The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham University Community Since 1918 Volume 97, Issue 4
FordhamRam.com F dh R
February F b 11 11, 2015
Reeling From Budget Cuts, Clubs Regroup
Journal From Abroad
By JOE VITALE and LAURA SANICOLA
CAILIN MCKENNA/ THE FORDHAM RAM
Unity in Jordan After Terror Attacks In Amman, where several Fordham students are studying, a recent attack by ISIS has shaken many city residents. Rather than giving into fear, the city has responded with a renewed sense of pride. SEE JORDAN, PAGE 2
Faculty Press Admin to Revoke Degree
Lux Housing To Reside on Arthur
By LAURA SANICOLA
By MICHAEL CHARBONEAU
NEWS EDITOR
When the report from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence brought the issue of torture to the public sphere in Dec. 2014, Professor Orlando Rodriguez was reminded of the talk at Fordham in May 2012. He recalled the protests, the petitions and the polarization of faculty and students surrounding the decision of Fordham’s president to extend an honorary doctorate to John Brennan, President Deputy National Security Advisor for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, FCRH ’77, and to invite him as official commencement speaker for the graduating class. Despite a 2012 petition with 202 signatures, Brennan still received the degree and delivered his speech on Edward’s Parade to several turned backs from the audience. In September 2014, Brennan also SEE BRENNAN, PAGE 3
in this issue
Opinion
Page 7
The Future of Financial Aid: More Harm than Good?
Culture
Page 11
FDM Raises $41K for B+ Foundation
Sports
Page 24 Women’s Basketball Hits Two Game Winning Shots
Michael Bilotti, FCRH ’15, and Benjamin Shull, FCRH ’16, are at a loss. As the presidents of the College Democrats and College Republicans, respectively, the two imagined spending their spring semesters booking political speakers. Last spring, the College Republicans invited Larry Kudlow, host of CNBC’s Kudlow Report, to speak on campus in April. The Democrats, who were allocated less than $50 due to a misfiled form on budget, managed to bring New York City Councilman James Vacca. As an elected official, Vacca could not accept speaking fees. This semester, both groups made sure every form was filled out correctly and handed in on time. Still, each received $100 for the semester. For the first time in several years, no money was allocated for political speakers. They were shocked. “Bringing in political speakers
is the main thing that the political clubs do,” Bilotti said. “Going into budget day this year I had no idea things would be this bad. I didn’t know every single political speaker would be cut.”
Follow the Money An ongoing series covering the 2014-15 budget process and its effect on student life at Fordham.
“[Political speaker events] have generally been some of the best events on campus, and I’m speaking about the College Democrats, too,” said Shull. “Fordham’s whole cura personalis is really exemplified in these speaker events.” Along with a large number of other non-referendum clubs, the two must move forward with substantially smaller budgets. “Last semester we knew going in that we were going to have two speakers and we knew the dates,” Shull said. SEE BUDGET, PAGE 4
STAFF WRITER
The demolition of an abandoned bakery has been completed at 2409 Arthur Ave., the future site of a new student housing project. According to the developer, AB Capstone, construction of the actual building will take place throughout the coming months. Completion is scheduled for the summer of 2016. In a clear gesture to Belmont’s ethnic heritage, AB Capstone has christened the new building Artù Viale, which means “Arthur Avenue” in Italian. It will rise six stories, including retail space on the first floor, community space on the second floor and four floors of student housing. Contrary to reports earlier this fall, the building has not been designated as a community center and will be constructed in accordance with the R6 zoning laws for the area. Joseph Zanzuri, who is spearheading the project for AB Capstone, said that the company had hoped to partner with Fordham in order to gain the community center designation and build higher, but the university declined to participate. “We would have loved to affiliate ourselves with Fordham University,” he said, “but Fordham did not agree to be part of the program.” Regardless, the company is forging ahead with the $30 million project. When completed, the Artù Viale will offer a number of ameSEE HOUSING, PAGE 6
JOE VITALE/ THE FORDHAM RAM
Biologists recently mapped microbial life in New York City and found over 637 types of bacteria on subway stations.
On New York Subway, Scientists Find A World Brimming with Microbial Life By JOE VITALE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The New York City subway carries more than 5 million riders on any given day. It is crowded, it is dirty and, regardless of how many passengers are in any given subway car, teeming with microbial life. Scientists have known this for some time, but a recent scientific study of the subway’s microbial system organized, synthesized and even mapped the findings. The team of scientists, led by Dr. Christopher Mason of Weill Cornell Medical College, combine big data analytics, microbiology and urban research to conduct the study.
Published in Cell Systems, the study shows that it is not only possible, but useful to develop a "pathogen map" — nicknamed a "PathoMap" — of a city with a crowded transportation system. The majority of the 637 known bacterial, viral, fungal and animal species detected were non-pathogenic and represent normal bacteria commonly found on humans, though half of the sequences of DNA they collected could not be identified. Still, nearly 12 percent of the bacterial species sampled showed an association with disease. The group of researchers, which ranged from graduate students to volunteers, sampled thousands of
surfaces in the system, including turnstiles, trashcans, wooden and metal benches, stairway hand railings and kiosks. They also collected samples from the inside of trains. In all, they covered every open subway station in 24 subway lines in five boroughs. The study entered a largely unexplored field. But its contribution was sizable, scientists say, offering an analysis of more than 10 billion fragments of biochemical code. The Bronx, researchers found, is the most diverse borough in terms of microbial species. Brooklyn was second, followed by Manhattan, Queens then Staten Island. In the nearest subway station to SEE SUBWAY, PAGE 2