Volume 97 issue 9

The Fordham Ram Serving The Fordham dh University Community Since 1918 Volume 97, Issue 9

FordhamRam.com

April 15, 2015

CAB Reveals Spring Weekend Acts

By MICHAEL CHARBONEAU, LAURA SANICOLA AND JOE VITALE After a week of teasers in the form of posts and tweets, Campus Activities Board (CAB) has announced that twenty-one pilots will be the top-billed act for Spring Weekend 2015.

“This year we have @twentyonepilots coming out to perform!!!”

CAB posted on Instagram Tuesday afternoon. “Get ready for an AMAZING show next Saturday!!!”

The indie pop duo from Columbus, Ohio, will perform on Saturday, April 25, on Martyrs’ Lawn.

The band, formed in 2009, consists of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun and is signed to the label Fueled

by Ramen. The band is pegged to release its latest album, Blurryface, on May 19.

Twenty-one pilots was the last performer to be announced and they join a lineup which includes Humans of New York photographer Brandon Stanton, scheduled to give a lecture on Thursday, April

23, DJ duo Solidisco, slated to play a set in A-Lot on Friday, April 24, and comedian Jamie Lee, who will perform on Sunday, April 26, at the Leonard Theatre at Fordham Prep.

In addition, the Residence Hall Association (RHA) has announced that this year’s theme for the Under the Tent dance, scheduled for Saturday evening, will be “The Last Illusion: An Evening of Magic & Mystery.”

The RHA encourages students to wear formal dress. The poster for the event, illustrated by freshman Aya Nukina, portrays a sophisticated couple dressed in a tuxedo and formal gown traveling up Keating Steps at night.

Last year, Cold War Kids and Cartel performed during the main concert on Saturday. The theme for Under the Tent was Kentucky Derby, and Max Joseph, of MTV’s “Catfish,” was last year’s lecturer.

DJ Enferno was the headlining DJ SEE SPRING WEEKEND, PAGE 7

On Eddie’s, Spring Has Sprung

Following a cold winter, students took to Edward’s Parade on Saturday to enjoy a warm day in the sun.

Once Again, USG Leaders Elected as Sodexo Fails Voter Turnout Slumps To Deliver

By NICOLE HORTON CULTURE EDITOR

COURTESY OF FLICKR

Twenty One Pilots is scheduled to perform the headlining act during this year’s Spring Weekend. The Suits, a student band, will open the concert.

Despite recent changes made to the university’s dining experience, Fordham has not yet been dropped from The Princeton Review’s worst campus food list, receiving a No. 7 spot in the 2015 edition. Previously, Fordham was ranked No. 1 by The Princeton Review in the category of worst campus food in both 2011 and 2012.

This shows a slight improvement in perception, but that there is still progress to be made and a stigma to lose.

The end of this academic year marks two years since Fordham announced a ten-year contract with Sodexo, receiving an immediate deluge of negative feedback from students. Administrators were quick to defend the contract

MANAGING EDITOR

An email sent by Gabelli administrators to all Fordham College students on Monday night has irked liberal arts students, highlighting a possible point of contention between these liberal arts students and business students on campus.

Students questioned the tone of the email, calling it condescending. This sparked online comments and on-campus discussion about

the perceived marketability and value of liberal arts degrees.

The email, from the official Gabelli School of Business account, was titled “Special summer opportunity for Fordham College students.” It detailed a five-week “Summer Business Intensive” program designed for liberal arts students.

It started off with a bold header: “We can help make your liberal arts degree more marketable. Give us five weeks.” It went on to explain a course that promises to help liberal arts majors and business minors to

Domagola and Sawicki Claim Top Seats

Apathy on Campus? Not Really News

By JOE VITALE

By JOE VITALE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

“plan for their future,” “raise money,” “track their earnings and expenses,” “assess their performance” and “brand and promote a product.”

The email also promoted the summer program as being “easyto-understand, [and] accessible,” a statement that has apparently hit a nerve with FCRH students, many of whom took who took to social media to express indignation over what they perceived as a slight to their studies.

Following a low turnout and a handful of uncontested races, Ashley Domagola and Nicholas Sawicki, both FCRH ’16, were announced as the executive president and vice president, respectively, of United Student Government (USG) last weekend.

The two students, who have a combined five years of USG experience, earned 477 of the total 579 votes cast. (Student voters had the option to abstain from voting in specific races).

The numbers were indicative of a drop in voter turnout from recent years. 958 votes were cast in 2014, while 701 were cast the year before. 923 votes were cast in 2012.

“Both Nick and I are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to lead the United Student Government for the upcoming term,” Domagola said in a statement following the election.

Domagola currently serves as the head of the House Committee. Sawicki is founding chair of the External Committee on International Integration and serves as chair of the Dean’s Council of Fordham College Rose Hill. He currently co-chairs the Sexual Misconduct Task Force as well.

“First, we would like to

SEE EMAIL, PAGE 2

SEE ELECTIONS, PAGE 7

SEE SODEXO, PAGE 3

Email Sparks Clash Between Schools

By KATIE MEYER

CASEY CHUN/THE FORDHAM RAM

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The United Student Government (USG) election results have been announced and the student body will now be represented by a group of leaders for whom many did not vote.

Though nearly 6,000 students are eligible to vote, only about 600 did. Not that the low turnout had any major effect on who won: Only two races were contested.

On a single ticket, only two students threw their name into the hat, essentially signing up to be executive president and vice president of USG. The implications of this are not entirely clear for USG or Fordham students. But what is apparent is SEE USG, PAGE 6

in this issue

Opinion

Page 9

Students Pressured to Enhance Resumes

Culture

Page 13

Fordham Hosts Battle of the Bands

Sports

Page 24 Softball Honored at Yankee Stadium

NEWS

Page 2

-

April 15, 2015

Email Irks Liberal Arts Students

Journal From Abroad

PUBLIC SAFETY BRIEFS

March 26 McGinley Center 6 p.m. — 7 p.m.

A student reported that his headphones were missing from the cafeteria. He was at dinner and placed his headphones on a table behind him. When he returned to the table, his headphones were missing. Public Safety searched the area with no results.

March 27 Lombardi Center 6 p.m. — 7:30 a.m.

A football player’s wallet went missing in the vicinity of the football office. The following day the wallet was found near the bathroom stairs and $300 was missing.

The student reported the theft to Public Safety but declined to notify the NYPD. March 28 Goupil Hall 3:45 a.m.

A man who is unaffiliated with the Fordham community attempted to enter through a window aided by a female student who lived in the residence hall.

Public Safety saw the incident and escorted the man off campus.

April 7 Walsh Library 3:45 p.m.

A student left her backpack on the 2nd floor in a study area to go to the ground floor. When she returned ten minutes later, her backpack, containing a laptop, several textbooks and notes, was missing. She notified Public Safety who canvassed the area and found the backpack in a book aisle with the laptop missing.

April 8 183rd and Sedgewick Ave. 1 a.m.

A student met a woman, who was not affiliated with the university, at the Howl at the Moon Bar. He returned to her home.

When they got to the building he was met by a six-foot-two-inch, 240 pound male who struck him in the face with his fist. The student fled the building and called Public Safety. He was taken to St. Barnabas where he was treated for minor injuries. He did not to file a report with the NYPD. —Compiled by Cailin McKenna, Assistant News Editor

FROM EMAIL, PAGE 1

KATHRYN HULSEMAN/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Despite its serene landscapes, El Salvador is currently experiencing violence and unrest on a large scale.

In El Salvador, A New Normal

By KATHRYN HULSEMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I have been in El Salvador for over two months now, studying at the Universidad Centroamericana through the Casa de la Solidaridad program. All study abroad experiences are unique, and mine has been no exception.

El Salvador is a developing nation with one of the highest murder rates in the world, and twice a week I have the opportunity to experience this reality first-hand by visiting the impoverished community of La Javia, Tepecoyo. The Casa program offers an alternative study abroad experience by emphasizing Jesuit values, simple living and social justice. The core of the program lies in the belief that in order to understand the reality of the poor, one must walk alongside them in the spirit of solidarity. Thus, I am not here in the function of community service or mission work but rather to be present to the issues of poverty and injustice in our world.

This is my third trip to El Salvador and when I boarded my flight in January, I thought I knew what I was getting myself into. However, I quickly realized that living here for four months is a radically different experience than visiting for a week, particularly given the problem of extreme violence.

The violence in El Salvador is in-

timately tied to the gang presence in the country, and it has significantly influenced Salvadoran society. As reported by La Prensa Grafica, this past March was the most violent month in the past decade with an average murder rate of 16 people per day, a total of 481 homicides. I have never felt as though my safety was threatened, the Casa program does an incredible job keeping us safe, and there are a number of rules in place to ensure our well-being. In speaking with other Salvadorans, however, I am very aware of how lucky we are to enjoy the safety that we do.

The question of violence and safety is one that significantly shapes my experience here, and I have had my eyes opened to the challenges faced by the majority of people in Central America and Mexico. Violence here cannot be discussed in isolation, as it occurs in the larger framework of socioeconomic injustice and limited opportunity.

Last semester, the issue of Central American children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border temporarily dominated the realms of news and politics, and presently the larger discourse on immigration reform continues. What I find lacking from this debate is the consideration of the reality from which most Central American migrants are fleeing. Open a Salvadoran newspaper on any

given day, and you can likely find at least one story on a person violently killed by gangs. Some communities are so entirely under gang control that people knowingly risk their lives to cross the U.S. border because staying is a death sentence.

I am only here for another two months, and then I will be returning to the States to embark on the journey of processing all that I will have experienced. While I am presently trying to understand the reality of violence and what my role in it is, there is one thing that I have come to understand in the past two months: violence, even when it is a defining characteristic, is never the sole definition of a place. Here, in one of the most violent countries in the world, I have experienced more love and hope than I ever have before.

Every Monday and Wednesday I am welcomed into the home of a humble family in La Javia and am treated as a daughter regardless of my gringa appearance and intermediate Spanish language skills. I teach an English class to a group of children who fight against a future of violence by continuing to attend school, and I am blessed to know a woman who feeds lunch to 25 kids every day in an effort to protect the next generation. Salvadoran society may be currently characterized by gang violence, but there is so much more to this country than that.

“Thanks Gabelli for making business “easy to understand” for us liberal arts students,” read one tweet from user @laurenkeefe39. Another student under the handle @Mistur_ Rogers, tweeted “Wow, that Gabelli email was the most condescending thing I’ve ever read.” And, user @elenam112 said, “I guess Gabelli could have used an English major to help them convey their objectives more tactfully.”

Student satire blog, The Ramtime Times, also caught on to the climate of annoyance, publishing a parody of the offending email titled “Gabelli Students: We Can Help Make Your Business Degree Less Douchey. Give Us Five Weeks.” It includes promises to help business students learn to “Consider the perspectives of others before speaking,” and “Avoid alienating the entire liberal arts college of their university in one email.”

Reached for comment, university spokesman Bob Howe sent out an official statement on the issue.

“The intent of the ad was certainly not to imply that a liberal arts degree is less useful in the marketplace than a business degree,” it read. “In retrospect, it's easy to see that the ad could be read that way, and for that we apologize: it's neither a fair nor true characterization.”

Howe’s statement continued, noting that “The summer intensive was conceived as a plus, not a substitute, for a liberal arts education. In fact, Gabelli requires a full liberal arts core, with most students taking about half their total course load in the liberal arts, both because we believe it makes for a well-rounded person, and because it makes our business students more marketable.”

He also, however, expressed displeasure over The Ramtime Times’ take on the matter.

“The satire, though, is regrettable,” Howe’s email said. “It presupposes that business students are all of a type, and that type is deficient in personality, empathy and common decency.

The reality is that Gabelli students are deeply engaged in the world, intellectually curious and are very committed to service work.”

In September 2014, the university formed a task force to “deeply examine liberal arts education and articulate its value for students. The university, according to a post on Inside Fordham, is expected to unveil its findings at the end of the academic year.

This Week at Fordham Friday April 17

Saturday April 18

Satin Dolls Spring 2015 Concert

Fordham University Relay For Life Eddie’s Parade 10 a.m.

Fordham Prep Auditorium 7 p.m.

The Satin Dolls will be presenting their Spring 2015 concert featuring songs from Sia, The Beatles, Blu Cantrell, Beyonce, Gwen Stefani and many more. Expressions Dance Alliance will have a special performance at the show with free admission.

Relay for Life raises money to support the mission of the American Cancer Society to eliminate cancer.

108,760 New Yorkers are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year.

To participate, students can sign up and donate online.

Sunday April 19

Monday April 20

CSF Empowerment Night

Fordham Flava Presents: The Dark Side

Center Stage: Fordham International Community

Campbell Multipurpose Room 5 p.m.

Rose Hill Gymnasium 6p.m.

McGinley 237 5:30 p.m.

Fordham Flava’s show, Dark Side, comments on the positive aspects of being vulnerable and exposing our imperfections. Their show this Sunday will embody this theme. A ticket is necessary for admission and the show is sponsored by Redbull.

USG will be holding this event in order to create a public forum to discuss the experience of international students on our campus. This event is free and all are welcomed to share their opinions.

Saturday April 18

This event will celebrate the ways in which the various mediums that can inspire and empower people of different marginalized identities. Students will enjoy games and movies and television shows that portray a diverse group of people.

For more campus events, visit FordhamRam.com

NEWS

April 15, 2015

Page 3

Dialogue Looks at Campus Gates (from Both Sides)

By CAILIN MCKENNA AND JOE VITALE ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Colleges and universities are often seen as Ivory Towers: places where the privileged and educated look down on a world from which they are disconnected.

For some students at Fordham, this separation between academic life and the rest of the world extends far beyond the intellectual and into the psychological, cultural and social.

It is not the walls of the ivy-covered Gothic buildings that students believe are causing a rift, but the gates that enclose our campus.

In a country where the contrast between the “haves” and “have-nots” is constantly becoming sharper, many students are beginning to ask how a life inside the gates of campus adds to that divergence.

This was the topic of a recent forum hosted by the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) on Monday in the Campbell Multipurpose Room, where students tackled these questions through the lens of social justice.

The event focused on the practical uses of the gates, such as student safety and security, but also on the divide the gates can create between Fordham students and the Bronx community.

Students throughout the dialogue were asked to consider how the gates affect life at Fordham: do they create a certain “atmosphere” on Fordham’s sprawling green campus, and, if so, how? Do they impact life at Fordham, and, if so, why?

Yancy Carrasco, GSB ’16, is a diversity peer leader and one of many students trained by OMA to engage the students in a variety of social justice issues.

Carrasco said that the idea for the discussion stemmed from experiences with students who, though they pass through the gates each day, rarely confront their effects on student life.

“This was an opportunity to understand what the gates mean to other students. We have commuters and residents who see the gates every single day, and it’s a part of their Fordham life,” said Carrasco.

“And that got us thinking if it affects their actions in terms of interacting with the community. Fordham is not simply everything within these gates, but the Bronx and the greater New York area.”

Carrasco suggested that the dialogue was a way for students to tackle the idea of “exclusivity” and its toll on how we view those outside of our community.

“This was an opportunity to promote inclusiveness, regardless of the gates and guards,” Carrasco said.

“Even though we do have this barrier physically and psychologically that exists, what are the different approaches we can take to telling the community that surrounds us that we are here and we care about the space and the people who live here.”

The discussion also tried to confront the perception of Fordham’s campus — often described as an “Oasis in the Bronx” — but from the perspective of those outside the gates.

The 85-acre campus is among the largest privately owned green spaces in New York City — something the university once listed on its “Fordham Facts” webpage.

Still, students questioned the implications of labeling campus as an “oasis.” “An oasis,” they essentially asked, “from what?”

“The gates symbolize a college versus community campus. They separate us from where the security

CASEY CHUN/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Students took part in a forum on the gates and what they represent to both the Fordham and the Bronx communities.

alerts happen,” said Carlos Salazar, FCRH ’17, another diversity peer leader who facilitated the event.

“They develop into an us versus them mentality and create a negative stereotype for anyone who isn’t allowed through the gates.”

Students also considered one of Fordham’s mottos: “New York is my campus. Fordham is my school” and its branding compared to other universities in the city.

Some competing institutions, including Columbia University, Pace University, New York University and a number of Colleges of the University of New York, are sprawling campuses that encompass a host of buildings and offices.

Others in the Bronx, including Manhattan College and Lehman College, are also gated campuses that have confined university grounds.

“During the dialogue, I was thinking about how there are students

who use Fordham to not have to go into the Bronx at all and just go back and forth to Manhattan,” said Margaret Desmond, FCRH ’16, who attended the event. “There’s a possibility to use the Bronx, to experience the best of it and never have to experience the poverty, the crime and these more negative aspects of the Bronx and people are able to come and hide on campus.”

“This is kind of problematic because you have the community who has to live there full time, and students need to think critically about this if they want to be included in this community,” Desmond added.

This is not to say that gates of campus are not porous, or that students see them that way.

The gates do little to dissuade members of Fordham University from venturing off campus. Many students participate in community service, venture to off-campus restaurants and bars and support

businesses in the community, from Fordham Plaza to Arthur Avenue and beyond.

The university also hosts several organizations, such as City Squash, which uses Fordham’s athletic facilities and other programs during the summer where Bronx organizations use the campus grounds.

But, with members of the community required to carry their university identification card at all times while on campus and to surrender it upon the request of university personnel, students feel the need to question its effects on student life.

Another student, Kiera Maloney, FCRH ’17, commented on how the discussion addressed the image of Fordham being a privileged community inside the gates. “As members of this privileged community, it is important to consider how our presence affects the Bronx community, both implicitly and explicitly,” Maloney said.

Despite Efforts, Sodexo Earns Few Stars from Students FROM SODEXO, PAGE 1

and discuss plans for various retail installations on campus, including Panda Express, Auntie Anne’s, Cosi and Zime. After instituting these changes in the past two years, the focus of Fordham dining will mainly be food choices and trends and limited time offers, along with maintaining and getting the most out of its facilities.

When asked about Rose Hill’s food quality in fall 2013, 73 percent of Fordham students said it was good or better, according to a survey of 143 students conducted by The Fordham Ram. This is a considerably more positive response than the past few years.

The Fordham Ram previously reported that the new Sodexo contract stipulates that the food provider will incur a $3 million penalty if Fordham’s name is not off The Princeton Review’s worst food list in the next few years. This shows that Fordham is concerned about the negative connotation and national perception.

However, Fordham campus Dining Liaison Deming Yaun did not seem overly concerned about the most recent ranking, mainly because dining is not surveyed every year.

“We’ve gone up because other universities have gone down. We’re

surveyed in February [for the 2016 edition] — 1,200 people in a week’s time take the survey,” said Yaun.

“We’re expecting good news.”

Yaun went on to reference the eight to 12 renovated locations at Rose Hill since summer 2013, and four recent changes at Lincoln Center.

“We’ve had an exciting past two years at Fordham,” Yaun. “I’ve never seen the face of dining change as dramatically as it has at Fordham.”

Yaun attributes this progress to creating mutual goals in a partnership between Fordham and Sodexo, and to using surveys and social media feedback to continue making improvements.

Fordham students have been vocal about such issues as implementing healthier meal options and extending dining service hours. The class of 2018 is the largest Fordham freshman class to date, prompting housing concerns and also potential overcrowding for campus dining facilities. During busy lunch and dinner times such as 1 and 6 p.m., in addition to a longer waiting time at stations, it can be difficult to find seating at locations like the Marketplace and The Grille.

“What we’ve learned from our surveys is that The Grille is by far the most popular eating location as is, so we’re exploring enlarging

it,” Yaun said when asked about the expanding student population. “We are targeting in the next few years.”

The university is in the beginning stages of working with companies to discuss building plans and funding.

It will be a challenge to expand as The Grille is located in O’Hare Hall adjacent to the parking structure.

The only structural change to the Marketplace within the past few years is expanded perimeter seating, but that will soon change.

“We are in conversation and looking forward to making a major change here,” said Yaun. “The timing of which I can’t really speak to, but we know this location needs to

be addressed soon.”

With the aforementioned renovation plans, expanded selection of eateries over the past two years and an overhaul in food options stemming from input from students, Fordham Dining has more advancements planned as it looks to further cast aside its negative stigma.

KELLYN SIMPKINS/THE FORDHAM RAM

Fordham Dining was named number seven on this year’s Princeton Review List of Worst Campus Food.

NEWS

Page 4

April 15, 2015

SAGES to Protest Adjunct Wages, Pro-Life Display

FORDHAM RAM ARCHIVES

This year, the Fordham Respect for Life “Cemetery of the Innocents” is being protested by SAGES.

By ERIN SHANAHAN ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

The gender equality and contraceptive activists, SAGES, have been promoting two events: Fordham Faculty Forward’s “Student and Adjunct Income Inequality Rally” to be held this Wednesday, April 15, as well as “SAGES Protest Against Respect for Life Week.” Specifically , SAGES will be protesting the “Cemetery of the Innocents,” which they termed “the baby graveyard” held on April 29.

SAGES passed out flyers regarding these two events outside of McGinley this past Thursday,

April 15.

The upcoming event held by Fordham Faculty Forward was inspired by a National Day of Action named the “Fight for $15.”

By attending this event, students will be standing with workers and community members to fight for a new standard adjunct salary.

Currently, adjuncts at Fordham receive, on average, about $3,800 per course, with a cap of 2 courses per semester.

No benefits are included. Fordham Faculty Forward fights for a new standard of 15k per course and a new minimum wage of $15/ hr.

Fordham Faculty Forward’s

struggle for a higher minimum wage interests SAGES because of the relation between class inequality and gender inequality.

“The right to provide for your family is a part of women’s rights, specifically to provide for children,” said SAGES founding member Rachel Field, FCRH

’15, “An adjunct professor here at Fordham is making significantly less than the amount necessary to afford child care.”

In addition to the Faculty Forward Rally, SAGES will be holding a protest against Fordham Respect for Life’s demonstration held on McGinley Lawn called the “Cemetery of the Innocents,” on April 28.

SAGES plans to stand in solidarity with people who have experienced the emotional pain of being involved with an abortion.

They plan to speak out against Fordham Respect for Life’s demonstration by engaging in conversations with students, handing out flyers against the event, and using a large banner to cover up the demonstration.

“We are here to stand in solidarity with students who feel very hurt by the demonstration,” Field said. “No one should feel ashamed of their experiences or past decisions. Why are we as a campus shaming students? We want to show students that they can speak up and have a voice. “ According to Field, after last year’s “Cemetery of the Innocents” Fordham’s Women’s Empowerment group had a discussion with Fordham Pro-Life regarding the hurtful and negative aspects of the demonstration.

“It was very fruitful in discussing the way that the graveyard

Campus Briefs & Bites Former Child Soldier Finds Peace Through Education Kabba Williams, a former child soldier, met with Fordham students to discuss the importance of education as an escape from conflict.

The event, “Conflicted-Affected Youth: Education and Paths to Peace,” was sponsored by the Political Science department, the Fordham College at Rose Hill Dean’s Office and the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs. Students gathered in Bepler Commons on Thursday, April 9 to hear Williams relate his journey from child soldier to college graduate. Born and raised in civil war torn Sierra Leone, seven year old Williams returned home to find that the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF) had attacked. The group kidnapped many children, including Williams, and took them back to the base for war training. Williams described his generation as “the lost children of Africa.” He was eventually able to attend school for the first time at a local orphanage where he discovered his love for learning. Williams continues to work as an advocate for the thousands of children forced onto the battlegrounds and to promote an understanding across the international system of the suffering faced by many of the world’s children.

Professor Researches Declining Primate Populations

KELLYN SIMPKINS/THE FORDHAM RAM

Looking Good for a Cause

Fashion for Philanthropy’s annual Spring Showcase is the club’s biggeswt event of the year. It features both Fordham and New York city designers.

In previous years, Fashion for Philanthropy has raised over $5,000, which is used to grant a wish to at least one child and their family in need.

works to shame students on campus, particularly women, who have been through abortion,” said Field. “This conversation was part of a Women's Empowerment effort to create a deeper dialogue around the tactics used

by Pro-Life.”

SAGES expressed that it has big plans for the future of the coalition.

After building internally throughout the winter, SAGES intends to continue expanding their established sexual health network, which is called the "Just a Friend Network.” This network allows students to gain access free contraceptives through a network of their peers.

In addition, SAGES plans to launch a rebrand of the coalition called Fordham Students United (FSU).

This organization will act as a broader-based student movement organization. It will promote all students who are concerned with the problems of sexism, racism, free speech or equality of other types.

“These issues are not gone.

We’re not gone.” Field concluded.

“This is not something that happens in one semester because it is exciting and then disappears.

This is work that take a long time to develop and cultivate and it will be continuing regardless,” she said.

An adjunct professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology here at Fordham returned to West Africa this past December and January to study the disappearance of the nation’s primitive population and their sudden disappearance. Goodwin, PhD, did research in West Africa 17 years ago as well, publishing “Behavior and ecology of the mona monkey in the seasonally dry Lama Forest, Republic of Benin.” After receiving her invitation to return to the Benin-based

Organization for Sustainable Development and Biodiversity, she became excited for the opportunity to look for rare red-bellied guenons and red-capped mangabeys. While there, she and her colleagues acquired new information about the historical distribution pattern of the rare monkeys and found that, unfortunately, their populations have been decimated by hunting.

Graduate School Launches Development Network for Students and Alumni The Graduate School of Arts and Science has recently launched a new professional development initiative known as GSAS Futures. In addition to the graduate school, the program is also funded by the Graduate Student Association and staffed by graduate students. The goal is to prepare graduates for innovative careers, including ones outside of their realm of study, particularly outside of academia. The program aims to show the universality of a degree in arts and science, and relies on alumni to support can lead to jobs in fields such as science and technology. The Futures program also plans to work with organizations around campus such as Alumni Relations to collect data and increase post-graduation job rates.

Stephanie Cutter Talks Politics with Fordham Students Former Deputy Campaign Manager for Obama, Stephanie Cutter, spoke at Fordham this past Monday, April 13, at 6:45 in Flom Auditorium.

Politico calls her, “one of the most prominent voices in the [Democratic] party, and one of its top strategists and crisis managers” and “one of the 50 most powerful people in Washington” by GQ. At the event, Cutter discussed her work in the 2012 Obama campaign and her thoughts on how the 2016 campaign should be run. She also predicted that we’ll see a Bush-Clinton 2016 presidential race.

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

NEWS

April 15, 2015

Page 5

Fordham In The Bronx

Chipotle, and other Chains, Signal a Changing Neighborhood

By JEFF COLTIN BRONX CORRESPONDENT

Burrito or bowl? White or brown rice? Black or pinto beans?

Chipotle Mexican Grill, which opened its first-ever Bronx location at One Fordham Plaza this past Saturday, is presenting diners near Rose Hill with a number of choices, but none more important than this: Chipotle, or another restaurant in the area?

Martin McCormack, FCRH ’15, chose Chipotle, ordering a burrito bowl, chips and guacamole on opening day.

“You know, Saturday afternoon, I think I’d rather come to Chipotle, know what I’m getting rather than going to [independent sandwich shop] Best Deli and having them charge me whatever price they please,” he said.

McCormack noted the mass of people waiting to order, an even mix of students and residents, despite the between-meals time of 3 p.m. “The line is out the door at the moment…they must be making ridiculous amounts of money,” he said. “It could be dangerous for the other businesses around here.”

Chipotle is just one of a flurry of national chains occupying newly minted retail space in One Fordham Plaza. In the last few years, former office space on the first two floors of the building has been filled by Starbucks, Chase Bank, TJ Maxx, Famous Footwear and Party City. These nationwide businesses are still a novelty in this part of the Bronx, known more for the crowded bins of Cee and Cee Department store than the Ralph Lauren-packed racks of TJ Maxx.

That is not to say chains are unknown to the Fordham Road ecosystem. Among others, the street

contains a McDonalds, Gap and Best Buy above a shuttered Sears.

“Sears had been there forever.

Sears was there when Jesus was still walking the earth,” said Darren DeVivo, GSB ’87, and a DJ at WFUV. DeVivo grew up in the Bronx’s Morris Park neighborhood and said the store was an institution before its November 2014 closing.

“We’d refer to that intersection as ‘I’m going to Sears’ even though you weren’t literally going to Sears, you were going to the Fordham-Webster intersection for something,” he said.

Just a day before Chipotle opened, DeVivo saw a post on a Facebook page about the changing neighborhood in his old Morris Park community.

“There seems to be a rash of independent stores that have recently closed down… landlords not renewing leases,” he said.

“People were asking about national chains coming in.” DeVivo gave the example of a Boost Mobile replacing a butcher shop.

Dillon Fraoli works for RipCo, the commercial real estate broker that leases space in One Fordham Plaza. He said the new development came because the landlord wanted to earn more from the building, and because leasing to certain tenants carries less stress.

“It’s pretty much what’s best for the landlord,” he said. “National chains have the best credit and they tend to be the best tenants.”

There are still two empty retail spaces in the building. Fraoli expects they will be filled by more student-friendly choices like the ones already there. “The university definitely helps our leasing program,” he said. “We reach out to retailers who we think will do well in the area.”

JEFF COLTIN/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Popular Mexican chain, Chipotle, is the latest big-name store to join the changing space along Fordham Road.

If such businesses seem to clash with the independent restaurants and shops further west on Fordham Road or blocks away on Arthur Avenue, most of the students interviewed at Chipotle did not notice.

“I consider here by Fordham Plaza to be a separate and different thing than what’s on Arthur Avenue,” said Joe Campagna, GSB ’15. He does not fear chains pushing small businesses from the neighborhood.

“I still think that people who live here year-round value going to a dining establishment owned

by one of their neighbors rather than a huge national company,” he said.

Erica Mendoza, FCRH ’16, is a huge Chipotle fan. “My roommates freshman year used to literally take the subway to Manhattan just to get Chipotle,” she said. But, even Mendoza said the proximity of burritos wouldn’t keep her away from the independent red sauce Italian joints for which Belmont is known. “I think it would just keep me away from the Chipotle in Manhattan, she said. “I don’t think it would stop me from going to any of the res-

taurants on Arthur Avenue.”

And Loretta Malloy, FCRH ’16 felt the same way about shopping at Fordham Plaza.

“It’s nice, because these are stores that otherwise you’d have to go into Manhattan to go to.

It’s great having a TJ Maxx right there,” Malloy said. “Stores like Eazy Pickins [another retailer on Fordham Road], they have their own special vibe going on. It’s good to have them both. If the rest of Fordham Road changes, I think that would be bad. But if it’s just here at Fordham Plaza, not so much.”

Smart Woman Securities Hosts Female Finance Leaders

By AKASH BHATIA STAFF WRITER

The Women’s Leadership Conference was held on Friday in Walsh Library. Fordham’s

chapter of Smart Woman Securities sponsored the conference.

The goal of the conference was to empower women to make personal connections and reach their true potentials.

Guest speakers included Barbara Desoer, CEO of Citibank, MaryAnne Gilmartin, president and CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies and Danielle Sherwood, former COO of Alson

KELLYN SIMPKINS/ THE FORDHAM RAM

Smart Woman Securities hosted six speakers who are leaders in companies such as Citibank and JP Morgan Chase.

Capital Partners.

Representatives from Grameen America, Elaine Pouliot,Image by Elaine Pouliot and JP Morgan Chase also spoke.

Andrea Jung, CEO of Grameen Bank, a microfinance organization founded by Muhammad Yunus that provides small loans to the poor without requiring collateral, described her experience as a woman in a leadership role.

“Many times in my career, I was the only woman on the executive team,” Jung said. “This made me realize that I needed to be more assertive.”

Even then, however, Jung did not experience perfect equality.

“I was paid less than men doing the same job,” Jung explained.

Nevertheless, she does see progress for women in the workplace.

“The roles women are in, including leadership, are a lot better now than they used to be,” Jung said.

She also does not want to project herself as anti-men. “I’m a big believer in an even playing field, but not a tilt towards women,” Jung said.

Elaine Pouliot, CEO of the self-titled business Image by

Elaine Pouliot, spoke about her involvement with other business leaders.

“To be amongst the women who have spoken today is such a honor,” Pouliot said. Pouliot began with basic, general advice.

“Always enter into a room with confidence, not fear,” Pouliot said. She went on to speak about the importance of appearance and the image you convey. “It takes just seven seconds to make a first impression, so make sure to stand out for a reason,” Pouliot described.

Pouliot provided advice for getting early experience and managing yourself in the new workplace environment. “LinkedIn has become the number one recruit tool in America,” Pouliot said.

“Ask for help, and fake it till you make it,” were Pouliot’s words of advice concerning handling a difficult new job.

Ultimately, the Smart Woman Securities Conference demonstrated that professional success depends, not just on an individual’s skills and performance, but also on the team, environment and leaders surrounding the individual.

NEWS

Page 6

April 15, 2015

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MATTHEW MOORE/THE FORDHAM RAM

The newly-elected United Student Government executive board, above, was finalized after elections closed on April 10. Rose Hill students cast their ballots through Fordham’s online portal. The board, from left to right, includes Federico Giustini, Daniel Stroie, Nicholas Sawicki, Ashley Domagola, Brianna Cali, Peter Vergara and TJ Strazzeri. Pictured at top right is Domagola, who was elected executive president. Pictured at bottom right is elected executive vice president, Nicholas Sawicki. See coverage on next page, and see analysis below.

Apathy on a College Campus Isn’t Exactly News FROM USG, PAGE 1

that the situation is not new for Fordham’s student government.

In year’s past, USG has seen its fair share of uncontested races and low turnout.

In 2013, 700 students voted in an uncontested race for the top ticket, allowing Aileen Reynolds, FCRH ’14, and Brendan Francolini, GSB ’14, to claim the top roles without any competition.

Last year, a contested race for the executive ticket saw a spike in votes, topping out at about 1,000 cast. Still, the race ended in a decisive victory. The current student leadership, Nevin Kulangara, GSB ’15, and Sarah Skrobala, FCRH ’15 captured more than 60 percent of the vote.

This year’s executive race was not the only uncontested race.

Vice presidents of operations, student life and health and security were all uncontested races, as were those for VP of GSB and FCRH. Several senate seats remain unclaimed, and a number of students currently on USG declined to run for office again.

Of the two contested races, only the contenders for the VP of Finance debated during USG’s public session last week. The seat was ultimately won by Daniel Stroie, FCRH ’17. The other contested race — for VP of Communications — was claimed by TJ Strazzeri, FCRH ’16.

Given there is no minimum threshold for candidates and no requirement for students to vote, the problem seems likely to continue if there is not a change in policy or a spike in student interest.

With that in mind, student leaders in USG seem to be aware

of a seemingly low student interest.

“I think uncontested races absolutely hurt the image of student government,” said Kulangara, whose term is ending this May. “Elections are probably when the buzz around USG is greatest during the year, so a lack of campaigning and debate definitely limit our reach across the student body,” he said.

Kulangara also expressed the sentiment that uncontested races can give the appearance that USG positions are given, not won.

“Uncontested races also give students the impression that USG positions are essentially handed down, and that the rest of the student body has no say in who will represent them in the future,” he said.

For what it is worth, this alleged “apathy” extends far beyond Fordham’s campus. For decades, college papers have criticized their student governments, while many scholars have even deemed it a topic of study, leading to books with titles such as “Motivating the Middle: Fighting Apathy in College Student Organizations” (2011) and “Generation at the Crossroads: Apathy and Action on the American Campus” (1995).

These works, and many similar writings, have posed the same questions, essentially asking if college students are up to facing the challenges of their generation.

Some have raised questions about young people’s interest in their governmental representatives overall. Voter turnout among youth continue to be the lowest age demographic. Twenty two percent of people ages 18-29 voted in the 2014 midterm elections, ac-

cording to The Center for Information & Research on Civil Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). The amount of young voters in most presidential elections has hovered around 45 percent for the past few decades.

Christopher Rodgers, dean of students, sees lacking student involvement as a challenge for student government, but applauds the current candidates as hardworking students.

“I was honored to administer USG's oath of office just last night, but over the years have seen firsthand that President Domagola and Vice President Sawicki are possessed of impressive experience, work ethic and leadership skill,” Rodgers said in an email.

“We look forward to working with them in the coming year and I would encourage more of our students to show the same commitment to the hard work of leadership that I see with the incoming USG executive board and Senate,” he continued.

Of the newly elected USG leaders, Rodgers said: “They not only talk about change but have dedicated their time to achieving it by stepping up to put in the work change always entails.”

Still, the hitch rarely escapes the attention of critics of student government, namely student press.

Without fail, The Fordham Ram has criticized students for not vying for positions on USG. Nearly every year the paper not only publishes an editorial encouraging students to get out and vote, but publishes a follow-up editorial groaning about low voter turnout.

During the 1964 studeng government election, the editorial

board complained that there was just one sophomore party running for junior office. “Only one party as of last evening at 5 had petition for candidacy in the Student Government elections,” the editorial board wrote in its print edition.

The piece went on to express disdain for an apathetic sophomore class that would “ruin” the student body’s reputation.

“Even though its members may be the best qualified to run, the only party ballot removes the driving force competition and denies voters a choice of issues and/or personalities,” the article stated.

“It is extremely important that there [is] more than one party in contention.”

Skip ahead to 1995 and the mood was identical. In an editorial, this newspaper’s editors complained about low turnout at the latest election.

Noting that a 24 percent voter turnout was the highest polling number in the past few elections, the board said the number is still “inadequate.”

Kelly Kultys, FCRH ’15, who served as editor-in-chief of The Ram during its previous volume, covered USG for the news section for two years. Today, she calls the low turnout “concerning.”

“I think that's due to the lack of contested races but it's still concerning to me that there's minimal turnout for the people that are supposed to be representing the student body,” Kultys said in an email.

“It's hard to take people seriously when they complain about student government and then they don't run or even vote,” she added.

Connor Ryan, FCRH ‘15, who served as editor-in-chief of The

Ram two volumes ago, covered the elections as an editor and continues to cover USG elections through his online blog, Fordham Daily.

There, he has criticized the group for the high number of uncontested races this year. “For an organization that has worked hard this year to infiltrate the campus culture, this election is a clear signal that something just isn’t working,” Ryan wrote in an opinion article this month.

Speaking with The Fordham Ram, Ryan suggested it was a detriment to campus life.

“It was disappointing to see so few contested races this year, and not at all surprising to see a substantial drop in voter turnout,” Ryan said in an email. “Ultimately, uncontested races hurt the student body because it means people have less control over who's representing them in front of administrators.”

Noting fluctations, Ryan suggested that uncontested races might be more indicative of a constantly changing student body than a constantly apathetic one.

“Last year was a great election, this year was a bad one,” he added.

“Maybe next year will be great again. The rotating door of class years changes the student government dynamics from year to year.”

In 2013, the editorial board (which included Kultys and this reporter) published one of its most annoyed editorials in recent memory.

“Massive indifference allows the whole student body to be taken advantage of,” the editors said.

“Silence, and failure to vote,” they concluded, “is a missed opportunity.”

NEWS

April 15, 2015

Page 7

In USG Elections, Domagola and Sawicki Nab Top Positions FROM ELECTIONS, PAGE 1

congratulate the other members of USG who secured seats through the election this past evening and that we look forward to an extremely ambitious and productive year ahead,” she said.

“Second, we vow that all of the enthusiasm, integrity, dedication and honesty that we have emphasized throughout our campaign and throughout our time serving on the USG will be hallmarks of our administration.”

While the executive ticket was uncontested, the executive board saw two contested races.

TJ Strazzeri, GSB ’18, who defeated Eugene Kim, FCRH ’18, for the vice president of communications. He will replace Jenny Lim, FCRH ’15, in the position.

Daniel Stroie, FCRH ’17, defeated Thomas Roemer, GSB ’16, for the vice president of finance.

Stroie will replace Kara Norton, GSB ’16.

Students who won the remaining seats all ran uncontested for their positions.

Peter Vergara, FCRH ’18, will serve as the vice president of Student Life and Brianna Cali, FCRH ’16, will replace Harrison Pidgeon, FCRH ’15, as vice president of Health and Security. Federico Giustini, FCRH ’16, will take over as vice president of operations, replacing David Araoz,

FCRH ’15.

Salvatore Cocchia, GSB ’17, will serve as the vice president of the Gabelli School of Business and Garrison Grouch, FCRH ’17, will serve as the vice president of Fordham College Rose Hill.

Domagola and Sawicki will replace current executive president Nevin Kulangara, GSB ’15, and executive vice president Sara Skrobala, FCRH ’15, both of whom graduate in May. A number of initiatives marked their term, including the establishment of a platform for student-run businesses, the formation of the Sexual Misconduct Task Force and increased efforts regarding Fordham’s sustainability.

Speaking with The Fordham Ram, Domagola and Sawicki said they want to strengthen relationships with organizations in the Bronx community and work toward securing permanent student representation on the Board of Trustees. The two have also indicated an interest in securing the renovation of Collins Auditorium to ensure it will be accessible to all students.

They also want to explore more opportunities for Career Services to cater to the needs of Fordham College students.

Domagola and Sawicki also hope to continue the effort to

amplify USG’s voice on campus.

“USG has not always done the best job of communicating our work and our ideas to the Fordham student body, which is definitely something that we can improve,” said Domagola in an email to The Fordham Ram. “Students are consuming their news in a different way, and we need to adapt.”

Kulangara and Skrobala endorsed the two students before the election, saying that their experience and ambition can be a “platform for igniting change.”

“Student government at Fordham has come a long way over the past decade, but there is still untapped potential for student advocacy on our campus,” the current executives said. “With this bright future in mind, we proudly endorse Ashley Domagola and Nicholas Sawicki for the Executive Ticket. Ashley and Nick are two of the most dedicated and experienced student leaders on our campus.”

(The Fordham Ram also endorsed the ticket in an editorial published on its website.)

Two students, Troy D’Amico and Darcy McGuire, were elected as senior senators for GSB. Anisah Assim, FCRH ‘16, was re-elected as senator for FCRH, though two open seats remain.

Brigid Hilton was elected to

the senate for GSB for the junior class, though one seat remains open. Sebastian Albrecht will sit on the senate for FCRH as a junior, where there are also two open seats.

Current freshmen who were elected include Christine Phelan and Alex Zamora (both GSB) and Kaela Palmiter, Aaron Banasiewic and Erin Shanahan (all FCRH).

USG Election Results President Ashley Domagola Vice President Nicholas Sawicki VP of Student Life Peter Vergara VP of Communications TJ Strazzeri VP of Operations Federico Giustini VP of Finance Daniel Stroie VP of Health & Security Brianna Cali VP of FCRH Garrison Groesch VP of GSB Salvatore Cocchia

CAB Announces Lineup for Spring Weekend FROM SPRING WEEKEND, PAGE 1

KATHY WILLENS FOR THE FORDHAM RAM

COURTESY OF INSTAGRAM

COURTESY OF TWITTER

COURTESY OF THE SUITS

CAB announced the performers for Fordham’s Spring Weekend, scheduled in April. The performers, in clockwise order, include Jamie Lee, The Suits, Solidisco, and Brandon Stanton, founder of Humans of New York. The lineup also includes Twenty One Pilots, pictured on the front page.

act, with Patrick McCarren, GSB ’14, and Dayne Carter, FCRH ’15, as opening acts.

CAB President Natalie Salerno, GSB ‘15, said CAB has worked hard to make this year’s lineup a good one, and stated that she is “incredibly excited to share all of these events and artists with the campus community.”

The process for filling the performance slots began last June, when CAB Concert Committee Co-chairs Alex Rainone, GSB ’16, and Matthew Krause, GSB ’17, started to explore possible performers.

“Matt and I put together ‘packets’ that include every song an artist has ever written or performed and highlight any lyrics that may be controversial to the Fordham mission,” Rainone told The Fordham Ram. Rainone said told The Fordham Ram that administrators gives them “a lot of autonomy,” but within certain parameters. The campus organization is advised to avoid artists “who are controversial.”

“The ultimate goal, of course, is always to bring artists that students are excited to see,” said Salerno.

“The biggest influence over our options comes from the student survey results,” Rainone told The Ram. “This year, similar to past years, the most popular genre was the alternative genre.”

All of the Spring Weekend events except the Under the Tent dance, which is sponsored by the Residence Halls Association, are free. Tickets for Under the Tent go on sale Wednesday, April 15, and cost $25 each.

NEWS

Page 8

April 15, 2015

Through Fashion, Muslim Group Encourages Tolerance

WILL SMITH/THE FORDHAM RAM

The Muslim Student Association distributed hijabs, Islamic headscarves, to educate students on Islamic culture.

By EDDIE MIKUS STAFF WRITER

The Muslim Student Association conducted an event on Friday, April 10, which let students try on a traditional Muslim headscarf known as a hijab, which is worn by Muslim women when out in public.

During the event, students could approach a table in the McGinley Center where the group was distributing the hijabs. In addition, the organization provided pamphlets about various aspects of Islam.

Maliha Gul, FCRH ’17, co-treasurer of the Muslim Student Association, said in an email message to The Fordham Ram that she felt the event could help promote tolerance of Islam amongst Fordham students.

“The main purpose of Hijab Day was to promote an accepting society in which a person is not treated any differently due to the fact that they wear religious clothing like the hijab,” Gul said. “By wearing the hijab, the participants were able to see that people who wear hijabs daily are just like them. Many participants

continued to wear the hijab for the rest of the day, which made the hijab a common sight on campus. The purpose was to make the hijab something familiar rather than something strange.”

Gul also said that the Muslim Student Association felt it had to correct a misunderstanding regarding the purpose of hijab use within the larger American culture.

“Although there are always openminded people, there are also people who believe that the hijab is a symbol of oppression and fundamentalism,” Gul said. “One simply needs to look

at the comments section of any argument about hijab to find these people. When we look at these kinds of comments in context with the increase in hate crimes against Muslims in the West particularly against those wearing religiously identifiable clothes such as the hijab, it is easy to see why events like ‘Wear a Hijab’ Day are necessary.”

According to Gul, hijab wearers in the United States not only face discrimination within society at large, but also within the workplace.

She also believes that this type of discrimination is not limited only to Muslim women who wear hijabs, but also individuals of other religious affiliations who openly identify their affiliation through clothing or other means.

“Hijab wearers definitely face discrimination,” Gul said. “I've heard of many people who applied for jobs and it was clear that they had been accepted until they appeared with the hijab, after which they were mysteriously dropped. I do think that things are changing and people are more accepting about the hijab and other religious clothing like turbans and skullcaps worn by other religious groups, especially in New York City.”

Gul also talked to The Fordham Ram about her personal experience wearing the hijab.

“I have been wearing hijab by choice from an early age, so it was very much a part of me and I never really felt like the odd one out for wearing it,” Gul said. “Although I've

been mostly lucky, I've had many friends who were bullied about it in school and many times I have been told by strangers to go back to my country.”

Gul then went on to relate one of the more traumatic instances of intolerance that she has experienced in her life.

“The worst incident that happened to me was when I was in sixth grade. I was the only one waiting for the bus on my way to school. I was reaching into my bag to check the time on my phone, when a man who had been standing nearby staring at me made a comment along the lines of ‘Is there a bomb in your bag? What are you going to bomb next, huh?’ I remember being really scared and speed walking to the next bus stop to avoid him.

“Other than this incident however, the majority of people have generally been more accepting. I grew up here in New York City and I'd like to think that most people in cities are more exposed to diversity and as a result are more open minded about these things, but maybe that's just my personal bias.”

The Muslim Student Association (MSA) is a student-lead organization sponsored by Campus Ministry, which serves the needs of all students of the Islamic faith. Meeting weekly, the MSA is an opportunity for Muslim and non-Muslim students at Fordham University to gather for conversation, spiritual growth and understanding.

Online Marketplace Aims for Sustainable Future

By CAILIN MCKENNA ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

Alyssa Rose, FCRH ’17, returned from the Dominican Republic two summers ago with a collection of stories about local artisan women and a backpack full of their beautiful, unique goods. Her experiences in the Dominican Republic shed light on an important economic and social issue affecting women and artisans across the developing world; the fact that many of these artisans’ income are largely dependent on the tourist industry.

With her roommate Kiera Maloney, FCRH ’17, the two students set out to reinvent the relationship between economical sustainability for these artisans and how the general public consumes their goods.

In their dorm room on May 7, 2014, Rose and Maloney used their love for travel and social justice to develop a platform for artisans to share their stories and their authentic goods with a consistent base of consumers around the globe.

“We wanted to create an online platform where artisans have steady traffic for selling their goods, and consumers have a reliable source to buy unique goods,” said Rose.

“We wanted to empower women through ethical business practices.”

The result was Radiate, an online marketplace that has a central mission to empower women from developing regions. It does this by providing an avenue of increased income while creating a new and dynamic practice of exchanging new and artisanal goods.

“The main motivation for Radiate was to start something that was most sustainably good,” Rose said.

CASEY CHUN/THE FORDHAM RAM

Roommates Alyssa Rose and Kiera Maloney launched their online marketplace, Radiate, on Wednesday, April 15.

“This is a good way to empower women to create their own way of income without being reliant on other organizations such as NGOs.” Almost a year later, this undertaking has become a reality with the launch of their online marketplace on Wednesday, April 15. The website offers a limited selection of products including Radiate stickers. By the end of the summer, the marketplace will be fully stocked and able to offer authentic goods at budget-friendly prices, along with providing a source of sustainable income to artisans.

The artisan women Rose and Maloney have met through their travels to Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Senegal, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and in the Navajo nation in New Mexico have inspired

the roommate duo to reimagine the way consumers view production and the way products are sold.

By creating a relationship between consumers and artisans, they say they are able to connect individuals and create a sustainable way of life for many artisans in the developing world. “Whenever we return from travels and bring back artisan goods, people are always asking where they can get similar goods,” said Maloney. “It’s a natural link to put those markets together.”

In January, Rose and Maloney launched a two week long Indiegogo campaign that raised over $1,800. Fully-funded by their family and friends, the Radiate team was able to put the money toward licensing fees and the website (radiatemarket.com). They will use the

remaining funds to set up a network of artisans with initial supplies.

“We came up with the idea to use radiate as our name when we were having a conversation about some of the people we look to for inspiration and commenting about the way they just exude all of these positive qualities that we really admire,” said Rose.

The Radiate model will create a cohort of five artisan women from a single region of the world.

This summer, Rose and Maloney will spend a month in the Dominican Republic to meet with artisans, set them up with initial amount supplies and create a plan for communication and shipping.

The online marketplace will allow these artisans to build their own businesses over the course of three

years and gain access to a wider consumer base. After three years, the program will establish and promote individualized websites for selling goods. The team will work with these women to promote environmental and economic sustainability, ethical business practices and a greater understanding of their diverse cultures.

“I support small businesses and by buying from these businesses and other people, we can redesign how we buy goods,” said Maloney.

“We don’t have to buy from large factories or chain stores, it can be from people.”

Radiate is already attracting the attention of organizations around campus as the company has received numerous awards, including being a finalist in the Social Innovation Challenge. It was also recently selected as part of Fordham Foundry, a business incubator.

Rose and Maloney are also bringing this economic and social justice issue to the forefront and encouraging other students to get involved to make a difference. Their slogan “what will you radiate?” asks students to take initiative, and in turn, make a difference in the world. In addition to radiating joy and prosperity with the goal of empowering women around the world, Rose tries to radiate sunshine by maintaining a positive attitude and finding happiness in the little things. Maloney tries to radiate good vibes in order to promote a sense of calmness that others can take part in.

“We love this definition of the word radiate that is ‘to emit in rays; to project or glow’ and we think each person radiates and glows some quality,” said Maloney.

OPINION

April 15, 2015

Page 9

The Fordham Ram

Rethinking Costly Resume Enhancers

By MARGARITA ARTOGLOU OPINION EDITOR

As college students, we have a lot to do, a lot to think about and a lot to pay for. Student debt is constantly a hot topic of conversation.

Despite more and more students being unable to foot the bills for college tuition, more and more expectations are being placed upon their shoulders.

All colleges like to tout their study abroad programs and internship opportunities as selling points to prospective students, even though the real focus should be placed on the reason students go to college in the first place: the degree.

However, in today’s world, completing a four-year degree is no longer enough to make students viable candidates for competitive jobs.

Recently, there seems to be a surge in college students doing things for the experience. Things like traveling abroad, going on volunteer trips in foreign countries and working at unpaid internships are examples of things that cost time and money but have become so commonplace that a resume without them seems almost lackluster.

Most students at Fordham have an unpaid internship at some point, providing companies with free labor in exchange for a few lines on their resume and maybe a recommendation. And service trips are increasingly popular: it

AL GOLDIS/AP

More students would consider working part-time, minimum wage jobs in retail if employers valued their experiences.

is all too easy to find a poster promoting a Global Outreach trip on campus.

Partaking in these activities is great for those who have the time and money to do so, but lately it seems like there is more pressure among college students to have more experiences to put on a resume.

We spend years in our classes, working toward our degrees, all for the purpose of landing a good job after we graduate.

Now, that degree will not be enough. Instead, we are expected

to embellish our resumes with free labor and expensive trips.

This trend is perpetuating an unfair burden that has been placed on students already on a tight budget to shell out the cash for a volunteer trip or give up time that could be spent working for money to help pay the increasingly expensive cost of attending college.

I spent this past summer working my first job at a debate camp, where I did my best to teach middle school students about current events. During the school year, after my classes and on some

weekends, I headed over to my old high school to coach the debate team there. My experiences do not make for very sensationalized stories, but I still feel that I learned a lot from the kids I taught and the other teachers I worked with.

I may not have gained much in terms of sight-seeing, since I never left the camp’s home base in New Jersey and my high school is right here in the Bronx, but I came to understand my own capabilities a little bit better.

The job was neither glamorous, nor directly related to any kind of

job I hope to have in the future, but I gained so many skills that I have already applied to my every day life. Plus, I was able to make some money for my efforts.

We, as a society, need to rediscover the benefit of students taking minimum wage jobs. In today’s job market, it feels intimidating to go up against job candidates who have spent time working in a similar office (for free) if the only experience you have is working in retail.

But this is the most practical way to get real job experience in a way that is more reasonable for students. A regular, paid part-time or summer job at a store or restaurant or camp can make students more responsible, improve their time management and organization and increase their work ethic.

Additionally, these jobs allow students to help pay their tuition bills. But the importance of minimum wage jobs is currently downplayed in favor of more prestigious opportunities, despite their equal abilities in instilling essential job skills in students.

The attitudes of an entire generation of employers and potential employees will be hard to alter.

However, more respect should be afforded to the degree itself, and the experiences of students who work part-time jobs should be more valued.

Margarita Artoglou, FCRH ’18, is a communication and media studies major from Queens.

Gay Conversion Therapy Ban Begins Tolerance Talks

THE ALL-NITE IMAGES/FLICKR

Supporters of Leelah Alcorn, the transgender teen who committed suicide after therapy, protest to honor her memory.

By JOHN SCHEBECE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

American culture is overall heteronormative and people whose gender identity and sexuality do not conform are often marginalized.

The discussion of sexuality in America has often been stifled by the pervasive belief that this is a nation founded on “Christian ideology.”

While there is nothing wrong with believing this, we must respect one another’s rights and

decisions. This means that we must respect the opinions of both sides.

We must create and sustain a culture of acceptance while simultaneously valuing traditional opinions.

Of course, the dialogue should be is much broader than talking about homosexuality on Fordham’s campus. We must facilitate conversations about sexuality in the United States in order to resolve the issues we have with it.

An online White House petition caught the eye of the

president, one which gathered electronic signatures to raise awareness of the suicide of seventeen-year-old Leelah Alcorn.

The transgender teen left an online suicide note saying how therapists attempted to change her back to a boy and the traumatic psychological effects their actions had on her.

The note garnered a lot of attention thanks to Tumblr, where Leelah had a large number of followers and the support of many.

However, even this support was not enough to soothe the trauma

caused by the therapists.

Unfortunately, the tale of Leelah Alcorn is all-too-common in our world.

According to Healthy Place, a mental health website, 30 to 45 percent of transgender people report that they have attempted suicide, and many are too afraid to even discuss this matter.

President Obama, while not explicitly outlining any plans for a law, called for a ban of these hurtful methods of “therapy” like the ones Leelah suffered.

The White House praised the 18 states that passed legislation this year banning gay conversion therapy. They joined New Jersey, Washington D.C., and California, which previously passed legislation banning the practices.

Dominic Brancato, FCRH ’18 and a political science major, said, “I think Obama is doing all that he can do in that he is condemning them, but I don’t think he can take it much further than that, but it’s a step in the right direction.”

A step indeed, as Obama has further solidified the stance of the White House in LGBT matters.

While there may not be much Obama can do legally for now, he has helped raise awareness by taking a stance. These gay conversion methods, camps, and therapists are toxic to LGBT youths

who are attempting to figure out their identities.

The discussion of sexuality must be more open in America as sexuality seems to affect the nation now more than ever. Many have said that this is a period of civil revolution in the country for the LGBT community, but the truth is, while we have made strides over the past few decades for LGBT awareness and rights, we are sadly behind the curve in this respect.

The word “belief ” is entangled in the discussion of sexuality, both gender and sexual orientation. Nobody wants to go near it and people become easily caught up in it.

If we could somehow get past these beliefs, the discussion would be much easier and much safer. In addition, Fordham should continue to encourage these changes in legislature, in society, and around campus.

As of now, the United States is not a safe place for the discussion of sexuality for many, and will remain so unless we raise awareness of the damage institutions, such as gay therapy camps, cause.

John Schebece, FCRH ’18, is undecided in his major from Dix Hillls, New York.

Page 10

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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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.

OPINION

April 15, 2015

From the Desk | Kristen Santer

Gabelli Email Reveals Bitter Tension Amid Schools I am sure every Rose Hill and Lincoln Center student has now received an email from Gabelli that describes and advertises its Summer Business Intensive. This program, in which students will learn strategy, accounting, finance, marketing and media, is a five-week crash course during the summer for business novices.

This is a great way for students to learn the basics of business without having to take semester long classes. These types of skills are not only helpful for potential careers, but will also be useful in everyday life.

However, many students are upset with the way Gabelli advertised the program to Rose Hill and Lincoln Center students.

The first line of the email reads, “We can help make your liberal arts degree more marketable.” The email continues, “Designed for liberal arts students, this new fiveweek course teaches skills that apply to all business — in an easy-to understand, accessible way.” Nich-

olas Giampicolo, FCRH ’17, said, “The latter language also has a notion that FCRH students are less capable of understanding business school topics and issues.”

Although it was well intentioned, the wording of the email is condescending and demeaning. It sounds as though Gabelli is dumbing down their classes for Rose Hill students.

There are already many Rose Hill students who believe that the Fordham administration caters to Gabelli, and it’s not hard to see why. The Gabelli School of Business recently received a new, beautiful building that is one of the highlights and selling points of every school campus tour, while the buildings dedicated to Rose Hill degrees are falling apart (see the second floor girls’ bathroom in FMH).

In addition, Gabelli’s core programming is less intense and more specialized, allowing students to take business classes related to their degree earlier than students

at Rose Hill.

The divide created by the administration seems to directly contrast with Jesuit values. Fordham’s Jesuit identity is stated on its website, and begins, “with a deep respect for the individual and his or her potential, a principle the Jesuits call cura personalis.”

Emma DeGrace, FCRH ’17, noted, “While the administration preaches Jesuit ideals, this email essentially stated that they do not actually value liberal arts degrees, but only ones related to business.

I thought we were all part of Fordham Rose Hill.”

This email, in addition to these other problems, is simply adding to the culture of resentment and competition between the two schools. Others may begin to think that Gabelli students see themselves as superior, based on their level of “marketable” business skills that will most likely lead to a more monetarily successful career.

Rose Hill students may begin to believe others see their degree as

worthless and insignificant.

Instead of adding mileage to the growing distance between Gabelli and Rose Hill, Fordham’s administration should help promote a culture of collaboration and equality.

Each school is important and should receive the same amount of support and attention from the administration. I understand that the Gabelli School of Business is becoming more prominent and prestigious, but that does not mean that they should show favoritism.

Editorial | Respect for Life

Rethinking Abortion Activism Every year, Fordham’s Respect for Life group sets up thousands of small, white flags on the grass in front of the McGinley Center. It is part of the annual Respect for Life Week, a national initiative. Similar flags are stuck into the ground all over the country.

Respect for Life calls the display a “Memorial of the Innocents.” The white flags, which will be arranged on the McGinley lawn in the shape of a cross, are meant to symbolize the 2,900 abortions that reportedly happen every day in the United States.

In response to this display, which will go up on McGinley lawn the morning of March 27 and remain there all day, student group SAGES (Students for Sex and Gender Equity and Safety Coalition) is holding a protest. They have said they will be “engaging with our fellow students in dialogue throughout the demonstration and welcome all discussion.”

They have also said they will bring a

banner and flyers.

The Fordham Ram does not take a position on the pro-life vs. prochoice debate. We, however, do take a position on disrespect, and in that regard, we condemn the actions of both Respect for Life and SAGES. Respect for Life is completely within its rights to memorialize so-called “innocents” as a result of terminated pregnancies. But those rights do not extend to publicly disrespecting those who choose to have abortions.

By tallying aborted fetuses, declaring them innocents and memorializing them, Respect for Life trivializes the difficult decision women face in choosing to have an abortion.

They portray abortion as a crime, one born out of, at best, ignorance or, at worst, cruelty.

If the memorial sought to inform or further the discussion surrounding abortion in a respectful way, holding it on McGinley lawn might be legitimate. However, regardless of

Respect for Life’s intentions, the display does not do that. Rather, its primary function is to shock passersby.

Each year it inevitably upsets more people than it informs.

Holding a demonstration with that effect in a space as public and heavily trafficked as McGinley lawn is inappropriate, because while Respect for Life has the right to create a “Memorial of the Innocents,” the Fordham community also has the right to choose whether or not they view that memorial. By placing it in an area that students would be hardpressed to avoid, Respect for Life is compromising that right.

The Fordham Ram supports Respect for Life’s freedom to hold their memorial, but we ask the group to reconsider the location. It could be held just as effectively in a specific area where one can make a conscious choice to see the memorial like a gallery or a multi-purpose space.

As well, SAGES — a group that has repeatedly advocated for free

speech — is compromising part of its own mission by protesting Respect for Life’s “baby graveyard.”

They have written that “no one should feel silenced or traumatized by this disgraceful demonstration,” yet they seek to silence those whose views do not align with their own.

If SAGES were advocating for a change in the memorial’s location, or an adjustment of the language used, it would be one thing, but they are not. They are standing in direct opposition to the very belief behind the memorial. That crosses the line from activism to censorship.

No matter how well-intentioned or sincere both Respect for Life and SAGES are in their activism, both are overlooking a vital component of civilized discourse: respect.

We at The Fordham Ram implore the groups to rethink not their positions, but their acts of disrespect against members of our community who have views different from their own.

Today, there are over 300 stores occupying the area, essentially turning it into an outdoor mall that employs hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

But, with every success comes its faults, and the spike in brand names near Fordham Plaza is not an uncommon phenomenon in economically blooming areas. In communities across the city, state and country, Americans are coming to learn the challenges that are lumped with big name stores: namely, the squeezing out of small businesses, soaring rents for residents and merchants, and dollars that find their way outside of the local economy.

The end result is proven to be harmful to local businesses who cannot compete with brand

names.

Those around Arthur Avenue will undoubtedly feel the pressure if more students head toward Fordham Plaza for a coffee or lunch. With a Starbucks in sight, how viable are cafés like Delillo’s or Palumbo’s? With a Chipotle nearby, will students still order from Simon’s and Tino’s as often as they do now?

Though purely aesthetic at first glance, community identity can be tarnished when every clothing store and restaurant is corporately owned as well. Eventually, it may be difficult to separate the likes of Fordham Road from any other city avenue with a McDonalds and Chase bank on every other corner.

There are solutions. Many communities are proposing zoning

policies that prohibit big-box stores and chains.

Still, the economic power of corporate brands as well as free market principles will likely be a strong, if not overpowering oppositions for small businesses in the community.

Fordham students are not inconsequential in this equation.

While many students are here for just four years, where students choose to spend their dollars can make a difference in the long run.

Supporting locally owned businesses — and not chains — is the key to keeping those business alive.

The question is not only whether we want to see them thrive, but if we will put our money where our mouths are.

Ramblings This past week, Bronx residents, Fordham students among them, waited in long lines to make their first purchase at the brand-new Chipotle on Fordham Road. Situated between Applebees and Famous Footwear and across the street from Best Buy and Walgreens, it is just one of many corporate chains that now occupy the plaza. Just a few blocks up, other big name stores, like American Eagle, have also moved into the area.

The influx of big name brands in the area is most certainly a sign of growth.

The Fordham Road Business Improvement District (BID) has brought a flurry of changes, ultimately impacting the Bronx community and turning the area into a high-traffic commercial area.

OPINION

April 15, 2015

Page 11

Our Dead Campus: How the Administration Caused a Culture of Apathy

By FRANK SIVILLI

James Demetriades California Drought and Fordham

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

This is a piece that’s been long in the making. It upsets me to think just how long.

It seems I have had issues with the Office of Student Leadership and Community Development (OSLCD) and the Office of Student Life (OSL) since the day I first became a student leader. It is not at all a unique position, if I think back to the voices who have groaned in tandem with me over these past four years. The conclusion I have come to is simple: there is a systematic issue with the management of student life at this university. And I think I finally understand why.

In the 2014-2015 Student Handbook under the Club Rights, Responsibilities, and Requirements heading, section six states, “Registered clubs have the following privileges: use of University facilities in accordance with applicable policies meetings and activities, solicitation of membership on campus under the organization’s name, listing of the organization in the official publications of the University, use of University bulletin boards and other designated posting areas, access to University services, leadership programs, and the expertise of a faculty or staff advisor, a mailbox in the Office of Student Leadership and Community, as well as access to the resource room, an email address on the University system and a University-connected web site.”

These eight points are the only guarantees that the University lays out for student groups on campus. More than half are purely logistical. The first point is the only one on this list that advocates for a club’s ability to program.

Note the absence of specificity.

What “applicable policies” are being referred to here? USG Resolutions, The Code of Conduct and The Student Handbook are intermittently cited throughout the rest of the document. Are any of those the laws and regulations backing said policies? And, does “in accordance” suggest there’s a body monitoring said accordance?

As it stands, it seems any policy can be enforced by any administrator to exclude a student group from organizing publically. That’s a frightening brand of non-specificity that has reared its head time and again, making this less a “privilege,” and more a condition.

Note, too, the absence of the words “funding” or “budget.”

Neither is mentioned a single time in any of the 19 sections in the Club Rights. Student organizations have no right to funding, and further, the University has no responsibility to provide it.

This perhaps would not be such an issue if not for clubs that have referendum status. A referendum status club is an organization like Mimes and Mummers, CAB or FUEMS that is guaranteed a certain allocation of funding from

KELLYN SIMPKINS/THE FORDHAM RAM

The Office of Student Leadership and Community Development causes student apathy due to mismanagement.

the Student Activities Fund each semester.

Given the scope in which these clubs operate, it makes sense that they have protected budgetary status. I’m happy that these clubs exist, and I don’t know what campus would look like without them.

But a campus cannot be sustained by the good work of a few dozen individuals. These clubs are deemed essential, and I applaud the work they do and the services they provide for our community, but this same protection needs to be afforded to all clubs on campus.

The university needs to be held responsible for adequately outfitting student organizations with the funds and protection they need to program for all members of our diverse student body. This needs to start with a drastic retooling of the Club Rights document so that it incorporates protection from OSLCD on one hand, and accountability that they will provide the services clubs need on the other. As it stands, student groups are suffering. And so is the university.

Culture is eroding. The number of students who, rather than questioning a student life policy, merely shrug with a “that’s Fordham,” is telling of a deeply apathetic mindset stemming from years of overbearing administration.

“That’s Fordham” has become the go-to response of a student body that has been so fundamentally deprived of adequately-managed programming, that students can’t even imagine a brand of administration that isn’t as backward as it is today.

Fordham has misserved an entire generation of students. I posit that it has likely been going on longer, but I choose only to speak to the experience of my tenure here as a member of the class of 2015.

Last year, when a student group discovered Rex Hall on 187th Street and Arthur Avenue and began running events out of the venue, the response was immediate. An old ballroom, complete with tin-tile ceiling and brass

chandeliers, is outfitted with a stage where student groups could perform and speak.

Finally, here was a space free of the labyrinthine regulatory policies of OSLCD’s programming guidelines. I remember attending two events there, both of which were some of the most fun I have had at Fordham to date.

OSLCD’s intervention into the space shut it down. The officiallygiven reason was that the building did not have proper permits.

But regardless of the legal reasons they have come to cite, it is apparent that they saw unregulated student interaction as a problem.

It seems intuitive that student groups looking to program here would be capable of committing to the same goals of community development that they would in an on-campus venue. But the space has reopened, and student groups have been met with OSLCD’s continued refusal to cooperate in trying to organize there as recently as last semester. The initial fervor mounted at trying to reclaim the space has died in the water.

How can students be drawn to organize when their attempts at doing so are cut down at the knees?

Herein lies the cause of apathy: I have come to realize that it is not a sense of uncaring that has decreased student involvement, but a sense of defeat. OSLCD consistently quells student organizers and organizations to the point of impotency, and our peers for whom we organize have suffered the consequences.

Administrators have voiced their concern about the growing climate of alcohol abuse that some say underlies most student interaction on nights off and weekends free.

In the past two years, four new bars (Blue Goose, Champs, Bronx Beer Hall and The Blend Café) have opened to cater to this growing number of patrons.

This way of scapegoating alcohol abuse as the cause of student life’s many issues erases the fact that student groups are not afforded the confidence or the means to provide consistent alter-

native programming, especially on weekends.

The cost and the process of programming are both strenuous, yes, but the bigger problem is that the option does not even exist for a majority of clubs. One, even two events per weekend is not enough, especially when they are consistently run by the same referendum-status organizations, consistently catering to those small groups of students who have interest. So many students have so completely disregarded the university as a place to find this brand of community that they have turned to outside organizations and outside programming to find the enrichment they want. This does not show a lack of trying on their part, but instead a lack of provisions. If this is not the clearest indication of what students are asking of OSLCD, then I do not know what is.

There are students organizing and programming to stem the apathy, to build community spaces.

But, if these community spaces are unprotected by university policy, how can we make this shift?

Students are indicating – loudly – that this is what they want. And, instead of providing spaces where that is possible, instead of working proactively to engage with these desires, the administration, time and again, turns to paternalism and admonishment. Why speak to students when you can speak for them?

I’ve scratched the surface, talking only about my own experiences. But current student leaders understand the flaws of this university better than anyone I’ve met. I do hope that this conversation continues in the years to come. It needs to.

OSLCD needs to be made accountable to students. OSLCD needs to hold protecting the rights of student groups over an interest in controlling their expression.

Our campus culture needs time to heal.

Frank Sivillo, FCRH ’15, is an English major from Franklin Square, New York.

The drought that hit California and the Midwest this year has been one of the worst in modern history. The dried up river bed of the Rio Grande shows its astounding scope. However distant and far this drought seems from New York, the implications are going to hit closer to home than we can imagine.

The California drought is hiking up the prices for farmers to irrigate their crops, and those increases will get passed off to consumers.

The Public Policy Institute of California says agriculture accounts for 80 percent of the state’s water use. California almonds require over 1.1 trillion gallons, yes with a “t.” California produces nearly 99 percent of the almonds grown in the United States and 80 percent of world supply. Almonds and other Californian crops are jacking up their prices to make up for their losses.

Cutting back on purchasing nuts like almonds that consume such a high yield of California’s water supply would be a good start.

Buying fewer products like almond milk, which is filtered water mixed with almonds, will also lessen the consumption of water for these types of crops in California. Another thing we can all do is drink water that is bottled locally or from sustainable areas of the nation, or use reusable bottles.

It was recently discovered that Nestle, America’s most popular water bottling company, has been using a 25-year-old expired permit for its water wells. Nestle uses up to 80 million gallons a year drawn from local aquifers, in the Sacramento area. Switching to more local water supplies is another way to help alleviate the stress on the California water supply.

Although we are not locally experiencing a drought, there are things we can do to conserve water, from taking shorter showers to planting grass that require less water.

Fordham could take several substantial steps to lessen our water usage impact. Turning off the automatic water sprinklers while its raining or after it rains would be a great way to conserve water. Unfortunately, the sprinklers continue to run regardless of the weather, which is a horrid waste of water. Fordham could also begin to plant season-appropriate plants, which do not consume excessive amounts of water or need to be replaced weeks after initial planting.

Even without the drought in California, we should begin to implement long-term plans to help conserve water through administrative reform and personal sacrifices. Although these changes are small, they can make a huge impact on our water usage by lowering demand for water and ensuring we have enough water in the future.

OPINION

Page 12

April 15, 2015

Marcelle Meyer

Rolling Stone’s Sloppy Journalism Hurts Sexual Assault Victims

The Gap in Universities

By DELANEY BENISON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

After a series of examinations, the Columbia University School of Journalism has released a report on their findings from investigating the Rolling Stone article covering a UVA fraternity gang rape. Rolling Stone has already retracted the article.

“A Rape on Campus,” published Nov. 19, 2014, by Sabrina Erdely, was about a student, “Jackie,” attending a party at a UVA fraternity.

Her claims were that she was brutally gang raped by eight male students, one of whom she knew and who was her date that night.

This article aimed to share the story of a rape victim, but also to call attention to UVA’s history of indifference towards sexual assaults on campus.

According to Rolling Stone, during the time of Erdely’s reporting she, and all the staff who were reporting, did not feel Jackie acted in any way that would make them question her story. It became clear that Jackie was the only person to whom Erdely ever spoke about the story.

There were no witnesses or secondary accounts during the reporting or in the story. As a result, over the following months it became clear that there were discrepancies in the article.

Rolling Stone commissioned the Columbia School of Journalism to investigate the story as an attempt to clear up the controversy.

The report by Sheila Coronel, Steve Coll and Derek Kravitz relays the message that the Rolling Stone staff did not practice responsible journalism since they believed Jackie to be a credible source.

It was believed that Erdely did not ask more pressing questions due to the sensitive subject matter and Jackie’s erratic behavior.

Erdely also chose not to to contact Jackie’s friends, all three of whom Jackie said she had met with and spoken to after the attack. Jackie’s friends were contacted by the Columbia School of Journalism and said that they would have spoken to Rolling Stone if they had been called.

The university’s investigation and the criminal investigation both found that there was no evi-

BOB MICAL/AP

The Rolling Stone article reported a University of Virginia student’s alleged gang rape that occured at a fraternity.

dence to back up this story. In a CNN report, Brian Stelter said the story was a “systemic failure.”

He believed everyone involved with the article made mistakes leading to the ultimate retraction of the story last week.

Professor Lewis Freeman, a professor in the Communication and Media Studies department weighed in on the controversy.

He said, “Rolling Stone’s credibility is damaged. The results of the investigation further undermined Rolling Stone’s credibility.

However, accepting the results of the investigation will help in the long run.”

Rolling Stone’s reputation and credibility will be severely brought into question from now on, but due to the Columbia

“This article could lead people to be more skeptical of those who report attacks.”

When asked what he thought would be the best approach when it comes to reporting sensitive topics such as sexual assault.

Freeman said, “First, a reporter must gather ‘facts,’ some of which might be disputed. Reporters must be sensitive to the perspectives and emotions of sources, regardless of the topic.”

I also asked whether he believed asking the Columbia School of Journalism to investigate the reporting was the best way to gain back some credibility.

School of Journalism report and the idea of full transparency, over time they may be able to get it back.

The bigger problem is how this will affect future stories. Oftentimes, stories based on false accusations result in many assault victims’ stories going unheard.

It could be thought that this story could — or was intended to — raise awareness for victims of sexual assault, but most likely it will have a negative effect.

The article could lead people

to be more skeptical of those who report attacks.

It is essential in these cases to have responsible journalism and do the basics, such as second sourcing and verifying the source and the story. It is thought that this a universally known policy that does not need to even be stated.

This is particularly difficult in cases in which there are lawsuits and investigations going on. Reporters need to be sensitive, yet thorough enough to make sure that their story is 100 percent accurate before going to print.

As for Rolling Stone, management has not fired anyone who worked on the piece, possibly out of loyalty to its writers.

It is speculated that Sabrina Erdely will write for the magazine again. This could be even more damaging to the magazine as this looks like they are not taking every step that they could possibly take to make amends for writing a false story.

However, Rolling Stone was at least able to accomplish full disclosure, and going forward they will have to be excessive in checking the contents of their stories and the practices of their writers.

Delaney Benison, FCRH ’17, is a communication and media studies major from Auburn, Massachusetts.

Do opinions run through your veins?

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

The government cannot always expect private institutions to step up to the plate.

With issues as important as equality in higher education, it is disheartening that private institutions are often expected to clean up the messes that the federal government cannot. However, this is not just frustrating — it is impossible. Private universities will never be able to meaningfully change education inequality at their own institutions, much less in America as a whole.

Stanford University is an example of these failed policy initiatives. Its current financial aid system is such that any student whose family earns less than $100,000 per year is not expected to pay any of Stanford’s relatively expensive tuition costs. Additional waivers for room and board or other fees are given based on income. The university recently announced that next year, students whose families earn less than $125,000 will not have to pay tuition. What about that could possibly be bad?

Stanford, among other schools with similar tuition waivers, is proud of its increasing economic diversity on campus. 30 percent of students come from families who make less than six figures.

However, this is far from solving the problem. 70 percent of Stanford families make more than $100,000 per year, while only 20 percent of American families can boast these numbers. Obviously, tuition cuts are not doing the job.

This is because the problems are much deeper than what any higher educational institution can fix. They are not just about being able to afford college; they are about accessing the resources, college prep classes and available extra-curricular activities to be able to get in to these universities.

The problem with inequality in America’s higher education system starts with five-year-olds sitting in an inner-city public school classroom with 35 other students because the schools cannot afford more teachers. The problem is public schools that do not have the funding for gifted programs.

The problem is that some families cannot send their children to Stanford for free because they need them to be working fulltime. The problem is ours, not Stanford’s.

It is truly surprising that at an institution like Stanford University, 30 percent of the student body comes from families making less than $100,000. It is also telling that this is so surprising. We assume that a large proportion of the American population will not access the benefits of a quality college education because our system’s consistent failures have become the status quo. Until we expect radical change in how we approach public educational institutions and the right to an education, they will remain that way.

CULTURE

April 15. 2015

Page 13

The Fordham Ram

Battle of the Bands Drums Up Excitement For Spring Weekend

By DAYNE CARTER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Approximately 275 students gathered outside Rodrigues coffee house last Saturday for the annual Battle of the Bands concert. Every year, Fordham musicians are invited to submit samples of their music, and ultimately 10 bands are selected to compete live for the chance to open up the spring weekend concert before the headlining act.

Patrick Keegan, FCRH ’17 Mike Mainiero, FCRH ’15 and Matthew Kelly, FCRH ’15 form a group called Braun, and were first-time performers at BOTB. Keegan and Mainiero are both members of Fordham University’s Rugby team and Kelly and Mainiero roomed together during their freshman year.

“We’d [Mike and I] been jamming for a while and started writing songs together. Then, we realized, we should actually get a band together and try it out. We knew Matt and asked him if he wanted to drum for us and that’s how it all came together,” said Keegan.

One element each band must factor into their set is the time limit.

Each act is only allowed 15 minutes to showcase its best material and try to win over the crowd. Dan Piserchia, FCRH ’15, a member of Mr. Legs, described the difficulty in

doing so.

“The hardest part was keeping it within the limit,” said Piserchia. “Obviously there should be time limits, but 15 minutes is a very small amount of time to show off the diverse range of songs we have. We didn’t really play any of our mellow songs, we played a lot of heavier music.”

While the event is held at Fordham University, there were a couple of students competing who attended different schools. As long as a majority of a band’s members are Fordham students, non-Fordham students are allowed to perform as well.

Alex Tremitiere, a junior at NYU and Will Taggart, a sophomore at Syracuse, both competed at BOTB as members of Second Child.

“These guys write such good music that I’m willing to do anything I can to be a part of this project because I think the music that we make is really special,” said Taggart.

“So, I’m willing to make a four hour drive anytime to play music.”

At the end of the night, once all the votes were counted in, The Suits were declared as the winners of the 2015 BOTB contest. The Suits are an alternative indie pop group made up of Eddie Gore, Ian Grotton, Mike Sansevere and Eric Grossman, whom are all seniors at Fordham

COURTESY OF DAYNE CARTER

The band Wooderson gives a rousing performance to a large crowd outside of Rodrigues coffee house.

Rose Hill.

While the group was unavailable for comment, they expressed much excitement on their Facebook page in being selected as the crowd fa-

vorite: “WE COMING 4 U Fordham University Spring Weekend!!

Thanks so much to everyone who voted for us at the battle tonightand to all the great bands!!”

Solidisco has been confirmed as the spring weekend DJ, and twenty one pilots was announced early Tuesday afternoon as the headlining act.

Mental Health Awareness Week Ends with Ramblers

By ANNEMARIE MARCONI CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Only the Ramblers could pack a school auditorium with students on the first warm and crisp Friday night of the school year — and on April 10, that’s exactly what they did. The Fordham-famous all-male a capella group capped off Fordham’s first annual Mental Health Awareness week with a concert. The performance, which featured several other Fordham students, was the final event of a week of programming organized

by Counseling and Psychological Services.

Several opening acts prefaced the Ramblers, many of which were found through the recent university talent show, Ram’s Got Talent.

Among these stellar performers were two rappers, a beat boxer and a folky guitar duo called Ten Dads and No Kids. Quirky and unexpected, these supplementary acts added a refreshing quality to the showcase. Many of them directly addressed the importance of the concert, such as a beat boxer, who acknowledged that his art is the medium through which he relieves his stress. Perhaps he relieved the stress of the audience as well, as there was not a single person who was not smiling broadly while lis-

CASEY CHUN/THE FORDHAM RAM

The Ramblers performed an intimate concert for Mental Health Awareness Week.

tening to him perform.

Although several stars studded the performance, none shone more brightly than the Ramblers themselves. The men especially displayed their astounding versatility on Friday night by singing barber-shop quartet classics like Tom Petty’s “American Girl” and Ginuwine’s sexy ’90s hit “Pony”

with equal skill and vigor. The undeniable talent, charisma and passion of these men is apparent every time they sing. Their laidback movements, easy smiles and bright energy make the performance seem effortless. However, Habin Lee, FCRH ’17, claims that even performing at a smaller event like Friday’s concert is anything

but easy. “The hardest part about performing in these events is its setting. These small concerts tend to be, well, small, and that makes the performance much more intimate,” Lee says. “It is quite nerve racking because we know every small mistakes we make will be caught by the audience as we strive for the best.”

For the Ramblers, though, the singing was really only part of the concert. The men were well aware of the importance of Mental Health Awareness week, and participated deliberately tried to attract people to the event. Lee told The Fordham Ram, “The Ramblers are aware of what we can do and can’t do. And if there is something that we can do for Fordham Community, we really try to help out.

Promoting mental health awareness is something we are excited to be part of.”

Several students appreciated the Ramblers’ contribution to Mental Heath Awareness week.

Margaret Desmond, FCRH ’16, was a student coordinator for the week of programming. She said of the concert, “The Ramblers concert just happened really organically. One of our members had a contact and they agreed to do the concert, which was very exciting because we know students love the Ramblers, and we wanted to

draw a good number of students for the event.”

Desmond was very pleased with the outcome, adding, “I would absolutely say the concert was a success because all of the performances, not just the Ramblers, were incredible. We had a good student turn out and it was a nice to end the week.”

And so, everyone came away happy last Friday night. The Ramblers wrapped up another great performance, several talented smaller musical acts gained some recognition and, perhaps most importantly, the purpose of the event was not lost.

“This was the first mental health awareness week at Fordham and it was hard to get everything started, but every little bit to get the word out helps, and I can’t wait for next year,” notes Desmond.

Also looking forward to next year is self-proclaimed Ramblers groupie Rocelyn Dacre, FCRH ’17, who said of her favorite men on campus, “The Ramblers are the most charming and lovely group of human men on campus and will capture your heart with just one song.” Well, on Friday, April 10, the Ramblers captured the attention of Fordham students, and directed it toward Mental Health Awareness — that is truly ending on a high note.

CULTURE

Page 14

April 15, 2015

Getting Crafty with Your Brews

By PHIL JOO HWANG CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Have you ever walked into an upscale bar or pub and been completely overwhelmed by the menu? The huge lists of beers with ridiculous names leave most mystified — I’m here to help.

Here are just a few types of beers to look out for and what foods with which to pair them: I have to start with my personal favorite style, the IPA (India Pale Ale).

IPAs have very high hops contents, which give them a very distinctive bitter aftertaste. Beer lovers are often huge fans of the IPA due to its high alcohol content and powerful citrus flavors.

WARNING: Some may be too bitter to handle for connoisseursin-training, so beware of the IBUs (International Bitterness Units). I suggest that you start with nothing above 80 IBUs, as labelled on each bottle.

Recommendations: Brooklyn Brewery’s East India Pale Ale, any DogFish Head India Pale Ale (especially the 120 Minute IPA), Stone’s IPA and Sierra Nevada’s Torpedo Extra IPA IPA Holy Grails: Pliny the Elder and Heady Topper Food Pairings: Red meat, salty snacks/nuts and herbal flavors Next up is the Pilsner.

MATTHEW MEAD/AP

Craft beers are a great excuse to try foods that work well with different flavors.

Pilsners were first made in the Czech Republic and are still made there today. In the last few hundred years, the style has spread all over the world and is one of the most recognizable beers available on the market. Pilsners are light and easy to drink with almost anything. They are usually yellow and watery-looking in appearance, with good amounts of carbonation and fewer calories because of the low alcohol content. American craft brewing has only recently tried to improve on the style, with new interpretations hitting the market every year.

Recommendations: Sixpoint Craft Ales Crisp and River Horse Brewer’s Reserve Pilsner Pilsner Holy Grails: Prima Pils

Trending Now | Natalie Sturgeon

Reading for the Collegiate Soul Unknown to many Fordham students is the fact that there is a life outside of Rose Hill. College and your 20s is a time to take in all that you can and explore the vast universe of social complexities around you. Not only does reading books improve your vocabulary, but reading reduces stress and engages the mind in subjects that are not usually thought about.

In an effort to grasp some of these complexities, I have taken up a mission to begin reading books that can benefit me and my vocabulary in multiple ways. As it gets sunnier on Eddie’s and the iced tea starts flowing, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to pick up a book and some sunscreen and take some time for yourself.

This Side of Paradise is a popular novel by the esteemed F. Scott Fitzgerald that provides a relatable message to every college student.

As Fordham Rams, we are told to be bothered by the fact that we do not know everything and we are supposed to go through our four years of schooling while growing into the person we were meant to be.

The main character of this American fiction novel is a man who graduates from Princeton with what seems to be a top-notch education. He ends up realizing that he has learned enough to get a degree but he has not learned anything about himself. As college students, it’s easy to think that we don’t have control of our lives sometimes, but this book is necessary to realize that not having control is the best way to learn about yourself. It’s a great read for any student who wants to know what their

degree can do for them. The main takeaway is that a degree does not define a person, and that’s a common fear during graduation season and the job or graduate school application process.

Another thought provoking read for the curious scholar is Faust by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe. With a battle between God and an evil entity for a man’s soul, the story turns from witty dispute to an unprecedented journey. Faust learns to trust himself as he engages on his path to finding the will to live and the freedom to be himself. He could have easily let his fate be decided but freedom grants him a choice. The hardest part of pursuing higher education is hoping that whatever choice you make and whatever comes out of that choice will not be pointless in the end. Faust, although dealing with issues of the soul, has to find it in himself to trust whatever decision he makes.

We as college students need to do the same and to confront this fear through another character can put any mind at ease. Other than reading the tons of books we all have to read for class, reading fiction novels with relatable themes and comforting characters can draw us out of our daily stresses. They can give us time to unwind and enjoy the spring that has finally come out of these brutal winter months. Any book that broadens horizons and expands our views makes us more of ourselves than we were before, so taking the time to build yourself as a person will give you the confidence you need to make decisions you can be proud of.

and Pilsner Urquell Food Pairings: Fried food, Mexican food and seafood Finally, the Stout is a very fun and somewhat unconventional style of beer.

Stouts are usually coffee and/

or chocolate flavored with notes of cream. Contrary to popular belief, cocoa is actually bitter in its natural state. Therefore, it makes perfect sense to have those unexpected flavors in already-bitter beer. Stouts are also usually thicker in nature, so carbonation levels are lower and the drinks should be poured in a rough matter. The brewing system for Stouts is a bit different, since coffee must be brewed separately and it must be done so that it keeps the full flavor of the beans.

This beer style tends to be darker in color and usually has a brownish tint in the head foam.

Recommendations: Nitro Coffee Milk Stout, Lights Out Stout and Sierra Nevada’s Stout Stout Holy Grails: Bourbon County Stout and Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout Food Pairings: Burgers, southern barbeque and sweet desserts

A few tips for trying craft beer: -Make sure to drink good beer out of a glass that has a narrow sipping area. If a bar does not serve your craft beer in a special glass, ask for one.

This allows for better aroma, and everyone knows that smell is half of taste!

• Try a variety of beers and figure out which ones you like with different foods.

• Go out to the breweries, try the beers fresh from the kegs and take a tour!

• Keep a list of the beers you’ve tried and make sure to stay away from the ones that were terrible; there’s nothing worse than wasting your hard earned money on bad beer.

• Drink small amounts at a time to really savor each sip and the hints of all of the different creative ingredients.

Editor’s Pick | NHL Playoffs

NHL Playoffs Better Than Christmas

By ANTHONY PUCIK SPORTS EDITOR

For those of you who know me, you know that I love hockey. So, Wednesday is basically Christmas for me: the start of the NHL Playoffs.

I know the Super Bowl is regarded as the greatest of the championship games in the four major sports and baseball and basketball are just more popular sports across the country, but, to me, there is no better overall playoff than the one for Lord Stanley’s Cup. The excitement that comes gamein and game-out from the NHL playoffs is something to behold. The intensity shown on the ice and in the stands can be felt through your television, and if you have the pleasure to attend an NHL playoff game you know describing it doesn’t do it justice. The feeling of goosebumps during player introductions, the screaming silence in anticipation of a big play, the roaring of the crowd after a goal and the utter jubilation after a victory; there’s nothing else like it in all of sports.

Even if you aren’t a big hockey fan, if you’re a sports fan you’ll appreciate the intensity of NHL playoff games.

This season, though, I feel like Christmas has come early. The past month of the season has felt like playoff hockey with all of the wild finishes and ways in which teams clinched births this season. The Calgary Flames defeated the Los Angeles Kings on April 9 to clinch their first spot in almost 10 years, and also eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champions from contention.

In fact, there were plenty of crazy occurrences in the Western Conference this season. Usual suspects like the Kings and San Jose Sharks found themselves on the outside looking in and teams like the Flames and Winnipeg Jets, who earned their first bid since 1996-97, fighting for the Cup. Sure, the St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks still made it, but there’s also the Minnesota Wild who rode goalie Devin Dubnyk’s hot streak since coming over from the Arizona Coyotes to get them back into playoff contention, and eventually clinch.

Although there weren’t many

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

The Stanley Cup champion is one of the only changes, as playoffs start red-hot this year.

shocks in the Eastern Conference this season, with the Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings all making the playoffs, there was great parity in the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. At the beginning of the year, it looked like it was going to be a twoway battle between the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders, but it was the New York Rangers who eventually took not only the division, but the best record in the NHL. The Rangers managed to put together an amazing stretch of games after being .500 after the first two months of the season and dealt with an injury to star goalie Henrik Lundqvist, which sidelined him for almost two months.

And, the eighth seed came down to the very last game of the season, mainly because of an incredible run by the Ottawa Senators. The Senators, led by rookies Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman and goaltender Andrew Hammond, ended the season as one of the hottest teams in the NHL, climbing back from 12 points out of

a playoff spot at one point during the season to the seventh overall seed in the East. Hammond was a main reason for this, posting a 19-1-2 record, 1.82 GAA and .939 save percentage, while Stone (24 goals and 62 points) and Hoffman (27 goals and 48 points) provided the offensive spark necessary to back up the Hamburglar’s spectacular play. But, that meant that one team wouldn’t make the playoffs, and that team ended up being the Boston Bruins, who lost out to the Penguins, another struggling team down the stretch, in the final day of the regular season this past Saturday.

This year’s playoffs will feature red hot goaltenders looking to pull upsets on some of the best teams in the league all year, intense matchups between division rivals and old faces like the Bruins and Kings making way for the Flames and Jets. One thing that will certainly change is the Stanley Cup champion. So, who is it going to be? You’ll have to watch and find out.

CULTURE

April 15, 2015

Page 15

A Brit Off-Broadway: Doran and the Journey of Writing

By RICHARD BORDELON COLUMNIST

Writer Bathsheba Doran, who has written for TV, radio and the stage, admits that if someone were to “put a gun to [her] head” and force her to choose only one of the art forms to write for, “it would be for the stage.” “The connection between the work and the audience is so incredibly, relentlessly pure,” Doran explained, “it’s very special.” Her newest piece for the stage, The Mystery of Love and Sex has opened at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre at Lincoln Center, drawing critical praise in the process.

From her youth, Doran knew that she enjoyed the theatre. “I naturally wrote plays,” she admitted. “It was something I just did at a very young age.” But these plays, some of which were for Hebrew school, have grown more complicated and more “proper” over time, starting in university.

Although it does not have a theatre program, Cambridge has a reputation for theatre among British universities, and Doran went there to pursue her art. For two years, she acted on stage before she pursued the craft of writing. “I didn’t really like acting, but it seemed like the only way to do it,” she said. “But then, through acting, I met people my own age writing plays and that’s when I started to get serious about it.”

Her first “proper” play, as she labels it, was Odes and Gameshows, which was performed at the London Fringe Festival. “I’m sure if I looked back on it now, I would be mortified,” Doran laughingly admitted, “although I do like the title.”

COURTESY OF RICHARD BORDELON

Bathsheba Doran is an English-born writer of TV, radio and, most notably, the stage.

“Fresh out of Cambridge,” Doran’s first paid writing job was sketch comedy for British television. Although it was a shorter form than her plays, Doran took the job. “I was part of that Cambridge comedy community,” she explained, “and that’s sort of where the opportunities were.”

After handing in a sketch that was 12 pages, Doran was encouraged to move on to a different form. “A producer said to me that my sketches were getting longer and longer and longer,” Doran said, “[and that] I should go see about working in a longer form.”

After discovering the oppor-

tunities for her writing abroad, Doran decided to move to the United States in 2000 and settled in New York City. “I just always loved American culture,” she explained. “Things were happening in the United States that were just unbelievably exciting.”

Now that she has lived in the city for 15 years, Doran knows she made the correct decision.

“I love New York City,” she said, “I don’t want to live anywhere else.” Even though she is British by national origin, she still feels like a New Yorker, which she believes is special. “You’re allowed

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to be a New Yorker wherever you come from and that’s not true in England.”

Ethnically Jewish, Doran — though not religious — felt disconnected from English identity. “That was a strange barrier to Englishness,” she explained.

This barrier was part of the motive for her moving to New York.

“I wanted to be in a home where I felt like I was part of the architecture,” she said.

Lately, her writing has centered on human relationships, particularly marriage. In general, however, Doran likes her work to examine the human experience and “human beings’ attempts to connect with each other when there are obstacles.” “They may succeed or they may fail,” she explained, “but I am very interested and moved by the impulse of people to try to stay in each other’s lives, to try and help each other.”

The Mystery of Love and Sex, which opened on March 2 and plays until April 26, draws on Doran’s interest in marriage and the “complications and compromises and sacrifices” that come with it. As a gay woman, Doran was inspired by her own experience and she wrote the play shortly after her child was born. “I

felt unexpectedly sad about being gay,” she said “because it suddenly came crashing down to me that ‘Oh, I’m a lesbian, and my kid has two mommies, and I was unable to make him with my wife; we had to get help.’” This feeling caused Doran to think more about her identity.

Now, as a parent, Doran explained that she was also able to “look back on my early 20s with a degree of clarity I had never had before,” she said. “I was able to objectify the experience of being young in a completely different way and feel a huge amount of compassion for a generation that felt different to me.”

The play, which has drawn critical praise, exhibits the relationships between a father, mother, daughter and her childhood friend and views these relationships through the lenses of sex, religion and identity.

At the end of the night, however, Doran explained that she wants the audience to hold these characters close to their hearts. “I hope they remember the journey everybody went on with a feeling of compassion and astonishment for how far life can take us and how much we can forgive and how hard we all love each other.”

Culture Shock | Claire Kim

Story-like Songs Defines Barnett’s New Album Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett released a double EP in the summer of 2013. Her songs are characterized by a storytelling lyrical style that exposes the inner workings of her brain. Barnett, with this refreshingly honest style of songwriting, soon caught the attention of listeners from all over the world. Her commentary and angle from which she describes seemingly everyday situations has made her first full album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit one of the most anticipated albums of 2015. On March 20, the album was released and simultaneously met with an overwhelming amount of praise. Barnett’s nonchalant attitude towards life, love and people were packaged perfectly in this indie rock album.

Barnett sums up our generation’s attitude towards social functions with the line, “I wanna go out, but I wanna stay home” in her song, “Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party.” She uses lazy vocals, talking through her songs in almost a day-dreamy fashion. The situations that she comments on are those that most people experience, but don’t find important enough to describe.

These characteristics may convince some people that the songs are shallow or just another alternative band that has gone “too alt.” And yet, Barnett is able to balance an incredible amount of heart and introspective evaluation with humor in each of her songs. Each topic that she hits in her songs contain golden nuggets of wisdom that she finds and expands upon.

The shortest song of the album, at two minutes, is “Aqua Profunda.”

It talks of a swimmer that passes out trying to impress the person in the next lane. Through funky and upbeat music, we are able to enjoy this quirky story. “My lack of athleticism sunk like a stone/ Like a first owners home loan/ When I came to you, you and your towels were gone.” The strange details that are highlighted along with the friendly but distracted voice all adds to a strangely satisfying relationship with the voice.

The listener feels oddly in cahoots with the main character, somehow getting a secretive inside look into a private encounter.

In “Kim’s Caravan,” the couldbe-cheesy lyrics that explain, “We either think that we’re invincible or that we are invisible/ When realistically we’re somewhere in between/ We all think that we’re nobody but everybody is somebody else’s somebody” is delivered genuinely as it is packaged in a song that begins with the sight of a rotting seal carcass. A statement about ecological catastrophes, climate change and self-confidence is wrapped up and delivered to listeners through the very immediate and relatable sight of a person eating fries at the beach.

Witty, clever and thoughtful, Sometimes I Sit is an overall rewarding experience that gets better every time you play it. It is a reminder that there is beauty and conversation in the simple and everyday experiences. Barnett is somehow able to tell us not to take ourselves too seriously by showing us the way she maneuvers and thinks in her daily life. The album is intimate but not off-putting, and leaves the listener with a greater appreciation for our everyday lives.

Page 16

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April 15, 2015

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CULTURE

Page 18

The Ramantic Moving On Have you ever had your heart broken? No? Well, have you ever been hurt by another person? It’s hard to move on when someone you trust hurts you and defies that trust. Trying to foster a positive attitude while looking towards the future, can ease your pain. After taking some time, you may be ready to move on from a break-up or betrayal, but may not know how. Keep these things in mind for help: It is ok if you are not ok.

When you are hurt, the first turn on the road to recovery is feeling the pain and allowing it to resonate with you. Allow yourself 24 hours to be sad. Allow yourself to think about how unfortunate it is that something like this happened to you. The pity party can only last for one day though. Afterward, you need to pick yourself up and reflect on the good things in your life.

Someone, somewhere is going through something worse.

Some people may be dealing with the death of a loved one or trying to work through their sexual orientation. Some people live in underdeveloped countries and cannot find enough food for the day. This does not mean that whatever you are going through is irrelevant; however, you need to remember that it could be worse.

This is not the end of your world.

So you may be romantically hurt, even maybe romantically out of commission, but there are many things you still have: your family, your friends, your academics and your talents. Draw upon these things to clear you mind and remember your own self worth. Do not let being hurt by someone who is close to you ruin all of the other things in your world.

At a certain point in time, you need to stop talking about it.

Every time you formulate a sentence about your hurt, you are wasting seconds and brainpower. Someone who hurt you does not deserve that time, and they especially do not deserve time you could have spent being more productive. Regardless of the time wasted, you also want to channel positivity so as to not jeopardize the other relationships in your life. Smile and clear your mind because you are amazing!

April 15, 2015

Who’s That Kid? | CJ Cacace

Bubbly But Determined

By SYDNEY KEEN ASSISTANT COPY CHIEF

The Fordham community has been unaware, for almost four years now, of a celebrity presence on campus. CJ Cacace, yes, the CJ Cacace of Monroe, New York late-night infomercial fame, is among us. The business administration major graced the air on her hometown’s television screens with a cameo appearance after being cornered at a mall with her mother. This, however, is not CJ’s only claim to fame; the GSB senior is primed to leave quite an impression on our community.

As the vice president for the Fordham Rose Hill Residence Hall Association (RHA), CJ has championed many initiatives.

“I definitely hope that I brought some sort of community together through the different organizations and stuff that I’ve been a part of,” CJ said about the impact she hopes she has made at Fordham. She hopes that her positive energy has, “inspired someone to do something they might not otherwise have done.”

There is really no arguing about the lasting impression CJ has made.

As a member of RHA, CJ played an integral role in Fordham’s fundraising of $41,522.02, well over the goal of $30,000 for the B+ Foundation.

CJ was wary of her ability to spread her ferocious passion to others on campus, but the sizable contribution to the organization and the overall success of RHA’s efforts to bring our campus together, united for the cause that she clearly holds dear, is evidence of her infectious ambition.

CJ, in a way all too endearing, is quick to attribute her own success to those around her. CJ names Kimberly Russell, assistant dean of students and director of residential life, and Cody Arcuri, assistant director for Campus Center Operations, where CJ works, as pillars of invaluable support in everything she has accomplished at Fordham.

COURTESY OF CJ CACACE

CJ’s many passions have led to her exploring New York and other countries.

As busy as CJ might be with everything she has accomplished and will continue to accomplish in her remaining weeks at Fordham, she still finds time to enjoy aspects of Fordham that she believes sets the university apart from any other.

“I love exploring restaurants,” CJ said. “I had never had Ethiopian food or South African food.”

Her uninhibited interest in international cuisine and her desire to experience new restaurants comes from the value that she perpetuates in her everyday life, “I’ll try anything twice.”

When asked about her post-graduation plans, her curiosity and thirst for life spilled over into her explanation, “I’m passionate about many, many things and I’m struggling to find what I’m supposed to do.”

While CJ may feel that she is struggling, her passion for life and her drive to work alongside others indicate otherwise: this “struggle” for CJ seems to be her ability to assimilate and collaborate under any circumstances, forming her into a candidate for anything she wants to do.

While she doesn’t hesitate to share ownership of her successes with others she has worked with, CJ is a member of our community after whom so

many of us could model ourselves.

The advice that she would, retrospectively, give to the freshman-year-CJ of 2011? “Do everything.”

While this may bring a smile to the faces of those who have watched CJ throw herself into so many different passions over the past four years, she believes there are things she left unfinished or unexplored at Fordham and in New York City.

Don’t let her bubbly demeanor fool you, though. CJ may be able to make people smile and feel at ease, but she is also deliberate and extremely effective in everything that she has taken on. “People think that I don’t take things that seriously because I’m kind of loud about things or laughing a lot and maybe that I’m not ready to bring it to the next level,” CJ said, “But I am.”

In accordance with how CJ has conducted herself for four years as a member of our community, when asked if there was anything she would like me to add to her interview, CJ responded by thanking The Fordham Ram for donating the interview opportunity to the RHA auction. This column was auctioned to raise money for the B+ Foundation fundraising that CJ spearheaded along with her peers on RHA.

FLICKR/NICHOLAS RAYMOND

Review | Television

Lacking Depth, and Often Unbearable

By ALYSSA OPDYKE STAFF WRITER

Netflix is a dangerous place.

Let me clarify: For the most part, I do love the online streaming service. “Orange Is The New Black” is arguably one of the best dramas (anyone who says it is a comedy can eat Piper’s food from the first few episodes) on television. “Derek” was cancelled far too early. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited for the “Wet Hot American Summer” revival.

But with the good comes the questionable. I’m not just talking about cringe-worthy season 4 of “Arrested Development,” either. Unfortunately, so is much of Netflix’s newest original series, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”

For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out why “Unbreakable” was sometimes unbearable. The show does have its strengths, primarily in its character development, use of guest stars, unique plot and stellar

one-liners. Jane Krakowski’s Jacqueline Voorhees, next to Jenna Maroney herself, could have an entire Fordham Ram article dedicated to her ridiculous antics. Carol Kane’s Lillian is just eccentric enough to make me equally laugh and be concerned for her well-being. And, may we never forget about the hopeful Grammy nominee “Pinot Noir.”

But, like Kimmy’s emerging from the Indiana bunker, I finally saw the light and recognized “Unbreakable’s” major fault: It’s not “30 Rock.”

I know what you’re thinking: Nothing will ever be able to top Tina Fey’s seven-season magnum opus. “Unbreakable” is only in its first season. What’s the point in comparison?

I say so because after seven seasons of a well-reviewed show, it would be more than likely that show creators and “30 Rock” alums Tina Fey and Robert Carlock would know how to effectively create depth and chemistry among

the characters on their next sitcom, a task they excelled at in their first project. Unfortunately, this has not been the case.

While it is an exceptionally difficult task to do in a first season made up of 13 episodes, “Unbreakable’s” characters continue to remain in stereotypical tropes: Kimmy as the odd Midwesterner, Titus as the oft-used sassy gay roommate and Jacqueline as the over-the-top Manhattan trophy wife. Though some backstory, particularly Titus’ and Jacqueline’s, has helped to add complexity to “Unbreakable,” overall, much of the humor in “Unbreakable” relies on these tropes, rather than the developed characters themselves. Not to mention the not-so-subtle racism present within these tropes, ranging from Asian-American overachiever Dong to a shamed Native American Jacqueline.

While this tropism may be more tolerable in a network setting (“Unbreakable’s” original home was at NBC, the network later decided to

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

pass on the series to Netflix) where restrictions on creative freedom and use of tropes are abundant, Netflix is known for placing value on freedom, depth, and diversity in its programming.

Is “Unbreakable” a bad show?

Not at all, especially for its successful switch between network and

streaming broadcast. But, in order for “Unbreakable” to succeed beyond its first season, its writers and producers must capitalize on Netflix’s environment of creative freedom, and flesh out its stars beyond their frequently unwatchable tropes.

I will be watching Season 2 with anticipation and apprehension.

April 15, 2015

SPORTS

Page 19

The Fordham Ram

Baseball Takes Second A-10 Series at Home

By SAM BELDEN ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Since the beginning of conference play, Fordham baseball has been very busy. In a threegame series on the road against Richmond, the Rams were overmatched. They endured the sweep, and Richmond outscored them 39-14.

After returning home, however, their fortunes changed.

The Rams took two out of three from George Mason, including an 11-2 victory in the first game of the series. With those first two conference series under its belt, the team entered last week with a record of 10-18, 2-4 against A-10 opponents.

The Rams started off with a stray non-conference game against Rutgers. While Fordham scored early with a sacrifice fly from sophomore right fielder Mark Donadio in the first inning, the Scarlet Knights rallied with four runs in the top of the second and never looked back.

Fordham did manage to score three more runs over the course of the game, including one home run from junior catcher Charles Galiano, but its pitching did not hold up. Head coach Kevin Leighton used nine pitchers; only two of whom lasted more than a single inning. Rutgers piled on six more runs en route to the 10-4 victory.

Freshman reliever David Wright was saddled with the loss.

After the series against Rutgers, the Rams kicked off a three game series against A-10 opponent Da-

CHRISTIAN WILOEJO/THE FORDHAM RAM

Currently tied for seventh in the Atlantic 10, the baseball team travels to second place George Washington this weekend.

vidson. The first game featured a strong pitching performance from sophomore starter Greg Weissert, who surrendered three runs over six innings.

However, Davidson’s starter, Clark Beeker, was even better, allowing the same number of runs over eight innings. By the middle of the ninth inning, the Wildcats had opened up a four run lead, but a late two-run home run from Galiano, his second in as many games, put some pressure on Davidson. However, Fordham’s luck ran out after the clutch hit, and it

fell by a score of 5-3.

The next day, the two teams squared off again. The Rams grabbed an early lead when junior second baseman Joseph Runco scored from third on a wild pitch from Davidson starter Rob Bain.

Two innings later, Donadio, who recorded a hit in each of his four at bats during the game, slapped a single to right field, scoring center fielder Jason Lundy.

Meanwhile, junior starting pitcher Brett Kennedy nearly went the distance; the only blemish on his stat line was giving up

a solo home run to David Daniels in the sixth inning. Junior Jimmy Murphy recorded the last two outs for Fordham and picked up his first save of the season, securing the 2-1 victory.

On Sunday, the Rams and Wildcats played the deciding game of the series. Once again, Fordham got off to a hot start, scoring three runs on the strength of second inning singles from Donadio and junior shortstop Joseph DeVito. They tacked on another run when Runco scored on a wild pitch for the second time in

as many games.

While Fordham’s offense was not as impressive for the rest of the game, it managed to get some baserunners, and two men came home on fielder’s choices, extending the lead to six. Freshman pitcher Ben Greenberg made a couple of mistakes near the end, surrendering two solo home runs to the Wildcats as the game reached its final stage, but he stayed in, recorded the complete game and secured the 6-2 victory.

Donadio went 4 for 4 for the second consecutive game.

After posting two wins and two losses in last week’s four game spread, the Rams are now 12-20 on the season and 4-5 against A-10 opponents. They have proven to be far more effective at home than on the road. In the Bronx, they have won 10 and lost seven, but on the road, the team has gone 2-13.

This week, Fordham travels back down to the mid-Atlantic for a three game series against A-10 opponent George Washington before visiting Fairfield for a single contest. After that run of games, the Rams will have just about a month to gain momentum for the A-10 Championship in the nation’s capital.

The top seven teams will qualify, and the Rams are currently in a tie for seventh with the La Salle Explorers. Fordham claimed the final seed in last year’s tournament and finished the extended weekend in Saint Louis at 1-2, falling to the hometown team to end their 2014 season.

Track Continues to Prep For Late Season Run

By BRYAN KIEL STAFF WRITER

The Fordham track team competed this past weekend at the George Mason Spring Invitational in Fairfax, Virginia.

The Rams sent 14 runners and throwers to the invitational on Saturday, competing against a number of Mid-Atlantic and Northeast teams, including a few other Atlantic 10 Conference rivals. With no team scoring, a number of Rams were able to contribute with strong times against a number of strong opponents.

Sophomore Nicholas Regan highlighted the day for the Rams in the javelin throw, and other runners competed well in the 400m hurdles and 800m run.

Regan, competing in his second meet of the season, was able to better his javelin throw distance by three meters with his eighth place finish in the event.

He was joined by senior thrower Austin Ruiz, who placed 18th overall in the shotput with a mark of 13.81m.

Senior captain Lester Taylor, also competing in his second meet of the season, placed 18th overall in the 800m with a time of 1:53.61, just a second above his career best time.

In the 1500m, freshman Thom-

RAM ARCHIVES

Although the track team did not post any top finishes this past weekend, the team is poised for its next meets.

as Slattery was the top Fordham runner with a time of 3:56.36, good for 32nd overall.

On the women’s side, nine different runners, led by senior captains Kristen Stuart and Melissa Higgins in the 400m hurdles, posted strong times. Stuart, who placed 11th overall, finished in a time of 1:03.07, while Higgins

was just over two seconds behind in a time of 1:05.89.

In the 1500m run, senior Mara Lieberman and sophomore Shanna Heaney finished 24th and 29th with times of 4:42.17 and 4:46.79, respectively in the 1500 meter run.

Senior Elise Tigani placed 39th overall in the 400m dash with a

time of 1:00.44, while Danielle Rowe led Fordham in the 800m with a time of 2:15.87, good for 29th place.

While the event finishes were not necessarily noteworthy, the team is still poised to finish the season successfully.

“The freshman are always looking to mix things up and run fast

so we can qualify for conferences and IC4A’s at the end of the season,” Slattery said.

Slattery notes this may not happen right away, though.

“Unfortunately a lot of them have had to battle injury, which has thrown a wrench in their plans,” he said.

Additionally, the women also expect many on their squad to run well in upcoming meets.

“Based on the workouts we have been doing, I feel like everyone will run really well, and there will be some nice PR’s [personal records],” said freshman Merissa Wright, who finished 40th overall in the 800m in a time of 2:19.44.

With championship meets next month, Fordham has plenty of time to earn the PR’s and qualifications necessary for a strong season. The Rams look to continue their spring campaign next week at the Wolfie Invitational in Stony Brook, New York.

Following competition on Long Island, the team will take part in the historic Penn Relays, beginning on April 23 in Philadelphia. The Atlantic 10 Championship begins on May 2 in Fairfax, Virginia.

With impressive finishes, the team could even qualify for NCAA Regionals, which begin May 28 in Jacksonville, Florida.

Page 22

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February 4, 2015

SPORTS

Page 24

March 4, 2015

Out-touched at A-10’s

By DREW CASEY ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The Fordham swimming and diving team concluded its season on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Atlantic 10 championship with the women placing fifth and the men finishing in eighth place.

The women’s squad concluded competition with 425 points, 161 short of Richmond’s first place performance, while the men’s team amassed only 272.5 points. Massachusetts took the crown on the men’s side, narrowly beating out St. Bonaventure.

The highlights of the four-day event in Geneva, Ohio included three event wins and six times that qualified Ram swimmers for the NCAA “B” cut. In addition, seven school records were broken and seven Rams were named as All-Atlantic 10 performers.

Junior Steve Sholdra amassed a majority of these distinctions on the men’s side, crediting his accomplishments to both the coaching staff and his teammates.

“Doing well at [the] conference [championship] was the result of many things, namely the good coaching and the good team atmosphere that we have on Fordham swimming,” Sholdra said. “Having an entire team cheering and supporting each other throughout every single day of the meet really boosts our team spirits and ability to do well.”

The Renton, Washington native placed first in the 400yd individual medley in 3:52.72, took second in the 200yd butterfly in 1:47.93 and finished third in the 1650yd freestyle in 15:27.55. Each of these performances qualified as an NCAA “B” cut, and Sholdra will now wait to see if he is invited to the NCAA

men’s championship, which begins on March 26.

The international political economy major’s times in the 400yd individual medley and 200yd butterfly also set new school records.

He earned First Team All-Atlantic 10 honors in the 400yd individual medley and second team honors in the 200yd butterfly.

The women’s team featured a more balanced attack at the Spire Institute. The crew started off strong, placing second in Wednesday’s 200yd medley relay. Sophomore Morgan Fairclough, juniors Chandler Lulley and Shannon Lulley and senior Kelly Carroll earned Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors for their performance in the event.

After a brief first day of competition, the women’s side turned it into gear in the individual events, according to senior captain Savannah Coe. “I think our team did well,” Coe said. “We had some real stand out performances by Meg[an] Polaha and Shannon Lulley, but the rest of the team performed well too.”

Polaha, who won the 200yd butterfly at last year’s conference meet, out-swam the entire field and touched first in the 200yd individual medley. Her 2:01.31 set a school record, qualified as a “B” cut, and earned her first team all-Atlantic 10 honors. Polaha also took third in the 200yd butterfly at this year’s competition.

Shannon Lulley followed up her day one performance later by finishing second in the 100yd butterfly in a school record and “B” cut time of 53.82. Lulley was also second quickest in the 50yd freestyle, posting 23.06, another new school record.

“Going into the meet, I kept reminding myself that I had put in all the work that was necessary to

succeed,” Lulley said. “I really try to have fun and enjoy myself in all my races and I think that sort of lighthearted attitude translated into a good performance.”

The Smithtown, New York native earned second team all-conference honors in these two events as well.

The Rams were also victorious in the 400yd medley relay, beating Richmond to the wall by .07 seconds. Fariclough, the Lulley sisters and senior Victoria McGovern earned first team All-Atlantic 10 honors after winning the event.

Aside from her two impressive relay performances, Fairclough also turned in top finishes in both backstroke events. She placed third in both the 100yd and 200yd backstroke, and her time of 55.03 in the 100yd distance qualified as a “B” cut.

The final two school records came in the men’s 500yd freestyle and the women’s 200yd freestyle relay. Freshman Liam Semple set the new mark at 4:28.24 in the 500yd freestyle, while freshman Erin McBride, junior Megan Gray and the Lulley sisters changed the record books in the 200yd freestyle relay, posting 1:33.96 While the women’s team was disappointed with their overall finish, according to Coe and fellow senior captain Frances Warren, the team is proud of their season as a whole.

“I think that overall we had an amazing season,” Coe said. “I watched so many girls have amazing performances and best times, even in-season, so I’m proud of what our team accomplished this year, even though we didn’t place as high as we wished to at A-10’s.”

The four Fordham swimmers with NCAA “B” cuts continue to wait patiently to see if they will be invited to the NCAA championship.

CHRISTIAN WILOEJO/THE FORDHAM RAM

The Fordham swim team concluded its 2014-2015 campaign at the Atlantic 10 Championship, held Feb. 18-21.

COURTESY OF JOE SULLIVAN

The Fordham sailing team looks to continue where it left off in the fall.

Sailing Preps for Spring

By JONAH HASKELL STAFF WRITER

The imminent approach of spring has the sports world in a frenzy as baseball is once again in the news, but A-Rod is not the only Bronx-based athlete gearing up for a long season. The ice on the East River has melted and the Fordham Club Sailing team can now begin preparing for a spring 2015 season that its hopes will equal, or even rival, its fall 2014 campaign. That is easier said than done, though, as the Rams are coming off their most successful season in their history.

The team welcomed six freshmen to their ranks in September, and rookie coach Johnny Norfleet, along with team captains Adam Keally, JJ Monro and Elaina Mansley, wasted no time whipping their team into shape. After a successful September, the Rams hit their stride in mid-October, placing fourth overall in the Navy Fall Interconference Regatta on Oct. 19 and then winning the Hoyt Trophy at Brown on Oct. 26. They maintained their hot streak until the end of the season, when they posted their best-ever finish in the Atlantic Coast Championship, a well-earned fifth place.

Sophomore Will Holz qualified for and flew to Seattle to participate in the singlehanded sailing national championship in November, where he finished 15th. Fordham’s strong performance was recognized by the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association, as the Rams ranking rose from 18th on Sept. 25, to 6th at the

end of the season. Fordham’s No. 6 ranking is the highest of all college club sailing teams, with only varsity programs ranked above them.

All of that will be on team members’ minds as they put their boats on the water for the first time in 2015 later this week. They will look to continue their fall success over the rest of the semester and into the early summer. The Rams will begin their season practicing at SUNY Maritime on the frigid East River, and six sailors will travel to Georgetown on March 6 to compete in Fordham’s first regatta of the season. The Rams will take advantage of spring break to return to Washington D.C., where they will spend the week training with the Georgetown and Dartmouth sailing teams.

In late April, Fordham will host the Greater New York Dinghy Open, with teams from all over the Northeast coming to participate. The overall goal of the season will be to continue their climb in the ICSA rankings and to qualify for the National Championship Finals. Last year, the Rams were bounced from the competition in the semi-final round, missing the cut to advance by one spot. This year, they aim to push themselves over the hump and into the 18-team final round for the first time. If they succeed, the Rams will be sailing until early June — but the time invested is worth it for Fordham’s dedicated sailors.

Women’s Tennis Battles Through Weather

By JAKE GROGAN STAFF WRITER

Consistency is the name of the game for the Fordham women’s tennis team this season, as the squad looks to establish a winning precedent after a shaky 2014.

The team ended its campaign last spring with a loss to the top seeded VCU Rams in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Though filled with inconsistencies, the season did produce some accomplishments worth building on in 2015.

The team won three of four games to close out the regular season, scored an Atlantic 10 tournament win over the University of Rhode Island and celebrated Destiny Grunin being named “Atlantic 10 Women’s Tennis

Rookie of the Week.”

Unfortunately, capitalizing on any momentum generated last year has been hampered by recent weather.

The same conditions that have forced the university to shut down five times in the last two months have forced the cancellation of practices and the rescheduling of matches, taking time away from what could have resulted in better early season cohesiveness. Luckily for the Rams, their senior-ladened roster should prevent any issues regarding chemistry from becoming too serious.

The squad features five seniors, giving the team a serious early season advantage when it comes to doubles matches. The consistency developed over the past three seasons also allows the girls to pick up right where

they left off in terms of practicing.

“We are working hard at playing practice matches and running drills with each other,” said Bella Genkina, a senior who won 13 singles matches during her junior year. “Most of the days we practice at the same time as the men’s team, so sometimes we mix it up and play with them. We’re definitely looking for ways to make our practice seem as close as possible to matches to be mentally and physically prepared when we compete.”

That tenacity in practice has resulted in a .500 record since the new year, as the team defeated Duquesne to start the spring season and knocked off Army near the end of February after falling to St. John’s two weeks earlier. The Rams’ most recent contest ended in a loss at the

hands of UMass. That said, the team knows its best play is yet to come.

“We are taking every win and loss as preparation for conference play and are working on improving our game after each match,” Genkina said. “Our goal is to be as prepared as we possibly can for the conference so that we can perform at our best.”

While the work put in by the team’s upperclassmen will have a lot of say in whether or not the Rams’ experience any success this year, freshman Estelle Wong has the potential to be a major contributing factor in her first year on campus. A five-star recruit out of high school, she ranked seventh in the state of California and 64th nationally.

She has already won two “Atlantic 10 Women’s Tennis Rookie of the

Week” honors and placed first in the B Singles group at the NJIT Winter Invitational this past January.

“Every match that we have coming up is winnable,” said Julie Leong, a senior and a captain of the team.

“Our two freshman being in the starting lineup is a huge help.”

Leong’s expectations for the season are equally as high.

“As a captain, I expect the team to make it to at least the semi-finals round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament,” she said. “It would be a great feeling to end my last semester of tennis with a strong fight from all of us.”

The strong senior class, coupled with talented underclassmen should spell success for the Rams come April.

SPORTS

Page 24

April 15, 2015

The Fordham Ram

Softball Recognized at Yankee Stadium

By ANTHONY PUCIK SPORTS EDITOR

The Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on Thursday April 9, but there was another team from the Bronx in attendance that had plenty of reasons to celebrate. The Fordham softball team was in attendance at the stadium and was welcomed onto the field pre game to be recognized for winning their third Atlantic 10 Championship in four years.

The team gathered in front of home plate with the Fordham Ram logo on the big screen behind them and stood while the public address announcer described how the 2014 team “reached a level of success unimaginable in the first few years of Fordham Softball.”

The team was described as a “unique mix of upperclassmen leadership and young talent,” led by seniors Elise Fortier and Gabby Luety.

Fortier, the shortstop, ended her Fordham career in record fashion, breaking the school record for RBI in a season (73), slugging percentage (.854) and tied her record for home runs in a season with 20 in just three years with the team after transferring from Stony Brook University. Fortier also ended the year strong with a .389 average and 13 doubles.

Luety, named to the All-Atlantic

COURTESY OF BRENDAN BOWERS

The softball team was honored on Thursday, April 9 at Yankee Stadium for their 2014 Atlantic 10 Championship title.

First Team and Atlantic 10 AllChampionship Team in her final year as catcher, also had a great season. She hit .331 with nine doubles, 13 homers and 31 RBI on the year.

Their power, combined with clutch hitting from other veterans such as now-senior Kayla Lombardo and pitching now-senior Michele Daubman were main reasons for Fordham’s success last season.

For Lombardo, the ceremony was very special for a number of

reasons. “The experience was a dream come true for me as a Yankees fan,” she said. “Fordham continues to enable us to do things that normal college students and student-athletes don’t get to experience, and for that, we are all so proud to be Rams.”

As for their youth, now-sophomores Amy Van Hoven, Sydney Canessa and Lauren Quense provided a spark both at the box and in the circle. Van Hoven was named

First Team All-Atlantic 10 in her first season at second base, batting second best on the team with .367, tied for the team lead in hits with 61 and led the team with two triples.

Canessa was equally impressive in the leadoff spot, batting .309 and scoring 48 runs while also adding six homers, which also placed her on the First Team All-Atlantic 10.

Quense was a big help to Daubman and Rachel Gillen on the mound, going 5-4 with a 3.32 earned run

average, walking only 24 batters in 82.1 innings pitched. Stepping onto the scene and immediately making an impact, these three women along with other underclassmen like now-junior reliever Patti Maloney were essential to the depth of this Fordham team.

Head coach Bridget Orchard was also recognized for her “stellar coaching career at Rose Hill.”

Last season culminated in a victory over St. Louis in the A-10 Championship at the Rams’ home at Bahoshy Field and a trip to the NCAA Regionals that “helped string together the program’s 12th straight season with at least 32 wins.”

The ceremony was also a reminder that there is still work to be done this season.

“The experience absolutely served as a motivation for us to get back on track and win another championship this year,” Lombardo said. “We hit a bit of a rough patch recently, but the rings are back on our minds now and we are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to defend our title.”

Prior to Wednesday’s doubleheader with St. Bonaventure, the team is 7-4 in the Atlantic 10, good for fourth in the conference. The top six teams in the conference qualify for the postseason tournament, which will begin on May 6 in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Softball Sweeps UMass in Three Game Set

By ANTHONY PUCIK SPORTS EDITOR

Heading into this past week, the Fordham softball team was 18-16 on the season and 4-4 in conference play. Having two of the toughest opponents in the Atlantic 10 in St. Louis and Dayton, the Rams were at .500 in conference play heading into a weekend matchup with the University of Massachusetts Minutewomen out in Amherst.

Following a doubleheader loss to Dayton to close out its first conference series at home, Fordham exploded for 15 runs in a game against Siena on Tuesday April 7, and that offense carried over into the weekend.

In the first game of their doubleheader with UMass on Saturday April 11, Fordham got on the board when sophomore Sydney Canessa scored on a passed ball to give the Rams a 1-0 advantage.

The Rams tacked on another run in the top of the third on sophomore Amy Van Hoven’s RBI single and two more on sophomore Lindsay Mayer’s two-run homerun in the fifth to take a 4-0 lead.

The Minutewomen scored two in the bottom of the fifth off Rams’ junior starter Rachel Gillen to cut the Fordham lead to two, but the Ram offense exploded after that. In the sixth Fordham scored five runs, the big hit a twoRBI single by Mayer, to go up 9-2.

Fordham continued to pad the lead in the seventh, scoring three runs on a Van Hoven RBI single,

a Mayer sacrifice fly and senior Kayla Lombardo’s RBI ground out to make it a 10-run advantage. UMass scored two off junior reliever Patti Maloney in the bottom of the inning, but it was not enough as Fordham took the game 12-4. Gillen picked up her 13th win of the season to improve

to 13-7, while Minutewomen starter Caroline Raymond suffered the loss and dropped to 6-10.

The second game was much of the same for the Rams. Senior Paige Ortiz hit a grand slam in the first inning to open up the scoring, followed by four more runs in

the second on a Van Hoven RBI single, Lombardo walk, a wild pitch that scored Van Hoven and sacrifice fly for Gillen to make it 8-0 Rams after one and a half innings.

UMass scored runs in the second and fourth off Fordham’s senior starter Michelle Daubman

CHRISTIAN WILOEJO/THE FORDHAM RAM

The Rams return to Bahoshy Field this weekend, when they host Saint Joseph’s for a three game conference series.

to make it 8-2, but senior Cora Ianiro added a run in the top of the fifth on a RBI single to make it a seven-run lead. The Minutewomen added a run in the fifth off Maloney, but two-run home runs by both Mayer and Ortiz expanded the Rams lead to 13-3 and gave them the victory in six innings. The win bumped Daubman’s record to 5-7 on the year, while UMass’ Meg Colleran suffered the loss (1-8).

The Rams wrapped up their series with the Minutewomen on Sunday, April 12. Fordham once again started the scoring, this time in the top of the second on a grand slam by Canessa and a two-RBI single by Gillen to take a 6-0 lead. That was all Gillen would need, pitching four shutout innings and surrendering five hits, walking no one and striking out four. Maloney and Daubman completed the final three innings giving up only two hits and striking out two with no walks, as Fordham completed the sweep of UMass with a 6-0 victory in the final game. Gillen picked up her 14th victory of the season (147) and Raymond earned another loss (6-11).

Fordham’s three wins improved its record to 21-16 on the season and 7-4 in A-10 play. The Rams take their four game winning streak on the road to St. Bonaventure for a doubleheader on Wednesday April 15, with the first game starting at 2 p.m. The team returns home this weekend to host Saint Joseph’s.

SPORTS

Page 20

April 15, 2015

Golf Gearing Up for A-10s

By SAM BELDEN

By SAM BELDEN

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

ASISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

With less than two weeks standing between it and the Atlantic 10 Championships, Fordham Golf has been searching for some momentum over the past two weeks.

While the Rams finished ninth at the Wildcat Invitational, they faltered at the next week’s Met Intercollegiate, finishing last in the field. Last week, the team got off to a strong start, but it faded on the final day of the Til Duty Is Done Collegiate Invitational and notched a third consecutive ninth place finish out of the 16 squads.

The tournament, hosted by the University of Connecticut, was held at Mohegan Sun Golf Club, an average casino course designed by a team of Geoffrey S. Cornish, Stephen Kay and Robert McNeil.

Senior Ben Alcorn led the way for Fordham, shooting rounds of 74 and 76 en route to a tie for ninth. It was his second consecutive tournament as the lowest Ram in the field and his best individual finish since sharing second place at last fall’s Lehigh Invitational.

While Alcorn was pleased about the state of his game, certain bad breaks left him wondering what could have been. “I made a few regrettable mistakes each day that led to higher scores,” he said. “The second day, I hit the ball phenomenal but didn’t make the putts I needed to make.”

Freshman Joseph Trim also played well. After shooting a pedestrian 79 in the first round, he righted the ship and closed with a 75, good for a share of 21st place.

“The first day was a bit of a struggle with some stronger winds,” he said. “During the second round, I found a swing thought that I was able to focus on and commit to, and it helped me hit some quality shots down the stretch.”

The remaining Rams found themselves further down on the

leaderboard. Sophomore Oscar Cabanas shot rounds of 79 and 82, putting him in a tie for 52nd.

Senior Drew Dufresne had a nice moment when he notched an eagle during the second round, but he was doomed by his opening 85 and tied for 58th. Senior Jeff Hogan opened with a 79 and closed with an 84 en route to a tie for 64th, one stroke behind.

Hartford won the event by a wide margin, finishing 13 strokes ahead of Connecticut, its closest pursuer. The Hawks were led by medalist Will Betts, who shot rounds of 68 and 70 to leave his competition in the dust.

With the A-10 Championships fast approaching, the Rams are fine-tuning their games. The event, which is to be held at the Harmony Golf Preserve in Florida, is the most important of Fordham’s season, but Alcorn states that the team might not have a lot to look forward to, citing a lack of support from the athletic department.

“The A-10 conference is very competitive, and we are the only team competing without scholarships,” he said. “Given our facilities, I consider every year we don’t finish last a successful year.”

Trim is more optimistic of Fordham’s chances. “It is a tournament that I am very excited for,” he said. “If we practice hard in the next couple of weeks and find our timing, I think we can have a strong showing down in Florida.”

Regardless of whether or not Fordham will be competitive at A-10’s, the team has reached the final stretch of its season.

This week, the Rams head to Newport National Golf Club for the New England Division I Golf Championships for a final tune-up before heading down to Florida.

Another week at Augusta National has come and gone, and once again, the game of golf is better for it. Fans weren’t treated to the back nine drama that they’ve come to expect at the Masters, but they did witness one of the all-time greatest performances at a major championship. Jordan Spieth, the twentyone-year-old Texan prodigy with a knack for draining mid-range birdie chances, took the green jacket in dominant fashion, matching Tiger Woods’ record for the lowest 72 hole score ever recorded at the event.

Although the tournament was still technically up for grabs until the final putt of the final hole, Spieth appeared to have it locked up before the beginning of the third round. On Thursday, he opened with a 64, just one stroke off of the record for the lowest round ever at a major. A second round 66 gave him a five-stroke lead, and a pair of 70s allowed it to more or less hold over the weekend. Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose were the co-runners up, but neither got within two strokes of Spieth during any point of Sunday’s final round. It was a magnificent, dominant win for the ages, one that will certainly be a part of Masters lore for generations to come.

In the grand scheme of things, this victory isn’t really a surprising one. Serious golf fans have had Spieth on their radar for a while. He has enjoyed a wildly successful amateur career, making several cuts as a teenager in PGA Tour events. Throw in his second place finish to Bubba Watson in last year’s tournament and his record of three consecutive top twos leading up to this one, and fans could have called it from a mile away. Many did. What’s truly amazing about Spieth is how complete of a golfer he looks at such a young age. Most young players, even those with strong amateur records, have some trouble adjusting to the life of a touring golf pro. This is not the case for Spieth who did the impossible by playing his way onto the

PGA Tour with no status in 2013, and broke into the top 10 of the world rankings before he was old enough to legally drink. His emergence as a fully formed, elite player was almost startling.

Now, we have the aftermath.

In our midst, here lies one of the youngest Masters champions of all time, and he’s just getting started.

After just nine starts in the majors, he has picked up his first victory. For some perspective, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood, two of the foremost European golfers of this generation, are winless in 134 major attempts. Mickelson, who boasts five majors and is considered one of the all-time greats, didn’t pick off his first victory until he was going on 34. Unlike these and so many other stars of the game, Spieth has gotten an early start on his major tally, and he’ll have a lot of time to add to it.

Of course, all of this success means that Spieth is now on a collision course with world No. 1 Rory McIlroy. McIlroy, a Northern Irishman, hasn’t quite been himself since hoisting the trophy in Dubai back in January, but he notched his bestever Masters finish last week, placing fourth. He and Spieth now oc-

cupy the top two spots in the world rankings, and no one’s particularly close to bumping either of them.

When McIlroy made good on the considerable promise he showed as a junior and began to dominate the game, people began to wonder if anyone would step up and rival him as the game’s brightest young star.

Well, we’ve got our answer. McIlroy and Spieth are the Hogan and Snead, the Palmer and Nicklaus and the Woods and Mickelson for a new generation of golf fans. In both potential and current form, no one is at their level. Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed and Hideki Matsuyama are young stars within shouting distance of the top two, but until one of them bags a major, McIlroy and Spieth are the ones at the forefront of professional golf ’s youth movement.

Say what you will about the Masters — it’s a little tacky, too exclusive and a tad overdone — but the event has a way of identifying the best-of-the-best. That describes Jordan Spieth. After his stirring win, we can be confident that he will serve as a rival to McIlroy and as one of the premier American players for years to come.

MATT SOLCUM/AP PHOTOS

Becoming the 2nd youngest Masters’ champion was just one of Speith’s feats.

Varsity Calendar HOME AWAY Baseball

Thursday April 16

Friday April 17

Saturday April 18

Sunday April 19

GW 3:00 p.m.

GW 1:00 p.m.

GW 12:00 p.m.

St. Joseph’s (DH) 12:00 p.m.

St. Joseph’s 1:00 p.m.

Softball

ASA 4:00 p.m.

Men’s Tennis Women’s Tennis

Atlantic 10 Championship

Wolfie Invitational

Track and Field

New England Division I Champsionships

Golf

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

The Rams have had a tough few weeks, but A-10s are right around the corner.

Men’s Soccer

St. John’s 7:30 p.m.

Women’s Soccer

Iona 7:00 p.m.

Rowing

Kerr Cup

Monday April 20

Tuesday April 21

Wednesday April 22

Fairfield 3:30 p.m.

Columbia (DH) 4:00 p.m.

Hofstra 4:00 p.m.

SPORTS

April 15, 2015

With the NBA playoffs looming, there is no better time to look at the most important part of the season — the offseason — and specifically, the draft. This year’s race to the bottom has been more interesting than ever due to multiple teams deciding that they want to prove just how poorly a professional team can play. The three teams vying for the first pick all have intriguing storylines heading into the draft.

This year, nothing went well for the Knicks, except for the fact that they could quite possibly end up with the most ping-pong balls come draft day. Knicks fans have turned their hopes from the Zen Master, making the Knicks competitive this year, to then somehow coming away with No. 1. Many believe that they will take Karl-Anthony Towns, the seven foot Kentucky center, instead of Duke’s Jahlil Okafor.

Provided that the Knicks don’t somehow get bumped from the top two slots, there will be a lot to celebrate in New York.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are also hoping to end up with the first pick, and they have virtually the same chance as the Knicks. They recently added aging superstar and former TWolves franchise player Kevin Garnett to their roster with the hope that he will mentor up-andcoming phenom Andrew Wiggins. They are also hoping that their point guard Ricky Rubio will recover fully from ankle surgery and be at 100 percent going into next season. The Timberwolves are not far off from being a very competitive, but very young team. If they manage to get the first or second pick and take Okafor or Towns, then they will be setting up a very interesting future for themselves. They also have rookie leaper Zach LaVine in the mix, whose game is currently very one-dimensional but could be drastically improved in years to come. Minnesota’s bright upside will only be augmented with its pick this year.

Arguably, the most interesting team in the draft is the Philadelphia 76ers. General Manager Sam Hinkie has done his fair share of wheeling and dealing this year in order to secure the most assets for his team. The Sixers will likely end up with the third most ping pong balls, which will hopefully set them up with at least the third overall pick. Now is where it gets fun. If the Lakers end up in the sixth pick or worse, (which seems unlikely but hey, who knows?) they will get that pick. They also have the rights to the Heat’s pick, which is protected if the Heat get the 10th pick or higher. There is also potential for them to take a pick from the Thunder, who currently have a protected top 18. ESPN projects point guard D’Angelo Russell from Ohio State at third overall. Hold your breath, Sixers fans, because the lottery will be fun!

These three teams have the most compelling storylines in the current draft, but with many other captivating picks and moves to be made, this draft will surely not disappoint.

Matt McCormack

Varsity Scores & Stats

Pat Costello In NBA, Losses Provide Hope

Page 21

Women’s Track Mason Spring Invitational 400m Hurdles K. Stuart 11th-1:03.07 Men’s Track Mason Spring Invitational Javelin N. Regan 8th- 181’5” Softball Fordham Massachusetts

12 4

Fordham Massachusetts

13 3

Fordham Massachusetts

6 0

Women’s Tennis Fordham Quinnipiac

4 3

Baseball Rutgers Fordham

10 4

Davidson Fordham

5 3

Xavier Fordham

6 1

Davidson Fordham

1 2

Rhode Island Fordham

1 6

Davidson Fordham

2 6

Men’s Tennis

Iona Fordham

3 11

Rowing Knecht Cup Varsity 8

4th

Fordham Quinnipiac

0 7

Fordham Hofstra

2 5

Golf Til Duty Is Done Invite 9th

Athletes of the Week Mark Donadio

Estelle Wong

Sophomore

Freshman

Baseball

Tennis

The rightfielder caught fire over the Rams’ last two games against Davidson, posting a batting average of 1.000 and picking up three RBIs. His timely hitting helped Fordham to victories in both contests.

In a combined four matches against Quinnipiac and Rhode Island, Wong was perfect, besting all of her opponents and helping Fordham to victories. In the Rams’ loss to Xavier, she earned Fordham’s only point.

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 • Parrota is Fairfield’s New Assistant Coach Tom Parotta, who has

• Gillen Named A-10 CoPitcher of the Week Junior Rachel

spent the last three seasons as an assistant basketball coach at Fordham, has been hired

by Fairfield University to serve in the same capacity. A Fordham graduate, he previously held the top coaching spot at Canisius College for six seasons.

Gillen was named the Atlantic 10 CoPitcher of the Week, along with Dayton’s Kayla English. She notched three wins over the stretch, along with a 1.62 ERA , 20 strikeouts and just four walks. It was her fourth time taking the honor on the season.

• Baseball Defeats Iona, Helps Fight Against Childhood Cancer On Tuesday night, baseball defeated visiting Iona by a score of 11-3. Senior designated hitter Jordan Gajdos knocked in three runs on three hits, while sophomore right fielder Mark Donadio crossed the plate thrice, leading the team. Sophomore pitchers Kirk Haynes and Shane McDonald both delivered strong performances from the mound to keep Iona’s bats relatively quiet.

After the game, players and coaches from both sides had their heads shaved for donations to benefit Montefiore Hospital and its Children’s Cancer Research Center.

•

Football to Play Hawaii in 2020 Last week, it was announced that Fordham football will make the long journey and square off against Hawaii, a member of the Mountain West Conference. The game, which will be held on Sept. 12 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, will be the first ever meeting between the two programs.

– Compiled by Sam Belden

Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in the NHL Mid-April — a hockey fan’s favorite time of the year — means it’s time for the Stanley Cup playoffs. The field of 32 has been narrowed down to 16, and any one of these teams has a shot at the Cup. More than any other sport, the NHL playoffs are seemingly unpredictable. It is vital for a team to have momentum going into the playoffs. A lower-seeded team can easily dismantle a powerhouse if they catch fire in the playoffs — take the 2011-12 Los Angeles Kings, for example. Here are some teams that are entering this year’s playoffs hot, and some who are going in cold.

Ottawa Senators: Hot. The Senators are the surprise team going into the playoffs. Just a few months ago, the Sens were 22-23-10, well on their way to a lottery pick.

But then, out of nowhere, came the Hamburglar. Goalie Andrew Hammond has stolen the show for Ottawa, going an astounding 20-12 in his past 23 games. If they continue this level of play, Hammond and the Sens will not be fun to play for their first round opponent.

New York Islanders: Cold. The Isles had a great first half of the season, spending most of it in first place atop the Metro. Since the All-Star break, however, the Islanders just have not been the same team. Injuries to Kyle Okposo and Mikhail Grabovski have hurt their offensive depth, forcing them to rely heavily on John Tavares. Meanwhile, their already-poor defensive depth has been exposed.

Hopefully, they can turn it around to send the Nassau Coliseum off in style in its final year, but their chances do not look promising.

Minnesota Wild: Hot. A few months ago, the Wild were in a very similar situation to the Senators. They were last in the Central Division and in desperate need of goaltending help. Then, they traded for Devan Dubnyk and immediately went on a tear, going 28-10-3 since Jan. 15. Thanks to Dubnyk, the Wild will be a tough out once the playoffs begin.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Cold. Like the Islanders, the Penguins had a great first half of the season. Many people actually thought for the first few months of the year that the Isles and Pens would run away with the division. Pittsburgh has been absolutely plagued by injuries all season, and the news keeps getting worse: Kris Letang is now out for the season. With Evgeni Malkin still battling nagging injuries, the Pens have to rely on Sidney Crosby to carry them through the playoffs.

New York Rangers: Hot. To round out the group, we’ll go with the team who won the Presidents’ Trophy this season. The Rangers started the season 11-10-4, and many thought that they would struggle one year after losing in the Stanley Cup Final. However, since that point they have been on fire, going 42-12-3 to conclude the season. They survived — and excelled — during a long stretch without Henrik Lundqvist. Right now, they look like the team to beat. But who knows, if they run into another hot team like the Senators, they might be given a run for their money.

SPORTS

Page 22

Anthony Pucik Calgary Still Burning When I said watch out for the Calgary Flames in the beginning of the NHL season, I was half-kidding.

Granted, I thought that they did improve in the offseason with the addition of Jonas Hiller as goaltender, but with how tough the Western Conference was and how poorly Calgary did last season, to think they would make the playoffs with the team they had was a bit of a stretch.

But as the season went on, they showed me that I was not as crazy as I might have originally seemed. The team rallied behind a mix of young studs and veteran leaders, and it all culminated on Thursday, April 9, when they defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-1 to not only eliminate the Kings from the playoffs, but solidify a spot for themselves in the playoffs as one of three teams to automatically make it in the Pacific Division.

The team has been led by veteran Jiri Hudler, who has the team lead goals (31, tied with Sean Monahan) and points (76), but he has also gotten help from youngsters as well.

Rookie Johnny Gaudreau is making a very strong case for the Calder Trophy, posting 24 goals and 64 points on the season, while Monahan is having a great second season, with 31 goals and assists.

Another important factor for the Flames this season has been their defense. Veteran Mark Giordano was the heart and soul and a major contributor on the power play.

When he went down with a season ending injury many thought that would extinguish the young Flames’ chances of making the playoffs, but it did just the opposite. Help from fellow defenseman Dennis Wideman, T.J. Brodie and, later on in the season, Kris Russell filled the void Giordano left and kept the Flames in contention in the Pacific.

The aforementioned Hiller and Kari Ramo combination between the pipes has also been solid all season. Hiller posted a 26-19-4 record with a 2.36 goals against average and .918 save percentage while Ramo went 15-9-3 with a 2.60 GAA and .912 save percentage.

Sure the Flames don’t have the start power of other teams in the league and aren’t the first team on your mind to make it to the playoffs this season, but here they are.

Through numerous key injuries and the odds against them, the Flames went from the second worst team in the West last season to a playoff team contending for the Stanley Cup. They play the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the playoffs, a series I believe they can win. While the Canucks have an advantage with Ryan Miller in net, the defense in front of him is not what it used to be and has the potential to give a very quick and aggressive Flames team transition scoring chances.

The Canucks have a very good penalty kill and power play and are a fairly good scoring team. This will be a difficult task for a Flames team that is one of the worst in the league on the PK, but I think the Flames could push this series to seven games and take it. The sky is the limit for this Flames team this season, but I won’t say the Cup will be in Calgary this summer. I’ll save that prediction.

April 15, 2015

Drew Casey

Senior Profile | Nicole Arrato

By ALEXANDRIA SEDLAK STAFF WRITER

Senior Nicola Arrato is captian of the varsity women’s rowing team and the bow seat in the varsity 8 boat. She is a pschology major and spanish minor in Fordham College Rose Hill.

The Fordham Ram: How many years have you done rowing?

Nicole Arrato: I have done rowing all four years at Fordham; rowed for 3 years in high school at GMS Rowing Center in New Milford, Connecticut, and was recruited by Fordham.

TFR: What made you choose to start rowing?

NA: I wanted to join a team sport in which everyone must work together at all times. In the sport of rowing, each individual in the boat must be moving as one unit throughout each stroke of a race or workout.

TFR: What are your plans after college?

NA: After college, I will be pursuing a Ph.D. in child clinical psychology, with the end goal of having my own private practice.

TFR: Do you plan to continue your athletic career in any way?

NA: Although my NCAA eligibility will end after this year, I plan to continue rowing individually after college. I have an indoor rowing machine, on which I can continue workouts, and I plan to purchase a single [a crew boat for one person]. I also work as a rowing coach in the summers at Yale Community Rowing, so that will keep me very much involved in the sport.

TFR: What will you miss the most about the rowing team, and about Fordham in general?

NA: After graduating, the part of Fordham University Women’s Crew that I will miss the most is, by far, my teammates. These girls

Mother Nature Plaguing Spring

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

A four year rower, Arrato is dedicated in the boat and the classroom.

are my closest friends at Fordham; I will miss all of the goofy moments we’ve shared, the team bonding through the tough times that have been presented to us, and the sense of community as a result. This is very similar to what I will miss most about Fordham in general: the Fordham community is one big family.

TFR: What are your goals for this season?

NA: As we are about halfway through our spring racing season, and have had some great results thus far, we hope to continue our successes on the race course. This is particularly the case in regards to the A-10 championship on May 2-3, and the Dad Vail Championship Regatta on May 8-9.

TFR: What is your favorite sports memory?

NA: My favorite sports memory is the moment my boat crossed

the finish line in first place in the Freshman Four event at the 2012 Dad Vail Championship Regatta.

In that moment, all of our hard work paid off ; we felt invincible.

I still look back at pictures from that moment, to re-live the excitement and pride exuding from each member of the boat.

TFR: What advice would you give to those who wish to join the rowing team?

NA: Advice I would give to those who wish to join the rowing team is to step up to the challenge!

Although the sport is quite challenging and demanding, it is equally rewarding in the end. If you are looking for a sport in which you can push yourself individually to become a better athlete, while also working closely as a team, rowing is the right sport for you. It will impact your life more than you could have predicted.

Rowing Strong to Start Spring

By ALEXANDRIA SEDLAK STAFF WRITER

On Saturday, March 28, the Fordham rowing squad opened its spring season, despite the imperfect weather conditions.

The team competed at the 2015 Murphy Cup on the Cooper River. The Rams’ next meet was on April 2, against Iona College at the Orchard Beach Lagoon, where both the varsity 8 and junior varsity 8 won their races.

Then, this past weekend, April 11-12, the team competed in the 2015 Knecht Cup at Mercer Lake. These first three meets have proven to be successful for Fordham’s strong rowing team.

For their first meet of the season, the Fordham Rams entered a boat in the varsity 4, the first varsity 8, and the second varsity 8 races. The varsity 4 placed fourth in its heat, while the second varsity 8 finished fifth in

its race. The first varsity 8 won its heat with a time of 6:57.10. This advanced them to the grand final, where they ended with a fifth place finish.

The Rams’ last meet before Easter break was against Iona College. Unfortunately, the varsity 4 race was canceled due to strong winds. The varsity 8 and junior varsity 8 races were both able to proceed. Fordham’s junior varsity 8 came in first place, beating Iona to the finish.

The varsity 8 easily came in first place, with a course time of 8:14.7, which was more than 30 seconds ahead of the Iona Gaels.

This was a successful weekend for the Rams, and a great way to end before Easter break.

The team’s most recent race was at the Knecht Cup this past weekend in New Jersey. Fordham’s varsity 4 entry placed seventh in its heat in the regatta.

The second varsity 8 finished

fifth in its heat, qualifying for the semifinals, in which the Rams came in sixth. This allowed them to move on to the third final, where they took fifth place.

The first varsity 8 began the regatta with a third place finish, following Central Florida and Boston University. Then, in the semifinals, which were moved to Sunday morning due to the weather, the Rams came in sixth place. This again qualified them for the grand final. In the end, the varsity 8 finished in fourth place.

These past few races prove how far hard work and dedication can take a team, and these Rams are not going to stop practicing.

With about half the season left, they still have many meets ahead of them.

The women’s rowing team will be competing next in the Kerr Cup on April 18 at the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia.

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NCAA baseball and softball do not attract large crowds in the Northeast, in part because of the weather.

In order to complete the season relatively close to graduation at many universities, the NCAA baseball and softball seasons begin in early February and conclude by mid-June.

Because of the start date, teams in the Northeast are forced to travel to warmer locations to begin competition. According to WFUV’s Executive Sports Producer Bob Ahrens, this can put Northeast teams at a disadvantage.

“When Fordham baseball went out to California to play USC at the end of February, they had had only one day of training outside, playing preseason outside in the open air,” Ahrens said. “Everything was indoors, and for Fordham that isn’t unusual.”

In its nine early season games in the warmer weather, the baseball team went 1-8, while the softball team went 11-10 in 21 games in warmer locations.

According to longtime Fordham softball head coach Bridget Orchard, this season’s weather has been exceptionally difficult to maneuver around.

“Normally, we always have trouble here [in New York], but now it’s across the board,” Orchard said.

“We went down south and were getting rained out. We went to Furman, South Carolina and it was snowing.

It’s been tough across the board, figuring it’s April and we’re still getting snow.”

As a result of this weather in the early season, the softball team had four games cancelled in South Carolina and Florida.

Since opening Bahoshy Field on March 25, the team has seen three additional cancellations. According to Orchard, the seven cancellations have led to the addition of games, including on April 1 against Syracuse.

“They [Syracuse] had some games rained out, so did we,” Orchard said.

“We’ll try to pick up games on a nice day. Even though it’s only 40 degrees, it’s a nice day because the sun’s out.”

Since beginning competition in the Northeast on March 8, it has been even more difficult for the baseball team to play games. While they’ve only had three cancellations, there have been countless time, location and date changes.

Fordham Baseball head coach Kevin Leighton says that these changes can be difficult for his team to adapt to, but in the end there’s nothing they can do.

“It can be tough. That’s one thing we try to preach to the guys. Control what you can control. The weather is what it is as far as the cold and the rain.”

The Rams have nine baseball games and seven softball games remaining at Fordham’s Rose Hill campus this season. The weather will likely continue to improve as the days go by, but soon enough another poor weather-plagued season of Northeast baseball and softball will come to an end.

SPORTS

April 15, 2015

Page 23

Men’s Tennis Hits Rough Patch

By DAVID BALICK STAFF WRITER

Coming off of a dominant victory over Yeshiva University, the Fordham Men’s Tennis team struggled over the past couple of weeks, losing all four of its matches.

The Rams’ first opponent was Saint Joseph’s University, who shut them out, 7-0.

The Rams lost all three of their doubles matches, giving St. Joe’s the early point. Senior Max Peara and Freshman Pol Giraldez battled to keep their set close, but ultimately fell, 8-5.

In the singles matches, Giraldez once again kept the match close.

After going down 6-0 in the first, he fought back in the second set, evening the score with a 6-2 victory. However Renier Moolman, St. Joe’s top player, was able to pull out the third set 10-8 to defeat Giraldez.

The day did not go well for the rest of the Rams, as they all fell in straight sets.

The very next day, the men traveled down to Richmond, Virginia to take on the VCU Rams. Unfortunately, Fordham once again failed to register a single win and lost 4-0.

Fordham lost both of the completed doubles matches by a score of 8-2, then lost all three of the completed singles matches in straight sets.

While Fordham may not have gotten the result they were looking for, VCU is a very strong team and improved its record to 14-8 with the victory.

Ten days later, the Rams traveled to Hamden, Connecticut to face off against Quinnipiac University, where they were blanked, 7-0.

In the doubles matches, Fresh-

men Joey Brander and Harris Durkovic nearly pulled out a victory for the Rams, but ended up losing 8-6. Fordham lost its other two doubles matches 8-5 and 8-2.

In the singles match, the Rams lost all six matches in straight sets.

Like VCU, Quinnipiac is another strong opponent that will compete in its conference come the tournament. With the win, Quinnipiac improved to 9-7 on the season.

That very same afternoon, the men traveled back to the state of New York to square off against Hofstra University at Hofstra’s outdoor courts. Fordham got out to an early lead, winning the doubles point. Giraldez and Peara came together and won their match 7-5, and Brander and Durkovic defeated their opponent 6-2.

In the singles matches, Giraldez had the lone victory for the Rams.

He had a comeback win over

Hostras’s top player, Beau Wills, in three sets. Giraldez lost the first set 4-6, but came right back in the second set, winning 6-2. The third was very close, but Grialdez finally pulled it out, winning 11-9 and securing the victory.

While the Rams were unable to win any of their other matches, both Durkovic and Brander were able to force a third set and nearly missed out on victories.

With the loss, Fordham fell to 3-11 on the season, while Hofstra went to 10-6.

The Rams have one final tuneup on Sunday before the A-10 Championship tournament starts the following week. The result may not be there so far for the Rams, but they are playing under a new coach, and many of the freshman have performed at high level of play, which bodes well for their success in the coming years.

RAM ARCHIVES

The Rams have lost four straight, but have one more match before A-10s.

CHRISTIAN WILOEJO: THE FORDHAM RAM

Four straight wins have the women’s team feeling good heading to A-10s.

Women’s Tennis Victorous Heading Into A-10s

By JAKE GROGAN STAFF WRITER

The strong season continues for Fordham’s Women’s tennis team, as the ladies are just a few days removed from demonstrating dominance in a 6-1 victory over Rhode Island at home.

The match started with a double point win by the Rams, a result that would wind up meaningless after the Rhode Island athletes failed to perform the rest of the match. Sophomore Destiny Grunin started things off with a 6-0, 6-1 win at sixth singles over Rhode Island’s Gina Atanasoff, followed shortly by a 6-3, 6-2 win by senior Bella Genkina at the fifth position. Freshman Estelle Wong dealt the knockout punch at third singles, beating Anna Peacock 6-3, 6-2.

The win was especially important to seniors Ellie Ball, Sarah Ali, Julie Leong, Bella Genkina and Anika Novacek, who were all honored prior to Fordham’s 6-1 win in celebration of Senior Day. “It was incredible,” said Sarah Ali, a senior who won both her doubles and singles match against Rhode Island. “Being a senior is so unreal and it’s hard to believe that I’ve been playing tennis at Fordham for four years

now.”

The victory has the Rams sitting at 6-3 since losing to Drexel at West Point in early March. Winners of three straight matches following that stand-off, the ladies did not score a point in two of their next three contests, losing to VCU and Stony Brook by a combined 11 points. Fordham rallied, winning two of their last three heading into a match against Queens College.

This season has been a success so far for a squad that entered the year with high expectations. After establishing strengths in both the doubles and singles aspects of the game, the Rams look ahead to the conference championship.

“The season has been going great so far,” said Ali. “We now have to prepare for our A-10 Conference Tournament, in which we are seeded fifth out of 14 teams.”

Fordham will open up the tournament against the 12th seeded Rhode Island, which they just beat 6-1. A win would have them face either fourth seeded Davidson or 13th seeded St. Bonaventure for the first time this season. The VCU Rams earned the first seed for the third straight year and blanked Fordham earlier this year with a 4-0 win.

Choose from over 200 courses, including: • COMM 4001 Films of Moral Struggle • IRST 3412 Irish-American History • BLBU 4436 Business and Ethics of Sports

Learn more at fordham.edu/summer

Summer Session 2015 May 26-June 25 | June 30-August 4 eeo

SPORTS

Page 24

April 15, 2015

The Fordham Ram

Softball Honored at Yankee Stadium

By ANTHONY PUCIK SPORTS EDITOR

The Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on Thursday April 9, but there was another team from the Bronx in attendance that had plenty of reasons to celebrate. The Fordham softball team was in attendance at the stadium and was welcomed onto the field pre game to be recognized for winning their third Atlantic 10 Championship in four years.

The team gathered in front of home plate with the Fordham Ram logo on the big screen behind them and stood while the public address announcer described how the 2014 team “reached a level of success unimaginable in the first few years of Fordham Softball.”

The team was described as a “unique mix of upperclassmen leadership and young talent,” led by seniors Elise Fortier and Gabby Luety.

Fortier, the shortstop, ended her Fordham career in record fashion, breaking the school record for RBI in a season (73), slugging percentage (.854) and tied her record for home runs in a season with 20 in just three years with the team after transferring from Stony Brook University. Fortier also ended the year strong with a .389 average and 13 doubles.

Luety, named to the All-Atlantic

COURTESY OF BRENDAN BOWERS

The softball team was honored on Thursday, April 9 at Yankee Stadium for their 2014 Atlantic 10 Championship title.

First Team and Atlantic 10 AllChampionship Team in her final year as catcher, also had a great season. She hit .331 with nine doubles, 13 homers and 31 RBI on the year.

Their power, combined with clutch hitting from other veterans such as now-senior Kayla Lombardo and pitching now-senior Michele Daubman were main reasons for Fordham’s success last season.

For Lombardo, the ceremony was very special for a number of

reasons. “The experience was a dream come true for me as a Yankees fan,” she said. “Fordham continues to enable us to do things that normal college students and student-athletes don’t get to experience, and for that, we are all so proud to be Rams.”

As for their youth, now-sophomores Amy Van Hoven, Sydney Canessa and Lauren Quense provided a spark both at the box and in the circle. Van Hoven was named

First Team All-Atlantic 10 in her first season at second base, batting second best on the team with .367, tied for the team lead in hits with 61 and led the team with two triples.

Canessa was equally impressive in the leadoff spot, batting .309 and scoring 48 runs while also adding six homers, which also placed her on the First Team All-Atlantic 10.

Quense was a big help to Daubman and Rachel Gillen on the mound, going 5-4 with a 3.32 earned run

average, walking only 24 batters in 82.1 innings pitched. Stepping onto the scene and immediately making an impact, these three women along with other underclassmen like now-junior reliever Patti Maloney were essential to the depth of this Fordham team.

Head coach Bridget Orchard was also recognized for her “stellar coaching career at Rose Hill.”

Last season culminated in a victory over St. Louis in the A-10 Championship at the Rams’ home at Bahoshy Field and a trip to the NCAA Regionals that “helped string together the program’s 12th straight season with at least 32 wins.”

The ceremony was also a reminder that there is still work to be done this season.

“The experience absolutely served as a motivation for us to get back on track and win another championship this year,” Lombardo said. “We hit a bit of a rough patch recently, but the rings are back on our minds now and we are ready and willing to do whatever it takes to defend our title.”

Prior to Wednesday’s doubleheader with St. Bonaventure, the team is 7-4 in the Atlantic 10, good for fourth in the conference. The top six teams in the conference qualify for the postseason tournament, which will begin on May 6 in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Softball Sweeps UMass in Three Game Set

By ANTHONY PUCIK SPORTS EDITOR

Heading into this past week, the Fordham softball team was 18-16 on the season and 4-4 in conference play. Having two of the toughest opponents in the Atlantic 10 in St. Louis and Dayton, the Rams were at .500 in conference play heading into a weekend matchup with the University of Massachusetts Minutewomen out in Amherst.

Following a doubleheader loss to Dayton to close out its first conference series at home, Fordham exploded for 15 runs in a game against Siena on Tuesday April 7, and that offense carried over into the weekend.

In the first game of their doubleheader with UMass on Saturday April 11, Fordham got on the board when sophomore Sydney Canessa scored on a passed ball to give the Rams a 1-0 advantage.

The Rams tacked on another run in the top of the third on sophomore Amy Van Hoven’s RBI single and two more on sophomore Lindsay Mayer’s two-run homerun in the fifth to take a 4-0 lead.

The Minutewomen scored two in the bottom of the fifth off Rams’ junior starter Rachel Gillen to cut the Fordham lead to two, but the Ram offense exploded after that. In the sixth Fordham scored five runs, the big hit a twoRBI single by Mayer, to go up 9-2.

Fordham continued to pad the lead in the seventh, scoring three runs on a Van Hoven RBI single,

a Mayer sacrifice fly and senior Kayla Lombardo’s RBI ground out to make it a 10-run advantage. UMass scored two off junior reliever Patti Maloney in the bottom of the inning, but it was not enough as Fordham took the game 12-4. Gillen picked up her 13th win of the season to improve

to 13-7, while Minutewomen starter Caroline Raymond suffered the loss and dropped to 6-10.

The second game was much of the same for the Rams. Senior Paige Ortiz hit a grand slam in the first inning to open up the scoring, followed by four more runs in

the second on a Van Hoven RBI single, Lombardo walk, a wild pitch that scored Van Hoven and sacrifice fly for Gillen to make it 8-0 Rams after one and a half innings.

UMass scored runs in the second and fourth off Fordham’s senior starter Michelle Daubman

CHRISTIAN WILOEJO/THE FORDHAM RAM

The Rams return to Bahoshy Field this weekend, when they host Saint Joseph’s for a three game conference series.

to make it 8-2, but senior Cora Ianiro added a run in the top of the fifth on a RBI single to make it a seven-run lead. The Minutewomen added a run in the fifth off Maloney, but two-run home runs by both Mayer and Ortiz expanded the Rams lead to 13-3 and gave them the victory in six innings. The win bumped Daubman’s record to 5-7 on the year, while UMass’ Meg Colleran suffered the loss (1-8).

The Rams wrapped up their series with the Minutewomen on Sunday, April 12. Fordham once again started the scoring, this time in the top of the second on a grand slam by Canessa and a two-RBI single by Gillen to take a 6-0 lead. That was all Gillen would need, pitching four shutout innings and surrendering five hits, walking no one and striking out four. Maloney and Daubman completed the final three innings giving up only two hits and striking out two with no walks, as Fordham completed the sweep of UMass with a 6-0 victory in the final game. Gillen picked up her 14th victory of the season (147) and Raymond earned another loss (6-11).

Fordham’s three wins improved its record to 21-16 on the season and 7-4 in A-10 play. The Rams take their four game winning streak on the road to St. Bonaventure for a doubleheader on Wednesday April 15, with the first game starting at 2 p.m. The team returns home this weekend to host Saint Joseph’s.