Volume 97 issue 7 by The Fordham Ram

The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham dh University Community Since 1918 Volume 97, Issue 7

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New House Provisions Pass at SLC

March 11, 2015

Budget to Use Updated Guidelines

By LAURA SANICOLA

By JOE VITALE

NEWS EDITOR

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Student Life Council has approved the official codification of the provisions made in the United Student Government’s 2013 Report on Free Speech and Expression delegating the committee as a point of contact for clubs and organizations who had concerns about content that had been denied through OSLCD. Approval came on Wednesday, March 4, over a year after the House committee’s unprecedented vote to support members of Women’s Empowerment in its performing The Vagina Monologues on campus under Student Life. “Our hope is that clubs are aware of the process and know that we are another resource available to them,” said Ashley Domagola, FCRH ’16 and the chair of the House Committee. The House Committee, a third party created by USG to vote on student issues, began drafting the proposal review process document after working with Women’s Empowerment for The Vagina Monologues event last year. Administrators had originally denied Student Life funding for the performance unless students edited the content of the play to exclude a specific part of the script. (The play was still performed with the help of academic departments.) In the process, House Committee voted to support the club. The process was the first time that the committee had evoked the 2013 provision in the Report on Free Speech and Expression form allowing the committee to vote. “It is generally the same roadmap that we used for Women’s Empowerment last year, but we revised it based on that experience,” Domagola said. The House Committee works with Domagola, USG vice president of Student Life, to develop and propose changes to policies and procedures in all student-programming spaces. According to the USG website, the House Committee meets evetwo years to work with clubs to allocate office space in the

In its updated budget guidelines, United Student Government’s Budget Committee announced a slew of changes that have sorted confusing statements, added clarification where needed and removed needless phrases and rules. The changes have been approved by the Budget Committee, United Student Government (USG), the Office of Student Leadership and Community Development (OSLCD) and Student Life Council (SLC). They will go into effect the next Budget Day. The result is a cleaner document for student leaders to consult, and less reason for them to groan about the budgeting process. There were about 25 major changes to the guidelines, according to a document approved by the SLC at its monthly meeting this month. One of the most significant changes involves the referendum funding process. The rules of the current guidelines require a statement of financial activities from the current academic semester, a list of proposed activities for the coming semester and all documentation required by the Operations committee. With the change, the SEE BUDGET, PAGE 3

HANNAH BUCKLEY/THE FORDHAM RAM

ELAN SAYNAY/THE FORDHAM RAM

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Fordham students continue to study in places like Poland, Morocco, France and Jordan, pictured clockwise above.

Abroad in a War Zone By CAILIN MCKENNA ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Fordham sends 37 percent of students abroad at some point during their ungraduate careers. For many, study abroad offers an opportunity to be exposed to and learn in a new environment. After a semester or a year-long program, students come back with a greater understanding of other cultures, speak new languages and gain experiences out-

in this issue

Page 7 COURTESY OF DYLAN KIM

Christians Debate Legalization of Marijuana

Culture

Spring Concert Appeals to Music Fans of all Genres

Sports

After raising money on Kickstarter, Brandon Kim started Brevite.

By MICHAEL CAVANAUGH

Page 15

Page 19 Track and Field Breaks Three Records

side of Fordham’s classrooms. These Fordham students share this experience with 283,332 other American students abroad annually according to the Institute of International Education’s Open Doors Report.

Backpack Business Finds Its Niche

SEE HOUSE, PAGE 5

Opinion

Students study in cities facing global conflict

STAFF WRITER

Since its launch in 2009, Kickstarter has provided a simplified way for people from all walks of life to obtain funding for creative projects spanning many different fields. The nearly 214,000 launched projects to date have raised an incredible $1.58

billion, with $1.34 billion going toward successfully funded projects, defined as those which reach or surpass their funding goal. According to Kickstarter’s website, 38.95 percent of launched projects — nearly 80,000 — are successful, with nearly 75 percent of these raising less than $10,000. Recently, however, a Fordham

student and his two brothers managed to run a Kickstaarter campaign for their jointly started company that not only fell into that percentage of projects which found success, but also found itself surpassing the $10,000 mark with money to spare. Brevitē is a backpack company founded by Brandon Kim, FCRH ’15, and his younger twin brothers, Elliot, an economics and social policy undergrad at Johns Hopkins University, and Dylan, a psychology and marketing undergrad at Syracuse University. Together, the Kim brothers were able to take their idea for a backpack for the “student photographer who was looking to protect their gear without sacrificing honest and intuitive design” and bring it to fruition. Brandon recalls that the concept for their innovative backpack came, in part, from Dylan’s passion for photography. “Dylan is a passionate photographer,” said Brandon, “but he found himself leaving his camera at home since he had no effective way to carry it with his books for class. All the other camera bags on the market either lacked the space or had no effective way to remove the camera compartment.” In the summer of 2014, after enSEE BACKPACKS, PAGE 5

Study abroad poses many challenges for students, including language and cultural barriers, and forces them to adjust to a new set of norms in a new location. “There was definitely an adjustment period at first, and I have learned to expect the unexpected most of the time,” said Nora Gutekanst, FCRH ’16, who is spending the semester in Rabat, Morocco. “I am still learning the language and there are cultural SEE ABROAD, PAGE 2

Sustainabilty Pressed at Fordham By ERIN SHANAHAN ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Decisions regarding the sustainability of Fordham’s campus were presented this past Monday at USG Center Stage: Campus Sustainability Dialogue. The event is a part of Fordham Sustainability Week, hosted by USG’s Fordham Sustainability Committee and Students for Environmental Awareness and Justice. At the event, the Sustainability Council announced their plan to reduce Fordham’s carbon footprint by 2017 as well as some future initiatives. The event took place in Campbell Commons at 5:30 p.m. with the intention of discussing topics such as the sustainability culture on campus, sustainability initiatives currently being pursued by the university and the committee, sustainability initiatives that the University should be pursuing, as well as “The Sustainability Guide.” The sustainability guide is the committee’s main sustainability outreach initiative. The guide shares the best ways to live susSEE SUSTAINABILITY, PAGE 3

NEWS

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PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS

March 4 McGinley Center 9 p.m. An unknown individual broke into a locker room in the basement of McGinley Center. The locker was located in the Sodexo locker room and belonged to a Sodexo employee. None of the employee’s property was removed from the locker. The lock on another locker was tampered with, but the locker had not been opened. Public Safety is investigating. March 6 The Blue Goose Tavern 11:30 p.m. A female student arrived at The Blue Goose Tavern, and placed her jacket on a nearby table. When she returned to the table a half hour later, the jacket was missing. The jacket also contained her room key. A locksmith came to change the lock on her room, and she was given a new room key. The jacket has not been returned to its rightful owner. Public Safety is still investigating. March 9 McGinley Center 6 p.m. Students in McGinley were forced to evacuate after a fire alarm was activated. When Public Safety arrived at McGinley Center, they found no fire and no injury. It is unknown what caused the fire alarm to go off, but Public Safety is continuing to investigate what caused the fire alarm to sound off. Public Safety reset the system and students were allowed to reenter the building.

—Compiled by Cailin McKenna, Assistant News Editor

March 11, 2015

Far From Home, Students Amid Conflict FROM ABROAD, PAGE 1

the language and there are cultural differences between myself and my host family.” However, while adjusting to a new surrounding is common among students studying in a different country, some are faced with an entirely different obstacle. It is possible that students will find themselves in areas of ongoing conflict, including both domestic and international disputes. Particularly in volatile regions of the world, the focus of an experience abroad shifts as students find themselves studying in the middle of a war zone. Before her arrival in Morocco, Gutenkanst was worried about the unrest in neighboring countries and conflict within the Middle East Northern Africa (MENA) region. “I was anxious about what to expect and what would unfold in the region throughout the semester,” she said. “And if that could in anyway affect my time in Morocco.” “Fordham University's Study Abroad office monitors safety and security situations worldwide with the support of the United States Overseas Security Advisory Council,” said Joseph Rienti, the director of the International and Study Abroad Programs (ISAP). “We also remain in contact with all of our host institutions to closely monitor safety situations on-site.” Although every incident requires a different response, ISAP has many guidelines in place for students abroad in areas of turmoil and instability. On the website, ISAP shares guidelines with family members, including the establishment of a communication plan, routine contact and contact with the local program staff. The website also says that the evacuation of students is very rare and would not occur unless recommended or required by either U.S. Embassy or the State Department. “My parents were more concerned about the issues than I was, which is a general theme with most students studying here,” said Mostafa Elmadboly, FCRH ’16, who is abroad in Amman, Jordan. “That said, it never hurts to know the context you’re traveling in.” Prior to departure, ISAP encourages students to register with the US State Department Smart Traveler Enrollment Program, which provides up-to-date information. “Students receive information about security and how to conduct themselves should a local or international crisis occur,” Rienti said. Several Fordham students abroad

COURTESY OF FLICKR

ISAP has guidelines which prepare students for emergencies while studying abroad in places like Syria, pictured above. in Jordan found themselves in this exact situation in early February. On Feb. 2, the Islamic fundamentalist group based in Syria, ISIS, released a video of a captured Jordanian pilot being burned alive. Jordan, a country nestled between Israel and the Arab world, has remained stable throughout many of the devastating conflicts that have bombarded the Middle East. The release of the video was met with backlash from Jordanian citizens and ultimately, the decision of the reigning monarch King Abdullah II to attack ISIS in Syria. Elmadboly was in Jordan’s capital city, Amman, when these events unfolded. He and his peers were advised about the situation, but the region’s future remains unclear. ISAP reached out to students in the area. “I received an email pretty much repeating the same information we’d gotten from the embassy and from program staff,” said Elmadboly. The local program took action for the safety of students as tensions increased in Jordan following the attack. “Classes were canceled the day after we learned about the pilot’s death,” said Elmadboly. “There was an increased security presence in the days after.” Students were also advised to stay alert, keep a low profile, avoid protests and follow any news updates. In its college student section, USA Today published an article on July 22, 2014, about students abroad in Israel amid the latest Israel-Gaza conflict. Violence between conflicting military groups intensified this summer after three young Israeli students were kidnapped and murdered. On July 2, a Palestinian man was killed in Jerusalem in response to the event, provoking Hamas to launch airstrikes at Israel. The article, titled “Israel-Gaza Conflict Impacts

American Study Abroad Students,” chronicled the experiences of several American students abroad in Israel last summer at the time of the attacks. Jessica Tannenbaum, a junior at Georgetown at the time, had been in Israel for three weeks before the attack, according to the article. She was surprised at how accustomed both Israeli and Palestinians had grown to the violence. “I learned how to cope in this new reality by observing everyone around me,” she wrote in a post on her blog, which was quoted in the article. “In the face of the escalating conflict, life here in Jerusalem, besides the occasional security cautions, carries on as usual,” she wrote. Students outside of war zones can still feel the effects of conflict in neighboring countries. “Students from Ukraine are coming to my program in Warsaw and having to withdraw before completing to go home and help their family and their country,” said Alexandra Leen, FCRH ’16, who is studying abroad in Warsaw, Poland. “I'm not sure if they have many study abroad programs running right now, especially in the more volatile areas like Kiev, Donetsk, etc.” Gutenkanst also feels the effect of Middle Eastern conflicts such as the crisis in Syria. “I have learned that there are problems with sub-Saharan migrants and also the number of Syrian refugees entering Morocco looking for sanctuary here,” she said. “Sadly, I have even seen a few Syrian refugees on the streets in Rabat asking for help.” In general, Fordham ISAP takes many steps to ensure the safety of students abroad. Due to ongoing conflict in the region, many areas and countries are off-limits. “There are a fair amount of places we’re not allowed to travel to,” said Elmadboly.

“Northern and Eastern Jordan is offlimits, and we can’t leave the country for Iraq and Syria, obviously.” Although Gutekanst was isolated from the events in Jordan, the environment of Morocco is still dominated by conflict in Northern Africa. The closed border between Algeria and Morocco makes travel to other countries in North Africa difficult. “The border is essentially closed because of conflicts [over the Western Sahara] between the two nations,” said Gutekanst. “It is officially closed but many people do find illegal ways to enter.” Even students studying abroad in stable regions can find themselves amid conflict. Writing in The Fordham Ram, a student traveling abroad documented her experience in Paris following the terrorist attacks on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. “The attacks against Charlie Hebdo specifically were aimed at the press, and the more I spoke with French people about the attacks, the more I understood the broader consequences of the assault on the nation,” the student, Elizabeth Zanghi, FCRH ’15, wrote. While Zanghi was not associated with an academic program during the shooting, upon returning to her study abroad destination, she was in the middle of an event that received international tension. Despite the hostile and tumultuous environment of the MENA region, both Gutekanst and Elmadboly have made the most of their experiences abroad. “My experience has been great,” said Elmadboly. “Amman is a great city, and Jordanians are extraordinarily friendly.” “Before coming here I heard of the phrase ‘Moroccan Hospitality,’” Gutenkanst said. “I have this to be for the most part very true, especially in regards to my host family who are great people.”

This Week at Fordham Thursday March 12

Thursday March 12

Latino Dance Classes

Social Justice and Sustainability

McGinley Ballroom 5:30 p.m. El Grito De Lares, a dance group, will be hosting a dance class this Thursday. The class in McGinley Ballroom will teach Fordham Students Latin dance moves.

Dealy 301 5:30 p.m. USG’s Fordham Sustainability Committee and other campus groups will gather to discussion the relationship between social justice and sustainability. They will talk about topics such as ecofeminism and sustainable development.

Thursday March 12

Monday March 23

People Planet Profit

Ramily Fued

Hughes C04A 7 p.m.

McGinley Ballroom 1 p.m.

Fordham alum, Gerard Frsicia, GSB ’12, currently employed at Deloitte Sustainability, will lead a talk this coming Thursday. The discussion will cover the profitability of sustainability for business and how to integrate sustainability into corporate planning.

This kick-off event for Commuter Student Week will feature hundreds of dollars in prizes as well as delicious mexican food. Teams of four will be invited to participate in this interactive trivia game. This event is open to commuters and residents.

For more campus events, visit FordhamRam.com

Tuesday March 24 Rodrigue’s Open Mic Rodrigue’s Coffee House 8 p.m. Join Rodrigue’s Coffee House for their March open mic. The event allows students to perform music, poetry, spoken word and show off other talents. There is no sign-up required. The event is free.

NEWS

March 11, 2015

Page 3

Budget Committee Simplifies Guidelines FROM BUDGET, PAGE 1

committee would require “proof of purchases from time of the last budget submission to the current budget submission.” Two rules have also been added to the referendum process, though they have been followed in practice. All amounts requested that surpass the referendum amount will face the same budgeting rules that apply to nonreferendum clubs. Another rule now formally included is that a referendum club cannot receive less than the referendum amount unless sanctioned or having an incomplete budget packet. “These are rules that we have been following in practice but are never stated in the handbook, so we wanted to make this information clear and available to clubs,” Kara Norton, FCRH ‘15, VP of Finance and chair of the Budget Committee, said during the SLC meeting when the changes were approved. In reviewing the handbook, the committee was confused by some terms that were never defined in the handbook. One example is the term “good standing.” One rule, for example, states: “The student club or organization must be registered and in good standing with the Operations Committee before a budget request can be submitted to the Budget Committee.” Still, “good standing’ is not explained in the specific rule or in an appendix. To add clarification to this term, the new guidelines define “good standing” as having submitted an Operations packet that semester. Another change involves prizes. The guidelines once prohibited prizes at events, but the new guidelines allow prizes with the

caveat that “access to the prize is open to the Fordham community.” Some rules have been added to the packet simply to increase clarification. A rule that once said “all clubs funded by SLC must be open to all Fordham students who meet the requirements for membership” was found to be rather vague, and was changed to clarify what this means. A petition rule that may appear more important is regarding allocations. The committee once allowed funds to be reallocated toward other club purposes, so long as it was approved. Now, reallocations will not be approved for an event after the event date has passed. Citing confusion about which event date is covered — old or new — the committee now clarifies that the original date cannot have passed. Additionally, each club is limited to reallocating three events. Under the new rule, any request exceeding $100 must be determined by the committee to be essential to the event, as is currently required. In addition, there will be a training session for the new handbook section beginning March 10. There will also be drop-in office hours during the week of March 23, according to an email sent to all club readers. The email also stated that clubs approved this semester are not required to complete an operations packet, though clubs that were approved in the fall semester must fill out an operations packet in order to receive funding. Budget packets for all campus organizations are due at 11:59 pm on March 30.

CASEY CHUN/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Many seminars discussing racial issues were held around campus in honor of the Week of Reflection on Race Relations.

Students Reflect on Racial Issues By EDDIE MIKUS STAFF WRITER

Fordham University designated the period from March 1 to March 8 as a Week of Reflection on Race Relations. Events conducted during the Week of Reflection on Race Relations included a kickoff Mass at the University Church on March 1, an “Undoing Racism Collective Community Gathering” on March 2 and a Diversity Conference on March 4, according to an email from Bob Howe, the university’s senior director of communications, to The Fordham Ram. Additionally, Campus Ministers delivered reflections at the 12:05 p.m. mass each day during the week, and two of the university’s Integrated Learning Communities held seminars on racial issues. The university also had planned to conduct a showing of the film “Fruitvale Station,” which documents the shooting of Oscar Grant, an African-American who was shot by police in San Francisco. But that event was postponed due to a snowstorm on Thursday. Rev. Joseph M. McShane S.J., president of the university, spoke about the state of American race relations during his homily at the

AP FILE PHOTO

USG Sustainability Committee plans to work to reduce Fordham’s carbon footprint within the next two years.

Sustainability Week Works Toward a a More Eco-Friendly University FROM SUSTAINABILITY, PAGE 1

tainably on campus, which will be officially released after Sustainability Week. The event was created to act as a venue for students to share their complaints as well as ideas in regards to sustainability at Fordham. “Administrators want to understand what students prioritize, what they think works and what doesn't in terms of sustainability.” USG President Pro Tempore, Anisah Assim, FCRH ’16,

shared, “We're hoping that this event can provide administrator's with that launching point.” Assim presented the purpose of the Sustainability Council at the Center Stage Dialogue, as well as their future plans. “Fordham itself has a large environmental impact,” Assim stated. “As a college campus, we believe that Fordham should be the place where a student’s engagement with sustainability either begins or is reinforced. Sustainability issues are the issue of

our generation and we need to be prepared to meet them.” The council was created to ensure the progress of sustainability on campus. “The university is on track to hit it's goal of reducing carbon emissions by 30% from 2005 levels by 2017,” Assim shared. To continue to improve our campus’ sustainability, the committee plans to change windows on campus, begin an initiative to install more efficient boilers, improve the fuel efficiency of all Ram Vans, install solar

opening Mass. “In our country at this time, the destructive power of such patterns and behavior has become all too evident in the area of race relations,” McShane said during the homily, which focused on how God loved all people despite the fact that human populations often develop severe enmity between each other. “In the aftermath of the events and incidents that occurred throughout our country and in our own city in the past few months, we can and do rail about unjust social systems—and with good reason.” “We speak passionately about the need to dismantle the sacraments of evil that we see in our world. And let us make no mistake about it. There are unholy sacraments of evil all around us, outward signs of cruelty and inhumanity that people create and that which we live and to which we sometimes contribute,” McShane said. “My sisters and brothers, during this holy season of Lent and during what I hope will be a gracious week of campus-wide reflection on race relations. I think we have to admit up front that the challenges we face in the area of race relations are not merely

political, or social, or economic. They are moral challenges,” McShane concluded. In an email message to The Fordham Ram, Tochi Mgbenwelu, FCRH ’15, president of ASILI, the black student alliance at Fordham, said that she hoped the week would allow for more open discussion of racial issues on campus among students. “ASILI's meetings and events throughout the year are founded on reflecting on race relations,” Mgbenwelu said. “We hope that this week will aid students in seeing the world from a varying point of view than theirs. We also hope this week opens dialogues about race. I feel as though at times students tend to be uncomfortable talking about race and I really do hope this week pacifies that discomfort.” However, Mgbenwelu also said that her organization did not play a major part in planning events for the Week of Reflection on Race Relations. “ASILI does not play a large role in the planning of this week,” Mgbenwelu said. “From my knowledge, we weren't approached to plan it or even really told about it. I personally have not seen much advertisement for it.”

panels as well as increase number of LED-certified buildings. “The committee, the student group that is a part of the council,” Assim added, “has several goals outside such as increasing the number of recycling bins on campus, increasing outreach to students, and installing a green roof on campus.” However, the overall goal of the Sustainability Committee is to create student awareness in regards to sustainability. The committee hopes to generate student awareness regarding sustainability. “Sustainability Week is a huge part of our outreach strategy.” Assim said, “The goal of the week is to engage students in sustainability from several different perspectives.” The committee hopes to make sustainability a part of other major campus events such as New Student Orientation and Spring Weekend. “Additionally, we are hoping to create an eco-rep position in every dormitory to oversee outreach in every dorm. Those in these positions would be in charge of overseeing a sustainable move-in ad move-out and providing outreach programing throughout the year.” Moreover, Fordham’s website mentions little about sustainability nor displays a known policy in regard to sustainability. The committee hopes to work with the university to create an official sustainability page on the Ford-

ham website. Sustainability week will conclude tomorrow, Thursday, March 12, with four events. The second “Green Talk,” presented by the Fordham Sustainability Committee and Gabelli School of Business at 1 p.m. in Keating 3rd, will feature Fordham Professors who will be exploring the relationships between their own disparate disciplines and sustainability. PSJ, Women's Empowerment and Fordham Engineers Without Borders will be discussing social justice and sustainability. Topics such as ecofeminism, sustainable development and environmental theology will be explored in Dealy 301 at 5:30 p.m. Later, at 7 p.m., the Gabelli School of Business and The Fordham Sustainability Committee will present People, Planet, Profit: a discussion featuring a triple Fordham alum and Deloitte Sustainability employee, Gerard Friscia. After Sustainability Week, the committee will release the Sustainability Guide along with several other resources on sustainability to the student body. The committee will also begin our classroom outreach program. “Our main focus, however, will be bringing to completion all of our other initiatives and preparing for what we want to accomplish next year,” Assim concluded.

NEWS

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March 11, 2015

Fordham Alum Honored for Catholic Relief Service Work By ERIN SHANAHAN ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

After a decade of work with Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Sarah J. Weber, GSAS ‘05 was given the Swanstrom-Baerwald Award for her achievements as a leading expert in the management of global health grants. Fordham University presented the award to Weber this past Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in a packed Keating Hall. The Swanstrom-Baerwald Award recognizes members of the Fordham community who promote international peace and development while excelling in the service of faith. Several major names in the political and Catholic domain were in attendance, including Archbishop Bernadito Auza, apostolic nuncio and permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, Dr. Henry M. Schwalbenberg, director of the Graduate Program in International Political Economy and Development (IPED), Michele Broemmlesiek, executive vice president for Overseas Operations CRS and of course, Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of the university. Each of these guests spoke at the event highlighting CRS, the Catholic community, the global society

and Weber’s role in all three domains. Weber graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1997. She specialized in environmental studies and social sciences and was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship. Weber spent a year in Botswana where she studied a small-scale community and helped facilitate the development of natural resources. After her time in Africa, Weber returned to the U.S. and began studying at Fordham University as an Arrupe Fellow. Through the program, Weber visited Northern Mali as a part of her microfinance graduate studies. In 2005, through Fordham’s graduate program in International Political Economy and Development (IPED), she earned her MA degree with distinction. With CRS, Weber has worked on many projects in several different countries. In Ghana, Weber assisted in the designs for a water and sanitation project. In June of 2005 she was deployed to Monrovia, where she played a key role in the development of a post-resettlement program. Afterward in Benin, she led a startup of a Global Fund grant to combat malaria. Recently, Weber has worked in Baltimore at CRS’ headquarters, providing tech support to country teams for a Global Fund public health portfolio worth over $105 million.

CHRISTIAN WILOEJO/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Sarah Weber, a Fordham alum, received the Swanstrom-Baerwald Award on Wednesday for her humanitarian work.

The ceremony began with an opening prayer from Archbishop Bernadito Auza. After his prayer, McShane welcomed the audience and introduced all the on-stage guests. In addition, McShane made a few comments regarding Auza and Dolan's involvement with Pope Francis’ visit to New York City this coming September.

CASEY CHUN/THE FORDHAM RAM

Chipotle Comes to Fordham Plaza Last year, the Fordham administration opted not to place the Mexican grill food chain Chipotle in place of The Grille in O’Hare Hall. Disappointed students were met with exciting news early this week, when Chipotle announced the opening of a restaurant in Fordham Plaza. Chipotle is slated to open in Fordham plaza in mid-April.

“I don’t want you to pressure them,” McShane assured the students in the audience, “but I do want you to convince them that this [Fordham] is where the Pope should come visit.” McShane then returned to Weber and praised her for her service to the developing world as well as the Church. “She has lives the mission of the university in a spectacular way, I would say emulating the good shepherd,” McShane said. Afterward, Schwalbenberg gave a brief introduction and history of the Swanstrom-Baerwald Award. The award is named after two people: Professor Friedrich Baerwald and former Bishop Swanstrom. After fleeing Germany for the U.S. due to his involvement in the German Catholic Party and the German Labor Ministry during the rise of socialism, Baerwald published a paper about the German economy during the interwar period and joined Fordham’s department of political philosophy and the social sciences in 1935. Then, Swanstrom studied under the tutelage of Baerwald. Eventually, Swanstrom went on to help found the CRS and served as executive director from 1947 until 1976. Finally the award was conferred to Weber by Dolan. Dolan ex-

pressed his love of Fordham and how he “feels at home.” “You learn a lot of things here at Fordham,” Dolan commented, “but one thing I never want you to forget is CRS and its alliance with Fordham.” Dolan also recounted an interaction with Hillary Clinton following the devastation in Haiti after the 2010 Earthquakes. According to Dolan, Clinton stated to him that the devastated country needs three things, “The Catholic faith, CRS and Archbishop Bernadito Auza.” He asserted that the success of CRS is due in part to Weber and her work and proudly concluded, “Way to go Sarah.” With Weber’s acceptance, she also premiered CRS’s newest video to educate those about the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. She also shared her biggest challenge with her work. “It’s scary investing everything you have and not knowing if you’ll get the results you're looking for,” Weber explained. “To really make change, to really be like the people we hold dear in Catholic social teaching, we must not only commit but also care,” said Broemmelsiek in his closing remarks. “And today we are recognizing someone who does just that.”

Campus Briefs & Bites Panel Explores the New Norm of US-Cuban Relations On Feb. 16, Fordham held a discussion with a panel of Cuban scholars at the Lincoln Center campus. The panel discussed the impact of the recent news regarding diplomatic relations between U.S. and Cuba. As of Dec. 17, news broke that full diplomatic relations would be restored between the two countries. A U.S. embassy will be placed in Havana. The panel discussing this political advance included Margaret Crahan, Ph.D., director of the Cuba Program at the Institute for Latin American Studies at Columbia University. Sujatha Fernandes, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology at Queens College, CUNY and author of Cuba Represent: Cuban Arts, State Power and the Making of New Revolutionary Culture, also attended the event. Finally, Achy Obejas, Cuban-American author of the novels Ruins and Days of Awe, and a translator, journalist and blogger also sat on the panel.

Bharara Challenges Corruption Despite Criticism At the Spring symposium for the Fordham Law Review, Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, discussed the evils of corruption in Albany. The event occurred March 6 and interestingly occurred after Bharara recently made public statements about corruption while prosecuting a former Assembly Speaker, Sheldon Silver. At the event, Bharara called for students to take action. He asserted that corruption would continue in America unless good people find the courage to no longer stand by and watch it occur. “To put it in blunter New York terms: if we can clean up Times Square, can we really not clean up Albany?” said Bharara. “Just give the people a long-enough lever and a place to stand.”

Film Preaches Forgiveness The Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies hosted the film screening of a documentary about nonviolence in a post-9/11 world. The Curran Center was also involved in the production of the film. The subjects of the documentary, Orlando and Phyllis Rodriguez, lost their son, Gregory, in the 9/11 attacks. Following the death of Osama Bin Laden while many celebrated, the Rodriguez family refused to celebrate revenge. Instead they chose to become the voice of nonviolence and forgiveness. Orlando Rodriguez, a member of Fordham’s department of sociology and anthropology, has used his experience at a Catholic university to further understand the connection between human nature and violence. The documentary about their road from grief to forgiveness titled Not in Our Son’s Name premiered at Fordham on Feb. 24 in the Keating auditorium. Gerry Blaszczak, S.J., moderated a question and answer session following the screening.

Donation Fund New Orthodox Christian Studies Chair Philanthropists Solon and Marianna Patterson recently made a donation to allow for the establishment of the Father John Meyendorff & Patterson Family Chair of Orthodox Christian Studies. The installment of a second chair will further enhance the new Orthodox Christian Studies program and will work with the Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture. The new chair will be announced in summer of 2015 and installed on the evening of Monday, Oct. 5 ,at the Rose Hill campus.

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

NEWS

March 11, 2015

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Student-Run Company Hits the Jackpot FROM BACKPACKS, PAGE 1

rolling in the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Industrial Design Summer Program, Brandon found himself in an optimal position to make the brothers’ concept a reality. He decided to create a prototype for the backpack as his final project for the program. “I brought home the first prototype to show my brother and he immediately saw the practicality of it,” said Brandon. He then went on to explain how he and his brothers spent time critiquing and improving on the initial design, drawing up a number of paper models before seeking out a manufacturer. Then they needed just one more thing: funding. “Kickstarter seemed to be the obvious option [for funding], as camera backpacks have seen great success on this platform,” said Brandon. So, on Jan. 26, 2015, after months of preparation, which included increasing Brevitē’s online presence as much as possible, the Kim brothers’ Kickstarter campaign officially launched. It was an overwhelming success. Choosing your target fund-

raising goal is a key part of any Kickstarter campaign. As its own website states, “Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing in more ways than one.” Those who pledge money toward a project are not charged unless the project successfully reaches, or surpasses, its fundraising goal. As a result, overestimating your financial supporting going into a campaign is the catalyst for many failed Kickstarters. “In our Kickstarter campaign, we aimed to raise $30,000 in order to fund our first manufacturing run,” said Brandon. They had no problem doing that. The project’s 238 backers, overfunding their project by 27 percent, pledged more than $38,000 by Feb. 26. “We sold over 230 backpacks on Kickstarter and continue to get more orders every day,” said Brandon. “We are very optimistic for the future and hope to expand our backpack line by producing innovative products.” According to Brandon, one of the most important factors in running a successful Kickstarter campaign is transparency. For their company’s product, this

meant constantly updating current and potential backers with as many photographs of their product as possible, as well as creating a high quality video which showcased its functionality and aesthetics. Brandon described the process as being “incredibly precise and personal,” with many close friends contributing to the campaign by acting in the video and helping to increase their campaign’s media presence. Brandon and his brothers were also able to find help from the Fordham community via The Fordham Foundry, a partnership between the Center for Entrepreneurship at Fordham University and Small Business Services of the City of New York, which strives to create and grow small business. “They provided a community of other entrepreneurs to champion me during my campaign,” Brandon said of the Fordham Foundry. “Leading up to the campaign, members were able to offer their particular skills that helped bring us to success. During the prelaunch stage and during the actual campaign, the members within The Foundry served as an

invaluable source of information and mentorship.” For fellow entrepreneurs, students or otherwise, Brandon believes strongly that building a following as early as possible is one of the keys to success. Taking advantage of easy ways to spread the word about one’s company online is a big part of this. “Automation was very important,” said Brandon. “We used innovative automation to help do more work than our team could handle alone.” Brandon and his brothers used Thunderclap, among other outlets, to help increase Brevitē’s online and social media presence. Used by the White House and numerous celebrities to spread the word about campaigns of all types, Thunderclap, “allows a single message to be mass-shared, flash mob-style” so that even someone with a small social media following can attract supporters. To fellow entrepreneurs, students or otherwise, Brandon gives the following advice: “Everything will take one day to learn and one day to execute.”

ANNIE LEAHY/THE FORDHAM RAM

The entrepreneurial skills of Fordham senior Brandon Kim and his brothers have earned them success as undergrads with the help of Kickstarter.

Committee’s New Proposal Passes at SLC FROM HOUSE, PAGE 1

basement of the McGinley Center; it is an ongoing priority of the House Committee to discuss issues that these organizations face and find ways to resolve them. The Committee assists the VP of Student Life with programming put on by USG including Festivus Fordhamenisis, the Gaudete Sunday tree lighting and the Hanukkah menorah lighting. According to the provisions, if a club is coming to the regularly-scheduled House Committee meeting to present a case, the meeting must be scheduled for a time in which twothirds of the voting members of the House Committee can be in attendance. Voting members include: an adviser to the House Committee, the vice president of United Student Government of Student Life, a member of the organization and a staff member from OSLCD (which may also be the adviser to the House Committee). The meeting is set up so that the club and OSLCD can state their argument either supporting or refusing to support a given proposal. The House Committee made motion to discuss the proposal, and the chair and committee can decide whether discussions should take place internally or exist between the two groups. Following “Robert’s Rules of order and the House Committee by-laws,” a member of the committee is able motion to vote to support or not support the proposal on the table at any point during the House Committee meeting. In the event that the majority of the vote is yes, the vice president of Student Life will write a statement of support for the club/organization. Since The Vagina Monologues, the House Committee has not heard any proposals from students on policyrelated matters. “The process is new, so clubs and organizations may be unaware that this option exists. But, another reason [the House is not widely utilized] could be that students do not want to go through the additional meetings.” All regularly scheduled House Committee meetings are open to the public.

Fordham to Field Climate Survey on Sexual Misconduct By JOE VITALE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Fordham will soon be conducting a survey to learn more about campus attitudes toward sexual misconduct, according to the Dean of Student’s office. Administrators decided to conduct a climate survey, which will be distributed online and answered anonymously, during its annual goal-setting process this past summer. In addition to providing information about instances of sexual assault on campus, administrators hope that responses will help them more clearly understand student perceptions toward sexual assault. A climate survey is not required of the university, but Christopher Rodgers, dean of students, believes that it will be a positive step for the university. “Though such a survey is not

required of colleges and universities and we have had a variety of other surveys in place that gather sexual misconduct-related data for some years, we are determined to keep Fordham ahead of the curve,” Rodgers said. While it is tailored to Fordham students, the survey will bear resemblance to the climate survey guide for college universities and colleges released by the White House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault. The Task Force, which is cochaired by the Office of the Vice President and the White House Council on Women and Girls, released an extensive report on sexual assault in colleges in April. The report was followed by a guide for campuses to conduct large surveys for collecting data about students. “Working through the year with our partners in the Department of Public Safety and the

Equity and Compliance/Title IX areas, we have developed a survey that uses the White House’s ‘Not Alone’ model climate survey but that is customized for Fordham,” Rodgers said. The survey, through specific sets of questions, will help assess specific issues on campus, such as the way the students respond to sexual assault, how much campus leaders care about sexual assault, how safe students feel on campus and the viability of campus policies. “Climate surveys can seem burdensome, but when done thoughtfully and effectively, they yield valuable information that can contribute to the success of sexual assault prevention and response efforts,” the Task Force’s climate survey guide states. “If a significant number of students complete the survey, it will give us helpful information we can use to develop and improve programs,

policies and processes for the next few years.” The sample survey on the White House website provides a number of questions that may hint at the questions on Fordham’s survey. One section asks respondents to consider statements such as: “If a crisis happened on campus, my college would handle it well” and “My college does enough to protect the safety of students.” Another segment asks students to agree with statements such as: “I understand [university]’s formal procedures to address complaints of sexual assault” and “I have confidence that [university] administers the formal procedures to address complaints of sexual assault fairly.” In addition, other sections of the climate survey appear to ask students specifically about personal experiences. One section asks respondents

about experiences with unwanted sexual contact that involved force or threats of force. Another includes questions regarding “bystander confidence,” “readiness to help,” “contextual perceptions of sexual assault” and “rape myth acceptance.” Fordham’s climate survey comes after a bill in Congress regarding college surveys stalled after being proposed in July 2014 by a group of Senators that included Kristine Gilibrand (D-New York). The proposed legislation would require schools to conduct anonymous surveys concerning assaults and make them public — or face stiff fines if they fail to comply with some of the requirements. Along with increased penalties under the Clery Act, the proposed legislation would require every university to provide confidential advisers to help victims report their crime and receive services that they need.

NEWS

Page 6

March 11, 2015

In Campus Fundraising, Changing it Up Pays Off GO! Teams Get Creative to Support Projects By KATIE MEYER MANAGING EDITOR

At any given time, there could be over a dozen Global Outreach teams operating at Fordham’s two campuses. Eleven programs run in the winter, 13 in the spring and 10 in the summer, and all of these teams are responsible for fundraising at least some of the cost of their trips. When the programs are in full swing, Global Outreach (GO!) fundraisers pop up like dandelions across campus. Food sales dominate the scene, featuring items that range from baked goods to bacon. Emily Wilant, Rose Hill’s GO! coordinator, said these food sales generally turn a decent profit. “These are college students and they don’t want to cook themselves, or they get sick of the cafeteria,” she said. “Anything food, anything comfort food or sweets, is usually a really big hit.” But, it seems, it is possible to have too much of a good thing. Some students, not content to be one of dozens of teams selling cupcakes outside of Walsh Gate, are deciding not to rely on the old standbys. Dan Mullen, FCLC ’14, was the leader of Lincoln Center’s GO! West team the summer of his junior year. He said during that trip he decided he and his team could do better than a bake sale. “I think creativity is key, “ Mullen said. “People like when they hear ideas that aren’t just like a bake sale. I don’t think that bake sales are too effective, though many people would disagree with me.” Mullen’s team eventually decided to start an apartment cleaning service — more specifically, they started cleaning up after house parties. They charged $30 per clean-

ing, but Mullen said several people gave them even more. He estimates they made over $300 in the first weekend. “And then…then it had to stop,” Mullen said. As it turns out, the party cleaning service was perhaps too creative. When word of the fundraiser got back to the Lincoln Center GO! coordinators, Mullen said he was told it was “probably not the best idea…[because] it promotes ideas and activities that aren’t aligned with Global Outreach.” “Which totally makes sense,” Mullen added. They shut the operation down, but, he was happy to report, his team was allowed to keep the money. Luckily, few fundraising ideas, even if they are slightly offbeat, are actually deemed illegal. In fact, many follow the same general formula as the ever-popular bake sales — that is, setting up a table or web page and selling a product. Sometimes, the products are just a little different. For instance, a current team, GO! San Diego, took an artistic route. They are selling prints of an original painting of Keating Hall, and have drummed up a significant profit by both taking orders for the prints on Facebook and selling them on their Etsy page. Kate Brodowski, FCRH ’18, came up with the idea. She painted the original artwork with watercolors during Christmas break, and then the team made prints of it. She said the entire process is very cost effective — making the prints is next to free (they use Brodowski’s dad’s professional printer) and sell them for a $5 profit. And, there is a lot of demand. “I didn’t expect it to get the turnout that it did,” Brodowski said. “It’s funny, there ended up being such an audience for it with gradu-

COURTESY OF KATE BRODOWSKI

GO! San Diego sold prints of Keating Hall, hand-painted by one of its team members, Kate Brodowski, FCRH ’18.

ating seniors and grandparents.” This business model has proven to work for more than just food and paintings. Teams have turned a profit selling anything from water bottles to t-shirts to Fordhamthemed fanny packs. And, the odder the better, it seems, because one of the most lucrative of these ventures, which has worked multiple years in a row, is the ugly sweater sale. The GO! Glenmary, Kentucky team typically carries out this particular sale. The tradition started a few years ago. The team members take a trip up Fordham Road to Goodwill on half-off day (every Wednesday) and buy up all the cheap Christmas sweaters they can find. Then, they sell them for around $15 per sweater, and students are all for it. Despite her considerable experience with GO! fundraisers, Wilant was surprised by the amount of interest in used sweaters. “I had a feeling that would be successful, but I didn’t realize just how much money — I mean they made hundreds of dollars,” she

said. “So people are willing to put out a pretty penny for those sweaters, even though they can go to the Salvation Army and get them for much cheaper.” Andrew Punzo, FCRH ’16, was on the Glenmary team last winter, and said the sweaters made up the majority of his group’s fundraising revenue. “All the seniors loved them. It was a winter project, so we did it right before Christmas time so everyone’s having ugly sweater parties, and we made a lot of money,” Punzo said. “I think it was close to $1000.” And perhaps just as importantly, he said it helped to bring his team closer together. “Just shopping for the sweaters was a lot of fun because you got to try them on, obviously,” he said. “And some of the patterns and things were just ridiculous and horribly ugly. So it was a great team bonding experience.” Indeed, team bonding is another key part of GO! that teams tend to look for in their fundraising projects. In some cases, that is even

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more important than making the most money. Another current project, GO! Guatemala Los Niños, took on this philosophy in a recent fundraiser: for $3, they would tuck students into bed. “Three bucks a tuck,” Patrick Nally, FCRH ’17, said. “I personally tucked in probably like 9 or 10 people.” Most of these tuck-ins were ordered by students’ friends as a surprise. Nally said a lot of awkwardness ensued, but his team loved it. “It was a grand old time,” he said, laughing. “It’s definitely a bonding experience as well as a fundraiser.” And, they got a lot of stories out of the experience. “One guy we got at the gym, he was actually on the treadmill. And we had him lay down on that treadmill and I read him Good Night Moon.” Nally said. “We also had a blanket and a teddy bear.” Awkward? Definitely. Worth it? Nally, for one, says yes. And if he does another GO! project, he knows exactly what fundraiser to suggest.

March 11, 2015

OPINION

Page 7

The Fordham Ram

The Christian Argument for Marijuana Legalization By CATE CARREJO COLUMNIST

On Monday, March 1, Texas State Rep. David Simpson (R-Texas), filed a bill with the Texas state legislature for a full repeal on marijuana restrictions. If Simpson’s bill passes, marijuana will be regulated like crops. Texas residents would be able to grow marijuana in their backyards, seeds could be sold at local retailers and trade would have no regulations. This approach to legalization is significantly different from other states that have permitted marijuana in recent months. Whereas Colorado, Washington and Alaska are heavily taxing the plant for state revenue, Simpson’s bill places no such legal obstruction on the sale of marijuana. The provisions of the bill are in keeping with both the GOP and Christianity according to Simpson. “Everything that God made is good, even marijuana. The conservative thought is that government doesn’t need to fi x something that God made good,” said Simpson. While Simpson might be wrongly interchanging “conservative” and “Christian,” he makes a good point from both perspectives. The foundation of the GOP is less regulation: fewer taxes allow the free market to expand and less government intervention makes for a happier, freer population. Recently, however, it seems that the GOP has become the political arm of conservative Christianity, abandoning the foundation of its political ideologies in favor of legislating private issues like birth control and same-sex marriage in adherence to Christian values.

ERIC GAY/AP

Texas state Rep. David Simpson proposes a controversial bill that would repeal marijuana restrictions and allow citizens to privately grow marijuana.

Simpson’s spin of the bill is savvy: if Texas legislators fail to pass the bill, their Christian values may be called into question, which basically equates to no reelection in the Lone Star State. The Christian perspective of Simpson’s argument suddenly made me realize that I knew of no specific teaching about the Catholic or Christian view of marijuana. Despite years of Catholic high school and the general idea that marijuana is “sinful,” no one had ever actually explained to me why marijuana use goes against religious dogma. I have to wonder what makes this plant so dangerous to your religious beliefs. According to USCatholic.org,

marijuana interrupts the natural mental processes that allow communion with God and “if any activity undermines or degrades our rational capacities, we have moral reasons to avoid that activity.” It is a compelling rationale, but I am not sure it undermines Simpson’s argument. After all, alcohol, in moderation, is morally permissible by some Christian denominations – including Catholicism –and many studies have shown that alcohol’s impairment on motor function, logical reasoning and judgment are much more severe than those caused by marijuana. Although Simpson’s rhetoric is a bit simplistic, it drives right through the heart of the matter:

marijuana has an unfairly negative reputation. In light of the current national attitude toward marijuana, lawmakers should begin reexamining reasons for prohibition, instead of staunchly sticking to the legislative and political norm. Simpson’s argument should be laughed out of Austin for its obvious religious bias, but it is possible that if the bill gets enough attention, it could spark a long-overdue national conversation about the GOP’s ideological foundation For too long the party has turned away from its promise of small government; instead of regulating the economy and the skyhigh defense budget, the GOP has seemed much more concerned

with regulating citizens’ personal lives instead. There is little hope that Simpson’s bill will actually pass through the Texas state legislature, but to me the bill’s introduction means a win-win. If it happens to pass, Texas achieves an unlikely win for deregulation and will encourage other states to loosen marijuana policies. If it fails to pass, it could turn national attention to the hypocrisy of the GOP. Here is hoping that my home state can swing this scrappy little bill into national news. Cate Carrejo , FCRH ’17, is a communication and media studies from Houston, Texas.

Internet Service Providers’ Clash With Net Neutrality

PABLO MARTINEZ/AP

Tom Wheeler and other members of the Federal Communications Commision released the Net Neutrality ruling.

By KRISTEN SANTER ASSISTANT OPINION EDITOR

On Feb. 26, the Federal Communcations Commission (FCC) issued its most historic piece of legislature since the Telecommunications Act of 1996: the Open Information Act. the act, which regulates the Internet as a utility, essentially prevents ISPs from blocking or slowing Web traffic. ISPs have many objections to the

net neutrality ruling, and have been forcefully campaigning against it for the past 10 years. Steve Davis, executive vice president for public and government relations of CenturyLink, has stated that net neutrality makes it harder “for broadband providers to deploy fiber in their networks and offer the higher speeds and better performance levels customers demand.” Other arguments state that the excessive amount of data Netflix and YouTube use, as well as illegal data

consumed by sites like BitTorrent and PirateBay, clogs and disrupts Internet traffic. ISPs argue that, by charging these sites more, they could build more advanced fiber networks that would open the Internet up to new possibilities and would be advantageous for all. Net neutrality advocates staunchly believe that the ruling will protect innovations and start-ups, since big companies like Netflix and Google could have the potential to get faster

speeds and more bandwidth without net neutrality. In addition, supporters of net neutrality point out the priorities that ISPs could give to their own corporations, like Comcast with NBC, and their abilities to slow down rival sites. Verizon has stated that giving “unblocked access to lawful Web sites…will not change,” and ISPs firmly proclaim that they would never support biases like that. However, most of these arguments against net neutrality boil down to whether or not people trust the promises repeatedly emphasized by the ISPs. Internet service providers have promised that they will not interfere with the consumers’ Internet habits, and will not provide benefits to preferred sites. While ISPs are attempting to pander to and cajole consumers, they are preparing for their assault against the ruling. Recently, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee) introduced a bill titled “The Internet Freedom Act,” which would essentially retract and reverse the recent net neutrality ruling. Blackburn stated that the legislation “will put the brakes on this FCC overreach and protect our innovators from these job-killing regulations.” The bill has 31 Republican cosponsors, all but two of whom have

received money from ISPs via PACs in the past few months. According to The Daily Beast, the amount donated is equivalent to $800,000. Although this piece of legislation will not likely pass, this is just the start of the Internal service providers’ backlash against the FCC ruling. The next couple of years will be fraught with lawsuits and congressional battles after this controversial ruling. Trade groups and telecommunications companies will continue to challenge the decision, but we should not see large amounts of change during that time. Although I am in favor of net neutrality, I wonder if this aggressive ruling will have the potential to negatively affect consumers’ or business’ Internet access and reliability. I believe that we have not yet seen the big picture. Regardless of my doubts, I do not trust ISPs enough to completely disregard net neutrality’s importance and necessity. While we can rejoice in the benefits that the net neutrality ruling offers, we should still be cautious about the future changes. Kristen Santer, FCRH ’17, is a communication and media studies major from Stamford, Connecticut.

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 Canton Winer 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.

March 11, 2015

From the Desk | Amanda Giglio

#BlackOut Highlights African American Pride Over the weekend, my social media was unexpectedly filled with selfies and posts of black people flaunting their beauty. Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Facebook were all trending one thing: #BlackOutDay, on March 6, a 24 hour period of showcasing black beauty and spreading appreciation and love in the community. At the end of Black History Month, an event happens that shows black history in today’s age. At first, I was confused as to what was going on. As a middleclass white female, I just assumed that there was no judgment when posting selfies; it is something that most people our age do and even I am guilty of posting the occasional selfie. But this hashtag was aiming to promote black body positivity and push black people into the mainstream every day. It was not until I was scrolling down my dash, seeing all the varieties of photos and people that I realized something: this is the type of representation that white people, including myself, get ev-

ery day. #BlackOutDay was inspired by Tumblr as a way to extend the remembrance of black pride beyond Black History Month. User T’von, the founder, along with Tumblr user nukirk spoke of the reasoning behind wanting to make this a celebration: “Of course I see a constant amount of Black celebrities but what about the regular people?...It’s past time for the beauty of Black people to be showcased.” Word quickly spread as black activists and Internet famous people promoted the cause. This led to some backlash from sites like Reddit, trying to spam the hashtag, but this did not stop the self-love and posting of black bodies from taking over social media for the day. Unfortunately, as of the past year, the majority of black representation in the media is vastly negative. From Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri to Eric Garner in New York, and the many men and women before and after

these men, black representation in popular media revolves around being killed and breaking the law. The stigma around AfricanAmericans, or just people who are seen as black, has gotten progressively worse over the years. While the Civil Rights Movement reached its peak in the late 1960s, and the privileges and rights of African Americans have increased since then, racism is not extinct. African American men still combat discrimination in the workforce, policing and everyday life. The wage gap between racial groups is still prominent, with African American men making 74 cents to a white man’s dollar, as of 2010, and do not even get me started on the wage gap between African American women compared to white men and women. In New York, black and latino communities continue to be excessively targeted for stop-andfrisks, with 55 percent stopped being black and only 12 percent white, while nine out of 10 stopped-and-frisked are innocent.

In the midst of these statistics as well as police brutality protests, shootings of young black men and the overwhelmingly white representation in the Oscars this year, now is as important as ever to promote black beauty and fight the negative stereotypes. All people of color deserve to feel worthy of praise and admiration and, hopefully, with the continuation of #BlackOutDay throughout the year representation of people of color will continue to inspire and break into popular culture.

Editorial | Sustainability

A Greener Future for Fordham This week, Fordham is taking part in Sustainability Week in order to raise awareness for increased environmentally friendly procedures on campus. The Sustainable Fordham Facebook page boasts a slew of events happening this week in order to promote “going green,” a pledge to be sustainable, and articles about the importance of recycling. The page’s most recent posts urge students to recycle pizza boxes, attend a series of sustainability talks and wear green in order to show support for the sustainability proposals. The Sustainable Fordham program is putting in a lot of effort in order to stress the importance of being environmentally conscious in a way that will get students excited about being involved. Indeed, some initiatives to reduce Fordham’s environmental impact

have already been successful. United Student Government’s (USG) midyear report reveals that the school has implemented measures to increase recycling on campus. USG has a committee specifically dedicated to improving sustainability on campus, which has made significant gains. One of its accomplishments, for example is that all residence halls other than Martyrs Court now have separate recycling bins. This progress may not seem ground-breaking at first glance, but the fact that Fordham is making strides toward a greener campus and more environmentally friendly practices is a great achievement for our university and community. Improving sustainability on campus requires the total involvement of the student body, which is precisely the point of the campus events taking place

as a part of Sustainability Week. Environmental reform is a priority for many students here at Fordham. Last September, the Students for Environmental Awareness and Justice (SEAJ) club took part in the People’s Climate March in Manhattan in order to gain the attention of United Nations leaders who were about to debate about environmental issues. Even The Fordham Ram has been trying to do its part by reminding readers to recycle paper copies of the newspaper. The efforts of Fordham students to improve the condition of the planet are admirable. Though we may be one small community, our efforts can make a difference as we continue to incorporate environmentally friendly practices into our lives. However, the efforts of a couple of clubs and committees will

Fordham’s student body is 54 percent female, as well as home to numerous renowned female faculty members. It seems especially odd considering how feminist ideals permeate the student body’s collective mindset. None of Fordham’s advocacy clubs held any other events either. It is not just Fordham. Students on campus did not seem to realize that it was International Women’s Day. In additon, there was only a few articles and social media posts dedicated to coverage of the holiday. Usually, the online community finds every day excuses to talk about feminism and the importance of

women’s rights. Yet, the one day during which this topic is most relevant, there seemed to be little discussion and celebration. Perhaps the explanation for the lack of widespread recognition of International Women’s Day was simply a matter of an absence of awareness that the holiday even existed. It is time that this long standing holiday gets the attention it deserves. As a concerned university, Fordham should set an example by promoting the holiday in any way possible, if even just a simple post on its Facebook and Twitter page.

not be enough to help Fordham reach its full eco-friendly potential, unless the rest of the student body actually makes an effort to incorporate those small changes that are often stressed, like abiding by recycling rules. That is precisely why we need the events sponsored by Sustainability Week to popularize these practices. The significance placed on sustainability by multiple campus organizations is a good sign that Fordham is on the right track. Hopefully, this week’s events will create a greater culture of environmental consciousness at our university. The only thing that will truly make a difference, however, is the student body’s commitment to making a change in their daily lives, by becoming aware of the sustainability efforts brought forth by Fordham.

Ramblings Sunday, March 8, marked the 19th celebration of International Women’s Day. Unfortunately, unless you saw an Internet post about it, you may not have heard of the holiday. International Women’s Day was established by the UN in 1996 in order to celebrate women and their political and societal accomplishments. International Women’s Day has been acknowledged by celebrities and others who have a large media presence in the past, but this year the holiday was did not see the same kind of spotlight. It is interesting that Fordham made no effort to acknoweldge the international holiday, since

Have an opinion about our editorial? Send an email to fordhamramletters@ gmail.com Your response may be in our next print issue. — The Editorial Board

OPINION

March 11, 2015

Page 9

NYC Transport Favors Profit Over Customers By MARGARITA ARTOGLOU

Jeb and the Conservative Action Conference

OPINION EDITOR

Every time I use my MetroCard on the BX22 bus on my way to work, I cringe a little at the loss of $2.50. The same applies for the ride back. Many New York City commuters have to pay even more than my typical five dollar round-trip fare. This may not seem like a lot of money at first, but to a lot of people that $2.50 swipe, soon to be $2.75 due to fare hikes that will go into effect on March 22, is significant. Seattle’s public transit system seems to understand the financial burden faced by customers who rely on the public transportation system. It has rolled out a plan to begin charging customers depending on income in order to provide low-wage workers with a cheaper way to get to work. Seattle is currently implementing the proposed pricing system among some Seattle commuters experimentally. The New York Times reported that so far, travelers have said that the price changes have made a huge difference in helping them to better manage their household finances and care for their families. Perhaps New York should follow in Seattle’s footsteps. An MTA report from 2008 stated that 750,000 commuters travel for over an hour to work every day. Of these travelers, two-thirds earn under $35,000 a year. These workers, who face long and expen-

BARBARA WOIKE /AP

Many users of public transportation in New York City could suffer financially if the MTA keeps raising fare rates.

sive commutes every day, could certainly use a break in their daily expenses. While it sounds like an excellent idea that could benefit a lot of people who need the extra cash, it would seem that New York’s transit system is far away from taking this kind of step. Looking into the MTA’s recent history reveals that saving its riders money is not very high on its list of priorities. Only a few years ago, the MTA considered putting an end to the free MetroCard program for NYC public school students, which would have put an enormous strain on the many households that rely on their children having free passage to school. Student MetroCards were not cut in the end, but the fact that the MTA

contemplated ending the program demonstrates its lack of initiative when it comes to cutting costs for riders. Furthermore, when the price increases were announced in January, many unhappy customers reported that they felt the open forums held by the MTA for people to voice their concerns about prices were merely a farce. Essentially, New Yorkers feel that the MTA will do what it wants, whenever it wants. Because the city is so dependent on public transportation, citizens feel powerless. After all, even when the MTA decides to implement higher prices, it is still the cheapest, and often the only, option for those who do not own cars. I understand that NYC’s public

transportation system is massive and costs a lot to operate, thus necessitating price increases. Additionally, the MTA is currently facing a $15 million deficit, so right now is not the most opportune time to implement a new pricing system. We probably will not see the MTA adjust the subway and bus fare to the incomes of riders anytime soon. However, it is a worthwhile endeavor for the city to look into if it wants to keep some of its most loyal customers. Perhaps one day the MTA will be in a place where it can consider following Seattle’s proposed plan. Margarita Artoglou, FCRH ’18, is a communication and media studies major from Queens.

Death Penalty Obstructing Societal Progress

PHIL SANDLIN/AP

The Supreme Court will investigate Florida’s capital punishment system after an appeal by Timothy Hurst.

By KRISTEN SANTER ASSISTANT OPINION EDITOR

On March 2, the Supreme Court agreed to review Florida’s capital punishment system, and whether or not this allows juries to recommend the execution of criminals. The case in question involves thirty-six year old Timothy Hurst, who was sentenced to death after being convicted of murdering his manager, Cynthia Harrison, in 1998. Hurst’s appeal argues that Florida did not seriously consider his claims of intellectual disability, and that the jury rule allowing a divided vote was unconstitutional. This brings up the time-honored debate of whether or not capital punishment should be continued in the United States. In my opin-

James Demetriades

ion, the death penalty seems ineffective and senseless, and should be replaced with life in prison without parole. Capital punishment is archaic and barbaric, and encourages a cycle of violence. When children hit a playmate during a petty argument or fight, they are immediately punished for doing so. Children are often confused by this response, since their parents have the authority to spank them when they misbehave. Nowadays, spanking is no longer seen as an acceptable source of punishment for children, since it encourages them to resort to violence when they decide someone deserves to be punished. Therefore, it seems that execution is a dissatisfactory form of

punishment because it perpetuates the idea that killing is okay in certain circumstances, and maintains the cycle of violence inherent in the United States. It also seems hypocritical that the United States publically condemns violent dictators for killing their citizens, yet continues to uphold practices of capital punishment, admittedly to a lesser degree. The government is supposed to take the high ground and not degrade itself by following the narrow-minded argument of “an eye for an eye.” Besides Belarus and Kazakhstan, capital punishment is banned in Europe, again moving past the United States in huamn rights advancement. If we want society to grow, execution should be viewed as an unreasonable source

of legal punishment, since it serves no purpose and is a senseless practice. Now, I state that capital punishment is senseless because it does not serve a useful purpose in today’s society. There is no conclusive evidence that proves capital punishment effectively discourages people from committing murder. Luckily, technology has allowed the police to become more accurate when convicting people of crime, but that does not prevent innocent or mentally ill people from sliding through the cracks and receiving an irreversible form of punishment. We live in a flawed society where people are fallible, make mistakes often and submit to hubris or prejudice. Life in prison without parole gives society wiggle room for faults or bias that can occur during the convoluted trial and appeal process, without having to take someone’s life. Capital punishment seems too harsh and too permanent a punishment for it to be used in the United States. It is already shocking that Florida allows juries to decide the fate of someone’s life, instead of a trained and educated judge. Life in prison without parole is a strong enough form of retribution without demeaning ourselves to taking someone’s life as some sort of backward punishment. Kristen Santer, FCRH ’17, is a communciation and media studies major from Stamford, Connecticut.

The Conservative Political Action Conference is an annual gathering that allows conservative politicians from across the nation to gather together and express their values and ideals. The 2015 conference featured individuals like Donald Trump, Sarah Palin and a slew of presumptive Republican presidential candidates. This year’s conference, as per usual, establishes a pecking order for conservative candidates. The Republican base, composed of a coalition of second amendment defenders, economic conservatives and social conservative evangelicals, is free to jeer at its least favorite candidates and cheer for its favorites. This year, former governor Jeb Bush, the front runner of the Republican establishment, faced the jeering head-on and was booed multiple times. This is telling. Just as conservative Republican candidates woo support here to garner national attention, more moderate candidates need to connect with the party’s base effectively in order to solidify their strength and viability through the primary. To almost no one’s surprise, moderates like Bush and Governor Chris Christie were not well-received, while others like Senator Rand Paul, Governor Scott Walker and Senator Ted Cruz thrived. Each year, the few thousand attendees vote in a straw poll to determine their favorite candidate. While this poll is not indicative of national Republican support, it highlights the shortcomings and strengths of candidates in relation to the conservative base of the Republican Party. Paul finished in first for the third year in a row with 25.7 percent of the vote, followed closely by Walker. Bush, by comparison, finished in fifth with 8.3 percent of the vote. While Bush came behind four other candidates, it is important to note that he out-performed notables like former Senator Rick Santorum and Marco Rubio. This mixed bag shows that conservative support is split and Bush, by sticking to his guns as a moderate , means to push a narrative of moderate government focusing specifically on not scaring away independents in a possible general election. Just as in 2012, the moderate candidate, former Governor Mitt Romney, took a straight and narrow moderate path to ride past waves of successive conservative candidate frontrunners to grab the nomination. However, Bush should be warned that Romney won the CPAC poll in 2012, a sign that the conservatives believed in him. Today, many conservatives believe that Romney’s moderate stances led to him to lose and are seeking a radically conservative candidate who does not fear opposition and will not compromise. Bush may be hard-pressed to backpedal on enough policy to woo the conservative base. This means that while the establishment and donors may be Jeb Bush fans, Bush’s exploratory committee has a lot of work to do to solidify conservative support in the next six months, lest they face a primary circus in next year’s spring.

OPINION

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March 11, 2015

Ditch Your Safety Net and Get Outside Your Comfort Zone

Marcelle Meyer Politically Correct Lanaguage Deters Discussion

By NICHOLAS PETERS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I enjoy reading political articles in my spare time. My political beliefs are of a liberal nature, as I very much identify with the Democratic Party. As a result, you can imagine how confused my friend was when he saw me reading from a more traditionally conservative website. The article in question was discussing President Barack Obama in a rather negative light. He asked why I was reading a negative article about Obama, when he thought I liked him. While I do like our current president, I do not subscribe to the notion of getting roped into a single train of thought. I wholeheartedly believe that it is unhealthy to not look at both sides in any debate. This is why, when it comes to politics, I do my best to learn more about the issues on each side of an election. While you do not have to agree with certain beliefs, it is better to find out what makes said beliefs appealing as opposed to writing them off entirely. On the political spectrum, people tend to identify as liberal or conservative and almost always stick to that set of beliefs. They will only read articles that reinforce that in which they already believe. This is dangerous, as it continues to create a sense of belief that they are on the correct side of the spectrum. In their minds, the other side is comprised of “bad guys” who are misguided and plainly wrong. But how can someone write off a side as wrong if they have not given the other side a chance? This is why I was reading a negative article about Obama, a president of whom I approve for the most part. I thought it was important to understand why people do not like our president. Despite the fact that I did not agree, the article did give me a better understanding of a view contrary to my own. Our political leanings need to be completely well rounded and well educated in order to have constructive debate on the betterment of our country. This is not relevant to only politics, and can be applied to much more. One such area where it is

VADIM GHIRA/AP

Learning more about religions other than the ones we are born into helps to foster more tolerance towards others.

necessary to do this is religion. Many are born into a certain faith, and will never leave the comfort of said faith. This is not a bad thing, as I was born an Orthodox Christian and I do not think I will ever leave the church. However, I still want to understand what other faiths believe, not just what society says they believe. There are many people who would now write off Islam as being a religion of hate, yet they have read the Quran. When I mentioned to some of my more devoutly Christian friends that the Quran mentions Jesus Christ, they were shocked. They thought that Islam was a religion completely different from Christianity and did not realize that both religions share many commonalities. By taking a little bit of time to understand other ideologies, I have become a more tolerant person. As mentioned earlier, I will probably never leave the religion I grew up observing. However, now that I know more about the religions of others, I can say with confidence that I considered them. I am also a more tolerant person. Many people have biased beliefs towards certain groups, like Muslims, even though they have never taken the time to better understand the official views of the Muslim religion. If people were more accepting and un-

derstanding about groups with which they were not familiar, there would probably be fewer hate crimes in our society. Ignorance will only continue to hurt and hold back the United States from growing as a progressive society for everyone, just as its mantra supposedly claims. We should not just do this for religion and politics, but even for how we entertain ourselves. So many people will only stick to certain music and movie genres that they enjoy, and never give other genres a chance. I can be accused of this, as I (like many others) have not really given country music a chance, because I have a perception of country music as something I would not enjoy. But there are qualities that other people find enjoyable in it. Even if you do not like a genre, if you give it a chance, you might end up with a couple of new songs and movies that become your favorites. Food is another part of your life in which it is good to diversify your tastes. Many are often discouraged from trying new foods because of the way it smells or the way it looks. However, just like music and movies, you may try Indian food and find that curry is your favorite cuisine now. As children, our palletes are extremely limited and and narrow. As we get older and become more

accustomed to other foods, we diversify what we enjoy and dislike. Even something as simple as trying other foods helps us to be more respectful of other cultures and traditions. I recommend that you challenge yourself and do things that might make you uncomfortable. This helps you become more tolerant, likeable and personable. It is great to diversify yourself and to think about other people’s beliefs. It is helpful to understand what others see in their beliefs and why they like certain things. Empathy is far more helpful and appreciated than the often condescending and ignorant sympathy. My advice is to dip your feet into new and foreign things. You do not have to like it, but at least you gave it the chance, and hopefully came out understanding why others like it. Try something you do not normally eat at the cafeteria here on campus. Read an opinion piece in this very section that you might not agree with and consider the author’s points before you automatically write it off. Attend other religious services. Diversify your beliefs in order to make yourself a more tolerant and wellrounded person. Nicholas Peters, FCRH ’18, is a political science major from Media, Pennsylvania.

Do opinions run through your veins? Call a doctor, and then email fordhamramopinions@gmail.com to sign up as a writer.

I debate in an organization that is, on balance, very liberal and focuses heavily on political correctness in our discussions. Topics range from feminism and gender theory to United States intervention in human rights violations. We are debating complicated and often sensitive topics, and it is necessary for the comfort of everyone on the circuit that we use politically correct language to talk about groups of people. Similarly, this is important throughout society. However, my experience as a debater has taught me that political correctness, or, rather, how it is enforced, can often hinder dialogue. People involved in the feminist movement or the LGBT rights movement tend to have a set of words or phrases that are deemed inoffensive and best to use in conversations about women, transgender people, lesbians, gay people, etc. Having a positive and open language with which to discuss these topics is always important; however, the focus on people being perfectly correct in how they talk about, for example, feminism can often hinder real discussions about it. Not everyone discussing feminism knows everything about gender theory, and many people might say things about gender that are not completely correct or deemed correct by the community; however, when we focus so heavily on the language instead of the discussion, we lock people out of the conversation. As a woman, I would much rather someone who doesn’t understand the term “cisgender” talk about feminism with a few incorrect phrases than not talk about it at all, because I want as many people as possible to participate in the conversation. There have been many times when I have been engaged in debates or discussions about the LGBT community and did not approach certain topics because I was afraid of unintentionally offending someone by not being “up-to-date” on the latest queer theory or phrasing development. The problem is that there are many conversations that I could have participated in that would have helped me to understand the community better, if only I had not feared backlash for using outdated or incorrect language. I am a woman who grew up in the Deep South — someone telling me that I “don’t seem like a feminist” because I wear makeup is hardly the most offensive thing I have heard about women. Similarly, someone saying that they aren’t a “feminist” but believe in equality between genders is not as important as the fact that they do, in fact, support equality. Political correctness is good. Language that makes people feel comfortable is good. However, it is also important to remember that not everyone is familiar with this language, and we should still invite them into the conversation. Changing people’s hearts is much more meaningful than simply changing their words.

CULTURE

March 11, 2015

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The Fordham Ram

Spring Concerts to Satisfy All Music Fans From Ariana Grande to Sufjan Stevens, the Best Performances this Season By SARAH HARTNETT CONTRIBUTING WRITER

As we spring forward with Daylight Saving Time, we patiently wait for festival season. There are still a ton of spring concerts spanning various genres going on in the tri-state area. While many face-value tickets have already been sold, you always can check StubHub or TicketsNow for resale. Especially as the concert day approaches, some people will need to sell tickets last-minute. If you are an Elliot Smith fan, you may enjoy “An Evening with Seth and Jessica Lea Mayfield,” who will be paying tribute to this wonderful musician on Thursday March 12 at Town hall Theatre for $50.00. The small, intimate theatre will give the concert a homey feel. Seth Avett, who is part of the Avett Brothers, always knows how to put on a fabulous show, so it would be exciting to see him in a new setting. On Thursday, March 12, the unique sounding and incredibly talented Alabama Shakes will be hitting New York City. They will be rocking the house at the Beacon Theatre, with tickets starting at $70. If you are all about that bass,

Meghan Trainor has two shows at Irving Plaza in New York City on Friday, March 13 and Sunday, March 15. Tickets for both are being sold for $90. This show is general admission, so you are bound to be dancing the night away to her bubbly pop music. For all electric dance music fans who are waiting for EDC and Electric Zoo: Steve Aoki will be the main attraction at Hammerstein Ballroom on Friday, March 13. If you are in need of a night of dope bass drops and dancing, you should head over to StubHub to order some tickets; they are going for $89. Ariana Grande, who has had a noteworthy year, will be playing the esteemed Madison Square Garden on March 20 and March 21 with the band Rixton as her opener. While tickets are costly, starting at $140, this is a show not to miss. The one and only Billy Joel also will be hitting the Garden for multiple nights throughout the spring and summer. He has a show on April 3, which is the only show being played during our spring semester, and tickets start at $70. Do not miss a once-in- a-lifetime opportunity to see one of the

FRANK FRANKLIN II/AP

Fordham students can see some of this past year’s most buzzed about acts, like Ariana Grande, or find less expensive options.

most influential musicians of all time. Sufjan Stevens also has four New York shows. This incredible singer-songwriter will be playing two shows in Brooklyn at the Kings Theatre on May 1 and 2. He is also playing a show on April 11 at the Beacon Theatre, with tickets starting at $65 for both shows. Rap and hip-hop fans may want to check out Grammys’ Best New Artist nominee Iggy Azalea’s shows at the Barclays Center and Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on May 7 and May 8, respectively. Jonas Brothers fans will be delighted to see Nick Jonas as her

opening act. Tickets start at $50, so if you are interested you can spring for better seats. In addition, Kid Ink will be appearing at the intimate, general admission Irving Plaza near Union Square, NYC on April 20. Tickets start at $40 but may increase in price as more are sold closer to the date. For comedy fans and people looking for another form of entertainment, Jay Leno will be doing stand- up on Friday, March 13 at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury — tickets are going for $63. If you miss seeing his face on late night television, be sure to get down there. In addition, whether you

enjoy Wanda Sykes’ stand-up or acting roles, you can see her at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ. There are a limited amount of tickets available, starting at $60. While we are all ready for the school year to be over and are excited for festivals and summer concerts, there are many shows you can go to in the upcoming months. In addition to comedy shows, there are also a ton of Broadway shows you can attend, as well as Rangers, Knicks and Nets games. I have found if you wait until the day of the event, you can get the best seats for the cheapest price.

Terrorist Humor: Funny or Too Far? By MEGAN BRONNER STAFF WRITER

Two weekends ago, “Saturday Night Live” did a skit parodying a Toyota commercial in which a father is dropping his daughter off at the airport as she goes off to join the US military. The SNL version of the commercial portrays a father, Taran Killam, dropping his daughter, 50 Shades of Grey star Dakota Johnson, off at the airport to join ISIS, an Islamic extremist group known in the recent news for beheading and killing innocent people. The SNL “join ISIS” ad is satirizing the young girls who have fled to Syria to become a part of this extremist organization. The skit has left some people believing that it was done in poor taste and that people, even SNL, should not mock the deaths of innocent people and that the skit could potentially offend the families of the young girls who have died at the hands of ISIS. Others believe that there is no reason to not mock this terrible and horrific Islamic extremist organization, including this idealization that appeals to some young girls, and the people who willingly join it. Why should the worst of the worst be

AP/EVAN AGOSTINI

SNL’s Taran Killam is featured in the controversial ISIS skit as a proud, emotional dad.

spared from SNL’s jokes and ridicule? The outrage over this particular SNL skit begs the question, why the outrage now, if SNL has never shied away from this sort of in-your-face, did-that-just-happen comedy. Part of the outrage seems to be from the seriousness of the

subject that they are mocking. Even though SNL is known for using current events to create their comical skits, on occasion, they do not leave all people laughing, especially after this ISIS skit. In the past, SNL has produced terrorist-related skits that did not face such negative backlash. For

example, in 2003 Jimmy Fallon and Horatio Sanz performed a skit in which they parodied terrorists, Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, respectively. This skit makes fun of these two terrorists by depicting a prank phone call on Bin Laden. The skit is humorous because of the American slang and the casually funny relationship these horrible people have in the skit. This skit is different than the ISIS one, because it only mocks the terrorists rather than their victims as well. Supporters of the skit argue that the media has blown up this apparent backlash, because much of the outrage stems publicized by traditional media outlets. It is not exactly clear how many people are upset by this skit, but producers and actors on the show stand by the skit and how it portrayed the topic is was making fun of, and seem to think that the number of people criticizing the skit is smaller than the media is portraying. During the skit, it is clear that there are people laughing in the audience. Seeing as SNL typically pokes fun at current events, this is not the first time that there has been a disagreement amongst the public as to whether or not SNL took the skit too far. The main

case against the ISIS skit is that it is offensive to the families of the young girls who joined ISIS and were subsequently killed by extremist members, and to people who have been beheaded by ISIS. Some claim that ISIS is not an appropriate subject to make fun of, or that it is “too soon” for it to be a subject of a skit. However, this is not the first time that SNL has made a skit about ISIS in particular, in November of 2014, Chris Rock and SNL cast members, who mocked the TV show “Shark Tank, “ portrayed hopeful jihadis who were pitching their ideas for ISIS to judges. In addition, there was backlash from Chris Rock’s opening monologue when he said that he would never go into the Freedom Towers and people should call it “target.” So what exactly qualifies an SNL skit to be deemed “tasteless” and “vile” is up to the public and always will be, meanwhile I expect SNL to continue to toe the line. SNL often pushes the boundary between funny and distasteful. This ISIS skit begs the question: Are people overreacting to SNL’s comedy, or do they have a right to be upset at SNL for overstepping this line?

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March 11, 2015

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CULTURE

March 11, 2015

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Feminist Playwright’s Festival Addresses Social Stereotypes By AMANDA GIGLIO CULTURE EDITOR

As Sunday was International Women’s Day, it seems fitting that Women’s Empowerment’s Feminist Playwright’s Festival was this past weekend. Consisting of three one act plays, each written, directed and performed by Fordham students, the plays all had to do with gender, sexuality and racial issues in a feminist context. Each play brought a different topic of discussion to the front, giving variety to the show. “Rough All Around,” written and directed by Joshua Ramos, FCRH ’15, was the first play on the stage and looked at intertwining gender and racial stereotypes in present-day NYC. It focused on Alex, played by Mateo Millership, GSB ‘17, who is a minority student experiencing racial bias that parallels gender bias experiences many women face. “Rough All Around” brings to light the daily occurrences that could take place in a city, with scenes that are all too familiar for some. While this play was wellthought-out and, without sound equipment, the students were able to project their voices well, the storyline was dragged out a bit. The next play was a collection of four monologues, called “Fault Lines,” written and directed by Rachel Dougherty, FCRH ’15. Each monologue described a different experience with gender-based violence. Niara Walden, FCRH ’17,

COURTESY OF RAM ARCHIVES

Collins’ stage hosted Women’s Empowerment’s Feminist Playwright’s Festival this weekend, along with “The Laramie Project.”

played Charlie, a gender-queer person who describes the daily routine of picking out an outfit and trying to take up as little space as possible. Jamie, a gay man played by Max Beyer, FCRH ’16, details the experience of being sexually assaulted, and in similar fashion the other monologue, performed by Rachel Sternlicht, FCRH ‘17, describes being sexually assaulted by an intimate partner. The last monologue, performed by Elle Crane, FCRH ‘17, focuses on a woman being street-harassed. All four monologues describe the individual experiences of people,

Trending Now | Natalie Sturgeon

Calling All Bookworms: A Solution to Boredom Though this long winter may finally be ending, we aren’t quite out of the snow yet. But never fear, sufferers of cabin fever. Luckily, these last dregs of winter offer a great opportunity to find a cozy place and crack open a book. For those who are getting a little stir-crazy during these long cold months, grabing a book, getting on a train and finding somewhere special to read is a perfect solution. With Manhattan as close as it is, there’s no reason not to delve into all of the cozy and classic study spots the city has to offer. The New York Public Library is a personal favorite of mine. With the musky smell of old classics in the air and the beautiful renaissance decorations, the New York Public Library serves as the perfect place to transport yourself into the world of your chosen reading material. The Rose Reading Room is the most famous room in the library. With its high gold ceilings and gorgeous windows, this reading room will get rid of anyone’s cabin fever. This next place is for people who are looking for a more earthy studying experience. The David Rubenstein Atrium is an open and booming intellectual hub that offers the picture-perfect setting to buy a cappuccino and settle into your studies. With a wall of vines and plants strewn all over, the atrium provides a breath of fresh air

with a modern twist. Filled with interesting restaurants and cool events like concerts and poetry readings, the David Rubenstein Atrium makes for an impeccable escape from campus and into a fresh and modern intellectual hub. This third place is for all of my caffeine junkies. Escaping to a cute coffee shop to read a book or do some work is the perfect Sunday afternoon by anyone’s standards. Culture Espresso is an espresso bar that offers the most amazing chocolate chip cookies that enable the mentality of the “diet that starts on Monday.” As a patron, you also have a choice of whether or not you want to sit at the bar and look out into Manhattan or to cozy up into one of their booths and lose track of time. Either way, customers are spoiled with an amazing flat white and homemade, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. With winter still dragging on like class on Fridays, cabin fever can be a real problem. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. Everything is a train ride away and just because you have schoolwork it doesn’t mean you can’t escape into a cozy coffee shop or a plethora of renaissance art. I know, for me personally, taking my mental health days and heading to Manhattan has made this sluggish winter that much more tolerable.

but culminate with a focus on the absurdity and commonness of victim-blaming. This play was by far the most chilling and thoughtprovoking of them all, beautifully performed and written.

The last play was the most comical and equally thought-provoking. “Dogma Style,” written and directed by Katherine Lichtenfels, FCRH ’17, and Molly Carney, FCRH ’18, is about a group of

high school students on a Catholic school retreat to learn about sexuality. Over the course of the play the students come to personal realizations on their own sexuality and views on relationships that challenge the church. Full of sexual puns (that were painfully obvious, but who does not like puns?) and laughs, “Dogma Style” was a great way to end the show. Nicole Chiuchiolo, FCRH ’17, made the strongest impression with her character Sam’s giant outbursts and forwardness about relationships and sex that countered the Catholic teacher’s teaching of abstinence. The only downfalls of the play were its long speeches and the redundancy of the moral of the show. Genevieve McNamara, FCRH ’17, and Eilís Russell, FCRH ’15, the student producers and coordinators of this event, did a great job of showcasing feminist plays that showed the reality of gender, sexual and racial stereotypes and violence. Women’s Empowerment put on a show that taught important lessons and was enjoyable to watch.

Editor’s Pick | Leonardo DiCaprio

Is DiCaprio to Blame for Oscar Curse? By KRISTEN SANTER ASSITANT OPINION EDITOR

Over the past few years, the public has continuously expressed outrage over Leonardo DiCaprio’s lack of an Oscar. People love to lament his loss every year he is nominated, and display genuine shock when he loses. Although the actor has amassed several Golden Globe Awards in his lengthy career, he has yet to take home arguably the most revered and respected award. At times, I wonder if people’s insistence is based off DiCaprio’s own obvious desire to win, even if he constantly dismisses these proclamations. Many believe that the time has finally come for his numerous wellreceived performances to be recognized by the highest authority in movie accolades. Huffington Post writer Michael Russnow states, “his excellence has become so expected,” that perhaps we don’t reward him because we have become accustomed to his excellent roles. Even though the Oscars do not always reward the right actor, I believe that DiCaprio’s career thus far has issued nothing worthy of receiving an Oscar. The constant praise and persistence is natural; I am not denying that he is a great actor who will most likely win the destined gold statuette in the future. The rundown of his nominated performances include What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?, The Aviator, Blood Diamond and The Wolf of Wall Street. Each performance was well acted, well researched and performed with an intense exhilaration. The last three films specifically required challenging acting for any high-caliber actor. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? necessitated the portrayal of a mentally challenged boy, The Aviator required a similar performance as DiCaprio played the role of a pilot named Howard Hughes afflicted with destabilizing OCD and Blood Diamond involved the mastery of an ambitious

SHIZO KAMBAYASH/AP IMAGES

DiCaprio must devote himself fully to a difficult role to win that long awaited Oscar.

Rhodesian accent. I never considered DiCaprio’s performance in The Wolf of Wall Street even worthy of a nomination, for he is merely playing a dramatized version of his real life. The closest chance DiCaprio ever had to an Oscar was his performance in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? When he arrived at the 1994 Oscars, many were honestly surprised that DiCaprio was not an autistic boy. He lost himself in that role and gave his most convincing performance to date. However, I have not seen DiCaprio lose himself in a role since: there is no subtly and I have never looked at him and honestly believed character he was representing. I saw Leonardo DiCaprio acting as Howard Hughes. When I saw Lincoln for the first time, I believed I was watching Abraham Lincoln throughout his presidential career, even though the always incomparable Daniel Day-Lewis took on the role. Even Matthew Mc-

Counaghey, whom I am not a fan of, deservedly won his Oscar for his portrayal of an AIDS-afflicted Texan in Dallas Buyers Club. If anything, most of DiCaprio’s roles almost seem too much like Oscar bait. Was his performance in J. Edgar anything more than a subtle form of begging? His acting choices do not take the risks necessary to win an Oscar, and the Academy can easily see through his desperate struggle to win the title of Academy Award Winner before his name in order to boost his ego. In addition, he needs to stop asking for a minimum of $20 million per movie and find a humbling role, which redeemed the similarly selfimportant Matthew McCounaghey. Although I may sound like Vincent Cassel in Black Swan, DiCaprio needs to completely immerse and lose himself in a role if he truly wants the golden statuette he is clearly drooling over.

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March 11, 2015

Manhattan Transportation Gets a New Spin on CitiBikes By AMANDA GIGLIO & LISA CALCASOLA CUTLURE EDITOR & CONTRIBUTING WRITER

What could be more daring, sexy and quintessentially free than riding a motorcycle down the winding city streets on a hot summer night? Riding a vehicle that provides no physical barriers between your body and the outside world is both the cause of adrenaline-pumping, screaminducing joy and petrifying, heartwrenching terror for the more faintof-heart. While motorbikes aren’t necessarily the same as motorcycles, motorbikes provide that same windin-your-face danger and allure of the open road, more for your senses than to your SUV-driving neighbors. This free-spirited, adventurous approach is the inspiration behind CitiScooter’s new motorbike launch, ready to challenge conventional ways of transportation. CitiScooter designs their rental motorbikes with 21st-century technology — evidenced by the fact that to lock, unlock and even start the bike, you simply need to press a button on the CitiScooter app. Their vision is to get 10,000 of their bikes on the streets of North America and Europe by the end of 2016. The com-

COURTESY OF FLICKR

CitiScooters are inspired by Vespas, which are very popular in European countries, as main modes of transportation.

pany prides itself on providing a more efficient, environmentally friendly and exciting way to get around cities and even college campuses. Drawing stylistic inspiration from the 1950s, the scooters are a nostalgic tribute to the romantic Vespa era.

The concept of CitiScooter is simple and foolproof. The bikes are available to rent by the hour. Everything begins with the download of the CitiScooter app. By downloading the app, customers have access to locking and

Review | TV Show

Netflix Original Changes Pace in Season 3 By AMANDA MAILE DIGITAL EDITOR

The third season of “House of Cards” premiered on Netflix on Feb. 27, allowing fans to binge all 13 episodes in a mere 13 hours. This installment of the show provides a clear contrast from the prior two. We are used to seeing the main character, Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey), utilize his position of power and political influence for his own personal gain. Underwood has successfully lied, murdered and had a president impeached, all without any repercussions. And, while Frank said the only rule is “hunt, or be hunted,” season three shows that even he is not safe from the latter. Season 3 follows Frank through the beginning of his presidency, his efforts to establish a new jobs program throughout the United States and his struggle with Russian President Petrov (Lars Mikkelsen). Frank’s wife, Claire (Robin Wright), assumes more responsibility not only as First Lady, but also as a United Nations Ambassador. However, the Underwoods’ biggest battle this season has nothing to do with politics or diplomacy, but rather the strength and stability of their own relationship. “House of Cards” has transformed from a ruthless and shocking depiction of political life to a soap opera starring our favorite couple: Frank and Claire. The Underwoods’ marriage showed its superiority over jealousy, lying and even cheating. Frank and Claire’s union was what made them strong, but Season 3 shows the opposite. In Frank’s eyes, Claire’s actions undermine his authority, and Claire feels as though Frank overshadows her and obstructs her from getting what she wants. We are left unsure whether or not the Underwoods

unlocking, renting, reserving and locating their scooters. The app even starts the scooter for you. The GPS-enabled app also serves as a type of social media for customers to connect, share and meet with other CitiScooter riders. Gas, insurance and a helmet are also included in the hourly rental deal. Once you are finished, simply return the bike to the nearest CitiScooter location. The first wave of CitiScooters arrived to the United States from China in January 2015. The vision is to get customers offline and disconnected from the world of technology so they can find their roots in nature and open communication. Non-traditional motor vehicles as a way of transportation have been on the rise, with companies like Zipcar, Uber and CitiBike becoming increasingly popular. A number of

factors have influenced this trend, including the extreme financial expenses of car ownership and parking shortages. Rental services as a means of public transportation have become a cheaper, more convenient option and CitiScooter has the added “cool factor” advantage for college students and adults alike. When CitiBikes became popular, through the help of NYC government officials and the push to become more pedestrian-friendly, there was a huge impact on the city environment and mentality of its citizens. Janette Sadik-Khan, former commissioner of New York City Department of Transportation, worked to add 285 miles of bike lanes to New York, doubling the bike share in the city. Also, since Manhattan has the highest population density in the country and is closer in landuse to European countries, it makes sense to try and make it easier for bikers and pedestrians to get around. The impact on the environment is just as important because using bikes over automobiles has prevented 439 tons of carbon dioxide from being expelled into the atmosphere since 11.2 million miles have been biked instead of driven. The hype revolving around CitiBikes and the positive impact it has on Manhattan makes CitiScooter seem like a great idea. CitiScooter adds more efficient ways of transportation that can help reduce our carbon footprint and make NYC a pedestrian-friendly place. However, with this new system and more modes of transportation on the roads, one has to wonder whether there will be more accidents and injuries. CitiScooters are meant to become mainstream in the US in 2016, and hopefully, by then more bike and scooter lanes will be made to accommodate the extra vehicles.

Culture Shock | Claire Kim

Off Hiatus, Florence Creates Powerful Song

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

“House of Cards” Season three focuses more on relationships than politics.

will overcome this rift. The show no longer focuses on politics. It has taken a turn and wants to show the complications of Frank and Claire’s marriage. While we have seen such scenarios in prior seasons, the Underwoods’ relationship was more of a side plot rather than the main story arc. Frank and Claire are unrecognizable from the first two seasons. Since when has Frank cared about the greater good of the people or Claire worried about her marriage? The changes in these characters are far too abrupt. So, was season 3 of “House of Cards” a flop? Not completely. Kevin Spacey’s and Robin Wright’s acting are still spot on, and it was interesting to see things

from Claire’s point of view for once. The show’s cinematography makes it feel like you are watching a movie rather than a thirteen-episode season. Furthermore, we are introduced to new characters such as Heather Dunbar (Elizabeth Marvel), Thomas Yates (Paul Sparks) and Viktor Petrov, whose stories have only just started to unfold. Surely we can expect them to reappear in Season 4. Season 3 is definitely not as good as Season 1 and 2. But, will the show get better next season? I’m not so sure, and as Frank says, “You might think that; I couldn’t possibly comment.”

After a three-year hiatus, Florence Welch reunited with the band Florence and the Machine. Together, they recently announced the release date for their new album, How Big , How Blue, How Beautiful. The highly anticipated album will be released on June 2, 2015, giving us yet another reason to be excited for the upcoming warm summer months. The eleven-track album was written and produced by Markus Dravs, who is known for his work with Björk and Arcade Fire. Florence has previously stated the importance of Björk’s album, Homogenic in her own musical journey, making the collaboration with Dravs even more exciting. Audiences were given a sampling of what to expect on the full album with the release of the lead single, “What Kind of Man,” on Feb. 12. The song was shared along with a powerful music video that dramatizes and illustrates the lyrics of this moving track. The song begins with a slow, moody introduction, one simi-

lar to previous Florence and the Machine songs. But the swaying build up in the beginning is soon broken by a powerful combination of tambourines, bass and a mixture of different guitar sounds. The heavy beat and faster tempo quickly changes the composition of the song from slow and bluesy into an upbeat and textured pop track. The music video begins with an uncertain male counterpart who becomes the subject of Florence’s frustrated and impassioned lyrics. The heartbreaking storyline of a woman being strung along by this “kind of man” is brilliantly portrayed in the choppy, yet cohesive music video. “What Kind of Man,” is able to convey the dark and manic side of heartbreak without the expected melodramatic pace. There is proof of power, strength and hope in this song that yearns for a new type of love and life. The honest portrayal of the confusing and difficult actions within love is beautifully packaged in both the song and the music video.

CULTURE

March 11, 2015

Who’s That Kid? | Megan McLaughlin

Quiet Leader Impacts Fordham and Prepares for Law School

The Ramantic What to do when your friends do not like your significant other. Often times what happens within a relationship is unknown to people outside of the relationship. What happens with you and your boyfriend or girlfriend is unique and personal. For this reason, animosity can build between friends and your significant other. Not to mention, the division of your time can cause tension between the two. In order to keep the situation calm, you must be conscious about the balance.

By LAURA SANICOLA NEWS EDITOR

The web of student leadership at Fordham University involves many players. Of course, there are the public figureheads, comprised of elected student government officials such as those in the Residence Hall Association (RHA) and United Student Government (USG). There are the retreat leaders, New Student Orientation captains and the student athletes whose faces are intrinsically associated with Fordham University. Megan McLaughlin, FCRH ’15 is not one of those public figureheads. The native of Fremont, California wields a quiet influence over student affairs. She meets regularly and develops close relations with some of the most powerful administrators at Fordham, while overseeing the operations of the Fordham Undergraduate Research Journal as editorin-chief and performing vice presidential duties of Phi Alpha Theta, Fordham’s History Honors Society. She is also a member of the Fordham Club, Dean’s Academic Council, Rose Hill Society and Alpha Sigma Nu — making her one of the most involved behind-the-scenes students of the Rose Hill campus. “Sometimes I look at my emails and just sort of wonder who let me get to the place where I get to make decisions that affect other students and professors,” Megan half-seriously remarked about her influence at Fordham. “College is one of the last places where you really get a chance to do some of these things.” The spheres that Megan dominates directly impact students’ lives. In the Fordham Club, her committee has restarted Spark Lunches with professors and is working on making syllabi available to students year-round. She is also currently in the midst of writing her honors thesis and finishing her double major in history and Spanish language and literature. “I mean, I don’t have tons of free time,” she quipped, again, in seriousness. She continued, “But [after graduation] I’m probably not ever going to help make department-wide academic or student life changes at a university…you have to make the most of the opportunities you have

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Remember that the tension is due to the mutual love for you. It is important not to get mad at your significant other and your friends. The push and pull for your love and attention is truly because they like spending time with you. Instead of arguing and getting angry, remember that these people love you and explain to them that you also feel the same way. Furthermore, if one of them seems to have a specific concern about the other one, they are most likely trying to protect you.

Be honest and open about your schedule. Do not try to keep your time with your significant other or your friend secret from the other to protect their feelings. This will only raise the tension and cause them to feel betrayed as well. Let them know your schedule and stay true to the plans you make with them. It is ok, however, to not feel obligated to invite one to your events with the other.

COURTESY OF MEGAN MCLAUGHLIN

Megan studied abroad in Granada, Spain and traveled through Europe.

while you can.” Perhaps most impressive is that her successes at Fordham are tantamount to her professional successes of the past six months. Megan holds acceptance letters from several top 10 law schools, an important step towards realizing a childhood dream. “[As a child] I just thought that the ability to put the bad guys in jail (without having to chase them down or duck bullets) was the neatest thing,” Megan said. “I was even a judge for Halloween once.” Megan’s understanding of the law has become more nuanced throughout the years, though her desire to study criminal law has stayed constant. “The law is man-made, and men aren’t perfect,” she explains. “They don’t always get it right or they get the law right, and the law is fundamentally unfair. People practice law — it’s not something that has been perfected. It’s a work in progress, and being a lawyer is being a part of that process.” Megan finds happiness in the most daunting of tasks, often many that are largely unrelated to her career goals. She effectively convinced me that running FURJ is nothing short of “pure enjoyment” — oc-

casionally mixed with the stress and terror of hitting deadlines and managing a staff and producing a journal — but mostly sheer enjoyment. Under her leadership, FURJ has restarted its website, began sponsoring lectures in conjunction with other clubs and is now working towards getting a digital object identifier for published articles. Megan takes no off-season. Following a summer internship on Capitol Hill for a member of Congress (“where I realized that politics are a better spectator sport, at least for me”), Megan worked in a U.S. District Court, where she gained experience in legal writing, observed arraignments, sentencings and trials. Her last internship was “the shortest commute ever” at the New York Division of Human Rights, located on 1 Fordham Plaza. Megan spent a semester investigating possible violations of New York’s Human Rights law, performing online research and calling companies. For now, she is patiently waiting for the rest of her law school decisions to roll in. One could say she left her mark at Fordham, but she probably won’t be the one to say so. She prefers to let her actions speak for themselves.

Plan consistent weekly time for each of them. Making an honest effort to do some of the same things with both your significant other and your friends every week can keep tension from building in the first place. Balance your schedule. Obviously, it is common to spend more time with your significant other than your friends, but if they know you will always be at dinner on Thursday or breakfast on Tuesday, they will feel much less neglected.

Sometimes you have to listen to your friends. I know it may be hard to accept, but in some cases your friends are right about your significant other. If more than one friend is badgering you or if one friend is very delicately trying to discuss a problem they have concerning a significant other, it may be time to listen. Especially if you have any doubts yourself, your friends may see something you cannot when they are looking from the outside. Neither your friend nor your girlfriend or boyfriend should want you to accept less for yourself, so keep that in mind.

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Review | Theatre

‘Winter’s Tale’ Transports Timeless Vices to 21st Century By SIMEK SHROPSHIRE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Envy, accusation and sensuality — all essential, spectacular elements of the most fantastic Shakespearean plays. The Pearl Theater Company’s rendition of William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale does not disappoint in this regard. The plot is tragic: Sicilian king (Peter Francis James) named Leontes accuses his queen, Hermione ( Jolly Abraham), of adultery. Before an oracle declares Hermione to be

innocent, Leontes irrationally orders his newborn child to be left in the forest. Sounds like a great guy, right? Located on West 42nd Street, The Pearl has all the workings of an established theater that boasts a seasoned, talented cast. Director Michael Sexton creates an eccentric performance that is perfect for this tiny, intimate theater. The stately dining room in which the first three acts take place sports bottles of Jameson on a tray and a framed poster for a George Balanchine ballet. The

very order of the room is meant to sharply juxtapose the tumultuous nature of the plot. The lifestyles of the shepherd and his companions mirror that of a 1960s hippie commune, denim vests and all. Peter Francis James’ performance, alongside Jolly Abraham, stands out from those of the other actors. James brings a physicality to Leontes that is hardly seen in the other actors’ portrayals. Gnashing his teeth and sweating, James creates an uncontrollable character that audiences quickly despise for his selfishness, yet can-

not help but forgive in the final act. With Abraham playing James’ opposite, she likewise delivers an emotional performance that captivates audiences just as Hermione arrests the hearts of her fellow characters. Still, the plot sometimes drags with the employment of modernized musical numbers reminiscent of Bob Dylan and the over-embellished, studied performances found in the forest scenes. The portrayal of characters Perdita (Imani Jade Powers) and Florizel ( James Udom) seem

stiff, and too much emphasis is placed on their physical attraction to one another. This interpretation of the play may have been a deliberate, modernized portrayal of young love in the present era. Either way, the portrayals of the young lovers lacked a theatrical spark that could be seen in the aged relationship between Leontes and Hermione. While The Winter’s Tale continues through March 15, it offers an excellent excuse to take a lastminute excursion into Manhattan before Spring Break.

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March 11, 2015

fordhamram.com

THE FORDHAM RAM

CULTURE

March 11, 2015

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Can New App WiGo Change ‘Going Out?’ By NICOLE HORTON CULTURE EDITOR

Who is Going Out (WiGo), an app that hit the market in September, is aimed at eliminating the guesswork for college students’ nightlife and weekend plans. Similar to Harvard-dropout Mark Zuckerberg, twenty-three-yearold Ben Kaplan dropped out of Holy Cross following his freshman year to pursue his entrepreneurial goals. He worked with programmers to launch the app at his school, and within three weeks, half the school was using it. WiGo’s website explains its purpose and functions, stating: “With WiGo, you will always know who at your school is going out and where your friends are headed. Tap people you want to see out, or simply invite them to join you. WiGo resets every

morning, so everything from the night before is wiped clean. Every day on WiGo is a new day.” According to Business Insider, the app has only been widely available since September, but has been downloaded and requested on more than 1,200 campuses. It is in use at 73 schools and has more than 100,000 active users. Andrew Nelson, FCRH ’18, is a campus ambassador for the app and will intern with the company over the summer. After hearing about the app from a friend on Facebook, he called WiGo and asked to be an ambassador. Kaplan called him back and talked to him about his own startup ideas. “It was amazing to know that there was another college kid out there with big ideas who wanted to change something and succeed; it gave me a lot of confidence and hope,” Nelson told Business Insider.

Depending on the student population, hundreds to thousands of students must sign up on a waiting list in order for WiGo to “unlock” the app at their school. According to Nelson, 162 Fordham students have signed up so far, but about 500 students are needed to unlock the app. “I think that WiGo will change the way we all interact, like technology has done for so many things,” said Nelson. “WiGo removes the need to send dozens of texts asking people if they are going out and where they are going.” WiGo definitely has the potential to impact Fordham’s nightlife because, in addition to seeing where their friends are going, the app’s users will also know if a bar or party will be empty for most of the night before paying a cover to enter. However, not any bar or party

COURTESY OF WIGO

can be added to the list just because a few people mentioned it: there must be over 100 people attending. “What happens is that you register your party or it could be a bar on WiGo,” said Nelson. [The host of ] the bar or party takes a picture of the people there and sends it to WiGo, and they pay you to use their app to host people.” For those concerned about privacy in regards to their location, each WiGo user must have an

“.edu” email address in order to be added to the school’s network of WiGo users. Additionally, students have the option to move to a private account, in which users must accept or decline anybody who wishes to follow them. We may not be able to review this app until it is activated at Fordham, but it is undeniably a useful idea from a fellow college student that seems to be an intriguing new development in social networking.

Review | Music

Clarkson Shines With Guests But Lacks Direction By ANNEMARIE MARCONI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The “American Idol” kids are growing up, but when I first heard Kelly Clarkson’s latest chart-topper “Heartbeat Song,” I was not so sure the inaugural winner of the iconic show was growing up with them. If anything, the watered-down beat and uninspiring lyrics made me yearn for the good old days of “Breakaway.” Clarkson’s latest album Piece by Piece was released Feb. 27. I was looking forward to the album, but Clarkson just seemed so bland and tired on this track. I was disappointed and wanted my R&B pop princess back, complete with chunky highlights, some flare jeans and a sweet pair of ombrè sunglasses to top it all off. Piece by Piece is in fact Clarkson’s final contractually-obligated pop al-

COURTESY OF RCA RECORDS

Clarkson’s album has great vocal moments but not anthems.

bum. Her seventh studio endeavor seems to lack the powerhouse shoutalong anthems like “Since U Been Gone,” “Behind These Hazel Eyes” and “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill

You)” that made her famous. However, after digging past the lackluster lead single, I found her vocals still astounding even when she was not belting. Her delicate duet with John

Legend, “Run Run Run,” showcases Clarkson’s amazing range. She and Legend run together in perfect harmony through the winding piano melody and string accompaniment in this stunning track. In addition to Legend, Clarkson collaborated with Sia on this album. The widely acclaimed lyricist penned “Take You High” for Clarkson, and it shows. The piece feels like something more suited to the eccentric Sia than the pop princess Clarkson. Granted, the song features glittering lyrics like, “If I’m dreaming don’t roll over yet/ Perfect like porcelain… Kiss the wind and hold on to me.” However, the stuttering, auto-tuned noises and syllables that punctuate each chorus do not feel authentic. It feels like Clarkson is trying on Sia’s famous white wig the way a toddler clunks around in her mother’s high heels. She thinks she

looks sophisticated, but she does not realize that they just do not fit her. After hearing “Heartbeat Song,” my concern was that Piece by Piece would not be mature enough. My fears were quelled when I heard the deeply touching title track “Piece by Piece.” Clarkson’s gorgeous timbre and an uplifting drumbeat accompanies lyrics that compare her absent father to her husband. Listening to the song, you can almost see Clarkson smiling as her husband, talent agent Brandon Blackstock, kisses their adorable eight-monthold daughter, River Rose. It is the kind of chills-inducing, raw autobiography only Clarkson can achieve. Some pieces of this album shine brighter than others, but they all fit together to create another surefire chart-topper for a singer my generation can be proud to have grown up with.

Review | Film

Solid Creativity and Presentation, But a Plot Full of Holes By EILEEN MCCLEAN STAFF WRITER

COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES

Chappie is flashy in presentation and sentimental, but lacks in plot and logic.

Chappie is a sci-fi thriller written and directed by Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium). It stars Sharlto Copley (District 9) as the title character, Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), Hugh Jackman (the X-Men films) and the members South African rap group Die Antwoord. After a robotic police force is put to use in Johannesburg, the creator of the robots, Patel tests his new artificial intelligence technology on one of the robots. District 9 (2009), Blonkamp’s first film, is one of my all time favorite films. Because of this, I had high expectations for Elysium (2013), that were unfortunately did not meet. So going into Chappie, I was not sure what to expect; was it going to be another thought-provoking sci-fi master-

piece, or another heavy-handed, plot hole riddled mess? While Chappie is a slight improvement over Elysium, it definitely falls under the latter category. Chappie wears its heart on its sleeve, often becoming overly sentimental and failing to actually connect with the audience’s emotion. There are interesting ideas behind the story, but the film is very heavy-handed in its presentation. The main fault of the film is the screenplay. Some of the dialogue is laughably bad. The story contains huge plot holes, and many of the decisions made by the characters do not make sense and some pivotal moments hinge on implausible coincidences. I spent much of the time being baffled at the sloppiness of the story. Ninja and Yolandi of Die Antwoord are not professional actors and it shows in their performanc-

es. Copley, who was excellent in District 9, does a decent job as the voice and the motion capture for Chappie, but he is limited because you cannot see his face. Jackman gives it his all as the movie’s main antagonist and is probably the most entertaining part of the film, despite his character’s motivations being so vague and underdeveloped. Patel does his best to bring the film some humanity, but he can only do so much with such a poor story and bad dialogue. For me, Blomkamp is similar to directors James Cameron and M. Night Shyamalan; all three have a lot of creativity and directing ability, they just fail to execute them well in their screenplays. If stylish and thoughtful science fiction is your preferred film genre, Chappie may be worth a watch, but otherwise you can skip this film.

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SPORTS

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The Fordham Ram

Track Breaks Three School Records at ECAC By BRYAN KIEL STAFF WRITER

The Fordham track team finished its indoor season over the weekend, running in the ECAC/IC4A Championship, a meet for qualified runners. Many of Fordham’s top racers traveled to Boston University’s Track and Tennis Center, where they have raced multiple times this season. Overall, Fordham had a great day, breaking three school records. The women’s team was led by redshirt senior and captain Titi Fagade and the rest of the 4x800 relay team, while the distance medley relay team featured a strong finish for the men. After a weekend full of preliminary trials, Fordham sent a total of 12 runners to the finals. The first event of the day was the women’s distance medley relay final. Fordham’s squad, consisting of seniors Mara Lieberman, Elise Tigani, Brianna Tevnan and freshman Merissa Wright, placed eighth out of 23 teams. They also pushed their best time of the season, 11:56.50. “Everyone ran exceptional races [in the relay],” said Wright. “Mara Lieberman ran an especially good leg in the 1200. I have never screamed so hard for my teammates than on that day.” The next race featured Fagade in the 500. Breaking her old school record of 1:12.23, Fagade won the event in just over five-tenths of a second over Paulette Fogle of the University of Maryland, Baltimore

ELIZABETH ZANGHI/THE FORDHAM RAM

The track team concluded its season this past weekend in Boston and begins spring competition on Friday, March 20.

County. It was Fagade’s last individual event of the season and of her career at Fordham. “I’m really happy about my 500 win,” said Fagade. “I’m mostly happy because I’ve had a habit of usually just coming up short in my open events and big meets.” The next individual race featured two Fordham seniors, Lester Taylor and Jon Annelli, in the 1000m race. It was one of the smallest races of the day, but Taylor finished in third place overall with a time of 2:27.50, while Annelli finished ninth with a time of 2:31.65. Taylor and Annelli

later teamed up with fellow senior Ian Williams and freshman Thomas Slattery in the distance medley relay final. There, the relay squad placed third overall in a time of 9:47.07, just six seconds behind two very strong teams from Columbia University and the University of New Hampshire. Their time of 9:47 would have beaten the winning time of 9:49 set last year at the IC4A championship by Georgetown. The final meet of the day was one of the most anticipated for the Fordham women. The 4x800 team, who won the 2014 event with a time of 8:50.08,

featured a squad consisting of Fagade, fellow senior captains Melissa Higgins and Kristen Stuart and junior Danielle Rowe. It was a fast race, and Fordham was about four seconds behind when Fagade was handed the baton. Running a 2:07.80, the fastest personal split time in the meet, Fagade took the reigns for Fordham and drove the team into second place, eight-hundredths of a second behind the team from Georgetown. In the process, the women broke a school record and the track record set in 2013 by James Madison University. “The gold would’ve been great,”

said Rowe. “But, we all ran our butts off and broke the facility record as well as the previous school record. You really can’t be too disappointed with a performance like that.” Though the end of any season is always significant, this meet meant something special to the women’s team. The 4x800 finish line marked the end of Fagade’s career as a Fordham track runner. Over the years, Fagade has compiled no fewer than 11 school records in both relay and individual events. As a graduate student with one season of eligibility remaining, she decided to return as a captain and lead the team as far as possible in meets like the ECAC Championship. With her eligibility up, her career has officially ended for Fordham. “That’s what made the end of this meet so difficult,” said Rowe. “Knowing that we’re losing such a valuable friend, teammate and captain is tough.” Fagade will not just leave the team for good, though. Still a Fordham student, Fagade plans on sticking with the team in some role this upcoming season. She is also considering running with a club team for the outdoor season. “I’m going to continue with my role as a captain,” she said. “I’ll workout with the team and be present.” With the sun out and snow receding, spring track is right around the corner. The outdoor season will start in West Chester, Pennsylvania on Friday, March 20.

Baseball Splits Doubleheader at Stony Brook By SAM BELDEN ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

After enduring a string of wet and cold weather conditions, Fordham’s baseball team finally was greeted by warm weather as it prepared for Sunday’s doubleheader at Stony Brook. After all was said and done, the teams split the two games, and the Rams had their first victory since beating Georgia Tech at the Atlanta Challenge nearly a month ago. In the first contest of the day, Fordham was defeated by a score of 6-1, but hours later, its offense perked up, finishing the day with a 9-6 win. “It was great to see the guys bounce back after a tough loss in game one,” said head coach Kevin Leighton. “The guys played really well, and watching them come through in the clutch and execute was fun.” The Rams forged an early lead in the first game when sophomore rightfielder Mark Donadio connected for an RBI single in the top of the third inning, extending his hit streak to nine games. It was their final run. Stony Brook southpaw Tyler Honahan settled in from there, leaving the game with six innings pitched and one earned run to his name. Meanwhile, the Rams’ pitchers never settled in on the mound. Junior starter Brett Kennedy gave up four earned runs in four innings and took his fourth consecutive loss. His reliever, sophomore Kirk Haynes, finished the game, surrendering two runs in four innings. Less than an hour later, the two

RAM ARCHIVES

After splitting a doubleheader on Sunday at Stony Brook, the Rams are in the midst of a seven game homestand.

teams squared off again. Fordham quickly took control when junior third baseman Ian Edmiston smacked a bases-loaded single in the first inning, good for two RBIs. In the second, however, Stony Brook turned a similar trick, loading the bases and matching its opponent with two runs in the frame. With the game tied, the Rams made another statement with a rally in the top of the third. Junior catcher Charlie Galiano put Fordham back in the driver’s seat by knocking in junior second baseman Joe Runco, who had led off the inning with a double.

Next, Edmiston laid down a squeeze bunt to score sophomore first baseman Matthew Kozuch. Junior leftfielder Ryan McNally then reached base on an error, allowing Galiano to cross the plate before the side was retired. In the bottom of the inning, junior starter Jimmy Murphy gave up another run, his third of the game. Midway through the fourth, Murphy left the game. Sophomore Greg Weissert entered as his replacement and delivered a standout performance, lasting four and two thirds innings without allowing a run. While Stony Brook was held

scoreless, the Rams built off of their two run lead. In the fifth, Edmiston blasted a double down the left field line, scoring Galiano. Two innings later, Galiano and Edmiston were at it again, each contributing an RBI in the seventh frame. Fordham’s last run crossed the plate in the ninth inning when sophomore designated hitter Ryan Mahoney hit a double to center field, scoring Kozuch. In the bottom of the inning, Stony Brook rallied and scored three runs off of junior pitcher Joe Serrapica, but they were unable to complete the rally, and Fordham claimed its three run

victory. The victory put a stop to the team’s eight game losing streak. Prior to the doubleheader, Fordham spent the past three weekends on the road, squared off against two ranked teams and had managed to win just one game. “We came together and played mistake-free,” said Donadio. “If we play the way we did [in the second game] we will be in good shape for the rest of the season. It gave us confidence. If we keep up this level of play, we’ll pick up a lot more wins.” Edmiston was the biggest contributor to the Rams on Sunday. His five RBIs paced the team, and, having successfully initiated a squeeze play, he displayed finesse as well as power. “Ian had a great day at the plate for us and came through in the clutch, which is a great sign,” said Leighton. “He is a scrappy, hard-nosed player who rubs off on the guys.” This week, the Rams are at home. They will be playing five games against schools from around the northeast, including a rematch against Stony Brook, two against Sacred Heart, one against Delaware and one against UMass Lowell. The team is hopeful that playing more home games will yield more victories. “Losing those games early against some really good teams was tough, but we took a lot away from those games, and I think we will be better for it,” said Leighton. “This team fights, and that’s all we can ask from them.”

SPORTS

Page 20

Men’s and Women’s Tennis Both Drop Matches By DAVID BALICK AND JAKE GROGAN STAFF WRITERS

The Fordham men’s and women’s tennis teams were both in action over the past week. The men fell 6-1 to the University of St. Louis at Life Time Athletic in Harrison, New York on Sunday. The team’s lone point of the day came from freshman Pol Giraldez in his singles match. “I was patient against a very defensive player, and finally won with a lot of hustle in the third set,” Giraldez said after the match. In his match, Giraldez jumped out to an early lead, winning the first set 6-4. His opponent battled back, taking the second set 6-1, but Giraldez was able to win the final set 6-3, giving him the win and his team its lone point of the day. In doubles, the men struggled to gain an edge. They lost each of its completed doubles matches. The team of junior Pedro Alonzo and Giraldez lost 8-2, while the team of freshmen Joey Brander and Joseph Kavaloski lost by a score of 8-1. In the other singles matches, Fordham was unable to pull out a victory. Senior J.J. Tauil battled back from a loss in the first set by winning his second set, 6-2. But, he was beaten in the final set, 6-1. Junior Pedro Alonzo took his first set to a tie break, but lost the tiebreaker 7-4. He went on to lose the second set by the same score. Senior Max Peara lost his match in consecutive sets, 6-1, 6-2. The Rams will look to get back in the win column in their upcom-

ing match at Sacred Heart on Saturday, March 14. The women also struggled this week, despite a valiant effort by the team’s underclassmen. The team returned from West Point last Thursday, having lost a close one to the Drexel University Dragons. Fordham opened the contest by narrowly missing out on what would end up being the crucial doubles point. Freshman Estelle Wong and senior Julie Leong, who came up big for the Rams, won their set 8-6, while seniors Anna Novacek and Bella Genkina fell by a score of 8-3. The Dragons dug deep and edged out Fordham seniors Elliesa Ball and Sarah Ali 8-7, securing the point going in to singles play. The latter portion of the contest saw improved play by the Rams, as Ali secured the team’s first point at second singles, beating out Drexel’s Erin Bowsher in three sets. The back of the lineup featured a dominant display by the team’s underclassmen, as Wong won her match at third singles 6-2, 6-2 while sophomore Destiny Grunin locked up a win at fifth singles 6-1, 6-1. The lost doubles point would be the tie breaker, as the Dragons and the Rams split the singles matches 3-3. Fordham’s squad will return to the court on Monday, March 16 in Orlando, Florida, where they will face the Savannah School of Design.

March 11, 2015

By ANTHONY PUCIK SPORTS EDITOR

For the most part, the NHL Eastern Conference playoff picture has been set in stone for quite some time. Although the seeding is not clear yet, seven teams in the East are basically in the playoffs, barring a monumental, doubledigit losing streak. The Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings will take the top three spots in the Atlantic Division in some order, while over in the Metropolitan Division, the New York Islanders and New York Rangers are in a good position to take the top two spots. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals will be battling for the third spot, and the loser will end up getting the first wild card slot. There will be some shuffling amongst those teams come the end of the season, but it’s the eighth seed where things get interesting. With less than 20 games to play, there is no clear-cut favorite primed to take the eight spot in the East. The Boston Bruins are the odds-on favorite to take the spot. They have been a perennial playoff team for the last seven years, but they aren’t the powerhouse the NHL is used to seeing this year. Despite maintaining a solid defense and fairly decent goaltending with Tuukka Rask, Boston ranks near the bottom of the league in goals per game and power play percentage. Shootouts haven’t been the Bruins’ friend this year either, as they have dropped numerous points due to their inability to put games away before overtime ends. David Krejci’s and Brett Connoly’s recent injuries have also put a Bruins team that needs everything to go right in a very bad position. With three teams breathing down their neck, the Bruins must find a way to hit their stride and power through the injuries, or they could find themselves on the outside looking in come playoff time. One of the teams looking to take that spot away from the Bruins is the Florida Panthers. The young team has kept itself in the mix in the East thus far despite being in the bottom half of the league in most major categories (goals per game, goals against per game, power play and penalty kill percentage). The recent addition of Jaromir Jagr from the New Jersey Devils has given the Panthers the surge in offense that they needed to bring themselves one

step closer to being a potential playoff team, but the injury bug has struck them in a big way also. The Panthers recently lost their goaltending tandem of Roberto Luongo and Al Montoya on the same night, and are actually holding open tryouts for the backup position at their arena. Luongo has been one of the main reasons the Panthers have been able to tread water with their at times anemic offense, and his injury could end the Panthers’ playoff chances very quickly. Then there are the Philadelphia Flyers, who after a rough start to the season also find themselves in striking distance of a playoff spot. Sporting one of the best power plays in the leagues, the Flyers’ man advantage is one of the biggest assets on their team. Aside from that, though, their team has plenty of issues. Their penalty kill is under 80 percent, and they are in the bottom 10 in goals per game and goals against per game on the season. Goaltending is extremely important down the stretch and in the playoffs, and I don’t see the tandem of Steve Mason, Rob Zepp and Ray Emery being enough to carry this team into a playoff spot. Maybe Philadelphia’s power play will be enough to steal them a few

games, but if their defense and goaltending doesn’t improve, they won’t be any better than ninth at the end of the season. The most interesting case of all has to be the Ottawa Senators. Currently one of the hotter teams in the NHL, Ottawa has had its share of turmoil this year. Firing head coach Paul MacLean early on in the season, the Senators find themselves in a position to potentially make the playoffs with their recent play. Much like the Panthers the Senators saw their goalie tandem of Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner go down with injuries, but the Senators had something the Panthers didn’t: Andrew Hammond. The twentyseven-year-old rookie net minder has been lights out for Ottawa over the last few games, sporting an under two GAA and putting the Senators in a position to win night in and night out. If the teams ahead of them continue to trend downward, Ottawa could end up surprising a lot of people and making the playoffs. The NHL playoffs are always exciting, but the race to them could be just as exciting some years. And, given the way the eighth spot in the East is shaping up, it seems like we’re in for an exceptional March and April.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

Bobby Ryan and the Sens could be a dark horse for the eighth seed in the East.

Varsity Calendar HOME AWAY Baseball

RAM ARCHIVES

Both the men and women suffered losses during the week on the road.

Thursday March 12

Friday March 13

Saturday March 14

Sunday March 15

Sacred Heart 3:00 p.m.

Sacred Heart 11:00 a.m.

Delaware 3:00 p.m.

Softball

N.C. State Hyatt Place Invitational

Men’s Tennis

Sacred Heart 2:00 p.m.

Women’s Tennis

Monday March 16

Fairleigh Dickinson TBA SCAD 1:00 p.m.

Tuesday March 17

Wednesday March 18

UMass Lowell 1:00 p.m.

Hofstra 3:30 p.m.

SPORTS

March 11, 2015

Sam Belden Johnson Returns with a Boom Just when you thought the past eight months could not get any crazier for PGA Tour golfer Dustin Johnson, the American displayed uncharacteristic focus on the back nine to win last week’s World Golg Championships Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral. Despite his undeniable surplus of natural talent, this win — his ninth — was a long shot. Johnson, 30, entered the final round five strokes behind eventual runner-up J.B. Holmes. When Holmes faltered, it was Bubba Watson, the world’s No. 2 player, who took control. Neither of them, however, kept it together over the closing holes like Johnson did. Although Johnson has been playing well for about a month now — a tie for fourth at Pebble Beach and a runner-up at Riviera preceded this win — the story of his recent victory begins during the week of last year’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Officially, Johnson announced a sixmonth leave of absence from the PGA Tour, but Golf.com reported he would actually be serving a halfyear suspension for a third positive drug test — this time for cocaine. The Tour does not release information regarding tests or suspensions for recreational drug use, so mum has been the word from both parties, but, among the pro golf community, the report has come to be accepted as fact. The hiatus brought his successful 2014 season to an unexpected and grinding halt. With eight tournaments to go, he was fifth in FedEx Cup points and the world’s 16thranked player. For the duration of his time away, he became the PGA Tour’s answer to Bigfoot; new information regarding his daily life and golf game was as scarce as it was fascinating. Fiancee Paulina Gretzky announced that she was pregnant with the couple’s first child (their son Tatum was born last month), and her father, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, claimed to have witnessed Johnson break the course record at the world-famous Sherwood Country Club. There was also a TMZ video in which Johnson was ambushed while walking through the airport, but he said nothing meaningful. Since returning to golf’s greatest stage, Johnson has wasted no time in showing us what has changed over the course of his absence. He did not have to get clean — it has never been reported that Johnson was a drug addict of any kind, just a shortsighted partier. Instead, his perspective and priorities have shifted. “[My son’s] kind of the only thing that’s really important, and being there for him and being a role model for him,” he told the media after Sunday’s tournament. “It kind of makes life a lot easier, I think. It definitely simplifies stuff.” We all know that golf is a game of the mind. Tiger Woods, arguably the best to ever play the sport, is lauded for his mental toughness above all else. Johnson has reentered the top 10 of the world rankings, but more importantly, it seems that he is approaching the game with a calmer, healthier attitude. It did not appear that way at the time, but spending six months away from competitive golf might have been one of the best things to ever happen in his career.

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Senior Profile | Kayla Lombardo By ANTHONY PUCIK SPORTS EDITOR

Kayla Lombardo is a catcher and third baseman from Pompton Plains, New Jersey. Aside from receiving accolades on the field (First Team All-Atlantic 10 in 2013 and Atlantic-10 All-Championship Team in 2014), she also shines in the classroom, being named to the Spring 2012 Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2012 and the Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference Team in 2014. She is a career .291 hitting with 17 homeruns and 83 RBI in 150 games played with the Rams. The Fordham Ram: What made you want to come to Fordham? Kayla Lombardo: Fordham just had everything that I wanted academically. With career opportunities and then with softball, it was the best combination of all the things I was looking for out of my college experience. I wanted a competitive team, I wanted a great academic school and I wanted a way to jump start my career. So, Fordham has enabled me to do all three of those things. TFR: How was the transition to the third base position for you? KL: It’s actually funny. I came in a catcher and I turned into a third baseman, but now I’m back behind the plate. So, it’s been hard adjusting, at least this year, for me to my old position. So when I came in it was like I had to master something I had never done on the collegiate level. It’s so different to go from high school to college, so it took me a while to get it down, but I feel like last year I really figured out how to play third base, and then it was almost like the rug was pulled out from under me in a sense, but in a good way because at least I had the experience catching from high school. It’s so much constant learning, it’s never stagnant. You’re never comfortable at this level. You’re always learning, so if I’ve learned anything at all, it’s that I haven’t really learned a whole lot to begin with. TFR: Which position do you prefer? KL: On this team, this year, I prefer to be behind the plate. I think that it allows me to be a better leader. It keeps me involved with every single play. It keeps me in tune with the pitchers. On last year’s team, we had a great catcher in Gabby Luety and we had a great shortstop in Elise Fortier, but for me I think the best was brought out in me with me being next to [Fortier] last year. But, we don’t have [Fortier] anymore, so now I kind of have to take that role and assume that role and I feel like being behind the dish has enabled me to assume that role better. TFR: How do you feel in that leadership role? KL: It’s a natural thing I think for me based on my personality. I’m a very competitive person by nature. I’m a go-getter by nature.

Matt Moro Defending Curt Schilling

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Lombardo is a leader both on and off the softball field at Fordham.

I’ve embraced that role. It’s presented its struggles for me at times because, like anything else that’s new, it’s hard to adjust right away, but in time I feel like I’ve adapted better and having the support of my senior class, we have a huge senior class, and that’s been very vital to our success. Just knowing that they have my back too, that I’m not alone in this, that has really helped me to become a better leader. TFR: How hard is it to be a student athlete and find that balance in a place like Fordham? KL: It’s tough. No doubt about it, it’s very challenging, but I think that as Division I athletes, we are primed for this, we are prepared for this. From the time that we’re freshmen and we come in we know that it’s going to be difficult. When you come to Fordham, you know what you’re getting yourself into, you know that it’s going to be a very challenging academic workload, you know that you’re playing the top teams in the country as a softball player and you’re expected to perform. It’s tough, but they wouldn’t have recruited us if they didn’t think we could handle it. I think Bridget [Orchard] does a good job in recruiting people who can take on that workload and who are consummate student athletes and not just athletes. TFR: Do you have a favorite memory? KL: My favorite memory is winning A-10’s in 2013 just because it was such a dramatic game. We beat St. Joe’s 6-5 in the championship game. We were not expected to win conference that year, we went through a lot of personal struggles as a team and then we just pulled together in the end and we had such a dramatic game. It was the craziest game I’ve ever played in. I think anytime you do something for the first time it resonates with you, so for me the first will always be the best. TFR: How far do you think the

team can go this year? KL: Well of course we would like to go all the way to the end. I think one of our problems this year has been not focusing on the here and now. So, of course we’d love to go to Super Regionals of course we’d love to go to the World Series, but we have to focus on beating NC State on Friday. That’s the next step for us. The college softball season is a process. It’s not something you can say is going to be one way or the other, so for me to be able to predict where we’re going to be in May is impossible. I have to focus on Friday, and that’s all I see right now. TFR: You have been writing articles for ESPNW: “The Life and Times of an NCAA Softball Player.” How did you get involved with that? KL: Once again, I’m kind of competitive by nature and I’m quite persistent in what I do on and off the field. Everything that I do in my life, I do 100 percent. Writing is something that’s just as important to me as softball. It’s what I want to pursue with my career, so I know that I have to make myself stand out. I reached out to ESPNW editors and I formed some relationships with them over the summer and I just stayed on it. This is what I want to do and I’m going to make it happen, so I just made a way to make it happen. I really just wanted to tell our story. I knew that our story would be a special one this year, no matter how it started. I know that it’s going to finish in some special way, just knowing how the college softball season goes. I wanted to take this opportunity to tell that story on a national level, on a national platform where people could really see what it’s like to be a college athlete instead of just what they see with the numbers. There’s so much more there, and I wanted to make sure people knew what it was all about.

Depending on where you grew up and what baseball team you grew up rooting for, you could have very different opinions on Curt Schilling. If you grew up in New York or root for the New York Yankees, odds are you’re not too fond of him. He was on the Diamondback team that broke your heart in the 2001 World Series, and he was a hated Red Sox player when he donned the infamous bloody sock that, according to you, may or may not have been a hoax. But, no matter what your opinion on Curt Schilling is, it’s hard not to be on his side when he protects his daughter from vulgar and inappropriate Twitter users. It’s becoming increasingly evident that social media has become a forum for those, who normally wouldn’t have the courage to voice their opinions. This can obviously lead to positive things, but in this instance that is certainly not the case. Curt Schilling admits that when he tweeted that his daughter would be attending Salve Regina College in Rhode Island next year to play softball, he expected tweets that said people couldn’t wait until she got there so they could date her. While not exactly what a father wants to read, those tweets were nothing compared to the ones Schilling ended up reading. Many Twitter users ended up sending increasingly vulgar and sexually threatening messages. Often when this happens on social media, threatening individuals have the luxury of being behind a screen when they do so, never facing consequences for their actions. That’s why so many people are applauding what Schilling did next. Schilling used his fame to broadcast the identities of the men who sent the threatening messages, including several student athletes. As a result, many of these Twitter users have either been suspended from their schools or fired from their jobs. This is an extreme departure from the way anonymous attacks over social media usually go. You can be sure none of the men sending the vulgar messages Schilling’s way thought they would face any repercussions. They’re neither the first nor the last who will send terrible things over the Internet. I’m sure all of us can admit to at times feeling a bit overconfident when online. But, even on the Internet there’s a line that should never be crossed. On one hand, you can argue that the punishment ends up being harsh, since these repercussions probably would not have happened had the tweets been sent to someone without the national reach of Schilling. However, you could counter that by saying that this is the problem. People get away with these kinds of actions too often on the Internet, so we should applaud Schilling who is somebody who is able to do something about it. Yes, the punishments are harsh, but it’s an instance where the punishments fit the crime.

Page 22

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March 11, 2015

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The Ram

SPORTS

March 11, 2015

Pat Costello The Steph and Russell Show Every once in a while, a player will come into the NBA with such talent that it’s a show every time the ball is in his hands. These athletes have the innate ability to entertain, so much so that every game you will see something that you have never seen before. Recently we have been lucky enough to experience two players of such magnitude, Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry. Russell Westbrook is a player who somehow manages to make your jaw drop every time he steps on the court. It doesn’t matter if he’s going coast-to-coast to throw down a dunk so hard that his protective face mask comes loose, or if he’s recording four straight triple doubles — the guy just has it. There are currently five candidates for MVP, but Westbrook isn’t simply beating them, he’s soaring over them and effortlessly dunking in their faces. His recent play has even led some analysts to say that he is the Michael Jordan of the point guard position. The fact of the matter is that if the season ended right now, Russell Westbrook would be the MVP and nobody would even bat an eye. Simultaneously, Stephen Curry has managed to outshine Westbrook as far as highlights are concerned. On Sunday night, Curry caught the ball, put it between his legs while running into three defenders, escaped with a behindthe-back dribble and took a step back three pointer from about 25 feet away. Warriors coach Steve Kerr threw his arms in the air in disgust, only to start clapping moments later when the ball hit nothing but net. During the game the night before against the Mavericks, Curry drove baseline only to be met by a defender. Instead of doing something sensible, like turning around and going right back to where he came from, Curry improvised. He put the ball behind his back and, with his back to the basket, threw a left-handed no-look pass to a wide open shooter in the corner, who hit the three. Curry looks as if he’s playing on rookie mode while everyone else is on All-Pro. But highlights and stats don’t tell the whole story about either of these players. What really matters is that both of their teams are winning games. The Warriors have the best record in basketball right now, and are set to cruise into the playoffs with the first seed in the West. The Thunder, on the other hand, are struggling to hang on to the eighth seed, unfamiliar territory for a team that was in the finals three seasons ago. The recent play of Russell Westbrook is the only thing that has kept the Thunder in the race while they wait for their MVP from last season, Kevin Durant, to return from injury. Both teams are primed to make a run in the playoffs, which will only lead to more highlight dunks, insane passes and fantastically competitive games. Only one thing is for sure, both of these players are going to be ready for whatever their opposition could possibly throw at them. Let’s just hope that those teams are ready to be on SportsCenter for all the wrong reasons.

Page 23

Varsity Scores & Stats Men’s Basketball Duquesne 38 43 81 Fordham 35 31 66 (DUQ) D. McKoy 16 pts (FOR) B. Smith 17 pts Fordham 28 24 52 St. Bonaventure 23 43 66 (FOR) M. Thomas 20 pts (SB) M. Posley 18 pts Women’s Basketball Fordham 20 26 46 Richmond 20 25 45 (FOR) E. Tapio 14 pts (RICH) M. Parson 12 pts Fordham 21 25 46 GW 31 23 54 (FOR) T. Ruffin 14 pts (GW) J. Jones 16 pts, 15 rebs

Men’s Track ECAC/IC4A Championship 26th 1,000m L. Taylor

3rd- 2:27.50

Women’s Track ECAC/IC4A Championship T-15th 500m T. Fagade

1st- 1:12.23

Men’s Tennis Fordham Saint Louis

1 6

Women’s Tennis Fordham Drexel

Fordham 9 Stony Brook 6 (FOR) I. Edmiston 3-4, 5 RBI (SB) J. Parenty 4-5, 3 RBI Manhattan 1 Fordham 6 (MAN) C. Reynolds RBI (FOR) M. Kozuch 2-4, 2 RBI

Ian Edmiston

Emily Tapio

Junior

Senior

Baseball

Basketball Tapio was Fordham’s top contributor when it mattered most, pacing the team with 14 points in the quarterfinals of the A-10 Tournament against Richmond. She added 11 points to a losing effort against nationally-ranked George Washington.

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 Defeats Manhattan in Tuesday’s Home Opener Fordham baseball beat Manhattan by a score of 6-1 in Tuesday’s home game, the Rams’ first of the season. Sophomore first baseman Matthew Kozuch led the offense with two hits and two RBIs, while freshman pitcher Ben Greenberg lasted almost seven innings while giving up just one run. Baseball returns to action on Wednesday with a rematch against Stony Brook, with whom they split a doubleheader last week.

•

Track Breaks Records at ECAC/ IC4A Championship Three school records fell as Fordham track had a successful weekend at the ECAC/IC4A Championship in Boston. In the 500m, senior Titi Fagade broke her own best mark with a time of 1:12.23. In addition, the men’s distance medly team of senior Lester Taylor, senior Jonathan Annelli, senior Ian Williams and freshman Thomas Slattery broke a school record that had been standing since 1977, while the women’s 4x800m relay team of Fagade, senior Melissa Higgins, senior Kristen Stuart and junior Danielle Rowe beat a time set in 2013.

•

Paschall Named A-10 Rookie of the Year Men’s basketball freshman Eric Paschall was honored with the 2015 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year award. The guard is in the midst of one of the finest rookie campaigns in school history. His average of 16.5 points per game is good for sixth in the conference and tops all freshmen. He was named the A-10 Rookie of the Week on two occasions over the past season.

•

3 4

Baseball Fordham 1 Stony Brook 6 (FOR) M. Donadio 1-4, RBI (SB) C. Peragrine 3-4, RBI

Athletes of the Week

Edmiston was a huge contributor to Fordham’s 9-6 win over Stony Brook. The third baseman smacked two singles and a double and finished the game with five RBIs. He also played perfect defense, converting on all three of his chances at the hot corner.

Gregory Wagner

Daubman Selected as Candidate for 2015 Senior CLASS Award Softball senior Michele Daubman was announced as one of 30 to be nominated for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate softball. The award goes to a senior who displays excellence in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The group of 30 nominees will soon be narrowed to 10 names that will be placed on an official ballot. The media, coaches and fans will vote for a winner. The results will be announced during the 2015 Women’s College World Series in May.

— Compiled by Sam Belden

A New Jonathan Papelbon? Philadelphia Phillies’ closer Jonathan Papelbon recently stated that he “feel[s] like we’re [The Phillies] going to contend.” Earlier in spring training, Papelbon jokingly wore a t-shirt with “Fan Favorite” across the front of the shirt. These types of comments and signs of jubilance have become the norm from Papelbon this spring training down in Clearwater, Florida. Papelbon seems to be nothing but optimistic going into the 2015 regular season, and he continues to give off positive vibes regarding the future of the Phillies’ organization. However, although comments such as these should be expected out of a veteran closer like Papelbon, it is fair to say that the majority of Phillies fans are probably taken aback by his new-found appreciation for Philadelphia. Last year, Papelbon was booed again and again during his entrances to the mound at Citizens Bank Park. Those boos were well deserved, as Papelbon has been anything but classy since the Phillies began their descent into the depths of the National League. It began back in 2013, when the Phillies were stuck in an eight-game losing streak while sitting seven games under .500. Papelbon angrily said to the media that he “didn’t come [to Philadelphia] for this.” Philadelphia fans, being some of the more passionate fans in sports, did not take a liking to this comment. Then, entering the 2014 season, Papelbon began to share his desire to be traded to another organization, one that would contend. Again, the boos continued, and this time Papelbon encouraged it. Papelbon stated that he hoped Phillies fans would continue booing him and that the only part that disappointed him was that only half the crowd was booing him rather than the entire crowd. Yet, as we enter spring training this year, just months after Papelbon’s hate for the city and team seemed ever so apparent, he is talking about how he believes that the Phillies can make a run. And, let it be clear, the Phillies projections for this coming year are set to be just as bad, if not worse, than last year’s season. So, what brings about all the positive light shining from Papelbon this spring training? Is it that Papelbon has dropped his egotistical attitude and changed for the better, or is it due to ulterior motives? In all honesty, it is unlikely that Papelbon has changed his character this late into his career. The change in his approach is probably a result of one thing and one thing only: a better shot of being traded. There is no doubt that Papelbon is still a top-tier closer, as he has posted an ERA under 3.00 his past three seasons with the Phillies. However, no team wants a player who is a detriment to the clubhouse and a detriment to the light in which a team is shown. By improving his attitude towards the fans and media, he stands a better chance of attracting interest from other teams. So yes, it is still the same-old Jonathan Papelbon, and yes, he is still trying to get traded away from Philadelphia. He seems to be sporting a disguise to strengthen his opportunities of joining a club that he actually feels is a contender.

SPORTS

Page 24

March 11, 2015

The Fordham Ram

Women’s Basketball Falls, Waits For WNIT By MATT ROSENFELD STAFF WRITER

The 2014 Atlantic 10 tournament provided Fordham’s women’s basketball team the run of a lifetime. Three days, three wins, A-10 champions. Fordham was dancing for just the second time in the program’s history. 2015 would be a different story. As the four-seed in this year’s conference tournament, Fordham knew this year would be more of an uphill battle than the last. For starters, the team was never supposed to reach the top four of the conference. The Rams were picked to finish fifth in the preseason, having lost their two biggest contributors from last season, Erin Rooney and Abigail Corning. “When you think about the injuries we had at the start of the year,” head coach Stephanie Gaitley said. “Not knowing what we were going to get from [graduate transfer Tiffany Ruffin], losing Erin and Abigail, there are so many things that could have affected this team and they just stayed together. If you would have told me we would be the four seed three months ago, I would have said you were crazy.” Yet there they were, 11-5 in conference play and a guaranteed place in the quarterfinals. Just three wins away from back-to-back conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. In the first game of the tournament, the Rams defeated Richmond 46-45 in its second nail biter of the year with the Spiders. Just two wins away. But this year, top-seeded George Washington, who was ranked No. 19 in the nation, was too much for the resilient Fordham squad. The Colo-

ANDREW ESOLDI/THE FORDHAM RAM

After falling to George Washington in the Atlantic 10 tournament, the Rams await their postseason fate, likely a WNIT bid.

nials ended the Rams’ championship defense 72-60 Saturday afternoon on their way to their own A-10 Championship. “[George Washington] is a great team,” senior captain Emily Tapio said of the 2015 A-10 champions. “They have a lot of weapons and they have a lot of depth on their roster. They have a lot of size on us as well. Especially when we experience foul trouble, it’s hard to stay with them.” In its first game of the conference season, Fordham hosted Richmond. The Rams would prevail 65-64 in an overtime thriller thanks to a gamewinning three pointer from freshman Danielle Padovano. This time around, the game would not have the scoring of the previous affair, but would be a thriller nonetheless. Fordham started the game on a 12-2 run spanning the first eight minutes of the game. However, as it has at many points of the season, Fordham’s offense then went cold. A combina-

tion of poor shooting and turnovers resulted in Richmond mounting a comeback, tying the game at 20 with just under five minutes left in the first half. Shockingly, neither team would score for the remainder of the half, which saw the Rams going into the locker room having scored just eight points in over 12 minutes of play. “We were just so focused on the defensive end,” Tapio said. “And we weren’t used to shooting on those rims at all. That can happen a lot in a tournament, where you’re just not used to the court or the rims.” The Spiders jumped out to a 2720 lead after a quick seven point run to start the half. Seeing its season on the line, Fordham turned it on themselves. The Rams came back with a 16-4 run of their own, led by Tapio with six points. Following the theme of the game, Fordham’s lead would not hold. Richmond roared back, and all of a

sudden two Spider free throws tied the game at 45 with 10 seconds remaining. Enter Taryn Durant. The senior guard, known for her defense, drove for the hoop and the game-winning bucket, only to be fouled. She’d shoot two free throws with one second remaining. Durant, who had scored only 43 points on the season, sank the first shot, which was enough to send the Rams through to the next round. “[Taryn] deserved it,” Tapio said. “She’s someone who is not usually on the court at that time, and she really got a chance to shine. She did a great job. I give her all the credit.” George Washington was the powerhouse in the conference all season. The Colonials entered the A-10 Tournament having lost only three games on the season, only one in conference (to Saint Louis) and had won 25 of its last 26 games, including an 83-65 win over Fordham in Wash-

ington D.C. just three weeks prior. Fordham’s offense was clicking early, a good sign if it wanted to beat George Washington. In its three losses this year, the Colonials have surrendered at least 70 points each time. The Rams had a 19-15 lead midway through the first half, but then gave up a 12-0 run to George Washington and trailed by eight. The Colonials would head into halftime with a lead of the same margin. As Fordham tried to hang tough, George Washington proved too much to handle. The top-seeded team continued to hit shots from the field as well as get to the free throw line and extend its lead to 17 with 10 minutes to play in the game. The Rams would scratch and claw to get back into the game, but would not be able to cut the lead to any less than eight in the final minutes of the contest. George Washington moved onto the final, and the title defense was dead. “Obviously, we’re all disappointed,” Tapio said. “But Coach made a good point in saying that we have a chance to do something special and hang another banner for the NIT, so the energy around the team is good.” Fordham finishes the season 2011, and now await a possible invitation to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. The team last reached the WNIT in the 2012-2013 season, when the Rams lost to St. Joseph’s in the A-10 Championship game. In the WNIT, Fordham went 2-1, with wins over Army and Boston University, losing to James Madison in the Round of 16. Fordham finished its regular and post season schedule 24-7 that year. The Rams will know their postseason fate on Monday, March 16.

Rams Hopeful For A-10 Tournament Run By MAX PRINZ STAFF WRITER

The men’s basketball team came very close to ending its 2014-15 season on a high note. Entering play last Wednesday, the team had won four of its last seven games, all in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Rams were unable to keep that momentum going, losing their final two games of the regular season. Fordham dropped its last home contest to Duquesne, 81-66, on Wednesday, and then lost at St. Bonaventure, 66-52, this past Saturday. The Rams’ matchup with Duquesne, which took place on Senior Night, was full of postseason implications. A win would have moved the Rams ahead of the Dukes in the A-10 standings. Unfortunately, things got a little bit harder when Fordham’s leading scorer, freshman Eric Paschall, injured his ankle in practice during the week and was ruled out of the team’s final home game. “We talked about, knowing Eric wasn’t going to play today, that we were going to have to find 17-18 points,” head coach Tom Pecora said after the game. “Guys got opportunities to step up and play, with Eric out there were a lot of shots to be had, and it didn’t happen.”

“There was a lot at stake and we didn’t play with that sense of urgency,” Pecora added. For the first 15 minutes of Wednesday night’s game, it looked like the Rams understood all that was on the line. Fordham blitzed Duquesne’s 2-3 zone defense with some slick passing, particularly from freshman Christian Sengfelder and junior Ryan Rhoomes, and held a twelve-point lead with 5:13 left to play in the first half. Sengfelder and Rhoomes showed a new level of chemistry against the

Dukes, working a delightful highlow passing game on offense. The pair combined for 21 points and 13 rebounds in the first half. The Dukes, however, refused to lie down. Duquesne started to knock down three-point shots and went on a 18-3 run over the last five minutes of the first half. The Rams allowed a trio of threes over the last two minutes and went into halftime trailing 38-35. “They raised the intensity to close out the first half and we just didn’t respond,” Pecora said. “They went

to the foul line 25 times and we went eight--that tells you who played harder.” The Rams never regained the lead after Duquesne’s run, scoring just 31 points in the second half to the Dukes’ 43. Duquesne finished the game with a sparkling 45.5 shooting percentage from deep. After the game, Pecora was unhappy with his team’s fight. “Guys who are on the bench always say ‘I should be playing more,’” Pecora said. “Well, tonight they got a chance and didn’t respond.”

CHRISTIAN WILOEJO/THE FORDHAM RAM

With the strides that have been made throughout the season, the Rams hope to make a run in the A-10 tournament.

Unfortunately, the Rams again failed to respond on the road against St. Bonaventure. Playing their final game of the regular season, the Rams followed their most common script, blowing a halftime lead en route to their 20th loss of the season. Junior Mandell Thomas was the Rams’ top performer against the Bonnies, scoring 20 points for the fourth time this season. His teammates, however, struggled mightily. No other Ram finished in double figures and the team could not overcome a slow start in the second half. Despite being up five at halftime, the Rams came out of the break cold and St. Bonaventure took advantage. The Bonnies outscored the Rams 19-2 during one stretch in the second half to take a 52-38 lead with 8:16 remaining and, from that point on, the game was all but over. Although the Rams lost their final two games, they have some hope heading into the A-10 tournament. Fordham will face off against George Mason on Wednesday night, a team they beat in last year’s A-10 tournament. This season, the Rams got their lone A-10 road win against George Mason, defeating the Patriots 80-68 back in February. Fordham and George Mason are scheduled to tipoff at 6:30 p.m. this Wednesday at the Barclays Center.