Volume 97 issue 10

The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham dh University Community Since 1918 Volume 97, Issue 10

FordhamRam.com

April 22, 2015

Father Florio Set to Leave Bronx in June

NEWS EDITOR

Some students have been noticing trends concerning community activism at Fordham. The overwhelming majority of the undergraduate population did not vote in the latest USG elections. Several student government positions went uncontested, with seats left unfilled after the

At Fordham, Students Shine a Light on Autism

By ROBERT FRERICH COPY CHIEF

This past Friday, Fordham’s chapter of Autism Speaks-U hosted its largest event of the year, Light It Up Blue (LIUB). LIUB is a nationally held event that celebrates and promotes autism awareness and serves as one of the organization’s major sources of fundraising for research.

According to the club’s website, World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) is intended to, “shine a bright light on autism as a growing global health crisis. WAAD activities increase world knowledge of autism and impart information about the importance of early diagnosis and in this issue

Opinion

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Holding GSB and FCRH students to the same standard

Culture

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Student Social Media Branding

Sports

Page 15 Women’s Tennis Reaches Semi-Finals

early intervention.”

“With nearly one in 68 people in the United States identifying as having some degree of Autism Spectrum Disorder [according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], this is a very important cause to support,” said Elizabeth Eisenhart, FCRH ’16, “everyone at Fordham is affected in some aspect of their lives by autism.”

The event began at 6 p.m. in O’Keefe Commons and ran for four hours during which the Fordham Dance Team and the Ramblers performed. “We are very thankful to the Ramblers and the Dance Team for performing, they definitely helped increase turnout.” Nick Genovese, FCRH ’16, secretary of Autism Speaks at Fordham said.

For a five dollar donation fee, students were welcomed to attend this event where they could receive manicures, learn more about autism awareness and research and eat food and desserts, all donated by Autism Speaks members.

During Light It Up Blue, Autism Speaks held a raffle where students could purchase tickets to be entered into a drawing for prizes like Under the Tent tickets, gift cards to several eateries on Arthur Avenue and gift cards to department stores in Manhattan.

Students may have also noticed that the Empire State Building in Manhattan was lit up blue in honor of the cause.

SEE AUTISM, PAGE 5

NEWS EDITOR

PAGE 5, SEE FACULTY

PAGE 5, SEE FLORIO

Faculty Forward Demands Wage Hike election. However, this year has seen pockets of activism from small but concentrated members of the Fordham community. This includes students marching through the streets of Manhattan for health care reform and gender equality, and faculty writing letters to Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., President of the University in which they call upon him to repair the “moral fabric” of Fordham. The latest develop-

By LAURA SANICOLA

STAFF WRITER

ment is the surge of activism among student organizers and adjunct professors rallying for higher wages.

On April 15, adjunct faculty and supporters arrived from a Brooklyn wage protest and stood amid the hundreds of students waiting in line for Under the Tent tickets outside of McGinley. They began handing out flyers with staggering statistics — among them, that one in five part-time faculty members live below the poverty line.

CASEY CHUN/ THE FORDHAM RAM

By LAURA SANICOLA

By CANTON WINER When seniors leave Fordham this summer, they will not be the only Rams leaving the university’s Rose Hill campus.

Philip Florio, S.J., will serve his last day as associate vice president for campus ministry on June 24.

Per the request of his provincial superior in Maryland, Florio has received a new assignment as the next pastor of Old St. Joseph’s Church in Philadelphia. There, Florio will also serve as the superior of the parish’s Jesuit community.

Florio, originally from Philadelphia, has been at Fordham for five years. “[Old St. Joseph’s] is 3.5 miles from where I grew up,” Florio told The Fordham Ram during an interview on Friday afternoon. “It’s the closest I’ll ever be to home as a Jesuit… It’s bittersweet, but I’m going home.”

While Florio says he is happy to return to Philadelphia, he also expressed sadness to be leaving Fordham. “I did not seek this out,” Florio said. “This was a summons that was given to me.”

Still, Florio said he has long wanted to take the helm at Old St. Joseph. Founded in 1733, Old St. Joseph is one of the oldest Catho-

Fordham Faculty Forward took part in a nation-wide protest called “Fight for $15” demanding higher wages for workers.

Hirst Named New VP, CFO of University An email sent on Wednesday afternoon from Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university, announced the appointment of Martha K. Hirst as the new senior vice president, chief financial officer (CFO) and treasurer of Fordham University.

Her installment is effective July 1, 2015.

Frank Simio, vice president for finance at Fordham, has served as interim CFO since September 2014, when John Landon, former CFO, senior vice president and treasurer, stepped down following a heated rift between himself and the Fordham faculty.

Landon had been representing the university in negotiations with the Faculty Senate over a new health care plan. Landan attended a faculty-wide meeting on September 10, was asked to leave the meeting and declined. He was censured by the Faculty Senate for his refusal.

In September, the Faculty Senate passed a resolution in a 14-4-3 vote that stated the Senate had “no confidence in Mr. Landon,” and requested “that the President of the University directly represent the administration in negotiations concerning faculty salaries and benefits.” Landon had served in the position since 2000.

Hirst has served at St. John’s as PAGE 4, SEE CFO

MATTHEW MOORE/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham b-Sides, an a cappella group, performed during Saturday’s Relay for Life hosted by Colleges Against Cancer.

Relay for Life Raises $26K for Cancer

By EDDIE MIKUS STAFF WRITER

Colleges Against Cancer conducted its annual Relay For Life on April 18 to raise funds for cancer research. The event raised $26,000, according to Delia Brengel, a member of the Fordham Relay Committee.

During the event, groups of

students walked around the perimeter of Edward’s Parade. Additionally, the group arranged for several musical acts to take place on the Keating Hall steps, and placed some carnival games on the field itself. Paper bag lanterns memorializing those who have experienced cancer were placed along the outside edge of the field.

Christina Giglio, FCRH ’15, co-president of Fordham’s Colleges Against Cancer chapter, described the event’s main purpose in an email message to The Fordham Ram. “Our main goal was to fundraise as much as we could for the American Cancer Society,” Giglio said. “Not only did we want SEE RELAY, PAGE 2

NEWS

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PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS

April 14 Hughes Hall 11:45 p.m.

A male, unaffiliated with the Fordham community, was found trespassing. He was seen in several on-campus buildings including Queens Court and Hughes Hall.

He was not in possession of any stolen property, and was placed under arrest for criminal trespassing.

April 15 Fordham Rd. and Hoffman 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

A former Fordham student got into a dispute with a current student. The disagreement became physical, and the former student was punched in the face and injured. He was transported to St. Barnabas Hospital. He declined to file a report with the NYPD. April 17 Tierney Hall 6:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.

A student reported that money had been taken from her room.

She left her room and closed the door but the lock was not activated. Someone entered her room and took $57 from her wallet. Her roommate also reported a theft of $27. Public Safety is investigating.

April 19 189th St. and Hoffman St. 1:30 a.m.

A Fordham graduate had his iPhone snatched out of his pocket by a young male who was accompanied by two other young males.

The student contacted the NYPD, who stopped two males. Neither were identified as the individual who had taken his phone. The NYPD made no arrest.

—Compiled by Cailin McKenna, Assistant News Editor

Follow us on Twitter! @TheFordhamRam

April 22, 2015

Journal From Abroad

London’s Hidden Rhythms

By JOE O’BRIEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

LONDON — If you look closely enough, you can see the millions of little vibrations that give a city its rhythm. In the creeping hours of the morning, commuters trudge from (waking streets to bustling platforms to silent train cars, and to the responsibilities that either make them hopeful for the future or simply fill them with a foreboding sense of misery.)

Come mid-day, the shuffling herds of tourists have emerged from their jet-lag and food-induced slumbers. From aching foot to aching foot, they slowly cross the crowded streets — pilgrims looking to transform themselves through the wisdom and pleasures of the city.

As the sun recedes, young students and professionals escape into the unforeseen adventures of the night in hopes of staving off the responsibilities of the day just a little while longer.

While these movements are the most visible rhythms of a city, they are by no means the only one. If you scan beyond the margins and look in plain sight on the street corners and under the overhangs of buildings, you will find others. In London, they are called “rough sleepers.” In New York, we know them as “the homeless.”

I have the good fortune of residing in Chelsea, where the streets are lined with Bentleys, townhouses worth several million pounds and the young furclad wives of Russian oilmen that still remember the Khrushchev era. However, rough sleepers also make their home here and, just like their super-posh neighbors, play a part in the neighborhood’s daily rhythm. Early in the morning or late at night, you will find them taking shelter underneath the over-hang of the Chelsea Fire Station on King’s Road.

Here, they keep the few remaining trappings they have of domestic life: a cardboard mattress, some ragged sheets, patchy outfits and backpacks holding all of their personal possessions, along with the few reminders of their life before the streets. During the day, they leave their wall-less homes behind and wander in search of sustenance and a way to move forward. This often leads them to the begging spots and gathering

places in front of the local Tesco Express, on the benches of Dovehouse Green, in the entry way to South Kensington Station or the major pedestrian thoroughfare of Gloucester Road.

Some utilize the tried and true “Spare some change?” while others employ more elaborate heartwrenching lines, like the desperate moan of “please!” evoking the helplessness and fear of a lost child.

I have often heard this cry, from the wind-swept walkway of the Millennium Bridge, to the bustling crowds on Fulham Road.

I have felt it ring in my ears long afterwards. Its pervasiveness hints that it might be a learned behavior, a sort of begging practice.

Perhaps it’s passed on in the commiserations they share with their brethren as they prepare for a long and uncertain night on the street. For even though they may be relegated beyond the margins of London society, they still form bonds with others and learn just

like you, me and the other eight million people that call London, or New York, their home.

No matter the differences between cities or cultures, some things remain constant. Though the rhythms of our individual and communal lives may be distinguished by culture, wealth or social standing, those rhythms are not fundamentally different.

Though our patterns may end in different places, throughout the process, we try, with varying degrees of success, to determine and ultimately bring ourselves to where we want to end up each day and the many days afterwards.

This is easier for some than others for many reasons that should be explored another time.

For now, it will suffice to understand this about ourselves and those beyond the margins, as it is the only way to really break out of the narrow bubble of our experience and to see each other for what we really are underneath our pomp and seeming respectability.

JOE O’BRIEN/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Relay Raises $26K for Research FROM RELAY, PAGE 1

to raise money for the American Cancer Society, but we wanted to inform people about the disease and where exactly the money that we raise goes. I believe that we did those things.”

Giglio said that her favorite part of the event was a ceremony to honor cancer survivors.

“Along with the previous stated, one of the most amazing parts of the event is the Luminaria Ceremony,” Giglio said.

“This ceremony is when we remember people we have lost to cancer, honor people who have fought cancer in the past and support those whose fight continues.

It is the most touching part of the entire event.”

DiReda, secretary of Colleges Against Cancer, spoke about some of the organization’s fundraising goals for Relay for Life.

“I’ve participated for the past four years,” DiReda said. “My freshman year was pretty successful. I think we raised between $30,000 and $40,000, and that is what our goal has been the past four years, between $30,00 and $40,000. We usually get a big chunk of our donations on the day of Relay, because that’s when it’s down to the wire. Everyone’s here, everyone’s donating, we charge for different things as donations.”

Both Giglio and DiReda cited family members with cancer as inspirations for their participation in Relay For Life.

“I joined Relay For Life about 10 years ago, because I wanted to try and be part of fighting the awful disease,” Giglio said.

“In years that followed, I found out that my aunt and uncle were both fighting cancer and it was the push I needed to fight harder and stronger so that no one else needed to hear the words ‘you have cancer.’”

“I was inspired by my grandparents,” DiReda said when asked why she had joined Relay For Life.

“One of my grandma’s passed away from cancer before I was born and my grandpa recently, during my sophomore year, passed away from cancer, and that just made me decide to push myself harder and take an active role in Colleges Against Cancer.”

The growing wealth gap in England has forced many residents on the streets.

This Week at Fordham Thursday April 23

Friday April 24

Humans of New York’s Brandon Stanton

Spring Weekend DJ: Solidisco

McGinley Ballroom 7 p.m.

New York City photographer and blogge Brandon Staton will be opening Spring Weekend. Staton is mostwell known for his popular blog, Humans of New York, which features street portraits of New Yorkers. The event is free for all Fordham students.

A-Lot 8:30 p.m.

Solidisco, who just played at this year’s Ultra Music Festival, will give the 2015 Spring Weekend DJ performance. Nick Monaco, FCRH ‘17, will be opening the event. The event is free for all Fordham students.

Saturday April 25

Saturday April 25

Sunday April 26

Spring Weekend Concert: Twenty-one pilots

Residence Halls Association: Under the Tent

Martyrs’ Lawn 12:30 p.m.

Martyrs’ Lawn 9 p.m.

Fordham Prep 6 p.m.

Join RHA for this year’s Under the Tent dance. The theme is “The Last Illusion: An evening of magic and mystery.” Attire is semi-formal and a pre-purchased ticket is necessary for entry.

Comedian Jamie Lee stars in MTV’s “Girl Code.” Opening up the show will be two student acts by James Murtagh and Abby Gibson, as voted in the “Last Comic Standing” event.

Admission is free.

This year’s Spring Weekend headliner will be twenty-one pilots. The band’s music style has been described as “schizophrenic pop” by fans, due to it’s diverse style and non-specific genre. Admission to the event is free.

For more campus events, visit FordhamRam.com

Spring Weekend Comedian: Jamie Lee

NEWS

April 22, 2015

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At Symposium, Interests Range from Marketing to Biology

By AKASH BHATIA STAFF WRITER

The eighth annual Undergraduate Research Symposium was held on Fordham’s Rose Hill campus from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. this past Wednesday in the McGinley Center and Hughes Hall. The Undergraduate Research Symposium provides a medium through which 313 dynamic students shared the new knowledge they have gained.

Topics of the presentations covered a wide breadth of fields, from subjects such as accounting, biology, human rights and finance to theology, history, marketing and chemistry.

After each presentation, viewers had time to ask a couple questions about the research.

Anthoula Vasiliou, GSB ’16, spoke about dumping, which she defined as, “Exporting goods at less than a fair market price.” She went on to discussing anti-dumping duties and how the World Trade Organization could settle commerce disputes between countries.

Melanie Falk, GSB ’15, and Rachel Aguilar, GSB ’15, presented their research on the impending water crisis on the United States, demonstrating how, “There is a desperate need to understand the current state of the water crisis.” They described that, while water is used for industrial and hydroelectric purposes, the vast majority of consumptive water usage goes into agriculture. Their solution involved new irrigation techniques, desalination and tax benefits to corporations that meet certain ef-

KELLYN SIMPKINS/ THE FORDHAM RAM

CASEY CHUN/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Three hundred and thirteen Fordham students presented during the annual Undergraduate Research Symposium.

ficiency standards.

Fawziyah Siddiqui, FCRH ‘15, spoke about the recent events in Ukraine. One presentation was analyzed political involvement of Ukrainian students compared to that

of American students. This student found that Americans are much more apathetic while Ukrainians were far more likely to vote and protest in political demonstrations. This is in spite of the fact that both groups of youth

shared cynicism and disdain toward the government, and that both groups were likely to protest if they were exposed to politics at a young age.

Maria DeCaster, FCRH ‘15, dis-

cussed the Euromaidan, the self-organized revolution in response to cancellation of a European Union trade deal by President Yanukovych. This person went on to detail women’s use of direct action tactics in the subsequent political demonstrations and violent response by the police force.

Nicole Iman, GSB ’15, discussed the financial war on terror. This differs from the regular war on terror in that, “The goal is to cut off the terrorists’ finances, making it more difficult for terrorist organizations to operate and thus reducing their threat level.”

This would require, as she explained, making terror financing a global issue, implementing sanctions that freeze terrorist organizations out of the global financial system and analyzing financial data in order to prevent donors, extortion and crime from funding terrorism.

So many other research projects were presented in such a short span of time that it is impossible to cover them all. Students delved into using certain polymers to encapsulate organic pollutants, gender roles in advertising, nanoscale drug delivery systems to target cancer cells and more.

Oral presentations on original research were given from noon to 3 p.m., and lunch was served in the conference rooms. Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., President of the University, spoke at 3 p.m., and posters of the original research projects could be viewed in the McGinley Ballroom and McGinley Lounge from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., at which time the event concluded.

In North Bronx Church, Mentors Build Relationships with Students

By KATIE MEYER MANAGING EDITOR

Every Saturday morning, rain or shine or snow, a group of Fordham students gets up early and makes a twenty-minute trek into the North Bronx. Their destination? Epiphany Lutheran Church, is a self-proclaimed “melting pot” church that has been a staple in the Norwood neighborhood since 1928.

The visiting students are part of a group called Epiphany Mentoring, a program that has been run

by Fordham students for eight years, and gives them a chance to hang out with kids from local neighborhoods.

There are currently four core members, although their numbers do vary week by week — Sara Power, FCRH ’15, Maryclare DeMenna, FCRH ’15, Monica Sobrin, FCRH ’17 and Claire Grant, FCRH ’17, have all been regular participants for at least a year.

Like the volunteers themselves, there is some variation in the kids who come to the program every week. Generally, there are between six and eight kids in attendance, and they range in age from five to 12. All of them are from families who frequent Epiphany Church.

The program is fairly loosely organized and the kids said they enjoy that freedom. There is no typical day; if it is nice out, the group goes to nearby Williamsburg Oval Park. But in the long winter months, they are stuck inside the church, and DeMenna says they have developed an arsenal of

games and projects for those days.

“We’ll usually do a group game of sorts and draw for a while.

Sometimes for holidays we’ll do different crafts that are themed,” she said. “And at the end of the program every week we’ll get bagels at the place down the street.”

But, the volunteers and kids agreed that the best part of their Saturdays together was just getting to talk to each other.

Twelve-year-old Maya, who has been attending the program with her younger sister for about two years, said the college kids always help her with her homework when she brings it on Saturdays.

But, their non-homework related advice is even more useful.

“Sometimes I tell them about my school issues and they help me with [them],” she said. “Friend issues, normally. They tell me if they’re actually good, or if they’re not good friends.”

“It’s a totally a safe space,” Power explained. “They don’t have to worry about friends, or bullies, or even parents…it’s like we build our own little community in and of itself, and it’s just like totally different from anything else they have.”

But, Power added, it is possible the kids would not have this community much longer. Over the past few years, the Epiphany has hit something of a rough patch.

The mentoring program has never been an official club at Fordham — it is known as a “community partner,” and is technically run through the church, although the students say they generally do

most of the work themselves. As a non-club, the group does not have certain privileges — most notably it cannot get university funding.

So, in order to get the money for supplies, snacks and a yearly field trip, the students say they have had to get a little creative.

Last year, they applied for a tip jar in Rodrigues (every year a different organization gets the tips) and the proceeds from the jar paid for most of their expenses. But this year, they did not have the jar, and the group members say money has been tight.

Devoting the time to getting enough money is also a problem — the volunteers said fundraising is time consuming. Coupled with the Saturday morning volunteer times, that makes a fairly serious commitment. The volunteers said they think this has contributed to their biggest problem: not many students seem interested in continuing the program.

“I’ve seen it as it dwindled,” Power, who started volunteering during her sophomore year, said.

“It’s just been a loss of Fordham student interest, which is really sad, but also neighborhood interest. We tried handing out flyers and getting more involved in the community, but we just haven’t seen much of a response.”

If the program is going to keep on, some kind of response is necessary — and soon. Both Power and DeMenna, the most experienced volunteers, are graduating this spring. The remaining members, Sobrin and Grant, say they won’t be able to keep mentoring

without some help.

“As of now, Claire [Grant] and I are going to restructure the program so it can continue next year,” Sobrin said. “But we desperately need students who are interested in volunteering.”

Grant agreed.

“We’d have to, I feel, really know that people would be willing to participate in it, because with-

out other people it just wouldn’t survive,” she said. “I feel like if I were a young kid, 12 or 13, and I had someone coming every week from college just to hang out and talk about whatever I want to talk about, I would really enjoy that.

That close one-on-one relationship we have with all of them… it would just be a bummer to see that go away.”

KATIE MEYER/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Four Fordham students are part of a mentorship program at Epiphany Church.

NEWS

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April 22, 2015

Rose Hill In Retrospect

HAL DICK/FLICKR

The famous poet took residence between Kinsbridge Road and Grand Concourse, minutes from the Rose HIll Campus.

A Small Cottage Near Campus, Once Home to Edgar Allen Poe

By JOE VITALE EDITOR IN CHIEF

Though many students may have encountered his writing — “The Raven” and “The Cask of Amontillado” still find their way onto many college reading lists — few at Fordham know much about Edgar Allen Poe himself, or that his former home lies within walking distance of the Rose Hill campus.

The poet and short-story pioneer’s former residence, aptly named Poe’s Cottage, was built around 1800 and is the last remaining building of what was then Fordham Village.

Nestled between Kingsbridge Road and Grand Concourse, the landmark is part of the Historic House Trust and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today, the cottage sits about 500 feet north of the original location after being moved following a fight for its preservation in 1913. Administered by the Bronx County Historical Society, Poe’s Cottage underwent a half-million dollar renovation in 2011 and is open to the public.

The landmark is one of several locations along the East coast where Poe, born in 1809, spent much of his life. He bounced around various apartments in Manhattan but

leased the Bronx cottage for $100 a year when his wife, Virginia, fell ill in 1844. He hoped the country air of the area would restore her health and so he decided to head outside the city’s center.

Despite living in many cities throughout his life (Baltimore and Philadelphia among them), Poe’s landmarked home near Fordham remains one of the most interesting and telling of Poe’s life.

It is filled with loss, being where his wife died of illness, serving as inspiration to the poem “Annabel Lee.” It is also filled with loneliness, being a place where Poe spent hours sitting alone with the family cat perched on his shoulder.

The cottage not only served as a historical source of inspiration for Poe, but has served a source of inspiration to many others because of him.

Sparsely furnished, the cottage contains a main floor and an attic bedroom with a ceiling about six feet in height. When Poe lived there, much of the Bronx was yet to be developed, granting him unobstructed views of the city.

"The cottage had an air of taste and gentility,” a friend of Poe’s later wrote of the cottage. “So neat, so poor, so unfurnished, and yet so charming a

dwelling I never saw.”

The shores of Long Island were visible from the cottage, as was the grounds of Fordham’s campus (then St. John’s University), where he spent time wandering the bucolic grounds and befriending the Jesuits who were living and teaching there.

Still, the cottage is where he wrote some of his most important works, including “The Bells,” “Annabel Lee” and “Eureka.” It is also credited with the inspiration of his last short story,

“Landor’s Cottage.”

Though it is debated, some scholars believe that Poe drew inspiration from the campus for some of his most famous works. Some, for example, credit the inspiration for “The Bells” to Fordham’s campus bells.

Tradition has it that Poe was speaking with a woman named Marie Louise Shew when he said he no longer had any inspiration. Sitting in the cottage, Shew suggested he listen to the bell chiming in the distance — the bell ringing from Fordham’s campus.

The campus not only served as inspiration but provided Poe with much-needed companionship. Some of Poe’s time on campus is recalled in Fordham: A History and Memoir

by Fr. Ray Schroth, S.J. Poe, Scroth writes, thought St. John’s University was a “most congenial place.” Poe often found great solace in long walks near his home and they often led him to the gates of campus.

His time on campus brought him close to one Jesuit in particular, named Edward Doucet, who was in his 20’s when he met the poet, according to Schroth. The two often strolled around campus as Poe consulted Doucet about his works.

The Jesuits would allow Poe to peruse their library, where he would often stay for hours. While Poe was not wealthy or widely-known, the Jesuits knew of his literary brilliance and welcomed him with open arms.

The gesture was not unrequited.

Of the Jesuits, Poe once said they were “highly cultivated gentlemen and scholars.”

“They smoked and they drank and played cards,” Poe said, “and never said a word about religion.”

Take Back the Night Vigil

CFO, VP Announced FROM CFO, PAGE 1

executive vice president, chief operating officer and treasurer since 2011, where she manages the university’s budgeting and operations. In his email, McShane highlighted some of her specific accomplishments, including leading “a team of internal and external real estate, legal, financial and higher education experts that marketed and sold the university’s Murray Street property for a recordsetting $223 million, increasing St. John’s endowment by 50 percent.”

In the 33 years prior to taking up post at St. Johns, Hirst was the commissioner of New York City’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services and the deputy commissioner of the Department of Sanitation. “Fordham’s rich Jesuit tradition, outstanding faculty, and vibrant campuses combine to provide the first-rate education students and their families work so hard to obtain,” Hirst said in the email. “I am honored to accept this wonderful opportunity and look forward to working with Father McShane, members of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Freedman and other academic and administrative colleagues in service to the Fordham community.”

Hirst was selected by a committee led by Robert Daleo, chair of the University Board of Trustees, Fordham trustees Carolyn Dolan, Christopher Fitzmaurice and Donald Almeida and Trustee Emeritus John Costantino. The executive search firm of Witt/Keiffer assisted the committee in making a decision.

CASEY CHUN/THE FORDHAM RAM

Students gathered together on the steps of the University Church in support of survivors of sexual assault to conclude a week of sexual assault activism known as “Take Back the Night” week.

Campus Briefs & Bites Feminist Theologian Speaks at Fordham

Grad School Hosts Gender Equality Conference

History Professor Gains National Recognition

Renowned theologian Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, spoke at Fordham this past Tuesday, April 21, in Tognino Hall at the Rose Hill campus.

Johnson, who serves as a distinguished professor of theology, discussed topics addressed in her new book, Abounding in Kindness: Writings for the People of God (Orbis Books, 2015). Her latest book discusses a new spin on central themes of Christianity from the oft-neglected perspective of women. The book is a collection of stories and lectures that she has produced throughout her career. Johnson has published many different works and has also won some of the highest awards and distinctions available to scholars. The feminist perspective that she both brings to and extracts from Catholic doctrine has won her considerable notoriety.

Colt Anderson, dean of the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education, referred to her as “the most significant theologian in the English-speaking world today.”

Fordham’s Graduate School of Social Service hosted a daylong conference titled “Looking Back, Looking Forward: Economic and Health Issues for Girls and Women of All Ages Around the World” on March 14.

The event was co-sponsored by the school’s Institute for Women and Girls and coincided with the UN’s Beijing+20 conference. Both conferences addressed women’s issues and progress for women’s equality over the last 20 years. The former president of the International Federation on Aging, Irene Hoskins, participated in the Fordham-sponsored forum and talked about obstacles to women’s equality around the world. The discussion focused on the progress of women, and looked toward the future of NGOs in the areas of women’s education. Joanna Nappi, a Fordham graduate student, also spoke at the event about the organization Close the Gap, which helps many women and children overcome technological obstacles.

Asif A. Siddiqi, a professor of history, was named a 2015 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship. On April 9, the foundation announced the 175 scholars, artists and scientists chosen from over 3,000 applications as fellows.

The fellowship can last between six and 12 months and offers grants of various sizes. Siddiqi is a specialist in the history of space exploration and the author of several books about the space race during the Cold War including The Rockets’ Red Glare: Spaceflight and the Soviet Imagination, 1857-1957. He also serves as a member of the National Research Council’s Committee on Human Spaceflight. The committee was created by Congress to assess the longterm goals of the U.S. human spaceflight program. He plans to use the fellowship to create a global history of the human impact on developments of spaceflight and its effects on society.

Spring Weekend DJ Opener Announced This past Monday, Nick Monaco, FCRH ’17, was announced as the winner of Campus Activities Board’s Spring Weekend Student DJ Contest. Monaco will be opening for Solidisco this coming Friday.

Inspired by his uncle, who would mix Cuban beats with disco, Monaco likes to mix EDM with pop, hip hop verses above a trap beat, and add classic rap tracks in the middle of a set. Nick was chosen from five other applicant by the student body. Campus Activities Board held an online poll from Wednesday, April 15, until Sunday, April 19, in order to decide a winner. “It really came down to the wire,” Monaco stated, “but I’m fortunate enough to say that I was the one they wanted to see the most, however any one of the other performers could have won it.”

- Compiled by Cailin McKenna and Erin Shanahan, Assistant News Editors

NEWS

April 22, 2015

Page 5

Fordham Adjuncts Join National Movement For Higher Wages FROM FACULTY, PAGE 1

“The quality and future of higher education — certainly at Fordham, but, beyond that, since this is a national problem in the entire country where this sort of arrangement — the reliance on a majority of underpaid and otherwise badly supported adjunct faculty, mostly part-time, has become the norm,” said Fordham adjunct Alex Trevethik.

The faculty has organized itself under an advocacy campaign of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) called “Fordham Faculty Forward,” one of the hundreds of grassroots Faculty Forward campaigns at institutions of higher education.

In its mission statement on the SEIU website, Faculty Forward lists three goals: (1) that adjuncts receive $15,000 per course in total compensation — an admittedly bold demand, total compensation including both salary and benefits, (2) to target “bad actors” in for-profit higher education that it claims “[saddles students] with crushing debt without delivering the quality education students deserve, and (3) to make quality higher education affordable and accessible for all students.”

Trevithik is one of approximately 650 adjunct professors employed at Fordham and an activist working for adjunct rights and improvement.

“I, and other adjuncts, are distressed at what we consider unacceptable working conditions at Fordham, and think, moreover,

that they're not only bad for us but they're bad for students as well and not at all in line with Fordham's mission and/or Jesuit and basic Catholic social teachings in regard to fair treatment of labor,” Trevithik said.

He explained that the current drive to form an adjunct union at Fordham is to negotiate better working conditions, pay and related benefits, and therefore be able to offer more time and attention to their students, as they deserve “which after all is the core mission of any institution of higher learning,” Trevethik adds.

Trevethik states that part of the mission of Faculty Forward is to garner support from the university’s president. As of Monday night, both the dean of faculty and the university spokesperson have declined comment.

According to the Faculty Senate minutes from February 2015, the percentage of tuition and fee revenue that was expended on the salaries of tenured and tenuretrack faculty from 2007-08 was approximately 16 percent, and in 2013 and 2014, the salaries of tenured and tenure-track faculty represented approximately 14.8 percent of the University’s tuition and fee revenue.

However, adjunct professors only received 2.2 percent of the university’s gross tuition and fee revenue in 2007, a number that has remained relatively stagnant throughout the past eight years.

In 2015, the data projects that this percentage will drop to 1.9 per-

LYNNE SLADKY/ AP

Fordham adjuncts joined workers around the country on Wednesday in support of a higher minimum wage.

cent.

For a university that employs over 600 adjunct professors, the April 15 event was relatively small in size — attended by a maximum of 20 faculty and organizers at any given time throughout the 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. protest. Hannah Jopling, an adjunct in the anthropology department, believes that this can be explained for a multitude of reasons.

“We are invisible to each other on campus as many departments don't list us, and we were not sure the administration would provide us a list if we asked,” Jopling said. “So we have been reaching

Florio To Leave Fordham in June FROM FLORIO, PAGE 1

lic churches in the United States.

“You get what you pray for,” Florio said. “But not on your own time.”

“God gave me this directive,” he continued. “So I feel peaceful, but sad. I wish I could’ve stayed longer at Fordham…but an obedient Jesuit doesn’t say no to service.”

Florio says he is “sad to leave behind this chapter of working with young people,” but excited to begin as pastor at Old St. Joseph’s.

“It’s a perfect fit,” he continued. “I’ve always wanted to be pastor at this parish. It caters to a diverse population. People come from three states every week to worship there. It has a growing young adult community, and it has extensive social justice and outreach to the poor… It embodies everything that a Jesuit parish should be about.”

Florio also noted the connection between Fordham and Old St. Joesph’s: the two institutions share a bond that dates back to the 1800s.

“Dagger John Hughes lived and worked in this parish,” he said. “He went on to found Fordham.”

Affectionately called “Father Phil” by many students, Florio has become somewhat of a fixture of the university in his time at Fordham.

With close to 3,000 friends on Facebook, Florio is active on

social media, often sharing posts about Campus Ministry events.

In January, Florio delivered a presentation on his “Fordham Bucket list” in Keating Hall.

“My favorite point in my bucket list is to see the world,” Florio said during his talk. “The world is full of lessons to learned and wisdom to be gained and mysteries to be had and opportunities to be had.”

Many students have also come to know Florio through his time as house master of the Manresa Program, an integrated learning community located in the newlyrenovated Loyola Hall.

“Fr. Phil is an amazing member of the Fordham community and he will be dearly missed,” said Michael Krzysko, FCRH ’16, who was a student in the Manresa Program when it was housed in Jogues Hall. “His work with the Manresa Program and Campus Ministry has been incredible. It was his mission to ignite a flame in every student.”

In an email sent today to members of Fordham Campus Ministry, Msgr. Joseph Quinn, vice president of university mission and ministry, spoke highly of Florio’s five years of service at Fordham.

“We shall indeed miss him and his heartfelt pastoral care for all,” Quinn said in the email. “Fordham University is all the more enlivened by all that he has so wonderfully done for each and every person who has crossed his path.

May he always know how deeply

thankful we shall ever remain for his great zeal and goodness.”

Speaking with The Fordham Ram, Florio emphasized outreach and the development of community as his biggest accomplishments at Fordham. “I think that’s the greatest thing I’ve done here: make students feel welcome, whether they’re devout Catholic, Muslim or outright atheist,” he said.

“I think the thing I’ve been able to do in these five years [at Fordham] is outreach to the students.

I learn their names, visit the res halls, I’ve gone to South Africa and Chile with our students. I tried to take my ministry outside the campus and the church building.” Florio says his time at Fordham has not been without its challenges.

“A challenge for me has been trying to juggle all three campuses,” Florio said. “One of my disappointments was that I never got to know more students at Lincoln Center.”

Still, Florio says there will be a lot to miss as June 24 approaches.

“The thing I’ll miss most about Fordham is the students,” Florio said. “I’m impressed by the generosity of the students here. They have a passion for community that is very welcoming. I’ve been blessed to be here… I’m grateful to be part of the real Fordham community.”

—Joe Vitale contributed reporting.

out to other adjuncts slowly as time permits. Many of us work at one to three other schools and have to leave after class to teach elsewhere. Some of us are scared.

Others are finishing dissertations, working on research or writing books and have limited time to meet as a group.”

She explained further that a group of adjuncts has been meeting informally for a year trying to reach out to other adjuncts to discuss their situation at Fordham.

Nationwide, one in four adjuncts is on some sort of public assistance.

According to Joplin, Fordham professors in attendance admitted that their salary is about $3,800 per course taught, which does not include benefits, or oftentimes, even an office. Joplin wanted to know where the rest of the money is going. “How many students in one class cover that cost — and what happens to the money Fordham makes off of us from the rest of the students?”

Jopling commended the univer-

sity for its Feerick Center on Social Justice and its recently-formed Peace and Justice Studies program so that undergraduates can learn about these topics. “But it seems to me that Fordham should remedy the social injustices that are taking place on its campuses, namely its exploitation of its adjuncts,” she said.

“Why not raise their salaries and give them benefits? Why not become a model of social justice instead of social injustice for adjuncts that other academic institutions can emulate?”

The adjunct rally coincided with national protests held by tens of thousands of low-wage workers in what is being called “the Fight for 15,” that is, the fight for $15 an hour minimum wages. The movement, which took place in over 200 American cities on Wednesday, is the most striking effort to date in a two-and-a-half-year-old laborbacked movement that is testing the ability of unions to succeed in an economy populated by easilyreplaceable service sector workers.

Students ‘Light it Up Blue’ for Autism FROM AUTISM, PAGE 1

It was one of many landmarks around the world that was illuminated in a blue light to promote awareness.

In total, the event raised over $320 for the club and the money will be sent to its national organization, where it will go toward research.

While the club considers this a successful accomplishment, its members feel that the importance of increasing awareness and knowledge of autism was most important.

“We were successful in spreading campus-wide awareness of autism and its impacts. Each year the club sees a large turnout and this year was no exception.” Genovese said. “It was a lot of work to organize this event, but my fellow e-board members and our general members did a great job in making this year another success.”

Club Events Coordinator Diana Tsukalas, FCRH ’16, was pleased with the event attendance and funds raised. “While we would always like to see more Fordham students support our club’s mission, we were

happy with our overall student turnout and believe our money raised will help support our organization’s mission,” said Tsukalas.

When asked about how Autism Speaks plans to increase its membership and student turnout in the future, Tsukalas said, “We want to increase our presence on social media.

While we already have an Instagram and Facebook page, we plan to keep them more actively updated and to increase our number of followers so that we can spread awareness better.

I am excited to share that in the upcoming year we plan to hold more events where all students will have the opportunity to become involved and we are aiming to have larger and more frequent fundraising events.”

“Our general membership is what makes our club thrive and this year we are fortunate to have welcomed many news members that have contributed to this event. Light It Up Blue is personally my favorite event and I look forward to seeing it grow in years to come,” said Genovese.

Page 6

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April 22, 2015

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April 22, 2015

OPINION

Page 7

The Fordham Ram

Leveling the Field Between Gabelli and FCRH

KELLYN SIMPKINS/THE FORDHAM RAM

Gabelli students should have to work on perfecting a language like students at Fordham College Rose Hill.

By MARISA RAMETTA CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Do Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business (GSB) students receive unfair advantages? Some students argue that Gabelli students get a pass on some core Fordham requirements, such as the foreign language requirement.

Students in Gabelli are required to take a condensed version of the liberal arts core, which allows them to take the business courses that help to fulfill their majors. Because it is a business school, the focus is on developing specific skill sets other than what one gets in the core. However, this leaves out many advanced classes

that develop your writing skills, including longer essays and Eloquentia Perfecta classes.

On the other hand, Fordham College Rose Hill students have to take a full liberal arts core curriculum in addition to all their major and, in some cases, minor classes. The principle behind taking the core curriculum is well-founded. Fordham states on its website that its “commitment to a strong foundation in the liberal arts and sciences through its core curriculum is an education without an expiration date. With courses in philosophy, theology, history, literature, foreign languages, math and science, it’s an education that allows you to foster flexibility, curiosity, and well-

roundedness.”

However, in addition to the lack of advanced writing and discussion courses known as Eloquentia Perfecta (EP) students in Gabelli are not required to take a language. If the goal is to “foster well-roundedness,” why is it optional for business students to take language and advanced writing classes? Both of these areas of study are just as relevant to business students as they are to liberal arts students.

Referring to the qualities achieved from participating in a core curriculum, Fordham states on its website that, “These are qualities that employers are seeking, but they are also qualities that will make you a better person — better able to see issues

from different perspectives, better able to understand global issues, better able to help where help is needed.”

We live in a world in which businesses are becoming increasingly international. Companies are conducting trade with clients around the world on a daily basis. The usefulness of learning a second language is certainly relevant to those wanting to enter the business world. So why is a visual arts major required to take a modern language, while those in Gabelli are not?

Julia Ferguson, FCRH ’16, a sociology major at Fordham stated, “It is just not fair that they [Gabelli students] get excused from taking a modern language. How is that acceptable that they can choose and we cannot?” Myself, along with other students at Fordham College Rose Hill, agree with Ferguson and question the reasoning behind this system.

Some may argue that the timelimited core curriculum of Gabelli enables them to focus on more business specific classes. However, other students think that liberal arts students should also have more time to focus specifically on their major.

“If you are in the business school, you have to take a core which is all geared toward business regardless of your major or concentration,” Sara Jackson, FCRH ’15, a political science major stated. “I understand a core curriculum with philosophy and writing focused courses etc. because those help me toward my political sci-

ence major, just like marketing classes indirectly helps finance majors. But why do they make it seem like a modern language is more relevant to me than to a business school student?”

Students like myself become frustrated because these language classes can be some of the most difficult classes taken at Fordham and can have a negative impact on overall GPA. Unfortunately, because your GPA plays such a large role in applying for jobs and graduate schools, it is aggravating when you know other people do not have to take these courses, while you are struggling through them.

This leaves us questioning the reasoning behind the decision of excluding a modern language requirement from the business school’s curriculum. Whether it is to give them more time to develop their business skills, or to put them in a better light for job applications, based on the principles of the core curriculum, the decision appears questionable and simply unfair. Personally, I think Fordham College needs to get rid of the language requirement and make it optional for the students who desire to take it and enhance their skillset. However, if the university is going to make it optional for one college, it should be optional for the other.

Marisa Rametta, FCRH ’15, is a psychology major from Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.

Global Outreach Questions the Notion of Service

By JESSICA MANNINO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Preparing for my Global Outreach project has revitalized in me an appreciation for the personal experience of service. Prior to this formative experience, there had never been a reward more gratifying to me than the affirmative look from an authority figure or family member when I had impressed them.

Talk about my abstract accomplishments gets recycled around my family so many times over that I have gone from “doing service” to representing an moral paradigm for all my cousins. Perhaps they are easily impressed, but it sure feels good to be, at the very least, a seemingly wellrounded individual.

High school has fostered this idea since I was freshman, primed for four years worth of resume motivated pursuits. With every activity accounted for, every good deed rewarded, and most paradoxically, every service undertaking incentivized, it has become almost impossible to rid myself of this operant conditioning.

This idea resonated deeply with Alex Rainone FCRH ’16. As a member of the executive board of Global Outreach, her perspective of service has been greatly altered during her time at Fordham. “I know in high school when I did service, it was never for my own purposes, it was always for the purpose of either graduation credits or doing it through a club, or things like that,” she reflected. “After entering into Global

Outreach, I started to see that before our projects, during our projects, and after our projects, it is all part of the solidarity mission,” Rainone offered.

“Social justice, or being aware of what issues are going on, is just as much a part of service as is interacting with the people on the projects.”

Global Outreach is a student-led program that facilitates short-term cultural immersion experiences for all members of the Fordham University community. For the first time in my Fordham career, I recently decided to apply for a Global Outreach project, and was chosen to participate in the New Orleans project.

This project will take place over the duration of May 18-28, and though the itinerary is to remain ambiguous, I am aware at the very least that we will be working with a foundation called Project Lazarus.

Before entering my Global Outreach community, I used colloquial terms and abridged definitions of what it was I was going to do in New Orleans. The word service seemed sufficient in describing my motives, and the verb helping seemed sufficient in describing my intentions.

Though it was by no means my only motive, telling people I was doing good impressed them. It made me feel good about myself — like I was doing something with my time that deserved the sought-after eyebrow raise. My team project leader, junior Anthony Golio, attempted to revamp our team’s perception of service. Instead of mindlessly using the aforementioned colloquial terms, he has suggested that we begin focusing

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Projects like GO! New Orleans makes participants question what it means to do volunteer work in other communities.

more on the four pillars when discussing the trip: community, solidarity, spirituality and simple living.

We also read a speech, “To Hell With Good Intentions,” which shattered all of my previous conceptions of what it means to do service.

It robbed community service of its facade, and debunked the typical association of service and selflessness.

Service, in this light, was illuminated as greed couched in favors.

It reads, “The idea that every American has something to give, and at all times may, can and should give it, explains why it occurred to students that they could help Mexican peasants ‘develop’ by spending a few months in their villages.”

This polarizing statement left me in a moral paralysis. I, along with my team, was left to grapple with the unconscious joy service brought me in simply self-identifying as a volunteer.

I had a revelation that there was an undertone of selfishness lining every

seemingly selfless endeavor.

And why was this realization so prevalent? Perhaps it was because earlier that day, prior to reading that article, I had gotten a call from my grandma. Her comment of choice to cap off the conversation struck me deeply, though she was unaware she had hit this cord within me. “We’re so proud of you, going out to help others in need.”

For the first time, I did not bask in the affirmation. I mulled over it, hard.

I came to realize that my family was wrong. I was not going to “help,” nor did I truly need any inkling of pride to feel good about what I was doing.

Claire Cumberland, a previous participant, leader, and current chaperone of GO! New Orleans and assistant administrator at the Global Outreach, has grappled with the same verb stigma. “I think the word that I have primarily used through Global Outreach is immersion, because it’s super important to remember that

you are putting yourself in someone else’s culture, and remembering that you are the outsider,” Cumberland proposes.

Avery Chung, FCRH ’15, a previous participant of a GO! India project, realized upon returning the importance of allowing the people affect her as much as she hoped to have effected them. Her realization that she could not “change the world,” similar to my own, has been both an unsettling and humbling revelatory moment in this preparatory stage of GO. I am going to New Orleans in search of a personally immersive experience. I have rid my vocabulary of flowery verbs, like help or give. Assuming I was going to help those in need established a mental hierarchy.

When in fact, above all, I anticipate it will be them helping me.

Jessica Mannino, FCRH ’17, is a communication and media studies and history major from Staten Island.

OPINION

Page 8

R Serving Fordham University 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 Joe Vitale Managing Editor Katie Meyer Copy Chief Robert Frerich Assistant Copy Chief Sydney Keen Executive Copy Editors Katie Nolan Max Prinz Michael Cavanaugh Kelly Kultys News Editor Laura Sanicola Assistant News Editors Erin Shanahan Cailin McKenna Opinion Editor Margarita Artoglou Assistant Opinion Editor Kristen Santer Culture Editors Nicole Horton & Amanda Giglio Sports Editor Anthony Pucik Assistant Sports Editors Sam Belden & Drew Casey Photo Editor Casey Chun Assistant Photo Editors Kellyn Simpkins Christian Wiloejo Layout Editor Mae Drucker Digital Editors Blaine Kaniewski Anna Carey Amanda Maile Business Director Mike Krzysko Business Staff Ryan Chand Faculty Advisor Dr. Beth Knobel Editorial Page Policy The Fordham Ram’s editorial and ramblings topics are selected on a weekly basis and reflect the editorial board’s view on a campus issue.

Opinions Policy The Fordham Ram appreciates submissions to fordhamramletters@ gmail.com. Commentaries are printed on a space available basis. The Fordham Ram reserves the right to reject any submission for any reason, without notice. Submissions become the exclusive property of The Fordham Ram. The Fordham Ram reserves the right to edit any submissions. The opinions in The Fordham Ram’s editorials are those of the editorial board; those expressed in articles, letters, commentaries, cartoons or graphics are those of the individual author. No part of The Fordham Ram may be reproduced without written consent.

April 22, 2015

From the Desk | Blaine Kaniewski

Being a Wisconsinite in the Big Apple I am from Wisconsin. After that sentence, you probably just thought of a cow, the Green Bay Packers, cheese or a farm. The stereotype of everyone from the Midwest living on a farm or in a ghost town is absurd, and quite hysterical if I do say so myself.

(No, I do not live on a farm.)

Fordham is filled with people from all over the United States and the world. Yet, it is often difficult for the majority of the students to process peers coming from the Midwest. It seems that if a student is not international or from the Tri-State area, then they are from California, Florida or somewhere else in the east.

Well, what about the rest of us from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa and Indiana? Not all of us live on farms.

Even though I am from Wisconsin, I am actually from Milwaukee, which is the largest city in the state. With over 2 million residents in the greater Milwaukee area, the city is not as small as people think. I also live 10 minutes from the heart of downtown and five minutes from Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers. My neighbor’s driveway is less than five feet from the side

of my house. It takes me about 45 minutes to get anywhere remotely near a small farm.

The East Coast is actually very similar to the Midwest. Admittedly, there is a lot of flat land in the Midwest, which is why it is prime land for farming.

But it is home to so much more.

We have a lot of rolling hills and forests as well, shaking up the ground to be more than just flat rows of corn. The Mississippi River slices down the middle of the Midwest, filling the surrounding area with cliffs and ridges in the hills.

One day, my friends and I decided to drive to Westchester to get out of New York City and just look at the homes and shops. I was reminded of Wisconsin with some of the tudor style homes and bakeries. Even walking around Princeton, New Jersey, the ice cream shops and parks brought me back to the suburbs of Milwaukee that are filled with fun coffee shops and trendy boutiques.

Do not get me wrong — I love the East Coast and I love the Midwest. I came all the way from Milwaukee to New York City for a reason: to experience a new loca-

tion and be in one of the greatest cities in the world.

I love both places so much, because they are so different, but also because they have some things in common. Every day, little pieces of New York remind me of home. Especially because I do not live on a farm.

Now, there are more stereotypes about Wisconsinites that are true. After all, stereotypes are created for a reason, but that is what makes places unique. So I guess even though I do not live on a farm, I am still very much a true Wisconsinite.

I am obsessed with cheese.

Wisconsin is known for its cheeses and they truly are the best.

Cheese curds are delicious. The squeakier the better.

Beer is another huge part of the typical Wisconsin lifestyle. Milwaukee is the birthplace of some of the largest breweries — Miller, Pabst, Schlitz and Blatz.

There are also the craft beers like Sprecher, Milwaukee Ale House and New Glarus that make brewing in Milwaukee even more special.

And of Course, the Pack. The first and second ever Superbowl Champions. The Lambeau Leap.

Cheese-heads. And do not not forget Aaron Rodgers. Yes, I own a cheese-head.

Wisconsin is an amazing place, with striking differences and a thriving culture. Every state has its own quirks. That is what makes the United States so diverse.

There are stereotypes from the Arizona desert to the charm of Cape Cod, but there are also great things to be discovered about every different state.

I am discovering more and more of New York everyday. You just have to open your eyes and look. And for the last time, I do not live on a farm.

Editorial | Graduation Day

Broadening Your Perspective, Even at Commencement The list of recent commencement speakers at Fordham is an interesting one, to say the least.

In the past fifteen years, many have been white men — some of whom are the same white men who appear on our television screens each evening, delivering the news of the world for media giants like CBS, NBC and ABC. There is no doubt that these figures are widely accomplished.

Some are American icons with inspiring journeys worth telling.

Most in attendance would agree that these speakers ignited a flame in Fordham’s graduating class before they went off into the world.

But, with Fordham yet to announce this year’s commencement speaker, we hope that the university deviates from this apparent pattern.

Students at Rose Hill are an ethnically, religiously and geographically diverse bunch. While

some students in Fordham College are communication and media studies majors, many are also science majors, economics majors, computer science majors and art majors. Many have a wide range of interests and many (we hope) are looking to broaden their perspectives.

Two years ago, Fordham hosted Richard Engel, an NBC Middle East correspondent who was recently forced to retract his story about his kidnapping. Similarly, in 2011, Fordham hosted Brian Williams, an NBC news anchor whose exaggerated tales of war subjected him to weeks of intense media scrutiny. Other newsmen also dot the list, including Tom Brokaw, Charlie Rose, Chris Matthews, Tim Russert and Ted Koppel.

Outliers of the recent list include John Sexton, New York University president, Mary McAleese,

former president of Ireland, and John Brennan, the current CIA director whose association with the university is at the center of a faculty-led dialogue about torture. Two baseball figures also have spoken at Fordham, including Tino Martinez in 2014 and Willie Randolph in 2007.

The process of choosing a speaker is not an easy one. There are a lot of factors that go into the decision, scheduling complications and prior commitments among them.

Last year, in a story covering commencement speakers, Bob Howe, Fordham’s chief spokesman, said that the university considers many factors when picking a speaker. “Fordham is competing with every other university in the United States for speakers, even if those commencements don’t fall on the same day as ours,” Howe said. Still, with so many com-

mencement speaker selections resulting in protests in the past few years, many colleges are already signaling a safe year for speakers.

After Rutgers University’s decision to invite Condoleezza Rice, students erupted in protest. This year, Rutgers decided to invite Bill Nye. Stanford University invited Bill Mayer last year, resulting in questions about his views toward the Islamic faith. This year, the school selected Engel, who spoke at Fordham in 2013.

Fordham students pursued a liberal arts to broaden their perspectives, to learn about the world, to think outside the box.

The commencement speaker should be a final addition to this journey. The Fordham Ram hopes that the university announces a commencement speaker whose perspective is comparable to the diverse academic experience Fordham offers its students.

Disagree with our editorial?

Then send us an email! fordhamramletters@gmail.com

OPINION

April 22, 2015

Page 9

Honoring the Hundredth Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

By KATHERINE SADANIANTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER

There is no beauty in death. A human’s death is not just a catalyst for hurt, but hurt itself. There is no beauty in death.

However, there are economic and political rewards in death. One person’s death may entail another’s gain: of land, capital or social status. In the early 1900s, The Young Turks, the agents of the Armenian Genocide, sought these rewards via the 1.5 million deaths of the Armenians. As a result of the genocide, Armenia lost 85 percent of its historical territory, and the Armenians no longer seemed to pose a threat to the Ottoman Empire.

The small but vibrant Christian nation was seemingly subdued by the sprawling hand of an undeniably violent imperialism operating under the banner of Islam.

In the face of such paralyzing statistics and countless tales of elaborately organized inhumanity, why has Turkey not admitted to the systematic killing of Armenians, instead naming these deeds and deaths the results of war? This is because Turkey has too much to lose — land, wealth and the already-unsteady reputation they maintain in the global political world. And why has America, the self-delegated force of democracy and freedom, not recognized this genocide? It is because the government believes it cannot afford to jeopardize its relationship with the government of Turkey, a pow-

HRANT KHACHATRYAN/AP

Armenians mourn their huge loss on this somber anniversary.

erful ally. In the face of military or monetary negotiations of power, it finds itself unable to recognize the victims the way they deserve.

There is no beauty in death.

Armenians have been systematically oppressed for a hundred years through the denial of a part of history too weighty for any single man, nation or diaspora to grieve alone. In turn, this denial has conveniently eased the way toward numerous genocides across a variety of peoples and cultures. For those still enabled by rights of free speech and action, there is the potential to, if not erase these deaths, honor the lives that preceded them; to deny Adolf Hitler’s cry, “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” There is the potential to deny the notion that economic and political benefits super-

sede humane actions; to deny the casualness that a term like “war casualties” implies, to deny the careless romanticization of death — to remember that death is crippling, deafening, and starkly silent.

There is no beauty in death: of a person, of a people, of principles or peace. But there is beauty in life.

Before returning to school from Easter break, I skipped rocks with my father at the edge of the ocean and my father told me of his own teacher: a family friend from Paris, who returned to his homeland after years of exile, and stood at the edge of his native waters to waste time like he did in his boyhood — that is, before those affiliated with the Young Turks executed his parents and seized his home. In the face of certain death, this man lost his innocence, but retained his life.

Despite his first-hand account of witnessing death, and the pain of the decades of denial that followed, he continued to live. In teaching my father to skip stones, he taught my father that there are two parts to survival, and that the latter is the greater: an avoidance of death, and then a courageously continued life. Now across the generations, it is through his life that, on that spring day, I experienced the world’s beauty.

So on this 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, do not forget the far too many deaths of the far too innocent. Do not forget the deaths, but remember the Armenians. Remember the Armenians as persons so eagerly filling your place at the table with dolmas and bureks before dinner has even started. Remember the Armenians as persons who wrote poetry as Saroyan did, or revolutionized the orchestra as Khachaturian did, or who continue to inspire the imagination through film as Egoyan does. Remember the Armenians, as persons who — at the very whisper of their native music — clasp pinkies and begin to dance until they gasp for breath amid boisterous words and roaring laughter. Remember the Armenians in death, but remember them in life — as persons who still have so much to give to the world.

Listen to them; mourn with them and skip rocks with them. Set them free.

Katherine Sadaniantz, FCRH ‘17, is a biology and music double major from Providence, Rhode Island.

Letter to the Editor Re: “Students Join Stand Against Sexual Assault” Nov. 5 2014 Dear Editor, As sexual assault on college campuses has made its way to the forefront of national concern in the past year, educational institutions across America are in the midst of a complete overhaul of traditional systems for the reporting and prosecuting of assault. Concern for the correction of these processes, however, often overshadows an equally crucial facet of survivor rehabilitation: confidentiality and the response etiquette of allies.

There is no better example of this oversight than The Fordham Ram’s article covering the Carry That Weight Day of Action in Oct. 2014.

At the event in question, a number of survivors gathered with the intention of discussing our experiences as survivors and what we need from allies. Student allies also spoke about why their allyship is important. For many survivors, the choice to speak was predicated almost entirely on the enthusiastic support of the others gathered there. While it was an open event on the McGinley lawn, most people who were not participating walked by without stopping to hear what was said. Several passersby did not even know what was happening.

A subsequent article published in The Fordham Ram on Nov. 5 featured coverage of this event, naming some of those who spoke

and including passages from their speeches. The journalist, however, did not expend the very minimal energy it would require to receive approval from the speakers, nor did he quote their speeches accurately.

Once Women’s Empowerment contacted The Fordham Ram, objecting to the naming without permission and misquoting of survivors, the article’s online version was edited to remove the names of survivors. In a following edition of The Fordham Ram, a blurb was published, apologizing not for the breach of journalistic trust of those who had spoken, but for the fact that people had been hurt.

That students should expect a modicum of confidentiality and ethical journalism, especially from a university-run newspaper catering to their interests, should not come as a surprise.

Nor should this have been the object of The Fordham Ram’s apology, which falls far too short of accepting blame for their actions, but instead continues to place responsibility on survivors for their feelings.

While we understand that the Rape Shield Law of the 1994 Violence against Women Act does not necessitate confidentiality for those speaking in public spaces, we refuse to accept The Fordham Ram’s actions as ethical.

While we appreciate that The Fordham Ram was attempting to bring visibility to the speak out, and to survivors as a whole, the way in

which it was done was counterproductive to this goal.

I, Colin Dobell, am one of the people who was named in this article. I include my name now, of my own volition, because I want to control my own story. Having been initially stripped of my agency during unwanted sexual contact, and subsequently stripped of my agency by The Fordham Ram’s shameful reporting, I want to be the one who chooses that my name be published.

The first time I had spoken to anyone besides one or two friends about my experience in June 2014 was the previous night at a Women’s Empowerment meeting, where I had felt supported by allies and fellow survivors. At the speak out, I had felt compelled to speak, but did not know what to say.

The event’s organizer gave me a list of statistics to read. I was incoherent as I read them, more concentrating on my internal debate about speaking publicly about what happened to me. A writer from The Fordham Ram asked me if he could include my name in the article. I had not minded being quoted in the paper in the context of discussing statistics.

After listening to several members of the Fordham community speak about their experiences or their allyship, I chose to speak and tell my story of how a guy with whom I had been on a date had sexually assaulted me; how after I

had left, he had offered me money to come back; and how I was, and still am, seriously affected by this encounter in my ability to be intimate with partners.

I do not normally read The Fordham Ram. I found out through other members of Women’s Empowerment that I, along with two other survivors, had been named and quoted, but not as someone who read statistics. Instead, what I had said at the end of my second time with the microphone, when I had shared my personal experiences, was written in the newspaper: “I am in shock and the smell sits in my nose, it still sits in my nose.”

The article has since been edited.

The version that is now online does not include my name, but had initially, as did the printed copies. The other named survivors had not, in any context, been consulted on the use of their names.

It took several months to feel comfortable again speaking publicly about what happened, hence the delay on this response.

I write this the day before the Take Back the Night Speak out, Take Back the Night and Day of Silence vigil, hoping that tomorrow, those who speak out will do so feeling confident that as they speak out, they are the ones telling their story.

— Colin Dobell and Eilís Russell To read the edited version of the article, see FordhamRam.com

Kathryn Wolper Apple’s Efforts to Conserve Fall Short In an effort to operate sustainably, Apple has recently collaborated with The Conservation Fund to protect 36,000 acres of working forests in Maine and North Carolina. The company announced the partnership in an article on Medium written by Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environmental Initiatives, and Larry Selzer, The Conservation Fund’s president and CEO. The Conservation Fund protects forests through corporate partnerships and the facilitation of the sustainable use of paper products on a large scale. The goal of the partnership is to zero out Apple’s virgin paper footprint through conservation and responsible harvesting practices.

This partnership, though it has practical environmental applications, is far removed from Apple’s most useful resource: its loyal customers.

Apple could bring its theoretical environmental statement to a more practical and widespread level by incentivizing the ecologically-responsible use of its products by its customer base.

While Apple already encourages its users to dispose of their products responsibly, launching a widespread campaign to use technology sustainably would undoubtedly amplify the impact of its partnership with The Conservation Fund. By crafting a campaign that depends directly on the active participation of customers, Apple could increase people’s senses of personal involvement in the fight for sustainability.

Corporate partnerships like Apple’s with The Conservation Fund, while helpful, allow consumers to become complacent towards the environmental impacts of the products they consume. Such partnerships allow consumers to feel good about the diminished environmental impacts of the products they consume, without encouraging them to take steps to increase sustainability. Corporate partnerships model responsible behavior, but ultimately, consumers must bear the duty of responsible consumption.

Consumers greatly outnumber producers, especially in Apple’s case, and their actions end up having greater impacts than corporate ones.

Encouraging sustainable use of products among consumers also makes good business sense. In forging an alliance for sustainability, companies put themselves and their customers on the same team, rather than in conflict. Uniting for some social cause revolutionizes the relationship between businesses and consumers.

In striving towards a mutual goal, businesses and consumers are less sensitive to the tension between their conflicting demands for higher prices and higher quality products.

As corporate social activism becomes more prevalent, companies must consider that grand activist gestures are most effective and helpful when paired with campaigns that engage consumers in everyday life. The key to enacting social change, whether related to environmental conservation or not, is changing habits, which starts with consumers and their practices. Apple can take the sentiment of this partnership a step further by actively encouraging their customers to practice sustainable consumption of Apple products.

OPINION

Page 10

April 22, 2015

Fordham Finance Majors Should Use Their Degrees to Make a Difference

By ALEX NGUYEN and MATTHEW LY CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Several weeks ago, the Gabelli School of Business held a fair where students were able to select their majors. Finance was a logical and popular choice for many, since the market for these professions is expanding, and the tools and skills acquired from the classes offered by Fordham will only help students realize their uncertain goals and aspirations.

The general goal we can sense around Gabelli is simply to become a wealthy, stereotypical Wall Street banker. Many Gabelli students aspire to work in the investment banking industry or some other Wall Street related profession. While we are not suggesting that this is a poor aspiration, we are concerned by the overwhelming number of individuals who aspire to this. Making money is not a bad thing, nor is to secure one’s future or to live a more luxurious life, but is that what society really needs right now?

There seem to be too many hard-working business professionals working towards their own future and not for the good of others. Aside from a few clubs and organizations on campus such as our Fair Trade Club, the effort students put towards improving our communities through business is lacking at best. There are many finance careers aimed toward more socially minded investing. Fair trade, microfinance and impact investing have seen significant growth in recent times, with greater development foreseen in the future.

Over the past few years, the number of socially conscious firms has risen in order to combat the growing wealth gap, as many families and communities continue to suffer from poverty and poor management of resources.

This is where our greatest and most gifted business students should focus their attention and their aspirations. The need for individuals with business and finance backgrounds for sociallyminded companies is growing.

The results of just a fraction of our many students partaking in this industry at some point in

KELLYN SIMPKINS/THE FORDHAM RAM

Even finance majors are immersed in Fordham’s cura personalis attitude at the Gabelli School of Business.

their career can yield an incredible amount of returns. The problem is that this type of work does not generate the level of income many of us desire.

Many of the skills and traits of Wall Street bankers are required to achieve success in the business world. These men and women have the characteristics that make them the best at what they do; they are the type of people who can bring success into socially minded businesses. Banking is the short-term goal, with social investing as an underlying influence and goal of ours to achieve.

Our society has a cultural mindset of individualism rather than a communal mentality, resulting in us looking to better ourselves rather than improving the well-being of our society. We do believe that Fordham is trying to address this by the incorporation of liberal arts and the Jesuit values that are ingrained with our education.

While these are definitely opinions from two liberal-minded students, we still believe that Fordham University stands for a holistic approach to education.

Obviously, not all students at Fordham have the same views as we do, and by all means a plethora of students hold financial security as their major reason for going into the financial services industry.

However, this does not negate the fact that Fordham imbues every one of its students with an

aforementioned holistic education that promotes social impact.

Many people often question students who decide to take liberal arts minors in addition to their finance degrees. Classically, a degree like a minor in economics or another area of business would only support finance related fields. However, as more and more companies are moving towards the forefront of social impact, sustainability, and diversity, the classical finance degree can inhibit a new generation of conscious corporations.

To alleviate this issue, Fordham University incorporated a liberal arts education into its business curriculum. Classes like philosophical ethics, faith and critical reasoning and liberal arts electives may seem like quite the nuisance to many business students.

However, what these classes truly offer are a different method of thinking about certain problems and issues that affect everyday life, including business.

Furthermore, these topics broaden students’ knowledge and cultivate a broader spectrum of interests of which students can take advantage. Fordham also expresses its interest in changing the standard attitude of business students through events and clubs.

The most recent example of this was the Fordham University: Diversity Leadership in a Global Society Banquet. The event focused on the importance of social impact, sustainability and diver-

sity. Events like these are slowly changing the general mindset of college business students. The banquet acted as a networking event for Fordham business students to grow their own personal connections with professionals who have their minds set on social impact.

Furthermore, the fact that Fordham is an Ashoka campus (meaning it has been recognized for its efforts to improve social innovation) is just another reason to notice that Fordham is trying to prepare our finance students with a holistic education.

At the end of the day, what it comes down to is that for each and every individual Gabelli student, Fordham University provides a plethora of opportunities to widen our grasp of social impact and a degree in finance has all the foundational education to produce good deeds. While Fordham definitely should never stop improving its efforts to provide students with a quality education that differentiates them from other single-minded finance majors, it is clearly up to the students to make the choice between doing what makes money and what is right. These choices that we make as young adults paint who we are going to be for the rest of our lives.

Alex Nguyen, GSB ’17, is a finance major from Los Gatos, California.

Matthew Ly, GSB ’17, is a finance major from Oakland, California.

Do opinions run through your veins?

Call a doctor, and then email fordhamramopinions@gmail.com to sign up as a writer.

Cate Carrejo When CAB and OSLCD Collide Chances are, you will not be able to see the Brandon Stanton lecture this Thursday. There will not be nearly enough space for the number of people interested in attending; there are over 1,300 people signed up on the Facebook event and McGinley Ballroom can only hold a maximum of 500 people.

Nick Giampiccolo, FCRH ’17, cochair of special events for the Campus Activities Board (CAB), said he tried to move the lecture to the gym to meet the expected attendance, but he encountered a small problem.

“We wanted to hold the lecture in the Lombardi Gym instead, but it’s technically owned by Athletics. They were going to charge us $10,000 to move the event and we don’t have the money left in the budget.”

Yes, Fordham wants to charge itself $10,000 to move an on-campus, university sponsored event from the McGinley Center to the Lombardi Gym. Fordham Athletics said it needs to charge CAB $10,000 to use the gym, despite the fact that there is no other event being held in the gym. Hundreds of students are going to miss out on attending because of a lack of interest in finding a solution that will work better for the students.

Campus Activities Board has had a lot of trouble programming this year’s Spring Weekend. Shannon Driscoll, assistant director for Student Organization and Programming, has been uncooperative and untimely in her duties. “It took [Ms. Driscoll] over a month and a half to listen and approve the student DJ mixes for Friday night’s concert. Nine days before the event, she was still listening to them.

And it took her over three weeks to approve the Spring Week posters, too,” said Giampiccolo. Scheduling the headliner every year is another nightmare. CAB has to submit a written proposal of any act the CAB concert committee wants to book, including a comprehensive listing of every song lyric the group has ever written. The regulation leads to choosing groups that students are dispassionate about. The mood towards twenty-one pilots is moderately more enthusiastic than last year’s headliners but because of the restrictions the university places on performers, CAB has trouble meeting both the demands of students and OSLCD. In the battle of which group to appease, CAB has to lean towards the university, when it should be advocating for the students.

The blurry distinction between CAB and OSLCD is at the heart of this problem. CAB is a student organization that is mostly controlled by administration. All decisions and approval or disapproval power is routed through OSLCD, paid members of the university administration who are not invested in or connected to the heart of the student body. The hierarchy of CAB and OSLCD is removing agency from the student leaders of CAB and the general student body, and we, the students, are letting it happen. Our money gets used to book bands we are not excited about and lectures we will not be able to attend. We need to take control of our student life and put the power back in our own hands.

CULTURE

April 22. 2015

Page 11

The Fordham Ram

The Art of Self-Branding: A Guide

By KENNY DEJOHN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

We are taught from a young age to not care what other people think of us. It is time to disprove that basic life lesson.

It is imperative for those in the communications field — both old and new — to be aware of how they are perceived by others. Personal branding is a phrase students hear frequently in class and from news outlets, but not all students know what it is and how to do it effectively.

Sports communication professor John Cirillo, defines personal branding as “developing a positive identity for you as a journalist or really as an individual and there are a lot of ways to do that…young journalists can develop an identity through Twitter by tweeting with major writers and broadcasters.”

While using social media to interact with industry professionals is one way to brand, it is certainly not the only way. Twitter is an important instrument for journalists to use to tweet their work and create an identity. A writer can tweet about sports, movies, television, music or anything in between to prove his or her knowledge on the specific subject in an attempt to establish credibility.

This builds authority and trust with followers.

“The days of just creating a piece

of content and having an audience show up to consume it is in the past,” says Joe Yanarella, editor-in-chief of Bleacher Report. “Nowadays, social and sharing are two of the top distribution methods for content so writers need to take an active role in enhancing their personal brand and getting their content in the hands of friends and potential readers.”

Branding requires diligence and careful planning. A journalist must come across as consistent, but not harassing, and also realize that not all things are meant for the public eye.

Some items are obviously not made for the public eye — that picture with your best buddies doing keg stands, for example — and even one lapse in judgment can permanently tarnish a writer’s public perception.

Some writers choose to take the safe approach, as Paul Levinson, a communication and media professor and author of 17 books, said: “Some people that I know made a decision to separate some of their public lives to the point where they take on different names. They use pseudonyms as authors of certain kinds of books. In fact, there are a fair number of professors who deliberately don’t use their real names because they’re concerned that somehow if they write science fiction, or mystery, or maybe even pornography, that somehow that’s going to hurt their image as a professor.”

KELLYN SIMPKINS/THE RAM

Students should learn how to use social media for more than merely enjoyment.

It is all about image. Individuals have the power to sculpt the minds of others and make consumers think of their name when ingesting a particular subject. It goes a step beyond name recognition. It’s name association. Professors certainly don’t want their names attached to adult-film making — hence the use of a fake name.

The use of a fake name also allows for more freedoms on social media.

The somewhat recent craze of changing Facebook names to include a middle name instead of a surname helps to protect from overly curious employers. Thus, personal branding is important for everyone.

“Everyone who is interested in having an impact in the popular culture needs to think about how you want to be known, what they want to be known as,” said Levinson.

Digital media is the future, but we would be remiss to overlook tradi-

tional forms of media as a means of broadcasting your talents, interests or strengths. Levinson notes that television can “reach millions of people” at once, something that Twitter and Facebook cannot do. Levinson has appeared on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor,” among other programs, and believes that much of his current following came from appearances on those popular shows.

Cirillo even went as far as saying that some potential employers might even appreciate a tangible package including a resume, clips and broadcast reels.

“Sometimes the traditional way does work more effectively,” said Cirillo. “If John Filippelli of the YES Network gets a Fed-Ex with a tape, he might be more likely to look at it than he is to open an email.”

For whichever method an individual chooses, there are dos and don’ts that should be followed.

Levinson, an experienced tweeter and user of social media, outlined the best ways to brand: “When in doubt, do it. More is more. When you can see a way of putting out a Tweet or on Facebook, do it. You can almost never do yourself any harm.

The only thing I would say is if you are a jerk or worse, then you’re going to be found out. You probably should stay away if you’re a racist, a sexist, a bigot, whatever. But otherwise, go for it.”

That seems like easy advice to follow. Even if you do not actively brand yourself positively, refraining from insensitive comments can be beneficial.

The digital age of journalism makes social media awareness something that all individuals need to be concerned about. It can be the difference between securing a job out of school and pitching a tent on the unemployment line.

Spring Into New York City Walking Tours

By JASMINE TING CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Without a doubt, it is that time of the year again. Tweets and statuses read, “Spring has finally sprung!” Instagram feeds are now full of photos of flowers, green grass and Snapchat stories now feature people frolicking under the sun or having a nice picnic at the park. The season of fresh breezes, nature and sunshine is here — there is no better way to celebrate it than a leisurely stroll.

Here is a list of fun and quirky walking tours that even native New Yorkers can enjoy — arranged from the most tourist-friendly, to the most adventurous tours.

On Location Tours (more information at: onlocationtours.com) Los Angeles may be home to Hollywood and the stars, but it is no secret that New York has hosted its fair share of movie and television shoots. Among these are the television series “Gossip Girl,” and Home Alone and “Sex and the City” — just to name a few.

On Location tours offers people

FLICKR/BENJAMIN DUMAS

Walking tours are both a source of entertainment and a chance to explore Manhattan.

the chance to get to know the city beyond the small and big screens.

Instead of spending the day indoors with Netflix, couch potatoes can take a trip down to the iconic places as seen in some of their favorite shows and films.

Foods of New York (more information at: http://www.foodsofny.com) Every city has its own flavor, but New York is rife with places for all foodies to enjoy. The world’s cuisines are all found in one big city, and Foods of New York

Tours is there for anyone who wants to experience the world through the realm of taste. Instead of buying souvenirs from gift shops, treat yourself and your palate to a taste bud-tingling day going in and out of restaurants recommended

by Todd Lefkovic. Bring your phone along on this culinary journey, and your feed will surely be filled with food porn that will keep your online friends hungry for days on end.

Literary Pub Crawl (more information at: literarypubcrawl.com)

New York City, as one of the largest hubs of arts and cultures, is crawling with bards and scribes.

And naturally, talented artists and budding literary geniuses need their own spaces to get lost in imagination and deep thought.

The Greenwich Village Literary Pub Crawl offers bookworms the chance to take a peak at the lives of their favorite writers behind the pages that they read. You can do tours alone or with a group according to your liking. And like Edgar Allan Poe, those twenty-one-yearsold and over get to have their beer goggles on for this unique stroll.

Shop Gotham (more information at: http://www.shopgotham. com) Try not to drop as you walk around and shop during this guided shopping spree in the city. Shop Gotham takes its visitors directly to rare sales and finds. Wholesale showrooms, as well as celebrity boutiques —and designer meetand-greets—are not out of the question. Exclusive discounts are also part of the packaged deal.

They also offer tours tailored to cater to their audience. For those interested in the fashion industry, retail-merchandising talks are given for SoHo and Nolita trips. Costumes Design and the Performance World tours are also examples of the unique industry-specific tours available.

Wild Food Tour (more information at: wildmanstevebrill.com) Do not be fooled by the word “food” in this tour’s name. This tour does not involve restaurant-hopping and dinner reservations. Put emphasis on the word “wild,” for this is definitely not for the faint of heart, and is only braved by the adventurous and the daring.

Naturalist Steve “Wildman” Brill leads these ecology tours so people may discover the wonders of nature when it comes to natural food production.

On this tour, you will find yourself hunting — and perhaps eating — edible plants, nuts and fruits from Central Park or other locations within the five boroughs of this beautiful city.

CULTURE

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April 22, 2015

High-Waisted Shorts and Floppy Hats Reign at Coachella

By ANNEMARIE MARCONI STAFF WRITER

People can say what they want about the gaudiness of the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, but there is a good chance those same people would jump at the chance to attend the famed concert series held in Indio, California.

After all, who could resist the countless opportunities only Coachella can offer, like unashamedly rocking a flower crown, spotting celebrities, feasting on legitimately insane food (fried mozzarella stick grilled cheese, anyone?) and wearing the latest fashion that would make any ‘70s Dead-Head envious? Oh, did I forget to mention the concerts? It is funny how a music and arts festival can become about so much more than music and art.

In recent years — whether thanks to social media spam or celebrity attendance — Coachella has taken on a culture all its own. A huge part of that culture is the fashion. Ideally reminiscent of the bohemian-hipster vibe of Woodstock, Coachella fashion is all about finding a delicate balance — comfortable and indifferent, but revealing and outlandish. Several stores, including H&M, even put out entire spring lines dedicated to the festival.

Beauty and fashion bloggers, often sent to the event by corporations or brands, upload tons of content during “festival season” to inspire their followers. Celebrities also jump on the laid-back-style bandwagon during the event. So, all of this fashion

RICH FURY INVISION/AP IMAGES

Kendell Jenner was dressed to the nines for this year’s Coachella.

frenzy begs the question: what exactly does one wear to Coachella?

Let us start from the bottom — the shoes of Coachella. Several women ditched the classic flat-soled sandal for a pair of short, black booties.

Sarah Hyland was seen sporting leather ankle-boots with her skirt and crop-top ensemble. Victoria’s Secret model Alessandra Ambrósio

Behind the Ghostlight | Richard Bordelon

It’s Tony Time Every June, the Broadway community waits with bated breath for the announcement of the annual Tony Awards, the prizes widely considered the highest honors awarded in American theatre. This year, the awards are highly competitive, featuring British imports, off-Broadway transfers, movie and book adaptations and original material all vying for the prestigious honor. Below are my predictions for a select few of the categories: Best Play The British imported play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, adapted from the Mark Haddon novel of the same name, is the early favorite. The play also features an exemplary performance from Alex Sharp as the fifteen-yearold autistic protagonist. This moving story’s only competition is from another British import adapted from a book: Wolf Hall: Parts 1 & 2. Although this monumental production has received glowing reviews both in New York and London, Curious Incident is still likely to walk away with the prize.

Best Musical Fun Home, which made its world premiere at the Public Theatre last year and was nominated for last year’s Pulitzer Prize, is the frontrunner in this category. The musical, based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel, has drawn critical praise for its inventive storytelling and humanizing performances, particularly Michael Cerveris as Bechdel’s closeted gay fa-

ther. The only possible spoiler would be Something Rotten!, an original musical that tells the fictional story of the creation of the first musical by the Bottom brothers, Shakespeare’s rivals, in Elizabethan England. This musical is pure, unadulterated excitement and enthusiasm and its hilarious book and score are likely to draw good notices.

Best Revival of a Play This race is kind of a toss-up. Three productions, The Elephant Man, Skylight and You Can’t Take It With You, all have a chance of walking away with the prize. Right now, Skylight has the edge because Elephant and Can’t Take It both have already closed. Bill Nighy’s and Carey Mulligan’s performances in Skylight were highly acclaimed, and these two might be enough to propel the show all the way to the Tony.

Best Revival of a Musical This category is a battle between two leading ladies: Kelli O’Hara as Anna in The King and I and Kristin Chenoweth as Lily Garland in On the Twentieth Century. Each gives a star turn in their respective shows, but after seeing both, I would give the edge to King. Director Bartlett Sher’s lavish Lincoln Center production, along with O’Hara’s phenomenal performance, is likely to catapult The King and I into the winner’s circle come Tony time.

Tony Award nominations will be announced the morning of April 28, with the awards themselves to air live on CBS on Sunday, June 7, at 8 p.m.

wore an almost identical pair on the same day. Men hopped on the trend too, as David and Victoria Beckham’s teenage son Brooklyn had on a pair of all-black Vans.

Thick, dark and chunky footwear

ruled the day at Coachella, and for good reason. Coachella is an outdoor festival, and the concerts do not tend to have seating; if you are going to be spending a lot of time on your feet, it makes sense to wear comfortable shoes.

In terms of shorts and skirts, nearly everything was high waisted.

Long gone are the 2000s days of low-rise everything. This decade will be remembered as the years when shorts were not high enough until they covered the belly button. Paris Hilton wore a gorgeous, breezy white lace midi-skirt with a waistband that practically came up to her ribcage. Taylor Swift’s newfound besties and band of sisters, Haim, rocked a more casual look with destroyed, high-waisted denim shorts and tucked in t-shirts.

Dancer Julianne Hough wore a bright yellow romper with a notably high waist — a piece that complemented her new cotton candy hairstyle effectively.

At this year’s Coachella, the infamous flower crown was replaced with a broad, floppy sunhat. Aaron Paul’s wife, Lauren Parsekian, wore a black, cloth one, and that couple has ample reason to be trendy at Coachella — the two actually met at the festival a couple of years ago.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s son, Sean Lennon, wore a nearly identical one, proving that the trend can work on guys and girls. Several A-

list stars, such as Justin Bieber, Fergie and Lea Michele also displayed black, floppy fedoras at the festival.

But in a sea of homogenous hippy-types, did anyone stand out?

Well, Disney channel star Bella Thorne’s outfit reflected last year’s fashion trends. Her low-rise, tightfitting denim shorts, chunky flower crown and white sandals could have been pulled straight out of a 2014 Coachella look book. We will forgive her. Kylie Jenner also made waves at Coachella. Besides being publically called out by Jack White for doing Coachella in the most bougie way possible, she departed from the flower-child look for a sportier vibe. She traded a floppy sunhat for a baseball cap, trendy ankle booties for a pair of sneaker wedges. Her long, teal tresses also helped her stand out in the crowd.

While many Fordham students dream of attending Coachella, the closest a lot of us will get is Spring Weekend.

However, Spring Weekend can be just as cool as Coachella. After all, we get to sleep in dorm rooms with our friends instead of in parking lots with strangers.

We get to grow closer as a Fordham community with people we may actually see again when the concert is over. And, if we take a page out of the stylebook of this year’s Coachella, we can even have the fun of dressing the part, too.

Editor’s Pick | MisterWives

Up-and-Coming Band With New York Roots

By MARGARITA ARTOGLOU OPINION EDITOR

There are a few reasons I am a new fan of the band MisterWives.

The first is the band’s name, which is a play on the term “sister wives” in a clever reference to lead singer Mandy Lee’s ability to bring the rest of the band’s male members together.

The second reason is due to the first song I heard off their new album, Our Own House. I normally don’t listen to an unknown song unless I hear it on the radio or a friend makes a recommendation, so it was very out of character for me to click on a random song I found on a Spotify playlist.

What compelled me to listen to this song in particular was the title, “Queens.” I wanted to hear the lyrics because of the small chance that the song was about the New York City borough I call home.

It turned out that the song was actually about Queens, where Lee also grew up. What’s more, it perfectly captured the way I feel about my hometown. Needless to say, I have found a new track to play during my commutes back home through Queens on the 7 train. So I decided to give the rest of the album a chance, and I was not disappointed.

The band’s first studio album is a versatile mix of fun and upbeat songs and a couple of slower, more emotional ballads. MisterWives

DESHAUN CRADDOCK/FLICKR

MisterWives is a group from Queens, which started in 2012.

effortlessly combines features of modern electro-pop and funky retro components to create a sound that is entirely its own.

Lee’s voice easily keeps up with the album’s continuously changing pace. The album features chillingly clear high notes on sadder songs like “Coffins” and “Vagabond,” powerful vocals exemplified on “Our Own House” and “Hurricane” and everything in between.

The most compelling thing about MisterWives, however, is their ability to set clever and thought-provoking lyrics to even their most bubbly and upbeat numbers. “Not Your Way,” the second song on the album, warns girls of becoming complacent about women’s rights and urges the importance of independence.

The forward-thinking lyrics are set

to a vintage sound that includes saxophones sounds that are reminiscent of the old-fashioned jazz of decades past, making for a juxtaposition that stimulates the kind of reflection that is not normally associated with most pop music.

The New York City-based band is relatively young, having formed in late 2012, yet it is quickly gaining recognition. They have opened for bands like American Authors and Fordham Spring Weekend performers twenty-one Pilots.

“Vagabond,” one of their songs, is the opening theme of MTV’s “Finding Carter.”

MisterWives shows a lot of promise. I look forward to the day I can get in the car and drive through Queens listening to their song of the same name on the radio.

CULTURE

April 22, 2015

Page 13

Will Gender-Neutral Clothing Break into the Mainstream?

By MEGAN BRONNER STAFF WRITER

Societal expectations often emphasize the difference between genders, suggesting that people should portray their genders via certain professions, mannerisms and clothing. However, in recent years, popular trends have been shifting to highlight more gender-neutral clothing.

It is becoming more acceptable to wear whatever you want, as fashion is considered one of the best and most effective ways of self-expression. Celebrity style often serves as a guide for many people, so what they wear is always getting public attention.

Recently, celebrities such as Jaden Smith and Kanye West have been stepping out in more stereotypically “feminine” clothing. West gained a great deal of attention for wearing a leather skirt during his concert.

Smith and West were most likely influenced by recent men’s highfashion trends that represent a masculine take on more feminine clothing styles, such as dresses and cutout or see-through tops. If prominent celebrities who influence the public’s fashion wear these non genderdefining trends, could they become more popular and mainstream?

That could be the case, considering Jaden Smith has been seen wearing dresses multiple times, most recently at the Coachella music festival. These sightings have sparked controversy in the media, which has been regularly reporting on the young actor’s new style.

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

Jaden Smith has been posting Instagrams of himself wearing dresses.

Many articles are reporting on these outfit choices, saying that he has become a spokesperson for gender variance. He stated he believes that he is not wearing “girl clothes,” but just clothes. He even introduced genderneutral clothing into his clothing line in 2013. People have applauded the young celebrity for not adhering to society’s expectations. The high quantity of reporting on the subject of Smith wearing dresses has led people to think about how others define people based on what they wear,

when they should not.

Similarly to Jaden Smith wearing typically feminine fashions, women have been consistently wearing more masculine clothing.

This year at Milan Fashion week, designer Alessandro Michele debuted his womenswear collection for Gucci. This anticipated show had both male and female models walking on the same runway in the same type of clothes, prompting the question of whether or not retail and the average consumer

Review | Music

High-Energy Album Boasts Many Musical Influences

By AMANDA GIGLIO CULTURE EDITOR

Lately, I have grown bored with my usual music choices, resorting to Spotify’s “browse” option to find new music and genres. This past week, one of the featured artists was Joywave, which just put out their new album How Do You Feel Now? An indie electro band from Rochester, New York, Joywave began in 2010, starting with eighties-inspired electro tunes and gaining more attention though their mixes of original songs and covers of other artists’ material. Not knowing much about the band, I was intrigued to hear this new album.

How Do You Feel Now? starts with heavy guitar and thrashing percussion in the song “Somebody New,” which sets the precedent for the amazing vocals of Daniel Armbruster. Each song after the first has a very different tone, with new and upbeat melodies.

The one unexpected element of this album is the intermittent soundbites from films such as Disney’s Bambi and Fantasia. This adds context to these songs, with “In Clover” beginning after Thumper from Bambi talks about eating flowers, adding to the mellow and relaxed sound of the song. This is a nice change of pace from songs like “Destruction” and “Parade” which give you more aggressive sounds while still adding dance-

COURTESY OF CUTLCO MUSIC HOLLYWOOD RECORDS

Joywave’s How Do You Feel Now? is a mix of funky beats and soothing synths.

able synths.

As the album progresses, the songs get more easy-going and the lyrics become more intense and relatable.

“Nice House” is a beachy song that speaks of growing up, getting away and having “my own place.” The song closes with quiet harp music that brings you into a dream-like state.

I have a hard time listening to a whole album through, but How Do You

Feel Now? is one of the few albums that I can listen to fully and even multiple times. And with Spring Weekend in full swing, Joywave is a great way to get pumped up.

In particular, the song “Tongues” featuring KOPPS has fun beats that are easy to dance to and keep you smiling, which is a great way to start your early morning party for Spring Weekend.

are ready for genderless clothes. As of right now, there probably will not be a drastic change in large retailers and department stores from gendered clothing to genderless clothing.

There appears to be a double standard in terms of what men and women can wear. For instance, women wear pants everyday, but growing up some girls are considered “tomboys” because they wear typical boy clothing. More mainstream popular fashion trends within women’s clothing are sporty or athletic and masculine clothing, such as pantsuits and boyfriend jeans. However, the media does not as publically criticize women who wear these trends. Does this mean that typical men’s fashions can more easily transcend genders, rather than a man wearing a dress, which could be considered more noticeable and different?

In the high-fashion world and in the era of popular pop-up boutiques, change is evident; people are buying into menswear regardless of their gender. According to a recent report by Trendwatching. com, “People of all ages in all markets are constructing their own

identities more freely than ever. As a result, consumption patterns are no longer defined by ‘traditional’ demographic segments such as age, gender, location, income, family status and more.” Therefore, the celebrity trend of wearing gender-neutral clothing, or wearing non-traditional clothing, will become more acceptable and popular in society, as people continue to believe that they can wear what they please.

Overall, it seems apparent that gender roles within fashion and gender roles in general are becoming less important as people embrace who they are without regards to their gender.

Continued celebrity support for change in the mainstream fashion world of genderless clothing is an important factor that will help lead to a change in societal rules, by relieving the pressure that people have to dress according to their assigned genders.

Although it now may seem abnormal to see a man wearing feminine clothing or men and women sharing the same clothing, this trend could become more mainstream in the coming years as fashion and society continues to evolve.

Binge Guide | Nicole Fiorica

Orphan Black At a glance: Genre: Sci-Fi Thriller Seasons/Episodes: 2/20 Avg Episode Length: 42 minutes Available on: Amazon Prime What it’s about: Upon returning home to reconnect with her young daughter, con artist Sarah Manning (Tatiana Maslany) witnesses the suicide of Beth Childs, a women who looks exactly like her. With the help of her foster brother, Felix ( Jordan Gavaris), Sarah infiltrates Beth’s life, hoping to make a quick score.

The more she pretends to be Beth, the more Sarah realizes that something is amiss, and when she meets more women who look exactly like her, she finds herself thrown head-first into a shocking conspiracy: she is one of several clones, and someone is trying to kill them off.

Why it’s so good: Simply put, Tatiana Maslany. The lead actress plays multiple characters, often in the same scene, and executes them so flawlessly that you’ll forget that they are the same person. I’m talking different accents, walks, personalities and hairstyles for each clone, each of whom is likable in her own way.

Watching the show is often a vaguely surreal experience when you remember how much work and technology had to go into making it. But, of course, the rest of the cast is also a treat, and as the plot slowly unfolds, you won’t be able to look away.

Why you should binge it: Beginning with a suicide and ending with a murder, the pilot episode of “Orphan Black” will leave viewers with little time to relax.

As for the questions that arise in

all the minutes in between, those will be answered, but only at the expense of even more questions.

This isn’t the kind of conspiracy show that will keep you hanging forever, but it will take viewers on a ride that never really seems to slow down. Plus, there are only two short seasons to get through before you can tune into the currently-airing season three. Try not binging it, and see how that works out for you.

Standouts: Maslany plays an array of characters, but of them, suburban soccer mom Alison Hendrix may be the most brilliant. Almost entirely removed from the most dangerous drama of the show, yet comically embroiled in her own personal troubles, Alison is comic relief as much as she is a startlingly complex character. Meanwhile, keep an eye out for Sarah’s daughter, Kira, whose innocent demeanor can’t hide the fact that there is a lot more to her than meets the eye.

Potential Pitfalls: As is often the case with conspiracy shows, paying attention is key because the show moves fast and it isn’t always easy to follow everything that is happening (that said, binging often helps to remember small details). If the premise of the show seems too unbelievable, just note that it may take some suspension of belief to buy into this clone-infested world. Honestly, the most difficult part of watching “Orphan Black” is catching up and having to watch new episodes live. Besides the brutal week-to-week wait, Saturdays at 9 on BBC America is not exactly an ideal television time, but it is completely worth it.

CULTURE

Page 14

April 22, 2015

Who’s That Kid? | Taylor Panico

Advice | Catherine Kastberg

A Fun, Safe Spring Weekend Question: Lately, when I have been going out, I have found that I am unable to monitor and pace my alcohol consumption. I have found myself in really embarrassing situations and my friends are fed up with constantly taking care of me. Since Spring Weekend is almost here, I really think this issue needs to be addressed.

Answer: College students constantly associate their social lives and standings with going out and partying. It’s a great way to meet people, let loose after a long week of work and classes and relax. You would be surprised how often a fun, casual night can take a wrong turn. When you are out and surrounded by all your friends who are just throwing back drinks, it is easy to feel pressured to try and keep up. Everyone’s tolerance is different.

Girls, do not try to go drink for drink with your guy friends.

Weight and gender are two of the main factors that affect your BAC. Women naturally produce less of the enzymes that break down alcohol in the stomach, making them reach their peak BAC 20 percent faster than men. When it comes to drinking it is very important to take it slow, and make sure you remember to stay hydrated. This is especially important during Spring Weekend, considering you are outside and in the sun for a majority of the time. Try drinking a glass of water in between drinks.

Also make sure you eat a proper meal before you start drinking.

Each night you go out, try bringing only a certain amount of cash and leave your debit card at home. Without cash, you can’t buy drinks and you won’t find your drunk self running to the ATM to take out more cash. It is also very important that you surround yourself with people who have your best interests in mind. If you are concerned about drinking, voice this to your friends so they will know to keep an eye out for you. Remember that you do not need to drink to have fun.

If you are tired and had a long day, suggest a movie night to your friends, or go out for a nice early dinner. Sleep is another big factor and can impair your judgement, so if you are really tired it is not a good idea to mix in alcohol. Also do not forget that Fordham has certain policies against underage drinking and if you are irresponsible and get caught, there are repercussions. It is never fun being the drunkest one at the party, and wouldn’t you rather remember your college experience?

Going the Extra Mile

By JOE VITALE EDITOR IN CHIEF

When the weather turned warm and New York City’s streets finally cleared of snow, Taylor Panico, FCRH ’15, did what few New Yorkers did: along with a friend — Ali Bonamico, FCRH ’15, — she walked from the north to the south end of Manhattan.

Traversing the island, which is 13.4 miles long, was on her bucket list, and it took her on a five-hour journey heading south on Broadway.

Just one item on a long list of things to do (a city scavenger hunt, ride the ram), the trip is perhaps more symbolic of the type of person Taylor is.

She accepts a challenge wholeheartedly and never takes no for answer.

She is someone who doesn’t just talk the talk, but walks the walk.

A brown-haired, brown-eyed girl who radiates energy, Taylor is a communication and media studies major and a psychology minor at Fordham.

Some of her internships have been the rare kind most students are jealous to hear about. She has worked as a production intern for VH1 and was a social media intern at “The Bill Cunningham Show.”

“The Wendy Williams Show,” however, remains her favorite.

“Wendy made sure the working environment was fun and everyone got along,” Taylor said. “Even though I’d have to wake up at 4:30 [a.m.] to be there, the day went so fast.”

The quick pace of the live program made the day move by quickly, she said, calling it one of her favorite Fordham experiences.

Taylor also chose a fascinating place for her study abroad trip, living in Sydney, Australia for a full semester.

“Nobody really realizes how huge Australia is,” she said of the country.

“Usually study abroad programs are about seeing a lot of countries, but Australia was so big it was fun to really get to know the country as best as we could.”

While studying there, she took courses on media law and ethics, brain and behavior and educational psychology.

KELLYN SIMPKINS/THE FORDHAM RAM

Taylor has interned at VH1 and at “The Wendy Williams Show.”

Of Cuban and Italian descent, Panico grew up in Dix Hills, New York. Her favorite artists include Billy Joel, The Strokes, old school Usher, Trey Songz and T-Pain (her nickname to some).

Currently the vice president of Salice-Conley for the Residence Halls Association (RHA), Taylor has served Fordham residents for the past two years on RHA and as a leader for New Student Orientation.

She also is a participant in Global Outreach and a member of the program’s GO! San Diego team.

“I was really happy to get to meet everyone on the team,” Taylor said of her GO! team, which traveled to California during spring break. “I hadn’t known anyone on the team but it was really cool to make connections with people I would never have met before I graduated.”

“The project itself was very eyeopening as well,” she added about the trip. “Thinking about a bunch of different issues and being a more aware person on campus can be a great experience.”

Though her involvement on campus makes her a pretty popular figure on campus, Taylor says that not everybody knows everything about her.

He laugh is contagious and her smile glows, but Taylor admits, like most people, she can be shy when she is around new people. “People see me as energetic, but I can be shy,” she said. “I am a pretty shy person, but definitely ambitious.”

With her Fordham career drawing to a close, Taylor has plenty of advice worth hearing.

First, she says, have more than one group of friends. “It’s one of your last chances to know a lot of people, so take advantage of it,” she says. Second, she says, “get involved early and block your schedule so you have time to do other things.”

Looking back on Fordham, Taylor admits that she will miss the people on campus most of all.

“So many of them just care about so many things, and I really like that I have been involved because it has helped me appreciate the community.”

Review | Television

‘Daredevil’: Binge-Worthy for Marvel Super Fans

By NICOLE FIORICA COLUMNIST

Marvel’s “Daredevil” was not the most hyped release during the spring TV season, but the new Netflix project — the first of several anticipated collaborations with Marvel — still succeeded in wowing viewers and critics with its intriguing story and characters.

For those unfamiliar with the original comic, “Daredevil” is about Matthew Murdock (Charlie Cox, Stardust), a lawyer who was blinded by radioactive chemicals as a young boy.

In true Marvel fashion, he develops heightened senses that allow him to hear or detect things that no ordinary man could, and he uses these abilities to fight crime in Hell’s Kitchen, which has gone downhill since it was destroyed in an incident a year prior (implied to be after the events in The Avengers, although no substan-

tial knowledge of the Marvel universe is needed to watch “Daredevil”).

The show is weirdly specific about staying within the parameters of Hell’s Kitchen, despite the fact that it only comprises about twenty Manhattan blocks. Still, the setting serves as a great starting point for the dark and grim world of crime in which Matt becomes entangled as the show progresses. Far from the glossy costumes that make the “Avengers” famous, Matt simply dons black clothes and a black mask when he takes to the streets, fighting with nothing but his fists.

The result is that he spends about 90 percent of the show covered in bruises, and his ability to recover from fight after fight is a feat in itself.

Matt’s main adversary is crime boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio, “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”), who is probably the best character on the show. Characterized principally by his humanity, Fisk is eerily

compelling when he isn’t a terrifying maniac, and it’s no coincidence that both Matt and Fisk seem to struggle with similar demons. The rest of the supporting cast is also easily lovable, but would be even better with more development.

Matt’s partner Foggy Nelson and their assistant Karen Page are a fun, well-coordinated duo, although Karen could have easily carried a more complex plotline than what she received. Meanwhile, Fisk’s assistant Wesley and his love-interest Vanessa beg for deeper motives as they embody many of the show’s more sinister undertones.

Overall a source of tremendous enjoyment, the straight-shooting plot makes “Daredevil” almost too easily binge-able, considering Netflix probably won’t have more episodes for at least another year.

Thankfully, it’s the kind of show you could just as easily watch several times over.

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

April 22, 2015

SPORTS

Page 15

The Fordham Ram

Baseball Wins Series Against GW on Road

By SAM BELDEN ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

After surviving some early hiccups, Fordham baseball has turned in a solid 13-13 record since March 10, the date of their first home game of the season.

However, prior to last week, a major storyline was the Rams’ disappointing play on the road.

As of last Tuesday, the team had managed just two wins and 12 losses as the visiting team, leaving it with an ugly .143 winning percentage in those games. Even so, there was reason to think that it could reverse that trend.

“I don’t like our record on the road, and I don’t like excuses, but eight of those 12 losses are to No. 13, No. 18 and No. 24 opponents,” head coach Kevin Leighton said at the time. “Hopefully, we can improve that record this weekend.”

Leighton’s Rams did just that.

After dropping a non-conference game to Siena, the team headed down to the nation’s capital for a three game slate against George Washington, one of the Atlantic 10’s best. Thanks to a pair of strong pitching performances, Fordham took two out of three, improving its conference record to 6-6 and serving two losses to the Colonials, now 10-4 against the A-10.

The game against Siena featured Fordham’s only lackluster performance of the week. The Saints got off to an early lead in the bottom of the first, scoring four runs off of freshman David Manasek, who lasted just one inning. While the Rams rallied for two of their own in the second frame, junior reliever Cody Johnson surrendered a pair of additional runs to Siena before leaving in the middle of the fourth inning, giving the Saints a

CHRISTIAN WILOEJO/THE FORDHAM RAM

Baseball has struggled on the road this season, but they turned things around with two wins at George Washington.

lead of four. Fordham scored one more run off of an eighth inning single from sophomore catcher Pat Gardner, but it was not sufficient and Siena won the game by a score of 7-3.

With that loss in the rearview mirror, the Rams headed down to Washington for their series against the Colonials. Thanks to a pair of strong starts from sophomore pitcher Greg Weissert and GW’s Bobby LeWarne, the first game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning, when the home team scratched across a run. In the top of the next inning, however, Fordham’s hitters got hot. First, junior designated hitter Ryan McNally doubled, allowing two runs to cross the plate. Consequently, LeWarne left the game and was replaced by Luke Olson, who retired one batter before surrendering a single to sophomore center fielder Jason Lundy, result-

ing in two more runs for the Rams.

In the next inning, junior catcher Charles Galiano singled through the left side to knock in sophomore right fielder Mark Donadio, extending Fordham’s lead to four.

While Weissert gave up two more runs in the seventh inning, junior reliever Jimmy Murphy was excellent, pitching nearly three innings of shutout ball and saving the 5-3 victory.

The next day, the two teams squared off again. GW got off to an early lead, scoring a run off of junior starter Brett Kennedy in each of the first two innings. From there, however, Kennedy was dialed in, holding the Colonials scoreless for the rest of the game while whiffing seven and walking just one. Fordham’s offense, meanwhile, hit its stride in the fifth inning when junior second baseman Joseph Runco hit a home run, knocking in Lundy and ty-

ing things up. An inning later, junior third baseman Ian Edmiston singled home another run. The seventh and eighth frames were scoreless, and Fordham entered the ninth with a one-run lead. The Rams pulled away on the strength of a solo shot from junior shortstop Joseph DeVito, in addition to a single from sophomore first baseman Matthew Kozuch, which resulted in a pair of RBIs. Working with a three-run lead, Kennedy retired the side in the bottom of the ninth, going the distance and securing Fordham’s second win of the series. The final score was 6-2.

On Sunday, Fordham went for the sweep. They got off to an early lead thanks to DeVito’s RBI single in the top of the second, but from there, the offense went quiet. However, freshman starter Ben Greenberg was effective, surrendering just one run in more

than six innings of work. With the game tied in the seventh inning, junior reliever Joseph Serrapica allowed one too many baserunners, letting the Colonials take the lead off of an RBI single. The rest of the game was scoreless, and the tense pitchers’ duel went to GW by a score of 2-1.

The biggest reason for Fordham’s success in Washington was its pitching. In 26 innings, the Rams surrendered just seven runs — a 2.42 ERA .

“They have been attacking the strike zone and letting our defense make plays,” Leighton said of his pitchers. “We have a strong staff.

They’re throwing really well right now.”

With the two victories, the Rams have improved to 4-14 on the road, a significant improvement from what it had been at the start of the week. They also now boast a record of 6-6 in conference play, remaining tied with LaSalle for seventh in the A-10.

Only the top seven will qualify for the A-10 Championship in the nation’s capital.

“Every conference win matters, so we have to play every game like it’s the game that determines our playoff fate,” said Runco, who got four hits and swiped four bags against GW. This week, the Rams will return to the Bronx, where they have enjoyed the majority of their success this season. After hosting Columbia, they will play a three-game series against Saint Louis. With a 9-3 conference record and 27-12 overall, the Billikens are one of the best teams in the conference, but Leighton likes his squad’s chances.

“Saint Louis is very good and will be a good test for us,” he said.

“If we pitch the way we have been, I think we can beat anyone. I know our guys will be up for this series.”

Women’s Tennis Reaches A-10 Semifinals

By JAKE GROGAN STAFF WRITER

The Fordham women’s tennis team was seeded fifth headed into the Atlantic 10 Championships this past weekend down in Charlottesville, Virginia. Their first opponent in the tournament was the University of Rhode Island, seeded twelfth, a team they beat 6-1 just four days earlier.

The match produced much of the same despite Fordham’s inability to secure the doubles point early on.

Freshman Estelle Wong and senior Julie Leong earned a doubles victory, but the senior pairings of Bella Genkina and Anika Novachek and Sarah Ali and Elliesa Ball both fell in their respective matches. The first four singles matches of the day all ended in straight set wins for the ladies, leading to a 4-1 win for the fifth seeded Rams. Sophomore Destiny Grunin, Leong, Ali and Ball were the victors.

Fordham’s second match of the tournament came against the fourth seeded Davidson Wildcats, who knocked off St. Bonaventure to advance to the quarterfinals. The Rams

CHRISTIAN WILOEJO: THE FORDHAM RAM

Women’s tennis had a successful run in the A-10 Championships but ultimately fell short

bounced back from an early loss from Benkina and Novachek at second doubles to win two of three, one

by Leong and Wong and took other

by Ball and Ali, and take the doubles point going in to the singles round.

Tied at two all after three matches, Ali and Wong came out on top in the second and third spots to secure the victory, resulting in a trip to the semifinals to face the top seeded VCU Rams.

Unable to continue their streak of success, Fordham fell convincingly to the defending and eventual repeat A10 Champions after not scoring a single point in the contest. They dropped the doubles point early,

after Leong and Wong dropped the third doubles set 8-3, and Ali and Ball lost in the first doubles position by a score of 8-4. The singles round produced much of the same, as the VCU women won their first three matches in straight sets to advance to the finals, where they knocked off third seeded Massachusetts. Genkina was the lone victor for the Rams in the semifinals.

While the Rams were unable to take home a conference championship, they did manage to win two straight tournament matches for the first time since 2002 and showed a lot of promise for the future of the program.

While the upcoming graduation will have an impact on the team’s roster, the Rams have two returning stars in Grunin and Wong, two athletes who can anchor a team that might have to depend a little bit more on talented underclassmen in the future.

Regardless of whether or not you consider this past season to be a success for the Rams, it is hard to argue that the team does not have reason for optimism in the coming seasons.

SPORTS

Page 16

April 22, 2015

Sam Belden

Drew Casey

Furyk’s Still Got It

The Pages Can Turn Quickly

More and more, golf is becoming a young player’s game. Exactly half of the world’s top 24 players are 30 years old or younger, the difficulty of reaching the PGA Tour after leaving college notwithstanding.

Jordan Spieth, 21, won the Masters just a couple of weeks ago. Last summer, Rory McIlroy, 25, did him one better by emerging victorious at both the Open Championship and the PGA Championship. Players are coming out of college more polished than ever before and each week the results prove it.

But while professional golf’s youth movement may be alive and well, you cannot count out the older guys just yet. On Sunday, forty-fouryear-old American Jim Furyk went low, shooting a closing 63 at the RBC Heritage to finish eighteenunder par for the clubhouse lead.

Countryman Kevin Kisner tied him with a clutch birdie at 18, but Furyk, known for his accurate play and unconventional swing, hit his ball to within 10 feet of the cup on the second playoff hole, allowing him to don the tartan jacket for the second time in his career. With the victory, he moved to No. 5 in the world rankings and to the 19th spot on the FedEx Cup points list.

For Furyk, a native of Pennsylvania and a nine time Ryder Cupper, the win was long overdue. In the time between his victory at the 2010 Tour Championship and Sunday, he endured a victory drought of almost five years, seemingly losing his ability to close. He had at least a piece of the 54 hole lead on nine occasions but never found the winner’s circle.

Some of his failures to convert can be attributed to the fine play of others — if an opponent gets hot and shoots a Sunday 65, like Tim Clark did at last year’s RBC Canadian Open, then there is only so much that a player can do. More significant were the instances of him cracking under pressure. In the final round of the 2012 U.S. Open, Furyk hit an ugly snap hook into the trees on the 16th hole en route to a bogey. He lost his share of the lead and wound up tying for fourth. Some weeks later, Furyk, holding a one stroke lead, needed only a bogey on the 18th to force a playoff with Keegan Bradley. He was not up to the task, missing a short putt and settling for a double bogey and a tie for second place.

With all of these missed opportunities, many fans — especially younger ones — began to think of Furyk as something of a punchline, a has-been that could not close out a tournament for his life. It was an unfortunate development, especially since the 2003 U.S. Open champion boasts a career that inspires the envy of many of his peers. Thanks to Sunday’s win, Furyk has ensured that he will not be remembered as a bungler and a choker. Instead, we will think of the warrior of a player who dropped his flatstick and let out a primal yell after sinking the final putt of this year’s Heritage. Even if it does wind up being his last victory, he proved a lot of people wrong, and moreover, he proved that people of a certain age can still be a force on the PGA Tour.

In New York, it is all about winning and performing at a high level.

Just ask Alex Rodriguez.

After the Yankees’ series finale with the Rays on Sunday in St. Petersburg, the Bronx Bombers were only 6-6 and in third place in the American League East with 150 games remaining.

People might say the team still has not really gotten into the swing of the season, and they would not be wrong. However, that does not mean that there have not been any impressive performances among the Yanks yet.

I do not like to micro-analyze a short span of games in Major League Baseball, especially in April, but in Rodriguez’s case it must be done.

The thirty-nine-year-old, after being suspended for an entire season for his involvement with Biogenesis and performance enhancing drugs, was hitting a remarkable .316 through the first 12 games of the season.

Not only was he leading the team in average at this point, he was also first among the Yanks with four home runs and 11 RBI. His most impressive performance was his two home run, four RBI night on Saturday. Blasting a solo homer nearly across the bay to Tampa and a two run missile into the left field stands, Rodriguez then delivered what ended up being the gamewinning base hit in the eighth inning.

“I didn’t know what to expect this year, to be honest with you,” Rodriguez told the YES Network’s Meredith Marakovits following Saturday night’s win. “I’m working really hard and just trying to take it one at-bat at a time.”

The approach has certainly worked for the fourteen-time all star, who also led the ball club in slugging and on base percentage entering Monday’s game. His .447 on base percentage prior to the start of the third week of the season might be the most puzzling.

Rodriguez, despite the one-year hiatus from the game, has not lost his eye for the strike zone. In his first 47 plate appearances of the season, the three-time American League most valuable player walked nine times, which was tied for sixth in the league at the time.

That’s nearly once every five plate appearances.

Rodriguez’s performance thus far sheds light on one very important principle.

People care about success in sports, and that is pretty much it.

Success can transcend any previous wrongs, whether perceived or proven.

When was the last time you read an article about Rodriguez’s performance enhancing drug involvement?

I would be shocked if your answer was any time after opening day.

My hat goes off to A-Rod for his early season success.

My only question relates to how the hat will continue to break in as the season continues.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

With a third place finish in New England, the team is ready for what lies ahead at A-10 Championships.

Golf 3rd at New England Division I Championships, A-10s Next

By SAM BELDEN ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

In its final tune-up before the Atlantic 10 Championships, Fordham golf notched a third place finish at last weekend’s New England Division I Golf Championships.

While the Rams sat in second place out of the five teams after a first round 305, they managed only a 318 on Sunday, making them the only team to regress by more than a single stroke. The venue, Newport National Golf Club, is a well-regarded public course designed by architects Arthur Hills and Drew Rogers.

Although freshman Matt Schiller had the lowest two-round score of any Fordham golfer, he was in the field as an individual player, meaning that his rounds of 77 and 74 did not factor into the team score. Still, his strong play landed him in a tie for sixth on the individual leaderboard. The Rams’ lowest counting score belonged to senior Drew Dufresne, who sat just one stroke off of the lead after opening with a 74. On Sunday, however, he shot a 78 and wound up in a tie for eighth.

A similar fate befell senior Ben Alcorn, who matched Dufresne’s 74 on Saturday but was less sharp in the final round, fading to an 81 and a tie for 14th.

“Golf is a very fickle game,” Alcorn said of his second round. “A

couple of poor shots and missed putts can ruin a round. Ultimately, I didn’t perform as well as I should have around the greens.”

He then recounted one of golf ’s old sayings: “drive for show and putt for dough.”

Sophomore Oscar Cabanas finished two strokes behind Alcorn to tie for 16th, shooting rounds of 79 and 78 and essentially maintaining his place on the leaderboard over the course of the two days. Freshman Joseph Trim also turned in a middle-of-the-pack finish, opening with a 78 but closing with an 81. Senior Jeff Hogan shot rounds of 83 and 84, good for fifth-to-last among the field’s 36 players; however, his scores were not factored into Fordham’s total, as only a team’s top four scores from each day were counted.

Additionally, freshman James Mongey and sophomore Hugh LaGrotteria joined Schiller to round out Fordham’s contingent of individual players. The former shot rounds of 74 and 79 to tie for 12th, while the latter signed for twin 81s and tied for 26th.

Rhode Island, the tournament host, was the winner, besting Bryant, its next closest competitor, by a margin of 12 strokes and Fordham by a margin of 28. Rhode Island golfers boasted the top three scores in the field, with medalist Makenzie Denver shooting rounds of 74 and 73 and co-runners up Billy Walthouse IV and

Joseph Leavitt just one stroke behind. Nicholas Marotta and Ryan Tombs, both of Bryanwere the top visiting golfers, ending up in a two-way tie for fourth.

With four tournaments behind it, Fordham’s spring season, once described by Hogan as a “sprint,” is about to come to a close.

On Friday, play at the A-10 Championships will commence at Florida’s Harmony Golf Preserve.

With the high level of competition in the field, the Rams face a tall task, but Alcorn believes that his team has a chance to turn some heads.

“Southern teams like VCU and Richmond bring a lot of solid competition to the field, but we’re up to the challenge,” he said. “I’m confident in the entire team’s abilities, and I expect us to play our hearts out and wear our Fordham colors proudly and with decorum.”

Although the main focus of the week will be trying to go low, this tournament has a special significance to the team’s seniors. It will be the last time that Hogan, Dufresne and Alcorn will compete as Fordham athletes.

“Jeff, Drew and I will enjoy every moment during our last competition as Fordham Rams,” said Alcorn.

They will enjoy it all the more if the Rams are able to keep pace with the rest of the deep A-10 conference.

Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/theram_sports

SPORTS

April 22, 2015

Varsity Scores & Stats

Pat Costello Davis Makes Noise in Playoff Debut The chances of the New Orleans Pelicans beating the Golden State Warriors in any game in the playoffs are very slim, and yet they might have the most intriguing series that the NBA has to offer right now. It’s a battle of the new school superstars, Steph Curry and Anthony Davis. We already know that Curry is a god walking amongst men, yet he wasn’t the best player in Game One. That honor goes to the phenomenal Anthony Davis.

Davis, at only 22 years old, established himself as one of the best players in the NBA this season, but not many people have taken notice due to the out-oftheir-mind play of Curry, James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

For Davis, this series is much more than his first playoff appearance of what could potentially be many. It serves as his foray into the national spotlight, where he gets to play the best team in the NBA. There is no bigger stage than the NBA playoffs, and Davis is primed and ready.

Nobody expected the Pelicans to even be a threat to the mighty Warriors. The Pels were supposed to show up, take their 30 point loss and smile for the cameras while being “just happy to be here.”

Unfortunately for the Warriors, nobody told Anthony Davis. Davis scored 35 points, had seven boards and four blocks and almost single-handedly pushed his team to victory. He came up huge in the fourth quarter, scoring 20 points in an incredible late game push. Had the gap not been so big going into the fourth quarter (8466 Warriors) then Davis would have been the Game One hero.

Tom Ziller of SB Nation perfectly summed up Davis’ awesome performance. “Consider his accomplishment on Sunday, even in a loss. Few teams have been able to stop the Warriors this season, and only two inside Oracle Arena.

Yet he single-handedly made that megalith sweat. He forced Stephen Curry to get off the bench.

He shushed the loudest crowd in the nation. He shut up Green (if only for a moment). He dared [to] step up to the greatest showmen in the NBA right now, and he had the most thrilling highlight,” referring to an incredible alleyoop in which Davis’s armpit was above the rim.

For most players on the worst playoff team, the first round is merely a chance to get their foot in the door and experience four games of playoff basketball. Anthony Davis kicked the door in and nearly did what nobody would have said he could: he beat the NBA’s best team.

As the rest of the series plays out, it will be fun to see how else Davis will torment his opponents.

With a decent supporting cast that includes guards Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans, and big man Omer Asik, they might even have a chance to squeeze out a win.

So say hello to Anthony Davis, the NBA’s newest dominant big man, because he’s here, he’s good and he’s not going anywhere for a long time.

Page 17

Men’s Track Wolfie Invitational

4th

Women’s Track Wolfie Invitational

3rd

Men’s Tennis

Softball Fordham St. Bonaventure

10 2

Fordham St. Bonaventure

3 4

Baseball Fordham Siena

3 7

Saint Joseph’s Fordham

0 8

Fordham George Washington

5 3

Saint Joseph’s Fordham

0 8

Fordham George Washington

1 2

Saint Joseph’s Fordham

0 4

Fordham George Washington

2 6

Rowing Kerr Cup Varsity 8

Fordham Fairfield

4 6

ASA Fordham

7 0

Women’s Tennis Fordham Rhode Island

4 1

Fordham Davidson

4 2

Fordham VCU

0 4

Golf NE D-1 Golf Champs

3rd

Athletes of the Week Joseph Runco

Julie Leong

Junior

Senior

Baseball

Tennis

The speedy second baseman stole six bases over the past week, bringing his season total to 26. He was also solid at the plate, getting four hits (including his first home run of the year) and knocking in a pair of runs in three games against George Washington.

Leong won both of her matches against Davidson, including a tense 7-5 singles victory, helping to propel Fordham to the semifinals of the A-10 Women’s Tennis Championship.

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

News & Notes • Baseball to Host Alumni

Day on Sunday This Sunday, April

26, Fordham baseball will host its annual Alumni Day. Students and members of the public alike are welcome to enjoy a pregame barbecue at Houlihan Park at 11:30 a.m. The Rams will be honoring the 1990 and 2005 baseball teams, two of the winningest in Fordham’s history, as well as members of the Fordham Athletics Hall of Fame. At noon, the game against the Saint Louis Billikens will begin. To register, you can go online or arrive at the field prior to 11 a.m.

• Baseball Defeated By

Fairfield

On Tuesday, Fordham baseball visited the Fairfield Stags and came out on the losing end. The Rams’ offense managed to scratch across four runs over the course of the game, but pitchers Kirk Haynes and David Manasek, both of whom lasted four innings, were unable to stop Fairfield’s batters. The final score was 6-4. Fordham’s overall record fell to 15-23 with the loss.

Matt McCormack

• Gillen Goes Back-toBack, Wins Pitcher of the Week for Fifth Time Softball’s

Rachel Gillen was named the Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week for the second consecutive week and the fifth time this season.

The junior won three games, allowing just three earned runs in more than 18 innings pitched. Two of her starts were complete game shutouts. Her peripherals were also strong: 23 strikeouts to go with just five walks allowed.

•

Men’s Tennis Falls to ASA on Senior Day On Sunday, men’s

tennis played its first and only home match of the spring season, which also served as its Senior Day. They were unable to send their seniors off on a high note, falling to ASA College by a score of 7-0.

Seniors Mischa Koran, Max Peara and J.J. Tauil were honored before the first match.

This week, the team will head to Ohio to begin play at the Atlantic 10 Championships.

– Compiled by Sam Belden

3rd

The Downfall of the Bruins Two seasons ago, they were in the Stanley Cup Final. Last season, they won the President’s Trophy. This year, they missed the playoffs altogether.

Such has been the downfall of the Boston Bruins.

Last Thursday, the Bruins fired general manager Peter Chiarelli after a very disappointing 2014-15 season. After finishing with the best record in the league last season, they missed the playoffs this year for the first time in eight years. They were only the third team to ever miss the playoffs after winning the President’s Trophy the year before. Boston finished the season 41-27-14, two points behind Pittsburgh for the last playoff spot. After being a perennial playoff contender for the better part of this century, how exactly did the Bruins fall this far?

Before the season began, the Bruins were in cap trouble and needed to unload some contracts. They chose to trade Johnny Boychuk to the New York Islanders for two second round draft picks and a third round pick. This trade upset many Bruins fans, and probably some players in the locker room too. Although Boychuk was never the leader of the B’s — that title belongs to Zdeno Chara — he was a leader on the blue line and a role player who always gave it his all. The loss of Boychuk probably hurt the Bruins more than they expected, as they have had trouble replacing his grit and determination.

The Bruins were also plagued by injuries throughout much of the year. This is not an excuse, since all teams have to deal with injuries, but they certainly did not help the cause either. Boston had the ninth-most “Man Games Lost,” which totals the number of games missed by players throughout the season. They were particularly decimated on the blue line, losing almost all of their main defenders at some point or another early in the season, including 19 games missed by captain Zdeno Chara. The loss of Boychuk had already hurt Boston’s defensive depth — these injuries early in the season were too much to overcome.

Perhaps Boston’s more pressing problem this year was their inability to score goals. They only scored 2.5 goals per game, good for only 22nd in the league. Last season, Boston was third in the entire league with 3.15 goals per game. Why the sudden decrease?

The loss of Jarome Iginla as a veteran first-line scorer has hurt them deeply. He moved to the Colorado Avalanche, where he led the team in goals this season. When he was with Boston, he had great chemistry with his line mates David Krejci and Milan Lucic. In the 2013-14 season, he was one of only two Bruins to score at least 30 goals.

His loss affected the Bruins as a unit, since they had to readjust all their lines to make up for his absence, losing the chemistry they had created the previous season. This year’s leading goal scorer for the B’s, Brad Marchand, only totaled 24 goals. That is simply not enough for a team that wants to compete for a Stanley Cup. However the Bruins decide to improve their team, one thing is certain: because of their playoff absence, they will have a very long offseason to figure this all out.

Page 18

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SPORTS

April 22, 2015

Page 19

Rowing Competes at Kerr Cup

By ALEXANDRIA SEDLAK

By ANTHONY PUCIK

STAFF WRITER

SPORTS EDITOR

This past Saturday, the women’s rowing team competed in the Kerr Cup in Philadelphia.

The races took place on the Schuylkill River, and ended well for Fordham rowing. There were three Fordham boats entered in the regatta, a varsity 4 and two varsity 8 boats. Each boat worked hard to bring the team as far as they could.

In the end, the varsity 4 came in fifth in the finals, the second varsity 8 came in third in the finals and the first varsity 8 finished third in the grand finals.

“All our girls raced well in both the heats and finals,” coach Ted Bonanno said. “This is the second year in a row that all three varsity crews qualified for and were highly competitive in the Grand Finals.”

Fordham’s varsity 4 consisted of Dena Bussa, Brynn Fiacchi, Caroline Sneider and Catherine Napoli, with Caitlin Sershon at coxswain. The varsity 4 won its first heat with a time of 8:03.26, finishing before Marist, Temple B, Fairfield and New York University. This allowed the team to advance to the finals, where the Rams placed fifth.

The second varsity 8 came in third in the finals, just behind Drexel and Lehigh, but in front of Temple, Fairfield and Marist.

This boat was rowed by Kelly Leonard, Katie Dillon, Jessica Kammen, Ari Merkle, Jessica LaJoie, Leslie Fung, Sam Cerquiera and Dena Bussa, with Caitlin Sershon at coxswain. They finished their final race with a time of 7:14.66.

The Fordham varsity 8 came in second in its first heat, with a time of 6:47.75. This placed the boat, which consisted of Ashleigh Aitchison, Ashley Hawkesworth, Fiona Murtagh, Kristen Shuman, Maura O’Donnell, Nicole

Arrato, Caroline Hamann and Kerry Egan, with Jackie Ramos at coxswain, right behind Drexel and in front of Lehigh, Rochester, Fairfield and LaSalle. The Rams then moved on to the finals, where they took third with a time of 7:08.61. In this position, they were able to beat Washington College, Villanova and Lehigh, and they finished behind Drexel, who was the winner, and were less than a second behind Temple.

This was a great weekend for the Fordham women’s rowing team, which was thankfully accompanied by some gorgeous weather. They continue to grow and become a stronger team both physically and mentally.

The Rams are always practicing and finding ways to improve, and their hard work and dedication has definitely paid off.

In the words of assistant coach Katie Lane, “The team has been gaining significant speed through each performance, as seen most notably in this past weekend’s races on the Schuykill River during the Kerr Cup.”’ “The varsity 4 won their heat for the first time all season and placed 5th overall out of 16 entries.

The varsity 8 and the second varsity 8 placed third in their respective events while posting some of their fastest times and results for this spring season,” Lane said.

“I’m confident that we will continue this trend of working our way through top competitors over the next two weeks before our A-10 Conference Championships.”

Fordham rowing will be taking a small hiatus from major competitions this weekend, as the next time the team will be competing is Saturday, May 2 in the 2015 A-10 Championships on the Cooper River in New Jersey.

On Saturday, April 18, the longawaited Connor McDavid Sweepstakes essentially came to an end.

The lottery was chosen to see who would end up getting the first overall pick in this summer’s NHL Draft in Florida, with the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes being the heavy favorites to win the lottery. When it was all said and done, however, it was not the Sabres or the Coyotes who came out on top, but the Edmonton Oilers. The Sabres, with a 20 percent chance of winning the lottery, ended up with the second overall pick, the Coyotes, a 13.5 percent chance, got third, and the Oilers, with an 11.5 percent chance, earned their fourth first overall selection in the past six years.

The Oilers last three first-overall picks are still on the team, but haven’t exactly excelled in their young careers. Taylor Hall was the first, chosen in 2010. He scored 22 goals in his rookie season and had a career year last season with 27 goals and 80 points. This season, however, Hall only played 53 games, scoring 14 goals and 38 points, his lowest totals in his NHL career. Next was Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in 2011. He came onto the scene and scored 18 goals and 52 points in his first year, but he only managed four goals and 24 points in 40 games the next year.

He has had 56 points with 19 goals in 2013 and 24 goals in this past season. Finally there’s Nail Yakupov, who was drafted in 2012. He played 48 games and had 31 points in his rookie season but hasn’t really improved much in his last two years. He only had 11 goals and 24 points in 63 games two years ago and 33 points in 81 games this season.

Granted, this Oilers team does not have a good defense, no solidified starting goaltender and is in a great deal of flux, which might attribute to these individuals’, and the team’s, lack of production in recent years. It is a little disconcerting, however, to see them continue to be at the bottom of the NHL with all the talent they have picked up in drafts in recent years.

So, why will McDavid be different? Well, the eighteen-year-old

center has 44 goals and 120 points in 47 games with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League and scored 11 points with Canada’s gold-medal-winning World Junior team. Even though he missed time due to an injury suffered in a fight in the OHL this season, McDavid looks to be as complete a player to come out of the OHL since Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins. And, while it is not certain whether or not the Oilers will for sure draft McDavid, with the numbers he has put up it’s hard to argue against it.

The other option for the Oilers at number one would be center Jack Eichel. The Hobey Baker Award-winning Boston University hockey player scored 26 goals and 71 points this season and is supposedly the second best player in this year’s draft. I don’t think anyone getting that first pick would be passing up on a talent like McDavid, even though Eichel does have great potential as well.

The big question, of course, is whether or not McDavid will fi-

nally be the number one draft pick difference maker that the Oilers need to return to relevance in the NHL, and even with all the talent he possesses, he still might not be able to pull Edmonton out of the hole by himself. McDavid will certainly help solidify a weak center position outside of Nugent-Hopkins for the Oilers and give wingers like Hall, Yakupov and Eberle better chances to score and take some of the weight off them offensively, but there are still major issues on this team. Ben Scrives and Viktor Fasth isn’t exactly the best goaltending tandem in the league, and outside of Justin Schultz and youngster Oscar Klefbom, the defense could really use some work also.

McDavid will obviously be a great addition to the Oilers if they decide to draft him. He has the potential to be a franchise-saving, multiple-year All-Star and MVP caliber player. But, like years previous if the Oilers fail to build the rest of the team around him, it won’t matter all that much.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Nail Yakupov is one of three players drafted first overall by the Oilers recently.

Varsity Calendar HOME AWAY Baseball

Thursday April 23

Friday April 24

Saturday April 25

Sunday April 26

St. Louis 6:00 p.m.

St. Louis 5:00 p.m.

St. Louis Noon

GW (DH) Noon

GW 1:00 p.m.

Softball Men’s Tennis

Atlantic 10 Championship

Track and Field

Penn Relays

Golf RUSTY KENNEDY/AP

With a strong showing at the Kerr Cup, the rowing team is ready for A-10s.

Men’s Soccer

Brick City Champs

Atlanic 10 Championships

LIU Brooklyn 8:00 p.m.

Monday April 27

Tuesday April 28

Wednesday April 29

Manhattan 6:30 p.m.

St. John’s 1:00 p.m.

SPORTS

Page 20

April 22, 2015

The Fordham Ram

Gillen, Offense Lift Softball in Standings

By ANTHONY PUCIK SPORTS EDITOR

The Fordham softball team was riding high coming off a sweep of the UMass Minutewomen on the road. They were 21-16 overall on the season and 7-4 in Atlantic 10 play heading into a mid-week doubleheader with the St. Bonaventure Bonnies on the road Wednesday, April 15.

The Bonnies got the scoring started in the bottom of the second on a Katie Sinclair solo home run off Rams’ redshirt junior starter Rachel Gillen to take a 1-0 lead. Fordham would tie and take its first lead of the game in the top of the fourth on senior Paige Ortiz’s two-run homer to make it 2-1 Rams.

The back-and-forth battle continued into the bottom of the fifth, when Morgan Phillips’ RBI single plated another run for the Bonnies to tie the game at two.

In the sixth, the Rams began to pull away. Gillen hit a two-run home run and a two-RBI single, senior Brianna Turgeon chipped in an RBI single and sophomore Katie Mayer added a two-RBI single allowing seven runs to cross home and give Fordham a 9-2 advantage. The Rams added another run in the top of the seventh on a RBI single by freshman Morgan Figueroa, and Fordham took the first game 10-2. Gillen pitched five strong innings for her 15th win of the season (15-7) and junior reliever Patti Maloney pitched two scoreless innings of relief for the Rams. Starter Carly Bilchak earned the loss for the

JOSHUA KIM/THE FORDHAM RAM

The Fordham softball team’s bats came alive in their recent three-game winning streak, scoring 20 runs

Bonnies (0-3).

Senior starter Michele Daubman got the nod for the Rams in the second game of the doubleheader, and fellow senior Kayla Lombardo’s RBI single in the top of the first gave Fordham an early 1-0 lead. It was a pitcher’s duel between Daubman and St. Bonaventure starter Josie Borysevicz until the top of the sixth, when Fordham plated two more runs on a two-run homer from Lombardo to go up 3-0. In the bottom of the inning, the Bonnies scored three runs on RBI singles by Grace Rooney and Desiree Gonzales and a single by Sinclair that led to an error and scored a run to tie the game at three.

Gillen came on in relief of Daubman to get out of the sixth, but surrendered an RBI single to Gonzalez in the bottom of seventh to give the Bonnies the walk off, 4-3 victory. Gillen sufferd the loss to drop to 15-8 on the season, while Borysevicz earned her eighth victory of the season (8-6).

Fordham returned home to take on the St. Joseph’s University Hawks in a three-game set this past weekend, starting with a doubleheader on Saturday, April 18. In the first game, the Fordham offense got off to a great start once again, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the first. It started with a Mayer RBI fielder’s choice, and then she later scored on a pass

ball. Lombardo and Gillen picked up RBI doubles each, followed

by RBI singles from Daubman and Ianiro. A wild pitch allowed Daubman to score from third, giving the Rams a 7-0 advantage after one.

That was all the run support Gillen would need, as she pitched a five inning shutout, giving up only three hits and striking out 10 while walking none. Van Hoven added an RBI double in the bottom of the third, and Fordham took the game in five innings 8-0. Gillen earned win number 16 (16-8), while Hawks’ starter Madison Clarke suffered just her fifth loss of the season (16-5).

The second game was score-

less until the bottom of the third, when Gillen broke through with a two-run home run to put Fordham up 2-0. Daubman helped out her own cause with a solo home run in the fourth and a three-run homer in the fifth to make it a seven-run contest. Junior Allie Bradian’s RBI single gave Fordham an 8-0 lead and the win as well.

Daubman pitched a five inning, three-hit game for her sixth win of the season (6-7), while Anna Lauterbach suffered the loss for the Hawks (1-3).

The final game of the series on Sunday, April 19 featured a picther’s duel between Gillen and Lauterbach. The score was 2-0 Rams after five innings of play on RBI groundouts by Lombardo and Canessa, but both pitchers were doing exceptionally well against the two best offenses in the Atlantic 10 heading into the weekend.

In the sixth, Gillen helped her cause further by blasting a tworun homer over the left center field seats to make it 4-0. Gillen followed that up by shutting out the Hawks in the seventh to give Fordham the sweep.

Gillen pitched seven innings of two-hit ball while striking out eight for her 17th victory of the year (17-8). Lauterbach pitched six strong innings for St. Joseph’s, with her only mistake on the home run to Gillen, but suffered the loss (1-4).

The sweep improved the Rams to 25-17 overall on the season and 11-5 in conference play. Fordham’s next game is Wednesday, April 22, at Hofstra at 4 p.m.

Men 4th, Women 3rd at Wolfie Invitational

By BRYAN KIEL STAFF WRITER

After sending a small contingent to Virginia for the Mason Spring Invitational, the Fordham track team was represented by 46 runners, jumpers and throwers at the Wolfie Invitational in Stony Brook. Competing against four other teams, the men’s squad tied with Marist for fourth place, while the women placed third out of five teams. Fordham’s individual times were strong, with five event wins and qualification for IC4A competition.

The women’s team featured 27 runners and had event wins in three races. Top runners included junior Danielle Rowe, who led eight Fordham runners with a time of 56:48.

Senior Elise Tigani and freshman Merissa Wright placed second and fourth, respectively, in the race.

In the 800m, senior Mara Lieberman and sophomore Shanna Heaney formed a one-two punch that garnered 18 points for the Rams.

Lieberman finished in 2:14.11, with Heaney just on her tail at 2:14.49.

In the 1500m race, senior Brianna Tevnan finished second with a time of 4:41.45, and freshman Stephanie Leo finished third in the 3000m steeplechase in a time of 11:53.55.

Freshman sisters Kylie and Jessica Farrell represented Fordham

in the jump events. Both sisters scored for Fordham in the triple jump, landing at10.41meters and 10.04 meters, respectively. In the throwing events, senior Caitlin Hart competed in the discus, hammer and javelin events. She did best

in the javelin throw, hitting a mark of 31.82m and finishing in sixth place.

The men’s squad sported nine runners in the 800m, with the top finish coming from senior captain Dan Green in seventh place with a

time of 1:56.03, just out of scoring range. They had better luck in the 1500m though, with juniors Quincy O’Connor and Mike Turi finishing second and sixth, respectively.

In the 3000m, freshman Nik O’Brien won the event with a time

CHRISTIAN WILOEJO/THE FORDHAM RAM

The men and women raced in Stony Brook this past weekend to get tuned up for Penn Relays.

of 8:52.29, while fellow freshman Brian Cook won the 3000m steeplechase and qualified for IC4A competition with a time of 9:14.43.

With senior Jon Annelli redshirting the season, Cook will look to be the top competitor in the steeplechase. “During the race, Jon paced me, then backed out before the finish,” said Cook. “I’m looking forward to the steeplechase at IC4A’s.”

The 4x400 relay team, consisting of seniors Green, Lester Taylor, sophomore Randall Turner and freshman Fritz Heinrich took sixth place and one point towards team competition. Finally, sophomore Nicholas Regan took eighth in the javelin throw with a distance of 55.54m, while senior Pat McGuire took fifth place in the shot put with a distance of 12.65.

On Thursday, Fordham will head down to Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania where it will compete in the internationallyknown Penn Relays.

Hosted annually since 1895, the Penn Relays is the oldest continuously run track and field meet in the world.

The Rams will be one of 41 New York colleges competing at the race which typically sees over 100,000 spectators over the course of three days.