Issue 1

Observer the

January 25, 2018 VOLUME XXXIV, ISSUE 1

www.fordhamobserver.com

LENA ROSE/THE OBSERVER

Fordham students unite for the 2018 Women’s March: Power to the Polls.

By COLIN SHEELEY News Editor

It has undeniably been a year of profound demonstration for Fordham University, New York City and the greater part of the nation. Much of second semester in 2017 was marked by student protests at the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses, mass rallies across a wide array of cities and issues ranging from immigration to race relations on part of President Trump and his administration. The amalgam of the sentiment manifested itself in the largest protest in U.S. history, the Women’s March.

Following a turnout estimated at 3.3 to 4.6 million in its inception, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets Saturday, Jan. 20 for the March’s second year, the theme: Power to the Polls. The route, which stretched from Central Park West on the Upper West Side well into Midtown via Sixth Avenue, ran alongside Trump International Hotel and Tower, which sits at the northern apex of Columbus Circle, only a block from the Lincoln Center campus where students rushed to join the crowd.

Leah Johnson, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’20, set out with a friend to Columbus Circle at around 11:00 a.m. Saturday, hoping to group up with the start of the march, but found the area already flooded with people.

Instead, they made their way up Columbus Avenue and cut across near the American Museum of Natural History to Central Park West.

Johnson waded slowly down the avenue among the thousands

of sign holders, chanters and musicians, approaching a band of protesters brandishing a sea of sapphire cardboard swells.

A slogan, “LET’S ELECT NEW PROGRESSIVE OFFICIALS” was painted on the side of one. The group which called themselves the “Blue Wave” was there to register Democrats in Staten Island.

“It kind of stands out, the fact that these groups were trying to get voters in Staten Island to swing left,” Johnson said. “I saw people with clipboards writing down names, registering voters, asking people, ‘Are you going to vote? Do you live on Staten Island? Will you be voting?’”

She appreciated that the focus of this year’s march had shifted from outrage over the results of the 2016 presidential election to a cohesive democratic push for 2018 midterm elections. “We’re focusing on taking back the House and the Senate,” Johnson said.

“People of all identities, I want them to end facing oppression,” she added. “I know that’s a huge hope, but I think progress can be made, and I think we can do so through electoral politics.”

Meanwhile, Cat Reynolds, FCLC ’19 was working her way through the crowd at Columbus Circle, snapping close-ups of marchers with her Sony Alpha 55 camera.

“I just thought, ‘this is kind of a historic moment.’ It would be kind of cool to go out and take some pictures and be a part of it.” Reynolds said and started shooting.

Her subjects were varied.

Some traveled in groups and wore fur coats, while others were far too set on their “mission” to be stopped. They gripped signs

that read “GRL PWR” and “HELL HATH NO FURY LIKE A WOMAN SCORNED,” but it was the children that especially caught Reynolds’ eye.

“One kid had a sign that was, ‘My President taught me the word “s–hole,”’” she said. “It made me realize the effects that it does have on children...that kindergarten is not safe from politics.

It’s everywhere, so even children have to be aware.”

Likewise, Elisabeth O’Neill, FCLC ’19, was amazed by the number of parents who brought their children to the rally. Even as protesters shuffled about, cheers of support ringing out from parkside curb and surrounding apartment buildings, she recalls seeing a little boy amongst the crowd.

“He was with his mom,” O’Neill said. “It was just really cool to see especially younger people, and even super young like this little guy, supporting the cause with their parents and being able to learn it from a really young age.”

In her view, the Women’s March does not solely stand for women, nor is it only upheld by them. “It’s not just women coming together to fight for women’s rights,” O’Neil said. “Our society as a whole, especially with women combined in that voice have a huge power to shift the status quo.”

As the march went on and protesters wandered out from the gated streets of Central Park West or strode onward, Johnson, O’Neill and Reynolds headed home. The impression that remained was a hopeful one.

“It felt like raising each other up,” Reynolds said. “We’re all here. We’re still here.”

Bringing Gender Inclusivity to Campus

By KATHERINE SMITH News Editor

Recent restroom and student housing policy changes occuring at universities have led to a national discussion about gender inclusivity on college campuses.

Fordham is no exception, as the recent modifications regarding single-occupancy restrooms at Lincoln Center have led to a newly-formed group of students pushing for revision of the current rules in order to support the school’s transgender and queer community.

The Positive, the student coalition calling for change in current university policies, was founded in 2014 by Chris Hennessy, Fordham College Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’15, and continued

by Eliza Putnam, FCLC ’18, Fiona Whalen, FCLC ’19, Anthony Perez, FCLC ’19, and Samantha Norman, FCLC ’18. At the first meeting held on Nov. 15, the students led a presentation on the current policies surrounding single-occupancy restrooms, as well as how the coalition hopes to make safety and accessibility a priority when requesting policy changes for Lincoln Center.

One major concern is the signage of the restroom itself. According to Putnam, Hennessy reached a compromise with Dean of Students Keith Eldredge on having a gender-neutral sign beside each single-occupancy rest-

room that stated, “This bathroom may be used by anyone regardless of gender identity and expression.”

“If the sign says it can be used by anyone of that gender identity or expression, then it’s saying that ‘I’m safe. I’m allowed to use this restroom,’” Putnam said. “And if anyone tries to harass me, I can say ‘This is Fordham policy.’”

The following semester, a laminated sign that said, “This bathroom may be used by any member of the Fordham community,” was put beside each door, next to another sign beside it that said, “please remember to lock this restroom” in bold letters, something that Putnam finds “offensive” and “degrading.”

Eldredge said that the signs were designed to be temporary, in order to prevent confusion with students, employees and administrators who were used to waiting in line inside the once double-occupancy restrooms. It was decided that they would be removed after student representatives from USG recently requested to take the sign down.

“The intent of the time was never to imply that someone transgender or nonbinary was threatening to someone,” Eldredge said.

During the meeting, The Positive referred to a 2014 indepensee GENDER INCLUSIVITY pg. 2

NEWS

OPINIONS

ARTS & CULTURE

FEATURES

SPORTS & HEALTH

What happened to Students for Justice in Palestine?

How fine art can find another voice.

Why the 75th ceremony tarnished “Time’s Up.”

Buy less, read more, or don’t care.

Students pledge for 2018.

What to do to survive 2018’s killer flu season.

PAGE 11

PAGE 12

SJP Sues PAGE 2

Creating Diversity PAGE 5

The Golden Globes PAGE 9

New Years Resolutions Avoiding the Influenza

THE STUDENT VOICE OF FORDHAM COLLEGE AT LINCOLN CENTER

2

News

January 25, 2018 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

Students of SJP Await Court Decision

LEFT: COURTESY OF JIMMY EMERSON VIA FLICKR. RIGHT: ELIZABETH LANDRY/THE OBSERVER

Students Sofia Dadap, Julie Norris, Sapphira Lurie and Ahmad Awad (pictured right) filed suit in the Manhattan Civil Courthouse.

Over a year ago, the members of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) were denied permission to start their club, whose main objective was to essentially promote and advocate for equal human rights for Palestinians, as well as encourage solidarity on campus. After approximately 11 months of striving to be granted official club status by Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), SJP was approved, unanimously, by the United Student Government (USG) in a closed vote, following several lengthy deliberations. However, on Dec. 22, 2016, Dean of Students Keith Eldredge overruled the student government’s approval as he claimed it would ultimately be “polarizing” on campus.

On April 26, Ahmad Awad, FCLC ʼ17, Sofia Dadap, FCLC ʼ18, Sapphira Lurie, FCLC ʼ17, and Julie Norris, FCLC ʼ19, with the help of Palestine Legal, filed suit in the Manhattan Civil Courthouse for SJP to officially be recognized as a club on campus, as well as have club privileges, since they are not

allowed to reserve spaces to host events, nor are they able to have meetings.

In response to Fordham’s motion to dismiss the case, the four petitioners filed a second motion for a preliminary injunction, in order to hasten the pace of the legal battle due to the limited timeframe it introduces, and be granted a temporary club status.

Most of the members and student leaders of SJP will soon be graduating, or have already done so, namely Awad and Lurie, and will therefore not have the opportunity to fully experience SJP, nor be able to truly participate in it.

Only three of the four petitioners, Awad, Dadap and Norris, were present at the hearing.

“I was hopeful in the courtroom,” stated Awad, the lead petitioner and intended president of the club. “We had an unbelievable amount of supporters turn out to attend. The courtroom was so filled that the court officer had to tell some people to stand outside the courtroom because there was no space.” Ranging from 70 to 80 people, SJP was undeniably exposed to visual evidence of the support it had acquired during

Students denied permission to start the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

Apr. 2017

By RUBY GARA Asst. News Editor

this process.

The support ranged from dozens of members of Jewish Voice for Peace, the fastest growing Jewish organization in the United States, to current Fordham students and alumni in the courtroom. Members of the USG, along with reporters and Fordham professors, all attended the hearing to show support for this case and for Palestine.

Dean Eldredge’s decision to veto SJP as a club marked an unprecedented event, as it was the first time an administrative official has overruled a club approval

by USG. Eldredge supported his decision by claiming that SJP, a group that seeks to promote justice for the Palestinians, would lead to violence and disruption. “It was difficult for us,” Sofia Dadap, FCLC ʼ18, stated, “because we are students that care about oppression, discrimination and racism, and for us to hear that we were violent, it had no basis in reality.”

In fact, Dadap revealed that the members of SJP were the ones subject to violence, mainly racialized violence, as most members are POC and/or of Arab origins.

“People were targeting us for ha-

Fordham filed a motion to dismiss SJP’s lawsuit against the University.

Four petitioners filed suit against Fordham University.

Dec. 2016

rassment”, said Dadap, but even “a lot of members of SJP in schools around New York, and around the country, have been harassed as violence was incited against them”.

The members of SJP also feared that other students interested in showing support for them would become discouraged due to the fear of being identified and getting “blacklisted”.

The time required for the judge to make a decision in regards to this case is indefinite for the moment, although it will presumably take a few weeks or months, as the judge now needs to review documents from both sides. The documents show the timeline of events, as well as different protocols that SJP members have been given that are contradictory in their nature, as there are disputed facts in the case.

As for future demonstrations, SJP members don’t have any planned actions yet as the course of events now mainly depends on the decision of the judge. Dadap revealed that if they do eventually decide to plan a protest, it would be in response to a specific event that would spark said protest. For instance, last year the

Nov. 2017

members of SJP had a demonstration in response to the travel ban, along with other student groups that were against the anti-Muslim ban, as it is an issue they deeply care about, albeit not directly correlated with the mission of SJP. “We continue to spread awareness for our case and our situation to spread the truth behind Fordham’s horrendous decision,” Awad wrote. For instance, other schools, such as Sarah Lawrence College, have invited certain SJP members to collaborate with them and allow them to spread awareness about the necessity for justice for Palestinians. Dadap hopes to eventually have a study group about Palestine, which could serve as an outlet that would be easily accessible to students that are interested in learning about the different aspects of Palestinian struggles, while also tying into other topics such as environmental justice. She hopes that “in the future, other Fordham students can carry on the legacy and keep doing whatever they need to get this education about Palestine, and solidarity on campus, to make it visible and accessible to everyone”.

Hearing held in a Manhattan court on the two motions, joined by a large group of supporters.

The four petitioners filed a second motion for a preliminary injuction.

Jun. 2017

Jan. 2018

The Positive Pushes for Progress GENDER INCLUSIVITY FROM PAGE 1

dent survey conducted by Hennessy that found 90 percent of 441 students were in support of having gender-neutral bathrooms at Lincoln Center. Additionally, 70 percent of transgender and gender-nonconforming students surveyed experienced feelings of stress and anxiety when using public restrooms, as well as 20 percent reporting that they experienced physical violence or the threat of physical violence when using a public restroom.

However, while the signage of the restroom remains an important issue for The Positive, Whalen said that it is just one part of the overall objective of the coali-

tion.

“It’s not just about bathrooms,” Whalen said. “It’s about the recognition and support of queer, transgender and genderqueer students on campus.”

The effort to provide recognition and support also includes housing and general identification policies on campus. Fordham’s housing procedure requires a physical transition in order to change a student’s name in the university system and to avoid housing designated by the student’s assigned sex at birth.

Perez says that while Jenifer Campbell, director of residential life, and other ResLife staff have been “really great” in helping him make specific accommodations,

the policies currently in place don’t go far enough to be considered gender-inclusive.

“When a university that you pay to attend doesn’t acknowledge or reflect you, that’s a problem,” Perez said.

Additionally, several students say that safety is another main concern for changing the existing policies. Perez describes an instance where, when trying to receive a guest pass for a female friend, he had to explain why Fordham lists him as female in front of several strangers in the RA office.

“With me having to out myself in front of people that I don’t know, I can possibly put myself in danger,” Perez said. “Now these

people, who I’ve never met, know something so personal about me.

Disclosure is a personal choice, but I was forced to disclose this information in order to verify that I could have someone stay over.”

When asked about safety concerns, Eldredge said, “I have heard that concern expressed by students in the past, and I look forward to hearing the concerns that students have and ideas that students have on ways to improve that.”

In addition to updating the university standards, Whalen also believes that education would be a useful tool in helping the student body to have a better understanding of what it means to be someone affected by the policies.

“Folks don’t know a lot about gender or sexuality and how that experience can change a person’s life on campus,” Whalen said.

“Fordham as an educational institution has a duty to its students to have some kind of diversity program in place.”

Perez hopes to see the Ignatian-Jesuit principle of “cura personalis,” or care for the whole person, reflected in administrative policies.

“If Fordham is a university that prides itself in Jesuit values and prides itself in being receptive and caring, I think it’s definitely in their best interest to support gender inclusivity on campus,” Perez said.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER January 25, 2018

News

3

Coffeehouse Clash Gains National Attention

By KATHERINE SMITH News Editor

College campuses are no stranger to political controversy.

Over the past year, universities have drawn controversial speakers, protests, and explosive confrontations between many different groups of students. As Fordham’s political activism begins to inch toward the media spotlight, the question of how to continue the political conversation and find common ground becomes more relevant than before.

Rodrigue’s Coffee House, a Rose Hill based student business, became national news in December after an employee was recorded asking students Aaron Spring, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’19, Sebastian Balasov, FCRH ’18, Michael Esposito, FCRH ’19, Colton Hillman, FCRH ’19, and several others to leave if they did not remove hats that were considered a violation of the coffee house’s Safer Space policy.

The coffee house’s safe space guideline prohibits racism, sexism and homophobia within the establishment and states that “ideas or actions” in violation of the guidelines “are not welcome.”

“MAGA wear is used as propaganda for movements that stand in opposition to our safer space policy because it is used as a threatening display against minority communities,” the coffee house said in a statement to the Fordham Observer.

The action was intended to be “free-speech exercise,” according to Balasov, the president of College Republicans, in an interview with the Fordham Ram. It was not part of an official event endorsed

by the club, but instead an idea mentioned after the conclusion of the group’s Nov. 30 meeting.

In the video, Kristal Ho, FCRH ʼ18, informs the groups that they have to take off their Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats or leave. Ho then responds to Esposito’s protests by saying, “I’m protecting my customers.” Later in the video, Ho replies to another student, stating, “I don’t want people like you supporting this club,” adding “You are wearing hats that completely violate our safe space policy. I’m telling you to take it off or you have to go.”

On their official Facebook page, the club stated that The Fordham College Republicans “in no way sponsored nor endorsed” the events that occurred on Dec. 7, but that the group does support “each individuals right to freedom of expression and right to feel safe anywhere on campus” and condemns “any form of interference of these unalienable rights and thought discrimination of any kind.”

Jacob Linker, FCRH ʼ18 and President of the Fordham Libertarians, believes that Fordham’s culture is based around avoiding controversy rather than addressing issues head-on, and that in doing so, the university becomes more susceptible to sporadic, hostile conflicts.

“The effect of this is that things just boil up and overflow, with controversy ensuing every time because it ends up being fairly novel compared to the norm. If things were allowed to flow more naturally, odds are whatever crazy stupid stuff idiots spout would just be looked at and shrugged,” Linker said.

ANDREW BEECHER/THE OBSERVER

“Fordham Admin: Will you denounce a campaign run on hate? #FUagainstTrump,” the window’s sign reads.

Linker believes that students “have every right” to look at people engaging in “controversial, triggering and trollish discourse” and form their own opinion on the individual’s actions, but that it is important not to overreact to those trying to antagonize.

“Unless the obnoxious are really crossing a line — getting in people’s personal bubbles, interfering with other students’ activities, specifically calling people out, causing physical harm — I think the only way we can really function is to just accept that there’s some stupid, nasty people

in the world,” Linker said. “It’s the responsibility of sensible, temperate, responsible people to not give them any more attention than necessary.”

After the video went viral and garnered national press, Fordham president Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., addressed the incident in a university-wide email, clarifying that the university does not have a safe space policy, “nor any policy that excludes members of the Fordham community from any public space on campus on the basis of their political views.”

Stating that the university it-

self should be a “safe space,” or an environment where all of the university community are free to share their opinions, McShane also added that it should also be a space where students are “respectfully tested” by others.

“Rather than try to shield students from the world’s sharp edges, I hope and believe that a Fordham education can and should make them more resilient and better prepared — intellectually, morally and spiritually — to engage the world on their own terms,” McShane wrote.

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Opinions

Opinions Editor Jordan Meltzer - jmeltzer3@fordham.edu

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DIALOGUE IS NOT DEAD

W I

times when people had reasonable, peaceful debates on a regular basis; but they are not gone forever. As a community, both here at Fordham and out in the world, we must foster meaningful

“If Fordham is to build a reputation as a campus that supports free speech, the defense of all people is a key component of that process.” discussions free of intentional provocations or barebones insults. We are all a part of this problematic culture. We must all be better. t Fordham, any student should be able to voice their opinion and be themselves without fear of isolation or harassment, whether socially or systematically. This goes for people of all backgrounds, races, religions, politics and any other defining characteristics. If Ford-

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Observer the

STAFF EDITORIAL

n Dec. 7, 2017, a political altercation occurred at Rose Hill’s Rodrigue’s Coffee House that would gain national attention. The incident spurred rabid discussion and loud arguments from people on all points of the political spectrum. But this event was more than just a political debate: it raised concerns that Fordham’s reputation as one of the worst colleges for free speech would only continue. It was also symbolic of the tense ideological atmosphere present in the United States of late. e as a nation are often on edge, ready to defend our beliefs with Excalibur drawn and unwilling to stand down. This is a good thing. But too frequently, we let that violent attitude get the best of us and we attack—or even write off entirely—those who disagree with us. This is not a good thing. t is in times like these that we are reminded that current political discourse has reached a boiling point and cannot go any further. Gone are the

January 25, 2018 THE OBSERVER

ham is to build a reputation as a campus that supports free speech, the defense of all people is a key component of that process. he Observer, meanwhile, must also continue to affirm its position as “The Student Voice of Lincoln Center.”

Having said that, we do not endorse one party or another in the Rodrigue’s debate.

This is not the point. Rather, we must give a voice to all parties in this incident and, in doing so, promote the healthy discussion of important topics at Fordham. To do better, students should set up a forum where they can respectfully debate important social and political issues that mean the most to them, with or without the assistance of university faculty. At a time and place of their choosing—perhaps even Rodrigue’s—students should host these discussions to improve Fordham’s standing as a college for free speech. But this only works if we all remember that cooler heads prevail and that we have more in common than not as a community on this campus that we call home.

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Editor-in-Chief Morgan Steward Managing Editor Reese Ravner Business Manager Michael Veverka Layout Editor Loïc Khodarkovsky Asst. Layout Editor Esmé Bleecker-Adams News Editors Colin Sheeley Katherine Smith Asst. News Editor Ruby Gara Opinions Editor Jordan Meltzer Asst. Opinions Editor Owen Roche Arts & Culture Editor Sam DeAssis Asst. Arts & Culture Editors Kevin Christopher Robles Marielle Sarmiento Features Editor Jeffrey Umbrell Asst. Features Editors Izzi Duprey Lindsay Jorgensen Sports & Health Editor Artemis Tsagaris Asst. Sports & Health Editor Luke Osborn Photo Editor Jon Björnson Asst. Photo Editors Andrew Beecher Lena Rose Comma Coordinators Elodie Huston Erika Ortiz Copy Editors Erika Ortiz Gianna Smeraglia Social Media Managers Angelika Menendez Andronika Zimmerman

Visual Advisor Molly Bedford Editorial Advisor Anthony Hazell PUBLIC NOTICE

Eating Tide Pods: dumb.

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THE OBSERVER January 25, 2018

What Counts as Free Speech?

ALEX SEYAD Opinions Editor Emeritus

Free speech is a term that seems to appear in every other news article in recent cycles.

In everything from the white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville to students protesting on campus, free speech is at the forefront of many events that surround us. Last year, Fordham was ranked amongst the worst colleges in terms of free speech, and a recent event at Rodrigue’s Coffee House—or Rod’s—at Rose Hill has once again brought the debate of free speech to our university. The incident involved several members of Rose Hill’s College Republicans club entering the coffee house wearing “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) apparel in what they have called a “free speech exercise.” These individuals were forced to leave the coffee house after a confrontation by members on both sides.

Instead of giving my opinion on who was right or wrong in this incident, it would be more prudent to look at the current standoff between liberals and conservatives under the notion of free speech. The First Amendment prohibits the government from passing laws to suppress the right of individuals to speak or assemble to protest any grievances they may have with the government.

The law doesn’t allow for any distinction based on the message of any individual or group, but we as a society have begun to decide what we want to hear and, con-

ANDREW BEECHER/THE OBSERVER

The Dec. 7 incident at Rodrigue’s Coffee House has reignited the free speech debate at Fordham.

sequently, what messages can be delivered. If we alter the Rod’s incident to only the MAGA hats for “I’m With Her” t-shirts and having the same confrontation, then the dialogue would be completely different. Instead of students saying, “How dare they wear MAGA hats,” the message would be that the members of Rod’s were antifeminists and ultra-conservatives with a huge amount of support for the brave students showing

their support of Hillary Clinton.

It’s no secret that the majority of students at Fordham despise Trump and his administration— myself included—and thus, there will always be a negative reaction to MAGA gear because of what it represents. We can’t deny that we would have easily praised the actions of these individuals if they were wearing shirts with “Students for Justice in Palestine” or other liberal monikers on them.

Free speech was not designed to be one sided. In some cases free speech is abused and used to spread a hateful rhetoric, but censoring such a rhetoric would be illegal and unethical. While many view this as morally wrong, allowing hateful rhetoric under the First Amendment, we must take into account what censorship may entail. With a Trump administration that has chosen to shun the media and enact its own form

Opinions

5

of censorship, we cannot further put a strain on free speech. While the messages of others may be annoying or offensive to someone, that same person’s message may have a similar effect on others.

Many students were upset when it was announced that Roger Stone was invited to speak at Rose Hill, mostly because of his history or racist and other forms of bigoted remarks. In the end, the event of him speaking to an auditorium full of students, many of whom loathed him, speaks volumes.

Instead of protesting a person like Stone speaking, some students used the opportunity to call him out for his past remarks and this created a dialogue.

Our student body quickly shuns opinions and dialogue that they disagree with, which causes a rift between the liberal and conservative students. There have been numerous articles in The Observer that have addressed the need to increase the dialogue to include various ideologies but it seems that we are moving further away from this goal.

The Rod’s issue shows us that we, as a community, need to become less closed-minded.

Whether we agree with something or not, we cannot simply ignore the ramifications of our actions and push the blame on the other party. We cannot ostracize the members of our communities who supported Trump. Instead, we should try to bridge the gap.

The dialogue that we protect under free speech cannot remain one-sided if we are to encourage better discourse in our community.

Behind the Brush: Fine Arts Need Better Representation AIZA BHUIYAN Contributing Writer

Exclusion is a timeless tyrannical tactic propagated to limit the representation of women and other marginalized groups within the creation of culture. Despite a woman’s integral role in society and the reality that women make up the majority of the population, women are often kept on the sidelines in comparison to their male counterparts when it comes to designing the omnipresent social constructs that impact each and every aspect of their daily lives.

Up until the mid-twentieth century, art was largely created by men, for men. The fact that women were also patrons, creators and consumers of art was considered a threat to the balance of society. It was hard for women to secure any careeroriented artistic opportunities.

Pre-19th century female writers used “pen names,” pseudonyms which helped them conceal their identities to avert literary biases that prevented them from selling their work.

In 1989, the Guerrilla Girls, an anonymous organization of artists determined to fight against sexism in the art world, found that less than five percent of the permanent works of art that hung on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s walls were made by female artists. Also, the project estimated that 85 percent of the nude portraits were of females.

There was an evocative campaign that year which suggested women needed to be naked to be showcased in the Metropolitan Museum.

Almost three decades later, little has changed. According

HERRY LAWFORD VIA FLICKR

Despite the fact that about 51 percent of visual art is done by women, only about 30 percent of women’s art is displayed in top galleries.

to the National Endowment for the Arts, 51 percent of working visual artists are women. Even though the majority of visual artists are female, only three to five percent of their artworks remain in permanent collections of the most renowned museums in the United States. Males account for about 49 percent of visual artists and yet they make up about 70 percent of the individuals represented by the top galleries in the biggest metropolitan cities in the country. This problem transcends the omission of women alone; on average, only twenty percent of artists showcased in galleries are people of color. In terms of the film industry, women represent 28 percent of screenwriters, directors, creators, producers and editors.

Culture, as of right now, is largely a masculine phenomenon.

This presents a problem because the majority of the population does not relate to the attributes that characterize masculinity.

Individuals lacking the Y chromosome, along with some who carry it, are forced to artificially align themselves with the white male-dominated illustrations of experience to partake in a feeling of connectedness. As social beings, we want to connect with others because the ability to align ourselves with the experience of another is an ineffable sensation in itself. But having a one-sided perception of the experience of life will provide limited narratives of the many stories every individual accumulated in their lifetime. I am in no way saying

that the white cisgender male experience lacks individuality.

I am merely emphasizing that, whether art imitates life or life imitates art, the very essence of life is dependent upon our experiences. Experiences are wildly different between groups and the smaller factions within these groups, including—and especially—minority groups.

Since the incipient years of civilization, men predominantly were able to communicate their experiences and have them heard. It was really not until the last century that women were able to have their illustrated experiences viewed without being completely disregarded. For too long, we have had a one-sided perception of what the essence of experience was because only men

could tell the tale.

But with contemporary art, the forgotten groups of the past can also join in. By stigmatizing and disregarding contemporary art, we are dismissing the voice it could give to women and other marginalized groups. We need to redirect the focus of contemporary art to showcase the works of women and other marginalized groups to allow it to serve as a larynx for them to voice their experience, concerns and values.

A member of the Guerilla Girls, who goes by the pseudonym Frida Kahlo, once said, “How can you really tell the story of a culture when you don’t include all the voices within the culture? Otherwise, it’s just the history, and the story, of power.”

It is vital that we as a generation are able to revel in a new era of artistic efflorescence in which individuals of any gender, race or sexuality can share their experience and be guaranteed an equal chance of their art being displayed to the masses. A culture is to be embraced by all—white cisgender men can no longer be the only recognized architects of culture.

It is imperative, now more than ever, that we dissect the systematic impediments for women in art to ensure a deeper understanding of the obstacles they face so that we can minimize some of those hurdles. The different forms of art shape our culture and create a fundamental mentality for a generation so we must extinguish the embers of exclusion to create a more inclusive field in which women and all other marginalized groups can and will make great strides. As Linda Lochlin once said, “The fault lies not in our stars, our hormones or our menstrual cycles, but in our institutions and our education.”

PHOTOS BY: ANDREW BEECHER, ESMÉ BLEECKER-ADAMS, LOÏC KHODARKOVSKY, ELISABETH O’NEIL, CAT REYNOLDS, LENA ROSE, ANDRONIKA ZIMMERMAN/THE OBSERVER

8

Opinions

January 25, 2018 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

Trump’s One Year Review

JORDAN MELTZER

Opinions Editor

It has now been just over one year since businessman and reality television personality Donald J. Trump added “politician” to his résumé. But just because one has a job does not mean they are good at it. It is only appropriate for someone to analyze the first quarter of the president’s tenure, so I am going to do so from as much of an unbiased standpoint as possible. So without further ado, allow me to enumerate Trump’s standout accomplishments, failures and other impactful moments.

First, let’s explore Trump’s “Contract with the American Voter,” which he called his “100day action plan.” One promise was to suspend immigration from countries deemed “terror-prone.”

He delivered on this pledge: after jumping over many hurdles, mostly in the form of court challenges, a ban on immigration from six Muslim-majority nations took full effect last month. He fulfilled this promise.

He also swore to renegotiate or withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as well as withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). His renegotiations regarding NAFTA are ongoing, so I cannot say whether or not he has followed through in that respect.

He has withdrawn the United States from the TPP, though, so that can be chalked up as a victory for Trump.

Additionally, he planned to cancel the spending of billions of dollars on climate change programs within the United Nations.

Last summer, he did just that with his controversial decision to remove the U.S. from the Paris climate accord. Trump fulfilled this promise.

Another promise was to grow the economy by four percent each year. The economy is measured in terms of real gross domestic product (GDP). He fell short of this promise in his first year in office, as real GDP grew only about two percent in 2017. Growth of four percent is unhealthy—a healthy rate is between two and three percent— but perhaps Trump should have known that before he promised it during his campaign. In the same breath as the GDP promise, he also promised to add 25 million jobs. That did not even come close to happening: 2.1 million

HERRY LAWFORD VIA FLICKR

One year since taking office, President Trump reflects on the first quarter of his tenure, as do all Americans.

jobs were added in all of 2017. If the same rate were kept all four years of his term, 8.4 million jobs would be added. His promise to add 25 million within his first 100 days does not really make sense. But he promised it… and failed.

He also promised to “drain the swamp,” which is his phrase for ridding Washington of corrupt politicians and hiring outsiders he trusts more. Many of his appointees, though, were politicians—like Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of Energy Rick Perry—or other corrupt individuals—like Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and Goldman Sachs executive Steve Mnuchin.

So, he failed on this one, too.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, he promised to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Despite four attempts to repeal Obamacare, it has not happened yet, and Republicans have decided not to try again for the time being. This was also a failure.

Let us also discuss some of the standout moments of Trump’s presidency not related to campaign promises. He signed a new tax bill into law, achieving the first major tax overhaul in 31 years. He allowed work to continue on the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) and Keystone XL Pipeline, both of which have leaked.

He nominated Neil Gorsuch, who was confirmed, to the Supreme Court, sealing a conservative majority for the foreseeable future.

He tweeted almost 2,500 times.

He called Africa and Haiti (but not Norway) s—holes. He rolled back protections for transgender students. He called Kim-Jong Un “rocket man”... a lot.

There is a lot to digest here.

But there is one key takeaway that I want you to focus on: this is the most divided the country has been since the Civil War. If you are a textbook American conservative, you probably think Trump has done a fantastic job.

But if you are a liberal, you probably think Trump is a failure.

Neither is necessarily factually true, but it is important to remember that the Trump debate has often been reduced to a party-line battle. This is wrong.

At some point, a bipartisan America must collectively realize that Trump does not have the best interest of Americans at heart. The fact that he has not fulfilled several of his campaign promises for his first 100 days in his first full year is troubling.

And the campaign promises he did fulfill are deeply problematic and harmful to the future of the country and the globe. Namely: his “Muslim ban” and calling Black regions “s—holes” are testaments to his xenophobia; his removal of rights for transgender children shows his transphobia; his new tax bill protects colossally wealthy organizations and widens the gap between the rich and the poor; his “swamp draining” has delegitimized Washington; his allowance for the pipelines to continue construction shows his disdain for

both Native Americans and the environment; his removal of the U.S. from the Paris agreement further shows his carelessness for the well-being of the planet; and so on.

All these faults are not one-off instances of lapses in judgment or failure to think situations through. Trump has displayed a pattern of incompetence and carelessness while in office. He clearly does not comprehend the immensity of the decisions he is making, because if he did, he would take every American (and immigrant) life more seriously and treat each life with more respect. Either that is the case, or he blatantly hates the groups he is attacking and marginalizing: Muslims, transgender people, poor people, Native Americans and many more. Either scenario is six of one, half a dozen of the other—they are equally damaging.

Donald Trump has failed miserably his first year in office.

Here’s to only three more.

Irrational Disasters: Unwise Simply to Weather the Storm OWEN ROCHE Asst. Opinions Editor

You can admit it. You’ve seen the headlines. Wildfires. Hurricanes. Droughts. You’ve glanced and skimmed and swiped and scrolled and, at long last, you did one thing we humans are really, really good at: you sent your Thoughts and Prayers™ and forgot about it. With the sheer volume of natural disasters in 2017, I can’t blame you.

But allow me to speak in a language we all can understand: at the end of 2017, after flood waters receded and fires finally fizzled, we tallied a bill worth paying attention to.

Last year, Mother Nature dealt the United States of America its costliest recompense to date: a

string of hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters totaling $306 billion in damage. The runner-up: 2005’s $215 billion price tag, thanks in no small part to a certain Hurricane Katrina.

Moreover, the top three disasters of 2017—a murderer’s row of hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Irma—alone smashed 2005’s record, dealing $265 billion of destruction.

It’s times like these in which one starts to suspect our nation just might be built on a Native American burial ground.

It’s safe to say that last year, America was hit hard. Three storms category four or higher made landfall last year, the California wildfires were the costliest on record and our country experienced billion-dollar disasters in six of the seven categories the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tracks:

tropical cyclone, wildfire, severe storm, flood, freeze and drought.

A costly winter storm in 2017 could have completed the set (and my natural disaster bingo card).

I’ll direct those who saw 2017 as a fluke to the very first days of January 2018, when we were introduced to the terrifyinglynamed “bomb cyclone.” Weaponized winter came with a hefty price tag as well, and might just indicate that—unlike liquids, waning crescents, and emo teens—it’s not just a phase.

Do you yearn for the old days?

Do you pine for simpler times when “polar vortex” was the scariest-sounding buzzword on the Weather Channel? Do you look fondly on the years gone by filled with only one or two devastating hurricanes per year?

There’s good news: the good ol’ days when every natural disaster didn’t cause Bill Gates’s net worth

in damage aren’t gone forever.

That being said, even to begin to sidestep this snowballing yearly insurance claim, we first and foremost have to take accountability.

In the current world climate— political and otherwise—it is easier to pretend that everything is more or less going to even out.

Hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Irma delivered their refutation loud and clear: this is not normal.

Is it a result of global warming? Climate change? Aliens?

Who cares? Debate over terminology and politics bring us back to square one: partisan squabbling that goes in one ear and out the other of a nation that skims and swipes and scrolls and forgets. It’s time to break the cycle.

Some push for greenhouse gas emission reduction, others push for fortifying vulnerable regions against future disaster. These opinions are often pitted against

each other on party lines when, in reality, they are both helping.

They are both valuable solutions.

It doesn’t matter what party you cheer on like some football team—hurricanes don’t just flood Republican homes, nor do wildfires exclusively torch Democrats’.

It doesn’t take a liberal or a conservative or an anarchocapitalist to tell that this is not normal. And our insurance bill will keep getting bigger every year we will twiddle our thumbs like our lives depended on it. As natural disasters are made into talking points and ammunition against another group of people who live on the same Earth as everyone else, the implications of 2017’s $306 billion slap in the face get lost in the details.

And what’s left? Thoughts and Prayers™. And the world keeps spinning.

And warming, I might add.

Arts & Culture

By COURTNEY BROGLE Staff Writer

On Jan. 7, 2018, a night dedicated to women and perseverance in the face of sexual misconduct, Hollywood still managed to highlight its ignorance and traditional approach to handling changing cultural ideas by attempting to offend the least amount of people possible. Though there were moments of rebellion, the 75th Annual Golden Globes ceremony mostly consisted of empty remarks regarding the sweeping public ousting of improper sexual conduct and the impact of these actions on women.

That’s not to say there weren’t incredibly raw and impactful moments in what would inevitably be a highly politicized event. The red carpet blackout filled with women in black gowns and men donning “Time’s Up” pins was a sign of widespread solidarity among a population highly affected by toxic sexual behaviors.

While some have argued that this highly enfranchised group failed to adequately respond to the root of the worldwide problem, the motion to wear black represented that sexual misconduct could no longer be ignored.

Especially following a year littered with protests that utilized clothing to express anger and displeasure with the status quo (the pink knit beanies from the Women’s March, shirts donning the popular ’70s lesbian separatist phrase, “The future is female,” etc.), the unanimous decision to

Arts & Culture Editor Sam DeAssis - sdeassis@fordham.edu

January 25, 2018 THE OBSERVER

All that Glitters is Not Golden

Protesters march in support of the #metoo and “Time’s Up” movements

wear all black allowed serious engagement and discussion with the matter at hand. Between the “zing” of Natalie Portman’s comment regarding male directors, the biting comedy in Seth Meyers’ opening monologue, and the brilliance and eloquence of Oprah’s acceptance speech of the Cecil B. Demille award, the Golden Globes managed to express the obvious sentiment of the atrociousness and unacceptability of sexual harassment and abuse both past and present.

That being said, Hollywood certainly tiptoed across a minefield of hypocrisy. In a night ded-

icated to female empowerment and working toward ending misogyny once and for all, no female directors were nominated for Best Motion Picture—Drama or Best Director. Awards were distributed to female-centered films and television series with themes of discovery and/or rebellion (i.e.

“Lady Bird,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “The Handmaid’s Tale”) during an evening with an ongoing discussion condemning the inappropriate behaviors of many high-profile men, yet two men recently accused of sexual harassment and assault—James Franco and Aziz Ansari—were

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awarded for their work (albeit, these accusations were revealed in light of their wins). Not to mention the controversy surrounding the reshoots of “All the Money in the World,” which initially made headlines for cutting the defamed Kevin Spacey from the film and still making its holiday release, because Mark Wahlberg was paid one thousand times the salary of his female co-star, Michelle Williams.

Hollywood is clearly continuing its tradition of performative allyship—only making surface-level changes in efforts to gain public favor that ultimate-

ly fail to live up to the duties of true allies. The Golden Globes were only able to succeed in making superficial statements—the all-black dress code, the jokes surrounding highly publicized condemnations of sexual misconduct, the slew of speeches dedicated to female empowerment.

Yet the actions that contradict the clear political goal of the evening spoke far louder than those attempting to stimulate change, and reinforced the ignorance and inability of the Hollywood elite to completely understand the plight of millions of young girls and women in a man’s world.

The 2018 Golden Globe awards engaged in a constant call for “change”—so enact some.

When the institution is the problem, they must learn to take responsibility for their actions and shortcomings and act toward legitimate social and political change. You cannot just deliver empty comments and expect for the problem to fix itself; if you genuinely want to end the injustices you preach against, stop neglecting the talents of female actors/crews/producers/directors, pay people the same regardless of gender and stop rewarding the toxic masculinity that has created this power paradigm to begin with. You cannot devoutly preach that “time’s up” and expect to change lives for the better overnight. The fact of the matter is time has been up for a long time, and Hollywood needs to do more than sell pins and wait for Oprah to save the day.

10

Arts

January 25, 2018 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

Review “Cruel Intentions: The Musical” ‘90s classic jumps from the screen to the stage

By MORGAN STEWARD Editor-in-Chief

Cunning teenagers, elite New Yorkers, a revenge sex scandal and all of your favorite ’90s tunes?

“Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical Experience” at (le) Poisson Rouge has it all … and you don’t want to miss it.

Based on Roger Kumble’s 1999 cult classic, the stage adaptation of “Cruel Intentions” pulls you back into the manipulative world of Manhattan’s most dangerous step-siblings, Sebastian Valmont (Constantine Rousouli) and Kathryn Merteuil (Lauren Zakrin).

Seduced by revenge and fueled by passion, the two make a bet on whether or not Sebastian can live up to his promiscuous reputation and deflower Annette Hargrave (Carrie St. Louis), the virginal daughter of their elite school’s new headmaster, before term begins.

This stage adaptation keeps all

of the classic lines movie fans know and love while adding in ’90s hits that leave audience members both nostalgic and truly joyous. Zach Spound brilliantly weaves the biggest and most recognizable songs from the decade into the script, not necessarily to propel the plot (which is how music functions in traditional musicals), but instead to provide fun,

comedic relief and an opportunity for attendees to bob their heads to some old school favorites.

What makes this absurd score, including one-hit wonders that you might have forgotten about like “It Only Happens When It Rains” and “I Saw The Sign,” so successful is how the actors play into the ridiculousness of it all. Overly-dramatic scenes from the movie are abruptly interrupted by actors belting songs by No Doubt or The Backstreet Boys that surprise the audience and leave them chuckling in their seats. (le) Poisson Rouge provides the ideal atmosphere for “Cruel Intentions” to thrive. The underground cabaret venue in the West Village has a cool, grungy atmosphere that perfectly encapsulates the edgy “Cruel Intentions” vibe. The experience is complete with full bar and table service that extends before, during and after the performance.

“Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical Experience” will be playing for a limited engagement now through March. 16, 2018 at (le) Poisson Rouge located at 158 Bleecker St.

And The Grammy Ticket Goes To...

By MARIELLE SARMIENTO Asst. Arts & Culture Editor

As we welcome in the new year, we welcome a whole new season of award shows! The 60th Annual Grammy Awards will air on Jan. 28, and for the first time in 15 years, “music’s biggest night” will return to Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The award show’s move to many of the Manhattan’s venues is exciting news, bringing new business and commerce for the highly publicized and well-funded event. The Grammys will be just a 15 minute subway ride on the 1 train from Fordham Lincoln Center.

Contrary to popular belief, the Grammys are not just for Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. Yes, the front-row seats are

TEDDY KWOK VIA FLICKR

Fordham students attempt to win tickets to the 60th Annual Grammy Awards

reserved for Grammy nominees, but tickets to the live broadcast of the awards are available to purchase. General admission tickets range from $3,500 “Bronze” tickets to $25,000 “Diamond” seats. Members of The Recording Academy, the organization that gives out the awards, can attend the show for a much lower price. Natassja Agina, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’20, was invited to attend by a member’s daughter. And, fortunately for her, the show is only a short commute away rather than on the other side of the country.

But you do not need connections in the music industry to attend the Grammys without going bankrupt. Companies in the area have taken advantage of the the show’s return to the east coast by organizing raffles and contests with admissions tickets as the coveted prize.

Several Fordham students are taking advantage of the award show’s convenient location near campus. Chelsea Ashley, FCLC ’21, has entered several contests and random lottery drawings including one offering VIP tickets. “I want to see all the celebrities dancing while Bruno Mars and Cardi B perform live,” Ashley said with excitement.

Haley van den Burg, FCLC ’21, entered a radio station call-in contest for general admission tickets. “I think it’s really cool that the Grammy’s came back to New York this year, and I can’t help but try to attend this once in a lifetime opportunity,” van den Burg said.

There are many other ways to be involved in the Grammy excitement throughout the city. Along with the live broadcast of the 60th Annual Grammy Awards at Madison Square Garden, other Grammy-related events and concerts will be taking place in the city during “Grammy Week.” The Paley Center for Media, only a 20 minute walk from campus, is hosting a showing of “The Grammys Return to New York: A Behind-TheScenes Look At The 60th Grammy Awards” for only $10. Additionally, there are Facebook events for viewing parties and special nightclub events all over the city.

Even if the special viewing parties and ticketed events are unattainable, getting into the award show spirit is really easy to accomplish. “If I don’t win any of the contests for Grammy tickets, my roommates and I are going to host a Grammy viewing party in our dorm,” Ashley said.

New York City is one of the greatest places for music and all the festivities that come along with hosting the Grammys, and our campus is at the heart of it. Take this opportunity to join the excitement of the 60th Annual Grammy Awards!

Who is Nominated?

Album of the Year “Awaken, My Love!” - Childish Gambino “4:44” - JAY-Z “DAMN.” - Kendrick Lamar “Melodrama” - Lorde “24K Magic” - Bruno Mars Song of the Year “Despacito” - Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber) “4:44” - Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson “Issues” - Julia Michaels “1-800-273-8255” Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid “That’s What I Like” - Bruno Mars Best New Artist Alessia Cara Khalid Lil Uzi Vert Julia Michaels SZA

Features

Features Editor Jeffrey Umbrell - jumbrell@fordham.edu

January 25, 2018 THE OBSERVER

Viva la Resolution!

Fordham Students Share Their Goals for the New Year “I thought about doing one, and then New Year’s passed, but after arriving back at school I realized I have too many clothes and too much stuff, and I think that my New Year’s resolution will be to consume less, mostly purchase fewer things and give stuff away … Be more honest with myself about what I really need.” On top of that, Culp said, “I also want to be more focused this semester and really think in minutes instead of hours so that I make each moment count and make use of every second!”

By IZZI DUPREY Asst. Features Editor

It’s January, which means gym memberships are spiking, blogs that will be abandoned in a few months are being updated and people are organizing their offices, apartments and lives.

New Year’s resolutions are a way of entering a calendar year with renewed hope and a clean slate.

On the other hand, there are those who feel that resolutions are unnecessary or impossible to follow through on. Here’s what Fordham Lincoln Center students had to say about their resolutions, or lack thereof.

Quality Over Quantity Erika Ortiz, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’18, has never made a New Year’s resolution. “I think New Year’s resolutions are good for quantifiable goals or improvements. If there’s something specific you want to get done or something where you can measure your success then go for it, but it’s better for me to just have a continuing want to improve things in my life that can’t really be counted or measured.”

Always Room For Improvement Sarah Grace Houston, FCLC ’20, is constantly organizing her life, and uses the new year as a way to further motivate herself.

“Last year I did ‘17 in ’17’ resolutions, ” Houston said. This year, she is going for 18. Her list starts off small, but she will add to it as the year continues. “This year, a big one is no more self-deprecat-

Not For Everyone Jamie Haas, FCLC ’20, said she does not have a New Year’s resolution for 2018. “I feel like I’ve done them in the past, and I feel like New Year’s resolutions are generally big changes and ultimately I can’t do them all at once, so no, no New Year’s resolutions for me.”

NODIGIO VIA FLICKR

Many students’ resolutions involve self-improvement through organization.

ing humour, because I realized I did a lot of that, and that made me not feel great. I’m also learning a new language, I’m teaching myself German. My other one is to trust the universe, because I get too anxious about a lot of things. I also want to read at least 52 books this year, and push for 60. So far I’m up to four.” How does she stay on task? Houston said, “I keep check boxes in my planner for each day I want to do

something, and I try to keep my list in mind when relevant situations come up.”

Small Changes Steph Lawlor, FCLC ’20, said she is hoping it will be a positive year. “My resolution this year is not to say ‘like’ as much, and I also want to be a more optimistic person because it’s gonna be a year of change.” Has she had resolutions in the past? “Yes!”

Lawlor said. “Have I done them?

No.” So how will she carry this one through? “I think I will be able to carry this one through because each year I’ve grown as a person and so now I can use that growth to persevere.”

A Simple Resolution For A Simpler Life Lydia Culp, FCLC ’19, said she did not originally make a New Year’s resolution for this year.

A Positive Focus Becca Light, FCLC ’20, said she feels like she has already changed a lot as a person this year. “I don’t know if I have a resolution, per se, but I just spent the past two weeks in Mexico and I think I learned a lot about being really grateful for where I am in the world, and having optimism in the face of a lot of challenges.” She wants to make an effort to hold on to what she learned in Mexico. “I think that gratitude for what I have and optimism in my day-to-day life are things that I want to incorporate more into 2018.”

Fordham Students Weather the Bomb Cyclone

By LINDSAY JORGENSEN Asst. Features Editor

As the new year approached, temperatures on the east coast of the United States hit new record lows. Within the early weeks of January, a “bomb cyclone” worked its way up the coast from Florida and Georgia, bringing feet of snow and freezing temperatures to Fordham Lincoln Center.

While “bomb cyclone,” or “bombogenesis,” is an extreme name for a storm, its title is relatively common. According to The New York Times, a “bomb cyclone” is defined by how quickly the atmospheric pressure falls, which is a characteristic used to classify any storm. The barometric temperature must drop at least 24 millibars in 24 hours for a storm to be classified as a “bomb cyclone.”

While some Fordham students departed for the warmer west coast or travelled abroad for winter break, countless others who stayed had to endure the bone-chilling weather on the east coast. Izzi Duprey, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’20, was one of the students that experienced the “bomb cyclone” in New York.

“I’m originally from New England, so I’ve been in pretty legit snowstorms before, but the amount of snow and how fast it accumulated was crazy,” Duprey said.

According to the Washington Post, New York City accumulated a total of 9.8 inches of snow in

REGINA OREA/THE OBSERVER

Earlier this month, a “bomb cyclone” swept through New York City.

just 24 hours.

“I went to babysit in the morning and could barely see where I was going, and the sidewalks hadn’t been cleaned or anything yet which is kind of rare for the city, so that was a different experience,” Duprey said. “By the end of the day there were piles of snow outside of Fordham on 60th Street almost as tall as me, which is normally expected in parks or empty lots but it was unusual to see that on the street where cars

were still attempting to drive.”

“There are always wind tunnels here in the winter, but when I was going across the avenues during the storm, I actually felt myself being pushed backward by the wind,” Duprey said. Winds in New York City reached a high of 60 miles per hour. “Everything was cleaned up fast, though. By the next day all the sidewalks were clear, but because it stayed so cold there was a lot of ice so it was still a little tricky walking

around.”

The violent winds of the “bomb cyclone” were not only noticed by students who stayed in New York City. Jeff Umbrell, FCLC ’19, noted the wind when enduring the “bomb cyclone” in Massachusetts.

“At first, it seemed like it would be a normal snowstorm, but as the day went on the snow started coming down heavier and the wind picked up,” Umbrell said.

“When we went to shovel in the evening, the wind was so strong

that the snow had been completely blown away in some areas. The extreme cold meant that the snow didn’t melt at all, and roads were icy for about two weeks following the storm.”

While it is still frigid, the weather in New York City has not been as extreme since the “bomb cyclone.” Here’s hoping that the remainder of winter will remain fairly mild and spring will arrive in a timely manner.

Sports & Health

Sports & Health Editor Artemis Tsagaris - atsagaris@fordham.edu

January 25, 2018 THE OBSERVER

Fordham Basketball: In It to Win It

By ARTEMIS TSAGARIS Sports & Health Editor

Although students are still navigating their new classes of the semester, the Fordham basketball teams are already in full swing, for both the men’s and women’s teams. Currently, the Fordham women’s team is in 3rd place in their Atlantic-10 division, closely following Dayton and Duquesne, respectively. Two players seem to always stand out — G’mrice Davis, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’18, and Bre Cavanaugh, FCRH ’20. On Jan. 6, Davis entered the all-time Top-10 in career points. A few days later, she was named the Player of the Week for the Metro Basketball Writers Association (MBWA). A little over a week later, she became one of two Fordham players who has over 1,000 career points and rebounds to her name. For the first week of January, Davis was named the Atlantic-10 co-player of the week. Cavanaugh was named the National Freshman Player of the Week. Cavanaugh earned this title after she helped Fordham beat every team they played in the first week of January. A week after her teammate Davis became the Player of the Week for the MBWA, Cavanaugh won that same honor.

This was Cavanaugh’s second time being selected for this, the previous time being the week of Dec. 19.

Although Fordham is doing well this season, this was not always the case. Their successes

ANDREA GARCIA/THE OBSERVER

The Fordham men and women’s basketball teams are trying to move up the ranks in the Atlantic-10 division.

can be attributed to head coach Stephanie Gaitley, who has been at Fordham University for seven years. Before she stepped in, the Fordham team was not the powerhouse it is today. Instead, they went almost twenty years without a winning season. For the past six years, since she took over, Fordham has gone 120–76. In her

second year as head coach, the Fordham women’s team finished the season ranking first in the Atlantic-10. Three players, Kristen Ryan, FCRH ’19, Katie McLoughlin, FCRH ’21, and Lauren Murphy, FCRH ’21, were recently told that they had received full scholarships for the spring semester.

In contrast to the Fordham

women’s team, the Fordham men’s team is in second to last place in their A10 division. In their most recent game, they lost 64–41 to Duquesne. During this 2017–18 season, the two players who have logged the most points are Will Tavares, FCRH ’19, with 238 points and Joseph Chartouny, FCRH ’19, with 193 points.

The team lost in a close game against Harvard in early December, where they lost by only two points. For the majority of the game, Fordham was winning, until it came down to those fateful and final nine seconds where Harvard took the lead and subsequently won the game.

Chartouny was named to the 2017 Atlantic-10 All-Academic team and the 2016-17 Preseason All-Atlantic-10. He set the school single-season steals record and leads the Atlantic 10 in steals.

Tavares was very instrumental in the win over the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), where he scored seven points, had five rebounds, and four assists. Head coach Jeff Neubauer has been with Fordham for three years.

In his first year as head coach, he helped the Fordham Rams achieve their best record in almost ten years. In that same year, Fordham made their first postseason appearance since 1992.

The following year, the Fordham men’s basketball team was one of only four Atlantic-10 teams to have a winning record in conference road games. Fordham beat Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) for the first time in league history last year. Neubauer’s plan for success focuses on a strong defensive strategy.

Hopefully we can keep our heads in the game this semester just as well as our Fordham basketball players, as they continue to climb the ranks of the Atlantic-10.

CDC Reports Widespread Flu in 49 States

By LUKE OSBORN Asst. Sports & Health Editor

In the first week of 2018, the rate of influenza-related hospitalizations almost doubled from 13.7 hospitalizations per 100,000 Americans during the last week of 2017 to 22.7 hospitalizations per 100,000 people. In New York State alone, there has been a 40 percent increase in influenzarelated hospitalizations, and that number does not seem to be declining anytime soon. Brenda Fitzgerald, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), warns that “while our surveillance systems show that nationally the flu season may be peaking now, we know from past experience that it will take many more weeks for flu activity to truly slow down.”

Accordingly, 49 states are reporting widespread flu activity.

During a CDC press release given on Jan 12, Dan Jernigan, Director of the Influenza Division in the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), remarked, “Our team that does this kind of surveillance studies has been doing this … for 13 years, and this is the first year we had the entire continental U.S. be the same color” on the map of flu activity.

Annually, influenza (flu) causes 140,000 to 710,000 hospitalizations and 12,000 to 56,000 deaths in the United States. Most often, these severe cases occur in children younger than five, individuals aged 65 years or older, and individuals with preexisting health conditions like asthma and heart disease.

Flu is a respiratory illness caused by the highly contagious influenza viruses. Flu viruses exist year-round, yet flu activity

JESSE CARLUCCI/THE OBSERVER

Not only are 49 states reporting widespread flu activity, but the current strains are especially severe.

largely increases during the fall and winter. The severity of flu activity depends on the diseasecausing qualities of the influenza viruses, when the season starts and peaks, the effectiveness of the flu vaccine and the number of people who are vaccinated. In particular, the most common circulating influenza virus during this current season is the H3N2 influenza A virus. During the first week of 2018, 88.6 percent of the influenza A viruses tested were of the H3N2 subtype. Seasons in which the H3N2 virus is the most common see more severe cases

of the flu, more hospitalizations and more deaths than any other strain. One integral reason behind the rise of H3N2 is due to the flu vaccines inability to protect against H3N2 infection. Estimates for this season’s vaccine are still underway, yet Jernigan claims that the vaccine’s effectiveness will be similar to last season’s at about 30 percent.

Overall, the flu vaccine was 40 percent effective in preventing illness in the 2016-2017 season.

The reason behind this low number lies in the methodology used to produce vaccines: researchers

have to predict which viruses will dominate. This prediction stems from data collected six to nine months before the vaccine deploys, leaving plenty of time for the viruses to mutate. Thus, the viruses circulating in one season are very different from the viruses circulating in the next. On top of this fallacy, flu vaccines are produced in eggs. There is evidence to suggest that the process of growing the vaccine in eggs affects its ability to produce antibodies against H3N2. The CDC is well aware of these pitfalls; Fitzgerald concedes, “while our

flu vaccines are far from perfect, they are the best way to prevent getting sick from the flu and it is not too late to get one.”

On top of getting the flu vaccine, the CDC recommends avoiding close contact with sick individuals, washing your hands regularly, and covering your nose and mouth with a tissue during a cough or sneeze. If you happen to become ill with flulike symptoms, your doctor can prescribe antiviral drugs to alleviate your flu. Antiviral drugs can make flu symptoms milder and shorten the length of illness.

Moreover, antivirals can prevent life-threatening flu-related complications. The CDC strongly recommends that high-risk individuals utilize antiviral drugs, for antivirals “can mean the difference between having a milder illness versus a very serious illness that could result in a hospital stay.” Lastly, antivirals work best when they are taken within two days of the onset of flu-like symptoms.

All things considered, there are still 11 to 13 weeks left in the flu season, and it is still unclear as to weather the first week of 2018 was this season’s peak. Even though the vaccine is not 100% effective, it still has the ability to heighten your immune system against the influenza viruses.

If infection occurs, the vaccine gives your immune system the ability to react more quickly to the virus. Thus, the vaccine may shorten your sickness. Above all else, the more people who are vaccinated, the less likely people who are especially susceptible to influenza will catch the virus.

Flu vaccines are far from perfect, yet they still provide ample benefits to you and your community.