a few hours of sleep on the floor, or are curled up in a chair. There is only one thing this could be.

A hackathon.

The 24-hour event is something of a playground for aspiring programmers. The objective is to use programming skills to make literally anything, so long as it is creative and not illegal. Catego-

ries for the RPI event were laid out ahead of time — projects could fall under the definition of “web app,” “mobile app,” “desktop app” or “something in between.”

The event marked the first time that Fordham has ever sent an official group to a hackathon.

The Computing Sciences Society (CSS) coordinated the trip independently of OSLCD, by executive board members Kenny Durkin, Tausif Hasan, Samuel Joseph (the Ram’s Photo Editor), Aaron DeVera and Hannah Reiss, all FCRH ’16.

Durkin, the president of the CSS, said the students who participated were generally inexperienced, with 15 out of the 22 attendees never having been to a hackathon before.

One group, made up of Joseph, ’16, and Stephen Rubio, FCRH ’16, Oliver Belanger, FCRH ’15 and Jake Weissman, Columbia University ’16, made an Android app that analyzed phone usage statistics. Another group, made up of Ian Granger and Armend Pashtriku, both FCRH ’18, created a hardware project that sent tweets and made a light display at the push of a button. Several others, like Pauline Pan, GSB ’17, and Elana Tee and Nicole Kucik, both FCLC ’17, used the time and resources to learn basic coding to build their own personal websites (using a free domain that RPI supplied to all participants).

“We couldn't have asked for a better result,” Durkin said. “Part of the reason hackathons are

spreading so quickly is that they are a perfect environment to get over the learning curve to build some new idea[s].”

Durkin should know. He has been heavily involved in hackathons since he first discovered them by attending hackNY, a once-a-semester student hackathon hosted by various New York universities. “[I] knew it was something we should bring to Fordham,” Durkin said. “At the time, I was just getting involved with the Computing Sciences Society and knew it would take a while for interest to spread, so I initially attended about a dozen solo throughout the year.”

Last spring, the CSS started SEE HACKATHON, PAGE 5

Despite the fact that Fordham recently ended its Excelsior campaign after generating $540 million, the university ended their fiscal 2014 year with a balance of just $446,884.

Frank Simio, the vice president for finance and interim Chief Financial Officer, stressed at the university's Planning and Budgeting day last Friday that there really was no budgetary relief provided from these funds.

The 10-year campaign provided the school with $108.1 million bookmarked for scholarships, $57.7 million for endowed chairs, $116.1 million for academic support, $125.1 million for facilities and $133.7 million in annual support.

Simio was concerned with the annual support since this was money provided for the university as whole.

"Gifts don't help the operating budget," Simio said.

In a university-wide email sent

by Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, he stated that he hopes this campaign will still SEE FUNDING, PAGE 5

University Enrollment Tries Admin

By JOE VITALE MANAGING EDITOR

A university-wide email sent on Tuesday revealed a number of realities the university is facing, including “erosion” in graduate school enrollment, upticks in undergraduate enrollment and a growing need to hike up tuition growth.

The email, signed by Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, comes just days after a meeting on Friday during which the university announced its 2014 operating results. There, Frank Simio, the vice president for finance and interim Chief Financial Officer, said that seven of 10 schools failed to achieve its targeted tuition and fee revenues.

SEE ENROLLMENT, PAGE 2

in this issue

OpinionPage 7 SAGES Mission is Muddled in University Campaign

Culture Page 10 Taylor Swift Pulls Songs from Spotify

Sports PHOTOS BY SAMUEL JOSEPH/THE RAM

The Fordham Computing Sciences Society (CSS) traveled upstate to Troy, New York to participate in a hackathon sponsored by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Page 20

Men’s Soccer Wins A-10 Tournament

NEWS

Page 2

SECURITY BRIEFS Nov. 10 2502 Bathgate Ave. 9:25 p.m.

A student exited a cab which dropped her off in front of her offcampus apartment. After the cab departed, the student realized that she had left her handbag, containing her credit card, passport, wallet and some currency, inside of the cab. She estimated the total value to be around $5,000. The student contacted the cab company to report her missing handbag. Later on, she received a phone call from an unidentified male who told her that he would meet with her and sell the handbag back for $3,000. N.Y.P.D. and Public Safety worked together to set up a meeting with the individual. He was arrested at the scene for grand larceny.

Nov. 12 2510 Belmont Ave. 6:30 p.m.

While walking toward campus after exiting her off-campus apartment, a female student was confronted by an unidentified male. Without saying a word, he punched the student in the right side of her head, after which she fell unconscious to the ground.

When she woke up, her phone and wallet were missing from her pocket.

N.Y.P.D. responded to the scene and transported the student to Barnabas for treatment.

Nov. 15 62 E. 189th Street 1:10 a.m.

After leaving a party and walking back towards Hughes Avenue, a male student was approached by two unidentified males. One of them grabbed him from behind and held him as the other inidividual removed the student’s wallet from his jacket pocket. The two individuals then threw the student to the ground and fled in an unknown direction. The student was treated by FUEMS for minor abrasions to the hands.

Nov. 15 62 E. 189th Street 1:10 a.m.

A visitor to the university reported that his 2004 Acura , which contained a North Face backpack containing his MacBook Pro and a textbook (total value of $1,300) had been broken into. The backpack was missing from the vehicle. N.Y.P.D. is currently investigating.

—Compiled by Michael Cavanaugh, Assistant News Editor

November 19, 2014

Registration Produces Mixed Opinions Report Says

Enrollment Missed Goals

By MATT MORO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

As class registration unfolded for the upcoming spring semester, students at the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses of Fordham University experienced different processes. While students at the Lincoln Center campus register for classes earlier than those at Rose Hill, they must wait for Rose Hill students to register before getting into Bronx classes.

The current registration system has not always been like this. In spring 2013, the former Associate Dean at Lincoln Center, Mark Mattson, and the Associate Dean at Rose Hill, Rosemary Cooney, proposed simultaneous registration. The motion passed, and for the spring 2014 registration, both campuses registered on the same days.

However, the transition did not go smoothly.

“Although we were told that there would be no technical problems with so many students registering at the same time, there were, in fact, technical problems.” Cooney said. “Apart from these problems, FCLC felt that too many of their courses were closed out because of the influx of FCRH students…As a result, a halt was called to this experiment.”

So now, the standing system is one in which the campuses register separately, with students registering for their home campuses first (and Lincoln Center taking its turn before Rose Hill). Then they are allowed to register for outside courses once the home students have all enrolled.

The current system is not without flaws, but has so far worked better than the spring 2014 experiment, according to Cooney.

For instance, “This spring 2015 registration, Robert Moniot, the new Associate Dean, had to carefully evaluate over 250 FCLC students who registered early for FCRH courses and without permission,” Cooney said.

Although the registration advantage may lie with Rose Hill, not all students think the current system should stay the way it is.

DJ Sixsmith, FCRH’15, has taken three courses at Lincoln Center during his time at Fordham. “I wanted to take classes at Lincoln Center because LC offered new and exciting communications classes,” said Sixsmith. “For example, I got to take a sports writing class with Sports Illustrated editor BJ Schecter. That’s something I never would’ve been able to do at Rose Hill.”

FROM ENROLLMENT, PAGE 1

SAMUEL JOSEPH/THE RAM

Lincoln Center get early registration, but no placeholders in Rose Hill classes.

Sixsmith sees the benefit of being able to take advantage of both campuses, and says it is something that all students should try. “I would definitely recommend that students go outside their comfort zone and venture to Manhattan for class,” said Sixsmith. “Between the professors and students you’ll meet, the experience is definitely worthwhile.”

Unfortunately, Lincoln Center students are not always afforded the same experience. This would not happen if Rose Hill and Lincoln Center students registered at the same time, which is the way Sixsmith says registration should be handled.

“LC and RH students should just all register at the same time,” said Sixsmith. “I wouldn’t have a problem allowing kids from LC to register before me if they wanted to take a class here...I say the more the merrier.”

However, not all Rose Hill students feel the same way. Luke Palmer, GSB ’16, is worried that a switch to simultaneous registration would be too much for students — or the system — to handle. Palmer believes not only is the current system fair, but also that “if there was simultaneous registration, the system would be chaos for everyone.”

Cameron Walker, FCRH ’16, has never taken a class at Lincoln Center and thinks that students should focus more on taking classes at their own campus. “If RH students took all LC classes then they would not be a part of the RH community, so I think the current system works,” said Walker.

Not all students are on one of the extreme sides of the spectrum. Sean Hahner, FCRH ’16, who has taken one class at Lincoln Center, has an opinion that is more down the middle. His view is that although students should get preference at their own campus, there should be a way to do so without locking out students from the other campuses.

“I think this should be done by having an initial minimum number of spots for students of that campus so the class doesn’t fill up with the opposite school’s students,” said Hahner.

For Scott Abuso, FCRH ’16, the opportunity to take a class at Lincoln Center is a new and exciting one.

While he is currently deciding on whether or not to take a class at LC that still has open spots next semester, he is glad that he has never actually had to use a placeholder course, as many LC students are forced to DO. “I imagine it isn’t the most pleasant experience to take a placeholder,” said Abuso, “but we’ve all had a professor or core class that we just didn’t gel with, that’s just college.”

While the future of Lincoln Center class registration is uncertain, there is no doubt that the effect reaches up into the Bronx, as well.

For Lincoln Center students, they may as well hope that the decision makers of their future class registration system feel the same way as Abuso. “If it’s going to be a struggle to register, we may as well struggle equally.”

This Week at Fordham Thursday Nov. 20

Friday Nov. 21

Sunday Nov. 23

Saving Camp Winola

Expressions Dance Concert

Band and Orchestra Fall Concert

Collins Auditorium 8 p.m.

The Expressions Dance Alliance will be presenting a concert entitled “Dreamers.” Tickets will cost $3 with a Fordham student ID and $8 without an ID. The concert will also run on Nov. 22 at 8 p.m.

Fordham Prep Auditorium 3 p.m.

Students are invited to attend the band and orchestra fall concert, which will feature an array of music including classical, contemporary and film score pieces. The concert will be followed by snacks and refreshment. The event is free of charge.

Blackbox Theater 8 p.m.

The Fordham Experimental Theater invites students to attend Saving Camp Winola, an original musical comedy written and directed by student James Murtagh. This free show also runs on Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. and Nov. 22 at 2 p.m., & 8 p.m.

For more campus events, visit FordhamRam.com

Monday Nov. 23 Thanks-Give-Away McGinley Center 6:30 p.m. — 9 p.m.

The Commuting Students Association is holding its 12th annual Thanks-Give-Away event. This year’s event is Ancient Greek themed and will feature Olympic-style entertainment, Thanksviging food, prizes and giveaways. The events costs $5, or five cans of food for donation.

As a result, the university is planning to reorient some of its revenue focuses, including an increased focus on undergraduate enrollment.

Among those experiencing decreasing enrollment: The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Graduate School of Education, the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education and the Law Schoo.

The downticks, the university maintains, are not without cause. It cites “dramatic national downturns” as a reason for decreased enrollment in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Law. Likewise, decreased enrollment at the Graduate School of Education has not been helped by the shrinking numbers of schools in the region, the university explains. During Friday’s meeting, the university cited changes in the legal field as reason for decreased enrollment in the law school.

Two graduate schools did manage to escape enrollment trouble: both the Graduate School of Social Service and the Graduate School of Business Administration have seen growth in recent years.

In response to its struggle in graduate school enrollment, the university is looking to capitalize on undergraduate enrollment in the near future.

Following a high yield of applicants and rising interest in Lincoln Center schools, the university planned to expand the incoming class by 200 students. More students accepted admissions offers than planned, helping the university exceed its target by 50 percent. Calling an increase in its undergraduate enrollment “the wisest course of action,” the increase also reveals growth in the university’s undergraduate business school.

While Fordham College’s two campuses enrolled nearly 60 fewer students than expected, 140 more students than planned attended the Gabelli School of Business’ campuses. Despite its graduate school enrollment, Fordham was one of just 30 percent of private institutions to meet its undergraduate enrollment goals this year.

“Undergraduate schools are the heroes here,” said Frank Simio, vice president of finance and interim CFO, during Friday’s meeting.

Additionally noted during last week’s meeting was that the problematic fact that 93 percent of Fordham’s operating revenue continues to come from student tuition and fees. Such a dependency gives few alternatives to increasing tuition each year.

Realizing pressures from both Washington and market forces, the university said it constrained its tuition hike to 3.75 percent for the fiscal year 2015, a raise the university says is “the lowest increase in recent memory.” However, curbing tuition growth has its setbacks. Lower tuition growth rates yield lower revenue growth, and lower revenue constrains the university from affording rising costs.

Still, McShane expressed confidence in the university. After all, citing “an increasingly good reputation among our prospective student pool,” the university finished in March its 10-year capital campaign that raised more than $540 million — a sum $40 million higher than projected.

NEWS

November 19, 2014

Page 3

FORDHAM IN THE BRONX

In ‘Boogie Down Bronx,’ Artists Celebrate Personal, Shared Identities

LAURA SANICOLA/THE RAM

Leading Bronx musicians related the artwork in the Bronx Museum of the Arts to their own personal experiences.

By LAURA SANICOLA ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

“We are the boogie-down Bronx,” exclaimed activist, singer and poet Caridad de la Luz to roaring applause from her audience.

“Celebrate the rainbow of culture that you have within your veins.”

Host de la Luz, who goes by “La Bruja,” commanded the attention and cheers of the crowd that filled

the galleries of the Bronx Museum of the Arts on Friday, Nov. 16. The Bronx Museum of the Arts, founded in 1971, is a free art museum that holds over 1,000 works of art in the Bronx Museum Permanent Collection. The museum states its mission that “connects diverse audiences to the urban experience through its permanent collection, special exhibitions, and education programs.”

The evening event, called “Bronx Stories,” was designed to “challenge stereotypes about the Bronx and provide a platform for voices from the community while encouraging a deeper engagement of the arts.”

The evening was comprised of spoken word poetry, live music, an open bar of rum mixed drinks and observation of the socio-political forces at work in the world and the community. The multiracial mix

of attendees supported the message the event hoped to convey — that, despite cultural differences, the Bronx is the shared bond that brings the community together.

Crowds formed around acclaimed Bronx Latin-jazz musicians like saxophonist Jorge Castro, bassist Alvaro Benavides, pianist Desmar Guevara and percussionist Gabriel “Gabo” Lugo.

Musicians and audience members were invited to perform their own short stories, poems or songs about the identity of the Bronx community and individual ties to native or ancestral countries.

Art displayed in the gallery spoke to socio-political struggles that were all too familiar the musicians.

They related their performances to specific artworks in the gallery, tying in their own stories and recollections.

“This piece of art,” said Venezuela-born bassist Alvaro Benavides about a wooden figure before him, “makes me think of communism.

The communism that unfortunately has landed in my Venezuela.”

Desmar Guevara Santiago, an award winning multi-instrumentalist, described how, as a mixed race boy, he witnessed racism first hand in his own barrio in Puerto Rico.

“Hispanics, even poor Hispanics, used to joke around about the ‘blacks’ and ‘negritos,’ but in reality Puerto Ricans are very racist,” Santiago said. “And we are hypocritical about racism. We don’t want to talk about how it exists and its real and

it is very bad for the society. We need to talk about how we going to start using our language to stop this.”

Puerto Rican musician and composer Jorge Castro pointed to a painting that displayed rows of orderly black dots arranged inside the outlines of vessels. “My great grandmother, who was given away at the age of thirteen as a slave in Puerto Rico, had this painting in her house,” Castro said. “I used to like this painting as a child because everything in it was organized and lined up.”

Castro’s grandmother explained to him that the dots were representations of the slaveships that brought his ancestors to Puerto Rico from Africa. “My grandmother would point to the dots and say, ‘This is my mom. This is my dad. I can just feel it.’”

Open mic performances from Bronx natives varied from a white man’s reminiscence of the adolescent Bronx rooftop culture to an adolescent girl’s observation of how money consumes her society.

The event closed with an hour of original performances by La Bruja and the Bronx musicians.

In the audience, some closed their eyes and let the music say the things they could not. “The music speaks to my soul,” said Salvador Jimenez, a man who has worked and lived on Crotona Avenue for his entire life. “It reminds me of where I am, and who I come from, and lets me be proud of being from here.”

Lecture Discusses Interfaith Marriage in Major Religions

By AMINA BHATTI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A priest, a rabbi and a group of religious scholars walked into a lecture to deliver “Interfaith Marriage: A Concern for Jews, Christians and Muslims,” a talk on reconciling matrimony between members of different faiths. The event, which took place on Nov. 12 at Rose Hill’s Walsh Library, featured Rev. Patrick J. Ryan, Laurence J. McGinley professor of religion and society, who provided a Christian perspective. Rabbi Daniel Polish, PhD., writer and head of the Shir Chadash Congregation of the Hudson Valley provided a Jewish perspective. Professor Jerusha Lamptey, PhD., assistant professor of Islam and Ministry at Union Theological Seminary provided a Muslim perspective.

Patrick J. Ryan delivered the main speech, discussing the history of interfaith marriage and its meaning and implications in Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Polish and Lamptey then responded to Ryan’s speech, adding their perspectives from the Jewish and Muslim faiths, respectively.

According to Ryan, interfaith marriage in the United States became more prevalent in the 1920s.

Moreover, he said, “Jews, Christians and Muslims… many other parts of the world intermarry, no matter what their families or the guardians of their faith traditions may think about it.”

Ryan went on to explain how the rules of marriage in Christian-

ity were initially similar to those in Judaism, as the first Christians were Jews. However, Gentile converts changed the traditions of marriage so that Christians and Jews and different rules governing marriage.

Ryan stated that, while the Gospels do not discuss interfaith marriage, marriage in Christianity can be seen as “the unbreakable union between husband and wife…[which] lies at the heart of the teaching of Jesus about marriage.” According to Corinthians 7:14, such a strong tie within marriage also applied to the marriage between a Christian and non-Christian. This was in the hopes that “the unbelieving husband be made holy through his wife [and vice-versa].”

Ryan also discussed how the Jewish tradition expected endogamous marriages, in their case marriage within the Jewish faith. For the sake of preserving the Jewish faith, Jewish scripture expressly forbade Jews from marrying polytheists, who could lead their Jewish spouses into a different religion.

The Book of Ruth in the Bible, however, presents a more positive view of an exogamous marriage for the Jewish faith, where the heroine Ruth was not initially Jewish herself, but married into the Jewish faith and became loyal to it.

Polish expressed his agreement with Ryan’s discussion of how endogamous marriages were primarily a way to preserve Jewish tradition.

Both he and Ryan concurred that an interfaith marriage in which the children of the interfaith couple

affiliate with neither faith would be a tragedy, as it preserves neither of the faith traditions of the parents.

Such an example could be seen with Jewish intermarriages today: in the U.S. alone, since 2005, it is estimated that 58 percent of Jews “have [married] outside their faith tradition.”

Ryan said, “all too many of the children of such marriages are raised in neither tradition”; [this leads to the question] what is the future of American Judaism?”

Polish expressed grief for the Jewish faith if the reality of intermarriage causes members of the Jewish faith to decrease in number. However, he stated, “I do not believe that the traditional opposition to intermarriage is predicated

on the notion that non-Jews are somehow inferior to Jews.” Rather, it is the diminishing of and possible end to an entire faith that is tragic to Polish.

The preservation of faith is a common thread in the values of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, in particular when the situation of an interfaith marriage arises. According to Lamptey, interfaith marriage can be seen as an opportunity to learn about he other faiths, at least from a Muslim perspective. In Islam, Muslims are allowed to marry “people of the book” a term usually given to Jews and Christians who share a monotheistic belief system with Islam.

However, each of these three faiths is distinct from the other

in its own right. “The Quran describes… religious diversity as ayatollah, as the signs of God,” Lamptey explained, “[and such signs are] deliberate creation…designed to reveal intricacies about God’s self, and God’s plan for humanity.” Thus, keeping an open mind toward other faiths is a way of practicing one’s obligation to understand the signs of God. Doing so can perhaps increase one’s commitment to one’s own faith, Lamptey explained.

For Lamptey, interfaith marriage should not be seen as the problem.

Rather, he says, “how communities can and should better support interfaith families as committed and full, vital members [of that community]” should be the subject of debate regarding interfaith marriages.

JASON COREY/FLICKR

Rabbi Polish and Reverend Ryan agree that is it ideal for children in interfaith marriages to affiliate with at least one faith.

NEWS

Page 4

November 19, 2014

News Briefs & Bites • The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (S.A.M.H.S.A.) has provided Fordham’s Counseling and Psychological Services with a threeyear federal Campus Suicide Prevention grant. This grant aids in the funding of university programs and events which deal with the reduction of suicide risk among students by improving the psychological and emotional health of the campus. The additional money will augment the ability of Counseling and Psychological services

to implement these programs and, as the grant states, enhance students’ coping and resiliency skills, increase identification, support and referral of students in distress or at an increased risk of suicide, increase help-seeking behaviors among students and improve access to mental health services.

• A Bronx man was pushed to his death in front of a subway car on Sunday, Nov. 16. The incident took place at 8:30 a.m. on the B.D. line at 167th and Grand Con-

course. Service was suspended from 205 St. to 145 St. in both directions for the remainder of the morning. Wai Kuen Kwok, 61, was headed southbound to Chinatown when witnesses say the assailant, who later fled the scene, pushed him before an incoming train. Kwok and the assailant are not reported to have been in a prolonged confrontation prior to the incident. Detectives have located the suspect, Kevin Darden, and have taken him into custody. As of Tuesday, he has not been brought

up on charges with a crime.

• Fordham Law School hosted and sponsored a conference on billionaire former major Michael Bloomberg’s term as mayor of New York City. Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, spoke positively of the Bloomberg era, praising in particular his response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Loretta Preska, LAW ’73, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for New York’s Southern District, discussed Bloomberg’s

Young Rams Support Their Team

efforts to address the issue of crime in New York City, likening his antiterrorism programs to that of the FBI or CIA. Even Bloomberg’s controversial stop and frisk policy, was discussed as having positive safety benefits, despite some abuse of its authority in the post-Bloomberg era. While one perceived shortcoming of Bloomberg’s term, the way that he dealt with urban poverty, was discussed, the conference tended to judge him in a more positive light than the general populace.

ANDREW ESOLDI/THE RAM

Fordham football played its final regular season home game this past weekend, toppling Georgetown University 52-7. There was a great turnout from the Fordham community as the Rams secured a berth in the playoffs and solidified a flawless 6-0 conference record.

Grad School Unveils Futures Program, Promotes Professionalism

By ANDREW MORSE STAFF WRITER

As part of an ongoing quest to prepare students for life after Fordham, the Fordham Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) recently unveiled the Futures Program, a new initiative sponsored by the Graduate School and the Graduate Student Association in partnership with Career Services.

The inaugural forum and luncheon took place Wednesday, Nov. 12, in the O’Hare Special Collections Room in the Walsh Library.

GSAS Futures will strive to help students plan for success by providing graduate students with professional development seminars, leadership programs and training in new technologies. The initiative will also hold academic and collaborative careers skill building workshops and networking, along with career planning and mentoring.

“GSAS Futures complements the academic training and mentorship that graduate students receive at Fordham by providing forums and skills that are not necessarily fostered in graduate classrooms,” said James Van Wyck, GSAS senior higher education administration fellow and facilitator, GSAS Graduate Student Professionalization. The program’s events will be grouped into three segments: The Career Series, the Digital Series

and the Communicating Scholarship Series.

As jobs in the academic world become more competitive, graduate schools must provide their students with a more diverse skill set and prepare them for professional careers in multiple fields.

“The program is designed to provide professionalization outside of the disciplines that the students are specifically studying in, with an eye to helping to prepare them for non-faculty job searches as well as the traditional faculty jobs that are out there,” said Leonard Cassuto, PhD., a professor of english and author of the monthly column “The Graduate Advisor” in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

“It meets a specific need, which is to prepare graduate student to search for and compete for openings in fields other than academia.

This is particularly important at a time when professors’ jobs have become so competitive,” Cassuto said.

GSAS Futures aims to be dynamic in how it incorporates graduate students into the formation of the program.

“What is different about our program is that it is conceived not just for graduate students but by graduate students: it is a grassroots kind of movement here,” said Eva Badowskia, PhD., acting dean of GSAS. “What GSAS is pursuing is balance in the training of our

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Fordham GSAS and Career Services have launched a new initiative to promote professionalism among grad students.

students: on the one hand, deep academic grounding in the disciplines and program areas and, on the other, broad professional skills applicable outside of these disciplines.”

Fordham is not the only school that has taken strides to enhance the preparedness of its graduate students. Michigan State University in its Prep program, and the University of Louisville Plan program, have began to adapt their approach to graduate education in the arts and sciences.

Alumni will also be very involved in GSAS Futures. “We consider alumni connections vital to the professionalization of our

graduate students, particularly those students who are preparing for non-academic careers. Alumni, and in particular recently-graduated students, will play a key role in our programming for this year,” said Van Wyck. GSAS Futures will feature alumni panels, informational sessions and networking opportunities throughout their Career Series.

Dr. Laura Morreale, associate director of medieval studies at Fordham University and a Fordham GSAS PhD., believes Futures will have a substantive impact on GSAS students moving forward.

“GSAS Futures will help students make the most of the valu-

able work they are doing here at Fordham,” said Morreale. “Learning to market the skills they acquire along the way will be key to their success as they move beyond their graduate programs and into the wider world.”

Futures will help Fordham’s GSAS adapt to, and compete in the ever changing professional world. Feedback and involvement from current students and alumni will only help the program grow.

“Our goal is to ensure that the programming we begin this year continues and improves from year to year. We’d love to continue to hear from GSAS students and faculty,” added Van Wyck.

NEWS

November 19, 2014

Panelists Address GSB Concerns

Page 5

University Heavily Dependent on Student Tuition

By AKASH BHATIA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Beta Alpha Psi, a national honors society for finance and accounting students, hosted a Q&A session on Monday in the McGinley Ballroom with a panel of corporate executives.

The three business leaders included James D’Arecca of Actavis, Rita Karachun of Merck and Co. and Melanie Nicholson of ADP. The seminar opened with the president relaying club information before students jumped into questions. James D’Arecca, chief accounting officer of the pharmaceutical company Actavis, was asked about his company’s recent acquisition of Allergen Inc. “I believe this deal will have an incredibly transformative effect on our company. Our company will increase in size although it will require a lot of effort to integrate the two companies and change our infrastructure,” D’Arecca said.

Melanie Nicholson earned her Bachelor of Science in accounting from Rutgers University before working for her executive MBA at Cornell. Nicholson received several questions on the challenges she faced and what she gained by going back to school. “It was definitely difficult, but I always knew I had to go back to school to get my MBA...It is crucial to go back to school because it allows you to look at companies on a much broader scale,” Nicholson says.

The panelists agreed that switching companies as a public accountant is simple, since the foundation of skills are transferable across industries. Karachun described how her work history includes leasing, telecommunications and the pharmaceutical industry. “You figure out ways to educate yourself in the industry-specific fundamentals,” said Karachun.

The executive also allayed student concerns about the possibility of working with highly competitive and cutthroat colleagues.

“There may be people who do not help you because they are all about themselves. But that is not conducive to a good working environment, and while those people may achieve some success they ultimately will not go far,” Karachun said. She emphasized how crucial it is for students to demonstrate the willingness to learn and work together in order to achieve success in the workplace.

The questions then shifted toward the career advancement and the decision to change jobs. “When I moved into investor relations, I agonized and had sleepless nights over my decision. But when I look back on it, this role changed the way I thought about my job,” Karachun said.

The other panelists agreed wholeheartedly, mirroring Karachun’s responses. “Don’t be afraid of failure.

The fear of failure holds a lot of us back, but you have to trust yourself and your belief that you can succeed,” Nicholson said.

The session closed with final advice from D’Arecca. “Manage your career and always look for further opportunities to develop your skill set,” she said.

CHRISTIAN WILOEJO/THE RAM

Fordham had a balanced budget in Fiscal 2014, despite increasing costs.

FROM FUNDING, PAGE 1

be able to help the university in the long run, as "we just completed the largest capital campaign in Fordham’s history, coming in at $40 million over our goal."

Still, $81.6 million of that was restricted to certain schools or programs. The remaining $52.1 million was divided throughout the 10 years to add to the budget, which gave an average of $5.2 million each year.

As for the 2014 fiscal year as a whole, the operating revenue totaled just under $504 million, which fell just $1 million shy of the projected budget for 2014, while operating expenses exceeded just over $503 million. Simio listed a few primary concerns with these numbers and was specifically concerned about the percentage of revenue coming from students.

"92.9 percent of revenue comes from students," Simio said.

Compared to some of Fordham's peer and aspirant universities, New York University relied on just 57 percent of its revenue from tuition

in the 2015 fiscal year budget. Villanova University, in the 2014 fiscal year, got just over 64 percent of its revenue from students.

Another issue Simio discussed was that financial aid is needed to continue to attract high quality students to Fordham, but he was concerned that 45 percent of the freshman class received a discount on tuition. This aid takes away from the university's projected revenue.

For example, this year the university brought in $541 million, but only about $403 of that was added to the operating revenue after financial aid was taken out.

As for expenses, Fordham spends 61.6 percent of its money on personnel costs. This includes salaries, wages and fringe benefits for faculty, staff and administrators. Other expenses include money for capital projects, such as the renovations to the Lincoln Center campus, which received a lot of its funding from the Excelsior campaign.

"We opened the most expensive building in school history," Simio

said of the conjoined law school and residence hall at the Manhattan campus.

This past year, the university also purchased 45 Columbus Ave., where they plan to relocate a lot of their leased office space, which will save money in the long-term as Fordham will not have to pay rent to outside contractors.

Marco Valera, vice president of facilities, echoed Simio's statements at a meeting with The Fordham Ram earlier this year.

He said that Lincoln Center has been the focus of major investment and that the old law school will be renovated into more space for the university over the next few years.

At Rose Hill, Valera said that they closed their most recent capital project of renovated Loyola and Faber.

Both Simio and Valera mentioned that there are plans to renovate the McGinley Center, but funding and planning for that is not currently finalized.

Still, Simio is pleased that there were no budget deficits, and the fi-

nal balance of $446,884, up from last year's balance of $10,348. However, the university is still concerned with the fact that graduate schools are not meeting their target enrollment, causing budgetary gaps. Simio also notes that the issue remains that families still caused hard economic times and many people are considering the value of college.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, approximately 8.5 percent of recent college graduates are unemployed, based on data gathered from April 2013 to March 2014.

Due to this statistic and residual economic issues from the recession, Simio said that the university can no longer raise tuition the way they had pre-recession. For example, in 2007, Fordham raised tuition around 8 percent, while its raise for 2015 is just 3.75 percent.

"Every 1 percent increase in rate equals 3 million in tuition revenue," Simio said.

Simio expects this to continue for 2016-20, as the projected increases are no higher than 3.75 percent.

Since the university depends heavily on its students, these issues are crucial for the university's financial success.

In the email to the university on Tuesday, McShane expressed his concern: "This is the lowest increase in recent memory. With low rates of tuition increases comes slower revenue growth; with slower revenue growth comes a considerably reduced ability to meet rising expenses."

Right now, the early projections for 2016 include an expected tuition hike of 3.75 percent, undetermined salary increases, probable maintaining of staff levels and a goal of controlling the university's operating expenses.

Even Without Wins, Hackathon a Positive Experience FROM HACKATHON, PAGE 1

spreading the word and was able to get around 10 students to attend the spring hackNY. “We've come a long way since then,” said Durkin.

All hackathons differ, but most follow a similar format. They tend to last for either 12 or 24 hours.

Within that time period, hackers can assemble teams, rent equipment, receive help from mentors, attend seminars, get meals and snacks, meet other hackers and create an original project.

At the end of the hackathon, teams and solo hackers present their ideas, and winners are chosen.

The RPI event’s sponsors included the likes of Bose, Google, Microsoft, Texas Instruments, IBM and several others.

TripAdvisor, CommerceHub, IBM, Tata Consultancy Services and Microsoft gave their own “Tech Talks,” and all the sponsors had representatives present for all 24 hours to offer advice and networking opportunities. There were also tech-themed games held periodically to give hackers a break from their computer screens.

The event was RPI’s first hackathon, and the event impressed the Fordham students in attendance.

“Most newcomers walked away with a newly acquired primer in computer programming,” DeVera said. “And the exposure to new tech companies and fellow programmers is an experience that can only be gained by stepping outside Fordham’s gates and exploring.”

He continued, “[The] best part…was CSS ability to leave home for a day and a half. [That is] hard to do.”

In fact, Fordham CSS hopes to get in on the action soon and host its own hackathon at Fordham this December. “[We] are proud to be throwing Local Hack Day on Dec. 6th, a 12-hour hackathon co-hosted

by CSS, Digital Business Society and the Fordham Foundry, where it will be held,” Durkin said. “It's powered by Major League Hacking, the NCAA of college hackathons, but all planning and organizing is left to us.”

The club recently secured the CEO of organization app Evernote as a sponsor, and is working to get even more people to back the event.

“We think it's going to be a great event for promoting tech at Fordham and laying a foundation for even greater events in the future,” Durkin said.

The club also plans to “build

on this momentum,” according to Durkin, and “organize even more hackathon trips in the spring.”

This time around, the Fordham delegation did not win any prizes. But, if the CSS’s plans come to fruition, they will have many

more opportunities in the future.

As Durkin said, “it was never about the awards to begin with.

Everyone in our room was building something interesting, and everyone said they had a great time.”

SAMUEL JOSEPH/THE RAM

Students were given an opportunity to put their coding skills to the test.

NEWS

Page 6

November 19, 2014

Search for a New Dean to Conclude this April

By ERIN SHANAHAN STAFF WRITER

The new dean of Rose Hill will be announced this April, according to Dean Hennessy, chairman of the committee assigned to find a new dean of FCRH, as well as Dean Harrington, the current interim dean of FCRH. At a town hall meeting this past Wednesday, Nov. 12, faculty discussed the desired qualities of the future dean, stressing in particular a desire for diversity. Specifically, someone suggested a female dean would be a good addition to the staff.

Dean Michael Latham left the position of dean of FCRH as the result of an opportunity at Grinnell College. Currently, John Harrington is serving as the dean of Rose Hill. However, this position is only temporary due to his prior engagement as dean of the faculty of Arts and Sciences.

“I am continuing as the dean of the faculty of Arts and Sciences, and that is a great challenge and a great responsibility in the current situation across all colleges,” said Harrington. “Dean of FCRH is a crucial position and needs a person fully devoted to it.”

As a result, the university has created a committee to search for a permanent replacement.

The committee, which consists of nine members, held a formal meeting three weeks ago with Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, and the provost, Stephen Freedman. The committee discussed the type of candidate desired for

SAMUEL JOSEPH/THE RAM

The university seeks a new dean of FCRH, following Latham’s stepping-down.

the job and other aspects of the search. A formal announcement of the position opening was approved this Wednesday and then put into its final draft. The new

position notice will be listed in the “Chronicle of Higher Education,” though Dean Hennessy intends to expand the audience.

“I think we want to cast a much

wider net,” Hennessy said. “We want to place the announcement with as many academic associations as we can.” The committee will be meeting for a second time this Tuesday, Nov. 18, to discuss how they will move forward.

The committee is soliciting applicants both from within the university as well as outside candidates.

“The richer the pool [of applicants], the better the final outcome will be,” Hennessy said.

Faculty present at the town hall meeting reaffirmed the qualities Hennessy and Harrington desire in the new dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill. In addition, faculty members hope the next dean will continue the positive relationships Dean Latham and Dean Harrington have created with the students. History professor David Myers commented on the faculty’s talk of a more diverse dean.

“There is a great openness for diversity among the faculty,” he commented. “I think it’s probably time for a woman dean.”

The faculty, as a whole, also expressed that they felt apprehensive regarding an outside candidate for the position of Dean of Rose Hill. However, nominations by the faculty and alumni throughout the process are strongly encouraged.

The committee states its ideal candidate is one who will have a degree in Arts and Sciences, be an associate or full professor and have some understanding of, or interest in, Jesuit tradition. The candidate should have a history

of leadership, an ability to work with others and the will to continue and to develop and emphasize student-faculty collaborative research.

“You want a scholar as a dean,” Hennessy concluded.

Harrington asserts that the new dean must modernize communication, improve facilities and continue building up the university.

“Keeping the positive momentum building is crucial,” said Harrington. He also asserts the importance of collaboration between the deans. “Students and faculty may not realize how close together the Arts and Sciences deans work: the Deans of GSAS, FCRH, FCLC. For five years we have been meeting every Tuesday morning in my office and to share issues and ideas.”

When asked about student input during these interviews, Dean Hennessy commented, “We would consider having students sit in on interviews and provide perspective, but some applicants may not prefer to have their names public until they know they are in. Currently, the law school search brings a panel of candidates to campus and they are organizing meetings that are not public but by attended are by students via invite.”

The committee intends to present three to five candidates to present to the provost and president. The final candidates will be brought to the university this coming March or April and a final announcement should be made sometime this April.

Redesigned Website Garners Mixed Reactions From Students

By LAURA SANICOLA ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

As part of a continued effort to facilitate the navigation of the university’s website, the Online Communications Development and University Relations department released a preview of Fordham’s new official website on Friday.

The link to the new website was released via email from Donna Lehmann, director of online communication development and university relations.

In the email, Lehmann advised students to “note that [the website] is still a construction zone,” which still has several links leading back to the current website.

Lehmann also provided students with an email address where they can submit feedback on the website. Although the website is projected to launch in the coming weeks, the email states that due to the launching of 4,000 new pages, “some offices, departments, centers and institutes will not be migrated into the new site until spring.”

Leah Puri, FCRH ’17, is one of many students who finds the current website disorganized and difficult to maneuver.

“The current website looks so old,” Puri said. “It’s so annoying to find information, like that about the core, because it is so hidden.

And when you do find what you’re looking for, there’s not enough in-

formation about it.

To Puri, the aesthetic appeal of the new website is something that can work in favor of both the university and its students.

“If I was applying to Fordham now and I used this new website, I would definitely be drawn in more than if I used the old one,” she said.

Aesthetically, the homepage features larger and bolder text along with news features accompanied by full screen images. Links to the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill pages are featured prominently above those to the Westchester Campus, London Centre and Louis Calder Center. News spotlights are categorized in colored boxes and formatted to resemble a blog sitting atop a video on undergraduate research and a bolded quote from a history professor.

Ambiguous drop-box titles have been renamed and consolidated, the search bar has been expanded and the logo is now featured on the upper left corner of the homepage.

Lehmann described the change in format as necessary for accessibility on various technologies.

“We needed to make sure that the site would be accessible via mobile devices,” Lehmann said.

“Mobile traffic is overtaking desktop traffic on fordham.edu and worldwide. We know that for prospective students, their first experience of a university is on their phones, and obviously we want that to be a good one.”

COURTESY OF FORDHAM.EDU

Fordham recently released a preview of its new website. Student reactions have been mixed, as of now.

So far, student opinions on the website’s new look have varied.

“It looks like the Gabelli website,” said Amada Hassan, FCRH ’17. “Very much like a blog.”

“I don’t know if I like it,” Hassan added. “Maybe the school is using this format to make it more relatable to students?”

“I hope this link [is more than just a] glossy façade, considering the current website is so hard to navigate,” said Kaitlyn McWha, GSB ‘17.

Both McWha and Hassan noticed some aspects of the new website that are likely to cause headaches among students who are using it for the first time.

“I really had to search for the login to the My.Fordham page,” said McWha, referring to the links new position at the very bottom right corner of the website. “I’m hoping as the website continues to develop, they can put the My.Fordham at the top where it is more accessible to students.”

“It also took me a while to find the ‘libraries’ page,” said Hassan, referring to the new libraries link, which has its own drop-box at the top of the current website and is now listed under the resources drop-box.

Overall, students seem to agree that accessibility is the most important attribute of a successful

website.

“Everything needs to be more comprehensively explained, especially important information like that on scholarships and the faculty research,” said Puri.

“This new layout is nice, but if things still aren’t accessible, it isn’t going to make a difference to us,” Hassan said. “It may just take some getting used to.”

Lehmann shares in this primary concern. “While I'm interested in what students think about the size of the font or the behavior of a particular menu, I'm much more interested in how easily they can find what they need and how the site makes them feel.”

November 19, 2014

OPINION

Page 7

The Fordham Ram

The Unaddressed Elephant in the Room:

SAGES Demonstrates Lack of Understanding of Catholic Doctrine

By MARYKATE GLENN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I am a feminist. I practice safe sex, despite my admittedly lackluster Catholic high school sex-ed curriculum. I take birth control daily. I reject the existence of the concept of “slut.” I think it is admirable and necessary that groups of students are promoting conversations about the sexual harassment and rape culture that is all-too present on this campus. I am proud of my own sexual empowerment. However, I cannot support the Students for Sex and Gender Equality and Safety (SAGES) campaign and its partners.

SAGES has received substantial amounts of attention and press in the last month or so. I have immense respect for the efforts of the students who champion this cause.

Their work is extensive and widely heard of, and they are incredibly well organized. I am continually impressed by how this campaign has demonstrated the reach and impact that an entirely student run movement can affect.

That being said, there is an elephant in the room. I watch the SAGES movement get larger. I read articles about SAGES in The Ram and the paper. I follow the SAGES Tumblr and Twitter accounts. I look at the flyers they hand me. I ask myself how everyone is ignoring the elephant. This issue is black and white. There are no gray areas, no ifs or buts, no justifiable arguments as to why it is reasonable that anyone would think Fordham could provide birth control and promote a sexually active campus community.

How has this fact been so ignored for so long?

Fordham University, the Jesuit

University of New York, is a Catholic institution. Every single student at our school chose to apply to and to attend a Catholic institution. We all signed up for this. And, the Catholic Church’s position on contraception is no secret. Unless you literally lived under a rock before you came here, it is an indefensible argument to maintain that any one of us was unaware of the Church’s stance before coming to Fordham. Catholicism unequivocally rejects anything that is intrinsically preventative to the conception of a child, whether that is the intended use of contraception or not.

To maintain its status as a Catholic university, Fordham must adhere to such fundamental tenets of the religion it advertises. Recent history evidences the fact that the Church is far from lenient when it comes to Catholics and Catholic institutions who choose to defy or ignore its basic principles. A prime example occurred back in 2009, when thenSister Margaret McBride approved the abortion of an 11-week old fetus at a Catholic hospital due to the severe endangerment of the mother’s life. Once this came to the attention of the Catholic diocese in Phoenix, Margaret McBride was automatically excommunicated and the diocese ultimately severed all affiliation with the hospital. In other words, Catholic teaching is non-negotiable. The Catholic Church does not make exceptions — not even for one of the most liberal and influential Catholic universities in the United States.

Keeping that in mind, perhaps SAGES could refocus its attention and its message to achieve more realistic, reasonable goals. Having women’s health specialists on campus is inarguably SAGES’ most rea-

KELLYN SIMPKINS / THE RAM

SAGES members speak to students about their agenda and goals meant to improve student access to certain services.

sonable demand — and it is an important one. Fordham cannot use its Catholic identity to refuse this request.

Why don’t we have a resident gynecologist at a school where the majority of the students are female?

Similarly, as the overall sentiment of SAGES implies, the entirety of the Fordham community must work to foster a healthier and more respectful environment around sex — this does not just include the rhetoric of the students, but the actions of university employees who deal with sex-related issues. Sex happens. No one can ignore or deny that. Therefore, working together to promote healthy progress in a positive way is a necessary project that SAGES has undertaken.

But, the leaders of SAGES have to understand that they seriously undermine the impact they could have by primarily highlighting the

larger, “big-ticket” issues. For a glaring example of this just take a look at SAGES’ logo (a condom). Birth control, not healthy sexual dialogue or women’s health, is at the forefront of their campaign. Granted, this tactic is almost certainly why they have received so much attention from the broader school community thus far, which perhaps was their goal.

But, I firmly believe that to be taken seriously and begin effecting the change they are proposing, SAGES absolutely must acknowledge the incredible importance of what they are asking our university to do.

Simply put: demanding access to birth control, as well as genderneutral housing, is not a Fordham problem. It is a Vatican problem.

And yes, it is a problem. The Church is, in many regards, falling behind on contemporary societal demands and struggling to keep up with the changing demographics of Catho-

lics around the world. Yet, there is hope with Pope Francis. Perhaps now, with this Jesuit in charge, Catholicism is finally on a path towards serious and systemic progress.

But, until Church doctrine officially changes, my opinions on birth control do not matter. SAGES’ opinions on birth control do not matter. The majority of the student body’s opinions do not matter.

Fordham simply cannot acquiesce to the demands that are being made of it. So, if SAGES wants to take its flyers, its protests, its petitions and its surveys directly to Rome, go right ahead and best of luck. But, all of that will accomplish nothing here, and we cannot reasonably expect results.

MaryKate Glenn, FCRH ’17, is a religious studies and philosophy double major from Philadelphia.

Saying Thanks Before Tragedy Strikes

By ANDREW SANTIS STAFF WRITER

Why is it that we become more appreciative of the people in our lives when something tragic occurs?

I found myself in this situation exactly one month ago when I lost a loved one to cancer.

Lorena Contreras, or Loren as my family and I called her, was my babysitter from when I was two months old to about age seven. She was no ordinary babysitter, though, because she went above and beyond the duties of an ordinary babysitter. Simply put, she cared for me like I was her son.

Her untimely death was a grim reality I could not fathom. The babysitter who was like a second mother to me was now gone.

Loren’s passing made me reflect on whether or not I was fully valuing the basic, yet fundamental, aspects of my life. These aspects, like health, a place to live and a family, can be easily overlooked from day to day. We are often distracted and preoccupied with academics, work or other commitments, which are then prioritized

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Thanksgiving provides an opportunity for everyone to reflect on who impacts their life and to give thanks to that person.

over the simpler and more important values of life. We cannot foresee what will become of us or our loved ones.

Therefore it is crucial to be grateful for what we have today and not what we assume we will have tomorrow.

People like Loren are one in a million. It is rare to encounter people like

her in our lives. However, we fail to appreciate their presence until they are gone. And then the regrets start settling in. This is how I feel now.

While I definitely enjoyed every minute I spent with her as a child, I wish I had called her more frequently than just for birthdays and holidays. I wish

I visited her more often when she was at the hospital; I wish I invited her to my ceremonies, concerts or dinner with each other’s families. Sadly, she, as many other loved ones who have passed on to the afterlife, were taken for granted, and now it is too late to do any of that. How unfortunate that

this is always the case.

As Thanksgiving approaches, take a moment to do the following: embrace loved ones, thank a special person in your life, and call—not text, email, Facebook message, or Tweet—someone you have not spoken to in a while. The point of this exercise is to start a long-term habit of becoming more appreciative to those who have positively impacted you.

The sooner you start this, the better.

Be grateful for the selfless people who give or have given their time for you. They teach us countless lessons about life and try to prepare us for the unknowns that lie ahead. Although they do not ask for anything in return, it would not hurt to show a gesture of appreciation, no matter how small.

So do not wait to thank the exceptional individuals in your life. Learn from my mistake and prevent any future remorse by thanking them now when it counts most. You will not regret it.

Andrew Santis, GSB ’16, is a marketing major from Queens, New York.

Page 8

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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Editor-in-Chief Kelly Kultys Managing Editor Joseph Vitale Copy Chief Katie Nolan Assistant Copy Chief Robert Frerich Editorial Director Shannon Marcoux News Editor Katie Meyer Assistant News Editors Michael Cavanaugh Laura Sanicola Opinion Editor Richard Bordelon Assistant Opinion Editor Felicia Czochanski Culture Editor Nicole Horton Assistant Culture Editor Amanda Giglio Sports Editors Matt Rosenfeld Max Prinz Assistant Sports Editor Anthony Pucik Photo Editor Samuel Joseph Web Editor Tara Cangialosi Business Director Felicia Zhang Business Staff Jason Chan Juan Gabriel Garcia Faculty Advisor Dr. Beth Knobel Editorial Board Kelly Kultys Joseph Vitale Shannon Marcoux Katie Nolan Robert Frerich Richard Bordelon Felicia Czochanski For a full staff listing, visit FordhamRam.com

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OPINION

November 19, 2014

From the Desk | Joe Vitale

Making Strides on Climate Policy After the Democrats surrendered at least three seats in the House of Representatives, eight seats in the Senate and three governorships during the midterm elections, it appeared that, on the issue of climate, all hope was lost.

Considering that the president championed the issue during his election but quickly pivoted to the economy, healthcare and a series of foreign crises after his election, a Republican majority in Congress was the last thing supporters of climate change policy hoped to see.

That is until last week, when President Barack Obama reached an accord with China on Nov. 12 to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

The plan, of course, is bold. The deal with China calls for the U.S. to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gas by 26 percent by 2025. China agreed to cap its emissions by 2030 — a target toward which the country was likely heading regardless.

Given that the two economic powerhouses account for nearly 40 percent of the world’s emissions of greenhouse gases, the accord is a major step. As Secretary of State, John Kerry noted in an op-ed in The New York Times, a deal with China has the potential to “inject momentum into the global climate negotiations” and

relay “an important signal that we must get this agreement done, that we can get it done, and that we will get it done.”

Aside from being another feather in Kerry’s hat, an agreement with China is pivotal for three reasons. The first is that it is yet another example of the president’s refusal to become a lame duck in the White House.

While the buzzword was thrown around by cable news networks following midterm elections, the president seems to have missed the memo.

Even with a divided and gridlocked Congress, he has already presided over a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to heighten limits on carbon emissions that was quickly followed by an executive order by the White House to create the world’s largest fully protected marine reserve in the central Pacific Ocean.

These are just examples of his action on climate change, given word that there may be executive action taken on immigration.

The deal also signals much-needed international cooperation on curbing climate change. An accord shows not only that the two nations are holding themselves responsible for their contributions, but that they are willing to develop long-term plans and take seriously the futures of their people and

the planet. American and Chinese leadership surely will not go unnoticed by other nations with growing economies and high rates of greenhouse gas emissions.

The accord is equally important because of its repercussions in Washington. A deal with China is likely to force Republicans in Congress to change their talking points quickly.

Of course, it is not as if they have not done so in the past: the party began denying climate change by saying that the science was flawed, and then it quietly transitioned into a phase in which the party considered climate change possible but unrelated to human activity. Most recently, party leaders maintained that if the science is correct and if humans are causing it, the U.S. acting alone would do little to make a dent in the issue. A deal with China is precisely what they did not want to happen.

Some challenges do remain. As expected, the GOP has yet again shown its resilience in vowing to keep any progress on climate change policy from seeing the light of day. Party leaders, for example, are already saying that the deal will slow economic growth at home and exacerbates Obama’s alleged war on coal. They are also trying to explain that China’s odds of reaching its goal are slim to

none, making the deal a total waste of time in the first place. With the next chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee slated to be Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a firm denier of climate change, the party will likely do anything it can to undercut environmental policies coming from Washington in the next few years.

But, this should not keep climate change supporters from being hopeful. A deal with China shows American and Chinese responsibility for harmful of greenhouse gases. It also shows that international accords are not only attainable but necessary. If anything, it is a step in the process of taking responsibility for our toll on the environment. As a fitting Chinese proverb would suggest, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. A deal with China is a promising stride.

Editorial | NYC Transportation

Dump the Bonus, Don’t Raise the Fare MTA fare hike. These three words make anyone who uses New York City’s public transportation system cringe.

What makes these words all the more repulsive is how often we hear them. Fares were just raised, as a matter of fact, back in March 2013. They were raised from a $2.25 base fare to the current $2.50.

To keep the trend going, the MTA has another fare hike on the horizon. With this one slated to take effect in March 2015, the MTA cites its rising operational costs as the reason for the increase.

While no one wants to hear this news, the MTA has devised a way to get consumer feedback in regards to their proposed hikes by offering two potential plans (The authority’s chairman, Thomas

Prendergast, has gone as far as to call them “modest”).

The first proposal would raise the base fare to $2.75 while the bonus for purchasing MetroCards would be increased from five percent with a $5 purchase to 11 percent with a $5.50 purchase. The second proposal would keep the base fare at $2.50 but eliminate the bonus all together. Obviously, for single-ride tickets, bonuses do not come into play.

We, at The Fordham Ram, believe that option two, keeping the base fare at $2.50, is the best option for all New Yorkers, including visiting tourists and commuters from the greater metropolitan area. For starters, the MTA admits on its website that the 11 percent bonus will create trouble for users with the odd dollar amounts. For example, if some-

one purchases a round trip ticket with the bonus, the card will have $0.61 remaining on it. If a person purchases a $10 card, the residual value would be $1.74. Currently, no MetroCard vending machines are capable of handling pennies, so users can never really access of the value left on their cards.

Additionally, if the fare were to remain at $2.50, a $10 MetroCard would give users four rides, which is much easier to calculate. Riders would know after their third ride that they have to refill their card after their next ride, or their card would have no value. Also, for those who purchase single ride tickets, their cost would remain at $2.50 with the second proposal rather than jumping to $2.75.

Along with increased fares for Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad riders paired

with increased toll fees at the city’s many tunnels, the authority projected that changes to fares and tolls would generate $234 million next year.

In order to hear the views of riders and drivers about the MTA’s plan, the authority is hosting eight public hearings across the city and its suburbs. For those who are interested in voicing their opinion on this issue, the citywide hearings begin on Dec. 1. Additionally, comments can be submitted via e-mail through the MTA website, www.mta.info, or by letter to MTA Government Affairs, 347 Madison Ave., New York, 10017.

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

November 19, 2014

Page 9

Marcelle Meyer

Mike Syku

Women Are Not a Sales Pitch

In Defense of ‘Banning’ Feminist

Did you know that there will be a new Ghostbusters movie starring female characters? Paul Feig recently confirmed this rumor, adding to the list of films that are advertising themselves based on the presence of female actors or female plotlines. But, here’s the catch—we don’t know the basis of the plot. And, as far as Hollywood is concerned, we don’t care.

Hollywood has a long history of perpetuating sexist agendas through the traditional roles of women in movies and how these characters are portrayed. However, using feminism as a new marketing tool is problematic for many reasons.

First of all, it creates a huge divide in how male and female actors are advertised. Nobody ever announces the creation of a movie “with a predominantly male cast.” That statement would lead to the questions: Which males? Are they talented? Have they starred in other films?

But, when the new Ghostbusters movie or the sequel to The Lego Movie are announced as having more “female stuff,” we all celebrate. This presents “female stuff ” as a generic, homogenous mass of feminism that doesn’t require differentiation. Announcing a female cast without offering any potential actresses is essentially implying that Emma Stone is interchangeable with Jennifer Lawrence because they are both female.

Female stars deserve the same recognition of individuality that male

stars receive and they should be identified by much more than their gender.

The second issue is that there isn’t a general way to define “female stuff,” or even “female.” How does one create a plotline that ap peals to women, given that women are each individuals with different interests and perspectives and senses of humor? Does Paul Feig believe that with the right amount of pink and a few romantic scenes, he will effectively appease the entire female population?

It is time for Hollywood to learn that, while many women and men will appreciate a good “chick flick,” there are many more women and men who do not. Stating that a movie will contain more “female stuff ” ignores the fact that all women do not have the same set of interests, but rather a variety of interests dependent on their individual identities.

Women need to be more equally represented in Hollywood; there is no doubt about that.

However, more representation will not be effective in advancing feminist ideals if it is not paired with better quality representation. The first step to that new representation has to involve recognizing the individual worth and identities of female stars in the same way that they are recognized in men.

Hollywood needs to stop clumping a group of different interests together as “female stuff.”

Time magazine is running a “word banishment poll,” as it has done for the past three years. Every year, Time staffers choose words that they believe to be somehow detrimental to society and should be “banished.” On this list are words including “bae,” “basic,” “turnt” and, to the dismay of many people, “feminist.”

Of course, including these words on the “word banishment poll” was meant to be a joke and a commentary on how certain words lose meaning in our society and how others are just plain ridiculous.

Many people have taken quite a stance on the inclusion of the word “feminist,” which the writer Katy Steinmetz justified with the explanation: “feminist: You have nothing against feminism itself, but when did it become a thing that every celebrity had to state their position on whether this word applies to them, like some politician declaring a party? Let’s stick to the issues and quit throwing this label around like ticker tape at a Susan B. Anthony parade.”

Steinmetz has no problem with feminism.

In fact, her quote assumes that all of the readers agree with the ideas of feminism, evidenced by the fact that the opening phrase is, “you have nothing against feminism itself.”

Obviously, her intention was not to incite debate about whether or not it is legitimate to believe that women are people and should have rights.

Instead, Steinmetz wanted to explain the erosion of the definition of the word. The backlash was clearly unwarranted; if anything, this was a call to stop misrepresenting feminism as a meaningless sticker a politician puts on their lapel and to start talking about it as a serious movement attempting to right serious wrongs and inequalities that have been embedded in our societies for centuries.

However, Time magazine was attacked and silenced by the populous and forced to issue an apology that cites that the nuance of the point was lost among many readers.

The backlash from ridiculous, fauxoffended people griping about how it is important to put a positive connotation on feminism and not to ban it ironically points out the underlying problems Steinmetz had with this word; putting a positive connotation with no real substance on a particular word creates serious problems when it silences actual discussion about the messages that feminism espouses.

Of course, the fact that people missed the point so thoroughly and consequently silenced a real attempt at a discussion about the feminist movement only serves as more firepower for people who view “feminism” with a negative connotation.

It’s a shame that the reactionaries silence the discussions they don’t want to have before they even consider if the discussion is worth thinking about.

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November 19, 2014

CULTURE

Page 10

The Fordham Ram

The War on Streaming: Taylor Swift Attacks

By NATALIE KAIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The popular music streaming application Spotify recently lost one of its biggest clients: America’s beloved, “good-girl” pop star, Taylor Swift.

In an interview with Time magazine, Swift explained her decision to remove all of her music from Spotify’s library, saying, “I think there should be an inherent value placed on art. I didn’t see that happening, perceptionwise, when I put my music on Spotify. Everybody’s complaining about how music sales are shrinking, but nobody’s changing the way they’re doing things. They keep running towards streaming, which is, for the most part, what has been shrinking the numbers of paid album sales.”

It is easy to side with Swift at first glance. For only $9.99 per month, Spotify users can stream any artist in his or her library indefinitely. Moreover, non-paying members can access the same library as that of paying members with limited advertisements and restrictions. Since other competitors such as iTunes are much pricier than Spotify, Spotify has become incredibly popular and a huge target for legal debates and lawsuits.

The question remains: Are Swift’s claims valid?

Over the past 15 years, revenue in the music industry has declined from nearly $25 billion dollars to about $17 billion dollars. During this time, many companies sought to compete in the online music industry by offering low-price (often free) access to

song downloads. The decline in revenue suggests a direct link to the growth in popularity of such streaming sites. Why purchase a single song when it can be downloaded for free with a simple Internet search? Swift’s claim that the rising popularity of streaming has shrunk album sales appears to be valid. However, Spotify insists that its own impact on the music industry is having the opposite effect.

Since Swift’s announcement, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has been very vocal regarding all of the work that his company has done to combat music piracy on the Internet. In addition to these policing efforts, Spotify points out that the average U.S. consumer spends approximately $55 on music per year. If the Spotify user is paying $9.99 per month for its services, he or she is paying $120 on music per year, generating nearly twice the revenue for the industry than the average user.

Even with these statistics, many critics remain skeptical of streaming providers such as Spotify and continue to stand by Swift. It is ultimately a matter of time before we see whether or not Swift’s decision will spark similar reactions from other artists. As for opposition, one label has already spoken up about the issue.

Jonathan Dickins, manager of the company that represents the popular UK-born singer Adele, has recently spoken out on behalf of the label and reiterated its unwavering support for Spotify and similar applications.

“Streaming is the future, whether people like it or not. Within five years it will be ubiquitous,”

Dickins said.

Still, Dickins sides with Swift’s intentions in that he believes Spotify should increase its efforts to persuade users to upgrade from the free service in order to increase the percentage of paid subscribers.

“To get around the situation with someone like Taylor Swift — and Spotify won’t do it — is that maybe there is a window between making something available on the premium service earlier than its made available on the free service.”

Although the majority of its users utilize the free service, Spotify insists that free users generate revenue of the same quantity as premium users through frequent advertisements aired between songs.

Spotify offers potential advertisers a variety of options for their brand, including videos, banners and audio. Not only does this allow for Spotify to take on more sponsors, but it also attracts a wide range of companies. This makes Spotify a highly competitive platform for potential online advertisers seeking the kind of lucrative exposure unique to a music streaming website with such a large number of users.

YouTube, the Internet’s go-to outlet for streaming videos, is Spotify’s largest competitor as an advertising platform. Similar to Spotify, it attracts users by allowing access to millions of artists.

Artists most often have their own accounts, sometimes uploading entire albums. Many websites and applications offer conversion services that turn a YouTube video into an MP3 file within seconds.

This generates zero revenue for

MARK WILLIAMS/FLICKR

Taylor Swift is one of the first pop stars to openly oppose music streaming.

the artist. Yet, Swift continues to upload her own music to YouTube. This begs the question: Has Swift unfairly targeted Spotify as the only streaming site that, according to her claims, has shrunk revenue for the music industry?

This presents a weakness in

Swift’s anti-streaming argument.

The pressure is now on Swift to respond to the criticism from the music industry as a result of her decision. It will be up to her fans and streaming users to determine the future of Spotify’s reputation among leading music applications.

Review | TV

Pilot Brings Plot Twists, But Lacks Longevity

By NICOLE HORTON CULTURE EDITOR

“State of Affairs,” which premiered Monday, Nov. 17 at 10 p.m. on NBC, follows strongwilled, ardent CIA officer Charleston “Charlie” Tucker (Katherine Heigl, “Grey’s Anatomy”). Charlie navigates a fast-paced life as the president’s daily briefer and an indulgent partygoer by night, all as she continues to process and cope with her fiancé, Eric’s, murder in an ambush in Kabul three years prior.

Created by Joe Carnahan and featuring Adam Kaufman and Alfre Woodward, the series marks Heigl’s first major TV role since her “Grey’s Anatomy” exit in 2010.

In the interim, Heigl appeared in a handful of moderately successful films such as The Big Wedding and One for the Money, while she tried to combat the perpetuation of diva behavior. Still, Heigl’s role seems to mirror the love-challenged, Type-A personality that she has portrayed in rom-coms, albeit while showcasing more dramatic acting chops.

COURTESY OF NBC

Katherine Heigl makes a return to television in NBC’s new, splashy political drama.

One of the crucial concerns for the future success of “State of Affairs” is that the other characters, such as Charlie’s fellow CIA of-

ficers, Maureen (Sheila Vand), Kurt (Cliff Chamberlain), Dashiell (Tommy Savas) and the president (Alfre Woodward), must make an

impact beyond serving as complimentary players in what is arguably Heigl’s “star vehicle.” Eric’s mother is the president, which creates a unique dynamic that can be explored between these two strong, yet hurting women.

However, the pilot certainly served as an intriguing debut and benefits from not being forced to stand out amidst the bulk of fall pilots, which premiered in September and early October. Some may argue that too many teasers and plot twists were introduced for a pilot. As viewers see at the beginning of the pilot, Charlie has blocked out the memories of her fiancé’s death, so the flashbacks will likely continue as she struggles to figure out what really happened. International crises, blackmail and romantic affairs are the other dramatic elements that make up Charlie’s life and “State of Affairs.”

Like “Madam Secretary,” “State of Affairs” is a political thriller that maintains social relevancy in regards to terrorism in the Middle East. Charlie and her team watch a video in which Islamic terrorists

slit the throat of a British captor and threaten to kill a doctor next if prisoners are not released from Guantanamo Bay. They identify the leader of the group as the man who killed Eric, which her coworkers fear will cloud her judgment as they track and seek to kill both him and his associates.

Strangely enough, the imprisoned doctor seems to resemble Eric, which further thickens the plot.

Charlie’s inner turmoil and emotional entanglements blur the lines between her personal and professional life. In this way her character mirrors “Scandal’s” Olivia Pope, who works as a political fi xer but continues to carry on an affair with the president. “Scandal” fans may be attracted to “State of Affair” because it is melodramatic, at times unrealistic, political drama.

Nevertheless, it remains unclear if “State of Affairs” is compelling enough and truly utilizes its cast in order to compete with Olivia Pope & Associates, Madam Secretary and the rest of the polarizing figures that are featured in the other major networks’ political dramas.

CULTURE

November 19, 2014

Page 11

NYC Activities to Jump Into the Holiday Season

By AMANDA GIGLIO ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

The holiday season is catching up to us and the best place to start getting into the holiday spirit is New York City. Whether shopping for family or trying to find a fun holiday activity in Manhattan, holiday markets, window shopping and live performances are abundant in the city during this time.

For those of us staying at Fordham during Thanksgiving break, there are plenty of events taking place that weekend. The first place to check out is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. To get prime seating for the parade, head to Manhattan early. The best viewing spots are at Central Park West, the Time Warner Center and Sixth Avenue. Viewing starts at 75th Street and is open on the west side of the park, where the parade passes from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

The Time Warner Center opens at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, with the best viewing on the second and third floors of the mall. You can also see the Holiday Under the Stars light display from this location. The floats reach Sixth Avenue around 9:30 a.m., which is open if you arrive before 7 a.m. If you are not up for an early morning and crowded atmosphere check out the pre-Thanksgiving balloon inflation on Wednesday, Nov. 26, from 3 to 10 p.m. to watch your favorite character balloons take shape.

After the parade, check out some of New York’s best restaurants for a Thanksgiving feast. Bubby’s (120 Hudson St.), the once “pie-only” kitchen that now serves all-day eats, is perfect for groups during the holidays. With a recommended price of $75, which goes to benefitting the NYC Rescue Mission, this t\ Thanksgiving meal is a buffet-style dinner with favorites, like free-range turkey with gravy and glazed ham.

Miss Lily’s (132 W Houston St.) is a Caribbean hot spot, which combines West Indian and Jamaican

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade features many floats and performances.

foods. This three-course prix fixe menu for Thanksgiving includes cod fritters and Caribbean pumpkin soup for appetizers, followed by a course of jerk turkey, roasted yams, sausage stuffing and mac and cheese pie. With a dessert of your own choice, this meal is priced at $83.

Il Mulino Prime (331 West Broadway) is another three-course American holiday meal that Chef Michele Mazza serves with an Italian touch at this new steakhouse.

Starting with fresh mozzarella with grilled vegetables, traditional turkey with stuffing and green beans and a pumpkin cheesecake dessert, this meal goes for $50. Although these dinners are a little on the costly end, if you are willing to indulge in a great meal with friends, these restaurants are worth being thankful for.

Besides Thanksgiving, next weekend begins the holiday shopping season. The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is a classic, annual holiday show at Radio City Music Hall that takes place until Dec. 31. This year, Santa, the Rockettes, new music, glamorous costumes and advanced technology bring the audience closer than ever to the performance. WindowsWear takes window shopping to a whole new level, cataloging the current displays of 500 retailers in the cities like New York, Milan and Paris. Until Dec. 31, this show tours Fifth Avenue’s most

Culture Shock | Natalie Sturgeon

The Fanny Pack Comeback The 1980s is one of the most iconic decades. From neon workout clothes to disco-themed suits in every color, the ’80s provided people with unforgettable style and attitude. A prime example of the fashion of the ’80s is the fanny pack.

The fashion industry has responded to this trend with many designers debuting couture fanny packs and Spring Weekend was littered with fanny packs last year. Although this in itself is interesting, the more intriguing aspect of the fanny pack is its utility. In an age of music festivals and all-day outdoor events, the fanny pack has found its new time to shine. Urban Outfitters came out with fanny packs with comedic sayings on them to cater to the demand for the utile pouch. The fanny pack is a great investment for festivals, Central Park or even the well-anticipated Spring Weekend 2015.

Don’t get me wrong: There are still plenty of people out there who consider fanny packs to be no more than the staple item for moms taking their children to amusement

parks. Until big name brands came out with their fanny packs, many people rejected the comeback of the waistline purse. Now, young teenagers and college students are wearing their custom-made or tailored fanny packs. In fact, GO! NYC has a sale of Fordham fanny packs that are maroon with a white “F” on them. The popularity of these fanny packs is a clear testament to the current ode to the ’80s.

In the ’80s, unisex fanny packs were worn everywhere, even as often as women wear purses. Nowadays, fanny packs are worn by the younger generation as staple items to match their high-waisted shorts or muscle t-shirts.

Whether we like it or not, the ’80s fanny pack left an imprint on the heart of Americans. If any fellow Rams plan on traveling through Central Park or keeping their phone in their possession during Spring Weekend, take the advice from the ’80s and get yourself a fanny pack.

After all, nothing says sassy like a good old-fashioned fanny pack.

impressive displays.

If you do not feel like spending too much, take a self-guided tour of the winter window displays. Bloomingdale’s and Macy’s are famous for their intricate window displays each year. By walking up and down Fifth Avenue, you can view a variety of displays from Saks Fifth Avenue, Henri Bendel, Lord & Taylor and Tiffany & Co. Another option would be George Balanchine’s Christmas

classic, The Nutcracker, which plays at the David H. Koch theater at Lincoln Center from Nov. 28 to Jan. 3 in its 60th anniversary season with the full company.

Holiday markets serve as another way to add more festive cheer. Flea and outdoor markets are excellent places to find gifts for the holidays.

Artists & Fleas at Chelsea Market is a great way to find trendy, noncommercial holiday-themed gifts, where all the items are locally made.

Brooklyn purveyors set up shop in this seasonal pop-up bazaar, giving customers a variety from which to choose. Founded by Amy Abrams and Ronen Glimer, Artists & Fleas is also centered in Williamsburg on the weekends. With over 100 vendors inside a warehouse, this unique market features free gift wrapping stations, treats and Christmas carolers.

Another holiday market that takes place inside is the upscale Grand Central Holiday Fair. From contemporary jewelry to African crafts and Christmas ornaments, these 76 micro-boutiques and 22 artists

and businesses are the perfect place to keep warm inside the terminal.

Some of the more well-known markets are in the many outdoor parks in Manhattan. The Winter Village at Bryant Park hosts a range of events, including 127 holiday shops, with 27 new kiosks and 26 eateries, and free ice skating in the outdoor rink.

Vendors will be there until Jan. 4 and ice skating is open until March 1.

If you want to get more of a Christmas feel go to the tree lighting ceremony at 6 p.m. on Dec. 6. Lastly, the Union Square Holiday Market boasts the best alfresco shopping experience worth risking the cold for.

This European-style winter market has more than 150 local and national vendors, showcasing handcrafted gifts and great food vendors, including Momofuku milk bar, Wafels & Dinges and Bar Suzette.

These are just a few of the many activities and shows that take place during the next month. This holiday season can be unforgettable if you take the opportunity to explore the city and what better way to start than this Thanksgiving weekend.

Editor’s Pick | Monty Python

British Comedy, Endless Laughs

By SAMUEL JOSEPH PHOTO EDITOR

“I’d like to have an argument.” In 1969, “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” quietly debuted on BBC1. The format of the show was a comedy troupe consisting of six men, five English and one American. While the format matched that of the common sketch show of the time, “Flying Circus” also married raunchy humor with political commentary.

Furthermore, they made one important change: The sketches did not have to end with a punch line. It allowed for a more flexible structure within the full show, blending skits together and interspersing them with American Terry Gilliam’s cartoons.

Today, “Monty Python” is as funny as when the material originally aired. I was exposed to the sketches at a very early age, perhaps earlier than I should have been. Raised on the “Parrot Sketch” and “Vocational Guidance Counsellor,” I have always been drawn to British comedy and general silliness. My favorite sketch is the “Flying Lesson,” in which Terry Jones wants to become an airplane pilot but accidently goes to Graham Chapman, who tries to teach him how to fly. Python’s generation defined its content, yet did not confine it. Many sketches refer to specific members of Parliament and prominent members of British society of the time, but they are poked fun at in such a way that, even as a modern American, I can enjoy it.

They have a sketch titled “The Philosophers’ Football Match.”

Throughout this sketch Michael Palin comments on German philosophers facing off against the Greek philosophers. Near the end, Palin rails off a variety of philosophical German positions as Socrates get a header, propelling the Greeks to victory. These men impacted today’s comedic minds. Judd Apatow, Trey Parker and Matt Stone have all cred-

COURTESY OF MIMES

The Mimes and Mummer’s production of “Spamalot” had lots of laughs.

ited “Python” for its influence on their respective styles. Hank Azaria has said that “the Simpsons” is completely based on Python’s structure.

Furthermore, “Monty Python” still directly affects comedy. This past week, Fordham’s own Mimes and Mummers put on “Spamalot,” the Broadway rendition of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The tone of the play mirrors that of the television show with controversial and clever humor, and songs such as “You Won’t Succeed on Broadway” and “The Song that Goes Like This.”

The latter parodies the very structure of Broadway songs. During another song titled “His Name is Lancelot,” Sir Lancelot discovers he is gay. As the song ends, Lancelot declares to his love Prince Herbert saying, “Just think Herbert. In a thousand years

time this will still be controversial.”

Mimes did a great job capturing the spirit of Python with beautiful set design, great timing and fantastic actors. Directed by Tim Rozmus, the play included classic lines from both “Holy Grail” and “Flying Circus”.

The “Monty Python” crew now has a final show together titled “Monty Python Live (Mostly): One Down, Five to Go.” This is a live show running 10 performances at the O2 Arena in London. It will be a show highlighting their careers and reenacting some of the show’s greatest material. Regardless of your knowledge of “Monty Python,” now is as good a time as any to open YouTube and look up sketches. If you’ve never seen the show before, sit back, relax and enjoy. They will keep you entertained for hours.

CULTURE

Page 12

November 19, 2014

Celebrities Begin to Invest in the Video Game Franchise

By WILLIAM KERWICK CONTRIBUTING WRITER

When the first trailer for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare leaked to the public earlier this year, fans around the world were met with an unexpected surprise: Kevin Spacey.

The wildly-popular actor known for his role in “House of Cards” as the vicious Frank Underwood, was once again playing the role of a morallyquestionable mastermind hell-bent on undermining democracy. This time, it was as the head of a fictional high-tech global paramilitary firm.

As the new face of Call of Duty, the megalithic gaming series that took the world by storm nearly a decade ago, Kevin Spacey boasts a hefty achievement. Many hailed his appearance in the title as a gamechanger, both literally and figuratively. They promised that the presence of an A-list actor would help revitalize the franchise. Despite the hype that seemed to explode from his surprise addition to the game, many were caught off guard. Are celebrities like Spacey supposed to be in video games? Can major actors even do that? Are they not supposed to focus on movies, television, maybe

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is one of the many video games with cameos from celebrities.

the occasional Broadway show? For a long time, acting in video games was viewed as a stepping stone — a place to build personal brand, and a way to get to supposedly better roles in Hollywood and elsewhere.

But, there Spacey was. On May 1, the day the trailer was leaked, his digital likeness as the head of power-hungry Atlas sprung out at

Around Town | Anna Creatura

What: Morris- Jumel Mansion Neighborhood: Jumel Terrace When: Tuesday to Friday

One of the lesser known and more historically-charged places in New York City, the Morris-Jumel Mansion is a hidden gem of Upper Manhattan. This famous mansion watched the rest of New York develop from its place atop a hill in Washington Heights. Over the years, it has been carefully restored to its original condition, and today offers rare insights into New York City life at the dawn of the United States of America.

Built in Washington Heights in 1765, the Morris-Jumel Mansion is the oldest remaining building in Manhattan, and when it was constructed, was also one of the grandest.

The house’s biggest claim to fame is George Washington’s brief stay during the Revolutionary War. He used the house as his headquarters during a battle in Manhattan in 1776. Atop a hill, the house proved to be a prime strategic point for viewing the city throughout the battle, which would come to be known as the Battle of Harlem Heights. This became the first Revolutionary War battle where the patriots managed to force British retreat. In 1790, after the war was over, Washington visited the mansion again and had dinner with his cabinet in the dining room.

In addition to this noteworthy history, the Morris-Jumel mansion has a very unique history of its own. In 1810, Haitian wine merchant Stephen Jumel and his socialite wife Eliza bought the house. Hoping to find acceptance in high society, she remodeled the house and redecorated the interior. After the death of her husband, she married controversial ex-vice president Aaron Burr in the hopes of increasing her social status. New York socialites ostracized Madame Jumel,

and she spent the rest of her years alone. She became very eccentric and died in 1865. She is buried at the Trinity Church Cemetery, but it is said that her ghost still haunts her portrait, located on the second floor of the mansion.

Since the death of Madame Jumel, the house has changed hands a number of times, finally becoming a museum in 1904. The mansion made modern history when it became a stop for Queen Elizabeth II during her visit to New York City in 1976.

While it was only a short visit, preparations for the event included some major renovations to the surrounding community, which had been previously devastated after the construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway.

A modern-day visit to the mansion is a truly quaint experience. The architecture is beautiful, the furnishings are on-point and the tour is enjoyably informative. New York is such a modern city, and the MorrisJumel Mansion is an excellent reminder of the city’s great history.

The mansion hosts a number of events throughout the year including plays, concerts, crafts and family events, all listed on their website.

Events are included with the cost of admission, and all easily accessible by train or bus. The Morris-Jumel Mansion is open for visitors Tuesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with guided tours offered every Saturday at noon, and the first Sunday of the month at 1 p.m. However, the house is set up to allow for a self-guided tour so visitors can get the full experience at any time. A student ticket is only $4.00, making the Morris-Jumel Mansion a perfect place for a weekend excursion.

unsuspecting fans from their computer screens.

Though Spacey’s appearance in the Call of Duty franchise came as a surprise, the practice of A-list actors delving into the production and voicing of video games is not new.

As video games have risen in prominence and power, so have the actors and actresses who joined them. In 2008, when critically-acclaimed wasteland thriller Fallout 3 blasted onto consoles, gamers found a friend in the form of a scientist voiced by Liam Neeson. The actor, known across the world for his persona as a vengeful father in Taken, explained that the game’s unique world and storyline drew him to take the part.

Even more notable, however, is Ellen Page’s supposed “appearance” in last year’s The Last of Us. The post-apocalyptic epic claimed more than 200 “Game of the Year” awards. Ellie, the game’s main character, bears a striking resemblance to the actress — both in her voice and in her physical features. The eerie

similarities led many to theorize that Naughty Dog, the game’s developer, intentionally used her likeness in order to draw in customers familiar with movies like Inception, where she played a lead part. When the topic was broached on a Reddit AskMe-Anything, Page replied bluntly, “I guess I should be flattered that they ripped off my likeness — but I’m actually acting in a video game called Beyond Two Souls, so it was not appreciated.” The controversy surrounding her association with Ellie thrust her role as an actress in gaming into the spotlight; many had been unaware she was acting in Beyond Two Souls in the first place.

This year, however, saw the most recent example of a major actor in a triple-A gaming title — the highest tier when it comes to promotion, marketing and overall production costs. Peter Dinklage’s appearance in Destiny as the main character’s mechanical “Ghost” sent fans into a delighted frenzy, as the studio behind the game initiated a marketing

campaign across Times Square and other major centers with giant billboards and advertisements. With an estimated price tag of $500,000,000, the game is one of the most expensive ever put to the market — and although Dinklage’s salary for the role was never disclosed, it is believed that casting him was no mean financial feat. Dinklage is well-known for his role as Tyrion Lannister in the hit series “Game of Thrones,” and has made waves across audiences on the Internet and in popular gaming, fantasy, science fiction and pop-culture spheres. Many of the audiences for these mediums often overlap, and it is safe to assume that Bungie, Destiny’s developer, put him on the cast in an attempt to connect with the broad base of science fiction and fantasy fans that currently watch the show.

While Spacey was this year’s Call of Duty’s focus, he is not the first popular actor to land a part in the series. Michael Rooker, who most fans know as Merle Dixon from AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” starred in a hefty role in Black Ops II as the protagonist’s squad-mate and close friend. “One of the producers at Activision…knew my work from my films and suggested my name,” Rooker said. “It was an absolute pleasure. I said yes without even thinking.”

Coming from an actor who held a visible role in a show that draws more than 22 million viewers, those words carry weight. His case is bolstered by evidence from Spacey, Dinklage and others: each is an Alist actor in high demand, many of whom are now counting video game appearances among their greatest accolades. With a new generation of consoles on shelves and an avalanche of games set to release in 2015, gamers should expect to see a surge in familiar faces.

Review | Movie

Star-Crossed Lovers in Sparks’ New Movie

By MACKENZIE GENTRY STAFF WRITER

Let’s talk about love. More specifically, let’s talk about the heartwarming, tear-jerking, “oh-mygod-my-love-life-sucks” love that Nicholas Sparks is keen on creating. His latest film adaptation of his novel The Best of Me premiered on Oct. 17. Although it has not been as buzzed about and successful as a few of his past stories, the film still manages to be a tear-jerker.

The drama unfolds in the picturesque, charming countryside of 1980s Louisiana. Although the scenarios are a tad romanticized (because a mosquito-less swamp is completely realistic, right?), the heart of the story follows a relatively believable path. High school sweethearts Amanda Collier and Dawson Cole are reunited after over two decades when they meet for a funeral of a beloved friend.

Their scars, sorrows and stories slowly come to light at the hands of their deceased friend and mentor. A noble man who was once a boy stuck in a drug addicted family, and a passionless woman who was once an ambitious girl on track for a law degree, come together after

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Nicholas Sparks is at it again with his latest romance movie The Best of Me.

years of heartache to once again find the best in each other. They are, in the truest sense of the term, star-crossed lovers. It is a story laced with the workings of destiny, hope and unrelenting love. It will leave you crying on your couch, eating pints and pints of rocky road ice cream.

However, if you are the type of person who finds true joy in decoding the end of a film, you will not be nearly as shocked or devastated as your naïve companions.

The end of the movie is somewhat predictable and, though it pains me to say it, a little cheesy. Also, since the plot resembles a few of his other writings, the story seems almost too familiar. Nevertheless, the overall experience of The Best of Me is a wonderful, romantic journey into the depths of “whycan’t-this-happen-to-me.” If you are looking for a date-night drama, or simply just need a good cry, The Best of Me is definitely the best of your options.

CULTURE

November 19, 2014

Page 13

Who’s That Kid? | Daniel “DJ” Sixsmith

Student Fosters a Passion for Sports and Broadcasting While at Fordham

By KELLY KULTYS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Daniel “DJ” Sixsmith, FCRH ’15, has spent the past 10 years of his life working to make it to the big stage in Bristol, Connecticut.

“When I was 12 or 13, I can remember just watching SportsCenter while I was eating dinner and kinda leaving my family at the table and taking my food into the TV room,” DJ recalled.

His interest grew as he attended the Play by Play Sports Broadcasting camp the year before he enrolled at Staples High School. At Staples, he began working with his campus radio station, WWPT Wrecker Radio, which was named the best high school radio station by the John Drury National High School Radio Awards in 2011.

“I heard an announcement [saying] ‘Anyone interested in working in the sports department come to a meeting,’” DJ said. “So I did, and four years later I didn’t leave.”

Toward the end of his time there, DJ began his college search, which included many of the top journalism programs in the country, such as Fordham and Syracuse.

“For a while, I thought Syracuse would be the number one spot, so I visited there, I really liked it,” DJ said.

“I got into the Newhouse program so I was like ‘alright that’s it.’”

However, since DJ has now spent the last four years here at Rose Hill, that was not his ultimate choice. He applied to Fordham on a whim after hearing about WFUV and its notable alumni.

“I came in one Saturday when One on One was going on, and Bob [Ahrens, the sports director] gave me the whole spiel,” DJ said. “He was walking me through the station saying ‘you’ll get the chance to cover the Knicks, the Nets, the Rangers. You’ll broadcast Fordham sports,’ and I was just blown away.”

From that moment on, DJ realized he had made his college choice.

“I’ll never forget, I walked out the WFUV doors, to the left and told my parents, ‘this is where I’m supposed to go,’” DJ said. “This is where I’m supposed to spend the next four

Letters | Ask Emma Dear Emma, One of my friends constantly borrows money from me and forgets.

I’ll mention it once or twice and she still won’t remember. I don’t know if it’s because she genuinely forgets or if it’s because she just doesn’t want to pay me back. If I add up everything she owes me, it’s about $200 at this point. I’m not sure how to go about asking for it back without getting into an argument.

— Broke Dear Broke, $200 is way too much. From now on, if you’re going to continue lending her money, you need to write it down or make a note of it on your phone. Honestly, I wouldn’t lend her money anymore. Regardless of if she does it intentionally or not, it looks like it’s a habit of hers that won’t change easily, and she’s taking a lot of your money. The next time she asks for money, say “Well, you owe me about $200 right now, so until I get that back, I can’t lend you any more.” There’s nothing wrong with asking for money back that you’re owed. If she never gives it back, just consider it a lesson learned.

— Emma

COURTESY OF DANIEL SIXMITH

Dear Emma, I’m currently a sophomore and I was applying to internships last week for the spring and I still haven’t heard back from anybody except a couple of unpaid ones. I’m trying not to think about it, but I’m starting to worry. I already worked an unpaid internship this past summer, and I’m torn about taking another one because I do need the money and I don’t want to work for free again. The alternative would be working for a retail store in the meantime and trying for a different internship in the summer. I’m not sure which I should do.

— Unpaid

DJ’s internship at ESPN helped move him closer to his career goals.

years.”

Since then, DJ has done play-byplay and color analysis for a variety of Fordham sports, including football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, softball and baseball. He has served as the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets and Brooklyn Cyclones beat reporter. DJ has also hosted the weekly sports talk show, One on One. However, for DJ, playby-play is his passion.

“There’s nothing like walking into an arena, feeling the intensity of the crowd. We’ve been fortunate that we’ve had some really great games over the last few years,” DJ said.

His favorite broadcasting memory was last year at the softball Atlantic 10 playoffs. He had the opportunity to do something many broadcasters will never do when he called the game winner, hit by his girlfriend, Kayla Lombardo, FCRH ’15.

“I was in the booth when Kayla hit the game winning home run in the A-10 semifinals last year over St. Louis,” DJ said. “That was funny be-

cause I had no voice — I completely lost my voice — and I was just trying to muster up any strength I had, so it’s great because it was my two worlds colliding with that. So to see my girlfriend in that moment after all the hard work she put in was pretty incredible. “ Outside of WFUV, DJ has interned at NBC Sports, CBS Sports Network and ESPN. At NBC, DJ even stepped into the role of a producer for his boss’ radio show, which mainly required him to book guests.

“I remember calling up the NFL, saying ‘Yeah, I’d love to have Commissioner Goodell on’ and they were like ‘who are you, are you serious?’”

DJ said.

DJ has also had the opportunity to travel both through WFUV and his internships.

“I always tell people I never traveled abroad, but I got to see the country in a new light,” he said.

He has spent the last two Thanksgivings with the women’s basketball

Dear Unpaid, Unless the unpaid internship is with your dream job, I wouldn’t take it. You’re still young and it’s smart of you to be applying to internships, but you aren’t desperate for one yet. Before you settle for an unpaid internship, don’t forget to ask the Career Center and the department of your major for help. If you ask your parents if they’ve heard of any available internships, or even ask among your friends, I’m sure they can help you find one that’s paid. If not, there’s nothing wrong with working a paid job for the semester. Potential employers wouldn’t hold that against you. Good luck!

— Emma

Have a question for Emma? Send them to fordhamramaskemma@gmail.com

team in Las Vegas and San Francisco, and this year he will be with them in San Antonio. With CBS, DJ was lucky enough to attend the Final Four in Dallas for a week last April.

“I was a runner so I did literally anything they asked me to do,” DJ said. “So I can remember I was holding up the lighting for the announcers. I even had to mop the floor for this rodeo shoot they were also doing

down there.”

DJ hopes that all of this will eventually pay off in an on-air position.

“I know I want to be on the air,” DJ said. “I know producing is not in my future, so I’d rather not start out there. Basically, I’ve been telling people if I have to go to Peoria, Illinois, I’ll go to Peoria, Illinois. If I have to go to a small market and cut my teeth there, then that’s what it takes.”

Review | Movie

Compelling Film Boasts All-Star Male Leads

By EILEEN MCCLEAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Foxcatcher is directed by Bennett Miller (Moneyball) and stars Steve Carell (“The Office”), Channing Tatum (21 Jump Street) and Mark Ruffalo (The Avengers). The film depicts the true story of John du Pont (Carell) and professional wrestlers Mark (Tatum) and David Schultz (Ruffalo) and the events that preceded David’s murder at the hands of du Pont. The limited release in New York theatres began on Friday, Nov. 14, but also premiered at various film festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival and the New York Film Festival. First of all, the performances are fantastic across the board.

Carell, who is predicted to receive his first Oscar nomination for this role, shows a side of himself as an actor never before seen by audiences. His ability to portray such an unnerving and mentally unstable character brilliantly may come as a surprise to many viewers. As a longtime fan of Carell, I think it is wonderful to see him receive the recognition he deserves as a dramatic actor.

The biggest surprise that came out of the film for me was Tatum’s performance. This character, more than any of the others he has portrayed, goes through a dramatic and emotional transformation, which Tatum portrays very well. As it does with Carell, the movie shows a departure from the types of roles Tatum is known for and shows what he is ca-

pable of doing. Ruffalo, in a smaller role than his cast mates, is excellent, as always, as a loving family man and brother who ends up paying the ultimate price.

However, Foxcatcher does have some flaws. I feel the screenplay could have been improved. While some parts are absolutely brilliant, the pacing of the film was off, dwelling on insignificant scenes, which were too long, and not focusing on important scenes enough. Also, Carell’s du Pont makeup is poorly done and distracts from his acting.

Despite the flaws in the film, Carell and Tatum’s acting alone make the film a worthwhile watch. Overall, I recommend Foxcatcher for anyone who enjoys true-crime stories and excellent acting.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Foxcatcher, a drama, is already gaining Oscar buzz in limited release.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Page 14

November 19, 2014

Ignation Week Commemorates Salvadorian Army Victims

SAMUEL JOSEPH/THE RAM

This year’s Ignatian Week centered on recognizing and remembering the Salvadoran priests murdered by their own country’s milita during the Salvadorian Civil War in the mid to late 20th century.

By EDDIE MIKUS STAFF WRITER

Ignation week was Nov. 12-19 and Fordham celebrated its Jesuit history with a series of events that reflected the Jesuit mission. Ignatian Week events began with the annual McGinley Lecture, delivered on Nov. 11 at Lincoln Center and Nov. 12 at Rose Hill. The university then hosted Fr. Joseph P. Parkes, S.J., president of Cristo Rey New York High School and graduate of Fordham College, at a Theology on Tap event on Nov. 13. Other events included a vigil for the Salvadoran martyrs on Nov. 14, a Mass for the Salvadoran Martrys on Nov. 16, a film study about Saint Francis Xavier on Nov. 17, and a Jesuit trivia night on Nov. 19. The university also commissioned a delegation of students to travel to Washington D.C. in order to take part in an an-

nual event known as the Ignatian Family Teach-In For Justice on Nov. 18.

This year, Ignatian Week specifically focused on commemorating the murders of Ignacio Ellacuría, S.J., Segundo Montes, S.J., Ignacio Martin-Baro, S.J., Joaquin Lopez y Lopez, S.J., Juan Ramon Moreno, S.J., Amado Lopez, S.J., Julia Ramos and Cecilia Ramos, who were killed by members of the Salvadoran army at the University of Central America in El Salvador on Nov. 16, 1989. The event is widely viewed as a turning point in the Salvadoran Civil War that lasted from 1979 until 1992.

“This is the 25th anniversary of the occasion of their martyrdom,” Conor O’Kane, associate director of Campus Ministry, said. “So this is a significant year. The murder of those eight people, the senseless murder, was profoundly disturbing

and unsettling and marked a real turning point, both in the Jesuit universities and institutions’ call to social justice and in that conflict.”

During the vigil, students and faculty listened to a narrative describing the night on which the massacre took place. This narration was punctuated by students who provided biographical information about each martyr. The students then placed a rose in front of a display of white crosses meant to honor the victims.

The mass, in memorial of the martyrs, featured a procession with white crosses and images of each of the deceased. The mass’ homily also focused the decision of the martyrs to work towards obtaining peace and social justice in their native country as well as the obligation for students at a Jesuit university to strive towards these goals in their own societies.

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Carol Gibney, director of Ignation Programs, said that the legacy of the martyrs lived on in the fact that the University of Central America is still operating today.

“The significance of their memory is that they did not die in vain,” Gibney said. “The school is still open in spite of the horrors and the atrocities that occurred in El Salvador.”

O’Kane said that he hoped students would see their legacy as an invitation to work for social justice.

“My hope is that students will take the opportunity to reflect more deeply on their heritage as a Jesuit and Catholic university in spirituality,” O’Kane said. “My hope that, particularly this year with the 25th anniversary of the Jesuit martyrs, that we’ll have the opportunity to honor memory, attentive to their call to us today, and that we can use our gifts and talents to live a faith that does justice.”

O’Kane also spoke about some of the ways in which the massacre had impacted his own life and worldview.

“Their witness has inspired many people, myself included, to continue to make the world a better place, to continue to care for the needs of people who live on the margins, to labor for a world where individuals’ human dignity and their rights are protected and valued” O’Kane said.

O’Kane has visited the University of Central America with a Global Outreach team, citing the martyrs’ example as a major motivator for him to become involved in Jesuit education.

“I personally have been very inspired by their story and as I remain deeply moved by their loss,” O’Kane remarked. The story of the fallen Jesuits in El Salvador has inspired many, including O’Kane, to lives of service.

Don’t Forget to Recycle The Ram

November 19, 2014

SPORTS

Page 15

The Fordham Ram

Rams Win Second dA A-10 Ti Title l in i School S History FROM SOCCER PAGE 20

fist-pumping could be seen from the sidelines.

After the teams exchanged goals to make it 4-3 in favor of Fordham, junior Ryan Cupolo got the chance to win the game. He did just that, converting the Rams’ fifth consecutive penalty kick to give Fordham the shootout win.

Even though VCU outshot Fordham 25-10, the Rams came away with the victory, sending the home team to the bleachers to watch the rest of the championship unfold.

The semifinal game almost matched the first round game in dramatics, with Fordham squeaking out a 2-1 win over the number two-seeded Saint Louis Billikens.

Fordham’s first score came in the 28th minute of the game. Mastilovic sent a lofting corner kick to the center of the field, in search of a maroon jersey. Cupolo was there to collect the cross and finish it for his first goal of the season, giving the Rams a 1-0 lead.

Following a period of scoreless play, Fordham increased its lead with 13 minutes remaining in the game. Mastilovic earned his sixth assist on the year when he connected with teammate and fellow-German Loebe on a pass to the outside.

Loebe beat the Saint Louis keeper to the lower left corner to make the score 2-0.

In the 81st minute, however, Saint Louis got on the board. The Billikins’ David Graydon curved an incredible shot into the upper right corner of the net to narrow the scoring margin to 2-1.

The Rams would hang on though, with Brailey registering four total

CHRISTIAN WILOEJO/THE RAM

Aleksandar Mastilovic was one of four Fordham players named to the Atlantic 10’s All-Tournament team.

saves, including a punched ball over the cross bar on Saint Louis’ final attempt to tie the game.

Fordham’s back line was outstanding at the game’s end, preserving the Rams’ one-goal lead over an incredibly prolific offensive team.

Their efforts proved worthy of future competition, as the Rams took the match 2-1 and were set to play the No. 1 seed URI on Sunday.

Friday’s defensive effort certainly carried into Sunday’s contest against the A-10’s top competitor, which went 7-1 in conference play.

The Bronx-based Rams had previously lost to URI 1-0 on Sept. 27 on Jack Coffey Field.

Though URI was riding a hot streak at the time, the Rams did

not play their best game, and were dominated despite the game’s low, and seemingly-close score.

This time, however, the tables turned in Fordham’s favor.

After a scoreless and tightlymatched first half, Fordham took the lead 55 seconds into the second half.

On a long throw, Bazzini managed to put the ball right in front of the URI goal. There was a slight scramble, but Loebe managed to get his foot on the ball and knock it into the back of the net, giving the Rams the 1-0 advantage.

URI’s offensive efforts to get back into the game following the goal were evident. Pushing forward, the Providence-based Rams

attempted to get through the Fordham defense, especially in the final five minutes of play. URI’s Matt Sykes blasted a shot with under two minutes to go, but it sailed over the net.

Fordham held on from there to win the championship, celebrating on the field with the A-10 trophy.

Fordham had succeeded in attaining revenge over URI, who suffered only one loss to Saint Louis this season.

Though the A-10 Championship win is an outstanding accomplishment for the Rams, the team will need to get right back to work in order to prepare for Dartmouth in the opening round of NCAA Championship play on Thursday.

With the NCAA Championship bracket being released on Monday, 48 teams were informed of their place among the competition.

Twenty-three of the teams were conference champions, and the remainder were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Committee.

Fordham received the news about Dartmouth on Monday, giving the team three days to prepare for its biggest matchup in recent history.

If the Rams can bring the same energy that they brought to the A-10 Championship games, Dartmouth will certainly be in for a surprise.

Fordham’s deceiving 8-8-4 season record is no indication of how far they have come.

Amping up their game against A-10 competitors at the end of the regular season, the Rams’ true potential has emerged with its acquisition of the conference title.

From here, only good things can happen for the Rams if they continue to play at the level they have recently showcased.

In support of the team, a bus of Fordham students will travel to Dartmouth in the early afternoon to arrive on time for the game’s evening start.

Additional tickets to the game will be available to fans one hour prior to kickoff via an on-site ticket window at Dartmouth. Adult tickets are $8, and student and youth tickets are $6.

For fans who cannot make it to Dartmouth, a live-HD video stream will be available along with live stats from DartmouthSports.com.

Volleyball Sends Seniors Off With Win Over George Mason

By ANTHONY PUCIK ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The Rams headed into the final two games of their season 2-24 (210 in the conference), but had the chance to become 4-10 in the Atlantic 10 with the George Washington Colonials and the George Mason Patriots visiting the Rose Hill Gym. The team’s first game was on Friday, Nov. 14, against the Colonials, who swept the Rams in our nation’s capital back in late September.

George Washington opened up the first set leading 5-1, but the Rams came back with six of the next eight points to tie the set at seven.

The Colonials then went on another run to go up by six. Fordham was only able to cut the deficit down to five, and George Washington took the first set 25-18. The second set was knotted at three until a 10-5 run by the Colonials put them up five. The Rams would only be able to muster up a few more points in the set, as George Washington took a commanding 2-0 set lead, winning set two 25-13.

The third set was tied at six when Fordham went on a 7-3 run to go up by four. George Washington came back to tie the set at 15, but Fordham was able to power through, taking 10 of the next 13 points and winning the set 25-18, its first set

SAMUEL JOSEPH/THE RAM

The Rams finished 3-25 in their first season under head coach Gini Ullery.

win in two plus games, to avoid the sweep. The fourth set opened tightly once again with the score 10 all, but George Washington went on a small run to go up 16-12 and took hold of the set. Fordham brought itself back to within one point numerous times, but the Colonials held the Rams off, taking the set 25-17 and the match three sets to one. Junior Brianna O’

Neil once again led Fordham in kills with 15, while junior Abigail Konovodoff tallied 36 assists and freshman Grace Muller added 11 digs.

The loss dropped the Rams to 2-25 on the season and 2-11 in conference play. Their final match of the season was against the 6-21 (2-12) Patriots on the following day, Nov. 15. George Mason swept the Ram

in late September, but that was not the case on Senior Day. Fordham opened the first set with six straight points and jumped out to a 10-2 lead. George Mason cut the Rams’ lead to as low as five, but Fordham ended up taking the first set 25-17. In the second set it was the Patriots who took the early 8-3 advantage before the Rams scored 10 of the next 15 points to tie the set at 13. The score then reached 17 all before George Mason broke through on a 5-2 run to go up 22-19 and eventually take the set 25-21 to even the sets at one.

In the third set, Fordham got off to a hot start, scoring the first seven points and nine of the first 12. George Mason never led and Fordham took the set 25-21 to go up two sets to one in the game.

The fourth set was a bit closer, with Fordham leading 11-6. The Patriots cut the lead to three to make it 15-12 Rams, but Fordham prevailed in the end, winning the set 25-21 and the game three sets to one. The win over George Mason was big, as Fordham ended its season 3-25 and 3-11 in conference, which put it in a tie for seventh in the A-10 standings.

Senior Chandler Moore had a huge game in her last contest, tallying a team-high 15 kills. Graduate student Lisa Hipp added in 14 kills and a team-high 11 digs, ending her

illustrious Fordham career on a high note. Junior Abigail Konovodoff put up 51 assists, while freshman Grace Muller and junior Brianna O’Neil each added 10 digs in the victory.

Head coach Gini Ullery was extremely happy with her team’s performance in the last game. “It was great to end the season on a win,” she said. “For all the ups and down this season, finishing play this way is a great thing moving into the spring.”

While the Rams are losing Hipp, Moore, Gabriela Cinkova and Lindsay Ritchie to graduation, many of the top performers this season, such as Konovodoff and O’Neil, will be returning next season. Coach Ullery says those returners will have to take on an increased leadership role.

With rising young talent like Muller, Molly Oshinski and Sarah Skelton, who gained invaluable experience in the A-10 in their first seasons this year, the future looks bright for Fordham volleyball. “Our young athletes are learning what it takes to play at this level and what is expected from them on a daily basis,” Ullery said. “They will have a spring to improve on individual skills and develop mental toughness. I see this team working to put themselves in the best position to be ready next season, both physically and mentally.”

SPORTS

Page 16

November 19, 2014

Men’s Basketball Splits First Two Games of Season

By MAX PRINZ SPORTS EDITOR

The Rams started their 2014-15 schedule as expected, with a victory and a strong performance against NYIT and a disappointing loss on the road to Penn State.

Their first contest of the year came on Friday night at Rose Hill Gym. Head coach Tom Pecora’s team allowed NYIT to hang around a little longer than was preferable, but still easily dispatched the Bears, 94-77.

“The game served its purpose,” Pecora said after Friday’s game. “I wanted to play a home game — the schedule worked out that way.

I wanted us to have some success and we had that, and to work out the kinks with seven freshmen.”

The play of the Rams’ underclassmen was the story of the season opener. Pecora started three true freshmen against the Bears, but none were better than Eric Paschall.

Paschall, a highly-touted recruit from Westchester, was spectacular in his Rose Hill debut, putting up 31 points and breaking the record for the most points by a freshman in a debut.

“I did not expect to have a night like I did,” Paschall said.” I just came out and it happened. My teammates did a great job finding me.”

Paschall had the play of the night when, late in the first half, he got out in front on the fast break, caught a pass from redshirt freshman Antoine Anderson and posterized a poor NYIT defender with a slam

NEIL TENNANT/THE RAM

Eric Pashcall’s postserizing dunk late in the first half was the highlight of the Rams’ 94-77 win over NYIT.

dunk.

“Coaches always tell me to finish strong. They hate when I lay it up,” Paschall said of his highlight play.

“So when I saw the opportunity, I took it.”

Christian Sengfelder and Nemanja Zarkovic were the other two freshmen who joined the starting lineup, at forward and point guard, respec-

tively. Sengfelder displayed a nice shooting touch for a player his size, going six of 11 from the floor and making a trio of 3-pointers.

Pecora also highlighted the strong decision-making skills of Sengfelder and Zarkovic, the latter of whom finished with six assists and no turnovers.

“They’re puppies, but they’re big

puppies,” Pecora said. “They’re going to have their nights, obviously being freshmen, where there might be some issues, but I think that everyone did good.”

The Rams also got a boost from the strong play of junior forward Ryan Rhoomes, who was a force on the interior. Rhoomes recorded his first double-double of the year,

scoring 12 points and grabbing 13 rebounds against NYIT. Another interesting trend against NYIT was the way the Rams began each half strongly. Fordham scored 11 unanswered points to start the first, and its 7-0 run to start the second period helped put the game out of reach.

Things did not go as well in the Rams’ second game. Fordham’s lack of experience was put on full display against Penn State, and the Rams fell 73-54.

The Rams again started three freshmen, while the Nittany Lions had two seniors and a junior in their starting five.

Continuing a trend from its first game, Fordham started strong out of the gate, taking a 10-5 lead into the first media timeout. The hot start cooled off considerably over the next four minutes, however, as Penn State scored 11 unanswered points to take a lead it would not relinquish.

Paschall followed up his strong debut with a less impressive performance against Penn State. The young Ram fouled out with 13:41 remaining in the second half and scored just seven points.

Zarkovic put up a much higher scoring total in his second game, scoring a team-high 14 points in 32 minutes.

The Rams’ next contest comes Thursday, Nov. 20 against the University of Maryland. After that matchup, the Rams return home to take on the UMass Lowell on Sunday.

Women’s Basketball Earns First Win of 2014-15 Campaign

By MATT ROSENFELD SPORTS EDITOR

The defending Atlantic 10 champions are off to a rough start. Fordham’s women’s basketball team lost its first two games of the season this past week, 72-51 at home against Iona and 59-42 at 24th-ranked Syracuse.

The Iona Gaels made the short trip down the Bronx River Parkway and were off and running early on Saturday. Iona started the game on a 17-4 run, led by senior guard Damika Martinez, who had 10 points during that stretch.

Iona did not take its foot off the pedal, stretching its lead to 20 points midway through the first half. Fordham could not get out of its own way,

turning the ball over 12 times in the first half and shooting just 38 percent from the field and were a woeful one for 11 from three. Last year’s threepoint-savant, sophomore Hannah Missry who is still nursing a foot injury, was sorely missed.

Many of Fordham’s turnovers came from the guard position, where the Rams are still trying to fill the holes left by Abigail Corning and Erin Rooney, two major pieces of the team who graduated last year.

“When you’re playing three new starters and it’s at the guard position, guard is such a critical spot,” head coach Stephanie Gaitley said.

“When you look out there and 200 of your 244 threes are not in the lineup, you have to really play different. And when Iona went to zone, I

SAMUEL JOSEPH/THE RAM

After two tough losses, Fordham was able to get into the win column Tuesday.

think our kids were like, ‘What do we do?’ By the time we got comfortable offensively, they had jumped on us.”

Iona took a 42-24 lead into the locker room at halftime. At the start of the second half, Fordham tried its best to mount a comeback behind senior Emily Tapio, who had six points in the early going of the second and helped cut the deficit to 12.

Unfortunately for Fordham, that is when the offense stopped. The Rams went scoreless over a five-minute period in the second half, and Iona took advantage, pushing its lead to 22.

Fordham would get no closer than 19 points before the final whistle.

The duo of Martinez and Iona junior Joy Adams, who finished with a 23-point, 12-rebound doubledouble, was too much for Fordham to overcome. The Gaels ended the game with 26 points off of 19 Fordham turnovers.

“I don’t think we played with a lot of heart,” Gaitley said. “Once they got up on us, I think we all went into our own little world and thought, ‘No, we’re Fordham and we’re supposed to win,’ but it’s a new year and a new team. When you’re the hunted, everybody is coming after you. With that, you have to take everybody’s best hit.”

After matching their season total in home losses from last year, Fordham traveled to the Carrier Dome on Sunday to take on a nationally ranked Syracuse team, an opponent that Fordham knew would force it to beat a zone defense.

The Rams played a much better first half against the Orange. While the Rams again struggled with turnovers, they were more successful

from behind the arc, converting four of six three-pointers, led by sophomore Alina Gjerkes, who made both of her attempts in the first half.

A tightly contested first half ended with Fordham down 22-21, a big improvement from just a couple nights earlier in the Bronx.

A familiar enemy got to the Rams in the second half. A couple of early turnovers from Tapio started a 10-2 run for Syracuse that put some distance between the two teams. Before the Rams knew what hit them, they trailed by nine and were fighting to stay close. They did just that, however, cutting the lead to five, 36-31, with about 11 minutes to go. But then, just as it did against Iona, the offense went cold.

Fordham scored just five points over an eight minute span, which saw Syracuse extend its lead to 19 points.

The two teams would trade baskets until the 59-42 final. The loss marked the first time the Rams dropped their first two games under Gaitley.

“Our defense was on point [in the first half],” Tapio said. “We were able to make them do what they didn’t want to do. We had a hand in their leading scorer Briana Butler’s face the entire time, and we were really composed in breaking the press. In the second half though, we got down and weren’t quite able to come back.

But, we were proud we held them to 59 points.”

Another bright spot for the Rams was freshman G’mrice Davis, who narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds.

While the Rams may have lost their first two games, the team knows it is still very early and that there is no

need to panic.

“Patience is going to be very important for us,” Tapio said. “The experience is not there yet, but we have people on our team who will pick each other up. The first two games are over, we’re going to learn from them and come back strong.”

“These kids are winners,” Gaitley said. “They are used to winning. They aren’t used to losing, so they have to learn. They’re going to learn from their leaders, and that includes me.”

Fordham picked up its first win of the season Tuesday night, defeating Mount St. Mary’s 61-37. The Rams and Mountaineers were close through part of the first half, but a 19-6 run to close out the half gave Fordham a 33-17 lead at halftime.

This marked the first time all season the Rams led at halftime.

Mount St. Mary’s would not be able to close the gap any closer than 16, as the Fordham defense continued to dominate in the second half.

The Rams would hold the Mountaineers to 30 percent shooting, marking their best defensive performance of the year. Fordham cruised to a 61-37 win to bring its record to 1-2 on the year.

Tapio had nine rebounds to go along with 19 points, tying her career high. Graduate student Tiffany Ruffin added 13 points on five of eight shooting as well.

“Tiffany set the tone offensively,” Gaitley said after the win. “She looked confident, she got other players shots and Emily Tapio stepped up and had a terrific game as well.”

Fordham’s next game is at home against Hofstra on Friday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m.

November 19, 2014

It’s Not Just the Triangle

By SAM BELDEN STAFF WRITER

At the beginning of this NBA season, fans of the New York Knicks had high hopes. New team president Phil Jackson, one of the most respected and decorated figures in basketball, was set on bringing his famous triangle offense to Madison Square Garden. He convinced everyone that Derek Fisher, a former point guard who, while on the Lakers, won five rings under Jackson, was the head coach that could help make the offense work. With the ink on superstar forward Carmelo Anthony’s five-year contract barely dry, this season looked like it would have a fresh feel, and many expected that the Knicks would contend for a playoff spot.

So far, little has gone according to plan. Through Sunday, the Knicks have recorded three wins and eight losses, good for the second-worst team in the entire Eastern Conference; the winless 76ers are the only team that has been worse. This run of generally bad play was lowlighted by a seven game losing streak (which ended on Sunday, thanks to a strong showing by Anthony and a monster game from J.R. Smith).

It may still be early, however, more than an eighth of the season has gone by. If the Knicks really want to right the ship, then they will need to do it soon.

What, then, has been the problem? It seems that the majority of the Knicks’ woes can be traced back to Jackson and Fisher’s triangle offense. When it works, the system can yield some great results—Michael Jordan’s Bulls and Kobe Bryant’s Lakers were both able to win multiple titles while using it. However, most NBA players are not used to it, and the Knicks are still learning.

Even if they do learn it, the triangle might not be such a good fit for the Knicks. Anthony, the team’s lone superstar and absolute linchpin of its offense, is more of an isolation scorer; he has learned the triangle, but the fickleness of the system does not suit his game particularly well. In addition, the triangle, even more so than other systems, requires a solid point guard that can quickly read a situation and give his team the best look at a basket. Newly acquired Shane Larkin, who has been getting the bulk of starts at the one, is not that player.

It would be wrong to pin all of the Knicks’ problems on their inability to adapt to the triangle.

The truth is that their defense has been almost as bad as their offense. Beyond journeyman center Samuel Dalembert and swingman Iman Shumpert, every player on the squad is a below average defender. Smith and Tim Hardaway are known as particularly bad, while former All-Star Amare Stoudemire is now a totally ineffective post defender due to a myriad of injuries.

When the Knicks locked themselves into the triangle, many guessed that there would be some growing pains, but few predicted that it would be this bad.

Now, the Knicks are stuck with a system that is not producing the results that they want. They need help, which could come via a trade, but there are a limited number of players that can fit in with the triangle, so their options will be few.

Things will probably get better — the players will learn the triangle, and point guard Jose Calderon should return from injury in a few weeks.

But for now, the Knicks have some major problems to work out.

SPORTS

Page 17

Varsity Scores & Stats Football Georgetown 0 0 0 7 7 Fordham 7 17 21 7 52 (GT) J. DeCicco 44 yds, TD (FOR) S. Ajala 124 yds, TD

Men’s Basketball NYIT 38 39 77 Fordham 51 43 94 (NYIT) D. Hooker 21 pts (FOR) E. Paschall 31 pts

Volleyball George Washington Fordham (GW) M. Doyle 14 digs (FOR) B. O’ Neil 15 kills

Men’s Soccer Fordham VCU FOR wins 5-3 on PKs

0 0

Fordham 21 33 54 Penn State 38 35 73 (FOR) N. Zarkovic 14 pts (PSU) D.J. Newbill 18 pts

George Mason Fordham (GM) T. Clarke 14 kills (FOR) C. Moore 15 kills

Fordham 2 St. Louis 1 GOALS: Cupolo (FOR) 29’, Loebe (FOR) 77’, Graydon (SLU) 81’

Women’s Basketball Iona 42 30 72 Fordham 24 27 51 (IONA) D. Martinez 27 pts (FOR) E. Tapio 19 pts

Women’s Swimming LIU Post 122 Fordham 169

Fordham 1 Rhode Island 0 GOALS: Loebe (FOR) 46’

Fordham 21 21 42 Syracuse 22 37 59 (FOR) G. Davis 9 pts, stl (SU) A. Peterson 19 pts, stl

3 1

1 3

Men’s Cross Country District Regional 15th Women’s Cross Country District Regional 27th

Athletes of the Week Jannik Loebe

Chandler Moore

Freshman

Senior

Soccer

Volleyball

Loebe was named to TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Team of the Week after his performance in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, where he scored two game winning goals.

Moore ended her Fordham career on a high note. She led the Rams with a season high 15 kills in the team’s 3-1 victory over George Mason on Senior Night.

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 • Basketball’s Eric Paschall was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week. Paschall scored 31 points with four three pointers on 12 of 22 shooting and had 10 rebounds in the Rams’ 94-77 victory over New York Tech on Friday. His 31 points broke sophomore Jon Severe’s freshman record for most points scored by a Fordham player in a debut game.

• The auction for Fordham’s Liberty Cup football jerseys that they wore against Columbia this season have been extended. The auction started last Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 5 p.m. and will now go until Friday, Nov. 28 at 11:59 p.m. The proceeds from the auction of the starred and striped jerseys will be split between the football team and the Fordham Family Memorial Scholarship Fund.

• Fordham Athletics will host a viewing party for the NCAA FCS Selection Show this Sunday at 11 a.m. The Rams, who have already secured a bid in the playoffs, will find out their opponent, as well as the location of the game, when it is announced on Sunday. The show will also be broadcast live on ESPNU.

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/theram_sports COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Anthony and the Knicks are having trouble in their new offensive scheme.

SPORTS

Page 18

Tara Cangialosi

Senior Profile | Brianna Tevnan

Football Grows Across The Pond Soon enough, the English may need to refer to their favorite sport by its Americanized title.

The fact that the traditional word “football” may need to be traded for “soccer” can only mean one thing: The NFL is making moves across the Atlantic.

At least, it is trying to.

Football has been prominent in the United States for as long as we can remember, and has made significant strides over the years. Rising to popularity with the formation of the National Football Conference (NFC) and American Football Conference (AFC) in 1970, the sport has become a staple in many American households every Sunday and Monday, and sometimes Saturday, if you count all of the college games.

So how hasn’t this phenomenon that brings together family and friends, provides healthy competition and evokes team spirit, (even if you root for the Jets) been unable to collect major fandom in England?

Well, I’m not saying there aren’t any fans. There certainly are die-hard devotees who, since 2007 when the NFL began bringing games to London, desired greater professional football pesence overseas.

The league hosted three games in London’s Wembley Stadium in 2014.

Two of them were just plain uninteresting.

Though it is difficult to predict how teams will fare, it is safe to say the NFL dropped the ball on two of this year’s three games.

Week four was fairly lackluster, with Miami crushing the Raiders 3814. Sure, Ryan Tannehill threw for 278 yards for two touchdowns, but Oakland’s depleted defense could not make a stop.

The fans began to leave as early as midway through the third quarter due to lack of action.

However, the fans got a closer game a month later on Oct. 28, when the Lions and Falcons played. Detroit took the game 22-21, and things were looking up for the British, as one more game remained.

By the next international game, however, it was Week 10 and much of the season had already passed for both squads. Jacksonville was 1-8 going into the game, and the Cowboys were 6-2. Many people, looking at wins and losses, presumed the Cowboys would dominate.

Though it was not as large of a margin, Dallas took the game 31-17. If we are being completely honest, it was anticlimactic.

With any football game, it is difficult to predict when a game will be a blow-out, but it is rather disappointing for British fans to have the opportunity to attend only three NFL games a year, and for two thirds of them to be uncompetitive.

However, the die-hard British NFL fans will keep coming back to potential blowouts, just because they love the sport so much.

But, if the NFL eventually wants London to have a permanent franchise or more of a presence overseas, the games need to be enticing enough to draw in those that have a passing or growing interest in the game.

November 19, 2014

COURTESY OF FORDHAM SPORTS

By BRYAN KIEL STAFF WRITER

Brianna Tevnan is a senior cross country and distance runner from Boscawen, New Hampshire. Tevnan returned this year, after not running since 2011 because of injuries, and instantly became one of Fordham’s top cross country runners. She has led the women’s team in every race she has competed in, including a second-place finish at the Metropolitan Championship in October.

The Fordham Ram: Why did you decide to run for Fordham?

Brianna Tevnan: I’ve been running in New Hampshire since the sixth grade. As recruitment letters came in, I knew I wanted to stay on the East Coast, and I thought about Fordham a lot because I’m from a really small town and being in New York City intrigued me. I came down here for a recruiting trip and I fell in love with the team and the program, and it was Fordham all the way.

TFR: As a three season athlete, how do you conduct your training in the summer and during the fall season?

BT: We train on our own from June to early August and come back to school mid-August. During the summer, you really try to push yourself. If you come back

and you didn’t train well back home, it really does show. Once we get back for pre-season, we do about two workouts a week, where we will work on speed and hills.

Most of our races are at Van Cortlandt, one of the hilliest courses there is. Being our home course, we really need to make that an advantage for us.

TFR: What wAould you say is your favorite season to run in?

BT: Most people wouldn’t say cross country is their favorite season, and during this time of year [the weather] really can be miserable to run in. The A-10 Championship was very cold and this past weekend at Regionals was brutal as well. But I really like being outside and running on different terrain.

It’s much better running 5Ks outside than 25 laps around an indoor track! I’ve also really grown to like steeplechase during the outdoor track season in the spring, something I did not get to do before I came to Fordham.

TFR: Do you think there is any connection between where you are from and your love for cross country?

BT: Coming from New Hampshire, I really enjoy being outdoors.

I love hiking and all the trails that are around by me, so there probably is that connection. Training in New York is also different. I naturally do more workouts on the streets here, and unless we are at Van Cortlandt practicing, there isn’t much course or trail running.

TFR: Do you have a favorite memory from your years of running at Fordham?

BT: My favorite memory is probably breaking the steeplechase record last year in the spring.

I really had my sight on that, and just being embraced by my team was the best feeling. That’s the way it is for our team. It gives us joy to see other people’s successes, so if I don’t do so well, I am still really happy others did well. That support made that accomplishment

very special for me.

TFR: Have you taken on a new leadership role now that you are the top runner for the women’s cross country team?

BT: I think that because I’m a senior with all the experience of being an upperclassman, I’m able to give advice to the younger members of the team. You are able to know the ins and outs of Fordham and the athletic department.

Things become second nature, and you are able to answer questions and give advice with simple things and some of the harder issues they may have. I enjoy helping out the team in that aspect.

TFR: Do you have any plans after you graduate from Fordham?

BT: I’m an environmental studies major, but I hope to stay in New York and hopefully get a job doing conservation work here. I’ve been a vegetarian since I was eight and have a strong passion for wildlife biology. It’s nice being in a city where there are a lot of opportunities, even in environmental causes.

I also have another season of eligibility for cross country which I will take advantage of next year, and spend time looking for a job while still running.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM SPORTS

Cross Country Holds Their Own at NCAA Regionals

By BRYAN KIEL STAFF WRITER

Coming off an underwhelming performance at the Atlantic 10 Championships, the Fordham cross country team continued its championship season on Friday at the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship at Van Cortlandt Park. Facing their toughest competition to date in harsh weather, both squads held their own in the meet that featured over 40 schools. The men placed 15th out of 39 teams, while the women placed 27th out of 40.

With wind chills dropping below the 32 degrees, 262 male runners raced at Van Cortlandt in Fordham’s largest meet of the season thus far.

While the weather lessened the team’s emphasis on times, freshman Thomas Slattery led the Rams with 31:38 in the 10K event, and 60th overall in competition. Junior Quincy O’Connor followed Slattery just one second later in 62nd place, while fellow junior Mike Turi finished with a time of 31:43 in 73rd place. The tight race also featured freshman Nik O’Brien and a trio of sophomores in Jake Duckworth,

Adam Schwenzfeier and Devin Rocks. While Rocks was Fordham’s last runner to cross the line, he was still less than four minutes behind the overall leader, Jake Byrne of Iona, who came in with a time of 30:26.

The women raced against similarly tough competition in their noontime race. Crossing the line first for Fordham was perennial leader Brianna Tevnan, who ran a 21:51 in the 6K race, a personal record.

“We had some stiff opponents,” Tevnan said. “Competing against the top Division One teams in the North East is no easy feat. Mentally, it was taxing, but we were on our home course of Van Cortlandt and despite the strong head wind and near freezing temperatures I think we performed better than at A-10s in Pittsburgh.”

The women’s race, which featured 275 women across 40 teams, was just as packed as the men’s race.

While senior Mara Lieberman finished less than a minute behind Tevnan, she came in 147th overall.

Sophomore Ariana Bottalico came in next with a time of 23:03, coming in 164th place. “When the weather

conditions are harsh, the race becomes even more about competition and place and less about time,” said Bottalico. “There were so many competitors, which made it harder to run together.”

Freshman Brynna Harum, sophomore Brianne Roche, and seniors Jillian Brooks and Sarah Glockenmeier all followed Bottalico. Harum, who has consistently been the squad’s top freshman, came in just two seconds after Bottalico, while Roche, Brooks and Glockenmeier all fell under the 24-minute mark.

While this will be the last NCAA Regionals for Fordham seniors, the Rams have one more race for the season. Fordham will again head to Van Cortlandt to race in the ECAC/ IC4A meet. While there are two more seasons of running for the Rams, the cross country team hopes to prove itself one last time on their home course. “There will be less teams but still great competition,” Bottalico said. “We’re aiming to place in the top three and finish off the season strong.”

The ECAC/IC4A Championship will be held this Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

Anthony Pucik What Shouldn’t Happen In Vegas The NFL is not the only league with talks of possible expansion.

The NHL has been rumored to have its own talks of expanding in recent months, but this expansion is staying on the continent. In late August, reports began to come in that the NHL was looking to add four expansion teams in 2017.

The teams would supposedly be placed in Seattle, Quebec City, Las Vegas and Toronto, currently home to the Maple Leafs.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman immediately denied the reports, and, for the most part the rumors died down, except in Sin City. Many reports surfaced that the NHL was actively looking to expand, at least into Vegas. Reports indicated the NHL selected the Maloof family, owners of the Sacramento Kings of the NBA, and billionare William P. Foley as potential owners of the rumored Las Vegas team.

Rather than tackle the source or validity of the stories, which deserves plenty of questioning itself, I’d much rather discuss why the NHL should not expand to any of the cities mentioned above, Vegas included.

The driving force behind expanding the NHL to 31, or even 34 teams, would be to generate more revenue. While I will admit that money is important in every professional sports league, the NHL also needs to consider that product that it would be placing on the ice. Adding four new teams would hardly impove that product. Taking a look at the NHL landscape right now, teams like the Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers and Arizona Coyotes have been at the bottom of the league’s standings more times than not over the last 10 years.

These teams struggle to remain competitive, even with a prospect pool and minor league teams that have been sustained for years.

Imagine what would happen if the NHL expanded to 34 teams by 2017. It would be a nightmare.

Those teams would be composed of the current free agent pool and numerous minor league players who aren’t NHL ready. Even if the NHL were able to project significant profits from expanding to 34 teams, the amount of time it would take those teams to achieve succes at the NHL level would be more detrimental to the sport in terms of viewership and competitiveness.

Speaking of the Arizona Coyotes and Florida Panthers, they can’t even fill up their stadiums and the Coyotes have had their fair share of monetary issues in recent years. Ask Phoenix: the addition of four likely lackluster teams is a bad financial move on the part of the NHL when its current 30 teams can’t even sell out now.

When the NHL considers expansion, it should think about these factors before setting anything in stone. It shouldn’t want to be the only thing that happened in Vegas and never stayed in Vegas.

SPORTS

November 19, 2014

Page 19

McBride and Lulley Lead Women Past LIU-Post

By DREW CASEY STAFF WRITER

Amid a very busy Friday in the Rose Hill Gym, the Fordham women’s swimming and diving team defeated LIU-Post 169-122 at the Colonel Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center.

“I think we performed well considering how fatigued we all were from a hard week of practices,” senior captain Savannah Coe said.

“This is the point of the season where we are all pretty beaten down, but everyone still stepped up and gave it their best effort.”

That evening, the Rams finished first in nine of 16 events. Freshman Erin McBride and junior Shannon Lulley led the way for the team, each winning two individual events.

McBride, a Cherry Hill, New Jersey native, touched first in both of the distance events. She took the 500-yard freestyle in 5:11.86 and the 1000-yard freestyle in 10:38.78. McBride, who competed in three sports in high school, also was part of the winning 400yard freestyle relay team. The other three members of the victorious relay team were sophomores Kalena Laurent and Megan Polaha and junior Chandler Lulley.

Shannon Lulley’s two event wins did not go unnoticed; she won the 50-yard freestyle in 24.27 seconds and touched first in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:08.27.

The Friday evening meet was a bit unusual, as the men’s swim team did not compete at the same time as the women’s. This was due to the fact that LIU-Post does not have a men’s swimming team.

“Swimming without the boys caused the meet to run a lot faster,” senior captain Frances Warren said. “It made it a tougher meet to race in since there was less rest, but

it was great having them up in the stands cheering for us.”

It certainly was a quick meet, as the competition concluded well before the men’s basketball team tipped off its season at 8 p.m. in the Rose Hill Gym. The squad’s other four event wins came in both swimming and diving. Senior Megan Zarriello captured the 200-yard freestyle in 1:55.29, and sophomore Morgan Fairclough was fastest in the 100yard breaststroke. Freshman Natalie Wodniak took the one-meter dive with a score of 212.40, and senior Hailey Cox placed first in the three-meter dive, posting a score of 217.05.

The Rams also took second place in 11 of the 14 individual events. Junior Anna Marshall was second fastest in both the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke, while Laurent came up just short in both the 100- and 200-yard butterfly.

Freshman Regina Foley had the second-highest score in both the 1-meter dive and 3-meter dive, and sophomore Natalie Malicki placed second in the 500-yard freestyle.

Senior Victoria McGovern finished second in the 1000-yard freestyle, while fellow senior Spencer Chappell touched second in the 100-yard backstroke. Rounding out the second place finishes were Fairclough and Polaha, who took second place in the 200-yard backstroke and 200-yard freestyle, respectively.

The Fordham women’s team is now 4-1 this season, while the men’s team remains 1-3. Both will travel to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania this week for the three-day Bucknell Invitational. Competition begins on Friday, and follows a preliminary and finals format.

“Bucknell is a great opportunity for us to basically have a runthrough of what A-10s will be like,” Coe said.

By MATT ROSENFELD SPORTS EDITOR

The NFL season is 11 weeks old, and I think it’s safe to say we’ve reached the home stretch of the year. A lot has changed since week one, and it is clear that the NFC is up for grabs.

The prohibitive favorites in the conference and defending Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, look terribly inconsistent this year. Not that being 6-4 through 10 games is bad, but Seattle certainly doesn’t look head and shoulders better than the conference. That fact alone has thrown the entire NFC hierarchy on its head.

Currently, there are seven teams sitting at .500 or better. The Cardinals are alone at the top at 9-1, proving to be the biggest shock of the year. With an incredible defense, Arizona has risen to elite status. But at the same time, the Cardinals lost their starting quarterback, Carson Palmer, to a torn ACL. I’m sorry, but I don’t see Drew Stanton leading a team to the Super Bowl, no matter how well the defense plays.

The other two NFC West teams, the aforementioned Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers, both sit at 6-4. These two west coast teams’ defenses are playing up to their lofty expectations, sitting at third and fourth in total defense, respectively.

The reason I don’t see either of them reaching the Super Bowl, however, is on the other side of the ball.

The Seahawks have been very unreliable on offense this season.

While they sit at 10th in the league with 26 points per game, Seattle has shown the ability to lay an egg here and there. In two of their wins, against the Panthers and Giants, the Seahawks offense has looked less than stellar versus below average defenses. Even though Seattle scored 38 points in the game against the Giants, it was more a result of the Giants’ ineptitude than the Seahawks superiority. New York had plenty of chances, but a better team would have taken advantage sooner.

The 49ers have also been too inconsistent for me to think they’ll

reach Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona. To be frank, I don’t think Colin Kaepernick has gotten much better since his rookie season when he almost did win the Super Bowl. The Niners rank in the lower half of the league in total offense and points per game, and seem to have gotten worse as the season has progressed. The Niners and Seahawks still have two games against each other this year, and those two games will tell us a lot about each team.

The NFC East’s two leaders, the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, are both sitting pretty at 7-3. The Eagles, who I worried would win the conference at the beginning of the season, had their starting quarterback Nick Foles break his collarbone earlier this month. As we all know, former Jet Mark Sanchez took over and is 1-1 in that role, most recently losing to the Packers 53-20 this past Sunday.

Even with the possibility of Foles returning at the start or during the playoffs, that instability at quarterback makes the Eagles too risky a pick to win the conference.

The Cowboys are an interesting team because they seem to have all the pieces to make it to Glendale.

Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and DeMarco Murray lead a fearsome offense that can score against anybody. I would not be shocked if we see Dallas as one of

the two teams with a bye in the first round of the playoffs. But, before I feel confident enough to pick them in the postseason, I need to see Romo and company prove it to me.

Romo is 1-3 in his career in the playoffs, and that scares me, even with all the talent he has around him. I don’t know why, but I just feel like Dallas will find a way to lose.

Finally, we get to the NFC North, which has the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers both at 7-3, and that’s where we find my pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl this year. No, it’s not the surprisingly solid Detroit Lions — it’s the Aaron Rodgers-led Green Bay Packers. For starters, we know the Packers have been there and done that. Head coach Mike McCarthy was leading them in 2010 when they won their last Super Bowl, and this year they are looking as good as anybody. Green Bay leads the league in turnover margin, with 14 more takeaways than giveaways, and Aaron Rodgers seems to be the league MVP at this point in the season. Jordy Nelson has made a leap, becoming one of the best receivers in the league, and Eddie Lacy gives the Packers a big ol’ running back to pound the ball with.

I know a whole lot can change before we get to Super Bowl XLIX, but in the crowded NFC playoff picture, give me Green Bay to emerge from the pack.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are one of the teams near the top of the NFC.

Upcoming Varsity Schedule Home games in CAPS

Thursday Nov. 20

Friday Nov. 21

Cross Country Water Polo Swimming SAMUEL JOSEPH/THE RAM

Next, women’s swimming and diving will head to the Bucknell Invitational.

Squash

Monday Nov. 24

Tuesday Nov. 25

UMASS LOWELL 6 p.m.

at Maryland 7:30 p.m.

Women’s Basketball Men’s Soccer

Sunday Nov. 23

at Army Noon

Football Men’s Basketball

Saturday Nov. 22

at Delaware 7 p.m.

HOFSTRA 7 p.m. at Dartmouth (NCAA Tourn.)

5 p.m. at ECAC/IC4A Championship 9:30 a.m. at CWPA Championships Annapolis, Maryland 7 p.m. at Bucknell Invitational Lewisburg, Pennsylvania TBA Haverford at Blair Academy 2 p.m.

Wednesday Nov. 26

SPORTS

Page 20

November 19, 2014

The Fordham Ram

Fordham Crowned Atlantic 10 Tournament Champions

By TARA CANGIALOSI WEB EDITOR

Fordham sports certainly made headlines this weekend.

With the football team going undefeated in the Patriot League on Saturday, the Fordham men’s soccer team had a sizable feat to match on Sunday in the final game of the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship in Richmond, Virginia.

After beating the Championship’s number three and two seeds in succession in the days prior, the Rams were ready to battle their fellow Ram opponent and the number one seed overall, the University of Rhode Island.

In a fight to the end, six-seeded Fordham defeated URI by a score of 1-0 in the final match, winning the A-10 Conference Championship title.

With the victory, the Rams earned an automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Championship for only the second time in the team’s history. The team previously made an appearance in 1996.

On Monday, the Rams received their formal destination for the opening round of the NCAA Championship, and discovered that they will travel to Dartmouth University’s Burnham Field for a 5 p.m. match against the Big Green

COURTESY OF FORDHAM SPORTS

The Rams are A-10 Champions for the first time since 1996.

on Thursday, Nov. 20.

The winner of the game will travel to Providence College to take on the 11-seeded Friars on Sunday, Nov. 23 in the second round of the tournament.

Dartmouth, which went 114-2 on the season and 5-1-1 in Ivy League play, clinched the Ivy

League bid with a 3-0 win over Brown this past Saturday evening.

Fordham will look to take revenge on the Big Green, which defeated the Rams 2-0 at Dartmouth on Sept. 27.

However, the Fordham team that proudly hoisted the A-10 trophy on the field at Sports Backers Sta-

dium on Sunday afternoon is much evolved from the team Dartmouth faced in September.

The A-10 Championship showcased Fordham’s talent, as it had five players chosen for the AllTournament team including three freshmen.

Senior goalkeeper Sean Brailey was named the Championship’s Most Outstanding Player, with 13 saves and two shut-outs.

Freshman Jannik Loebe was selected for his two game-winning goals against Saint Louis and URI. The German was additionally named to TopDrawerSoccer.com’s team of the week for his contributions.

Freshman Christopher Bazzini had an assist and shined on the defense end for the Rams, while freshman Matthew Lewis also played a pivotal defensive role in the two shutouts.

Graduate student Aleksandar Mastilovic also had two assists, to finish out the Rams’ All-Tournament selections.

The prominent play from these players in combination with the rest of the team’s effort was crucial in A-10 play, as everyone was involved on both the offensive and defensive end.

The Rams’ journey began on Thursday, Nov. 13 in its first match-

up against the three seed and home team, VCU. Though Fordham had not played the Richmond-based Rams this season, the team was aware that a tough game would ensue, as VCU had an A-10 record of 4-1-4 and had played some challenging outof-conference opponents.

As predicted, the battle of the Rams was evenly-matched, with each squad generating opportunities out of the midfield and into each team’s final third.

Despite the efforts, neither Fordham or VCU could convert any chances in the first 90 minutes, or the two additional 10 minute overtime periods. This sent the game into penalty kicks, where five shooters from each team were first chosen to kick.

For Fordham, senior Andres Penfold, Mastilovic and senior Ollie Kelly were the first three shooters to convert.

With the pressure on his shoulders, Brailey stepped into the net with poise.

VCU made its first two attempts, but Brailey guessed correctly and dove to his right to save the third attempt, kicked by Mario Herrera Meraz.

Brailey and the Bronx-based Rams were fired up, as cheering and SEE SOCCER, PAGE 15

Rams Blow Out Georgetown 52-7, Finish League Play Undefeated FROM FOOTBALL, PAGE 1

Jones early in the second quarter.

Moorhead said the play involved a miscommunication on a blocking assignment. Nebrich was diagnosed with a left knee contusion and will be re-evaluated throughout the week.

Moorhead said he and the training staff felt optimistic about Nebrich’s health on Saturday, but acknowledged that his status would require evaluation throughout the week. Nebrich will likely be a gametime decision against Army this coming Saturday.

“Hope for the best,” Moorhead added.

Maetzold entered the game in the middle of the Rams’ series and delivered immediately. On just his second drop back, he delivered a strike to Wetzel on a fourth and 11 play that went for a 34-yard touchdown pass.

Another positive from Sunday was that the Rams wasted no time getting going against the Hoyas.

Sophomore Kendall Pearcey scored from the one yard line to cap a 10-play, 71-yard opening drive to give the Rams a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.

At halftime, Fordham was completely in control and held a 24-point advantage.

“There were plenty of things for us to play for this week, even with the specter of complacency looming over our heads,” Moorhead said. “It was Senior Day, chance to be the first Fordham team to go undefeated in Patriot League play, chance for these seniors to be undefeated at home.”

All of those things came to frui-

ANDREW ESOLDI/THE RAM

The Rams received the Patriot League trophy after defeating Georgetown 52-7 on Saturday and celebrated at midfield.

tion for the Rams. The offense got anything it wanted all day, putting up 532 total yards, and the defense was miserly, allowing Georgetown to record just 251 yards of offense.

“Our defense had an outstanding performance today, and they’ve really done a great job throughout the season,” Moorhead said. “When you’re holding teams to 20 points or less, with the ability we have to score points, you give yourself an opportunity to be in every game with a great chance to win. I couldn’t be more proud of our staff and our players.”

One struggle for the Rams was the running game. Freshman Chase Edmonds was a game-time decision on Saturday because of his own knee issues and had his

workload significantly decreased as a result.

Edmonds failed to gain 100 yards rushing for just the second time this season and the first time in a Fordham victory. He finished with just 45 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.

His replacement, Pearcey, was the workhorse on Saturday and he made sure the Rams still featured a ground attack. Pearcey ran for 89 yards on 14 carries and his three touchdowns, two of which came in the first half, played a big role in keeping Fordham in front.

“Nobody flinches — it was business as usual,” Moorhead said.

“I think that’s part of the reason why we’re sitting undefeated and Patriot League champs.”

Maetzold was able to spark the Rams’ offense with big plays in the passing game. In addition to his 34-yard touchdown pass to Wetzel, Maetzold also connected with senior Sam Ajala on a 54yard score midway through the third quarter.

Maetzold, who completed a crisp 78 percent of his passes, credited his strong play coming off the bench to a good week of preparation.

“It helps when you’ve played the past two weeks, of course,” Maetzold said. “But I think the mentality through the week is really important. If you’re not prepared during the week, you’re not going to succeed.”

The Rams, while they likely

will not be as prolific, are in good hands with Maetzold should Nebrich miss next week’s game.

“I feel great about it,” Maetzold said. “I know I don’t have to do anything that I can’t do. I don’t have to play above myself. The line, the running backs, the receivers will help me out. The past few weeks have helped build confidence.”

The next contest for the Rams comes next week on the road against Army, an FBS program.

Kickoff is scheduled for 12 noon.

“It’s not ideal at all, but control the controllable,” Moorhead said of the final scheduled game.

“Weigh the positives, weigh the negatives and just take it one game at a time.”