Observer Issue 2 Fall 2026

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Alumni Anthony Carter and Denzel Washington Come Back Home By MACKENZIE COOPER News Editor

Anthony “Doc” Carter, Fordham College at Rose Hill ’76, returned to Fordham University on Sept. 10, joined by longtime friend and fellow alumnus Denzel Washington, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’77, in Pope Auditorium for a conversation about Carter’s debut memoir “This I Know: Principles for a Life of Faith and Optimism,” which features an introduction written by Washington. The evening began with a blessing from George Drance, S.J, Artist-in-Residence at FCLC, who welcomed Washington and Carter back to campus. “We ask God of love and life, we thank you for gathering us together this evening to open our hearts to the wisdom that you have given these two friends,” Drance said. University President Tania Tetlow moderated the event, taking the two men back to where their friendship began: Fordham. Both Carter and Washington arrived at the university

September 23, 2026

The Student Voice of Fordham Lincoln Center

VOLUME XLVII, ISSUE 2

The US Open Has Become Too Open By MACKENZIE COOPER & ROOP SOMAL News Editor & Layout Editor

COURTESY OF TAYLOR HA/FORDHAM NOW

University President Tania Tetlow moderated Anthony P. Carter and Denzel Washington’s panel.

as first-years in 1972, where they first crossed paths in a biology lab. “So Doc, you both came here to Fordham as freshmen in 1972. How did you meet?” Tetlow asked.

Carter said he could not think of the exact moment when he and Washington first met, but recalled that they quickly connected as they both initially planned to pursue medicine.

Carter gained the nickname Doc after trying and failing to dissect a fruit fly in a biology lab. Their paths eventually diverged. see FORDHAM ALUMNI page 5

When one walked into the 2026 U.S. Open Tennis Championship on Sept. 2, the first thing they may have noticed was not tennis. It was the audience. Walking around the grounds of the U.S. Open, one could not help but note the long lines for the signature Honey Deuce drink, the countless shoppers going in and out of Polo Ralph Lauren and Lululemon, and almost no one actually heading into Arthur Ashe Stadium or Louis Armstrong Stadium. Despite being several minutes into Frances Tiafoe and Rei Sakamoto’s match at the Louis Armstrong Stadium, much of the audience in attendance had given greater attention to eating, drinking and buying. see US OPEN page 7

The Women Modernism Forgot By MICHELLE WILSON News Editor

ALEENA SIDDIQUI/THE OBSERVER

Fordham students had the opportunity to meet with professionals from cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data science and software development.

Inaugural AI, Tech and Data Career Fair By ALEENA SIDDIQUI Asst. News Editor

Fordham University’s Career Center hosted its first AI, Tech and Data Career Fair on Sept. 17, bringing students and employers together at Fordham Lincoln Center as artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape the job market. The fair, held from 12 to 2:30 p.m. in Pope Auditorium, gave students the opportunity to speak directly with recruiters from organizations hiring for positions in cybersecurity, data science, software development and AI. For students like Barry Mamello, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’29, a computer science student transitioning toward finance and financial technology, the fair was an opportunity to find companies where he could combine his two interests. NEWS PAGE 2

Compassion in Action

IIHA hosts guest speaker series, beginning with Lily Esposito

“I was looking for companies that could help me apply fintech (financial technology) within a technology space,” Mamello said. Mamello said he believes a career fair focused specifically on AI and technology should have been offered sooner, pointing to the number of students pursuing technology-related fields. Mamello said he believes a career fair focused specifically on AI and technology should have been offered sooner, pointing to the number of students pursuing technology-related fields. Soley Compauri, FCLC ’27, a computer science major with a minor in cybersecurity, said holding the fair during the fall recruiting season made sense because students are beginning to apply for jobs and summer internships. see CAREER FAIR page 4

SPORTS & HEALTH PAGE 6

Women Rising

The strengths and struggles of women's athletics in a new age

The hour-long event was divided into three segments: a reading by Fernald, an interview portion moderated by English Professor Sarah Zimmerman and a question-and-answer portion with the audience. “Her Own Voice” is a clear departure from the bulk of Fernald’s scholarship, which is generally focused on Woolf. But it still began with Woolf. In a separate interview with The Observer, Fernald said her friend once told her that Woolf “sucks the air out of the room, and once you start working on Virginia Woolf, she’s such an interesting woman that everyone pays attention to her and only her.” Fernald wanted to turn this phenomenon on its head. She is a long-time admirer of Gloria Steinem’s practice of always bringing someone with her when she delivered a keynote. “So I’m like, ‘What if Woolf could bring people with her? And

so, instead of having her suck the air out of the room, what if she’s inviting other people in?’” Fernald said. Fernald’s idea for the book solidified, in part, when a librarian friend of hers asked her to give a lecture on English novelist Sylvia Townsend Warner so that more people would come to know her writing. Warner was in her 30s and in a disfunctional relationship with a married man when she fell in love with a woman, joined the communist party and moved to Spain, a radical move for a woman in the 1920s. After learning this in her research, Fernald began looking for other women who made radical decisions to change the shape of their lives, gradually curating the list through her courses on modernist women. She took note of the particularly striking or memorable figures she encountered while teaching.

OPINIONS PAGE 11

ARTS & CULTURE PAGE 13

Anne Fernald’s “Her Own Voice: Eight Women Who Rewrote Life and Art” explores the oft-unsung histories of radical women. Through a collection of short biographies, the book spotlights women who dared to forge bold ways of living for themselves and chart new paths in art altogether. Each played a major role in shaping the modernist movement as we recognize it today, and each did so despite the systemic oppression they faced. Fernald is a professor of English and women, gender and sexuality studies at Fordham. She is an internationally renowned scholar of feminist modernism and early 20th century literature. She has authored numerous academic articles and a 2006 book, “Virginia Woolf: Feminism and the Reader.” She is also the editor of the Cambridge University Press edition see BOOK LAUNCH page 14 of Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway” (2014), the Norton Critical Edition of “Mrs. Dalloway” (2021) and the Oxford University Press’s “Handbook of Virginia Woolf” (2021). Her new book, published by Beacon Press, is divided into four segments: “Wanderers,” “Rebels,” “Explorers” and “Mentors.” It launched on Sept. 9 in a room packed with Fordham community members and friends from all parts of Fernald’s life on the 12th floor of the Leon Lowenstein Center. “It’s kind of incredible to see Seattle, Jersey City, my Woolf life, my academic administration LAINEY COLLIER/THE OBSERVER life (and) my Fordham life, first among all, represented in this Members of the Fordham community and people from every stage of Fernald’s life attended the book launch. room,” Fernald said. CENTERFOLD PAGE 8-9

Never Forget

Fordham commemorates victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks

Commuters Shunned

Fordham’s dorm guest policy fails to prioritise students’ safety

#Adulting

Hulu’s hit show uses humor to ease Gen Z's adulthood anxieties

2

News

September 23, 2026 THE OBSERVER

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Conversations With Humanitarians Begin

The IIHA started its humanitarian speaker series with UNRWA’s Lily Esposito on her work in Palestine By LEEYA AZEMOUN Editor-in-Chief

Every year, Fordham’s Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs (IIHA) hosts its Conversations With Humanitarians series. Four members of the United Nations (UN), international nonprofits or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are invited to speak every first Wednesday of the first full week of the month. This year, the program was kicked off by a speaker who does not consider herself a humanitarian. Lily Esposito is one of only four staff members of New York’s office for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (shortened to “UNRWA”). The UN program was founded in 1949 after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War resulted in the expulsion of over 700,000 Palestinians from their homes — a phenomenon now referred to as the “Nakba,” or “catastrophe” in Arabic, by Palestinians. UNRWA is “not supposed to be a humanitarian organization, it’s supposed to be human development,” Esposito said. It focuses on structural aid over just direct relief efforts in the form of education, health services, social services and cash, which can have more lasting effects than food and water deliveries alone. UNRWA was invented so that it would no longer be needed. The initial plan was for it to only be used for several months to a few years. Unfortunately, conflicts have continued to erupt in the region over the last 77 years, and since Oct. 7, 2023, the need for their services has been especially great. Esposito serves as one of the team’s two administrative assistants who coordinate operations on the ground and work with diplomats to appeal for funding. She reserves the “humanitarian” designation for her Palestinian colleagues who are in the field, coordinating with NGOs and administering human development services themselves. “We here in New York are basically just the voice or the representatives of my colleagues who are doing the work on the ground,” Esposito said. “So I don’t think I qualify myself as a humanitarian, but I will defend my humanitarian colleagues in the field and I try to represent them (to) the best of my ability here.” Esposito emphasized the crucial nature of her colleagues’ work, especially after UNRWA was banned from territories occupied by Israel. This means that only members native to Palestine — which Esposito said make up “99.9%” of her colleagues — can administer development services in the region. She recognized the privileged place that she is speaking from as someone who is so far removed from the conflict, and credits her motivation to her colleagues who work in the face of danger. “Each time I talk to them, they are the ones who are motivating me to continue,” Esposito said.“You cannot quit, you cannot stop when they’re continuing on a daily basis and they’re asking us to continue.” Her colleagues in Palestine grew up attending UNRWA schools themselves and are now giving back to their community through the very same channels. To Esposito, this is proof of the program’s “concrete” nature. A major part of Esposito’s professional journey was the search for work with a practical, observable impact. Alongside her drive to speak for those without a voice came the question: “Am I doing enough?” Her journey

was shaped by her endeavor for the “concrete” and still drives her now. After completing her master’s degrees in management from Emlyon Business School and in international relations at Sciences Po Lyon, Esposito started her career as an intern at the UN. She first worked on refugee and asylum issues in Europe at the UN Refugee Agency before shifting to gender equality work with the International Gender Champions around the time of the MeToo movement. Esposito began to feel that her work, which was heavy on policy reports and communications, was “a bit disconnected from reality.” She felt she could contribute more meaningfully on the ground in her home country of France and started working as an asylum officer, conducting interviews for asylum seekers and deciding their initial status. She found meaning in hearing refugees’ stories firsthand and decided to prioritize the human element over logistics. Esposito later joined UNRWA in Palestine doing advocacy and fundraising work with European member states, and “the genocide started the year after.” Soon after, UNRWA was banned from Israeli-occupied territories, forcing Esposito to relocate to New York City.

Esposito addressed the concerns over whether government agencies are effective for mitigating crises, or if government advocacy or private sector work are more effective alternatives. Ruth Mukwana, a Helen Hamlyn senior fellow and director of graduate studies of the IIHA, started Conversations With Humanitarians at the start of her fellowship. Prior to coming to Fordham, Mukwana worked with the UN in Europe, Africa, North America and Asia from 2015 to 2023, primarily under their Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. She felt it was crucial to implement the lecture series so that aspiring humanitarians at Fordham have a chance to hear about the journeys of those already involved and understand the impact they can have beyond a classroom context. When Esposito was contacted by Mukwana to be a guest speaker, she accepted because she relates to that feeling. “The only thing I remember from my studies is talking to actual professionals rather than just teachers,” Esposito said. “I had one person who came to my university talking about her career in the UN or (some) international organizations, and I was really inspired by her journey.” The subject matter of the most recent talk is especially relevant now. The UN — and UNRWA in particular — has taken up increasingly more space in the public eye. Esposito addressed the concerns over whether government agencies are effective for mitigating crises, or if government advocacy or private sector work are more effective alternatives. Esposito acknowledged that the UN, having been founded just after World War II, is informed by the political moment of its creation and thus may not perfectly reflect modern needs.

PHOTOS BY LEEYA AZEMOUN/THE OBSERVER

Esposito discussed the intersectionality of global crises, the difficulties of border politics and the viciousness of scrutiny in the news cycle.

The crowd in attendance consisted of myriad undergraduate and post-graduate students.

“Everyone in the UN at the moment is having doubts of what the UN is really standing for,” Esposito said. “We wonder if the institutions are still fit for the purpose.” In addition to the controversies surrounding the UN, the UNRWA has had to deal with some of its own.

“ Someone asked,

‘What can you do that’s impactful?’ For me, I would always say, ‘Vote responsibly.’”

Ruth Mukwana, Helen Hamlyn senior fellow

In January 2024, Israel accused UNRWA staff of involvement with the Oct. 7 attacks. Nineteen people were alleged to have been implicated. Of these, 10 were cleared of any wrongdoing, and nine “may have been involved” and were fired, according to an internal investigation conducted by the UN. An independent review by the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) released in April 2024 did not find substantive evidence supporting Israel’s allegations. The OIOS later published a statement on Aug. 5, 2024, following the investigation affirming that nine of the 19 accused may have been involved and were terminated from the agency. Although the allegations remain largely unsubstantiated, it resulted in major financial and reputational fallout. Sixteen large donors quickly suspended

their support. Most have since reinstated their funding, but some remain obstinate. As a result, Esposito’s job includes justifying and defending UNRWA in light of the allegations, and she felt an obligation to clear things up at the event. “A lot of things are being said on UNRWA in the news, and and I’d rather have people asking me all the questions and me trying to answer to them to the best of my ability rather than people making their assumptions and conclusions about this wonderful organization just based on disinformation and misinformation,” Esposito said. Due to the prolonged nature of the conflict, coverage of Gaza has diminished, leading some to believe that conditions have improved or that it is time to move on to some other topic. However, Esposito said the situation is actually “slightly worse” than it was when the conflict began. Some attendees said they have also observed a dropoff in attention toward Palestine. “I think we sometimes get used to it and see it on the news (and think), ‘Oh yeah, that’s been like that for three years.’ … (Esposito’s talk) was very important to remind us of what is really going on … it’s pretty motivating,” Clemence Mondou, Fordham Law School (LAW) ’27, said. Hannah Endale, LAW ’27, helped to aid refugees from Sudan and South Sudan while studying in Ethiopia, which got her interested not just in the legal side of humanitarian action, but the on-the-ground, project management side of things. Endale “was always curious (about) the level of influence of advocacy from the

top-level approach,” and she found Esposito “insightful” in her understanding of future contributions she can make in the field. “The thing that I liked with this conference (was that) it was with someone from the UN. … It’s very, very rare to have something like this because we often have the governmental point of view,” Narimen Lahmidi, LAW ’27, said. The event concluded with a call to action from Mukwana. She recognized the importance of consistently standing up for those who are suffering. “Someone asked, ‘What can you do that’s impactful?’ For me, I would always say, ‘Vote responsibly,’” Mukwana said. “Presidents, foreign ministers, politicians making decisions — who puts all of these people in power? Voters. So if you think about the things, the issues you care for, think about the people who actually stand for those issues and maybe vote for those people and help them to get elected.” Esposito affirmed that young people have the power to influence their futures. “I’m myself re-energized by the interest from young students who want to make a difference in the world and who want to be part of those human rights and humanitarian battles that we need,” Esposito said. The next Conversations With Humanitarians lecture will be held on Oct. 7. Eileen McCarthy, the UN representative of the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere International, will discuss “advancing Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) within the UN system.” The talk will take place from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in room 206 of the Leon Lowenstein Center.

THE OBSERVER September 23, 2026

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News

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Ethical Discussions Abound Over Legalization of Medical Aid in Dying Fordham community members break down the law and the ethics underpinning it

By MICHELLE WILSON News Editor

The New York State Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) Act went into effect on Aug. 5, after it was signed into law under Public Health Law Article 28-F by Governor Kathy Hochul in February. The act legalizes the prescription of a lethal dose of medication by a New York physician to terminally ill adults with decision-making capacity and a life expectancy of six months or less. Patients must be New York state residents and self-administer the medication (via pill or injection, such as into a feeding tube). This ensures that “the final act is a voluntary and deliberate choice,” according to the New York State Department of Health website. Unlike some other end-of-life medical decisions — such as the withdrawal of life support — the request for medical aid in dying must be made by the patient themselves, not a surrogate or power of attorney. The law is the product of around a decade of medical, legislative and ethical discussion; the first iteration of the bill was introduced to the New York State Legislature in 2016. A lot of the ethical contention regarding the law revolves around the same notions of moral obligation, dignity and autonomy, but with differing definitions of what those terms constitute and how they should be put into practice. New York is the 13th state to legalize medical aid in dying. Oregon was the first, having legalized MAID in 1994 (though it was not implemented until 1997).

Patients must be informed of their other palliative care and hospice options. Certain safeguards were added to the New York law in response to concerns raised during the legislative process. Patients must be informed of their other palliative care and hospice options. There is a five-day waiting period between when a patient is prescribed the medication to when they receive it. This gives patients time to change their minds; exceptions can be made if the patient is likely to pass away within that period. There is also an in-person consultation requirement, unless doing so would cause “extraordinary hardship” to the patient. A consulting physician must give a second opinion confirming the attending physician’s findings. A mental health evaluation is also required. To obtain medical aid in dying, patients must make an oral and a written request to their attending physician. The oral request must be recorded by audio or video and stored in the patient’s medical record. The written request must be signed in the presence of two witnesses who can testify that the patient meets all the necessary criteria and is acting voluntarily, without coercion. The witnesses cannot be relatives, partners/ spouses, powers of attorney, or have other legal and/or financial interests in the patient. These provisions aim to reduce the risk that individuals would try to influence terminally ill patients’ end-of-life decisions. There have thus far been no

72%

of New York state citizens support medical aid in dying

65%

61%

76%

88%

Catholic

Protestant

Other

None

Poll conducted by YouGov

The pictured poll was conducted by YouGov, a market research and data analytics company.

reports of such coercion in other states that allow MAID. However, structural coercion — social, economic and political inequities that pressure people into making certain decisions — is not addressed by the law. Populations vulnerable to structural coercion include, for example, those suffering from mental illness, in nursing homes, in carceral settings and held in detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. All of these can influence how and when someone believes their life is meaningful or worth living. Various ethical arguments about MAID cite this as a central concern. Advocates for MAID were adamant that it be a universal right, while others believe this may have led to regulations that do not sufficiently account for structural coercion. Dr. Mary Beth Quaranta Morrisey is a healthcare attorney, researcher and three-time Fordham alum. She is also a past Fellow of Fordham’s Global Healthcare Innovation Management Center and former adjunct faculty for the Graduate Schools of Social Work and Business. She said she believes structural coercion is a bigger issue than one-onone coercion. Morrisey served as Chair of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) Medical Aid in Dying Task Force from 2023-24. The group conducted a year-long, evidence-based process reviewing the “legal, ethical, health and public health, and broader policy considerations concerning medical aid in dying,” according to their final report. The task force met for months, speaking to palliative care physicians, other experts and hearing testimony from families. Ultimately, they recommended that the NYSBA support the bill and gave additional comments and recommendations. Morrisey specified that she did not go into the process with any pre-set opinion. Hearing family testimonies had a significant impact on the task force’s deliberations. “There were many parents who had lost young people,” Morrisey said. “The stories were just so powerful that I think that was a turning point in our deliberations, that there really was a need for something beyond what palliative care can provide for those who simply are living through this unbearable suffering.” Suffering that cannot be relieved is central to MAID, for Morrisey, and “so much of our work is about ethics and what is

our ethical obligation to others.” She described the law’s current regulations as “parsimonious.” Morrisey particularly emphasized the importance of fixing the problems in the healthcare system and investing in palliative care. On Aug. 3, the NYSBA submitted a comment letter to the New York Department of Health (drawing from the above report) that proposes certain additional regulations: specific MAID training for physicians, strengthening hospice and palliative care systems, and creating a narrow ethics review process for necessary cases.

Notions of autonomy and human dignity — what constitutes it and when it is compromised — are central to legal, medical, ethical and Catholic perspectives on medical aid in dying. Regarding structural coercion, the letter recommends additional oversight for the aforementioned vulnerable populations. Oversight would look like providing advance notice to the Prisoners’ Legal Services of New York (in the case of incarcerated patients), so that the institution can determine if the patients’ rights to information, representation, disability accommodations and freedom from coercion are being respected. Laura Specker Sullivan, a Fordham philosophy professor specializing in clinical ethics, brought up “relational autonomy” with respect to structural coercion. Relational autonomy is the idea that personal freedom and decision-making is shaped by people’s upbringing, social positions and relationships. It challenges notions of autonomy as individual, rational and objective. Feminist theorists and disability advocates have put forth structural concerns about MAID stemming from this idea, Sullivan explained. Some feminists argue that women may be more likely to request medical aid in dying so as not to be a burden on their families or society due to gendered social conditioning. Some disability activists argue that people experience intractable suffering due to failures in the healthcare system, influencing their decisions to request MAID.

COURTESY OF YOUGOV

On the other hand, though, ardent proponents of autonomy have argued that even the existing regulations stand in the way of people’s autonomy. Beyond ideological controversy, MAID has come up against several lawsuits. In June, a group of disability rights groups filed a lawsuit attempting to block its implementation. A federal judge dismissed the suit in late July. A group of Catholic nuns and healthcare ministries also sued New York in late July on religious freedom grounds. They were unsuccessful in blocking the law from going into effect, but did secure a temporary restraining order on Aug. 3 exempting them from participating in the implementation of MAID in any way. Private hospitals, health care providers and individual doctors have the right to refuse to participate in MAID for moral or religious reasons; public hospitals cannot formally adopt a policy prohibiting MAID. Health facilities that prohibit MAID are required to refer patients requesting it to participating institutions. Attending physicians must offer to provide patients with information about “palliative care and endof-life options appropriate to the patient,” in accordance with the Palliative Care Information Act. Whether or not “end-of-life options” includes MAID, and if this is an infringement on religious exemption, is the central problem of the lawsuit. For now, the plaintiffs do not have to conform to the above requirements due to the temporary restraining order. Litigation over MAID, even beyond this specific suit, is likely to continue. The subject is particularly contentious for some Catholics. Prior to the implementation of MAID, various religious organizations and some physicians advocated against it, arguing it violates the Hippocratic Oath to do no harm and may unintentionally promote suicide to vulnerable people who feel their continued existence is a burden. The New York State Catholic Conference (NYSCC), which represents New York bishops in public policy issues, released a statement to this effect back in December of 2025. They released another on July 31 of this year arguing that MAID regulations are inadequate and that the law limits the ability of religious health facilities to opt out of participation. These are consistent with the Church’s long-standing position that medical aid in dying is

morally unacceptable and that life should be protected from conception to natural death. Physicians who administer MAID are deemed morally culpable, too. “It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. … We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church (a reference book released by Pope John Paul II) said. Notions of autonomy and human dignity — what constitutes it and when it is compromised — are central to legal, medical, ethical and Catholic perspectives on medical aid in dying. Thomas Massaro, Laurence J. McGinley professor of religion and society and a Jesuit priest, explained the significance of these terms. “Human dignity includes more than autonomy,” Massaro said. “It includes other aspects about being in relationship with God. And one way of phrasing it is ‘death is not the final enemy.’” Supporters might counter that, for people undergoing tremendous suffering, having the option to end that suffering constitutes the “highest expression of respect for human dignity and self-determination,” according to an article by the NYSBA. Public opinion in New York is broadly for MAID, with a 2024 survey showing support levels above 72%. Regardless of the legalization, Massaro said he does not expect the Church’s position to change. The Church does, however, support palliative care. Under its teachings, people have an obligation to provide “ordinary means” of care (food, water and basic medicine), but not “extraordinary means” (intubation or feeding tubes, for instance). Regarding suicide (the law distinguishes between MAID and assisted suicide, but religious statements often use the two interchangeably), the Church does account for “mitigating factors” like severe psychological distress that affect people’s freedom to make decisions. Religious groups have also made the “slippery slope” argument (a logical fallacy) with respect to MAID, pointing to Canada as an example of their concerns. Canada legalized medical aid in dying for people with terminal illnesses in 2016 and, in 2021, expanded MAID to include eligible adults whose illnesses are not necessarily terminal. In 2024, the eligibility requirements were expanded again to include people with mental illnesses, though the law will not go into effect until 2027. Massaro acknowledged that slippery slope arguments can be faulty, but said they could apply when a law is poorly designed. Sullivan offered a different view, saying that predictive thinking is always imperfect and assumes that things necessarily will get worse and worse, which is not how putting policy into practice works. There are opportunities to change course should things go awry, and a better argument is for quick and responsive policy implementation, she said. There also does not seem to be much, if any, support for an expansion of MAID in New York right now. The ethical discussions around medical aid in dying are numerous and complex. One thing is fairly certain: MAID in New York is here to stay, and governments, religious institutions, physicians and ordinary people alike must figure out how to deal with it.

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News

September 23, 2026 THE OBSERVER

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Fordham Hosts New Career Fair Focused on AI and Technology

Students had the opportunity to connect with employers in a rapidly-changing job market CAREER FAIR from page 1

“I think this is a good time for it because we’re around interview seasons,” Compauri said. The timing was important for other students preparing for the recruiting process as well. Aldo Torana, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’27, is beginning Fordham’s four-plus-one program (an accelerated master’s program) in data science and is interested in working in the technology and data industries. He said the fair was scheduled at a useful point in the semester, giving students enough time to prepare without conflicting heavily with midterms. “It’s not too late where midterms are starting, and it’s not too early to the point where people can’t situate themselves,” Torana said.

“ (AI and related

technologies are) always going to be needed because the world’s getting more and more advanced.”

Daniel Zhang, U.S. Navy Reserve Recruiter

He added that students still had time to visit the Career Center after the fair and get help on their resumes before beginning the application process. Mary Louise Santoli, an admissions counselor from Fordham’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, tabled at the fair to speak with students about the accelerated master’s programs in fields such as computer science and data science. These programs allow Fordham undergraduates to begin taking graduate-level courses during their senior year, before completing the remaining coursework during a fifth year. She encouraged students to learn about the benefits of these programs early and apply while in their third years. “(The program) saves them a great deal of time. It saves them a great deal of tuition by starting it as a senior,” Santoli said. Students are able to save up to 30% of the cost of their tuition by participating in a four-plus-one program. Employers at the fair were looking for more than just technical skills. Alumnus Avery Audé, FCLC ’24, works fulltime in cybersecurity at IBM (a

technology and consulting company), and said the company values students who demonstrate curiosity, problem-solving skills and a willingness to learn. “People that can position themselves as innovators and creators and builders, people that are curious (and) people that have a growth mindset are people that we really value,” Audé said. Audé, who received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in computer science and cybersecurity at Fordham, was invited by the Career Center to represent IBM and offer students career and resume advice. She said the theme of the fair was particularly relevant in today’s technological landscape and job market because it allowed employers to explain how they are using AI while giving students an opportunity to learn about potential careers in these industries. “I think it’s great that we can have employers in one spot to represent their companies and share what they’re doing with AI,” Audé said. Other employers emphasized the range of careers being changed by AI and related technologies.

“ I just hope as it

continues growing, that ethics will be put in place to curb the effects of AI.”

Barry Mamello, FCLC '29

Alvin Trent, a representative of the New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF), said the organization has openings in data engineering, software, cybersecurity and information technology, in addition to positions in accounting and finance. The organization is still cautiously adopting AI, Trent said. He described the agency as being in the early stages of implementing the technology, while increasing training designed to protect employees against AI-related cybersecurity threats. One training focuses on situations in which AI could be used to impersonate management at NYSIF or obtain information from employees. Trent said the organization’s wary approach comes from concerns about how the technology could be misused. The U.S. Navy Reserve also attended the fair, with

Students donned business attire to meet with potential future employers.

recruiter Daniel Zhang highlighting the military’s need for workers in cybersecurity, intelligence and other technology-related positions. “(AI and related technologies are) always going to be needed because the world’s getting more and more advanced,” Zhang said. At Guardian, a major mutual insurance and financial service company, recruiter Tanahiry Sanchez said the company is hiring undergraduate students for roles in data engineering, application development, cybersecurity, and AI and machine learning. Students who are involved in campus organizations and demonstrate project experience stand out to employers. The fair reflected the growing debate over how AI should be used as the technology becomes increasingly common in universities and workplaces. Several students and recruiters said AI can be useful when paired with human oversight. Sanchez said Guardian uses AI as a tool to make processes more efficient, but emphasized the importance of auditing AI-generated information rather than relying on it completely. “It comes down to individual responsibility, ultimately,” Sanchez said. That balance was also emphasized by Audé, who said companies and institutions should remain aware of AI’s environmental impact while continuing to develop the technology. “I think it’s a good thing to always be mindful while still building AI and using it and trying to push towards the future,” Audé said. Students expressed similar

The Career Fair follows a $1 million donation for AI research that the university received last year.

views about the role AI should play in education and the workplace. Compauri said AI can be beneficial when used appropriately, including in studies and research, but warned against becoming overly dependent on it. Torana said he felt both inspired and somewhat threatened by AI’s growing role in universities, although he leaned more toward being optimistic about its potential. He said universities should research ways to prevent AI from being abused while remaining open to its potential benefits.

The new career fair comes as Fordham has increasingly engaged with both the opportunities and challenges surrounding AI. Mamello offered a differing view, focused on the importance of AI regulation. “I just hope as it continues growing, that ethics will be put in place to curb the effects of AI,” Mamello said. Concerns surrounding AI have become increasingly prominent in recent weeks. New warnings from leaders in the AI industry have revived debates over the technology’s potential risks, including concerns about autonomous systems and the pace of AI development. At the same time, environmental concerns surrounding the electricity and water demands of AI data centers have fueled opposition to the construction of them. These worries intensified in July 2026 after the “Hugging Face fiasco.” Around 700 OpenAI agents being tested for cybersecurity capabilities circumvented controls meant to isolate them from the internet and launched attacks on external organizations, including Hugging Face. OpenAI said the models communicated through unauthorized channels, exploited previously unseen vulnerabilities and accessed third-party systems without being directed to do so. The company called the incident a “warning shot,” saying it demonstrated a need for safeguards as AI systems become more autonomous and capable. More recent warnings from leaders in the AI industry have

PHOTOS BY ALEENA SIDDIQUI/THE OBSERVER

added to concerns about the pace of development. On Sept. 13, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for AI companies to slow the progress of rapidly progressing systems, citing concerns about the technology’s potential risks. “Given the accelerating rate of AI capability development, it's my worry that in 6–12 months such a swarm could be capable of taking over the entire internet with a persistent botnet (potentially causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damage),” Amodei said. “The scale of damage would continue to increase from there if AI becomes more powerful without the necessary guardrails.” Various other AI leaders responded agreeing with Amodei’s statements. President Donald Trump, however, has continued to advocate for AI development. On Sept. 22, the president said he wants to rename the technology “super intelligence.” “The use of the word ‘artificial’ makes intelligence fake,” Trump said. “It is not fake. It’s actually amazing.” These large-scale discussions are reflected at Fordham, too. The new career fair comes as Fordham has increasingly engaged with both the opportunities and challenges surrounding AI. In September 2025, the university received a $1 million donation from alumnus Peter Zangari, FCRH ’89, and his wife, Jennifer Zangari, to establish a fund supporting interdisciplinary AI research. The following month, Fordham hosted its first Symposium on Responsible AI with IBM, New York University and the AI Alliance. Over 50 scholars and experts discussed the ethical, legal and social implications of AI. This academic year on Sept. 16, Fordham announced a new transdisciplinary research incubator that includes research examining the economic, legal, environmental and social effects of data centers supporting generative AI. The AI, Tech and Data Fair was one of several opportunities available to students through the Career Center this semester, on top of their usual offerings, which include one-on-one counseling, resume reviews and mock interviews to prepare for the recruiting process. Students can continue connecting with employers at upcoming career fairs, including the Marketing Career Fair on Oct. 1 and the Internship Fair on Oct. 8.

THE OBSERVER September 23, 2026

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News

5

‘This I Know’: A Story of Friendship at Fordham

Faith, friendship and optimism are the three main themes included in Anthony P. Carter’s debut book FORDHAM ALUMNI from page 1

“Doc stayed with me, but the MD degree was never achieved,” Carter said. Washington spent two years at Fordham’s Rose Hill (FRH) campus in the Bronx before transferring to the Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC) campus in 1975. He ultimately transferred into the theater program at FLC after discovering his interest in acting while working at a YMCA camp. Following a performance for campers, one of his fellow counselors encouraged him to consider becoming an actor. “My first show was a musical. I found out I couldn’t sing,” Washington said. He later played Othello as a senior at Fordham in March of 1977. Washington recalled that an English professor at Fordham, Robinson Stone, also played an important role in encouraging him to pursue theater. Stone had previously worked professionally in theater and, according to Washington, once performed in “Othello.” “(Stone) believed in what he saw of me when I was here,” Washington said.

“ I lived it more than

I read it, you know. I know Anthony Carter. ”

Denzel Washington, FCLC '77

As for Carter, after moving away from science, he pursued journalism, hosting a show on WFUV (Fordham’s public media station) and writing for both The Fordham Ram and The Paper. At the start of his career, Carter worked as Press Secretary for former New York City Mayor David Dinkins. The pair said their shared work in communications gave them another way to support one another. “That’s when we started to explore this whole arena of communications, but most importantly, how we could impact people,” Washington said. “During that time we were supporting each other, and I think it erased away this concept of failure.” As their friendship grew, Carter became more connected to Washington’s family. “I got to meet his mom, I got to meet his brother, his sister, his family, (and Washington) got to meet some of mine, and then it

felt like family,” Carter said. “We looked out for each other.” As both men built their own families, their friendship extended to the next generation. Carter became the godfather to Washington’s son, while Washington is godfather to Carter’s daughter. Carter drew on these experiences while writing his book. Carter retired from corporate America in 2015 after 13 years as Vice President of Global Diversity & Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer for Johnson & Johnson. He initially envisioned writing a book centered around the corporate world. The project became more personal over time. The book centers around the life lessons Carter has learned and his dedication to his faith, family and relationships. Tetlow then turned the conversation to Washington’s role in the book, asking how he connected with Carter’s story enough to write the introduction. “I lived it more than I read it, you know. I know Anthony Carter,” Washington said. Carter said writing about his life required him to examine experiences he had not previously discussed publicly. The process was difficult but ultimately meaningful, particularly because of his family’s support. He credited his editors, notably Gary Jansen of Loyola Press, for encouraging him to explore those personal experiences rather than limiting the book to just his professional career. Tetlow pointed to one of Carter’s central questions in the book: “What do you do for others that gives you a purpose-driven life?” Washington’s answer turned the question back on itself. “What you do for others gives you purpose in life,” Washington said. Carter echoed this sentiment. “I learned to live a life of purpose but not knowing always what the purpose was,” Carter said. Tetlow brought up Carter’s previous work as Chief Diversity Officer for a Fortune 500 company. She asked how he was able to remain hopeful while working on issues involving diversity, equity and inclusion. Carter responded by saying he focused on his commitment to work and to improving outcomes for others, such as health care disparities. “If we’re going to solve problems, we all need to hold hands and do that,” Carter said. Carter also described the role prayer played in his writing. He prayed before beginning to work on his novel each day, asking for guidance and patience. Carter described his Catholic faith as the foundation for finding his purpose

Washington portrayed Othello in his senior year, which was his first acting role.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM NOW

COURTESY OF FORDHAM NOW

Washington is an actor and producer known for his roles in “Malcom X” and “The Equalizer” series.

and emphasized the importance of using one’s life to serve and uplift all. “Faith for me is not certainty,” Carter said. “Faith is the ability to choose God in the middle of uncertainty.” Washington, a Pentecostal Christian, spoke similarly of his experiences with faith as not a single defining moment, but as something that constantly shapes one’s life. He emphasized that discovering one’s purpose is an ongoing process: “Finding yourself is not a moment.” Washington’s ties to Fordham have been shaped by his longstanding involvement with and support for the university’s theater program. Two years ago, over 90

COURTESY OF ANTHONY CARTER/MY CENTRAL JERSEY

Both Carter and Denzel share much in common: their commitment to faith, their background in Fordham and their careers in communications.

students from the Fordham Theater Program had the opportunity to attend a special performance of “Othello,” followed by a talk with Washington, co-stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Kimber Elayne Sprawl, and stage manager Narda E. Alcorn.

“ There’s no time limit on success. ”

Denzel Washington, FCLC '77

Both Carter and Washington previously served on Fordham’s Board of Trustees. Washington also established an endowed chair in the theater arts (a faculty position) and a scholarship for Fordham Theatre students. In 2017, Fordham gave Carter an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters for his work in social justice and social work. Tetlow finished the conversation by thanking the men for “embodying the Fordham mission with your lives, your characters, your work, (and) your inspiration.” segueing into the question and answer portion of the evening from the audience. Carter and Washington wanted to hear directly from Fordham students. Audience members asked questions ranging from career advice and how to face tough rejections to what inspirational figures inspired the two to get where they are today. One student asked Carter a question about public speaking, specifically referencing four principles he mentioned in his book: honesty, honor, humility and humor. She asked how someone

who is comfortable writing, which involves so much revision, can become confident speaking without preparation. “It’s a compact book with a lot of impact, but it’s revealing … I can spend all day trying to figure out what's the right thing to present to people … Communications and writing and those four principles have been what has guided me throughout my journey,” Carter said. Another student asked Washington a question regarding how he found the courage to pursue acting despite the uncertainty surrounding the profession. Washington challenged the idea that people must achieve success by a particular age. “There’s no time limit on success,” Washington said. Washington compared the journey into adulthood to a relay race. “Parents can only go so far … and when they hand you the baton, you don’t look back to get it because you’ve got somewhere to go, you grab it and you go forward,” Washington said. As the event concluded, Carter encouraged students to see themselves as people capable of shaping the future, rather than taking the world for granted. “I mean this for everybody: The world that you have been given does not mean you cannot change it when you’re in control,” Carter said. More than five decades after their friendship began in the Fordham biology lab, Washington and Carter returned to the university to discuss careers they had not originally planned, a friendship that developed alongside them, and the faith and purpose that continue to shape their lives.

Managing Editor Cora Cost

Sports & Health

September 23, 2026 THE OBSERVER

The Fall of The US Open Has Arrived

Influencers, high prices and chaos are causing many New Yorkers to question traditional tennis US OPEN from page 1

Toward the beginning of the match, the Louis Armstrong Stadium had large gaps within every section filled with empty seats. In spite of tickets being upwards of $300, numerous people who had bought those seats were roaming the outer plaza throughout the entirety of the game. Although vendor lines had quickly emptied out, attendees filled tables across the South Plaza to openly talk and drink with their friends. This came as a shock, considering the expense and hype leading up to the event, as others paid little attention to the match. Many were indulging in a beer, gossiping with co-workers or even going as far as watching a show on their phone. Regardless of those showing disinterest outside the stadium, the lack of attention and etiquette was apparent within the stadium seating as well. Within just section 11 of Louis Armstrong Stadium, many attendees were constantly standing up or walking around during a player’s serve or match point. Even with security guards informing everyone to be wary of disrupting the match, spectators were unable to remain seated. In terms of noise, the crowd had been far from silent. Several side conversations were taking place, and although many attempted to whisper, they were met with shushes from the crowd.

The U.S. Open has always been more than just a tennis tournament. It is one of the Grand Slams, a major part of its appeal. For attending our first match, fans did not appreciate the game or engage to the level of our expectations. However, these disruptions were only a few of the surprises onlookers experienced. There were fans who may have even come off as overly engaged. In an era where events are flooded with influencers, the U.S. Open is no exception. According to an article by Vogue, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) introduced its first formal content-creator credential in 2025, giving media accreditations to 54 creators. Those influencers helped to generate 5.5 million views in social engagements.

The USTA doubled the number of official content creator credentials for influencers from 54 in 2025 to 100 in 2026. These influencers attracted attention, however not all of it positive. After several fans shared their accounts, outrage took place online over creators causing disruptions during the matches. Most notably, a video was taken of a group of influencers, who were sitting in their private suite, recording TikToks with their audio on full blast and ring lights illuminating the already bright stadium. This is one of many videos that have received pushback from tennis fans who believe this goes against the seriousness and sophistication of tennis, let alone a Grand Slam. Complaints from nearby fans alongside the players themselves caused the umpire to pause the play and ask the group to remain silent and be seated. This incident occurred during Naomi Osaka’s match against Anastasia Zakharova at Arthur Ashe Stadium, to which Osaka addressed during an interview that although the lights did not bother her, “it was more the noise,” and that “if you come to a sporting event, you have to respect the sport.” Aryna Sabalenka noted having to pause her third match at Louis Armstrong Stadium to complain to the umpire that the smell of marijuana was “so strong.” Although it is uncertain where the smell directly came from, Sabalenka advised others to smoke away from the courts and laughed off the situation. Other players like Jessica Pegula were more direct in their response, stating that it is “a bit disrespectful” to professional players when attendees are not conducting themselves in a courteous manner. The U.S. Open has always been more than just a tennis tournament. It is one of the Grand Slams, a major part of its appeal. The Grand Slam refers to the accomplishment of winning all four major championships in a calendar year. There have only been five players to do it in singles. Only 19 players have completed a career Grand Slam, winning each of the four tournaments in their careers. Taking place on three continents, the slams in order are: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Unlike the Australian Open’s sweltering heat, Wimbledon’s carefully preserved English traditions and Roland-Garros’ Parisian Identity, the U.S. Open has always felt distinctly New York City: loud, crowded, commercial and

ROOP SOMAL/THE OBSERVER

Arthur Ashe Stadium has undergone an $800 million renovation, funded solely by the United States Tennis Association.

LUCIEN FISCHER/THE OBSERVER

Only 19 players have completed a career Grand Slam, winning each of the four tournaments in their careers.

unapologetically big. But in the history of the competition, somewhere along the way, New Yorkers were no longer able to afford or attend the New York City game due to its exorbitant prices. According to The New York Times, the average cost to attend the 2026 U.S. Open ranged from $169 to over $360. That was an increase of 113% from last year. A grounds pass at the U.S. Open would cost you $360, but really, its face value is estimated at $65. A ticket is only the beginning of the price you have to pay. Inside the Billie Jean King Stadium, nearly every part of the experience comes with a significant price tag. Food, drinks and

LUCIEN FISCHER/THE OBSERVER

The US Open is one of four Grand Slam tennis competitions that take place during the year.

merchandise can quickly turn a day at the U.S. Open into a significant expense. This year, the USTA introduced a series of rebranded hospitality packages called the U.S. Open Premier, as part of an $800 million renovation of the Arthur Ashe Stadium. These experiences meant more luxury suites, new premium clubs, courtside seating, gourmet dining and VIP entrances. There is one side of the U.S. Open that asks fans to navigate crowds, lines and concession stands. Then there is the other side, where guests have private entrances, premium food, air conditioning and courtside seating. The difference is not about where you sit, but the type of day you are able to have at the U.S. Open. The experience is shaped not only by the ticket you buy, but the city surrounding it. The tournament is held in Queens. Its name belongs to the country it’s held in, and its identity belongs to the city around it. At the end of every summer, the world’s best tennis stars descend to New York City for two weeks of matches, celebrities, sponsors and spectacles. But after spending a night at the Open, it was difficult to comprehend how this tournament shifted from being less about the city’s tennis fans, and more about selling New York City as a luxury experience. There is a specific type of impressiveness that is associated with other Grand Slams. Wimbledon has spent more than 100 years cultivating a trademarked

tradition: grass courts, strawberries and cream, the all-white dress code and the atmosphere that the tournament itself has made a part of history. Roland-Garros has its own distinct traditions; its red clay courts, Parisian setting and an intimate outside landscape that is recognizably iconic. The U.S. Open should be reflective of the city that hosts it. New York City is loud, diverse, ambitious and constantly changing. The city’s game should feel the same way, not because of the expensive seats or the most recognizable faces in the crowd, but because it brings people together for a game they love. Instead, the U.S. Open feels like a place where people can afford to turn a day of tennis into a luxurious outing, or just a place for people to take a photo to prove that they were there. There is nothing wrong with wanting those experiences, dressing up for the game, or touring around the grounds and seeing what it has to offer. But when the spectacle becomes more important than the sport, the people who have come for tennis begin to feel like an afterthought. The U.S. Open is not supposed to be a playground for people who can spend money or post the best picture. It is supposed to be New York City’s Grand Slam. If the people who inhabit this great city can no longer afford to go or see themselves in this game, then this tournament has lost something more important than local charm. It has lost the community that makes the Grand Slam feel like a Grand Slam.

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September 23, 2026

Sports & Health

7

Rams Stand with Women’s Basketball Team

Ugne Sirtautaite details her experience at Fordham in a new age of women’s basketball By IKMA INUSAH Features Editor

Ugne Sirtautaite, Fordham College at Rose Hill ’27, was raised in Kaunas, Lithuania, in a household that revolved around basketball. Feeling the pressure of competition and hard work in the athletic world, she hated the sport as a child. Her parents both work at Kaunas Basketball Academy Zalgiris, where her father, a former professional player, is the coach of the men’s team. Her brother Jonas also found his way to basketball after moving to the United States to play for Georgia State University’s basketball team. Despite her initial childhood disdain, it was not long before basketball became a cornerstone of Sirtautaite’s everyday life, too. “I tried one basketball practice and I just fell in love with it. So it’s been 10 or 11 years playing basketball,” she said. The next step for Sirtautaite in a more than decade-long journey with basketball was moving from Lithuania to the United States to play at the collegiate level. She began her collegiate career at Providence College, where she played two years on the team before transferring to Fordham in 2025. Sirtautaite’s move from Providence to Fordham came with some culture shock. The Bronx, having about seven times the population of Providence, meant that Fordham was a higher-visibility school with a larger number of fans.

COURTESY OF FORDHAM ATHLETICS

Fordham senior Ugne Sirtautaite, FCRH ’27, is the starting center for the women’s basketball team.

“ We were walking in

the arena, and there were random people and they’re like ‘Go Rams, go Fordham.’ I feel ike it’s so cool.”

Ugne Sirtautaite, FCRH ’27

Since her transfer, Sirtautaite has been present for many changes within Fordham’s women’s basketball program, including the addition of new coaching staff and Fordham’s partnership with the New York Liberty, a team in the WNBA. On the current buzz surrounding the New York Liberty, BKMag Art & Entertainment writer Abe Beame reported, “The (Liberty) have built a fan culture and environment at Barclays that is unique in the New York sports landscape.” The partnership kicked off with Fordham Day on Aug. 29, where the New York Liberty took on the Chicago Sky. Sirtautaite described how it felt to be a Fordham women’s basketball player at the game. “We were walking in the arena, and there were random people and they’re like ‘Go Rams, go Fordham.’ I feel like it’s so cool,” Sirtautaite said. “One day, my dream is to be on the other side. So it’s fun, great, just to talk to them.” The WNBA has enjoyed increasing attendance with Yahoo Sports reporting “a record 3.41 million fans have turned out for WNBA games,” during the 2025-26 season. The New York Times writer, Claire Fahy, attributed the jump in numbers to young stars, like the Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark and the Dallas Wings’ Paige Bueckers. In addition, the 2024 National Collegiate Athletic Association

Women’s basketball has seen a national increase in game attendance.

(NCAA) Women’s championship game “drew more viewers than the men’s (game)” for the first time since the Women’s tournament began. This is no doubt in part because they are part of the first generation of college athletes that are paid for use of their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL). Before July 1, 2021, the NCAA consistently maintained that student-athletes should play sports motivated solely by educational, social, emotional and physical growth. However, the repeal of NCAA rules and state laws meant that students-athletes are no longer forced to forfeit NIL rights, ultimately ushering in a new era of visibility and financial independence within collegiate athletics. College women’s basketball players drew in huge numbers, both in attendance and sponsorship money. Fordham’s team is experiencing a unique explosion in engagement, as well. Fordham Athletics reported an increase in attendance at the team’s games since the 2022-23 season.

“ College sports became more like a business, because there’s huge amounts of money that some people get paid, and it’s just crazy.”

Ugne Sirtautaite, FCRH ’27

A mix of intense pressure and high expectations are commonly felt by student athletes,

particularly those on Division I (D1) teams such as Fordham’s women basketball players. However, women’s basketball’s meteoric rise has created a distinct experience acutely felt by players on the Fordham women’s basketball team. With D1 women’s basketball regular season viewership increasing 19% within the 2024–25 season, players like Sirtautaite emphasized that it is not enough to be just great at her sport; she also has to be business-oriented, marketing herself as a brand. “College sports became more like a business, because there’s huge amounts of money that some people get paid, and it’s just crazy,” Sirtautaite said. The introduction of NIL deals has incentivized players to market and differentiate themselves from the rest in order to connect with fans. Alongside the many Fordham players who maintain a social media presence for entrepreneurial reasons, Sirtautaite enjoys posting on her Instagram for fun. “When I post, it’s me showing that I have more than basketball in me,” Sirtautaite said. “Other teammates that post some NIL stuff on there … it’s an ad for them and for promoters.” Fordham Athletics and its individual teams maintain social media accounts. The department’s Instagram account regularly highlights players, heavily featuring the women’s basketball team during last year’s preseason. Sirtautaite spoke positively about the posts but also shared her thoughts on fans’ emotional reactions last year after a highly anticipated season ended poorly. “I feel like sometimes just being visible, you know that

LUCIEN FISCHER/THE OBSERVER

people are watching. They can also start hating instead of supporting,” Sirtautaite said. With the full-bodied embrace from athletes, corporations and colleges alike, NIL deals have introduced an enormous amount of money in support. The norm of what a sponsor expects and feels entitled to has morphed substantially relative to the increasing monetary support. The Fordham Athletics department’s support has extended to Chen, Fordham Graduate School of Education ’27, who is conducting research for her dissertation on gendered and racial representation in professional sports settings. To fund her research, Chen received a grant from the NCAA. The relationship between D1 athletes’ career success and their social identities has led Chen to look into how perceptual shifts, like the stark increase in viewership, affect players on a personal level. Chen described an unintended consequence of women athletes receiving recognition, experiencing vast stress to maintain the level of recognition that male athletes have had for years. Chen herself joined the sports world at a young age, ultimately competing in D1 tennis, and never leaving, just shifting her focus. “There is an unnamed pressure to ‘live up to the expectation, to draw in the numbers, to sell the tickets,’” Chen said. “‘How can I try to make this more exciting, like make it a show?’ Because ultimately, sports is entertainment.” Academic pressures also play a part in the lives of student athletes. College athletes across the country are constantly juggling a pre-professional career and

undergraduate studies, knowing that universities all demand excellence in both fields. For the past couple of years, Fordham Athletic’s social media pages have posted team GPAs. The women’s basketball team reported a new four-year high, obtaining a 3.4 average last fall. “They ask me to (perform well) on the court, but they also ask me to represent Fordham and myself (well) off the court. Anyone can be watching, no matter where you’re at,” Sirtautaite said. After completing an undergraduate degree in psychology, Chen became fascinated with Social Cognitive Career Theory — the notion that one’s background affects their career path and success — and its relationship to athletes’ career self-efficacy. Specifically, the gender-based disparity in the impact of Social Cognitive Career Theory was examined in connection to the success of intercollegiate athletes in their fields. For men’s athletes, the impact of representation on their career self-efficacy showed an indisputably positive correlation, whereas for women, the strength of the effect varied widely. Chen’s research posits that “the recent boom in representation and investment in women’s professional sports has impacted the career development of pre-professional athletes.” She stated that more research is still needed on the power of representation, career self-efficacy and influence on social groups regarding athletes. Chen stressed that, with the emergence of the NIL era, the social context of prior research no longer fits current attitudes. In light of the stressors felt by student athletes, Fordham Athletics has increased its yearover-year investment in creating administrative areas focused on highlighting and advocating for each athlete’s needs based on their distinct backgrounds. The Fordham Athletics Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Awareness Committee (IDEA) has been steadfast in pursuit of its mission “to create and sustain an inclusive, welcoming, and supportive environment for the entire Fordham Athletics community.” In the most recent DEI+ Annual Report from 2020-23, many leaders in the Athletics department stress their desire to provide nuanced support rooted in an equitable approach. Previous Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreational Sports Edward M. Kull, stated the department’s direction, providing a two-page letter explaining that Fordham’s Jesuit tradition guided his direction of leadership, “Cura Personalis means care for the whole person … We are concerned with the backgrounds, cultural, ideological and personality differences, and real-life experiences of everyone in our community.” Charles Guthrie, the current athletic director, plans to continue the work Kull began. The Fordham Athletics communication department noted Guthrie’s history of “a steadfast commitment to the safety and continued positive experience” of student athletes. The university’s support for Chen’s research could further cement Fordham’s status as a trailblazer in collegiate sports. Furthermore, a better understanding of the gendered impact on the promotion of pre-professional athletes would provide more information toward the rapid realization of the attention that many professional women athletes have long fought for.

M. Patrick, GBS ’93; Everett M. Proctor III, GBS ’79; Robert D. Pugliese, GBS ’76; Joseph Roberto, GBS ’86, ’90; John P. Salamone, GBS ’97; Kevin T. Szocik, GBS ’97; Michael A. Tamuccio, GBS ’85; Peter M. West, PHA ’68; David H. Winton, GBS ’94; Joseph J. Zuccala, GBS ’74; Lloyd Brown, PCS; Patricia A. Cody, PCS; Christopher Dincuff, GBS

News September 23, 2026 THE OBSERVER

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Twenty-Five Years After 9/11: Fordham Honors The Lives Lost

On a solemn anniversary, Fordham’s remembrance efforts continue to grow By MACKENZIE COOPER & LEEYA AZEMOUN News Editor & Editor-In-Chief

Every Sept. 11, New York City goes quiet, and Fordham is no exception. Out of the 2,977 lives lost during the Sept. 11 attacks, 36 of which were alumni and three evening students. Emotions were especially palpable this year, as it marked the 25th anniversary of the 2001 attacks. In the weeks following the 9/11 attacks, Fordham began establishing programs to support families who lost loved ones. In a Fordham Now article published on Oct. 9, 2001, former University President Joseph O’Hare, S.J., announced that Fordham would provide full tuition scholarships to children of Fordham alumni who were killed or whose spouses died in the attacks. “Of the 32 Fordham alumni who were lost in the Sept. 11 attack or who lost a spouse, 22 had graduated in the last 20 years. Many left behind young families. When the time comes for these children to go to college, if they want to come to Fordham they will receive full tuition scholarships,” O’Hare said. In the days following the attacks, a large number of students donated blood to victims, while others participated in toy, food, flashlight and clothing drives to provide for the first responders. The university had also established the Fordham Family Memorial Scholarship Fund, an endowment fund providing

financial assistance to students whose families were affected by the attacks. The scholarship extended beyond children of Fordham alumni to include children of New York City police officers, firefighters and other public servants killed during the attacks or rescue operations. The university continued to expand its remembrance efforts in the years that followed. To mark the fifth anniversary in 2006, Fordham held prayer services and memorials on both of its campuses and a mass in the University Church. An exhibit titled “Fifth Anniversary of 9/11/2001: We Remember Them” displayed profiles of Fordham alumni who died, alongside literature depicting the attacks, in Walsh Library on the Rose Hill campus. However, for many members of the Fordham community, the effects of 9/11 extended far beyond memorials and scholarships, but into their personal lives. Orlando Rodriguez, a former Fordham sociology professor who died in 2021, lost his son, Gregory, in the attacks. At the time of his death, Gregory was 31 years old and working for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 103rd floor of the World Trade Center. Four days after the attacks, Rodriguez and his wife, Phyllis, wrote a letter to the United States government voicing their opposition to military retaliation in Gregory’s name. Rodriguez channeled his grief into his work at Fordham. Alongside Kerry Sweet,

a captain in the New York City Police Department and an adjunct professor at Fordham, Rodriguez helped to create and teach a course called “Terrorism and Society” to help students understand terrorism and its societal effects. His work also contributed to the creation of Fordham’s Peace and Justice Studies minor. Rodriguez’s response to his son’s death became part of a broader discussion about the aftermath of 9/11. The Rodriguezes’ story was later featured in the documentary “In Our Son’s Name,” which aired on PBS. The attacks also shaped the work of Fordham alumni in the journalism world like Pulitzer Prize winner Jim Dwyer, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’79. Dwyer joined The New York Times in May 2001 and contributed to the paper’s reporting on 9/11. Dwyer and fellow The New York Times journalist Kevin Flynn co-wrote the 2005 book “102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers.” The book covers the exact 102 minutes that unfolded from when the first plane hit at 8:46 a.m. to the collapse of the North Tower at 10:28 a.m. To get the perspectives from inside and outside the towers, the men interviewed hundreds of survivors and first responders, sourcing from thousands of pages of emergency call logs, emails and phone calls. The book was a finalist for a National Book Award. Many members of the student body have their own stories to tell regarding where they were on 9/11. John Paluska, Fordham College at Lincoln Center ’05, was just six days into his first year at Fordham when 9/11 struck. Paluska watched the events unfold from the roof of his dorm, watching the second tower fall. He rode the D train down to 14th Street and volunteered to help at Ground Zero. Paluska spent six days there, recovering bodies and passing along the remains of victims, many of which had the American flag draped over them. After graduating, Paluska served on active duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, he later earned entry into the Green Berets, an elite, highly trained group of soldiers in the U.S. Special Forces specialized in counterterrorism. After retiring from the military, Paluska returned to New York City and earned his business degree from Columbia University. He also began volunteering at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Paluska co-founded the 9/11 Visionary Network, a program that brings together people from ages 21 to 45 to participate in advocacy, commemoration and engagement with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Former Port Authority Police Department Lieutenant William Keegan was a first responder during the attacks. The following day, he eagerly accepted an offer to be the night operations commander for the search, rescue and recovery units. For nine gruelling months, he worked six-day workweeks consisting of 12- to 16-hour workdays. Keegan wrote about his experiences in “Closure: The Untold Story of the Ground Zero Recovery Mission,” with contributions from bestselling author Bart Davis. In the tell-all book, he discussed the harrowing experience of uncovering remains while he and his crew dealt with toxic dust poisoning. When the recovery effort officially ended in June 2002, however, day-to-day proceedings as a lieutenant felt unfulfilling to him. He retired from the force about a year later. Such a

career move might have marked the end of a chapter for most, but for Keegan, it was only the beginning. “It’s like climbing Mount Everest and then somebody telling me to go over that hill … it wasn’t satisfying enough,” Keegan said. “So I said, ‘Why not start a nonprofit taking these incredible skilled people … to future disasters to help future survivors?’” With that thought, he united firefighters, police officers and construction workers to form the disaster relief nonprofit Healing Emergency Aid Response Team (HEART) 9/11, which sends first responders to sites vulnerable to devastation. Since its founding in 2007, HEART 9/11 has sent thousands of responders to over 370 assignments in South America, the Caribbean and across the United States. Their services include rebuilding houses, organizing classes for disaster preparedness and providing materials for home security such as roof-patching equipment and sandbag-fashioning materials. HEART 9/11 is a wellknown resource among communities in need of their services, but its renown is not confined to vulnerable communities or fellow first responders; it also touches the lives of students. At Fordham, two students in particular were especially moved. International undergraduates Quinn van der Hoeven, Gabelli School of Business Rose Hill ’28, and Jenny Hong, FCRH ’27, prove that the lasting magnitude of 9/11 exceeds boundaries of age and nationality. Van der Hoeven was the first of the two to get involved with HEART 9/11 in her first year at Fordham, after hearing the organization speak at an event. Just a couple of months later, Hong joined her friend at HEART 9/11. Van der Hoeven used to live in Singapore and Indonesia, where she participated in disaster relief efforts during high school. Hong also engaged in nonprofit work for disaster relief while growing up in South Korea. While their geographic origins are far removed from 9/11, their humanitarian backgrounds brought the tragedy close to their hearts. The two hold business development roles at the organization, helping with grant-writing, social media content and website management. However, they sought to do more to boost the visibility of the organization, first responders and 9/11 remembrance as a whole. “New York has such a big community of first responders, unions … and I feel like sometimes it’s just not something we are paying attention to,” van der Hoeven said. “It’s our responsibility to continue to remember (9/11), and we can’t let that die out.”

. Francis E. Grogan, C.S.C., GRE ’68; Linda C. Lee, Esq., LAW ’94; Thomas Anthony Mahon, GBS ’89; Christian H. Maltby, FCRH ’86; John F. McDowell Jr., GBS ’91; Eskedar Melaku, GBS ’01; John M. Moran, Esq., LAW ’94; James

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“wanted to make it something bigger especially with the 25th-year anniversary,” van der Hoeven said. The final idea took inspiration from these smaller memorials at Fordham and the University of Notre Dame’s ND110 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb, also in partnership with HEART 9/11.

The joint dedication of HEART 9/11, Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), Student Veterans of America at Fordham (SVAF), Fordham Athletics and the Fordham student body rendered Fordham the ideal host for such a significant event. When van der Hoeven and Hong shared their initial vision, Keegan urged them to move the climb to the afternoon so it would be more accessible for those with busy mornings. He previously observed that, while memorials are held in every borough, they are usually concentrated near the site of the World Trade Center in the Financial District. Most services are too far away or too early in the work day for many New Yorkers — Bronx natives, for instance — to attend. In partnership with HEART 9/11, Fordham filled that commemorative gap. The joint dedication of HEART 9/11, Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), Student Veterans of America at Fordham (SVAF), Fordham Athletics and the Fordham student body rendered Fordham the ideal host for such a significant event. The stair climb ceremony began with greetings from SVAF President Kayla Espinoza, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) ’28; SVAF Vice President Tre Roldan, FCRH ’28; van der Hoeven; and Hong. Fordham’s ROTC color guard then performed a presentation of the colors. John Cicero, S.J., led a prayer to “transform our sadness and grief into an even more resolute pursuit of peace and reconciliation.” Next, University President Tania Tetlow spoke words of remembrance for the members of Fordham lost to 9/11. She acknowledged that the stair climb prompted students to “remember in that very Catholic way of sharing the suffering of those who were there that day literally with your bodies … to remember those who escaped that day who ran into the fire who were part of unbelievable heroism and courage.” Keegan addressed the crowd next. His speech otherwise focused on the tremendous relief efforts of first responders on 9/11, the mission of HEART 9/11 and what attendees should take away from their experience during the climb. “You know what builds resilience? It’s taking on a challenge and overcoming it,” Keegan said. “I remember guiding people coming down. I remember carrying people that couldn’t walk anymore. Try to think of that as you’re going up and down these stairs. Don’t give up. Give it 100% just like they did.” Espinoza and Roldan then read out the names of the members of the Fordham community whose lives were lost on 9/11. A candle was lit for each name. Rams in attendance certainly met the challenge. Over 100 people registered, and almost everyone participated. Roldan, donning a military vest and helmet, and a few others in the procession, carried the American flag with them. Exclamations of encouragement and “If not you, then who?” spanned the length of the bleachers. Participant Cassandra Carraher, GSAS ’28, found it “very inspiring because everyone was just motivating each other.” Many students participated out of great deference for the people in their lives who were affected by 9/11.

“My mom witnessed 9/11. She was five blocks away, and it was a really sad day for her,” Grace Hall, FCRH ’30, said. “I felt like I needed to come out and show support to the first responders and the people who passed.” Carson Woo, FCRH ’30, shared a similar sentiment. He said he has already done a lot of stair runs for sports, but this one felt especially meaningful as he immersed himself “in the mindset of someone who was climbing these stairs up the World Trade Center.” “I know a lot of people who were in New York City — those who were first responders, those who were victims — so it just means a lot to me coming out here, giving back to the community, recognizing these people who did so much for our country,” Woo said. The event served not only as a 9/11 memorial, but also as a reminder to military and military-connected students that, in the face of tragedy and trauma, they will never have to feel alone at Fordham. Espinoza and Roldan praised SVAF for mitigating the shock and grief of

losing the network of support they had in the military. They hope that the visibility afforded by the stair climb invites others to feel the same. “I’m in the position to be able to hopefully make change and to be able to have the same impact on other veterans’ lives as the ones before me had on mine,” Espinoza said. “At the end of the day, we’re students as well and we love to coordinate with our fellow students,” Roldan said. “(The stair climb) is just one of our first things to show the rest of the campus that we’re here and we’re happy to be part of it all. … If there’s a chance to remember those names and remember those faces and remember those stories, then we’re going to be out here 100% of those times.” Twenty-five years later, New York City still bears the scars of 9/11- with remembrance efforts at Fordham and across the city honoring the lives lost. PHOTOS BY LUCIEN FISCHER & LEEYA AZEMOUN DESIGNED BY ROOP SOMAL

9 Gary M. Albero, GBS ’85; Joseph R. Allen, FCRH ’84; Michael J. Armstrong, FCLC ’90; Nicholas W. Brandemarti, GBS ’00; Matthew J. Burke, FCRH ’95; Thomas J. Celic, GBS ’82; Christopher Clarke, GBS ’90; Kevin F. Cleary, Esq., LAW ’91; Scott Thomas Coleman, GBS ’00; Patricia M. Colodner, FCLC ’95; Thomas P. Cullen, FCRH ’92; Dwight D.

Hong agreed with van der Hoeven’s emphasis on preservation and owing gratitude to first responders. She felt especially moved by stories from their colleagues at the nonprofit. “I felt like I wanted to kind of give (first responders) back something,” Hong said. “Getting involved with HEART 9/11 and hearing their stories and what (Keegan) had to go through that day and what consequences he still bears today really spoke to me in lots of ways.” This year, in conjunction with HEART 9/11, the two established Fordham’s 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb to commemorate the 25th anniversary. Students climbed 2,200 steps on the bleachers of Moglia Stadium at Jack Coffey Field to mirror the trek first responders took up and down the stairs at the World Trade Center. Van der Hoeven and Hong hope this event becomes an annual tradition for Fordham. A series of events aligned to bring the stair climb to fruition. HEART 9/11’s ties to Fordham were forged in 2023 when former President Joe Biden selected Fordham to receive $50 million to distribute via local environmental protection grants. Some of those grants were to be put toward HEART 9/11 for equipment to fortify homes and travel expenses, Keegan said. When President Donald Trump took office, the funding and grantmaker status was revoked. However, Keegan recognized Fordham’s student body as a haven of eager student involvement, and credited van der Hoeven and Hong with maintaining HEART 9/11’s bond to the university. Fordham and Columbia University’s football teams used to play each other in the Liberty Cup every Sept. 11, inspired by their game on Sept. 11, 2001 being postponed because of the attacks. Columbia pulled out of this tradition in 2015 to focus on Ivy League games. In place of the Liberty Cup, Fordham’s athletic department conducted their own smaller-scale morning workouts and stair climbs commemorating 9/11. More recently, Fordham Rose Hill’s United Student Government began organizing a treeand flower-planting memorial by Finlay Hall. On the Lincoln Center campus, Fordham’s Office of Mission Integration and Ministry hosted a discussion “Hope from the Ruins: 9/11 and Forgiveness 25 Years Late,” on Wednesday Sept. 9. But van der Hoeven and Hong

THE OBSERVER

Darcy, Esq., FCRH ’67, LAW ’71; John J. Doherty, GBS ’81; Sareve Dukat, GBS ’81; Andrew Fisher, GBS ’92; Thomas J. Fitzpatrick, GBS ’92; Cono E. Gallo, GBS ’01; Giovanna G. Gambale, FCRH ’96; William A. Gardner, GBS ’77; Re

Opinions Editor Vee Venning

Opinions

September 23, 2026 THE OBSERVER

Safety or Separation?

Fordham’s guest policies work to isolate non-residents instead of keeping all students safe

When I heard about​​what had happened, I was concerned. In this instance, the FLC guest policy, in theory aimed at protecting students, was actually putting them in harm’s way. There were two students — one a resident, the other a commuter — and it seemed like the rules were only ensuring the safety of one of them. This experience is just one example of how FLC’s guest policies can be impractical and ultimately counterproductive. More broadly, the policies reflect a disconnect between commuters and residents, creating a divide between those who live on campus and those who don’t. Sophomore Alissa Mili has been on both sides of this divide. Last year, she commuted daily from Long Island to FLC, and now lives in McMahon Hall. Describing her experience last year, she remembers having a really good time outside the residence halls with her resident friends, but then faces “that awkward conversation” to ask if they could sign her in once they decide to go to their dorms. While Mili said she understands that the sign-in policy is in part to hold non-students and their hosts accountable to Fordham rules, she says that as a commuter student, she “already ha(s) to abide by a certain code of conduct from the university” and shouldn’t have to be escorted by other students. She likened the experience to being babysat. Hearing this sentiment that’s common among many commuter students is disheartening, as, according to Fordham’s official website, “approximately 40% of the 3,500 full-time, undergraduate students at Lincoln Center are commuters.” At a school where commuter students make up such an essential part of our community, the policies that are in place today do little to support them. Surprisingly, commuters and guests aren’t the only ones affected by the guest policies. Even within the FLC residential community, there are students

Managing Editor Cora Cost

Creative Director Durga Desai

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At a school where commuter students make up such an essential part of our community, the policies that are in place today do little to support them.

Editor-in-Chief Leeya Azemoun

Online Editor Sofia Strelnikova

PAIGE EVANS Contributing Writer

fter a night out, a train, a bus that never came and a $90 Uber, an anonymous Fordham student finally made it home after four in the morning. He was in the city with friends later than anticipated, so his girlfriend — a McMahon Hall resident — suggested he spend the night at her apartment. After all, he was a Fordham student taking classes at both the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center (FLC) campus, and his girlfriend’s roommate was out of town. Ultimately, they decided it was safer for the student to spend the night and take the guest policy violation warning on this occasion. When he arrived at McMahon Hall at 3:11 a.m., however, the security desk turned him away. The guard on duty insisted that guest sign-ins end at 3 a.m., yet his “proof” was a bolded sign on the counter reading, “All guests must be signed out by host by 3:30AM.” Notably, nothing mentioned a 3 a.m. sign-in cutoff. Not wanting to cause a bigger issue, the student and his girlfriend set off from 60th Street in the middle of the night, now trying to get to Bergenwood, New Jersey.

Observer the

Layout Editor Roop Somal Photo Editor Lucien Fischer Asst. Photo Editors Elisa Luna Adrianna Pizzuta Copy Editors Georgia Bernhard Lara Popovic News Editors Mackenzie Cooper Michelle Wilson Asst. News Editors Aleena Siddiqui Sophia Stephan Opinions Editor Vee Venning Arts & Culture Editor Indira Bush Lainey Collier LUCIEN FISCHER/THE OBSERVER

Though commuters make up a significant portion of the student body, dorm guest policies continue to isolate them.

being excluded by the current policies. This includes our resident advisors (RAs) and resident first-year mentors (RFMs). I heard from a first-year McKeon RFM that her initial excitement to hold the leadership position and host the events with the Residential Life (Reslife) team was squashed by other team members. They warned her that it is isolating, since they would be away from their friends in McMahon Hall and instead will be confined to the first-year-only McKeon Hall. Even with this warning, the RFM didn’t really expect it to be as isolating as she says it is now. She described feeling like a burden to the friends who sign her into McMahon Hall and feeling like there’s a ticking clock counting down the minutes until she has to be signed out. The same policies that isolate our RAs and RFMs also affect our first-year students, particularly those residing in the mainly upperclassman McMahon Hall. It’s ironic that Reslife does so much to build community – with floor events and first-year activities – but simultaneously upholds the single-most significant policy that separates the small population of first-year students in McMahon Hall from the first-yearonly McKeon Hall. While the separation of first-years and upperclassmen is likely a benefit to students who are easing into college life, the university can surely find a middle ground that maintains the benefits of the policy while allowing for increased mobility for freshmen in separate buildings.

It seems obvious that when the rules are no longer helping our community, something needs to be done. These examples are just a few illustrations of the shortcomings of the current guest policy. It seems obvious that when the rules are no longer helping our community, something needs to be done. So what could have happened differently the night that the aforementioned Fordham student was turned away from McMahon Hall under inconsistent policies? One suggestion is an “emergency guest pass” that students can use one to two nights a semester for unforeseen circumstances. This would ensure the safety of Fordham’s students and guests in rare situations, without opening up too much room for the abuse of this leniency. Another change should be clarification of the existing rules. A laminated card that states guests must be signed out by

3:30 a.m. should not be used to turn students away at 3:11 a.m. If the cutoff time is 3 a.m. for sign-ins, that needs to be clearly communicated to students to avoid issues such as this one. And for the commuter population more broadly, how could different policies integrate them into our Fordham community more effectively? Mili proposed a solution similar to a policy already in place at Fordham: the Commuter Affiliate Program for First-Year students. According to Fordham’s official website, “all first-year commuter students are able to gain access to McKeon Hall from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. on weekdays,” which Mili was grateful for as a first-year. Although she lives on campus now, she suggested that the policy be extended for sophomore, junior and senior commuters to scan into McMahon Hall similarly. In addition to expanded class levels participating in the program, Mili hopes to see the hours of the program extended to the same hours as the daytime guest hours. This proposed policy would eliminate “the awkward feeling of being a burden” and help narrow a gap that already exists between residents and commuters. If this policy was extended, commuters would be able to spend time in residents’ rooms, lounges or attend floor events to strengthen their relationships and role in the community. This proposed policy could also benefit the RAs and RFMs who experience isolation in their Reslife positions. For student Reslife staff, particularly those residing in McKeon Hall, their roles should not come at the cost of their social well-being and relationships with those residing in other buildings. If RAs and RFMs could also participate in the proposed extended version of the Commuter Affiliate Program for First-Year students, the feelings of isolation could be altogether avoided. In fact, Om Patel, current head of FLC’s RA Union, stated that the suggestion of allowing Reslife student workers better accessibility into McMahon Hall was proposed in an October 2025 RA/RFM Council meeting, but ultimately the change was not put into effect. However, revisiting this proposal would do much good for students on the Reslife team. Because none of these solutions are beyond the university’s means, nor would they require significant funding, the Fordham administration should make efforts to revise the guest policy at FLC promptly. After all, at the heart of Fordham’s mission is cura personalis, to care for the whole person. This care should include our entire student body, residents and commuters alike, as well as their safety and social needs.

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POLICIES AND PROCEDURES • No part of The Observer may be reprinted or reproduced without the expressed written consent of The Observer board. • Letters to the Editor should be typed and sent to The Observer, Fordham University, 140 West 62nd Street, Room G32, New York, NY 10023, or emailed to fordhamobserver@gmail.com. Length should not exceed 200 words. All letters must be signed and include contact information, official titles and year of graduation (if applicable) for verification. If submitters fail to include this information, the editorial board will do so at its own discretion. • The Observer has the right to withhold any submissions from publication and will not consider more than two letters from the same individual on one topic. The Observer reserves the right to edit all letters and submissions for content, clarity and length. • Opinions articles and commentaries represent the view of their authors. These articles are in no way the views held by the editorial board of The Observer or Fordham University. • The Editorial is the opinion held by a majority of The Observer’s editorial board. The Editorial does not necessarily reflect the views held by Fordham University. • To reach an editor by e-mail, visit www.fordhamobserver.com

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September 23, 2026

We Need to Abolish Prisons

Opinions

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Instead of funding prisons that only serve to harm disenfranchised communities, our tax money should go towards solutions that can truly make a change GEORGIA BERNHARD Copy Editor

T

he U.S. only makes up 4% of the world’s population, but 25% of the world’s prison population. Why? Do we have a more criminal population? Of course not. The answer is that our prison system is both incredibly expansive and deeply unjust. Currently, almost two million Americans are living in prison. You’d think that this fact would cause outrage, but it doesn’t. To the vast majority, this is a success of the state; two million people in cages is two million “bad people” out of public life. We are taught to fear crime, and that prisons are its solution. This belief is based on two dangerous falsehoods, both of which have allowed for the systematic abuse of the millions who have been trapped inside the prison system. The first untruth that the prison system is founded upon is that prisons actually reduce crime. Despite what decades of fear-mongering surrounding the necessity for harsh law and order would have the American public believe, prisons don’t have any material claim to prevent crime. When observing other countries that have strict sentencing systems, there isn’t actually any strong empirical relationship between the development of prisons and lowered crime rates. Overall, more prisons have never actually been shown to decrease crime, despite what our policymakers may tell us. This same lack of a meaningful correlation between prisons and managing crime extends as well to harsher sentences and punishments, which similarly have no evidence to show for their efficacy in crime prevention. Our nation is presently full of prisons established for seemingly no reason other than habit. Through this, poor communities, particularly poor Black and Latino communities, are trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty by the carceral system. It is not up for debate that the prison system disproportionately affects people of color, who make up almost seven in 10 people in prison. Reflecting on the stark racial disparities in the carceral system, political activist and professor Angela Davis wrote in her foundational work, “Are Prisons Obsolete?” about how institutions can uphold racism through cloaking inequality, as we’re less inclined to see racism in what we view as neutral systems. Our dominant cultural narrative that some communities just happen to commit more crime is both factually and ethically wrong. As has been exhibited in a diverse array of places worldwide, the psychological pressures and lack of alternatives for social mobility unique to poverty are what lead to the disproportionate levels of crime in poor neighborhoods. Through tactics such as hot spots and broken windows policing that geographically target poor communities of color, a cycle of poverty that feeds into incarceration, which then feeds back into poverty, is kept alive. While we reason away that every person in a prison cell unequivocally deserves to stay there — that it is normal and rational for the state to have the power to decide how, and for how long, to punish people — the reality that prisons are built upon obscenely

GRAPHICS COURTESY OF PRISON POLICY INITIATIVE

Despite the millions we allow to be imprisoned, incarceration has not been empirically shown to actually combat crime.

Community-based initiatives show great promise in addressing the root causes of criminality for lasting change.

blatant institutional racism stares us in the face. While poor people of color are kept in the prison system at shockingly disproportionate rates, the prison system disadvantages poor communities of color in a host of other ways. According to recent estimates, we spend $417 billion in taxes per year on the prison system. On the one hand, the prison system drains public funds that could be going to consistently underfunded community-based initiatives in these communities. Alongside this, the carceral system does severe damage to disenfranchised communities by ripping away their members. Research demonstrates that incarceration may actually serve to increase crime through this deleterious breakdown of community. When people are taken to prison, their freedom isn’t the only thing taken from them; parents are removed from families, and social groups decay. Family members that would contribute to household income become a financial burden on their relatives, who are made to spend an average of $4,000 a year on commissary and other expenses related to their relatives’ incarceration. Overall, estimates state that American families collectively spend around $350 billion on the effects of their loved ones’ imprisonment. Criminality naturally increases in communities with high rates of incarceration as it is these social structures — family, friends, community groups — that play a crucial role in fostering social

cohesion and preventing the factors that lead individuals to commit crime. Coupled with the harsh economic strain levied by the removal of members, particularly parents, from households, and the expenses forced upon their families, continual incarceration creates a crushing cycle of community disenfranchisement that only leads to more incarceration. In addition to being an ineffective drain on taxpayer dollars, prisons are an industry that makes private actors, in partnership with the state, a profit. This profit accrued via the prison system is often referred to as the prison-industrial complex, a term popularized by Angela Davis. Perhaps the more widely recognized part of the prison-industrial complex is the private prison. Private prisons are run by companies that have contracts with the state, which are incentivized to have as many people in their prisons, while spending as little money on their food, healthcare and other needs, as possible. And while the injustice of private prisons is striking, this should not distract from the equivalent injustice of state-run institutions. Private prisons only make up approximately 8% of the U.S. prison population. As for the public prisons in which the other 92% live, there are countless contracts that companies selling food, clothes and other essentials to prisons have with our government. In public and private prisons alike, a disturbing dimension of the 13th Amendment allows for prison labor to be exploited

for little or no pay. As of estimates made in 2022, prison labor generates roughly $11 billion in revenue annually for companies such as Target, Whole Foods and Walmart, among countless others. In spite of these realities, many still have apprehensions about abolition when it comes to violent crime. But the fact is, for every serial killer jailed, droves of those who’ve been convicted on drug offenses and petty crimes spend inordinate periods of their lives in prison. Currently, about half of the population of federal prisons consists of people imprisoned on the basis of drug offenses. Furthermore, abolition does not mean chaos or lawlessness. Abolitionist alternatives that address largely class-based crimes — such as theft and drug abuse — also acknowledge the need for a way to keep the relatively small number of dangerous individuals from harming others. For one, though, prisons do not prevent the initial crime from occurring; imprisonment occurs after an offense has been committed, including violent ones. Still, proposals to address such individuals through the use of mental health institutions, and as some abolitionists posit, the sparse use of some institutions to keep people who may hypothetically be resistant to rehabilitation. But we cannot forget that it is this dangerous idea, that prisons are the places where we send unambiguously bad people, that allows us to permit

the gut-wrenching cruelties that take place within prison walls. Further than apathy to this rampant problem of violence and sexual abuse within the carceral system, it seems to be tacitly understood that the rape, physical violence and psychological abuse in prison cells — or in closet-sized solitary confinement chambers, as roughly 120,000 Americans currently spend their days in — is really a feature of the punishment. But people don’t only suffer from the damage incurred during their imprisonment. The lack of resources and legal obstacles placed before employment and financial stability after release go on to act as quieter, though equally pernicious, forms of abuse. Research has shown that non-custodial forms of justice, in which people are not placed in prisons, can be more effective at reducing recidivism (the rate at which formerly imprisoned people return to prison). These community-based initiatives can include rehabilitative programs aimed at personal accountability and development, access to addiction and mental health services, and community service. Though often derided for being frivolous and a drain on resources, this ignores the exorbitant expenditures of our current prison system. However, this change would require not only the sacrifice of profit as provided by the prison-industrial complex, but something more significant. It would make the state divest from the simple, brute-force method it has used to manage the blowback of disenfranchisement instead of building structural change. The prison system allows the state to continue to ignore communities that it has historically and currently disadvantages. With prisons, the state can blame said communities for the effects of their economic, racial and social disenfranchisement by reframing these issues as actually being the effects of the crime randomly caused by community members. The rebuilding of our justice system would be immensely difficult. But as our $417 billion in taxes show, we have resources to do it. Prisons don’t benefit us. They fail to prevent crime and instead systematically harm poor communities of color. The solution? To divest taxpayer dollars from prisons and to reinvest into community initiatives in disenfranchised neighborhoods. If we properly fund schools, healthcare, mental health and drug rehabilitation centers, and the basic necessities of life — such as housing, food and water needed to survive, and healthcare — in these neighborhoods, people will not be effectively strong-armed by their lack of resources into the prison system. We are paying billions to harm countless Americans and their communities by funding, yes, a non-functioning, but also a truly damaging system. We make our country worse through our anxieties surrounding the supposedly “bad” people that we are told we are putting in prison. A day must come when we cease to allow such fears, rooted in class and racial prejudice, to rip freedom away from millions of people. Instead of wielding punishment, we must offer investment. Only through this will cycles of disenfranchisement fade, and will healing have a chance to begin.

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Opinions September 23, 2026 THE OBSERVER

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Protect Bad Writing

Commodification and commercialization threaten the livelihood of fanfiction ZOË HSU DOO Contributing Writer

T

he first time I read, “She was a non-active member of the order and did not fight,” the final line in SenLinYu’s “Manacled,” I was hiding my phone in class and nearly dropped it in awe. Years later, when I saw the same line on the shelves of my local bookstore, I nearly dropped the book in anger. In September 2025, Del Rey Books published “Alchemised.” The novel was originally published in April 2018 on Archive of Our Own (AO3) under the title “Manacled” as a Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy fanfiction. The pull-to-publish of this beloved fanfiction became shrouded in controversy. As publishing houses increasingly mine fandoms for the next big hit, the commodification and commercialization of fanfiction is killing the creative space it grew from. Loss of fandom etiquette, copyright and pressure towards conformity are eroding the community from within.

Known for subversive plots and diverse characters, fanfiction holds a space for representation and subject matter that mainstream publishing often shies away from. Regardless of how small a fandom (a community of enthusiastic fans), fanfiction is a central tenet of every fandom. Fanfiction, or fanfic, is fiction written by fans based on an existing work. In modern day, the mention of fanfiction conjures ideas of messy buns and being sold to One Direction, but its roots are older than the internet. The majority of Shakespeare’s famous plays were based on preexisting stories, mythology, or history. Renowned authors, such as Agatha Christie and Mark Twain, wrote pastiches, work imitating other artists as a homage, based on Sherlock Holmes. Stories have and always will be constantly retold and rewritten. The first published fanfiction was “Spockanalia,” a “Star Trek” fanzine, created by Devra Langsam and Sherna Comerford, in 1967. Self-made zines similar to it began circulating the fan space at a cost for materials but not profit.

Traditionally, fanfiction functions on a gift economy, where writers share stories for free and readers “repay” them through comments, reviews and community engagement. The non-commercial ethic became the principle that fandoms follow now. When FanLib launched in 2007 as a for-profit site hoping to monetize fan

LUCIEN FISCHER/THE OBSERVER

Fanfiction provides a unique opportunity for writers and readers to engage, but commercialization threatens this balance.

works, backlash from the fans inspired the Organization for Transformative Works (OTW). OTW went on to create AO3, a nonprofit home for fan creators. Now the biggest fanfiction platform, AO3, along with Wattpad, houses over 18 million works. Whether it is 200 words of poorly written drafts with no plot or 200,000 words of some of the most beautiful literature in the world, fanfiction fulfills a decidedly basic human desire: our need for more. When a TV show has a terrible ending or when a fan-favorite is killed off or when people simply want to see more of the characters, fans can create their own stories, and others get to enjoy them. Known for subversive plots and diverse characters, fanfiction holds a space for representation and subject matter that mainstream publishing often shies away from. As fanfiction-turned books find commercial success and screen adaptations, fandoms are increasingly flooded by newcomers from social media, leading to a loss of fandom etiquette. Part of fanfiction’s beauty is how it connects the fandom communities, serving as a shared reference point and means to interact with each other. Within the fanfiction community, fans are expected to be respectful and supportive of authors and fellow fans. Traditionally, fanfiction functions on a gift economy, where writers share stories for free and readers “repay” them through comments, reviews and community engagement. The gift economy only works when all parties understand the exchange. So what happens when actual money enters the fanfiction space? On AO3, the influx of new fans has brought different expectations and a growing emphasis on statistics. Much like the TikTok commenter who demands the next videos, some readers are bringing the same energy to AO3, demanding the next installment from authors. The difference is that influencers on TikTok can monetize their videos, while fanfiction authors gain nothing from posting. Multiple authors have complained about rude comments and unwanted critiques left on the work.

Best versed by Redditor thewritegrump in r/FanFiction, “We’re not content machines chasing an algorithm, we’re people telling stories for no reason other than we want to tell them. Not that fanfic is a noble pursuit or anything like that, but it is a labor of love that we do because we feel passionate about it and I think there is something special about that that we can’t lose sight of.” Suddenly, the ratio of hits to kudos is what matters, and the gift of fanfiction is measured like a product.

Fanfiction’s value is that it is a low-stakes space where imperfect writing is allowed. Fanbinding, the practice of turning digital fanfiction into custom-made books, is acceptable only when done for personal, noncommercial use, and when the author permits it. Yet some people sell these bound books for profit on Etsy, violating the gifting economy fanfiction is built on. This is not only a breach of the author’s wishes and copyright of the original story the fanfiction is based on, but the people gaining a profit are unauthorized binders. The majority of the blame rests on the sellers ignoring the author’s explicit request, but the demand for these books showcases how scale and money have transformed the fanfiction world. Traditional publishers and illegal binders scrub AO3 for their next cash cow, yet the author sees none of the money. “We do this for free — this is a gift economy & fanfiction should be treated as just that: a gift,” Gillian Eliza West said, a traditionally published and fanfiction author, regarding taking down her Dramione fanfiction “Mon Couteau Aiguisé.” In “It’s About Who You Know: Social Capital, Hierarchies and Fandom,” Bertha Chin, a media studies lecturer at the National University of Singapore, describes how fandoms’ ranking systems let newcomers bypass what works the community

considers badly written and go straight to “classics within the fandom.” Shortcuts like this reward what is already popular, teaching writers that visibility is the goal. Within the crowded, oversaturated space, the pressure to stand out pushes writers to take shortcuts of their own. An anonymous group of fans revealed the highly popular “Heated Rivalry” fic, “Wolfbird,” was written with artificial intelligence (AI) Claude. Included in the exposé as AI-generated were writings based on “Off-Campus,” “Stranger Things” and “The Pitt.” For a community built on the gift economy’s core premise that a story represents someone’s time and effort, using AI in fanfiction is essentially a literary war crime. Fanfiction is inherently human, fulfilling the need for storytelling, community and the reworking of original works, and generative AI goes against all three. Generative AI capitalizes on writers’ insecurities around not writing quickly or polished enough. Instead of an environment in which people are passionately and earnestly creating, the pressure to produce quickly and in volume is widespread. The solution is to protect bad writing. Fanfiction’s value is that it is a low-stakes space where imperfect writing is allowed. The large variety of fans ensures space for imperfect beginners’ writing and literary masterpieces alike. Writers can learn, experiment and fail in front of a supportive audience while doing something they love. Commercialization raises those stakes. Commercialization also exposes fanfiction to a copyright risk that the genre’s non-commercial roots never had to face. Fanfiction generally qualifies as a transformative work under U.S. copyright laws, protected by the fair use doctrine. In practice, original authors do typically not sue fanfiction writers, rather they can issue takedown notices under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, and platforms must remove the work regardless of whether it qualifies as fair use. Depending on the authors’ stance on fanfiction ranging from encouragement to legal opposition, the original authors and fanfiction authors remain

relatively unscathed as long as it remains unprofitable. Commercial companies like Wattpad, disrupt this balance. Wattpad’s terms of service allow it to host and distribute user-content, such as original novels or manuscripts behind a paywall on Wattpad Originals, some writers are able to navigate copyright obstacles and publish by “filling off the serial number” — stripping the fanfiction of anything resembling the source material. Anna Todd did this when turning her Harry Styles fanfic, “After” into a published novel. These platforms profiting off of modified fanfiction give the original rights owners far more reason to enforce their copyright than when fans write completely for free. Others may argue that fanfiction provides a valuable alternative path into the notoriously difficult publishing industry. Since fanfiction typically handles more unconventional content, its commercial success can introduce diverse stories to shelves that otherwise would have been rejected. While publishing success may benefit individual authors, the community they originated from is still harmed. SenLinYu’s decision to pull “Manacled” from AO3 due to her book deal with Del Rey Books and struggles with fanbinding was met with mixed reactions. Many readers were upset that her original story was no longer available, most notably the author herself. Left with no other option, “Manacled” was officially removed on January 1, 2025. “Manacled” is far from the first published work to start as a fanfiction: “Fifty Shades of Grey” started as a “Twilight” fanfiction, and the newly adapted “The Love Hypothesis,” a “Star Wars” fanfic. Despite commercial success of pull-to-publish accounts, the sole success stories do not negate the harm brought on the culture of fandoms. Publishers only take up a marketable slice of fandom’s diversity. In the early 2010s, the Omegaverse, a common plot device in fanfiction originated in queer, M/M (male/male) fanfiction examining gender exploration and mature themes. When Omegaverse entered the mainstream publishing market, queer stories were erased in favor of M/F (male/female) romances surrounding fated mates. As long as writers still want to get published, they will be tempted to appeal to a mainstream audience. Consequently, the unique content that fanfiction is known for dies out. Seeing the final line from “Manacled” coupled with the iconic final image, altered for the bookstore shelf, is seared into my mind. Once a story shared and written for the community, it was forced into commercialization by encompassing pressure to achieve the peak of fanfiction success, from both its own community and from publishers. The entrance of money and commercialization into a gift economy changed the rules, manners and incentives central to fanfiction. Fanfiction exists because people want stories the mainstream media refuses to give them, and when niche and imperfect work disappears, that need goes unmet. Bad writing and experimentation are synonymous with fanfiction and their protection is crucial in encouraging the next generation of readers and writers.

Arts & Culture Editors Indira Bush Lainey Collier

Arts & Culture What ‘Serena Joy’ Sings Back:

September 23, 2026 THE OBSERVER

Olivia Rodrigo Brings Atwood to Gen Z

Rodrigo’s latest song brings literature into mainstream Gen Z culture by reinterpreting Margaret Atwood’s complex character and addressing womanhood and autonomy By NEHIR CETIN Staff Writer

Pop singer Olivia Rodrigo’s newly released song “Serena Joy” brings attention to one of the most complex women in literature. Inspired by Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the song revolves around Serena Joy, a woman who is both powerful and challenged by the dystopian society of Gilead. Serena Joy is a victim of the laws of a society that restricts women’s independence. In Gilead, women are divided into different social roles, including Wives, Marthas and Handmaids, each with different levels of status. As the wife of a commander, her status extends her authority over other women, but she is still restricted by the same society that gives her said authority. This issue is brought into the present era by Rodrigo’s choice to name the song after Serena Joy. Instead of portraying her as a figure who can be categorized as either good or bad, the song explicitly addresses her intricacy. Rodrigo integrates a persona from the 1980s, sparking up a conversation that still holds extreme significance today. Serena Joy becomes more than just a character from a novel you once read. She represents all women having to conform to societal expectations while struggling with power and

GRAPHIC BY ELIZABETH RIABOV/THE OBSERVER

Olivia Rodrigo’s “Serena Joy” references a character from Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

control over their own autonomy. Her character proves that having authority over certain things does not necessarily mean having the right to make choices on your own will. The risks of accepting the traditional standards without challenging them are stressed in Rodrigo’s lyrics. She begins the song with the following: “Yeah, it’s all for the cause / For the good of us all / And if you close your eyes / Then it can’t be your fault.”

Rodrigo suggests that women can tend to be ignorant of the patriarchal norms created by society, thinking that what they cannot see cannot hurt them. However, ultimately, the “cause” Rodrigo mentions is the future, and if we continue to avoid these misogynistic issues, they will eventually affect us all. The lines “If they do it to them / They’ll do it to you,” make this point even more compelling. “Them” refers to women who are suffering, and “they” refers

to women who are shielded from reality, but this division is not eternal. Serena Joy is a prime example: She inevitably loses many of the privileges she had — including reading and writing — even though she used her status to support the patriarchy that Gilead had established. Her character proves how control over others may lead to a disillusionment of safety when such control does not equate to personal autonomy. Although “The Handmaid’s Tale” was first published in 1985,

Serena Joy’s role in the novel can still be used to address modern conflict and disadvantages women face on a daily basis. Rather than limiting the character to Atwood’s work, Rodrigo brings Serena Joy to a much larger audience. This way, Gen Z listeners get a fresh opportunity to discover a character that they might not have related to otherwise. The song can serve as an introduction for learning about the book and its broader topics. When literature reaches mainstream media that younger audiences frequently consume, it becomes more than something that is simply studied. It can also be reinterpreted and understood in new ways. Serena Joy, who was first created more than 40 years ago, poses issues that still affect women today, influencing Rodrigo’s lyrical choices. By giving Serena Joy a new voice through music, Rodrigo helps take Serena Joy out of the context of just Atwood’s creation. This helps audiences today view her in a different way than earlier generations might have. Rodrigo’s “Serena Joy” demonstrates that literature can go beyond historical boundaries. Reimagining a character in a different way can serve as a reminder that the voices we engage with can evolve even after we shut the book.

‘Adults’ Gets What It Means to Be Gen Z

After a highly anticipated release, season two proves to be everything fans hoped for and more By ZOELLE DIEPPA Contributing Writer

Currently, the hardest task in television is writing a believable Generation Z character. Too often, writers treat being young as synonymous with a lack of vocabulary and caring more about an Instagram feed than anything else. However, there is one show that just seems to get it: FX’s “Adults.” The show’s second season premiered on Aug. 27, with all eight episodes dropping on Hulu at once. Unlike most shows that claim to capture Gen Z, “Adults” does not feel like it was written by someone who thinks “67” is the apex of our generation’s humor. The series follows five 20-something-year-olds — Samir (Malik Elassal), Billie (Lucy Freyer), Paul Baker (Jack Innanen), Issa (Amita Rao) and Anton (Owen Thiele) — who live together in Samir’s childhood home in Queens. The first season of the show laid the groundwork for the characters’ personalities and the group’s dynamic, and did so fantastically. Young audiences fell in love with the characters because they were finally seeing themselves on screen, flaws and all. The season’s crowning moment was the last episode’s cliffhanger, leaving viewers wondering how the beloved group dynamic will face a major shift. Season two picks up with the group navigating the increasingly complicated relationship between Issa, Paul Baker and Anton. Although romance remains one of the season’s biggest questions, “Adults” wisely refuses to make it seem like dating is the only thing worth worrying about in your 20s.

The TV series “Adults” shows the raw, authentic lives of Gen Z New Yorkers.

Instead, it tackles the much more terrifying question: What happens when you get to that age where you thought you would have everything figured out, but realize you still do not know anything at all? One example of this occurs in episode two, “Fake ID,” when Billie becomes determined to prove she is still young and cool to the 20-year-old girl who inherited her old fake ID. What begins as a ridiculous attempt to reclaim her youth eventually reveals something much more uncomfortable: Billie is unemployed and terrified because her life looks nothing like what she expected. The jokes in this episode land perfectly because the fear underneath them does, too.

This anxiety appears throughout the season. Changing friendships, career uncertainty, relationship drama and the fear of being “ordinary” constantly lurk beneath the group’s increasingly unhinged antics. “Adults” understands that your 20s are far from the carefree experience past TV shows have promised and instead acknowledges that they are more of a series of stupid mistakes. It is hilarious, yet stupid. In episode four, “Raccoon,” the housemates partake in a communal acid trip that is interrupted by some furry intruders, catalyzing a chain reaction of misunderstandings amongst the group. Between absurd metaphors, a reenactment from “Love, Actually” and a spicy

COURTESY OF FX

makeout scene turned hairy, the creature-induced chaos makes for an especially memorable episode. Sometimes, it takes a home invasion to remind us that the key to healthy relationships is not recreational drug use, but honest communication. Considering its emotional depth, “Adults” manages to maintain its sense of humor. It is aggressively meta, endlessly quotable and packed with memorable cameos from Gen Z icons. Its star-studded guest list includes Raven-Symoné as Anton’s sister, Gaten Matarazzo, Jake Shane, “Girls” actress Zosia Mamet, Julia Fox and more. Any New Yorker watching will feel seen by the never-ending stream of street interviewers who are constantly

trapping Paul Baker during his commute and may even recognize some of their favorites from social media. Beyond the cameos, the show is filled with bits destined to live rent-free in viewers’ heads: Issa’s “weird little guy,” Paul Baker’s “other” friend group and the humorously catchy song of the summer: “Hiccups (Body Go Crazy).” The most anticipated scene belongs to Paul Baker and Anton. After eight episodes of silent yearning and enough chemistry to power New York City’s electrical grid, the pair finally face the romantic tension fans have been waiting to see play out since season one. “Adults,” however, would not be what it is without complicating things. Those two are not the only characters whose relationships take an unexpected turn, and the season’s ending has once again left viewers demanding more. All in all, showrunners Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw have created a season that manages to be both completely ridiculous and surprisingly sincere. The show works so well because its characters are not unrealistic aspirations of human beings. They are messy. They are occasionally selfish. They make terrible decisions, but they are also scared of all the same things that we are: getting a job, finding love, choosing the right path and being a good friend. So, if you are looking for something to binge with your roommates this semester, “Adults” is the obvious choice. It is funny, weird, painfully relatable and most importantly, understands that nobody actually knows how to be a “good” adult. We are all just pretending we do.

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Arts & Culture Sepember 23, 2026

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER

The Women Modernism Forgot

Fordham celebrated the launch of Anne Fernald’s new book on eight radical 20th century women BOOK LAUNCH from page 1

It was very important to Fernald to represent a diversity of women from various professional fields, backgrounds and sexualities. She was reminded of the significance of this mission while reading a collective biography where, halfway through the book, the author coyly remarked that all the women in her book were white women from Boston like herself, and perhaps that was the reason why she liked them. Fernald was taken aback. “Ooh, note to self: Never do this. That can’t be the reason for your set (of women), is that they all look like me and remind me of myself.’ And so, I had to push against that bad book,” Fernald said.

“ Changing your mind

is so powerful, and it’s so hard to admit, and we have so little grace for it in the political landscape right now, but it’s so necessary.”

Anne Fernald, Fordham professor

Fernald discussed how, in the years between beginning to write the book (during the second Obama administration) and the time of publication today, the political climate has changed dramatically. A self-described optimist, Fernald said she originally felt that she was writing a book about things getting better. While writing, she had to strike a balance between the triumphalist narratives she was inclined toward and spotlighting the women’s struggles. She found that balance in their persistence after disappointment. “These are hopeful stories, but they’re hopeful stories about struggle,” Fernald said. “I really need to remind myself of these stories because I’m feeling the barrage of distrust of women, hatred of women, attacks on women, and to remember what the women before us went through and what they were able to achieve and how they persisted is really, really important.” Fernald added that she always thought the stories would be interesting, but did not imagine that “we would be in a place where people would be so hungry for these stories.” Of the eight women, Harlem

Renaissance novelist Jesse Redmon Fauset and English writer Vera Brittain are Fernald’s favorites: Fauset for her endurance and Brittain for her tenacity. Fernald described Brittain’s rage at the discrimination she faced as a woman and how it is conveyed in her writing. This contradicts the associations with conservative values that Brittain’s proper and feminine image might bring. Brittain was a conventionally attractive woman, and being pretty was something that she wrote and thought a lot about. This was not mere vanity; Brittain felt that, as an activist representing left-wing social movements, she would be taken more seriously if she looked like the stereotypical portrayal of a nice, respectable young woman — sweet and mild-mannered — according to Fernald. The underestimation of especially feminine women like Brittain really stood out to Fernald. “Sometimes I, even in my own thinking, still get caught in ‘pretty and vulnerable, ugly and strong.’ And so, ‘pretty and strong’ is always super cool,” Fernald said. “Also, I’m very interested in and affected by all the same pressures of attractiveness that all women are affected by. I’m not proud of that, and I fight it in my own way, but I think about it.” The politics of fashion and gender expression played out in each of the eight women’s lives in different ways, Fernald explained. “Warner was not pretty, got over that (and) didn’t think of herself as pretty, but had an entire girlhood with a mom who was disappointed not to have a pretty daughter,” Fernald said. “And that’s scarring.” Una Marson, a Jamaican activist and writer in 1930s London, refused to straighten her hair and wore colorful clothes that were popular in Jamaica at the time despite the pressures, as a Black woman, to conform to white beauty standards. “Part of what I’m trying to write about in this book is there are different paths for different people and different performances of your gender that’ll be available to you depending on who you are and what you’re comfortable with and where you are in your life,” Fernald said. Another message that was particularly important to Fernald from Brittain’s life was how vocal and public she was about changing her mind. Brittain wrote a memoir, “Testament of Youth,” about World War I. As a young woman, she was staunchly patriotic and encouraged her fiance and brother to enlist in the war.

LAINEY COLLIER/THE OBSERVER

After the event, attendees lined up to purchase copies of Fernald’s book and get them signed.

LUCIEN FISCHER/THE OBSERVER

Fernald’s new book, “Her Own Voice: Eight Women Who Rewrote Life and Art,” is a collective biography on eight 20th century women who shaped modernism.

Two of her brother’s best friends also enlisted. All four died. After these losses, Brittain spent the rest of her life advocating for peace. Nonetheless, she remained quite generous to her younger self, which Fernald found “deeply, deeply touching.” “Changing your mind is so powerful, and it’s so hard to admit, and we have so little grace for it in the political landscape right now, but it’s so necessary,” Fernald said. This concept aligns with Fernald’s broader vision for the book, which is to depict women who made bold decisions about who they wanted to be and what they wanted their lives to look like, in ways that would have been unimaginable for their mothers.

COURTESY OF ANNE FERNALD

Anne Fernald Fordham professor of English and women, gender and sexuality studies is a leading expert on Virginia Woolf.

To open the event, Fernald read from her chapter on Fauset. The reading focused on a party celebrating the publication of Fauset’s first novel, “There is Confusion,” at which, to quote Fernald’s electric cold open, “Fauset’s career as a novelist nearly ended the night it began.” “There is Confusion” served as a major catalyst for the start of the Harlem Renaissance. During the party, a series of male writers, editors and publishers gave speeches diminishing Fauset’s achievements and praising the younger generation of Black writers, a group from which Fauset (at 42 years old) was clearly excluded. With characteristic humor, Fernald acknowledged the irony of reading about a book launch that went awry. “I realized when I picked this that I maybe was tempting fate by reading about an event gone wrong at an event, but so far so good,” Fernald laughed. Fauset struggled for much of her life with being taken seriously as a Black woman in male-dominated literary circles. Prior to the publication of her first novel, she worked as an editor and mentored various younger male writers, helping them not just for the sake of their own personal success, but for the proliferation of Black art, and, more broadly, the advancement of literature itself. However, she had a real “hunger to be considered as a peer of the younger men whom she mentored,” Fernald said. Fauset also did not shy from standing up for herself throughout her life. Of the eight women, Dorothy Arzner, a pioneering American filmmaker, stands out as the only one who is not a writer — though she wrote some screenplays early

in her career. Fernald decided to include Arzner after she kept coming up in her courses, particularly in conversation with students who are dancers. Fernald began thinking about one of Arzner’s films, “Dance Girl Dance,” which she often teaches. For a “super conventional movie that just looks like a rom-com from the ’40s,” the film is remarkably feminist, Fernald said. It follows Lucille Ball as a burlesque dancer and Maureen O’Hara as a ballerina. Both are in love with a guy “who’s an idiot,” according to Fernald, but neither settles for him, unlike so many romance movies. “(The film shows that) both ways of being a woman are valuable and powerful and cool,” Fernald said. Arzner was also one of few openly queer women in Hollywood at the time. Fernald’s next big project is a biography on Fauset. It is already in the works. Offering a small sneak peek, Fernald shared an exciting moment from her time in the archives, reading Fauset’s half-brother’s unpublished diary. In the midst of pages of mundane journal entries, she found a touching segment written shortly after Fauset’s death. “(He wrote:) ‘We buried Jessie a couple months ago. This is the first I’ve been able to write about it. How sad that she never had the career that she should have had.’ So that was stunning to read. And such an incredible quote,” Fernald said. Fernald is looking forward to continuing her work on the biography and a series of coming guest lectures and book events in New York, Florida, California, Washington D.C. and beyond.

THE OBSERVER September 23, 2026

www.fordhamobserver.com

Arts & Culture

15

To Flip or Flop?: New Yorkers Weigh in on Flip-Flop Concerns Uncovering the secret as to why so many New York City residents avoid flip-flops despite the recent craze By KEVA ELIE Contributing Writer

Originally worn only on beachside vacations and casual outings, flipflops are evolving into a shoe now worn in almost any situation. By the end of this summer, Vogue declared flip-flops as one of the biggest footwear trends of 2026. Despite their newfound popularity on social media, New York City residents hold a wide range of opinions about the shoe, with many New Yorkers expressing an aversion to them for health reasons. New to the city from Midland, Texas, Logan Patterson, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’30, loves flip-flops. “They look cute with jeans; they look cute with shorts; and they’re just comfortable,” he said. Patterson also added that while flip-flops may be considered a recent microtrend, they have a lasting power in fashion culture. “I feel like even though it’s summer, it’s still really obvious that they’ve become popular because last summer, people were wearing Birkenstocks or even just sneakers, but this summer, everyone and their mother were wearing flip-flops. I can also see it carrying over into fall now,” Patterson said. Many factors could have led to the noticeable increase in flipflop wearers this summer, but one highly-discussed sport may be the primary reason. The 2026 FIFA World Cup brought Brazilian fashion and culture to North America through the “Brazilcore” trend. Havaianas, a very distinctly Brazilian brand

GRAPHIC BY CORA COST/THE OBSERVER

Fordham College at Lincoln Center students express differing opinions on the revival of flip-flops.

tied to soccer and Brazilian style, naturally fit the trend. At the same time, flip-flops were having a larger fashion revival in street style and even luxury fashion collections. However, native New Yorkers tell residents like Patterson not to wear them in the city. “I never gave it any consideration before I moved to New York, but once I moved, I was always really hesitant to wear them, because there’s so much just dirt and stuff in the air. It just feels kind of gross to do it,” Patterson said. Flip-flops expose your feet to substances frequently found in metropolitan areas like New York

City, and the open sides remove the barriers that keep grime, unknown liquids and dirt from attaching to your feet. Native New Yorker and Queens resident Zaima Alam, FCLC ’30, also prefers not to wear flip-flops outside. “I’m not going to be wearing them unless I’m going to go to the beach. Also, if you live in New York, especially New York City, it’s not always going to be clean to wear flip-flops,” she said. Additionally, Alam raised concerns about the practicality of wearing flip-flops in urban areas like New York City. “I personally feel like flip-flops could be a safety hazard. Say that

you’re about to take the train and you are going down the stairs, you could easily trip and fall because the flip-flops bend,” Alam said. Ameerah Manigat, FCLC ’30, noted that coming from a suburban area outside of Boston, Massachusetts, wearing flipflops outside is not controversial and very few people discuss health concerns. “You have to be significantly more careful, but after walking thousands of steps in the city, the concerns seem worth it to wear flip-flops instead,” she said. Etaria Maxwell-Oko, FCLC ’30, also agreed with Manigat’s sentiment regarding wearing flip-flops in New York City.

“I actually really like it because at first, I was really embarrassed to wear flip-flops out, because I was scared people would be like, ‘Oh, her toes,’ or ‘her dogs are out.’ But now I feel like I can finally do it without being so self-conscious about who’s looking at my toes,” she said. Regarding health concerns, Maxwell-Oko acknowledged potential sanitary worries, but expressed a differing opinion. “(The concerns) do make a lot of sense, but then at the same time, the entire world is dirty. … And I feel like unless you’re naturally a dirty person, then it shouldn’t really be an issue. When you’re done wearing them, you’re (hopefully) going to go home and wash (your feet),” she said. Dean Toure, FCLC ’30, noted that flip-flops “can look good sometimes,” but they might be a trend that only survives in the summer. “I think it might be a thing that comes back every summer. But I don’t see (the trend) staying … just because it sounds super uncomfortable to be outside with your toes out and freezing for the outfit,” he said. Likewise, the flip-flop trend might not last in its current form as temperatures begin to drop in the fall and winter in New York City. However, if designers like Balenciaga or The Row, who spearheaded the revival of the luxury flip-flop trend with the Ginza shoe, continue featuring the style in their winter collections, the shoe may be able to return as more than just a seasonal footwear staple.

An East Village Hole-in-the-Wall

An air of mystery permeates downtown at Max Wolf Friedlich’s ‘The Holes’ By GRACE PAK Staff Writer

Among the 100-or-so theatrical productions I have seen while at Fordham, few have impacted me as profoundly as Max Wolf Friedlich’s “Job” (Broadway, 2024) with its constant suspense, brilliant twist and hilarious dialogue. When asked about the best play I have seen, I point to that show. The minute “The Holes,” Friedlich’s new off-Broadway play at The Wild Project in the East Village, was announced, I swiftly purchased a ticket, hoping it might hit similar notes as those in my most-cited play. Beyond sharing a playwright, director (Michael Herwitz) and dramaturg (Hannah Getts), “The Holes” and “Job” have in common a small cast, a skillful use of technical elements like sound and set and a sense of absurdity in their concept and writing. However, while the off-kilter story of “The Holes” offers audiences similar moral hypotheticals as “Job,” the play lacks its predecessor’s pacing and payoff.

Amid the secrecy, taboo and stigma surrounding the room, Friedlich comments on religion and faith where and when you least expect it. In “The Holes,” Joey (Bubba Weiler) must rejuvenate his dying father’s struggling bar in an increasingly gentrified, postCOVID Kingston, New York.

GRACE PAK/THE OBSERVER

The program for “The Holes” features art by Melissa Stern, seen here in front of Anna Grigo’s set before the performance begins.

Drowning in debt and straining to finish a semester of college after a decade away, Joey contends with regulars like his high school classmate Carson (Jack Mulhern) and Martha (Tina Benko), a broke friend of his father’s who avoids settling up. To both, the bar is an institution. The first moments of the play reveal that some visit the bar seeking more than a beer, though. Wesley (Grantham Coleman) fumbles his way through his introduction to a world of aliases and suspicious handoffs, ultimately gaining access to a closed side room only men are allowed in. When Wesley returns a number of scenes later, he tells Joey, “My life is now before or after that room.” Meanwhile, Martha explains to Carson how the room has

molded their community — that whatever happens in there unites almost all of Kingston’s men and makes them calmer, kinder. She is unaware that Carson is a frequent visitor himself. Adding to the room’s mystique is Brandon Bulls’ sound design. While a character occupies the room — the inside of which we never see — the theater fills with an oddly peaceful, ocean-like soundscape of waves and seabirds, a stark contrast to the anxiety that prevails for much of the show. We, the audience, are left outside with Joey, who promised his father he would never go in the room, wondering what exactly makes the experience so impactful. Amid the secrecy, taboo and stigma surrounding the room, Friedlich comments on religion

and faith where and when you least expect it. Whatever is in that room, it is holy (and holey) to those who have experienced it. Is it ethical, then, for Joey to charge admission? Do the characters have an obligation to spread the word, or protect it? Each of the four wrestles with these ideas in different ways. Weiler’s Joey is packed with the dry humor of a jaded LGBTQ millennial and a willingness to propel change when opportunity strikes. He is matched by Benko’s Martha, who masterfully balances holding liberal ideologies, a disregard for political correctness and a reverence for tradition in the most humorous performance of the night. Coleman as Wesley acts in increasing desperation,

effectively raising the story’s stakes at critical junctures, while Mulhern’s Carson pushes back against the others’ actions with pathos and speculation, but never to much avail. The actors play on a set designed by Anna Grigo, with all the adornments of a dingy, small-town spot: a neon Coors Light sign in the window, a taxidermied buck’s head and pictures in crooked wooden frames against the wood-paneled walls. The door to the side room is stoic, unadorned and firmly shut. The dark comedy resonates with the body of work Robert Pattinson is building with his production company, Icki Eneo Arlo, which serves as the executive producer of “The Holes.” The show is the company’s first theatrical venture, with the rest of their work being in film, such as the upcoming “Primetime” and “Possession.” Ultimately, moments of the show carry more weight in shock value than advancing the material and a final scene reveals minimal information after a strong buildup to what could have been a significant revelation thwart the play’s attempt at lasting profundity. “The Holes” is nonetheless an interesting two-hour study of faith, identity, desire and desperation — a night of theater designed to be temporarily thought-provoking, but not one that I will reference for years to come. “The Holes” runs at The Wild Project until Oct. 18. Disclaimer: I saw “The Holes” Sept. 15, a week into its limited six-week run. Because the show was in its preview stage, changes may occur before its official opening night, Sept. 22.

Fun & Games Editor Damian Grove

un & ames

September 23, 2026 THE OBSERVER

Crossword: Extra! Extra! Papers this way! 1

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70 BY DAMIAN GROVE

17. Marisa who plays Aunt May in recent “Spider-Man” films 18. Xs in the Greek alphabet 19. Period preceding Easter 20. *Most important, in a newspaper (3 Wds.) 23. “Mother” saint 24. ____-yo 25. As well 28. Second half of a chocolate bar, with 12-Down 31. Anytime, slangily (2 Wds.)

Across 1. “Brave” singer and “Waitress” composer Bareilles 5. Olivia Dean smash hit “So ____ (To Fall in Love)” 9. Tree skin 13. Grown-up 15. Pimples 16. ____ bowl

Cryptogram: The Inside Scoop BY EMAAN EHTASHAM

1. A cryptogram is a puzzle with a hidden message where each letter of the alphabet has been changed to another letter. These changes are consistent throughout the puzzle. For example, A would always be changed to B, and B would always be changed to C.

Down 1. Occupied, as a desk (2 Wds.) 2. InDesign company used to make newspaper layouts 3. Tabloid “truth” before it is verified 4. Advil competitor 5. “To ____ his own” 6. Pain’s partner 7. Get a whiff of 8. The most simple kind of question (3 Wds.) 9. Perhaps shiny, as a head 10. Nail 11. Went through The Fordham Observer upper management election process, say 12. First half of a chocolate bar, with 28-Across 14. Formal accessories for those in established newsrooms 21. Spicy chip, often blue 22. Luna “____” Lovegood whose father ran wizarding magazine The Quibbler 25. Edible stomach lining 26. (More) power 27. Heeds orders 29. Jelly-like substance often used in petri dish experiments 30. The number of periods in a standard ellipsis 32. School organization for guardians 33. Screen format during a broadcast political debate

34. Harry Styles was able to sell out 30 nights in New York City’s most famous one 35. Upper rooms 36. Like a first-year athlete making headlines 37. Destroy, as a newspaper 39. Subway provider (Abbr.) 43. More money spent than earned (2 Wds.) 44. AP News requires spaces before and after an em ____ 50. Many crossword players 52. Possessed 53. “Mission ____!” 54. Viral 2017 social awareness hashtag (2 Wds.) 55. Singer John who sued the publisher of Daily Mail in 2022 alongside other highprofile figures 56. Halts 57. Has remained 58. Ease off 59. Like many taters 60. Show affection for, as a dog 61. Smelting stuff 62. Whoopie ____

Connect-The-Dots: Read All About It

BY DAMIAN GROVE

2. Use the table to help keep track of the letter changes as you decode the message. 3. When you’re done, check the answer key in the bottom right corner!

“ ____ ____ F

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H N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z C

Cryptogram Phrase: “To find the answer, read between the lines. ”

GRAPHICS BY DAMIAN GROVE