Fordham Observer — Spring 2013 — Issue 6

Observer the

MAY 2, 2013 VOLUME XXXII, ISSUE 6

www.fordhamobserver.com

Online SEEQs Receive Mixed Reactions

By NOHA MAHMOUD Asst. News Editor

The Student Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ) questionnaire has switched over to the Internet for the spring semester creating mixed reactions among students and faculty at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC).

When asked about her opinion about the transition from print to online, Associate Chair of Sociology Jeanne Flavin replied that she was still unfamiliar with the new process saying that the “introduction to the new procedures left something to be desired.”

She also voiced some concerns about the transition to the digital evaluations. “My primary concern is that it doesn’t impose a burden on students who may not want to cart computers around to their class, or borrow others’ technology. I also hope that we can avoid having technology create divisions between haves and have-nots in our classrooms. I am also concerned that there will be a lower response rate,” she said.

However, Flavin is generally supportive of the shift to the online evaluations saying “if it leads to more timely feedback, I am all for it.”

Some students shared opinion similar to Flavin’s regarding the response rate.

Rebecca Hare, FCLC ’14, said “It would have been easier paper wise. I don’t think people will participate.”

Noureen Qureshi, FCLC ’15, said that she sees the digital evaluations as an inconvenience for students and professors. “I do not think that the answers will be qualitative. I had a time constraint when I was filling mine out and I was not able to fill it out effectively,” she said.

Rachael Connolly, FCLC ’15, was concerned about lost class time saying “they are online but see SEEQS pg. 2

Inside

IAN MCKENNA /THE OBSERVER

The pins given to seniors that were nominated at the Senior Leadership Award dinner held on April 29, 2013.

Seniors Awarded at Leadership Dinner

By NOHA MAHMOUD Asst. News Editor

On April 29, the senior leadership awards dinner was held on the 12th floor lounge at 5 p.m at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), honoring students who won Senior Leadership, Alumni, Journalism or Community Service Awards.

One of the recipients was Kevin Quarantino, FCLC ’13, who was awarded a Senior Leadership Award, an award given to those seniors who have “the ability to lead, organize, empower, and inspire fellow students,” according to the Office of Student Leadership and Community Development (OSLCD)’s website.

When asked what his reaction was when he found out he received the senior leadership award, Quarantino said “I was very surprised. I didn’t

know I won because I looked at the pamphlet; I walked in and saw my family.”

During his time at Fordham, Quarantino was involved in numerous clubs. He was a general member of the Commuter Students Association (CSA) his freshman year, became treasurer of CSA for his sophomore year and was eventually elected president during his junior year. He was also a commuter freshman mentor during his sophomore and junior year. In his senior year, Quarantino became the vice president of student affairs of the United Students Government (USG) and became involved in programming some of the events such as the Winterball and Under the Tent.

“All of the events that have occurred are because people have helped me and supported me. Col-

lective effort happens because people are willing to give you their time,” said Quarantino.

Alexa Rodriguez, FCLC ’13 was awarded the Alumni Award, an award presented to a senior with an oustanding record of co-curricular achievement and whose academic record is commendable, according to OSLCD’s website. “I was really shocked [about receiving the award].

I felt very lucky to be in the presence of such great company,” she said.

Rodriguez became involved in USG in her freshman year and went on to be President of USG in her senior year. She was also one of the orientation coordinators for the incoming freshman class of 2015. During her senior year, Rodriguez was involved in the GO! New Orleans project, which worked with various organizations that were affected by

Hurricane Katrina.

Nusrat Jahan, FCLC ’13 was also awarded the Senior Leadership Award. “I saw it [receiving the award] in the book but it sort of hit me when Dean Eldredge was reading parts of the nomination speech. It was a very nostalgic moment,” Jahan said.

Jahan became involved in CSA and MSA, eventually becoming president of MSA. She was also one of the Orientation Coordinators for the incoming freshman class of 2015.

Alexander Lupo, FCLC ’13 also received the Senior Leadership Award.

Aisha Blake, FCLC ’13 received the Community Service Award, given to “a senior who has exhibited excellence and leadership in serving others,” according to OSLCD’s website.

Harry Huggins, FCLC ’13 and Michael Madden, FCLC ’13 were recipients of the Journalism Award.

LITERARY

OPINIONS

ARTS & CULTURE

FEATURES

SPORTS

The Comma

7 Train

John Johnson

Sandra Arnold

Sailing Team

The second insert of The Comma.

SPECIAL INSERT

MTA extends 7 train to New jersey.

PAGE 5

Alum produces Tony nominated play. Student investigates burial sites PAGE 7 PAGE 13

THE STUDENT VOICE OF FORDHAM COLLEGE AT LINCOLN CENTER

Sailing team qualifies for semi-finals PAGE 16

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News

News Editor Gabriela Mendez-Novoa — gmendeznovoa@fordham.edu

May 2, 2013 THE OBSERVER

The Student Evaluation of Educational Quality questionnaire has switched over from print to online.

Students and Faculty Respond to SEEQs SEEQS FROM PAGE 1

we have to waste time during class to do them.”

Hanadi Ibrahim, FCLC ’15 did not like the formatting of evaluations on mobile devices. “They are annoying and you have to keep scrolling up and down on the phone,” she said.

Other FCLC students favored the digital evaluations to the printed ones.

When asked what she thought of the shift from print to online, Katherine Manville, FCLC ’15 said “I think it [being online] makes it easier and it takes less time to complete.”

Anna Devine, FCLC ’16, had a

“ My primary concern is that it doesn’t impose a burden on students who may not want to cart computers around to their class, or borrow others’ technology.”

–

JEANNE FLAVIN,

similar opinion to Manville. “The online evaluations are a million times easier than the paper. Instead of waiting in class to fill [the online evaluation] out, you can do it whenever you want,” Devine said. “Once I got the link to the evaluations

Associate Chair of Sociology

through e-mail, I completed them right away.”

An email was sent out to FCLC students by Associate Dean at FCLC, Mark Mattson with an introduction to the SEEQ’s, notifying students that the SEEQ’s would

be completed through the Internet this semester, replacing the print version. Another email was sent to remind students to “look out” for an email providing the link to the SEEQ’s. A couple of days later, a third email was sent from Deans of Arts and Sciences with the subject title “Student Course Evaluations – Please Complete Today” providing students with the link to access the course evaluations for all of their registered classes.

After students click on the link, they are sent to a page with a list of the courses that they are registered in. Students can also access the course evaluations in the students tab in the channel entitled ‘Course Evaluations’. The status of each

course evaluation is indicated on the right side with the word ‘open’ if they have yet to be completed and ‘completed’ once students finish each one.

Students were told by professors to either complete the evaluations at home or bring in a technological device with Internet access on the selected day to complete the evaluations in class. Those who do not finish the evaluations within the designated time period can save their answers and continue at a later time.

The deadline to fill out the SEEQ’s is May 6. Those who encounter a problem with accessing the course evaluations can contact Fordham IT Customer Care for assistance.

Students Recognize Outstanding Advisers

By TIM GAVAN Staff Writer

The best adviser contest, which ran from April 2 until April 16, asked students to write a 250-word essay to describe “What particular qualities or practices students think make for excellent advising, and identify specific advisors that students believe are excellent.”

The student winners were Jen Shields, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’14 who wrote about Maria Ruvoldt, a professor in the art history and music department , and Sherry Yuan, FCLC ’15, who nominated Elizabeth Stone, professor in the communications and media studies department here.

Ruvoldt, one of the professors to be nominated by a student as the best academic advisor here, recalled a conversation she had with President Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J. when she first started teaching at Fordham six years ago.

“He said, ‘Every student you

talk to, in the moment that you speak to them, is the single most important student at Fordham.’

I really took that to heart, so I’m honored that my students recognize the concern that I have for them.”

“I’m always full of advice,” Stone joked, “so it didn’t occur to me that I was doing anything particularly meritorious.”

Yuan, however, expressed that Stone’s advice has had a very significant impact.

“Something that I struggle a lot with is just procrastinating all the time, so for her to actually call me out, or maybe not call me out, but to be honest with me about that was something I really appreciated,” Yuan said. “She’s the professor I feel closest with because I feel like she shows a genuine interest in me and actually cares about what I have to say.” Yuan paused to laugh. “Although she definitely inputs her own opinion as well,” she added.

Honesty was a common trait

students attributed to their advisers in many of the essays.

In Shields’ essay, she wrote, “I appreciate [Ruvoldt’s] honesty and regard it as the biggest sign of care any teacher has ever shown me.”

Ruvoldt mirrored that sentiment. “I think being honest and straight with your students is the best gift that you can possibly give them—and to see every student as an individual and try to respond to their needs in the moment,” she said.

Other qualities that student contestants admired in their advisers included having an extensive knowledge of their field, accessibility, passion, patience and having an interest in individual students, according to a preliminary analysis of the essays done by Mark Mattson, the associate dean at FCLC who chose the winning essays, based on both style and substance, along with the assistant deans.

“To me this was less about recognizing the outstanding advisers

than finding out what students think makes an excellent adviser,” Mattson said. “We had nine outstanding advisers who were praised by students, but there was no one who got more than one vote, so I think they’re all doing a great job.”

The other seven advisers nominated by students were Brian Rose, Amy Aronson, Michael Tueth and Jennifer Clark from the communications and media studies department, Christiana Peppard from the theology department, Matthew Maguire from the theater department and Assistant Dean Vincent DeCola.

The full qualitative analysis of the essays will be distributed to faculty so that they know “what makes a good adviser from a student perspective,” Mattson said.

But for some students, exactly what makes their adviser special isn’t so easy to define.

“I hate saying the word ‘push,’ like people pushing you to be better, but I think that word applies

here,” Yuan said, pausing for a second time during a recent interview.

“I guess some professors let you get away with not giving your all, but I think [Professor] Stone can very clearly tell when you’re not and then she approaches you about that. For her I’m actually motivated to do well, not just for myself, but because I respect her. That’s one reason I decided to enter the contest—I think what makes a great professor and a great adviser is when students don’t want to disappoint them,” Yuan said.

For their part, advisers don’t seem to be disappointed.

“I’ve gotten to know Sherry over the last year or so and we’ve had some talks about her interests and her strengths,” Stone said.

“The conversations were significant to me, so I’m glad they were significant to her, too.”

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Opinions

Monique John — Opinions Editor mnqjohn@gmail.com May 2, 2013 THE OBSERVER

Observer the

STAFF EDITORIAL

BITTERSWEET GOODBYE TO SENIOR CLASS

Fordham College at Lincoln Center 113 West 60th Street Room 408 New York, New York 10023 Tel: (212) 636-6015 Fax: (212) 636-7047

Editor-in-Chief Harry Huggins

W

ith the countdown to graduation approaching single digits, the reality of the world is becoming very, well, real for many of our departing seniors. And while they have been an integral part of our community for their time here at Fordham, it is also important to say goodbye.

But how?

We are going to have to say goodbye to our orientation leaders who were our first introduction to the Fordham community; that friendly USG president (here’s to you, Alexa!); that not-so-friendly person on the elevator that judges you for taking it to the third f loor; that clan of smokers who congregate before their 8:30 class (and between their 1 and their 2:30 and their 5, too); our club leaders who inhabit the plaza and yell your name as you try to sneak by; our classmates who helped complain about unfair deadlines.

Our friends.

But while it’s easy to gloss

over graduation and the excitement-tinged-with-fear of our seniors in our own frenzied end-of-the-year rush, as Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in

Get ready to fill some big shoes, because from here on out, we are the leaders. a while, you could miss it.”

And that’s the exact idea behind the Senior Leadership Awards, as outlined by Noha Mahmoud in “Seniors Awarded at Leadership Dinner” on page 1, to escape stress for just one night and thank those who made the most of Fordham not only for their own sake but for the sake of everyone in the Fordham community.

But with this ceremony comes the fear and anxiety for our own future: what we will do without these seniors?

Who will lead our clubs?

Who will look at us with disdain on the elevator? Who will welcome the freshman with those wide smiles and borderline-crazy eyes and a rendition of a popular song with lyrics changed to Fordham and rams and Magis?

Who will make Fordham a better place for everyone?

As our seniors depart, it’s not only time to ref lect on our own experiences with them but also a time to consider our own relationship with Fordham. Are we doing what we can? Could we do more? Are we going to be remembered?

So, what’s the game plan?

First, thank a special soon-to-be-graduate in your life. Next, get ready to fill some big shoes, because from here on out, we are the leaders.

Managing Editor Ian McKenna News Editor Gabriela Méndez-Novoa Asst. News Editor Noha Mahmoud Opinions Editor Monique John Asst. Opinions Co-Editors Alissa Fajek Maria Fischer Rachel Shmulevich Arts & Culture Co-Editors Katie Lockhart Clinton Holloway Asst. Arts & Culture Editors Andrew Milne Ludovica Martella Features Editor Rex Sakamoto Asst. Features Co-Editors Sherry Yuan Kimberly Galbraith Literary Co-Editors Jacqueline Battaglia Emily Tudisco Sports Editor Michael McMahon Asst. Sports Editor Jennifer Khedaroo Copy Editor Anna Luciano Layout Editor Tayler Bennett Asst. Layout Editor Nina Vorobieva Layout Staff Biannca Mackill Cat San Juan Weiyu Li Josephine Trott Emily Sawicki

Online Round-Up

Photo Co-Editors Sara Azoulay Ayer Chan

PHOTO

Inside the Brooklyn Flea Market In The Observer’s new photo feature “Inside the Brooklyn Flea Market,” Staff Writer Paulina Tam explores the Brooklyn Flea Market at the historical Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower. She finds vintage curiosities like framed daguerreotypes, skeleton keys, antique pocket-sized ballad books, apparel and archaic jewelry.

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MULTIMEDIA

Final Countdown In The Observer’s video feature “ Final Countdown,” Asst. Multimedia Producer Weiyu Li and Asst. Photo Editor Tavy Wu interview students studying for the last few weeks of this semester. #stressedout

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Opinions

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Sext or No Sext, Weiner Shouldn’t Become Mayor ELLEN FISHBEIN Staff Writer

In June 2011, the media preoccupied itself with its latest political scandal—Anthony Weiner, former representative of New York’s 9th Congressional District in the House of Representatives, had (as every news source made sure to joke) exposed too much wiener.

After accidently tweeting a picture of his crotch to his followers, Weiner admitted to sending licentious photographs and messages to a number of women. He resigned from his congressional post, leaving the lectern to shouts of “Bye, bye, pervert!”

You can imagine my surprise on Wednesday, April 10 when he told the New York Times that he’s considering running for mayor. “To some degree,” he reflected, “I do want to say to [the people of New York], ‘Give me another chance.’”

I’m hesitant to believe that New York’s vicious journalistic atmosphere will give Weiner another chance. When potential voters get a good look at a few of those pictures, they’ll turn the other way.

But let’s imagine that Weiner enters the race. Who’s he up against? Perhaps the strongest Democratic opposition comes from the Speaker of the City Council, Christine Quinn. Known for her skillful budgetary negotiations with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Quinn redirected funds to firehouses and educational facilities to avoid layoffs. As mayor, Quinn would work to build 80,000 more affordable housing units in the city. As my second choice, I’d name Bill de Blasio, New York City Public Advocate. De Blasio also disagrees with Bloomberg’s policies on education, and if elected, de Blasio would fund a universal pre-kindergarten program with a tax on New York’s wealthiest (those who make $500,000 or more). Both Quinn and de Blasio have relatively typical Democratic positions and as erroneous as I think they are, they won’t destroy the city. Weiner, on the other hand, is not just a sexter—he maintains a platform that is absolutely preposterous.

CAROLYN COLE/LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

Responsible voters should make their decision for mayorial candidate based on the candidate’s platform, not a perverted tweet.

As congressman, Weiner championed some of the strangest political causes. About a week before the sexting scandal exploded, Weiner sat down with the New York Times to complain about parking tickets.

However, he wasn’t talking about his own—apparently over the last two decades, U.N. Diplomats from around the world have parked illegally in New York and racked up a total of $18 million dollars in unpaid parking tickets. Weiner’s decision to take on a cause like this doesn’t make sense—foreign relations representatives are the ones responsible for persuading other countries to pay for their diplo-

mats’ mistakes, not congressmen.

Prior to the parking ticket situation, Weiner supported a bill in 2009 to make Medicare available to everyone, regardless of age. However, Medicare already has a partner to serve the poor—Medicaid. These providers work well together to create a safety net for the most vulnerable among us but Weiner wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to know why everyone can’t enjoy the benefits of Medicare. The answer comes from the numbers: on average, each senior citizen in the US receives $400,000 in Medicare benefits. Our federal budget cannot expand to pay that kind of money to people

who are young enough to work and don’t qualify for Medicaid.

If Weiner already ignores the federal deficit, I shudder to think how frivolously Weiner would waste New Yorkers’ hard-earned dollars as mayor. Compared to his Democratic rivals, Weiner is a radical. That scares me more than his libido does.

The bottom line: Weiner’s sexting isn’t the main reason to reject his platform. After all, sexual scandals have never stopped determined politicians before. Grover Cleveland, United States President from 1885–1889, took a four-year break before serving a second term

in office. In the interim, he told the world that he had fathered and paid child support for an illegitimate child. More salaciously, in 1998 Newt Gingrich spearheaded Bill Clinton’s impeachment while cheating on his second wife with his intern. He apologized, resigned from the House, and then later ran in the 2011 Republican primary.

Many politicians have done unethical things, but what matters is whether their personal lapses affect the decisions they make on our behalf. That’s why responsible voters should look at platforms and career histories, not Twitter feeds.

Keep Subway Lines Out of Jersey JONATHAN JOHNSON Contributing Writer

As a native New Jerseyian, (or whatever we’re called), I’ve spent much of my life traversing state lines between my home and New York.

From New Jersey, getting to the city is an easy trek. Growing up, one side of my family lived in Manhattan so I quickly became very used to car rides through the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels. However, once in the city, the one thing that I always looked forward to was riding the subway. It’s a uniquely New York experience— walking down an eerie subway tunnel, grime all around you and metal bars waiting to take you to the other side. As great as I thought the subway was as a child, I’ve come to realize that some things just belong strictly in New York and not in Jersey.

The subway is one of them.

I think of New York and New Jersey like siblings. New York is the older brother: suave, sophisticated, well-connected and cool. New Jersey is the younger sibling: smaller, less connected, yet still cool in its own way and still trying to reach the same level as his brother. They argue often, bickering back and forth about sports teams and things like that,

MEGAN O’HARA/THE OBSERVER

With so many different transportation options for traveling into the city, Jersey doesn’t need subway lines.

but in times of need, they’re always there for each other. It’s a love-hate relationship. So when I heard that MTA was considering extending the 7 train into Secaucus, NJ, I thought to myself: “This isn’t worth the fight it’s going to become.”

New Jersey shouldn’t have a subway line because, currently, there are more than a few options for traveling from New York to New Jersey. There

are PATH trains, NJ Transit buses and trains, private bus companies, and, of course, bridges and tunnels to make the journey from one state to another. According to recent reports, extending the 7 train into New Jersey would cost upwards of five billion dollars. I have to wonder: aren’t there more productive things we could be doing with that money? Sure, traffic between states via automobile can be

terrible in the morning and evening and the buses and trains are incredibly crowded during peak hours, but who is to say that a subway extension will alleviate any of those discomforts?

Let’s talk logistics: the 7 train extension would stop in Secaucus, NJ, an industrial town that already has a train line that runs to the city.

However, besides its proximity to

the Hudson and the Meadowlands, Secaucus does not have much to offer location-wise. A subway extension would be much more useful in cities such as Hoboken or Jersey City—major transit hubs with absolute access to the Hudson. Now, I’m sure there are clear reasons why these cities are not viable options, but if New Jersey was ever going to get a subway, that’s where I think it should go.

Furthermore, exactly how significantly would commuting improve if the 7 train was extended? Although the line would be a direct link from NJ to Queens, the amount of traffic that a transit line of that convenience would create would essentially negate the goal of making commuting easier. Also, if there is already a NJ Transit train that goes into the city, wouldn’t this subway line act as direct competition?

As a commuter, when I get off the PATH at 33rd Street and descend the stairs to the BDFM line, I immediately transcend into a ‘New York State of Mind’. But once my day is over, I look forward to getting on that PATH train and heading back to New Jersey to relax and unwind. When I’m in Jersey, I want to be in Jersey (and I’m pretty positive that there are more than a few New Yorkers who would prefer if there were no connections at all) but that’s just siblings for you— always bickering.

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Opinions

May 2, 2013 THE OBSERVER

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Superficiality is Not a Secret MARIA FISCHER

Asst. Opinions Co-Editor

We live in a shallow world.

I thought this simple statement was common knowledge, but evidently the world’s praise of beauty and sex appeal came as a shock to ex-model Kylie Bisutti. In her new book “I’m No Angel,” Bisutti criticizes her former employer, Victoria’s Secret, for making her feel “like a piece of meat.” After winning the Victoria’s Secret Angel Search competition in 2009, Bisutti recounts her brief time working for America’s most famous lingerie company. She tells stories of laying on beds essentially naked with photographers hovering over her.

After a photographer demanded that she pose seductively, it suddenly dawned on Bisutti that she was being paid to “strip down and pose provocatively to titillate men.”

This “epiphany” prompted Bisutti to announce her retirement from the modeling industry and retreat to Montana for a quieter life. Bisutti said that life as an Angel disgusted her and she grew weary of asking day after day, “God, why did you have me win the Victoria’s Secret Angel competition if it was going to make me feel this way? I’m not honoring my husband. I just want answers!’”

Call me unsympathetic, but I find it very hard to believe that Bisutti didn’t know what she was getting herself into before signing her contract with Victoria’s Secret.

It’s commendable that she finally figured out what she felt was morally right and stuck by her beliefs (even though it cost her a multimillion dollar deal in the process), but I have to wonder—what did she expect?

This focus on image is a bit disconcerting, but you have to be completely oblivious to think that it wasn’t present in our world before.

It’s 2013. Victoria’s Secret isn’t the first company to be criticized for objectifying women and it certainly won’t be the last. I’m hesitant to think that Bisutti truly didn’t know that her job with Victoria’s Secret would entail superficial behavior to some degree when society’s focus on women and their appearance is even evident in cellphone applications. The New York Times claims that a popular mobile app called Tinder has achieved a new level of superficiality. The app yields to the shallow side of dating—one that is concerned only with looks. All Tinder account members have to do to find new friends and dating candidates is browse through profile picture after profile picture…and nothing more.

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No names, no information. Just pictures.

When a Tinder user finds a particular person’s picture aesthetically pleasing, he or she can “like” it. If the user “likes” his or her photo back, the two can then proceed to engage in conversation and exchange information.

As a product manager explained to The New York Times, “You don’t have to fill out a profile, you don’t have to put in info—you just have to like the way someone looks.”

Sound superficial? That’s because it is.

Tinder’s co-creator, Sean Rad, defended the app’s superficiality, saying that “In the real world, you see someone’s face and you decide if you have an attraction to them.”

So is all this superficiality in today’s media wrong? Maybe. I definitely think that this focus on image is a bit disconcerting, but you have to be completely oblivious to think that it wasn’t present in our world before. Look at the infamous Marilyn Monroe: the 50s movie star built her entire career on her looks. Although social media heightened this focus on image (think about how important it is to have the “perfect” profile picture on Facebook), a world basing worth on image and beauty is nothing new.

Whether its Tinder or Victoria’s Secret, superficiality is inescapable. Yes, it’s unfortunate. Yes, it’s unfair.

But, sorry, Kylie Bisutti, it’s no secret.

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Kylie Bisutti claims that she felt objectified while working as an Angel.

WELCOME OBSERVER EDITORIAL BOARD 2013-2014!

Ian McKenna Editor-in-Chief Tayler Bennett Managing Editor Noha Mahmoud News Co-Editor Ramona Venturanza News Co-Editor Tim Gavan Assistant News Editor Maria Fischer Opinions Editor Rachel Shmulevich Assistant Opinions Editor Andrew Milne Arts Co-Editor Ludovica Martella Arts Co-Editor Michelle Ang Assistant Arts Co-Editor Kara Jagdeo Assistant Arts Co-Editor Tyler Martins Assistant Arts Co-Editor Brigitte Ayaz Features Co-Editor Paulina Tam Features Co-Editor Emily Tudisco Literary Editor Mark Lee Assistant Literary Editor Michael McMahon Sports Co-Editor Jennifer Khedaroo Sports Co-Editor Tayler Bennett Layout Editor Amanda Fimbers Business Manager Michael McMahon Copy Editor Kamrun Nesa Assistant Copy Editor Sarah Howard Photo Editor Tavy Wu Multimedia Co-Producer Weiyu Lu Multimedia Co-Producer Dyan Mae Cortez Blog Co-Editor Nina Guidice Blog Co-Editor Amalia Vavala Assistant Blog Editor Katie Lockhart Social Media Coordinator

Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture Co-Editors Clint Holloway — cholloway4@fordham.edu Katie Lockhart —klockhart@fordham.edu

May 2, 2013 THE OBSERVER

From Orientation Leader to Broadway Producer

By LUDOVICA MARTELLA Asst. Arts & Culture Co-Editor

John Johnson, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’02, is one of the lucky ones; he’s got his dream job. A theatre management major during his time at Fordham, today Johnson is a producer for Joey Parnes Productions, which recently produced “End of The Rainbow” and is currently working on Broadway’s “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.”

Since his freshman year, Johnson knew that he wanted to seek a career in production. Starting from his first year of college, he gained experiences in the field by working as an assistant for Eva Patton, a former FCLC faculty member and manager of the Theatre Program. Through his four years at Fordham, Johnson helped Patton organize several events such as open houses and audition tours for theatre students, as well as helping her organize the archives of Fordham productions and coordinate with the box office.

Through all these experiences, Johnson recognized that his leadership and organizational roles were those that were most formative for him. Working with Patton, Johnson said he realized “the big things were taking the lead on those audition days, and recruiting other theatre folks.”

“I was also the orientation coordinator for a few years,” he said and was tasked with, “recruiting orientation leaders and coordinating everything with University.”

Something else that helped Johnson develop his theatre management skills was taking visual art classes and applying the skills he learned there to advertisements of the theatre department’s shows.

LUDOVICA MARTELLA/THE OBSERVER

John Johnson, FCLC ’02, producer of “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” at Joey Parnes Productions.

“Doing all the promotion, doing all the design work and applying them to the posters of the actual shows was another big thing for me,” Johnson said.

Since his junior year, Johnson was involved with Joey Parnes Productions, which would become his full-time employer. He also started interning at the office of Fordham Law School graduate and theatre producer Elizabeth McCann. Johnson worked there for eight years until he graduated and became Parnes’ assistant at his production company and hasn’t left since.

“It is a matter of being at the

right time and at the right place,” Johnson said.

Since his graduation in 2002, he has been very involved with the alumni community and is still in contact with several people still involved with the University, claiming that he is “still in contact with some of the professors of the theatre program.”

“We actually just hired an intern from Fordham for this summer,” Johnson said, elaborating that “we usually try to hire interns from Fordham in the office…some have gone on to work in other higher aspects of our office, others have gone

to work on other aspects of the community in general.”

Johnson is happy to be involved with Fordham; he recently came into fellow alumni Frank DiLella’s “Theatre Journalism” class for a talk with the students.

“I love going back,” Johnsons said. “I love to talk to students not only because I like doing it but especially because of what Fordham gave to me and because it got me here, where I am today.”

Today, Johnson is still in contact with Patton, his former employer, and he has lectured for a theatre economy section as part of one of

Patton’s theatre classes at Ball State University in Indiana, where she is now a professor.

This teaching experience wasn’t the only one for Johnson; for a couple of summers he also taught theatre business near Chicago at Northwestern University’s high school pre-college program.

The advice that Johnson gives to Fordham students who seek a career in theatre is to get involved in most of the opportunities that one encounters.

“The more you put yourself out there, the better,” Johnson said, “whether you are volunteering for benefit or for a theatre, if you have the time, you should constantly say yes to things and you will find something that you like and that will bring you to success.”

“Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” the show on which Johnson has been working for the past 6 months with Joey Parnes Productions, has received three nominations for the 79th Annual Drama League Awards (the only major theatre awards chosen by nationwide audience members), as well as six Tony nominations.

“Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” is the story of two sisters who are left taking care of their parents on a farm when their famous sister visits them with her much younger boyfriend. The show, which Johnson helped transfer from Lincoln Center to Broadway at the John Golden Theatre for a four-monthengagement, runs until June 30.

Besides working on “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” Johnson is currently involved in several future productions that haven’t been announced yet, but that he said “are coming up soon.”

Abi Stafford: A Day in the Life of a Ballerina Collegian ing role in January 2000 and I got to dance because the other girl got sick. Fortunately, I was chosen for the role; that’s pretty memorable for me because I had the chance to dance alone on stage and that’s something I always dreamed of doing.

By KARA JAGDEO Staff Writer

Why would a successful ballerina for the New York City Ballet (NYCB) need a Fordham undergraduate degree? Meet 31-year old, Abi Stafford: a NYCB dancer who recently enrolled at Fordham Westchester to “expand her horizons.” decide to pursue an undergraduate degree at this point in your career? And what made you choose Fordham? is short compared to other professions. I’ll be done dancing in the next five to ten years. Of course, I can teach ballet, but I don’t want my whole focus on life to be just ballet. I started school when I was 27 to see what else was out there. I chose Fordham because it was very convenient. I live in Westchester, so I attend the Westchester campus. It was the best option for me.

OBSERVER: Do you find your-

self comfortable being an older undergrad, yet still pursuing your passion?

A.S: I do feel comfortable as an

older undergrad because I actually am at a point in life where I want to learn everything I possibly can.

If I had gone to college as a traditional undergrad, I probably would have slacked my way through!

There are also many people in similar situations in my classes so I feel like I fit in.

OBSERVER: When did you start

dancing and when did you join the

What inspires you?

A.S: I dance because I really love

OBSERVER: What’s the next

the art form. You can continually make yourself better at dance.

There is never perfection with ballet.

ABI STAFFORD: A dancer’s career

OBSERVER: How many hours a

week do you practice?

A.S: With the New York City Bal-

COURTESY OF PAUL KOLNIK

Ballerina Abi Stafford

NYCB? A.S: I started dancing when I was

six years old. When I was 11, I saw a video of the NYCB and decided that’s what I wanted to do. I’m 31 now. Wow, has it really been that long? It’s been 13 years since I joined the NYCB! OBSERVER: What and when was

your first performance?

A.S: My first performance with

the NYCB was “The Nutcracker” in 1999.

OBSERVER: What was your most

memorable performance?

A.S: That’s a good question. Prob-

ably the first time I danced a lead-

A.S: I definitely believe that hard

work will pay off in the end. I would encourage everyone that it’s important to maintain that work and those efforts and somehow through it all, you persevere.

OBSERVER: Why do you dance?

THE OBSERVER: What made you

out in today’s competitive dance world. Is there a motto that you live by, for encouragement, in order to keep persevering?

let, we practice Tuesdays to Sundays. We warm up at 10:30 a.m. for an hour, rehearse from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and perform either at 7:30 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. We do seven shows a week.

OBSERVER: How do you manage

college work and dance practices?

Have you figured some type of schedule that helps you balance the two things?

A.S: Yes, I always make sure to

bring homework with me to the theater. I live in Westchester, so once I am in the city, I’m here for the day. During my breaks between rehearsals, I almost always do homework so I feel confident that I will get it done, even during busy weeks at the theater. I like to go to the library at the Lincoln Center campus. Happily, I’m a bit of a nerd and I actually like doing schoolwork.

OBSERVER: It’s difficult to break

production you’ll be in, if you’re currently working on one now?

A.S: Well, the spring season will be

opening on April 30 and we’re currently rehearsing. I’ll be dancing in a ballet called “Who Cares” and a number of others to follow, one of them being “Stars and Stripes.”

OBSERVER: What’s your major?

When do you graduate and what do you plan on doing with your undergrad degree?

A.S: I chose history because it’s

what I’m most excited about. I could sit in history class all day long. I will most likely graduate in five years because I’m a part-time student. After I get my degree in history, I’d like to go to law school and hopefully become a lawyer.

OBSERVER: How has your col-

lege experience shaped your life in comparison to your experience with dance? What has college taught you that dance hasn’t?

A.S: In dance, you don’t need to

use your brain. You learn choreography and memorize it. But I was pleased with my ability to learn new things. I like spending my time doing things other than ballet, like doing my studies.

OBSERVER: Overall, is the Ford-

ham experience one you expected?

A.S: Fordham exceeds my ex-

pectations. I definitely feel that the amount of knowledge I have gained is more than I imagined and I am only halfway through. I am very proud to say that I go to Fordham.

OBSERVER: Where do you see

yourself and your career in 10 years?

A.S: I would like to have finished

up my performing career and undergrad and law degrees by then.

I’ll be 41, so hopefully a mom and even teaching ballet on the side.

OBSERVER: What would you say

to aspiring ballerinas? Is there any advice you would give based upon your own experiences? What would you say to all dancers struggling for perfection, especially those who go about it self-destructively through eating disorders?

A.S: I would advise them to pursue

outside interests and hobbies. Meet people outside your workforce because in ballet, you’re always around the same people. A ballet career doesn’t last forever. Find things to do to open up avenues of the future. I know trying to build outside interests can be a little scary and distracting from dance, but it’s very important. For those with eating disorders, don’t be afraid to talk to someone. Seek guidance. Every dancer has insecurities. It’s very easy to feel inadequate but just remember, everyone does. You’re not alone.

Arts & Culture

10

April 18, 2013 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

Get Published, No Experience Necessary Publishers Call Out For The Next Bestsellers

By NICHOLAS MILANES Blog Editor

As final exams draw near, easily distracted as the collegiate mind with summer approaching, we have all asked ourselves what to do this summer. Here’s an idea: why not write a book?

Besides being a great way to fill the gap of time between Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, it’s a great opportunity, since publishers like HarperCollins are actively seeking young college-age authors. New Adult Fiction is making waves; HarperCollins wants to help young authors make a splash.

New Adult Fiction is an emerging genre centered on collegeage protagonists and characters.

While plenty of us enjoy Young Adult (YA) novels like “The Hunger Games,” there’s no denying that as high school shrinks smaller and smaller in our horizon, we all crave something that hits a little closer to home.

“YA has always been really popular, and New Adult is actually a much wider world than YA,” said Tessa Woodward, editor at Avon Books, a HarperCollins imprint.

“High school is a very enclosed space—you know, it’s just high school. But once you have these kids get out into the world, there’s such a broader range of things that they can experience. The younger writers aren’t afraid of having crazy emotional backstories for their characters.”

The New Adult Genre is free from the constraints of many longestablished genres, but has roots in the “Twilight” franchise, which pushed the boundaries of sexual

subject matter within YA novels and led to “Fifty Shades of Grey”— a trilogy whose success lies in its sexual frankness.

“YA is what we call a ‘closed door,’” Pamela Spengler-Jaffee said, director of publicity at Avon.

“There might be something happening, but you don’t know, because of the readership of YA, and the rules of YA. For the most part, if they’re having any sort of relations, writers don’t write about it.”

Even if the story you want to write doesn’t involve whips and/or chains, a college-age story is likely to be a little less “Degrassi” and a little more “Girls”. New Adult presents an opportunity for writers to tell stories that are raw and real.

This is not to say a New Adult writer is constrained to college matters. “They’re not all set in colleges; it’s just that age group,” Lucia Macro said, vice president and executive editor at Avon. “Some of them have those situations that deal with college or university, but some of them do not; a lot of protagonists are forced into certain circumstances.” Many New Adult protagonists must skip college and live in the real world. New Adult authors are no strangers to confrontational subjects such as rape and unwanted pregnancy.

New Adult is not only a new genre, but a new form of community. Digital publishing is the lifeblood of the pioneering New Adult author, and blogs are the heart. “There are super readers on Goodreads,” Spengler-Jaffee said. “One is this woman named Maryse. She has a well-followed blog—when she recommends a

new adult book, all of a sudden, 500 people put it on their shelves to be read. She’s like the Oprah of New Adult. She’s hosting a New Adult reader festival next month— the Orlando Book Bash. There’s a whole slew of authors confirmed to attend.”

The potential audience is growing alongside the genre. New Adult authors have been self-publishing online, on blogs and dedicated websites where fans can easily access them. Publishing houses are now beginning to distribute New Adult novels in the e-book format, making it quicker, cheaper and easier to get an author’s work in the hands of readers everywhere.

A growing number of readers find themselves more willing to pay five dollars to download a book to their phone or e-reader than they are to shell out twenty-some dollars for a hardback.

The possibilities are endless for innovative stories and for publishing opportunities. You no longer need prior publishing experience in order to be published. “People are writing who aren’t necessarily taking creative writing classes.

They’re not necessarily learning all of the rules of, ‘well, this is what a story should be,’” and there’s a lot more freedom in that. They say, ‘this is what I want to read, so I’m gonna write it down.’” There’s no better time than now to jot down those ideas that have bounced around in your head for so long.

“It’s frontier era here. It’s exciting.”

Aspiring authors, send your submissions to Tessa Woodward, at tessa.woodward@harpercollins. com.

CRAIG KOHLRUSS/FRESNO BEE/MCT

Think Summer, Think Fordham Summer Session 2013 Session I: May 28 - June 27

Session II: July 2 – August 6

Catch up or get ahead!

• Diversity in American Families (SOCI 3506) • American Dreamers, Winners and Losers (ENGL 3602) • Islam in America (MEST 3620) • Third World and the City (AFAM 2647) Learn more at

fordham.edu/summer or call 888-411-GRAD

eeo/aa

8

Arts & Culture

May 2, 2013 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

PHOTO FEATURE Shades of New York: The Observer photographers are inspired by New Yorker’s and tourist’s stylish specs that come in vivid colors and shapes for summer in the city.

MOLLY BARKER/THE OBSERVER

Dana Walsh, FCLC ’13.

LUDOVICA MARTELLA/THE OBSERVER

A man sporting a pair of Ray-Bans.

JENNIFER KHEDAROO/THE OBSERVER

Buster from Queens, NY.

BRIAN BRUEGGE/THE OBSERVER

Elzena from Chelsea, NY.

JENNIFER KHEDAROO/THE OBSERVER

Roy from England visiting New York with his family.

HANNAH O’DONNELL/THE OBSERVER

Sean Cantwell from Rock Centre, NY.

MOLLY BARKER/THE OBSERVER

Vince from New Jersey.

TAVY WU/THE OBSERVER

Mengdi Liu, FCLC’16, in Central Park.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER May 2, 2013

Arts & Culture

9

PHOTO FEATURE

MARIA FISCHER/THE OBSERVER

MEG O’HARA/THE OBSERVER

Taken by the Brooklyn Bridge, NY.

Jazmine from Arkansas, USA.

LUDOVICA MARTELLA/THE OBSERVER

MARIA FISCHER/THE OBSERVER

Marina poses in front of a blossomed tree in her heartshaped sunglasses.

Elena Pogramanos and “Rich” Sagardia from Queens, NY.

BRIAN BRUEGGE/THE OBSERVER

Michael Landon, FCLC ’13.

SARA AZOULAY/THE OBSERVER

Taken in Union Square, NY.

IAN MCKENNA/THE OBSERVER

Henrietta from the Upper East Side asked “Are you sure you want someone of my age?” as she waited for her bus on Madison Ave.

IAN MCKENNA/THE OBSERVER

April from the West Village waits for a friend on Madison Avenue.

BRIANNA GODSHALK/THE OBSERVER

Adam from the South Bronx, NY.

BRIANNA GODSHALK/THE OBSERVER

Asia from Manhattan.

Features

Rex Sakamoto r.sakamoto@comcast.net May 2, 2013 THE OBSERVER

Sandra Arnold is Searching for Respect for Forgotten Slaves

By REX SAKAMOTO Features Editor

Deserted, unmarked, negated and forgotten, slave burial sites are typically discovered by accident during construction projects or by chance. Sandra Arnold, a student at the Fordham School of Professional and Continuing Studies (PCS) and the senior secretary for both the department of African and African American studies and the Latin American and Latino Studies Institute (LALSI), is concerned with the sacredness of these forgotten burial sites and their lack of memorialization.

Currently, Arnold is working on a database which documents the burial sites of both African-American slaves who died in slavery and African-American slaves who were emancipated. So far she has received close to a hundred submissions from across the United States. While the locations of many of the grave sites are still confidential, she did reveal that many sites have been found in New Jersey and as close as Hunt’s Point in the Bronx.

“I saw the value of the information that was provided for me and my family through the cemetery where my great grandfather was buried,” Arnold said. She continued, “It pieced together so much of our history.” While he died before Arnold was born, her great grandfather, who was an emancipated slave, has inspired her to help other African-Americans piece together their family lineage. Today, he rests in a marked slave grave site in Tennessee.

A common problem Arnold observes is that, “African-Americans hit a wall at slavery because people were sold off and there were very little records sometimes of where they were sold.”

It is this “forgetting” that Arnold does not want to continue. “The burial site of a person in every cul-

REX SAKAMOTO/THE OBSERVER

Sandra Arnold, student at Fordham School of Professional and Continuing Studies is creating a database of slave burial sites.

ture and in every walk of life is sacred,” Arnold said, “it should be the same for this population.”

While Arnold started the project independently, she acknowledges the help and inspiration Fordham has provided her with. “Fordham as a community has been extremely supportive and a wonderful space for me as a student to explore my project,” Arnold said. “There hasn’t been just one or two classes that have inspired me, it’s been the entire experience.”

Arnold has really enjoyed her American pluralism classes as they

have taught her that, “fundamentally we are all the same and we all desire the same thing, which is to be cared for, loved and respected.”

Additionally, she has appreciated her course on the Civil War Era with Dr. Barry Goldberg, associate professor of history. In this class she researched what was on the forefront of emancipated slaves’ minds.

Arnold discovered that they cared more about finding their lost family members than exercising their new rights as citizens. This was interesting to her as African-Americans are still searching for lost family mem-

bers today. Goldberg said, “As the location of these sites builds up I think more and more people will be aware of how close slavery is to all of us.

Some people may be shocked.”

Arnold has also found support from Isabelle Frank, Ph.D., Dean, PCS, as well as Cynthia Vich, Director of LALSI, who have provided her with advice for her project and her future as a student. “It’s a major project that is very valuable in terms of building historical memories in the U.S.,” Vich said. Vich has also helped publicize Arnold’s project in LALSI’s Boletín.

While there is no set date for the public release of the National Slave Burial Registry, Arnold hopes to publish it as soon as possible. Before it is released, she needs to fact check and make sure all of the information submitted to the database is legitimate.

Arnold does not want the buried slaves to be bulldozed over or accidentally exhumed any longer. “My sincere number one hope is that the enslaved are properly remembered.

They are an entire population of people that deserve to be respected,” Arnold said.

TAVY WU/THE OBSERVER

From left to right: A student sporting a bow tie; a Marc Jacobs perfume bracelet; an ear cuff.

Trend Report Summer 2013: Awesome Accessories to Spice Up Your Summer

By BRIGITTE AYAZ Staff Writer

Over the last few weeks strolling around Lincoln Center, I have seen some bizarre yet cutting-edge accessories worn by fellow neighbors walking their dogs and sipping on their first iced lattes of the season. These aren’t just your everyday, conventional accessories, but each of these individual pieces certainly complement an everyday outfit by straying away from the usual looks and functions of a necklace, bracelet or earrings.

The trendy accessories of this summer, bow ties, ear-cuffs—(for those of you who are frightened, stay tuned) and fragranced necklaces, have characterized ensembles into exciting, iconic looks.

1. BOW TIES Fashion is feeling its 1920s itch.

The rebirth of 1920s swagger has lately been the most talked about look among men, especially since director Baz Luhrmann’s much anticipated screen adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” premiers in May. The key to achieving the dapper style is with a fashion staple as simple as the bow tie.

Andrew Milne FCLC’16, is fond of bow-ties and wears them often, “Ties are just one of the few ways that men can accessorize, so bow-ties help to assert individuality through style.”

If you’re thinking, “where can I wear a bow-tie?” According to Milne, The answer is, “Everywhere! Bowties are always appropriate whether you’re going for a Humphrey Bogart look or if you want to look like Darren Criss.”

But, be extra careful and try to stay away from red bow ties if you want to avoid looking like Peewee Herman.

Ladies, this trend is not just for the men. There are bow ties in the form

of feminine materials such as lace, eyelet and velvet. They could be used as hairpieces to complete a ballerina look or as a bowed headband for a wavy-haired look. And that’s not the only option. If you admire androgyny, then you can don bow ties with a short-sleeved fitted blouse.

Where to Buy: : H&M, American Apparel, J-Crew 2. PERFUME JEWELRY Two in one items are as cool as they are convenient. Perfume is not only found in eau de toilette bottle these days. This summer, you can wear necklaces, bracelets and even earrings that have perfume beads inside of them to keep a clinging fresh scent to you all day long. Fragranced jewelry comes in a variety of styles and collections as there are several beaded scents to choose from like Japanese Agarwood and French Clary Sage.

You can take gold-perfumed earrings from day-to-night and wear it with a turquoise sundress or you can take a scented pearled charm necklace and transition into an all black, sleek outfit for a night out.

Theodora Austin FCLC’16 said, “I don’t own a product like this yet but it sounds like the best thing ever. I’ve looked at some pieces online and I’m excited to buy a few that I’ve really liked.”

Fun Fact: Perfume Jewelry was created by actor Dustin Hoffman’s wife, Lisa Hoffman and presents her own classic collection, Swarovski elements and a collection by Tom Binns for Lisa Hoffman.

Where to Buy: www.lisahoffmanbeauty.com 3. EAR CUFFS This accessory might sound the most alarming out of the bunch. Is it

like, a handcuff but for your ear? Kind of, but it is categorically the most eyecatching out of the accessories stated above. Depending on how fashionably daring you choose to be with them, these decorative rings construct an edgy embellishment around the entire ear. You don’t even need pierced ears to wear cuffs because they come in a clamp on version as well. Some of the options that you have with ear cuffs create lovely designs on the ear like flourished metal flowers, looping chains and whimsical sculptures that are crafted with lots of detail—some take the shape of dragons.

Gigi Engle FCLC’14 said, “I think ear cuffs are great accessories for a bedazzled statement look paired with a simple outfit.” Essentially, all of this translates to an ear mask that veils the entire ear.

Where to Buy: Claire’s Accessories, Free People

12

Features

May 2, 2013 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

Professors Take Summers, Too—Cruising Academic Waters, That Is ability from my Environmental Justice course and teaching a July class on Fantasy & Philosophy.”

By PAULINA TAM Staff Writer

“Leisure?! What’s that?” Elisabeth Frost, an associate professor of the department of English at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) said in response to whether she will be doing something relaxing other than furthering her scholarly research for the summer.

Oh, sweet summer.

Instead of kicking off their shoes for what is often considerd one of the most relaxing times of the year, professors are instead busily oiling their gears to do some serious postacademic research. The Observer talked to six professors in regards to their summer plans.

ELISABETH FROST,

associate

professor of English:

SOPHIE SAINT-JUST, in French:

LUDOVICA MARTELLA/THE OBSERVER

Elisabeth Frost, associate professor of English

COURTESY OF JOAN ROBERTS

Joan Roberts, Chemistry professor of natural sciences

BRIAN BRUEGGE/THE OBSERVER

John Davenport, associate professor of philosophy

natural sciences:

professor of

“I am a ‘Visiting Scientist’ at the National Institutes of Environmental Sciences in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. This position is competitive and is awarded on a yearly basis. There I do research defining phototoxic damage to human ocular tissues induced by nanoparticles and/or drugs and natural products (i.e. St. John’s Wort).”

JOHN DAVENPORT,

“Completing one book review; writing one essay on Kierkegaard

CLARA RODRIGUEZ,

professor

of sociology:

FRED CAMPANO,

lecturer in eco-

nomics :

JENNIFER KHEDAROO/THE OBSERVER

MOLLY BARKER/THE OBSERVER

MARIA FISCHER/THE OBSERVER

Sophie Saint-Just, French lecturer

Clara Rodriguez, professor of sociology

Fred Campano, lecturer in the department of economics

for an edited collection; finishing a book on global governance; preparing an early fall conference presentation; reading new works that

I will use in teaching my class on Political Libertarianism & Critics, which I will also write about in fall; probably preparing a grant applica-

tion; preparing three EP4 proposals from courses I have taught before; perhaps preparing an article submission from material on sustain-

associate

professor of philosophy:

“I’m going to conduct post-recitation research in France and I am co-editing a volume of a major Haitian filmmaker. My plans are also to transform some of the presentations I’ve made last month in conferences into publishable works/ articles.

So part of the summer is going to be in New York and part of the summer is going to be in research in France and possibly in the French Caribbean because my topic is on Caribbean cinema and Haiti.”

“I am moving ahead on my research, which is about the consumption of U.S television in other countries. I am interviewing people who have been in this country for six years or less, are over 18 and watched U.S television programs (not including news) but entertainment programs in their home countries: television dramas, sitcoms and serials.”

“I was really pleased to get a grant to be in residence at a research center that is located in the San Juan Islands north of Seattle.

It is called the Whiteley Center. I will be working on my latest project, which is a manuscript of poetry and prose that is kind of autobiographical.”

JOAN ROBERTS,

a lecturer

“Well mainly, my summers are usually spent preparing the kinds of papers that we’re going to be releasing for the following year.

Much of the preparation is writing computer programs – the kind of software that we need to do the kind of research analysis that we need. Well, of course there’s some relaxation in the summer. I’m looking forward to the warm weather so I can do a lot more swimming outdoors.”

Thanks for reading The Observer.

Have a wonderful summer!

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER May 2, 2013

Features

13

WORD OF MOUTH

Manhattan’s Best Halal Carts Put Different Spins on the Same Dish REX SAKAMOTO Features Editor

Whenever my friends come into the city, the first meal they want to eat is chicken over rice from the famed halal carts. Usually they arrive, drop their bags off and then run to the closest Halal cart. If all the Halal carts were the same, that would be fine. But all carts are not created equal.

In fact, the two carts I am about to review are completely different.

While all the carts may look the same and have the same signage, the chefs tend to put their own spin on the food. As it turns out, Halal only refers to the fact that the food is prepared according to specifications in the Islamic Shari’ah, which contains the moral code of Islam.

Since Islam is a worldwide religion, the Halal cart food varies depending upon the background of the cart owner.

The first cart I ate at was the 53rd and 6th Ave. Halal cart.

This cart is perhaps the most well known cart in the city and on Yelp the cart has over 3,300 reviews.

When my friend and I walked up to the cart on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m., the cart had a growing line extending down 53rd Street.

As we stood in line, we were handed a free yellow canvas bag with their logo on it as a “thank you” gift. While the line was long, it moved quickly and we were at the front in about five minutes.

The chicken over rice costs $6, but you can add a soda or bottled water for an extra dollar. Once you

get your food, don’t forget to go to the side of the cart and get the delicious white sauce, barbecue sauce and hot sauce.

For the white sauce, go big or go home. It kind of tastes like a glorified ranch sauce and it adds moisture to the dish. Then squirt some barbecue sauce on the chicken for some extra flavor. Next, add a couple drops of the hot sauce. Be warned - this stuff is powerful.

How powerful? Well, the first time I came to this cart was in the eighth grade with my family. I was, and still am a Tabasco addict.

Thinking I could take this hot sauce, I squirted it all over my bowl and I mixed it into my chicken and rice which made it bright red. Then I dug in. Immediately, my eyes widened, my sinuses were cleared and my mouth was on fire. Suffice it to say, it hurt “to go” for the next few days. I digress. Just be careful with how much hot sauce you put on.

Find a place to sit next to either the fountain or the large planter box and dig in. The chicken and rice here is fairly basic. It comes with finely chopped chicken, lots of rice, some lettuce and varying amounts of pita. I got three pita strips while my friend was served six. Without the sauce, the chicken and rice are quite plain. The star of the show is definitely the white sauce, which livens up the chicken and rice.

The second cart I visited is much closer to Fordham and is located on 58th and 9th Ave. This cart is smaller and has two guys at the grill. They were very nice and even gave my friend a falafel sample while we waited for them to make our food. Their $6 chicken

over rice is smaller than the first cart’s, but it’s more flavorful.

Their chicken over rice has an Indian flare. The chicken is cut into large one-inch cubes and tastes like tandoori chicken and the rice is flavored with sautéed onions. This dish also comes with a little salad, some steak fries, a falafel ball and dill pickle slices.

While this cart does not let you pour your own sauce, that’s fine because you really don’t need too much. The already well-seasoned chicken mixed with the onions and bell peppers tastes good on its own.

Overall, both carts are good.

The first cart has a killer white sauce, while the second has better tasting chicken. I prefer the second cart, but I understand why so many people flock to the other cart. The novelty, the decent food and larger portions are some reasons. I would also recommend the first cart to those who do not like too much spice in their food. I have tried many other carts in the city, but these are the ones that stand out.

I encourage you to try these carts and others and maybe you too will find a special cart to your liking.

IF YOU GO

53rd & 6th Ave. Halal Cart Price: $

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Sports

Sports Editor Mike McMahon —mmcmahon27@fordham.edu

May 2, 2013 THE OBSERVER

Sailing Team Achieves Best Season in Team History

By MIKE MCMAHON Sports Editor

Though the Fordham sailing team failed to advance to the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ISCA) Coed Dinghy National Championships this past weekend, making it to the semifinals was an historic accomplishment in and of itself for the team. In an effort that was pioneered by a couple of Fordham College at Lincoln Center’s (FCLC) own students, the Sailing Rams took eighth place and the final qualifying spot in the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA) Championships.

Emma Pfohman, FCLC ’13, and Dan Canziani, FCLC ’14, spearheaded a winning effort for Fordham as the Rams were neck-and-neck with Cornell University throughout the MAISA Championships for the last ISCA bid. Entering the second day of competition with a 20 point lead, Fordham saw its competition draw close following the first race, as Cornell finished 17 points better and shrunk the difference down to three. From there on out, however, Fordham crushed their closest competitors, finishing the day some 46 points ahead of Cornell, and only 11 out of seventh place.

For Canziani, having fallen just short of advancing stung a bit, though he was proud of his team’s accomplishments. “Though we didn’t end up qualifying, we got 11th out of 18th, and the top nine teams went on to finals, so we only missed it by a few spots,” said Canziani. “It was still pretty impressive that we made it to semifinals.”

When asked about taking the team to historic heights, Canziani reflected on how far they’ve come in his three years. “It was really an amazing thing,” said Canziani. “Since we started the program, it has been one of our goals to win, but at least to qualify, and the fact that we’ve finally done it is just a great thing. We’ve put in so much work, it’s nice to have it somewhat pay off.”

The junior year sailor spent the MAISA Championships sailing in A Division races with Connor Godfrey,

COURTESY OF FORDHAM SAILING

The Fordham sailing team qualified for semifinals for the first time in team history on the strength of a total team effort.

Fordham College at Rose Hill ’16.

The duo consistently finished their day two races with scores hovering at around 10 points, enough to keep Cornell at bay. Canziani saw his teammate as indicative of what should be a bright future for the program.

“We got a new coach last year, and he did a great job recruiting a bunch of great freshmen, and it’s really shown,” Canziani said. “I mean, just the fact that our top skipper is a freshman really speaks to that. I think all the freshmen are a great group.”

The new coach in question, Reed Johnson, is held in high esteem amongst his FCLC sailors, and has been a key part in helping the team to its great accomplishments this past year, from shooting up to the

number 17 rank this past fall to the recent qualifying bid at the MAISA Championships. His attitude regarding the team’s newest peak focused on the team as a whole, in addition to the four individuals who sailed at the MAISA Championships.

“Obviously, I think it’s a tremendous accomplishment for the team,” Johnson said. “As much as it was a great accomplishment for the four people that sailed in the regatta that qualified us, I think, more than anything, it was a phenomenal accomplishment for the entire team itself.

We wouldn’t have gotten to that point if it weren’t for all the hard work of every member of our team from the most experienced to the least experienced. I think that that’s what our

team should be most proud of.”

As for the team’s future, both Canziani and Johnson see great things.

“We’ve got an even more impressive group of kids coming in next year, so I think that, now that we’ve finally made it to nationals, I think that it’ll probably happen again next year,” said Canziani. “We’ll probably have a better chance for qualifying for finals, not just semifinals, and maybe getting a pretty good position once we’re there.”

Johnson drew attention in particular to the team’s relatively strong performance at the semifinals. “We finished 11th out of 18 teams,” said Johnson. “Our bracket was a nightmare bracket compared to the other one. If you had asked me whether or

not we’d qualify before the weekend, I would’ve said we would have to have had a pretty flawless weekend to make it through to the national championship. With that being said, I was very proud of how our team sailed. We were qualifying 60 percent of the way through the regatta, but just didn’t end as strongly. While we fell short of qualifying for the nationals, it was still a phenomenal accomplishment to get there, and it’s something that, hopefully, our team will build upon as we move forward.”

If the hype is to be believed (and the team has certainly given good reasons to buy in), look for the sailing team to continue to achieve new and better things in the coming season.

Rice Remembered as Respectful Player, Coach

By MIKE MCMAHON Sports Editor

Former Rutgers head basketball coach Mike Rice graduated from Fordham College at Rose Hill in 1991, playing basketball as a threeyear starter between 1988 and 1991.

His coaching career also began at Fordham, serving as an assistant coach from 1991-1994, where he made impressions on Fordham staff that conflict greatly with the ones that many now have of him after seeing the footage compiled of Rice’s practices.

Rice was a stalwart defender as a member of the Fordham team, a key part of a defense that helped the Rams go undefeated at home his senior year. That same team finished first in the Patriot League with a record of 25-8, as did the following year’s team during Rice’s first year as an assistant coach, going 18-13 with an 11-3 conference record.

Current George Mason University head coach Paul Hewitt, another former assistant coach for the Rams, recalls Rice as being a good teammate and first-year coach. “[Rice was a] very respectful teammate,” Hewitt said. When asked about abusive behavior or violent outbursts, Hewitt said, “No, not that I saw in him, no.” Speaking about Rice’s first year as a member of the coaching staff, Hewitt remembered him hav-

BETTINA HANSEN/HARTFORD COURANT/MCT

George Mason coach Paul Hewitt remembers a different Mike Rice from the one seen at Rutgers practices.

ing the demeanor one would expect of a first-year coach. “He was a first year coach. He was very quiet. He listened a lot. He took instructions.

Mike didn’t say a whole lot that year.

He was a first-year guy. He kept his

mouth shut and did his job.”

Hewitt was as surprised by the behavior of his former colleague.

“Yeah, I was as surprised as anybody else,” Hewitt said, “but also, being in this profession for 20 years… I’m go-

ing to paraphrase Mike. There’s no defending what was on those tapes, so I’m not attempting to defend it.

But being in the profession for over 20 years, you can put together film the way you want to, it can tell a story

that may not be 100 percent factual.”

The film in question shows Rice berating his own players by pushing, kicking, cursing and throwing basketballs at them. It was compiled from hours of footage taken by Rice’s then assistant at Rutgers, Eric Murdock, and has been edited down in most broadcasted forms to be just about a minute in length.

In reacting to the scandal, Hewitt had hopes that his former colleague would land on his feet. “I hope Mike gets another opportunity, you know,” said Hewitt. “He made a mistake, he recognizes he made a mistake, using his words, there’s no excuse for what was shown on those videos.

But I also know that the majority of his players spoke on his behalf and in his defense. You would hope that someone would give him the opportunity to show that he’s learned and that he will not repeat those mistakes. Just the same way you would with a colleague that you know who made a mistake, you hope they’d get a chance. That’s all I can say.”

Though Hewitt had a fair amount to say on Rice’s behalf, he made it clear that the behavior was out of the ordinary for coaches in his experience. When asked if the behavior was something he’d call typical of college coaches, Hewitt plainly said “No, absolutely not,” adding that he knew of no other coaches who had behaved in this way with their players.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER May 2, 2013

Sports

15

Carmelo Anthony and Knicks Near First-Round Victory

By JENNIFER KHEDAROO Asst. Sports Editor

When the 2012-2013 NBA season began, the New York Knicks had one of the oldest teams in the NBA. At the age of 28, Carmelo Anthony is one of the younger members on the veteran team, and is its biggest star. He had a phenomenal regular season, claiming the title of the NBA’s 2012-2013 Scoring Champion while scoring 28.7 points a game. Now, ’Melo is trying to lead his team to Eastern Conference playoff glory.

On Saturday, April 20, the Knicks began the playoffs with an 85-78 win over series opponents, the Boston Celtics. The Knicks went 6-1 against the Celtics during the regular season, and continued to play well with Anthony leading the scoring on either side. He collected six rebounds and was able to shoot 36 points during game one, making 16 out of 20 free throws attempted as well as 10 out of 35 field goals attempted. Playing in front of the home crowd at Madison Square Garden, ’Melo was fired up during the second half, scoring 17. After trailing the Celtics by seven points in the third quarter, the Knicks fought their way back in the fourth. The biggest moment was a play that occurred 2:37 before the game ended. As Celtics forward Paul Pierce tried to pass the ball to a teammate, Anthony intercepted the ball and had an easy layup that put the Knicks up 81-76. With a little less than one and a half minutes left in the game, Anthony shot another twopointer, making it 83-76, to ensure a win for the Knicks.

Game two of the series, on April 23, resulted in another Knicks win, this time 87-71, as ’Melo continued with yet another tremendous effort. In 40 minutes of play, he only gave up one turnover and picked up four rebounds. Anthony also scored on 10 out of 11 free throws attempted and hit two three-pointers. His teammates, J.R. Smith and Raymond Felton, also helped out the Knicks, with Smith scoring 19 points and Felton scoring 16. By halftime, the Celtics were actually leading the Knicks 48-42, but the Knicks came back in the second half by outscoring the Celtics 4523. In fact, by the end of the third quarter, New York had changed the score from a six point deficit to a massive 16 point lead. Anthony had 13 of his 34 points in the third quarter. With the win of game two, the Knicks won consecutive play-

off games for only the first time since way back in the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers.

The Knicks continued their playoff surge in game three when they defeated the Celtics 90-76.

At one point in the game, New York led Boston by a whopping 21 points, while Boston’s biggest lead against New York was a mere two. The Knicks led practically all game, and Anthony continued to be the hottest shooter, scoring 26 points in 37 minutes of playing time. Felton shot in 15 points himself, adding 10 assists. Smith also had 15 points in addition to his three assists and four rebounds.

However, it wasn’t Smith’s, Felton’s or Anthony’s performance that had people talking the next day.

Towards the middle of the fourth quarter, Smith was ejected from the game for elbowing Jason Terry, a guard for the Celtics, in the face. While Terry was guarding Smith, he swung his elbow and hit Terry, who f lew to ground immediately. The officials called the foul a Flagrant 2, and Smith was also suspended from game four of the series.

Despite ’Melo scoring another 36 points in game four, the Celtics were finally able to defeat the Knicks, 97-90, on April 28. Although Anthony was the top scorer, he missed 25 shots throughout the game, the first time he’s ever done so in a postseason game, making only 28 percent of his shots. At the end of the first half, Boston was leading New York 5435. When the game resumed for the second half, the Knicks managed to outscore the Celtics 30-14 in the third quarter. By the end of regular play, both teams were tied 84-84. During overtime, Boston outscored New York 13-6 and took the win. Ironically, the hero for Boston was Jason Terry, whose first start was in game 3 and who was the victim of Smith’s elbowto-face foul. Terry prayed on the Knicks’ defense late, scoring nine of his 18 points in overtime. His nine points accounted for the majority of the Celtics overtime scoring, helping the Celtics escape game four with the Knicks leading the series 3-1 instead of sweeping the Celtics and advancing to the next round.

The Knicks and Celtics will continue their best-of-seven series on May 1 with game five, with a chance for the Knicks to wrap up the postseason series with a win at home.

JIM MCISAAC/NEWSDAY/MCT

Carmelo Anthony has been a key part of the Knicks strong 3-1 opening against the Boston Celtics.

If you find yourself spending your summer enjoying baseball, spend your fall and spring writing for sports!

16

Sports

April 18, 2013 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

Congratulations to the FCLC Class of 2013!

August 31, 2009

Four years go by so quickly!

May 18, 2013 We thank God for your presence with us, as you go forth into the future.

Fordham College at Lincoln Center Office of the Dean