Observer issue #13

Observer the

NOVEMBER 19, 2015 VOLUME XXXV, ISSUE 13

www.fordhamobserver.com

Students Call Out Systemic Racism

Photo Feature

By ANA FOTA News Co-Editor

In light of the three reported bias incidents this fall, six invited students addressed the Faculty Senate last week, saying that Fordham has a racist history, and “its present does not erase that,” according to Eric Taylor, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’18. Taylor, a theatre major, cited a security guard making a lynching joke at him as he was carrying ropes on his way to rehearsal as an example of aggression on campus.

Taylor was the first, out of the six students, to speak. “Fordham’s treatment of black and brown students can be called nothing other than violence,” he stated, adding, “The trauma that accompanies living under such a racist institution is damaging to the soul and to the mind. Fordham has a very dark history and its present does not erase that, the only way to move on is to acknowledge it.”

“Do we want our students of color to fear for their lives?” Zann Ballsun-Simms, (FCLC) ’16, asked the audience. “The issue here is that we are terrified to talk about race,” she continued, adding, “I’m tired of not feeling safe in my own home, because Fordham is my home.”

Hans Lueders, FCRH ’16, said “All these stories might seem like horror stories but they are not, they happen daily. Sometimes they happen through microaggressions and sometimes someone carves a racial slur into your door.” Leuder also said that the “burden” of advocating for change should not be placed on the shoulders of those affected by it. “That being said,” he continued, “we will continue to act because we are so invested now. We’ve seen that without student participation, nothing gets done.”

Some anecdotes the students shared were based on responses to a survey they had sent out the week before, which had gotten 22 responses. The survey gave students who would not be present at see SENATE pg. 3

MARTIN NUÑEZ-BONILLA /THE OBSERVER

A vigil to comemorate the victims of the Paris attacks was held at the French Embassy in NYC on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Seeking Solidarity, After the Attacks

By ALEXA MCMENAMIN Opinions Co-Editor

On Thursday, I was wrapped up in the fervor of the controversy at Mizzou when I saw a post on Facebook by a dear friend of mine about suicide bombers in Beirut, Lebanon, her hometown. Dozens were killed and hundreds injured. I became instantaneously concerned, and “liked” the post, in an effort towards solidarity.

I, admittedly, did not share her post.

At the time, the thought of sharing it did not occur to me, for whatever reason. In retrospect, I wonder if things would have been different if I had.

On Friday night, briefly checking my phone, the first thing I saw on my News Feed was an update that a close friend, studying abroad in Paris, had checked in as “safe” on Facebook. I

had no idea what that even meant.

I didn’t find out until later, seeing swaths of French flags, until the death toll rose on each following break I took, until the next morning I woke up and suddenly over a hundred had died. By now, we’ve all learned of the tragedy in Paris, with 129 dead. For many, Facebook was the primary source of information about it and played an important role in how those of us who have watched from abroad have responded. For instance, when I was able to go back Saturday morning and see my friend’s safety update in Paris again, I broke down, finally allowing myself to realize the implications of what that meant. I will forever be grateful and privileged that the first notification I got about Paris this weekend was about my friend’s safety.

Despite the solace it brought me, it has become clear that Facebook has played a toxic role in the grieving process of all involved. Because of the feature that allows individuals to overlay the French flag on their profile picture - a feature that wasn’t offered for Beirut, or for the massacre at a Kenyan university in Garissa this past April, or in the countless other strikes by militant groups - the conversation has led to people disconnected from the situation attacking each other on Facebook. Somehow, the conversation became – you changed your profile picture, so you don’t care about Beirut/Baghdad/ other deaths. This is an utterly unproductive conversation. Our profile pictures are not directly engaged in this situation; they are neither providing relief to those impacted directly by

the tragedy, nor set intentionally to silence all other tragedies. We are wasting time attacking each other, and taking criticisms of this coverage personally. The problem here is the prioritizing of some lives over others by nations and corporations with significantly more control, not innocent efforts by individuals towards solidarity. Where our personal responsibility does come in, though, is in acknowledging that we are complicit in this value system.

News media has desensitized us to the loss of lives from countries outside the West. The media does not present stories of bombs in Beirut, of bombs at a memorial service in Baghdad; when they do, we are not surprised by the stories. The loss of see ATTACKS pg. 10

Inside

FEATURES

SPORTS

ARTS & CULTURE

Saving on Snacks

Students Behind the Ram

Stove’s Gets Pope

Shopping at the Ram Cafe

What it is like to be Fordham’s mascot

Comedy club to stage show in auditorium

Where you can find seasonal joy in photos

Page 14

PAGE 15

PAGE 13

PAGE 8 &9

THE STUDENT VOICE OF FORDHAM LINCOLN CENTER

PHOTO FEATURE

Holiday Cheer

R

2

News

November 19, 2015 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

Q&A WITH TITLE IX COORDINATOR AND DEAN OF STUDENTS AT LC

On Reporting Sexual Assault

By ADRIANA GALLINA Editor-in-Chief

Over the summer, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the “Enough is Enough” Bill, which created standardized processes and definitions regarding sexual assault reports for all universities throughout the state.

Some of the changes include: a standard definition of codified consent; an amnesty policy, a student ‘Bill of Rights,’ comprehensive training requirements for administrators, staff, and students and reporting requirements for campuses to annually submit aggregate data on reported incidents of sexual violence and their adjudication and handling to the State Education Department.

The Observer spoke with Title IX Coordinator Anastasia Coleman for the University and Dean of Students at Lincoln Center Keith Eldredge about the new processes being put into place and how they will affect Fordham.

THE OBSERVER: Let’s say a person

comes to a professor to report an assault what happens next?

KEITH ELDREDGE: We want

students to realize that if you go to a professor and tell them something happened, that the professor is required to report it and that’s our policy. Once the professor reports it, public safety and an administrative support person will come in.

THE OBSERVER: At what point

does the student get handed the bill of rights?

KE: It’s usually as soon as we can get

the administrative support person to them. We really emphasize people to contact the Title IX coordinator, Dean of Students or Public Safety.

Any of the three areas will get in touch with the administrative support person and get the administrative support person to that faculty members office, to their residence hall where they are, to wherever they are.

ANASTASIA COLEMAN: The Bill

of Rights, along with the Notification of Rights at the Time of First Disclosure are located on the inside cover of the CARE Brochure which is handed to the students by an Administrative Support Person or Public Safety Supervisor. We want to make sure a student understands the first disclosure language. If someone is traumatized, it’s not always easy to read, so we have the Administrative Support Person explain these so they know their options: Students can go to the police, the hospital, students don’t have to, if they don’t want to, so the person knows they are in control and they are the one who can make these informed these decisions.

THE OBSERVER: Is that Admin-

istrative Support Person the same as the advisor that the complainant gets to choose?

KE:. It could be the Administrative

Support Person if they want, but it doesn’t have to.

AC: No, there can be two different

people with different roles. The Administrative Support Person (ASP) is assigned to a person and is typically from the Student Affairs staff and is

there for support. That ASP is going to be with them, not just through any conduct process if that’s what they choose but check in with them throughout the whole year to make sure the person is receiving whatever support that they need and understand different options the person may have. An ASP is assigned to both the respondent and complainant. The advisor can be another person that the student wants to bring with them, it can be a friend, parent, lawyer, or someone else. Examples of administrative support persons are KE: Jenifer Campbell, director of Residential Life at Lincoln Center, Camile Wilson resident director for freshmen students; and we have also trained all the other resident directors as well.

THE OBSERVER: How many of the

reported cases that you do have go to

survivor but it can also be traumatic for the person who’s been accused.

KE: Students on the council are

selected by the USG president. Dr. Dorothy would talk to him [Leighton Magoon] ahead of time, not in detail. Tell him we have this situation, this is the role of the panel, we need you to pick students and we also always pick alternates. We encourage the president to select people who are going to be fair, objective, reasonable. As part of the training, we tell the panel the names and ask if anyone feels there’s a conflict of interest.

THE OBSERVER:What is the train-

ing like for the Appeals panel?

AC: It is a whole morning before

the hearing. We don’t have a pool with the same people we draw from.

We want to do a training before the

ing. In the conduct hearing, we are certainly going to talk about it, but it won’t be a retelling. I want to be fair and say we are talking about it.

AC: Public Safety may go back and

ask follow up questions because when the person first spoke they may not have told them everything or later there are outstanding questions. Someone who has been through trauma isn’t going to tell a linear story of what happened. If there’s a need for follow-up questions, we want the same person from Public Safety to go back to speak with them.

THE OBSERVER: Throughout the

hearing process, are the complainant and respondent ever in the same room together?

KE: No, absolutely not. It’s usually

two separate conversations with the

in person, someone else on your behalf, via social media, email. The emphasis on retaliation is done in a broader conversation about the no contact restriction. We make it clear to the respondent, that they cannot intimidate this person, contact them in anyway. If anything like this should happen, that’s going to be an additional student conduct violation.

AC: If the complainant thinks it’s

happening, they are told to call Public Safety at any time of day, so the complainant feels safe. That’s key.

You don’t want someone not to feel comfortable reporting something that could be retaliatory.

THE OBSERVER: Now that we

have two residence halls, would the respondent be moved immediately at the start of the process?

AC: There are times when the com-

plainant wants to move. But most

often, we are moving the respondent.

It would be done very early, it Student Alcohol and Drug-Use Amnesty Policy When Reporting KE: can be done really early.

Sexual Misconduct THE OBSERVER: If the respondent is found not responsible, would he The health and safety of every student at Fordham University is of utor she be allowed to move back on campus? most importance. Fordham University recognizes that students who have been drinking and/or using drugs (whether such use is voluntary or AC: It depends. Unfortunately there are a lot of “it depends.” A no-contact issue can still be in place even involuntary) at the time that violence, including but not limited to doif there is no finding of the undermestic violence, dating violence, stalking, or sexual assault occurs may lying conduct process. We couch of these terms under “interim be hesitant to report such incidents due to fear of potential consequences all measures,” and they can be put into for their own conduct. Fordham University strongly encourages students place if they aren’t going through a hearing. to report domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, or sexual assault THE OBSERVER: Are there any consequences for students who make to institution officials. A bystander acting in good faith or a reporting false claims? individual acting in good faith that discloses any incident of domestic KE: I want to say from the beginviolence, dating violence, stalking, or sexual assault to Fordham officials ning, false claims are very, very They do happen. But that’s not or law enforcement will not be subject to Fordham University’s Code of few. something we expect or see a lot.

Conduct action for violations of alcohol and/or drug use policies occur- So someone who puts in a report in good faith, but there’s not enough ring at or near the time of the commission of the domestic violence, dat- information to support is very different from a false claim. ing violence, stalking, or sexual assault.

AC: We leave it in the policy as a

an Appeals each year?

AC: Last year I only recall one, at

Rose Hill. I have a feeling there will be more this year just based on the new law and things in our policy particularly about transcript notion.

THE OBSERVER: Who does the Ap-

peals panel consist of?

AC: Three faculty members, one

administrator, three students.

KE: For the SCRC, the Student

Conduct Review Council, the faculty members are chosen by the President of the Faculty Senate, Anne Fernald.

AC: Before any appeal takes place,

we make sure that there are no conflicts of interest with anybody who is going to be on a panel, that they receive trauma-informed training in addition to being familiar with the process and here’s how to ask questions because we don’t want to retraumatize anybody in the Appeals process. And it can be traumatic for both students, not just the student who’s considered to be a victim or

appeal process goes on. It’s kind of lengthy, so you have to devote a good amount of time.

KE: Someone from counseling

comes in, most likely Jeff Ng, Anastasia goes in and Michele Burris [Assoc. VP of Student Affairs] goes in and discusses the process.

THE OBSERVER: Throughout the

whole process, who are the people the complainant will have retell the incident to?

AC: The goal isn’t a lot of retelling. It

depends on how it comes through.

If the person tells their RA, we’d like to get public safety and the ASP together so that they’re not repeating it. The ASP is listening, so if that person has to go to the hospital, the student doesn’t have to navigate that.

The ASP has the information and they are only sharing that on a need to know basis.

KE: They make the full report to

Public Safety. We invite, an option, the student to provide a written statement as well, which helps with less retelling and further question-

complainant and respondent.

THE OBSERVER: Describe the

changes to the updated amnesty policy.

AC: New York State wanted every

school to have the same language.

So know it’s physically in our policy and it’s the coded language from the law. We’ve had a medical amnesty but it did not specifically “sit” in our sexual misconduct policy. Now there is new language built into our sexual misconduct first.

KE: It doesn’t change in practice

what we’ve been doing. But the text is different. It’s the same spirit.

THE OBSERVER: What guidelines

or protections are put in place to guard against retaliation on either side?

KE: Sometimes it’s given verbally

initially and then the no contact restriction is always given writing.

It is at the request of the complainant. We ask them, “Is something you’d find helpful to you?’ We say you’re not allowed to have contact with the other person in any fashion,

possibility of happening. But it really is viewed on a case by case. Whoever puts in the false report might need some help. There might be an underlying issue as to why they are doing that.

THE OBSERVER: We release the

Clery set every year, will this be similar? Can we find it on Fordham’s website?

AC: We don’t yet know what the NY

State Education Department protocols for reporting will be. The state is in the process of figuring out how this will be set up.

THE OBSERVER: Describe the

impact statement.

AC: If there is a finding of respon-

sibility, both students are given the opportunity for an impact statement--how this has affected each of them. I think it’s a model based on the criminal court. For the equity part of things, both students will be able to write them before the sanctioning. So if the hearing process finds the respondent responsible for x, then each side has an opportunity to write an impact statement. This would be after the finding and before the sanctioning takes place.

Check out fordhamobserver.com for the full Student Bill of Rights

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER November 19, 2015

News

3

How Fordham Attracts All Faiths

By CECILE NEIDIG Staff Writer

Fordham University is one of 28 Jesuit universities in the United States and the university’s religious affiliation affects students’ educations in varied ways.

According to the Fordham fact book compiled by the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) from Fall 2013, 30.8 percent of students at Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC) identified as Catholic, 3.7 percent as Jewish, 9.8 percent as Protestant, 20.2 percent checked the “other” box and 35.5 percent were unreported.

Since Fall 2008 there has been a decrease in the number of students who identify as Catholic at LC. The percentage of self-identified Catholic students dropped from 45.4 in 2008 to 30.8 in 2013.

Considering the decrease in selfidentified Catholic students at Fordham, what then makes the university attractive to students of varying faiths, and how do they adapt and respond to the university’s religious affiliation when it may not correspond to their own?

The university’s website defines a Jesuit education as, “living a life beyond self, helping to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, heal the sick. Service is a critical part of who we are, so much so that it’s built into our curricula.” To attain this, through University Mission and Ministry, the university offers Global Outreach programs designed to help foreign communities or communities in outside states. Integrated service learning seminars are provided through the Dorothy Day Center for Service and Justice. The Center on Religion and Culture offer students an outlet to juxtapose the role of religion with contemporary life and the Campus Ministry office provides students with opportunities to explore various faith communities.

Father John Shea, S.J., director of Campus Ministry at LC, recognizes the diverse student body at Fordham.

“We will help anybody in any way no matter what faith they are,” he stated, adding “we’re also interested in learning about other people’s faiths.”

According to Shea, Fordham’s Jesuit education is meant to focus on the liberal arts, as “a liberal education opens people’s minds to see the bigger picture, especially that there’s a bigger world out there and there are actually many ways of doing things,

PHOTO COURTESY OF BOB ANDRES/ ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION VIA TNS

Fr. SHea said the Jesuit affliation “comes in the sense that we’re not just interested in formation of your mind, but the formation of your character.

a pluralism of ideas.”

In delineating what attracts nonCatholic students to Fordham, Shea recognizes three key elements that the university has to offer. The first is that as a Jesuit institution, Fordham provides an excellent education, according to Shea. “People are looking for quality schools and our schools are very good. You know you’re going to get a good education,” he said.

The second factor is the “understanding that in a Jesuit school there is openness to all faiths. Many people of different faiths feel comfortable here because we don’t force Catholicism onto the students,” he said.

The third element is something Shea considers unique to Jesuit universities: the value of ‘Cura Personalis’, which entails “that we take care of you totally.” To explain this term he said: “We care about the individual, and to do that we only have small classes, we want [professors and faculty] to have a personal relationship with students. They are not going to

let you be anonymous.”

In the pretext of educating the whole person, students are required to take courses in science, math, history, global studies, fine arts, foreign languages, theology, philosophy, literature and the social sciences. According to Shea, the reason behind the core curriculum and educating students broadly is to strive to “train the person to be an educated person that can think, evaluate, analyze and make decisions based on evidence.

We encourage people to ask the question ‘why,’” Shea said.

Among some students, Fordham’s religious affiliation did little to affect their decision to attend the university, and were instead drawn to its location.

Nick Chow, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’17, an agnostic student, remarked that he appreciates the idea of being taught a lot of different subjects. While initially reluctant to consider Fordham due to the Jesuit affiliation and required

theology courses, Chow notes that “the theology courses are less about teaching you religious values and more about analyzing religion from a sociological point of view or questioning it.” Having first worried that Fordham would “push” Catholic values onto him, he notes, “One thing that I really like about Fordham is that, even though it is a Jesuit institution, it still allows you to do whatever you want to do and practice whatever you want to practice.”

Justin Rebollo, FCLC ‘18, an atheist, had similar thoughts on the required theology classes. “Because in our theology classes we study and critique religion, I don’t think they’re that bad, I think they’re actually informative,” he said, but that “it would definitely be faster and easier to not have to take theology.”

Rebollo comments that the required theology classes “have exposed me a lot more to Christianity because I was never exposed to it growing up, and it has made me more accepting

of other beliefs.”

Both Chow and Rebollo accounted for Fordham’s location in New York City as a big selling point.

While both students are non-Catholic, they noted that Fordham does not hinder students of other faiths or of no faith to practice as they wish.

In commenting on the Jesuit roots, Rebollo remarked that he “barely notices it,” but admits that he doesn’t seek out the religious offerings either.

How Jesuit values are rooted in the education offered by Fordham may in some cases go unnoticed by the students who do not wish to participate in such activities. However, Fr. Shea expressed that the Jesuit affiliation “comes in the sense that we’re not just interested in the formation of your mind, but the formation of your character.” According to him, not only is doing well in a chosen field important, “but we want you to be good and do a world of good.”

Candidates Use Social Media to Increase Youth Outreach

By JENNIFER MCNARY Layout Co-Editor/Asst. News Editor

Buzzfeed recently announced that it will be having a college tour series to help advertise its news app, and Hillary Clinton is the first candidate to sign on. This is just one instance of candidates trying to appeal to young voters.

Social media is not something political candidates had to deal with just a few years ago. “I think they use social media often as a joke,” Kaitlyn Lyngaas, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’16, said. “They try very hard to make it funny and use memes, and appeal to younger generations.” The age gap between candidates and young people is extremely prevalent when they are trying to appeal to young voters. For instance, Hillary Clinton handed out coozies, a fabric sleeve that is used to keep your drink cold, that had “Chillary Clinton” on them to appeal to young people and boost her presence on social media. However, that largely became a joke.

Presidential candidates have tried to have stronger presences on social media. In a Harvard University Institute of Politics survey of over 3,000 18 to 29 year olds, only 16 percent used Twitter to advocate for a po-

PHOTO COURTESY OF BOB ANDRES/ ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION VIA TNS

Hillary Clinton has teamed with Buzzfeed to reach college-age voters.

litical position, and 24 percent liked a political candidate on Facebook.

“Based on what I have researched, the people who are already politically interested, that are already following the election, are more likely to use whatever technology or media they have access to research candidates,” Penina Wiesman, adjunct professor of communication and media studies, said.

“Because of this, they are most likely only going to be reaching those who are already politically engaged

in the first place,” she said.

Social media can be useful for a candidate, and all candidates are using social media. However, they are not always getting young people interested in voting. “I think social media is a great tool you can get to people a lot of people that they normally wouldn’t be able to access through regular media. However, I do think that there needs to more than just social media,” Eileen Kelly, FCLC ’17, said.

“We aren’t that superficial. Yes,

we are all on social media, but that won’t get us to necessarily be interested in politics,” she said.

This is a big problem in the world of politics today. Using social media alone may not be the best way to reach those who are disinterested.

“There are young people that are really not politically active. They are not going to welcome politicians reaching out to them and they are just going to ignore the stories that the politicians post in the first place,” Wiesman said.

According to a Harvard University Institute of Politics survey, 34 percent of young voters did not vote in the last election. When asked if they would be voting in the 2016 election, only 36 percent were sure they would.

“We are the largest demographic right now entering into our 20s, so it’s disappointing to see people not wanting to vote,” Kelly said.

“I don’t know why so many young people don’t vote, and I really wish I did,” Lyngaas said. “I just started volunteering with the Bernie [Sanders] campaign, and we were in Washington Square Park trying to register new voters, and they didn’t have to be Bernie supporters, but it was anyone who wanted to register to vote for any reason, and there were so many college-age people who were like ‘oh,

I’m not voting.’”

“I think this specific generation is more media savvy and more critical and suspicious of politicians in general,” said Wiesman. This generation has grown up in an interesting time for politics, which has made its members much more jaded toward politics as a whole. “I think the number-one problem is a lack of trust in the government. A lot of the young people today can barely remember a time where Washington wasn’t gridlocked or jobs were accessible,” said Kelly. “Also, a lot of young people were behind Obama, and they were really excited with his message of change, but now, after two terms, seeing him not make these huge dramatic changes that he was saying he would has left a lot of young people wondering, ‘Well, will anyone be able to make change?’”

Young people continue to be disinterested, and it is not a problem that will be fixed in this election. “It is really hard to reduce it into a simple answer because it is a really complex phenomena,” Wiesman said.

“Our entire government is run by old people,” Lyngaas said. “I think it is really important for young voters to actually go out and vote, because it is the only way for any of our concerns to actually be addressed.”

4

News

November 19, 2015 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

How Do Students Pick Their Classes?

By BORONICA METALIAJ Contributing Writer

The spring 2016 semester is right around the corner and Fordham students are once again faced with the process of registering for classes.

Joseph B. Desciak, assistant dean of freshmen at Lincoln Center, suggests that students focus on taking core classes before rushing into their major.

“I always recommend that freshmen overload on core, because the chances of them changing majors and programs is high, and why not dabble in some of the core instead of rushing into the major?” Desciak asked.

Although the core curriculum is a high priority, students also consider course material and professor ratings in choosing their classes.

Some students do their research on the infamous website RateMyProfessors, created as a space for students to anonymously publish reviews about their past professors.

Vileza Ruhani, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’15, is an avid user of Rate My Professor. “I would pick a class that seems ‘light work’ and taught by a passive professor because I knew I’d get a better grade,” Ruhani said.

There are also the unlucky few who encounter glitches during their attempts to register and end up in less-desirable courses as a result of closed-reserve.

Jessica Luszczyk, FCLC ’16, said she was worried about not getting into the few classes that would allow her to continue interning. “My schedule is already limited, so I knew I needed to get into those classes. But

YUNJIA LI /THE OBSERVER

Joseph Desciak, assistant dean of freshmen, recommends that first year students “overload on core.”

the website froze, and by the time it cleared up, classes were full,” Luszczyk said.

When asked to explain the registration process at Fordham, Desciak sympathized with students and the stress of the registration period.

“Registration creates undue stress,” he said, adding, “People think registration just begins and ends, but there is fluctuation as time moves forward. For whatever reason, we’ve created an unfair culture of stress and it shouldn’t be like this.”

Students seem to agree with Desciak’s thoughts, noting it as “unfair, limited and stressful,” according to Fiona Metaliaj, FCLC ‘15.

“I had to take the easier professors because the economics major is innately difficult ... I needed a competitive GPA in order to be accepted into the masters of econ program,” she said.

Both Ruhani and Metaliaj were committed to Rate My Professors and agreed that their class choices were heavily based on the reviews they

read on the website. They only took a professor with bad ratings when they had no choice.

“Honestly, those reviews are so accurate. Every professor I have read reviews on prior to taking their classes have turned out to be mirror images of those reviews,” added Ruhani.

However, Desciak seemed to have a different understanding of students’ reliance on Rate My Professors.

“When students ask my thoughts on course offerings and I tell them the professor is a scholar, but a challenge,

most students don’t mind,” he said.

Although many students trust professor ratings, some upperclassmen had an opinion similar to that of Desciak.

Emilie Deleers, FCLC ’16, reads professor reviews, but does not think they should be the major factor in registration.

“If my schedule is class-heavy, I’ll ask my friends about the professors and then check reviews. If a professor has some good and some bad, I most likely won’t take the bad into account,” Deleers said. Deleers also thinks many negative reviews are posted by students who do poorly in their classes and are hostile towards professors.

Desciak and upperclassmen have pointed to clear discrepancies in Fordham’s registration system. The commonly-noted issue seems to be class size. Those who register last are least likely to get the classes they need or want because class sizes are generally small.

If upperclassmen wait to finalize core requirements prior to graduation, classes fill up quickly before underclassmen have a chance to register. This is one of the reasons why Desciak expressed frustration over students who waited until their final semesters to take the classes they’ve dreaded for so long. “This is the ripple effect. It’s not good and it pushes freshmen back,” Desciak said.

Desciak also conveyed that registration troubles can be alleviated if students are well-informed, and has begun conducting in-person seminars to help freshmen with the process.

Faculty Senate Hears Students on Racism SENATE FROM PAGE 1

the meeting a chance to be heard.

Out of those responses, many were “malicious,” according to Chris Hennessy, FCLC ’16. Some specific ways in which the administration could respond were also brought forward, particularly the idea of a day-long teach-in on diversity issues and speech, and amending first year formation training for incoming freshmen.

The idea of inviting students to talk at a meeting was first introduced at the previous meeting by senate president Anne Fernald. “I thought it would make sense to invite some student leaders who are working on this issue to come speak to us about what they want from the faculty” she stated. While the Sen-

ate was originally looking for four students, six were present at the meeting.

The students were selected through the The Gender and Race Equity Committee, as well as the Faculty Diversity and Retention Committee and ASILI, Rose Hill’s Black Student Alliance (ASILI).

Each student presented a statement, some of them including suggestions of ways the faculty can address the diversity issues on campus. Major concerns were voiced by the group overall. The other two students were Scarly Rodriguez, (FCRH) ‘16 and Kayce Wilson, (FCLC) ‘19.

Also present at the meeting were Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University, and Stephen Freedman, university provost. Although silent during

the presence of the students, McShane had made his own statement on the matter prior to the students’ entrance, saying, “There is no place for prejudice at Fordham, period.”

Because of that, “the solution belongs to all of us. We are not divided among us, we are one on this, and we have to work together with our students who are as fervent regarding this as we are.” He cited growing up in New York as the reason for his “particularly short patience for anti-black and anti-semitic language.”

The students left the room after speaking, while Senate members went on to discuss the issue further.

“They are entirely right that it is not their job,” declared one of them.

A couple of senators commended the students for their bravery and eloquence. “It is exhausting being

black on this campus,” added another, with yet another saying “I have not been impressed at all with the administration’s response so far.”

The following Tuesday, Fernald sent out a statement via email, to all faculty members and administratives, summarizing the issues brought forth by students and the talk that followed. She commended the students for their bravery, saying that they “demonstrated their powerful desire to work towards a better Fordham.”

After the meeting, BallsunSimms stated that she was feeling positive about the outcome. “I think it went well. The senate seemed receptive and I think they were genuinely interested in improving the university for students of color es-

pecially,” she said. Hennessy echoed this sentiment, saying “The Senate’s supportive response has provided us with an opportunity, but we need to act in order for its potential to be actualized. That means more students getting off of twitter and into administrator’s offices.”

Among the other issues discussed at the meeting were the high number of early action and early decision applications this fall, as well as the employment rates of the class of 2015, reported six months after graduation. According to statistics brought forth by the office of the president, 19 percent of the former students are currently seeking employment, while 18 percent went on to graduate schools.

Like taking photos?

Contact fordhamobserver@gmail.com

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER November 19, 2015

News

5

Wi-Fi Issues Persist, Upgrade Pending

By BEN MOORE Managing/Online Editor

Fordham’s Wi-Fi network continues to cause problems for students. Both the 33 percent increase in device ownership this year and the increasing usage of streaming services have considerably affected the ‘Fordhamwifi’ network.

A few weeks ago, Elizabeth Cornell, director of IT Communications, sent an email to Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) residents outlining the cause and possible solutions for the poor network performance, while Student Technology Services (STS) has also posted signs throughout the residence halls encouraging students to reduce the usage of streaming services, such as Netflix, by closing them when they are not being used.

The email sent by Cornell on Oct. 23, opened by acknowledging that “we know [students] have had a few problems with [Fordhamwifi] lately.” She promised that “Fordham IT is working on a solution, and you’ll see improvement soon.”

Cornell explained that “if streaming and the number of connecting devices are reduced, the network will get faster.”

The email uses an analogy of cars on a highway to demonstrate how less traffic--fewer number of vehicles--can reduce congestion on the network--highway. In this analogy, bandwidth can be thought of as the number of lanes on a highway.

The more lanes the highway has, the less traffic there will be, and thus the less congestion.

Furthermore, Netflix could be represented by an endless stream of 18-wheelers, driving on the highway from morning into the night on a daily basis since the site is highly data-intensive. The more lanes that are taken up by these trucks, the fewer lanes are available for other types of cars, in this case Google searches, research, email, etc., which are far less disruptive.

Taking this one step further, one could consider the speed limit on said highway as equivalent to the speed of the connection, measured in megabits per second (Mbps). The higher the speed limit, the faster the vehicles, or the data, can drive on the highway, or the network.

One additional factor is the connection strength, which can be related to the weather conditions on

JULIET ALTMANN/THE OBSERVER

Elizabeth Cornell, director of Fordham IT Communications, promises that IT is working toward a solution.

said highway,network. If it is a sunny day or there is strong connection, the vehicle will stick to the road and pass through quickly. With more inclement weather or weaker connections, the vehicle will have weaker traction and will not be able to move through as efficiently.

Mark McNeil, director of Network Services, commented on the “38-40 percent” of the bandwidth that is being utilized by streaming services, stating, “I can’t see how students are using Netflix from 10:30 a.m. in the morning to almost 1:00 a.m. at night.” He did note, however, that instead of throttling, or slowing down, particular applications, such as Netflix, the department will work around this trend by “[giving] it more bandwidth or [changing] the network configuration around, so that access to it is at the requested level.”

When asked how the university determines whether the use of streaming services is suitable for or pertinent to the intended function of the network, neither McNeil nor Cornell would answer during the phone interview, and have not pro-

vided a response by email.

McNeil further stated, “if we wanted to increase the bandwidth now, the ability is actually here. We just need to fill out the proper paperwork.” He confirmed that “we are in the process of increasing our bandwidth at both locations,” noting that he should know a week or two after the time of the interview, when the service will be upgraded.

The Observer has reached out for further comment, but a response has not been provided at the time of publishing.

The original email from Cornell also explained how “the network is overtaxed by the high number of devices that use it.” Cornell estimated that this number increased by 33 percent in 2015 and will continue to rise. When asked if the school had anticipated this development, McNeil confirmed that the department had indeed been aware.

Despite giving both the Lincoln Center and the Rose Hill environment their own 1 Gbps (1,000 Mbps) connection last year, McNeil remarked that the network problem has persisted. While a 1 Gbps net-

work on its own is technically fast, this speed must be divided amongst all the individual devices on campus, which significantly reduces its performance. Additionally, according to McNeil, the network had roughly “a third more bandwidth to work on” as of last year, but has now reached critical capacity.

McNeil also corroborated the findings from the email, explaining that “this year, [the problem] has been bandwidth utilization of the internet.” As McNeil described, “it’s really hard to say that x amount of bandwidth supports x amount of people,” as this calculation is further complicated by “the sheer number of devices that are associated to one person.”

Any device that uses the WiFi, or even emits a wireless signal (printers, hotspots, etc.), can seriously reduce the wireless strength in a given space. The vast majority of students own at least a laptop (89 percent) and a smartphone (83 percent), and an increasing number own a tablet (45 percent) as well, according to a Pearson study conducted in 2014, which studied 1,228 U.S.

college students, “in an effort to determine how they use technology.”

A week prior to Cornell’s email, Fordham Student Technology Services (STS) had also sent out a survey on Oct. 22 on student technology usage and ownership, which asked students, among other things, about their experience using the Wi-Fi network and the number of devices that they own.

When asked about the results of this Fordham-specific survey, Cornell stated in an email response that “we (Fordham IT and STS) use the survey for internal purposes and generally do not publish the data.” However, she did state that she could discuss the results “at the beginning of the spring semester, when we’ve had a chance to absorb the information.”

I have personally experienced these slow speeds and weak connection strength when using the Wi-Fi. Along with another student from the Fordham IT user support department, I decided to test the network strength from within my room and outside in the hall, directly underneath the router (white box hanging from the ceiling) at around 4 p.m. in the afternoon. In my testing, I found that the connection strength became noticeably weaker once inside my dorm, and even more so in my bedroom. At some points during the tests, the wireless strength was half, or even a quarter, it was when directly underneath the router in the hallway. The connection, which according to McNeil changes on a daily basis, was primarily affected by both my distance from the router as well as by interfering signals from other devices on the network.

When the department conducts wireless testing, McNeil explained that “every summer, we [Fordham IT]…walk the entire space (of the rooms), and measure the signal penetration from that particular access point (router boxes in the hallways).” He continued, “we’ll make changes to the access points either by shifting it from its current location, or by adding (access points).”

McNeil said that the department has not been able to get to every room to perform testing.

This article will be updated online at fordhamobserver.com when further information is released on the deployment of the upgrades to the network.

MSA Launches Project to Help Syrian Refugees

By GRACE THOMPSON Contributing Writer

The Muslim Student Association (MSA), a student-run club at Fordham Lincoln Center, has started the Syria Project. According to MSA, this initiative is meant to encourage the student body to engage with the conflict in Syria–which has displaced over half of the country’s population and made basic food and resources difficult to come by.

From now until the end of the semester, MSA will be collecting food items to ship over to civilians caught in the midst of the war, with the goal of sending two full shipping containers. In the beginning of December, they will be hosting a discussion along with the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Diversity Peer Leaders. Tania Khatun, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’16 and MSA event coordinator , said, “It’s very important that Fordham knows what’s happening in Syria. This project is to create awareness that the crisis is happening, so that our Fordham peers can contribute and help out those who are suffering.”

The MSA is working with Swasia, an organization based out of New Jersey. Last year, Emen Tabit,

ZANA NAJJAR /THE OBSERVER

Volunteers from MSA will be tabling for donations every day for the rest of the fall semester and spring semester

FCLC ’16, sent six shipping containers full of clothes, motivated by one of the five pillars of Islam, zakat, meaning charity.

Tabit explained that it is an obligation “to give, to give, to give, to

give, and if you have a little share it. We have the privilege to be able to eat every single day. We have the privilege to be in an institution that gives us an education, so it is our job as humans to give back.”

Syeda Sanjida, FCLC 16 and MSA president, explains that the Syria Project reflects the club’s mission because “one of the main things in our religion is to maintain solidarity with the rest of our community, and when one part of your body is hurting, you have to treat it, otherwise the rest of your body is affected. So by doing this, trying to get involved, trying to help them out, it’s like taking care of ourselves.”

Sanjida and Tabit emphasize that this community includes not just their Muslim brothers and sisters, but humanity as a whole.

MSA is asking for non-perishable foods and monetary donations, which will be used to buy foods in bulk. The food will be bought here and then shipped because they don’t want to send money.

According to Sanjida, “When you send the money over there, you can’t guarantee that it’s going to be used for what you’re planning to use it for. Money can be used to buy anything--food, guns, other weapons--so for those reasons we are shipping food there in particular and not doing anything related to money being transferred.”

There are multiple ways for members of the student body to get

involved. First of all: donate food They are looking for goods with expiration dates of over a year from now. Although everything is appreciated, they would prefer that the foods not contain meat or meat products, as most of the population of Syria is Muslim, so the meat they eat must be halal.

According to Sanjida, “Islamically speaking, it is permissible for somebody to eat non-halal, notpermissible stuff in cases of starvation because God is forgiving, and if you’re starving you have to eat something. But I want to emphasize that the Syrian people are very resilient, and even if they’re starving they will try to abide by the religious rules.” They are avoiding meat products and definitely will not be sending anything with pork. Sanjida recommends bringing things that are high in protein, like beans and peanut butter.

At the discussion in December, there will be an information session about the history of the conflict and what is going on presently; followed by a discussion by students about the future and what more Fordham students can do, as well as the variety of reactions that the world is having to the Syrian civil war and Syrian refugees.

6

News

November 19, 2015 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

Blackout at LC Draws Over 200 Students Mizzou solidarity event, in wake of first recorded LC “bias incident” this year

By CONNOR MANNION News Co-Editor/Asst. Literary Editor

On Friday, Nov. 13 at 12:45 p.m., a group of students, faculty and administrators numbering in the hundreds gathered in the Outdoor Plaza for a “Blackout” event, prompted by the recent events at the University of Missouri and a recent announcement by the Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University, that a swastika was found carved in a bathroom dryer on the Lincoln Center campus. The event ran for approximately two hours and served as a safe space for multiple students to share their personal experiences with racism. There were also calls to action by the organizers of the event, Sinclair Spratley and Lexi McMenamin, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ‘17.

Also in attendance was the group of students that would later address the Fordham Faculty Senate, which was scheduled prior to the planning of the Blackout the same day and time as the event.

Carla Jackson, the Fordham theatre program administrator, spoke first then handed the microphone students for more personal reflections on racism.

“It is crucial to lift up the voices of people of color, and you have no idea how much power you have,” Jackson said. “Take a minute to love yourself and people around you … know that the lovers always win.”

Spratley, one of the organizers of the event, stated that the planning came from her friends at other colleges. “I have friends at every school that planned an event, other than Missouri, so I started to think why shouldn’t Fordham have an event too.”

She was, however, surprised by the large turnout. “I honestly thought that there would be around 20 to 25 of us on the plaza … after the email went out on Thursday morning, it seemed to really spur the administrators here to support us,” she said. “Then it really came together really quickly and in a great way.”

“I really don’t consider myself an organizer, but it was amazing to see all this come together,” she continued.

JESSICA HANLEY /THE OBSERVER

In addition to the many students present at the event, administrators including Keith Eldredge, dean of students. Other academic deans attended.

The email, in which McShane described the defacement of the Lowenstein bathroom as “a kind of terrorism,” Office of Student Leadership and Community Development (OSLCD) administrators Dorothy Wenzel and Christina Frankovic began advertising the event through email and OrgSync.

Wenzel sent an additional email to all club leaders, providing information on attending the ‘Blackout,’ stating: “if you want to work on an event concerning the bias incidents, climate at Fordham, or the issues happening at various higher education institutions concerning diversi-

ty and racism, you can do so. I know the deadline for submitting events in OrgSync has passed, but we will accept late reservations for this purpose.”

Signs were also placed in the Indoor Plaza of Lowenstein and the lobby of McMahon Hall advertising the event. The residence hall signs were placed by Jenifer Campbell, director of Residential Life, who also attended the event.

Spratley was concerned about student involvement until this development from Fordham administration. “I did want a lot of clubs and club leaders to be involved, but

I was worried they’d feel they were speaking against the school.” Representatives from many of the cultural clubs on campus were in attendance and supported the event.

Speaking at the event, Spratley said, “Standing in solidarity is not enough, but this is a first step and it is an important step.”

Milton Bravo, assistant dean at Fordham Lincoln Center, said the event made him recall Father McShane speaking to the class of 2019’s families during new student movein. “He said several times that we are here as administrators, as staff members, to care for your students.

It is tremendously upsetting to hear all of these experiences these students have gone through in their time here at Fordham.

“The only thing I can say is that they are not alone and they should not feel alone. And I will do my part to be there for them and help them feel welcome here at Fordham,” he continued.

Leighton Magoon, FCLC ’17 and president of United Student Government (USG), said, “This was a powerful and much needed event, but we need to keep moving forward on discussions like this.”

Gabelli to Launch Doctoral Program “ There will be a

By TRAVIS APRILE Contributing Writer

Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business is currently creating a Ph.D. program in business administration that is poised to be launched next year, in the fall of 2016. Based at the Lincoln Center campus, the program is to be funded by Mario Gabelli and will feature a cross-disciplinary study of the major areas of business education, as well as an intensive research component.

Spearheading the creation of this program is Iftekhar Hasan, Ph.D., professor of finance and Corrigan Chair in International Business and Finance. Over the past two years he, with the help of his colleagues and the Provost’s office, has been organizing what he calls the“significant process” that comes with creating a first-time Ph.D. program.

He has worked to meet the New York State’s Board of Higher Education’s requirements for the program’s contents and syllabus, created teams of faculty, administrators, and external advisors, and determined the best way to “maximize [Fordham’s] resources in the most cost-effective way.”

In a nutshell, the program will be five years long with two broad

strong emphasis on applied research, which will interest all students.”

DONNA RAPACCIOLI, dean of the

Gabelli School of Business

HANA KEININGHAM /THE OBSERVER

Donna Rapaccioli, Ph.D., dean of the Gabelli School of Business

emphases: capital markets and strategy and decision making. This interdisciplinary program will have a significant number of common

core courses such as Philosophy of Science, Research Methods, Data Analysis, and Econometrics. There will also be many theoretical, em-

pirical and research seminar courses in the two areas of focus, along with independent studies geared toward students’ disciplines and dissertation areas at the culmination of the program. Specific areas of concentration which students can choose include marketing, finance, accounting and many others.

“There will be a strong emphasis on applied research, which will interest all students,” said Donna Rapaccioli, Ph.D., dean of the Gabelli School of Business. She expects that this emphasis will give students greater access to those who can mentor them in their studies.

She adds: “the doctoral seminars [offered with this program] will be open to all students.”

When asked what Fordham

hopes to accomplish with this new program, Rapaccioli cites two ultimate goals: creating “a new emphasis on scholarship” and “completing [Fordham’s] responsibility to educate the next generation of educators.” Also, with schools “right in our backyard” such as Columbia University and NYU offering similar programs, it is imperative that Fordham does not lag behind—“we need to expand [Fordham’s] network and really get out there,”she said.

Hasan feels similarly, expressing his confidence that this program is on par with similar programs offered at other universities.

He wishes to “inspire students to become professors” by “preparing them for research and business education” while also promoting a culture of research for the entire Fordham community. He believes passionately that this will be an important program for Fordham, calling any Ph.D. program “a core element of the academic completion of an institute—the final stage of an academic program.”

Hasan said, “I am extremely proud for my school, university and fellow faculty members, as this program is another significant effort to our commitment and contribution to Fordham’s academic excellence.”

Opinions

November 19, 2015

STAFF EDITORIAL

FORDHAM OBSERVER STANDS BY SYRIA’S REFUGEES

W

e at the Fordham Observer are appalled by the xenophobic attitude of many Americans toward Syrian refugees, especially the religiously intolerant statements made by certain members of the GOP regarding barring asylum for refugees in the United States. Not all Muslims are extremists. Rather, Americans and Syrians share a common enemy in ISIS and other radical groups. Refugees share the fear for ISIS and the need for safety and freedom that Americans experience, only on an exponentially intensified scale.

To leave your home behind, with the future uncertain and with no hope for a reunion with family and friends, is a last resort. We cannot imagine how difficult and dehumanizing their struggle is. Refugees deserve dignity, compassion and respect. It is disheartening that, after having endured so much in their wayward journey, they must also deal with obstacles placed by the fear and prejudice of certain individuals.

We encourage the Ford-

ham community to read and listen to as much coverage of this crisis as possible.

But, beyond that, we should remember that not all information that has been presented as factual is always

“We encourage the Forham community to read and listen to as much coverage of this crisis as possible....We cannot allow terror to overtake our rationality and love.” accurate. We cannot allow this terror to overtake our sense of rationality and love.

To allow ourselves to turn away our global neighbors in need, to eye our fellow citizens with suspicion and contempt and to greet them

with words of hatred is to play into the hands of those that use fear as a weapon in an attempt to divide what should be indivisible.

The brutal and atrocious attack in Paris was meant to shock us–to wound us. But it falls to us to decide how we are to stop the bleeding, and how we can come back from this stronger as a community. Make no mistake–blaming an entire religion for the radical actions of a minority is to allow the hemorrhaging to continue.

It will not be easy, and it will take time, but recovery can and will be achieved.

Until that day comes, however, we must fully understand that fear and prejudice gains us nothing aside from the ostracizing of hundreds, even thousands of people that gathered together to mourn Paris just as we have.

The refugees of Syria and the Muslims that walk among us are members of our community, our family.

We must never lose sight of this, and we must treat them accordingly as we walk side by side on the road to recovery.

THE OBSERVER

Observer the

Editor-in-Chief Adriana Gallina Managing Editor Ben Moore News Co-Editors Ana Fota Connor Mannion Asst. News Editor Jennifer McNary Opinions Co-Editors Tyler Burdick Lexi McMenamin Asst. Opinions Co-Editor Areeg Abdelhamid Arts & Culture Editors Sri Stewart Asst. Arts & Culture Editors Rachel Jarvis Shaina Oppenheimer Features Co-Editors Alanna Kilkeary Alysha Kundanmal Hansini Weedagama Literary Co-Editors Jessica Vitovitch Erika Ortiz Asst. Literary Co-Editors Kayla D’Angelo Connor Mannion Sports Co-Editor Matthew McCarthy Kathleen Kirtland Copy Editors Brianna Goodman Kaitlyn Lyngaas Tyler Burdick Erika Ortiz Luca Vittori Layout Co-Editors Jennifer McNary Elodie Huston Layout Staff Alexandra Babin Iris Dai Yiana Matthews Laura Paone Ramona Venturanca Andronika Zimmerman Katie Maurer Sabrina Jen Multimedia Producer Jesse Carlucci

You used to call me on my cellphone

Photo Editor Jessica Hanley Asst. Photo Editor Hana Keiningham Online Editor Ben Moore

Late night when you need my love And I know when that hotline bling

Business Manager Victoria Leon Faculty Advisor Prof. Elizabeth Stone Faculty Layout Advisor Kim Moy Faculty Photo Advisor Amelia Hennighausen Faculty Multimedia Advisor Roopa Vasudevan

That can only mean one thing...

Faculty Literary Advisor Amy Benson PUBLIC NOTICE

No part of The Observer may be reprinted or reproduced without the expressed written consent

YOU SHOULD JOIN THE OBSERVER! fordhamobserver@gmail.com

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES • Letters to the Editor should be typed and sent to The Observer, Fordham University, 113 West 60th Street, Room 408, New York, NY 10023, or e-mailed 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 reflect the views held by Fordham University.

8

Photo

November 19, 2015 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

PRE-HOLIDAY SEASON 2015 With Thanksgiving right around the corner, the Observer photographers documented New York adorned with holiday lights and cheer.

JESSICA HANLEY /THE OBSERVER

Neon sign lights up in the glass window of a store on 70th Street and Columbus Avenue.

JESSICA HANLEY/THE OBSERVER

A snowflake decoration is hung in the middle of 69th Street and Coumbus Avenue.

ZANA NAJJAR/THE OBSERVER

The window display in Lee’s Art Shop on 50th Street.

ZANA NAJJAR/THE OBSERVER

Fake snow, trees and reindeer are placed in the CVS window on 57th Street.

LYDIA BENNER /THE OBSERVER

Starbucks on 59th and 9th prepares for the holiday season.

JULIA CORNELL /THE OBSERVER

Lights in the Time Warner Center are hung for the upcoming holiday season.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER November 19, 2015

Photo

9

PRE-HOLIDAY SEASON 2015

HANA KEININGHAM /THE OBSERVER

The Dior in Soho decorate its window with colored ornaments.

HANA KEININGHAM /THE OBSERVER

Little Italy has its annual holiday lights up and running to decorate the streets.

YUERONG LI /THE OBSERVER

A candy store at Coney Island is decorated with christmas candies.

HANA KEININGHAM /THE OBSERVER

Purple holiday lights create a festive atmosphere in the Columbus Circle mall.

YUERONG LI /THE OBSERVER

A restaurant in Brooklyn gets festive in preparation for the holidays.

HANA KEININGHAM /THE OBSERVER

Union Square closes up in preparation for the opening of their annual holiday pop up shops.

YUERONG LI /THE OBSERVER

IT’SUGAR, a candy shop in Coney Island has already begun selling candy canes for the upcoming holidays.

10

Opinions

November 19, 2015 THE OBSERVER

www.fordhamobserver.com

Donald Trump: Master of Distraction JOHN MCCOLLOUGH Staff Writer

As anyone who has watched any mainstream news channel for even a minute in the past three months knows, Donald Trump is no fan of undocumented immigrants. His blustery, seemingly written-on-thespot stump speeches get that message across with such divisive rhetoric as this comment from his introductory campaign address: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best…They’re bringing drugs.

They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists…and some I assume are good people.”

Despite the racism and intolerance expressed in his public remarks, Trump has been at the head of the vast majority of Republican polls since July. Many have rushed to dismiss Trump as a consequence of powerful right-wing special interests unique to the unusually conservative political climate present in the United States. But Trump’s rise to power is not an isolated incident. It mirrors a larger trend of rising nationalistic antagonism toward migrant workers and refugees. Across Europe, far-right parties have come to the forefront on a continent-wide scale, decrying immigration, multicultur-

alism and “political correctness.”

For all of their emphasis on jingoism and rejection of internationalism, Donald Trump and the European “new right” have very much in common. To see the common role of the inexorable forces on each side of the Atlantic, we have to look at the manner in which the main movement of the 20th-century far right, fascism, has served as a divisive force on its own.

The key component of traditional fascism is that it uses intense nationalism and xenophobia as a means of distracting the working class from its real enemy. In times of capitalist crisis—such as the post-World War I depression and the 2008 financial meltdown— reactionary movements come to the forefront as a means of redirecting the righteous fury of those by an economic system only designed to benefit a tiny portion of the population. It was for this reason that the NSDAP received the financial backing of German aristocrats and industrialists who saw him as the only thing that could save their wealth and privilege from the rise of the German Communist Party.

These movements often take on the mantle of being anti-establishment, yet they simultaneously reinforce the standards of traditionalist hierarchies and private property. The goal is to take resentment that could be directed toward inequality and ex-

COURTESY OF NATHAN HUNSINGER/ DALLAS MORNING NEWS VIA TNS

Donald Trump’s Xenophobia is a tool to divert from from other issues.

ploitation, and instead see to it that it is aimed squarely at a racial or ethnic scapegoat.

Marine Le Pen, leader of the French National Front party, was made to stand trial for hate speech after comparing public prayer of Muslims to the Nazi occupation of Vichy France. For Hungary’s reactionary Jobbik, the blame falls predominantly on the Roma people—derogatorily referred to

as “Gypsies”—who have repeatedly been the victims of ethnicallymotivated violence at the hands of party members. Greece’s Golden Dawn—whose leader is quite fond of Germany’s most infamous head of state and whose members of parliament have cheerfully embraced the Nazi salute as an expression of their political identity—tends to demonize Turkish migrant workers (when not busying itself with fervent Holocaust

denial). All of these parties have seen groundswells of support and possess large reservoirs of loyal devotees.

Jobbik is the third-largest party in the Hungarian General Assembly, gaining 20 percent of the vote in the 2014 General Election. Golden Dawn holds 21 seats in the Greek Parliament. Le Pen currently stands as the frontrunner for the next French presidential election, with almost double the support of the thirdplace incumbent. Trump, for whom impoverished Mexican “braceros” are the enemy, currently stands as the frontrunner in the race for the Republican presidential candidacy.

With his campaign message of division and intolerance, Trump places himself in the company of these bottom feeders who manipulate the working class through rhetoric that brings out the very worst and most primeval in their legions of supporters. None of this is said to imply that Trump is an anti-Semite, a fascist or a Nazi sympathizer as some parties of the European right are, but it does illustrate the dangers of this exclusionary line of prejudiced xenophobia. It cannot be disputed that, like the far-right parties of “New Europe,” Trump employs bigotry, ignorance and racism out of sheer opportunism and arrogance—and that is something far more dangerous than he ever could imagine.

Media Desensitization Creates A Culture of Hypocrisy ALEXA MCMENAMIN Opinions Co-Editor ATTACKS FROM PAGE 1

lives in these cities is to be expected from a Western media perspective, in the wake of the Iraq war, as the U.S. and the allies created a narrative associating the Middle East and related areas with violence. We expect lives in the West to be treated with more care, whether by ISIS or by our own states. The horror with which Paris was presented is absent in coverage of other tragedies. This has been justified by stating that because France

is an ally, and Paris in particular is a romanticized location that we associate with study abroad and vacation, rather than with war. It is a privilege that we are able to be taken aback by violence.

My friend in Paris and I chatted briefly via Facebook on Sunday. She wrote of the serendipity involved in tragedy, how she avoided getting stuck in the metro or on a shutdown street by mere chance, how she might’ve even been in the neighborhood had she not chosen a new bar that night. Towards the end of our conversation, she wrote back, “I’ve never felt so much like I was in danger of my life being in a public place with a lot of people, and since then all

I’ve been able to think about is how much I want to help everyone that has to deal with this kind of shit every day.”

As my friend so eloquently stated, that is, indeed, the horror at hand.

Citizens of countries like Lebanon, like Iraq, and now, in the wake of France’s attempt to enact revenge against ISIS, the blighted and martyred state of Syria, have had to live through this every day. Meanwhile, my friend from Beirut did not receive relief in the form of a safety check-in or a solidarity Lebanese flag on Facebook, or a media glut of coverage.

As of Monday, 27 U.S. states had announced they were no longer allowing Syrian refugees to enter the

country, directly in response to the attacks in Paris. If these refugees were Parisian, would they meet the same response? Syrian citizens have been experiencing the tragedy of Paris daily for years. If we are so stricken by grief over the loss of lives, over the irrationality of terrorism, then clearly that grief is saved only for citizens of political allies, not for all humans.

I have spent a lot of time questioning my own complicity in this silencing of grief. Why didn’t I share my friend’s initial post about Beirut? Why did I wait to call out our communal hypocrisy until I saw the world grieve for Paris? Many did not even know about what happened in Beirut until it was offered in contrast

to Paris. Am I not equally at fault for this? Why haven’t I dedicated my Facebook timeline to grieving for the hundreds of lives lost every day in Palestine, for instance?

Our desensitizing to this is likely to blame, but it is horrifying to comprehend the ramifications of that.

These questions - and my lack of solutions - will trouble me, for a long time. What I do know is that tragedies occurred this week, and we must mourn them all, and are in no position to ascribe worth to one tragedy over another. We must pray for Paris, and Beirut, and Baghdad. But we also must pray for a world that only started the other two prayers as an afterthought.

Rose Hill Course on the Bronx: A Good Step TYLER BURDICK Opinions Co-Editor

A course at Rose Hill has been proposed and accepted, one that aims to discuss the cultural and historical significance of the Bronx as a region of New York, and fortunately for us, doing so is a step in the right direction toward a greater understanding of the world we actually live in.

Every community carries an implicit promise of protection, of shelter. This is what makes it appealing, and what makes its residents feel safe at home. But when you surround such a place with large, black iron bars, there is another implicit connotation: that just as the world inside the bars is safe, the world outside is dangerous and warrants a response of fear.

Indeed, as Fordham University consistently pelts us with security alert after security alert detailing various muggings, thefts and even some physical altercations involving members of our own community who have dared to step foot beyond the bars of the Rose Hill campus, it is very easy to characterize the Bronx as a seedy place of crime.

But we have to remember: with

PAOLA JOAQUIN ROSSO/THE OBSERVER

The gates surrounding Rose Hill send a message about the Bronx.

any major city, there will always be a risk every time you step outside your front door. It’s a fact of life, and ultimately at the end of the day common sense should be the one to prevail. It should go without saying that meandering the streets of the Bronx alone during the early hours of the morning between midnight and 6 whilst blatantly showing an ipod or iphone in usage, is akin to painting a target on your shirt. But even so, the mere existence of crime in a city or borough of a city should never be used as an argument against the location’s value. To put things in perspective, London, one of the most culturally rich cities in the entire Eu-

ropean continent, is frequently combatting its image as a city of thieves.

Any student of Fordham who was fortunate enough to attend one or more study abroad programs in the UK, myself included, will be aware of the extensive talks given to the participants educating them about the numerous tactics and tricks utilized by scammers and pickpockets that have plagued many an unfortunate tourist in the years past. According to the London Police Service, there have been 8,903 reported thefts in the year 2014–nearly a 1,000 report difference compared to the reports for the previous year of 2013. Does this therefore mean that students need

to be corralled in such a way that they may emerge only for necessary classes but spend the rest of the time fearing the city of London?

To apply this mentality to the Bronx would be doing it a gross disservice. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2007 American Community Survey, the Bronx was ranked as one of the 10 largest and most diverse cities in the United States. Upon closer examination, it isn’t difficult to see why: the Bronx currently boasts a population of nearly 1.4 million residents. Of that total, 53 percent identify as Hispanic or Latino and another 36 percent identify as Black or African American. Of those percentages, the countries of origin include Ghana, Nigeria, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, virtually every country in Central America, Mexico and Puerto Rico, just to name a few, and this is without even mentioning the West Indian and Albanian populations that have been steadily growing.

Given these statistics, it is very clear that the Bronx is or has become a cultural epicenter of sorts for New York, but such a thing cannot be appreciated if the black iron wall is not breached and if students have no interest in shattering a veil of ignorance that engulfs their very surroundings.

Certainly, such a thing is difficult; fear is often the most power-

ful enemy of motivation, and the recent bias incidents, as well as the buzz surrounding them, has only amplified this fear. Not too long ago we saw an unfortunate incident where a freshman student of color returned to his dorm to find a racial slur carved into his door. Imagine yourself in his position, braving the already daunting task of leaving home and coming to college for the first time only to be greeted with a symbol implying that your new environment wants nothing but to fervently reject you. Why would the world beyond the gates, beyond the simultaneous symbol of exclusion and protection, be any better?

It therefore falls upon our university to take an active hand in the interest of its students and alleviate this fear. This proposed course has been a long time coming.

The syllabus as it currently exists aims to shatter any misconceptions regarding immigration’s effect on the crime rate on the Bronx and focus on, among other things, how various styles of literature and music were born in and defined the Bronx. This kind of education should be standard in Fordham’s curriculum, as it is definitely a step in the right direction toward promoting understanding between students and the various cultures that surround them, and hopefully even tolerance as well.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER November 19, 2015

Opinions

11

Truth Must Be Told in Textbooks ELIZABETH ATHY Staff Writer

In today’s world, we must carefully consider the sources we obtain our facts from, whether they are newspapers, televisions or articles on the Internet. However, the one place where we do not have to worry about a skewed perspective is in textbooks, which are meant for an academic setting. Right? Wrong.

Unfortunately, recent news concerning the slanting of views in grade school history textbooks in Texas has left the academic community searching for ways to ensure improvement in teaching techniques, so that students are getting the correct facts regarding certain eras in history. This has been an issue with discussions surrounding the trans-Atlantic slave trade, unsurprisingly.

In Texas, there has been a downplaying of the experiences and status of slaves in textbooks, using the euphemism “migrant worker” instead, as if to ease the horrific nature of the slave trade. Thanks to a black American student pointing out the egregious error to his mother, and her complaints on social media, McGraw-Hill, the textbook company, has since retracted the textbook and promises to edit both the physical and digital copies to ensure that the facts regarding slavery are indeed correct. While this is clearly an attempt to pacify the public, hopefully the company never makes this type of mistake again.

The New York Times article “How Texas Teaches History” discusses how besides actual facts being incorrect, misleading linguistic choices can also lead to a misunder-

JESSICA LUSZCZYK/THE OBSERVER

McGraw-Hill published a misleading history textbook.

standing of the facts from students.

From my experience, this is true.

When learning about the Native Americans in eighth grade, a sentence in our history textbook was phrased as such that it seemed as if the Native Americans were the ones solely responsible for the extinction of the buffalo. The teacher, an expert on Native Americans, promptly told us that this was untrue. So, we were set straight.

Mistakes like the one mentioned above are easily fixed and are often not refuted. Grammatical errors and facts, such as dates and places, are easy to collaborate on and are not hard to fix if an error is made.

However, sometimes it’s not that simple, especially when it comes to narrative events, something there is a lot of in history.

As students move into higher education, the material becomes less about facts and more about analysis.

Now, that doesn’t mean the facts are not there, but the author’s opinion is clearer than it would be in a grade school textbook. This causes the text to be closely examined for accuracy by students, along with further research that might need to be done.

When it comes to subjects in history such as conflicts and wars, there are going to be different stories from all of the parties involved.

They may agree on certain facts, but their viewpoints are going to be different and thus have a higher chance of being inaccurate. Issues such as these are not meant to be corrected, even if they are inaccurate. They are meant to provide an alternative view of events, rather than just presenting cold hard facts. However, at this point, students should be good judges at deciding what is the correct view. The average grade school student does not have this ability.

If textbooks are used to manipu-

late history in order to downplay certain atrocities or skew viewpoints, the one thing that should be done is teachers should teach beyond the textbook. While it’s easy to just read the chapters, it would be more beneficial for teachers to seek other—potentially more accurate— resources in order for students to gain full knowledge of the facts.

This way, there are no misunderstandings or misconceptions of important events, such as the transAtlantic slave trade.

The other thing that could be done to improve history education is to hire teachers who are actually history majors, or are at least thoroughly knowledgeable in a certain area of the subject. According to the article “History Class and the Fictions About Race in America” from the Atlantic, most teachers employed in grade schools are either not history majors or are not interested in American history, which can cause the class to be very skimpy on information, not to mention boring for the students.

If teachers were interested in the subject, then perhaps there would be more attention to detail rather than just regurgitating the same facts over and over again without any attention to what is being said and taught.

The skewing of history, while inexcusable, is unfortunately common and will continue to happen.

It is up to the academic world, and its students, to make sure the right information is getting across, particularly to the impressionable young minds in grade schools. It is the responsibility of the teachers, and quite possibly the government, to make sure American history is told as accurately as it can be and help the next generation understand its nation better.

WHAT ARE THOSE?!?

They are articles.

Write one and join The Observer Contact us: fordhamobserver@gmail.com

Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture Editor Srii Stewart-sstewart13@fordham.edu November 19, 2015 THE OBSERVER

BFA Dancers Present Annual Fall Concert

By SHAINA OPPENHEIMER Asst. Arts & Culture Co-Editor

On Thursday, Nov. 19, the Ailey/ Fordham BFA Program will put on its second consecutive day of their annual Fall Concert. The show will present the works of choreographers Cheryl Copeland, Amy Hall Garner, Tom Gold, Natalie Lomonte, Andre Tyson, Jae Man Joo and Alvin Ailey.

After auditioning, dancers get selected to work with one of two choreographers assigned to each graduating class. Mariah Gravelin, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC ‘18), was selected to work with choreographer Natalie Lomonte.

“Natalie is so great to work with,” Gravelin said about one of the sophomore pieces, “Common Heart.” “She’s so open to hearing all of our ideas…in the beginning it was a lot of listening to music, going across the floor and playing with movement. It was a lot of figuring out what the music makes your body do.”

Lomonte allowed her dancers to input their own choreography based on their explorations with the music. “She started the piece by asking us to make movement, so a lot of this choreography is based off what we did originally and then she put them all together. It was a really collaborative process,” Gravelin explained. Typically, the rehearsal process with many choreographers consists of learning prefixed movement. This was not so much the case when working with Lomonte.

As Gravelin explained, “She didn’t really have set choreography where she said ‘OK this leg goes here, and let’s learn a phrase, and you’re in a line here and this is what you do’ so it was really built up together. Piece by piece, we started putting together little phrases.”

Lomonte’s openness translates into how “Common Heart” can be received by the audience. “A big

COURTESY OF EDUARDO PATINO VIA ALVIN AILEY PRESS ROOM

Sophomore Henry McCall performing Kanji Segawa’s “Scorching Bay” in last year’s fall concert.

theme in the piece is community.

It’s about the celebration of community and family because that’s a really big thing in the Greek culture,” Gravelin said. Inspired by Greek culture, the three-section dance roots itself in Aphrodite’s gifts of joy, celebration and love. The piece is set to traditional Greek music and plays with gestures inspired by Greek statues.

The inventive rehearsal process was just one of several challenges

as Lomonte had to leave the piece to her assistant to travel for another job. “We were sad when she had to leave for Abu Dhabi for another job,” Gravelin said. Lomonte left the piece to her rehearsal assistant, Whitney Sprayberry. “It worked out really well because there’s such a good balance between the two of them. Natalie is very open to everything, whereas Whitney is a very ‘clean, clean clean’ and ‘run it again’ kind of person.”

Gravelin explained how they would have Skype rehearsals with Lomonte from her hotel room in Abu Dhabi. “She was so invested in the piece and was so passionate which made it great for us…technology has played a really important role in the piece in terms of keeping us in touch with our choreographer.” The last few weeks of rehearsal, the dancers would run the piece in front of a camera for Lomonte to watch over video chat so she could

continue to work on her piece.

Gravelin explained further about the difference between this year’s repertoire and her experience as a freshman working with Alvin Ailey dancer Kanji Segawa. “It was really incredible to see the difference between last year when some of us worked with Kanji and this year with Natalie. Last year, Kanji came in with set movement and he knew exactly what he was doing to every single count. That was great because it was our first experience working with someone like that.”

The two different rehearsal processes allowed the dancers to see how they’ve grown in the way they approach their work. “Both experiences were really demanding in different ways…it was fascinating to see how much we grew as a class.

Last year, a big focus was staying together, staying in line and being in the exact position at the exact count. It was really about sensing each other. And the same thing goes for this year too just in different ways because even though we’re not drilling having our arms in a specific line, it’s still about the idea of togetherness and being a whole,” Gravelin said.

Lomote’s rehearsals were an “exploratory way of doing a piece,” which posed a different kind of challenge from just picking up choreography. “For me personally, improv and generating new movement is a really big challenge, so I think that’s been the hardest…it pushed me to explore new movement. Natalie’s styles are very different. It’s kind of quirky and modern-based. I think the challenge of her moment on me was really good,” Gravelin said.

The show will take place in the Ailey CitiGroup Theater this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. Catch Gravelin in “Common Heart” as well as the rest of the BFA dancers perform in this year’s Fall Concert.

The Comma Interrobang, Sick

By KAYLA D’ANGELO Asst. Literary Editor

My mom is sick. She’s had neutropenia longer than I’ve been alive, which means that she can’t fight infections without medication. And despite the long duration of the illness (as far as she knows, she’s always had it and always will), she’s awful at taking her medicine. She always seems to find reasons to skip a week, and then another, but usually when it’s been a few weeks she knows she has to take a day off to rest and catch up with her doses. The medication’s tricky; she takes it once a week, and it keeps her from getting infections that could be life-threatening, but it makes her sick for about a day and she hates taking it. My mom feels like she’s letting us down by being incapacitated, but we’ve grown up knowing she needs it. I haven’t gotten angry with her for not being able to do things for me since I was seven, when I could barely pronounce neutropenia, let alone understand it.

Last year around Christmas, it had been four weeks since she’d last taken her medicine. But the weeks leading up to Christmas meant party after party, and obligations to see coworkers, long-estranged friends and family members from various parts of the country. So instead of skipping out on at least a couple of the parties and sending my dad with an apology and a bottle of wine they’d probably never drink anyway, my mom went to every single one of them.

The result was that, by Christmas, she had sores in her mouth and was completely exhausted by the end of the day.

By New Year’s Eve, her doctor sent her to the hospital, astonished that she’d gone on this long outside of it. My mom was dragging herself around the house, doing chores she felt obligated to do even though we could handle it for her if she needed the rest (and she did). One side of her mouth was red and raw with sores, and her blood count was the lowest it had ever been. She’d already contracted an infection, and without IV antibiotics, it could become dangerous. My mom woke me up one morning to tell me she’d be driving herself to the hospital. It was the second worst news I’ve ever woken up to in my life.

I had to work later that night, but I had eight hours until then, and I spent most of them wandering aimlessly around the house. My sister left a few minutes after she heard the news, opting to spend a few days with our aunt rather than face an empty house. My dad went directly from work to the hospital to visit my mom. Even the dogs seemed melancholy, moping around and mirroring my every step, as if that would help them understand what was going on.

I tried half-heartedly to clean my room. My mom had been asking me to do it since break started, and after Christmas I had strewn even more crap upon every hori-

zontal surface, everywhere from my desk to the corner of my bed I didn’t use to the floor. About thirty seconds into the hopeless endeavor, I found a stack of canvases I’d bought on a whim for two dollars a piece, sitting right underneath the painting I’d done when I first started my recovery from depression. That painting had been the first thing that made me feel better, even a little bit.

I set up my paints and placed one of the canvases inside the lid of a cardboard box instead of scavenging for newspaper. And instead of staring at the blank white expanse and wondering what to do as was usually the case, I selected the colors I was feeling and blended them over the threatening whiteness.

I’d begun cleaning because I wanted my mom to have something she’d look forward to coming home to, and I painted for that same reason. She liked homemade gifts.

I’m not much of an artist, but it was all I could think to do at the time. That’s something my mom and I have in common; in times of crisis, we do what we can for others.

Sometimes I think we do this to avoid focusing on our own feelings, but if that’s what I was trying to do at that moment, I failed.

The finished canvas was as blue as a bruise. Wounded and beautiful.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER November 19 , 2015

Arts & Culture

13

Student Artist Discusses Breaking Barriers in Art

By SRI STEWART Arts & Culture Editor

For some people, the art world may come off as pretentious. At art galleries and museums, visitors can find art that uses various forms of technique ranging from renaissance to baroque, impressionism to postimpressionism and more. IsokeNilaja Cullins, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ‘17, who has a rather minimalistic approach to art, hopes to bring the skills of high art to places where it is less commonly shown—that is, areas of lower socioeconomic status.

Cullins is a student artist working on a double major in visual arts and new media and digital design. In the common area of her apartment at McMahon, her painting is placed on top of a red couch and supported by the wall. The painting is of a beautiful woman with dark brown skin.

Her thin silhouette is minimally curved and covered with a sleek black dress. She also wears rich, gold hoop earrings that bring out her bone structure. The lines are sharp and clean throughout the painting, and the background is a bold, deep blue hue.

“I’m exposed to a lot of different artists and different mediums…At this point, I don’t feel like I have an established style or an established medium,” Cullins said. “As far as the art that I make and how I want to present myself to the world, I haven’t really shaped that yet, and I feel like that’s an ongoing process and something that changes throughout your life, so I feel like it’s nice to just be able to make art and make things and kind of see the progression of style and…the work itself.”

On the style that she favors, Cullins said she likes minimalism. It is obvious from the outfit that she wears—it is all grey with simple, white high-top vans. Her pants have the texture of a knit sweater. “I feel like I have an established aesthetic as far as my approach to everything, like style, fashion, art … I’ve always been attracted to clean lines and geometric forms. Really, architecture is something that inspires me and inspires all of my work,” Cullins said.

Cullins also enjoys painting hard edge, a style of geometric abstract art characterized by bold colors and abrupt color transitions. The term

PAOLA JOAQUIN ROSSO/THE OBSERVER

Isoke-Nilaja Cullins stands in front of an art piece at the Studio Museum in Harlem, where she works as a public relations intern.

was coined in 1959 by art historian Jules Langsner. As Cullins described it, the characteristics of this style include clean lines and bold colors.

“Where the lines meet, it’s clean and straight,” she said. Cullins got the chance to experiement with this style for her painting in her dorm.

She said she did this painting for a class she is currently taking. “Right now I’m painting more because I have a class…I think I really enjoy mixed media and sculpture more-so because I get to play around with different textures.”

Cullins applies her love for shapes and textures in her everyday wear as well, which translates to her minimalist fashion style. “When I pick out my clothes in the morning, I like to look at like, ‘How are the shapes?

What are the shapes that I’m creating with this look? How am I mixing texture and you know, different textiles and stuff like that?’ Those are just like the details of things and kind of juxtapositions [that] really inspire me…If I’m focusing on texture or shape, keep it black. Keep it simple, and focus on one thing at a time.”

On what she hopes to communicate with her art, Cullins said she wants to make high art accessible to lower socioeconomic groups. She said she often talks with her friends about how different people appreciate art differently, “especially in varying socioeconomic classes ...

Like where I’m from [LA], people will kind of overlook something that focuses more on color and look at

something that has a figure in it or like figurative painting because it’s something they can identify with more so. I think it’s important to democratize art in a way that everyone can appreciate it, so that it’s not so much like you have to be in a specific position in life to understand this…I think…What I hope to achieve with art is to kind of make different styles and different concepts within art accessible to everyone so that it’s not so much like an exclusive or excluding type of situation.”

Cullins also interns at the Studio Museum in Harlem in their press relations department. She had plenty of advice to give regarding how to get in the field of an art institution.

“I guess my advice would be for anyone looking for an arts institution

internship to not turn their nose up particularly to the position that they’re doing…You’ll have a fulfilling experience because you’ll still have to interact with the art and still have to work with the themes, and you’ll still be amongst artistic people and people who care about art. And that’s really what it’s about. It’s important what you’re doing, but as an intern you can’t really expect to be running the show,” Cullins said.

Ultimately, Cullins wants to work on progressing in her artwork and making art accessible to everyone.

“I think it’s just important to be able to bring [a] high skill level of art and attention to detail to a place where everyone can access it and everyone can appreciate it. I think that’s one of my hopes with art.”

FCLC’s Comedy Club Lands Pope Auditorium

By ANAMARIA GLAVAN Staff Writer

What does a popular club get when they sell out the student lounge?

A coveted spot in Pope Auditorium.

Stove’s Cabin Crew, the comedy club at Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), will be performing in Pope on Thursday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Since its establishment in 2013, Stove’s has consistently housed two shows per semester in the student lounge. Performance styles have varied from standup and sketch to improvisational comedy.

However, due to overwhelming attendance at recent shows, audience members were forced to stand throughout the duration of several performances. As a result, Stove’s felt they needed a larger space to accommodate the FCLC community.

“Stove’s was able to get the Pope Auditorium because we have consistently sold out the student lounge,” Chandler Dean, FCLC ‘18, secretary of Stove’s Cabin Crew, said. “That is to say, we have had enough people attend our shows to get it dangerously close to breaking fire codes.”

Generally, the Pope Auditorium is reserved for Fordham Theatre’s Main Stage productions. When it is not in use, however, the space is available for reservation.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY HANA KEININGHAM /THE OBSERVER

E-Board members Jennifer McNary, Dylan Penza, and Chandler Dean

“[Certain] dates are open to anyone in the university community and are used for conferences and other large lectures,” Dorothy Wenzel, director of the Office of Student Leadership & Community Development (OSLCD) at FCLC, said. “OSLCD reserves the space when there are available dates for a few clubs that have performances that are larger than we

can fit into McMahon 109 or the student lounge.”

News of the larger space has prompted Stove’s to challenge their previous comedic standards, allowing them to come up with bigger and better sketches.

“It’s going to be hilarious and really high quality,” Dylan Penza, FCLC ‘16, president of Stove’s Cabin Crew,

said. “We have a great club this year, and I have a great board behind me.

[This is] going to be the funniest show at Fordham, without a doubt. ” The themes embedded in the performance will predominantly focus on Fordham-specific topics. “We like to keep things current, and we do like to focus on very Fordham-specific stuff,” Penza said. “Our sketches tend to be more broad, [but in general] we like to keep things geared towards the Fordham audience so that hopefully more people will show up.”

Along with the FCLC-inspired skits that are reminiscent of a typical Stove’s show, special appearances are in the works. The club plans on including notable Fordham staff, including Assistant Dean of Gabelli School of Business Vincent DeCola and Assistant Dean of Freshmen Students Joseph Brady Desciak, as well as former Stove’s President, Sara McDonough. “We’re writing stuff to involve them, and hopefully they’ll say yes because we want them in it,” Penza said.

In addition to special guests, what would a comedy show be without a few impersonations? “We’re going to have Father McShane,” Penza said.

“Or more accurately, we’re going to have [a student] perform as Father McShane.”

The club’s weekly Thursday morning meetings are now being spent

in preparation for Dec. 3. Decisions concerning the show are made during this time slot, and all aspects of the performance are currently being solidified—this includes final scripts and rehearsals.

On helping write Stove’s sketches, the amount of time it takes “often depends on the level of inspiration. If I come up with a really good idea, I can work something out within a couple of hours,” Chandler, a fan of comedic legends such as George Carlin and Stephen Colbert, said. “Once I have an idea and I know what I want to do, it’s like an hour per page.”

“We have certain members that write more than perform,” Penza said.

“We also ask [club members] in the beginning of the year whether or not they want to perform and what type of comedy, which is why we have the improv and sketch show.”

Future performances at the Pope Auditorium are completely contingent upon the reception of the Dec. 3 performance. If the club is unable to fill the majority of the theater and fully utilize the space, it’s possible that Stove’s right to use Pope will be revoked.

“We are a young and growing club on campus, and I figured we’d give it a shot,” Penza said. “If not, we can turn around and go back to the student lounge. But that’s not going to happen, because we’re going to fill up Pope.”

Features

Features Co-Editors Alanna Kilkeary-alannamartine@gmail.com Alysha Kundanmal-akundanmal@fordham.edu Hansini Weedagama-hweedagama@fordham.edu November 19, 2015 THE OBSERVER

The Ram Café Versus Morton Williams When it comes to snacks, is it really worth leaving building?

By NANOR HARTOUNIAN Staff Writer

Ask any college student who has moved out of his or her family home: what is the one question parents always manage to slip into the routine phone call? You guessed it: “Are you eating well?”

I’m not going to lie: as a freshman adjusting to my newly discovered adulthood, convenience tended to trump nutritional value when it came to what I ate. As a current senior, not much has really changed; convenience is still my top priority.

However, instead of picking chips over chicken, I now choose where I get my food based on close proximity, and I’m not the only one.

The Ram Café isn’t typically what comes to mind when Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) students want to grab snacks when they’re not in between classes. Yet, it turns out that there is more to be taken advantage of there than meets the eye.

Let’s begin by comparing the prices at FCLC’s own, with the nearest supermarket that doesn’t charge astronomical prices *cough Whole Foods cough*: Morton Williams.

In regards to drinks, the Ram Café offers Odwalla smoothies for $3.29 whereas Morton Williams charges $3.99. Furthermore, while the Ram Café sells bottled soft drinks like Coke and Sprite for $1.79, the price tag at Morton Williams is $2.49. Feeling nostalgic and craving Nesquik chocolate milk?

Stay on campus if you’d prefer to pay $2.09 instead of $2.19. However, in a turn of events, it’s more expensive to purchase Vitamin Water at the Ram Café – sold at $2.49– than at Morton Williams, which charges $1.99. Ram Café – 1, Morton Williams – 0.

If you’re looking for a sugar fix,

BEN MOORE/THE OBSERVER

The Ram Café is almost always cheaper than nearby grocery stores like Morton Williams or Whole Foods for items like soda or ice cream.

both Morton Williams and the Ram Café have similar items to choose from. Missing your favorite guys, Ben and Jerry? Head over to the Ram Café to purchase a pint at $5.09 instead of paying $5.99 at Morton Williams. Ben and Jerry’s competitor and equally delicious Breyers pints are $3.99 at FCLC, whereas

Morton Williams sells them for $5.99. Another point for the Ram Café.

Although it may not seem like it at the moment, both places offer healthier alternatives to the items mentioned thus far. For a garden salad, the Ram Café charges $5.99, in comparison to Morton Williams,

which offers a similar mix for $6.99.

When it comes to wraps, Morton Williams has set an average selling price of $6.99 while the Ram Café offers them for $5.09. Coincidentally, both locations charge $6.99 for paninis. Regardless, the Ram Café emerges as the cheaper choice once again.

Look, I’m not going to claim that the Ram Café is my sole source of food and drink. I’m also not going to suggest that it be yours. Nevertheless, I hope it’s been comforting to know that if need be, students and staff alike can save a couple of bucks on both food and travel.

The Plight of the Staten Island Commuter

By HANSI WEEDAGAMA Features Co-Editor

When my alarm went off on Thursday morning, I looked over and groaned. It was only 6:45 a.m.

I wanted to sleep in, but unfortunately, I had a full day of classes and had to get to an internship. 10 minutes later, I was up and getting ready for my 10 a.m. class. Though at 6:45 a.m., 10:00 a.m. seemed like forever away, it was actually just enough time to get me to Fordham by 9:45 – that is, if traffic let up.

By 8:00 a.m., I was ready to go.

As a commuter, I’d never had the luxury of being able to go back to my room and get something I would need later on. I had to make sure I left my house with everything I needed for the day. If I forgot something, it stayed left behind. All I could do at that point was mentally scold myself. It was because of this that I had made a habit of double checking my bag, and going through my mental checklist of things I would need for the day.

I finally left my house five minutes later and walked two blocks over, where I would catch the express bus. It sounded so convenient — an express bus that would take me right into the city all while I caught a little bit more sleep — but that wasn’t the case at all. I was spending $228 a month just on my commute, which took close to two hours, depending, again, upon traffic. Staten Island is notorious for its crowded expressway and I knew from experience

PHOTO COURTESY OF DOV HARRINGTON VIA FLICKR

Accidents and other delays on the Staten Island Expressway are the bane of commuter students’ existences.

that getting anywhere on time was a hit or miss situation. One accident on the expressway and suddenly, we were set back 20 minutes.

The bus arrived at 8:15 a.m. and, as expected, it was crowded. People headed to work and school alike were all sitting down groggily, clearly excited to start the day. I found a seat and let myself drift off a little. When I woke up an hour later, we were still on the expressway — stuck in traffic.

Great. I expected it every morning, but every morning, I got on the bus

with a shred of hope that maybe today wouldn’t be so bad. I was wrong, as usual. It was around that time that I started mentally telling myself “as long as we get to the tunnel by nine, we’ll be fine.” This was something I did every day - make deadlines that I knew I had no control over; it lessened my annoyance over the traffic.

Once we finally reached and went through the Battery Tunnel, it was time to decide whether I would get off at the first stop and take the 1 train up, or take my chances and

wait to ride the A train from Chambers Street. It was now 9:10 a.m., so I figured I would have enough time to get to Chambers. When I was on the A train at 9:33 a.m., I relaxed.

I would get to school on time, 9:50 a.m. at the latest, but not all that bad.

Sitting in my 10 a.m. theology class, I thought about what I had lined up for the rest of the day. Because I needed to meet a certain number of hours for my internship, I was scheduled to go in for an hour during my break. This meant leav-

ing my morning class right after it ended and heading downtown. After the hour was up, I’d have to come back to school, eat and head over to my 2:30 p.m. class. It was a packed day, but this had become a normal routine for me.

By 11:30 a.m., I was out the door and headed downtown to Penguin Random House, where I am a production intern. Getting on the 1 train by 11:35 a.m. meant I’d make it to my internship (which was about 20 minutes away) just on time. Because I was only in for an hour, it flew by quickly. Before I knew it, I was back on the 1 train headed up to school. At 1:30 p.m., I was in the Ram Café, grabbing something to eat. This was the hour where I had the most downtime, and I let myself relax a little and eat my chicken caesar wrap, before finally heading down to the Visual Arts complex, where I had my photography class.

At 5:15 p.m., after photography, it was finally time to go home. I headed over to Columbus Circle, where I caught the D train downtown to Houston Street. This is where I’d catch my express bus back to Staten Island. When the bus finally arrived around six, I figured I’d be able to get back to my house around seven, since I was already downtown.

Finally home at 6:55 p.m., I ate dinner and got started on my homework. When I was finally in bed at midnight, I remembered I would have to be in the city by 8:30 a.m. the next day and do this all over again — but hey, what else was new?

Sports Editors Matthew McCarthy - mmccarthy80@fordham.edu Katie Kirtland - kkirtland@fordham.edu

Sports

November 19, 2015

THE OBSERVER

JULIA CORNELL /THE OBSERVER

The Fordham University Ram, pictured here at Jack Coffey Field in the Bronx, inspires school spirit in each member of the Fordham community.

Under the Mask: “The Ram Transcends Everything”

By MATTHEW MCCARTHY Sports Co-Editor

As Laura Paone, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’16, put it, “The Ram is life.” For Paone and Nick Endo, FCLC ’16, the Fordham Ram is more than a mascot; it is an embodiment of how they feel about Fordham. When you see the Ram walking around during an open house or on a Fordham Thursday, it’s most likely Paone or Endo. They both love the university and wanted to show their pride in the school. As Paone said, “I really wanted to spread my love of Fordham with my peers.”

For these two, being the Ram goes beyond just the high-fives and

pictures; it’s about the joy the Ram brings others. Endo believes, “Seeing prospective students be happy is most important.” Paone added, “It fills everyone with cheer and camaraderie.” According to Endo, wearing the Ram costume means making prospective and current students excited to be at Fordham.

However, being the Ram isn’t all fun and games. Paone and Endo agreed that the costume tends to get overheated, causing the Ram to be drenched in sweat. Other problems include poor vision and trouble walking. Endo admitted vision was one of the most difficult parts about being the Ram, but he wouldn’t reveal how he sees out of the costume.

He was quite secretive about the behind-the-scenes features of the Ram. Endo said, “I have such a high standard of ethics when it comes to talking about the Ram. I take it very seriously. I don’t like to reveal too much about the magic.”

However, the magic is put on hold when Paone tries to walk in the suit.

While Endo agreed walking was difficult in the costume, Paone said, “It’s kind of like you’re wearing big flippers.” She didn’t shy away from describing what dressing as the Ram entails.

Paone explained exactly what goes into being the Ram. For example, one thing many people don’t realize is that the Ram has a wardrobe.

The Ram has a few different outfits: a basketball uniform, some t-shirts and even a Santa outfit. The outfits don’t always work out, though. Paone disclosed that during her last outing as the Ram, “The t-shirt was a little too tight for the Ram, so he looked really muscular and it constricted the whole Ram.” The complications with the outfit only increased the initial problem with walking.

Paone continued, “I had to go down the escalators. I tried a couple of times, but couldn’t do it. It would be so embarrassing if someone just sees the Ram tumbling down the escalator.”

Despite the vision and walking issues, the oversized head can pro-

vide joy for the person who dons it, especially when taking pictures. Paone revealed the eye holes near the mouth of the Ram allow the wearer’s face to be completely hidden, giving Paone the perfect opportunity to have fun while taking pictures with Ram Fans. She said, “I would just make funny faces when taking pictures, because no one can see my face and the Ram is always smiling.”

From sports games to open houses, the Ram is everywhere. The Ram does it all, so during the next Fordham Thursday make sure you snap a picture with Fordham’s beloved mascot. But don’t assume Laura Paone or Nick Endo will be smiling under that costume.

Gyms Are Boring: A Guide To Alternative Workout Methods Other Options For Exercise Enthusiasts Who Are Sick of Traditional Gyms “They are too tedious, and I am too easily bored when I work out on a machine.”

By MADISON SIDWELL Staff Writer

For the many Fordham University at Lincoln Center students who prefer to get out of a traditional gym setting while still getting in their day’s exercise, the Upper West Side has plenty to offer. A variety of studios and gyms are nestled right within our neighborhood, and will help students enjoy their workouts.

Some of these options include such methods as dance, yoga and CrossFit. Fordham students have expressed interest in alternative workout methods around campus. Marien Alejandro, a Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’19 dance major, said, “I am not a fan of the gym because I like having fun while I exercise.

I don’t exactly like doing a cardio workout on a machine, so it is hard to motivate myself to go to the gym.”

Alejandro expressed her interest not only in public dance classes, but also in CrossFit. “I would love to try CrossFit because it seems like a great and fun way to work out and meet new people in the area.”

The Ailey Extension is a branch

TORI LI/ THE OBSERVER

A different type of workout is the Alvin Ailey dance extension program.

of the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation that offers public dance classes every day, ranging from ballet to West African dance. The Ailey Extension also offers classes in Zumba, yoga, Powerful Body Pilates and Danzatone Fitness (a non-stop dance fitness class). The Ailey Extension is located on 55th St. and 9th Ave., just five blocks from campus.

You can visit their website, www. aileyextension.com, for class sched-

ules and pricing. Other local dance studios include Steps on Broadway, Manhattan Movement & Arts Center and Blood Sweat and Tease. All studios offer public dance classes for all levels.

If you are looking for a more relaxing option, Yoga to the People is a donation-based yoga studio that provides classes all day, every day.

Yoga to the People specializes in Vinyasa Flow yoga, a type of yoga

that aims to not only strengthen your body, but your mind and heart as well. Yoga to the People is located on 103rd St. and Broadway. You can visit their website, www.yogatothepeople.com, to learn more about what they have to offer. If you want to check out some other studios, there are several more options, such as YogaWorks Westside, Upper West Side Yoga, NY Loves Yoga and World Yoga Center. All of these studios are highly-rated and offer classes for all skill levels.

Fiona Whalen, FCLC ’19, doesn’t like working out in gyms because “they are too tedious, and I am too easily bored when I work out on a machine.” Whalen runs regularly in Central Park, but would love to try other methods of exercise, including yoga. “Yoga would be a great way to refresh, both mentally and physi-

cally. I feel like it is a cleansing workout that can be beneficial in multiple ways.” Whalen also expressed an interest in CrossFit. “Anyone who does CrossFit seems to get results and love it. I have never heard someone say that they were bored doing CrossFit.” If you are interested in CrossFit training, CrossFit NYC just opened a new location on Columbus Ave., between 67th St and 68th St. CrossFit is a nationwide program that helps anyone get into the best shape of their life, regardless of their fitness level, with a focus on strength conditioning. CrossFit offers classes every day, and the first intro class is free. You can visit their website, www.crossfitnyc.com, for more information.

All of these off-campus options are a great way to get out and get fit, but FCLC has a couple of options here on campus as well. Zumba classes are offered on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. in McMahon 205/206, and Tae Kwon Do classes are offered on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. in the same room. Check out the flyers posted around campus for more information.

www.fordhamobserver.com

THE OBSERVER November 19, 2015

Sports

16

Fordham Men’s Soccer Finishes Roller Coaster Season

By MOHDSHOBAIR HUSSAINI Staff Writer

Vince Lombardi, a Fordham alumnus and sports legend, once said, “The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.” The Fordham University soccer team exemplified this motto when they entered the 2015 season as the reigning Atlantic-10 Conference champions.

The road to a repeat would not only be difficult, but would also require overcoming adversity. The first of these challenges for Coach Jim McElderry and his squad would be a replacement for goalkeeper Sean Brailey, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ‘15.

At the outset of the year, the Rams were without a seasoned goalkeeper.

This was when one of Fordham’s unfamiliar faces earned himself plenty of facetime. Freshman Rashid Nuhu, FCRH ‘19, tackled the odds and received the nod to fill in the opening left by Brailey. Nuhu, a Ghanaian native and graduate of Kent School in Connecticut, came into training camp with hopes of at least being a small part of the 30-man squad. In fact, he stated, “My mindset was simply to do my best.” He exceeded expectations and ended up being Coach McElderry’s first choice to start as the goaltender.

As the preseason wrapped up, Coach McElderry’s starting forward, Andres Penfold, FCRH ‘16, was named to the Atlantic-10 All-Conference team. When asked about this accolade, the redshirt senior credited his success to the collective efforts of the team, saying, “This recognition is great for the soccer program.” A redshirt senior is a student athlete who uses five academic years to utilize the four years of NCAA eligibility by not playing his freshman year.

Penfold came off of a record 2014 sea-

PAOLO JOAQUIN ROSSO /THE OBSERVER

The Ram’s soccer team practices in preparation for the Atlantic-10 Tournament.

son, when he was named First Team All-Atlantic 10 after netting in seven goals and 16 points. He was also one of five Fordham players to start all 21 games.

As the regular season got going, this Ram squad faced many challenges, especially during the first couple games.

When asked to identify the toughest stretch of the season, both Nuhu and Penfold agreed that the way in which the season started was far from what they expected.

“After a successful preseason, we began the [regular] season 0–3,” Penfold said. “We worked hard as a unit, and not being able to immediately reap the benefits of [our] hard work hurt.”

The Rams commenced the season by traveling north to Beantown to face off against Boston University, where they lost in overtime with a final score of 1–2. A week later, Coach McElderry and his Rams took a road trip west to the Windy City to face off against another Jesuit school, LoyolaChicago. Fordham fell behind in the second half and couldn’t make the

most of its opportunities. Penfold attested that the “tough conditions in Chicago” made it difficult to win.

Two days later, the Rams faced off against DePaul, with hopes of bouncing back from their losing woes, but failed in a 0–4 loss. This left the team to question its tactics and whether it could truly return to the high level of competitive play it boasted just a season ago.

This was the ultimate test of adversity for Fordham soccer, and they answered back. It took three weeks for Coach McElderry and the Fordham men’s soccer team to capture their first win against Fairfield University, finishing with a final score of 3–2. Four days later, the Rams hosted their uptown rivals from Columbia University; again, Fordham was triumphant, defeating the Lions 1–0.

Nuhu’s eight saves during this two-game winning span was a major factor in Fordham’s success. He didn’t shy away from modesty, attributing his success to his teammates and the wall of defenders that protect him each and every game. “I have to give thanks to my defense,” he said.

Despite the ups and downs of the season, Penfold emphasized the solidarity that existed within the team, saying, “the beauty of college athletics is the camaraderie that exists on this team…. [Our] ability to overcome adversity shows the character of our team.” Indeed, Andres and his teammates proved that when the stakes are high, they don’t waste time in getting the job done.

The Rams were successful in four of their first five Atlantic-10 Conference games, defeating La Salle, Davidson, Duquesne and even Rhode Island.

In fact, three of these four victories were all shutouts which once again served as a testament to the ability of the men’s soccer team to defend at the most crucial times.

In spite of Fordham’s inability to capture victories in its last three games against George Mason, Dayton and Massachusetts, Coach McElderry and his team managed to end the regular season with a 7–7–4 record. The Rams then set their eyes on the final Atlantic-10 tournament, which was their last hope to finish as champions. This journey began when

Fordham traveled down to Fairfax, Virginia, ahead of its Nov. 12 matchup against the University of Massachusetts.

These two teams had faced off only five days prior to this meeting, with the Minutemen winning 1–0.

This time around the Rams fought long and hard, when in the 83rd minute a set of passes between Eric Ohlendorf, Jannik Loebe and Janos Loebe earned the Rams a penalty at the top of the six-yard box. Jannik Loebe drilled the penalty, scoring his fifth goal of the season and putting Fordham on top. This secured Coach McElderry’s team a spot in the following day’s semifinals against Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Despite the excellent defensive showing by Fordham, VCU’s Rafa Andrade Santos netted a 23yard goal at the end of the first half, ultimately pulling his team towards victory. This was enough to end the Rams’ turbulent season.

Although the season didn’t act in favor of Fordham, overcoming adversity was a lesson that many of the younger players will take with them for the future. After all, this is a squad that had four of its players named to All-Conference teams this season, including freshmen Janos Loebe and Rashid Nuhu, as well as sophomores Jannik Loebe and Matthew Lewis.

“This season has been a roller coaster,” Penfold stated. He did agree that much of this wouldn’t have been possible without the support of a great coaching staff. “[Our] coaching staff does an unbelievable job preparing us for games,” he said. With such an immense group of dedicated personnel, the future is bright for Fordham men’s soccer. In Vince Lombardi’s words, the greatest accomplishment for these Rams will be to use this season as a means of “rising again” to a new level of dominance next season.

Hello?

It’s me.

I was wondering...

IF YOU’D LIKE TO WRITE FOR THE OBSERVER?!