Observer Issue 14 Fall 2022

Observer

Wrapping Paper

the

The Student Voice of Fordham Lincoln Center

McMahon RamFit Center Scheduled To Open Jan. 12

Pages 8-9

December 7, 2022 VOLUME XLII, ISSUE 14

see MCMAHON GYM page 5 ANDREW DRESSNER/THE OBSERVER

Construction is nearing completion for the new RamFit Center. The room pictured above will be dedicated to weight lifting equipment.

Students Dissatisfied With Course Offerings

By AKEILA CHAN Contributing Writer

ALICE MORENO/THE OBSERVER

Over 60 people attended the Garbage Gala dressed in cardboard, newspapers and plastic bags, among other materials.

A Gala of Garments and Garbage Fashion for Philanthropy (FFP) and the Environmental Club at Lincoln Center collaborated on Friday, Dec. 2, to put on the renowned Garbage Gala. First held in 2019, the annual gala focused on sustainability, with everyone encouraged to show up in outfits made out of recycled garbage.

The event was open to everyone and anyone who stumbled upon it. Over 60 people attended the creative event. The gala was held in the glass atrium for all to see and was decorated with silver balloons and snowflakes made out of newspaper. Along with the decorations, there were strobe lights of many colors to set the tone for

the night that was about to begin.

As I walked into the garbage soiree, I was greeted with a giant red carpet that led to a backdrop meant for students to take pictures to remember this sustainable event. Throughout the night the backdrop remained a popular installation.

Ernie Perez, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’24 and treasurer of FFP, said that prior to the event there was a lot of stress and that the e-board put in a lot of work cutting out the snowflakes.

He emphasized that the work paid off as they saw students dancing, eating food and having fun.

“The moment we switched the light switch on and saw all the snowflakes, we knew the work we put in was worth it,” Perez said.

NEWS PAGE 3

SPORTS & HEALTH PAGE 6

By ELENA KOSTAKIS Contributing Writer

Bypassing the Booster

Students report lack of enforcement of Fordham's vaccine policy

Tulane Takedown

Men’s basketball defeats Southern foes in close contest

Once the event began, the president of FFP, Meilin Morefield, Gabelli School of Business Lincoln Center (GSBLC) ’24, walked in with her own take on garbage couture. Her outfit consisted of a plain garbage bag and a colorful recycled belt that made the outfit entirely sustainable.

She shined a joyous smile as she saw the glass atrium covered in balloons and snowflakes. She immediately joined the crowd on the dance floor.

“We wanted to give students a chance to show off their own creativity and making their own outfit, while also promoting sustainability in a fun way,” Morefield said. see GARBAGE GALA page 15

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Swifties are only the latest victims of Ticketmaster’s unfair size

Following the registration period for the spring 2023 semester, which began on Oct. 31 and continued through Nov. 18, many students began to express disappointment and frustration with the course offerings at Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC).

Priority registration for undergraduate students is afforded to students pursuing bachelors of fine arts at the beginning of the registration period on Oct. 31. Starting Nov. 7, students who have 83 credits are allowed to register first, and the credit requirement to register decreases in increments through Nov. 18.

Undergraduate Fordham students have access to the list of classes offered through DegreeWorks and Banner and can see the specific sections offered prior to the commencement of the registration period. For recent registration periods, including this one, students reported feeling as though they did not have a wide variety of course options when creating their schedules.

Rynola Fraser, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’26, said that there were particular courses she was interested in when browsing the course catalog, but they were only offered at the Rose Hill campus. She noted that the lack of available courses was “very upsetting” and that she had difficulty securing the classes that she wanted because they were not available at FLC. “I’m very dissatisfied with the amount of courses offered as of right now,” she said.

Fraser added that as a commuter student, traveling to Ford-

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ham Rose Hill (FRH) for class would cause her to sacrifice time.

She explained that commuting is something she would be willing to consider but is unsure as to whether or not it would be worthwhile.

“In general, I just don’t think I can manage that,” she said.

“I would try to make that sacrifice for a class I’m interested in. However, it would be a very big sacrifice which I’m not sure I can handle.”

If a class fills up, students who register for it are put on a waitlist, which remains open until close to the beginning of the semester. For some, being waitlisted in multiple classes was indicative of the limited availability of courses.

Claire Hong, FCLC ’25, noted that of the six classes for which she registered, she was enrolled in four and waitlisted for two.

She expressed being discouraged by having to join the waitlist for the two classes to which she was most looking forward for the spring semester.

“If I chose to attend Lincoln Center, I feel like I should be able to take classes at Lincoln Center,” she said.

In addition to offering more courses, some students also believe it would be helpful to have more offered sections for courses. Kayla Joyner, FCLC ’23, said that she felt as though more sections per class were offered at FRH than at FLC. She noted that, in comparison to core requirement classes, there was a small pool of options for classes that contribute to the completion of major requirements. see COURSE OFFERINGS page 4

ARTS & CULTURE PAGE 14

Splinter Show

FLC’s musical theater club performs Stephen King’s “Carrie”

2

News

December 7, 2022

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THE OBSERVER

ABA Removes LSAT Requirement for Law Schools

Fordham School of Law’s Office of Admissions will assess whether or not to maintain the test requirement following the decision

By ALFRED GREIG Contributing Writer

The American Bar Association (ABA) voted to eliminate the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) as an admissions requirement for law schools across the country on Nov. 18. If the ABA’s House of Delegates approves this motion, law schools will be able to go test-optional as soon as fall 2025.

The recent decision comes after a longstanding debate on how the LSAT requirement affects the admittance of a diverse body of students into law schools and legal professions. Critics of the LSAT requirement claim that it serves as a barrier of entry for underprivileged students, while supporters of the exam argue that it acts as an equalizing factor for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds to distinguish themselves in law school admissions.

In a letter written to the ABA against the decision, deans of various law schools, such as Notre Dame, the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania, argued that removal of the test requirement would cause law school admissions to place a heavier emphasis on other factors, such as GPA and reputation of undergraduate institutions, that would be “infused with bias.”

Stephen Brown, assistant dean of enrollment at Fordham School of Law, said that, in addition to the LSAT, Fordham Law currently looks at a variety of factors in determining if an applicant will be admitted into its program, including a personal statement, undergraduate GPA, resume and work experience, school and community involvement, and letters of recommendation, among other criteria.

Brown highlighted the importance of looking beyond only LSAT scores and GPA.

“ That is why we ask for information that is more than just numbers — our students and alumni are more than just numbers. ”

Stephen Brown, assistant dean of enrollment at Fordham School of Law

“We look to academic success, engagement and leadership, curiosity, perseverance, experiences and many other factors,” Brown said. “That is why we ask for information that is more than just numbers - our students and alumni are more than just numbers.”

Following the ABA’s vote, Brown clarified that the Office of Admissions at Fordham Law will assess whether or not to maintain the test requirement. He explained that the postponement of the implementation for more than two admission cycles will allow the office to examine any changes they might make.

“We will be evaluating whether to retain an LSAT requirement and, if not, how we will set our application review to assure that we continue to admit students who will be successful and contribute to both the community at Fordham Law and the legal profession,” Brown said.

Patrick Cucurullo, Fordham School of Law ’23, took the LSAT

in the summer of 2019 and views the exam as an expected component of the admissions process.

“Like most law students, I hated taking the LSAT,” Cucurullo said. “I think it’s fair to say most of us view it as something we just had to endure, like one more hoop to jump through.”

As a first-generation college and law student in his family Cu-

“ If more LSAT prep

courses and other resources were more accessible, then perhaps the LSAT wouldn't be such an issue regarding the diversity gap in admissions. ”

Anette Salas, FCLC '26

curullo appreciated the opportunity the LSAT provided in testing his ability equally.

“I think I tend to be a little more willing to defend the LSAT than the average law student because I don’t come from a background that would give me any advantages going into law school,” he said.

Cucurullo expressed that he believes the test works as intended in accurately measuring what is required of students in law school. He also theorized that LSAT scores and GPA correlate as he scored around the median on the LSAT for his incoming class and now similarly ranks on GPA. Additionally, Cucurullo commented on the privatized nature of the LSAT ecosystem as being inequitable.

Cucurullo expressed that the elimination of the LSAT requirement is a positive, if not predictable, change, with law schools following the actions of undergraduate colleges.

“Undergraduate schools are already treating the SAT and ACT as optional, and the ‘big’ law schools have been ignoring the LSAT for a while now. I would favor a whole student approach to admissions, so deemphasizing the LSAT is a step in that direction,” he said. “I also think that during the review, schools have to seriously account for the uneven playing field among applicants.”

Pre-law undergraduate students at Fordham also weighed in with their opinions on the recent vote.

Kennedi Hutchins, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25, expressed her approval for the vote and stated that the LSAT acts as a roadblock to building diverse legal professions for several reasons, including the lack of access to costly tutors and platforms to prepare for the exam.

She explained that the LSAT is “one of the hardest standardized tests that require time, money, and dedication that some people might not have the privilege to give.”

Hutchins added that this test-optional change might have a side effect similar to that of when the SAT was waived for some undergraduate schools due to COVID-19.

“The number of applications would increase resulting in low-

er acceptance rates,” she said.

“This may have a positive effect on the legal field, but a negative effect on the applicant.”

Another student, Annette Salas, FCLC ’26, commented on the accessibility issues associated with the LSAT. She expressed that limited diversity in law schools and legal professions had less to do with the LSAT itself and more to do with the lack of resources given to minority undergraduate students.

“If more LSAT prep courses and other resources were more accessible, then perhaps the LSAT wouldn’t be such an issue regarding the diversity gap in admissions,” she said.

Salas also noted that she had mixed feelings about the vote and was unsure as to whether or not the elimination of the LSAT was a positive or negative change.

“Personally, I liked the idea of the LSAT because it didn’t put all this pressure only on your grades and resume,” she said. “However, I also see the perspective of taking away the LSAT so admissions can focus on other factors that may offer a more holistic perspective of a student’s qualifications.”

Yvette Panaiotov, FCLC ’24 and head of the Pre-Law Society at Fordham Lincoln Center, discussed the intricacies of the LSAT in comparison to other standardized tests, commending it as a valuable equalizing tool for assessing reasoning and thinking styles over memorization skills. She also expressed concern about law schools plac-

“ Despite its emphasis on overlooking education disparities, it struggles to account for differences in access. ”

Yvette Panaiotov, FCLC ’24 and head of the Pre-Law Society at Fordham Lincoln Center

ing too much emphasis on GPA as an alternative should the test be eliminated as a requirement.

“Despite its emphasis on overlooking education disparities, it struggles to account for differences in access,” Panaiotov said.

“As such, I feel that the LSAT would be most valuable as a supplement rather than a determinant in law school applications.”

Panaiotov finds that a more holistic review of applicants would benefit the admissions process.

In the past, the Pre-Law Society has dedicated most of their events to test prep for the LSAT. Panaiotov commented on how plans for the club will proceed following the vote.

“This decision will certainly create space for us to focus on more areas of law school applications,” she said. “However, we will continue to provide LSAT guidance and instruction for students who wish to supplement their law school applications with their LSAT scores, both before and after the implementation of this decision in 2025.”

Following the ABA council’s approval, the final decision regarding the removal of the LSAT requirement rests upon the judgement of the House of Delegates, which will be determined in February 2023.

The LSAT Through the Years Prior to 1901 Universities used their own distinct admissions tests or did not give their applicants admissions tests at all

1901 The College Entrance Examination Board was founded with the goal of creating a uniform entrance examination; essay style exam introduced

1948 The first LSAT was officially administered to students in February

1949 Addition of a data interpretation section

1961 Introduction of a writing test

1970 Over 107,500 test-takers

1975 Logical Reasoning section appears; exam is administered 133,300 times with an LSAC membership of 174 Law schools

1982 Analytical Reasoning section appears

1998-99 104,000 LSATs were taken

2009-10 All-time high of 171,000 tests administered

2015-16 Tests administered shrunk to 106,000

2017-18 Tests administered increased to 129,000

2019 LSAT becomes a digital exam

2020 March and April LSATs scratched due to COVID-19 pandemic

2022 ABA rules that law schools can go test-optional

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THE OBSERVER

December 7, 2022

News

3

Confusion Regarding University’s Enforcement of Bivalent Booster Mandate Remains As implementation of mandate rests on individual security guards, students are reporting mixed experiences with signing in guests without the booster dose on campus

By INSIYA GANDHI News Editor

Fordham mandated the bivalent booster on Sept. 26, requiring all students, staff, faculty and guests to have received the booster dose in order to gain access to the university’s campuses. Although the policy is outlined in the university’s COVID-19 guidelines, the enforcement of the bivalent booster mandate on outside guests visiting the university remains inconsistent as some students have reported their guest needing to show proof of vaccination while others were not checked for their vaccination status.

According to Robert Dineen, assistant vice president for Public Safety, all visitors for both the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses, including those attending campus events and sports games, are required to provide proof of vaccination status, including the bivalent booster dose, in order to be admitted onto campus. Only students, faculty and staff with university-approved religious or medical exemptions will be granted access to campus without the bivalent booster.

Although Dineen noted Public Safety officers at security desks should be checking the vaccination status of guests visiting the university prior to permitting them on campus for events and sports games, residents on campus have reported varied experiences with signing in guests following the universi-

ty-wide deadline to receive the bivalent booster on Nov. 1.

In line with university guidelines, some students have been unable to sign in nonuniversity guests who have not received the bivalent booster. Livia Sarnelli, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25 and a resident in McMahon Hall, shared that one of her friends who had yet to receive their bivalent booster was not allowed on campus when she attempted to sign two guests in on a Saturday afternoon. She said she thought that the university’s requirement that guests also be fully vaccinated was unsuccessfully explained to students.

“I felt like maybe it was embedded in some email somewhere, but I felt like it wasn’t effectively communicated,” she said.

Sarnelli noted that outside guests may be unlikely to already have their booster shot administered due to a lack of access or low incentive if their workplace or university hasn’t mandated it.

“If you’re not living on a college campus, there is not a super high incentive to get it right away,” she said.

Kaylin Barnes, FCLC ’24 and another resident in McMahon Hall, shared that when signing in guests, the security guard sometimes requested proof of vaccination. She noted that other times, the guests she signs in are not prompted to share their vaccination status.

“During the day, they always check,” she said. “But it’s just a

Earn your master’s degree with only one year of study beyond your bachelor’s degree.

matter of day or night and whether the guard on duty cares enough.”

MaryGrace Petti, FCLC ’23 and another McMahon Hall resident, shared that contrary to what she anticipated, her parents did not have to show proof of vaccination when she signed them in during Thanksgiving break.

“I expected that my parents would have to show a form of identification and proof of vaccination, but when I asked the security guard if I could sign my parents in, he just allowed them to come right up without presenting an ID or proof of vaccination status,” she said.

Petti noted that the ease with which she was able to sign in her parents without any pushback was surprising and, similarly to Barnes, believes that “it comes down to arbitrary sign-in requirements based on who is working at the security desk.”

Dineen shared that he was unaware of reports concerning the access of guests on campus without proof of vaccination and declined to comment on these student experiences since he had not heard of the specific details surrounding them. He said that he would like to find out more about each instance by speaking with students and potentially retraining the guards that are reported.

The bivalent booster has been the subject of significant debate from Fordham community members, spawning petitions both in opposition to and in support of the mandate, protests at the pres-

GABRIEL GARCIA/THE OBSERVER

Public Safety officers are instructed to check proof of vaccination for all visitors, but students have disclosed that this does not always happen.

idential inauguration, and a potential lawsuit from a Long Island law firm. The university, however, has maintained that the booster requirement remains effective in combating COVID-19 and preventing its spread, according to Bob Howe, assistant vice president for communications.

Dineen shared that although he is aware that some members of the university community are not pleased with the bivalent booster mandate, he has not received

complaints about it at the Lincoln Center campus. He noted that the university is still determining the compliance of its community members who have neither uploaded their up-to-date vaccination status nor requested a medical or religious exemption from the university.

“At this time the University is not restricting access or turning people away from campus,” he said.

Maryam Beshara contributed additional reporting to this story.

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December 7, 2022

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Constant Maintenance in McMahon Affects Residents

Students reported differing responses following the increased activation of fire alarms and hot water shut offs

By QUINCY REYES Asst. Copy Editor

Since the beginning of the fall semester, ongoing renovations for the new RamFit Center on the second floor of McMahon Hall have resulted in numerous fire alarms and announcements from the building’s fire safety director at varying hours. There has also been an uptick in calls for water shutoffs and the unavailability of hot water to residents which has resulted in reported frustrations.

Joseph Scaltro, director of engineering services and the main architect behind the new renovations, said that the construction crew for the McMahon gym has installed quiet hours until 9 a.m. and has planned its work to be cognizant in limiting the amount of noise created for residents living on the second floor of McMahon. He added that construction workers have scheduled louder forms of construction such as drilling holes in the wall to be completed the afternoon prior to installing wires to avoid quiet hours hindering their work.

“ I'm not exactly a

morning person so being woken up by beeping every few weeks has been pretty annoying as well. ”

Sharon Fitzpatrick, FCLC ’25

The construction for the new fitness center has touched every single system in the building, according to Scaltro. This has caused many fire alarms throughout the building, occuring at all times throughout the day. On Nov. 30, an early-morning alarm sounded to residents at approximately 8:20

a.m., which Scaltro explained was due to the construction work, causing dust to be blown into the smoke detectors.

Luke Schlag, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’24, said he was waking up when the 8:20 a.m. alarm was activated and began to sound.

“Having lived in McMahon for a year and a half, I’ve grown accustomed to its recurrent maintenance issues, but the initial shock of hearing the alarms is always the same,” he said. “You can practically feel the entire building jolt as one, everyone asking themselves something along the lines of, ‘What now?’”

Sharon Fitzpatrick, FCLC ’25, feels that the perpetual maintenance in McMahon is inconvenient and frustrating. She also noted that communication prior to the fire drills and water shutoffs were insufficient.

“It seems like they’ve been doing a lot more in terms of testing our fire alarms and general maintenance,” she said. “I’m not exactly a morning person so being woken up by beeping every few weeks has been pretty annoying as well — and then I can’t go back to sleep because the alarm continues for upwards of 20 minutes some days.”

Nandhana Nair, GSBLC ‘22, also found the water shutoffs inconvenient.

“While there isn’t a perfect time to do maintenance, as students with impromptu schedules, it can be difficult to work around maintenance, especially if the water happens to be turned off around the time you go to sleep,” she said.

Xavi Pinna, FCLC ’26, had the water in his suite interrupted but said that receiving notice from the Office of Residential Life (ResLife) helped his suite plan accordingly during the scheduled disruption.

On Nov. 1, ResLife sent an email to all McMahon residents outlining the maintenance scheduled in McMahon for the rest of No-

vember. It included a water shutdown on Nov. 4 from 12 a.m. to 3 a.m., fire alarm testing on Nov. 23 beginning at 9 a.m. with an undetermined end time and other repairs taking place from Nov. 7 through Nov. 18.

“We just had to plan ahead a bit, but for the most part, we were fine,” Pinna said.

Not all residents have expressed feeling inconvenienced with the scheduled water interruptions.

Braulio Mourao Pacheco, Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center ’24 and a resident assistant in McMahon Hall, noted that residents on his floor would ask him about the duration of the water interruption. He mentioned that his residents expressed that the suspensions did not interfere with their daily routines.

Robert Dineen, assistant vice president of Public Safety, said there have been five fire alarm activations in McMahon Hall since the start of the semester due to the construction work for the gym on the second floor.

“When new fire protection devices are installed at a construction site, and the construction work at the site continues, fire protection devices will activate from time to time,” he said.

Dineen added that the fire alarms could go off for different reasons, such as dust from work being performed activating a smoke detector or a worker inadvertently activating a device. He also mentioned that on Nov. 23, the Fire Department of New York was on site to test the new fire protection devices on the second floor. Residents were informed of the inspection in an email prior to the date of scheduled testing. The alarms in the building rang for one hour while the test was being conducted.

Although residents were told to expect the testing on Nov. 23, the alarm began ringing the day prior, at around 10 a.m. An an-

QUINCY REYES/THE OBSERVER

Maintenance in McMahon Hall has caused disturbances such as water shut offs and alarms.

nouncement was then made that testing was taking place, which ended up lasting for about four hours.

When a maintenance order such as the fire alarm detectors going off happens, facilities operations inform ResLife and Public Safety of the schedule of the work to be done. ResLife then notifies residents of the dates of the planned work.

Dineen noted that he has not fielded complaints from residents regarding early morning alarms and water shutoffs in letter-lined apartments, which are apartments that share the same water pipes because they are vertically stacked and are identified by the same letter. He stressed that emergencies make it

difficult for facilities and operations to alert ResLife in time to inform residents of required maintenance work as soon as possible.

“When facilities operations discover a need to perform emergency work, i.e. water leak requiring valve replacement that requires immediate repair, it does not allow for advance notice to the residents, though the facilities team working with the office of residential life will alert residents by email and the posting of signage throughout the building as soon as possible,” he said.

Renovations in McMahon are expected to continue over winter break and will conclude prior to the RamFit Center’s unveiling on Jan. 12.

Registrants Note Disparities in Classes Offered

The registration period for spring 2023 has caused some students to be disappointed with the amount of classes available at Fordham’s Lincoln Center Campus COURSE OFFERINGS from page 1

Joyner added that the limited number of course sections available also makes completing her required courses more difficult since she is a senior.

“I was shocked when I was planning my spring semester only to find that there were about a range of seven to nine courses offered at Lincoln Center for political science electives,” she said.

According to DegreeWorks, only 10 political science electives will be offered at Lincoln Center compared to the 25 that will be offered at Rose Hill, which can be attributed to the larger undergraduate population at Rose Hill in comparison to Lincoln Center.

The university’s academic advising system requires students to contact their advisers prior to their registration period so that their advising hold on their account is lifted. Undergraduate students are encouraged to communicate with their adviser on their planned course schedule for the following semester and ensure that they are able to attain the necessary courses needed to satisfy the requirement for graduation.

Maura Mast, dean of Fordham College at Rose Hill, explained the process of helping students navigate any difficulties they face with course offerings. She noted that her office reviews course enrollments after the registration

PHIL1000 PHIL1000 PHIL1000 PHIL1000 PHIL1000 GRAPHIC BY ALYSSA SHONK/THE OBSERVER

period closes to determine how to proceed with the demand, or lack thereof, for certain classes.

“If we see long waiting lists or high demand for certain courses, we may ask the department to open another section,” she said.

“On the other hand, if we see under enrolled courses, we may ask the department to cancel that section.”

According to Mast, these ac-

tions are undertaken to ensure class availability for all students.

She added that her office would communicate with the dean’s office at FCLC to guide students on the process of taking classes at the other campus “in some cases.”

Robert Moniot, associate dean of FCLC, echoed Mast’s explanation regarding how the number of courses is determined.

“After registration occurs, if we find that some core or major classes are entirely filled (meaning our projections underestimated demand), we may add one or more sections,” he said. “We also may cancel low-enrolled sections of core or major classes.”

Monoit, who oversees the offering of core courses for undergraduate students at FLC, clarified

the process that is implemented to determine what courses will be available each semester.

According to Moniot, statistics via a report from DegreeWorks are used to determine which courses students will need, and in communication with different academic departments, those courses will then be requested for the upcoming semester. He added that although he oversees the process, individual academic departments ultimately determine which classes will be available to students.

Moniot noted that each department considers what their students need and offers “suitable courses for them to progress toward completion of their majors.”

He specified that the process for determining the availability of language core classes is handled differently since incoming firstyear students take a survey which determines their placement as well as the amount of sections needed to satisfy the number of registered students.

The process for finalizing the courses that will be offered for the upcoming spring 2023 semester is still ongoing. For future semesters, students hope that the quantity of course offerings at FLC will increase.

“There are so many good classes, and it’s such a pain seeing ‘RH’ beside them when I really wanted to take them,” Fraser said.

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THE OBSERVER

December 7, 2022

News

5

Students Seek Alternative Fitness Facilities

After a one-year closure and multiple rounds of renovations, the gym’s unveiling elicits mixed reactions from students MCMAHON GYM from page 1

By DAEL KI Staff Writer

The RamFit Center, located on the second floor of McMahon Hall, is slated to reopen for use by all Fordham students on Jan. 12, according to Joseph Scaltro, director of engineering services. After a one-year closure due to COVID-19, the gym reopened on Sept. 13, 2021, and remained accessible until renovations began on May 19, 2022, the day after most residents moved out for the summer break.

Now, nine months later, the gym will once again be available for use, with expanded space and new equipment brought into the renovated facility.

The updated facility will feature three spaces added alongside the main fitness center which has been converted to a cardio room — two of the spaces being multipurpose studio rooms for dance and yoga which will have mirrors and television screens and one space being a designated room for weights.

According to Scaltro, the renovations also included the remodeling of the locker rooms and bathrooms, the installation of new flooring and upgraded air conditioning units throughout the facility, and an assortment of new equipment for the weight and cardio rooms.

In collaboration with the Offices of Residential Life (ResLife) and Student Affairs, Scaltro noted in order to accommodate for the additional rooms, a decision had to be made to remove Health Services and the testing center. Health Services and the testing center, which were previously located in McMahon 205 and 206, respectively, are currently operating in room G-16 of the 140 West Building and Lowenstein South Lounge respectively.

Although the facility was meant to be complete by Dec. 8, Scaltro noted that renovations will continue until Dec. 27 and will include remodeling the stairwell behind the mailroom that leads to McMahon Hall’s Outdoor Plaza entrance as well as construction work to renovate McMahon 109.

“Everything was beat up,” he said when speaking on the McMahon gym’s previous state.

Scaltro added that “construction was raging” after residents left the residence hall for the summer and that work on the facility began immediately to keep up with the pace of the McMahon RamFit’s scheduled reopening. He added that he was initially struggling to make the Jan. 12 reopening due to the amount of construction work that needed to be done but now the facility is back on track to reopen in the spring. ResLife and Student Affairs are currently in conversation with Scaltro about how the gym will be unveiled.

Some students have expressed their excitement regarding the unveiling of the upgraded RamFit Center, but they have also expressed their frustrations at the absence of a facility and the gym’s closure this semester, leading some to feel the need to purchase a gym membership.

Cesar Franco, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’26, shared that he is both enthusiastic about the RamFit Center and disappointed that the facility has been unavailable to members of the Fordham community for the entirety of the fall semester.

“I think that the gym’s proximity to everything on campus will make it much more convenient for me to go, and I wish it was open sooner than this spring,” he said.

“However, I am very excited to see

the renovations and look forward to using the new equipment.”

Similarly, Tommy Crnjac, Gabelli School of Business at Lincoln Center (GSBLC) ’25, said that the gym’s closure this semester created a few obstacles for him this year.

“I stopped working out as frequently as I used to,” he said.

Since there was no gym available on campus for Crnjac to utilize, he purchased a gym membership to exercise. Crnjac mentioned his frustration in having invested in a paid gym subscription since there was already a facility on campus that was supposed to have been available to him. Despite this dissatisfaction, he noted that he is excited about the renovations and hopes that they will improve gymgoers’ experiences.

“It is frustrating because I feel like I’m going the extra mile to use a facility that should already be accessible to me, especially on a college campus,” he said. “But I am glad that they are expanding and remodeling the gym; last year it felt really claustrophobic and the machines were just not the best, if I recall correctly.”

Yodahe Samson and Paula Preuss, both GSBLC ’25, also obtained gym memberships due to the gym’s closure and expressed similar frustrations to Crnjac.

“Even though the Fordham gym is going to open soon, I never see myself going,” Samson said. “I got a membership at Crunch; it’s not the best, but I had to.”

Samson noted that although the equipment at the Crunch gym is dated, he felt it was his only option since the McMahon gym was not available for community members to use. He added that because he had already purchased this membership, he feels that it is “pointless” to start using Fordham’s new facility even though he had used it frequently prior to its closure.

Preuss echoed similar sentiments to Samson and noted that she has already adjusted to the facility to which she bought a membership following the closure of the McMahon gym and feels that it would be hard to transition to a new facility so late in the year “I spend hundreds every month for a gym because it is worth the investment,” she said. “It is an expensive option, but I didn’t have any other choice really.”

On Nov. 9, Jenifer Campbell, dean of students at Lincoln Center, sent an email to students announcing that free Ram Van passes would be provided to students who wished to utilize the fitness facilities at the Rose Hill campus. Interested students are required to go to the Office of Student Involvement from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday or 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday to sign up for passes.

“We heard from students, and in response to student requests, we put it into existence,” she said.

Scaltro acknowledged students’ struggles throughout the gym’s closure while also emphasizing that the renovations were more than a “paint job.”

“We simply needed time,” Scaltro said. “To get it done and miss one semester was all we could do.”

He added that the scale of renovations lengthened the time frame of the remodeling but acknowledged students’ frustrations with the lack of access to a gym at their campus. Scaltro noted that it was unfortunate to see that students who loved utilizing the gym did not have one on campus but that the timeline from May 2022 to January 2023 was the best option.

“I can feel their pain; it’s hard when you lose something like that.

That would’ve killed me as a college student to not have gym,”

Scaltro said. “We were all aware of it; there was just no way to keep it open to do this renovation.”

Scaltro added that the payoff of the renovations and the physical labor that went into the construction work to remodel the facility would be worth the monthslong wait.

“I feel bad that students who love the gym very much didn’t have one, but the return on investment is all the amenities we have. There was no fluff time here,” Scaltro said.

Since the RamFit gym at Rose Hill has a larger space and more equipment, Scaltro noted that his team had to accommodate for the existing conditions in place, which entails constructing around columns and other supportive infrastructure.

“RamFit has a totally different set,” he said. “Here we are running

under different conditions.”

In regard to the budget for the gym, Scaltro emphasized that the university allocated sufficient funds to proceed with the planned renovations for the facility but that the university had limited decisions for capital improvements.

“The university did budget the amount of money I needed,” he said. “This project has been out there for a while, and we planned to do a budget which we had to go to the board of trustees for.”

In an email sent from the Office of Student Involvement on Dec. 6, an update about the operational hours of the RamFit Center was announced as well as a “soft launch” of the cardio and weight rooms, which will be available for use from Dec. 12 to Dec. 20, on Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to

10 p.m., and on the weekends from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. The complete fitness center will still be unveiled and “fully operational” beginning Jan. 12 and will be open from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the weekends.

Scaltro noted that even though the renovations and work to remodel the new McMahon RamFit Center took longer than anticipated to finish, he is excited for what is to come and to see students use the facilities which his team has worked on for nearly nine months.

“I’ve been here for 30 years.

I’ve done a lot of things here, and I enjoy them all because I get to see everyone use them,” he said. “It gives me so much joy, so much instant gratification, and makes it all worthwhile.”

DIAGRAM BY JACK L. GORDON ARCHITECTS; COURTESY OF JOSEPH SCALTRO

Health Services and the testing center, which were previously located on the second floor of McMahon, have been relocated to accommodate for a weight room, two studios and a meeting room.

ANDREW DRESSNER/THE OBSERVER

Construction on the RamFit Center is set to be completed by Dec. 27, with the cardio and weight rooms opening for use on Dec. 12.

RENDERING BY JACK L. GORDON ARCHITECTS; COURTESY OF JOE SCALTRO

The original McMahon gym has been converted to a cardio room outfitted with brand new equipment.

Sports & Health Editors Gabriella Bermudez Chris Murray December 7, 2022 THE OBSERVER

Men’s Basketball Takes Down Tulane 95-90

The Rams’ offense powers them to a seven-game win streak, their longest since the 1990-91 season

By CHARLES BINNS Asst. Sports and Health Editor

With a 7-1 record, the Fordham Rams headed to New Orleans on Dec. 3 to face the Tulane University (TU) Green Wave, a team with a perfect home record, in what would prove to be a both mental and physical battle. The Rams eventually triumphed, 95-90.

Fordham has been the surprise of the Atlantic 10 (A10) this season.

Under Head Coach Keith Urgo’s stewardship, the team has climbed to a level that few saw coming.

The veteran leadership of Darius Quisenberry, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) ’23, has also seen a rise with the graduate guard averaging 17.0 points per game along with 3.4 assists and 3.6 rebounds.

Tulane’s stars Kevin Cross, TU ’24, and Jaylen Forbes, TU ’24, prepared to stop Quisenberry’s elite play. The Rams’ first possession of the game started with a missed shot that was then recovered and put back by Khalid Moore, Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) ’23. Fordham’s big man, Abdou Tsimbila, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’24, followed Moore’s effort with a powerful post move to lay the ball in. Tulane failed to get going early in the game as they missed their first three attempts.

Kyle Rose, FCRH ’24, described as Fordham’s “heart and soul” by Urgo, began his contribution to the game with 18:12 left in the first half; when he sank a 3-point bucket so pure it barely touched the net.

Rose is vital to the Fordham roster on both ends of the floor. His 3-point shot is elite, but his defensive ability is his main attribute. Rose getting on the board early was key for the rest of the game.

Tulane started slow but not for a lack of effort. The Green Wave got on the board with a nice jumper in the paint from Cross.

The Tulane forward put in a lot of work this game, ending with a total of 25 points.

The Rams went on a sixminute scoring drought which gave Tulane the reins to control the game.

Tulane took advantage and went on an 11-0 run.

The next play, Charlton stole the ball and fired a pass into the paint.

The double team came over to accommodate for the mismatch, and the extra pass was made to Moore at the 3-point line. Although the attempt was missed, Urgo’s influence is clearly having an effect on the team. His intensity is not confined to the sidelines.

With nearly 15 minutes left in the first period, Cross drove with ferocity to the rim and converted the basket. The forward then came down the floor again, this time looking to put on a highlight dunk that was fouled by Rostyslav Novitskyi, FCRH ’23. Cross — shooting 85% from the charity stripe — easily converted his shots, leaving the score at 13-11.

Tulane started to ramp up their physicality. With 13:33 left in the first half, Tylan Pope, TU ’25, snatched an offensive rebound and wrestled the ball to the ground along with three Rams players.

With 12:43, Tulane played a good and strong defense on Tsimbila, who threw up a poor shot that

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CRAIG BOUDREAUX FOR FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Khalid Moore, GSAS ’23, lays the ball up through contact. Moore scored 23 points and brought down 10 rebounds.

clunked off the backboard. Tsimbila is a dominant defensive player for Urgo’s team but is not as gifted on the offensive end.

Jalen Cook, TU ’25, was then fouled by Quisenberry on a three point attempt. Quisenberry, seemingly unhappy with the decision, complained to the refs while Tulane tacked on three more points at the line. After another successful possession culminating in Collin Holloway, TU ’24, scoring in the paint the team from New Orleans was now winning 18-13.

The Rams went on a six-minute scoring drought which gave Tulane the reins to control the game.

Tulane took advantage and went on an 11-0 run, ended by a skillful bucket from Rose. From here the game turned into a back and forth.

The first half ended with the home team up, 45-37. Tulane was defending a perfect home record, and it seemed that the Green Wave was on course to be 5-0 at home. However, the Rams didn’t let up.

The key to success for the Rams entering the second half was threefold. Fordham could not let Tulane go on another big run; they had to use their size to get the rebound advantage; and they had to stick to their defensive game plan.

On the first possession by Fordham, Moore took it strong to his spot in the mid-range and swished a jumper. Cross returned with a soft jump hook that put the lead back to 8. Quisenberry, who ended the first with 15 points, hit a three to put his tally to 18.

In the next play, Forbes, who led Tulane to their previous win, turned the ball over, setting a negative tone for his squad’s second-half effort. Tsimbila intelligently drew the foul. Fordham’s score then sat at 44, to Tulane’s 47.

The Rams showed chemistry and collective effort, as on the next play Quisenberry came down the floor and threw a pin-perfect pass

to Charlton, who darted a ball to Tsimbila under the basket, ending in a powerful dunk. Moore capped off the sequence with another bucket. The Rams went on a 9-0 run in 72 seconds.

The bench rotation played an integral role in Fordham’s success.

Novitskyi, the Ukrainian center, was snatching rebounds and diving on the floor to retain possession. His play off the bench earned him nine rebounds and 14 points.

With only 5:21 left in the game, Moore ignited. He stepped through and put the Rams up 75-68. Novitskyi then drew a foul to convert one of two and followed that up with a contested layup. However, this skillful stint was overshadowed by an unstoppable posterizer that James delivered on the Ukrainian forward.

The game had all a college basketball fan could ask for: highlight dunks, scrappy defensive plays and clutch baskets.

The game’s intensity rose yet again after that. Tulane came down the floor and drew a foul that left Charlton on the floor. As the whistle blew, Cook went for a layup that Rose emphatically blocked. Although it didn’t count, Rose’s powerful play made a statement of its own. The two had to be separated, and Cook could be seen saying what appeared to be “you suck” to Fordham’s lethal guard.

Novitskyi wasn’t disheartened by the detonation James delivered upon him and provided a putback dunk of his own to put the Rams up 82-72 with 3:40 left in the game.

With around two minutes left, Will Richardson, FCRH ’26, was

able to come up huge with a defensive play, but Rose was unable to convert the following possession.

Tulane came back down the floor, and Cook hit a crowd-pleasing three to bring the Fordham lead down to four.

Quisenberry sped right back down the court and drew a hard foul.

He fell down but got right back up and went one-fortwo at the line.

Cross danced through the defense and put up a floater that swished through the net. He turned after the score and taunted the Rams with a clap of the hands. Cross’ team was only down 85-82 with 1:55 left.

On the next play, Moore found Quisenberry, who finished in traffic to give himself 23 points. On the other end, Cook drew a foul on a long-range attempt and went to the line converting three-for-three.

The Rams now led by only two points. Tulane had flipped a switch and hit five of their last six attempts. Moore responded and drove on Forbes, converting the jump hook. Quisenberry followed, putting his body on the line and

drew a charge to regain possession.

Rose turned the ball over on his next drive with less than a minute left. Down by four with 35.2 seconds left in the game, Tulane recovered possession. Cook patiently dribbled the ball up and shot a three, but Rose redeemed himself by soaring in for the block.

Following a foul, Tsimbila went to the line with the opportunity to make it a two-possession game. The Rams defense fell following Tsimbila’s successful free-throw attempts, allowing Cross to drive, dunk and draw a foul with 17.7 seconds left in the game. Cross converted the 3-point play and brought the game back to one possession.

As teams in desperation often do, Tulane intentionally fouled, transitioning the game into one decided at the free-throw line. Richardson found himself at the charity stripe with 7.4 seconds left and the Rams up by two. He had an opportunity to kill the game.

Showing composure, Richardson converted both. The game was done but not over. Moore was inexplicably fouled at the final buzzer.

He strolled to the free throw line and buried one final shot. Although the intensity escalated from start to finish, the Green Wave resigned as the final whistle blew and the Rams triumphed, 95-90.

The game featured multiple storylines. Quisenberry battled through an injury; Novitskyi played well despite being on the wrong end of a dunk; and Richardson proved his clutch gene at the late-game free throw line. It was not a clean victory by any means for Urgo’s team, yet they deployed the coach’s passion and competitive fervor. The value of the performance was proven in the stat sheet, with the Rams dominating the boards on the offensive end 15-9. Tulane was also formidable, a program on the rise that has struggled to achieve winning seasons in its own competitive conference.

The game had all a college basketball fan could ask for: highlight dunks, scrappy defensive plays and clutch baskets.

On Dec. 6, Fordham took on Wagner College in a close and contested matchup. The Rams pulled away in the final minutes to secure a 72-59 victory. This extends their historic win streak to eight, their longest since joining the A10 for the 199596 season.

Kyle Rose, FCRH ’24, climbs over a defender to score. Rose has been described as Fordham’s “heart and soul” by Head Coach Keith Urgo.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER

December 7, 2022

Sports & Health

7

Looking Back at Football’s 2022 Campaign

Rams capitalized with one of their strongest years in recent memory with star players set to graduate

By GABRIELLA BERMUDEZ Sports and Health Editor

The Fordham football team’s season ended in a dramatic fashion in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs, despite entering with a strong 9-2 record. Head Coach Joe Conlin turned his team into a powerhouse during the off-season. Graduating players such as Tim DeMorat and Fotis Kokosioulis, both Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’23; Ryan Greenhagen, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) ’23; and MJ Wright and Trey Sneed, both Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’23, commanded the Rams’ playstyle. The Fordham football team had a strong rotation of athletes on the field this year, leading to an overall successful season regardless the final outcome.

Fordham wielded unstoppable defenders such as Greenhagen and Conway, these two alone were not enough to hold back offensive torrents.

The Rams’ offense ran at peak efficiency, dominating opponents throughout the season. The team, on average, scored 50 points per game, ran the ball 183 yards, and had 419 passing yards.

This year, a true testament to Fordham’s offensive growth was their 52-49 win in a rematch against the Monmouth University (MU) Hawks. When the Rams faced the Hawks last season, they suffered an avoidable defeat, 2423. The 2022 contest showed remarkable poise on offense, but it also highlighted the failures on Fordham’s defensive end. Greenhagen and James Conway, FCRH ’25, combined for a total of 12 tackles, whereas Monmouth’s defense outperformed significantly. The Hawk’s defensive line members, Mike Reid and Thomas Joe-Kamara, both MU ’24, and Tyrese Wright, MU ’23, had nine, eight and six tackles, respectively.

The defensive strength of Monmouth was unable to contain the Fordham offense. DeMorat hit a new career high during the game, earning 452 passing yards and six touchdowns, while Kokosioulis broke a school record for 130 receiving yards with 15 receptions and two touchdowns.

The starters performed so well against Monmouth, that many rotation players saw the field. This included Dan Byrnes, FCRH ’23, and Julius Loughridge,

FCRH ’25, to score their first career touchdowns each.

The Fordham offensive line was often left to cover for the lacking defensive effort. On average, Fordham’s defense allowed opponents to score 34 points per game. Even though Fordham wielded unstoppable defenders such as Greenhagen and Conway, these two alone were not enough to hold back offensive torrents.

As Greenhagen graduates, Conway is set to follow in his footsteps.

This season, Conway concluded his efforts with appearances in all 10 games and 101 tackles in total, exceeding Greenhagen’s 94. No one else on the Fordham defensive line recorded more than 50 tackles.

Greenhagen and Conway carried themselves off the field well, as they were named Patriot League Football Scholar-Athletes of the Year, joining the Academic All-Patriot League Team.

Greenhagen is also a 2022 Campbell Trophy Finalist, the first in Fordham football history. The trophy is given to college football players with stellar habits off and on the field. Such as high academic scores and community service.

DeMorat closed out his career at Fordham by breaking several records, going down in Fordham history as one of the most high-achieving quarterbacks the team has ever had. He is rivaled only by John Skelton, GSBRH ’09, who went on to play professionally in the National Football League.

The 2022 season marked the third consecutive year that DeMorat was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and selected to First Team All-Patriot League. DeMorat and Kokosioulis were both named Stats Perform Walter Payton Award Finalists, and DeMorat was invited to the announcement of the 2022 award.

This award is given out to the Division 1 college offensive player of the year. DeMorat is one of three finalists for the award; the winner will be announced on Dec. 7.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Tim DeMorat, FCRH ’23, threw 4,891 yards this season for 56 touchdowns.

straight weeks in the 2022 season, DeMorat earned Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week.

Fordham’s strongest running back, Sneed, concluded his 2022 season with a career-high of 1,141 rushing yards. In the game against Colgate University, he totaled 230 rushing yards and ran in a touchdown. In total, Sneed scored seven touchdowns on the season.

The Rams never disappointed fans who attended their home games. Their two losses were far from Rose Hill, with the first against the Ohio University Bobcats. The Rams were only eight points away from winning outright, but the Bobcats were able to run out the clock after recovering a Fordham fumble. The game ended

with the Bobcats up, 59-52.

The second and final regular season loss for Fordham was against the College of the Holy Cross Crusaders. The game had enormous playoff implications, the winner being the indisputable leader of the Patriot League. This game extended into overtime, where the Crusaders had to make strategic decisions in order to put themselves ahead of the Rams.

Holy Cross went ahead in the final moments with a two-point conversion, 53-52.

The 9-2 regular season placed Fordham in the NCAA FCS Championship bracket for the first time since 2015. The Rams’ first and only match was against the University of New Hampshire Wild-

cats, where Fordham faced a heart-crushing defeat, 52-42. In similar fashion to previous games, the offense was left to make up for defensive letdowns. The Wildcats profited off Fordham’s predictably weak defense and put up their highest point total of the year.

Head Coach Joe Conlin had a rocky start to his Fordham career but has transformed the football team into a reputable program, turning high school graduates into star college football players. The successes from last season foreshadowed the historic 2022-23 season. With another season on the horizon, the departure of key players beckons the question: Are past squads’ shoes too big for a new herd of Rams to fill?

The Rams never disappointed fans who attended their home games Their two losses were far from Rose Hill.

DeMorat set the school single-season record with 4,561 passing yards and 56 passing touchdowns. This record is also a Patriot League record held by DeMorat. Additionally, he set a record for career passing touchdowns, with 123 across all four years of eligibility. For nine

2022 was a transformative season for the Rams. The Fordham Rams have not had a 9-3 season since 2015.

Trey Sneed, GSBRH ’23, recorded 1,141 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the season.

Ryan Greenhagen, GSAS ’23, is a William V. Campbell Trophy finalist.

Opinions Editors Ava Peabody Isabella Scipioni

Opinions

December 7, 2022 THE OBSERVER

I’ll Miss You, Twitter

Elon Musk’s recent acquisition of Twitter has ruined the app forever AVA PEABODY Opinions Editor

Twitter is dead. Sure, you can still visit the website, and the tweets still show up, but it’s not the same as it was before Elon Musk, and I don’t think it ever will be again.

Musk has already tangibly worsened the site since he bought it in October.

Many users have left. He unceremoniously fired over half of the staff, including much of the safety and content moderation teams, causing many other employees to quit in disgust. Previously banned users have been indiscriminately welcomed back, including Donald Trump. The stock value of the company has plummeted, and it’s quickly losing its credibility as a reliable platform. If there’s any technical issue with the site, there is no guarantee that there are any engineers left who know how to fix it.

Hate speech and misinformation have skyrocketed, advertisers have left, and user access to the platform is often restricted for the gentlest criticisms of Musk. Erratic changes to the verification system, including the ability to buy verification checkmarks and the fluctuating appearance of an “Official” banner on truly verified accounts, make for a confusing user experience. Even if the site doesn’t stop functioning, it might easily become just like 4chan — the alt-right extremist boards are already happy about Musk.

This week, journalist Matt Taibbi wrote a thread (at Musk’s behest) about Twitter’s handling of the Hunter Biden laptop scandal which gave a glimpse into the bleak future of Twitter: The thread is shoddily researched, hard to follow, doxxes a congressman, and is designed to cause problems where there are none. Musk is now using this project to justify “looking into” other elections that he alleges Twitter influenced toward the left, such as Brazil’s recent presidential election.

There are many things I’ll miss about Twitter if (when) it becomes unrecognizable. I’ve never had a truer sense of the enormity of the human experience than on this platform. So often these days I feel at a loss in response to the news, but finding advice and solidarity on this silly little website makes me feel better in the face of increasingly baffling events. It’s like “The Dangerous Book for Boys” on how to navigate the crushing onslaught of modern life.

I’ve complained extensively about Twitter, and it no doubt has problems: fostering conspiracy theories, producing inane discourse and being a time-suck, to name a few. But my criticisms of Twitter have come from a place of belief in the platform’s importance and its ability to be better. The notion that Twitter as we know it is over has led me to realize just how much of my conception of “the internet” was truly only Twitter.

Being on Twitter has affected the rest of my life. Its contribution to the discipline of meme formats has changed my sense of humor forever. I’ve found some of my favorite bands, writers and podcasts on the site, through both self-promotion and others gushing about their work. I’ve been able to tell the creators I love what their work means to me, and I’ve found like-minded people for any interest I’ve ever had. (There are few places in the world where I could immerse myself in an entire nation of people talking about My Chemical Romance at all hours of the day.)

Twitter is a public utility, and a lone billionaire on a power trip shouldn’t be able to take it away.

I credit Twitter as the catalyst for my political education, and it’s where I found I wanted to major in political science. I found (mostly) nuanced, thoughtful explanations from a variety of voices talking about minimum wage, police budgets and alt-right extremism, things in which I might never have taken interest otherwise. Twitter’s certainly not the only place with information, but it allows you to assemble specific people who come to you every day, place things in your lap, and say “I think this is cool.

What do you think?”

Where many other social media platforms throw content at me like uncooked spaghetti at a wall, Twitter lets me intentionally choose to start learning more about a person, event or broad topic.

It’s also a great starting point to find what issues in a field other people think are important. It saves me from sifting through tons of material about a subject that I may not have even known I was interested in on my own.

By giving me access to people with experiences far removed from my own life, Twitter has taught me not only how to care about people on an individual and community level, but also how to care about them in a way that actually helps. Obviously, people learned about the world before Twitter. But it scares me to think that I might never have known what I was missing.

During the pandemic, Twitter was a main source for reliable news about the virus, vaccinations and the government’s approach. I’m a little dismayed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s decision to abdicate their responsibility at a crucial moment by cowering to political pressure and relaxing nearly all guidelines despite continuing COVID-19 cases and deaths. So, I’ve turned to GRAPHIC BY CHLOE ZELCH/THE OBSERVER Twitter to learn

about risks and strategies from medical research and personal experiences. I remember learning about long COVID-19 nearly a year ago on Twitter, frightened about the implications of people unmasking without knowing all the risks and stunned when few people I brought it up to offline knew what I was talking about.

I also use the platform like a diary.

I’ve tweeted over 13,000 times since July 2015, usually about incredibly mundane things, to a small audience of about a dozen of my friends and around 50 bots. Mostly, I expect no reply. I recognize that I should just take up journaling, but journaling doesn’t come with the off chance that I might persuade John Green to read one of my articles.

As someone considering a journalism career, I’m daunted by the prospect of pitching to editors, finding opportunities and sharing work without Twitter. The media industry is not what it once was, and Twitter was beginning to feel like a last resort for employment. Not only that, I’ve been able to follow and talk to industry professionals who provide a window into their lives, which has helped me imagine how I might want mine to look. Now, I’m left with only my Squarespace website and a dream.

The brutal deterioration of the American media landscape has also meant that government officials have, in recent years, resorted to using Twitter as a mass communication platform. The loss of the platform as a reliable, well-regulated space for this communication will undoubtedly have significant political consequences.

Twitter has been one of the last social media platforms to still serve the same function and provide the same benefits as it did when I joined seven years ago. Over the past few years, it has been a refuge from TikTok, for which I somehow feel too old already.

Instagram becomes more dismal by the day, overtaken by attempts to clone TikTok. I love Tumblr, but there aren’t enough people to serve the same “town square” function as Twitter. Mastodon instills me with a profound sense of dread. For my purposes, Twitter was the best of what social media was ever going to have to offer.

One new promising social media platform is BeReal, but you’re never going to learn about urban destruction on BeReal. That’s not its purpose.

We can’t afford to lose this resource, particularly as the country hunkers down for a renewed onslaught of book-banning, “anti-woke” curriculum and fascism. Twitter is a public utility, and a lone billionaire on a power trip shouldn’t be able to take it away. The platform has kept people informed during crises like storms, wildfires and mass shootings. It has also inspired collective action and community organizing in a year with the most labor strikes in centuries. As so many organizers say, we keep each other safe, and within the increasingly fractured, individualized nature of American society, there are so few places left to do that anymore. People across the world gather on Twitter, hunched closely to their screens, connected by the bird app in a world alone.

Musk is not a genius, and he’s not going to usher in some enchanting new era of free speech to Twitter.

He’s just a poster — a selfish poster who needs so badly for everyone to laugh at his “I can haz cheeseburger”-adjacent memes that he’ll go into inconceivable debt to buy the entire platform.

I’ll stay until the bots and the Nazis take over. Where else would I go to watch the world burn? Of course, I might well be overreacting — I lived years without Twitter, and I can do so again. The world will still turn. But I’ll still remember what we had and what we lost.

Observer the

Editor-in-Chief Allie Stofer

Managing Editor Maddie Sandholm Online Editors Emily Ellis Kreena Vora Creative Director Alexa Stegmuller Advertising Coordinator Luis Castellanos Layout Editors Roxanne Cubero Tara Lentell Asst. Layout Editor Alyssa Shonk Photo Editors Alyssa Daughdrill Andrew Dressner Asst. Photo Editors Aurelien Clavaud Molly Higgins Head Copy Editors Ana Kevorkian Alyssa Macaluso Nora Reidy Asst. Copy Editor Quincy Reyes News Editors Maryam Beshara Insiya Gandhi Asst. News Editors Alexa Villatoro Megan Yerrabelli Sports & Health Editors Gabriella Bermudez Chris Murray Asst. Sports & Health Editors Charles Binn Aurelien Clavaud Opinions Editors Ava Peabody Isabella Scipioni Asst. Opinions Editors Jake Eraca Laura Oldfather Jessica Yu Arts & Culture Editors Isabella Gonzalez Olivia Stern Asst. Arts & Culture Editors Julia Jaramillo Aditi Praveen Kariyanahalli Avery Loftis Features Editors Matthias Lai Erika Tulfo Asst. Features Editors Lola Cravath Madeleine Signore Fun & Games Editor Irene Hao Social Media Editors Alexa Villatoro Eeshita Wade Asst. Social Media Editors Chelsea Casilla Shelby Williams Multimedia Editors Lauren Bocalan Alice Moreno Asst. Multimedia Editors Riley Kraus Maria Terzulli Podcast Hosts Shaily Jani Morgan Johnson Christian Madlansacay Podcast Producer Brianna Doucette IT Manager Zayda Bleecker-Adams Editorial Adviser Richard Rosen

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THE OBSERVER

December 7, 2022

Opinions

11

Out With the Old Officials

Electing younger representatives is the only way to make sure that Gen Z’s interests are taken into account AVERY GRAFELD Staff Writer

With a democracy that moves at a leisurely pace, it’s no surprise that most of the current leaders of our country emerged from a generation cautious of change.

Born between 1946 and 64 into the sweeping wave of McCarthyism, the baby boomers were indoctrinated with a sense of self-reliance that only increased with age. While their work ethic is inspiring, for younger generations eagerly waiting to take their place, it’s also selfish.

Many young people are concerned that older representatives cannot adequately advocate for their needs.

At 80 years old, U.S. President Joe Biden is the oldest person to ever serve in the role. Although many question the sharpness and rigor an 80-year-old man can muster, it’s often argued that wisdom comes with age, and that seems to be a necessary qualification to serve in office. Biden’s predecessor, former U.S. President Donald Trump, was the second oldest president at their inauguration at the age of 70, and ever

since, there has been a growing speculation that America is a gerontocracy.

The 2022 midterm elections saw high participation rates from Gen Z, with many voting in consideration of issues such as gun violence, climate change and reproductive rights. It seems like Gen Z is motivated by candidates tackling certain issues. Nearly one in eight voters in this midterm election were under 30, and more than half supported Democratic candidates.

Baby boomers make up 53% of the House and 68% of the Senate.

The median age of senators in the current session is 64.8 years old, a slight increase from the previous session which was 63.6 years old.

The age of our elected representatives is rising, and many young people are concerned that older representatives cannot adequately advocate for their needs. While age does not automatically determine a person’s political affiliation, younger people tend to be more liberal while older people are often more conservative.

One notable exception is the current Supreme Court, which is younger and more right-leaning than previous years. Although the Supreme Court is not as old on average as it has been in the past, the life terms served by justices allow them to stay on the bench for longer than they should.

When liberal justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was on the court, she chose not to step down under the Obama administration. She passed away at the end of the Trump administration, which led

to the appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Barrett eventually voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, which Ginsburg likely would not have supported.

Older representatives won’t live to see the outcome of the laws they pass, but younger generations will.

Ginsburg’s refusal to step down dented her pristine legacy, as many thought her choice was selfish.

However, it doesn’t invalidate the milestones she crossed while in office and exemplifies the work ethic her generation is renowned for demonstrating. Many older Americans grew up valuing themselves based on their work performance, and it’s impossible not to carry that mindset throughout life, which is why many of them postpone retirement as long as possible.

While the average age of our government is skewed high, change might be just on the horizon. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 82, recently announced her plan to step down from her position, ending her two-decade streak as one of the top Democrats in Congress. Eager to fill big shoes, Democrats put forward Reps. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Pete Aguilar of California to take her place, all three of whom range

GRAPHIC BY MARIA TERZULLI/THE OBSERVER

within the Gen X demographic.

Fresh, young faces will hopefully be better equipped to represent younger Americans.

Boomers were once considered radical youth who led the Civil Rights Movement and protested against the Vietnam War. They swarmed the stages of Woodstock and ditched class to see the Beatles. They were reckless, unyielding, and fought tooth and nail to protect democratic freedoms that were once at stake. So for a generation once revered as great, why are they now being ridiculed by younger generations?

Is it a rite of passage to have a rival between generations that occurs every other decade? Or could it be that boomers grew up with access to opportunities that are scarcely available now?

Back then, housing was cheaper, college was more affordable, and working hours were more flexible.

Boomers took advantage of those benefits, and now, many of them fail to realize how unattainable they’ve become.

The problem with boomers dominating public office is that many won’t live to see the outcome of the laws they pass, but younger generations will. So when they vote against things that young people demand, such as protecting reproductive rights, climate action and expanding civil rights, many are frustrated with their lack of representation in office.

Boomers serve with wisdom which has enabled them to make decisions based on past experiences. However, we’re living in a time period very different from the ones they’ve lived through.

We must support young people in their efforts to gain substantive representation so that our government actually answers to us.

With Enough Votes, You Too Can Do Insider Trading!

Members of Congress, despite conflicts of interest, are allowed to buy and sell stocks, profiting from their power JOHN SCHNEIDER Contributing Writer

Imagine that you are putting together a massive economic package as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Out of all of the money, $17 billion of it is going to a loan fund aimed at helping companies “critical to national security” such as Boeing (who just happened to donate $3,000 to your campaign).

Knowing where this money may go, you decide to purchase stock in Boeing. Now you know how bad that stock purchase looks (in fact, it is March 2020, and the stock market and economy are looking really grim for the average American), so let’s also imagine you decide not to disclose it (which, believe it or not, is illegal). If you happen to

be Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican, you do not need to imagine it because that is exactly what you did.

Congress tried to curb obviously corrupt situations such as this one in 2012 with the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act. The law bans stock trading with the use of non-public knowledge and requires the disclosure of members’ stock trades. Although well-intentioned, the law has been essentially laughed off, with several members of Congress missing disclosure deadlines and making trades with companies explicitly related to their committee assignments.

There are many problems with members of Congress trading stocks. First, it is simply unfair.

Members of Congress, due to either their committee assignments or the normal business of

Congress, have knowledge of legislation that will impact businesses and industries — information that the general public will not know until much later.

Take, for example, the infrastructure bill passed by Congress earlier in the year.

Members of the House Transportation Committee knew the specifics of the bill long before the public, therefore having knowledge of which sectors of the economy would benefit (if not the specific companies themselves) before the general public did. In July 2022, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, Paul Pelosi, sold thousands of shares of American multinational technology company Nvidia.

In August, the U.S. government limited the company’s ability to conduct foreign sales. Paul Pelosi’s advance sale saved him from huge financial losses.

GABRIEL GARCIA/THE OBSERVER

Members of Congress use their position to profit from stocks.

There is also the clear issue of good old-fashioned corruption.

If a member of Congress holds stock in a company, any reasonable person would assume that the investment would weigh on all related decisions they may make. Take Republican Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, for instance.

According to The New York Times, when he was the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee’s labor, health, and education subcommittee in 2019, Cole bought over $1,000 worth of stock in Becton, Dickinson and Company, a medical technology company.

Members of Congress “conveniently” benefiting from their investments makes the American public lose faith in the government as a whole.

The company later received a $24 million contract from the Department of Health and Human Services for COVID-19 testing.

This obviously would have been of great financial benefit to the congressman, and he was likely influenced by the information he had as the second most powerful member of the subcommittee.

Members of Congress often claim they do not directly control their portfolios and have brokers that do it for them. This defense has some truth to it, as it is often unclear who is actually making the trades. What is clear, however, is the appearance of impropriety which calls into question members’ decision-making process and shakes confidence in

the system as a whole. No matter who is doing the actual trading, members of Congress “conveniently” benefiting from their investments makes the American public lose faith in the government as a whole.

Some may also argue that restricting congressional stock trades will lead to only the very wealthy running for office, as more middle class members couldn’t afford to give up their stocks. However, the congressional salary is $174,000, compared to the median U.S. household income of $67,521. If elected, the high congressional salary ensures that members do not have to worry about having enough money to retire.

There are possible solutions on the horizon. Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia introduced the Ban Congressional Stock Trading Act in January 2022, which would require all members of Congress to divest from their stocks or place them into a blind trust. Any violator of this act would incur a fine equal to a month’s pay.

This would still allow members of Congress to invest in indexes and have retirement accounts.

They would still have money to use after their time in office, but it would be more difficult to trade using non-public information or make decisions swayed by the opportunity to make more money.

While this is a good start, the bill is still not enough. Even without the ability to buy or sell stocks while in office, owning stocks creates the incentive for members of Congress to make decisions in their own best interests over those of their constituents. In order to eliminate this form of corruption, there must be a complete ban on members of Congress (and their spouses) owning individual stocks.

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Taylor Swift Is Not at Fault for Ticketmaster’s Failures

Ticketmaster and Live Nation have a monopoly over the live event industry at the expense of artists and fans Ticketmaster at any point during the sale to participate if availability allows. Those who are denied cannot purchase tickets at all during the presale and must wait for the general sale. When the presale begins, those who received a code are put into a queue depending on when they entered the site.

For the Eras Tour, fans who had previously purchased tickets to Swift’s Lover Fest or merchandise from Swift’s store were given a boost which was meant to give them a better spot in the queue, but it’s unclear whether or not the boosts were really effective.

According to Ticketmaster, 3.5 million people registered for the TaylorSwiftTix Presale, and 1.5 million fans received presale codes. On the actual day, however, Ticketmaster received 3.5 billion total system requests on their website. This unprecedented site traffic for Ticketmaster includes fans attempting to purchase tickets, bots attacking the site and other resellers.

Despite Swift’s team confirming with Ticketmaster multiple times that they would be capable of managing the site’s traffic, the website crashed repeatedly. Fans

KATHERINE VARRELL Contributing Writer

The U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation into the owner of Ticketmaster after the great war for tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. During the sale, many fans had a treacherous experience when trying to purchase tickets via Ticketmaster for the artist’s next tour. Even after signing up for Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan list and receiving a presale code, getting tickets for one of the 52 stadium shows seemed nearly impossible.

Ticketmaster has touted its Verified Fan system as a way to get more tickets into the hands of fans at a reasonable price. The program allows some people to purchase tickets before the general sale. Fans are alerted as to whether or not they were selected to participate in the presale the night before it begins and are sent a link and code which become valid once the sale has begun.

Those who sign up can be invited to the sale, waitlisted or denied. If a fan is placed on the waitlist, they could be invited by

GRAPHIC BY ALEXA STEGMULLER/THE OBSERVER

were kicked out of the queue, given invalid code errors and prevented from purchasing once they had selected tickets. The process left most fans waiting hours just for the chance to buy tickets. The disastrous first day of the presale was followed by the Capital One Presale, which was meant to happen a few hours later but was postponed to the next day.

The Capital One Presale presented the same issues as the Verified Fan Presale. By the end of the second day, nearly every ticket was sold. On Nov. 17, Ticketmaster announced that the general public sale (for any fan who wanted to buy tickets but was unable to get them previously) had been canceled due to “insufficient remaining ticket inventory.”

As one of the 1.5 million fans who received a code, I was still unable to purchase tickets. After logging onto the site and entering the waiting room at 9:30 a.m. prepared for the 10 a.m. sale to begin, I proceeded to sit staring at my phone for nearly five hours.

By the time I was finally allowed to enter the site to purchase tickets for the shows at Gillette Stadium, nothing was left.

The next day, I attempted the Capital One Presale, but I was still unable to get tickets for any of the three shows at Gillette Stadium.

While I didn’t sit in a queue for five hours this time, I was met with error messages and still not allowed to continue to checkout once I had tickets selected.

Along with many other fans, I felt let down and frustrated by my experience from those two days and turned into a mad woman.

That frustration wasn’t with Swift but with Ticketmaster, which essentially told fans to just tolerate it.

Ticketmaster should have been able to handle the traffic on their site and been prepared for bots to attack. Bots are programmed to go onto ticketing sites, quickly purchase any tickets they can, then

resell them on third-party sites. On StubHub, tickets for the Eras Tour are currently going for upwards of $20,000.

Ticketmaster prioritizes profit over the fans. Even before the Swift ticketing fiasco, many concertgoers had noticed extremely high fees when purchasing tickets. A single ticket that might cost $100 would suddenly cost $120 when they reached the checkout phase.

U.S. President Joe Biden has promised to combat these “junk” fees along with similar fees from banks, flights and hotels. Only 12 days before the Swift Ticketmaster sale, he tweeted that the fees were “unfair, deceptive, and add up. That’s why, last week, I called on my Administration to crack down on these fees and put that money back in your pocket.”

The problem did not originate with the Swift Ticketmaster sale but has been an ongoing issue for many artists. In 2017, Ed Sheeran canceled over 10,000 tickets that were being resold and banned tickets from being resold above face value. Other artists have required attendees to show the credit card used to purchase tickets, attached names to the tickets, and even waited 24 hours before the show to send out tickets. Artists have had to take these measures into their own hands to stop scalpers because Ticketmaster has failed them, just as it did Swift.

Many fans are calling for Swift to begin again with the presale and cancel tickets being resold. While that may solve the problem for this tour, a more permanent solution is needed.

The system set in place for the Reputation Tour was nearly perfect. It set a reward system in place, giving fans points when they completed various defined tasks, such as using filters, posting to social media, purchasing the album or merchandise, and watching music videos. Those

who had the most points were placed higher in line on the day of the sale.

This system worked all too well. Bots and scalpers had a hard time getting their hands on tickets, which led to Ticketmaster effectively banning the practice, so it was not around for Lover Fest or the Eras Tour.

Ticketmaster is now being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice for violating antitrust laws. It and its parent company Live Nation have a monopoly on the music industry.

Without any competition, artists are forced to only use Ticketmaster, rather than a platform that best suits their needs. In addition, Live Nation also owns or has equity in many concert venues, forcing artists to use Ticketmaster when performing at a Live Nation venue.

In the ’90s, Pearl Jam took on this issue with Ticketmaster.

When they didn’t want their fans to be charged fees by Ticketmaster, they postponed their tour to find an alternative. However, they were unable to find venues that would support them as those venues had preexisting deals to only use Ticketmaster.

Pearl Jam and Ticketmaster were able to come to a compromise years later after placing more blockers to stop third-party resellers and ensuring that tickets would end up with fans.

While Pearl Jam was able to settle their issues with Ticketmaster, Swift hasn’t yet.

If there is anything we know about Swift, it’s that she is a mastermind. If you mess with her, she will come right back at you. She created her own management and is rerecording her discography. Who knows, maybe she will create her own ticketing platform. Ticketmaster better be prepared because if there’s one thing that Swift has taught us, it’s that karma is real.

The Human Cost of the World Cup

The 2022 Qatar World Cup has brought controversy, causing fans and teams to feel wary of the games VALERIA CARBALLO Contributing Writer

The most anticipated tournament in men’s soccer is upon us, but the joy of the World Cup has been stripped away due to abuse and neglect. The tournament which has often brought fans together all over the world has been stained with the failure to protect migrant workers and their rights.

Migrant workers are the heart of Qatar’s entire economy — they build, clean, serve and staff all of its industries. However, Qatar’s kafala system, which is a sponsorship program for migrant workers, permits those workers to be abused by their employers. Each worker is tied to their employer, who controls their freedom of movement through power over their salaries, passports, renewal of visas and labor. Migrants cannot renew permits or visas without permission from their sponsor.

If workers break the rules, they may face terrible consequences: For example, a Ugandan security guard took a couple of days off to get his COVID-19 vaccine and then noticed a reduction in pay with no explanation.

Migrant workers have also experienced wage theft from employers. It is important to note that a lot of these migrant workers have actually put themselves in debt in

order to work in Qatar under the promise that they would have a comfortable salary. However, they do not see their work paying off and end up digging themselves deeper into debt.

The abuse of power from employers has led workers to put themselves in dangerous situations, such as extreme heat.

Qatar reaches temperatures as high as 118 degrees Fahrenheit.

Workers do not drink water during their 12-hour shifts in the sun in order to avoid bathroom breaks. Imagine working in the blazing heat with little pay, little to no bathroom breaks and only five-minute standing lunches.

No one should have to work in conditions like these. However, South Asian and African migrant workers did so in order to construct Qatar’s high-tech stadiums and lavish hotels.

Qatar built seven new stadiums in order to accommodate the 1.3 million visitors expected to attend the World Cup, but they originally planned to build eight.

The country invested approximately $6.5 billion into these new stadiums. This does not include the hotels, fan camps and vehicle infrastructure needed to run the World Cup smoothly.

The construction of these stadiums has been going on since the announcement in 2010 that Qatar would be hosting this year’s games. Migrant workers have suffered under

these dangerous, negligent working conditions for 10 years, which led to many injuries and even deaths. The exact number of migrant worker deaths is unclear due to a lack of transparency from the Qatar government. However, it is estimated that thousands have died due to negligent work conditions.

The continued pressure from various human rights organizations and the International Labour Organization pushed Qatar to commit to aligning themselves with international labor standards.

In 2020, Qatar implemented a minimum wage for their workers as well as the right to terminate their employment contract.

However, the loss of freedom of movement, wage theft and death toll make these reforms feel almost meaningless and far too late. More needs to be done in order to fully repair the damage.

Denmark’s effort to stand in solidarity with migrant workers was shut down by FIFA. The national soccer team of Denmark wanted their training jerseys to say “Human rights for all,” but FIFA said it was “too political.”

Soccer fans in Germany have utilized German soccer stadiums as a way to display their disapproval of World Cup 2022 and its practices. Fans have unveiled banners that say, “Boycott Qatar” and have also been calling FIFA a “mafia.” The biggest concern for fans is the loss of morals among

soccer enthusiasts as they turn a blind eye to human rights injustices occurring in Qatar.

Major cities in Europe have also suspended fan zones in order to bring more light to the human rights abuses in Qatar and their disagreement with this treatment. In France, the defending world champion, major cities will not be hosting fan zones to watch the games.

The boycotts and criticism from western countries have been followed with accusations of hypocrisy. Europe and the United States have histories of infringing on the human rights of many minority groups. For example, France’s very own Paris Saint Germain soccer team is owned by a Qatari com-

pany. It starts to feel performative when countries judge others when they have yet to work on injustices in their own countries. The West is not innocent either.

However, there is nothing political about human rights. Everyone is entitled to human rights because they are universal. Teams have spoken against Qatar’s practices, but as soon as FIFA threatens to suspend them, they back off immediately. I understand that this tournament only comes around every four years — and for many, it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to host, participate in or view it — but how will things change for the better if teams do not commit to the values for which they swear to stand?

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Arts & Culture Editors Isabella Gonzalez Olivia Stern

Arts & Culture

December 7, 2022 THE OBSERVER

Skip the Swiping, Download Sparkmate: A Student’s Contribution to Reinventing Communication

Sidharth Sood paves the way for authentic online communication through the launch of his new app, Sparkmate

By GABRIELLA GUTIERREZ Contributing Writer

According to tech entrepreneur, TEDx speaker and computer science major Sidharth Sood, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’25, artificial intelligence (AI) will soon influence everything around us, including the places we visit, the interests we share and, especially, the people we meet. With this mindset, Sood is turning to advanced AI in January 2023, when his upcoming dating app, Sparkmate, is set to launch.

Introducing Sparkmate, the Future of Online Dating According to Sood, Sparkmate will play an integral role in restoring authentic human connection in an online format, as the use of technology’s AI will pair individuals with similar interests through candid video conversations.

The app will use a questionnaire, where similar responses will allow people sharing related likes and dislikes to connect.

If two people match, they unlock the opportunity for a brief video conversation.

“ The more of a digital

footprint you and I leave, the more metadata there is for social programs to train artificial intelligence algorithms to learn more and more about each other. ”

Sidharth Sood, FCLC ‘25 and Sparkmate creator

Sood’s vision for Sparkmate began during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was at home with little social contact outside of with the people he knew.

While Sood wanted to venture into the online world to meet new people at this time, he felt

there were very few opportunities for people to connect easily with one another. He used online platforms such as Reddit, Twitter and Instagram to meet new people but had no luck.

This helped to inspire his vision of creating Sparkmate.

Say Goodbye to Swipes Unlike other social platforms such as Tinder, Bumble or Hinge, Sparkmate isn’t designed to rely on the swiping of other profiles where little information about the other person is given. Sparkmate will also not make people reach out to their matches to begin awkward and meaningless conversations.

“ You can tell he is very

passionate about the things he works on, and he definitely works hard.

You can always tell that he is quick to pick up on things, so I admire him for that. ”

Miranda Saenz de Vitari, FCLC ’25

“Social networking platforms rely on a whole network of users building profiles and having to do heavy-lifting ourselves in terms of finding people,” Sood said.

Sood added that he feels that Sparkmate’s unique use of AI will transform the way individuals interact — by asking for more information, better consideration can be given to pairing people together at the right time.

“The more of a digital footprint you and I leave, the more metadata there is for social programs to train artificial intelligence algorithms to learn more and more about each other,” he said.

With the launch of Sparkmate in January, Sood aspires to scale the app into a larger platform, not only for dating purposes, but for forging platonic and profes-

sional relationships as well.

Sood believes that his vision of growing Sparkmate into a larger social platform will allow the app to cater to bigger audiences.

“We do not want to limit the application of it to just relationships because I think there is a need to professionally network with people in meeting face to face online,” he said. “If you see a connection, you really get to talk to them, which is not something you can do on LinkedIn.” The Sparkmate Team Ironically, Sood met Sparkmate’s Chief Technological Officer, Roshun Sunder, via LinkedIn. Sunder, a second-year computer science and economics student at Columbia University, has had previous experience with technology startups involving app development. Sunder is primarily responsible for the technological aspect of the app and holds a great set of technical skills.

The dynamic between Sood and Sunder is nothing short of inspiring; they are two ambitious students seeking to make a change in the way that people rely on technology to build relationships.

“We are very understanding of each other because we are of the same age demographics, so there is no mismatch there and that is something I really value,” Sood said.

They also work alongside Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Colton Noll, who has over ten years of experience in operational business. As CFO of Sparkmate, Noll is responsible for the company’s financial aspects concerning business models, marketing strategies, funding and other related activities.

A Light in and out of the Business Miranda Saenz de Vitari, FCLC ’25 and a close friend of Sood, recalled one of her earliest memories of him and the impactful impression he gave in their science class. As part of a science project, Sood presented his startup, Curiosity, and his vision to make inhabiting

Sparkmate, a new startup designed to change the model of traditional dating apps, will utilize recent AI technology to help people create meaningful relationships.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SIDHARTH SOOD

Sidharth Sood, FCLC ‘25, is reinventing communication technology with his new dating app, Sparkmate.

Mars a reality. His devotion to and execution of the classroom project was enough to convince his peers, including Saenz de Vitari, of his unbridled passion for sparking large-scale change.

“ Technology presents

us with ways not only to tackle societal issues but to do it at a scale where we can eradicate these issues rather than throwing on a Band-Aid. ”

Sidharth Sood, FCLC ‘25 and Sparkmate creator

“You can tell he is very passionate about the things he works on, and he definitely works hard,” Saenz de Vitari said. “You can always tell that he is quick to pick up on things, so I admire him for that.”

Saenz de Vitari added that Sood is someone that all people can look up to, not just young entrepreneurs. He is someone invested in his work, making a greater change in society, and reaching new means of success.

Sood has also utilized the university’s resources, such as the Fordham Foundry and its alumni network, in order to reach where he is today.

“It is easier to network with someone when you share a preexisting connection, and going to Fordham is a big one,” Sood said.

Within Fordham, Sood can be seen all around campus, taking advantage of its public spaces.

While balancing his academics with his budding career brings its share of challenges, Sood finds the ability to stay on top of

everything by being organized and planning ahead.

Organization is the key to Sood’s success, and he described himself as a frequent user of Notion, a note-taking platform used to optimize an individual’s productivity and efficiency, with Saenz de Vitari going as far as to call the app his “baby.”

Sood believes that his vision for the future of online dating will fill voids left behind by many dating platforms. He added that his use of AI and ties to the Fordham community will allow many to connect with new people in ways they would not have previously had the chance to.

“Download Sparkmate if you are interested in authentic communication and you prioritize efficiency. If you are not afraid to talk to new people or even if you are and want to build that as a skill, download it,” he said.

Sood is passionate about implementing technical solutions in today’s society and believes technology will eliminate differences affecting human interaction and mental well-being.

“Technology presents us with ways not only to tackle societal issues, but to do it at a scale where we can eradicate these issues rather than throwing on a Band-Aid,” Sood said.

He is set to deliver a TEDx speech titled “Unanswered” on technology solving present issues in society at Rutgers University next year. He will discuss his philosophy on the reinvention of a utopian society revolving around technology and startup thinking. It will not be Sood’s first time as a TEDx speaker, as he recorded a speech in July 2020 called “Charli D’Amelio and a New Generation of Tech-Savvy Entrepreneurs,” in which he spoke about the vast importance of technology and passion being key to increasing income in a budding business.

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Splinter Group Presents ‘Carrie’

The group performed a theatrical take on Stephen King’s bloody high school horror story

By MOLLY HIGGINS Asst. Photo Editor

Splinter Group, Fordham Lincoln Center’s musical theater club, wrapped up the semester with a chilling portrayal of “Carrie.” Adapted from the Stephen King novel of the same name, the musical tells the story of Carrie White, a mild-mannered teenage girl who is relentlessly bullied by her classmates and her aggressively religious mother.

Eventually, Carrie realizes that she has telekinetic powers and unleashes her revenge at her senior prom after her classmates douse her in pig’s blood (or in this production, red streamers) as a humiliating prank. “Carrie” was directed by Savannah Miscik, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’23 and produced

by Asa Nestlehutt and musically directed by Nate Dallimore, both FCLC ’24. Paige Finley, FCLC ’25, choreographed the show.

PHOTOS BY MOLLY HIGGINS/THE OBSERVER

Student Sue Snell (Natalia Liccese, FCLC ’23) is interrogated about her relationship with Carrie.

After Carrie (Caroline Tanzer, FCLC ’24) is crowned prom queen, Billy (Gus Kellerman, FCLC ’23) dumps a bucket of pig’s blood on her in a humiliating prank.

Chris Hargensen (Arielle Schmid, FCLC ’25) and Billy Nolan (Augustus Kellerman, FCLC ’23), Carrie’s two main tormentors, share their perspectives in “The World According to Chris.”

The ensemble of “Carrie” performs the show’s opening number, “In.”

Students express their excitement for the senior prom in the song “A Night We’ll Never Forget.”

Margaret (Ivy Austin, FCLC ’23), Carrie’s mother, comforts her in the prom’s aftermath.

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December 7, 2022

15

Students Celebrate Fashion and Sustainability

Fashion for Philanthropy and the Environmental Club came together to cohost a night of creativity GARBAGE GALA from page 1

Perez emphasized the important role that Morefield played in the creation of the event, saying that she is a “great leader and without her, none of it would have been possible.”

I walked around the glass atrium that was completely covered with snowflakes and witnessed a tube top covered in receipts.

This caught the eyes of many guests because of the creativity behind it. The tube top in question was created and worn by Annie O’Malley, GSBLC ’24, the vice president of FFP. “I was kind of struggling with what to wear. And I asked my mom for advice, and she had a whole bag of old receipts from last year’s Christmas,” O’Malley said. “So I took those back with me to school, and I took an old tube top that I had shoved away because I wanted to get rid of it.”

After dancing for a while to early-2000s hits, the Environmental Club president, Kenneth Tang, GSBLC ’24, walked in amazed at the level of sustainability and partying within the atrium. He joined the dancing and took videos of the event for the social media page for the Environmental Club.

“We wanted to find a way to upcycle old clothing and throw a dance that can be a formal gala off of it with food and a photo backdrop,” Tang said. “This is a collab between Environmental Club and FFP because it relates to both of our clubs’ missions.”

As the night went on, the gala grew, and many took to the dance floor.

As I mingled around the gala, I witnessed a very creative and sustainable clothing piece. I moved closer and realized it was a corset made out of recycled packaging and yarn. The cherry on top was the heart shaped sticker in the middle of the corset. The brains behind the corset was none other than Marie Atendido, FCLC ’24 and vice president of the Environmental Club.

“I just took a package that I got from the mail — like Amazon or something — and this is the inside of it, and I kind of just cut it into a rectangle, put holes in it and put a piece of yarn in

Annie O’Malley, GSBLC ’24 and vice president of FFP, created her tube top made from her mother’s old receipts.

the back. And then I put a little sticker, a little heart on it,” Atendido said.

Atendido emphasized that she thought both clubs did a wonderful job with the event and was very happy with the turnout. She added that she was very happy with how people followed the dress code.

“I loved what everyone did to diy something for the gala,” Atendido said. “All our members are so creative.”

An hour into the gala, seniors from the senior toast noticed the lights and began flocking to the gala to partake in the festivities.

As the night went on, the gala grew, and many took to the dance floor. Several students started mosh pits and encouraged more students to join. Seniors began to conduct photoshoots with the backdrop to commemorate the night.

The night ended with hits from Miley Cyrus and many took the silver balloons–meant as decoration–home with them. This gala is not the only event that FFP has in store. There are more events to come for Fordham Lincoln Center students, such as a drag ball for next semester.

PHOTOS BY ALICE MORENO/THE OBSERVER

Marie Atendido, FCLC ’24 and vice president of Environmental Club, took some mail packaging and yarn to craft a corset, topped with a heart-shaped sticker in the middle.

Attendees were asked to put together outfits made of recyclable materials for the event.

Snowflakes made out of newspapers decorated the glass atrium with silver balloons filling the room.

Fun & Games Editor Irene Hao

un & ames

December 7, 2022 THE OBSERVER

Crossword: Your Turn to Move

BY IRENE HAO AND KREENA VORA

Across 1. Sharma, Indian actress featured in Commando 3 5. A librarian would say, “I don’t want to hear a ___drop” 8. Chávez, former Venezuelan president

12. Beloved, in Italian 13. Hallucinogenic drug (Abbr.)

14. Main Islamic religious text 14. American transmission and auto repair franchise (Abbr.)

16. Hard time (2 wds) 18. Birthplace of Miles Morales* 20. Light material, according to medieval science; protagonist of

Genshin Impact 21. Decorative Japanese plant 22. Swift’s “I ___ You Were Trouble” 23. Could be a Tuesday or Thursday evening (3 wds)* 29. Undergraduate legal degree (Abbr.)

32. Remains or lingers 33. Noble heir 34. Broadcasts 36. Word ender for professions in psychology or zoology 38. Long ago or former 39. Hurts or wounds 41. Sarcastic response to something not funny (2 wds) 43. ___ Misérables 44. The latest found on CBS, Fox, ABC and more* 47. Ditches or grooves on highways 48. What you say when you agree to do something (3 wds) 52. Windsor is a famous one* 55. Creating or generating* 57. The king has nowhere to run* 59. “___ ___ the republic for which it stands” 60. He ___ ___ fast as his legs could carry him 61. The Little Engine That Could: “I think I ___” 62. Modernizations or refurbishments, for short

63. Burn 64. Comparative endings in grammar 65. Tie*

Down 1. Grape herbal liquor; “bitter” in Italian 2. Stefan’s brother 3. I won, but ___ what ___?

Was it worth it?

4. Cigarettes, or water pipes 5. ___Station 5 6. Newspaper, journal and magazine identification numbers 7. Method to evaluate and collect data on a material or system (Abbr.)

8. What you might do to a friend you really love (2 wds) 9. Exclamation of frustration 10. Strong wind 11. A remarked person, one-ofa-kind per se 12. Rhyme pattern in Twinkle Twinkle Little Star 14. Birthplace of Peter Parker* 17. What tier lists do 19. What one might say to a cheater: “Why did you ___ ___ me?” (2 wds) 22. “Decisive battle” in Japanese; a video game series

24. Caravans 25. Gazing 26. Alicia Keys: “This ___ is on fire” 27. Put out a fire 28. Gunpowder explosives 29. Like a ___ to the slaughter 30. ___, ___, pants on fire 31. Soft cheese that pairs well with fruit 35. AI Automobile?

37. Greek roots for “God” 40. Scurried into hiding 42. Clumsy and uncoordinated 45. Article or object 46. “Hate the sin, love the ___” 49. Twilight Princess in the Legend of Zelda 50. Alongside or accompanying (2 wds) 51. Non-profits independent of government support (Abbr.)

52. Senior citizen resident building (Abbr.)

53. Expression of laughter, often in taunts (2 wds) 54. Sena 56. Not pencils 58. Highest card

BY IRENE HAO

Table Manners Table manners are an important thing to learn, especially for family dinners. I found them difficult to learn, but for this year,

Sudoku

they are super important. I didn’t know this until ________ number

hours ago, but my __________ invited _______ over for family member

Instructions: Each row, column and 3×3 box must contain the numbers 1-9 exactly once.

person

dinner, which is fine, but what they didn’t tell me was that

1

this person was a super _______, super _______ _________, adjective

adjective

job

and I want to _______ them. I do not want them to see my verb

bad table manners. So, I spent __________ afternoon in day of the week

_______ researching basic table manners from the internet place

and asking _______ for advice, and here’s what I learned:

7 5

7 9

6 5

8

4

person

1. _______ chew with __________ open and wipe it adverb

body part

afterwards with ___________ plural noun

2. We should _______ keep ___________ on the table body part

adverb

3. It is rude to ask for __________ plural noun

4. How much _______ they have and how long they noun

will _______ are the first questions you should ask: verb

they are great conversation starters

I am ready for this dinner!

4

1 7 6 3 4 3 5 2 9 9 4 1

5 9 4

5 8 6 3 2 6 9 2 5 7 1 3