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By SOPHIE PARTRIDGE-HICKS News Editor
Hundreds of people gathered on the morning of Saturday, Jan. 18, despite freezing temperatures for the city’s annual Women’s March. Demonstrators gathered at Columbus Circle, minutes away from Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC), and downtown at Foley Square in a massive show of support for women’s rights. On West 72nd Street, Women’s March Alliance (WMA) protesters began gathering as early as 10 a.m., bundled in layers to brave the cold donning pink pussy cat hats and posters with feminist quotes. As the march began, demonstrators chanted “No justice, no peace!” while marching toward the Trump Hotel down Central Park South. Many Fordham students were alongside the hundreds of demonstrators. “I went because I wanted to be a part of this great group of strong and powerful women who are not in anyway afraid of fighting for their rights,” said Maya Nayman, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’23, who joined the rally in Columbus Circle. The 2020 WMA march theme was “Rise and Roar,” as Co-Chairwoman Arzu Brown explained, “We have to roar, have to be heard, and it resounds to make sure it makes an impact.” see MARCH page 5
January 22, 2020 VOLUME XL, ISSUE 1
Women’s March 2020
Fordham Takes Action With New Dean for Student Support
COURTESY OF TRACYANN WILLIAMS
Williams will be the first dean for student support on LC’s campus. By KATRINA LAMBERT Asst. News Editor
The Assistant Dean’s Office at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) — currently composed of four deans for each class and transfer students — will introduce a new position to the team: the Assistant Dean for Student Support and Success. Laura Aurrichio, dean of FCLC, announced in an email sent to Fordham faculty on Jan. 17 that the newly created position at Lincoln Center will be filled by Tracyann Williams, Ph.D. Williams will officially start on Feb. 5, according to Aurrichio. Williams is coming to FCLC from The New School in Lower Manhattan, where she currently serves as the Director of Academic Affairs in the Bachelor’s Program for Adults and Transfer Students. The New School is also Aurrichio’s former place of work before she was appointed to replace the Rev. Robert R. Grimes, S.J., in April 2019. Aurrichio made it known that she and Williams crossed paths at The New School; Williams reported to her for three years during their time together. However, she told the search committee for the new position, “Although I knew her and liked her, I don’t want that in any way, shape or form to influence their decision making.” Aurrichio said she was very
See pages 10-11 for more photos JOE KOTTKE/THE OBSERVER
Demonstrators storm New York City’s streets demanding women’s rights and protesting injustices.
FCLC Students Premiere Digital Comedy Show ‘A Sip With Vodka’
Revisiting Fordham True Crime Cases By EMMA SEIWELL Asst. Features Editor
In the palmy days of one’s college years, it’s easy to overlook the lingering threat of campus violence and crime. Often preoccupied with the day-to-day academic demands and social occupations, comfortable in the secluded community that university life cultivates, students can lose sight of the fact that their campuses are very much a part of the real world. The following two criminal cases involve members of Fordham’s past student populations, but the specific circumstances stand at opposite ends of the spectrum. Considering the relatively small size of the Fordham student body, it is shocking that such newsworthy events involved Fordham students. In February 1997, Fordham Patrick McNeill, Fordham College at Rose Hill ’98, went missing after a night out with friends at a popular Upper East Side college bar called the Dapper Dog. Around midnight, when McNeill decided he was going to head back to Fordham’s Rose Hill campus close to midnight, a female friend of his see CRIME page 18
see page 6
COURTESY OF MICHAEL KUSHNER
Tai Leclaire, Sarah Rachel Lazarus and Andy Vega (left to right) star in the series about a wannabe American housewife. By GILLIAN RUSSO Arts & Culture Editor
“There will be a moment when you are asked to let loose,” says Natasha, the lead character of “A Sip With Vodka” (“ASWV”). “You. Are. Ready.” Perhaps the production team thought something similar last weekend as they unleashed the new comedy show, in all its campy, quirky, Russian-American glory, upon the digital world. On Jan. 18, “ASWV’s” pilot
episode debuted at an intimate premiere party at The Artist Coop, ahead of its public YouTube launch on Jan. 20. The approximately 70 guests laughed and chatted over pierogis, cupcakes and, of course, some sips of vodka, keeping with the show’s Eastern European influence. “ASWV” follows Natasha, a Russian woman, as she moves to America with dreams of becoming a real housewife. The concept is the marriage of diverse influences in the life of Sarah Rachel
see DEAN page 4
Lazarus, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’19. She herself is the great-granddaughter of Russian immigrants, and her grandmother often told her stories of the country. Lazarus, the creator, producer, co-writer and star of “ASWV,” began developing Natasha’s character as an amateur video project in high school. “I am Russian housewife and I am going to meet Andy Cohen,” she said in a Russian accent, reenacting the video. She jokingly called Natasha her “other per-
sonality,” inspired not only by her heritage, but also her lifelong fascination with reality TV. “It’s trash in a fabulous way, which I love. Anna Nicole Smith was my life,” Lazarus recalled. “It’s such an interesting form of entertainment, reality TV, because it’s not real, but it’s an interpretation in a different world. I don’t know how to describe it. But I’ve always loved the housewives.” see VODKA page 15
Opinions
Arts & Culture
Sports & Health
Features
A dying major receives a lively defense
FCLC junior to debut original play in The Bowery Page 13
Should you be counting calories at the club?
Clubs and advisors help students prepare for their futures Page 18
Justice for Classics Majors Page 9
Student-Produced Theater
What’s in a Drink? Page 19
The Student Voice of Fordham Lincoln Center
Demystifying Pre-Law